Mango, Tango, Bango!!!

It's the time of the year -spring when those gorgeous little kidney bean-shaped  mangoes, the ataulfo, arrive from Central America to the produce bins of our nearby markets (they come out again in the fall). In markets with lots of space, the mangoes are displayed in their flattering, lavender colored boxes.  The ataulfo that I bought were called champagne mangoes and were imported exclusively by the Ciruli Brothers .  They're also called honey mangoes or Manila mangoes.  Regardless of their appellation they are the supreme mango, almost string less - none of that annoying fibre stuck between your teeth - with a firm, yet flexible texture.  Eating an ataulfo mango is something like eating pure mango flan.  Its firm flesh makes it the ideal ingredient for cutting into a perfect little dice and then adding to other ingredients to make a savory or sweet salad, chutney or salsa.

I made my favorite Seychelloise-style fresh fruit chutney to accompany the other components of a colorful meal.

3 Ataulfo mangoes, peeled, cut into approximate 1/2-inch pieces.  After it's peeled the mango is easily cut from top to bottom off both sides of the  pit, and then another slender slice on each side of it.  These sections are ready to make into perfect diced pieces.
2 scallions, white part (some tiny bit of pale green) chopped
1 Thai hot pepper, minced
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
zest and juice of 1 large juicy lime, or 2 small ones
1/2 teaspoon salt

In a medium bowl, toss all the ingredients together.  Cover the bowl and let sit in a cool spot for at least an hour until ready to serve.  Leftover chutney may be stored in a refrigerator in a tightly sealed container for up to a week.

The thing that gets me to decide what to eat as much as the ingredients themselves is their color.  The more vibrant the color the more I'm attracted to the ingredient.  To certify what seems to be whimsical reasoning I might add that the more vibrant the color the higher the nutritional value contained within the produce.   Ah - what a bonus.
RED fruits and vegetables, especially tomatoes contain a high amount of lycopene - an antioxidant.
ORANGE & YELLOW produce, including sweet potatoes, squash, pineapple, mangoes and carrots are high in beta carotene = vitamin A which helps dispel depression, headaches, heartburn and high blood pressure.
BLUE & PURPLE ingredients such as blueberries, blackberries, purple grapes, plums and eggplant contain anthocyanins = antioxidant.
GREEN the color that gives the whole category its name.  This produce is obvious, and gets its color from chlorophyll which = vitamins A,C,& K.  The fiber contained in the greens goes a long way to lower cholesterol.

Add, say, a bright, beautiful pile of pickled red cabbage on the plate with a mound of mango chutney and you've got another part of a trio flavors that will add up to a meal filled with more dips and swirls then most tangos danced in Buenos Aires.   For the pickled cabbage recipe I'm going to send you straight to my friend, Amy's blog, Coconut and Quinoa .

The protein portion of this group is my version of age tofu - fried  tofu.  In the Japanese kitchen cubes of tofu are covered in corn or potato starch and fried until golden then served in a hot broth made with mirin, dashi, sho-yu then topped with finely chopped green onions, and sometimes grated daikon radish.
Here's what I did:
2 large or  4 small shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
grapeseed or canola oil for frying
rice flour for coating
1 block firm, preferably organic tofu cut into 1 1/2-inch squares

1.  Fill a small skillet, over medium heat with about an inch of oil.  Add the sliced shallots and cook until golden - stir ocassionally or else the ones on the outer edge of the skillet will burn.  Remove the pale gold (they'll continue to cook as they cool) shallots from the oil with a strainer and drain on paper towels.  Reserve the oil.
2.   Add the rice  flour to a dinner plate.  Coat all sides of the tofu with the flour.  
3.   Reheat the shallot-flavored oil to medium.  Add the tofu, in batches, and fry until golden on all sides.  Drain on paper towels.  Serve hot - or at room temperature.

Compose your meal with a stack of tofu covered with fried shallots, a heap of pickled cabbage and
mango chutney.  All the better if you have a turquoise, navy blue or lime green plate for serving.  Bango! -here's a  meal of creamy tofu covered with a crackling crust topped with what seem to be mini fried onions rings, crunchy pickled cabbage, and fragrant, tangy fresh mango chutney.  Healthy? OMG, Yes!  For me, this meal tastes even better when eaten with chopsticks.

SUSANSIMONSAYS:   

This vintage sofa, newly upholstered with Lisa Corti fabric, from John Derian nourishes me visually in the same way as the meal I've just described.  Remember, feed all your senses.

Dinner and Scrabble for Two

About 7 or 8 years ago my friend, John, and I began a Sunday night tradition that continues to this day - Scrabble and dinner. Although our Sunday game and meal is not played with the frequency as it was in the beginning, it's become a custom .   The Sunday night dinners were, and are always at my house (other games and meals are enjoyed at John's place).  The opportunity to make meals for two that usually result in enough leftovers for up to 3 or 4 more meals is an irresistible undertaking for a single person like I am.  The possibility of  creating new recipes is also a big PLUS!  BTW - I've kept track of every single meal that I made for all our games (I have, however, neglected to keep track of  the winner of each game. hmmm).  For a recent installment of our mini Scrabble tournament I began the meal plan with dessert first.  Lemon Mousse.  Man, oh man, I had a deep desire for something bright and lemony.  This northeastern winter has dragged on for way too long. If the sun won't show itself in our sky then I was determined to make it to fill up our insides  My go-to lemon mousse recipe is Craig Claiborne's (now, there a name we don't hear enough these days!) from The New York Times,International Cook Book (Harper & Row, 1971).   More on dessert a little further down.  
In an entry dated September 17th, 2004 - Scrabble, John, I wrote "meatloaf - 2 lbs. beef, 1 lb. pork", and  a list of the other ingredients without measurements.  That first meatloaf was a huge success - no, it was an AMAZING success. So much that I made it again, and again until I got the ingredient list and measures just right.

AMAZING MEATLOAF

The loaf is super tasty when you eat it just out of the oven with its savory juices juices running - but, I'm just as satisfied to eat it the next day, cold from the refrigerator, sliced and made into a sandwich - on any kind of toasted bread -  garnished with sharp Dijon mustard and a pile of micro greens.  This meatloaf has a pate-like quality.  I admit, I'm lucky to be able to purchase, local, grass-fed ground beef to use for this dish.  I'm not sure that I would be able to be so cavalier about making meatloaf with its main ingredients coming from an unknown source.

Makes a 10-inch by 7-inch loaf

2 pounds ground beef
1 pound ground pork
3 eggs
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 1/2 cups plain whole milk yogurt
3/4 cup unseasoned breadcrumbs
2 cloves finely chopped garlic
1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon salt
Topping:
1/2 cup tomato catsup
1/4 cup prepared Dijon mustard
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1.   Add the beef, pork, eggs, feta cheese, yogurt, breadcrumbs, garlic, parsley and salt to a large bowl.   Using your hands, thoroughly and carefully blend all the ingredients.
2.   Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Make the topping: in a small bowl add the catsup, mustard and Parmesan cheese and thoroughly combine.
3.   Place two sheets of parchment paper on a baking sheet or jelly roll pan. Place the meat mixture on the top sheet of parchment paper and form into a loaf measuring approximately 10-inches by 7-inches.  Cover the loaf with the topping mixture.  Loosely close the loaf with the top layer of parchment paper.  Bake for 45 minutes.  Uncover and bake for 20 - 30 minutes until the outside is browned (slightly black).
4.   Serve immediately.  Leftover meatloaf can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week.

I served the meatloaf with two salads.  Again, the salads were in response to my desire for fresh and bright - in their case, crunchy too.   Salad #1 - thinly sliced radishes (sliced on a mandolin), crumbled feta cheese, lots of chopped, fresh, flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped black olives, extra virgin olive oil and white wine vinegar.   Salad #2 - shredded carrots dressed with tahini.  I made the tahini in a food processor with tahini (sesame paste), fresh lemon juice, garlic, a pinch of cayenne pepper, salt and  thinned with warm water until it reached the consistency of buttermilk.  Carrots were tossed with the tahini dressing.  The salad was garnished with za'atar - an Arabic spice blend that includes oregano, basil, thyme, savory, marjoram, sumac berries, sesame seeds and dried lemon peel.  Za'atar is available commercially, already blended.  My za'atar was a gift from Haifa, who makes it according to her Lebanese mother's recipe.   My starch of choice to accompany the meatloaf and salads was toasted pita bread.   We did not mourn the the lack of mashed potatoes!

LEMON MOUSSE

To continue the discussion as to why I love lemon mousse and this recipe in particular.  It tastes like the cloud-version of a sour lemon drop, and it marries so well with berries.  Visually it  knocks me out when combined with intense, purpley blueberries or shocking pink raspberries.   I just happened to have a pint of last summer's blueberries and plums cooked with my brother-in-law's Nantucket honey and creme de cassis, stashed in a lonely corner of my freezer which I was happy to thaw for the occasion.  Actually, I whipped a little extra cream (a bit more than called for in the recipe) and turned all the ingredients into a lemon mousse parfait.

serves 6

2 lemons
4 eggs separated
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon gelatin
1 cup heavy cream plus more more for garnish

1.   Grate the rind of the lemons and reserve.  Squeeze the juice and reserve.
2.   Combine the egg yolks with the rind and sugar and beat vigorously until the mixture is light and lemon colored.
3.   Combine the lemon juice and gelatin and let stand ten minutes.  Heat the mixture over low heat or hot water until the gelatin dissolves, then stir it into the egg yolk mixture.
4.   Whisk the cream until thick and fold it into the moussed mixture.  Whip the egg whites and fold them in.
5.  Pour the mixture into a 2 quart souffle dish and pour into the mousse mixture.  Chill at least two hours.
I made the parfaits by adding the blueberries to the bottom of  large white wine glasses, then a few scoops of lemon mousse, and topped with whipped cream and a few blueberries.

SUSANSIMONSAYS:  In the summertime, when fresh, local berries are available - starting with June strawberries up until August blackberries, with blueberries and raspberries in between - try swirling the fresh berries through the lemon mousse just before it sets. Beautiful, and divinely delicious!

Italy Dish by Dish, the reviews are out!

It's been very satisfying to read the reviews of  Italy Dish by Dish, the culinary guide which I translated from Italian to English.  The satisfaction comes from reviewers who understand the value of the work you've done, and how helpful that labor is  for readers.  Jenn Garbee's description of the book  in LA Weekly  is on point. And so is the entry about it in the widely read blog, 100 miles
Among newspapers all over the country that have talked about the book, The Milwaukee Sentinel seems to get it best, except for a snippy comment about the color of the type. Oh well.
Of course, who's not happy with a mention in the Wednesday food section of  The New York Times.
There are many, many other nice mentions, including ones in the stalwart publishing trade publications, Publishers Weekly , and  Library Journal.
SUSANSIMONSAYS:  Buon Viaggio e Buon Appetito - even from your armchair!

Italy Dish by Dish

I'm pleased to announce the publication of my new book, Italy Dish by Dish.  Well, mine per moda di dire, so to speak - I translated Mangia Italiano, a guide to the regional specialities of Italy written by Monica Cesari Sartoni, from  Italian to English.
I bought the original about 15 years ago in Italy and it has accompanied me on every trip that I make to that country.  When the publisher -The Little Bookroom - of my book, Shopping in Marrakech talked about wanting to find an in-depth guide book to both Italian and French cuisines for the traveler, I said, "I've got an Italian one for you".   Fast-forward, I spent most of the dreary months of last winter simultaneously translating the mouth-watering text, and  starved, with every word that glided into English from the original Italian.  The guidebook is divided by the regions of Italy and within each region there are entries for every part of a meal from antipasti to vini .   The descriptions of each dish most often include the ingredients of the dish and  the method of  its preparation.   Hmmm, I thought - for those with a little knowledge of cooking most of the delicious descriptions can easily be turned into delicious food.
I chose a really easy entry for my first try.  

In the Campania part of the book, in the section entitled, "Pasta, Gnocchi, Rice, Polenta, and Grains"  there's an entry for Fusilli alla vesuviana, that reads, " twisted pasta shapes dressed with fresh tomato sauce, mozzarella, pecorino and oregano and then baked".
Naples is the capital city of  the  region of Campania.  You could say that tomatoes, mozzarella and oregano are emblematic foods of the area.  
I made the description into a recipe in the first few days of March, in New York City.  Alas, no fresh tomatoes.  I cheated the flavor a bit by mixing a cooked, simple tomato sauce (that I mentioned in the last blog entry) with some chopped, fresh cherry tomatoes.  At this time of  the year, organic cherry or grape tomatoes seem to have more flavor than any other, very red, so-called fresh tomatoes. To my palate, those tomatoes taste something like a cross between a pink angora sweater and and an unripe watermelon. Save this recipe to make again, sometime in August,  with big thick slices of  fabulous, slurpy heirloom tomatoes.
Here's what I came up with:

Serve 6 - 8

Make a simple tomato sauce:
1/4 cup olive oil
2 or 3 cloves garlic peeled, cut into 2 or 3 pieces
1 hot pepper, minced
1 35-ounce  (2 pounds, 3 ounces) tin of  peeled San Marzano (from Campania) tomatoes, stem end removed and squeezed through your hands
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt

1.   Add the olive oil, garlic and hot pepper to a deep saucepan over medium heat and saute until the garlic is golden about 90 seconds.  Add the tomatoes, oregano and salt.  Cook until the sauce is slightly reduced, about 30 - 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, add 1 pound fusilli (I used cavatappi , because I had them in my pantry) to a large pot of boiling, salted water, and cook according to the  manufacturer's directions.  Drain and run cool water over them to completely halt the cooking.

Coarsely chop 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes.

Cut 3/4 pound whole milk mozzarella in to 1/4-inch cubes - should yield 2 cups.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Add the cooked pasta, 2 cups of the simple tomato sauce - garlic removed (there will be some leftover - store in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer for future use), the chopped fresh tomatoes, and mozzarella to a large bowl and stir to combine. Taste for salt and add as needed (remember that the pecorino cheese topping will add lots of salt).   Add the mixture to a baking dish.  Sprinkle the top with 1/4 cup grated pecorino cheese.  Drizzle some extra virgin olive oil over the top.   Bake until the top is golden and the sides of the dish are bubbling, about 30 minutes.   Serve immediately.

SUSANSIMONSAYS:  I want to believe that this dish is called alla vesuviana not only for  Mount Vesuvius, which is the background to Naples, but also because of the way the mozzarella erupts inside the pasta, just like the volcano on top of the mountain  has - well, at least once in the last 100 years.

A is for artichoke

Last week's really warm day - way too warm for February day - was a big tease.  However, it affected my desire to eat the food of springtime.  First and foremost, artichokes.  So, I made a a trip to my local supermarket and purchased a few artichokes. 
It just so happens that it's spring in California where most of this country's artichokes are grown - so, I no trouble tracking down some very nice, plump specimens.
Unless you just steam the glorious thistle buds - which is what artichokes are -, then dip their leaves in melted butter or oil and vinegar you're going to have to do a bit of work to get to the delicious, fleshy center.
I don't mind that chore because I know what lies ahead.  Once the artichoke is whittled down to just naked heart and peeled stem, it can be used for so many preparations.
You'll want to eat artichokes not just for their luxurious flavor but also with the knowledge that of all  the vegetables on earth, these contain the highest amount of anti-oxidant - cynarin - capacity, helping to make them a supreme aid to digestion.  In fact, artichokes are the main ingredient in one of my favorite digestivi  - the Italian liqueur, Cynar.

Here's how you pare an artichoke down to its heart and make it ready for 100s of preparations:  thinly sliced, raw, tossed in a salad  with Parmesan cheese shards and an aged balsamic vinegar dressing; thinly sliced, sauteed in butter and used a topping for risotto;  crispy, crunchy carciofi alla giudia fried open to resemble a golden chrysanthemum; stuffed between the leaves with a savory mixture of breadcrumbs, cheese and herbs - and as I prepared them the other day, as a component of the sauce that I made for potato gnocchi.

It 's important to search out artichokes with their stem in tact.   Cut a few lemons in half.   Squeeze the lemons into a large bowl filled with water.   Working with 1 artichoke at a time, and conserving its stem, remove the outside leaves by  bending them backward and pulling them down; they'll snap at the meaty point of the leaf.  Pull away the leaves until you see only pale green ones, at about the halfway point of the artichoke.  Use a very sharp paring knife to trim away the tough green parts of the leaves that have remained, so that all you see is pale green.  Carefully peel the stem.  Trim the prickly pointed tops. Dig out the fizzy "choke" - a melonballer is an ideal tool.  Immediately add to the acidulated water.  Then proceed to further cut - or not - the artichokes as needed for your chosen recipe.
I made thinly sliced carciofi alla romana.  I specify "thinly" sliced because "artichokes, Roman style" are usually cooked whole (after trimmed) or just cut in half.  I used 6 globe artichokes for this recipe.   As luck would have it - the globe artichokes from California are very similar to the mamelle artichokes that are used in Italy for this preparation.

Working with one trimmed artichoke at a time - cut in half, then in quarters.  Thinly slice each quarter and add back into the water until all are cut.

In a large saute pan add 1/2 cup olive oil with  3 or 4 cloves garlic that have been cut into 2 or 3 pieces each and 1 smashed, dry hot pepper such as cayenne and cook until the garlic is pale gold, about 1 minute.    Drain the artichokes, lower the heat and add them to the pan.  Be careful as the oil will splash when the  wet artichokes hit the pan.  Add 2 cups of the lemon water (strained) and 1 teaspoon salt.   Simmer, uncovered, until the artichokes are tender and a tester easily passes through them - about 20 minutes.  Stir in 2 tablespoons chopped, fresh flat leaf parsley.  Stir to combine.    The artichokes can
 be served immediately as a side dish, rice or pasta topper - or, as I did, with gnocchi.

I packed up the artichokes in an airtight container, and then made a very simple tomato sauce by simmering 2 pounds of  crushed-by-hand tinned San Marzano tomatoes in a few tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, some chopped garlic and a minced hot pepper for about 45 minutes (until somewhat reduced) - also packed in an airtight container.  The next day I left the City for the idyllic home of some friends, way upstate New York.  These friends are avid gardeners and had some delicious potatoes just waiting to be made into gnocchi.  I used the recipe from "Pasta Sfoglia" (John Wiley & Son, 2009), a book that I co-authored.
While the recipe calls for Idaho potatoes, I used an assortment of my hosts' grainiest potatoes - most of them 2nd and 3rd generation samples from their patch -   that included Burbank Russets, Carollas, All Blues (which gave the gnocchi  the most subtle lavender tinge), Kennebecs, and Katahdines.

POTATO GNOCCHI
makes 2 pounds gnocchi, serves 6 - 8

3 pounds unpeeled Idaho potatoes
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 egg
rice flour for dusting

1.   Gently boil the potatoes in their jackets in a large pot of water over medium heat until a tester easily passes through the thickest part.   Remove the potatoes from the pot and let cool to the touch; they shouldn't get completely cold.
2.   Wrap the potatoes in a kitchen towel or cotton napkin and rub to remove the skins.  Pass the potatoes through a ricer, into a large mixing bowl.
3.   Spread the all-propose flour on a clean, dry work surface.  Place the potatoes on top of the flour.  Add the egg and salt.  Use your hands to gather the ingredients together and gently knead the dough  into a 10 by 8-inch log.  Let rest for 2 minutes.
4.   Lightly dust a clean dry work surface  with rice flour.   Cut the log into 4 equal pieces.  Roll each piece into a 1-inch thick rope.  Cut each rope into 1/2-inch-wide gnocchi.  Store the gnocchi on a rice flour-covered baking sheet until ready to use.  Dust with rice flour.
5.   Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
6.   Meanwhile, add the tomato sauce to a sauce pan and thoroughly heat.  In a separate saucepan, do the same with the artichokes.
7.   Add the gnocchi to the boiling water and cook until they float to the top.  Cook for 1 minute more.  (I cook the gnocchi in 2 batches) Use a wire-mesh strainer to remove the gnocchi from the pot and place them them on a large, warm serving platter.  Pour the tomato sauce over the top of the gnocchi and top everything with the artichokes.  Garnish with freshly chopped parsley. Serve immediately.

STEAMING HOT!!!

SUSANSIMONSAYS:  All that good-for-you acid in the artichokes not only makes them oxidize rapidly but also tends to stain your hands as you work with them. Scrub your hands clean with lemon juice.  Believe me, ever-so-briefly, slightly stained hands  are a tiny sacrifice for BIG flavor.

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:

My Sputnik Moment

Every winter, right about now, I begin to yearn for light.  While the luminosity that I seek may not always come in the form of longer days or a getaway to a hot little island, I can assimilate light, and bright with food choices.  I love apples and pears - but I'm tired of them.  Local apples and pears have been in storage for more than 3 months and somehow they're starting to taste that way.  It's time to choose pineapples, and bananas.  Oh sure, since pineapples and bananas actually come from those hot little islands, they're available all year 'round.  I like them now, when it's cold outside.   Pineapple makes for the easiest dessert when you cut it into chunks and serve topped with mascarpone (or sour cream) and a shower of cinnamon - or a more complicated one when you make a Pineapple Sputnik from Anne Willan's book, "From My Chateau Kitchen" (Clarkson Potter, 2000).   When Anne claimed that the pineapple will be "fragrant with vanilla" - she was sooooooooooo right.  As my pineapple baked, and my whole apartment filled with vanilla steam complete with frosted windows, it transported me back, decades, to when I stepped off a plane for the first time in the Seychelles Islands. That introduction to the steamy heat temperature of the equator-based islands mixed with  the native vanilla pods and cinnamon bark gave me an indeliable memory to return to on demand.  You see how easy it easy to get to a hot little island?  Ha!

PINEAPPLE SPUTNIK

 Anne says, "....roasted pineapple extravaganza, speared with vanilla beans so it looks like a sputnik, must be tasted to be believed."   She's right.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Peel a whole fresh pineapple.  If you like,  use a small knife to outline and remove the eyes in a spiral pattern.  Cut out the core with an apple corer.  Cut 4 or 5 vanilla beans each into 2 or 3 shorter pieces and spear the fruit with these, pushing them as far as possible into the flesh - if necessary, use a skewer to help poke holes.  Set the pineapple standing upright in a baking dish.
Make a syrup by heating 1/2 cup sugar with 1 cup water, the grated zest and juice of 1 orange and 1 lemon, and about 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger until the sugar is dissolved, then simmer it for 2 to 3 minutes.  Pour the syrup over the pineapple and roast it, basting often (I basted every 20 minutes), until the pineapple starts to brown and the syrup starts to caramelize, 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 hours .  It will be fragrant with vanilla.  Toward the end of cooking, keep a close watch as the syrup will caramelize rapidly once it is reduced to a glaze.  Slice the pineapple into thick rings for serving and serve it warm basted with the cooking syrup.  Leave the vanilla beans for decoration.  However they're not edible.

I like to serve the pineapple with rum raisin ice cream.  I think a bit of any kind cream adds to the dish.
Serves 4 - 6

BANANAS
Ubiquitous bananas can be a snack on the run, sliced into cereal, baked into a quick bread, or blended into smoothies, and  the main ingredients in one of  my favorite cold weather desserts.  Bananes Flambees.  I included a simple recipe for them in my first cookbook, "Visual Vegetables"  (Clarkson Potter, 1991).   The recipe was handwritten and surrounded by one of my illustrations - very much like the ones I'm doing now for this blog.  There was an essay on the opposite page that set the stage, through some reminiscing, for the recipe.  Again, a lot like what I'm doing with this blog.
Here's the recipe for the simple, glamourous dish.  It's just a few words. 

BANANES FLAMBEES

Slice 6 unripe bananas in half lengthwise.  Fry them in 4 tablespoons butter and 1/2 cup sugar 'til they become almost caramel.  Then add 1 teaspoon cinnamon and 1 tablespoon more sugar. Pour on 1 cup warm rum.  Set aflame.   Serve immediately.  
Serves 6
Again, I think a little bit of some sort of cream - ice cream, heavy cream, creme fraiche, etc. - is nice accent for the bananas.

TESSA AND LUCY'S BROWN RAINBOW SURPRISE
Tessa and Lucy, two young ladies whose ages are still in the single digits, have put together a recipe featuring bananas that's is just my kind of dish.

Serves 2
2 bananas
Same amount of vanilla yogurt
Almost 2 handfuls of M&Ms

Mash the bananas, one in each bowl.  Put in yogurt and M&Ms and then mix it all together well.   Eat with a spoon.

I  make something similar with very ripe bananas:
Smash a couple of bananas together with a few tablespoons sour cream and brown sugar.  Stir in some raisins that have been softened in dry Marsala.  That's it.  Instant banana pudding.



SUSANSIMONSAYS:  Not to cause too much alarm  - however - there was a pretty frighteneing article in the January 10th issue of The New Yorker about a deadly fungus that is killing off thousands of acres of banana plantations around the world.   So far, the fungus hasn't reached Latin America, the source of all the bananas we eat in the US.  According to experts, it's only a matter of time.  Oy!