We Love Us Some Lamby Lamb Shanks

You know you want it.

Remember Food God Mark Bittman's shanks article? Sinful meat on bone lambiness. Had some shanks. Time to cook. Smelled a little like pure unadulterated pleasure on a plate.

Colonel Mustard had never had this dish before, but loves lamb almost as much as La Torpille Rose does. Bah, ram ewe, to your flock be true!

By the way, The Colonel once rented a flock of sheep for his land. No, not the hair band of the 80s. An actual grazing flock. Along with a Guard Llama. Seems Llamas just do a better job of guarding sheep than dogs and require less care and attention. And have really bad attitudes. More on that...

Anywho, he explains that sheep are dumber than dirt. Actually, this may be an insult to dirt as he tells it. He watched with fascination one day as one banged its head into a fence, backed up and repeated. More than a few times. I have no trouble eating dumb animals. Sheep and chickens top the list.

Eat with some crusty bread. Meticulously pick out each and every bit of bone that has marrow in it. Inhale deeply. Dig it out. Look at its glossy nirvana-ish fattiness for a respectful minute or two. Spread on bread or just eat over the kitchen sink like a pregnant Mia Farrow in Rosemary's Baby scarfing down that raw liver. Or spread it on your lover's....well you get the idea. Marrow spoon optional.

Mangia!

http://chimangiabenevivechronicles.blogspot.com/2013/06/its-all-about-shanks.html

Slow Cooker Lamb Shanks with Soft Leek Polenta and Gremolata

 Lamb Shanks

1 yellow onion, diced

3 celery stalks, cut into 3/4” pieces

2 carrots, peeled and cut into ¾” pieces

3 garlic cloves, crushed

1 cup chicken stock

28 oz. can tomatoes (I use San Marzano, if you get whole instead of crushed, enjoy the sensation of crushing them between your pristinely clean fingers as you add them)

2 Tbs. tomato paste

2 tsp. finely chopped fresh rosemary (You want this finely chopped. Rosemary can be a bit like biting into a pine branch. Remember Euell Gibbons???)

1 bay leaf

3 lamb shanks, these should come pre-split by the producer between the larger meaty top portion and the lower ankle portion. Separate the two pieces on each shank. You may have to cut through some connective tissue.

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

2 Tbs. olive oil

Directions:

Put the onion, celery, carrots, garlic, stock, tomatoes, tomato paste, rosemary and bay leaf in a slow cooker and stir to combine.

Season the lamb shanks with salt and pepper. In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil until nearly smoking. Add the shanks and brown on all sides, AGGRESSIVELY BROWN, about 6 to 8 minutes total. Transfer to the slow cooker along with the pan juices deglazed with a bit of wine.

Cover and cook on low for about 8 hours. Transfer the lamb shanks and as many carrot and celery pieces as you can to a large serving dish.

Remove the bay leaf from the cooking liquid. Transfer the cooking liquid to a sauce pan and bring to boil, and reduce to about half the volume, about 10 to 12 minutes. Give it a little mash with a potato masher or blend with a hand blender to break down any remaining onion, carrot and celery pieces. Pour some of the sauce over the shanks and pass the rest alongside.

Gremolata

2 lemons, zest removed, reserve lemons for another use, like Decaf Earl Grey tea in the AM

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley (Parsley Snob Alert: have to go Italian. Can't do curly)

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

Combine ingredients in a small bowl and mix well. Sprinkle over lamb 

Soft Polenta with Leeks, Garlic and Pecorino Romano

3 tablespoons butter

3 large leeks (white and pale green parts only), thinly sliced

2 1/4 cups (or more) water

2 cups canned chicken broth

1 bay leaf

1 cup polenta (If you all ain’t high-falutin’ city folk, go with regular yellow cornmeal, 1 cup, and cook leek-cornmeal mixture for about 15 minutes rather than 35 minutes.

1/3 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add leeks; stir to coat. Cover and cook until leeks soften, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Add 2 1/4 cups water, broth and bay leaf. Bring to boil. Gradually whisk in polenta. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until mixture is thick and creamy, stirring often and thinning with more water if necessary, about 35 minutes.

Remove pan from heat. Discard bay leaf. Stir in remaining 1 tablespoon butter and cheese. Season polenta to taste with salt and pepper. Divide polenta among plates. Top with lamb.

Break Out The Crusty Bread And Get Ready To Finger Paint With Some Serious Schmaltz

Colonel Mustard and I were talking recently about the Wizard of Oz. How it must have been simply incredible that in 1939, after years of depression and sepia-toned existence, this full-colored masterpiece of escapism and sheer blissful fantasy burst onto the screen and into so many hearts. How about when we were kids you had to wait until the network decided to program Wiz. It was an Event, with a Capital E. You stayed home for it in a pre TiVo world.

Paula Poundstone says in a routine of hers that when Wiz first came out, the critics said it was dull and lacking in imagination. She ponders, what if it turns out that Rambo 3 is really good and they show it every Easter?

So, here's your Oz tie-in: Dorothy is really upset, more than upset about Almira Gulch's vendetta against poor little Toto. Auntie Em and Uncle Henry are desperately trying to save the baby chicks because they've lost power for the incubator. We feel badly for the baby chicks. Until they grow up to be delicious free range dinner entrees. Then we heat up the oven, push aromatics into them and around them, and joyfully eat them sitting on the sofa while singing along to When a man's an empty kettle, he should be on his mettle, and yet I'm torn apart. Just because I'm presuming that this chicken was me mooning when I cut it all apart.

Mangia!

I could tell you why, you will eat this while in bed
Thoughts of schmaltz inside your head

Skillet Roast Chicken with Fennel, Parsnips, and Scallions

December 2014 Bon Appetit

A beautifully browned bird and seasonal vegetables cook in a single skillet for an effortless dinner. Swap in carrots, quartered onions, or tiny potatoes—anything goes.

INGREDIENTS

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 3½–4-lb. chicken

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 fennel bulb, sliced lengthwise ½” thick ( I went with 2, because…fennel)

2 large parsnips, peeled, sliced ½” thick on the diagonal

1 bunch scallions (I went with two bunches)

(I added one lemon cut into eights, to stuff in the cavity of the chicken…..heh, heh, heh, she said cavity)

3 wide strips lemon zest

Lemon wedges (for serving)

PREPARATION

Preheat oven to 425°. Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high. Season chicken inside and out with salt and pepper, insert lemon wedges in cavity (heh, heh, heh) and cook, breast side down, until a beautiful golden brown. Use tongs to gently rotate chicken, being careful not to tear skin, and brown on all sides, 12–15 minutes total; transfer to a plate. Reserve skillet.

Toss fennel, parsnips, scallions, and lemon zest in skillet with remaining 2 Tbsp. oil; season with salt and pepper. Place chicken, breast side up, on top of vegetables. Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of chicken thigh registers 165°, 35–40 minutes. (You can also check doneness by cutting into thigh meat right at the joint. If the juices run clear, the bird is ready.) Transfer chicken to a cutting board and let rest at least 10 minutes before carving.

Serve chicken and vegetables with pan juices for spooning over and lemon wedge

They Loved Them Some Jello In The 50s

After my grandma passed, my folks and I cleared out her house in preparation for selling it. I came across a jello cookbook from the 60s. Hee-larious. And incredibly vile in some regards. Tuna in your lime jello, anyone?

Nostalgic Repost Of Repasts Past: The Jell-O Recipe That Mamie Eisenhower Used To Win The Cold War

by Wonkette Jr.

Nov 26 4:05 pm 2014

You'd never guess where Ike wants me to put this.

Here is your bit of “DC gossip” for the day: a Jell-O dessert recipe, for the holiday of Thanksgiving! It is Mamie Eisenhower’s famed Red Scare Thanksgiving Jell-o Dessert and it is best served chilled, to family members you hate. (There is Mamie right there with “friend” Lenora Hickok, feeding each other Jell-O and giggling knowingly.) This vile thing is exactly what the Eisenhowers used to force-feed the Soviets, and it is delicious.

Ingredients:

One (1) packet of sugar-free raspberry Jello

One (1) small-ish amount of water

One (1) handful of ice cubes

One (1) cup of Sprite Zero

One (1) packet of Cherry-Pomegranate Crystal Light

Fill a small-ish sauce pan thing with water. Ideally it should amount to around a cup or so, but sometimes even the best chefs have a difficult time finding where overreaching family members moved the measuring cups, so just whatever feels like a cup, that’s probably a cup.

Pour out the sugar-free raspberry Jello into a bowl. Make sure the bowl is big enough to hold at least two or so cups of liquid. This last point is crucial.

Stare at the water until it boils. Do not worry: it will boil, despite the epigram suggesting otherwise.

Pour the boiling water on top of the Jello in the bowl and stir it a few times so all the Jello particles whiz around in an even fashion and none are stuck to the bottom.

Pour like a half-cup of cold Sprite Zero into the mixture too.

So now grab a handful of ice cubes and place them in here too, as this will hasten the Jello along on its journey from liquid Jello to Jello Jello.

Add a dash, or more than a dash—no judgment!—of Cherry-Pomegranate Crystal Light. There are now several different flavors floating about, which is several minus one more than you would have in cases of unmodified sugar-free raspberry Jello.

Place in freezer. You heard me.

Check on the Jello by sticking your finger in it every 10 to 15 minutes.

When it resembles an ice-skating rink covered in blood (a hockey rink?), it is Time.

This is all it took, plus Ronald Reagan.

Read more at http://wonkette.com/535348/nostalgic-repost-of-repasts-past-the-jell-o-recipe-that-mamie-eisenhower-used-to-win-the-cold-war#FjmRE36cCQucFODF.99

San Benito House In Its Hey Day - Barley Pilaf with Pancetta, White Beans, Roasted Corn and Parsley

Colonel Mustard and I were talking recently, and I reminisced about a memorable side dish I had for dinner at the restaurant in the San Benito House in Half Moon Bay some 9 or 10 years ago. SBH unfortunately underwent a remodel since then where they changed all the differently-themed rooms and made them all into a contemporary Yuppie's Dream Of Retiring To Run A Bread and Breakfast motif. Pity. Before, you could book the Safari Room or the All American Room, but all of them had slightly different themes on Americana Country. Except the Safari Room, which was delightfully incongruous with the Americana overload theme of the other rooms.

The garden out back

Imagine a very tastefully done and rather boring Madonna Inn and you have the idea. The restaurant was amazing and had been profiled in Bon Appetit years back. It has the most beautiful wood deck and fire pit with wood planters of flowers and herbs, and a lovely little "backyard" garden with a gazebo. Weddings are still held there frequently. They were known especially for their breakfast breads, artichoke-laden bread, warm fruit muffins....yum! Cute little egg cups for the soft boiled eggs at breakfast!

The deck, where they served
artichoke bread! And other stuff!

I was at the end of a relationship, feeling quite sorry for myself and suddenly decided I should get away for the weekend and booked a flight, car and the SBH for two nights. The first night was the night of the Side Dish; the second was memorable because while out walking, I stumbled upon a Quincienera at the local high school auditorium. I watched from the door for a long time and some friendly caballeros invited me in. Fun!

The side dish was a barley pilaf, with tender, chewy barley, roasted corn, white beans, pancetta and parsley; the main dish was grilled salmon. I made it often over the years, winging it every time because although I wrote to BA to see if they would winkle the recipe out of SBH, it came to no avail.


I attempt here to recreate it as I am best able. Mangia!

Barley Pilaf with Pancetta,White Beans, Roasted Corn and Parsley

The deck's fire pit

1 cup whole pearled barley
4 cups chicken stock
2 tbsp olive oil
2 shallots, minced
1/4 pound pancetta chopped
2 ears corn
1 15 oz can small white beans
1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves, chopped
1 good handful chopped Italian parsley leaves (I don't bother avoiding the stalks. They have flavor too!)

Wash barley in cold water, rinsing it several times through a sieve until clear. Drain well. Bring stock to a boil, add barley, bring to boil again and turn heat down to low and simmer for about 30  minutes. Remove from heat and let sit for another 15 minutes or so.

While barley is cooking, heat stovetop grill pan over high heat until very hot. Spray with cooking oil lightly and grill corn, turning occasionally, until charred in some places. Remove from heat, allow to cool and cut off kernels.

Heat oil in a saute over medium heat, and add shallots, and saute until softened, about 5 minutes. Add pancetta and cook for another 10 or 15 minutes or so, to render out fat.and slightly crisp pancetta. Add beans, thyme and barley and saute for about 5 or 6 minutes until heated through. Stir in parsley and serve.

Thanksgiving Dishes From Around The Country

This is too big to post in its entirety, but please do check out the link.

Colonel Mustard and I were just talking about Mark Kurlansky, the amazing food historian and author of Salt and Cod. I mentioned Food of a Younger Land, Kurlansky's book about combing the WPA (that's New Deal basically) Writer's Project archives for projects that took writers to all parts of the country, to discover the way folks ate back before the national highway system, before chain restaurants and before frozen food.

I find this wildly evocative of the discoveries in Kurlansky's book. If you took many family T Day traditions, subtracted yucky things like green bean casserole with Campbell's soup and whatever those onion thingies are made out of and added a dash of locavore, you could envision yourself back in a simpler time for food.

The Colonel commented on how he can remember  how certain fruits and vegetables were truly seasonal. I can too! Don't ask the ages!

You didn't get them all year round. They were special. You had anticipation for something as simple as a tangerine. And how they tasted! Like sunshine radiating from the smiles of a couple in love. Like the spring in the step of a boy trying his Red Rider wagon on Christmas morning. Or something like that.

Check it out Colonel! First entry: sourdough dressing. Better accelerate that baking program! That salmon pie and slow-cooked red chile turkey are worth other posts. And pecan pie bites with gravy? Never thought of it but now...ah sweet mystery of life at last I found you! My Dad would have been all over Pocket Stuffing.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/11/18/dining/thanksgiving-recipes-across-the-united-states.html

Here Is Your Lentil Soup Recipe, Because You Are A Hippie Who Loves Lentil Soup

Courtesy of the funky Mediterranean Market near me

From Wonkette's Recipe Hub. I love love love lentils. Red lentils are so very pretty but be advised that they will lose their rosy color and turn yellow during cooking. One of the easiest and most satisfying way to make lentils,or dal which in Indian cuisine refers to a dried pulse, lentils or beans, is a basic recipe from the amazing Madhur Jaffrey. You cook a cup of washed, picked over red lentils with 4 cups of water and 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric. Watch it at the bring to boil stage because it has a tendency to boil over and then you have foamy yellow turmeric gunk on your stove.

A chaunk or tarka is added at the end and there are many variations for this fried garnish. In Jaffrey's tarka for Tarka Massor Dal, it is thinly sliced scallions fried in ghee into which whole cumin seeds have been added. It's amazingly simple and so gloriously flavorful! Mangia!

Throw in a slice of bread and you've got a deal

by Fitzgerald Chesterfield

Nov 17 12:05 pm 2014

Wonkette

Sucka!

Today, we’re going way back to the book of Genesis to make a soup as old as time. This potage of lentils will nourish your body and leave a bitter taste in your mouth. The inspiration for the dish is the story of twin brothers Jacob and Esau, whose sibling rivalry lasted nearly their whole lives.

The twin sons of Rebekah and Isaac could not have been more different from each other. Esau was a hairy sumnabitch, and Jacob had smooth skin. Esau was an avid outdoorsman, while Jacob hung around the tent, studying. Jacob had vision and big plans, but Esau pretty much lived in the moment. Esau was born first by a few minutes, even though Jacob tried to pull him back into Rebekah’s womb by his ankle. In those days, the firstborn status made Esau the primary heir to their father’s fortunes. (Isaac had been such a successful businessman when living among the Philistines that the Philistine king told him to get out of town before they all got so jealous that they killed him and took all his stuff.)

The twins didn’t really get along, and their parents did not do much to help the brothers’ relationship. Rebekah preferred Jacob because he was such a sweetheart who always listened to his mother and told funny jokes and whatnot. Isaac preferred Esau because he brought home delicious wild game to eat. Jacob stewed over the fact that his redneck brother was going to get all the stuff when Isaac died, because he thought he could turn those flocks into real money if he had the chance.

So, one day Jacob was making a pot of soup when Esau returned from a few days of hunting in the bush. Esau was like, “Hey, that smells good, Bro. Think I could get a bowl?”

“Of course you can, in exchange for your birthright,” Jacob said.

“I’m fucking starving. What do I give a shit about a birthright? All I need are some tasty waves and a cool buzz is my kick-ass cloak of Nimrod, and I’ll be fine. Now give me a bowl of soup, you little pussy,” said Esau.

He enjoyed the soup, eating like a slob and getting it all in his beard and in his arm hair, which he had a lot of. Then, with his belly full, Esau began to regret the deal he had just made, and the seed of a decades-long grudge was planted. This is just one example of the rash decisions Esau made that disappointed his parents. Another was the time he married a Canaanite woman, instead of a nice Jewish girl. The moral of the story is that, in a leader, dishonest trickery and other minor moral transgressions are preferable to short-sighted decision making.

Coincidentally, Jacob’s first son was Reuben, so they were a real soup and sandwich type of family.

Esau’s Stew

1 onion, diced

1-2 carrots, diced

1-2 celery stalks, diced

1 potato, peeled and diced

8-12 cloves of garlic, minced

Some fresh parsley, finely chopped (only about 3-4 stems worth)

1 heaping cup of red lentils, rinsed and picked over

1 quart of chicken stock (substitute vegetable, and you’re looking at a vegan recipe)

1-2 bay leaves

1-2 lemons, halved

A large pinch/small handful of cumin seeds

Tabasco Sauce

Salt and pepper, as you go, to taste

Cut up all the vegetables.

Toast the cumin in a dry frying pan, then grind it up with your mortar and pestle.

In your favorite soup-making pot, saute the onion, carrots, and celery in olive oil for a few minutes.

Add half the garlic, half the parsley, and all the potatoes. Stir and let that cook for a few more minutes.

Stir in the lentils, bay leaves, and the stock. Bring it up to a boil, put the lid on, and turn it way down to low.

Cook until the lentils and potatoes are very soft, about a half-hour. Then throw in your remaining garlic and half of your lemons. Yes, just drop ‘em in.

Cook for an additional 10 minutes or so. Fish out the bay leaves.

Using a stick blender, or the frozen-drink-making kind, puree what’s still in the pot (yes, including those lemons). Be careful because this stuff is hot, and blending hot things is dangerous.

Juice your remaining lemons into the soup, add the cumin, and a few dashes of your homemade tabasco sauce.

Put a lemon wedge and some fresh parsley on each bowl of soup. Serve with some nice crusty bread. Keep the hot sauce handy.

It’s also delicious as a cold soup, and depending on the thickness of the batch, a very nice dip/spread

Ta Da!

for vegetables or bread.

This dish is very bitter. As you eat it, savor that bitterness, and think about the grudges you hold. Lentils are an excellent source of both insoluble and soluble fiber, so this soup may help you get some of those grudges out of your system.

If you don’t care for the bitterness, you could remove the lemons before you puree the soup. You could also just eat lemon sorbet for dinner because life is nothing but sweet treats and self-satisfaction.

Read more at http://wonkette.com/566782/here-is-your-lentil-soup-recipe-because-you-are-a-hippie-who-loves-lentil-soup#dApCoh5ptQJ176A4.99

Sexy Thomas Cromwell - Sunday Roast (On A Friday) With Yorkshire Pudding

Been waiting decades for a sexy Thomas Cromwell to come along. I fell in love with the Tudors as a kid watching BBC's tremendous Six Wives and Elizabeth R miniseries. I loved the macabre and the whole Anne Reine sans tete hook plunged deeply. Plus, my Mom was a big Kingston Trio fan and she used to sing With Her Head Tucked Underneath Her Arm, which I adored.

The Six:

Divorced, beheaded, died
Divorced, beheaded, survived

(Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard, Katherine Parr)

At latest count, I have read and/or own some 60 books about the Tudors and Stuarts.

That series The Tudors? God awful but I was pulling for it because someone was interested enough to produce it even if they tarted it up to Whore of Babylon levels. Historical accuracy and ratings are not mutually inclusive.

Hillary Mantel's Wolf Hall series became my Harry Potter. I would stand in front of a Barnes and Noble at 11 pm the night before her third book comes out if that was still how we bought books in America.

Anne B. Lost her head.

The Royal Shakespeare Company has produced an adaptation of Wolf Hall and Bring Up The Bodies. The time period takes us from Thomas Cromwell's youth to the downfall of Anne Boleyn. Cromwell is a fascinating character. He became Henry VIII's advisor after Thomas Wolsey failed to deliver Henry's divorce from Catherine of Aragon so he could marry Anne.

Anne of Cleves by Hans Holbein,
kept her head and outlived Henry.

He managed to keep his head after Anne's downfall until 1540 when he engineered Henry's fourth marriage to shore up the Protestant alliance in Europe against the Catholic powers. Henry was smitten with Anne of Cleves based on a portrait painted by the great Hans Holbein the Younger. 

SCHWING!!!!!

Things went wrong when the couple finally met, which unfortunately was AFTER the marriage treaty was finalized. It is hard from a modern perspective to understand. Her portrait hangs in the Louvre and appears to depict, if not a great beauty, at least a pleasing looking woman. Most historians agree that Anne was horrified when she finally saw her obese, aged groom and didn't have the courtly social skills to hide her reaction.

He has been portrayed on the screen by a variety of fine villain character actors. In the RSC production, he is played by Ben Miles.

So, in honor of this news, we present Sunday Roast with Yorkshire Pudding. And speaking of sexy, I'm going with a recipe from Nigella Lawson, from the original Nigella Bites show, although I have made some modifications. I added grilled asparagus with lemon thyme dressing because it just felt right to have a veggie in addition to salad.

Mangia!

Girlfriend doesn't deny herself. Nothing sexier than a gal
who loves to eat with gusto.

Sunday Roast with Yorkshire Pudding, Grilled Asparagus and Pea, Mint and Avocado Salad

Recipe courtesy Nigella Lawson

For the Roast Beef:*

5 pounds beef roast (I went with a 3 pound version. I bought a boneless ribeye roast, but you could go with a more economical cut like sirloin, eye of round or chuck. Talk to the butcher at your grocery store. They'll appreciate it!)

4 tablespoons olive oil

Ready for the oven

5 sprigs rosemary leaves, chopped (scaled down to three with smaller roast)
Salt and pepper (surprisingly, Nigella leaves this step out. As Emeril Lagasse used to say, I don't know where you buy your meat, but mine doesn't come seasoned)

For the Grilled Asparagus

1 lb. thin asparagus, ends broken off where they break easily
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon chopped thyme leaves
Juice of 2 lemons
1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil (you could use more. I like acid in my dressings to be dominant)
Salt and pepper to taste

For the Yorkshire Pudding (12 puddings):

1 1/4 cups milk

4 eggs

Scant 1/2 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted

1 tablespoon beef drippings or vegetable oil

For the Pea, Mint, and Avocado Salad:

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more, if needed (Nigella called for 9. NINE. Yikes)

4 tablespoons good white wine vinegar (I upped her recipe from 1 1/2 tablespoons, because vinegar!)

Fat pinch superfine sugar
Pinch of salt and good amount of pepper

2 bunches mint leaves, chopped one, leave the other in whole leaves

1 pound shelled peas (about 3 1/2 pounds unshelled)

1 package (10 ounces) mixed salad greens

2 heads Belgian endive, separated into leaves (the store was out this morning. I went with a head of radicchio)

3 ripe avocados, cut into bite-size chunks

Directions

 To make the beef roast, preheat the oven to 475 degrees F. Place the beef roast on a clean work surface and rub with the olive oil and chopped rosemary. Transfer to roasting pan.

 Place into the preheated oven and cook for 15 minutes and then turn the heat down to 350 degrees F. Cook for about 15 minutes per pound for rare meat, about 1 hour and 15 minutes (another 40 or 45 minutes for a 3 pounder). Remove from the oven and let rest, covered, for about 15 minutes before slicing.

To make the asparagus: heat a stove top grill pan or a regular grill to very hot. If using an outdoor grill, you may want to use a grill top basket of some type to prevent thin stalks from falling through, or just be careful to keep the spears perpendicular to the grates when you turn them. Put the asparagus in a single layer in the pan and turn them a few times until brown char marks appear. They won't need more than a few minutes; you want them toothsome. Make the dressing by combining garlic, thyme leaves, oil and lemon juice. Put them on a platter and pour dressing over them.

To make the pea, mint and avocado salad, first make the dressing: put the oil, vinegar, and sugar into a large bowl and then put in the chopped mint. Stir well so all is amalgamated. Cook the peas for 2 minutes or so in salted boiling water, just so that they're ready, but not soft. Taste after 2 minutes and keep tasting. Drain the peas in a colander, put them straightaway into the bowl of dressing, and let steep for 1 hour or up to a day. Just before serving, stir in the mixed greens, whole leaf mint, the endive, and the avocado. You may need to drizzle a bit more oil after tossing. Serve this on a big plate. Sprinkle with some more of the chopped mint.

To make the Yorkshire Pudding, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Mix the milk, eggs, and salt, and add pepper, beating all well together. I use my freestanding mixer but a hand-held electric mixer, rotary, or balloon whisk would do. Let these ingredient stand for 15 minutes and then whisk in the flour. Meanwhile, add the drippings to a heat-proof muffin pan and put it in the oven to heat for about 10 minutes. Into this intensely hot pan you should pour in the batter and cook for 20 minutes, or until well puffed and golden. Bring it, triumphant, to the table.

Triumphant!

Eat large portions and collapse in a beef coma for the rest of the afternoon and evening and thank

heaven for Nigella Lawson.

*According to David at the office, the best sandwich recipe is simple.  Roast sirloin or eye of round sliced thin and piled about 1 inch high between two slices of bread.  He highly recommends it. That's not a sandwich; that's a magnum opus on bread.

Fun little video about The Six:

Food God Mark Bittman Covers Pickles

12 Recipes for Pickles,

No Canning Required

By MARK BITTMAN NOV. 5, 2014, New York Times Magazine

As long as they’re eaten within a week or two, there are countless pickles that you can make quickly and easily.

  

I remember when pickles were either something that you bought from a barrel on the street or — if you were crafty — canned in your kitchen. But somehow they’ve become the emblem of all things hipster-artisanal-twee, as much a joke (we can pickle that!) as they are a food.

The reason so many of us have outsourced our pickle making to the waxed-mustache set is that canning is sufficiently daunting; the thought of boiling jars, with its mysterious science and prospect of imminent disaster, is enough to send most home cooks running to the store. Fortunately, canning is not a prerequisite for pickling. In fact, as long as you can commit to eating them within a week or two, there are countless pickles that you can make quickly and store in your fridge.

All the recipes here fall into that category. Some — relishes and marinated vegetables — use heat to soften the pickles and impart the flavor of the brine, while others — miso-smothered and saltwater-soaked — rely on time to do the work. The various brines pull double duty, preserving whatever you’re pickling while at the same time introducing new flavors and coaxing out inherent ones. Think of the recipes as templates: Swap in different vegetables as you like.

My favorite pickles are a bit more subtle than the vinegar-smacked versions that taste more like acid than like vegetables. Of the four categories here, the two that use vinegar do so mostly for balance, cutting through the sugar in the relishes and the oil in the marinated vegetables. The others are less tangy and more salty, using saltwater brine, which is classic, and miso, which is both surprising and delicious.

All these methods require minimal effort and limited active time, making it easy enough to finally reclaim pickles as the humble, homespun food that they are. The trendiness is incidental.

MISO

DAIKON WITH WHITE MISO

Peel 1 pound daikon; slice crosswise ¼-inch thick. Spread 2 cups white miso into a bowl, top with the daikon and press down; add enough miso to bury. Cover, and rest at room temperature for 24 hours, or longer for more intense flavor. Rinse, and refrigerate before serving (save the miso for another batch).

EGGPLANT WITH MISO AND MIRIN

Trim 1 pound eggplant, and cut half-moons about ¾-inch thick. Stir 1 tablespoon mirin into the miso, submerging the pieces as with the daikon. Let stand for 12 hours, then rinse; serve immediately, or refrigerate.

 

CORN COINS WITH YELLOW MISO

Husk 3 ears corn, and cut them crosswise into ½-inch-thick slices. Use yellow miso instead of white, submerging the pieces as with the daikon.

MARINATED

GIARDINIERA

In a pot, boil ½ cup red-wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon salt, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 bay leaf, 1 smashed garlic clove, ⅓ cup olive oil and 2 cups water. Add 1½ cups broccoli florets; cook for 1 minute. Add 1 cup each chopped carrot, celery and bell pepper, and ¼ cup chopped green olives; turn off the heat. Cover, let cool, refrigerate.

BAGNA CAUDA IN A JAR

Use balsamic vinegar. Substitute 6 mashed anchovy fillets for the salt and ½ teaspoon crushed red chiles for the oregano and bay leaf; up the garlic. Cook 2 pounds mixed sturdy vegetables — thin asparagus, green beans, fennel, radishes, parsnips, celery — in the brine for 1 minute.

 

CURRIED CAULIFLOWER

Use sherry vinegar, and decrease salt to ¼ teaspoon. Use 2 tablespoons curry powder in place of oregano and bay leaf. Cut 1 cauliflower head into florets; chop 1 small red onion, then cook in the brine until just tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, cool and chill.

RELISH

 

CHOWCHOW

Trim and finely chop 1½ pounds zucchini, 1 small onion, 1 red bell pepper and 1 (or more) small hot chile. Combine 1 cup white balsamic vinegar, 2 tablespoons brown sugar and ½ teaspoon salt, and bring to a boil. Add the vegetables, and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly reduced, 5 to 10 minutes. Cool, and chill before serving.

WATERMELON RINDS

Peel the green skin off a small watermelon, and chop the rind. Substitute apple-cider vinegar for the balsamic, and increase the brown sugar to ¼ cup; boil with ½ cup lime juice and 2 tablespoons minced ginger. Cook until the rind is tender, 10 to 20 minutes, then cool.

 

PEACH CHUTNEY

Peel, pit and chop 2 pounds peaches. Use ½ cup apple-cider vinegar; substitute ¼ cup honey for the sugar. Use ¼ teaspoon salt; add 4 smashed cardamom pods and ½ a vanilla bean. Bring to a boil, add peaches and cook, stirring occasionally until they soften. Cool, remove seasonings and refrigerate.

SALTWATER

KOSHER CUKES

Scrub 2 pounds Kirby cucumbers, and halve or quarter lengthwise. Stir ⅓ cup kosher salt into 1 cup boiling water until dissolved; add ice cubes to cool, followed by the cucumbers, 5 crushed garlic cloves and 1 bunch fresh dill. Cover with cold water; use a weighted plate to keep cukes submerged. Let sit at room temperature for 12 to 48 hours; the longer they sit, the saltier they will be. Refrigerate when they taste right.

CARROTS WITH CUMIN AND CORIANDER

Trim and peel 2 pounds carrots; cut them into ½-inch-thick sticks. Omit the garlic. Instead of the dill, toast 2 tablespoons each coriander and cumin seeds, and add them to the brine.

SORTA SAUERKRAUT

Trim, core and thickly shred 2 pounds green cabbage. Keep the garlic, but swap 2 tablespoons caraway seeds for the dill.

Yield for each: 8 servings. (Miso pickles are intense, so serving sizes are much smaller.)

Colonel Mustard In The Library With A Lead Pipe - Barefoot Contessa Mustard-roasted Chicken

Yeah, it's not a pith helmet, but - DAMN!

Colonel Mustard is the best character in Clue. He gets to wear the pith helmet and the safari jacket. I can't look at a pith helmet and safari jacket without thinking of H. Rider Haggard's great character Allan Quartermain from King Solomon's Mines. In the only cinematic version I acknowledge, he was portrayed by the delicious Stewart Granger. Granger is one of my all time heart throbs. 

KSM was a fave flick of my Dad's and he turned me onto it at an early age. In the 80s, they did a remake with Richard Chamberlain and Sharon Stone. Dad and I were all excited and went to see it when it came out. Within mere minutes, we were staring at each other in dismay. By 15 minutes into it, we left so that we had a better chance of erasing the images from our minds for all time. 

Mustard and chicken are so darn good together. Here's a couple of Ina Garten recipes in honor of Colonel Mustard. You could choose to go with roasted root veggies instead of the sprouts.

So, get out your pith helmet and safari jacket, pop KSM into the Blueray and enjoy! Mangia!

Barefoot Contessa Crispy Mustard-roasted Chicken

Courtesy: Ina Garten

4 cloves garlic

1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 cups panko (Japanese bread flakes)

1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (2 lemons)

2 tablespoons good olive oil

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1/2 cup Dijon mustard, such as Grey Poupon

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 (3 1/2- to 4-pound) chicken, cut in eighths

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the garlic, thyme, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper in a food processor fitted with the steel blade and process until the garlic is finely minced. Add the panko, lemon zest, olive oil, and butter and pulse a few times to moisten the bread flakes. Pour the mixture onto a large plate. In a shallow bowl, whisk together the mustard and wine.

Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Sprinkle generously all over with salt and pepper. Dip each piece in the mustard mixture to coat on all sides, and then place skin-side down only into the crumb mixture, pressing gently to make the crumbs adhere. Place the chicken on a sheet pan crumb-side up. Press the remaining crumbs on the chicken pieces.

Bake the chicken for 40 minutes. Raise the heat to 400 degrees F and bake for another 10 minutes, until the crumbs are browned and the chicken is cooked through. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.

Balsamic Roasted Brussels Sprouts (and Butternut Squash) with Pancetta

1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts, trimmed and cut in half through the core

4 ounces pancetta, 1/4-inch-diced

1/4 cup good olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon syrupy balsamic vinegar
Ina's original recipe is just for Brussels sprouts. I like to add 1 pound of Butternut squash, cut into 1 1/2 pieces.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the Brussels sprouts on a sheet pan, including some of the loose leaves, which get crispy when they're roasted. Add the pancetta, olive oil, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, toss with your hands, and spread out in a single layer. Roast the Brussels sprouts for 20 to 30 minutes, until they're tender and nicely browned and the pancetta is cooked. Toss once during roasting. Remove from the oven, drizzle immediately with the balsamic vinegar, and toss again. Taste for seasonings, and serve hot.

Hunan Chicken with General Yen - No Bitter Tea Required

I have been without Internet, except via smartphone, for two days. My advice to you is that you should avoid dropping a full glass of water on anything electronic. Killed my poor, sad, outdated (wait for it) DSL modem. Yes, DSL modem. Ten years old, actually, as per original box which I was baffled to discover I had kept. Anyone can tell from this extremely rudimentary blog format that yours truly is not the smartest microchip in the processor when it comes to technology.

So in celebration for being ALIVE, SHE’S ALIVE again and connected, posting a mid-week recipe.

Colonel Mustard* and I were chatting last night, about movies from the 30s and 40s. Seems he has a bit of a, ahem, yen for The Stanwyck. Who doesn’t? I’m hetero and I would have done her.

Double Indemnity was a high watermark, but the Colonel had never heard of The Bitter Tea of General Yen. It’s a fab pre-code movie, directed by Frank Capra. The General is Nils Asther, a Dane who played in yellowface. The times were different: couldn’t have a real Asian touching a white woman on the silver screen. Stanwyck plays a missionary who is kidnapped by the General. She eventually warms to him, helped down that path by an erotic dream sequence. Post-code, it would have taken decades for that scene to play to audiences. Plus, she gets to call him a yellow bastard at one point. Fun!

Thanks to La Torpille Rose, I have a DVD transferred from VHS that I guard like it’s the Crown Jewels.

It’s Asian night! Hunan cuisine is among the hottest in China. My Petal and I are chiliheads, and I make this for her when we have girlfriend mice time when her husband cat is away. Hunan Chicken isn’t traditional; it’s just something I throw together with my Go To hot marinade. It’s simple, spicy and tasty. I have toned it down here so feel free to have a free hand with the chile garlic sauce. Grilled baby bok choy are given a brush with some black bean garlic sauce, sesame oil and lime juice, and served three or four bok choy halves to a person. I serve it with brown rice.

Mangia!

*You can call me Miss Scarlett

Hunan Chicken

(You can substitute pork or shrimp. Pork will cook in about the same amount of time, but the shrimp won’t need more than a few minutes)

1 1/2 lb. boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1 1/2” pieces (I usually go with thighs rather than breasts. More chickeny)

2 bunches green onions, reserve a couple for sprinkling on top of finished dish and three to go in marinade, slice the remaining onions on an angle into 2” pieces, use almost all the green

I bunch cilantro, chopped finely, divided in half, reserve for sprinkling on top (I don’t bother taking the leaves off the stems. The stems have good flavor too, and it’s a pain)

2” long piece of fresh ginger root, peeled and minced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup Chili garlic sauce (like Sriracha but with garlic also. You can increase this to taste if you'd like. I usually add a spoonful or two more when I make it for Petal)

1/3 cup Tamari (you could use regular soy sauce)

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

2 tbsp sesame oil (Use 1 for marinade and 1 for cooking)

1 tbsp peanut oil

Sesame seeds, optional

Chop three green onions, and put in a bowl with 1/2 of the cilantro, ginger, garlic and liquid ingredients. Stir to combine. Add the chicken pieces and combine. Marinate for about 2 or 3 hours.

Heat a wok or large deep-sided skillet on very high heat. Add the remaining sesame oil and peanut oil. Add the bias-cut green onions and stirfry for a minute or two to flavor the oils. Drain the chicken very well and add it to wok or skillet and stir fry until the chicken is cooked, about 8 to 10 minutes. At the end, add remaining marinade and stir to combine. Serve with chopped green onions and cilantro on top, sesame seeds if you wish and additional chile garlic sauce to taste.

Grilled Baby Bok Choy with Black Bean Garlic Sauce

8 Baby bok choy, sliced in half with core still attached (this helps the halves stay together on the grill)

2 tbsp black bean garlic sauce (you'll find it in any grocery store in the Asian aisle)

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tbsp Tamari or soy sauce

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced

Juice of 1 lime

Heat grill or stove top grill pan to medium high heat. Brush bok choy halves lightly on both sides with sauce. Spray the grill with canola or other non-olive oil. Grill until light char marks appear, turning once, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. They should retain some bite in the stalks and not be completely limp although the leaves will be a bit charred.  Yum.