Recipe: Preserved Lemons

For one jar of preserved lemons:

(canning jar with plastic or rubber lid covering is best)
5 - 6 small organic or meyer lemons
sea salt (enough for stuffing a few T into each quartered lemon)
 

Cut the lemon from top to bottom in quarters, but not all the way through. Basically a cross at the top, all the way down, but not through. Stuff each quadrant with approx. 1 tablespoon of salt.
Put 5 – 6 lemons (however many will fit) into the jar and seal jar tightly.
 

Leave lemons on the kitchen counter for 3 weeks. Turn them upside down, then right side up every day. Can keep for up to one year in pantry or refrigerator.

After opening the jar, use a wooden spoon to scoop them out. (Avoid metal.)

India: A Simple Recipe for Tomato Chutney

Tomato Chutney

1 cup fresh tomato
1t garlic (peeled and chopped)
3 sprigs of fresh mint
1 red chili, chopped
1 green chili, chopped
a pinch of sugar
salt to season

Mix all ingredients in a food processor, or pound together in a mortar and pestle.
Add salt to taste.

India: Ayesha Manzil's Malabar Coast Cooking.

Ayesha Manzil, an old Heritage mansion, sits on a hill with a close view of the warm Arabian sea. 

It was built by an Englishmen, who was one of the first to set up the East India Trading Office, trading spices from the port of Tellicherry. Pepper, the main sought-after commodity was grown nearby,

as well as cinnamon bark and cardamom. These spices along with coffee were stored in the old Portuguese fort until they were ready to be shipped. In those days, the Malabar coast was the epicenter of the spice route, and no other community makes better use of those spices that the Mopillah, the Muslims of North Kerala. 

C. P. Moosa's grandfather took the house over in the 1800s—Moosa has lived there his entire life and, at 60, it seems nothing has changed. Not the furniture, the fans, nor his way of welcoming guests. He pioneered the "home stay" here in India 17 years ago, now especially popular in the south. "There were no good places to stop and eat between Mysore and Cochin," he says, "so I offered my home."

As a hotelier, Moosa knew the business of taking care of people and what needed to be done. His wife Faiza, an accomplished cook with passion, also liked the idea of offering cooking classes to weary travelers as a window into the local culture. Together they make fine hosts. Their staff is comprised of a handful of local men who do everything from set the table, do the books, the laundry, and serve tea. 

An old white Ambassador was waiting for me at the train station, along with Alan, my escort from the house (Alan Mendoza's forefathers arrived from Portugal 500 years ago he was proud to tell me, and he still considers himself a certified Portuguese with papers). When we arrived at Ayesha Manzil, Mr. Moosa, barefoot and curious, was there to greet me.

"Hello Peggy. I am Moosa. Come." He motioned Alan to take my things up the stairs. "Get freshened up. You'll have dinner, then a good rest, and we'll be off to the market by 8 am."

There's nothing that thrills me more about the hospitality business, rather than chatting with a totally relaxed aristocrat in a lungi [Urdu for "loincloth" or "skirt"]. It makes for a most interesting stay, with me ready to throw off my shoes and street clothes and adorn the same. Lungi's are the native dress for men, and they all wear them, at least at some point in the day. There are simple ones of checks and patterns, or white with a gold trim for more formal. The sari is traditional for women, with the same informal and formal description. Off white with a gold trim, is the signature look for Kerala. It's dignified and pure. In the slow south Indian culture and climate, this sort of dress makes total sense, and if the food wasn't so good, it would be the first reason to be reborn there. 

Mr. Moosa.

Rosewood beds, teak dressers, wooden floors, all in the neighborhood of 100 to 150 years old. My room was proportionately spacious on the second floor. A big box with a high ceiling, a long desk, and two twin four poster beds with antique mosquito netting that fit over the top and corners and hung down below the mattress edge. Diffused light came from the north facing window  in a Dubbusey-like moment, soft on the eyes, falling on the chaise lounge where I loved to lie in a daydream. I could have danced with arms outstretched on the old floor and perhaps no one would have heard me below. Their were no paintings or pictures on the wall. Just practical pieces of furniture and space. I never wanted to leave the room. They had to call me for breakfast...and dinner once, as well. 

But leave I did to get into the kitchen with Faiza. Her long Colonial kitchen was simple, but ample with two burners on a narrow stainless steel bench. She gives cooking classes every day and this was Sunday. It should have been a day of rest. She worked with me anyway, knowing that she would have the afternoon to herself. We made tamarind prawns and tamarind eggplant, both with the same base, and the most delicious okra thiyyal.  "When you cook with Faiza, your fingers do the motions, you put this and that, but really, you talk about life!" says Moosa.  

Indian cooking is not difficult, if you have the ingredients. And like anywhere, it always tastes better where it grows. Getting my hands on the tamarind was a new experience. Soaking it from it's dry form, it's necessary to squeeze the pulp twice to get the most out of it. It's sourness is most pleasant and a necessary flavor in south Indian cooking. I never would have thought to add it to either shrimp or eggplant. But it worked. 

Indian recipes are almost always overwhelming with the number of ingredients. Yet, they are quite happy together and even with the complex flavor, you would never know there are so many. 

CHEMMEEN VARATTIYATHU

Tamarind Prawns

1 1/2 cup of prawns (as fresh as you can find and cleaned)

2 small red onions, chopped into small cubes

1 small tomato

6-10 fresh curry leaves

2 green chilies, sliced

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

1/2 in piece of fresh ginger, chopped fine

1 1/2 T chili powder (this is where the rubber meets the road)

2 t turmeric powder

2 t coriander powder

a small ball of tamarind (the size of a lime)

1/2 cup of coconut oil

1/2 t mustard seeds

1/2 r fenugreek

salt to taste ( at least 1/2 t)

Clean and wash the prawns. Add 1/4 t termeric, 1/4 t chili powder and a few pinches of salt to the prawns. Make a paste and marinate for 10 minutes. 

Heat a Kadai. (Indian wok). Pour 1/4 cup of the oil and bring to a medium heat. Fry the prawns until they start to brown, then set aside. 

Heat a sauce pan, pouring in the remaining oil. When the oil is hot, add the mustard seeds until they pop. Then add the fenugreek. When it crackles, add the

chopped onions, green chilies, ginger, garlic, curry leaves and sliced tomato until soft. Add the remaining chili powder and turmeric and stir for a few seconds.

Pour in tamarind water, a pinch more salt and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the prawns and a pinch more salt. Simmer on a slow fire until the sauce thickens. 

Remove from the fire and let sit. 

* substitute chunks of eggplant that have been fried separately. Use all ingredients (except fenugreek) and follow the same method. 

Dinner for one on a terrace overlooking the dark Arabian sea, the moon is a quarter with a planet above. Auspicious I think. This is a communist state and the moon star and sickle is a statue on the beach. I am the only guest, doted on by a staff of three. Six dishes were put front of me. An appetizer of sardine with a spicy paste grilled on a banana leaf, along with the main meal of aubergine in tamarind, rice with fruits (raisins, grapes and slivered almonds), fried, spiced, okra-flavored yogurt, prawn curry cornmeal stuffing with mussels. 

I ate with my hands. I know how to do that now. (The staff was smiling and cheering me on.) Salma Husein taught me in my first days in Delhi, but like anything it takes practice. 

I used to think the most common denominator in the world was fire. Now I think it's eating with one's hands. Everyone does it. High society, kings, fishermen. All castes. Once you get the hang of it, it's like...okay...why wouldn't you want to? It taste so good and feels good too. There is a way and it makes eating with a knife and fork obsolete. I'm even convinced that it's relaxing and therefore aids digestion. But then again, it depends on what you are eating. Indian food lends itself to the pinching of really tender meat pieces in a gravy, as well as mixing everything with all of your fingers very carefully, then popping it into your mouth. It's quite an achievement, and comes easy after you stop thinking about it. Totally natural.

"What is this?" said the cook. (A spoon.) "God gave you hands!" Here, you start off feeding babies with your hands. I think now that it is a good trick. There is something transmitted to the child from the mother about the taste and love of food.

Why was I so enthralled with this meal? It was not so different than the other lessons I've had. I was attentively savoring and celebrating the flavors of this marvelous cuisine. What could have made this so good?? Then I had a shaktiput experience...I had cooked it myself! Yes. at the loving hands of Faiza Moosa. The first meal I had cooked in over a month. Whether true or not. I did notice something.

The pineapple trifle with ginger tea went down rather well afterwards and so did the moon. 

Recipe: Tagine of Blue Foot Chicken and Dried Cherries Soaked in Wine.

The tagine is my choice of an unglazed clay pot,  especially in winter. Its terracotta top and bottom create the perfect environment for developing slow-cooked flavor.

Being a great fan of Morocco, I most often stick to the traditional dishes. Moroccans themselves are quite creative, but the buck stops when it gets too out of the box or out of range for ingredients out of their reach.

Last week, I was in the mood for chicken, but not. Neither was I in the mood for red meat, having renounced it for three days. A small discipline, but a fine time to perhaps think out of the box. Some sort of wild fowl, or cornish game hen would do the trick, but they didn't have anything at my local market. What they did have was a frozen "Poulet Bleu," a white Canadian variety with blue feet, taken from the French Poulet de Bresse.

"Blue Foot Chicken is characterized by a red comb, white feathers, and steel-blue feet, which give the breed its name. The feet are usually left on for presentation." No blue feet were present on my frozen bird. Yet, the meat is noticeably darker and richer.

"Blue Foot are typically slaughtered much later than factory farm or free range chicken, being left to grow on their own rather than relying on force-feeding or power feed. Thus they require 12 to 14 weeks to reach market size, rather than the 42 days. No water is absorbed into the meat during the chilling process." Hmm...making them naturally plump.

The bird came home, along with a container full of dried cherries. My experience in Morocco has taught me that dried fruit and meat go very well together. Trying to deduce what flavors would combine well in this case, I choosing something equally as rich and dense in flavor, but which would lend some acidity.

A tagine almost always inspires Moroccan spices. Not afraid to experiment, I used ginger which I know goes well with any chicken, ras al hanout, because I thought the bird could stand up to it, a pinch of saffron because I was going exotic, and a touch of cinnamon and clove as the mystery ingredients, to add panache and enhance the cherries. The blue footless bird looked amazing in the tagine, marinated in a bit of extra virgin olive oil and spices. I landed a few sprigs of thyme on top just to add an herbal element.

To further gild the lily, I soaked the cherries for about a half an hour in some cabernet franc recommended by my new friend, sommelier Phil Morich, wine manager at Alfalfa's Market. They were added about half way through the cooking. I also used a splash of the wine as liquid to flavor the dish, something tradition does not advocate. Safe to say this idea is French-Moroccan fusion, of which there is a fair amount.

Almost all tagines cook for at least an hour, more depending on how gentle the fire. Tri-colored quinoa was my accompaniment, along with a spinach salad with thinly sliced red onion, dressed simply with course salt and freshly pressed olive oil.

My friend Virginie took a bite and said, "Oh Peg, it's a 10."I was rather pleased.

A culinary adventure, right here at home.


Tagine of Blue Foot Chicken and Dried Cherries


1 Blue Foot chicken
1 large onion
3/4 cup of dried cherries, soaked in wine of choice*
1 T dried ginger
1/2 t ras al hanout (Moroccan blend of spices)
1/4 t cinnamon
1/4 t clove
a pinch of saffron (soaked in 1/2 cup of water)
4 sprigs of fresh thyme
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

* Chateau Du Petit Thouars ~  Cepage Cabernet Franc
(read about them, quite interesting)

 
 Slice onions and set aside. Soak cherries in your wine of choice* and set aside. Slice chicken into parts and rub with olive oil and spices, salt and pepper. Put half the onions in the bottom of the tagine. Add the chicken on top and add the other half of the onions on top of the chicken. Add the sprigs of fresh thyme. Bathe the chicken in a splash of wine and add the saffron in it's water. Cover.

Cook tagine on a gas stove or over coals. When cooking with a clay pot, it's best to heat the pot slowly.
Start out slow, increasing the temperature until the pot has brought the food to a boil. Turn down to a simmer.  Let cook for 20 minutes. Check occasionally to make sure there is enough liquid to create steam and keep the chicken from burning.

Add the cherries and the soaking wine and let cook for another 20 minutes. Test for tenderness.

Dedicated to all of my fellow Moroccan culinary adventurers.

Holiday Recipe: "Pick Me Up!" Tiramisu

A few years ago, our friend Moya told us a story about her Tuscan mother-in-law, who used this phrase in a sentence when her husband told a bit of gossip. She said, “Tiramisu le calze!! Well, pick up my stockings!” It’s our favorite elegant dessert and always pleases.

Ingredients:

• 3 large eggs, separated
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 (8-oz) container mascarpone cheese (1 scant cup)
• 1/2 cup chilled heavy cream
• 2 cups very strong brewed coffee or brewed espresso, cooled to room temperature
• 2 tablespoons sweet Vin Santo (more traditionally Tuscan) or Marsala wine
• 18 savoiardi (crisp Italian ladyfingers, 6 oz)
• 1/4 cup fine-quality bittersweet chocolate shavings or 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 8 “balloon” red wine glasses

Beat together yolks and 1/2 cup sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until thick and pale, about 2 minutes. Beat in mascarpone until just combined.

Beat whites with a pinch of salt in another bowl with cleaned beaters until they just hold soft peaks. Add remaining 1/4 cup sugar a little at a time, beating, then continue to beat whites until they just hold stiff peaks. Beat cream in another bowl with cleaned beaters until it just holds soft peaks. Fold cream into mascarpone mixture gently but thoroughly, then fold in whites.

Stir together coffee and Vin Santo in a shallow bowl. Dip 1 ladyfinger in coffee mixture, soaking it about 2 seconds on each side, break it into with your fingers and transfer to the wine glass. Pipe the marscapone mixture into the glass with an icing pipe bag and layer with another soaked ladyfinger. Top it off with another swirl of marscapone mixture. Fill the glass only half full. Fill your other wine glasses.

Chill tiramisu, covered, at least a couple of hours. Just before serving, sprinkle with cocoa or shave with chocolate.

Recipe: Francisco Lillo's Sweet Potato Fritters

Croquetas de Boniato


(A great alternative to Thanksgiving sweet potato pie!)

> 3 cups sweet potatoes (cooked and mashed)
> 2 tablespoons butter
> 1 teaspoon salt
> 2 eggs
> 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
> 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
> 1/4 cup sugar
> 3 eggs (beaten for egg wash)
> 1 1/2 cups crushed almonds
> oil for frying

Heat safflower oil in a deep frying pan.
In a large bowl thoroughly mix together the sweet potatoes, butter, salt, 2 eggs, cinnamon, vanilla and sugar.
Shape the mixture into croquettes (small rolls).
Roll the croquettes in the egg wash, and then in the crushed almonds.
Fry the croquettes in oil until golden (a couple minutes per side). Be careful not to burn.
Remove from the oil and drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with a little sugar.
Serve warm.

Cooking in the Alpujarras, Spain: Chestnut Soup with Sherry

The end of October is definitely chestnut time. The air cools and the spiny balls drop to the ground when the wind blows. Its a bit of bother getting into them, but well worth it. If you find them on the ground, you can put your foot on top of one and just apply pressure, rolling over it carefully, until the nut pops out all shiny and and brown.


There are several areas of Andalucía where chestnuts are cultivated, the Alpujarras village of Valor in Granada province, and the Serrania de Ronda in Málaga, in particular the villages of Igualeja, Pujerra, Cartajima and the upper Rio Genal valley in general.


We made this wonderful chestnut soup in our cooking program at Casa Ana, having gathered the chestnuts from the "ruta medieoval" in the village of Ferrierola in the Alpujarras.


Now we have traveled south to Cartajima to stay with friends in "Los Castanos", a boutique hotel in the village, surrounded by a sea of chestnut trees. We have decided after all, not to go the curvy roads to the festival in Pujerra, even though there is a procession tonight. It's quite far and the roads are not friendly in the dark. Plus, It's too tempting to sit and roast chestnuts on the fire here "at home" and drink some lovely "aqua ardiente" a local wine, or anis. It's quiet and we can tell stories. 

All of us sitting around this fire tonight, Zoe Ouwehand, our English friend who owns Dar Cilla in Tarifa and has lived in the Congo and other parts of the world, our hostess Di Beach, a courageous, intrepid traveler who restored three houses in Cartajima to make this charming hotel, Anne Hunt, another super English woman who came to the Alpujarras on her own to restore a guesthouse she now calls Casa Ana. Kim Schiffer, a southerner who became an extraordinary chef and lives in Santa Barbara, and myself, who always enjoys the company of women visionaries.

We will have plenty to tell. No doubt, picking up on a thread of the other. 


Here's to chestnut soup in the Alpujarras and roasting chestnuts in Cartajima.

Chestnut Soup with Sherry

                                                                                                                                                                                      

1 3/4#      chestnuts

6T             unsalted butter

2                garlic, sliced thin

3                shallots, medium, sliced thin

1                 leek, sliced thin

2                celery stalks, sliced thin

2                thyme sprigs

2                bay leaves

2 1/4 c     white wine

1 1/4 c     Sherry Fino

2 qts         homemade chicken stock

2t               salt

3/4t         pepper

 Make an X in the bottom on each chestnut.  Boil in water for 20minutes.  Cool slightly and remove shells.  If bitter, boil one more time for about 10 minutes and remove thin dark membrane.

 Cook garlic, shallots, leek, and celery in butter until very soft, about 15 minutes.  Add thyme, bay leaf, and chestnuts.  Cook about 10 more minutes.  Add wine and cook until there in very little left.  Add 3/4 c sherry and cook 10 minutes more.  Add stock and cook 1 1/2 hours. 

 Remove thyme and bay.  Let cool slightly and puree.  Taste.  Stir in more sherry if desired.  Strain. Reheat slightly and ladle into bowls.

Recipe: Kim Schiffer

Spain: Recipe for Smoky Eggplant with Yellow Peppers and Red Onion

Bearing left at the bridge, we leave the GR142 and follow the right bank of the Rio Trevelez, almost immediately crossing a stream over large slabs of smooth stone. Beyond the stream, a yellow waymark indicates a rough path that zigzags up through big bushes of retama.

We follow this path, crossing an erroded, rocky section and climbing towards a small chestnut tree where theres a very old dot on a rock, the path becomes clearer. After winding through a small stand of chestnut, the path climbs steeply then bears right on a gentler slope below a long rocky outcrop tropped with a couple of dead chestnuts.

The rock gives way to stone retaining walls until the path bears left then right to pass a partially dead chestnut, after which it winds up below ans acacia to rejoin the outward route. Turning right here, we reach Ferreirola five minutes later, where we retrace our footsteps to the church square. 

This is to give you an idea of the terrain that surrounds the village, if you were to arrive by foot, according to Charles Davis, author of Walk! the Alpujarras.  Not to mention that we hang on the side of a mountain, with other steep and craggy mountains so close as to touch, right outside the door.  There is an ancient rock threshing ground which juts out over a valley. I suppose it was used for separating the wheat from the chafe. It seems it should also have been for ceremony, as it is a powerful ground for being in direct contact with the great unknown. And for this, also seems an internal threshing ground as well. It's not unusual for me to be in touch with the doubts and fears that lurk beneath the surface which seem to rise like cream and scream, "see me, hear me!" And I look and I listen and I cry.

Back to Casa Ana, Anne Hunt's lovely restored private retreat house, the HQ for our Andalucian cooking adventure.

Kim Schiffer, a dear dear old friend from Santa Barbara, California, is making fresh ricotta. While the curds separate from the whey, she roasts eggplant over a flame, to give a smoky flavor to her "smoky eggplant with yellow peppers and red onion."

SMOKY EGGPLANT W/YELLOW PEPPERS AND RED ONION

2          medium eggplant

2          yellow peppers, cored and cut into 1” dice

1/2c    red onion, diced

24       cherry tomatoes, halved

1/4c   parsley, roughly chopped

1/2c    walnut oil or sunflower oil

2T      lemon juice or cider vinegar

1T       ground cumin

salt and pepper

flat bread, grilled or heated

Place the eggplant directly on a moderate gas flame and roast for 10-15 minutes, turning them occasionally with tongs, until the flesh is soft and the skin is burnt and flaky.  Cool slightly.  Cut in half.  Scoop flesh into a colander and drain for at least an hour or overnight.

Chop the eggplant flesh roughly and mix with all the other ingredients.  Taste and adjust seasoning.  It should be robust and pungent.

Serve with flat bread.

Cool Cucumber Summer Soup from The House of Dreams

I live in the House of Dreams, "La Maison des Reves", right here in Boulder, Colorado.
It rivals any French garden. Although it has been a temporary home, my desk overlooks a rushing creek that flows into a pond, where geese fly in and out and the occasional wild bobcat or bear tend to visit upon occasion. The land that slopes down to the pond is dotted with black eyed Susan's, lavender, dahlia, wild roses and herbs that make for a pleasant summer mood.

I heard the cicada's sing in the tall cottonwood trees, midday today. For them the conditions were delightful. It was a sign. There are cucumbers in the garden, as well as scallion and dill, perfect for a cool summer evening soup. It would be refreshing and fit the sunset hour. I thought, if it's hot enough for them to sing, it's hot enough for us to eat cool cucumber soup.

Soon the weather will change. Soon I will be heading back to Italy. Soon I will be leaving the House of Dreams.

COOL CUCUMBER SOUP A LA MAISON DES REVES

5 cucumbers
1/2 cup chopped parsley
6 scallions, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 quart coconut milk
1 pint goat yogurt
Salt and freshly ground pepper


 Peel cucumbers and cut them in half, scraping out seeds. Sprinkle the cucumbers with salt and let them stand 30 minutes. Drain excess water.

Chop the cucumbers coarsely and put the pieces in the blender along with scallions, dill, lemon juice, coconut milk, and yogurt. Blend at high speed.

Season with salt and pepper to taste. Chill well before serving.



(Substitute milk or yogurt as you prefer).

Recipe: Pesce Mediterraneo

> 1 lb of fresh white fish

> 1 cup cherry tomatoes

> 1/2 cup black olives

> 2 cloves of garlic, smashed and sliced

> 1 bunch of fresh basil leaves

> extra virgin olive oil

> a splash of white wine

> salt and pepper to taste (remember the olives)

or: use a bit of crushed red pepperoncino for pizzazz!

Rinse the fish and set aside. Chop cherry tomatoes in half. ‘Mise en place’ the  e.v.o.oil, olives, garlic, tomatoes, basil and fish.

Choose appropriate frying pan. Add olive oil, garlic and tomatoes. Toss around

in the pan for 5 minutes. Add olives and basil. Let simmer for another 5 minutes.

Add fish on top of the sauce. .Salt and pepper the fish…or pop it with the pepperoncino. Splash the pan with the white wine. Cook on low-medium heat. Put on a lid and let it steam for 5 minutes.

Check your fish for doneness, but touching it. If it springs back, it should be done, along with an aroma of cooked fish. Flip the fish if needed, otherwise,

turn off the heat and let it steam for another few minutes. Check for flavor

balance, adding another pinch of salt if needed.

Serve the fish by spooning the sauce over it. Add a fresh leaf of basil for garnish.

Recipe: Ajo Blanco

Ajo Blanco: Chilled Spanish Almond Soup

Serves 4

> 1 slice of stale bread, crust removed
> 1/2 cup water
> 1 garlic clove
> salt
> 1/4 cup blanched almonds
> 1 Tblsp sherry vinegar
> 1/2 cup olive oil
> 2 cups ice water
> 24 grapes, green and seedless

Soak bread in water for 1 minute. Squeeze dry.
Pound garlic with salt into a paste.
Grind almonds in a food processor until finely ground. Add garlic, bread, and vinegar. With motor running, add oil and ice water. Blend well.
Force puree through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl. Discard solids. Refrigerate covered until cold, about 3 hours.
Before serving, season soup with salt and sherry vinegar if necessary. Serve topped with grapes.

Variation: Add shrimp as a topping or fresh edible flowers in addition to the grapes.

* Recipe via our chef on the Spain program, Kim Schiffer. Kim Schiffer has cooked professionally for 29 years. She has worked at Zibbibo in Florence and in California at Chez Panisse and Zuni Café, and has traveled and studied in Morocco with PMCA. 

* Photo courtesy The Wright Recipes.

Aperitivo Time!

Here are a few of my favorite aperitivi. 

I did not write this article, but compiled this info some years back and did not get the author's name. An English mixologist, no doubt...most unfortunate as it's well written. Enjoy.

Old-Fashioned

1/2 orange slice

1 lump (or cube) sugar

2 dashes Angostura bitters

2 dashes Regan's Orange Bitters

2 oz (60 ml) rye or bourbon whiskey

Muddle orange, sugar, and bitters in an old-fashioned glass until the sugar is mostly dissolved. Fill with large cubes of ice (or carve one large chunk to fit the glass, if you are a true classicist). Add the whiskey. If you must garnish it, tradition calls for a "flag"--an orange slice and a Luxardo Marasche al Frutto cherry (available at Dean & Deluca) paired together on a cocktail pick.

It's also the 150th anniversary of aperitivo, the most civilised ritual born in the Piedmonte capital of Torino. Aperitivo is the ancestor of the cocktail hour --the interval that marks the end of the work day and the beginning of the evening's activities. A glass of red vermouth and a tramezzini (small sandwiches), canape, or other amuse bouche forms the centerpiece of the ritual, which includes conversation and relaxation in a cafe or al fresco in one of the city's numerous colonnaded piazzas.

Two refreshing and appetite-stimulating concoctions arose from this ambient atmosphere: the Americano, created by Guiseppe Campari at his bar in Torino, and the Negroni, crafted by Gloomy Scarselli for Conte Negroni at the Bar Giacosa in Florence.

Negroni

1 oz (30 ml) Campari

1 oz (30 ml) red Italian vermouth (Carpano or Martini & Rossi)

1 oz (30 ml) Plymouth Gin

Guazetto: A Saucy, Stewy Way to Serve Fish

Angelo Cabani is a mentor of mine. A spectacular chef, with big eyes, a big mustache, and a huge appetite for fine and tasty fish.

His restaurant, Locanda Miranda, is located in what he likes to call his "gastronomic hotel" by the sea. It is perched above the Bay of Poets in the pastel village of Tellaro, ancestral home of his family since the 13th century.

This Ligurian coastal settlement has seen it's share of marauders since the days of the Saracens. 

According to local legend, the watchman fell asleep and the rope to the bell tower fell into the sea. An octopus from the rocky shore below got entwined in the rope and trying to break free, woke up the town with his continual clanging. As luck would have it, the town awoke, expecting an attack just as a ship of Saracens were preparing to ascend. Lets just say that a lot of hot boiling oil was used and the village was saved...by an octopus! Angelo doesn't often use frutti di mare, but prefers deeper ocean fish, scampi and smaller fishes that swim around the rocks.

He cooks with traditional recipes and ingredients, but steps it up a notch. "People don't go out to eat what they can get at home," says Angelo. His challenge is to make it interesting.

Recipe: Purée of Fresh Fennel Soup

Passato di Finnochio

(Purée of Fresh Fennel Soup)

Fennel is a winter vegetable commonly used in Italy, but not so common in America. Its delicate and somewhat licorice aftertaste makes the celery-like texture delicious--either eaten raw, dipped in extra virgin olive oil and salt as in pinzimonio, or puréed into this delectable soup. The addition of dried fennel flowers adds a summery highlight, along with the color contrast and exotic smattering of saffron.

• Two fennel bulbs
• One shallot
• One potato
• Salt 
• Pepper
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Fennel flowers
• A few strands of saffron

Chop the fennel and potato into rustic chunks. Slice shallot thinly and sauté in extra virgin olive oil. Add fennel and potato and coat with the oil while stirring gently. Add water or vegetable broth to cover the soup by three finger width. Add salt and pepper. Let simmer for 20 minutes.

Put contents into a blender or food processor. Purée the soup to a velvety texture. Correct salt to taste.

Place in bowls and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle with a touch of dried fennel flowers and a few threads of saffron.

Recipe: Tuscan Winter Salad with Egg

Writing about Capri today, I savor the thought of fresh cherry tomatoes with wild arugula, a signature summer dish with fruity extra-virgin olive oil. 

But in February, I am in Colorado, and this winter salad strikes a cord. It has a European sensibility and taste for a winter’s want for something light and tasty.

This recipe came from my friend, Frank Stitt, perhaps my favorite American chef and southern gentleman. His restaurants Highlands Bar and Grill and Bottega, in Birmingham, Alabama are unbelievably good. His flavors, produce and know-how are completely authentic. I stepped into Bottega for the first time 8 years ago, ordered a fried oyster salad and fell in love. I said to the waiter, "Who is this man?!" 

This recipe comes from Bottega Favoritia: A Southern Chef’s Love Affair With Italian Food.

TUSCAN EGG SALAD WITH YOUNG LETTUCES

A winter salad sure to please, as we look forward to the brightness of spring.

> 2 T extra virgin olive oil
> 1/4 lb pancetta in one piece, unrolled and cut into lardoons (1/4 by 1/4 strip)

> 1 shallot finely chopped

> 8 very fresh organic eggs 
> Maldon sea salt and freshly ground pepper

> 4 cups of mixed young lettuces, such as frisee, arugula, young big and romaine

> 2-3 T of Sherry vinegar

> 4 slices of baguette

Warm the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook for 2-3 minutes, until it just begins to crisp and render it’s fat. Add the shallots and cook for one minute until softened.

Meanwhile, beat the eggs and season with sea salt an pepper. Pour the eggs into the sauté pan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring until the eggs are just set, 2-3 minutes.

Combine the lettuces in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper. Add the vinaigrette and toss.

Add the warm eggs to the salad greens and toss lightly. Divide the "egg salad" among four plates and garnish with toasts.

Recommended wine: Vernaccia di San Gimignano.

Simple Almond cake from Andalucia: Tartes de Almendres de Andalucia

Looking for a simple cake for Thanksgiving or something to please a no-gluten glutton? Here is a recipe from the Spanish trio of Kim Schiffer, Ashley Mulligan in Mallora and myself from the last program in Spain that we did together. Be sure to check it out for next year! www.peggymarkel.com

This almond cake rocks my socks~ it's easy and delicious..that is if you have almonds on hand or happen to have a place to buy almond flour. Bob's Red Mill has a nice one~ but not cheap~ 13.99 for 1 lb bag. But almonds are not cheap either and take a while to blanch, skin and grind. Depends on the day, right? Cheaper than champagne.




Tartes de Almendres de Andalucia

Butter for the pan
Flour (use almond) for the pan
2 cups of ground blanched almonds
1 cup of sugar (or alternative~ honey, etc.)
9 eggs
1/2 t cinnamon
Zest of one orange or lemon
Use confectioner's sugar for dusting or use jam or orange marmalade.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter and dust a 9 in. spring-form pan and shake off excess.
Grind the almonds to a powder (or use pre-ground), set aside.
Separate the yolks from the whites. Beat the whites to a stiff peak and set aside.
Beat yolks and sugar together until thick and light in color. A standing mixer is best.
Add cinnamon and zest. Add the almond flour and mix well.
Fold in the beaten egg whites. 
Pour into prepared pan.

Bake for 30 to 45 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.  Cool on
a rack. Undo the sides and present the cake dusted or topped with marmalade.

Antoniazzi Tuscan Family Recipe: Turkey Stuffed with Sausage, Prunes and Chestnuts

 I just received a beautiful letter from my friend Raffaella Antoniazzi in Florence. It was written in Italian and I have translated it. Oh how I wish I could send it in Italian, as it is written so sweetly.

'La tacchina, deve essere una femmina perche la carne e piu morbida.....'
"il ripieno e di salsiccie di maiale, prugne secche senza nocciolo, e castagne che vengono cotte
sulle brace, pelate e ripassate in una padellina con il burro e l'alloro..'

Italians don't celebrate Thanksgiving of course, but they do eat turkey for Christmas. I would like to  pass this along to you to use if you are looking for something unusually good for your Thanksgiving table this year, or save it for Christmas...that is if you can wait.

Raffaella collects Primitive American quilts and has some of the most beautiful ones I have ever seen.
She has a passion for true American design from her days at Biedermeyer in New York. Looks like she has taken a bit after her grandmother Antoniazzi.


Hello Dear,

I'm sending you the turkey recipe from 'La Nony' Antoniazzi, the mother of my father and aunt Bebi.
She was born in San Pellegrino, near Bergamo in Lombardia and was the daughter of Tommaso Manfredi, the doctor of the village. A handsome man who attended to the sick by horseback from village to village.

La Nony (Erminia, said Mimmina), is also my middle name. she was the second of three children between Tommasina and Pino. She was a fantastic cook, but not only. She painted, wrote (the story of her life!) and had other brilliant ideas that were too forward for her time. She was an Aquarius. I adored her.

Here is the recipe. She must be a female turkey because the meat will be more tender e 'non troppo grande' for 8-10 people.

(Italian recipes are often written out in sentence or paragraph form as is this one.)

Clean the cavity of the turkey well, then sprinkle good 'sale marino' (sea salt) inside and out, but don't exaggerate.

The stuffing is pork sausage, pitted dried prunes, and chestnuts that have been cooked on an open fire, peeled and mashed in a pan with butter and bay leaf.

You stuff the turkey with this delicious mixture and set it in a pan with high sides. The base of the pan should have generous olive oil and butter, (don't exaggerate) as the pork has fat as well. We want it
to be tasty but not too heavy. Put in a few bay leaves and whole black peppercorns also.

The oven should be hot at the beginning to brown the meat for the first 20 minutes. (400F?) It's important to use a baster to marinate the meat from above. Then turn the oven down to let it cook more slowly until done. (350F?) During the cooking, bathe with a heated broth that you have prepared before.

Take out of the oven, let rest, then carve! Bon appetito~

Bahija Lafredi's sensibility for the extraordinary in food, never ceases to amaze me. It comes easy to her.  Unpretentious in her kitchen whites or traditional tunics, she is like a neutral book cover to a colorful, classic novel. Full of surprises, her imagination takes something as simple as a sponge cake and dresses it to the nines with a flip of the wrists.

This basic pineapple upside-down cake came out of the oven beautifully caramelized and mouthwatering. It would have pleased a Queen. Then Bahija said, 'but if you like, you can turn half of it over'. The underside was studded with dates and almonds. Quite a contrast to the yellow caramelized pineapple. She studied it for a minute, then got an idea to quarter it. What started out as a festive cake, now became more so~ A work of art and a feast for the eyes.

Cooking is not always about following a recipe. It's about learning to follow someones way of seeing.

BAHIJA’S PINEAPPLE UPSIDE-DOWN AND TURNED-AROUND DATE CAKE

9 eggs

200 grams flour (1 cup)

200 grams of butter

100 grams of sugar (1/2 cup)

6-8 apples ( pears optional)

1 pineapple

1 cup of sliced, pitted and chopped dates

1 cup of slivered almonds

2 T orange or strawberry marmalade 

2 T baking powder

a pinch of salt

caramel sauce:

100 grams sugar

Melt the sugar on a low flame until it turns a clear light brown. Pour the sauce to coat the bottom of a ring mold, or springform pan. (Caution! Sauce is very hot!)

  

Slice the fruit and put around the pan. Pineapple first, then the apples.

Batter:

Beat the eggs with the butter, salt and sugar.

Mix baking powder with the flour, then add to wet ingredients and mix well.

Pour the batter over the fruit. Decorate the top with the chopped dates and almonds.

Bake for 30 minutes at 350F. Check for doneness with a toothpick. Invert the cake carefully!

      

If you want to make the presentation more interesting, cut the cake in quarters and turn only half of it over. You will have pineapple upside down cake on one side, and dates and almonds on the other.

      

 

Fig and Walnut Tapenade

1 cup chopped dried Calimyrna figs (or one's you've dried yourself)
1/3 cup water
1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives, chopped
2 T extra-virgin olive oil
1 T balsamic vinegar
1 T drained and rinsed capers, chopped
1 1/2 t chopped fresh thyme
1/2 cup toasted and chopped walnuts

Combine figs and water in a heavy medium saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat until liquid evaporates and figs are soft. About 7 minutes. Transfer to bowl and add the rest of the ingredients.
Season to taste with salt and pepper if it needs it.

Serve with manchego or a soft goat cheese on crostini.

Recipe by Kim Schiffer. Recipe made by Ashley Mulligan in the hills of the Alpujarras, Spain.

Zuppa di Pesce Panaresca

Zuppa di Pesce? si..but also Risotto Pescatore


Inside our sailboat the 'Swamy', cooking on a gimbled stove.
photos by: Hank Strauss


Zuppa di Pesce Panaresca
(Fish soup from the Aeolian Island of Panarea)

1 kilo of fresh prawns
3 fresh squid
1/2 kilo of vongole verace (clams)
2 red mullet
 a few cherry tomatoes
1 can of cherry tomatoes, peeled
olive oil
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
white wine
a bunch of parsley, chopped fine
salt to taste
pepperoncino (cayenne) a dash to taste

Peel the prawns, separating prawn from shell. Set the prawns aside. Bring a pot of water to a simmer and drop in prawn shells.

Clean and cut the heads off the mullet. Fillet the fish, cut into 2 to 3 pieces and set aside. Add heads and bones to the broth.

Rinse and tap the clams (looking for a "flat" sound that may indicate a shell without a clam but full of sand). Set aside.

Clean the squid by taking out what’s inside the tube. Peel off the thin outer layer. Slice into rings. Set aside.

Peel and flatten garlic. Rinse and dry. Chop parsley fine. Set aside. Quarter the cherry tomatoes and set aside.

Now you have your mise en place.

Put a generous drizzle of olive oil in the bottom of a large sauté pan. Add chopped garlic and simmer until barely golden. Add pepperoncino, half the parsley and the tomatoes. Stir until saucy. Salt and pepper. Strain and add the broth.

Heat a separate pot. Add some olive oil and a little garlic. Add the clams. Toss them in the hot pan, splash them with white wine and cover the pot with a lid. Steam for 3 minutes, or until the clams open and give up their liquid. Add to the pot. (Be careful not to let any possible residual sand from the pot liquor to slide in.)

Season prawns (or shrimp) and squid with a quick toss in a frying pan, with olive oil, parsley and salt. Set aside. Add to the pot. I like to season things separately before adding the pot, it deepens the flavor. Otherwise, you could just skip this.

Correct salt and pepper . Add the rest of the fish and fish broth if you have some leftover. Let it simmer to marry, but not so long to overcook the seafood.

Garnish with parsley. Serve with garlic toasts. Should be flavorful and spicy.

P.S. Broth can be used for making Risotto, shrimp and squid can be cooked right into the rice.
Scampi in the shell, clams, etc. can be added on top of the risotto before serving.

Learn more about our week-long culinary sailing program along Italy's Amalfi coast.