Orechiette with Fennel, Sausage, and Gorgonzola Wine Sauce

One Saturday evening, I was strolling through Boston’s Haymarket on my way to the train, checking out what was left after the day. I spotted some nice-looking fennel bulbs and asked the price; the merchant offered them to me for free since they were closing up shop for the night. Free fennel bulbs? Sure! I didn’t want to be greedy, so I took three. Thanks, merchant!

I wanted to do something different from my typical fennel/orange/arugula salad with balsamic vinaigrette. But what? Maybe some sausage, some autumn vegetables…spice it up with some citrus and cinnamon? Worth a try.

I picked up a bottle Orvieto wine, a dry but fruity white from Central Italy, to use in the recipe and drink with the finished dish. I decided to add some color to the dish using lacinato kale, also known as Tuscan Kale or dinosaur kale. If you can chop, you can make this recipe—it’s very easy, and the flavors are incredibly unique! Try this in place of a more traditional autumn vegetable dish; you won’t regret it!


Orechiette with Fennel, Sausage, and Gorgonzola Wine Sauce

16 oz. orechiette
Splash olive oil
12 oz. hot Italian sausage, removed from casing
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
2 large shallots, minced
1 orange, rind grated, segments sliced into bite-sized pieces
10 oz. Orvieto wine
3 small turnips, diced
3 large fennel bulbs, diced
1 bunch lacinato kale, ribs removed, leaves shredded
1 T. pink peppercorns
1 t. dried chile flakes
1 t. dried rosemary
1 t. dried oregano
¼ t. cinnamon
1t. cracked black pepper
4 oz. gorgonzola, diced or crumbled

Cook the orechiette in salted water. In the meantime, heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add the sausage, cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently and breaking apart large chunks. Add the garlic and shallot and cook for 3-4 more minutes, stirring frequently.

Add the wine, orange segments and rind, turnip, fennel, kale, pink peppercorns, chile flakes, rosemary, oregano, and cinnamon. Stir to combine, then lower heat to simmer and cook for 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally. If the mixture seems too dry, add a splash of wine or a splash of the pasta cooking water.

Next, add the black pepper, gorgonzola, and cooked pasta. Stir to combine and serve piping hot.


Nutritional info: serves 6-8. 568 calories, 15 g fat, 80 g carbohydrates, 23 g protein.

 

 

Bacon, Butter, Booze, and...Babies?!?

Yup, you read that right. I took a few days off from cooking and writing in order to visit the newest leaves on my family tree - my cousin's beautiful twin boys.


Once I figured out that you can't
hold a baby like a sack of flour...

It's incredible - caring for babies uses a skill set that I just don't have.  Well, maybe that's not true - swaddling is very similar to filling a burrito - but those little dudes aren't impressed by a perfectly seared scallop or a flawlessly executed filet mignon.  They just want boobs and dry diapers!  So I learned how to hold the babies, change diapers, and I even made them smile by singing a few Sinatra songs!  I can't wait until they're a bit older - I'm looking forward to experimenting with baby food, cookies shaped like puppies and dinosaurs, and other kid-friendly favorites. 

Despite the fact that I spent more time in the nursery than I did in the kitchen this week, I did create something new - a great sauce for a pork tenderloin that my aunt cooked on the grill.  The sauce was based on butter, beer, and HP Sauce, a bottled condiment popular in the UK.  My family and I first discovered HP Sauce at Buffalo, NY's annual Scottish festival - most of the food vendors kept bottles of HP Sauce at their stalls, and the condiment carts were fully stocked with pumps of HP Sauce and little paper cups, much like how we serve ketchup and mustard with burgers and hot dogs.  Once we tried this stuff, we began putting it on everything - and I mean everything.  "The fries are really good with this HP Sauce, I'm gonna put it on the fish."  "Its good on the fish, I wonder what else we can put it on?"  "Do you think the McEwan's would taste good with HP Sauce in it?" "Can I just get a bowl of HP and a spoon?"  OK, I'm exaggerating, but the stuff is pretty darn good. 

In addition to the wonderful food we ate at home, I also filled up on a few Buffalo specialties - a chicken finger sub from Jim's Steak Out, tacos from Mighty Taco, Flying Bison's Blizzard Bock, Beef on Weck (a/k/a hot roast beef on kimmelweck, a roll topped with flake salt and caraway seeds), Labatt Blue from the tap, and of course, chicken wings.  Buffalo may not have the greatest reputation, but I dare you to go there and leave hungry and unsatisfied.  It will not happen. 

Once my plane touched down in Boston, I was glad to be back home among the city lights and the sounds of the urban jungle I call home, but I missed my cousin, my aunt & uncle, and the little guys.  I needed to get back into the kitchen to distract myself, so I made a great grown-up dish:  wine-poached pears with gorgonzola and chestnut honey.  My roommate recently bought a bottle of sweet shiraz and didn't like the flavor, so instead of letting it go to waste, I decided to use it in a recipe.  The pungent flavor of the gorgonzola and the bittersweet chestnut honey really complement the sweetness of the fruit! 


HP & Beer Butter Sauce

1/2 stick butter
a few raw onion rings
1/4 c. HP Sauce
1/2 c. full-bodied beer
1 t. cornstarch
1 T. cold water
dusting of cinnamon
a few generous grinds black pepper
salt to taste

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.  Once it is completely melted, add the onion.  Saute until the butter begins to foam and become fragrant.  Remove the onion rings.  Add the HP sauce and the beer, then whisk until completely blended.  Lower the heat to simmer.

In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch and the cold water together.  Add to the sauce, whisking quickly and constantly, until the sauce begins to thicken a bit.  Add the slightest dusting of cinnamon, a few grinds of black pepper, and salt, if necessary.  Serve over grilled pork. 



Wine-Poached Pears with Gorgonzola and Chestnut Honey

1 bottle red wine
5 whole cloves
1/2 t. anise seeds, crushed*
1/2 t. cardamom seeds, crushed*
1/2 t. fennel seeds, crushed*
4 ripe pears, peeled
1-2 t. sugar (optional)
slices of gorgonzola cheese
chestnut honey

Combine everything but the pears in a saucepan large enough to hold the wine and the pears.  Bring to a rapid boil.  Add the pears, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20-25 minutes.

Once the pears have simmered, remove them with a slotted spoon and set aside.  Turn the heat up to high, bring to a boil (uncovered), and boil until the sauce is reduced by about half.  Taste the sauce - you may want to add a pinch of sugar, but this is not necessary. 

Remove the sauce from heat, then return the pears to the sauce.  Let cool to room temperature.  Once the pears have cooled, slice the pears lengthwise.  Arrange on a plate, alternating with slices of gorgonzola cheese.  Drizzle the cheese with a few drops of chestnut honey. 

* To crush the seeds, give them a quick grind with a mortar & pestle, or simply use two spoons to squish them. 

** The leftover poaching wine would be a great dip for biscotti or another semi-sweet cookie.

Sunday Dinner, Sunday Drinks

As I'm writing this post, I'm watching the snow coming down outside my window.  My roommate's pup is curled up on the chair next to me, and I'm drinking a ginormous cup of hot coffee.  All perfect things to do when it's cold outside.  Other perfect things to do when it's cold outside?  Start a slow-cooked, stick-to-your-bones Sunday dinner, watch football, and enjoy a smooth, spicy cocktail!

Yesterday, I started the day with an Irish coffee made with cinnamon and vanilla infused whiskey.  This spice blend made the whiskey taste completely appropriate for the season, and I think it would be great served on the rocks, but it will also lend itself to plenty of delicious wintry cocktails, which I will explore at a later time.  For now, I'll give you the recipe for the whiskey, and recommend throwing a splash of it in your coffee. 

Last night's dinner consisted of a Bacon-wrapped Pork Roast, and Polenta with Gorgonzola and Sage.  A meal like this is best enjoyed when it's chilly outside.  I seasoned both the roast and the polenta with sage, fennel, garlic, and black pepper.  This spice combination compliments heavier foods extrremelly well, as the fennel and sage cut some of the richness to create a perfet balance of flavors.  The flavorful pork and the creamy polenta pair well with a cocktail made with scotch and Cardamaro, a spicy, bitter Italian liqueur similar to Amaro, but distilled from cardoons and artichokes.  Similar to a Godfather (my favorite drink) in that this is made from smoky scotch and an Italian liqueur, I appropriately named this new drink "The Consigliere."  Toast to Tom Hagen if you try one. 

Cinnamon and Vanilla Infused Whiskey

1 pint bottle Irish Whiskey (I prefer Jameson)
2 cinnamon sticks, cracked
1 vanilla bean, split down the middle

Start by removing about 1 shot from the bottle (a/k/a, do a shot).  Next, add the cinnamon pieces and vanilla bean to the bottle.  Close tightly, and shake for about 30 seconds.  Let sit for at least 24 hours, shaking occasionally. 

It is ready to go after 24 hours.  If you keep the vanilla and cinnamon in the bottle, it will continue to develop flavor.  If you like the seasoning to be subtle, remove them from the bottle (you  may have to strain it and re-bottle). 


Bacon-wrapped Pork Roast

1.5 pound pork loin roast
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 T. minced sage
2 t. rushed fennel seeds
generous amount of cracked black pepper
splash olive oil
4-6 slices center-cut bacon

Combine all the ingredients except the bacon in a large bowl.  Allow the pork roast to marinate for about 2 hours, turning it occasionally and rubbing the spices in with your hands. 

Preheat the oven to 500.  After the pork has marinated, lay the strips of bacon side-by-side on a small plate.  Place the pork roast in the center of the bacon strips.  Now, carefully pick up the plate and the roast, and invert it, placing the pork roast in a shallow baking dish so that the bacon-side is facing up (as shown). 

Use string or roast ties (they look like rubber bands but are oven-safe and heatproof), secure the bacon to the pork.  Now, place the baking dish on the center rack of the oven, and bake for 15 minutes at 500. 

Once this is done, reduce the heat to 275.  Do not open the oven door.  Cook for 1 hour to 1 hour 20 minutes (if you are using a meat thermometer, you want the center to register at about 155 degrees)

When the pork is done cooking, remove it from the oven and let it rest for about 10 minutes.  Remove the string or ties, and carve into slices with a sharp knife.  Serve alone, or make a gravy out of the pan drippings (I like mine plain). 


Polenta with Gorgonzola and Sage

2.5 cups water
2 t. cracked fennel
1/2 cup instant polenta (I prefer Pastene brand)
3 T. chopped sage
2 T. butter
2 oz. mountain gorgonzola (also called "gorgonzola piccante")
salt and pepper to taste

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the water and cracked fennel.  Bring the water to a rolling boil.  Add the polenta in a slow stream, stirring constantly.  Continue stirring.  The polenta will start to thicken up; at this point, add the sage, butter, gorgonzola, salt and pepper (you may want to go easy on the salt; gorgonzola tends to be salty).  Continue to stir - do not stop stirring, or the polenta will become lumpy and stick to the pan. 

Once the polenta is thickened, pour it into a shallow baking dish.  Spread it with a spatula so that it is about 1/2" thick.  Let the polenta "set" for a few minutes, and serve in slices along with the pork roast. 


The Consigliere

1.5 oz. smoky Scotch (I like Islay single-malts, such as Ardbeg)
1.5 oz. Cardamaro
1 oz. Limoncello

Combine in a tumbler over 2 ice cubes.  Stir, sip, and stay off the road. 


The Wartime Consigliere

This version adds Grappa, a fiery, potent liqueur made in Italy from the remnants of wine grapes. 

Follow the recipe above, using only 1/2 oz. limoncello.  Add 1/2 oz. grappa.