Category Archives: recipes

Soda Crackers from Bernard Clayton

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1 1/2 cups bread or all-purpose flour (I used White Lily all purpose flour)
2 1/4 tsp. yeast
1/4 tsp. salt, plus extra for sprinkling
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
2/3 cup hot water (120 – 130 degrees)
1/2 tsp. malt syrup (I used 1/4 tsp. molasses)
2 tbsp. vegetable shortening
2 tbsp. melted butter

In a large bowl mix flour, yeast, salt, baking soda, and cream of tartar. Set aside. In a small bowl mix water, malt syrup and shortening. Stir to blend then add to flour mixture. Mix until well blended then knead for about 4 minutes until the dough is soft and elastic. Add more flour if needed. Put the dough into a butted bowl, flip over to coat all sides of the dough, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 to 18 hours. The longer the better. Roll the dough into a 18″ x 6″ rectangle which is 1/16″ thick. Fold the dough from the short ends, brushing off excess flour, to make 3 layers. Roll again to 1/16″ thickness. Cut into crackers, place on a greased cookie sheet and poke holes in the crackers to prevent them from puffing up. Sprinkle with salt if desired. Bake at 425 for 10-20 minutes. Remove from the oven and brush the crackers with melted butter, sprinkle with salt if desired, then place crackers on a rack to cool.

Variations: For sesame-onion crackers, add to the dough 4 tsp. each sesame seeds and grated onion. For an herb cracker, 4 tsp. each chopped fresh parsley and chives and 1/2 tsp. dried dillweed; also try 4 tsp. caraway seeds or 2 tsp. poppy seeds.

Spinach Salad with Bosc Pears, cranberries, red onion and hazelnuts from epicurious.com

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355430Dressing

  • 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons whole-grain mustard
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
  • Freshly ground pepper
  • 1 cup thinly sliced red onion
  • 1/3 cup sweetened dried cranberries
  • 8 cups lightly packed fresh baby spinach leaves, stemmed if needed
  • 2 firm but ripe Bosc pears (do not peel), quartered lengthwise, cored, and cut into long, thin slices
  • 2/3 cup hazelnuts, toasted and chopped

To make the dressing, in a small jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine the olive oil, vinegar, mustard, sugar, salt, and pepper to taste. Cover tightly and shake vigorously to blend. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Set aside.

Place the onions in a medium bowl and cover with cold water. Let stand for 30 minutes. This crisps the onion and takes away the raw onion taste. Drain well and pat dry on paper towels.

In a small bowl, toss the cranberries with 2 tablespoons of the dressing to soften them. Set aside for at least 20 minutes or until ready to serve the salad.

To assemble the salad, place the spinach, onions, and pears in a large bowl. Give the remaining dressing a last-minute shake and pour over the salad. Toss to coat evenly. Arrange the salad in a large serving bowl or divide it evenly among 8 salad plates. Scatter the cranberries and hazelnuts over the top(s). Serve immediately.

Cook’s Notes
You can substitute unsalted cashews for the hazelnuts. Toast cashews, as directed above for hazelnuts, for 8 to 10 minutes until lightly browned.

The dressing can be made up to 1 day in advance, covered tightly, and refrigerated. Remove from the refrigerator 2 hours before serving. The nuts can be toasted up to 1 day in advance; store at room temperature in an airtight container. The onions and cranberries can be prepared up to up to 4 hours in advance. Set aside at room temperature.

 

one-pan farro with tomatoes from smittenkitchen.com

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2 cups water
1 cup farro
1/2 large onion (I usually use a white one, for mildness)
2 cloves garlic
9 ounces tomatoes
1 teaspoons kosher or coarse sea salt
Up to 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (to taste)
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
Few basil leaves, cut into thin ribbons
Grated parmesan cheese, for serving (optional)

Place water and farro in a medium saucepan to presoak (I find just 5 to 10 minutes sufficient) while you prepare the other ingredients. Adding each ingredient to the pot as you finish preparing it, cut onion in half again, and very thinly slice it into quarter-moons. Thinly slice garlic cloves as well. Halve or quarter tomatoes. Add salt, pepper flakes (to taste) and 1 tablespoon olive oil to pan, and set a timer for 30 minutes. Bring uncovered pan (no lid necessary) up to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally. When the timer rings, the farro should be perfectly cooked (tender but with a meaty chew), seasoned and the cooking water should be almost completely absorbed. If needed, though I’ve never found it necessary, cook it for 5 additional minutes, until farro is more tender.

Transfer to a wide serving bowl. If there’s enough leftover cooking liquid to be bothersome, simply use a slotted spoon to leave the amount you wish to behind. Drizzle farro lightly with additional olive oil, scatter with basil and parmesan. Eat immediately. Serves: 4 as a side, 2 as a hearty main

 

Chocolate Pudding From Dorie Greenspan

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download2 1/4 cups whole milk
6 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
2 large egg yolks
5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature and cut into 4 pieces
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Bring 2 cups of the milk and 3 tablespoons of the sugar to the boil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan.

While the milk is heating, toss the cocoa, cornstarch and salt into the bowl of a food processor and pulse to blend; turn the dry ingredients out onto a sheet of wax paper.  Place the egg, yolks and remaining 3 tablespoons sugar in the bowl and process for 1 minute.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the remaining 1/4 cup milk.  Process for a few seconds, return the dry ingredients to the bowl and pulse, just until blended.

With the machine running, slowly pour in the hot milk, processing to blend.  The mixture will be foamy, but the bubbles will disappear when the pudding is cooked.  Return the mixture to the saucepan, set the pan over medium-high heat and, stirring without stop, cook for about 2 minutes, or until the pudding thickens and one bubble rises to the surface – the pudding should not boil.  Scrape the pudding into the processor, add the remaining ingredients and pulse until everything is evenly blended.

Pour the pudding into six 1/2-cup bowls.  If you don’t want a skin to form on the tops of the puddings, press a piece of plastic wrap directly against the surface of each pudding.  (As you can see, I let the skin the form – we like it that way chez us.)

Chill for at least 4 hours before serving plain or topped with heavy cream, whipped or not.  Makes 6 servings

Celery Soup- Bon Appetite from Phyllis Keating

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12308928433_46006b141a_b1 head celery, stalks chopped, leaves reserved
1 large waxy potato, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
Kosher sal
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
¼ cup fresh dill
½ cup heavy cream
Flaky sea salt (such as Maldon) and olive oil (for serving)

Combine celery, potato, onion, and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat; season with kosher salt. Cook, stirring, until onion is tender, 8–10 minutes. Add broth; simmer until potatoes are tender, 8–10 minutes. Purée in a blender with dill; strain. Stir in cream. Serve soup topped with celery leaves, sea salt, and oil.  servings: 4

Salmon Cakes from the splendid table

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Salmon Cakes

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 small red onion, diced
  • 4 stalks celery, diced
  • 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
  • 2 (14-ounce) cans salmon, drained
  • 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
  • 2 tablespoons capers
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon crab boil seasoning (e.g., Old Bay Seasoning)
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup whole wheat panko bread crumbs
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

Melt the butter in a medium-size skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, celery, and bell pepper and cook until the veggies are tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. In a large mixing bowl, mash the salmon, using a fork, until no large pieces remain. Add the onion mixture, parsley, capers, Worcestershire sauce, crab boil seasoning, mustard, eggs, and panko. Mix together until well combined. Form into 12 patties. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the cakes and cook until browned and crisp, about 5 minutes, then flip and cook for an additional 5 minutes.

Serve these with fresh lemon wedges!

Sauteed Oyster Mushrooms from epicurious

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  • 1 tablespoon vegetable/olive oil
  • 1 pound small oyster mushrooms (any large ones cut into 1-inch pieces), stems trimmed
  • 2 teaspoons cider vinegar

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Sauté mushrooms with 1/2 teaspoon salt until golden, about 8 minutes. Add vinegar and sauté until evaporated, about 1 minute. Season with salt, then transfer to a plate to cool. Serve at room temperature.

cooks’ note: Mushrooms can be made 4 hours ahead and kept at room temperature.

 

Jane Grigson’s Celery Soup from food52

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  • 12308928433_46006b141a_b1/2 pound celery, chopped (4 large stalks about 2 cups)
  • 1/2 onion chopped 
  • 1-2 diced small potatos
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 4 cups veggie stock
  • 1/2 c. cream, half and half or milk
  • About 1 teaspoons dill weed * (2 teaspoons for fresh dill)
  1. Stew celery, onion, and potato gently in the butter in a covered pan for 10 minutes. Don’t let the vegetables brown. Add stock or water, s & p to taste and 1/2 teaspoon of dill weed. Simmer for 20 minutes.
  2. Blend or purée the soup.  Add cream. Bring slowly to just under the boil, and more dill weed if required.
  3.  Serves 4, 6 if the rest of the meal is fairly copious

Notes:  * I only used 1/2 tsp dill as I thought more would be overpowering.  I used an immersion blender.

 

Nancy Silverton’s Pizza dough

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DOUGH
2 tablespoons plus 1/2 packed teaspoon active dry yeast
3 3/4 cups bread flour
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon kosher salt

TOMATO SAUCE
One 28-ounce can whole tomatoes, drained
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for garnishing
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons sugar
Sea salt and dried or fresh oregano, for garnishing

  • MAKE THE DOUGH In a medium bowl, crumble 1/2 teaspoon of the yeast into 1/2 cup of lukewarm water. Let stand until the yeast dissolves, 3 minutes. Stir in 1/2 cup of the bread flour until incorporated. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature until the sponge is bubbly and thickened, 12 to 18 hours.
  • Lightly coat a large bowl with olive oil. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the sponge with 1 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons of lukewarm water. With the mixer at low speed, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of yeast and 3 1/4 cups of bread flour and mix until combined, scraping down the side of the bowl, 2 minutes. Add the salt and mix at medium speed until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, 7 minutes. Scrape the dough onto a floured surface and knead into a ball; transfer to the prepared bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature until the dough has doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours.
  • Turn out the dough onto a floured work surface. Fold the top and bottom of the dough toward the center, then fold in the right and left sides; flip the dough over and return it to the bowl, folded side down. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature until doubled in bulk, 1 hour.
  • Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and divide into two pieces. Shape each one into a ball and transfer to the baking sheet; brush the tops with oil. Loosely cover with a kitchen towel and let stand for 1 hour.
  • MEANWHILE, MAKE THE TOMATO SAUCE In a food processor, puree the tomatoes until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the remaining ingredients except the garnishes.
  • Preheat the oven to 500°. Roll or press out dough.  Put on parchment paper spread with corn meal. Spread 3 tablespoons of the sauce all over the dough.  Bake the pizzas for about 15 minutes, until the bottoms are crisp and golden. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with sea salt and oregano; serve hot. Repeat with the remaining dough and sauce.

Pancotto (Tuscan Bread Soup)

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  • 1/2 pound (250 grams) stale white bread (Italian style loaf), crusts on
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
  • 1/2 onion, finely chopped
  • 1 small carrot, finely chopped
  • 1 celery stick, finely chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/2 tsp marjoram
  • 1/2 tsp oregano
  • 1 pinch salt
  • pinch chili flakes
  • 1 teaspoon dried chile (or chopped fresh chile)
  • 4 cups (1 liter) water or veggie stock 
  • 3/4 cup (80 grams) finely grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese, divided
  • Handful of fresh parsley
  1. Roughly chop the bread into chunks, pass under some cold running water quickly to soften (but not soak), and crumble into pieces. Set aside.
  2. Add the olive oil to a large casserole or soup pot, and gently saute the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic with a pinch of salt until softened but not browned, about 10 minutes. Add the chile and water and bring to a boil. Add herbsLet simmer gently until the vegetables (in particular the carrot) are cooked through and the broth is fragrant, about 10 minutes.
  3. Add the bread and cook until the soup has become thick and creamy with the appearance of oatmeal, about 10 minutes. Stir through half the cheese and remove from the heat. Let sit a further 5 to 10 minutes, covered, before serving in shallow bowls with the rest of the cheese sprinkled on top, some herbs, and a drizzle of olive oil.  Serves 4