A Wine Filled Evening

Mira was leaving for Hong Kong to attend the birth of her twin Grand Children. We invited her and Kirk over for dinner and also invited Bea. They all share a love of wine, and brought great wines for the dinner.

We started with an assortment of Cheese from The Cheese Store of Silverlake. They always write the name of the Cheese on the paper that the cheese is wrapped in, and I decided that from now on I would always tear the name off and place it by the cheese on the plate. Finally I will have a visual reminder of the cheese that I am eating!

We started with a delicious and easy Garlic Soup that we first had a Robert and Darryl’s house: Fresh Garlic Soup Brisighella Zuppa di Aglio Fresco from The Splendid Table by Lynne Rossetto Kasper. One would expect the soup to be overly garlicky but it isn’t at all. This is a great soup! We used store bought croutons.

We followed that with: Moroccan Fish Tagine with Tomato, Peppers, and Preserved Lemons in Paula Wolfert’s World of Food Cookbook. We served Cous-cous with it. This is one of our favorite Fish dishes. It is wonderful, with lots of flavors of Morocco. It is a real winner! We seem to make it a couple of times a year, always for guests. Everyone loves it! You can find the recipe in our blog of: Sep. 14, 2009. Click the date to get the recipe.

For dessert, we had one of the great Chocolate Cakes from Proof Bakery. The make great ones! It was moist and extremely rich, almost like eating a chocolate truffle!

Fresh Garlic Soup Brisighella Zuppa di Aglio Fresco

The Splendid Table

Lynne Rossetto Kasper

This cross between a soup and a creamy puree is as healthful as it is delicious. An old Romagna cure for colds, the soup has been fed to babies and the elderly for generations, especially in the hills of Brisighella, the spa town above Faenza.

Don't be put off by the amount of garlic. The soup is mellow and mild, yet full-flavored It is one of my favorite dishes—easy to do and substantial enough to make a light supper main dish on its own. (The recipe doubles easily.) If possible, use the fresh garlic of spying and early summer, still green and moist. Special thanks to Gianni Quondamatteo, who shared the traditions of this recipe.

[Serves 4 as a first course or light supper]

Soup

2 heads large-cloved garlic

4 cups water

2 small to medium onions, finely chopped

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

6 medium fresh sage leaves, or 6 small dried sage leaves 3-1/2 cups Poultry/Meat Stock

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Croutons

Four 1/2-inch-thick slices good-quality Italian baguette-style bread

2/3 cup (about 3 ounces) shredded Italian Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Method

Working Ahead: The soup comes together quickly once the garlic has been peeled and boiled 10 minutes. This could be done 1 day ahead and the garlic refrigerated in a sealed container. The croutons can be prepared at the same time, then wrapped and stored at room temperature. Rewarm them in a 300°F oven 5 minutes. Make the soup itself, without pureeing, within 2 hours of serving. Reheat to a boil, puree and serve.

Preparing the Garlic: Separate the cloves from each head of garlic, but do not peel them. Bring the water to a rolling boil in a 2-quart saucepan. Drop in the garlic cloves and boil 10 minutes. Drain them in a sieve and peel. If you are using fresh green garlic, do not peel the cloves.

Making the Soup: Return the garlic cloves to the saucepan, and add the onion, olive oil, sage, and stock. Bring to a lively bubble over medium-high heat. Partially cover and cook 5 minutes. Uncover, adjust the heat so the liquid bubbles slowly, and cook another 5 minutes.

Making the Croutons: Preheat the broiler. While the soup is simmering, arrange the bread slices on a baking sheet. Toast them under the broiler 1 to 2 minutes per side, or until the slices are crisp and golden. Set aside a few spoonfuls of the cheese to top the soup. Sprinkle the rest over the bread slices. Slip the baking sheet back under the broiler only a second or two, to melt the cheese but not brown it. Keep warm.

Finishing and Serving: Have four soup dishes warming in a low oven. The garlic cloves will be meltingly soft when the soup finishes cooking. Remove all but 1 sage leaf, and puree the soup in a blender or food processor. Season to taste. Arrange the croutons in the soup dishes, and pour the puree over them. Sprinkle each serving with a few shreds of cheese, and serve immediately.

Suggestions Wine: A crisp white Sauvignon from Romagna, Emilia, Alto Adige, or Friuli.

Something Old, Something New

We decided to make a favorite, Roast Chicken and Bread Salad with Sour Cherries and Roasted Red Onions from the cookbook: A Year In My Kitchen by Skye Gyngell, chef at Petersham Nurseries Cafe in London.

This recipe is a variation on the Chicken with Bread Salad recipe from Zuni Café in San Francisco. We have many variations of that recipe, but all require you to roast the chicken outdoors on a grill. This recipe is an indoor recipe making it perfect for wintery days. The sour cherries give the recipe a real twist. We really like it!

The recipe can be found in our blog of: June 21, 2011. Click the date to get the recipe.

We started with a very good soup recipe: Jerusalem Artichoke and Rocket Soup from Ottolenghi The Cookbook. This is an unusual soup for two reasons: We don’t usually cook with Jerusalem Artichokes which are the same as Sun Chokes, the soup has yoghurt added to it, giving it a slightly sour after taste. We really like it. We have cooked many recipes from this cookbook and highly recommend it.

Jerusalem artichoke and rocket soup

Ottolenghi The Cookbook

serves 4

400g Jerusalem artichokes

45g rocket, roughly chopped, plus extra to garnish

1 litre chicken or vegetable stock 10 garlic cloves, crushed 6 spring onions

1 free-range egg

350g Greek yoghurt

salt and pepper

The yoghurt gives this soup a light freshness. Adding it to the cooked soup requires tempering (which sounds much more complicated than it actually is) to prevent it splitting. Make sure that once the yoghurt is added, you don’t bring the soup to a rapid boil.

1.    Peel the artichokes with a potato peeler, wash them thoroughly and cut into 1cm dice, not too perfect. Put them in a large saucepan            4 with the rocket, stock, garlic and a couple of pinches of salt. Bring to the boil and then simmer lightly for 25 minutes, until the artichokes are tender; insert a small knife in one to make sure they are totally soft.

2.    While the soup is cooking, cut the spring onions in half lengthways and then cut across these lengths into small dice. Set aside. Break the egg into a large mixing bowl and whisk well with the yoghurt.

3.    When you are ready to serve the soup, reheat it to boiling point. Take a ladleful of hot soup and whisk it into the yoghurt mix, stirring constantly. Repeat a few times, using about half the soup. You need to bring up the temperature of the yoghurt. Now pour the warm yoghurt into the soup pan, whisking constantly, Bring back to a very(!) gentle boil and leave there for a minute or two.

4.    Taste the soup and season with plenty of salt and pepper. Stir in the spring onions and serve garnished with rocket.

Barbara with Panache and Panade

Barbara arrived from San Francisco. It is miserable in Los Angeles: lots of rain. Surprisingly the rain isn’t that cold, but it ruins any attempt to walk and do outdoor activities.

I continued to bake bread and we had a wonderful stinky epoisse cheese with the fresh bake bread. Most of the guests loved it.This time I modified the recipe and had 16% whole wheat flour and 84% bread flour. You can find the recipe for the No Knead Bread in my post of Dec 11, 2010. Click the date to get the recipe.

We invited Robert, Darryl, Kevin and Billy over.

One of Barbara’s favorite restaurants in San Francisco is Tartine and we made a Panade from a recipe from Tartine. We have previously made it and knew Barbara would love it.

It is baked vegetables, bread, cheese and cream. It is very rich and good.

We started with a Mushroom Soup from the The Food of Campanile Cookbook by Mark Peel and Nancy Silverton. The soup is very rich with lots of mushrooms. We used had created a Turkey Stock from our left over Smoked Turkey and used it as a base for the soup.

We had Brownies and Chocolate Chip Cookies for dessert.

Faro and Mushroom Soup

The Food of Campanile

Mark Peel & Nancy Silverton

Serves   10 to 12

This is a wonderful, earthy soup for colder days. Also known as spelt, farro is one of the earliest domesticated strains of wheat. It tastes similar to barley, and in this soup it adds a wholesome, toothy quality. This is delicious topped with Garlic Bread Crumbs. To serve 10 to 12, the bread crumb recipe must be doubled.

If you can't find farro, pearl barley or wheat berries can be substituted, but these must be cooked at least 30 minutes longer. For a com­pletely vegetarian soup, the ham hock or bacon can be eliminated and Vegetable Stock substituted for Chicken Stock.

¾  pound fresh shiitake mushrooms

12  ounces fresh crimini mushrooms

Vegetable oil

1  medium carrot, peeled and cut into thick slices (3/4cup)

1  medium leek, trimmed, split, and cut into thick slices (1 cup)

1  medium celery stalk, peeled and cut into thick slices (1/2 cup)

5  large garlic cloves, peeled and minced (5 teaspoons)

½  cup dry sherry

1 small ham hock, or 4-ounce slab of bacon

12  cups Chicken Stock

Bouquet garni (1 sprig rosemary, 1 sprig marjoram, 2 sprigs Italian parsley, and 1 bay leaf)

¼  cup dried porcini mushrooms

Kosher salt

Freshly cracked black pepper

½  cup faro

1  bunch fresh chives

Have   ready

The Chicken Stock, warm, in a medium saucepan over low heat The Garlic Bread Crumbs (optional)

Wipe the shiitakes clean with a damp towel. Remove and reserve the stems from the shiitakes. Cut each shiitake cap into thin slices and reserve. Quickly rinse the crimini mushrooms and dry them thoroughly. Remove and reserve the stems from the crimini mushrooms. Cut each crimini cap into quarters and reserve.

In a large stockpot, over medium heat, pre­heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Sweat the mushroom stems, carrot, leek, celery, and garlic until wilted and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Deglaze the pan with the sherry. Add the ham hock or bacon, Chicken Stock, and bouquet garni, and bring to a simmer. Continue to simmer, skimming as necessary to remove any foam that rises to the surface, until the stock has good color and a strong mush­room flavor, about 1 hour.

While the broth is simmering, in a small mixing bowl, combine the dried porcini mush­rooms with 1/2i cup of warm water. Allow about 30 minutes for the mushrooms to reconstitute :  adequately.

In a large sauté pan, over medium-high heat, preheat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil just to smoking. Sauté the sliced shiitake caps with­out stirring until almost charred, about 1 to 2 minutes. Continue to sauté, stirring to brown evenly, about 3 more minutes, adding a little more oil as necessary. As the shiitakes brown, season them lightly with kosher salt and black pepper. Remove the pan from the heat, remove the shiitake mushrooms, and reserve them in a small mixing bowl.

Remove the reconstituted porcini mushrooms from the soaking water, gently squeezing them to remove excess water. Reserve the soaking water. Wipe the sauté pan clean with a clean paper towel, reduce the heat to medium, and preheat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. Sauté the I quartered crimini caps and the reconstituted porcini mushrooms until lightly browned, I about 3 to 4 minutes, seasoning with kosher salt and black pepper and adding more oil as necessary. Remove the pan from the heat, remove the crimini mushrooms, and reserve them in the small mixing bowl with the shiitakes.

After the soup has simmered for about 1 hour, using a fine-mesh, stainless-steel strainer, strain the soup, pressing the vegetables to remove as much liquid as possible. Remove and discard the vegetables. Pick out the ham hock, allow it to cool, and shred the meat, dis­carding the skin and bone. (If you're using bacon, chop it coarsely.) Return the broth and the ham or bacon to the large stockpot, and bring back to a simmer.

Add the farro to the stockpot. Add the porcini soaking water, taking care not to pour into the stockpot any of the grit from the porcinis that will have collected on the bottom of the bowl. (Dried porcini come with a fine sand that somehow goes through several layers of cheese­cloth, but it's heavy, so it stays at the bottom of the bowl if you pour carefully.) Continue to simmer, over medium heat, until the farro is tender, about 15 minutes. Add the reserved sauteed shiitake and crimini mushrooms, and continue to simmer about 15 minutes.

Mince the chives as needed for garnish.

Spoon the soup into large, warm bowls. Top with Garlic Bread Crumbs, if desired, and chopped chives. Serve immediately.

September 8, 2010

New York Times

Panade

By CHRISTINE MUHLKE

6 tablespoons butter

2 leeks, white parts only, finely chopped (about 1½ cups)

6 cups whole milk

Salt

4-6 slices day-old country bread, each 1 inch thick

1 small butternut squash (about 1 pound), peeled, seeded and cut into ¼-inch-thick slices

1 bunch black kale or Swiss chard, center stems removed

1 head cauliflower (about 1½ pounds), trimmed and cut into ½-inch-thick slices

½ pound fontina cheese, thinly sliced

Heavy cream, optional.

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the leeks and sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the milk, the remaining 4 tablespoons butter and 2 teaspoons salt. Bring to a boil and then remove from the heat.

2. Cover the bottom of a heavy, ovenproof 5-quart pot with 2 or more slices of the bread. Arrange the squash slices in an even layer on top of the bread and pour in 2 cups of the hot milk mixture. Top with 2 or 3 slices of bread and then with the kale. Arrange the cauliflower slices over the kale. Press down on the ingredients to compact them if they don’t quite fit into the pot.

3. Pour the remaining milk mixture over the top. Stop adding the milk when the level is almost to the rim. Season with salt. Cover the pot with a lid or aluminum foil. Bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and arrange the cheese over the top. Return to the oven uncovered and bake until the liquid is absorbed and reduced and the cheese has melted and browned, 30 to 40 minutes. (When the panade has cooled, it should appear dry.) Serve immediately or let cool and refrigerate for up to 3 days. To reheat, cut the panade into wedges and put on individual ovenproof plates. Pour ¼ cup cream over the top of each wedge and bake for 15 to 20 minutes in an oven preheated to 375. Serves 6. Adapted from “Tartine Bread,” by Chad Robertson.

Chick-Pea Soup and a Cheese Soufflé

We decided to make a winter meal of Soup and a Cheese Soufflé. We tried a new soup for us: Pureed Chick-Pea Soup with Mushrooms from Bugialli’s Italy by Giuliano Bugialli. It is an older cookbook that we have used for years. The soup is quite thick and the Porcini Mushrooms give it loads of depth. Cathy added fresh mushrooms to make it even more earthy.

We made a Cheese Soufflé as a second course. I love the way it puffs up and has such a crisp brown top. This was a Parmesan Cheese flavored soufflé and turned out perfect. It is always anxiety creating when you bake the soufflé you know you exactly followed the recipe but none the less you aren’t sure until you bring it out of the oven that it will puff up. This one did! You can get the recipe from our blog of: Feb. 15. 2013. Click the date to get the recipe.

CREMA  DI   CECI AI  FUNGHI

Pureed Chick-Pea Soup with Mushrooms

Bugialli’s Italy

Giuliano Bugialli

Makes  8   servings

From Umbria we have a crema of chick peas. The term ciema is used for pureed soups and really does not imply the inclusion of heavy cream as an ingredient. A significant difference between French and Italian cooking is that Italians almost never add small amounts of cream to a dish in which it is not featured as one of the primary ingredients, as is true of French cooking. One could almost say that in Italian cooking olive oil takes the place that heavy cream has in French cuisine. Dried porcini mushrooms, soaked, provide the dominant flavor here and it is intensified by adding some of the mushroom soaking water to the soup. Dried porcini have a much more intense flavor than fresh ones, and they are an important ingredient in their own right. And fortunately they are plentiful, especially under the chestnut trees that grow in Tuscany and elsewhere.

2     cups dried chick peas, picked over

3     quarts cold water

1     large carrot, scraped and cut into large pieces

1  medium-size red onion, cleaned and quartered

1     large clove garlic, plus 1 small clove garlic, both peeled

1     bay leaf

¼    cup extra virgin olive oil

2     ounces pancetta or prosciutto, in one piece

Coarse-grained salt

1  ounce dried porcini mushrooms

15  sprigs fresh Italian parsley, leaves only

1  cup strained mushroom soaking water

1  tablespoon tomato paste-(optional), preferably imported Italian, dissolved in the strained mushroom water

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

TO   SERVE:

Fresh Italian parsley leaves

Extra virgin olive oil to drizzle all over

Soak the chick peas in a large bowl of cold water overnight. The next morning, drain and rinse the peas and place them in a medium-size stockpot. Add the cold water, carrot, onion, large garlic clove, and bay leaf, then 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and the pancetta or prosciutto. Set the pot over medium heat and boil the chick peas for at least 50 minutes or until soft. Add coarse salt to taste and cook for another 5 minutes. Discard the bay leaf and pancetta and pass the contents of the pot through a food mill fitted with the disk with the smallest holes into a clean medium-size stock-pot. Set over medium heat and reduce for 10 minutes.

Soak the mushrooms in a bowl of lukewarm water for half an hour. Finely chop the parsley and small garlic clove together on a cutting board. Clean the soaked mushrooms very well, removing all the sand attached to the stems, and coarsely chop them. Remove the sand from the soaking water by pouring it through paper towels or a coffee filter several times. Save 1 cup of this water for this recipe and freeze the remaining water to be used when you prepare a meat sauce and want to enhance its taste.

Place the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a small nonreactive saucepan set over low heat. When the oil is warm, add the garlic mixture and very lightly saute for 2 minutes. Add the mush­rooms and saute for another 2 minutes. Add the cup of mushroom soaking water containing the dissolved tomato paste if desired, season with salt and pepper, and simmer for 15 minutes. Pour the contents of the saucepan into the stockpot, mix very well, and let simmer over low heat for at least IS minutes, stirring every so often with a wooden spoon to prevent the crema from sticking to the bottom of the pot.

Serve hot or at room temperature, sprinkling the parsley leaves and olive oil over each serv­ing. This soup may be prepared up to a day before and reheated at the last moment before serving.

Mushroom Soup and Pork Chops

Shumon had just returned and a craving for pork. Need I say more? We started with a delicious Porcini Mushroom Soup in The Splendid Table Cookbook. This is a great soup. We will definitely make it again.

We also decided to make a new recipe from The New York Times: Cabbage and Potato Gratin. We love all gratins. This was an excellent one.

We had purchased beautiful Pork Chops from McCall's Meat and Fish. We first seared them on a griddle on the stove then popped into the oven. This was a new recipe for us and it is excellent: Porchetta Pork Chops. We will definitely make it again! It was a wonderful welcome back dinner.

Soup of Porcini Mushrooms Zuppa dei Funghi Porcini

The Splendid Table

Lynne Rossetto Kasper

This is a big, full-flavored soup, yet it is amazingly light. Dried porcini and cultivated mushrooms replace the fresh porcini used in Parma hill country.

(Serves 6 to 8 as a first course, 3 to 4 as a main dish)

½ to 2/3 cup (1/2 ounce) dried porcini mushrooms

1-1/2 cups hot water

1       tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1       medium onion, minced

1       large clove garlic, minced

6       large fresh basil leaves, or 3/4 teaspoon dried basil

2       tablespoons minced Italian parsley

8       ounces white button mushrooms, thinly sliced

½      cup dry white wine

1       tablespoon imported Italian tomato paste

7       cups Poultry/Meat Stock

3       tablespoons dry white wine

6       tablespoons dry Marsala

2       tablespoons heavy cream

Method

Working Ahead: The soup can be prepared 1 day ahead, but do not add the Marsala and cream. Cool, cover, and refrigerate. Bring it to a gentle bubble before serving, stir in the Marsala and cream, and ladle into bowls.

Preparing the Porcini:

If the mushroom pieces are large, rinse them under cold running water to rid them of sand and grit. If the pieces are small, drop them into a bowl of cold water and quickly swish them around; then allow a few seconds for the particles to settle, and scoop the mushrooms out of the water. Repeat several times if the mushrooms are still sandy. Put the rinsed mushrooms in a small bowl and cover with the hot water. Let stand 20 to 30 minutes. Then scoop them out of the water and finely chop. Reserve the soaking liquid.

Preparing the Base:

Heat the olive oil in a 6-quart pot over medium-high heat. Stir in the onion, garlic, basil, parsley, and both mushrooms. Turn the heat to low, cover the pot, and cook the mixture 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. The vegetables will be wilted and aromatic.

Cooking and Serving:

Have soup dishes warming in a low oven. Line a strainer with paper towels, and strain the reserved mushroom soaking liquid over the vegetables. Add the 1/2 cup wine and the tomato paste. Bring the liquid to a boil and cook down, uncovered, 5 minutes, or until reduced by about half. Stir in the stock, and adjust the heat so the soup bubbles very slowly. Cover and cook 30 minutes. Then add the 3 tablespoons wine and simmer for 1 minute Stir in the Maisala and cream. Serve right away.

Cabbage and Potato Gratin

The New York Times

Like slow-cooked onions, slow-cooked cabbage takes on color, becoming meltingly tender and sweet. Because of the bulk of the potatoes, this gratin makes a satisfying vegetarian main dish, though it certainly works just as well as a side.

INGREDIENTS

Salt

1       large savoy or green cabbage (about 2 pounds), quartered

1       pound baking potatoes, such as russets, peeled and sliced

2       garlic cloves, peeled

2       cups milk

½      cup crème fraîche

Ground black pepper

4       ounces Gruyère, grated (1 cup, tightly packed)

1       ounce Parmesan, grated (1/4 cup)

2       teaspoons finely chopped or slivered fresh sage

PREPARATION

1.   Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt generously and add quartered cabbage and potato slices. Reduce heat to medium-high and boil gently for 5 minutes.

2.   Drain and use tongs to transfer cabbage quarters to a colander set over a bowl or in the sink. Allow cabbage to cool in colander until you can handle the wedges. Core the wedges, then cut them in half lengthwise. Finally, slice crosswise into 1/2-inch-wide ribbons. Return to colander and drain for another 5 minutes. Place in a large bowl with the potatoes.

3.   Heat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 3-quart baking dish or gratin. Cut one of the garlic cloves in half and rub the dish with the cut surface. Then slice up all the garlic and toss with cabbage and potatoes.

4.   In a bowl, whisk together milk, crème fraîche, about 1 teaspoon salt and the pepper. Pour into bowl with cabbage and potatoes, add cheeses and sage, and gently toss together. Scrape into baking dish.

5.   Bake 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes, until top is golden brown. During the first 45 minutes, press the vegetables down into the liquid in the baking dish every 10 to 15 minutes, using the back of a large spoon. The gratin will still be bubbling when you remove it from the oven, and you will see liquid in the baking dish. Wait 10 to 15 minutes before serving, until liquid is reabsorbed. If liquid remains in dish, serve with a slotted spoon.

Porchetta Pork Chops

New York Times

Here's a more manageable version of the traditional Italian recipe for whole roast pig seasoned with a garlic, rosemary and fennel. This one comes together so quickly, you can make it on a whim.

INGREDIENTS

2 bone-in pork chops, 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 inches thick

1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt, plus a pinch

1 lemon

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons chopped rosemary

Large pinch red pepper flakes

½ teaspoon fennel seeds, lightly crushed

2 tablespoons chopped fennel fronds, more for garnish

2 tablespoons olive oil

PREPARATION

1.   Heat oven to 350 degrees. Pat pork chops dry and, using a very sharp paring knife, cut a large pocket into the fat-covered edge of each chop. Season chops all over with 1 teaspoon salt, including inside pockets.

2.   Finely grate zest from lemon and put in a small bowl. Cut lemon lengthwise in quarters for serving.

3.   Using a mortar and pestle or the flat side of a knife, mash garlic with a pinch of salt until you get a paste. Add to the bowl with the lemon zest and stir in rosemary, red pepper flakes, fennel seeds, 2 tablespoons fennel fronds and 1 tablespoon olive oil.

4.   Divide filling between pork chops, stuffing some inside pockets and rubbing the rest on the outside.

5.   Heat a large ovenproof skillet over high heat and add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Sear pork chops on one side for 5 minutes, or until golden brown. Gently turn over chops and cook for another minute, then transfer skillet to oven. Cook until meat is just done, about 5 to 10 minutes longer (internal temperature should read 135 degrees on a meat thermometer). Transfer pork chops to a plate, tent with foil, and let rest for 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with fennel fronds and lemon wedges.