Chile poblano stuffed with potatoes, requesón (ricotta cheese), Salsa Mexicana topped with crema
MEXICO’S CULINARY EXPLORER
On my last day in San Miguel I took a cooking class from Kirsten West. You won’t recognize her name but this is all you need to know. Ms. West, an international chef/cooking instructor who has studied Mexican regional cuisine for over 25 years, is German. She’s worked closely with the iconic Diana Kennedy, often called the Julia Child ofMexico. During her 8-year collaboration with chef Rick Bayless, she tested every recipe used in his first three cookbooks.
Kirsten West kitchen before class as her assistants prep the ingredients.
I once took a cooking class from Kennedy and had eaten at both Topolobampo and Frontera Grill, Bayless’ first Chicago restaurants. Both chefs are acknowledged superstars so I expected the same from West.
Note the television set in the upper left of the photo. Ms. West provided a power point presentation to coordinate with her instructions and lecture.
It’s gracias to Amy Gordon that I was able to join the class. Amy and her husband, Barry, divide their time between Aspen and San Miguel where she has sequed from a successful 16-year Aspen retailing career to guiding tours in Mexico and Cuba. Since five women from Aspen were flying in for a 5-day tour, she invited me to join the fun.
Amy and her Group of 5, ready to explore San Miguel.
West, who believes Mexican cuisine is misrepresented and undervalued, is passionate about her subject. While pouring us tangy red Hibiscus Flower Coolers she outlined the day’s class schedule. “This is about listening, looking, tasting, smelling and participating,” she explained. “We’ll do it all.”
On a Sunday we spent the afternoon at Zandunga Ranch for singing, dancing and eating.
Thirty minutes later we were already taste-testing crisp jicama chips with peanut-chile dry dip. We also gobbled down sliced chayote, an edible plant belonging to the gourd family, with pumpkinseed-chili dry dip. She varies her dry dips recipes, making them with pumpkin seeds and all kind of nuts.
Moving on to salsas, she chose three, Roasted Tomato-Jalapeno, fresh Tomatillo and fresh Tomato and Chile, playing with them to create various dishes. Each was delicious enough to convince me to check out Rick Bayless’ 1998 cookbook, “Salsas That Cook: Using [6] Classic Salsas to Enliven Our Favorite Dishes.”
Using a variety of her antique and present-day presses, each of us took our turn at making tortillas. We turned them into Quesadillas with Mushrooms and a pungent, aromatic herb called Epazote. After utilizing indigenous ingredients throughout the day, she ended our feast with the most popular, Pineapple Cubes with Puffed Amaranth and Mexican Chocolate. Oh, la la.
Making tortillas.
These were all user-friendly recipes, almost all ingredients are available north of the border, and there’s not a one I can’t replicate in my own kitchen. That, to me, is the true measure of a cooking class well-taught.
DESTINATION: PARIS
Riding the gondola to the top of Aspen’s Ajax Mountain before leaving for Paris.
Two weeks ago I flew back from San Miguel, spent several days with my family in California and then drove back to Aspen. It’s always a joy to be home. Period.
However, there’s still snow in the mountains, the skiing’s spectacular and it’s apparent Winter intends to linger for another month or so. That leaves me just enough time to spend SpringtimeinParis.
Since I leave in two days, there are bags to pack and loose ends to tie! My next post will be from the City of Lights. Someone suggested ‘Paris is generous to the curious.’ For the next six weeks, using Eric Maisel’sA Writer’s Paris as a guide, I hope to spin my curiosity into words.
My Colorado friends Steve & Donna Chase (L) and Amy & Barry Gordon (R) with Armando and Philamone, the donkey. The Gordons live in San Miguel 6 months of the year. Armando and Philamone are their next door neighbors.
DIA de LOS CASCARONES
On a windy Sunday morning during the pre-Lenten festivities, we had brunch at a roof-top restaurant.
This month New Orleans hosted its Mardi Gras and Rio de Janeiro, the world’s largest Carnival celebration. In San Miguel de Allende it’s Dia de Los Cascarones, the day of the cracked egg. While SMA’s crowd can’t rival the one million revelers of their South American neighbor, this city does a smashing job observing the five days leading up to Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent.
While exploring one day, I asked a store clerk for a lunch recommendation. “Go down 2 blocks to a little grocery store,” she said, pointing left. “Climb up to the third floor,” she continued. “They have the best pork belly sandwiches in San Miguel.” The Mom and Pop shop was nondescript with only 4-tables but the pork belly sandwich was the best I’d ever eaten (and, my first)!
A black cat crossing my path has never bothered me. Stepping on a crack breaks no one’s back. If you spill salt, look to avoid any targets before tossing more over your left shoulder. I may not be superstitious but I admit to strongly believing in Luck. So, if someone wants to crack an egg over my head in the name of good fortune, let’s do it.
During the festivities I met Donna for lunch at Nectar, a patio restaurant whose many hummingbird feeders attract our tiny flying friends. This Violet-crowned Hummingbird entertained us throughout lunch.
El Jardin (Plaza Principal) located directly across from the famed La Parroquia (church) is Ground Zero for the gaiety. The Centro Histórico is ablaze in color with mariachi bands staking out their corners. Vendors line the square, selling hand-made puppets, glitzy masks, outsized paper flowers, ice cream, churros and bags of cascarones. Mojigangas, giant costumed puppets from 6 to 18 feet tall, stroll and mingle with the crowd.
On most days I was treated to a lunch created by Cav & Blanca’s talented Senora Trini. Color me Spoiled.
What interested me most during the festivities was the cracked egg scene. Simply put, cascarones are washed chicken eggshells, brightly painted on the exterior, filled with confetti and closed again by small tissue squares glued over the opening. These handmade mini-piñatas are manufactured by local kitchen table entrepreneurs and sold on the streets in bags of 5, 10, 20 and 40. (I went big, buying 40 for 50 pesos.)
Since no one at the El Jardin had cracked an egg over my head, bringing me good fortune and luck in the year ahead, I bought my own stash of 40 eggs. Senora Trini helped me place the eggs strategically in a gorgeous bowl in O’Leary’s dining room.
Every child, teen and even Moms/Dads tote their own personal cache to toss or crush over an unsuspecting head, producing a confetti shower and bringing good luck to the victim. For these 5 days, SMA’s historic cobblestones are a rainbow of colored confetti.
In the spirit of full disclosure, I finally cracked an egg over my own head. Good Fortune reigns. I cracked another open to show you.
EL CHARO del INGENIO jardin botanico
When Donna and I were waiting to begin our nature tour at El Charo, Bob Turner (middle) helped me identify a worm-eating warbler (who knew?). From the small world department… Bob Turner lived in Boulder, Colorado and was the western states’ field director for the National Audubon Society. He assisted Aspen’s renown birder Linda Vidal and other locals in establishing our Roaring Fork Audubon group.
As I mentioned last week, El Charo del Ingenio, located near Casa O’Leary where I am staying, is an outstanding 217-acre botanical garden and nature preserve surrounded by an Ecological Preservation Zone. Besides hiking its many trails, last week Donna and Steve Chase and I took a morning tour to learn about its vast botanical collection of cacti and other Mexican plants many of which are rare, threatened or in danger of extinction due to development.
White-faced Ibis
Canyon Wren
Tropical Kingbird
Donna and I, who are volunteer Rangers in Aspen, enjoyed learning about new plants and birds.
My last night together with the Chases before they returned to Colorado. We had cocktails on the roof of their apartment before doing to dinner.
VALENTINE’S DAY AT CASA O’LEARY
Valentine’s Dinner, Casa O’Leary
Dinner with friends, many who came for San Miguel’s Writers Conference, from Canada, Austria, the USA and Mexico.
I was able to snag Floridian Tim Wheat (R) to be my Valentine. Canadians Tony and Joan Eyton sit nearby. Mr. Eyton, my dinner partner, was the Ambassador to Brazil and served as the Senior International Trade Advisor for the Canadian government. During his long and varied career he was posted throughout the world so our dinner conversation was quite interesting.
Señora Trini made a delicious Valentine chocolate cake for our evening’s dessert.
During the Thanksgiving holiday my friend Meredith explored Patagonia, a meandering territory in the southern tip of South America. This rugged area of spectacular national parks in the Andes mountain range is shared by Chile and Argentina. Forty years ago English author Bruce Chatwin wrote IN PATAGONIA, ‘a masterpiece of travel writing that revolutionized the genre’ and introduced that slice of South America to the world. Game on.
My Anthem Country Club friends and neighbors got together for dinner to welcome me back to Henderson. Laughter and happy memories, that’s for sure.
But, I digress….. As her vacation ended, beginning a lengthy 32-hour trek home, I asked that she check in when safely home in Atlanta. Here’s the text I received: “BUS: Natales to Arenas; PLANES: Arenas-Santiago-Dallas-Atlanta; TRAIN: Marta; WALK: Home. Travel is not for sissies. As you know!”
Our Clara is a math whiz which translates to precision and perfection. It’s a strength that Melissa, Emma and I don’t share. She’s the baker in the family and dished up a Cherry Pie and Pumpkin Cheesecake. Beyond tasty.
Clara bought fresh cherries, pitted them and stored them in the freezer until Thanksgiving. Her filling was delicious but my, oh my, her crust. The best ever. The cheesecake, her first try, was just so good.
When she walked through the door, Meredith later told me, she headed for the freezer to pull out a stash of her Red Beans and Rice, a Louisiana Creole cuisine classic. While it bubbled on the burner, she unpacked, threw a load of dirty laundry in the washer, probably changed into sweats, and voila……breakfast/lunch/dinner poured into one big bowl of comfort food.
To make Celery Root Soup with Horseradish Cream and Bacon Chips, you start at the source.
While my 1200-mile holiday adventures were not as exotic, my hunger pangs tilted toward comfort after spending Thanksgiving in California with my family. This week’s post highlights some easy eats of mine – a grilled cheese sandwich with a side of piping hot soup. Comfort medicine for the soul.
Full stop. Before leaving Colorado I paused to share the road with two young mountain sheep who’d lost their way. Their herd was a mile down the road.
I’m taking it up a notch but still keeping it simple with Everything Spice Grilled Cheese Sandwiches and CooktheBookFridays recipe, Soupe de Céleri-Rave à la Crème de Raifort et Chips de Jambon. Even after months of immersion study at the Institut de Français, that’s an American mouthful. Translated simply, celery soup, unique and darn tasty.
The American West. Beaver, Utah 11/18/17 (Day 1 of my journey. Love this photo. )
ON-the ROAD-AGAIN
This marks the fourth year of my winter hiatus from Aspen. Surprisingly, my sad pangs tugged stronger this year. Although escaping the High Country’s hearty winters is a great option, it wasn’t until Green River, 250 miles out, that I’d again convinced myself of this. Maybe what feels so right and happy just gets harder to leave.
My last lunch with friends before leaving Aspen. Char McLain( L) and Donna Grauer (R). Their husbands were at work in the kitchen!
In the winter, when my life is more gypsy than residential, it’s pretty important that every day be comfort food, figuratively not literally. Silly as it sounds, when traveling alone my world spins better if surrounded by my comfort cache. A bag of tricks? A security blanket in disguise? If stranded on a desert island, I could amuse myself. Here’s what I pack…..
1. Books and Kindle Paperwhite. Current Favorite: Leonardo da Vinci by Walter Isaacson;
2. Four Boxes of Nabisco’s Honey Maid Graham Crackers;
3. Memberships in Hulu, Netflix, CBS Access, MHZ Choice and Acorn.
Current Favorites: Mannon and The Great British Baking Show;
4. Five Jigsaw Puzzles;
5.Lumosity, daily on-line brain games Membership;
6. Computer and iPhone – lifeline to family and friends;
7. 4 Spiral Notebooks, 3 Packages of Pens;
8. Educational Courses: Mythology, Spanish and French;
9. 2 Boxes of Nestle’s Coffee Nips;
10.Yoga Mat and Tapes.
This is the same Pumpkin Spice Bundt Cake with Buttermilk Frosting that I baked for my previous post. By changing up the bundt pan and the frosting decoration, it showed off differently for Thanksgiving. (Recipe in my last post.)
WHAT’S YOUR COMFORT FOOD?
RECIPES
EVERYTHING SPICE GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH
adapted from Tieghan Gerard, halfbakedharvest.com
Serves 2
INGREDIENTS
Although parmesan and cheddar are the cheeses of choice, use whatever hard cheese you have available for the rest of the mixture.
4 slices thickly cut country bread (I prefer sourdough)
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
3/4 combo cup of shredded havarti, fontina cheese and/or gruyere
4 tablespoons salted butter, at room temperature
1/2-3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
DIRECTIONS
1. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add enough butter to coat pan. Cook one sandwich at a time.
2. Spread the outside of each slice of bread with butter and arrange the grated cheeses on one inside slice of each sandwich. Sprinkle the spice over both buttered outsides of the bread, pressing the spice mix gently into the bread to adhere. Sprinkle half the parmesan on top of each sandwich’s outside slice as you grill the sandwich.
3. Place the sandwiches, one at a time, parmesan cheese side up, in the skillet. (When you flip it, sprinkle the remaining parmesan cheese on the top.) Cook until golden on each side, about 4-5 minutes per side.
TIPS: 1. Use any combination of available cheeses in your fridge for your filling mixture.
2. I am making these again but will mix my own bagel spice, eliminating the garlic.
EVERYTHING BAGEL SPICE
INGREDIENTS
3 tablespoons toasted white or black sesame seeds
2 tablespoons poppy seeds
2 teaspoons dried onion
2 teaspoons dried garlic (Optional)
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more if needed
DIRECTIONS Combine everything in a small bowl or glass jar. Keep stored in a cool, dry place. If needed, season to taste with more salt.
CELERY ROOT SOUP with HORSERADISH CREAM and BACON CHIPS, My Paris Kitchen by David Lebovitz
If you’ve never used celery root before, make this soup. Think of it being a neglected vegetable giving goodness. Save some steps by purchasing the horseradish cream and using bacon chips (instead of ham chips). Or simply drizzle with olive or nut oil.
Serves 6
INGREDIENTS
6 tablespoons salted or unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 large leeks, cleaned and chopped
21/2 teaspoons sea salt or kosher salt
11/2 pounds celery root, peeled and cubed
6 cups (750ml) water
1/2 teaspoons white pepper
1 bay leaf
6 sprigs of thyme
minced fresh chives for garnish
DIRECTIONS
1. Place a large stock pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Add the leeks and a big pinch of salt. Saute for 7-10 minutes or until the leeks have started to turn translucent and a bit of color has started to develop on the bottom of the pot. Stir occasionally.
2. Add the cubed celery root to the pot along with the bay leaf, thyme and 6 cups of water. Bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, covered, until the celery root is tender, about 30-40 minutes. (A sharp paring knife should easily pierce a cube.)
3. Pluck out the bay leaf and thyme and let the soup cool to tepid. Add the white pepper. Puree with an immersion blender or remove the pot from the heat and carefully transfer, in small batches, to a regular blender and puree until smooth. Always be careful pureeing hot liquids. If the consistency of the soup is too thick, add water, a little at a time, as needed. Add white pepper or salt, to taste.
4. To serve the soup, reheat the soup and ladle into serving bowls. Add a generous dollop of horseradish cream, available at your local market, and crumble crispy bacon over the top, finishing each bowl with a sprinkling of chives.
OR, drizzle hazelnut, walnut or plain olive oil in the soup for garnish. Finish each bowl with a pinch of fleur de sel, or smoked sea salt.
Let’s start at the beginning. Several months ago, spotting a cost-friendly Norwegian Airlines package to London/Edinburgh on Travelzoo Top 20, I clicked three times and magically owned an October trip across the Pond. For the past 15 years I’ve received Travelzoo’s weekly “amazing” offers and lived the dreams. Obviously I considered it time to play out my fantasies.
The view from my hotel room in London, the Tower Bridge. The historic WWII battleship HMS Belfast is moored on the far side of the bridge.
My reality became an international trip by myself on an airline I’d never flown. Buyer’s remorse? Uhhh, kinda. For me, whether it’s a project, party or voyage, I’m a planner. Realizing this would be the first trip abroad I’d taken alone without Michael or without the destination being the Institut de Francais or meeting a tour group, my motto became Fail to Plan, Plan to Fail. Here’s how it rolled…..
BOSTON
Betsy and I saw the vibrant and colorful Takashi Murakami special exhibition at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts.
Having been in a plane crash, I don’t fly well. I short-circuited a long non-stop flight by stopping in Boston to visit my blogging colleague, Betsy Pollack-Benjamin. During my 30 hour-layover we not only cooked dinner together, but also spent the next day visiting the Lexington Community Farm and the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. I walked in to Flour’s Bakery & Cafe only to be surprised by Tricia Stormer, our French Fridays with Dorie colleague, who drove from Pennsylvania to see me.
NORWEGIAN AIRLINES
Let’s Go…
About Norwegian Airlines. NA’s twin-engine Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner is modern, beautiful and fuel-efficient. Now I like comfort as much as the next gal but riding in economy with 300 of your new best friends didn’t seem a hardship, more of an adventure. Service was spectacular. (Economy does not translate to riff raff on NA.) I had a touch screen that spewed out amenities galore. A cocktail? Screen. Touch. Order. Within 5 minutes a steward was delivering it, with flourish, on a small, white-clothed tray.
LONDON
I dropped by Foyles Book Store and Cafe to see where JK Rowling wrote her first Harry Potter Book.
JK Rowling hung out on the 5th floor of Foyles and wrote her book. I hung out for about an hour and didn’t feel the inspiration.
My London plans revolved around the British Museum and theatre, Harry Potter & the Cursed Child 1 & 2. A home-town bonus was meeting 6 young people from Aspen at a local pub. Gant concierge Wesy Amour-Cook had told me she, Nathan and their friends were also going to London and suggested we meet for a beer. It’s not for nothing that Wesy is a great concierge. After I arrived in London, she located a pub near my Tower Bridge hotel, e-mailed me and at 5:30pm one misty London evening, I walked into the pub’s noisy bedlam only to be greeted by those 6 smiling Colorado faces.
From 610 S. West End Street in Aspen to a pub near London’s Tower Bridge, Wesy and I are having a beer.
The Portland Vase, Rome. 15BC-25AD. I spent several days at the renown British Museum. Founded in 1753, the British Museum was the first national public museum in the world, protecting and displaying treasures which represent the history of our civilization. (We can have the debate about stolen treasures at a later date.)
EDINBURGH
Edinburgh evolved into an unexpected but glorious three days. Prior to leaving Aspen, I contacted Araminta and Charles Ritchie who I only knew virtually. For the past 7 years I occasionally rented their apartment in Sanary-sur-Mer located in southwestern France. I invited them to have dinner with me when I visited Edinburgh. Instead Araminta insisted they pick me up at the airport to stay with them. Hospitality reigns!
As we drove down a long drive-way I catch my first glimpse of The Grange, their home located just outside of Edinburgh. These are Araminta’s miniature Shetland ponies.
Their exquisite historic home, The Grange, is located on the outskirts of Edinburgh. Araminta is a Lady-in-Waiting to the Queen’s daughter, Princess Anne who is recognized and admired for her charitable work to over 200 organizations. Being a modern-day lady-in-waiting, which is defined as a personal assistant attending to a royal woman, is a life-long appointment. Princess Anne, who Araminta calls, The Boss, has 11 Ladies and Araminta is one of two women who live in Scotland. Charles retired five years ago as a Colonel after a lifelong military career, being posted throughout the world. As you might imagine, I was full of questions and loved our conversations/dinner table talk.
Paul, quite the chef, is buttering the pastry just before cooking the pot pie. I think, in this photo, the American in the room had just blurted out, “Puff pastry from scratch? Who does that anymore!”
Mom is obviously in charge of the flour.
Recognizing that we had never actually met each other, Araminta got me settled while Charles popped the champagne cork. (Bubbly is a relaxant, don’t you think?) Paul, their son who was visiting, withdrew to the kitchen to make a delicious venison pot pie with a homemade pastry crust. Salmon to begin dinner, fruit tart to end it.
Venison Pot Pie with a Puff Pastry Lid.
Note the AGA (I had stove envy.)
Now get this, when the Princess is in Edinburgh unofficially, she often stays in the bedroom where I slept. (I know that because I saw her name in their guest book.) The Ritchie’s were amused I loved the idea of that but I suggested it was as close as I would ever get to the Lincoln Bedroom!
How delicious does this look. And, it was. Note the steam.
What a beautiful table.
I was sorry to leave England. This journey, a mission to broaden my horizons and expand my knowledge also enhanced my desire to ‘Be fearless in the pursuit of what sets your soul on fire.’ as Frozen’s film director Jennifer Lee suggests. That’s exactly what I needed to do.
Our last photo before Araminta took me back to Edinburgh: Paul needs to get to work. Araminta has a tennis game in town. And Charles is off to a meeting. The portrait above our heads was commissioned after his retirement and painted by our mutual friend, artist Jean Miller Harding, one of Canada’s premiere portrait painters.
.
PUMPKIN SPICE BUNDT CAKE with BUTTERMILK ICING
To celebrate my safe arrival home, I baked a sublime pumpkin spice bundt cake. This recipe is from a 2005 issue of Gourmet Magazine. Being a loyal subscriber I faintly recall making this recipe. My memory suggests I didn’t realize at the time that canned pumpkin pie filling and canned pumpkin (pumpkin puree) are two different animals! Please dear Readers, canned pumpkin, please.
PUMPKIN SPICE BUNDT CAKE with BUTTERMILK ICING, GOURMET MAGAZINE, 2005 via Epicurious.com
1. Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Butter bundt pan generously, then dust with flour, knocking out excess.
2. Whisk together flour (2 1/4 cups), baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, and salt in a bowl. Whisk together pumpkin, 3/4 cup buttermilk, and vanilla in another bowl.
3. Beat softened butter (1 1/2 sticks) and granulated sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add eggs and beat 1 minute. Reduce speed to low and add flour and pumpkin mixtures alternately in batches, beginning and ending with flour mixture and mixing until batter is just smooth.
4. Spoon batter into pan, smoothing top. Softly band your bundt pan against the counter to eliminate air bubbles. Bake until a wooden pick or skewer inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool cake in pan on a rack 15 minutes, then invert rack over cake and re-invert cake onto rack. Cool 10 minutes more.
5. While cake is cooling, whisk together buttermilk and confectioners sugar until smooth. Drizzle icing over warm cake. Sprinkle chopped nuts over the top, if desired. then cool cake completely. Icing will harden slightly.
TIPS:
1. I spray my bundt pan with Pam’s Baking Made with Flour just before pouring the batter into the pan. This eliminates the spray from pooling at the bottom of the pan. It also allows your batter to “rest” a few minutes.
2. Cake may be made 3 days ahead and kept in an airtight container at room temperature.
3. For a variation to the pure pumpkin taste, add 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts and 1/2 cup of chopped dried cranberries. (Do NOT use Cranraisins.)
As you’re reading this post, I’m throwing last-minute essentials into my suitcase before leaving for a week in London and Edinburgh. Thanks to the low-fare transatlantic carrier Norwegian Air International now with more direct flights to London than any US airline and a British travel agency, I found a vacation package unable to ignore.
Braised Mediterranean Lentils with Roasted Spaghetti Squash
TWO MANTRAS FOR LIVING
Our Emma was chosen by her classmates to be the Junior Princess at her high school’s homecoming in Bishop, California. Escorted by her family onto the field, she was crowned by sister, Clara, now a freshman, during the game’s half-time show. A happy moment for our family.
For the past five years I’ve tried to follow these two wise mantras: 1)What’s not life-threatening is manageable with minimal stress; and, 2)If Not Now, When?
Just before dawn, these healthy, gorgeous bears, Mama and Baby, often arrive to drink at the stream near my condo building. When I need to get in my car, to leave the parking lot, Mama Bear and I are wary and cautious but always good neighbors.
Look carefully and you will see Baby Bear climbing down the tree. I walked out to get into my car and Mama called the baby to come down and be near her.
This Fall two hit-and-run accidents put a large dent into my #1 mantra. Imagine being an innocent 2008 Lexus, already a little worn with mileage fatigue, parked in your owner’s condo space only to be walloped not once but twice on separate occasions. Both culprits drove off leaving no notes. Readers, who does that? Little goes on at The Gant that others don’t see so one fender-bender was reported to our front office. The unpleasantness that followed taxed my ability with that manage with minimal stress thing.
To add more protein to the Lentils and Squash dish, simply add sausage or the meat of your choice.
This year Mantra #2 has been changed up to If Not Now, Now and that’s precisely why I went out on a Norwegian Air wing, sorta last-minute, and booked this trip. Remember when you were a child and did something without asking permission? That’s what making these plans feels like to me.
Renown Chef José Andrés and his World Central Kitchen team have served more than 1 million hot meals to the needy and Responders in Puerto Rico.
Since late September our French Fridays with Dorie and Cook the Book Fridays blogging groups have been donating to Chef José Andrés and his World Central Kitchen network to support their efforts in PR.
London is not unfamiliar to me, Mind the Gap and when curbside, look left, then right, then left, again, but I’ve never been to the British Museum. Being my birthday week, spending three luxurious days visiting a vast collection dedicated to human history, art and culture is a perfect gift. I also picked up theatre tickets for “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Parts One and Two” which, incidentally, begin previews in New York in mid-March. As for Edinburgh, I’m lucky to have good friends who kindly offered to take me under their wing during my visit.
Adriana Angelet, a health administrator in PR and our food blogging groups’ colleague and friend the past 8 years, ran with her team in the Chicago Marathon last week. Adriana blogs at http://greatfood360.com/.
Donating to Chef Andres was a way to honor Adriana, (holding flag, far left). Despite many obstacles her running club managed to get to Chicago for this long-planned event.In her own words, “Flag across chest. Ears attuned to every “Puerto Rico” cry in the crowd. Each “dale Boricua!” placed the heart closer to the finish line. The legs followed it. Most of the time running, sometimes even dancing. Walking too, but never in defeat. There will never be another race like the 2017 Chicago Marathon and that’s alright.”
JUST TRY THIS…..
The chocolate cake mixture is ready for the oven.
While trying to always look forward, I still hug each memory of this gorgeous season in the mountains and joyful days for a grandma with teenage grand daughters. My cup runneth over. Plus, this month’s Cook-the-Book-Fridays recipe, Chocolate Cake with Dulce de Leche & Fleur de Sel, is a stunner. Take a look at Half Baked Harvest, Recipes from my Barn in the Mountains , a new cookbook by Colorado’s own Tieghan Gerard. I made her Braised Mediterranean Lentils with Roasted Spaghetti Squash.
Spaghetti squash is magic. Here’s the squash, cut in half, S/P and ready for roasting.
The magic of turning squash into spaghetti …
Chocolate Cake with Dulce de Leche and Fleur de Sel is basically a molten-center (liquid) chocolate cake. David Lebovitz’s version from his My Paris Kitchen cookbook takes this to a supreme level by adding dulce de leche (a Spanish caramel sauce) and flaky sea salt. He uses 4-ounce ramekins. I added a larger souffle dish, baking it 5-10 more minutes. Rich, for sure but a perfect sweet to complete a meal. Serve small portions, please, with vanilla bean ice cream or crème fraîche. Link to the recipe here.
Half Baked HARVEST Cookbook, Recipes from My Barn in the Mountains by Tieghan Gerard
Half Baked Harvest Cookbook, Recipes from My Barn in the Mountains by Teghan Gerard is my one cookbook purchase this Fall. I subscribe to Gerard’s HalfBakedHarvest blog and look forward to cooking through this book. Braised Mediterranean Lentils with Roasted Spaghetti Squash is my first effort. Very tasty. Unique flavoring. Here’s the recipe link.
Don’t miss seeing the compelling documentary “Wasted! The Story of Food Waste” produced by chef Anthony Bourdain. Voted Best Documentary at Aspen’s Film Festival this month, it was my favorite of all the films. Since in this country we waste 1/3 of all our produced food, 133 billion pounds, it’s a must see for everyone and is now in the theaters nationwide and on video-on-demand. Creatively-made, irreverent and important.
If you wish to DONATE to Chef José Andrés and his World Central Kitchen network, here
Drool-worthy. Potato, Feta and Basil Tortilla by David Lebovitz, Cook-the-Book-Fridays
Did I ever mention my appointment with a Des Moines, Iowa psychologist. In my mid-thirties, I was needing counseling and advice. After talking to me for 30 minutes he remarked that ‘I would hit my head incessantly against the wall to get something done.’
Heck, I smiled broadly, got all puffed up, considering that a compliment. NOT. What he meant, he patiently explained, was that I didn’t know when to ‘give it up.’
Fifty dollars for what I already knew. That fact was not a revelation. For better or worse, flaw or strength, it’s packed into my genotype. I proudly own it. ( Memo to female readers: I also recognize that trait in many of you. Send $50, please.) And at this moment in time, when catastrophe, chaos and disappointment reign, I’m determined, as best one can, to trade in “Normal Doesn’t Live Here Anymore” for “Hello Happy”. Head. Wall. Hit. There’s all kinds of Happy in this week’s post but also Life is Pain.
Make My Day – I met two snowy white Rocky Mountain goats on Crater Lake Trail.
JOY and DISTRESS
JOY – Although our season’s not over with Leaf Peepers soon arriving, we Rangers gathered at the East Maroon Portal for our annual potluck. Since we work various trails, we don’t often see each other. It’s also a once-a-year opportunity to dig into deep-fat fried chicken! Being part of the Forest Conservancy and these mountains we cherish have healed my heart. I love these people.
Our 2017 Forest Conservancy corp can hike and cook. Following our fried chicken potluck , we gathered for a group photo.
Old-timers. Judy Schramm told me we were the veterans, having become Rangers in the 1990s. In 2001, led by Judy’s efforts, the Forest Conservancy was established. Our group has grown and the USFS is quick to say they couldn’t do their job here without us.
DISTRESS – Late last Monday I texted my Atlanta friend, Meredith, to check in. Although Hurricane Irma was reduced to a Tropical Storm, losing her powerful punch, she still visited Georgia with a withering left jab. “House intact. No power. Downed trees,” my friend reported. “Oh, wait, just heard a loud noise. Gotta go.” The loud noise, she later texted was ‘a huge tree which landed 30’ from her house.’ To everyone affected by Irma, sadness.
JOY – Our Farmers Markets are in full glory with Colorado’s bounty coming from nearby North Fork Valley.
Dot MacArthur, also a friend and Forest Ranger, worked last Sunday at the Basalt Farmers Market “Register to Vote” booth. As always when we’re together, we had fun.
DISTRESS – Here in Aspen, my friend Luky woke up yesterday to spot a bear sitting in the cage trap located in her driveway. Luky’s neighborhood is Bear Central this year as these beautiful, wild creatures search for food before hibernating. Luky’s bear had come calling before, on her property and in her house.
Last night I grabbed a pizza and stopped by my friend Ann’s house to break bread (well, pizza and wine). Guess who (thought) he was coming to dinner?
JOY – Every semester I enroll in a course at Colorado Mountain College, a network of eleven college campuses in the state’s High Country. This past summer, Music Appreciation, now this fall, Greek Mythology. Many of us enjoy mixing it up with these smart, young students pursuing 4-year degrees. Our professor and Renaissance man, Dr. Thomas Buesch, is a phenomenal scholar. We kicked off the semester after class with a soup supper Chez Moi.
Following our first CMC Greek Mythology class, we kicked off the semester with supper.
To celebrate the publication of Alice Water’s memoir, “Coming to My Senses: The Making of a Counterculture Cook,” I served Minestrone Soup from her “The Art of Simple Food” cookbook.
DISTRESS – In Rockport, Texas, ground zero for Harvey, my birder buddy Susan Foster and her husband were finally allowed to return home. Their house is intact but their property, totally destroyed, wiped clean, leaving only debris and dirt. “After being cocooned in a house with no damage,” she said, “it’s like a gut punch every time we go out into the city. I just came back from a morning walk and can’t even imagine how long it’s going to take to get back to normal.”
Mise en Place, gathering all your ingredients together, makes assembling a recipe easier.
JOY – It’s COOK-the-BOOK-FRIDAYS and David Lebovitz’s Tortilla de Pommes de Terre a La Feta et au Basilic is JOY, itself. Breakfast, brunch, lunch, snack or dinner. Work with it.
POTATO, FETA and BASIL TORTILLA by David Lebovitz, My Paris Kitchen
Serves 6-8
INGREDIENTS:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch cubes (I used Idaho)
1 1/4 teaspoons sea salt or kosher salt
6 scallions, white and tender green parts, thinly sliced
9 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon sweet or smoked paprika
4 cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped
1 cup very coarsely crumbled feta cheese
DIRECTIONS:
1. Heat the oil in a 10-inch cast-iron or nonstick skillet over medium heat. (Make sure the pan has an over-proof handle.)
2. Add the potato cubes and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until the potatoes are tender and cooked through, 15-18 minutes.
3. A few minutes before the potatoes are done, add the scallions and cook until they’re wilted.
4. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees or, if using a nonstick skillet, the highest temperature recommended for your particular pan, which is usually 375 degrees.
5. Mix the eggs in a bowl with 1/4 teaspoon salt and your spice of choice (I used smoked paprika). Stir the basil into the eggs and pour the mixture over the potatoes in the skillet.
6. Crumble the feta, not too finely over the potatoes and press the pieces down gently with a spoon. Cook the tortilla until the bottom is golden brown and well set, rotating the pan from time to time (like you do an omelette) as it cooks. Don’t check it too soon or you will break the crust.
7. When the crust is browned, slide the skillet into the oven and let it cook until the eggs are set, about 5 – 8 minutes.
When it’s cooked on top of the stove enough to form a fragile brown crust around its edges, slide into the oven for the final bake off.
8. Remove the skillet from the oven. Set a baking sheet or serving plate on top of the skillet then flip both the baking sheet and the skillet simultaneously, releasing the tortilla from the skillet.
9. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature with greens and a glass of wine.
10. You can store your tortilla in the fridge for up to 2 days.
[OPTIONAL] For a more hearty tortilla, add 1 cup cubed Spanish chorizo or another cooked spiced sausage.
