No more turkey...SHORT RIBS!!!

I had some short ribs in the freezer and I was sick of turkey. What can I make? Well Dr Food came up with a recipe from "Simple to Spectacular" It was the Stewed Short Rib with Marrow Butter. Of course I couldn't do the simple. I HAD to do the spectacular.



It entailed soaking and then simmering the bone marrow to make a compound butter.

It came out great!



The other dish I made was out of the new Paula Wolfert book "Mediterranean Clay Pot Cooking" It was Potato Gratin with Julienne of Mushrooms and Comte Cheese. I have to say that potatoes are my favorite food other than artichokes. This dish was awesome.



So it ended up being a really fantastic dinner.



Stewed Short Ribs with marrow butter
Simple to Spectacular
Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Mark Bittman

2 Tbl neutral oil, such as canolaor grapeseed
3 Tbl butter
4lbs short ribs
1 lrg onion, peeled and roughly chopped
1 lrg carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
1 stalk celery, roughly chopped
4 lrg cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1 bottle fruity but sturdy red wine, such as Cotes du Rhone or Zinfandel
3 branches thyme
4 stems parsley
1 bay leaf
4 oz marrow, cut into slices
2 Tbl minced shallots
3 Tbl roughly chopped basil
3 Tbl roughly chopped chives
3 Tbl roughly chopped chervil
3 Tbl roughly chopped parsley
2 Tbl butter, softened
1 Tbl fresh lemon juice, or to taste

1. Put a tablespoon each of the oil and butter in a deep heavyskillet or casserole and turn the heat to high. Brown the ribs well on all sides, seasonig well with salt and pepper as they cook; this will take about 20 minutes. Remove the ribs, pour out and discard the fat, and wipe out the pan.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Put the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and anther tablespoon of butter in the pan, turn the heat to medium-high, and add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, a large pinch of salt, and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring, until the onion is soft, about 10 minutes.

3. Add the red wine, thyme, parsley stems and bay leaf to the pan and bring to a boil; add the ribs, cover, and put in the oven. Cook until the meat is very tender and falling from the bone, about 3 hours; turn the meat once or twice an hour.

4. Meanwhile, soak the marrow in cold salted water to cover for 2 hours. Bring a pot of water to a bol and add the marrow; cook very gently for 2 to 3 minutes, then drain.

5. Put 1 tablespoon butter in a small skillet and turn the heat to medium. Add the shallots, along with a pinch of salt, and cook stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Putthis in a small food processor with 2 tablespoons of each of the herbs, the marrow, and the softened butter and puree. Add salt and pepper and lemon juice to taste.

6. Transfer the ribs to a platter. Strain the vegetables and liquid, pressing hard on the vegetables to extract all of their juices, into another large pan and refrigerate (and then remove fat that comes to surface) or reheat (I used a separator cup to remove the fat). Bring to a boil and stir in the marrow butter; whisk until slightly thickened, then add the ribs. Heat the ribs through, adjust the seasoning as necessary, and serve, garnished with the remaining herbs.

You can be spectacular too!

Vegetable tarte tatin was winner of my Thanksgiving

There was turkey and it was great.



There was stuffing and it was great (actually Dr. Food's favorite part of Thaksgiving)



There were green beans that I sauteed with ginger and garlic.

As far as *I* am concerned the best dish was the Vegetable tarte tatin that I made for our friend the vegan.



I absolutely loved this dish. I think our friend did too. It came out of a book I bought on a clearance rack and I wasn't sure if it would have the taste I wanted but it surpassed my expectations.

Vegetable tarte tatin
The Ultimate Book of Vegan Cooking
Tony and Yvonne Bishop-Weston

2 tbsp sunflower oil
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 eggplant sliced lengthways
1 lrg red bell pepper seeded and cut into long strips
10 tomatoes
2 red shallots, finely chopped
1-2 garlic cloves crushed
2/3 C white wine
2 tsp fresh basil (I used Herbes de Provence) because I didn't have basil
2 C cooked brown long grain rice
1/3 C pitted black olives (I didn't use these because they didn't seem to go)
12 oz Vegan puff pastry (I bought already made and it was fine)
ground black pepper


1. Preheat the oven to 375. Heat the sunflower oil with 1 tbsp of the olive oil in a frying pan and fry the eggplant slices, in batches if necessary, for 4 to 5 minutes on each side until golden brown. As each slice softens and browns, lift it out and drain on several sheets of paper towel to remove as much oil as possible.

2. Add the pepper strips to the oil remaining in the pan, turning them to coat. Cover the pan wit a lid or foil and sweat the peppers over a medium high heat for 5 to 6 minutes., stirring occasionally, until the pepper strips are soft and flecked with brown.

3. Slice two of the tomatoes using a sharp knife and set aside.

4. Plunge the remaining tomatoes into boling water for 30 seconds, then drain. Peel off the skins, cut them into quarters and remove the core and seeds. Chop them roughly.

5. Heat the remaining oil in the frying pan and fry the shallots and garlic for 3 to 4 minutes until softened. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook for a few minutes until softened.

6. Stir in the white wine and the fresh basil (or whatever herbs you like), with black pepper to taste. Bring the mixture to a boil, then remove from the heat and stir in the cooked rice and olives, making sure they are well distributed.

7. Arrange the tomato slices, cooked eggplant slices and peppers in a single layer over the base of a heavy, 12" shallow ovenproof dish. Spread the rice mixture on top.

8. Roll out the puff pastry to a circle slightly larger than the diameter of the dish and place it on top of the rice. Tuck the edges of the pastry circle down inside the dish.

9. Bake the tatin for 25-30 minutes, or until the pastry is golden an risen. Leave to cool slightly, then invert the tart on to a large, warmed serving plate.

You have to try this. It is really really good.

Tday and counting

Started cooking last night for Tday and had to have dinner. Just couldn't stand having any more poultry than what was already coming at me. So, we had sea bass and man was it good. Pan seared it and had some wild rice. Yum.



Wasn't going to drag out the china for 4 of us but then decided "Hey, it is Thanksgiving and you need to get into the spirit and be Thankful and quit moping because your family isn't around". So I took out the China and set the table.



Now what made me buy a 24.5 lb turkey for 4 people (one of which is a vegan and won't be eating it)? I guess it is because I always buy a big bird because I always have tons of people on Thanksgiving. Leftovers are good and it is a local bird and fresh fresh fresh.



So what I do to make this bird (learned it from my ex mother in law) is that I soak cheesecloth in butter (shut up, Thanksgiving is all about butter) and drape it on the bird and baste baste baste.

Stay tuned and you will see perfection...

A little umami simmered chicken

I haven't made this dish in a long time but it is a recipe my sis gave me years ago (like in the 80's). I have no idea where she got the recipe. Through the years I made this a lot. Especially when my kids were small. I kicked it up a notch with homemade umami catsup. It was originally made with regular catsup.



Simmered Chicken
1 whole chicken
1 tbl oil

1/3 C soy sauce
1/ C brown sugar
1/2 C water
2 tbl catsup ***
1/4 C dry sherry or apple juice
1/2 to 3/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1 garlic clove minced
1 green onion thinly sliced

***Umami Catsup
1/4 C cider vinegar
1/4 C brown sugar
1 can tomato paste
1 tsp salt
2 tsp tamari
2 tsp worcestershire
2 tsp oyster sauce
2 anchovies mashed into paste
Simmer over low heat.


2 tbs corn starch
1 tbs water
2 tsp sesame seeds

Heat oil and brown chicken on all sides. Mix next 8 ingredients and pour on chicken. Cover and simmer 45 minutes ( turn chicken halfway through) or until juices run clear and chicken in cooked through. Remove chicken and skim fat from sauce. Mix corn starch in water and add to sauce. Cook stirring until thickened. Spoon onto chicken and sprinkle with sesame seeds

You can use regular catsup if you feel like it. I don't think making my own made that much difference.



I served with brown rice and some sauteed chard. Good dinner.

There are a few things I love about New England

It isn't often that I fess up about something that I like about New England. But here it is. We were wandering around showing Evan some stuff and decided to stop at the farm that I found a few months ago. I love this place. They sell their own beef and pork and their own bake goods. They also have beautiful produce and local cheeses. Oh the milk!!! Fresh milk. I couldn't resist and I bought some bacon from there and also some eggnog. We all agreed that it was the best egg nog that we ever tasted.



I loved the bottle. Nevermind it was 7.00 egg nog it was worth it!

If you are ever in Littleton (ok, for most of you that won't happen) you HAVE to go here!



oh yeah.... the bacon was killer.

Evan is visiting

When Evan was a kid I would make him the same orange rolls (Pillsbury of course) every Saturday morning. He wanted the same damn orange rolls. So, yesterday I knew that he would be here this morning and I made some orange rolls. He probably is over it but *I* have this need to keep treating my kids like they are kids. It is for me not them.



Orange Rolls
Recipe adapted from Chickens in the Road

One-loaf Grandmother Bread recipe
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 teaspoon yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar*
(Optional add-ins: 1/3 cup oil, 1 egg)
4-5 cups flour
*If you have a sweet tooth, add up to 1/3 cup sugar to the dough instead of 2 tablespoons.

In a large bowl, combine water, yeast, sugar, and salt, along with oil and egg, if using. Let sit five minutes. Stir in first cup and a half cup of flour with a heavy spoon. Add more flour a little at a time as needed, stirring until dough becomes too stiff to continue stirring easily. Add a little more flour and begin kneading. The amount of flour is approximate–your mileage may vary! Continue adding flour and kneading until the dough is smooth and elastic. Let dough rise in a greased, covered bowl until doubled. (Usually, about an hour.) Uncover bowl; sprinkle in a little more flour and knead again. Roll out onto a floured surface into an approximately 15 x 8 rectangle.

For the filling, spread a combination of 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons butter (softened), 4 tablespoons sugar, 2 teaspoons orange juice, and 1 teaspoon orange extract or orange peel. For an orange glaze on top, stir together 1 cup powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons orange juice (I used more), and 1/4 teaspoon orange extract or orange peel (I used more).

Another day another lamb!

Cooked dinner for the neighbors last night. We decided to go with a leg of lamb. Made slits and filled them with butter that had been smashed with anchovies. Recipe has been posted here before and believe me it was even better this time than the last.

Dessert? I never make dessert but I couldn't seem to pass this one up. It was a trifle. Yum! It was excellent.



Apple and ginger trifle
from Pure Simple Cooking
Diana Henry

1 1/2 lbs baking apples, peeled, cored, and chopped
5 tbsp water
1/2 C firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 know preserved ginger in syrup, finely chopped, plus 1 tbsp ginger syrup from the jar (I couldn't find so I used candied ginger (I chopped up a good clump of it) and 1 tbl of ginger perserves)
22 ginger snaps, plus 2 extra cookies, crushed for decoration
3 tbsp whiskey
1/2 C shelled walnuts, coarsely chopped, plus a few extra for decoration
6 tbsp greek-style yogurt
6 tbsp confectioners sugar

1. Put the apples and water in a pan with the brown sugar and chopped ginger. Bring to a boil, stirring a little to help the sugar dissolve. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until the apples have completely collapsed and the mixture is quite thick. If your mixture is too runny, keep simmering and it will thicken as it reduces. Add the ginger syrup and leave to cool completely.

2. Coarsely break up the ginger snaps. Sprinkle the whiskey on them and mix with the walnuts. Whip the cream, beating in the yogurt, and add the confectioners sugar.

3. Layer the components in a large glass bowl or in small glasses, finishing with some cream. Cover and leave in the refrigerator for a couple of hours or until the following day. Just before serving, sprinkle on the reserved ginger snaps and walnuts.