Holiday Breakfast
I've mentioned before that I love when Victor cooks. And my stomach is smiling right now after a great breakfast!
The star of this morning's breakfast was a bacon, potato, and shallot hash of sorts Victor had seen on Lidia's TV show. Saute the bacon and shallots, and then mash in the potatoes (with a fork, say's Lidia's mother!) folding it all toigether as it browns on the bottom. It was most excellent! Fluffy scrambled eggs, walnut raisin toast, blood orange juice... I am one happy camper!
Victor's mom is coming over this afternoon for dinner... More to come!
I Love It When...
...Victor cooks dinner!
Tonight was a simple Alaskan Ciod he broiled with lemon and butter. Simple and classic! Corn from the freezer and fresh avocado and tomatoes with a great cucumber and yogurt dressing.
Everything was light, refreshing, and filling. Perfect almost summer food! :)
Pastel De Tres Leches
This is what I came home to yesterday! Neener. Neener.
I have seen recipes for these for years and have never made one. Victor saw this in a magazine and made it while I was at work.
(Note: THIS is why a well-stocked kitchen is so important. We had all the ingredients necessary in the house. Had he needed to go to the store, it probably would not have been made!)
The cake just screams flavor and is surprisingly light considering the ingredients. Absolutely wonderful.
Pastel De Tres Leches (Mexican Three Milk Cake)
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 6 eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- 3 tsp vanilla – (Mexican, if you can find it)
- 1 - 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 – 13 oz can evaporated milk
- 3 cups heavy cream
- Fresh fruit (strawberries, peaches, mangoes, whatever you like)
Spray the bottom and sides of a 9x3 inch springform pan with cooking spray. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt, set aside.Combine eggs and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat on high speed until doubled in volume, about 5 minutes. Reduce speed to low; add the water and 1 teaspoon of the vanilla. Mix well. On very low speed or by hand using a spatula, gently fold dry ingredients into the batter.
Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the cake is firm on top and has pulled away from the sides of the pan. Remove from oven and place pan on a rack to cool for 10 to 15 minutes. Turn the cake out on a serving platter, place a cake plate over the cake, and turn it right side up. Set aside to continue cooling.
While the cake is cooling, whisk together the sweetened condensed milk, the evaporated milk, the remaining 2 tsp vanilla, and 1 cup of the heavy cream; set aside.
After the cake has cooled, using a serrated knife, gently slice off the top skin of the cake and discard. Prick the cake all over with a long toothpick or skewer. (This will allow the cake to soak up the milk mixture) Pour milk mixture over the cake in several batches, allowing it to soak in as much as possible each time. Refrigerate.
When ready to serve, pour the remaining 2 cups heavy cream into a chilled bowl and beat with chilled beaters until stiff peaks form. (We add sugar and vanilla to our whipped cream) Either pipe or spread the whipped cream on the top and sides of the cake and garnish with fresh fruit, or slice the cake and place a dollop of the whipped cream on top of each slice and garnish with the fruit.
Easter Pie
It ain't Easter without Uncle Rudy's Easter Pie! While I was slaving away at work today, Victor was busy making these! They are the best!!!
Here's the recipe.
Uncle Rudy's Easter Pie
Rudy Rinaldi
This makes 2 pies.
- 3 Lb Ricotta
- 8 eggs
- 1/2 c. grated cheese - whatever your favorite is.
- Note: All meat should be DICED/CUBED - small
- 1/2 lb Ham - sliced about 1/4 inch thick
- 1/4 lb prosciutto - sliced thin
- 1/4 lb pepperoni - sliced thin
To Taste:
- Garlic Powder
- Pepper
- Italian Seasoning
- Parsley
Place pie crust in plate - fill with the mixture and cover with second crust
Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour - the crust should be nice and golden.
Limoncello, anyone?!?
A few years back, we were up in the Boston area and ended up at a store called All Things Sicilian. Victor's Sicilian. We had to go in...
They have some fun stuff, but one thing that caught his eye was a Limoncello decanter and cups. He had vague memories of Limoncello (after a few, EVERYONE has vagie memories...) but really like the set - and it came with a recipe.
Home we came, and limoncello we made. OY! The stuff is G-O-O-D!! Potent, but oh, so flavorful! It's easy to make, but takes a couple of months from start-to-finish to do it right. And the longer you take, the better it is!
This is (double) batch 4 or 5 now... The whole house smells of fresh lemons. Life is good!
** since originally coming up with this, we have cur the sugar tremendously. This is the revised recipe.
- 15 organic lemons, well scrubbed
- 1 1.75 liter bottle vodka (80 or 100 proof - higher proof=stronger)
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup water
Wash the lemons well and pat dry. Carefully zest the lemons with a zester or vegetable peeler so there is no white pith on the peel.
Step One:
In a large glass jar (1-gallon jar), add the vodka and the lemon zest. Cover the jar and let sit at room temperature for at least 10 days and up to 40 days in a cool dark place. The longer it rests, the better the taste will be. (There is no need to stir - all you have to do is wait.) As the limoncello sits, the vodka slowly take on the flavor and rich yellow color of the lemon zest.
Step Two:
In a large saucepan, combine the sugar and water; cook until thick and syrupy, approximately 5 to 7 minutes. Cool the syrup and then stir into the limoncello mixture. Allow to rest for another 10 to 40 days.
Step Three:
After the rest period, strain and bottle: discarding the lemon zest. Keep in the freezer until ready to serve.
It shall be the perfect summer sipper!
What's For Dinner?!?
I'll admit that when I go grocery shopping, I don't usually have a plan. I do the weekly shopping on Wednesday, and usually just buy what strikes me at the time. If it looks good, it goes into the cart. It can be just about anything. Heck, I'm easy when it comes to food. I like everything! So, it's not unusual to find a hodgepodge of items in the fridge or cabinets. It makes cooking dinner an adventure - and I can almost always make just about anything i want without having to head back to the store!
Naturally, there can be a downside... Fresh produce that's not going to remain fresh much longer, for example... That's where stirfry's come in. First off, I love them! An assortment of just about anything in a spicy, flavorful sauce is right up my gastronomic alley. Thankfully, Victor feels the same way - and knows his way around a kitchen, too!
I worked until 5:30pm tonight, and thought I'd throw something together for dinner when I got home. Instead, I was treated with "I have dinner all planned" when I walked in the door! The only thing better than cooking is having someone else cook for you! I was psyched!
Victor cleaned out the produce bin and chopped asparagus, red bell pepper, carrots, celery, onion, and mushrooms. Sauteed some chicken breasts, added the above veggies, and made the most delicious sauce with wasabi teriyaki sauce, peach jam, and chili paste! Juuuuust spicy enough, without clearing out the sinuses completely! Served over white rice... It was great! Cleaned out fridge, full belly... Life is good.
Now I have to figure out something for dessert! ;-)
Lidia Bastianich
One of my favorite cooks (after Julia, who is my idol) is Lidia Matticchio Bastianich. She is an Italian cook like no other I’ve ever seen. Tim and I had the pleasure of eating in one of her restaurants in New York, Felidia.
The food was so wonderful, the service so fabulous and the atmosphere so cozy that you either didn’t notice or didn’t care that dinner for two cost a weeks salary.
Every now and then she’ll do something on her show that makes me want to make whatever it was immediately. Today was one of those days. She made something called “Gnudi” which means naked dumpling. It’s like a good ravioli stuffing without the pasta.
- 1 lb fresh ricotta, drained
- 1 egg
- 1 cup dry spinach puree – (very dry)
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Grana Padano cheese
- ¼ cup flour
- A generous amount of freshly ground pepper
- ½ tsp salt
Heat a large pot of salted water to boiling.
Blend all the ingredients together in a large bowl. Test the consistency of the dough by scooping up a heaping tablespoon, forming it into a ball and rolling it in flour. Drop it into the boiling water. If it does not hold its shape and rise to the surface within a minute, add more bread crumbs to your dough. When you’ve got the right consistency, shape all of the dough into balls the size of golf balls, roll them lightly in flour, and lay them out on a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Drop the Gnudi gently one by one into the boiling water and cook for about 2 or 3 minutes, until they rise to the top and come to a rolling boil. To test for doneness, scoop out a ball and press it with your fingers: the dumpling dough when cooked should bounce back.
Butter and Fresh Sage Sauce
- 1 to 1 ½ sticks butter (to taste or to the amount you’ll need)
- 10 whole fresh sage leaves
- Hot water from the pasta cooking pot
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese grated
Melt the butter over medium heat and lay in the sage leaves. Heat until the butter is sizzling gently. Toast the leaves for a minute or so.
Ladle in 1 cup boiling pasta water, stir and simmer for about 2mins.
Transfer the Gnudi to the butter sauce and simmer for a minute. Just before serving top with grated cheese.
Dinner is SO much better...
...when someone else cooks!
When I was down at the farmer's market last week ordering the turkey and buying that big ol' stewing hen, I also picked up a few chicken breasts. Into the freezer they went... They're great for those "what do I have/want for dinner" days. No planning involved, they work with anything.
I was off work today, so Victor and I went out looking to maybe purchase a few more serving bowls for Thanksgiving. We both have a serious bowl and platter fetish. We have more than we will ever need, more than we could ever use - but they're not necessarily the exact size I may want or need for a large gathering. Okay - it's just an excuse to get more, but what the heck. Any excuse to buy more works for me!
We hit a couple of local stores, didn't see anything we liked, but did make it home with more Christmas decorations! If you think the bowl/platter fetish is bad - the Christmas decoration fetish is worse. Santa comes to our house when he needs something! (But that's for another post for another day!!)
Back to the chicken breasts... I pulled two out of the freezer and set them on the counter to thaw. I was just going to do some simple breaded cutlets, maybe oven roast a couple of potatoes. Simple, no brainer, no thought process involved.
I had to do a bit of Family Tree updating and Victor asked if I had any plans for the chicken, because he'd cook dinner. I said I was thinking chicken cutlets, but if he's cooking, I'm eating - have at it! (I'm easy that way!!) He headed to the kitchen, I headed to the office.
About 20 minutes later, I smell the most wonderful aroma coming from the kitchen! The kitchen is at the other end of the house, so it has to be GOOD for it to travel all the way back here! And it was! Cave-Aged Gorgonzola Scalloped Potatoes were in the oven! OMG! I'll repeat. OMG! Can we say fabulous boys and girls?!? I wanted them THEN - but had to impatiently wait another ten minutes. It seemed an eternity. But oh so worth the wait!
Thinly sliced potatoes, layered in a shallow casserole with butter, parmesan, and gorgonzola, with just enough broth to cook them. Crusty-crunchy on the top, melt-in-your-mouth perfection underneath. Just the right amount of everything. No one flavor was overwhelming, yet every one was distinct. One of those magic moments - and done with what was in the kitchen - no cookbooks involved.
The chicken cutlets were perfectly thin, breaded, and fried in olive oil. Fork-tender, with the perfect combination of crunch and flavor. There should have been enough for Victor to have a cutlet sandwich tomorrow while I'm at work. Somehow, both plates were emptied.
AND he did the dishes while I ran back here to - well... gloat is probably the only honest word I can use! I'm properly stuffed, my stomach is smiling, and life is good. Later on there will be a chocolate cake with a thick chocolate ganache I made a couple of days ago.
All I have to do now is figure out what I'm cooking the store crew for breakfast tomorrow.
How Many Pots...
We play a fun game in the kitchen... It's "How Many Pots Can You Dirty Making Dinner?" Victor is king of the one-pot meals, while I seem to be able to dirty half the kitchen - even if it's just a simple dinner. What can I say?!? I'm gifted that way!
And while we both like the same foods, our style of cooking is decidedly different. Victor is often more adventurous and will spend more time making something. I'm a throw-it-in-the-pot-and-see-what-comes-out kinda guy. I want it ready by the time the rice is cooked. (Not that I won't spend the time to do something fun or different, but on a school night, it's usually something simple.)
He leans toward Red Sauce/Italian, and I'm a bit more clean out the refrigerator stirfry or soup. So tonight I worked until 7pm, and when I came home, I was greeted by a most wonderful aroma wafting through the house. Victor had a chicken noodle casserole in the oven, and hunks of garlic bread were waiting to go in...
Under normal circumstances this wouldn't be unusual, except, Victor's never made a casserole in his life! Oh, he can make a baked ziti that could bring tears to your eyes, and lasagne, and any number of other fantastic Italian-inspired dishes, but a chicken and noodle casserole? Not part of the repertoire. Those are the things I do...
But he did it tonight, with some of the aforementioned chicken and broth from that ol' stewing hen! Succulent pieces of chicken, celery and carrots, lots of peas and mushrooms... Extra-wide egg noodles from the local noodle company in Lancaster County... And the most delicate sauce... It was heaven! The count was four pots and two baking sheets - plus the casserole dish for dinner! Five pots if you count the stock pot that the chicken stock was in in the fridge.
Victor won this round... but Thanksgiving is coming up!