Zuppa Arcidossana

Zuppa Arcidossana, a Mark Bittman recipe, is our favorite one pot 30 minute meal. It actually only takes 25 minutes if you have your ingredients prepped.

We had no leftovers. If we had extra bread we would have wiped the pan clean.

Ingredients
Yield: 4 servings
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 pound sweet Italian sausage, removed from casings
1 cup 1/2 -inch-diced carrots
1 large onion, chopped
Salt
black pepper
1 cup stale bread (use coarse, country-style bread), cut in ½-inch cubes
1/2  pound spinach, trimmed, washed and roughly chopped
1/4 to 1/2 cup ricotta salata, cut in 1/2 -inch cubes (feta may be substituted)
1/4 cup freshly chopped parsley, optional

Method-
Put oil in a large pot or deep skillet and brown sausage over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. 
When sausage is cooked through and leaving brown bits in pan, add carrots, onion, and continue to cook until vegetables begin to soften and brown, about 10 minutes. 

Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Add bread to pan and stir for a minute or 2; add spinach and continue cooking just until it wilts, a couple of minutes.
Add about 2 cups water and stir to loosen any remaining brown bits from pan. 
This is more of a stew than a soup, but there should be some broth, so add another cup of water if necessary. 
When broth is consistency of thin gravy, ladle stew into serving bowls and top with cheese and some freshly chopped parsley if you have it. 
Serve immediately.

Cornish Pasties

It has been a while since I have made a Mark Bittman recipe. This one came together perfectly. I had all the ingredients. Well almost all of them. Rutabaga in something I have never used. Not sure if I have seen one in person. I googled a substitution and the turnip was mentioned. So on my one shopping trip of the week, I bought a turnip. I decided not to use the turnip in this dish. I looked at it and decided it was not needed. The turnip will be used another time.

Back to the recipe. I found this in the Mark Bittman Book How to Bake Everything. The recipe received rave reviews!

This is my version of the recipe. I scaled it down for two servings.

Ingredients-
Pate Brise Dough, Click Here for Recipe
10 oz cups ground beef
1 potato, peeled and diced
1 small onion, chopped
1 medium carrot, peeled and diced
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 egg, beaten


Method-
Make Pate Brise dough. Divide the dough into two pieces. Wrap in wax paper, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Mix together the ground beef, potatoes, onions, carrots, thyme, rosemary, Worcestershire sauce and salt and pepper in a large bowl. 
For each pasty, roll out a piece of dough into an 8-inch circle. On one half of the circle place half of the beef mixture.
Fold the dough over, forming a half-moon. Moisten the edges with some of the egg, and seal the edges, crimping them with a fork. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. On the top of each pasty, cut several small slashes with a sharp knife. Brush with egg.

Bake in a 375-degree oven for  45 minutes or until the pasties are nicely browned. Serve hot.

Lentil Soup

We all have go-to recipes. This is my go-to Lentil Soup Recipe. It is Mark Bittman recipe. It is so simple to make. You can add things to the soup. Mark Bittman suggests variations with the spices. I like to add things like cooked chicken, cooked sausage or if I bring leftovers for lunch some diced tofu.

Ingredients-
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 celery stalk, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 cup lentils, washed
1 bay leaf
6 cups chicken, beef, or vegetable stock
Ground black pepper
Salt

Method-
In a large pot over medium heat, add the oil. Once it is hot, add the onion and cook until soft, 1-2 minutes. Add the carrot and celery and cook another 2 minutes. Add the lentils, bay leaf, and stock. Sprinkle with pepper. Bring to a boil, and then turn the heat down to low and cook until the lentils are tender, about 30 minutes. Stir it sometimes.

Food styling by Chris.

Vacation Day Baking

Today was a perfect vacation day. I baked 2 loaves of French Bread, a loaf of Rosemary Olive Oil Bread, and Ice Tray Cookies. And I made pasta for tonight's dinner.

One of my favorite bread recipes. 

Always a perfect crust and texture.

Recipe from Noshtalgia.

Rosemary and Olive Oil Bread. 

Recipe from Mark Bittman. 

Fresh Pasta. I love the recipe.

Recipe from Tide and Thyme.

Dinner was the homemade pasta along
with my favorite summer sauce recipe.

And last but certainly not least -

Lentil, Sausage, and Chicken Soup

The story goes that you are suppose to have Lentils on New Years Eve or New Years Day for good luck in the upcoming year. We are a couple of days late. This is Mark Bittman's recipe. It is the only Lentil Soup recipe I every plan to make. The sausage was added to fill the spot of an Italian meat which is served with Lentils on New Years Eve or New Years Day, Cotechino, a large pork sausage. I have not been able to find this kind of sausage locally so I used a Polish Kielbasa. The chicken was from the soup I made on New Years Eve. This was very good. The soup is fine without the meat but both the Kielbasa and the chicken gave it some nice flavors.

Here is the recipe for the soup without any of the added meats -

Ingredients
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, cut into 1/2 inch dice
1 celery stalk, cut into 1/2 inch dice
1 cup lentils, washed and picked over
1 bay leaf
6 cups chicken stock
Fresh ground pepper
Salt

Method
Put the oil in a large deep pot over medium heat. When hot, add the onion and cook, stirring frequently until soft, just a minute or two. Add the carrot and celery and keep cooking and stirring until brightly colored and hot about 2 minutes.
Add lentils, bay leaf and stock; sprinkle with fresh ground pepper. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat to low and cook stirring occasionally, until the lentils are tender, about 30 minutes.

Lentil Soup

Tonight was  perfect night for soup. One of our favorites is Mark Bittman's Lentil Soup. But we added something extra to the soup. There was meat left over from the Osso Buco. Oh what a nice thing to find on your soup spoon!

Rosemary Olive Oil Bread

In my Facebook feed, I saw a post from Mark Bittman. Rosemary Olive Oil Bread: give it a shot!
I had to make it.

I started the dough last night and magically it snowed today. Yeah not sure if you remember but when it snows I feel I have to make bread. This dough was perfect. The texture and the aroma were over the moon good. And the finished product ...

Let's just say this bread will be in a regular rotation in our kitchen. Can't wait for toast tomorrow for breakfast!!!

Fried Chickpeas with Artisan Sausage with Sweet Pepper and Provolone, and Spinach

I got one of those messages that the cloud was full and I had too many photos. What did I delete? The photo or tonight's dinner...

Mark Bittman's Fried Chickpeas with Chorizo and Spinach was the recipe used tonight. We love this. The fried Chickpeas and the sausage fried up nice and crispy. The spinach was from Bishops. Farm to table.

I used Artisan Sausage with Sweet Pepper and Provolone in place of the Chorizo.

Ingredients-
1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling
2 cups cooked or canned chickpeas, as dry as possible (rinse them first if using canned, then gently blot dry with paper towels or use a salad spinner.  If they are wet when you put them in to the oil they will spatter)
Salt and black pepper
4 ounces chorizo, diced
1/2 pound spinach, roughly chopped (I used a package of baby spinach and baby kale)
1/4 cup sherry
1 to 2 cups bread crumbs


Method-
Preheat the broiler.


Put three tablespoons of the oil into a large oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add the chickpeas and spread them out into a single layer (they won't brown well if the pan is too crowded). Sprinkle with salt and pepper.


Reduce the heat a bit and cook, shaking the pan occasionally (you mostly just want to let them sit there and fry in the oil), until they begin to brown, about 10 minutes or so. Add the chorizo, and cook for another 5-8 minutes, or until the chickpeas are crisp (taste a couple to make sure). Use a slotted spoon to remove chickpeas and chorizo from the pan and set aside in a bowl.


Add the last tablespoon of oil to the pan. When hot, add the spinach, then pour the sherry over it.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook over medium-low heat until the spinach is wilted and soft and the liquid has pretty much evaporated. Add back the chickpeas and chorizo and toss gently to combine. Sprinkle the bread crumbs over the top and drizzle with a bit more olive oil. Put the whole pan under the broiler to lightly brown the top.


Serve hot or at room temperature.

Zuppa Arcidossana

This recipe came from a Mark Bittman New York Times article from 2009.  I love this meal. It was delicious. The vegetables melt in your mouth, the sausage is crisp on the outside and the bread, well it just makes the whole dish better. I made this yesterday and I had Chris heat it up in the oven, like a casserole. That added some extra crispy bites!

Ingredients-

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 pound sweet Italian sausage, removed from casings
1 cup 1/2-inch-diced carrots
1 large onion, chopped
Salt and black pepper
1 cup stale bread (use coarse, country-style bread), cut in 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 pound spinach, trimmed, washed and roughly chopped
1/2 cup feta
1/4 cup freshly chopped parsley

Method-

1. Put oil in a large pot or deep skillet and brown sausage over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. When sausage is cooked through and leaving brown bits in pan, add carrots and onion continue to cook until vegetables begin to soften and brown, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
2. Add bread to pan and stir for a minute or 2, add spinach and continue cooking just until it wilts, a couple of minutes.
3. Add about 2 cups water and stir to loosen any remaining brown bits from pan. This is more of a stew than a soup, but there should be some broth, so add another cup of water if necessary. When broth is consistency of thin gravy, ladle stew into serving bowls and top with cheese and some freshly chopped parsley if you have it. Serve immediately. Or place in casserole and heat for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Serve with feta cheese sprinkled on top.

Fried Chickpeas with Chorizo and Spinach

I had a package of Chorizo Sausage in the freezer. I had 2 recipes that wanted to make using the sausage. Tonight we had Fried Chickpeas with Chorizo and Spinach. It is a Mark Bittman recipe that I love! Chris seems to enjoy it too, even though it has spinach, and tonight it had baby spinach and baby kale! Shhhhhh. Our secret!

And I am submitting this to the I Heart Cooking Clubs. Their monthly featured Chef is Mark Bittman. I was glad I was planning on making this tonight. Perfect timing! I love Mark Bittman. I have used his recipes on this blog 31 times, RealSimple comes in at first place with 42 times! I have given his cookbooks as gifts and love his simple approach to good food.



Fried Chickpeas with Chorizo and Spinach


Ingredients-
1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for drizzling
2 cups cooked or canned chickpeas, as dry as possible (rinse them first if using canned, then gently blot dry with paper towels or use a salad spinner.  If they are wet when you put them in to the oil they will spatter)
Salt and black pepper
4 ounces chorizo, diced
1/2 pound spinach, roughly chopped (I used a package of baby spinach and 
baby kale)
1/4 cup sherry
1 to 2 cups bread crumbs


Method-
Preheat the broiler.


Put three tablespoons of the oil into a large oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add the chickpeas and spread them out into a single layer (they won't brown well if the pan is too crowded). Sprinkle with salt and pepper.


Reduce the heat a bit and cook, shaking the pan occasionally (you mostly just want to let them sit there and fry in the oil), until they begin to brown, about 10 minutes or so. Add the chorizo, and cook for another 5-8 minutes, or until the chickpeas are crisp (taste a couple to make sure). Use a slotted spoon to remove chickpeas and chorizo from the pan and set aside in a bowl.


Add the last tablespoon of oil to the pan. When hot, add the spinach, then pour the sherry over it.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook over medium-low heat until the spinach is wilted and soft and the liquid has pretty much evaporated. Add back the chickpeas and chorizo and toss gently to combine. Sprinkle the bread crumbs over the top and drizzle with a bit more olive oil. Put the whole pan under the broiler to lightly brown the top.


Serve hot or at room temperature.

Cacio e Pepe

I honestly did not think this was going to taste as good as it did. I was pleasantly surprised. Yes, I doubted a Mark Bittman recipe. I am sorry. What was I thinking. The recipe was from the New York Times Cooking.

Mark Bittman's Cacio e Pepe from The New York Times Cooking.

Ingredients-
Salt
1 ½ cups finely grated pecorino Romano, plus more for dusting completed dish
1 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 tablespoon ground black pepper, plus more for finishing the dish
¾ pound tonnarelli or other long pasta like linguine or spaghetti
Good olive oil

Method-
Put a pot of salted water on to boil. In a large bowl, combine the cheeses and black pepper; mash with just enough cold water to make a thick paste. Spread the paste evenly in the bowl.

Once the water is boiling, add the pasta. The second before it is perfectly cooked (taste it frequently once it begins to soften), use tongs to quickly transfer it to the bowl, reserving a cup or so of the cooking water. Stir vigorously to coat the pasta, adding a teaspoon or two of olive oil and a bit of the pasta cooking water to thin the sauce if necessary. The sauce should cling to the pasta and be creamy but not watery.

Plate and dust each dish with additional pecorino and pepper. Serve immediately.

And today is D-Day.  I hope you all take a moment to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.

Spanish-Style Lentils with Spinach

Another recipe from Mark Bittman's How To Cook Everything The Basics. This dinner got rave reviews! I was glad because we got to have lentils and spinach for dinner.

My version of Spanish-Style Lentils with Spinach-

Ingredients-
2 tbsp olive oil
½ lb smoked chorizo, chopped
medium onion, chopped
1 tbsp paprika
1 c lentils, rinsed and picked over
2 bay leaves
½ c red wine
2 c water (or chicken or vegetable stock)
2 bay leaves
Salt and pepper

Method-
Put the oil in a large pot over medium heat. When it is hot add the chorizo and onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft and the sausage begins to brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the paprika and stir and cook until fragrant, 1 minute.

Stir in the lentils, bay leaves, wine and water, raise the heat to high and bring to a boil Adjust the heat so the mixture bubbles gently. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally and adding more water if necessary to keep the beans submerged, until the lentils are no longer crunchy but are still a little too firm to eat, 20 to 30 minutes. Fish out the bay leaves.

Stir in the spinach, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and keep cooking until the lentils are fully tender, the spinach is wilted and the mixture is saucy and thick, another 5 to 10 minutes. Adjusting the seasoning and serve.

Barley Soup with Hearty Greens

This week's featured cookbook is Mark Bittman's How To Cook Everything The Basics. Yes the Mark Bittman who recipes have been used on this blog 28 times. I just love his cooking, his writing and his videos. He even does a tribute to Charlie Chaplin in the beginning of some of his videos. What's not to like about this guy. And I do have a autographed copy of this book!

So tonight we start with Barley Soup with Hearty Greens. Super easy and wow it was delicious.
I love the texture of the barley. I opted for Swiss Chard for the green.

Barley Soup with Hearty Greens, from How To Cook Everything The Basics

Ingredients-
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for serving
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 cup pearled barley
7 cups chicken, beef or vegetable stock (I used chicken stock)
About 2 pounds hearty greens (I used kale and the leafy tops to a head of celery)

Method-
Put the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. When it's hot, add the onion and cook stirring occasionally, until it's soft, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute more.

Add the barley and cook, stirring constantly to coat every grain in the fat, until it starts to toast and stick to the pot, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the stock and bring to a boil, then lower the heat so the liquid bubbles steadily. Cover the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until the barley is almost tender  but still with a bit of crunch, 20 to 25 minutes. (My barley took a lot longer than 25 minutes but came out perfect). Add up to 1 cup of water if the soup looks too dry.

Meanwhile, separate the leaves of the greens for the stems. Keep the leaves and stems separate and roughly chop both.

When the barley is just tender, turn the heat medium-high, uncover the pot and add the stems. Bring the soup to a boil, and add the leaves, then lower the heat so the mixture bubbles steadily again. Cover and cook until the barley is fully tender but not mushy and the greens are bright colored and tender, another  5 to 10 minutes. Adjust the seasoning, add another 1 or 2 tablespoons olive and serve.

And as if the soup was not amazing enough, we had some leftovers from the Muffaletta Pinwheel Steaks we had on Saturday night. I popped them in the microwave for 2 minutes. We made little sandwiches! We used the spreadable Parmesan Cheese on Italian bread. The steak and cheese and the olive salad! I wish I took photos! They were as delicious as the other night, if not better!

Zuppa Arcidossana

This is one of my favorite meals. I do not make it often enough. It is truly comfort on a plate. The sausage is browned and perfectly cooked. The onions and carrots melt in your mouth. And the bread, well that just makes it all so much better. This recipe came from a Mark Bittman New York Times article. I made it for the first time back 2009. It is delicious and we both went back for seconds.

Ingredients-

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 pound sweet Italian sausage, removed from casings
1 cup 1/2-inch-diced carrots
1 large onion, chopped
Salt and black pepper
1 cup stale bread (use coarse, country-style bread), cut in 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 pound spinach, trimmed, washed and roughly chopped
1/2 cup feta
1/4 cup freshly chopped parsley

Method-

1. Put oil in a large pot or deep skillet and brown sausage over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. When sausage is cooked through and leaving brown bits in pan, add carrots and onion continue to cook until vegetables begin to soften and brown, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
2. Add bread to pan and stir for a minute or 2; add spinach and continue cooking just until it wilts, a couple of minutes.
3. Add about 2 cups water and stir to loosen any remaining brown bits from pan. This is more of a stew than a soup, but there should be some broth, so add another cup of water if necessary. When broth is consistency of thin gravy, ladle stew into serving bowls and top with cheese and some freshly chopped parsley if you have it. Serve immediately.

I am taking a trip to Maryland next weekend and did some baking for the trip...

 

Lentil Soup and Chicken Parm Bread

Well the tree is up. I have caught Lucy clawing at it once. Archie was comfortable under the tree.

Again a day filled with holiday activity so I made a quick soup, Lentil Soup from the Mark Bittman App, Mark Bittman's How to Cook . Perfect for a chilly evening. The bread, well that was from Meriano's Bakery. Seriously did you  think I was going to make bread today too!

Lentil Soup, from Mark Bittman's How to Cook

Ingredients
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, cut into 1/2 inch dice
1 celery stalk, cut into 1/2 inch dice
1 cup lentils, washed and picked over
1 bay leaf
6 cups chicken stock
Fresh ground pepper
Salt

Method
Put the oil in a large deep pot over medium heat. When hot, add the onion and cook, stirring frequently until soft, just a minute or two. Add the carrot and celery and keep cooking and stirring until brightly colored and hot about 2 minutes.
Add lentils, bay leaf and stock; sprinkle with fresh ground pepper. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat to low and cook stirring occasionally, until the lentils are tender, about 30 minutes.

For breakfast I want to use up the cranberries I had in the freezer from our Thanksgiving Dinner, which I just realized I never posted, sorry....  I found this recipe on twopeasandtheirpod.com. These are the best scones I have made in long time.

Fresh Cranberry Scones, from twopeasandtheirpod.com

Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon orange zest
1/2 cup unsalted cold butter, cut into small pieces
3/4 cup half and half
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
Topping:
2 tablespoons half and half
Turbinado sugar

Method-
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat, set aside. (I used my Scone Pan, yes I have a Scone Pan!)
Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl. In a small bowl, rub the sugar and orange zest together with your fingers. Whisk into the flour mixture.
Add cold butter pieces to the flour mixture. Cut in butter using a pastry blender, fork, or your hands. I prefer to use my hands. Mix until you have pea size chunks of butter.
In a small glass measuring cup, whisk the half and half, eggs, and vanilla extract together. Pour over dry ingredients and mix with a spatula until moist. Gently stir in the fresh cranberries. Transfer dough to a floured counter top and knead until dough comes together.
Shape dough into a large circle. Use a floured rolling pin to roll out the scone dough. Cut dough into wedges and place on the prepared baking sheet. Brush each scone with half and half and sprinkle generously with turbinado sugar. Bake for 15-17 minutes, or until scones are golden brown. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.

Gamberi Coi Fagioli

Ah, the first Friday of Lent. Chris is already counting them down. Tonight we had the same meal we had last year on the first Friday of Lent. This year I omitted the Pancetta, the pope did not step down this year. A salad and some Italian bread rounded out the meal.

Gamberi Coi Fagioli, adapted from Every Night Italian by Giuliano Hazan.

Ingredients -
1 cup yellow onion, thinly sliced crosswise

4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil 

1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 1/2 cups drained canned cranberry or cannelini beans

6 to 8 fresh sage leaves 

3 tbsp dry white wine 

2 tsp finely chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper


Method -
Put the onion and 2 tbsp of the olive oil in a large skillet or sauté pan and place over medium heat. Sauté until the onion turns a rich golden color. Add the beans and sage and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the shrimp to the sauté pan and sauté for about 1 minute. Add the wine and parsley and season with salt and pepper. Cook the shrimp until they turn completely pink, about 2 to 3 minutes.

The salad dressing recipe is from Mark Bittman. Super fast to put together. So fast you might wonder why you have store bought in the fridge.

Ingredients -
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup Balsamic vinegar
3 tsp. Dijon mustard
Salt and Pepper

Method -
Put all the ingredients in a jar and shake. That's all you have to do!

And I think we need a little injection of spring...

Potato Cake, Leeks en Cocotte and Apple Pie

Let me start of by saying that I made breaded pork chops for dinner but forgot to take a photo! Sigh. The perils of the food blog. They were lovely looking and delicious. I put them in an egg wash and then dredged them in a mixture of bread crumbs, plain and panko, rosemary, sage, thyme, salt and pepper. They were browned in saute pan in a little olive oil, just enough to give the breading a golden color. The pan went in the oven for I think 20 to 25 minutes. They were cooked perfectly.

The side dishes both are from the new Bon Appetit. I, of course, altered them to fit our tastes, which means I did not use garlic. Loved both the Potato Cake and the Leeks en Cocotte. My versions of the recipes, which serve 2, are at the bottom of this post.

 

The Apple Pie. I asked Chris if he would rather have an Apple Cake or Apple Pie. He voted for the pie. I used the Pate Brise recipe and the filling was from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything The Basics. Delicious, especially with ice cream.



Potato Cake, to see original version click on the link above

Ingredients -
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for pan
1 1/2 pounds small Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, sliced ¼” thick
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

Method -
Preheat oven to 350°. Generously butter cake pan; set aside.
Heat 2 Tbsp. butter to skillet. Once butter is melted, add potatoes; season with salt and pepper and cook, tossing occasionally, until beginning to soften, 6–8 minutes. Add 3 tablespoons unsalted butter and continue to cook potatoes, tossing occasionally, until tender and golden brown in spots, 15–20 minutes longer.
Transfer potatoes to prepared cake pan, pressing down firmly and evenly (this will help potatoes hold together when you turn the potato cake out). Bake potatoes until crisp on top, 12–15 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes, then invert potato cake onto a plate, season with salt and pepper, and top with parsley.
DO AHEAD: Potatoes can be sautéed and arranged in cake pan 6 hours ahead. Cover and chill; bake 10–15 minutes longer to warm through.



Leeks en Cocotte, to see original version click on the link above

Ingredients -
4 leeks, white and pale-green parts only
1 tablespoons olive oil
1 small shallot, thinly sliced
¼ pound thick-cut bacon, sliced crosswise ¼” thick
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup dry white wine
¼ cup low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1 tablespoons unsalted butter

Method -
Slice each leek in half lengthwise without cutting all the way through the other side; rinse under cold water (gently opening layers) until water runs clear. Pat dry. (Now when I cut my leeks in half and washed them they came apart which I was fine with as long as I knew they were clean.)
Heat oil in a large skillet with a lid over medium-high heat. Add shallot and bacon and cook, stirring, until bacon is crisp, about 3 minutes. Add leeks, season with salt and pepper, and cook, occasionally turning leeks and stirring gently, until leeks are bright green, about 5 minutes.
Add wine to skillet; bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until slightly reduced, about 2 minutes. Add broth; bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, partially covered, until leeks are just tender, 8–10 minutes longer. Mix in butter.
DO AHEAD: Leeks can be rinsed 1 day ahead. Wrap in a damp paper towel and chill.



Pate Brisee

Method -
1-1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt
1 pinch granulated sugar

5-1/2 Tbsp (2/3 stick) sweet butter, chilled

3 Tbsp vegetable shortening, chilled
1/4 cup ice water


Method -
Sift the flour, salt and sugar together into a bowl; add butter and shortening and cut them into dry ingredients with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture is like coarse meal.
Sprinkle on and blend in enough of the ice water to make a workable dough, mixing water in lightly with a fork.
Turn dough out onto you work surface and, using the heel of your hand, smear the dough away from you, about 1/4 cup at a time. Scrape up the smeared dough into a ball, wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.



Apple Pie, variation on Mark Bittman's recipe.

Ingredients -
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
pinch salt
4-5 apples
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp. butter, softened



Method -
Preheat oven to 425˚F. Divide pie dough in half. Roll out bottom crust. Fit into pie plate.
Toss brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in large bowl. Peel, quarter and core apples and cut them into 1/2 to 3/4 thick slices. Toss the apples and lemon juice with the sugar-spice mixture.
Put the apples into the bottom crust, making the center higher than the sides. Roll out the top crust. Dot the top of apples with butter and put the top crust on the pie. Trim and crimp the edges. Cut several 2 inch slits in the top crust. Bake for 20 minutes, then reduce heat to 350˚F and back for 40 to 50 minutes, until crust is gold brown and flaky. Cool on a rack.

Fried Chickpeas, Chorizo and Spinach

It has been a while since we have had this Mark Bittman classic recipe. Traffic was not too bad for a Thursday night and I was able to make this when I got home. I did cut up the Chorizo before leaving for work this morning.

I heated some olive oil in a saute pan and added the rinsed and drained Chickpeas. I fried them up a bit before adding the sausage. The Chorizo was sauteed with the Chickpeas for about 5 minutes. Then I added some thyme and about 2 cups of fresh chopped spinach. I also added some leftover roasted peppers. Sauteed all that until the spinach wilted and served with Italian bread.

Braised Chicken, Mediterranean Style

This is the second Saturday in a row that I have made a recipe from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything The Basics. This was delicious. The sauce was so crisp and flavorful. It was not heavy like a Cacciatore, which is what I was planning on making tonight.

Braised Chicken, Mediterranean Style, from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything The Basics, (with my notes added)

Ingredients -
2 tbsp olive oil
1 whole cut-up chicken or about 3 pounds parts
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 medium onions, chopped
2 anchovy fillets or 1 tbsp drained capers, optional (I used the capers)
1 tsp. minced garlic (I did not add this)
1 28 ounce can diced tomatoes (do not drain) (I used the Fire Roasted tomatoes)
1/2 cup dry white wine, chicken stock or water (I used the wine)
1 cup Nicoise or kalamata olives, pitted
1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves or 1 tsp dried
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley leaves for garnish (I forgot to add this!)

Method -
Put the oil in a large skillet over medium-heat. When it's hot, add the chicken, skin side down. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook, undisturbed but adjusting the heat so the chicken sizzles but doesn't burn, until the pieces release easily from the pan, 5 to 10 minutes. Then turn and rotate them every few minutes to brown them evenly. As the chicken pieces brown, after another 5 to 10 minutes remove them from the pan.

Reduce the heat under the skillet to medium and pour or spoon off all but 2 tablespoons of the fat. Add the onions and anchovies or capers stirring frequently, until the onions soften (and if using the anchovies until they break up), 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and tomatoes and turn up the heat just a little. Cook until the mixture starts to bubble and the tomatoes thickens a bit, 1 to 2 minutes.

Add the olives and thyme along with some pepper. (The olives are so salty that you may not need to add more salt, but if you do, you can always add it later.) Return the chicken pieces to the pan, tucking them into the sauce a bit. Adjust the heat so the liquid bubbles gently but steadily, then cover the skillet.

Cook, checking every 5 minutes to turn the pieces, until the chicken is tender and cooked through, 20 to 30 minutes, adding a tablespoon of liquid if the sauce looks too dry. The meat is done when a quick-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 155-165˚F. Remove the chicken from the pan and taste the sauce; adjust the seasoning, spoon it over the chicken, garnish with parsley, and serve.

For I side dish I made some orzo and added frozen baby peas along with some Parmesan cheese and butter. It looked very springy, even though the temperatures are dropping!