From This Week's Column

 

 

I talk about this lunch in today's column.  Click on link for description and recipes.

http://www.registerstar.com/columnists/food_for_thought/article_65318604-0072-11e3-8529-0019bb2963f4.html

 

 

Aperol spritz, drink of choice with this meal  - Aperol, an Italian bitter aperitivo, sparkling water and a piece of citrus, lime, orange or lemon.

 

SUSANSIMONSAYS:   My go-to summertime meal is spaghetti with fresh tomatoes and basil:  
In a large skillet over medium heat sauté some chopped, fresh garlic, a minced hot pepper and lots of chopped fresh tomatoes. Add flaky sea salt to taste.  Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, cook as much spaghetti - or any other pasta, as you like, drain, and add to the skillet with the tomatoes.  Add freshly chopped basil leaves - or whole tiny leaves - and toss to thoroughly combine.  Serve immediately with grated Parmesan cheese, crumbled feta, whatever.  Or not.  Purists don't serve cheese with this sauce.  I, however, do.
 

 

Chicken Almond Rounds

center, Lisa Dolan, founder Hudson Reads, & Children's Book Festival

One of the best ways to raise funds is to offer people tasty food, free-flowing drinks, and an opportunity to engage in conversation with other people. 
Last Saturday, my friend Chris  & I did exactly as described.  Chris, & her husband, Bert are the proprietors of The Red Barn, and they kindly donated their restaurant space so we could host a cocktail party to raise money to benefit the Hudson Children's Book Festival .  The money that we raised is targeted for children who might not have the opportunity to shop, and buy a book directly from one of their favorite authors and illustrators who participate at the festival.  Now, at least 200 kids will have that opportunity.
While Chris & I put in some extra hours planning and making the event happen - it was kind of a no- brainer for us.  Before Chris became a restaurateur (and baker - see her at the Hudson Farmers' Market) she produced commercials in NYC, and I had a catering business there for 26 years.  We know how to put an event together.



Bard College classmates at the fundraiser

For my contribution to the food, I went straight to my catering menu and chose two appetizers that were unfailingly popular, and the most requested items on my list. No matter how I tried to introduce new tidbits to my cocktail menu everyone always asked for Chicken Almond Rounds and Smoked Salmon Focaccia.



Bert works his magic in the Red Barn kitchen

Chicken Almond Rounds are labor intensive.  You can make them a two, or even three day project in order to ease the work load. 
Here's what I wrote about them in my  book, "The Nantucket Table" (Chronicle Books, 1998)
"Before coming to Nantucket in 1953, the pioneering and entrepreneurial James Beard had a business in New York City called Hors d'Oeuvre, Inc. opened in January 1939.  The shop offered New Yorkers who were entertaining - giddy with the end of prohibition - a great variety of cooked cocktail-party food.  One of the most requested items on this way-before-its-time take-out menu was an onion sandwich on brioche bread.  This was snack dear to Beard's heart as it was one made for him as a child by his mother.   Two slices of brioche were slathered with mayonnaise, then sliced onions were placed on one slice, and the other was placed on top to make a sandwich.  Three rounds were cut from the sandwich and were squeezed a bit to let some mayonnaise ooze out, then were rolled in chopped parsley.   These little onion rounds gained ingredients as time passed.   I learned about the Chicken almond rounds about fifteen years ago, far into their evolution."
btw - James Beard's Nantucket hamburger joint was called, ahem, Lucky Pierre.

CHICKEN ALMOND ROUNDS
Makes 4 dozen one-bite sandwiches  (are you reading this, Ned?)

4 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3/4 cup good-quality commercial mayonnaise, plus more as needed
2 celery ribs, peeled and finely diced
1 small red onion, finely diced
2 tablespoons dried tarragon
1 teaspoon salt
1/2  teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
24 very thin slices white bread
1 1/2 cups roasted salted almonds, chopped in a food processor to the consistency of fine gravel

1.  Place the chicken breasts in a large skillet with water to cover.  Over medium-high heat, bring to a boil, with the cover askew.  Lower the heat a notch and simmer gently until the chicken is opaque throughout.  Remove the chicken from the liquid and let cool.
2.   Place the 3/4 cup mayonnaise in a bowl, and add the celery, onion, tarragon, salt , and pepper.  Stir to mix well.  Break the chicken into large pieces.  Working in 2 batches, use a food processor to chop the breasts until they resemble oatmeal.   Add the ground chicken to the celery mixture.   Carefully combine with a rubber spatula.
3.   Line up 4 bread slices at a time.  Spread each slice with some of the chicken mixture, forming a layer 1/4 inch thick.  Cover each slice with a second slice.  Repeat until you have 12 sandwiches.   Using a 1 1/2-inch-diameter biscuit cutter, cut out 4 rounds from every sandwich, gently pushing them free from the cutter after every two cuts.  Keep the pairs of rounds stacked together and cover with damp paper towels until all of the sandwiches are cut.

4.  Pour the chopped almonds into a baking dish or onto a dinner plate.  Holding a stack of sandwich rounds between thumb and forefinger, spread a film of mayonnaise around the cut edges.   Roll the stack through the chopped almonds until the edges are completely coated with the nuts.  Re-cover the stacks with the damp paper towels until all are coated.

5.   To serve, separate each stack back into two sandwiches.

Day one:     make chicken mixture and refrigerate.
Day two:     make the sandwiches and cut into rounds.
Day three:   roll the sandwiches in the nuts.

SUSANSIMONSAYS:    While the cocktail party has passed you can still make a donation.  Here's the info.   Every penny that you contribute will go directly towards a gift card that will allow a child to shop at the May 4th book festival:

Make your tax deductible check to:   HUDSON CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT ENDOWMENT FUND
 and mail to:       Lisa Dolan
                           Hudson Reads
                           102 Harry Howard Avenue
                           Hudson, NY 12534



crudités & pita chips with butternut squash-tahini

 THANK YOU 

Saucy, Spicy, & Sweet - Oscars

No, not the actual show - if you ask me - are you asking?  That Seth McFarlane, who showed a bit of promise at the beginning of the show very quickly turned into a real jerk. Or, am I lacking a sense of humor?   We had fun anyway - dinner was served, downstairs in the dining room -  saucy & spicy - and dessert was served in front of the TV in my bedroom -  sweet - the place where I keep a TV.  We were four humans and two dogs.

We started with a salad made with the best blood oranges that  that I've eaten since I was in Sicily, and insalata Trevigiano which is the radicchio-like large endive that you see around from time to time, especially in this season ( you can find both items at, where else, Lick the Market).  The two Italian products, one from the north, the bitter Trevigiano, and the tangy-sweet, slurpy blood oranges  from the south of the  country make for a perfect marriage.  They "complete" each other. Yup, it's corny Oscar time.

The blood oranges and Trevigiano were tossed with a dressing made with finely chopped shallots, Dijon mustard, lingonberry-apple vinegar (any fruity vinegar will do), extra virgin olive oil, salt and freshly ground white pepper.  The salad was served on a bed of peppery greens and garnished with pistachios, pan-toasted with pink Hawaiian salt.

I had a concept for the main course which involved adding a little of this and little of that in order to achieve the flavor that I imagined.  Which means I don't really have a recipe.  However, I'll talk you through what I did to accomplish a kind of Chicken Puttanesca.  I sauteed whole cloves of unpeeled garlic, chopped, fresh hot peppers and sprigs of fresh rosemary in olive oil and a bit of butter (my new ingredient - duh - that every chef on earth uses to really transport, and enrich flavors) in a brazier (or a large skillet) over medium heat.  Meanwhile I cut up a chicken into 10-12 pieces (cut the breast in half or into thirds depending on the size of the breast - or as Seth McFarlane would so daintily say, boobs) and browned them, on all sides, in a bit of olive oil and added them to the saute pan.  I tossed them around to make sure they were coated with the fat then added about a cup and a half of chopped tomatoes, a cup and a half of red wine, 1/2 cup or so of pitted Kalamata olives and let it simmer until it tasted like I thought it should.  I added salt after the olives had cooked for awhile, and I added more hot pepper in the form of dried flakes.  I covered the pan and turned off the heat.  Done.  When I reheated it to serve - I  removed the peel from the garlic  and mashed the cloves into the sauce - I added copious amounts of freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley and tossed to combine with the sauce.  I served the chicken with polenta made with Nantucket polenta.

 

 

Dinner were served with Veuve Cliquot - it was the Oscars after all.   I wore Gap jeans, a blue and white striped long-sleeved T-shirt (label, long gone) , a navy blue Saint-James sweater, and bright, blue velvet Friulane (gondolier slippers), one guest looked very chic in an orange cashmere pullover and jeans, another kept his grey striped scarf wrapped around his neck all night, and yet another accessorised his lap with a very handsome white, French bulldog called Cicero.  Are you taking note, Joan Rivers?

At 8:29 pm we went upstairs to my small bedroom and made ourselves comfortable on the bed, and on a few extra chairs.  The comments started made a rapid run from "Hmmm, not so bad", to "What on earth is he saying?" to "Are they really that skinny?".    At about the 5th or 6th commercial I went downstairs to get dessert.   I made a blueberry shortcake.  I have about 4 quarts of cooked, frozen blueberries from last summer.  (Aren't you just feeling the need for some berries right about now?)
The shortcake comes from Roy Finamore's, James Beard award-winning book, Tasty....  I can give you that recipe.  You'll never look back - it's simple, and simply delicious.  You don't have to make a berry shortcake - use any kind of fruit with it; pineapple, sauteed apples, sliced poached pears, etc.  Make sure to use plenty of whipped cream with it and you'll be OK.

SHORTCAKE

Roy says, "I've been baking this tender cake - almost cake, almost biscuit - for thirty years now.  When I lived in Vermont, I'd make it for breakfast, putting slabs of the cake into bowls, topping it with fresh-picked raspberries from the yard, and ladling in top milk, which we got from the dairy farmer down the road."
makes one 8-inch layer cake

2 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2/3 cup milk

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.  Butter and flour two 8-inch round cake pans.
Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl.
Beat the butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer until it starts to lighten.  Gradually pour in the sugar, beating while you pour, and continue beating until very light.  Beat in the eggs.
Now switch to a wooden spoon and stir in the dry ingredients and milk in batches: half the dry, all the milk, and the rest of the dry.  Beat for a moment or two with the spoon until the batter is smooth.  It will be stiff.
Divide the batter between the pans, and pat it into the pans with floured fingers.  Give the pans a rap on the counter top to release any air bubbles, then slip them into the oven.   Bake the cakes for about 25 minutes, until risen and browned in spots.
Let cakes cool on racks for  about 5 minutes, then turn them out of the pans and let cool completely on the racks.
Serving:   Set one layer on a cake plate.  Spoon some of the juices or syrup from whichever fruit you're using over the cake and then spoon on half the fruit.  Spread half  the whipped cream (1 cup, whipped) over the fruit and set the second layer on top.  Repeat, spooning over juice or syrup, then fruit, then cream.
Serve the shortcake right away or refrigerate for later. 

Oh yes, and there was a little coconut Lady cake from The Red Barn via Lick - just in case we were feeling peckish after everything else.  Geez - if anything was going to leave us wanting it could have been what we were watching.   Oy. But, it's always a good time.  Isn't it?  Something else to bitch about.
 This is the 2nd time I've had a little Oscar party in my bedroom (the first time was years ago in the City).  It works.  Maybe it will become a tradition.

SUSANSIMONSAYS:    Last week I attended a press conference to announce the kick-off of  Hudson Valley Restaurant Week (March 11- 24), at the CIA - Culinary Institute of  America.   Prior to the actual press event,  the attendees were given the opportunity to tour the just-opened Bocuse Restaurant in the space once occupied by the Escoffier Restaurant.  I was enchanted.  I'll be returning next week for lunch and will give you a full blog report afterwards.

 

Dinner Party #1

Even although I'm not completely unpacked and situated in my new house - I did work overtime to get the kitchen and dining area into shape so I would be able to cook with ease and entertain  comfortably.    There are a few things that have recently rekindled my enthusiasm for the stove: the new Ottolenghi/Tamimi book, "Jeruslaem" - about which I've already waxed rhapsodic in my last post, and the jar of polenta given to me by my sister, Laura for Christmas.  "It took 9 months to make" she said.   Hmmm.   A week or so later I asked for a more detailed explanation.

"I bought the  seeds from Seeds of Italy - the sole US distributor of Franchi seeds, Italy's oldest seed company.    I sowed the seeds in early June, harvested them just before frost. I let them dry on the stalk in the garden, but after harvest, spread the ears out in the attic to dry for another month.  Then shucked the ears, rubbed the kernels off the cob, sifted out the chaff, and then ground the kernels in the Vita Mix, a very powerful machine.  I sifted the ground polenta again to get out the pieces that didn't grind fine enough.  The chickens enjoyed those.   All together it was NOT the easy Christmas present  that I was imagining when I bought the seeds in January!"

I couldn't wait to cook the polenta.  It got thick and creamy in a matter of seconds - which does happen quickly if you keep stirring with a whisk as you shower the cornmeal into the boiling water.   Incorporated, NOT cooked.  I exchanged the whisk for a wooden spoon and keep stirring for almost 40 minutes.  It tasted almost like fresh corn custard.


Basic Polenta

Bring 5 cups salted water to a rolling boil.  Slowly add the cornmeal, stirring continuously, first with a whisk then with a wooden paddle or spoon.  As the mixture thickens it will begin to "erupt"; lower the heat to a simmer and continue to stir.  When the mixture is thick and smooth, and begins to pull away from the sides of the pot, it's ready, about 40 minutes.   Add unsalted butter and Parmesan cheese to taste.

I was captivated by "Jerusalem"'s recipe for Roasted chicken with clementines and arak from the moment I saw the title and photograph in the same snapshot.   It turned out to be a very good choice to serve with Nantucket/Hudson polenta (those two whaling towns at it again).  The fennel-fragrant, savory-sweet chicken dish just yearned for the warm, soft pillow of corny mush.
This is the right recipe for now - while there are still clementines in the marketplace.

6 1/2 tablespoons arak, ouzo or Pernod
4 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons grain mustard
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 medium fennel bulbs
1 large organic or free-range chicken, about 2 3/4 pounds, divided in 8 pieces, or the same weight in skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs
4 clementines, unpeeled, cut horizontally into 1/4-inch slices
1 teaspoon thyme leaves
2 1/2 teaspoons fennel seeds, lightly crushed
salt and freshly ground black pepper
chopped flat-leaf parsley to garnish

Put the first six ingredients in a large mixing bowl and add 2 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper.  Whisk well and set aside.
Trim the fennel and cut each bulb in half lengthwise.  Cut each half into 4 wedges.  Add the fennel to the liquids, along with the chicken pieces, clementine slices, thyme, and fennel seeds.  Stir well with your hands, then leave to marinate in the fridge for a few hours or overnight (skipping the marinating stage is also fine, if you are pressed for time).  I marinated the ingredients overnight - I think it not only helps the flavor  develop but also divides the work time into 2 separate projects making the recipe seem rather easy.  It is.
Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F.  Transfer the chicken and its marinade to a baking sheet large enough to accommodate everything comfortably in a single layer (roughly a 12 by 14 1/2-inch pan); the chicken skin should be facing up.  Once the oven is hot enough, put the pan in the oven and roast for 35 - 45 minutes, until the chicken is colored and cooked through.  Remove from the oven.
Lift the chicken, fennel, and clementines from the pan and arrange on a serving plate; cover and keep warm.  Pour the cooking liquid into a small saucepan, place over medium-high heat, bring to a boil, and then simmer until the sauce is reduced by one-third, so you are left with about 1/3 cup.  Pour the hot sauce over the chicken, garnish with some parsley, and serve.
FYI - I eliminated this last step and just served the whole thing straight from the oven in its baking dish.  Might try it the way the authors suggest next time.  Maybe.

SUSANSIMONSAYS: One last recipe from "Jerusalem" and then you'll have to buy your own copy (I've made 4 recipes from the book since I received it as a Christmas gift - and every single one has worked and has been exceptional).
I served Butternut squash & tahini spread  - with Akmak crackers (available at supermarkets) when a few friends came over for drinks the other night.

1 very large butternut squash, about 2 1/2 pounds peeled and cut into chunks
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons light tahini paste
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
2 small cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon mixed black and white sesame seeds (or just white, if you don't have  black)
1 1/2 teaspoons date syrup
2 teaspoons chopped cilantro (optional)
salt

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Spread the squash out in a medium roasting pan.  Pover the olive oil and sprinkle on the cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon salt.  Mix together well, cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil, and roast in the oven for 70 minutes, stirring once during the cooking.  Remove from the oven and leave to cool.
Transfer the squash to a food processor, along with the tahini, yogurt, and garlic.  Roughly pulse so that everything is combined into a coarse paste, without becoming smooth; you can also do this by hand using a fork or potato masher.
Spread the butternut in a wavy pattern over a flat plate and sprinkle with sesame seeds, drizzle over the syrup, and finish with cilantro if using.  I didn't.

Mid-April Lunch

Sometimes the idea for a dish starts with just one ingredient. And then you build a whole meal around that dish.  Like throwing a rock into the water and watching the circles around the original splash multiply.  
Saturday's lunch started with an open bottle of Nero D'Avola, a soft but robust Sicilian red wine which became coq au vin which needed an accompaniment which I dedided should be riso Venere, an Italian black rice - and something green which I found at the Saturday morning market along with a bunch of springtime radishes.  Last week's gift of a colomba pasquale - dove-shaped Easter cake - became the basis of dessert.

COQ AU VIN - You know, somehow this ubiquitous dish has escaped my kitchen.  I'm more of a roast chicken - or if I'm stewing a bird I tend towards a curry or a cacciatore - kind of cook.   But here I was with almost entire bottle of already open red wine which I knew I wouldn't drink because I'm not - HORRORS - a wine drinker (it's all about digestion).   Friends were coming for lunch on Saturday - one of whom only eats chicken or fish.  So even the  coq au vin couldn't be entirely genuine because I couldn't start it with bacon as in the classic recipe.  No problem, if I was going to eliminate the bacon then I didn't feel guilty about eliminating the little white onions garnish either.  Pain in the ass those pesky little things.  I did, however, want to garnish with mushrooms as per the recipe. But alas, the best laid plans - the mushroom lady wasn't at the Saturday market and it was too late to go out of town to the supermarket to get some.   So, in a Dutch oven over medium heat, I rubbed salt and freshly ground pepper on chicken legs and thighs and then browned them in olive oil, removed them to a bowl while I sauteed lots of chopped onions and sliced carrots (which are so delicious from the farm at Miller's Crossing), then added chopped garlic, about 10 -12 sprigs fresh thyme, a generous splash of Cognac, added back the chicken and all the juices that had settled in the pan, and covered it all with almost a bottle of  red wine and a cup or so of chicken broth.  I brought the pot to a boil, covered it and turned it down to a simmer.   After it had simmered for an hour or so I made a beurre manie which is a fancy way of saying white flour rubbed into softened, unsalted butter until it makes a paste.  Add to the pot and stir to combine - the sauce will thicken almost immediately.  Simmer for another 15- 20 minutes.  Taste for salt and pepper and add as needed.  When I made this dish my friends were a little late so it cooked even longer than required.  I think that longer cooking helps to create an even more luscious dish. Even better, make it the day before bringing it to the point of adding the buerre manie which can be added the next day when you reheat the chicken to serve.

RISO VENERE - is Italian black rice.  It's a hybrid of the legendary Chinese forbidden rice and  Italian Arborio rice.  Nice job.  The forbidden rice lends color and nutty flavor while the Arborio contributes it chubby, moisture-absorbing body.   I cook 1 cup riso Venere in 3 cups salted water.  Cook at a simmer for 35 - 40 minutes and it should be just right.  I finished it off with a knob of butter, some thinly sliced shallots crisped in olive oil and a generous sprinkling of chopped flat-leaf parsley - which I also used to garnish the very dark chicken and rice to serve - since I didn't garnish with the aforementioned white onions or mushrooms.

GREEN SALAD - was a wonderful assortment of 11 different leaves mixed by  Sue Decker of 
Blue Star Farm.  I dressed the leaves with Dijon mustard, fresh lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, and salt.  The tossed salad was topped with whole cherry radishes, "Celeste", also from Blue Star, that were juicy and sharp enough to satisfy.

BAGUETTE - from Loaf.  The best bread in the entire Hudson Valley and its surroundings.

DESSERT - Chocolate-topped colomba Pasquale baked by Tre Marie bakery, Milano, Italy, sliced, topped with strawberries (not local - so they needed to be macerated in fresh lemon juice and sugar, overnight, to achieve any sort of flavor) and the wonderful lemon ice cream made in house by Otto's Market in Germantown, NY.   I must say that it just about broke my heart to open the package in which the cake was wrapped.  It looked so pretty in its pink and orange paper tied up with orange ribbon that I enjoyed looking at it as much as if it were a bunch of flowers.

SUSANSIMONSAYS:   Now what about Instagram?   Should we help Mark Zuckerberg pay his 1 billion bill to them?

Tradition

There are certain traditions that absolutely need to be honored.  There is one that I hold dear and am thrilled to say that since it was created in early April, 7 years ago, it has been faithfully repeated.   It's a weekend gathering of a group of friends.   The first meeting took place in Marrakech.   We walked, endlessly through the souks, ate intensely fragrant food from street stalls, breathtakingly beautiful restaurants, and from our own kitchen.   You could say that we are a food-centric group.   We haven't been back to Marrakech (for that particular event ) but have faithfully gotten together ever since either in upstate New York or in Provincetown, Massachusetts.  This year it was Provinctown.  In the off-season, the little town, curling back on itself, at "the end of the world" Cape Cod, resembles its past - when when painters set up easels on the beach, and scarved, coughing writers tapped out wordy works, and Eugene O'Neill founded the Provincetown Playhouse where his most famous works were performed.  The charming, mostly grey, and white houses, crowded together, cheek by jowl, on short streets with names like Pearl, Law, and Snow whisper about the old days - non-stop.

Allegra &I arrived on Friday after a trip across the Mass Pike and down I-495 to 25 to 6.   A stop at PB Bakery and Bistro is a new MUST destination - and it's right there off route 6 in Welfleet.   The huge assortment of  crusty bread and buttery pastries taste as good as they look.  I picked up a croissant, a pain au chocolate and two tarts; assorted fruit, and pear which would be late afternoon pick-me-ups for me and my friend John - and dessert.   We were alone on the first night.   John made what has become the "welcome to Provincetown" meal - spaghetti all'aglio, olio, peperoncino E prezzemolo (parsley- a departure from the almost written-in-stone Italian favorite).   John had slowed roasted some beets-covered in salt and wrapped in tin foil - for hours.  The peeled and sliced beets with baby spinach leaves and crumbled Ewe's Blue (carried by me from the Hudson Valley) became our salad.  Tarts for dessert.  We ate dinner and played Scrabble in front of a blazing fire.   Sometimes you just don't get the letters you want.

On Saturday morning John & I went back to PB Bakery for more dessert tarts, bread and the most delicious almond croissant this side of Paris.   James and Mark, and their dog, Cicero arrived from New York.  We almost immediately started to cook.

Lunch:    CORONATION CHICKEN.  A dish created, in 1952 by the Cordon Bleu for Queen Elizabeth II's coronation luncheon.  It's a fancy chicken salad. The recipe has been fidgeted with ever since.  But it has some basic components; mango chutney, curry, onions and a bit of tomato.  Of course, chicken.
This is my recipe:

Serves  6-8

1- 1 1/4 cup canola oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup Major Grey's chutney (mango chutney)
2 rounded tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon good-quality curry powder
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
chicken broth or water
white Vermouth or sliced lemons
4 whole boneless, skinless chicken breasts - 8 pieces
a few tablespoons julienned candied ginger

1.   In a medium, heavy-bottomed skillet over low heat, heat 1/4 cup of the oil and cook the onion until it has wilted.  Stir in the chutney, tomato paste, curry powder, 1 tablespoon lemon juice and the salt.  Cook for about 7 minutes stirring occasionally.   Remove from heat and let cool.
2.  Puree the chutney mixture in a food processor until smooth.  (This can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator -for months actually).
3.   Add the egg and remaining tablespoon lemon juice to a food processor or blender. Blend the egg until creamy and pale yellow.  With the motor running on the processor, slowly add the remaining oil until a semi-firm mayonnaise is achieved.  You may not need the full cup oil - or you may need more.
4.   Add the mayonnaise to a mixing bowl. Fold in the chutney puree until fully incorporated with the mayonnaise.  Keep refrigerated until ready for use.  The sauce can be made up to 3 or 4 days before use.
5.   Fill a large skillet or saute pan with chicken broth and a splash of Vermouth or water and some lemon slices.   Bring to a boil.  Lower to a simmer and add the chicken breasts.  Poach the breasts until tender.  Use tongs to turn occasionally.  Remove from heat and let cool.
6.  Thinly slice the cool breasts, on the diagonal and place on a serving platter.  Cover with the curry chutney mayonnaise.  Garnish with julienned candied ginger.

I served the chicken with PECAN-SCALLION RICE.   To serve 6, cook 1 1/2 cups rice - your choice. Add the cooled rice to a large mixing bowl.  In a medium skillet over medium heat, heat a tablespoon neutral oil such as grape seed.  Add 3/4 - 1 cup chopped pecans.  Cook until you start to smell them cooking - watch carefully they will burn in a blink of an eye. Immediately add 1/2 cup chopped scallions  to the pecans.  Stir and remove from the heat.  Add the mixture to the rice.   Add a tablespoon of rice vinegar and salt to taste.

We had tarts for dessert.  Heaven.  Allegra and I walked on the beach.  She splashed in the bay and all was just right.

James made a super tasty spinach and mushroom lasagne for dinner.   We ate this by the fire - in another room.  And played games.  I've mentioned this in past posts.  Games are always involved when John is around.  Charades, Celebrity, Scattegories - and so on.

Sunday lunch was chicken sandwiches with Coronation mayonnaise and baby arugula, potato chips and pickles.

And dinner was an ode to our first gathering in Marrakech and a meal we ate that starred butter-tender lamb that was served garnished with almonds . So, I made  SLOWLY COOKED LAMB SHANKS.   This is how I prepared it (I haven't made it into real recipe form - yet).
.   Sear the shanks in olive oil added to a large casserole pot.  Remove the shanks from the pot.
.   Add sliced carrots, chopped onions and garlic (lots), a few sprigs of rosemary, and thyme to the pot and saute for a few minutes.
.   Add the shanks back to the pot.  Cover with a whole bottle of robust red wine, a few tablespoons ground cinnamon, a tablespoon ground cumin, a teaspoon or two red pepper flakes, 2 tablespoons tomato paste, and a cup or so pitted dates.   Use two wooden spoons to turn the lamb and thoroughly combine all the ingredients.  Lower heat to a simmer and cook and cook and cook.  Turn the lamb occasionally.  Add salt to taste about a hour before the cooking is complete.  It's complete when the lamb is fork tender and just about falls off the bone 4 - 5 hours.

I served the lamb with artichoke risotto.  James made a yummy salad with some of those roasted beets.  He diced them and dressed then with zest of an orange, slices from the orange and juice squeezed out of what remained, extra virgin olive oil, some ground cumin, salt and pepper to taste.

James also made an outstanding dessert - Mark Bittman's Flourless Almond Butter Cake.  He served it with whipped cream, strawberry sauce and blueberries.   
We did not eat this meal around the fire.  There were two more guests so we sat at a dining table decorated with pink snapdragons.

SUSANSIMONSAYS:    We all had a wonderful relaxing and delicious time.

Dinner at 8 for 7

A week or so ago a few friends came over for dinner.  Two of them got on a train at Penn Station in NYC and arrived 45 minutes before 8 pm at my house.  Two of them came over from Kingston and arrived at 8.  Another few came up from Rhinebeck and arrived at 8 as well.  We sat around a glowing fire and snacked on assorted olives, pistachios, roasted pears, pollenbert cheese and a cute little square Camenbert from Old Chatham Sheepherding Co., and Wicked Good potato chips.   We played a game.  Of course.  When my friend, John, is around we always play a game.  This one was a preprandial round of Celebrity.  Don't ask.  I did participate but was running between the living room and the kitchen so I'm not sure if I got the entire gist of the game.  I would gladly play again sometime.

A few weeks earlier, my friend, Roy, had brought me a chicken from the Heritage Meats Shop  at the Essex Street Market in NYC - frozen as solid as a glacier. (talk about coals to Newcastle).  He said it was the best chicken he had ever tasted. "It's what a chicken should taste like".   It took two days to thaw and I made - not my favorite roast chicken - no, this big bird - 4 1/2 pounds - wanted to be slow-roasted.   I made a delicious dish from my collection of Lombardian recipes - chicken filled with cabbage and amaretti.  Before you roll your eyes - consider that amaretti cookies were created in the town of Saronno in the region of Lombardy.  The crunchy little cookies made with bitter almonds are not only eaten as is, but also widely used as an ingredient in the food of the region.  They are what give tortellini stuffed with pumpkin it's unique flavor.  They make a sensational crust when crumbled to support an espresso semi-freddo.  And just wait 'til you try this chicken

GALLINA RIPIENA CON VERZA

serves 4 - 6   (I served 7 using a bigger chicken)

1/2 pound cabbage - preferably Savoy - which most resembles the Italian verza - however, I used Napa because I couuldn't find Savoy
1 onion, coarsely chopped
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup grated grana Padana - the Parmesan cheese of Lombardy
10 amaretti cookies, crumbled
1 egg
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
a few grinds black pepper
1 2 1/2 - 3 pound chicken
butcher's twine

1.   In a large pot of boiling water cook the cabbage until tender about 7 minutes.  Drain.
2.   In a large skillet over medium heat saute the onion in the butter until it's transparent, 3 - 4 minutes.  Add the cabbage, lower the heat and simmer until the liquid has absorbed, the cabbage has softened and the mixture is somewhat dry, about 10 minutes.   Remove from heat and let cool a bit.
3.   In a mixing bowl combine the grated grana, amaretti, egg, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, nutmeg and pepper.  Add this mixture to the cabbage and toss together.
4.   Open the cavity of the chicken and stuff as much of the cabbage into it as possible - there may be some leftover - add to a small baking dish.  Use the butcher's twine to tie the legs together over the cavity.  Tuck the wings underneath and secure by wrapping twine around the whole bird.  Sprinkle the remaining teaspoon of salt over the bird.  Place the chicken in a cast iron skillet or roasting pan.
5.   Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F.  Cook until the skin is golden and crispy, and the pan juice runs pink from the breast, about 1 1/2 hours.  Add the leftover cabbage stuffing to the oven about 1/2 hour before the chicken is finished to heat up.
6.   Serve the carved chicken with its pan juices and stuffing and soft polenta.

I did serve my chicken with soft polenta  made just as I always do (except that I doubled the recipe to insure leftovers) with the same great Hudson Valley polenta from Wild Hive Farm.   Only for this particular polenta I added a heaping  1/2 cup crumbled Ewe's Blue - a real creamy and tangy blue cheese from the above mentioned Old Chatham Sheepherding Co.

I made a topping for the baked polenta by sauteeing sliced onions until they got slightly caramel, shiitake mushrooms, and broccolini - that had been blanched to tenderize and ease out the bitterness- in butter and olive oil.

One of the guests, good friend, James, made a loaf of  sturdy, to-die-for olive-rosemary bread.

Dessert was delicious with a capital D - I can only tell you that it was the best rice pudding ever.  I can't give you the recipe. Yet.  My friend, Roy is working on a cookbook and the pudding is an unpublished recipe which he kindly shared with me.  I'll share it with you when I'm given permission to do so.   I served the rice pudding with my mother's gingersnaps.  Quite a combination.   Oh, and some adorable mandarin oranges chased with a glass of icy limoncello.

We dined.  Oh, yes, we did.

SUSANSIMONSAYS: 

This is what I did with the leftover polenta.   Served it, reheated, to my friend, Cynthia, topped with sauteed microgreens that had just arrived at Lick the Market that morning for casual Sunday dinner seated around the fire.