Puttanesca

Garlic
28 oz. can of whole tomatoes
8 oz. can of tomato sauce
1/4 cup olive oil
1 t oregano
1 t red pepper flakes
1 can anchovies, drained
1 T capers, heaping, drained
15 pitted olives, halved or quartered
1 lb. spaghetti

• In a processor, chop peeled garlic cloves and add them to the olive oil heating in a skillet.  Add the canned tomatoes to the processor, pulsing to well chopped, but not pureed.
• Add oregano, red pepper flakes  and anchovies to the garlic and oil and slowly cook, breaking up the anchovies with a spoon.
• Add the tomatoes from the processor, the tomato sauce, the capers, and the olives and simmer for 20 minutes or so.
• Toss with pasta.

This is really quick to put together and better than good.  Even if you think you don't like anchovies do not leave them out for they add umami to the sauce.  This sauce does not even remotely taste fishy. You can use any type of olive-green, black, cured, whatever. I use at least a half a head of garlic.

Spice Cake with Caramel Icing

Cake:
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
1 stick  margarine
3 cups sugar
5 eggs
3 cups flour
2 t cinnamon
1/2 t mace
1/2 t allspice
1/4 t nutmeg
1/2 t cloves
1/2 t salt
1/2 t baking powder
1 cup plus 2 T whole milk
1 t vanilla
 Icing:
1 stick butter
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 t vanilla

• Heat oven to 325. Grease and flour tube pan.  With a mixer, cream butter, shortening, sugar until light and fluffy.  Add eggs one at a time and mix until smooth.
• Sift dry ingredients, twice.  Add to the butter mixture, alternating with the milk and vanilla.  
• Pour into pan and bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
• Cool in the pan 10 minutes and then turned out onto a rack until room temperature.
• Melt the butter in a pan and stir in the sugar and cream until smooth then bring to a boil for 1 minute.
• After the mixture has cooled, beat in the confectioners' sugar and vanilla. Ice the cooled cake.

This cake was added to the Thanksgiving dessert list this year instead of the fig thing. It's essentially a pound cake topped with an unbelievably delicious layer of unsightly icing.  If the icing seems too thick, keep beating it and adding dribbles of cream until you like it's spreadability.

Soup or Stew?

Mushroom, Barley and Potato Soup

6 T pearl barley, cooked separately. Boil 50-60 minutes and strain
1 1/2 oz. dried mushrooms, soaked in 1 cup boiling water 10 minutes, drained (strain liquid and
  save) and finally, chopped         
12-16 oz. fresh mushrooms, chopped
2 T olive oil
3 T olive oil
1 med. red onion, chopped
3 or 4 garlic cloves, chopped
1-2 T parsley, chopped
1 T sage, chopped
1 bay leaf
2 medium potatoes (8 ounces, about), diced into 1/8" cubes
3 cups broth
14 oz. can whole tomatoes, crush each tomato with your hands or buzz in processor, or chop

• In a skillet, on medium high, heat 2 T olive oil and fry 1/2 garlic with the now not-dried-mushrooms, for a few minutes and then add the fresh mushrooms.  Add salt and pepper and cook until dark, 10-15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat 3 T olive oil in a pot. Add the remaining garlic, onion, herbs and cook until soft. 
• Add potatoes, cooking 3-4 minutes.
• Add tomatoes and their liquid, broth, and mushroom liquid.  Simmer 15-20 minutes.
• Stir in the barley and the mushrooms.

If you don't have barley, try orzo, ditalini, or any small pasta.  Rice might work. If you don't have fresh sage, try 1 1/2 T of dried sage.  Fresh rosemary might be a good substitute but chop it very fine or buzz it in your coffee grinder.  Crushed or diced canned tomatoes can be substituted.  If you don't have a fine meshed strainer,  strain the mushrooms by lining a colander with a paper towel.  We usually eat this with croutons I've made by cutting bread into cubes and sauteeing in a skillet with butter or olive oil until toasted.

Umami

  Noodles with Shrimp and Chicken

 6 cups water
 1 cup soy sauce
 1 cup sake
 1/2 mirin, sweet sherry, or sweet vermouth
 12-16 oz.  soba noodles
 1 cup spinach, chopped
 lb boneless chicken breasts or thighs, thinly sliced
 12 -15 deveined, shelled shrimp
 1 medium onion, very thinly sliced
 3 T fresh lemon juice
 2 T asian sesame oil

• In a large pot, combine the water, soy sauce, mirin and the sake and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer for 30 minutes
• Cook noodles separately
• Add chicken, shrimp, onions and spinach to broth and simmer for 10 minutes or so
• Take off the heat and add the lemon juice and sesame oil
• Udon noodles would be good.  Use cheap sake.  I use reduced sodium soy sauce. Try frozen peas, thinly sliced mushrooms, snow peas, and/or...

Four Ingredient Heaven

    Parmigiano-Regianno Potatoes

    2 1/2 lbs. potatoes, sliced very thin
    1/3 cup butter, melted
    2 cups packed, grated parmigiano-regianno
    2 cups whole milk

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees
• Butter 13x9x2 glass or ceramic baking dish
• Layer a 3rd of the potatoes in the dish, sprinkle with salt and pepper, drizzle with a 3rd of the butter and then a 3rd of the cheese
• Repeat
• Pour milk evenly over
• Layer the final 3rd of the potatoes, sprinkle with salt and pepper, drizzle with remaining butter and the the rest of the cheese
• Bake 15 minutes, reduce temperature to 350 degrees and bake for another hour.
• Let stand for 10 minutes before digging in
• The potatoes have to be sliced as thin as you can manage. I use a mandoline. A spoon works well for drizzling the butter.  If the potatoes start to darken too much, cover with foil.  I like them dark...

Soup Divine

Curried Carrot and Parsnip Soup

2 T butter
1 1/2 cups of chopped leeks or onions
1 lb carrots, chopped coarsely
3/4 lb parsnips, peeled and chopped coarsely
8 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 T curry powder
1/2 cup heavy or whipping cream

• In a soup pot melt the butter, add the leeks and saute until soft
• Add the carrots and parsnips and cook for several minutes
• Add the curry and broth, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes or until the vegetables are soft
• Cool slightly and puree
• Add cream and reheat
• This soup only improves with age.

Fall Food

Minestrone

1/2 cup olive oil
3 T butter
1 thinly sliced onion
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced celery
2 cups diced potatoes
2 cups diced zucchini
2 cups  diced green beans
3 cups shredded cabbage
3 oz. tomato paste
6 cups beef broth
14 oz. can diced tomatoes
parmesean cheese crusts
1/2 cup grated parmagiano-reggiano

•  In a large stock pot, cook the onion in the oil and butter about 5 minutes. Add each of the vegetables separately, cooking each 3 or 4 minutes before adding the next.
• Add the tomato paste, stirring until thoroughly mixed into the vegetables.
• Add tomatoes,broth and cheese crusts, bring to a boil, reduce to a slow simmer, cover and cook for 3 hours.
• Add the cheese.

I use beef broth and add a couple of bouillon cubes, either beef or chicken for added flavor. Or you could make your broth from bouillon. Or you could use vegetable broth.  If you don't make the effort to find the cheese crusts your soup will be very dull because it not only helps to thicken the soup slightly but adds amazing flavor. The crusts are the spice.  So you either save them up from your cheese consumption or you ask the cheese people at whatever store you frequent to give or sell you some. I add 3 crusts from the average sized parm chunks one usually buys. A great addition would be canned beans like cannellini, kidney, pinto or chickpeas.  This makes a huge amount which will feed the masses or 2 or 3 people for a week.

Yummy Factor

  Creamy Sausage Pasta

3 T olive oil
small onion, chopped
1 lb. sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
1 cup dry white wine
pinch of fennel seeds, chopped or ground
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
salt
1 lb. rigatoni
1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano

• Cook onion in the oil in a large skillet for 4 or 5 minutes. 

• Add the sausage, breaking it up (a large fork works).  Let it brown. Doesn't have to be completely cooked through.

• Add the wine and cook for 2 minutes.
• Add the fennel and cream and simmer for 20 minutes or so.  The sause should thicken.
• Add the cheese. 
• Add the cooked pasta to the skillet and toss thoroughly.
• Sometimes I use hot Italian sausage. If I have it I might add fresh basil leaves.  Real Parmigiano-Reggiano is very expensive but so worth it and this dish clamors for it.

Smell This!

Banana Chocolate Pecan Cake

2 1/2 c flour

1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 stick unsalted butter, softened, plus 2 T melted and cooled
1 c sugar, divided
2  eggs
1 1/4 c mashed very ripe bananas, about 3
2/3 c plain whole-milk yogurt
1 t vanilla
1(3 1/2 to 4 oz) bar of bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 c pecans, toasted, cooled and coarsely chopped
1/2 t cinnamon

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees and butter a 9" square cake pan
• Mix together flour, baking soda and salt 
• Beat together the stick of butter and 3/4 c sugar until light and fluffy and then add the eggs to blend. Beat in bananas, yogurt, and vanilla (will look curdled).
• Add flour mixture, mixing until just blended.
• Mix together the 2 T of butter, nuts, chocolate, cinnamon and remaining 1/4 c sugar.  Spread half of batter in pan and sprinkle with half of chocolate mixture.  Spread the remaining batter over that and sprinkle with remaining chocolate mixture.
• Bake until cake is golden and a wooden tooth pick comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes.  Cool on a rack for at least 30 minutes before cutting.  

I've used creme fraiche or sour cream instead of the yogurt, chocolate chips instead of the chocolate bar and if you prefer walnuts (can't imagine it) to pecans use them instead.  This cake seems to improve with time if covered or kept air tight.  So buy more bananas than you can eat...

Skillet Corn

2 T vegetable oil
8 large ears of corn, shucked

1 t salt

2 T heavy cream
1/4 c flour

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  When hot, pour the oil in a 9" cast-iron skillet and coat the bottom and sides. Heat in the oven for 30 minutes.
• Cut the kernels from the cob into a bowl and scrape the cobs for the remaining juice and pulp. This amounts to about 7 cups.  Add the salt, cream and flour and mix.
• Pour this into the hot skillet, pressing down with a spatula to flatten.  Bake about 40 minutes. 
• It might be possible to invert onto a large plate but I've never tried to.  I predict a mess.  Because I love corn so I may try this with frozen corn this winter and add a couple more tablespoons of cream to replace the juice and pulp of fresh corn.

Not Your Usual Turkey Burger

 Turkey Burgers with Smoky Aioli 

For the burgers:

1 lb ground dark turkey meat (thighs not breast)

2 T olive oil

slices of cheese (your preference)

• mix ground meat with olive oil, form into patties; use your thumb to make a small indentation in the center of each patty for better final shape.  Grill or broil (remember the rules about broiling-THEY WILL BURN if you don't watch them).  Add cheese when they are nearly done.
• saute thickly sliced onions (and or sliced bell peppers, mushrooms, whatever you like. Sliced fennel might be good). To saute onions put some olive oil in a frying pan and when hot add the onion slices and sprinkle with salt which will help soften them. Cook on medium heat til you like the looks of them. I like mine brownish and very soft, nearly caramelized. Pile them on your burger.

Smoky Aioli

1/2 t cumin seeds

1/2 t coriander seeds

1/2 c mayonnaise

2 T olive oil

2 t fresh lemon juice

1 1/2 t smoked paprika (spanish not hungarian)

1 or 2 garlic clove minced

• toast cumin seeds and coriander seeds for better flavor and then crush in a mortor and pestle or grind in coffee grinder. Or if you can't be bothered just use ground cumin and coriander. Whisk it all together.

Buns

  

     

Or you could just buy them.  But Patrick says they make everything taste better...

Dark Meat is Better

Soy-Glazed Chicken Thighs

3/4 c. dry sherry
1/3 c. soy sauce
1/4 c. honey
2 T vegetable oil
4 or 5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 t ground ginger
1 t ground black pepper
1/2 t red crushed pepper flakes
8-10 chicken thighs, boneless

• Marinate the chicken in a bowl or zip lock bag for 20 minutes or up to 4 hours.
• Grill or broil chicken.   When broiling, make sure that you either stand by it, or set a timer...OR IT WILL BURN.

It's Back (with bigger pictures!)

Sesame Noodles

1 lb of Udon noodles or Chinese egg noodles (or Spaghetti, if you're desperate)

2 T sesame oil

3.5 T soy sauce

2 T rice vinegar

2 T Chinese sesame paste (not tahini)

1 T smooth peanut butter

1 T sugar

1 T finely grated ginger

2 t minced garlic

1 T sriracha

• Cook the noodles, rinse with cold water, and mix with a few splashes of sesame oil, and toss
• Whisk together the rest of the ingredients and toss with noodles.

It's happening! We are reviving the Roberts food blog! We hope what goes up here will make you want to cook.
Love,
Cianne and Sam