Turkey Soup with Barley and Wild Mushrooms

We've just about finished our Thanksgiving turkey, and one of the best things about the turkey is the soup you can make with the carcass. I've been making the same soup for several years, and this year it was great. And if you don't have turkey, this would also work with leftover roast chicken.

I like this soup best when it’s made with the carcass of a turkey that’s been brined and then cooked in a kettle-type barbecue, which gives it an intense, smoky flavor. But it’s also fine made with a plain roasted turkey or chicken carcass. In either case, browning the bones will intensify the flavor.

Remove the meat and place the carcass in a large soup pot and brown it in the oven for about an hour, with the vegetables below, if you wish.

To make the the Broth:
The browned turkey carcass
Water to cover
1 bay leaf
1 onion, coarsely chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, left whole
2 tsp. salt

Bring to a boil and then simmer slowly, covered for 1½ to 2 hours; strain and chill until ready to use. If chilled, all fat can be removed easily. You will probably have more broth than you need for the recipe.

For the Soup:
3-4 Tb. olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 carrots, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
2 medium boiling potatoes, peeled and diced
1 tsp. marjoram or rosemary
½ cup barley, rinsed
2-3 quarts turkey broth (or more)
1 Tb. tomato paste
½ pound fresh mushrooms, quartered
¾-1 oz. dried porcini mushrooms, soaked in 1 cup very hot water or broth
2 cups cubed cooked turkey
Salt and ground pepper
¼ cup chopped parsley
Cayenne pepper or hot sauce (if desired)
Sour cream

Cook the onions, carrots and celery in half of the olive oil for about 7-8 minutes, until lightly wilted; then add the potatoes and marjoram or rosemary and stir to coat the potatoes lightly. Add the broth, barley and tomato paste, bring to a boil, cover and simmer over low heat for 45 minutes to an hour until the vegetables are fully cooked.

While the soup is cooking, soak the dried mushrooms for ½ hour, drain (saving the soaking liquid), and wash thoroughly. Chop and saute with the fresh mushrooms with the remaining olive oil. Strain the cooking liquid through cheesecloth (or a paper towel) into the mushrooms and cook for 1-2 minutes longer, then add the mushroom mixture to the soup. The recipe may be prepared ahead to this point.

Just before serving, add the cubed turkey to the soup and taste soup for seasoning. Add salt and freshly ground pepper to taste, and cayenne or hot sauce, if desired—or pass at table. Stir in I cup chopped parsley and serve in heated bowl with sour cream.

More Goat!

We stopped by Mr. Bledsoe’s stand again this week and bought some more goat, this time a rack. It was about the same size as a large rack of lamb, and because we wanted to taste the goat flavor, I seasoned it only with ground salt and pepper and olive oil. Tim cooked it on the grill, and we ate it medium rare, with no sauce or adornment. It was delicious! Next time we will try some seasonings—I think just about anything would work! And next time, I’ll take a picture.

More Recipes from A16

Last week I made the A16 cauliflower and potato recipe, which I had previously done with broccoli, and it turned out great. I used about a half pound each of potatoes and cauliflower, since I was only cooking for two. I love the way capers change character when they are fried. I think it looked attractive with a mix of red, white, and purple potatoes (all unpeeled), but a bit of parsley may have been a nice addition. I may make it again tonight, with red potatoes. Here's what you need for 6:

1 lb. yukon gold, red or purple potatoes (or a mix, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 head of cauliflower, separated into florets about the same size as the potatoes
1 red onion, sliced
1/2 tsp. dried chile flakes
1/4 cup anchovies, rinsed well
3 tsp. red wine vinegar
salt and ground pepper

Combine the potatoes in a bowl with 2 Tb. olive oil and about 1 tsp. salt. Toss well to coat and transfer to a baking sheet. Roast for about 35-40 minutes, until cooked through. Use the same bowl to coat the cauliflower in about 1/4 cup of olive oil with additional salt. Then brown them briefly in a large frying pan until lightly browned. Add them to the potatoes for the last 20 minutes of cooking.

In the remaining olive oil, fry the capers for about two minutes, until they become crispy. Stir in the pepper flakes and onion until the onion softens. Stir in the vinegar and remove from heat. When the potatoes and cauliflower are done, combine them with the onion mixture. Add additional seasoning or vinegar if needed, and serve hot or at room temperature.

Grilled Swordfish with Fennel and Tomato
The other night we tried another recipe from A16, this one for grilled swordfish. But if you’re not eating swordfish right now, this would work equally well another firm fish or with chicken or pork (or goat!). Unfortunately, I didn’t take a picture.

First season the swordfish with salt and pepper and coat it lightly with olive oil. The topping, which can be made ahead and reheated is a mixture of onion, fresh fennel and cherry tomatoes, seasoned with crushed whole allspice (a first for me in a savory dish) and fennel seeds. For a pound of swordfish you will need the following:

c cup olive oil or more
½ red or yellow onion, finely chopped
½ fennel bulb, finely chopped
½ tsp. crushed fennel seeds
2 or 3 whole allspice, coarsely crushed
½ pint cherry tomatoes (cut in half, if large)
2 Tb. red or white wine vinegar
Salt and ground pepper, to taste

Sauté the onion fennel, fennel seeds and allspice in 2 Tb. of the olive oil for 7-8 minutes over low heat until the vegetables are softened, but not browned. Raise the heat and add the vinegar and cook until it has evaporated. Add the tomatoes, season, and cook for another 3-4 minutes until the tomatoes skins begin to split and the tomatoes release their juices. Set aside until ready to use; this sauce may be served hot or at room temperature.

Goat!

As I was walking through the farmer's market last Saturday, I noticed that Mr. Bledsoe, the pork and lamb guy, had goat advertised on his board, so I bought a package--a bit less than two pounds. It was cut up as stew meat, with some small bones, so I decided to use the recipe in my new A16 cookbook. The recipe was very simple, the result was quite delicious, and it did not even require browning the meat first! I used mixed cherry tomatoes and regular canned ones (for some extra juice), but otherwise followed the recipe pretty closely. If you can find some goat, I'd highly recommend this preparation; we served it with a faro pilaf.

Greek Baked Vegetables

I enjoyed the article in the NY Times food section this week that had several variations on ratatouille. I had already made a “layered” ratatouille a couple of weeks ago, with grilled eggplant and squash, more or less based on a Chez Panisse recipe, and a “Layered Vegetable Torte,” also from the Times, cooked in a spring-form pan and then unmolded was terrific too.

Last night, however, I tried one of the new recipes from the Times—a Greek Briam. I couldn’t resist altering it somewhat, and it turned out great—and is quite a bit easier than a traditional ratatouille, since the vegetables don’t all have to be browned. Here’s the recipe, as I made it; it would serve four as a main course and 6 or more as a side dish.

1 small eggplant, halved lengthwise and then sliced ¼ inch thick.
1 medium onion, sliced
1 large garlic clove finely chopped
½ pound red potatoes, sliced ¼ inch thick
½ pound summer squash, sliced ¼ inch thick
1 red bell peppers, seeded and sliced
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, or more to taste
10-12 ounces tomatoes, chopped, or a 16-ounce can, drained
Salt & freshly ground pepper
¼ pound sliced mushrooms
2-3 Tb. chopped flat-leaf parsley
2Tb. chopped marjoram or oregano, or 1 tsp. dried.

1. Sprinkle the eggplant with salt and put on paper towels for 30 minutes. Thinly slice the onions, peppers, and mushrooms and chop the garlic. Cut the potatoes and squash into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Squeeze excess water from eggplant and pat dry.
2. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy skillet and add the onions. Cook until tender and translucent, about 6-8 minutes. Add a salt and pepper, then stir in the garlic, peppers and mushrooms. Cook for another minute or two, until mushrooms are lightly browned and peppers begin to soften. Sprinkle herbs on top of mixture, reserving about 1 Tb for the top.
3. Lightly oil an earthenware baking dish or a Dutch oven. Put the tomatoes in a bowl and season liberally with salt and pepper. Stir 2 Tb. of olive oil. Spread a thin layer of tomatoes in the baking dish or Dutch oven and top with one-third of the onion mixture. Top with half the potato slices. Layer half the zucchini slices over the potatoes, then layer on half the eggplant. Season with salt and pepper between layers. Layer another third of the onions over the vegetables and top with half of the remaining tomatoes. Repeat the layers with the remaining vegetables, ending with a layer of the onion mixture topped with the remaining tomatoes. Sprinkle the top with any remaining herbs. Pour any juice from the tomatoes over the mixture and add additional olive oil, if desired.
4. Cover with foil or a lid and bake for 1 hour. Press the vegetables down into the juice and bake another 30 minutes, or until all the vegetables are thoroughly tender. Let stand for ten minutes or cool until warm before serving, or refrigerate overnight and reheat

Herbed Olive Oil

A couple of weeks ago I decided to make some herbed olive oil, with basil, rosemary, thyme, and sage from the garden, along with some of Costco's extra virgin olive oil. It tasted good, but it doesn't keep well (vinegar would work much better), so I had to use it up quickly--the basil for salads mostly, and the others for marinades, green sauce, etc. But don't they look pretty?

Strange Mushrooms In the Garden

Some very strange mushrooms have appeared in one section of my vegetable garden, close to where the squash and cucucumber plants have been growing. We've looked them up, but it seems highly possible that they are toxic, so we're not eating them. Too bad, because they look like they would be delicious. This is the second crop! I pulled a bunch out last Saturday, and by Tuesday they had returned. We are puzzled, and wish we could consult with our old friend Richard Koppel, a self-taught mushroom expert.

A16 Food and Wine

Summer really is over now, but with temperatures in the 90’s today, and more than 100 yesterday, we are still eating dinner on the patio most nights—now in the dark. Our daughter Laura visited two weeks ago, along with her boyfriend Weston, and after they returned to NY, Weston sent us the cookbook A16 Food and Wine, by the restaurant of the same name in San Francisco (unfortunately closed, when they tried to dine there).

Last night I tried out a couple of the recipes, one for sardines and the other for a salad. I had most of the ingredients for the sardine recipe (“Roasted Sardines with Bread Crumbs, Green Garlic, and Mint”), but substituted green onions for the green garlic, which is not in season. They turned out great, though the bread crumbs on top were a bit small (and not as orange as in the picture). I had to improvise a bit more with the second recipe, since it called for cauliflower and I had only broccoli. But “Roasted Potatoes and Broccoli (instead of cauliflower) with Red Onion, Capers, and Chiles” also turned out well—and it may have been more attractive, with the green broccoli. I will be cooking some more things from this terrific new cookbook, as soon as I do a bit of shopping.

We made another tian a few nights after the first one, this time with potatoes, eggplant, onions, herbs and some feta cheese, as well as parmesan. It was good too! I really recommend this method of vegetable-cooking.

Summer Garden A Bust!

Our summer garden was a bust this year, with small plants and few veggies. We planted 5 tomatoes this year, and even the cherries are doing poorly--barely enough for our salad each night. Luckily, Davis has a fantastic farmer's market, so we've been regular visitors. Our squash and cucumber plants, three in all, appear to be dead or nearly so, and though the tomato plants still have a few tomatoes, they are pretty pathetic. Clearly, we will have to do some major soil amendment next year and maybe rethink our watering system. I'm really not sure what the problem is. That healthy-looking plant spilling over the side is tarragon--much more than we could ever use!

We will probably have basil for a couple more months, but even those plants are much smaller than last year. Four small eggplants may be ready for the weekend, but that plant too is far less hardy than last year's. It's been disappointing, to say the least!

Salmon with Herb Butter

Here's the cooked tian (the other photo is before cooking), along with the salmon. It was WAY too much salmon, but I managed to eat it all!

Summer Food

I can't believe I've let the summer go by without a post! But though summer’s almost over, temperatures here in Davis are in the mid-80’s, so we’re still grilling most nights and eating dinner on the patio. Last night we used only our oven for baked salmon with herb butter and a vegetable tian. I started making tians more than 20 years ago, when I discovered some recipes for them in Martha Stewart’s “Quick Cook” series. Last night I combined leeks, squash, potatoes and tomatoes, but eggplant works well too. Here’s what I used, which made about 3 generous servings; if you double the recipe, you will need a somewhat larger sauté pan!

¼ cup of olive oil, plus more for top
1 medium leek, sliced, with about 2-3 inches of green
2 small potatoes, 1 red and 1 Yukon gold, thinly sliced
1 medium round green squash (zucchini would work too), sliced
½ of a yellow squash, sliced (the other half was no good!)
2 small heirloom tomatoes, sliced
Ground pepper and salt (Costo’s grinders are terrific for the kitchen!)
¼ cup of grated parmesan

Preheat the oven to 425º.
Sauté the leeks in the olive oil in a medium oven-proof sauté pan until slightly wilted, and move to one side if you plan to cook the tian in the pan.
Arrange vegetables in the sauté pan, or a pie plate or a shallow baking dish, overlapping and alternating them (but don’t worry about have equal amounts of each). Sprinkle the leeks on top.
Grind black pepper and salt over the dish and sprinkle with the grated parmesan. Drizzle another tablespoon of olive oil over the top, if desired.
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Serve immediately or at room temperature.

The salmon with herb butter is a variation on a dish I usually make with an olive butter. The herbs included about 2 Tb. purple basil, a small amount of marjoram, 6-8 chives, and about 2-3 Tb. of chopped parsley, but garlic could have been added as well. I added about 3 Tb. of softened butter to the chopped herbs and dotted the fish with about half of it—I saved the remainder to add at the end. Before topping the salmon with the butter, I ground pepper and salt over it and brushed it with olive oil. The salmon can cook in the same over as the tian, for about 10 minutes at the end.

Olive Oil Cake

On Saturday I made an olive oil cake using Alice Waters' recipe in her dessert book. It was very simple to make, though I didn't have any real Sauternes and used an inferior dessert wine. Maybe next time I'll try it with my cousin Peggy's Limoncello, or even with some of the lemon verbena sugar syrup plus some white wine. It was terrific with some homemade ice cream, both strawberry and peach. More on that, after I take a picture!

Lemon Verbena

One of my lemon verbena plants (foreground in picture) has gotten quite big, so I decided to prune it. But what to do with the leaves? I looked online and did not find many recipes for lemon verbena but did discover one for lemon verbena sugar syrup, which I made. Now I have about a cup of the sugar syrup, some of which will go into iced tea. I may try some of the leaves in my salad tonight, or maybe in a green sauce for some tuna we’re grilling. I think it will have to be chopped very fine, as the leaves are tough.

Stay tuned for more…

Huevos Rancheros Verdes with Black Beans

My cooking class with Barbara Pool Fenzl at Rancho La Puerta was a lot of fun, but unfortunately I didn’t take any pictures of the food or the cooking school. I volunteered to make the Huevos Rancheros because I’ve never been able to poach eggs. This dish uses a green sauce, which I love, and black beans—also a favorite. I’m including a few more photos of the ranch along with this recipe. One is of the dining hall from outside and the other is our last night's dinner--the only one with wine. I'll try the "huevos" at home soon!

Huevos Rancheros Verdes with Black Beans

--By Barbara Pool Fenzl

Sauce
½ pound (about 5) medium tomatillos, husked, stems removed

2 cloves garlic, peeled

½ cup coarsely chopped onion

2 tablespoons lime juice

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 cup cilantro leaves2 serrano chiles, stemmed and seeded

1 ripe avocado, peeled and diced

Beans, Eggs, & Assembly
1 tablespoon canola or corn oil

1 can (15 ounces) black beans
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons white vinegar

4 large eggs

4 corn tortillas (6 to 7 inches in diameter)

½ cup grated Cotija cheese (or substitute Monterey Jack)

½ cup finely chopped cilantro

For sauce, place tomatillos in a medium saucepan, cover with water and bring to a boil over medium heat. Lower heat and simmer until tomatillos are soft, about 20 minutes. Drain off water and put tomatillos in a blender with garlic, onion, lime juice, salt, cumin, cilantro and serranos. Puree until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and stir in avocado.

In a medium skillet, heat the oil over medium heat; add the black beans, undrained, and mash them with a fork while stirring them over the heat. Season to taste and cook until warm and slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Keep warm.

To poach the eggs, place water in a skillet or shallow pan to a depth of 2 to 3 inches. Add vinegar and heat until water is at a low boil. Carefully break eggs into the pan and cook until the whites become opaque, about 2 1/2 minutes. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and gently place on paper towels.

For assembly, preheat broiler. Wrap tortillas in a damp, clean kitchen towel or damp paper towels. Cook for 1 minute on high power in a microwave oven. Place warm tortillas on a baking sheet and spread each one with black beans; top with an egg, about 3 tablespoons sauce and 2 tablespoons grated cheese. Place under the broiler just to melt the cheese. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.

Rancho La Puerta

I just returned from a week at a spa in Baja CA, and, boy, it couldn’t have come at a better time. It’s a beautiful spot, about 40 miles from San Diego, and we had perfect weather while there. I particularly enjoyed two-mile morning hikes, Pilates and water aerobics, and I also attended writer’ workshops in the afternoons. We had a cooking class one evening at the ranch’s cooking school, which has 8-acre organic garden attached. Unfortunately, I did not take any pictures at the cooking school or gardens.

The food at the ranch was terrific! Lots of fruit and vegetables, soup and salad at both dinner and lunch, along with a choice of two entrees—and you could ask for both! I didn’t lose any weight, but I didn’t gain any either. I probably ate more volume than usual—due to more exercise—but no meat, almost no bread or butter, and no wine (until the last night). It’s a beautiful place, low-key for a spa, and not at all fancy or snobbish. I would definitely recommend it. Here’s the link to the website: http://www.rancholapuerta.com/

The food picture above is from lunch the last day; the other shots are of the grounds.

Artichoke & Fava Barrigoule

Another dish I liked from this weekend was the Artichoke & Fava Barrigoule, which I plan to make next weekend, since I still have lots of artichokes and I brought home some favas from Georgeanne's house. It's a pretty simple recipe, but labor-intensive, as both the favas and the artichokes require some work. I'd recommend it for a small group, so I'm giving a recipe for 4.

Artichoke & Fava Barrigoule
1-2 Tbs. green garlic
4-6 artichokes,, trimmed and quartered
1-1¼ lbs. fava beans, removed from pods with skins off
1-2 Tb. extra-virgin olive oil
2-3 Tb. white wine
2-3 Tb. chicken broth (optional)
Sprigs of fresh thyme
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Sauté the garlic in a frying pan with a lid, then add the artichokes and sauté for 3-4 minutes. Next add the fava beans and sauté for a minute or two and add the white wine, scraping up any bits. If more liquid is needed, add the broth (or water). Add salt and pepper to taste along with the sprigs of thyme, and cook over low heat covered for about 15 minutes, or until artichokes are tender. Serve hot or at room temperature.
Saute the garlic in the olive

Provence In California

Last weekend I attended “Provence in California” at Georgeanne Brennan’s house just outside of Winters, here in Yolo County. The two-day cooking class was a gift from Laura and Anne, who found Georgeanne in the last issue of Gourmet. (In May, she was written up in Sunset.)

The classes were lots of fun, with great food at the end of each day. Her cooking style is much like my own, so I didn’t learn “new techniques.” However, I did get to work with a new (to me) ingredient: sardines, which I cleaned and we cooked in Georgeanne’s pizza oven. (See photos.) I also made an easy lemon tart that I’ll add to my short list of desserts—like me, Georgeanne says that she’s not much of a baker, and this tart lets you press the dough into the tart pan, rather than rolling it out. We made lamb one day, much like mine from the previous weekend (but roasted, not grilled), with lots of fresh herbs plus potatoes and onions. The pizza-making reminded me how much fun it is, so I’ll be making pizza again, after probably a dozen or more years.

Georgeanne also runs classes in Provence, so maybe I’ll get there too, someday. Here is the recipe for the Meyer lemon tart—unfortunately I didn’t take a picture.

Georgeanne Brennan’s Meyer Lemon Tart—10 servings

For the pastry
1½ cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup sugar
½ cup cold butter
1 large egg

For the filling
4-5 lemons (may be made with any lemons)
1¼ cups sugar
2 large eggs
10 Tb melted butter

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Have ready a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. To make the pastry, combine the flour and ¼ cup of sugar in a bowl and stir until well blended. Cut the butter into small pieces and add to the flour mixture using a pastry cutter, until the mixture is crumbly. Add the egg and mix it into the dough with a fork. Press the dough evenly into the tart pan; it should be about ¼ inches thick. Line the crust with aluminum foil (and beans or pie weights if desired) and bake until slightly firm, about 10 minutes. Remove the weights and foil and continue baking another 5 minutes or so until firm and barely colored.

Finely grate the zest of 2 or three lemons, and then halve and juice enough lemons to measure ¾ cup of lemon juice. In a bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the sugar and eggs until pale yellow. Gradually pour in the melted butter beating constantly, and then stir in the lemon zest and juice. Gently spoon the filling into the tart shell and bake until the crust and filling are golden and firm to the touch, about 25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely before serving.

Dinner for 25!

I’m cooking dinner for 25 people this weekend, a mini-fundraiser at $50 a person for a group I belong to here in Davis: the University Farm Circle. It’s a spring menu from the south of France, with lots of my favorite recipes. If I have time (and remember), I’ll take some photos. Here’s the menu:

Appetizers: finger food only
Mixed olives with herbed goat cheese
Duck bites
Baguette/ cheese/fruit
Mixed nuts

Dinner: served buffet-style
Grilled spring lamb, with mint salsa verdé
Baked salmon, with olive and basil butters
Lavender pasta, with wild asparagus & spring vegetables
Red potato and red onion gratin
Warm green bean salad, with garden lettuces and arugula

Desserts: various
Aunt Mary’s cheesecake
Strawberries and fruit compote
Chocolate truffles

Beverages:
Red, white and rosé wines from Bogle
Mixed drinks
Seltzer & Sparkling juices
Decaf French-roast coffee

Artichokes

We planted artichokes a couple of years ago, and we’ve enjoyed having them right outside our door. Unfortunately, the plants are exceedingly large and really don’t fit well into a suburban garden. We bought two plants, and the artichokes are quite different—one roundish and the other cone-shaped. Usually we just steam them, but occasionally I do them “Roman-style,” where you eat the whole thing. This works best when they’re not too big. One of our plants fell down in a big wind-storm, so I’ll definitely take it out—maybe move it, if that’s possible. If not, I may start with a small new one, in a location that can handle it when full-size. Take a look!

Celery Gone Wild!

When I planted 6 small celery plants by mistake last summer, little did I dream what monsters they would become. I have added celery to everything I can think of, made braised celery and celery soup (twice), and still there’s more. It’s now taller than I am (but in raised beds). Last weekend I got rid of most of my winter vegetables to plant summer ones: 5 new tomatoes, 2 squash, a small mixed pot of green and yellow beans, a Japanese eggplant, and three basil plants. I’m still looking for lemon cucumber but am skipping peppers this year.

Yesterday, we finally had to take the celery out, so that the squash plants and other things in the bed would have some room to grow. We cut off a couple of bunches and tossed the rest—much of it had gone to flower, and some of the stalks were 3-4 inches thick.

Julia Child’s recipe for celery soup (Volume II) couldn’t be simpler, and it doesn’t even call for heavy cream. You simply sauté about 1½ cups of onions or leeks with 3 cups of celery stalks (I added some leaves, too) until tender but not browned, and then cook for 30 minutes with 4 cups of chicken or vegetable stock (I made my own, with more celery!) and 1/3 cup of rice.

While the vegetables are cooking, cook 1 large or 2 medium chopped (and peeled) baking potatoes in 2 cups of salted water. Drain the cooking water into the leeks and celery, then mash the potatoes with one cup of milk (I tend to avoid the food processor with potatoes). Purée the leek and celery mixture using either a blender or food processor, then add to potato mixture with about a cup more milk—or more if needed. Serve with chopped tarragon or parsley and croutons, if desired. The soup is great cold—but it will thicken up, so you will need to add more milk—or buttermilk!

Whole Wheat Muffins

This recipe by Mark Bittman is pretty good, and it uses all whole wheat flour (most recipes call for half and half.) However, he recommended pastry flour, and that’s what I used; I’m not sure it would work as well with regular whole wheat flour. For my muffins, I used two bananas, one very ripe, so ¾ cup of sugar was more than enough. I added about ½ cup of chopped walnuts, but you could use dried fruit or a combination of fruit and nuts; Mark suggests about ½ cup altogether.

½ cup melted unsalted butter, more for greasing tins
2½ cups whole wheat flour, preferably pastry flour
¾ to 1 cup sugar, depending on sweetness of fruit
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup mashed or puréed banana, sweet potato, apple, zucchini, cooked or canned pumpkin, or other fruits or vegetables
1 egg, beaten
½ cup buttermilk

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease two 6-cup muffin tins or fill with liners. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In another bowl, whisk together the melted butter, banana, egg and buttermilk. Fold wet mixture into dry mixture and stir until just combined.
2. Fill muffin tins or liners; bake for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until muffins are puffed and turning golden brown on top. Serve warm if possible. Yield: 12 muffins.

Hot Cross Buns

Every year around this time, I make Hot Cross Buns. We had them every year when I was growing up, and when I first moved to New York, I looked everywhere for authentic ones. I never found any I liked, so eventually I started making my own. I’ve never figured out to make the custard-like crosses I remember from my youth, but I keep on looking. This year I substituted about 1½ cups of whole wheat pastry flour for some of the flour, and it worked out fine. This is the best recipe I’ve found, so I've been using it for 20 years. It makes about 20 buns.

Combine:
3/8 cup sugar and 2 eggs and mix until frothy.
Add ¼ cup melted butter and 1+1/8 cup lukewarm milk—then sprinkle 1 Tb. Yeast over mixture.
Sift together:
2 cups flour (+2 additional cups, added later)
½ tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp. nutmeg
1/8 tsp. cloves
½ tsp. salt
Add flour mixture to egg mixture. Stir in ½ to ¾ cups candied fruit and ½ cup currants.

Add enough additional sifted flour ½ cup at a time (up to 2 cups) to make a manageable dough. Kneed in bowl for 2—3 minutes and if dough seems sticking kneed briefly on floured board.
Cover and let rise until doubled—about 2-3 hours.

Roll dough to ½ inch and cut with 2 ½ inch cookie cutter. Form balls and brush with 1—2 Tb. Melted butter. Let rise about an hour (more if room is cool). Brush with egg glaze made with 1 egg yolk and 1-2 Tb. Half & half. (Make a cross on top with a sharp knife or razor blade; save the egg white for egg-white frosting below.) Bake 25-30 minutes at 375¡. (Try 350¡, and check after 15 minutes—switch shelves half way through.)

When cool, frost crosses with a sugar glaze frosting (powdered sugar, cream and vanilla or lemon juice), or try an egg-white frosting, with an egg white (or part of one), powdered sugar and 1 tsp. lemon juice or vanilla. You will need a pastry bag for the crosses.

Broccoli

Some of the broccoli in our garden is almost ready to eat, maybe even this weekend, when we are celebrating Cousin Peggy's birthday and eating the last of our pig. Our fennel is also looking pretty good, so maybe we'll have some of that soon too.

Closet Project

The guest rooms in our small ranch-style house are REALLY small, though each has a fair-sized closet. Unfortunately, the closet doors are mirrored sliders, not a look we care for, so when Laura visited at Christmas, I prevailed upon her to undertake a small closet “makeover” in our primary guest room (the smallest bedroom in the house). I had been thinking about this project since we moved in: removing the sliding doors and their hardware and replacing them with curtains. Of course the shelves in the closet also had to be rearranged if the curtains were to remain open.

A quick trip to Ikea on Christmas Eve (a terrific time to go—no shoppers!) got us everything we needed except for some baskets for the shelf: a long cotton tab curtain, curtain rod and some hooks. Taking off the doors made it possible to open the drawers of the chest already in the closet, and we gained a couple of feet of air space in the room itself. Half of the closet is still available for hanging clothes and bedlinens for the room. And the overall cost, including some baskets purchase later at Target, was less than $40. Next time Laura is here, we may tackle the second guest room. Her carpentry skills are much better than mine!

Here's what it looked like before the makeover: kind of scary, with those doors practically right next to your face!

Venison Stew

I’m cleaning out my freezer, so I can order my next pig, so I finally got around to making venison stew from the venison I helped cousin Don cut up last fall. The resulting dish turned out to be pretty similar to my oxtail stew recipe, with a few differences.

1. I had about two pounds of venison, since it was boneless.
2. I used a cup of red wine (instead of white) to marinate the venison overnight, along with one sliced onion, a couple of bay leaves, rosemary, thyme, crushed garlic, a bit of olive oil, and lots of ground pepper.
3. After browning the meat, I deglazed the pan with the red wine marinade and tossed out the vegetables. Then I browned an onion, two carrots and celery in about 2 Tb of olive oil.
4. I used red wine vinegar, eliminated the orange peel and brown sugar, and added about 2 Tb of tomato paste.
5. In addition to the marinade wine, I added about 1½ cups of venison stock, another ½ cup of red wine and the mushroom soaking liquid to cook the stew. It took about two hours.

I served the venison stew with a mixture of mashed potato and mashed celery root—I cooked them together, which worked out fine (though others suggested different pots), and Tim mashed them with butter and half and half, but olive oil would work too. I thought about adding some more mushrooms and will probably do so when we eat the leftovers. It would also be great with polenta or wide egg noodles.

Oxtail Stew

It’s been raining for weeks, so what better time for oxtail stew? I found a recipe for oxtails in Paula Wolfert’s The Slow Mediterranean Kitchen, but it was too slow even for me, since I wanted to eat the oxtails the same day I cooked them. So I took most of her ingredients and adapted the recipe for same-day eating. It turned out pretty good, but I think I may use red wine next time, for a deeper color, and maybe a bit more sugar or even molasses.

Ingredients:
3-4 lbs of oxtails
Freshly ground pepper
Salt
1 tsp. dried oregano
1½ tsp. thyme
1 tsp. crushed fennel seeds
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
½ cup dried porcini mushrooms
1 Tb. brown sugar
2 carrots, chopped
1 celery rib, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1½ cups white (or red!) wine
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 bay leaf
1 3-inch piece of orange peel
2 Tb. Sherry wine vinegar

Garnish: 2-3 Tb. chopped parsley

Rub the oxtails with the oregano, fennel, thyme, ground pepper and salt, and let stand for 30 minutes (or more, if time). Soak the dried mushrooms in 2 cups of very hot water for at least 30 minutes. Then rinse them thoroughly and chop coarsely; strain the mushroom liquid through a coffee filter or paper towel and reserve.

Next brown the oxtails over high heat in 2 Tb. of the olive oil (or a bit more, if needed). This should take about 15 minutes or more. Remove the oxtails to a side dish. Deglaze the pan the oxtails cooked in with ½ cup of the white wine, and then add to the oxtails.

Brown the vegetables in the remaining olive oil over moderately high heat until they are lightly browned. Add the brown sugar to the pan and continue stirring until the vegetables are lightly caramelized. Stir in the vinegar, dried mushrooms, and mushroom liquid, then add mixture to the oxtails, along with the remaining wine and a bay leaf. It’s best to cook the oxtails in a heavy casserole, such as Le Creuset. Cook the oxtails covered on the top of the stove over low heat for about 3 hours—Wolfert suggest putting a crumpled sheet of wet parchment paper over the oxtails while cooking, and that worked well. After two hours of cooking, I strained the liquid, leaving about half of the vegetables with the meat and pressing as much as I could through a coarse strainer; I think you could eliminate this step. Thicken with arrowroot, cornstarch or a beurre manie, if needed. Garnish with parsley and serve with mashed potatoes.

(Wolfert’s recipe calls for chilling the oxtails overnight to be able to remove the fat easily, and she also adds about a pound sautéed oyster mushrooms to finished dish, which she reheats in the oven in a shallow covered baking dish at 350 for 45 minutes or until heated through.)

Cranberry Cookies (from Betty Crocker)

Laura put this recipe in her blog before I got a chance to, but I decided I should add it anyway. These cookies are good year-round, though you'll have to freeze the cranberries or buy them frozen after the holidays. And do not omit the glaze!

Laura says, “My favorite Christmas cookie? It’s not what you’d think. My mother makes these cranberry cookies every holiday season. They’re an unusual cookie: They’re not too sweet and have a consistency almost like a small cake, rather than a cookie. I made them myself last week for a cookie swap with my fellow ShelterPop bloggers, and, if I do say so myself, they came out perfectly. Personally, I like one with my second cup of coffee mid-morning. Don’t skip the brown-butter glaze--it makes the cookie!”

Ingredients:
1 cup granulated sugar
¾ cup brown sugar
½ cup butter, softened (margarine may be used)
¼ cup milk
2 Tb orange juice (or use all orange juice, to avoid dairy products)
(optional: 1 Tb. grated orange peel)
1 egg
3 cups all-purpose flour (up to half may be whole wheat—try to fine “white” whole wheat)
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. baking soda
2-2½ cups coarsely chopped cranberries (frozen ok—chop while frozen)
1 cup chopped walnuts (or other nuts)

Heat oven to 375o. Mix sugars and butter, then stir in milk, orange juice, egg (and orange peel). Stir in remaining ingredients and drop by rounded teaspoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto greased baking sheet. Bake until light brown, about 10-15 minutes. Cool slightly and then spread with glaze.

Browned butter glaze
Heat 1/3 cup of butter over low heat until golden brown; cool slightly. Stir in 2 cups of powdered sugar and 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla. Beat in 2 to 4 tablespoons of hot water until smooth and of desired consistency. (Works also when milk solids are removed, to avoid dairy problems) You may also make a sugar glaze, using 2 cups powdered sugar, ½ tsp. vanilla and 3-4 Tb orange juice (or half & half)—add gradually until well combined and of spreading consistency.

Alison's Meatball & Cabbage Soup for the Demon

Here’s the soup recipe that goes with the duck broth in the last post. Alison’s meatballs, a combination of chicken and ground beef, sound delicious, but using what was on hand, I decided to go with the pork-venison mixture I had frozen earlier in the fall plus some ground beef. And instead of the pancetta in her recipe, I used “bacon bits” from our pig. It also occurred to me that I could use some of the great sausage from our local coop, if I wanted a quicker version.

The Meatballs
1 small onion, coarsely chopped
1 clove chopped garlic
2 Tb. parsley
2 oz. bacon (or pancetta), cut into 1/2 inch pieces
¼ cup dried breadcrumbs or panko (or more, if needed)
¼ grated parmesan
1 egg, lightly beaten
About 1 lb. mixed ground or finely chopped meat (beef, pork, chicken thighs, venison, veal, turkey)

Cook the bacon or pancetta in a small pan, but do not let it become crisp. Put the onion, garlic, and parsley in the food processor and pulse the machine to chop the vegetables, then add the mixture to the bacon and cook for 2 or three minutes until the onion has softened. (Alison omits this step, and mixes the uncooked vegetables with the meat.) Cool. Add the ground meats to the onion mixture and mix well; then stir in the remaining ingredients. Form 1-inch balls and refrigerate until ready to use.

Finishing the Soup
3 Tb. olive oil
1 onion chopped
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 large or 2 medium Yukon gold potatoes, chopped (Alison uses ¼ pound of spaghetti in her version, but I love potatoes in soup and have a lot on hand, after a trip to Costco)
2 Tb. chopped parsley
1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped
Several chard or kale leaves, chopped (optional)
½ head cabbage (preferably Savoy), finely shredded
2 tsp. chopped thyme
4 quarts meat broth
Salt and ground pepper, to taste
The meatballs

Cook the onions, celery, carrots and parsley in a large soup pot over medium heat for about 8—10 minutes, until vegetables are softened. Stir in the cabbage, potato, garlic, thyme and chard or kale and continue to cook for about 5 minutes. Pour in the stock, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Taste the soup and added salt and pepper to taste. Partially cover the soup and cook for 20—30 minutes. At this point add the meatballs to the soup and poach for 20—30 minutes.

(If using pasta instead of potatoes, cook it separately and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking. Add to the soup just before serving—or if you expect to have leftover soup, add to the individual soup plates, as pasta will swell up in the remaining soup.) I made the soup without the pasta, but next time I will use both!

After 30 minutes, check the meatballs to see if they are cooked through; continue cooking if they are not. When done, serve the soup in wide plates, sprinkled with parsley and with grated parmesan cheese on the side. Serves about 8.

Duck Stock

I’m making duck stock today, for some cabbage and meatball soup based on a recipe by my friend Alison, which I plan to make later—I will post the entire recipe when done. Alison’s broth calls for a combination of meats, but since I found myself with about a dozen duck carcasses (thanks to cousin Don), I decided to use just those. I put about 6 frozen carcasses in my big stock pot and stuck them in a 350 degree oven while I ate breakfast and read the paper—about hour or so. Then I added the following ingredients to the browned bones for the broth.

The Duck Stock
The browned duck carcasses
1 chopped carrot
1 quartered onion
2 celery stalks, with leaves (from the garden!)
Several sprigs of parsley
2 bay leaves
About 6 cloves of garlic, unpeeled
¼ cup of dried porcini bits, well rinsed (if you have them)
¼ to ½ cup of pureed tomatoes (I used some from last summer, frozen)
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. salt
Ground pepper
Cold water to cover

The broth should simmer for at least two hours, more if you have time. This is best made a day ahead (or longer and frozen). Strain the broth, saving any meat for the dog or cat! If you have time, cool the broth and spoon off any fat that rises to the surface.

Celery

Well, it’s been awhile, due to some family drama, as you may have learned from my holiday letter. But not much has been happening in the garden in the meantime, though we have been enjoying some lettuce, herbs, and celery. Last summer, quite by mistake, I planted 6 small celery plants (which I thought were Italian parsley). When I realized my mistake, it seemed a shame to tear them out, so I left them alone. While my celery does not grow in the tall straight stalks you find in the market, it has been a wonderful addition to my winter garden. Just about every soup or stew recipe I make calls for a stalk or two of celery, and it’s handy to step outside to pick a couple.