The Wines of Sicily
Ingredients
1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons cooking oil
1 1/2 pounds baking potatoes (about 3) -- peeled and sliced thin
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 onion -- grated
1 pound skinless salmon fillets
1 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup heavy cream
4 scallions -- white bulbs only, chopped
3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon red- or white-wine vinegar
1/2 pound mixed salad greens (about 4 quarts)
1 lemon -- cut into wedges (optional)
Directions
Brush the bottom of a large deep frying pan with 1 tablespoon of the oil. Put
the potatoes in the pan and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt. Top with the
onion and then the salmon. Sprinkle another 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and 1/4
teaspoon of the pepper over the salmon. Add the water to the pan, cover, and
bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the salmon and potatoes are
done, about 15 minutes.
Remove the salmon and flake. Drain the potatoes well and put in a medium bowl.
Add the cream and mash, leaving the potatoes fairly chunky. Add the salmon,
another 1/2 teaspoon of the pepper, the scallions, and 2 tablespoons of the
dill. Form the mixture into eight cakes; they needn't be perfectly symmetrical
or smooth.
Wipe out the frying pan. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil and heat over moderately
high heat. Add half the salmon cakes to the pan and brown well on both sides,
about 5 minutes in all. Drain on paper towels and repeat with another tablespoon
oil and the remaining salmon cakes.
In a medium glass or stainless-steel bowl, whisk together the mustard, vinegar,
and the remaining 1 tablespoon dill and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Add
the remaining 1/4 cup oil slowly, whisking. Add the greens, toss, and put on
plates. Top each salad with two salmon cakes and a lemon wedge.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 pounds boneless beef rib eye -- trimmed of visible fat and cut into 1-inch
chunks
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 carrots -- cut into 1/4-inch dice
2 garlic cloves -- very coarsely chopped
1 large Yukon Gold potato -- cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 large onion -- cut into 1/4-inch dice
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup dry red wine
2 cups beef stock or canned low-sodium broth
4 thyme sprigs -- plus thyme leaves for garnish
1 bay leaf
1 cup frozen peas
Directions
Heat a large skillet. Add the oil and heat until wisps of smoke appear. Add the
meat, season generously with salt and pepper and brown on all sides over
moderately high heat, about 4 minutes total. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the
meat to a plate.
Melt the butter in the skillet. Add the carrots, garlic, potato and onion and
cook until lightly colored, about 3 minutes. Stir in the flour. Add the red wine
and simmer, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the
stock, thyme sprigs and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over
moderately low heat until the carrots and potato are fork tender, about 6
minutes.
Add the peas and the meat along with any accumulated juices, cover and simmer
until the meat is heated through and medium rare, about 3 minutes. Discard the
bay leaf and thyme sprigs. Season with salt and pepper, garnish with thyme
leaves and serve. Tuna and Pasta (Shells) Sicilian Style
Ingredients
8 fresh New Mexico or Anaheim *chiles
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 medium onion -- coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 pound chorizo -- coarsely chopped
One 15-ounce can black beans -- drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/4 cup water
Crème fraîche or sour cream -- for serving
Directions
Preheat the broiler. Broil the chiles for about 5 minutes per side, or until the
skin is blistered. Transfer to a bowl, cover with a towel and let cool slightly.
Lower the oven temperature to 400°.
Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and cook over moderately high
heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the oregano, salt and cumin. Add
the chorizo, black beans, tomato paste and water, reduce the heat to low and
cook until warmed through, about 10 minutes.
Peel the chiles, slit them lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Stuff the chiles
with the black bean filling and arrange them in a large baking dish. Bake for 5
to 7 minutes, or until heated through. Transfer to plates, spoon the crème
fraîche on top and serve.
*Description:
"New Mexico chiles and Anaheims, their mostly milder relatives, can be either
red or green. The red ones are riper and often fruitier in flavor. Spicy chorizo
sausages are available at supermarkets."
Ingredients
1/4 cup honey
2 garlic cloves -- minced
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 chicken breast halves on the bone -- with skin (10 ounces each)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Preheat the oven to 425°. In a small bowl, stir together the honey, garlic,
lemon juice, mustard, paprika and cayenne.
Put the chicken breasts on a rimmed baking sheet. Using a sharp knife, make 2
deep slashes in each breast. Season the breasts with salt and black pepper, then
brush most of the honey glaze all over them. Bake for 15 minutes. Brush the
remaining honey glaze over the chicken breasts and bake for about 10 minutes
longer, until just cooked through.
Remove the chicken breasts from the oven and preheat the broiler. Brush the
juices from the baking sheet onto the chicken and broil for about 1 minute, or
until the chicken skin is crisp. Serve the glazed chicken right away.
Ingredients
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons chili-garlic paste
1 1/2 teaspoons Asian sesame oil
1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
2 garlic cloves -- minced
2 bunches arugula ( 1/2 pound)
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 pound pork tenderloin -- cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
2 tablespoons minced cilantro
Directions
In a bowl, combine 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil with the orange juice, soy
sauce, chili-garlic paste, sesame oil, zest and garlic. Transfer 2 tablespoons
of the marinade to a bowl, add the arugula and toss. Season with salt and
pepper. Add the pork to the remaining marinade; let stand for 15 minutes.
In a large skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil until
shimmering. Drain the pork, scrape off the marinade and season with salt. Cook
over high heat, turning once, until browned, 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
Add the arugula to the skillet and cook over high heat, tossing, until wilted,
about 1 minute. Transfer the arugula to plates and top with the pork. Garnish
with the cilantro and serve warm or at room temperature.
Ingredients
3 lbs. apples -- half Granny Smith and half Golden Delicious, peeled, cut into
quarters, cored, and then cut again into 1/8" slices (yielding approximately 16
slices per apple)
1 T fresh lemon juice
1 T butter
5 T sugar
1 T dark rum
Topping
1/2 c flour
1/4 c sugar
1/2 t ground cinnamon
5 T chilled butter -- diced into 1/4" cubes
8 15" sheets by 10" phyllo dough
5 1/2 T melted butter
6 c premium vanilla bean ice cream
Filling
3 lbs. apples, half Granny Smith and half Golden Delicious, peeled, cut into
quarters, cored, and then cut again into 1/8" slices (yielding approximately 16
slices per apple)
1 T fresh lemon juice
1 T butter
5 T sugar
1 T dark rum
Topping
½ c flour
¼ c sugar
½ t ground cinnamon
5 T chilled butter, diced into ¼" cubes
8 sheets of 15" by 10" phyllo dough
1½ T melted butter
6 c premium vanilla bean ice cream
Directions
1. Prepare filling: Combine apples and lemon juice in a large bowl, and toss to
mix well. In a sauté pan large enough to hold the apples, heat the butter over
medium high heat until melted. Add the apples to the pan, and turn heat to high.
Cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Sprinkle sugar and then rum over the
apples, stir to mix well, and continue to cook for 5 more minutes or until the
apples are tender - stirring frequently along the way. Remove the pan from the
heat, and allow the apples to cool completely.
2. Preheat oven to 375 F.
3. Prepare the topping: Combine the flour, sugar, cinnamon, and diced butter in
a food processor and pulse until fully incorporated. Refrigerate mixture for 15
minutes.
4. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9" pie pan. Take one sheet of phyllo dough,
brush it generously with melted butter, and then place it into the bottom of the
pie pan. Note that because the phyllo is 15" long in one direction, two of the
edges of the phyllo sheet will hang over the edge of the pie pan; try to make
the overhanging portions on the two opposite sides roughly equal. Repeat the
preceding steps with the second sheet of phyllo dough, but place it into the pie
pan in a slightly rotated orientation so that the overhanging portions do not
directly overlap the overhanging portions from the first sheet. Repeat with
remaining phyllo sheets, using slightly rotated orientation for each.
5. Place the cooled sautéed apples in the pie pan and spread in a single layer.
Fold the overhanging edges of the phyllo dough over the sautéed apples. Note
that the phyllo will not cover the apples entirely, but will instead cover only
the outer edge of the filling. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the
topping is lightly browned and the phyllo is golden.
6. If serving immediately, cut into 10-12 slices, and serve each slice with ½ c
of vanilla ice cream; if serving later, set crisp aside and allow to cool to
room temperature. To reheat, preheat oven to 250 F, and place crisp in oven for
30 minutes. Cut into 10-12 slices, and then serve each slice with ½ c of vanilla
ice cream. (Note: If you make the crisp several hours in advance of service, you
should refrigerate it rather than let it sit at room temperature for a prolonged
period of time. If you do refrigerate it, you will need to adjust the reheat
time accordingly and/or bring the crisp back up to room temperature before
following the reheat instructions set forth above.)
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