Why? Because Gene got me a new Spanish cookbook for Christmas; it is Jose Andres’ Made in Spain. It has some delicious recipes and some wonderful descriptions of Spain. Also because it was cold out and we needed something hearty to eat!
What? I came across a very interesting recipe for pork meatballs with squid. It’s basically garlicky pork meatballs braised in tomato sauce with squid, potatoes, cinnamon, thyme, and more garlic. Pork and squid sounded like a very odd pairing to me, but it was delicious.
I’ll admit, that once again, I didn’t read the entire recipe through before I started. I didn’t catch the sofrito part. Andres’ sofrito is a kind of vegetably-tomato sauce; I made my own using canned chopped tomatoes cooked down with sautéed onions and paprika. But in a pinch, you can probably substitute a little decent quality, mild, but chunky, pasta sauce. How much? (This assumes you have the basics of little milk, a crust of bread, an egg, some flour and such.)
Ground pork - $3.49 Squid - $5.99 A potato $0.59 One head garlic - $0.69 Parsley - $0.99 Thyme - $0.99 Sofrito (est) - $3.50 Total - $16.24 The Recipe: Pork Meatballs with Squid
My friend Shawn sent me a recipe for Sauerbraten.I’ve never had sauerbraten before and after reading the recipe, I am embarrassed to admit that I had always assumed it was a kind of sausage (you know, …braten…’brats on the grill and all that.Work with me here!)Anyway, as you may or may not know, sauerbraten is actually a big hunk of braised beef.So after going for so long with my misconception, I had to try this recipe.
What?
Traditional sauerbraten is a beef marinated and braised in vinegar, wine, and spices. This recipe replaces the wine and vinegar with a Belgian lambic beer, which has a slightly sour aftertaste.This recipe takes a little planning in that the beef marinates for 3 – 4 days!I started it on the weekend and then cooked it for a weeknight dinner. In the interest of full disclosure, I could not find a lambic beer.So I used a domestic Belgian-style beer and added a ¼ cup of white vinegar to the marinade.
Also the recipe calls for pickling spice.I don’t have premixed pickling spice so (after a little research) I made my own with black and red
peppercorns, coriander, cardamom, cumin, juniper berries, and fenugreek.(…and yes I do have juniper berries and fenugreek in my pantry, I’m a food-geek, what can I say?) Lastly, I forgot to buy sour cream, so I didn't make the sauce, though it sounds delicious. We just ladled the juice over the meat.
How Much?
Boneless Top Round Roast ($4.99/lb) - $14.42
Onions (3 lb bag) – $2.99
Garlic (1 head) - $0.69
Pickling Spice (2.6 oz, premixed) - $2.99
Total - $21.09
The Recipe:
Sauerbraten with a Twist
Ingredients
For the Meat
24 oz Gueuze or Lambic
8eachgarlic cloves, peeled and sliced
2tbsppickling spices
2eachyellow onions, peeled and sliced into thin wedges
2 each bay leaves
1tspsea salt
4-5lbtop sirloin roast
For the Sauce
¼cupolive oil
2eachgarlic cloves, peeled and minced
1eachleek, washed and sliced
1each bay leaf
2-3tspall-purpose flour
½ cupsour cream
Directions
In a stainless steel pot, bring sour beer, garlic, spices, onions, bay leaves and salt to a boil and
cook for 3 minute to combine the flavors.Turn off the heat and let rest until marinate is room
temperature.Place into either a large sealable container or Ziploc bag and add roast.Remove as much air as possible and seal, placing in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.At least once a day, flip the bag to distribute the marinade equally over the meat.
In a Dutch over medium-high heat, add oil and brown the roast (first removing from the marinade, patting dry and reserving the marinade) on all sides.After the meat has formed a nice crust, add onions, garlic, leeks, bay leaf and reserved marinade liquid only, discarding other spices and
vegetables.
Bring to a simmer and place into a 250 F oven for 4 hours.Remove the roast from the liquid, sprinkling with flour and whisking to prevent any lumps.Bring to a low simmer and thicken for about 3-4 minutes.Turn off the heat and add sour cream.Adjust seasoning.Slice the roast against the grain of the meat and serve with the sauce over buttered egg noodles tossed with chopped parsley, thyme and savory.
What a meal, what an evening! I think we really outdid ourselves; Gene and I got together with our friends Joanie and Lawrence and Chris and Nancy. The idea was that we would get together to cook small bites; think tapas and amuse bouches. Oh and don’t forget the wine and champagne! We all love good food and Chris really knows wine. . . . Each course was accompanied by different wines, each one spectacular. I don’t feel able to do justice to the wines and adequately discuss them so; I will limit myself to describing the food.We started with my French Onion Soup that was inspired by one we had at a restaurant in Jupiter, Florida. In addition to the Swiss cheese I used our favorite blue cheese, Societé, It was great. I served the soup in demitasse topped with a puff pastry “lid” which was embellished with a “09.” . . . Soup was followed by a flight of salads; Chris made a lightly dressed salad of Grilled Baby Octopus on Radicchio and Endive and a Black Eyed Pea salad. We just have to get those black eyed peas in on New Years! . . .
Next up, Joanie and Lawrence prepared Foie Gras Three Ways. This dish consisted of two disks of a traditional foie gras flecked with truffle, a foie gras mousse, and a “brick” of rustic country pate of foie gras and duck. The dish was served with three delicious breads. . . . Our final antipasto was Spicy Grilled Shrimp and Spanish Chorizo with Smoked Paprika. I skewered the shrimp and chorizo on toothpicks and marinated them in garlic, smoked paprika, and white vermouth. Quickly grilled, they were delicious! . . . Next, a pasta course; a triumvirate of pasta! Chris and Nancy provided Homemade Pumpkin Ravioli topped with Fried Sage, Grated Biscotti and Parmesan Cheese. Joanie and Lawrence made Orecchiette with Baratta Cheese and Ragu. Orecchiette is a type of pasta native to Apulia, whose shape resembles a small ear (in Italian, "ear" is orecchio). Gene and I contributed Ravioli filled with Homemade Ricotta Cheese and Lemon Zest served alongside Mushrooms Two Ways (roasted mini portabellas and sautéed oyster mushrooms).
And now, on to the main courses! . Lawrence prepared Lamb Chops with baked Brussel Sprouts as a first main course. Then, Gene made Pan-Seared Filet Mignon with Hollandaise Sauce as the second main.
Time-wise, we hit 2009 between the lamb and beef!Last but not least: desserts! Four flights of dessert included: Mini Palmiers, Mini Pastelitos de Guayaba, Belgian Dark Chocolates, and Homemade Candies. By this point, we were all so full that we could barely get up from the table! Happy New Year!
Sorry I haven’t posted for a while, my laptop died and took with it several draft postings.I’m still getting my new laptop setup and have to recreate a lot of my work.
Homemade Ricotta Cheese
Why?
I remember growing up that a few times my dad tried to make homemade cheese.It was a fascinating process, but I honestly don’t recall if any of them ever turned out. I’ll have to ask him about that.Anyway, I was reminded of this when I came across another food blogger’s post about making homemade ricotta cheese.Bingo!This was just the thing I needed to make my ravioli a little extra special and redeem myself for not making my own fresh pasta sheets (I'm a big fan of wonton wrappers!)
What?
This is ridiculously easy! If you can boil water, you can make ricotta.The only special equipment you need is cheese cloth, go figure.Mine came out very creamy, more like a cross between ricotta and cream cheese.I’m going to experiment with a little more stirring next time to encourage larger curds to form.I’m also wondering about if it’s possible to make goat’s milk ricotta?
I mixed half of my homemade ricotta with a little more cream and a little lemon zest and used it as filling for ravioli on Christmas Eve.See the final product, ravioli in brown butter and fried sage, at the bottom of the page. The cheese was deliciously rich and the lemon zest added brightness to the flavor.
How Much?
1 quart whole milk – $1.69
1 8oz carton heavy cream – $1.99
1 lemon – $0.70
Total – 4.38
The Recipe (from Gourmet, April ’06):
Homemade Ricotta
Ingredients 1 quart whole milk 1/2 cup heavy cream 1/4 tsp coarse salt (kosher or sea salt) Juice from ½ lemon (about 2 tablespoons)
Directions
1.Combine the milk, cream, and salt in a heavy saucepan. Separately, line a colander with cheesecloth and set it in a large bowl. Measure out the lemon juice and set it aside.
2.Bring the milk mixture to a simmer over medium high heat, stirring occasionally with a spatula to prevent scalding. Once the mixture has reached a steady simmer, add the lemon juice and stir gently with the spatula — quickly, just to blend. Let the mixture sit for about 1 minute, turning down the heat slightly so it stays at a simmer but doesn’t reach a hard, rolling boil. Stir with the spatula after about 1 minute, then let it sit another minute or two until it looks like most of the liquid has separated into curds and whey. (See note below.)
3.Drain the mixture into the cheesecloth-lined colander set over a bowl, and let it drain at room temperature for 1 hour. Transfer the ricotta to an airtight container and refrigerate.
Makes about 1 cup.
Note: My curds and whey seemed to take a bit longer to separate, so I added another couple tablespoons of lemon use.It worked out fine, and did not affect the flavor.I’ll try a little more patience next time.
Let me tell you "About:"...In addition to my recipe posts, I’m adding a new alternative post to my blog. My new “About:” posts will be shorter and focus on a single topic. I’m doing this because sometimes I’ll run across something (an ingredient, a restaurant, a wine, you name it) that doesn’t warrant a full out posting, but that I want to share with my friends and readers nonetheless. So…
Let me tell you About… Essensia!
Essensia is a delicious dessert wine my partner Gene and I discovered at a wine and cheese tasting several years ago. We like it so much that it’s rare we don’t have a bottle chilling in the refrigerator.
It is a sweet, honey-colored wine made from Orange Muscat grapes by the Quady Winery in California. Served cold, it pairs outrageously well with room-temp blue cheese (imported Societe is our favorite). It would also pair well with chocolate or fruit desserts. Most often we’ll just have a tiny glass all by itself at the end of the evening.
Essensia is available locally. Here in DC, I buy the 750ml bottles at Calvert-Woodley for between $21-$25. It also comes in 375ml bottles (great for gift giving).
My partner, Gene, inspired this dish.We’d been eating a lot of puff pastry this summer.A lot as compared to almost none over the past 15-years.Anyway, Gene suggested we “do something with it”.The something turned out to be a Salmon Wellington, salmon wrapped in puff pastry (immediately dubbed Swellington by our friend Lawrence.)
What?
Our first attempt came out rather comical in appearance but quite delicious in flavor.Comical in that we cut the salmon into long fillets.When wrapped in pastry they formed elegant packages about 7 – 8 inches long and a couple inches wide.Well the pastry was true to its name and buffed.The Swellington came out of the oven looking like fluffy femur bones; all knobby on the ends and slender in the middle.But as I mentioned the flavor was great.Each bite a mixture of buttery, golden, crispy pastry and rich, perfectly done, pink salmon.Yum!
How Much?(assuming you have white wine vinegar and butter on hand)
Salmon Fillets - $16.48
Buff Pastry - $3.99
Basil - $1.99
Onion - $0.59
White wine – $12.99 (the recipe only takes a cup, so drink the rest with dinner!)
4 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons chopped fresh basil, tarragon, or parsley (or combination)
1 egg beaten to blend (for glaze)
Sauce
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled butter, diced
Preparation
For the salmon:
Preheat oven to 400°F.
1) Melt butter in a small sauté pan.Add 4 tablespoons onion and sauté until translucent, 3-5 minutes.Remove pan from heat and stir in wine and 4 tablespoons of basil.Set aside.
2) Roll out each pastry sheet on lightly floured surface to 12-inch square. Cut each in half, forming four 12x6-inch rectangles. Place 1 salmon fillet (see note 1) in center of a rectangle, about 1 inch in from and parallel to a short edge (depending on the thickness of the fillet). Sprinkle each fillet with salt, pepper, and spread salmon evenly with a fourth of the onion/basil mixture.
3) Brush edges of rectangles with some glaze. Fold the short edges of pastry up and the long side over the top of the fillet enclosing it. Trim away any excess pastry and pinch to seal edges of pastry (see note 2). Repeat with remain fillets.
4) Place pastries on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Brush with glaze. Bake pastries until dough is golden brown, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven; let stand 10 minutes.
For the sauce:
Meanwhile, boil ½ cup wine, vinegar and 2 tablespoons onion in heavy small saucepan until liquid is reduced to 6 tablespoons, about 8 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Add butter 1 piece at a time, whisking until melted before adding next piece. Whisk in remaining 2 teaspoons of fresh herbs. Season sauce with salt and pepper.
To Serve:
Spoon a quarter of the sauce onto a plate and place the Swellington along side and serve.
Note 1: If necessary, salmon fillets can be cut and pieced together from compact, even rectangular “brick” of salmon.
Note 2: Extra puff pastry can be used as decoration on top of the Swellington. Cut out shapes (like leaves, flowers, geometric shapes), moisten them with a bit of water and arrange on top of the Swellington.
Why? I bought a nice, little chuck roast on sale, brought it home and had no idea what to do with it. I had some onions in the house so I googled “beef chuck roast onions”. My big constraint was I had only ½ bottle of wine in the house and didn’t feel like running out for more. That 375ml of red was for drinkin’, not for cookin’! Well, I hit the jack pot with this gem of a recipe (to which I of course added a few of my own ideas). What? It's really just four main ingredients, beef, onions, garlic, and allspice. The allspice kind of threw me at first, but I thought what the heck. After hours in a hot oven, the beef comes out just falling apart and covered in silky, sweet, roasted onions. For my second go-around with this recipe I added a few potatoes and some carrots to the pan about an hour before it was done making it a one-pot meal. You’ll notice the picture of the Ommegang ale; it doesn’t go in the beef, it goes in the cook (though it would be tasty either way.)
How Much? I bought the beef and vegetables at Giant, but picked up allspice at Yes! Organic; they’re a great source for fresh spices in bulk. I bought about 3oz of allspice for $2.20 but the recipe only uses about ¼-oz.
The Recipe: Braised Beef and Onions Makes 4 servings active time: 15 min total time: 3 hrs Ingredients 1 (2-2 ½ lb) well-marbled boneless beef chuck pot roast 2 teaspoons ground allspice 2 teaspoons salt 2 teaspoon pepper 3 very large onions, sliced ¼ inch thick (6-8 cups) 3-4 large garlic cloves, slivered 2 bay leaves (optional) 4 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley Preparation Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 400°F. 1) Stir together allspice, salt, and pepper in a small bowl and set aside. (Optional substitute 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon and 1 teaspoons chili powder for the allspice.) 2) Pat meat dry. Using a small paring knife slice deep cuts into the meat and stuff slivers of garlic into the cutsworking your way around both sides of the meat until it is evenly studded with garlic. (Any leftover garlic can be added to the onions later.) Rub the allspice mixture all over meat.
3) Spread half the onions in a 13- by 9-inch roasting pan and arrange meat on top. Spread remaining onions over meat (and if using, add bay leaves and any remaining garlic). Tightly cover pan with a double layer of foil and roast for 1 hour.
4) After an hour, turn the meat over and spread some of the onions from the pan over the roast. Recover the pan tightly with foil and cook until meat is very tender, about an additional 1 1/2 hours. (Optional: remove the foil for the last 1/2 hour to allow pan juices to reduce a little and onions to caramelize.)
5) Skim fat from pan juices. Slice meat across the grain and sprinkle with parsley. Serve with onions and pan juices.
needed something hearty to eat!
but chunky, pasta sauce.
