Hungarian Stuffed Green Peppers

This recipe is one where the use of a Microplane Medium Ribbon Grater shines. It allows you to grate the onion back and forth so the onion and its juice goes right into the meat mixture. You have the flavor of onion without little perceptible pieces of it in the meat. I also do this when I make meatballs.

I use a regular rasp Microplane to grate the garlic. In this recipe, it MUST be grated, not minced. This also works well for meatballs.

Left is a Microplane Medium Ribbon; Right is a Microplane Rasp

Hungarian Stuffed Green Peppers
Adapted from The Hungarian Cookbook by Susan Derecskey

6 green bell peppers
Salt
1/4 cup rice (I use basmati because that's what I always use.)
1 egg, lightly beaten
A pinch of pepper
1 pound chopped meat, either beef or pork (I always use beef.)
1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram, crushed between your fingers as you add it
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
A whole onion cut in half, peel removed (Cutting it in half makes it easy to grate.)
1 clove of garlic
About 3 cups canned tomato sauce (I use three 8-ounce cans of Muir Glen because that's what I have on hand.)
Steamed or boiled potatoes, for serving

Wash the peppers, cut off the top, and core the inside doing your best not to puncture the bottoms. Parboil them in lots of boiling salted water for 5 minutes. This will soften them and make them less bitter.

Parboil the rice for 10 minutes.

Put the egg and a pinch of pepper in a bowl and beat with a fork. Add the meat, a little salt (no more than 1/2 teaspoon), rice, dried marjoram, and fresh parsley.

Take the onion half and using a Microplane Ribbon Grater, grate half or a quarter (based on the size of the onion) of that into the bowl.

Using a regular rasp Microplane, grate the garlic into the bowl. (Grate the garlic; do not mince it. If you don't have a rasp Microplane grater, leave it out.)

Mix everything lightly with your hands; the less you handle the meat, the better. Put the meat mixture into the peppers. Do not pack it in, and do not fill right to the top of the peppers.

Put the peppers into a baking pan, put the tomato sauce around them, and bake in a 325°F oven for 1 hour.

Serve with steamed (what I use) or boiled potatoes.

Cucumber and sour cream salad goes well with this dish.

Lecsó

When Walter was growing up his mother made lecsó, a typical Hungarian dish made of tomatoes, bell peppers, and onions - essentially a tomato, pepper, and onion stew - to which she would add Magyar Lecsó Kolbász - a Hungarian smoked and cooked garlic sausage, which I am able to order from The Hungarian Meat Market in Fairfield, Connecticut. I do this once a year so I have enough sausage in the freezer to make this hearty dish during the cold months of winter. Judging from the ingredients - peppers and tomatoes - I don't think that in Hungary this is actually a cold weather dish, but it just seems right as the golden season of fall arrives, and the first mornings of frost appear, to eat this dish.

I use high-quality canned tomatoes and red bell peppers for this dish. There is no fresh garlic in the dish because the sausages are very garlicky on their own.

Lescó
Adapted from The Hungarian Cookbook by Susan Derecsksey

8 red bell peppers, sliced into strips about a half inch wide, not rings
1-1/2 large yellow onions, chopped
Olive oil
2 to 3 tablespoons sweet HUNGARIAN paprika
3 (three) 400g cans of tomatoes, either Italian DOP or Cento Cherry Tomatoes, put through a food mill 
2 links of Magyar Lesco Kolbász, cut into 2 cm slices
Full fat sour cream, for serving

I use my 6-quart All Clad "stockpot" here because it is wide rather than deep and makes it easy to cook the onions and peppers.

Cover the bottom of your pan with olive oil, about 1/4 inch. Add the chopped onions and sauté slowly without letting them brown. Add the sliced peppers and stir to coat with the olive oil and onion. Next add the paprika, starting with 2 tablespoons, and stir. You want to use a low heat here because you want the paprika to bloom, not burn. Then add the third tablespoon of paprika and cook for a few more minutes, 3 to 4 is good. 

Add the tomatoes and a little salt. Partially cover the pan, and cook for about 30 minutes, stirring frequently to make sure the heat is not so high the bottom will scorch. After 30 minutes, add the sliced sausage and cook for another 20 minutes. Taste for seasoning.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream on top, rice and cucumber salad.  Green beans lightly tossed with olive oil and salt go well with it too if you would also like a vegetable.

Shrimp Salad

I always have IQF wild Georgia shrimp, jumbo (21 to 25 per pound) in my freezer. They are shipped to me from Anchored Shrimp Company, a family-owned and operated seafood company in Brunswick, GA. They are shrimp - no preservatives, no salt, not anything but wild shrimp. 

Unless the weather is warm, I have to go out of my way to have fresh tarragon on hand, but I make it my business to have it when I am going to make this recipe because I think it adds a lot to the dish.

I do not devein my shrimp, but if you are in the habit of doing so, by all means do it here. 

Shrimp Salad
Adapted from Cook's Illustrated

1 pound extra large shrimp (21-25 shrimp per pound), peeled
2 cups cold water
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice and another tablespoon fresh lemon juice (usually 1 large lemon is enough)
1 teaspoon salt
Reserved halves of the lemon, cut into quarters
5 sprigs of parsley
About 1 teaspoon minced parsley leaves
3 sprigs fresh tarragon leaves
About 1 teaspoon minced tarragon leaves
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons finely minced shallot
1 stalk celery minced
Salt and pepper to taste

When you're done cooking the shrimp, you will need a medium bowl filled with ice water at hand, so you should get this ready in advance, being prepared to add more ice if you have to when the shrimp is done.

To make the dressing, whisk the mayonnaise, shallot, celery, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, minced parsley, minced tarragon in a medium bowl. If you make this in advance, cover the bowl and refrigerate it.

Fill a medium saucepan with 2 cups cold water and add the shrimp, 1/4 cup lemon juice, reserved lemon quarters, parsley sprigs, tarragon sprigs, whole peppercorns, sugar, and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook the shrimp over medium heat, stirring often, until shrimp is no longer translucent. The water should be just bubbling around the edge of the pan; you DO NOT want a rolling boil. This usually takes me about 8 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat.

Drain the shrimp into a colander and transfer the shrimp to the ice water leaving the lemon halves, herbs, and spices behind. Chill for about 3 minutes. This should be long enough for them to be thoroughly chilled. Remove the shrimp from the water and pat dry.

Cut each shrimp in half lengthwise and then each half into half again. Add shrimp to the dressing and combine. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Dark Chocolate Ice Cream

There are lots of good books on making your own ice cream, but I recommend three as essential. The first two books are Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home and Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream Desserts, both by Jeni Britton Bauer. 

Jeni Britton Bauer developed her technique for making ice cream using cream cheese as the stabilizer, which is uniquely practical for the home cook. 

The third book is Hello, My Name is Ice Cream by Dana Cree. This book explains the science of ice cream in basic understandable language. It is endlessly usable, thorough, and interesting.  

Container I Chill Ice Cream Base In

Dark Chocolate Ice Cream
Adapted from Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home and Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream Desserts by Jeni Britton Bauer

Makes 1 quart

Chocolate Base

75g cocoa powder (I use Guittard Rouge Cocoa Powder)

2/3 cup strong brewed coffee

100g sugar (I use Domino Golden Sugar)

2 ounces chopped chocolate (I use Guittard 70% chocolate)

Mix the cocoa, coffee, and sugar in a small saucepan, bring to a boil over medium heat, and boil for 30 seconds. Remove the pan from the heat, add the chopped chocolate, let stand for 5 minutes so the chocolate can melt, and stir.

Sweet Cream Base Specifically for Chocolate Ice Cream

600g whole milk

336g heavy cream

132g granulated sugar (I use Domino Golden Sugar)

3 tablespoons Lyle's Golden Syrup 

14g Bob's Red Mill Tapioca Flour (what I use) or cornstarch

56g cream cheese

1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt

Weigh the tapioca flour or cornstarch into a tiny bowl - the kind you use when prepping and doing a mise en place. 

Weigh out the 56 grams of cream cheese onto a small flat plate and add the 1/8 teaspoon of fine sea salt and press it into the cream cheese with the times of a fork. You are going to add the chocolate base to this in a while, so for now put it into a container you will later be able to add heated milk to. If you have an immersion blender, it will work well here. I have a container that came with my immersion blender so that's what I put it in.

Measure the Lyle's Golden Syrup into a small glass - I use a 5-ounce measuring glass. If you like, you can heat this a little in the microwave (for about 30 seconds) so it's easier to pour. 

Put the milk into the pan you are using on the stove, then take a small amount of that milk and put it into the little prep bowl holding the tapioca starch or cornstarch and whisk it well, eliminating any lumps. I have a tiny whisk I use for this. Set this aside. 

Add the heavy cream to the pan with the milk, then add the sugar and the Lyle's, stir, and bring to a low boil. Boil this mixture for 4 minutes, stirring the whole time. Turn off the heat and stir the mixture in the pan well, then stir the tapioca starch/milk mixture (or cornstarch/milk mixture) you have set aside to make sure it's still smooth, and add it to the pan on the stove. Stirring constantly, bring it back to a boil, and boil for ONE MINUTE, NO MORE. Push the pan off the heat. 

You now want to mix the chocolate base with the cream cheese you have already put in a container. An immersion blender does this well. Otherwise, stir it to combine well. 

Add this mixture into the pan with the sweet cream base and stir to thoroughly mix the chocolate in. Strain this mixture through a sieve. I strain it through a rounded sieve into an 8-cup Pyrex measuring cup, which holds it all and is easy to pour from. I pour the already strained mixture through another conical sieve into a tallish glass container with a lid and chill in an ice bath. For the ice bath I use a deep stainless steel bowl. I put the container with the mixture in it into the bowl, add enough cold water to the bowl to cover the mixture (without letting it get into the mixture), and use reusable ice packs to chill it, which are easier to use than ice cubes. Once it has cooled down enough, I put it in the refrigerator, and keep it there long enough for it to get very cold. I usually leave it overnight to cure it.

When it is cold, spin the mixture in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions. I pack it into two pint cardboard ice cream containers and place in the freezer. (I cut a small circle of parchment to sit on top before I put the top of the container on. I keep 6-inch parchment circles on hand to use for this.) 

It's best if it sits in the freezer for 8 hours before eating so leaving it in the refrigerator overnight to cure and spinning it in the morning is great so it's ready in time for dessert after dinner.

Ruth Rogers’ Simple Tomato Sauce

In Top Foodies Choose Their Favorite Recipes of All Time (The Guardian 29 January 2006), Ruth Rogers chose this as hers. She is the founding chef of London’s River Café and has an interesting podcast called Ruthie's Table 4. She said this is what she most often makes when guests come to her home for dinner.

The special taste of the sauce depends largely on the way the garlic is handled. It must be sliced very thinly, sautéed only until it becomes just faintly colored and then allowed to simmer slowly in the tomato so that it can release all its sweetness. Raw basil at the end contributes a fragrant fillip. Make sure the basil does not undergo any cooking.  Marcella Hazan

Italian Tomatoes from Gustiamo

Ruth Roger's Simple Tomato Sauce

Adapted by Ruth Rogers from Marcella’s Italian Kitchen by Marcella Hazan

For ½ to 1 pound of pasta 

 

Marcella suggests spaghetti, spaghettini, fusilli, penne, rigatoni, or ziti.

 

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 medium garlic cloves, peeled and sliced very thinly

400g (14 ounces) tinned Italian peeled plum tomatoes, cut into large pieces, with their juice (It’s always best if you use tomatoes from Italy.)

Salt to taste 

Black pepper 

10 fresh basil leaves, torn by hand into small pieces

(I don’t use any grated cheese with this sauce, but, of course, you can.)

 

Put the oil and garlic in a saucepan and turn the heat to medium. When the garlic becomes colored a pale gold, add the tomatoes and turn the heat down to very low. Cook, uncovered, until the oil floats free of the tomatoes - about 20 minutes. 

 

Add salt and grindings of pepper and cook for another two to three minutes, stirring from time to time. 

 

Off the heat, stir in the torn basil leaves. Serve on your choice of pasta.

Soft Boiled Eggs

After trying many recipes and different methods for soft-boiled eggs, this is the one I like best. Calling them soft-boiled is really a misnomer as they are not boiled at all, but steamed.

I got a subscription to Cook's Illustrated magazine with its first issue, and now I'm a digital subscriber to its progeny, America's Test Kitchen. I use it for the thoroughly-tested recipes and in-depth equipment reviews.

My preferred way of eating soft-boiled eggs is the way I ate them at my grandfather's house in England - in an egg cup with toast soldiers, pieces of toast buttered and cut into strips to dip into the soft yolks. I put a little mound of salt and pepper on my plate to dip my spoon in between mouthfuls. I use an egg topper to take the top off. If you don't have an egg topper, you can tap all over the top of the egg with a knife and then use the knife to cut the top off. However, if you want to eat the egg smashed onto a piece of buttered toast, you can crack the just-cooked egg in the middle on a plate, split it in half, and scoop it right onto the toast with a spoon.

I store my eggs in the refrigerator in the carton they came in. For this recipe, use large eggs that are straight from the refrigerator and still cold. Make sure they have no cracks. I don't prick a hole in the egg, and I always wash eggs before I use them as I usually have local eggs from a farm, and it's a habit I have gotten into.

I have found this recipe and the timing works for me. I usually make 1 egg at a time for myself, but this recipe works just as well for up to 4.

Soft-Boiled Eggs
Adapted from Cook's Illustrated

From 1 to 4 large eggs

Put an inch of water in a saucepan, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Carefully put the egg or eggs into the saucepan, and cover. Reduce the heat a little, and cook for exactly 7 minutes. I use a digital timer to ensure I have the time right. Seven minutes is what works for me. If you find the egg is cooked a little more than you like, reduce the time a little to see what works for you.

When the time is up, remove the cover, put the pan in the sink, and run cold water into it for 30 seconds to stop the egg from cooking. Remove the egg or eggs from the pan and eat whichever way you prefer. 

Egg Toppers

Fresh Ricotta

Salvatore Ricotta

The best ricotta I ever had was from Salvatore Brooklyn. I once went to a Williams-Sonoma store in NYC to see a demonstration by Betsy Devine of how she makes it at Salvatore, and that was when I decided I would be able to make my own. You can see the thick texture, which is what I was - and am - aiming for.

The recipe I use is adapted from J. Kenji Lopez-Alt's recipe in his seminal work, The Food Lab, but there are other good recipes for you to check out - FOOD52 and Smitten Kitchen, who also likes Salvatore. If you don't have or use a microwave, Jennifer Perillo's recipe on FOOD52 is the way to go. It is the first recipe I tried so I know it works!

I often use 3 cups whole milk and 1 cup heavy cream unless I want to make it extremely rich in which case I use 2 cups whole milk and 2 cups heavy cream.

I put my 4 cups of dairy in a 4-cup Pyrex measuring cup. I add 1/2 teaspoon salt, either kosher or Italian fine sea salt, and 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar. Kenji says you can add the same amount of lemon juice; however, since the white vinegar is consistently 5 per cent acid, I find it unfailingly reliable so that is what I use.

I heat the milk and cream mixture in the microwave until the temperature reaches 165°F on an instant-read thermometer. In my microwave, which is small, this takes about 8 minutes. 

At this point, I remove the cup from the microwave and stir it gently for about 5 seconds. It is already separating into curds and whey.

I transfer to a fine sieve that I have lined with a white mesh vegetable bag. It can certainly be lined with cheesecloth.

I cover the top with plastic wrap and let it reach the desired consistency. The more it drains, the "dryer" it will be. 

My Ricotta

You can see the texture. It's almost like ice cream. Since I am usually using this to make manicotti, it gets thinner with the addition of eggs so this is a perfect texture for me to start with.

Homemade Ricotta

Adapted from The Food Lab by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt

I use a 4-cup Pyrex measuring cup for this.

To 3 cups whole milk and 1 cup heavy cream or 2 cups whole milk and 2 cups heavy cream if you want it to be very rich, add 1/2 teaspoon salt, kosher or (for me Italian) sea salt and 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar.

I heat the milk and cream mixture in the microwave until the temperature reaches 165°F on an instant-read thermometer. In my microwave, which is small, this takes about 8 minutes. You can certainly do this on top of the stove. 

At this point, stir it gently for about 5 seconds. It should already be separating into curds and whey.

Transfer to a fine sieve lined with a white mesh vegetable bag or cheesecloth.

Cover the top with plastic wrap and let it reach the desired consistency. The more it drains, the "dryer" it will be.

Vic's Chicken

 

This is something I have basically been making since I was twenty years old, and my grandmother made it long before that. Since it goes with so many side or starter dishes, I often make it for company. We usually eat this once a week. 

Do not substitute chicken breast halves here because the white meat does not take well to this method. 

I usually cook the chicken in a 10- or 12-inch cast iron skillet depending on the number of pieces of chicken I am cooking. 

If you have time, salt the chicken pieces all over, put them on a rack on a platter, and refrigerate for a few hours. This is dry brining and will help the chicken to crisp. However, more often than not I skip this step because I haven't planned it long enough in advance, and it's still great.

Vic's Chicken

Please read the whole recipe through before you start as steps are taken to avoid contamination of any bacteria that may be on the raw chicken.

Best-quality-you-can-get bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs or whole chicken legs, as many as you like.  (My preferred chicken is Bell & Evans, and I drive a long way to get it.)

Vegetable oil (I usually use expeller-pressed grapeseed.)

Salt

Pepper - be generous

Garlic powder

Whatever dried herb you like with chicken (I use GREEK oregano from Kalustyans.)

Preheat the oven to 400°F. If you have a roast setting, use it now.

Have the pan you are going to roast the chicken in on the counter or on the stove. Slick a tiny amount of oil in the pan and wipe any excess out with a paper towel. 

Also put a plate or platter large enough to hold the uncooked pieces of raw chicken on the counter next to the sink. 

Then put a piece of aluminum foil in the bottom of your sink,  covering the whole bottom. Put the chicken pieces in the sink on top of the foil, and pour a little oil on the chicken followed by salt, pepper, garlic powder, and whatever dried herbs you like with chicken. (Note that if you have salted the chicken in advance, don't use any more salt.) Now rub the chicken pieces all over with your hands to distribute the oil and herbs. 

Place the chicken pieces on the plate or platter you have put next to the sink. Then move them from the platter into the pan you will cook them in. 

Right now, to avoid contamination with any bacteria from the chicken, throw the aluminum foil away, wash the sink, and wash your hands before you touch anything else.

Put the pan in the oven and roast until the pieces of chicken are very, very crisp – 45 minutes to an hour. I usually cook them for an hour because the result I want is extremely crisp, well-done chicken. I baste the chicken occasionally while it is cooking, but I do not turn the pieces over. 

Really Good Ragu

I have been making Marcella Hazan's iconic Bolognese sauce for years, and it is, I believe, authentic. I have even used it to stuff inside my grandmother's crespelle, turning it into canneloni. But as delicious as it is, it is not very saucy, and sometimes something saucy with an umami depth of flavor is exactly what I'm looking for. And that ragu is what I found in The Kitchen Diaries by Nigel Slater. (If you haven't discovered Nigel Slater yet, I think Appetite would be a good place to start.) 

Because I want this to be saucy, I have increased the amount of tomatoes, originally 1 cup to a 400g can of Italian tomatoes, and decreased the amount of meat, from 1 pound to 1/2 pound. I order pancetta from Heritage Foods, and use the recommended 3 ounces for this recipe. 

I have been led to believe no self-respecting Italian would even think about serving Bolognese sauce over spaghetti. But English people do, Nigel Slater does, and now sometimes so do I. But this sauce is especially good on rigatoni - or maybe even better mezzi rigatoni - because it snuggles inside the tubes.

And PLEASE find a source for Italian tomatoes and Italian pasta that is cut with bronze die and slow dried, such as Pasta Setaro or Faella. The difference is noticeable.  

I order these from Gustiamo

I often serve this on a plate with a vegetable instead of a salad.

I highly recommend cracking open a bottle of particularly delicious red wine to use here. It contributes that depth of flavor I mentioned above to the sauce and is lovely to drink with this dinner.

A half bottle of a lovely Amarone

I love pork, and I am able to get excellent local pork from Evelyn, a butcher, who sells it at The New Lebaon Farmers Market & Grocery, but her lovely beef is what I always use in this recipe.

Nigel Slater's Ragu
Adapted from The Kitchen Diaries by Nigel Slater and FOOD52

This would be enough for 8 ounces of pasta.

4 tablespoons butter
About 3 ounces pancetta, cubed
1 small to medium onion, chopped
2 plump cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
2 stalks celery, peeled and chopped
4 ounces cremini mushrooms, chopped the same size as the onions, carrot, and celery 
1 bay leaf (I use Morton & Bassett)
1/2 pound ground beef  - the best you can get
1 400g can of whole peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand
1/4 cup red wine (good enough that you will drink it with dinner)
3/4 cup stock (I use Better Than Bouillon Vegetable Base to make it.)
Freshly grated nutmeg - a little
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 cup heavy cream (Use a light hand.)
Freshly grated Parmesan, to taste

Don't leave out the bay leaf or the nutmeg; they add a lot to the sauce. Remember to be parsimonious with the cream; you don't want the sauce to be creamy.)

Melt the butter then cook the pancetta without letting it color to render some of the fat - 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the onion and garlic; then the carrot and the celery; then the mushrooms. Add the bay leaf. Cook over medium heat, stirring often.

Turn up the heat a little and add the meat, breaking it up. Cook for about 3 minutes without stirring so the meat starts to brown. Stir again. Add the tomatoes, red wine, stock, a grating of nutmeg, and a little salt and pepper. 

Turn the heat down till the sauce is gently moving. Partially cover the pan. Let it cook for about an hour, stirring occasionally, checking the liquid to make sure it does not dry out.

Pour in the heavy cream slowly and with a light hand. Stir. Let it cook a little longer - for 10 to 15 minutes, keeping in mind you do not want it to get thick.

Taste for seasoning.

I usually serve this over rigatoni or mezzi rigatoni (but sometimes I use spaghetti) with grated Parmesan but use whatever pasta shape you like.

Hard-Boiled Eggs

 Adapted from Cook's Illustrated

I was a charter subscriber to Cook's Illustrated and have been "with them" from the beginning through a number of iterations, from Christopher Kimball to J. Lopez-Alt, to where they have landed now. Even with all the changes, their mission has stayed on track, and they are an excellent source of inspiration, reliable recipes, and unbiased product reviews. There is a group of Cook's recipes that has stayed in my repertoire since I first found them:

Shrimp Salad (which includes a great way to cook shrimp for shrimp cocktail)

The Best Sangria

Triple-Chocolate Mousse Cake

Basmati Rice, Pilaf Style

If you are a digital subscriber to America's Test Kitchen, as am I, these recipes are available there.

This recipe, along with their method for soft-boiled eggs, is one of the most used at my house.

I store my eggs in the refrigerator in the carton they came in. For this recipe, use large eggs that are straight from the refrigerator and still cold. Make sure they have no cracks. I always wash eggs before I use them as I often have local eggs from a farm or a friend, and it's a habit I have gotten into.

I have found this recipe to be fool-proof. I usually make 4 eggs at a time, but you can make 6. There is no exaggerating how nice it is to have some hard-boiled eggs in the refrigerator.

These eggs are essentially steamed, not boiled.

Hard-Boiled Eggs
Adapted from Cook's Illustrated

Put an inch of water in a saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Put a basket steamer in the pan and carefully add the eggs to the steamer.

Cover the pan and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook the eggs for 13 minutes, no longer. 

While the eggs are cooking, get a bowl of ice water ready using 2 cups of ice cubes and 2 cups of cold water. I keep it in the sink.

When the 13 minutes are up, take the pan off the heat, put it near the bowl of ice water, and use a pair of tongs to carefully move each egg individually to the bowl of ice water. Let the eggs sit in the cold water for 15 minutes before peeling. 

Depending on the age of the egg, there is usually an air cell at one end, and it is usually at the larger end. I find the easiest way to peel these eggs is to kind of "smash" the large end and starting from there, peel under running cold water.

Caviar and Egg Mold

There is excellent American caviar now available. I have tried Paddlefish and Hackelback and enjoyed both very much. However, at my liquor store Spirited in Lenox, Massachusetts, I am usually able to find lightly salted Spanish grey mullet roe called Mujjol "caviar." It is very well priced and  delicious served with sour cream on a salted potato chip accompanied by a shot of very cold vodka or a glass of Champagne. It is worth looking out for and would work well here. Of course, Beluga caviar would work well here, and a little would go a long way.

Caviar & Egg Mold
Adapted from Cook and Love It: A Collection of Favorite Recipes and Entertaining Ideas, published by The Mothers' Club of The Lovett School, Atlanta, Georgia, Contributed by Polly Pater and Deddy Bartenfeld

4 hard-boiled eggs, mashed
⅓ cup butter, softened
¼ to ⅓ cup mayonnaise (Use your favorite. I like Ojai Organic Mayonnaise.)
⅓ cup chopped scallions or shallots
Lemon juice
Salt to taste

½ cup sour cream (I use full fat Breakstone.)
Caviar, about a quarter of a cup (or more if you want to be extravagant)

First, line a small bowl with plastic wrap. 

Combine all the ingredients through salt. Pack the mixture into the bowl, cover with more  plastic wrap, and chill well. As the butter chills, it will harden.

Unmold The bowl onto a serving plate; frost with sour cream, and top with caviar.    

You can serve this with crackers, which makes it easy to put out, but I like it best with buttered white toast points, and that is what I do if the timing works with what I'm doing.

Sweet Cream Ice Cream

When I moved to the country and bound myself to a 40-minute drive to the food store, I resolved that I would make all my own ice cream and all my own bread, and since 2015 years I have done just that. There are lots of great books about ice cream, but there are four I prize in my library and recommend to anyone who wants to go on this journey.

The first two books are Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home and Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream Desserts, both by Jeni Britton Bauer

Jeni developed her technique for making ice cream using cream cheese as the stabilizer and generously wrote two books letting us in on her method, uniquely practical for the home cook. I use Jeni's method all the time, most often making the Sweet Cream Ice Cream in Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream Desserts. There is always a pint of this in my freezer.

You may be lucky enough to live in a place where Jeni has a Scoop Shop, or you may be able to get her delicious ice cream at your local store, or you can order it here. If you have any issues tolerating milk or have guests who don't eat dairy products coming over, I highly recommend her Lemon Bar, which is so delicious you will be eating spoonfuls out of the freezer whether you have an issue with lactose or not.

The third book I found, which includes a shout-out to Jeni, is Hello, My Name is Ice Cream by Dana Cree. No matter what books or recipes you decide to use for making ice cream, this book will be an excellent addition to your library. It explains the science of ice cream in basic understandable language. It is endlessly usable, thorough, and interesting. 

With these books you can make delicious ice cream and adapt any other recipes to Jeni's brilliant method.

There is another book - the fourth - I have recently acquired, LaGrotta: Ice Creams and Sorbets: a Cookbook by Kitty Travers. I am currently reading it all the way through like a novel. It's a beautiful book full of innovative ideas, which I plan to explore through the next four seasons. I am dreaming of going to her workshop in the UK. 

This Sweet Cream Ice Cream from Jeni is lovely and delicate with only the taste of milk and cream - what Italians call flor di latte - the flavor of milk - and can be applied to mozzarella or, as in this case, gelato. It is definitely NOT vanilla and is splendid in its simplicity. As delicious as her Dark Chocolate ice cream is, this is the most requested flavor around here. I use Lyle's Golden Syrup in place of corn syrup because it adds a slight caramel flavor and has no vanilla in it. I once spent a week in Italy eating only this flavor every day to compare them gelateria to gelateria. The best one was in Florence, which turned out to be the city of my dreams (which does not change London as the city I would most like to live in if I had to choose a city other than my own). I got to eat my favorite gelato in Italy and see Michaelangelo's The David on the same day! (You can see a million pictures, but when you see it in person for the first time, it takes your breath away.) 

Ice Cream Chilling in an Ice Bath with Gel Packs Instead of Ice Cubes

Sweet Cream Ice Cream

Adapted from Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home and Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream Desserts by Jeni Britton Bauer

Makes 1 quart

600g whole milk

336g heavy cream

150g granulated sugar (I use Domino Golden Sugar)

3 tablespoons Lyle's Golden Syrup 

14g Bob's Red Mill Tapioca Flour (what I use) or cornstarch

56g cream cheese

1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt

First steps  

Weigh the tapioca flour or cornstarch into a tiny bowl - the kind you use when prepping and doing a mise en place. 

Weigh out the 56 grams of cream cheese onto a small flat plate and add the 1/8 teaspoon of fine sea salt and press it into the cream cheese with the times of a fork. You are going to add some hot mixture to this in a while, so for now put it into a container you will later be able to add heated milk to. If you have an immersion blender, it will work well here. I have a container that came with my immersion blender so that's what I put it in.

Measure the Lyle's Golden Syrup into a small glass - I use a 5-ounce measuring glass. If you like, you can heat this a little in the microwave (for about 30 seconds) so it's easier to pour. 

Next steps

Into the pan you are using on the stove, put the milk, then take a small amount of that milk and put it into the little prep bowl holding the tapioca starch or cornstarch and whisk it well, eliminating any lumps. Set this aside. 

Add the heavy cream to the pan with the milk, then add the sugar and the Lyle's, stir, and bring to a low boil. Boil this mixture for 4 minutes, stirring the whole time. Turn off the heat, and stir the mixture in the pan well, then stir the tapioca starch/milk mixture (or cornstarch/milk mixture) you have set aside to make sure it's still smooth, and add it to the pan on the stove. Stirring constantly, bring it back to a boil, and boil for ONE minute, NO MORE. Push the pan off the heat. 

You now want to mix a little of the hot mixture in the pan with the cream cheese you have already put in a container. An immersion blender does this well. Otherwise, stir it to combine well. Add this back into the pan and stir. Strain this through a sieve. I strain it into an 8-cup Pyrex measuring cup, which holds it all and is easy to pour from. I pour the strained mixture into a tallish glass container with a lid and chill in an ice bath. For the ice bath I use a large stainless steel bowl. I put the container with the mixture in it into the bowl, add enough cold water to the bowl to cover the mixture (without letting it get into the mixture), and use reusable ice packs to chill it, which are easier to use than ice cubes. Once it has cooled down enough, I put it in the refrigerator, and keep it there long enough for it to get very cold. I usually leave it overnight to cure it.

When it is cold, spin the mixture in your ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions. I pack it into two pint cardboard ice cream containers and place in the freezer. (I cut a small circle of parchment to sit on top before I put the top of the container on. I keep 6-inch parchment circles on hand to use for this.) 

It's best if it sits in the freezer for 8 hours before eating so leaving it in the refrigerator overnight to cure and spinning it in the morning is great so it's ready for dinner.

Postscript

After successfully using a Cuisinart ICE-21 Ice Cream Maker for years, at a friend's suggestion I upgraded to the Lello 4080 Musso Lusino 1.5 Quart Ice Cream Maker and like it very much. David Lebovitz recently wrote about getting the Breville compressor ice cream maker, and he said he likes it very much.

David at the Accademia Gallery in Florence

The Doubting Doug

The Doubting Doug - Our Summer House Cocktail

Douglas, who is married to Sharyn (a fantastic cook) and is a dab hand in the kitchen himself, has an elegant palate. He prefers gin to vodka. (Who doesn't?) And, I agree it’s almost impossible to beat a Plymouth Gin & Fever Tree Indian Tonic on a hot summer's day. But the drink I named The Doubting Doug, which comes with two caveats, is a revelation to us Gin & Tonic drinkers and does just that (even though Doug doesn't believe me).

First, you must use Fever Tree MEDITERRANEAN Tonic; second, you must use half a lime for each drink.  

Just give it a try.   

The Doubting Doug
For one drink

 

Squeeze half a lime into an old-fashioned glass. Fill the glass with ice then pour one shot of vodka (we use Tito’s) over the ice. Top with chilled Fever Tree  MEDITERRANEAN Tonic.  Stir with a bar spoon and plop the spent lime half into the drink.  

Sharyn & Douglas

Douglas on Thanksgiving in his clan tartan

Pasta Sorta Norma

This recipe is from Rachel Roddy's blog, Rachel Eats. She is the writer of three cookbooks, all of which I like very much. In fact, in a library of over thirteen hundred books, her book Five Quarters is literally my favorite cookbook. If I could have only one, that would be it because I can read from it like a novel and cook delicious meals from it too.

Her books were all published in England before being published here, and I have the English versions in my library. I recently got a copy of the American edition of her newest book, An A - Z of Pasta, to gift for Christmas, and I am surprised, but it is even more beautiful than the English edition. I'm having trouble giving it away. The question is (always) do I need two?

This recipe, inspired by, but not, Pasta Alla Norma, a dish typical to Catania in Sicily, is from her blog. I call it Pasta Sorta Norma.

This was my favorite new dish of summer 2022. When I’m making it for 2, I use one small Italian eggplant (about 8 ounces), but I do not change the amount of tomatoes.

I prefer Pecorino Romano cheese here over the Parmesan or ricotta salata.

Pasta with Eggplant, Tomato, Basil, and Cheese
Pasta Sorta Norma

Adapted from Rachel Eats by Rachel Roddy

This would be enough for 8 ounces of pasta.

1 eggplant (I use 1 small Italian, not Japanese, eggplant  weighing about 8 ounces.)

Extra virgin olive oil.

2 cloves garlic, peeled and cut into thick slices

400g tinned plum tomatoes, roughly chopped (I squish them by hand.)

Salt

Fresh basil (If you don't have fresh basil, do not substitute dried; just skip it.)

Pecorino Romano, or Parmesan, or ricotta salata (I prefer the pecorino Romano)

Short pasta - penne works well. 

Cut the spiky cap from the eggplant, and then cut the eggplant into 1 cm thick slices. (A centimeter is slightly more than 1/4 of an inch.) Cut the slices into 1 cm cubes, first cutting in one direction, then perpendicular in the other. 

Cover the bottom of a sauté pan with 1 cm of olive oil, and warm over a medium/high flame. Once the oil is quite hot, add a single layer of eggplant, and cook until tender and golden, then remove with a slotted spoon onto a plate. (Because I use such a small eggplant, it all fits in a 3-quart sauté pan. If all your eggplant isn’t cooked, continue cooking the eggplant in batches until it is all done.)

You should still have some olive oil in the pan; if not, add some more. You want about 4 tablespoons. Once the olive oil has cooled a little, add the garlic and cook until lightly gold and fragrant – do not let it burn, or it will be bitter.

Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring often and pressing gently with the back of a wooden spoon, until thick and saucy but not dry. Add salt to taste. Add the eggplant cubes to the tomatoes, cook for another minute or so, then pull from the heat, and STILL OFF THE HEAT add a handful of fresh torn basil leaves. Do not substitute dried basil. If you don't have fresh, leave it out.

Meanwhile, having brought a large pan of water to the boil, add salt, stir, and then add the pasta and cook until al dente.  Drain or scoop the pasta and add to the sauce and stir.  I add the cheese and stir before serving rather than sprinkling it over the pasta after it is plated.