Freya, age 6, the daughter of Andrea who writes “The Kitchen Lioness, notes from a very small German kitchen” drew this picture of Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus for me. Her Mother included it in the Christmas card she sent as part of the FFWD exchange. It now hangs center-stage on my refrigerator. Neither Mother or Daughter realized how especially meaningful it would be to receive the drawing this week. Thank you, Freya.
My daughter, Melissa, and her best friend, both busy women, make time to walk together early in the morning, once a week. This Fall, during one of their sojourns, the friend said to her, “You know, Melissa, your Mother loves you SO much.” (They obviously were discussing me!!!)
To that remark, Melissa replied, “ I know. That’s the problem.”
When Missy related that story to me, she knew I wouldn’t be offended, that I would understand. And, of course, I did.
Cheez-it-ish Crackers, the FFWD recipe choice of the week, can be entirely made in the food processor and results in moist curds, shown here, that are turned out and kneaded together into two disks.
Therein lies the rub. We Women – Mothers, Grandmothers, Aunts – to name a few, love our children soooooo much. Mine. Ours. Yours. Theirs. That’s why the pain of Sandy Hook is so unbearable. While there’s nothing more I can say – those more knowledgeable and eloquent already have – I will only add this.
I realized how naive I was about classroom security when I didn’t even know school doors were now locked. It made me wonder what else I don’t know about a world I’ve grown out of now that my children are adults.
But what I am not naive about is politics. And, once these 26 are mourned and buried, Life returning to normal for most of us, there is little chance that Congress will pass effective, meaningful gun-control legislation. Trust me on that.
Unless……those of us who believe our kids deserve a childhood as safe and secure as we can possibly provide, are “all in” for the “long haul.” ***
Form the moist curds into two disks, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least an hour.
Honestly the very last thing I wanted to do this week was walk into my kitchen and make Cheez-it-ish Crackers, this week’s FFWD recipe choice. Like many of you, my thoughts are in Newtown. However, normalcy was my goal and Dorie’s crackers needed to be made.
These little wafers, oozing with cheese, were fabulous. Dorie suggests them as a nibble with before-dinner drinks (white wine or champagne, perhaps). These are not crackers with a specific purpose. I suggest them warm out-of-the-oven or as a mid-morning lift or as a late afternoon pick-me-up. An anytime snack. These are two bites of goodness to whet your appetite.
I used a champagne flute to cut the rolled-out dough into wafer-like crackers. Dorie suggested making them smaller but I liked the two-or-three bite size better.
Five ingredients – butter, cheese (I used Gruyère but Conté or Emmenthal would work), salt, pepper, flour. In a hurry? Treat them as a slice-and-bake, as Dorie suggests in her Bonne Idée. I rolled my dough out, after chilling it for 3 hours, and used a champagne flute for my cookie cutter. After 14 minutes in a 350 degree oven, they were lightly golden and firm.
I taste-tested these with good friends who joined me for dinner Tuesday evening. They would be leaving to enjoy a family Christmas in California so we needed to do our celebrating early. The verdict? Enjoyed by all.
I served these very tasty Cheez-it-ish Cracker to my friends, Ardyth and Harold, who joined me for dinner to celebrate an early Christmas together.
As you read this, I am also in California because tonight is my grandchildren’s school Christmas program, something we’ve been coming to since Emma started preforming in preschool. Clara (9) is playing the piano (“I’m even using the pedal, Grandma.”) while her sister, Emma (11), sings “Away in a Manger.” Clara has been practicing the piece since September. As both girls explained to me last night, this is not easy!
It’s not difficult to understand why I’m “all in” for the “long haul”, is it?
If you wish to try this recipe, go here. If you want to see what my colleagues made this week, go here. If you want more information about involvement in the gun control legislation process, go to my friend Diane’s Blog, Simply Living and Eating: Newtown, No Simple Answers.
Despite the hectic holiday weekend, it does include a Friday. So even if you’re weary of talking food and making food and eating food, chant Gobble three times and breathe deeply. I promise to keep this short.
A family tradition, spending Thanksgiving week-end in Death Valley. We start with our holiday dinner at the old, glorious Inn at Furnace Creek, a four-diamond resort built in 1927. The menu is always ambitious and, this year, Chef Renée outdid himself.
My family spent the Thanksgiving week-end in Death Valley National Park, the ancentral homeland of the Timbisha Shoshone Tribe and the largest American park outside of Alaska. Since DV is located midway between Las Vegas/Henderson, where I live now, and Bishop, California, where my children live, I have either traveled to or through this park for the past eight years. I love everything about it.
I would guess that most of you have never visited DV. Please do. Of the park’s 3.4 million acres, 91% is wilderness. It is world renowned for its colorful, complex geology and its elevation extremes. Besides being beautiful, it boasts being the hottest, lowest and driest location in the entire country.
In deference to me, everyone wears their Sunday best to Thanksgiving dinner. Ever the good sport, Stephen rises to the occasion, wearing his “holiday” tie, to please his mother-in-law.
This park gets a bad rap by its name. Today there is very little deathly about it. According to the USPS, it’s home to species of all kinds: 51 mammals, 307 bird, 36 reptile, 2 amphibians, 5 fish and a few Park Rangers. Armed with John McPhee’s 1981 tome, “Basin & Range” and two elementary books on DV geology, I spent two days hiking, focusing on the area’s geologic story. Although I’m very familiar with DV, I’ve never concentrated on its geology – it’s a WoW.
Also a WoW is this week’s FFWD recipe choice, Herbed Olives.
Many of my favorite grocery and speciality stores offer olive bars with its numerous bins loaded with every variety of these little wonders. I cannot remember ever thinking that I should buy the plainest variety of olives possible and season them myself………until this week.
Herbed Olives – this week’s FFWD recipe
Dorie provides us with the basic proportions of olives to oil and then urges us to go crazy with herbs/spices for flavoring. I made these several days ago, using an orange-flavored olive oil, Olea Farm’s Orange Blush, and adding rosemary, thyme, corriander seeds, peppercorns, garlic cloves, bay leaves, red pepper flakes and orange strips.
Admittedly, these are not your average, grocery store bar-olives. These tangy little gems have a wonderfully pungent taste, making them a perfect nibble at cocktail hour. Something to try, at least once!!!
There is no dress code after Thanksgiving Dinner. The rest of the week-end is devoted to hiking, biking, swimming in the natural spring-fed pool, just hanging out at the Ranch at Furnace Creek. Every the competitive family, we are all still working hard at trying to be humble winners and good sports at losing. (Not quite there yet.)
To find the recipe for these delicious morsels, go here. To see what other spices and herbs my colleagues used in this week’s recipe, go to the French Friday with Dorie link.
(Note: If you are interested in the geology of Death Valley, you might enjoy “An Introduction to the Geology of Death Valley” by Michael Collins and “A TripThrough Death Valley’s Geologic Past, The Magnificent Rocks of Death Valley“. Or, better yet, why not go to your closest national park, pick up a few local geology books at its visitors center and learn about how it came into being.)
An oil on canvas painted by Carlos Soson, an artist who is handicapped and paints by holding the brush in his mouth. Purchased at the La Boca street market in Buenos Aires.
It was a dark, cold and windy night. The clock read 12:00 AM. Earlier in the day, or, maybe the day before, I had boarded airplanes that headed south. Two planes and 17 hours later, I disembarqued and found myself, alone, in Santiago, the capital and largest city in Chile.
My only question to myself? “Why?”
The last three weeks, as Lights went dark on this blog, they were shining brightly in South America where I had gone to meet three countries: Chile, Argentina and Brazil. Foreign travel is not for sissies, as I reminded myself every day. Flying solo, as I did, adds yet another layer to an international adventure, and, to my mind, a worthwhile one. Whether this was a vacation,educational experience,trip-of-a-lifetime or challenging slog– take your pick – it was not a week on the Jersey shore.
Iguazu Falls, bordering the three corners of Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay, is comprised of 275 cascades. The Iguazu National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This photo is from the Brazilian side. From Argentina, you can hike into the Falls, which I did. It’s a badge of honor to get soaked. Spectacular.
Which brings me to Hummus, this week’s French Friday with Dorie recipe choice for our cooking group. Hmmm, isn’t Hummus Middle Eastern? Ms. Greenspan suggests that Hummus, has “captured the imagination of the French and wiggled its way into the Gallic repertoire” along with imports like Tzatziki (Greek) and Guacamole (Mexican).
That’s why I decided this week to introduce the Frenchies to Puré dePallares, the South American wonderfully flavorful version of hummus. Made with creamy and tasty lima beans mixed with aderezo (seasoning), the dip is simple to make and also works as sandwich spread, pizza topping or a vegetable side with chicken, fish or meat.
I served this the night of the Presidential Debate with both veggies and homemade tortilla chips. It’s delicious as well as a lovely presentation, don’t you think? I also suggested that an Argentinian Malbec wine, celebrated for its deep color and intense fruity flavors, might be the perfect compliment to the evening.
Note that I added sun-dried tomatoes to the Puré de Pallares.
This is why my South American travelogue journal turned from “Why” to “Why Not”? Following a good night’s sleep, I woke up in Santiago that next morning to remember I’d just arrived in Malbec Country. Although Argentinian Malbecs garner the praise and applause, don’t discount their Chilean counterparts. Both are delicious. After six months of sobriety, my palate totally cleansed, I asked myself, “If not now, when?” My South American journey just got a whole lot better.
The bronze statue of Evita Peron unveiled in 1999 on a hillside below the National Library which sits at the site of the former presidential residence where she died. This year, July 26, commemorates the 60th anniversary of her death.
The only regret of my South America journey is that because of an Argentinian holiday and itinerary change, Paula Montenegro, a Dorista living in Buenos Aires, and I could not meet for lunch. However, Paula may be in the States late this Fall and will visit me in Aspen.
Puré de Pallares
Yield: 2 cups
Ingredients:
1 16-ounce bag of frozen lima beans or 2 cups of shelled fresh beans
1 packet Sazon Goya Seasoning with saffron (speciality stores or on-line)
1-2 cups cilantro leaves, according to your taste
2-3 tablespoons lime juice
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt
Red pepper flakes to taste
Black pepper to taste
Directions:
Boil the lima beans and Sazon Goya Seasoning pack in a pot of salted water for 8-10 minutes.
Drain beans. Cool 5 minutes. Add beans to a food processor with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the cilantro.
Process beans and cilantro for 30 seconds. Add lime juice, salt, pepper, cumin and process until smooth adding more olive oil if mixture seems too dry. Taste and add additional seasoning, if necessary.
Store dip in the refrigerator, in a lidded container, covered with a thin layer of olive oil. It will keep for 3-4 days.
Adapted from About.com, South American Food
(For those of you who don’t know, French Fridays with Dorie is an online cooking group. We are cooking our way through Dorie Greenspan’s latest cookbook, Around My French Table, and each Friday we post our results on our own foodie site. (All 50 or so members cook the same recipe each week.) It is a Greenspan love fest, both serious and silly, and we sometimes call ourselves “Doristas.”)
This week’s FFWD recipe is all about veggies: Eggplant Tartine with Tomatoes, Olives and Cucumber. A tartine is actually an open-faced sandwich with a spread on top. For today’s presentation, however, the bread has been banished and replaced by eggplant. The result is so delicious and tasty, you don’t realize the grain product is missing. Don’t ask. Don’t tell.
I’m especially pleased to be making a nutritious dish today because Less is More this week. Needing to eat Less this week because More is happening on Saturday night. I’ve returned to Nevada to attend my first Project Dinner Table charity event on Saturday. This exciting event benefits two organizations that have become dear to my heart lately: Safe Nest, a charity that promotes the eradication of domestic violence and The Shade Tree, a 24-hour shelter designed specifically to support abused women and children in Southern Nevada.
The purpose of PDT is to create meaningful and adventurous experiences around the dinner table, celebrating local food, community and philanthropy. That the dining table is loooooong, accommodating 175 people, six courses, and served pass-the-plate family style, brings Pop-Up Entertaining to an entirely new level. Oh, yes, this time it’s open-air, streets closed, a Main Street meets the Strip atmosphere. Hello, new experience.
The Chefs for this PDT, Executive Chef Royden Ellamar of Sensi at Bellagio and Executive Chef Edmund Wong of Bellagio, only raise the bar.
Executive Chef Ellamar of Sensi, Bellagio, Las Vegas PDT Photo
Executive Chef Wong of Bellagio, Las Vegas PDT Photo
What I have found, since moving to Henderson, is that local casino conglomerates are very philanthropic and generous locally. They can afford to be, of course. One-upmanship is the game name here. Now is Bellagio’s moment and I’m betting they’re up to the glitz-and-grits task. Their Horticulture department, in charge of decor, is already loading up citrus trees and potted fruit plants. No chandeliers necessary, stars will suffice. A feel-good moment for Las Vegas.
The Bellagio Conservatory & Botanical Gardens, a popular attraction on the Las Vegas Strip. Kudos to the hotel-casino’s reknown horticulture department. destination360.com photo
The tartine dovetails nicely with this upcoming gastronomic overload. Roast 1-inch thick eggplant slices for 45 minutes at 350 degrees. Toss together a delicious salsa using tomatoes, celery, onion, garlic and green olives. The dressing is simply red wine vinegar and olive oil with red pepper flakes, salt and pepper added for seasoning. Throw some cucumber slices haphazardly over the top and you’ve got a lunch, snack or dinner.
Eggplant slices waiting for olive oil, salt and pepper, before basking in 350 degree temperatures for 45 minutes
Saturday evening will be an eye-opener for me, a charity function, Vegas-style. Since moving here, I’ve been so focused on my personal life and responsibilities, I’ve spent little time thinking about those less fortunate. For me, now, it’s a different world and I’m looking forward to using my considerable energy to help others, particularly women. A feel-good moment for me.
Eggplant Tartine with Tomatoes, Olives and Cucumbers
Israeli Salad with Heirloom Tomatoes, Peas, and Spinach-Herb Pesto
Several weeks ago my friend, Susan, whose blog, Create Amazing Meals, is pretty amazing itself, e-mailed me with a suggestion. “I think, Mary, that you would enjoy a blog called The Café Sucré Farine, written by a gal named Chris. It’s on my Blogroll. I really like her recipes.”
After checking out and liking Chris’ site also, I subscribed. That’s where I found this incredibly delicious and razzle-dazzle in appearance, salad. Oozing with nutritious ingredients, it’s everything one could want in an entrée salad (or, side salad, of course). Even better, it’s a make-ahead recipe. I love that.
Chris adapted this recipe from Food & Wine. As far as I’m concerned, she still owns it!!! It’s good and filled with goodness. Enjoy.
Israeli Salad with Heirloom Tomatoes, Peas and Spinach-Herb Pesto
Serves 6 Luncheon Portions
Ingredients:
Spinach-HerbPesto
6 cups fresh baby spinach, packed tightly
1 cup fresh herbs, packed tightly ( I suggest using 1/2 cup basil and then any other fresh, mild Herbes de Provence flavors: rosemary, thyme, marjoram, or tarragon. Add a bit of mint, if you wish.
½ cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1/2 cup pine nuts
4 garlic cloves, chopped
½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
lemon zest, from one lemon and 3 tablespoons of lemon juice
1 teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
water, as needed
Couscous with peas and tomatoes
2 cups Israeli couscous (12 ounces), (also called pearl pasta)
8 ounces tiny frozen peas (do not boil peas)
multi-colored heirloom tomatoes, 16-oz. container, cut in half ( If using larger tomatoes, cut six multi-colored heirlooms into 1/2-inch dice.)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Directions:
1. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the 6 cups of spinach and blanch for 10 seconds. Add the fresh herbs and immediately, with a slotted spoon, transfer the spinach-herb mixture to a colander. Rinse under cold water to stop the cooking, then drain.
2. Wait until salted water returns to a boil, then add the couscous and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, about 8-10 minutes. After draining the couscous, spread it out on a large baking sheet. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and toss to prevent clumping. Add the tiny peas and toss again. Let the couscous-pea mixture cool to room temperature.
3. In a small skillet, toast the pine nuts over moderate heat, tossing, until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Let cool.
4. Squeeze the excess water thoroughly from the spinach-herb mixture and coarsely chop it. Transfer to a food processor bowl. Add the pine nuts, garlic, cheese, lemon zest, lemon juice, sea salt, pepper and olive oil and process until mixture is fairly smooth. If too thick, add a bit of water to make a consistency that will blend into the couscous. Taste and season with more sea salt and pepper as needed.
5. Transfer the couscous and peas to a large serving bowl and stir in half of the pesto. Add more, if needed and to taste. Gently fold in the tomatoes. Garnish with fresh herbs and serve at room temperature or refrigerate for an hour or two and serve cold.
Notes:
1. If you don’t have heirloom tomatoes, any type of summer tomato will do, just be sure to use a ripe juicy tomato, not a hothouse grocery store variety.
2. Use any left over pesto for a pizza base or as a sandwich spread. Or, spread a little goat cheese on some crostini and add a dollop of this pesto. (Or, plop some on the top of the salad, as I did. I wanted you to see the consistency of the pesto.)
3. Arugula could also be used as the main pesto ingredient as Food & Wine suggests.
Thanks to The Café Sucré Farine for this wonderfully refreshing summer salad.
Cervelle de Canut, created in Lyon when it was the center of a thriving silk industry
(Translation: LYONNAISE GARLIC & HERB CHEESE (aka boursin’s mama))
For the past seven years I’ve been taking leçons françaises. While I don’t speak the language well (really, I’m awful), I do possess an amazing vocabulary, know 13 of the 17 different verb tenses and can understand everything that is asked of me in a boulangerie.
That’s why I knew this week’s recipe involved cooking someone’s brain. Probably a duck. Cervelle means brain. Although duck translates to canard, the French do absurd things with word endings so I just assumed canut, canard, duck. If I thought Sardines Rillettes (April 13, 2012) was a culinary stretch for me, duck brains might be an impossibility.
Quack. Quack. Quack.
photo by greengabbro.net
Imagine my surprise when I realized canut meant silk weaver. Literally, this week’s FFWD recipe: Brain of a Silk Weaver. Pas de panique. Fortunately, there are no brains involved in the creation of this recipe.
Trust me on this.
After spooning the ricotta in the strainer, I placed it over a pan, covered it with plastic wrap, allowing it to drain and rest in the refridgerator overnight.
The next morning, I assembled the ingredients for the cheese spread.
Cervelle de Canut is a soft and creamy herb cheese that is part mix, part spread and part salad dressing. It is said to be the inspiration for the popular Boursin cheese that is easily found in any American grocery store. I was invited to a 70th birthday celebration last week-end and I knew it would be a wonderful addition to the appetizer table. Since it would be my first food contribution to party fare since returning to Aspen, this was a “Dorie, please don’t fail me now” moment.
photo by boursin.gif
The night before the party I spooned ricotta into a fine-mesh strainer, covered it with plastic wrap and refrigerated it overnight. The next morning I put the drained ricotta in a bowl, adding shallots, garlic, chives, parsley and tarragon, salt and pepper. After pouring red wine vinegar and olive oil into the ingredients, I mixed everything together and let it chill in the fridge for the entire day. Just before plating Trader Joe’s Raisin Rosemary Crisps with the cheese spread, I tasted the mix again and felt it needed more salt. Much more. Then it was perfect.
Mix all the ingredients lightly with a rubber spatula. Don’t overbeat the cheese and risk thinning it.
Luckily my food offering stood tall with the other delicious fare including crab won tons, Chinese shrimp-snow pea skewers, spinach-cheese squares, paté mousse and smoked salmon-neufchatel spread in filo cups. Did I mention that all my friends are fantastic cooks? And, there was some mention and mumbling that it appeared ‘Mary had not lost her touch.’
Thanks, Dorie. Soooooooo much. Merci beaucoup.
The Groaning Table
Every bite was well-worth the calories! Happy Birthday, Dear Friend.
Peter’s wife, Ruth, an author and writer, lighting his cake. The birthday boy stands nearby.
Although we urge you to buy Dorie’s inspiring cookbook, Around My French Table, you will find the recipe here. To see the brainy versions created by other Doristas, go here.
