Lentils with Boudin Blanc and Braised Fennel

Another Cafe Rouge sausage put to good use. I can never go to their butcher shop and just buy one thing...

Penne with Tuscan Sausage Sauce

From the River Cafe "Italian Country" cookbook. I made this with some delicious fennel sausage from Cafe Rouge, and tomatoes from my garden.

Boudin Blanc and Beans

Since I couldn't make it to my home away from home, Camino, for the last of their Boudin Blanc Mondays tonight, I had to make do at home. I bought a beautiful sausage from the Cafe Rouge butcher shop (it's much more lemony than Russ') and sauteed it with some cannellini beans and fresh thyme. The leftover fennel in milk from the other night was the perfect accompaniment!

Chorizo and Sweet Potatoes Over Polenta

Chorizo and Butter Bean "Stew"

As I've posted many times before, I have a huge crush on Jamie Oliver. Ever since his days as the Naked Chef, I've been following his cookbooks, television shows, products, projects and now... his magazine. I love getting Jamie Magazine every other month more than any other piece of mail. It's chock full of simple, rustic recipes, including the magnificent "recipe a day" centerfold, and is a constant source of cooking inspiration for me. I am so excited for his American tv series to start!

I had leftover polenta from last night's dinner, so I decided to have it for dinner with this chorizo and butter bean "stew" from the latest issue of Jamie. One thing I love about Jamie's recipes is that they are very intuitive, so even though he provides quantities and instruction, it's pretty easy to just look at the ingredients and improvise. I made this by just sauteing some Spanish chorizo with onion, adding some canned tomatoes and beans, and simmering until it was all good and soft. It was, as Mr. Oliver would say, "easy peasy" and deliciously smoky on a cold autumn night.

*Note: I also served this on top of crostini as an hor d'oeuvre at my last dinner party and it was a huge hit! I paired them with my "Out Like a Lamb" cocktail, which really complimented the smokiness of the chorizo. To make crostini, just slice good bread, brush with olive oil, and bake for a few minutes until it gets crispy. Then top with whatever you like!

Empanadas

I made these with a pork filling, but you could substitute chicken, beef, or vegetables if you prefer. The dough recipe is from Tyler Florence. I made it without the masa, and I think it was a mistake. I imagine you could fry these as well, if you didn't want to bake them.

3-pound pork shoulder
Olive oil
1 can chipotle in adobo, minced
1 large onion, in large slices
Garlic, coarsely chopped
Fresh oregano
Salt and Pepper

Empanada Dough:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup masa harina
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash
Butter, for greasing the pans

Season the pork well with salt and pepper. In large, oven proof pot, heat the oil and brown the pork on all sides. Remove the meat from the pot and add the onion, garlic, and half the chilis. When the onions become translucent, add the pork and oregano, and cover with water. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cover and transfer to a preheated 350 degree oven for about two hours, or until the meat begins to fall apart.


In a large bowl, sift together the flour, masa harina, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the melted butter. Gradually add 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup of water, working it in with your hands to incorporate; the dough should be easy to handle and not sticky. Form the dough into a ball, wrap it in plastic, and chill for 30 minutes.
Lightly flour your rolling pin and counter. Divide the dough in 1/2 so it will be easier to work with and roll it out to 1/8-inch thickness. Using a 4-inch cookie or biscuit cutter, cut out 10 circles of dough; repeat with the other 1/2. Chill in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Once the pork is done cooking, remove it from the pot and let it cool before shredding it with two forks. Mix the shredded meat with the remaining chipotles and season with salt and pepper.

Spoon the filling into the center of each pastry circle, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Brush the edges with the egg wash and then fold the dough over in 1/2 to enclose the filling and form a semi-circle. Tightly seal the edges by crimping with the tines of a fork. Chill at least 30 minutes before baking.


Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Place the empanadas on a buttered baking sheet and brush the tops with additional egg wash. Using a fork, prick a few holes in the top of the empanadas for steam to escape. Bake for 30 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown.

Spaghetti with Meatballs

My mother always served spaghetti with Bolognese sauce, rather than with meatballs, but Eric asked me to make it this way the other night, and I think I might be a convert! I based the recipe on one from Tyler Florence, with a few adjustments of my own.


Extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, smashed and minced
2 tablespoons fresh thyme
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 cup milk
4 thick slices firm white bread, crust removed
1 1/2 pounds ground beef or turkey
1 1/2 pounds ground pork
1 large egg
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for serving
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 cups heated tomato sauce (Bolognese without the meat or Vegetarian )

Heat 3 tablespoons oil in an ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and herbs and cook until the onionss are soft but still translucent, about 10 minutes. Take the pan off the heat and let cool.

Pour enough milk over the bread in a bowl to moisten and let it soak while the onions are cooling. Combine the meats in a large bowl. Add the egg and Parmigiano and season generously with salt and pepper. Use your hands to squeeze the excess milk out of the bread and add that to the bowl along with the cooled onion mixture. (Hang onto the pan - you'll need it to cook the meatballs.) Gently combine all the ingredients with your hands or with a spoon until just mixed together. Don't overwork or the meatballs will be tough. Shape the mixture into meatballs.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Heat a 3-count of oil in the frying pan over medium heat and brown the meatballs on all sides, about 10 minutes. Put them into a baking dish and spoon about half of the tomato sauce over. Put the meatballs in the oven and bake until the meatballs are cooked through, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti until al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain and put it onto a large serving platter. Pour on the rest of the sauce and mix well. Spoon the meatballs on top of the spaghetti and serve immediately along with extra cheese.

Jamie's Goulash

Jamie Oliver has a new show on the Food Network!!! It's all about using fresh produce, straight from the garden (or, in my case, the farmer's market). You know, even if he wasn't kind of cute, and even if he didn't make cooking look like a walk in the park, I would watch his shows because his producers make his food look GORGEOUS. Seriously, it is like pornography! Everything just glistens and the colors are brilliant, and you just salivate watching it. Or maybe that's just me. I'm a little jealous of the Brits, who are currently getting to watch Jamie's other recent effort, "Jamie's Fowl Dinners," which is about where our poultry comes from. What a guy!


Anyways, the show premiered this week with an episode devoted to chilis and peppers, and this is one of the recipes that was demonstrated. Goulash seems perfect for the cold, rainy days we've been having, so I thought I'd give it a go. I cut the recipe in half because I was only cooking for two of us, but we still have leftovers. I think it came out delicious, but I would add more of just about everything except water next time; it was a little runny, and a little bland. Also, I served it over egg noodles, which seems appropriately Eastern European, but Jamie recommends rice. I think a spaetzel would also be really good, but I was feeling lazy.

4 1/4 pounds pork shoulder off the bone, in 1 piece, skin off, fat left on
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil
2 red onions, peeled and finely sliced
2 fresh red chiles, seeded and finely chopped
2 generous heaping tablespoons mild smoked paprika, plus a little extra for serving
2 teaspoons ground caraway seeds
Small bunch fresh marjoram or oregano, leaves picked
5 bell peppers (use a mixture of colors), sliced
1 (10-ounce) jar grilled peppers, drained, peeled and chopped
1 (14-ounce) can good quality plum tomatoes
4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
14 ounces basmati or long-grain rice, washed
2/3 cup sour cream
1 lemon, zested
Small bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Score the fat on the pork in a criss-cross pattern all the way through to the meat, then season generously with salt and pepper. Pour a good glug of olive oil into a deep, ovenproof pot and add the pork, fat side down. Cook for about 15 minutes on a medium heat, to render out the fat, then remove the pork from the pot and put it aside.

Add the onions, chili, paprika, caraway seeds, marjoram or oregano and a good pinch of salt and pepper to the pot. Turn the heat down and gently cook the onions for 10 minutes, then add the sliced peppers, the grilled peppers and the tomatoes. Put the pork back into the pot, give everything a little shake, then pour in enough water to just cover the meat. Add the vinegar - this will give it a nice little twang. Bring to the boil, put the lid on top, then place in the preheated oven for 3 hours.

You'll know when the meat is cooked as it will be tender, and will break up easily when pulled apart with 2 forks. If it's not quite there yet, put the pot back into the oven and just be patient for a little longer!

Stir the sour cream, lemon zest and most of the parsley together in a little bowl. When the meat is done, take the pot out of the oven and taste the goulash. You're after a balance of sweetness from the peppers and spiciness from the caraway seeds. Tear or break the meat up and serve the goulash in a big dish or bowl, with steaming rice and your flavored sour cream.

Tyler's Ultimate Meatloaf

This is my favorite meatloaf recipe (sorry, mom!). I always order it at Cafeteria, so I was really excited to see Tyler Florence make it on his Food Network show a couple years ago. I like to make extra Tomato Relish and save it to serve with burgers.


1 recipe Tomato Relish (click for recipe)
2 1/2 lbs ground beef, pork, or turkey
3 slices white bread, crusts removed, torn into chunks
1/4 C milk
2 eggs
1 Tbs fresh thyme leaves
Salt and pepper
3-4 bacon slices, optional


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Place the torn bread in a bowl and add the milk to cover, letting the bread soak while you put together the rest of the ingredients.

In a large mixing bowl, mix together the ground meat, 1 1/2 C tomato relish, eggs, and thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Squeeze the excess milk from the bread and add the bread to the mixture. Transfer the mixture into a loaf pan, and coat the top with another 1/2 C of relish. If you like, lay the bacon across the top.

Bake for 1- 1 1/2 hours until the meatloaf is firm. Serve with the remaining tomato relish on the side.

Stuffed Pork Chops with Roasted Pears & Port Wine Sauce

I made this one up, so the proportions might not be very precise, but use your judgement, and you will be fine!


4 pork chops
1 C cornbread crumbs (see cornbread recipe below)
1/4 large onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbs fresh thyme
3 Tbs olive oil
1/4 lb thinly sliced proscuitto
Pepper
4 small pears, cut into wedges
1 C port or red wine
2 Tbs butter

Cut a pocket in each pork chop with a sharp knife. Mix together 1 Tbs olive oil with the cornbread crumbs, garlic, onion, and thyme, and stuff the mixture into each chop (you could also add half a pear, finely diced, for a little sweetness). Sprinkle both sides of the pork chops with pepper, wrap with proscuitto, and place in a skillet over high heat just to crisp each side. Add the pears to the pan and drizzle half the port over them. Move to the oven, and bake at 400 degrees for about 25-30 minutes.

Remove the meat and pears to a serving platter. Return the skillet to the stove top, add the butter and let melt. Add the wine and reduce until a sauce is formed. Pour over the pears and meat.

Italian Pork Chops

I got the recipe for these pork chops from Giada di Laurentis, of the Food Network, and then I served them with a really simple tomato sauce, over pasta. I think this recipe would also work nicely with chicken breasts, but you might want to bake them, rather than pan-frying them, because they are thicker. (I would suggest baking them at 450 for about 35 minutes.) All together, this took less than a half hour to make, so it's great for those nights when you haven't got much time. This makes enough for two people.

For the pork chops:

2 Pork Chops
1 C grated parmesan cheese
One egg, beaten
2 C dry seasoned breadcrumbs (you can make your own, but I just used the kind in the can!)

For the pasta and sauce:

3/4 pound pasta
2 large tomatoes or 3 medium ones (or about 2 C cherry tomatoes)
1 shallot or half a small onion
1 clove garlic
Dried basil and oregano
3 Tbs tomato paste
1 Tbs butter
1 Tbs Olive oil

Boil a pot of water for the pasta.

Set out three bowls: in one, the parmesan cheese, in the second, the egg, and in the third, the breadcrumbs. Season the pork chops with salt and pepper. Dredge first in the cheese, then dip in the egg, and coat with breadcrumbs. Place in a pan over medium heat. Let the chops cook for about 6 minutes on each side, or until the meat is opaque all the way through.

While they are cooking, chop the tomatoes into smallish chunks (for cherry tomatoes, just halve them), and drain the excess water. Finely chop the garlic and shallots.

Add your pasta to the water.

Set aside the finished pork chops, and leave the remaining bits in the pan. Add a little olive oil, and sautee the garlic and shallots until brown. Add the tomatoes and herbs to the saucepan. When the tomatoes have softened a bit, add a little tomato paste to thicken into a sauce. Drop in about a tablespoon of butter, and let melt into the sauce. Add the cooked pasta to the pan and toss. Remove from heat and serve.