Buttermilk Pancakes

Mmmmmmm......pancakes. It is hard to beat really good pancakes in the morning, with hot, REAL maple syrup, and a little butter (if you are bad). This recipe is very good. Add a cup (or 1/2 cup) of fresh blueberries for something different. Also, you can try substituting 1/2 cup of corn flour/meal for some of the flour, or add in 1/2 cup of oats for a crunchy alternative.

This is a mix of different recipes, but unfortunately, I do not have where they are from.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
2 large eggs, separated
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted (or substitute 2 tablespoons vegetable oil)

1 1/2 cups flour (all purpose or whole wheat)
1 tablespoon baking powder (double acting, or 1/2 T each baking powder and soda)
1 large pinch of salt
3 tablespoons sugar


In one bowl, whisk the buttermilk, egg yolks, oil and vanilla. In a separate bowl mix all the dry ingredients well. Mix the wet and dry ingredients (except the egg whites) - do not over mix - even leave a few lumps if you have to.

Let the batter sit while you warm the griddle. At the same time, whisk the egg whites until they form soft, glossy peaks. When the griddle is ready, fold in the egg whites into the batter.

Melt a little butter on the griddle. Ladle out the batter and cook until the bubbles appear, flip and cook for a few more minutes.

Pizza Dough

Pizza is currently one of my favorite things to make. It is so versatile - from the traditional Margharita (sauce, fresh mozz and basil) to as complex as you want it (current favorite is pesto, mozz, mushrooms and prosciutto). Below is a recipe for pizza dough - it is a mix of a few different recipes, with credit to Mario Batali and Jamie Oliver for a lot of the influence.

Ingredients:
4 cups bread flour
3 cups white whole wheat or whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon salt
2 1/4 oz. packets of dry yeast
2 tablespoons honey
4 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup white wine (warmed)
2 cups water (warmed)

Warm the water to approximately 100 degrees (no hotter than 110 degrees or else you will kill the yeast) add the honey and then add the yeast and mix well. Warm the wine as well.

Mix all of the dry ingredients together in a large bowl and make a well in the middle. Pour in the water/yeast mixture, wine and olive oil, and with a fork, start to mix together and slowly incorporate the flour. Once the mixture gets thick, abandon the fork and get your hands dirty!

Work the dough with your hands until you pick up most of the flour, then transfer all the contents of the bowl to a clean work surface and knead for 10 minutes incorporating all the flour. The dough should be light and slightly moist (where it is tacky but doesn't stick to the counter). Add water or flour as needed.

Place dough in an oiled bowl, cover with a towel, put in a warm place to rise for 1-2 hours. Punch the dough down and cut into four pieces. If you are using immediately, work the dough into four medium size pizzas, allow to proof for 15-20 minutes, add toppings and bake (500 degrees). If you are making the pizzas later, mold into balls and put in the fridge. If saving for a later date, mold into balls and place in freezer.

Stuffed Peppers

This is a recipe that my Mother used to make - it is very simple, but has some clean flavors that work well together. I have modified it just a little to give the sauce a little more punch. Be sure to prepare in a large, shallow pan, as if the peppers are given a chance to float, they tend to turn upside down and allow the filling to fall out!

Stuffed Peppers

Peppers:
1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 pound ground pork
(Alternatively, 1/3 pound beef, 1/3 pork, 1/3 hot Italian sausage out of the casing)
1/2 cup rice, cooked just short of done
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 large egg
2 teaspoons paprika
Salt and pepper
4-6 large peppers, preferably cubanelle, with the tops cut off and rinsed of their seeds (Bell peppers work fine too.)

Sauce:
1 64-oz can/bottle of tomato juice
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 hot cherry pepper (or other chili), finely chopped (Optional)
4 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons flour
Salt and pepper

For the peppers, combine all of the ingredients well with your hands. After it is all incorporated well, stuff each of the peppers with the filling up to the top. If you have any leftover filling, make into meatballs and add to the sauce with the peppers (below).

For the sauce, heat the olive oil on medium heat, add the onions, garlic and hot peppers. Salt and pepper well and sautee for 5-6 minutes until soft and the onions are translucent. Add the flour and stir well to make a roux, cooking an additional 3-4 minutes. Add the tomato juice and bring to nearly a boil. Turn heat off and use an immersion blender to liquefy the onion/garlic/pepper mixture into the sauce. Turn heat back on and add the peppers, ideally just covered with the sauce. Bring to a low boil, cover and let cook for 30-45 minutes.

Serve over pasta with parmigiano reggiano cheese on top.

Vin Santo - 9-25-09

After a long, long week, we decided to treat ourselves to dinner and a drink. I had not been to Vin Santo in a while, and Lib had not been there at all. We headed out around 7, and the restaurant was crowded but not full, so we were quickly seated at a table towards the back of the main seating area after saying a quick hello to the owner Craig, who seemed a bit harried that evening!

The new menu looked good, with four sections - small plates of dips and breads, appetizer/tappas, pizza and main courses which could be ordered either as a full meal or as a half portion for tappas. There seemed to be a lot of "homemade" items, including the mozzarella and we had a hard time deciding what to have. In the end, we decided on the calamari (the version on the menu was replaced by a new preparation), the stuffed mozzarella, the half-portion of the hangar steak entree, and the half-portion of the Agnolotti with fresh mushrooms.

We started with the calamari and the mozzarella. The calamari was sauteed with spinach, Israeli couscous, onions and garlic in a tomato broth. The flavor of the dish was terrific, and it had a little "hotness" to it, which was nice but not overwhelming. There was a lot of broth, which almost made it a soup - it would have been nice to have a little less broth, though we both worked through a few pieces of break to sop it up! The mozzarella was in the form of "pinwheels" stuffed with prosciutto and roasted red peppers, the slices were stacked with fresh tomatoes and then was topped with baby arugula. The flavors were very good, and the arugula was a perfect complement to the dish. I may have left the tomatoes out as they were a bit overpowering.

After the plates were cleared, we had a little time to enjoy our drinks before the next "course" came out, which included our hanger steak and agnolotti. The steak came sliced over Israeli couscous, and topped with sauteed tri-color slices of peppers. The couscous had the drippings of the beef combined with a very nice olive oil, which gave the dish an extra richness that went very well with the beef. The peppers were cooked perfectly, and the beef was cooked rare, though it had been ordered medium rare (though, anyone who has had a hangar steak knows that it is a tender cut that works very well rare). The only complaint was the beef itself could have been seasoned a little more (salt and pepper), but overall the dish was rich and flavorful and excellent. The agnolotti (small ravioli) were good, though they were either undercooked or the dough was not made well, as they had a bit of a chalky texture to them. The flavor was excellent, and the sauce - a creamy mushroom "ragu" (I would not call it a ragu!) - was excellent - not too heavy and very flavorful. Again, much bread was used to clean the plate of the last drops of sauce.

This was a lot of food, so we skipped dessert and I finished my wine while Lib enjoyed a cappuccino. Our server was very friendly, attentive and helpful with the menu and specials. She also told us we missed the show of a male stripper entertaining a bachelorette party - I responded that we didn't miss anything! Finally, the "feel" of the restaurant is great, especially when filled with diners, though the din can get a bit loud at times.

The total bill, with one drink and two glasses of wine, came to $77 without tip - a good deal in our opinion.

The meal was just what we wanted, and it left us looking forward to visiting again.

I would give this visit 3.5 "gluts." The few small preparation missteps kept if from being a 4.0.

Chimichurri Sauce

One of my favorites, especially with grilled meats - either as a marinade, a sauce, or both. This is a traditional South American (Argentinian?) sauce, and has many variations. This recipe is the result of a few different recipes I have seen, and I may modify it as I use it a few more times.

Ingredients:
3/4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/3 Cup Sherry Wine Vinegar
1 Tbl Lemon Juice
1 Cup Chopped flat leaf parsley
4 Tbl Chopped fresh basil leaves
2 Tbl Chopped fresh oregano leaves
3 Tbl Minced garlic
2 Tbl Minced shallots
3/4 tsp Fresh cracked black pepper
2 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
1/4 tsp Crushed red pepper

Directions:
Put all into food processor and pulse until mixed.

This is a variation of a different recipe that will yield a thicker sauce.

Butternut Squash Soup

Another great soup for a chilly autumn afternoon. Hearty and earthy, it is perfect as a start to a meal with a roast pork or lamb with rosemary and other herbs. Or, serve as lunch with garlic crostini.


Ingredients:
Olive oil
8 fresh sage leaves
1 red onions, peeled and chopped
1 sticks celery, trimmed and chopped
1 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
2 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves picked
1/2 fresh red chile, to taste, seeded and finely chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds butternut squash, halved, deseeded and cut into chunks
1 quarts good-quality Chicken or vegetable stock
Extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:
Put a very large saucepan on a medium heat and pour in a couple of glugs of olive oil.

Add the sage leaves and fry for around 30 seconds or until dark green and crisp. Quickly remove them with a slotted spoon to a bowl lined with paper towels - you'll use these for sprinkling over at the end. In the pan you'll be left with a beautifully flavored oil, so put it back on the heat and throw in your onion, celery, carrot, garlic, rosemary leaves, chile and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Cook gently for about 10 minutes until the vegetables are sweet and soft.

Add the squash and the stock to the pan, bring to the boil and simmer for around 30 minutes.

When the squash is soft and cooked through, whiz the soup with an immersion blender or pour it into a standard blender and pulse until you have a smooth puree (but you can leave it slightly chunky if you like). Most importantly, remember to taste and season it until it's perfect. Sprinkle with a few of your crispy sage leaves and drizzle with a swirl of good-quality extra-virgin olive oil.

Potato Leek Soup

Very few things rival a good, hot soup on an autumn afternoon. This one uses fresh leeks and potatoes and can be modified with any number of different herbs or additions.

Two of my favorites are to add fresh tarragon or roasted garlic (or both).

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 cups sliced leeks, white and light green parts
1 teaspoon minced garlic
6 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 pounds boiling potatoes, peeled and quartered
Salt and white pepper
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley

Directions:
In a large pot, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter over low heat. Add the leeks and cook, stirring often, until tender, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the chicken stock and potatoes. Cover and simmer gently until the vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.

Remove from the heat. With a hand-held immersion blender, or in batches in a food processor, puree the soup until smooth. Season, to taste, with salt and ground white pepper. Ladle into soup bowls and garnish with parsley.