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Calamari On Pasta

Servings: 4-6
Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 40 min
Source: The Food Network

Ingredients
1 1/2 lb squid, cleaned
3 to 4 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 shallot, thinly sliced
1 (28 oz) can tomato sauce
1/4 cup water
1 cup white wine
1/2 cup chopped parsley leaves
1 lb linguini or spaghetti
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Cut squid bodies in half lengthwise and then cut in half widthwise. If the tentacles are large, cut them in half lengthwise. Set aside.

Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan. Add garlic and shallot and cook over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes. Add tomato sauce, 1/4 cup water and white wine. Cook sauce over high heat for 5 minutes, until it reduces and thickens. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Add all but 1 tablespoon of the parsley to the tomato sauce, lower heat, and simmer, uncovered, for about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, then add linguini or spaghetti and cook until tender (time will vary according to freshness of pasta, but it should take at least 7 minutes). Drain well, shaking colander gently to remove excess moisture.

Add calamari to tomato sauce, and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, or until just cooked through. Taste for seasoning, and add more salt and pepper, if desired. Add the drained pasta and toss well. To serve, garnish with remaining parsley.

Serve with fresh bread to sop up sauce and red chile flakes for the table

Escarole & White Bean “Soup” with Rustic Croutons

Servings: 4
Source: Fine Cooking 12/2000 1/2001 pg
by Susie Middleton This is my variation on a classic Italian soup that traditionally has more escarole and beans than broth. Escarole is one of the easiest greens to prepare since you don’t need to stem it; just slice the whole head across into ribbons before washing.

Ingredients
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion (6 oz.), diced/4
2 oz. very thinly sliced pancetta, diced (about 1/2 cup)
1 Tbs. minced garlic
1 medium to large head escarole or romaine (about 14 oz.), trimmed of outer leaves, 2 inches of root end cut off, leaves sliced across into 3/4-inch wide strips (to yield about 9 to 10 cups), thoroughly washed
1/2 tsp. coarse salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 cups low-salt chicken stock (canned is fine, but don’t use low-fat varieties, which I find have an off flavor)
1 cup cooked small white beans (I use canned — Goya brand — drained)
1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup grated parmigiano reggiano
2 cups Rustic Croutons (see below)

Directions
Heat the olive oil in a 4-qt. low-sided soup pot or Dutch oven over medium to medium-high heat. Add the onion and pancetta and sauté until the onion is softened and BOTH are BROWNED, about 20 min. Add the garlic, stir, and sauté until fragrant, 30 seconds to 1 min. Add the escarole or romaine and stir thoroughly to coat the leaves (and to deglaze the pan slightly with their moisture). Season with 1/2 tsp of the salt and a few grinds of fresh pepper. Add the stock, stir well, and bring to a boil; cover the pot, lower to a simmer, and cook 8 to 10 min. Uncover the pot, add the beans, and simmer another 2 to 3 min. Add the lemon juice and turn off the heat. Ladle the soup into four shallow soup bowls and top each with 1 Tbsp of the cheese and a quarter of the croutons.

Rustic croutons

Heat 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 cups (lightly packed) 3/4-inch cubes of bread, cut from a good, airy, crusty loaf like ciabatta. Stir to coat the cubes with the oil, season with salt, and sauté, stirring constantly, until crisp and browned on most sides, 2 to 4 min.

Elsie’s Butter Cookies

Servings: —
Preheat: 350°
Bake at 350 degrees for 13 minutes

Ingredients
1/2 lb. butter
1 raw egg
1 hard boiled yolk
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup sugar

Directions
Mix sugar, butter, raw egg and egg yolk until well blended.
Combine four and baking powder and mix into sugar, butter etc.

Roll out dough…use juice glass as a cookie cutter
cover with egg, cinnamon sugar and nuts prior to baking

Eggplant & Tomato Gratin with Mint, Feta & Kalamata Olives

Servings: 6-8
I like to leave eggplant unpeeled, as the purple skins make for a pretty gratin, but since eggplant skin can get a little tough, I’ve included a suggestion on how to partially peel eggplant, culled from Ayla Algar’s terrific cookbook, Classical Turkish Cooking (HarperCollins). For a change of pace, try this gratin in four individual dishes, rather than one large one.
Serves six to eight as a side dish; four as a main dish.

Ingredients
FOR THE EGGPLANT:
2 lb. eggplant
2-1/2 Tbs. olive oil
1/2 tsp. coarse salt
FOR THE ONIONS:
2 Tbs. olive oil
2 medium onions (14 oz. total), thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced

TO ASSEMBLE THE GRATIN:
1-1/4 lb. ripe red tomatoes, cored and cut into 1/4-inch slices
1/4 cup plus 1 Tbs. chopped fresh mint
6 oz. (1 cup) crumbled feta cheese
1/3 cup pitted and quartered kalamata olives
Coarse salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1-1/2 Tbs. olive oil
1/3 cup fresh breadcrumbs mixed thoroughly with 1 tsp. olive oil and 1/3 cup chopped toasted pine nuts

Directions
To cut and cook the eggplant — Trim the ends from the eggplant and, using a vegetable peeler, peel off 1/2-inch strips of skin along the length of the eggplant every 1/2 inch or so. (Or leave the eggplant unpeeled, if you like.) Cut the eggplant crosswise into 3/8-inch slices and cut the widest slices in half.

Heat the oven to 450°F. Cover two baking sheets with parchment. Lightly brush the parchment with olive oil. Arrange the eggplant slices in one layer on the parchment, brush them with the remaining oil, and season with the 1/2 tsp. salt. Roast until the slices are lightly browned and somewhat shrunken, 25 min., rotating the pans once after 12 min. Let cool. Reduce the oven temperature to 375°F.

To cook the onions — In a medium skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté, stirring frequently, until limp and golden brown, about 20 min. Reduce the heat to medium-low if they’re browning too quickly. Add the garlic and sauté until soft and fragrant, 1 to 2 min. Spread the onions and garlic evenly in the bottom of an oiled 2-qt. shallow gratin dish (preferably oval). Let cool.

To assemble the gratin — Put the tomato slices on a shallow plate to drain for a few minutes and then discard the collected juices. Sprinkle 1 Tbs. of the mint over the onions. Starting at one end of the baking dish, lay a row of slightly overlapping tomato slices across the width of the dish; sprinkle with some of the mint and some of the feta. Next, lay a row of eggplant slices against the tomatoes (overlapping the first row by two-thirds). Sprinkle again with mint and feta. Repeat with alternating rows of tomato and eggplant slices, seasoning each as you go, and occasionally pushing the rows back. Tuck the quartered kalamata olives randomly between tomato and eggplant slices.

When the gratin is full, sprinkle the vegetables with about 1/2 tsp. salt and any remaining mint and feta. Season lightly with pepper, drizzle with the olive oil, and cover with the breadcrumb and pine nut mixture. Cook until well-browned all over and the juices have bubbled for a while and reduced considerably, 65 to 70 min. Let cool for at least 15 min. before serving.

Dried Fig Or Date Souvlaki

Servings: 16
Source: Bon Appétit | January 2008

Ingredients
18 lg dried figs (preferably Greek) or dates
18 1/2″” cubes feta cheese
18 thin slices pastourma, prosciutto, or bresaola (Pastourma – also spelled basturma – is seasoned, cured beef)
18 lg fresh sage leaves
18 lg toothpicks
Extra-virgin olive oil

Directions
Using small sharp knife, cut stem from top of each fruit, then cut straight down from top center to make 3/4-inch-deep, 1/2-inch-long slit in fruit. Fill slit in each fruit with cube of feta cheese, then press opening closed. Place 1 slice of pastourma on work surface; top with 1/2 of a sage leaf. Place stuffed fruit at 1 end and roll up to enclose fruit. Secure with toothpick. Repeat with remaining pastourma, sage, and fruits. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead.

Arrange on plate, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and chill. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour before continuing. Pour enough oil into large skillet to cover bottom. Heat over medium-high heat. Add fruits. Cook until pastourma begins to crisp, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to large platter. Serve warm.

Double Ginger Crackles

Servings: 4 doz
Preheat: 350°
Source: Fine Cooking No. 23 Best of Fine Cooking
The double dose of ginger here comes from ground and crystallized ginger. Because the ginger flavor intensifies with time, these cookies keep especially well.

Ingredients
10 oz. (2¼ cups) unbleached all purpose flour
2¾ tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. table salt
6 oz. (¾ cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
¼ cup molasses
3 Tbs. finely chopped crystallized ginger

Directions
Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and heat the oven to 350ºF. Line two large baking sheets with parchment or nonstick baking liners.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, ground ginger, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl, beat the butter and 1 cup of the sugar with an electric mixer (a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or a hand-held) on medium-high speed until well blended. Add the egg, molasses, and crystallized ginger; beat well. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until well blended.

Pour the remaining 1/3 cup sugar into a shallow bowl. Using a 1-tablespoon cookie scoop, a small ice cream scoop, or two tablespoons, shape the dough into 1-inch balls. Roll each ball in the sugar to coat. Set the balls 1½ to 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.

Bake, rotating the sheets halfway through, until the cookies are puffed and the bottoms are lightly browned, 12 to 14 minutes. If you touch a cookie, it should feel dry on the surface but soft inside. The surface cracks will look a bit wet. Let the cookies sit on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes and then transfer them to a rack to cool completely. When cool, store in airtight containers for up to five days

Double Chocolate Chunk Fudge Brownies

Servings: 12
Preheat: 350°
Source: Fine Cooking No. 23 Best of Fine Cooking
If you use a metal pan, the edges of these brownies will be flat and the texture will be even. If you use a Pyrex baking pan, your brownies will have puffier, drier edges.

Ingredients
6 oz. (¾ cup) unsalted butter, cut into six pieces; more for the pan
2 oz. (2/3 cup) unsweetened cocoa powder (natural or Dutch-processed)
1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
¼ tsp. table salt
2 large eggs
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
4½ oz. (1 cup) unbleached all-purpose flour
¼ lb. very coarsely chopped semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (¾ cup)
2 oz. (½ cup) coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Directions
Position a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 350ºF. Generously butter the bottom and sides of an 8-inch-square Pyrex or metal baking pan.

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Off the heat, add the cocoa. Whisk until smooth. Add the sugar and salt and whisk until blended. Add 1 egg and whisk until just blended. Whisk in the vanilla and the second egg until just blended. Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and stir with a rubber spatula until just blended. Add the chopped chocolate and stir until combined.

Scrape the batter into the prepared baking pan and spread evenly. Scatter the nuts evenly over the batter, if using. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with small, gooey clumps of brownie sticking to it, 33 to 38 minutes. Don’t overbake or the brownies won’t be fudgy. Transfer the baking dish to a rack and let cool completely.

Run a knife around the edges of the brownie and then lift it from the pan in one piece. Using a sharp knife, cut the cooled brownie into three equal strips and cut each strip into four equal pieces. Or, use a bench scraper to cut the brownie in the baking pan and then use a spatula to lift out the cut brownies. The cooler the brownie is, the cleaner the cutting will be, but these fudgy brownies will always leave some sticky crumbs on the knife

Dorée’s Extravagant Almond Cake

Servings: 16
Preheat: 325°
Source: The Savory Way – Deborah Madison
My friend Dorée and I both love almond cakes more than any other. This is her recipe for a handsome, rich cake filled with the flavor of almond. She uses almond paste both blended into the batter and broken up into pieces that are stirred in just before baking, leaving pure pockets of almond throughout the cake. Almond aficionados will want it both ways, but it’s perfectly delicious without the final addition.

This recipe is very easy to make and is also very easy to cut in half, making a smaller 1-pound cake.

Serve the almond cake with coffee, tea, or a dessert wine. Berries, peaches, and nectarines, sliced and sugared, are also delicious served alongside or with Compote (see below), with or without a spoonful of crème Anglaise. In fall and winter I like to serve this cake with the Preserved Figs with Star Anise and Bay (page 404) or Quince Compote (page 361).

Ingredients
Commercial almond paste usually comes in 8 oz cans.
You can also make your own with the recipe on page 394.
If you’re planning to use it in both ways, you’ll need a whole pound.
Makes 1 lg bundt cake, serving 12 to 16
unsalted butter and flour for the cake pan
½ lb almond paste
1¼ cup sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temp
5 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1½ tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
3 cup unbleached white flour
1½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1¼ tsp salt
1½ lb additional almond paste (optional)
powdered sugar

Directions
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Butter and flour a bundt pan or a 9-inch springform pan. Combine the ½ pound almond paste and the sugar in a food processor and work until well blended. Add the butter and continue to process until blended; then add the eggs, one at a time, the sour cream, and the flavorings. Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl.

Sift the flour with the baking powder, soda, and salt. Add it to the batter a third at a time, gently stirring in each cupful. For the extravagant touch, break another ½ pound -or less- almond paste into pieces and fold them into the batter. Turn the batter into the baking pan and bake the cake in the middle of the oven until the cake is golden on top and springy to the touch, about 1 hour.

Remove the cake from the oven and let it stand to cool slightly; then turn it out onto a serving plate. When cool, dust it with sifted powdered sugar. This cake will keep well, wrapped tightly, for several days

Date Nut Bread

Servings: —
Preheat: 325°
double recipe makes 5 pans

Ingredients
1 tbsp. butter
1 egg + 1 cup sugar

11/2 Cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
sift above 2 ingredients together

1 tsp vanilla
1 cup boiling water
3/4 cup cut up dates
1/2 cup raisins

1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions
Pour boiling water over dates and raisins and cool.
Mix butter, sugar, add egg and beat until creamy

Add dry ingredients alternately with moist mixture
then add vanilla
Add nuts last

Bake 325 degrees for 45 minutes.

Creamy White Bean and Herb Dip

Servings: 6-8
Source: Fine Cooking 3/2009
This new take on bean dip is equally good served cold or at room temperature.

Ingredients
2 15-oz. cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
4 oz cream cheese (1/2 cup)
¼ cup chopped yellow onion (optional)
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
4 anchovy fillet, rinsed and patted dry (optional)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
3 Tbsp thinly sliced fresh chives
1 Tbsp chopped fresh marjoram or oregano
Crudites, crusty sourdough bread, or crackers, for serving, or fresh vegetables like carrots, celery

Directions
Put the beans, cream cheese, onion, lemon juice, anchovy (if using), 1 tsp salt, and ½ tsp pepper in a food processor and process until smooth. With the motor running, drizzle in the oil. Transfer the spread to a large bowl and fold in 2 Tbsp of the chives and the marjoram. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer the spread to a serving bowl, garnish with the remaining 1 Tbsp chives, and serve with crudites, bread, crackers, or vegetables.

Make ahead: May be made 1 day ahead and refrigerated.