Smokey Greens

So easy, so awesome. Spicer suggests cooking them in duck or bacon fat. Butter seems to work great. Original recipe from Food and Wine, December 2000.

The trick with greens is to start with way more than you think you need. They cook down so fast. This recipe serves 5 with left overs.

5 bunches of greens. Mixed is best. Kale, collards, mustard, chard, etc. with large stems removed.
Generous 1/2 stick unsalted butter or equivalent fat
2 large red onions chopped
5 cloves garlic minced
2 canned chipotles with some of the adobo sauce (OR 3 of Olivia from Farmer and the Cook's smoked dried chipotles)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
3 tbl cider vinegar

1. Coarsely chop and wash greens in cold water. (This can be done in stages as the greens cook down.)

2. Heat fat in dutch oven like pan. Add the onions and saute until soft. (10 minutes or so). Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 3 minutes.

3. Stir in greens by the handful, adding more as previous batch starts to wilt. This takes a long time to get through all the greens. Add the chipotles and some adobo sauce if using canned and some salt and pepper. Cover and cook over low heat, stirring ever so often until greens are tender, about an hour.

4. Discard chipotles if you can find them. Stir in vinegar and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

Cornmeal Souffle

This is totally fantastic, but time consuming and needs to be timed well with the rest of your meal. It really wants to be the last thing to get put out. Spicer's recipe calls for grits, but I have yet to find grits in Ojai so I have substituted fine cornmeal. It's still good. Recipe from article in Food and Wine, December 2000.

5 cups water
1 cup whole milk (Organic Valley is my favorite)
3 Tbl unsalted butter
1.5 tsp kosher salt
1.5 cups stone ground grits or cornmeal
1.5 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese (5 oz)
5 large eggs separated

1. In a large saucepan, combine the water, milk, butter and salt and bring to a boil. Slowly whisk in grits or cornmeal and simmer over low heat, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, until grits are thick. About an hour.

2. Transfer cooked grits to a large bowl and stir in cheese. Let cool slightly, then add the egg yolks one at a time, stirring with a wooden spoon after each one. (This is where you have the most fudge room with the timing).

3. Preheat over to 400 degrees. Butter a 2.5 qt class or Cormack souffle dish. In a large bowl, beat the egg whites until they hold firm peaks. Stir 1/3 of egg whites into grits to loosen them, then fold in the remaining whites.

4. Scrape mixture into prepared souffle dish and smooth the surface. Bake for about 30 minutes or until puffed and golden and center is moist but not runny. Serve at once.

Buttermilk Cornbread

This cornbread totally satisfies. I have yet to meet someone that does not like it.
Recipe from Susan Spicer. Food and Wine, December 2000.

1 Stick unsalted Butter melted, plus 2 Tbl
1.5 cups all purpose flour
1.5 cups yellow cornmeal (fine or coarse works depending on your taste)
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tbl + 1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1.5 cups buttermilk

1. Preheat Oven to 400. Put the 2 Tbl of butter in an 8 inch square baking dish and put in oven. (This helps create a crispy firm crust and seal in the moisture)

2. In a Big Bowl, mix the dry ingredients: cornflour, flour, sugar, salt, baking powder.

3. In a Small bowl, mix the buttermilk and eggs.

4. Add the Wet ingredients to the Dry ingredients along with the melted butter and stir to combine.

5. Remove the hot dish from the oven and tilt to spread the butter around the dish. Scrape batter into dish and bake for about 25 minutes or until the toothpick or fork tool inserted in the middle comes out clean. (I usually check it at 20 minutes). Let cool for at least 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire rack or serve from dish.

Seafood Okra Gumbo

My first and only trip to New Orleans was to see my little brother graduate from Tulane in the year 2000. We ate like Kings that week. Dinner at Emeril's, Commander's Palace and Jacquimos. Breakfast of fancy fried donuts called beignets and Nutty Black Coffee at Cafe Dumond. Lunch at the Gumbo Shop and elsewhere.

This recipe comes from the Gumbo Shop in New Orleans. I have tweaked the ingredients and directions a little based on what is available to me in Ojai, Calif. Of course if you can get shrimp with the heads on for the stock and fresh crab, do it!

Serves 6 to 8 hungry people.
Most peeps like a scoop of white rice in there.
Corn bread is almost a must.

2lbs frozen shrimp with shells

Cup of canned or fresh crab meat

(our local market carries this canned crab meat in a black tin that has been pretty consistent)

3 quarts water

2/3 cup + 2 Tbl. cooking oil (peanut oil has proven to be my favorite, but others work)

1 qt. frozen okra, pre sliced (Okra is fresh here in the summer and I almost never want gumbo in the summer...so frozen it is).

1/2 cup all purpose flour

2 cups chopped onions

1 cup chopped green bell pepper

1/2 cup chopped celery

2 tsp. minced garlic

1 16oz. can of tomatoes (You can't find 16oz. of tomatoes, the 14oz works fine. Lately I use Muir's Fire Roasted Crushed tomatoes and like that the best).

2 Bay Leaves

2 tsp salt (to taste)

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

1/2 tsp. ground white pepper

1/4 tsp. cayenne (I get super shy about the red pepper when serving a large group).

1. Peal and De vein the Shrimp. Set aside in Fridge.

2. Rinse shrimp shells (and heads if you have them). In a non-reactive pot, heat a little of your oil and saute the shrimp bodies until pink. Add 3qts of water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 45 minutes to make stock. Strain, discard the bodies and set stock aside.

3. In a non-stick, heat 2Tbl. of oil and add okra. Saute over medium heat until "ropiness" is gone. This takes an unusually long amount of time, but I also like to "overdo" it and blacken the okra bit. About 25 minutes.

4. Place 2/3 cup of oil in a large (8qt.) heavy bottomed pan Dutch Oven like pan. Add the flour and, over medium high heat, make a dark brown roux. This also takes a crazy amount of time and can be done while the okra cooks. It requires constant stirring. Initially little foamy bubbles will appear, this is the flour frying. Then, once the bubbling has stopped and you start to smell popcorn, you must stay totally diligent. The roux will turn a teddy bear brown and make it's way to a chocolate. You will be tempted to stop before it gets too dark cuz if it's burned you have to start over, but play the edge as close as you can. The darker the roux the more nutty and rich the flavor.

5. As soon as you get the color you want, throw in the onion, peppers and celery. Stir and mix for about 4 minutes and then add the garlic. Saute until soft and the sweetness has been released. The Gumbo Shop suggests letting the vegetables stick to the bottom of the pan and then scraping them off allowing the natural sugars to caramelize but I have never experienced this "sticking" they talk about. Maybe if I was using Cast Iron...? About 15 minutes or so.

6. When the vegetables are tender, add the tomatoes, bay leaves, 3 peppers and salt. (I also usually add some thyme). Again, mixing and sauteing for about 10 to 15 minutes.

7. Add the cooked okra and saute for about 10 minutes more.

8. Add stock, but eyeball quantity. I never add it all. Stir and bring to a boil. Lower heat and partially cover and simmer for about an hour, stirring every so often, adding more stock if gumbo seems to thick.

9. Return to a boil and add shrimp and cook till pink and firm. About 4 minutes. Remove from heat and add canned crab.

Gumbo is best prepared ahead of time cuz the flavors get better with time. So early in the day or day before is best. Reheating gently to not overcook the shrimp.

Making Your House Smell Like Christmas

It was Tuesday and we had been cleaning all day and the house smelled like cleaning products.

My parents were due to arrive in about 30 minutes.

SO I threw some Cinnamon Sticks, Cloves and Cardamon Pods onto a baking sheet and put them in the oven at around 350 and INSTANT CHRISTMAS SMELL.

Spiced Pecans

These are totally yummy and can be tweaked to suit your tastes.  More salty, spicy or sweet.  I have been making these around the holidays for 10 years.  Original recipe from Michael Brisson in Fine Cooking, Nov 1998, No. 29.  

2 to 3 tsp. good salt (original called for 4tsp but always was too salty for me)

1/2 tsp cayenne or to taste

1 tsp each of ground white pepper, nutmeg, cloves and allspice (fresh ground is yummy, but the already ground works well too)

4 to 5 cups of pecan halves

a generous 1/3 cup of butter melted 

1/3 cup of dark maple syrup

1. Heat Oven to 350

2. Mix dry ingredients together well and toss in pecans.  Tossing with your hands works the best.

3. Mix melted butter over nuts and again toss.  (Taste here.  Sometimes you can tell you need more salt or something else.  Sometimes I have added ground cardamon into the mix)

4. Spread out on a baking sheet into one layer.

5. Bake until lightly toasted, stirring every so often.  About 10 minutes.

6. Pour maple syrup over nuts and stir to combine and bake about another 10 minutes.

7. Let the nuts cook in the pan, about 20 minutes.  Then scrape into a bowl, breaking up any large chunks.

Christmas Week Menu

A large part of hosting Christmas in our family is the food.

Tuesday Night Dinner

Toasted Herby Spicey Nuts

Golden Sea Bass Fish Tacos with Cilantro Mint Yogurt Sauce

Serrano Chili and Lime Cesar Salad

Coconut Rice

Christmas Eve Day

Afternoon Grazing of Cheeses and Meats and olives and the like from Paradise Pantry in Ventura

Spiced Pecans

Christmas Eve Dinner

Seafood Gumbo 

Buttermilk Cornbread

Butter Lettuce Salad with fennel, Snap Peas and Turnips

Gingercake with Whip creme, Pomegranate Seeds and Mint for Desert

Christmas Day Brunch 

Lox from GeeWhataDeal and the Fixings

Christmas Dinner

Grilled Filet

Cheese Grits Souffle

Smokey Greens

Black Rice

Jalapeno Pear Relish

Lemon Chiffon Pie with Ginger Molasses Crust

The 26th

Dinner at Azu

The 27th

Lunch at Farmer and the Cook

Dinner at the Watermark

Sunday Lunch

Came home after teaching today and made this for me and Eric.

German Pumpernickel Toast with:

A little Whipped Creme Cheese

Capers

Red Onion

Some Smoked Salmon Lox from GeeWhataDeal

Fresh ground pepper

on the side, a Semi Soft Hard Boiled Egg with salt

Coffee

Manicotti for the Boys

I felt energized and loving when I went to the grocery store last night.  I was feeling pasta, but when I thought Manicotti, I knew the boys (my husband and brother) would be pleased.

Bill of Casa Barranca Winery had just given us 4 bottle of wine for Christmas.  We opened the Bungalow Red.  Fantastic.

I used the recipe on the back of the box of the shells as a grocery list, adding and changing where I felt appropriate. 

1. Start the heat under a big pot of salty water.

2. In an cast iron enalmed pot like a Crueset, heat a little olive oil and brown the hot italian turkey sausage.  (4 links with casing removed.  I had to do in 2 batches)

3. While sausage is browning, mince up 2 carrots, 2 leeks, 2 stalks celery.

4. In a bowl, mix 15oz. Organic Valley ricotta with 1/3 cup of finely grated parmeson.

5. Once Sausage is browned, remove to a bowl, add more olive oil to pot and add onions, carrots and celery.  Stir and saute for about 10 minutes, or until softer.  Add mined fresh rosemary and sage.  Some dried thyme.  A little Mexican Oregano.  (Or whatever herbs you have on hand and like).  I also added 2 fresh Bay leaves from B.D.  Pour in some of the wine from your glass to deglaze.  Stir and allow to saute and soak up juices.  Add a 28ox can of Muir's Fire Roasted Crushed Tomotoes.  Stir to combine.  Bring to a boil.  Once boiling, turn heat down and allow to simmer.  Pour in a little beef broth to thin the sauce out a bit.

6. Turn oven to 350.  Grease a 9x12 baking dish with olive oil. Wash your spinich.7. When water is boiling, cook the shells and drain.  I ran cold water over them and that made them cool faster so they were easier to handle.8. Throw washed spinich (still wet) into pan you just cooked pasta in.  Turn heat to super low and stir and cover.  Pay attention to this pot.  Stirring and helping spinach to wilt.  Takes about 4 minutes or so.  Once nice and wilted, but still green, drain into a fine colander and rinse with cold water.  With hands squeeze out excess moisture. Finely chop and mix into ricotta along with meat.  Freshly ground pepper and what ever else you think might taste good.

7. When all ingredients are ready, begin to stuff cheese mixture into shells.  Your hands work the best.  Be careful not to bust open the shells.

8. Lay in baking dish and then cover with tomato sauce.  Put in oven for 45 minutes.  

There wasn't a morsel left.  I imagine that this dish could serve up to six peeps if you had a salad to go along with it.  But the 3 of us polished it off.  OMG.