Category Archives: Meat & Poultry

Chicken with Dried Mushrooms & Tomatoes

When it comes time to figure out what to make for dinner, I love the internet as much as anyone. I usually head straight to the NY Times Cooking section, or to Epicurious, Saveur or Food 52 for ideas and inspiration. But one weekend this past year, with our Philly travel plans cancelled by an upcoming storm (there is nothing worse than the Jersey turnpike in a thunderstorm with tornado and flood warnings), I had the unexpected luxury of free time on a Saturday morning. Sitting with a cup of coffee, I opened Biba’s Taste of Italy, a cookbook whose spine I had yet to crack in the year since it had been gifted to me by my husband, to see what I might make for dinner that evening.

Written by the late Sacramento-based restaurateur and chef Biba Caggiano, Biba’s Taste of Italy is an homage to the cuisine of Emilia Romagna, the region of Italy where Biba grew up, and where much of her family still lives. Emilia Romagna straddles Italy just north of Tuscany, and includes the cities of Bologna, Modena and Parma. Stanley Tucci visited the prosperous region in his episode on Bologna, and describes it as “a lush land of fertile river valleys stuffed with livestock and billowing with soft wheat”. It also is home to some of Italy’s finest chefs and most amazing cuisine.

Image from Wikimedia Commons

In this region, porcini mushrooms grow in abundance in the wooded forests between Bologna and Modena, and most famously in the area around Borgotaro, home of the Sagra del Fungo, or annual porcini mushroom festival. Porcini from this area have been given the prestigious PGI designation as a national treasure, and have been described as having “a woody aroma and a clean smell recalling hazelnuts, liquorice or newly cut wood”, with “no trace of that smell of hay which often defines less valuable mushrooms”.

Porcini – Image from Wikipedia commons

As Bibi tells us, porcini in Emilia Romagna are used fresh in the spring and fall, and at other times dried. Dried porcini are not considered a substitute for fresh, but an ingredient all their own, as is the broth that results from their re-hydration. In the kitchen, they often serve a supporting role to enrich pasta sauces and enhance meat, vegetable and risotto dishes. In the recipe I chose to make that evening, the dried mushrooms share the spotlight with the tomatoes in a rich, woodsy flavored sauce for a braised chicken.

Now, after all that, I have a confession to make. I did not use dried PGI porcini from Emilia Romagna in this recipe. My dried mushrooms were from the New Hampshire Mushroom Company, gifted to me by one of my sisters, who had recently visited the place.

I also have to admit I was both curious and a little scared of the sauce in this recipe, which uses only five ingredients – tomatoes, dried porcini, garlic, white wine and rosemary. It just seemed too simple, and I could not imagine using only the dried mushrooms in a sauce like this. I was tempted to add some fresh mushrooms and maybe some onion and pancetta. None of which would have hurt, but I am so glad I kept the recipe as simple as it is. Because this dish in delicious. And even better the second day, or as Biba says, “It benefits from being prepared several hours ahead and reheated gently just before serving”. Which, come to think of it, makes it a great make-ahead entree to serve to company.

We served ours with potatoes, but next time I’ll serve it atop polenta.

And get me some genuine PGI Porcini.

Here’s to free Saturdays!

Print Recipe

Chicken with Dried Mushrooms and Tomatoes

A lovely braised chicken recipe from Biba's Taste of Italy, celebrating the cooking of the Emilia-Romagna region.

Ingredients

  • 1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms, soaked in 2 cups lukewarm water for 20 minutes
  • 8 Chicken thighs (or a cut up whole chicken)
  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 2-3 tbsp Extra-virgin olive oil
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 1 garlic clove, finely minced
  • 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh rosemary or 1/2 tsp dried rosemary, chopped
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • 16 ounces plum tomatoes, minced
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

  • Drain porcini mushrooms and reserve the soaking water. Rinse mushrooms well under cold running water, roughly mince and set aside. Strain soaking water through a few layers paper towels into small bowl and set aside.
  • Heat butter and oil in a large heavy casserole or skillet over medium high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper and add to the pan, skin side down. Cook, turning one or twice, till golden on both sides, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
  • Add porcini, garlic and rosemary to the pan and stir quickly for a minute or so. Add wine and deglaze. When wine is reduced by half, add the tomatoes, season lightly with salt, and cook for a few minutes.
  • Return chicken pieces to the pan and stir them into the sauce. Reduce heat to low, partially cover the pan and cook gently till chicken is very tender, about 40-45 minutes. Stir and check the sauce from time to time, adding the reserved porcini water if the sauce reduces too much.
  • Just before serving, stir in the parsley. Adjust seasonings and serve.

Where to get PGI Porcini

Dried porcini from La Bottega del Fungo, a family run operation in Borgotaro.

Spanish Stuffed Peppers – The Evolution of a New Recipe

My love affair continues with Sofrito, the Spanish slow cooked tomato-olive oil-mirepoix that’s a staple in a healthy Mediterranean diet. I now make it regularly, storing it in small jars in my freezer and searching for ways to incorporate it into the foods we make. For example, these stuffed peppers, a recipe I am proud to say I came up with all by myself. Well, actually, that’s not entirely true. I had a little help from my friends (and family). Let me tell you how it went down…

Last week, while at the market, a beautiful multicolored fresh pepper medley caught my eye. I knew I had a pound of lean ground beef and one last ziplock bag of this past summer’s corn in our freezer, and decided to make stuffed peppers. I think I’ve only made stuffed peppers once in my life, so obviously, I needed a recipe.

I went home, took the ground beef out of the freezer and called my sister Rosemary, who I knew made a mean taco stuffed pepper. She told me she uses ground turkey in her recipe – much healthier, I know, but my ground beef was already defrosting. Her recipe also called for salsa and taco seasoning mix, neither of which I had. But I did have sofrito, which would be a delicious and healthy substitute for salsa, thus assuaging my guilt for using beef instead of turkey. The sofrito got me thinking that my peppers might lean more towards Spain than Mexico in their seasonings.

My spice cabinet

Consulting my spice cabinet, I chose sea salt, freshly ground Tellicherry peppercorns (Costco is a great source), ground Chipotle powder (from Sahadi’s Lebanese grocery on Atlantic Ave in Brooklyn), Ground cumin (brought back from Morocco by my friend Annette), Pimenton de la vera (Spanish sweet smoked paprika brought back from Spain by our daughter Emily) and Cinnamon (from Penzy’s, a gift from Rosemary). I also snipped some fresh oregano from our windowsill plant that I’d started from cuttings from my friend Paula. Then I got to work.

Consulting a few recipes around the web, I decided I’d precook the peppers, as I did not want them crunchy and did not want to overcook the already cooked meat filling. Baking them wrapped in foil would have been a great option, but I currently have an oven issue (no gas). The counter top oven I’m using is completely unpredictable, and I did not want to be unwrapping and testing the peppers every 5 minutes, so I parboiled them, then let them sit out to cool. Next, I prepared the meat, corn and rice stuffing mixture, adding and adjusting the flavorings as I went.

Tasting the final spiced mixture just before stuffing the peppers, it seemed like something was missing – it needed more umami. How about some fish sauce? After all, fish sauce is a whole thing in Spain, where scientists have reproduced an ancient Roman fish sauce using a recipe found in the ruins of Pompeii. They call it Flor de Garum, and it is said to supercharge dishes with umami. I didn’t have any Flor de Garum, but I did have Red Boat Fish Sauce, which is purported to be the next best thing. So I boldly grabbed the Red Boat from the fridge and added about a tsp to the mix. It worked!

I stuffed the peppers, topped them with some grated cheddar (Manchego would be more authentic, and next time I will try that instead), baked them and served them topped with a little sour cream. They were delicious!

I now present you with a new recipe I call Spanish Stuffed Peppers. Inspired by Rosemary’s taco stuffed peppers, enhanced with herbs and spices from Emily, Annette, Rosemary and Paula, and umami-ized by yours truly. Enjoy!

Print Recipe

Spanish Stuffed Peppers

A great way to use leftover corn and rice. Use ground turkey instead of beef for an even healthier version. Diced tomatoes are a fine substitute for the sofrito. I've listed spices at about 1/2 tsp of each, but feel free to adjust amounts up or down to your own tastes.

Ingredients

  • 6 bell peppers, of assorted colors
  • 1 pound lean ground beef
  • 1 cup cooked white rice
  • 1 cup corn previously cooked or raw
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 1 large stalk celery, diced
  • 1 large garlic clove, diced
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 cup sofrito (can substitute diced tomatoes)
  • 2 tsp minced fresh oregano leaves (or 1 /2 tsp dried)
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika (Pimento de la vera if available)
  • 1/2 tsp ground chipotle powder (can substitute chili powder)
  • 1 tsp fish sauce (Flor de garum if you're lucky enough to have it. If not, Red boat brand if available)
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese Manchego cheese would be a good alternative option
  • sour cream (for serving)

Instructions

  • Bring a large pot of water to boil. Cup tops off peppers and clean out seeds and ribs using paring knife. Dice the tops and set aside. Place bottoms in a boiling water, filling them with water to prevent floating. Simmer 5-10 minutes or till just tender. Drain and cool.
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Saute onions, celery and diced pepper tops over medium high heat till softened, about 5 mins. Add garlic and saute another minute or so, being careful not to brown the garlic. Add the ground meat and continue cooking till just browned. Add sofrito and spices and fish sauce, cook another minute or so to blend the flavors. Taste and adjust seasoning, then stir in rice and corn.
  • Fill peppers with meat/corn/rice mixture and arrange in a lightly oiled baking dish. Top with grated cheese. Place any extra filling around peppers. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, or till tops are melted and lightly browned.

Coffee Marinated Braised Short Ribs – update

Sometimes a recipe is just so damned good it becomes a family standard. This is one of those recipes. We made it (and I posted it) for the first time over 10 years ago for Christmas Eve dinner, and about once a year since then. My mother-in-law Irene adopted the recipe to replace turkey at Thanksgiving, though I’m sure she’s tweaked it someway, as she always does.

Last night I tweaked it by adding two large carrots, diced, at the same time as the onion and garlic. Should have done that years ago, it’s the perfect addition. Next time I’m changing from chicken to beef broth. I never understood why the recipe uses chicken broth anyway.

So go yourself a favor and make these short ribs. Serve over unadulterated mashed potatoes with a side of roasted green beans (Blanch green beans in boiling water, then drain well, toss w olive oil, salt and pepper and roast at 400 degrees F for 10-15 mins).

You’re welcome.

COFFEE-BRAISED SHORT RIBS

This recipe is modified from a bison-rib recipe on Epicurious. Serves 4-6.

Marinade

  • 4 cups water
  • 3 cups strong brewed coffee
  • 1/2 cup coarse kosher salt
  • 3 tbsp + 2 tsp packed  brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
  • 2 tablespoons + 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 cups ice cubes
  • 4 lbs short ribs

Short Ribs

  • 1 cup boiling water
  • 1 tbsp instant espresso
  • 4 strips bacon, chopped (Optional, and just as delicious without the bacon)
  • 2 cups chopped onions
  • 2 large carrots, peeled and cut into large dice
  • 6 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1 cup low salt chicken broth
  • 1/4 cup Mr TBTAM’s barbecue sauce (you can use tomato paste or chili sauce)
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce

Marinade
Stir  water, coffee,  salt and sugar in large bowl until salt and sugar dissolve. Add syrup and remaining marinade ingredients. Stir until ice melts. Add ribs. Place plate atop ribs to keep submerged. Cover and chill 4 to 6 hours. Drain ribs; discard marinade.

Short ribs
Preheat oven to 325°F. In a pyrex measuring cup, stir instant espresso into boiling water and set aside to cool.(Alternatively, use another cup of strong brewed coffee.)

Sauté bacon in heavy heavy ovenproof pot over medium heat until fat starts to render and it begins to brown (be careful – don’t burn it!) Remove bacon to a plate. Increase heat to medium-high.

Working in batches, cook ribs until browned on all sides and transfer to a plate. Add onions, garlic, carrots and red pepper flakes to the pot and cook over medium heat till veggies are soft, about 10 minutes. Add coffee and broth; stir, scraping up browned bits. Add remaining ingredients; bring to boil. Add bacon and ribs, cover, and transfer to oven. Braise until meat is tender, about 2 – 2 1/2 hours.

Transfer ribs to plate; tent with foil to keep warm. Remove fat from surface of sauce. Boil sauce until thickened and reduced to your satisfaction (about 2 cups). Pour sauce over ribs.

Serve over homemade mashed potatoes.

The Best Easy Dinner You’ll Ever Make

Okay. Maybe I’m being hyperbolic about this meal because I’m back on my food delivery diet (I still have a few more pounds to go..) and so all I could do was have a small taste after watching Mr TBTAM cook it. But I really don’t think I’m overstating it.

Skillet Chicken With White Beans and Caramelized Lemon. One of the easiest amazing dinners you can make.

What makes it special is what Alison Roman at the New York Times calls “the liquid gold in your skillet“, that secret ingredient Jewish grandmothers have been sneaking into their children’s vegetables for centuries – chicken fat.

I admit to keeping a jar of the stuff in my freezer, but this is the first recipe I’ve seen that uses every drop of chicken fat right in the skillet in which it was formed.

Its a one pan dinner, less than 30 minutes from start to finish. Add a side of rice or potatoes if you want, or some crusty bread, but you really don’t need it.

You’re probably thinking you could pour a little of the chicken fat off to keep the calorie count a bit lower. Well don’t. Its perfect just as it is.

The Recipe is here. You’re welcome.

Ottolenghi’s Roasted Chicken with Clementines and Arak

Chicken w/ Clementines & Arak

One of these days, I’m going to visit Israel, if only to taste in situ the foods that inspire Ottolenghi, whose Jerusalem cookbook has become one of the most used cooking tomes in our household. The hummus recipe alone is worth purchasing his book.

This recipe combines orange and anise flavors with a delightful roasted chicken. Don’t let the use of Arak, a licorice flavored liquor – worry you. The anise flavor is subtle, despite the use of both fennel and fennel seeds – and perfectly balanced by the clementines.

We served it with brown basmati rice and carrots, and I used the leftovers the next day to make a warm Flageolet salad.

OTTOLENGHI’S ROASTED CHICKEN with CLEMENTINES & ARAK

Note – Ottolenghi’s US version of the recipe seems to have made an erroneous conversion of celsius to fahrenheit, and says to cook at 475 degrees. Cook instead at 425, or you’ll find yourself with little juice to serve it with.

Ingredients

Marinade

  • 6 1/2 tbsp/100ml arak, ouzo or Pernod
  • 4 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice
  • 3 tbsp lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp grain mustard
  • 3 tbsp light brown sugar
  • 2 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 tsp pepper

Chicken and veggies

  • 2 medium fennel bulbs (500g in total)
  • 1 large organic or free range chicken, about 1.3kg, divided into 8 pieces, or the same weight in chicken thighs with the skin and on the bone
  • 4 clementines, unpeeled (400g in total), sliced horizontally into 0.5cm slices
  • 1 tbsp thyme leaves
  • 2½ tsp fennel seeds, slightly crushed
  • salt and black pepper
  • chopped flat-leaf parsley, to garnish

Preparation

Make the marinade – Whisk together the arak, oil, orange juice, lemon juice, mustard, brown sugar and salt in a bowl large enough to hold the chicken.

Trim fennel and cut in half lengthwise, then cut each half into 4 wedges.

Add fennel, chicken, clementine slices, thyme and crushed fennel seeds to the marinade. . Turn several times to coat, then if tie allows, marinade in fridge for a few hours to overnight.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Transfer all ingredients, including marinade, to a roasting pan large enough to hold the ingredients in a single layer (12×14 1/2 inches); chicken should be skin side up. Roast until chicken is browned and cooked through, 35-45 minutes. Remove from the oven.

With tongs, Remove chicken, fennel and clementines to a serving plate; cover and keep warm. Pour cooking liquid into a small saucepan and over medium-high heat, bring to a boil, then simmer until sauce is reduced and you are left with about 1/3 cup. Pour heated sauce over chicken. Garnish with parsley and serve.

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Other Ottolenghi recipes from TBTAM

Foraged Delight – The Staghorn Sumac

staghorn-sumac

This is staghorn sumac (rhus thphina), whose gorgeous red fruit berries I first encountered last summer atop High Knob in the Loyalsock. Isn’t it gorgeous?

staghorn-sumac-stand

The branches and berries of the staghorn sumac have a fuzzy feeling like the antlers of a deer (hence the name) and will NOT give you a rash. The stuff that gives you a rash is poison sumac.

Poison sumac has a red trunk. It grows in swamps and standing water, it’s berries are white and hang down, and the leaves look like this.

toxicodendron_vernix

Got it? Good. Now stop being afraid and go get yourself some staghorn sumac.

What to do with Staghorn Sumac Berries

sumac

The sumac fruit is best harvested in late summer after a few days of dry weather. (Rain washes away the oils and lessens their already light flavor)  If you’re lucky and have found it at just the right time, it will feel slightly sticky, and when you lick your fingers after touching it, you’ll taste its slightly acidic, lemony flavor.

Bring along a paid of kitchen shears, and cut the fruits off at the base of their stems.  Handle them gently, and pack lightly into a paper bag for transport. (Or like me, tear them off and lay them across the hatchback floor for the ride home.)

Sumac fruit is high in Vitamin C and antioxidants. The berries can be used to make tea, or dried to make a fabulous spice.

SUMAC TEA

sumac-tea-3

Sumac iced tea is a refreshing, light summer tea.  It’s easy to make. Simply rinse the berries in cold water, then pull them off the cluster and into a french press.

sumac-tea2

Add cold water, 1-2 cup per tbsp of berries, stir and let steep until the flavor is to your liking. (If you go too long and too strong, and it may be bitter.)

sumac-tea

Press. Pour the tea into your cup or pitcher, add a little sugar or honey and enjoy. Better yet, add some Campari, Pimms, simple syrup and a lemon twist for a refreshing cocktail.

You can dry the sumac and use it to make hot tea during the cooler months.

SUMAC SPICE

sumac-spice

The sumac berry, dried (and if you want, ground) makes a wonderful spice.

Ground Sumac is widely used in Middle Eastern food. Israeli chef Ottolenghi loves sumac, and it is featured heavily in his cookbooks. He even serves a sumac martini in his restaurant.

Sumac is primarily used as part of a spice mixture call za’atar.

za'atar
za’atar spice mix

There are as many recipes for zaatar as there are tribes in the Middle East, but most contain thyme, salt and sesame seeds. It’s commonly sprinkled atop pita bread brushed with olive oil, or used as a rub for meats.

MAKING SUMAC SPICE

Clip the sumac fruits off the stem and lay out to dry for a few days.

img_6471

Pull the berries off the stems in clumps and place into the bowl of the food processor. Pulse for a few seconds to separate the seeds and stems from the fruit.

Transfer to a fine sieve, and using a pestle, strain the fruit from the stones and twigs.

img_6410

The sumac spice is fine threads, with a consistency almost like pencil shavings.

img_6412

This is what’s left behind. Toss it out.

img_6418

This is the gold.

img_6440

Store it in a jar in a cool place out of direct light. It should keep for a year.

Where to buy sumac

If you don’t want to forage your own sumac, you can buy it in New York City at Fairway or Kalustyans. Amazon and Penzys carry it as well.

If you’re ready to try sumac, here’s a recipe for you.

img_6448

CHICKEN WITH SUMAC AND PLUMS

Melissa Clarks original recipe uses two whole chickens and is meant for a holiday dinner crowd. I cut it back and modified it to serve 4 using chicken thighs. You can use breasts or a small chicken instead of the parts if you prefer. If you use a whole chicken, omit the thyme from the rub and instead stuff a sprig or two into the chicken cavity, and place the chicken on a small roasting rack atop the plums. (Melissa has a wonderful video showing how she makes the dish using two whole chickens.)

For the chicken

  • 1 large lemon
  • 1 tablespoon ground sumac
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1/2 tablespoon black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon allspice
  • 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh thyme
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, grated or minced
  • Enough chicken thighs and breasts to serve 4
  • Fresh Thyme

For the plums

  • 1 pounds plums, halved or quartered if large
  • 2 shallots, sliced into 1/4-inch-thick rounds
  • 1 tablespoons honey
  • 1/2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon allspice
  • 1/2 bay leaf
  1. Grate lemon zest and place in a small bowl. Set aside the zested lemon.
  2. Stir sumac, salt, pepper, cinnamon, thyme and allspice into the lemon zest. Stir in 1 1/2 tbsp of the olive oil and the garlic. The mixture should feel like wet sand. Rub it all over the chicken parts and place the chicken on a plate. Let marinate, uncovered, in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.
  3. When ready to roast, let chickens come to room temperature for 30 minutes. Heat oven to 450 degrees.
  4. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large saute pan that can go into the oven (We used a cast iron pan). Quickly sear and brown chicken thighs over high heat in a pan, then remove to a plate. Turn down heat and in the pan, toss together plums, shallots, honey, oil, salt, Place chickens over the plums in the pan. Roast for 15-20 minutes.
  5. Meanwhile, squeeze 1 tablespoon juice from the reserved lemon and mix it with remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Drizzle this over the chicken, then continue to roast until skin is golden and chicken is cooked through. (another 15-20 mins)
  6. Let chicken rest, covered lightly with foil, for 10 minutes. Serve with the plums and sprigs of thyme for garnish.

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More about Sumac

Tahcheen-e Esfenaj (Baked Persian Rice Cake with Lamb, Spinach & Prunes)

Tahcheen-e esfanaj

I must apologize for the infrequency of my blog posts over the past year. My new position at the medical school has kept me much busier than I’d ever imagined. Now, a year later, things are finally settling in and I’m hoping to bring this blog thing back to life, if only because the act of writing truly grounds me.

One of the better parts of my new position has been getting to know our Qatar-based medical school faculty and staff, who sent me the most amazing Persian cookbook – Saraban: A Chef’s Journey through Persia by Greg and Lucy Malouf. (Thank you Shahrad and team!)

This is a cookbook that deserves more than just a look at the recipes (which are amazing), but demands a real sit-down read. Saraban introduces the reader to an Iran most Americans do not know – a complex and beautiful country of both desert and verdant mountains, with warm, friendly people whose culture is steeped in marvelous food, family, literature (especially poetry) and religion. The grief and impact of years of political unrest and conflict are acknowledged, but are not central to this portrait of a people and a cuisine.

If only one day there were peace within this region and between our nations. We have so much that is beautiful (and delicious) to share with one another.

Tahcheen-e esfanaj

TAHCHEEN-E ESFENAJ (Baked Persian Rice Cake w/ Lamb, Spinach & Prunes)

The authors tell us that Tahcheen means “spread over the bottom”, which describes the tahdig or crispy rice mixture that forms the base of this cake, which is then layered with richly spiced lamb, cooked spinach and prunes.

Getting the cake out with the tahdig intact can be tricky (note I failed at that). I suggest you watch this video to learn how. I used a square pyrex pan, but you can use a glass pan, cast iron skillet if large enough, or a La Cruset pan. Non-stick would be great if you have it.

In this recipe, the meat is stewed and removed from the broth. This leaves you with a lovely broth to be used in future dishes (Pilaf? Soup?) The meat is then marinated in the yogurt/saffron mix for 8-24 hours. That’s a huge make-ahead step. For a quicker version, after the meat is cooked, just cook the broth down into a nice thick gravy, and avoid the yogurt marinade step altogether.  It will mean that the rice yogurt part of the dish won’t have a lamb overtones, but I’m sure it will still be delicious. 

There are many versions of Tahcheen (also spelled Tah-Chin and Tahchin), the most popular being chicken. I could see this being delicious made without the lamb for a vegetarian version.

  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 large onions, very thinly sliced
  • 1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
  • Sea salt
  • 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
  • 1/2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/2 tsp ground allspice
  • 1 pound lamb shoulder, trimmed of fat and cut into 2-3 cm cubes
  • Enough water of beef broth to cover meat for cooking
  • 200 gm thick natural yogurt
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 80 ml (5 tbsp) saffron liquid (See recipe below)
  • 200 gm spinach leaves (one standard bag of pre-washed)
  • 2 cups basmati rice
  • 12 prunes, pitted and roughly chopped
  • 2 oz butter, plus extra for greasing the pan

Heat 1.5 tbsp oil in medium saucepan over low heat. Add one of the sliced onions, along w/ garlic, 1 tsp sea salt, pepper and spices and fry gently for 4 minutes. Add meat and enough water or broth to cover, bring to simmer and simmer gently for an hour, or until meat is tender. Remove meat from broth and cool.  (Save that broth!  It’s gold, Jerry, gold…)

Beat yogurt with egg yolks and saffron liquid in a shallow dish. Drain the cooled meat well and add to yogurt mixture. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 and up to 24 hours.

Heat the remaining oil in a large frying pan over a low heat. Add the remaining sliced onion and fry gently till soft and lightly colored. Add spinach and cook, tossing gently with tongs, till wilted. Cook over a medium heat to evaporate any excess liquid. When cool, squeeze the spinach to remove any remaining liquid and coarsely chop.

Parboil the rice: Wash/rinse the rice well, then soak in cold water for 30 mins. Drain and add to 8 cups boiling water in a large pot. Bring back to a rolling boil and boil for 5 mins. Rinse with warm water and drain well.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter an ovenproof dish with an 8 cup capacity. Remove the lamb from the yogurt mixture. Mix half the parboiled rice with the marinade and spoon into the bottom and up the sides of the ovenproof dish. Arrange the lab on top of the rice, then cover with spinach and dot with the prunes. Spoon remaining rice to cover and smooth the surface. Cover tightly with a sheet of aluminum foil and bake for 1 1/2 hours

Remove the dish from the oven and dot with bits of butter. Replace foil and leave to rest for 10 minutes. Turn the rice cake out onto a platter and serve warm.

Saffron Liquid

  • About 60 saffron threads
  • 6 tbsp boiling water

Lightly toast the saffron threads in a small frying pan over medium heat for about 30 seconds or until totally dry. Be careful not to burn the saffron. Place saffron into aa mortar and let sit for a minute or two before grinding into a powder. (If the saffron is well dried, and like me, you don’t have a mortar and pestle, just crush the saffron threads with a spoon against the side of a small bowl and it will grind easily into a coarse powder.) Mix the ground saffron into the boiling water in a small cup or bowel and set aside to infuse for at least an hour before using. The color will continue to develop for at least 12 jours.

You’ll be using 5 tbsp of this liquid in this recipe.

More Tacheen

  • PersianMama makes one gorgeous Lamb Tahchin with black-eyed peas. (Great pics – Check out those sautéed onions…)
  • WorthyPause makes her Tahchin with ground lamb and barberries
  • Persian Fusion makes a vegetarian Tahcheen with mushrooms and aubergine
  • Fig and Quince shows how to make a beautiful Tacheen Morgh (Chicken Tacheen). (She also has great pics from her trips to Iran)
  • Azita of Turmeric & Saffron makes a particularly gorgeous Chicken Tah-Chin
  • PersianMama makes a pretty Tachin Morgh
  • A quick video shows how to make an easy stove-top Chicken Tacheen
  • Jamie Oliver makes a nice Chicken Tahchin

Haitian Griot Served with Cuban Black Beans & Rice and Marinated Cucumber Salad

Cuban Black Beans & Rice

If I haven’t blogged much in the way of new recipes lately, it’s because not much of what we’ve been trying lately has been blog worthy. Oh, of course, it’s been edible. Maybe even tasty. But not worth sharing with the world.

But this dinner? It’s worth shouting about.

In fact, I’ll go on record and say it’s one of the best meals we’ve ever made.  And worth every minute of preparation, which is not a lot of time at the stove, but does include an overnight marinade and a couple of hours braising. So save it for a weekend dinner when you can give it the time it deserves to savor with good friends and a nice tall glass of beer.

This is not a fancy dinner, but it does make a beautifully colorful presentation, and is perfect for a dinner party for four. The main course is Melissa Clarks’ version of the traditional Haitian braised pork dish called Haitian Griot.  Marinated overnight in a spicy citrus marinade,  braised and then broiled, the meat literally melts in your mouth, while at the same time being crispy on the outside. The flavor is to die for.

Haitian Griot

We served the Griot with Cuban-style black beans and rice made using a simple but delicious recipe modified from Whole Foods. It’s not authentic, but it’s fast and not heavy the way some bean recipes can be.

The traditional accompaniment for Griot is Haitian Pikliz, or marinated cabbage. We instead served an old family stand by, marinated cucumber salad. The three dishes together on the plate provided a most wonderful complement of smoky, citrus and crispy vinegar flavors, with the rice and beans adding warmth and body.

Not to be mundane, but a good homemade guacamole and chips would be the perfect appetizer for this meal.

My daughter and her friends swooped in arrived just as we were finishing dinner, and cleaned out what we little griot we had left behind – they simply created bowls of rice and beans topped with the meat, then the cucumbers and a bit of cilantro, taking the bowls with them into their room to eat while they watched a movie. Reminded me a bit of Vietnamese or Thai barbecue – vinegar/citrus on rice with meat and cilantro in a bowl. Funny how such disparate nationalities can have such similar flavors.

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HAITIAN GRIOT ALA’ MELISSA CLARKE

Traditional griot recipes actually fry the pork in oil, so this one is a bit healthier. Our meat pieces ended up smaller and did not get as crispy as Melissa’s did – we could have definitely braised less and broiled a bit longer.  I’ve seen other recipes that use cloves and allspice in the marinade, but not being a huge fan of either, I’m happy with this recipe. Melissa’s recipe uses just one scotch bonnet chile – next time we’ll use at least two. (Traditional recipes use up to 6 bonnet chiles) Next time we may also double the garlic. This is a great all around marinade, so don’t be surprised to see it show up here as a rib recipe sometime very soon.

  • 1 small Scotch bonnet chile (be careful handling it!-some suggest wearing gloves.)
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 1 small green bell pepper, diced
  • 1 small red bell pepper, diced
  • ¼ cup fresh chopped parsley (Cilantro would be nice…) more for serving
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt 
  • 1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper
  • 6 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • ¼ cup cider vinegar
  • Juice of 1 orange
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • Juice of 1/2 lime
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 3 pounds pork shoulder, not too lean, cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil (melted) or olive oil, more as needed (We used 1 tbsp coconut butter melted into 2 tbsp olive oil

Preparation

  1. Quarter the chile and remove the seeds and inside ribs. Finely chop one quarter; leave the rest in whole pieces.
  2. Transfer chiles to a large Dutch oven. Add onion, bell peppers, parsley, salt, pepper, thyme and garlic. Stir in vinegar, orange juice, lemon juice, lime juice and Worcestershire sauce. Mix in pork. Cover pot and refrigerate overnight.
  3. The next day, remove pot from the fridge about 1 hour before cooking. and preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place pot over high heat and bring liquid to a simmer; cover and put pot in oven. Cook, stirring occasionally, until meat is very tender, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. ( we cooked 2 hours, but in retrospect probably could have stopped at 1.5 hours.)
  4. Using a slotted spoon, remove meat from pot, allowing all excess liquid to drip back into the pot and picking any bits of vegetables or herbs off the meat. Transfer meat to a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle meat with 2 tablespoons oil and salt to taste, and toss gently to coat
  5. Strain braising liquid, discarding any solids. Return sauce to pot and simmer over high heat until reduced by about half, about 25 to 30 minutes
  6. Meanwhile, heat the broiler. Broil meat, tossing occasionally, until meat is evenly browned, about 5 to 10 minutes. You want it nicely browned in spots but not so brown that it dries out
  7. To serve, drizzle meat with additional oil and top with sauce, parsley and thyme leaves.

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CUBAN-ISH BLACK BEANS & RICE 

I like the basmati rice flavor here, though it is not authentic. I also use canned beans. By not cooking the beans from scratch, and just adding them towards then end, they feel lighter and have a nice individual bite rather than a goopy texture you get when you cook them for hours on the stove. But that’s just how I like them.

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 large onion,diced
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 5 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes with their liquid
  • 2 -15 oz cans black beans, rinsed and drained well
  • Salt, to taste
  • Ground pepper, to taste
  • 1 cup Basmati Rice
  • 2 cups water
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • Chopped, fresh cilantro for garnish
  • 1 lime, cut in 4-6 wedges for garnish

Make the beans: Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat. When pan is hot, add olive oil. Add the onion and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the bell pepper, garlic and chili powder. Continue to sauté for 2 more minutes. Reduce heat to low, add diced tomatoes and simmer, uncovered, 15 minutes. Add beans and simmer 5 minutes longer to heat through. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

Make the rice: Place rice in a strainer and rinse under cool running water. Add salt to water and bring to a boil. Add rice and olive oil and bring back to a gentle simmer. Cover and keep on very low heat till done. When done, remove lid, fluff and let sit a bit before serving.

Serve: Serve  beans over rice with cilantro and lime wedges.

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MARINATED CUCUMBER SALAD

Best made a day ahead of time.

  • 6 large cucumbers
  • 1/2 medium sweet onion
  • 1 cup white vinegar
  • 1 cup water
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper

Peel cucumbers, slice lengthwise and using a teaspoon, scrape out the seeds. Then slice crosswise into thin slices using a knife or, if you have it, a mandolin. Slice the onion into thin slices and then in half across so they are not too long. Mix together in a large Pyrex bowl.

Meanwhile, mix vinegar and water in a medium saucepan, add sugar and bring to a boil. Cool slightly and then pour over cucumbers and onions and mix gently. Salt and pepper. Cover and place in fridge overnight.

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TIMING THIS DINNER

I wrote this out for future reference for myself, and thought I’d share it here.

  • The afternoon before
    • Make the cucumber salad and refrigerate
    • Make the marinade and refrigerate
  • The evening before
    • Cut up the meat, place in the marinade and into the fridge
    • Put wine and beer into fridge
  • 4 hours before guests arrive
    • Take meat out of fridge and let it sit for 1 hour at room temp
  • 3 hours before guests arrive
    • Start the meat braising. You will then make the griot up to the point that you reduce the sauce, but do not broil the meat. Just set the meat aside under foil to keep warm till you’re ready to broil and serve.
    • Set the table, gather serving platters and utensils, set up bar
    • Sedate the dog (just checking to see if you’re reading… )
  • 1.5  hours before guests arrive
    • Make the beans and keep warm till serving
    • Rinse the rice and set up for cooking, but don’t cook it till guests arrive.
    • Put the cucumber salad into the serving bowl, but keep in fridge till ready to serve.
    • Prep ingredients for guacamole, including chopping tomatoes and onions, but do not make it.  Put chips in bowl and set out.
  • When guests arrive
    • Start rice cooking
    • Quickly assemble the guacamole and serve with chips, crisp white wine or beer.
  • 15 mins before ready to eat
    • Broil the meat, heat up the sauce if it’s cooled down.
    • Plate the rice and beans.
    • Plate the meat.
    • Get the cucumber salad out of the fridge.
  • Serve.

Stuffed Eggplant with Lamb & Pinenuts from Ottolenghi’s Jerusalem

Stuffed Eggplant Ottolenghi2. jpg

I know the year’s barely begun,  but this dish from Yotam Ottolenghi’s Jerusalem is well on its way to being my most memorable meal of 2015. Maybe even the past decade.

And this from a gal who says she doesn’t like eggplant.

If you don’t own Jerusalem, you must. Every recipe in it is a gem. The day after I was given it from my dear friends Karen and Steven, (OMG thank you!), my book club was over for dinner.  They all gathered round and placed stickies on their favorite recipe in the book that I simply must make. The entire book is one giant sticky collection, but somehow this recipe escaped their stickies – my turn to give them a Jerusalem must-make!

My husband and I have already decided that this is what we’re serving the very next time we have company for dinner. It’s perfect for a dinner party because you can put it all together ahead of time, then let the eggplant roast for an hour and a half, giving you plenty of time to clean up the kitchen, set the table and make dessert or appetizers before your guests arrive. Not to mention, you can serve it warm or at room temp. It just doesn’t get any better.

I made one change to the recipe, which was to toast the pine nuts before using them. We toyed around the idea of adding some golden raisins to the meat mixture, but in the end did not. We also considered a breadcrumb topping, but again, left that be. It was pretty darned perfect just as it was.

STUFFED EGGPLANT WITH  LAMB & PINENUTS
From Jerusalem: A Cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi & Sami Tamimi
Serves 4

This dish is Ottolenghi and Tamimi’s take on a dish served at Elran Shrefler’s restaurant Azura in the  Machne Yehuda market in Jerusalem. I’ve Americanized the recipe instructions (we work in volume, not weight), and split the parts to make it a little more idiot-proof. (The original recipe gives total amounts of ingredients then splits them up depending on which part of the recipe you are making. That always throws me if I’m in a hurry.)  Don’t let the amount of spices worry you – the flavors are sweet and smoky, but not biting. Don’t cut out anything.  

Ingredients

Eggplant
4 medium eggplants (about 2.5 lbs each), halved lengthwise
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 tsp sea salt
Black pepper to taste

Spice mix
1 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tbsp sweet paprika
1 1/2 tbsp ground cinnamon

Lamb Stuffing 
5 tsp (1 2/3 tbsp) spice mix  (see above for spice mix recipe)
2 tbsp olive oil
2 medium onions (3/4 pounds total), finely chopped
1 lb ground lamb
7 tbsp pine nuts, toasted
2/3  oz  (1/4 cup) finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 tsp tomato purée
1 tsp sugar

Sauce
5 tsp spice mix (see above for spice mix recipe)
2/3 cup water
1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp tamarind paste
4 cinnamon sticks
1/2 tsp salt
Black pepper to taste

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425 F. Place the eggplant halves, skin-side down, in a roasting pan (I used a La Crueset lasagna pan) large enough to accommodate them snugly. Brush the flesh with 4 tbsp olive oil and season with 1 tsp salt and plenty of black pepper. Roast for about 20 minutes, until the tops are golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly.

While the eggplant is cooking, make the spice mix and stuffing. Mix the cumin, paprika and ground cinnamon in a small bowl. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large frying pan. Add 5 tsp (1  2/3 tbsp) of the spice mixture to the pan along with the onions. Cook on a medium-high heat for about 8 minutes, stirring often, then add lamb, pine nuts, parsley, tomato purée, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp salt and some black pepper. Continue to cook and stir for another 8 minutes, until the meat is cooked.

Make the sauce. Place the remaining spice mix (5 tsp) in a bowl and add the water, lemon juice, tamarind, 2 tsp sugar, cinnamon sticks and half a teaspoon of salt; mix well.

Reduce the oven temperature to 375 F. Pour the sauce mix around the eggplant in the bottom of the roasting pan. Spoon the lamb mixture on top of each eggplant. Cover the pan tightly with foil, return to the oven and roast for 1 1/2 hours, until the eggplant are completely soft and the sauce thick; twice through the cooking, remove the foil and baste the eggplant with the sauce, adding some water if the sauce dries out. (Ours did not dry out)

Serve warm, not hot, or at room temperature.

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More on this recipe from around the Web

Lemon-Fennel Chicken with Mushrooms & Scallions

Fennel lemon chicken and spinach

For years, my friend Susan (of the famed Chicken Salad Susan) has been making her Italian grandmother’s sautéed chicken breasts with breadcrumbs, parmesan and fennel.  Not too long ago, she was also on a diet program that included an amazing recipe for pan fried lemon chicken. I decided to combine both her recipes, and now have a killer entree that I’ve made almost weekly since she first shared it with me.

LEMON FENNEL CHICKEN WITH MUSHROOMS & SCALLIONS

You can just make the chicken breasts, and you’ll have an amazing entree. Or just cut up the chicken breasts, skipping the breading, and have another amazing entree. But together? OMG.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts,  pounded thin
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 1/4 cup homemade breadcrumbs
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
  • 3  tbsp fennel seeds
  • 1 tsp lemon zest
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
  • 3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoon canola oil
  • 10 ounces mushrooms, quartered
  • 1 bunch scallions, cut into 1-inch pieces, white and green parts divided
  • 1 tablespoon chopped garlic

Preparation

Whisk 3 tablespoons lemon juice with chicken broth and soy sauce in a small bowl and set aside.

Rinse chicken breasts and pat dry. Place flour on a dinner plate. Lay a 12 inch long piece of wax paper down on the counter. Mix the bread crumbs and Parmesan and spread out onto the wax paper. Sprinkle some fennel seeds atop the crumb/cheese mixture in such a density that every bite of the breast you are about to coat will have a fennel seed on it. Lightly coat a breast by dipping in the flour and shaking off, then dip into the egg, then into with the breadcrumb, cheese and fennel mixture, coating the second side in a different spot on the wax paper so that it too gets the fennels seeds on it in the right distribution. Set aside on a plate. Scatter some more fennel seeds if you need to and continue dipping and coating and scattering more fennel seeds as needed to be sure that each breast has enough fennel seeds on each side. Toss any unused breadcrumbs and flour. (Of course, you could just mix the fennel seeds in with the breadcrumbs, but this is how Susan does it, and I assume how her grandmother did it, so that’s how I do it.  There is power in tradition, and I respect it when I can.)

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and sauté 2-3 minutes each side, until just cooked through. Transfer to a plate with tongs and cover with tented foil.

Add mushrooms to the pan and cook for about 5 minutes – enough to cook but not to dry them out. You want them plump and juicy.  Add scallion whites, garlic and lemon zest. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the broth mixture to the pan; cook, stirring, until thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add scallion greens and the chicken and any accumulated juices; cook, stirring, until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve.

Butternut Squash Polenta With Sausage and Onions

polenta sausage

Quick!  Before  winter ends, you’ve got to make this stick to your ribs, warm the cockles of your heart, comfort food supremo dish of butternut squash polenta with sausage. Thanks to Melissa Clark of the NY Times for this recipe, which I encourage you to read and watch her cook on the NY Times website.  

This really is a perfect recipe for the end of winter,  when you think you’ve had all the butternut squash you think you can stand, but there’s really not much else at the Farmer’s Market.  It sort of sneaks the squash in by melting it into the polenta, adding a bit of “what is that?” flavor while still allowing the corn flavor to shine through. It also rounds out this one dish meal so you don’t need to serve a separate vegetable. (We did, however, put out small side bowls of home made applesauce, which were a perfect accompaniment.)

Melissa’s is a very basic recipe that lends itself to creative tweaking, so we doubled the squash and the fennel seeds and adding grated Parmesan and some chopped parsley to the polenta. We also added a tablespoon of sherry to the polenta near the end of its cooking, just because it seemed like the right thing to do.  Next time, I may try making the polenta with a mix of chicken broth and milk (see video here), and skip the cheese.

In addition to watching Melissa’s video, I encourage you to read this post on polenta making so you know how to tell when the polenta is done – much later in the cooking process than you think.

(See recipe after the jump) Continue Reading

Lemon Fennel Ribs with Fennel Slaw and Roasted New Potatoes

Lemon fennel ribs with roasted potatoes and fennel slaw

What a week it’s been!

Sunday night dinner at the home of Emmy Award winning Homeland casting director Judy Henderson (an event worthy of it’s own blog post, so stay tuned, and thanks again Ronnie for the invite!).

Monday meeting with Frank and Larry to discuss our upcoming ethics paper (Larry, you are brilliant!), lunch with Marty (I think we hatched a patentable idea), then Monday evening our first rehearsal for the Weill Cornell Music and Medicine Spring Choral Performance (Bach mass in G Major), followed by a quick dinner with Susan at Aureole (great burgers) and the late show of Songs for  New World (My class is performing it in a few weeks and I needed to be inspired. I was! Thanks again, Susan, for staying up late with me on a work night.)

Wednesday a long walk through the Central Park to weekly rehearsal with the Collegiate Singers  (Our spring concert is in early May – an ode to St Cecelia).

Thursday dinner (All you can eat mussels at Bistro 61) with dear friend Annette and her brilliant husband Arthur, whose detective work on Aristalochic acid induced nephropathy continues to amaze and inspire me.

Last night was woodshedding Songs for a New World for musical theater class, and today we actually did our first run through! (Of course, I’m still not off book, so there’s that..)

In between, I saw my patients as usual and even got all my charts done and calls returned before Friday afternoon was over.

Don’t ask me how it happened  or how I did it all – I have no idea. Actually, I do. I committed to things months in advance and then all those commitments colluded. But I had plenty of energy all week long – maybe the three days home sick the week before (?was it really the flu?) helped – I think I needed all that sleep! I also have started exercising more regularly, and that definitely energizes me.

And of course, there’s caffeine. I had given it up the week before, but by Wednesday this week I was back on. But just one cup a day. (I had been drinking three.) I’m going to try to get off again next week.

Mr TBTAM and daughter were just as busy as I was this week, and tonight was actually the first night in 8 days that we were all home for dinner. I needed to make something worthy of the occasion.  Luckily, I had this great little book of Classic Home Recipes from The Chicago Tribune, sent to me for review last week, where I found this wonderful recipe for Lemon Fennel Ribs.  While this meal may not have been a classic in the past,  it is now for us. It was delicious!

Now I’m off to bed early – I’m looking forward to spending tomorrow writing the ethics paper and the patent proposal, with maybe a break for a mani-pedi – I deserve it!

Lemon Fennel Ribs

LEMON FENNEL RIBS

Modified from a recipe in  Classic Home Recipes from The Chicago Tribune.  This is a rib rub, meant to be used with grilled ribs. Of course, no way I was grilling on this snowy wet March evening, so I modified the preparation. I was nervous these would be too dry, but they were not!

  • 12 pork ribs
  • Grated rind of two lemons
  • 1 tbsp sea salt
  • 1 tbsp coarsely ground black pepper
  • Olive oil

Heat 1 tablespoon fennel seeds in a small skillet set over medium heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Grind in a mortar or pulse in the spice grinder till powdery. Transfer to a bowl; stir in salt, pepper and lemon rind.

Rince ribs and pat dry. Coat on all sides with the rub, place in a glass dish and marinade for 30 mins.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees fahrenheit. Brush a small roasting pan with olive oil and arrange the ribs in it. Cover with foil and bake at 450 for 30 mins. Remove foil and place pan under broiler for 10-15 mins, stopping halfway through to turn the ribs.

Serve with fennel slaw and roasted rosemary potatoes (recipes below). A nice size dollop of sheep’s milk yogurt on the plate provides a cool contrast.  Serves 4.

fennel slaw

FENNEL SLAW

Modified from a recipe in Classic Home Recipes from The Chicago Tribune. I used red instead of Savoy cabbage, replacing the grapes with golden raisins, and using brown instead of white sugar in the dressing.

  • 1 medium head of cabbage
  • 1 small fennel bulb
  • 1 granny smith apple, peeled
  • 1/4 cup golden raisins
  • Juice of two lemons
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 2 tsp coarse brown mustard
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper

Peel the outermost leaves off the cabbage, cut out the white core and slice very thin and place in a large bowl. Trim the outer fennel leaves and cut off the stem and base. Grate on the large blade of the grater, then add to the cabbage. Grate the apple down to the core, discard the core, and add the grated apple to the cabbage. Add the raisins. Whisk the remaining ingredients in a bowl; adjust the seasoning by adding sugar or olive oil if needed. Toss with the cabbage, fennel, apple and raisin mixture and serve.

ROASTED ROSEMARY NEW POTATOES

  • 2 pounds of small new potatoes, scrubbed, dried and cut in half.
  • 2  tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp fresh rosemary leaves, coarsely chopped
  • Sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Toss all the ingredients in a bowl, the spread the potatoes out in a broiler pan. Bake at 450 for 30 mins, turning half way. (You can roast them at the same time you bake the ribs). Remove from oven and cover pan with foil to keep warm while the ribs broil. Serve atop the fennel slaw as described above.

Ina Garten’s Perfect Roast Chicken

Ina Garten

The best roast chicken I’ve ever made. Made even more perfect by using a grass-fed free range chicken from the green market. Serve with Potatoes Anna and fresh green beans for a memorably delicious dinner that won’t keep you all day in the kitchen.

Recipe here. Better yet, let Ina show you.

Tarragon-Cream Turkey Pot Pie

I awoke late today, feeling a bit melancholy. Eldest daughter left very early to go back to school, younger daughter is heading off with a friend to a museum, and the hubbub of the Thanksgiving holiday is over. As one who thrives on hubbub, I am a bit thrown by the quiet.  Although I had been counting on this free day to get quite a few things done, I find myself uninterested in doing anything, and since it is too cold for a bike ride, I instead waste the morning in front of the computer, allegedly handling email but in reality accomplishing nothing.

My husband, the math teacher, appears unfazed and is preparing math contest problems for his class. He brings a particular difficult one to me for help in solving, and though I remember little about geometry I do find his error – a simple math mistake. I decide that he too must be having trouble today as our little family once again rearranges itself from a quadrilateral to a triangle.

This realization reassures me somehow, and I am jolted back into activity. In short order, I shower, make the bed, eat breakfast, finish last week’s open encounters and lab result reviews online, write a few checks and finish a few odds and ends I’d been putting off doing. I then head out for a much needed mani-pedi, during which I start on my book club’s monthly selection (Age of Miracles, OMG you have to read it) and then come home to tackle dinner, which of course means the turkey leftovers.

Inspired by this recipe from Ina Garten, and remembering this delicious preparation for chicken breasts, I decide to make a pot pie using plenty of tarragon. This will also allow me to finish up that herb’s harvest before frost takes what’s left. (It did not survive last winter…)

Unfortunately, my younger daughter arrives home too hungry to wait for me to make the pies, so instead we compromise and serve half the filling over penne tonight (delicious), with the rest in small individual pies that cook while we eat dinner.  They finish baking just as we finish the dishes, and they are gorgeous. We’ll serve them tomorrow night, but of course I take a small taste – yep, this recipe is a keeper.

And so was this day.

Tarragon-Cream Turkey Pot Pie

The tarragon gives a light feel to what could otherwise be a heavy dish. (Much the same way adding lemon can lighten a dish). I made individual pies, but you can make one large pie if you prefer. If you don’t have time for a pie, make the filling and toss it with some penne pasta (pass the Parmesan when serving it).

  • 1 double recipe Pate Brisee
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 large leeks, rinsed and into large dice
  • 3 large stalks celery, cut into large dice
  • 3 large carrots, peeled and cut into large dice
  • 10 ounces Crimini mushrooms,stemmed and cut into quarters
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3-4 tbsp chopped fresh tarragon leaves
  • 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
  • 4-5 cups leftover turkey, shredded or cut into bite size pieces
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1 cup cream or half and half
  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • Beurre manie  -1 tbsp flour mixed with 1 tbsp soft butter in a small bowl (optional)
  • Egg wash – 1 egg whisked with 1 tsp water

Prepare pastry and roll out half to line individual tart pans. Preheat oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit.

Heat olive oil and butter is a large skillet. Saute leeks, celery and carrots till they start to soften. Add mushrooms and cook till they just give off their liquid Add garlic and saute another minute. Add turkey, tarragon, thyme, chicken broth, cream and wine and heat to boiling, then turn down heat to low and thicken with flour-butter mixture (if necessary). Cool slightly and pour into tart pans. Roll out top pastry and cover tarts, crimping the edges to close the pastry. Cut three small slites in the top of each tart. Brush with an egg wash. Place on baking sheet and bake for 45-50 minutes, till crust is brown and sauce is bubbling.

Makes 8 individual or one large pie.

 

Chili – A Spicy Meal for A Bittersweet Season’s End

It’s always bittersweet, closing our Endless Mountain cottage for the season. We don’t get there enough even in season as far as I’m concerned, so this quick hello and goodbye is almost painful.

Our busy schedule in the city means we do not arrive till after dark on Saturday. Only one other house in our little enclave has lights on, and it feels strange and deserted – so different from summer.

The season is farther along here on the mountain – The trees are already bare and the back porch is awash in 3 inches of leaves. We can see our breath even in the house, and the olive oil on the kitchen shelf is thick and cloudy. Fortunately, the water is still flowing freely through the pipes. We start a roaring fire in the fireplace and set to work making a pot of chili for dinner.

A few minutes after Mr TBTAM heads off down the mountain for a few last minute ingredients, the power goes off, leaving me in darkness. I manage to quickly reset the circuit breakers in the electric panel on the front porch and then, feeling a bit unsettled, call my older brother Al on FaceTime to keep me company while I cook until Mr TBTAM returns. This was probably not a good idea, because every few minutes Al interrupts the conversation to ask me “What’s that face at your kitchen window?” (Big brothers never change…)

Finally Mr TBTAM returns. We forgo the frigid dining room and eat our chili from bowls while sitting together on the love seat that we have pulled over in front of the fireplace. It’s too cold to move much farther from the fire, so we just spend the rest of the evening on the love seat, reading. A few more electrical resets later (the blower attachment on the fireplace insert was the culprit) the baseboard heaters are finally cranking up and we retire, gratefully, to a warm bedroom.

Sunday dawns bright and unseasonably warm, and we set to work. I strip the beds, wipe down the bathrooms, empty the fridge and kitchen cabinets, scrub down and unplug the fridge, and sweep the kitchen floor. Having seen a few droppings on the kitchen shelf that morning, I decide to set a few mousetraps for our seasonal guests. Mr TBTAM runs the laundry and rakes the yard – an enormous job that takes him all morning. Then our neighbor offers me his leaf blower and I do the back deck and patio – a job that usually takes an entire afternoon –  in 30 minutes! We stop midway through our labors for another bowl of chili – this time sitting on the porch in the warm sun admiring the fruits of our labors. After that, we bring the porch furniture and bikes into the house, make one final sweep and get into the car for the long ride home.

Another season in the Endless Mountains has come to a close. Every year I fantasize about winterizing the place, but seeing (and feeling) the place so deserted has convinced me that I prefer to leave it as it is  – my little Brigadoon, disappearing in late fall and reappearing in Spring.

Basic Chili

While there are a lot more complex recipes out there, ours is a very basic chili. The recipe below is heavier on the meat than the beans, but we vary it.  You can substitute a 12 oz can of tomato sauce for the tomato paste and water. Add a second can of beans if you want to stretch it for a larger crowd.  Serve over rice to stretch it even more, and add a side salad for a complete meal. I’ve fallen in love with sheep’s milk yogurt and no longer use sour cream to top mine.

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 large onion, medium dice
  • 1 large green pepper, medium dice
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 to 1 1/2 lb lean ground beef
  • 1-28 oz can whole tomatoes
  • 1 small can tomato paste +1  cup water, beef broth or beer
  • 1-15 oz can red kidney beans, rinsed
  • 2-4 tsp Chili powder to taste (some brands are spicier than others)
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp cumin (optional)
  • Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
  • 1/2 cup sheep’s milk yogurt or sour cream
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Cooking Directions

Heat oil in large pot and saute onions and peppers till soft (about 5 mins). Add garlic and saute another minute. Add ground beef and saute, breaking it up with a wooden spoon,  till no longer pink. Add remainder of ingredients and cook for 30 minutes over medium-low heat. Serve hot in bowls with with cheddar cheese and sour cream or yogurt topping.