Easy Appetizer

I always make this appetizer (the one on top) for Thanksgiving, and I made it again on a smaller version for the cooking class last week. Here is the "recipe", although it's really just assembling, no cooking!

Pesto, Olive and Sun Dried Tomato Torta

3 packages Boursin cheese (or other garlic&herb spreadable cheese)
2 tbsps pesto (either homemade [two cubes from the freezer] or store bought)
1/4 cup finely chopped kalamata olives
1/4 cup finely chopped sun dried tomatoes

• line a bowl with plastic wrap large enough to overhang sides
• spread a layer of pesto in bottom of bowl (this will be the top when you unmold) or one of the other ingredients - it doesn't matter what order they go in... experiment and play with whatever ingredients you like! In the version pictured, I think I started with the tomatoes....
• spread a layer of Boursin, followed by a layer of olives, another layer of Boursin, a layer of sun dried tomatoes, and lastly a final layer of Boursin.
• fold plastic wrap over the top and press down slightly.
• refrigerate till ready to unmold (1 hour or up to 2 days)
• when you are ready to unmold, peel plastic wrap back from edges, set a plate on top, and turn upside down. Use plastic wrap to gently pull torta out of bowl. Lift bowl off, discard plastic, clean up edges of plate and serve with sliced baguette or crackers.

To make a smaller version, use a ramekin instead of a bowl, and cut down on the ingredients (one package of Boursin, 1 tbsp pesto, and about 1/8 cup each of the other ingredients.

Recipes from my January Meetup

Tuesday night was my first cooking class Meetup of the year. We had a great turnout with some regulars and some newcomers. The food was delicious, and we had a great time eating and watching the innaugural balls while we ate. We made Chicken Cacciatore (a la Valerie), Creamy Herb Polenta, and Fennel & Apple Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette.

Chicken Cacciatore

Serves 6 Prep time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 50 minutes

1 whole Chicken, cut into 8 pieces
Salt & pepper to taste
Flour for dredging
Olive oil
1 large onion, sliced
1 28oz. can San Marzano tomatoes, chopped, with their juice
1 cup sliced green olives
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup chicken stock

• Coat the bottom of a heavy skillet with olive oil and heat over medium high heat. Season chicken with salt & pepper and dredge in flour. Brown in oil on both sides, then remove to a plate.
  
• Add onions to pan, season with a little salt and cook till soft, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, juice, olives, wine and stock and bring to a boil. Nestle chicken pieces into sauce with any juice on dish, and about a tablespoon of salt and a teaspoon of pepper
  
• Cover and simmer very gently for about a half hour. Taste for seasoning and adjust as necessary. If sauce is too thin, remove chicken and reduce sauce over high heat for about 5 minutes. Serve with creamy herb polenta.

Creamy Herb Polenta

Serves 6-8 Prep time: 5 minutes Cooking time: 20-30 minutes

1 1/2 cups polenta
6 cups chicken stock
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 sprigs thyme
2 sprigs rosemary
1 bunch sage
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano

• Bring stock to a boil in a large pot, then add salt. Make a whirlpool in center with a whisk and slowly pour polenta into center. Turn heat down to a low simmer and cook, stirring frequently, for about 20-30 minutes until tender to the bite.
  
• While polenta cooks, gently heat cream and herbs in a small pot.
  
• When polenta is done, strain herbs out of cream and stir cream into polenta. Stir in butter and cheese. Taste and add salt if necessary.

Fennel & Apple Salad

Serves 6 Prep time: 15 minutes

2 Granny Smith Apples
1-2 Fennel bulbs
1/2 cup feta cheese crumbles
1/4 cup toasted pecans
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 small shallot, chopped very fine
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

• Put lemon juice, zest, shallot, salt and pepper in a salad bowl. Whisk in olive oil.
  
• Slice apples and fennel on a mandoline on a very thin setting (or slice very thinly with a sharp knife) and place immediately into vinaigrette to prevent discoloration. Add cheese and pecans and toss to combine.
  

Pesto with no photo

After being home for a week, I finally started cooking again. I made pesto one night, but I didn't take a photo or write about it because I figured it was too simple.... I have now been told otherwise, so I'll post the recipe and my tips here. Next time I make it, I promise to take a photo!

Basil Pesto

Prep time: 10 minutes. Serves about 4

• 1 large bunch basil, stems removed
• 1-2 cloves of garlic
• 2 tbsp pine nuts, lightly toasted
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup grated parmigiano reggiano

Put basil, garlic, and pine nuts in a food processor. Blend till combined, then add olive oil through feed tube until desired consistency is reached. Stop once and scrape down sides if needed. Put in a bowl and stir in cheese. Serve over pasta of choice (I like pesto with thin spaghetti).

If you have leftovers, put them in an icecube tray and freeze. Pop the frozen cubes out and put in a plastic freezer bag. They will last in the freezer for about 6 months. To thaw, just put in a small bowl for about 10-15 minutes, or if needed faster, microwave for 5 seconds. Because of the olive oil, these will defrost very quickly. I always have these pesto cubes on hand in my freezer to use for a quick dinner, or as a spread on sandwiches, or for my "pesto and olive torta" appetizer (see my next blog!).

Last Supper

Tonight is my last night in beautiful downtown Potomac, so I made a Polenta "lasagna". Seemed like a good night for it, since it's been cold and rainy all day. It came out quite well, and may even make its way back to the table (even though leftovers are frowned upon in this house...) Here is my recipe:

Polenta "Lasagna"

1 1/2 cups Polenta
6 cups water
1 tbsp salt
1 cup tomato sauce (recipe follows)
1 cup ragu (recipe follows)
Parmigiano Reggiano (for sprinkling on top)
about 1 tbsp olive oil

• Boil water and add salt. With a whisk, form a whirlpool and slowly pour polenta into the middle, stirring constantly. As soon as it comes back up to a bubble, turn heat down to a low simmer, and continue to stir occasionally for about 20-25 minutes, till polenta is cooked. (it should be tender to the bite).
• Meanwhile, butter a square baking dish and preheat oven to 375.
• When polenta is cooked, spread about 1/3 in the bottom of the baking dish.
• Spread tomato sauce over polenta.
• Spread second third of polenta over sauce.
• Spread ragu over polenta.
• Top with remaining polenta, parmigiano, and drizzle with olive oil.
• Bake for about 30 minutes, or until golden brown and bubbling. Let rest for 10 minutes and serve.

This is a fairly quick dish to make if you have the sauces prepared ahead of time. I almost always have some in the freezer, as these both freeze very well. If you don't have the ragu, and don't have time to make it, you can double the amount of tomato sauce and add some crumbled sausage to it. If you're in a real bind, you can buy a jar of sauce, but it's just as easy to make it while the polenta cooks (that's what I did tonight!)

Quick Tomato Sauce:

1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 28 oz. can San Marzano tomatoes (these are tomatoes that are grown in the south of Italy, but if you can't find them, any canned plum tomatoes will do)
salt & pepper to taste plus any dried herbs on hand such as oregano and basil.

• Heat oil, add onion and garlic, and saute till soft, about 5 minutes.
• Put tomatoes through a food mill into the pan (including any liquid from the can).
• Season with salt, pepper and herbs and simmer for about 20 minutes.

Ragu a la Bolognese:

1 onion, very finely diced
1 carrot, very finely diced
1 rib of celery, very finely diced
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
1/2 lb. ground beef
1/2 lb. ground pork
3/4 cup white wine
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1/4 cup heavy cream
Salt & pepper to taste

• Melt butter in a large sauce pan, add onion, carrot and celery. Season with a bit of salt and saute till soft, about 5 minutes.
• Add ground meat to pan and cook till no longer pink, breaking up with a wooden spoon (do not brown).
• Add wine and cook till evaporated.
• Stir in tomato paste until well combined, then add about 1/4 cup of the stock.
• Cook covered for about 1 1/2 hours over a very low heat (just simmering), adding stock a little at a time. Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Add cream and heat through (if you are planning to freeze the sauce, omit the cream and add it when you re-heat).

Soufflé Success (sort of...)

My first attempt at a soufflé! Somewhat successfull, although I think they were overcooked a bit - I forgot to take into account that the time in my recipe was for one large one, not six small ones. But still, it tasted good, and was a nice light dinner with a side salad of arugula and tomatoes.


Here is the recipe (from Joanne Weir):

5 tbsp plus 1 teaspoon unsalted butter
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano
5 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 cups half and half
6 eggs, separated, room temperature
1 1/2 cups coarsely grated gruyere
salt and pepper

Use 1 teaspoon of butter to grease a 2-quart soufflé dish. Dust the interior of the dish with Parmigiano, tapping out the excess. You can also make 6 small individual 1 to 1 1/2 cup ramekins (but don't cook as long - Valerie's note)

Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk for a few minutes. Place the half and half in another saucepan over medium high heat and bring to a scald. Add the hot half and half to the flour and butter mixture, stirring rapidly with a whisk. Cook for a few minutes until the sauce is smooth and thick. Add salt to taste.

Add the yolks, one at a time, stirring well after each addition. Add the gruyere and season with salt and pepper to taste. Mix well.

Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Place the egg whites in a clean bowl and beat to stiff peaks. (I took the easy way and used a Kitchenaid). Fold half of the whites into the cheese sauce with as few strokes as possible. Fold in the remaining whites. Turn the mixture into the prepared soufflé dish. Bake in the middle of the oven until well browned and a skewer inserted into the center is just slightly moist, 30-40 minutes. Serve immediately.

As far as I can tell, most soufflé recipes are very close to this. Some add 1/8 tsp cream of tartar to the whites (maybe to stabilize?) but they are basically a bechamel sauce to which you add the cheese (or other flavor.... spinach would be good...), and egg yolks, and to which you then fold in egg whites and bake. Not too hard really, just takes a bit of courage! I think next time I will try one large one. Ina Garten suggests smoothing the top of the soufflé and then drawing a circle with the spatula to help it rise evenly - I will try this and report back!

Veal Scaloppini w/ Saffron Cream Sauce

After a night off visiting my college roommate Kristin in Frederick, the cook has returned to Potomac. Thought I'd use my parents as guinea pigs for a recipe I had been wanting to try out. It turned out very well, although next time I think I would serve it with mashed potatoes, or polenta, or something else to soak up the yummy sauce with. Also, the veal available at the Whole Foods in Rockville wasn't the greatest, but at least back home in SF I have a good butcher! The recipe is from Giada De Laurentis from the Food Network.

1 pound veal scaloppini (about 12 slices)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
About 2 1/2 tablespoons butter
About 2 tablespoons olive oil
12 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced
2 large shallots, finely chopped
3/4 cup dry white wine
1 cup beef broth
1/4 teaspoon saffron threads
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed

Sprinkle the veal with salt and pepper. Melt 1/2 tablespoon of butter with 2 teaspoons of oil in a heavy large frying pan over high heat. Working in batches if necessary, add the veal and saute until just cooked through and golden, about 45 to 60 seconds per side. Transfer the veal to a platter and tent with foil to keep it warm. Repeat with the remaining veal, adding more butter and oil to the pan as necessary.

Melt 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of oil in the same pan over high heat. Add the mushrooms and shallots. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and saute until the mushrooms are golden brown, about 8 minutes. Add the wine, broth and saffron, and simmer until the liquid is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add the cream and boil until the sauce thickens slightly, stirring often, about 4 minutes. Add the peas and return the sauce to a simmer. Season the sauce, to taste, with salt and pepper.

By the way, I have to mention the great food I had in Frederick. First, we had lunch at Isabella's, our favorite (and probably only) tapas restaurant there. Ceviche, paella, and albondigas. YUM! And for just $10.99, a great bargain. For dinner, we went to Acacia, where I had a wonderful Venison tenderloin with butternut squash and parsnip puree. A good winter meal, made even better by the bottle of 7 Deadly Zins that we had with it. Kristin had a yummy sea bass.

My first post - Happy 2009!

As I finish out week one of my visit at my parents' house in the suburbs of Washington, DC, I have decided to start a blog. Seems like the thing to do on this first day of 2009. New year, new beginnings, new projects, etc. I have taken the opportunity over this past week to cook every day, something that I rarely have time to do in my real life. Dishes have included my first encounter with crepes (much easier than I expected, but then again, I had my mom by my side showing me how...and taking photos),

a wonderful stuffed pork tenderloin and fennel puree (still working out the kinks of the puree - it was a bit thin), and a New Year's Eve lasagna.

Today is gnocchi w/ cognac cream sauce w/ spinach. Here is the recipe for the gnocchi:

3 large potatoes (I use baking potatoes)

1 large egg (lightly beaten)

1 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp pepper (use white pepper if you don't want the black spots to show)

1 1/2 to 2 cups all purpose flour

Fill a large pot with cold water. Add unpeeled potatoes and bring to boil. Cook till tender. Drain and cool till you can handle, and then peel. Put through a food mill or ricer, and allow to cool completely. Once cool, form a mound and make a well in the center. Put egg, salt and pepper into center of well and stir into the potatoes. Once combined, add flour a little at a time until you have a nice dough (it will still be a little sticky, which is ok because more flour will be incorporated as you roll them out). Knead with your hands for another 3 minutes or so Do not overwork or add too much flour or dough will become heavy.

Cut dough into about 8 sections and on a well floured surface, roll each one out into a 1/2" thick log and slice into 1/2" sections. Roll each little section onto the tines of a fork, making an indentation with your thumb as you roll. You may need to dust the fork with flour so that the gnocchi don't stick to it, and also keep your hands well floured. Spread gnocchi out on a cookie sheet lined with parchment or wax paper that has been sprinkled with a little flour.

At this point, gnocchi can be frozen on the cookie sheet and then transferred to a freezer bag once frozen.

If you are cooking them right away, bring a large pot of water to a boil, then add a good amount of salt, as if you were cooking pasta. Drop about 1/2 of the gnocchi in and stir immediately to make sure they don't stick. After about 2-3 minutes, they will begin to rise to the surface. Cook for about 1 more minute after this happens. Once they have been floating on the surface for about 1 minute, fish them out with a spider or large slotted spoon. Put on a plate with a little butter and cover to keep warm while you cook the 2nd 1/2.

Serves 4-6 (refrigerate any leftovers [without sauce] and serve for lunch the next day sauteed in a little butter until just golden brown)

Cognac Cream Sauce w/ Spinach:

2-3 shallots, finely chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tbsp butter

1/4 cup cognac

1/2 cup heavy cream

3-4 handfulls of baby spinach, well washed and dried
Salt & pepper to taste

Melt butter in a large skillet. Add shallots and garlic and saute till soft, 2-3 minutes. Add cognac and reduce. Add cream, salt and pepper and let it come to a simmer. Cook very gently for about 5 minutes. (you can be cooking the gnocchi while the sauce cooks) Add the spinach, which will wilt down in about a minute. Once the gnocchi are plated, spoon sauce over and serve with parmesan cheese to sprinkle on top.

Serves about 4