Back Home to Buttermilk Pancakes

Each time our kids come home from school I hear the same request – “Pancakes, please!” These are really something to come home to.

Apple Buttermilk Pancakes
Dry ingredients:
1 cup white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 Tbsp brown sugar

Wet ingredients:
3 eggs
3 cups buttermilk
4 Tbsp melted butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 apple, peeled, cored and finely diced

Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a separate bowl beat together the eggs and add the remaining wet ingredients. Preheat a large non-stick griddle or pan to low – give this time so that the whole griddle has become evenly hot. Pay attention to your griddle temperature – you want it hot enough to generate bubbles in the pancakes, but not too hot to over-brown the first side.

Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Ladle batter into oiled griddle. Cook only until you see the edges of the pancake become well defined and a few bubbles appear in the batter. Flip and cook another 30-60 seconds. Remove to a plate kept in a warm 125˚F oven while you finish the remaining pancakes – or serve them to a hungry crowd as fast as you can make them!

More fun: Sprinkle chocolate chips onto the batter of the pancake immediately after pouring onto the griddle for chocoholics at the table. Or blueberries. Or raspberries. Or whatever.

Apple Fruit Tart

3 Tbsp butter
4 small-medium apples
½ cup mixed frozen berries
2 Tbsp brown sugar

½ pie crust (store bought, or see Thanksgiving pie crust)

Preheat oven to 350F. Sauté the apples in the butter for about 5 minutes. Add the berries and sugar, and continue cooking until most of the liquid has evaporated – about another 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, roll out dough and press into a low spring-form tart pan. Trim remaining dough and reserve for decorative pieces on top of tart. When fruit is cooked, pour into dough in tart pan. Cover with decorative dough pieces. Bake for about 20-30 minutes, until top dough pieces are nicely browned.

Mussels Many Ways

Mussels with Salmon in a Lemon Primavera Sauce
1 lemon, jest removed and reserved
4 Tbsp butter
1 carrot, cut into small fine julienne
1 onion, finely diced
1 celery, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, finely sliced
2 lbs mussels in shells
½ cup dry white wine
½ cup chicken stock
1 lb salmon fillet, skinned and diced into ½ inch cubes
palmful of fresh parsley, minced

Juice the lemon and reserve juice. Dice the lemon rind into ½ inch pieces and reserve. In a large, deep skillet, sauté the onion, celery and carrot in the butter until onions soften. Add garlic and cook another 2 minutes until fragrant. Salt and pepper to taste.

Add the mussels, wine and stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 2-3 minutes until mussels begin to open. Scatter salmon on top of mussels, and top with parsley and lemon rind. Pour in the lemon juice, cover and cook another 2-3 minutes until salmon is cooked through. Serve in bowls, topped with the lemon jest along with bread or focaccia. Alternatively, you can serve on top of linguine or other pasta.

Mussels with Scallops and White Wine
Under construction

Focaccia

Focaccia is fast, and is a great complement to soups or dishes with a sauce. This recipe is essentially the same I use for pizza dough. You can put herbs and spices right in the dough to flavor pizza or focaccia doughs. Think olive, garlic, rosemary; think Mediterranean.

Wheat Bran, Garlic and Oregano Focaccia
4 cups bread flour
2 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp breadmaker granulated active dry yeast
2 Tbsp. wheat bran
1 tsp dried oregano (or other spice)
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1½ cup very warm water
1 Tbsp olive oil

In a mixer fitted with a dough hook and set on medium, mix together the first seven ingredients. Add the water and then the olive oil. Allow the dough to form a ball that has taken up all the flour. At that point, knead on medium-slow speed for 5 minutes. Place 1-tablespoon olive oil in a large bowl. Form dough into a ball and turn into the bowl. Roll dough ball around to assure all surfaces are coated and cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let sit about 1-2 hours in the kitchen. I don’t find that a ‘warm, dry’ spot is necessarily needed, depending on the season. I have never had a problem simply placing the bowl on the counter top and walking away – and we live in New England! But if it is exceptionally cold, just put your bowl in a warmed oven (turned off of course!). After dough has doubled to tripled in volume, turn it out to a greased jelly roll pan or a pizza pan. Spread dough out with your fingers to about ¼ to ½ inch thick. Let rise to about ¾ to an inch thick, another 30 minutes or so. Preheat oven to 425F.

Then punch small holes in the dough with all fingers (as if you were playing the piano) and brush olive oil liberally all over the surface (this gives the foccaccia a nice brown crust). Sprinkle coarse salt, fresh ground pepper and whatever dried herbs you want (rosemary for example) over the surface. Bake for about 10-15 minutes, until golden brown.

So Much Stirring, So Much Chopping, So much Flavor!

Cooking Indian with Padmaja from Mumbai - UNDER CONSTRUCTION

OMG There’s a Lobster Loose!

Growing up, we used to be able to choose the dinner the family would have on our birthday. With six kids in our family, we ate a lot of lobster! The standard dish was boiled lobster with drawn butter – something we continue to enjoy today with our children. Our daughter and I continue the birthday (and sometimes more often!) lobster tradition, but after a while you can yearn for something more than just plain boiled lobster.

The problem is, lobsters come home alive. And if they don’t get loose (see Woody Allen’s Annie Hall for details), one way or another you have to ‘dispatch’ the lobster before cooking or eating [‘dispatch’ is a euphemism used in cookbooks for kill]. It’s easiest to toss the live lobster in a pot of boiling water, but if you want to bake the lobster, you’ll have to take matters into your own hands; and I can only urge you to learn the correct way to ‘dispatch’ a lobster – for everybody’s sake.

If you can handle it, baking a lobster with butter, or stuffed with, say a crabmeat stuffing, is well worth the extra work.

Either way – for goodness sake, save the shells. You can make an outstanding bisque with them, doubling the fun for all the money you spent on the lobster. Even if you don’t have any lobster meat left, just add a few shrimp into the recipe and you’re all set.


Lobster Baked with Capers, Leeks, Lemons and Limes
2 chick (1½ -2 lb) lobsters
2 leeks, (mostly white –some green stalk), cleaned, drained and diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
2 tsp capers
2 Tbsp fresh parsley, minced
½ cup chicken stock or clam broth
½ cup white wine
4 oz whipped butter
2 lemons
1 lime

The hard part: Dispatch (kill…) the lobsters in a humane fashion with a sharp knife quickly inserted in the back of the head to sever the spine instantaneously – if you are unfamiliar with this technique it is worth reading up on it in cookbooks, or the web – please do; I don’t do it justice here and it is not for the faint of heart… Slice the lobsters in half, and clean out the tamale, gravel sac and intestinal vein (or shmooze with your fish monger to do this for you!). Place lobsters halves in a large oiled roasting pan, alternating head and tail.

The fun part: Preheat oven to 400F. In a large skillet, sauté the leeks in a bit of olive oil over medium heat for about 10 minutes until the leeks begin to brown. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and continue cooking another few minutes until very fragrant. Add the capers and parsley and stir to combine. Spoon leek mixture evenly on top of lobsters. Juice the lemons and the limes, discard the seeds, and pour the juices over the lobsters. Cut the lemon and lime rinds up into ½ to ¾-inch pieces. Toss over lobsters. Salt and pepper to taste.

Meanwhile prepare the sauce by simmering the broth and the wine. Whisk in the butter. Whipped butter holds an emulsion much better than regular butter and makes a really nice smooth sauce. Pour over the lobsters evenly. Bake for about 25-30 minutes. Serve lobsters over linguine for a fine presentation.


Rich Lobster Bisque
Shells from 3 to 4 cooked lobsters, broken up
Shells from ½ lb. shrimp

3 Tbsp olive oil
3 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 onion, quartered, skin included
2 carrots, peeled and coarsely
2 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup cream sherry
meat from one lobster
½ lb shelled shrimp cut into ½-inch pieces

For stock – sear shells, onion, carrot and celery in a bit of olive oil in a large pot for about 15 minutes. Add 6-8 cups water just to cover shells and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes. Strain through a soup sieve.

Whisk together the cream sherry and the tomato paste. Tip stock into a soup pot and add cream sherry, and tomato paste along with the lobster meat and shrimp. Simmer just enough to cook shrimp through, about 3-5 minutes.

Healthy Muffins – an Oxymoron?

These are outrageously delicious – and at least they have some redeeming qualities…

Banana Bran Peanut Butter and White Chocolate Muffins
Dry:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup wheat bran
¾ cup brown sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
¾ cup white chocolate morsels

Wet:
2 large ripe bananas, mashed
¼ cup chunky peanut butter
1/3 cup canola oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 Tbsp molasses
1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 375F. Prepare the dry and wet ingredients in separate bowls. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and fold just to mix. Spoon into muffin tins sprayed with oil. Bake 23-25 minutes.

Apple Bran Carrot Muffins
Dry:
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup wheat bran
¾ cup brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp powdered ginger
1 tsp salt
½ cup shredded coconut

Wet:
1 cup apple sauce
1 cup finely grated carrots (about 2 carrots)
1 cup milk (or apple cider, or a mix of the two)
1/3 cup canola oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 Tbsp molasses

Preheat oven to 375F. Prepare the dry and wet ingredients in separate bowls. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and fold just to mix. Spoon into muffin tins sprayed with oil. Bake 23-25 minutes.

Pasta Primavera – an Unlimited Feast

Stuck on what’s for dinner? You can’t go wrong with a bunch of pasta, some veggies and whatever is lying around the pantry.

During the holidays, our brother and sister-in-law stopped over for a night on their way back home from Manhattan. Promising to make dinner, Julie stopped off at Dean and DeLuca’s, last minute, and picked up some pasta and a variety of savories from the deli – two different kinds of marinated artichokes and sundried tomatoes. She sautéed them with (I kid you not) almost a dozen cloves of garlic and an onion – very slowly, to soften and caramelize the veggies. She tossed them with angel hair pasta and Parmesan cheese and sprinkled the dish with parsley. Simple and fantastic.

Julie started me on a kick of cooking pasta with veggies – pasta primavera is really an unlimited opportunity. Keep your pantry stocked with cool stuff from the grocery aisles like marinated artichokes, sundried tomatoes, olives, capers, and whatever strikes your fancy. And don’t be afraid of garlic.

Spaghetti with Two Cabbages and Sweet Red Peppers
1/8 lb bacon, finely chopped
1 purple Bermuda onion, thinly sliced
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
4 cloves garlic, minced
½ red cabbage, thinly sliced
½ green cabbage, thinly sliced
1 red pepper, thinly sliced
2 tsp sugar
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
¼ dry white wine
1 lb. whole grain spaghetti
2 Tbsp fresh parsley, minced

Set a bug pot of salted water to boil for the pasta. In a large skillet, sauté bacon, onion, red pepper flakes and garlic in a bit of olive oil, until the bacon is well cooked and the onions begin to caramelize, about 8-10 minutes. Add the cabbage, red pepper, sugar, vinegar and wine. Toss well and cover for about 5 minutes. Uncover, stir and repeat 1-2 times, until cabbage softens and liquid evaporates. When liquid is evaporated, uncover and sauté cabbage (make sure there is still enough oil) until it is crisp-tender to your liking. Salt and pepper to taste.

Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti until al-dente. Drain, reserving about a cup of the cooking water. Toss spaghetti together with the cabbage in a large bowl. Add a bit of the water if too dry. Top with parsley.


Farfalle with Broccoli Rabé, Clams and Gorgonzola
1 large onion, diced
6 cloves garlic, sliced
½ tsp red pepper flakes
2 Tbsp diced sun dried tomatoes
1 8-oz can diced clams, undrained
1 large bunch broccoli rabé, trimmed of thick stalk ends, and cut in half lengthwise
1 lb Farfalle pasta
¼ lb gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

Set a pot of salted water to boil. Heat a skillet and sauté the onion in a bit of olive oil until softened, about 5-8 minutes. Add the garlic and continue cooking another 3-5 minutes. Add the red pepper flakes, sundried tomatoes, clams and the broccoli rabé. Cook only until the broccoli rabé is crisp-tender, about 5 more minutes.

Meanwhile cook the Farfalle in the water, just until al-dente. In a large serving bowl, gently toss together the Farfalle, broccoli-clam mixture and the cheese.


Fettuccine with Swiss Chard, Ham and Sundried Tomatoes
¼ lb boneless ham steak, cut into ¼-inch cubes
1 onion, diced
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 Tbsp sundried tomatoes, chopped
1 bunch Swiss chard, chopped, washed and drained
½ cup dry white wine
1 lb. fettuccine
2 Tbsp fresh parsley, minced

Set a bug pot of salted water to boil for the pasta. In a large skillet, sauté ham, onion, red pepper flakes and garlic in a bit of olive oil, until the ham is well cooked and the onions begin to soften, about 5-8minutes. Add the garlic and sundried tomatoes and cook another 3-5 minutes, until the onion begins to caramelize. Add the Swiss chard and the wine and salt and pepper to taste. Cover and cook about 10 minutes, stirring once in a while, until the Swiss chard softens to your liking.

Meanwhile, cook the fettuccine in the salted water just until al dente. Drain, reserving about a cup of the cooking water. Toss fettuccine together with the Swiss chard in a large bowl. Add a bit of the water if too dry. Top with parsley.

Curries and Tomatoes

Tomatoes grab huge flavor from caramelizing, and they can add tremendous depth of flavor to curries. Sautéing (or roasting) tomatoes are good ways of brightening up otherwise dull tomatoes available in winter.

Curried Shrimp With Leek and Artichokes
1 leek diced, washed and drained
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2-inch piece fresh ginger, minced
2 Tbsp curry powder
2 large tomatoes, diced (or 1 14.5-oz. can diced tomatoes, drained)
1 cup coconut milk
1 lb jumbo shrimp, peeled
6 quartered, marinated artichoke hearts, chopped

In a large skillet, sauté the leek in a bit of olive oil for about 6-8 minutes until softened. Add the garlic, ginger and curry powder and cook another few minutes until fragrant. Set vegetables aside in a bowl. Heat another glug of olive oil in the skillet over high heat until shimmering. Toss in the tomatoes and sizzle until caramelized, at least 5 minutes. Stir only from time to time to allow the tomatoes to fry. It’s important to do this over high heat because caramelized tomatoes are so much more flavorful than boiled!

Add the coconut milk to the tomatoes and return the leek mixture to the skillet. Stir in the shrimp and artichoke hearts. Heat through just until the shrimp are pink and cooked.


This is a great curry, which you start on the stovetop and finish by roasting in the oven. The tomato sauce that results from roasting the chicken with the tomatoes and vegetables is absolutely fantastic. And there is usually plenty enough saucy vegetables left over that you can freeze for use later (when desperate!) to jazz up some simple tofu, fish or boneless chicken breast really quickly on a weeknight.

Chicken Curry Roasted with Tomato
1 roasting chicken, cut up
1 large onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1-inch fresh ginger, minced
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1 tsp. fennel seeds
2 Tbsp prepared curry paste, or 1 Tbsp curry powder
1 14.5-oz. can diced tomatoes
1 small can chunk pineapple, drained

Preheat oven to 375F. Brown the chicken pieces in a bit of olive oil in a large pan or your roasting pan. Salt and pepper to taste. After all sides are browned, set chicken aside. Add a bit more olive oil as needed to sauté the onion and pepper for about 5 minutes, until they begin to soften. Add the garlic, ginger and spice seeds and cook another few minutes until very fragrant. Now would be the time to add any red pepper flakes if your curry powder or paste is not at all hot!

Add the curry paste or powder and cook about another minute or two to develop the flavors. Stir in the tomatoes and pineapple and then nestle the chicken into the sauce. Bake for about 30-40 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and well browned. Carefully spoon off any visible fat from the surface of the sauce and serve over rice.

Chick Pea Curry With Vegetables
1 large onion
4 cloves garlic
½-inch fresh ginger, minced
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 small or ½ large butternut squash, peeled and cut to ½ inch dice
1 can diced tomatoes, strained, juice reserved
1 15-oz can chickpeas
1 can light coconut milk
1 small head cauliflower, about 4 cups florets
1 medium zucchini, cut to ½-inch dice
1 stick cinnamon
2 tsp turmeric powder
1 Tbsp sugar
½ tsp red pepper flakes

In a large pan, Dutch oven or tagine, sauté onion in a bit of olive oil until softened. Add garlic and ginger, spice seeds and butternut squash. Sauté another few minutes until fragrant. Add the drained tomatoes and cook over high heat until the tomatoes caramelize a bit – this is important because sautéed tomatoes are so much more flavorful than boiled tomatoes. Add the chickpeas and coconut milk, juice from tomatoes and remaining spices. Simmer about 15 minutes, and then add the remaining veggies. Cook another 10-15 minutes, covered, just until the cauliflower is softened, but still very crunchy.

The easy way: just use 2 Tbsp curry paste or 1 Tbsp curry powder instead of all the other spices listed after the coconut milk.

Canellini, Kale and Sweet Potato Soup

Let’s start the New Year right – here’s a great bean-green-grain recipe that can be a staple during a long winter. A heart-warming soup that Michael Pollan and Mark Bittman should be very OK with.

Cannellini, Kale and Sweet Potato Soup
1 purple Bermuda onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 quart chicken stock
2 cups water

1 cup dry white wine
1 15-oz can Cannellini beans
½ bunch kale (about 4-6 cups), chopped
1 medium sweet potato, cut into ½-inch cubes
½ cup Ditalini pasta

In a soup pot, sauté the onion in a bit of olive oil, until softened, about 5-8 minutes. Add the garlic and continue cooking a few more minutes until fragrant. Add the chicken stock, water, the wine, beans and the kale. Simmer 10 minutes.

Stir in the sweet potato and the pasta and cook another 10 minutes or so, just until the potato and the pasta are ad-dente. Salt and pepper to taste.