Autumn is in the air. This week is a bit cooler than last, and there is a soft gentle chill at the top of the morning and again at dusk. As the weather changes so do my culinary needs. I was at a friend’s house for lunch and I fell in love with her flatware. That may sound a bit weird to some people, but its how my mind works. If ever they need someone at Martha Stewart who can hunt down unusual items for photo shoots, I would be well qualified for the job. Having only glanced at the flatware, I knew I needed to find the source. The lovely shades of brown in the handles would be just perfect for a fall table setting. Like I said, I know its odd, but after waking up at 6AM and spending several hours on the computer searching, I finally found what I was looking for.
Last night we had friends over for dinner al fresco. As per my husband request I tried to reduce my work level in the kitchen by buying pre-marinated steak. It was actually a great help because it allowed me to fuss a bit more over the appetizers and table setting. Before the evening started I threw together a grilled fig with Gorgonzola plate, a Bruschetta, a goat cheese and arugula quesada and a cheese plate. It all worked out well. So relaxing it was to sit and sip wine under the stars on a cool crisp evening.
Our guests brought a wonderful bottle of “Super Tuscan” wine. So, this morning I feel left with the challenge of cooking something to go well with the Le Serre Nuove 2004. I found an old recipe for Chicken with Pomegranates that I might try….
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Monday, September 10, 2007
Jumbo Shrimp with Harissa or Citrus marinade, grilled
Serves 2
1 total pound of jumbo shrimp, shelled and de veined
Hot and spicy shrimp-
I marinate ½ of the shrimp in
2 Teaspoons of Harissa sauce- (you may buy store bought or make your own, Harissa is a sauce from the area of Morocco/Turkey. I often make my own but I have bought jars of it as well. You can find it at both sur la table and on amazon)
Citrus Marinade
I marinate the other ½ of the shrimp in
1 teaspoon olive oil
Zest of 1 orange plus 2 teaspoons of the orange juice
1/8 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
Pinch of freshly ground pepper
1 clove of garlic minced
1 teaspoon of fresh basil, torn to small pieces or lightly chopped
Heat grill to med or med high heat. Grill both shrimps for 2-3 minutes per side.
1 total pound of jumbo shrimp, shelled and de veined
Hot and spicy shrimp-
I marinate ½ of the shrimp in
2 Teaspoons of Harissa sauce- (you may buy store bought or make your own, Harissa is a sauce from the area of Morocco/Turkey. I often make my own but I have bought jars of it as well. You can find it at both sur la table and on amazon)
Citrus Marinade
I marinate the other ½ of the shrimp in
1 teaspoon olive oil
Zest of 1 orange plus 2 teaspoons of the orange juice
1/8 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
Pinch of freshly ground pepper
1 clove of garlic minced
1 teaspoon of fresh basil, torn to small pieces or lightly chopped
Heat grill to med or med high heat. Grill both shrimps for 2-3 minutes per side.
Back to school pie
This past weekend was probably the last blast of summer heat. We took advantage of the warm weather to grill outside. On Sunday night we had a very easy grilled shrimp dinner with salad. The cooking time for jumbo shrimp on a hot grill should be just a few minutes. We however, waited almost 20 minutes for the shrimp to cook because the grill ran out of gas. I’m just glad it did not happen with guests over.
I have to share with you another wonderful cooking experience that I had this past week.
I rang the doorbell of a friend’s house and when the door opened the entire house smelled of William Sonoma on the day before Thanksgiving. Sweet cinnamon aromas filled the air. With one whiff I was transported back to my Grandmas thanksgiving dinner table. My little love proceeded inside for a play date and I ran to the local store. I rummaged through the candle section scratching, smelling and whiffing my way through every candle there. What had made her home smell so lovely? I left the store empty handed because every scent I had tried had come up a bit short of duplicating exactly that wonderful smell.
When picking up my little love, my friend Carol invited me inside. As we walked through her kitchen I saw two beautiful pumpkin pies sitting atop her countertop. “Carol”, I pressed, “what are you doing, your have about five kids over here, and you are also baking pumpkin pies?” “Yes” she replied, “ It’s a tradition, on the first day of school I always bake pumpkin pies”.
Carols and I and sat and chatted about the stress of the first week back to school. But all the stress diminished, for parents and children, by the soothing aromas of spices, which filled the air. I plan to make Carols tradition part of the Pardo family traditions next year.
Thank you Carol.
I have to share with you another wonderful cooking experience that I had this past week.
I rang the doorbell of a friend’s house and when the door opened the entire house smelled of William Sonoma on the day before Thanksgiving. Sweet cinnamon aromas filled the air. With one whiff I was transported back to my Grandmas thanksgiving dinner table. My little love proceeded inside for a play date and I ran to the local store. I rummaged through the candle section scratching, smelling and whiffing my way through every candle there. What had made her home smell so lovely? I left the store empty handed because every scent I had tried had come up a bit short of duplicating exactly that wonderful smell.
When picking up my little love, my friend Carol invited me inside. As we walked through her kitchen I saw two beautiful pumpkin pies sitting atop her countertop. “Carol”, I pressed, “what are you doing, your have about five kids over here, and you are also baking pumpkin pies?” “Yes” she replied, “ It’s a tradition, on the first day of school I always bake pumpkin pies”.
Carols and I and sat and chatted about the stress of the first week back to school. But all the stress diminished, for parents and children, by the soothing aromas of spices, which filled the air. I plan to make Carols tradition part of the Pardo family traditions next year.
Thank you Carol.
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Guest Cook Karen Cardillo
Chicken with mushrooms and artichokes from Karen Cardillo
My friend Karen lost her mom to breast cancer when she was only three years old. Her dad, and her Italian Grandmother raised Karen and she learned to cook at her grandmother’s side. This is one of the Cardillo family’s favorite dinners. I am posting the recipe as it was given to me, however, when I made the dish I needed to make a few simple substitutions such as the grape tomatoes for plum tomatoes. I will note these substitutions along side the original ingredient called that was called for.
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 package of chicken breast tenders (about 1 to 1 ½ pounds) cut into 1” pieces and seasoned with salt and pepper
5 Italian plum tomatoes, diced (I used 1 pint grape tomatoes whole)
4 oz of sliced mushrooms, cut into smaller pieces (I used 12 oz baby Bella mushrooms quartered)
2 (6oz) jars of marinated artichokes, reserve the liquid from one of the jars
1 (8oz) can of Delmonte tomato sauce
1 cup chicken broth
¼ cup of white drinking wine
1 teaspoon oregano
½ teaspoon garlic powder (I couldn’t find garlic powder in my mystery spice cabinet so I did substitute 4 medium cloves minced fresh garlic)
In a large skillet over medium heat sauté the onion in the olive oil. Once onions become translucent (after a few minutes) add chicken and garlic powder or fresh garlic. Cook chicken for just a few minutes on the first side until the chicken is just a little golden in color then turn the chicken over and cook on the second side for a few minutes. Add in the tomatoes and mushrooms. Sautee for 1 minute then add in the chicken broth, wine, tomato sauce and oregano. Simmer for about 5-7 minutes then add in the marinated artichokes and their reserved liquid. Cover and simmer for about 5-10 minutes longer or until the chicken is cooked through. Karen suggests serving this with rice.
My friend Karen lost her mom to breast cancer when she was only three years old. Her dad, and her Italian Grandmother raised Karen and she learned to cook at her grandmother’s side. This is one of the Cardillo family’s favorite dinners. I am posting the recipe as it was given to me, however, when I made the dish I needed to make a few simple substitutions such as the grape tomatoes for plum tomatoes. I will note these substitutions along side the original ingredient called that was called for.
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 package of chicken breast tenders (about 1 to 1 ½ pounds) cut into 1” pieces and seasoned with salt and pepper
5 Italian plum tomatoes, diced (I used 1 pint grape tomatoes whole)
4 oz of sliced mushrooms, cut into smaller pieces (I used 12 oz baby Bella mushrooms quartered)
2 (6oz) jars of marinated artichokes, reserve the liquid from one of the jars
1 (8oz) can of Delmonte tomato sauce
1 cup chicken broth
¼ cup of white drinking wine
1 teaspoon oregano
½ teaspoon garlic powder (I couldn’t find garlic powder in my mystery spice cabinet so I did substitute 4 medium cloves minced fresh garlic)
In a large skillet over medium heat sauté the onion in the olive oil. Once onions become translucent (after a few minutes) add chicken and garlic powder or fresh garlic. Cook chicken for just a few minutes on the first side until the chicken is just a little golden in color then turn the chicken over and cook on the second side for a few minutes. Add in the tomatoes and mushrooms. Sautee for 1 minute then add in the chicken broth, wine, tomato sauce and oregano. Simmer for about 5-7 minutes then add in the marinated artichokes and their reserved liquid. Cover and simmer for about 5-10 minutes longer or until the chicken is cooked through. Karen suggests serving this with rice.
Saturday, September 1, 2007
Cahallah “French” toast
About ½ to 1 whole loaf of Cahallah bread sliced about ¾” thick – if you can not find Cahallah use Brioche bread
7 eggs
1/8 Teaspoon Kosher salt
¼ cup heavy cream
1 Teaspoon Peach Schnapps, optional
1 Tablespoon sugar
Butter to fry in (about 1 tablespoon per batch- with a large skillet I made 2 – 3 batches)
Confectioners sugar to garnish
In a large shallow bowl or gratin dish, scramble the eggs then add the salt, cream, Schnapps, and the sugar. Mix all of the ingredients together with a fork or whisk. Dip each slice of bread in the mixture to coat the bread, then set each piece aside on one plate or platter. After you have coated all of the bread slices, drizzle any remaining eggy batter over the bread. Let sit for a few minutes, now would bee a good time to prepare a sauce or warm up pure maple syrup.
After the bread has rested for 5 minutes or so warm up a large skillet or griddle. I like to use a non-stick 14” skillet. Add 1 tablespoon of butter to the skillet and place on Medium high heat. Once the butter has melted, add in a few bread pieces without overcrowding the pan. Cook about 2 minutes per side or until golden. Repeat with remaining bread adding more butter to fry in if necessary. Top with syrup- I like blueberry.
7 eggs
1/8 Teaspoon Kosher salt
¼ cup heavy cream
1 Teaspoon Peach Schnapps, optional
1 Tablespoon sugar
Butter to fry in (about 1 tablespoon per batch- with a large skillet I made 2 – 3 batches)
Confectioners sugar to garnish
In a large shallow bowl or gratin dish, scramble the eggs then add the salt, cream, Schnapps, and the sugar. Mix all of the ingredients together with a fork or whisk. Dip each slice of bread in the mixture to coat the bread, then set each piece aside on one plate or platter. After you have coated all of the bread slices, drizzle any remaining eggy batter over the bread. Let sit for a few minutes, now would bee a good time to prepare a sauce or warm up pure maple syrup.
After the bread has rested for 5 minutes or so warm up a large skillet or griddle. I like to use a non-stick 14” skillet. Add 1 tablespoon of butter to the skillet and place on Medium high heat. Once the butter has melted, add in a few bread pieces without overcrowding the pan. Cook about 2 minutes per side or until golden. Repeat with remaining bread adding more butter to fry in if necessary. Top with syrup- I like blueberry.
Blueberry syrup
1 Pint fresh blueberries
½ cup sugar
2 Tablespoons water
Place the blueberries in a saucepan with sugar and water. Turn heat to high and simmer on high heat for 4 minutes. Serve over Pancakes, waffles or French toast.
½ cup sugar
2 Tablespoons water
Place the blueberries in a saucepan with sugar and water. Turn heat to high and simmer on high heat for 4 minutes. Serve over Pancakes, waffles or French toast.
Family Time
This morning I am a bit sleepy. I spent the past week visiting my parent’s house. As always, we had lots of wonderful wines. Admittedly, I had grown a bit weary from a very long summer of playing mom, teacher, camp counselor and short order cook. I was looking forward to a quiet week in the country, then to the start of school.
Today’s blog was supposed to be a back to school (thank god) snack. Instead, what happened was, on our way to my parents my husband got a phone call. A woman he used to work with (who had several small children) was in the hospital dying from stomach cancer. What can I say… I met her only once, but of course the situation hung over our entire vacation. Every day we would receive reports of her declining health. This in turn, caused me to stop and think about the value of time with family. We take an awful lot for granted when everyone is well.
Today I plan to post a simple French toast for a family breakfast. The French toast is made with a Cahallah bread. If you cant find Cahallah, any eggy bread such as Brioche will do. What makes this “French” toast fit for an extra special breakfast is the topping of homemade blueberry syrup. I do have in hand a recipe from a guest cook, my friend, Karen that I will make this week and hopefully post later in the week.
Today’s blog was supposed to be a back to school (thank god) snack. Instead, what happened was, on our way to my parents my husband got a phone call. A woman he used to work with (who had several small children) was in the hospital dying from stomach cancer. What can I say… I met her only once, but of course the situation hung over our entire vacation. Every day we would receive reports of her declining health. This in turn, caused me to stop and think about the value of time with family. We take an awful lot for granted when everyone is well.
Today I plan to post a simple French toast for a family breakfast. The French toast is made with a Cahallah bread. If you cant find Cahallah, any eggy bread such as Brioche will do. What makes this “French” toast fit for an extra special breakfast is the topping of homemade blueberry syrup. I do have in hand a recipe from a guest cook, my friend, Karen that I will make this week and hopefully post later in the week.
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