Pasta and Fried Zucchini

Photos and text reblogged from Smitten Kitchen:

Pasta and Fried Zucchini Salad
Adapted, barely, from Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi

Serves 4

Salt and black pepper
2/3 cup sunflower or safflower oil, or any type of oil you like for deep-frying
3 medium zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
Salt
1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3/4 cup frozen edamame or peas, fresh or frozen
2 cups basil leaves, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup parsley leaves
1/3 cup olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
9 ounces strozzapreti or penne pasta
Zest of 1 lemon
1 1/2 tablespoons capers (or more to taste; my husband votes for 2)
7 ounces buffalo mozzarella, torn into chunks

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

While you’re waiting, in a medium saucepan or skillet, heat sunflower oil over medium-high heat. Fry zucchini slices in batches for about 3 to 4 minutes, flipping once, until golden on both sides. [Update to add: If your zucchini isn't browning right away, bump up the heat until it does in just a few minutes.] Drain in colander, shaking with a couple pinches of salt, then transfer to a large bowl and pour vinegar on top. Set aside.

In the hot water, cook edamame for 3 minutes, frozen peas for 3 to 4 minutes, or fresh peas for 1 to 2 minutes (to taste). Drain and run cool water over until lukewarm. Set aside to dry. Leave pot boiling, then cook pasta until al dente in it. Drain and rinse under cold water.

Combine half of basil and all of the parsley and olive oil in a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth, then season with salt and pepper.

Transfer pasta back to empty pot. Add fried zucchini and any juices, basil-parsley oil, edamame or peas, lemon zest, capers and mozzarella. Stir gently together, then season generously with salt and pepper. Right before you serve it, stir in remaining basil leaves.

Do ahead: Assembled dish keeps in the fridge for at least a day, or so I hear.

A Perfect Day in Santa Cruz

Ukelele Club of Santa Cruz:

Lunch at a pop-up restaurant in a warehouse:

An Instagram moment:

21 Truly Upsetting Vintage Recipes

Feast your eyes here.

Maggio Old Vine Zinfandel

We had the 2009

Available at Cost Plus World Market

White Burgundy

Wine enjoyed at Bouchon, Las Vegas.

Country: France

Region: Burgundy

Appellation(s): Bourgogne, Bourgogne Vézelay

Producer: Jean Montanet

Founded: 1987

Annual Production: 8,500 cases

Farming: Organic

Website: http://www.domainedelacadette.com

Domaine de la Cadette

In the village of Saint-Père, along a little creek to the southeast of Vézelay in Burgundy, a quiet, peaceful revolution is taking place. This part of Burgundy has been producing wines for centuries, although as much as half of the entire appellation’s production is being sold off to the local cave cooperative. In 1987, Jean and Catherine Montanet, with the help of friends and family, created Domaine de la Cadette.Cadette, or the youngest child, is a nod to Catherine, whose family’s vineyards contribute to the domaine’s production. It took them ten years to clear land and replant vineyards. By 1997, the I.N.A.O. (Institut National des Appellations d’Origines) had awarded Vézelay its own A.O.C; a timely decision that lends more credibility to the noble work of the Montanets. Jean and Catherine farm thirteen hectares of vineyards today, and have been farming organically since 1999, receiving their certification in 2002. This is a particularly bold decision in an area where most wine is sold in bulk.

The vineyard land sits deep in the Morvan, the great mountain range that runs west by northwest of the famous Côte d’Or. The land here is quite exceptional. The creation of the granite massif of the Morvan has uplifted a marl and limestone strata, revealing fossilized marine deposits. Though Vézelay is a geographic appendage of Chablis, the soils are not exactly the same. The climate here is cooler, too. Instead of the Kimmerdigian soils, the clays here range from blue and gray to red, sometimes with no clay at all but just shallow limestone. In this cooler climate, their vines enjoy great sun exposure, lending a balance between generous fruit and deep mineral structure. That the wines from Vézelay have gone largely unnoticed until recently may certainly be attributed to an underwhelming production of forgettable wines, however Domaine de la Cadette stands proudly as a beacon of change, representing the most sincere expression of their terroirs with grace and integrity.  Though they are best known for their Bourgogne Vézelay, a Chardonnay, their Bourgogne Rouge and their Melon de Bourgogne are also equally remarkable.

Source: Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant

Any Night Baked Rice

Image and recipe from here.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients
1            tablespoon unsalted butter
1/4        cup finely chopped onion
1            garlic clove, minced
1            cup long-grain rice
1/4        teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
1 1/2      cups low-sodium chicken broth
1            bay leaf

Preheat oven to 425°F. Melt the butter in a flameproof, ovenproof pot with a heavy lid (I use Le Creuset’s cast-iron 18cm French oven) over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until tender but not brown, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the rice and thyme; cook and stir about 1 minute more (grains should start to cook a bit but not brown, and should glisten with butter). Add the chicken stock and then the bay leaf; stir to break up any clumps of rice. Bring to a boil.

Cover the casserole tightly and slide it into the oven. Bake the rice for 15 minutes. Remove from oven; let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Serve immediately or let stand, covered, in a warm place (such as on an unheated back burner) for up to 20 minutes more. Remove bay leaf and stir with a fork before serving.

Chicken Breast Calvados

Image from here

CHICKEN BREAST CALVADOS

Printed from COOKS.COM

---

1 lg. (about 1/2 lb.) Golden Delicious or Newtown Pippin apple
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 c. apple brandy, Brandy, or apple juice
2 boned & skinned chicken breast halves, (about 3/4 lb. total)
2 slices (about 1 oz. each) Havarti cheese
Minced parsley

Peel, core, and thinly slice apple. Divide between 2 shallow ovenproof Ramekins (1 1/2 to 2 cup size) the apple slices, brandy, and half the nutmeg. Cover Ramekins tightly with foil. Bake apples in a 400 degree oven until tender when pierced, about 20 minutes. Rinse chicken and pat dry. Put one breast half in each dish, basting surface of chicken with juices, then sprinkle with remaining nutmeg. Bake, uncovered, until chicken is no longer pink in center of thickest part (cut to test), about 12 minutes. Top chicken with cheese. Broil 6 inches from heat until cheese is bubbling, about 2 minutes longer. Sprinkle with parsley.

Recipe from here.

Pine Mountain Lake

Watermelon skin carving from Vid Nikolic on Vimeo.

Grilled Polenta

Grilled Polenta

Ingredients
4 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup yellow cornmeal (dry, in the box)
1/4 cup of half and half (or heavy cream)
1 tablespoon butter, softened
garlic (I used 3/4 teaspoon crushed from the jar)
herbs, about 1-2 Tablespoons of fresh herbs (I used what I had in the garden: chives, tarragon, thyme, basil, oregano...you can use whatever, probably just chives would be fine)
3/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan
Fresh cracked black pepper, to taste
Olive oil
Balsamic Reduction: Balsamic vinegar, heat on low until reduced......it will get even thicker as it cools.

Directions
Bring water and salt to a boil in a large saucepan. Gradually whisk in the cornmeal in a slow steady stream. Lower heat and continue to whisk until the polenta is thick and smooth, about 20 minutes. Add the cream and butter and continue to stir until incorporated. Remove from heat, strain if desired to remove any lumpiness. Fold in Parmesan cheese and black pepper. Pour the polenta into a buttered 9 by 9 inch baking dish and spread evenly with a spatula. Cover and chill a few hours. Cover a cookie sheet with foil, brush some olive oil on the foil. Cut the polenta into squares/triangles/whatever you like. Brush the top and sides of the polenta shapes with olive oil, let come to room temperature if you have time. Broil, until golden brown...takes awhile, maybe 15+ minutes or so.

Serve warm broiled polenta over salad (heirloom tomatoes, herbed goat cheese, salad greens, shredded carrots, avocado), drizzle all with a balsamic reduction.

Inspiration for Saturday night cooking

Remember the kitchen scene in "The Big Chill"?

Here's the original version by the one and only Temptations.
Time to practice our moves:

Poached Pears with Cabernet Sauvignon Sauce

Poached Pears with Cabernet Sauvignon Sauce

1. Peel pears, leaving the stems intact.

2. Place pears in a sauce pan and cover with cabernet sauvignon wine.  For one bottle of wine, you can usually cover about three pears at a time.

3. Simmer the pears until they are fork tender.

4. Remove the pears from the wine by using the stem as a handle so that you don’t damage the flesh.

5. Repeat steps 2-4 until you’ve poached all the pears using the same wine.

6. Add sugar to taste, around ¼ cup.

7. Add vanilla and a cinnamon stick.

8. Put pears back into the seasoned wine for 5 minutes to infuse the flavors. You may be tempted to add the sugar at the beginning to save a step, but it will not taste good.

9. Carefully remove pears by the stem again.

10. Cook wine until it is reduced and slightly thickened - to around a cup or two.

11. If you don’t have a lot of time or don’t need as much sauce, toss half the wine and reduce to about one cup.

12. Should be syrupy when cold. If too syrupy, reheat until it is the desired consistency.

Mascarpone Whipped Cream

1. What Michelle did for book club:
1. Whip heavy cream with honey and vanilla.
2. Add mascarpone cheese.
3. Whip together.
4. Created a lumpy texture. I personally loved the bursts of mascarpone.

2. What Michelle wished she did:
1. Whip heavy cream with honey and vanilla.
2. Whip mascarpone cheese.
3. Fold together. Should create a homogenous, smooth texture.

Sunday Brunch

11 am - 2 pm

at Peggers'

From the Queen of fast yet nutritious recipes

Minato at Flickr

Ginger and Coriander Carrot Soup Recipe:

Peel and roughly chop one large onion, saute in a pan with chopped ginger (there's no such thing as too much ginger in my book but a one inch piece, peeled and chopped, should suffice) and 1 tsp of curry powder. When somewhat cooked, throw in 1 1/2 pounds of peeled and halved carrots, add one of those free range pkgs of chicken stock (or swansons, two small cans), salt to taste (1/2 tsp) and maybe a little water so the vegetables are just covered, simmer until the carrots are fully cooked. Throw in a handful of coriander/cilantro (washed and the thickest part of the stems removed) and puree with a hand blender till smooth. Add a couple of tablespoons of creme fraiche and puree for an additional 30 seconds and voila, carrot soup. Serve with fresh bread and cheese and baby tomatoes and wine you have one of my favorite meals ever!

vforvelociraptor at Flickr

Salad:

So HARD! Buy a pkg of mache lettuce and another of baby lettuces, rinse and dry (yes, I know it says triple washed but just in case..), add Trader Joes poppy seed dressing (in moderation) and toss.

newyork808 at Flickr

Mascarpone cheese sauce (which I served with the berries):

I pkg Mascarpone cheese (6 oz)

3 tbsps creme fraiche

1/4 cup confectioners sugar

Mix and beat with a fork, serve with berries. I think it's yummy, my good friend Susan gave me this quick recipe.

Pass the EpiPen Please

To help our future hosts, I thought it would be a good idea to create the definitive allergy and preferences list for our book club. Please feel free to modify, this is only my best guess right:

Angel in Love: prefers no mushrooms or fish
Awakening Angel: mushrooms, peanuts. There isn't enough space on the internet to list all my allergies!!!! You could add shrimp, brazil nuts, and mold.
Dakota Angel: wood smoke
Dutchbaby: mushrooms, fly fish roe (a.k.a. tobiko), red snapper
Entrepreneur Angel:
Mor Mor Kris: all shellfish
Peggers: asiatic lilies
Treasurehunter: prefers no tomatoes, but is expert at flicking them out of any dish.

"Sorry, children. These are for the next Book Club meeting!

Tarragon Lemon Dip

Here's the dip that Peg loved, it's from http://www.foodnetwork.com/ , I changed the tarragon to chives and basil, a little italian parlsey (the herbs I had growing), plus I changed the 1 c. mayo to 1/2 c mayo, 1/4 cup sour cream, 1/4 c. Greek natural yogurt. Served with Trader Joes sugar snap peas.


Asparagus and Green Beans with Tarragon Lemon Dip
Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray
Show:
30 Minute Meals
Episode:
Triple Dip

1 pound asparagus, trimmed 1 pound fresh green beans, trimmed Salt 1 cup mayonnaise 1 lemon, zested and juiced 1 small shallot, finely chopped 2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon, (4 sprigs), chopped, plus sprigs for garnish 2 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves, plus sprigs for garnish Few grinds freshly ground black pepper
Cook asparagus spears and green beans in 1-inch of salted boiling water, covered, for 3 or 4 minutes. Drain and cool the vegetables and arrange them on a serving plate. Combine the dip ingredients in a small bowl and garnish with sprigs of parsley and tarragon and set dip along side vegetables on serving dish.

Chicken Marbella

Chicken Marbella

2 chickens, 2 ½ pounds each, quartered, skins removed
1 head of garlic, peeled and finely pureed
¼ cup dried oregano
coarse salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
½ cup red wine vinegar
½ cup olive oil
1 cup pitted prunes, dried apricots, dried figs or any combination of your favorite dried fruits
½ cup pitted Spanish green olives
½ cup capers with a bit juice
6 bay leaves

½ cup brown sugar
1 cup white wine
¼ cup Italian parsley or fresh coriander (cilantro), finely chopped

In a large bowl combine chicken quarters, garlic, oregano, pepper, and coarse salt to taste, vinegar, olive oil, dried fruits, olives, capers and juice, and bay leaves. Cover and let marinate, refrigerated, overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Arrange chicken in a single layer in one or two large, shallow baking pans and spoon marinade over it evenly. Sprinkle chicken pieces with brown sugar and pour white wine around them.

Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, basting frequently with pan juices. Chicken is done when the pieces, pricked with a fork at their thickest, yield clear yellow (rather than pink) juice.

With a slotted spoon, transfer chicken, dried fruits, olives and capers to a serving platter. Moisten with a few spoonfuls of pan juices and sprinkle generously with parsley or cilantro. Pass remaining pan juices in a sauceboat.

8 pieces, 5 or more portions

dutchbaby's notes: I am a great fan of all the Silver Palate cookbooks. This is by far my favorite recipe of Rosso and Lukins'.

Modifications to the original recipe:
* The original recipe calls for 4 chickens instead of two, but I didn't change the proportions of the remaining ingredients because double the amount of sauce is a real bonus!
* The original recipe calls for prunes only, I like to use other dried fruits as well.
* The original recipe call for 1 cup brown sugar, I prefer to add only ½ cup.

angel-in-love's notes: Made the same recipe modifications as dutchbaby plus: I used only chicken tenders and I tried to find apricots that are not too sweet.

Chocolate Polenta Cake

Light and fluffy and oh so delish! Awakening Angel ended the meal on a high note:


Chocolate Polenta Cake

Ingredients:
1 cup water
1/4 cup ALBERS® Yellow Corn Meal
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter (we recommend LAND O LAKES® Butter), softened
3 bars (6 oz. total) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Baking Bars, chopped
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup granulated sugar
4 large egg yolks
5 large egg whites
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
Sweetened whipped cream (optional)
1 bar (2 oz. total) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Baking Bars, shaved (optional)

Directions:

PREHEAT oven to 300° F. Grease 9-inch springformpan.

COMBINE water and cornmeal in small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture comes to a boil about 3 to 4 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Cover; cook for 5 to 7 minutes or until mixture is thickened. Remove from heat; let stand 2 minutes. Add butter, chocolate and vanilla extract; stir until melted. Cool completely.

COMBINE 1/4 cup sugar and egg yolks in small mixer bowl. Beat at medium speed for 3 to 4 minutes or until mixture is thick and lemon-colored. Stir in chocolate mixture.

BEAT egg whites in large mixer bowl at high speed until soft peaks form. Continue beating; gradually add 2 tablespoons sugar. Beat until glossy and stiff peaks form. (DO NOT OVER BEAT.) Gently stir in chocolate mixture. Pour mixture into prepared springformpan.

BAKE for 40 to 45 minutes or until cake is set in center. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Remove side of pan. Serve with whipped cream. Sprinkle with chocolate.

Cold Cucumber Soup

Awakening Angel outdid herself once again by hosting the most amazing meeting this month. The Cold Cucumber Soup was world-class fabulous! I agree with Mor Mor Kris' description that it really should be called Hot and Cold Cucumber Soup. I'm hopefull that Santa will put some of that Bayou Blast in my stocking this year (hint, hint Awakening Angel ;-) )

Cold Cucumber Soup
Recipe courtesy Emeril Lagasse, 2004
Show:
The Essence of Emeril
Episode:
Summer Entertaining
6 pounds cucumbers (about 6 cucumbers), peeled, seeded, and coarsely chopped (12 cups)
2 yellow bell peppers, stem and seeds removed, coarsely chopped
4 green onions, chopped
2 jalapeno peppers, minced
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh mint
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill
3 to 4 garlic cloves, mashed to a paste with 1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons Essence, recipe follows
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 cups plain yogurt
3 cups sour cream, divided
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons minced fresh chives


Combine the cucumbers, bell peppers, green onions, jalapenos, cilantro, mint, dill, garlic, Essence, salt, cayenne, yogurt, 2 cups sour cream, olive oil, and white wine vinegar in a large bowl. Working in batches, puree the ingredients in a blender until very smooth. Transfer the soup to the refrigerator until well chilled, at least 2 hours. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Serve the soup, with each bowl garnished with a dollop of the remaining sour cream and some of the minced chives.

Emeril's ESSENCE Creole Seasoning (also referred to as Bayou Blast):
2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly.
Yield: 2/3 cup
Recipe from "New New Orleans Cooking", by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch, published by William and Morrow, 1993.

Fog City News

Fog City News is a place I've been meaning to check out. This place is a news stand plus. It's not just a news stand with tons of magazines, unique greeting cards, and soda pops but they offer group chocolate sit-down tastings in this lovely setting:

We can visit on our way to hoofing from the hotel to the Ferry Building.

http://www.fogcitynews.com/chocolate.html