Lobster Mac & Cheese - Zantonio Style

Lobster Mac & Cheese - decadence on a plate. And this one is Decadence Incarnate!

Our friend, Tony has a business back east - Zantonio Brands of Hammonton New Jersey - and makes a couple of really great products - a fresh Bruschetta and a garlic parmesan butter marketed as Scampi Sauce. Both are available in Acme and Shop Rite stores back east, but there's no national distribution.

We've been working with him to help develop some online sales - something that is definitely not easy with fresh food. Our once-fabulous Postal Service isn't always as efficient as it should be - although even delayed packages have been within acceptable temperatures.

The best part of it for us has been receiving samples in the mail! When one has five pounds of Garlic Parmesan Butter/Scampi Sauce, one needs to find uses for it.

And we are...

Last night, I made a Lobster Mac & Cheese - using a recipe from Food and Wine magazine as my guide. The beauty of Tony's butter is I didn't need at add any additional herbs or spices other than a bit of salt and pepper, to taste. Everything else was there!

The biggest secret to this recipe - other than the Garlic Parmesan Butter/Scampi Sauce -is making the lobster stock. Letting it all simmer together makes for a really rich and flavorful base.

 

Lobster Mac & Cheese Zantonio Style

  • 6 small lobster tails – about 1 1/2 lbs, total – thawed, if frozen
  • 9 tablespoons Zantonio Garlic Parmesan Butter/Scampi Sauce, divided
  • 3/4 cup sliced yellow onion
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1 pound uncooked short curly pasta – elbows, cavatappi, or campanelle
  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 16 ounces mixed grated cheeses – fontina, Gruyère, cheddar, asiago – cheeses you like
  • 8 ounces mascarpone cheese
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • salt, to taste

Crumb Topping

  • 1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs – fresh, store-bought plain, or panko will work
  • 3 tablespoons Zantonio Garlic Parmesan Butter/Scampi Sauce
  • 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika

Directions

Grease a 3-quart, 13- x 9-inch baking dish with butter; set aside.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium-high. Add lobster tails; cook, undisturbed, until shells turn red but meat is still slightly translucent, about 2 minutes (lobster will be undercooked). Using tongs, transfer lobster to a large bowl; let cool 5 minutes.

Transfer 2 cups of the cooking water to a heatproof measuring cup and set aside; reserve remaining water in pot on stovetop.

Using kitchen shears, cut down the center of each lobster tail shell, transfer meat to a cutting board, and add shells to bowl. Clean the lobster tails.

Chop lobster meat into 1-inch pieces and place in a medium bowl; cover and refrigerate.

Make lobster stock

Melt 2 tablespoons of the Zantonio Garlic Parmesan Butter/Scampi Sauce in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add reserved lobster shells with any juices from bowl; cook, stirring often, until aromatic, about 2 minutes. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until onion is soft and translucent, about 3 minutes. Add wine; cook, stirring often, until almost dry, about 6 minutes more.

Stir in reserved 2 cups cooking water in measuring glass, and bring to a simmer over medium. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until reduced by half, about 15 minutes. Stir in milk and cream; cook over medium-low, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Pour through a fine mesh strainer into a large heatproof bowl; discard solids. There should be about 4 cups lobster stock; set aside. Wipe saucepan clean; set aside. Preheat oven to 400°F.

Cook pasta

While lobster stock reduces, return remaining lobster cooking water in large pot to a boil over high. Add pasta and cook for 1 minute less than package instructions for slightly less than al dente. Drain and set aside.

Make cheese sauce

Melt 4 tablespoons of the Zantonio Garlic Parmesan Butter/Scampi Sauce in cleaned saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour; cook, whisking constantly, until bubbly and light golden brown, about 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in reserved 4 cups strained milk mixture. Cook, whisking often, until thickened, 6 to 8 minutes.

Remove from heat; gradually whisk in cheeses, whisking until melted. Add mascarpone and whisk until smooth. Gently stir in cooked pasta and lobster meat. Spoon mixture into prepared baking dish; set aside.

Make topping

Melt remaining 3 tablespoons Zantonio Garlic Parmesan Butter/Scampi Sauce. Stir in panko, lemon zest, and paprika. Sprinkle evenly over mac and cheese mixture in baking dish.

Bake in preheated oven until bubbly and golden brown on top, about 20-30 minutes. Remove from oven; let stand 10 minutes.

About 8 servings.

 

 

Tony is still not set for online sales - yet - but it's in the works. We'll definitely let you know when it happens!

 


Dinner for Two - Italian Style

We caught one of Lidia's cooking shows the other day.

Once upon a time - when we both worked Monday - Friday - we used to watch the PBS cooking shows on KQED in San Francisco or WHYY in Philadelphia. They were fun, something in the background while we were doing chores or whatever, and once in a while gave us an idea for a meal or dessert.

Fast-forward many years and now that we're retired and have all the time in the world, the non-stop PBS cooking shows no longer happen on Saturdays and we rarely have the TV on that early, anyway.

Since we ditched cable, we rarely watch broadcast TV, but our Samsung TV came with its own channel of programs - many completely commercial-free. The other night we stumbled upon a channel showing episodes of Jacques Pepin and Lidia Bastianich, so we watched...

Lidia made a pasta dish that was not only intriguing, we had the basic ingredients in the house!

Dinner was served.

A standard portion of pasta per person is 2 ounces. A standard portion in an Italian household is a pound for every two or three people - along with platters of meatballs, sausages, and braciole. We won't even go into the appetizers. A nice salad rounds things off.

For just the two of us, I usually cook 3 ounces per person - and that's a lot.

Pipette with Sweet Potatoes, Parsley, and Capers

adapted from Lidia Bastianich

  • 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 4 oz thick-sliced pancetta or bacon cut into julienne strips
  • 4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
  • 4 fresh sage leaves
  • 1 lb sweet potatoes cut into 1/2" cubes
  • 2 leeks - white and light green parts, only
  • 1/4 cup small capers, rinsed
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
  • 1 lb pipette or elbow macaroni
  • 3 tbsp chopped Italian parsley
  • 1 cup grated grana padano

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for pasta.

In a large skillet, over -medium–high heat, heat the olive oil and add the bacon or pancetta, the garlic, and the sage. Cook until fat has rendered, about 3 to 4 minutes.

Add the sweet potatoes and leeks, and cook, stirring continuously, until both begin to soften, about 4 minutes.

Add the capers, if using. Season with the salt and crushed red pepper. Ladle in 1 cup of pasta water, and simmer rapidly until the sweet potatoes and leeks are very tender but the sweet potatoes retain their shape, about 7 to 8 minutes, adding more pasta water if necessary to keep it saucy.

Meanwhile, cook the pipette until al dente. When the pipette are done, remove with a spider directly to the sauce. Add the parsley, and toss to coat the pasta with the sauce.

Increase the heat and boil a minute if the sauce is too thin, or add a little more pasta water if it is too thick.

Remove the skillet from the heat, sprinkle with the grated cheese, toss, and serve.

 

 

Naturally, I switched a few things around...

Pipette is a large elbow-type pasta that you're probably not going to find at your local grocer. For this recipe, I went for 8 ounces of orecchiette - planning leftovers for lunches. We also had thick slices of prosciutto in the freezer that I wanted to use up, so I substituted it for the pancetta and used Greek Oregano and Thyme for the sage.. Otherwise, I pretty much made he recipe as written.

I gotta say, this was pretty good. Simple ingredients and easy to make - but it does take some stove-time. You don't want to leave it unattended for long.

Any good pasta will work with this - a rigatoni, mostaccioli, penne... Use your imagination - or the box in the cupboard.

And, yes... we have leftovers...

Lunch for the next few days!


Mushroom and Langostino Risotto

Oh, the weather outside is frightful... Cold, snow, ice... Not exactly what we were expecting for the end of February in the Pacific Northwest! The daffodils had already started spouting and we were arranging the Spring yard clean-up. SUPRISE!!!

Cold weather, of course, means hearty food - and a risotto seemed to be the perfect idea. I thought more of a clean-out-the-'fridge than a traditional - and it came out really well.

First fun thing I did was roast a whole onion, head of garlic, and a couple of tomatoes in the oven - 400°F for about 45 minutes - and then into the blender to puree.

I set that aside and sauteed button mushroom halves in butter, and then added the arborio rice. Next, a cup of white wine and cooked it down.

Then came the first ladle of broth and the puree and a hefty pinch of saffron.

I then followed the traditional method of making risotto - adding a ladle of broth at a time until it was absorbed.

Salt and white pepper went in, and then the langostino. When they were cooked, I added a handful of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Gotta admit it came out pretty darn good!

The roasting of the vegetables really ramped up their flavor. It was a simple thing to do and really took no effort.

Mushroom and Langostino Risotto

  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 1 cup arborio rice
  • 8 oz button mushrooms
  • 6 oz langostino
  • 1 medium onion
  • 2 medium tomatoes
  • 1 head garlic
  • 1 cup white wine
  • 4 cups chicken broth
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
  • Salt and White pepper, to taste

Follow the above guidelines. It's simple.

 

 


Chili Con Carne

We're getting ready for football, tomorrow.

The San Francisco 49ers are playing the Philadelphia Eagles - in Philadelphia - to see who's going to The Super Bowl.

As you probably all know, Victor is an East Coast Philadelphia boy and I'm a West Coast San Francisco boy. And after 20 years in Philadelphia, we're back out west.

If the Eagles were playing any other team, I'd be a rabid Eagles fan - but they're playing my hometown team. I hafta root for my hometown team. It's practically a rule.

Victor is seriously out-numbered.

Phoebe and Nancy are coming over for the game and we're cooking up a west coast meal - chili, jalapeño poppers, quesadillas, bean dip, guacamole, beer, and tequila....

It looks like a lot of ingredients, but it's easy to put together.

 

 

Chili Con Carne

  • 1 pound dried pinto beans
  • 3 dried guajillo peppers
  • 3 dried puya peppers
  • 6 oz can tomato paste
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 1/4 cup chili powder
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 2 pounds ground beef
  • 1 large onion, chopped (about 2 cups)
  •  2 poblano peppers, seeded and chopped
  • 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
  • 6 cups beef stock
  • 1 bottle (12 ounces) beer
  • 3 cans diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 1 can diced mild green peppers
  • 3 tablespoons masa harina

Soak pinto beans overnight. Drain and set aside.

Place chiles in a bowl and add enough boiling water to cover. Let sit about 15 minutes to soften. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the soaking liquid. Discard stems and seeds. Process chiles, tomato paste, garlic and reserved liquid until smooth.

In a large pot, sauté onion and poblano pepper. Cook until wilted. Add ground beef and cook until beef is broken up and mostly cooked through.

Stir in spices, oregano, and pureed chile mixture. Add the stock, beer, tomatoes, canned chiles, and beans, Bring to boil and then reduce heat to low. Simmer until beans are done - about 1 1/2 hours. Stir in masa and simmer another 20 minutes.

 

Serve with assorted toppings: oyster crackers, cheeses like cotija or Mexican blend, chopped avocado, chopped onions, sour cream...

Chili is definitely one of those foods that taste better the next day, so plan accordingly!

 

 

Our Super Bowl menu will be completely dependent on the outcome of tomorrow's game. It could be another west coast feast or it could be Jersey Mike's Cheesesteaks. Whichever team wins, we will be rooting for them in the Super Bowl.

And GO NINERS!

 


Brown-Butter Orzo with Butternut Squash

And the winner is...

Brown-Butter Orzo with Butternut Squash! And yes, boys and girls, it definitely is a winner!

It's another recipe from the New York Times cooking section. A source I highly recommend for some pretty good recipes.

Yes, they have their fair share of Really?!? recipes - you know... the kind with ingredients you can only find in a mountain village outside of Machu Picchu on a Thursday afternoon after the first full moon - but the vast majority are recipes actual people can source and prepare.

This particular recipe hit all the right buttons - rich, flavorful, easy to prepare, and made with ingredients one can easily find in their pantry. Naturally, even though we both knew we had orzo in the house - we didn't - and Victor ran down to the store while I started.

It's a quick meal from start to finish.

Brown-Butter Orzo with Butternut Squash

adapted from the NY Times

  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 3/4 cup thinly sliced shallots
  • 2-pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 3/4-inch cubes (3 cups)
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh chopped rosemary
  • 1/4 teaspoon red-pepper flakes, plus more for serving
  • 3 cups vegetable stock or chicken stock
  • 1 1/2 cup uncooked orzo
  • 1 lemon, zested
  • salt & pepper, to taste
  • 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
  • 1/2 cup whole-milk ricotta

In a medium Dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat. Cook, swirling occasionally, until the foam subsides, the milk solids turn golden brown and it smells nutty and toasty, 3 to 4 minutes.

Stir in shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly softened, about 2 minutes. Add squash, rosemary, a large pinch of salt, the 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and the 1/4 teaspoon red-pepper flakes, and cook until squash is golden at the edges and begins to soften, 12 to 17 minutes.

Add stock and bring to a simmer. Stir in orzo and lemon zest. Cover the pan and simmer over medium-low heat until orzo is just tender and most of the liquid is absorbed, 14 to 18 minutes, stirring once or twice. If the pan dries out before the orzo and squash are tender, add a splash or two of water.

Remove pan from heat and stir in Parmesan. Taste and add more salt if needed. Dollop with ricotta and sprinkle with more grated Parmesan and black pepper just before serving.

Simple and totally delicious! A perfect fall meal.

 


Quiche

Puff Pastry Quiche

While Victor was perusing the Washington Post the other day, he came across a recipe for a quiche that sounded so good, he had to make it! And I'm really glad he did!

I had recently been to the Produce Store - 185th Produce just a couple of miles from us - and we had plenty of good things to fill it with. Having a local produce store is great - it really beats the major supermarkets for price and local availability. And, they sell growlers of local beers!

To make it even better, in these Days of Covid, it's never wall-to-wall crowded. Lots of fresh air circulation and social distancing.

The premise of the recipe is pretty straightforward and there is a lot of flexibility to make it your own. The original recipe called for broccoli. We had half a head of cauliflower, so Victor started there.

Quiche

Quiche with Cauliflower, Gorgonzola, and Walnuts

adapted from the Washington Post

Ingredients

  • One (9-by-10-inch) sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
  • 1 cup cauliflower florets
  • 4 ounces Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled (about 3/4 cup)
  • 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced in half
  • 1/2 cup peas
  • 1/4 cup (about 1 ounce) roughly chopped walnuts
  • 4 green onions, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1/3 cup light cream
  • 4 large eggs
  • Finely grated zest from 1 lemon
  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 clove garlic, minced (about 1 teaspoon)

Assembly

Place rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400°F. Line the bottom and sides of an 8-by-8-by-2-inch baking pan with parchment paper so you have a few inches of overhang. Roll the pastry sheet to a 12" square and place in pan with the dough come up the sides to hold the filling in.

Cut the cauliflower florets into bite-size pieces. Scatter the florets, peas, tomatoes, Gorgonzola, walnuts, green onions, and red pepper flakes evenly over the pastry.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the cream, eggs, lemon zest, salt and garlic, then pour the mixture over the quiche filling.

Place the pan in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes, until the pastry is cooked through and just starting to brown and the center of the quiche is slightly wobbly.

Remove from the oven and let the quiche rest in the pan for 10 minutes. Then, remove from pan, peel away the parchment, slice and serve warm or at room temperature.

We had half for dinner - warm - and half, today, for lunch - cold. It was excellent both ways.

I can see more of this in our future...


Ground Lamb with Potatoes, Garlic, and Rosemary

One of my mom's go-to dinners when I was growing up, was Hamburger and Potatoes. It was a great dish of fried potatoes, hamburger, onion, a splash or worcestershire and soy sauces, a bit of seasoned salt... Fairly simple - and a great way to stretch a pound of ground beef.

Fast-forward 60 years, and it's a dish I still make now and again. Total comfort food.

I was thawing a pound of ground lamb the other day, and wondering what sort of exotic meal I could make. While I was looking at ground lamb kabobs or lamb sausage patties, Victor focused on something closer to the hamburger and potatoes of my youth - Ground Lamb with Potatoes, Garlic, and Rosemary from a website called My Heart Beets. He showed me the recipe and dinner was in the making!

The recipe was pure simplicity.

The dish probably won't win any awards for presentation, but it definitely wins them for flavor!

 

Ground Lamb and Potatoes with Garlic and Rosemary

adapted from My Heart Beets

  • 3 tablespoons oil
  • 1 pound ground lamb
  • 1 lb potato medley cut in half (or a pound of potatoes cubed in 1" pieces)
  • 1 onion diced
  • 1 Serrano pepper minced
  • 5 teaspoons minced garlic
  • 2 tablespoons minced rosemary fresh
  • ½ teaspoon paprika
  • ½ teaspoon turmeric
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Heat oil in large skillet. Add potatoes and cook for about five minutes, covered. Uncover, add onion, and cook until onion is wilted.

Add ground lamb and cook until lamb is almost cooked through.

Stir in garlic, rosemary, salt, pepper, turmeric, and paprika. Cook until lamb is fully cooked and potatoes are tender.

Don't skimp on the garlic or the rosemary. Use it all. It balances the lamb perfectly.

It's definitely something that will fit into the monthly rotation!

 

 


Doro Wat

Chicken stewed in red pepper sauce

  • A 2½- to 3-pound chicken, cut into 8 serving pieces
  • 2 tablespoons strained fresh lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 cups finely chopped onions
  • ¼ cup niter kebbeh (recipe here)
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
  • teaspoon finely chopped, scraped fresh ginger root
  • ¼ teaspoon fenugreek seeds, pulverized with a mortar and pestle or in a small bowl with the back of a spoon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, preferably freshly grated ·
  • ¼ cup berbere (page 56)
  • tablespoons paprika
  • ¼ cup dry white or red wine
  • ¾ cup water
  • 4 hard:cooked eggs
  • Freshly ground black pepper

Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and rub the pieces with lemon juice and salt. Let the chicken rest at room temperature for 30 minutes \.

In an ungreased heavy 3- to 4-quart enameled casserole, cook the onions over moderate heat for 5 or 6 minutes, or until they are soft and dry. Shake the pan and stir the onions constantly to prevent them from burn­ ing; -if necessary, reduce the heat or lift the pan occasionally from the stove to let it cool for a few moments before returning it to the heat.

Stir in the niter kebbeh and, when it begins to splutter, add the garlic, ginger, fenugreek, cardamom and nutmeg, stirring well after each ad­ dition. Add the berbere anci paprika, and stir o-yer low heat for 2 to 3 min­ utes. Then pour in the wine and water and, still stir.ring, bring to a boil over high heat. Cook briskly, uncovered, for about 5 minutes, or until the liquid in the pan has reduced to the consistency of heavy cream.

Pat the chicken dry and drop it into the simmering sauce, turning the pieces about with a spoon until they are coated on all sides. Reduce the heat to the lowest point, cover tightly and simmer for 15 minutes.

With the tines of a fork, pierce 1/4 inch deep holes over the entire surface of each egg. Then add the eggs and turn them gently about in the sauce. Cover and cook for 15 minutes more, or until the chicken is tender and the dark meat shows no resistance when pierced with the point of a small knife. Sprinkle the ew with pepper and taste for seasoning.

To serve, transfer the entire contents of the casserole to a deep heated platter or bowl. Doro wat is traditionally accompanied by either injera or spice bread ( Recipe Index), but may also be eaten with Arab-style flat bread or hot boiled rice. Yegomen kitfo (Recipe follows) or plain yoghurt or both may be presented wit1:,the wat from separate bowls.


Lentils and Orzo

Lentils and Orzo

Here's a hearty meal that can be meaty, vegetarian, or even vegan just by swapping out a couple of ingredients - and it's simple to make! I used chicken broth and put a fried egg on top, but you could easily use vegetable broth or water and serve it sans egg. Or... really meat it up and add sausage or chicken chunks... or any number of clean-out-the-'fridge-vegetables...

The concept comes from the NY Times Cooking section. Their recipe calls for topping the dish with cheese. I thought an egg was even better... It also called for coriander seed... I used a bit of ground coriander. It worked fine.

Lentils and Orzo

Lentils and Orzo with Roasted Eggplant

adapted from The NY Times

  • 1 1/2 pounds eggplant (2 small or 1 large, skin on, or peeled, if desired), chopped into 1-inch pieces
  • 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon coriander seeds, crushed
  • Kosher salt and black pepper
  • 1 medium carrot, finely chopped
  • 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
  • 2 celery stalks, finely chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 cup dried lentils
  • 5 cups chicken or vegetable stock, or water
  • 1/2 cup orzo
  • Zest and juice from 1 lemon

Instructions

Heat the oven to 425°F. In a large bowl, toss the eggplant with 1/4 cup olive oil and crushed coriander seeds until coated; season with salt and pepper. Arrange in an even layer on a large rimmed baking sheet and roast until eggplant is tender and golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes, giving the baking sheet a shake halfway through roasting to toss the eggplant pieces for even cooking.

In a large skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil over medium. Add the carrot, onion and celery. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are softened, about 3 minutes.

Stir in the garlic and tomato paste and cook, stirring occasionally, until tomato paste begins to darken on the bottom of the pan, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the lentils until coated. Pour in stock or water and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower to medium and simmer until lentils are tender, 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the type and age of lentils you use.

Stir in the orzo and cook until softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the lemon zest and juice.

Season to taste with salt and pepper. Top with the roasted eggplant pieces and a fried egg, if desired.

The entire dish is done in the time it takes to roast the eggplant, so it's a definite weeknight-get-it-on-the-table-quick meal!

 


Beef Stew

Beef Stew

It was a bit wet and rainy, today, so a beef stew seemed to be the perfect meal. I think it's funny how people not from here talk about how wet the Pacific Northwest is... A bit of rain or overcast certainly doesn't stop people from going out and enjoying the day. And nary a raincoat or umbrella to be seen. Much different than the east coast where it really can rain for 40 days and 40 nights - or a hurricane blows in and really disrupts your day. For days.

But back to dinner... Once upon a time it might have been pot pies or a loaf of freshly baked bread, but... the current living situation just isn't having it.

I never quite realized just how much I used our ovens until I was in a kitchen without one. It's amazing what we take for granted until it's gone.

[cue: present political situation]

Stew is one of those things I just make - there is no recipe - yet, my siblings and I all make a very similar stew, based on the stew of our youth. Mom always made a damned good stew - but even her stew varied from batch to batch. She wrote down a recipe for her cookbook years ago, but it is really just an approximation. I don't think she ever made it the same way, twice. Similar every time, but amounts varied.

Beef Stew Recipe

Mom always put coffee in her stew. I use red wine. And I'm pretty sure she would use a bit of Kitchen Bouquet for coloring. But this gives you an idea of her thought process.

One of my favorite childhood memories is laying sliced bread on the plate and pouring the last of the gravy over...  She did good gravy!

Dinner, tonight, was a two pan feast. I started with the skillet to brow the beef and then pour red wine over and let it reduce. Meanwhile, the pot had the onions, celery, and carrots cooking away.

I added the potatoes to the pot, stirred in the beef, and then added beef broth and let it simmer.

Well... simmer, eventually... I'm still relearning using an electric stove. We have an electric stove in the new house, but there is gas coming in for the heater, so we may switch it out, eventually. We have other things we need, first.

I know I'm going to miss our double ovens - they were sooooo convenient - but we rarely ever used two at a time. I had one set aside almost exclusively for bread baking. It's really just psychological - I think I'll be able to survive...

Heck, we're surviving without having one at all, right now!

Another successful meal and another day closer to moving into our forever home...

Life is good.

Beef Stew

And so was the stew!


The 47th Anniversary of My 21st Birthday

I guess most people have at least a vague recollection of their 21st birthday. It is a right of passage, after all... I spent my 21st birthday floating a few miles off the coast of California. I was still in Uncle Sam's Yacht Club and my Leading Chief denied my 3 day leave request. We were back from Viet Nam and stationed back in Alameda, awaiting a trip to Long Beach in a few weeks. It was just to get the boat out for three days to run drills and the like. Your taxpayer dollars at work.

He knew it was my 21st birthday and his sole function in life at that point was to mess with me any way he could. He really hated that I was ridiculously organized and took to production baking like a duck to water. He hated my attitude - the perpetual smirk on my face. The fact that I could get things done without going through proper channels.

He had pulled me out of the bakeshop and made me Office Yeoman so he could keep an eye on me. Of course, he quickly found out he couldn't say anything in front of me because others might hear about it. Pity.

I had been on the boat for almost a year and a half by this point and had been finally taken out of the office and assigned to the storeroom - mainly just keeping records of food supplies coming in and going out. Keeping track of requisitions and making sure the proper signatures were always in place. It was pre-computer - all manual - and the military loved its forms in triplicate. He always tried like hell to find errors - but I was really really good at my job. That was another reason he really disliked me. My very sincere disdain for military authority probably topped the list, though.

Yes, boys and girls, I was a smart-ass at the ripe old age of 21...

Six months later - when it came time for my active duty discharge, he made me get a regulation-style haircut before he would sign my separation papers. It grew back and I never had to see him, again.

One of 68 birthdays... there are others that stand out, as well... There were five of us at Tahoe whose birthdays were 26-30 July. We decided to hold a joint birthday party at our house. We had a live band and literally hundreds of people.

It was the first time I had ever taken acid.

I was not a stranger to recreational drugs, but I had just never taken LSD. I had talked far too many people down from it in high school. There just wasn't a huge urge to do it.

And then I did...

Besides having an absolutely wonderful time, I do remember at one point being up in the loft and looking out over a sea of heads downstairs. I thought it would be fun to just walk across their heads. Evidently, someone noticed me starting to climb over the railing and convinced me it wasn't such a great idea. That was a great house!

And I still talk regularly to my old roommates... we've all known one another well over 40 years. Not bad.

Speaking of forty...

My brother got a box at Candlestick for my 40th birthday. The Giants and The Dodgers almost always have a home game on my birthday - and almost always at night. Late July at Candlestick could be freezing! And look at that - nary a gray hair on either of us!

And Victor threw a big ol' party for my 50th...

 

My first birthday in this house was my 49th. My 55th was the day after I had a wisdom tooth pulled and Victor had foot surgery. That one was a Percocet and Vicodin haze.

And we saw Mama Mia one year, did a few days in Atlantic City another - driving home the Black Horse Pike to hit the farm stands... The past few have been pretty lowkey... we're saving up for next year when we celebrate on the west coast!

The Social Security Birthday saw us up in Rochester visiting dear old friends with a trek to Niagara Falls. I  hadn't been to the falls since I opened the Hyatt Regency Buffalo back in 1984.

We had a so much fun we went back in the winter! Brrrrrr.....

As a kid growing up, my birthday dinner was veal scalopine and pineapple cream pie. It has morphed over the years to Stuffed Cabbage, and this year, Victor made his famous Apple Cake for dessert!

The stuffed cabbage was a labor of love because Victor is not overly fond of cooked cabbage. After making this, however, he's become a convert!

Stuffed Cabbage

Ina Garten

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons good olive oil
  • 1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onions (2 onions)
  • 2 (28-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes and their juice
  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
  • 1/2 cup raisins
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 large head Savoy or green cabbage, including outer leaves

For the filling:

  • 2 1/2 pounds ground chuck
  • 3 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped yellow onions
  • 1/2 cup plain dried breadcrumbs
  • 1/2 cup uncooked white rice
  • 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

For the sauce, heat the olive oil in a large saucepan, add the onions, and cook over medium-low heat for 8 minutes, until the onions are translucent. Add the tomatoes, vinegar, brown sugar, raisins, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside.

Stuffed Cabbage Sauce

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil.

Remove the entire core of the cabbage with a paring knife. Immerse the head of cabbage in the boiling water for a few minutes, peeling off each leaf with tongs as soon as it s flexible. Set the leaves aside. Depending on the size of each leaf, you will need at least 14 leaves.

For the filling, in a large bowl, combine the ground chuck, eggs, onion, breadcrumbs, rice, thyme, salt, and pepper. Add 1 cup of the sauce to the meat mixture and mix lightly with a fork.

Preheat the oven to 350°.

To assemble, place 1 cup of the sauce in the bottom of a large Dutch oven. Remove the hard triangular rib from the base of each cabbage leaf with a small paring knife. Place 1/3 to 1/2 cup of filling in an oval shape near the rib edge of each leaf and roll up toward the outer edge, tucking the sides in as you roll. Place half the cabbage rolls, seam sides down, over the sauce. Add more sauce and more cabbage rolls alternately until you've placed all the cabbage rolls in the pot. Pour the remaining sauce over the cabbage rolls.

Stuffed Cabbage

Cover the dish tightly with the lid and bake for 1 hour or until the meat is cooked and the rice is tender.

Serve hot.

And the Apple Cake... ::sigh::

He often makes it in a tube pan. This time he used a 10" springform pan. Perfection.

 

Apple Cake

  • 3 cups flour
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 cup oil
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 4 tsp sugar
  • 1/2 cup orange juice
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 3 tsp baking powder
  • 5 large apples

Preheat oven to 350°.  Peel and cut apples into small chunks.  Add 4 tsp sugar and 2 tsp cinnamon and stir together.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and set aside.

Beat together eggs, OJ & vanilla.  Add oil, mix in flour mixture.

In a well-greased tube pan, pour alternate layers of batter and apples.  Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on top.

Bake at 350° for 1 1/2 hours or until cake tests done.

Cool before slicing.

I have said over and over that it just does not suck to be me. I have a great life, the love and support of great family and friends, and the special love and support from one truly outstanding guy. It is a great life, indeed.

So here's to the last birthday in Pennsylvania, and here's to all of the future ones in Vancouver.

Little Sister said that she'll make me a Pineapple Cream Pie.

*edited to state we never moved to Vancouver. It sucked. We settled in Beaverton, OR - blocks away from little sister!!

 


Roast Beef

The Evolution of a Roast

An eye of the round roast is not, necessarily, the most tender of cuts - they're too lean. On the other hand, they're relatively inexpensive and you can do a lot with them.

Day One

I took a 2 1/2 pound roast and did a simple roast - rubbed with oil, dusted with salt, pepper, and garlic powder, quickly seared on the stove, and then into a 350°F oven. I wanted to pull it out at an internal temperature of 135°F, but didn't hear the thermometer beep - so I overcooked it to 145°F and after resting, it made it up to 155°F. Oh well... Medium-well, that is... In theory, I prefer my beef really rare - but I am not opposed to the end cut of a prime rib or a char-grilled steak.

And we planned on sandwiches, so it was all okay.

Roast Beef

Thin slices of roast beef on a homemade whole wheat roll that was spread with a garlic and caper mayonnaise, and topped with a homemade caponata that Victor whipped up.

Caponata

  • 1 medium eggplant, cubed
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 2 stalks celery, chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 fennel bulb,, chopped
  • 12 oz. fresh tomatoes
  •  1 tbsp capers
  • 1/2 cup green olives
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 3 tbsp wine vinegar
  • 2 tbsp pine nuts
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Sauté fennel and onion in a large skillet until onion and fennel begin to wilt. Add garlic and quickly sauté. Add eggplant and cook until it begins to break down. Add tomatoes and cook until they begin to break down.

Add capers, olives, sugar, and vinegar, and cook until thick.

Stir in pine nuts and check for salt and pepper.

Cool and serve at room temperature.

It was a knife and fork sandwich that could adorn the menu of any restaurant. Unique and full of flavor. The mayo was excellent - just mayonnaise, garlic powder, and capers mixed together - and the entire dish really blended together well.

Day Two

With two-thirds of a roast left, it was time to channel my mother. She was queen of a roast on Sunday and hash on Friday. It was time to get creative.

Even though I was making sandwiches with caponata, I had made gravy from the pan drippings - no way was that goodness going to waste.

I made a basic beef stew.

I cubed the beef and added carrots, celery, leeks, and potatoes. In went the gravy and some beef broth, and then it all simmered until the vegetables cooked and the meat was tender.

When it was cooled, half of it went into a pot pie and the other half went into the 'fridge.

Roast Beef

I had a leftover crust from the apple crostata I had made a few days ago, so I rolled it out, placed it in the pan, added the stew, wrapped it up like a crostata, and baked it at 425°F for about 45 minutes. It was slightly more than the two of us should have eaten - but we did it, anyway.

There are two things I can consistently make without fail - pie crust and gravy. And when the two come together, it's difficult to stop.

We'll be back to the gym one of these days...

Day Three

The reality is... Days One and Two were merely so I could get to Day Three - and some homemade beef soup!

Roast Beef

We eat soup most days for lunch, and, lately, they've been more chicken, lentil, split pea, bean... Most of the beef in the house has been ground - and while you can make some really good soups with ground beef, it wasn't quite what I was looking for.

Time to channel mom, again...

I sautéed a small onion with a couple of celery chopped stalks in a bit of olive oil. When they were nicely wilted, I added the leftover stew, and about 6 cups of beef broth. When it started getting hot, I added a can of diced tomatoes and a can of kidney beans and brought it to a boil.

Next went in another potato, cubed, and about a half bag of frozen mixed vegetables. I brought it back to a boil, covered it, and then let it simmer for an hour - until the potatoes were cooked through.

Tastes and smells can really evoke a memory, and this one brought back the soups my mom made when we were kids.

I think she would have been proud of this one.