‘Eating’ Category

Twenty-seven

Posted on January 23rd, 2012 by Tonia 5 Comments

My family visited this weekend to celebrate my 27th birthday, which is today.

They cooked the most amazing meal: antipasti on fresh bread, chicken risotto {the original recipe of Nonna Tonia- my dad’s grandmother and my namesake}, salad, a browned-butter-hazelnut-pear cake with an orange-cranberry filling, and espresso poured over vanilla ice cream with dark chocolate shavings on top. Holy-moly it was all so good!

Cake, candles, and singing…because we’re never too old for that.

Games, laughter, winners and losers…

Birthday kisses from my favorite little peanut…

And the next morning, a big breakfast made by my handsome husband…how does he get the pancakes so perfect like that?

Thanks for the great birthday, family! I am so blessed!!…And my belly is very full and happy. ♥

Paella Party

Posted on December 12th, 2011 by Tonia 1 Comment

Our friends hosted a dinner party this weekend and made paella for everyone. Nothing tastes better on a cold winter night than a plate of spicy, smokey rice. The Italians have risotto, the Spanish have paella. Both are delicious and make it easy to feed a lot of people, so they’re perfect for dinner parties {or big Catholic families.}

We arrived early to help them mince the herbs, chop the onions, and get the fire started. Paella is traditionally cooked outside over a fire pit in a large, shallow pan. I wondered what the Spaniards would think of us, cooking paella this way in the middle of December with six inches of snow on the ground.

Folks started to arrive, and we all huddled in our coats and boots around the fire pit, watching the magic happen. First the pork, marinated in pomegranate juice and herbs, was browned in the pan. Then the garlic and onions went in, along with a healthy amount of oil. Then the sausage was added along with a big bowl of chopped watercress and other herbs. And finally the rice was poured into the mix and sauteed a moment before everything was coated with homemade chicken broth and hot wine, covered with foil and left alone to cook.

Our friends served the paella with a huge salad of greens, pomegranate seeds, and oranges. Dessert was homemade chocolate mousse, topped with whipped cream and homemade chocolate lace cookies. Everyone died and went to heaven. It was incredible.

Are you salivating yet? Good, because I really think you ought to make yourself a steaming bowl of paella tonight. Here’s a basic recipe, but you can get much fancier or creative with it if you’re brave. The meat is optional and flexible in this dish. We used pork loin and sausage in our version, because that’s what we have locally-raised and free-range around here. If you’re lucky enough to live near an ocean, by all means use seafood.

Cooking meals together is one of the most enjoyable ways to spend the cold winter months. This meal goes well with your most conversational friends and this song playing in the background.

Chicken, Shrimp and Chorizo Paella – The Jewels of New York

serves 4

1 Spanish chorizo sausage, sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 chicken thighs
1 medium onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tomato, diced
1 tablespoon flat leaf parsley, chopped
1/4 teaspoon spanish paprika
3 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon saffron threads, crumbled
1 1/2 cups Arborio or other short grain rice
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 cup frozen peas, thawed
salt and pepper to taste

*special equipment: large paella pan or large shallow skillet

Season chicken with salt, pepper and a light dusting of paprika.

In a large paella pan, heat oil over medium high heat. Saute chorizo until browned and edges curl. Remove and reserve for later use. In the same pan, add chicken and brown skin side down until crispy but not cooked though. Reserve to the side.

Over medium heat, sauté onions, garlic and parsley until golden and soft. Combine rice and 3 cups of broth into mixture. Bring to a boil. Salt and pepper to taste and add crumbled saffron.

Add chicken, chorizo and shrimp and continue to simmer without stirring until the liquid has evaporated and the rice is cooked through, about 15 minutes. Cover with foil to ensure all rice cooks through. Finish paella by turning up the heat during the last bit of cooking, this gives a nice toasted rice bottom to the dish. Let the dish rest for about 5-10 minutes before serving. Stir in peas and garnish with parsley and lemon wedges.

{Images from The Jewels of NY blog}

Fika

Posted on November 18th, 2011 by Tonia 4 Comments

…The Swedish word for time spent drinking coffee with something sweet.

Don’t mind if I do.

Flognarde, also known as clafoutis, is a traditional French dessert made of sweet batter poured over a layer of apple or pear chunks and baked in the oven. You can eat this dish as a hot pudding or a cold dessert.

Ingredients {serves 6}:
3 apples
3 large eggs
1 ½ cups {350 ml} milk
½ cup {90 g} sugar
½ cup + 1 tbsp {70 g} flour
2 tbsp vegetable oil {or any neutral oil}

Preheat the oven to 400ºF {200ºC}. Peel and core the apples then cut into chunks.

Grease the tart tin with butter and sprinkle some flour. Place it on a baking sheet. Spread the apple chunks evenly in the tart tin.

Gently heat the milk until warm. In a mixing bowl, whisk the eggs until blended and foamy. Add the sugar, flour, oil and whisk until smooth. Gradually whisk in the warm milk.

Using a ladle, carefully pour the liquid batter over the apple chunks in the tin, filling up to the rim.

Bake for 30 – 45 minutes until the flognarde is puffed and golden.

Make time for “fika” with someone you love this weekend.

Sneak Leek Attack

Posted on October 21st, 2011 by Tonia 1 Comment

The leeks in our garden are ready for harvest, and what better timing? Late October, dark and cold. Superstition hanging in the air like a frozen breath. Things that wouldn’t normally bother us, everyday things like the damp stairway down to the basement, suddenly send shivers up the spine. And perfectly, little more than a week before the capstone of this eerie season, the monster-ly leeks with their rockstar hair reach maturity.

Obviously the only way to harvest such a veggie is to sneak-attack them at night. They never saw us coming.

Maybe I will be a leek for Halloween. I think that costume would go over much better in our little farmy town than my “Lindsey Lohan Goes to Jail” costume last year {turns out, no one knows who Lindsey Lohan is around here.}

Isn’t it funny how the spookiest veggie makes the most comforting supper? We enjoyed several hot bowls of Potato Leek Soup this evening next to the cozy wood-stove, and we think you should too:

Rustic Potato Leek Soup
From “The Best Recipe Soups and Stews” by Cooks Illustrated.

4 pounds leeks {rinsed and and chopped into 1 inch pieces. Use only white and 3 inches of light green portion}
4 tb. butter, unsalted
1 tb. flour
5 cups chicken stock
1 bay leaf
2 lbs. potatoes chopped

Heat the butter in a large stockpot until melted and foaming. Stir in leeks, increase heat and cover for 15-20 minutes, but do not brown the leeks.

Sprinkle flour over the leeks and coat evenly until it dissolves.

Pour in the stock, whisking continually. Add the bay leaf and potatoes and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat and let simmer for 15 minutes. Discard bay leaf and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve hot with crusty bread. Yummmmm!

Variations:

1. Add cooked kielbasa or white beans just before serving.

2. Let the soup cool and then blend it in batches in a high-powered blender until completely smooth. Return it to the pot to warm it back up before serving. While blending, add a couple slices of a seedy, grainy bread {the gluten in the bread makes the soup extra smooth and creamy, and the seeds/grains [especially ones like flax and fennel] stay intact for a nice texture and add flavor.