A Hit (Soup) and a Miss (Pasta)

Chris at The Cheese Store of Silverlake gave us a large end piece of Proscutto. We decided to use it to make Spaghetti Friuliano, from a recipe we found in the New York Times. We also made a very thick Polenta Soup with Spinach from a recipe in Bon Appetit. I liked the soup more than the pasta. We probably won’t make the pasta again. I would make the soup.

Spaghetti Friuliano

Adapted from Andrew Carmellini, Locanda Verde

New York Times

TOTAL TIME

25 minutes

INGREDIENTS

         Salt

         3 large egg yolks

         1/2 cup heavy cream

         1 pound spaghetti

         2 tablespoons butter

         1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced

         4 ounces (about 1/2 cup) sliced speck, cut into short ribbons

         4 cups shredded savoy cabbage

         3/4 teaspoon ground juniper

         1 1/2 teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper, or as needed

         1/2 cup grappa

         1/2 cup grated fiore sardo or similar aged sheep’s milk cheese, plus additional for serving

PREPARATION

1.   Bring a large pot of salted water (2 to 3 tablespoons salt per gallon) to a rolling boil. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and heavy cream.

2.   Add the spaghetti to the boiling water and cook until al dente (usually about a minute less than the package recommends). In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add onions and sauté until beginning to soften, about 2 minutes. Add speck and sauté for another minute. Add cabbage and sauté for 2 minutes. Add juniper, pepper and half the grappa. Stir well.

3.   When pasta is ready, reserve about a cup of the cooking water. Drain pasta and add to pan with the cabbage mixture. Add the egg and cream mixture and cook over medium heat for about 1 minute. Add just enough of the reserved cooking water to make a creamy sauce; all may not be needed. Turn off heat and adjust salt and pepper as needed.

4.   Add 1/2 cup of the cheese and remaining grappa. Stir well. Serve with additional cheese.

YIELD

4 to 6 servings

Polenta Soup

Bon Appetit

yield: Makes 6 servings

active time: 40 minutes

total time: 40 minutes

This thick soup has a texture almost like porridge.

ingredients

         6 cups (or more) low-salt chicken broth or vegetable broth

         3/4 cup polenta (coarse cornmeal)

         3 tablespoons all purpose flour

         3 tablespoons butter

         2 garlic cloves, peeled, crushed

         Coarse kosher salt

         8 ounces baby spinach leaves

         Ingredient Info: Polenta is sold at some supermarkets and at natural foods stores and Italian markets. If unavailable, substitute an equal amount of regular yellow cornmeal and cook about half as long.

preparation

Bring 6 cups broth to simmer in large saucepan; cover to keep warm. Whisk polenta and flour in heavy large pot. Add 1 cup hot broth; whisk over medium-high heat until smooth. Stir in butter and garlic; sprinkle lightly with coarse salt. Gradually add 5 cups hot broth by cupfuls. Boil gently over medium heat until polenta is tender and soup is creamy and thickened, whisking frequently and adding more broth to thin, if desired, about 25 minutes. Stir in spinach by handfuls; simmer until wilted, stirring often, 5 to 7 minutes longer. Season with more coarse salt and black pepper.

Ladle soup into 6 bowls and serve.

Risotto of The Vigil

Every Christmas season we make Risotto of Vigil from The Splendid Table by Lynne Rossetto Kasper. This dish has become our Yearend tradition. It is a heavy risotto, that warms the body and the soul.

Because it has so many different meats and vegetables in it, every bite gives a different flavor hit. It easily reheats in the microwave. A dish that keeps on giving.

You can find the recipe for this wonderful risotto at our blog of: Dec. 22, 2009. Click the date to get the recipe.

We started with a Pear Salad, another fall treat. Pears, Crumbled Goat Cheese, Feta, and Lettuce. We used a little Olive Oil, Salt and Saba to dress the lettuce. We like fruit based salads!

Thai Turkey Soup

Who would think that with left over turkey, you can make a FABULOUS Thai soup by making Turkey Broth? We didn't expect this soup to be a great as it was. This is a definite keeper of a recipe. Can't wait to make it and eat it again. Just delicious!

Thai-style Turkey Soup with Tamarind, Lemongrass and Fragrant Herbs

Los Angeles Times

Note: The soup can be served with steamed jasmine rice for a more substantial meal. Galangal, kaffir lime leaves, tamarind pulp, Thai basil and fish sauce are available at Thai and general Asian markets.

1       tablespoon vegetable oil

2       large cloves of garlic, thinly sliced

4       ounces (about 4 large) shallots, thinly sliced

1       quart turkey or chicken stock (low-sodium canned broth can be substituted for some or all of the stock)

2       sticks of lemongrass, root trimmed and outer leaf discarded

1       ounce sliced ginger, about 5 (1-inch diameter) "coins" sliced ¼-inch thick

1       ounce sliced galangal, about 5 (1-inch diameter) "coins" sliced ¼-inch thick

5       large kaffir lime leaves, split in half

2       red jalapeños, 1 halved (to flavor the broth) and the other thinly sliced (for garnish)

1       star anise

1       (3-inch) cinnamon stick

1       ounce (about 1½ tablespoons) tamarind pulp, seeds removed (juice of one large lime can be substituted if unavailable)

1       (14-ounce) can coconut milk

1       tablespoon fish sauce

2       tablespoons sugar

1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1       slender Chinese eggplant (about 6 ounces), cut into ¾-inch wedges

3       ripe but firm roma tomatoes (about 8 ounces), cut into ¾-inch pieces

1-1/2 cups leftover turkey meat, diced or picked into bite-size pieces

2       green onions, thinly sliced

1       cup Thai basil leaves

1       cup cilantro leaves

1       cup mint leaves

1 or 2 limes, cut into wedges

Heat a 3- to 4-quart saucepot over medium-high heat. Add the vegetable oil followed by the sliced garlic. Cook the garlic until golden brown and fragrant, about 2 minutes, careful not to burn. Immediately add the sliced shallots and cook for about a minute, stirring frequently.

Stir in the stock, lemongrass, ginger, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, halved jalapeño, star anise, cinnamon and tamarind to the pot. Bring to a simmer, then cover the pot and simmer gently for 20 minutes.

Remove from heat and strain the broth through a fine mesh strainer, discarding the solids. Return the broth to the pot and add the coconut milk, fish sauce, sugar and salt, and bring back to a simmer.

Add the eggplant and tomatoes. Cover once again and cook until the eggplant is tender but has not lost its integrity, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the turkey meat and remove from heat. Ladle the hot soup into large bowls and serve with sliced green onions, thinly sliced jalapeño, herbs and lime wedges on the side allowing for each person to finish to their taste.

Thanksgiving

Fall Salad from Barbrix

Beet Salad

Turkey on Rotisserie

Perfection!

Turkey Surved Over Orange Flavored Noodles

Robert & Darryl's Green Been Casserole

Dressing from Cook's County

Pear Pie

Persimmon Pudding

Pumpkin Flan

Chocolate Pie

Great Wines

We decided to have a Thanksgiving Dinner, but we would only make the Turkey. This is a dinner that usually doesn’t make a lot of sense to make, it is time consuming and many restaurants serve the dinner, making it easy to go out and get a traditional dinner. The downside, of course, it is great to have leftovers!

We had used our new rotisserie several times, and I was feeling more and more confident that we could do the turkey on it. The difficulty was making sure that the spit was balanced and that the dark meat and white meat were equally done.

Bottom line, as you can see from the pictures, it turned out perfectly.

We started with a wonderful appetizer: Pureed Beets with Yogurt & Za’atar from Jerusalem by Ottolenghi & Tamimi. We first had this dish at Mozza. Ottolenghi was in town promoting his new cookbook: Jerusalem, and they had a special dinner for him. The cookbook is beautiful. 

What was amazing, however, was the recipe we used. Cathy found a recipe in TheSplendid Table by Lynne Rossetto Kasper for Christmas Capon (Cappone Natalizio). This recipe was for a spit roasted capon, we substituted a Heritage Turkey from McCall’s Meat and Fish. What made the dish so incredible was another recipe from the same cookbook for: Tagliatelle with Caramelized Oranges and Almonds, a medieval preparation of pasta that the sliced turkey was to be served over. Everyone loved it! This is a new go to Turkey recipe for us!

We started the dinner with an Autumn Salad from Barbrix. It is a great salad and perfect for this dinner. Robert and Darryl brought a home made green been casserole. They even fried their own onion for the topping.

We purchased a fantastic Wild Mushroom Bread Pudding from Cook’s County to serve alongside of the Turkey. They also provided us with a Chocolate Pie.

Tom and Scott brought a Persimmon Pudding. Barbara brought 3 desserts! I especially loved the Buttermilk Pie. She also brought a wonderful Pumpkin Flan and Pear Tart. Oh my god! We were having a sugar rush, because we each had to try a small piece of each.

Bea brought Great Wines.

This was a Thanksgiving to be thankful for!

Christmas Capon (Cappone Natalizio)

The Splendid Table

Lynne Rossetto Kasper

Since capon replaced swan and peacock as a favorite on 16th-century banquet tables, it gradually became the meat of holidays, especially Christmas. The original version of this dish from 19th-century Reggio had the capon turning on a spit over an open fire. In my version, the fire becomes an oven. I have remained true to the rest of the recipe, however, including flavoring the capon with sweet wine and prosciutto. Tucking a piece of prosciutto into the bird's cavity has been common practice since at least the days of Lucrezia Borgia. To eat the kind of roast capon gracing the table today in the region, substitute another 1/2 cup white wine for the Marsala.

[Serves 6 to 8]

6-to-7         pound capon (organic free-range preferred)

½         lemon

Salt and freshly black ground pepper

1/8         teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

3-ounce piece of Prosciutto di Parma, coarsely chopped

½         cup dry white wine

½         cup dry Marsala wine

Method

Working Ahead: Season the capon 24 hours before roasting.

Seasoning the Capon: Rinse the bird under cold running water. Pat it dry and trim away all visible fat. Rub it inside and out with the lemon half, gradually squeezing out the juice. Then sprinkle the cavity and all of the bird's skin with the salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Tuck the prosciutto into the cavity. Set the bird on a platter, lightly cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.

Roasting the Capon: Preheat the oven to 325°F. Truss the capon if desired. Lay the bird, breast side down, in a shallow roasting pan just large enough to accommodate it. Roast 25 minutes to the pound (2-1/2 to 3 hours), or until an instant-reading thermometer tucked into the thickest part of the thigh reads 170°F.

After the first hour, begin basting the capon with a third of the white wine. After 20 minutes, add another third. Wait another 20 minutes and baste the capon with the last of the white wine. Then begin basting with the Marsala, using a third at a time. Baste the capon every 20 minutes with the Marsala and spoonfuls of its own pan juices. If the juices threaten to dry or burn, add a little water to the pan. During the last 30 minutes of roasting, turn the bird over to brown the breast area.

Serving: Warm a serving platter in a low oven. Carve the capon by slicing the breast meat into thick pieces and dividing the leg meat into three or four pieces. Arrange the pieces on the platter. Skim the fat from the pan juices and pour the juices over the capon. Scatter the prosciutto pieces from the cavity over the sliced meat, and serve hot.

Cook's Notes Substituting Turkey: Leaner turkey is a fine stand-in for capon. The cooking time is shortened to 15 to 18 minutes to the pound.

Tagliatelle with Caramelized Oranges and Almonds

Tagliatelle con Arance e Mandorle

The Splendid Table

Lynne Rossetto Kasper

At 16th-century banquets this pasta accompanied poultry and meats. Try the combination with Christmas Capon for an important dinner. The sweet pasta makes an unexpected and very good dessert.

[Serves 10 to 12 as dessert or as a side dish with Christmas capon]

1      quart water

3      large Valencia or navel oranges

8      tablespoons (4 ounces) unsalted butter

1-1/2   cups orange juice

2/3      cup sugar Generous
1/8      teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

6         quarts salted water

1         pound imported dried tagliatelle

3 to 4  tablespoons sugar

1/2 to 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2/3 cup (5 ounces) freshly grated Italian Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1      cup whole blanched almonds, toasted and coarsely chopped

Method

Working Ahead: The sauce can be made several hours ahead; cover and set it aside at room temperature. Reheat to bubbling before adding the pasta.

Preparing the Orange Zest: Bring the 1 quart water to a boil. Using a zester, remove the zest from the oranges in thin, long strips. Boil 3 minutes. Drain in a colander, rinse with cold water, and set aside.

Making the Sauce: Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Using a wooden spatula, stir in about 1/4 cup of the orange juice and the 2/3 cup sugar. Melt the sugar in the butter over medium heat, frequently stirring in more spoonfuls of orange juice to keep the sauce from crystallizing (reserve about 1/3 cup for finishing the sauce). Once the sugar has dissolved, turn the heat to medium-high and stir occasionally as the mixture slowly turns amber, about 2 minutes. Once it reaches deep golden amber, blend in the pepper and two thirds of the orange zest. Cook only a second or two, to protect the zest from burning. Step back from the skillet and, at arm's length, pour in the last 1/3 cup of orange juice. It will bubble up and possibly spatter, then will thin the sauce to the ideal consistency. Turn off the heat.

Cooking the Pasta: Have a large platter and dessert dishes warming in a low oven. (If you are serving this with the capon, the bird should be ready. Bring the salted water to a boil. Drop in the pasta, and cook until tender but still a little resistant to the bite. Drain in a colander. Reheat the sauce to a lively bubble. Add the pasta to the skillet, and toss to coat thoroughly. Turn it onto the heated platter, and sprinkle with the sugar, cinnamon, cheese, almonds, and lastly, the remaining orange zest. Mound small portions on heated dessert plates, and serve hot. Or place the capon atop the pasta, and serve.

Pureed Beets with Yogurt & Za’atar

Jerusalem

Ottolenghi & Tamimi

scant 2 lb medium beets (about 1 lb in total after cooking and peeling)

2         cloves garlic, crushed

1         small red chile, seeded and finely chopped rounded

1         cup Greek yogurt

1-1/2         tbsp date syrup

3         tbsp olive oil, plus extra to finish the dish

1         tbsp za'atar

salt

TO GARNISH

2         green onions, thinly sliced

2         tbsp toasted hazelnuts, coarsely crushed

2         oz soft goat's milk cheese, crumbled

The beet is one of very few vegetables with a strong presence in the cuisine of almost every group in Jerusalem: it colors pickling juices on the Arab table and is used in most meze selections; it is the base for Ashkenazic borscht and hamitsa, a refreshing cold version of the soup; and it forms the basis for another soup, of Iraqi Jewish and Kurdish origin, where the famous semolina kubbeh is served.

Beets also cross cultural lines with the flexibility of an acrobat. On Yotam's tour of the city while filming a documentary about Jerusalem food, he met Michal Baranes and Yakub Barhum. They are a mixed couple, she is Jewish with Moroccan ancestry and he is a Muslim from the Arab village of Ein Baffa, on the outskirts of the city. At their restaurant, Michal, the chef, does some cross-cultural fireworks with her food, featuring elements from her Moroccan heritage, alongside very current Israeli themes and many traditional Palestinian dishes she learns from her cooks, who are mostly local. One of Michal's most useful tools is chrein, the horseradish and beet relish used in practically every Ashkenazic household. She puts it in her prawn "falafel"—minced prawns and chrein, rolled in panko crumbs and deep-fried—making scrumptious fish cakes that look like falafel but taste nothing like it.

You will be surprised how well beet works with chile and za'atar. Its sweetness takes on a seriously savory edge that makes it one of the most popular salads among OttolenghVs customers. You can serve it as a dip or a starter, with bread, or as part of a meze. If the beet is watery and the dip ends up runny and doesn't hold its shape, consider adding a little mashed potato to help thicken it. Date syrup can be replaced with maple syrup.

Preheat the oven to 400°F / 200°C.

Wash the beets and place in a roasting pan. Put them in the oven and cook, uncovered, until a knife slides easily into the center, about 1 hour. Once they are cool enough to handle, peel the beets and cut each one into about 6 pieces. Allow to cool down.

Place the beets, garlic, chile, and yogurt in a food processor and blend to a smooth paste. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and stir in the date syrup, olive oil, za'atar, and 1 teaspoon salt. Taste and add more salt if you like.

Transfer the mixture to a flat serving plate and use the back of a spoon to spread it around the plate. Scatter the green onions, hazelnuts, and cheese on top and finally drizzle with a bit of oil.

Meatloaf and Best Mashed Potatoes Ever

It is now cool in LA and we get to start making comfort food. What would be better than Meatloaf and Mashed Potatoes?

We have a fabulous recipe for meatloaf from Mediterranean Grains & Greens by Paula Wolfert named: Provencal "meat loaf" with cabbage, artichokes, chard, spinach, and ground pork. This is a fabulous dish, almost closer to a pate than a meatloaf. It is jammed packed with wonderful vegetables. We made a mistake at the grocery, and instead of ground pork, we purchased ground veal. It worked out just perfectly. You can find the recipe in our blog of: Dec. 21, 2008. Click the date to get the recipe.

In addition we found an amazingly wonderful Garlic Mashed Potato recipe in TheBalthazar Cookbook by McNally, Nasr, Hanson. This is a fantastic recipe - it is super-rich! We were amazed that it reheats perfectly in a double boiler. The trick on mashed potatoes is to use a Ricer - which is fun. It makes a far smoother mashed potato. The kick of the garlic just tops it off! We are ready for winter with these two winning recipes!

Garlic Mashed  Potatoes

The Balthazar Cookbook

McNally, Nasr, Hanson

A ricer or food mil is a worthwhile tool for anyone who loves mashed potatoes. The cells of the potato remain intact while being pressed through the small holes of a ricer instead of breaking as they would with a masher.

SERVES   6

Ingrediants

10  garlic cloves, peeled and cut in thirds

2  cups heavy cream

6  Idaho potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch cubes

2  tablespoons salt

¾  pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into cubes

1  teaspoon freshly ground white pepper

Combine the garlic and cream in a small saucepan over a medium flame. Bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer, and cook for 15 to 30 minutes, until the garlic is very soft. Pour the mixture into a blender and puree. (Keep a firm grip on the lid, as the heat from the cream mixture will force it up.) Set aside, to be reheated later in either a saucepan or in a microwave before adding it to the final dish. (The garlic-infused cream can be prepared a day in advance and stored, covered, in the refrigerator.)

Put the potatoes in a large pot, cover with water by 2 inches, and add 1 tablespoon of the salt. Bring to a boil and cook for 20 to 25 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. Drain in a colander. While still warm, press the potatoes through a ricer into a large bowl. Reheat the garlic-infused cream.

Use a rubber spatula to slowly fold in the butter and the warm garlic cream. Season with the remaining 1 tablespoon of salt and the pepper. Serve immediately.

Winter Cous-Cous

This turned out to be a delicious couscous. If you want to try a vegetable couscous try this one! It is from Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi. The thing I liked the most about it was the heat from the harissa. It left a wonderful aftertaste. It is a great idea for a cold wintery day.

The ultimate winter couscous

Plenty

Yotam Ottolenghi

Someone complained to the Guardian about the long list of ingredients in this recipe. But I knew it was a success when a friend spotted it on the menu (with a due credit) of the Sun and Doves, a cool and arty pub in Camberwell.

Serves 4, or even more

2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch chunks

2 medium parsnips, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch chunks

8 shallots, peeled

2         cinnamon sticks

4         star anise

3         bay leaves

5         tbsp olive oil
salt

½         tsp ground ginger

¼         tsp ground turmeric

¼         tsp hot paprika

¼         tsp chile flakes

2-1/2         cups cubed pumpkin or butternut squash (from a 10 oz squash)

½         cup dried apricots, roughly chopped

1 cup chickpeas (canned or freshly cooked)

1-1/2         cups chickpea cooking liquid and / or water

1         cup couscous

large pinch of saffron

1         cup boiling vegetable stock

3         tbsp butter, broken into pieces

2         tbsp harissa

1         oz preserved lemon, finely chopped

2         cups cilantro leaves

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Place the carrots, parsnips and shallots in a large ovenproof dish. Add the cinnamon sticks, star anise, bay leaves, 4 tablespoons of the oil, 3/4 teaspoon salt and all the other spices and mix well. Place in the oven and cook for 15 minutes.

Add the pumpkin, stir and return to the oven. Continue cooking for abou 35iminutes by which time the vegetables should have softened while retaining a bite. Now add the dried apricots and the chickpeas with their cooking liquid and/or water. Return to the oven and cook for a further 10 minutes, or until hot.

About 15 minutes before the vegetables are ready, put the couscous in a large heatproof bowl with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, the saffron and Vi teaspoon salt. Pour the boiling stock over the couscous. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave for about 10 minutes. Then add the butter and fluff up the couscous with a fork until the butter melts in. Cover again and leave somewhere warm.

To serve, spoon couscous into a deep plate or bowl. Stir the harissa and preserved lemon into the vegetables; taste and add salt if needed. Spoon the vegetables onto the center of the couscous. Finish with plenty of cilantro leaves.