Best Damn Ribs Ever

Wine:

GC Pinot Noir 2006
Prosecco Sparkling Wine Brut Zonin
Vin Du Bugey-Cerdon “La Cueille ” (2 bottles)
Amador Foothill Zinfandel 2006

It was a warm night and we ate on the deck. Billy and Kevin joined us for dinner. We sure drank a lot of good wine!

We started with Hummus and Pita Chips from Joan’s on 3rd. They have the BEST toasted pita chips! We also purchased their Green Bean / Potato Salad, The Los Angeles Times had recently reviewed it and given it high marks, we wouldn’t grade it that high.

Besides wine, Kevin and Billy brought a great home made Asian Cole Slaw.

The high point of the dinner was the Barbequed Ribs. We purchased baby back ribs from Harvey Guss and decided to SLOW smoke them. We followed a recipe that Cathy found in License to Grill by: Chris Schlesinger and John Willoughby. The recipe is called: Chinese-Style Baby Back Ribs with Ginger-Scallion Sauce.

This is an AMAZING recipe! We cooked the ribs covered in our Weber Grill to smoke them. We first marinated the ribs and then cooked them wrapped in aluminum foil. At the end we removed the foil and moved all the coals to one side of the grill and placed the ribs on the other side of the grill to cook them via indirect heat. The name of the game is to keep an even temperature of about 220 degrees for about 2 ½ hours. You really have to play with the vents and adding fuel to the fire to make it happen. Billy at the end showed us how minute changes in air openings vastly affect the temperature. I don’t think we ever had better ribs, anywhere!

We made a great salad that we ate with the leftovers, Cherry Tomatoes, sliced Persian Cucumbers, Green Onions, Basil, some of the Toasted Pita and home made blue cheese dressing. It was really tasty.


For dessert we had a Peach / Blueberry Pie from Joan’s on 3rd. It was good!

Chinese-Style Baby Back Ribs with Ginger-Scallion Sauce
=======================================

½ cup soy sauce
½ cup white vinegar
¼ cup lightly packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons freshly cracked white (or black) pepper
2 tablespoons five-spice mix (found in Asian section of grocery)

6-7 pounds pork spareribs

For the Sauce

½ cup white vinegar
1 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons minced ginger
1/3 cup lightly packed brown sugar
½ cup minced scallions (white and green parts)

1. Build a small fire in ½ of covered grill besides coal we soaked some pieces of Apple and Maple wood, drained and added to the fire to produce a better taste; let the fire burn down somewhat.

2. In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, pepper, and five-spice mix and mix well. Generously coat the ribs with this mixture and place them on the grill but NOT over the coals. The other option is to do what we did, and spread the ribs on the grill and then loosely cover the ribs with aluminum foil. Put the cover on the grill and try to maintain a temperature of 220 degrees. After about 45 minutes flip the ribs and continue cooking. Ribs are done when you cut one open and there is NO pink meat in the center. Usually this will be about 2 ½ hours.


3. While you are cooking the ribs, make the sauce: in a small saucepan, combine all of the ingredients except the scallions and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the fire, and simmer for 30 to 45 minutes until sauce has been reduced by half. It should coat the bottom of a spoon when dipped in the sauce. Remove the sauce from the heat allow to cool and stir in the scallions.

4. When the ribs are done, paint the ribs and return to the grill for a final browning of the sauce on the ribs.

Gad Zooks

Wine: Beaune 1er Cru Grand Vin de Bourgogne 2005

We started with a Salad made from Fresh Figs from the Farmer’s Market and Prosciutto from The Cheese Store of Silverlake.

We made a great vegetarian pasta. It is very easy and good. It is from a cookbook by Mark Bittman, The Minimalist Cooks at Home. He names the recipe: Spaghetti with Zucchini (Carbonara without the Bacon). We went to the Hollywood Farmer’s Market and bought some great fresh zucchini. The Parmesan cheese was from The Cheese Store of Silverlake.

We ended the dinner with Fresh Cherries and those wonderful Ginger Cookies from The Cheese Store of Silverlake.


Here is the recipe for the pasta.

Spaghetti with Zucchini (Carbonara without the Bacon)
=====================================================

Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 or 4 or more small zucchini washed, trimmed, and cut into slices 1/8 to ¼ inch thick
2 eggs
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 pound spaghetti or linguine
½ cup roughly chopped mint, parsley or basil (we use fresh basil)


Salt water and bring to boil
Place olive oil in 10 to 12 inch skillet over medium high heat.
Add zucchini, cook stirring occasionally, until very tender and lightly browned, 10 to 15 minutes. Season with a little salt and a lot of pepper.
Meanwhile, beat the eggs and ½ cup of the Parmesan together.
Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until tender but firm. When it is done, drain it and combine it immediately with the egg-cheese mixture, tossing until the egg appears cooked. Taste add more salt or pepper if necessary.
Toss in the herb and serve immediately, passing the remaining Parmesan at the table.

A Cheese Store Dinner

Wine: Les Aphillanthes Cote-du-Rhone

Bea came over and we had some great wine along with an excellent dinner.

For the first course we had a Salad made from: Walnuts, Radicchio, Spanish Cheese Queso de Garioneado Cow / Goat Cheese from The Cheese Store of Silverlake and Saba. The recipe is from Sunday Suppers at Lucques.

When I stopped by The Cheese Store of Silverlake, Chris informed us that he was carrying a new Bacon, David’s Bacon. It is an artisanal Bacon that comes a slab, and he slices it to order. We decided to create a dinner around it. The oblivious choice was: Pasta Carbonara. We decided on the recipe from The Zuni Café Cookbook by Judy Rodgers. It is different from traditional ones in that it has both fresh peas and fresh ricotta cheese. We chose this recipe because peas are delicious right now at the Farmer’s Market. It is very rich and good.

For dessert we had the fabulous Ginger Cookies from The Cheese Store and Fresh Cherries from the farmer’s maket.

A great summer dinner.


PASTA alia CARBONARA
====================

THIS ROGUE VERSION OF CARBONARA IS BASED ON ONE I HAD IN ROME. It IS not
very saucy, and the ricotta makes it pleasantly curdy. The bacon should be crispy-tender and aromatic; don't be tempted to cook it in advance-you will sacri¬fice much of its aroma to convenience, and it will tend to harden. And don't sub¬stitute Parmigiano-Reggiano for the aged pecorino.
Serve with a chewy, dried semolina pasta shape that does not grab too much sauce: spaghetti, spaghettini, penne, or bucatini.

Wine: Bodega Norton, Mendoza, Argentina, Malbec Reserve, 1999
FOR 4 TO 5 SERVINGS:

5 ounces bacon {4 or 5 thick slices}, cut into 1/4- to i/2-inch segments
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 large or 5 small eggs, at room temperature
About 2 ounces pecorino romano or 1/2 cup fresh ricotta cheese, at pecorino sardo, grated {1 cup lightly packed)
1 pound spaghetti, penne, or bucatini
Freshly cracked black pepper
Salt
About 3/4 cup shucked sweet English peas or mature sugar snap peas or double-peeled favas



Warm the bacon in the olive oil in a 12-inch skillet or 3-quart saute pan {see Note below) over low heat. It should gradually render a little fat, which will mix with the oil.
Meanwhile, lightly beat the eggs with the ricotta.

Cook the Pasta until al dente.
When the pasta is about 1 minute from al dente, add the peas or favas to the water, and raise the heat under the bacon. Cook bacon till just crispy on the edges and soft in the middle. Let cool briefly.
Drain the pasta, and add to the pan with the bacon.
Immediately pour in the beaten eggs, all over the steaming pasta. Add most of the pecorino and lots of cracked black better and the ricotta and fold to combine.
Serve with additional pecorino and pepper.

Cherries and Mushrooms

Wine:

Chehalem 2001 Pinot Noir
Movia Sauvignon 2005

Cherries have finally appeared at the Hollywood Farmer’s Market. At first they weren’t to sweet but now they are excellent. Cathy found a very unusual salad in
The Zuni Café Cookbook by Judy Rodgers: Mixed Lettuces with Roasted Cherries, Hazelnuts, and warm Saint-Marcellin Cheese. The recipe title says it all. The salad has the warm cherries and cheese and is a real treat. We will definitely make it again.


When we arrived at the Market, David, the Mushroom seller, had a large selection of Porcini Mushrooms. We decided to make a Pasta with the Porcinis.
The recipe itself is easy, it is just the mushrooms that are expensive and hard to find. David thinks they will only be around for 2 weeks or so, so I am glad we got them! We used the Porcini Mushroom Pasta recipe from: The Splendid Table by Lynne Rossetto Kasper.

For dessert we had Coffee Ice Cream (that Billy and Kevin left) with Ginger Chocolate Cookies from The Cheese Store of Silverlake. We topped it with a great Black Cherry Sauce with Cognac from Stownwallkitchens. Someone had given us the sauce (unfortunately we don’t remember who) and we had it in our refrigerator for a few months. When we finally tried it, it was fantastic! Now we have to find out where we can buy it! At least they have a web site. We really recommend it!


Mixed Lettuces with Roasted Cherries, Hazelnuts, and warm Saint-Marcellin Cheese
===========================================================================

About 24 hazelnuts (3/4 ounce, or scant 1/4 cup)
16 or more ripe cherries (or more)
About 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
A few splashes or kirsch or grappa
About 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
Salt
2 wheels Saint-Marcellin Cheese (about 3 ounces each) at room temperature
Young lettuce

Preheat oven to 325 degree

Roast the hazelnuts on a small baking sheet until the skin darkens and starts to split, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven increase the temperature to 400 degrees.

What the nuts are still hot, rub skin off and and coarsely chop.

Rub the cherries with few drops of olive oil, and season with a few drops of the kirsch or grappa and a pinch of salt.

Combine the oil, vinegar, and salt to taste. Add another few drops of kirsch or grappa and adjust for taste.

Place the cherries on parchment paper, with the cherries on a baking sheet. Roast until the fruit is near to burst and the cheese is beginning to slouch, about 6 minutes.

Dress the lettuces and hazelnuts with the vinaigrette and arrange on the plate. Top with the hot Cheese and Cherries. Watch out for the cherries pits! Enjoy!

Memorial Day 2008

Wine

Heidsieck & Co. Monopole Blue Top Champagne Brut
Dao Cabriz Portugal White Wine 2007
Whispering Dove 2002 Oakville Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon (2 bottles)
Joseph Phelps Cabernet Sauvignon 2004
Domaine La Bastide Syrah 2005



We started with a great new (to us) Champagne that Bea brought. It was delicious. At The Cheese Store of Silverlake we picked up a Roasted Cashew Pesto that we served as an appetizer. We also had some delicious Almonds.

For a first course we made Asparagus Pasta. We love this pasta in the spring when Asparagus is young. Asparagus, Brown Butter, Parmesan Cheese – what could be simpler?

We decided to grill steaks for Memorial Day. Once again we purchased Dry-Aged Porterhouse Steaks from Harvey Guss. After much discussion of how best to grill them, I proceeded to use the Webber Grill. I started the fire with Mesquite Wood and then added mesquite charcoal and spread them evenly across the bottom of the grill. I singed the steaks on one side and then cooked them with the Webber cover on to smoke them. I then flipped them and returned the cover. The steaks when served, were cooked rare and were not only delicious but extremely tender. Sometimes the grilling Gods are with you! They were this time! Bea had brought two bottles of Whispering Dove that we drank with the steak.

We made a Fava Bean Hash. Corina who has a wonderful neighborhood restaurant, Canele, had shared the recipe with us. It is a delicious recipe.

For dessert we had Lemon Bars from L.A. Bread. We know it is one of Kevin’s favorite.

We drank a lot of great wine with this dinner. Thanks to all!

Fava Bean Hash
=============
From Corina at Canele

Portions according to taste

Potatoes Quarter then Slice
Green Garlic – Confit it
Cipollini onions
Salt
Sauté all in ¼ olive oil

Add to Pan
========

Double shucked Fava beans
Chopped mint leaves
Cracked Picholine olives
Warm through and serve

The Termite Dinner

"Click" the arrow above to hear Shelley talk about cookies!

Wine:

Tobin James Liquid Love 2004 Late Harvest Zinfandel
Bourgogne Chardonnay 2005
Leal Merlot 2004 San Benito
Kosta Browne 2007 Pinot Noir
Domaine Laurens Brut
Guerila 2006 Pinela


Our neighbors Shelley and Dave love good food. They also have made their house be a great dinner for lots of termites. Talk about being eaten out of house and home! At any rate, they had to get their house tented and fumigated to kill the little buggers and we invited them to stay with us.

Shelley said she would like to cook us a dinner. She is great cook and we immediately took her up on it. I think it is the first time that anyone has come into our house and cooked a dinner for us. Cathy and I were sous-cheifs.

Billy and Kevin joined us for dinner. Billy, also a great cook promising to cook us Dungeness Crab, on his outdoor wok in the future. Just a subtle reminder.

Shelley started with a Cold and Creamy Avocado Soup with Crayfish. There was lots of dry Sherry in it! In fact there was lots of wine with this meal!

We then had Roasted Herb-crusted Salmon. There was a lot and we only left a tad. It was delicious. With the Salmon she served: Roasted Potato Wedges with Olive Oil, Rosemary and Bacon (my favorite seasoning) and Roasted Medley of Vegetables: Asparagus, Broccollini and Baby Carrots. There was an Orange-Dill Mayonnaise and a Parsley-Scallion Herbed Butter as toppings.

The next course was a Cheese Course of 4 cheeses: a 5 year aged Gouda, Morbier, Creamy Goat Cheese and a Potted and Pungent Triple Cream.

We then had Chocolate Chip Cookies that Shelley had made.

Finally we had a Dessert Wine.

It was an amazing night and luckily I didn’t have a hangover the next day!

Indian Food via Courtney

Wine: Orcella Orsus 2001 Garnacha

Courtney had brought us several Indian Sauces by Maya Kaimal. We decided to try two of them. They are great and make it possible to just open a jar add some ingredients and cook a fast easy meal. It reminds us of Nancy Silverton’s book: Twist of the Wrist. Easy / fast dinners with fresh ingredients and canned sauces.

We had purchased a large cauliflower at the Hollywood Farmer’s Market so that we could make Cauliflower Tandoori. The recipe that we used was very easy. Cut the Cauliflower up into little florets and stir in 1/4 cup Maya Kaimal Tandoori Paste and 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil, salt and pepper. Place in a 500 degree oven for 10 to 25 minutes until tender. That’s it!

We used the Maya Kaimal Tikka Masala Sauce to make Chicken Tikki Masala. Cut up boneless / skinless chicken in 1 inch cubes. Saute in 1 tablespoon oil until lightly browned, add the full bottle of Tikka Masala and simmer for 30 minutes.

We made Saffron Rice to go with the two dishes.

At the Hollywood Farmer’s Market we tasted lots of different cherries. We finally found a seller that had cherries that we really liked. We decided to make Sautéed Cherries. I pitted them and then Cathy made a sauce from: Butter, Brown Sugar and Cognac. We added the cherries. Not the healthiest way to eat fruit, but boy was it good!

Thanks Courtney, the sauces were great!

Asparagus and Mango - Tastes of Spring

Wine: Cuilleron Vignier 2005

We made a very simple appetizer of Fresh Indian Alphonso Mango and Prosciutto. Our local Indian Market had received a shipment of Mangoes from India and they quickly ran out. Luckily I was able to buy some before they were all gone. We had purchased a hunk of Prosciutto from The Cheese Store of Silverlake and I hand sliced some to go with the Mango - it was a great first course.


At the Hollywood Farmer’s Market I tried to buy some morel mushrooms. They were very hard to find this year and they only sold us a small bag. Cathy made a great butter and shallot sauce with the morels and we served them over asparagus. David at the market said that the area where they pick them is still covered with snow. Makes you wish for global warming so the snow would melt and we could get our mushrooms. Just kidding!

We made one of the great easy favorites: Asparagus Pasta. This is as simple as it gets and is delicious. I sure sign of spring. It reheats easily for quick leftovers! I really suggest you try this one.

For dessert we had Ginger Cookies from The Cheese Store of Silverlake. They are the best!

Asparagus Pasta
===============

1. Break Asparagus stalks where they naturally break towards the stem end
2. Wash and shave the stalks lightly if you wish
3. Cook the Asparagus for about 3 minutes in boiling water till just tender
4. Meanwhile brown butter in a small pan till bubbling and brown
5. Cook Pasta, we use a cork-screw pasta
6. Rinse Asparagus in cool water to stop cooking, cut in 1 1/2 inch pieces
7. Combine Asparagus, Brown Butter and Pasta in dish mix well
8. Top with grated Parmesan Cheese

Fava Bean Pasta

Wine:
Stefano Farina Barolo 2001
Saracina Mendocino Blanc Sauvignon Blanc 2003

Bea came over for dinner. At Lucques Restaurant we had a great salad and decided to make one like it for a starter. The Salad was made from Belgium Endive, We couldn’t decide on the correct Feta Cheese to use, so we used two different Feta cheeses (goat and sheep - both French) we added Pitted Black Olives and Pixie Orange slices. We made a lemon and olive oil dressing. It was great!

The main course was Fava Bean Pasta. This particular version was exceptionally good. Cathy sautéed the onions for an extra long time and they were extra sweet. Fava beans are best in spring when they are young. You have to buy a lot (4 to 5 pounds) then remove the beans from their pod. This can take an hour to do and is best done on the patio while drinking wine. The beans are then par boiled for a minute or so and given a second peeling to remove the skin. This is really an easy and extremely delicious pasta.

For dessert we had German Chocolate Cake.


Bacon and Fava Bean Pasta
========================

1 lb. Linguini
1 ½ Onions
2 Garlic Cloves
2 Pounds fresh Fava Beans (start with about 5 pounds pods)
½ Cup White Wine
½ Pound Bacon
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Hand full of fresh chopped sage

1. Prepare the fava beans by removing all beans from the pod. Then blanch beans for 1 minute. Then peel the skin from the blanched beans. Discard the skin.
2. Chop bacon and sauté but not too crisp
3. Remove bacon from pan, pour off bacon fat
4. Add olive oil and sauté onion and garlic till soft and translucent
5. Add wine, boil till almost all evaporates leaving ¼ cup of liquid left in pan
6. Using wooden spoon scrape and deglaze the pan retaining the brown bits from the bottom of the pan in the liquid
7. Add chopped sage, peeled beans, and bacon and sauté until hot
8. Toss with cooked pasta and add grated parmesan cheese

Serve and enjoy

Grilled Asparagus, Lentil Pasta

Wine:

Kosta Browne 2007 Rose of Pinot Noir
Newton 2002 Unfiltered Chardonnay

Bea joined us for dinner.

We had recently eaten at Osteria Mozza and had a wonderful starter that we wanted to replicate. It was Grilled Asparagus with Burrata Cheese, Brown Butter and Hazelnuts.

The interesting thing for us is that Nancy grilled the asparagus on her Panini Maker. We had never used it to grill vegetables. She said that you coat the asparagus in olive oil before grilling. We tried it and it worked! Make brown butter and add the hazelnuts to warm. The asparagus grilled with beautiful hash marks. It was very easy. Place the grilled asparagus on the serving plate, top with the Burrata brown butter with hazelnuts and sprinkle some sea salt. Delicious!

For the next course we had a lentil pasta that we love. We had picked up a large hunk of the end of a prosciutto from The Cheese Store of Silverlake and have been using pieces of it. We made a Pasta with Lentils and Prosciutto Sauce. It is delicious. It is from Cucina Simpatica by Johanne Killeen & George Germon. We highly recommend this dish!

For dessert we had Little Cakes from the Cake Monkey Bakery.

Pasta with Lentil and Prosciutto Sauce
================================

Ask your butcher for an end piece of prosciutto. Usually these pieces are less expensive, and they are fine for this sauce.

4 tablespoons olive oil
1 stalk celery, diced
1 carrot, scraped and chopped
1 large onion (4 to 5 ounces), peeled and diced
1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
One 3-ounce piece prosciutto or pancetta, chopped (1/2 cup packed)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
8 ounces (1 heaping cup) lentils ^
1 red onion
11/2 pounds imported spaghettini or linguine fini
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut up

1. Heat the olive oil in a small heavy stockpot and add the celery, carrot, diced onion, garlic, jalapeno, red pepper, prosciutto, and salt. Gently saute, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft and aromatic, 15 to 20 minutes.
2. Add the lentils and 5 cups of water, bring to a boil, and simmer until the lentils are soft but not mushy and falling apart, 18 to 22 minutes. The sauce may be completed to this point and chilled in the refrigerator until ready to use.
3. If you have refrigerated the sauce, heat it slowly over a low flame. Bring 5 quarts of salted water to a boil in another large pot, and chop the red onion for garnish.
4. When the lentil sauce is hot, drop the pasta in the water and boil until it is still quite firm, 4 to 5 minutes.
5. Drain the spaghettini in a colander, then add it to the sauce with the butter. Toss the pasta in the sauce for 1 to 2 minutes until al dente. Serve very hot, topped with the chopped red onion.
SERVES 6 AS A MAIN COURSE

Going Green

Wine:

Little James’ Basket Press Gigondas

We continue on our exploration of recipes from Indian Home Cooking by Suvir Saran and Stephanie Lyness. It is a very good cookbook. We really are enjoying the dishes. We hope to eat at Saran’s restaurant in New York City: Devi.

We made two new dishes. The first dish was Ground Turkey with Spinach and Whole Spices (Turkey-paalak ka keema). It is amazing we had never cooked with ground turkey before. I was surprised at our local market they actually sell two varieties of ground turkey: Ground Dark Meat, Ground White Meat. We of course, bought one of each! The dish has lots of spices, yogurt, spinach and dried fenugreek leaves (thank god for our local Indian Market). The fenugreek and spinach gives the dish a green color. It is very good, not hard to make and easily reheats.

For the second dish, we made Cardamon-Roasted Cauliflower adapted from American Masala: 125 New Classics From My Home Kitchen by Raquel Pelzel.
The cauliflower flowerets are roasted with lots of spices and onions. It is a very tasty dish! We had purchased a new mortar and pestle from American Masala. It is specially crafted to grind spices. It has a very wide Pestle that keeps the spices from popping out of the mortar. This was our first time to use it. It works!

We made rice to go with the dishes.

We really like the idea of learning how to cook a whole new cuisine.

We will make both of these dishes again.

For dessert we had Banana Cream Pie from Clementine. The bananas are appropriate for an Indian Dinner and the Cream was soothing after the spice of the Indian Cooking.



Cardamom-Roasted Cauliflower
=======================
Adapted from American Masala: 125 New Classics From My Home Kitchen by Suvir Saran with Raquel Pelzel (Clarkson Potter/Publishers, October 2007)
Serves 8
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for greasing baking dish
3 cardamom pods
3 dried red chiles (optional)
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon whole peppercorns
1 head of cauliflower (2 1/2 to 3 pounds), cored and broken into medium florets
1 medium red onion, halved and thinly sliced
Kosher salt for sprinkling
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish or large gratin dish with olive oil and set aside.
Using mortar and pestle, grind the cardamom pods, chiles, coriander, cumin and peppercorns until fine. Transfer the spices to a large bowl and mix with the olive oil. Add the cauliflower and onions and toss to coat. Transfer the vegetables to a baking dish and roast until they’re tender, about 1 hour, stirring every 20 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and serve.

Spring Peas are Here!

Wine: Little James Basket Press – Gigondas

One of the best indications of the arrival of spring is the appearance of young fresh peas at The Hollywood Farmers Market. When they appear we quickly decide to make Risi-E-Bisi. It is a wonderful Italian dish that is like a cross between a risotto and a very thick soup. The key to making the dish is great peas. We purchased the peas on Sunday and shelled them. We then prepared the stock that we would use on Tuesday. We use the recipe from Giuliano Bugialli: Bugialli’s Italy.

For the Salad we had Burrata Cheese and Jamon Iberico, a cured ham from Spain that we picked up from The Cheese Store of Silverlake. We dressed the salad with walnut oil and balsamic vinegar.

We then had the Risi-E-Bisi made with pea stock.

For dessert we had a Ginger Snap Cookie that are available at The Cheese Store of Silverlake. They are chewy and delicious!

Spring is here!



RISI E BISI
=========

Rice and Teas Venetian Style
Makes 6 servings

FOR THE BROTH:
1 pound snow peas or, if using fresh peas for the dish, 1 pound of the pods of the peas
16 cups cold water 1 medium-size carrot, scraped and cut into 2-inch pieces
1 medium-size stalk celery, cut into large pieces
1 very small clove garlic, peeled
5 sprigs fresh Italian parsley, leaves only
Coarse-grained salt

FOR THE RICE:
4 ounces pancetta or prosciutto, in one piece
1 medium-size cipollotto (Venetian white onion) or yellow onion, cleaned
4 Tablespoons sweet butter
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium-size clove garlic (optional), peeled
15 sprigs fresh Italian parsley, leaxas only
1 pound very small, sweet fresh peas or frozen "tiny tender" peas, not defrosted
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups raw short-grain rice, preferably Vialone or Italian Arborio
TO SERVE:
2 tablespoons (1 ounce) sweet butter
6 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan Cheese
Sprigs fresh Italian parsley

Wash the snow peas or pea pods very well under cold running water. In a large pot bring the cold water to a boil with the snow peas or pods, carrot, celery, garlic, and parsley over medium heat. While boiling, add coarse salt to taste, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 50 min¬utes. Strain the broth and discard all the vegetables.

Finely grind the pancetta or prosciutto in a meat grinder and coarsely chop the onion on a cutting board. Place the butter and olive oil in a medium-size casserole set over low heat. When the butter is melted, add the pancetta or prosciutto, onion, and garlic clove, if used. Sauté slowly for about 15 minutes, then add the parsley and mix very well, then add the fresh or still frozen peas. Season with salt and pepper. Raise the heat to medium, add 1 cup of the vegetable broth, cover, and cook for 5 minutes. Remove the garlic and discard. Pour in 7 ½ - 8 cups of the broth and when it reaches a boil, add the rice. Mix very well, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 18 minutes. Be sure to have enough broth in the casserole for the rice to absorb to cook completely, with a tiny amount of liquid left; the final texture should be something between a real risotto and i thick bean soup. Remove the casserole from the heat, add the butter and cheese, and mix very veil. (Mantecare—to churn—is the word used to describe the movement of absorbing the butter ind the cheese into the rice.) Serve with the Italian parsley.