old skool italian phase

Sunday night for dinner, Eric requested an old skool Italian pasta sauce. Having not yet on my own arrived at a recipe I felt met his request, I scanned the binders of my cooking magazines and found and old Fine Cooking from November 200 with "Italian Ragus". It turned out so delicious, I made it again the next night and used it for Lasagna. This morning looking at my belly proves that eating beef ragu chiantigiana two nights in a row takes some practice.

This is the original recipe from the magazine with my notes indicating deviation

4 lb packaged ground chuck
(I used one pound of the Niman Ranch grass fed ground beef)
2 to 3 TBL Olive Oil
1tsp. salt
Fresh Ground Pepper
1 large carrot finely chopped
2 ribs celery finely chopped
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
1 Tbl. minced garlic
(Even though i was using 1/4 of the suggested meat, i used the same amount of celery and carrot, 1/2 an onion and only a clove of garlic).
2 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary
2 Tbs chopped fresh sage
2 tsp. dried majoram
(The first night I made the sauce, I did not have fresh sage. It still turned out great.)
2 cups Chianti or other light dry red wine
(I used a shy one cup)
2 cups canned pureed tomatoes
(I used one can those whole Muir Fire Roasted ones and chopped them up)
2 cups low salt beef stock
(I used one cup)

Unsalted butter
Wide Pasta
Parmesan

1. Tear the ground beef into one inch pieces.

2. Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy based pot. When oil is hot, add just enough beef to cover one layer. Season with salt and pepper and brown, stirring occasionally. (About 5 minutes). Transfer to a bowl and finish cooking the rest of the meat.

3. In same pot, saute the carrots, onion and celery until soft and lightly browned. (About 10 minutes)

4. Return the seared meat to the pot. Add the garlic and herbs and saute briefly until fragrant. Add 1.75 cups of the wine and stir scraping the bottom to loosen any brown bits. Let wine reduce till it's almost gone. (About 8 minutes).

5. Reduce heat to low, add the tomato puree and simmer the ragu uncovered for about 1.5 to 2 hours. As it cooks, juices will evaporate, add 1/3 cup of beef stock periodically letting it reduce after each addition.

6. After the long simmer, the flavors have melded, taste and tweak to your liking. (I added salt and pepper). Just before serving, whisk 1/2 Tbl of butter oer serving into the sauce, toss with pasta, sprinkle on Parmesan.

Lulu's 5th Birthday Party Menu

Menu totally inspired by the beautiful collective community of Lulu's and Farmer and the Cook and the amazing vegetables that Steve grows.

Kale Bruschetta
Rosemary Potato Onion Frittata with Salsa Verde (see post on 2/16/07)
Roasted Red and Golden Beets with Feta, Kalamata Olives and Arugula
Cheeses and Crackers

Venetian Golden Sea Bass
Oven Baked Polenta
Slow Roasted Leeks (see post on 2/16/07)
Beet Greens Stuffed with Root Vegetables with Tahini Sauce

Roasted Asparagus with Lemon, Toasted Almonds and Parmesan
Endive, Fennel, Blood Orange and Avocado Salad

Almond Cake with Strawberries and Guava by Olivia

Recipes Below. Some posted earlier, see dates.

Kale Bruschetta

1. Thinly slice that beautiful dark kale from Farmer and the Cook and Wash.
2. Mince up some garlic
3. Heat too much olive oil and when hot, throw in Kale and stir, adding garlic a few minutes later. Fry until the kale feels sort of dry, about 15 minutes. Add enough water to almost cover and cook partially covered for about 30 minutes until soft. Add salt and pepper to taste.

4. Meanwhile, slice some country style wheat bread into shy 1/3 inch slices.
5. When ready to assemble, use broiler to toast one side of bread, flip over, brush with olive oil and toast other. Rub with sliced garlic, spread green mixture on top and cover with shaved Romano.

Note: The next day I toasted some bread with left over Romano cheese and left over sliced almonds. Then i put the greens on top. This was also yummy.

Roasted Golden and Red Beets with Feta, Olives and Arugula

We cooked way too many beets. They were so beautiful, we just had to use them all. If I did it again, I would estimate no more than a medium beet a person.

1. Oven at 400 degrees.
2. Cut off stems and scrub beets.
3. You will want to roast Golden and Red beets on two separate baking sheets. Put tinfoil down on bottom unless you love to scrub pans.
4. Roast until you can easily stick a fork into the beet. The time ranges depending on the size. Most of them were done in 45 minutes, the bigger ones took an hour. I did this first thing in the morning.

5. Once cool, Alana used a knife to cut away the skin. You can also peel them, but I like the look of the smooth cut beet skin. Again, keep the golden and red beets separate as you do this.
6. Cut them in half and then slice into "sun ray wedges".
7. Store in Fridge until ready to use.

8. Wash Arugula.
9. I recommend buying pitted olives and using them whole. We could only find ones with pits the other day and Alana had to carve them. (A huge pain).
10. Make a light dressing of minced shallots, lemon and Ojai Olive oil.
11. Cut Feta into small slices

Again, you could assemble this many different ways. If it was a small dinner party, I would probably compose individual salad plates. I started the platter and Uschi came in and fixed it aesthetically.

When ready to assemble, toss the arugula with the dressing. On a large platter spread out the arugula. Arrange the beets and Feta as you like. Scatter with the Olives.

I meant to make a balsamic vinegar dressing to pour over the arrangement. I forgot, but no one seemed to notice.

Oven Baked Polenta

Thank You Paula Wolfert for sharing this easy way of making Polenta.

1. Oven at 350.
2. In an oven proof dish, mix 1 part ground course cornmeal with 4 parts water. (Last night I did 2 cups to 8 cups). It will not really "mix".
3. Add about 2 tbl. or more butter and salt as desired.
4. Bake uncovered for about 1 hour and 20 minutes.
5. Stir with a fork to even out and bake 5 to 10 minutes longer.

Golden Sea Bass, Venetian Style

The preparation of the fish in this manner is usually refereed to as "venetian style" so if below does not make sense, you can Google "venetian sole" and something similar should come up.

The dish is usually prepared with sole or anchovies.
Lately, I like to make it with golden sea bass from "What a Deal Seafood". Alicia will deliver fish right to your door. You can get on her daily fresh fish email by emailing her at Gwhatadeal@aol.com.

Essentially the sauce is pickled onions, or escehebe in Mexican cooking. The fish is breaded and pan fried and let to sit in the sauce for an hour or two.

1. A day ahead, thinly slice up some pane rustica or ciabatta bread and allow to dry on counter, or same day lightly toast it to create stale, hard pieces that can be ground up to make your own breadcrumbs. (or buy your favorite breadcrumbs)
2. Choose the smallest fillets you can at the market.
   
3. Half the fillets down their "seam" so you are working with smaller pieces of fish
4. Mix enough eggs and a little milk together to soak the fish fillets in. (Ratio might be 6 eggs to 1/2 cup milk). I usually do this first, so they have soaked about an hour by the time I am ready to use them.
5. Thinly slice 1 to 2 big white onions. I like the the look of the whole ring in tact.
6. Heat too much olive oil on low and add onions. (I use my All Clad stainless steal pan). Cook on a low heat for at least 30 minutes until onions are super soft. You do not want to brown and crisp them. I think i usually end up cooking them closer to 45 minutes.
7. Add about a cup of white wine vinegar or a combo of white vinegar and wine. (I have made the mistake of adding too much and it turns out awful, so be shy).
8. Add 2 bay leaves, between 6 and 10 whole black peppercorns, 1/2 cup of water and whatever else you think and allow it to simmer for about 30 minutes longer. You prob. can do this uncovered, but i usually partially cover it.
   
9. As Sauce is cooking, soak raisins in warm water, toast the pine nuts, mince the garlic and chop the parsley. I have no idea how much, i do it visually, but it's prob. about 1/2 cup of soaked raisins, 3/4 cup parsley, 5 cloves and 1 cup pine nuts. But then i always have leftovers of those prep ingredients cuz once I start to make it I hold back a bit.
   
10. Once sauce is done, keep it warm while you bread and pan fry the fish (I have used veggie oil, olive oil, and combo of olive oil and butter, all work) About a minute + on each side or until desired shade of golden brown. Put on the platter you are going to serve it on (no need to drain the oil). Scatter the garlic, most of the raisins, some of the parsley, some of the pine nuts on the fish and pour the onion sauce on top. Scatter the remaining raisins, pine nuts, parsley on top. Cover with tinfoil. Let sit for up to an hour. I have let it sit up to 2 hours and it has been great.

Last night, I messed up the proportions a little and I did not have enough sauce for the fish and it was too dry. So I advise erroring on making too much sauce and then you can hold back as desired.

Beet Leaves Stuffed with Root Vegetables

Serves 20 as part of a buffet.

This is a concept that is usually more successful with larger leaves like Chard. But the leaves on the Beets were so Beautiful, they demanded attention. You could use almost any proportion and variety of vegetables and herbs for the stuffing. This receipe is inspired by one of the Greats of Vegetarian cooking, Deborah Madison.

Dice or finely chop:
1/2 white onion
6 of the beet stems
3 peeled carrots
1 yam (or is it a sweet potato?)
3 peeled parsnips
1 center of a celery root
1 clove garlic

In a wide skillet, heat some olive oil.
Add about a tbl. of brown mustard seed, allow to get fragrant
Add the onions and saute for about 2 minutes and then add the rest of the vegetables.
Stir and saute uncovered for a bit and then cover and let saute/steam until soft, about 20+ minutes, checking and adding water to pan if it gets too dry.

Meanwhile, prepare the leaves.
Bring a pot of water to boil.
Wash well.
In batches, boil leaves in water for 4 minutes and remove carefully to some paper towels with tongs.

To assemble, spread a leaf out with rough side up. Scoop about a tbl. of the veggies on the low wide part of the leaf. Tuck and roll it up into a little package. If leaf breaks, you can use a piece of another leaf to patch it, or sometimes we wrapped with two.

Because we made these hours before the party, we put them in an oven proof dish, dotted the beet leaf packages with butter and covered them with tinfoil. When it was time to serve, we put them in a 350 oven for about 10 minutes.

Alana and Uschi made a tahini sauce with tahini, miso paste, tamari, orange juice, water and salt. Delicious. We will have to get them to give up the proportions.

Roasted Asparagus with Lemon, Toasted Almonds and Parmesan

Oven at 400 degrees
Lay Asparagus out on a baking sheet.
Toss with Olive Oil.
Salt and Pepper.
Roast for about 8 minutes or until done to your liking.

Arrange on platter.
Scatter with Lemon Zest and maybe a little lemon squeeze.
Toasted Almond slices.
And Parmesan Shavings.

Endive, Fennel, Blood Orange and Avocado Salad

Uschi was my wingman on this one.

These proportions serve 20.

Use knife to slice all skin and white parts off the blood oranges. Squeeze juice out of the slices and reserve. Slice oranges into shy 1/4 rounds.
Slice 10 Endive diagonally. Toss with a few good squeezes of lemon.
Thinly slice 5 bulbs of fennel. Toss with juice of a lemon.
Open and pit 4 ripe avocados.

There are many ways you could assemble this salad. Last night we had a big round platter, so we arranged the ingredients on top of each other in circles.

Put endive down first and over the entire platter.
Layer Fennel on top but closer to the center so you can see the endive on the outside.
Layer blood oranges on top, but closer to the center.
Using sharp knife, slice avocados in radiating pattern while still in skin and use big spoon to scoop out. Fan avocado around the edges of the blood orange circle.

Mix the reserve blood orange dressing with finely diced red onion, a little maple syrup, salt and pepper to taste, and Ojai Olive Oil. Pour the dressing around the platter over the endive, fennel and avocados.

I wanted to put fresh mint on the salad, but could not find it in my packed fridge. So we used fresh rosemary and it worked great.

Almond Cake with Strawberries and Guava

Olivia produced the most beautiful heart shaped Almond Cake.
She is a master. The cake was moist and light and the balance of almond and sweetness was magical. She piled whip creme with strawberries and guava on top.

The entire gathering moaned in ecstasy with each bite. People went back for seconds and thirds!

Below from Olivia Chase:

How we inspire each other. On Tuesday night Kira lent me the Rose Bakery book and in it I read "A bowlful of strawberries is really nice, but adding a hint of lemon and even half a teaspoon of sugar can make it great." For Thursday's cake I did not find my recipe in the cookbook rather the inspiration for "making it great".

Almond Torte with Whip Cream Strawberries and Guavas

I made Lulu a double recipe in a 13" heart shaped pan but the following is a
single recipe which will make a 9" cake.

1 1/4 cups sugar
8 oz soft almond paste
1 1/4 cups unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp. vanilla

6 eggs, at room temperature

1 cup flour, all-purpose
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

1/2 pint whip cream, whipped
1 basket strawberries, sliced
2 lbs pink and white guavas, peeled and cored...discard the core...it is full of seeds
2 Tbls sugar
1 lime, juiced

Butter bottom and sides of a 10 inch cake pan and line with parchment paper.
Pre-heat your oven to 325'.

In a food processor mix sugar and almond paste until the paste crumbles into small pieces.
Add the butter and vanilla and continue processing untill you have a smooth batter. Add the
eggs one by one, mixing until each one disappears into the batter. Empty the contents of the food
processor into a large mixing bowl. In a small bowl stir together the flour, baking powder and salt. Sift the flour
mixture into the batter and stir gently until you no longer see any flour but make sure not to overmix.

Pour batter into prepared cake pan. Bake for 1 to 1 1/4 hours or until a wooden tooth pick comes out
clean. Wait 5 minutes and turn out onto a platter.
Slice the fruit and add the sugar and lime juice.
To serve top with unsweetened whipped cream and fruit.

First Foods: Grilled Cheese and Tomoto Sandwiches for my Dad

I am remembering the first things I learned how to make as a kid. I do not remember the order, only the significance.

Grilled Cheese, caesar salad, chocolate chip cookies, sponge cake

1. Grilled Cheese and Tomato Sandwiches for my Dad
Shredded Cheese, always something different in the fridge, but most remember it being orange chedder.
Broiler on,
cheese grated,
tomato sliced,
spices ready.

Pre-toast the bread on cookie sheet with tinfoil.
Cover the Cheese over the non-toasted side of BREAD. Put under broiler.
Just before cheese is finally melted, pull out from broiler, put sliced tomato on and spices. (my dad liked lawrey's, garlic an onion salt, salt, pepper)
put back under broiler till done to your liking.

serve with knife and fork and a beer.


When I make this for Eric, it is usually with red onion instead of tomato, and sometimes both.
usually with Olivia's FnC bread, sometimes sliced sourdough, ciabatta works too.
raw extra sharp cheddar cheese, mixed with some Gouda once and a while.
same instructions as above, but i usually crumble dried herbs, salt and pepper on eric's.

If my brother was over for lunch,
I would mix adobo sauce into the cheese, or slice fresh jalapenos onto the top with the tomato and onion, or add Tabasco.