Nectar

I never know when it hits, but when it does - it's like a brick. Growing up my brother and I would spend two months every summer with my father who, at the time, lived in San Diego. After retiring from the Navy, he fulfilled his dream of opening a bakery - in fact, I learned most of my scratch baking from him. But before the bakery, my grandmother Helen, his mother, would watch us during those warm, salty summer days. My grandmother, who passed away when I was living in Italy, baked and cooked constantly. Otherwise she was watching Perry Mason or Wheel of Fortune, or reading a book while sipping on a Gin and Tonic.

She was a force. A tiny little Irish pixie full of moxie. My dad once told me that when she was 19 she was dying of scarlet fever and received her last rites. Before falling ill she had a head full of glorious black tresses. After recovering from the fever, her hair grew back red and curly. It was one of my favorite stories - I always imagined that the fever scorched not only her body, but her soul and she rose again as a fiery spirit you just didn't mess with. And I miss her terribly. When I miss her, I bake something that reminds me of the meals she created those summers. One of my favorites was her corned beef bake - or baked Rueben - I don't think she ever actually named it. She did however, make it at least a couple times for us over the summer. One of our favorite ways to eat it was the next day, sliced and eaten cold late in the evenings as my girlfriend (who is now my sister-in-law!) and I snuck beers out of the refrigerator and watched Headbanger's Ball. It was also something my Dad always wrapped in tinfoil and threw in the cooler on our days at the beach or hiking in the canyons.

GRANDMA'S RUEBEN BAKE

- 1 pizza crust (recipe below - or if you're in a hurry a store bought crust will do)

- 8-10 oz. corned beef (thinly sliced)

- 3 T. 1,000 Island Dressing

- 1/2 c. sauerkraut (drained)

- 4 oz. Swiss cheese (shredded or thinly sliced) 

The Crust:

This recipe is from Baking With Julia by Dorrie Greenspan - it's a wonderfully diverse recipe and what I love most is that you can make it and freeze it for later use just after the second rise.

1 1/2 t. active dry yeast

1 1/2 c. tepid water (about 80F)

2 T. olive oil

2 1 /4 c. flour

In a mixing bowl, combine the yeast and water together and let sit for about 5 minutes, allowing the yeast to activate. Add olive oil and flour and mix until thoroughly combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again. Cover and allow to rise (should double in bulk) in a warm place for about 1 1/2 hours. 

Deflate the sponge a bit with a spatula and add 2 to 2 1/4 additional cups of flour and 2 t. of salt. Mix with a dough hook until completely incorporated. Knead with the dough hook for about 5 minutes until the dough is smooth.

Lightly oil a large bowl and turn the dough out into it. Turn the dough gently to oil the entire surface of the dough and cover and let rise in a warm place for about 1 1/2 hours. 

Preheat the oven to 375F.

Prepare a large baking sheet with a light spray of non-stick cooking spray. Transfer your dough to this baking sheet and roll or flatten the dough with your hands into a long oval shape.

Working down the middle of the dough, first spread out the 1,000 Island dressing. Ensure that you are leaving about 1 1/2 inches at each end of the dough. Layer your corned beef on top of the dressing, then add the sauerkraut and top with the Swiss cheese.

 

Take a paring knife and make diagonal cuts in the dough - to create strips - down each side of the dough. Careful not to start your cuts too close to the filling. Then working from one side to the next, fold the strips of dough on top of each other to enclose the filling inside the dough (you can pull them a bit as needed as the dough is fairly elastic). Brush very lightly with olive oil (so lightly, I use my fingers) and sprinkle the top with caraway seeds.

Bake for 20 minutes (or until top begins to turn light gold and you can see the cheese bubbling through the holes in the dough). Let cool for about 15 minutes before slicing.

 

MY YOUTH

White Rabbit : Slapshot

With The Quickness : Bad Brains

In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida : Iron Butterfly

We Care A Lot : Faith No More

The Sweetest Drop : Peter Murphy

Fire Woman : The Cult

Looking Down A Barrel Of A Gun : Beastie Boys

Promises : Fugazi

Soul On Fire : Danzig

Pigs In Zen : Jane's Addiction

Passing Me By : The Pharcyde

I'm The Man : Anthrax

John The Fisherman : Primus

I Awake : Soundergarden

Listen here.

p.s. My Smoked Salmon, Asparagus and Goat Cheese Quiche was feautured on The Cooking Channel's Blog today - thank you so much for that CC! 

p.p.s. I'm giving away an advanced copy of my upcoming title, Instant Love: How To Make Magic and Memories With Polaroids over at Nectar & Light - enter to win!

 

Tomorrow is the first day of Spring... or to some, Ostara. The weather here has been incredibly obliging to Mother Nature's schedule and the girls have been running about the yard in shorts and begging for me to set up the sprinkler. We threw open the windows this weekend and filled the house with early blooms from the garden, it's been lovely.

 

And what is Spring without salmon and asparagus? Sunday we put together this quick and beautiful dinner to celebrate the season. You can make this without the goat cheese, but it's my favorite element. I paired the quiche with a simple watercress salad full of greens - enjoy!

SMOKED SALMON, ASPARAGUS & GOAT CHEESE QUICHE

Preheat oven to 325F.

1 pie/quiche crust (see my recipe and instructions here)

3 eggs

1 1/2 c. heavy cream

salt & pepper

1 bunch of asparagus

olive oil

8 oz. smoked salmon

8 oz. goat cheese

Make and roll out your crust and place into a pie or tarte pan. Bake the crust for 10 minutes, then pull from the oven.

Wash, then cut about 2 inches off the ends of the asparagus and lay them on a lightly oiled baking pan. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with coarse black pepper and sea salt. Roast for 10 minutes, then pull out and cool. Cut the asparagus into 3-4 inch pieces and set aside.

 

Mix heavy cream, eggs and salt and pepper together until thoroughly combined. 

In your partially baked crust, layer half the smoked salmon, a third of the asparagus (you'll save the final third for the salad) and half of the goat cheese. Repeat to create another layer, then pour the cream and egg mixture over this. Place the pie dish on a baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes or until an inserted knife comes out clean. Let sit for 15-20 minutes until firm enough to cut. Enjoy!

 

(For the salad, I just threw together watercress, the remaining asparagus, green grapes cut into half pieces, chopped green onions and diced green apples - toss with a bit of olive oil and balsamic vinegar - salt and pepper to taste.)

And our soundtrack to Spring...

OSTARA

Waiting For The Sun : The Doors

Changing The Rain : The Horrors

Bright Futures : Gyspsyblood

Rise From The Shadows : Alberta Cross

At Home : Crystal Fighters

Navigate : Band of Skulls

The Task : Ume

Rainbow : Oh Land

One By One : The Ting Tings

Forever Young : Bob Dylan

Gifts and the Raft : The Cave Singers

Fog Emotion : Vetiver

Dream Evie : Dirty Three

Listen here.

Hello Friends. I returned from Morocco earlier this week and am still working out my emotions about the experience. I tried to articulate it here, but I may not have conveyed the intensity of what I'm feeling. And that's okay - it was a highly personal experience. I'm happy to be with my family once again and to be back in the kitchen. 

 

It took me a bit of time to really figure out the beauty of the Moroccan cuisine. We spent our first few days staying in a riad near the souks surrounded by tourist trap restaurants with menus full of pizzas, pastas and tagines. Tagines, if you are unfamiliar, are stews - most often made with lamb or chicken - in a broth with vegetables. I had some average tagines and some extraordinary ones. But, having been rather unfamiliar with the food of the region, thought that maybe this was the extent of my explorations. It was not until we moved to Peacock Pavilions, where our Instant Love retreat was being held, that the explosion of flavors came to my attention. The cooking staff put together beautiful meals - so much so that I can say without doubt it was the best food I ate on the trip. Dishes were dusted in saffron and coriander - infused with rosemary, garnished with preserved lemons from the property - they were magical.

 

Something that was always present, at every meal we ate, was Kesra. Sold by the cart full in the medina and in the loveliest of restaurants, Kesra is a cornmeal based Moroccan flat bread. We smeared jam on it the mornings, dipped it into soups in the afternoon and sopped up the juices from our tagines in the evenings. It was the soul of each gathering and what I most wanted to recreate upon returning home. My aunt lent me her copy of Ghille Basan's Modern Moroccan and this recipe is from that book. I added a heaping of rosemary to the dough - I couldn't help it. We were surrounded by olive trees and rosemary bushes on this trip and every time Kesra was served at Peacock Pavilions, they added sprigs of rosemary to the bowl, it seemed like a natural marriage. I also created a soup loosely based on one of the recipes in the book - one that marries some of my favorite flavors of the country.

 

KESRA

4 c. bread flour

3/4 c. cornmeal

1 t. salt

1 T. dry rosemary

1/2 t. dry yeast

1 t. sugar

2 1/2 c. warm water

2 T. melted butter

sesame seeds

 

Preheat the oven to 425F.

Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper and sprinkle with 1 T. of cornmeal.

In a large bowl sift flour, remaining cornmeal, salt and rosemary together and set aside.

In a smaller bowl mix sugar and yeast and add 1/4 c. of warm water. Let this sit for about 5 minutes or until the yeast begins to cloud and bubble slightly.

Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture and add the melted butter and yeast mixture; begin to mix with a wooden spoon - adding the remaining water to the dough as you work. 

Once combined, turn the dough out onto a floured surface and begin to knead adding extra flour as needed (I added up to an additional cup at this point). Once formed and thoroughly kneaded, divide the dough in half and create two round discs. Place them on your baking sheet and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

 

Let them rise in a warm place for about an hour, then poke holes into the dough with your finger every 1/4 inch or so over the surface of the bread. I used a fork and wish I hadn't!

Bake at 425F for 10 minutes and then turn the oven down to 350F for the remaining 15-20 minutes.

 

PUMPKIN AND CHICKPEA SOUP

1 T. olive oil

2 clvs. garlic (minced)

4 c. organic chicken broth (veggie is fine as well)

2 15-oz. cans of organic pureed pumpkin

1/2 c. half+half

1 t. cinnamon

2 t. coriander

2 t. salt

1 1/2 t. black pepper

1 can of chickpeas (drained and rinsed)

In a stock pot over medium heat, add the olive oil and garlic - cook garlic until it just beings to turn gold. 

Add broth and then whisk in pumpkin and spices. Let cook on medium heat for 15 minutes.

Whisk half+half in and add chickpeas. Cover and let simmer for 20 minutes.

Serve dusted with coriander and plenty of Kesra.

p.s. I will share some Instagram snapshots, Polaroids and one more favorite recipe from Morocco next week - and a playlist that became my soundtrack during the voyage. Until then...

Singapore. If you've been there, you get it. I have yet had such an adventurous epicurean experience, and I'm unsure I will again. Just before I left for Singapore, a friend who had just spent time there provided some great tips on where to go, what to see, and most importantly, what to eat. I stayed at the beautiful Scarlet Hotel, Singapore's first boutique hotel, in Chinatown. I could not have dreamed of a better location. The hotel was situated just behind the Maxwell House, one of the most locally frequented hawker's centers in the city.

 

If you are unfamiliar with the term, as I was before my departure, a hawkers center is sort of like a large, outdoor food court. But different. The food is all local and in Singapore that means predominately Chinese, Indian and Thai and incredibly inexpensive. Most food stalls are specialized - preparing just a few main dishes around a central theme. 

 

My first foray into the hawker's center was an assault on my senses - really like everywhere in Chinatown you can not walk a few steps without smelling something delicious cooking. But the energy, the overwhelming choices and the heat all aided to my awe. The first day I tried pork belly and rice, pork dumplings, an oyster cake, a fried banana and freshly squeezed watermelon juice. Everything was delicious, but the oyster cake was ridiculous. I was drawn in by the scent and warmth of Maxwell Fuzhou Oyster Cakes booth and upon encountering the anticipating eye of the purveyor found myself ordering. The only thing I can really compare it to would be like a large fritter stuffed with steamed bamboo and of course... oysters. This was also my difficult lesson that you will likely not find napkins in the centers and to bring your own. 

 

The two mornings I had to get out of the hotel early for the wedding I was shooting, I kept it simple and easy and had breakfast at the hotel. I tend to shy away from buffets, but the breakfast buffet at The Scarlet was like nothing I'd experienced and allowed me access to local flavors in almost a tasting menu style. Favorites included soon kueh, bamboo shoot dumplings made of tapioca flour and served with a sweet sauce; kaya and toast - kaya is a sweet jam made of eggs and coconut milk; soy bean curd with honeycomb and prawns poked through with sugar cane, lightly breaded and fried.

 

My last day in Singapore was mostly free to me and I wandered Chinatown for hours upon hours. In full preparations for the upcoming Chinese New Year, the area was an explosion of red, gold and dragons. I had some quiet time escaping the wet heat while wondering the quiet corridors of the Buddah Tooth Relic Temple and cooled myself further with my first experience sipping directly from a newly cracked open coconut. I had heard the ice cream sandwiches of local vendors was something to experience and I found one - a brick of ice cream served in the folds of a piece of white and pink marbled bread. I ordered Durian just because it sounded interesting and in truth had to google it when I got back to the hotel. Known as the King of Fruits, it's almost pungent smell gives way to utterly divine flavor. I also enjoyed my first plate of bok choy and duck and came across the bao bun stall. I could have eaten a hundred of these bbq pork buns and was reluctantly thankful I found them on my last day as I was sure I would not have eaten anything else during my time there.

 

I wanted my last dinner to be something special - something I had sort of saved myself for. There were two words I heard over and over - from people who had visited the island, and from locals themselves: chicken rice. And it was worth the wait. It's not the most beautiful dish in the world, boiled chicken atop a bed of rice, but do not let that fool you. The chicken is boiled in salt, garlic and ginger and the rice is cooked in the broth and fat rendered from the chicken. It is one of the most intensely flavored dishes I've ever enjoyed and the one I thought might be easiest to recreate once I returned home.

 

After researching the recipe on the internet, there seems to be as many ways to make Hainanese Chicken Rice as stall and restaurants that sell it all over South East Asia. I went for simplicity here and skipped the chili sauce that usually accompanies this dish in favor of a ginger and garlic dipping sauce - it still has enough bite to lend true personality to the dish without overwhelming heat.

HAINANESE CHICKEN RICE

The Chicken:

1 organic 3-4lb chicken

6 qts. water

3 T. sea salt

2 cloves of garlic (roughly chopped)

1 T. shredded fresh ginger

Pat your chicken dry and cut any excess fat off - set this aside. Rub 1 T of sea salt all over the chicken.

In a large stock pot bring the water, garlic, 2T of salt and ginger to a boil. Gently lower the chicken into the pot breast down, ensuring it's completely submerged) and cover. Cook for 25-30 minutes or until the internal temperature of the chicken reads 160F.

Remove entire pot from the heat and keep covered leaving the chicken to finish cooking - approximately 15 minutes (temp should read 170F at this point) off the heat.

 

The Sauce:

When the chicken is near finished cooking is an ideal time to put together your dipping sauce...

4 cloves of garlic (finely minced)

1 t. ginger (finely minced)

1/2 t. lime zest

1 t. lime juice

1 t. honey

2 t. sesame oil

2 T. grapeseed oil

4 T. of broth from chicken

Combine all ingredients in a small food processor and blend until thoroughly combined.

 

The Rice:

It's best to start the rice once you've taken the chicken off the heat.

Rendered chicken fat

2 T. grapeseed oil

2 c. long grain white rice

2 cloves garlic (minced)

1 t. ginger (minced)

1 t. salt

3 c. chicken stock

In a medium stock pot, add the bit of reserved chicken fat and the grapseed oil. Cook until the pieces are slightly crispy, then remove them from the pot. Add the garlic, ginger and salt and stir until coated.

Add the rice and cook and stir for about one minute - ensuring the rice is completely coated. Ladle 3 cups of chicken broth from your larger pot into the rice, stir and cover cooking on low heat for about 15 minutes or until tender.

 

 

To finish:

Prepare a large bowl (big enough for your chicken) of ice and water and set aside. Very carefully remove chicken from stock pot (VERY careful here - the meat is tender enough to fall of the bone) and put the chicken in the ice bath for about 5 minutes. Remove to a cutting board the slice carefully. Plate the rice first, then top with chicken, serve with a side of ginger & garlic sauce and sliced cucumbers.

Most people serve the chicken broth as a soup on the side of this dish as well, just season a bit if needed and top with sliced scallions.

Enjoy!

Happy Friday! Having returned to this side of the world this week, I've finally realized what "jet-lag" means. I've done a great deal of traveling but this was by far the longest haul, and it was so worth it. I hope to share more about my trip to Singapore next week, but in the meantime I want to share my favorite salad with you. Marissa created this dish for the January issue of RUE and when I styled and shot it for the issue, I fell madly in love and have made it numerous times since. It's fresh clean and the perfect start for a little New Year detox.

ORANGE, AVOCADO + SHAVED FENNEL SALAD & LIME-SESAME VINAIGRETTE

1 bunch of watercress

2-3 oranges (segmented)

1 large avocado (peeled and diced)

1 bulb of fennel (halved and finely shaved)

2 T. sliced/crushed almonds (toasted)

2 T. scallions (chopped)

1/4 c. fresh cilantro

zest of one lime

red pepper flakes

 

1 small clove of garlic (minced)

2 T. rice wine vinegar

juice of one lime

1/2 to 1 t. toasted sesame oil

3 T grapeseed or avocado oil

1/2 T. honey (optional)

salt to taste

Toss together watercress, oranges, avocado, fennel, almonds and scallions.

Whisk together all ingredients for dressing, add to salad and toss to coat.

Garnish with cilantro, lime zest and red pepper flakes.

 

*I used satsuma and navel oranges, used grapeseed oil instead of avocado, the full amount of sesame oil and opted for the honey - it was perfect*

Back next week with some shots from Singapore and *fingers-crossed* an attempt at making one of the best things I ate there!

I hope you had a beautiful holiday and a joyous New Year!

I forgot my camera card reader, thus no posts while I was away. But it was, in the end, a blessing. I truly unplugged which is so hard for me to do. The time we spend on Cape Hatteras is always restorative and inspirational. The salty sea air helps clear my mind and see things anew - I find it especially powerful to spend the New Year there - and this year, like last - we greeted the year at the water's edge under a black diamond sky.

 

I know one of reasons I'm so drawn to that place is that I lived there as a child. My father was stationed at a small base a stones throw from the lighthouse's original location. Though I have little memory of this time, I've grown up with images of my mother and I fishing on these beaches and the lighthouse has become one of the symbols of my early adolescences. The fact that we've started to spend time there, that I am creating new traditions and images of my own daughters and that magical beacon - well, it makes my heart kind of swell.

 

One of our favorite traditions is to visit Cafe 12 in Avon for the Hatteras Flats. The Flats are said to have been invented here and are basically flatbread pizzas - but here's the kicker - instead of a traditional crust - the base is baked cheese. Yes, seriously. You can top them with everything; I played with it a bit and came up with a combination of flavors we love - I used a mix of Gouda and Mozzarella as the base - if you're looking for a crispier crust, try Parmesan or Asiago.

HATTERAS FLAT 

2 c. gouda (shredded)

3/4 c. mozzarella (shredded)

1 dz. large shrimp (peeled, devined, tails on)

1 garlic clove (minced)

1/4 c. chopped chives

5 baby bello mushrooms (sliced)

olive oil

red pepper flakes

salt and pepper

handful of roughly chopped cilantro

 

Preheat oven to 425F.

On a baking sheet with parchment paper, create a flat circle about 10-12 inches across with 1c. gouda and the mozzarella - it's okay if there are holes as when the cheese melts it will spread. Bake for 5 minutes - then remove from the oven. Turn oven down to 350F.

Sauté the shrimp in the olive oil and garlic with a bit of salt, pepper and red pepper flakes (to your taste) - sauté the mushrooms in another small pan with olive oil, salt and pepper. When the shrimp is almost thoroughly cooked, place them on the baked cheese, top with about 1/4c. of gouda, mushrooms and chives, then top with remaining cheese. Bake 5 minutes, let cool slightly - sprinkle with chopped cilantro and slice like a pizza and enjoy.

 

And to drink... a new discovery on the islands this year at lunch on Ocracoke of ghost wings and fried oyster po'boys - was Duck-Rabbit beer - I'm now obsessed - find it if you can!

Heading out to Singapore on Wednesday to photograph a wedding - I have a little bit of time to myself in the city and I look forward to exploring the hawker's markets... and of course sharing them with you upon my return! See you soon...

THE CAPE

Mo Ghile Mear : The Chieftains w/ Sting

Little Black Submarines : The Black Keys

Softship : Seabear

Piratess : Okkervil River

Knight of Wands : Au Revoir Simone

Swim Until You Can't See Land : Frightened Rabbit

The Foggy Dew : The Chieftains

River, Sea, Ocean : Badly Drawn Boy

I Follow Rivers : Lykke Li

Surfin' Bird : The Cramps

Under The Cover of Darkness : The Strokes

Winter Dies : Midlake

Tide : Junip

Listen here. 

Last night we lit the first candle for Chanukah. A wonderful night the girls had to follow clues to find their gifts and let's just say, the Muppets are very popular in the house this year. We enjoyed a quiet dinner of broiled salmon with a honey, sage and whisky glaze and my favorite latkes. I love this recipe because the latkes freeze well for keeping and make a sumptuous base for a fried egg in the morning.

 

SAGE AND GOAT CHEESE LATKES WITH WHISKY SOUR CREAM

5 large organic russet potatoes (shredded, either by hand or with a food processor)

5 eggs

1 t. salt

2 t. pepper

2 cloves of garlic (minced)

8 oz. goat cheese

1 c. fresh chopped sage

olive oil

 

Once you have the potatoes shredded, drain them as best you can in a colander, push down with a spatula to extract as much water as possible. Then working in batches, place a large pile of the shredded potatoes in the middle of a clean kitchen towel. Wrap the towel around the potatoes and wring out any additional water. Once all the potatoes have been wrung out, place them in a mixing bowl and set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, salt, pepper and garlic. Add this to the potatoes along with the goat cheese and sage and mix until thoroughly combined.

In a pan or flat skillet over medium heat, brush a layer of olive oil on your cooking surface. Using an ice cream scoop or large spoon, scoop out the latke batter and place it onto the hot surface. Spread out a bit and flatten. Cook for about 5 minutes then flip and cook an additional five minutes or until golden and cooked through. Serve immediately or reheat in a toaster oven.

 

For the epicurean adventurers, try this for a topping:

8 oz. sour cream

1/2 t. whisky

Whisk together, place a dollop on top of your latkes and sprinkle with a bit of chopped sage and cracked black pepper.

 

Taking the rest of the week to relax and enjoy the season. We are soon heading to the Outer Banks to spend the New Year and I have a couple of things planned while we are there... so I'll be back soon. In the meantime, have a Happy Chanukah, a Beautiful Solstice and a Merry Christmas. 

And when you find yourself seriously over the holiday music... have a listen to this:

A GOOD YEAR

Lord Have Mercy On My Soul : Black Oak Arkansas

New Years : The Airlines

The Stroke : Billy Squier

Phosphene Dream : The Black Angels

Goody Two Shoes : Adam Ant

Black Cloud : Morrissey

Old Fangs : Black Mountain

Castle Keep : Wolf People

Waiting Room : Fugazi

53rd & 3rd : Ramones

Gold On The Ceiling : The Black Keys

Everyone Says I'm Paranoid : Apartment

Outlaw : War

Sweet Sweet Heart : The Vibrators

We Float : PJ Harvey

Listen here.

I'm so proud to be a part of the family at RUE Magazine and the holiday issue KILLS it - it's so over the top beautiful. My girl Marissa's recipes in this issue are so, so, delicious - I know, because after I recreated them for the shoot, we ate with abandon. And I have to tell you, I've never eaten a brussel sprout in my entire life, my mother never liked them so we never were put through that form of torture. But oh these - oh these brussel sprouts are heaven. And the cocktail - oh my goodness! So here we go...

POMEGRANATE HOLIDAY STAR  

(Makes 2 cocktails)

3 ounces vodka

1 ounce Lillet blanc

2 ounces pomegranate syrup* (recipe follows)

2 ounces fresh lemon juice

3 drops of Angostura or old-fashioned bitters

Champagne or prosecco float

Garnish with a sage leaf and 4-5 pomegranate seeds

Pomegranate Syrup

In a small saucepan, add ½ cup sugar and ½ cup water.  Simmer gently until sugar is completely dissolved.  Allow to cool.  In a blender, blend the seeds from ¾ of a pomegranate with the simple syrup.  Strain syrup in a bowl and discard any pith from the seeds.  Transfer syrup to a bottle for pouring.

 

 

BRUSSELS SPROUT SALAD WITH FRESH GRAPES, TOASTED HAZELNUTS, PECORINO ROMANO AND POMEGRANATE VINAIGRETTE

2 lbs Brussels sprouts  (1/3 of them to be quartered and roasted with a tablespoon of olive oil; 1/3 – ends cut off, remove whole leaves, blanch leaves for 10 seconds, set in ice bath, dry and allow to cool; 1/3 to be cleaned and sliced raw super thin– or shaved with a mandolin)

1 small bunch red grapes, halved

¼ - 1/3 cup hazelnuts, toasted, skin removed and lightly crushed/chopped

½ cup fresh grated pecorino Romano

2 tablespoons pomegranate seeds

extra drizzle of pomegranate molasses and shaved pecorino Romano for serving

Pomegranate Vinaigrette

1 teaspoon minced shallot

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon pomegranate molasses

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

Place roasted Brussel sprouts on bottom of serving dish, toss remaining ingredients and most of dressing, top with shaved Romano and drizzle remaining dressing over the top before serving.

 

RISOTTO WITH MUSHROOMS, CIPPOLLINI ONIONS & ROASTED CHESTNUTS

½-3/4 pound chestnuts, finely chopped (about 1 cup after roasting and peeling) *see note below

5 1/2 cups low-sodium or homemade chicken, beef or vegetable stock/broth (*the beef stock will give it a richer, deeper flavor or for a vegetarian dish, use vegetable stock)

3 tablespoons plus 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

2 cups cippollini onions, thinly sliced

4 cups mixed mushrooms (such as cremini and chanterelle), roughly chopped

4 or 5 sprigs of fresh thyme

2 cups arborio or carnaroli rice

1/2 cup dry white wine

salt to taste

a good dose of freshly grated black pepper

2 to 3 knobs of unsalted butter

5 to 6 ounces of grated Parmesan or grana padano cheese, plus more for serving

Preheat oven to 400F.  Using a sharp knife, make a large ‘X’ on one side of the chestnuts so skin will be easy to remove after roasting.  Roast for 20 minutes.  Set in a bowl with towel covering chestnuts to keep them warm.  Work with nuts in small batches to remove the shells. Chop chestnuts and set aside.

In a small saucepan, add stock/broth and keep warm over low heat. 

In a large, heavy saucepan or Dutch oven, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil and sauté onions over medium heat until softened and golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes.   While onions are sautéing, add remaining tablespoon of olive oil to a large skillet.  Saute mushrooms, chestnuts and thyme until softened, 5 to 7 minutes over medium heat.  Set aside.

Add rice to the onions and saute 5 minutes until glossy.   Add 1 cup of stock to rice and stir continuously until well-absorbed.  Continue to add 1/2 cup of stock at a time, stirring until absorbed.  Add in mushrooms-chestnut mix at the mid-way point, after 3 cups of stock have been added.  After all stock and wine has been added, add salt, pepper, butter and half of the Parmesan or grana padano.  Stir until well-blended and then add remaining grated cheese.  Serve with additional cheese.  

Text and recipes by Marissa Lippert; photos by me.

Happy Almost Turkey Day! I'm so, SO grateful for my blessed life. For my beautiful family, our health, our happiness, our love, our friends. This year I'm especially grateful to spend the holiday at my brother's home in Eastern North Carolina - to not have him deployed during this time of year is a rare treat and we will descend upon his home with arms full of love. And this cranberry sauce. I came upon this recipe at least 7-8 years ago in Bon Appetit and have changed it a bit over the years until it's really right were we want it. This year, after cooking the cranberries, I drained the excess syrup into a bowl before adding the shallots to the cranberries. The syrup will likely find it's way into cocktails and drizzled over pancakes this weekend...

 

PORT CRANBERRIES WITH BALSAMIC SHALLOTS

3 c. peeled and chopped and separated shallots

1 T. balsamic vinegar

1 T. olive oil

salt & pepper

1 1/2c. fresh cranberries (rinsed)

1 c. orange juice

1/2 c. port wine

1 1/2 c. sugar

1/4 c. honey

1/2 t. thyme

 

Preheat oven to 375F. In a mixing bowl, toss the shallots in the balsamic vinegar and olive oil, salt & pepper and pour onto a prepared baking sheet. Roast for 30 minutes for until the balsamic begins to caramelize the shallots. Pull from oven and set aside.

In a large sauce pan, combine the orange juice, port, sugar, honey and thyme - stir over medium heat until the sugar and honey have dissolved. Add the cranberries and stir until all of the berries are coated. Cook on medium heat for about 30 minutes, stirring often. When the cranberries begin to pop open and soften they are getting close. If you like a well-formed cranberry in your sauce, you can pull it off the heat once all of the cranberries have popped open, otherwise, continue to cook on medium-low heat for another 20 minutes. Drain the sauce off into a bowl and jar for future use as mentioned above. Mix the shallots into your sauce and let cool, then refrigerate until you are ready to serve. This sauce only gets better with time so make it a couple days ahead of time!

 

A little something for your weekend...

BLACK FRIDAY

Fixin' To Thrill : Drangonette

Listen Up! : Gossip

London Girls : The Vibrators

More Than Ever : Zoot Woman

I Don't Like Your Band : Annie

You Gotta' Teller : Zeus

Mission : Van She

Fake Gold : Tiger City

My Girl Is Calling Me : Chromeo

Life Ater Sundown : Glass Candy

One Minute to Midnight : Justice

TKO : Le Tigre

Oh You, Old Thing : Wolf Parade

Wild Eyes : Vivian Girls

Creator (Vs. Switch & FreQ Nasty) : Santogold

Listen here.

See you next week.

So happy you loved the Penne n' Cheese from last week - there are so many ways you can make that recipe your own - we do a LOT of pasta in this house and I am always trying to come up with ways to make it new again. But we'll get into more pasta soon - today is about soup! My mom made a lot of soup for us growing up, but I never loved it. To clarify - I now love my mom's soups and probably would have then if I did not have some sort of mental block against them. I really can't explain it - I just decided one day that I didn't like soup and that was that. I suppose then I should not have been surprised when Adie claimed out of the blue about two years ago she no longer wanted to eat pizza. Thankfully, she has recently revisited the idea and has come around.

And I too revisited soups at some point in my mid-twenties and learned that I do in fact love them. It was a divine lobster bisque - bordering on a religious experience - that brought me back and I still prefer my soups thick and creamy. This Sweet Potato & Ale Soup is a favorite - the pureed sweet potatoes thicken it up beautifully and the cream cheese adds depth and keeps it creamy.

 

SWEET POTATO & ALE SOUP

There are a few steps here and I thought it easiest to break up the ingredients accordingly... we make ours in a slow cooker, but you can adapt this for a pot on the stove as well.

Also, I am sure you'll notice that we use a lot of organic ingredients. We do this as much as our budget allows and try to always use organic chicken, natural pork, grass-fed beef and organic cage free eggs. It's just a few step we are taking in trying to educate our children about where their food comes from.

4c. organic chicken broth

1 bottle of brown ale

2 lbs. organic skinless, boneless chicken breasts

Set your slow cooker to 'Low' and add the stock, ale and whole breasts to the pot. If you are starting this in the morning, you can even use the chicken frozen. If you are starting this later in the afternoon, ensure the chicken is defrosted and set the slow cooker to Medium or High. Cover and let cook. If defrosted, the chicken should be thoroughly cooked in about 2 hours - if frozen, closer to 3 hours.

2T butter

1T olive oil

1/2 lb. carrots (peeled and sliced into rounds)

1 medium white onion (chopped)

1 t. dry rosemary

1/2 t. cinnamon

salt and pepper

In a heavy skillet, melt the butter and olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and carrots, and cook, stirring every so often for about 5 minutes. Stir in the rosemary, cinnamon, and salt and pepper to taste. Once the onions are semi-translucent and the carrots are soft, remove from the heat and set aside.

 

3 large sweet potatoes (skins peeled, chopped)

3 T butter

1/2 t. cinnamon

1/4 t. cloves

1/4 t. pepper

16 oz. cream cheese

_____

1/4c. half & half

1 T rosemary

salt and pepper to taste

Once you have peeled and roughly chopped the sweet potatoes, add them to a large bowl of boiling water and cook until they are soft - about 20-30 minutes. Drain them and add them to a food processor, with the cream cheese, cinnamon, cloves and pepper. Depending on the size of your processor, you may have to do this in two batches. Once everything is combined, set this aside for a moment.

When the chicken is cooked, pull it out of the stock and chop it up into bite-size pieces. Before returning it to the pot, whisk in your sweet potato and cream cheese mixture, half & half and rosemary. Whisk gently until it's thoroughly combined. At this point, add the carrots and onions as well as the chopped chicken. Stir gently and let cook for another 30 minutes to an hour before serving. Salt and pepper to taste. 

 

And an autumn playlist we listened to at diiner... for your pleasure...

AUTUMN

Season of the Witch : Donovan

Becasue the Night : Patti Smith

Nightcrawlers : Widowspeak

This Modern Love : Bloc Party

Superstar : Sonic Youth

(Don't Fear) The Reaper : Blue Oyster Cult

The Long Black Veil : The Chieftains w/ Mick Jagger

Shadows Fall : The Coral

The Prowl: : Dan Auerbach

Open Hands : The Orphan

Vikings : The Black Angels

We Go : Thao w/ The Get Down Stay Down

Can't You Tell : Vetiver

Listen here.