Just call me Sardina

Some real tasty morsels!

(creativity is sometimes motivated by hunger and scrounging what's left in the cupboards)

Linguine with Sardines

Linguine noodles

1 tin sardines in olive oil

parsley, fresh

small onion

few cloves garlic

some white wine

butter

bread crumbs (find 2 old pieces of bread, and toast)

Saute onion and garlic in a bit of olive oil til translucent, (oh if you had a lemon, a squish of juice would be nice here) and add the sardines with their oil, and break up and stir. add a bit of white wine. Remove from heat. Stir in some fresh chopped parsley.

Meanwhile cook the linguine al dente.

toast the old bread and pulse in food processor with some butter (about a tblsp) and some more parsley, til crumby.

When pasta is ready, add a bit of the pasta water to your sardine mixture. Then, drain the linguine and toss with the sardines. Top with the buttered parsley bread crumbs and serve.

soooo delish. I like this even better than linguine with clam sauce, i must say. Tommy topped with fresh parmy, but i stuck to the italian guns and used no cheese.

Field trip to Lockport, IL!

Fun to hang with Kathy and Sam and their adorable kiddos Ben and Corrine, for a real Halloweeny apple picking wagon riding comfort country kinda day. MMMmmmmm, pie oh my, caramel sauce and ice cream. And a nice dessert wine from Bonny Doon Vineyards. And good coffee. And a cooooool breeze off the patio.

SO last night, the night after the picking, we were still in fall mode, and made the best acorn squash risotto. (I'm convinced you can pretty much puree any veg, toss it in a risotto, add some vino and cheese, and odds are, it's gonna taste good!

ACORN SQUASH RISOTTO:

1 onion, chopped

1 cup risotto

2 cloves garlic, chopped fine

4 cups chix stock

1 cup pureed acorn squash (cut one large squash in half - cook one half upside down on sheet pan, puree the other)

dry white wine

1 tbsp mascarpone cheese

1/2 cup freshly grated parm, plus more to put on top

2 leaves fresh sage, diced

saute onion and garlic, then add rice, saute til translucent and rice is toasted. add wine, simmer til wine is absorbed. Add squash puree. begin to slowly add chix stock, stirring after each addition, as per regular risotto, til rice is al dente. Add cheeses, remove from heat and stir. Stir in sage. Scoop into precooked other squash half. Eat, and dig out bits of squash flesh with bits of risotto. So so good.

We ate it with asparagus and shitaki mushrooms, sauteed in butter.

Gettin a little nippy outside...need broccoli soup

Last night made Broccoli cheddar soup, tasted even better left over just now.

2 bunches broccoli

1 medium yellow onion

2 cloves garlic

2 tblsp butter

a bit of olive oil

In a sauce pan, melt the butter and olive oil, add the onion, chopped, and the garlic, and saute til translucent. add the broccoli, chopped, but reserve 1/2 of the florets from one of the bunches.

saute about 4 minutes more. Add about 1/2 cup dry white wine, saute a bit more. Add chicken or veg stock to cover the broccoli (approx 3 cups or so) and simmer until the broccoli is cooked through.

Cool.

Puree mixture in a food processor. Return to the pot. Add the broccoli florets back to the pot and return to a simmer, cook til the florets are done. Salt and pepper to taste, then whisk in cheddar cheese (or a mixture of cheeses) to taste. i like about a 1/2 cup of cheese. Whisk til the cheese is melted. Check seasonings. At this point, if the soup is too thick for your liking, thin with a bit of milk or cream. if it is a bit thin for your liking, add a bit of cornstarch mixed in a cup with some of the hot soup, and return to the pot and return to a boil for a minute. This will give a thicker,creamier texture.

Deelish. Warms ya up. Esp today when there is a big chill in my bones.

Ate with a simple salad of red leaf lettuce, red onions, honey crisp apple slices, walnuts, and the following vinaigrette:

1 tsp hazelnut oil

1- 2 T olive oil

1 tsp honey

salt

fresh grd pepper

About 1 T red wine (or white wine vinegar)

mix, correct seasoning, toss with salad.

serve with soup and crusty bread.

Pre Shonah Shonah Party

Saturday, Sept 27th
Shonah dinner party with Alice and Rob, Larry and Maribeth.

Opening some lovely wedding gifts they brought for us.

MENU

(warning, this post ain't kosher)

*Smoked Whitefish Spread

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*Challah Rolls

*Brisket cooked in Red Wine

*Sweet potato souffle

*Mashed red potatoes

*Chianti glazed beets and leeks

*Green beans with creamed portabella mush's

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*Caramel Pot De Creme with apples *Ruggelach

RECIPES:

Sweet Potato Souffle ( kugel?)

Preheat oven to 350

4 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into thirds

Boil til soft, Mash in a bowl.

Add: 1/2 cup mascarpone cheese, about 1/4 c fresh orange

juice, 1/4 c heavy cream, salt and Pepper to taste, about 2 tablespoons

honey. Mush with a potato masher (or cuisinart if you feel fancy)

Ad 1 beaten egg; stir in briskly. Pour into casserole of appropriate size, top with sprinkling of brown sugar, and bake, about 35 minutes, until top is slightly puffed. Serve.

See above pic for fish dip recipe. This is killer for parties if you enjoy the flavors of smoked fish.

Trout, salmon - anything is great. This time used Whitefish.

!Brisket! (prep time - ALOT. Give yourself 2 days out. Tastes most incredible, most ethereal, on the 3rd-ish day.)

Get yourself a nice 4 to 4 1/2 # brisket.

To begin...

Peel and slice about 5 medium sized sweet onions.

Peel and chop (into large chunks) about 4 BIG carrots.

Peel 15 whole cloves of garlic.

Set all aside.

Heat a saute pan on high with about 2 tblsps of olive oil.

When hot, add brisket. Sear on each side until golden brown, approx 7 minutes per side.

Set brisket aside.

to pan, add 2 cups dry, red wine, and scrape up meaty bits. Then add one 14oz can of fire roasted tomatoes.

Get yourself a large, deep pan, big enough to hold the brisket and juices. (i like to use a deep half hotel pan). Put the brisket in the pan, fat side up. Pour liquids over. Add the carrots, onions and garlic cloves all around the meat. Add about a cup and a half of whole, pitted prunes. (Scatter these all over as well). Add a bit more wine, some beef stock, some (a few dashes) of balsamic vinegar to cover the meat. Cover pan with some foil, and put in preheated 325 degree oven.

Now, cook for AT LEAST 3 1/2 hours....perhaps up to 5. How can you tell when it's done? a knife, inserted into the deepest part, will easily penetrate with no resistance.

After the long cooking, let stand one hour at room temp. Then put in fridge.

THE NEXT DAY-

Take out brisket from pan. Skim off any solid fat and toss.

Skim off any excess fat off the brisket.

Slice the brisket on a cutting board, AGAINST (crucial) the grain, very thin.

Meanwhile, fish out about 2 cups of the veggies (no prunes) and some liquid from the cooking and puree in blender or cuisinart, to the consistency of thick sauce. Return to the pan, along with the brisket.

At this point, you can return to fridge til next day, or prepare to serve.

To finish for serving....heat everythiing on low. Add about 1/2 cup apple juice to pan. Bring to simmer, salt and pepper to taste. Let stand a few minutes before serving, and sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley. Serve with the sweet potato souffle, and your fav mashed potato recipe.

Glazed beets with leeks and chianti can be found on Epicurious. Was another perfect side dish to the above. it is so beautiful, a big serving dish of blood red beets, another of bright orange sweet potato, another of bright green beans...just a beautiful, incredible display of a feast.

Rest, recline - happy 5769!

Coming soon - Challah, Rugelach, and apple caramel pot de creme recipes. But my fingers hurt right now....