Sangria

Made some yummy Sangria for a spontaneous bbq at R's house! In typical fashion, I read some recipes, then made it up as I went along! Turned out well, so here's hoping it can be recreated!!

Sangria


1 large orange, sliced
2 limes, sliced
2 lemons, sliced
1 1/2 bottles spanish red wine
4 tablespoons sugar
1/4 - 1/2 cup rum
1/4 cup Licor 43
1/4-1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 - 1/2 cup cranberrry pomegranate juice
1 cup club soda

put sliced fruit in pitcher. dissolve sugar in little bit of wine.
pour rum over fruit, mash around a little. add sugar/wine mixture, remaining wine and Licor 43. Let sit in fridge for a couple hours for flavors to develop. Add juices to taste.
Add club soda just before serving.

After 35 years, finally a fish dish I love!

OK, I'm not a big fan of fish. Like really not a big fan, I usually like tuna and the occasional halibut, but I've never been known to rave about a fish dish. There's a first time for everything. This was absolutely the best fish I've ever had.  And Ina Garten's Sauteed Broccolini was a perfect side.

The Vinaigrette was delicious, but very rich. Don't use too much of it or it will overwhelm the taste of the fish. I think next time I would maybe use even less of the vinaigrette, and double up the amount of the spice rub on the fish.

There were several other olive oil poached fish recipes in this month's Fine Cooking. I think we'll try the halibut next!

Olive Oil Poached Tuna with Caper and Olive Vinaigrette
from Fine Cooking Magazine

The olive oil poaching technique gives the tuna an incredibly tender, silky texture. It's important to let the fish sit at room temperature for about an hour before poaching; straight-from-the-fridge tuna will dramatically lower the temperature of the oil and throw off the cooking time.

For the tuna
1 clove garlic
Kosher salt
1 tsp. finely chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
4 to 6 cups extra-virgin olive oil
Four 1-inch-thick tuna steaks (6- to 7-oz. each)

For the vinaigrette
1/3 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 Tbs. capers, rinsed and drained
4 Kalamata olives, pitted
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 tsp. white wine vinegar
1/4 tsp. granulated sugar
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt, as needed

---

Poach the tuna
Peel and smash the garlic clove and a pinch of salt to a paste, either with a mortar and pestle or by mincing and then mashing it with the side of a chef’s knife. Combine the garlic paste, rosemary, 1 tsp. salt, and the pepper in a small bowl. Add just enough oil to turn the spice mixture into a smooth paste, about 1/2 tsp. Rub the paste over the tuna—it will be sparse. Let the tuna sit at room temperature for about an hour.

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 225°F.

Measure the thickness of the tuna steaks and add the same depth of oil to a 10-inch straight-sided sauté pan. Heat over low heat until the oil reaches 120°F, 2 to 3 minutes. Put the tuna steaks in the oil in a single layer and immediately transfer the pan to the oven. Poach until a few small whitish droplets rise to the surface of the tuna and the center of the fish is rosy, 25 minutes.

Make the vinaigrette
While the fish poaches, combine the parsley, capers, olives, garlic, vinegar, and sugar in a blender and blend to a coarse purée. With the motor running, pour the olive oil through the hole in the blender’s lid and purée until incorporated. Taste for salt (it may not need any) and set aside.

Transfer the tuna to a wire rack to drain for a few minutes. Serve with the vinaigrette spooned over each steak.

nutrition information (per serving):
Calories (kcal): 500; Fat (kcal): 36; Fat Calories (g): 320; Saturated Fat (g): 6; Protein (g): 40; Monounsaturated Fat (g): 23; Carbohydrates (g): 2; Polyunsaturated Fat (g): 5; Sodium (mg): 540; Cholesterol (mg): 65; Fiber (g): 0;

From Fine Cooking 104, pp. 81

March 4, 2010

It's all about the Pici (well, actually the Bucatini)

You all saw the last post, yes? Doing the happy dance over finding fresh Pici? Well, actually what I bought was Bucatini. It's really really similar to Pici, close enough I don't really care that much about the difference.
(Pici is from the Tuscany/Siena area, Bucatini from Rome. Bucatini has a hole in the center, and Pici is hand rolled)

Both the pasta and marinara were incredible. And EASY!! Most labor intensive part of the meal was grating some Pecorino to throw on top!
MJ and I both agreed it was outstanding. The pasta was perfect and the Homemade Marinara was just amazingly flavorful and bursting with fresh tomato-y goodness.

I specifically went to the Manhattan Beach farmers market on Tuesday because I had to have more and couldn't wait until Saturday when they would be back at the Torrance Market.

I highly highly recommend you check out this wonderfulness. The company is Domenico's Foods. If you aren't near either farmer's market, all the products are carried at The Cheese Store of Beverly Hills, and available on their website.
Domenico's Foods

Not only love the products, but the guys that run the booths at the farmers markets have been so very nice. They even gave me one of their ice packs on Tuesday to keep the sauce cold because I wasn't going home right away.

Pici! Pici! Pici!!!

THEY HAVE FRESH PICI PASTA AT THE TORRANCE FARMERS MARKET!!!!!!!

So excited, it had to be shouted in all caps.
I fell in love with this pasta when we were in Siena a few years ago. It's kind of like a really fat spaghetti. Chewy, yummy, carb addict heaven.

I'd never seen it anywhere in LA, then several months ago found a mail order company for the dried Pici. Which was awesome, but expensive. And the fresh pasta is so much better.

What a happy way to start the day! Can't wait for dinner tonight!!!!

Healthy (er) Mashed Potatoes

Emotional Eater doesn't even come close to expressing how much a yummy starchy, buttery dish can improve my day. It's been a "need some mashed potatoes NOW!" kind of week. However, I also have to head home in a few weeks and fit into a dress to meet about 150 of my mother's friends at a reception for her. So, I didn't feel it was a great idea to whip up my usual mashed potato recipe. (boil potatoes, add multiple sticks of butter, then add some more butter, then some cream, and salt. )

Now, I know there are those of you who have convinced yourself that substituting veggies for yummy stuff is JUST as satisfying because they are the same general color or shape. Spaghetti squash with marinara is the same as pasta!! Pureed cauliflower tastes just like mashed potatoes. um, yeah, no.

So, inspired by Jessica Seinfeld's Deceptively Delicious (which I haven't actually read, but BFF and my lovely cousin have both told me some basics) I came up with a compromise.

I started with some Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, cut and boiled them. (about 3-4 cups of cut potatoes)

Steamed a head of cauliflower, then pureed it with a little of the steaming water.

After draining potatoes, I added about 3 Tablespoons of butter and started mashing. Then added the pureed cauliflower and kept blending. The moisture of the cauliflower was perfect for replacing the cream.

Pretty good at this point, but a little bland. I REALLY wanted to add more butter, but that would kind of defeat the purpose. So, a little salt, some Parisien Bonnes Herbes from Penzey's, and some olive oil. (the costco brand is amazingly tasty - fragrant and fruity!)

I'm not a fan of cauliflower and felt like these just tasted like potatoes. And MJ - who hates cauliflower couldn't even tell it was in there.  The texture was a little gelatinous on day 2 however.

The moral of the story. If I cook like one would for a 3 year old, maybe I'll actually learn to eat my veggies.

Scones

With all the marmalade now in my house, I need something yummy to put it on, yes? So, scones.
I love scones. Adore them.  I have tried many many many recipes. ( I've thrown a lot of baby shower teas over the past few years!) This is by far, hands down, absolutely my favorite recipe. It's also absurdly easy, and I have successfully changed it to make many different varieties of scones.

The original recipe from Gourmet is Dried Fruit Cream Scones and includes dried fruit and raisins. You can check out the link for the original. This is the base recipe I use.

2 cups all purpose flour (I also use white wheat flour, a little healthier that way)

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup sugar

1 1/4 cups heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in a bowl, stirring with a fork to mix well. 

Still using a fork, stir in the cream. I find the dough to be a little dry at this point, I usually add a little extra cream in, then use my hands to work all the dry ingredients in.  I don't bother to knead it on a floured board, I just work it in the bowl until it's a malleable dough.

Then I shape it into a roughly 1 inch thick circle and cut it into whatever shape I want the scones to be. Sometimes I use glaze like in the original recipe. (brush with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar before baking.) Sometimes I don't.

Bake for about 15 minutes, or until golden brown.

They are great plain like this, or with dried fruit added.

To make savory scones (rosemary cheddar is one of my favorites!), I reduce the amount of sugar to a teaspoon or 2, then just mix in the herbs/cheese/whatever until it looks right.  ( you can brush these with melted butter before baking, without then sprinkling sugar on)

Marmalade Obsession

I may have mentioned I have a teeny tiny tendency to get carried away when I embark upon a new project. So, I'm a little obsessed with marmalade right. BSE (best sister-in-law ever) came up with the idea of making meyer lemon marmalade and was talking about it when we made the tangerine a few weeks ago. When I ventured into the backyard this weekend and saw a nice little crop of meyers just begging to be picked, I decided it was fate and I had to make some marmalade. I used the same Alton Brown Recipe that I talk about below, just substituting the lemons in for the tangerines. It turned out quite well, but didn't set up quite as nicely as the tangerine did.

In my googling for info on lemon marmalade, I came across a few things that have me off and running. First, is this wonderful article on Preserving Citrus. It has lots of interesting info on different techniques, but what I took away from it is that for a basic marmalade, you just need equal parts (by weight) of fruit, liquid and sugar. Second was the recipe for Spicy Balsamic Basil Orange Marmalade.
For my version I used tangerines from the tree, basalmic, fresh basil, tangerine juice and sugar.

Here's how I did it:
Cut tangerines into thin slices, then cut slices into 2 or 3 pieces.

Weigh the fruit and put into a large stockpot. (my fruit weighed about 600 grams)

I used a small bottle of good basalmic vinegar, then added enough fresh squeezed tangerine juice to make the liquid equal 600 grams. It didn't seem to me to be quite enough liquid to cover the fruit, so i added just a little bit of water.

Put the whole mess on the stove and boil until the fruit is very soft.

Then add 600 grams of sugar, and I put in a few dashes of hot sauce to give it just a little kick on the finish.
Boil until it reaches 222 degrees.

Then proceed with the canning process that I describe in the tangerine marmalade post.

It set up beautifully and now I am brainstorming all kinds of ideas. Sangria Marmalade is next!

I took pictures to show more of the process, but can't seem to upload them. I will keep trying!!

Tangerine Marmalade

I have a beautiful tangerine tree in the back yard. Every year, I think, "oh, I should really do something interesting with all that fruit". then I make a few Tangerine Martinis to get started and promptly forget to make anything else.  Now, I can drink my share of martinis, but even so, there is a lot of fruit that goes to waste on the tree.

So, I decided this year I should really make an attempt to take advantage of the bounty.
Tangerine Marmalade seemed a good choice since it uses a fair bit of fruit, and I've never made marmalade or preserves of any kind, so it was an adventure too.  Now, being adventurous, but not stupid, I promptly called my brilliant sister in law (who has made jam and such before) and sweet talked her into jumping on board with the project. All I had to do was show up with my bag o' tangerines and R had everything else ready to go.

We used Alton Brown's Orange Marmalade Recipe which seemed not only the simplest of the ones we looked at, but also the "purest" as far as using only whole, simple ingredients. (don't know that I can use the term "healthy" since it's almost all sugar!)
You can read Alton's recipe and instructions using the link above. This is how we did it.

Prep:
R ran jars, lids and rings through the dishwasher, and put her ginormous stockpot fitted with a bottom rack and filled halfway with water on the stove to start to boil.
Scrub 1 and 3/4 pounds of tangerines (give or take a few ounces, I'm not the most precise cook...)

To  make the marmalade, slice the tangerines with a mandolin (Alton says to then cut the slices in quarters, but  the tangerines were so juicy and falling apart we didn't).

Throw the tangerines in a big pot with the zest and juice of 1 lemon, 3 cups tangerine juice (juiced from more tangerines) and 3 cups water, boil and then simmer until the fruit is very soft, about 40 minutes. I used a stick blender at this point to break up the rinds a little bit since we didn't cut the slices in quarters.

Add 3 pounds plus 12 ounces sugar. Return to a boil and stir continually until the mixture reaches 222 degrees and a small dollop placed on a frozen plate becomes a soft gel after 30 seconds. This stage felt like it took waaaay longer than I expected. Like, it took forever. I could feel the mixture get thicker as I was stirring right before it was ready, it will also get darker.

Anyway, when it's finally ready, spoon it into the jars, wipe the rims, top with the lids and screw on the rings. Put the jars in the pot of boiling water and make sure they are covered by at least on inch of water. Boil for 10 minutes then remove with canning tongs. Let them sit at room temperature for at least 24 hours before opening. Unopened jars will last up to 6 months. Store opened jars in refrigerator.

Now, I just have to figure out how to eat 8 jars of marmalade. I think I'll start with homemade scones and Tangerine Martinis.

BFF's Thoughts

~welcome to our contributing blogger! hopefully BFF will find time to share more yummies with us. you know, when she's not being superwoman at work, or super mommy to the worlds cutest 14 month old.. or super BFF to a kinda needy, kinda crazy me
~~Gourmet Vixen


So, I'm excited. The women around me are all about cooking right now and I'm jumping on the bandwagon. Sure, I would like to eat better. But more importantly, I would like to be less ashamed of my cooking skills. For Christmas this year two different friends gave me cookbooks for a gift. Does this mean they see the amazing potential for me as a cook and want to support me in my quest? Or, is it the more obvious answer: You need help, girl. Either way you look at it, I have two new cookbooks! I've actually made 8 new dishes already. Well, let me clarify. My husband and I made 8 new dishes. I can't take all the credit even though we both know I deserve it.

So my favorite was the Pasta with Pesto, Shrimp and Sweet 100s (which I guess are like fancy cherry tomatoes, so I just got cherry tomatoes). This is from Bride and Groom "First and Forever" Cookbook. I know, it's a cheesy title but the recipes are pretty straightforward and super yummy.

First, you make the pesto sauce

1/2 Cup Pine Nuts
4 cups lightly packed basil leaves (READ this carefully b/c I did not get enough basil-4 cups!)
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped garlic
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 kosher salt
1/4 ground pepper
1/2 extra virgin olive oil
3/4 cupe grated parmesan

Bake the pine nuts for 8 to 10 minutes. (We forgot pine nuts and used almonds instead)
Combine basil, pine nuts, garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper in food processor for about 15 seconds. With motor running, add olive oil. Scrape off sides and add cheese and pulse until it's a thick past. Use immediately or transfer to container, drizzle with thin layer of olive oil, cover tightly and refrigerate. This pesto will keep for two weeks. Also, every thing except the cheese can be frozen for 2 months! A great thing to have on hand.

For the Pasta
8 ounces Angel Hair Pasta (We used fettucine because my husband is anti-angel hair)
1 Tablespoon olive oil
8 ounces large shrimp, peeled and deveined (obviously deveined, right?)
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 cup pesto
1 cup halved sweet 100s or other cherry tomatoes
Grated Parmesan for serving

Pretty much all you do is cook the pasta on it's own. Cook the shrimp for one minute, turn over and add garlic. Continue cooking shrimp until it is opaque in the center, about one to three mnutes more. Add one cup water and pesto until incorporated. Add pasta and tomatoes and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper.

Yummy yummy.

Chicken a la Tasty Cheese

My sister in law has a favorite cheese that she gets whenever she goes to Australia called Tasty Cheese. To her absolute joy, they now carry a very very close version of it at Costco called Boxing Cheddar. It's technically an aged sharp cheddar cheese, the best description of the taste I can come up with is an aged cheddar with a twist of good, crunchy parmesan.  Anyway, joking with her today I said maybe I would invent a Tasty Cheese chicken dish for dinner. Not having any other brilliant gourmet morsels planned, I decided to actually give it a try.

I started by marinating the chicken breasts in red wine, olive oil, a splosh of dijon, and some Bavarian Seasoning from Penzeys and baking them. Then I added some left over Rioja Wine Vinaigrette from the ahi recipe I made Tuesday. (Bobby Flay's Bolo's Seared Tuna which was wonderful!!) and topped it with the shredded Tasty Cheese then tossed it back in the oven to melt.
It turned out pretty darned tasty!!

One little tweak I need to make next time: I put too much of the vinaigrette on the chicken before adding the cheese, so it basically just slid off the chicken.

The Dinner Party

For our impromptu "dinner party" (ie, casual hanging out, but calling it a dinner party meant the boys had to cook/eat at a table) Saturday night at BFF's, I volunteered to make some yummy bread to go with the pasta.  After a little surfing I came across a great bread website Cooking Bread with all kinds of yummy recipes.
So Saturday morning, off I trotted to Vons to pick up the stuff to make some Sage Wheat (my choice) and some Basil Garlic (MJ's choice).
Lesson's learned: 2 types of bread is a little ambitious for a lazy Saturday. And - just because the only other bread recipe you've ever made takes several hours to rise, doesn't mean they all do.
The Basil Garlic rose really fast, and made a gargantuan loaf. I wasn't crazy about this one, but BFF, her hubby, and MJ loved it.
The Sage Wheat is a nice, chewy, dense moist bread that I really liked. Couldn't really detect the sage flavor in it though.

BFF's Pasta with Citrus Cream Sauce from Rachael Ray's 30 minute meals was outstanding.

Pasta with Citrus Cream Sauce

MAKES 2 SERVINGS

1 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons Cognac or dry sherry
Zest of 1 lemon (colored part of peel only)
Zest of 1 large navel orange (colored part of peel only)
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped (about 3 sprigs)
12 leaves fresh basil, shredded or torn
1/2 pound linguini, or 3/4 pound fresh linguini, cooked al dente
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

In a skillet over medium-low heat, warm cream. Add Cognac or dry sherry, zest of lemon and orange, salt. Simmer, 7 to 10 minutes. Add mint and basil.

Toss hot, drained pasta with sauce and grated cheese. Transfer to serving dish or dinner plates.

Basil Garlic Bread

• 1 cup fresh basil (hard packed)
• 6 garlic cloves (peeled)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 1/4 cup lukewarm water
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 1/2 cup flour (all-purpose)

Method

Chop basil leaves and garlic finely, or place in a food processor and chop finely. Do not turn into a liquid. Add olive oil slowly. Set aside. In another bowl add lukewarm water and sugar, sprinkle yeast on top of water. Set aside to activate the yeast; about 5 minutes. Add yeast to basil mixture and mix. Add flour 1 cup at a time till dough is smooth. Place dough on a floured surface and knead for 8-10 minutes. Place dough into a greased bowl. Cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap. Let rise till dough doubles in size. Punch down dough. Form dough into a loaf and place in a greased pan. Cover let dough double in size. Place loaf in a 350 F oven for 30-35 minutes. Remove and cool on a wire rack.

Sage Wheat Bread
2 1/2 to 3 cups all-purpose flour
2 packages active dry yeast
1 teaspoon dried sage, crushed
1 3/4 cups 2% milk
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons salt
2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1 egg, slightly beaten

Method

In a large bowl, combine 2 cups of white flour, yeast and sage. Set aside.In a saucepan, heat milk, brown sugar, butter and salt till warm (120°F to 130°F) the butter should be almost melted. Add lukewarm milk mixture to dry mixture. Beat with an electric mixer on low to medium speed for 30 seconds, scraping sides of bowl constantly. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, stir in whole wheat flour, cornmeal, and one cup white flour. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Knead dough for 6 to 8 minutes. Add just enough remaining white flour to create a stiff dough that is smooth and elastic. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the whole surface. Cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap; let rise in a warm place till dough is double in size. Punch dough down. Place onto a lightly floured surface. Divide in half. Cover with a damp cloth and let rest 10 minutes. Lightly grease a large baking sheet; sprinkle with additional cornmeal. Shape each half into a ball. Place on prepared baking sheet. Flatten each of the dough balls to 5 inches in diameter. Mix beaten egg and 1 tablespoon water; brush about half of mixture on loaves. Cover once again with a damp cloth; let rise till nearly doubled. Place into a 375°F oven. Brush loaves with remaining egg mixture. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until crust is golden. If bread is getting to dark cover with foil for last 15 minutes of baking to prevent over browning. Place on wire rack to cool.

Olive Tapenade Tart

Tonight's new recipe. I'll post it later.  Pretty good, but really rich. I need to find a way to get more crust to topping ratio. Unfortunately the camera phone makes the color look a little ick. It was much prettier in person! I swear!

Pan Seared Chicken with Mustard Sauce

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (2lbs total weight)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/3 cup dry white wine
1/3 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup heavy (double) cream
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
salt and freshly ground pepper


Cook the chicken:
Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and lightly pound with a meat mallet to an even thickness, about 1/2 inch. Season with salt and pepper. In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, melt butter. Add chicken and cook, turning once, until opaque throughout, about 8-10 minutes total. Transfer to a plate.


Make the sauce:
Stir mustard seeds into the pan drippings and cook over med-high heat, stirring, for about 15 seconds. Add the wine and broth and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium, cook, stirring, until slightly reduced, 1-2 minutes. Stir in cream and mustard and cook for 1 minute to blend flavors. Return chicken and any juices from the plate to the pan and simmer over medium heat, about 1 minute. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Slice the chicken and serve drizzled with sauce.


*From Williams Sonoma The Weeknight Cook


I didn't have mustard seeds, so I skipped that step. And the cream I had on hand was left over heavy whipping cream from the holidays. The chicken cooked beautifully in my new All-Clad stainless steel pan.  A non stick pan probably wouldn't give you the pan scrapings that made the sauce so easy and flavorful.

Oh My, Oh My, Oh BLOGGING??

I would never in a million zillion years have thought of myself as a "blogger", but at the suggestions of some very wonderful ladies - here I am. Really, the idea is just to use this blog as way to share new recipes with those of you who care, but I do have a small (tiny...miniscule...itty bitty...) tendency to get a little um... immersed in new projects. So - who knows what may end up on here. Stay tuned.