Easter 2016

What a fun, relaxing day!

You'd think with 15 people coming to dinner, little kids, a crazy dog, and a dozen dishes to prepare that there would be just a little bit of chaos or angst. There wasn't. It was as smooth-sailing and drama-free as a day could be.

Part of it was because we actually planned out what we were doing. The other part was we've been doing this for awhile, now. Moving furniture to create the table and all is done by rote. Phone table to the powder room, wicker to the living room. There's no running around looking for stuff - it's already been found.

We started off with hors d'oeuvres and wine in the dining room - a room way too small to actually eat in. We start here with Uncle Rudy's Easter Pie. It's a family favorite and definitely one of mine. Victor makes this every year and a couple of years back went from making a full double crust to a lattice crust. It really lets the filling shine! Recipes at the end!

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I went down to Reading Terminal Market on Monday and picked up stuff for appetizers and sides. It's a great food emporium!  I picked up a Valencay French Goat Cheese form Downtown Cheese, and a sharp provolone left over from the Easter Pie.

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And caperberries, stuffed peppers, marinated artichokes, and a slew of different olives...

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When I ordered the ham from Robertson's in Oklahoma - yes, our dinner ham came from Oklahoma - I also got a stick of jalapeno summer sausage. Outrageously good. The ham, thick slices of prosciutto, and really awesome aged pepperoni were also leftovers from the Easter Pie. Waste not, want not...

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Another RTM find was golden beets. Victor has never been a huge fan of beets - those pickled things in a can will never be found in our home - but he's learned to like the golden ones - and we even grew red beets this past fall and he liked them, a lot!

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They were definitely a hit! And really easy to put together. Recipe follows.

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The two main entrees were our Ham From Oklahoma and a side of salmon. I went for a boneless ham for the first time just to see how they were, along with ease of preparation. I was impressed. They do a good job with them, as well.

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The salmon was a take on a recipe I found in Fine Cooking magazine. It's a unique combination of spices and flavors served with braised fennel and apples.

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Some things are just meant to be...

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Green beans and carrots...

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And roasted potato medley... Having double ovens really makes the job easy.

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Marie brought her Pineapple Bread Stuffing... Easter is the only time she makes it so we have to take advantage of it no matter where Easter is held. It's really good!

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And that glass you barely see at the top of the picture? It's a Star Wars promotional glass from Burger King in 1977. Yes... once upon a time the giveaways at the fast fooderies were actually made of glass. I had a whole bunch of them once upon a time. Down to four...

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But back to food... Instead of dinner rolls, I opted for a loaf of one of my favorite breads - Pane Pugliese. Instead of my normal Italian '00' flour, I went with King Arthur's Artisan Flour this time around - and wasn't impressed. For this bread, anyway, I really do prefer the '00' flour. I'll try some other recipes with the King Arthur - maybe a San Francisco-style sourdough. But I won't be using it for my Italian breads...

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And then, of course, we had desserts. I had been staring at the cover of this La Cucina Italiana magazine for two years and finally decided it was going to be a part of Easter. It's definitely a special occasion dessert because it is a bit of a production to make... But worth every step.

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Leah made a Ricotta cake that really rocked! I wish I had gotten a better picture - this one doesn't do it justice.

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Marie brought cookies...

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and cookies for the kids...

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And when I was at Reading Terminal I picked up a pound of sesame cookies at Termini Bros. Sorry to say - they sucked. Totally flavorless - and $20/pound. Even Nonna wouldn't eat them - and she will eat almost any cookie on the planet. Into the trash they went...

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But one bogus store-bought cookie didn't ruin the day. Three year old Miles finally petted Blanche - she outweighs him by 40 pounds, easily - but they're making peace. It gets easier every time. We also celebrated three March birthdays and Uncle Tom winning United Pilot of the Year. Pretty cool.

A great day of fun, food, and family... The next big event will be Nick & Sam's wedding in June - and then we get to fly west to see all my family for Sean and Maggie's wedding in September. Can't wait!

The recipes:

 

Easter Pie

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  • 1 1/2 lb whole milk Ricotta
  • 4 eggs
  • 1/2 cup cheese - we used cubed provolone this time, but any grated cheese will also work
  • 1/4 lb ham, diced
  • 1/4 lb prosciutto, diced
  • 1/4 lb pepperoni, diced
  • Garlic Powder
  • Pepper
  • Italian Seasoning
  • Parsley

Place pie crust in plate. Mix all ingredients and pour into crust and top with second crust.

Bake at 375°F/190°C for 45 minutes to 1 hour – the crust should be nice and golden brown and the filling set.

 

Golden Beets

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  • Golden Beets
  • Garlic
  • Olive Oil
  • Balsamic Vinegar
  • Parsley
  • Salt and Pepper

Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C.

Clean and trim beets. Rub with olive oil and place in oven-safe dish. Add 1/4" water to dish, cover with foil, and bake until tender - time will vary depending on size of beets. Cool and peel.

Mix minced garlic with olive oil and let sit to infuse. Drizzle strained oil over beets, drizzle good-quality balsamic over, and then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Finish off with chopped parsley.

 

Salmon with Fennel

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For the spice rub:
  • 1 tbsp coriander
  • 2 tbsp ground sumac or sweet paprika
  • 2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
  • 2 tsp kosher salt
For the fish and fennel:
  • Four 6-oz. salmon fillets
  • 4 1/2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • olive oil
  • 1 small fennel bulb, quartered, cored, and sliced lengthwise
  • 1 Granny Smith apple, cut into matchsticks
  • Salt & pepper, to taste
  • Fennel pollen

Preheat oven to 425°F/220°C.

Mix coriander, sumac, lemon zest, and salt. Rub liberally over salmon. Place in hot oven for about 10 minutes or until desired doneness.

Cut apples - a mandoline really works, here - and mix with with lemon and honey. Set aside. Saute fennel in olive oil until soft. Remove from heat and let cool, slightly. Stir in aples and mix well. Add salt and pepper, if desired.

Remove salmon from oven, plate, and top with fennel and apple mixture. Sprinkle with fennel pollen.

 

Chocolate and Sour Cherry Torta

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Crust

  • 1¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ½ cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces plus more for greasing pan

Filling

  • 3 large eggs
  • 7 ounces bittersweet chocolate (70%), finely chopped
  • ½ cup blanched almonds
  • ⅓ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
  • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • ⅔ cup sugar
  • 1½ cups sour cherries in syrup, drained (from 24-ounce jar)
  • 1 bittersweet chocolate bar for shaving

For Crust: Place flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor; process for a few seconds to combine. Add butter, and process until mixture resembles coarse meal, about 10 seconds. With machine running, add 3 tablespoons ice water in a slow, steady stream through the feed tube, just until the dough holds together. Do not process for more than 30 seconds. Turn out dough onto a work surface; flatten to form a disc. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 1 day before using.

Heat oven to 350º with rack in middle. Grease the 9-inch springform pan with butter, then dust with flour. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough to a 12-inch round. Fit crust into pan. Chill in refrigerator until ready to fill.

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For Filling: Separate eggs, placing 3 yolks in one bowl and 2 whites in another (save remaining white for another use). In a heatproof bowl in a microwave oven, heat chopped chocolate at medium power at 15-second intervals, stirring between intervals, until melted, about 1½ minutes; set aside to cool. In the bowl of a food processor, combine almonds, flour and salt; pulse until mixture resembles fine flour.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk, beat together butter and 7 tablespoons sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. With machine running, add egg yolks one at a time, incorporating between additions. In a slow and steady stream, add melted chocolate. Reduce speed to low, then add almond flour, mixing just until incorporated.

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Fold in half the cherries. In a large, clean bowl, beat together egg whites and remaining 3 tablespoons sugar until shiny, soft peaks form.

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Gently but thoroughly fold whites into chocolate mixture. Spread remaining cherries in bottom of prepared crust, then pour in batter.

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Bake until filling is puffed and just set, 50 to 55 minutes. Let cool in pan on wire rack for 15 minutes, then run a thin, sharp knife around edge of pan to loosen. Remove pan sides. Let cake cool completely.

Just before serving cake, hold chocolate bar with a paper towel. Pass a vegetable peeler over the side of the bar to create shavings. Pile shavings on top of cake. Dust with cocoa.

 

 

 

 

 


Yellow Dinner and a New Camera Lens

Victor got his new camera lens, today. I have to say it is pretty cool. So while he was out and about taking pictures of everything under the sun - you really do need to practice with a new lens - I cooked dinner. What I didn't quite realize - because I didn't actually plan dinner - was that everything I was making was yellow.

Yellow carrots, yellow polenta, and a yellowish chicken cutlet. So much for that rainbow of color we're supposed to have on our plates!

But heck with dinner... isn't that picture of the polenta cool? I can see some fun photos coming our way!

It's rather obvious that I'm not a food stylist and this blog isn't an award-winning photo-journal of foods too pretentious to actually eat. This is plain ol' cooking that most anyone can do - with plain ol' pictures most anyone can take. While that's not really going to change, I do think I'll be asking Victor to take a few shots now and again when we make something fancy-schmancy. The first thing I'm thinking of is an Italian chocolate dessert I'm making for Easter.

Better yet, maybe I can convince him to shoot the entire Easter table - item-by-item!

Fun times, ahead!

In the meantime... the yellow dinner tonight was yellow carrots, steamed and then drizzled with honey, a tube of store-bought polenta sliced and sauteed in butter, and chicken cutlets dredged in flour, egg, and then flour, again. 03-22-16-chicken-1

Simplicity.


More Reading Terminal Market

We've been here for 15 years and it's like I just discovered Reading Terminal Market. I have been seriously missing out.

We would stop by when we were in the city, bring out-of-town visitors, you know... play tourist. But I never really though of it as a place to go grocery shopping.

What a fool I've been.

We live a few blocks away from the regional rail line and it drops me right at the market's front door. 37 minutes on a comfortable train. Have I mentioned what a fool I've been?

Today I even got to travel down with my next door neighbor, Kate, and chat about kids, aging parents, food, dogs, politics.... It was a lot of fun - and I had my book for the ride back.

I walked in and headed straight for Old City Coffee to get a couple pounds of their Viennese Roast Sumatra. Good Stuff! Then it was next door to see Rachael at Downtown Cheese. More of the Moliterno cheese. That's going to become a staple in our house. I also picked up an ash-dusted chevre for Sunday.

Then it was to Valley Shepherd Creamery for their olive bar. I got Sicilian oil-cured olives, marinated artichokes, stuffed peppers, several other olives, and some caperberries... More good stuff for Sunday dinner. And a Sicilian-style cheese called Saffronella - a sheep milk cheese resembling a piacentino, for you cheese-lovers out there. It's what was grated on top of tonight's pasta.

Back to Metropolitan Bakery and a discussion on the correct way to pronounce pain au levain (kinda like paow a levzah but not that phonetic.) They make really good breads and I really like the dark, chewy crust on their pain au levain - no matter how it's pronounced!

Then it was a walk over to Martin's for sausages. Three each of five different varieties for $17.00. And they're big sausages! Broccoli rabe and provalone; Italian veal sausage; roasted red pepper, basil, and garlic; white wine, garlic, parsley and lemon; and, finally, peppers and onions... Nothing boring in this place!

A couple pounds of fabulous-looking golden beets and the bags were starting to get heavy. I stopped for a coffee and a muffin and looked up to see Corned Beef Specials at Hershel;s East Side Deli. I got one for Victor and headed next door to Original Turkey for a Turkey Stuffing Club for me. They were both so freakin' huge that we each had half of a half of each one. The rest are in the 'fridge for tomorrow. ::burp::

With bags getting heavy and most of my shopping complete, I stopped off at Termini Bros. for a pound of sesame cookies for Nonna.

I was home at 10:30am.

I see another trip in early April! I'm making my mental list, already!


Summer Salads

It was 79°F here, today. Perfect. No humidity, a light breeze... As close to heaven as weather will ever get around here.

And it's March 9th.

The average temperature for March 9th is 50°F. The average temperature for the month of March is 53°F. The park service even changed their forecast of the peak bloom of cherry blossoms in Washington, DC to March 18-22. Their initial forecast was for peak bloom to fall sometime during March 31 to April 3. Climate deniers can't deny this one...

It's getting warmer. Even Nonna agreed to have her space heater turned off, today. She stayed snuggled under her electric throw, but the blast-furnace that is usually her room was almost bearable.

I knew the moment I got up that it was going to be clean-out-the-refrigerator salads for dinner. When it's cold outside it's clean-out-the-refrigerator soup. Broth or lettuce. Same concept. Both get bread.

Tonight's salad started with a base of romaine, and was topped with hard cooked eggs, avocado, bean salad, grilled chicken breast, sliced red peppers, tomatoes, kalamata olives, blackberries, and maple-bourbon glazed bacon. Victor made a honey mustard vinaigrette.

It was better than good.

Rumor has it tomorrow is going to be another record-breaking day. Maybe we can have ice cream for dinner...

 


Papardelle with Guanciale

The guanciale has been calling my name for a week. Today, I decided to answer. And before I had even mentioned my idea, Victor asked if I wanted him to make some homemade pasta.

[Oh, no, dear. I'd rather have something out of a bag. Really. Don't trouble yourself...] Like, DUH!! Are you done, yet?!? Is it ready?!?

A dinner was born...

Guanciale is cured pig cheeks. It's similar to bacon, but the fat is silken... there's an earthier flavor... it's richer... and totally worth the splurge.

Victor got into the kitchen first and made the pasta  while I looked to see what kind of bread I wanted to bake.

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Victor has always made his pasta on the counter by hand. Today, he made it in a food processor after seeing Lidia do it several times. It worked well! You just need to finish it off by hand to get the right feel. Like anything, you can take shortcuts when you know what the standard is supposed to be.

And we use Italian flour - Tipa '00' - for almost all of our cooking and baking. Even our semolina comes from Italy. The exception is when I buy Daisy Organic from Lancaster - local wheat. Yeah, it's a bit more expensive, but I like the quality and the results. And I especially like it when Victor turns it into pasta!

Papardelle

  • 1 3/4 cups flour
  • 1 cup semolina flour
  • 6 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 4 tsp olive oil
  • pinch salt

Mix flours and salt in food processor. Add eggs and oil and process until it all comes together in a ball. Seconds, really. It's quick.

Remove from mixing bowl and knead a few times on the counter. Roll into a ball, cover, and let rest about 30 minutes.

Feed through your pasta roller and cut into strips. Victor made shorter papardelle than traditional because his mom can't really handle long pastas, anymore. But unlike the Republican debates the other night, size doesn't matter.

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The pasta sauce came together quickly, thanks to already having sauce in the basement.

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I pretty much just threw it together, so here's a close approximation to what I did...

Pasta Sauce with Guanciale

  • 12 oz guanciale
  • 1/2 large red onion, thinly sliced
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • pinch red pepper flakes
  • 1 cup grated pecorino
  • 4 cups simple pasta sauce

Saute guanciale in a large skillet until it completely renders its fat. Remove guanciale from pan and set aside. Saute onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes in the fat until onions are well-wilted.

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Add the guanciale back into the pan and continue cooking until onions are done.

Stir in the sauce and heat completely. Stir in the pecorino and stir until smooth and hot.

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Meanwhile, cook the pasta, drain, and add to the sauce.

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Sit down and eat.

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It was a really simple dinner to pull together with each of us doing our part. Things took a bit of time, but much of it was just waiting for things - like the bread to rise before forming and baking. Victor has pasta-making down to a science. I know it would take me longer to make it, but it would take him longer to bake the bread. We each do the part we're best at - and dinner is served!

Oh... and here's the bread!


Pecorino Cheese Bread

When we were down at Reading Terminal Market last week, we stopped off at MeltKraft for grilled cheese sandwiches before heading home. While waiting for them to cook, I tasted a piece of Pepato from Valley Shepherd Creamery - a sheep's milk cheese with peppercorns - similar to a pecorino - and aged at least 5 months. I bought a hunk. Nothing says impulse-buy like a taste of cheese.

That taste led to today's loaf of bread...

Victor made homemade papardelle and I had a chunk of guanciale - also picked up at Reading Terminal Market - so tonight's pasta dinner was calling for homemade bread. I checked out my mom's cook cook for a recipe, and while there were a few that were close, but nothing that was calling my name, so i decided to take one of her recipes and just redo it, completely. And Pecorino Cheese Bread was born!

Pecorino Cheese Bread

  • 1 pkg active dry yeast
  • 1 cup warm water
  • 1/3 cup cream
  • 3 1/2 cups flour
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded pecorino cheese
  • 1 egg white mixed with water
  • sesame seeds

Mix yeast with water and cream to proof. In a stand mixer, add half the flour and begin to mix. Slowly add the grated cheese and the rest of the flour, mixing until it all holds together. Continue mixing for about 10 minutes or until a firm, smooth dough is made.

Form into a ball, rub a bowl with oil, coat dough, cover with a clean kitchen towel, and let rise until doubled.

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Punch down, turn out to counter, and let rest about 15 minutes.

Divide into three pieces and form each into a rope about 18" long. Braid ropes together, tucking ends under. Place ona baking peel liberally coated with corn meal. Cover, and let rise until doubled.

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Preheat oven with baking stone to 375ºF (190°C).

When dough has risen, brush with an egg white mixed with water. Sprinkle liberally with sesame seeds and bake for 40-45 minutes or until nicely browned and hollow-sounding when tapped.

Cool on wire rack.

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The cheese really came through! The texture is that of a traditional loaf of bread. The flavor is cheesecheesecheese! It was the perfect foil for the pasta.

I can't wait to have it toasted for breakfast tomorrow!


Sunday at Reading Terminal Market

Victor has been itching to get into town with his camera. I have been itching to get back to Reading Terminal Market.

A plan was hatched...

Victor would take pictures and I would shop. What a fun concept, eh?!? We got our Nonna-Sitter to come over at 8:15am and to the train station we went.

Victor got off at 30th Street Station and started roaming the city. I continued on to Jefferson and The Market.

It was just a few minutes after 9 when I got there, but the place was already bustling.

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The breakfast places and coffee counters were doing a brisk business.

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My first stop was Old City Coffee for a cup and a couple pounds of beans - San Francisco Blend (naturally) and a Vienna Roast Sumatra. Vienna roast coffee is a step below French and a couple steps below a good Italian roast - and one of the more difficult roasts to master. Old City does a good job of it.

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Next stop was Downtown Cheese.

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I wanted to see if Adam was working. He wasn't, but his wife, Rachael was. I haven't seen either of them in a while, so it was fun to catch up - and get some cheese!

There were too many cheeses to choose from, so I asked Rachael what her favorite Italian cheese of the moment was. She brought out a Moliterno that was outstanding.

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A pecorino-style cheese with thick veins of black truffle. I was in gastronomic heaven and immediately bought some. I let her get back to work and off I went to explore some more, dreaming of dishes I could create with it.

I roamed the aisles, back and forth, just taking everything in. The place is gastronomic overload. There is so many great things - and a lot of really great prices. There are also a couple of really over-priced tourist traps selling "gourmet" products you can get at the local Acme for half the price. Caveat emptor, and all that. Besides the coffee and cheese, I brought home 5 different varieties of sausage. Goat milk soaps, rice and grains, a huge hunk of guanciale - I see some great pasta dishes coming up - more cheese, nut butter, a loaf of Metropolitan Bakery bread, and a host of other things... My 99¢ muslin shopping bags from Sicily were getting full...

Victor met me at the market, we had a leisurely lunch, and then headed home. Full, and full of goodies.

I really wanted to use that cheese, so the first meal I made was stuffed shells with chunks of cod, red peppers, and olives.

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I used a jar of Victor's pasta sauce and poured a bit into the casserole, added the shells, chunks of cod, two types of olives and some red pepper strips. Covered and into the oven for about an hour.

When it came out, I shaved pieces of the cheese on top. It was excellent.

We all cleaned our plates.

I am now planning a monthly trek to Reading Terminal Market. I need to get down there a lot more often.