Those Chorizo Meatballs from the other night and sausage, peppers and onions from a meal that will appear later this week. The dough was Jim Lahey’s recipe, of course. Baked at 450 degrees in the convection oven for 25 minutes. “Delicious!”
When I was working on my Year In Review post and I saw this recipe I knew that I had to make it very soon. Well tonight was as soon as I could make it. The chicken was on sale for $1.99 a pound! I love the flavors of this dish. The toasted bread, the roasted tomatoes, the olives, the perfectly baked chicken and then the pancetta. You have to try this recipe. Trust me on this.
Jamie Oliver’s Chicken Bake-
Ingredients-
Small ciabatta loaf
8 chicken thighs or drumsticks (I used a whole chicken cut into parts)
2 handfuls of cherry tomatoes
Bunch of basil, leaves picked1 garlic bulb, broken into cloves, skin on
Handful of black olives, stoned
Olive oil
1 dried red chili
8 slices of pancetta, or thin-sliced smoked streaky bacon
Method-
1. Preheat the oven to 350˚. Get a deep roasting tray big enough to fit all the chicken in one layer. Rip the ciabatta into medium-sized chunks and place in the tray with the chicken, tomatoes, basil, garlic cloves and olives. Add a generous drizzle of olive oil, a pinch of salt and pepper and the chili. Toss to mix up well, then reposition the chicken on top. Bake in the oven, turning the chicken after 30 minutes.
2. After another 30 minutes, drape the pancetta or bacon on top of the chicken and return to the oven for 15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked and falling off the bone.
For Christmas I received Cooking Like A Master Chef by Graham Elliot. As I flipped through the book the first recipe that jumped out at me was Chorizo Meatballs. The recipe included a Spicy Tomato Sauce but I knew what sauce I wanted to use, Marcella Hazan’s Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter.
I had some pasta that I had ordered from Borgatti’s in the Bronx. Spaghetti alla Chitarra. It was the prefect pasta for the sauce and the meatballs.
I did make a couple of adjustments to the meatball recipe. The original recipe called for chives. I did not have any. It called for 2 Chorizo Sauasages. One was plenty. It called for 2 eggs. I went with one and the meatball mix was prefect to handle. The recipe also called for sumac and cayenne pepper. Didn’t add it. And it called for lemon zest. Last year Chris got me another cookbook that called for lemon in their meatball recipe. I added it and we did not like it. So I left out the too.
My version of Chorizo Meatballs–
Ingredients-
3 tbsp. olive oil, divided
1 small onion, diced
8 oz. ground pork shoulder
8 oz. lean ground beef
1 Spanish chorizo sausages, casings removed, sausage meat minced
1 eggs
2 oz. Parmesan cheese, grated (about 1/2 c.)
1/2 c. dried breadcrumbs
1/4 c. red wine
1 tbsp. chopped flat-leaf parsley
Salt
Method-
Ginger Orange Scones from Local Kitchen Blog–
In a large bowl, combine flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg; whisk for approximately 1 minute until well blended. Transfer flour mixture to the bowl of a food processor. Add butter cubes and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
Mix orange zest and chopped ginger into flour mixture.
Gradually add the liquid, tossing with a fork until moist clumps form. Stop adding liquid when it seems the dough will stay together; if the dough is too sticky, the scones will lose their shape upon cooking. If the dough seems crumbly and will not hold a shape, add more liquid 1 tbsp at a time.
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead briefly to bind the dough; about 4 turns should be enough. Cut the dough in half, and form each portion into a 1- to 2-inch thick round. Cut the round into 8 triangular pieces with a sharp knife or pastry cutter. Transfer wedges to a parchment or silicone mat-lined baking sheet, spacing approximately 2 inches apart. Repeat the process with the other half of the dough.
Using a pastry brush, glaze the tops of each wedge with the extra milk. Sprinkle a small amount of turbinado sugar on top for added crunch.
Bake for 10 minutes (8 minutes convection), then turn pans in oven 180 degrees. Continue to bake for 10-15 minutes (7-12 minutes convection), until the tops of the scones are golden brown and they feel somewhat firm to the touch.
Transfer to wire racks to cool. Let cool 5 minutes before serving.
Tonight we had Steak au Poivre with Brandied Cream Sauce. Lots of stuff was cooking at one time. Thank God for the glass of Proseco! I just sipped away and kept all the pans simmering. The meat was medium rare. Perfect for me but I have to get my timing right because Chris likes the meat a bit more medium. I am still playing the new stove card. I will get the timing worked out soon… Maybe by next New Years Eve!
From The Complete Cooking For Two Cookbook, Steak au Poivre with Brandied Cream Sauce-
Ingredients–
2 Boneless Strip Steaks, 3/4 inch thick
Salt and Pepper
4 tsp peppercorns, cracked
5 tbsp vegetable oil
1 shallot, minced
1 tsp all-purpose flour
3/4 cup chicken broth
3 tbsp brandy
2 tbsp heavy cream
2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
Method-
1. Dry off steaks and season with salt on both sides. Rub cracked peppercorns evenly 1 side of each steak, and suing your fingers, press peppercorns into steaks to make them adhere.
Heat 1 tbsp oil until just barely smoking. Add steaks to the pan and sear 3-5 minutes on each side. Flip steaks and reduce heat to medium, until meat registers 120-125 degrees for medium-rare. 1 to 4 minutes. Remove steaks to a dish and tent w/foil. Pour off the fat and stray peppercorns.
2. Heat remaining oil over medium heat. Add the shallots to the pan. Saute until tender and then add the flour and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in 2 tbsp. brandy and the broth into the pan, scraping up all the brown bits. Simmer until reduced and slightly thickened, about 6 to 8 minutes. Add the cream and simmer for 30 seconds. Remove from heat and whisk in remaining 1 tbsp brandy, lemon juice and mustard. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon over each steak.
And our wine selection –
Well this has been an interesting year. I have picked out my favorite posts from each month. I hope you enjoy the trip down memory lane as much as I did.
January-
The Book Club. This was my first time hosting and the book lent it self to a Tuscan meal. I even got help from my nephew with the wine selection. It was really a simple meal to prepare. And the conversation and the company made for a wonderful evening.
February-
So You Say It’s Your Birthday. I love the Jamie Oliver One Tray Bake. It reminds me of something my mom would make. One tray = EASY clean up. On this occasion I added potatoes and carrots to mimic what my mom use to put on the table. The flavors are over the top. As I am typing this I am thinking of making this very soon….
March-
A Week of No Cooking, Well Almost. Yes that is a week I will not soon forget. One of the things I did make that week, aside from a few dozen cookies, was Pappa al Pomodoro, Tomato and Bread Soup, adapted from Lidia’s Favorite Recipes. Any recipe that calls for bread is a winner to me!
April-
Chicken Cutlets and Roasted Green Beans. Yep that is when I made the Chicken Cutlet recipe from Frank Pinello and his Nonna for the first time. I guess I will make my mom’s recipe again but damn these are just so good!
May-
Black Bean Soup. Maybe it is because it is getting cold out but this was a good recipe to remake. I just wish I had noted where I found the recipe!
June-
The Book Club, Delicious. I love my book club. It is my favorite Friday night of the month. The meeting was the last one until September. But we did get together in the summer for that fantastic trip to Arthur Avenue! For this particular meet up we had read Ruth Reichl’s book, Delicious. In the book was a recipe for a Gingerbread Cake. Sure I offered to make it. It was a challenge as it used spices that I never go near. But heck it was darn good!
And the other thing from that night that stood out for me were the Stuffed Grape Leaves. Wow! If I had know about this recipe while my Dad was still alive Kate could have all the grape leaves she ever needed.
July-
Pappardelle with Broccoli Rabe Sausage in Tomato, Butter and Onion Sauce. There are so many wonderful parts this dinner. The pasta and the sausage were from that fantastic Book Club Road Trip to Arthur Avenue. The sauce was the Marcella Hazan recipe, perfect. And I submitted this post to the Borgatti’s Facebook page contest for best recipe using their pasta and I won a 25% off my next purchase. Yes everyone got pasta for Christmas this year.
August-
Polpette di Pane. This dinner was delicious and the ingredients were so simple. This is a dinner I know my Dad would have loved.
September-
Handmade Pasta with Pancetta, Cherry Tomatoes and Herbs. Why this recipe out of all the others from September? I made a video of me making the pasta! And they were so good!
October-
Fagiolata. Anytime I can make beans and Chris likes the dinner it is a winner!
November-
Happy Thanksgiving. What can I say but it was a delicious dinner. Family, wine and pie.
December-
Christmas Eve. Yes another delicious dinner at my sister’s house. The sauce, the stuffed squid, the seafood polpettes and the fried eel and smelts. I think about the meal and smile.
What will 2016 have in store. We are starting off with the new stove and the crock pot and lots of new recipes to try. And of course a lot of old favorites to revisit! Tutti a tavola a mangiare!
Since I have been making Chicken Cutlets using the recipe from Frank Pinello and his Nonna I have not made my Mom’s recipe. My sister, Lenore, still makes my Mom’s recipe, thank goodness! They are so good. We had dinner at Lenore and Ralph’s house. We got to see my nephew, his wife and their 3 children. And my niece from Florida was also there. To me the best part of the holiday season is seeing family. So grateful to have spend time with all of them.
Who is Irving Naxon? He invented the Crock Pot. Tonight was our first Crock Pot Dinner.
The hardest part was cutting up all the ingredients. I put everything in the Crock Pot and stepped away. I did leave the house to run to the library to return some books and pick up a couple of Crock Pot Recipe books!
I asked Chris to pick tonight’s dinner from the recipes that came with the Crock Pot. He suggested Beef Bourguignon. Nice!
The house smelled so good. And there is enough for one if not 2 more meals. Yes I am happy.
Beef Bourguignon, serves 6-8
Ingredients-
Method-
We used the leftover Polenta Parmesan Gratin as a side. The potatoes were Perfect! The meat was amazing! I Love My Crock Pot!
We seem to have a bit of polenta leftover. So I made some Polenta Croutons. Nice addition!
The dressing was a revision of Lidia’s Caesar Salad dressing.
Caesar Salad Dressing-
Using an Immersion Blender mix 2 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar, 2 Tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice an 1/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Add one Hard Boiled Egg Yolk, 1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard, 1/2 Tsp. Worcestershire Sauce and Salt and Pepper to taste. Blend until smooth.
Toss with the cleaned and chopped lettuce, I used a mixture of Romaine and Red Leaf. Toss the dressed salad with 1/2 cup Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.
At this point I added some diced Fresh Mozzarella and sliced meat. We served the Polenta Croutons on the side.
So What Are You Making For Dinner? 