Food Paolo Knows

WHITE CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE WITH RASPBERRIES

2020-04-10T20:35:00.001-04:00

THIS is one of the most delicious cheese cakes. I've made it with and without berries (use black cherries and you have a white chocolate black forest cake - without the cake). I've even spread apricot glaze on top of the cooled cheesecake and allowed to cool once more before covering it completely with dark chocolate ganache. No matter how you serve it, the secret is in the cheesecake itself. It shouldn't be over-baked because you want that creamy buttery texture to dominate. Serves 8.

Pre-heat the oven to 350º

Grease a 7-1/2 inch spring form pan with butter and line the outside of the pan with a double layer of aluminum foil.

In a food processor mix:

1 package Philadelphia cream cheese

1/4 cup sugar

Process until smooth and then add

the zest of one lemon

the juice of one lemon

1 egg

1 egg yolk

1/2 tbs. corn starch

1 tsp. vanilla

1/4 cup heavy cream

1/8 tsp salt

Process ingredients until everything is very smooth.

Melt 5 oz. of white chocolate in a double boiler and add that when you add 1-1/2 cups sour cream. Process until smooth.

Pour the mixture into the cake pan and place in a large, deep baking pan and fill half way up the side with boiling water.

Place it in the middle shelf of the oven and bake for 45 minutes and turn the oven off. Leave cheesecake in the oven to cool (about an hour or so). Take the pan out of the foil lining and place on a plate and refrigerate overnight.

Just before serving, take 2 pints of raspberries and arrange on top of the cheesecake. Dust with confectioner's sugar and serve.

FRENCH ONION SOUP

2020-04-10T16:11:00.001-04:00

ONE OF THE FUNNIEST moments in the film Julie & Julia is when Stanley Tucci (Paul Child) walks up the kitchen steps to find Meryl Streep (Julia) chopping and crying over a mountain of onions and having to leave the room. You won't need a mountain but you definitely will need a mild peak of them to make this onion soup.

During these trying times, self isolation and quarantine can only go so far. We're now on day 30 something with no light at the end of the tunne. and, while not wanting to be the bearer of bad tidings, people (friends, family, people we actually know) are dying. To top it all off, after a day or two of 60º+ weather, it's cold again, with high winds bringing a bite in the air.

And so, to avoid baking, we must turn to another type of comfort food: soup! And what better soup to make than the famed and storied Onion Soup au Gratin.

I've made this soup many times over the years and if it's to be done well it must be done from scratch. No cheating.

There is a rather lengthy entry on stocks which I wrote in 2013 that can be found here:

https://paoloknows.blogspot.com/2013/07/beef-stockconsomme.html

BASIC DARK BEEF STOCK

4-5 pounds beef bones (I save mine in the freezer from steaks, ribs, etc., and add fresh ones from the butcher)

1-2 beef shanks

One large onion, peeled and diced

3 carrots, peeled and cut into medium dice

1 large leek (white part only) chopped, save the green part of the leek for later

4 stalks celery peeled and cut into large dice

1 tbs. extra virgin olive oil

Heat the oven to 400º

Place vegetables, bones and shank(s) on a lightly greased chef's roasting pan and roast the bones and shanks for about 1-1/2-2 hours. Turn the ingredients a few times during roasting. The shanks should be browned and the marrow softened and shrinking from the bone.

Removed bones and vegetables and place in a very large stockpot. Degrease the pan with a splash of white wine and pour some water into the roasting pan and place on the stove over medium heat. Scrape off as much of the remains from the bottom as you can and then pour that into the stockpot as well. Fill the pot with cold water (about 4 gallons) and set over moderately high heat. Bring to a boil and immediately lower the heat and skim off any scum while it simmers. Once you have removed the scum, add:

1 large onion studded with cloves
2 medium-sized tomatoes, chopped

and cover the pot and simmer anywhere from 2-4 hours.

While the stock is simmering, make a bouquet garní as follows:

One can make a bouquet garní with cheesecloth, OR you can make one with the wide green leaves of the leeks.

3 sprigs fresh thyme

5-6 large leaves fresh sage

1 whole stem fresh rosemary

4-5 sprigs fresh flat Italian parsley

8-10 whole black peppercorns

1 bay leaf

Take two of the flattened green leaves of the leek and place them flat on a cutting board. Place all of the herbs, the bay leaf, and the peppercorns on the leeks and start to roll the leaves to contain the herbs. Cover these two leaves with two more leaves of the leek so you have a nice circular package. Take some kitchen twine and tie the bundle at the far ends like a log. It doesn't matter if some of the herbs are protruding at the open ends. The twine will keep everything in place (I sometimes use wide rubber bands that I have saved from asparagus or broccoli bundles, which work perfectly for this).

Add the bouquet garní to the stockpot. At this poin, I often add 2 cubes of Knorr or Maggi beef bouillion and then cover and continue to simmer for several hours. I sometimes let it simmer on the stove overnight to intensify the flavor of the stock.

At this point, you will have a delicious liquid. Once cooled, strin through a large china cap strainer lined with cheesecloth. Discard the bones and the vegetables. You can use the stock immediately or store and freeze some for future use. You will need at least half the liquid for the onion soup.

For the onions:

Peel and slice about 3-4 pounds of onions. It is easier to cut the onion in half and slice very thin slices.

1/2 stick butter
6 tbs. Olive Oil
A very large skillet or frying pan to hold all the onions.
A large simmering stockpot filled with beef broth

Heat the pan over moderately high heat and melt butter and oil. Add the onions and saute for 2-3 minutes to coat them thoroughly with the butter mixture. Sprinkle some salt and pepper over them, stir and cover. Lower the heat somewhat and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Without burning the onions, continue to cook covered for another 40 minutes. About half way through, add 1/2 tsp. sugar and continue to cook. Uncover the pan after 40 minutes and continue to cook, stirring often. The onions should turn very brown and reduce a great deal.

Sprinkle 2 tbs. flour over the onions and stir gently to incorporate. Add a splash or two of Madeira, stir gently and immediately pour all of the onions into the stock pot. Add 2 cups dry white wine and bring to the boil. Once the stock is boiling, turn the heat down to simmer partially covered and cook for at least one hour. After an hour, check for seasoning and add:

1/4 cognac or brandy

Cook for another hour or so, or even overnight. Allow to cool, refrigerate if possible (it always tastes better after refrigeration). Reheat before composing soup dishes for serving.

You should have 16 slices of toasted baguette slices ready at hand as well as:

16 slices mild Provolone
16 slices Gruyere or Emmanthaler cheese
1/2 cup grated Grana Padano

Have 4 soup cups/dishes each lined up and ready for assembly on 2 roasting pans. Fill each bowl with the soup. Add the bread slices and place two slices of each cheese on every bowl and sprinkle with some of the grated cheese.

Place on two racks of a preheated 450º oven for 20-25 minutes. The cheese should be completely melted and have golden brown crusts around the edges. Sprinkle a little finely chopped parsley on each bowl and serve immediately.

I know that the steps are many, but it really isn't a lot of work considering the length of time it takes cooking itself on the stove. The prep work truly isn't that much, and if you plan ahead and start on Monday, the soup on Friday will be outrageously delicious and worth the wait.

Bon appetit!

TARTE AU CITROEN

2020-04-10T08:14:00.000-04:00

I MADE this tart a few months ago. It was a big hit. The dusting with confectioner's sugar with a stenciled form (in this case, the Sword of Santiago) is dramatic and never fails to elicit a gasp or two when presented at table! You know who you are!

The pastry dough (pate sucre):

4 cups flour

2 sticks cold butter, cut into pieces

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 cup sugar

1 egg and 1 egg yolk beaten

Put all contents into the canister of a food processor and pulse until everything is mixed and then turn the machine on until the dough becomes one mass and rolls around the sides of the canister collecting all bits and pieces. The canister should be fairly clean around the dough.

Put the ball of dough on a floured surface and with your hands, smear the dough a bit at a time to flatten it out. Roll it up back into a ball and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. (I make the dough the night before or several hours before I'm going to make the tart.

Roll out the dough on a floured surface. You want the dough to be much larger than the tart pan. When the dough is about 1/8 inch thin, roll the dough around the rolling pin and lift and unroll it over a 9-1/2" tart pan. Trim the edges and press the doughly firmly but gently into the pan without breaking the surface. Gently prick the dough with the tines of a fork. Cut a piece of parchment paper into a round piece big enough to lift out of the pan. Place the paper in the tart pan over the dough and pour about 2 cups dried beans or rice into the parchment insert. Bake in a 450º oven for about 15 minutes. You want the edges to be slightly golden. Take out of the oven. Remove the paper with the filling and allow to cool.

Lower the oven temperature to 300º

For the filling:

3 eggs

2 egg yolks

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1-1/2 cups heavy cream

the grated zest from one lemon

6 tablespoons lemon juice (about 3 lemons)

confectioner's sugar

Whisk the eggs in a bowl and add the sugar and mix for 2-3 minutes. The mixture should turn pale yellow. Beat in the lemon zest, juice and the cream.

Pour lemon mixture into the tart pan and bake in the oven for about 45 minutes. The custard should be set. Let cool to room temperature and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight. Place a stencil design of your choice in the middle of the tart and sprinkle confectioner's sugar over entire surface.

There are several variations to this recipe. You can make it with limes or oranges. And if you really want to gild the lily and enter the shocking world of sugar, you can decorate it with slices of candied oranges!

Ou la la!

SICILIAN SESAME & ANISE COOKIES ("SCIMINO")

2020-04-10T07:35:00.004-04:00

SINCE everyone is apparently baking their heads off during the quarantine, I thought I'd put my two cents in with an easy and very delicious solution to cookies and milk (or coffee) to last you at least a day or two, depending on how populated your house is.

I usually make these cookies for Christmas. However, baking them for special occasions is always a welcome treat. In this case it was a Leap Year birthday party for a true Leap Year baby right before all the pandemix [sic!] began.

These cookies aren't fancy like some of the other Sicilian confections I bake. They are simple and unassuming batons of cookie dough, actually, covered in toasted sesame seeds and flavored with anise. They are sturdy and dense, but make no mistake, they are totally delicious. Eaten alone or dipped into a cup of espresso or cappuccino, they hit the spot.

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

4 cups sifted flour
1 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup butter
2 eggs slightly beaten
1 Tbsp. vanilla
1 Tbsp. anise extract

1/2 cup milk
1 Tbsp. anise Seed, ground semi-fine

3 cups toasted sesame seeds for coating (more if necessary)

Bring milk to the simmer (170º), take off heat, add anise seed and anise extract, cover and allow to steep for 30 minutes, cool and refrigerate overnight.

Mix flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together. Cut in butter with a pastry blender until little dots of butter appear (like a pie crust), add beaten egg, vanilla, gently stir in milk. Mix well until a mass of dough forms; I find doing it with your hands is easiest. You could use a mixer with a dough hook or a food processor but the butter reacts differently and isn't as good.

Shape cookies into round balls and stretch into elliptical forms (batons). Dip the cookies, one at a time, in a bowl of cold water and roll in the sesame seeds. You may have to wash your hands periodically to scrape off any wet dough that sticks to your palm. Place on greased cookie sheets about 3/4 inches apart. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. All ovens being different, it may take longer to bake and it also depends on how crisp or crunchy you want your cookie to be. I look for a serious browning on the edges of the cookies and, of course, the intense aroma of licorice perfuming the air.

Let cool completely on a cooling rack before serving. These cookies freeze very well but mine never last long enough for that.

Makes several dozen.

EGGPLANT FANS

2020-04-09T18:42:00.001-04:00

I FIRST came upon this recipe in Richard Olney's Simple French Food". I have made it many times over the years and it is always a huge hit either at a sit down dinner or a buffet. It is one of life's more plentiful concoctions.

Preheat the oven to 450º

Lightly oil a very large roasting pan or grating dish (12x17)

4-6 small eggplants

3 large plum tomatoes, core removed, sliced lengthwise and very thin

2 small onions cut in half and sliced very thin

5 cloves garlic smashed

4-6 marinated artichokes

1/3 cup small black olives

2 whole bay leaves

4 sprigs of fresh thyme scattered on top before baking

Salt and pepper

Cut the eggplants lengthwise. With a small knife, cut slices flat side down from the top to the bottom without separating the slices from the stem. It is important to keep the fans connected to the stem, otherwise they won't fan out properly. Set aside.

Slice the tomatoes very thin.

Strew the garlic and the onions all over the bottom of the pan. Make a fan with a tomato slice inserted into each slice of eggplant and place each one on top of the onions. You should have 8-12 fans.

Cut the artichoke hearts in half and fill in any gaps between the fans and around the pan. Do the same with the olives. Insert the bay leaves and the herbs over the fans and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Press down to make one even surface. Drizzle some olive oil over the entire surface. I also use the marinating oil from the artichokes. Cover loosely with aluminum foil and bake for 1-1/2 hours, however, turn the temperature down to 375º after 20 minutes. After an hour and 15 minutes or so, if the eggplants are still firm and the tomatoes haven't shriveled (every oven is different), uncover and bake for another hour or so checking periodically for shrinkage and/or burning.

Allow to rest covered for about 15 minutes and serve. It can also be served tepid or room temperature. It is divine as a leftover the next day!

Bon appetit!

MOVING ON . . . CHOCOLATE PAVLOVA

2020-04-09T12:54:00.001-04:00

I PROMISED some recipes so let us begin.

Let's start with the Chocolate Pavlova.

I first saw this on one of Nigella Lawson's shows. I adore meringue, as can be seen from the several other entries on this blog about Pavlovas and meringue. A Pavlova is usually white and can be a single disc of mountains of beaten egg whites or multi-layered with a variety of fillings: whipped cream with berries, with passion fruit, with lemon curd or a combination of whatever takes your fancy. The chocolate Pavlova is no different except its darker and because of the nature of chocolate, fairly limits the possibilities of combinations. I wouldn't, for instance, use strawberries or blackberries or any kind of citrus curd with chocolate (candied orange peel dipped in chocolate, yes!). In any event, this recipe demonstrates only one variant of a very versatile dessert. What I can and will say here is this: the chocolate Pavlova as seen below is perhaps the most divine and glorious dessert I have ever made or eaten. One, two, even three servings of this will never be enough as gluttony rules!

I'm including the link to Nigella Lawson's site on the Food Channel because she can express herself so much better than I can.

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/nigella-lawson/chocolate-raspberry-pavlova-recipe-1973184

FOOD PORN II - SAVORY

2020-04-08T23:30:00.000-04:00

As I promised, here are some photographs of some of the savory dishes which I hope will inspire some of you in the kitchen.

Carciofi ripieni (for recipe click on link below)
https://paoloknows.blogspot.com/2016/09/nonnas-stuffed-artichokes_35.html

Fennel and Beet Salad with Gorgonzola

French Onion Soup

Eggplant Fans

FOOD PORN

2020-04-08T11:04:00.003-04:00

In the interest of being versatile and a little entertaining I’m going to try to amuse you today with just photographs of food; desserts actually. The recipes will follow eventually, I promise. We need a little fluff to lighten up the mood! And what better way to do it than with some dolce!

Let’s start with a Chocolate Pavlova with Raspberries and Cream!

And then move on to a Creme Caramel! Click on link and scroll down for recipe:
(https://paoloknows.blogspot.com/2016/05/entertaining-ii-easter-feast.html

How's this for a mirror glaze!?

Shall we continue with and Apple Charlotte? Click on link for recipe:
https://paoloknows.blogspot.com/2017/03/apple-charlotte.html

We just keep getting fancier and fancier! Cheesecake with Raspberries:

And finally: Tarte au Citroen

MIDNIGHT AND LENTILS

2020-04-08T01:07:00.001-04:00

It's well after midnight and rather balmy outsde. A cool 56º with a mild wind. 14th street is empty with only the occasional passing bus. Even the homeless guys who sleep on the steps of the Salvation Army are absent from the scene. It's an odd sensation.

I had to go to the hospital this morning for a CAT scan and I rode the bus up Madison and then back down Fifth Avenue. Madison Avenue was strangely populated near Mt. Sinai with multiple gatherings of people scattered piece meal along the sidewalks and there were gaggles of cars and taxis humming their way up to Harlem. Not so Fifth Avenue. It was desolate from the Met straight down to the Village. It's an odd sensation seeing 57th and Fifth without people. Even odder seeing Bergdorf's, St. Patrick's and Saks completely shuttered. Rockefeller Center was devoid of humanity and barricaded. Ralph Lauren's flagship stores on Madison had very elegant, custom-made, white painted boards covering every glass surface facing the street. These are the strangest times in which we live. It's enough to suppress any appetite but curiously, it hasn't. Everyone I know is baking something almost every day. I decided to live vicariously by binge watching (again!) the Great British Baking Show so I wouldn't bake myself. That hasn't stopped me, however, from putting on a few pounds.

So let's talk about lentils; anything, really, to take our minds off of the realities of our day and age.

I first read about pasta with lentils in a cookbook by Lorenza de Medici. I've made this unsuspecting dish several times and have always been astonished by the depth of flavor - not to mention the texture - such an innocent little legume can impart on the palette. What's more, they are extremely good for you. I often make the recipe below without the pasta and eat it by itself. It can be a very satisfying repast for one on a cold winter's night. What follows, though, is, I think, one of the best ways to eat it with people round the table.

You can make the lentils a day ahead or reserve one cup of the lentils for this dish to be used at a later date. I find it tastes better the next day after it's been refrigerated.

To prepare the lentils, rinse one cup lentils with cold water and let drain in a sieve. Once cooked you should have twice that amount by volume.

Make a soffrito of one small onion (minced), one small carrot finely diced, and about 1/4 cup minced celery. Mince on clove of garlic.

Saute the soffrito and the garlic in some olive oil over moderately high heat. Add the lentils to coat with the olive oil and then add 1/2 half cup roasted cherry tomatoes and about 1/4 cup white wine or vermouth. Let that reduce before adding 2 cups boiling chicken stock. bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for about 35 minutes or until tender. You can check on the lentils periodically and smash the tomatoes into the mixture so they melt away. Correct seasoning with salt and pepper.

Cook the pasta (farfalle, rigatoni, penne,gemelli, etc.) according to the instructions in lots of salted water. A half pound of pasta should be enough for 4 people as a first course. Reduce the cooking time by 2 minutes since it will be baked in the oven.

Drain pasta. Put a little olive oil in the casserole, add the pasta and toss and add the lentils, 1/2 cup heavy cream and 5 tbs. parmiggiano. Mix well and sprinkle some bread crumbs on top and put in a 400º oven and bake uncovered for 20 minutes.

Serve immediately.

Buon appetito!

20-MINUTE PASTA

2020-04-07T09:35:00.000-04:00

We all need some diversion right now. With the escalating numbers and dire instructions to stay at home, pandemic or not, we are trying to find things to occupy our minds and our time. I wrote about memories yesterday, so I'll continue to reminisce with a more recent story.

I was chatting with an old friend about pasta the other day and wrote down a few thoughts on getting something on the table in no time at all. Of course, you have to have an arsenal of ingredients at the ready for however you want to create this dish - the possibilities are endless - but it's also about the time involved. One needn't fuss to make something extraordinarily delicious, yet simple.

The conversation began over a pasta recipe in the food section of a California newspaper callled "caprese", which wasn't a salad in the conventional sense; it was a bastardization of yet another magnificent Italian creation (think pesto and how it's inappropriately and incorrectly put on anything). I told her she'd be hard pressed to find ANY Italian, no matter how adventurous, eating mozzarella, basilico and sliced raw tomatoes with pasta. As a rule, and even though I love it, Italians don't eat pasta cold. Anyway, here is my go to recipe for pasta with roasted cherry tomato sauce that has endless variations and iterations.

I roast cherry tomatoes whole in a cast iron skillet at 375º. I toss them (in the pan) with about 2 tbs. EVOO, a good helping of Kosher salt, 8-10 grinds of the black pepper mill, and a generous shake of powdered rosemary and thyme (which I grind myself from dried herbs). Roast for 1 hour or until they start to wrinkle, caramelize and take on a deep red hue.

I make enough to last me at least 4 or 5 days. (At least 2 pounds)

To make the spaghetti:

I allow 80-100 grams per person (4 oz. = 118 grams on the scale) so a pound per 4-5 people as a main course or a side dish. I have found that one helping of this is never enough FOR ANYONE.

The sauce can be made while the pasta water is heating up and the pasta is cooking. You'll need some of the pasta cooking water. Always use plenty of water in the pot and add a handful of Kosher salt to the pot when it starts to boil before adding the pasta.

1 shallot (or a small onion)
2-3 cloves garlic
3-6 anchovies (optional and to your taste)
red pepper flakes (more or less depending on how picante you want it)
1 cup toasted cherry tomatoes
Vermouth or White wine
Basil leaves cut into chiffonade

Saute the shallots, garlic, anchovies and pepper flakes together. Add the tomatoes, smash them into the sauce and add a good splash of the Vermouth or white wine. Let that cook and meld together. Add the basil. Continue to cook over low heat until it forms a dense mass. At this point, you'll need to start adding a little of the pasta water. Set your timer according to the directions on the pasta box. Two minutes before the pasta should be done, add 1/4 cup of pasta water to the sauce. Raise the heat and bring to the boil. Just before you are ready to drain the pasta, add a little more pasta water, correct seasoning, if necessary. Make sure the sauce is thick and bubbly and add the pasta directly into the pan with the tomatoes. Toss with a pat of unsalted butter and serve. Cheese, of course!

I know there are many steps, but trust me, you can make this dish in 20 minutes. TOPS! Someone with only a very little bit of expertise should find this a piece of cake! I like to have a mise en place ready to go when I put the pasta water on the fire.

Variations: black squid ink pasta with this sauce spiced up with more hot pepper flakes, more garlic of course and seafood (squid, shrimp, scampi, lobster, etc.)

Linguini or cappelini or even rigatoni or gemelli (with tuna OMG!) I have made this sauce and added chopped slices of leftover breaded eggplant and added a dollop of sour cream to the sauce just at the end to make an improvised Pasta alla Norma! Another Sicilian twist: add a handful of roasted pine nuts and golden raisins to the sauce while cooking and dress the finished product with bread crumbs instead of cheese. This is particularly appropriate with pasta al sardo (sardines).

One can use pancetta or guanciale as well. I have given up meat for Lent so it's sort of vanished from my lexicon at the moment, but rest assured, meat will be back on the menu next week!

Buon appetito!

MEMORIES

2020-04-06T10:15:00.003-04:00

It's funny how pandemics and quarantines and confinement in small spaces play tricks on the mind. I've never been the sort of person who dwells on the past or even looks back on "halcyon days." But now, to quote Dante, in the middle of life, I find myself in a dark wood wandering, pining away for lost days, bygone decades when I was a younger, more adventurous - sometimes alarmingly so - person. But, a life without regrets is a life not lived. Sorry to get philosophical here but the peculiar atmosphere, which I believe we are all experiencing, has forced me, at least, to look back and try to tap into happier times.

Being Italian, most of the stories of glory are surrounded by celebrations of food and music, and here is one of them. Many years ago - almost a lifetime really - I had the great fortune to study piano with a very famous teacher in Rome. It was the summer of 1982 actually, and I was bopping around Italy doing the piano competition circuit and landed in Rome for a few week before I would be forced to lasciare la bella Italia. He put me up for a few days in his palatial apartment before finding me smaller accommodations with a piano a few blocks from the Colosseum. In any event, the first night I was there, I played for him (a copious program of Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, and Chopin) and then he cooked dinner. It is with genuine affection that I look back to that evening, laced with good wine, good conversation, dining with some of his other students on some of the best pasta with tuna I ever had. Well, it was the first time I had ever had it, really, and even when I make it, it doesn't come close to how his tasted. I remember asking: "what is this? Veal?" And of course, it was tuna cooked in tomatoes with all the right Roman spices (garlic, pepperoncini, etc.) Here it is, pictured below with linguini.

Serves 4

1 lb. linguini (or any kind of pasta you like, any macaroni with ridges will do good because the sauce adheres to the ridges)

1 medium onion minced

2 stalks celery minced

1 small carrot (fine dice)

4 cloves garlic

1/4 tsp. pepperoncini flakes

a handful of parsley chopped fine

12 basil leaves cut in chiffonade

2 sprigs fresh thyme

8 oz. tuna packed in oil (I make my own - highly superior to anything canned, but the Sicilian tuna in jars does very nicely here)

1/4 cup white wine

1 large can imported peeled, whole tomatoes (since the price of tuna is rather dear you might as well splurge and go whole hog on San Marzano tomatoes!)

Sauté the soffrito (onions celery, and carrots) and the garlic in olive oil until translucent. Add the pepper flakes and the herbs and continue to cook for a moment and then add the tuna. Cook for a few minutes over moderate heat, add a sprinkling of white wine and allow to reduce and then add the tomatoes. I recommend emptying the can into a large bowl and crush the whole tomatoes with your hands to break them up a bit before adding to the pot.

Add 1/2 tsp salt and few grinds of a pepper mill. Bring to the boil and then lower heat to a simmer and let cook partially covered for about 2 hours. Correct seasoning, if necessary, before dressing the pasta.

Boil a large pot of water, add a handful of Kosher salt and then the pasta. Cook according to the direction on the package. Dress the pasta when cooked with the sauce and serve. No cheese please - it's fish!

Buon appetito!

Viral Days

2020-04-04T12:03:00.002-04:00

Braising Bulbs

It has been a seriously long time since I've deigned to write here much less compose something for aficionados of La Cucina. Be that as it may, it would seem that many people, forced to remain at home and thus rely on their own resources, have begun to take up cooking and baking with a vengeance. I must confess that I, too, am one of them. Necessity, after all, really is the mother of invention.

How does one pass the time when living alone, without a television, and for whom, besides playing the piano, watching the vacant lanes of West 14th Street from his window has become his only source of entertainment? I mean, there are just so many episodes of anything on Amazon Prime and Netflix one can watch. I've started re-reading Dickens (Trollope is next!) - always a challenge considering the length of their stories - to while away the hours. Don't get me wrong, I am still practicing in earnest but there is something unsettling about making so much noise when everything around you - especially in New York - is so still. It would be different if this were Westchester or an acred suburb anywhere in America or atop a mountain in Switzerland, but it's not. We are here in the lively, 8-million-souls-filled metropolis of New York and everyone is either home, behind closed doors or escaped to parts unknown. The silence here is bloody deafening. My building, I am told, is only half full at the moment. Vewy scawy!

Nevertheless, I am here to talk about food so . . . let's start with Fennel. First of all, unlike most people you hear on the news, my grocery stores have been pretty well stocked. There have only been a few isolated instances where shortages remain constant, flour being the most prevalent; even "00" on Amazon has a 3-week waiting time. I haven't had any problems getting eggs or milk or butter, and vegetables have been ready for plucking from the shelves. I love fennel, especially raw, sliced thin and dressed only with salt and pepper and a drizzle of olive oil (no vinegar!). It is simple, quick (if you have a mandolin) and deee-licious! I also like them sliced thin with slices of orange (same way). But during the wintry months, I love to braise the bulbs, cut in quarters.

There are many ways to do this, even finish it off with cream and bake them au gratin. HEAVEN! I have done it many ways, but I think the best way is to simply braise them in broth with some finely sliced onions, a clove of garlic, some white wine and as you see in the picture, some roasted cherry tomatoes. It's fairly simple and takes no effort besides being forced to monitor the stove periodically and wait the required 2 hours before eating or serving.

Serves 8 as a vegetable or 4 as a main course with pasta or roast anything (game, fowl, meat, even fish)

2 whole bulbs Fennel

1 small onion or leek

1 clove of garlic (smashed)

1/4 tsp fennel seeds

1/4 tsp powdered thyme (or 2 fresh thyme sprigs removed before serving)

1 cup roasted cherry tomatoes

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/2 cup white wine

1 cup rich chicken stock

salt and pepper to taste at end

Cut off stalks at top of the bulbs and mince the stalks and fronds and reserve

Cut off the hard base of each fennel bulb but without severing any of the leaves. Trim the bulbs by removing the tough outer leaves. Cut each bulb in half and in half again You should have 8 equal pieces.

Slice the onion very thin and reserve

In a large, heavy dutch oven (Le Creusets are perfect for this), heat the olive oil and add the fennel bulbs. Sauté the fennel on each side over moderate heat, including the rounded outside shell. When the bulbs are nicely browned, remove from the pan. Add the chopped garlic, the sliced onion and the minced fennel stalks and sauté until translucent. Add the fennel seeds and the thyme, stir a bit and add the fennel bulbs and the cherry tomatoes. Add the white wine and allow to reduce by half. Add the chicken stock, bring to the boil and lower heat to simmer. Cover and stir every once in a while for about 1-1/2 to 2 hours. Remove the cover during the last 20 minutes of cooking so the liquid in the pot reduces and thickens. Serve immediately.

There are so very many variations to this dish; the possibilities are almost endless. It is excellent served with game or fowl, especially goose or duck, and if allowed to cool and is then puréed, you can add it to a béchamel sauce and use it as the sauce base for a lasagna. The last time I made it, which was precisely at the beginning of our global ordeal, I added orzo to the broth. Perfect comfort food for anyone!

Cannellini and Escarole Soup

2017-10-01T21:19:00.001-04:00

I got this recipe from a cookbook by Jacob Kenedy who is the owner and chef of London's very popular restaurant Bocca di Lupo. It is as simple as apple pie - in fact, simpler - and doesn't take more than a half an hour to make except the cooking time for the beans, of course. It should be made immediately before serving because you don't want the escarole to be overcooked or turn black.

1 lb. cannellini beans (soaked overnight and cooked in a pot of water with 1 tablespoon salt and 1 tablespoon olive oil brought to a boil and then cooked for three hours over moderately low heat.

2-3 cups of the bean cooking liquid kept in reserve for the soup

One head escarole, cleaned in a waterbath, stems at the root removed and sliced lengthwise into strips

Three cloves of garlic sliced very thin

One pinch of hot red pepper flakes

16 to 20 leaves fresh basil cut in strips lengthwise

One bunch of chopped flat parsley

2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Take half of the olive oil and heat it up in a large pot. Saute the garlic until it becomes golden at the edges, add the pinch of hot red pepper flakes and the cut up pieces of escarole. Season with a little salt and pepper and saute until wilted. Add the beans and the bean liquid and heat p to the boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and add the parsley and basil and the remaining olive oil. Stir well and serve with slices of toasted bread.

APPLE CHARLOTTE

2017-03-28T10:07:00.002-04:00

I HAVE ALWAYS WANTED to make an Apple Charlotte. It isn't very difficult but it does take time. The basic recipe calls for stale bread; you know the French - Europeans in general, actually - they never waste anything! But, I am always tempted to gild the lily. I made a couple of pound cakes (Maida Heatter's Elvis King Pound Cake!) a few months ago and froze them with the express intention of eventually making one of these delectable concoctions with pound cake instead of bread.

I used Julia Child's recipe, which is completely over the top (minimal work but lots of steps). It was, in fact, the first time I ever used my Charlotte mold (fabrique en France). It's a happy occasion indeed when any batterie de cuisine designated for a particular use functions exactly as it should and succeeds. And even though the mold was silver tin, its heart-shaped handles render it rather fetching to the eye.

Funny thing here: Julia's recipe calls for 6 lbs. of apples. I stopped at 9 apples (not even 3 lbs.) and had more than plenty to fill the mold (I had enough left over to fill a jar of apple sauce). Frankly, I got tired of peeling and coring apples and gave up once my pot was almost full!

So to begin:

6 cups apples, cored and peeled and chopped coarsely into

small pieces

1/4 cup rum

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup apricot jam (strained through a fine sieve)

3 tbl. unsalted butter

1/4 tsp. almond extract

1/8 tsp. salt

Place all the apples into a large pot (Le Creuset Dutch Ovens are the best for this or any stainless steel pot with a lid). Cover and cook over moderately low heat for 20-30 minutes. Stir occasionally. Apples should soften a bit. Add the sugar, jam, rum, butter, salt and almond extract and cook on relatively high heat. Bring to a boil and stir vigorously and often. (I let it simmer covered for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.) After about 45 minutes the apples should have melted somewhat into a kind of apple sauce/paste. You will need to keep stirring until all of the liquid has evaporated and a spoon draws a line on the bottom of the pan when swiped across. You should have a thick paste which when spooned up it one large mass. Turn off heat and cover until ready to use.

1/2 pound clarified butter

Cut off the crusts of the bread or cake to make even squares and cut into 3 equal rectangular slices. Cut a round piece for the bottom of the mold with varying shapes to fill in the open spaces before lining the mold. You will need to saute the round pieces for the bottom until golden brown. Place in the bottom of a 3 inch high charlotte tin and dip each piece of bread into the clarified butter and line the wall of the mold, overlapping the slices as you go round the entire wall. Make sure you cut the pieces on the top to make everything level. Fill the mold with the apple mixture until you have a mound which is above the surface of the slices (the apples will sink as the charlotte bakes). Top the mold with more slices of buttered bread until it is completely covered. Pour the remaining clarified butter over the mold filling it completely with liquid. Place the mold into a larger pan (a ceramic dish is perfect for this) and place into a 425º over for 30-45 minutes or until the entire charlotte is a dark golden color. Running a knife in between the mold and the charlotte twill indicate if the bread has browned and finished. Let cool for at least 45 minutes before unmolding or refrigerate overnight and un-mold after reheating in a warm 190º oven for 30 minutes.

1/2 cup apricot jam

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup rum

a dash of almond extrac

Place ingredients in a small pan and bring to the boil. Stir to mix thoroughly and pout through a fine sieve. Brush the outside of the unmolded charlotte with the apricot glaze until very shiny and serve.

BON APPETIT!

INTRUGLIO

2017-02-24T01:23:00.001-05:00

HAVE YOU EVER WALKED into an Italian grocery store, I mean the small, little ones, family owned, smelling of the old world, reeking of olives and salami and hard pungent cheese?

Well, this dish represents that scent, the succulent aroma of olive oil mixed with fruits of the vines and trees. What's more, it might be a little pricey to make because olives and sun-dried tomatoes and cheese have become rather dear not to mention the extra virgin olive oil, but it is so simple to make that it's crazy.

Etymologically, Intruglio (pronounced een -TRUE-leeyo - The G is silent when preceding L followed by I or E) means slop, muddle, concoction. I found this recipe in Tessa Kiros' gorgeous and fabulous cookbook: Venezia - food and dreams (page 71). She states that Intruglio is of Tuscan origin. But it's altogether possible that this mixture is made throughout Italy where olives and tomatoes live in ubiquity. In Calabrese the word intruglio means pigswill, which it definitely is not! It even has had connotations like "bad medicine" and "paint stripper" throughout the ages and can be dated back as far as the Romans. Being an olive-oriented society, I'm sure they made full use of oil and salt to preserve foods like this.

This "concoction" is basically made using:

1 cup of Kalamata olives
1 cup of large green olives
1 cup of any other kind of olive (red or green or black for variety of type and color; I recommend pitted olives)

Mix with a quarter pound of soft goat cheese and a half pound of Buffalo mozzarella. Since Buffalo mozzarella is so expensive I just use the little bocconcini which I flatten with the palm of my hand. Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl and add either some fresh oregano or some rosemary with some thyme, a dash of hot red pepper flakes and a couple turns of black pepper from a pepper mill. Also optional: a heaping tablespoon of capers and some anchovies.

Pour the mixture into a large glass airtight container (those which are used for preserving are ideal) and add 1 to 1 1/2 cups extra-virgin olive oil to cover the mixture completely. Refrigerate for at least 2 to 3 days or up to a week and then you can start using it. I have used very little of it in the past and must say that it grows in flavor with a little aging. I use some and then cover it with more olive oil which will help the mixture to stay completely perfect for at least a month.

At this point you can top it on bread or crostini as an antipasto or dress any pasta of your choice with it.

Boil any kind of macaroni or pasta (shells, butterflies, rigatoni, penne) and cook until ready according to the instructions on the box. Drain, put back in the pot with a little bit of olive oil some black pepper and add about three large spoonfuls of the intruglio and mix thoroughly. Serve immediately with some grated Parmesan cheese.

A slight variation: Preheat the oven to 375°.

1/2 pound salt cod soaked in water for several days with changes of water every eight hours. Take a large piece of parchment paper put the cod on the paper, place about three very large spoonfuls of the intruglio over the fish, wrap the fish with more parchment paper and seal all around it. Put on a large roasting pan and roast for 20 minutes. When the fish is ready open up the parchment poor everything onto the pasta and mash the fish into the pasta with a wooden spoon so it's well incorporated. Serve immediately but without cheese.

Buon appetito!

JALOUSIE STUFFED WITH MINCEMEAT

2016-11-30T16:29:00.002-05:00

This dessert is so delicious and rich - and labor intensive - that it is probably best served only on holidays or very special occasions in Winter.

I say this because it requires making the mincemeat (and ample time in a jar to really develop into a true tipsy jelly), making puff pastry at least a day ahead of time and then assembling the dessert and baking it to a buttery, divinely flakey pastry full of delicious sweet meats redolent of baking days of yore.

MINCEMEAT

Mincemeat was usually made with drippings, suet and tongue which was simmered for hours and hours until the meat almost disappeared. To that was added fruits, berries and alcohol (as a preservative). Don't forget, this was something that predated refrigeration by centuries so the use of alcohol - and salt, but not in this instance - was a prevalent additive to deter spoiling or rot.

4 apples, peeled, cored, and cut into large chunks

1/2 stick unsalted butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup golden raisins

1/4 cup currants

1/2 cup chopped candied cherries

1/4 cup candied citron

Grated peel from 1 orange

Grated peel from 1 Lemon

Juice from one Leman

Juice from one Orange

1/8 tsp. ground cloves

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/8 tsp. nutmeg

Rum

Calvados (or Brandy)

1 cup chopped pecans

Put the apples in a food processor and pulse a few times until the apples are reduced to berry-sized shapes. Don't process too much.

Melt 1/2 stick of butter in a heavy cast iron pan (a Le Creuset Dutch oven is perfect for this) and add the apples. Sauté the apples for about 10 minutes and add the orange and lemon peel, the citrus juices, and 1/4 cup Rum. Let it boil and reduce. Add 1/2 cup brown sugar, and all other dry ingredients except the pecans. Stir until the mixture comes to the boil. Add 1/4 cup Calvados and bring to a boil again, turn down the heat and simmer covered for 45 minutes. Stir occasionally and add more liquor if mincemeat dries out or begins to stick to the bottom of the pan. I mix 1/4 cup of the rum with 1/4 cup Calvados and use this mixture to moisten the mincemeat when needed.

After the mincemeat has cooked and reduced into a thick mass, add the pecans and place contents into sterilized jars leaving an inch of space at the top. Cover mixture with any leftover liquor, seal and let cool in a dark place in a cupboard or the refrigerator. This should keep for several months.

PUFF PASTRY

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup "00" flour

1/2 cup cake flour

1 tsp. salt

1 lb. unsalted butter

1/2 cup cold water

I've made this puff pastry several times now and it works every single time.

Please the flours and the salt in a food processor and pulse for 3 seconds. Take one stick of butter and cut it into small dice. Add the butter to the food processor and pulse until the flour takes on the texture of meal and the butter has turned into little pellets. Add the water in a stream and process for 8-10 seconds or until the doug takes on a mass and clears itself from the wall of the canister. Turn out onto a floured work surface and knead into a ball. Dough will be very stick at first so dust your hands with flour.

Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

While the dough is chilling, cut the rest of the butter into patties and place in a large stainless steel bowl. Using your fist, punch the butter down and rake it with your fingers (like a claw) until the butter takes the shape of the bowl in a nice flat dome. Refrigerate.

When you're ready to start rolling out the pastry, Roll our the dough into a large circle measuring at least 16 inches in diameter. Place the butter sheet on top of the pastry dough and fold the outside edges of the dough over the butter, completely encasing the butter. Roll out the dough and fold it into thirds. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. When you're ready, roll out the dough into a 12x18 inch rectangle. Fold the dough into thirds and turn the dough 45º to the right. Roll out the dough, always starting from the center and rolling out and turning the dough so your rolling away from you. When you have another large rectangle, fold it into thirds again and refrigerate again for 30 minutes. Do this two more times exactly as before. Refrigerate.

This can be refrigerated for up to 4 days or frozen for months. When you're ready to make the jalousie, removed the pastry from the fridge and cut the dough into two pieces. You can freeze one of the halves and save it for future use, Roll out the other piece of dough into a 12x16 inch rectangle. Cut the dough in half lengthwise. Place one of the sheets on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper moistened with drops of water. Place the mincemeat down the center leaving a good inch margin on all sides. Brush the sides with an egg wash made with 1 beaten egg and 1 tsp water. Take the other sheet of pastry and fold it in half. Take a pastry scraper and make slits on the folded side about a in ch and a half long. Take the long pastry sheet and place on top of the mincemeat and unfold. You should have a covered piece of dough with openings on top.that resemble Venetian blinds. Crimp the edges along all four sides of the Jalousie and bake in a preheated 425ª oven for 30 minutes, turn down the heat to 300º and bake for another 20 minutes, until flaky and golden brown. Et voila! The aromas coming out of the oven will make your kitchen, if not the entire house, smell like a veritable French pastry shop. Ice Cream Optional!

Bon appetit!

PAPPARDELLE CON PISELLE, PIGNOLI E CALVADOS

2016-11-29T16:47:00.002-05:00

DENYING YOURSELF CARBS on a daily basis takes it toll, especially on the Sicilian palette. So, it was on one of those dark, rainy nights when a salad or fish just wouldn't cut it and discipline flew out the window. Whatever the case may be, this was a completely impromptu creation of mine and it worked; big time!

Cutting to the chase then, this is how it all works. And keeping truly to the 4 ingredient mantra . . .

Olive Oil

1 onion, thinly chopped, lengthwise

2 cloves garlic

1/4 cup baby peas

1/4 cup Calvados

Chopped parsley

8 oz. Pappardelle

Reggiano Parmiggiano

Put a big covered pot of water on high heat. Bring to the boil. Once the water comes to a boil, add a handful of Kosher salt and the pappardelle. Stir occasionally until it is cooked (about 8 minutes) While the pasta is cooking, heat a heavy cast iron skillet with olive oil and saute the garlic and onions until translucent. Flambé with calvados and let the alcohol burn off. Just before draining the pasta, pour a ladleful of pasta water into the pan, add the peas. Drain the pasta, turn off the heat and add the pasta. Toss until the pasta is well coated add the parsley and toss again. Sprinkle some parmesan cheese on top and serve immediately.

Buon Appetito!

MORE FISH

2016-10-21T18:36:00.002-04:00

LAST WEEK, a friend came down to New York from Boston to attend a performance of Tristan und Isolde with me at the Metropolitan Opera. Considering that the opera began at 6:30 and didn't end until close to midnight, I decided that we should eat a light lunch before we set off on our way to hear Wagner's most erotic - and tragic - opera.

This friend, while not being totally picky about what she eats, does eat like a bird so I thought that fish was the most appropriate thing to make. We had it with roasted mini peppers and paper thin slices of fennel dressed in olive oil with salt and pepper. It was the perfect thing to eat: substantial and not too heavy.

RED SNAPPER

As you can see from the new background of my blog, only the head remained!

I like a whole fish roasted in parchment with citrus and soy sauce and that's precisely what I did. It's extremely delicious, even with the bones to contend with, and oh so very easy to make.

To begin: tear off enough parchment paper to line a roasting pan big enough to fit the fish laying flat. Tear off another piece as well. Rinse the fish (I used Red Snapper, but Mullet or Sea Bass or Branzino, i.e., any fish fitting the bill with do), salt and pepper the inside and insert a couple slices of lime inside the fish with some diced ginger and cut up scallions. Place the fish on top of the first piece of parchment. Salt and pepper the fish, strew more ginger, scallions and limes on top of the fish.

Prepare a marinade by mixing the following ingredients:

3 tsp. Soy Sauce (preferable gluten-free from Japan)

1 tsp. Oyster Sauce

1 tsp. Mirin

1 tsp. Rice Wine

2 tsp. minced ginger

1 large clove minced garlic (optional)

1/2 tsp. hot chili paste (optional)

Baste the fish with the marinade and generously pour the rest all over the fish and the bottom of the parchment paper. Place the second piece of parchment paper over the fish and roll up the edges of the paper and then seal by turning the fish over. Place in the roasting pan and roast for 20 minutes in a 350º oven. Open up the paper when ready and slide the fish out onto a serving platter. The juices should follow the fish right into the dish.

The only thing missing was some good rice to soak up the juices.

Sayonara!

FISH SURPRISE!

2016-09-21T23:59:00.002-04:00

I THINK I MENTIONED THAT I WAS AT THE STRAND bookstore last week. While perusing the stacks, I found a fabulous cookbook (yes, another one!) by Patrick O'Connell, chef of The Inn at Little Washington in Virginia. Price? $4.00. And what treasures I found in this cookbook. This dish is inspired by one of the dishes found in the book.

His recipe calls for red mullet but I had used red snapper instead, and I improvised with the Gazpacho, so . . . Let me tell you, this was one of the most delicious meals I've made and it was incredibly simple; and completely clean food! No starch, no butter, no fuss. Simply delicious!

RED SNAPPER WITH GAZPACHO SALSA

I used the last of the Gazpacho that I made the other day, strained it in a china cap strainer and let it drain in a bowl while making the fish.

Take anywhere between 4 and 16 filets of red snapper, depending on how many people you're serving (I allow two pieces of fish for each person). Salt and pepper both sides. Heat a pan with some oil, fry each piece of fish, skin side down for about 4 minutes. Turn the fish over and cook for about 1-2 minutes. Take the strained juice and pour a little in each bowl, drizzle some olive oil around the juice and spoon a mound of salsa in the center. Arrange two pieces of the fish over the salsa and serve immediately.

Bon appetit!

RIGATONI CON PESCE

2016-09-21T01:34:00.001-04:00

EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE, I feel the urge to break my diet. The other night was one of those inevitable exceptions to the rule where the craving for carbohydrates outweighed the controlling effort on my part to shed pounds. So, after culling through the cabinets for something good to eat, the choice was either farfalle or rigatoni. As you can see from the photograph below, the rigatoni won.

RIGATONI CON PESCE

I love fish. I know a lot of people who don't and they simply don't know what they're missing. I had some leftover cod and red snapper, too, as well as some anchovies so it was obvious to me what had to be done. You can use sardines for this dish as well.

Serves 8 as a first course or 4 as a meal.

I put a big pot of water on the stove, turned the flame on high, covered the pot and moved on to other tasks: smashing garlic, mincing an onion, chopping up a few fennel stalks, measuring out a 1/2 teaspoon of hot red pepper flakes and a very tiny pinch of saffron as well, if you are so inclined.

Heat a pan, pour a generous amount of olive oil in it and sauté the garlic and onions until translucent. Add the red pepper flakes. While the onion mixture is cooking, chop up the fish, including the anchovies into small pieces and put it in the pan. Keep cooking for a while and add about 1/2 cup of Prosecco or white wine. Add the saffron at this point if using. It will melt into the wine base. Let it cook and reduce by at least halt. While the wine is reducing, take 8-10 very ripe plum tomatoes and after hulling them, chop coarsely. When the wine mixture has reduced, add the tomatoes. Once the sauce comes to the boil, lower the heat to a gentle simmer. Salt and pepper to taste, add a handful of chopped parsley and basil. Let cook until the tomato sauce become very thick.

By this time, the water should be boiling. Add a handful of Kosher salt to the water and put the rigatoni in the water and stir. Keep stirring for a moment to make sure none of the pasta sticks to the bottom of the pot. Cover, but watch carefully for the water to start boiling again. Once it's boiling, remove the cover and stir again. Continue to monitoring and stirring the pasta, uncovered - cooking time, 8-9 minutes.

The sauce should have thickened by now. When the pasta is done, drain the water and pasta in a colander and pour the drained pasta directly into the large sauce pot and mix well. Turn off the flame. Allow the pasta to rest a moment and then serve immediately in bowls.

You can sprinkle dried, seasoned, or toasted bread crumbs on top if so desired. Never cheese with fish. Absolute no-no!

Bon appetito!

MORE VEAL

2016-09-20T10:37:00.000-04:00

I'M SURE YOU SUSPECTED that I'd be writing again about Veal. Yesterday, when I wrote about demi-glace, if you remember, I mentioned using the leftover pieces of meat from the stock for another purpose. I added some fresh pieces of veal and made a stew with vegetables, leftover stock and demi-glace. I served it with beans and it was delicious.

VEAL STEW

Serves 8 in a pinch.

3 tbs. unsalted butter

3 strips bacon cut into medium dice

1 lb. stewing veal

3 tbs. flour or cornstarch

1 onion coarsely chopped

1 cup carrots cut in thick julienned strips

3 stalks chopped celery

2 lbs. leftover meats from freshly made stock (veal, beef, etc.)

3 cups hot veal stock (chicken if necessary)

1 cup demi-glace

Sauté the bacon with the butter until the bacon is crisp. Remove the bacon and sauté the veal pieces until the meat is partially cooked. Remove the veal, sauté the vegetables and add the veal and the bacon and continue to cook. Add the flour and cook until the flour is completely absorbed into the veal mixture. Add the leftover meats from the stock and then the heated stock. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer and cover partially and cook for 3 hours. Add the demi-glace for the last hour of cooking, continuing to skim during the cooking.

Serve with a starch of your choice (beans, boiled potatoes, even polenta* or gnocchi.

* See December 10, 2013 entry for polenta with Osso Buco.

Bon appetito!

VEAL ET. AL.

2016-09-19T15:08:00.001-04:00

MY FAVORITE CARNIVOROUS DISH of all time is veal. Scallopini, Osso Buco, roasted, grilled, in tomato sauce, you name it, there is nothing like it. As summer is now approaching its end (the autumnal equinox is Thursday), it's that time of year to start preparing for winter and comfort food. With that said, I want to talk about sauces, Espagnol in particular, and demi-glace. These two sauces - one being converted into the other, form the basis for almost all brown sauces (Brunoises) of any merit (Bordelaise, Chasseur, Bigarrade, etc.).

I have made this numerous times but this time around, it turned out especially well. Time is the key ingredient to making demi-glace.

DEMI-GLACE

Demi-glace is a sauce that has been reduced over a matter of hours, even days. The photo above shows the last stage of making the sauce, already strained and reduced from 8 gallons to 6-8 cups.

It's easy enough to begin. Take about 3 lbs. veal bones (I like necks), a couple of beef shanks and the carcass of a chicken and cook in about 8 gallons of water. Bring to the boil, skim off the foam and put in an herb bouquet of thyme, sage, parsley, rosemary, peppercorns and bay leaf, in addition to one large onion, the white of one leek, 3 carrots and two stalks of celery. Bring to the boil again and turn down to simmer. Continue to simmer for several hours and allow it to reduce by half.

Take the pot of the heat, allow to cool, degrease and strain through a large sieve lined in cheesecloth or paper towels. Refrigerate and de-grease again. (You can sift through the bones and extract the meat(s) if you like and use it for another purpose (pot-au-feu, stew, meat loaf, etc.)

The next day, make a roux as follows:

Reheat the stock.

Make a mirepoix of diced onion, carrots and celery (about a cup in total). Sauté in 1 stick of butter in a large enough pot to hold all of the veal stock until the onions and leeks become translucent. Add 1/4 cup flour and 3 tbs. cornstarch and mix well and cook the flour mixture until completely blended and becomes a roux. The idea is to cook the flour until it no longer even resembles the very idea of "flour."

Pour 2/3 of the heated stock into the pot with the roux and mix completely and bring to the boil. The sauce should become very thick. Turn the sauce down to the simmer. Add 4 tbs. tomato paste, 1/2 cup madeira. mix thoroughly and bring to the boil again. Turn the heat down to a simmer and slide the pot half-way off the flame and simmer partially covered for several hours, skimming scum off every 15 minutes or so. The sauce should reduce by at least half. At this point, you can refrigerate the sauce again and de-grease once more before making the demi-glace.

Take the Espagnol Sauce off the stove and strain this sauce through a sieve in the same manner that you did the stock. In a new clean pot heat the sauce again and add the other third of the veal stock and more Madeira if you like. Cook this on a low flame and allow to reduce to a thick syrup for at least 2 hours, skimming the scum from the top often. You should be left with about 2 cups. Salt and pepper to taste and allow to cool completely. The result is practically fat-free but very rich brown sauce.

Place in small containers and freeze (will stay in the freezer for about 4 months) or you can reserve some in the refrigerator if you intend to use it within the week. A very nifty way to store them frozen is to pour the demi-glace into ice cube trays, freeze and then unmold into zip lock bags so you can use small amounts as needed.

There is indeed a lot of effort employed here but it is well worth the effort if you think about the ease it will facilitate in simply throwing in a cube of demi-glace into a pan with some of the juices from whatever it is you're cooking and transforming it into a memorable - a flavorful - sauce.

NONNA'S STUFFED ARTICHOKES

2016-09-18T00:44:00.006-04:00

MY GRANDMOTHER PASSED THIS RECIPE down to my Mother and I make them when I have the time or inclination to sit and stuff leaves. This is definitely a job that should be done sitting down, unless you want a stiff neck, of course!

CARCIOFI RIPIENI

Artichokes are one of those things that spring to mind when I think of Rome. I say Rome because the Romans are famous for their green thistles. In Italy, they are definitely a seasonal vegetable reserved for the winter months, which because of their round and abundant character seems fitting. Unlike the Romans, though, we can have ours year round. They are a very old vegetable and date back as far as the Egyptians and the Greeks. They are part of a family of plants which include the even more elusive and hard-to-find Cardoon (another delicious vegetable resembling celery once peeled and trimmed.) A bit of interesting etymology from a scholarly friend who speaks a multitude of languages and knows his Greek!

In Greek carciofi sono ἀγκινάρες

cardoons = ἀγριαγκινάρες wild artichokes or field (campestres) artichokes…

Carciofo comes from the Arabic al-Kharshouf (accent on last syllable), which itself is probably of Persian origin.

No doubt the word came into Italian through Sicily…

The Arabs in the Levant call them Ardishauki, which is a back-formation of the French version of the word: artichauts.

Interestingly the Arabic element -shauki in “ardichauki” means spiny, thorny or prickly

Spanish: alcachofas (dialect: alcarchofas)

Portuguese: alcachofras

The English version is from the French; the final element was probably changed to -choke — example of the operation of “folk etymology” — or it could have come from an alternative version of the French.

Many people eat their artichokes boiled with Hollandaise or with clarified butter or with vinaigrette, or even Bagna Cauda (which is truly delicious) but in Sicily, we stuff them and they are a thing of beauty as the photograph below attests.

You have to cook the artichokes before stuffing. It's very simple. Cut off the stems so the artichoke can stand up straight - this is the only time I ever cut the stems because I find them to be the most delicious part of all. Sweet and succulent with great meaty texture!

Serves 4 or can serve 8 if you share.

4 GLOBE ARTICHOKES

Cut the stem off at the base, tear away any unsightly leaves from the bottom of the choke and trim each leaf with a scissors. Take a sharp knife or cleaver and slice off the top in one fell swoop so it is flat and no pointy leaves remain. Rub the artichoke with lemon juice from a fresh lemon and put in a bowl of cold water. When you've finished trimming all the artichokes, put the artichokes in a large pot of boiling salted water and cover. Cook for about 20 minutes. Test the leaves for doneness. If they pull out easily, they are done. Drain, rinse in cold water and let cool. Turn them upside down and gently squeeze any excess water out of the chokes and place upside down on a large plain to drain. You can do this a day ahead and chill them before stuffing.

STUFFING

1 stick butter

1/3 cup olive oil

1 medium onion, minced

1 green pepper (or any color actually) seeded and chopped finely

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/3 cup chopped celery

2 Golden Delicious Apples (peeled, seeded and diced)

2 cups seasoned bread crumbs (with dried herbs such as basil, oregano, etc.)

1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese

Salt and Pepper

1/2 cup Pine Nuts

1/2 cup Raisins

2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme

16 basil leaves cut in chiffonade

Put the oil and half the butter in a large frying pan and sauté the onions, garlic, celery and green pepper over medium high heat until translucent. Add the apples and continue to sauté until the apples soften a bit. Add the bread crumbs and the cheese and continue to fry, stirring frequently to avoid scorching. Cut the rest of the butter into small pieces and add that as well as the nuts (Pine Nuts are expensive, I know; but, no other nut will do), the raisins, thyme and basil. Season with salt and pepper to taste and continue stirring until the breading browns to a deep golden color. The apples should melt into the dressing transforming the breading into a moist mass.

When the breading is cooked, remove from the heat and allow to cool completely (overnight is good). If stuffed while still warm, bacteria may grow and there goes dinner!

When you are ready to stuff the chokes, open up the center of the artichoke and remove the center leaves hidden from sight. There should be a deep well in which you will place the stuffing until it is completely filled to the top. This is where I sit down to finish the job. Take a small demitasse spoon and begin spooning the dressing into each leaf starting from the top and working you way around and down to the very bottom of the artichoke. There should be a fair amount of breading mixture packed into each leaf.

There are two schools of thought on finishing the artichoes: The first version is simply placing them on a clean plate after you've stuffed the artichokes. The other is placing the stuffed artichokes in a deep pan with a very shallow water bath of boiling water and steaming them for 5-10 minutes. This moistens the stuffing and finishes the cooking process. Let cool, cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 5 hours (preferable overnight). Before serving, take them out of the fridge and let them come to room temperature. Serve as a first course or among assorted antipasti.

Buon appetito!

GREEN MARKET GOLD!

2016-09-17T13:19:00.002-04:00

STROLLING BACK FROM THE STRAND, and after buying yet more cookbooks (!!!) and one about Wagner, Ludwig and I perused the stalls at the Union Square Green Market. We came upon some very overripe heirloom tomatoes (green, yellow, gold and red) for $1.00 a pound. I picked out a few and the girl at the counter kept telling me to put in more and more. Finally, I carried away about 15 gems (for $2.00!) and immediately went home and made Gazpacho. You know what they say, the best things in life are free - or almost.

CHUNKY GAZPACHO

I happen to like Gazpacho with great chunks of vegetables in it. The pureed counterpart is sometimes rather too thick and oppressive in its paste-like consistency. It's nice to be able to taste each of the ingredients on their own terms; especially the pepper! The best Gazpacho I ever had and one I've been trying to imitate for ages, was at a tiny restaurant called Cafe 1505 in a suburb of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Theirs is utterly delicious and full of chunky morsels of peppers and cucumbers. They also make a mean egg salad sandwich (always hard to find in my estimation).

Anyway, in this particular case, since my creation yesterday was so impromptu, I had to improvise with the very hot green Thai chiles instead of the traditional Jalapeño. The addition of Tabasco at the end is the finishing touch to the heat in this very cold dish. Fire and ice!

12-16 very ripe, chopped red tomatoes or a variety of colors (if you like)

1 large seedless cucumber, peeled and diced

1 large diced yellow or orange pepper (I know, I know, green is the mandatory ingredient, but . . . )

1 onion, diced

3 stalks of celery, diced

6 Cloves of Garlic

2 whole Jalapeños, seeds removed and diced

Juice of 2 limes

4 tbs. Olive Oil

2 tbs. red Jerez vinegar

1/4 cup Sherry

2-3 dashes Tabasco

Salt

Place the garlic and the equivalent of one of the jalapeños and process in the food processor until a paste is formed. Take half of the tomatoes, half of all the other diced ingredients, and process in a food processor until fine chunks still show in the liquid soup. Place the contents in the processor in a large bowl and mix the rest of the ingredients, including the remaining diced vegetables until well combined. Do not salt until after the soup has chilled for at least 2 hours. Salt to taste and serve immediately.

Gazpacho can be refrigerated for several days, but I don't recommend freezing.

FAREWELL TO SUMMER

2016-09-01T12:58:00.001-04:00

IT'S ALWAYS AT THE END of summer that everything looks and tastes so good. Consider the tomato. They're in full bloom right now and red as blood and sweet and dripping with juice, as are peaches and apricots, even grapes. Cherries too but they're almost finished for the season.

CUCUMBER AND BEET BORSCHT

I'm writing today, however, about cold food and hot. Light yet creamy, hearty but not too filling. I should really have titled this entry Pickled, but we'll leave it at that.

I had a cucumber in the house and some shellfish stock and decided to make cold cucumber soup. I made it with my own home made yogurt, fresh dill and cayenne pepper but somehow it just didn't have the oomph I was trying to attain. After thinking about it for a moment and then exploring the contents of the fridge, I found a couple of jars of leftover pickled beet juice with what remained of the pickled onions - the beets were long gone - in the juice. I added this to the soup and it came out pink and tasted like a very cold, very subtle borscht. It was delicious! I've written about cold soups before (see entry dated July 14, 2013) so you can refer to the recipes there. All you need to do to the finished cucumber soup is add the pickled beet juice to make it pink. You'd be surprised at how this little addition changes the overall flavor of the soup, while still being able to taste every ingredient on its own.

On a completely different note, I bought a loin of pork and decided that I wanted sauerkraut and kartoffel. It was rather simple and I decided to do to sauerkraut what I did to the cucumber soup!

ROAST LOIN OF PORT WITH SAUERKRAUT,
ROASTED POTATOES AND BEET HORSERADISH

This should be enough to serve 6 as a main course.

Preheat the oven to 375º

1 4-5 pound loin of pork

Seasoned with an oil rub comprised of:

1 tbs. olive oil

1 tsp. harissa paste

8-10 anise seeds

6 or 7 fennel seeds

1 tbs. dried tarragon (powdered)

1 tsp. kosher salt

8-10 turns of the grinder with black peppercorns

Mix into a paste and rub all over the top of the pork loin. Place the pork into a ceramic or earthenware dish and surround it with the following:

French Sauerkraut cured in champagne and lardon drizzled with pickled beet juice.

Baby red spring potatoes cut into quarters which have been salted and peppered tossed with a bit of olive oil and rosemary.

Pour about 1/2 cup of Champagne or Prosecco over the sauerkraut.

Place the dish into the oven and bake for about an hour and 15 minutes. Juices at the bottom of the pan should have reduced at least by half.

Cut the pork into slices. Place sauerkraut onto a plate, arrange the pork slices over the sauerkraut along with the potatoes. Serve with a hefty dollop of beet horseradish.

Bon appetit!