Leftovers + Pork Milanese

I was thrilled that the ricotta gnocchi reheat so well. I was afraid to do it in the microwave or on the stove because I didn't want anything to happen to those delicate gnocchi. I opted for a low heat oven - 300 degrees F - for about an hour. Then right before serving, I set the oven on broil and sprinkled a little parm over the top. It was the perfect side dish to a breaded and pan fried boneless pork cutlet. As always, I slid the pork into a plastic bag with some mayo, salt & pepper. Let it come to room temp. Dredge in bread crumbs. Let it sit for about 15 minutes. Then heated my cast iron skillet with a olive oil and a pat of butter. Place the breaded pork into the pan and cooked until golden brown. Plate up with arugula and a wedge of lemon. Sent the extra pork milanese in the boys' lunch boxes today with some buttered pasta.

Homemade Ricotta and Ricotta Gnocchi with Sausage & Fennel Ragu

I had a gallon of whole milk and buttermilk that I needed to find a use for. Decided to make ricotta. Couldn't be easier and it is FAR superior to the store bought stuff. Found this recipe in Bon Appetit Magazine http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2010/04/homemade_ricotta_cheese




RICOTTA -
8 C whole milk
2 C buttermilk

Prep colander with cheesecloth (at least doubled...recipe calls for 4 squares).
Combine milk and buttermilk in a heavy large pot. Attach a deep-fry or candy thermometer to the side of pot. Place pot on high heat and stir often. Curds will begin to form - continue to stir until the thermometer hits 175-180 degrees F. Remove from heat. Use a large slotted spoon or skimmer to transfer curds to colander. Gently gather the cheesecloth together and press to release some liquid. Let rest for 20 minutes. Transfer ricotta to a bowl with a lid - I love the Frigovere line of glass bowls with lids - gently stir in salt to taste. Cover and chill until cold, at least 2 hours.

RICOTTA GNOCCHI- that ricotta recipe only makes about 2 C of ricotta and most gnocchi recipes call for 1# so I just threw stuff in a bowl and whipped it up.

In a bowl mix together -1 egg with some salt/pepper/fresh grated nutmeg, a T +/- grated parmigiano reggiano, scant 1/3 C Flour. Add in the ricotta +/- 2 C. Scoop into quenelles (2 teaspoons scraped together to make an oval ball) or small balls. Refrigerate on a lightly floured, parchment lined sheet pan.

SAUSAGE & FENNEL RAGU - adapted from a recipe by Mario Batali - Add olive oil and the contents of 3 sausages removed from casing to a saute pan (preferably with a lid), add in diced carrot, celery, onion, chopped garlic, pinch of red chile flakes and sliced fennel. Let it cook until all vegetables are soft and golden. Add a splash of white wine (or in my case, sake). Add liquid from the top of a 28 oz. can of San Marzano whole tomatoes. Then with a hand blender, I whiz (right in the can) the whole tomatoes. Add that to the pan along with 2 T of tomato paste. Cover and let it cook on medium/low for about 20 minutes. Turn off heat until ready to cook the gnocchi.

Boil a pot of water - lightly salt. Add in the cold gnocchi - cook in two batches. Depending on size they will cook about 5-8 minutes on a gentle boil. They will become light and silky in texture. Gently add to the ragu. When all of the gnocchi are in, gently stir to combine. Parmigiano Reggiano and fennel fronds finish the plate nicely. Serve with a salad of baby arugula and a good red wine...a loaf a crusty bread would be great too...to soak up all the sauce!

Valentine's Day Dinner

First course with champagne - Wild Little Neck Clams with applewood smoked bacon and leeks with a crusty baguette.
Second course with HL - Filet mignon for 2 with baked potatoes and roasted broccolini.

Clams - saute bacon in a pot (preferable one with a lid). Add in well cleaned sliced leeks and thinly sliced garlic. Cook until the leeks are wilted. Add in clams and pour in white wine (I used sake). Covered until the clams open. These were big guys and took about 8 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F - place clean russet potatoes directly on the rack (8-10 oz. potatoes take about 45 minutes)- Steak - prepped and seasoned with salt and pepper at room temp. Heat up the cast iron skillet. Add a pat of butter and place the filet in the pan. Cook 4 minutes, turn cook another 3 minutes. Place in the oven along with the potatoes and a sheet pan with cleaned and trimmed broccolini seasoned with olive oil, salt, red pepper flakes and a crushed clove of garlic. 7 minutes for medium rare. Try to time it so that the potatoes and broccolini are done about 5 minutes after you remove the meat (needs time to rest). Serve with a big red like Herb Lamb Vineyards - http://www.facebook.com/herblambvineyards

A Better Spinach

In her farm box every Winter, my MIL gets the most incredible spinach. It has more flavor and better texture than the bags of baby spinach from the market. I happened upon it at Whole Foods yesterday - Grown by a local farm in Ventura County, Kenter Canyon Farms - http://www.kentercanyonfarms.com/

I called to find out what type of spinach it is, but the guy who answered the phone had no idea and was shocked I was calling to say I was happy with the product - I think he's used to getting complaints! My hunch is that it is a savoy or semi-savoy.

Next time you're at a store that carries Kenter Canyon Farms give them your biz...they seem to be doing it right!

Pork and Chile Stew

Inspired by this recipe from Food and Wine, Jan 2009 - http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/pork-and-chile-stew - it is definitely going into my mix of stuff for dinner! It was spicy and warmed the soul...good thing I picked up some crema and cotija (cut the spice) to serve with along with rice and beans. Also made a romaine salad. The only time consuming part was roasting, skinning, stemming and chopping the poblanos - which at Whole Foods was labeled "pasilla". Also I only used 3 serrano chiles, because the ones I got were hot (I tasted the stem end that I had trimmed off).

Pork and Chile Stew
6 pounds baby back ribs, membranes removed, cut into 3-rib sections
4 teaspoons salt
2 white onions, coarsely chopped
4 garlic cloves
4 serrano chiles, stemmed
4 fresh poblano chiles—roasted, skinned, stemmed, seeded and chopped
4 white-corn tortillas, toasted and torn into small pieces
1 bunch of cilantro, finely chopped
Crumbled cotija or feta cheese, sliced radishes, lime wedges and cilantro sprigs, for serving
DIRECTIONS
In a large, deep pot, cover the ribs with 10 cups of water and add the salt. Bring to a boil, then cover partially and simmer over low heat until the meat is tender, 1 1/2 hours.
Transfer the ribs to a large plate; keep warm. Skim off excess fat from the cooking liquid; you should have about 6 cups of liquid. Add the onions, garlic and serranos to the pot and bring to a boil. Simmer over moderately low heat for 20 minutes. Add the poblanos and tortilla pieces; let cool. Working in batches, coarsely puree the cooking liquid.
Return the liquid to the pot. Add the ribs and simmer over moderately low heat until the stew is slightly thickened, about 15 minutes. Stir in the chopped cilantro and serve with the cheese, radishes, lime wedges and cilantro sprigs.

"Anyone Can Cook" - Chef Gusteau

On Monday I am teaching a class on "Dessert". I have prepped several items ahead of time...In the freezer awaiting oven time, are gourgeres. I will demo pate a choux for profiteroles during the class, but wanted to show how one dough can be used in a different way and they will be perfect with a glass of champagne to start to the class. Simple ingredients and simple to make!

Pate a Choux - Gourgeres

1 C Water or Whole Milk or a combination
1 Stick Butter, cut into 4 pieces
½ tsp salt
1 C All Purpose Flour
4 Large Eggs
1 1/2 C Gruyere or Cheddar - Coarsely Grated

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Combine water/milk, butter and salt in a heavy bottom pot. Bring to a boil. Turn off heat and add in the flour all at once. Using a wooden spoon, stir vigorously to combine. Return to medium heat and stir constantly for at least 4 minutes (it will look like mashed potatoes). The dough will pull away from the sides and a white film will coat the pot. Remove from heat. Let cool for 10 minutes. Then stir to cool the dough down. Add in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each egg. Spoon or pipe dough onto parchment paper lined sheet pan. It can be frozen at this stage or baked.

Place puffs in the oven and reduce the heat to 375 degrees F. Bake for 12 minutes. Rotate the pan and continue to bake for another 12-15 minutes until golden, slightly firm and puffed. Remove from oven and serve warm.

Want profiteroles? Omit the cheese - add in 1 tsp of sugar with the salt. Follow the directions. Cool, split in half, add a scoop of vanilla ice cream to the bottom and replace the top. Top with a quick ganache - 1:1 cream and chocolate. Measure out 1 C of chocolate chips – set aside on a paper towel. Then using the same vessel measure 1 C of heavy cream. Place the cream in a small, heavy bottom pot on medium heat and bring just to a boil. Turn off the heat and add the chocolate chips into the pot. Wait 5 minutes. Whisk to blend into silky, glossy, chocolatey sauce.