For the best flavor and texture, use more than one type of apple.
Baked Apple Butter
6-7 apples, well-washed and roughly cubed
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
3 Tablespoons molasses
In a stainless steel roasting pan (or glass baking dish), add enough water to cover the bottom of the pan. (at least 1 cup of water) Add apples, spices, cider vinegar, and molasses. Spread out apples to evenly cover the pan. Bake at 300 degrees F for 1 hour. Remove the pan from the oven. Gently toss ingredients. Place roasting pan back in the oven and bake for another hour. Remove apples from the oven. Taste. Add brown sugar, to taste (1/4-1/2 cup). Mash with potato masher, if desired. If not perfectly tender, return to the oven for another 30-60 minutes. Turn off the oven and let apples cool in the warm oven for at least 30 minutes. Mash with potato masher or grind smooth in a food processor. Pour apple butter into jars and/or large bowls for serving. Refrigerate all leftovers.
(Or, if you choose, don’t mash or grind the apples at all. Keep it rustic and chunky.)
The Mozza Cookbook
Sometimes it’s the simple things. In this case, it’s a recipe for long-cooked broccoli. Many people hate broccoli. But, I love it. It brings back many fond childhood memories. Many of those memories revolve around a holiday table filled with delicious food cooked with lots of heart and served with loving hands.
The recipe you’ll find in the Mozza Cookbook is a similar version of the dish that I’ve eaten many times. The essentials in my family’s version are fresh broccoli, olive oil, fine sea salt, garlic, the juice of a lemon and a sprinkle of finely ground red pepper flakes. Toss it all in a bowl adding copious amounts of rich olive oil. Then, spread it out flat in a baking dish and cook it slowly in the oven under a low flame. The Mozza version adds onion, chile de arbol and freshly ground black pepper.
…lovely additions all.
The cauliflower gratinate sounds equally rich and delicious. And, it’s on my very short To-Do list. These two recipes might sound simplistic. But, it’s an eye for the simple things done right that speak to real Italian home cooking. That’s what I love about The Mozza Cookbook.
Inspired by this recipe at Serious Eats, I found myself drinking my favorite breakfast of the week. Using the juice of 1/2 of one extremely juicy lemon, lemon and freshly ground black pepper were the dominant flavors. Hints of fresh veggies were a lovely background note.
Kale Mary
makes 1
1 cup tomato juice
(Here, I used Spicy V8. Next time, I’ll be using fresh tomatoes.)
2 cups kale, well-washed and roughly cut
juice of 1/2 lemon
splash soy sauce
pinch freshly ground black pepper
Combine all in a powerful blender, liquify until smooth. You’ll know the kale is liquified when the liquid turns a dark vivid green.
Cheers!
P.S. Still celebrating the new year? This is even better than a Bloody Mary, if you’re looking for an adult beverage. Just add your favorite vodka.
Hair of the dog…
It’s not a lovely turn of phrase. But, does it work? We might be giving it a try tomorrow. If we do, we’ll be drinking a bloody mary. When it’s time for a late brunch, this cocktail makes a perfect companion to a grilled cheese (3 cheese), fried green tomato sandwich or a smoky BLT using your best bacon. But, whatever you do, don’t add ice to a bloody mary. There is absolutely nothing more unattractive than ice cubes covered in frozen tomato juice. Even worse, imagine a forgotten glass of melted ice water floating over diluted tomato juice. That’s not a pretty picture.
Bloody Mary
makes 2
16 ounces tomato juice, very cold
4 ounces ice cold vodka
juice of half a lemon
splash or 3 of Tabasco
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
dash of Worcestershire sauce
pinch fine sea salt
Garnish Options:
celery sticks, carrot sticks, and/or a skewer of green olives
(Or, our personal favorite, a skewer of giant jalapeño stuffed green olives)
celery salt
Combine all in a frozen glass shaker. Stir vigorously. Divide between two glasses.
(If desired, garnish glass rims in celery salt. Dip glass rims in water and then dip into a shallow plate filled with celery salt.)
Cheers!
And, Happy New year!!
It’s official! We’ve survived the much-anticipated Mayan Apocalypse! So, let’s celebrate and make some hot chocolate. Adjust the recipe to your taste adding honey to finish your chocoalate or less cinnamon if you choose. But, try it with less sugar than you think you might enjoy. Mexican chocolate is quite sweet.
Mayan Hot Chocolate
makes 1 heaping cup
2 Mexican chocolate discs, coarsely chopped
2 Tablespoons black cocoa
1 Tablespoon vanilla sugar
1 Tablespoon finely ground roasted almonds, hazelnuts or peanuts
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon or a pinch of ancho, pasilla or cayenne chili powder
1/8 teaspoon or a pinch of nutmeg
pinch of finely ground anise seeds
In a powerful spice grinder or food processor grind all ingredients to a powder (or coarser, if you choose). Store in an airtight container to prevent clumping.
To Make Mayan Hot Chocolate:
1 cup or mug of hot milk
1-2 Tablespoons Mayan Hot Chocolate Powder
honey, to taste
Add 1 tablespoon to hot milk. Taste. If you want more chocolate flavor, add another tablespoon. Add a spoonful of honey, if you like your chocolate on the sweet side. Top each mug with a spoon of whipped cream and a pinch of cinnamon.
Two big discs of chocolate make 1 very heaping cup of chocolate powder.
Next time, I’ll try adding a 1/4 teaspoon ground clove and black pepper in lieu of nutmeg and anise seed.
Super crazy rich… but, so good.
And, to make it even richer, I like to spoon mounds of ricotta down the center. Topped with grated cheese, those mounds of baked ricotta are a meal … or a delicious topping on a piece of grilled bread.
Baked Rigatoni with Gorgonzola Sauce
makes 1 large casserole dish
1 lb rigatoni, cooked al dente
1/2 cup basil pesto
1 pint half and half (or cream)
4-5 oz gorgonzola, broken into chunks
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
8 oz whole milk ricotta
1/4 cup mozzarella, grated
1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano
Parmigiano-Reggiano, as needed to sprinkle on top
Save 1 cup pasta water before straining rigatoni. Set pasta water aside.
Place strained pasta in a heavy bottomed dutch oven. Over low heat, add cream, gorgonzola, black pepper, and a splash of pasta water. Stir gently to combine. Allow sauce to thicken over low heat while stirring gently (about 2-3 minutes). Then, pour half of the sauce coated pasta into the bottom of a buttered casserole dish. Spoon ricotta over pasta. Then, sprinkle with mozzarella and Parmigiano-Reggiano. Cover with remaining pasta. (Spoon additional ricotta down the center, if desired.) And, sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano. Bake at 375 degrees F for 45-55 minutes. Top should be light golden and bubbly with molten hot cheese.
Hook’s Gorgonzola
(Really Good!)
Crispy bits of smoky bacon spiced up this simple version of spicy fried rice. This serves two very hungry adults. For a lighter meal, measure out one cup of rice per person. Then, top each serving with one fried egg. Save the leftover rice (about 1 cup) for another meal.
Spicy Fried Rice
makes about 3 cups
1 large Vidalia onion
2 whole stalks of celery, diced
2 carrots, one shredded & one diced
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 Tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons hot sesame oil
1-2 Tablespoons Sriracha sauce
3 scallions, thinly sliced
2 cups leftover rice
1/2 cup diced bacon, fried and drained
2 sunny side up fried eggs
In a wok, stir fry onion, celery and carrots in olive oil and sesame oil for a minute or two. Add garlic and pepper flakes. Stir fry for an additional minute. Then, add rice, soy, hot sesame oil, and Sriracha. Stir fry until edges of rice begin to take on a bit of color. At the last minute, add bacon and scallions. Stir to combine. Then, remove from the heat.
Divide rice between two plates and top each with a fried egg.
Cabbage has a bad wrap. It’s so frequently overcooked in a boiled dinner (Corned beef & Cabbage) that we forget that it can be just as tasty as the pricier vegetable options at the farmer’s market. It just takes a tiny bit of effort and a little bit of love.
Braised Cabbage
Makes 1 huge pot
1 head cabbage, roughly chopped
1 large Vidalia onion
1 stick butter, unsalted
olive oil, just a splash
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 bottle your favorite beer (I used Stone Levitation Ale)
1 cup chicken stock
Optional:
Jamaican curry powder &/or 1 habanero
In a large dutch oven, sauté onion in butter and a splash of olive oil. Sauté until tender and very lightly golden. Add salt and pepper. Stir Briefly. Deglaze pan with beer and allow to simmer briskly for a minute or so. Add chopped cabbage and chicken stock. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cook until the cabbage is tender. If needed, salt to taste.
Serve with grilled sausages, baked chicken, or jerk chicken.
Never let good beer go to waste. It’s perfect for sipping while you tend to your meal.
I’m running out of ways to differentiate my growing assortment of cornbread recipes. This one is a perfect combination of moist, tender and fluffy. And, a touch more sugar than usual almost puts this one in the dessert category. This was perfect with eggs and chili. It also made a yummy stand alone snack. And, leftover cubes made a killer stuffing. To save leftovers for stuffing, let the 1×1″ cubes sit out on the counter for an afternoon, then bag and freeze them for stuffing at a later date.
Sweet Buttermilk Cornbread
8×8 inch baking dish
8 Tablespoons butter, unsalted
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup fine cornmeal
3/4 cup AP flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs. Beat until light and fluffy. Add 1/2 cup buttermilk and vanilla. Whip. Set aside.
In a small mixing bowl, combine cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir vigorously to combine. Add to wet mixture. Fold a few turns with a spatula. Add remaining buttermilk and fold gently until just barely combined. Pour into buttered baking dish (8×8″) and place in preheated oven. Bake at 425 degrees F for 23-25 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving
If you make hummus from scratch, there’s bound to be some left over.
Hummus Balls
makes approximtely 16 balls
4-5 cups red curry hummus
1 onion, finely minced
5 cloves garlic, finely minced
olive oil, as needed
2 cups corn tortillas, ground to crumbs
1 egg, optional (I didn’t use one.)
In a small sauté pan, sauté onion and garlic in a drizzle of olive oil. Let cool.
In a large mixing bowl, combine hummus, tortilla crumbs, and cooled onion mixture. Stir well to combine. Form balls or falafel shapes. Bake at 375 degrees F for 45-55 minutes. Balls should be golden at the edges. If desired, brush balls with olive oil at the 30 minute mark for crunchier balls.
Red Curry Hummus
makes 1 large casserole dish
1 lb chickpeas, soaked overnight
4 cups chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 onion, quartered
4 cloves garlic, sliced
1 Tablespoon red curry paste
1/3 cup peanut butter
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 heaping teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
roasted peanuts, chopped, to garnish
In a large dutch oven, bring chicken broth, chickpeas, onion, garlic, 2 cups water, and baking soda to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until tender. (approximately 2 hours) Let cool. Strain and reserve broth.
In a food processor, combine chickpea mixture and all remaining ingredients. Process to a chunky paste. Sprinkle top with chopped peanuts.
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