Cooking With My Dad (and the rest of the gang)

Thanks to a communal effort, our Thanksgiving feast was a resounding success. It took a bit of time to get into our groove this year, as my Dad needed to adjust himself to having me in his compact NYC city kitchen. Plus, I started things off on the wrong track when I removed a loaf of his rising bread from the cutting board to chop celery and onions for the stuffing. But once it was clear that his loaf of bread suffered no injuries and was safe and sound in the hot oven, we were side by side again preparing the meal.
This year, my oldest son volunteered to help me make the stuffing, probably because he wanted to snatch a few tastes of his favorite part of the meal. And I’ll take any help I can get in the kitchen, especially when it’s someone from the next generation, as we need to pass the torch of tradition.
There’s no real need to go into detail of our preparations, since I’m pretty sure I’ve written loads on the topic already in past Thanksgiving blogs and history did repeat. But I can assure you it was great fun with a plentitude of memorable moments. Like when I seasoned my Dad’s hands with an ever too generous amount of olive oil, salt and herbs and watched him give his turkey a better full body, deep tissue massage than I’ve ever received. And of course there were the nut versus no nut jokes in our stuffing like there always are.
All in all, it was another delightful Thanksgiving; a bustling day cooking, eating and feeling full, from the meal and satisfying moments together. Of course, I am sad to report that we didn’t have a whole lot of leftovers this years since we traveled by public transport. But I’m looking forward to Thursday, when my parents will tote several quarts of turkey stock over for our Thanksgiving soup, which will allow us to savor the last bit of Thanksgiving 2011.

Turkey Vegetable Soup w/ Alphabets

3 quarts turkey stock
1 medium onion, diced
1 large zucchini (diced)
1 large yellow squash (diced)
4 peeled and chopped carrots in rounds
3 celery stocks diced
2 cups cubed turkey
2 Tbs. olive oil
2 Tbs. Fresh chopped parsley
1 ½ cups cooked & drained alphabet noodles
Kosher salt to taste

Sauté the vegetables in olive oil. Add stock, let come to a boil and turn down heat to a simmer until carrots are slightly tender. Add pre-cooked alphabets, turkey & parsley. Let cool and transfer to containers and freeze.

Peach Pie Anyone?

There’s nothing like a piece of homemade peach pie in the middle of February to brighten the spirits. Yes, it’s true! -- Especially if it’s made with farm fresh Jersey peaches and a homemade crust. But how you might ask did I possibly make a peach pie in the dead of winter? There are no peaches in the grocery stores, or at least any local or sweet ones, so you may be wondering how I pulled this one off.

Well, I’ll give you my little secret. Back in July, I had a surplus of peaches from my CSA. I decided to make a few batches of peach pie filling with a friend who also had too many. This week, when I stumbled upon my very last container hiding snugly beneath a bag of edamame beans in the freezer, I decided that there’s no better time than now! My 13-year old pie-loving son was more than thrilled when I greeted him with a fresh-out-of-the oven slice of pie. If you can imagine, he asked if it was made with canned peaches! I think I even impressed him.

If you’re wondering why you didn’t think to do the same over the summer with your excess fruit, don’t! There’s always next summer. Food freezes exceptionally well – just look at the enormous frozen food departments in grocery store across America. Farm fresh foods are no exception, which brings me to my next point. Cooking with friends to preserve the harvest reaps long term benefits. We may not be shopping at farmer’s markets or snipping herbs from our garden in February, but at least we’re enjoying the delightfully fresh flavors from seasons past.

As my frozen supply of farm fresh tomato sauce, pesto, corn stocks and pie fillings dwindles, I am encouraged. The ground hog may not have seen his shadow, but I’ve got my sign that spring is near. With every bite I savor from seasons past I am inspired by what’s soon to come and the foods I will surely preserve next time.

Simple Peach Pie Filling
10 fresh sweet yellow peaches, skins removed and cut into thick slices
1/2 cup white sugar
1 -2 tablespoons corn starch
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon juice
dash of nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Combine all of the ingredients in a medium sized pot and heat slowly, stirring until the mixture becomes thick. Cool and transfer the mixture to a freezer safe container until ready to fill a pie.

Tortellini Time

Many months ago, as he often does, my 13-year old son casually asked me if his tortellini dinner was homemade. I’m not sure if his inquiries are meant to inspire me to make something from scratch the next time or more of an attempt to prove that not everything I serve is homemade. More likely it’s just an innocent, non-loaded question. But I take him seriously every time he asks and when I get caught the guilt sets in. I’m haunted, my conscious asking me how I could serve my children anything but something homemade. Maybe I should have resisted the temptation to buy those cute little pastas in the prepared food section. With one little query from my son though, I now have the nagging little desire to make tortellini from scratch.

So who do I call? Lou of course, my cooking Ghostbuster. Anytime I’m up for a challenge or an adventure, I’ll think of Lou first. But a few months back, when I texted Lou and asked him to make homemade tortellini, he asked me if I was crazy. Why would I want to make these tiny labor intensive morsels, something that elderly Italian widows make to occupy their lonely days?

For those of you who haven’t read about Lou, he’s a master home chef. He cures his own prosciutto, bakes artisan bread, creates unbelievably sinful demi-glace, and makes homemade pasta. His list of culinary accomplishments are endless and each and every time I cook with Lou I am humbled. As it turns out, Lou had never made tortellini before (probably because he knew what a pain they would be). Yes, I knew Lou would eventually be up for the challenge. So I waited, putting my tortellini making need on the back burner.

And then, about a week ago, Lou must have sensed that I had just bought a big Costco batch of four cheese ravioli and was feeding it to my kids for dinner and leftovers again and again. I think my son was actually on his third tortellini dinner when Lou’s e-mail arrived. “Ready yet?” he prodded with an attached how-to video on making tortellini from scratch. Though I knew my kids were tired of tortellini, I eagerly replied “Yes!” This might be my only chance! They could sit and wait in the freezer until my kid’s were willing to eat them again.

Lou makes things easy when we cook together and this time was no exception. The dough was pre-made and vacuum sealed. He also had the veal filling assembled, with meat he had ground himself from osso buco and a touch of his homemade demi-glace as a secret flavor enhancer. I was in charge of the non-meat filling and getting the fresh ricotta and parmesan cheese. His kitchen was ready, with the pasta press hooked up, dough resting and cylinder waiting. He even had a book opened to a page diagramming how to fold and crimp tortellini. After a test run, he said my pinky would be perfect, like the Italian widows, to form tortellini but his was too big.

So he made the ribbons of pasta while I cut circles and began filling, folding and twisting handmade tortellini and we weren’t moving fast but we were having fun; both trying something for the first time and we knew could very well be the last. Maybe it was the knowledge that it wasn’t likely to happen again that made it so enjoyable. But after an hour’s work and little more than a half a cookie sheet filled, we called Christina, our expert crimping friend, and asked her for some help. She came right away, maybe with curiosity or in good friendship or to get a taste! Soon like a genie appears from a bottle, Christina was in Lou’s kitchen, in full tortellini making mode. We teased her that they looked a little wonton like but after she threatened to leave we backed off. Lou brought some water to a boil for a tortellini sampling. We knew that would keep her for a while longer.

We tasted and agreed how delicious they were. As we noted the yield, we knew our time together was more for the experience and not something that would become part of our repertoires. We offered some to Christina when she left, but she politely declined, realizing whatever amount she’d be given wouldn’t be enough to feed even one person in her family and she’d be taking away from our supply. She left empty-handed but with the promise of a tortellini lunch the next week. What better use for our pasta than to enjoy them together.

The Crimping Groove

My friend Christina (aka the “dumpling queen”) hosted a dumpling making get-together this past Thursday for a few neighbors. I showed up a tad late, which wasn’t particularly a bad thing, since they had been busy prepping ingredients and offered me some ginger, garlic, bok choy and carrots for my filling. It seemed that no one was miffed at my minor freeloading, as I apologized for my lateness and pranced in with a great big salad for lunch. (I’m pretty sure they knew I’d pull my weight later.)

I was in low gear that morning, dicing shrimp for the shumai I would make in addition to the dumplings. It was luxurious to say the least. As I chopped, Christina began seasoning, pouring soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic and ginger into my mixtures. In a short few minutes, with Christina’s assistance, I had caught up to my friends, who were ready to begin their crimping.

We were four women, each with a different crimping style. Christina whizzed through hers with a beautiful pleat and fold method, packing dozens of perfectly plump dumplings onto her tray while the rest of us lagged behind, crimping in our own way. Sybil (also of Chinese descent) demonstrated a simple two-fold crimping technique that her mother taught her. In the company of Christina, she abandoned that mode, hoping to master Christina’s more aesthetically pleasing method.

There were plenty of laughs and some serious talk, as we discussed the happenings of the week. Snippets of our lives and fragments of ourselves were casually revealed as four women crimped and got to know one another better than before. The back door opened and closed, as we used the frigid air to begin the freezing process for hundreds of dumplings we were making together.

And at the end, when all the dishes were clean and counters tidy, when Christina’s kitchen was sparkling, we sat down for a lovely lunch of steamed shumai and a hearty green lettuce salad with beets and feta cheese. I doubt there’s a lunch spot in town that can offer as good a time, as delicious a lunch and a few hundred dumplings to take home.

We’ll reconvene next week for an intense few hours of soup-making for the human needs food pantry.

Here are the ingredients that we used for our dumpling filling. Now, since we improvised as we made the filling, I am offering you estimates with no precise measurements. A little of this and a lot of that! Use your judgment to create your perfect filling.

Pork Dumpling Filling

2 pounds ground pork
fresh ground ginger (1 tablespoon)
minced garlic (two teaspoons)
soy sauce (two teaspoons)
sesame oil (1 tablespoon)
1 egg lightly beaten
Corn starch (1-2 tablespoons)
Pre-cooked bok choy, chopped (1 cup)
Shredded carrots (1/2 cup)

Happy New Year

It's been a busy week getting back into the swing of things. (Note the Friday blog instead of an early in the week one.) With the kids back in school, I'm trying to reclaim my house, get on a work schedule and basically get organized. I am sure many of you are in the same boat. For me, the key to feeling under control is being well prepared in the family meal department -- breakfast, lunch, snacks and dinner!

So, to kick off the first week of 2011, I had quite a hefty plan which included using up what little was left in my freezer from 2010, shopping and planning a cooking schedule with various friends.

With healthy meals in mind, Liz and I started the week with a big joint shop at Costco, splitting the cost for some great bulk foods -- fingerling potatoes, ground turkey, edamame, milk, grape tomatoes, lettuce and quinoa (pronounced keen-wah). If you’ve never had quinoa before, it’s a gluten-free and protein rich super grain that has a soft seedy texture and a nutty flavor. It can be used instead of rice and kids love it!

We then met later in the week and made two vegetable soups (one lentil and one hearty veggie) and a delicious quinoa salad with peppers, tomatoes, feta and herbs. Liz and I try to stay focused on healthy vegetarian dishes which we eat ourselves for lunch and serve as sides to the family during the week. And, since I had tossed all the old holiday cookies and had depleted my freezer supply of muffins and breads, I also had to bake something sweet. I knew my sweet-loving friend Suzy would be game and together, we made cinnamon biscotti and cinnamon muffins. The muffins, along with fresh blueberries from Costco made a perfect breakfast for my three kids each morning.

Next week, I’m looking forward to making some dumplings and shumai with a few neighbors at my friend Christina’s house. I’ll come home with several freezer bags full, which will make satisfying thermos lunches for the kids! I’m also hoping to make a big batch of turkey meatballs to go with the farm fresh tomato sauce that’s still in the freezer from summer and some more breakfast breads and muffins. (Anyone care to join me?)

Here’s Liz and my simple and healthy quinoa salad recipe. (FYI - Liz’s 3-year old devoured several portions for lunch, so I think that’s a good sign. You can vary the flavors by adding whatever veggies you have on hand. Kalamata olives would be delicious too!)

Quinoa Salad
Makes 8 cups

4 cups quinoa (2 cups cooked in vegetable broth and 2 cups cooked in water)
1 cup cherry tomatoes, diced
1 cup feta cheese
1 orange pepper, diced
4 scallions (or ¼ cup red onion diced)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Juice from 1 lemon
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon salt
Pepper to taste

In a large bowl, combine quinoa, tomatoes, feta cheese, peppers, onions, mint and basil. In a separate bowl, mix together the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper. Toss the dressing with the quinoa mixture.

Conversation with Sandra Lee

Many of you have been asking for my report back on the phone call I had with Sandra Lee and fellow bloggers Cheryl from TidyMom, Kelly from The Party Dress and Estela from Weeklybite.com. So, this blog is for you!

Not only will I share my highlights with you, but Sam’s Club has included a video (see below) where Sandra shares some holiday tips.
Here are a few of my favorite tips from the call with Sandra:

-To ease some entertaining stress without compromising flavor, Sandra recommends purchasing pre-marinated cuts of meat during the holidays. That’s exactly what she does, and then she’ll focus on the special touches and interesting side dishes. One of her favorite pre-marinated products is the flavorful Garlic Marinated Pork Tenderloin sold at Sam’s Club.

-Sandra believes that simple recipes will lead to more family time which is what the holiday is most about. I think she’s right! (But then why do I slave away in the kitchen trying to concoct something ever-so-phenomenal with a multitude of ingredients. Oh where are my friends during times like these!!)

-Sandra uses spirits and wine in her go-to holiday cocktails, and then uses the leftovers to create specialty sauces. She’ll sauté some mushrooms, shallots, onions and heavy cream, add a touch of brandy or wine for a decadent sauce. Her favorite holiday cocktail is the Mistletoe Mint Mojito.

Now let’s see what more she has to say!

A Sure Sign of Spring

As I wrote out a hefty check ($500 plus dollars) for my CSA share the other day, I was transported to warm weather moments of crispy kale chips, pastel colored cauliflower sauté and green garlic scape stir fry. I imagined times together with Debbie, scrubbing the dirt off the summer vegetables and talking about what to create with our weekly bounty. I pictured how excited my three children would be, nibbling salted salad turnips, sweet garden peas and fresh Edamame. I remembered kitchen conversations about colors we didn’t know vegetables came in, how our CSA share supports the farmer and the benefits of eating locally grown foods.

As the pen hit the paper, I realized just how much I’ve missed my farm fresh organic vegetables as a source of cooking inspiration and dietary variety. The Crocus flowers may be blooming on my neighbor’s front lawn, but to me, the signature on this check is the surest sign of spring and summer.

To find out about CSA’s in your area, this website is a great resource: http://www.localharvest.org/csa/

A Noteworthy Shopping Trip

Liz and I went to Costco the other day, each with our youngest child in tow, to shop together and split some of the plus size ingredients. I have to say, we were quite the sight to be seen in the parking lot, standing at our trunks, splitting our bounty. We forgot to bring grocery bags (which of course makes the task that much more organized) and were dividing up the loose items by the handful—bags of potatoes, garlic, apples, spinach, grape tomatoes and pears – and tearing staples like cheese (which conveniently comes in two packages), sausage links and Canadian bacon with our car keys, since neither of us had a pocket knife on hand.

This frenzied scene came after a comical time strolling (or rather running) down the aisles of the store, tossing items in our carts while chasing our energetic boys. We were thankful for the store samples, which enticed our kids to take a break and taste-test mini cups of Progresso soup and corn muffins. This gave our legs a rest and provided a moment to survey what we had thrown into the cart.

We managed to squeeze in an ever-so-brief conversation about what we should buy, what we could share and the kinds of meals we were hoping to make that week. Since Liz and I often make an enormous vegetable soup together at this time of year, we had our eye on the fresh veggies and containers of organic chicken stock. Liz was also on the lookout for chicken and shrimp to use for her cooking date Monday, when she and a friend would be grilling salad toppers to store in the fridge for healthy weekday protein fixes.

With only a minor debacle at the checkout line, when Liz’s bottle of wine shattered on the floor, we placed all our shared items on the conveyor cart and watched the savings add up. As we were wheeling the overfilled carts through the parking lot, grabbing our kids by their coat sleeves, we pondered whether we’d dare bring the kids with us again. But as they giggled and smiled their way to the car, it was obvious they had a blast. It was a rewarding outing for all of us. And now, Liz and I are set to cook with friends for the week to come.


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A Little Gnocchi

One of the things I like most about Cooking with Friends is that I get to try cooking new foods all the time. Since my friends and neighbors have different cooking abilities and strengths, when I cook with them, I’m always learning something new! Cooking with friends provides endless ways to learn techniques, try new things and explore various cuisines. It’s also the cheapest cooking lesson out there! Plus I get to make new friends, strengthen relationships and have fun while I am doing it!

So, when Lou invited me and Liz over to make gnocchi, I instantly accepted his offer. Although I had never really been a huge fan of gnocchi, I knew that hand rolled gnocchi, under Lou (my extremely talented and accomplished neighbor) had to be good! So we set up a cooking date.

When Liz and I arrived at Lou’s house last Tuesday morning, we found two neat work stations for us to work side by side. We each had a bowl, a measuring cup, eggs and a hand carved (by Lou) gnocchi paddle. This was Lou’s stage to guide us through the steps of making home-rolled gnocchi.

He instructed us to make a well in a mound of three cups flour, add some salt, two beaten eggs and work well with your hands. Add one a half cups ricotta cheese, a third a cup parmesan cheese and spray a bit of water to keep the mixture moist. Once our dough was made, Lou demonstrated how simple it is to turn fist-sized balls of dough, with a bit of rolling, cutting and squeezing into perfect gnocchi. In less than an hour, both
Liz and I had a full tray.

He insisted upon cooking a sample for lunch, presenting it with his intensely flavored veal demi-glace and a bit of freshly grated Parmesan cheese. It was a sensational lunch and a wonderful reward for learning something new. I served some of my gnocchi to friends on Saturday evening, topped with a meaty marinara sauce and they marveled at how good the gnocchi tasted. These little flour dumplings made me feel so proud. And being able to pull them out of the freezer and serve them within minutes made me feel pretty darn gourmet.