Beef Tacos a la Nadine Kelley

Remember when I used to make taco salad? I got that recipe from my mother who always made it with Catalina Salad dressing. This recipe from Cook's Illustrated makes tacos tastes a lot like my mother's only better. Of course, you could make either taco salad or tacos. Better yet, you could double it, and make tacos one day and taco salad the next.

Tomato sauce is sold in cans in the same aisle that carries canned whole tomatoes. Do not use jarred pasta sauce in its place. We prefer to let diners top their own tacos with whatever fillings they prefer. There’s no need to prepare all of the toppings listed below, but cheese, lettuce, and tomatoes are, in our opinion, essential.

Makes 8 tacos, serving 4

Beef Filling
2 tablespoons vegetable oil or corn oil
1 small onion , chopped small (about 2/3 cup)
3 medium cloves garlic , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 tablespoon)
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
table salt
1 pound 90% lean ground beef (or leaner)
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons vinegar (preferably cider vinegar)
Ground black pepper

Shells and Toppings
8 taco shells (warmed according to package instructions), or Home-Fried Taco Shells (see related recipe)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (4 ounces), or Monterey Jack cheese
2 cups shredded iceberg lettuce
2 small tomatoes , chopped small
1/2 cup sour cream
1 avocado , diced medium
1 small onion , chopped small
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro leaves
hot pepper sauce , such as Tabasco

1. Heat oil in medium skillet over medium heat until hot and shimmering but not smoking, about 2 minutes; add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add garlic, spices, and 1/2 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add ground beef and cook, breaking meat up with wooden spoon and scraping pan bottom to prevent scorching, until beef is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Add tomato sauce, chicken broth, brown sugar, and vinegar; bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, stirring frequently and breaking meat up so that no chunks remain, until liquid has reduced and thickened (mixture should not be completely dry), about 10 minutes. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper.

2. Using wide, shallow spoon, divide filling evenly among taco shells; place two tacos on individual plates. Serve immediately, passing toppings separately.

Home-Fried Taco Shells

The taco shells can be fried before you make the filling and rewarmed in a 200-degree oven for about 10 minutes before serving.

Makes 8 taco shells, serving 4
3/4 cup vegetable oil , corn oil, or canola oil
8 corn tortillas (6-inch)

1. Heat oil in 8-inch heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat to 350 degrees, about 5 minutes (oil should bubble when small piece of tortilla is dropped in; tortilla piece should rise to surface in 2 seconds and be light golden brown in about 1 1/2 minutes). Meanwhile, line rimmed baking sheet with double thickness of paper towels.

2. Following illustrations below, using tongs to hold tortilla, slip half of tortilla into hot oil. With metal spatula in other hand, keep half of tortilla submerged in oil. Fry until just set, but not brown, about 30 seconds.

3. Flip tortilla; hold tortilla open about 2 inches while keeping bottom submerged in oil. Fry until golden brown, about 1 1/2 minutes. Flip again and fry other side until golden brown, about 30 seconds.

4. Transfer shell upside down to prepared baking sheet to drain. Repeat with remaining tortillas, adjusting heat as necessary to keep oil between 350 and 375 degrees.

Grilled Marinated Tuna with Radicchio Balsamic and Meyer Lemon

from Bobby Flay

6 ounces albacore or ahi tuna
2 ounces white wine
3 sprigs thyme
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 small head radicchio, cut into 4 wedges
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for cooking
1 slice pancetta
5 green pitted olives
1 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 wedge Meyer lemon, (1/4 lemon)

Slice the tuna in three thin paillards and marinate in the white wine, thyme, salt, and pepper. Lightly coat the radicchio wedges in salt, pepper and olive oil and grill until tender and slightly charred. Grill the pancetta until caramelized and crispy. Dice and set aside. Place radicchio in a bowl with the pancetta, green olives, balsamic and a drizzle of olive oil and toss to coat. Grill the lemon wedge. Grill the paillards of tuna on one side only until cooked to medium rare. Place radicchio salad in the center of the plate then add the tuna. Garnish with a drizzle of the marinade and top with the grilled lemon.

Serves 1

Turkey Burgers

From Dining for Two (recipe is easily doubled or tripled); makes excellent turkey burgers that are very juicy and filled with vegetables. Very kid friendly.

1/2 lbs. turkey: ground breast
1 small zucchini coarsely shredded
1 tbsp. onions (yellow) finely grated
1 tbsp. cilantro finely chopped (I use more--PKS)
1/2 small pepper (jalapeño or serrano) (sometimes I use red pepper flakes instead--PKS)
1 tsp. olive oil
1/2 cups yogurt: Greek low-fat
1/3 cups cucumber finely diced
1 cloves garlic minced
1/2 tsp. lime zest grated
1 1/2 tsp. lime juice

To make the burgers, combine the turkey, zucchini, onion, cilantro, and jalapeño pepper in a bowl until well mixed. Shape into 4 patties.

Heat 1/2 teaspoon of the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the burgers and cook until golden and cooked through, about 12 minutes, turning the burgers halfway through and adding the remaining 1/2 teaspoon oil to the pan after turning them.

Meanwhile, to make the tzaziki sauce, stir together the yogurt cucumber, garlic, lime zest, and juice in a small bowl. Serve with the burgers.

Serve with either pita bread or buns.

Tarragon Sauce

From Grill it!

1/4 cup dry white wine (or vermouth)
1/4 cup white-wine vinegar
1 garlic clove, peeled and buised (may omit if desired)
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
mayonnaise (reduced-fat or regular)
tarragon (fresh or dried), finely chopped or crushed

Combine wine, vinegar, and garlic in small saucepan. Boil over high heat until liquid is reduced by half. Discard garlic; whisk in mustard, lemon juice, and pepper.

When cool, add a little of this mixture and some tarragon to some mayonniase (reduced-fat mayonnaise and dried tarragon was delicious).

Store extra liquid in refrigerator for future use.

Excellent on Marinated Salmon Seared in a Pepper Crust (see recipe on blog) or artichokes.

Steak au Poivre

from Dining for Two

2 (3-ounce) beef tenderloin steaks (1 1/2 inches thick) trimmed of all visible fat
1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1 small shallot, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup brandy
1/4 cup preepared demi-glace sauce*
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons unsalted butter

Season steaks with 1/8 teaspoon salt. Press pepper onto both sides. Spray medium nonstick skillet with nonstick spray and set over medium-hgh heat. Add steaks and cook about 5 minutes on each side (this will be medium-rare if the steaks are 1 1/2 inches thick and 3 ounces each). Transwer steaks to a plate; keep warm.

Spray same skillet with nonstick spray and set over medium-high heat. Add shallot and garlic; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Remove skillet from heat and add brandy. Return skillet to heat and cook about 1 minute. Add the demi-glace sauce and mustard; cook, sitrring, until mixture begins to thicken, 2-3 minutes. Whirl in the butter and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt (if needed--taste first).

1 or 2 servings

*I used Demi-glace Gold, veal & beef resconstitued at a proportion of 4 to 1.

Grilled Garlic and Chipotle Hamburgers

Makes 3 hamburgers

1 1/4 pound ground chuck
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespooon olive oil
3 medium cloves garlic, peeled (leave whole)
1 tablespoon minced chipotle chile in adobo sauce
1 tablespoon minced scallion (optional)


Put the ground chuck in a bowl with the salt and pepper. In a small skillet, add olive oil and saute garlic until golden brown over medium heat. When the garlic is cool enough to handle, mince it and add it to the meat along with the chipotle chile and scallion. Mix thoroughly.

Divide the meat into three portions and shape into patties that are about 3/4 inch thick and 4 1/2 inches across. To prevent burger bulge, make an indention in the center of the patty (the divot should be about 1/2 inch thick).

If using a gas grill, turn all the burners to high, and close the lid. Heat the grill until it is very hot (about 15 minutes). Grill the burgers, divot-side up, uncovered (do not "press" the burgers as it will force the juice out of the meat...and you'll end up with dry burgers). When the first side is well seared (about 2 1/2 minutes), flip the burgers with with a wide metal spatula. Continue grilling until desired doneness (2 minutes for rare, 2 1/2 minutes for medium-rare, 3 minutes for medium, and 4 minutes for well-done). If you like well-done burgers, poke a hole in the center of the burger before cooking...this will help the center cook more quickly, avoiding dry edges.

Roroc and I love to serve these on toasted buns with any combination of melted cheddar cheese, mayonaise, barbecue sauce, and/or mustard. The smoke and the heat of these burgers will "wow" any burger-junkie.

Lemon Cake

Recipe courtesy of Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa Parties!

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar, divided
4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1/3 cup grated lemon zest (6 to 8 large lemons)
3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, divided
3/4 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For the glaze:
2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
3 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 2 (8 1/2 by 4 1/4 by 2 1/2-inch) loaf pans. You may also line the bottom with parchment paper, if desired.

Cream the butter and 2 cups granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs, 1 at a time, and the lemon zest.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. In another bowl, combine 1/4 cup lemon juice, the buttermilk, and vanilla. Add the flour and buttermilk mixtures alternately to the batter, beginning and ending with the flour. Divide the batter evenly between the pans, smooth the tops, and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until a cake tester comes out clean.

Combine 1/2 cup granulated sugar with 1/2 cup lemon juice in a small saucepan and cook over low heat until the sugar dissolves. When the cakes are done, allow to cool for 10 minutes. Remove the cakes from the pans and set them on a rack set over a tray or sheet pan; spoon the lemon syrup over them. Allow the cakes to cool completely.

For the glaze, combine the confectioners' sugar and the lemon juice in a bowl, mixing with a wire whisk until smooth. Pour over the tops of the cakes and allow the glaze to drizzle down the sides.

Ina pre-sliced these for her beach picnic and put them in individually wrapped packages...

Alton Brown's Coq au Vin

Heidi & I made this together. We thought the results were fantastic. This dish is great for company because most of the work (and the dishes!) are done the day before. Be sure to use low sodium chicken broth if you aren't using your own homemade saltless stock.

24 to 30 pearl onions
4 chicken thighs and legs, or 1 (5 to 7-pound) stewing chicken, cut into serving pieces*
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 to 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons water
6 ounces salt pork, slab bacon, or lardon, cubed
8 ounces button mushrooms, quartered
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 (750-ml) bottles red wine, preferably pinot noir
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 medium onion, quartered
2 stalks celery, quartered
2 medium carrots, quartered
3 cloves garlic, crushed
6 to 8 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
2 cups chicken stock or broth

*We used 8 thigh-leg quarters without changing the proportions, except that we added extra mushrooms.

Cut off the root end of each pearl onion and make an "x" with your knife in its place. Bring 2 to 3 cups of water to a boil and drop in the onions for 1 minute. Remove the onions from the pot, allow them to cool, and then peel. You should be able to slide the onions right out of their skin. Set aside.

Sprinkle the chicken on all sides with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place the chicken pieces, a few at a time, into a large (1 or 2-gallon) sealable plastic bag along with the flour. Shake to coat all of the pieces of the chicken. Remove the chicken from the bag to a metal rack.
Add the 2 tablespoons of water to a large, 12-inch saute pan over medium heat along with the salt pork. Cover and cook until the water is gone, and then continue to cook until the salt pork cubes are golden brown and crispy, approximately 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the salt pork from the pan and set aside.

In the same pan, using the remaining fat, add the pearl onions, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and saute until lightly brown, approximately 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the onions from the pan and set aside. Next, brown the chicken pieces on each side until golden brown, working in batches if necessary to not overcrowd the pan. Transfer the chicken into a 7 to 8-quart enameled cast iron Dutch oven.

Add the mushrooms to the same 12-inch saute pan, adding the 1 tablespoon of butter if needed, and saute until they give up their liquid, approximately 5 minutes. Store the onions, mushrooms and pork in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Pour off any remaining fat and deglaze the pan with approximately 1 cup of the wine. Pour this into the Dutch oven along with the chicken stock, tomato paste, quartered onion, carrots, celery, garlic, thyme, and bay leaf. Add all of the remaining wine. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Place the chicken in the oven and cook for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, or until the chicken is tender. Maintain a very gentle simmer and stir occasionally.

Once the chicken is done, remove it to a heatproof container, cover, and place it in the oven to keep warm. Strain the sauce in a colander and remove the carrots, onion, celery, thyme, garlic, and bay leaf. Return the sauce to the pot, place over medium heat, and reduce by 1/3. Depending on how much liquid you actually began with, this should take 20 to 45 minutes.

Once the sauce has thickened, add the pearl onions, mushrooms, and pork and cook for another 15 minutes or until the heated through. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary, remove from the heat, add the chicken and serve. Serve over egg noodles, if desired.

Cook’s Note: If the sauce is not thick enough at the end of reducing, you may add a mixture of equal parts butter and flour kneaded together. Start with 1 tablespoon of each. Whisk this into the sauce for 4 to 5 minutes and repeat, if necessary.

Popular Waffles

from Betty Crocker

This recipe produces very good waffles, and it is easy.

2 eggs
2 cups buttermilk
2 cups flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons melted butter

Combine eggs and buttermilk, add butter, then mix in remaining dry ingredients, stirring only enough to combine everything--lumps will remain. Let rest for 10 minutes while you heat the waffle iron. Add blueberries, if desired, before closing the iron.

Makes about 6 4-inch waffles.

Oven-Fried Chicken

Everyone loves fried chicken. I wanted to find a way to fry it in advance so I wasn't standing at the stove, covered in grease, while everyone waited for dinner. Parker Hodges at Barefoot Contessa solved the problem brilliantly. Now I fry each piece for about 10 minutes, and then cook the chicken on a baking rack in the oven, which makes it crisp on the outside and tender and juicy inside. It's so much easier and you don't need to scour the kitchen after you're done! Just remember that the chicken needs to marinate overnight.--Ina Garten

I think this method produced as good a fried-chicken as Alton Brown's method, and Ina is right, it is "so much easier". You don't have to marinate the chicken overnight; two hours is enough.

1 or 2 chickens (3 to 3 1/2 pounds each), cut into eight serving pieces
1 quart buttermilk
2 cups all-purpose flour*
1 tablespoon kosher salt*
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper*
Crisco oil (the liquid type doesn't have any trans-fat)

*If you make 2 chickens you need to double the flour-salt-pepper mixture.

Place the chicken pieces in a large bowl and pour the buttermilk over them. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350°.

Cmobine the flour, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Take the chicken out of the buttermilk and coat each piece thoroughly with the flour mixture. Pour the oil into a large heavy-bottomed pot (I used my large Le Crueset). to the delpth of 1 inch and heat to 360º.

Working in batches, carfully place several pieces of chicken in the oil and fry for about 3 minutes on each side until the coating is a light golden brown ( it will continue to brown in the oven). Don't crowd the pieces. Remove the chicken from the oil and place each piece on a metal baking rack set on a sheet pan. Allow the oil to return to 360º before frying the next batch. When all the chicken is fried, bake for 30 to 40 mintues, until the chicken is no longer pink insidel. Serve hot.

Real Meatballs & Spaghetti

This is an excellent and easy recipe. I made it for Kevin's double-nickel birthday.

This is not something my mother made when I was growing up, so I had to do some research about spaghetti and meatballs. the best idea came from the famous New York Italian restaurant call Roao's; they add water to the meatballs, which keeps them moist and delicious. I may not be Italian, but this has definitely become a staple in my house. --Ina Garten

For the Meatballs

1/2 pound ground veal (I didn't have any veal so I used 3/4 pound of pork and 1 pound of ground round)

1/2 pound pork

1 pound ground beef (ground round)

1 cup fresh white bread crumbs (4 slices, crusts removed)

1/4 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs (I used plain Panko)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teasopoon ground nutmeg (I omitted this)

1 extra-large egg, beaten

Vegetable oil

Olive oil

For the Sauce

1 tablespoon good olive oil

1 cup chopped yellow onion (1 onion, chopped fine)

1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic

1/2 cup good red wine, such as Chianti

1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes, or plum tomatoes in puree, chopped*

1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (I didn't use this much salt)

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For Serving

1 1/2 pound spaghetti, cooked al dente (I found 1 pound was almost too much for the amount of sauce)

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Place the ground meats, both bread crumbs, parsley, Parmesan, salt, pepper, nutmeg, egg, and 3/4 cup warm water in a bowl. Combine very lightly with a fork. Using your hands, lightly form the mixture into 2-inch meatballs. You will have 14 to 16 meatballs.

Pour equal amounts of vegetable oil and olive oil into a large (12-inch) skillet--I used my big Le Crueset pot--to a depth of 1/4 inch. Heat the oil. Very carfully, in batches, place the meatballs in the oil and brown them well on all sides over medium-low heat, turning carefully with a spatula or a fork. This should take about 10 minutes for each batch. Don't crowd the meatballs. Remove the meaballs to a plate covered with paper towels. Discard the oil but don't clean the pan.

For the sauce, heat the oilve oil in the same pan. Add the onion and saute over medium heat until transulcent, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the wine and cook on high heat, scraping up all the brown bits in the pan, utnil almost all the liquid evaporates, about 3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, parsely, salt, and pepper.

Return the meatballs to the sauce, cover, and simmer on the lowest heat for 25 to 30 mintues, until the meatballs are cooked through. Serve hot on cooked spaghetti and pass the grated Parmesan cheese.

*I like to use D.O.P. tomatoes; they're expensive but worth the price.

Jam Thumbprints

Recipe courtesy Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa Family Style

3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash
7 ounces sweetened flaked coconut
Raspberry and/or apricot jam
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until they are just combined and then add the vanilla. Separately, sift together the flour and salt. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the creamed butter and sugar. Mix until the dough starts to come together. Dump on a floured board and roll together into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.

Roll the dough into 1 1/4-inch balls. (If you have a scale they should each weigh 5/8 of an ounce.) Dip each ball into the egg wash and then roll it in coconut. Place the balls on an ungreased cookie sheet and press a light indentation into the top of each with your finger. Drop 1/4 teaspoon of jam into each indentation. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the coconut is a golden brown. Cool and serve.

Perfect Margarita

From Martha Stewart Living online

Serves 6

A good margarita depends on the quality of its ingredients; always use the best tequila you can find. Margaritas can be made in a blender or served on the rocks, according to taste. Use a citrus reamer, a small, fluted cylindrical wooden tool, to extract every last drop of juice from the limes.


1 lime, cut into 6 wedges
coarse salt
ice cubes
1 3/4 cups tequila
1/4 cup Cointreau
1/4 cup Grand Marnier
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
2 to 4 tablespoons Lime Simple Syrup

1. To salt-rim the glasses, rub a cut lime around the rim of each glass. Fill a saucer with salt, and dip each glass, upside down, into the salt. Set aside.

2. Fill a blender jar three-quarters full of ice cubes. Pour tequila, Cointreau, Grand Marnier, lime juice, and simple syrup over the ice. Begin blending on low, then increase the speed to high, until the ice is very finely chopped and the mixture is frothy. Taste for sweetness, adding more simple syrup if necessary. Blend a few seconds more, and pour into the salt-rimmed glasses. Serve immediately.

Pink Grapefruit "Margaritas"

From Martha Stewart Living online

Serves 6

This nonalcoholic pink drink is a great treat for children during festive occasions. Sanding sugar is a large-grain decorative sugar; granulated sugar may be substituted.

2 tablespoons colored sanding sugar
1 lime
6 teaspoons pomegranate syrup or grenadine
1 1/2 cups pink grapefruit juice
2-4 tablespoons simple syrup

Place sanding sugar in a shallow dish or plate. Slice six thin rounds from the middle of lime; set aside. Rub lime wedge around rims of six glasses; dip each rim in sugar to coat. Pour 1 teaspoon pomegranate syrup into bottom of each glass.

Place grapefruit juice and 2 cups ice cubes in a blender with simple syrup. Process on high speed until ice is crushed. Pour frozen mixture into glasses, and stir to combine with syrup. Garnish with reserved lime rounds, and serve immediately.

Grilled Lemon Chicken

from Living, by Martha Stewart (June 2004)

This method of grilling chicken is really nice. It produces crisp skin and juicy meat. You can use any marinade you like or even barbecue sauce.

Grilled* Lemon Chicken

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice, plus 4 lemons, halved
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
6 garlic cloves
1/3 cup loosely packed fresh rosemary leaves, plus 20 sprigs, and more sprigs for garnish
12 chicken quarters (3 chickens)
4 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1. Blend lemon juice, oil, garlic, and rosemary leaves in a blender until rosemary is finely chopped.

2. Marinate chicken quarters in blended mixture for 8 to 12 hours.

3. Preheat grill to high, then turn off half the burners so you can cook the chicken indirectly.

4. Remove chicken from marinade, reserving marinade for basting.

5. Place chicken on grill SKIN SIDE UP and not over flames. Scatter rosemary sprigs around chicken. Grill for 15 minutes, basting once or twice; sprinkle pieces with 1/2 the salt before basting.

6. Turn pieces SKIN SIDE DOWN. Grill an addtional 30 minutes, basting two or three times, and sprinkling with remaining salt and squeezing juice of remaining lemons. (Chicken may take a little more or less than 30 minutes depending on your grill--check with a meat thermometer to be sure.)

Serves 12.

*Roasting instructions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. Divide the rosemary sprigs between two large rimmed baking sheets, spreading into a single layer on each. Place 6 chicken pieces on each sheet; sprinkle with 2 1/4 teaspoons salt. Roast in upper and lower thirds of oven, basting twice with reserved marinade, 20 minutes. Switch position of sheets. Squeeze juice from 2 lemon halves over chicken; sprinkle with 2 1/4 teaspoons salt. Continue to roast until golden and cooked through, 20 to 25 minutes more.

Pork Tenderloin with Cranberry Balsamic Sauce

3 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups onions, chopped
1 teaspoon garlic, pressed
3 tablespoons butter
2 pork tenderloins, 16 ounces each
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon red pepper (cayenne)
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons fresh resemary, chopped
2 cups fresh or frozen whole cranberries
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute onions and garlic until golden brown. Transwer to a small dish and cmobine with teaspoon of cornstarch. Melt additional 3 tablespoons of butter in skillet; sear pork, evenly browning on all sides. Transfer pork to baking dish. Deglaze skillet with vinegar. Stir in onion mixture, water, sugar, red pepper, salt rosemary, and cranberries. Cook mixture until the sauce thickens and the cranberries begin to split. Pour sauce over pork and roast until thermometer inserted into center registers 140 degrees, basting and turning every 10 minutes. Let pork rest 10 minutes, slice and serve with sauce.

Serves 8-10

Joyce's Irish Coffee

from Joyce Calanchini (Joyce says this is her "ancient" recipe.)

Irish Coffee first introduced to the United States by Stanton Delaplane.

A chef by the name of Joe Sheridan originated Irish Coffee at the famous Shannon Airport.

'Twas in the old days the flying boats were landing at Foynes--in 1938, to be exact, the passengers would come in by launch, shivering and shaking fit to die with the cold.
"Surely," said Joe Sheridan, "we must invent a sirrup cup for the poor souls, and them not able to put their shivering hands in their pockets for a shilling to pay unless we warm them.
"What is more warming," said Joe, "than Irish Whiskey, smooth as a maiden's kiss. To take the chill from their poor shaking hands we will fill the glass with coffee, black as Cromwell's heart. We will top it off with a floating inch of Irish cream."
Thus, was Irish Coffee born at the Shannon Airport. Remember this about good, properly made Irish Coffee--one of them takes the chill off! Two of them set you to singing "Down Went McGinty ..."
The secret of good Irish Coffee is making the cream float and using the right Irish Whiskey--below tells you the story as it should be told!--

"Slainte!"*
(pronounced Slawn-Tha)
*Slainte is Gaelic for "Good Health."

1. Pre-heat glass with very hot water. Fill and let stand a few seconds, then empty.

2. Fill glass three-fourths full of hot, black coffee before glass has cooled.

3. Drop three cocktails cubes of sugar into coffee. Stir until dissolved completely.

4. Add full jigger of Tullamore Dew. This whiskey has correct taste and body.

5. By pouring over a spoon, top with a head of lightly whipped (aerated) cream.

6. ... Your Irish Coffee is ready to enjoy--serve to your guests while piping hot.

Welsh Rabbit

from Kevin Sullivan

Betty Crocker's Cookbook (5 ring binder edition "New & Revised edition, LCN 78-52003") pg 120:

1/4 cup margarine or butter (I have always used butter)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard (I usually use a "spicy brown" mustard that has seeds in it)
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 cup milk
1/2 cup beer or medium white wine* (I prefer beer, a dark beer from a large bottle so there in plenty left over to dispose of...)
2 cups of shredded Cheddar cheese (about 8 ounces), (I always use a sharp cheddar.)
4-6 slices of toast (I usually use a good sourdough English muffin instead.)

Heat margarine/butter in saucepan over low heat until melted. Blend in flour, salt, petter, mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Cool over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth and bubbly; remove from heat. stir in milk. Heat to boiling stirring constantly. Boil about 1 minute. Add beer gradually. Stir in cheese. Heat over low heat, stirring constantly, until cheese is milted. Serve over toast. Sprinkle with paprika if desired.
4 to 6 servings.
*Beer or wine can be omitted; increase milk to 1.5 cups.

What I actually do though is I also steam broccoli and put the cheese sauce on the broccoli too. Instead of just putting the cheese sauce on toast, I put the cheese sauce on some pan fried ham which is on a good tomato slice or two and that on top of a toasted sourdough muffin...

Beet horseradish & maztah sandwiches

Spread beet horseradish between maztah crackers. Delicious.

Seder Green Salad (Hanukkah 2006)

from Cynthia Calmenson

Salad mixture:

Red-leaf lettuce
sliced, ripe pears
crumbled feta cheese
sliced tomatoes
chopped parsley
toasted pumpkin seeds

Dressing:

Use about 4 parts extra-virgin Olive oil (e.g. Colavita) mixed with 1 part fresh Grapefruit juice, and salt and pepper to taste.

Balsamic dressing

Thin out mayonnaise with a little balsamic vinegar for a great & quick salad dressing.

Salmon Gefilte Fish poached in Fennel-wine Broth with Beet Horseradish (Hanukkah 2006)

from Cynthia Calmenson

Salmon Gefilte Fish poached in Fennel-wine Broth with Beet Horseradish

About 8 servings

FENNEL-WINE BROTH

¾ pound onions, coarsely chopped (3 cups)
About ½ pound carrots, coarsely chopped (1½ cups)
2 tbsp mild olive or vegetable oil
1 small fennel bulb, coarsely chopped (include stalks and some of the fennel fronds).
3 garlic cloves, peeled
Salt
3 cups dry white wine
1 tsp peppercorns
1 bay leaf
½ cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley leaves and stems
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1½ tsp salt
3 egg whites
2 cups heavy cream

FISH

1½ Pounds salmon fillets, cut into 1-inch pieces, skin and any bones removed and discarded
½ pound sole, flounder, or any other soft white fish fillets, cut into 1-inch pieces, skin and any bones removed and discarded
2 large garlic cloves, peeled
Sautéed onion and carrot reserved from preparing the broth (about 1½ cups chopped onions and ¾ cup chopped carrots)
3 egg whites
1 cup prepared beet-horseradish
Soft lettuce, endive or radicchio leaves, for lining plates

Prepare the broth. In a large, wide, heavy saucepan or 5-6 quart Dutch oven, sauté the onions and carrots in the oil over medium heat until the onions are softened and the carrots are tender, about 15 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer about half the mixture to a food processor and let cool (you'll be using it later for the fish balls). To the saucepan, and the fennel and garlic. Mix well and cook over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, stirring, until the vegetables begin to wilt and soften. Add salt to taste and 1 cup of the wine, cover the pan, and let sweat gently for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking. Add the remaining 2 cups wine, 5 cups of water, the peppercorns, bay leaf, and parsley. Bring to a boil, then simmer for about 45 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning. If the broth seems weak, raise the heat to high and boil briefly to concentrate the flavors. Cool slightly, then strain the broth through a fine sieve, pushing down on the solids to extract all the flavorful juices. Discard the solids. Rinse out the pan and return the strained broth to it.

Make the fish balls. Add the salmon, sole, and garlic cloves, and egg whites to the sautéed onion and carrot in the food processor. Chop fine, using the pulse motion, but don't puree. Put the mixture in a chopping bowl or on a chopping board. Using a hand-chopping at this point incorporates air into the mixture, making it lighter and fluffier than pulsing in the food processor.) Stir in a little cream to lighten and enrich the mixture.

It's good idea to do a test for seasoning. Poach a teaspoon of the fish mixture in lightly salted boiling water for a few minutes. Taste, and if needed, add additional salt and pepper. Refrigerate the fish, covered, for at least 1 and up to 4 hours (this step makes it easier to mold and the result is fluffier fish balls).

Bring the strained broth to a gentle boil. Wetting your hands with cold water if necessary, form the fish mixture into 16 ovals, using about ¼ cup for each. Place the ovals on a platter lined with was paper. Carefully slip the fish ovals into the broth and reduce the the heat to a simmer. If the fish is not completely covered by the broth, baste with several spoonfuls of the broth. Cover the pot and poach the fish ovals for about 20 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick tests clean and the ovals are completely cooked through at the center. Remove fish balls to a platter and reduce the poaching liquid. Add heavy cream (reduced) at the end. Taste for seasoning.

To serve, line platters with lettuce, endive, or radicchio. Arrange two ovals of the chilled, drained fish attractively on top and accompany with the beet horseradish.

Perfect Aparagus

from Will Warto & Madelene

Snap off the ends and use a vegetable steamer. I think they were in there for less than 10 mins. Garnish with zest of lemon, lemon juice and toasted almond slices.

Alton Brown's Fried Chicken

from Good Eats

1 broiler/fryer chicken, cut into 8 pieces*
2 cups low fat buttermilk
2 tbsp. kosher salt
2 tbsp. Hungarian paprika
2 tbsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 cups flour
1/2 cups Crisco duck fat is better

Place chicken pieces into a plastic container and cover with buttermilk. Cover and refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours (I've let it sit for only 1 hour & still had good results).

Melt enough shortening (over low heat) to come just 1/8-inch up the side of a 12-inch cast iron skillet or heavy fry pan. Once shortening liquefies raise heat to 325 degrees F. Do not allow oil to go over 325 degrees F. Rendered duck fat is a better medium for frying than transfat Crisco. The non-transfat version of Crisco tastes awful.

Drain chicken in a colander. Combine salt, paprika, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper. Liberally season chicken with this mixture. Dredge chicken in flour and shake off excess.

Place chicken skin side down into the pan. Put thighs in the center, and breast and legs around the edge of the pan. The oil should come half way up the pan. Cook chicken until golden brown on each side, approximately 10 to 12 minutes per side. More importantly, the internal temperature should be right around 180 degrees. (Be careful to monitor shortening temperature every few minutes.)

Drain chicken on a rack over a sheet pan. Don't drain by setting chicken directly on paper towels or brown paper bags. If you need to hold the chicken before serving, cover loosely with foil but avoid holding in a warm oven, especially if its a gas oven.

NB: The important thing about cooking this dish is the temperature of the oil. It needs to be hot, but not so hot that the chicken cooks faster than about 12 minutes per side. It is hard to judge the correct temperature. I used my probe in the thigh to monitor how it was going, turning it over at about 130 degrees. It is more difficult to get the second side done. But again, the chicken size makes all the difference. If it is too big, it is difficult to cook to the desired temperature. You really can't successfully make this dish with chickens over 3 1/2 pounds, and in order to get a chicken that size, you have to cut it up yourself. If you want to make fried chicken with a larger chicken, then you're better off using Ruth Schmidt's method.

Mojito ... Mochito

1 handful mint 5-10 mint leaves
2 tsp. sugar
2 oz. white rum
2 limes one juiced, the other cut into quarters
1 can club soda
1 handful crushed ice

I like to make my mojitos by melding a substantial amount of mint leaves (5 to 10, depending on their size, though I don't think I've ever used too much mint) with two teaspoons of sugar (a mortar and pestle will also work for this step)--the important thing here is to grind the sugar into leaves so that the granules are completely incorporated with the mint and its juice, forming a sort of mint-sugar paste.

Method 1: In a cocktail shaker, combine the juice of one lime & a 2nd lime, cut into quarters, with 2 oz. rum, club soda, crushed ice, and shake. Garnish with a sprig of mint & a wedge of lime.

Method 2: Place the mint-sugar paste & the juice of one lime in the bottom of a tall glass. Stir to combine. Add the rum & fill the glass with ice (crushed or cubed, floating a few inches of club soda on the top. Garnish with a spring of mint & a wedge of lime.

The "mochito" version skips the alcohol.

You can use Splenda instead of sugar. You can also make a simple syrup, equal parts of either sugar or Splenda or a combination of the two, instead of using the granulated sugar.

Garlic Roasted Green Beans with Shallots and Hazelnuts

from Bobby Flay

1 lbs. green beans, trimmed
1 shallot thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic crushed
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. grated lemon zest
1/4 cup hazelnuts toasted & chopped
1 pinch salt & pepper to taste

Excellent! I just used green beans, a shallot, the garlic, & the olive oil. This recipe works well with green beans that are a bit thicker than what I normally like.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Toss together green beans, shallots, garlic, oil and salt and pepper in a medium roasting pan. Roast in the oven until the beans are cooked through and light golden brown. Remove from the oven and stir in the lemon zest and hazelnuts. Transfer to a platter and serve.

Maytag Blue Dressing

from Kincaid's Restaurant in San Mateo, CA

1 small clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. onion salt*
4 tsp. red wine vinegar
1/3 cup sour cream
1 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 oz. buttermilk
3 oz. Maytag blue cheese
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. Tabasco sauce
4 tsp. crumbled Maytag blue cheese (topping for salad)
2 1/2 tbsp. slivered almonds, toasted
1 pinch dry mustard powder
1 pinch white pepper

Dissolve spices in vinegar; add Worcestershire sauce & tabasco. Combine with sour cream & mayonniase, and thin out with buttermilk. Add blue cheese & let sit overnight.
Serve over crisp Romaine lettuce & top with slivered almonds & crumbled Maytag.

*go easy on this ingredient--a combination of onion powder & salt might be better.

Superbowl Buffalo Chicken Wings

Ingredients:
3 lbs. chicken wings
2 sticks unsalted butter
1 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
6 tbsp. Frank's Red Hot sauce
1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt


Directions:
Preheat broiler. Cut wings into thirds, discarding the wing tips. In a small saucepan, melt butter. Add cayenne pepper, hot sauce, and salt, and stir to incorporate. Place half of the wings on the sheet pan and brush with the butter mixture. Broil about 3 inches from the heat for 10 minutes. Turn the wings, and brush again with the butter mixture. Return the sheet pan to the oven for an additional 4-5 minutes, until cooked.

Serve immediately with your choice of blue cheese or ranch dressing.

Millie Larson's Cavier Pie

Ingredients:
8 oz. cream cheese
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tsp. grated onion or chopped green onion may increase to 3 tsp.
1 tsp. worcestershire sauce may increase to 2 tsp.
1 tsp. lemon juice may increase to tsp.
2/3 cup sour cream
1 jar caviar drained & rinsed


Directions:
Blend cream cheese, mayonnaise, onion, worcestershire sauce, & lemon juice. Mix mixture with 2/3 cup sour cream. Layer mixture as follow in a spring form pan and let set-up for at least 3 hours in the refrigerator.
1st layer: 3 hard boiled eggs chopped with 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
2nd layer: finely diced onion
3rd layer: cream cheese mixture
4th layer: a small jar of caviar
Unmold and garnish with watercress.

Perfect Manhattan

2 oz. Maker's Mark Whiskey
1/2 oz. Noilly Prat Sweet Vermouth
1/2 oz. Noilly Prat Dry Vermouth
4 dashes bitters
1 stemmed cherry

I've tested out various combinations for making Manhattans and think 
the following recipe for a "Perfect Manhattan" to be the best.

Combine the above ingredients in a frozen ice-cream cylinder and let chill 
thoroughly. Serve neat in a frozen Martini glass with a cherry or two.

Quick Homemade Chicken Stock

From Cook's Illustrated

This makes an excellent stock although I didn't think it was particularly quick.

This stock can be refrigerated in airtight containers for up to 4 days or frozen for 4 to 6 months.

Makes about 2 quarts
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 medium onion , chopped medium
4 pounds whole chicken legs or backs and wingtips, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 quarts water (boiling)
1/2 teaspoon table salt
2 bay leaves

For a Turkish-style garnish, mix 2 teaspoons sweet paprika and 3 tablespoons melted butter, then swirt a bit on the surface of each serving.


1. Heat oil in large stockpot over medium-high heat until shimmering; add onion and cook until slightly softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer onion to large bowl. Brown chicken in two batches, cooking on each hside until lightly browned, about 5 minutes per side; transfer to bowl with onions. Transfer cooked chicken to bowl with onion. Return onion and chicken to pot. Reduce heat to low, cover, and sweat until chicken releases its juices, about 20 minutes. Increase heat to high; add boiling water, salt, and bay leaves. Bring to boil, then reduce heat to low; cover and sim

mer slowly until stock is rich and flavorful, about 20 minutes, skimming foam off surface, if desired.

2. Strain broth and discard solids. Before using, defat stock. After stock has been refrigerated, the fat hardens on the surface and is very easy to remove with a spoon. To defat hot stock, we recommend using a ladle or fat separator.

Parker House Rolls a la Ruth Schmidt

from Bobby Flay & Ruth Schmidt

This recipe made a great Parker House rol; it was just what we had in mind! The dough was soft and satiny, and made a tender, flavorful roll that wasn't sweet inspite of the sugar in the recipe. Jim did a great job forming & baking them.

6 cups all-purpose flour (about)
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 packages active dry yeast
1 cup margarine or butter (2 sticks), softened
1 large egg

In a large bowl, combine 2 1/4 cups flour, sugar, salt, and yeast; add 1/2 cup margarine or butter (1 stick). With mixer at low speed, gradually pour 2 cups hot tap water (120 degrees F to 130 degrees F.) into dry ingredients. Add egg; increase speed to medium; beat 2 minutes, scraping bowl with rubber spatula. Beat in 3/4 cup flour or enough to make a thick batter; continue beating 2 minutes, occasionally scraping bowl. With spoon, stir in enough additional flour (about 2 1/2 cups) to make a soft dough.

Turn dough onto lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes, working in more flour (about 1/2 cup) while kneading. Shape dough into a ball and place in greased large bowl, turning over so that top of dough is greased. Cover with towel; let rise in warm place (80 to 85 degrees F.) until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours. (Dough is doubled when 2 fingers pressed into dough leave a dent.)

Punch down dough by pushing down the center or dough with fist, then pushing edges of dough into center. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface; knead lightly to make smooth ball, cover with bowl for 15 minutes, and let dough rest.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. (We used the convection oven at 375 degrees.)

In 17 1/4-inch by 11 1/2-inch roasting pan, over low heat, melt remaining 1/2 cup margarine or butter; tilt pan to grease bottom.

On lightly floured surface with floured rolling pin, roll dough 1/2 inch thick. With floured 2 3/4-inch round cutter, cut dough into circles. Holding dough circle by the edge, dip both sides into melted margarine or butter pan; fold in half. Arrange folded dough in rows in pans, each nearly touching the other. Cover pan with towel; let dough rise in warm place until doubled, about 40 minutes. (Dad didn't dip the sides into butter; he simple put a pat of butter on the round before folded it in half--this is the way his mother did it.)
Bake rolls for 15 to 18 minutes until browned.

Sweet Potato Pie with Crunchy Cranberry Topping

from Florence Tyler

I really liked the topping & the crust, but didn't think the pie itself was that interesting. The topping would be great on a lot of other desserts.

Filling:
2 pounds sweet potatoes, for 1 1/2 cups puree
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
Pinch salt
3 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Pastry:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 tablespoon sugar
Pinch salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold and cut into small chunks
2 tablespoons ice water, plus more if needed
1 egg white, lightly beaten

Topping:
1/2 cup pecans
1 (8-ounce) package frozen cranberries
1 (2.3-ounce) package amaretto cookies (about 12), such as Amaretti di Saronno

Heat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Prick the sweet potatoes with a fork and bake them until they are soft, about 1 hour. Remove from the oven and set aside until they are cool enough to handle.

While the potatoes are cooking make the pastry: combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add the butter and mix with a pastry blender or your hands until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Pour in the ice water and work it in to bind the dough until it holds together without being too wet or sticky. Squeeze a small amount together, if it is crumbly, add more ice water, 1 teaspoon at a time. Form the dough into a ball, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes.

Sprinkle the counter and a rolling pin lightly with flour. Roll the dough out into a 10-inch circle. Carefully roll the dough up onto the pin and lay it inside a 9-inch pie pan. Press the dough firmly into the bottom and sides so it fits tightly. Trim the excess dough around the rim and pinch the edges to form a border. Place a piece of parchment paper over the crust and fill with uncooked beans or pie weights. Bake the pie crust until it sets, about 20 minutes. Remove the parchment and beans. Brush the bottom with the beaten egg white and set aside.

While the crust is cooking make the filling: When cool enough to handle, peel the sweet potatoes and puree the pulp in a food processor with 1/2 stick butter and a pinch of salt. Measure 1 1/2 cups puree into a bowl. In another bowl beat the eggs and sugar until the sugar has melted. Add the eggs to the sweet potato puree and whisk well. Add the cream, orange zest, cinnamon, and nutmeg and stir well to combine. Pour the mixture into the pie shell. Place the pie pan on a sturdy cookie sheet to catch any spills. Lower the oven temperature to 325 degrees F and bake until the pie is set but still jiggles slightly, about 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow it to cool.

Meanwhile, put the pecans on a baking sheet and bake them with the pie for about 10 minutes to toast them. Remove them from the oven and let them cool. Thaw the cranberries in a strainer set over a bowl to catch the liquid. Put the cookies, pecans, and cranberries into a food processor and pulse them a few times until they are coarsely chopped. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the cooled pie and serve immediately.

Roast Crisped-Skin Turkey

From Cook's Illustrated

We prefer to roast small turkeys, no more than 14 pounds gross weight, because they cook more evenly than large birds. If you prefer, halve the amount of salt in the brine and brine 12 hours or overnight. When you remove the turkey from the oven to rotate it, be sure to close the oven door to prevent heat loss.

Serves 10 to 12

4 cups kosher salt or 2 cups table salt
1 turkey (12 to 14 pounds gross weight), rinsed thoroughly; giblets, neck, and tailpiece removed and reserved for gravy (see related recipe)
3 medium onions, chopped coarse
2 small carrots, chopped coarse
2 ribs celery, chopped coarse
6 sprigs fresh thyme leaves
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

An overnight stay in the refrigerator produced a bird with crackling crisp skin.

1. Dissolve salt in 2 gallons cold water in large stockpot or clean bucket. Add turkey and refrigerate or set in very cool spot (about 40 degrees) for 4 to 6 hours.

NB: do not brine if using a Kosher Turkey

2. Remove turkey from salt water and rinse well under cool running water. Pat dry inside and out with paper towels. Place turkey breast-side up on flat wire rack set over rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan and refrigerate, uncovered, 8 to 24 hours.

3. Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Toss one-third of onions, carrots, and celery with 2 sprigs thyme and 1 tablespoon butter in medium bowl; fill cavity with mixture. Tuck wings behind back, following illustrations 1 through 3 below, truss turkey.

4. Scatter remaining vegetables and thyme in shallow roasting pan; pour 1 cup water over vegetables. Prepare V-rack following illustration 4, below. Brush turkey breast with butter, then set turkey breast-side down on foil-lined V-rack. Brush back of turkey with butter. Roast 45 minutes.

5. Remove roasting pan with turkey from oven; brush back with butter. Using thick wads of paper towels or potholders, rotate turkey leg/wing--side up. If liquid in bottom of roasting pan has evaporated, add 1/2 cup water. Roast 15 minutes longer.

6. Remove roasting pan with turkey from oven, brush exposed surfaces with butter, and, using thick wads of paper towels or potholders, rotate turkey second leg/wing-side up; roast for 15 minutes longer.

7. Remove roasting pan with turkey from oven, brush exposed surfaces with butter and, using thick wads of paper towels or potholders, rotate turkey breast-side up. Roast until thickest part of breast registers 165 degrees and thickest part of thigh registers 170 to 175 degrees on instant-read thermometer, 30 to 45 minutes longer. Move turkey from rack to carving board and let rest about 20 to 30 minutes. Carve and serve with gravy, if desired.

Salad wtih Herbed Baked Goat Cheese and Vinaigrette

from Cook's Illustrated

NB: choose a goat cheese with a little stronger flavor than you normally select because baking the cheese seems to lighten its flavor.

Herbed Baked Goat Cheese
3 ounces Melba toasts, white (about 2 cups) (Melba toast was an excellent choice)
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
12 ounces goat cheese, firm
extra-virgin olive oil

Vinaigrette and Salad
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar (I might use part rice-wine vinegar next time)
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon minced shallot
1/4 teaspoon table salt
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (I used Walnut oil)
1 tablespoon fresh chives (sprinkled on salad greens)
Ground black pepper
14 cups hearty greens (mixed), washed and dried (I used Watercress, but would use Arugula next time)

1. For Goat Cheese: In food processor, process Melba toasts to fine even crumbs, about 1 1/2 minutes; transfer crumbs to medium bowl and stir in pepper. Whisk eggs and mustard in medium bowl until combined. Combine thyme and chives in small bowl.

2. Using kitchen twine or dental floss, divide cheese into 12 evenly sized pieces. Roll each piece into a ball; roll each ball in herbs to coat lightly. Transfer 6 pieces to egg mixture, turn each piece to coat; transfer to Melba crumbs and turn each piece to coat, pressing crumbs into cheese. Flatten each ball into disk about 1 1/2 inches wide and 1 inch thick and set on baking sheet. Repeat process with remaining 6 pieces cheese. Freeze cheese until firm, about 30 minutes. (Cheese may be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and frozen up to 1 week.) Adjust oven rack to uppermost position; heat to 475 degrees.

3. Remove cheese from freezer and brush tops and sides evenly with olive oil. Bake until crumbs are golden brown and cheese is slightly soft, 7 to 9 minutes (or 9 to 12 minutes if cheese is completely frozen). Using thin metal spatula, transfer cheese to paper towel-lined plate and cool 3 minutes.

4. For Salad: While goat cheese is baking, combine vinegar, mustard, shallot, and salt in small bowl. Whisking constantly, drizzle in olive oil; season to taste with pepper.

5. Place greens in large bowl, drizzle vinaigrette over, and toss to coat. Divide greens among individual plates; place 2 rounds goat cheese on each salad. Serve immediately.

Thanksgiving 2005

A Distributed Feast!

Kevin called it a "Distributed Feast" because we ate all day!

Lunch

Roasted almonds
Vertical tasting of Murphy's vs. Guiness (Murphy's won)
Salad wtih Herbed Baked Goat Cheese and Vinaigrette

Amuse-bouche

Peel & Eat Shrimp with Horseradish Cocktail sauce
Manhattans w/Agostura Bitters (Bitters are an excellent stomatic--they are also tauted to be a cure for flatulence)

Dinner

Roast Crisped-Skin Turkey

Gravy made with Quick Chicken Stock (with either brined or Kosher birds you really have to watch the salt content--I used a combination of the dripping from the turkey & the Quick Stock & it was almost too salty; next time I think I'll use mostly my stock because it is less salty). BTW: this is a great recipe for stock.

Mashed Potatoes

The next day we made a gratin from the leftovers: 4 cups mashed potatoes, 3 eggs, 2/3 cup grated Guyere cheese. Place the potatoes, eggs & most of the cheese in the food processor & blend just to combine. Place in a greased au gratin dishes & sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake in a 400 degree oven for about 35 minutes.

Green Bean Casserole

This is a great casserole, but requires a lot of attention to pull off. I can't do it justice when trying to manage the gravy & other last minute dishes. Next time I won't make it unless there is someone else in the kitchen who can give it the loving care it demands.

Bread Stuffing with Sage and Thyme

I didn't put enough Sage in the stuffing; I've added a note to the recipe for next year. Also, I cooked it is too big a glass dish (13 x 9).

Tart Cranberry Dipping Sauce
Simple Cranberry Sauce

I combined the two sauces after the dinner, and they were great as one!

Parker House Rolls (a la Ruth Schmidt)

This recipe made a great Parker House rol; it was just what we had in mind! The dough was soft and satiny, and made a tender, flavorful roll that wasn't sweet inspite of the sugar in the recipe. Jim did a great job forming & baking them.

Hess Selection 2001 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Dessert

Sweet Potato Pie with Crunchy Cranberry Topping

We loved the topping & the crust, but were unimpressed by the pie. This topping on a pumpkin pie would be great. The next day we had some pie with Hagaan-Das Pistachio ice cream--fantastic ice cream!--.

Calvados & Cognac

We did a vertical tasting with no decisive victor--one preferred one; the others, the other; some couldn't taste the apples; one didn't know Calvados was distilled from apples & was made in Normandy--and this person probably isn't who you think it is!).

Herb Roasted Turkey Breast with Pan Gravy

From Rachael Ray
Serves 6-8

Although sage is the herb most used with turkey, I love the flavor and aroma of fresh bay (laurel) leaves. Fresh bay leaves are now widely available in supermarkets. Since the leaves are a bit woody, and no fun to eat, I baste my turkey with bay-infused butter and roast the breasts right on top of the leaves, which perfumes the meat.

1 small (golf-ball sized) onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 lemon, scrubbed clean
12 fresh sage leaves
Large handful fresh flat-leaf parsley (about 1/2 cup, from 12 stems)
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for oiling pan
1 teaspoon salt, plus more as needed
6 fresh bay leaves
4 tablespoons butter
2 boneless turkey breast halves, skin on (about 2 to 2 1/2 pounds each)
Freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup apple or regular brandy (recommended: Calvados)
2 to 3 cups apple cider
Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Oil a roasting pan and set it aside.

Put the onion into the bowl of a mini food processor. Using a vegetable peeler, peel the zest from the lemon in thin strips, being careful not to cut into the bitter white pith. Add the lemon zest to the food processor and reserve the whole lemon for another use. Chop the onion and lemon zest until fine. Add the sage, parsley, olive oil, and 1 teaspoon salt and pulse until it forms a coarse paste.

Put 2 of the bay leaves and the butter into a small pan and heat over medium-low heat until the butter is bubbling. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Put the turkey breasts on a work surface. Carefully run your fingers between the skin and the flesh from 1 end, being careful not to pull it completely off, creating a pocket. Season the turkey breasts generously with salt and pepper. Stuff half of the herb paste under the skin of each breast, and spread it evenly under the skin. Transfer the breasts to the roasting pan, and slide 2 bay leaves underneath each one. (The heat of the pan will release the bay leaf oils and flavor the breast.) Using a pastry brush, baste the breasts with half of the bay butter. Place the turkey in the oven and immediately decrease the temperature to 400 degrees F. After 20 minutes, baste the turkey breasts with the remaining butter, and roast for an additional 20 to 25 minutes, until cooked through, and a thermometer placed in the thickest part of the breast registers 170 degrees F.

Remove from the oven, transfer to a platter, cover, and let rest for 10 minutes before carving while you make the gravy.

Put the roasting pan over the burner on medium heat. Sprinkle the flour over the pan juices, and cook, stirring, for a few minutes. Add the apple brandy, and scrape the pan to lift the bits that are stuck to the bottom. Cook for a minute to burn off the alcohol, then, while stirring, pour in the apple cider. Bring to a simmer, and stir until thickened. Season with salt and pepper.

Slice the turkey breast on the diagonal, and serve with warm gravy.

Crab Cakes in Red Sauce

from Jacques Pepin's Fast Food My Way

This is delicious as an appetizer or a main course. It is made with pasturized crab meat. The best brand is Phillip's Crab meat (Costco). I serve them with an arugula salad and some of the Red Sauce which doubles as a dressing.

Salmon in Mirin

from Jacques Pepin's Fast Food My Way

I've prepared this dish at least 4 times; until the last time, I used Murakan unseasoned rice wine vinegar instead of Mirin (Japanese sweet cooking wine). I didn't realize I was using the wrong ingredient. Much to my surprize, I much prefer this dish made with the rice wine vinegar!

Rack of Lamb

from Julia Child's The Way to Cook

1 trimmed rack of lamb (about 7 ribs weighing about 1 1/2 lbs.)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
3/4 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped fine
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive or peanut oil
1/4 cup fresh white bread crumbs
1 tablespoon melted butter

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees with the shelf in the upper-middle position.

Frenching the ribs: From the fat-covered top side, trace a line ac ross the ribs halfway from the bone ends to the meat; cut down through it to the rib bones. Remove the fatty lower layer to expose the lower part of the ribs. Cut and scrape the meat from around the rib bones.

Removing cap meat: starting at the heavier end of the rack, cut and lft off the fatty layer, leaving a thin covering over the eye of the meat. When you are finished your rack should have nicely defined, long rib bones and a round core of meat with only a thin layer of fat around the core (Julia says, "a labor of love" and I concur).

Whisk the mustard, rosemary, lemon juice, and then the oil, to make a mayonnaise-like cream.

Score the fat on the side of the racks lightly mkaing shallow crisscross knife marks. Leaving the rib ends free, paint the mustard mixture over the tops and side of the rack. Fold a double strip of foil over the rid end so they won't burn. (Ma be prepared to this point a day in advance; refrigerate covered.)

Roasting--about 30 minutes at 500 and 400 degrees: Roast the lamb for 10 minutes at 500 to sear. Reduce the thermostat to 400, rapidly spread the bread crumbs over the top fat, drizzle on the butter, and return to the oven. Roast another 20 minutes, to rosy-rare (125 degrees); the meat will be just lightly springy when pressed.

Rest before carving: remove from the oven and let rest 5 minutes (lightly tent with foil).

Serving: lay the rack on a little watercress or arugula and cut into 1-rib portions.

Serves 2.

Coleslaw

Adapted from Jacques Pepin's book, Fast-Food My Way

Serves 6-8

2 bags angel hair coleslaw
1 cup freshly grated carrot
1 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tsp poppy seeds
2 tbs sugar
3/4 tsp table salt
1/2 teaspoon Frank's Red Hot Original, Cayenne Pepper Sauce

Mix all the ingredients together thoroughly in a bowl and refrigerate a minimum of 20 minutes. This coleslaw is best served after one hour of refrigeration but will keep up to two days.

Note: When kept longer, it renders some liquid.

Pan-Seared, Thick-Cut Pork Chops

from Cooks Illustrated Online, September 1999
Serves 4

This is a very similiar cooking technique to AB's Pan-Seared Rib Eye; the result is a crispy, caramelized pork chop that is tender and juicy. Roroc and I like to make these for breakfast and serve them with homemade applesauce on Sunday mornings.

3/4 cup dark brown sugar (lightly packed)
1/4 cup kosher salt
4 bone-in rib loin pork chops (12-ounces each), 1 1/2-inches-thick
2 tablespoons canola oil

In a gallon-sized zipper-lock plastic bag, dissolve sugar and salt in room-temperature water. Add pork chops and then seal bag, pressing out as much air as possible; refrigerate for a minimum of 30 minutes, but not more than 1 hour. Remove chops from brine, and dry thoroughly with paper towels.

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees.

When oven is hot, heat oil in 12-inch heavy-bottomed skillet (I prefer my enameled cast iron Le Creuset) over medium high heat until shimmering but not smoking. Place chops in skillet; cook until well-browned and nice crust has formed on surface, about 3-4 minutes (there is no need to salt and pepper the chops as the brine will sufficiently season the meat). Turn chops over with tongs; cook until well-browned and a nice crust has formed on second side, about 3-4 minutes longer.

Turn the chops over again and transfer the skillet to the preheated oven. Roast 4-5 minutes, and turn the chops. Roast 4-5 more minutes and remove from the oven.

On a platter or a plate with a small plate turned upside down in the center, transfer the chops and lay them at an angle so that the juice will run off; cover loosely with foil (be sure not to wrap foil tightly around meat), and let rest about 5 minutes. (Check internal temperature; it should register at least 145 degrees).

Serve on warmed plates and enjoy!

Note: If the chops aren’t being cooked immediately after brining, simply wipe off the excess brine, place the them on a wire rack set on top of a rimmed sheet pan, and keep them in the refrigerator, uncovered, to air dry for up to 3 hours.

Basic Applesauce

from Everyday Food - October 2005
Delicious when served with Pan-Seared Pork Chops

Makes 4 cups; Prep time: 20 minutes; Total time: 45 minutes

3 pounds apples (try a combination of Gala, Golden Delicious, and McIntosh)
1 cinnamon stick
4 tablespoons sugar
3/4 cup water
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice (optional)

Peel, core, and cut apples into 1/2-inch-thick slices . In a large saucepan (I use my signed Paul La Rocca Fissler saucier), combine apples with cinnamon stick, sugar, and water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until apples are tender, 30 to 35 minutes. (If sauce begins to stick to the bottom of the pan, add 2 to 4 tablespoons more water.)

Remove from heat; discard cinnamon stick. Stir in 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice. If apples are still mostly intact and not yet a sauce, continue to stir and break-up slices with a wooden spoon until the consistency is a chunky sauce.

Note: Because Apples are typically high in pesticides, I would recommend you use organic apples if possible.

Cream Cheese Frittata

Cream Cheese Frittata
from Everyday Food - October 2005

Serves 2-3 people

2 tsp olive oil
2 oz mushrooms, sliced
1 small red bell pepper, ribs and seeds discarded, chopped into 1 inch pieces
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
1 small garlic clove, minced
3 large eggs
1/4 cup half-and-half
4 ounces cream cheese (1/2 bar), cubed
2 ounces cheddar cheese (1/2 cup), shredded
2 slices white sandwich bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (1 cup)
coarse salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat oil ini a small (8 inch) oven-proof skillet over medium heat. Cook mushrooms, bell pepper, onion, and garlic until almost tender, about 8-10 minutes. Transfer mixture to a medium bowl and let cool slightly (reserve skillet).

To mixture in bowl, add eggs, half-and-half, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, bread, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; stil until combined. (There may be a few chunks of cream cheese remaining).

Pour egg mixture into reserved skillet; bake until set, about 30 minutes. Heat broiler, and broil until top is golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting into wedges and serving.

Serve this Italian-style baked omelet for breakfast or with a green salad for lunch.

Mia-style Tacos

by Kelley Schmidt

1/2 pound of pot roast or brisket in cooking liquid
Queso Fresco, cumbled
Poblano Pepper, roasted, seeded, and cut into thin strips
Flour Tortillas
Canola Oil

Shred the meat and simmer it on the stove until it is hot. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add one or two teaspoons of canola oil to the skillet and rub a flour tortilla around the bottom of the pan to coat the bottom with oil. Immediately add a small amount of meat and cheese along with three slices of poblano pepper. When the bottom of the tortilla looks brown and crisp, immediately fold the tortilla in half and serve. Roroc likes to eat his with a fresh slice of avocado.

Fruit Cobbler

Filling

2 pints or 1 ¾ pound fresh fruit, stemmed, pitted and/or peeled and quartered.
½ cup sugar (more if the fruit is sour)
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch to ½ teaspoon of one of the following: cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, or allspice

Topping

½ cup all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon baking powder
Pinch salt
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
½ cup sugar
1 egg yolk
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9 x 6 baking dish with non-stick spray.

To prepare the filling, mix the sugar and cornstarch and any dry spices in a medium bowl. Add the fruit with its juices and toss to coat. Place fruit in the baking dish.

To prepare the topping, mix the flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl and set aside. In a medium bowl, beat butter and sugar until well combined. Beat in egg and vanilla. Add flour mixture and stir until just combined. Drop dough by heaping tablespoons onto prepared fruit.

Bake for 45-55 minutes until golden brown.

Serves 4-6

Alton Brown's Seared Tuna

1/2 cup dark soy sauce
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup dry wasabi powder
2 pounds tuna loin, cut into 2 pieces
1/2 cup sesame seeds
2 tablespoons peanut oil

In a non-reactive bowl combine soy, honey, and wasabi powder. Reserve 1/4 cup for dipping sauce. Roll each piece of tuna in this mixture to coat evenly. Marinate from 1 hour to overnight. Remove the tuna from the marinade and discard the marinade.
On a plate, lay the sesame seeds. Roll the tuna in the seeds to evenly coat.
Fire up the chimney and top with a well-oiled grate. Sear for 15 to 30 seconds per side or to desired temperature. Remove to rack and rest for 3 minutes. Cover with foil or plastic wrap to achieve carry over cooking. Slice thinly and serve with the dipping sauce.

Cooked Curried Lamb with Rice

from the Joy of Cooking

1 cup onions, sliced
1/2 cup celery, sliced
2 medium-sized apples, cored, peeled and sliced

Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a saute pan. Add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon curry powder. Add the onions and apples and saute until the onions are tender. Remove onions and apples from the pan.

Now brown 2 cups sliced leftover cooked lamb in the pan. Remove them to a platter.

Stir 2 teaspoons flour into any pan juices in the pan.

Slowly stir in 1 cup leftover lamb stock (add water to stock to make 1 cup).

When sauce is smooth and boiling, add onions, apples and meat.

Stir in 1 tablesppon lemon juice. Correct the seasoning, and serve with steamed or boiled rice.

Serves 4

Jacques' Roast Leg of Lamb

from Julia & Jacques Cooking at Home

Jacques: A whole untrimmed leg of spring lamb (domestic lamb is the best) usually weighs anywhere from 6 to 8 pounds. You can choose the size appropriate for your party, and prepare it as explained in the recipe. The most important step in preparing lamb, however, is removing the fat. The assertive taste that some people find objectionable in lamb is always in the fat, and when it is mostly trimmed away before roasting, they are surprised at how mild it tastes. For the same reason, it is important to pour off as much of the fat in the roasting pan as possible before you make your sauce and, if you are making lamb stock, to defat it well. When the leg is well trimmed of fat, you can also roast the lamb at a higher temperature, as I do here, and even a large leg will roast to rare in about an hour or a bit more. I like to turn the leg once while it's in the oven, and then there's no need for basting. If you prefer, you can baste the roast once or twice with the pan juices, instead of turning it. I remove the lamb when it is still quite rare--at an internal temperature of 125 to 130--but you can roast it to a higher temperature if you like. In any case, allow the meat to rest for at least 20 minutes before carving.

1 whole untrimmed leg of lamb, weighing about 6 pounds with shank and pelvic bone (trimmed of pelvic bone and most fat, about 4 3/4 pounds)
4 cloves garlic, peeled
salt
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves, stripped off the stem
freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups lamb stock (recipe below)
3/4 cup white wine

Remove the pelvic bone from the lamb (this is the bone at the tope of the leg bone), and then remove all of the fat. Scrape the shank bone clean for about 2 to 3 inches so that you have something to hang on to when you carve (called "Frenching").

Chop the garlic cloves coarsely. Pour 1 teaspoon of salt on top of the garlic and mash to a paste with the flat of the knife, then chop together with the rosemary leaves until they are finely minced.

Thrust the tip of a sharp, thin-bladed knife into the thick top of the leg, about 1 inch deep. Push about 1/2 teaspoon of the seasoning paste into the slit with your finger. Make a dozen or more such incisions in the meaty parts of the leg, both top and underside, and fill with the seasoning. Rub any remaining paste over the boneless sirloin end of the leg.

The leg can now be roasted, or refrigerated for several hours or overnight, to allow the seasoning to permeate the meat.

Roasting and Resting

Preheat the oven to 400 , arrange a rack in the lower third of oven.

Just before roasting, sprinkle 3/4 teaspoons alt and 1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper over both sides of the leg. Set it on the roasting pan topside up.

Roast the leg for about 30 minutes, then turn the roast over, grasping it by the shank bone (with a thick towel or pot holder to protect your hands). Continue roasting for another 30 minutes or so--1 1/4 hours total, depending on the size of the leg--until the internal temperature of the meat is about 125 to 130 when measured at the thickest part.

Remove the leg to a carving board or platter and res--topside up--for 20 minutes, allowing the meat to relax and reabsorb the natural juices.

Meanwhile, de-glaze the roasting pan to make a simple sauce. Tilt the pan and pour off as much of the fat as possible. Place it over medium heat, pour in 3/4 cup of the stock and 3/4 cup white wine, and bring to a simmer, stirring and scraping up the browned glaze in the bottom of the pan. Strain the sauce into a bowl and add any juices released by the resting meat. Reserving remaining stock for Cooked Curried Lamb (see recipe).

Carving and Serving the Roast

Carve by slicing into the top of the roast and cutting toward the shank, holding the knife blade at a flat angle. Remove the first slice and start the next cut a bit farther away from the shank, again slicing through the top and toward the shank. Continue slicing off the top of the roast, arranging the slices on the serving platter. Drizzle the pan juices over before serving.

Quick Lamb Stock with One Bone

Place the pelvic bone that you remove from the whole leg and any trimmed meat in a sauce pan with 1 medium peeled onion, 1 bay leaf, and 4 cups of water. Bring to a steady simmer, skim any foam that rises to the top, and cook for 1 1/2 hours. The stock will reduce as it cooks, but add water to keep bones covered at all times. Strain the stock and skim off as much fat as possible (if you have time, chill the stock and remove the congealed fat completely). In a small saucepan, reduce the defatted stock over high heat until only 1 1/2 cups remain. Use to de-glaze the roasting pan as in the recipe.

Serve with Ragout of White Beans (see recipe).

Serves 8 to 10

Jacques' Ragout of White Beans

from Julia & Jacques Cooking at Home

Jacques: Beans are a perfect canvas or carrier, for the flovors of whatever you cook with them. At home, we love to put a piece of portk--a pork shoulder or a ham hock--right into the beans to cook, along with a bay leaf and some thyme. You could do the same thing with a pork chop, or just a piece of ham. And beans are delicious when flavored with poultry--cook them with the carcass from a roast chicken or turkey. Or put in some onions and carrots and a package of chicken necks and you have a tasty stew for six people for very little money. For a dish like this one, I would not soak the beans before cooking. These common small white beans grown in this country, have usually been harvested and dried just in the preceding year and consequently are not that hard. They will cook relatively fast without soaking, and you can always add more liquid and extend the cooking until they are completely done. You want to strain out the liquid here so the dish is more like a stew than a soup. If you are making the beans to serve with a roast leg of lamb, you could take this reserved bean liquid, which is already slightly syrupy, and use it to deglaze the roasting pan. You'll have a naturally thick and delicious sauce.

1 pound Great Northern means, soaked or not as you wish
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 ouces lean pancetta, diced into 1/4 inch pieces
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
3 tablespoons peeled and thinly sliced garlic
2 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
1/4 freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons choped parsley, for garnish

Drain beans, if you have soaked them, or wash them and put them in the pot with 6 cups fresh cold water (8 cups if not soaked) and the salt. Bring to a boil and simmer gently, partially covered. After 40 minutes of cooking, taste several beans to check for doneness--you want them all to be tender to the bit but not mushy. Simmer longer if necessary.

White the beans are cooking, heat the olive oil in the frying pan. Add the pancetta pieces, toss to coat with oil, and cook for a couple of minutes over moderate heat. Stir in the onions, garlic slices, thyme, and pepper and cook over moderately low heat for about 10 mintues, stirring and tossing frequently, until the onions and garlic are soft. Set aside.

When the beans are nearly tender, stir in the sauteed flavorings and return to the simmer. Cook, partially covered over low heat, stirring occasionally, for about 20 mintues, or until the beans are fully cooked and soft.

Remove from heat. Strain or ladle out any liquid covering the beans.

Just before serving, sprinkle chapped parsley over the beans.

Do-ahead Notes

The bean ragout can be made up to 2 or 3 days ahead; let it cool, then cover and refrigerate. Reheat slowly for serving, using some of the reserved liquid to moisten the ragout, which may thicken on standing.

Makes 5 to 6 cups.

Roasted Tomatoes with Shrimp and Feta

Courtesy of Heidi & Joe

from Real Simple

5 large tomatoes, cut into eighths
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons minced garlic
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup Feta, crumbled

Preheat oven to 450° F. Place the tomatoes in a large baking dish. Spoon the olive oil and garlic over the tomatoes. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper and toss. Place on top rack of oven and roast for 20 minutes. Remove baking dish from oven and stir in the shrimp, parsley, and lemon juice. Sprinkle with the Feta. Place back in oven for another 10 to 15 minutes or until the shrimp are cooked. Serve warm with crusty bread.

Serves 6

Little Zucchini Boats

I invented this as a quick side-dish.

4 zucchini, sliced in half and hollowed out (about 1/4 inch)
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/4 cup minced scallions
1 cup coarsely chopped mushrooms
1 large tomato, cut into pieces (or cherry tomatoes, cut in half)
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
2 tablespoons olive oil (6 teaspoons)
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Place zucchini boats in a jelly-roll pan, sprayed with Pam. Salt them lightly, and drizzle with 2 teaspoons of the oil. Bake zucchini boats in a 400 degree oven for about 10 to 15 minutes until slightly softened.

Meanwhile, mix the mushrooms and tomatoes together and toss with 2 teaspoons of the oil and a little salt and pepper, and in a separate bowl, toss the bread crumbs with remaining 2 teaspoons of oil and sprinkle over top.

When the zucchini are softened, remove from oven and fill with tomato-mushroom mixture, letting the excess spill out to the sides. Sprinkle on bread crumb mixture and top with grated cheese.

Raise heat to 435 degrees, and return zucchini boats to oven until bread crumbs brown and zucchini are tender (about 10 minutes).

Serves 4

Seared Yellowfin Tuna over Napa Salad

from Dining for Two

2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon Asian (dark) sesame oil
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 60ounce yellowfin tuna steaks, about 1-inch thick
1 tablesppon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger
1/3 medium head Napa cabbage, chopped (about 3 cups)
1 medium carrot, shredded
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons peanut oil
1 tablespoons sliced pickled ginger, if desired

Combine 1 tablesppon soy sauce, the sesame oil, and pepper in a zip-close plastic bag; add tuna. Squeeze out air and seal bag; turn to coat tuna. Let marinate 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine remaining 1 tablespoon soy, lemon juice, honey, and ginger in a large bowl. Add cabbage, carrot, and onion; toss to coat.

Heat peanut oil in a medium nonstock skillet over medium-high heat. Remove tuna from marinade. Discard marinade and add tuna to skillet. Cook tuna 2-3 minutes on each side for4 medium0rare. Trasfer tuna to plate and top each steack with pickled ginger if using. Serve over the cabage salad.

Julia Child's Eggs Benedict

from Julia & Jacques Cooking at Home

Make hollandaise sauce:

Whisk 3 egg yolks, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and 1 tablespoon water over low heat in a round-bottomed (saucier-type) pan until thick and foamy. whisk in 6 to 8 tablespoons of room temperature, unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon at a time.

Season with salt and a dash of cayenne pepper to taste.

Poach eggs:

Poach in about 2 inches of boiling/simmering water to which 2 tablespoons of white vinegar have been added. Eggs should take about 4 minutes.

Bread:

Sliced French bread 1 inch thick, remove crust, and light toast, then butter both sides and place on warm plate.

Ham:

Saute slices (not too thin) of top quality prosciutto ham in a little butter.

Assembly:

Plade ham on toasted, buttered bread, top with poached eggs and finish with a napping of hollandaise sauce.

Hasty Pudding with Apricot Sauce

from Fast Food My Way, by Jacques Pepin

2 cups half and half (or milk, any type)
1/3 cup semolina flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons lemon zest

Bring milk to boil, add in semolina whisking until smooth. Simmer until thick (only takes a few minutes--watch carefully, as it is easily scorched).

Off heat add in sugar, vanilla, sour cream, and zest. Pour into a bowl and press plastic wrap onto pudding. Refrigerate until serving time.

Meanwhile make toast 2 tablespoons of sliced almonds in a 400 degree oven until just colored. Combine almonds with 1/3 cup of apricot jam, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and 3 tablespoons of cognac or brandy. Set aside and let macerate.

Before serving, spoon sauce ontop of pudding.

Serves 4

Chicken Tonnato

from Fast Food My Way, by Jacques Pepin

Chicken from Easy Chicken Vegetable Soup (see recipe)
1 2-ounce can anchovy fillets in oil
1 2-ounce can tuna in oil
1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon hot sauce
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 cups, loosely packed arrugula leaves, washed and dried
1 tablespoon drained capers
1 tablespoon minced fresh chives

Set aside 4 anchovies for the garnish. Put the tuna and remaining anchoives in a food processor, along with oil from both of the cans. Add egg yalk, mustard, lemon juice, water, salt, and hot sauce, and process for a few seconds. With processor running, add olive oil in a slow stream and process for a few seconds, or until it is well incorporated and the sauce is smooth.

At serving time, divinde the arugula among four plates. Cut each breast into 4 crosswise slices, and arrange the slices on top of the arugula. Generously coat chicken with tuna sauce and top each serving with 1 of the reserved anchovy fillets. Sprinkle on some capers and chives and serve at room temperature.

Serves 4

CHICKEN TONNATO SANDWICH

Toast 2 slices of bread, then spread about 1 1/2 tablesppons of the tuna sauce on each slice. Arrange chicken on 1 of the slices, top with arugula and finish with a few slices of tomato. Top; with other slice of bread, sauce side down.

Serves 1