Buon Natale 2013

For many years, our annual Christmas tradition called for seafood. It was kind of like the Ciotola interpretation of the "Feast of the Seven Fishes" in which we made brodetto, the popular fish stew common throughout Italy but particularly tied to the Abruzzo village of Vasto. We just made sure to always use seven different types of seafood in the stew.

Although tradition is nice, there is something to be said for change. More recently, my brother has picked a region of Italy and we've worked together to make sure that the grand, multi-course holiday meal adhered to the food and drink customs of that particular place.

He generally takes the lead on the planning, procurement, and process of the whole operation. I offer suggestions on the menu, track down hard to find ingredients, and tackle the dessert course. But we pretty much spend the whole holiday in the kitchen together.

This year's menu has been just been posted... The region - Emilia Romagna.

Bread and Garlic Soup

I think that I have a new favorite recipe for Garlic Soup. Not that you really need a recipe for something so simple...

But I am still going to make note of Ferran Adria's preparation of this classic Spanish soup. It appears in his newish book, The Family Meal. It's an interesting book concept - very simple home recipes by a world-class master chef whose complicated culinary creations made his restaurant, ElBulli, one of the best in the world.

Bread and Garlic Soup (for two)
-1/2 cup olive oil
-4 slices white country style loaf cut into 2 oz slices
-2 garlic cloves
-2 tsp mild paprika
-1 3/4 cups chicken stock
-2 eggs

Fry the bread in olive oil until well browned and remove; coarsely crush garlic and fry in oil until golden; then add paprika; add fried bread and chicken stock and season with salt and pepper; simmer for 20 minutes and then process with a hand-held immersion blender; meanwhile, poach the eggs; Serve the soup topped with the egg.

Note: Better to double the recipe; making it for two is not really enough.

Oven-roasted Brussel Sprouts with Pine Nuts, Goat Cheese, and Lemon

I'll eat pretty much anything. Sure, there are a handful of things that I avoid... like tinned sprats in mustard sauce.

Soggy, over-steamed brussel sprouts I find equally disgusting. Perhaps more so.

So I took our one bunch of CSA brussel sprouts for the year, plucked them from the stalk, and halved or quartered them depending on the size. Next, I tossed with salt and olive oil and roasted in the oven at 400 degrees F until very lighted browned and not burned. Served with goat cheese dollops and toasted pine nuts on top, and a squeeze of lemon juice, this preparation made the sprouts into a tasty and attractive side dish for meat or a pasta course.

Phyllo Tart with Mushrooms and Goat Cheese; Spinach and Feta Pie with Greek Salad

We always hit Trader Joe's during our "Princeton Run," a weekly or bi-weekly trip to procure foodstuffs from several stores along US1. It is a venture reserved ONLY for first thing on weekend mornings. That's the only time that we can get in and get out easily. Otherwise, the roads and stores are mobbed. What would one expect? Eight million people live in one of the geographically smallest of the states.

At TJs, I generally walk right by the frozen food cases. Who eats that stuff? Deciding to take a gander, I wound up buying a package of Trader Joe's phyllo dough. One package allowed me to create two dinners. One, a simple tart using dried porcini and fresh chanterelles along with some goat cheese and thyme that we had collected from the CSA. For the second, I used one of my long-standing cookbooks - Taverna - to make a spinach and feta pie or spanakopita.

Phyllo is really not that hard to use. Just make sure to keep a piece of wax paper and damp dish towel on top of the stack to prevent it from drying out. But don't let the dough get wet or it becomes a disgusting gloppy mess. I also like to sprinkle a small amount of panko between each layer after brushing with oil to help lift each layer and ensure flakiness when it bakes.

Beet and Cabbage Borscht

Having just made a batch of chicken stock and finding a fridge stocked with beets from the CSA, I opted to make some borscht using an amended recipe by Molly Watson that I found online.

Only problem - It makes enough to serve the Russian Army. Seriously, I was tired of it after two bowls. The recipe made 16!

Borscht

-1 cup cannellini or other other small white beans

-6 large beets (about 2 lbs.)

-2 Tbsp. olive oil, vegetable oil, or butter

-2 medium onions, halved and thinly sliced

-1 tsp. salt, plus more to taste

-3 cloves garlic, minced (optional)

-1 head green, Savoy, or Napa cabbage2, cored and thinly sliced or shredded

-2 tsp. caraway seeds

-8 cups chicken, beef, or vegetable broth

-Lemon juice

-Plain yogurt for garnish (optional)

-Fresh chopped dill for garnish (optional)

 

Preheat oven to 350°F. Wrap the beets in a large sheet of foil, place on a baking sheet, and cook until tender when pierced with a fork, about 45 minutes. Let the beets sit until cool enough to handle. Peel them (their skins should slip off easily after being roasted) and grate them on the large-hole side of a box grater. Set aside. (Note: I like the ease of peeling roasted beets, but feel free to peel and grate raw beets - they will cook quickly enough in the soup.)

In a large pot over medium-high heat add oil, onions, and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic, if using, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the cabbage, stir to combine, and cook, stirring occasionally, until cabbage wilts, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the caraway seeds and beets. Stir to combine and add the broth or water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to maintain a steady simmer, add beans, and cook until vegetables are tender and flavors blend, 15 to 20 minutes.

Add salt and lemon juice to taste. Serve hot, with a dollop of yogurt or sour cream and a sprinkle of dill. 

Culinaria Italia

It's always extremely hard to return to the United States after a long visit to the food capital of the world. I'll deal with my grief this time around with a top ten list of the greatest culinary treats of "Abruzzo 2013."

#10. Antipasto Anversano, with salsicce di fegato e miele, Ristorante La Fiaccola, Anversa degli Abruzzi.

#9: Crispy Nuts, the perfect trail snack, from Penny Market, Sulmona.

#8: Vine-ripened tomatoes in late October.

#7: Polenta con Cinghiale (wild boar ragu), Ristorante Il Canestro, Sulmona, Italy.

 

#6: Amaro Abruzzese, available for 13 euro in the Conad.

#5: Breakfast (La Prima Colazione) the Italian way, Via Vella, Sulmona.

#4: The nice cheese and prosciutto man, Wednesday and Saturday, Piazza Garibaldi, Sulmona.

#3: Chittara con Zafferano e Tartufo, Ristorante Caldora, Pacentro.

#2 Pasta con Zucca e Zafferano, Ristorante Gino, Sulmona.

#1: Panini di Porchetta from Porchetta Lucchese, Piazza Garibaldi, Sulmona.

Cauliflower Soup; Crostini with Quick Caponata; Beet and Onion Salad with Yogurt Dressing

Many recipes for cauliflower soup call for the addition of milk or cream. I prefer it without... Just saute some shallots in olive oil and then add cauliflower florets and chicken or vegetable broth and cook until tender. Transfer to a blender and puree. I usually reserve about 1/4 of the cooked florets, chop them, and then add to the pureed soup for some texture. I then stirred in a little plain soy milk (sometimes I use plain yogurt), salt, pepper, and maybe some Parmigiano Reggiano. Serve with chives and crostini.

The beet salad was equally simple... roasted beets, sliced, and tossed with sliced sweet onion and tossed with apple cider vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper, and plain yogurt.

The CSA provided a final eggplant of the season, along with a handful of small tomatoes... I cooked them up and added capers, garlic, and black olives to make the Sicilian side dish of caponata. Vinegar and sugar added towards the end provide the sweet and sour flavor for which the dish is known.

Cotoletto di Maiale; Sauteed Kale and Turnip Greens; Turnip Gratin

The term "cotoletto" traditionally refers to a breaded veal cutlet. I used the rest of the pork tenderloin instead. Once the meat is pounded thinly, simply dust with flour, then dip in beaten egg, and dredge in panko bread crumbs. Cooking time is minimal - 3 minutes per side. I made the turnip gratin by thinly slicing the turnips and combining with breadcrumbs, Parmigiano Reggiano, salt, pepper, and about 3 tbsp of plain soy milk. Top with additional breadcrumbs and bake in a 375 degree F oven for 1 hour.

Involtini di Maiale con Prosciutto, Parmigiano Reggiano, e Salvia

"Involtini" means a small portion of food - most always meat - that has been wrapped up around some type of filling. It is one of those many classic Italian preparations that has many applications and endless possibilities. For this dish, I sliced 1 inch thick rounds off of a port tenderloin and pounded them thin between two sheets of plastic wrap. Next, I placed a piece of Prosciutto di Parma and two sage leaves lengthwise on the pork slices. Finally, I put a small chunk of Reggiano across the cutlet and rolled it up, securing with a toothpick. Dust with flour and cook for 5-7 minutes on the stovetop, ensuring that all sides have browned nicely. 

Kale and Chickpea Stew; Sauteed Mushrooms; Tomato Salad

An early autumn crop of kale has come in at the CSA. I replaced the spinach with kale in this chickpea stew. Tomatoes are still coming in, so I made a simple side salad using a tomato, kalamata olives, and the last of some fresh mozzarella. The mushrooms are simple. Add minced garlic and mushrooms to hot olive oil and cook until mushrooms release liquid and it has mostly evaporated, deglaze with white wine, add salt, pepper, and chopped parsley and serve.

Polenta with Mushrooms, Pesto, and Fried Egg; Pan Fried Polenta with Tomato Sauce

Though I prefer the tradition of slow-cooked polenta, I recently picked up a package of the imported Italian "quick" polenta. It requires only five minutes of stirring, as opposed to a forearm breaking 30-40 minutes required for real polenta. The great thing about preparing a big batch is having leftovers. Just spread it out on a cooking sheet and cut it into slices. Pan fry and serve.

Daiya Grilled with Tomato; Dante's Inferno Juice

We've been experimenting with non-dairy daiya cheese. It's definitely not something that you want to eat alone. But it works alright in preparations that require melting. They claim that it "stretches" like real cheese, but I've found that not to really be the case. A "provolone" version worked fine for a grilled cheese sandwich.

Vegetarian Spring Rolls with Peanut Sauce; Edamame

We bid a final farewell to the summer by making a batch of fresh spring rolls. The CSA has been providing some nice edamame. Simply boil in salted water for five minutes and eat 'em right out of the shell.

Fish Cakes with Spicy Remoulade; Tomato and White Onion Salad

Some leftover pan-roasted mackerel formed the basis of these fish cakes, which I simply combined with breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, and one small beaten egg. Served on a bed of CSA lettuce with a remoulade of mayonnaise, ketchup, and hot sauce.The tomatoes are still coming... hence the obligatory salad of tomato, white onion, and a simply balsamic dressing.

Tomato Gratin; Oven Roasted Green Beans; Prosciutto di Parma

I really like Jacques Pepin's new book, Essential Pepin. The companion book to his latest TV series, it is essentially a best hits of his long and storied career. Needless to say, there are plenty of gratins... I prefer the ones that don't rely on tons of soft cheese and cream. This recipe has neither. The cheese of choice is Parmigiano Reggiano where a little goes a long way. The only other ingredients are garlic, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Cook at 350 degrees F for 40 minutes. The bread soaks up the tomato juices. Simple yet brilliant.

Monkfish Dumplings with Tomatoes and Olives in Parchment

The Stockton Market has a nice little fish market. It comes in handy if we are doing something up that way and want to stop in to pick up the catch of the day. The only problem is the price... 20 bucks a pound is pretty much the lowest price that you'll expect to pay. I picked up some overpriced monkfish and put together this little dish based on a recipe in La Cucina Italiana magazine. 
 
Monkish Balls with Tomatoes and Olives in Parchment

    1/2 cup 1-inch cubes peeled new potato

    Fine sea salt

    1 cup plus 2 tablespoons water

    1/3 cup plain breadcrumbs

    3 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

    1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh marjoram

    1/4 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme

    3/4 pound monkfish, cut into 1-inch pieces

    Freshly ground black pepper

    14 ounces cherry tomatoes, quartered

    1/4 cup pitted Kalamata olives, roughly chopped

    5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

    1 large egg white, lightly beaten

    1 cup plus 2 tablespoons basmati rice

    1 cup vegetable broth

-Heat oven to 350º.

-Place potato in a small saucepan; cover with several inches of cold water and add generous pinch salt. Bring water to a boil, then cook until potato is tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and mash with a fork.

-In a shallow bowl, stir together breadcrumbs, 2 tablespoons parsley, marjoram and thyme; set aside. -In the bowl of a food processor, pulse fish until finely chopped but not pasty; transfer to a large bowl. Add mashed potato, 1/2 teaspoon salt and generous pinch pepper to fish; stir to combine. Shape mixture into 24 (1 1/4-inch) balls. Roll fish balls in breadcrumb mixture to coat.

-Place 6 fish balls in the center of 1 parchment square; 1/4 of the tomatoes, 1/4 of the olives and generous pinch salt; drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil. Brush edges of parchment with egg white, then fold paper over filling to form a triangle; crimp edges of paper tightly to seal and enclose filling completely. Place packet on a rimmed baking sheet; prepare 3 more packets in same manner.

-Bake packets until fish balls are cooked through, about 20 minutes. 

Orecchiette with Kale and Ricotta; Roasted Red Peppers Marinated in Garlic and Olive Oil; Heirloom Tomato Salad

The tomatoes keep coming. In recent weeks, we've had tomatoes with every meal. It is almost as if I have to build the rest of the dinner around the omnipresent bowl of tomatoes. I'm not complaining. I won't eat the crap they pass of as tomatoes during the rest of the year, so I want to get my fill when they are in season.

The CSA delivered a nice batch of kale, so I simply braised it and added some leftover ricotta and tossed it with orecchiette and some fresh grated locatelli.

Corn Chowder

I'm a little disappointed that the CSA failed to deliver more corn. We had four ears earlier in the summer... and basta! That was it. I bought some at the grocery store in order to make Mark Bittman's corn chowder. No milk or cream in this one. But equally delicious. 

Braised Lamb Shank Tacos with Tomatoes, Pickled Peppers, and Tomatillo Salsa

The Southwestern Theme continued with some braised lamb shank tacos using Reyna's famous homemade corn tortillas. We have an ongoing battle in our household... I like the corn; K likes the flour. This time, I won out. The CSA provided the tomato, onion, and lettuce accompaniments. I picked some CSA chile peppers by steeping them in a mixture of boiling water, sugar, and vinegar for about a half hour. The sweet-briny pickled peppers added a nice contrast to the other flavors. 

Vegan Green Chile Stew, Tomatillo Salsa, Guacamole

During a recent visit to Reyna Foods - our usual source for dried red chiles - we discovered bags of frozen green chile in their small freezer section. In the past, I've shelled out hundreds of dollars to have the stuff shipped on dry ice from Hatch, New Mexico. This discovery, it appears, will save big money.

The only problem - this chile is HOT. I made up some enchilada sauce, but it was almost too much to handle. A classic green chile stew with potatoes, onions, pinto beans, chicken stock, and oregano was a much better application, allowing me to limit the amount of chile used.

Reminds me of orientation day on the UNM campus ... one day of the week-long affair involved free green chile stew all day long.

Lasagna Stuffed Tomatoes; Roasted Red Peppers; Edamame

What, you might ask, is a lasagna stuffed tomato?

Answer: The most awesome creation of the year.

K had the idea of hollowing out four large CSA-grown tomatoes and filling them with alternating layers of ricotta, sauteed zucchini and onions, and parmigiano reggiano, then topping them with bread crumbs and baking in the oven.

I roasted some red peppers and steamed up some edamame to serve as sides.

Tomato Mac and Cheese; Heirloom Tomato Salad with Onions and Kalamata Olives

Tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes. We've been eating them every night, and I've been taking them to work for my lunches. Believe it or not, I still have not tired of them. Adding some to a macaroni and cheese dish was a brilliantly simple idea, but enhanced the flavor of what I find to be a somewhat boring, insipid dish. Individually baked in the oven, these came out beautiful.

Pasta with Fresh Tomatoes

My brother sent me home from a recent visit with a bag full of home-grown tomatoes from his fecund garden. The variety - cuore di bue, heart of the bull. These heart-shaped beauties have a nice size and great flavor - perfect for a simple no-cook sauce. Simply diced up the tomatoes and toss with some basil, a minced garlic clove, and olive oil. Cook pasta and toss with the raw tomatoes. Reggiano, salt, and pepper to serve.

Potato Leek Soup; Heirloom Tomato Salad

Added some sliced hot peppers as a garnish to this classic soup. I added yogurt to improve the consistency, adding a nice creaminess without the heavy cream.

Potatoes and Eggs; Tomato Salad; Watermelon

In Spain, they call potatoes and eggs "la cena de pobre." Translation: "Poor man's supper."

True that. Even if, like me, you are committed to organic, cage free eggs, the cost of a dinner of eggs and potatoes is miniscule. The other benefit is that it comes together in no time.

A simple heirloom tomato salad and some watermelon (all from the CSA) completes the poor man's meal.

Tomato Soup with Spinach Coulis; Oven-Baked Fries with Avocado Yougurt Sauce

This soup, derived from Jacques Pepin, was simply intended to use up a ton of CSA tomatoes before they went bad. Turned out to be a total acid bomb.

The french fries hail from Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian... They are oven baked, not fried, and turned out pretty well. I made up an avocado yogurt dipping sauce by combining one avocado, a half cup yogurt, some diced onion, a garlic clove, salt, pepper, and a little lemon juice in a blender.

Pasta e Fagioli; Sauteed Zucchini with Balsamico; Oven Roasted Green Beans

Pasta e Fagioli, pronounced in Italian American communities as "pasta fazool," is one of those simple, easy to make comfort foods perfect for a weeknight dinner when you have just returned home with a loaf of fresh bread. I like mine to be soupy. Drizzle with olive oil just before serving.

Crostini with White Bean Pate; Pasta alla Norma

I had the good fortune to work within walking distance of one of Lidia Bastianich's restaurants. I hardly ever ate lunch out, but the option of having a real Italian restaurant nearby always seemed like a nice perk - and a perfect place to take out of town visitors for lunch.

Lidia's used to serve two spreads with the bread basket - one was pesto based; the other, a white bean and garlic pate. I replicate it from time to time, usually as a primo for a pasta course.

Oh, what's that green stuff? Hot peppers from the CSA. I just sliced one up to add to the crostini.

Nicoise Salad

The classic French salad - I use Jacques Pepin's technique. We had a ton of green peppers from the CSA, so I roasted those as one would a red pepper.

Don't do it.

Moorish-style Chickpeas with Spinach; Crostini with Smoked Salmon and Red Onion; Tomato Bread Salad (Panzanellla)

Sometimes, worlds collide. Since I didn't have much time for a mid-weeknight meal, I abandoned my usual routine of at least trying to maintain a country/culture of origin theme for each dinner. This one turned out being an amalgamation of three: Spanish - Italian - Jewish. The trick of the Spanish chickpea dish is to saute some day old bread in olive oil with garlic and, when browned, mash it to a paste. Added to the chickpeas and spinach, it gives a nice flavor and serves as a thickener. A tomato bread salad from the day before is decidedly Italian. To round it out, we had some leftover smoked salmon and basically made crostini using the ingredients you might find on a bagel at the neighborhood Jewish deli. 

Baked Tomatoes Stuffed with Tuna; Pickled Mushrooms

The CSA has been coming through with heirlooms, as well as an array of smaller tomatoes. I used up this week's batch by slicing off the tops, removing the pulp with a grapefruit spoon, and mixing it with tuna, parsley, shallots, and bread crumbs. I then simply stuffed the hollowed out tomatoes with the mixture, sprinkled with bread crumbs, and baked for 30 minutes at 350 degrees F. On the side, some mushrooms that I had picked for 24 hours and a plate of prosciutto di parma and parmigiano reggiano.

Faux Fried Chicken Two Ways

 Every once in a while, K gets a hankering for fried chicken. When she does, I pull out a faux fried chicken recipe by Cat Cora which uses buttermilk. I could only manage to choke down one piece - chicken is really not my favorite - so we had plenty of leftovers. The next day, I put the meat from the bone and finely diced a few of our CSA stockpile of potatoes to make a chicken hash.

Tomato salads on the side for both meals... gotta love August.

Baked Figs with Gorgonzola, Walnuts, and Prosciutto; Penne alla Puttanesca

I relied on two celebrity chefs to come up with a way to use up some fresh figs and the first heirloom tomatoes of the season, which we found at Whole Foods and Trader Joe's for a remarkably good price.

As spelled out in Mario Batal's Simple Italian Food, quartered figs stuffed with a mixture of gorgonzola, walnuts, and parsley and baked in a 450 degree over for 8 minutes make a great appetizer.

One might think it strange to rely on an Englishman for a pasta alla puttanesca recipe, but Jamie Oliver has a real knack for doing justice to traditional Italian recipes - usually adding a special little twist that enhances, not detracts from, the familiar. His step of adding crushed basil, lemon juice and lemon zest to the tuna and letting it marinate for a ten minutes before adding to the sauce is, as Jamie might say, "brilliant." His recipe comes from one of his early must-have books, Jamie's Dinners.

Gumbo

This week, the CSA delivered okra. Alrighty then, what the heck am I going to do with okra? After a quick check of How to Cook Everything, by Mark Bittman, and a quick google search for "Emeril Lagasse," I decided that gumbo was the way to go. Bittman's recipe is simple; Emeril's is complex. I opted for the middle ground and basically amalgamated the two.

Amazingly, I had everything that I needed in the fridge and pantry - including some spicy vegan sausage and frozen wild-caught shrimp. I used onion, garlic, and carrot as the aromatics, then added tomatoes and chicken stock. The okra, when cooked for a long time, breaks down and thickens the gumbo. A clump of white rice, they say, is traditional down on the bayou. It looks cool too.

Faux Fried Green Tomatoes

Lately, K has been going off on everything. I try not to blame her. She's going through a lot right now. The latest object of her ire has been the CSA... It's not delivering to the expectations of her country upbringing and farm sensibilities. Normally, I am a stalwart defender... but this week I am flipping pissed.

We got three hopelessly under ripe tomatoes. These were clearly not meant to be doled out as green tomatoes... someone just simply picked them too soon. And even though I left them for a good week, they didn't ripen off the vine. I feel like the output of each share was going to be low, so someone in charge decided to load it up with something that should have stayed on the vine for another week. That's no way to do things. I'd rather wait for something edible.

I managed to salvage the tomatoes by treating them as fried green tomatoes. But instead of breading and frying in oil, I used the oven bake technique that I have used recently for eggplant. See the recipe here.

A couple quick sauces - a spicy ketchup (two parts ketchup to one parts Frank's Red Hot) and a garlic mayonnaise - for the side.