Polenta Stuffed Artichokes Recipe

My recipe for polenta stuffed artichokes came about thanks to winning some heirloom artichokes from Ocean Mist. When I was working on my first cookbook I needed artichokes and it wasn’t quite artichoke season. Fortunately Ocean Mist came to my rescue and kindly shipped me a whole carton full and I’ve been a fan ever since. I've found each of the varieties of artichokes they grow to be particularly plump and meaty with great flavor and not overly bitter. I'm a subscriber to their newsletter (join the free Artichoke Club) which alerts me to when and where artichokes are on sale locally and sometimes also gives away artichokes.

Most recipes use just the artichoke hearts or they call for stuffing the whole artichoke with bread crumb stuffing. I decided to try an entirely different kind of stuffing — lemon and goat cheese polenta. Artichokes tend to make other ingredients taste sweet, so the tangy and salty flavor profile of lemon and cheese complements it perfectly. It will seem like a lot of polenta, but it's what makes the dish so hearty. Use as much or as little of the polenta as you like. 

This is a very satisfying vegetarian main dish. If you don't have a microwave oven, you can prepare the artichoke and the polenta any way you prefer. Artichokes can be steamed on the stove and polenta can be cooked on the stove or in the oven, see instructions on the package. Note: This recipe requires that you trim off the stem. But don't throw it away! Steam it and peel it, and you'll find it has the same flavor and texture of an artichoke heart. 

Polenta Stuffed Artichokes

Single serving, easily multiplied 

1 large globe artichoke

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup medium polenta

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

1 Tablespoon grated Parmigiano Reggiano

2 Tablespoons fresh goat cheese

1/2 teaspoon minced parsley

Remove the tough outer leaves of the artichoke and cut off top 1/2 inch of the leaves so the top is flat and no thorny tips remain. Trim the stem so the artichoke will stand upright. Cook the artichoke, as desired until tender. To steam in the microwave: Place the artichoke stem side up with 1/4 cup of water in a microwave safe soup mug or bowl, cover with plastic wrap and microwave at 1000 watts for 6 minutes).

To make the polenta in the microwave: Combine the water, milk and polenta in a microwave safe 2 quart casserole with a lid. Cover partially and microwave at 500 watts for 8 minutes. Stir then microwave, uncovered, for another 2 minutes or until thick and creamy. Stir in the salt, lemon zest, Parmigiano Reggiano and the goat cheese until smooth.

Stand the artichoke on a plate. Gently pull the leaves back and spread them to make room for the stuffing. Spoon the polenta into the leaves using a small dessert spoon or teaspoon. Sprinkle with parsley. 

Enjoy!

Let’s Talk Hanukkah (or Chanukah) & Giveaway!

Hanukkah is known as the festival of lights, it’s a holiday celebrated for eight nights, and like so many other holidays, it celebrates the perseverance of the Jewish people in the face of adversity. The reason the holiday is for eight nights, is because oil for an oil lamp for use in the temple that was supposed to last only one day, lasted a full eight days. Miraculously this was the time needed to replenish the supply. In truth, it's a holiday that gets very little attention.

Christmas is a big deal holiday. Hanukkah however takes on inflated importance because of its proximity to Christmas. This year it will be celebrated from December 16 through December 24th. But other than spinning a top called a dreidl, lighting candles to commemorate the miracle and eating potato pancakes or latkes which are fried in oil, there’s not much more to it. When it comes to food, there are no advent calendars filled with toys or chocolate, just cheap chocolate coins. There is no buche de Noel, no fancy holiday cookies, no gingerbread houses. In Israel they celebrate by eating jelly donuts called sufganiyot, but I've never seen them let alone tasted them.

While some gourmet retailers have put together gift baskets, I’ve never found any I thought were very good. Most of them are actually pretty pathetic, they often include items from other Jewish holidays, as if no one would notice. Traditional Purim cookies called Hamantaschen in a Hanukkah basket? It’s the equivalent of offering up chocolate Easter eggs for Christmas. No bueno.

But thanks to Manischewitz there is a Chanukah House! For kids this is a fun way to celebrate and get in the holiday spirit. The kit comes with cookie house panels and plenty of frosting, sprinkles, mini beads, sanding sugar and little medallions for decorating. There is a contest launching today, December 9, 2014 with $3500 in cash prizes for the best houses.

In the future I hope I can offer up some fun treats from chocolatiers and candy makers. If you see something special, please do let me know. In the meantime, here are links to my two favorite and highly entertaining Chanukah songs:

Adam Sandler Chanukah Song on Saturday Night Live

Matisyahu Hanukkah Song: Miracle 

I’m giving away one Chanukah House Decorating Kit!  

In order to be considered to win the Chanukah House Decorating Kit (valued at $17.99), please leave a comment telling me how you celebrate Chanukah or any creative ideas you have for decorating the house. You must have a US mailing address to win, and you must include your email in the appropriate field when you leave a comment (your email will only be visible to me). One entry per person. I will choose a winner at random, this Thursday, December 11, 2014.

Disclaimer: My thanks to Manischewitz for hosting this giveaway, I was not monetarily compensated for this or any other post. 

Mostly Vegetable Cookbooks

These books are focused on vegetables, but are not strictly vegetarian. They are each written by very accomplished food writers and great to keep or give ('tis the season after all). 

Rick Rodgers created 450 recipes for The Big Book of Sides, a collection that covers not just vegetables but beans, grains, salads, quick breads and rolls, pickles and so much more. In fact, many of these side dishes can be combined to make a meal without anyone noticing there is no main dish! The book can you get your through any holiday, but also weeknight meals.

The nice thing about this book, and why I think it’s destined to become classic, is that it covers the basics like how to perfectly steam rice or make a potato salad as well as more adventuresome showstopper dishes like Portobello Mushroom “Fondue”, Freekeh with  Zucchini, Yogurt and Dill, Miso Glazed Eggplant with Ginger and Garlic or Black Eyed Peas and Kale Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette. 

This is a cookbook and also a reference book, offering up guidance on cooking various ingredients ranging from artichokes through zucchini with information on how to buy, store and prepare from an award-winning cookbook author and cooking instructor.

The recipes in Shroom are wildly creative. No run of the mill creamed mushroom or 70’s throwback mushroom stroganoff. Recipes are organized by the type of mushroom, and you’ll find just a few button, cremini and portobello mushroom recipes. Even those are not the expected “portobello mushroom burger” but Portobello Mushroom Shakshuka with Baked Eggs and Israeli Feta. Mushrooms end up in recipes you’d never expect like Seared Scallops with Lion’s Mane and Truffle-Honey Pan Sauce, Squid Ink Pasta with Lobster Mushroom and Squid, Beech Mushrooms in Phyllo with Georgian Walnut Sauce and Pomegranate, or Hedgehog and Cashew Chili (yes that’s hedgehog mushrooms). 

The recipes all come with a wine pairing suggestion and each chapter has a guide to the mushrooms—how to buy them, their season, how to cook and preserve them, etc. Though the cookbook isn’t vegetarian, recipes like Porcini Salad with Pine Nuts and Lemon Salt really highlight the mushrooms and make sure they are the main act. They are restaurant worthy recipes, but not overly fussy. This is the book for mushroom lovers.

Greens + Grains is the first cookbook from Molly Watson. A past Sunset magazine staff writer, she creates solid recipes and has grown a strong following at her Local Foods About.com site. Her cookbook brings a fresh eye to the combination of greens and grains. For those who are trying to eat more whole grains but perhaps also struggling with finding more recipes for kale, chard and collard greens this book provides solutions. 

Some of the uses of grains are particularly creative like Escarole Salad with Toasted Quinoa, Greens Stuffed Cornmeal Cakes and a Chard and Quinoa Terrine. There are recipes for crackers and flatbread and “handy techniques” for storing and preparing the main ingredients. The tone of the book is authoritative but friendly and approachable. 

Disclaimer: These books were provided to me as review copies, this post includes affiliate links. 

Panforte Recipe

When I worked in a gourmet retail store as a teenager, I got a chance to try many delectable things. I sampled high quality chocolates imported from Europe, pistachios from Iran, Alice Medrich's mammoth truffles, and panforte made by Margaret Fox of Cafe Beaujolais. I'll never forget those heavy round thick loaves, wrapped in dark red or green cellophane. Thin chewy slices served with or tea or alongside cheese seemed so sophisticated. It was definitely the best fruitcake I ever tasted. 

My parents made panforte too and last year I realized it would be the perfect thing to make with a surplus of candied lemon peel. My recipe uses rice flour instead of wheat flour, which means it is gluten free! If you have nuts in your freezer, and they weren't bought this season, they are probably from last season and now is a good time to finish them off. 

This recipe is very adaptable, you can switch out the cranberries and use dried cherries or berries if you prefer or swap out about 1/4 of candied ginger for some of the citrus peel. I imagine if you wanted to make it vegan you could also use coconut oil instead of butter. It makes a really nice gift, even just a wedge of it. Cut the loaves with a heavy knife and wrap wedges  in parchment paper, and then in colored cellophane if you have it and seal with a sticker. Otherwise fasten the parchment using tape or twine. 

Panforte

Makes 1 -2 loaves

2 cups toasted nuts, preferably almonds and hazelnuts

1 1/3 cups candied citrus peel, preferably homemade lemon

3/4 cup coarsely chopped dried figs, such as Mission or Calimyrna

1/4 cup dried cranberries

½ cup sweet rice flour 

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

¼ teaspoon ground ginger

2/3 cup sugar

¼ cup honey

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter

Rice flour for the pan

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two 6 inch oven proof pans (I use enameled cast iron ones) or an 8 inch pan you could use a springform pan with parchment paper. Dust the parchment paper with rice flour. 

Combine the almonds, hazelnuts, candied peel, figs, rice flour, zest and spices together in a bowl and stir until combined the ingredients are dusted with the rice flour. 

Measure the sugar, honey, and butter into a large dutch oven and cook over low heat just until butter melts. Take the dutch oven off the heat and working fairly quickly, add the fruit nut mixture and stir until well combined. Spoon the mixture into the prepared pans, and press until as smooth and even as possible. The easiest way to do this is to place another smaller pot or pan on top of the mixture and press. Dust the top with more rice flour.

Transfer to the oven and bake for 30 minutes, until set. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely in the pan. Remove the from the pan, brush the rice flour from the panforte using a pastry brush. To serve slice into thin wedges. 

Enjoy! 

Winter Flavors: A Gift Guide

Pumpkin spice mania has gripped the nation, flavoring everything from coffee to candles. While I do enjoy a scoop of pumpkin ice cream that appears seasonally at the Original Swensen’s ice cream shop, there are actually plenty of other sweet flavors that signal the holiday season. There’s gingerbread, cranberry, cinnamon apple, eggnog and peppermint to name just a few. Here are some holiday flavored things to eat and drink I’ve come across lately (my favorites are indicated with a ❄).

Talenti Gelato makes a few "seasonal only" flavors as well as some others that are also nice this time of year. 

❄ Peppermint Bark is a seasonal only flavor combines thin crisp flakes of semisweet Belgian Callebaut chocolate with a bright creamy peppermint gelato. This is ridiculously good. I cannot get enough of it. Either stock up or avoid it because once you try it, you will be hooked. $3.50 per pint at my local grocery store. 

❄ Fudge Brownie gelato is for anyone who likes chocolate; this is a hit. It’s a rich chocolate ice cream, but with bits of rich and fudgey chocolate brownie in it, small pieces, but just enough to make the gelato even more chocolatey and delicious. So good! Thankfully it’s available all year long.  About $3.99 per pint. 

I love the flavor of eggnog, I even use it things like pancakes. Old World Eggnog gelato has that very custardy flavor rich with eggs, vanilla and nutmeg. I like it, though not as much as the Peppermint Bark or the Fudge Brownie. It’s another limited seasonally available flavor.  Suggested retail price is $4.99-5.99 per pint. 

Pumpkin Pie gelato has brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and pumpkin plus pieces of pie crust. I found this flavor heavy on the spice and I’m not a fan of pie crust in my ice cream so this one did not win me over. It’s only available until December 31.  Suggested retail price is $4.99-5.99 per pint. 

Caramel Apple Pie gelato is another gelato with pie crust, just not my thing. This also has a lot of caramel flavor that competes with the apple flavor. I guess I like my gelato more simple and pure. About $3.99 per pint. 

❄ Spiced Winter Red Tea is called tea, and it comes from a company called TeaPigs, but there is no actual tea in it. Winter Spice Red Tea is mainly the herb rooibos, with orange peel, ginkgo leaves, orange blossom, cinnamon, ginseng, cloves and safflower petals. I’m pretty crazy about it. The spices are well integrated not overpowering but warming. It’s particularly good with milk and needs no sugar. 

This could definitely be your go to winter tea and I think it would be great to use in hot apple cider or to make mulled wine! A package of 15 tea bags is $9.99

DAVIDsTEA has a huge selection of blends—with herbs, flowers, spices. They have over 150 varieties and blends, and you can smell or even try any one you like at a Davids Tea shop. Some have green or black tea but not all of them. Some also use artificial flavorings, so do check the labels if that’s a concern. They offer different teas each season, the Winter Collection is available individually or in boxes with 3 or all 5 for $27.50. 

❄ Apple Custard is a fruit infusion with apples, golden raisins, coriander, chamomile and a hint of vanilla (both natural and artificial flavoring). It’s a good tea to use in a cocktail. It’s nice to have a holiday flavor that doesn’t include cinnamon for a change. 

❄ Bubbie’s Baklava is an oolong tea with roasted chicory root, pineapple, papaya, cinnamon, walnuts, apple, ginger, roasted almonds, cardamom, rose pepper, pistachios, rose blossom, artificial flavoring. It somehow manages to have the richness of baklava. It’s a really fun tea. I was surprised at how much I liked it. I can imagine it made into a wonderful simple syrup to use in drinks or with desserts. 

Cocomint tea is another fruit infusion. It includes apple, coconut, sweet blackberry leaves, peppermint, spearmint and natural coconut flavoring. It's fruity and neither the coconut or the mint really come across. Let's just say it's not my cup of tea. 

Sugarplum Forest is a rooibos based tea with apple, hibiscus, ginger, licorice root, raisins, cinnamon, rose hip peel, plum, cardamom, star anise, bruised pepper, cloves, chili pieces, and artificial flavoring. It's fruity with a subtle chili kick to it. It will tickle your throat! Don't over brew it. 

Vanilla Chai is an organic black tea with cinnamon, black tea, licorice root, ginger, vanilla and natural vanilla and cream flavoring. All chai is different and Davids Tea makes quite a few including Chocolate Chili Chai, Pumpkin Chai, Cinnamon Rooibos Chai and Saigon Chai with cinnamon, ginger and cardamom. This one is more traditional but with plenty of spice. 

❄ Chateau Bakery Clair de Lune Buttery Sugar Cookies are ridiculously buttery and simply divine! They pair so well with holiday flavored ice cream or tea that I just had to include them. I know many people like to bake cookies this time of year, but I challenge you to make cookies as good as these! They are made with nothing more than cane sugar, flour, butter, salt and vanilla powder. They positively melt in your mouth. You can get them in a handsome large box for $25 or four small boxes for $16, which would be perfect to tuck into a gift basket. 

I can’t think of a nicer hostess gift than either a pint of holiday ice cream and cookies or holiday tea and cookies. Can you? 

Disclaimer: My thanks to Talenti Gelato, Davids Tea and Chateau Bakery for providing samples for me to review. I was not monetarily compensated for this or any other post. 

Pacific Merchants Fermentation Crock Giveaway!

Did you read my reviews of books on pickling and fermentation? The techniques are easy to master and the ingredients are not expensive, but there are some tools that are particularly helpful. One would be a fermentation crock.

I was recently contacted by Pacific Merchants about their fermenting and storage crocks. Pacific Merchants is a small, family owned and run company in Los Angeles. They carry unique, beautiful and fun to use products from around the world. There are several reasons why their crocks are so good for fermentation. But they can explain that better than I can:

The 5 liter crock is tall but actually has a fairly small footprint. It fits nicely in a corner of my pantry. My cool, dark pantry should maintain the ideal temperature for fermenting vegetables, about 65-72 degrees. Once I have fermented the vegetables to my liking (I'll start tasting about a week after fermenting) I can water bath can them or store them in the refrigerator, which will maintain their live active cultures.

This handsome looking crock comes with the stone weights, so while the 5 liters might seem large, I won't actually be filling up the entire thing.

Pacific Merchants is offering one lucky Cooking with Amy reader a 5 liter fermentation crock worth $117! 

In order to be considered to win, please leave a comment telling me what you would like to ferment in the crock, some suggestions include sauerkraut, kimchi, pickles, bread starter or kombucha. You must have a US mailing address to win, and you must include your email in the appropriate field when you leave a comment (your email will only be visible to me). One entry per person. I will choose a winner at random, this Friday, December 5, 2014.

Disclaimer: My thanks to Pacific Merchants for providing me and one of my readers with a fermentation crock. I was not monetarily compensated for this or any other post. 

Mediterranean Cookbook Reviews

I’m just going to say it. I hate it when actresses or country music stars write cookbooks. First of all, I don’t believe they write them, I believe they hire ghost writers and use their celebrity to sell them. But now, I’m going to give you the one exception to this rule and why. Extra Virgin is written by the glamorous actress Debi Mazar and her Tuscan husband Gabriele Corcos. Together they cook up a storm on their quirky food TV shows. Corcos is the real deal. I lived in Tuscany and he cooks just they way I remember. It’s the recipes but also the style of cooking that he captures so well even in the few non-Italian recipes. 

This is food I fell in love with when I lived in Italy and am happy to make in my own kitchen. I promise you too will love the ridiculously easy recipes for Pappardelle with Duck Ragu, Shrimp and Zucchini Risotto (made with Carnaroli rice!) Sausage and Beans, Beef Stew with Polenta and the Cod Florentine Style. These are comfort food dishes I ate in Florence and I adore. I am grateful to Debi Mazer for sharing the culinary prowess of her husband with a wider audience. I was particularly pleased to note that their recipe for making Lasagne Alla Bolognese, is EXACTLY the same as mine.

I have Eataly envy. After visiting Eataly in NYC I desperately wish there was one here. The complex--I really don’t know how else to describe it--has shops, restaurants, bars, a cooking school and selection of products that makes me homesick for Italy.

How to Eataly is not just a cookbook, but a kind of guide to how Italians shop, cook and eat with wonderful photos and all kinds of mini tutorials. The recipes go beyond the well-known and include the kinds of things people really do eat in Italy like lentil soup with Italian sausage meatballs, grilled polenta with mushroom ragu, celery root and apple salad and stuffed zucchini blossoms. 

The guides in the book include everything from a discussion about Parmigiano Reggiano and Grana Padano, to how Italians use leftover bread, to how to make mozzarella and how to taste olive oil and how Italians eat pizza. It’s not comprehensive and it’s certainly not definitive, because it really can’t be. But it’s a really fun and fascinating book for any Italian food lover. 

Diane Kochilas is yet another chef I met at the CIA Worlds of Flavor conference a few years ago. Her new book, Ikaria (subtitled lessons on food, life, and longevity from the Greek island where people forget to die) features a range of ingredients and dishes that go far beyond the same old spanikopita and gyros you find everywhere outside of Greece. Wild foraged ingredients especially greens are common in the cuisine of the island of Ikaria, where the authors parents came from. Her recipes also include some meat and seafood, but vegetables and legumes are the core. 

Recipes I can’t wait to try include Taro Root Skordalia, Mushroom Stew with tomatoes and red wine, Purslane and Olive Salad, Eleni Karimali’s Noodles with Yogurt and Herbs and Simple Onion Pie. The photos, stories about life on the island and recipes are irresistible and will significantly increase your knowledge of Greek food, and just possibly your life span.

When I was growing up, one of my favorite restaurants was French Lebanese. The people running it were friendly and the food was divine. Unfortunately Le Petit Lebanon closed eons ago and my main resources for cooking Lebanese food have been a little booklet I picked up in London at Books for Cooks and Joumana Accad’s lovely blog, Taste of Beirut. Now there’s a cookbook Taste of Beirut that features many classic recipes and a guide to the ingredients used in the cuisine as well. Because I’m a fan of the blog, my favorite recipes are the ones with headnotes telling stories. Most of the recipes are very healthy, using whole grains, vegetables, legumes and lean meats. There are quite a few vegetarian recipes.

This is a cuisine that is really easy to love and there’s plenty of room for more Lebanese cookbooks. I don’t know if I will ever get to Lebanon, but Joumana Accad definitely transports me there through her recipes. You will want to make her Lebanese Couscous with Chicken, Zaatar and Yogurt Cheese Hand Pies, Fattoush Salad, Turnip Pickles, and some of Accad’s own creations like her baked not fried Falafel Loaf with Tarator Sauce, Red Lentil and Pumpkin Dip or Roasted Cauliflower and Potato Sandwich. The photos are good in the book, but I wish it were hardcover. It’s paperback and my copy is already beginning to show some wear and tear. 

Disclaimer: These books were provided as review copies, this post also includes affiliate links. 

Rick Bayless on Mexican Beer

Rick Bayless is a chef, restaurateur, host of Mexico: One Plate at a Time and a beer enthusiast. He knows a lot about the history of Mexico, Mexican food and drinks. Recently I was fortunate enough to attend a blogger event hosted by Negra Modelo and I had the opportunity to talk with him about  Mexican beer and food pairing and his plans for a microbrewery as well as a bit about the history of beer in Mexico.

What styles of beer complement Mexican food? 

Rick Bayless: All types of beer complement Mexican food because Mexican food is so varied! On a hot day Pacifico with ceviche is great. Negra Modelo goes well with barbacoa which I make with short ribs, slow cooked with red chile sauce. 

The reason I like Negra Modelo is because it has a little fruitiness from the hops, the natural sweetness from the barley malt even helps it to pair with richer dishes like queso fundido.

Is it true you're opening a microbrewery?

RB: I am opening a microbrewery in Chicago, it’s a think tank and it’s where we’ll create beers for our restaurants. We will also see if there is a beer that we can scale up working with Negra Modelo for larger distribution. 

What kinds of beers are you developing? 
RB: I’m not super into flavored beers. I am exploring Belgian yeast strains, I find they make food friendly beers. I like the gentle use of spices, not chiles to heat up but to cool down like green coriander for example which has citrus notes.

Why aren't beers commonly sold on tap in Mexico? 

RB: Tap beer has to be refrigerated and that wasn’t easy to do in Mexico. The distribution of bottles was much easier, but the craft beer movement is changing that in Mexico and you’ll find more taps today.

How did beer become the most popular drink in Mexico, surpassing the indigenous drink, pulque? 

RB: Pulque is made every day and it’s delicious the first day, sour the next day and it just gets more and more sour. By the fourth day it’s terrible. Unlike beer it can’t be pasteurized. Anywhere you can make mezcal, you can make pulque because it’s made from the maguey sap which is collected twice a day. The plant takes 6-10 years to produce the sap, then it produces it for 6 months and dies. It’s a very nutritious drink, low in alcohol and contains active cultures. But it is labor intensive and hard to mass produce, unlike beer. 

Pulque was associated with the poorest classes who drank it because it was nutritious. The upper classes were European and drank beer, which is not particularly nutritious, but the lower classes saw the Europeans drinking it and aspired to drink it too. Beer was more expensive but much more stable and sanitary than pulque.

Disclaimer: My thanks to Negra Modelo for sponsoring an event during which I was able to interview Rick Bayless. I was not monetarily compensated for this or any other post. 

Broccoli Crunch Recipe

They say there are no original ideas and sometimes even when I think I've come up with something new, I find a quick search on the internet proves otherwise. While I try to invent my own creative combinations, sometimes I do find my inspiration online, in cookbooks or in restaurants. Recently I was in Las Vegas where I had a couple of very inspiring meals at Carson Kitchen.

The restaurant serves rich small plates including impossibly crunchy chicken skins and meatballs in a luscious creamy foie gras sherry sauce. One of the dishes I knew I would want to try and recreate at home was their “broccoli crunch.” It turns out there are lots of versions of this dish online, although their version was certainly unique. The menu description included sunflower and pumpkin seeds as well as green goddess dressing. The salad also has dried cranberries and a handful of halved grape tomatoes. I decided to substitute tangerines in place of the tomatoes, which aren’t really in season this time of year. I like the way this dish straddles the line between salad and green vegetable. I plan on serving it at Thanksgiving.

Green goddess dressing is something I had never made before. The original recipe comes from the Palace Hotel here in San Francisco. It was named in tribute to an actor who was starring in a play called The Green Goddess. The original recipe blended green onion with mayonnaise, tarragon, parsley, vinegar and anchovies. I adapted my recipe from some updated ones I found that included sour cream and use chives instead of green onion. The creamy herbal dressing really complements the fresh crunchy broccoli, the rich crisp seeds and sweet notes from the cranberries. The tangerines provide that pop of bright acidity as well as sweetness.

Broccoli Crunch 

Serves 4- 5, easily doubled or tripled for a crowd

Salad

1 pound broccoli cut into bite-sized florets

1/3 cup dried cranberries

1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds

1/4 cup toasted pumpkin seeds

2 tangerines or mandarins, peeled and seeded 

Dressing

2 anchovies

1 1/2 teaspoons minced tarragon

2 Tablespoons minced chives

2 Tablespoons minced parsley

2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

1/3 cup mayonnaise 

1/4 cup sour cream

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt 

Freshly ground pepper

Heat a large pot of water and when it boils add the broccoli and blanch for one minute, then drain and place in a bowl of ice water to chill. Drain and dry thoroughly. Combine the broccoli with the cranberries, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds. Break the tangerine into segments and cut each segment in half crosswise. Add tangerine pieces to the broccoli. 

In a bowl mash the anchovies. Add the herbs, vinegar, mayonnaise, sour cream, salt and a few grinds of pepper. Stir until well combined and taste. 

Combine the salad and dressing until thoroughly combined. Chill until ready to serve.

Enjoy!  

Cooking Turkey for Small Gatherings

I've cooked whole turkeys when developing recipes for clients, but a Thanksgiving feast? I’m most thankful that I can spend the holiday at my parents house and let them take care of cooking the bird.

Some years I return home with leftover turkey, other years I buy a turkey at the store and ask the butcher to cut it into either halves or quarters so I am not overwhelmed with too much turkey for my household of two. 

Here are some more great ways to enjoy turkey without buying a whole bird:

William Wilkinson

Dark meat

Legs and thighs are great for lovers of dark meat. They can be roasted or braised. 

How to roast turkey thighs 

How to roast turkey legs 

My recipe for braising turkey legs in cranberry sauce 

RosieTulips

Light meat 

Turkey breast is a good option for roasting, if you like light meat only.   If you are only cooking the breast, it will be much easier to cook since the breast meat tends to cook faster and become dry more quickly than other cuts. 

How to make herb roasted turkey breast 

Dark & Light meat

This year I got a chance to try the Diestel light and dark roast. They are fully cooked, from boneless breasts, legs, and thighs with skin and are hand-netted. Size wise they are around  2 1/2 to 3 pounds (more than enough for 4 people) and cost $34.99. Each slice has both dark and light meat. The instructions recommend coating the roast with paprika but I used an herb and spice mix. These roasts are available at Whole Foods market. 

Disclaimer: My thanks to Whole Foods for providing a Diestel roast for me to try. 

Pomsgiving Cocktail: Drinks on Friday

The last few years I've created a cocktail for Thanksgiving. It's a fun way to start the long Thanksgiving day feast. It perks the appetite and gives everyone something to talk about.  I recently attended a POM Wonderful lunch and was inspired by all the wonderful cocktails. So instead of using the more common cranberry juice, I thought it would be interesting to try using pomegranate juice.

This cocktail uses truly some of my most favorite things--limoncello, Plymouth gin and La Marca prosecco. I discovered La Marca prosecco when I was looking for the perfect prosecco to make the Ruby Sparkler last year. It's from the Veneto, tart and fresh with plenty of bubbles. It's about $10 at Costco and makes a terrific mixer. Plymouth gin is my go to gin, I find it the easiest for mixing because the botanicals are so well balanced. Use whichever limoncello you like. 

I am not a bartender and I find it tricky to come up with cocktails. Working out the proportions took some time but I'm very happy with the final result and hope you like it too! I haven't decided on a garnish yet, what do you think? Lemon peel? Pomegranate arils? Let me know in the comments. 

Pomsgiving

3/4 ounce Plymouth gin

1/4 ounce limoncello

1 ounce POM Wonderful juice or freshly squeezed pomegranate jucie

Prosecco (La Marca recommended)

Combine the gin, limoncello and pomegranate juice in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a glass, top with prosecco. 

Enjoy! 

Disclaimer: My thanks to both POM Wonderful and Plymouth gin for providing me with product to use in my cocktail experiments.

Stoneline Cookware Review

For the last four months I’ve been using Stoneline cookware in place of my regular pots and pans. I’m always interested to try out non-stick cookware because I hate scrubbing pots and pans. I put the cookware through the paces. I don’t just follow the instructions, I do some of the things you're not supposed to and see how it performs.

The problem with most non-stick pans is that the surface eventually peels, flakes, chips or stops being non-stick, also some of it like Teflon is made with harmful chemicals such as perfluorooctanoic acids aka PFOAs. In four months of using the Stoneline cookware (which is PFOA free) there has been no degradation of the cooking surface. The surface of the pans is smooth but looks like stone, there is nothing to peel or flake. Unlike ceramic non-stick it’s very durable and even when stacked up the pans don’t scratch or chip. They also don’t stain.

• Stoneline describes the cookware surface as a “reinforced stone coating” made of microscopic particles of stone that are transformed into an ultra-hard non-stick coating that won’t scratch, is extremely durable and resistant to abrasion. 

• Stoneline cookware works with all stove tops—gas, electric, induction and ceramic. It can be heated up to 350 degrees on the stove or oven.  

• The pans are initially seasoned with a few drops of oil, something that can be repeated, but I have not found it necessary to re-season them.

• The cookware has a 12 year warranty and a money back guarantee within the first 30 days if you decide you don't like it. 

The first thing I noticed about the cookware is how much hotter it seemed to get than other types of non-stick. I tried cooking eggs because they tend to stick. I learned quickly that I had to use much lower heat than I was used to, but even overcooking the eggs, they easily slipped out of the pan. The instructions say you don’t need to wash the pans, just wipe them with paper towels. That works fine for most things, but some liquids and sauces need to be rinsed off when reduced. That said, there is no need to use detergent or to scrub! But just to see how it would fare, I scrubbed and found the pans still did not scratch. I gave a few of the pieces of the set away and the feedback I got was consistent—that it heats well and evenly and browns food without sticking.

I will keep using these pans, so far I'm very impressed with their performance.

Disclaimer: My thanks to Stoneline for providing the cookware to review. I received a 13 piece set a wok and a roaster. I was not paid for this or any other post. 

Squash, Tamales & Dumplings: Single Subject Cookbooks

The Everyday Squash Cook

There are a surprising number of cookbooks covering a single fruit or vegetable and mostly I'm a bit skeptical about how useful they are. Not in this case. This book covers both Summer and Winter squash and has breakfast and brunch dishes, dips & soups, main courses, salads & sides, breads & desserts! I love how creative the recipes are. Speedy Pumpkin Waffles, Osso Buco with Butternut & Cannellini Mash, Savory Zucchini Popovers, Kabocha Deviled Eggs and Butternut Brownies are just a few of the intriguing recipes. There are 26 zucchini recipes alone. Let’s just say you will never complain about having too much zucchini ever again! If you know someone who grows squash this is a great book.

Tamales

I am crazy about tamales. If they are on the menu at a Mexican restaurant I will almost always order them. Of course there is a world of difference between good ones and lousy ones. Good ones have almost creamy, rich and flavorful masa and delectable fillings. Lousy ones are dry and crumbly, hard and bland. While I already have one book on tamales, I was happy to see this one too. Quite a number of things set this book apart. There are diagrams to show how different wrapping styles, recipes for “nose-to-tail” tamales made from lamb head, beef cheeks, tongue, tripe and more. There are also recipes for salsas and sauces to serve with your tamales, and quite a few vegetarian fillings like artichokes, creamy mushrooms, even broccoli and cheese tamales and bunch of sweet dessert tamales as well. If you want to make tamales at home, this is your book. 

Dumplings All Day Wong

When I was in Honolulu the last time around I arrived on a Sunday and my first stop from the airport to Koko Head Cafe, Lee Anne Wong’s brunch spot in Kaimuki. I had the amazing cornflake french toast but I had to come back for the dumplings because they were already sold out. On my next visit I got the perfectly fried fish dumplings. Wong clearly loves Asian style dumplings and makes both traditional ones as well as her own modern versions. There are steamed, boiled, deep fried and pan fried dumplings to satisfy your dumpling cravings. There are tutorials on how to make doughs and wrappers, how to fold and cook dumplings and more. The pantry section on Asian ingredients is reason enough to buy the book. Recipes I’ve bookmarked include Spicy Chicken Yuzu Gyoza, Sardine Ginger Wonton Soup and Pork and Chive Dumplings. One caveat, although the book cover is somewhat reminiscent of the Dummies books, this book can veer into being a bit "chaffy" from time to time with long ingredient lists and multiple preparations per recipes, that said the instructions are clear and the recipes so creative I still recommend it.

Disclaimer: These books were provided as review copies and this post includes affiliate links

Red Cabbage, Fennel & Cranberries Recipe

Red cabbage frequently ends up in my CSA box this time of year Of course it features prominently in slaws and soups, and makes a good bed for nestling roasts or sausages, but what else? Lately I'm trying sautés. Red cabbage has a really earthy flavor that can go sweet or sour and cooks up easily in a sauté pan, if shredded. 

Red cabbage is healthy, a member of the brassica family, it's cholesterol lowering and perhaps surprisingly the health benefits are greater in cooked cabbage than in raw. If you've ever wondered what makes red cabbage red, it's anthocyanins, a type of polyphenol which is a pigment and is also responsible for the red in cranberries. The amount of Vitamin C is 6 times greater in red cabbage than green cabbage. It's extremely high in Vitamin K too. 

This recipe came about because I had about a half of a head of cabbage, a bit of fennel and some cranberries I wanted to use. The bright and bitter flavors of the dish with just an edge of sweetness complement something rich like pork, sausages, goose or duck. I like the cabbage to still have a bit of crunch, but if you want it softer, just cook it longer with the lid on. 

Note: The amount of sugar you need in this recipe depends on the sweetness of the vegetables and how sweet the wine is. You might start with a tablespoon and add more only if you need it. If you'd rather not add sugar at all, I'd recommend using dried cranberries which are already sweetened. 

Red Cabbage, Fennel & Cranberries 

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 Tablespoon vegetable or rice bran oil 

1 cup sliced onion (half moons)

1 cup sliced fennel bulb 

4 cups thinly sliced red cabbage

1 cup cranberries

Pinch salt

2 Tablespoons packed brown sugar

1/2 cup vegetable or chicken broth

1/2 cup red wine 

Instructions 

Heat a large skillet and add the oil. When the oil is hot, add the onion and fennel and sauté for 5 minutes or until translucent but not brown. Add the cabbage and sauté for another 3 minutes or until glossy and beginning to reduce in volume. Add the cranberries, salt, brown sugar, broth and wine. Cover and simmer gently for 5 minutes. Remove the lid and cook until the liquid evaporates. Taste for seasoning and serve. 

Enjoy!

Interview with Margarita Carrillo Arronte, author of Mexico: The Cookbook

What we don’t know about Mexican cuisine could fill the pages of a massive book. And now it does. Margarita Carrillo Arronte, a chef, teacher, restaurateur, TV host and the Mexican Ministry of Agriculture's chef is the first Mexican author to have written a comprehensive book on Mexican food in English. Last week I had the great pleasure of meeting her and learning more about Mexican cuisine and her book, Mexico: The Cookbook.

How long did the book take to write and why did you write it in English? 

It took two years, but a lifetime, starting with being raised in Mexico, eating and cooking there. I always wanted to write this book in English, because I saw a need. There are other books on Mexican food in English, but not written by someone from Mexico. 

The book is on the cuisines of Mexico, not the cuisine. Because there are eight regions and the weather, the culture and the people are different. The cuisine is completely different from one region to another. The Northern part of Mexico doesn’t have the range of ingredients you find in the South but all they have some great recipes. Some regions have indigenous people with very strong food traditions. We have influences from many different countries--France, Spain, the Philippines. We had trade relations with Asia going back hundreds of years ago. 

What are the major misunderstandings about Mexican food? 

1. That it’s unhealthy, greasy and cheap

2. That it’s too spicy 

3. That it’s about quantity not quality

4. That Mexican food is served with rice and beans. That’s Tex Mex, not Mexican. 

5. That red rice! It’s often cooked badly. The rice is over toasted and it doesn’t taste good. 

When people come to Mexico, what should they eat? 

A variety of food, such as the real burritos of Baja which are nothing like what you find in California, and different kinds of beans. Eat at the little places with local flavors. Eat what the locals eat, not just what’s served to tourists. 

Your book has 700 recipes, what are the recipes readers should try first? 

1. Start with the easy recipes, ceviches and salsas. 

2. Learn the technique of dry toasting, we toast everything—chiles, tomatillos, onions, garlic, spices. 

3. Try some of the simpler soups 

4. We have lots of egg dishes, try one like Huevos Rabos de Mestiza, a Yucatecan dish of eggs with chiles, tomatoes and tomatillos. 

5. Make a dessert such as arroz con leche. 

Gracias Margarita! 

Global Kitchen & Mad Delicious: Cooking Light Cookbook Reviews

For years I subscribed to Cooking Light but these days I have a love hate relationship with it. Some months I treasure the magazine and other months hardly anything in it appeals to me. In addition I find their books to be hit or miss. Right now there are two Cooking Light books on the market, one a keeper, the other a loser.

True to its name, Cooking Light Global Kitchen shares recipes from around the world. There are 150 recipes, 120 of which came from the magazine and another 30 that “fill in the gaps.” They all fit within the magazine’s guidelines for nutrition, ease and speed.

The author/editor David Joachim tapped many chefs to help with the recipes and the results are impressive. The recipes may not be the most authentic but they are certainly user friendly. There are recipes from East Asia and India, Southeast Asia and Australia, The Middle East and Africa, Europe and Eurasia, South America, North and Central America. 

Many of the recipes take classics in a new direction like tabbouleh salad with chicken or a salad nicoise with seared tuna. And frankly many seems like improvements on the original such as lobster rolls freshened up with shaved fennel and citrus. I like that there are photographs on every page, for every recipe. I’ve bookmarked Quinoa Pudding, Cape Malay Curry (with warm spices, buttermilk, beef, peppers and apricots)  Quick Lamb Kofta with Harissa Yogurt Sauce, Champagne Browned Butter Chicken and Fennel Cured Halibut Gravlax. 

Bottom line? KEEPER especially if you're looking for healthier international recipes. You could find most of these recipes online or in the magazine, but this it is convenient to have them curated this way.

I was very excited to hear about Cooking Light Mad Delicious:The Science of Making Healthy Food Taste Amazing, but I’m rather disappointed with it.

My issues with the book, I’m going to just give you just a few, start with Culinary School Chicken. It’s a basic roast chicken recipe. But one of the very first instructions says “Rinse your chicken under cold running water. Allow to air dry or pat dry with good quality paper towels. Use the cheap ones and eat paper.” Uh I have a better idea. DON’T EVER RINSE RAW CHICKEN! Sorry for shouting but the author really should have known better. This is just bad advice. Rinsing does nothing but spread bacteria and is widely discouraged.

Next in the Lower East Side Brisket recipe there is a visual tutorial called Step by Step: Creating a crusty exterior. Basically it says season the meat with spices, heat the oil until hot and brown the meat. Really? That seems pretty obvious.

The author uses potentially hard to find ingredients like sorghum syrup, espelette pepper and Turkish red pepper paste, all without suggestions for substitutions. The book also has instructions for making your own sriracha sauce which will keep for a week to 10 days in the fridge. I don’t know about you, but I’m not going to use 2 cups of sriracha in 10 days. 

Sadly I just didn't find the recipes all that compelling. All in all the book was a good idea, but it misses the mark.  

Bottom line? SKIP IT Science geeks will be disappointed and newbies will be overwhelmed.

Disclaimer: These books were provided to me for review purposes. This post contains affiliate links.