New England-Inspired Pasta with Pumpkin, Cranberries, and Spice-Crusted Duck

Pumpkin, cranberry, and duck - all autumn foods, all native to New England, but not necessarily anything you’d associate with linguine and cream sauce!

My intention for tonight’s dinner was to use the pumpkin I had left over from Sunday’s broiled polenta squares. I was going to cube and cook the pumpkin, add it to alfredo sauce with a little bit of nutmeg and black pepper, and serve it over radiatore, a type of short dried pasta. Still, I felt the recipe was bland and needed a kick, but I had no clue what that kick would be. Then I saw a bag of cranberries, and I found the kick. After I threw the cranberries in my basket, I went straight for the poultry section and picked up a fresh duck breast.

I had no idea how cranberries would work with pasta, but I was willing to find out. I had a recipe in mind - which is what I’m sharing with you below - but several kitchen mishaps and zone outs prevented my final dish from coming into fruition the way I would have liked. First, as I was stirring my pasta, I managed to splash boiling water out of the pan and straight onto my hip, so instead of attending to my food I was attending to my skin. Then, I completely zoned out, and instead of waiting until the pasta was plated to add the duck, I added it with the cream sauce. Oops. Finally, when I tasted it, I realized that it was missing something - I forgot to add the salt. So, I added a generous pinch of salt, stirred, dealt with the fact that I wasn’t going to be able to take a pretty picture, and mourned for the crispy spice crust on the duck that got lost once I added it to the cream sauce. Put it this way - if Gordon Ramsay was in my kitchen tonight, he probably would have told me to piss off. That being said, he wouldn’t have spit my food out, because despite my little string of disasters, the final product was delicious!

Here is the recipe as it was intended to be. Enjoy the flavors of fall in New England!


Linguine with Spice-Crusted Duck Breast, Pumpkin and Cranberries

10 oz. Linguine
1 duck breast, skin removed and reserved
½ t. nutmeg, separated in half
½ t. finely ground black pepper, separated
2 T. butter
2 cups cubed pumpkin
2/3 cup cranberries, halved
1 T. grappa
1 cup light cream
½ c. grated pecorino
Salt to taste

Cook the linguine. In the meantime, heat a heavy bottomed pan over high heat. Once it is hot, place the duck skin in the pan and cook it for 2-3 minutes until the fat begins to melt and coat the pan. While duck skin is cooking, rub the duck breast with ¼ t. of the nutmeg and ¼ t. of the pepper.

Remove the duck fat and place the duck breast in the pan. Cook each side for approximately 4 minutes, then remove from pan and set aside. Lower heat, add the butter and stir until it melts, then add the pumpkin, cranberries, and grappa. Cook for 8-10 minutes, or until the cranberries have begun to break apart. In the meantime, slice the duck breast crosswise into 6 slices approximately ½” thick.

Next, add the cream and pecorino, stirring until the cheese has melted into the cream and the sauce has thickened. Add the remaining nutmeg, pepper, and salt to taste, stir a few times, then add the cooked pasta. Cook for an extra minute, then serve, dividing pasta into 3 portions and topping with 2 slices of the cooked duck breast.

Battle of the Butchers

How many of you purchase your meat from butcher shops? I’m guessing not many. Old-school butchers seem to have gone the way of the dinosaurs and the Zack Morris cell phone, but I stumbled across two butcher shops in Boston’s North End - DiPaolo & Rossi and Sulmona‘s. I had to stop into both and decide once and for all who gave me the best steak.

I’ve shopped at a real butcher’s before - Hill’s Meat Market in the Wesleyville neighborhood of Erie, PA, my hometown - and I consider myself lucky to have grown up with the experience of walking into a small, family-run store and hearing my mom ask, “What’s fresh today?” and planning a meal around Donny’s recommendation. Sure, my mom and I also shopped at supermarkets and other specialty retailers, but as a kid, I remember our meat wrapped in thick paper the color of Crayola’s Burnt Orange crayons; no Styrofoam tray, no moisture-absorbing paper, no plastic wrap.

My Godfather Joe owned Joe Zak’s Market, a neighborhood grocery store in Pittsburgh with an on-site butcher (read more here). Although I was only three when Uncle Joe retired and closed the store, the article from the Pittsburgh Press style section reporting on the closing hangs in my kitchen, and I get to look at Uncle Joe and Aunt Eleanor while I prep. The article talks about the history of the store and the neighborhood’s reaction to the closing, and talks about how pro baseball players used to help Uncle Joe prep the turkeys for delivery. You’d never see an article like this about the local Stop & Shop going out of business.

 How did I evaluate DiPaolo & Rossi vs. Sulmona’s? At each store, I bought a 6 oz. Sirloin steak approximately ¾" thick. I cooked them at the same time, in the same pan, for the same amount of time per side, and with the same seasoning and sauce (recipe below). I allowed the flavors to speak for themselves, and I found that DiPaolo & Rossi’s sirloin was more tender, while Sulmona’s was tougher but more flavorful.

So who won? I’ve got to give them a tie - the only logical way to solve this dilemma would be a dance-off. In the big picture, the winner is the customer - buying meat from a local proprietor who cares about his/her product really does make a difference. Small, independent shops may not have the selection that big-box chains offer, but at the same time, you know the product hasn’t been sitting in a freezer case for months hoping to be thawed, and you won‘t smell more plastic wrap than meat when you open your package. The butcher will cut the meat as small or as large as you’d like, and you’re not going to be stuck cutting away ginormous chunks of fat. When you buy from a butcher, you get meat your way and you’re not at the mercy of some corporate store manager more concerned with administrative BS than what’s in your shopping bag. The best part of neighborhood shops is that while they don’t always have what you’re looking for, you know that if you ask for it, they will get it for you, or you could challenge yourself, walk in and ask, “What’s good?” and then base a meal around what they offer you - not so unlike a Top Chef challenge!

Obviously, steaks were on the menu, and I decided to base the meal on seasonal ingredients, using pumpkin, porcini mushrooms, kale, and a touch of bacon, butter, and booze. Serve these steaks with broiled polenta squares over braised kale. Complete the prep work ahead of time, and you can fix this meal in about ten minutes.

Sirloin Steaks with Whiskey Cream Sauce

2 oz. pancetta or uncured bacon
2 6 oz. sirloin steaks, approx. 3/4" thick, rubbed with salt and pepper
1 T. butter
1 shallot, finely minced
1 1/2 oz. whiskey
1/4 c. heavy cream
1 T. reconstituted porcini mushrooms, finely minced (see below)*
1 t. fresh thyme leaves

Heat a heavy-bottomed skillet (cast iron is preferable) over medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot, add the pancetta or bacon and fry until crisp. Remove from the pan and place on paper towels to absorb grease; pour grease off pan (I save bacon grease, it makes a great soup base!) When the pancetta or bacon has cooled, crumble it into small bits and set aside.

Turn the heat up to high. Add the steaks and cook for approximately three minutes per side for medium rare. Once the steaks are cooked, remove them and set aside on a plate. They will continue to cook and distribute their juices, do not disturb the steaks while they rest.

Now it is time to make the sauce. Remove the pan from the burner for a minute or so to reduce the heat so that the sauce ingredients do not cook too quickly and burn. Next, place the pan over low heat, and add the butter. When the butter has melted, add the shallots and saute them for a minute or so, stirring constantly. Now, add the whiskey, cream, mushrooms, and crumbled pancetta or bacon, stirring constantly until all the ingredients are blended. Remove from heat, pour sauce into a small bowl, and add the thyme, stirring until blended. Spoon a small amount over your cooked steak and serve.


Broiled Polenta with Pumpkin and Pecorino

several pieces dried porcini mushrooms*
water
1 cup polenta
salt and pepper
2 T. butter
1 cup shredded raw pumpkin
1/2 cup shredded pecorino romano
2 T. crumbled pancetta or bacon

In a small bowl, add 1 cup of boiling water to the porcini mushrooms. Soak for 10 minutes, then remove the mushrooms, chop finely, and set aside. Pour the mushroom soaking liquid into a large saucepan with 3.5 additional cups of water and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Bring to a boil.

When water has reached a rolling boil, slowly pour the polenta into the water, stirring quickly and constantly. When all the polenta has been added, continue to stir. Do not stop stirring, or the polenta could come out lumpy. The polenta will begin to thicken; keep stirring for about 5 minutes, until the polenta becomes very thick. Add the butter and stir until it is completely dissolved. Remove from heat, then pour into a 9 x 13 baking dish, spreading with a spatula so that the polenta forms an even layer approximately 1/2" thick. Set the polenta aside to cool, once it has cooled to room temperature, place it in the refrigerator to set for at least an hour. This step can be done the night before.

Once the polenta has set, cut it into 12 squares (for a nicer presentation, use a cookie cutter and cut them into rounds, saving the leftover polenta for a random snack). Place these on a baking tray, and preheat the broiler on high. Next, sprinkle the shredded pumpkin on top of each polenta round, making sure all the pumpkin is used. Repeat this step with the pecorino romano cheese, with the crumbled pancetta or bacon, and with the minced porcini mushrooms.

Place under the broiler for 5-8 minutes, or until the cheese has completely melted. Serve on top of a bed of braised kale.

* If you cannot find dried porcini mushrooms, they can be purchased online.


Braised Kale

Lacinato kale is also called Tuscan kale, dinosaur cale, or cavolo nero. Curly kale can be substituted if lacinato kale is not available.

1 bunch lacinato kale, stems removed, chopped into 1" thick strips
4 sprigs fresh thyme
pinch salt and pepper

Rinse the kale in water; do not dry. Add the wet kale to a large pot with a lid with the thyme, salt, pepper, and approximately 1/4 cup water. Cook over medium low heat, until the kale begins to wilt. Serve, season with additional salt and pepper if necessary.

Bacon and Butter and Booze, Oh My!

Bacon and butter and booze, oh my! Don’t forget cream, olive oil, and radicchio, one of my favorite vegetables. Yes, this recipe contains a lot of dieting no-nos, but calories are not a valid reason to miss out on something this delicious. Deprivation is not the key to anything, except maybe bingeing and unhappiness. If you’re really concerned about calories, keep in mind that this recipe makes four servings, so each portion only contains a teaspoon or so of the high-fat ingredients. Also keep in mind that our bodies need fat to function, and it’s much better to get your fat from a beautiful, flavorful pasta dish than from some chopped, formed deep-fried by-product garbage procured from a drive-thru. This dish is not one to miss!

The bacon, butter, cream, and wine make this a very, very rich dish, but the richness is balanced out by the bitterness of the radicchio. When choosing radicchio, select firm heads with white stems and tightly packed leaves. This tasty and versatile vegetable can be eaten raw or cooked, and is delicious quartered, grilled, and dressed with olive oil and lemon juice.

Linguine with Radicchio and Cream

12 oz. linguine
Splash olive oil
6 oz. Uncured bacon or pancetta, sliced
1 small onion, minced
1 head radicchio, quartered and shredded into ¼” strips
¼ c dry white wine
½ c grated pecorino romano
½ c heavy cream
2 T butter
Salt & pepper
Chopped parsley

Cook the pasta. In the meantime, prepare the sauce.

In a heavy-bottomed pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and the onion, cook until the bacon is starting to crisp and the onion is translucent, stirring occasionally.

Next, add the radicchio and the wine. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the radicchio is wilted. Stir once or twice.

Add all the remaining ingredients, stirring constantly until the butter an cheese have melted. When the pasta is cooked, drain it and add it to the pan with the radicchio, stir, and cook for 1-2 minutes more. Divide among 4 plates and serve.

Rock Out With Your Wok Out!

Lame title?  Possibly.  Great suggestion?  Definitely. 

So why stir-fry in a wok instead of a ginormous frying pan?  First, it's been done that way for centuries.  The wok's deep sides keep the food in the wok and off your stovetop.  Also, the large surface area allows you to move the ingredients about more freely than in a frying pan.  Last but not least, it's really fun. 

Stir-frying in one of the healthiest ways to cook foods - quick cooking retains nutrients and crunch while using only a small amount of oil, so stir-fried foods tend to be low in fat.  The key to a successful stir fry is to heat the wok thoroughly before adding the cooking oil - foods will not stick to the wok if you adhere to this principle. 

Last night, I made one of my favorite stir-fried recipes - Walnut Chicken, a recipe my mom has been making since 1992, and one of my all-time favorites.  She adapted this recipe from a magazine, and I remember eating this recipe during the Clinton campaign, so feel free to hum "Don't Stop Thinking About Tomorrow" while you cook.  It is generally served over rice, but since I had no rice, I served it over cooked millet instead.  Either way, it's fabulous. 

Walnut Chicken

for the stir-fry sauce:
2.5 T. low-sodium soy sauce
2 T. sherry or rice wine
1.5 T. water
2 t. cornstarch
1 t. sugar or agave syrup
1 t. grated fresh ginger
1/2 t. crushed red pepper flakes

1-2 t. canola oil
1 green bell pepper, sliced into bite-sized chunks
1 red bell pepper, sliced into bite-sized chunks
small bunch green onions, sliced into thick rings
2 chicken breasts, sliced into bite-sized chunks

chopped toasted walnuts, to serve

First, make the stir fry sauce by combining all sauce ingredients in a small bowl and mixing until the cornstarch is dissolved completely. 

Heat the wok thoroughly, and then add a teaspoon or two of cooking oil.  Add the red and green peppers and green onions; stir fry for no longer than two minutes. 

Remove peppers and green onions from wok, and set aside. 

Next, add another teaspoon of canola oil (if necessary) and stir-fry the chicken pieces.  Continue stir-frying the chicken for 4-5 minutes, until no pink remains and the chicken is slightly browned on the outside.

Once the chicken is browned, return the veggies to the wok, along with the stir-fry sauce.  Stir together for a minute or two, then remove from wok and place in a serving container (keeping it in the wok will cause the veggies to continue cooking, and you don't want to cook away all the crunch).



Spoon over cooked rice or millet, and sprinkle with a handful of chopped toasted walnuts.  Enjoy!

Oh, Snapper!

Farewell, fish-free food.  I have enjoyed my vegetarian and vegan recipes, but I've also craved seafood.  Yesterday, I trekked to the North End to pick up a half-dozen oysters and a slice of salmon from Mercato del Mare.  It felt great to be back!  Another customer was in the store inquiring about snapper, and I instantly erased the salmon from my mind and started building a list of ingredients to go with a nice, fresh piece of snapper. 

First ingredient?  Capers.  I have always used bottled capers in brine; I decided that today was the day I'd try capers packed in salt, which are said to have more flavor and a better texture.  I purchased a tub at Salumeria Italiana, and discovered that the rumors are true.  Salt-packed capers aren't much more expensive than capers in brine.  They should be rinsed before use (unless you're using them in a sauce where salt is called for - then use as is and omit extra salt), but this is not time consuming.  If you can find them, use them. 

The other ingredients I planned to use are things I already had at home, like parsley and oranges, so I decided to head back to the apartment.  That's when I walked by a small gelato shop - this place was tiny; if I had been walking with a purpose I may not have even noticed it...I literally stopped dead in my tracks, walked backwards a few steps, and realized that yes, I had in fact seen gelato.  I felt like Chunk when his rant about his frustration with the other Goonies was cut short by his discovery of the Fratelli's ice cream freezer.  I wish I knew the name of the place where I purchased my gelato - I'll get it next time.  If you can't wait, it's on the corner of Hanover and Cross Street right next to the Citizens ATM.  To my delight, they'll put two different flavors in the same cup, which saved me from having to decide between hazelnut and pistachio.  Each flavor was delightfully rich.  The pistachio contained tiny chunks of real pistachios, while the hazelnut was more generous with the nuts - hazelnut halves swam about and added a pleasant crunchy surprise!  I did not care that it was too cold out to be eating gelato, I sat down on a park bench, people watched, and savored every spoonful.  Note to self - don't hold a paper cup in your bare hand on a cold day, grab more napkins next time and insulate! 

Today, I made the snapper, along with a batch of seasoned rice.  This meal was unbelievably satisfying, and the zesty citrus and the clean, fresh flavor of the parsley led my tastebuds to believe summer was still alive and kicking.  Sometime this winter, when it's been blustery and gray for weeks on end, I will make this recipe to remind myself of warmer days.

Broiled Snapper with Citrus-Parsley Pesto

1/2 cup finely minced flat-leaf parsley
zest of 2 oranges
1.5 T. salt-packed capers, chopped (do not rinse)
2 T. olive oil
1/4 t. coarsely ground black pepper
1/4 t. crushed red pepper flakes
2 snapper fillets, skin removed

Combine all ingredients except the fish in a small bowl, mix well to form consistent paste, and set aside for at least 30 minutes for flavors to blend.

Prepare the broiler on high heat.  Place each slice of fish in the center of a square of aluminum foil.  Spread each slice generously with the pesto, then fold up the edges of the foil to form a package. 

Broil for 15 minutes.  During the last two minutes of cooking, open up the package so that the pesto is exposed to the heat.  Let it start to brown a little, but do not let it burn.  Remove from oven and let sit for 3-5 minutes.  Serve with seasoned rice. 

Seasoned Rice

2 cups freshly cooked rice
1 T. Goya Adobo with Bitter Orange seasoning
1 T. olive oil

Combine the Goya seasoning and the olive oil with the cooked rice.  Fluff and serve.

Miso Soup with Soba Noodles and Tempeh

Yes, I am aware that this headline might inspire you to ask, "Um, are you cooking soup, or are you trying to see how many ingredients most Americans can't identify will fit into a stockpot?"  Valid question.  After cooking this soup, I did notice that most of the ingredients aren't common in American cooking.  Good.  At least it's not boring. 

Everything I've eaten and cooked this week has been either vegetarian or vegan.  This started out as a choice, but it kind of turned into a default when I realized I had a lot of leftovers, and then it became an experiment - how long can I cook vegetarian and vegan food?  I do love vegetarian food, and I will cook vegetarian and vegan recipes in the future - but I am really starting to miss seafood.  Although I seem to have stumbled across a magnificent loophole - although subject to much debate, some claim that vegans can eat oysters because oysters have no central nervous system and cannot feel pain.  I mean, they are kind of blob-like...but I digress.  Back to the soup....



Tung Ho

 There are several ingredients in this soup that are not common - szechuan peppercorns, which taste almost like a pungent, mentholated coriander seed or a peppercorn that's lost it's spicy kick; tempeh, a cake of fermented soybeans and grains with a nutty flavor and slightly chewy texture; tung ho, an asian vegetable whose name sounds like something mean girls would call each other, is available in better supermarkets, and its flavor resembles grassy spinach; and miso, which is fermented soybean paste with a delicate, mellow flavor.  If you've never tried any of these things, please give this soup a try - it will be a delicious surprise!


Miso Soup with Soba Noodles and Tempeh

Tempeh

6 cups vegetable broth
1 T. minced fresh ginger
1 t. szechuan peppercorns
1 t. chipotle pepper flakes
4 oz. tempeh, diced
3 T. white miso (sometimes called "mellow miso")
4 oz. soba noodles
2 T. soy sauce
2 cups tung ho leaves
green onion, sesame oil, and toasted sesame seeds (for garnish)

Combine the vegetable broth, ginger, szechuan peppercorns, chipotle flakes, and tempeh in a large soup pot.  Bring to a boil.  Now, add the miso, and stir until miso has dissolved in the boiling broth. 

Add the soba noodles and cook until the noodles are soft.  Now, add the soy sauce and tung ho leaves.  Stir once or twice until the leaves are limp.  Remove from heat, ladle into bowls, and serve, garnishing with green onion, a few drops of sesame oil, and a pinch of toasted sesame seeds. 

Hooray for Cauliflower!

Tonight, I made a beautiful penne dish with cauliflower, a greatly underrated vegetable.  Cauliflower tends to be forgotten in this country outside of raw veggie trays; a shame, because it is loaded with fiber, folate, and B and C vitamins.  Next time you're hungry for something unusual, simple, and nutritious, try this recipe that I adapted from one of Mario Batali's.  This was originally intended to be included in my vegetarian/vegan post, but limited refrigerator space dictated that I hold off on this one until today.  This is a vegan dish.

Penne with Sauteed Cauliflower

1 pound penne
olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, minced
1 t. dried chipotle pepper flakes
1 bunch mint, chopped
1 head cauliflower, sliced into florets
1/4 c. white wine
salt and pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. 

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.  Add the garlic, onion, chipotle, and mint, and saute until the garlic and onion begin to soften.  Do not let them brown.  Next, add the cauliflower and the wine, and reduce to a simmer.  Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, and cook the pasta while the cauliflower is simmering.

Once the pasta is fully cooked, drain the pasta and add it to the pot with the cauliflower.  Add another splash of olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and serve hot.

This Weekend's Meat-Free Menu

This weekend, hundreds of dogs and their owners gathered on Boston Common to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. To honor animals and all the work advocates do on their behalf, I not only volunteered at today’s walk, but everything I’ve cooked this weekend has been either vegetarian or vegan.

So what is the difference between vegetarians and vegans? Vegetarians do not eat meat or fish, but they may choose to eat eggs, dairy products, and other products obtained from live animals. Vegans neither eat nor otherwise use any products derived from animals, including honey and wool.

Because this blog is written to celebrate food - nothing more, nothing less - I do not believe that this is the forum to discuss the plethora of issues surrounding meat consumption. I’ll skip the sociology lesson and let you investigate the economic, political, medical and ethical questions on your own time, but I will highlight a few of the benefits of vegetarian and vegan cooking. I’m not expecting meataholics to put down their steak knives and start mainlining tofu, but consider these facts*:

• Vegetarian/vegan diets are lower in saturated fat and cholesterol than omnivorous diets
• Factory-farmed meat products are more likely to contain antibiotic-resistant strains of salmonella, E. coli, etc.
• No animals have to suffer to make falafel, beans & rice, or quinoa salad
• Intensive livestock production is one of our country’s greatest sources of environmental pollution
• Vegetarian dishes are generally easier on the wallet than dishes containing meat and/or fish

Even if you don’t want to give up meat, try cooking a vegetarian or vegan meal once or twice a week - most vegetarian recipes are so delicious that you won’t even miss the meat!

Before I did any real cooking, I had to try vegan bacon. Oxymoron, right?!? The stuff isn’t bad. I am thankful that someone has been able to make such a great substitute. No one should be denied the joys of bacon, butter, and booze.

This stuff cooks up just like real bacon. Grease the frying pan for a more authentic flavor, turn it over a few times, and voila! Vegan goodness.

The flavor is very spot-on, and the texture isn’t an exact match, but it’s pretty darn close. And honestly, people who cook bacon in the microwave probably won’t know the difference. The smell of vegan bacon frying is so alluring that Tessie, my roommate’s pup, joined me in the kitchen, barked to get my attention and showed off her “sit” skills when I picked up a piece!

The first dinner recipe I tried was a vegetarian casserole with whole wheat pasta, Savoy cabbage, fontina cheese, and fresh dill. The cabbage is extremely high in vitamins and minerals, and both cheese and 100% whole wheat pasta contain protein. Choose a high quality Italian brand of whole wheat pasta made with durum wheat, which is naturally higher in protein than other varieties of wheat. This dish is rich, gooey, hearty, and delicious - this one will stick to your bones on a cold day.

The next dinner recipe was more of an experiment, and it turned out to be fantastic! I was inspired to make this after accidentally buying a bag of Roland Sweet Dried Tomatoes - sounds like plain old sun-dried tomatoes, right? Wrong - these are sweetened with sugar, and their flavor and texture remind me of a tomato-tinged prune or raisin. I thought their sweet quality could enhance a recipe much in the way that adding raisins to a savory recipe deepens the flavors. In Sicily, golden raisins are sometimes added to tomato-based sauces; this was a perfect starting point.

I decided that I wanted to give myself a greater challenge than simply creating a vegan dish - I wanted to make one that was both vegan and gluten-free. Flavors? Check. Proteins? I call on my favorite legume, red lentils. Carbohydrates? Herein lies the challenge. Gluten-free pasta? Nah, just ate pasta last night. Rice? That’s for gluten-free amateurs. I chose millet.

Millet is the seed of a grass, and it is commonly used in parts of Asia and Africa. It is readily available in health food stores, co-ops, and better supermarkets. Try and get over the fact that you’ll without a doubt recognize it as a key component in commercially prepared birdseed; it’s inexpensive, nutritious, and has a wonderful, fluffy texture. If you cannot find millet, quinoa or amaranth are also great whole grains suitable for those on gluten-free diets, and they also carry the added perk of being two of the only plant sources of complete proteins.  Check out more gluten-free grains here.

Whole grains are a great substitute for couscous, the preferred starch source in Moroccan cooking. Knowing this, and knowing that my sweet dried tomatoes could work in a Sicilian-inspired dish, I decided to try a dish that blended Sicilian and Moroccan flavors, which was not a difficult task since their cuisines are very similar to begin with due to their proximity.

Now, it’s time to get cooking. Try these recipes and eat up!

Cabbage, Fontina, and Dill Casserole with Whole-Wheat Rotini

8 oz. 100% whole wheat rotini

1 small head Savoy cabbage, quartered and shredded into ¼” strips

1 clove garlic, minced

4 T. chopped fresh dill

Olive oil

2 T. chardonnay (try using an Italian variety, known as Sciardonne, produced in Italy’s Alto Adige region)

5 oz. Fontina cheese, shredded (fontina is soft, so grate it fresh from the fridge or it will melt)

Preheat the oven to 400. Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water. Whole wheat pasta takes a little bit longer to cook than regular pasta, so be patient.

Meanwhile, combine the cabbage, garlic, 3 T. of the dill, a splash of olive oil, and chardonnay in an ovenproof dish. Place in oven. Check after 5 minutes, if the cabbage has wilted, remove from oven. If not, cook for a few more minutes, no more than 10, and remove from oven. Do not let the cabbage brown.

Once the pasta is cooked, add it to the cabbage in the casserole. Add half the fontina, mix well until all ingredients are blended evenly, adding another splash of olive oil to the mix. Once the pasta, cabbage, and cheese are well-blended, top with the remaining fontina. Place in oven and bake for 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven, let sit for 5 minutes, and serve.

Millet with Sweet Tomato and Lentil Stew

Splash olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

2 tomatoes, chopped

Pinch crushed red chile flakes

Pinch fresh ground black pepper

1 cup chopped sweet dried tomatoes

½ cup red lentils

1 cup white wine

¼ t. ground cumin

¼ t. ground coriander

1 t. smoked paprika

½ cup water or vegetable broth (if necessary)

2 T. fresh parsley, chopped

2 T. fresh mint, chopped

2 T. capers, rinsed and drained

Salt to taste

1 batch cooked millet

Chopped toasted hazelnuts

Heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat until the onions become translucent. Do not let them brown. Next, add the chopped tomatoes, chile flakes, and ground pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes or until the tomatoes have cooked down and released some of their liquid.

Add the sweet dried tomatoes, lentils, wine, cumin, coriander, and paprika. Cook for 15 more minutes, stirring occasionally. By this point, the lentils should be cooked but still firm. If the lentils need more cooking time and/or no liquid remains, add the ½ cup water or vegetable broth and simmer for 5-10 more minutes.

The final step is to add the parsley, mint, capers and salt, stirring until well-blended. To serve, spoon over cooked millet and sprinkle with chopped toasted hazelnuts.

* information obtained from www.tryveg.com and www.bostonveg.org

Linguine al Limone

Boys and girls, pasta doesn’t get much simpler than this. Next time you’re looking for something quick, refreshing and satisfying, give this simple pasta recipe a try! Because it makes use of basic pantry ingredients, this is the perfect dish to make when you have to work late or when it’s raining like crazy outside and you don’t want to run to the store.




Linguine al Limone

½ box linguine
Splash olive oil *
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
½ - 1 cup grated pecorino romano
½ t. cracked black peppercorns
Pinch crushed red chile flakes
Pinch salt

Cook and drain the pasta. Add the olive oil and stir so that each strand of pasta is coated and pasta does not stick. Add the remaining ingredients, mix well, and serve.

* For a richer flavor, use half olive oil and half butter!

Nine-to-Fiver's Noodles al Forno

Last night, after a long day of work and a volunteer shift at the animal shelter, the last thing I wanted to do was cook.  So, how did I manage to throw in a load of laundry AND make a batch of Fusilli al Forno with prosciutto, smoked mozzarella, and sun-dried tomatoes?  Because, dear readers, I have a well-stocked pantry.  This is the key to quick, tasty dinners that don't involve a microwave, a drive-thru menu, or GrubHub.com.  In the time it takes you to boil water, you can prepare the ingredients for a baked pasta dish that will provide not only satisfaction, but leftovers.  Nine to Fiver's Noodles are a cubicle dweller's best friend! 

The secret is to always have your pantry stocked with the following items: 

• short pasta (fusilli, rotini, shells, macaroni, ditalini, etc)
• Alfredo Sauce (Classico is my favorite - I eat their Sun-Dried Tomato Alfredo straight from the jar)
• capers
• olives
• sun-dried tomatoes
• canned tuna in olive oil

Refrigerated ingredients are also necessary, so pick these up when you know you're going to have a busy week:

• regular or smoked mozzarella
• prosciutto
• a wedge of Pecorino cheese

Here's how to do it:

Nine-to-Fiver's Noodles al Forno
1/2 box short pasta
1 cup grated cheese or 1/2 cup Alfredo sauce
1/4 - 1 cup pantry ingredients (you choose the combination and the proportions)
splash olive oil
salt & pepper

topping:
1/4 cup grated cheese, for topping
bread crumbs or wheat bran, for topping

Boil water for the pasta and pre-heat the oven to 400.  While water is boiling, grate the cheese (if using) and slice any pantry ingredients that are not bite-sized, such as sun-dried tomatoes or olives. 

Cook the pasta, then combine cooked pasta with all ingredients except the cheese and bread crumbs in a shallow baking dish.  Sprinkle the topping ingredients on the baking dish, and pop into the oven for 10 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and the top begins to turn golden. 


Enjoy!

Eating vs. Refueling, Putting Food On Your Family, Salad and Cocktail Recipes

Time certainly flies when you’re having fun!  I spent this weekend in Portsmouth, NH visiting my mom, and – as always – we spent a majority of the time shopping for food, cooking food, and eating food, with a quick trip to the gym, a visit to the flower gardens at Strawberry Banke, and a few movies and I Love Lucy reruns thrown into the mix.  Compare sprawling out on my mom’s couch in my pajamas, eating a bowl of homemade cream of mushroom soup, and drinking a glass of wine at 3:00 in the afternoon to today’s eating experience – shoving a few Fig Newtons in my mouth between sips of mediocre pre-ground coffee and pesky phone calls, taking in small spoonfuls of Au Bon Pain soup and keeping my fingers crossed that nobody speaks to me while I’m on my lunch break, and hoping I have time to microwave a package of Top Ramen to snack on this afternoon.  There’s eating, and there’s refueling via introducing edible substances to one’s digestive tract.  I much prefer eating.

Remember when George W. remarked, "I know how hard it is for you to put food on your family?"  Although eloquence escaped him, he didn't reference putting food on the table or in the refrigerator.  There is a connection between food and family, and the thought that food and family are separate entities is completely foreign to me.  The way I was raised, where there’s food, there’s family, and where there’s family, there’s food.  I know that this isn’t necessarily common anymore, especially among non-Italian families.  I have to wonder if eating together as a family makes a difference in how one approaches food.  Did sharing meals with my mom throughout my childhood cause me to view food as a social tool and not a function of survival?  I don’t dare to explain it; I just sit back and feel thankful that something necessary for my survival happens to be my life’s greatest joy.

So what did my mom and I eat this weekend? Cream of mushroom soup made with homemade chicken stock, bacon-topped stuffed peppers, real mashed potatoes, steamed carrots, pancakes, breakfast sausage, fruit salad, maple nut ice cream, fried green tomatoes, egg salad sandwich rolls, beef tenderloin tips, sautéed broccoli rabe, creamy polenta, mixed green salads, and a fun new whiskey drink – the Gaelic Bellini.

Here are the recipes for two of the above-referenced dishes:

Individual Mixed Green Salads

2 cups shredded green leaf lettuce
1 cup chopped dandelion greens
1 t. finely minced red onion
1 T. grated parmigiano-reggiano
Splash olive oil
Splash wine vinegar *
A few drops chile oil, or a pinch of crushed red chile flakes
Salt & pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a large salad bowl and toss until well-mixed.

*  Red and white wine vinegar are generally interchangeable. To spruce them up, try adding combinations of herbs and spices. Some of my favorites are: rosemary and de Arbol chiles in red wine vinegar; lavender, crushed fennel seeds, and basil in white wine vinegar; tarragon, crushed green or black peppercorns, and a splash of dry vermouth in white wine vinegar. To make these, simply add 1-2 T. of your selected seasonings to a 12oz. bottle of wine vinegar, shake well every day for about a week, at which time they are ready for use.  I like to combine them in pretty, decorative bottles that would make Martha Stewart proud!



Gaelic Bellini

1 oz. Irish whiskey (I prefer Jameson)
3 oz. peach nectar
3 oz. ginger ale

Combine in a highball glass, stir, and serve.

Mother-Daughter Mealtime

This weekend, I’m off to Portsmouth, NH to visit my mom for the holiday weekend.  I generally don't like to brag, but I hit the Mom Lotto.  A “foodie” long before the term was coined, my mother is the reason I’m able to write this blog.  She is a far better cook than I will ever be, she bought organic and local produce two decades before it became trendy, and she taught me some of my most important lessons in the kitchen – lemons are a girl’s best friend, don’t buy cheap meat, always wash your produce, be very careful with raw chicken, and if something can’t get past your nose, it shouldn’t get past your mouth.


On top of these practical lessons, I learned something far more valuable from my mom – how to enjoy food.  This wasn’t taught through lessons and instructions, but through practice.  If I wanted to try something, she allowed me to try it.  If I didn’t like something, she didn’t make me eat it.  And never – not even once – did she express that certain foods were “bad” or that eating them should make me feel guilty.  In her house, white chocolate raspberry mousse didn’t lead to self-loathing, it led to seconds.  We always ate dinner together, even if it was on the run before one of my ballet lessons or after one of her grad school classes.  Many of my best memories are centered around food, and to this day, I always smile when my mom taste-tests one of her creations and proclaims, “DAMN, I’m good!”  Yes, Ma, you certainly are.

I’m not sure what we’ll cook together this weekend.  Usually, unless I have a craving and request something in advance (her cold cucumber soup is one of my favorites – recipe below), we shop together, and if we see a certain vegetable or a cut of meat that looks especially good, we’ll center the meal around that item.  When we’re in the kitchen together, it’s not always smooth sailing – she hides bacon from me and makes fun of the way I chop (“Honey, are they going to taste different if they’re not all the exact same size?”).  I eat half the ingredients before they even make it into the pot, and I get agitated when the vegetable slices aren’t all the exact same size (“It’s just better that way, don’t you think it would be better if you cut those two more evenly?...[pause]...Dude, why are you giving me that look?”).  Differences aside, I never eat better than I do when I cook with my mom.

The one thing that I know for sure is on this weekend’s menu is pancakes.  I can’t cook a pancake to save my life, so for the sake of this blog, I’m making my mom supervise me and guide me through the process.  Feel free to laugh – I’d laugh at me, too, because someone who makes raviolis from scratch should be able to flip a flippin’ pancake.  Other possibilities? Fried Green Tomatoes, Grilled Radicchio, Walnut Chicken? We will probably visit the Portsmouth Farmers’ Market, Applecrest Farm, the Meat House, Seaport Fish, Stonewall Kitchen, and/or Golden Harvest; whatever these markets have in stock will determine what we cook and eat.

If I get some downtime this weekend, I’ll post pics and recipes, but until then, follow Bacon, Butter & Booze on Facebook and Twitter for sneak previews!



Cold Cucumber Soup
1/4c. minced onion
2T. butter
1 baking potato, peeped and diced.
1 organic English cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
2T. chopped parsley
2c. chicken broth
1/4t. dry mustard
Pinch cayenne
1c. evaporated milk
Salt to taste

Saute the onion lightly in butter.  Add remaining ingredients except milk and salt.  Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are cooked.  Cool on the stove.  Chill in the fridge, then puree in a blender.  Strain through a fine-meshed sieve.  Whisk the milk and salt into the strained soup.  Chill again, if necessary, and serve cold.

Chicken Soup for the Sinuses

Two days in a row without cooking?  Not cool, I know.  I'm not feeling so hot tonight.  Nothing sounds good, and I could have gone to bed at 7:30 and slept through the night.  But, I need to eat something; if I go to bed hungry, I'll wake up in the middle of the night even hungrier and won't fall asleep until I eat. 

Because I feel like I may be fighting off a cold or a sinus infection, I'll share some of my go-to foods that I eat when I'm sick:  Pastini in chicken broth, Bolthouse Farms Carrot Juice, Traditional Medicinals Lemon Echinacea Throat Coat Tea, Ceres Apricot Juice, and boiled white rice with butter and chile flakes. Each of these foods and drinks is either nutrient-dense or calorie-dense - after all, being dehydrated and malnourished will delay the recovery process.

Pastini in Chicken Broth
1 clove garlic
1 cup chicken broth
1T. pastini
splash lemon juice

Smash the garlic clove with the flat edge of a knife.  Peel the papery skin off the garlic and add the smashed clove to the chicken broth in a small saucepan.  Bring the chicken broth to a boil.  When broth is boiling, add pastini and cook until it is slightly overdone.  Pour into a bowl, add a splash of lemon juice, and eat while it's steaming hot. 

Variation - if you're really sick, add a handful of cubed silken tofu to the chicken broth - it contains a lot of nutrition, including protein, and the texture won't irritate a sore throat.