In the Beginning Was the Chicken AND the Egg: Frittata with Chicken Liver and Spinach!

Well, I do think it just might be time for a walk through memory lane.  See, Don and I have been cooking together for a long, long time.  You might say a really, really, long time.  And "In the beginning", there was a chicken and an egg!

The first time Don and I cooked together was in the late summer of 1993.  The occasion took place in Oklahoma- and was brunch.  Neither of us had any idea at that time how many times this beautiful ritual would be reenacted in kitchens across the many states we have traveled- and sometimes lived.

Now of course at the time I had NO IDEA that Don HATED liver!  And also given how very new this "cooking together" was- he didn't mention this for years- not that liver was ever a staple in either of our diets.  For certain one of the things that has changed over these many years- you can trust me on this- Don is rather clear about his likes and dislikes in and out of the kitchen!

But back those many years ago, Don quietly browned those chicken livers without even the faintest of gags!  

In today's environment it is a bit more difficult to find chicken livers (am I the only person in the world who thinks they are one of life's delicacy's- bring on the pate').  But with a very accommodating neighborhood butcher shop we were able to get ours absolutely free!  Guess it has something to do with "supply and demand"! (We'd show you the "raw" livers, but decided that in order to keep you reading we best just show how they arrived in our kitchen!)

But enough of that!  It's time to get on with the cooking!


Frittata with Chicken Liver and Spinach!

Ingredients:

Basic:   

Eggs: 6
Vermouth: 1/4 cup 
Butter: 4 Tbsp
Salt and Pepper
(The brilliant addition of Vermouth is from Chef Frank DeCarlo, a NYC chef according to Mark Bittman.)





Optional:

Chicken Livers: 2 whole ones
Green Onions: 1 cup, chopped- Be sure to include some of the green tops as well.
Spinach: 2 BIG handfuls- I use baby spinach so the size is perfect!
Gruyere Cheese: 1 cup, grated

(You can be as creative as you wish here with the ingredients.  Try other cheeses.  Substitute Italian sausage or bacon. Or leave the meat out.  Consider mushrooms.  And then maybe be really daring with swiss chard rather than spinach. The possibilities are endless!)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Using a 12 inch non-stick, oven proof skillet, melt 2 tbsp of butter. (I really must insert a commercial here.  If you're looking for a good, durable, environmentally friendly non-stick pan I highly recommend the "scanpan". You can find it at Amazon.)

Cook the chicken livers until almost done, then add the green onions and cook long enough to soften.

When the chicken livers are completely cooked, remove both the livers and green onions from the pan.  Chop the livers into small pieces.

Wilt the spinach in the butter left in the skillet. 

Remove from the pan.














In a large glass mixing bowl, thoroughly blend the eggs with the vermouth. 

 I use a stick blender for this. (Not sure how I would survive in the kitchen without my stick blender.  We've had our Breville so long now our particular one is no longer on the market.  We've bought several of the Cuisinart for family and friends.  Do be careful with the stick blender as this article in the New York Times points out.  It can be quite dangerous in the kitchen!

Gently stir in the chicken livers, green onions, spinach and cheese.

Salt and Pepper to taste.

Melt the remaining 2 tbsp of butter in the skillet.  When the butter is melted and the pan is hot, pour in the egg mixture. Using a silicone spatula gently lift up the edges of the egg mixture as it sets on the bottom of the skillet.  

Cook on the stove top for approximately 2 minutes, then place the skillet in the preheated oven for an additional 10 minutes until the Frittata is cooked through.

Since we were having our Frittata for dinner we served with a side salad and crusty bread roll.  Wine of course!

ENJOY!

Oatmeal Cookies, Anyway You Like Them!

I know, I know- it's been a long time.  And can't say we were very regular about it even before that.  And I promised we were going to be better.

I bet you thought we forgot.  Or maybe changed our mind and thought it was a bad idea. Or stopped cooking.  Or maybe even fell off the face of the earth.

Well actually the explanation is a bit easier- we've been busy- or at least I have been.  In between traveling to see one child or another (not to mention the GRANDS!)- and squeezing in a friend here and there, I find that retirement is very, very time consuming.  I mean after lingering over coffee for up to an hour- and then showering- and then lingering over breakfast while I read the New York Times it's almost afternoon.  And then if not too distracted by some stray idea or other I finally sit at the piano and play for an hour or two.  And sometimes I take a walk... And of course there are the occasional errands... And by that time for sure it is time to begin the ritual of dinner- which of course includes a leisurely glass of wine to get the right mood for the work.  

Well as you can tell- it's mighty hard to fit in writing a blog with the whirlwind life I'm leading.  Now being a bit more disciplined about the blog was a New Year's resolution- and given that it's almost February, I'm noticing that I'm not off to a very good start.

It's not that we're not cooking.  Why we're cooking pretty much everyday- and some day's it even seems like we're cooking all day when a crowd is coming.  But cooking isn't the same as blogging.  Cooking is well- just cooking.

But I'm really going to try- for me- and for you as well. I thought I'd rather like to start simple- and nothing is simpler than an oatmeal cookie.  Why oatmeal cookies are cookies without the guilt. I think of them rather like breakfast in cookie form.

After the whirlwind of the holidays and our life settled a bit- the holiday company all safely returned to their homes, it seemed that the time was just perfect for spending the day in the kitchen baking cookies.  So baking cookies is what we did- and then Don boxed them up and mailed them to all the kids.  They were for the "post holiday" let down when you're desperately trying to find even a crumb left over from all sweets that seem to linger for days in November and December and then suddenly comes January and it's cold turkey for sure.Oatmeal cookies seem just the comfort food that's perfect for the dark, cold winter days. 

Now for most folks Oatmeal Cookies are rather straightforward.  Oatmeal, raisins and there you have it.  But then our family isn't very straightforward- for some you can't call it a dessert unless there is some chocolate tucked in somewhere- and Don HATES raisins.  So there you have it- I needed a cookie that was flexible- one that could bend here and there for the different folks.  So here it is:


OATMEAL COOKIES, ANYWAY YOU LIKE THEM!

Ingredients:
Dry:
1 1/2 cup Oatmeal (Can increase oatmeal to 2 cups and decrease flour to 1 cup. I think Don would like it if I skipped the flour altogether and just used the oats.)
1 1/2 cup Flour
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Nutmeg, freshly ground

Wet:
1/2 cup White Sugar
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
2 sticks of Butter, softened
2 Eggs
1 tsp Vanilla

Optional:
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup Cranberries 
May also add Coconut, Walnuts, Dried Cherries....
(Of course for Don the cookie of choice was PLAIN- I mean absolutely PLAIN- no chocolate, no cranberries, no cherries, no coconut- PLAIN!)

Directions:
Mix Dry Ingredients.




Cream butter and sugars.
Mix in eggs.
Finally add vanilla.





Preheat Oven to 350 degrees.

Add in chocolate chips and dried cranberries.



Plain and Loaded!



Chill dough in refrigerator for 15-30 minutes. (This helps keep the dough from flattening so fast when you begin to bake them.  You also can spoon them on the the cookie sheet and chill the entire sheet of cookies if you'd like.)

Spoon onto cookie sheet.



Bake for 10 minutes! (Careful that you don't over bake this cookie- or any cookie for that matter- unless you like your cookies hard!  I did learn a trick to create that "fresh from the oven" taste even when the cookies are 3-5 days old.  Wrap the cookies in a damp paper towel and microwave for 15 seconds or so.  Usually I skipped the damp paper towel and just microwaved on a plate and this seemed to work as well.)

Enjoy it your way!

Cooking with Dorie

Well, I know it's been a while.  It's not like I forgot.  And I really don't have a good excuse.  Saying we've been busy just sounds so lame and only partially explains our long silence.  I think probably it's as much about disorganization and just plain inertia.  But we're back!  And we're starting big, real big.  Why, this one post is going to have the recipes for a complete dinner party from appetizer to desert.  I'm trying to make up so you'll forgive our lapse.  Is is working?

The motivation was a Bridge night with Don and Mary Jo Peairs- and I'll just confess that I am really, really bad at Bridge.  If I were as bad at cooking as I am at Bridge, then everyone we know would beg, down on their knees and beg, that we go to a restaurant rather than eat at home.  Fortunately I'm a bit better at cooking than I am at Bridge. I had been eyeing a new cookbook I bought some time ago by Dorie Greenspan called Around my French Table and decided that this was the perfect time to actually open the beautiful book and cook.  I've often used Dorie's cookbook, Baking, and have followed her on twitter, but hadn't explored her recipes outside the desert category.  What a perfect opportunity!  Why Don might even think this cookbook was an essential addition to my already embarrassingly large cookbook collection!

Now before I get to Dorie, I will mention the simple- I mean really simple appetizer.  So simple in fact it hardly needs a recipe at all.  We started with Baked Brie with Apple Butter (homemade Apple Butter of course!).

BAKED BRIE WITH APPLE BUTTER:

Ingredients:

One round disk of Brie (I used one cut into wedges but you could use a single round)

Apple Butter

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Slice the Brie through the middle horizontally.  Spread apple butter on the bottom layer and then top with Brie and spread apple butter on the top layer.

Bake for 20 minutes.  Serve with toast points or crackers.

See, I told you that was simple, real simple.

But now we get to Dorie, and the rest of the menu is straight from Around my French Table.

CHUNKY BEETS AND ICY RED ONIONS SALAD
Ingredients:
4 beets
1 small red onion
Mixed greens (or you could use arugula- THE green of this season)
Goat cheese- crumbled

Dressing:
1 tsp of Dijon mustard
1 tsp of honey
1 tbsp of sherry vinegar (I used Champagne vinegar because it's what I had on hand)
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp of minced fresh herb (I used thyme)
Salt and Pepper

Directions:
I use the Mark Bittman method for preparing the beets. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Cut off the greens and the tail of each beet and wrap separately in aluminum foil.  Cook for 45- 60 minutes depending on size of beet- you can tell it's done when a sharp knife pierces it easily.  Cool the beets in the aluminum foil.  These can be made a day ahead.  Unwrap the cooled beets and remove the skin under cold running water.  The outer skin will come right off.  Cut off the spot where the leaves were attached, and then dice the beets into small chunks.
For the red onions Dorie suggests soaking the onion slices in ice water to give them crunch.

Mix the dressing (I love to use my stick blender for mixing the salad dressings!).
Place a handful of greens on each plate, top with the red onions, then the beets and finally the goat cheese.  Drizzle with the dressing.

ROAST CHICKEN FOR LES PARESSEUX (LAZY PEOPLE):
Ingredients:
1 whole chicken- 4-5 pounds (usually a hen instead of a fryer)
Olive oil
2 thick slices of bread (I used ciabatta)
2-3 sprigs each of rosemary, thyme and oregano
1 garlic head, cut in half horizontally, leaving the head intact, removing only the very outer peel
2/3 cup of white wine (you can substitute chicken broth if you like but we always seem to have more wine around than chicken broth)
1 large onion
8 small red or white potatoes, cut into wedges
4 carrots, cut into big chunks
2 parsnips, quartered

Directions:
Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  (It's real important that the oven temperature is correct or the cooking times will be off.  My oven is 25 degrees cooler than the temperature I set it at so I actually set mine to 475 degrees.)

Rub the inside of a dutch oven liberally with olive oil. (I lined the bottom with aluminum foil the second time I prepared this chicken to aid the clean up.) Place the bread in the center of the pan.
Season the chicken inside and out with salt and pepper.  Stuff the chicken with 1 quarter of the onion, 1/2 of each of the herb springs and the chicken liver if the butcher leaves it with you.  
Put the chicken in the pot on the bread, breast side up.  Pour a few tbsp of Olive oil over the chicken and pour in the wine. Place the remaining onion and herbs around the outside of the chicken. 
Cook covered for 50 minutes.
Toss the vegetables with olive oil until they are all glistening and then salt and pepper.
Add the vegetables to the pot and cook for 40 minutes more.
Check the chicken- the skin should be crackly and crisp and the leg should move easily.
Remove from the oven.  Let the chicken "rest" for 5-10 minutes.

Serve!

MARIE-HELENE'S APPLE CAKE:

I love this cake!  I mean really love this cake!  It's really apples with a bit of cake and WOW! It is so good we didn't even give any away to the neighbors- and in fact I baked another one two days later for Sarah and the kids just to have another piece!

Ingredients:
3/4 cup of flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
4 large apples- mixed variety- I used one Cortland, one Granny Smith, one Gala and one Red Delicious

2 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
3 tbsp of dark rum
1/2 tsp of vanilla extract
8 tbsp of butter, melted and cooled.

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (in my oven this is 375)
Grease and flour an 8 inch springform pan.
Core, peel and cut into 1-2 inch chunks.  I love to use our apple peeler.  It makes the apple prep job so easy (and I might mention it is a sure way to entertain grandchildren- and get them to eat apples as well). Dorie loves the idea of using a variety of apples.  This adds both interesting texture (some will cook softer than others) and also interesting flavor (some are sweet, some more tart).  After eating this cake I am a firm believer in "mixing it up" with the apples in a recipe!

Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together in small bowl. 
Whisk the eggs until they are foamy (I used my Kitchenaid stand mixer).
Pour in the sugar and whisk until blended.  Whisk in the rum and vanilla.
Whisk in half of the flour and when blended add half of the butter. Repeat with the remaining flour and finish with the remaining butter.
With a rubber spatula, gently fold in the apples. Make sure that all of the apples are covered with cake batter.
Pour into prepared pan and spread evenly in the pan.
Place the pan on a cookie sheet (mine leaked  a bit so I was glad this was on a cookie sheet rather than the bottom of my oven) and bake for 50-60 minutes.  The cake is done when a knife inserted comes out clean. 
Place on a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes.
Carefully remove from the edges of the pan.  I had placed parchment paper on the bottom of the pan so it was easy to slide onto the serving platter.

Serve warm or at room temperature.  We served with Caramello with Sea Salt Gelato.

Enjoy!

This Grama's Bolognese Sauce

There are as many Italian Bolognese Sauce recipes as there are Italian Grandmothers; and as many as there are Italian chefs, just including those in the United States. When you talk of all the recipes written in English we're talking ad infinitum.  Bolognese Sauce belongs to the Ragu family and originates in Bologna, Italy.  In fact in Bologna, Italy, it's not called Bolognese Sauce at all, but rather Ragu Sauce.  Ragu was introduced into the Italian cuisine in the late 18th century following the Napolean invasion in 1796 with the subsequent control of northern Italy by the French.  So though Bolognese is decidedly Italian, it's roots actually originated in France before the Italians made it their own.  The French do love their sauces! Bolognese (Ragu) Sauce is a meat based sauce for pasta- and of course the variations are endless. Prior to the French Napolian occupation, the Italians ate their pasta in a broth- not a sauce.

My search to find a Bolognese Sauce to call my own was rather a search for efficiency. I know, I know, I know- that sounds a whole lot more like Don than it does me- but he does seem to rub off on me over time.  And our family is EXPANDING!  Why with 7 children and 8 soon to be 9 grandchildren (and I predict this number will go higher) what we need is an Italian Grandmother who can cook for a crowd.  Well I'm certainly not an Italian Grandmother, but all of the kids and grandkids are just going to have to live with what they have.  

But back to the efficiency search.  When the kids and grands come to town there is plenty of preparation to do which doesn't leave much time for yet another search for a Bolognese Sauce recipe to use.  Besides I really want a recipe that's mine- the same recipe that is mine every time they come for a visit!  This one is it!  So let's gather the ingredients and start cooking!

Grama's Bolognese Sauce: adapted from multiple sources though I'd like to give special credit to Johanna, originally from the Philippines, now residing in Chicago.  You can find her here.  There's a bit of an Italian Grandmother in us all!

Ingredients:

2 pounds of ground Italian Sausage 

1 pound of ground lean beef

1/4 pound of Prosciutto, sliced into small strips (you can substitute bacon)

(Of course I get ours from our local meat market!)

2 Tbsp of olive oil

1 1/2 yellow onion, diced

3 stalks of celery, sliced thin

8 cloves of garlic, minced (we really, really like garlic!)

3 carrots, diced

1 red pepper, diced

2 green peppers, diced

1/2 fennel, diced

1 cup of minced parsley, (add late in the cooking)

 2 large cans of diced tomatoes

3 Tbsp of tomato paste

1- 2 Tbsp of anchovy paste, optional

1/2 cup of sweet red wine

1/4 cup of heavy cream, (also called "whipping cream"), Optional

1 to 1 1/2 cups of broth to desired thickness, (I use vegetable, but could use chicken or beef.)

3 Tbsp of Italian Seasoning or combination of basil, oregano, thyme and rosemary.  (I use "dry" rather than "fresh"- but in summer I'd use the fresh from our garden.)

1 Tbsp of red pepper flakes, (use more or less depending on how much "heat" you want in final dish)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

Brown the meats in a large Dutch Oven. I love, love, love my cast iron with an enamel coating!

Drain the grease off and remove the meat from the pan.

Heat the olive oil in the pan.  

Add onions and celery and fennel.  Cook until onion is glistening in color.  

Add in the garlic, carrots, peppers.  Cook until slightly softened.  Return the meat to the pot. 

Add the seasonings. 

Add the canned tomatoes, the tomato paste, anchovy paste and the sweet wine.  

Add enough broth for desired thickness.  Save the broth because you'll probably want to "thin" a bit as the liquid cooks away.

Bring the mixture to a light boil and then lower the temperature until the sauce is barely simmering. Cover the pot during cooking.

Cook for at least 2 hours- though don't hesitate to simmer up to 4 hours- just don't let it get dry and burn on the bottom, as this would totally ruin the taste! You can also cook in an oven heated to 300 degrees if this works better for you. Again the pot needs to be covered!

Add the cream and the parsley at the end of the cooking.  The cream will give it a slightly "pink" color- typical of Bolognese Sauces.

You can serve with the pasta of your choice.

Or if you'd like fry up Polenta...

And serve on top of this. 

I like mine with a good bottle of Chianti!

Enjoy!

Spring Harvest: Pickled Asparagus!

It is spring in Ohio.  In fact it has been spring in Ohio for quite a while now, even when it really should have been winter. But the weather has been like that this year.  Spring means Asparagus! I've read that it's been around for better than 20,000 years and that the Romans were even known to haul it up into the Alps to freeze it for use when it wasn't in season.  It's even rumored that it's an aphrodisiac which might help explain why "a young man's fancy turns to love...". 
I find that I start looking for it at the market when the weather turns just a wee bit warmer and the days a wee bit longer.  It's absolutely traditional to serve it at Passover- or Easter- along with "spring lamb" or "spring chicken". I like it roasted- or grilled- or even shaved raw for a salad.  It's perfect in a stir fry- or a pasta- on pizza- or in an omelet.  And even though you can usually get asparagus in other seasons besides spring, given our propensity for hauling our food from one corner of the world to another, it's just never the same as it is in the spring. But no matter how much you love asparagus there is only so much you can eat in any given spring.  
So why not "pickle" it for use year round!
Now I have to admit that until I met this beautiful woman, Don's Mom, my wonderful Mother-in Law and Grandma Lucas to 2 generations of children,

I thought that pickles were only something that came sliced in a jar to be used on a hamburger.  I was wrong!  Real wrong!  Now Mom didn't pickle asparagus, she pickled okra.  But we live in Ohio not Oklahoma and the okra we get is puny to say the least!  We did drive to Oklahoma one summer and brought back a half bushel or so of okra to pickle- but it's a long drive to Oklahoma just to buy okra and we have plenty of asparagus right here in Ohio.  Besides some of our children- and children-in-law- have more "northern roots" and prefer the asparagus to the okra.  As for me, Mom's pickled okra will always have the place of honor as far as I'm concerned. But back to the point. It's spring and there's plenty of asparagus to be had!


So let's get to pickling! Let's gather the ingredients.  Asparagus to be sure...

And vinegar (white) and pickling salt...

And of course the spices you plan on using. You can be real creative here because I'm not sure there is any spice that you can't tuck into the jar when you're pickling.   We like Garam Masala...

But let's get to the details of this process!


Pickled Asparagus: Adapted from the Pickled Okra recipe from Nita Lucas, my Mother-in-Law. You can also get more details on "pickling" from the book The Complete Book of Pickling by Jennifer MacKenzie. I picked my copy up at the Bennington Bookstore in Vermont one summer and it is terrific.  I highly recommend!


Ingredients:
Asparagus- about 1 pound for each pint jar you intend to pickle if you want each pickle to have the pretty asparagus crown.  We use the bottom half as well so we can get 2 pints out of about a pound.  Of course if you have asparagus left over, it's no problem because you'll have plenty of ways you can use it!


2 cups of white vinegar for every 4 pints of pickled asparagus.
2 cups of water for every 4 pints of pickled asparagus.
2 Tbsp of pickling salt for every 4 pints of pickled asparagus.


For each pint jar:
2 whole cloves of garlic
2 dried red peppers
2 Tbsp of whole seed Garam Masala


Directions:
Break the tough ends off the asparagus.  Now cut the asparagus into lengths about 3/4 inch below the surface of the pint jar.  Place the asparagus in the jars, pretty side up!


Bring the vinegar, water and salt to boil.  Boil until all the salt has dissolved and then about a minute more. 


Add the garlic cloves, peppers and Garam Masala to the jars with the asparagus.  


Using a pickling funnel pour the vinegar, water, salt solution into each jar leaving about 1/2 inch on top.  A pickling funnel is a wide mouth funnel and sure makes the pouring easier! You can see one here.

Place the lid disk on each pint and then screw on the lid band- be careful and don't tighten too much.  Stop when you'd have to add even the tiniest bit of force to close tighter.


Bring a big pot of water to a roaring boil.  When the water is boiling vigorously add each jar to the "canning bath".  It's helpful to have canning tongs. 


Leave the jars in the "bath" for 10 minutes and then remove.  You'll hear a little "pop" when the jar seals.  Check each jar to make sure it's sealed (you'll feel a very slight indentation in the middle of the lid).  

Store the jars in a cool, dark (not in direct sunshine) place.  Since we live in Ohio our house has a basement and that's where we store them.  Though the "book" says they last a year, we've kept ours longer than that.


I serve them "plain"...

Or chopped into deviled eggs (make sure and use the "juice" as well as the asparagus).

Enjoy!