Cheryl Carlesimo

'Tis the Season

2012-12-14T13:46:24-05:00

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire,

Jack Frost nipping at your nose,

Yuletide carols being sung by a choir,

And folks dressed up like Eskimos

New York is alive with the holiday buzz: the tree and the skaters at Rockefeller Center, the bustle of the shoppers at Macy's and FAO Schwartz. We've all seen it in so many movies that we can practically smell the chestnuts and peanuts roasting in the street vendors' carts. What is it about holiday traditions? Every country and religion and community has them. And we all create new ones in our own families. As for me, I'm often spurred by something I've seen in a film. I know that I was motivated to move to Paris by the Billy Wilder movie Sabrina with Audrey Hepburn. I just had to live in that little garret apartment where you look out the window, and hear La Vie en Rose, and see the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame -- an impossible view, by the way. Sure, I wanted to study film and the French New Wave but honest to God, that movie pushed me to get on the plane and go. So it was when I was a young mother of four-year old twin girls, and I volunteered to run the Christmas pageant at church.

I had seen Penny Serenade too many times with my own mother. It's a George Stevens tear-jerker with Cary Grant and Irene Dunne. I don't particularly recommend it for your holiday viewing because it is very SAD. However it completely marked me because there was a scene in it with a Christmas pageant, and I thought -- Oh I could do that when I have children. Well, I didn't realize that signing up for one year would turn into a sixteen year commitment. Who knew? What can I say about the shepherds, angels, sheep, Marys, Josephs, Kings and Gabriels that I came to know over the years? Some were just wonderful and some were not. How did the old nursery rhyme put it?

There was a little girl

Who had a little curl

Right in the middle of her forehead

And when she was good

She was very, very good,

And when she was bad

She was horrid.

All these children from the ages of four and up walked and ran and sometimes stumbled to the sound of a majestic choir and strains of Silent Night. The angels held battery driven candles that were sometimes held up, or down, or used as a weapon. I say no more and I name no names. Silent like the tomb, as the French say. They were a hit.

Each year we'd also make Gingerbread houses. Barbara, my very good friend, and also the mother of twins, invited me into her Gingerbread house group. Again I thought -- Oh, I can be like Mary Bailey in It's a Wonderful Life. This will be fun for the girls. And it has been. They are 26 now, and we are still doing it. It was however totally humiliating for me. All of the women in this group would put Martha Stewart to shame. And each year, when I bring my pieces of gingerbread, so misshapen and that they would hardly make a log cabin, everyone is terribly kind to me, and finds a way to glue the pieces together with vats of molten sugar. Then, of course, my girls decorate it so that it actually looks good at the end.

Everyone has their favorite holiday cookie recipe that probably has been handed down in their family. These are Christmas Wreath Cookies and come from Pennsylvania. They are from Barbara's mother, Florence. These cookies are phenomenally easy to make but cause a big stir wherever you bring them because they are so festive, decorative, and tasty. You really have to make the effort to order the teaberries which you can get from nuts.com. Teaberries are the spicy fruit of the American wintergreen, and that special zingy flavor makes all the difference, and raises these little red balls and these wreath cookies to another level. So please do try them, and everyone have a great holiday season and a Happy New Year!

Christmas Wreath Cookies

Photo courtesy of Barbara Stern

Description:
These cookies are demanded by all the children and family members every season.

Ingredients:

40 large marsh mallows (10oz. package)

6 cups corn flakes

1/3 cup butter

1 tsp. green food coloring

Tea berries

Preparation:
In a big pot, gently melt the butter, then melt the marsh mallows, add corn flakes. Shape into wreaths and add the tea berries on top before they cool.

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Olympics and Food and Art

2012-07-20T17:25:23-04:00

The Summer Olympics are about to begin and this year they are being held in London for the third time and the first since the Post-War Games in 1948. Millions of spectators are traveling there to see 10,500 athletes from more than 200 nations compete in 32 sports at the highest level of competition.

Gymnastics, track and field, swimming, soccer and cycling have always dominated the Summer Olympics. Newer sports like beach volleyball have grown enormously in popularity. But many of the original events from the Ancient Greek Olympic Games continue on: the marathon, discus throw, javelin toss, running and wrestling.

For too long the world has failed to recognize that the Olympic Games and the Olympic Movement are about fine athletics and fine art. -- Avery Brundage

I recently saw an original and inspiring exposition in New York that combined food and art with an Olympic twist. The IMAFestival opened in Milan, then traveled to New York in June, and is in London now for the Olympic Games. Called Sport Your Food, this innovative and inspiring exposition created by writer Rossella Canevari and producer Elena Manzine asked five chefs and five artists to team up as a couple and create a recipe and a work of art inspired by one of the Olympic sports. Below are photos of the exciting results from one of these pairs: the talented Apulian chef Cristina Bowerman and visionary Sicilian painter Fulvio Di Piazza. Chef Cristina Bowerman chose to interpret the discus throw in a splendid culinary dish depicting the discus hitting the earth and smashing into pieces. And Fulvio Di Piazza was inspired by the movement of the discus thrower in his exciting, masterful painting, Bruscobolo.

IMAF Photo of Culinary Piece

IMAF Photo of Bruscobolo

We all grew up watching the Olympics on TV. Who doesn't dream of being an Olympic swimming champion like Michael Phelps? My family has a special personal Olympic story. In 1992, my brother, P.J. Carlesimo, was one of the coaches for the U.S. Men's Basketball Dream Team that went to the Summer Olympics in Barcelona. It is still the team by which all others are measured. It featured Michael Jordan, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson and was the first team to accept NBA players. Sports Illustrated later stated that the Dream Team was "arguably the most dominant squad ever assembled in any sport." Since Barcelona, basketball has become a premier Olympic event. The Dream Team was admitted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010.

"It was like Elvis and the Beatles put together. Traveling with the Dream Team was like traveling with 12 rock stars. That's all I can compare it to." -- Coach Chuck Daly

As London prepares for the arrival of these millions of visitors, I asked several English friends what they would serve this summer if they were hosting an Olympic party in their London flat or home. There was a spirited debate but they ended by agreeing on a very traditional, very tasty dessert -- English Trifle! They felt it would be the perfect thing to serve outdoors watching rowing on the Thames; or indoors watching swimming and diving events on the telly. Of course, you have to add a prayer that it doesn't rain to the recipe, especially if you are hosting an outdoor party!

So I am going to leave all of you with a recipe for English Trifle so that you, too, can host a party this summer for the London Summer Olympics in your own home wherever you are. This is a recipe from a dear family friend Naomi, who lives in Henley-on-Thames, where the rowing events are held. Naomi's recipe is a summer trifle with raspberries and blackberries. Make some, and feel a sense of solidarity and community with our English hosts in London. Enjoy it! And enjoy the Games!

ENGLISH TRIFLE

Servings: Six
Ingredients:

1 8-inch sponge cake (buy or make)
1 pint whipping cream
2 oz super fine sugar
2 oz flaked almonds, slightly toasted
1 lb raspberries
4 oz blackberries
2 small bananas sliced thinly
4 oz Sherry
2 cups English cream custard, room temperature. (Bird's custard is the best, although you can make English custard from scratch)

Preparation:

In a trifle glass bowl, (8 inch diameter and 5 inches deep), place large pieces of the sponge cake, upside down, in the bottom of the bowl. Pour the Sherry evenly over the cake. Then, in a small saucepan stew the blackberries and 4oz of the raspberries with 2oz of the sugar. This will take about five minutes. Let this fruit stew cool a little and pour over the cake. (Some folks use strawberry jam in place of the fruit stew.)

Next layer the rest of the fresh raspberries. The next layer is the banana, and then the custard. Make sure the custard is room temperature because we don't want to cook the bananas below.

Then whip the cream with the remainder of the sugar and pour over the custard layer. Garnish with the lightly toasted almonds.

It is best to keep the trifle in the refrigerator for a few hours, or even overnight.

Eat well!

This recipe and many other family favorites are available on DishandDine.com. Stop by and become part of this grass roots global food community!

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The Iconic Burger

2012-06-11T13:46:43-04:00

As Father's Day nears, grilling season is upon us. And just in time, our good friend and one of America's favorite cooks, Rachael Ray, has come out with her 20th cookbook, The Book of Burger. Her first single topic book covers in over 300 recipes "burger and his buddies -- dogs, sandwiches, and sides." What better choice of subject? As Rachael puts it, "Burgers are iconic because they say who we are. Everyone is included. You can afford this. It's a moveable feast." Ain't that the truth? Travel across America, and everywhere you go, you'll find stops you have to make on the iconic food pilgrimage: Louis' Lunch in New Haven to taste the original burger, according to local lore; Hot Dog Johnny's in Buttzville, New Jersey, for a chili dog with a birch beer in a frosted mug; and you can't go to the Jersey Shore without having a Taylor Pork Roll sandwich. And I'm not even out of the Northeast!

You can find your way across this country using burger joints
the way a navigator uses stars. Charles Kuralt

As kids growing up in Scranton, Pennsylvania, we enjoyed burgers two ways: in the backyard on the grill, or at the local diner, coffee shop, or drive in. At home, everyone had their own preferred way to cook them. My dad ate his seared and blue; my mom liked hers well done. Condiment additions were crucial. It was all about the meat then. There is something about a classic beef hamburger that satisfies the human animal -- that charbroiled meat from the fire. It's been immortalized in American film and television. Who can forget Arnold's burger joint in Happy Days or The Olympia Diner on Saturday Night Live with John Belushi behind the counter? There was only one offering available to the customers there:

Cheeseburga, cheeseburga, cheeseburga. John Belushi

Today there is every kind of burger available -- Kobe beef, pork, salmon, tuna, turkey, chicken, veggie, and grain, to name a few. Rachael features them and others in The Book of Burger: a Wellington Burger with steak and pate; Cuban Patty Melts with yellow mustard slaw; and a Spanikopita chicken burger with spinach and feta. Plus there are all kinds of hot dogs and sloppy sandwiches. Even homemade pickles. And since Rachael has been hosting the Burger Bash at the South Beach and New York Food and Wine Festivals for years, she includes the winning burger recipes from famous chefs. As Rachael points out, "Great food has hit the streets, and in this economy, the top chefs have brought their food to the people."

Photograph by Romulo Yanes

I think that one of the biggest innovations of the day is the rise of the small burger, the now ubiquitous SLIDER. Once found only at cocktail parties and fancy bars, today you can get slider patties and rolls in your local supermarket. They are the perfect size for eating in combination with other favorite foods. This Father's Day weekend, most Americans will pull out the grill at some point. And we all know that Dads love burgers. With sliders, you can make a few different kinds easily. I personally love being able to have a slider, a dog and a sausage sandwich! And here's some great news: Rachael said that she is planning to open a slider bar with specialty fountain drinks and Bloody Mary flights on Sundays. I, for one, can't wait. The plan is to open in New York, and eventually move to several cities. Now that would make Charles Kuralt happy!

To help with your menu planning for Father's Day, Rachael is sharing a recipe from The Book of Burger with us. It's a 5- Spice Burger with Warm Moo Shu Slaw. It's the perfect twist on your favorite Mu Shu Pork or Chicken, served up on a bun. Enjoy, and Happy Father's Day to all of you Dads, Grandfathers, and Fathers-to-be!

Photograph by Romulo Yanes

5-SPICE BURGERS with WARM MU SHU SLAW

Serves 4

Ingredients:

BURGERS:
1 1⁄2 pounds ground pork or chicken
1 teaspoon Chinese 5-spice powder
2 cloves garlic, grated or
1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated or minced
2 scallions, whites and greens, ﬁnely chopped
3 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
Vegetable oil, for drizzling

MU SHU SLAW:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
12 fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded, caps thinly sliced
1⁄3 to 1⁄2 pound cabbage, such as napa or Savoy, shredded
2 or 3 scallions, whites and greens, thinly sliced on an angle
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
4 cornmeal-dusted or sesame kaiser rolls, split and lightly toasted

Preparation:
Make the burgers: In a large bowl, combine the pork or chicken, 5-spice powder, garlic, ginger, scallions, tamari, and a drizzle of oil; mix thoroughly. Score the mixture into 4 equal portions and form them into patties slightly thinner at the center than at the edges for even cooking and to ensure a !at surface burgers plump as they cook). Drizzle the patties with oil.

Heat a large nonstick skillet or grill pan over medium high heat. Cook the burgers, flipping once, 10 to 12 minutes, or until the juices run clear.

While the burgers are cooking, make the slaw: Heat the oil, 2 turns of the pan, in a nonstick skillet over high heat. Cook the shiitakes 2 minutes. Add the cabbage and stir-fry 3 minutes. Add the scallions and hoisin sauce, toss to combine, and remove from the heat.

Place the burgers on the roll bottoms and pile high with slaw. Set the roll tops in place.

Copyright © 2012 by Rachael Ray from THE BOOK OF BURGER published by Atria Books, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

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Appetizers and Baseball, Anyone?

2012-05-24T11:39:15-04:00

What's better than grazing from a table of appetizers while chatting with friends and watching your favorite baseball team play? I've often said that I'm going to have a party and serve nothing but appetizers. Then, being Italian, I think about my six brothers all asking when the pasta is ready in their very deep, very loud voices, and I change my mind. But let me dream for a moment. It's Memorial Day soon and baseball season is back, and what better reason to have friends over than to enjoy a game together as we all snack on delicious appetizers and have a glass of wine or favorite cocktail? After all, baseball is the quintessential American game, and is like no other.

It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone.

- A. Bartlett Giamatti

My six brothers all played Little League and then high school and college baseball. Even though we grew up in Scranton, Pennsylvania, we were fervent Yankee fans. Our dad, a great athlete at Fordham University, had been going to Yankee games since Joe DiMaggio was a rookie. At first, I was also a Dodgers' fan. Our mother's father was from Olyphant, a small mining town in Pennsylvania. He was a Brooklyn Dodgers' fan and so I was, too. I loved to hear baseball on the radio as my grandfather listened to the game coming from faraway Ebbets Field. I still love to hear baseball on the radio. Suzyn Waldman and John Sterling calling a Yankee game make me feel like my dad is sitting in the next room even though we lost him nine years ago. And I am comforted by the reassuring sameness of the rules which have changed very little. The addition of the designated hitter in 1973 by the American League is still rejected by the National League.

Baseball is almost the only orderly thing in a very unorderly world. If you get three strikes, even the best lawyer in the world can't get you off.

- Bill Veeck

Although as John Sterling always reminds us, <"Who can predict this game of baseball, Suzyn? You just never know what might happen." And in our quick-time, A.D.D. world where people are on speed overdrive at all times, I relish the long, slow pace of baseball. There is no rushing those nine innings. They are meant to be savored. This makes it the perfect occasion to have a fabulous appetizer party with friends. You'll be able to catch up on life, love affairs, work, recipes, your team, and the game will still be going on! So pull out your favorite finger foods and dips. Here's a special one for you to enjoy this holiday weekend, and any time you get together with friends.

Our good friend, renowned Chef Eric Ripert, owner of three-star Michelin restaurant Le Bernardin in New York, kindly shared some special easy-to-make toaster oven recipes with us on our DishandDine website. This simple goat-cheese appetizer is one of our favorites. Eric Ripert says:

When I have people over to my home, the appetizers and canapés tend to be fairly casual. I set out a variety of homemade spreads, crackers and bread, along with small finger foods that people can snack on with a drink in hand. I also like to serve these goat cheese truffles, dusted in breadcrumbs and herbs, as a sort of twist on the standard cheese plate. A simple warm round of cheese placed on a small piece of toast makes for a wonderful, delicious bite -- perfect with a glass of wine.

Don't miss Chef Eric's show on PBS, Avec Eric. And please visit aveceric.com.

GOAT CHEESE TRUFFLES

photo AVEC ERIC

Ingredients:

4 ounces goat cheese, slightly chilled
½ cup plain breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon herbes de Provence
2 teaspoons fresh cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon fine sea salt

Preparation:

1. Heat toaster oven to Broil.
2. Slice goat cheese into 8 pieces and roll each piece into a ball, set aside.
3. In a small mixing bowl, combine the breadcrumbs with olive oil, Herbes de Provence, cracked pepper and salt and mix thoroughly.
4. Roll the goat cheese truffles lightly in the seasoned breadcrumb mixture.
5. Place the truffles on a toaster oven tray and drizzle with olive oil.
6. Broil for 2-3 minutes.

Copyright AVEC ERIC 2008

Goat Cheese Truffles Video

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Bellissimo Brunellos of Montalcino

2012-05-07T11:56:25-04:00

We are very fortunate to know the Italian hillside town of Montalcino in Tuscany through our dear friend, Rachael Ray, the cook, TV host, and writer. She was married there in a castle on a hillside overlooking the town. As many of you who follow her show and magazine know, Rachael and John take their families and a group of friends back there every year to celebrate their anniversary. We are among those fortunate friends. You visit, walk, talk, eat, dance and drink the best wine in the world, the noble Brunello di Montalcino.

Perched on a hilltop in Tuscany, the ancient stone village of Montalcino was founded in Etruscan times. A large fort that now houses a wine shop (enoteca) towers above the town and the rolling hills covered with the vineyards of the precious Sangiovese grosso grapes that produce the Brunello and other local wines. There are wines shops on every street because this is the heart of the Brunello region. Narrow cobblestone streets and steep paths rimmed by flowers connect one level to another in this delightful village. You walk across stone ramparts and everywhere there are breathtaking views of the Tuscan countryside. Remnants of the ancient stone walls remain around the town center. Cypress trees dot the hills as the vineyards drape the hollows. The sun bathes everything in a light no painter could match. It's heaven.

Wine is one of the most civilized things in the world and one of the most natural things of the world that has been brought to the greatest perfection, and it offers a greater range for enjoyment and appreciation than, possibly, any other purely sensory thing.
-- Ernest Hemingway, Death in the Afternoon

Every vintage of Brunello di Montalcino is aged for five years before it is released. "There is no other region that waits five years to do this," explained David Sokolin, president of Sokolin Wine, to me. On Thursday, May 10th, Sokolin is hosting two wine tastings of the much acclaimed Brunello 2006 Riserva and a sampling of the newly released 2007 Brunello di Montalcino Vintage wines at City Winery in New York City from 5:30 to 9 PM. "Thirty different producers from the Montalcino region will be there to present their wines and talk about them," said David. And well-known wine writer and critic James Suckling will also be there to talk and rub elbows with the guests.

As those of you who follow this post know, I lived in Paris for a few years, working in film, where I fell in love with the wines of Burgundy. There is a beautiful little town named Vezelay about an hour and a half from Paris where you must all try to go some day. There is a stunning Romanesque Cathedral of the Madeleine, a starting point for the Crusades in the 12th century, and you can sample the fabulous reds and whites of Burgundy in the area. Unfortunately, these wines have now become insanely expensive.

"This is another big advantage of the Brunellos," pointed out David Sokolin. "Most of the best Brunellos are between $40 and $70 and rarely over $100." This is great to hear. And then there's the thing I love best about Brunello. You feel like you can taste the sun in every swallow. The quality of the single grape wine made in the traditional centuries old method gives Brunello its distinctive taste of the land and the region.

photo www.jamessuckling.com

James Suckling, who has a home in Tuscany and loves these wines said that he finds that "the 2006 has a little more acidity, is more tannic, and has more structure." He finds "the 2007 more fruity,voluptuous, and ready to drink." He attributes this to the difference in the weather for those two years. "There were hot weather spikes in August," said James. "For the 2007 vintage causing the wine to be more fruity."

Both are excellent wines that will age beautifully but James has a slight preference for the more classic Brunello character of the 2006. James also added that "it is extraordinary to have two such outstanding vintages one year after another." The wines are very comparable in price and as James says, "the best value in fine wine today." For more information about the event at City Winery in New York, May 10, go to www.sokolin.com/bellissimo.

Wine is sunlight, held together by water.
-- Galileo Galilei

And Brunello is also the perfect complement to food, turning every meal into a special feast. Here is a pasta recipe for what I've come to call Montalcino Red Sauce. It's from our favorite restaurant in Montalcino, a place called Taverna Il Grappola Blu. It couldn't be more simple. There the chef/owner makes it with handmade pasta and crushed cherry tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, and fresh basil. In my recipe, I have substituted San Marzano tomatoes unless you are in the heart of summer and can actually find garden fresh cherry tomatoes similar to what you could find in Tuscany. It's couldn't be more simple but it's just delicious. The recipe is below and there is a video on our site where I make it for you. Enjoy!

MONTALCINO RED SAUCE

Photo by John McCally

Ingredients:
2 28-oz Cans Italian San Marzano whole peeled tomatoes
12 whole cloves garlic, peeled
1 medium onion, diced
Red pepper flakes to taste
Salt to taste
Fresh Ground Black Pepper to taste
Extra Virgin olive oil: enough to generously cover the bottom of your sauce pan
12 fresh basil leaves, washed
1 pound long fusilli pasta
Fresh Basil leaf
Fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese for grating
Fresh Pepper

Preparation:
This recipe can be made in under a half hour if you cook the pasta while the sauce is simmering. Start by putting a large pot of water on high heat. Salt the water by measuring a little mound into the palm of your hand. Put an oven safe pasta serving bowl into the oven on warm so it will be ready for serving.

Next, pour the tomatoes into a large mixing bowl, keeping all the juice from the cans. Break the tomatoes by hand, until the larger chunks are about the size of grapes. Heat the oil in a 6 quart or larger sauce pan. When hot, add the pepper flakes, a pinch of salt, and the diced onions. When the onions are translucent, add the whole cloves of garlic. As the onions turn golden brown, add the tomatoes to the pan. Cook on medium for about 15 minutes.

At this point, you can add the pasta to the water, and cook as/per the package directions until al dente (probably about 14 minutes, but be sure to test a few minutes before the cooking time marked on the package so it doesn't get soft).

While the pasta cooks, gently tear the basil leaf into large pieces, and stir into the sauce pot. Salt to taste, but remember not to overdo it because you'll be adding grated cheese when you serve. Grind in fresh pepper from the pepper mill to taste. Cook on low for another 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and put about a third of the sauce in the bottom of the warm serving bowl. Drain the pasta into a colander, and put it into the bowl with the sauce while piping hot. Toss the sauce in the bowl with the pasta, and then add most of the remaining sauce, keeping a cup or two for the table.

Serve hot into individual bowls. Add basil leaf for garnish, and top with fresh grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Mangia!

Recommended side dishes are an Insalata Tricolore, (see Tip for Making Salad Dressing in a Bowl) and Grilled Italian sausages or Pork Chops. And of course, you must eat all of this with a large glass of Tuscan red wine. If you're very lucky, enjoy a glass of Brunello di Montalcino, the king of Tuscan reds! But if saving for a trip to Italy, any Tuscan red would be magnifico! Buon appetito!

This recipe and many other family favorites are available on DishandDine.com. Stop by and become part of this grass roots global food community!

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March Madness

2012-03-21T13:20:47-04:00

March Madness is a national phenomenon. Sports fans of all ages join in. It has everything: buzzer beaters; Cinderella stories; heartbreaking last second losses and hysterically happy upset wins. There are triple overtime games that end with young players sobbing on the bench into their towels, while the victors are sobbing in joy on the floor. David can triumph over Goliath. The highs and lows are intense because the players are all such young men and women. The drama is constant and the pain and joy are almost inseparable stories.

I know that I personally may never fully recover from the NCAA Final Four of 1989. My brother P.J. was coaching Seton Hall. In the first game of the Final Four, the Hall came back from 18 down to beat Duke by 17, everyone's pick to win it all. We tied Michigan in the Championship game with a three point shot to go into overtime and then lost in overtime on a foul shot in the final seconds. It was a bitter ending to a Cinderella story for a wonderful group of young men, and of course a great coach. I had decided to leave my two year old twin daughters at the last moment to go out to Seattle, and consequently had one of those four stop plane tickets back to New York. Remember the song Cry Me A River? Well, I must have cried an ocean as I zigzagged back home across the country!

And all of this drama is coupled with the fans' obsession with their brackets! The country is alive with the talk of brackets and the new science of Bracketology. Everyone from the President to your neighbor, son, and daughter filled one out. This year, there were almost 7 million registered at ESPN alone. And what do you have to do while these four weeks of March Madness go on? You have to EAT during the games, of course! And I am here to tell you about some foods to help you through.

Little Miss Muffet Sat on a tuffet
Eating her curds and whey,
Nursery Rhyme.

In Chicago recently, I ate in a new restaurant that specializes in Midwestern artisan beers and food called the Farmhouse Tavern. Chef Eric Mansavage is a truly talented young chef. But to return to March Madness, he makes a heavenly concoction called Wisconsin Cheese Curds that are perfect for watching basketball games with a glass of good beer. Apparently invented in Wisconsin, I can't believe they taste this good anywhere else. Curds are one of the early stages of cheddar cheese and best consumed when just made. Chef Eric dips them in an indescribably delicious secret batter, deep fries them, and serves them with Alder Smoked Catsup. They are little yellow and white balls of cheese bliss. I am working on Chef Eric to see if we can get the recipe.

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
Judi Barrett

Is there anything better than meatballs? But how can you eat them while watching basketball games on TV? Our good friend George Duran, who you may know as host of Ham on the Street on the Food Network, has a great solution for this March Madness problem. This is the perfect pick it up and be able to eat it with your hands food. He starts with a delicious recipe for Meatballs. Then he adds the perfect pasta. It's getting even better but how does this work as finger food? George puts the Meatball on a stick and uses a pasta that you can wrap around the meatball, or put right under it on the stick like a bow-tie. Then George sets a bowl of delicious marinara sauce next to the meatball sticks for dipping. Now does that sound good? His cookbook, Take This Dish and Twist It, is actually full of inventive, easy fun dishes for entertaining.

MEATBALLS WITH PASTA ON A STICK

photo Blaine Moats and Scott Little

Ingredients:
1 (35-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon dried oregano, crushed
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon sugar
Kosher salt or table salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground pork
½ bunch fresh parsley, snipped
1 cup dry bread crumbs
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon dried oregano, crushed
2 eggs
6 ounces dried farfalle, large rotini and/or mafalda pasta
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 unripened melon
80 wooden skewers

Preparation:
For the marinara sauce, in a saucepan over medium heat combine the tomatoes, thyme, bay leaf, oregano, garlic powder, sugar, salt and pepper. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. Or you can use your favorite bottle sauce!
Preheat the broiler. In a large bowl mix the beef and pork; add the parsley, bread crumbs, cumin, oregano, and eggs; season with salt and pepper. Mix well to combine. Roll 1 tablespoon of the mixture into a small ball; repeat to make about 80 small meatballs. Put them on a baking sheet; broil about 10-15 minutes or until they are browned and cooked through.
Cook the farfalle according to package directions. Drain and rinse in cold water. Toss with the oil.
On each skewer thread a farfalle and a meatball. To serve, cut an unripened melon in half lengthwise and put it cut side down on a platter. Insert the skewer into the melon. Serve with warm marinara sauce for dipping.

© Pop Cuisine Publishing, Take This Dish and Twist It (Meredith Books, 2008)

This recipe and many other family favorites are available on DishandDine.com. Stop by and become part of this grass roots global food community!

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S'more Chocolate

2012-02-14T15:27:17-05:00

Every Valentine's Day, our thoughts turn to love, and flowers, and well, chocolate.

All I really need is love, but a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt!

>Lucy Van Pelt in Peanuts. Charles M. Shultz

What is it about chocolate that makes people feel so much better? It starts when you are very young and there is nothing like a cup of hot, steaming cocoa when you come in from the cold. It's the preferred drink for breakfast in many countries. The Spaniards and Mexicans have always ascribed life-giving properties to the beans of the cacao plant that make the chocolate we all love. One of my first cooking memories is of my mother stirring fudge at the stove, and then testing it in ice water to see if it had reached the soft ball stage and was ready to beat. We scraped the pot long before it cooled.

My friend, Anne, always talked about her chocolate friend in the years when we were raising our children. It made me laugh but I knew just what she meant. There were memorable days together in the pediatrician's waiting room. I stayed with our twin girls and Anne's five children as Anne went in with one of her girls or boys. The screams from inside were blood-curdling. Afterwards there was the solace of running around outside and snacks with a chocolate treat for moms and kids. When Anne moved to Los Angeles, she wondered if they would understand about her chocolate friend out there. We laughed.

There's nothing better than a good friend, except a good friend with chocolate.

The Pickwick Papers, Charles Dickens.

People are passionate about their preferred chocolate. What causes these obsessions? There are generous people who won't share their chocolate bar. I loved it when Kyra Sedgwick's character in The Closer would draw her blinds and pull out her chocolate candy to eat by herself. My only real chocolate passion is a bitter, dark truffle rolled in cocoa powder at the end of a meal. They're not bad in between meals either. My daughters and husband adore milk chocolate. In fact, chocolate cannot come in too many sizes, shapes, or forms for them: bars, drops, coins, kisses, cakes, croissants, and cones. It can be white, milk, mocha, semisweet, and bittersweet. Today chocolate comes laced with chili and dappled with gold. The mystery of chocolate's attraction for people of all ages knows no end.

At Valentine's Day, there are many favorite desserts that we turn to because this is the one day of the year when our normally sinful chocolate indulgence is actually encouraged! First you can hope to receive a box of your favorite chocolates, of course. And then at the end of a special dinner, you can dream of a dense, smooth, luscious Chocolate Mousse.

My cousin Anne Marie finally gave me her favorite Chocolate Mousse recipe which is on our DishandDine site. Ann Marie was a nineteen year old studying in Fribourg , Switzerland. Through the auspices of one of her professors, she was invited to the chalet of a French Count for dinner. The elderly French Count was enchanted with the tall, lovely young American. She was enchanted with the Mousse Au Chocolat that was served for dessert. He said it was a centuries old family recipe that was a treasured secret. But since she was such a delightful young lady, he would allow her to watch his personal chef prepare the dish, and give her the special recipe. However Anne Marie was sworn to secrecy. At the time of my marriage, thirty years ago, Ann Marie decided to give me the recipe as a wedding gift. And when I started DishandDine I convinced my cousin that the time was right to share it with all of us! It is truly heavenly mousse; extremely dense and rich but without any cream! Here is the recipe and the link:

<Ann Marie's Mousse Au Chocolat!!>

Ingredients:
5 eggs
5 tablespoons cold water
1½ tablespoons rum
½ pound dark sweet chocolate (Menier & Maillard)
Preparation:
Separate the yolks and whites; break chocolate in small pieces and place in thick pan with cold water. Stir over low fire until it dissolves. Remove from fire and mix in carefully 5 yolks and rum. Beat egg whites until stiff, add and mix thoroughly. Pour into glasses or cups and cover with wax paper or saran wrap (right on the mousse). Refrigerate for at least 6-8 hours before serving

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Time for Apple Picking

2011-10-28T14:01:01-04:00

Time for Apple Picking

We were very tired, we were very merry--
We had gone back and forth all night on the ferry;
And you ate an apple, and I ate a pear,
From a dozen of each we had bought somewhere;

Edna St. Vincent Millay

Is there anything better than an apple? Fall is my favorite season and apples play a large role. When October arrives and the leaves turn scarlet and orange, and the air turns cool and crisp, it's time for apple picking. I grew up in Scranton, Pennsylvania where apple picking was mixed with a ride in the wagon through the pumpkin patch. A generation later, my daughters had the same experience growing up in Connecticut. We returned home with bushels of apples, gallons of apple cider, pumpkins from the pumpkin patch, and of course, you had to try some of the warm apple cider and fresh baked cinnamon donuts. I can smell them now.

There is so much you can do with an apple. Eat it plain; slice it, and serve it as a snack with peanut butter; sprinkle it with sugar and cinnamon; bob for it; make delicious tangy candied apples that are so good you can't even wait for the candy to set. And did I mention caramel apples? My mother made them for her ten children all the time. Sometimes, she dipped the caramel and candied apples in coconut or chocolate and candy bits. Perfect for Halloween!

Then there's apple crisp. This is my youngest brother's favorite because it's so quick and easy to make. Just slice the apples and dust them with cinnamon sugar and put them in a buttered pie plate. Then you take a handful of oats and some more butter and cinnamon and crumble it on top of the apples and bake them for a half hour or so. Instant heaven. And you don't even have to make a crust. But of course, there is nothing like a great homemade apple pie.

Good apple pies are a considerable part of our domestic happiness.

Jane Austen

I don't like desserts, or even eat many desserts. But I make an exception for apple pie. I barely think of it as a dessert. As far as I'm concerned, it's real food. And you can dial the sweetness up or down. I personally like my hot, two crust, homemade apple pie (the only kind I will eat) with a piece of melted sharp cheddar cheese. But there are those who like some vanilla or ginger ice cream on the side. Who can blame them?

People say it's as American as apple pie. That has always surprised me. First of all, only the crab apple was native to America although now there are more than 7,000 varieties grown here. Let's remember Johnny Appleseed and the debt we owe him for planting so many orchards. Plus you can find great apple tarts in France, in Spain, and in England. They vary in process but each one is a taste delight. There are many delicious apple pie recipes on my DishandDine website.

But I thought it would be a special treat to share a new apple recipe with all of you. Our dear friend, Francine Segan, is a true Renaissance woman. We've read her themed cookbooks, listened to her talks on food history, and watched her cook. (See her videos on DishandDine.com) As fall begins, Francine has a beautiful new cookbook, Dolci: Italy's Sweets. Here is a recipe for a fantastic Rustic Tuscan Apple Cake. I felt that we could all use a scrumptious new apple cake recipe. Try it, and the book, too!

Rustic Tuscan Apple Cake

Cookbook Title:
Dolci: Italy's Sweets
Photo: Ellen Silverman
Description:
Pareva la torta di Nonna Papera!
Looks like Grandma Duck's cake!
Said of a particularly pretty cake or pie

A classic! At first glance it may seem like a huge ratio of apple to dough and you're going to be tempted to cut down on the apples. Don't! It looks like a lot of apples, but they magically meld into the batter. You'll love the result. The top half of the cake is chock full of tender apples that float over sweet moist cake.
Deceptively simple, exceptional results.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil or butter, plus more for the pan
7 ounces, about 1 1/3 cups, whole wheat or all-purpose flour, plus more for the pan
2/3 cup, plus 1 tablespoon, granulated sugar
2 large eggs or egg substitute
1/2 cup whole milk
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
Zest of 1 lemon
4 large or 5 medium apples, about 2 pounds total

Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Butter and flour an 8-inch cake pan. Beat 2/3 cup of sugar and the eggs in a large bowl, using a whisk or electric handheld beater, until creamy and light yellow. Beat in the flour, milk, baking powder, baking soda and zest. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan.

Peel and core each of the apples. Dice one of the apples and stir the dices into the batter. Cut the remaining apples into thin slices. Spread the slices over the diced apples in the pan in a neat pattern. Press into the batter. Scatter thin pats of butter or drizzle olive oil over the apples and sprinkle with the remaining tablespoon of sugar. Bake for about 75 minutes, until dark golden and cooked through.

This recipe and many other family favorites are available on DishandDine.com. Stop by and become part of this grass roots global food community!

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Spring Means Soft-Shell Crabs

2011-05-11T12:53:09-04:00

in Just-

spring when the world is mud-luscious
-e.e. cummings.

It's May and spring has finally come. Spring means different things to different people. For me, it's being able to walk outside again and see the return of my favorite shore birds, the egrets and osprey. It's seeing the brilliant yellow of the forsythia bushes and the dandelions and daffodils. And the soft pastels of the flowering apple and cherry blossoms. It's the beginning of baseball season. And at last there are fresh greens in the market again. Dandelion greens...

When we were kids, we looked forward to the dandelions. They were so useful for making mud pies. How could I know that mud pies weren't edible? They sounded edible. I made them for all the little kids, decorated with the bright yellow dandelion flowers and greens. I served them on my doll's plates and the kids ate them right up. Fortunately, my mother was a nurse and not the hysterical type. She always said you'd eat a peck of dirt in your lifetime. Luckily dandelions aren't poisonous.

Baseball then meant baseball in the backyard. Of course, as the only girl with four brothers for a while, I was always steady catcher. Until my dad came into the yard, then suddenly I was put onto a team and given a chance to hit. My dad, a first generation Italian-American, was a believer in equality for women. Not for nothing did he champion Title IX years later, mandating that women's sports have equal footing in college sports. For me now, baseball means the Yankees and the joy of listening to or seeing a game almost every day. Does it get any better? Only if you're eating a soft-shell crab at the same time. The season is short and you have to take advantage.

There is a saying in Baltimore that crabs may be prepared in fifty ways and that all of them are good. -H.L Mencken

Daddy loved soft-shell crabs. He and I shared this seasonal passion. His favorite way to eat them was deep-fried on a hamburger bun with lettuce, tomato, and tartar sauce. For him that was soft-shell perfection. There are those who like grilled soft-shell crabs, and they are delicious. You marinate them for a few hours in olive oil and lemon or lime juice and your favorite seasonings, and they are excellent.

But for me, sautéed saucy soft-shell crabs are nirvana. I have created a recipe that I have to say tastes heavenly. Every year, my friends wait impatiently for me to make them. I've never featured one of my own recipes before, but I decided that in this case I had to make an exception. So I forced myself to sit down and figure out exactly what I do. Or rather, I made the recipe with my husband, John, following every step, stopping me, measuring and writing it down so that I could share it here with all of you.

I have always had great respect for my cookbook-writing friends, especially my dear friend, Rachael Ray, who has so many recipes to write for her various shows, magazine, and books. Now I have even more respect. It is really hard to write up a recipe. Give this a try if you like soft-shell crabs. I don't mean to toot my own horn, but they do taste really good! Happy Spring!

SAUCY SOFT-SHELL CRABS

Description:
This is a two-part cooking process in which you brown the crabs first in olive oil, remove them to oven, and then make a sauce. Cooking time is about 20 minutes.

Ingredients:
Part One:
4 soft-shell crabs, cleaned by your fish market
4 Tbsp. flour
1/3 to 1/2 cup of olive oil (depends on size of pan)
Sprinkle of kosher salt
Fresh Ground black pepper

For the Sauce:
5 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 tsp. of capers
1/8 cup of olive oil
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/8 tsp. Tabasco sauce or to taste
1 lemon
1/3 cup dry white wine
Small handful of fresh chives to snip over the crabs

Preparation:
Get two soft-shell crabs per person. Have the fishmonger clean them for you shortly before you are going to make them. Pat them dry. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Put 1/2 cup of olive oil into a large skillet. Heat oil until it is hot. Dredge each crab in the flour which you've spread out on a dinner plate. Shake each crab well in turn, and put them quickly into the pan, bottom side down. You should hear a sizzle when they go into the oil. Cook on medium high heat until the crabs turn red. It takes about 6 minutes. By then it should be brown on the bottom. Turn the crabs over, and cook for another 2 minutes or so. You want the crabs golden brown and crispy on each side. Remove them to an ovenproof plate. Sprinkle with a dash of kosher salt and a grind of fresh black pepper. Place the platter in oven to keep warm. Discard the oil in the pan, then reuse the skillet.

Now you make the sauce. Into a fresh pan, place 5 tbsp. butter and 1/8 cup olive oil. Heat on medium until melted. Add 1 tsp. of capers and stir with wooden spoon. At least that's what I prefer! Add 1/2 tsp. of Worcestershire sauce, a dash or so of Tabasco sauce, and 1/3 cup dry white wine. Let that all come together. Take your soft-shell crabs out of the oven and put them into the sauce. Spoon it over them well so that they really take a swim in the sauce as it thickens more. Put at least half of the juice of the lemon in then and stir it well. Then snip the fresh chives all over the top of the crabs and sauce for garnish. Baste the crabs again before you take them out and then serve immediately, with the extra lemon slices and a glass of wine. So good! You'll want to enjoy it every spring!

This recipe and video and many other family favorites are available on DishandDine.com. Stop by and become part of this grassroots global food community!

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Best Cheese Fondue Ever

2011-03-28T16:33:53-04:00

Okay, it's supposed to be springtime, and winter is just not over. What's up, Punxsutawney Phil and Staten Island Chuck? You said winter was going to end in six weeks on Groundhog Day. I just looked up Phil's accuracy rate and it's only 39% since 1887, so I should've known. Well, it's still cold.

So what's good to eat when it's cold outside? Grilled cheese. I have memories of hot tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich when we came home from ice skating or sledding when I was a kid. I grew up in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and in those days, there was always tons of snow in the winter. Kind of like this winter everywhere.

Many's the night I've dreamed of cheese - toasted, mostly. - Robert Louis Stevenson

Later when I was a film student living in Paris, I went to Fribourg, Switzerland, for Saint Nicholas Day, December 6th. At a little restaurant on the snowy main street, I discovered raclette. It's a cheese lover's dream: a large wheel of raclette cheese lays suspended on a platter that rotates in front of an open fire The edge closest to the fire heats until it begins to melt. You hold out your plate and they shave the heavenly bubbly cheese onto it. Then your return to your table where you eat the raclette with little boiled potatoes, picked onions, cornichons, and thin slices of air dried beef. That night I had 16 plates. There is probably still a plaque in the restaurant with my name on it. They were very impressed that a 22-year-old American girl could do that. They hadn't met my family. I am only an average eater among my ten brothers and sisters.

I would have to say that cheese, cheese, glorious cheese is one of my very favorite foods. If I had to choose between meat and cheese, I would go with cheese. There are so many varieties for one thing. In France alone, as DeGaulle used to complain, you can find 246 varieties of cheese. Who could govern a nation like that? Soft, hard, runny, smelly, powdery, flaky, creamy, blue, ashen, and covered with leaves, herbs, and all kinds of creative inventions.

And they bought a Pig, and some green Jack-daws,

And a lovely Monkey with lollipop paws,

And forty bottles of Ring-Bo-Ree,

And no end of Stilton Cheese.
Edward Lear

With this lingering winter cold, there is still time to sing the praises of hot cheese in a big pot that you dip bread into: cheese fondue! The very best that I have ever had is the fondue that our good friends the Sterns make every Christmas at their ski house in Vermont for our two families. Barbara says that she got this fabulous recipe from a friend when they were living in London many years ago.

We'd all consume vast quantities of dripping, melting, yummy cheese fondue after a long day outside in the snow with our children. The adults would have a special white wine called fendant that the Swiss say you should drink with fondue. Then we would follow it with the obligatory Chocolate Fondue: strawberries, bananas, apples, and pears dipped in a bubbling dark chocolate brew. Give it a try before the spring comes!

Best Cheese Fondue

Photo: DishandDine

Description:
Our favorite and only good cheese fondue recipe!

Ingredients:
20 oz. Gruyere cheese grated
20 oz Emmentaler cheese grated
2 and ½ cups of Liebfraumilch white wine
2 jiggers ( about 3 oz.) of Kirsch
2 teaspoons cornstarch (stirred into the Kirsch)
Pepper and Nutmeg
1 and ½ large loaves of French bread cut into 1 inch cubes (leave a bit of crust on each piece)

Preparation:
Rub the fondue pot or saucepan with the peeled clove of garlic.

Put in the white wine and heat, but do not boil

Add about 1/3 of the grated cheese and stir until smooth and creamy, continually adding the rest of the cheese while mixture is simmering. Continue stirring in a figure eight motion until all is in and creamy.

Bring just to the boil and add the Kirsch and cornstarch mixture ( to keep this mixture from lumping, stir a couple spoonfuls of the hot cheese mixture into the cornstarch mixture and then mix all together in the saucepan, stirring constantly.

Bring once more to a boil.

Quickly season with freshly ground pepper and nutmeg.

Serves four very very large eaters or six regular eaters.

This recipe and many other family favorites are available on DishandDine.com. Stop by and become part of this grass roots global food community!

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The Body Needs Burgers

2011-02-19T17:10:56-05:00

Every Presidents' Day holiday, I go through the same confusion of trying to figure out how they pick the date. It's not Lincoln's birthday, or Washington's, but it is definitely closer to our first president so I guess that's my answer. That old seniority thing. This year, we had a brief moment of spring weather here in the East and it turned my thoughts away from eternal snow to having a cookout and grilling burgers, of course.

Burgers just seems to make people feel better. I always think of that great line from Norman Lear's brilliant and hilarious series, Fernwood Tonight. In the show, Susan Cloud, the owner of the Butterfly Deli and a convert to vegetarianism, had one credo:

I don't like to eat anything that under different circumstances might eat me. Except hamburgers, Because the human body requires burgers. - Susan Cloud, Fernwood Tonight.

When I was a film student in the Art School at Yale in 1977, my good friend, Kevin Crotty, who taught Classics there, would take me to the now departed Old Heidelberg for a bite to eat. He would listen to my tales of woe, and remind me that "The body needs burgers." That never failed to make me laugh. And how right he was.

There's something completely satisfying about a great burger. It has a lot of those tastes that the human animal craves: charbroiled meat from the fire; salty and sweet from the ketchup and onions and pickles; and a roll to hold and make it easy to eat. New Haven claims the distinction of being the home of the hamburger: invented by Louis Lassen of Louis' Lunch, which started out as a small lunch wagon in 1895. Frankly the burgers at Louis' Lunch are not that great, and I have trouble believing the local lore. How can you really know who put a steak patty on a roll first? I'm probably going to hear from a lot of people for saying this but it's actually a subject of some vigorous historical debate. What really matters is that the hamburger was a huge hit from the beginning. Even the French were seduced.

It is the Americans who have managed to crown minced beef as hamburger, and to send it round the world so that even the fussy French have taken to le boeuf hache, le hambourgaire.- Julia Child

The hamburger was a fast food sensation, and is still the king of all fast food. But it has gone beyond to capture the imagination of the foodie world. Today there are all kinds of burgers: little ones called sliders, and big, giant supersized ones. There are burgers made from Kobe beef, bison, venison, and ostrich. You have lamb, chicken, and turkey burgers; even tuna, salmon, tofu, and veggie burgers. There are burger bashes, bistros and bonanzas. Personally, I'm pretty old-fashioned. I've been eating burgers and having Blood Mary's for years at PJ Clarke's with members of my large family and friends from my several lives. I even have semi-fond memories of bags of White Castle burgers from the Bronx that arrived at 3 AM during interminable political meetings in the sixties.

But my favorite burger is the burger you make with friends or family when you get home from swimming in the ocean. Someone makes the burgers with great fresh ground meat. You fire up the coals and someone (not me) has to grill the patties perfectly. Then everyone gets to make their own with the best ingredients of summer. Luscious Jersey tomatoes from the garden, and some lettuce you just picked, and for me, it has to be, as John Belushi would say, a cheesburgah. Doesn't get any better.

Our good friend Mannix, the charming and cheeky Australian chef (www.thelovebite.com), has shared his Mannix Burger recipe with us. It's an indescribably delicious turkey burger. Before you start thinking lo-cal and healthy, let me add that this burger is also made with bacon and cheddar cheese, and is SO good. Have a great holiday! Burgers are good any time.

The Mannix Burger

Servings: 6
Description:

Get ready for a 1/4 pounder with a full pound of flavour! Make the burger patties a day ahead if you like. Keep them in the fridge. Slice up all the sidekicks, grill the patties, toss the buns on the grill for a minute... And, for a ridiculous overload, serve the burgers with potato wedges (cooked to crisp perfection in goose fat). What makes this little patty bigger than his beefy buddies? It's the bacon. By using superlean turkey, I felt no remorse in sneaking a little bacon into the mix. The smoky flavor adds oomph and the bacon fat keeps things nice and juicy.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb (750g) ground turkey
4 rashers (slices) bacon, finely diced
1/2 lg onion, finely chopped
1 tblspn worcestershire sauce
1 egg
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1 tspn paprika
salt and pepper
1/4 cup flour

To serve:
6 focaccia buns
avocado
2 heirloom tomatoes
6 cheddar cheese slices
mayonnaise
Spanish (purple) onions

Preparation:

Mix: ground turkey; bacon, onion, worcestershire sauce, breadcrumbs, egg and seasonings (by hand!)
Divide: into 6 balls
Roll: each ball in a little flour, pat off excess and flatten into a patty shape
Chill and grill: I let the floured patties sit in the fridge for a bit (if not overnight), then I either spray them with cooking oil or brush them with olive oil (depends who's watching) and grill them on a hot grill... 7-8 minutes per side, depending how thick the patty is
Serve: cooked patties and toasted buns on a platter with sliced tomatoes, avocado, lettuce and (grilled) onion rings. Have mayonnaise, ketchup, bbq sauce and mustard on the side...let them build it their way!

This recipe and many other family favorites are available on DishandDine.com. Stop by and become part of this grass roots global food community!

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Pasta At Midnight

2011-01-19T15:42:09-05:00

Pasta at Midnight

Put on the Ollies! - Pete Carlesimo

I could say that these cold winter nights are the reason I love to have a warm, delicious bowl of pasta at midnight. But then I'd be lying. I love having pasta at midnight at any time of the year, although there's something particularly satisfying about a bowl of your favorite pasta when there's a chill in the air, and it's been too long since dinner. Or maybe it's 11:30, and, God forbid, you haven't even eaten yet! Late night dinners in the Carlesimo family always meant one thing: It was time to Put on the Ollies! Better known to the rest of the world as Linguini with Garlic and Oil, or Linguini con Aglio e Oglio, they were a favorite of my father's, and he called them Ollies. When he looked down and his fingers started tapping on the kitchen table, you knew what that meant. Get out the pot and start chopping! I have probably created thirty variations on this basic recipe but it remains my go-to favorite.

We have all continued to follow this family tradition to varying degrees. There are those of us among the ten children who have other quick late night sauce favorites: a quick tuna or clam sauce, or a fresh tomato and basil. When we were visiting Rome about ten years ago, our Italian cousins, Marta and Fredo, made Spaghetti with Olive Oil and Toasted Bread Crumbs for us. It was delicious, and so simple and easy to make that it's become a family favorite ever since.

When I was in Graduate Film School, I made Spaghetti Carbonara at midnight for the cast and crew of my film. They had generously agreed to stay in town to finish the film, only to find themselves trapped in New Haven by a blizzard. They all missed their planes home for Christmas vacation. I made mountains of Carbonara and bought gallons of wine and we all ate and drank the night away. The food definitely helped, as did the wine and singing. Everyone did eventually get home.

"You may have the universe if I may have Italy." --Giuseppe Verdi

Our good friends Debi Mazar (Goodfellas and Entourage) and her handsome Italian-born husband, Gabriele Corcos, are sharing one of their quick late night pasta sauces. They make it for an at-home date night. It's Spaghetti all' Amatricianna. The story goes that shepherds came down from the Sabine hills with cheese and bacon and invented this dish which became a Roman specialty. Below is the recipe and link to the video. Debi and Gabriele premiere in a new series on the Cooking Channel on Wednesday, January 19, at 10 PM, called Extra Virgin. Congratulations and check it out!

Spaghetti all'Amatriciana

Photo courtesy of Under the Tuscan Gun

Description:
Delicious slightly spicy pasta with bacon and tomato sauce.

Ingredients:
1 lb spaghetti is perfect.
1/2 Lb of streaky Bacon (or regular bacon)
2 spoonfuls of Olive Oil
½ red onion
250 g of tomatoes
½ red chilli pepper
100 g of pecorino cheese

Preparation:
Peel the tomatoes, cut into small pieces and drain of all the water; cut the bacon into cubes and allow to brown in the oil. When the fatty part becomes transparent, drain the cubes with a perforated ladle and put on one side; keep warm.
In the same oil used to brown the bacon, lightly fry the onion and chilli pepper chopped up finely; when these are a golden brown, add the pieces of tomato, a little salt and cook for about 10 minutes, then add the bacon.

Meanwhile, put a pot of salted water on to boil and cook the spaghetti, draining when "al dente". Pour the sauce over the spaghetti, and add plenty of grated pecorino cheese. Fill up your glass of wine, have a toast: Salute!

Watch the video here.

This recipe and video and many other family favorites are available on DishandDine.com. Stop by and become part of this grass roots global food community!

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The Brass Sisters' Sweet Potato Latkes

2010-12-02T13:29:10-05:00

At this time of year, when the sun is most hidden,
the holiday of Hanukkah celebrates the rays of hope and light. - Rafael Goldstein

Hanukkah begins very early this year -- the first of December. Growing up in a big Irish-Italian family in Scranton, Pennsylvania, I wasn't fortunate enough to enjoy the delights of Hanukkah as a child. But when my husband and I moved to Westport, CT with our twin girls, we learned all about the Festival of Lights. We were invited to the homes of the girls' friends for the lighting of the menorah, and our daughters were often given the honor of lighting the candles with the shamus or servant candle. Afterwards, we would thrill to the stories of the courageous revolt of the Maccabees after the defiling of the temple, and the miracle of the tiny cruse of oil that burned for eight days. The children played dreidel games, and ate chocolate gelt in memory of the coins that used to be the traditional gift, now replaced by much more elaborate gifts. And then, best of all, we ate the delicious potato latkes, fried in oil, of course, as is fitting for the holiday. With an Irish mother, I had grown up with potato pancakes that were very good, but latkes had some special extra something. This is not to be repeated to my mother, please!

But the very best latkes that I have ever had, hands down, are the sweet potato latkes that Sheila and Marilynn Brass, the fabulous Brass Sisters from Cambridge, Massachusetts make. This is their grammas' recipe and they pronounce them LOT-keys, as did their Russian and Polish grandmothers. It was Sheila and Marilynn's idea to use sweet potatoes to give the latkes their golden color, as if they were coins, tying them to the traditional Hanukkah practice of giving gelt as a gift.

Sheila and Marilynn are heirloom bakers, home cooks, and acclaimed cookbook authors. Their first book, Heirloom Baking with the Brass Sisters, was finalist for the James Beard Foundation Award, almost unheard of in a first book from a pair of unknowns. The sisters, who worked at WGBH, are experts in culinary antiques, with a wonderful collection of molds, utensils, and whimsical items. The unmarried Sheila and Marilynn, "unclaimed treasures" in their words, have 120 years of cooking experience between them. They're charming, delightful, and witty, with the broadest Boston accents you've heard since Tom and Ray on Car Talk. In fact, they are Car Talk for food!

Marilynn Brass: Would you say that I have a Boston accent?
Sheila Brass: Is she kidding?

The Brass Sisters recently appeared on Food Network on Throwdown with Bobby Flay where they took Bobby down with their indescribable Pineapple Upside Down Cake. The Brass Sisters premiere in their own show on nationwide TV on Sunday, December 5 at 8 PM in The Brass Sisters Celebrate the Holidays on the Cooking Channel. You'll get to see them make these easy and delicious latkes that are shown below, as well as a mouthwatering feast for a hungry brigade of firefighters, that will give you great ideas for your holiday entertaining. Tune in for homemade red velvet cake, Hanukkah gelt, spice cookies, cheese cake, and lots of laughs because the Brass Sisters are the sassy, knowledgeable aunts we all wish we could have. And now we can!

Sweet Sweet Potato Latkes

(Recipe courtesy Marilynn and Sheila Brass and Cooking Channel)

These are similar to the latkes that both our grandmothers, Katziff and Brass, made for us. These are lighter than the traditional lacey potato latkes made from grated potatoes. To celebrate Hanukkah our sweet potato latkes are fried in oil. They are good with sour cream or applesauce, or even lightly dusted with confectioners' sugar. The recipe can be doubled.

1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon table salt
1/4 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
1/2 pound sweet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1-inch chunks, and steamed (See note)
2 large eggs
1/2 cup orange juice
Grated zest of 1 orange
1 tablespoon unsalted butter or margarine, melted
2 tablespoons vegetable oil for frying
Sour cream, to serve
Applesauce, to serve
Confectioners sugar, to serve

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade add the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and pepper and pulse until mixed. Add sweet potatoes, eggs, orange juice, orange zest, and melted butter and process until smooth. Line a baking sheet with two layers of paper towels.

Put a 10-inch flat metal pan or skillet over medium-high heat, add the oil, and swirl. The pan is ready when the oil bubbles. (Or you can drop a tiny bit of batter into the pan: when batter begins to brown, the pan is ready.) Add a heaping tablespoon of batter to the griddle and spread it out with the bottom of the spoon until it is 3-inches in diameter. Add more latke batter but do not overcrowd the pan. Cook until the latkes begin to bubble around the edges, about 1 1/2 minutes. Turn the latkes over and continue cooking until the bottom turns golden brown, about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Do not overcook the latkes.

Place the fried latkes on the prepared baking sheet and cover with 2 additional sheets of paper towel. Press gently to remove excess oil. Serve the latkes immediately or put them onto a baking sheet and keep them warm in a 200 degree F oven. Latkes are best served the day they are made. Serve with sour cream, applesauce, or confectioners sugar.

Leftover latkes can be wrapped in plastic wrap, stored in the refrigerator, and reheated in a 300 degree F oven the next day.

Cooks' note: The sweet potatoes should be steamed about 15 minutes until fork tender and should not be soft or mushy. Sweet potatoes can also be microwaved in a glass pie pan with 2 tablespoons of water, covered with plastic wrap, for about 7 minutes.

Yield: 30 3-inch latkes
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Inactive prep time: 0
Ease of preparation: Easy

This recipe and many other family favorites are available on DishandDine.com. Stop by and become part of this grass roots global food community!

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October and Pumpkins

2010-10-19T17:22:13-04:00

Autumn Leaves
The falling leaves drift by the window
The autumn leaves of red and gold.
--Nat King Cole

October means so many things to me. It's the beginning of fall, my favorite season. I
like to shake off the languid slow pace bred by the hot summer days and welcome the
cool, crisp air and sharper colors that the autumn brings. If you live near a big city like
New York or Chicago or Paris, in October you thrill to the new sights and sounds and
smells in the streets: the chestnuts roasting in the street carts; the vendors scooping
up their sweet peanuts; and the crunch of autumn leaves beneath your feet. There's an
excitement and energy in the air.

And of course, every baseball fan dreams that their team is still playing in October.
I became friends with my husband watching the Yankees win the World Series with
Mr. October himself, Reggie Jackson, in 1977, as we drank beers at the Yale Art
School bar. Our twin daughters were born in October of 1986, the year the Mets
won in dramatic fashion. In fact, October is our family birthday season as we all four
are Librans. When the girls were older, it meant apple picking and hay rides to the
pumpkin patch to find the perfect pumpkin. At Halloween, it meant waiting for the Great
Pumpkin. My favorite costume from childhood was a giant pumpkin. I didn't care how
much my brothers teased me.

I would rather sit on a pumpkin and have it all to myself, than be crowded on a velvet
cushion. Henry David Thoreau.

And my favorite fall vegetable of all is the pumpkin. You can do so much with a
pumpkin: carve it, slice it, bake it, boil it, grill it, steam it, mash it, and smash it! It's
become the winning multi-tasker vegetable of all, now that people appreciate it. When
I was a kid, you basically had pumpkin in a pie. It was sweetened and spiced and
delicious but had very little relationship with the flavor of the original tasty squash itself.
Now there are pumpkin pies, pizzas, and polentas; pumpkin beers, breads, and brittles;
and pumpkin salads, salsas, and soups. Who would think?

Not to mention the craze for the GIANT PUMPKINS. You cannot go into any store
today without seeing a contest for the largest pumpkin or a contest asking you to try to
guess the size. The current world record holder is Christy Harp of Jackson Township in
Ohio who raised a 1,725 pound Atlantic Giant Pumpkin. There are so many varieties
available today. There is an heirloom French pumpkin called a Cinderella Carriage
pumpkin that is lobed and looks like Cinderella's coach, and has bright red and orange
flesh (Rouge Vif d'Etampes). It makes a wonderful soup, as do all pumpkins.

One of the most delicious pumpkin recipes that I know is this one from our good friend,
Michel Nischan, who makes this spicy Pumpkin Soup with Crispy Sage Leaves
that is so rich and tasty and does it without a drop of cream. Michel is the champion of
everything local and sustainable and has been chosen as one of Huffington Post's
Food Game Changers for 2010 for his work: showing busy Americans on a budget
that sustainable food isn't just for the rich. If you haven't voted for your choice for
the top Food Game Changer, try this soup recipe and read about Michel's work with
wholesomewave.org. Thank you, Michel, for this great seasonal recipe from your book:
Homegrown Pure and Simple, from Chronicle Books.

Pumpkin Soup with Crispy Sage Leaves

Photo courtesy of Susie Cushner.

I love this smooth, creamy pumpkin soup, made without a drop of cream.

One 3-pound pumpkin, or hubbard squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes

2 tablespoons olive oil

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 sweet onion such as Vidalia or Walla Walla, cut into ½ inch thick slices

6 cloves garlic, split lengthwise

¼ cup plus 2 teaspoons grapeseed oil

3 cardamom pods or ½ teaspoon ground cardamom

2 cinnamon sticks

½ small red thai or jalapeno chili, seeded and thinly sliced

4 cups homemade or canned vegetable or chicken stock

1 tablespoon thinly sliced fresh sage leaves, plus 12 large whole leaves

1. Preheat the oven to 350.

2. In a large bowl, toss the pumpkin cubes with the olive oil and a generous amount of salt and
pepper. Spread the pumpkin evenly on a rimmed baking sheet and roast for about 25 minutes, or until nearly tender when pricked with a fork.

3. Meanwhile, coat the onion slices and the garlic with the 2 teaspoons grapeseed oil. When the
pumpkin is ready, make room on the baking sheet for the onion and garlic, and return the pan to the oven for about 15 minutes longer, or until the pumpkin and onion are tender. Keep an eye on the garlic and turn, if necessary, to keep it from turning dark. Transfer all the vegetables to a large saucepan.

4. Add the cardamom, cinnamon, chili and stock to the saucepan and bring to a simmer over high
heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the
pumpkin cubes begin to dissolve in the liquid.

5. Remove the cinnamon sticks and cardamom pods (if used) and discard. Working in batches if
necessary, transfer the soup to a blender or food processor and process until smooth.

6. Return the blended soup to the saucepan and stir in the sliced sage leaves. Season to taste with
salt and pepper. Cover to keep warm.

7. In a small saucepan or sauté pan, heat the remaining ¼ cup grapeseed oil until very hot (it
should be about 350). Add the whole sage leaves and fry for about 1 minute, or until crisp. Using
tongs, gently remove them from the oil and drain on paper towels. Sprinkle lightly with salt and
pepper.

8. Reheat the soup gently if necessary. It should be piping hot when served. Ladle into 6 warmed
soup bowls and garnish with the crispy sage leaves.

This recipe and many other family favorites are available on DishandDine.com. Stop by
and become part of this grass roots global food community!

DishandDine -- It's All About Food

http://www.dishanddine.com

http://www.facebook.com/DishandDine

http://www.twitter.com/DishandDine

October and Pumpkins

2010-10-19T15:26:55-04:00
Autumn Leaves
The falling leaves drift by the window
The autumn leaves of red and gold. Nat King Cole

October means so many things to me. It's the beginning of fall, my favorite season. I like to shake off the languid slow pace bred by the hot summer days and welcome the cool, crisp air and sharper colors that the autumn brings. If you live near a big city like New York or Chicago or Paris, in October you thrill to the new sights and sounds and smells in the streets: the chestnuts roasting in the street carts; the vendors scooping up their sweet peanuts; and the crunch of autumn leaves beneath your feet. There's an excitement and energy in the air.

And of course, every baseball fan dreams that their team is still playing in October. I became friends with my husband watching the Yankees win the World Series with Mr. October himself, Reggie Jackson, in 1977, as we drank beers at the Yale Art School bar. Our twin daughters were born in October of 1986, the year the Mets won in dramatic fashion. In fact, October is our family birthday season as we all four are Librans. When the girls were older, it meant apple picking and hay rides to the pumpkin patch to find the perfect pumpkin. At Halloween, it meant waiting for the Great Pumpkin. My favorite costume from childhood was a giant pumpkin. I didn't care how much my brothers teased me.

I would rather sit on a pumpkin and have it all to myself, than be crowded on a velvet cushion. Henry David Thoreau.

And my favorite fall vegetable of all is the pumpkin. You can do so much with a pumpkin: carve it; slice it; bake it; boil it; grill it; steam it; mash it; and smash it! It's become the winning multi-tasker vegetable of all, now that people appreciate it. When I was a kid, you basically had pumpkin in a pie. It was sweetened and spiced and delicious but had very little relationship with the flavor of the original tasty squash itself. Now there are pumpkin pies, pizzas, and polentas; pumpkin beers, breads, and brittles; and pumpkin salads, salsas, and soups. Who would think?

Not to mention the craze for the GIANT PUMPKINS. You cannot go into any store today without seeing a contest for the largest pumpkin or a contest asking you to try to guess the size. The current world record holder is Christy Harp of Jackson Township in Ohio who raised a 1,725 pound Atlantic Giant Pumpkin. There are so many varieties available today. There is an heirloom French pumpkin called a Cinderella Carriage pumpkin that is lobed and looks like Cinderella's coach, and has bright red and orange flesh (Rouge Vif d'Etampes). It makes a wonderful soup, as do all pumpkins.

One of the most delicious pumpkin recipes that I know is this one from our good friend, Michel Nischan, who makes this spicy Pumpkin Soup with Crispy Sage Leaves that is so rich and tasty and does it without a drop of cream. Michel is the champion of everything local and sustainable and has been chosen as one of Huffington Post's Food Game Changers for 2010 for his work: showing busy Americans on a budget that sustainable food isn't just for the rich. If you haven't voted for your choice for the top Food Game Changer, try this soup recipe and read about Michel's work with wholesomewave.org. Thank you, Michel, for this great seasonal recipe from your book: Homegrown Pure and Simple, from Chronicle Books.

Pumpkin Soup with Crispy Sage Leaves

Photo courtesy of Susie Cushner.

Description:

I love this smooth, creamy pumpkin soup, made without a drop of cream

Servings: 6

Ingredients:

One 3-pound pumpkin, or hubbard squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 sweet onion such as Vidalia or Walla Walla, cut into ½ inch thick slices
6 cloves garlic, split lengthwise
¼ cup plus 2 teaspoons grapeseed oil
3 cardamom pods or ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
2 cinnamon sticks
½ small red thai or jalapeno chili, seeded and thinly sliced
4 cups homemade or canned vegetable or chicken stock
1 tablespoon thinly sliced fresh sage leaves, plus 12 large whole leaves

Preparation:
1. Preheat the oven to 350.
2. In a large bowl, toss the pumpkin cubes with the olive oil and a generous amount of salt and pepper. Spread the pumpkin evenly on a rimmed baking sheet and roast for about 25 minutes, or until nearly tender when pricked with a fork.
3. Meanwhile, coat the onion slices and the garlic with the 2 teaspoons grapeseed oil. When the pumpkin is ready, make room on the baking sheet for the onion and garlic, and return the pan to the oven for about 15 minutes longer, or until the pumpkin and onion are tender. Keep an eye on the garlic and turn, if necessary, to keep it from turning dark. Transfer all the vegetables to a large saucepan.
4. Add the cardamom, cinnamon, chili and stock to the saucepan and bring to a simmer over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the pumpkin cubes begin to dissolve in the liquid.
5. Remove the cinnamon sticks and cardamom pods (if used) and discard. Working in batches if necessary, transfer the soup to a blender or food processor and process until smooth.
6. Return the blended soup to the saucepan and stir in the sliced sage leaves. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover to keep warm.
7. In a small saucepan or sauté pan, heat the remaining ¼ cup grapeseed oil until very hot (it should be about 350). Add the whole sage leaves and fry for about 1 minute, or until crisp. Using tongs, gently remove them from the oil and drain on paper towels. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.
8. Reheat the soup gently if necessary. It should be piping hot when served. Ladle into 6 warmed soup bowls and garnish with the crispy sage leaves.
Serve at once.
Homegrown: Pure and Simple Copyright © 2005 by Michel Nischan

This recipe and many other family favorites are available on DishandDine.com. Stop by and become part of this grass roots global food community!

DishandDine - It's All About Food
http://www.dishanddine.com
http://www.facebook.com/DishandDine
http://www.twitter.com/DishandDine
.