Thomas Keller's Fried Chicken

The Mister works in Beverly Hills, right next to Bouchon. One day he was walking though the courtyard near Bouchon and saw Thomas Keller having a lunch meeting. They locked eyes and gave each other the gentleman's nod, but if I could go back in time I would make Adam go over there and tell Thomas Keller that we own a blow torch because of him. We'll talk about Blow Torch Prime Rib another time, I promise.

Point is, Thomas Keller rules, and I love that Adam catches glimpses of him every so often. I have two of his cookbooks (French Laundry and Ad Hoc at Home) and they are the most gorgeous cookbooks that I own. The very first recipe in Ad Hoc at Home is for buttermilk fried chicken and it's outstanding. Truly a SND, lots of steps but a big payoff!

The first trick is to brine the chicken. You brine that Thanksgiving turkey, don't you? So why not brine all poultry? It makes such a difference! The brine seasons the chicken and helps it stay incredibly moist. Thomas recommends you brine this chicken for 12 hours (but no more, or the chicken will be too salty). If you're like me and are too lazy to make the brine the night before, get up early in the morning so that the brine has time to chill before you use it. My chicken brined for about seven hours and was delicious - so tender and juicy and lemony.

In a large stockpot, combine 5 halved lemons, 12 bay leaves, 1 bunch of fresh parsley, 1 bunch of fresh thyme, 1/2 cup of honey, 1 head of garlic (halved lengthwise), 1/4 cup black peppercorns, 2 cups of Diamond Crystal kosher salt (the preferred salt of Thomas and myself, if you have a different kind use exactly 10 ounces - Diamond Crystal is considerably lighter than most kosher salts like Morton's), and 2 gallons of water. Give everything a big stir, and bring to a boil. Take the pot of off the heat and cool completely, then chill before you use it.  Now get yourself two 2 1/2 pound chickens and have the butcher (go to Whole Foods!) cut it up for you. Add your chicken to the chilled brine and refrigerate for up to 12 hours. After that time, remove the chicken from the brine and rinse under cold water, then dry with paper towels. Do this an hour and a half before you start the rest of the recipe, you want the chicken to come up to room temp.

Time to make the coating! In a mixing bowl, combine 6 cups all purpose flour, 1/4 cup of garlic powder, 1/4 cup of onion powder, 1 heaping tablespoon of paprika, 1 heaping tablespoon of cayenne pepper, 1 heaping tablespoon of kosher salt, and 1 teaspoon of black pepper. Pour one quart of buttermilk into a separate bowl and season lightly with salt and pepper.

Okay, now set up your dredging/frying station. You want to dredge your chicken next to the stove so it can go in this order: flour, buttermilk, flour, oil. In a large stockpot, heat some canola oil to 320 degrees (use a candy thermometer to monitor your temp). No matter the size of your pot, the oil should not come more than 1/3 of the way up the sides. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set a cooling rack on top. If you don't have a rack, line your sheet with paper towels so that the chicken can drain.

Start with the thighs and legs - dredge as I mentioned above, first in the flour, dunk into the buttermilk, then back into the flour one more time. Lightly shake off any excess and set aside on your cooling rack until all the dark meat is coated. Once your oil comes up to temp, carefully lower the thighs/legs into the pot (don't crowd! If there isn't enough room for everything, do it in batches). Adjust your flame as necessary to maintain the temperature and turn your pieces gently to evenly brown. The chicken will turn a deep golden brown in around 11 to 12 minutes - they will be crazy crispy and cooked through. Set the dark meat aside to drain (skin side up) and sprinkle with kosher salt.

Coat your white meat with the flour and buttermilk, then turn your oil up to 340 degrees. Carefully lower the breasts into the oil, monitor the temp, and cook similar to the thighs for 7 to 8 minutes (golden brown, crisp, and cooked through), set aside to drain (sprinkle with salt) and cook the wings for 6 minutes (then drain and salt). Add a handful of fresh thyme and rosemary sprigs to the hot oil and fry for a few minutes until crisp, then scatter over your beautiful fried chicken on its platter.

Serve immediately with your favorite sides - mac 'n cheese, beet salad, collard greens - have at it, kids! It's time consuming, but fairly simple and totally worth it. Go try it and make Thomas and I proud!

xo,
d

Chicken Enchiladas

Hey kids! Have you just made the below recipe for slow cooker tacos and realized it was crazy delicious but you made far too much? Not to worry, dear friends! Take that leftover shredded chicken and turn it into some delectable and easy enchiladas! And no canned sauce either - you're going to make that yourself and you're going to like it.

So! The sauce. I found this recipe on about.com and it's really quite simple but develops a great flavor. Heat two tablespoons of vegetable oil in a saucepan over medium heat with two tablespoons of flour and two tablespoons of chili powder. Whisk together for a couple of minutes, then add 3/4 teaspoon of cumin, 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper, one teaspoon of garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon of onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, a few grinds of black pepper, one fifteen ounce can of tomato sauce, and one cup of water. Mix well, then simmer for 20 minutes stirring occasionally. You want the sauce to be pretty thin in consistency, so if it looks thick (like marinara) add more water. Taste for seasonings and adjust accordingly - if you want it spicy, add more cayenne. Turn off heat and set aside.

Now for that leftover shredded chicken from the slow cooker tacos. You should have around two cups of meat, place that in a mixing bowl and add 1 cup of thinly shredded cheese (mexican blend!), 1/2 cup of sour cream, 1/2 cup chopped cilantro, and two tablespoons minced chives. Blend together with a spatula, and add a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce if you fancy.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and heat 1/2 cup of vegetable oil in a frying pan. You're going to lightly fry your twelve 6 inch corn tortillas to make them nice and pliable. Cook each tortilla for 20 seconds per side (you don't want them to brown) and drain on paper towels. Time for assembly!

Spread 1/3 to 1/2 cup of your fantastic enchilada sauce in the bottom of a glass baking dish (13x9x2 inch pan), then spoon 1/4 cup of your meat mixture into each tortilla one at a time, roll up, and place seam side down in the pan. Spoon the rest of your sauce over the tortillas, then top with 1/2 cup or so of shredded cheese.

Bake that sucker for thirty minutes, keep a weather eye out and don't burn that cheese! Let cool as long as you can stand to wait and serve those enchiladas up with some sour cream and more freshly chopped  cilantro. Boom. Double duty dinner.

xo,
d

Best Bruschetta Ever

Hi kittens! Quick post here about the best bruschetta I've ever made. Start with some lovely cherry tomatoes - I bought some beautiful heirloom cherry tomatoes at TJs. Give them a quick rinse with some cool water and set aside to dry (I used half of the container, I think it came out to a pint). Thinly slice a baguette on an angle, drizzle with olive oil, and toast in a 350 degree oven for 10-15 minutes. You want them lightly golden brown, but not too crunchy. Once you remove the toasts, rub a piece of raw garlic all over them (don't burn yourself!).

Slice the cherry tomatoes in half or thirds, depending on how big they are. Place the tomatoes in a bowl and add a few good pinches of salt (probably half a teaspoon), a pinch of red pepper flake, a drizzle of aged balsamic vinegar (a teaspoon or so), some finely chopped garlic (one clove), and some olive oil (a one count if you have a pourer on your bottle). Carefully mix, and let sit for five minutes or so for all of the flavors to meld together and the tomatoes to break down slightly. Taste for seasonings and add some more vinegar or salt if it needs. Chop around six leaves of fresh basil and add to the tomatoes.

Now it's time for the most delicious part - the burata cheese! I also got it at TJs and it is one of my favorite cheeses. It comes in water, a ball of creamy deliciousness like mozzarella but with a creamy center. I used one ball of burrata, broke it apart with my hands and added some cheese to each piece of garlicky toast (making sure to taste plenty of that delectable cheese - I can't resist!).  Top each toast with the tomato and basil mixture and be sure to drizzle any leftover vinegar and oil on top of everything.

Time to pig out! This is a fantastic way to start your meal, so fresh with those special tomatoes. What are you waiting for, go make some!

xo,
d

Dry Aged Porterhouse with Leek Bread Pudding and Cherry Tomato Vinaigrette

Hi friends! Time to get back to SND! First things first - dry aged steak. You can do this in your own fridge, people! Why pay $26.99/pound for a dry aged steak at Whole Foods, when you can pay $12.99/pound for a fresh steak and age it yourself? All you need to do is wrap the steak in cheesecloth and place in the coolest part of your fridge (the shelf closest to the freezer is best). We let our steak age for a week, and it was amazing! I let it come to room temp before cooking and coated it with salt and white pepper. Look at this amazing color before it was cooked!

The steak was seared in a hot hot hot cast iron pan for five minutes, then I flipped it and cooked and four minutes on the second, then I let it rest for ten minutes before the Mr. sliced it. Look at the size of that filet!!

Okay, now for sides - Leek Bread Pudding! Yes I said it: Leek. Bread. Pudding. It's f-ing delicious. Of course the recipe is Thomas Keller's from Ad Hoc. A beautiful book, I highly recommend. Start with 2 cups of 1/2 inch thick slices of leeks (be sure not to use the tough, dark green parts at the top). Make sure you really really wash the leeks with cool water - sand can hide in all of those layers. Heat a medium sized saute pan over medium high heat, and add the sliced leeks. Season with salt (couple of pinches) and cook for a few minutes so that the leeks begin to release some liquid. Add 4 tablespoons of butter (yup) and turn the heat down to medium low. Stir often, as this will help the butter to emulsify (thicken). Add a few grinds of pepper (I'm really loving white pepper these days kiddos - I find it a little spicier and it's pretty without the black specs) and cook for a half hour or so (don't forget to stir) until the leeks are very soft. If the butter breaks (or separates) add a teaspoon of water to re-emulsify the sauce.

Whilst the leeks are cooking, slice a loaf of Brioche into 1 inch cubes - you're going to need 12 cups, but i just used one loaf of bread and it was perfect. Thomas' recipe calls for crustless Brioche but I used one with a crust and I really enjoyed the texture. Spread the cubes on a baking sheet and toast up in the oven at 350 degrees for around 15-20 minutes. You want the cubes to be pale gold and dry. Leave the oven at 350 degrees. Once the leeks are soft, mix the leeks/butter with the bread cubes in a large mixing bowl with 1 tablespoon of chopped chives, 1 teaspoon of chopped thyme, and set aside.

Now for the custard! Whisk 3 large eggs in a bowl, then add 3 cups whole milk, 3 cups of heavy cream, a big pinch of salt and (white!) pepper to taste, along with a pinch of grated nutmeg. Side note: as ya'll know, the Mr. is lactose intolerant, so I used lactose free skim milk (4 cups) with half and half (2 cups). I was worried the custard wouldn't thicken, but it totally did.

Okay let's assemble! Sprinkle 1/4 cup of shredded Gruyere (Thomas calls for emmenthaler but I prefer Gruyere) in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking pan. Spread half of the leeks and bread cubes with a spatula over the cheese, then add another 1/4 cup of the cheese. Add the rest of the leeks and bread cubes with another 1/4 cup of cheese, then pour enough of the milk/egg mixture to cover the bread and press gently down with your clean hands so the custard soaks in the milk. Let the bread soak in the milk for fifteen minutes or so. After that, pour more custard so that the tops of the bread cubes stick out and add 1/4 cup of cheese on top (you'll need 1 cup of grated cheese total).

Bake for an hour and a half (at 350 degrees) until the top is golden brown and amaaaaazing. Dudes. Do it now, it's creamy and savory and all over satisfying.

Now for some salad! Quarter around 15 cherry tomatoes and place in a small mixing bowl. Add a 1/4 cup of champagne vinegar (red wine would work too, but I'd like ya'll to try the champagne vinegar, it's super special), one tablespoon of dijon or horseradish mustard, salt/pepper to taste, then whisk in a 1/4 cup plus some (prolly 1-2 tablespoons) of olive oil. Whisk, whisk, then let the cherry tomatoes marinate and break down in the vinaigrette. When you assemble your salad, use butter lettuce and toss in the vinaigrette with some chopped chives and more halved cherry tomatoes. You won't be sorry, this simple and fresh vinaigrette is bright and really cuts the richness of the porterhouse and bread pudding.

This is a fantastic and special meal that I insist you try this weekend, dear friends. Let me know how it goes!

xoxo

d

Crock Pot Tacos

Hey ya'll! My awesome brother gave me a crock pot for Christmas, and I've made these slow cooked tacos three times since. They're super delicious and SPICY. Man up for this one, friends.

So obvi, you need to have a crock pot for this one. You could also do it with a dutch oven over medium low heat, but convenience says to get a freaking crock pot, people. They're all of $20-$30 at Costco. Get there.

This recipe is courtesy of the marvelous Martha, with a few adjustments (but you shouldn't mess with perfection ;). Start with two pounds of boneless, skinless chicken thighs. Throw those in your crockpot with four cloves of chopped garlic, 2-3 chopped chipotles in adobe (you can find these in a can in the market, use three if you love the spicy, two if you're a little wimpy), one tablespoon of chili powder, 1/2 cup of your favorite salsa (be aware of the spice level; again, if you're a spice champion no worries, but I went with a mild salsa because of the chipotles), 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper. Give everything a good stir, then cover and crock pot on high for four hours, eight hours on low. Between the third and fourth hour, give everything a stir and taste for seasonings - you may need to add more salt. You'll know when the chicken is done because you'll be able to shred it easily with a fork which is what you should do. Right in the crockpot (turn it down to warm), shred all of the chicken up

with two forks, then cover until you're ready to serve.

Now for the accoutrement! The man and I are fond of hard shell tacos, but only if we make them ourselves. No no I haven't made tortillas from scratch yet, but I do like to fry soft tacos and shape them into hard shells. Super healthy (ha!), but it makes a huge flavor difference and I insist you try. It's super easy. Start with a wide frying pan that has fairly tall sides to stop splatter. Pour 1/2 inch of canola oil in the pan and heat over medium-high heat. After pre-heating for five minutes or so, drop one small corn tortilla in the oil with tongs. It should start sizzling immediately - if not, your oil is not hot enough.

Fry on one side for ten seconds, then flip with your tongs and fry on the opposite side for five seconds. Now you need to fold your tortilla in half, and this will take some practice. You don't want to fold too far or you'll have to break the shell in half to fill it with the chicken and other goodies. Use the side of the pan to help you fold, and after one or two you'll get it.

Once you've folded the tortilla successfully, cook it on either side until light golden brown. Transfer to an oven safe plate lined with paper towels in the 200 degree oven. The excess oil will drain off and your fancy homemade hardshells will remain hot and crispy until ready to serve.

To build the tacos you should have your favorite shredded cheese blend, shredded lettuce, guacamole (if buying or making, watch the spice level - you'll want mild guac to help cool the spicy tacos), salsa (ditto), and sour cream.

These tacos are delicious and dangerously addictive. Be brave and give the fried taco shells a try, you'll be surprised at how easy they are. Totally worth the extra effort. Let me know how you do!

xo,

d

Italian Wedding Soup

Two blogs in one day! I'm a maniac. I've been meaning to post about Italian Wedding soup for a while and with Steph's cream of asparagus soup post, I decided to make it a soup day. Let's get to it:

This is a Giada receipe that I fanangled a bit. Fanangled is totally a word. Start by making the most important part - the meatballs! Finely chop one medium yellow onion, and saute it in a small frying pan a two count of olive oil and 4 chopped cloves of garlic and 1/3 cup of chopped fresh parsley. Cook over medium heat for around ten minutes, until the onions are tender and just beginning to color. Remove from heat and let cool. In a mixing bowl combine the cooled onions/garlic/parsley with 8 ounces of ground pork, 8 ounces of ground beef (20% fat, just do it), one large egg, 1/4 cup bread crumbs, 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, one teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of ground pepper. Get right up in there and mix everything together with your hands, then shape into small bite-sized meatballs - around one inch or so. Place on a plate or small baking sheet and refrigerate for fifteen minutes.

Get out your soup pot and heat a four count of olive oil over medium high heat for a couple of minutes. Cook your meatballs over medium heat in the pot (you may need to do this in batches to avoid over crowding), just to nicely brown the outside - they won't be cooked through so no chef tasting! You'll finish cooking them in the broth. Once you've removed the browned meatballs, de-glaze the pot with 1/2 cup of white wine. Next add ten cups of chicken stock, salt/pepper to taste and bring to a simmer. Carefully add your browned meatballs back to the pot and cook through, this will take five minutes or so. Next add one bag of baby spinach leaves (note - Giada uses one pound of chopped escarole, which I may try next time, I think it will hold up better than the spinach for leftovers). Cook the spinach for a few minutes (note - escarole will take longer, around ten minutes, so I would add that with the meatballs) over medium heat. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together two large eggs with 2/3 cup of grated parmesan cheese. Add this mixture to the soup slowly, while stirring with a fork to make long strands of egg. Stir carefully for another minute, taste for seasonings and add if necessary, then add the juice of 1/2 lemon (or a whole lemon if it's small). You're done! Pretty simple, right?

Get to it and let me know what you think about spinach vs. escarole.

xo

d

Guest Blog! Cream of Asparagus Soup

And now dear friends, it's time for a long overdue guest blog. This one comes from my lovely and fabulous cousin Steph, who I hope will become a frequent contributor. In her first guest blog, she treats us to a delicious recipe for cream of asparagus soup - a recipe that I am soon to try. Peruse, enjoy, and let us know what you think! Take it away, Steph:

I made this soup for a Valentine’s Day party. Some mommy friends and I got together while our beauties played and this is what I served them. They ranted and raved over it – even my mom (who is not an asparagus lover) really enjoyed it.

First, I sautéed some onions and garlic in some butter (I suppose you could use EVOO if you wanted… I am a fan of the buttah). Maybe ½ an onion and a tablespoon of minced garlic. Once those become soft, add 2 bundles of asparagus that have been sliced into 1 inch pieces. The size doesn’t really matter because you will be blending it all up anyway. Make sure to remove the bottom 1/3 of the asparagus. It’s kind of woody and not really yummy to eat. Sauté that for a couple minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. I also added a teeny tiny bit of cayenne pepper (and by teeny tiny, I really mean teeny tiny, you don’t want that to over power). Then add 2 boxes of chicken broth – or 1 box of broth and the same amount of water. If you use water, you will need to add a tablespoon or so of chicken base for extra flavor. Boil the asparagus until it’s tender. At this point you can either bust out your handy dandy emersion blender which is one of Dana’s favorite kitchen tools or let the soup cool and in batches, put in the blender and blend until smooth. MUST. LET. COOL….or you will have an asparagus explosion on your hands.

Once everything is blended until smooth, add it back into the soup pot. Add a 16 ounce container of sour cream (or plain Greek yogurt would probably work too if that is more up your alley). Stir to combine and taste for seasoning. Be careful how much salt you add because ….wait for it… you will be adding some roasted asparagus and homemade croutons to the soup!! Yes please! If the soup seems too thin, make a quick rue and add that to the mix. I used 2 tablespoons of butter and about 1 ½ tablespoons of flour. A nice loose rue will help to tighten up the soup a little bit. Make sure to cook the rue for a couple minutes so you don’t get the raw flour taste.

Now, on to the roasted asparagus and croutons. Slice another bundle of asparagus in 1 – 1 ½ inch pieces (discard the bottom 1/3 again). Put them on a baking sheet and coat them in EVOO,

salt, and pepper. Roast in the oven for a half hour or so (until they are soft). For the croutons, cut up some French bread or some other kind of dense bread into 1 inch cubes. Drizzle with EVOO, garlic salt, and pepper. Bake in a 375 degree oven for a half hour or so (until they are kind of crunchy). Serve soup with a few roasted asparagus pieces and some croutons on top. It is delish!!! And easy peazy lemon squeezy!!

Weeknight Dinner - Panko Crusted Pork Chops with Cider-Mustard Sauce

I really am going to try to post more, people. I promise. I even started a twitter account, so follow me for quick food insights and lots and lots of kitty pictures! Hit me up: @osterblum

Now for a quick treat, a weeknight meal that is simple but super delish - and uses a protein I am quite wary of: pork chops! If you're a regular reader here at SND you'll know that I rarely cook with pork tenderloins/chops (now bacon - that's another story). I just feel like pork chops are always overcooked and boring. Well I take it back! They're a great idea for a weeknight dinner because they cook quickly and if done right (and simply) they can be outstanding. Here's whatcha do:

Start with four bone in pork chops (Trader Joes or Whole Foods). Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and preheat your favorite large skillet over medium high heat. Coat the pork chops in S/P seasoned flour (1/2 cup or so), then egg (2 whisked on a plate), then panko bread crumbs (a japanese bread crumb with a great texture - you'll need probably 2 cups). I like to set up the dredging station right next to the stove for minimal spillage. Be sure to really press the panko crumbs in after you've floured/egged. Pour a six count of olive oil in your heated pan, let it heat for a moment or two, then cook the chops for a few minutes per side to get the coating nice and crispy. Once each side has a nice brown crust, remove the chop from the pan, and place into the oven on a sheet pan with a rack. The chops will be rare at this point, but if you cook them in the oven after browning whilst you prepare the rest of your meal, they should come out perfectly juicy and medium (it's about 15 minutes).

Pour the oil from your frying pan, and over medium to medium high heat add some hard apple cider (I used half of one of those tall bottles, I think it's a 20 ounce bottle? I'm awesome with details, I know). Reduce the cider for a few minutes, then add 3 tablespoons of whole grain mustard and whisk in. Once the mustard is combined add some S/P to taste as well as 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne pepper (or more, if you want it spicier). I added the cayenne because the cider was super sweet and I didn't want the dish to be cloying. In a small bowl whisk together 1/2 cup of chicken stock with 2 tablespoons of flour, then whisk that into your sauce to tighten it up a bit. Once it's thickened, taste for seasoning and then add about 1/4 cup of half and half. Turn the heat down to low and bubble for a few minutes more.

And you're donesies! Serve the chops with the sauce on the side and over some gnocchi (pre-made and purchased from Trader Joes) and asparagus with garlic. I made the gnocchi (which cooks very quickly) and asparagus as the sauce was coming together, so your timing should be just right if you start the sauce and sides after the chops go into the oven. The asparagus is super easy, just chop 1-2 cloves of garlic, fry them over medium heat in a little olive oil for thirty seconds, then add your asparagus (be sure to trim the bottom third from the asparagus stalks). Add some S/P and a few glugs of white wine - they'll take about five minutes to get tender but still have plenty of bite (longer for super thick asparagus, I like using the really thin stalks). A nice spritz of some fresh lemon at the end of cooking brightens the asparagus up nicely.

I'd love to hear your thoughts! Give this one a try and let me know.

xo,

d

Grandma Lillian's Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Last month I got the rare treat of a visit with my dear Aunt Sandy and cousin Tricia, when Tricia's husband Johnny was at a conference in Anaheim. Adam and I drove down to have dinner with Tricia and Sandy and it was delightful. As we chatted, I mentioned to Sandy that I hadn't had chicken and wild rice soup in forever and wondered if she could send me Grandma Lil's recipe, to which she readily agreed :) The recipe came this week, and today was the perfect day to try it: cold and rainy. As I typically do, I altered the recipe just slightly (love you Grandma!), but it's mostly OG. Oster-cousins: do you have any additions/alterations? Mom says Aunt Kay puts duck in her version and that sounds divine.

Alrighty, start with a rotisserie chicken for this soup, as it's my ultimate soup cheat. Skin, de-bone, and set aside. You'll need two cups of the chopped chicken. You should also start your wild rice at this point - the recipe calls for 2 cups of cooked wild rice, and it usually takes and hour, so get that going first. Slice six slices of bacon into lardons and fry in your stock pot with a one count of olive oil until crispy. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon then set aside, and pour out most of the bacon fat. Add one stick (yup!) of butter, then 1/2 cup of minced onions and cook over medium heat. As the onions are cooking, finely chop (or use your food processor if you don't like the texture of celery) 2 stalks of celery. Remove the leaves from the top of the stalks before you chop, slice those up and add to the onions. Add the minced celery, then chop up 1/2 pound of crimini mushrooms. Add the mushrooms to the pot and season with salt and pepper. Stir these veggies occasionally as you chop and be sure not to burn. Peel and slice up one cup of carrots and add to the pot. Add one teaspoon of dried dill and taste for seasonings, add s/p if needed. Deglaze with a few glugs of white wine (optional, I like the flavor it adds) and cook for a few minutes more to cook the wine out. Add 1/2 cup of flour and cook for a moment, stirring well to combine. Now pour in six cups of warmed chicken broth slowly, stirring constantly until the soup has thickened. Turn to medium low and bubble away for a few minutes. Taste again for seasoning, I added a few shakes of celery salt and more pepper at this point.

Now for some decadence: add 2 cups of half and half. Yum. I used whole milk that is lactose free because as we know, Adam does not tolerate lactose. Aunt Sandy also recommends whole milk, so use either. Simmer, stirring occasionally for a few minutes more. Be sure to taste for seasonings again before serving.

Ladle some of this thick, delicious amazingness into bowls, and crumble the crispy bacon on top. I served this soup with some crusty bread infused with rosemary on the side and it was heaven. Absolutely perfect for a rainy day, and I can't wait to have it for lunch tomorrow.

I'm so grateful to add this recipe to my repertoire, and it reminds me of sitting at Grandma's table. I still miss her every single day, so cooking her food makes me feel a little closer to her. Love you, Gram! Thanks Aunt Sandy for this precious food memory.

xoxo,

D

Sally Tomato Dinner Party

Hi friends! Sorry I've been absent lately, don't think it's because I don't love you.

Let's jump right in, it's the holiday season and I'm sure many of you will be involved in dinner parties. The below menu follows my love of slow cooking, but would also be really easy to make ahead with minimal effort. I had the lovely Sally Tomatoes over on Saturday night for a fancy cocktail/dinner party and the food seemed to go over well :) For those of you who don't know, I'm in an all girl (aw yeah) a cappella group (check out our Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=216667725069213) and we felt the need for some fanciness. Give this party menu a try and you won't be sorry!

I started with dessert first (duh). Now I'm not a huge sweets fan (gives me a tummy ache, natch) but I wanted the girls to be able to finish the meal off with something delectable. The result was a compromise: salted butterscotch pudding. A-freaking-mazing. I made it the night before so all I had to do the night of was whip some cream right before serving. Start with 2 1/4 cups of whole milk and one cup of heavy cream (yeah, this isn't fat free. deal). Pour the milk and cream into a saucepan, bring to a simmer, then set aside. In a large frying pan melt six tablespoons of butter then add 1 1/4 cups of dark brown sugar, cook -whisking frequently- over medium high heat. The recipe that I found for this on foodnetwork.com says that you should cook this 5 to 7 minutes until you smell a caramelized scent. I've found (making this recipe twice) that this happens in 2-3 minutes. You want to caramelize the sugar, not burn, so cook stirring frequently and sniff for that nutty delicious smell. When you get it, whisk the butter/sugar into the milk and cream mixture (use your hand blender if it's lumpy). Meanwhile, separate three egg yolks into a small bowl, then whisk in 1/2 cup of the hot milk/cream along with 1/4 cup of cornstarch and a heaping 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Now whisk the eggs/cornstarch into the milk/cream/sugar mix over medium heat until it gets good and thick. Turn off the heat and mix in 1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla. Separate the puddin' into ramekins and refrigerate uncovered overnight. When ready to serve, top with fresh whipped cream and BOOM. Delicious town.

Okay now it's time for the main course. Brisket: let's do this. Sara Moulton has provided the most perfect recipe pretty much ever. Okay first thing - Sara wants you to peel a whole head of garlic. If you're not lazy, you break the bulb apart, boil the cloves for thirty seconds, drain, cool then peel. Orrrr you can buy them already peeled in the refrigerated section of your market. Your choice.

Ooh pre-heat the oven! 325 degrees! (I totally added this sentence when I was almost done with the blog. I'm terrible at remembering to pre-heat the oven).

Alrighty, so you need to coat a five pound brisket with seasoned (s/p) flour, shake off any excess. Heat three tablespoons of evoo in a dutch oven until almost smoking, then brown the brisket on all sides. Remove the brisket and set aside. Cook four sliced leeks (Sara says onions, I like leeks) with your garlic cloves (season with some s/p) for ten minutes or so until lightly browned. Pour in three cups of red wine (I went with a zinfandel) and scrape the yummy bits from the bottom of the pot. Add 1/4 cup of tomato paste, 2 bay leaves, and one teaspoon of dried thyme. Bring to a boil and cook out most of the liquid, stirring frequently. I got super impatient at this part of the recipe but I promise it's worth the wait. You are reducing the sauce and intensifying the flavor by like, I dunno, a million or something (math isn't my strong suit). Next pour in one quart of chicken stock (I actually used half chicken stock, half beef stock) and bring to a boil again. Add the brisket, cover the pot with aluminum foil and the lid, then roast for 3-4 hours. The brisket is ready when a fork comes out easily after piercing the meat.

Take a nice break whilst the meat is in the oven, put your feet up, and have a glass of wine. Take five minutes and make the amazingly delicious horseradish sauce: mix 1/2 cup of prepared horseradish with one cup of mayo, a handful of chopped chives and a few squeezes of lemon juice. Cover and refrigerate until you're ready to serve.

Okay when the brisket is ready, remove from the braising liquid and cover with foil, letting the meat rest for at least 15 minutes. Strain the liquid into a fat separator (I refuse to believe you don't have this amazing implement by now), then cook the liquid down until it's reduced by half. I mixed a little of the liquid with a few tablespoons of cornstarch, then added to the liquid to speed up the thickening (impatient!). Now you have an amazing gravy. Slice your gorgeous brisket against the grain and serve with the gravy and horseradish sauce.

Also! I made goat's cheese polenta (4 cups of liquid -chicken stock- to one cup of corn meal, whisk the corn meal into the boiling liquid. Add s/p, some cream and goat's cheese, perhaps some chives and you're donesies). Another delicious side: caramelized shallot brussels sprouts. Yeah that happened. Saute 1/2 pound of sliced shallots in 3 tablespoons of butter over medium heat (add s/p) until golden brown. Then you'll add a pinch of sugar and 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar. Stir for another three minutes or so, until the vinegar has cooked down, then set aside. Quarter 1 1/2 pounds of brussels sprouts and saute in 2 tablespoons of olive oil (s/p) until they begin to color. Add 3/4 cup of water and saute until most of the water has evaporated, then add 3 tablespoons of butter :). Cook that down and add the caramelized shallots and serve. Best. Brussels sprouts. Ever.

This was a relatively simple dinner party with fantastic results. I insist you try this at one of your upcoming holiday parties. You won't be sorry!

xo,

d

Sunday Pizza Pie!

What up peeps? I know I know - I've done pizza before. But this one is different! We're making the dough from scratch (a new, fantastic recipe), the sauce from scratch, and....the sausage! That's right homemade sausage! It actually quite easy and really really delicious.

First things first: you need to start with the dough because it has to proof (rise) for two hours. This dough recipe is really delicious and simple. It's from the same fantastic old school book that the recent meatball recipe is from. Begin with 1/2 an envelope of yeast and mix with 1/3 cup of lukewarm water and set aside. Next you should sift 1 1/2 cups of water with one teaspoon of salt. Cut 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter into cubes and mix it into the flour with your fingers. Mix one egg with the yeast and water, then stir into the flour mixture until a ball dough is formed. If the dough is feeling a little stiff, add a smidge of water. Now comes the fun part: kneading! Sprinkle some flour on your kneading surface and turn your dough ball out onto it. Don't know how to knead? It's easy! Use the palm of your to push the dough into the surface, turn a quarter turn, and repeat. I'm sure if you Google it you'll find a video demonstrating. Knead that dough until it's smooth and elastic, form into a ball, an then place into a lightly oiled bowl. Cover the bowl with a towel and let rise in a warm place for two hours.

Whilst your dough is rising, make the snausage! Now, don't be intimidated, it's really quite easy. If you have a stand mixer with a meat grinding attachment, fantastic! If not, don't worry! That's what your food processor is for! This recipe is a modified Mark Bittman. Begin with one pound of boneless pork shoulder and 1/4 to 1/2 pound fresh pork fatback.

..Uh, Dana? Where the hell do I get fresh pork fat back?

Yeahhhh. I'm going to guess Whole Foods or a specialty butcher. If you don't feel like searching fatback out (which we didn't because we're lazy) you can go with pancetta or bacon. You can buy the pancetta nice and cubed up right at Trader Joes, but I'll warn you - as delicious as our sausage was, I think it was a tad dry. The fatback (I think) would have been perfect.

Okay so cube up the pork and fatback (or pancetta/bacon). Place around one cup of the mixture into a food processor and mince in one second pulses until well chopped. If you have a meat grinding attachment for your stand mixer, use the medium-small grinder plate, and you don't have to do grind in batches. Add some fresh parsley (a small handful) to your food processor or meat grinder to incorporate with the meats. If food processing, take your time and be careful not to pulverize the meat. Place the ground meats/parsley into a bowl.

Time for spices! If you have a mortar and pestle, this is a great time to use it! If not, do you have a coffee grinder for spices only? If you don't have any of that, I would use ground fennel, not fennel seeds. I have a mortar and pestle (a great investment - you may not use it often, but when you do it's incredibly handy; when you don't they are beautiful to look at), so I went with the fennel seeds - one teaspoon. Crush the fennel a little, then add one teaspoon of minced fresh garlic, 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and a few grinds of black pepper. Crush with the pestle until well mixed, then gently incorporate your spices with the ground meat with your hands. Wrap the sausage mixture in parchment paper and then place into the fridge for 1-2 hours. Let those delicious spices do their work! If you don't use all of this sausage on your pizza (and you probably won't) the sausage can be in the fridge for three days or frozen for up to three months.

Okay, next! I made some tomato sauce by mincing one small yellow onion with two cloves of garlic, and sweating that out in a three count of olive oil in a small saucepan. After 5-7 minutes over medium heat, add one 14 ounce can of pureed tomatoes. Turn the heat to medium low and season with salt/pepper to taste. If you have some red wine it would be lovely to add a few glugs of that. Some fresh basil and or parsley would be fantastic as well. Partially cover and let this bubble away as you prepare the rest of your toppings.

We made one pizza pie with sausage and fresh mozzarella (grated parm on top) and the other with minced sauteed mushrooms and artichokes (not minced). For the mushrooms, put a three count of olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat. While that is heating up, finely mince one basket of brown mushrooms and add to the pan. I know you're tempted to salt now, but don't do that until the end! Saute the mushrooms until they've browned, then add a pinch of dried thyme and salt/pepper to taste. Set aside. Next grab a bag of frozen artichoke hearts (defrosted - you can find these at Trader Joe's) and saute in the same pan as the mushrooms with some red pepper flakes (to taste, I used a large pinch), S/P and fresh parsley. Once you get some color on the artichoke hearts, deglaze the pan with a few glugs of marsala wine. Cook the wine out and they're done! Set aside. Now it's time to brown that gorgeous homemade sausage! Take a large pinch of the raw sausage, flatten in the palm of your hand, then brown in the olive oil in batches. Drain on paper towels, and now you're FINALLY ready to build those pizzas! Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Grease two 8 inch pie pans. Divide your dough ball into two, then roll out on a floured surface to fit the pie pans - it's okay if it falls over the top of the pan because you're going to roll it down. Spoon some of your delectable red sauce on top of the dough and spread around. There's no rule here, if you like a ton of sauce put it down! For the sausage pizza, place a good amount of your brown sausage around the pie plate. Dot with torn pieces of fresh mozzarella, sprinkle with grated parmesan, drizzle with a touch of olive oil and that's ready for the oven! Same for the veggie pizza - spread the sauce, dole out the mushrooms, divide up the artichoke hearts, tear the mozzarella, sprinkle the grated parmesan and olive oil! There are before and after pictures above for reference. Once all of your toppings are in, roll down the excess dough (see above photos!).

Bake for twenty minutes or so, but keep a weather eye on those 'zas in the last five minutes - no burning! Let them rest out of the oven for at least five minutes so those guys can set up and so you don't burn your poor mouth!

Use any toppings that you love, but do try the homemade sausage. It's mush easier than you think and one million times more delicious!

Xo,

D

Meatball Sauce

Well hello again! How's this for progress, two posts in one night! Now we're going to talk about meatball sauce. The hubby was just given an amazing Italian cookbook from 1962 and we've been wanting to try one of these recipes for a while. I'm telling you, this will blow any meatball recipe you have out of the water! Honestly, I wasn't sure about soaking the bread in water (not milk??) and no egg in the meatball (whaa?) but the meatballs were amazing, tender, and juicy. Be patient and check it out:

Start with two slices of white bread - soak them in one cup of water for a few minutes then mash them up with a fork. Get the bread nice and smooth, then press as much of the water out with the fork. You can also pat it with a paper towel to get the water out. Put the bread in a mixing bowl with 1/2 pound of ground beef, 1/2 pound of ground pork, two cloves of minced garlic (I microplaned it, if you don't have a microplane get one right now), 2 teaspoons of fresh basil, one teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of pepper, and a 1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese. Use your hands and mix everything together - be sure to take the time and really incorporate all of the ingredients. Roll the mixture into walnut sized balls, and preheat a large saute pan with three tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Brown the meatballs lightly, then add 1/2 cup of minced onions, 2 cloves of garlic (again microplaned), one 28 ounce can of pureed tomatoes (you can used diced, I prefer pureed for the texture), one cup of water, one teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flake, and a few grinds of black pepper. Stir well (but carefully, don't rip the precious precious meatballs), then bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to low, then simmer this pot of delicious for 90 minutes. Yeah, I said it: 90 minutes. It's. So. Worth. It.

I served this amazing sauce with a pappardelle (long flat noodle that is wider than fettuccine), but you can use any pasta that you like. After the sauce cooks for 90 minutes, add a few tablespoons of chopped parsley. Serve over your pasta with the parsley and some grated parm.

In my humble opinion these may be the best meatballs I've ever made (sorry Tyler!). Honestly, the sauce was just delicious, and the meatballs plain old rad. Do try this, you won't be sorry!

BFF,

d

Lemon Chicken Under a Cast Iron Pan

Hi friends! It's been a long time, yadda yadda yadda, let's cook!

I've been wanting to try Chicken under a Brick for a while now, but as some of you might know the grill is not my favorite place to cook. Give me a gas stove and I'm a happy camper. So instead of finding a brick to make this delectable treat I took Mark Bittman's advice and used a cast iron skillet (well, two actually - one to cook in and one for the weight). This seriously is in my top five best chicken preparations ever. The skin get so crispy and amazing, and inside it's so juicy you won't believe it.

Start with one whole chicken that is 3-4 pounds (responsible dining, people! try to get organic, cage free birds). If you get it from a butcher, have them remove the backbone. If you're brave and have a very sharp knife, you can do that yourself. I got this recipe from Mark Bittman's "The Minimalist", and there are directions and pictures on how to remove the backbone. Or you can google it. Just remove the backbone. I've changed his recipe slightly for more lemon flavor.

In a large bowl or cake pan, mix together 2 tablespoons of chopped garlic, 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary, 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, and the juice of two lemons. Throw the husks of of the lemons in too, why not? Add S&P to taste (be liberal here, you want this chicken to have lots of flavor). Place your flattened chicken in the bowl and rub your lemon mixture all over, even putting some under the skin (without detaching the skin, be careful). Cover and marinate in your refrigerator for at least a half and hour and up to a day. Turn it over every now and then until you're ready to cook.

Which is now! Preheat the oven to 500 degrees, and preheat an ovenproof skillet that is at least 12 inches in diameter. I used my trusty cast iron skillet, and right before I put the chicken in I sprayed some non-stick spray (since there is already olive oil in the marinade). Put the chicken in the pan skin side down, along with the rest of the marinade. Weigh your chicken down with another (smaller) skillet or cast iron pan (or a brick wrapped in aluminum foil). Doing this will flatten your chicken to cook evenly - cook over medium high heat for 5 minutes, then move to the oven. Roast for 15 minutes (use the timer people!), then remove from the oven, remove the weight, and turn the chicken over (it should now be skin side up, der). Place the pan back in the oven and roast for 10 more minutes. And voila! This can be served hot or at room temp. Be sure to garnish with lemon slices for squeezing.

Serve with your favorite sides (I think we did rice pilaf and salad) - and enjoy! Let me know how it goes!

Celeriac and Braised Short Ribs

And I'm back! Sorry it's been so long, life's been busy.

Let's jump right in! Sethy gave Adam and I two Thomas Keller cookbooks a while ago, and this was my first attempt at one of his beautiful, complicated recipes. The two books are French Laundry and Ad Hoc. French Laundry is amazing, and has ridiculous difficult recipes that require more skill than I have right now. Ad Hoc is a little more approachable, and I've paging through it for weeks trying to decide what to do first for SND. Here's what I came up with: Braised beef short ribs with Celery root (celariac) with melted onions. SERIOUSLY YUMMY. Thomas Keller kicks ass. This took quite some time, so be sure to start early in the day! This recipe is why I love SNDs.

Okay, ribs first. You need to first create an amazing reduction to braise the ribs in. Start with combining (in a large dutch oven) 1 bottle of dry red wine (something you'd drink! remember, you're concentrating flavor here) with 1 cup of diced yellow onion, 1 cup of carrot slices, 1 cup of sliced leeks, 1 cup of sliced shallots, 1 cup of sliced button mushrooms, 3 thyme sprigs, 6 sprigs of flat leaf parsley, 2 bay leaves, 1/2 teaspoon of black peppercorns, and 3 cloves of smashed garlic. Bring this to a simmer over high heat, then reduce the heat (and the sauce!) for thirty to forty minutes. Don't be tempted (I was!) to salt/pepper this reduction - you are going to add seasoning later.

Whilst you're reducing the wine sauce, trim any sinew that is on your short ribs (you should have 2 1/2 pounds of boneless chuck short ribs), making sure to leave the fat and silverskin intact. Here's where you season: salt and pepper all sides of the ribs generously, then give them a good dredge in some flour. Make sure to shake off any excess flour. Pour some canola oil (I'd say four to five good glugs) in a large frying pan over high heat until it shimmers. Add the ribs in fat side down, turn the heat down to medium, and brown the ribs on all sides. It should be around three minutes per side, just keep a weather eye out - no burning! Take the ribs out once they've browned and set aside.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees now! See, I'm telling you early, so you don't forget! I'm a good friend like that.

Now you're going to add more vegetables to your dutch oven with the reduced wine sauce: 1 cup diced yellow onion, 2/3 cup sliced carrots, 1 1/2 cups sliced leeks, 2-4 smashed cloves of garlic, 3 thyme sprigs, and 2 bay leaves. Mix well. Now you need to cut a piece of cheesecloth around four inches larger than the diameter of the pot. Thomas Keller recommends this because he doesn't think the meat should actually touch the vegetables during the braising process - the meat will take on the flavor of the veggies, but nothing will cling to it. You can find cheesecloth in specialty food stores (I got mine at Surfas in Culver City). Moisten the cheesecloth, wring it out well, and place on top of the vegetables/wine reduction. Add the meat on top of the cheesecloth, then add 5 cups of beef stock. Cover everything with a piece of parchment cut to fit the dutch oven, and place in the oven. Now you'll need to lower the heat to 325 degrees and braise the beef for 1 1/2 - 2 hours until super tender.

Take the meat out of the braising liquid and set aside. Strain the braising liquid and skim the fat as best as you can. Here's where I deviate from the recipe a bit. Ladle out a cup or so of the liquid, add a few tables spoons of cornstarch and whisk together. Put the braising liquid back on the stove top, bring to a simmer, and whisk in the corn starch mixture. Simmer the gravy on low, whisking occasionally whilst you prepare the ribs. Slice them across the grain into 1/2 inch thick slices. Transfer to a platter, and ladle some of the gravy on top, then put the rest of the gravy in a gravy boat for passing at the table. Delicousness. But wait! You need something to serve with these ribs! How about...Celariac with melted onions!

Yes please! Celariac or celery root is delicious. I know, it's crazy for me to think that, since I'm not a huge celery fan. This preparation really mellows out the celery flavor and totally brightens the rich braised ribs. Just try it, I think you'll surprise yourself!

This is also Thomas Keller's recipe out of Ad Hoc, and it's brilliant. Start with the melted onions. Slice three yellow onions and cook in a large saute pan over medium low with 3 tablespoons of butter. Add two good pinches of salt and stir. As the onions cook, prepare a sachet. I know, fancy right? Use some more of your cheesecloth to make a delicious pocket of flavor: 1 bay leaf, 3 thyme sprigs, 10 black peppercorns and one smashed garlic clove. Tie the cheesecloth at the top with some butcher's twine, then toss the sachet in with the onions. Cover your pan and cook on medium low heat, keeping a close eye on them. The onions need to look creamy at all times, so if they are looking dry add a bit of cold water and stir. The onions should be done after 30 minutes or so and be super melty and tender. Set aside.

I've done this a bit differently than TK - a little easier for the home cook, but with all of the basic steps and flavors. Start with 4 large celery roots. Prepare your celery root by chopping off the top and bottom, giving yourself a flat surface to work with. Slice off the skin in strips from top to bottom, working your way around the root. Quarter each root, then slice thinly with a mandoline. The will resemble wide, thin pieces of pasta. Heat a large saute pan with 2 tablespoons of butter, then add four chopped garlic cloves and some chopped fresh parsley (TK calls for thyme here, but I thought there was enough thyme in the ribs). Cook the garlic for thirty seconds, then add the celeriac. Stirring from time to time, making sure all the slices are covered with butter and garlic. Cover the pan and cook for ten minutes. Now add your melted onions. Heaven. Increase the heat to medium high and add 1/2 cup of chicken or vegetable stock. Bring to a simmer - this should be a creamy dish so add more stock if necessary. Season with salt and pepper, always tasting. The celeriac will have the texture of al dente pappardelle pasta and a wonderful, bright and creamy flavor. I really insist that you try this dish.

Serve your ribs and celeriac with a green salad and a full bodied red wine (or white if you're a red wine wimp like me ;)

Seriously, I know this sounds kind of complicated but it's so worth it! Give it a try the next time you have a special occasion and plenty of time to prepare this wondrous meal.

BFF,
d

Party.... Pizza Party!

Oh hi friends! The Golden Globes were last weekend, and nothing says Golden Globe fanciness like a pizza party! Johnny found a great recipe in a magazine for home made dough (recipe courtesy of Pizza A Casa), so I went for it, even though baking freaks me out. I hate measuring! Stop telling me what to do, recipe! Oh wait, that's kind of what I'm trying to do here. Ah hypocrisy.

Four delectable pizzas were made: Spicy turkey sausage and provolone, pepperoni and fresh mozzarella, pancetta with shredded jack/cheddar, and black olive, asparagus, and carmelized onions. Yup. Delicious-town. All pizzas pictured here - not sure why I didn't take a picture of the veggie pizza after it was baked, but oh wells. You get the idea, right?

Start with the dough first, because you need to give it time to rise. In a large bowl mix 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour (don't sift), 1 1/2 cups water, 1 packet active dry yeast, 1 tablespoon EVOO, and one teaspoon sea salt. Combine with a wooden spoon or flour covered hands. Once the dough comes together, turn it out onto a floured surface and knead into

a ball. Place the ball into a clean bowl, cover with saran wrap, and let rise for at least an hour in a warm corner of your kitchen. Plenty of time to prepare your toppings!

Since we are going all homemade - all the way here, you gots to make your own sauce! Or at least fancy up some tomato sauce that you may already have in your pantry. I used a 15 ounce can of tomato puree, so go with that or whatever you have on hand. Add a little red wine, onion and garlic powder, red pepper flakes (a pinch!), dried oregano (couple pinches), and S & P. Simmer the sauce over low heat whilst you prepare your other ingredients and be sure to keep tasting for seasonings.

For the spicy turkey sausage and provolone: Cook three spicy italian turkey sausages in a pan over medium heat. I find that the outside cooks faster (and burns) than the inside, so after the sausages begin to brown, add a few tablespoons of water to the pan. This will steam your snausages to help cook the insides. The water will evaporate and then they will continue to brown. Remove from the pan, let cool a bit, then slice into bite sized slices. I used sandwich slices of provolone and just ripped them up, but if you find shredded provolone, use that. Set aside until you're ready to assemble.

For the veggie pizza: slice one yellow or red onion. Drop a few tablespoons of butter and a one count of EVOO into a frying pan and caramelize those onions over low heat. Add some wine after they begin to color, the sugars in the wine will help your caramelization and add deliciousness. Set onions aside in a bowl to cool. Chop your bunch of asparagus into bite sized pieces (I used the tips only), then add a touch more EVOO to your onion pan, some red pepper flake, and the asparagus pieces. S&P those suckers and cook for 2-3 minutes ONLY. They will get bright green, then immediately remove them from the heat. You want them to still have bite, even after you've baked the pizza. No one likes mushy asparagus. NO ONE. For the olives I used canned (drained) black olives, but you could slice up kalamata olives if you prefer. Set these ingredients aside until you're ready to assemble.

Which is now! Everything else goes on to the pizzas in raw/uncooked form. Go get your dough and rolling pin! Flour the rolling pin and board/counter top well. Turn the dough out onto the surface and divide it into four even pieces using a knife....or the OXO pastry scraper, pictured below! OXO doesn't pay me, but they should ;) Seriously, go buy one right now, they are fantastic for cutting dough/pastry evenly, and I use mine nightly to transfer chopped vegetables from the board to the pan. Do it! Oh and preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Roll each piece of dough out to circle size, approximately 12-14 inches. As you can see, mine are more oval-ish. As long as you get them into pizza shape you're good. Place your rolled out dough on a pizza baking sheet or a cookie sheet (I had to bake these two at a time). Okay time to assemble!

For the spicy turkey sausage and provolone: drop a few spoonfuls of your sauce onto the dough and spread evenly. Spread the provolone around the sauce, then top with your spicy turkey sausage. Sprinkle a small handful of grated parmesan and that guy is ready for the oven!

Veggie pizza: ladle out some sauce onto your rolled out dough and spread evenly. Evenly place some of your black olives and asparagus, then top everything with the caramelized onions. I made this pizza mostly cheese free at the request of the mister (he does not tolerate lactose), so the crust and the top of the pizza was lightly dusted with grated parmesan. Drizzle the top with EVOO and you're ready to go!

Pepperoni and fresh mozz: I got thinly sliced Boar's Head pepperoni from the deli counter and I think you should too. The mozzarella comes in water, so drain it and tear or slice the cheese up. After you've sauced your dough, place the pepperoni slices on the sauce and dot the mozzarella pieces all around. The mozz will melt really well, so don't put too much on or your pizza will be mushy and wet. Hit the crust with some parm and boosh. Ready.

Pancetta and cheddar/jack: I also got the pancetta at the deli counter, thinly sliced. For those of you who live under a culinary rock, pancetta is "Italian bacon": it is pork belly that is cured (not smoked like American bacon), usually with peppercorns. So again, start with your sauce, then evenly distribute your shredded cheese on top of the sauce. Lay your slices of pancetta around on top of the cheese: you want the pancetta to crisp up, so it's super important that it's on top of the cheese. Sprinkle the parm around the crust and your final 'za is ready for baking!

Like I said, I could only bake two pizzas at a time, and I switched them around on the racks halfway through to cook evenly. They took around ten minutes each, so set your timer for eight minutes and keep a weather eye out for burnage. When the pizzas are done, let them rest and cool down a bit before cutting. Tear some fresh basil and add to the sausage pizza and the pancetta pizza (or any of them really). Serve with a lovely salad and some wine and you're golden! Let me know how the dough works for you and if you have any other topping ideas.

Smoochies,

D

Double Duty Dinner!

Hello, dear readers! Happy New Year! Holy crap, where did 2010 go? Ah, such is life. My resolution this year is to post more often...we'll see how that goes ;)

My first SND of the year was quite accidental, and actually began with a Saturday Night Dinner. The Mister and I had terrible colds last week, just awful. Super rad way to start the year. We barely left the house all weekend, and on Saturday I decided I needed some good ol' comfort food: grilled cheese sammies and cream of tomato soup. The grilled cheese was to be the star of the show: I used Thomas Keller's method out of his Ad Hoc cookbook (more on that in a bit). I was all set to use Campbell's Tomato soup, but the Mister thought that would be too easy and that I should try the homemade. "Bah", said I. Homemade tomato soup tastes like a bowl full of marinara sauce 99% of the time. But okay, I'm game. I looked through my cherished cookbooks, and found a good recipe in Ina Garten's Back to Basics. "Okaaaaay", said I. I'll give 'er a go, but to avoid the skins and seeds, I'll use canned crushed tomatoes. Ina purees her soup in a food mill, which would take care of skins and seeds, but I do not have such equipment. So here's what you do, and it didn't turn out too shabby!

Okay, start with two red onions. Chop them up, but don't worry about chopping too finely - you're going to hand blender or blend the soup later. Pour a four count of olive oil into a stock pot and heat it over medium heat. Add your chopped onions and stir, adding just a little salt and pepper. Peel and chop two carrots and add those to the onions. Sweat the vegetables for fifteen minutes or so without browning. A little color is fine, but you don't want to burn anything. Add five cloves of chopped garlic, then half a cup or so of white wine. Cook the alcohol off, then add two 28 ounce cans of crushed tomatoes, 3 cups of chicken stock, one tablespoon of tomato paste , 1 1/2 ounces of sugar, 1 tablespoon of salt, and some freshly ground black pepper. Stir that deliciousness well, bring to a boil, and turn the heat down to simmer for forty minutes. Stir occasionally, and add more chicken stock if you think it's reducing too much (if it's looking too thick).

After forty or so minutes, get out my favorite kitchen appliance: The hand blender! The boat motor! Seriously, you haven't gotten one yet? C'MON. Do it. Blend the soup until it's nicely pureed, then turn the heat down to low, and add 3/4 cup of heavy cream - I used lactose free 2% milk because the Mister does not tolerate lactose, and it turned out just fine.

Now for the grilled cheese! Thomas Keller says you should use brioche, but of course Ralph's didn't have any, so I used some roasted garlic bread that was made that day and DELICIOUS. It had whole cloves of roasted garlic in it and was really really good. Okay, so thinly slice some Gruyere cheese and make as many sandwiches as you have cheese to make them with. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and melt two tablespoons of butter in a large pan until it's almost browned. Add as many sandwiches to the pan that will fit, but don't overcrowd that shit. You know better than that. Cook for two minutes, then flip. The bread will be nicely browned, but the cheese won't be melted yet. Don't fret! It's going into the oven! Put the sandwiches on a sheet pan, spread a little more room temperature butter on top (oh yeah!) and pop into the oven. Finish off the rest of your sandwiches in the pan (add more butter if needed), and into the oven! They really only need a few minutes in the oven to finish the cooking, so keep a weather eye out. When they're done, cut them in two and serve with the tomato soup!

Now, I thought the grilled cheese were FANTASTIC and the tomato soup was good, but it I wasn't blown away. The Mister and Sethy assured me that the soup was great (aw shucks) but I wasn't convinced, and even after sending Sethy home with a serving to go, I was still left with quite a bit. Hmmmm I thought, what to do? I can't make more grilled cheese or I'll blow up to huge proportions and my Wii Fit will never let me hear the end of it!

Fast forward to Sunday afternoon. Still hadn't left the house and pondering SND. "What if", the Mister asked, "you turn that tomato soup into some kick ass meat sauce for spaghetti?" Genius! That's why I married that guy ;) Here's what you do:

Pour a three count of olive oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat. Add four cloves of chopped garlic with a good pinch of red pepper flake. Cook for about one minute and do not let the garlic burn. Add a half of a pound of ground pork and half of a pound to ground beef with some S & P. Stir, stir, and break down the ground meats so that they're very fine. You don't want big chunks of meat here. Brown the meat, then add a half cup of white or red wine - I used white because that's what I was drinking (Sterling for my momma!). Next add one tablespoon of tomato paste, then ladle in your leftover tomato soup. Keep an eye on how much you put in - this is a meat sauce, so you don't want too much of the soup, or it will just be marinara with meat. If the sauce is looking too meaty, add some more soup. Turn your heat to low and simmer whilst you heat a large pot for your spaghetti. Add some chopped fresh basil and parsley to your sauce. Be sure to salt your pasta water and cook the noodles to al dente. I used one pound of spaghetti and when it was done I added it straight to the sauce. Go for it!

I added some grated Parmesan and freshly ground pepper to my serving, but if your loved one does not tolerate lactose, you may omit the cheese. And enjoy! Double duty dinners sound faintly 30-minute-meal-esque (don't get me wrong Rachael, however thirty minute meals do not belong in SNDs), but if you find yourself in such a situation, go for it! It's SND!

All the best,

D

Rigatone with Cinghiale

Hey dudes, how's it hangin'? Sorry I've been lax about posting, but it's quality - not quantity. Or something. Anyhoosers - this cinghiale sauce is something special. Traditionally it is made with wild boar, but since Trader Joe's was fresh out of boar, we used ground pork and beef. This is a Rachael Ray recipe, which is surprising because I'm usually not a huge fan of her recipes - especially for SND (too many shortcuts). This one is fantastic, though, so thanks Rach!

Start by heating a three count of olive oil in a large sauce pan, then add 3/4 pound ground pork and 3/4 pound of ground beef with a good pinch of salt and pepper. Break it all up and get it nice and browned, then add a finely chopped medium onion. Sweat the onion for a few minutes, then add one grated carrot and 4 chopped cloves of garlic. Stir all the veggies around , then add 3 or 4 sprigs of fresh thyme (take the leaves off, doy), one bay leaf, two nice pinches of all spice, and one tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder. I know, right? Cocoa in a pasta sauce? It's so surprisingly delicious - mixed with the all spice, your sauce becomes so warm and comforting. So mix in your spices, and cook everything together for five minutes or so.

Meanwhile, heat a large pot of water for your rigatoni. Salt the water well when it's boiling, then add a one pound box of rigatoni. Cook just to al dente, then drain.

Back to the sauce! Stir in 1/4 cup tomato paste (use a heaping 1/4 cup - I found that just 1/4 was not quite enough). Get that all mixed in and add 1/2 cup of dry white wine, 2 cups of chicken stock, and 1/2 cup milk. I used reduced fat milk - she calls for whole milk. Reduced fat worked just fine. Lower your heat and simmer for ten minutes - the sauce will thicken and get all delicious. Don't worry if your sauce isn't super thick - you're going to add the pasta to the pan and that will help thicken.

Discard the bay leaf and add the drained pasta to the sauce along with around one cup of grated parmesan. Mix everything together, taste for seasonings and enjoy!

I'm a huge fan of this recipe, the all spice and cocoa really gave an amazing twist to your traditional pasta sauce. Go do it now!

Guest Blog! Pumpkin, Barley, and Sage Soup

Well folks, I finally got her to do it.... here is a guest blog by my one and only momma! Enjoy:
Hi everyone, Dana's mom, Lynn, here. I guess I am a designated guest writer of Sunday Night Dinners, and have I got one delicious and savory fall soup for you, which happens to be very simple, also! I initially made it for myself a couple of weekends ago, when the boys were golfing in Northern Minnesota. (One of the perfectly warm, fantastically sunny weekends we have had in October in Minnesota this year.) I love the house to myself once in a while, I work at my projects, watch my TV shows (NO SPORTS! HGTV, Food Network, Cooking Channel) and always make myself a little gourmet meal to enjoy with a glass of wine and the quiet (hopefully with a nice sunset!). So, even though I was having a very busy day, I took the time to make this little soup, and ate it at 9pm! We Ostermans eat late.... Pumpkin, Barley and Sage Soup--Better Homes and Gardens, Everyday Easy 8 oz. smoked sausage links, chopped, or small dice ( recipe calls for andouille, which would add some heat. I used kielbasa)1 small onion, chopped1 tbsp snipped fresh sage1 tbsp olive oil1 cup quick cooking barley1 tsp chicken bullion granules( I use the Better than Bullion brand, and use a couple of spoonfuls to taste)4 cups water1 15 oz can pumpkin (I have not used pumpkin, first go around I used a sweet dumpling squash I baked in the microwave, and the next time, I used a small butternut squash, baked,)2 tbsp real maple syrup1 tbsp apple cider vinegar In a large saucepan, or Dutch oven, cook sausage, onion and sage in hot oil over medium heat for 3-5 minutes, stirring often. Add barley, water and bullion. Bring to boil and simmer, covered, for 12 minutes or so, stirring occasionally. Stir in pumpkin(squash), maple syrup, and vinegar, heat through. Season to taste with salt and fresh ground pepper. Serve in a warm bowl with 2 or three very thin slices of a Minnesota Honeycrisp apple (or any crispy apple in your area!), and enjoy! Makes four servings. So there you have it, very simple and so tasty! Give it a try some cool evening soon. For my dear daughter in NYC with a gluten allergy, and anyone else who eats gluten free, substitutes for the barley would be millett, quinoa, buckwheat (crazy name for gluten free wheat), or a can of cooked wild rice would be delish and very quick! Lesser known substitutes are amaranth and teff; celiacs would know these names! Lynn signing out--love you daughter, and all your recipes!! (I'd like to think that I had some tiny bit of influence on my daughter's love of cooking and good food!)**

**Blogger's Note: Yes you did, momma. You are an inspiration :)Well folks, I finally got her to do it.... here is a guest blog

Grilled Chicken and Radicchio w/Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette

Hello friends. It's been a while, I have some backlogged SNDers to report, but let's go with the most recent, shall we? Sometimes I get lazy, what do you want from me.

Okay! No cranky blogging.

This grilled chicken is fantastic, and is courtesy of Mr. Tyler Florence. Side note: Tyler - you looked and sounded out of your element on Food Truck Road Trip. Please shoot more Tyler's Ultimate episodes. That is all.

So Tyler does this awesome grilled chicken with a whole cut up (bone in, skin on) chicken. Adam and I used some great, huge organic (bone in, skin on) chicken legs. Start by tossing the chicken in some olive oil and salt and pepper, then refrigerate while you prepare everything else. Now let's roast some garlic! Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut a bulb of garlic in half horizontally, and set the halves on a square of aluminum foil. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle on some salt, a tablespoon or two of water, and add two sprigs of fresh thyme. Fold the aluminum up around the garlic like a packet and place in the oven for thirty minutes or so. Your kitchen will smell wonderful! The garlic should be nice and soft. Let it cool, then squeeze it out of the peels into a food processor. Add a handful of chopped parsley, the leaves from six or seven sprigs of fresh thyme, 1/2 cup of olive oil, and the juice of 2 1/2 lemons. Whir until you get a vinaigrette - it will be on the thicker side. Add salt and pepper to taste. YUM.

Cut a head of radicchio into quarters, and place into a bowl. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper, and set aside for the grillin'.

You should have preheated your grill. I always forget to tell you that. Go do it, I'll wait.

/Sips glass of white wine.

Okay good. Now that your grill is magically preheated, let's get to it! Spray some nonstick spray on the grate, and cook the radicchio for two minutes a side so you get some nice grill marks. Remove the radicchio into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap so it can steam and finish cooking.

Place your chicken pieces skin side down on the grill. Cook for twenty minutes, turning once. After twenty minutes have passed, baste all of the chicken with half of the roasted garlic and lemon vinaigrette, making sure to rotate so that the vinaigrette caramelizes. That will take ten or so more minutes. Dude, it's awesome. While the caramelization process is happening, cut a couple of lemons in half, and set them flesh side down on the grill for a few moments. When everything is ready, peel the leaves of the radicchio quarters apart and distribute them in a bowl with the chicken pieces. Squeeze the grilled lemon on everything and drizzle the rest of the roasted garlic vinaigrette and toss. YUUUUUUM. Seriously yum. So easy and fresh tasting. You must try it.

I made some mashed taters with this, but you could have roasted taters or sweet po-tay-toes or rice or whatevs. Go nuts! Try it!

Sunday Night Football Sunday Night Dinner

Hello Friends! I don't know about you, but I am PUMPED about the football season. Football and hockey are my favorite sports. To commemorate the beginning of the NFL season, I went with a football friendly menu: Meatball subs! The Mister and I are trying to be reasonably healthy, so instead of fries or other bad for you starch, we had an arugula salad with the subs, which was pretty nice because the peppery arugula cut through the heavy main dish.

Aiight start with your tomato sauce. The longer you simmer a tomato sauce, the better it gets.

Mince a yellow onion, and toss it into a preheated saucepan with a four count of olive oil. Sweat the

onions over medium heat for about ten minutes. I added a good pinch of red pepper flake at this

point, but use your discretion. If you don't want any heat don't add it. Next add four cloves of chopped

garlic and cook for one more minute, then add 1/2 cup or so of your favorite red wine - a chianti

would be nice. If you don't have any red wine, white will work too - try not to use a riesling or really

sweet wine because it will make this sauce too sweet. Cook the wine down for 3 minutes or so, then

add two fifteen ounce cans of tomato puree. You can use crushed tomatoes if you want more texture

in your sauce, but I prefer a smooth tomato sauce. Taste for seasonings and add salt and pepper

accordingly, as well as a teaspoon of dried oregano. Turn your heat down to medium low and simmer

the sauce whilst you make the meatballs, stirring occasionally. Cover if you wish so your stove doesn't

get covered in tomato splatters. Add some chopped fresh basil at this point too - 10 leaves I'd say.

Now for the meatballs! Mince a medium-small yellow onion and brown in in an oven safe frying pan over medium heat

with a handful of chopped parsley. Once the onion is browned, scrape it out of the pan into a mixing bowl

to cool. Once cooled, add 1/2 pound of ground pork, 1/2 pound ground beef (85/15 people - it's SND), one egg,

a little less than 1/2 cup of dried bread crumbs (I use Panko), and a good amount of salt and ground

pepper. Time to get dirty (with clean hands)! Combine all of the ingredients using your hands, but don't

over work the meat (heh). Once the ingredients are combined, start forming your meatballs and set

aside on a plate. Make them however big or small you'd like. I went with medium-ish to fit in

the sammiches. Preheat the same pan you cooked the onions in with a two count of olive oil over

medium heat, then start browning the meatballs. Don't over-crowd the pan, if they don't all fit,

you can cook them in batches. You want them to get nice and browned on all sides, and don't

worry that they are not cooked through. They are going in the oven! Oooh that reminds me, preheat

your oven to 350 degrees. Gah, I'm the worst at that, sorry.

So once your meatballs are all browned, turn the heat off, put them all back in the pan and ladle some

of your tomato sauce (which you've continued to stir over low heat this whole time, tasting for

seasoning of course). You don't want to smother the meatballs with sauce, just ladle some around the

meatballs so that the bottom of the pan is covered. Now it gets really good: Cut some slices of

fresh bufalo mozzarella to about the same size of your meatballs and place the slices on top of the

meatballs. Dude. I know. Put the pan into the oven and cook for ten to fifteen minutes. The meatballs

will cook through and the mozzarella will melt and get bubbly and delicious. DUDE.

Prepare your bread whilst the meatballs are in the oven. We went with little ciabatta loaves, but use

whatever you like. French bread would work well too. Just don't use sliced bread, that doesn't make

any sense. Cut open your rolls, but don't slice all the way through. Put some of your tomato sauce

into the roll, then meatballs to fit. If you're like me, you'll add a little more mozzarella on top

as well as some Parmesan. Yup. I did it.

Side note: Adam put some black olives and chopped pepperoncinis on his meatball sandwich, and loved it.

Give that a try if you'd like!

Put your rolls on a sheet pan and throw them into the oven for another five to ten minutes -

melt the new cheese and get the rolls nice and toasty.

And you're ready to enjoy! Serve with your choice of sides - go for the fries or have some spaghetti

with more of your tomato sauce if you'd like. Like I said, I really liked the arugula salad, but ya'll

should Sunday Night Dinner it up as you see best.

Kisses!

D

PS Clearly I need to figure out this new fangled blogging thing. I apologize for the weird format, I don't know why

it did that and I can't figure out how to fix it. C'est la vie!