Tag Archives: Epicurean

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Random Musings…

10 Saturday Nov 2018

Posted by in Christmas, Cookies, Epicurean, Friday Night, Holidays, Italian, Very Best Baking

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Here I sit, in the kitchen, awaiting the arrival of my sister-in-law and niece, watching My Cousin Vinnie which is the perfect elixir as I do need to laugh. Prior to putting fingers to keyboard, I spent a good 3 hours cleaning out my 20-year-old email account as I’m switching ISPs.  A blast from the past, I tripped across a few tidbits worth sharing:

Zingerman'sZingerman’s: With the holiday’s coming up, we all need that trusty, go-to-source for food stuff; one of mine is Zingerman’s. A ‘community of businesses,’ Zingerman’s is a family of small, food-related companies located in the Ann Arbor, MI area.  Zingermans.com is ‘The Online Shop for Food Lovers’ featuring hearth baked breads, handmade cheeses, varietal coffee, estate bottled olive oils and customized presents. For me, the best part of visiting Zingermans.com are the cartoon pigs strategically placed throughout the site (I’m sure it’s some sort of ‘thing’).  At the bottom of each page is a flying pig with a quippy ‘Great food just flew to…’ and the city and state of the most recent shipment listed.  Absolutely brilliant, fun marketing.

Old Fashioned Pumpkin Cookies:  We don’t have kids, but that doesn’t mean I’ve escaped the ‘yeah, I need cookies for tomorrow’ plea.  Years ago, that very lament came my way at a time when I had limited supplies — sugar, a can of pumpkin, butter, and eggs. Muttering about the lack of ingredients, I googled pumpkin and found a recipe for Old Fashioned Pumpkin Cookies which are now a mainstay that I trot out throughout the fall and winter seasons (giving very little credit to Libby’s, of course).  Even if you’re unsure about a pumpkin cookie, you must try these; they are delicious and easy to make — what could be better?!?

Back to the emails.  A digital heavyweight is being lifted off my shoulders and it feels great.  Within the next month, my junk email will be virtually non-existent (until my new address gets sold). As I skim through the various mailboxes I created to see what I might want to keep, I’m finding all kinds of sites I may/may not want to revisit; in particular:

Very Best Baking: Apparently a Nestle website, it’s where I found the Pumpkin Cookie recipe.  Back in the day it was a ‘go to’ and extremely engaging site (of course the constant giveaways and contests didn’t hurt).  I’m not sure if Nestle owned the site then, but it was a fun, informative site you should consider checking out.  I’ll give a deeper report (more in depth than, ‘hey this used to be a cool site’) after I check it out.

TV Food Network:  Another site to revisit.  I love the station (OK, 1/2 the station, some programs drive me nuts; others, like the Baking Championship series I can’t get enough of).  I don’t visit the site frequently, I tend to default to my trusty cookbooks, however when I do need a recipe or am looking for something a bit different, that’s where I go.  If you haven’t visited, you should.

Avocados: A parting tip.  My husband loves his avocados (I could do without them), but they are a weird purchase — they either aren’t ripe or they are borderline ready to rot.  After a few shopping mishaps, I discovered what to do:  buy them by ripeness — a brown-skin soft sucker to be consumed immediately, light brown/green ‘cado to be eaten within the coming few days and the shiny, hard green avocados to be used a good week out.  Such a simple trick that brings satisfaction to those who eat them on a regular basis.

Before I part, I just have to squeal — OMG, Meg Ryan and John Mellencamp are engaged…what?!?

With that, enjoy the weekend. I’m wishing you happy trails and bon appetite — Now I need to go bake.

 

Acorns & Acorn Squash…

05 Monday Nov 2018

Posted by in Epicurean, Holidays, Recipes, Travel, Vegetables

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Here in the Rivera household, we’re all aflutter for Thanksgiving.  I’m not sure if it’s the time away, Tony’s cooking over an open fire, or spending the week in the Massachusetts’ countryside. While we don’t have a standard menu, my brother and his family usually come with the entire dinner in tow and its epicurean creativity is less than stimulating.  So, for the ‘traditional fare’ we’ll nibble on their reheated canned goods; however, we’ll also make a few more adventurous sides of our own which I curated from one of my more trusty cookbooks, Gatherings & Celebrations by Burt Wolf. Wolf picture

Recipient of the first James Beard Award ever given for Best Television Food Journalism, Wolf has made television programs and written, edited and published books among his many successful pursuits. He’s produced segments for CNN, ABC, The Discovery Channel, and for Public Broadcasting in the United States. And that, Public Broadcasting, is where Gatherings & Celebrations comes in.  First published in 1996, the book is a ‘companion to Burt’s first prime-time documentary television series’ and features 20 ‘occasions for celebrations’ throughout the world.

The recipes I’m using, and which we’re hoping will turn into must haves are Stuffed Acorn Squash with Apple, Onion, & Spinach from ’Thanksgiving in Colonial Williamsburg’ and Glazed Brussels Sprouts with Lemon & Pepper featured in the ‘Formal Dinner in the Loire Valley’ sections of the book.   I’m including the recipes below with full credit going to the folks at Colonial Williamsburg and to, I believe, the Chateau du Nozet and the family of Baron Patrick de Ladoucette, and, of course, Burt Wolf himself for securing and publishing them.

Glazed Brussels Sprouts with Lemon and Pepper (Chateau du Nozet; again, I believe):

1 lb small brussels sprouts, out leaves and bases trimmed

1.5 teaspoons kosher salt

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 tablespoons water

Pinch of sugar

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  • Cut the sprouts in half, through their base and keeping leaves intact. Boil until tender, not mushy, in a pot of water (obviously, boiling water) with approximately 1 teaspoon of salt, approximately 5 minutes.
  • When ready to serve, heat the sprouts in a medium pan with the butter, lemon juice, water, sugar, remaining salt and pepper. Cook for 3 – 4 minutes, turning gently until the sprouts are lightly glazed and heated through.  Serve immediately.

Stuffed Acorn Squash with Apple, Onion, & Spinach (Colonial Williamsburg):

2 cups pearl or small boiling onions.

2 acorn squash

1 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt

1/3 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

½ teaspoon ground coriander

½ cup apple cider

½ cup water

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 golden delicious apple, peeled and diced

1 ½ pounds spinach, stems trimmed, washed and drained.

Preheat oven to 350

  • Peel onions; bring medium pot of water to boil, trim the ends of the onions, make a small X in the root end and boil for 5 minutes to loosen the skins and partially cook them; drain and set aside. When cool, press the onions out of their skins.
  • Quarter the acorn squash, scrape the seeds out. Season the flesh of the squash with ½ teaspoon of salt, 1/8 teaspoon of pepper, and the coriander.  Pour the cider and water into a roasting pan.  Place squash, cut side down, in the pan and scatter the onions around the squash.  Dot with 1 ½ tablespoons of the butter.  Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes.  Remove foil and continue to bake, basting with the juices for 30 to 40 minutes, until the onions and squash are tender.
  • When ready to service, heat the remaining butter in a skillet and saute the diced apple until golden, about 5 minutes. Add the pan juices from the squash, the spinach leaves and remining salt and pepper.  Cover over medium-high heat for 3 – 4 minutes, until the spinach is wilted and tender.
  • Arrange the squash on a platter and spoon equal portions of the spinach mixture into each section of the squash, top with the roasted onions and serve.

Random Musings for a Friday Night…Rabbit Edition

26 Friday Oct 2018

Posted by in Epicurean, Friday Night, Holidays, Massachusetts, Recipes, Travel, Uncategorized, Weekend

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I need to be better in marking down the meals I create and recipes I’m riffing off of (I’m sure there’s an app for that, any suggestions?).  I go through phases where I’ll create a meal completely out of my culinary comfort zone.  These meals are cobbled together from the numerous cookbooks gracing my shelves, focus on a particular region of the world, and often call for about $100 worth of ingredients that I most likely will never use again — turmeric powder for a Mexican meal; fenugreek seeds for my Mediterranean meal.  Past highlight include a random rabbit recipe and a wonderfully flavorful Italian soup.  The reality is I wanted to make both this weekend but, for the life of me, I can’t find the recipes.  Other random thoughts for this Friday evening:

woodland cabin

Woodland Cabin, Warren, MA

Thanksgiving with Marley & Co: Last year Tony and I realized, on Nov 1st, that we had no plans for Thanksgiving.  With some fancy, yet furious, finger work (OK, Airbnb has eliminated that last minute booking panic), I found and secured a cabin in Warren, MA for the holiday and am tickled that we’ll be returning this year (I think we’ll be doing this for as long as Mary Jane will have us).  Woodland Cabin is a fabulous get-away in the southwest region of Worcester County, MA that serves up freshly laid  eggs from the on-site hens each morning; has three wonderful goats, Marley being the most playful, that will go on walks with you; and offers up approximately 80 acres of hiking trails for one’s enjoyment.  Tony is salivating at the prospect of cooking our meals over the open fire — they have a fireplace that’s large enough for me to walk into. We’ll blog throughout the weekend providing blow-by-blow run downs on Tony’s open-fire cooking.

Seasonal Things to Do:  I have two master “Things to Do” lists that I update annually with current year dates (another app I need). The lists — one for summer and another for the holiday season.  I need to update the Christmas list which will, of course, commence with the Cabin.  I’m feeling giving this year and will share some of my favorite must do’s throughout the season.

German Christmas Markets:  Speaking of a favorite thing to do…the market at Lake Mohawk in Sparta, NJ is worth the drive.  To be fair, last year was the first year I attended and I’ve only seen one other advert, just this year, for another local market.  But, one of my bucket list items is to do the whole, proper German/European Christmas Market thing. Until then, I’ll be satisfied with the Northeast’s markets.

Boozy Burbs: This is fun.  Thanks to my good friend Nancy, I’m now hip to Boozy Burbs, Greater Bergen County’s ‘not-so-secret ingredient’ to discovering all things culinary in the area, including Rockland, Hudson, Essex and Passaic county bordering towns. Check it out, it’s well curated and will answer most of your ‘where am I going; what am I eating this weekend?’ questions.

Restaurant Week:  Featuring Hudson Valley – Sometimes they’re in the spring, sometimes the fall.  In NYC, I believe, it’s in the dead of winter. But Hudson Valley’s Restaurant Week kicks off on Sunday.  I like these weeks, wherever they may fall, as they give you the opportunity to experience a new restaurant or revisit a perennial favorite at a rate tolerable for most pocketbooks.  Featuring both lunch and dinner meus, restaurants can be booked in advance on OpenTable (another great site that answers the ‘what’s going on?’ question). 

Chicken Stock Ice Cubes: And, for a Fun Tip, when making chicken stock, freeze cubes of the stock.  This will enable you to grab as many as you might need for smaller batch cooking — i.e. replacing water when making rice, using broth vs. water to steam vegetables, or to enhance the flavor of a canned soup.  Whatever your desire having cubes to work with is an easily wonderful way to pretend you’re an epicurean maven.

This weekend’s adventures may or may not entail a rabbit, if it’s to be Peter, we’ll definitely make note as to where the recipes are housed and will let you know all about our culinary adventures. Until then, happy trails and bon appetite …

 

 

Christmas Festivities…Part I

24 Saturday Dec 2011

Posted by in Cookies, Epicurean, Fannie Farmer, Holidays, New Jersey, Polish, Winter Solstice

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Today commences, what I believe to be, the beginning of the true Christmas season.  Tony and I do the gift giving thing on Little Christmas, January 6, and since we started this tradition, Christmas has been less stressful and more enjoyable, helped, immensely, by my December schedule at work, which usually entails having at least the last two weeks of the year off.   Yesterday was spent in Pennsylvania, dining at a little gem of a restaurant, A Taste of Portugal on Route 209 in East Stroudsburg.  Typical Portuguese fare, the prices are right and the ambience as homey as one could want.   The late afternoon drive home was capped off with billowy pink clouds and the mountains of the Delaware reflecting the rays of the setting sun.

Thursday, in honor of the Winter Solstice, we had a down and out Polish feast for dinner.  My theory is that there are two secular, non-patriotic days that should be celebrated each year in the company of good friends — the Winter and Summer Solstice.  Our friend, Brian, was kind enough to bring a selection of sausages and pierogies, as well as authentic sauerkraut, mustard and mayonnaise for dinner.   Himself a Pole, he picked everything up in Wallington, a town that has remained predominately Polish over the years.  In fact, the town is so steeped in its heritage that preference is given to those of Polish decent, no matter how much money others are offering, to homebuyers in Wallington.

Once Brian got settled in the kitchen, it’s not uncommon for friends to come over and man handle our kitchen, I demonstrated my cooking prowess in a manner that was borderline embarrassing.  ‘Help yourself to whatever you need, I’m no good in there,’ was my bold proclamation.  Kind of funny considering that the only culinary skills needed were the ability to boil water and toss some pierogi’s around in a frying pan.  The pierogi’s were delightful (not that I’m a connseiure of the pierogi).  

Super Deli

Coming from Super Deli, the lovely little suckers had a very subtle crunch on the outside; the insides were soft with a warm, almost creamy, texture of potato that left behind a surprising hint, actually the perfect tasting, of pepper.  The kielbasa and kabanos, purchased at Adams’ Deli, stuffed and smoked on premises, were also tasty.  Eaten on Polish rye bread, the sausages were accentuated by Bacik Musztarda and Polonaise Horseradish; delightful on their own, but even better when combined.  The meal was complemented with homemade apple sauce (from the ‘bible,’ aka the Fannie Farmer Cookbook), and clam dip (old family recipe) and wonderful Polish pastries that were made and delivered by one of Tony’s students. 

Earlier in the day, I had the pleasure of dining at the award winning Saddle River Inn where I had the most wonderful of tarts — truffle mushroom and onion.  The Inn, appropriately enough situated in the quaint town of Saddle River (yes, Jersey has some quaint towns), is a century old barn that is consistently ranked as a favorite by Zagats. 

Italian Cookies...Yummy!

Wednesday was spent at the Portuguese Club and, on Tuesday, I finished making my cookies.  Monday was spent in the good company of friends — both for lunch and dinner.  Dinner was a Portugese classic — the mixed grill (essentially a lot of meat on a plate) and, for lunch, we had Manny C Burgers.  Made by our good friend Manny C, it is perhaps the best burger I ever had.

Having recently received the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE) newsletter, I’ve begun plotting out 2012.  Am also preparing for the second half of my holiday with a trip to Massachusetts on the agenda as well as some more dinners with a motley assortment of characters.

My Italian Grandma’s Cookies…

18 Sunday Dec 2011

Posted by in Cookies, Epicurean, Holidays, Italian, New Jersey, Recipes

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I’m not Italian and have no right headlining this post as ‘My Italian Grandma’s’ anything.  However, I think it fair to say that we all have that one little ole Italian lady that strikes a sweet chord within us.  Mine is Annie, a lady, at least 75 years old, that I worked with for ~ 9 years.  She truly believed that she was the glue that kept her department together and that no one else could figure out the computer system.  She was always ready with a kind word, a random pill from the bottom of her purse, and, the wonders of home-made Italian food — whether it be a main meal or a random selection of desserts.

Smiling right back at yah...Annie's Cookies

Without fail, Annie would make her Italian cookies at Christmas and, after the first bite, I believe it fair to say that I was addicted.  It took me many years to work up the courage to ask her about them, and a few additional years before I became so bold as to ask for the recipe; something she more than happily gave up.   I’ve probably had the recipe for 5 years or so, and this is the first year I pulled it out in an effort to liven up my holiday selection, of, well nothing but monster cookies (when a recipe makes ~ 400 cookies, do you really need any other?). Annie’s cookies have been yanked from the oven and will be frosted/sprinkled tomorrow, but according to the look on my Italian husband’s face, I believe, I found something good.    I have no idea as to where Annie got this recipe, I fantasize that it’s been handed down from generation to generation, and, for all I know, it could be from a book or the back of a bag of flour, but it is with the most heartfelt and warmest of thoughts that I share it with you today:

Annie’s Italian Cookies:

Melt 3 sticks of margarine; add one cup of sugar and cream together (Note, I, personally, use butter).

Add three eggs, mix thoroughly and then add 4 teaspoons of baking powder to mixture, one teaspoon of flavoring — organe, anisette or whatever you prefer, mix again.

Add 3.5 cups of flour or more and mix again (I wound up using about 5 cups of flour).

The doug should be pliable, not stiff.  If too soft, add more flour until the dough can be worked and is not sticky but very, very soft.  Make round balls, about 1 inch round, bake at 375 for about 15 minutes or until you see that the cookie looks whole and not soft.

Icing:

After the cookies have cooled, make a mixture of 1.5 cups of confectionery sugar, add 1 teaspoon of flavoring (to complement the flavoring used earlier, if not the same one); and 1 teaspoon of water to the sugar.  Mix together ( it should be thick, like cream.  If too loose, add more sugar), then dip the cookie into mixture and put round, colored sprinkles on top.

I also made pumpkin cookies tonight (a favorite), but alas, feel woefully inadequate as my aunt had a cookie party recently and wound up with ~1200 cookies.  I think I made all of 100 cookies today…oh well, c’est la vie.

Monster cookies to follow tomorrow (a half batch…) in between stuffing sausages…