Cena italiana #6

Facebook friends have put up with me rhapsodizing about ironing and the joys of starched linens. Well, one set of new linens have been inaugurated tonight. Here is the table with places for six though it was just Bill and I for dinner.


Sauteed mushrooms and onions for pizza topping.


Who said pizza has to be perfectly round? These ain't.


First round: pizza with mushrooms and onions, green salad, and a lovely 1994 Fetzer reserve cabernet.


Round two: pizza with pepperoni.


Dang, this was fun, and easy. (Though on Facebook I confessed that when I did a dry run of a pizza just for myself on Saturday I discovered that I really should have had a pizza pan. Now I have two. There were no photos of Saturday's pizza. "Before" photos would have been lovely; "after" photos could have been blackmail.

The cooking adventure continues.

--the BB

Peach harvest 2010 - round two

I picked all the peaches on the Red Haven peach tree Friday morning while the refrigerator repair man was here. Last night I finally blanched and peeled them all. Tonight I made the cobbler above for work tomorrow and a smaller one for myself (and dessert on Friday with friends).

The third peach tree, a younger Elberta peach than the one that ripened first, has about half a dozen peaches that look almost ripe so the final harvest may be all fresh eating and no baking.

It has been a gratifying year for my fruit trees.

Wopila, Ina Maka, Ate Wi.

--the BB

Peaches blanched

They still have not made their way into a pie or cobbler (or both) but they are now all peeled and sliced.

--the BB

Domesticity

I ran myself ragged cooking this weekend. Another Sunday dinner (I've been on a roll). Tonight's guests insisted on a photo of me with the peach pie. First pie I have made in about forty years. The crust is made with Crisco shortening the way my mother made it (recipe from Fanny Farmer Cook Book). The peaches were picked from my Elberta peach tree this morning.

This was one labor-intensive meal. I had to drop the peaches in boiling water, then ice water, then peel them. I had to cut off the area the birds had attacked (on about a third of them).

Well that was dessert (except I had H-D vanilla bean ice cream and peach sherbet in the freezer to serve with the pie - sort of a peaches and cream theme, but I forgot them).

For antipasto we had salame, slices of fresh mozzarella, shreds of string cheese, crackers, sesame bread sticks, pickled giardiniera, olives, and (non-Italian) salted peanuts. We started with Italian grapefruit soda over ice to stay hydrated on a summer day.

The main course was lasagne with garlic bread and salad. I assembled it all yesterday. Homemade egg noodles, of course, as playing with my pasta attachment is the source of my weekend meal inspiration.

There was a story to the noodles though. Harris' Law: "Nothing Is Ever Easy." I measured out the flour and made a well in it. Fortunately I did not try cracking the eggs into the well as I usually do. Grabbed some eggs from the fridge that I thought had a use-by date of July 2010. Hmm, probably July 2009. When I cracked them open they were half dry, having shrunk away from the shell. Tossed those.

So I got the other eggs in the fridge, the ones from hens raised by a friend at church. Made the dough and it just fell apart when I tried to run it through the rollers - not as dough usually pulls apart on the first few runs. Way too dry a dough. The were not supermarket size "large" eggs, presupposed by my recipe. Scrapped that batch of dough.

To the supermarket for fresh LARGE eggs. This time the egg and flour dough behaved as it ought. So I made the long broad noodles. Then I cooked them in boiling salted water, cooled them in ice water, dried them with a towel, and layered them in the pan with sauce and cheeses.

Harris' Law strikes again but without consequences. I thought I had bought more ricotta cheese. I am still certain I did. But I could not find it yesterday. Anyway, what I had worked.

For the sauce I sauteed a large onion and some minced garlic in olive oil. To that I added three cans each of diced tomatoes and tomato sauce (OK, here I was not using tomatoes out of my yard; had to cut myself slack at some point). I had a package of hot Italian sausage and a package of ground beef (no added hormones or antibiotics). I squeezed the sausage out of its casings and using the meat grinder attachment I reground these together, partly to blend them and mostly to help them break up when browning. I browned these and added them to the tomato sauce along with basil and ground fennel and anise seeds. I love a hint of licorice in my tomato sauces, something I learned from "Mama" Lipscomb on Christmas Eve, Paris 1967. Her people were from Naples. All of that was before the noodles were made as the sauce needed to simmer for something like four hours.

Noodles, sauce, ricotta, mozzarella, repeat. Grated parmigiana on top. Damn. The result was spectacular if I say so myself. It was a roasting pan full, so it will serve as dinner on Wednesday at Bill's house when we visit with friends from Los Angeles who are in New Mexico this week.

A nice Montepulciano DOCG to go with it all. And good friends to share it.

I am doing this for multiple reasons: I love cooking but hate doing it for myself so this allows me to cook; I enjoy the satisfaction of doing things from scratch (it feels honest and you know what's in it); this motivates me to clean my kitchen and the downstairs in general and maintain a semi-civilized atmosphere in my digs; and it allows me to do something nice for friends.

So the kitchen, dining room, living room, and entry all got vacuumed today. The kitchen was mopped. I have run the dishwasher twice and it is almost ready to run again. The stovetop was cleaned and the counters all sanitized. I practiced making pie dough (and obviously need more work at that). I harvested peaches from my tree. (Next: a plum tart.) I planned and executed an elaborate meal. Immense feeling of satisfaction tonight.

Amid all this I managed to wash, dry, and hang up a load of shirts; have dinner with friends last night; and attend church this morning.

Tired. Very tired. And dehydrated. But happy.

I hope y'all had a good weekend. Healing vibes to all who need them tonight!

--the BB

Planning Sunday dinner

There is no question that I am on a roll when it comes to my new pasta attachment for the Kitchen Aid. Two weeks ago I made noodles for myself and dined on them for days. Last Sunday dinner had thicker egg noodles (the kind I remember Grandma Iva making) with my first ever roasted chicken. I've been shopping after work yesterday and today for Sunday dinner this weekend.

Yep, pasta again. Lasagne from scratch to be made tomorrow, along with the sauce. Sunday morning before church I will bake a peach pie (I have not made pie in something like 40 years). Of course the crust will be from scratch and the peaches from my tree! The harvest begins. Sunday afternoon I will bake the lasagne.

There will be antipasto: olives, salami, giardiniera mix, grissini (breadsticks).

Then lasagne with garlic bread and salad.

Then peach pie a la mode (OK, I bought the Häagen-Dazs).

Sparkling fruit juices from Italy and what I hope will be a nice Italian wine are at the ready.

After all, why spend seven weeks studying Italian if you're not going to have some Italian food? I will probably put Puccini on the CD player too, and some Vivaldi.

Those who read this blog may get the impression that I cook a lot. Lately that has been more true but I have really cooked very little since my ex and I separated. Just can't be bothered cooking for myself. You don't want to know what dinner is most evenings but cheese and crackers is one favorite. Rarely more elaborate than that, though I occasionally microwave taquitos. This shift toward entertaining and cooking more is HUGE. And a good thing as I do love to cook. Inviting folks provides motivation (and once downstairs is uncluttered I entertain several times before I devolve into chaos again).

Yeah, there are chores to be done as well but I am stoked over the weekend. And so glad it is here at last.

Shabbat shalom, y'all!

--the BB

Nella cucina

Usually when I make home-made egg noodles from scratch they get cooked promptly. Since I began these rather late in the evening, they will not be cooked until tomorrow or the next night.

When I saw the pasta attachments for a Kitchen Aid last week I could not resist. I had been thinking of making this with my hand-cranked pasta maker but I must say, this is MUCH easier. Not much over half an hour from start to finish.

I added some sun-dried tomato paste to the beaten eggs before incorporating the flour. There is a hint of color and, I hope, will be a touch of flavor. Next time I try that I will use more.

I don't feel guilty about being lazy on the weekend but I am distressed about a couple of major items I forgot that cannot be put off. Anyway, this evening I did a touch of shopping (including the pasta rack), watered the yard, loaded and ran the dishwasher, vacuumed and mopped the kitchen, and made pasta. There was much wiping of the sweaty brow. And I began looking at some time-critical paperwork.

Tired now.

Sweet dreams, my tantalizing tuberoses.

--the BB

Practical advice for this week

You gotta love cooking advice like this. It is from Sam Sifton's Diner's Journal, The New York Times Blog on Dining Out.

Let’s start at the top. DO NOT BRINE A TURKEY THAT IS GOING TO BE FRIED. The first time I went to a turkey-fry we made that mistake, my friend Manny and I, the two of us amped on beer and adrenaline, redneck in the extreme. We put the brined turkey into the superhot peanut oil, which almost instantly converted the excess moisture the bird had been given by the brine into steam. The steam, caught inside the bird, exploded the breasts off the carcass and sent them hurtling skyward on a plume of boiling oil. It was a fairly intense couple of seconds. DO NOT BRINE A TURKEY THAT YOU ARE GOING TO FRY.

"It was a fairly intense couple of seconds."

The voice of experience carries authority.

--the BB

Sunday dinner

On the way home this afternoon I stopped at Costco. Beaucoup dollars later I emerged. Among my purchases: a flat of tree-ripened nectarines and a bunch of stew meat.

The latter went into the slow cooker on a bed of sliced onions. I poured three small tins of medium Hatch chiles on top along with a handful of sun-dried tomatoes. Freshly ground black pepper, freshly ground sea salt, some thyme, and I turned that puppy on. Much later I thickened it with arrowroot.

Later I put brown rice in the rice cooker. You see, this is cooking for lazybones.

Then I sliced up most of the nectarines and made a nectarine crsip.

And finally I sauteed the zucchini from my yard (picked last weekend and still with firm texture) in lots of butter with salt, pepper, a splash of white balsamic, and a splash of brandy.

En voici le résultat.

Beef and green chile stew with brown rice and sautéed zucchini

Nectarine crisp warm from the oven with a scoop of mango ice cream

Life is good.

--the BB

It's a cooking day - updated with photos

Hardly an event for those who cook every day, especially those who feed families on a daily basis. For someone too lazy to cook for himself, it becomes an occasion. Nothing new today. I am making mom's potato salad (described here) and will barbecue ribs (see here). I will have a platter of cantaloupe, raspberries, and blueberries. Diane is bringing appetizers and Bill is bringing dessert and, I hope, a tomato and basil tart. It is a 1987 Best of Gourmet recipe and you may find it here. We are talking another once-a-year treat. Bill suggested it and I begged him to do it. One of my favorite foods.

OK, back to it.

UPDATE: Oink. What a wonderful evening. Kathy came early with ice (I have never hooked the water up to my refrigerator) and we chatted. I played the Kiri Te Kanawa video at almost full volume for her. Then the rest of the crowd arrived. There were garden tours under the gray cloudy sky. We had grapes from my yard - small and turning to raisins on the vine but sweet. The tomato and basil tart was awesome. My BBQ was too hot so the meat was tasty but not as moist as I had hoped. Still delish, nonetheless. Dessert was a reine de Saba cake and Kathy blew out all the candles. Lots of interesting discussions and laughter. We all need the laughter. My heart is very full.

Potato salad in need of a good stir

Tomato and basil tart - zuke from my yard

The Gang of Four
James, Kathy, Diane, Bill

I love these people.

--the BB

Dry rub for barbecue

Inscribed many years ago on a flyleaf in my Fanny Farmer Cookbook are several family recipes. One is not really from my family but I am using it today.

Dr. Rich Davis invented KC Masterpiece ® Barbecue Sauce. Back when that brand was made national he shared a recipe for a dry rub. I copied it down and and we have always called it "Dr. Dick's Dry Rub." We put it on meat for barbecue (indirect heat, not grilling). I am about to put it on two racks of ribs. Here it is (translated from ounces to easier measurements):

1/2 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons black pepper
2 Tablespoons paprika
2 Tablespoons salt
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon onion powder

Mix thoroughly and apply to your trimmed (and patted dry) meat. I prefer doing it the night before but I was not organized, so gonna put it on right now.


In the last 20 minutes slather KC Masterpiece on the ribs.

This has never failed us. Finger-licking good.

Enjoy!

--the BB

KC MASTERPIECE is a registered trademark of The HV Food Products Company (as in Hidden Valley). I doubt they will object to such a shameless (and unpaid, I assure you) plug. Full disclosure: in 1995 I worked as a temp for the Clorox Corporation which owns Hidden Valley and Kingsford Charcoal (and I won't use any other brand of charcoal but that's because it's a good product).

Evolving traditions.

Mom and Dad on their wedding day (on the right)
27 November 1930

In my family Mom always made the potato salad and my sister Shirley always made the macaroni salad. We all believed (and still do) that they did it best. Mother's potato salad was very simple. Potatoes, celery, pimento, red onion, Best Foods mayonnaise (Hellman's if you are east of the Rockies), salt, pepper, vinegar. I think she might have had parsley also. She was adamant about not adding mustard or eggs in her potato salad.

So the potato salad I just made for today's festivities is basically that of my mother. I overcooked the potatoes, so it is a bit mushy. She would not approve. I used white balsamic vinegar from Modena. I think Mom would be totally cool with that. Where she used a jar of chopped pimento, drained, I chopped up a roasted red pepper. No real difference there. I used kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Mother would not have thought of those options back in the 50s but would be fine them.

The parsley I use is Armenian parsley, as we always called it - what the rest of y'all call Italian or flat-leaf parsley. It has so much more flavor and I grew up on it, being surrounded by Armenian cooks and folks who learned from Armenian cooks. I let the parsley in my back yard go to seed two years ago. I now have three plants of it in various locations but did not want to harvest most of my leaves today. What truly amazed me was that the parsley from the first year overwintered.

All in all, today's product is recognizably my mother's potato salad in flavor profile and ingredients.

Mom was born in Fairfax, Missouri, and moved to California as a little girl. She was a good midwestern cook. Pepper and salt were her main spices; this was not French cuisine but it was honest, good-tasting, and satisfying. Trying to make a dish like she made feels good.

Here's to you, Hallie!

May you all eat something wonderful this Independence Day.

--the BB

I'm afraid I shall be a tease here

And that is because though I had the camera handy and started taking photos as I prepped food, I did not pause to take photos of the finished products before we partook.

So, yesterday was a nice Armenian meal for some of my friends. Above you can see slices of eggplant salted to draw their moisture out. That was the first stage toward the moussaka. Greek style calls for a custard on the top of moussaka but all the Armenians I know just pour tomato sauce over the top and that is what I did, as my mother learned from neighbor Gladys.

I also made sou boereg, a dish of phyllo dough with a filling of Muenster cheese, eggs, and parsley. Here are the bowl scrapings of the filling.



And this is the soe boereg before it went into the oven.


Next up: dessert.

I cheated a bit on the bourma, not shaping it the way you are supposed to and in the syrup I added the zest of an entire lemon, so it was quite tangy.

Here you can see I was chopping nuts on my pastry marble.


The nuts were combined with cinnamon and sugar to make the filling for the pastry.


And here is the finished dessert: phyllo dough, walnuts, cinnamon, sugar, and a lemony syrup.


For appetizers we had regular and red pepper hummus with triangles of pita bread and strips of red pepper for dipping and a medley of olives.

The main course had the moussaka, sou boereg, bulghur pilaf flavored with fresh mint, and asparagus.

We accompanied this with Rockpile Reserve Syrah from Rosenblum Winery, compliments of my buddy Steve. (Thanks, Steve. It was lovely!)

We then headed off to the Vortex Theatre for Antigone, nicely done.

And that's what I did this weekend. (Today I went to church and plan to take it easy. Need to catch my breath. Some Russian, some laundry, lots of rest.)

--the BB

В кухне

Even from my office upstairs I can tell that my house now reeks of mole.

I am collaborating on dinner tonight. My friend Bill was in the mood for mole and inquired whether someone who makes mole might work together on a dinner party tonight. Hint, hint. Nudge, nudge.

¡Por supuesto!

So a whole bunch of ancho chiles (pictured above) have been toasted, soaked, chopped, blended, and are now simmering with tomatoes, garlic, chocolate, onions, a bit of lard, spices, and toasted and ground almonds and sesame seeds. All this will join sauteed chicken later.

I suppose it's time to transfer the shirts from the washer to the dryer now. Just an ordinary Saturday here at Desert Farne ending with a gathering of friends in Corrales.
--the BB

On the eleventh day of Christmas

Tomorrow I am having friends over for dinner. Unless I panic and pare down the menu it will be a five course formal meal. Dress and behavior will be totally informal but I enjoy doing the fancy table, good food, course after course routine. And what is the point of having my mother's china and silver if they don't get used? Mother did not believe in having things "too nice" to use. Hooray for Mom!

I still have some items to pick up tomorrow (fresh produce from an upscale store where more variety and better quality may be found). Most of the ingredients are already on hand at this point. Soon I shall take out the spice blender and put in peppercorns, juniper berries, a bay leaf, a couple allspice, thyme, marjoram, and sea salt. Whir that pup up and lo! a rub to put all over the pork loins so they may absorb it through the night. Pork roast tomorrow!

It will be a wintery meal: roast pork, roasted potatoes, Brussels sprouts; before all that a butternut squash soup; at the end fruit cake, cookies, port.

While I enjoy cooking, I absolutely loathe cooking for one. While I know that I deserve better, I probably sit at the dining table for a meal by myself about twice a year. The rest of the time I am eating while watching television, at the computer, or standing up. I know. Not good. Maybe this is why I go overboard when I have the chance to feed others. I am looking forward to it.

Sweet dreams, y'all.
--the BB