Pane Pugliese and Lentilles du Puy

More bread.  I just can't think of a better food right now.  It's still a bazillion degrees below zero (or so it seems) and the only sensible thing is to stay indoors and heat the kitchen.

I've been making this particular bread for years.  It may be one of the easiest, no-brainer-fool-proof breads in the world.  And one of the absolute best-tasting.

Today, I really proved the fool-proof part.

Our neighbor across the street just had his gall bladder removed.  Since he regularly comes over and plows our driveway when it snows, it is imperative that he regain his good health immediately.  I thought fresh-baked bread and a no-fat lentil soup was just the thing to help him on the road to recovery.

This is a basic white-flour recipe.  I pulled the biga out of the 'fridge (left over from the Pan Siciliano), got it mixed with the yeast and the water and - exactly 6 cups of flour.  I needed 7 1/2.  I don't think I've ever run out of flour before, but I have been doing a lot of bread-baking.  I did another search to make sure there wasn't a 5 lb bag hiding somewhere.  I have whole wheat flour, I have rye flour, I have graham flour, I have self-rising flour.  There's even corn flour.  No more white flour.

There was absolutely no way I was leaving the house.  I added a cup and a half of whole wheat.

The dough came out great.  Felt good, it had a great smell to it.  Into a ball, into a bowl, and into the "proofing room" it went.  (For those not in the know...  I just open the heater vents in our powder room and it becomes the warmest and best environment for proofing bread.)

The recipe makes three good-sized loaves and I have generally been able to get them all to fit on one peel.  Well...  today, they seemed to have a bit more of a mind of their own than usual.

They got big. One was actually hanging off the side a bit.

I already planned to do two loaves in one oven and the third in the other, but as I was sliding the first loaf in, the second fell right off the peel and landed upside down halfway in the oven, laying across the heating element and the door.

Ooops!

I quickly slid the third loaf onto the butcher block and carefully picked up the fallen loaf.  I got it into the bottom oven, slid the third one back onto the peel, and got it into the oven.

The loaf in the picture above is the one that fell.  It came out pretty awesome.  A bit misshapen, but awesome.

THAT is a forgiving loaf of bread.

Pane Pugliese

  • 1 packet dry 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.

And the biga.  I would imagine it could stay in the 'fridge and just keep adding to it as I used to do with my starters years ago.

Biga

  • 1/2 tsp active dry 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.

During all of this commotion, I was also making lentil soup.  With French lentils.  Lentilles du Puy.  I'm brave.  I'll pair Italian bread with French lentils.  Fancy restaurants would charge an arm and a leg and call it fusion.

I call it getting my driveway plowed.

I made two versions of the soup.  I added cooked sausage and chicken to ours after taking out half for our neighbor.  (I wasn't being cheap.  Gall bladder removal = low fat diet. Sausage is definitely not on his diet right now.)

The recipe is for making it all at once.  I had a chicken breast in the 'fridge that needed cooking, so I cut it up and added it to the sausage when I cooked it.  You can make it vegetarian simply by omitting the sausage/chicken.

Potage de lentille du Puy

  • 1 onion, diced
  • 6 carrots, chopped
  • 6 celery stalks, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 lb French green lentils (or other lentils)
  • 10 cups water
  • 1 sm can tomato paste
  • 2 tsp Herbs d'Provence
  • 2 bay leaves
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 lb sausage, sliced

Brown sausage, onions, carrots, cekery, and garlic together in soup pot.  When cooked reasonably well, add water, lentils, tomato paste and seasonings.

Bring to boil and then simmer uncovered until lentils are tender and soup has thickened slightly.

Check for seasoning and add additional salt and/or pepper, as desired.

We're not expecting any snow showers until next weekend.


Mexican Mac & Cheese

I pulled some chorizo out of the freezer this morning with a vague idea of something spicy for dinner.  The only tangible was the sausage.  Everything else was open for inspiration.

Did I mention it's about a million degrees below zero?  Okay.  Not quite, but it was 12° when I left for work this morning.  It's the end of January and we've had it pretty easy thus far.  But I'm a west coast boy who will never - ever - get used to the cold.  I wanted something warm and soothing when I got home.  Macaroni and Cheese started calling my name early.  I thought I'd get a ham steak and do ham & mac & cheese with peas when the idea of a Mexican Mac & Cheese started formulating...

The more I thought of it, the more I wanted it.  Chorizo and tomatoes, jack and cheddar.

A recipe was born...

Mexican Mac & Cheese

  • 1/2 lb fresh chorizo
  • 1/2 cup onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • dash cayenne
  • 1 can diced tomatoes, drained
  • 3 tbsp butter
  • 3 tbsp flour
  • 3 cups milk
  • 2 cups shredded cheeses (cheddar, jack, whatever...)
  • tabasco sauce
  • worcestershire sauce
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1/2 pound macaroni

Remove chorizo from casing and brown with onion and garlic.  Add spices and cook until very fragrant.  Add tomatoes.  Heat and set aside.

Melt butter in saucepan.  Add flour and stir until smooth.  Cook about 3-4 minutes.  Add milk and cook until thickened.  Add cheese, and a few drops of tabasco and worcestershire sauces.  Add salt and pepper, to taste.

Meanwhile, cook macaroni.

When done, mix drained macaroni with chorizo and tomatoes.  Add cheese sauce and mix well.

Place all in buttered casserole and top with buttered bread crumbs.

Bake at 350° for about an hour.

It was all the right things... rich, creamy, slightly spicy, crunchy topping.  Perfect comfort food for a freezing day.

I can't wait for Spring...


Instant Asian - Sorta

Of all the foods in all the world, Chinese is the one I am least comfortable cooking.

I can get my fingers around a lot of different cuisines, but Chinese has always alluded me.  Possibly (or probably) because it's the one type of food I virtually always ate out.  I remember my first experience with Chinese Food was in the mid-50s at a restaurant in San Francisco called Kwan's.  It was on Geary Blvd around Arguello.  My parents would take us there when there were only the three kids.  Mike would eat a hamburger, Judy wouldn't eat anything, and I ate anything put in front of me.

Over the ensuing 50+ years, I've really never had to cook Chinese.  When I worked at the Hyatt Regency Cambridge, we had The Empress Room where I could gorge on gourmet Chinese offerings.  At home, I could pick up the phone and have Andy's Excellent Chow Mein delivered to the door.  And now I'm in the Philadelphia suburbs where nothing is convenient and the best Chinese food is just not dim sum from Yank Sing - or Andy's Excellent Chow Mein.  I'm spoiled.

So... I attempt a Chinese meal now and again, but let's face it - it just ain't San Francisco. I'm very spoiled.

Enter Frozen Food.

I don't buy a lot of frozen entrees.  In fact, I really don't buy any.  But I will pick up frozen Asian foods from time to time.    I have my standards and I have my exceptions.  Love the Assi store in North Wales.

Tonight, a doctored up bag of Chinese Chicken worked.  I added sauteed peppers, diced papayas (thawed, with the juice), and lots of Sambal Oelek.  It was a spicy and sweet dinner in a mere 20 minutes.

I do have a couple of Chinese cook books - and lord knows I have the spices and sauces necessary to do the job.  One of these days I'm just going to have to get serious.


Shake 'n Bake. And I Helped!

We were talking with a friend the other day and she mentioned she was having Shake 'n Bake pork chops for dinner.

It will probably come as no surprise that Shake 'n Bake is not something I would normally have in the cupboard.  I love baked and/or breaded things.  It just wouldn't cross my mind to buy a pre-made breading mix.  It's a bit of the curse of the cook.  I often have to remind myself that I don't need to grow the wheat and mill the flour and bake the bread to make a sandwich.  A shortcut is using all-purpose flour.

But I digress.

Thing is, the Shake 'n Bake pork chops sounded really good.  And since I had pork chops, bread crumbs, and almost every known herb and spice, I figured I could make a reasonable facsimile.

First thing I did was do a web search to see exactly what was in Shake 'n Bake.

Shake 'n Bake's Original Pork flavor includes as ingredients: enriched wheat flour (wheat flour, niacin, iron, thiamin mononitrate Vitamin B1, riboflavin Vitamin B2, folic acid), salt, partially hydrogenated soybean and cottonseed oil, sugar, contains less than 2% of paprika, dextrose, dried onions, spice, caramel color, yeast, annatto (color), and natural flavor.

There's not enough of anything in there to kill ya, but I figured I could do better...

I've probably had Shake 'n Bake at some time, but I don't really recall.  It's not something I would have had as a kid - I was out of the house by the time my mom started using "convenience foods" - and since I always worked in a restaurant or kitchen of some sort, it just wasn't something I thought of.  I do remember the commercials, though!

So fast-forward to 2010.

I started off with panko bread crumbs because I wanted crunchy, and looking at the pictures online, it looked like there should be a lot of crunch.  I added just a tad bit of flour, and then salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika.  I have annatto seeds, but I didn't need the coloring - or the caramel coloring.  I needed a bit of oil, but didn't want to add oil.  Instead, I added a drop of mayonnaise.  I flashed back on my mom making a baked cornflake-crusted chicken where the chicken was dipped in mayo and then rolled in crushed corn flakes.  It was really good.

Shake 'n Bake instructions say to dip the pork in water or milk and then into the bag with the coating mix.  I decided to use mom's mayonnaise coating and then bread the chops.  Just a really thin coating, then lots of crumbs. Into the oven at 425° for about 25 minutes.

It worked.

For those Shake 'n Bake purists?  Well...  I doubt my chops came close to Shake 'n Bake perfection.  I've seen the pictures on the internet, and you can easily see the difference in the picture above.

But the chops really did come out good.

Oh...  I almost forgot.  Side dish...

I steamed artichokes and since I had the mayonnaise out, I mixed some with a teaspoon of chopped capers, 2 cloves of minced garlic, a teaspoon of lemon juice, and a sprinkle of pepper.  It made a great sauce for dipping the artichokes.


Pseudo Risotto and Fresh-Baked Bread

I couldn't get dinner on the table fast enough, tonight.   And I tell ya - I have found my new favorite bread.  It's unbelievable.

The crust is crunchy, crusty, chewy, rich, dark, with a powerful flavor.  The crumb is soft, chewy, spongy.  And it all hints of sourdough.  That yeasty smell of my youth.  Seriously, it''s my new favorite bread.

The Pseudo Risotto was a chicken and rice casserole baked in the oven.  I actually hadn't thought risotto until plating it up.  Pseudo.  Definitely not the real thing.  But good.  Wintertime comfort food - even if it's 60° outside.

I boiled down last nights chicken carcass and pulled off all the meat.  I then thickened the broth using the chicken fat from the pot mixed with flour.  (I wasn't about to skim off all that flavor just to add fat to thicken it.)

I saved some of the chicken for sandwiches and the rest went into  bowl with cooked rice and frozen mixed vegetables.  I stirred in the gravy, put it all in a casserole (actually, I split it into two casseroles - one went in the freezer) and into a 350° oven for an hour.

It was very risotto-like.  Smooth, creamy, and just the right comfort-food feel.

But the star of tonight's dinner really was the bread.

Yum.


Pane Bigio

Today was another bread-making day.  Howling winds, pouring rain...  No way was I stepping outside for anything.  This was the perfect excuse to stay indoors.

Actually, I knew last night that I was baking bread today.  There were 5 pounds of whole wheat flour sitting on the shelf telling me to get it together.  I started going through Beard on Bread.  Nothing was catching my eye.  Nothing was screaming "Bake Me!  Bake Me!"  So I closed Mr Beard and grabbed my tattered copy of  The Italian Baker by Carol Field to check out something Italian and whole wheat.   For all of the great recipes in that book, I have to admit that I continually make the same few.  I needed to get out of my rut.

I found a bread that sounded intriguing - Pan Bigio.  Whole wheat, uses a biga - or starter - and makes two or three loaves.  It sounded a lot like my absolute favorite Pane Pugliese except it's whole wheat.  Sold.

I made my biga and let it sit out overnight.

Because there's about 4 hours of rising time with this dough, I started off bright and early this morning.  As I mentioned earlier, I wasn't going anywhere...

The biga makes about 2 1/2 cups or so and I only needed one for the bread, so I took what I needed and the rest went into the fridge for another day.  It actually will only get better the older it gets - it's what gives sourdough its flavor.

Time to make the dough.

Pane Bigio

From The Italian Baker by Carol Field

Makes 2 large or 3 smaller round loaves

  • 1 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
  • 1/4 cup warm water
  • 2 1/2 cups water, room temperature
  • 1 cup (250 grams) Biga
  • Scant 2 cups (250 grams) whole-wheat flour, stone ground if possible
  • 3 3/4 cups (500 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1 Tablespoon salt (1 teaspoon more, optional)

To make Biga:

  • 5 1/2 ounces / 150 grams all-purpose flour
  • 3 1/2 ounces / 100 grams water
  • 1/4 tsp active dry yeast

Mix together, cover and let sit on the counter for 6 to 24 hours to develop.

Dough:

Stir yeast into the warm water in a mixer bowl and let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes. Add 2 1/2 cups water and the biga and mix with the paddle until the water is chalky white and the biga is broken up. Add the flours and salt and mix until the dough comes together. You may need to add a bit more flour, up to 2 tablespoons, but the dough will never pull clean away from the side and bottom of the bowl. Change to the dough hook and knead 5 minutes at medium speed. Finish kneading the sticky, wet dough by hand on a well-floured surface, sprinkling the top with about 3 or 4 more tablespoons of flour.

First Rise: Place the dough in a lightly oiled large bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap and let rise until tripled and full of large holes, about 3 hours. Do not punch down.

Shaping and Second Rise: Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface and gently shape into 2 big flat rounds or 3 smaller ones, pulling tight on the surface of the dough with your cupped hands to make a taut loaf. Place the loaves, rough side up, on well-floured baking sheets, peels or parchment paper set on baking sheets. Cover with a towel and let rise until there are lots of aid bubbles under the surface, about 1 hour.

Baking: Thirty minutes before baking, heat the oven with baking stones in it to 450°F. You can also use a cast-iron or aluminuim griddle that is a least 3/8 inch thick or preheated heavy baking sheets. Dimple the tops of the loaves all over with your fingertips or knuckles and let rest for 10 to 15 mintues. Just before baking, sprinkle the stones or griddle with cornmeal. Gently invert the loaves onto the stones. The bread will look deflated when you initially put it in, but it will puff up like a big pillow in no time. Bake for 25 miutes, then shift the loaves to equalize baking. Bake for a total of 45 to 55 minutes, until the loaves are a deep golden brown. Cool on racks.

Mix, knead, and into the bowl it went.

This really is a wet and sticky dough.  I had to resist adding more flour.  Had I not read that it was supposed to be a wet and sticky dough, I'm sure I would have added way too much more.

But after mixing and kneading -  even wet and sticky - it felt right. I knew this one was going to come out!

Three hours later we achieved a most fantastic dough.

It was loose, but it had body.

I made three loaves and let them rise right on the peel.

Into that 450° oven and 40 minutes later...

Three puffy pillows of bread.

There's a chicken and rice casserole in the oven and butter softening on the counter.

C'mon, dinnertime!


Sunday Chicken Dinner

This meal is Ann's fault.  She went on and on about how wonderful a roast chicken is; how many meals one can get from it, how many different meals one can create from it.  I had no choice.  I had to roast one.

I'm glad I did.

Roasting a chicken really isn't difficult, but I think too many people make it too complicated.  If you have a good chicken, you don't need to do a lot.  If you don't have a good chicken, no matter what you do won't work.

I started off with a good chicken.

Victor made roasted garlic butter last week and we still have plenty in the fridge.  I rubbed a bit under the skin, liberally salted and then added a healthy dose of homemade lemon pepper to the top.  Into the pan it went with about a cyup of white wine.

400° for an hour. (Internal temperature of 165°.)

Perfection.

Crisp skin with moist, tender, succulent meat.  The garlic butter really came through without overpowering anything.

A simple pan gravy with rice and peas finished off the plate.  And there was still plenty of homemade bread to sop up the gravy.

I'm thinking maybe a pot pie tomorrow.  Double-crust, of course.  Maybe homemade whole wheat bread.  It's supposed to be another cold and wet day.  The perfect excuse for staying indoors!


Sunday Breakfast

Blueberry pancakes topped with warmed lemon curd.

Is this the way to start a Sunday, or what?!?

I must admit that I rarely ever buy fresh berries (or most fresh produce of any sort) out of season.   I love that first strawberry of the season after being without for months, or that raspberry, or blackberry...  I gorge myself on them when they're at their peak - and then wait for another year to do it, again.

Of course, nowadays we have tasteless, under-ripe fruits and vegetables being grown all over the world and shipped to our supermarkets so we can enjoy bland foods year-round.  I tend to stay away from these things.

Yesterday, however, I tasted some fresh blueberries and visions of blueberry pancakes started dancing in my head. It's amazing how quickly I can toss aside principles when presented with a fresh, juicy blueberry.

This morning, that vision was realised.  No pancake-mix pancakes, either.  These were the Real McCoy.  I resisted making whole wheat oatmeal whole-grain whatevers.  My vision was for light, fluffy pancakes studded with juice-popping blueberries.

Blueberry Pancakes

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • pinch salt
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/3 cup neutral oil
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 cup blueberries

Mix dry ingredients together.  Stir in eggs, oil, milk, and vanilla.  A few lumps are okay - they actually help to make the pancakes light.  Stir in blueberries and cook on hot griddle.

While my vision of the pancakes, themselves was traditional, my thought for a topping was not.  Victor went traditional and chose butter and maple syrup.  I chose warmed lemon curd.

A little bit of sunshine in what is supposed to be a wet and rainy day.


Billowing Clouds of Smoke

I made a quick loaf of beer bread tonight.  Chicken sandwiches on warm, fresh bread just sounded good.  And trust me, it was.  I thin-sliced the chicken breasts and  marinated them in a bit of olive oil, garlic, Tabasco, and Dale's Seasoning.  Into a hot skillet they went until browned and cooked through.  Slices of warm bread, mayo, tomato and lettuce.  Real simple, real basic, real good.

But the billowing clouds of smoke nearly drove us out doors.

The beer bread recipe calls for pouring some melted butter on top of the dough before baking.  Some of it always manages to make its way down to the bottom of the oven and smoke a bit.

Tonight, a LOT of it made it down to the bottom of the already-not-that-clean oven.  It smoked a lot.

And silly me...  I turned the oven up to cook the fries.

Billowing clouds of smoke.  So much smoke, in fact, that I had to open every single window and turn on the ceiling fan in hope of blowing it away.  I'm surprised the neighbors didn't call the Fire Department.  Then, again, it's not like they've never seen it before...

So the oven is being cleaned right now.  I'm at the opposite end of the house and I can smell it.

When you're good, you're good.

Speaking of a weeks worth of dinners, we ate well this week.  i just didn't write about it.  I had a few other projects going on and just didn't make the time to write and post.  But I took pictures!  here goes:

We went to Morocco one night...  A Moroccan beef with figs and a Moroccan rice.  Sweet and spicy.

We had some sauce left from Sunday Dinner, so I made a variation on a chicken parmesan.  Under the layer of melted fresh mozzarella is sauce and the last of the fried peppers and roasted garlic we made a while back. m Polenta on the side with fresh carrots and leeks.  I need to get more peppers.  Those really rocked!

And last night there was a filet roast with mushroom gravy, mashed potatoes and cauliflower au gratin.  I came really close to making a shepherd's pie for dinner tonight with the leftovers.  The house probably would not have filled with quite as mush smoke if I had...  Then, again... ya never quite know with me...

The cauliflower last night was really good, too. (And probably contributed to tonights smoke.)

We will have a nice, clean oven in just a few hours.

Tomorrow I think I'll roast a chicken.  I should be able to contain it in one pan.


Cleaning Out the Spice Cabinet

When we bought the house nine years ago (I can't believe it's been that long!) the first thing we did was gut the kitchen and start over.  It was a 1950 metal-cabinet-mess.  We came up with a pretty good design and a chunk of change later, we had a great layout and a fun place to create.

Nine year later, it's in need of a little bit of TLC.

It's time to paint.

The question became, do we clean the woodwork and cabinets, the drawers and all that before we paint, or after we paint?  The consensus was before.  Make everything sparkling-clean and the final step is the paint.

Since most of the cabinets have been taken apart and cleaned out several times since they were installed, I decided to start with the one that probably hasn't been taken apart and cleaned since we put it up - the spice cabinet!

There are three lazy susans in the corner cabinet used for herbs, spices, vinegars, and Asian sauces.

Everything came out and the cleaning started.

I went through and culled a few things - but not much.  A few flavorings that I know have been there a bit too long and some Christmas stuff that will keep better in the basement.  Most everything went back.  Neater.

The shelves weren't as bad as I thought they would be.  One spill that  took a bit of elbow-grease to get rid of, but otherwise not bad.  I guess there was just so much stuff on them that dirt and/or grime just didn't have a place to set.  The bottles all got a good wipe-down whether they needed it ot not.

The next two cabinets will be the one on top of the ovens - where the pastas, flours, and some of the baking stuff is kept, and the cabinet above the refrigerator - cereal, dog biscuits, and miscellaneous stuff.  Both are in pretty good shape - I think.

And then it will be time to actually wash the outside of all the cabinets and drawers.  Even though they are done regularly, they get messy and/or greasy quick.

We may be ready to paint by Spring!


Road to Morocco

My last paper copy of Today's Diet and Nutrition magazine arrived a couple of days ago.  (Unfortunately, they're going to an all-digital format next issue.  I like their recipes but I doubt I will be renewing my subscription.  I spend enough time in front of a computer without reading my magazines here, also!)  But I digress...

There are a score of recipes - Mardi Gras, Italian, French Country Cooking... But under "Healthy Rice Recipes was a recipe for "Moroccan Mushroom Caps".  I wasn't in the mood for stuffed portobello mushrooms, but the rice sounded pretty good.  With a few tweaks, it was the perfect side dish for a Moroccan Beef!

I picked up yet another full Australian beef tenderloin today.  Twenty bucks.  I can't pass up a price like that.  The quality is great, the taste is excellent.  I had new rolls of food bags for the FoodSaver.  I was set.

4 thick steaks, a roast, and "stew meat" went into the freezer.  A pound of cubes stayed out.

I started on the rice...

Moroccan Rice

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp paprika
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 small tomato, diced
  • 1/2 cup currants
  • 2 cups cooked rice
  • salt and pepper, to taste

In a skillet, heat the oil and then add the spices.  Add the tomatoes and currants, then the rice.  Mix well, check for seasoning and add salt and pepper, as desired.

Place in an oven-proof dish and bake, covered, about 20 minutes, at 350°.

I used my favorite whole grain black japonica and mahogany rice.

Then I started on the beef.  I really should have made these the other way around, because the beef takes longer because of all of the reducing.

Oh well.

Moroccan Beef

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 lb beef cubes
  • 1 small chopped onion
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 2 tsp garam masala
  • 1 tbsp paprika
  • 1 1 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 cup dry red wine
  • 1/2 cup dry Sherry
  • 2 cups beef broth
  • 1 can diced tomatoes
  • 18 figs

Heat oil in large pot over medium-high heat. Add meat to pot and brown. Transfer meat to bowl. Add onions and saute until wilted and lightly browned. Add spices and stir and cook 1 minute. Add wine and Sherry; boil until reduced to glaze, about 10 minutes.
Add broth, tomatoes with juice, and figs; stir to blend. Add beef and accumulated juices; bring back to boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered until sauce is thick and beef is tender, stirring occasionally.

This was pretty good.  Victor went back for seconds - a sure sign that a meal is a hit.  And he has enough left over for a nice lunch, tomorrow.

The sauce was silky and thick and the combination of spices really hit the mark.  It was just hot enough, with the sweetness of the garam masala and the figs to offset the heat.  A cheaper cut of meat could be used, the simmering would tenderize just about anything.

Bob, Bing, and Dorothy never had it so good!


Sunday Dinner

Homemade meatballs, sausages, and pork loin,  rigatoni, cheese, homemade Pane Siciliano, pepperoni bread, and Apple Cake.

We ate well, today!

We called Victor's mom, brother, and sister-in-law to come over for Sunday Dinner.  It's a time for family to sit around the table for a few hours and eat.  And talk.  And eat.  And eat.  What a great tradition!  We did the Irish version at my house  when I was growing up.  Different food, same concept.  It really is a great tradition.

Today, it was cold, wet, and raining outside, so a big pot of sauce on the stove and a couple of loaves of bread and a cake in the ovens was the perfect way to get the day rolling!

Victor started off by making sauce.  No two Italians make their sauce the same way.  In fact, he doesn't even make it exactly the same way every time.  Into the tomato sauce goes the browned meatballs and browned pork and sausage, red wine, garlic, all the basics.  Suffice to say, it is always fabulous.

And while the sauce was simmering on the stove, I made bread.  Pane Siciliano.

Last night I pulled out my beat-up old copy of  The Italian Baker by Carol Field.  I had planned on making her Pane Pugliese and it needs a biga, or starter.  It's  one of my most favorite breads.  I was pulling the ingredients together when I turned the page and saw a recipe for Pane Siciliano.  Something new.  I actually had the semolina flour (shock!) and decided to give it a try.

Pane Siciliano

Makes 2 loaves

  • 2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
  • 1/4 cup warm water
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp malt syrup
  • 1 cup water, room temperature
  • 2 1/2 cups durum flour or semolina for pasta
  • 1 cup plus 1 tbsp unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 2 to 3 tsp salt
  • 1/3 cup sesame seeds

By hand:

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water in a large mixing bowl; let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.  Whisk in the oil, malt, and 1 cup of water.  Mix the flours and salt and whisk in 1 cup at a time into the yeast mixture.  Beat vigorously with a wooden spoon until smooth.  Knead on a floured surface 8 to 10 minutes, occasionally slamming the dough down vigorously to develop the gluten.

By mixer:

Stir the yeast into the 1 1/4 cups warm water in a large mixer bowl; let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.  Stir in the oil and malt with the paddle; then add the flours and salt and mix until smooth.  Change to the dough hook and knead on medium speed until; the dough is firm, compact, and elastic with lots of body, 4 to 5 minutes.  Finish kneading by hand on a lightly floured surface.

First rise. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours.  The dough should be springy and blistered, but still soft and velvety.

Shaping and second rise. Punch the dough down, knead it briefly, and let it rest for 5 minutes.  Flatten it with your forearm into a square.  Rollit into a long, narrow rope, about 20 to 22 inches long.  The dough should be so elastic that it could almost be swung and stretched like a jump rope.  Cut the dough in half and shape each into a loaf.  (The book shows 3 classic shapes and illustrations; Mafalda, Occhi di Santa Lucia, and the baked Corona.  I made the Santa Lucia.)

Place the loaves on floured parchment paper, peels sprinkled with corn meal, or oiled baking sheets.  Brush the entire surface of each loaf with water and sprinkle with sesame seeds; pat the seeds very gently into the dough.  Cover with plastic wrap, and then a kitchen towel, and let rise until doubled, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Baking. Thirty minutes before baking heat the oven with baking stones to 425°.  Sprinkle the stones with cornmeal just before sliding the loaves onto them.  Bake 10 minutes, spraying 3 times with water.  Reduce the heat to 400° and bake 25 to 30 minutes longer.  Cool on racks.

The final bread came out excellent, but I had to play with the dough a bit.

First off, it was way too dry.  I know that there are a bazillion and one factors involved in making bread; the moisture content of the flour, the weather and humidity, yadda yadda yadda, but I had to add almost a half-cup of water to the dough.  I finally worked it into a close approximation to what was described "firm, compact, and elastic with lots of body" but it never really had the elasticity I think it should have had from the description.  Same with the forming of the dough.  It rolled out well, but didn't have the "so elastic that it could almost be swung and stretched like a jump rope" texture.  It had some, but not what was being described.

Nonetheless, it came out great!  It had that rich semolina flavor and fine texture.

Marie brought over Pepperoni Bread, so we had that as an appetizer along with some salame, provolone, garlic crackers...

It was pretty good!

We sat down to a big salad, the pane, the meats, and a bowl of rigatoni.

Enough food for a small army.

Just what Sunday Dinner is supposed to be.

And then it was coffee and Apple Cake.

Victor got the recipe from his cousin Nancy, years ago.  It is really really good and I love it when he makes it!

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.

Another great thing about this cake is it works well as a morning coffee cake as well as an evening dessert.

I see a great breakfast in my future!