Let's Make . . . A Pie for Mikey

My usual bedtime ritual is to read Twitter on my phone as a way to settle down. Late last Sunday night a tweet regarding someone I didn't follow but knew of through her lovely blog, www.injennieskitchen.com, mentioned that Jennifer Perillo had lost her husband. As more details emerged it became apparent that he had died suddenly of a heart attack, leaving behind a young wife and two little girls. This hit home. . .hard. I don't know Jennifer in real life but I intimately know this. This pain of sudden loss. The way a little girl suddenly losing a daddy colors the rest of your life with what ifs and whys. It hurt my heart that these little girls would know the pain I knew. . .my dad died the same way when I was six and my sister was ten. We were forever changed. I had a hard time sleeping that night and this was on my mind all the next day. . .I felt out of sorts. . .it felt so strange to be so affected by someone I didn't know. This is what makes the Internet a truly beautiful place. As people far and wide offered Jennie Perillo love, hugs, hope, tears, help, or simply said they were sorry for her loss - people who would actually start their message by saying, "I don't know you . . ." it made me realize that even if we don't know someone in real life, it doesn't mean we don't share a common thread of human experience and that we can't reach out to each other.

Jennifer posted a beautiful tribute to her husband. In answering all the questions of how people could help her, she asked that people make Mikey's favorite, Creamy Peanut Butter Pie.

So I did as she asked, and I made a pie for Mikey. It was a cathartic experience. . .I thought about love, loss, dads, sweet little girls, hope, and how sharing a painful experience can make the weight a little lighter. I made mini peanut butter pies - little pies to share with people while telling them the story of Mikey and his wife, Jennifer Perillo. . .who I've never met but who touched my heart deeply.

Jennifer's Blog Post and Peanut Butter Pie Recipe

Let's Make. . .my Last Meal on Earth

I have been neglecting my poor little blog. My new computer and my camera can't seem to communicate so I have a back log of recipes and photos. I don't want it to look like my blog is abandoned. . .so I thought I'd share this little essay - inspired by the book My Last Supper by Melanie Dunea and sitting around a bonfire with friends talking about what our own last supper might be. . .

Well, if I know I am going to die and I am not freaking the hell out, then there is some sort of magic going on. In that case, I will believe the magic will encompass the whole day. My dream last day/meals on earth would go down like so:

I would wake up to the smell of fresh, hot buttermilk biscuits and bacon. My nana and uncle Earl would be in the kitchen talking about the day ahead and the chores that need to get done. I would watch my uncle break a biscuit in half, dab butter on a corner and take a bite. He would eat the biscuit like that as he always did; dabbing butter on each bite. I would break my biscuit in half, marveling at the flaky layers and spread it with butter and homemade peach jam made with peaches from my nana’s orchard. I would not take this communion for granted and realize how lucky I was to have such amazing things to eat each morning. I would then help my uncle make his dog’s food – broken up biscuits drizzled with hot bacon grease – a meal his sweet dog, Prissy, ate every day of her long life.

As the magic continues, I would then be in the kitchen of my abuelita’s house. . .I can hear the lilting tones of her, my aunt Julie and my aunt Petra speaking Spanish. The smell of chiles and warm, fresh masa hang in the air. I am peeling silk off soaked corn husks and making a pile that diminishes as each woman takes a corn husk, spreads a dollop of masa and fills it with tender pieces of pork and a green olive. They gossip and work, laughing and arguing as only sisters can. A giant steamer hums along on the stove, piled with plump, fat tamales. My abuelita plucks a tamale out of the steamer and makes me a plate, untying the ends of the tamale and opening it up, the vapor redolent of cumin and sesame seeds. She spoons a small lake of smooth and creamy refried beans. . .the best refried beans on the planet – the beans I dream of to this day. I eat. She asks me in her broken English, “Are you satisfied?” I grow sleepy and she tucks me in on the little couch in the corner of her kitchen, wrapping me up in a thick wool blanket that smells of life in the kitchen.

As the day closes out, I am on the back lawn of my sister’s house overlooking the Puget Sound. There is a long table with benches; it is covered with beautiful food. A giant bowl of Matt Colgan’s Bolognese with the half rigatoni that Phoenix no longer makes. A platter of cheeses, fresh baguettes and perfectly ripe summer fruit. A soup terrine filled with my abuelita’s simple vegetable soup with tiny albondigas floating in it. A bowl of chile verde with hot, thick freshly made corn tortillas and more of my abuelitas beans. Bannie’s fried chicken. A perfectly ripe watermelon from Spurlin and Jewel's patch. A peach cobbler made by my nana with freshly churned vanilla ice cream and a Red Earth Cake made by Bannie Faubion – the best baker I have ever known. A white Burgundy I had once at La Folie and have never forgotten. Cold, fresh whole milk with the creamy cap in thick glass bottles sitting in buckets of ice. On my lap is my most beloved cat, Mouse. I am feeding him pieces of pork from the chile verde. My darlings LouLou and Ferghal are at my feet, any and all pets that have come and gone are there. Everyone I have ever loved and who loved me back is there and we are sharing this magnificent feast. We are happy at our good fortune. As the sun fades on my last day and my loved ones walk away from the dining table, I walk down to the dock and watch the water. . . and slowly, peacefully fade away.

Let's Make . . . Breakfast for Dinner!

One of my favorite scenes in any movie EVER is the scene in Moonstruck when Olympia Dukakis is making breakfast and makes the Italian version of Toad in the Hole with roasted red peppers, crusty Italian bread and an egg in the middle. It's so simple but no matter how many time I see that scene, it always sends me straight to the kitchen.

Since good Italian bread is hard to come by in Oakland, I substitute my homemade focaccia and since I like my eggs spicy, I use Calabrian chiles to give me that nice peppery hit. I get my eggs from Glaum Egg Ranch every week and they are delicious. When you're making something so simple, best ingredients are of utmost importance.

Breakfast for Dinner

1 slab of focaccia or 1 piece of crusty Italian bread, sliced about 1" thick
butter
olive oil
hot calabrian chile or roasted red pepper
ranch egg
salt & pepper

heat your skillet over low heat. Add a knob of butter and a slug of olive oil and heat gently. Cut a hole in the middle of the focaccia or bread, making sure it's wide enough so the egg is not too thick (not taking care to do this will result in runny whites). Add the bread to the pan and heat until the bread starts to become crusty. Add another small knob of butter into the middle of the hole and place the chile or pepper pieces in the center. Crack an egg into the hole and season with salt & pepper. Cook the egg until it starts to set towards the middle. Carefully flip the bread and cook the other side until the white of the egg is cooked through but the yolk is still liquid. Dust with salt & pepper. You can serve this with bacon, sausage or ham but I like to dip the crispy, buttery bread into the yolk. Mmmm.

Let's Make . . . Dinner for One

A Few Simple Ingredients

I will cook my heart out for other people. Yet, I tend to be miserly with myself. Since my culinary partner in crime has been on the road, I don't cook for myself at all. Cheese & crackers or Chinese Take-Out have become the norm lately. My wonderful friend, AJ, gifted me with a gorgeous bone-in pork roast from the Fatted Calf and I contemplated that lovely piece of meat for a few days before I decided what I wanted to do with it. My first impulse was to keep it simple. This meat is gorgeous. . no need to gussy it up or manipulate it too much. Here I will make a confession . . . I don't believe in brining pork. I believe it makes the meat flabby. I think a good dry rub is the best thing you can do for pork.

The following "recipe" comes courtesy of my first serious boyfriend. His mom was a foodie before there were foodies. His family were our next door neighbors and I watched her cook through their kitchen windows all my life - multiple Le Creuset pots and pans simmering away on the stove top. I always wondered what her kitchen smelled like. His and mine relationship was based solely on food. . his eating and my cooking. The classic "the way to a man's heart is through his stomach" kind of relationship. One day I bought a gorgeous pork tenderloin and was contemplating what to do with it. He announced that he would share with me his mother's favorite recipe for pork. My heart raced - a glimpse into my muse's culinary treasure chest. . . and he proceeded to give a recipe I had known for years. . .Marinade Seche from the icon of my life, Julia Child. So much for muses. This recipe is simple, simple, simple. It loves pork and pork loves it! Back in the day, ground bay leaves were not readily available so I would grind them by hand . . .what can I say, I thought I was in love. Also, the recipe says the garlic is optional, but in my mind it is not. The recipe also calls for scraping the marinade off the meat prior to cooking. . I never did that.

Marinade Seche (Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume I)
(per lb. of pork)

1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp ground thyme or sage (I use a mix of the two)
1/8 tsp ground bay leaf
pinch of allspice
Optional: 1/2 clove mashed garlic

Mix all the ingredients together and rub into the surface of the pork. Place in a covered bowl. Turn the meat 2 or 3 times if the marinade is a short one; several times if it is of long duration.

GORGEOUS Pork Roast

There is a thick fat cap that I would never dream of taking off. I rubbed the marinade in and let it rest overnight. I brought the roast to room temp and then roasted it for about 1 1/2 hours. Pulled it out of the pan and deglazed the pan with a sprightly apple cider. I reduced the cider and then whisked in a dollop of grainy dijon mustard. I mounted the sauce with some beurre manie (equal parts soft butter and flour mashed together and whisked in to thicken the sauce).

As a side, I had some farro that had been cooked in double strength chicken stock. I cooked some Nueske's bacon lardons, removed them from the pan, added some chopped shallots and savoy cabbage. Once the cabbage wilted a bit, I added some diced Granny Smith apple and continued to saute. I added the farro, salt and pepper. Once the farro was heated through, I added back the lardon and a handful of freshly grated Emmenthaler cheese. I sliced the roast, placed it upon the bed of farro and spooned the cider/mustard sauce all around. I drank a cinsault/grenache rosé with this meal and it was perfect.

Dinner for One

Let's Make . . . a Turkey Ballotine

This year, my mom hit me with the words that strike terror in my heart:

"Let's go to a restaurant for Thanksgiving this year."

Now the reason that this strikes terror in my heart is that I am sort of a control freak. The thought of leaving my Thanksgiving dinner to the hands of some overworked prep cook is beyond my comprehension. I know I need to get over myself. . .being as it was just going to be my mom and myself I should have just thrown in the kitchen towel and picked up my buffet plate. But I just could not. I felt like I was paying for my last Thanksgiving wherein I actually had my whole family around the table. . .a feat that had not been accomplished in almost ten years. Last year I had a great Thanksgiving and I was determined to have the same this year.

Since it was just the two of us, I thought I'd get a breast and fill it but somehow I ended up with a whole turkey. Fine. I decided to make a ballotine filled with a pork/turkey/egg yolk force meat. I roasted the bones to make a rich turkey pan jus to put over the slices of ballotine. It was delicious! Although next year I'd like a giant 20 lb. turkey and a table full of family and friends. :)

I got a small, organic Willie Bird turkey. It weighed a little over 10 lbs. Here is the process of boning the turkey:

Lovely little turkey - ready to be rid of it's bones. I am using my trusty global filet knife - great for boning out large birds. You run your knife carefully from one end of the back bone to the other and gently using your knife and fingers, work against the bone, using your knife to free the meat from the bone. You'll be surprised by how much of this you accomplish by just using your fingers and sense of touch. If you're squeamish about touching raw meat, use latex gloves.

The whole turkey boned out (please note that the "oysters' are intact - it takes a pro to pull that off!) - the only bones left are the leg bones which require careful work - you push the meat and bones towards you and then scrape the meat off with your knife.


The wing tips, Pope's Nose, Back and Breast Bones to be roasted to make stock.


This is the bird with all the bones, including the leg and wing bones removed.


All the dark meat removed - thigh meat reserved for forcemeat - ready to stuff.


Turkey thighs ready to be made into forcemeat!


Forcemeat!


Cook's bonus! Making sure seasoning is correct is a tough job!


Preparing the turkey to be filled - slit the thickest part of the breast so the thickness is uniform


Pound the turkey gently to get uniform thickness, being careful not to break the skin



Spread the force meat evenly over the seasoned turkey meat



Here is where I had to improvise because I could not find my trussing needle. . .usually you would sew the seams of the skin together in a "y" shape. Since I did not have my trussing needle, I rolled the ballontine which was fine but I would have rather sewed it. . .to seal one end I had to do this:
*hangs head in shame* Yes, it's true, I tied the leg skin in a knot. SHUT UP!



This is the rolled and tied ballontine - traditionally they are poached in broth or roasted - I fried mine!


GORGEOUS!!!



The finished product. . crispy skin, rich filling, tender and juicy meat!

Let's Make . . . Pumpkin Marmalade

I have somewhat of an addiction to pumpkin. I love it! When fall rolls around, my mind turns to what I can do with this lovely little squash. This year I decided to make a marmalade with it and am very happy with the results. I use it as part of a composed dessert - Caramel Pudding, Brown Sugar Crema, Pumpkin Marmalade, Pepita Brittle and Pumpkin Gobs. See? PUMPKIN! My chef sometimes has to pull me back from the abyss and tell me to go easy with the pumpkin. :) I brought a little home the other night; added some ruby port and golden raisins, cooked it all together a little bit to let the raisins plump and the port to burn off and served it with roasted pork tenderloin - it was really very good!

Pumpkin Marmalade

10 cups granulated sugar
enough water to moisten sugar
1 cup cold water
8 small sugar pie pumpkins
2 organic navel oranges, thinly sliced
1 organic lemon, thinly sliced, seeds removed
3 granny smith apples, peeled and cut into small cubes
kosher salt
1 2-inch finger of fresh finger, sliced
3 4-inch pieces of Mexican Canela (ceylon cinnamon), broken in half (you can sub Cassia but I will cry)
2 nutmeg pods, smashed with a kitchen mallet
1 tablespoon whole cloves
Cheesecloth
Juice of one navel orange

Prepare the pumpkins by cutting them in half (I use a double handled cheese knife to do this - an excellent way to get rid of any agression) and cleaning all the seeds out. Place flesh down on a roasting pan, pour a small film of water on the pan and roast at 350 just until barely tender (about 45 minutes). Let the pumpkins cool. While the pumpkins are cooling, place the sugar in a heavy stainless steel pot and use just enough water to moisten the sugar. Cook the sugar to a dark amber. Remove from heat and add cold water to stop the cooking process - it will splatter so be very, very careful. Set aside. Process the oranges and lemon in a food processor until finely diced. Add the apple pieces and process gently.. you don't want the apple pieces to be as fine as the citrus pieces. Using a ceramic loop tool, gently scrape the pieces of pumpkin from the shells in long, even pieces. Dice into 1/2 inch pieces. Toss the citrus, apple, pumpkin and a good pinch of salt together. Set aside. Using a piece of cheesecloth and some butcher's twine, make a spice sachet with the spices and ginger, tie it up securely. Put the fruit mixture atop the sugar, nestle the sachet into the center. Tent with a vented parchment round and cook over low heat for two and 1/2 hours, stirring the mixture half way through. Remove the spice sachet, gently stir in orange juice and let cool to room temp before removing from the pan.

Dark Amber Caramel

A note on tools: If I were to one day morph into an Edward Scissorhands type creature, these are the tools I'd want for my hands. . . of course, there is the standard Y-peeler, a Dexter-Russell serrated paring knife which would cut down a whole wild boar if needed and a ceramic loop tool - perfect for coring any fruit with a core, removing the choke from an artichoke and generally being one bad ass cooking tool - all for the paltry sum of $2.99 at your local art store.

Processed citrus and apples

Using the ceramic loop to get uniform strips of pumpkin

Dice the pumpkin in even pieces

Toss everything together

Make spice sachet

Everything in the pot all cozy like

Parchment tent

Half way there - give it a stir!

Done!

Let's Make. . . Bucatini Carbonara

A few perfect ingredients!


This is a super quick, really satisfying meal. Ingredients are very important here because there are so few. . .farm fresh eggs, the best pasta you can get your hands on and excellent bacon or pancetta are key. Also, the cheese is key as well. Best ingredients, 15 minutes to prepare and probably one of the best dishes ever. This is Marcella Hazan's recipe which I think is the best recipe. No cream, no peas, no f'ing around. . straight up delicious.

Bucatini Carbonara

1/2 lb. pancetta or bacon, cut into 1/4 inch strips (I like to use Nueske's bacon)
4 garlic cloves
3 T. olive oil
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 large eggs
2 egg yolks*
1/4 cup freshly grated romano cheese
1/2 cup freshly grated pamigiano-reggiano
freshly ground black pepper
2 T. chopped Italian parsley
1 1/4 lbs. pasta - Marcella says it must be spaghetti but I like to make it with Phoenix Pasta's bucatini

Smash the garlic cloves, remove the skins and leave whole but smashed. Heat the olive oil, add the garlic and saute until the garlic is dark golden. Remove the garlic and discard it. Add the pancetta or bacon to the garlic scented oil and cook until they start to crisp around the edges (I cook it longer. .until it's crispy - I prefer it that way). Add the white wine to the bacon and cook for 2 minutes or until the alcohol smells burned off, turn off the heat.
In the same bowl you're going to add the pasta, combine the eggs, yolks*, cheeses, a VERY generous grinding of black pepper and parsley. Whisk well. Cook the pasta in well salted water to taste - I like my a little beyond al dente. Right before the pasta is done, heat the bacon mixture on high until very hot. Drain the pasta and immediately add the hot pasta to the cheese/egg mixture. Toss quickly and then add the hot bacon. Toss again and serve immediately with extra cheese and a pepper grinder handy.

* the extra yolks are my own idea. . the original recipe simply calls for the two eggs.


Delicioso!