Delfina’s Spaghetti Pomodoro

Servings: 4-5
Preheat: 0
Prep Time: 1 hour
Source: http://www.sfchronicle.com/food/top-100-2015/article/Recipe-Delfina-s-Spaghetti-6261408.php

Sixteen years after opening Delfina, the restaurant’s signature spaghetti remains on the menu, a simple dish with a cult following. The sauce has just a few ingredients; the secrets are preparing the canned tomatoes, and then partially cooking the pasta in water and finishing it in the sauce. You will have leftover sauce; it freezes well.

Ingredients: 

2 (28-ounce) cans peeled whole plum tomatoes (such as Di Napoli)
3 cups water
5 cloves garlic, peeled
Kosher salt
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
Hot red pepper flakes, to taste
Leaves from ½ bunch fresh basil
1 pound high-quality durum wheat spaghetti (such as Rustichella d’Abruzzo)
1½ ounces “finishing” (flavorful, high-quality) extra virgin olive oil
Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Directions: 

Remove the tomatoes from the can, one at a time. Break each one open and scrape out the seeds with your hand, allowing the juice and seeds to fall back into the can. Drop the seeded tomatoes into a bowl.

When all of the tomatoes are seeded, break them up with your hands and strain the juice from the cans back over them. Pour the 3 cups of water into the cans, then pour that through the strainer into the bowl with the tomatoes.

Place the garlic cloves on a cutting board. Smash each one with the side of a chef’s knife and smear it slightly with a sprinkling of kosher salt.

Scrape the smashed garlic and salt into an 8-quart heavy-bottom pot. Add the olive oil, set over medium-low heat, cover and stew slowly until the garlic is soft and melted in texture but not browned, about 10 minutes.

Add the tomatoes along with their juice and the water to the pot. Season with some salt, pepper and a touch of hot red pepper flakes. Turn the heat to high and bring to a boil, skimming the foam but not the oil. Reduce the heat to medium-high and cook, uncovered, until the oil has emulsified with the rest of the ingredients and the sauce has reduced by approximately two thirds, about 40 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in 2/3 of the basil leaves. You should have about 5 cups of sauce.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook for 5 minutes — it will not be cooked through. Drain and reserve a coffee mug (8- to 12 ounces) full of the pasta cooking water.

Ladle about 3 cups of the sauce into the pasta pot. (Save the remaining 2 cups sauce for another use.) Add the partially cooked pasta to the sauce, along with about 8 ounces of the pasta cooking water and bring to a boil. Continue to cook rapidly for approximately 7 more minutes, tossing and stirring to prevent sticking to the bottom of the pot. Add more pasta water if the pasta needs to cook a little more.

This process allows the pasta to absorb some of the sauce. Additionally, the pasta releases starch which thickens the sauce and helps it cling to the pasta. This way it doesn’t run off of the spaghetti and sit on the bottom of the bowl. The last bite of pasta should bring the last bit of sauce with it.

Adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes to taste, and drizzle with the finishing extra virgin olive oil. Roughly tear the remaining basil leaves and toss them in.

Divide the between serving plates, and top with lots of freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.

CHOCOLATE PECAN TORTE

Servings: 10 to 12
Preheat: 350
Prep Time: 1 hour?
Source: Sinfully Easy Delicious Desserts by Alice Medrich

There are lots of toasted pecans in this all-in-one-bowl bittersweet chocolate torte. It’s good on its own, but I often pass a bowl of plain whipped cream; Mocha or Milk Chocolate Whipped Cream are also good here. For the best flavor (and convenience!), make the torte at least a day, if not two, ahead.

Ingredients: 

1 cup (3.5 ounces) pecan halves
2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate (66% to 72% cacao), coarsely chopped
8 tablespoons (4 ounces) unsalted butter, softened but still cool, cut into chunks
3/4 cup (5.25 ounces) granulated sugar
Generous 1/8 teaspoon salt
4 cold large eggs
Powdered sugar for dusting

Lightly Sweetened Whipped Cream, optional

Directions: 

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease the bottom and sides of the springform pan.

Spread the pecans on the baking sheet and bake them for 7 to 10 minutes, stirring once or twice, until they are fragrant and taste toasty. Scrape the nuts onto a plate and let cool
completely. Turn the oven temperature up to 375°F.
Pulse the pecans with the flour in the food processor until finely ground.

Put the chocolate in a large heatproof bowl, preferably stainless steel, set it in a wide skillet of barely simmering water (see Melting Chocolate My Way, page 97), and stir occasionally until nearly melted. Remove the bowl from the water bath and stir the chocolate until it is completely melted and smooth.

Add the butter, granulated sugar, and salt and beat with the electric mixer at medium speed until the butter is completely melted and the mixture thickens and lightens slightly in color. Beat in the eggs one by one, then beat at high speed (medium speed in a heavy-duty stand mixer) for a minute or two, or until the batter is fluffy and lightened in color. Stir in the pecan mixture.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted about 11/2 inches from the side of the pan comes out clean; the center will still be gooey.

Set the pan on a rack to cool. Slide a thin knife or a small metal spatula around the inside of the pan to loosen the cake and allow the thin crust on top to sink (slightly) as the cake cools. Let cool completely. Remove the pan sides and transfer the cake to a serving platter. The torte can be kept at room temperature, covered or under a cake dome, for at least 3 days, or frozen, well wrapped, for up to 3 months; bring to room temperature before serving.

Sift a little powdered sugar over the top to highlight the crackled surface. Serve slices with a dollop of whipped cream, if desired.

* VARIATIONS
Toasted walnuts or hazelnuts (with the skins rubbed off) make a nice changeup for the pecans. You can grate the zest of 1 orange into the batter, if you like; then stir it in. Top each slice with whipped cream (plain, mocha, or white chocolate – see pages 130-133) and grate a little cinnamon over the top of the cake and cream. In addition to the cinnamon, try a pinch of ground ancho or other chile.

Flourless Chocolate Pecan Torte

You can simply omit the flour without substituting anything for it, or you can increase the nuts by an ounce or so. The texture of the torte will be a bit nubbier, as the flour provides a little creaminess.

Laurel’s hoecakes

Servings: 2
Preheat: 0
Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Source: Huckleberry by Zoe Nathan

Southern pancakes. Delicious served with butter, syrup and blueberries

Ingredients: 

1.5 cups cornmeal
1/2 cup flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
2 Tbsp honey
3 Tbsp maple syrup
3/4 C whole milk
1/4 C buttermilk
1/2 C unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
2 eggs
2 ears of fresh corn, grated

Directions: 

Put the cornmeal, flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Add the honey, maple syrup, milk, buttermilk, melted butter, eggs, and corn. Whisk to combine.

About 5 minutes before you are ready to make pancakes, preheat a greased griddle over medium heat. The griddle is ready when a few droplets of water sizzle and dance across the surface. Lower the heat to medium to begin cooking.

Drop 1/3 cup of batter onto the griddle. When bubbles set on the surface of the pancake and the bottom is golden, flip and cook one minute longer.

Serve hot

Roasted Chicken Provençal

Servings: 4
Preheat: 400
Prep Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
Source: Sam Sifton, http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1017327-roasted-chicken-provencal

This is a recipe I picked up from Steven Stolman, a clothing and interior designer whose “Confessions of a Serial Entertainer” is a useful guide to the business and culture of dinner parties and general hospitality. It is a perfect dinner-party meal: chicken thighs or legs dusted in flour and roasted with shallots, lemons and garlic in a bath of vermouth and under a shower of herbes de Provence. They go crisp in the heat above the fat, while the shallots and garlic melt into sweetness below. You could serve with rice, but I prefer a green salad and a lot of baguette to mop up the sauce.

Ingredients: 

4 chicken legs or 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2-3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons herbes de Provence
1 lemon, quartered
8-10 cloves garlic, peeled
4-6 medium-size shallots, peeled and halved
⅓ cup dry vermouth
4 sprigs of thyme, for serving

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 400. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Put the flour in a shallow pan, and lightly dredge the chicken in it, shaking the pieces to remove excess flour.

Swirl the oil in a large roasting pan, and place the floured chicken in it. Season the chicken with the herbes de Provence. Arrange the lemons, garlic cloves and shallots around the chicken, and then add the vermouth to the pan.

Put the pan in the oven, and roast for 25 to 30 minutes, then baste it with the pan juices. Continue roasting for an additional 25 to 30 minutes, or until the chicken is very crisp and the meat cooked through.

Serve in the pan or on a warmed platter, garnished with the thyme.

Mango in Ginger-Mint Syrup

Servings: 4
Preheat: 0
Prep Time: 
Source: Epicurious

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less but requires additional sitting time.
Refreshing

Ingredients: 

a 2-inch piece fresh gingerroot
1 cup water
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup packed fresh mint leaves
1 firm-ripe mango (about 1 pound)
Garnish: fresh mint sprigs

Directions: 

Thinly slice ginger root and in a saucepan bring to a boil with water and sugar. Simmer mixture 5 minutes and remove pan from heat. Stir in mint and let steep 5 minutes. Pour syrup through a sieve into a bowl and cool completely.

Peel mango and thinly slice. Stir mango into syrup. Chill mixture 30 minutes.

Garnish mango with mint.

Valentine’s Day Share-My-Heart Cookies – Feb. 11th, 2016

Servings: 8 servings; makes two 9 1/2- to 10-inch cookies, plus leftovers ( 16 smaller hearts)
Preheat: 350
Prep Time: fast
Source: Deb Lindsey, Washington Post

Use heart cookie cutter

Ingredients: 

FOR THE COOKIES

1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably Dutch-process
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
9 tablespoons (1 stick plus 1 tablespoon) cold unsalted butter, cut into 18 pieces
1 cold large egg yolk
1 tablespoon ice-cold water
Sanding sugar (optional)

For the Frosting
3 ounces semisweet chocolate
1/2 Cup heavy cream

Directions: 

DIRECTIONS

For the cookies: Combine the flour, confectioners’ sugar, cocoa powder and salt in a food processor and pulse to blend. Scatter the pieces of butter over the mixture and pulse until they are cut in and the mixture looks grainy.

Lightly whisk together the yolk and water in a small bowl; add to the food processor a little at a time, pulsing after each addition. When incorporated, process in 10-second pulses until the dough forms clumps and curds. Pinch the dough, and it should hold together; if it doesn’t, pulse a few more times.

Turn the dough onto a work surface (not floured), divide it in half, shape each piece into a disk and put each disk between sheets of parchment or wax paper. One at a time, roll the dough out into a round, turning it over frequently and peeling away the paper often. Try to get a circle that’s 9 to 10 inches in diameter and about 1/8 inch thick (a little thicker is fine). Slide each of the rounds, still between the papers, onto a baking sheet (you can stack them). Refrigerate for 2 hours or freeze for 1 hour.

When you’re ready to bake, position oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat to 350 degrees. Have a few large baking sheets at hand.

Peel away the top and bottom pieces of paper on each round and then replace them. (If you don’t peel them first, the dough may buckle during baking.)

Use a pencil to draw a large heart on the top paper of each circle, then use a sharp knife to cut the dough around the heart. Lift off the paper, remove the excess dough (reserve the scraps) and slide the hearts, still on the bottom pieces of paper, onto separate baking sheets. (While they are baking, gather the scraps together, reroll them, chill and then use heart-shaped cutters to make additional cookies; bake one sheet at a time for 12 to 15 minutes.)

At this point, If you don’t plan to ice the cookies, you can sprinkle them with sanding sugar, if you’d like.

Bake the large hearts for 19 to 22 minutes, rotating the baking sheets top to bottom and front to back after 10 minutes, until they’re dull-looking, a little crinkled, set around the edges and almost firm at their centers. Let the cookies rest for 5 minutes, then carefully slide them, paper and all, onto racks; cool to room temperature. (smaller hearts – 10 minutes)

Frosting
Bring heavy cream to boil. Then pour it into a heatproof bowl that contains the chopped chocolate. Stir until combined and thick. Cool Ganache and spread.

Clementine & Almond Syrup Cake

Servings: 8 to 10
Preheat: 350
Prep Time: 
Source: Jerusalem – A Cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi

This fragrant cake has a wonderful light texture and will keep, covered, for at least a week. Oranges will make an adequate substitute for the clementines. A citrus zester, inexpensive and widely available, is the ideal tool for getting long even strips of orange zest to garnish the cake.

Ingredients: 

3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp / 200 g unsalted butter
scant 2 cups / 380 g superfine sugar
grated zest and juice of 4 clementines
grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 1/2 cups / 280 g ground almonds
5 large free-range eggs, beaten
3/4 cup plus 1 tbsp / 100 g all-purpose flour, sifted
pinch of salt
long strips of orange zest to garnish

CHOCOLATE ICING (OPTIONAL)
6 tbsp / 90 g unsalted butter, diced
5 oz / 150 g good-quality dark chocolate, broken up
2 1/2 tsp honey
1 1/2 tsp Cognac

Directions: 

Preheat the oven to 350°F / 180°C. Lightly grease a 9 1/2-inch / 24cm springform pan with butter and line the sides and bottom with parchment paper.

Place the butter, 1 1/2 cups / 300 g of the sugar, and both zests in a stand mixer fitted with the beater attachment and beat on low speed to combine everything Well. Do not Work the mixture too much or incorporate too much air. Add half the ground almonds and continue mixing until combined.

With the machine running, gradually add the eggs, stopping to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl a couple of times as you go. Add the remaining ground almonds, the flour, and the salt and beat until completely smooth.

Pour the cake batter into the pan and level it with an offset spatula.

Bake the cake for 50 to 60 minutes. Check to see if it is ready by inserting a skewer into the center. It should come out a little bit moist.

When the cake is almost done, place the remaining 1/3 cup / 80 g sugar and the citrus juices in a small saucepan and bring to a boil (the juices should total about 1/2 cup / 120 ml; remove some juice if needed). When the syrup boils, remove it from the heat.

As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, brush it with the boiling syrup, making sure all the syrup soaks in. Leave the cake to cool down completely in the pan before you remove it. You can then serve it as it is, garnished with orange zest strips, or store it for up to 5 days in an airtight container.

If you wish to ice the cake, we recommend doing it on the day you want to serve it so the icing is fresh and shiny. Put the butter, chocolate, and honey in a heatproof bowl and place over a saucepan of simmering water (make sure the bowl does not touch the water). Stir until everything is melted, then immediately remove from the heat and fold in the Cognac. Pour the icing over the cooled cake, allowing it to dribble naturally down the sides without covering the cake completely. Let the icing set and then garnish the center of the cake with the orange zest strips.

Fig Newtons, Made at Home

Servings: 30 cookies
Preheat: 325
Prep Time: 
Source: Food 52 Blog

This recipe grew out of a need to satisfy cravings for my favorite childhood cookie. I knew that if I went to the store and simply bought a package of Fig Newtons, I would probably be disappointed, as taste memories always seem to be more vibrant than the food that inspired them.

But I had a hunch that homemade Fig Newtons might just live up to my nostalgia-fueled expectations — and boy, did they ever. Soft and slightly chewy with the pleasant pop of tiny fig seeds in the filling, these figgy lovelies manage not only to outshine the cookie that inspired them, but they’re also good enough to make new memories.

Ingredients: 

For the cookie dough

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) butter, softened
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Zest of one orange

For the fig filling

1 pound dried figs, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup water

Directions: 

Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a mixing bowl and set aside. In a large bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment), beat the butter and brown sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes.

Add the egg, vanilla, and orange zest and beat until combined. Stir the flour mixture into the butter mixture until well blended. Scoop the dough onto a piece of plastic wrap, shape into a disc, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Meanwhile, make the filling. Combine the figs and water in a medium saucepan. Bring the water to a boil, cover, and allow the water to boil until the figs have absorbed it. Transfer the figs to a food processor and pulse until the mixture is completely smooth.
Preheat the oven to 325? F. Place a large piece of parchment on your work surface and flour it liberally. Divide the chilled dough into 4 pieces, place one piece on the parchment, and return the other 3 to the refrigerator.

Shape the piece of dough into a rectangle, then roll the dough, stopping frequently to make sure it isn’t sticking to the parchment, into a long rectangle (about 4 inches wide by 12 inches long). Be vigilant about lifting and reflouring the dough as you roll to prevent sticking.
Scoop the fig filling into a pastry bag or a plastic zip-top bag with one corner cut off. Pipe the filling in a 1-inch strip down the center of the dough rectangle. Fold one side of the dough over the filling, then the other. Press down on the seam to close it.

Using the parchment, flip the cookie roll over, seam-side down. Transfer it gingerly to a baking sheet and refrigerate while you repeat this step with the other 3 pieces of dough. Bake the logs of dough for about 16 minutes or until the dough is no longer tacky and has begun to brown around the edges.
While the cookie rolls are still warm, cut them into 1 1/2- to 2-inch cookies. Immediately place the cookies in a single layer inside a plastic zip-top bag and close the bag. This seems counterintuitive, but in order to keep the cookies soft, like the real thing, they need to steam.

Cool the cookies completely. Remove them from the bags and place in an airtight container. They can be kept, at room temperature, for up to 2 weeks.

Carrots with Pistachio-Herb Butter

Servings: 8
Preheat: 0
Prep Time: 
Source: Fine Cooking, Issue #131

Lime and pistachios add brightness and crunch to crisp-tender carrots. This recipe is designed so that you can do most of the work well in advance, making it perfect for a Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner. Then all you need to do is cook the carrots and toss them with their seasonings. See the Make-Ahead Tips for details.

Ingredients: 

1/2 cup salted, roasted, shelled pistachios
1/2 cup lightly packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
1 Tbs. packed fresh mint leaves
2 oz. (4 Tbs.) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 oz. finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (1/2 cup)
1 tsp. packed finely grated lime zest
4 to 6 drops hot sauce, such as Sriracha
Kosher salt
3 lb. carrots, peeled and cut into pieces about 2 inches long and 1/2 inch wide.
2 tsp. fresh lime juice; more as needed

Directions: 

Make the pistachio butter

Coarsely chop the pistachios in a food processor. Set aside half of the nuts. Pulse the remaining nuts until they are quite fine but not pasty. Add the parsley and mint, and pulse again until the herbs are finely chopped. Add the butter, cheese, zest, hot sauce, and 1 tsp. salt; pulse until well blended. If working ahead, scrape the butter onto plastic wrap, shape into a log, wrap, and freeze. Seal the reserved pistachios in a small zip-top freezer bag or other airtight container and freeze.

Cook and finish the carrots

Take the butter out of the refrigerator if made ahead. Combine the carrots and 1 tsp. salt in a 4-quart saucepan and add enough water to just cover. Cover the pan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer and cook to your liking, about 5 minutes for crisp-tender.

Reserve about 1/4 cup of the cooking water, drain the carrots, and then return them to the pan. Add the butter in pieces and toss to melt and coat the carrots. Add the lime juice and some of the reserved water, if necessary. Season to taste with salt and more lime juice. Serve topped with the reserved pistachios.

Make Ahead Tips

The butter can be made up to one month ahead and frozen (along with the reserved pistachios). Thaw the butter in the refrigerator for one day and the pistachios at room temperature.

The carrots can be peeled and cut up to two days ahead. Seal in a zip-top bag or other airtight container and refrigerate.

Turkey Hash With Brussels Sprouts and Parsnips

Servings: 4 to 6
Preheat: 400
Prep Time: 
Source: David Tanis, New York Times

Though it’s derived from a French word that means chopped, hash is quintessentially American. It’s most often made with roasted or boiled meat (sometimes corned beef) and potatoes, cut into cubes and fried into a crisp-bottomed cake. Invariably, it’s then topped with an egg, poached or fried. This one, made with roast turkey, makes good use of holiday leftovers. Scallions and jalapeño lend it brightness.

Ingredients: 

12 ounces parsnips, chopped, about 2 cups
Butter, oil or lard
4 ounces thick-sliced bacon, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1 large onion, diced, about 2 cups
Salt and pepper
1 pound cooked turkey, preferable dark meat, diced
2 tablespoons chopped sage
1 cup turkey or chicken broth
1 ½ cups slivered brussels sprouts
6 scallions, chopped
1 jalapeño, finely chopped (optional)
4 to 6 eggs, for frying
Cilantro sprigs for garnish (optional)

Directions: 

Simmer parsnips in salted water for about 2 minutes, until cooked through but firm. Drain and set aside. Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Put 4 tablespoons butter in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add bacon and fry lightly for 1 minute, then add onions and reduce heat to medium. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft and beginning to color, about 10 minutes. Season well with salt and pepper.

Add parsnips, turkey and sage. Stir to coat well. Let sizzle, adding more butter as needed, until mixture is well browned, about 10 minutes. Check seasoning. Add broth and transfer skillet to oven. Bake, uncovered, until broth is absorbed and hash is crisp, 10 to 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook brussels sprouts: Heat a small amount of butter or oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add slivered sprouts, salt and pepper; stir-fry briefly, until sprouts are just cooked, about 2 minutes. Stir in scallions and jalapeño. Spoon sprouts over hash mixture and set aside to keep warm.

For each portion, cook 1 large egg sunny-side up. Top hash with fried eggs and garnish with cilantro sprigs.