agra-dolce

The idea of agra-dolce is essentially to try to achieve a balance between contrasting tastes-salty (or savory) and sweet. Where each ingredient will both compliment but also pull against the other as well, to create a harmony of flavors that both satisfy and excite the palate.

In my kitchen the principle of agra-dolce has its base in chutney’s, relishes and spicy-sweet tomato jam. Using ingredients such as maple syrup, honey or molasses and then contrasting it with soy sauce, vinegar, chile, or citrus is the perfect way to achieve this idea.

The recipe below is a perfect “in season” chutney. The base uses apricots which are at their peak right now. These golden orange fruits with velvety skin and flesh are smooth and sweet with an almost musky flavor, with a faint tartness that lies somewhere between a peach and a plum. The addition of sweet plump raisins, golden syrup and cider vinegar help to create that opposing flavor balance of agra-dolce.

This chutney would be a lovely accompaniment to a roast chicken or any pilaf made with aromatic rice such as basmati. It would also be a welcome addition on a cheese board, either with a creamy goat cheese or even a nutty Manchego.

Enjoy!
Shannon


Apricot-Raisin Chutney
Adapted from Living Magazine, June 2005

2 Tbsp. olive oil
½ small onion, finely chopped (about ½ cup)
1 pound apricots, pitted and roughly chopped
½ cup sugar
½ cup good quality honey or golden syrup
½ cup golden raisins
¼ cup apple cider vinegar

Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat until hot but not smoking. Add onion; cook, stirring frequently, until soft and translucent, about 4 minutes.

Transfer onion to a large saucepan. Add apricots, sugar, honey, raisins and vinegar. Cook over medium heat, stirring until thickened, about 25 minutes.

Pour chutney into a large bowl. Let cool completely. Serve at room temperature. Chutney can be refrigerated in an airtight container, up to 1 week.

makes 2 cups

a guilty pleasure

In as much as I consider myself a pretty serious foodie, I have to admit that when my hubby offers to take me out for dinner what inevitably sounds the best is a killer blue cheese burger with some seriously skinny fries (not skinny in the low-fat sense just to clarify). And while that combo is hard to beat, for me it’s all about the fries. Yes the fries. I have made it a personal mission to locate the best places for these slim, salty jumbles of crunchy finger lickin’ good potatoes in Orange County.

On a recent outing to a favorite local dining spot, the hubby and I were working our way through a plate of these little lovelies. He looks over at me and says “I bet you could make these.”

Hmmm.

So after a little experimenting, I think I came up with a pretty darn good recipe. So good in fact, that after making up a batch, we ate almost the whole pile before the rest of dinner was plated. The trick for these is in the double frying. Fry the potatoes once to sort of get them going, take them out to drain. Raise the temperature and fry again. This insures that they come out perfectly crisp and cooked all the way through. Although a sprinkling of salt and pepper is perfectly fine for serving, I decided to make a Meyer Lemon Gremolata to serve on top. The fresh parsley, garlic and lemon zest mixed with the warm fries looks, smells and tastes great.

They were wicked good!

Enjoy!
Shannon

Wicked Good Fries with Meyer Lemon Gremolata
should serve 4 if your lucky

4 Russet Idaho Potatoes
Peanut oil for frying
salt & pepper

Meyer Lemon Gremolata

3 Tbsp. chopped parsley
3 Meyer lemons, zested
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

To make the Gremolata, mix together the chopped parsley, grated Meyer Lemon zest and the finely chopped garlic cloves. Set aside until ready to serve.

Attach a candy thermometer to the side of large heavy deep pot (do not let tip touch bottom). Add enough peanut oil to pot to reach depth of 3 inches. Heat oil over medium heat to 300°F.

While the oil is coming up to temperature, peel the potatoes and cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices, then cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-wide strips. Toss into a large bowl with very cold water until ready to fry. When oil is up to temperature, take the potato strips out of the water and place on 2 large baking sheets lined with paper towels, pat dry with additional paper towels.

Working in batches, add potatoes to oil and cook until potatoes are just tender, stirring occasionally and maintaining heat at 300°F, about 3 minutes per batch. Transfer potatoes to 1 prepared baking sheet to drain. Heat same oil until temperature reaches 360°F to 365°F. Working in batches, add same fries to oil and cook until golden brown, maintaining temperature between 360°F and 365°F, about 2 minutes per batch. Transfer to second prepared baking sheet to drain. Transfer french fries to serving dish; sprinkle with salt and pepper and then top off with the Gremolata.

work cited

I have never been to a formal culinary school, my “school” has been over the years watching chefs/cooks such as Julia Child, The Frugal Gourmet, even Martha Stewart. I have attempted Martha’s Gingerbread house (multiple times). Although, admittedly they never looked quite as good as hers, I consoled myself in the fact that maybe they were “photoshopped” though they probably were not.

I would rather sit down and read a cookbook than a novel. My teachers have been James Beard, Alice Waters, Nancy Silverton, and Jamie Oliver just to name a few.

I have made many a mistake in my cooking efforts and have been known to get distracted, burn something and then end up getting Chinese take-out instead. It has been a work in progress, but one that I thoroughly enjoy.

In starting this blog, I’ve tried to give credit where credit is due on the recipes given and whether they were taken straight from the originator or slightly adapted. I know there are those chefs out there that like to keep some of their dishes a secret, and that’s fine I guess. But seriously it’s only food and what good is it if we don’t share it.

With that said, the following recipe is mine. But don’t give me too much credit, it came from trying other things like it and then just adding this or that or taking something out I didn’t care for in the dish. This is the type of recipe that you could throw most anything leftover from dinner the night before and it would turn out great.

So without further adieu…here is my version of a Savory Bread Pudding.

Enjoy!
Shannon

Savory Bread Pudding

1 day old French baguette, cut into 1-2 inch cubes
6 large eggs
2 cups ½ & ½ (or milk)
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
a dash of some freshly grated nutmeg
salt & pepper
½ lb. pancetta (have deli cut one large hunk)
2 shallots, sliced thinly
12 oz. asparagus, cut into 2 inch lengths
1 delicata or butternut squash cut into 1-2 inch dice
3 cups cheese grated such as smoked gruyere, Manchego, sharp white cheddar (or whatever you may have left in your fridge)
Olive oil

Heat oven to 375°.
Mix eggs, ½ & ½ (or milk), Dijon mustard, nutmeg and salt & pepper in a large bowl. Toss in bread cubes, let set while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Toss separately the asparagus and squash in olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Put asparagus and squash on separate sheet pans. Put in the oven and roast the vegetables until tender. The asparagus if thin won’t take very long, so watch it closely about 6-8 min. The squash will take about 25-30 min. until tender.

While the vegetables are roasting, chop the pancetta into ½ inch dice, put into a preheated sauté pan and let cook over medium heat until fat is rendered and they begin to crisp up, about 10 min. At that time you can add the shallots and cook together until the shallots begin to caramelize. Take off the heat.

Once the vegetables are finished roasting, let cool a bit and then add them to the bread mixture along with the pancetta and shallots. Toss in the grated cheese.

The pudding can then be placed in either a large casserole dish, or 4 individual 2 cup oven safe serving bowls or ramekins.

Bake for 30-40 minutes until the top turns a lovely golden color.
This is a nice side dish with a simple roasted chicken and some fresh lettuces dressed in a light vinaigrette.

Serves 4

dinner

I have never enjoyed shopping for my dinner more than in the last few weeks. The air is crisp…at least in the morning, and the farmer’s market stalls are groaning with root vegetables, cabbages, beets and potatoes. Apples are in abundance and are so juicy; the pears are still a little hard and would probably hurt your gums. I am still finding quince and even some sweet plump figs in small baskets tucked here and there. I also spotted some chestnuts that were quite large and firm, just ready for roasting. But what caught my eye are the squashes; the tiny crinkle-edged patty pans, the striped delicata, long-necked butternuts and others as fat and round as a football. I tend to prefer moderately sized fruit, squashes whose skins a thin enough to cut without resorting to an axe and small enough to bake within an hour. I usually make a soup of some kind or purée for a later use or simply roast them with butter and thyme.

A roast pumpkin is a side order rather than a main dish, though it would be lovely with brown rice and a thick tomato sauce, or incorporated into a savory bread pudding, even some caramelized sausages alongside would be a welcome combination for a cold night.

Enjoy!

Shannon

Roast squash with thyme

4 small to medium squash

2 Tbsp. butter

A glug of olive oil

Fresh thyme

Set the oven to 350°. Cut the squashes in half and scoop out the pulp and seeds from the center. Lay the squashes cut-side up on a baking sheet. Cut the butter into thin slices and put a slice in the center of each squash, together with a little olive oil, a good pinch of thyme leaves, a sprinkling of salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper.

Roast for an hour, checking them occasionally to see how they are doing. You want them to be sweet smelling and the flesh to be totally tender when you pierce it with a knife.

Serves 4

al dente

al dente isn't probably the first word you would use as a descriptor for zucchini, but for this vegetable side dish it is the best one.

We need to give a shout out to Jamie Oliver for this innovative approach.

This recipe is incredibly simple. With nothing more than a few zucchini, a vegetable peeler, a squeeze of lemon juice and a glug of olive oil you can enjoy this crunchy side dish too.

Raw yet delicate. Zippy with a kick!

And yes, there is yet another use for zucchini!

Enjoy!

Shannon


Zucchini Ribbon Salad
adapted from Jamie Oliver

4 zucchini, (i used 2 green zucchini and 2 yellow crookneck squash)
juice of half a lemon, or a whole if it's stingy
a glug or two just to moisten
salt and pepper

Wash zucchini and trim the ends if needed. Then with a vegetable peeler take the outer section of each squash making thin ribbons, I stop once I get down to the core. Then squeeze on the lemon juice, a glug of olive oil and salt and pepper. You can serve immediately or let set for up to an hour. If you have any leftover it is a great addition to some freshly cooked linguine and Parmesan.

Serves 4

courgette's

There are some words I love to say, and look for opportunities to squeeze in whenever I can. One of which is...courgette [Koor-zhet]. Basically it is a zucchini, but how fun instead to say courgette adding a little French accent (even though I don't speak French, I pretend when I get the chance). But who cares, I love the way it sounds.

Technically, for sake of this post we are only using the blossoms of the zucchini (courgette) and not the courgette itself.

A few days ago I was part of a conversation in which courgette (zucchini) blossoms came up in the discussion (surprisingly I did not bring them up, but yes did participate). One person asked "What do they taste like?" Another chimed in "Why on earth would you want to eat those?" Still another, "Those are way too much work".

Well, to answer the question about what they taste like I guess you could say that they're mild and squashy, with a texture that's soft and delicate when raw or steamed, crisp and toothsome when fried. As good as a fried courgette blossom is, it's even better if you stuff it with some kind of soft white cheese - ricotta, goat or mozzarella. When the blossom, lovingly twisted shut, hits the hot oil, several magical things happen at once. The cheese begins to soften, picking up the flavors of whatever herbs you've added as it warms. The outside of the flower rapidly crisps, like a fine layer of pastry.

No question, courgette blossoms are an ingenious and elegant packaging material - tastier than a wonton wrapper, prettier than parchment, and way less work than phyllo. And they fry up into crumbly golden shells. Also, they're produced in crazy, profligate profusion. So if nothing else, plucking those blossoms during their brief summer window is a highly effective form of zucchini birth control.

As to the comment of too much work...well, I guess the only thing I can say is that anything worthwhile takes a little effort. And frankly these little beauties don't require that much work, just some basic prep.

The recipe below is in my opinion definitely worth trying. It has been adapted from a Wolfgang Puck recipe. The tempura batter is totally his, which I think is brilliant; very light and crispy. The filling I have modified a bit from his original recipe.

I hope you might try these. Even if you choose not to fill them, just fry them up using the tempura batter, and when they are just out of the fryer toss on a little sea salt, they are delicious.

Enjoy!


Shannon



Tempura Fried Squash Blossoms with Tomato Sauce

Tempura Batter:
1/4 cup rice flour
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 Tbsp. salt
1 tsp. cayenne
3 cups soda water

Filling:
4 oz. mild goat cheese, softened
4 oz. ricotta
5 sprigs thyme, leaves removed and chopped
2 Tbsp. chopped chervil
2 Tbsp. chopped chives
1 Tbsp. chopped tarragon
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1-2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
16 squash blossoms
Tomato Sauce, recipe follows
Fried Basil Leaves, recipe follows

Directions

Tempura Batter:
Sift together all of the dry ingredients. Whisk in the soda water, a little at a time, until the right consistency is achieved. The batter should coat the back of a spoon, but some excess batter should run off the spoon. Allow to rest in the refrigerator at least 1 hour before use.

Filling:
Combine all of the ingredients and mix well. Shape the mixture into 1 tablespoon balls. Or alternatively put mixture into a pastry bag with a large tip and pipe into blossoms that way. Make sure blossoms are well cleaned, I take out the stamens as well. Open the flowers and insert the cheese mixture in each flower. Gently press the filling into the base of the flower. Cover with the petals and pinch the top to seal. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat a fryer or a deep pot halfway filled with peanut oil to 375°.
Hold the squash blossoms by the stem. Dip each into the tempura batter, making sure to coat completely. Let any excess batter drip off. Place the blossom in the oil and fry until golden brown, about 1 to 2 minutes, turning often to brown evenly. Remove to a paper towel lined plate.

Place some of the Tomato Sauce on the bottom of a plate. Top with squash blossoms and garnish with fried basil leaves.

Tomato Sauce:
3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, plus 2 Tbsp.
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 Tbsp. chopped garlic
Pinch chili flakes
2 cups peeled, seeded, and diced tomatoes
Salt and Pepper
1 tsp. sugar
4 thyme sprigs, leaves removed and chopped
4 basil leaves, chiffonade

Heat a large saute pan over medium heat. When the pan is hot, add 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and heat. Add onion, garlic, and chili flakes and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Add the sugar and stir to combine. Lower the heat and cook until the tomatoes start to disintegrate and mixture is of sauce consistency, about 15 minutes. Add the thyme, basil, and remaining olive oil and mix well. At this point I sometimes put the sauce in my food processor and give it a few good pulses to puree it for a smoother consistency. If you have any leftover sauce it's great on pasta!

Fried Basil Leaves:
Vegetable oil or peanut oil
8 basil leaves

Heat about 1/2-inch of the oil in a steep-sided saute pan to 350°. Or heat a deep fryer to 350°. Pat the basil leaves dry to remove any surface water. Carefully drop the basil leaves in the hot oil. The oil will spit and splatter as the moisture in the leaves fries. Fry for 10 seconds or just until the leaves start to become translucent. Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel lined plate.

ode to the cauliflower

The quest continues on finding new ways (or variations of old ones) for elevating to culinary greatness those precious veggies that I receive from my local organic farm.

I believe I have found a winner. This is based on some research done on some unsuspecting friends we had over for dinner the other night. I am not sure they knew what they were in for. Although I did warn them that they would be guinea pigs for some recipe testing I was doing. They seemed up for the adventure. Until, they spotted the cauliflower. That white bulbous thing that most of us have had only steamed until it was mush and then doused in some processed cheese sauce. Frankly, I would run too! But I reassured them to hang in there. And after the drinks were refreshed, appetizers were served, I continued on with the dinner preparations.

Well, it was time, the moment of truth. We sat down. Gave thanks (I said a little prayer for the cauliflower) and the platters were passed. Slowly the comments started. By the time the cauliflower went around a second time I was getting questions "What is in this sauce?" and "How did you cook this?" I was more than happy to go into every last detail on the process.

So there you have it, the cauliflower was a hit. So much so, that my guests who were proclaimed cauliflower "unbelievers" have now been converted. But I can't take all the credit. I will give that to the salsa verde that accompanied the lovely caramelized slices of cauliflower and perhaps the little prayer.

Salsa Verde, the classic green sauce of Italy, is traditionally made of olive oil and chopped parsley flavored with lemon zest, garlic and capers. It adds a lively freshness to almost any dish. Flat-leaved Italian parsley is my preference, but curly parsley is good too. Fresh parsley is the star of the show, but almost any other fresh, tender herb can enhance salsa verde: tarragon, chervil, cilantro, and chives are good choices.

Zest, is the thin outer layer of the lemon's skin (or lime, orange): avoid grating any of the bitter white part called "pith" beneath. The zest brightens the flavor of the sauce, so don't be shy with it. My tool of preference for zesting is a microplane.

For a little variation try adding a little chopped salt-packed anchovy fillet, or chopped shallot, or finely chopped jalapeno for some extra zip.

Don't hesitate to experiment. I make salsa verde more or less thick depending on what I am using it for. I tend to use less oil when it's for roasted meats, and grilled/roasted vegetables and more for fish.

This recipe is an adaptation from the "classic" Italian salsa verde. But the amounts used here translate to any combination. Be creative!

Enjoy!

Shannon

Caramelized Cauliflower with Salsa Verde

1 jalapeno, ribs and seeds removed, finely chopped

1/3 cup finely chopped cilantro leaves

2 small or 1 large garlic clove, minced with a pinch of salt

zest of 1 lime

3 Tbsp. lime juice

4 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

salt & pepper to taste

for the cauliflower

1 medium cauliflower (2 to 2 1/2 pounds)

salt & pepper to taste

extra virgin olive oil

Preheat the oven to 450 F.

First, prepare the salsa verde. In a medium bowl, combine the jalapeno, cilantro, garlic, lime zest, lime juice, and olive oil. Whisk to combine. Add a pinch of salt and pepper, whisk and taste for seasoning. Set aside at room temperature for at least 30 minutes or up to an hour to let the sauce develop in flavor.

Wash and dry the cauliflower. Put on a cutting board stem side down, and slice vertically into 1/4 inch slices, starting from the top going through to the core. You will probably only get 4 or 5 slices that remain in tact. The rest will be broken up, but not to worry.

On a heavy, large, rimmed cookie sheet carefully place the slices of cauliflower. Brush olive oil on both sides of the cauliflower and season with salt and pepper. The smaller pieces can be tossed in a bowl with some of the olive oil and then seasoned with salt and pepper. Place the smaller pieces on the cookie sheet with the slices of cauliflower. Be sure not to crowd or it will steam rather than roast.

Bake until the cauliflower is tender, golden, and deeply browned in spots, 20 to 30 minutes, turning once with a spatula.

Serve hot or warm, with the salsa verde on the side for drizzling.

Yield: 4 side-dish servings or 2 larger servings