dips to try

california dip

1 1/2 c sour cream
3/4 c mayo
2 T olive oil
1 1/2 c diced onion
kosher salt
1/4 t white pepper
1/4 t garlic powder


cook onions in olive oil with about 1/2 t salt over medium low heat for about 20 minutes, until onions are a rich brown color. transfer to bowl, making sure you get all the oil. add 1/2 t more salt, white pepper, and garlic powder. combine well and refrigerate until ready to serve.

chicken liver mousse

defrost frozen chicken livers in milk in the fridge overnight. in large saucepan, over medium heat, melt 2 T unsalted butter. add 2 c coarsely chopped onions, 1 coarsely chopped granny smith apple, 1 t fresh chopped thyme, and a heavy pinch of kosher salt. cover and cook until soft and golden brown. add a pound of chicken livers, cleaned and drained. stir the livers into the heat gently, and cook for about three minutes. when livers are done, the outside will look sandy gray, and the insides will still be pink. add a quarter cup of brandy, and simmer for another minute. let cool for five minutes.

transfer to a food processor and puree into a smooth paste. in a chilled bowl, whip a cup of heavy cream to soft peaks. fold half the cream carefully into the liver mixture until it is smooth and mostly combined. add the rest of the cream and fold until completely combined. serve immediately or cover and chill for up to two days.

Andalusian Beef Stew (Estofado de Buey a la Andaluza)

I'm on a bit of an Iberian kick lately, which is both good (it's tasty and mostly good for you) and not helpful (most of my recipes are for dishes more suited for colder weather). This stew was excellent last Friday night when it was rainy and damp.

We had it with homemade herb bread, recipe to follow, and a Spanish red (duh). It makes quite a bit; I'll have lunch for a few days.

Adapted from My Kitchen in Spain, by Janet Mendel

2-3 pounds stewing beef, cut into 1" cubes
1 onion, sliced
1 can diced tomatoes, with juice
2 T olive oil
1 c water
2 t better-than-bouillon concentrate (or substitute beef broth for the water + concentrate)
1/2 c dry sherry or vermouth
2 large bay leaves
a pinch of cloves
1/4 t cinnamon
a generous pinch of saffron threads, crushed
2 t salt
1 whole head garlic, roasted and peeled
2 carrots, sliced
4 large potatoes, peeled and diced

In a stew pot, combine the beef, onion, tomato, oil, sherry/vermouth, water, bouillon. Bring to a boil and add the bay leaves, cloves, cinnamon, saffron, and salt. Add roasted garlic. Cover and simmer very slowly until the meat is almost tender, about 1 hour.

Add the sliced carrots and the potatoes. Cover and simmer for another 30 minutes, adding more water if necessary, until the meat and potatoes are very tender. Note: my liquid did not quite cover all the solid ingredients and it worked out fine. Add salt and white pepper to taste before you're done simmering.

Remove the bay leaves. The liquid will not thicken, so serve in soup bowls.

veal paprika

makes around three servings

1 lb boneless veal, trimmed of as much fat as possible and cut in 1" cubes
1 1/2 cups beef broth
flour
salt
pepper
paprika
white pepper
olive oil
3-4 slices thick cut bacon, diced
1 onion, sliced into strips or rings
2 cloves garlic
8 oz mushrooms, cut into thick slices

Mix salt and pepper with flour and lightly dredge the veal cubes in it. Meanwhile, heat a large deep saute pan over medium high heat, and add bacon. When pan is ready, the veal cubes, making sure to brown them on all sides as quickly as possible. If bacon does not give off enough fat, use a little olive oil to prevent burning or sticking. Add the onion and garlic; cook for a few minutes until they begin to soften.

Turn heat to low, add broth, about a quarter of a teaspoon of white pepper, and around a tablespoon of paprika, stir well. Cover and cook until veal is tender, at least twenty minutes, probably closer to forty, stirring occasionally. The sauce will thicken as it cooks because of the flour on the veal, but if you want it thicker, cook it uncovered for a bit, stirring frequently. Add the mushrooms around five minutes before it's finished. Some people like sour cream mixed in right before serving, but it's very good without that too. Serve over egg noodles.

everyday bread pudding

This is based on the low-fat bread pudding recipe in my new edition of the Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook. It's good made with a dense Italian or French style bread--the Cuban bread we get around here is perfect. If your bread isn't stale, you can dry the cubes out in a warm oven for 10-15 minutes.

6 beaten eggs
3 c milk
1/2 c sugar
2 T vanilla
2-3 t finely grated orange peel
1/2 t ground cardamom
1/2 t ground cinnamon
6-8 c dry bread cubes (around 3/4" square)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat together eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla, orange peel, cardamom, and cinnamon. Put bread cubes in an ungreased baking dish. Pour egg mixture over bread mixture. You want the liquid mixture to come at least halfway up the bread but not to cover the top of the cubes. If you need to mix a little more liquid, use 2 eggs to a cup of milk, adding flavoring at your discretion.

Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool slightly. If desired, serve warm with Whiskey Sauce or whipped cream or both (this will alter the low-fat attribute somewhat).

If you want, you can put a streusel-style topping on it before cooking: combine 1/3 c all-purpose flour, 1/3 c packed brown sugar, and 3 T softened butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs; sprinkle over pudding before baking.

gingered sugar cookies

For once, I didn't change this recipe at all (except to add a little more ginger). According to the folks at Cooks Illustrated, from whence it came, it's best to use flour with a protein of around 10.5 percent (Pillsbury or Gold Medal) rather than something (like King Arthur at 11.7 percent). The higher protein will result in drier, cakier cookies.

Makes 2 dozen cookies

1/2 c sugar, for rolling dough
1 t grated fresh ginger (I use this stuff and press the liquid out in paper towels)
2 c unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t table salt
16 T (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened but still firm (60 to 65 degrees F)
1 c granulated sugar
1 T light brown sugar
1 large egg
2-4 T minced crystallized ginger
1 1/2 t vanilla extract

In food processor or spice grinder, process 1/2 c sugar and fresh ginger until just combined; set aside for rolling.

Adjust oven racks to upper- and lower-middle positions; heat oven to 375 degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl; set aside.

With mixer, beat butter, 1 c sugar, and brown sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add egg, crystallized ginger, and vanilla; beat at medium speed until combined, about 30 seconds. Add dry ingredients and beat at low speed until just combined, about 30 seconds.

Place ginger sugar for rolling in shallow bowl. Fill medium bowl with cold tap water. Dip hands in water and shake off the excess (this prevents dough from sticking to your hands and ensure that sugar sticks to dough). Roll heaping tablespoon dough into 1 1/2" ball between moistened palms; roll ball in ginger sugar, then place on prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough, moistening hands frequently and spacing balls about 2" apart. Butter the bottom of a flat-bottomed drinking glass; dip bottom of glass in remaining ginger sugar and flatten dough balls with bottom of glass until dough is 1/2-3/4" thick.

Bake until cookies are golden brown around edges and just set and very lightly colored in center, 15 to 18 minutes, reversing position of cookie sheets from front to back and top to bottom halfway through baking time. Cool cookies on baking sheet about 3 minutes; using wide metal spatula, transfer cookies to wire rack and cool to room temperature.

Potato Soup

from The New Spanish Table by Anya von Bremzen

2-4 servrings
1 1/2 lbs baking potatoes (Yukon Gold)
1/4 c extra virgin olive oil
1/2 c slivered almonds (blanched whole)
6 large garlic cloves, peeled
salt and pepper
4-5 cups homemade or good boxed chicken stock
a pinch of saffron, pulverized in mortar
2 t sherry vinegar
parsleycrumbled
crisp bacon for garnish (shredded serrano ham or proscuitto)

Peel and cut the potatoes into irregular chunks this way: Insert the tip of a small sharp knife into each potato, and twist it, until a chunk 1 1/2" pops out. Continue until you have reduced all your potatoes to chunky rubble. Heat the olive oil in a heay pot, at least 3 qt size. Add the almonds and garlic, and cook them over a medium heat, until they are golden-about 5 minutes, being careful not to burn them. Remove to a coffee grinder or mini processor and pulverize.

Add the potatoes to the pan, and stir them around for a minute or two. Add the broth, and all but 2 tsps of the pulverized almond mix. Bring to a boil, and turn down to a simmer. Dissolve the saffron in about 2 tbsps of the soup, and let it sit for a minute or two. Add it to the soup, with salt and pepper. Cook for about 25 minutes, at which point you should be able to crush about half of the potatoes with the back of a big spoon. Do so.

Mix the vinegar with the remaining almond mix, and stir into the soup. Garnish each bowl with the chopped parsley and bacon (ham). Consume with a coarse thick country type bread.

blood orange glazed salmon

fresh squeezed blood orange juice, 1/2 to 3/4 c
fresh chopped ginger, around 1 t
honey or raw sugar, to taste
rice wine vinegar, around 1 T
white wine or vermouth, around 2 T

combine the above ingredients in a small saucepan and simmer over low heat until mixture thickens to the desired consistency. this could take up to 30 minutes.

salmon filets, about 6 oz each
sesame oil, 2 T
soy sauce, 2 T
white wine or vermouth, 1/4 to 1/2 c

meanwhile, preheat the oven 400 F. rinse the salmon filets and pat them dry. dress with kosher salt and pepper if desired. heat a large heavy skillet until very hot. sear the fillets in a tablespoon or two of sesame oil for a minute on each side.

transfer filets to a glass baking dish, drizzle the soy sauce and wine over them. bake for around 10 minutes or until done. transfer filets to a plate and spoon the glaze over the top.

Blood Orange Curd

Zest from 6 blood oranges (if blood oranges are unavailable, use any type of tangerines or clementines)
8 ounces blood orange juice, strained (6-8 oranges or tangerines)
6 eggs
6 yolks
3/4 cup sugar
1 vanilla bean
8 ounces butter

Bring a pot of water to a simmer. In a bowl fitted atop the pot, combine eggs, sugar, yolks, zest and vanilla. Whisk well until mixture starts to warm. Add orange juice and allow to thicken, whisking occasionally. When mixture coats the back of a spoon thickly, it is ready.

Take off the heat and purée it well with an immersion blender and pass it through a fine-meshed strainer. Allow to cool to room temperature. Add butter in pieces and whisk or blend with the immersion blender until smooth.

saffron mussel soup

4 lb mussels
3 cups water
3 cups dry white wine
1/4 - 1/2 stick butter
1 T olive oil
1/2 c onion, finely chopped
3-5 shallots, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1-2 leeks, white and pale green parts only, finely shredded
1 t fenugreek, finely crushed
3 T flour
4 grams saffron threads, soaked in 1/4 c boiling water
3 cups chicken stock
2 T fresh parsley, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
3 T whipping cream

scrub mussels clean in several changes of fresh water and pull off beards. discard any mussels that are cracked or do not close tightly when tapped.

put mussels into a deep saucepan with wine and water. cover and cook over high heat, shaking pan frequently, 6-7 minutes or until shells open. remove mussels, discarding any which remain closed. strain liquid through a fine sieve and reserve.

heat butter and oil in a saucepan. add onion, garlic, leek and fenugreek and cook gently 5 minutes. stir in flour and cook 1 minute. add saffron mixture, 1/2 gal. of reserved cooking liquid and chicken stock. bring to a boil, cover and simmer gently 15 minutes.

meanwhile, remove mussels from shells. add all mussels to soup and stir in chopped parsley, salt, pepper and cream. heat through 2-3 minutes.

garnish with parsley sprigs, if desired, and serve hot.

guacamole our way

avocados, two medium to large
red bell pepper, one small or half a large
two to three scallions,
garlic, one or two cloves
cilantro, around a quarter cup, lightly packed
salt
red pepper flakes
lime juice

cut the avocados in half, remove the pit, and use whatever method you want to remove the flesh. cut into small chunks and immediately squeeze half a lime on top. mash lightly together with a fork.

finely dice the bell pepper. split the scallions all the way up the white part to the light green part and finely chop. either mince the garlic by hand, or use a garlic press. add garlic, pepper, and scallions to avocado. sprinkle lightly with salt and red pepper flakes. finely chop the cilantro and add half of it. mix with a fork, continuing to mash to desired consistency.

here's the tricky part--adding seasoning--salt, lime juice, pepper flakes, cilantro, and even more garlic to suit your taste. we usually end up using a teaspoon of salt, about a lime and a half, at least half a teaspoon of pepper flakes, a tablespoon of cilantro and two cloves of garlic for two good sized avocados.