New England corned beef, cabbage and vegetables

This recipe is from the LA Times and is delicious!! The horseradish sauce is the best ever!

CABBAGE AND VEGETABLES

1 head cabbage, washed, cored and cut into 6 wedges

4 large shallots, peeled

4 carrots, cut into thirds, or 20 baby carrots

4 small turnips, peeled and quartered

4 baking potatoes, peeled and quartered

1 celery root, peeled and quartered

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

* Bring cabbage, shallots, carrots, turnips, potatoes, celery root and salt and pepper to taste to boil in water to cover. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until vegetables are tender, 25 to 30 minutes.

HORSERADISH MUSTARD CREAM

2/3 cup whipping cream, whipped

3 tablespoons horseradish

3 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

* Combine whipped cream, horseradish, mustard and mayonnaise in small bowl. Taste and adjust horseradish and mustard as needed. Refrigerate until chilled.

 CORNED BEEF

1 (3-pound) corned beef

1 teaspoon peppercorns

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

2 bay leaves

2 onions, each studded with 1 clove

* Put corned beef, peppercorns, mustard seeds, bay leaves and onions in large pot. Cover with hot water and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until tender, about 3 hours. Skim surface occasionally and add hot water as needed to keep beef covered.

* Transfer meat to cutting board, cover with foil and weigh down with heavy pot.

* Strain cooking liquid, reserving stock and discarding everything else. If making ahead, refrigerate stock and corned beef separately. Before using, bring stock to boil, then reduce to simmer. Unwrap meat and warm in liquid for 5 minutes.

* Transfer Cabbage and Vegetables to warm platter. Cut beef across grain into 1/4-inch-thick slices and arrange on platter. Spoon reserved stock over beef and vegetables to moisten. Serve hot with pitcher of warm stock and Horseradish Mustard Cream.

Penne with Kale, Sausage and Lemon Cream Sauce

This is a delicious pasta from Shine from Yahoo! It comes together quickly and easily.

1/4 c. olive oil

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 t. crushed red chile flakes

1# sweet Italian sausage, casing removed

1 bunch of kale, stemmed and roughly chopped

2 1/2 c. half and half

1/3 c. Parmesan, grated

Juice and zest of 1 lemon

freshly ground nutmeg, to taste

salt and pepper to taste

1# penne pasta

3 T. finely chopped parsley for garnish

Heat oil in a 6 quart saucepan over medium high heat. Add garlic, onion and red chile flakes, cook, stirring occasionally until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Add sausage and cook, using a wooden spoon to break it up into small pieces until browned, about 16-18 minutes. Add kale, season with salt and pepper. Cook until wilted, about 3 minutes. Add half and half and bring to a simmer, cook, stirring occasionally until reduced by one third, 7-8 minutes. Stir in Parmesan, lemon zest , juice and nutmeg. Season with salt and pepper and set aside, keeping warm. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add penne and cook, stirring occasionally until al dente, about 8+ minutes, depending on the brand of pasta. Reserve 1/4 cup of pasta water, drain pasta and add both to the reserved sauce. Cook for 5 more minutes. Garnish with parsley.

 

Asian Roast Pork

This is recipe is on Epicurious and it is amazing! You cut the pork tenderloin with the grain into pieces and marinate for an hour and then bake for 30 minutes. You can use the pork as is, sliced, or chopped and mixed with vegetables and noodles. This would be the ideal pork for a sandwich or in asian tacos. For a noodle recipe check this one at Epicurious.

1# pork tenderloin, cut into 1 1/2″ pieces, with the grain

2 slices of ginger

2 scallions, cut into 1″ pieces

5 T. soy sauce

1 T. sherry

1 T. sugar

1 T. hoisin sauce

Mix  marinate ingredients and add pieces of pork. Marinate 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350. Put a rack over a sheet pan (lined with foil or parchment for drippings). Lay pork on rack and bake for 20 minutes at 350, turning over and basting every 1o minutes. Increase heat to 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Serve either hot or cold, cut into 1/8″ slices.

Laurie Colwin’s Roast Chicken

Laurie Colwin is one of my all time favorite food writers. This chicken is so moist that you will love it! This recipe takes 2 (up to 3 hours) and basting every 15 minutes but it is well worth it!

3 1/2 lb. chicken

4 potatoes, cut up

4 carrots, peeled and cut up

2 onions, chopped

2 T. butter

2 cloves garlic

1/2 lemon

thyme and rosemary

paprika

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Saute the vegetables in butter until tender. Season with salt and pepper. Crumble in some thyme or rosemary. Put the vegetables into a roasting pan, deglaze the pan with 6 oz. of water and scrape up any bits. Pour over vegetables. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and stuff with garlic cloves and lemon half. Season with salt and pepper and paprika. Roast for at least 2 hours and as long as 3. Baste with pan juices every 15 minutes. When the leg jiggles freely, it is done!

Macaroni and Cheese

The perfect comfort food! This is Martha’s recipe via Food 52′s blog. If you haven’t gone to this blog before, check it out. It is chock full of fabulous recipes! I omitted the bread crust as I did not want it! Feel free to do the same, or not!

Serves 12

• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for dish
• 6 slices good white bread, crusts removed, torn or diced into 1/4- to 1/2-inch pieces
• 5 1/2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
• 4 1/2 cups grated sharp white cheddar cheese (about 18 ounces)
• 2 cups grated Gruyere cheese (about 8 ounces) or 1 1/4 cups grated Pecorino Romano cheese (about 5 ounces)
• 1 pound elbow macaroni (or other small pasta shape)

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 3-quart casserole dish; set aside. Place bread in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter (alternately, melt butter in the microwave). Pour butter into bowl with bread, and toss. Set breadcrumbs aside. Pull out 1 1/2 cups of grated cheddar, and 1/2 cup Gruyere or 1/4 cup Pecorino Romano, and reserve.
2. Fill a large pot with water; bring to a boil. Add macaroni; cook 2 to 3 minutes less than manufacturer’s directions, until the outside of pasta is cooked and the inside is underdone. (Different brands of macaroni cook at different rates; be sure to read the instructions.) Transfer macaroni to a colander, rinse under cold running water, and drain well. Set aside.
3. In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, heat milk. In the same pot you used for boiling the pasta, melt remaining 6 tablespoons butter over medium heat. When butter bubbles, add flour. Cook, whisking, 1 minute.
4. While whisking, slowly pour in hot milk. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick.
5. Remove pan from heat. Stir in salt, nutmeg, black pepper, cayenne pepper, 3 cups cheddar cheese, and 1 1/2 cups Gruyere or 1 cup Pecorino Romano. Stir reserved macaroni into the cheese sauce.
6. Pour mixture into prepared dish. Sprinkle remaining 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup Gruyere or 1/4 cup Pecorino Romano, and breadcrumbs over top. Bake until browned on top, about 30 minutes. If after 30 minutes, it’s not browned to your liking, broil the topping rather than leaving it in the oven, which may cause the pasta to overcook and sauce to dry out. Transfer dish to a wire rack to cool 5 minutes; serve hot.

Alice B. Toklas Chicken

This is a wonderful recipe from Peggy Knickerbocker‘s book Simple Soirees! I love the ease of this recipe. The sauce is delicious! I think you could reduce the olive oil and butter in browning the chicken as it is hard to degrease it when making the sauce, unless you have one of those handy grease separator cups. The chicken cooks up to perfection and is super moist! Serve with roasted potatoes and garlic spinach.

1 medium roasting chicken, about 3.5 lbs

salt

2 T. unsalted butter

2 T. extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup ruby port

1/2 cup orange juice

3 T. heavy cream

zest of 1 orange, grated

salt and freshly ground black pepper

When you bring the chicken home from the market, unwrap it and sprinkle it generously with salt. Cover and refrigerate until ready to cook. Bring the bird to room temperature before cooking. Do not rub off the salt.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large ovenproof skillet or Dutch oven, warm the butter and olive oil over medium heat. Brown the chicken breast side down for 3-5 minutes, then turn over and do the same on the other side. Place pan in oven and roast for 45 minutes. Pour the port over chicken and baste it. Roast for 10 minutes. Add the orange juice and baste again. Roast for 5 minutes. Chicken is done when the juices run clear and the thigh wiggles easily. Remove the chicken from oven and transfer to a cutting board and let it rest, while you make the sauce.

Skim as much fat off the top of the juices as you can and discard. Place pan over medium heat and add the cream, stirring up the crispy bits on the bottom. Add about half of the orange zest and allow sauce to reduce for a few minutes. Carve the chicken and transfer to a serving platter. Pour some of the sauce over the chicken, transfer the rest to a gravy boat and serve at the table. Sprinkle with remaining orange zest.

Vietnamese Beef Stew

This recipe is from the WSJ and worth making. The meat is super tender and I love the spices! I could not find lemongrass at Whole Foods (!) so I used some kaffir lime leaves instead and some lemon zest.

2 to 2.25# well trimmed boneless beef chuck, cut into 1 1/2″ chunks

2 stalks of lemongrass, cut into 3″ lengths and bruised with the back of the knife

3 T. fish sauce

2 large cloves garlic, minced

3 T. fresh ginger, minced

1 1/2 t. Chinese five spice powder

1 1/2 t. light or dark brown sugar

1 bay leaf

3 T. canola or other neutral oil.

1 yellow onion or 8 oz. shallots, finely chopped

1 14 oz. can crushed tomatoes in puree

1/2 t. salt

2 whole star anise

3 1/2 cups water

1# carrots, peeled and cut into 1″ chunks

1/4 c. cilantro or thai basil, chopped

In a bowl, combine the beef, lemongrass, fish sauce, garlic, ginger and bay leaf. Mix well and let marinate for 30 minutes.

In a heavy bottomed 5 quart dutch oven, heat oil over high heat and sear beef on all sides. You will have to cook in batches and remove to a plate when finished. Each batch should take about 3 minutes total.. Reserve lemongrass, bay leaf and leftover marinade. Lower heat to medium low and saute onions for 4-5 minutes. Add tomatoes and salt. Cover and cook 12-14 minutes, until fragrant and has reduced to a paste. If it gets dry, stir in a splash of water. Add beef, marinade and star anise, stir well and cook uncovered 5 minutes. Add water and bring to a boil, lower heat and cover for 1 1/4 hours. Add carrots and simmer 30 minutes, uncovered. Before serving,discard lemongrass,bay leaf and star anise.

Serves 4-6

Fennel Compote with tomatoes and olives

This recipe is from the NY Times and really simple and delicious. The author suggests to serve it on fish, however, I served it on pasta and it was wonderful

 

• 1/4 cup good olive oil
• 1 bulb fennel (or 2 smaller ones), trimmed and chopped
• Salt and pepper
• 1 teaspoon thyme leaves
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 6 plum tomatoes, chopped (canned are fine, but drain excess liquid)
• 1/2 cup big, plump olives, green or black or a combination, preferably unpitted
• 1/4 cup capers, optional
• 4 servings cooked fish, optional
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley leaves, for garnish

PREPARATION

1.

Put the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the fennel and some salt and pepper, and without browning (adjust the heat as necessary), cook it down, stirring occasionally, until it’s quite soft, about 20 minutes. Add the thyme and garlic, and cook 1 minute, stirring.

2.

Add the tomatoes, olives and capers, raise the heat a bit, and cook until the mixture is saucy, about 15 minutes. Serve as a side dish or top with a portion of cooked fish. Garnish with parsley.

YIELD

4 servings

Another Bolognese Sauce

This is David Rocco’s recipe that he uses for the lasagna-my previous post. If you are just making it for pasta, you should reduce the tomato puree to 3 cups. Makes one large pan of lasagna-three or four layers.

1 onion, finely chopped

1 stalk celery, finely chopped

1 large carrot, finely chopped

3 T. olive oil

2 T. unsalted butter

1/2# ground beef

1/2# ground pork

1 cup white wine

1 cup milk

5 cups tomato puree

salt and pepper

Heat  a saucepan with olive oil and add the finely chopped vegetables. Slowly brown and saute vegetables. Add butter and ground beef and pork. Cook on medium high heat until meat is browned. Stir in the wine and cook until evaporated. Add milk, which gives a creamy texture and will soften the meat as well. Add tomato puree and salt and simmer a few hours over low heat, stirring occasionally.

The best Lasagna

I made David Rocco’s Lasagna from Dolce Vita and it is fantastic. You layer bolognese, bechamel sauce, and mozzarella cheese, finishing the last layer with grated Parmesan. You could use other cheeses, like taleggio and/or ricotta. You could also add a layer of spinach or other greens. I used Molto Mario’s bolognese sauce (see December 8 entry). It is better to use the next recipe I post that is perfect for this lasagna! This recipe makes a large rectangular pan. I made a half batch and it worked out fine. My rule of thumb with lasagna is to make it a day ahead or at least a morning ahead-there are so many dishes involved that it is good to get it out of the way!

Lasagna

6 cups of bolognese sauce

1 # lasagna sheets (see note below-I used cooked noodles)

3 cups bechamel sauce (4 T. butter, 4 T. flour, 4 c. hot milk)

3 cups grated mozzarella

freshly grated parmesan

Bechamel Sauce

4 T. butter

4 T. flour

4 cups milk

Heat up milk, just to before a boil. Set aside. Melt butter, stir in flour with a whisk and cook a few minutes. Add milk slowly, whisking until absorbed.

Layer pan with a little bolognese, layer of lasagna noodles (the author says you can use dry lasagna noodles which I did not try because my bolognese sauce is not very tomatoey) bolognese sauce, drizzle béchamel, sprinkle with mozzarella. Repeat 3 or 4 times and the last layer should be pasta, bolognese, parmesan. Bake at 375 for 40 minutes. I baked my smaller version covered. Let rest before serving.