Indian Cookery

Our friend Shumon came to our house and cooked a Bangladeshi treat his mother makes for him in when he is home: Chicken Methi. The Methi is a very earthy tasting green leaf. The chicken was delicious. We loved the sauce. We both chopped for Shu as he created the dish. We made the Rice in typical Indian fashion oiling it rather than steaming as the Chinese or Japanese would do. Even the cats enjoyed the chicken as SRK looked on. No recipe: I think you have to be Indian or Bangladeshi to make this dish authentically!

Turkey Leftovers

What do you do with left over turkey? We did two things. Wonderful Turkey Sandwiches, on Brioche Rolls from Proof Bakery, with Turkey, Bacon, Avocado and Japanese Mayo (Kewpie – our favorite). This is the one time of the year that I eat Potato Chips. Something about Turkey Sandwiches calls out for Hawaiian Chips!

We also made Turkey Tetrazzini from James Beard’s cookbook; American Cookery. Lots of turkey, mushrooms and sauce. Turkey Tetrazzini gets a well deserved reputation as a college dorm food. I don’t think we will repeat this dish next year!

Thanksgiving

We were invited over to some friends for Thanksgiving Day dinner. We subsequently were invited to other dinners, which we refused because of our prior invitation. At the last moment due to unforeseen circumstances the original dinner was cancelled. We didn’t feel comfortable calling up the friends whose invitation we turned down and re-inviting ourselves, so we decided to cook. We invited Robert and Shu who were also left stranded on t-day. All is well that ends well!

We started with a Fall Salad: Persimmons, Pomegranate Seeds, Arugula, Saba and Almonds. A very refreshing salad.


Cathy found an unusual and what turned out to be a delicious recipe for Turkey Breasts from Ottolenghi the Cookbook. We really liked this dish and it will become our Standard Turkey preparation. It is marinated and then a sauce is made from the marinate. It is a Green Herb Sauce made with lots of Lemon. It is excellent, and the turkey is much moister then a traditional baked whole turkey.

With the turkey we served Thomas Keller's absolutely delicious and wonderful Leek Bread Pudding from his cookbook: Ad Hoc at Home. This is FAR better than ANY stuffing. We purchased the brioche at Proof Bakery. Their brioche is wonderful. The recipe can be found on our blog of: Dec. 2, 2010. Click the date to get the recipe.

Robert brought an Onion Focaccia Bread that he baked. It was exceptional. This is one bread I want to try to make. I toasted some of the leftover bread and made incredible Turkey Sandwiches on it. Shu brought us a bottle of Indian Wine hand carried from India. Bet you didn’t know that India grows wine.

For dessert we had a Chocolate Pie from Proof with Whipped Cream laced with Grand Mariner.

For an impromptu Thanksgiving dinner (actually for any Thanksgiving dinner) we had a great meal.

Marinated turkey breast with cumin, coriander and white wine

Ottolenghi The Cookbook

Ottolenghi

Although turkey is more frequently associated with a sweet red relish, we serve it here with a lemony sauce of herbs and cumin. It is enormously popular around Christmas and Thanksgiving, as it is both traditional and original. The same sauce would work very well with lamb. You can serve this dish either warm or at room temperature.

serves 4-6

4 tbsp mint leaves

4 tbsp parsley leaves

4 tbsp coriander leaves •1 garlic clove, peeled

60ml lemon juice

60ml olive oil

125ml white wine

½ tsp ground cumin

½ tsp salt

½ tsp black pepper

½ small organic or

free-range turkey breast (about 1kg)

1.   Put all the ingredients except the turkey breast in a food processor or blender and process for 1-2 minutes to get a smooth marinade. Put the turkey in a non-metallic container and pour the marinade over it. Massage the marinade into the meat, cover the container and leave in the fridge for 24 hours. Make sure the turkey is immersed in-the sauce.

2.   Preheat the oven to 220°C/Gds Mark 7. Remove the turkey from the marinade (keep the marinade for later) and put it on a roasting tray. Place in the oven and roast for 15 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 200°C/Gas Mark 6. Continue to cook for 15 minutes, then reduce the temperature again to i8o°C/Gas Mark 4. Cook until the turkey is done - another 30-45 minutes. To check, stick a small knife all the way into the centre; it should come out hot. If the meat goes cfferk before it is ready, cover it with foil.

3.   To prepare the sauce, heat up the turkey marinade in a small saucepan and simmer for 15 minutes, until reduced by about half. Taste and season with some more salt and pepper.

4.   Remove the turkey from the oven and \e\ it rest for 10 minutes. Slice it thinly and serve with the warm sauce.

5.   To serve cold, leave the meat to cool completely and then slice. Adjust the seasoning of the.sauce once it is cold and serve on the side.

Roasted Veal

Cathy was getting sick but she pulled together a roasted Stinco Veal dinner from a recipe by Angelini Cafe that was printed in the Los Angeles Times. The veal was from McCall's Meat and Fish. The Polenta that we served it with is absolutely the best polenta. It is available via the internet from Anson Mills. We get the Rustic Coarse Polenta Integral (Yellow). This was a hearty dinner. Cathy recovered from her bronchitis and is ok now.

Right Tools, Unappreciated Recipe

We made a recipe from Paula Wolfert's new cookbook: The Food of Morocco. We got to use again the Tangine Dish that Courtney had given us. Good news: it is fun to cook in and makes a wonderful presentation. Bad news: we didn't particularly enjoy the recipe. It might be perfect, but it wasn't to our taste. Oh well, sometime the magic works, sometimes it doesn't.

A Winter Classic

We love the Estouffade Provencale (Provincial Beef Stew) from From Bistro Cooking by Patrica Wells. It is a classic that we serve over and over, especially on cold wintery nights. It is always served with Macaroni. The gravy pored over the macaroni makes a delicious combination. The recipe can be found in our blog of March, 21, 2009. Click the date to get the recipe. This is a dish that only gets better with re-heating. We love recipes that gives us several dinners. This is one of them.


We started with The Hungry Cat Salad. The recipe can be found in our blog of: Nov. 21, 2009. Click the date to get the recipe and the story of why we call it The Hungry Cat Salad.

Welcome Back Billy

Billy returned from his trip to Southeast Asia and we invited him and Kevin over to hear Billy's stories of his trip. We started with Paula Wolfert's recipe from her new cookbook: The Food of Morocco for Butternut Squash Soup. I really like this Moroccan Recipe, it can be quite spicy and rich. It is a great soup!


For the main course we served a Pork Tiella with Wild Mushrooms and Potatoes from another Paula Wolfert Cookbook: Mediterranean Clay Pot Cooking. This is a hearty one pot meal. The potatoes are cooked with the meat and mushrooms and later removed and layered on top of the dish. They are then topped with Parmesan Cheese. It makes for fantastic dish with a great presentation. You can get the recipe from our blog of Dec. 5, 2010. Click the date to get the recipe.

For dessert we had a Chocolate Cake from Proof Bakery.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND TOMATO SOUP

The Foods of Morocco

Paula Wolfert

Here is a family favorite inspired by the winter soups prepared in the Rif Mountains, soups that keep both body and soul warm, as Fatima, our housekeeper, liked to say.

1        yellow onion, coarsely chopped (l-3/4 cups)

Coarse salt

1-1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 pounds butternut, kabocha, or calabaza squash, halved, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-1/2 inch chunks (about 6 cups)

2        tablespoons tomato paste

1 teaspoon La Kama Spice Mixture

½ cup heavy cream or creme frache'

¼ pound shredded or crumbled aged goat cheese or goat gouda

1 teaspoon or more to taste harissa paste (see Sources)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Toss the onion with 1 teaspoon coarse salt and the oil in a medium casserole, preferably earthenware or enameled cast iron, cover, and steam over medium-low heat until the onion is soft, about 10 minutes.

Add the squash, cover with a sheet of parchment paper and a lid, and steam for 20 minutes.

Add the Tomato paste, spices, and 4 cups hot water and bring to-a boil, then cook at a simmer until the squash is tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Transfer the soup in batches to a blender and puree until smooth; add the cream, three-quarters of the cheese, and the harissa to the last batch of soup and puree until velvety.

Return the soup to the pot and season with salt and pepper to taste. Ladle the soup into warm bowl and top each portion with a light sprinkling of the remaining cheese.

La Kama Spice Mixture

1 teaspoon each ground ginger and ground tumeric

1 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper

½ teaspoon ground cinnanmon

½ teaspoon cubeb pepper (optional)

A good pinch of grated nutmeg

Mix all together

My Favorite Chicken

This is absolutely my favorite roast chicken. The combination of crispy skin with the preserved lemon and breadcrumbs tucked underneath are perfect. The combination of the onions, and roasted potatoes baking under the chicken and getting marinated by the chicken juices is a real winner. The recipe is: Roast Chicken with Preserved Lemons Adapted from Laurent Tourondel. It is a wonderful one-dish recipe. You can get the recipe from our blog of: Jan. 23, 2008. Click the date to get the 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.