12 blue mexican prawns, cleaned & deveined
cajun spices
salt & pepper
1/4 lb baby fingerling potatoes, blanched and sliced
1 T butter

Coat the prawns in seasoning. Heat the butter in a nonstick pan, and fry the potato slices. When starting to crisp and color, turn up heat from medium to medium high and add the shrimp. Cover the pan if necessary to encourage quick cooking. When shrimp turn all white, and are firm and curled on edges, serve.

1 lb baby arugula
1/4 C grated Parmesan
2-3 T heavy cream
2 T olive oil
2 T apple cider vinegar
juice 1/2 lime
3 garlic cloves, minced
salt & pepper

Whisk the above ingredients vigorously together. if too thin, add more parm. Toss the cleaned arugula with it and serve with potatoes & shrimp on top.

Serves two.

So I’ve been trying to be part of the blogosphere, become integrated with the already successful foodies, you know, catch up. Make this serious. Realllll serious.

So I was reading Orangette (for the uninformed of us, who have not done their food blog research, behind it is Molly, who, after writing a quality food blog for some time, managed to nail down a monthly column in Bon Apetite), and wandered to Bon Apetit’s website, and found a recipe for Apple Turnovers.

I tried to make some a few weeks ago but was a little retarded in using my DuFour pastry, and they blew up the size of bike helmets and it was pretty ridiculous. So while I made my own filling, I did follow the method and sizing used in the article and then made some mini or skinny or plain different chocolate croissants as well. It worked out since I rarely get through the fruit in my CSA delivery, and had several near bad apples hanging around, ready to be made into a delicious chunky apple filling.

We spent yesterday exercising and cleaning the yard, ending the day with an evening walk (read: hike–we’re talking 55 minutes of over a hill and down a hill walking!). Today, we got to bake the pastries I prepared last night (I froze them in their shapes and put the egg wash on the outside this morning before baking) and enjoy the garden.

I’ve posted about my favorite Italian comfort food before, but I’ve decided it’s time to wow you with its deliciousness in a way that will allow replication. This dish was the very first recipe (and demonstration of technique) I learned in Marcella Ansaldo’s introduction to Italian Regional Cuisine course at International Culinary School Apicius in Florence.  Marcella was fabulous and ended up to be one of my very favorite and most professional teachers while I was there.

Typically you’d make your own pasta (once you’ve done it a few times, it’s really not overwhelming), but if you’re in a hurry you could use dry pasta, preferably something with texture like rigatoni, penne, or egg fettucini.

All of the measurements below are approximate. You’ll develop your own liking over time. Serves 4.

1 large carrot, small dice
2 stalks celery, small dice
1/2 medium/small onion, diced
1/2 C red wine
1/3lb lean ground beef
1/4lb ground pork
50g (1 quarter inch thick) slice of pancetta (if you can get it smoked, that’s the best option)
1.5-2 C san marzano or other good quality tomatoes, preferably whole
1 tsp chili flakes (this is non traditional)
olive oil
salt & pepper

Heat about 1T olive oil in a large sauce pan. Start your water to boil at the same time, or soon after. Sautee on medium low heat the onion, carrot, and celery which are chopped a small dice, evenly sized. You do not want to caramelize anything here–simply soften and cook. I remember Marcella telling us that Italians 1) do not like to see their vegetables and 2) do not over cook them like the French. Don’t forget the salt at this point, either.

Once softened but not brown, add the pancetta, diced the same size, and if it’s not smoked, allow it to cook until almost crispy (you may need to adjust the heat upwards). If it’s smoked, cook together for 1-2 minutes, and add the ground meat. You should mix the meat together first and make sure not too add too large of chunks. Once the meat is mostly cooked, crank the heat a bit up and add the wine*.

When the vapor coming from the pan is no longer astringent, add the chili flakes and the tomato, and reduce to simmer. Adjust salt & pepper.

Mix your sauce and pasta well in a large bowl/in the pasta pan and serve with good Parmesan (I will cry if you use the pre-grated stuff, seriously).

*If you’re smart, you’ll buy a dry, red Italian wine that you might actually want to drink not only because it will taste better, but because then you’ll have an appropriate wine to go with your dinner.

As a side note, we ate it up with some Liguria Bakery Foccacia, which I am very pleased to say is being retailed at my neighborhood Andronico’s, for four times the price as at the bakery and not as fresh, but it is so freaking good and so inconvenient to get at the bakery that I am happy to pay it.

For the Tri Tip (can sub skirt or flank steak, etc)
1 tri tip, marinaded at least 2 hours, up to 36
marinade:
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup teriyaki or similar sauce
1/4 cup oil (your choice)
1 tbsp chili flakes
2 shots whiskey/brandy/etc
2 cloves garlic
salt & pepper

Grill to your best ability.

For the Favas:
1-2lb fresh fava beans in their pods
2 large shallots*
pecorino ginepro (romano will do if you live in the middle of nowhere, but if you don’t i expect you to seek a better alternative, really, for shame)
juice of 1/2 lime
salt & pepper

Boil water, salt it, and put the fava beans in (take them out of their pods first). Cook 1-2 minutes until color has brightened a little. Drain them and put them into iced water, and immediately use your fingers/nails to remove their outer shell. Set aside the inner meat/bean.

Heat a bit of olive oil in a non stick, and add your shallots sliced in rings, with some salt & pepper. When softened, add your favas, salt, and pepper, and cook quickly until warmed and coated. Add juice of 1/2 lime (a tart orange is ok too). Serve with shaved pecorino ginepro or other firm, sheeps milk, salty cheese.

*If you’re feeling naughty you could add some pancetta at the same time as the shallots and skimp a little on the oil.

It’s been hard to write lately, to give you something tasty to look at. I’ve been counting calories, learning to run, humbly saying no to my favorite morning pastries and the breakfast burritos I’ve become so fond of.

So tonight, I’ll try to sate you. I delighted in some zucchini from my farm shipment, fava beans from farmer’s market, celery that needed to be used (leftover from last week’s stock making), leftover san marzano tomatos and more.

1 cup polenta, cooked (3 cups water & 1tsp salt boiled, add the polenta and stir well for 10 minutes, add 1T butter & lots of grated parm at the very end)

1 lb fava beans (weight in pods; prep them by blanching in salted water, putting in cold water, removing skins)
1/2 large zucchini, sliced
1/2 large carrot or equivilent, medium dice
1/2 large yellow onion, large dice
2-3 stalks celery, diced
8-10 black olives (for shame, mine were from a can–thanks Mom!), rough chop
3-4 san marzano tomatoes or 1 cup marinara sauce
1 sprig fresh rosemary, minced
1 tsp chili flakes
olive oil
salt & pepper

For the sauce, start in a non-stick pan by heating 1 T olive oil. Add the celery, carrot, and onion, cooking at medium/medium low heat until carrots are bright, celery is more dull and onions are almost translucent. Add the minced rosemary, salt, and pepper. Cook 1 minute. Add the olives and zucchini, cook until zucchini have some color at medium/medium high heat. When zucchini still firm, but colored, add marinara sauce/tomatoes, fava beans, and chili flakes if desired and turn to medium low to simmer and combine.

Serve on top of the delicious polenta, or mixed with rigatoni. Serves 3-4.

Wine: A dry, hearty red like Chinati would be great with this. You could also go Sicilian with some Nero d’Avola