This year’s spiced cranberries are just about gone. And, we’re not just putting it on the turkey and turkey sandwiches. It’s also delicious on a buttered baguette, yogurt and müesli.
Spiced Cranberries
makes almost 4 cups
2 bags cranberries (2 – 12 oz bags)
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup Grand Marnier
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Place all ingredients in a medium sized sauce pan. Add approximately 1/2 cup water. Simmer gently over low heat to allow berries to pop. (3-5 minutes) Set aside. Then, prior to serving, bring back to a gentle simmer and add additional water (1/4 cup-1/2 cup), if a thinner sauce is desired.
Boil me this…
Gorgeous shades of brown, these tightly packed eggs boil up nicely.
How To Boil An Egg
eggs to fill pan
water
salt
In a heavy pot that will maintain its heat, cover eggs with room temperature water. (Water should be at least 1 inch over the eggs.) Bring water and eggs to a gentle boil. Add 1 teaspoon fine sea salt (or, a splash of vinegar). Cover pot and allow eggs to boil for 2 minutes.
For a custardy yolk:
Turn off the heat and allow eggs to cook in the hot water for 8-10 minutes.
For a slightly firmer yolk:
Allow eggs to boil gently (covered) for an additional minute or two. Then, allow to sit in covered pot for 10-15 minutes.
Then:
Carefully, strain eggs and cover with room temperature water. When cool to the touch, peel or refrigerate. Use as needed.
My honey is hard to impress. He’s more than a little bit spoiled. So, when he tells me that this is one of the best stews I’ve ever made, it means a lot to me. I might add another picture… If I can grab the bowl out of his greedy fingers first, that is. Usually, I’d use all beef. But, this was an experiment to test one of my grandmother’s frugal tips. She frequently used beef heart for a budget friendly dish.
Honestly, we both enjoyed it more than my original version.
Spezzatino Di Manzo — Grandmother Style
makes 1 huge dutch oven
2 lb beef, big cubes
1-2 lb beef heart, 1″x1″ inch cubes (or use all beef)
1-2 Tablespoons flour
olive oil, as needed
2 very large Vidalia onions, chunky dice
1 cup celer, diced
6 carrots, peeled and cut into big chunks
3 hot red banana peppers, chunky dice
3 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 glasses red wine (your favorite, nothing oaked)
3 cups tomatoes, chopped
3 Tablespoons paprika, sweet
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 fresh bay leaves
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
beef stock, 2 cups, or as needed
1 lb small fingerling potatoes, washed and halved (another substitute for the beef heart)
In a large dutch oven, sauté beef in batches in enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Remove as they brown. Toss beef heart cubes in flour. Sauté. Add onions. Continue to sauté for another minute or two. Deglaze pan with wine. Simmer briskly for 3-5 minutes. Add all remaining ingredients. Add beef stock as needed to reach within an inch of the top of the meat. Bring back to a hearty simmer for 10-20 minutes in the unlidded dutch oven.
Meanwhile, heat oven to 325 degrees F. When the pot comes to a simmer, place the lidded dutch oven in the oven and braise for 1-2 hours. Stir every 20-30 minutes. Remove lid after 1 hour to thicken sauce to your taste.
Serve immediately with grilled peasant bread drizzled with olive oil, salt, and coarsely grated black pepper. Or, let cool, refrigerate, and serve the next day after bringing the stew back to a gentle simmer in the unlidded dutch oven.
That’s it. Ten cayenne peppers, six hot banana peppers, and a handful of jalapeños make up the last of the peppers. We were surprised to find even that many left on the plants. And, they were shockingly healthy and gorgeous. If we’re lucky and it doesn’t freeze, we might get 3 more cayenne peppers.
Quick Pepper Jelly
makes 1 large bowl
3 hot banana peppers, washed, seeded and diced
2-3 cayenne peppers, washed seeded and cut into thin rings
3 mild jalapeños, washed, seeded and diced
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
2 fresh bay leaves, mashed between your fingers
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 – 12 oz jar apple jelly
Combine all in a medium sauce pan. Bring to a hearty simmer. Lower the heat and simmer for 5-10 minutes to allow flavors to blend. Pour into a serving bowl and let chill.
Serve with grilled chicken.
(Or, use as a condiment for chicken and turkey sandwiches.)
This is a great way to turn leftover mole chicken into something worth eating.
Chicken Mole Casserole
makes 1 9×13 inch baking dish
1 package fresh corn tortillas (at least 20)
2-3 cups mole sauce
2-3 cups shredded chicken
2-3 cups refried black beans
1 heaping cup queso fresco, crumbled, extra for topping
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Butter baking dish. Layer with corn tortillas, mole sauce, refried black beans, shredded chicken and queso fresco. Continue layering until all ingredients are uses. Reserve enough mole sauce (heaping 3/4 -1 cup) to top. Sprinkle remaining queso fresco on top.
Bake at 375 degrees F for 35-45 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.
Dinner time!
Apple Bread Pudding
makes 1 large casserole
3 cups leftover stewed apples (spiced)
2 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 eggs
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup sugar
3 cups bread crumbs
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
3 Tablespoons butter, cut into small cubes
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large bowl, combine apples, milk, vanilla, eggs, raisins, and sugar. Stir well. Add bread crumbs, cinnamon, and ground cloves. Stir to combine. Pour into large buttered casserole dish. Dot the top with cubed butter.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 45-55 minutes, or until the center is firm.
With a heavy heart, I say farewell to my best tomato season…
ever.
Warm Pasta Salad
makes 1 giant bowl
1 lb penne, cooked al dente
3 cups assorted tomatoes, washed and halved
(here black cherries, sweet ‘n neat, & Juliet)
2-4 Tablespoons your favorite olive oil, or as needed
1 big bunch basil, baby leaves whole (chiffonade the rest)
2-3 stalks celery, well-washed and sliced
2 carrots, peeleed and ribboned
red wine vinegar
fine sea salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Parmigiano-Reggiano, ribbons
Set baby basil leaves aside.
After straining penne, return to pot. Add all ingredients. Stir well. Taste. Season with salt and pepper as needed. Pour into a giant serving bowl and garnish with baby basil leaves and slivers of Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Serve immediately.
Roughly Dice 4-5 Apples
Add 1/2 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, & 1 Tablespoon flour.
Turn the heat on low and add 1 teaspoon cinnamon
& 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves.
Simmer gently for 8-15 minutes.
(Or, simmer until the apples reach your desired state of tenderness.)
Asparagus Frittata
makes 1 large casserole dish
(approximately 6 servings)
5 cloves garlic, sliced
1 Vidalia onion, rougly diced
2 Tablespoons butter
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 bunches of asparagus, well-washed & cut into 1 inch pieces
2 ripe Juliet or Roma tomatoes, roughly diced
4 Tablespoons cream
8-10 large eggs
1/4 cup Parmigiano Reggiano, grated
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
In a sauté pan, melt butter in olive oil. Add onion. Sauté for 2-3 minutes or until a hint of light gold appears at the edges. Add garlic. Stir and continue to sauté for another minute or two. Add asparagus and sauté very briefly. (The green will pop and become more vivid.) Let cool.
In a large mixing bowl, whip eggs and cream. Add cooled vegetable mixture and diced tomatoes. Stir to combine. Pour into buttered casserole dish. Top with Parmigiano. Bake (covered) at 375 degrees F for 45-55 minutes. For a more golden top, remove the cover at the 35-40 minute mark. The frittata should be firm in the center. Cut into wedges.
Serve each wedge with a tomato and herb salad.
2 Bartletts
Vodka Pear Martinis
Makes 2
1 very ripe pear, washed, peeled & seeded
juice of 1/2 lemon
4 ounces vodka
2 ounce pear puree
1/2 ounce sugar syrup, or to taste
2 thin slices of pear
2 stalks rosemary, well-washed
In a powerful blender, liquify pear with 1/4 cup water and the juice of 1/2 lemon . Strain into measuring cup through fine sieve. In a cocktail mixer filled with ice, add vodka, pear puree and sugar syrup. Stir vigorously. Garnish two martini glasses with pears skewered with rosemary. Strain and divide cocktail between two glasses.
Cheers!
|
|
