Pasta

Pesto, Pistou — Presto!

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Whirr, whirr, done.  Talk about no cook.  It’s done PRESTO!

If it’s mid – late summer, I’m gunning for basil.  (If it’s earlier, I’m planting it and watering it.)  I’ve got pots full myself, but I also have to hit the farmer’s market for more.  At a buck for a big bunch, I get arm fulls.

My piano teacher and I hit the farmer’s market.

Here it is taking a bath in my kitchen sink with the Japanese eggplant and yellow zucchini I’m cleaning for the ratatouille I blogged on the  Dinner Place blog (The Solo Cook.)  They really like to get in the tub together.  I loved looking at this gorgeous mix of veg.  Could the colors get any better?

What is pesto?  Lots of you DO know.  But!  If you don’t:
Take the basil, whirr it in the food processor (traditionally mortar and pestle) with lots of garlic, pine nuts and/or walnuts, olive oil, Parmesan, and you have saucy green love.  In Italy, it’s pesto.  In France, pistou.  And it’s Presto! (Very quick, indeed, in the language of music) wherever you make it.

When I decided to blog pesto, I almost didn’t.  Pesto isn’t something new.  It may be four hundred years old in Europe and it’s certainly no culinary upstart in the United States.

The first time I ran across pesto was in the late ’70s in THE SILVER PALATE COOKBOOK (by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins with Michael McLaughlin.  Workman, 1979; 362p).  This was a life-changing cookbook not only for me, but for women everywhere who cooked.  If you want to know why, check out the cookbooks that were written and printed before this one.  It’s so important in my life that I have nearly worn out my paperback copy and, while I still use it, bought a hardback copy for a back-up and for my kids later on.

The more I thought about it, the more I decided to just go ahead and put pesto on my roster of blog posts.  How could something I love so much not be here?

I still basically make pesto from that recipe, though I use others, too–the one from THE GOURMET COOKBOOK (edited by Ruth Reichl and published in 2004 by Houghlin Mifflin) comes to mind.  By this time, I’ve adjusted any and all of them to my own tastes (as should you) and am purely and simply summer-happy whenever it’s time to use all that basil. 

Pasta with Pesto….the most popular use, I’ll guess:

Here with 365 (Whole Foods brand) whole wheat pasta

  Other ways to use pesto:

  •  on/in an omelet
  • as a veggie dip
  • on grilled chops
  • as a sauce for fish or chicken
  • on pizza
  • with crackers
  • on grilled vegetables
  • topping lamb chops
  • gracing grilled baguette
  • dribbled on sliced tomatoes or sliced tomatoes and sliced mozzerella in place of basil leaves.

 Or…  well, you go next.  How about in a spoon in your mouth– or mine?

In Italy,  pesto often has cheese in it; in France, not so often.  The French version, pistou, is often used as a condiment at table to, well, to create a different or simply more engaging vegetable soup.  A simple bowl of fresh vegetable soup and a big bowl of pistou on the table.  Everyone helps themselves and no one would deny the pistou makes the meal.  Some folks want a teensy bit and others want a big dollop.  Just for fun, here’s a recipe for Wolfgang Puck’s Soupe au Pistou; this one happens to have tomatoes in the pistou, which also sounds lovely.

By the way, there are those even in the Italian mode that leave the cheese out of the pesto (to keep it bright green) and grate it on top.  There are other purists who only make the pesto from tiny, fresh basil plants with just six or so leaves and use much less basil.  Si place; do as you like! (I use the big plants that I love to grow in the garden all summer.)  The addition of pine nuts to Italian pesto is a fairly new thing; people couldn’t afford them in years past and used walnuts–as did many Americans.  I use a combination of the two as pine nuts are nearly $30. a pound.

No matter how you make it or with what (and you can make it with all kinds of herbs or greens besides basil), enjoy the bounty.  And, by the way, pesto freezes.  So, if you can, buy extra basil, make copious amounts of pesto (freeze lots) and take some out for New Year’s Day for a quick whiff of summer.

By the way, you can buy ready-made pesto.  It’s pricey, though, and it’s not as good.  Nor does it keep.  So if you buy a quart at Costco, you better plan on eating a quart right quick.  Better to make it. Yourself.  In July or August.  And be….happy.  Here’s how:

Pesto a la Alyce, The Silver Palate, and The Gourmet Cookbook makes 2 cups

2 cups fresh basil leaves, clean and very dry  (pat carefully with light weight cotton or paper towels)
5-6 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 c walnuts, chopped
1/2 c pine nuts
1 cup extra virgin olive oil (use the good stuff)
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Combine the basil, garlic, and nuts in the bowl of a food processor (if using a blender, do half at a time) and pulse til well chopped and combined.  With the machine running, drizzle in the olive oil.   Shut the machine off and add the cheese.  Stir well.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Stir again.

I never told you this:  if the pesto seems a tad tame, dot in a few drops of Tabasco or other hot sauce, but don’t tell anyone.  Definitely not in the regular pesto regime. Don’t over do it; just give it a bit of body.

Keeps in frig (cover with plastic wrap right on the surface of the pesto) 2-3 days if not using immediately.  Freeze for up to six months.

Two-Dog Kitchen and Around the ‘Hood

Long beans grown by our local farmers:  saute or use in stir fry.

The babies.

Above:  Minnesota summer wildflowers.

Coming up soon….ratatouille a la Minnesota

Sing a new song, Alyce

Pasta Primavera with New Peas, Ramps, Leeks, Asparagus, et al or I Guess I’m Home Because the Cream Soups are Unpacked

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If you have a yard surrounded by old lilacs, spring is a good time for a dinner party.
And, if it’s spring, it’s a good time for Pasta Primavera (Spring Pasta).
And, if it’s time for Pasta Primavera, it’s a good time for pink wine.  French rosé.  Or Oregon rosé.

You needn’t be picky about the wine, though it must be dry and young (2010).  It shouldn’t cost much–not more than $15 and often much less.  Just make sure you have enough.  A variety of choices would be a kind gesture to both you and your guests.

And if you were really loving that day, you might make an appetizer platter of tapenade and local goat’s cheese blended with fresh basil and grated lemon rind.  Some proscuitto and tiny tomatoes make the plate.
The rosé will be quite stunning with that goat’s cheese.  Promise.

I’m sold lately on lemon ice cream.  In fact, it’s a perfect solution to dessert.

Picture taken later after the ice cream had been in the freezer.

I used a recipe from epicurious. com (Gourmet, 1993), though I didn’t use as much sugar.  I thought 2/3 c was plenty and it was.  The brightness and/or sourness of the lemon can easily be overwhelmed by too much sugar. (Click on the purple recipe.)  Note that the mixture must be made ahead, cooked briefly, chilled very well, and have more half and half added right before freezing.

About the Primavera... you could look up twenty recipes for Primavera and they’d all be different, except that they should all have spring vegetables of some sort (leeks, ramps, scallions, peas, asparagus, baby greens, fennel, etc.).  If you go to the farmer’s markets now (when you think there’ll be nothing), you should find some spring vegetables.  If not, pick up your favorites at the grocery and use those.

A gorgeous fennel bulb..use the fronds for garnish.  There’s a core here much like in cabbage.  Cut it out and slice the fennel into half moons.

Fresh pea shoots–leaves, shoots, and tendrils from pea plants.  Yummy greens.

 The basic directions (serves 4) that would include your choice of vegetables  would look like this (and I don’t think the Primavera police are out tonight if you want to change the process):

Ramps–quite like scallions

 

1.  Bring a big pot of salted, peppered, and herbed pasta water to a boil.  (Fresh herbs only–parsley, if it’s all you have. Parsley’s a perfect herb and quite nutritious.) Lower the heat to low until you need the water in a few minutes.  That is,  unless you’ve timed it perfectly. Ha.
2.  Meantime, in a large, deep skillet, saute in a tablespoon of olive oil a half cup of sliced something(s) from the onion family:  scallions, leeks, ramps (kind of like green onions…sort of between them and lilies of the valley), a mixture…even a bit of garlic, though just a bit–say 1 clove, minced.  I would include fennel here (another half cup if you have it) as it requires a similar cooking time. Do not brown these vegetables, just cook until softened.  A shake of salt and pepper wouldn’t come wrong here.  Remove them from the pan and reserve.
3.  Add a bit more oil, heat it to medium-high, and cook a cup of freshly sliced mushrooms for three or four minutes until golden.  They needn’t be –though they could be!–expensive; button mushrooms will do.  Don’t salt them til later.  Do, however, add a tablespoon or so of fresh chopped herbs to them  and pepper it all lightly.  (I like marjoram, but rosemary or thyme is so good, too.)  Remove them from the pan and add to the onion  mixture.  Note:  Like meat, you must leave mushrooms unmoved for best browning.  Don’t stir until well-browned on one side.  Watch closely!
4.  A little more oil, medium heat, and cook 1/2 cup each new peas (or frozen if you can’t find new), chopped asparagus, chopped haricots verts (very slim green beans), even a bit of zucchini or yellow squash sliced thinly–despite the fact that they are summer vegetables.  We’ll let you slide by with it.  After they’ve cooked a couple of minutes, add 1T cup each of your favorite fresh herbs (basil, rosemary, etc.) and a generous pinch of crushed red pepper.   Throw in the onion-mushroom mixture, taste and adjust seasoning,  and set aside.  These vegetables should be just barely done…not crunchy like a salad, but not granny-done, either.

5.  Cook your pound of  pasta as directed (10 minutes for dried thin noodles like spaghetti or linguine…just a few minutes for fresh), drain it and add it the vegetables.  Mix well.  I do not believe in the ubiquitious addition of pasta water here.
6.  If desired, a 1/2 cup – 1 cup of very fresh ricotta can be included here, as well as 1/2c-1 c fresh baby greens (pea shoots, baby spinach, watercress…).  Serve warm or at room temperature.  (Good cold, too.)
7.  Pass Parmesan (you’ll need 1-2 cups grated), chopped parsley, cherry tomatoes (heirlooms are tasty), and white pepper at the table.

Alternatively, and much more quickly, you might try this method for ease of preparation:  Bring a 10-12 qt (2/3 full) pot of well-seasoned water to boil; add 1 lb pasta and cook 7-8 minutes.  Throw in peas, chopped asparagus, chopped green beans, etc. and continue cooking 2 more minutes.  Drain well and drizzle with olive oil. Add a handful of mixed fresh herbs (parsley, basil, etc.), 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes, and 1/4 c sliced green onions.  If you like ricotta, and have some, stir in 1/2-1 cup.  Season quite liberally with salt and pepper and a pinch of crushed red pepper.  Serve hot and  pass a generous bowl of Parmesan and a grinder for black pepper around the table.  

Nothing like fresh ricotta.

This is a fun meal to make if you like interactive dinners.  Have each guest bring their favorite vegetable, cleaned and chopped.  Someone who doesn’t cook can bring a couple of different rosés.  Let a strong person grate the cheese, a detail-oriented friend supervise the pasta, and definitely get a wino to make sure everyone tastes all the wines.  The ice cream can be put into the freezer (if it’s a small one) when you sit down to dinner.

If you’re a fan of Mark Bittman (NYT), as am I, here’s a link to his recent take (and ideas for variations) on Primavera, which he contends is American.  Who am I to argue with Mark Bittman?  Mr. Bittman also has ideas for pastas that, since they require fewer ingredients (and seldom meat), are pretty inexpensive.  Which is always good.

Well–all that said:

It’s spring.  The flowers are in bloom.  Sit outdoors if it’s not too cold.  Put spring flowers on the table and think loving thoughts. 

Two-Dog Kitchen and Around the ‘Hood

The house is still in process, but crystal is in the china cabinet, boxes are out of the living room, and I am walking, gardening, and practicing again.  

I must be home.  The cream soups are here.

House being prepared for paint.

 St. Paul Farmer’s Market Scallions
Made rhubarb pie yesterday…may blog it!  From…

Farmer’s market rhubarb.

Flowers at the market downtown–a fine way to spend Saturday morning.

Our side yard (south)

Front yard tree.

  Our house from the north.

Our driveway garden becoming a jungle.

I’m planting herbs, columbines, tomatoes, impatiens, pansies, alyssum…and looking for more light in the yard!

 Happy Spring as you sing a new song, my friends!
Alyce

Grilled Eggplant-Sausage Pasta with Fresh Mozzerella or What to Cook off the Plane

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Italian sausage, red peppers, grilled eggplant, onions, garlic…a little fresh mozzerella.  Throw in some pasta and–

Note to readers:  for an updated, totally done on the grill version, please click here

    Coming off a plane, I’m often greeting thoughts like, “Did I leave anything at home that’ll work for dinner?”  I usually stop by the store anyway for fresh produce or something to fix quickly.  Yesterday, as I traveled home from Minneapolis, I remembered a couple of eggplants wilting in the crisper.  Odd phrase, eh?  In other words, they needed to be used.  What else?  Italian sausage in the freezer that I had put in at Christmas, but hadn’t yet cooked.  Sounded like a grilled pasta sauce night to me.  Mid-winter, I often am jonesing for something grilled.  I have two grill pans:  one is a square Calphalon and the other is a large, rectangular cast-iron grill that is flat on one side and ribbed on the other to siphon grease off the food or to provide the ubiquitous grill marks.

  I did run in for veggies for a chopped salad…bibb lettuce, radicchio, cilantro, parsley, red pepper, tomatoes…  I already had a little blue cheese.

Right now, the eggplant is sliced, salted and dribbling its dew (weeping copiously? bawling like a baby?) into a towel.  I’m about to start the pasta water, heat the grill, and start grilling cut pieces of sausage.  Oh, and a Seghesio Barbera’s waiting on the table.  (If you don’t know Seghesio, grab one of their zinfandels next time you’re in the wine shop and try that with grilled sausage and peppers, pizza or anything grilled.)  The recipe isn’t written, but will come together as I cook…and I’ll place it below the pics….  Enjoy!

Slice the eggplant thickly, salt and let drain on toweling.

Ah, California wine.

Ah, Italian tomatoes!

Indoor grilling of cut Italian sausage and eggplant

Sauteed red peppers, onions, mushrooms and tomatoes…a little wine didn’t hurt.

Cook some pasta.

The sauce comes together with the addition of the grilled eggplant and sausage

Adding the mozzerella and fresh basil to the hot pasta.  Mix this with the sauce and…

Vieni a mangiare! (Come and eat!)
 

Grilled Eggplant-Sausage Pasta with Fresh Mozzerella serves 6  (8-10 for a first course)

  • 1# pasta such as penne, mostaccioli, tortiglione or rigatoni
  • 2 T olive oil, divided
  • 1# Italian sausage (sweet or hot), cut into 2″ pieces
  • 1 large eggplant, peeled, and sliced into 1/2-1″ pieces (salted and drained on toweling)
  • 1 large onion, chopped coarsely
  • 1 red pepper, chopped coarsely
  • 8 oz fresh, whole mushrooms, wiped, trimmed and cut into halves
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 28 oz can tomatoes (I like Italian-canned tomatoes)  or 4 chopped fresh tomatoes-in summer only
  • 1/4 c red wine or water
  • sprinkle ea of salt, pepper and crushed red pepper
  • 1 T honey
  • 1 pint container of fresh mozzerella
  • 1/2 c fresh chiffonade (julienned) basil (or 2t dried basil); save out a little for garnish
  • 1/2 c Parmesan, grated (opt)
  1. Bring pot of well- salted and peppered water (10 qts) to boil, reduce heat and hold.  (Bring it back to boil soon as you get part-way through making sauce.) I like 1 T dried or fresh basil in my water, too.
  2. Heat oven to 250 F and place oven-safe bowls or plates in to warm.
  3. Heat grill to medium (10 min) and wipe with an oiled paper towel.  Add sausage and eggplant.
  4. Meantime, heat saute pan with rest of oil and add onion, red peppers and mushrooms.  Cook until nearly tender and add garlic.  Saute together for 1-2 minutes and add tomatoes, wine, salt, pepper, red pepper and honey.  Stir, bring to a boil, and reduce heat.  Taste and adjust seasonings.  (More salt and/or honey will cut the acidity of the wine and tomatoes.)
  5. Bring water back to boil and add pasta.  Cook 11-13 minutes or til al dente. Drain and place back in pot.    Add mozzerella and most of the basil, saving some for garnish. Cover and hold.
  6. When sausage and eggplant are done, chop eggplant coarsely and add both to sauce. Simmer 5 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings again.  Add sauce to the pasta mixture and stir gently, breaking up large hunks of mozzerella.  
  7. Serve in warmed pasta bowls.  Garnish with reserved basil.  Pass Parmesan, if using.

Cook’s Note:  If you’re making this in the summertime, why not grill all of the ingredients and just use fresh tomatoes (skip wine/water, honey)  for a very light al fresco meal?  You could cook the pasta in the morning before the temperature rises, store it in the frig, and bring it out in time to let it warm to room temp.

      Two-Dog Kitchen or What’s Goin’ on in the ‘Hood:

      Back from Minnesota trip where we almost froze literally; my skin is still peeling.  The day I left Colorado, it was -20 in St. Paul.  We’re not talking wind-chill.  I was so glad Dave wasn’t coming that day.  A 6 hour delay in our airport first….  Hey, I had a wonderful time reading the NYT cover to cover, getting a good start on a novel, enjoying a long lunch, and–not so fun–listening to my fellow travelers talking on the phone all day.  (There are so many private spots in the airport; why?)

      House hunted for the third time! and this time made an offer on a house:

      The view from what might be my new kitchen window.  Lots of birds!!!

      Still job-seeking…like a million? other Americans.  I’m grateful to our president for his positive, healing speech last night. 

      More travel soon….family birthdays, inspections on new houses… and so on.
      Sunny and warm here.  Ah, Colorado!

      Happy 80th Birthday to Gene Morgan!

      Here’s Dave’s Dad, Gene, and his Mom, Lorna, at Emily’s college graduation–all smiles.   

       

      Sing a new song,

      Alyce

      Beef, it’s what’s for New Year’s Eve or Baby, it’s cold outside….

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      Late afternoon, 12/30/2010

      When it’s nice and cold, 
      I can hold my baby closer to me–
      and collect the kisses that are due me.
      I love the winter weather 
      ’cause I’ve got my love to keep me warm….

      Today, Emi and I ran out to get a video game, hit Whole Foods and King Sooper’s.  In the middle, we just had to have lunch together.  As we sat by the window of the restaurant, I looked outside and said, “We’ve got to get home.”   There’s just this look in the skies and about the air when all hell’s about to break loose.  The snow began to fly as we drove south, but it let up by the time we got to the grocery store.  I ran in the liquor store to grab a little Cotes du Rhone to round off the bean soup and wienies for dinner, while she got started on the grocery list.  Five minutes later, I walked in to find no carts at all.  I knew we were in trouble.  It was us and everybody else in Colorado Springs.  All at King Sooper’s.  Together.  The bread aisle was slim indeed and I was thanking God I got my bread earlier at Great Harvest.  Milk?  Same story, but thanks be I only needed heavy cream for a horseradish sauce for a friend’s New Year’s Eve tenderloin.   The lines were 6 deep, but all of registers were open.  Thanks for good planning, store manager.  Emi said, “This is how the store where I live is all the time… and people are not happy in line.  No one talks or smiles.  New Jersey, ugh.”  I seldom wait for more than one or two people in front of me; often I’m first.  Wow.

      By the time we got out to the car, visibility was zero.  Snow was flying in all directions, mostly sideways.  The wind had picked up to an amazing pitch and the temperature had dropped ten degrees.  Two inches of snow were on the ground and it was a freezing mess to just open the trunk door and throw the bags in.  We felt our way home behind a crawling car in front of us and were very grateful to see the little grey, wooden house coming up on the right…finally.   It was about 2pm and it was obvious it would be dark early, which it is.


      Thanks, God, for a warm house, heat, hot water, loving family, a working stove (where the bean soup bubbles) and a lovely fireplace where we’ll roast wienies tonight.  Why not?

      If you don’t cook in the fireplace, try it sometime.  Fun, fun.  This pic if one I took last spring when the menu was the same as tonight.


      Meantime, I thought I’d leave you with a great New Year’s Eve dinner that you might really like to make–either now or later.  But I think it’d be a wonderful celebration for 6-8.  Not a tenderloin and not the price, this time-taking (yes) prep is made with flank steak.  Cool thing is, it braises slowly in the oven while you share a bubbly or two with your friends and put your feet up on the coffee table.  Once the prep’s done, the work is nearly done.  


      Here’s what it looks like from nearly the beginning to end….  I like some skinny green beans cooked in the microwave, a great baguette, and some fresh pasta with it.  You could make do with a salad and bread.

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

       

      Ultimate Beef Braciole (Tyler Florence)-—Alyce’s altitude/seasoning adjustments in italics 
         Note:  do not try and get this tender in the amount of time allotted if you’re at altitude
       Ingredients

      For the Braciole:

      • 1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs
      • Extra-virgin olive oil
      • 2 anchovy fillets, minced
      • 4 cloves garlic, minced
      • 1 cup buffalo mozzarella bocconcini balls, sliced in half if large size
      • 1/2 cup store-bought, drained and roughly chopped roasted red peppers
      • 3 tablespoons minced flat-leaf parsley
      • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
      • 2-pound piece flank steak
      • 3 hard-boiled eggs, quartered lengthwise

      For the Braising ingredients:

      • Extra-virgin olive oil
      • 6 sprigs fresh thyme
      • 2 cloves garlic, gently smashed
      • 2 small onions, sliced
      • 2 bay leaves
      • 1 1/2 cups low-sodium beef broth
      • 2 c red wine
      • 1 (28 ounce) can tomatoes (recommended: San Marzano)
      • 8 vine-ripened tomatoes, separated from vine
      • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
      • 2 tablespoons good-quality balsamic vinegar
      • 1/2 bunch flat-leaf parsley, chopped for garnish

      Directions

      To make the Braciole: Toast the panko bread crumbs in a dry skillet with a little olive oil over low heat, until golden. Add to a large mixing bowl along with the anchovy, garlic, bocconcini, red peppers, parsley, a drizzle of olive oil and some salt and pepper, to taste. Stir together until well combined.
      Set the flank steak on a piece of plastic wrap. Make a deep horizontal slice along the steak almost all the way through and fan open like a book. Lay another piece of plastic wrap on top. Using the smooth side of a meat mallet, gently flatten the steak until about 1/2-inch thick; take care not to tear. Discard the top sheet of plastic wrap; rub the surface with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Spread the stuffing evenly over the meat, leaving a 1-inch border all around. Arrange the eggs lengthwise down the center of the meat and roll up like a jelly roll log, using the plastic wrap as support. Tie the roll with kitchen twine in 4 to 5 places to secure – this will help hold the shape and keep the filling from falling out.  Season outside of roll very well indeed with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.

      Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Put a roasting pan across 2 burners and heat over medium heat. Add a 3-count of olive oil and add the thyme and garlic. Cook for about a minute until fragrant. Carefully add the braciole and sear until evenly browned all over, approximately 2 minutes each side.
      Add the sliced onions and bay leaves, then stir in the beef broth to deglaze. Add the canned tomatoes over the top, then nestle in the whole vine tomatoes around the braciole. Bring to a simmer, then cover with foil and put in the oven to braise for 45 to 60 minutes.   Add 20-30 minutes if at altitude…serve when tender. When done, remove the foil and remove the braciole to a carving board to rest. Carefully remove the whole vine tomatoes, with a slotted spoon, to a plate. Let the sauce cool for about 5 minutes. Discard the thyme stems and bay leaf, then add the sauce to a blender and puree. Pour the sauce back into the pan and set over medium heat to bring to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and add the balsamic vinegar. Remove the kitchen twine from the beef and cut into 1-inch thick “pin-wheel” slices. Arrange the slices on a platter and arrange the whole vine tomatoes around the beef. Pour the sauce over the top, garnish with
      chopped parsley and serve.

      Haricots Verts with Lemon

      1.5 # haricots verts
      1 t freshly grated lemon rind 
      Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

      In a large, microwave proof bowl, place beans with 1/4 cup water.  Cover tightly and cook in microwave at full power for about five minutes.  Test for doneness.  Drain and place in serving bowl.  Dust with lemon rind, salt and pepper to taste.

      Fresh Pasta

      Here in the Springs, I buy pasta (linguine for this) at Mollica’s on Garden of the Gods.  Two pounds for 8 people is plenty and will cost you about $11.   Call ahead to make sure they have some; you can order some a few days ahead to make sure.  Bring 10 qts of water, well salted and peppered, to a boil and gently place raw pasta into the water… you’ll need to carefully separate the strands of linguine. Cook until al dente…perhaps five or six minutes.  Remove from water  or drain and, after placing in a serving bowl, add 1T olive oil and  1/4 c chopped fresh parsley.

      Wine

      We liked a Barbera ($) or a Barolo ($$) with this. Vintages Wine on Tejon has some  lovely choices.

      Baguette

      Get your baguette at Marigold or La Baguette.

      Starters

      I like a little sparkler and some spiced nuts…not much more.  This is a big meal.  Gruet (New Mexico) makes a sweet sparkler that’s not overly priced and is nearly local.   Otherwise, grab some prosecco and be glad. 

      Stay warm,  be happy in 2011.  You will be if you eat this for New Year’s Eve.
      Alyce      
       

      If you live in the Springs, I’m thinking you should have bought New Year’s Eve dinner already.

      Timpano or BIG NIGHT–Friday, October 29, 2010

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      Checking out the pan –a washtub timpano pan ordered online

      —

      If you read my last post, you’ll know the ‘hood was getting ready to make the timpano.   We had been talking about engaging in a BIG NIGHT  for years.  Somehow (ok, it was me) we never got around to it until next-door-neighbor Sara ordered the pan and got us on the road to very full tummies.  We invited other neighbors and friends and set to work.  By Friday, thanks to Sara, the pan was ready, the sauce was cooking, the sausage was fried up, and the eggs were boiled.  MaryPat and I were in charge of buying wine and making antipasti.  Marylu was doing the dessert.  Others:  eating was their job.  Eating and watching the movie.  And having a BIG NIGHT.

      If you’ve never heard of a timpano (Italian for timpani–it’s shaped like a drum) before, it’s an entree for an army that’s cooked up in the movie, “The Big Night,” (1996) starring Tony Shaloub, Stanley Tucci, Isabella Rossellini, Minnie Driver, Marc Anthony, etc.   I do not know if this dish was made up for the movie; it could have been.   The premise of the movie is as follows:  two Italian Brothers (Primo-chef and Secondo-restaurant waiter, manager, host, etc) open a restaurant that just doesn’t seem to be making it.  The red sauce, cheapa– place down the street (owned by a dubiously friendly guy) makes a bundle.  Why not Primo and Secondo?  In order to pay the bank and secure their future, they decide to plan and execute the party to end all parties. (The Big Night)  Louis Prima will come and sing; he’s the fine friend of the dubious red saucer.  Right.  The party will have all kinds of food, but the piece de resistance will be the timpano, a big layered entree (pasta, meat, cheese, eggs) that fills a washtub and is surrounded by a thin, crispy crust much like a pizza crust.  (In the movie, the timpano is actually a primi-or first course.)   Even Primo, great chef that he is, isn’t sure when this mother is done.  Well, of course it gets done; in fact, he makes TWO of them.  One is for Louis Prima.  I won’t spoil the movie for you, but this cult classic will turn your tastebuds and twirl your fancy.   It may even encourage you to plan a “Big Night” for yourselves and your friends like we did.   If you don’t want to make timpano, order pizza and pasta from the local red sauce place (!) and do it anyway.
      Here are the pictures, which tell the story better than I can:

      First, the sauce. Sauce cooking, cooking, cooking.  Lotssasauce.  Started night before.
      Next:  more shopping and then chopping..cheese, meats, boiled eggs.  About 3pm.

      Dough:  getting started rolling and taking turns.  It must be 1/16″ thick.  It starts with four c flour, salt, olive oil and water.

      Boiled eggs:  16 of them.  One more part ready.

      Mise en place–getting  some of the meat together, too while someone else rolls dough.  Meatballs, Genoa salami, Italian sausage.  Lots of chef snacks.  No wine, though.  I drank tea.  The recipe suggest drinking all the way through this process; I thought not.
      Getting going on the dough: you can do it if you try eye… rolling dough on floured cloth. Oven preheated.  Pan at side–ready.
      Keep rolling; it’s not big enough.  Your turn.  Arms tiring.

      The dough… a lot of rolling paying off.  Let it rest.  Let us rest.  It’s about 36″ in diameter and 1/16″ thick.  Will it come off the  (floured) towel or stick?

      Chef Mary Pat and the pan that would never be filled?

      Bringing the layers to the counter for the mise en place–having everything ready to go before we begin layering into the dough.

      The dough.  The pan.  The beauty of it all.  This is really going to happen.  Is it?  We’re still wondering…  There’s only one big problem.  We forgot to grease the pan.  That’s right.  Though I didn’t remember that until I was putting the antipasti platters together.  I didn’t tell Sara til after it was done and I didn’t tell MaryPat until right before we tried to get it out of the pan.  Read on.
      Brave, now: layers of pasta and sauce, meats and boiled eggs.  How many layers, how deep?  Talk, talk. Don’t make it too full. Needless to say, a lot of cooks could have spoiled the broth, but we kept at it.  We are still friends.

      One person read the recipe; two filled the dough.  Those at home prayed.
      It’s full.   It’s full!!!!  Now the dough must be completely sealed. Fold, fold.  Don’t pull. You don’t want holes.  Cut and trim.

      And you do this how with the dough?  No double layers allowed. Trim excess.

      Into the oven, ready or not.  Happy.  Tired.  How about a nap?  Oh, the antipasti must be fixed.  It’s near 5pm now.  People are coming at 6:30.  In the meantime, Dave is at home grilling and running out of propane.  He ends up grilling the veg on the camp stove.  So much for the big gas Weber we bought for Father’s Day.  You actually have to remember to buy a tank of propane once in a while.  My advice about keeping an extra container have gone unheeded.  Of course, where would you store THAT sucker?  Dave has also run to Marigold for baguette.  Who wants pasta without bread?  I know.
      Grilling vegetables for antipasti…gotter done.  Baby bok choy, mushrooms, endive, squash, eggplant, etc.

                       Fennel sauteed with onions and garlic and white wine… to garnish the veg platter…and to eat!!!  Love fennel.

      Dressed up for timpano, a friend arrives early to help.

       

      Meat and cheese antipasti-proscuitto, soppressata, mortadella, provolone,  pepperoni-garnished with artichokes, olives, and a sugar pumpkin I’ll later fill with pumpkin soup.

      Grilled vegetables with aioli…yum.  Fennel fronds at right edge for garnish.  Dave does the ferrying back and forth to the neighbors’.  Little friend goes along to open doors.
        When we arrive-finally-the timpano has been deemed done and TA DA!!!  It’s out; it’s out.. Look at that. (Is it done?  How do we know?)  But now we wait.  It must cool; it you cut it now it will splat all over.
      Meantime….

      One more bite of vegetables while we wait.

      One more sip of wine…while we wait.  While it cools.  It’s not ready?

       

      It’s looking readier; Dave banged it out of the pan (phew) Salad’s good to go.

      Ready for its closeup.  Hope it tastes better than it looks.  It’s awesome, though.  Still waiting….

      Look at that thing!  How much longer?

      And.. here it is, folks…inside the timpano.  Mike does the initial surgery.

      Sara-happy. We did it!  We did it!

      Let’s eat.

        But we have to watch the movie, too.   It worked.
      Eat a little; watch a little; drink a little.

      Depleted antipasti and vino

      “I know you ate too much.”

      A last glass of wine.

      Dessert via Marylu:  each stem a different flavor of gelato.

      Movie’s over.  Time to clean up. Ah, gee.

        This was a one-dog kitchen project:  Moss, aka Timpano Dog…kept us company throughout.  Actually, he just was praying we’d drop stuff.  Of course, we did.

      ABOUT THE TIMPANO RECIPE…and SOME COOKING NOTES

      Our recipe came from the Tipsy Cook blogpost on the subject:
      http://www.tipsycook.com/2007/07/20/timpano-step-by-step-to-a-big-night/

      Note on recipe:  he leaves out the amount of oil for the crust.  It is 3 tablespoons.   Later (I didn’t see this til now), he had re-written the crust recipe, changing it totally and THAT is not on the original post, but in Jan of 2010:

      http://www.tipsycook.com/2010/01/13/timpano-crust-recipe-an-improvement/comment-page-1/#comment-119

      You might want to try the second crust.

      While the recipe worked very well and the process is excellently documented, my overall impression was that it could have used more moisture (more sauce/more beaten egg?) and that the layers were too jumbled to be viewed truly as layers.  For example, the salami layer:  I think there were 2 cups? of salami.  Unless you doubled that or tripled that, the salami just melted into the pasta or eggs below.  You needed a fair amount more in a layer for it to TURN OUT like a layer or like the layers in the movie’s timpano.  Just a thought.  Same thing with other meats, but I wouldn’t increase the boiled eggs too much.
      You’ll have to read it yourself; I think it’s 15 pages long.  Have fun.  As Julia would say,

      “Have the courage of your convictions” when you cook it, but mostly when you turn that thing out of the pan!

      Sing a new song; have a big night,
      Alyce

      …And the living is easy…

      / More Time at the Table / Leave a comment
      I have a friend who just lives for pasta.
      Too bad she didn’t show up last night for this luscious bowl.
      Fresh tomatoes
      Olive oil
      So much garlic
      So much basil
      Brie.  Not so much.  But enough.
      I’ll just have to make it again when she can come.
      She knows who she is.
      Please let my tomatoes keep coming so we can have this again.
      First ripe tomato this year.  Planted Memorial Day weekend.  Ooh.
      This is a summer meal.
      Tomatoes are ripe.
      You can’t cook much because it’s too warm.
      The deck calls you.
      An inexpensive, but lovely white burgundy is cold in the frig.
      It doesn’t overwhelm this meal, but is just so obviously fine to drink WITH it.
      It doesn’t hide flavors and you’re not terribly aware, “Oh this is a fantastic chardonnay.”
      Tomatoes
      Basil
      Pasta
      Grilled corn
      Eggplant
      Old-fashioned garlic bread
      Come on home, honey; it’s summer at Alyce’s.
      And not for long either.  Last night was 57.
      It was 68 at 5pm tonight and windy.
      Then the rain started.
      Eat fresh herbs while you can.
      On to the food…
      This is an old SILVER PALATE recipe; it doesn’t get any better.  It’s on page 79 if you want to look at it; here is my version.  Less salt, smaller portions.  La.
                                          
      Linguine with tomatoes and basil ala Silver Palate
      I think this makes 6 smaller servings, though SP says 4-6 and uses more (1.5 #) pasta
      4 large ripe tomatoes, cut into 1/2″ cubes  (or more if you’d like)
      1 # brie, rind removed, torn into irregular pieces
      1 c fresh basil, cut into strips (save stems)
      3 garlic cloves, minced finely as you can
      1 c extra-virgin olive oil, best you can afford (yes, you can cut back on this if you must)
      1/2 t salt
      1/2 t freshly ground pepper
      1 # whole wheat linguine (I like 365 brand from Whole Foods)
      Combine tomatoes, Brie, basil, garlic and olive oil in a very large bowl.  Add 1/2 t salt and 1/2 t pepper.  Let sit 15 minutes.  Meantime, bring 8 qts of water to boil in a 10 or 12 qt stockpot.  Salt and oil the water.  Throw in the basil stems.  Add some pepper.  Add pasta and boil about 10 minutes, maybe 12 if you’re at altitude like me.  Drain and immediately add to bowl with tomato mixture.  Mix well and serve hot, warm, at room temperature or cold. 

                                    
      And what did we have with this? 
      Well, I had two ears of leftover grilled corn.
      I had an eggplant (cheapola at $1 per right now) that needed to be eaten, so Dave grilled that.
      I had an idea they should go together, so here’s what I did:

      Summer Confetti

      1T olive oil
      1/4 c red onion, chopped coarsely
      1 stalk celer, minced
      Kernels from 2 ears of corn, cut from the cob
      1 eggplant, grilled and chopped into 1/2 ” pieces
      2t jalapeno, very finely minced indeed
      1/2 medium zucchini, chopped into 1/2 ” pieces
      3T mixed fresh herbs (you could use one or many; I used marjoram, oregano, rosemary, parsley and tarragon)

      In a very large skillet, heat oil and add onion. Saute for several minutes until wilted.  Add everything else but the herbs and, stirring frequently, cook for about 10 or 12 minutes until vegetables are softened, but still holding their shape.  Garnish with any fresh herbs and serve hot, warm, at room temp or cold the next day.

      Dessert?  Oh, it’s Colorado peach time!

      So…..

      This was Friday and Saturday night dessert.  David Lebovitz’ Vanilla Frozen Yogurt and Colorado Peaches. 

      Two-Dog Kitchen and/or Around the Hood
          I’ve started a new interim job at The Church at Woodmoor, a non-denominational church up in Monument, Colorado.  I’m directing the choir through Advent.  Come visit!  Worship is 10am.

      At home:

      Skippy’s here this weekend.

      A Saturday run up to Florrisant to the Thunderbird Inn with our neighbors.
      Bison and bottled beer.  MMM.

      Skippy trying to get into the Pinot glass cabinet

      Stuck on the deck–through the glass.
      See the animals in their new on-line movie, a big hit on youtube:
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83TCHVP7st4
      Sing a new song,
      Alyce

      Cherry Tomato Chicken Pasta with Basil or I’m Gonna Fit in the Slinky Black Dress in Three Weeks

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      Here with rotini  (new photos added November, 2012)

      As cooks, we sometimes wake up with something special on our minds.
      Something that just keeps going round and round and, until we make that dish, we just can’t do anything.
      No one should get in our way then.  No how.
      Then we go to the grocery store.
      Are way-laid by a point of entrance display of, say, raspberries.  Or avocados.  Or, in this case,
      CHERRY TOMATOES.
      I had every intention of making a Splendid Table newsletter dish called something like “Sicilian Chicken.”
      Until I saw cherry tomatoes

      10 PINTS FOR $10

      Continue reading →

      Saving your Sole in a Fish Bowl

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              “I might have been a goldfish in a glass bowl for all the privacy I got.” 
                                                                                                  — Saki (Hector Hugh Munro)

      I don’t know what I was thinking.
      I guess I thought I knew better. (I didn’t.)
      Maybe I was confused by both interstates being shut down at once.
      Go Colorado.
      Or I was over the top because a student had transposed a small, but two-handed piece of music into six or seven different keys, including B major.
      Or, I knew, and just had to see for myself.  Like a child.  Hmm.  More likely.

      Anyway, I did one of those unthinkable culinary things.   Or, I went outside the fish pond.  I took some sweet, thin sole and poached it in a chunky, bit of heat tomato sauce.   Yes, I did it.  Well,  I tried to make it a, we might say, gentle tomato sauce.  I could barely manage it.  Capital “T”-  Tiny piece of garlic, not toooo much onion.  Sweetened with an adorable, small carrot complete with top, and a bit of Colorado honey (something we do well out here.)  I cooked some risi (tiny pasta like rice) and sat the whole shebang along side it.  Was it good?  Yes.  Was it a home run?   Not the best of them. Did I eat it?  Decidedly.  And I’m blogging it because?  Because maybe we should blog the things that aren’t perfect.  That aren’t what the rest of the world thinks of as the best ideas.  Maybe we should keep on keeping on…and change our soul–I mean sole.

      (*Note two days later:  I tried this again so Dave could eat some for lunch and adored it on second take.  I used no fresh basil in the sauce and put, instead, the 1/2 t Herbes de Provence.  I have revised the recipe.)

      Did I mention the sole was $6.99 a pound and fresh?  (As fresh as fresh is in CO.)  Or that I had zucchini that had to be used?  Husband gone; quick fish meal in order.

      Now I love sole in the regular ways.  A little flour, a sprinkle of salt and pepper, into the butter bath…out again,  squeeze the lemon into the butter, pour it over the fish, and serve it topped with parsley.  I do, I do, I do love it.  The mildness of it is its beauty.    I also like it just barely kind of grilled in a skillet with only a little olive oil and salt and pepper.  I know very well that I need something hearty like snapper to stand up to the treatment I desired.  I can’t claim I did the dumb thing because I live in a land-locked state.  I’ve lived all over.  In other words, sole is delicate and must be treated like it.  Falling apart easily, it won’t make it through any rough handling or bull-in-a- china-shop flipping tactics like tuna or salmon.  Cook quickly, slide a large thin fish spatula underneath and slide it onto a warmed plate.  That’s how you deal with sole.  There are some some people who must be treated similarly…  Another blog.

      But I keep having this dream of fish poached in vegetables and I’ve been successful with it a few times…albeit with other fish.  I mean, what more could you want than fish poached in vegetables when you’re trying to be healthy, eat well, and still want to cook and eat gorgeously?  The grilled salmon and salad  or asparagus is nice, but it gets old.  It does.   I think you have more options on either coast; our available fresh fish is limited unless you can afford Whole Foods fish prices a few times a week.  I make a grilled tuna topped with marinara and served with orzo with spinach and raisins.  I hit up Whole Foods for that one and make it for my sister’s birthday or for my wine group.  Every day?  No, I’m like the rest of the world; I’m looking for bargains.

      So what was this like?  It was a little like a shallow bowl of very thick, yummy soup with some fish and baby pasta in it.  Yet, it was hearty.  Filling, even.  I drank a Seghesio zin with it.  Here’s another instance of pairing the wine the preparation, not with the protein.  You could eat ALOT OF THIS and do no harm at all- if you limited the risi.  And, by gosh, the fish cooks in two minutes.  And they call drive-through hamburgers “fast food?”

      My other idea was to roast a bunch of root vegetables, dissolve them a tish in some broth and poach the sole in that.  Maybe with sage.  In other words, just take sole out of its cubby and out for a run in the park.  That’ll be another day.  Ooo:  les poissons.

      Well, you think about it.  I’ll write the recipe down.  Make it; I liked it.  I’d eat it again.  But it is different.  It’s odd stuff up against each other.  Gently.  Like spring in Colorado.

      Saving your Sole in a Fish Bowl 
                                                   serves 2 generously

      1T olive oil
      1 small clove garlic, minced
      1/2 med. onion,          “
      1 sm carrot,                “
      2 stalks celery,          “
      1 small zucchini,       “
      4T fresh basil, sliced thinly, divided or 1/2 t Herbes de Provence
      1/2 t kosher salt; 1/4 t fresh ground pepper
      Pinch crushed red pepper, rubbed finely between your fingers
      1/2 of a 28oz can of crushed Cento tomatoes
      1 lemon, cut into two pieces.  Chop one piece into 1/2″ dice; slice the other half.
      1/4 c red wine
      1/2 c water  plus more as needed
      1 t honey
      1/2 # fresh sole

      Cooked risi (tiny pasta) or rice  (I put salt, pepper and fresh basil in the boiling water.)  mixed with:
                2T freshly grated parmesan and 2T chopped fresh parsley

      A Little Side Salad*

      Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium heat and add the vegetables, half of the basil, salt and peppers.  Cook until the vegetables are softened, about 10 minutes at altitude.  Stir often.  Add the tomatoes, half of the lemon slices, the wine, water and honey.  Lower heat and simmer 10-12 minutes.  Taste and adjust seasonings.  If the sauce becomes too thick, add a little more water.  Stir often.  Add sole in an even, single layer, and cover for 2-3 minutes, cooking until fish is firm.  Gently remove fish from sauce and serve in a shallow bowl topped with some sauce (leave small pieces of lemon in the sauce and eat them:) and the side of rice or risi (tiny, rice-like pasta).  Add a slice or two of  rest of the lemon for punch and garnish with the rest of the sliced basil.  Leave room for a little crunchy side salad to one side or serve it in a tiny bowl.

      *My side salad is like this:  2-3 c chopped romaine, 1/2 red pepper, diced, 3 T torn fresh parsley or basil–whatever fresh herb will do a trick for you, a shake of kosher salt and a pinch of fresh ground pepper.  Squeeze a little lemon over the salad before you dress it.   Dressing:  1T fresh lemon juice, 1 small clove of garlic, crushed, 1-2T fresh basil, minced, 1/2 t Dijon-style mustard…Whisk all that together well and drizzle in, still whisking, 2T best-quality extra-virgin olive oil. 

      The dogs, of course, had to go out at just the critical point…when I sat down with hot fish.  I remember similar lives with nursing babies.  Once, after months of cold food, I spent the day arranging life so that I would have a hot piece of meat for dinner.  I bathed the baby in the morning. I fed him all day long.  I kept him up.  I had the meal ready to cook and nursed him.  Put him to bed, where he fell promptly asleep.  I proceeded to cook my little steak and, you guessed it.  Before I got the first piece in my mouth, he was screaming.  I was convinced young mothers never got to eat.  I sure appreciated the first hot meal I got when he turned, oh, 20 or so.

      Sing a new song; eat your fish in a bowl,  try it hot…………but put the dogs to bed first,
      Alyce

      Almost Veg Pasta a la Lindsey Vonn and Elizabeth’s Gwendal

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      Had to have something really fast for dinner two nights ago. Inspired by a super new book I’m reading (buy it:  LUNCH IN PARIS by Elizabeth Bard), I  decided to make a pasta dish a la Elizabeth’s husband’s non-recipe with what was in the house.  I quickly rifled through the small freezer and then through the veg bin.  Leftover fresh pasta (enough for me) was in the freezer/big smile.  There was, lo and behold, a small package of yummy, thick smoked bacon.   The veg bin was a little more confusing.  There were a few carrots (not even limp); there were even a few very straight and tall stalks of celery.  Good so far.  Onions?  In the bag under the mudroom sink.  Garlic?  Shallots?  In cappucino cups on the counter with the olive oil.  Ok, that’s a start, but we’re missing something that’s going to pull it all together.  I then remembered some baby broccoli in a bag on a shelf and, praise, praise, there were three fresh tomatoes needing to be eaten SOON.  The skins were already a little crepey.  Great for the saucepot.

      I got a small stockpot going with water for the pasta and turned on the Olympics.  Now, I’m not a huge sports fan, but I like the Olympics as well as the next girl.  Especially the winter olympics.  I skated quite a bit as a kid (really) on the long-time frozen pond behind our house and the love of the glide and the wind (and the scars-not) is still with me.  It just happened that as I made this, ok, it was lovely, pasta, Lindsey swooped down that slope with me holding my breath as I sauteed the onions and celery.  I nearly burned the garlic as she hit that one curve, but it all came together  in the end as she cried for joy over just having finished the darned run.  I would have cried, too.  Oh.  Maybe I did.  Phew.  I was so glad for Lindsey, and for me… that it was over..and that dinner was ready.  Of course, it was nice that she won that gold medal, too.  Go, Lindsey!!!  Go, Gwendal!!!

      Here’s what I did:

      Almost Veg Pasta a la Lindsey Vonn and Elizabeth’s Gwendal
           serves 2-3

      First, set your small (6q) stockpot to boiling with about 4 qts of water and a little salt.  Cook your pasta and, while it’s cooking…

      In a deep, large sauté pan or skillet, cook until about half-way done

      -2-3 strips bacon or 1/4 cup smoked ham, thinly sliced in  1T olive oil (No bacon for you? You can sub 3 -4 tablespoons total olive oil for the bacon and 1 Tablespoon oil)

      Then add

      -1 onion, finely chopped
      -2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
      -2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
      -4 stalks celery, finely chopped
      -1 bunch baby broccoli, ”   ”

      (Meantime: check your pasta.  If it’s nearly done, drain it, saving a 1/2 c pasta water for sauce.)

      Cook until softened and then add

      -3-4 medium tomatoes, coarsely chopped
      -1/4 cup mixed chopped fresh parsley and basil (or 1 t each dry oregano and basil)
      -fresh ground pepper to taste
      -kosher salt   to taste

      Let the sauce cook down for 3-5 minutes.  Dust with a little more ground pepper.   If you haven’t drained the pasta yet, do so now, and add the half-cup pasta water to the sauce.   Fork up some pasta into your bowl,  top with a big ladle of sauce and then add some

      -Parmesan cheese,  coarsely grated

      I  also like this topped with a few chopped fresh herbs. Parsley and basil are nice. 
      .
      Gardening note: Neither one of those herbs is growing in my south window right now and I have to buy them.  Currently doing quite well through the winter are thyme (three pots), sage (huge pot three years old), rosemary (two smaller pots with slow-growing plants) and almost frozen dead mint. 

      {printable recipe}
      ————–
      You won’t win the Olympics with this dish, but you’ll sure be happy, warm and full.  You’ll also have  all of your veg for the day at one meal.  The bacon didn’t hurt a bit. (Thanks, Elizabeth Bard!)

       

      Wine:  any  red.  I liked a Syrah.
      Dessert:  One square of dark chocolate (Lindt –about 50 calories per) for your health, of course
      Sing a new song; win a new medal,
      Alyce
      ———–
      NEWS FROM THE TWO-DOG KITCHEN———or , for now, A THREE DOG NIGHT…..

                                      Gabby and Tuck had the big kid from next door sleep over–Meet Moss!

      We know how to share a meal, well…maybe just a bone.

      How long do I have to live in the kitchen?

      Macaroni and Cheese, Please, or Quattro Formaggio Cavatappi

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      Of course. You’re watching what you’re eating. It’s January.
      But, there are still nights when you find you need

      comfort food comfort food comfort food comfort food comfort food comfort food
      One such night was, oh, just the other night. It was a long day… A half hour before my lesson with a long-time student, I jumped into the prep for a warm, crispy and gooey macaroni cheese. I think I had it together in 25 minutes, most of which was spent waiting for the water for the pasta to boil. Grating cheese and whipping milk with spices is not time-consuming. Watch.
      The only side was some steamed broccoli, which I nearly always serve with mac and cheese due to my ancient addiction to broccoli with cheese sauce. Here, I just eat a bite of pasta and a bite of broccoli.

      Cook’s Note: I have made an old-fashioned, white-sauced mac and cheese out of BETTY CROCKER for years. The recipe I give below is a cross between that and the more up-to-date version (no less fattening) found in THE SPLENDID TABLE’S HOW TO EAT SUPPER by Lynne Rossetto Kasper and Sally Swift. Here’s how:
      –
      MACARONI AND CHEESE OR QUATTRO FORMAGGIO CAVATAPPI

      3 c cavatappi or penne pasta
      1/2 t kosher salt and 1/4 t freshly-ground pepper, divided
      1 c milk
      1 egg
      1/4 c onion, minced
      1 clove garlic, minced very finely
      1/8 t ea onion powder, garlic powder and sweet paprika
      1/8 t red pepper flakes
      1 c grated Gouda
      1/2 ea grated Manchego and pre-grated “Mexican Mix” (Cheddar/Monterey Jack)
      1/4 c Panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
      2t extra-virgin olive oil (plus a drizzle for the boiling water for the pasta)
      Preheat oven to 350 F.
      -In a 6-8 qt stockpot, bring 3-4 qts water to a boil and add 1/4 t salt and 1/8 t pepper to the water, along with a drizzle of olive oil. Add pasta and cook 8 minutes or until al dente. Drain.
      -While pasta cooks, mix remaining ingredients (except panko and olive oil) in a large mixing cup or bowl. Remember to include rest of salt and pepper.  You could put it in the blender or food processor.
      -Place drained pasta in a 2 qt., well-greased, ovenproof casserole and pour milk/cheese mixture over the pasta.
      -Sprinkle with panko and drizzle with olive oil.
      -Bake 40-45 min until gooey and crispy on top. Let sit 10 minutes before serving.
      -Serve with steamed broccoli or other steamed vegetables made while the casserole sits.

      –
      Yeah, it’s the real deal for dinner. Also, it reheats in the microwave. Reheat each plate individually and very briefly–35-45 seconds.
      –
      An aside about the Cassoulet blog, if you read it: I had to have some minor surgery (it’s always minor to anyone not being cut) the other day and came home to a lovely cassoulet thawing on the counter. Dave heated it up gently in a make-shift double boiler and I was able to have a “Calgon, Take me Away” dinner lovingly presented. Freeze nice things, my friends. I was so very happy to come home to my great galley kitchen. So great to have a loving mate.
      Does your own kitchen ever look any better than after a visit to a doctor and needles, etc.?

      ———————————-Kitchen, Sweet Kitchen———————————–
      –

      It’s the January thaw time (I don’t think we really call it that outside the mid-west) here in Colorado and I went outside yesterday in a sweatshirt. My former student and locally famous landscape designer is out setting up watering schedules for her clients this week. It’s warm enough and it’s been long enough since we had snow that we must water. Life in the desert!
      –
      Sing a new song, enjoy (ha) learning about a new computer and camera……
      Alyce
      Over 3 million Haitians are affected by the earthquake…. If you’d like to donate or help, go to site for wfp.org (World Food Program) to learn more about United Nations/US efforts or to strength.org, the website for Share our Strength, No Kid Hungry. Share our Strength is the American organization that will sponosor our Great American Bake Sale in the spring. Both organizations have good info right now. Thanks.