tuscan bean salad

I hope everyone had a happy and delicious Valentine's Day! After all that chocolate, I was ready to make this salad today - white beans with garlic, parsley, herbs, and grape tomatoes, or sun dried tomatoes, if you prefer a chewier texture.

I made this salad for years for the local stores around here, and I still have people asking when and if I'll start up again. I'm not sure I want to commit to that, so I'll just direct people to this page. It's a wonderful salad to pack for lunch at the office, or a picnic, or even for school.

To make:

2 cups small white beans, dried

4 bay leaves

1 peeled onion, intact

1 t. oregano

Pick through the beans and discard any pebbles. Place in a large pot with the bay leaves, onion and oregano and cover with water - about 6 inches of water above the beans. Bring to a boil and simmer, covered, for about an hour. Keep tasting the beans to make sure they're not getting mushy. When they are just soft, strain and discard the bay leaves and onion.

Place cooked beans in a large bowl.

Add:

1 T. fresh lemon juice

4 T. or more red wine vinegar

4 T. or more olive oil

4 cloves mashed garlic

3/4 cup scallions, sliced

1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped

salt and pepper ( freshly ground)

1 t. basil, dry, or 2 T. fresh, chopped

1 t. oregano, dry

1/2 t. thyme

1 cup grape tomatoes, halved, or 7 sun dried tomatoes, snipped with scissors

Toss together and taste, taste, taste. Taste right away, and taste again a half hour later, since the seasonings are absorbed by the white beans.

You can eat this as is, or stuff into peppers, wraps, or omelets or pasta. It's also great as a party dish with tortilla chips.....I'm sure you'll be able to come with some great ideas on your own.

Enjoy!

the reine de saba chocolate cake

Yesterday I decided to make the classic Reine de Saba chocolate torte/cake from Julia's French Chef cookbook. Why? Valentine's Day, of course! As an early valentine, I spent today giving away pieces of it to everyone I met - except for that little Coquette above. Endearing as her face is, I know chocolate can be fatal to dogs, so I gave her an extra biscuit.

I love Reine de Saba ! It's a dense, one layer chocolate and almond cake, easy to make, and simply delicious with a rich chocolate ganache icing with a hint of Grand Marnier. It's beautiful as it is, or served with fresh raspberries and even a small spoonful of whipped cream, if you want to jazz it up.

To make:

The cake:

You will need one 8" x 1 1/2" cake pan, buttered and floured

Preheat oven to 350F.

4 ounces German's Sweet chocolate bar, broken into pieces

1 T. Grand Marnier liqueur

1 T. cold water

If you prefer, you can use 2 T. dark rum instead of the Grand Marnier and water.

In a microwave safe bowl, place the chocolate, water, and Grand Marnier. Microwave two minutes, or until chocolate is melted. Stir well and set aside.

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

3 large eggs, separated

2/3 cup sugar

pinch of salt

additional 2T. sugar for the whites

1/2 cup pluverized blanched almonds

1/2 t. vanilla

3/4 cup King Arthur flour, sifted twice

Whip egg whites in mixer bowl. When soft peaks form, slowly add the 2 T. sugar and whip until stiff. Scoop out into a bowl and set aside.

Using the same bowl, mix the butter and sugar until creamy and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolks, one at a time. Add the pinch of salt.

Stir in the warm melted chocolate. ( If it's cooled, just quickly microwave to soften)

Stir in the almond meal, vanilla, and flour.

Using a stiff rubber spatula, fold 1/3 of the whites into the cake batter. Slowly continue to fold in the stiff egg whites until batter is smooth and whites are incorporated.

Turn into the prepared cake pan and smooth top.

Bake for 25 minutes and remove to cooling rack. Let cool ten minutes, then turn onto another cooling rack.

The Chocolate Icing:

8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate bits, or chocolate bar, broken up

3/4 cup light cream

2 T. sieved warm apricot jam

Heat 4 T. apricot preserves in small pan. Using a fine sieve, strain the jam into a small bowl.

Add the chocolate bits.

Bring the cream to a boil and pour over the jam and chocolate.

Stir until chocolate has melted.

Pour icing on cake and smooth, if necessary.

Enjoy - and Happy Valentine's Day!

Featured in TasteSpotting!

leek and potato with slivered ham

Checking the freezer the other day, I came across that nice Christmas hambone and decided to make a "beefier" leek and potato soup than I usually do. Normally, I puree the soup and top it with scallions -this time I added a cup of slivered, smoky ham and left it chunky. Yummy!

I served it with the last of the focaccia & herb cheese, but if I'd had time, I would have

made the rosemary bread, which would have gone well with the ham.

To make:

One ham bone, with meat

Water

bay leaf

Put the ham bone in a pot and add several inches of water - not more than half way up the bone. Add the bay leaf and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.

Remove ham bone and slice off a cup of ham.

2 cups leek whites, sliced ( you can add one onion, if you haven't enough)

2 cups baby red potatoes, sliced thickly

1 sprig rosemary

1 t. thyme

fresh dill, about a tablespoon ( optional)

1 cup slivered ham

Simmer the leeks and potatoes, thyme and rosemary in the ham broth. Taste broth carefully and add pepper and optional dill, then the slivered ham. Do not overcook - the potatoes should be tender, but not breaking apart. It usually takes about 20 minutes cooking time.

Serve with a great rustic bread and a bright green salad.

Enjoy!

quick chocolate mousse

I have many happy memories of making this mousse for the restaurant in the quiet of the morning. It's a wonderful, creamy but light mousse that contains no butter or cream at all. And it's quick to make - you just need a few hours for it to set in the fridge. So if you haven't got time to make a special Valentine cake, this mousse would be the perfect dessert for your honey ( or your kids, or your Mom, or...just for you).

This recipe makes about 2 1/2 cups of mousse.

To make:

3 eggs, separated

pinch of salt

4 ounces (1 bar) Ghirardelli 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate ( or Baker's sweet, but then you wouldn't add the sugar to the egg whites)

3 T. cold water

1 t. dark rum or Frangelico hazelnut liqueur

2 T. sugar, superfine

Place the egg whites in a mixer bowl. Reserve the egg yolks in a small bowl.

Break up the chocolate and place in microwave safe china bowl.

Add the water to the chocolate and microwave about 2 minutes, or until the chocolate is melted.

Carefully stir the egg yolks into the warm chocolate and stir well. Add the rum or Frangelico.

Microwave another minute and make sure all the chocolate is fully melted.

Beat the egg whites with the pinch of salt until soft peaks form. Continue beating, and slowly add the sugar to the egg whites. Beat until stiff and slightly shiny.

Fold the chocolate mixture into the egg whites carefully and gently. Continue to fold until the mousse is completely incorporated and there are no white flecks of meringue showing.

Ladle into small souffle dishes or glasses. Carefully cover the ramekins with plastic wrap and place in fridge for at least 3 hours.

Featured on TasteSpotting!

homemade focaccia and herb cheese

Last night, I was re-reading Under the Tuscan Sun, delighting in this particular paragraph:

"Like old peasants, we could sit by the fireplace, grilling slabs of bread and oil, pour a young Chianti. After rooms of Renaissance virgins and dusty back roads from Umbertide, I cook a pan of small eels fried with garlic and sage. "

I think it's books like these that pushed me into the kitchen - it's not only food, but poems and dreams. So - last night I made Nick Malgieri's focaccia and my own herb cheese, dreaming of Tuscan fireplaces and olive trees.( I don't have an olive tree, but I do have an orange tree -see above)

To make the focaccia ( this is from The Modern Baker), and it is the best focaccia I've ever had.

4 cups King Arthur flour

2 t. salt ( and this is important! I use kosher.)

one envelope active dry yeast

1 2/3 cup warm water

3 T. olive oil

extra olive oil for the pan and for drizzling

one jellyroll pan, generously oiled

Combine the flour and salt in a bowl.

Whisk yeast into warm water in a small bowl, then whisk in the olive oil.

Make a well in the flour and pour in the yeast/oil mixture.

Using a circular motion with a strong spoon, mix the dough until all the dry bits have been incorporated.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in a warm place - on top of the fridge, or in an oven that has been turned on for a few minutes, then off. Make sure the oven is off and warm, not hot.

Let dough rise to double. Scrape dough into oiled pan and pat out to fill the pan. Let rise for another 40 minutes or so.

Dimple the dough with your fingertips, drizzle olive oil ( about 2 T.) , plus herbs if you wish, on top of the dough. Bake at 400F for about 25 minutes, or until golden brown.

Remove the focaccia from the pan with a large spatula, and place on cooling rack.

The herb cheese:

Tangy, silky, and the best ever topping for sandwiches - especially roast beef or turkey sandwiches. It works on baked potatoes, mashed potatoes, with raw veggies for crudites and/or a dip - delicious!

To make:

8 oz. softened cream cheese

1 stick softened unsalted butter

1 T. fresh lemon juice

1 t. Worcestershire sauce

1/2 t. dijon mustard

1-2 T. fresh parsley, minced

1 T. fresh chives, minced, or finely chopped green scallion tops

2 garlic cloves, pressed

SALT to taste

freshly cracked pepper

1 T. dried tarragon

In mixer bowl or by hand, mix ingredients together until thoroughly blended. Taste! I often need to add more salt. Pack in containers and place in fridge until needed.

Enjoy!

Featured in Photograzing!

earthy and delicious : Hunter's Chicken

The other day was cold and snowy, and I was wanting something filling and warm. Something with a little wine, would be nice, I thought. And chicken - not beef. Then I remembered the Chicken Chasseur I used to make in the restaurant and looked it up in Craig Claiborne's New York Times Cookbook. There it was, but as I read the ingredients, I was puzzled. The combination of braised chicken, wine, and herbs with mushrooms and tomatoes are also known as Hunter's Chicken - I had no idea the two recipes were the same. Whatever the name, this dish is just mouthwateringly tender, heady with herbs and wine, and has a wonderful complex, earthy flavor. It's also budget friendly - a big plus these days!

The recipe is an old classic, dating back to castles and hunting parties, and if you happened to be a bad shot, your birds could still be used in this casserole even if they were a little ragged. Luckily, I can just pop into the supermarket and pick up bone in chicken thighs.

To make:

You will need a heavy bottomed largeish saucepan.

4 chicken thighs, bone in, but skin pulled off

2 T. olive oil ( or unsalted butter)

salt and pepper

1 t. thyme

1/2 cup minced onions or 3 large shallots, minced

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1/2 cup dry white wine, or dry vermouth. If you don't use alcohol, you can use rice vinegar or herb vinegar

1/2 t. tarragon

2 T. chopped parsley

3/4 cup canned plum tomatoes, with juice, diced

Rinse and pat the chicken thighs dry. Heat the oil and sprinkle the thighs with the salt, pepper, and thyme, then place in pot and brown on all sides.

Add the shallots or onions, mushrooms, white wine or vermouth, tomatoes, and herbs. Cover the pot and simmer until the chicken is very tender - about 30 minutes. Stir and taste and add more salt or pepper if needed. This serves four.

Serve with rice , noodles, or potatoes.

Enjoy!

candy cane marshmallows

I have been staring at this glass of candy canes since Christmas. It sits over the sink, so I'm reminded several times a day to DO something with them - no cook likes to waste something as pretty as candy canes.

Pink has been on my mind the last few days - wrapping birthday presents for a 3 year old in large amounts of pink tissue ( her favorite color) . Last night I suddenly thought: pink, marshmallow, pink, marshmallows - OH - PINK MARSHMALLOWS! It only used up three candy canes, though, so I still need to find another recipe for candy canes.

This is adapted from Tyler Florence.

1 1/2 packets powdered Knox gelatin

1 cup cold water

1 cup granulated sugar

1 extra large egg white

1 cup confectioners" sugar

3 candy canes, broken up, then pulverized in a food processor.

In a small saucepan, soak the gelatin in the cold water - about 5 or 6 minutes. Stir. Add the granulated sugar and warm until the sugar has dissolved. Cool.

Prepare a pan - I used a square brownie/cake pan 8"x8". Grease pan, line with wax paper, and grease wax paper.

Beat the egg white until stiff. Beat in the cup of confectioner's sugar , then slowly pour in the cooled gelatin mixture. Beat until the mixture doubles in size and forms ribbons in the batter. Add the pulverized candy canes and beat another 15 or so minutes. (You need to have a stand mixture for this, obviously - beating time runs about 25 minutes)

Dust the pan with confectioners' sugar lightly, then pour in the marshmallow batter. Let sit for at least 3 hours or overnight, uncovered.

Gently remove marshmallow ( now wobbly, but firm) and pull away the wax paper on the sides. Using a clean knife, cut marshmallows into cubes or whatever shape you wish. If you use cookie cutters, try spraying them with Pam , or another spray cooking oil. If the knife gets sticky, simply rinse it.

Using a sieve, sprinkle confectioners' sugar on tops of marshmallows and serve in hot milk or hot chocolate with a candy cane.

Enjoy!