Barbara's Birthday Dinner

Wine:

Champagne Michel Dervin Brut
Chablis Premier Cru Domaine Servin 2004
Grand Vin De Leoville Saint-Julien 1982
Chateau Canon 1er Grand Cru Classe Saint-Emilion 1985
BV Georges De Latour Private Reserve 2003

Our friend Barbara had come down from San Francisco to celebrate her Birthday and the New Year. We had Billy / Kevin and Tim over to join us for the dinner.
John, another friend of ours had also come down from San Francisco and had left for Thailand. He left us a gift of two exceptional old wines that we decided to drink in honor of Barbara’s big day on the 30th.

We started with Lobster Raviolis from a favorite Silverlake caterer, Matt Poley. He is definitely king of lasagna. You can buy his products at Silverlake Wine. His web site is: www.heirloomla.com.

We had a surprise when a different Matt, who is the chef of Mozza called us and asked us if we have his recipe for Squash & Farro Soup. He had given us the recipe for this delicious soup years ago, and had apparently lost it. We hadn’t made it for quite a while and had forgotten about it. Luckily the recipe was on our blog, and we copied and sent it to him. In addition we decided to make it ourselves for Barbara’s Birthday. We really love the soup, it is very thick and perfect for a cold winter day.

For the main course we made a Beef Tagine with Sweet Potatoes from: THE FOOD of Morocco Cookbook. You can get the recipe from our blog of Oct 2, 2009. Click the date to get the recipe. Because there were so many of us, we did not use the traditional Tagine pot, but rather an enameled Dutch oven. It turned out just as well. We were very happy.
We made Cous-Cous to go with it.

Barbara’s favorite cake: Spiced Pecan Cake, is from K-Paul’s in New Orleans. We have had it there several times and it is outrageous. We contacted a local bakery: The Village Bakery and Cafe and took the recipe for the cake to them. They agreed to make the cake, it turned out perfectly.


Squash & Farro Soup
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By Matt Molina
Base:
1 cubed squash
1 yellow onion, sliced
4 carrots, sliced 1 celery stalk, sliced
10 whole garlic cloves, peeled
1 dried arbol chile
pinch dried porcini (optional)
1 ounce olive oil
1 quart chicken broth
2 sprigs parsley
1 sprig thyme
2 ounces prosciutto, in one piece
Salt & Pepper

Sweat squash, onion, prosciutto, carrot, celery, garlic, chile and porcini in olive
oil and salt for about 10 minutes.

Add broth, thyme and parsley. Bring to a boil, then simmer for about 30-35 minutes-or until squash & garlic are soft.

Once vegetables are tender, remove herbs, prosciutto and chile, then puree well. Set aside.

Farro:

1 cup farro or barley
1 chopped yellow onion
2 ounces chopped pancetta
1 bunch deveined, washed and coarsely chopped beet greens or chard
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cups water
1 tablespoon salt

Toast farro in a saucepan with olive oil over medium high heat, stirring frequently.

Once the farro begins to smell like popcorn, turn down heat and add the pancetta, onion and salt, rendering the pancetta and sweating the onion, about 5 minutes.

Add water and bring to a boil, then simmer about 20 minutes.

Add the greens and cook for 10 minutes more, stirring occasionally until the farro and greens are tender.

When the farro and greens are tender, combine the two components together, and warm. Garnish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and serve.

Risotto of the Vigil

Crozes Hermitage Paul Jaboulet Aine Mule Blanche 2005
Brunello di Montalcino Vendemmia 2001

Every Christmas season we make Risotto of Vigil from The Splendid Table by Lynne Rossetto Kasper. It is a very hearty risotto and perfect for the cold climate.
We happened to see Billy and Kevin and invited them over. Caesar Salad using the recipe from The Zuni Cafe Cookbook. You can find the recipe in our blog of July 25, 2009.
Click the date to get the recipe.

A neighbor, Kazue, had requested that I help her set up her new TVs and video recorders. I was happy to help her. As a thank you, she dropped off some delicious Pastries from Little Tokyo. We had them for dessert. Yum!




Imola's Risotto of the Vigil
Risotto della Vigilia di Natale
The Splendid Table Lynne Rossetto Kasper

A saute of beef and cabbage simmers in a risotto of tomato and wine. Carrot and onion browned with fresh sage and a hint of garlic boost the flavors of this country dish. Breaking Christmas Eve's meatless vigil with this one-dish feast was the tradition in the farmhouses of lmola's countryside.

Serves 6 to 8 as a first course, 4 to 6 as a main dish

About 4 cups water
3ounce lean salt pork, cut into small dice
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
8 ounces lean beef chuck, cut into 1/4- to 1/2-inch pieces
1 small carrot, coarsely chopped
1 small stalk celery with leaves, coarsely chopped
1 medium to large onion, coarsely chopped
3 large fresh sage leaves, or 3 large dried sage leaves
1 medium Savoy cabbage (about 1 pound), halved, cored, coarsely chopped
4 cups Poultry / Meat Stock (beef or veal stock)
1 cup water
1 1/4 cups (8 ½ ounces) imported Superfine Arborio or Roma rice wine
1/3 cup dry white wine
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 cup canned tomatoes with their liquid
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil leaves
2 cups (8 ounces) freshly grated Italian Parmigiano-Reggiano
cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 marrow bone approximately 1 inch soaked 1st.

Working Ahead: The risotto is best cooked just before serving, but its base can be prepared several hours ahead. Refrigerate the browned beef. The sautéed vegetables can be held up to 3 hours at room temperature in their covered pot.
I
Blanching the Salt Pork: Bring the water to a boil, drop in the salt pork, and boil about 4 minutes. Drain, rinse, and pat dry. (We use end of a prosciutto and simply cut off the required amount of meat)

Making the Base: In a heavy 5-quart pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the salt pork and cook slowly 8 minutes, or until it has given up much of its fat and turned golden brown. Remove the pork bits with a slotted spoon, and reserve. Pour off and discard all but 3 tablespoons of the fat. Turn the heat to high and add the beef. Quickly brown 8 minutes, or until dark and crusty on all sides. Remove with a slotted spoon, and reserve. Stir the carrot, celery, onion, and sage into the pot, and cook over medium heat, 5 to 7 minutes, or until the onion is golden brown. Add the cabbage, and stir frequently over medium-high heat, about 10 minutes, or until wilted.

Cooking the Rice: Warm shallow soup dishes in a low oven. Bring the stock and 2 cups of water to a simmer in a saucepan. Add the rice to the vegetable mixture, and stir over medium heat about 2 minutes. Blend in the wine and garlic and cook at a gentle simmer, stirring frequently, 5 minutes, or until the wine has been absorbed. Then add the tomato sauce or canned tomatoes and basil, along with the reserved salt pork and beef and cook another 5 minutes, stirring to keep from sticking.

Keep heat at about medium so the mixture simmers. Add 1 cup of the stock mixture and stir until it has been absorbed by the rice. Repeat, stirring in 1 cup until the rice is still a little too firm to be eaten. Then start adding the liquid in 1/4-cup quantities until the rice has only slightly more bite than you would like.

Finishing and Serving: The risotto's consistency should be like a thick soup. Fold in about 2/3 cup of the cheese, remove from the heat, and season with salt and pepper. Let the risotto rest, uncovered, 5 minutes. Mound the risotto in the heated soup dishes land serve, passing the remaining cheese separately.

Pizza!

We LOVE Pizza! We tried to make it in our Egg and it didn’t work out so well. Michael, our Tai Chi Instructor has been telling us about his pizza. He is from New York City and is an enthusiast of the Italian Pie.

He said he bakes his in the oven. He brought all the ingrediants, and after Tai Chi, he baked pizza. It was fabulous. We had invited Billy and Kevin over to join us, and Billy proclaimed it was 3 dimensional; the Best. It was a combination of the thin crisp crust, the uncooked sauce he puts on it and the cheese. Michael really knows how to make good Pizza dough!

Andrea, luckily, called us and we invited her and Roger over. She made it and enjoyed it also. I had stopped at Mozza (The best Pizza Restaurant in LA) and picked up some of Nancy’s Chopped Salad to go with the Pizza. It was perfect.

We spent the afternoon on the deck overlooking the city, eating Pizza and enjoying ourselves. It was a wonderful afternoon.

Here is Michael’s Recipe for Fabulous Pizza baked in your stove.

For the dough:
1 1/4 cups warm, pure water
2 teaspoons dry yeast
3 1/2- 4 cups unbleached white flour
2 teaspoon salt

In a large bowl dissolve the yeast in warm water and let rest for a few minutes. Once bubbles appear add 2 cups flour and salt, stir, then add rest of flour. Turn the blob on to a flat surface dusted with flour. Knead for 10 minutes. Return the blob to the bowl, cover with a slightly dampened cloth and let sit for 1 1/12 hours. Blob will nearly double in size. Cut blob in half and form into to 2 balls. Seal each ball in a ziplock bag or tupperwear container. Let it sit in the refrigerator for at least one day. Dough will continue to rise and the flavor will mature. Remove the dough from the oven at least 2 hours before baking. Let the dough come to almost room temperature so that it is easy to work and elastic.

For the sauce:
1 can high quality crushed tomatoes or Italian plum tomatoes
8 cloves of finely chopped garlic
6 leaves of fresh basil chopped

Stir together. Do not cook the sauce.

He use a Fibrament D baking stone, He keeps it on the bottom rack of the oven, as low as possible. Heat the oven to the highest possible temperature. Preheat at least 1/2 hour before making the pizza.

Chicken Pasta

We had a friend in Cedars-Sinai Hospital. We wanted to have a drink with her son and her business partner so we met them at a bar near the hospital. They didn’t want to join us for dinner so we went to Comme Ca for dinner. They have a Monday night special of Roast Chicken. We had appetizers then the huge chicken was delivered to us. It was way more than we could eat. We had lots of leftovers and asked them to package the chicken for us, we were going to make soup with the leftovers. when the waiter returned with the chicken it was in a bag much too heavy for just the chicken. I looked inside and they had done something really cute. The chicken was in a container but in addition there was a large container of cut up raw vegetables for the soup: onion, celery, carrots, etc. There was also a recipe for chicken soup and a bouquet garnni to flavor the soup.

We decided to de-bone the chicken and make soup with the carcass. With the chicken meat that we had we found a recipe for a Chicken Sauce for Pasta.

Billy stopped by; Kevin was at a work related dinner. Billy was out for a walk and just happened to wind up at our house at dinner time. We made a salad from the fantastic persimmons that are at the market now. They are very sweet! We had lots of leftovers and the next day I drove down to Long Beach and took them to my sister and Sharon.

Fettuccine with Venetian Chicken Sauce
From: On Top of Spaghetti by Johanne Killeen and George Germon

Serves 6 – 8 as a main course

In Venice, water is everywhere. With the canals and the lagoon spilling into the Adriatic, one associates Venetian cooking with fish and seafood. It's true you can eat delectable local sea creatures in a select group of impeccable restaurants. We have feasted on razor clams, scallops, feisty mantis shrimp, inky cuttlefish, and octopus — the list goes on. But there is more to this cucina. You could be regaled by grilled radicchio from nearby Treviso; steamed white asparagus from Bassano; wild mush¬rooms prepared in every imaginable guise; criminally rich Venetian calves' liver; risotto with vegetables, meats, or white truffles; silky, homemade pastas; and some very impressive desserts. One dish we have found inspirational is a delicate vegetable sauce made with tiny pieces of diced chicken tossed with ribbon noodles. We took this food souvenir of Venezia home with us and created a sauce and pasta that evoke happy memories of that magic city. Our elegant, suave sauce is made with carrots. Its striking yellow-orange color is food for the eves.

2 cups homemade chicken stock
8 ounces skinned and boned chicken breasts
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 small garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped
1 cup finely chopped carrots
1 onion
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup canned tomato, preferably organic
1 pound dried fettuccine or fresh fettuccine
Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

1. Bring the chicken stock a boil in a saucepan.

2. Cut the chicken breasts into lengthwise strips about the width of a finger. Drop the strips into the boiling stock. Cover and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 4 minutes. Remove the cover and set aside, allowing the chicken to cool in the liquid. When cool, transfer the chicken to a cutting board and reheat the stock.

Meanwhile, melt 3 tablespoon of the butter in another large/saucepan. Stir in the garlic and cook over low/neat until the garlic becomes golden. Add 1 cup water to prevent the garlic from browning. Stir to combine. Add the carrots and salt and cook over moderate heat, stirring often, until the mixture is nearly dry with just a bit of water left. Be vigilant and stir constantly toward the end of this step to be sure the carrots do not brown at all. Add the hot stock and tomato juice. Cover and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, set the cover ajar, and simmer gently for 35 minutes, or until the carrots are very soft. Puree with an im¬mersion blender until you have a smooth puree. Set aside.

4. Cut the chicken strips lengthwise into 1/8-inch-thick slices, then cut across to make 1/8-inch dice. Add the chicken to the sauce and reheat gently.

5. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Generously salt the water and drop in the fettuccine. Cook, stirring often, until al dente. Drain the pasta and transfer to a heated platter or shallow gra-tin dish. Toss with the remaining butter and fold in enough sauce to coat the noodles generously. Sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano and serve at once. Pass more cheese at the table.

Beef Provencal

Every winter we make Provencal Beef Stew from Bistro Cooking by Patrica Wells. It is delicious. I love the macaroni that goes with it! The recipe for the can be found in our blog of: March 21 2009. Simply click the date to get the recipe.

It makes a lot and is perfect for leftovers. We started with a Salad of Persimmons and Pomegranates and Almonds. The pomegranates have been particularly good the season.

For dessert we had Christmas Cookies from Village Cafe (where LA Bread used to be Atwater Village.)

Crispy Chicken

We wanted to try a second dish from the Ad Hoc at home cookbook by Thomas Keller. We decided to make: Crispy braised chicken thighs with olives, lemon and fennel.

We started with a salad using a technique that we experienced at Palate. We made a Salad with Lettuce, Dates, Almonds, Tangerines, and shaved Parmesan cheese. The dressing was different. Instead of using vinegar with the oil, we used fresh squeezed orange juice. It gave the acidity that was needed and created a very fresh taste. I don’t remember using fresh juice before, we will in the future. It paired well with the tangerines in the salad.

The chicken recipe is great. It is baked in the oven and then finished under the broiler to get the skin (which I love, real crisp). The olives, lemon and fennel made for a very provincial taste. My kind of food. Cathy made a Mushroom Farro Risotto to go with the Chicken. It is definitely a recipe we will make again.

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Crispy braised chicken thighs with olives, lemon and fennel
From Ad Hoc at home by Thomas Keller

3 large fennel bulbs
12 chicken thighs
Kosher salt
Canola oil
1 cup coarsely chopped onion
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
1/4 cup dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc
1 cup Ascolane or other large green olives, such as Cerignola
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
4 fresh or 2 dried bay leaves
4 strips lemon zest—removed with a vegetable peeler
8 thyme sprigs
1 cup Chicken Stock
About 1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves

Olives, here big fleshy green Ascolanes from Italy, and fennel are an extraordinary pairing with chicken. In this one-pot dish, we use only the thighs, the most flavorful part of the chicken. The seared chicken is braised in chicken stock on a bed of fennel, onion, and garlic, with strips of lemon zest. The stock picks up the lemon and fennel flavors and becomes concentrated and rich. Here the flavors are Mediterranean, but the technique itself can.be taken in any number of seasoning directions.

Cut off the fennel stalks. Trim the bottom of the bulbs and peel back the layers until you reach the core; reserve the core for another use. Discard any bruised layers, and cut the fennel into 2-by-1/2 inch batons. You need 3 cups fennel for this recipe; reserve any remaining fennel for another use.

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Set a cooling rack on a baking sheet.

Season the chicken thighs on both sides with salt. Heat some canola oil in a large ovenproof saute pan or roasting pan that will hold all the thighs in one layer over medium-high heat. Add the thighs skin-side-down and brown on the skin side, about 4 minutes. Turn the thighs over and cook for about 1 minute to sear the meat. Transfer to the cooling rack.

Reduce the heat to medium-low, add the onion to the pan, and cook for 1 1/2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Cook, stirring often, until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the fennel, turn the heat up to medium, and cook, stirring often, until the fennel is crisp-tender, about 10 minutes.

Pour in the wine and simmer for about 2 minutes to burn off the alcohol. Stir in the olives, red pepper flakes, bay leaves, lemon zest, and thyme, then pour in the chicken stock. Increase the heat, bring the liquid to a simmer, and cook until the fennel is tender, about 1 minute.

Taste the stock and season with salt as needed. Return the chicken to the pan skin-side-up, in a single layer. When the liquid returns to a simmer, transfer to the oven and cook for about 20 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.

Turn on the broiler, and put the pan under the broiler for a minute or two to crisp and brown the chicken skin. Remove from the oven, and transfer to a serving platter.

Garnish with the parsley leaves. serves 6

A Get Well Winter Meal

The weather has turned cold here in LA and we decided to make a winter meal. We had just purchased a new cookbook, Ad Hoc at Home by Thomas Keller and chose a soup recipe: Heirloom Bean and Escarole Soup. I went to Handy Market in Burbank to purchase some bar-b-que ribs (only available on Sat.) and they sold smoked ham hocks. They are required for the soup. We couldn’t find escarole at the Hollywood Farmer’s Market so we substituted Tuscan Black Kale. The soup is very hearty and delicious, perfect for cold weather!

Our friend Barbara Lanning, from Santa Fe, was in Los Angeles and took quite ill and had to be hospitalized. Her son Richard flew out from Philly to be with her. He is staying at our house. He joined us for dinner.

We also made one of my favorite vegetable dishes: Grandmother's Cauliflower with Cheese. It is from Madhur Jaffrey's memoir: Climbing the Mango Trees. It is absolutely delicious. If you don't like cauliflower this is the dish you should make! You can get the recipe from our blog of: Dec 6, 2007. Click the date to get the recipe.

With the Cauliflower we served: Sun-dried Tomato and Breyani Rice from Spice and all things nice.

We had Ice Cream and sauces for dessert with Cookies from Mozza2go.

It was good to spend time with Richard and wish his mom a speedy recovery.

Heirloom bean and escarole soup
===========================
From Ad Hoc by Thomas Keller

3 tablespoons canola oil
2 1/2cups diced (about 1/2-inch) carrots
3 - 4 cups diced (about 1/2-inch) leeks
2 cups diced (about 1/4-inch) onions
1 ½ teaspoons finely minced garlic Kosher salt
smoked ham hock (about 1 pound)
8 cups Chicken Stock
2 heads (about 12 ounces each) tuscan kale
7 cups cooked white beans
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar, or to taste

This is a big rustic soup, the kind you'd find in the Italian countryside, and a great example of why bean soups are my favorite. You've got the protein-rich beans, the healthful greens and aromatic vegetables, and a delicious broth given depth from a ham hock and deft seasoning with some red wine vinegar. If you have good stock on hand, it's very quick and easy.
Heirloom beans are now widely available and easily found in stores and via the internet. My favorites come from Steve Sando's Rancho Gordo, in nearby Napa. He grows some of the best beans in the world, and he also tracks down other great products such as dried corn, dried chiles, spices, and herbs.

Heat the canola oil in an 8- to 10-quart stockpot over medium heat. Add the carrots, leeks, onions, garlic, and a generous pinch of salt. Reduce the heat to low, cover with a parchment lid and cook very slowly, stirring occasionally, for 30 to 35 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. Remove and discard the parchment lid.

We added 2 bunches of tuscan kale that we had deveined and shredded and cooked wilted.

Add the ham hock and chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Cook for about 1 hour, or until the ham hock is tender. Remove from the heat, remove the ham hock, and let cool enough so you can handle it.

Pull away and discard the skin and fat from the ham hock. Shred the
meat and return it to the soup. Add the beans and season the soup with salt, pepper, and the red wine vinegar. At this point, the soup can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.
Serve topped with grated parmesan cheese
SERVES 6 (MAKES 10 CUPS)

Traditional slow-cooked beans
=======================
1 pound (about 2 ½ cups) dried borolotti beans or cannellini beans.
1 medium leek, trimmed, split lengthwise and rinsed
½ large carrot, peeled
1 sachet: 1 bay leaf, 3 thyme springs, 10 black peppercorns, 1 garlic clove, smashed and peeled. Lay out on 7 inch square cheesecloth.
8 cups water
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
Kosher salt

The key to cooking beans well is to cook them gently. If you boil them, they begin to fall apart efore they’re cooked through. The rule is the gentler the better. I’m a huge fan of using slow cookers for beans. The newer models have much better temperature controls and so can cook legumes perfectly every time.

Put the beans in a large bowl, add enough cold water to pour in the them by at least 2 inches. Let soak overnight.

Drain the beans. Put them in a large sauce pan, add the leek, onion, and sachet, and pour in the water. Bring to a simmer and simmer for 50 minutes to an hour. The beans should be tender but not falling apart. Remove from the heat.

Moroccan Clay Pot

We had read about a meat market in Burbank. We drove to the valley to check it out on Sat. It turns out on Saturday only they bar-b-que ribs and sell slabs. We bought a slab, they were excellent. Really liked the sauce.

What we really went for was to get Veal Shanks. There was a recipe that we wanted to make from the new Paula Wolfert Book: Mediterranean Clay Pot Cooking. We decided to make Marrakech-Style Veal Tangia with Preserved Lemons. It is slow cooked in the oven in a clay pot for 5 hours. The meat came out extremely soft and succulent. It was very tasty. We recommend this recipe.

We made a first course of a great salad from the Zuni Cafe Cookbook: Radicchio with Croutons, Hardboiled Eggs and Anchovy Vinaigrette. It is an excellent salad and easy to make. The recipe is can be found on our blog of: Jan 31, 2007. Click the date to get the recipe.

We have had many different Couscous over the years but we found a brand that is exceptional: M’hamsa Couscous from Tunisia. We really recommend it. Look for it at a gourmet shop near you. We think this is the best cous-cous. It can be found at Cube on La Brea, or ordered from their web site.

Marrakech-Style Veal Tangia with Preserved Lemons
=================================================
From: Mediterranean Clay Pot Cooking

I tasted my first tangia in Marrakech, where it was baked over burning acorns behind a bathhouse, the fire having been set to warm the bath water inside. As so often when Moroccans build a I lire for warmth, they figure out a way to use it for cooking too.

In this case, tall amphora-shaped clay jars called tangias were nestled in the embers. Some of these tangias contained bony parts of veal or lamb such I is shoulder, feet, and tails; others were filled with limb and beef short ribs; and some with gazelle and camel meat.

I've had great success making this dish in a bean pot with veal, achieving a fine balance between the flavor of the meat, garlic, preserved lemons, spices, and preserved butter, or smen. Basically everything is packed into the pot at the same time, the top is covered with paper, and then the dish is cooked very slowly In a good tangia the meat juices become tres savoureux due to the mixing of salt, steam, aromatics, and the special flavor imparted by the clay cooking vessel. Serve with warm bread.
;
Preferred clay Pot:

A 2 1/2 or 3-quart bean pot, Spanish olla, or any .earthenware casserole that is taller than it is wide.

1 3/4 pounds boneless veal shoulder or 3 pounds bone-in veal shanks or beef short ribs (we used 4 pounds of Osso Bucco.
1/8 teaspoon saffron threads
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ras el hanout or La Kama spices
14 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
4 large garlic cloves, lightly crushed
2 tablespoons homemade smen or unsalted butter
1 preserved lemon, rinsed and quartered

1. Preheat the oven to 250°F. Cut the veal into 4 roughly equal pieces. Soak the saffron in 1/4 cup warm water for 10 minutes.

2. Place all the ingredients in the bean pot; use a
wooden spoon to mix them gently; then press them
down to a compact mass. Cover with a small sheet of
crumpled wet parchment and a lid. Set in the oven and
bake for 4 hours.

3. Let cool down; then pour the stew into a bowl.
Skim off the fat and reheat in a conventional pan just
before serving. Serve in a warm serving bowl.


There's a sweet spot in my food memory for La Kama spices, the favorite tagine seasoning mix in Tangier, where I lived on and off for seven years.

La Kama
=======
La Kama spices are similar to the more famous ras el hanout (which literally means means "top of the shop") in that its formula varies from cook to cook. Some ras el hanout mixtures contain as many as fifty different spices, others just ten or twelve. A good La Kama mixture may be made with just five, as shown, here. You can increase the amount as you wish; simply maintain the same proportions.

1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon ground turmeric
1 tablespoon finely ground black pepper
2 teaspoons ground Ceylon or Mexican cinnamon
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Combine the ginger, turmeric, black pepper, cinnamo, and nutmeg and transfer to a small jar with a tight-fitting lid. Store in a dark place and use within 6 months.

Back from India, Get Your Meat On!

Wine:

Grand Enclos du Chateau de Cerons Graves
Cannubi Barolo 2003
Silver Oak 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon
Charles Mitchell Malbec Reserve 2005

My sister had a heart attack when we were in India and fell breaking her ankle. Billy and Kevin were fabulous in visiting her in the hospital and then texting me with status updates.

We knew that our first dinner upon returning would be a dinner featuring beef and salad. We actually didn’t miss the beef in India, the vegetables are so good. We did however miss salads and ice (especially for my martinis).

We wanted to thank Billy and Kevin, and so we decided to make a prime rib dinner, nothing could be less Indian but if you want beef. I am only sorry that Krushna was not here to enjoy it!

We started with Cheeses from The Cheese Store of Silverlake. Chris laughed and said he could have predicted that we make Prime Rib upon our return. He suggested we try a new cracker: raincoast crisps. They are delicious and made from dates, almonds, raisins, etc. Try to find them: www.raincoastcrisps.com.

For the salad we made the Hungry Cat Salad. It is a simple but delicious salad. Take leafy lettuce, lemon juice, Avocado cut into pieces, sea salt, olive oil, grated Pecorino Cheese, grated hard boiled egg. No recipe just mix the ingredients to your taste. We usually don’t use avocado, but this salad requires it!

The Prime Rib recipe that we always use is from a recipe we found in The New York Times. The recipe can be found in our blog of: Nov. 24, 2007. Click the date to get the recipe. Matt at Osteria Mozza had given us some of the porcini dry rub they use on Porterhouse Steaks so we used that as the rub. It really works with the Prime Rib. Wow – checking the link I see that we served the Prime Rib before to Billy / Kevin. Hope they like repeats!

We made the sauce in the recipe. It is really tangy and good. We did NOT make the potato recipe. Instead we made Chantilly-Mashed Potatoes Biba. You can find the recipe on our blog of: Feb. 7, 2006. Click the date to get the recipe. This is an even richer recipe. It is basically a fantastic potato gratin. This was definitely a double Lipitor meal!

For dessert we had Ice Cream with two sauces: Coconut Dark Chocolate Sauce and Burnt Caramel Sauce – both from The Cheese Store of Silverlake. We also had cookies from Mozza!

We finished with Amarguinha an Almond Liqueur from Portugal.

I definitely got my meat fix!

Back to India

We are off to India!

You can follow us by clicking: Cliff and Cathy in India.

Butternut Squash and Hazelnut Lasagne

Cathy loves Butternut Squash with all kinds of pastas. She Googled Butternut Squash Lasagne and found a recipe Butternut Squash and Hazelnut Lasagne on Epicuirious.com. We made the Butternut mixture ahead of time and then assembled the lasagna when we were ready to make it, a few days latter.

We really liked this dish. The flavors and colors remind us that winter is approaching. It is a great treat to eat because of the crunchy texture of the nuts combined with the soft texture of the lasagna. We know we will make this lasagna again, perhaps we will add some bacon (my favorite seasoning). I think it will enhance it.

We used Lasagne from Rustichella d’abruzzo. It is hard to find, we bought ½ a case via Amazon. We think it is the best pasta and try to always use it.

We started with a Pear Salad. We use lettuce, blue cheese, almonds and topped with prosciutto and balsamic. It was our first pears of the season. The salad was a treat.

Epicurious.com

Butternut Squash and Hazelnut Lasagne
Yield: Makes 6 servings
Active Time: 1 1/2 hr
Total Time: 2 1/2 hr

For squash filling
1 large onion, chopped
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 lb butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
4 teaspoons chopped fresh sage
1 cup hazelnuts (4 oz), toasted , loose skins rubbed off with a kitchen towel, and coarsely chopped

For sauce
1 teaspoon minced garlic
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
5 cups milk
1 bay leaf (not California)
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon white pepper

For assembling lasagne
1/2 lb fresh mozzarella, coarsely grated (2 cups)
1 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (3 oz)
12 (7- by 3 1/2-inch) sheets no-boil lasagne (1/2 lb)

Make filling:
Cook onion in butter in a deep 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 10 minutes. Add squash, garlic, salt, and white pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until squash is just tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in parsley, sage, and nuts. Cool filling.

Make sauce while squash cooks:
Cook garlic in butter in a 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderately low heat, stirring, 1 minute. Whisk in flour and cook roux, whisking, 3 minutes. Add milk in a stream, whisking. Add bay leaf and bring to a boil, whisking constantly, then reduce heat and simmer, whisking occasionally, 10 minutes. Whisk in salt and white pepper and remove from heat. Discard bay leaf. (Cover surface of sauce with wax paper if not using immediately.)

Assemble lasagne:
Preheat oven to 425°F.
Toss cheeses together. Spread 1/2 cup sauce in a buttered 13- by 9- by 2-inch glass baking dish (or other shallow 3-quart baking dish) and cover with 3 pasta sheets, leaving spaces between sheets. Spread with 2/3 cup sauce and one third of filling, then sprinkle with a heaping 1/2 cup cheese. Repeat layering 2 more times, beginning with pasta sheets and ending with cheese. Top with remaining 3 pasta sheets, remaining sauce, and remaining cheese.
Tightly cover baking dish with buttered foil and bake lasagne in middle of oven 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake until golden and bubbling, 10 to 15 minutes more. Let lasagne stand 15 to 20 minutes before serving.

Cooks' note:
• Filling and sauce can be made 1 day ahead and kept separately, covered and chilled. Bring to room temperature before assembling.

T and T Dinner (Tart and Tagine)

Bea came over for dinner. We made a recipe for Fig Tart With Caramelized Onions, Rosemary and Stilton from the New York Times. I really liked it, very rich! It reminded Cathy and I of a Pizza we use to get at Café Quattro in San Francisco.

We then made a Beef Tagine with Sweet Potatoes from The Food of Morocco. Susan had recommended the cookbook to us. I loved this recipe. It was a combination of tastes of both Moroccan Spices and the sweetness of the Potatoes. The meat was extremely succulent. We used the Tagine maker that Courtney had given us, it gets very hot and steams the meat. Plus it is beautiful!

We served Couscous with it.





New York Times
________________________________________
September 30, 2009
Recipe
Fig Tart With Caramelized Onions, Rosemary and Stilton
Time: 1 1/2 hours
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 large onions (1 1/2 pounds), halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
1 sprig rosemary, more for garnish
Pinch sugar
1 teaspoon sherry vinegar
1/4 cup milk
1 egg
Flour for dusting
3/4 pound prepared puff pastry
1 pint fresh figs ( 3/4 pound), stemmed and cut in half lengthwise
1 1/2 ounces Stilton cheese, crumbled (about 6 tablespoons)
2 tablespoons pine nuts
Good-quality honey for drizzling, optional.
1. In a large skillet over low heat, melt butter with oil. Add onions, rosemary and sugar. Cook, tossing occasionally, until onions are limp and golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes. Stir in the vinegar, scraping any browned bits from bottom of pan.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the milk and egg until smooth. Stir in the onions. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line an 11 by 17-inch baking sheet with parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll out pastry to a 9 by 12-inch rectangle. Transfer to baking sheet.
3. Use a fork to spread onion mixture evenly over pastry (let excess egg mixture drip back into bowl), leaving a 1-inch border. Arrange figs, cut-side up, in even rows on onion mixture. Scatter cheese and pine nuts over figs. Use a pastry brush to dab edges of tart with egg mixture. Gently fold over edges of tart to form a lip and brush with more egg mixture.
4. Bake until pastry is puffed and golden, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve, sprinkled with rosemary needles and drizzled with honey, if desired, warm or at room temperature.
Yield: 8 servings.

THE FOOD of Morocco
TAGINE LAHM BIL BATATA HELWA

BEEF TAGINE WITH SWEET POTATOES

USE THE ORANGE-FLESHED SWEET POTATO AS IT IS MEALY AND. SWEET, AND KEEPS ITS SHAPE COOKED. THE TAGINE IS FINISHED AND BROWNED IN. THE OVEN; IN TRADITIONAL MOROCCAN COOKING, IT WOULD BE COVERED WITH A METAL LID WITH GLOWING CHARCOAL PLACED ON TOP.

1 kg (2 lb 4 oz) blade or chuck steak
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 brown onion, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons paprika
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf (Italian) parsley
2 tablespoons chopped coriander (cilantro) leaves
2 tomatoes
500 g (1. lb 2 oz) orange sweet potatoes,

TRIM the steak of any fat and cut into 1 inch pieces. Heat half the oil in a saucepan and bi the. beef in batches over high heat, adding a more oil as needed. Set aside in a dish.

REDUCE the heat to low, add .the onion and the remaining oil to the pan and gently cook 10 minutes, or until the onion has softened. Add the cayenne pepper, cumin, turmeric, ginger and paprika, cook for a few seconds, then add 1 teaspoon salt and a good grinding of black pepper. Return the beef to the pan, along wi parsley, coriander and 250 ml (9 fl oz / 1 cup) Cover and simmer over low heat for 11/2 hour until the meat is almost tender.

PEEL the tomatoes. To do this, score a cross in the base of each one using a knife. Put the tomatoes in a bowl of boiling water for 20 seconds, then plunge into a bowl of cold water to cool. Remove from the water and peel the skin away from the cross the skin should slip off easily. Slice the tomatoes. Peel the sweet potatoes cut them into ¾ in chunks and leave in cold water until required, as this will prevent them discoloring. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.

TRANSFER the meat and its sauce to the ovenproof serving dish (the base of tagine would be ideal). Drain the sweet potatoes and spread them on top of the beef. Top with the sliced tomatoes. Cover with foil (or the lid of the tagine) and bake for 40 minutes. Remove the foil, increase the oven temperature to 425 F and raise the tomatoes and sweet potatoes are flecked with brown and are served tender. Serve from the dish.

Last Pre-Indian Dinner

We decided to cook one last Indian dinner before going for the real thing. We made two of our favorite dishes. Goan Style Shrimp Curry is delicious and rich with coconut milk. I really like it. At the Hollywood Farmer’s Market we bought beautiful large shrimp from the fish truck. I wonder if we will have lots of Goan Shrimp when we go to Goa on our next trip. Hope so! It will be interesting to see the difference. One difference, I am sure, is that it will be a lot spicier in Goa! We use a recipe adapted from Suvir Saran and Hemant Mathur, from the restaurant Devi in New York City. You can get the recipe from our blog of: Aug. 9, 2008. Click the date to get the recipe.

We also made Gobi Jalfrezi (Cauliflower blended with tomato puree and vinegar) from Rocky Mohan The Art of Indian Cuisine. At the Hollywood Farmer’s Market we picked up probably the last tomatoes of the season, and candied them in the stove. We then used them in this delicious recipe. The Indian’s sure have a way with vegetables! You can get the recipe from our blog of: Sep. 11, 2009. Click the date to get the recipe.

Fig Pasta

Fig season is growing to a close. We made Fig Pasta once last time. It is unusual in that it is a sweet pasta. We use the recipe from Lynn Rossetto Kasper in her cookbook: The Splendid Table Cookbook. It is very simple and delicious. You can get the recipe from our blog of Aug. 22, 2006. Click the date to get the recipe.

We started with a salad of White Nectarines, Prosciutto, Almonds and Saba. We love salads made with fresh fruit!