A Craving for Prosciutto

I can't believe that I've lived in Hudson for almost 10 months and it's taken up until last week to finally check out the Italian Market in town.  I had an overwhelming craving for prosciutto.  Usually I save up all my Italian deli needs for when I go into NYC and can shop for them at Russo's on 11th street in Manhattan - as I have for decades.  It's difficult to venture out of your comfort zone.  But I did - because I had to.  It's fresh fig season. Fresh figs and prosciutto are an ideal match.  Fortunately, the Italian Market had a selection of both imported and domestic prosciutto.  I bought a quarter of a pound of imported San Daniele prosciutto and found enough slices to make several meals with them.

When a paper thin slice of sweet-salty prosciutto wraps itself around a plump, moist sugar-sweet fig you'd think that they've been going steady for ages. They have.  And, right now you can find fresh figs in most local supermarket aisles.  I found a box of perfectly ripe Mission figs (the dark ones) at the Pricechopper.

 One day I breakfasted on a piece of toasted quinoa bread that was covered with the exceptional Kate's Homemade butter- made in Maine - found on the shelves of Hannaford's (because they are a Maine company too)  topped with halved figs and draped with prosciutto.  A perfect, way to begin an early autumn day.

   Some people, obviously more elegant than I, ceremoniously peel their figs.  I do not.  I like the contrast of color provided by the deep purple Mission figs and the rosy-pink prosciutto.

I'm very fond of the many recipes in both Spanish and Portuguese kitchens that combine fish or seafood with pork products - ideally, cured pork products.  Whether it's  Spanish trout with jamon de Serrano or  Portuguese clams, potatoes and spicy chorizo sausage, these dishes articulate the genuine flavor and texture of the main ingredients; soft, glistening, melt-in-your mouth fish with aromatic, toothy pork.  Throw in some potatoes, tomatoes, garlic, fresh herbs and spicy peppers and you've got this...
It all began with those slices of prosciutto waiting for further instructions.  I purchased a beautiful piece of fresh, gleaming white cod from Lick (yes, Lick - get on their fish order list), picked up some new, fingerling potatoes, and tomatoes from the Hudson Farmers' Market , and I had some garlic, and some Thai hot peppers and fresh thyme from my own little garden.

 

 

 

Here's what I did:
.   Parboiled the potatoes until a tester easily passed through them.
.   Sauteed finely chopped garlic and hot peppers, and fresh thyme leaves in a generous amount of olive oil.  Add the juice of a lemon.
.   Added the parboiled potatoes to the oil and tossed then around until they were coated with the olive oil mixture.   Removed from the heat.   Removed the potatoes from the oil and add to a baking dish.
.   Placed the cod fillets in the oil mixture and turned them over to coat them with the mixture.  Wrapped prosciutto slices around the fillets to fully enrobe them.
.   Pushed the potatoes to the sides of the baking dish and placed the cod in the middle.
.   Placed sliced tomatoes on top of the cod.   Drizzled with extra virgin olive oil.  Sprinkled with flaky sea salt.   Placed sprigs of fresh thyme over all of it.
.   Baked at 450 degrees F. for 15 minutes.  Served immediately.   Although, it does taste pretty damn good leftover, and chilled because the dish juices turn into a kind of aspic from the natural fish gelatin and prosciutto fat.
 

SUSANSIMONSAYS:   CODFISH

 

Longing for Winter Stews

 It's barely been winter this year.   Actually, it's only in these  last few days of February that I'm feeling chilled, and longing for those slowly cooked foods that not only warm my entire being - but also create the kind of earthy, spicy fragrance that warms up my whole home.  And, while I've prepared for several, favorite cold weather foods by having all the ingredients on hand - and my blue Le Creuset compote pot and French oven - I haven't actually manufactured anything until a couple of days ago.

Dried Fig Compote is a good item to have on hand.  Once cooked the compote will keep forever in the fridge and has oh-so-many uses.
I like to use semi-dried figs - which are usually found at shops that sell copious amounts of dried fruits therefore have constant turnover so even the dried fruits are fresh.
Add as many dried figs as you like to a compote pot (or heavy, non-reactive saucepan).  Cover with a fortified wine such as the Recioto which I used (a fortified Valpolicella) or Marsala, etc. by an inch.  Add a few heaping tablespoons of pure honey.  I use my brother-in-law's blue-ribbon-prize-winning Nantucket honey made by bees who feast on everything from cranberry blossoms to teasel grown especially for them by my sister.  Actually, I'm constantly searching for ways to use his Eat Fire Spring Apiary honey in my recipes. I added a cut up blood orange too.  Just because.  Just because there they were staring out of a bin at Lick the Market.  The winey, sweet citrus is a great foil for both the figs and musty Recioto.  They looked good too.   Cover the pot and simmer for a few hours or until the figs are soft and can be cut with the side of a fork.

Cool and serve with creme fraiche, whipped cream, ice cream, yogurt in a shapely glass goblet to end a meal with aplomb. Or, coarsely chop and use as a filling in a crostata, in mini turnover - or any other pastry that requires a filling.

Pot Roast is, to my mind, the quintessential winter dish, especially, Italian-style, stewed with lots of carrots, onions, garlic, red wine and peeled tomatoes, then served with polenta.  I had a nice little, about 3 pounds, bottom roast from Miller's Crossing.  Brown the roast in a French oven or heavy bottomed casserole in olive oil until nicely colored on all sides.  Remove from  the pot and reserve.  Add lots of coarsely chopped onions, thinly sliced carrots, a minced hot pepper, and chopped garlic to the pot.  Saute until the onion is translucent, about 10 minutes.  Add the roast back into the pot and turn to cover with the vegetables.  Add about 1/2 bottle of hearty red wine, pelati (peeled tomatoes) from a 2 pounds 3 ounces tin vine end removed and loosely broken up with your hands, and 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano to the pot.  Cover, askew, simmer, turning the meat occasionally until the meat is very tender - about 2 1/2 - 3 hours.   Let sit for at least 4 hours - in order to let it  continue to absorb the flavors - or overnight.  Even better.   Reheat before serving.  Remove the meat from the pot and thinly slice.  Arrange on a serving platter and cover with the sauce to serve.   Enjoy pot roast sandwiches with the leftover meat, and pasta covered with excess sauce.


SUSANSIMONSAYS:  I enjoy stopping at Otto's Market whenever I drive through Germantown on route 9G, as it's just a short distance from the highway in the tiny Germantown center.  Otto's is an everyman's grocery store and reflects  the history and passion of owner Otto Leuschel who worked for Whole Foods for 17 years before opening his childhood dream shop.  The needs of the surrounding communities are evident in the product selection at Otto's.  Need a bag of Domino sugar or a box of Cascade dish deterent - or a jar of cornichons or  a bag of vegetable chips?  Otto's has them all.

Cocktail Party Prolonge' # 2

In a previous post I talked about how a cocktail prolonge' is my new favorite way to entertain.  The more I invite friends over to graze on a  table full of finger food, and then serve them an entree type dish about an hour and a half or two hours into the party  - the more convinced I am that the cocktail prolonge' is the only way to entertain.  I'm pleased to see how people mix with each other - more than they would at, say, a sit-down dinner (they still get a chance to sit down - just on a more comfortable chair!) - as they go back and forth to the table try another  sample of the selection.  So, when a friend, from Paris, came to visit, (he hadn't been in the City for 4 or 5 or 6 years - he claimed he couldn't remember) I collected a group of his old friends and invited them to come over to my place for a cocktail prolonge'.
Another one of the secrets to the success of the this style of entertaining - is to make everything ahead of time (at the most  you'll just need to heat the entree) - and not to feel the least bit guilty if you buy a few things - and then customize them to make them your own.   Check the menu to see what I mean.
Here's what I served:
.  Fat, Sesame Seed Grissini Wrapped with Thinly Sliced Sorpressata, Black Olives

.  Port Wine "Poached Figs with Goat's Milk Cheese and Chopped, Salted Pistachios
Remember those figs  from the  Easy, Rosy Last Minute Cocktail Party post?   Well, two months later I  had some leftover figs that had progressed from semi-dry to rather dry.  They were added  to a saucepan and covered  with half Port wine and half water and simmered  until they were extremely soft.  I removed them from the pan then reduced the remaining liquid to a syrup.   I cut the cooled figs in half, put a rounded teaspoon of soft, plain goat's milk cheese on the cut-side, drizzled a bit of the Port syrup over the top and then sprinkled chopped salted pistachios over each piece.

.  Sweet and Salty Almonds
See last Cocktail Prolonge' for recipe.

.  Kunik with Roasted Pears
Again, see last post for the description.

.  Garlicky Baked Artichoke Hearts
I buy the artichokes from a little Italian food shop in my neighborhood.  However, if you don't have a Russo's nearby - you can easily make them.   Use canned or frozen artichoke hearts (not in oil).  Pack them into a baking dish, stem-side down.  Mix fresh garlic smashed through a press and lots of freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley with a generous amount of olive oil.  Pour the mixture over the top of the artichokes making sure it sinks down in between the leaves.  Cover with unseasoned breadcrumbs.  Bake at 350 degrees F. until the top is golden and the sides of the dish are bubbly,  25 - 30 minutes.  Let cool serve.

.  Smoked Salmon Focaccia
For years, this has been one of my catering signature dishes. It's pizza dough (I'll give you my recipe in a future post) stretched into logs, then covered with thinly sliced red onions and baked at 500 degrees F. until golden, about 10 - 12 minutes.   The cooled focaccia is covered with ersatz mascarpone which I make by blending equal amounts of unsalted butter and cream cheese.  I add freshly ground black pepper and lemon zest to the mixture which is then generously spread on the focaccia.  The cream cheese mixture is topped with a layer of smoked salmon.  The logs are then cut into  1/2 to 3/4- inch pieces.  I like to serve them, stacked, log cabin-style on a platter.

(Pre) Set a Sideboard or Top of a Chest of Drawers   with a pile of napkins, forks and a stack of plates for serving the entree'.

.  BUTTERNUT SQUASH LASAGNE
This fool-proof recipe - from my book "The Nantucket Holiday Table" (Chronicle Books, 2000) - always satisfies.  In the book, it's called Pumpkin Lasagne - however, pumpkin season is a relatively short one - butternut squash is available  throughout the winter.  The lasagne can be put together in the morning  then cooked just before serving.   This recipe serves 8 - I made 2 for my party of 8.  I put the 2nd one in the oven when the 1st one was halfway through cooking.

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon pure olive oil
1 onion coarsely chopped
1 cup dry white vermouth
3 cups 2-inch cubed pumpkin, steamed until soft
2 rounded tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
1 rounded teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
1 pound good quality precooked lasagne noodles such as Barilla, DeCecco or Dalverde (I used  fresh noodles)
1/4 cup gated Parmesan cheese
10 -12 fresh sage leaves
 1.   In a large, heavy-bottom skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter with the olive oil over medium heat.  Saute' the onion until transparent.  Reduce heat and add the vermouth and squash.  Smash the squash with a potato masher or the back of a fork.  Stir with a wooden spoon to combine with the other ingredients.  Keep at a low simmer.
2.   Meanwhile, make a white sauce:  In a medium nonreacitve saucepan over medium heat, melt 2
tablespoons of the butter.  Add the flour and cook for 3 minutes stirring continuously with a wooden spoon.  Add the milk, nutmeg, salt and pepper.  Stir continuously until the mixture is slightly thicker than buttermilk.   Add to the squash mixture.  Stir to thoroughly combine.
3.   Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F.  Use 1 tablespoon butter to grease an 11-by 7 1/2-by 2-inch baking dish, then cover the bottom with sheets of precooked noodles.  Spread about 1/2-inch of squash mixture over the noodles and sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the grated Parmesan cheese over it. Repeat layering until all the squash mixture is used, ending with a layer of noodles.   Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan.  Scatter the sage leaves over the top.  Dot with the remaining tablespoon of butter.  Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 15  minutes.  Uncover and bake for 15 minutes more, or until bubbly at the sides and golden on top.   Serve immediately.

. Sliced Blood, and CaraCara Oranges

I love the way oranges finish off a meal.  I  remember when I was in Italy for the first time being pleasantly surprised when people would order a spremuta d'arancia - orange juice - for dessert.   I like to "dress" the oranges, Moroccan-Style with a splash of orange blossom water, a shower of powdered cinnamon and some shaved coconut.  Make the plate of oranges a few hours ahead of time so that all the flavors have a chance to seep into each other.
I put this platter out with a bowl of Medjool dates - and some cookies and chocolates brought to the party by some of the guests.

SUSANSIMONSAYS:

easy, and rosy last minute cocktail party

A friend brought me a bottle of  Dubonnet red a few months ago.  I stuck it in the fridge and forgot about it until a week or so ago when, without much notice, some some friends stopped by for a seasonal toast.  I remembered the Dubonnet,  chilled just right, on the side of the refrigerator door.  Aha!  I took out my best Baccarat rocks glasses filled them ice and poured the aromatic Dubonnet- it's made with fortified wine, herbs, spices and quinine - on top.  I garnished it with a big, fat wedge of orange. I forgot how easily Dubonnet slides down until the three of us finished off the bottle - and how well it accompanies both savory and sweet food.   Dubonnet is a favorite ingredient in many cocktails.  Queen Elizabeth II has it mixed with gin every day at lunchtime.

Again, I went to my refrigerator to find the ingredients for a little snack to serve with the Dubonnet.  I found a smidgen of gorgonzola dolce and about a quarter container of mascarpone.  I smashed them together then plopped the mixture into halved, semi-dried figs. Each fig was garnished with as many pomegranate seeds that could fit on top. 

SUSANSIMONSAYS:  Pomegranates are in season right now.  They're juicy, sweet, tart, filled with anti-oxidents, and have the most appealing texture.  The Italians eat the seeds for dessert served doused with red wine, Marsala or orange juice.  Removing the  ruby-red seeds  from their leathery skin is a messy job.  My tried and true method is to roll the fruit on a hard surface in order to begin loosen the seeds.  Cut the fruit in half, place the halves in a baking dish or another container with sides.  Press on each side as if you were squeezing juice from a lemon.  Some seeds will automatically fall out.  The skin will break allowing you to reach all the seeds. Gently pull them away from the pith.   The seeds keep, refrigerated for up to a week  They can be frozen as well - then pulled out next summer for a surprising treat.