for the love of food

ah Vongole !

being an east coast girl - i have fond memories of vongole pie - that is - clam pizza.

and while i know most folks in the south find this unusual ( to say the least ) - i have decided after 10 years - that one should make an appearance on the ASTI pizza menu. what ? a pizza without cheese ? that’s right ! -  some will add a bit of shaved pecorino but the ( perhaps snobby ? ) rule of italian cuisine - no cheese with seafood. it throws off the flavor of seafood.

what you will find is a thin crust pizza - topped with a dozen ( shelled) clams that have been steamed in lots of garlic & white wine & olive oil - poured over the dough with some chopped tomatoes- finished with a little of the intense dried sicilian oregano. ( add red chile flakes at your discretion ).

just say “vongole pie please”  !

real deal English Muffin

this recipe is from my days of line cooking - working the “way-to-early-after-saturday-night”  sunday brunch. the pastry chef would make 4 or 5 sweet breads for the basket and english muffins for the benedict. i collected this recipe (yikes !) 20 years ago and it was a real treat to come across it and make it again.

yeasty & chewy with the required “nooks and crannies” !  these are made in a coffee can “loaf” and sliced - which i prefer to the individual skillet muffins.

recipe: yield 2-coffee cans

sift:

3 3/4 c. flour

1 1/4 tsp. salt

mix & cool:

1 1/4 c. + 2 T. scalded milk

1/4 c. cornmeal

proof til foamy:

1 T. + 1 1/2 tsp. yeast

1 T. + 1 1/2 tsp. sugar

3/4 c. warm water

add the flour alternately with the cornmeal/milk mix to the proofed yeast.

using a paddle or dough hook -mix 5 minutes til smooth and elastic.

let proof til double in bulk.

dissolve:

heaping 1/4 tsp. baking soda

1 1/2 T. water

using the paddle or hook - add this mix to the risen dough & mix 5 minutes. hand knead a bit with additional flour so it’s not too sticky. divide into 2 buttered coffee cans ( halfway). let rise til double again. preheat oven 375.

dough will proof over the can a bit - trim edges with scissors if it goes too far. place cans in oven and drop temp to 350. bake til golden brown - about 30-40 minutes. when cooled remove from cans. slice & toast as needed. enjoy !

makes for a special sunday brunch !

destination INDIA

it’s where we celebrate every month ( or two ) with our friends chris and celia -  inviting another couple ( or two ) to join us.  we embarked on this journey last year when we shared our excitement for phaidons latest  cookbook - INDIA.   it’s our supperclub - celebrating cuisine of india !

this is not our first go at a supperclub (see archives / august / silver spoon). supperclubs are a good excuse to explore a type of cuisine - sometimes to explore a single cookbook. we are fans of the phaidon cookbooks - but the problem with these compilations of a 1000 ( or more) recipes - is that something really does get lost in translation.  and it’s rampant in this book ( 1 T. of water mixed with 4 cups of rice flour will not form a pliable dough ! really ?! )  unfortunately we’ve come to use this book as a guideline - having to use other cookbooks for reference.

cooking indian food is fun for us because we know little about it’s ingredients - flavor combinations & techniques. just procuring the spices and making spice blends has been a treat. thankfully we have savory spice shop here in austin to supply even the hard to find stuff like the stinky ! asafetida. we’ve put our mortars & pestles to work ! 

what to drink with indian food ?  there’s always riesling & gewurztraminer & rose. we made up this starter cocktail - granita of hibiscus & rose petal & pomegranate molasses - topped with a shot of tequila.  yum !

bengali samosa stuffed with potato -cauliflower - peas & chiles served with a ginger-tamarind sauce. ( i skipped that crazy dough recipe and googled one ). these are delish. spicy filling with tart sweet dipping sauce.  also served were garam masala spiced cashews - addictive !             a couple of favorites were grilled ground lamb skewers & mint with pineapple raita (yogurt condiment ) and a classic dish -peas with paneer ( easy to make cheese curd ) with cinnamon & cumin. also we made a pulao ( a rice dish ) with coconut & shrimp….and beets with lots of smashed ginger & garlic.

pistachio kulfi - (indian icecream ) frozen mixture - not churned - made with reduced milk - cream & cardamom.  i love this spice.

we look forward to our supperclub dinners - it’s always fun to “visit” INDIA !

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Top 10 from Paris & Provence

3 days in paris with emmett & our friends rick & kim. what a treat ! it’s my first visit to paris so i am excited to see the city and practice my french. we drop our luggage at hotel therese ( **recommended ) and hit the road running…..to lunch ….and our first of many many bottles of rose wine.

1. dinner our first night at l’aoc offered classic bistro favorites - foie gras - lyonnaise salad- bone marrow - somehow all tastes better here.  a good intro into our next weeks consumption of french food.

2. un dimanche a paris.  this fairly new restaurant was getting rave reviews. we liked the contemporary notion of pairing chocolate with savory. excellent choice ! we recognized owner pierre cluizel as he entered the restaurant and flagged him to our table to give kudos. the son of a well regarded chocolatiere - he left the family biz to open this dream restaurant ( and adjoining lounge /salon/bar - exhibition kitchen and fine chocolate boutique)- which he proceeded to tell us about. the restaurant was built around this two story tower from the 1200’s - we looked down at our table in the meals aftermath.

3. musee de l’orangerie. monet’s famous water lily ( and willow tree) paintings (8) are showcased  360 degrees in four panels each - in two oval rooms. these paintings are his final 12 years work which he painted for this space. ( you are silenced upon entering these rooms)  it is magical !

downstairs houses the impressionist / post impressionist collection of paul guillaume.  cezanne…renoir…rousseau…soutine….matisse….modigliani…picasso….some of my longtime favorite artists. this museum is such a treat.  rodin’s  ‘kiss’ sculpture stands barely noticeable at the entrance of this museum.

4. sights of the city. ( no i did not climb the tower). the louvre at night was spectacular - a stroll thru tuileries gardens. so much to see - so little time.

5. racines wine bar. (no website ) this restaurant was on our ‘list’ - then confirmed ‘a must ’ by our friend greg - who we were meeting for dinner. ( i love it when friends from the states can meet up in another country for dinner ) ! this place is well known for it’s organic-only french wine list ( or wine wall i should say - as you peruse it with the wine guru to choose your bottles). the food is local organic also. white asparagus was everywhere as it was in season. this dish of cod with leek & spinach i barely shared because it was so delicious. the vegetables were insanely flavorful. the kitchen crew of two worked just above us in this tiny restaurant. we gave kudos to them & our server & wine guru !

6.  eygalieres. we bid adieu to paris and took the TGV to avignon in southern france -where we rented a car. our friend rented this property in the lovely village of eygalieres and invited 10 ( grateful ! ) friends to join him. merci brian !

door & windowscapes in town.

location location location ! this village was a 5 minute walk from our house. butchershop - produce shop - cheese & charcuterie - a handful of great restaurants & bars - wine shops -a patisserie & boulangerie. they knew our group well by day 2 ! market day on friday - though we followed it around to neighboring villages. we day-tripped to avignon - st. remy - les baux  &  aix. the lavender was not in bloom but the landscape was full of olive & vineyards - wild purple iris & red poppy - rosemary & bay - fig trees & fields of artichokes.

some of our best meals were cooked ( and drunk ) ! at home.

9. town of cassis. a drive to the coast for bouillabaisse. we opted for this small town vs the big city of marseille. there is a ‘marseille bouillabaisse chapter’ detailing the traditional bouillabaisse recipe including how to make the soup base - the correct number (7) & specific types of fish and of course the crouton & rouille    (which i could slather on just about everything). also delish was this mackerel over ratatouille & rocket.

9.  roussillon. this cliff town is one of the picturesque villages in the luberon. it boasts 17 shades of orange - pink - red & yellow from the ochre quarry nearby.

10. arles. here are 2 of the 9 locations on the van gogh walk - another of my favorites !  we headed out on this tour - but got side tracked with shopping ( go kim ! ) and of course lunch. here he painted ‘cafe at night’ and here is the hospital he stayed at and also painted. (it was in arles that gauguin visited him for 2 months only to leave quickly after vincent went crazy and cut off his ear.)

11. ok !  one extra !  i  had to picture a few of my favorite desserts. i have never eaten so many desserts - but hey - it’s france !    merci et au revoir !

Stay Tuned……….

off to france…..stay tuned for reports from paris & provence !

Inspired Supper

it’s always a treat when emmett gets inspired to cook (who doesn’t like being cooked for). this time it was a monday night supper - the inspiration from the cookbook ‘Cook Italy’ with a recipe for boned chicken stuffed with rosemary & garlic. yum.

a chicken version of porchetta - chichetta ?

a technique that seems forgotten for chicken. bone out the entire chicken & season liberally. at this point you could stuff with anything ! emmett opted to keep with the recipe with garlic & rosemary - rolled and tied. he made a pan sauce from the bones.

pan seared and oven roasted over veggies for about 1 hour 15 min.

this is a recipe we’ll “practice” for a while. who says chicken is boring ?!

Spring Strawberries

always a fan of boggy creek farm - i love to hit the saturday market and see what they have to offer and purchase my weekly produce. i chat it up with carol ann - get some local gossip from larry - and say hello to the avid chef shoppers.

knowing i couldn’t go saturday - i hit the wednesday market. it was bustling ! i wasn’t wasting anytime getting the last of the spinach. eric from wink snagged the last of the carrots. deagan from jeffrey’s was focused on grabbing what he could. there were spring onions & garlic - sweet potatoes & swiss chard -best-ever-arugula & rhubarb !  larry was milling about drinking coffee and carol ann was replenishing as fast as she could.  as i was checking out - they loaded me up with some additional strawberries for the restaurant.

back at ASTI - we concocted a starter / dessert that highlighted this fragrant luscious berry. it is a special treat - given that they are available for about 2-3 weeks only.

fresh mozarella burrata with cracked black pepper - chopped mint & drizzled with balsamic reduction.

cheers to spring stawberries ! Thankyou BCF !

best ever Granola

FINO  has a most delicious granola on the sunday brunch menu. when i am in the kitchen there i like to sneak a jar of the stuff to have at home. it is far more delicious than anything store bought.  finally i  just asked the pastry chef for the recipe. so courtesy of erin - here it is.  it is so simple - you can custom make it any way you like - and with far less sugar than the boxed / bulk stuff.

4 c. ( organic ) rolled oats

1 c. ( raw ) nuts

1 c. raw pumpkin seeds

1/2 c. sesame seeds

bring to a boil:

3/4 c. light brown sugar

1/2 c. maple syrup

2/3 c. vegetable oil

2 tsp. vanilla extract

pour over dry ingredients and toss til well coated. spread onto a sheet pan ( or two). bake 350 degrees for 10-15 min until lightly golden brown and smelling delicious.

let cool completely before breaking up into chunks of granola. keep in a ziplock or jar with tight fitting lid.

when serving add fresh or dried fruit.  our blend this week is with flame raisins - goji berries - mulberries ( delicious fig tasting berries from turkey )  - and chia seeds ( the ‘new’ flax seed ). 

plain yogurt + granola = tasty breakfast.  thanks erin !

Easy as Apple Pie

i love a good kitchen gadget. a practical one that is efficient and enhances the task at hand. i do not typically like gadgets that replace a job one should really relish doing by hand. like an apple peeler. i would not consider such a thing……..until my mom’s VSO ( very significant other) used one to practice making his “award winning apple pie” ( seriously - he won first place in a pillsbury pie bake-off ).

i must admit i was taken by the ease and precision of this old fashioned gadget ! it peels and/or cores and/or spiral slices….in a second ! i thought it was brilliant.

and then mom and bill sent me one as a gift.  i had to put it to good use - and what fun it was.

i’m thinking easy prep for gratins too - potatoes & beets!

it may not be award winning- but is was tasty !  and definitely quick & easy !  

i’ll make room in my pantry for this gadget !

Brunch Special

brunch in our house is usually one of a few ‘go-to’ favorites. iron skillet pancake souffle with fruit & honey……omelettes ( * with strawberry jam )…….or this moroccan diddy. it’s a classic recipe that we took from saveur magazine years ago. so last sunday - as we were settling in with the NYTimes with nowhere to go - i decided to make moroccan brunch special.

1.  thick garlic yogurt.  whole milk yogurt - strained for at least an hour ( strainer lined with coffee filter).  into it press a couple of cloves of garlic. leave out at room temp.

2.  crispy fried sage leaves.

3.  flour tortillas. 

       with all that prepped - this part needs to be done quickly.

3.  fried eggs - over easy or sunny side up. flip onto yogurt.

4.  in a fry pan - heat EVO oil ( 1/4 c. ) and a bit of butter ( 2 T ) . when foaming  - add 1/2 tsp each of hot paprika & smoked paprika. swirl pan to incorporate and immediately pour over eggs. add sea salt and garnish with fried sage. serve up warm tortillas.

      this dish is always a treat ! ( next brunch special is on emmett…………pancake souffle please ).