Family, summer - and cake!

We celebrated Jake's 16th birthday yesterday. It seems not that long ago that Gabi and I were in Togo, getting ready to head back to the states, and Gabi got word from her brother that he and Jen were new, proud parents of a wonderful baby boy.

Now this baby boy is much taller than I am and plotting the means to buy a car with $635 and no plans of how to pay the insurance. So very sixteen.

So the whole family came together yesterday, and it was a wonderful thing. At one point I was in the house and looked out at the scene: Gabi playing lawn games with the kids, Jen, Nick, and both grandmothers sitting at the garden table laden with chips and cherries, talking like old friends. I've been thinking too much about my family of birth lately, and that moment crystalized for me just how good and precious the heart-family can be.

As dusk and mosquito-time neared, we headed indoors for cake. Ah, cake. I made, per Jake's request, German Chocolate Cake. It was named, in case you don't know, not because it has any Germanic heritage but due to the name of it's creator: an Englishman named Samuel German. In 1852, Mr. German created the cake as a showpiece for Baker's Chocolate (for more on the story, go here).

But Jake has recently returned from a five-week trip to Germany and Switzerland, and so it seemed only fitting to make this particular cake.

Yesterday was the first time I'd made German Chocolate, and it turned out lovely. I've seen (and tasted) homemade versions where the frosting was made with evaporate or sweetened condensed milk (I think that's the version on the Baker's Sweet Chocolate package). I was never too impressed. Leave it to Bon Appetit to come up with a version that lifts the bar. The frosting has a true caramel flavor that melds beautifully with the coconut and nuts (the original BA recipe called for macadamia nuts, but I used the more traditional pecans).

So, here's to heart-family, summer days and, of course, good cake. Nothing better than a real good cake to celebrate the blessings of a real good day.

*****

German Chocolate Cake

from The Bon Appetit Cookbook, edited by Barbara Fairchild, © 2006

CAKE

½ cup water

1 4-ounce package sweet baking chocolate, chopped

2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt

2 cups sugar

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

4 large eggs, separated

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup buttermilk

pinch cream of tartar

FROSTING

1 ½ cups (packed) golden brown sugar

1 cup whipping cream

¼ cup whole milk

4 large egg yolks, beaten to blend

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups sweetened flaked coconut, lightly toasted

1 cup coarsely chopped pecans or macadamia nuts, lightly toasted

FOR CAKE:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter 3 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 1 ½-inch sides. Line bottoms with parchment paper. Butter parchment. Bring ½ cup water to simmer in heavy small saucepan. Remove from heat. Add chocolate and stir until melted and smooth.

Combine flour, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat sugar and butter un large bowl until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add chocolate mixture and vanilla; mix until blended. Add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture and beating well after each addition. Using clean dry beaters, beat egg whites and cream of tartar in large bowl until stiff but not dry. Fold whites into batter in two additions.

Divide batter equally among prepared pans. Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Cool cakes in pans on racks 15 minutes. Turn cakes out onto racks. Remove parchment; cool completely. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and store at room temperature.)

FOR FROSTING

Combine first 5 ingredients in heavy medium saucepan and whisk until blended. Stir constantly over medium heat until mixture thickens to consistency of caramel sauce and coats spoon, about 10 minutes (do not boil). Remove from heat. Stir in coconut and pecans/macadamia nuts. Let frosting stand at room temperature until cool and spreadable, about 1 ½ hours. (Can be prepared 4 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.)

Yak Rack & a Pomatini

We spent part of the day today making a (ka)yak rack for the truck, the idea being that when we go on longer trips, we can take the kayaks, bikes, coolers, and luggage all in the truck. For short kayaking excursions, we can still just throw the kayaks in the back of the truck and strap down. But this will be great for Madeline Island next month, Duluth in September, etc. Gabi's brother, Nick, helped us build the yak rack. It ended up costing under a hundred dollars for hardware and new tie-downs ~ we had enough 2x6's and 2x4's in the garage from previous projects that we didn't have to buy any lumber.

Also, when not in the truck the yak rack stays in the back of the garage as kayak storage. We've been hanging the boats from rafter hooks, and while that's fine for short term it can warp them if done too long. They'll stay much happier this way.


After finishing the rack and doing a dry run with the tie-downs we made dinner for the family: grilled fajitas. Basically, I grilled the onions, peppers, chicken and flank steak on my fabulous new grill and then we brought it all indoors (it's been raining most of the day! yeah!) and gobbled it up.

After Nick and the kids left, we hung out a little while with Nancy and Gabi's mom, and I made pomatinis (recipe follows). Seriously yummy. My new cocktail of choice. Try one! They're especially good on a warm summer day ~ which today was not. Did I mention that today, June 6, we had to bundle up in jeans and sweatshirts, and we even turned the heat back on!! Unbelievable! But at least it's raining.

***

Brandi's Pomatini (Pomegranate Martini)

3 ounces pomegranite juice
1 1/2 ounces Grey Goose or other "top shelf" vodka*
3/4 ounces simple syrup**
juice from 1/2 lime
6 ice cubes

Mix all ingredients in cocktail shaker. Shake well and pour into desired glass.

*We've had these with both cheaper vodka and Grey Goose, and there is a very definite difference. Cheaper vodka has a slightly bitter aftertaste that clashes with the fruitiness of the juice.
** Simple syrup: mix equal parts water and sugar (I like organic or turbinado best). Bring to boil over medium-high heat. Boil gently for two minutes and cool.

Knock out Gnocchi

Jane and Nancy came over for dinner last night and I made this fabulous gnocchi dish that I found in EatingWell Magazine. I couldn't find my actual magazine, but fortunately I did find the recipe on-line. I made a couple of adjustments (added sun-dried tomatoes, used unseasoned tomatoes and added my own basil and oregano seasoning). It's great. I was told that it should be in next year's cookbook ~ in the meantime, I'll put it here.

This is such a great recipe: it is very easy to cook (even after a couple of glasses of wine), goes down like true comfort food, and after the prep work is done it comes together very quickly. I prepped everything ahead of time and then, after appetizers were finished, cooked the dish while Jane, Nancy and Gabi hung out with me in the kitchen, laughing, drinking wine and telling stories. It was a lovely evening.

A few small points to make about the recipe (especially after reading the comments left on the site): First, be sure to use shelf-stable gnocchi, not dried or frozen. Shelf-stable means that it comes in a plastic vacuum pack and isn't dried. This is important.

Secondly, the original recipe suggests that you could use spinach in place of the chard. I haven't tried it, but my instinct would recommend against it. Spinach is too mild and breaks down too much when cooked, and you need something with enough flavor and substance to stand up to the rest of the ingredients, in both flavor and texture. 

Which brings me to the cheese: if you can, I'd highly recommend using good Parmesan that you grate yourself. I've made it with pre-grated cheese ~ and "better quality" cheese in the refrigerated section at that ~ but the flavor loss shows. A few of the reviews on the web site criticized the recipe for having a bland flavor. Boxed and/or pre-shredded Parmesan cheese, spinach, or frozen/dried gnocchi that has to be parboiled before skillet frying will all contribute blandness instead of flavor. 

Skillet Gnocchi with Chard & White Beans

From EatingWell Magazine, Jan/Feb 2009

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon oil from oil-packed sun dried tomatoes

1 16-ounce package shelf-stable gnocchi

1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced

4 cloves garlic, minced

4-5 sliced oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, diced

1/2 cup water

6 cups cleaned, chopped chard leaves (about 1 small bunch)

1 15-ounce can petite-diced tomatoes, juice included

1 15-ounce can white beans, rinsed

2 teaspoons dried basil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

pinch red pepper flakes (optional)

1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese

1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add gnocchi and cook, stirring often, until plumped and starting to brown, 5-7 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

2. Add the remaining 1 teaspoon oil and the onion to the pan and cook, stirring, over medium heat, for 2 minutes. Stir in the garlic, sun dried tomatoes, and water. Cover and cook until the onion is soft, 4 to 6 minutes. Add chard and cook, stirring, until starting to wilt, 1-2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, beans, basil, oregano and pepper, and bring to a simmer. Stir in the gnocchi and sprinkle with cheeses. Cover and cook until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbling, about 3 minutes.

***

Pic credits: I did not take the above pic (although my dish did turn out just this pretty. The pic is from the EatingWell web site.

Really Good Cookies

Tomorrow is the annual Bake & Book Sale for the Royalton Friends of the Library. Our friends are the best ~ few but feisty! ~ and provide funds every year for the prize books, craft supplies, and other things we need for the Summer Reading Program. Don't know what we'd do without them.

For the bake sale, I'm making the Giant Chocolate Sugar Cookies from Martha Stewart's Cookies, (c) 2008.  A mere test-drive with the library copy was not enough to satisfy me, so I purchased the book a couple of weeks ago. There are many recipes that look frankly amazing, but this is the only one I've tried so far. I made these cookies last week for a get-together at Jane's house. Had a few technical difficulties (the result of distraction on my part, not glitches in the recipe), but the cookies that cooked properly were really, really good. I'm thinking they'll be a great addition for the bake sale.

Giant Chocolate Sugar Cookies

From the cookbook description: "These oversize sweets don't need any mix-ins or frostings ~ their bold chocolate flavor says it all. In addition to butter, this recipe calls for melted vegetable shortening, which produces an unbeatable texture." I would add this: the cookies have a much more intense flavor after cooking than before. The dough is a little bland; the cookies brilliant. 

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup vegetable shortening (or 1/2 cup unsalted butter) melted and cooled

1 large egg

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 375 degree F. Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt in a bowl. 

2. Put butter and sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. Mix in melted shortening (or butter). Add egg and vanilla; mix until creamy. Reduce speed to low. Gradually add flour mixture, and mix until just combined.

3. Using a 2 1/2-inch ice cream scoop, drop dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing about 4 inches apart. Bake until edges are firm, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 2 days.

Pears and Cheese and Pasta, Oh My!

Last Friday night we got together with friends Nancy, Steph and Jane at Jane's house... we shared a lovely bottle of wine that Jane had given us over the holidays. A 2006 dry Chenin Blanc by Dry Creek vineyards. Excellent and lovely, just the perfect, light fruitiness that I love.

We also had the most excellent dish from my new Bon Appetit cookbook. I bought Fast Easy Fresh a few weeks ago, but then I got a cold and my desire to cook anything more than Tom Yum went right out the window. So, when we spoke with Jane about having a get together, she graciously let me choose what I wanted to cook from the new cookbook and then delegated complementary sides and appetizers for everyone else. This is what good friends do.

It was so great to get together and hang out with these great women. But, I have to say that what is sticking in my head is how much fun it was to talk books with Jane's younger son. He named off his favorites: the Pendragon and Redwall series made the top of the list, and it was so cool for Gabi and me to be able to say that we had read those books too. And we suggested he try the Skullduggery Pleasant books, because they are just exceptionally fun.

I made Linguine with Pears and Gorgonzola Cheese. Wow. I didn't adjust the recipe at all, and it was so good. The flavors are lovely and perfectly balanced, and the light sweetness of the pears plays off perfectly with the cheese ~ which is much more subtle than you might expect, given the strength and general smelliness of gorgonzola. Also, the meal comes together very quickly but has an elegant "feel." Perfect dinner party fare. My friends loved it. We all had seconds. One of them had fourths!

******

Linguine with Pears and Gorgonzola Cheese

from  The Bon Appetit Fast Easy Fresh Cookbook, (c) 2008. By Barbara Fairchild.

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter

4 firm pears (about 2 pounds), peeled, cored, cut into 1/3-inch strips

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

1 cup low-sodium chicken broth

4 ounces Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled (about 1 cup)

3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

12 ounces linguine

1/3 cup chopped pecans

Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add pears; saute until tender and beginning to brown but not soft, about 8 minutes. Using slotted spoon, carefully transfer pears to bowl. Add rosemary to skillet and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add broth, Gorgonzola cheese, 1/2 cup Parmesan, and cream. Simmer until sauce thickens enough to coat spoon, whisking occasionally, about 6 minutes. Return pears and any accumulated juices to sauce.

Do Ahead: Sauce can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature. Bring to simmer before continuing.

Cook linguine in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain; return pasta to pot. Add sauce and pecans to pasta; toss over medium-low heat until sauce coats pasta, about 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to a large bowl. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.

Happy Belated Thanksgiving

Time is flying by... and I'm exhausted just from trying to keep up.

We had a lovely Thanksgiving at our friend Jane's house. It was a small gathering: Jane, her two sons Elliot and Sam, Elliot's friend John, us, and our friend Nancy (and Nancy's daughter and two friends for dessert, later). Good friends, good food, good wine. Lovely day.

Yesterday we did our traditional day-after-Thanksgiving: we slept in and then walked downtown to take in the sales at Herbergers. We have a fairly strict rule for "Black Friday:" we don't shop anywhere we can't walk to. Traffic is just insane in this town, especially on big shopping days. It's like every family from a hundred miles around comes to town and rushes between Fleet Farm, Wal-mart and the mall. Mayhem.

After we returned home with our purchases I started soup. I had loaned Jane our turkey-sized Romertopf for cooking the bird, and I brought it home with the carcass so that I could make soup. I came up with a great recipe to share. Hope you enjoy it too.

***

Day-after-feasting Soup

Face it, you’re still psychologically full from Thanksgiving, yet your stomach tells you it’s hungry. This soup is perfect. It’s very light and won’t leave you feeling overstuffed, yet the broth is so exquisitely flavorful that you feel spoiled. This is my creation, with a tip ‘o the ladle to Lynne Rosetto-Kasper.

2 Tbsp each butter and olive oil
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
2 stalks celery, including leaves, chunked
2 carrots, chunked
2 medium tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1 cup dry sherry (Use real sherry, not the “cooking sherry” you find in the grocery store aisle next to the vinegar. It would be better to omit the sherry completely than use that stuff.)
1 turkey carcass
Filtered water

1 Tbsp butter
2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
A couple handfuls of good quality egg noodles, preferably something thin like spaghetti or vermicelli

Heat butter and oil in large soup pot. Add onions and garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add carrots and celery and cook another 5 minutes or so, until beginning to be tender. Then add tomatoes and sherry. Bring to a boil and reduce for several minutes, until liquid begins to thicken.

Add turkey carcass and 2 to 2 ½ quarts water to soup pot, enough to fill pot but not overflow. Bring to a boil. Turn heat down slightly to keep stock at a low boil and reduce until half the liquid is gone. Add water to fill pot and reduce to half again. Add water and reduce to half again. This will take 3 to 4 hours, and by the end of that time your broth will be richly fragrant and flavorful.

Strain soup to remove all solids. Skim fat from broth. Bring liquid back to boil and add noodles (not too many as the broth is the star attraction). Melt 1 Tbsp butter in saucepan and sauté sliced carrots and celery until just tender. When noodles are cooked through, add carrots and celery. Add salt to taste and serve at once.

Little sweet things

So, going with a little less gravitas today...

I have two discoveries to share with you my friends and readers. The first is a musician who I just discovered thanks to Pandora, Playlist, and our always-sensational Great River music collection. Vienna Teng is a brilliantly talented musician with a gorgeous voice and phenonmenal talent on the piano.

Go check out Teng's "Lullaby for a Stormy Night". I'm sure you'll like it.

My second great discovery was a little cookbook I found on clearance at Barnes and Noble. The Daily Soup Cookbook is divided by primary soup ingredient (tomato, rice, corn, nut, bean, etc.) and peppered with fun bits of trivia and whimsy. These include music to play while cooking soup, periodic table of the soups and letters sent to staff at The Daily Soup. The recipes look healthy, yummy and full of fresh vegetables, herbs and spices.

The Daily Soup Cookbook is where I found a recipe for the latest version of seriously tasty Mulligatawny soup to be added to my favorites file. Mulligatawny soup is an anglicized version of the Indian tamil, or pepper broth. It is described by FoodReference.com as

"a rich curried soup originally made with peppers, hence the name. It has changed to suit differing tastes in Western culture, and has gone through many variations at various times and places. It is usually based on a chicken stock (also mutton or vegetable stock) and curry, with cream , pieces of chicken, onion, celery, apples and almonds and garnished with rice. The cream was very likely, originally coconut milk."

I've seen mulligatawnies with apples and/or cream ~ or neither. Different kinds of curry powders are used for various versions. Some are vegetarian and some emphatically not. This one has garam masala, almonds and saffron, a combination that is always sure to get my attention. I adore saffron. Just a few threads into a big pot of broth and potatoes and the flavor is sweet, deeply nuanced and absolutely lovely.

The Daily Soup Mulligatawny

The original recipe is vegetarian but I used chicken broth and added about 3 cups of chunked, roasted chicken. Also, because I used boxed chicken broth I did not add any extra salt.

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons peanut oil
1 large Spanish onion, chopped
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons garam masala
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes, drained and diced
6 cups vegetable stock
6 medium Idaho potatoes, peeled, halved lengthwise, and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup sliced almonds, lightly toasted
15 saffron threads
1/2 cup chopped scallions

1. Puree the ginger and garlic together in a blender or food processor.
2. Heat the oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add the onion and ginger puree and saute for 4 minutes, until tender and golden brown.
3. Add the sugar, garam masala, coriander, salt, turmeric, and cayenne and stir to coat the vegetables. Saute for 2 minutes to cook the spices.
4. Add the tomatoes and simmer for 5 minutes.
5. Add the stock and potatoes and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat, partially cover, and simmer for 20 minutes, until the potatoes are tender.
6. Meanwhile, combine the heavy cream, half of the almonds, and the saffron in a small saucepan over medium heat. Simmer until the liquid is reduced by half.
7. Puree the almond and cream mixture in a blender until smooth.
8. Stir the almond cream into the soup and simmer for 2 minutes.
9. Stir in 1/4 cup of the remaining almonds.
10. To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and top with the remaining 1/4 cup of almonds and chopped scallions.

Orphan goats, scorpions in bed and the best tomato soup ever

I've been thoroughly enjoying Cowgirl Cuisine: Rustic Recipes and Cowgirl Adventures from a Texas Ranch, by Paula Disbrowe (William Morrow, 2007), a lovely cookbook/memoir about her transition from New York food writer to Texas ranch chef. On the food side, she's taken Texas ranch staples like creamy pinto beans laden with lard and reworked them into healthier concoctions full of herbs, spices and vegetables. She also provides the recipe for the best tomato soup I've ever made or tasted (see below).

Just as entertaining, however, are the essays where Disbrowe recalls the animals, places, and insects she encountered after moving to Whistle Berry Ranch in the Nueces Canyon ~ and the learning curve inherent in the transition from New Yorker to Texan. Her essay about adopting orphan goats left me not only laughing but also wistful with the memories of kid goats and gentle nannies that we had when I grew up on a hobby farm in California. I used to love those silly creatures. Their antics, their affectionate natures (sometimes), and their energy. I still sometimes walk outside on a spring morning and think, "I wish we had a couple of goats."

There are several recipes in the collection that look wonderful, including many for game birds, venison, and antelope along with the expected beef and fish. The photography is both lush and personal: along with the requisite pics of sliced limes and plates of cheese-drenched chilis there are lots of portraits of Disbrowe, her husband, friends and their animal menagerie. But, aside from that astonishingly good tomato soup, it's the essays that are most memorable.

What I like about Disbrowe's writing is that she manages to be both self-deprecating and smart. Her tone is funny, warm and sincere, and reading her essays you can easily understand why she looks back with warmth and humor on the first calving at their little ranch ~ when she and her husband struggled to weigh 90-pound calves by holding them and standing on a bathroom scale (they didn't want to ask the local ranchers how to do everything). Of course they got wiser and learned to get a livestock scale, but she writes,

"part of me missed the earnest chaos of our earlier attempts. There was something pure and poignant in how little we knew and the logic we thought we could apply. And we got the job done after all."

My only complaint about the book is that Disbrowe should have found a better copy editor. It's always a shame to find typos in such a lovely book. That said, I still recommend Cowgirl Cuisine.

*****

Paula Disbrowe's Roasted Tomato Soup

For Roasted Tomatoes
3 pounds (about 20) plum tomatoes, halved
Olive oil
Kosher salt
Herbs de Provence, dried thyme, or basil

Soup
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 large leek, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
1 large onion, chopped
1 large or 2 medium carrots, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
Kosher salt
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 bay leaves, preferably fresh
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried thyme, basil or herbes de Provence)
Pinch of crushed red pepper (optional)
1/4 cup white wine (optional)
6 cups chicken stock or water
One 28-ounce can plum tomatoes in juice (preferably San Marzano)
1 dried chili (such as ancho, pasilla or New Mexico)
Freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 200 Degrees F.

2. The morning (or night) before serving, place the halved tomatoes, seed pockets facing up, on a baking sheet. You do not need to skin or seed the tomatoes. Squeeze the tomatoes lengthwise to open up the seed pockets. Drizzle the tomatoes with a small amount of olive oil (a few drops per tomato), then sprinkle with salt and the dried herb of your choice. Use your fingers to rub the seasonings evenly over the tomatoes.

3. Roast the tomatoes for 8 hours (or about 6 hours at 250 Degrees). The tomatoes will shrivel and concentrate but they should remain meaty and moist ~ not completely dry. They can be roasted up to 2 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator until you're ready to make the soup.

4. Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the leek, onion, carrots, celery and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, bay leaves, thyme and red pepper and cook for 2 to 3 more minutes, until fragrant. Add the wine and scrape up any vegetables sticking to the bottom of the pot (they should not brown). Add the broth. Add the canned tomatoes with their juice, breaking them apart with your fingers or a wooden spoon. Add the dried chili and bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

5. Add the roasted tomatoes (be sure to include any rich red tomato oil that has accumulated on the baking sheet) and simmer, partially covered, for 30 to 40 minutes. Remove the chili and bay leaves and cool the soup briefly. Transfer the soup to a blender, in batches if necessary, and puree until smooth.

6. Return te soup to the pot and season to taste with additional salt and freshly ground pepper. If the soup seems too thick, thin it with a little water or stock. Garnish as desired and serve.

*Note: As I wrote above, this is a wonderful soup. The flavor is rich and robust, while at the same time the freshness of tomatoes and vegetables shine through. However, as a general rule I am not a fan of pureed soup. I adjusted the recipe by chopping all the vegetables finely (including the canned tomatoes) and then using an immersion blender instead of pureeing. I left the soup just a little left of smooth, the result being a lively combination where each ingredient gets a bit of a chance to shine on its own. I garnished with a little freshly grated parmesan cheese and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Fresh croutons would be lovely as well. B

Love, Tacos and Universal Serendipity

Ah, what a blissful weekend we had. Saturday was our big Whoo-hoo We Did It fete, and we spent the day hanging out with lots of friends and family. Our first guests (not counting Donna and Mary, who came early to help out) arrived around 3:30 in the afternoon. The last guest left after midnight. (And Donna & Mary stayed for breakfast on Sunday.) What a blast. I can't say enough how much it means to me to be surrounded by these friends and family who bring their love, joy and blessings. When I feel bruised and alone, these people make my world right.

As I said, our wonderful friends Donna and Mary came early, bearing cake. A few weeks ago we were talking with them and Mary said she wanted to make our wedding cake. We said, "Whoo-hoo!" Mary makes great and gorgeous cakes. She asked us what kinds of cake we liked and so we answered that she couldn't go wrong with chocolate, carrot or spice cakes. And we said, "Surprise us." My goodness, but did she ever take us up on the challenge! We were gifted with the most gorgeous three-tiered cake, the bottom layer was carrot, the middle layer chocolate, and, of course, the topper was spice. Cream-cheese frosting on the top and bottom, sour cream/chocolate in the middle, and roses all around. It gave a whole new meaning to "yummy."

With so much love and congratulations flowing, the day passed in bliss. People came in shifts, with no planning on our part, so we were able to spend good time with everyone and really enjoy the company. Some people brought appetizers, so the table was spread with great food. We also had a big gallon-sized donation jar out for the No On Proposition 8 Campaign, and our friends filled it up with bills. We didn't quite meet Brad Pitt's $100,000 contribution, but we did alright.

We served a taco bar, and I picked tacos because it seemed like something that would be easy to prepare ahead, could be set out and reheated in shifts, and would appeal to lots of people. It was only when I started cooking the almost 7 pounds of roast on Friday that I realized that I'd also stumbled upon the most beautiful serendipity. The recipe, Spicy Oven-Stewed Beef, came from a cookbook of my mother's (perhaps the Chevy's restaurant cookbook ~ I'm not sure because I added it to my binder collection before I became disciplined about noting the source on my copies). I'd prepared it before and really enjoyed it. However, on Friday as I was re-reading the recipe before starting, I also read the anecdote on the sidebar. It describes how the authors developed the recipe for their beef tacos after a great day skiing with the family at Sugar Pine Point State Park in Lake Tahoe: the exact place where Gabi and I got married on July 19th.

Now, if that isn't the universe saying "Hurrah!," then I don't know what is!

Spicy Oven-Stewed Beef

2 1/2 pounds boneless beef chuck roast
2 tablespoons olive or peanut oil
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander seed
3 whole allspice berries
1/4 teaspoon whole peppercorns
1 pound tomatoes, preferably plum, coarsely chopped
2 medium onions, coarsely chopped
2 large garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano or 1/2 teaspoon dried
1 tablespoon achiote paste or 2 teaspoons pure chili powder plus 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup dry red wine
2 cups water
18 corn or 12 flour tortillas, warmed or crisped just before serving

TOPPINGS
1 large onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh oregano leaves or 1 tablespoon dried
2 limes cut into 6 to 9 wedges each

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Cut the chuck roast into pieces, about 3/4 inch thick by 1/2 inch long, trimming away any excess fat as you go.

3. Heat the oil in a large nonreactive stew pot over medium-high heat. Add as much meat as will fit in one uncrowded layer and cook until browned, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Continue with another round until all the meat is browned.

4. While the meat browns, place the coriander, allspice, and peppercorns on a paper towel. Fold the towel over the spices and crush them with a mallet or hammer.

5. Return all the meat to the pot and add the crushed spices, tomatoes, chopped onions, garlic, oregano, achiote paste, salt, wine and water. Bring to a boil. Cover and place in oven. Cook until meat is tender, 1 1/4 hours. (This stew can also be cooked on top of the stove, covered, over medium heat. The timing is the same.)

6. To assemble, place about 1/3 cup of the stew filling in the center of a tortilla. Top with some finely chopped onion and a sprinkle of oregano. Squeeze a lime wedge over all. Fold and serve.

* When I made this for our fete I left the beef in somewhat larger chunks, cooked it a little longer than the recipe called for, and then shredded the beef after. The flavor is marvelous, and the filling makes great enchiladas as well. B.

Summer and Sauce

My favorite things about this recipe:

The satisfied feeling that summer is drawing to a close and we’re heading into another glorious Minnesota fall. It means we’ve moved past the lovely, hot-weather standards of fresh tomato, mozzarella and basil salads, and that it’s cool enough outside that I look forward to using the stove and the oven and filling the house with both warmth and the deep, rich smells of slow-cooked sauce.

The fragrance of garden-ripe tomatoes blanched in boiling water.

Standing across the butcher block from Gabi, both of us skinning and seeding tomatoes, and instead of talking we each focus on the ripe, fragrant fruits in our hands and softly sing along to love songs playing on the stereo.

The buzz of a dozen bees plundering the garlic chives while I harvest basil, oregano and Italian parsley from the herb bed.

The way it evolves, over the better part of a day, from a light, fresh-smelling mixture into a sauce that is dense, rich and glistening, the flavor intensifying until it feels like a soul-warming indulgence. Then, with the final addition of the basil puree, the feeling of summer comes back full force: light, bright and fresh.

My most favorite thing: the look of satisfied bliss on the faces of my guests and my lovely Gabi when they tuck into a plate of pasta graced with this fabulous sauce.

My recipe is based on “Nach Waxman’s Simple Fresh Tomato Sauce,” from the New York Cookbook by Molly O’Neill, © 1992. My mom gave me the cookbook in 1994, and it’s still one of my favorites.

The Last Summer Fling Tomato Sauce

Red Sauce

5 pounds Brandywine or other beefsteak-type tomatoes, as ripe as possible
1 ½ pounds fresh, ripe plum tomatoes
¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup grated carrot
2 large onions, coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons dry red wine
½ teaspoon brown sugar
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Salt, to taste

Herb Bundle

1 sprig fresh oregano
2-3 stems fresh basil
2 sprigs fresh Italian parsley
2-3 celery leaf sprigs
1 dried red chili

Basil Puree

2 cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup water
⅓ cup pine nuts
¼ tsp. kosher salt

1. Make the Red sauce. Bring a large pot of water to boil and dip the tomatoes for a few seconds. Remove the tomatoes and place in a colander to cool slightly. Peel and discard their skins and remove the seeds, saving as much juice as possible. Coarsely chop the tomatoes and add to the juice.

2. In a large Dutch oven, warm ¼ cup of the olive oil over medium heat. Add the carrots, onion and garlic and sauté until the onions are translucent, 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juice and the tomato paste and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, partially cover the pot, and simmer for 2 hours, stirring every 15 minutes. At each stirring, drizzle in 1 tablespoon olive oil.

3. Preheat the oven to 350 Degrees F.

4. Make the herb bundle: Place the ingredients for the herb bundle toward the center of a large piece of cheesecloth (approx 18”x24”). Roll short-ways, securely but not too tightly. Twist the ends of the tube and bring them together to tie in the center, securing the herbs and pepper inside the cloth.

5. After the sauce has cooked for 2 hours, stir in the brown sugar, red wine and pepper. Add the herb bundle in the center of the pot, making sure it is covered with sauce. Transfer the pot to the oven. Cover and cook until the sauce is dense and thick, 1 to 1 ½ hours.

6. Make the basil puree: Bring some water to a boil (you can use the left-over tomato water, if you’d like). Place basil in a colander and rinse with boiling water. Drain well. In a blender, combine all basil puree ingredients. Purée at medium speed until smooth. Set aside.

7. Once the sauce has finished cooking in the oven, remove the herb bundle to a small bowl and let cool. Check the sauce for salt and add as needed. When the herb bundle is cool enough to handle, squeeze out any excess liquid back into the sauce. Throw herb bundle away.

8. Serve sauce with whole grain pasta or polenta. Top each serving with some of the basil purée and freshly grated parmesan cheese.

The Perfect Glass of Iced Sun Tea

A recipe in honor of the last day of summer vacation.

1) Sleep late, taking extra time to snuggle with your sweetie.

2) Once you get up, do it slowly. Listen to the birds singing outside, pet the cats (don’t forget to feed them too). When you get dressed, make sure comfort is more important than style. But wear cute shoes.

3) Start the sun tea: fill a one-gallon glass jar with filtered water. Add 8 bags of Nestea, regular or decaf, and 4 bags of Constant Comment, also regular or decaf.

4) Place the tea jar in the sunniest place in the garden, next to the basil and garlic chives. Talk to the chickadees while you take down the feeders to refill them, and enjoy when they talk back when you return with full feeders. Be sure to put out some peanuts and sunflowers for the chipmunks and squirrels, and pass through the garden looking at the new blooms, encouraging the recent transplants, and enjoying the very last daylilies of the summer.

5) Pull a few weeds with your sweetie. Water any dry garden beds and all transplants. Putz around the yard before having a light lunch.

6) Load up the kayaks in the back of the truck and go to a favorite lake or gentle river. Enjoy time in the sunshine, counting eagles and kingfishers and turtles. Stop and rest if you get tired. Eat a snack if you get hungry. Talk about anything that pops into your minds, or just enjoy the silence.

7) Head back home. Take in the tea. Remove the tea bags and refrigerate.

8) Do one productive thing from the to-do list that’s still too long.

9) Get a book and sit on the porch or the patio, reading out loud to each other. Or talk about what a great summer it’s been. Call each other Mrs. Laugh. Smile a lot.

10) Pour a glass of tea over ice. Add a slice of lemon or a little sugar if desired. Watch goldfinches eating sunflowers that the sparrows planted in the spring. Watch chipmunks run through the yard with perfectly peanut-shaped cheeks. Talk about school plans, weeding the library, and projects that need to be completed before fall. Feel completely happy and right with the world.

Photo credits: this is a picture of Crimson Shadows, the last great bloomer of the season. I purchased the plant from Oakes Daylilies a few years ago. Highly recommended.

Lynne Rossetto Kasper is a goddess

Okay, maybe a demi-goddess, of food and hospitality, naturally.

We just finished another brilliantly yummy dinner at our house. Our friend Steph joined us, and she said she just had to have a copy of this recipe. Since I was going to be putting together a copy for Steph, I figured I'd share it with everyone.

BTW: I raved about this cookbook a couple of months ago in the "Cookbooks I'm drooling over" column to the right. I couldn't stand to give it back to the library so bought my own copy. It will be one that I turn to often.

We served this with fried rice and a very light (not oak-y) chardonnay. I don't know if this is the pairing that our local wine-guy would recommend, but it worked great for us.

Almond Chutney Chicken in Lettuce Roll-ups

Chicken Salad

One 3-pound roasted chicken
1 medium red onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice
Grated zest of 1 large lemon
Juice of 3 large lemons, or more to taste
2 jalapeños, seeded and minced, or hot sauce to taste
One 9-ounce jar Major Grey Chutney, cut into bite-sized pieces if necessary
1/2 cup mayonaise
Salt and fresh-ground black pepper
3 large celery stalks, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 cup whole salted almonds, coarse chopped

Lettuce cups and herbs

1 large head Bibb lettuce, leaves separated, washed and dried
1 large bunch fresh basil, washed and dried
1 large bunch fresh coriander, washed and dried
8 radishes, thin sliced
1 large cucumber, peeled and sliced into thin rounds or 2-inch sticks

1. Pull the meat from the chicken carcass, discarding the skin and bones. Cut it into bite-sized pieces.

2. In a large bowl combine the onions, lemon zest and juice, jalapeños, chutney, mayonnaise, and salt and pepper. Fold in the chicken. Taste the mix for lemon, mayonnaise, and herbs, adding more as needed. Let it stand for 20 minutes to blend flavors, or cover and refrigerate overnight.

3. To serve, blend the celery and nuts into the chicken mixture. Mound the salad at one side of a big platter. Pile up the lettuce leaves at the other side, and cluster the sprigs of herbs in the center. Tuck the radishes and cucumbers next to the herbs.

4. Put a few herb leaves in the bottom of a lettuce "cup," top them with a spoonful of the salad, add a slice each of radish and cucumber, and roll up.

Blooms in my garden, rum in my salad

It's been a blissfully lovely last couple of weeks here. Highs have been in the mid 70's to 80's, and the humidity has been low (at least for Minnesota). It's hard to be indoors, knowing that this gorgeous weather is going to be all too short-lived.

This morning I took advantage of the weather to do lots of transplanting. Last year I started coreopsis, rudbeckia and other perennials in a nursery bed. Today I transplanted several of them into the beds at the back of our lot where the plantings were pretty thin and anemic looking. It made a huge difference.

The big garden story of late, however, is the back corner.

The mess we started with... an old, icky sandbox, piles of old branches and yard waste, and views into the neighbors back yards.

This neglected spot of our yard has been the "this is the year" project for the last several years, but somehow we never got around to it and it just kept getting messier and more neglected looking. Finally, we spent some time on it (less than I imagined it would take, frankly) and now it looks like it belongs with the rest of the yard.

We cleaned up upwards as well, culling out crossed and low-hanging branches and dead wood from the trees along the property line. It's amazing how much more open the space feels.

It's a little premature to call it finished, but it looks so much better now that we've taken out the old sandbox (it was a great thing to have when the nephews and niece were little, but for the last four or five years no one has used it but local cats). We also made a firewood holder using cinder blocks and the recycled 2x6's from the sand box. In addition, we pruned trees and put up reed fencing.

The beginning of (work) day two: still a long way to go.

We're planning to put in pavers, a fire pit and seating area, and adjust the plantings to bridge the area better, but most of that will likely have to wait until next year. For now, I'm just thrilled to have it cleaned up. We had Jane and Nancy over last weekend and enjoyed a fire after a great dinner. It was so nice!

With a light reed fence, the corner still feels airy but more private. Still more to do to make it "lovely," but at least it is tidy now instead of being the corner I'm embarrassed about.

We fixed the sun-dried tomato burgers that were in last year's cookbook as well as a Mojito Salad from the New York Times Country Weekend Cookbook (2007). It was fantastic! The recipe says that the rum is optional, but but I would really recommend you use it. Also, the recipe makes a very big bowlful and does not keep well ~ the fruit gets mushy after it sits in the fridge overnight. It should be served within an hour or two of mixing together.

MOJITO SALAD

For the salad:

1/2 cup red onion, halved and thinly sliced crosswise
Juice of 1 lime
1 medium jicama, peeled and cut into matchsticks
1 seedless hothouse cucumber, sliced 1/4-inch-thick crosswise
1/2 seedless watermelon, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 pound strawberries, hulled and halved lengthwise
1/3 cup packed fresh mint leaves, thinly sliced

For the dressing:

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup honey
1/2 cup fresh lime juice (about 2 1/2 limes)
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
3 tsp light rum

1. To make the salad: marinate the onion in the juice of 1 lime for at least 2 hours or overnight. Combine all salad ingredients in a large bowl.

2. To make the dressing: whisk together the dressing ingredients and pour over the salad*. Toss. Serve or transport to a picnic.

Yield: 12 servings.

* I used about half the dressing on the salad and saved the rest to be served on the side. It was delicious on the left-over watermelon a couple of days later.

Cinco de Mayo yum

We are incredibly fortunate to live close to a wonderful store called Manea's Meats in Sauk Rapids. They make an amazing assortment of chicken sausages ~ pure bliss for those of us trying to keep kosher in mid-Minnesota. A couple of days ago we picked up some chicken chorizo, and I was so excited about it that I had to make something really good. I came up with this recipe for dinner last night - very, very tasty and a dinner sized serving is only about 500 calories. Happy me.

Obviously, not everyone can find chicken chorizo, so use the regular pork/beef if you must, but it will be much fattier and higher calorie.

Chorizo Dirty Rice

1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup water
1 cup long-grain brown rice
1 pound bulk chicken chorizo
1 large sweet onion, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1 sweet red pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1. Bring broth and water to boil, add rice. Cover and simmer for 40 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, brown chorizo in a large skillet. Drain fat if necessary. Add chopped vegetables and saute until onions are tender but peppers still have a bit of crispness. Remove from heat and add beans.

3. When rice is cooked, add to meat/vegi mixture and stir well. Reheat if necessary and serve immediately. Makes 4 main dish servings.

At least it's pretty

Oh we are so very sick of winter here.

Six a.m. this morning I was shoveling 6 to 8 inches of very wet, very heavy snow at the end of the driveway so that my partner could go to work (poor thing, the local schools closed but she works 40 miles south). Two hours later I went back outside only to find that another 2-3 inches had fallen. This is lighter, but still wet and sticky. It clumps to everything, making the trees stunningly gorgeous... and I hope the power lines hold up. I took some pictures, and they turned out well enough to share.



However, it is heavy and cold and still coming down. Did I mention heavy. It's not yet noon and I've been out twice shoveling already and haven't even touched the majority of the driveway. I'll have to do that before my Sweetie gets home... I don't think our little sedan could get to the garage right now.

In light of this endlessly dreary winter, I must share the following soup recipe. I made it a couple of nights ago and it is so good.

Curried Roasted Squash & Pear Soup
Adapted from The Essential Eating Well Cookbook ©2004

1½ pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into ¾" cubes
6 ripe but firm Bartlett pears, peeled, cored and cut into ¾" cubes
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 tsp granulated sugar
Freshly ground pepper
½ cup water, or more if necessary
⅓ cup finely chopped shallots
1 Tbsp dark brown sugar
1 2½" cinnamon stick
2 tsp curry powder
½ tsp ground cardamom
¼ tsp ground coriander
⅛ tsp cayenne pepper
6 cups reduced-sodium chicken or vegetable broth

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Toss squash and pears with 1 Tbsp olive oil and the granulated sugar in a large baking pan with sides. Season with fresh pepper. Drizzle with water.
3. Roast squash and pears until both are tender, 30 to 40 minutes. Stir after 20 minutes and add a little more water if necessary to prevent burning. When done, remove from oven and add 2 cups of broth to pan. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up the caramelized bits around the edges.
4. With food processor or blender, puree squash and pears in the broth, adding more broth if necessary.
5. Heat the remaining 1 Tbsp oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add shallots and cook, stirring, until softened but not browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Add brown sugar and spices. Cook, stirring, until nicely fragrant, about 2 minutes more.
6. Add squash-pear puree and remaining broth. Bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, until the flavors are well balanced. Taste for salt, adding more if necessary. Discard cinnamon stick, and serve.

Makes about 8 cups of soup, 181 calories per cup.