Greek Saucy!

Man Mountain hates cucumbers.

Apparently, he is genetically predisposed to loathing them.

Granted, he did go to medical school so he should know something scientific about genetics.

His parents hate cucumbers.

And...

...our children hate cucumbers...so there may actually be something to it. (Wait - does that mean my genetics are weak.....?)

Because I love me some cucumbers, ESPECIALLY in pickle form! And I love the delicious Greek condiment Tzatziki - (which is yogurt with cucumbers, garlic and herbs).

Fresh herbs!

So, I decided to make roasted lamb shanks and potatoes for dinner. Bare-bones recipe:

Free hand the following:

Layer olive oil, fresh rosemary sprigs, whole garlic cloves, lamb shanks, and cut russet potatoes in a wide-mouthed dutch oven.

Add 1 heaping Tbl. tomato paste and enough beef stock to halfway cover the lamb and potatoes.

Liberally, salt and pepper.

Cook in a 350 degree oven for 1 1/2 - 2 hours.

When lamb is done (should be falling off the bone),  mix fresh dill and mint into the hot gravy and let sit, out of the oven, for 10 minutes.

Dust with lemon zest, sea salt and toasted pine nuts, if desired. (I desire!)

Serve over couscous...with a dollop of this.

PS - You can also add cucumber to this. And then invite me over to share.

Apple Puffs

My Apple Puff!

I love apple picking season. I love watching my girls scamper through the orchard, picking up apples from the lowest branches, taking one bite, handing mauled apple to Man Mountain to finish, and then prancing towards the next tree to try yet another type.

Golden Delicious is the big winner in my house (although Man Mountain prefers MacIntosh, slathered in Jif peanut butter). This year's jaunt was short, but profitable, as the orchard was packed with trees heavily laden with fruit. The hot, long, wet summer made for an early harvest, and we picked ourselves a bounty!

I love making apple pie. I am a Pillsbury Ready-Made Crust devotee, but I saw a recipe for apples with a puff pastry crust and I had to give my own version a whirl.

These blissful apple puffs are delicious and so easy to make!

Thaw puff pastry according to box instructions. I swoon for Trader Joe's.

While pastry is thawing, preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Peel, core and slice 4 Golden Delicious apples into 1/4 inch slices.

In a large bowl, mix 3/4 cup light brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, and 1/4 cinnamon.

Let apple mixture stand for at least 1/2 hour. This softens the apples, lets the liquid run to the bottom of the bowl (which avoids an overly soggy crust), and cuts baking time!

Inhale the scent for a little impromptu aromatherapy.

Place pastry on baking sheet and apply apples in a circular patten.

Make an egg wash with 1 large egg and 1 tablespoon heavy cream.

Apply egg wash to puff pastry edges NOT covered in apple slices.

Bake for approximately 15 minutes, depending on puff pastry box instructions.

Serve with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream or eat ravenously as is!

Meatballs of Guilt

I am beginning to feel the guilt. Blogging should be my relaxation outlet, writing recipes should be cathartic. Little anecdotes should be FUN!

So should cooking.

Unless, (after the Hummingbird incident), one feels this irripressable urge to raise one's hand at Back-to-School night and volunteer to chair the BIGGEST FUNDRAISING EVENT at your daughters' elementary school.

Then cooking becomes less about fun, and more about guilt.

I'd like to blame the vodka. But it had been 1oz. And it had been 4 hours earlier.

So, I am now in charge of organizing a Pasta Supper for 700 people.

A Pasta Supper where the pasta is cooked the night before, slathered in cooking oil, and held overnight in a massive refrigerator in black garbage bags.

I am not Giada de Laurentiis, and yet, I cringe.

But apparently it is the "Night of the Yeeeeeeeear!!!!" And YES, I know it is for the kids. I love kids.

But I am still on the fence about cooked pasta in garbage bags.

But I do this for the kids.

And with this "pasta" (oy, Mama Leone is cringing), we serve "Meatballs". 3 per person. Frozen. From a big box shop.

Not my meatballs.

Here are my meatballs:

In a large, non-reactive bowl, mix together:

1 lb. ground beef
1/2 lb. ground veal (trust me)
1 slice white bread, soaked in 1/4 cup whole milk
1 large (or extra large) egg
1Tbl. Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
1Tbl. (each) - fresh basil and fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon tomato paste
Splash of Worcestershire Sauce (optional, but my family loves it!)
Pinch of paprika
Sea Salt and Black Pepper (your discretion)

***SECRET WEAPON OF MOISTNESS***SEE BELOW***

In a saucepan, heat 2 Tbl. olive oil. and cook 3 cloves of garlic and 1 medium chopped red onion until soft, approximately 5 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon dried thyme and 1 teaspoon dried oregano to bloom the spices. Let cool. Add to bowl. Mix thoroughly, and roll into balls.

On a foil-lined, olive oil rubbed baking sheet, bake meatballs at 350 degrees for 15- 20 minutes, until slightly browned. They will not be cooked through. Add them to your red sauce and barely simmer, on low, for one hour.

Ladle over al dente (bagged, refrigerated) pasta.

Makes 9 - 12 meatballs, depending on size and patience of meatball maker.

The Hummingbird

I came home after a perfectly delectable day today - lunch with Mom and middle sister, bra shopping, and then a pit stop at Trader Joe's for organic raspberry jam and lemon curd with which to make a girlfriend's luncheon tart.

And as I was unloading the car,  a hummingbird flew into my house.

Now I know that in some obscure ancient culture this is a sign of good luck.

But I like to watch nature on TV. "Camping" to me is not having central A/C.

Remember, I was born on the island of Manhattan, not Galapagos.

So I flew around like a half-crazed banshee waving at it with a broom in order to gently persuade said bird to leave my house before it crapped all over my cream couches became dehydrated, as to not blacken my karma by killing the thing.

It would not leave.

Apparently my karma needs massaging.

Man Mountain sensed urgency in my voice, (or perhaps he felt a pull towards nature. After all, he IS from Northern Wisconsin. Or "Canada", as I like to call it), and came home.

His mere presence led the hummingbird to leave, going gently into the proverbial night.

Man Mountain is my hero.

But I still needed a cocktail.

It's 5pm somewhere. And it's close enough to 5pm here.

Here is my version of "A Hummingbird".  (Some call it a "Stoli-Doley".)

1 oz. (or 2 oz., depending on how big the hummingbird is) of Stolichnaya Vodka (or any vodka that comes in a non-plastic bottle. C'mon. There's gotta be standards.)

2 oz. Dole Pineapple Juice. Because I am a label whore when it comes to my pineapple juice.

Drink with a straw.

Feel your karma being refreshed.

Is there really blue food in this world?

Tom Colicchio says that there is no such thing as blue food.

Blueberries are purple, he says, and so are blue corn tortilla chips.

Well, I was at White Gate Farm recently, and Pauline said that she had blue potatoes. They looked like black, dusty things to me, but I really wanted to see if I could find something blue to prove Mister Know-It-All wrong.

So, I bought'em. Just to see.

I mean, Tom would never really KNOW I had proven that blue food existed.

(Yes, I talk about Tom Colicchio as if we are on a first name basis. I have that same issue with Ina. As in Garten. It used to be just "Martha" too, but I have had serious issues with her recipes, so she is now back to "Martha Stewart".)

So, yes Tom, I bought the blue potatoes.

And as much as I hate to admit it, you may be right.

These bad boys were tie-dye purple.

Purple Potato Bake

Cut potatoes into 2 inch pieces. 

Dose with olive oil, sea salt and black pepper. 

Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.

Eat like candy.

Or smother in ketchup (if you are Little Bitefuls. Or Man Mountain.)

Serve with this:

Beef Tenderloin

(Adapted from America's Test Kitchen)

Place beef tenderloin (that has been trimmed and tied) on a foil-covered, rimmed baking sheet, and let sit for 30 minutes at room temperature, lightly covered with plastic wrap.

 Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees. 

Discard plastic wrap and oil top and sides of tenderloin with vegetable oil. 

Cook for 30 minutes, until center reaches 115 - 120 degrees. 

Let sit for 20 minutes. Internal temperature will reach about 130 - 135 for gorgeous rare-medium-rare.

Enjoy with a deep, bold, spicy red wine!

Pica-wha? Peek-ah-dee-yo. Picadillo. And rice.

It takes a few dinners together before I foist picadillo on new friends. One, because it is a jumble to pronounce and two, because they always say, "Wow, that is so UNIQUE!" when I tell them what it is - basically meat and raisin stew. And we all know that "unique", when it comes to food and personal style, is the "kiss of death" phrase. 

But then they eat it. 

And then it is all over. 

Because once you've had it, (and my Grandma Iris' black beans and rice), that is all you'll want when you come over. 

And even though I'll suggest steak and twice-baked potatoes, you'll say, "Um.. how about that meat and raisin thing? And your Grandma's black beans?" 

So now you can make it yourself. 

And when you come over I can make something else - something else UNIQUE! I promise! 

Puerto Rican-style Picadillo 

This dish is like Puerto Rican Hamburger Helper (no disrespect, Nana). Both my Mom and my Grandma made delicious versions - my Mom adds cumin and no capers, Grandma Iris used tomato paste, and she was so old school that her green olives had PITS! I remember seeing them rim my Grandfather's plate. Neither of them used Worcestershire sauce. Only Grandma used sherry. But because I have been cooking this meal weekly for almost 12 years now, I have tweaked it to my family's tastes. 

Ingredients:

Olive Oil - 2 Tbl.

Manzanilla Olives - 15 small, chopped

Pimentos - 1 heaping Tbl., finely chopped

Capers - 1/2 Tbl.

Onions - 1 large yellow (Spanish), chopped

Garlic - 4 medium cloves, diced

Cubanelle Pepper - 1, seeded, de-membraned and diced - (Cubanelles are light green and long. Do not substitute green peppers.)

Recao, or Culantro - 1/4 cup - (This is an herb similar to cilantro, but with a milder flavor. Can be found in the fresh produce section of the Shop Rite in New London, but can be challenging to find for many, which is why I list it as optional.)

Sherry - 2 - 3 Tbl. - NOT "Cooking Sherry"- (The Taylor brand is inexpensive, and can be found in any liquor store. Cooking Sherry is sodium-filled and tastes like rubbing alcohol.)

Worcestershire Sauce - 2 Tbl. - preferably Lea & Perrins

Ground Beef - 2 lbs. (feeds my family, with leftovers for Man Mountain, or hungry twins)

Tomato Sauce - 8 oz. can - preferably Goya

Ground Coriander (McCormick makes Roasted Ground Coriander - even better!) - 1 tsp. (Note: Coriander is cilantro in seed form, but with a much milder, almost smokey, flavor.)

Onion Powder - 1 tsp.

Kosher Salt - 1.5 tsp.

Black Pepper - 1 tsp.

Cumin - 1 tsp. - (optional)

Brown Sugar - 1 tsp. - (optional)

Dried Thyme - 1 tsp. (optional)

Raisins - 1/4 cup - preferably Sun-Maid dark raisins
1 Bay Leaf, fresh or dried

Optional Condiments:

Fresh Cilantro

Tabasco

or

Apple Sauce (My kids' idea.)

Heat olive oil in large bottomed pan, on medium heat.

Add onions, olives, cubanelle pepper, garlic, pimento and capers, and recao, if you can find it. This is the making of a sofrito. Saute for 5 - 6 minutes until the ingredients have softened and melded together.

Pour in sherry and worcestershire sauce to deglaze the pan. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up any of those luscious brown bits. Allow alcohol in sherry to burn off, and sofrito to soften further, about 2 - 3 minutes.

Push the sofrito to the sides of the pan and crumble ground beef into the center of the pan.

Sprinkle ground coriander, onion powder, kosher salt, black pepper, and optional spices (cumin, brown sugar, and/or thyme) on the ground beef.

Cook ground beef until you see it browning well, approximately 5 minutes.

Add the can of tomato sauce.

Gently fold the sofrito and tomato sauce into the ground beef, and simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes.

Add raisins. And Bay Leaf. (Note: I had to mince them when the twins were between the ages of 5 - 7 because they were horrified that they were eating meat and raisins mixed together. So, if you have picky eaters, mince the raisins, and call the whole thing a Sloppy "Juan"!)

Cover a simmer over low heat for about 5 - 6 minutes, until meat is no longer pink, raisins have plumped up a bit, and the sauce is thickened.

Serve over white rice, with fresh cilantro and Tabasco sauce liberally sprinkled over the top. Or not. 

And always eat with Grandma Iris' Black Beans (Will post later. I promise!)

The Kids Beige Buffet and Scallops with Risotto - Two Dinner Tuesday

I rarely make two dinners. When the trio grumbles about having to try a new meal, I answer them with: "Think about all the starving children in [insert impoverished nation of choice here]." Okay, I'd love to say it is because I want them to be well-rounded eaters with adventurous palates, not to mention concerned citizens of the world. But the simple truth is, I can't be bothered with double the dishwashing. However, there are a few occasions where I will make something special for Man Mountain, and let the kids have a beige buffet of couscous and chicken in nugget form.

Stonington scallops are a local delicacy and they have a sweet, slightly briny flavor. They are also a special favorite of Man Mountain's. I serve them over mushroom risotto that has been drizzled with black truffle oil (not as expensive or as hard to find as you might think. I found mine in Shop Rite!)

Scallops
1 lb. Sea Scallops
Olive oil - 2 Tbl. to coat the bottom of saute pan - (I use this almost every night!)
Shallots - 2 medium, sliced
Garlic - 2 cloves, sliced
Dry Vermouth - 2 Tbl. to deglaze pan
Fresh parsley, sea salt and lemon zest - for dusting

Saute garlic and shallots in olive oil over medium-low heat, until light blonde. Once golden, move to outskirts of saute pan so that they will not overcook. Place scallops in pan, about an inch apart. Cook approximately 3 minutes on first side (scallops should develop a nice, brown, crust), and then 2 minutes on the second. Deglaze with vermouth and allow alcohol to burn off (about another 2 minutes). Dust with fresh parsley, sea salt and lemon zest. Serve immediately.

Mushroom Risotto
Olive Oil - 3 Tbl. to coat bottom of pot
Shallots - 2 medium, chopped finely
Garlic - 3 cloves, chopped finely
Mushrooms (I prefer a mix of Portabella and Shiitake) - 1 1/2 cups, chopped
Fresh Rosemary - 1/2 tsp. diced finely
Arborio Rice - 1 1/2 cups
Vegetable Stock, warmed, - 4 - 6 cups
Salt and Pepper to taste
Mascarpone Cheese - 1/2 cup, folded in after risotto has been taken off the burner
Black Truffle Oil - Drizzle sparingly, and fold into risotto right before serving

Saute shallots, garlic, mushrooms and fresh rosemary in olive oil until garlic is light golden blonde. Add arborio rice and saute, stirring often, for 2 minutes. Add 1 cup vegetable stock, and lower heat to simmer. Keep adding cups of stock until rice has reached the texture you desire (should be creamy, yet al dente). It takes *about* 20 minutes. You do not have to stand there, stirring, and saying novenas to the saint of arborio rice. You can answer the phone, or peel a child off of your pant leg. Just stir frequently and taste every so often. And read the back of the box of the arborio rice.

When done, fold in mascarpone cheese, drizzle black truffle oil, sprinkle salt and pepper and maybe a bit more fresh rosemary, and lick the spoon!

By the way, I serve the Kids Beige Buffet and our Scallops with Risotto with the same tried and true side:

Roasted Asparagus
Foil-lined baking sheet, asparagus, sea salt, black pepper, olive oil. 350 degree oven. 10 minutes.
Kids eat it like candy.