Big Mary's Kitchen

2011-12-02T17:38:00.003-05:00

Roasted Kabocha Squash Soup with Port and Apple ... and other sexy foods

As a chef I am often drawn into conversations about food. Most typically a request for tips, hints and fixes. But in our post Food Network world, cooking is a topic of conversation which nets a surprisingly diverse cast of gastronomically informed people. And so I've recently encountered a more sophisticated range of conversation. During the weeks before Thanksgiving I shared in an enthusiastic debate over what makes a superior stuffing. My emphatic opinion was that hand cut stale bread was crucial.

Occasionally during these conversations, I'm met with lapses of silence when I've waxed a little too poetic in my descriptions and directions. Actually, I don't think it's about being too poetic, but more accurately it's just me stepping out of the box and using my own language to describe flavor. Personally I don't see the problem, it all makes sense to me.

Maybe it goes back to my lack of formal culinary education, which I've always said has gifted me much more than it has ever held me back. I've discovered more by using an ingredient "inappropriately" to dynamic effect than any class in kitchen chemistry could have informed me with. And of course, NYC is "lousy" with culinary graduates, so I've never lacked for someone to tell me what temperature a creme anglaise is set at, or to show me how to de-vein a lobe of foie gras should I need the skill set.

And so, if we are having a kitchen throw down, or just sharing a meal worth discussing... you might hear me say that "It's good, but it needs a solid bottom note." Translation... It's tasty but it's all ethereal. It needs a flavor to help plant it's feet in the ground. It might be a judicious amount of a strong herb like bay, thyme or rosemary. Or maybe a dash of Worcestershire Sauce if it's a reduction or vinaigrette. Some molasses or switching out brown sugar for white...

A few weeks ago I was interviewing with a "young buck" of a chef who seemed full of desire to impress with his style that he's infused himself with in the 6 top quality restaurants he's worked in in the last 9 years.... When he asked me what kind of food I wanted to cook I said "honest food". And in answer to his quizzical look... "By that I mean, food that represents itself as what it is. A Brussels Sprout should taste like the best Brussels Sprout it can be. Heighten flavor don't change it. Ultimately it's NEVER going to get much better than homemade strawberry jam on a warm buttermilk biscuit with sweet butter. Whether we're cooking lobster, sweetbreads, heirloom tomatoes, white truffles or artisinal mac & cheese. If the flavor's not true and honest, you've missed the mark.

Which brings us to what I call sexy food. I remember developing dishes and hors d'oeuvres back in the day and sending back many an idea requesting my team to help me make it more sexy. This term, like pornography is mostly defined in the eye of the taster I suppose. But also, like the often referenced quote about pornography, I know sexy food when I taste it. Forest Honey with Gorganzola on a Whole Grain Crostini. Grilled Duck Breast with Pomegranate Walnut Chutney on Soft Polenta, Warm Oven Poached Oysters on the Half Shell with Truffle Butter Leeks, Properly Made Spaghetti Carbonara (especially when in Rome), or maybe just sweet butter with Maldon salt on a perfect slice of sourdough baguette. I think a lot of what makes a dish sexy is mouth feel. Something luxurious, typically rich and oh so smooth.

This is why any winter squash soup often fills the bill of a steaming hot dish of sexiness. At the same time, it's undeniable hominess can toss a grandmotherly blanket on it's sex appeal. And so I've found a way to throw some fishnets and high heels on this unctuous bowl. A little accessorizing never hurt any of us.

ROASTED KABOCHA SQUASH SOUP WITH PORT & APPLES
Serves 8

For the Soup:
3 - 4 pound Kabocha, Buttercup or Butternut squash
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
¼ pound Sliced Bacon – cut into 1 inch pieces (optional)
1 Tablespoon Butter, (2 Tablespoons if eliminating Bacon)
1 ½ cups Onion (chopped)
2 medium Garlic Cloves, chopped (1 generous Tablespoon)
1 teaspoon Fresh Thyme Leaves- chopped
1 teaspoon Spanish Smoked Paprika - sweet
½ teaspoon Ground Cumin
¾ teaspoon Cinnamon
½ teaspoon Ground Ginger
¼ teaspoon Black Pepper – freshly ground
¼ teaspoon Nutmeg – freshly ground
¾ cup Port Wine
1 large apple (Honeycrisp, or other sweet-tart apple), peeled, cored and cut into 1” pieces
5 cups stock - (Chicken, Vegetable or a Combination
1 cup Half & Half

Yield – 2 ½ quarts

For the Garnish:
1 ½ cups Port Wine
1 large Apple – (again a Honeycrisp, Granny Smith or other apple that's not too sweet) cut into matchstick julienne
1 Tablespoon Parsley – chopped

Soup Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with non stick cooking spray.

Cut the squash in half and remove seeds. Paint the cut flesh surface with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place squash cut side down on the aluminum foil and roast until tender when pierced with a knife. 30 – 40 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool. When cool, peel or cut away the hard rind, and reserve the cooked flesh of the squash.

In a large soup pot, warm the butter and add the bacon (if using). Sauté over medium heat until bacon begins to release fat. Add onions and garlic, and sauté until onions are translucent. Add thyme, cumin, cinnamon, ginger, black pepper and nutmeg. Stir and cook until spices are aromatic. Raise heat and add port wine. Simmer to release all the flavor from the bottom of the pan about 1 minute, then add apple, and stock. Lower heat, cover pot and simmer for about 15 minutes. Add reserved squash flesh and continue to simmer until apples are soft. Approximately 15 minutes depending on variety of apple used.
Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.

Puree the soup in batches in a blender. For the smoothest result, puree the solids with just a little of the cooking liquid first, adding more liquid as you go. Transfer the puree to a sieve set over a larger bowl. Using the back of a ladle push the soup through the strainer, discarding the solids left in the strainer. Soup may be refrigerated and chilled at this point.

When ready to serve, warm the soup over medium heat. Stir in Half & Half, adjust seasonings (especially salt) and serve very warm. Garnish each bowl with the reduced Port and Apple Salad (See Below)

Garnish Directions:
In a skillet warm the port wine until simmering. Allow to reduce in volume to approximately ¼ cup, this may take 20 minutes or longer. The reduction should be syrupy. Watch closely to avoid burning. Set aside and reserve. I recommend making the reduction ahead of time.

For the apple salad, immediately before serving, julienne the apple and combine with the chopped parsley. After placing soup in the bowl, place a small portion in the center of the dish. Drizzle port reduction into the soup, around the salad and serve immediately.

All recipes, copy and photos Copyright Big Mary's Kitchen 2011

2011-11-23T14:08:00.000-05:00

Pomegranate Walnut Chutney ... The UN-Cranberry Sauce

Cranberry Sauce seems to have a unique place on the Thanksgiving table. For some people it's iconic. It must be served directly from the can, on the "cranberry sauce plate" with molded rings from the can proudly displayed. Witness Marisa McClellan's great blog Food in Jars where she reports on her efforts to repackage her homemade cranberry sauce into a re-purposed bean can for the "right look" of her turkey condiment.

Other people change up their cranberry sauce annually. One year cranberry jelly, the next raw cranberry orange relish, maybe this year cranberry jalapeno compote! I guess their thinking is that any dish with so much tradition must have something to recommend it. If only they can find the right recipe...

Other families dutifully buy a bag of cranberries every year and efficiently cook it up with whatever recipe is on the bag. It's then dropped on the buffet in grandma's cut glass side dish and thoroughly ignored by every person in the buffet line, with the exception of the kids table where it is perfect ammunition should Cousin Bobby start any trouble.

And there's always the chance that like Big Mary, you may truly enjoy the tart, sweet and slightly bitter edge cranberries bring to a this typically over rich meal. At the same time, I will pass right on by that "jellied straight out of the can" style that was both traditional and traditionally ignored at my youthful Thanksgiving dinners.

And so I offer you all an option that might just start a new tradition for your holiday buffets. Pomegranate Walnut Chutney! If not for tomorrow's Turkey, then perhaps for your Christmas Ham. And if you have any plans for serving duck breasts over the season, you'll thank me for recommending this as a tasty accompaniment. It keeps well when refrigerated, up to a week or so. I promise it will dazzle any surprise guests served with a humble grocery rotisserie chicken and impress the hell out of the cocktail crowd accompanying a simple chevre.

Have I oversold myself? Perhaps my enthusiasm is getting the better of me. I do not recommend it on Cheerios or scrambled eggs. Though a spoonful or so tossed in a salad .... OK OK OK I'll stop.

Truth be told this is not really a chutney. It's more a relish since it is not cooked. But the flavors and how they work together remind me of a chutney, and so I'll not stand on ceremony.

Pomegranate Walnut Chutney

1 Cup Walnuts
¼ Cup Currants (or small raisins)
2 teaspoons Vinegar
1 Cup Pomegranate Seeds/Arils
4 Large Pitted Prunes, diced small
1 Tablespoon Fresh Lemon or Lime Juice
¼ Cup Pomegranate Molasses *
¼ Cup Dark Strong Honey (such as Buckwheat or Forest)
Salt to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place walnuts on a baking sheet and place in oven. Toast 6 -7 minutes until nuts are lightly toasted and aromatic. Set aside to cool and chop roughly.

In a small sauce pan, combine currants with vinegar and warm over low heat for a few minutes allowing currants to “plump” in the vinegar. Drain and cool.

Combine walnuts, currants and remaining ingredients, season with a little salt and serve.
Maybe made several days ahead and kept refrigerated.

*Pomegranate molasses is reduced syrup of pomegranate juice. It is easily available in specialty or Middle Eastern markets.

Have a wonderful holiday. Find, remember and cherish all you are thankful for. And spread the love thickly.

All recipes and photographs are Copyright 2011 Big Mary’s Kitchen

2011-11-13T22:55:00.000-05:00

Peanut Butter Cookies (and Gluten Free to boot)

Big Mary has a confession. I have not always been the most sympathetic chef to guests claiming allergies or other types of food restrictions. Though I admit to being a born cynic, there's just been too many events where I saw the Kosher clients decimating the caviar station. Had I been gifted with that proverbial nickel, I'd have a paid off my mortgage from all of the faux allergies that were really just masks for foods a client doesn't enjoy... cilantro, cumin, anchovies, grapefruit, etc...etc...etc...........

But the reality is, there's too many people with real allergies, with life altering consequences, for Big Mary to indulge in said cynicism. I can't imagine the stress from any Mom who's child could stop breathing from a brush with a walnut. And I've also known a few friends who describe an unenviable hell after consuming a perfect slice of sourdough. That got my attention. Life without baguette? Say it ain't so!

So, for the last few years, I've been on the lookout for gluten free options for our buddy and Clay Diva, Ellen. As this year's birthday arrived, her angels aligned, and tossed a recipe across my laptop for Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies. It was at saveur.com, a website that usually makes me want to head for the kitchen. I happily fell for the bait and am excited to report that somewhere between my momentarily motherly instinct and culinary research I discovered my new favorite peanut butter cookie.

I upped the spices a twitch, 'cause that's who I am. But I send major kudos to the creator of this recipe, Judy Haubert's pastry chef friend Lindsay. I love most that it's a recipe which fits our friend's gluten free requirements, without using any obscure ingredients. Arrecha! (Bravo!) as the handsome Venezuelan proclaims...
See if it doesn't beat your go-to PB Cookie!

Peanut Butter Cookies (Gluten Free)
Makes 4 - 5 dozen

Ingredients

16 oz. Jif brand creamy peanut butter*
1 cup sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
¼ teaspoon nutmeg (freshly ground)
¾ teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup (approximately) demerara sugar

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350° with racks in the upper and lower thirds. Line two rimmed baking sheets with non stick Silpat mats or parchment paper and set aside. In a medium mixing bowl cream together peanut butter, sugar and brown sugar. Beat in eggs, vanilla, baking soda, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon until thoroughly combined.

2. Place demerara sugar in a small bowl. Form peanut butter mixture into 1-inch balls (approximately a Tablespoon of cookie dough) and roll in demerara sugar, coating lightly. Place balls 2-3 inches apart on prepared baking trays and flatten with the tines of a fork in a perpendicular cross-hatch pattern, if desired.

3. Bake 10-12 minutes (rotating and turning at 6 minutes) until puffed and lightly brown. Allow to cool 10-15 minutes on trays to set before removing.

*The original recipe strongly suggested Jif brand. Not sure why. I plan to experiment. Jif does make a “natural” peanut butter with less sugar that doesn’t separate.

2011-10-11T23:03:00.002-04:00

Peach Poor Man's Pie - or cherry, or apricot ...

Should you peek in my kitchen cupboards, and I know you want to... you will always find a large can of sliced peaches. You might also find a large jar of pitted tart cherries. There's one simple explanation. Mom Magel's Po' Man's Pie. Armed with this canned fruit, a few other staples that are routinely stocked in my pantry and 75 minutes, and I am always at the ready to whip up a last minute dessert sure to impress surprise dinner guests or just satisfy a childhood sweet tooth craving. I also enjoy remembering Ma when I make it.

This recipe is one of the few from Mom Magel that I proudly brag on, and make with amazing repetition and consistency. It's just that good, and if possible, even easier to make than it is delicious. Nah, who am I kidding? It's more delicious! But it is crazy easy. One of the few recipes I have in my head at the ready to mix together. It might also have been memorized because of the many times I've written it out for someone after serving it.

When I Googled Poor Man's Pie I learned the more traditional recipe is even humbler than Mom Magel's. Most recipes are merely a combo of equal parts sugar (brown & white mixed) and flour with a pinch of salt, placed in the bottom of an unbaked pie shell. Drizzle this with a can of evaporated milk, don't stir, add a few bits of butter, and bake it off in the oven. One recipe even substituted water for the evaporated milk, creating what might be called Dirt Poor Man's Pie.These recipes seems to date from the Great Depression. Mom Magel's dates from a bridge club luncheon in the 1960's.

Her Po' Man's Pie lies somewhere between a cobbler and a clafoutis. Not as dense with fruit as a crisp, but once you've tried the buttery cake and crisp chewy edges it bakes into, you wouldn't want any additional peach competing for your attention. My research did pull up some fruited versions similar to this one. Interestingly they often have you add the canned fruit WITH the syrup. I don't honestly know if her version originally had the syrup used as well, and hopefully I have a little more time here on earth before I get the chance to ask Ma, but it seems to me that it would come out achingly sweet. Besides, this recipe is so NOT BROKE, that I'd be tempted to slap anyone trying to fix it.

I offer you here a Peach and Berry version that is my personal gilding of the lily. Mom almost always used only peaches. Her recipe calls for a large can of peaches, but I have a sneaking suspicion that the size of a large can of peaches has shrunk in the 40 some years since she first made the recipe. With just 29 oz of peaches, the recipe seems to me just a half step from perfection. That's why I started to add the berries, that I always seemed to have a bit of in my freezer (add them to the pie directly from the freezer. You could of course just add more peaches. For the record, this recipe also works perfectly with fresh or frozen peaches substituted for canned. Just toss them lightly with sugar before adding to the dish. My personal favorite version of Poor Man's Pie is made with fresh or frozen red tart cherries (sprinkle these heavily with sugar). Alas, these are something almost never seen here in Brooklyn. But the Polish and Russian markets DO have jarred tart cherries that I have happily deployed to the baking dish.

Peach Poor Man's Pie

4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup All Purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract (or almond extract)
1 29oz can sliced peaches in syrup - drained
1/2 pint blackberries, red raspberries or blueberries

Vanilla Ice Cream (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cut butter into 4 pieces and place in a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Preferably oven proof glass, ceramic or CorningWare. Place butter in the baking dish and put dish in the oven as it preheats. Remove baking dish when the butter is melted.
Meanwhile combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a medium mixing bowl Whisk to combine. Add milk and vanilla extract. Stir until a smooth batter is formed. Drizzle batter loosely over the melted butter in the baking dish. Drop peaches over the batter, distributing evenly. Scatter the berries evenly over the pan.
Bake for 50 - 60 minutes. The "pie" should be evenly brown and slightly darker around the edges.
Allow to cool slightly and serve warm with ice cream.
I hope you enjoy this one soon! There may not be another recipe closer to my heart. Treat some lucky dinner guests to this piece of heaven this weekend. And if no one asks for the recipe... ?
Get some better friends!

2011-09-24T21:50:00.012-04:00

Big Mary's Granola

I've never been much of a cereal person. Even as a kid. In fact I was a little bit infamous for talking my Mom into purchasing whatever cereal had the most tempting prize hidden deep among the flakes, crisps or crunchies... promising that for sure this time I'd eat the cereal...and then never touching the box again. It wasn't that I meant to be wasteful. I'd been graphically informed about the starving children in Africa, India and Bangladesh, and would have happily sent each and every box off to them, sans mystery secret code ring of course. It was just that come breakfast time I could always think of so many other things I'd rather consume. And I was never such a big fan of milk. As I'm writing this I realize the greater issue may have been that I was spoiled and beloved by the lovely woman known as Mom, and was never sat down in front of a big bowl of Sugar Pops and however forcefully made to be true to my word.

And in later life, I've learned I'm also not so much of an oatmeal person. Inspired by a growing legion of faithful oatmeal breakfasters in my culinary circle, and their nutritionally superior pride in product... I picked up some steel cut, Irish, whole grain, slow cooking, multivitamin laden, organic, boutique market driven Oatmeal. And it was delicious. Especially delicious when gilded with sweet butter, dried fruit, maple syrup and maybe a drizzle of half and half (to cut the richness as my Mom might have said). I learned that I had missed the point. And honestly, with just a spoonful of honey and some berries... that bowl of oatmeal just wasn't doing it for me. So I returned to my egg beaters and English Muffin and was left with the better part of a box of morally superior oatmeal on my shelf.

Just days before I was ready to succumb to a rainy day oatmeal raisin cookie intensive, I happened upon a recipe for homemade granola. And who knew? I do like granola, especially when it's my version. Or maybe I mean any good indulgent version. I won't make any claims that this recipe is low fat, healthy, diet friendly or virtuous in any way, though it may flirt with some of those attributes. I will claim that its delicious and allude to potentially addictive. The handsome Venezuelan and I really enjoy this over Greek Yogurt with a honey drizzle!

I've written this recipe so that you can tailor it to your own tastes and pantry. For the "wet sugar" you may use agave nectar (my 1st choice), honey, maple syrup or corn syrup (the latter not my recommendation, but its up to you). For the nuts, seeds and dried fruit, use what you love or what you have on hand. For the version in the photos I used cashews, sliced almonds, sunflower seeds, dried cranberries and golden raisins. I can also recommend using pecans, walnuts, peanuts, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, dried apricots (chopped), dried cherries, dried apples, and currants. You could also switch out vanilla extract for maple flavoring or almond extract if you wish. Replace the cinnamon with pumpkin pie spice mix or garam masala... you get the idea. The important ratios to keep constant are the amount of oats, sugars, oil and fruit/nuts. I've also noticed that if you are making granola on a humid or rainy day, you may want to turn off the oven and let the finished granola rest inside with the oven door propped open for an additional 5 minutes or so.

Big Mary's Granola

2 Cups Oats - Not instant or quick cooking
1 Tablespoon Water
1 – 1 ½ teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon Salt
2 – 4 Tablespoons Granulated Sugar
3 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
¼ Cup Wet Sugar - such as agave nectar, honey, maple syrup, etc.
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 ½ Cups combined raw nuts, dried fruit, seeds - reserve nuts & seeds separate from dried fruit

Preheat oven to 325*.
Toss together oats, water, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl.
Whisk together sugar, oil, wet sugar & vanilla in a separate bowl. Toss together with the oat mixture, leaving a Tablespoon or two for the nuts and seeds.
Scatter oat mixture loosely over a parchment lined (or aluminum foil sprayed with non-stick spray) approximately 12 x 17 baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes.

Toss raw nuts and seeds with reserved sugar mix and add to sheet pan, toss and bake for an additional 12 - 13 minutes. Spin pan back to front when returning to oven.

Remove from oven and add dried fruit. Cool and store in air tight container.

Note - If you want to double this recipe, be sure to use two pans. It's important to not crowd the granola on the baking sheet. Also, if doubling the recipe. Make sure to rotate pans when you add the nuts mixture.

Text and Recipe by Edward Magel

Photos by Edward Magel & Yder Leon Laya
Copyright 2011 © Big Mary's Kitchen

2011-09-13T18:43:00.000-04:00

Crispy Eggplant Parmesan-Caprese Salad

I have garden envy. It's one of those conditions one learns to live with; sublimated by early Saturday strolls through a Farmer's Market. Or transferred in some form of shopper's pride to an overflowing grocery cart of exotic produce from faraway lands. It overwhelms me at least twice a year. February and March are often the toughest times as my mailbox begins to plump with seed catalogues that laugh right out loud at my shade infested Pocono garden. They'll be no tomatoes here mon frere. No worries of a zucchini glut in this August plot. Hosta pesto? Just not an option.

Late summer, as you might surmise, is the other rough patch for my frustratingly dirt free green thumb. My soul just knows it's way past time to be putting up bread & butter pickles, canning tomato sauce for winter feasts, or jamming, conserving and "chutneying" all sorts of stone fruits and summer berries. Though it's true, I never let the season go by without filling up a few shelves with canned treasures. But it's without the connection that the gardener gets from weeks of weeding, watering, fertilizing, coaxing, supporting and cajoling from sprout to flower to fruit. Totally lacking the parental pride of color, girth and scent. Ah well, Big Mary must remain content with the flourish of magnificent herbs that continue to scent my windowsill garden. That and the few prodigious basil plants that I've managed to situate in the 4 sunny microclimates of my dark and moody property.

More than any other home grown treat, freshly picked ripe tomatoes are what I find myself envying the loudest. Never mind that I was raised on tinned green beans, frozen broccoli, and Ragu from a jar. Come June my otherwise food neutral Dad, would occasionally arrive from work with one of his summer farm stand trinity, Strawberries, Fresh Corn, or Fragrant Muskmelon (the Midwest's version of Cantaloupe). However tomatoes, though bountiful on the Ohio country road stands, were always snapped fresh from one of his heavy bearing plants by the side of the house. Dad grew two things with pride, Roses and Tomatoes. That was it. Back then they were best enjoyed in thick cold slabs with a sprinkle of salt or sandwiched between crisp bacon, lettuce and Miracle Whip. And I grew up spoiled by the opportunity to be sick and tired of sweet, red tomatoes by the end of every September until I left for college.

So that's why I grumble just a touch as I hand over $2 per tomato at the farmer's market. But my how the tomato has exploded since those days deciding between Early Girl, Big Boy or Beefsteak! Back in the day, a yellow tomato was about as exotic as it got. This summer, even the smallest of markets were plump with Brandywines, Mr. Stripey's, Mortgage Lifters, Cherokee Blacks and multi hued Plum, Cherry and Currant tomatoes too. So Big Mary may be a bit conflicted, but certainly not deprived by any tomato bounty.

This recipe came about after a typical over purchase at the farmer's market, when everything just looked to good to pass by. It actually combines two of my summer standards, Caprese Salad and Crisp Oven Fried Eggplant. Like the old commercial about Peanut Butter and Chocolate, it was bound to happen.

I'm not giving you a totally written out recipe for this because it's really just about putting it together. I'll just give you the details for cooking the eggplant and reducing the balsamic vinegar. You can serve this to as many or as few friends and family as you wish. It can be a great veg lunch or light dinner. It could also be reconfigured as a buffet platter.

Crispy Egglant Parmesan-Caprese Salad

Eggplant - Preferably a thinner one, not bulbous.
Panko Bread Crumbs.

Grated Parmesan Cheese.

Whole Eggs, Egg Beaters or other Pasturized Egg White Product.

Olive Oil.

Aerosol Oil Spray (Pam, etc).

Fresh Tomatoes - sliced thin.

Fresh Mozzarella - sliced thin.

Basil Leaves - cut in chiffonade.

Marjoram Leaves - chopped or left whole if small.

Reduced Balsamic Vinegar.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Sea Salt & Freshly ground Pepper.

To Reduce Balsamic Vinegar - This is the time to use a bargain brand from the large package store. Pour balsamic vinegar in a small saute pan. Over medium high heat, bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer until reduced by about 75%. This will probably take from 12 - 20 minutes. Remember the reduced vinegar will be slightly thicker when room temperature. Remove from heat and cool. Place in an air tight container or bottle and keep refrigerated. Will keep for months and months.

To Make Crispy Eggplant - Preheat oven to 425*. Place panko crumbs in a sealed plastic bag and using a mallet or bottom of a pan, crush them slightly. Transfer to a shallow dish and stir in 25% parmesan cheese. Meaning if you have 1 cup of crumbs add 1/4 cup parmesan cheese. Whisk eggs (or egg product) with a splash of water, salt & pepper, and put in another shallow bowl. Peel or partially "stripe" peel eggplant if you wish. Slice the eggplant into 1/2" thick discs. Place a sheet of aluminum foil on a baking sheet. Brush the foil lightly with olive oil.

Dip an eggplant slice in the egg mixture and then transfer to the panko crumbs. Flip and press well, getting as much crumb mixture as possible to stick to the eggplant. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet and repeat with the remaining eggplant. Spray tops of breaded eggplant with oil spray. Place baking sheet in preheated oven and cook for 14-18 minutes, until dark golden brown. It's a good idea to rotate the pan about 10 minutes into the cooking.

To assemble the dish - Place 1 or 2 crispy eggplant slices in center of the plate, (still warm from the oven is heavenly). Season with Salt and Pepper and drizzle lightly with reduced Balsamic. Add sliced tomatoes and mozzarella, alternating and seasoning each layer with salt. Finish with a small disc of eggplant. Drizzle entire salad with some Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Balsamic reduction. Finish with herbs.

Obviously you can enjoy this eggplant on it's own. Serve it with fresh lemon wedges, maybe a crumble of feta cheese. And as for Caprese Salad, let's face it. We've only got a few more weeks to enjoy the real thing. Be it Heirloom, Beefsteak or Plum ... enjoy this summer's bounty till it's gone.

All copy by Edward Magel

Photos by Yder Leon Laya

2011-08-28T17:24:00.001-04:00

Vegetarian Chile Rellenos

I do believe that I am of a generation where almost all of my cohorts in Life have at one time or another felt the desire, need or duty to try vegetarianism. For Big Mary it was the summer of 1974, when through some sort of cosmic hiccough I was awarded a 1 semester scholarship in modern dance. Now understand, I was no stranger to a show tune by this time, but I had neither the physique nor the inclination to persue such close contact with leotard & tights ... not to mention a dance belt.

Nevertheless the gods of chance decided it would be too much fun to resist, and so it was that my path crossed that of Margit Heskitt, a lunatic and questionably talented choreographer who was down to her last 24 hours to fill a spot in Bowling Green State University's Summer Arts Festival. A quick handwritten note to the registrar and before I knew it, I was lunging and stag leaping with real "honest to god" artistes. Or so it seemed to this freshly hatched high school graduate.

Desperate to fit in on some level, I found the holy trinity of coffee, cigarettes and vegetarianism was going to be a much more successful bonding experience, than graceful jetes or a perfect 5th position. And so it was that I learned to drink my coffee black, switch to low tar cigarettes and substitute veggie burgers for beef. I will spare the reader any further details of that less than graceful summer. My pas de deux with Modern Dance is best remembered with the haze of these 30+ years. These days I am happily free of nicotine and unreliant on caffeine, but I do still enjoy meat free cuisine on a regular basis.

Goddess knows there are plenty of reasons for us all to consider vegetarian options when it comes to planning a weekly meal plan. There's cholesterol, there's methane gas, there's the horrors of the industrial farming of animals, there's the inefficiency of grain to flesh protein ration, it's a karmic and social dilemma. For Big Mary, the most persuasive point is that sometimes I just get so weary of chicken, beef or pork. Seafood always tempts, until I see the price tag. And there's only so much disguising one can do with tilapia or swai.......

So lately, I've been having a lot of fun with grains, tofu, seeds and nuts; and most all of the experiments have been succinctly praised and enjoyed by the Handsome Venezuelan and I. Here follows one such recipe.

Vegetarian Chiles Rellenos

½ cup brown rice, raw

4 large Poblano peppers

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

1 medium onion, 1/4 inch dice (1 cup)

2 large garlic cloves, minced

¾ cup walnuts, toasted and chopped *

8 oz extra firm tofu, small dice

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 Tablespoon canned chipotle chiles en adobo, finely chopped

¾ teaspoon salt

6 oz mixed vegetable juice (like V-8)

4 oz cheddar cheese, shredded

2 oz cheddar cheese, shredded

1/3 cup Mexican crema** (or substitute sour cream)

Bring about a quart of lightly salted water to a boil. Add brown rice, lower heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Drain rice and return it to the pan, cover, and set aside to cool.

Preheat oven to 475*. Lightly rub poblanos with vegetable oil. Place on foil lined baking sheet and roast until skins begin to darken and blister. Approximately 10 minutes. Remove from oven and gather foil to completely enclose poblanos. Set aside to cool. When cool, carefully remove as much skin as possible from poblanos. Make a lengthwise cut on each poblano starting at stem end. Remove all seeds, while keeping the pepper as intact as possible. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a medium sauté pan. Add onion and garlic. Cook until soft and add cumin, chipotle and salt. Add V8 juice and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat.

Preheat oven to 375*. Combine rice, walnuts, onion mix, tofu and 4 oz cheddar cheese. Gently fill the 4 poblano peppers. Place peppers into a lightly oiled baking dish that holds them fairly tight. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with remaining 2 oz shredded cheddar. Return to oven for an additional 7 - 10 minutes.

Serve with Avocado Tomatillo Salsa and drizzle with Mexican crema.* to toast walnut, place nut meats on a baking sheet in an oven preheated to 375 degrees. Toast for 5-7 minutes, until nuts just begin to darken and are aromatic. Set aside to cool.

** Mexican crema is often available in the dairy secion with Latin American cheeses

Tomatillo Avocado Salsa

1 pound Tomatillos, husked

3 medium garlic cloves

1 medium jalapeno

1 med/large onion (12-14 oz), peeled and quartered

1 teaspoon sea salt

½ large Haas Avocado, ripe

¼ cup cilantro leaves and tender stems, packed

Put all tomatillos, garlic, jalapeno and onion in a medium pan. Add water to cover, and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer until tomatillos change color to a duller green. Remove from heat, drain, seperate jalapeno and transfer to a blender container. Cut stem from jalapeno and add to blender. Add salt and pulse until mixture is a rough puree. Chill in blender container for 30 minutes.

Add half avocado and cilantro and pulse until smooth. Serve room temperature.

You should know that this Tomatillo Sauce is crazy delicious, not only on these peppers, but chicken, pork, hell even Tilapia!

Text and recipe - Edward Magel
Photos - Yder Leon Laya

2011-08-18T12:50:00.001-04:00

Spicy Chocolate Relief from an Italian Heat Wave

Chipotle Spiced Brownies

One of the techniques I've recently been employing to buy some relief from the summer heat of 2011 is to time travel back to our Italian Grand Tour of 2006. Remembered best by the Italians as the summer they won the World Cup in soccer. Remembered by all tourists as the most diabolical summer heat torture since the martyred Saint Lawrence requested to be turned over on the grate so he could be cooked on the other side. Ooohhhh Big Mary will pay for that one...

But it was crazy hot in Italy that July. We arrived in Rome, greeted by the Handsome Venezuelan's expat niece, already apologizing for the heat. Hmmm not the exact welcome we were hoping for. By the time we had arrived at the Hotel Santa Presede and rejected two rooms for the lack of functioning air conditioning, we began to understand that it was more a matter of cultural translation than engineering. Clearly air conditioning to Italians was a relative term not so clearly experienced by pampered Americans like ourselves. We experienced a similar discordance trying to locate some ice cubes for "en suite" cocktails later that night, when handed a tiny tray of pellet sized cubes more typical of a summer hail storm in my neck of the woods.

But what the hell.... We were on vacation, in the heart of Rome, so we just leaned out the windows like all the other nonnas, watched the pigeons drift over the 15th century church across the street and sipped delicious cheap red wine until sleep became an option.

Italy made it into the World Cup finals just in time for us to head to Florence. There we found the same lack luster air conditioning as well as a few degrees tick up to 98* Fahrenheit... BUT we were somehow booked into the hotel's handicapped suite. Complete with a marble tiled bathroom as large as our bedroom, completely open for wheelchair accessibility. It took the Handsome V'man less than 5 minutes to block the door's threshold with towels and create his own marble lined wading pool to cool his fevered brow and more....

We were moved to another room the following day. There was no explanation, but since the new room was on the top floor terraced with a Duomo view... I asked no questions. It was still hot as one of the lower rings described by Dante, but with that view.... you weren't going to catch me arguing with my fate.

And it proved the "punto perfetto" to watch a long evening of celebration as the city celebrated their team winning the World Cup.

But that energy just added fuel to the fire apparently, as we melted off the train in Bologna and faced an undetermined hike from the termini to our hotel. Luckily the early hour and new surroundings distracted us as we trudged the many blocks to our destination. Happily arrived, we registered and were handed a map to where our actual lodgings were. Really? Another 6 blocks? It's kind of amazing what vacation energy can help you accomplish...

20 minutes later we arrived, sheltered most of the way by the gorgeous and oh so smartly engineered porticos of Bologna which harness both shade and breezes to make Life seem like not an altogether ill-conceived notion after all. And that brings us dear readers to Gelato Cioccolato Azteca and the inspiration for this blog post.

To the right side of the gates that welcomed us to our brief residence in Bologna was a gelato stand that proved to be renowned among the cutting edge gourmands in a very "gourmand-town". It took less than a sidelong glance from me to confirm gelato was just what was needed to comfort these two about to be "Ugly Americans". We are both about 99% sure it was called Gelato Stefino, but at that moment in time we were both 100% sure that Cioccolato Azteca was what we wanted. Sitting back on the bench under the portico, sweat dripping from several "orrifi", we started giggling from travel fever as we dug greedily into the gelato we clutched in our hands. I think it was the Handsome Venezuelan that said it first... "It's so spicy it hurts, but I can't stop myself!" And that's the memory I hope to honor here.

Fair warning... these brownies don't come close to the "It's so spicy it hurts..." moment. But they do deliver a great punch not only of heat but rounded spice. If you experience anywhere near the reception they got at a recent backyard smoked food fest... you'll be doing good.

Side Note: The air conditioning in Bologna, could have powered a meat locker! That didn't phase our enjoyment of Cioccolato Azteca! If jaded memory serves, we were there 4 times in 2 days!

When I started to head into the kitchen to develop my idea for Spicy Chipotle Brownies, I googled the idea to look for a base recipe to fiddle with. The tiniest amount of research delivered a recipe on one of my favortie blogs (The Smitten Kitchen.com) that was everything I had in mind and more. And so I pass on her delicious recipe, based on one from Baked, a recipe here in Brooklyn. I have made only the slightest of changes, never being content to leave well enough alone. In her blog Chef Deb mentions that a spice free version can be made by eliminating the chipotle, cinnamon or cardamom.

Chipotle Spiced Brownies

Yield: 24 - 48 brownies Depending on size

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

3 Tablespoons dark unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 teaspoons chipotle powder

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon cardamom

11 ounces dark chocolate (60 to 72% cacao), coarsely chopped

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 teaspoon instant espresso powder

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

5 large eggs, at room temperature

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees farenheight. Butter the sides and bottom of a 9 x 13 glass or light-colored metal baking pan.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, salt, cocoa powder and chipotle, cinnamon and cardamom together.

Put the chocolate, butter, and instant espresso powder in the top of a double boiler ( or in a 3 -4 qt heat proof or metal bowl) and set it over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring occasionally,

Heat until the chocolate and butter are completely melted and smooth. Turn

off the heat, but keep the bowl over the water and add the white and brown sugars.

Whisk until completely combined, then remove the bowl from the pan. The

mixture should be room temperature.

Add 3 eggs to the chocolate mixture, one at a time and whisk until combined. Add the remaining 2 eggs and whisk until combined. Add the vanilla and stir until combined. Do not overbeat the batter.

Sprinkle 1/3 of the flour mixture over the chocolate mixture. Using a spatula, fold the flour mixture into the chocolate until just a bit of the flour mixture is visible. Repeat twice until all the flour is incorporated.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake in the center of the oven for 35 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies

comes out with a few moist crumbs sticking to it. Let the brownies cool completely, then cut them into squares and serve.

I find they cut better after being refrigerated, but definitely let them come back to room temperature to serve

Store tightly covered with plastic wrap. These brownies also freeze well.

Copy by Edward Magel
Photoes by Edward Magel & Yder Laya

2011-08-03T13:18:00.027-04:00

Cool, Cool Cucumbers

Cucumber Basil Limeade & Chilled Indian Spiced Cucumber Soup

Oh lordy, but this heat makes Big Mary cranky! I understand how it must destroy your image of the nuturing, loving, considerate and pleasant, big bear of a love bug that I almost always am, but lately there's just not enough talcum, air conditioning or sno-cones to keep my mind and mood from chaffing.

Work's been slow, but I think that may be the good news. It only takes a few random freelance shifts in an un-air conditioned kitchen with a raging 12 foot gas grill to make you consider permanently taking up residence in the walk in freezer. And I do mean permanent. Talk about your quiescently frozen treat! (Side note here: Ever wondered about that term on the Popsicle box? Turns out it just means frozen at rest. Not frozen while being churned - as in ice cream. Frozen while at rest - as in my fat butt while resting in the walk in freezer.) But alas, a Creamsicle I was not meant to be, so here I sweat with the rest of you, looking for a little relief.

Perhaps this is why Mother Nature steps up her game in such a timely manner come July and August. A perfectly red ripe strawberry does pull my focus from the rising thermometer ... And I do know the hotter the summer, the sweeter the tomatoes about to arrive. As the Farmer's Market begins to swell with stone fruits, tender greens and fragrant herbs, I seem able to relax by surrendering to the coolingperfume of a local canteloupe. Nothing cuts through the heat like an ice cold wedge of watermelon or muskmelon? It's such an intense sweet wetness. No wonder melons have taken on a metaphoric sexiness.

Yet it's cucumbers than have thrown down the challenge of "Who's the coolest?" The answer it turns out, doesn't grow far from the vine. As I started working on this entry I discovered that a cucumber really is a melon, and with a little research learned it shares the same genus as a muskmelon. Like the tomato, the cucumber is really a fruit, not a vegetable.

And this "vegeruit" or "fruigetable" takes a chill like nobody's business. While I know there are recipes out there for warm cucumber side dishes, forget about those for now and get as cool as that cucumber. I'm offering two options for a cucumber chill down. The first is a crazy cool refresco - Cucumber Basil LimeAde. This refresher has also been known to curry the favor of some icy vodka. Then I like to call her "Down the Garden Path".

Cucumber Basil Limeade
2/3 cup water
2/3 cup granulated sugar
Zest of 2 limes – taken with vegetable peeler
1 small Bunch of Basil, at least 20Basil leaves, well washed
1 large Cucumber, peeled, seeded and rough chopped
1 cup water
3/4 Cup Fresh Lime Juice
24 ounces Plain Seltzer, chilled
Ice
Basil leaves, Lime slices & Cucumber slices for garnish
Combine water, sugar and lime zest. Bring to a boil and simmer 3 minutes. Add Basil, return to a boil then remove from heat and let cool.
Puree cucumber with the water in a blender. Strain into a pitcher. Add lime juice.
Strain the sugar syrup, discard the basil and zest, and add the sugar syrup to the pitcher. Stir well, add seltzer, ice and garnish (if using)
Serve immediately

The second recipe is a riff on a raita, that classic Indian curry cooler -

Chilled Indian Spiced Cucumber Soup
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 cup yellow or white onion, roughly chopped
1 medium fresh garlic clove, chopped
1 teaspoon Garam Masala*
1 cup low sodium chicken stock or vegetable stock
2 large cucumbers, peeled, seeded & diced (about 3 cups)
1/2 medium jalapeño, stemmed, seeded & chopped (or to taste)
2 cups buttermilk
¼ cup fresh mint leaves, packed
¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves, packed
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
Warm olive oil in a medium skillet. Add onion and garlic. Sauté until soft and transparent, 3-5 minutes. Add garam masala, stir, cook 3 minutes, and remove from heat. Transfer into a small bowl and chill.
Prepare remaining ingredients. Note: Jalapeños vary drastically in terms of spiciness of jalapeño for this reason, reserve the second half of jalapeño in case you wish to increase the spiciness.
Place all ingredients in a blender. On a low speed, blend all ingredients. Increase speed to blend the soup into a smooth puree. Serve well chilled.

* Garam Masala is an Indian spice mixture that varies from household to household, but typically contains : black & white peppercorns, cloves, mace, cumin, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, star anise & coriander seeds. A great version is available from kalustyans.com

And why is it that cucumbers come off as such cool characters.

Copyright Big Mary's Kitchen
Photos by Yder Leon Laya

2011-06-29T16:31:00.016-04:00

More Culture... More Yogurt

Well wouldn't you know? The moment I'm poised to begin my sabbatical from regular employment and take up the Museum Saturation, Gallery Crawl and Summer free-for-all of cultural opportunities - My hidden chef for hire becomes as popular as frozen daiquiris in Hell. (Hemingway's line, not mine, but I've always wanted to borrow it.) And like said daiquiri, time was essential in taking advantage of being in the hot seat.

Just as I managed to juggle last minute freelance bookings (Really? You JUST decided to get married on the 4th of July?), with my desire to either hide out in the Poconos for a week or three or delve into a cultural odyssey, my in-box popped up with 2 responses to my personal chef ad on Craigslist. Well yeah, I did place the ad, but figured it was more a gesture than a possibility. But no, I'm not interested in living above your East Hampton's garage and cooking for you and you friends Wednesday's thru Sunday's till Labor Day. And now the cell phone's ringing with my most recent boss's number displayed and he's asking if I'm in town or in the country.... because he's got some ... (cue the back lit halo effect) recipe development work for me.

It's short notice... I don't care ... Fage yogurt .... Love their product .... We just made up the recipe titles in 3 minutes ... Sounds great .... Not sure they can work ... They'll work ... It only pays .... I'll take it! ... We need it by noon tomorrow.... WTF? I mean, No problem!
See, I really love recipe development. It makes me happy. And these gigs are hard to come by. So I didn't care, sabbatical be damned. I'm off to the grocery store. And feeling damn special about it too.

So the task ahead was to develop, test and write up 8 recipes as quickly as I could put knife to product, food to fork and ink to paper. Yogurt, Fruit and Nut Parfait - easy enough. Yogurt Dijonaisse Potato Salad - no worries. Lemon Yogurt Coleslaw - where's the problem? Yogurt Panna Cotta with Rhubarb Strawberry Compote - Done and done. Yogurt Mac & Cheese - hmm OK, will yogurt be stable when heated? Yogurt Fried Chicken - OK... do I confess now I've never actually fried chicken... Yogurt Dill Biscuits - that's more like it. Yogurt Hollandaisse - screeching to a halt... Really? What were they thinking? But no worries, it'll happen.

And so it does. One by one, happily substituting yogurt for sour cream, or milk, or buttermilk; And tossing in more Fage in lieu of said creaminess. That said....In spite of my satisfaction I'm not ready to share all recipes I developed. Several of which are already being berated in hindsight into a position of submission. I'm guessing I'd significantly bump up the seasoning in the fried chicken marinade and coating as an example. Mind you they all work, and are seriously tasty, but the 14 hour deadline did force some truncating I'd prefer to avoid.

But here's the fun part... It was the Yogurt Hollandaisse that was the eye opener for yours truly. While the classic Hollandaisse has no milk products (save the obvious butter) the addition of the yogurt stabilized the sauce and added to it's rich mouth feel. Who'd a thunk?

And so my Greek version of the ever present NYC Brunch option is what I'm sharing today. Even the Handsome Venezuelan (who prefers his eggs "crispy"- it still gives me shivers 12 years into...) proclaimed this dish a total winner.

FAGE YOGURT DILL BISCUITS
Makes 12 2” biscuits

1 ¾ cups All-Purpose flour
1 teaspoon Sugar
1 ½ teaspoons Baking powder
½ teaspoon Baking soda
½ teaspoon Salt
4 ounces Unsalted butter, cut into small dice
1 cup Fage 0% Yogurt
¼ cup Fresh dill, finely chopped

Combine 1st six ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment. Add diced COLD butter, and mix into the dry ingredients, using slow to medium speed until the butter is worked down into small pea sized bits. Stop mixer. Add yogurt and dill. Slowly mix together until just combined.

Turn out onto a floured board and mix by hand until last floury bits are combined. Roll out dough to about ½” thickness. Using a 2” cutter, cut out biscuits and place on parchment paper lined baking sheet.
Place baking sheet in freezer.

Preheat oven to 400*. When oven is ready, remove biscuits from oven and brush tops lightly with heavy cream.

Bake for 16 – 18 minutes, rotating baking sheet after 10 minutes.

FAGE YOGURT BLENDER HOLLANDAISE

3 large egg yolks
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon dry mustard powder
¼ teaspoon Siracha pepper sauce
4 ounces butter, warm & melted
3 Tablespoons Fage yogurt

Place all ingredients (except the melted butter) in the bowl of the blender. Mix briefly to combine well.
With machine running on low, gradually add the warm melted butter in a slow stream through the center opening of the lid.
Transfer mixture into a double boiler over warm water (no flame). Whisk in yogurt. Serve warm, not hot.

FAGE YOGURT GREEK EGGS BENEDICT
Serves 4

8 Fage Yogurt Dill Biscuits

8 medium Canadian bacon slices

10 ounces Fresh spinach leaves, washed and dried
1 tablespoon Olive Oil

1 recipe Fage Yogurt Hollandaise

8 large Eggs
1 Tablespoon White Vinegar

1/3 cup Feta cheese, crumbled

Place 2 biscuits on each plate.
Put salted water in a large skillet to the depth of about 2 inches. Add vinegar. And bring to a simmer.
Gently sauté Canadian bacon in a dry sauté pan and keep warm.
Warm a medium sauté pan with olive oil. Add Spinach and sauté until wilted. Season with salt & pepper and keep warm.
When water with vinegar is just barely simmering, crack an egg into a small dish, then gently slide egg into water. Repeat with remaining 7 eggs. Cook each egg 3 – 4minutes.
While eggs are poaching, top each biscuit with 1 slice of Canadian bacon and sautéed spinach.
With a slotted spoon, top the spinach with one poached egg.
Spoon Hollandaise Sauce over each egg and garnish with crumbled feta.
Serve immediately.

Big Mary's Kitchen 2011
photos by Yder Laya

2009-02-09T21:20:00.005-05:00

Sweet and Spicy Nuts

I guess it must have been the recent Super Bowl and it's avalanche of party food suggestions that got me thinking. Seems there was no shortage of wings, with a world's tour of spices, sauces and crispy coatings. Our local supermarket even bumped aside half of the salad bar to make way for WingStavaganza. Pre-seasoned wings and delectable dips, microwave ready in five (count 'em 5) finger licking flavors. Chex Mix seemed to revive itself from holiday ashes, some with an Asian rice cracker twist, others sugared up with M&M's and chocolate covered raisins. Several chili cook-offs were rumored to have been thrown down. Why, even a football shaped cheese ball was passed across my inbox. I missed all of it.

Those of you among Big Mary's oh-so-intimate circle of friends, know of my emotional allergy to group gatherings (aka parties). Combine that with a determined lack of enthusiasm for football, and it's easy to see the natural progression to my Buffalo Wing deprivation. I come to my anti-social orientation genetically if not honestly as my father was determinedly a family act. Like a hibernating bear he was most content huddled in his den with wife and family within growling distance.

Not so Mama Magel, for whom "the larger the gathering - the better the party" seemed more her mantra. This obvious conflict of social energies proved an ongoing low level of frustration in their otherwise pitch perfect love affair. It's a conflict often stirred up between the Handsome Venezuelan and myself.

Unfazed by my father's reticence, my mother had what could genuinely be called an ace up her sleeve in the form of the very retro phenomenon known as The Bridge Club. Several times a month (in her heyday), Mama Magel enjoyed the company of 7 or more lady friends for an afternoon or occasional evening of neighborhood critiquing, woman banter and card playing. Looking back, it strikes me as a decidedly 40's through 60's sort of thing. Only ephemerally related to the recent enthusiasm for poker playing.

These bridge parties were society for my mother and her friends in Springfield, Ohio; though she did draw the line at attending bridge parties at "The Springfield Club", deeming them too snooty for her tastes. Nonetheless, even her home based parties warranted dressing up, dusting off the Noritake china cups, using the "good" playing cards, making a fancy lunch WITH dessert and purveying snacks that rose above the pretzel sticks and Goldfish crackers we were used to.

For Mama Magel a "fancy" lunch might be Chicken a La King in Pepperidge Farm Pastry Shells (decidedly hard to locate in 1960's Springfield), or a composed open faced sandwich with her famous 1000 Island Dressing. A typical dessert was often a Chocolate Refrigerator Cake or the achingly sweet Peach Cream Pie. But the snacks were a constant, Planter's mixed nuts and Brach's Bridge Mix.

What really was in that Bridge Mix? Wikepedia describes it as a type of candy that is an assortment of nuts, fruits, and cremes all covered in chocolate. Hmmm, my memory dishes up something a little less refined involving vaguely flavored fondants, tough little wads of coconut, and a not half-bad fruit gel all covered in a paraffin laced chocolaty coating. Ambrosia to young FatBoyEddie who was forbidden to touch even one piece until after Bridge Club. Happily the ladies never failed to leave mostly untouched candy dishes as they departed.

While Big Mary's taste buds have refined themselves since those youthful days, hopefully it is not to the level of the snooty dames at The Springfield Club. And though I may shrink from large social gatherings and Super Bowl parties in particular, I still look forward to delicious nibbles when gathering on a smaller scale. If Mama Magel were still dealing hands. bidding suits and taking tricks around the Bridge table, I'd have to send her a pound or two of these Sweet & Spicy Mixed Nuts

Sugar Spiced Nuts

1 large egg white
1 tablespoon water
1 pound raw nuts
2/3 cup superfine sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander seed

Preheat oven to 250*.
In a medium bowl beat egg white with water until frothy. Toss in the nuts and mix well. Transfer nuts to a sieve and let drain for 2 minutes.
Meanwhile combine sugar, salt and spices. Put nuts and sugar mix into a bag and shake to coat the nuts well. Place on a baking sheet pan, distributing evenly and place in oven. Bake 15 minutes, toss nuts with a spatula and place back in oven. Lower temperature to 225* and bake for 1 hour more. Toss nuts occasionally as they finish baking.

Savory Spiced Nuts

1 large egg white
1 tablespoon water
1 pound raw nuts
1/3 cup superfine sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons ground cumin seed
1 teaspoons ground coriander seed

Preheat oven to 250*.
In a medium bowl beat egg white with water until frothy. Toss in the nuts and mix well. Transfer nuts to a sieve and let drain for 2 minutes.
Meanwhile combine sugar, salt and spices. Put nuts and sugar mix into a bag and shake to coat the nuts well. Place on a baking sheet pan, distributing evenly and place in oven. Bake 15 minutes, toss nuts with a spatula and place back in oven. Lower temperature to 225* and bake for 1 hour more. Toss nuts occasionally as they finish baking.

I can claim with a pure conscience that Big Mary's nuts have been held in high regard across all 5 boroughs on New York City. And now they are available to you whenever you desire them. HA!

To gild that nutty lily here's my recommendation. Use walnut halves (and macadamia nuts if your budget allows) when making the sweet version. And use natural whole almonds and pecan halves in the spicy version. Combine them in equal weights and put those out when the "girls" come over.

If you get them good and dry in the oven they'll last at room temperature in an air tight container for several weeks. Alternately you can freeze them. I've never seen them last long enough to worry. Finally, know that you can substitute regular granulated sugar for the superfine, but really don't we all strive to be superfine?

Happy snacking my cherubs!
And Contented Eating
Big Mary

All photos and copy Copyright 2011 Big Mary's Kitchen

2009-02-03T17:00:00.002-05:00

Romesco Sauces - Classic Romescu & Poblano Green Romesco

I guess there should be no real surprise that the cuisines of Mexico and Spain should share quite a few in laws via the shotgun marriage of Cortez and Montezuma. The prevalence for pork was one influence, though there's the school of thought that this was more likely a trade off for the Spaniard's eliminating dog from the Mexican's menu. However, this shouldn't diminish the apparent easily developed Mexican appreciation of rice, olives, and citrus.

More likely is an influence toward Spain. Hard to envision Spanish cuisine without tomatoes, peppers, chocolate, and potatoes. All ingredients unheard of in Europe before Spain began the slow and steady annihilation of indigenous North, Central and South American people and their culture.

OK. That's heavy. Let's take two minutes to appreciate that in ensuing years Spain also brought us paella, El Greco, amontillado sherry, manchego, Ribiero del Duero wine, Picasso, saffron and Almodovar just to mention the top end credits.

Truth be told, the recipe I'm about to offer to you was not inspired by some trans-cultural understanding of food history, but rather by an abundance of poblano peppers in my 2nd favorite caterer's walk-in. And that, if fact is often the Mother of Invention when it comes to recipe development; the caterer's version of "necessity".

But as inspiration occasionally reflects on the divine, this is truly a fabulous version of a sauce that is already 4 stars. Before I get ahead of myself, we should talk among ourselves about Romesco Sauce.

I was first attracted to the Salsa Romescu legend years ago in a recipe by Penelope Casas, truly the first lady of Iberian Cuisine when it comes to the US. This was back in the mid 80's before tapas had entered the mainstream of party food. When small plates was a pejorative for nouvelle cuisine. I was researching Spanish food to assist in the catering for the Metropolitan Opera Club's Gala which that year was celebrating Spain as it's theme. Ms. Casas had managed to source an entire Jamon Serrano, then unheard of in the United States, as well as a variety of Spanish cheeses, dulce de membrillo, fig cakes, the list went on and on. Yet I was completely befuddled when attempting to find a resource for the dried peppers that her recipe deemed critical to the success of Salsa Romesco. Yes, this is how it was in those dark years before the Internet made the world our oestra.

Fast forward 10 years or so and find Big Mary in gustatory bliss, savoring the sesonal treat of Calcots a la Plancha con Salsa Romescu in a sunny Barcelona cafe. Grilled Calcots being a uniquely Spanish treat, something akin to a cross between scallions and leeks. A truly authentic repast would have found Big Mary in the fresh country air, surrounding an open fire, peeling back the burnt outer layers of these oniony treats, before dipping them in the oil rich Romescu and consuming them, head thrown back with the panache of a side show sword swallower. Paints a picture, no?

But the best part was that I finally had enjoyed this deeply satisfying Spanish classic sauce, and was heady with the confidence I could recreate it back in Brooklyn. That I did, and have continued to serve it with grilled vegetables, fish, chicken, etc. along with the rest of America as Spanish cuisine has thrust itself into the world cuisine stage and promptly established itself as the leader of most things innovative in the planet's dining rooms.

And so I offer you both versions of Romesco Sauce; a classic Salsa Romescu with an appreciative nod to Penelope Casas, and the previously mentioned Poblano Green Romesco Sauce.

Salsa Romescu

3/4 cup pure olive oil
1 1/2 cup sliced almonds
3 cloves fresh garlic, cracked
1 slice white bread, trimmed and cut into pieces - 3/4 oz
7 large red peppers
3 small canned whole tomatoes, seeded
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons sherry wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons Spanish pimenton (smoked paprika)or regular Spanish paprika

Roast red peppers over an open flame (or electric burner) until well charred on all sides. Place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to cool and then clean all of the burned skin from the peppers. Wipe clean. Remove seeds and discard. Set aside the cleaned peppers. You will need 1 quart approximately.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over moderate heat until shimmering. Add almonds, bread and garlic. Cook until bread just begins to turn golden. Immediately remove from heat. When bread cubes are completely golden, drain, reserving oil.
Place cleaned red peppers, bread cubes, garlic, almonds, tomatoes and salt in a blender. Add half of the reserved oil and the sherry vinegar and blend until smooth. Add cayenne and pimenton and blend. With the blender running on low, slowly add the remaining oil until the sauce is completely smooth. Check and adjust seasoning if necessary.

Poblano Green Romesco
The only caveat I offer is that poblano peppers are notoriously indiscriminate when it comes to heat. Often they are as mild as a bell pepper, but sometimes they swell to a jalapeno level of spiciness. You can check the heat level by running your finger across the white membrane on the interior of a pepper. Touch your finger to your tongue and you'll have a idea of the heat level you are dealing with. If the poblano approaches incendiary, substitute a portion of the poblanos with a regular green bell pepper, roasted and peeled.

8 large poblano peppers
3/4 cup pure olive oil
2 medium garlic cloves, peeled and cracked
1 slice white bread (3/4 ounce)crusts trimmed and cut into pieces
1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
1 tablespoon sherry wine vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

Roast poblano peppers over an open flame (or electric burner) until well charred on all sides. Place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to cool and then clean all of the burned skin from the peppers. Wipe clean. Remove seeds and discard. Set aside the cleaned peppers. You will need approximately 14 ounces.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over moderate heat until shimmering. Add bread and garlic. Cook 1 minute and then add pumpkin seeds. Cook until bread just begins to turn golden. Immediately remove from heat. When bread cubes are completely golden, drain, reserving oil.
Place cleaned peppers, bread cubes, garlic and pumpkin seeds in a blender. Add half of the reserved oil, salt and the sherry vinegar and blend until smooth. Slowly add the remaining oil with the motor running. Season with salt and pepper.
Add lime juice and cilantro right before serving.

So that's Danny Boy's inspired Green Romesco. Please remember this one when the weather sends us all back outdoors to grill some skirt steak. Or for those more tropical members of our family, head out to that hibachi immediately. Either way, this is great on chicken, fajitas, salmon, grilled vegetables... Hmmm just about everything it seems.

Contented Eating my Sweets,
Big Mary

2009-01-19T18:58:00.002-05:00

Black Olive Tapenade and Mediterranean Daydreams

I don't mind the winter. Really, I don't. It's January, I enjoy having a little snow on the ground; at least the first day. But once it's grey and sloppy, it really is time for the snow to go. I mean have a little dignity. You look ... less than. Time to consider a rapid melt down.

And there is a definite beauty to the bare black limbs of trees against that blue winter sky that defines the shade sky blue. Inevitably it's at about this point of my revelry that the wind begins to pick up and sway those branches, waving them just enough against the background of white flossy clouds, to focus your soul on the two words that sucks the joy right out of Jack Frost. Wind Chill.

Not many options at this point except to pull the cap down tightly, readjust the scarf and head indoors to the solace of a freshly uncorked bottle of Montepulciano di Abruzzi, Bandol, Rioja or Cotes de Provence. There are the options of tea, hot cider or cafe con leche of course... but this is MY daydream and I'm headed south, and way east. As in France and her southern nether regions and neighbors.

Once unencumbered of scarf, earmuffs, hat, gloves, down coat, boots, sweater, flannel shirt, jeans, long sleeve undershirt, long johns and woolly socks ... I can slip into a short sleeve pastel shirt, linen trousers and sandals. I do live in a typically overheated NYC apartment after all. Next load the CD player with some Edith Piaf, Gypsy Kings and Charles Aznavour, or any other personal favorites. Gather together the selection of St. Felician, Comte and Fresh Chevre I so intuitively purchased yesterday and place it next to the warm baguette I strangely don't even remember buying. But this is my daydream.

So here I am. Perfectly positioned to travel through time and space to spend a warm afternoon on some nondescript locale somewhere between the Costa Brava and Portofino. And yet, fine as fragrant bread, fruity reds and perfectly ripe cheese can be, I needed something quintessentially European, something capable of slapping my sense memory backwards several lives or so, into a lifetime when I'm sure I roamed the planet warmed by a Mediterranean sun.

Ahhhhh. Tapenade. That's the ticket. An earthy, black-purple, oil rich, paste of in your face flavor. Ready to smear, slather and dip into those yeasty chunks of fresh bread. Now I'm nowhere near this snowy Brooklyn landscape.

Make some of this kids. Covered with a thin film of olive oil, it will keep refrigerated for weeks, should it last so long. Great on sandwiches, stuffed in a chicken breast, or schmeared on a crostini with a salad.

Black Olive Tapenade

This recipe makes a little more than a pint, and has been cut down from a larger "catering sized" recipe, so as always feel free to tweak ingredients up or down based on your own perfect palatte.

14 ounces kalamata olives, pitted
(or your own preferred type or mix of black olives)
3 tablespoons nonpareil capers, drained
3 anchovy fillets - top quality
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 1/2 tablespoons brandy
1 1/2 tablespoons roasted garlic cloves, mashed

Rinse olives in fresh water and drain well. Very roughly chop the olives to ensure no pits remain. Combine all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. Feel free to leave some chunky texture if you prefer. Pack in glass or plastic containers. Lightly cover with olive oil and let "cure" in the refrigerator for 24 hours if you can resist.

There's a treat for you my lovelies. Not much I suppose after so many months absent. But make a batch, call me and I'll bring a cheap and tasty bottle to share. Be seeing you soon.

Contented Eating,
Big Mary

2008-11-11T19:22:00.000-05:00

Fish Tacos for Dinner

Of all the "four letter words" known to the Gods and moral censors... none is more heinous to Big Mary than D-I-E-T. Oh it's a cranky Mary that wakes to a world devoid of a sesame bagel with cream cheese. But the years march on (that's the good news) and they aren't so gentle when you're toting around an extra pound or 50. So between the aching legs, sore back and nudging physician I've embarked on a slimming regime.

It's amazing how much you immediately begin to crave foods you haven't consumed in months the minute they get labeled forbidden. Eve sweetheart, we should sit down and talk among ourselves... This afternoon I was a quick phone call away from Cold Sesame Noodles from my local Chinese; something I haven't ordered since I learned how to make them better myself a few years back. Nevertheless for a brief moment of desire, they were my reason to live. A cooler head than the noodles persevered and Spicy Tofu with Vegetables and Brown Rice were actually a perfect choice for now and a snack tomorrow of the leftovers. But still.... those noodles , hmmmmm.

So, I felt it in my best interest to start developing calorie friendly versions of what I was craving. As you know by now if you've been reading, my taste runs to the ethnic. Not the most typically diet (there's that word again) friendly cuisines. But I think I really developed a winner with my recent Mexican dinner. Yes I know that tortillas can pack a hefty punch to a slimming plan, but if you have only two and fill them chock full of all the ingredients and garnishes, you just might fool yourself into feeling like you're getting away with a secret treat.

An additional plus to this recipe is that it is a great place to use Tilapia. Not usually a favorite of mine, but widely available at a budget price, and really a good choice here.

Fish Tacos with Refried Beans, Salt Cured Cabbage and Salsa

Now, this is going to be another case where I don't give you an exact recipe, just the ideas. Tacos are just way to casual for you not to improvise on what I set out here. Just make sure you get the cabbage slaw started early.

Salt Cured Cabbage

Very thinly slice about half a small green cabbage, avoiding the core. Toss with several tablespoons of salt, preferable Kosher, and set in a colander or sieve over a bowl to drain for at least an hour, preferably several. The salt will pull moisture from the cabbage, sort of curing it, which allows it to stay crisp and damn tasty. After the hour(s) of draining, taste the cabbage. If it's overly salty, rinse it and spin it dry. If not, proceed. Put cabbage in a bowl, and right before serving add some chopped scallion, thinly sliced radish, chopped jalapeno and fresh lime juice. Place in a bowl and serve soon.

Refried Beans

I'd really encourage you to save time and go with canned beans here, though if you have the time and inclination, dried beans are an economical alternative. If you can afford it, use organic canned beans. It's a product I truly feel warrants the extra cost. They are much lower in salt and somehow seem free of any tinned taste.

Chop a small onion and saute in a small bit of butter. Add a can or two of drained and rinsed beans. I prefer black beans, but pinto or red beans work great and are probably more traditional. Saute with a healthy dash of ground cumin, smoked sweet paprika and dried ancho chile powder. (Here's where you can season to the call of your inner chef, substituting chipotle chile, adding garlic, a pinch of ground cinnamon ... go crazy young chef!) Add maybe 1/2 a cup of water (or cooking liquid from the beans if you've cooked dry beans), turn down the heat and simmer for several minutes. When the beans begin to soften a bit more and the liquid is reduced, perhaps 10-15 minutes; remove from the heat, and using a flat bottomed metal or plastic cup begin to mash the beans. If calories are not a concern, throw in a healthy knob of additional butter (and know I detest you). Continue to mash beans until pretty smooth. Return beans to heat and cook to dry them out if necessary, knowing they will dry further as they cool. Check for seasoning and set aside.

Salsa, etc.

Feel free to purchase a top quality salsa, there are several these days; I love Mrs Renfro's Tomatillo Green Salsa. If you want to make something fresh...
Pico de Gallo is a fresh relish of finely diced tomato, red onion, jalapeno, cilantro and salt. Works great on these tacos, and on just about everything else except Cheerios.
Top other choices to garnish would be diced avocado or guacamole, sour cream or Mexican crema. Drained low fat yogurt works and keeps these fish tacos swimming leanly. Also thinly sliced olives could be tasty. Personally I'd avoid any shredded cheese as cheese and fish just doesn't work for me... but feel free to disagree and shred on. Maybe I could be convinced to consider a mild queso fresco.
In any case, arrange them in bowls to be ready to serve once everything else is ready.

Salpicon of Fish - the main event

As I mentioned, if budget concerns you, Tilapia or Mahi Mahi are not bad choices here. If budget isn't in your vocabulary, you should invite me over for dinner. Then we could enjoy Red Snapper, Striped Bass or Grouper.
Thinly slice a medium or large onion, a red pepper, a poblano(or green)pepper, and chop a garlic clove or three. Saute in a large frying pan or skillet with a few tablespoons of oil. After the onions and peppers soften add some chopped, peeled and seeded fresh tomato. Or do as I do and open a can or two of petite diced canned tomato. Just depends on your location and the season. (If using fresh tomato you may need to add some water to have enough liquid to poach the fish.) Add a dash of ground cumin and cinnamon, some dried Mexican oregano, salt and pepper.
Simmer over low heat until the flavors begin to meld. Add the fish filets and cook slowly. When the filet is half cooked, flip over to finish cooking the other side. If necessary remove the cooked fish to a platter and cook remaining filets. When all the fish is done, gently combine the fish with the tomato cooking mix, breaking the filets into large chunks and finish with some chopped fresh cilantro. Hold in a warm oven as you toast off the corn tortillas over your gas or electric burners, and rewarm the beans.
Bring it all to the table and let your guests assemble the tacos as the imagine them most delicious.

Oh my lovelies, you're just gonna love this. And it does all come together quicker than this might seem. Substitute leftover rice for the beans once in awhile, use baby greens with oil and vinegar instead of cabbage, try sliced rare tuna. You get the idea.
Or throw caution to the wind and garnish with Margaritas! Make mine with salt...

2008-08-26T21:06:00.000-04:00

Gazpacho for August

Will I ever be able to make or enjoy gazpacho without thinking of Pedro Almodovar's classic "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown"? Hopefully not! Just the thought of an icy pitcher of sleeping pill laced gazpacho invites my queer mind to head off into plot possibilities even the great Spanish cinematographer might have blanched at the mere mention of...

But then there's also the exquisite sense memory of a blazing hot Andalusian summer afternoon in Seville; a city where the houses are purposely built so close together that the eaves almost meet, to provide street shade from the blistering sun. What else would you want for lunch than a tall glass of chilled liquid salad with a gloss of perfect olive oil? There lies the real reason gazpacho and I will always share a secret. Only travel can give you such a priceless souvenir.

In the years after that memorable sun stained vacation, my thoughts on gazpacho have relaxed and expanded. I've learned about the mellow and rich almond gazpacho from Malaga, and have been teased into a more global perspective of such a perfect hot weather solution to sustenance. It's important to remember that with most traditional foods, an important factor in the recipe was to use leftovers and the bounty of the garden in interesting and flavorful ways. More classic recipes for gazpacho will include a judicious handful of ground bread to add substance and sustenance.

In the recipes I'm setting out in the sun, only one uses the traditional thickening of pureed bread. And there it enriches the texture. Most modern recipes forgo the extra calories in lieu of a lighter fresher dish.

Classic Andalusian Gazpacho
10 plum tomatoes - peeled and seeded
1 red pepper - peeled and seeded
2 English (seedless) cucumbers - peeled and seeded
3 medium shallots - peeled
1 very small garlic clove - peeled
1 jalapeño chili - seeds and membrane removed
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 Tablespoons Sherry wine vinegar or to taste
salt & pepper
2 cups tomato juice - approximately
1/4 cup diced peeled and seeded cucumber (optional)
1/4 cup diced and seeded yellow and/or red pepper (optional)
1/4 cup diced radish (optional)

(Note - I try to use a Y-Shaped vegetable peeler on tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers. Blanching & shocking, or roasting cooks the vegetable more than I like)

Puree all of the vegetables in a blender(or use a food processor for more texture). With the machine running add oil, vinegar and S&P. Stir in tomato juice as desired. The better the tomatoes you use, the less juice you'll need.

Serve chilled with optional garnishes.

Personally I love the romance in the idea of keeping a pitcher of gazpacho at hand in the refrigerator, for heat and humidity swept summer lunches or break times. However the sophistication of the next recipe could also sit pretty on a weekend al fresco dinner table meant to impress.

White Almond Gazpacho in the Style of Malaga - sereves 4 - 6

4 ounces top quality bread - crusts removed (about 5 slices)
1 cup cold water
4 ounces sliced, blanched almonds
1 medium garlic clove, minced (about 1 teaspoon)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 small cucumber (peeled, seeded and chunked - about 1 1/4 cups)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar (preferably reserva quality)
2 cups ice water
24 green grapes, peeled and quartered

Tear bread roughly and soak in water for a few minutes. Squeeze slightly dry and set aside.
In the work bowl of a blender (or food processor) combine almonds, garlic and salt. Grind until as fine as possible. Add soaked bread, bit by bit until it has pureed with the almond mixture. If you are using a blender you may need to add a few tablespoons of the ice water to get the bread to achieve a puree.
Next add the small pieces of cucumber and process until smooth.
With the motor running, slowly drizzle the olive oil into the mixture. Add the sherry vinegar, and finally the ice water. Stop processing the soup.
Place a fine sieve over a bowl and strain the soup completely. Press on the solids left in the sieve to extract all possible liquid.
Cover bowl and chill for at least 3 hours or overnight. Check seasonings, adjust salt and/or vinegar if necessary.
Serve in small chilled bowls and garnish with peeled grape quarters.

And now, to insure that you my lovelies, continue to think outside of the box, here's a gazpacho that might be more at home in the equally sun baked sands of Phuket than the Costa Brava. I'm feeling a tall icy glass served by a Thai beauty in a sarong, nursing me from a morning hangover as I sit by the sea, my beach chair garnished with an umbrella. Heaven!

Thai Watermelon and Tomato Gazpacho with Siamese Basil - serves 6 - 8

1 pound plum tomatoes - peeled and seeded* (see notes in preceeding recipe)
2 pounds seedless red watermelon flesh - rind removed before weighing
3/4 pound kirby cucumbers* - peeled and seeded
2 cups tomato juice - Looza brand preferred
3 tablespoons fresh ginger - peeled and minced
1/4 cup fresh thai basil leaves - loosly packed *
2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves - loosely packed *
1/4 cup fresh cilantro - loosly packed
1 tablespoon jalapeno - peeled, seeded and chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
salt & pepper to taste

* Notes - Tomatoes and cucumbers are weighed before peeling and seeding
If Thai Basil is unavailable substitute Italian basil and increase mint to 3 tablespoons

And so beautiful readers, here's your chance to fill that blender with something besides Margarita mix. For us in the northeast, my sisters in the Midwest and my sexy mountain boys, we've only got another month or so to celebrate the sizzling hot and all the bounty it brings. Throw it in the Osterizer and push liquefy.
Happy eating my sweets.

2008-08-06T00:36:00.010-04:00

Sicilian Eggplant Capunata

I'm not exactly sure why I grew up in an eggplant free zone. The first explanation I might toss out would be that my father didn't like it. To be sure, there were damn few things that landed on our dinner table that didn't carry his imprimatur. However, during those years when he was spending several nights a month on the road, my duo dinners with Mama Magel saw all manner of previously rare grocery discoveries. Many of which, most independently minded 10 year olds would have snubbed on principle. Spinach salad, pickled beets, casseroles of any kind - Tuna Noodle, 7 Layer Casserole, Johnny Marzetti (more on that some day), and our shared pleasure, calves liver & onions. All enjoyed with gusto. I suppose it had something to do with rebellion. If Dad hated them, I would love them.

Still, however, no eggplant. So perhaps Dad wasn't the culprit. Which brings us to my second suspicion. Eggplant remains one of the few vegetables not really available canned or frozen, at least not in it's pure state. There were few vegetables that made it to our table without the help of some form of processing. Corn in August and September, green beans round about the same window of opportunity and home grown tomatoes which were pretty much the only thing (other than rose bushes) deemed worthy of planting. From time to time our family might be gifted with some overflow of zucchini from a more agriculturally inclined neighbor which would be quickly dispatched into quick bread, the only approved use of zucchini for Mama Magel.

But to be fair, I think this was pretty much home cooking as we knew it in the center of Ohio circa 1964, until Ms. Julia Child landed in our living rooms and swept out the cobwebs of Middle American kitchens. And although Julia's influence missed Mama Magel by several tablespoons and a generation, I'm proud to report that our kitchen was mostly free of Hamburger Helper, instant mashed potatoes, "Cheez Whiz", frozen pies and other culinary conveniences of the 1960's. I say mostly because of course I pestered Mama Magel into trying them. In the same way I pestered her into buying all those boxes of cereal which I NEVER ate, only so I could capture the prize inside.... Yet frighteningly enough, some of those conveniences stuck! Witness what Gladys christened (and you know I loved her)...

"Quick Spaghetti"

Brown a pound or so of ground beef in a skillet (preferably electric). Add a "Family" size can of Franco American Spaghetti in Tomato Sauce. When hot, transfer to a large bowl. Serve with Kraft Shredded Parmesan and Iceburg Lettuce Salad.

Which brings us to the third possible explanation for the absence of eggplant in my childhood. We just didn't have any Mediterranean neighbors! I couldn't begin to define any of our neighbors ethnicity past "lily white"! Peanut Butter Fudge was about as ethnic as it got. And so it was that the move "home" to Brooklyn was what finally got me thinking about involving myself in a relationship with that big purple bruiser of a veg.

It might well have been a brush encounter with babaganough that made me sit up straight and pay attention to this new flavor possibility. But it was definitely the house made capunata when I worked at "Rosemarie's" in Tribeca that made me submit and worship. That week in Mykonos with the eggplant salad in every restaurant may have cemented the relationship... but then again Mykonos cemented several relationships... (more on that later as well)

Capunata for me, is the sexy, misbehaved brother of ratatouille. Just more bang for the buck shall we say. And my ratatouille can make your knees tremble just a little.
But sugar, this capunata, brings those same knees home to the floor.

This is my version of Capunata, which I enjoy serving very chunky and rustic. The zucchini and celery should still be "al dente". That's my aesthetic. Typically it's served cut smaller and more completely cooked. You find your own capunata bliss and cook accordingly.

Big Mary's Capunata

6 tablespoons olive oil
5 cups eggplant, cut into 1 inch dice
3 cups zucchini, quartered, seeds cut away, & cut into 1/2" - 1 " pieces
2 cups yellow onion, rough cut into 1/2" pieces
4 med cloves garlic, minced
1 cup celery, veins stripped and cut into 1/2" pieces
2 cups red pepper, cut into 1/2" pieces
3 1/2 cups tomatoes, (peeled, seeded and diced) or canned diced tomatoes
2 teaspoons fresh marjoram, chopped (optional)
1/2 cup yellow or black raisins
1 cup chopped black & green pitted olives, very roughly chopped
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar (or to taste)
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 tablespoon fresh basil leaves, chopped
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted

In a large skillet, heat several tablespoons of olive oil. When shimmering hot, add eggplant, season with salt & pepper and cook until browned on most sides. Remove to a bowl.
Saute zucchini in the same manner and add to eggplant in the bowl.
Being careful to not overcook any of the vegetables, saute the onion/garlic mixture and the celery and red peppers in a similar separate manner.

Combine the sauteed vegetables in the bowl. Heat a larger skillet with some remaining olive oil. When hot combine vegetables and add tomatoes and marjoram. Cook over medium heat, just until tomatoes start to break down and "glaze/sauce" the capunata. Then add raisins and olives. Simmer for 3 minutes. Add vinegar and sugar to taste, and cook several minutes to combine flavors. Adjust salt, pepper, sugar and vinegar. Stir in basil and garnish with toasted pine nuts.
Serve room temperature, as a condiment or side dish.

And that, my sweets, is the eggplant that stole and continues to tempt my heart, Make it for a party. The true Italian will search you out. And THAT, is rarely a bad thing.

Remember my pretties, food seduces, so get cooking...
Love,
Big Mary

2008-07-15T19:39:00.002-04:00

The Absolute BEST Buttermilk Biscuits

It's always sweet when Life takes you by the hand, invites you on a quiet stroll 180 degrees away from stress and sits you down to a reminder of how perfectly simple a blessing "homemade" can be. Even better if she sits you down next to a generous serving of sweet butter, some strawberry preserves or local wildflower honey. If she's feeling you are particularly deserving, perhaps she's got some sausage gravy up her sleeve..... Eewwww wait. Lets backtrack.

Mama Magel was a strong contender in the kitchen when it came to baking. Her pecan pie, even after her death, can still bitch slap my version into a corner... whimpering, tail tucked and submissive. And I've passed her Poor Man's Pie recipe into so many NYC restaurant kitchens that she's probably achieved legendary status in the home kitchens of immigrant cooks when they return home.

Nevertheless, her frame of reference on a few items was as contained as any housewife of the 1960's. And in the 60's, biscuits came out of a tube, (slammed against the side of a counter), or mixed from a box named Bisquick. Mama Magel opted most often for the "Poppin' Fresh" option. I can only assume that before those refrigerated tubs were an option, my Ohio bred sisters and friends never knew biscuits outside of a literary reference here or there.

And so it is I offer the following recipe to my sisters and you all, dear readers. This was passed to me from my 2nd favorite catering chef (myself retaining the #1 position) soon after I realized I'd be spending more than a passing fancy with this world of food. He describes it as basically a ramped up version of the one from "Joy of Cooking". Seems he's not only correct, but also astute in his ramnping up instincts.

The key to this recipe is not processing the butter too much. If using a KitchenAid (as I do) don't let the butter get smaller than pea size. In reality, you can only err by processing the butter TOO MUCH.

Danny Boy's Biscuits

4 ounces unsalted butter
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup buttermilk for brushing

Cut butter into 1/2" cubes. Place in a bowl in freezer. Sift dry ingredients into a mixing bowl. When butter is very cold, add butter to dry ingredients. Using the paddle attachment process butter and flour until butter is pea sized. (If making by hand, use your fingertips to process flour mix to the proper size.)
On low speed, add buttermilk until barely mixed. Wrap mix in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm.
On a floured board, roll out biscuit dough until 1/2" thick. Fold in thirds (like puff pastry dough) and roll out two more times. (The idea being we are distributing the butter into layers to help the dough "puff" into layers as they bake.)
Return to the refrigerator to allow it to chill completely. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Punch out biscuits with a cutter of the desired size. Refrigerate again, or freeze before baking. Brush with buttermilk.
Bake 10 - 12 minutes

Cheddar biscuits
Reduce butter to 3 ounces
Add 3 oz cheddar to dough at the last minute of mixing. Brush with buttermilk and and top biscuits with additional 1 oz. shredded cheddar. Bake as described.

Herb
Add 1 teaspoon chopped rosemary (or chives, etc) with the butter. Proceed with baking as described.

Sweet ones, you will be surprised at how much better these biscuits get the less you process the butter. You are going to thrill at how something so simple is so soul fulfilling. Don't shy away from some sausage gravy if you are feeling especially Southern! And don't hesitate to layer some Cheddar Biscuits with Ham and Honey Mustard. Ready, Set, Go!

Big Love,
Big Mary

2008-07-08T22:13:00.002-04:00

Fresh Home Made Ricotta

OK, this is by and large, a total plagiarism from a Wednesday edition of the NY Times. But let me steal with a pinch more respectability. It's so easy to pass over the weekly info-blast that is the Dining In/Out section. Such a breeze to tear out this recipe or that destination, and file it for future reference. Really no sweat to peruse an article, check it off as potentially needed data and turn the page. We New Yorkers could turn blasé into the new black... Big Mary is here to shake you out of your fog and say... TRY THIS, IT'S WORTH IT!

Let me tell you. If you try this once, you'll probably never buy ricotta again. AND you'll find yourself cooking with ricotta about 5 times more often than ever before. My only caveat would be to advise you to please never share with your dinner guests just how simple this process is. Stress the precision timing and temperatures necessary, the importance of sourcing only the freshest milk and of course that indescribable magic possessed by the most seasoned culinary artist which allows the curds to separate from the whey and hold shape as delicate pillows of ricotta. Yes sweet friends, baffle them with bullshit!

This mystic revelation of curd gathering could not have fallen into my lap or plate with a more perfect opportunity for appreciation. I've been so focused on the clarity of summer's flavors, that it seems preordained I should be introduced to the purest form of milk manipulation at this point in time. Home made ricotta tastes of milk times 3. I haven't experimented myself, but I'm reckoning that this may be the prime opportunity for some organic milk or raw product in it's available.

No need to tease you further. Here's the recipe the NY Times published and adapted from “Michael Chiarello’s Casual Cooking” (Chronicle, 2002)

Home Made Ricotta Cheese
Time: 1 hour

2 quarts whole milk

2 cups buttermilk.

1. Line a wide sieve or colander with cheesecloth, folded so that it is at least 4 layers thick. Place in sink.

2. Pour milk and buttermilk into a heavy-bottomed pot. Cook over high heat, stirring frequently; scrape bottom of pot occasionally to prevent scorching. As milk heats, curds will begin to rise and clump on surface. Once mixture is steaming hot, stop stirring.

3. When mixture reaches 175 to 180 degrees on a candy thermometer, curds and whey will separate. (Whey will look like cloudy gray water underneath a mass of thick white curds.) Immediately turn off heat and gently ladle curds into sieve.

4. When all curds are in sieve and dripping has slowed (about 5 minutes), gently gather edges of cloth and twist to bring curds together; do not squeeze. Let drain 15 minutes more. Discard the whey.

5. Untie cloth and pack ricotta into airtight containers. Refrigerate and use within one week.

Friends and Any Others......... Make it this week! You deserve it!
And here's a few suggestions on how to enjoy it.

Grilled Bruschetti with Herbed Fresh Ricotta

Grill sliced sourdough, rustic Italian or baguette toasts with olive oil until charred lightly. Season fresh ricotta with a healthy pinch of salt, and a few spoonfuls of chopped fresh herbs (parsley, tarragon, chives, basil, marjoram,etc.)
Spread on Bruschetti and enjoy.

Toasted Pound Cake with Ricotta and Honey Crushed Berries

Crush some fresh berries with a potato masher until chunky with juices flowing. Stir in a few tablespoons of top quality honey and set aside to macerate.
Slice homemade or store bought pound cake about an inch thick. Saute with a knob of butter in a skillet until golden brown. While still warm, place cake on a plate and top with a generous spoonful of homemade ricotta. Garnish with a generous amount of the berries and enjoy.

Cavatelli with Tomato, Bacon, Parmesan and Fava Beans

12 ounces whole fresh fava beans
4 ounces sliced bacon (thick sliced) diced into 1/4" pieces
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, peeled and thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 Tablespoon fresh garlic, minced
14 ounces canned diced tomatoes (or petite diced) - you may substitute
1 pound peeled, seeded and chopped fresh Roma tomatoes)
1/2 cup dry white wine
12 ounces frozen cavatelli pasta
1 cup home made ricotta
6-8 large fresh basil leaves
freshly ground Parmesan Reggiano to taste
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Peel fava beans from outer pods and blanch in salted boiling water for 2 minutes. Remove from boiling water and drop into ice water. When well cooled, drain again and peel second skin. Set aside.
Saute bacon in a large skillet until brown and moderately crisp. Drain and set aside. Return bacon fat to skillet and add olive oil.
Saute sliced onion in olive oil mix. When the onions are translucent, add red pepper flakes and minced garlic Saute for an additional minute. Add tomatoes and white wine. Simmer a few minutes to "deglaze" the pan. Add reserved bacon and reduce heat to a bare simmer. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Put on a large pan of salted water for the cavatelli and bring to a rolling boil. Meanwhile roll basil leaves into a skinny tube and thinly slice into a chiffonade.
When water is boiling, add cavatelli and cook according to package directions.
When cooked to your preference, drain cavatelli and add to simmering tomato sauce.
Portion into warm pasta bowls, and divide reserved fava beans onto the pasta. Finish the dish with a generous dollop of ricotta, basil, ground black pepper and Parmesan.
Serves 2 - 4

Well that should be enough to send you out to the milk shelves and garden to explore your own inspirations of how to exploit this new found goodness. I expect friends and family to pull me to a new obsession before I exhaust my ideas on how to enjoy ricotta. Trust that I'll be sharing them with you as well. Remember to please support your local farmers markets as we swell into the season of all things green... and red, and yellow, and orange...

Contented eating sweeties,
Big Mary

2008-06-02T21:23:00.006-04:00

Chocolate and Goat Cheese Truffles

Friends…….

Am I the only one? These early days of Summer, well Pre-Summer, have me so primed for all the bounty of tomatoes and corn I’m so eagerly anticipating that I’m ready to throw on a pair of overalls, a straw hat and go running through the fields singing the entire score of Rogers & Hammerstein’s “Oklahoma” with full choreography.

Out at La Casa Amarilla in the Poconos, the herbs are spilling out, tomato plants are installed in the 4 square feet that receive enough sun to bear fruit and the morels have already been harvested and consumed. Bring on the season! Just last week, the Handsome Venezuelan and I enjoyed a Friday night dinner at the ever Elegant Wendy’s home in Milford , Pennsylvania. Wendy’s partner is a quietly handsome, sexy and oh so smart musician who also happens to be a vegetarian. The Lovely Ms. W. put out an exquisite buffet of potato salad, cucumbers in cream, tabouleh, cornbread, and poached chicken with homemade mayonnaise for anyone feeling carnivorously deprived.

Let me tell you we all went ga-ga for the vegetable fare. Mind you, I wasn’t the only one to slather some extra mayo on my french style potato salad. But, we were all so enamored to be dining al fresco, and feasting on platters of vegetables, grains and herbs, that the chicken (as delicious as it was…) took second billing to the abundance of freshness. Every June I find myself vowing to spend the next 4 months wallowing in the decadence of crisp radishes, luscious tomatoes, tender greens and sweet corn. Perhaps this year, I’ll get my fill.

I’m imagining platters of oven roasted ratatouille, bowls of grilled corn and black bean salad, or perhaps Oaxacan corn salad exquisites (grilled corn kernels slathered with mayo, lime juice, cayenne and cotija cheese), sourdough panzanella, and Caprese Salad with Brandywine Tomatoes, hand pulled mozzarella and garden basil.
Sadly. I’m weeks ahead of myself… But I can always take the spirit to heart and prepare myself and my readers for the treasures ahead. In the next few weeks I hope to share some great simple, clean and fantastic recipes and ideas to gird our loins and thighs for the upcoming farmer’s markets, beaches, picnics and park concerts.
Knowing the Elegant Wendy has a soft spot for chocolate I prepared these truffles for her as a hostess gift. In actuality I was rolling them in her kitchen last minute…. But they were no less appreciated. Remember don’t take yourself too serious this summer.

Chocolate Goat Cheese Truffles

6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/3 cup heavy cream
3 ounces crumbled, soft goat cheese, room temperature
1/8 teaspoon lemon extract (optional)

½ cup cocoa powder
1/3 cup confectioner’s sugar

Combine chocolate and cream in a double boiler and melt over low heat. When chocolate has begun to melt, add goat cheese. Stir to combine smoothly and add extract if using. Transfer to a small bowl or sheet pan and chill until firm.
Combine cocoa and confectioner’s sugar in a bowl. Scoop truffle mix into small balls or squares and coat generously in cocoa/sugar mix. Alternately if time and budget allows, you can roll the truffles in tempered bittersweet chocolate coating, a WAY better idea.
Store truffles in an air tight container in the refrigerator.

OK dear readers… there’s a head start. Coming up, sooner than later I hope, will be some thinking on Ricotta Cheese (you’ll never buy it again!) and Italian Sausage, Broccoli Rabe and Orrechiette.

Savory Salacious Dreams,
Big Mary

2008-04-21T22:52:00.002-04:00

Asparagus Soup and Reuben Soup

Hello dear ones. Oh GoodGoddessAlmighty I’ve been a lazy Mary. Life throws us all a few curves from time to time, and I’ve been swinging far and wide to keep up to tempo. Forgive me and let’s dive back in to some intriguing ideas about food, feeding and fun stuff.

You all know how easily thrilled I am by wringing multiple meals from singular shopping and cooking endeavors. So it’s understandable that recent refrigerator reviews led me to some rewarding market basket experimentation. One was a work related inheritance of asparagus trimmings, the other a typical leftover layover. Either way, the message behind my words is “Think before you trash it.” There’s a long history of savoring more from what we see as less, and that’s a tradition we need to reinvest in; not only as a recession response, but as a sign of respect to all that Momma Earth provides.

Along with daffodils, robins and wide open windows, the return of sweet, fresh local asparagus is one of the welcome signs of spring around our home. I tend toward abusing my relationship with these crisp green stalks by popping them into our meals 2 or 3 times a week when the price makes it too seductive to avoid. If you share a similar April frenzy, then you won’t have any problem saving up enough trimmings to try this idea for asparagus soup. I find the trimmed ends of the stalks keep several days in the refrigerator if wrapped in damp paper towel and stored in a plastic bag.

Here’s a tip for you when preparing asparagus. To determine where the tender part of the stalk begins to shift to a tougher woody texture – Hold an asparagus stalk with the tip in one hand and the base of the stalk in the other. Gently bend the asparagus until it snaps in two. Most likely this is where the tender part shifts to a tougher texture. After snapping a few, you can cut the rest of the bunch using the snapped stalks as a guide.

Asparagus Soup
Serves 2 or 3

I like this version without any additional milk or cream. It’s a more intense hit of asparagus. But feel free to spoil yourself with a splash of cream if you’re feeling the need to be indulgent.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove fresh garlic, chopped
1 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped
1 pound asparagus stems & peelings
3 cups (approx) vegetable broth or chicken stock – canned low sodium is fine in a pinch
1 small (3 oz) Yukon Gold potato (or russet), peeled and cut in half
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated
salt & pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon chives, parsley or tarragon, chopped

Heat a 2 quart pan over medium flame. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until the onion softens and begins to turn translucent. The onions should not take on any color. Stir in the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. Add the asparagus trim and sauté for another minute or so. Drop in the potato and add enough broth to just barely cover the asparagus. Bring the soup to a boil, and then lower heat o maintain an easy going simmer. Don’t cover the pot as this will unnecessarily grey out the asparagus. Cook until the potato and the asparagus as extremely tender. Drain the vegetables reserving the liquid, and let cool.
When the soup solids are cool, transfer part of them to a blender. Puree the vegetable mixture, adding the soup liquid as you go to get as smooth a mixture as possible. Pour the puree into a medium fine sieve set over a bowl. Using a large ladle push the soup through the sieve, and throw out the solids left in the sieve. Repeat the process until all the soup solids have been strained. If there is any more liquid remaining, pour that through the sieve into the finished soup.
Rewarm the soup when ready to serve and adjust seasonings. Garnish with chopped fresh herbs.

Clearly a product of some retro thinking after our St. Patrick’s Day meal, I was inspired by the Handsome Venezuelan as he returned several times to refresh his bowl of Corned Beef & Cabbage with more broth. Later that week when faced with some leftover corned beef I remembered how meaty and clean tasting the broth was. Forgoing my initial plan for Reuben Sandwiches, I came up with the following alternative.

Initially I tried using the rye bread and cheese as croutons in the style of French Onion Soup, but the result was way too much busyness in the bowl. Not wanting to sacrifice any chance to indulge in warm melted cheese though, I suggest serving them on the side.

Reuben Soup with Cheesy Rye Toasts
Serves 3- 4

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 cup green cabbage, roughly cut
1 bay leaf
1 medium plum tomato, peeled, seeded &diced (or ½ cup canned diced tomato)
¼ cup sauerkraut, rinsed and squeezed dry
1 quart reserved corned beef cooking broth, fat removed
1 cup corned beef, rough cut
2 slices rye bread, cut in half
2 teaspoons olive oil
2/3 cup swiss or gruyere cheese, shredded

Heat a 2 quart or larger pan over medium heat. Add the olive oil and then the onions. Cook the onions, stirring often until they begin to soften. Add the cabbage and continue to sauté with the onions for 2 or 3 minutes. Add the bay leaf, tomato, sauerkraut and broth and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer until cabbage is well cooked. Add the corned beef and continue to simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and check seasonings.
When ready to serve, preheat an oven to 375*. Brush rye bread with olive oil and place on a small sheet pan. Place in oven and toast the bread for 6 minutes. Turn slices of bread over and top with grated cheese. Return to oven until cheese is melted and bubbly.
Serve with hot Reuben Soup.

So there you have it favored readers; a small, but well meaning reward for your patience. And a promise to shape up and get more words onto Word documents and stuffed into the Blogosphere. I can’t afford to have you abandon Big Mary for a more punctual food maven!

Wishing you indulgent cravings.

2008-03-09T18:19:00.000-04:00

Fettuccini with Roasted Cauliflower, Caramelized Onions, Pancetta, Pine Nuts and Parmesan
Lately we’ve been trying to be so “good” about pasta consumption that I’ve developed a blind spot. A few years back, when the Handsome Venezuelan embraced his Weight Watcher’s regime to acclaim and belt tightening results, I shifted our kitchen over to the newly marketed full grain pastas crowding the market shelves. It made spaghetti pretty much guilt free, and as any gourmand with a full time job knows…. Pasta is the solution at least once a week. Good Goddess, it’s just so easy to love. Sadly though, the echos of carb free preaching continue to taint the lip smacking goodness of a bowl of fine, lovingly prepared maccheroni.

So it was that I finally awakened from my pasta-phobic coma last weekend to hear the very same Handsome Venezuelan saying – “Maybe this weekend we can make pasta? I’ve been asking for a month!” By “make pasta” he so wisely means, MAKE pasta. The very noodles themselves.

The previous summer we had enjoyed our first fresh made pasta bliss moment when we rescued a classic Italian crank and cut pasta roller from yard sale purgatory. It was an absolute revelation. And this was a month after our return from 2 weeks in Italy mind you. That 2 minute old pasta was brand new and never before known, something neither of us had ever enjoyed before. We had entered Nonna’s kitchen territory, and we knew it.

So it was with excitement that late last October we had opened our home to a SIMAC pasta maker discovered at a country auction. It was ours for a thin greenback dollar. After reviewing our purchase at home I found a few things to be missing, primarily the instruction booklet. Quickly our bargain grew to a minor investment. Yet I still imagined myself the Duke of Ziti, Marquis of Mosticelli and Lord of Linguini. If we had thrilled to the tender strands of egg pasta last summer, imagine the excellence of what a true Italian pasta machine could achieve. This modern marvel promised equal flavor with the thrill of a Play Dough Factory adventure.

The instruction book arrived, an underwhelming Xerox and staple construction. But it wasn’t until I began to plumb the intricacies of its Italo/Anglo translation that I truly began to appreciate the experience I was about to embark upon. The pre-adventure involved the assembly of the machine. Mostly smoothly accomplished, though I did realize that the tightening wrench for the pasta disc was missing. Not so important I declared.............. ha!

Measure the flour, dump it in, measure the water, attach the lid, engage the kneading blade, add the water slowly for one minute, check your dough, should be lumpy, the size of walnuts.......... Walnuts?
Mine was a raggedy mix with no discernible lumps of any size. Process more..... OK... add more water or flour a tablespoon at a time. Don't let it form a smooth ball.. what? And most importantly don't process for more than 5 minutes total time! What time is it now???

OK, enough, can't let it form a ball. Let's make penne. Remove the shutter slide and let the dough move to the pasta disc and extrude. Oiled knife at the ready, I watched and waited for the pasta to push through the template... OK, any minute..... Ah there it is, should be pushing through now.... OK...OK...It's going no where right? Hmmmm. Oh look, the entire pasta disc and lock nut are prying loose as the dough extrudes everywhere except through the pasta disc. Shut it off, shut it off, shut it off. Somehow I knew I had made a wrong turn right next to those walnut sized lumps.

The manual assures me that the more I work with the Simac PastaMatic700, the more I will learn to judge when the dough is sufficiently kneaded. Until that day, I will do as I did last Sunday, and pull out my tried and true hand crank model and enjoy linguini, fettucine or taggliatelle that still amazes and enthralls me like the very first time. Plus it demands a pasta making partner, and that makes a dinner like this even more of an occasion.

Here's the sauce we enjoyed with our most excellent fettucine that night. It's a little out of the box, but 100% delicious, and while not meat free, certainly more veggie focused than most pasta meals.

Fettuccini with Roasted Cauliflower, Caramelized Onions, Pancetta, Pine Nuts and Parmesan
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium yellow onions, sliced thin, crosswise
2 ounces pancetta, sliced into thin strips
3 cups cauliflower, cut into medium florettes
¼ cup pine nuts, toasted
¾ pound homemade fettuccine (or ½ pound dried)
to taste Parmesan cheese
to taste freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped (optional)

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Preheat oven to 450*.
Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil and the sliced onion. Stir onions often. When they have just begun to go limp add the pancetta and mix very well. Turn heat to low and cook until onions are deep caramel color. Stir often.
In a large mixing bowl, toss cauliflower with remaining olive oil. Season with salt & pepper.
Place on a baking sheet and roast in preheated oven until well browned, tossing after about 5 minutes.
The cauliflower should take between 8 and 12 minutes. When cooked and browned, remove from often and reserve as it cools.
When onions are ready, drop fettuccine to cook. Add cauliflower and pine nuts to onions and warm. When fettuccine is tender, drain and add to onion, reserving some pasta cooking water. Toss pasta and onion mixture, add some Parmesan cheese and a few tablespoons of pasta water to loosen sauce. Portion into warm bowls, garnish with more Parmesan cheese, parsley and enjoy.

Babies, I hope you make this soon. It is absolutely Life affirming. And so, I'll leave you sated and sassy. And hungry for more.

2008-02-19T20:33:00.003-05:00

Country Pork Ribs with Salsa Verde

OH lovely readers, let me tell you something. Big Mary is not the strapping, ever ready, bounding with energy, marathon groomed cheflet he once was.

OK… I never was strapping or marathon groomed or a “cheflet” for that matter. But bounding with energy? Of course! Ever ready? No doubt! And now? Geritol grabbing, foot soaking, ginseng gulping, moaning and groaning. I have returned to the realm of the freelancer.

For those of you uninitiated; there roams in NYC a tribe of freelance chefs and cooks who sell their skills to various and sundry caterers and restaurateurs in the city. These are a sturdy breed of different drumming knife wielders who for personal reasons have taken a path less chosen than the armies of sous and sub-sous chefs scattered about the city. They are also some of the most resilient, fire tested, ingenious, subversive, quick thinking and quirky kitchen comrades you could ever share a stove with. A mixed bag to say the very least.

It’s a lifestyle choice to be sure. A typical week of three double shifts in four locations, a 3 hour party in the Hamptons with 6 hours of travel time, a bar mitzvah for 200 with omelette, pasta and dim sum stations, followed by a week where NO ONE has work. And of course, no paid vacation, no health insurance and no personal days off.

But then again there’s minimal commitment, you can schedule 2 weeks in Mexico when the February slow down hits and you get to choose who you work with and when. And you make a significantly better wage than your average line cook. It’s not for everyone, but these days it IS for Big Mary. And let me tell you, those 14 hour days when they happen, set my feet to howling like a cranky beagle and sentence me to hours in the Epsom salted tub.

All of this is a long winded way of apologizing for my absence. You’ve never been far from my thoughts; it was all about dragging it out of the tub into the computer chair. Of course this was after my happily accepted daily duty whipping up dishes spectacular and spontaneous for the Handsome Venezuelan. Here’s a Mexican inspired dish we enjoyed recently. It’s minimalist, clean flavored and so perfectly satisfying on either a blustery late winter day or a sunny pre-Spring surprise of a Sunday.

As you might know, chilies are a known fickle commodity. Poblano’s are a typically mild chile, though I’ve known a few that could burn you like a bitter queen. Likewise jalapeno’s can fluctuate wildly on the “picante” scale. Taste as you go and adjust knowingly. Remember the fiercest heat is in the seeds and white membranes inside the chile.

Pork with Mexican Salsa Verde (serves 2 or 3)

1 ½ pounds Country style pork ribs

1 large Poblano peppers
1 pound Tomatillos, husked and rinsed
¼ large Yellow onion, cut in half
1 large Garlic clove, peeled
1/4 cup Chopped Pecans, toasted and chopped very fine
1 medium Jalapeño (optional)
Salt and Pepper to taste

½ cup Chicken stock

½ large Yellow onion, peeled and thinly sliced
2 teaspoons Fresh Lime Juice
2 tablespoons Cilantro leaves, chopped
1 pinch Kosher salt

Preheat oven to 300*. Season pork ribs with salt and pepper. Place on a broiling pan, or on a rack over a baking sheet so that the fat can render as the ribs cook.
Cook ribs for 30 minutes allowing the excess fat to run off.

Meanwhile, roast poblano peppers over a gas flame (or under a broiler if your oven is electric). Turn the peppers, allowing them to char evenly. When peppers are black and blistered, remove them to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a plate. Let cool. When cool peel away the blistered skin and discard. Remove stem and seeds as well.
In a medium sauce pot place the tomatillos, onion chunks, garlic cloves and jalapeño. Cover with water and place over high heat. Bring to a boil. Cook for a few minutes until the tomatillos change color from bright green to a muted grey green. Remove from heat and carefully drain. Separate jalapeño. Place tomatillos, onion, garlic and poblanos in a blender. Puree until smooth. Add the pecans and puree again until smooth. Remove stem and seeds from jalapeño and cut into 4 or 5 pieces. Season the tomatillo salsa with salt and pepper. Puree as much of the jalapeño into the salsa as you wish.

After the pork has cooked for 30 minutes remove the ribs from the oven. Increase the oven heat to 350*. Transfer the meat to an ovenproof baking dish. Add the salsa verde and ½ cup stock. Return the dish to the oven and cook another 30 minutes or so, until the ribs are fork tender.

Combine the sliced onion, lime juice, salt and cilantro. Serve on the side as a condiment to the pork ribs.

And THAT, my pretties, should open up the oven door of satisfaction for anyone lucky enough to grace your table. As always, there’s plenty room for experimentation. You know how Big Mary loves an upgrade. A little Mexican oregano on the ribs could intrigue…. Or think how sweet some chopped pineapple could be in the onion condiment… Personally I’d double or triple the salsa verde part and throw it in the freezer for a quick meal another day. Seared Jumbo Shrimp with Salsa Verde? Um hum, now you’re cooking.

This post is dedicated to all the freelancers past and present who make me proud. You know who you are, but especially Cesar, Sue, Peter, Reynold, David, Kevin, Gary, Sydell, Sui Lon, Nancy, Michelle, Jennifer and Mary.

2008-01-30T18:27:00.000-05:00

“Chutney” Sauce for Pork Chops, Chicken Cutlets, Turkey Scallops …

I’m not entirely sure how it happens, but any refrigerator I’ve ever owned somehow becomes a halfway house for partially eaten jars of preserves, jams and marmalades. I have already confessed to an affinity for cooking and canning jams and such, so I suppose I have to take responsibility for creating an environment where these scraggily jars of fruity goodness might feel so totally comfortable to crash and nod about, forgotten in the junk yard of Smucker’s and such.

And while I’m claiming responsibilities, I have another small confession. As much as I enjoy creating preserves and purr like a fat ol’ cat counting up the jars on my basement shelf, a jeweler with his gems… I really don’t eat them so often. I think they taste incredible; it’s just not usually what I want first thing in the morning. And I’ve yet to schedule enough time for afternoon high tea. Though just the mention of it does make a lot of sense!

So it was with serious smug satisfaction that I was struck with inspiration last night as I studied a pair of naked pork chops destined for dinner. Now, when I begin to think about how to serve pork, my Midwestern heart opens up to fruit of any kind. I suspect this may be better attributed to Mama Gladys than the Midwest. To that lady, serving ham without applesauce was somehow as inappropriate as serving scrambled eggs raw.

I have plenty of friends whose kitchen history speaks more to pork chops with vinegar peppers, or thin fried pork chops smothered in gravy. But for me, I’m always looking to add some fruity sweetness cut by spice, smoke, citrus or herb. By now you see where I’m going, no?

Discretely bathing in the 40 watt glow of the top shelf of my refrigerator was a partial, dare I say half FULL, jar of Chambord Four Fruit Preserves from France. Gourmet quality the label boasted. Before it could say “Mon Dieu”, I had snatched it up and was headed toward the stove. A little onion, some left over red pepper, a few staples and I was on my way.

Try this on pork chops, of course, but I think it could also perk up grilled chicken breasts, sautéed turkey paillards, ham or maybe even grilled shrimp – depending on the fruit preserve you choose and adding lemon juice. Save any leftover sauce for sandwiches. It should last a week or more refrigerated.

Chutney Sauce for Pork, Chicken or Turkey

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup onion, finely diced
1/3 cup red pepper, seeded and finely diced
1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
1 large garlic clove, minced
¼ cup vermouth or wine, red or white
½ cup preserves or marmalade – any flavor
½ cup chicken stock, preferably homemade
¼ cup water
1 teaspoon demi glace (useful if using canned broth, but optional)
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon picante smoked paprika (or chipotle chile powder)
½ teaspoon whole mustard seeds
salt & pepper to taste

Heat a medium sauté pan over high heat. Add oil and then onion and peppers. Sauté, stirring often until onion begins to soften. Add chile flakes and garlic. Stir for 1 minute. Add wine to deglaze pan. Then add preserves, stock, water, demi glace and spices. Simmer over high heat to reduce and thicken. When it reaches your desired consistency, season and serve.

I just know you are going to get some mileage out of this my lovelies. I’m not sure this will be successful with jellies, but beyond that, feel free to push the envelope. Make it just for sandwiches. Serve it with your cheese platter. Go guava, go fig, push pineapple, who said mango?

Later you beautiful people…
Contented eating,
Big Mary

2008-01-24T20:02:00.000-05:00

Cabbage and Cauliflower with Orange Spice

Often, in my desire to cook in sync with the seasons I overlook obvious vegetables. Such was the case the other day when I discovered a forgotten half head of cabbage in the vegetable drawer earlier this week.

While I happily indulge in the occasional German Braised Red Cabbage, I instinctually relegate green cabbage to cole slaw. Something I really love, but that big green head deserves to relish in its full 15 minutes of fame. Maybe even a half hour or more, as I really love the richness it gets from slow cooking.

I have long been a fan of braising a thick cut shred of cabbage with butter and stock, which I then fold into rough mashed potatoes. An around the corner homage to Colcannon, a classic Irish dish. And I’m on it like clockwork every Saint Paddy’s day with my Corned Beef and Cabbage.

However, a few days ago, my discovery of the forgotten cabbage in the fridge coincided with my inkling to make a chicken curry dish. I dimly remembered dinners past in the curry mall of E. 6th Street here in NYC. Every dish it seemed , arrived with braised cabbage and dhal (yellow split peas). So, no blind monkey here, I recognized the potential for a happy marriage of the cabbage and the curry.

As the curried chicken was big on flavor, I was looking to create a dish that had enough balls to hold it’s own, while adding sufficient mystery to round out the plate. I happily submit the results.

Cabbage and Cauliflower with Orange Spice (serves 2 or 4)

½ cup onion, chopped
¼ head small green cabbage, cut into one inch squares
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt & pepper
3 whole cloves
1 ½ cups cauliflower florettes (approximate)
1 teaspoon tangerine zest (or orange)
¼ cup dry vermouth
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add oil and when hot add onions and cabbage. Sauté, stirring constantly to avoid browning. Add salt, pepper and whole cloves. If needed, add a tablespoon or two of water to slow cooking. When Cabbage is about halfway cooked, add cauliflower, zest and vermouth. Cover and continue to cook over medium low heat. After 2 minutes toss in the butter, swirl it around and return to heat with cover. Continue to cook until cabbage is soft and cauliflower is cooked, but still has a “bite”. Check seasoning, remove the whole cloves and serve.

And so my niblets, I encourage you to grab a “head” and get busy. Cabbage is just mild enough to be the canvas, yet present enough to tint the paint.

Contented eating and sassy sautéing,
Big Mary

2008-01-22T16:36:00.000-05:00

Indonesian Style Beef Brisket Rendang

Oh, ya know, sometimes I just need to shake it up! Big Mary’s been cooking without a major audience for several months now. Much as I don’t miss the daily grind of shoveling hotel pans of tilapia and pounds of pasta salad of the day out the door, I must confess to falling into a routine of home cooking that doesn’t exactly keep my tasting spoon at the ready.

That is why, when faced with a lovely, beefy cut of brisket the other day, I stopped myself from grabbing the classic mirepoix and instead sat myself down in front of my library. If you are anything like me, you have cookbooks you’ve forgotten you ever bought, let alone really read. Case in point, Fire & Spice – 200 Hot & Spicy Recipes from the Far East by Jackie Passmore. When I first found this book, (in a marked down section of some used bookstore no doubt), I was immediately drawn to the HUGE flavor profile all of the recipes have. If you’ve ever graced my table, you know I’m no timid flower when it comes to flavor. So, all her talk of Asian chilies, sambals, lemongrass, kaffir lime, Szechuan peppercorn and coconut milk were a siren’s song of Southeast Asian seduction to me.

That being said, one I managed to resist for years, given the build up of dust on the binding! Nevertheless, there I was, brisket in hand, searching for inspiration. Oh Lord, what a picture! I was caught by her recipe for Beef Rendang, a dish I’d made years ago for an Indonesian ristafell. Beef Rendang is normally a somewhat dry, braised dish of beef strips, glazed by a reduction of coconut milk, spices and onion. Why not, I thought, treat my beautiful brisket in this manner. Turns out, it was an inspired perversion. Here is my Indonesian Beef Brisket freely adapted from her recipe.

Beef Brisket “Rendang”

2 ½ pounds beef brisket, cleaned and trimmed
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
salt and pepper (szechuan pepper if possible)
2 small dried bay leaves
1 1/3 cups coconut milk
1 small tomato - peeled, seeded, chopped (or ½ cup canned diced tomato)
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
¼ teaspoon whole szechuan peppercorns
1 ½ teaspoon whole coriander seed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 ½ teaspoon whole cumin seed
1 medium onion – chopped (1 very generous cup)
2 medium garlic cloves – chopped
1 stalk lemongrass – cleaned and tender section chopped
2 tablespoons fresh ginger – peeled and minced
2 tablespoons cilantro stems
1 teaspoon Sriracha hot sauce
1 tablespoon tamarind paste (thick Indian style)
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
¼ cup cilantro leaves, chopped

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Preheat a medium skillet over high heat. Season the brisket with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in skillet and brown brisket on both sides to a rich deep brown color.
Transfer beef brisket to an oven proof dish with lid. Add 1 cup coconut milk, bay leaves, tomato and soy sauce. Cover dish and put in the oven for 15 minutes.
In the meantime, toast Szechuan peppercorns, coriander seed and cumin seed in a dry skillet over high heat. Set aside to cool and grind in spice grinder until finely ground. Add ground cinnamon.
Put prepared onion, garlic, lemongrass, ginger, cilantro stems, spices and Sriracha sauce into a blender. Add remaining 1/3 cup coconut milk. Process until smooth.
Heat a sauté pan and add the onion coconut milk mixture. Simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes or so. Sauce will darken slightly.
Remove beef from the oven after the 15 minutes, and add the onion coconut milk mixture. Pour the mixture over the beef, stir to combine and return to oven for another 2 ½ hours or so. Beef Brisket should be fork tender.
Remove from oven and stir in Tamarind paste and brown sugar. When cooled 30 minutes or so remove brisket and slice thinly across the grain. Serve with re-warmed sauce from the casserole and basmati rice. Garnish with chopped cilantro leaves.
Note: can be made 1 or 2 days in advance and reheated.

You’ll still want to make your Mamaw’s version of Braised Brisket when that’s what you want, but this will likely become your alternate version for “shaking it up”.
Contented Eating and Inspired Cooking my sweets.
Big Mary

2008-01-14T19:14:00.000-05:00

Roast Salmon with Yogurt and Horseradish

Over the holidays, we had a superbly delicious dinner at Tanoreen, a Palestinian restaurant deep in Brooklyn. I would have never known about it without an invitation from one of my dear friends and great Chef, himself a Mid East mutt with a trans border heritage of Israeli, Palestinian and Greek. The place is a small, table packed, home style jewel run by an enthusiastic Nazareth native as a paean to the cooking closest to her heart.

As she circulates, only occasionally, through the restaurant to check on her customers, she does so with the immense pride of someone who KNOWS “how everything is”. She’s just too much in control of her kitchen not to know. Yet that tight reign seems to have a gentle hand, and in fact that’s what makes the food so bright in flavor, so light on the tongue. This food manages to taste familiar, at the first bite. No matter if you grew up, as I did, in deep Midwest, generation upon generation removed from a grape leaf or chickpea. I feel this is all a reflection on the honesty with which Chef Rawia Bishara treats her ingredients.

Should you ever have the treat of visiting her restaurant at 7704 3rd Avenue in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, spend a few moments with Chef Rawia tableside and learn a bit about how she approaches cooking. It’s easy, just ask her anything about how a dish is made, or where that new/old familiar flavor is coming from in the lamb shank, or the kibbeh, or the cauliflower salad. That’s how I learned they make all of the yogurt they use, in house; cultivated from naturally occurring bacterium. The difference is delicious.

Inspired by her purity of flavors and commitment to quality, I have been dusting off my spice grinder and sifting through the middle eastern markets of Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn. Though not quite ready to whip up a batch of home cultured yogurt, I was excited to find a quart of whole milk plain yogurt with which to make some yogurt cheese. While you can make yogurt cheese with the more common lowfat yogurt typically found in supermarkets, you’ll enjoy a much richer result if you can source a full fat/whole milk product. Try natural food stores or ethnic markets.

Making yogurt cheese is second only to boiling water when it comes to ease of preparation.

Find a clean sieve and set it over a larger bowl where it can rest securely with sufficient clearance beneath to catch the draining liquid. Line the sieve with 3 or 4 layers of cheesecloth. I have also substituted coffee filters for the cheesecloth with great results. Place the plain yogurt in the lined sieve, cover loosly, and refrigerate the entire contraption for at least 12 hours.

The consistency of the yogurt cheese is entirely up to you, depending upon how you wish to use it. If I plan to make it into Tzatziki, I might let it drain a little more than if I plan to use it in my salmon recipe. It’s all up to you. My talented Chef buddy who introduced me to Tanoreen lets his drain for several days until he can roll bite sized yogurt cheese “truffles” which he marinates and cures in his special sourced Israeli Olive Oil. These are precious gifts he shares with his friends, of which I am happily and graciously one.

Tzatziki
I’m not going to give you exact recipes as I want you to find the balance of flavor that seems perfect to your palate. I will give you an indication of what works for me.
Set aside 1 cup of drained yogurt cheese. Peel one large cucumber and cut it into 3 inch sections. Using the large holes of a box grater, coarsely grate one section of the cucumber, stopping when you reach the seeds. Rotate the cucumber until you have grated all of the “meat” and discard the center seed section. Continue until you have grated all of the cucumber pieces. Place the shredded cucumber in a bowl and toss generously with kosher salt. Use at least 2 teaspoons. Place the cucumber in a sieve, place plastic wrap directly on the cucumber then cover with a plate and something to weigh it down. I find canned good work great. Place the weighted sieve over a bowl to catch the juices which will be released form the cucumbers. Allow to sit at room temperature for a minimum of 20 minutes, but an hour is better.
Meanwhile, take one small clove of garlic and mince it finely. When it is finely chopped, add a few pinches of salt. Using a table fork, mash the garlic with the salt until it forms a paste. Add this to the reserved yogurt cheese. In addition, add about ½ teaspoon of dried mint leaf. Set seasoned yogurt cheese aside.
When cucumber has rested and drained, remove sieve from the bowl (reserving drained cucumber juice) and rinse the cucumber thoroughly under cold running water. Squeeze the cucumber dry and mix into yogurt mix. Stir in a tablespoon or so of excellent extra virgin olive oil. At this point I like to stir in a bit of the reserved cucumber liquid. Not traditional, but I enjoy the boost of cucumber flavor. When the Tzatziki is at your desired consistency check for salt and pepper, season to taste and enjoy. It is great served with warm pide bread or pita toasts. Also delicious as a relish for grilled meats.

Another use I have developed for yogurt cheese is …

Salmon with Yogurt and Horseradish – serves two

¾ pound salmon filet
1/3 cup yogurt cheese
2 tablespoons prepared horseradish, lightly squeezed
1 pinch freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon fresh dill, finely chopped (optional)
salt & pepper

Preheat convection oven to 350*, conventional oven to 375*.
Clean salmon filet of pin bones and remove skin. Cut into two portions, season with salt & pepper and set aside. Combine yogurt cheese, horseradish, nutmeg and dill (if using). It should be about the consistency of cake frosting. If the yogurt was drained to an extremely thick texture, you may want to add a tiny bit of water. Cover the tops of the salmon portions with the yogurt mixture, as if frosting a cake.
Place on a lightly oiled baking sheet and roast for 5 – 10 minutes depending on thickness of filets. My preference is for the salmon center to be still rosy. It will continue to cook after it leaves the oven.
This is delicious served with orzo, all grains, even tabouleh.

Now go have fun and experiment with yogurt cheese. It keeps for over a week if the yogurt was fresh when you bought it.

2008-01-07T16:43:00.000-05:00

Pecan Chipotle Soup

Breaking a long held and deeply cherished tradition of isolationism, Big Mary and the handsome Venezuelan hosted a New Year’s Eve dinner last December 31st. Nothing too boisterous, just a tasteful dinner for 6 of our best friends, a careful assembly of personalities and intelligence that would encourage a smooth yet entertaining entry for the New Year.

Now you should know about me that the mere mention of a party of any sort sets into motion a temporary storm of “Bi-Polarism” that forms a black cloud over my head and follows me into any nook or cranny where I might hide. I love the idea of cooking for friends and feeding them, yet I equally hate the idea of risking serving a dish less than perfect. I love the idea of serving a table full of interesting, perfectly purchased cheeses, cured meats, breads, smoked fish and condiments, but I hate my imagined belief that my friends are arriving, expecting me to whip up something truly show stopping. I love the idea of sitting with friends for a leisurely repast of simple foods and outstanding wines, yet I seem incapable of creating a menu that allows for me to be anywhere other than stove-side assembling said “leisurely repast”. Well, by now you have the idea.

True to form, my first menu for the evening consisted of 3 hors d’oeuvres selections, followed by 8 courses of small plates, dessert and petites fours. All lubricated with five wine selections, port and prosecco. It’s like a disease!
But thank the Goddess, at some moment the little voice in my head began to wail and keen with grief over the apparent loss of my mind, and that somehow got my attention. With the calm presence of someone flirting with reality, I was able to edit this meal into a feast that was celebratory yet didn’t require two intermissions.

Here is the menu I ended up with. Still a bit over the top, but it shows gallons of growth for me!

Crudites of Haricots Verts, Radish and Sugar Snaps with Lemon Dill Aioli, Sweet and Savory Roasted Almonds and Walnuts, Plantain Chips

Pecan Chipotle Soup – Served in DemiTasse

Seviche of Sea Scallops with Meyer Lemon and Blood Orange
On Shaved Fennel, Hearts of Palm and Avocado Salad

Braised Boneless Short Ribs of Beef
On Mashed Yukon Gold Potatoes and Celery Root

Baby Arugula with Roasted Beets, Pistachios and Proscuitto
Pistachio Vinaigrette

Caramel Roasted Pears on Sesame Pastry Disc with Sour Cream Gelato

The Soup was pretty much universally applauded, so I have included my recipe for it below. It is adapted from a recipe of Iliana de la Vegas.
It’s outrageously rich , so small portions are in order. Depending on the quality of your blender and how finely you strain it, this soup can be presented anywhere on the spectrum of high-end finesse to homey and soul warming. I prefer it somewhere in the middle.

Pecan Chipotle Soup – serves 6 - 12

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 teaspoons fresh garlic, minced
½ cup onion, finely chopped
8 ounces pecan pieces
2 ounces country white bread - not sourdough – cut small
3 medium canned plum tomatoes
4 cups whole milk
1 ½ cups strong chicken stock
2 tablespoons canned chipotle chiles in adobo – chopped
1 pinch fresh grated nutmeg
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
fresh chopped cilantro for garnish

In a large pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add garlic, onion, pecan pieces and bread and gently sauté until all ingredients are toasted and aromatic. About 8 – 10 minutes.
Transfer pecan mix into a blender. Add tomatoes, chipotles, and some of the milk. Puree until VERY smooth.. Return to the pot and add the remaining milk, stock and nutmeg. Warm and check seasoning for salt & pepper. Strain through a sieve, discarding remaining solids. Soup may be cooled and refrigerated at this point for several days.
When ready to serve, rewarm gently, add lemon juice, check for seasoning and serve garnished with cilantro.
NOTE: This soup may be made vegetarian by substituting more milk for the chicken stock..

2008-01-03T15:04:00.001-05:00

Chicken with Leeks and Fennel

Once again, a New Year; which means economy; both financially and calorically. Normally this would be enough to send me into a two week spiral of bitterness and revenge. After all, what’s Life without treats?

On the other hand, my freezer really has been begging for reorganization and restoration. And this will be the last chance to use up those extras from the New Year’s Eve soiree.. So I thought a refrigerator surprise dinner might be just the challenge I needed to snap me out of my feelings of deprivation.

After jettisoning a few freezer burned pork chops, regretfully dismissing some of last summer’s tart cherries that never made it to the preserving pot, and tossing several sauces that refused current identification; I was left with some forgotten but still useful pints of chicken stock, pancetta scraps that will come in handy for flavoring braises to come, and chicken thighs that were still in serviceable shape.
The refrigerator enjoyed a similar purging of the forgotten and unusable, and rewarded me with a few leeks, half a bulb of fennel, rosemary remnants and leftover cauliflower. I liked what I saw, and began to feel more pampered than deprived as I set the chicken thighs to defrost.

Braised Chicken Thighs with Leeks and Fennel
Roasted Cauliflower and Brown Rice – Serves 2

4 Chicken thighs on the bone – skin removed
1 Leek - sliced thinly crosswise and WELL washed – about 2/3 cup
½ head Fennel – core removed and thinly sliced
Rosemary – finely minced – about ½ teaspoon
White Wine and Chicken Stock
Cauliflower – cut into medium florettes
Brown Rice

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cook brown rice according to package directions. When finished, stir in some chopped scallion if desired and keep warm.

Heat a small/medium sauté pan. Over medium heat, brown the seasoned chicken thighs in oil. Don’t let the pan get too hot, and patiently achieve delicious color on the thighs. When browned on both sides, throw about ½ cup wine into the sauté pan. After the wine has simmered up, remove the chicken thighs to a small casserole. Scrape the pan to get up all of the flavor and then pour the reduced wine over the chicken.

Return sauté pan to heat, add a bit more oil and heat to medium. Add leeks and sauté for a minute or so. Add the fennel and rosemary, season with salt & pepper and continue to sauté until vegetables are beginning to soften. Add chicken stock and heat until simmering. (Note: adjust seasoning if using canned chicken broth. Homemade stock will need more salt typically) When hot, pour mixture on top of chicken thighs.

This dish will cook best when it loosely fills the casserole. Too tight and it won’t cook evenly, too much space and the flavor will be weak. Cover casserole tightly or wrap with foil and set in preheated oven. Cook about 30 - 40 minutes, until chicken is very tender, but still lightly clinging to the bone. Remove from oven and keep warm in the covered casserole.

Raise oven heat to 450 degrees. Place a foil lined baking sheet in the oven to preheat. Toss cauliflower lightly with oil, salt and pepper. When oven is preheated, remove baking sheet, pour cauliflower on sheet and place in oven. After 6 minutes toss cauliflower to achieve even browning and return to oven until cooked to desired consistency.

Serve chicken thighs over rice accompanied with cauliflower.

2007-03-18T23:14:00.000-04:00

Spring is ... there

Here we are, Big Mary and the Handsome Venezuelan, happily trapped in La Casa Amarilla. Up to our cheeks in snow. I'll let you picture just which cheeks...
Meanwhile, I'm stressed out about the Marketing Event next Wednesday for the "day job" where we are going to celebrate the first day of Spring.

As I've ranted before, there are so few oppotunities to cook seasonally; that, cooking within the confines of what is (and used to be) purely seasonal does add a lift into my already light tread. There are the usual suspects: asparagus, peas, strawberries; but of course these are the same suspects that have now become year round harbingers of Spring. I wanted to also focus on morel mushrooms, rhubarb, fresh goat cheese, Spring lamb, baby greens and fava beans.

Given that the choice of theme was, how shall I say... Less than original? Yeah, that says it. I wanted the evidence of Spring in the menu to be somewhat subliminal. First priority - delicious. Next - innovative, and Finally - Spring. The truth of the matter is, Spring flavors speak for themselves. If not obscured, they bring that bright green, herbaceous, subtle, fresh element into whatever dish you place them into.

Hors D'oeuvres are my absolute, hands down favorite kitchen medium. It's just more bang for the buck, with less risk. For me, that's just a slice of heaven.
We'll be serving:

Smoked Trout Rillettes with Horseradish Cream on Potato Crisps
I make a smoked trout salad with no mayo or cream. Just fine chopped fennel, radish, chive and dill; mixed into broken up smoked trout with thyme oil and lemon juice. Crisp fried potato squares, a dab of horseradish cream and topped with smoked trout rillettes.

Buttermilk Minted Pea Soup with Mint Granita
Served in a demitasse cup, this is a cold pea soup. I use frozen peas, they're just more reliable. Saute some shallots, add the thawed peas, chopped scallion and vegetable stock. Puree with fresh mint leaves and chill quickly. Add buttermilk and seasoning to taste.
Make a strong flavored mint tea, with a small amount of sugar. Turn this into a grantita which garnishes the soup.

Zucchini Corn Cakes with Goat Cheese and Tomato Basil Salsa
Really more summer, but needed some veg options. I just make a cormeal pancake batter and add it to shredded (squeezed dry ) zucchini to make bite sized pancakes. Top with whipped montrachet chevre and a salsa of red & yelow tomatoes with basil. I developed this recipe for Martha Stewart Everyday, so if anyone want's it, post a comment. Work's full size too.

Moroccan Lamb in Kataifi Nests
Make kataifi nests by buttering mini muffin pans and sprinkling lightly with sugar. Pull off a small amount of kataifi (shredded phyllo) and swirl into a bird's nest. Place in prepared mini muffin tin, sprinkle with melted butter, cinnamon and sugar. Bake until crisp.
Seperatly, saute ground lamb with diced onions, Moroccan spices, harissa and currants. Finish with a tiny splash of orange flower water. Fill the nests with the warm lamb mix. Pipe a small amount of lebne(or drained yogurt)on top and add a tiny sliver of preserved lemon peel.

Bresaola with Favas
Toast mini crostini of semolina baguette with garlic oil. Set aside. Peel and blanch fava beans. Chill in ice water. Peel again and set aside half. Puree one half with olive oil , salt & pepper. Rough chop remaining half. Slice bresaola into slivers and combine with rough chopped favas and extra virgin olive oil; about a 50/50 mix of beans and beef. Using a vegetable peeler, create chards of peppercorn romano cheese. Schmear a bit of fava puree on each crostini. Top with a portion of the fava bresaola mix. Garnish with a pepper romano chard.

Thai Crab with Minted Cucumber Relish
Make a Thai green curry sauce with green curry paste, galangal, fish sauce, kaffir lime leaves, sugar and mayonnaise. Clean some jumbo lump crab and combine with chopped scallion and fine diced red pepper. Add green curry sauce to taste. Fine dice cucumber and heavily season with salt. Press and drain for 20 minutes or so. Rinse well and combine with Indian mint chutney, rice wine vinegar and sugar. Set aside. Fry mini popadum from Indian market. Combine hors d'oeuvres by placing a small amount of crab salad on popadum and garnish with minted cucumber salsa.

Parmesan Beignets of Italian Greens
Saute swiss chard, spinach, escarole and sweet dandelion greens (each variety seperately) with a touch of garlic. When cool, squeeze dry. Combine with fresh ricotta cheese (if store bought, drain over night), fresh ground nutmeg, a touch of Parmesan cheese and salt & pepper. Roll into balls, dredge in flour, then eggs, then a 50/50 mix of parmesan cheese and bread crumbs. Freeze and fry to order.

Confit of Duck with Fresh Morels in Mini Corn Cups
You got me. I'm gonna have to pull this one out of my nether regions! And that's IF I find fresh morels.

In a few days, I'll post the rest of the menu and a killer/easy recipe for truffles. Just didn't want to leave my kids alone for too long....

Contented eating,
Big Mary

2007-03-04T22:20:00.000-05:00

The best wines found in Pennsylvania... Who'da thought?

As much as the Handsome Venezuelan and I enjoy, cherish and thrive at La Casa Amarilla in the Poconos, the fact that wine and liquor sales are goverened by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has usually prompted us to shuttle our wines from our local wine vendor here in Park Slope, Brooklyn.

Before I proceed, let me tip the turban to these lovely folk at Slope Cellars on 7th and 15th here in Brooklyn. Their entire back section of Slope Cellars is filled with "Cheap & Tasty" wines, that have rarely failed to please. All wines boxed here (as opposed to shelved) are 10 bucks or less, and we've found quite a few memorable quaffs here.

In a similar vein, I have been tickled fuschia with the new development at my "State Store" in Pennsylvania. They have instigated a new program called Chairman's Selection, using the entire state's buying power to get some great prices on some outstanding wines.

Not sure who this "Chairman" is, but I'd love to bend my elbow with him/her over a few weekends, cause this muthafuka knows wine. We've not had one bottle that disappointed us. And then there were a few that just slapped us in the face and made us sit in a corner till we felt humbled.

Here's two that deserve a long drive to find...
Australian Grant Burge Barossa Shiraz 2004
Exceptional balance with a perfect tannin presence. Just dries the palate enough to let the flavor of the wine sit there until the next sip, even if it's 5 minutes later. Full fruit, but all plum, prune and bing cherry, nothing bright and berry here. The wood flavor is so integrated you don't experience it as the oakey barrel flavor you get used to. More chocolate and earth.

This Shiraz reminded us both of a French Bordeaux 1998 St Estephe we brought back from Paris. That wine was about $28 in Paris in 2003. This beauty was $10 this weekend. I can only hope there's a case left when we return Friday night. They suggest it could handle up to 10 years of cellaring. For me, that's the greatest challenge this wine presents. Purchasing enough to have some left in 2014.

Chilean Montes Sauvignon Blanc 2006
This wine makes me want to have a restaurant just so I can make this my house white.
I've already given a bottle of this to Uptown/Downtown Eastside Lady C as well as Isla Sue. Haven't heard their opnions, but every time I open another bottle, I am infatuated all over again. It's so bright and crisp it reminds me of a Portuguese Vihno Verde. Neither the HandVen or I can decide if the slight effervensence is in our minds or our glasses. (Some have opined that the effervesence is in our heels. We decline comment.) Lots of citrus, especially grapefruit in a glass of this Sauvingnon Blanc, also fields of green grassiness. Exceptionally bright and acidic, probably too much for some, but I just find it an exceptionally gifted teenager of a wine. We bought the last two bottles on Saturday. Please order more Mr. Chairman.

I know I promised input of Chile. I'll try to get back on that track soon.

For now my pretties, Contented Eating (and Drinking)
Big Mary

2007-02-12T21:33:00.000-05:00

Building a Better Meatloaf ...

As a catering chef clients often ask me to put together an American menu for them. Over the years I've learned there are damn few items that can honestly claim the title. "Meat loaf" a client argues, but really, isn't it just poor man’s pate? "Beef stew" they challenge, but we all know there are several versions whose recipes were in the knapsacks of the early settlers. "Hot dogs".... it's called a frankfurter Helen. "Apple pie".... don't get me started.

By now, you must be waving your hand as high as the smart kid in the back of Sister Imelda's 4th grade classroom. Yes we know ... there are a few truly American dishes, at least in my opinion. Southern Fried Chicken comes to mind, and Chicken Fried Steak. Barbecue in general. Clam, fish and corn chowders, though I seem to recall the word chowder comes from a French word. Several mythic stewpots, Brunswick for example, Gumbo or Burgoo. All I'm saying is, there's not as much truly American food as you might think, once you rule out Velveeta, Condensed Soups and Tuna Melts.

What we clever Americans can claim, is an inspired ability for improvisation and adaptation to what's on hand. So it may have been with that immigrant mother from Bordeaux who was faced with a pound of meat, a few eggs and a loaf of stale bread to feed her new American family of 10. Drawing on her own tradition, she forged a new one. An inspired one, to my Midwestern palate. Pate's all well and good and perfect on a crouton with dijon, cornichons and a flacon of Cote du Rhone, but it's not what's called for on a plate with mashed potatoes, mushroom gravy, string beans and horseradish. And true to my colors, Big Mary would easily sacrifice a life time of pate over the possibility of a lifetime without meat loaf.

Meat Loaf is also one of those dishes whose quality we most often determine by how close to our mama's recipe it is. Indeed Mama Gladys set my standard, but I have researched a few innovations that I offer to the next generation. Inspired by the Handsome Venezuelan's recent diet success I've done some research to make meat loaf, if not diet food, at least more waist watcher friendly.

The classic meatloaf mix is 1/3 each ground beef, veal and pork. If you are open to it, go for it. It truly makes the penultimate meatloaf. But if looking for a less caloric version, feel free to go with ground turkey breast or the leanest ground beef offered, the mushrooms in this recipe guarantee a tender moist loaf. I've also called for fresh whole wheat bread crumbs. The fresh bread crumbs provide a lighter product and the whole wheat adds some fiber which reduces the carbohydrate effect. This feeds 3 - 4 people. I believe it should multiply easily.

Big Mary's Meatloaf
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3/4 cup onion, finely chopped
1 large garlic clove, finely minced
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, finely chopped
1/2 cup carrot, shredded
1/4 cup dry vermouth or white wine
1 cup (approximately 1/3#) white mushrooms, very finely chopped (use a food processor)
1 pound ground meat
1 large egg (or equivalent egg substitute)
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
1/3 cup ketchup
1/2 teaspoon salt
Fresh ground pepper to taste
1 cup fresh whole wheat bread crumbs

Glaze:
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup hoisin sauce

Preheat oven to 350*
Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add oil, and then onion and garlic. Sauté a few minutes until onion begins to wilt. Add chopped thyme and carrot. Sauté 2 more minutes. Add white wine, cook 1 more minute and remove from heat. Set aside to cool.
Combine ground meat, egg, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, salt, pepper, bread crumbs and cooled onion mix. Mix thoroughly, and form into a loaf approximately 5 " X 10". Place on a foil lined baking sheet.
Bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until an instant read thermometer reads 145* when inserted into the center of the meatloaf.
Make the glaze by mixing the ketchup and hoisin in a bowl. Brush liberally over the meat loaf and return to the oven for 10 minutes or so until temperature reads 155*. Remove from oven and let meatloaf rest for 5 - 10 minutes before slicing.

There you have it my pretties. And I predict if you have any leftovers, you'll be fighting over meatloaf sandwiches on toasted white bread. Next time we're going to be talking chili, another American food improvisation.

Contented Eating,
Big Mary

2007-02-10T22:05:00.000-05:00

Time and Space Travel in Little Italy

Lately I'm finding myself reminded of how much time I am not spending in New York City. True, I'm on the road at 6:30am every Monday through Friday; my Honda's tires entrenched in the ruts of my daily commute from Park Slope to the Lower East Side. And I faithfully retrace the route after my 10 hours of managing the food fuel for hundreds of corporate drones like myself. That's all metrocentric enough. Then comes Friday night and I pick up the HV (Handsome Venezuelan) at his corporate hive and we're off to the rural bliss of La Casa Amarilla in the Poconos.

Now this decompression time with our forest, fireplace, birds, deer and tree house like deck are as vital to me as oxygen, good living and reasonably priced wine. But, I am sad that I've paid the harsh price of urban disconnect to achieve it. The reality of NYC is this... it takes time, energy and commitment to reap the rewards this town offers, especially given the long work week its economy imposes.

My old job was situated in Long Island City, Queens; so I was hip to all the Pan Asian-Latino doings of Jackson Heights and Woodside as well as the Italo-Greco treasures of Astoria. My current gig allows for up to date info of Chinatown, but that's about it, or so I thought.

Last Friday found Big Mary with time to kill about 4pm, while waiting for the HV to finish up at 7 or so. Despite the significant chill, I set out from work to explore local stores and perhaps pick up some treats for our late night dinner when we arrived in Pennsylvania. I knew I could pick up some great Vietnamese Bahn Mi sandwiches for the car ride(incredibly delicious pork, pate, pickled carrot, daikon and cilantro on warm baguette), but I had hopes of one of those great NYC moments of discovering a store that only exists in the time and place of where you are, NYC. I buttoned up my coat and headed west until I saw neon signs advertising Clam Bars, Caffe and Fresh Mozzarella.

Now, what many of you from west of the Hudson may not realize is that Little Italy doesn't much exist anymore. There is Mulberry Street, loaded with touristic restaurants that send out (for the most part) mediocre Italo-American fare. But the neighborhood has been swallowed by the swelling populace of Chinatown, and one is hard pressed to find many Italian-Americans living there anymore. And with that exodus comes the unavoidable waning of authenticity of experience.

None of this is a concern however, once you pass through the door at DiPalo's of Little Italy. This first thing that confronts you is a red number dispenser urging you to "Take a number, please." Accept this as encouragement that you are in the right place for the real thing. Take your number, and enjoy the down time to peruse the shelves of Italian (and a few vicarious Mediterranean) pleasures. You'll find pasta shapes you've never experienced before, Sandinian Carta di Musica, Italian butters, homemade raviolis, tortellonis, mostardis, Italian crackers and breadsticks, forest honey and more formaggi and salumi than you knew existed.

However, it's the service that sends you directly to Italy, do not pass Go, do not collect $200. It's not exactly timely, and that's the point. Time needs to be allowed for local gossip, news from Italy, suggestions on proper neo-natal care and the relative differences of Proscuitto San Danielle and Proscuitto di Parma. But once your number is called, they are going to spend as much time with you as if you were a true Medici. A request for a cheese's description will not only inform you of the type of milk used and the region where it is made, but a hearty sample proffered on the end of a cheese knife.

That happy Friday I was selecting between five cheeses. A perfectly ripe goat doble crema whose name escapes me, but whose happy goat label I know I'll remember. This was an immediate purchase. Next I tasted a sublime Piave Vechio, cow's milk from the Veneto; often dry and lackluster, but DiPalo's offered a perfect specimen, rich, yielding and slightly nutty. Next a Fontina style Stelvio form Alto Adige, softer and mouth filling. Also a cow's milk cheese I'd never seen before, Crucolo from the Trentino, Morbier like but richer, rounder and fuller in flavor. Finally Pecorino D'Oro from Sardinia which reminded me of Dutch aged Gouda, but uniquely sharp and without the caramel flavors of aged Gouda. Instead it retained its grassy earthy flavors. I limited myself to the Crucolo and the creamy goat disc.

I rounded out our late night picnic with a quarter pound of Proscuitto di Parma, some plump olives and crusty Italian bread. As a real treat I purchased a half pound canister of wood roasted coffee from Sant Eustachio on good faith. Di Palo is the only US store to import this from the renowned caffe near the Pantheon in Rome. My faith turned out to be well placed on Saturday morning.

And so my precious ones, my soul feels a bit renewed, and I am once again reminded of why I work so hard to live where I live. Now I want all of you to find what's special and unique in your market and spend some money there. People like the DiPalo's and their compatriots deserve to reap some rewards for what they do, whether they are at your farmer's market or ethnic enclave, be it Italian, Polish, Portuguese or Filipino.

Contented eating,
Big Mary

2007-01-22T20:14:00.000-05:00

Smooth, Smooth Soups

As food groups go, soups rank somewhere between 10 and 11 on a scale of 10 for me. And I must admit, that ranking is based on the joy of making them, even more than consuming them. I'm infatuated with the enormous range available for culinary play. The trek from Chicken Noodle to Vietnamese Chicken Pho just tickles Big Mary's fancy in a way that should probably fall under the censorship of some culinary Big Brother.

So, I was secretly pleased when the stars aligned to create the "perfect storm" of soup demand at my corporate kitchen this week. The fact that it co-aligned with a slow week of business blessing me with the time to play was, well... inspired. Not only were we bestowed with the first snowfall of the season here in NYC, which just makes any soup taste better; but a favored co-worker was caught between the blender and a hard place as well.

The Uptown/Downtown but always Eastside Lady C is a co-worker who's lately been so knocked about by Life that even the cynical hard edged heart of Big Mary has softened. In the past two weeks, our former party girl has had to quit smoking, undergo major dental surgery and consequently has been forced on the wagon and off solid foods for 3 weeks. Always a Sister of Charity under my apron, Big Mary has rushed in to fill the void by both making daily smooth soups and upping my alcohol consumption to keep the cosmos in balance.

Much as I "qvell" at the potential of making vast quantities of soup, my taste runs more to the chunky, chock full concept of soup kettle than the Parisian, restrained, elegant smooth puree. So I was giddy at the challenge thrown down by my dentally challenged compatriot. The week had many treasures, one of which I actually wrote down as I created. The others are included as cooking thoughts.

Puree of Cauliflower Soup
1 medium head of cauliflower (about 1 1/2 # after cleaning)
1 cup sliced leeks (pale green and white parts)
1 parsnip
Clean one medium sized cauliflower, break it down into small pieces and set aside. (Mine was about 1 1/2# after cleaning.) Slice pale green and white parts of leeks, wash very well and set aside. Peel 1 medium parsnip, cut out any woody core, rough chop and set aside. In a medium saucepan, warm some oil and a bit of butter. Add leeks and sauté gently until limp, avoiding any browning. When soft add a generous splash of white wine, 1 bay leaf, the cauliflower and parsnips. Next add enough well flavored chicken stock (homemade preferred, but in a pinch Swanson's Low Sodium isn't too bad) to just cover the vegetables. When the broth comes to a boil, add about a teaspoon of fresh chopped thyme and reduce heat to a slow simmer. A bit of salt and pepper should go in as well. Continue to cook the soup until the cauliflower and parsnip are soft. Cool slightly and strain, reserving liquid. Put vegetables into a blender with some of the liquid and puree until smooth. Add the rest of the liquid slowly until everything is smooth. When ready to serve, rewarm the soup and add half & half (about 1/2 cup) to taste. Add a fresh ground nutmeg to taste and adjust salt and pepper. Serve in warm bowls garnished with chives.

In addition, the Lady C (and the Handsome Venezuelan, by default and overflow) enjoyed the following:

Sweet Potato, Apple and Bacon Soup
Dice up peeled sweet potato, peeled Granny Smith apple, chopped fresh thyme leaves, sliced proscuitto and cooked bacon and simmer with chicken stock until soft. Next, puree until smooth. Personally I add a healthy spoonful of Garum Masala to this mix, while cooking. Serve in warmed soup bowls.

Lentil Soup
Sauté a sofrito of celery, onion, carrots, red pepper and garlic. When translucent add chicken or vegetable stock and simmer until soft. Feel free to add a generous handful of cooked bacon if desired. Add lentils (about 50% of the veg mix), chicken or vegetable stock, a generous spoon of tomato paste and simmer until soft. Puree thoroughly and add more stock to taste.

Roasted Tomato and Eggplant Soup
Drop two medium eggplants on a grill and char them over low heat. Transfer them to a baking sheet and continue to roast them until collapsing soft. Strain about 8 canned tomatoes, (or peeled Roma tomatoes in season) and roast in a 450* oven until charred. Combine roasted tomato flesh with eggplant flesh avoiding the seeds and skin of both. Sauté 1/2 cup leeks in olive oil and 1 small chopped fennel bulb (or half a large one) until softened, add 1 tablespoon minced garlic and sauté 1 minute more. Deglaze with about a cup of dry white vermouth. Add 1 cup tomato puree, 1 red pepper (roasted & peeled, seeds removed) and 1/4 teaspoon saffron. Cover with strong chicken stock and simmer for 10 minutes or so, until fennel is cooked soft. Puree in a blender and return to saucepan to rewarm. Right before serving, toss in a handful of fresh chopped basil. Serve in warm bowls with shredded Parmesan Reggiano as garnish.

Contented Eating,
Big Mary

2007-01-15T23:35:00.000-05:00

Blame it on Swanson's

How could it have taken me so long to fall for the charms of Pot Pies? I can only figure it is the sour memory of those early Swanson pot pies from the early 1960's. Back in those days, my Dad did a fair share of traveling, so Mama Gladys saw this as a welcome break from cooking. I was an eager enthusiast of the TV Dinner, but balked at the less exotic Pot Pies that were another option Mama Gladys opened. The weirdly thick gravy, the ubiquitous peas and carrots, and most especially the tough and partially uncooked bottom dough.... I just never really found a connection.

Lately though, I've had a few moments of pot pie enlightenment. Maybe it's my personal attempt to seduce the winter to show up here in the Northeast. Enough of these 60 degree days, already! Mind you Diva Nature I'm not looking for eight foot drifts and electrical outages, but a little frost on the windowpane could be a prefect garnish for some soups and stews.

And that's really what's at the base of a good pot pie. Make any savory stew or chunky soup, thicken the broth with a little roux or cornstarch slurry (go easy on the thickening agent kids, better loose than gluey), turn it out into a gratin dish, pie plate or individual ovenproof casseroles, top it with some pastry and bake it off. Pour a glass of wine, if you haven't already, toss a salad and in about half an hour you get to serve a dinner that's at least an 8 on show appeal and a 4 on stress.

So, how to put it together? Fly loose and let your inspiration flow unchecked. This post is really about hints, suggestions and support, so no recipe my pretties; as if what I normally post could be confused as a recipe by anyone in the know. But let me throw some inspiration at you in any case....

Personally, I could eat some form of soup or stew at least 4 nights a week, so Big Mary has no lack of inspiration or motivation for what lies beneath the crust. If you are stew challenged, go to any cookbook, especially ethnic inspired ones and look for any braised meat or vegetable recipes. Keep in mind the scale of the food, all ingredients should be about 1/2" - 3/4" in size. Classic American flavors work great, but so do Mexican, Thai, French, Spanish, I could go on and on... For me, I get excited about the crust options; because I never thought about anything beyond the pie crust or puff pastry options. How little did I imagine.... I always suggest a crust on the top only. There's just no way of successfully enclosing the pot pie with a top and bottom crust. More importantly, there's no need.

I offer for your consideration ....

Beef Pot Pie with Carrots, Parsnips, Mushroom and Peas with Classic Pate Brise Pastry Crust (Pie crust for the french challenged)

Chicken Pot Pie with Shallots, Carrots, Wild Mushrooms, Fines Herbes and Vermouth with Puff Pastry Crust

Chicken Pie Gran Mere with Mushrooms, Leeks, Pancetta and Chestnuts with Tarragon Chive Drop Dumpling Crust

Turkey Pot Pie with Roasted Vegetables, Dried Cranberries, Sage and Bread Cube Stuffing Crust

Pork Pot Pie with Chilies, Posole and Poblano Peppers in Cornbread Cheddar Crust

Thai Green Chile and Coconut Chicken Pot Pie with Straw Mushrooms, Peppers, Thai Basil and Phyllo Crust

Greek Lamb Pot Pie with Swiss Chard, Tomato and Feta with Kataifi Crust (a shredded phyllo product available in Mid East Stores

Indian Vegetable Pot Pie with Cauliflower, Peas, Spinach and Mushrooms with Curried Potato Cashew Crust

Contented Eating My Pretties,

Big Mary

2007-01-06T20:40:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year's ????

First let me pray that the Goddess might bless the brow of every single one of you who reads my humble blog, and provide more success, happiness and wealth than you can possibly deal with in 2007. My fervent wish is that each and every one of you might be able to someday say, "I was reading Big Mary when he was just a humble blog, before the radio show, before the Madonna connection, before the movie..."

But moving on ... let's vent a little steam. What's going on in the world of food writing? Here I was, hoping to position myself to morph from the heinous world of corporate catering to the sophisticated world of food writing; only to discover that my new fantasy career has been hijacked by the lightweight thinkers at the Food Network.

While I confess, I don't spend many hours watching cooking shows on any network, the few times I do find myself surfing by the Food Network I'm typically left with jaw dropped and ire rising over both the subtle and blatent misinformation that is sent over these airwaves. The more cooking professionals I speak to about this, the deeper the dilemma appeaars to be. In addition, I've learned the problem is a lot more widespread than I thought.

My best buddy, owner of DM Cuisine Catering in NYC, reports that one of his cater waiters (a breed of server reknowned for lack of knowledge about what they are serving), was recruited by the Food Network to develop a cooking show after her TV commercial for vegetable shortening was so well received by test audiences. When she freely admitted she new NOTHING about cooking, they replied "Not to worry, we can take care of that part."

Several prominent food writers I spoke to at the home of my Jersey food pro pals report the same realities. Unless you're a celebrity chef, or young and pretty enough to fill out jeans more attractively than Big Mary, or better yet a blend of both, there's little chance of your cookbook getting published these days.

Another dilemma facing the modern foodwriter is the Internet, and busybody bloggers like yours truly. As we all know, it is crazy easy to google any recipe you need at the click of a mouse. Unless there's a specific point of view or opinionated palate that you're after, why buy the book?

So, what's to be done? As in most frustrating situations, taking a deep breath is a good place to start. While the books getting the most attention seem to have more in common with People magazine than Escoffier, there still are more cookbooks being published in 2007 than 10 years ago, and 2006 gave us some damn fine ones. Currently I'm devouring "The Improvisational Cook", another excellent cookbook by Sally Schneider. She takes on the daunting challenge of convincing her readers to cook with their noses out of the cookbook. It's an interesting attempt to reawaken home cooks food instincts, and ironically lessen their dependence on cookbooks. Now that has to make you laugh in the context of this rant of mine!

But it also shines the light on where cookbooks need to look toward. I know part of my idea in "taking Big Mary public" was to encourage people to just cook; however simply or complicated their instincts inspire them. In my work kitchen, the cook that I connect to quickest is the cook who can taste food in his or her head. By this I mean someone who can taste something and tell me what are the main ingredients, can tell me what's missing (salt, sugar, acid, herb, fat, etc) and can imagine what it will taste like before adding the needing ingredient. In the most talented of chefs, I think it equates with "perfect pitch" in a musician.

What I find exciting is how random this talent is distributed. I've found it in an illegal Mexican dishwasher who became my sous chef, in a sandwich guy who is now able to handle any station in the kitchen, in a college chum who could practically talk to bread dough, and in the ultimate Goy Guy who can develop a recipe for chocolate mousse with 15 calories per serving.

So, moving forward into 2007, I'll probably continue to frustrate those readers looking for exact measurements and proceedures. But to those of you I say, relax, breath deep andjump. What's the worse than could happen? OK, now what's the best that could happen??? Yeah ......
Contented Eating
Big Mary

2006-12-27T22:13:00.000-05:00

Chanukah Postponed

Mid December I broke my anti-socializing standard, and schlepped my holiday butt to suburban New Jersey for a supremely rewarding Latke Fest at the home of my inspired and hunky former sous chef and his bombshell brilliant food writer wife. What a good choice this was. In addition to being well fed and lubricated with fine food and well chosen wine, I was reminded of the brilliance of Jewish people around the world at choosing fried food as a focus of Chanukah celebrations. I'll give them a pass on the jelly donuts, also a Chanukah tradition, and move directly to potato latkes (Do not pass Go, do not collect $200).

There are few pleasures more simple, especially in urban American society, than fried foods. As a catering chef, I can swear to this. If you fry it they will come. Fritters, chicken chunks, beignets, crab cakes, tempura, it makes no matter, there's always room for one more.

As a chef, latkes are my high on my list of favorite fried foods. For the uninitiated to the latke experience, latkes are very simple potato pancakes, held together as lightly as possible with egg and flour (or matzoh meal). What I enjoy most about these simple pleasures is how easily they adapt to different situations and pantry possibilities.

In my kitchen, we serve three sizes. Mini's can be used as a vehicle for hors d'oeuvres. Either passed as they are with bowls of sour cream and apple chutney for guests to garnish to taste, or as a base served with smoked trout, smoked salmon, corned beef etc. We also prepare them a little larger, about 3 inch diameter. These are usually served specifically as "latkes" for Jewish holiday celebration. The third option are larger 8 inch or so, full skillet versions. These we make and then cut into wedges as a side dish on main plates.

Potato Latkes
Using a box grater or shredding attatchment of a food processor, coarse grate two pounds of Russet potatoes (or so). Place in a clean dish towel and squeeze dry, you are trying to get rid of the excess starch to make them extra crispy. Grate a small onion into the squeezed potato mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Add a few tablespoons of flour (or matzoh meal during Passover), one whisked egg and mix with your hands. You want the mixture just cohesive enough to hold together slightly before frying. When ready, drop teaspoons (or tablespoons or cups, etc) of the potato mixture into hot oil in a saute pan. Use enough oil please. You want them crispy. When brown on one side flip them to finish. Drain on paper towels and serve warm.
Note: These freeze perfectly!!!! When cool, freeze and pack in airtight container. Rewarm in a moderate oven.

No matter what size we make, the best part of latkes are their versatility. You can add in so many ingredients that create nuances of flavor which can fill the perfect niche of whatever you are pairing your latkes with. Some of my favorites follow.

Sweet Potato - substitute about 2/3 sweet potato and 1/3 Russet potato for potato in the main recipe.
Potato/Parsnip - substitute 1/3 fresh grated parsnip for 1/3 of the potato in the original recipe.
Potato/Celery Root- follow same procedure as parsnip
Potato/Shiitake - add 1 1/2 cups chopped fresh shiitake (or button) mushrooms to the potato mixture
Soba Noodle - substitute buckwheat soba noodles for all of the potato, substitute chopped scallion for the onion, season with soy sauce, add mushrooms and sesame seeds if desired.

These are simply some starting points my friends. I know once you get the idea, the options are unlimited, herbs, lo mein noodles, artichokes, olives, pine nuts...somebody stop me....

Happy New Year dear readers. I appreciate your time in checking out Big Mary's Kitchen more than you can know. Please tell your friends.
Until then,
Contented Eating,
Big Mary

2006-12-18T01:13:00.000-05:00

I Am Missing Me Some Christmas Cookies

I can't hone in on why I'm so nostalgic for Christmas Cookies this year, but whoa sister, I am. Truth be told, I'm betting it has a lot to do with my Mom's passing this year.

I have to laugh at myself. There's been several times in this blog's short life that I represented dear Mama Gladys' kitchen skills as marginal. And I still wouldn't hedge my bet ... Except for desserts. Skillfully made pies and cookies were miles closer to godliness than the lack of dust bunnies for Gladys.

So it should come as no surprise that Christmas cookies are a cherished part of Big Mary's sugarplum dreams. There were two standards... the early years and the later years. The constant core were Mexican Wedding Cookies and Thumbprint Cookies with Red Currant Jelly. In addition, my early childhood savored Mincemeat Bars with Royal Icing Glaze and Date Bars. I still wince at the many years those incredibly delicious date bars went by underappreciated by this prematurely jaded, and then, less than Big... Mary. By the time I was 16, these last two had been supplanted by a significantly less inspired Chocolate Graham Cracker Toffee Bar.

On the plus side, the appearance of these Chocolate Graham Cracker Toffee Bars coincided with my appreciation of marijuana as a recreational drug. This was a divinely inspired syncronicratic moment. Gladys marveled at the way the graham crackers fit so perfectly in the cookie sheet. I marveled at how the intense sweetness of the brown sugar filling and the milk chocolate glaze could provide such pot fueled "munchy" comfort. Truly there was no place like home for the holidays.

Definitely "not" the Christmas spirit my Mom hoped to inspire, but the real charm of homemade cookie exchanges and pleasure in filling cookie tins for neighbors took root early on. Rarely were anyone else's Mom's cookies as good as Gladys'... but then there was neighbor Harry Steele's peanut butter fudge.

And so it was a smooth transition, once I was out of college, to carrying on the tradition of making and gifting Christmas cookies to my adopted family of loving souls. I'm really missing those years when I made the time to bake Christmas cookies for this inner circle. Hopefully it won't be too many more years before I can return to the spice warmed air of a home kitchen, covered in confectioners sugar, chocolate glaze and caramel.

Here's a great cookie dough for cutting into Christmas shapes and decorating. It's a little fussy and needs to be kept very cold, but worth the hassle

Walnut Spice Holiday Cookies
1/2 cup finely ground walnuts
1 1/4 cup AP flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
4 ounces unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 large egg

Combine ground walnuts, flour, baking powder, salt and spices in a bowl. Mix well and set aside.
In an electric mixer, beat butter until lightened, add sugars and continue beating until fluffy. Add egg. Reduce speed and gradually add in dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. Divide dough into four sections, wrap in plastic and chill well for several hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 325*. Place parchment paper on baking sheets. On a well floured board, roll out dough to 1/8" thickness and cut into desired shapes. Place on prepared baking sheets and place in preheated oven for 7 minutes. Rotate pan and bake for 7 minutes more.
Cool slightly, remove form baking pan and decorate cookies as desired.

Apologies to any and all of my reader's for the lack of postings lately. Hopfully the Holiday demands will lessen, and I can get another posted soon.
Enjoy the Season and Contented Cookie Eating...
Big Mary

2006-12-03T19:11:00.000-05:00

Cocina de las madres

The vast majority of the food that comforts us is homestyle cooking. I love how in Europe and South America these foods are often translated as "Grandmother's Kitchen" or "Mama's Cooking", because everyone's Mama or Grandma SHOULD be a wizard behind the stove. Back in the real world though, only a few of my friends have been so universally blessed.

The handsome Venezuelan husband seems to have enjoyed an exceptionally glorious and vibrant woman as his mother, though her glories are rumored to have stopped at the kitchen door. We laughed together over our Thanksgiving dinner at how both of our mothers had scammed us into believing that their opus magnus of the kitchen could only be conceivably prepared at it's designated once a year celebration.

As you may suspect, for me it was my Mama's stuffing. She had me convinced for all the years I enjoyed childhood, that stuffing was a labor of love only warranted on Thanksgiving. It was just too much to consider on any normal day of the year.

For the Venezuelan husband, hallacas were the labor of love limited to Christmas time. For those of you unhappily denied the pleasure of unwrapping and relishing an hallaca, let me describe the treasure.

Venezuelan Hallacas in the Style of Valencia

It's similar in style to a tamal. First you make a dough of pre-cooked cornmeal (traditionally Harina Pan), annato seasoning, stock and lard (or butter if real lard is as unavailable as it is for most of us). The dough is ready if you squeeze some in your hand and it doesn't crack. It's important to find the balance of moisture and fat.

Then you make a "guiso" or stew of chicken, pork tenderloin and beef (brisket or chuck)
with onions, sweet bell peppers, mild chilies, garlic and your own special seasonings. Maybe some tomato, maybe chickpeas, depends on regional and family traditions. The meats need to be shredded or chopped fine and then added back into the stew. Limit the broth in the final product. It should be a dry stew or "sopa seca" in the Spanish tradition.

Cut banana leaves (which can usually be found frozen in latin/carribean ethnic markets, into approximately 10 x 12 inch rectangles. Roast the banana leaves very briefly over an open flame.

Spread some of the dough onto the dull side of the leaf, forming a rectangle
and leaving a border of several inches all around the leaf. Drop a small amount of the stew on one side of the dough. Add two or three small green stuffed olives and a teaspoon or so of golden raisins. Fold the side of the leaf with the dough over the stew. Fold in the sides to completely enclose the package and tie the packet firmly with kitchen twine.

You can freeze these packets for months if well wrapped. When ready to serve, boil the hallcas in well seasoned stock for 20 minutes or so, more if cooking from frozen state. Cut stings and serve letting the guests unwrap and savor the hallaca.

Should this entice you to try out this delicious ethnic treat, Google a real recipe to guide you. It's time consuming, but not overly challenging.

Happily in Venezuela, Christmas lasts from December 24 through January 6. Three days emerge as mandatory for hallacas consuming, December 24, January 1st and 6th. Even more happily, there exists the tradition of sharing your hallacas with neighbors. So as Christmas approaches, your freezer will swell with the neighborhood's bounty. Each hallaca labeled with it's creator's signature. Maria's halacas, Lupe's hallacas, Anna Maria's hallacas, well you get the picture. Sort of a county fair's bounty of hallacas with a American Idol sensibility of judgment. There's some you covet, and some that end up thrown out in February.

Years ago, when he and I were just "enamorados", I threw a birthday party for the handsome Venezuelan. Knowing that hallacas were a special food tied directly to his heart, I announced I would make hallacas in April, a suspicious endeavor to any Venezuelan. As if to heighten his suspicions, I acknowledged that to make real hallacas was beyond the time allotted to create this soiree, so I was going to make "Hallacas en Cazuela", truncating the labor intensive wrapping of individual hallacas in favor of making several enormous hallacas in copper gratins. I lined the gratins with prepared banana leaves, laid in a layer of the corn "masa"/dough, generously ladled in the guiso, topped with more corn masa, and folded more banana leaves over the top. I then placed the cazuelas in the oven with a big pan of simmering stock on the floor of the oven.

When I announced "Dinner is ready!" I was succinctly quieted by the handsome Venezuelan, who politically suggested he should try the "experiment" to assure quality. I smiled and handed him his fork. When he sampled my wares and quickly took another taste before announcing "Dinner, (indeed) was served", I knew I had scored an enormous coup.

And so friends, I encourage you to embrace tradition with the equal fervor that you challenge and experiment with it. Today's inspiration may become your next tradition, however you define family.

Until the next time, which I really hope will be sooner than the past few posts...
Contented Eating,

Big Mary

2006-11-20T23:21:00.000-05:00

Does this feel comfortable to you?

Comfort Food. It used to be such a ... "comforting" term. Then came 9/11 and suddenly it was an emotional and politically charged menu listing, which at it's most heinous level led off with "Freedom Fries" garnished with the obvious and bizarrely deserving "American Cheese Sauce". It's just so frightening when satire becomes a nation's leitmotif.

A few years ago I surveyed friends and family as to what was comfort food to them. There were a few common threads. Temperature had a lot to do with it. Not chocolate chip cookies .... WARM chocolate chip cookies. Indeed, outside of ice cream, almost all comfort foods claimed were warm. Familial provenance was also a consistent identifier. My Mom's meatloaf, her macaroni and cheese, my Dad's burgers in the summer. And of course, emotional connection. There are more than few out there who swore they'd never eat another ramen package after college, or who would starve before swallowing another bite of 5 for a dollar store brand mac & cheese. Yet, this same purist might just sneak a bite of either from their own children's plate. Those precious towheads starting off on establishing their own food memories...

Probably no emotional food connection rings louder than what connects around holidays. There's my Italian friends with the Christmas Eve Feast of 7 Fishes, the Greek's Easter Lamb, my Venezuelan husband's Christmas Hallaca, or the Ohio sister's Cryovac Roasted Easter Hams (Yes, she roasted the Easter ham in the grocery store's plastic wrapping.... in 1978 AND in 1996!)

All of which leads us logically to the Thanksgiving at our doorstep this week. My personal all time comfort food is stuffing. Mama Gladys didn't have a large repertoire, but what she did well, could slap you hard and make you go sit in a corner. Her stuffing was one of these in my memory. I'll never forget a few details.

First you have to understand my Mama cooked strictly from recipes, not instinct. If her stuffing recipe said you needed "one packet of vegetable seasoning from a package of Mrs. Grass's dehydrated vegetable soup", you could be damned sure we'd be driving that Chevy from one end of Springfield to the other, starting somewhere in the middle of September, in search of the elusive Mrs. Grass. And as time marched on, Mrs. Grass seemed to me overtaken by Knorrs and Liptons. Mama Gladys would truck no substitution. I remember one July afternoon, while on vacation, when she stormed into the cabin, proudly bandishing a few years worth of Mrs's Grass’s packets she'd stumbled upon in a grocery store in Gaylord, Michegan.

The next unimpeachable ingredient was sausage. Not spicy, not overly sagey. Clean, bulk, pork sausage. Here, I have to hang tight with the lady. That porkiness is just what that grand bird deserves. Her final commandment ... stale bread cubes, good stuff (which in those days meant Pepperridge Farm), cut by hand at least four days ahead, and laid out to dry. Never over toast. Again, she was right on. There's a chewiness you achieve from stale bread that toasted bread never gives you.

My Mama's Sausage Stuffing
Now I tell you flat out, this is my version of the grand lady's dish. First off, I don't hold any commerce with Mrs. Grass, may she rest in peace. Second, it's just stuffing dammit. Use this as jumping off point.
Cut up your bread into 1/2 inch cubes several days in advance. Lay the bread cubes out on sheet pans or place in large bowls, but be sure to toss frequently to achieve even dryness and no mold (especially if using natural breads). Gladys always used white bread, occasionally a bit of whole wheat if I could persuade her to be rambunctious. My personal choice is a mix of a 7 grain and Sourdough. The nuttiness of the grains and the chewiness of the sourdough provide a toothsome integrity that gets me exactly where I want my stuffing to go.
When you're ready to make stuffing, chop up bunches of celery, onion, carrots and garlic. Set aside. (Now understand I'm a bit of a purist. I'll discuss options at the end.) Chop up a little bacon and start to brown it in a large skillet. When the fat begins to render, add a generous amount of bulk pork sausage. Stir it around and begin to brown the sausage. Add the vegetables and continue to cook the sausage and vegetables until the pork looses its pinkness. I'll burn in the seventh ring of dietician's hell for this, but sometimes I add a big knob of butter here. Toss in some fresh chopped herbs - marjoram, rosemary, parsley (sage if you like, I don't), and set aside to cool. Remember that the star ingredient of stuffing is the bread. You want to be generous with the meats and vegetables, but don't overwhelm the leading lady.
Now, combine your stale bread cubes and the sausage vegetable mixture thoroughly. Slowly ladle a rich turkey or chicken stock into the mix as you stir. Keep tossing and adding stock until the whole conglomeration is evenly damp. Walk away for 10 minutes.
Come back and give the mix a squeeze. It should not form a doughy ball in your hand, but it should attempt to hold it's shape. Odd's are you'll need to add a bit more stock. When you think you are there.... either stuff the bird loosely, leaving room for expansion, or gently load the stuffing into a well buttered casserole or two. As for Big Mary, I don't like stuffing that's been stuffed, but that's just me. Drop the stuffing in loosely so it will roast toasty and crunchy and moist. In casserole, cook at 375* until well browned. If it looks like it's drying out excessively, ladel a bit more stock over it midway. If roasting in the bird, follow your normal holiday traditions or consult a good cook book.

Now, as I said, there are loads of possibilities outside my box. Chestnuts, mushrooms (wild, exotic or domestic), dried fruit, fresh apples, pears, wild rice, cornbread, chilies (poblano, jalapeno, ancho), sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, almonds, pecans, walnuts, sun dried tomatoes, fennel, grilled corn, well .... you get the picture. It's all about maintaining a textural balance and not obscuring your star, the stale bread.

Next time we'll talk more comfort food, especially Venezuellan Hallacas. Some good stories there, just you wait.

I apologize for the long absence. Blame it on this nasty flu/virus/cold/vague feeling of unease that has visited my work kitchen the last few weeks. But I'm on the mend, and never once forgot about you. No really, I mean it. Not that any of you made me a cup of tea, or brought me Kleenex, or some soup, a diet Coke ...

Now get out of here and give some thanks for your blessings. Friends, health, wealth, a dry bed, a dry hump, heat, hot water, family, a job, a job you like, a working car, public transportation, dreams, faith, love, a turkey and hopefully some stuffing. I wish you a minimum of three.

Contented Eating and Happy Thanksgiving
Big Mary

2006-11-09T14:09:00.000-05:00

It was bright green, and orange and bumpy?

Hard winter squash can be another sweet surprise beneath a monstrous exterior. Piled high in the market, attractive and colorful squash sing out a siren's song of soups, roasts and gratins; but those mysterious turban squashes still put my knife to rest. However, I have had my way with the likes of kabocha, delicata, sweet dumpling, hubbard and buttercup, and keep coming back for more.

Take advantage of the gorgeous selections available now. Even though these vegetables as a group are known as winter squash, the supply of many of the more interesting varieties dries up by Christmas time. Butternut and acorn are pretty much available anytime but you'll see a big drop in taste and texture outside of the September - January window.

As with apples, the more common varieties, acorn, butternut, calabaza, tend to be the least rewarding. Look for delicata and sweet dumpling in early fall. When their stripes are still green you don't even need to peel them if roasting. The edges crisp slightly and add great texture to the smooth flesh. As the squash mature in holding, the stripes become more yellow ochre and peeling is required.

I would most enthusiastically encourage you to explore kabocha squash. The name's a bit confusing as it applies to several varieties of Japanese developed squash. The two most common being the drum shaped green skinned Hokkaido, and the rounder orange Hokkaido. Its meaty flesh is beautifully balanced by its deep sweetness. Really a great squash.

Next I need to introduce (or reacquaint) you to a spice mixture called Garam Masala. It is a spice blend, similar in style to curry powders which typically includes cinnamon, black pepper, clove, cumin, coriander. etc. To my palate it has an incredible affinity for squash and sweet potatoes. I worship the blend available at www.kalustyans.com. More on this phenomenal store later.

OK, moving on ...

Roast Winter Squash, Yams and Green Apples with Maple and Eastern Spices
Preheat oven to 425* Prepare, peel and seed squash (you choose, though early delicata is a personal fave). Cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes or wedges. Toss with mild oil, pure maple syrup, salt and ground garam masala. Set aside.
Peel and cut yams into 1- 1 1/2 inch shapes. Toss with mild oil, pure maple syrup, salt and ground garam masala. Set aside.
Quarter and core Granny Smith apples (or another hard, tart apple that stands up to cooking). Cut into large chunks. Toss with mild oil, pure ma... OK you get the idea.
Please note that you don't want to over do the maple syrup. Think of it as a perfume, not a glaze.
Roast the squash, the yams and the apples on separate baking sheets. The squash and the yams should time out pretty similar. The apples will only take a deep warming before they break down. When finished, toss together and serve. It's so tasty too!

Here's one more, bound to piss off the vegetarians...

Butternut Squash, Apple, Pancetta and Port Wine Bisque with Apple Herb Salad

I know there are those who will choose to make this without the pancetta (Michael of cookingformargy.blogspot.com NOT among them) Too bad for you.

Make the soup a day or two ahead. Peel, seed and cut up your squash. Feel free to substitute others for the butternut. I do. Set the squash aside. Clean and rough chop onions and a few cloves of garlic. Set aside. Peel, core and chunk a few great apples. Keep a tart, sweet mix. Set aside. Chop pancetta finely. You don't need too much to add the rich porkiness to the soup. Put the pancetta in a soup pot over medium heat and cook it slowly to medium crispness. Add some oil and butter as needed, and then add the onions and garlic. Saute to a limp translucence. Add some chopped fresh thyme with a generous dusting of ground garam masala and saute 2 minutes. Dump in the reserved squash and apples. Add a very healthy pour of Port Wine and chicken stock to cover. Season with a bit of salt and pepper, and simmer until the squash is tender.
Drain the solids and reserve the liquids. Using a food processor, puree the solids with a bit of the liquid to make a smooth puree. Continue to stir in the liquid until the soup is at your desired consistency. You'll probably use all the liquid.
Either chill the soup down now or proceed to serve. When ready to serve, add a touch of heavy cream to the soup while warming. It doesn't need any , but go ahead and gild that lily.
Reduce port wine until it has a syrup consistency. Set aside. (Can be done days ahead)
On a mandolin slicer, julienne an assortment of apples, toss with a touch of herb vinegar, chopped parsley, tarragon and chives. Set aside.
To serve, ladle the soup into warmed soup bowls. Dribble reduced port wine here and there in the soup. Garnish with the apple herb salad in the center of the bowl.
Eat THAT!

Very well my pretties. Looking back (always a dangerous move...), I see I might have subtitled this entry an ode to garam masala. Well, don't say I never take you new places. And if you are currently smirking, saying "I've known about Garam Masala for years...." Check out that Kalustyan's Website. They have some things you've never imagined.
Contented Eating,
Big Mary

2006-11-03T14:22:00.000-05:00

Tres bizarre to downright ugly ...

Have you ever seen brussels sprouts growing in a garden? Very "Little Shop of Horrors" ... Three to four feet tall, a center stalk covered with little knobs of green (the sprouts) and a top knot of big green leaves like a tropical crown. It’s easy to imagine a brontosaurus nibbling on it as some Neolithic Crudités.

I was helping with end of summer harvest at the Ohio sister's patch of garden. M'shell, domestic diva and caterer to small town Ohio's elite, had asked my sister to plant some brussels sprouts. Shell's son Thom and I were armed with a saw to take down the monster stalks. Thom, being highly suspicious about any vegetable that required a saw to bring it down, took some serious convincing that there was anything worth consuming on this gnarled oversize trunk. Had we cut the stalk a few weeks earlier, I suspect the process would have been a little less intimidating for Thom. Not to mention less of a challenge for Shell's formidable skills in the kitchen.

Purchasing fresh, small brussels sprouts is a key to avoiding all the bad reputation that this vegetable suffers from. That, and avoiding both under and over cooking the little critters. Currently I have two favorite ways of approaching brussels sprouts.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts
This is as easy as falling off a bar stool. Oops, did I actually write that?
First make sure the brussels sprouts are pretty much the same size. Unless they are baby sized; split or quarter them. Next you need to make a judgment call. If you enjoy that burnt edged flavor of roasted veggies, just toss them with some oil, salt and pepper. Throw them into a hot (450*) oven and pull them out when roasted and tender. At this point, season them further with herbs, lemon or reduced orange juice, roasted garlic or any other inspirations that come over you.
If you like a milder effect, drop the prepped brussels sprouts into salted boiling water for 30 seconds, blanch 'em and shock 'em in ice water. Then roast 'em as described above.

Sauteed Brussels Sprout Leaves
OK, this is my current fave. Not really a recipe, more a jumping off point.
First, clean and core the brussels sprouts and break them up into leaves. Imagine they are tiny heads of iceberg lettuce. By the way, this is a great use of the larger, more mature brussels sprouts. Alternately, shred them thinly on a mandoline or V-Slicer. In either case you should end up with a great product for a stir fry. Combine them with leeks and chestnuts. Or try snow peas, ginger and shredded carrots. It's just an unexpected treatment of an old friend.

2006-10-30T22:23:00.000-05:00

In this twisted market of year round asparagus in which we shop, it's so very easy to get lazy and ignore the root vegetables and hard squash that's brimming over on the green grocer's shelves as the days get shorter. Parsnips, Beets, Turnips, Celeriac (Celery Root) and Parsley Root are sure to surprise most American palates with their subtlety and/or depth depending on how they are used.
I tend to mix these vegetables with each other, or with the more everyday potatoes and carrots. Roasting, as with all vegetables, tends to deepen and sweeten the flavors. Pureeing them seems to shift the focus onto aroma and texture.
Gurfren Sue reminds me that the greens of the beets and turnips you buy are a great bonus and should always be saved. I love balsamic beet greens with roasted beets or sautéed turnip greens in root vegetable purees.

Roasted Carrots and Parsnips with Lemon and Marjoram
Set a baking sheet on the middle rack of the oven and preheat it to 450*. Choose slim carrots and parsnips if possible. Peel them, split lengthwise and quarter if necessary. I find most parsnips need their center woody core cut out, but if they are small and tender enough, you might get by leaving the center in. Toss the prepped vegetables lightly with oil, salt, pepper and chopped marjoram. Remove the hot baking sheet from the oven and pour parsnips and carrots onto the hot sheet. Distribute them evenly over the pan, do not crowd the pan. Return to the oven and roast until they are tender. Sprinkle the vegetables with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and serve warm.

Fettuccini with Roasted Beets, Pancetta and Cream
Inspired by an over order of beets when I was a chef at Rosemarie's in Tribeca, NYC
Preheat oven to 350*. Clean beets well and wrap them individually in foil and bake until a skewer passes easily through the beet. This will take anywhere from 45 minutes to 2 hours, depending on size and freshness of your beets. When done, remove them from the oven and let them cool in their aluminum foil party dresses.
When cool, cut away the tops and bottoms and remove the peel. Cut into small 1/4 inch dice. Set aside. This can easily be done a day ahead.
Thinly slice small onions and dice pancetta, about equal portions. In a warm skillet begin to brown the pancetta. (Big Mary says you may substitute bacon, but she'll think less of you) Meanwhile begin to bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. When the pancetta has begun to release its fat, add the onions and sauté them with the pancetta. Keep the heat moderate. When the onions are caramelizing slightly and the pancetta has crisp edges, increase the heat, splash some white wine into the pan, deglaze and add some beet cubes. When the wine has reduced, add a generous pour of heavy cream. (Do not attempt this dish while attempting to get back into that swimming suit for the holidays in La Isla Mujeres.) Raise the heat to a simmer and gently stir. The beets should shed a glorious magenta color to the cream as it bubbles and gently thickens. When it has, give it a few grinds of fresh black pepper and lower the heat.
Drop the fettucine (and you know it should be fresh, not dried...) in the boiling water, stir well, and pour yourself a glass of that white wine. You see now, why we never cook with the bad stuff. It should only take a few minutes for the pasta to float to the top, which means it's done. Drain it, toss it with that mind blowing sauce, generously sprinkle it with freshly grated Parmesan Reggiano and garnish with fresh chopped parsley.

I'm starting to see another trend in these recipes. They are Damn Fattening! Even though I've never been known to break into a cold sweat at the thought of cheese with butter and a touch of cream, I know there is a huge sea of my fans that are a little more cautious about throwing their waistlines to the wind. So, moderation my pretties. But, I have to admit I love how it all plays into a natural cycle of harvest, eating and the seasons. I really don't believe its all coincidence that these harvest vegetables pair so soothingly with the aforementioned trinity of butter, cream and cheese. Our great grandpappies and mommies were getting ready to settle in for a long winter's struggle with the elements. At least my Germanic and Anglo relatives were. Those extra pounds in November would be sweet memories come March and April. So, in honor of those tired, poor, huddled masses... yearning to eat cream...
I offer these last ideas.

Yukon Gold and Celeriac Gratin
Follow any proud, indulgent French recipe for potato gratin. Substitute thinly sliced peeled celeriac for 1/3 of the potato. If you feel indulgent, throw some truffle butter or oil, or even truffle shavings into the mix. (If you use all three, invite Big Mary for dinner) You'll love this, and amazingly it even lightens the dish.

Autumn Root Vegetable Puree
This is just an encouragement to lighten your mashed potatoes by including some other vegetables into the mix. Parsnips, Turnips, Parsley Root, Celeriac and Carrot are all great candidates for a mix in. Just remember to cook them separately and then mash together. You'll also find the lightened starch content a help with the aforementioned caloric issues. Think about using buttermilk instead of whole milk to add a refreshing tang to these purees. Then there's roasted garlic, horseradish, herbs, mustards, you get the idea. And remember, no food processors here. You'll end up with wallpaper paste.

OK my pretties, once again I've gone on too long. Next time I'm seeing visions of Brussels Sprouts done right and hard squash that’s NOT Acorn!
As always,
Contented Eating,
Big Mary

2006-10-24T00:15:00.000-04:00

Cornmeal as Comfort Food

The fact that an inexpensive bag of cornmeal can be the beginning of so much delicious pleasure is just one of those fabulous things about food that gives me such enjoyment. With the addition of an egg, some milk, a touch of sugar and some flour, you're 20 minutes away from warm cornbread. That, some honey or maybe that homemade apple butter and baby, you won't hear a word outta me for awhile. On the rare occasion when you have leftovers, stuff some chicken breasts.
Just cut the cornbread up in cubes and toast them off in the oven. Then sauté some onion, garlic, celery and carrots in plenty of butter, add some fresh thyme & rosemary and a handful of dried cranberries. Continue to cook, add a splash of wine, maybe Madeira to plump up the cranberries, and add to the cornbread croutons. Mix it up and add chicken or turkey stock to moisten well. Butterfly and pound out some chicken breasts (or turkey cutlets), season and place stuffing on the meat. Roll them up, tie them, and sauté to give a golden color. Finish in the oven and serve with a light stock and Madeira reduction.
And let’s talk polenta, better yet let's eat polenta. Especially soft polenta, rich with a generous spoonful of mascarpone, a few swirls of melting gorgonzola dolce and chopped toasted walnuts. Oooooh baby, baby. OK, I'm already ahead of myself.
First a question, did any of you eat cornmeal mush? And, whether you did or didn't, can you imagine a less appealing name for something? I'm not sure if it's a regional dish... I remember it from vacations in Michigan. It came in a plastic tube (like slice and bake cookie dough) and my Mom would slice and sauté it. Sorry, Mom never sautéed anything, she fried it... and then served it with pancake syrup. This chubby boy was all over that.
What I realize now, is that was polenta. Granted, nothing any Italian would recognize, swimming in Mrs. Butterworth's. But even at that tender age I knew I'd bitten into something worth eating. And something with plenty of possibilities.

Soft Polenta with Mascarpone, Gorgonzola and Walnuts
Based on a dish at Union Square Cafe in NYC
Combine 3 cups milk and 2 cups chicken stock in a pot and bring to a boil. Slowly whisk in 1 cup of instant polenta. Stir thoroughly to avoid lumps. Lower heat. With a LONG wooden spoon or heat resistant spatula continue to stir and cook according to package directions. (As polenta cooks and simmers it can send up small blobs of polenta that will burn you like the molten lava that it is, so gloves are not a bad idea.) When finished, remove from the heat and stir in 1/2 cup mascarpone. Serve immediately, garnished with chopped toasted walnuts and crumbled gorgonzola.

Another polenta dish comes out of my catering years, when I am always looking for first courses that could be done in huge numbers and preset. I came up with the idea of a polenta terrine, enriched with Asiago cheese and garnished with grilled artichoke hearts and roasted tomatoes. These days I grill off a top quality canned stemmed artichoke hearts and slice purchased roasted red and yellow tomatoes. You can follow the above recipe and mold it in a loaf pan, chill, slice and serve. Sometimes I stir kalamata olives into the polenta.
Experiment and enjoy my pretties. Gurfren Sue mentions that Indian Pudding is a worthy dessert using cornmeal that I need to explore. So much gruel, so little time...
As always,
Contented Eating,
Big Mary

2006-10-16T19:19:00.000-04:00

The best shave of my life...

It was 1989 and I was about 12 years late to explode on the European continent. But I was determined to make my debut memorable, if not timely. The Goddess aligned my stars, and through some sort of karmic reward for past lives lived well, I arrived in Firenze in late September. Cool nights, sunny afternoons, and all the visual, scenic and masculine delights mentioned in my initial blog. Slather this with a thick layer of the Uffizi, Il Duomo, Plaza Republica, La Acadamia, Il Bargello, and the fabulous retail therapy available; this young queer(relatively) had his eyes bitch slapped open, and had no choice but to sit back, dazed and contented.
Traveling solo was my style at the time, and I'm oh so glad it was. I had no reason not to chat to the handsome man next to me, take a bus to Fiesole with him, and wander the Roman ruins there. And then a personal guided tour after sundown through the history drenched neighborhoods of Florence.
"What do you enjoy about living in New York? Oh, by the way, this was Dante's house." .........
But fine dining alone, was another table to conquer. Happily my tour guide was the lean and hungry type, Italy by way of Shakespeare. And I'd never want to be the ugly American.
Restaurant Le Fonticine had been recommended by the executive chef whom I worked under at this time. He was my mentor, so who was I to question? The white truffle from Alba was the second notch on my passport I'd hoped to accomplish. With notch #1 in front of me, it was time to sit back, relax and mangia.
When the waiter informed us that the first truffles of the season had arrived and that the chef's fettuccini al tartufo bianchi was available that evening, it took massive self restraint to prevent myself from giggling like a schoolgirl. I'm sure the rest of the meal was exquisite, but the pasta that night was spiritual. 17 years later and I still remember how the aroma wafted up as the truffle shavings landed on the hot fettuccini. And I still laugh at my moment of naiveté, wondering if I was supposed to signal the waiter "enough" as he shaved the precious knob onto my pasta. As if he was grinding black pepper over a salad. I knew I'd have been emotionally incapable of stopping the supply.

White truffles are high on the list of precious ingredients for several reasons. Primarily because they remain one of the very few truly seasonal ingredients, available generally from mid September through December. They have so far eluded all attempts at domestication. Like caviar, the demand for truffles has far outpaced the harvest which has pushed the price far beyond most people's realm of possibility, except of those once or twice in a lifetime's exceptions.
When confronted with my young kitchen crew's open mouthed disbelief that any food could cost $2,500 a pound, AND that it could be worth it, I'm hard pressed to be able to justify it myself. When they ask me what it tastes like, I smile and say "Well, mushrooms, and the earth, and ..., and Sex. To me, it smells like flat out, sweaty, balls to the wall sex."
And you do taste truffles by smell. Somehow it passes from your mouth right up to your nose and mingles, does a little tango on your tongue and then you just have to smile.
Next I'll warm a little pasta, or scrambled eggs or potato, drizzle a little truffle oil over it and give my crew a taste. "This is as close as I can come right now. Not the same, but it'll give you an idea." Some get it, especially the ones who cook from passion, and not from paycheck. And of course, some don't get it. "This is not Sex to me!"
Back in the day when I used to cook for the wealthy and wannabees, I'd get to play with fresh white truffles every other autumn or so. But those days have passed me by, and that's not all bad. These days I need to content myself with lesser forms of the tuber, as I suspect do most of you. For me, truffle oil and truffle butter are the best ways to introduce the sexy muskiness of Tuber Magnatum Pico to your cooking. When I was in Bologna this year, I was also able to pick up a salt with black truffle that is a great product, though I haven't seen anything of its quality here in NYC. Also note that there is enormous variety of quality in truffle products. Once you have a brand you enjoy, stay loyal to it. I've always been disappointed by truffle "bargains".
Since we're going to be playing with truffle "products", we're not limited to the seasonality of truffles, but it's amazing how truffle flavor has an affinity for other autumn ingredients; wild mushrooms, nuts, duck, etc.
Here's one hors d'oeuvre idea and a soup.

Cured Duck Breast with Truffled Chevre and Fig
Clean a duck breast magret, remove and reserve the skin. In a bowl, combine equal parts sugar and salt, with any other seasonings you want, I use chopped garlic, bay leaf, thyme and crushed juniper berries. Coat both sides of the duck breast with the mixture, return scored duck skin to cover breasts and store, covered in refrigerator for 24 - 36 hours. Scrape seasonings from duck breast, cover with duck skin and roast at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes or until internal temperature is 125 degrees. Discard duck skin and set aside to cool
Stir a tablespoon or so of truffle oil into 5 oz of good Montrachet style goat cheese. Set aside
Cut 6"-8" crepes crossways into quarters. In one piece of crepe, spread a small amount of the truffled chevre near the center. Place a thin slice or two of duck breast and a sliver of fresh fig. Fold the tip of the crepe over the filling, and then roll tightly leaving the curved edge on top. Repeat.
Left over duck meat is great in salads.

Truffled Wild Mushroom and Hazelnut Soup with Madeira Foam
This is inspired by a recipe by Joyce Goldstein
Clean and roughly cut a mixture of white, wild and exotic mushrooms. Set aside. Warm olive oil and truffle butter in a small soup pot. Sauté chopped shallots. When shallots are translucent add the reserved mushrooms, some chopped fresh thyme, a bit of salt and pepper and chicken stock to cover. Reduce heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes. While soup is cooking, toast a handful or so of hazelnuts. When toasted, cool slightly and then rub in a clean kitchen towel to remove skins. Cool completely and then grind as finely as possible in a food processor. When mushrooms are completely cooked, strain, reserving liquid. In a good blender (the better the blender, the better this soup comes out), blend the mushrooms, ground hazelnuts and a few cups of the reserved broth. When the mixture is smooth, begin to add more of the stock until it is all incorporated. Season with additional salt and pepper as needed. Soup may be made 1 day in advance of serving.
When ready to serve, rewarm the soup, adding additional stock if necessary, and a few spoons full of sour cream or creme fraiche. In a separate bowl, lightly whip heavy cream with a small amount of Madeira and a few pinches of salt. It should just get foamy, beginning to hold a shape but no more.
Pour soup into bowls. Drizzle lightly with truffle oil, and garnish with Madeira foam. Garnish with fine chopped chives and serve

Hope this gives you some ideas and inspiration my pretties. Soon we'll be finishing up on autumn's flavors. What's next? You'll have to come back.
Contented Eating,
Big Mary

2006-10-10T23:33:00.000-04:00

Lions and Tigers and Pears, Oh MY!
All the great autumn colors are really coming on at La Casa Amarilla in the Poconos. A heady reminder that I'd better get on with thoughts about autumn flavors, while there's still some time to try them on.
Much like apples, grapes are such a market standard that it's easy to forget they truly are seasonal. But then as you open that 1994 bottle of Chateau Talbot you are reminded that it was a crisp autumn afternoon when that whole glorious process began. Personally I'm hard pressed to come up with a better use for grapes than a Grand Cru Bordeaux. However, coming out of my haze I would urge you to think boldly. I have pickled seedless black grapes for a day or two and used them in salads, especially when a Farmhouse Cheddar or pungent Chevre is involved.

Pickled Black Grapes
Wash the grapes and remove them from the stem. Then just bring some red wine vinegar, (diluted with water by about 35%) to a boil. Add some sugar, a few whole cloves for spice, maybe a bay leaf and any other flavors that head in the direction you're thinking. Add the grapes, cover and remove from the heat. When cooled, transfer them to a clear glass or plastic jar and refrigerate 24 - 48 hours.

Pears are yet another treat. There's really a special sweetness to a perfectly ripe pear eaten out of hand, with tones of honey, date and vanilla. It's also a fruit that can be creatively used when it's less than ripe. Pear chutney is a delicious addition to sandwiches. And poached pears are an old classic that's due a revival. Red wine poached pears are what most people think of, but I prefer this lighter version.

Rose Poached Pears with Ricotta Stuffing and Bittersweet Chocolate Sauce
One day before you want to serve this dish, peel 6 slightly under ripe pears, leaving stem attached. I prefer Bosc, but any pear will do. Slice the bottom of the pear flat so that it will stand up on a plate. Place the peeled pears in water with lemon juice to prevent discoloration. Meanwhile pour one 750 ml bottle of rose wine and 1 quart of cold water into a medium pot, filling it a little over halfway full. Add granulated sugar to taste. This will depend entirely on the sweetness of the wine you use. Then add one half vanilla bean, split, with seeds scraped into the wine, the zest of one lemon and 1 tablespoon of rose water essence. Bring the liquid to a boil; add the pears and lower heat. The pears should simmer lightly. Place a clean side towel over the pears, touching the liquid and then place a heat proof plate on top of the pears to keep the fruit submerged. The pears need to cook until a knife point or skewer easily pierces the pear to the center. When the pears are finished, remove from heat, leave the plate and side towel in place and refrigerate until cold.
The following day, mix together about 2 cups of ricotta cheese. Add confectioner's sugar to taste and stir until smooth. Using a melon baller, clean the seeds from the poached pears by scooping them out from the flat base. Fill the resulting cavity with the sweetened ricotta mixture. Place the finished pears on a plate and refrigerate.
Make the sauce. Warm 1 cup of half & half to near simmering. Remove from heat and add 4 ounces of bittersweet chocolate. Stir until chocolate is melted and sauce is smooth. Stir in a pinch of salt and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract. Chill.
To serve, pour a pool of sauce on a small plate. Place pear in the center of the plate.

While Mama's not supposed to have a favorite child, Big Mary is happily free of such restrictions. And the ruby jewel closest to my hirsute bosom is the pomegranate. Finally, I can celebrate one of the few items that remain seasonal. You just can't find these beauties in July! Yet... But let's not go there. Let's just admire the almost Jurrasic beauty of this tough skinned player. The tart burst of crimson juice is just impossible to ignore wherever it shows up, and the newly developed enthusiasm for pomegranate juice gives some options for enjoying when the supply of the real thing dries up. Pomegranate molasses is another way to provide a jolt of pomegranate personality. This is the thick, tart reduced juice of pomegranates available in specialty gourmet and Middle Eastern stores. So splash that "Pom" juice over your vodka rocks and brush a little pomegranate molasses over that grilled chicken at the last minute, but please don't forget to scatter some fresh pomegranate over tonight's salad, or fold some into Sunday Brunch's fruit salad. Try to buy fruit that feels heavy for its weight, and check out the trick for releasing the seeds in the following recipe. This chutney is great with chicken or turkey. At work we sell it with a Moroccan Fried Chicken Paillard, and as a garnish for a chicken hors d'oeuvre on tiny popadum. My friend Margaret swears by it with duck breasts. Lots of options out there.

Walnut Pomegranate Chutney
Cut a nice fat pomegranate in half at its equator. Cradle the cut side down in your hand, hold it over a large bowl, and with a wooden spoon spank it thoroughly until all of the seeds have fallen out. Pick through the seeds for any white membrane and discard it. Measure out 1/2 cup of seeds and place in another bowl. Toast 1/2 cup of walnuts in a 350* oven for 4 - 5 minutes. While walnuts are toasting, place 2 tablespoons of currents in a small pan, add 2 teaspoons of wine vinegar and warm gently to plump the currants. Reserve and cool. When walnuts are cooled, roughly chop them and add to pomegranate seeds. Drain currants and add them as well. Next, add 2 prunes, finely chopped, 2 teaspoons of lemon juice, 2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses and 2 tablespoons of strongly flavored dark honey (I prefer buckwheat). Mix well and taste for salt.

And there, my pretties, is all I'll be saying about autumn fruits. Gotta move on ya know? But I still have much to say about autumnal eating and cooking when we get together here again.
Contented eating ...

2006-10-01T14:38:00.000-04:00

Here Come the Fall Fruits...
And before any unwelcome slander slips in, I'm talking about apples, grapes, pears, pomegranates, etc., not the sequined queens in the Halloween Parade.
I've bellyached before about the year round availability of way too many fruits and vegetables that years ago had specific seasons. And while it's true that Granny Smith's and Red Delicious' have become as ubiquitous as fake lashes on drag queens, it's only during September through November that we here in the Northwest are blessed with varieties such as Stayman Winesap, Jonathan, Macoun, Northern Spy, Cortland, Rome and on and on. Each one with a distinct sweetness ot tartness, crisp crunch or soft melting bite. Some are puckeringly acidic, some are just honeyed sweet; and the best, to my mind, balance the two. Hopefully some of you reside in equally apple blessed areas.
It's easy for a North American to take these red, pink, yellow and green beauties for granted. Partially because the storage and foreign apples we endure January through August deserve to be taken for granted. Most are one dimentional and flavor challenged. However on the plus side, they're damn convenient. They keep for a week or more if the heat's not too high, they are versatile, they are easy to eat, and almost fall into the realm of "comfort food". But like macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes and other "comfort foods", a lot of what we taste isn't very comforting. We also under value apples because they are so omni-present in our marketplace, they're just everywhere.
My partner, the handsome and newly thin Venezuelan, is always reminding me that this is not nearly so true in warmer regions, where apples and pears are considered quite exotic, much like we view guavas, mangoes, sapote and other tropical fruits. And in the same spirit with which he dismisses the mangoes in our markets, I suspect there are damn few island boys or girls who have ever tasted something as crisp and nectar filled as a ripe, fresh Stayman Winesap apple.
When my dear Mama Gladys passed away in September, we drove back to Ohio to wish the beautiful lady a sweet journey over. The nine hour return trip to NYC was sweet, not only due to reflections on my Mom's long and happy life, but also sweet with the crisp cidery smell of a bushel of apples from my middle sister's ignored apple tree. Before the horses and dogs grabbed the entire harvest, I threw a ladder up high and pulled down a few bags. According to my eldest sister, they are Jonathan apples. I've learned not to question because she's usually right in such matters.
Yesterday, I spent a long aromatic day producing about 12 pints of old fashioned apple butter, so good I started searching for county fair's open for canning competition. So good in fact, the Venezuelan proposed to me... Again. Then ordered me to hide it from his Weight Watcher self. Here's my typically brief outline of how you can share the love ...
Old Fashioned Apple Butter
Wash a big bunch of apples. A mix is best (perhaps McIntosh, Stayman Winesap, Macoun & Gala), though I succeeded with one variety that was tartly sweet. Roughly cut the unpeeled apples into eighths or quarters and put into a large heavy bottomed stock pot. Do not core or seed the apples. Add Apple Cider (or water, or a mix of both) until it just covers the apples. Place over medium high heat and simmer, uncovered, until the apples are completely collapsing. The timing will vary depending upon variety. A McIntosh will go quickly, a Granny Smith will take much longer. Cool the mixture and then pass it through a food mill. Alternately you could pass it through a chinese cap strainer or a wire mesh strainer.
Measure the puree and place in another heavy bottom stock pot (or the same one washed out)and add sugar at a rate of 50% of the puree. In other words, for 8 cups of puree, use 4 cups of sugar. I optioned for a little less sugar and was happy for it. Some folks use brown sugar, but for me the long cooking caramelizes the sugar plenty. Then stir in ground spices (I like a lot, so I used cinnamon, allspice, cloves, nutmeg and ginger), a few pinches of salt and a squeeze of fresh lemon. Bring to a simmer, stirring often, and then cook until it is thickened and condensed. This will take several hours, and you need to stir it often, about every 10 minutes at least, checking for sticking on the bottom of the pan. A good test for when the apple butter is done is this: chill a china plate in the freezer. Drop a tablespoon's full of the apple butter on the plate. Wait a minute or two. When liquid no longer seeps out from the mound of puree, you're there.
Proceed with standard water bath canning procedures which can be found in any canning book or online.
Let me just say, if you've never tried canning, it's just a big hoot and a holler. Very safe in my experience, as long as we're talking high sugar creations like jams, and jellies or high acid tomato products. And it just makes you smile with accomplishment. Besides, it impresses the hell outa people who don't know how easy it is!!!!!
That's it for now my pretties. Next time a quicker investigation of pears, grapes, pomegranates, and a few additional apple ideas.
Contented Eating,
Big Mary

2006-09-27T19:12:00.000-04:00

It's Autumn Children,
Well it is, and it's going to feel like it soon, and even better, you will see it at the market for the next two or three months. Now, those of us lucky enough to shop at a farmer's market will see it most dramatically; but even if the closest you come to a farmer is Pepperidge Farm, there is a lot of variety out there if you only look for it.
I feel like every season has a flavor "profile". By this I mean, the flavors ripe and ready to be exploited, used and abused. And really why not abuse them a bit. If you sign on to my theory, come Spring, you're not going to be serving them anyway.
To my mind, the flavor profile of autumn is made up of of the following:
Wild Mushrooms, Nuts, Grapes, Apples, Truffles, Game, Pomegranates, Winter Squash, Root Vegetables, Pumpkin and Cornmeal.
Here's some thoughts on how to use them ...
Wild Mushrooms
It's important to recognize that a lot of what are called wild mushrooms (Shiitake, Oyster, Cremini, etc.) are not wild mushrooms. They are better classified as exotic mushrooms. Wild mushrooms are truly that. Mushrooms harvested in the wild, and the difference is both mind and wallet blowing. Wild mushrooms for the fall include porcini, chanterelle, black trumpet, lobster and hedgehog, however many others may appear locally. Of course it's important to stress the importance of purchasing wild mushrooms from reputable purveyors. They really call kill you, and even easier, make you sick as an orphan on trick or treat night.
One really delicious and relatively economical way to incorporate wild mushrooms into your autumn repetoire is with dried wild mushooms. They can be rehydrated whole, or ground dry into a powder in your spice/coffee grinder. Porcini mushrooms are especially available, and often at an econimical price if you have access to Costco or Sam's Club shopping clubs.
Here's one idea for using dried porcini:
Orreichette Pasta with Exotic Mushooms, Leeks, Asiago and Porcini Demi Glace
Saute a mixture of exotic or wild mushrooms (whatever the market or budget allows) and deglaze the pan with madeira or dry sherry. Set aside.
Clean leeks and slice. Wash thoroughly. Sautee in oil or buter, being careful not to add color. Feel free to deglaze with a little white wine. When soft and tender, remove from heat and set aside
While cooking the mushrooms and leeks reduce homemade chicken or veal stock with madeira (or sherry) and porcini mushroom powder, until it has some viscosity. You may add some purchased demi glace to speed the process (For the record, you will rarely receive specific measurements here. I rely on your cooking instincts to make these recipes happen. If you need extra insight, email me.) When the liquid coats a spoon, remove from heat and set aside.
Shred asiago cheese, mix in 2/3 of the cheese and set aside. If serving this dish room temperature, chop flat Itlian parsley and set aside.
Cook orreicchette until al dente, drain and chill. Combine pasta, mushrooms, porcini reduction, leek and asiago. If serving hot, put in prepared cassreole and bake at 350* until crisp outside and hot inside. If serving room temperature, place in bowl and garnish with parsley and reserved asiago cheese.

There you go my pretties. Next post we'll move ahead on the fall flavor profile.
Contented Eating
Big Mary

2006-09-24T14:05:00.000-04:00

I wanted to re-visit Italy for many of the obvious reasons; the history, the incredible flavors, the beautiful people, terra cotta roofs against clear blue skies and those great yellow ochre walls of Italian buildings. However, the best souvenier I brought home was a renewed respect for honest, seasonal ingredients used simply to produce vibrant nourishing meals.
Each city boasted at least one glistening market, or in the case of Bologna, a whole district of stores, stalls and stands, with cured meats, fragrant cheeses and blood red tomatoes, cherries, basil, chilies, eggplant and zucchini. Was it coincidence that the cherries we sampled were the epitome of cherry, or was it just the romance of the setting. I still don't know. Maybe it was the the lowered expectation when told these blond, blushing beauties were Maraschino Cherries. (Side note: turns out the processed, plasticified, red dyed cherries at the bottom of my Manhattan, DO start out as Ranier cherries, an American similar variety) In any case, their tart sweetness has entered my permanent sense memory beside my Mom's pecan pie, my first taste of frais de bois, the smell of shaved white truffles and Iranian Imperial Blond Oessetra Caviar.
What we didn't see this stiffling sunny July afternoon was asparagus, blood oranges, porcini, brussels sprouts or artichokes. All of which I could find in a local high end NYC gourmet shop. What the Italian nonnas know that so many of us don't is that food has seasons, and you just shouldn't be eating asparagus in Italy in July.
And I'm more guilty than the least offender, providing asparagus in the barren snowscape of winter to my highly opinionated, and more highly uninformed corporate clientel of paper pushers, secretaries and junior executives that my catering company serves. But let's set that aside for now, as it's clearly the 2000 pound gorilla in the room.
To my mind, we lose out the most in ignoring the tightly focused bounty of fall and winter vegetables. Parsnips, turnips, kale and mustard greens, chanterellle, brussels sprouts, carrots and the wide array of autumn squashes, kabocha, delicata, sweet dumpling to name a mere three. It' so easy to toss out a summer vegetable array with tomatoes, sugar snap peas, corn, summer squash, sweet peppers and eggplant. More challenging and rewarding is to celibrate the richer, deeper flavours of autumn. Goddess be praised, if only for the annual rebirth of white truffels.
In my next post I hope to dive deeper into some thoughts on autumn flavors and ingredients. Until then...
Contented Eating,
Big Mary