Spicy, Dirty and Hot

It was Friday night, and we were in the mood for something spicy, a little bit dirty, and definitely very hot.

So, it was lucky for us that we came across this post by Elizabeth Minchelli in Rome to inspire us. We were going to mix up some Spicy Dirty Martinis.

You know by now that John and I are big fans of dry vodka Martinis.  Really, what's not to like?  But sometimes you just have to change it up a bit. Variety is the spice of life, right?

We started with the vodka and a little more vermouth than we were accustomed to.  Then a teaspoon of olive brine and a splash of sriracha sauce. The rest of the ritual was the same--shake vigorously over ice and strain into the waiting cocktail glasses.  A nicely balanced drink that proved to be a good match with food.

Of course, we needed something to eat with the drink. Something crisp and salty.  I had bought the tiniest new potatoes at the market.

 I boiled them until tender, and when cool enough to handle, I placed them between a folded tea towel and smashed them with my palm.

Lined up on a baking sheet, they went into the fridge to await John's arrival, upon which they were doused with olive oil and put to bake in a hot oven until brown and crisp.

When they came out of the oven, I sprinkled them with sea salt, and I hardly could contain myself until they were cool enough to eat.

Sugar and Spice

I would like to thank my niece, Beth, for the wonderful desserts she brought for Easter dinner from her new business, Sugar & Spice Market.

We wish you much success in your new venture.

Chocolate Fudge Cake

Cake Pops        

Coconut Cake

Sausage And Grapes

I feel as if I have been swirling in the vortex of life for the past few months. Time flies while my activities expand to fill the time allotted.  My creativity, particularly my cooking, has become stagnant. Tired of the repetitive dishes of winter, I search the markets for inspiration and find none. My anthem these days seems to be Anna Nalick's "Breathe".

Of course I am impressed by Tracy's bagel experiment.  I am enchanted by Denise's butterfly olive cookies. My sweet tooth is piqued by Kath's Kaluha and coffee ice cream, and I am amused by Valerie's adventures in Italy; but a couple of failures in the kitchen and my current funk have rendered me immobile.

As Spring turns Winter into a memory, I am hopeful that my stagnation will retreat as well.

The dish I made for dinner last night, although said to have originated during the fall grape harvest in Umbria, was a nice change of pace.

Sausages With Grapes--My Version
Serves 2

1 pound Hot or Sweet Italian Sausage--I like hot
3 cups seedless red grapes
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Place sausages in a 10- or 12 inch  skillet, add 3 tablespoons water, and turn heat to medium. Cover and cook for 10-12 minutes, turning often.

Remove cover, and prick sausages.  Remove excess fat from pan leaving about 1 tablespoon.  Add 1 tablespoon butter to the pan along with the grapes.  Sprinkle grapes with a pinch of salt, and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until grapes soften somewhat. Add balsamic vinegar and stir.

Serve hot and enjoy!

.

Rigatoni With Sausage Cream Sauce

This beastly winter shows no signs of loosening its grip, and Spring seems further away than ever. Having no alternative, I embraced the cold drizzle and made one last  hearty dish for dinner.  Spring just has to emerge soon--right?

This pasta dish comes from an old classic cookbook favorite of mine, Italian Family Cooking, by the late Anne Casale. Her book is full of family favorites from the Italian regions of Tuscany and Campania, as well as Sicily.  As usual, I made the recipe mine.

 
I sauteed 1/2 lb. of sweet Italian sausage meat in a little bit of butter until just cooked through. While 8 ounces of  pasta was boiling--in this case mostaccioli--I  added 1/2 cup heavy cream to the saute pan stirring to blend with  the sausage and cooking until slightly thickened. Next time I would add a bit more cream.  I then added a pinch of nutmeg and some salt and pepper.  After the pasta was drained, it went into the saute pan to be coated with the sauce.  Off heat, I tossed the pasta with 1/2 cup grated Parmesan.  To serve, I added a sprinkling of chopped parsley and a bit more grated cheese.

Spring Ahead

I am so ready for Spring. Aren't you? And, as much as I like hearty comfort food, I am getting tired of cooking and eating it.

For dinner tonight I was looking for something relatively quick, flavorful and a change from the normal routine.   I scouted the refrigerator and came up with a container of cremini mushrooms almost at the stage when they are just longing for a home; the end of a once vibrant bunch of parsley; and one lonely lemon.

Farro Salad with Roasted Mushooms and Parmesan sounded just perfect to me.

Carbonnades A La Flamande

It was one of those days.  You know the kind. You don't know what the day will bring, what the outcome will be or what time anyone would be home for dinner.  So I needed to prepare something ahead that would hold up well and reheat easily.

As luck would have it, I had a package of beef chuck languishing in the refrigerator begging to be used. And a search of the vegetable bin revealed two large Spanish onions and some garlic. Although there is the promise of Spring in the air, the temperatures are still in the 30's so a hearty braised beef dish for dinner sounded about right.

Carbonnades A La Flamande is a Belgian braise of  beef and onions.  Like most braised dishes it can be made ahead and reheated when you are ready to eat.

Onions are sauteed in olive oil for about ten minutes, some garlic is added along with salt and pepper.

Beef is browned. Salt, pepper, beer and a touch of brown sugar is added, then onions  go back into the casserole. Braise in oven or on top of the stove until fork tender.

Pasta Puttanesca

In their inimitable manner, our friends, T and J, texted from the road yesterday.

"What's for dinner?"

"Where are you?"

"We'll be home in two hours."

"Good.  What do you want for dinner?"

"Do you have pasta?"

"Of course.  See you at six."

I did a quick survey of the pantry and the refrigerator and determined  that pasta puttanesca would be perfect.

Out of all the stories of the origins of this spicy tomato sauce,  I like this legend the best. It is said that puttanesca sauce was originated in Naples by the ladies of the evening.  The ingredients were easy to keep on hand and very quick to cook. Thus, the ladies were able to get some sustenance between customers. Although the prostitutes probably did not invent this sauce, they sure made it popular.

This sauce is one of my favorites, and it cooks in the time it takes for the water for the pasta comes to a boil. While spaghetti seems to be the preferred pasta here, I had none so I used penne.  Nothing was lost in the translation.

After filming the bottom of a saucepan with olive oil, I dropped in 6 diced anchovy fillets.  Don't worry--the anchovies magically melt into the oil giving the sauce a lovely a depth of flavor. Then I pressed about 4 cloves of garlic into the oil and turned the heat to medium. When the anchovies began to melt and the garlic softened, I added a sprinkling of red pepper flakes, a pinch of salt and one and a half boxes of Pomi chopped tomatoes.  Actually, I gave the tomatoes a rough puree with my immersion blender before adding them to the pot.  After bringing the tomatoes to a simmer, I added about a half a cup of chopped Kalamata olives, 2 tablespoons capers and a handful of chopped parsley and cooked it for about 10 minutes.

After draining 1 pound of penne, I tossed most of the sauce with the pasta and sprinkled on some more chopped parsley.

I served additional sauce at the table for those who wanted more along with some grated Pecorino Romano cheese.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Wordless Wednesday--Fish Tales

World Nutella Day 2011

Did you know that today is the fifth anniversary of World Nutella Day?

Sara of Ms. Adventures in Italy, and Michelle of Bleeding Espresso, declare Saturday, February 5 "World Nutella Day  2011."  This is the day to celebrate Nutella--that wonderful concoction of chocolaty-hazel nutty goodness. 

Bake something using Nutella, eat it with a spoon right out of the jar, or write an ode to this sugary treat.

Whatever you choose to do today, do it with Nutella.

This recipe for Nutella Scones, from the book "Baked Explorations" by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito, came to me through Susan at Spoon and Shutter. What a great way to start the day!

Of course, I didn't follow the recipe exactly, but they were still good.

If you don't have the time or the inclination to make scones, try sandwiching two amarettini cookies together with a smear of Nutella.  They will do just fine.

What's In Season--Citrus

Just when we need a mid-winter boost the most, bright and happy citrus fruit is piled high in all its glory.  The produce aisle is shiny with jewels of every color--bright orange, yellow and green. Large navel oranges, tangerines, blood oranges, limes and clementines are enticing us to touch them and bring them home. And that large dose of Vitamin C can't hurt either.

Citrus adapts well to salads, main course dishes as well as dessert. A very versatile ingredient to be sure.

One of my favorite winter salads is this one composed of blood oranges, fennel and oil-cured black olives.  Add a drizzle of olive oil and a squirt of lemon juice and it's good to go.

And what could be more beautiful than a pitcher of blood orange juice?

A lime adds punch to a cup of turkey chili.

And lemon sits atop a piece of salmon ready to be wrapped up and roasted in the oven.  Or you might want to try Martha Stewart's version.

And for dessert,  Walnut-Orange Cake.

OK, winter, bring it on.

Comfort Me With Soup

"Do you have a kinder, more adaptable friend in the food world than soup?"
                        Miss Manners (a.k.a. Judith Martin)

It seems as if seasonal cold germs have taken up residence in our home.  John's cold is lingering into its third week, and mine came quickly and left quickly. But now it seems back to stay.  So what do we yearn for when we're sick?  Chicken Soup. Right?

Although I want the comfort and warmth of chicken soup, I don't particularly feel like doing all the work. So this recipe from Alice Waters by way of Serious Eats has become my go to chicken soup.  It's easy, it's comforting and it's flavorful.  What more could we want except for our damn colds to go away?

Did I mention that it is cold and sleeting outside?  Even more reason to have this soup for dinner.

Note:  I didn't use the parsnip nor the dill, as I had neither on hand.  This is good sprinkled with some grated Pecorino or Parmesan.

Back to Reality

After what seemed like weeks of holiday eating and drinking with total abandon, it was the right time to return to more healthy eating.

On the heels of three heavy snowstorms in rapid succession, I had no desire to go to the market.  You see, our local chain supermarket is in the midst of their annual can-can sale.  That coupled with the threat of snow sends everyone into the store to clog the aisles lest they be stranded with no milk, bread or canned tomatoes.

I came across this old recipe, and as I had everything on hand, it seemed to be the perfect dish for dinner.

Wordless Wednesday--Cotolette alla Milanese

Wordless Wednesday--A Few Of My Favorite Things