Homemade Pasta and 2017 in Review

If the only thing that happened in 2017 was political, I'd simply kill myself and get it over with. Having that man become President has been painful. Watching the travesties coming out of Congress have been worse - and that's saying a lot. Just when you knew they couldn't possibly get any lower - they did. And they blatantly continue to lower the bar of decency to levels unseen since Caligula.

Yeah... politically, it's been a rough year.

But if you pull politics out of the equation - and I really do have to now and again to keep my sanity - some really fun things happened this year!

Victor retired! How sweet that has been for him. I'm there in six months - can't wait! We spent close to two glorious weeks with siblings and spouses in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine, and saw another sister and her two daughters in New York City for her birthday. We saw Bette Midler in Hello Dolly. And I wrote 131 Blog posts.

Food was a highlight in 2017 - and every other year since Year One. I foresee it being in the center of 2018, as well - especially since I'll be able to shop anywhere I want whenever I want, and make things when I want and not try to just squeeze something in half-assed because I have to be somewhere in an hour. Retirement is going to really see me in the kitchen! I see a lot more canning and creative label-making. The pepper sauce was an eye-opener for me, as was the Pistachio Liqueur. I need to make more of this stuff!

Retirement was good for Victor in the culinary end of things, too. He's been able to spend more time creating and it's been great having dinner waiting for me when I get home.

Today, he created homemade pasta in a crab sauce while I baked bread and a Lemon Polenta Cake. I first made this cake in December 2010 and then waited 3 1/2 years to make it again - stating I wasn't going to wait 3 1/2 years to make it, again. I waited 3 1/2 years to make it, again. That, of course, merely proves that there are so many good things to make, there's no sense constantly repeating yourself!

We start with the Tagliatelle... Homemade pasta is where Victor really shines. It's just unbelievably good.

Tagliatele

  • 2 cups flour (we use Tipo "00")
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 3 tbsp cold water
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Instructions

On a clean work surface, mound flour and form a well in the center. Add eggs and oil to the well. Using a fork, gently break up yolks and slowly incorporate flour from inside rim of well. Continue until liquid is absorbed, then knead for 10 minutes. Wrap dough tightly in plastic and let rest for 30 minutes.

Divide dough into 3 pieces. Cover 2 pieces with plastic wrap. Flatten remaining dough piece so that it will fit through the rollers of a pasta machine.

Set rollers of pasta machine at the widest setting, then feed pasta through rollers 3 or 4 times, folding and turning pasta until it is smooth and the width of the machine.

Roll pasta through machine, decreasing the setting, one notch at a time (do not fold or turn pasta), until pasta sheet is scant 1/16 inch thick.

Cut sheet in half widthwise; dust both sides of sheets with flour. Layer sheets between floured pieces of parchment or wax paper. Cover with paper and repeat with remaining dough.

With the short end of 1 pasta sheet facing you, loosely fold up sheet, folding sheet over two or three times from short ends toward the center. With a large chefs knife, cut folded sheet into ribbons.

Unroll strips and lightly dust with flour; spread on a lightly floured baking sheet. Repeat with remaining pasta sheets.

To cook the tagliatelle, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Drain pasta, transfer to a large serving bowl and toss with sauce.

It was flippin' awesome! The sauce was sauteed pancetta, garlic, a bit of tomato paste, white wine, crab, crushed red pepper, parmesan cheese, and oregano - with fresh basil and more cheese on top. It was a wing-it recipe of the highest caliber. Just flippin' awesome!

Then we have the bread. It's a take on my most favorite Pugliese from Carol Field.

I made three smaller loaves - one round and two baguettes. It's a crusty bread with a slightly sour crumb. As I said, it's a favorite. I always make half this recipe - and it still makes a lot of bread!

Pane Pugliese

  • 1 packet dry yeast (or 1/2 package fresh yeast)
  • 1/4 cup warm water
  • 3 cups water; room temp
  • 1 cup biga
  • 7 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tbsp salt

Proof the yeast in the warm water. Add 1 1/2 c water and the biga, mix till blended. Add flour and salt, mix till dough comes together and pulls off the sides of the bowl. Knead 3-5 minutes in a mixer, longer by hand. Dough will be very soft and elastic. Let rise about 3 hours, shape into 2 small round loaves or 1 big flattish one. If you have baking stones, place loaves on baking peel or on baking sheets sprinkled corn meal. Let rise about 1 hour. Preheat oven to 450°, and 10 minutes before baking flour the loaf tops and dimple them with your fingers. Bake 50-60 minutes for big loaves, 30-35 minutes for small. Tap the loaves to test for doneness (hollow=done) and cool on a rack.

Biga

  • 1/2 tsp active dry yeast (or 1/10 package fresh yeast)
  • 1/4 cup warm water
  • 1 1/4 cup water (room temperature)
  • 3 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

Stir the yeast into the warm water and let stand until creamy – about 10 minutes.  Stir in the remaining water and then the flour, one cup at a time.

Mix with the paddle attachment on the mixer at the lowest speed about 2 minutes.

Remove to a slightly oiled bowl, cover, and let rise at cool room temperature for 6 to 24 hours.  The starter will triple in volume and still be wet and sticky when ready.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

This bread makes great sandwiches, excellent toast, and sops up sauce just like a good bread should.

Finishing the meal - and the year - is Lemon Polenta Cake. Making something three times in 7 years isn't bad, for me.

Lemon Polenta Cake

adapted from Nigella Lawson

Cake:

  • 1 3/4 sticks unsalted butter
  • 1 cup superfine sugar
  • 2 cups almond meal
  • 3/4 cup fine polenta or cornmeal
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 3 eggs
  • Zest 2 lemons (save the juice for the syrup)

Syrup:

  • Juice 2 lemons
  • 1 cup confectioners’ sugar

For the cake:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line the pan with parchment paper and grease lightly with butter.

Beat the butter and sugar till light.

Mix together the nut meal, polenta and baking powder, and add a bit to the butter-sugar mixture, followed by 1 egg, then alternate dry ingredients and eggs, beating all the while.

Beat in the lemon zest and spread the mixture into the pan and bake for about 35 minutes. A cake tester should come out clean and the edges of the cake will have begun to shrink away from the sides of the pan. Remove from the oven to a wire cooling rack, but leave in its pan.

For the syrup:

Make the syrup by boiling together the lemon juice and confectioners’ sugar in a small saucepan. Prick the top of the cake all over with a cake tester and pour the warm syrup over the cake. Leave to cool in the pan before placing it on a cake plate.

Moist, lemony, great texture... The question is... will I wait another 3 1/2 years before making it, again?!?

Probably.

2017 is drawing to a close and 2018 is a mere few hours away. And since the weather outside is not conducive to frolicking, we'll be indoors.

While I worked more New Years Eve's than I had off in my younger years, I did get to First Night in Boston a couple of times. A flask of Brandy helped to keep the chill to a minimum back in those days. Spending New Years Day 1973 in the Gulf of Tonkin drinking homemade apple wine during an unrep and getting caught. The Hyatt Lake Tahoe NYE 1978 and glasses being thrown through the casino in the general direction of the huge lobby fireplace... Getting guilted into flying to Philadelphia from San Francisco on Y2K - in an empty plane - because Victor's mother "won't be here for the next millennium."

And on and on and on...

I'm liking the quiet ones now, but I'm not ruling anything out... we shall see what tomorrow brings.

Here's to a great year for all of us and especially at the ballot box on Tuesday, November 6th. Vote these bastards out of office before there are no tomorrows left for any of us.

 

 

 

 


Canned Cheese

Our neighbors up the street always get a big tray of cookies at Christmas. They're the neighbors who bring the paper up to the porch in bad weather - the thoughtful ones who do things because it's the neighborly thing to do. They're very special people who welcomed us into the neighborhood with open arms when we moved in 17 years ago. The kind of neighbors you don't see very often, anymore.

A couple of years ago, they sent us a can of Cougar Gold cheese from Washington State University as a Christmas gift. Marie and Kay know how much we like food, like different foods, and thought it would be something we'd enjoy.

Canned cheese - who woulda thunk? It turned out to be pretty damned good. I found out WSU is actually famous for their cheeses and developed the ability to can cheese back in the 1930s. They're really good at it.

This year, we received a can of their Viking Dill Garlic. The Cougar Gold is an aged cheddar. The Viking is, according to their website: A gourmet, creamy-white, semi-soft cheese similar to Monterey Jack. With a delicate taste, this soothing sensation melts in your mouth. Its characteristic tiny cracks and high moisture makes it perfect for any dish. The Dill Garlic variety continues with: Dill weed, dill seed, and mild garlic are added to our Viking cheese for an optimal balance of flavor and appearance. Flecks of green and brown provide bursts of flavor in every bite!

Knowing how good the first can was, I figured it needed to be opened tonight and a bit of it made into scalloped potatoes. I figured correctly.

I do have to admit that it was a bit strange the first time I opened a can of cheese - that was supposed to be cheese and not some plastic cheese-food product in an overpriced gift basket. But after the first taste, the strangeness went away and all I wanted was more.

Same with the cheese, today.

I made a simple white sauce, added some cheese, a splash of hot sauce, a splash of worcestershire sauce, and a bit of S&P. I thinly-sliced potatoes on my mandoline - go buy one, they're worth it - and mixed it all together in a buttered casserole. 375°F oven for about an hour - covered for 45 minutes, uncovered for 15 - and they rocked!

It went with a grilled tri-tip roast and broiled zucchini topped with parmesan. It was a fun dinner with lots of great flavors.

Thank you, again, Marie and Kay for a fantastic gift. You're on the cookie list for 2018!

 


Christmas Cinnamon Rolls

Christmas Morning, 2017. It's reasonably quiet around here. Nonna's TV is blaring away - switching between Midnight Mass at the Vatican and Singing Nuns on Good Morning, America - but, otherwise, it's a quiet morning.

Perfect for Cinnamon Rolls right out of the oven!

My friend, Ruth, posted this recipe several years ago, and it's the closest thing I have ever found to replicate the cinnamon rolls I used to make at Tahoe, lo, these many years ago. It's an easy dough to make, it rolls out in a snap, and in 2 hours time, you can have fresh rolls on your plate!

I made them last night and put them in the 'fridge to rise overnight. They didn't rise very much, but an hour on the counter this morning was perfect.

And they are, too!

Cinnamon Rolls

Dough

  • 2 3/4 cups flour
  • 3 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 envelope active dry yeast
  • 1/2 cup warm water
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 2  1/2 tbsp butter
  • 1 large egg

Cinnamon Sugar

  • 1/4 cup butter, room temperature
  • 2 tbsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup sugar

Glaze

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 2 tbsp milk

Directions:

Mix yeast and sugar in mixing bowl. Add 1/2 cup warm water (110°). Allow to proof while getting other ingredients together.

Melt milk and butter together and cool to no more than 110°.

Add flour, salt, milk mixture, and egg to mixing bowl. Blend on low speed until flour is incorporated. Knead about 4 minutes. Cover bowl and let dough rest for 10 minutes. This relaxes the gluten and allows the flour to fully-incorporate the liquid.

On a lightly-floured counter, roll the dough to an 8″ x 14″ rectangle. Spread with the soft butter and then sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar. (Add chopped walnuts and/or plumped raisins, if desired.) Tightly roll and slice into 12 rolls.

Place in greased 9″ pan and allow to rise until doubled – about 90 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350°. Place pan in oven and bake about 30-35 minutes, or until nicely-browned.

Allow to cool slightly and then apply glaze.

To make glaze:

Mix powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk. Drizzle over warm rolls.

A great way to start the day!

 


Ghosts of Christmases Past

One of my Christmas Traditions every year is to read A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. I love the book, love the story, and love the many movie incarnations.

Growing up, we had the  30 volume Complete Works of Dickens and I read A Christmas Carol as a young tyke but the defining Scrooge Moment was Mr Magoo's Christmas Carol in 1962. I think that probably came before the reading, but I was such a bookworm back in those days, it's hard to tell. Suffice to say, it made an impression on me.

This year - besides reading it and watching the 1938 movie with Reginald Owen - I listened to the 1939 Campbell Playhouse radio broadcast with Lionel Barrymore and narrated by Orson Welles. You can follow the link and download it for free! It was broadcast on Christmas Eve 1939 - a mere 78 years ago. The story was written 174 years ago and, sadly, could be written today with any number of our current politicians being cast in the lead role.

We really never do learn, do we?!?

My original intent with this post was to wax poetically about Christmases Past - but I've already done that! I have a long post with pictures and everything, so there's no sense in redoing it. We'll just fast-forward to 2018.

It's quiet.

With Nonna no longer traveling, there are no more Seven Fishes on our Christmas Eve plates. We're home while the rest of the family gorges on Tom's excellent cooking. There was a moment when we were going to have everyone over for Christmas dinner, but my work schedule leading up to Christmas and going back to work at 6am the day after really wasn't conducive to quality entertainment. This year.

Next year I will have been retired for 6 months and will have plenty of time and energy to face the frantic shoppers and put together a Christmas Feast for everyone. I'm really looking forward to having the time to shop when and where I want - something I haven't been able to do in a long time.

This year, it was a Christmas Eve Feast for two. Nonna had turkey and gravy, cranberry sauce and the rest of the trimmings in her favorite place in the world - her room watching Law and Order reruns. We had steak and lobster.

They were pretty basic. The potatoes were different - and fun.

Chantilly Potatoes with a Parmesan Crust

  • 2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
  • Salt
  • 1/2 cup cold milk
  • 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • Freshly ground pepper
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 400°. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Put the potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water. Salt the water and bring to a boil, then simmer the potatoes over moderate heat until tender, about 12 minutes. Drain the potatoes, return to the saucepan and shake over high heat for 1 minute to dry. Pass the potatoes through a ricer into a large bowl. Beat in the milk and 6 tablespoons of the butter and season with salt and pepper.

Step 2

In a large stainless steel bowl, whip the cream to soft peaks. Beat one-third of the cream into the potatoes, then fold in the remaining cream. Scrape the potatoes into the prepared dish. Dot with the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter and sprinkle the Parmesan over the top. Bake the potatoes for 25 minutes. Preheat the broiler and broil the potatoes for 2 minutes, or until browned. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Really rich and creamy. I made about half the recipe and still had too much. But they really were good.

I also made homemade rolls... I didn't take a picture of them on their own, so here's a fuzzy picture from the main photo - along with a glass of prosecco. It's Christmas!!

Honey Corn Rolls

adapted from The Bread Monk

  • 1 cup lukewarm milk
  • 1 package active dry yeast
  • 1 egg, lightly beaten
  • ¼ cup honey
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup yellow cornmeal
  • 2 ½ cups unbleached bread flour (I used Italian “00”)
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil (I used olive oil)

In a medium size bowl, dissolve yeast in milk and allow to proof for about 5 minutes.

Stir in egg, honey, salt, and cornmeal and mis well. Add the flour and mix until smooth.

Add the oil and beat until it is fully incorporated. Continue kneading with the mixer for about 6 to 8 minutes, or as needed to make a smooth and elastic dough that is only slightly sticky.

Sightly oil the surface of the dough and place in a clean, dry bowl. Cover with a dry cloth and let rise about an hour or until doubled. Punch the dough down and briefly knead.

Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces and shape into balls. Place balls into the cups of a lightly greased muffin tin.

Cover and let rise for about an hour until nearly doubled.

Bake in a preheated 350 oven for 15-16 minutes or until browned.

Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly before serving warm.

So... Off to watch old TV Christmas Specials and eat cookies.

Santa's on his way.....


Meatballs, Cookies, and Holiday Spirits

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, around here. A few more things to wrap, a few more cookies to bake and decorate, rum balls and candy to finish... there's light at the end of the holiday tunnel.

I really do love this time of year but about this time every year, I start wishing for a bit less clutter and everything back in its place. When one bakes a few thousand cookies, one needs supplies close by. The extra dozen sheet pans and the extra cooling racks from the basement come upstairs - and stay upstairs until the baking is finished. And the chocolate, the non pareils, colored sugars, powdered sugar, flour, extracts and all the various liquors and liqueurs... all needs to be accessible. Not to mention the bins for the cookies, the trays, the cellophane, ribbon...

And while this is all going on, we still have to cook real food, feed Nonna and Blanche, and feed ourselves. Not necessarily in that order.

I am not complaining. I would rather do this than anything else - and we only do it because we want to - but the older I get, the more I appreciate a little less chaos in my life. f you look closely at the plates I used tonight, they're from Teatro Zinzanni and on the bottom it reads "Love Chaos & Dinner."

That's our house right now.

Somewhere in the middle of cookie baking, today, I decided I was going to make meatballs for dinner - and a bunch to freeze. If I'm going to spend the time making meatballs, I'm going to  make meatballs, dammit!

And I did. 46 of them, to be exact!

They were a combination of beef and pork - and lots of cheese!

I didn't really use a recipe - what a shock, eh?!? - but just mixed up things that were in the house.

  • 2 1/2 lbs ground beef
  • 1 lb ground pork
  • shredded fresh parmesan
  • shredded pecorino with peppercorns
  • bread crumbs
  • eggs
  • red wine
  • salt
  • pepper
  • onion
  • garlic

Mixed it all up and baked them in a 425°F oven for 20 minutes, or so. This is before they went into the sauce...

I should have taken a picture this afternoon when the kitchen was in full swing - maybe tomorrow, if I remember...

I have to make it presentable after finishing for the day. It's not that I'm neurotic. It's just that I'm neurotic. Those who have worked closely with me over the years know that I am really good at making messes - but things need to be put back in the right spot - every time. I, of course, just call it being organized. Others might call it something else.

Cookie trays start on Friday.

Stay tuned.

 


kanelsnurror

Kanelsnurror

Being the Liberal Elites that we are, we were at home watching a Rick Steve's travel show the other night on PBS.  One of the segments had a guy in Sweden making Kanelsnurror.

Kanelsnurror is a Swedish Cinnamon Roll made with a twist and a loop and just a bit of practice. I worked for Swedes when I was specialty produce buyer and shipping manager for a gourmet food distributor in San Francisco back in the mid-'80s. I was fortunate to get to eat a lot of Swedish foods - most of which I never knew names - and learn a few traditions. Santa Lucia Day  - coming up on December 13th - was a great prelude to Christmas. We went to a party put on by the Swedish Consulate where there was an endless supply of traditional foods and drinks - and a traditional Santa Lucia Procession. While the job didn't last - I was fired without cause a few months later and 2 people were hired to take my place at a combined salary of less than I was making - the memories have.

... as a side note...

They decided to fight my unemployment claim. I went to the unemployment office on appeal and the caseworker called them for an explanation. He was on the phone for about 5 minutes, hung up, turned to me and said "How on earth did you ever work for him?" - and approved my claim.

But I digress...

My love of food holds no geographic bounds and just because I've never made or eaten something doesn't mean I won't give it a try. Tablet in hand, I was googling the recipe before the show was over.

I found this recipe - in English - and decided to try it. The original instructions weren't complete, so I watched a YouTube video and sorted things out.

Kanelsnurror

adapted from That Oven Feeling

For the Dough:

  • 2 tsp yeast
  • 3 oz butter, room temperature
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 2 1/2 - 3 cups flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt

For the Filling:

  • 1/3 cup butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 3 tsp cinnamon

Glaze:

  • 1 egg, lightly beaten

Directions:

Warm the milk to about 100°F. Pour into a mixer bowl and add yeast and sugar. Proof about 5 minutes.

Add 2 cups flour, salt,  and softened butter and mix, adding up to another cup of flour. You want a soft dough, so don't add it all if you don't need to.

Let rise about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the filling:

Cream the butter, sugar, and cinnamon together and set aside.

Roll the dough out to a 10" x 20" rectangle. Spread the filling on the dough and fold lengthwise into thirds, bringing the top down and the bottom up.

Pat down and roll to about an 8" x 20" rectangle.

Use a pizza cutter or sharp knife to cut into 3/4" strips.

Lightly stretch the strips and twist the ends of each slice in opposite directions a few times. Tuck the ends under and seal. Cover and let rise for another 30 minutes.

Place on parchment-lined sheet pans and let rise another 30 minutes. Brush with lightly beaten egg.

Bake at 375°F about 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.

As you can see, my rolling technique varied with each strip of dough, but the end result tasted just fine!

I saw a few other recipes out there that add cardamom to the dough, so I thing I may make these, again, for Christmas Morning. Unless I make Kolaches.

Decisions, decisions...

 


Pepperoni Pizza

I really can't remember the last time we had pizza for dinner. It's definitely been a while. I've made flatbreads as side dishes or hors d'oeuvres - but not a plain ol' pepperoni pizza.

Tonight, we decided to rectify the situation.

There was a time in my life when just about all I did eat was pizza. Those days at Pirro's  - hell, those years at Pirro's - pretty much killed pizza for me. It was years before I could look one in the face - and I'm still pretty particular about the pizza I eat. You will never see a stuffed crust chain pizza delivery whatever in this house. Ever.

But a good pizza is not something to pass up and by the time I made it to the east coast the first time, I could handle getting a slice at any number of places.

Pizza dough is one of those things I can make in my sleep - it's just flour, water, salt, and yeast - but about 5 years ago I found a recipe in La Cucina Italiana - when they still had an English edition - that was a 2-day slow rise with just a pinch of yeast. I gave it a try and it's now the dough of choice. The drawback is you have to plan your pizza-making. The good news is the dough freezes.

Pizza Dough

  • 1 1/2 cups warm water (100º to 105º)
  • 1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
  • 4 cups “00” flour or unbleached all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
  • 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
  • Extra-virgin olive oil for bowl

Sprinkle yeast over warm water in bowl of mixer fitted with dough hook. Let proof about 5 minutes.

Mix together flour and salt. Add to yeast mixture. Mix on low speed about 4 minutes or until dough forms a coarse ball. Stop mixer and cover bowl with a towel. Let dough rest about 5 minutes, then remove towel and continue mixing another 2 minutes or so.

Lightly oil a large bowl. Form dough into a ball, transfer to bowl and turn to lightly coat with oil. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature 30 minutes, then refrigerate overnight.

Punch down dough, re-roll, and return to bowl. Tightly cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours.

Divide dough into 2 pieces; shape pieces into balls and place on a lightly floured work surface. Loosely cover with a damp kitchen towel and let rise at warm room temperature until doubled, about 2 hours.

Start with a dough ball and on a lightly-floured board, press down and flatten  it with your fingertips.

Stretch into a circle. The easiest way - really - is just to toss it in the air a bit. Just drape it over your hands and flip it a bit with your fingertips. If you can't manage that, smack it with your hands and roll it with a rolling pin. But you'll miss out on the fun and experience.

Next is the sauce... I make a pretty basic sauce with some of our home-canned tomato sauce, tomato paste, a teeny splash of wine if I need to thin it a bit, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and oregano.

And then the cheese... I think I actually prefer low moisture mozzarella for a pepperoni/meat pizza, but 1) I'm not a fanatic about it and 2) I had fresh in the house.

Finally, the pepperoni, a bit of grated parmesan cheese, and a sprinkle of oregano - and into the oven.

The two of us finished this off. Nonna had chicken and mashed potatoes.

It really was everything I was hoping for - and it was a great motivator to make another batch of dough and get a couple of dough balls into the freezer. The dough really does gain flavor by the slow refrigerated risings - and it honestly is easy to do.

So make some!

 


Polenta, Peppers, and Sausage

Sometimes the simplest dishes are the best.

Two things Nonna dislikes - and we really like - are polenta and spicy sausages. While she used to like spicy foods, polenta has eluded her since her childhood. She spent a few years in the Sons of Italy Orphanage and says she ate too much of it way back when.

Me, I love the stuff and the cheesier and creamier, the better.

So, while she had a hamburger steak cooked with fresh tomatoes, garlic, and red wine, we had polenta topped with peppers, onions, garlic, tomatoes, and fresh andouille sausage.

Polenta on the bottom, everything on top. Into the oven to get hot.

Quick and easy.


Chocolate Cherry Pound Cake

We have dessert just about every night. It's usually our 7pm ritual with Jeopardy on the tube and the start of a quiet evening at home. Blanche hears the Jeopardy theme and comes in for her cookies and her nightly round of pets and belly-rubs. We really are two wild and crazy guys...

Every now and again, though, dessert is missing - like last night. Those rare dessertless nights send us scrambling for something - like a few pieces of the hard candy in the dish in the dining room or a handful of chocolate chips... I mean, we're talking our house - there's always something. It may not be exactly what we're looking for - but there's something.

The day after the night before always elicits one of us making sure we don't go through withdrawals two days in a row.

This was Victor's turn to feed our obsession...

We had about a half jar of Amarena Cherries, so Chocolate Cherry Pound Cake became the dessert du jour.

He found a recipe online from the Joy of Baking and before you could say Chocolate Cherry Pound Cake three times, it was made, glazed, and ready to eat! This is where having a well-stocked larder really comes in handy. There is not too much we can't do without having to leave the house.

He tweaked their recipe to make it cherry-inclusive.

Chocolate Cherry Pound Cake

  • 1/4 cup cocoa powder
  • 1/4 cup boiling hot water
  • 1 1/2 cups cake flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 1/4 cups granulated white sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 2 or so tablespoons cherry syrup
  • 4 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • 1/2 jar Amarena cherries, halved

Chocolate Glaze:

  • 3 ounces semi sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 tablespoon light corn syrup

Chocolate Pound Cake:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and place the oven rack in the center of the oven. Butter, or spray with a non stick vegetable spray, a 9 x 5 inch (23 x 13 cm) loaf pan. Line the bottom of the pan with a piece of parchment paper.

In a small bowl mix the cocoa powder into the boiling water until the cocoa powder has dissolved and is smooth. Let cool to room temperature.

In a separate bowl, sift or whisk the cake flour with the baking powder and salt.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter until smooth. Add the sugar, cherry syrup, and vanilla extract and beat, on medium high speed, until light and fluffy (about 5 minutes). Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides and bottom of your bowl as needed. Beat in the cooled cocoa mixture. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture (in two additions) along with the milk (in one addition) and mix only until combined.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Bake for about 55 to 65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake just comes out clean.

Remove the cake from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool for about 15-20 minutes. Run a spatula or knife around the inside of the pan and then remove the cake from the pan, peel off the parchment paper, re-invert, and cool completely on a wire rack.

Chocolate Glaze:

Melt the chocolate, butter, and corn syrup in a stainless steel bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water. Remove from heat and let cool until it thickens to pouring consistency. Pour the glaze over the top of the cooled cake, letting the glaze flow down the sides. Well wrapped, this cake will keep four to five days at room temperature or it can be frozen for a couple of months.

I added some whipped cream just because - and added vanilla and kirsch to the cream as I whipped it. Also just because.

The end result was a rich cherry-chocolatey cake that wasn't too sweet but had loads of flavor and a perfect pound cake texture. The cherries really added a great pop of flavor. If you've never had them, before, I highly recommend seeking them out.

And we're once again set for dessert for a few days.

Here's to the good life!