Baked Ziti

Dear Devon,

A few nights ago, my good friend and neighborhood buddy came over for a first look at the new place. I had the day off and decided to prepare what I thought would be an easy meal of baked ziti. But minutes before she arrived, I found myself standing over a steamy sink frantically scrubbing at tomato-sauce-encrusted pots. Tessa isn't the type of person to stand on ceremony. She came over in her after work clothes (something I fully support), but with a six-foot ladder standing in my living room and the tricky oven, a devastated kitchen was hardly how I wanted to greet her. Needless to say, our night was filled with gossip, hearty laughter, and of course, yummy food. Tessa was a particularly good sport, taking a large container of baked ziti home with her.

Cook's Illustrated is my favorite food publication. Its appearance in my mailbox draws my wide smile and excited giggle. Though I read the magazine cover to cover, I seldom cook any of the recipes. Perhaps after reading their extremely thorough discussion and how-to, I no longer feel the need to make the dish. With this magazine I am a passive observer, a culinary couch potato. But given how methodical the writers are, I assumed the recipes would be essentially foolproof. It was with this thought that I attempted their "baked ziti" recipe from issue 97 (March & April 2009).

The recipe seemed harmless enough. It asks for some unorthodox methods like substituting cottage cheese for ricotta, half cooking the ziti pasta, and making both a cream sauce and a tomato based sauce. Written out, there were only five steps. I had made baked zitis many times before, always with good results and minimal effort. How hard could this recipe be? Technically, the recipe was simple, but in terms of work, it was overload. The recipe should have come with a warning label: Do not attempt without 1) electric or manual dishwasher (meaning not you) 2) a mile of counter space 3) a dozen wooden stirring spoons and half as many pots, mixing bowls, or any large bowl shaped containers.

Attempting to make this in a New York sized kitchen is an absolute joke. My favorite instruction read: Off heat, stir in...Translation: move to the only empty burner not used in the last 10 minutes because every inch of counter space and table tops are occupied. While the results were pretty fantastic, I don't think my baked ziti in the past was that bad.

Though I found serious faults with the recipe, I do plan to use some of their suggestions. For instance, I like the substitution of cottage cheese for ricotta cheese. I liked seeing the large curds between the layers of pasta. In addition, using cottage cheese avoided that gluey texture of loose ricotta in baked pasta dishes, lasagna included. The use of two sauces was also a nice touch. The cream helped to subdue the sourness of the tomato. However, making separate sauces is a bit too much work. In the future, I'll add a bit of cream to the tomato sauce instead. I also liked their suggestion for half cooking the pasta. The idea is to allow the pasta to fully cook once incorporated with the sauce in the oven. The Cook's Illustrated recipe asks for diced mozzarella to be mixed in with the pasta. I forgot to add this extra cheese, but it didn't affect the taste and I'm not sure I will use it next time either.

Right off the bat, I made some significant changes to the recipe, and a few substitutions: I added spinach and mushrooms, and swapped flour for cornstarch, and 1% milk for cream. I forgot to buy both diced canned tomatoes and mozzarella, so I omitted them. I also reduced the amount of grated parmesan cheese.

I won't deny that the dish turned out well. True to the article's promise, it was highly flavorful and moist. The pasta was not overcooked, and it plumped up beautifully. But was it really worth all that effort? I'm not so sure. My plan is to try it again, keeping some of their ideas, but editing down the labor that went into this one.

Baked Ziti
from Cook's Illustrated March-April 2009
(paraphrasing the recipe with my added comments)

1 pound whole milk cottage cheese
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese (the recipe asks for 1 1/2 cups)
1 pound ziti
5 medium garlic cloves, smashed
1-28 oz can tomato sauce
1-14.5 oz can diced tomatoes (omit, if as in my case, you forget to buy this)
1 tbsp sugar
3/4 tsp flour (recipe asks for cornstarch)
1 cup milk (recipe asks for cream)
8 oz shredded mozzarella
1 box frozen spinach, defrosted and squeezed of excess water
8 oz mushroom, sliced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter 9 x 13 casserole dish.

Whisk cottage cheese, eggs, and parmesan cheese in a medium bowl. Mix in defrosted spinach and mushrooms. Set aside. In a Dutch oven, bring water to boil. Add in pasta and salt. When the pasta begins to soften, drain and set aside.

In another pot, heat oil and garlic over medium heat until fragrant. Stir in tomato sauce and sugar and simmer. (Note: cover the pot, or suffer the volcanic eruptions of thickening sauce.) Cook until thickened, about 10 minutes.

Stir cornstarch/flour into milk/heavy cream until dissolved. Transfer mixture to now empty Dutch oven and set over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook until thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. Off the heat, add ricotta mixture and 1 cup tomato sauce. Stir to combine. Add half cooked pasta. Stir to combine.

Pour pasta mixture into prepared pan. Spread remaining tomato sauce evenly over the pasta. Sprinkle with shredded mozzarella cheese. Cover baking dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking for 20 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling and nicely browned.

Cream Cheese and Pecan Cookies

Dear Michelle,

I am a big fan of Martha Stewart. That woman really has it together. Even when she got arrested, it wasn't your run of the mill celebrity law trouble- no DUI, no drugs, no spousal abuse; she was simply too together and ahead of the game, albeit in an illegal way. And then she went to jail! Practically unheard of! And no, Paris Hilton being in jail for, like, 5 hours doesn't count. Plus she can't make a cookie like Martha, nor I imagine do anything like the Queen of DIY can. Or really do anything useful at all.

But I digress- on to the cookies. Like so many happy culinary accidents, these cookies were discovered due to necessity. That is, the necessity of needing cookies and having walnuts and wanting to make cookies that involved them. I told Jeff that if he could find a good recipe online and we had everything necessary in the pantry, I'd make some cookies. That promise is always a good way to get things done around here.

Now, Jeff has a little bit of history with the Martha Stewart test kitchen, as he worked there for a little while during his temp days. He has some funny stories about Martha, and many good memories of tastings and getting sent home with food, a nice break from bachelor-eating. So when he found these on her website, I knew they'd be good. They looked, and were, pretty easy to make, and another plus is that one recipe makes several "logs" of cookies; I will bake one or two and leave the rest in the freezer. That is heaven for those days when you really want something sweet and buttery, but don't want to get everything out to make them, and measure and clean, or if you are having people over and need something easy and quick. They are perfect with tea (and I'd imagine with coffee too), and great for a pre-breakfast morning snack. Yes, I just said that. And I do not feel shame!

These have made so many fans in the short time I've been making them. A friend's husband has waxed poetic, my parents (and I) put a good dent in the holiday batches I made, and so many people have asked me for the recipe. I'm sure I'll return to my favorite cookies (oatmeal-chocolate-walnut-cranberry) at some point, but for now I cannot get enough of these.

They are basically a butter cookie, dressed up fancy, and with many variations. Cream cheese adds a little tartness and an unexpected flavor, while the rock salt and nuts add a savory note and keep the cookies from being too sweet. That, to me, is the key to a really good cookie, the kind you just can't stop eating; it can't be too sweet. I will often add some citrus as well, because it always goes so well with nuts, and of course with butter and sugar. While Martha rolls the logs of dough in finely chopped nuts, I like to use nuts mixed with a little more salt and raw sugar. I also prefer the cookies to be smaller, about 1- 1.5 inches each instead of 2-3 inches.

Cream Cheese and Pecan Cookies

Original recipe from the Martha Stewart website. Some changes have been made.

Notes:

I used mostly cake flour (500g), as I was out of all-purpose, and it worked just fine.
Make sure to use coarse salt! they will be way too salty otherwise. If you only have regular salt, I bet the correct measurement would be about 1/2 t. However, the crunchy salt is part of what makes these really good!

Martha calls for 6 oz cream cheese. Most packages come as 8oz, and I've forgotten that enough to know that it doesn't make that big of a difference in this recipe. Made with 6 oz instead, they are not quite as tart, and just a touch more tender. I also just realized that, this time, I only used half the butter! They are still good, but will of course be better as the recipe reads, so unless you are on a diet I'd not recommend skimping. I'd wondered why they weren't quite as tender! Also, sometimes I don't toast the nuts. It's a matter of preference, but I think they toast enough while baking. There was a note on the M.S. website that someone had tried these with macadamia nuts to great success.

4 c (500g) all-purpose flour
1 1/4 t coarse salt
2 c butter, softened
6-8 oz cream cheese
1 1/4 c sugar
3 T vanilla extract
3 c walnut or pecan halves, 2 c (toasted or not) broken, 1 c finely chopped
(zest of 1 citrus fruit)
1/2-1 c raw sugar
1t coarse salt (taste dough- if very salty, forgo this. If not enough, add a bit more here)



Whisk flour with salt. Cream butter together with cream cheese. This is easiest with an electric mixer of some sort; you want to mix it until light and fluffy, hard to do unless you're stronger than I.


Add sugar and cream again till light and fluffy- you'll notice when it starts to take on a different texture. Mix in vanilla. Add flour, and mix until just combined (sometimes I do this by hand). Mix in broken walnuts (2 c).


Rip approx. five one-ft lengths of wax paper or saran wrap. Scoop dough into rough logs about 1-1/2 inches in diameter- roll to smooth out. I find that using a silicon baking liner on the outside of the wax paper or saran wrap works really well for this. Freeze, or refrigerate for at least a half hour.



If frozen, let sit out for a few minutes to thaw the outside somewhat. Preheat oven to 350. Mix finely chopped nuts, raw sugar, and salt. Roll dough in this mixture, and cut every 1/3 of an inch. Lay out on silicone liner or parchment paper on baking sheets, spaced about 1 inch apart. Bake until golden around the edges, 15-20 m. Cool before eating: they're good right away, but the best flavor is achieved after they are fully cool. I like to put the leftover nut-sugar-salt mixture in the freezer with the saved cookie dough, for whenever I decide to make the remaining portions.

Taunt fiancee and friend with cookies that cannot be eaten till photographed. Enjoy!

Variety is the Spice of Life

Dear Devon,

The Korean Table: From Barbecue to Bibimbap 100 Easy-To-Prepare Recipes, by Debra Samuels and Taekyung Chung, is my latest inspiration. I am a big fan of Korean food with its numerous sauces, tiny dishes of spicy kimchi, and fragrant meats. But I always thought this was food I would order, not prepare in my own kitchen. Late night TV scanning found me watching a special on Korean food. The show demonstrated several easy recipes and convinced me that what I ate at the restaurant was not beyond my capacity. The next day, I ordered The Korean Table from NYPL.

I have been glued to its pages for weeks, taking the book to bed with me to read just before I turn out the lights. The photographs are nicely shot and the writing is very clear and thorough. I especially like the introductory section where the authors systematically explain the many ingredients often used in Korean cooking and where to find them (very useful for a novice). Korean food is based on several core sauces which are used in soups, dipping sauces, marinades, dressing, and pickling. Spending an afternoon mixing up a couple of these sauces will yield many tasty meals.


To start off, I chose what seemed to be the most frequently used sauce, a seasoned red pepper paste. I made a big batch and stored the leftovers in a glass jar in the fridge. From this one sauce, I prepared three small dishes: seasoned grilled eggplant, spicy steamed tofu, and grilled scallions.

I was really pleased with how the dishes turned out. I took two Japanese eggplants, sliced them on a bias, and grilled them. Grilling the eggplant gives it a nice smoky flavor, providing a dark contrast to the tangy and spicy red pepper sauce. Mixing in the sauce while the eggplant is still warm will help to deepen the flavor. Korean tofu is unique for its dense texture and intense bean flavor. I often prefer it to the watery, loose, and light tofu from Chinese cooking. I found an organic tofu at the local market that has many of the same qualities as the Korean stuff, and used it in my next dish. I steamed the tofu using a rice cooker while I prepared a soy sauce based dressing. I wanted to create several dishes that varied in flavor, texture, and spiciness. So, I chose a soy sauce based dressing. The sauce is sweeter and lighter than its red pepper counterpart. One of my all time favorites are long shoots of grilled scallions. They are sweet and moist, crunchy and with that wonderful onion spiciness. I didn't want to destroy the delicate flavor of the scallions, so I lightly drizzled a tsp of the red pepper paste over the softened shoots. The meal was completed with steamed white rice and a glass of wine, which I might add, did not go well with the meal: Next time I'll reach for a beer.


Seasoned Red Pepper Paste (from The Korean Table)
Makes approximately 2 cups
1/2 cup Korean coarse red pepper flake
1 cup Korean red pepper paste
4 tbsp garlic paste, to make this smash peeled garlic cloves in a mortar and pestle
1 tbsp grated ginger
3/4 tbsp oyster sauce
4 tbsp soy sauce
4 tbsp light brown sugar
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
(will last up to 2 months in the fridge)

In a large bowl, whisk together Korean red pepper flakes, Korean red pepper paste, garlic paste. grated ginger, oyster sauce, soy sauce, light brown sugar and lemon juice. Transfer to a jar and store in the fridge. Use as needed. Surprisingly, the paste isn't as spicy as it sounds. I suggest tasting it before mixing into any of the sauces. As always, adjust the spiciness to your desired level.

Grilled Eggplant
2 Japanese eggplant, sliced
3/4 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 1/2 tbsp seasoned red pepper paste
1 tbsp olive oil

Heat up a large grill pan. Lightly oil. Slice eggplant on a bias. Lay flat on the grill and leave undisturbed to cook. Flip only once to preserve sharp grill lines. The combined cooking time should be 12-15 minutes. Whisk together sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, brown sugar, seasoned red pepper paste (from above), and olive oil. Taste and adjust according to your desired level of spiciness. I tend to think sesame oil is a bit overpowering, so I reduced the amount. Add in grilled eggplant, still hot, and toss to evenly coat each slice.


Steamed Tofu
1 pound of firm tofu
2 tbsp brown sugar
4 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp grated ginger
1 tsp red pepper paste
dash sesame seeds
1 scallion, chopped

Over a large pot of boiling water or with a rice cooker, steam a large block of firm tofu. Whisk together brown sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, red pepper flakes, 1/2 tsp rated ginger, and 1 tsp red pepper paste. Add a dash of roasted sesame seeds and one chopped scallion. Toss in steamed tofu to evenly coat.

Grilled Scallions
3 scallions

Clean scallions. Remove the roots and the dark green parts. Brush with a bit of corn oil. Heat grill pan. When pan is nice and hot, lay down scallions. Cook until nicely browned, about 5 minutes. Drizzle with 1/2 tsp seasoned red pepper paste.

One For You, One For Me Pear Apple Crisps

Dear Devon,

The best pear I ever ate was in Italy. It weighed over a kilo and was about a foot long. I've never had one quite as good. I seldom eat pears. It's not that I don't like them. In fact, it's the exact opposite, I love them. But I've been disappointed by the mealy, tasteless ones so often that I don't eat them anymore. So when a friend told me about the wonderful pear he ate at lunch, I had some reservations. I decided to go to the exact same store and buy a pear to see for myself. What can I say? He was right. The juice running down my chin was a surefire indication that this was not any old pear. Since that afternoon, I've had pears on the mind. My pear apple crisp is the product of these daydreams.

Though the pears were delicious on their own, I added apples, to give the dessert some interesting texture and a variety of flavors. I am using Golden Delicious for its subtle sweetness and sustained crunchiness even after baking. I spoon the prepared fruit into four 5-inch white fluted ramekins. I like the idea of serving each guest their own pear apple crisp. But, later discovered that the portions were a bit hefty. His and Hers became a 2 for 1 deal. No matter, the remaining desserts will store nicely in the fridge for a quick dessert some other night this week.

I am using a relatively basic crumb topping: butter, flour, brown sugar, rolled oats. Two noticeable changes include a dash of cayenne pepper for a spicy surprise and a hefty 1/2 tsp of salt. Desserts need a bit of savory to calm the sweet. The natural sweetness of the fruits and the spicy cayenne stand up to the extra salt. If you are adverse to over-salted food, reduce to a 1/4 tsp of salt.
Pear Apple Crisp

3 Golden Delicious Apples
3 Bosch Pears
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup sliced almonds

Topping
4 oz cold butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp kosher salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter ramekins or large ceramic pan. Transfer to a foil-lined baking sheet. Set aside.

For the filling: Fill a large bowl with ice cubes, water, and lemon juice. Peel, core, and slice apples and pears. Place sliced fruit into lemon water to prevent oxidation. Remove fruit from acidic water. Put fruit into a large bowl, sprinkle with sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Toss until all the fruit is coated. Divide into the ceramic containers or pour into large baking dish. Sprinkle with sliced almonds. Set aside while you prepare the topping.

For the topping: Place flour, rolled oats, brown sugar, cayenne pepper, and salt in a large bowl. Cut butter into cubes. With your fingers, crumble the butter into the flour mixture. Continue to rub the butter into the flour until the mixture forms clumps the size of small peas. This can be easily done with a stand mixer. I don't have one, too heavy and no storage space. Sprinkle the topping over the fruit. Don't push down.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until topping is browned and filling is bubbling. It goes nicely with ice cream.

Store any leftovers in the fridge for up to a week covered in plastic wrap. Reheat in the oven at 350 degrees until warmed through 10 - 15 minutes.

Grilled Hanger Steak

Dear Devon,

Do you ever get those nights when you just don't feel like cooking? I know, I have a food blog! How can that happen? Well, it does. A few nights ago, I just wasn't in the mood to dig through the fridge and think of something to eat. In these situations, I try to have something easy on hand like salad, frozen pizza, and if I'm really not feeling it - cereal. I managed to scrape myself off the couch to rummage through the fridge. Luckily, I had this beautiful hanger steak just waiting for some heat. I whipped out my brand new grill pan and grabbed some salt. Once the stove fired up, inspiration came knocking at my door.

The grill pan is my newest acquisition from Bloomies. It's dangerous working within walking distance of that store. I often find myself wandering through the incredible Home Department, drooling over the knives, the rainbow of Le Creuset, assortment of French Presses, and various displays of kitchen gadgetry. Beware, casual browser- it's hard to escape without a Big Brown Bag. I'm not an experienced griller, but I think I have it figured out. Raw meat, meet grill pan.

With the steak on the grill, I fished around in the fridge for some fixings. I grabbed a yellow onion and a red bell pepper. A few quick chops later, they joined the steak. Soon the kitchen and living room were filled with the intense smell of cooking. For a quick sauce, I smashed a clove of garlic with a mortar and pestle, added a squeeze of lime juice, olive oil, and lots of chopped parsley. The makeshift chimichurri sauce was a great addition.

Photographic documentation not a priority for a certain someone. I can't blame him. The meat was succulent with the slightly sweet flavor of beef, but without that tough, my-jaw-is-being-exercised feeling that this cut of meat can produce. Nicely striped with black grill marks, the red peppers burst with flavor and the soft onions practically melted in my mouth. The raw garlic and peppery parsley were a fantastic last minute addition, brightening the dark flavors of the meat.

The lazy cook's dinner ended up like a big night out.


Grilled Hanger Steak
1 piece hanger steak
1 red bell pepper
1 small onion
lime
salt
pepper
1 clove of garlic
parsley
olive oil

Heat a large grill pan on the stove top. Drizzle hot grill pan with 2 tablespoons olive oil.

Salt meat on one side. Place meat salt side down on hot grill. Salt the top side and sprinkle with lime juice from half a lime. Cook over medium high heat for about 5 minutes before flipping over for another 5-8 minutes. Keep the meat on the heat until your desired level of doneness. I like my meat medium rare, so a total cooking time of 10-15 minutes works well. Flip the meat over only once to get those beautiful grill marks. Cut an onion, lengthwise, into eighths. Slice up a bell pepper. Place on the hot grill. Remove the meat before slicing. This will allow the meat to rest and keep its wonderful juices.

For chimichurri sauce: crush one clove of garlic in the mortar and pestle with pinch of Kosher salt until it forms a paste. Add the juice of half a lime and 3 tbsp of olive oil. Whisk to combine. Mix in 1/3 cup roughly chopped parsley. The sauce should be fragrant and thick. For some nice heat, add a pinch of red pepper flakes. Serve over the sliced meat.

Venison Stew

Dear Devon,

I apologize for my long silence. And to my downstairs neighbors, I apologize for the resounding bass reverberating through your ceiling. THE PIANO IS HERE!! I haven't done much in the kitchen since its arrival. The move was full of excitement. Picture three unimposing men carrying a 45 inch piano up a narrow staircase. Turns out moving a piano is just like dragging your groceries upstairs - step by step - only a lot slower.

Though my bedroom is chaos, my kitchen is almost perfect (minus the Viking range and dishwasher). Sigh, a girl can dream. The kitchen is equipped with the most anxious smoke detector. Let’s call it the Woody Allen of smoke detectors. Preheating the oven causes general panic; a robust voice booms "fire fire" in 15 second intervals. There is no exhaust fan. I've resorted to propping the front door open with my shoe. I can't stand the heavy smell of oil that lingers in the air after cooking. It soaks into fabrics and into your hair. Febreeze might be the only solution.

Into this kitchen, enters a nice piece of venison. My experience with venison is limited. I've only eaten it three or four times. It's a rarity where I grew up, but I'm starting to hear a lot more about it. The shoulder came frozen and dated courtesy of a friend, who suggested that I prepare it in a stew. I was shocked by how lean the meat was. There were no traces or suggestions of fat. As for the color, it was a shocking dark red. I had never seen meat this shade of dark violet red, almost purple.

I read through a bunch of cookbooks, but no one really had a venison specific recipe. Because I wasn't sure what to expect, I conflated two recipes for beef stew from the Joy of Cooking and Mastering the Art of French Cooking. You know the one that tells you to marinate the meat in a bottle of red wine for eight hours? That's what I chose. I had this bottle of red wine, a Malbec from Argentina, that I received as a present this Christmas. I'm not in the habit of buying wine to bathe meat, so it seemed natural to use this bottle. Because the meat was so lean, I added sausage and bacon for tasty and needed fat. I perfumed the stew with lots of wonderful flavors like garlic, bay leaf, and onions. Black eyed peas and a bag of frozen green peas tossed in the last half hour of cooking added to this flavorful and rich stew.

In total, it takes three days to prepare. I marinate the meat along with carrots and garlic in red wine for 24 hours. The meat emerges almost black and completely wine soaked. The next evening, after finishing my dinner, I begin the cooking process. The stew simmers on the stove for 2 hours. Originally, I wanted to use the oven, but given my problems with the smoke detector, I used the stove top. The upside to the oven is the stew will basically cook itself. The stovetop requires some babysitting. When the meat is fork tender, I turned off the flame and let it cool. I want the stew to rest and to encourage all those wonderful flavors to marry and get richer. Thirty minutes before serving, I reheat the stew on the oven and add the frozen peas and the beans. I serve it on top of starchy egg noodles in wide bowls. I leave a big bowl of chopped parsley on the side for garnish.

The stew is warm, rich, and wonderfully flavorful. The bold wine is perfect for the meat, giving it a nice dark flavor, but without that overwhelming winey taste. The bacon completely melts, marking its presence through the smoky and salty undertones of the stew. Using spicy sausage gives the stew more body and makes a nice contrast to the fork tender venison. I love the addition of the peas. Cooked so they just retain their perky sweetness, each bite is like a bright spark of flavor. I'm in love the stewed carrots. They taste amazing, almost better than the venison. Sweet, soft and succulent, the carrots maintain their shape and absorb all the rich flavors, while still keeping their distinct sweetness. My mother always serves stews over egg noodles, so it is only natural I use them here. Egg noodles provide the perfect backdrop to rich food. They absorb all the bold juices without interfering with the intricately composed main course.

Venison Stew
serves six comfortably

1 1/2 pounds of venison, cubed into 2-inch pieces
2 sausages, sliced
1 onion, cut into wedges
2 carrots, sliced
4 cloves of garlic
1 bottle of red wine
1 bay leaf
2 slices of bacon, chopped
1 cup of cooked beans
1 package frozen green peas
1 cup chicken broth
1 tbsp flour

Cube venison into 2 inch chunks. Peel and cut carrots, roughly the same size as the venison cubes. Crush four cloves of garlic. In a large bowl, mix together venison, carrots, and garlic. Pour in one bottle of red wine or enough to cover the meat. Stir to combine and coat the meat. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate in fridge for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours. (I marinated for 24 hours). Every few hours, give the marinade a mix.

Drain the meat and pat dry. Strain the marinade and reserve it and the vegetables separately. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cook chopped bacon. Remove crispy bacon from Dutch oven. Drain off excess oil, leaving about 2 tablespoons of bacon fat. Cook sausages until nicely browned and crispy. Remove and set aside. Brown venison on all sides. You might want to do this in batches to avoid overcrowding. Remove and set aside. Add onions, gently cooking until translucent. Stir in vegetables from marinade and flour. When veggies have nicely browned, add bacon, sausage and venison. Add one bay leaf. Pour in wine marinade and chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cook, covered, until the meat is fork-tender, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Salt and pepper as needed. At this stage, I let the stew cool and rest. The other advantage to preparing the stew a day in advance is that it allows the fat to rise to the top and harden, making it easy to skim off. However, this stew had very little fat, so there wasn't much to skim off.

Thirty minutes or so before serving, reheat the stew. Stir in pre-cooked black eyed peas and one bag of frozen peas. Simmer with the lid on until ready to serve.

In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook one large bag of egg noodles.

Tuck into rich, hearty venison stew over a steamy bowl of egg noodles topped with fresh parsley.

Penne Risotto with Beef Short Rib

Dear Michelle,

I wonder why it is that twice now, when I'd like to relate to you a recipe by Patricia Wells, it will end up being a short post? An hour must be sufficient for me to write this, as I'll soon be on my way to meet my mother at noon, but this must be shared! I've already told you how I feel about Wells, so I'll not go into that again. Suffice to say that the following recipe for penne risotto is one of my favorites, not just of her recipes but of meals to make in general, and like regular risotto, it can be varied infinite ways.


The impetus for this came from a half-pound of beef short rib Jeff brought home from our favorite neighborhood butcher. As you know, there's not too much you can do with a half-pound of short rib; it's a bit like having 3 pieces of bacon, that is to say, delicious but not a whole lot of meat. However, when faced with that bit of discouraging information regarding his meant-to-be-exciting-surprise-purchase, he accessed his talent for coming up with terrific meals to suggest penne risotto, a favorite of his we'd not had in a while.

The basic idea of penne risotto is that of regular risotto. You toast the pasta in oil, add seasonings, then add broth slowly. The result is tender, perfectly al-dente pasta that is coated in rich, flavorful, almost silky sauce. This goes well with so many things: roasted vegetables in the summer, artichoke hearts, asparagus; the variations are endless. This time, it went perfectly with short rib. I'd cooked the short rib simply in white wine, herbes de Provence, onion and carrot, then shredded it and added the liquid, vegetables, and meat to the chicken stock I'd bought (chicken because it's a little lighter, but one could certainly use beef, or even vegetable stock), then added the meat and veggies when I was almost through adding stock. Now, I might go buy a half-pound of shortrib just for this! It was the perfect amount of meat (plus a half-pound is pretty cheap), and the additional carrots I added towards the end balanced it out well.



Penne Risotto with Beef Shortrib

Penne risotto recipe is from Patricia Wells at Home in Provence, pg 144-145. The below recipe is hers (as always, paraphrased by me. Seems wrong to copy word for word), with my notes in parentheses.

About 2 1/2 quarts stock
1lb dried Italian tubular pasta (works with any pasta; orzo is especially nice)
1/2 c extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 t fine sea salt
4 T tomato paste
2 T finely chopped rosemary leaves (I used dry herbes de Provence, sometimes rosemary, sometimes thyme when I have fresh; let this be dictated by what else you are adding, what you have, and how you feel)
1/4 t crushed dried red pepper (I sometimes omit)
2 t good red wine vinegar
1/2 c grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (or another good, dry, hard cheese, finely grated)

Heat stock till barely simmering (here, I added short rib liquid and guessed as to how much. It was fine. If you run out of liquid just heat more up. Directions for cooking short rib below). In a large skillet (LARGE- otherwise there will be overflow. Trust me), heat oil over moderately high heat. When hot but not smoking, add the pasta, stirring till until it begins to brown lightly.



Season with salt and add tomato paste and rosemary, stirring constantly until pasta is evenly coated with sauce (allowing the tomato paste to brown lightly as well will add a very rich flavor). Slowly add a ladelful of stock, stirring until most of the liquid is absorbed. Turn heat to medium; you want to maintain a simmer. Pasta should cook slowly. Just before it looks dry, add another ladeful of stock. Continue until pasta is tender. It will feel springy to the touch, and have just a little bit of resistance when bitten. (I added additional diced carrot about halfway through. Here's where I would add any vegetable, except those roasting in the oven, which I would stir in with about 5 minutes to go. How do I know when that is? The pasta is almost done, a little too hard to the bite; one more ladelful will do it. This is also the time at which I added the short rib meat). Add vinegar and additional seasoning to taste. (the vinegar helps to balance the richness. It makes a huge difference!). Stir in half the cheese. Serve in warmed bowls or dishes, sprinkling on the rest of the cheese. (Reheats very well- so much better than buying lunch out!)

Short Rib

We think of beef as traditionally cooked in red wine, but I wanted something a little lighter for this. There is a French dish called Provencal daube in which it is cooked in white wine, so I figured that would work out fine. And it did. Maybe I'll try making the daube sometime soon, before it gets warm out.

1/2 lb short rib
white wine
herbs
1 carrot
1 onion

Brown short rib in skillet. Set aside.
Dice and saute one half onion (or whole small onion) and one carrot.



Put beef, and juices, in a container small enough that you don't need to add the whole bottle of wine to cover, or almost cover, the meat. I only had a bowl that was a little too small (or way too large), so the beef wasn't quite covered. I kept turning it. It was fine. Add veggies, a sprinkling of herbs, salt and pepper, and wine to cover (or almost).


Cook at 200F for a few hours, until it starts to fall apart.

(Some notes paraphrased from the nerdy cook's favorite book, One Food and Cooking by Harold McGee: Pieces of meat like short rib are naturally tough because of the presence of connective tissue. Braising will make them tender and succulent. The connective tissue will turn into gelatin [what makes the meat succulent] at 160-180F. So, once meat is browned for flavor, cook at a gentle, low heat for best results. That is also why I do not preheat the oven here, which is fine if you have plenty of time)

A Fish By Any Other Name

Dear Devon

I have a sleek and shimmering branzino on my cutting board. I am going to roast it whole at 500 degrees for a crispy, charred skin. Delicious!!

I love fish. Whenever fish appears on the menu, I resolutely snap it shut and look for the server. Everyone at the table knows what I'm eating. My first time in Germany (I was 15), I ordered a roasted fish. The entire fish, head and all, came out. With a few deft cuts and movements, my dad showed me how to filet a fish. I have never looked back. It stands out as one of my better meals.

For years, I drooled over recipes for roast fish, but I didn't have the nerve to try it for myself. What finally brushed away my insecurities? I don't know, but what a mistake to have let that time pass. Roasting must be the easiest way to prepare fish. None of that fishy smell, no hot oil spills, and quick, easy clean up. When selecting fish, I look for a few things: clean, bright skin, clear eyes, and the absence of a fishy smell. I always ask the fishmonger to gut it for me. I once saw my grandmother gut and clean a fish. It takes both skill and a strong stomach. I was surprised at her skill, but I don't feel the need to perfect that technique.


I like to roast branzino or trout, seasoned with salt, pepper, and fennel, and stuffed with fresh herbs like dill, parsley, or thyme. The subtle flavor of the fish with a trace of herbs really sings. A sprinkle of lemon juice and a splash of olive oil enhances the soft sweetness of the fish. Some people choose not to eat the crackly charred skin. I find it one of the better parts. It imparts a wonderful salty and slight fishy taste to the flaky meat. It's quite possibly the most wonderful meal. I serve it with a generous helping of spinach sauteed in garlic with a pinch of chili flakes. A crisp white wine adds the perfect note.



Here's an interesting side note: Branzino is actually part of the sea bass family. In Europe, it is sometimes called sea perch. It has been on dining tables since Roman times!!


Whole Roasted Branzino
serves 1 hungry person or 2 moderate eaters

1 beautiful branzino, roughly 1 to 2 pounds
1 teaspoon, sea salt
1 tsp white peppercorns
1 tsp fennel
10 sprigs parsley
5 sprigs dill
1 lemon, cut into wedges
olive oil (optional)

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil. Set aside.

Roughly grind the salt, peppercorns, and fennel with the mortar and pestle. Don't pulverize the mixture. You should be able to see pieces of each ingredient.

Remove fish from wrappings. Rinse under cold water, inside and out. Pat dry with paper towels. Using a sharp knife, cut three slashes in each side of the fish. Rub the fish all over inside and out with the salt / pepper mixture. Make sure to get some flavoring into the slashes. Stuff the inside with the herbs. Carefully place the fish on the prepared baking sheet.

Roast in the oven, undisturbed, until the meat is translucent right down to the bone and flaky, about 8 to 12 minutes. The Joy of Cooking recommends 8 minutes per inch of thickness. To get that wonderful blackened skin, turn the broiler on at the last moment until the skin reaches your level of crispness. Every broiler is different, so I am hesitant to give a time. For instance, my mother's super high-power oven can broil something to the point of charcoal in 30 seconds, while my broiler can take 5 minutes. Use your best judgment.

Serve with a sprinkle of lemon juice and generous glug of olive oil.

Pasta Fagioli

Dear Devon,

I have way too much stuff! Over the past two weeks, I have gradually and awkwardly schlepped my books, furniture, cooking implements, clothes, and random junk into my new apartment. The move is nearing its final stages. Only the piano remains. I'm not foolhardy enough to try moving that by myself. Fear and a flight of stairs quickly extinguished thrift.

Given my increased level of physical exertion, I turned to black eyed peas as a good source of nutrients. I intended to cook enough for two or three servings, but accidentally dumped the entire one-pound bag into the pot. C’est la vie! My folly is your windfall, as you will discover the charms and versatility of the black eyed pea!

There is a lot written about how to cook dried beans. After trying various methods, I still don’t know which is the best. Here’s what I did:
Fill a large pot with water. Add one pound black eyed peas. Throw in a bay leaf. Gradually bring to a boil. Simmer on low heat for 1 ½ to 2 hours, or until the beans are tender. Drain and cool. Store in large containers.

Beans = pasta fagioli. The recipe is flexible and works with practically any type of bean: white beans, kidney beans, and even lentils. Use whatever greens you have in the fridge. I prepare this with kale, broccoli rabe, spinach, and sometimes beet tops. Canned beans can be substituted for quicker and easier cooking. My pasta of choice is large shells. I love the surprise of the smooth, salty bean nestled in the starchy shell. I haven't had time to stock up the pantry, so this time I used penne. It is a good substitute and a staple in my cupboard.


I had never used black eyed peas in this recipe before. I was surprised at the texture of the bean, which was a bit denser, not as smooth as the white beans I had used in the past. I needed a green that could easily balance the heartier texture of the black eyed pea. Kale, with its slight tang and darker flavoring, seemed like a good counterpart. I found that purple kale worked even better than green in this instance, making the dish more vibrant both in color and flavor. I finished it off with a dash of red chili flakes and a pat of butter for richness.

Definitely add this to your list of standing recipes. It is too yummy to set aside. Forkfuls of beans, pasta, and kale coated with a garlic, butter, and chili flake...is there anything better?

Pasta Fagioli
Serves 4

1 strip of bacon, chopped
2 shallots, sliced
2 cloves of garlic, smashed and sliced
half bunch of kale
½ cup chicken broth or water
pinch of red chili flake
1 cup black eyed peas, pre-cooked
pasta (preferably shells)
1 tbsp butter

Bring to boil one large pot of salted water. Add enough pasta for four servings.

In a large sauté pan, cook bacon. Drain off all but 1 tbsp of fat and add a tablespoon of oil. Roughly chop shallots. Smash garlic cloves and chop. Add onions and garlic to hot oil. Gently sauté over medium heat until slightly translucent. Wash kale thoroughly--I often find pockets of dirt and encrusted mud on the leaves. Remove the thick, fibrous stalk. Chop into nice 1 ½ inch pieces. Add to the sauté pan. When the kale heats through, about 5 minutes, pour in chicken broth. Cook over medium low heat for about 10 minutes. Salt and throw in a pinch of chili flake. Mix in cooked black eyed peas. Cook until beans are heated through. Toss in cooked pasta. Taste for salt. Finish with butter.

Aunt Lynaire's Scottish Scones: Blood Orange and Pecan, and Lime Cranberry

Dear Michelle,

I'll admit, I was trying to be cute. Knowing me as you do, you might guess how I feel about Valentine's Day, and so it would come as a surprise to you that yesterday morning found me making blood orange and pecan scones. My humbuggery had a karmic backlash, however, and turned the scones blue.

You can't see it too well from the photo, but the scone was as blue as blueberry pancakes (the dark in the middle is chocolate). I was being lazy; we'd gone out already that day (Jeff got me some more of that amazing salami and some bulk Valrhona chocolate for Valentines day. I'm more opposed to the holiday in theory than I am in practice, especially when I get presents like this), and we'd forgotten the buttermilk. That was the first in a chain of possibly avoidable reasons that my should-have-been-pink scones ended up blue.


I'd read about making sour milk to replace buttermilk. In fact, the original recipe for these scones calls for it. To make sour milk, you put 1t-1T of vinegar into 1c of milk, and let sit for 5-15 minutes. I used Trader Joe's Orange Champagne Muscat vinegar, one of my favorites, thinking that the orange flavor could only improve the final product. Turns out I was wrong; I knew this vinegar was not as acid as most, and that ended up being my first big mistake. My next was using the resulting milk even though it had not visibly curdled. The dough was gooier than usual, but I forged ahead anyway, and then was surprised to see blue-green lumps on my cookie sheet instead of pretty pink scones. If you don't care about the why and want to get on with your life, skip the next paragraph.


Now, I've made blood orange scones before, and they were pink, and pretty, and delicious. In fact, this is the only time my scones have gone wrong. The latent science nerd that I am, I figured that it must have been a pH thing, but my first couple of Google searches produced nothing. So I dug the remains of the blood orange out of the trash, squeezed a few remaining drops of juice into two glasses, and proceeded to test my theory. I added a little bit of baking soda to one glass, and sure enough, it turned blue. Then I added some vinegar (not the champagne muscat) to the other glass, and it turned redder. Since my previous blood orange scones have not been blue, I figured that the acid protects the color, and if the dough remains acid enough the color will be pink. I added some baking soda to the acid glass, and it took a whole lot more to turn it. Further Google research revealed that the anti-oxidant compound (which is really, really good for you) that makes blood oranges red is also in blueberries, red grapes, acai berries, and red cabbage. Remember using red cabbage to test for PH in high school science class? Apparently they'll all work.


So, the moral of all that is to not be lazy and go out and buy buttermilk. Or, if you sour fresh milk to substitute, use high-acid vinegar or lemon juice and wait till it curdles. Even if you are not making the scones with anything that might turn into a less-than-appetizing color, they will have that baking soda taste if there's not enough acid.

Now, onto the scones, original recipe, and my good fortune to have it. From the time I was about 2 years old till the summer I turned 22, my extended family on my father's side would all get together at Lake Tahoe for a week each July.

From the deck, taken sometime during my college years

These vacations were truly idyllic, even in my teenage years. An only child, I was thrilled to spend time around my cousins, whose company I enjoy even more now as an adult. We'd sun on the pier, jump into the lake and come up gasping from cold, fish for crawdads, watch movies, and double in laughter as our fathers ran down the stairs in their underwear to "protect" the cabin from the bears smashing up the trash cans ( I mean, what were they going to do about it?). The best part, though, were the mornings and the evenings.


Taken with a Holga camera, also sometime during my college years

We the third generation all slept in the living room, in sleeping bags and on couches. In the morning, sun would hit the lake and the reflected light shimmered on the ceiling of our makeshift bedroom. The sound of geese or the smell of coffee from the first awake adult would compete with the heat and light to wake us. We'd crawl out, one by one, bleary eyed, to see what we were getting for breakfast. My Aunt Lynaire, a warm smiling woman who is always ready with a hug, is an ace cook. Both of my aunts are, and my mother too; we are a family that values a good meal, and I learned so much watching them all in the kitchen those summers. Waffles and scones were Lynaire's domain, and those were things I never got at home (we had a waffle iron once, but I'm pretty sure my father broke it somehow), and so were very exciting. She would make two or three kinds of scones, and we'd fall upon them like a pack of starved dogs. They were hearty, fluffy, crispy and moist, steaming from the oven and made for slathering with butter and jam. There were never any leftovers.

Sometime after our summers had been discontinued due to the difficulty of getting my grandparents up there, I asked Aunt Lynaire for her recipe, which quickly became a favorite in our small household of two. I couldn't count how many people have been converted by this recipe to scone lovers; it makes me so sad when people say they don't like scones, because I'm sure they've only tasted the Starbuck's version, and nothing like these before. Saying you hate scones is a surefire way to get invited to brunch. In anticipation of sharing these with you, I asked her recently if she minded. She said of course not, but that she'd made some changes to the recipe, which I will share as well.


Aunt Lynaire's Scottish Scones

original recipe from Breakfast in Bed Cookbook: The Best B and B Recipes from Northern California to British Columbia by Carol Frieberg. Some changes have been made. See Lynaire's notes below for additional instruction.


1 c cake flour
1 c all-purpose flour
2 T sugar
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1/4 c cold butter
1/2 c dried fruit, soaked in hot water for 15m, then drained
Zest of 1 citrus fruit (optional)
1/2-3/4 c walnuts or pecans, chopped or broken
3/4 + 2T buttermilk (can also substitute orange juice for 2T)

Preheat oven to 400. Sift dry ingredients. Cut butter into dry ingredients till it forms a fine-crumb texture. Add plumped fruit, or whatever, and mix together. Make a well in the mixture and add liquids, mixing lightly with a fork just until a soft dough is formed. Turn onto lightly floured surface and knead gently, turning only two or three times. Place dough onto lightly greased cookie sheet and pat into a circle, until about 1/2-3/4 inch thick at the edge. Score with a knife into six pieces. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve hot with lots of butter and preserves.


Notes:

I like the following combinations:

lime and dried cranberry or cherry
lemon poppyseed
orange walnut/pecan
blueberry

Really, any combination of citrus and nuts is really good. I've not tried dried fruits like apricots or mangos, but I bet they'd be good too. If I don't have enough nuts to mix in, I'll chop them finely and mix with sugar, then roll the scones in those before baking, the result of which is a crispy crust. I tend to make six smaller scones instead of one large, and I bake them on a silicon sheet liner, which works very well. I do not sift before measuring, but do spoon flour into the measuring cup and level it. I've used all all-purpose before, to no ill-effect; they are just not as light. The blood orange I used here was oozing oil after I zested it, so I put it in a bowl with sugar, and then used that in the scones as well. I tried a little of the sugar in my tea, though I don't usually go for sugar in my tea, and it had a wonderful flavor. The rest of the sugar is in the refrigerator.


Below is the current version of the recipe my Aunt Lynaire uses, directly copied from an email she sent me. I've not tried it yet, but I know that it will be good.

"Sift together 1 C. cake flour, 1 C. all-purpose flour, 3T. sugar, 1/2 t. baking soda, and 1/2 t. salt. By the way, if you are not in too big of a hurry, I get the best results if I sift these ingredients 3 times. Cut in 1/4 C. firm butter (not too cold) until you have those little pea-sized blobs you always read about. At this point you can add huckleberries (my favorite), nuts, blueberries, whatever. For what it is worth, frozen berries work best - they don't explode all over the place and make soggy spots in the scones. If you have the fresh berries and you don't want to worry with freezing them, then just top the scones with the berries - don't mix them into the batter. Finally, make a well in the flour mixture and add 3/4 C. buttermilk. I usually substitute a couple tablespoons of orange juice (my preference with berries) for the buttermilk. Mix it all quickly with a fork. You do NOT want a smooth batter, as a matter of fact, you may need to add another tablespoon of buttermilk or orange juice to the batter if it won't stick together. It should look very rough - but dump it all onto a very-lightly floured counter and - with floured hands - quickly knead the mess together. No more than 4 or 5 turns. Plop onto a baking sheet (I have the non-stick kind Grandma Banks gave to your mother (Aunt Kim, too?), and me many years ago), and sprinkle with a little course sugar and cinnamon. Or don't. Bake at (my oven thermometer is off, so I guess here) 400 degrees for about 15-20 minutes. This is all guess work here, Devon. I just wait until it is a deep golden brown. The outside is crunchy and the inside is a nice delicate crumb. Uncle Fred and Tom eat the scones with some of my peach-orange marmalade (tasty) or just slathered with butter (my preference in the good old days)."


Enjoy!

Yours truly, age 4, at the lake. I wonder what I was protesting?