Texas Style Braised Beef Ribs

The early cattle drives out of Texas immediately following the Civil War continue to define Texas culture. It's a rare Texan who doesn't want to lay claim to some cowboy heritage. Interestingly, the cattle drive period of Texas history lasted for a period of only about 20 years.

For a Houstonian, the annual Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, is always the city's biggest cultural event. Attendees will usually arrive dressed in a western fashion ranging from the scruffy to the exquisite. In terms of dress, nearly everyone here can appreciate a fine pair of cowboy boots. You can add or subtract elsewhere but, for the sake of fashion, it all starts with the boots. Most Texans will own a pair of boots which are most likely a highly prized possession and the owner's most expensive footwear.

We fully recognize that we're not cowboys, or cowgirls as the case may be. We're urbanites yearning for a greater depth of cowboy heritage and, as a result, we end up corralled in a complex of guilt. We'll react to this guilt in a myriad ways. Some will spend a week's vacation trail riding into Houston for the rodeo. The ride culminates in a downtown parade. Others take to barbecuing with zeal. Here, barbecue enthusiasts are legion and, within that legion, many are inspired by the cattle drive chuck wagon; they often dream of turning pro. And, as a constant nag against reason, shouldn't we all become horse owners and expert riders?

What is your region like?

While this recipe won't give you a chuck wagon experience it will give you some very tender and tasty beef ribs. We'll use a slow-cooker as a stand-in for the chuck wagon's dutch kettle. It's not much of a relationship but we'll bring in the herd with it anyways!

Wine Braised Beef Ribs

Ingredients:

• 3 lb. bone-in beef ribs, sliced through to separate into individual ribs
• salt
• pepper
• 3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 3 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
• 3 celery stalks, chopped
• 1 habanero pepper, minced
• 3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup, ketchup
• 1 750-ml bottle dry red wine (think Cabernet Sauvignon)
• 10 sprigs flat-leaf parsley
• 2 sprigs rosemary
• 1 Tbsp. mexican oregano
•  3 dried bay leaves
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 cups low-salt beef stock

Preparation:

Season the ribs with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large stock pot over medium-high. Brown the ribs on all sides. You may have to do this in two batches, about 8 minutes per batch. Transfer the ribs to your slow-cooker (also known as a crock pot).


Add onions, carrots, celery and habanero pepper to pot and cook over medium-high heat. Stir often, cooking until onions are browned, about 5 minutes. Add flour and ketchup, while stirring constantly cook for 2-3 minutes. Stir in wine, bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium and simmer until wine is reduced by half, about 25 minutes.


Add flat-leafed parsley, rosemary, mexican oregano, bay leaves and garlic to the pot. Stir in beef stock. Bring to a boil then transfer to your slow-cooker combining with the ribs. Cover and cook on high for 2 1/2 hours. If you're more comfortable cooking in the stock pot then just add the ribs back in, cover and cook on low for 2 1/2 hours.

Transfer the ribs to a platter. Strain sauce from pot into a measuring cup. If fat rises to the surface just spoon it off and discard. Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper. The sauce serves nicely over potatoes or rice.

Comments:

Be sure to use a dry wine. If the wine tastes a bit sweet then use less of it. This is a deeply flavorful dish which will probably do just fine with dried herbs. The beef should fall off the ribs when done though serving bone-in lends an interesting rustic touch.

Additional Comments:

After the Civil War there were few railroads operating in Texas and it was the cowboy's job to drive the herd to where railroads did operate. Some of the first cattle drives went to Sedalia, Missouri. I t wasn't but a year or two before Texas cattle drives into Missouri were blockaded by local farmers because the Texas cattle brought with them disease carrying ticks. The long horned cattle of Texas were immune to the disease but other cattle weren't. The cattle drives then shifted their terminus westward to Abilene, Kansas (via the Chisholm Trail) and Dodge City, Kansas (via the Western Trail). These two trails, along with the Goodnight-Loving trail, which took Texas cattle into Colorado, are the most famous cattle drive trails. In their time, the trails were considered an awesome wonder. Eventually, the railway companies expanded their operations further into Texas and the famed cattle drive era came to an end.

Rice Grits - A Three Ingredient Treasure

I really like this recipe because of it's simplicity. It's also fairly fast and quite tasty! I consider rice grits to be a base recipe. Use rice grits to extend a protein source or use them as a side dish. Rice grits are a worthy substitute for mashed potatoe or pasta sides.

Rice Grits

Ingredients:

• 1 cup, rice
• 1 tablespoon, butter
• 1/4 cup, grated parmesan cheese

Preparation:

Pour 5-1/2 cups of water into a medium sized pot and bring to a gentle boil.

While the water is coming to a boil we will process the rice into uncooked grits. Grits are simply broken pieces of rice. I was able to get good results by placing the rice into my blender and zapping it at high speed for about thirty seconds. I rocked the blender every five seconds to ensure that the rice blended throughout. If you're more comfortable with pulse and shake every five seconds then do that!

To finish processing the rice we'll pour them from the blender into a fine mesh wire strainer. Shake the strainer a bit as we want the dust to fall out the bottom. The dust is waste and in my experience amounted to about 1 tablespoon. The pieces of rice that remain in the strainer are your uncooked rice grits.

Now, place the grits into the pot of boiling water. Return to a gentle boil and then simmer for 15 minutes.

At the 15 minute mark we'll drain the rice reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. The aforementioned wire mesh strainer helped to make this job easy. Return the rice and one cup cooking liquid to the pot, cook over medium heat while stirring continuously for 5 minutes.

At this time we stir in the butter and grated parmesan. Stir until the butter is melted and spread throughout. Let the grits cool slightly and serve!

Comments:

I kept the ingredient list to just three as I wanted to present rice grits as a base recipe. Of course salt and pepper to taste is recommended. I'd also recommend 1 tablepoon of lemon juice stirred in and spread throughout.

Rice grits are similar to mashed potatoes in that they'll hold their shape. Like mashed potatoes you will be able to form a well. With mashed potatoes that well is often filled with gravy though with rice grits I think we can be a little more creative. I'm thinking more along the lines of seasoned chopped tomatoes or green peas or cooked carrots. Scrambled eggs or nicely cooked shrimp would also be winningly served within the well of a bowl of rice grits. I do not recommend strongly flavored foods as this would overpower the prized parmesan flavoring. 

Some Like It Hot

The record setting Texas heat wave of 2011 is finally broken! In order to celebrate its end let's break out some hot chiles!

Dangers aside, I really like cooking with chile peppers. Caution must be followed when handling chile peppers. For instance, you will tearfully regret touching your eyes while handling chiles. Remember, there's a reason for police to use pepper spray. Chiles are hot because they produce the chemical capsaicin and that is the same chemical used in a pepper spray.

This recipe results in a flexible hot sauce that supplies two nice culinary attributes, spiciness and acidity. For a recipe featuring another method of chile preparation, check out this previous blog post: Mexican Meatball Soup.

Texas Heat Wave Hot Sauce

Ingredients:

• 10 habanero chiles
• 1 red bell pepper, halved, seeded, coarsely chopped
• the zest from one medium orange
• 4 tablespoons Triple Sec liqueur*, divided
• 2 tablespoons salt, divided
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 cup Champagne vinegar
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, divided

Preparations:

Halve and seed chiles. Puree chiles, red bell pepper, orange zest, 2 tablespoons Triple Sec liqueur, 1 tablespoon salt, and garlic in a blender. We want to ferment this chile mixture for 12 hours, so, transfer the blended ingredients to a bowl then cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Don't refrigerate, just let it ferment at room temperature.

12 hours later . . . . combine the fermented pureed chile mixture in a blender with the Champagne vinegar, 2 more tablespoons of Triple Sec liqueur and another tablespoon of salt. Puree this mixture until smooth. 

Set a fine mesh strainer over a small saucepan. Pour the mixture into the strainer, pressing on solids to extract the hot sauce. Remove the strainer, discarding solids. Heat the hot sauce over medium-low heat. While the sauce is cooking, stir 2 teaspoons of cornstarch and 2 teaspoons of water in a small bowl until smooth. Whisk this cornstarch mixture into the heating hot sauce, simmer while whisking constantly, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Stir in 3 tablespoons of butter. Add more salt to taste if desired. Serve warm.

Comments:

Nice hot sauce. Don't be discouraged by the tartness of this sauce when tasted plain. When used atop any meat the tartness will tame down. This sauce would be a winner on chicken wings but also serves nicely with fish.. Leftovers can keep in the refrigerator for a good while and make a good sandwich spread.

* Much of this recipe idea came from one seen in the magazine "bon appetit". They used St. Germaine liqueur instead of Triple Sec. Both liqueurs are very sweet.

Le Pain de Royale

I suppose most everyone is a finicky eater when young. I could not bear the thought of pepper being used at any time in any dish. Sometimes, I turned dinner into an inquisition of sorts. In a demanding way, I'd quiz my mother as to the presence of pepper. The quizzing was also meant to serve as a stern warning; there was to be no pepper in King David's food! I'm sure my mother ignored me completely.

Certainly, zucchini squash was another item found on King David's lengthy list of forbidden foods. It made the banned food lists of my royal siblings too.

So, how is it that as adults we've come to enjoy a greater variety of foods? Can you specify a point of time in your life when you drastically shortened your list of restricted foods? Did the list shorten because of one food in particular? Do you still abide any unreasonable food prohibitions from your childhood? Can you seriously claim to like kale?

My family always had a prolific vegetable garden though we kids did not care to eat much of its production. It became my mother's challenge to get us to eat more of the garden's vegetables. Her many efforts would mostly go for naught as we kids rejected them without any real consideration. That all changed when one day our mother made some zucchini cupcakes slathered thick with sweet icing. The cupcakes could not be denied! And, if we were willing to eat zucchini cupcakes, shouldn't we then also accept zucchini in fresh made bread? Zucchini bread did become a mealtime summer favorite. Soon, our lists of forbidden foods became much less relevant to our lives. I don't think we were any easier to live with though, we were still royal pains!

Royale Zucchini Cornbread

Ingredients:

• 1 stick, unsalted butter
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 2 medium zucchini (slightly smallish)
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup medium-grind cornmeal

Preparation:

Posittion an oven rack on the middle rungs and preheat to 350 degrees. Spray the interior of a 9x5x3" loaf pan.

Melt the stick of butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook butter until the butter solids at bottom of pan turn golden brown. This should take anywhere from 3 to 5 minutes. Once done, scrape the butter into a medium bowl. Let cool for 5 minutes. Whisk in eggs and buttermilk.

Trim zucchini ends. Thinly slice three to five 1/16" rounds from 1 end of zucchini. We're going to use these rounds to garnish the bread just before baking. If you want more decorations, like you're seeing in the photo, then cut a thick slice of about 2 inches. Use the thick slice of zucchini to create julienned match sticks. When preparing the zucchini garnishes be sure to cut off most of the zucchini's interior. We want thin rounds and match sticks that are little more than zucchini skin. Reserve these cuttings.

Coarsely grate remaining zucchini. Add to bowl with butter mixture stirring until well blended.

Sift both flours, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda into a large bowl. Whisk in cornmeal. Add zucchini mixture folding just to blend. The batter will be very thick. Transfer batter to prepared loaf pan and smooth the top.

Decorate with reserved zucchini slices and julienned match sticks.

Bake the bread until golden and a tester inserted into center comes out clean. About 55 to 65 minutes. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool completely on a wire rack.

Comments:

Nice! A super crust, a stand out design, a slight sweetness, and a buttery cornmeal flavor make for a great bread. It's also fairly easy to make. The leftovers can be refrigerated for 3 days and they'll make great open-faced sandwiches with ham or chicken.

Check out these beach recipes: Fish & Pasta Deluxe Dinner , Spring Greens & Calamata Olives and Showcase Lemon Pie.

Was it the Chicken or was it the Egg?

How was it that you came by your interest it cooking? What were some of your first recipes and do you still make them? Do you use the same recipes and techniques that your parents did? What are your go to cookbooks?

While I was growing up, my father's example of cooking was a very practical one. It was a rare supper that mom did not cook though there were occasions when dad was asked to try his hand at cooking. The result of dad's effort was likely to be a supper that involved milk, bread and all the leftovers thrown into a pot, peppered, then heated through. It wasn't entirely appealing to us kids. Dad called the results of his cooking effort "Graveyard Stew" and that was enough to spook all of us kids out of even trying it.

Dad's "Graveyard Stew" was not completely uninspiring, check out this recipe for leftovers: Throw It In There! Leftover Turkey Risotto

I was intrigued the first time my mother had me spin eggwhites into fluffiness. I learned that there was some magic in cooking! She also encouraged my interest by buying me some cookbooks. Oftentimes she would gift me with utensils and small appliances.

One cook book my mother gave me was James Beard's "Beard on Pasta". It's one of my go to cookbooks and was of help with the following recipe.

Souffle with Pasta and Leeks

Ingredients:

• 5 eggs, yolks and whites separated
• 1/2 cup dry orzo pasta 
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (sub cheddar cheese if preferred)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
• several dashes of Tobasco sauce
• 1 leek, thinly sliced into rounds (white and pale green parts only) 
• 1 bacon strip
• 1 tablespoon butter

Preparation:

This is a recipe which lends itself to multi-tasking. We need the orzo to cook and that takes about 9 minutes of boiling. We also need the bacon pan fried and this can be done while the pasta is cooking. Once the bacon is cooked to a crisp remove it to drain on a paper towel. Pour off excess bacon fat from the fry pan, but do not wash the pan. Put the sliced leeks into the same fry pan and cook over medium heat until soft, about 11 minutes.  We may need to add a 1/2 tablespoon of butter to the pan to help cook.


We want all of the above preparations to be somewhat cooled after they've cooked. While they're cooling, we'll be working with the eggs and also getting the oven preheated to 375 degrees.


In a large bowl, use an electric hand mixer to spin the eggwhites just beyond creaminess, the mixture should form soft peaks. If, when spinning the eggwhites, there is a presence of any egg yolk, then we will lose our ability to spin them to volume. Hopefully, we've managed to properly separate the yolks from the eggwhites! Once done spinning the eggwhite mixture to soft peaks, leave in bowl and refrigerate.

Now, in a large bowl, we'll use our electric hand mixer to spin the egg yolks until thick and lemon colored. This might take 5 minutes. If we've spun the egg yolks before spinning the eggwhites, then we need to wash the beaters before beginning to spin the eggwhites.

To the spun yolk mixture, stir in all the ingredients except the eggwhite mixture. Lastly, get the spun eggwhites from the refrigerator. Begin to incorporate the spun eggwhites into the yolk mixture in incremental amounts.  Add a large spoonful, mix a bit, then a cup's worth, mix a bit, then everything that's left, mix a bit. Use a rubber spatula when mixing, we want to use a light hand. So, fold up and over and lightly cut through to mix. We've worked hard to get volume and we don't want to repress that with over mixing or heavy mixing.

Pour the egg mixture into a buttered 12X12 cake pan and place into a preheated 375 degree oven. Cook for 20 minutes, slice and serve immediately.

Comments:
I suppose that this recipe might more properly be called a casserole. A typical soufle will be proportioned with nearly twice as many eggwhites as egg yolks. It will also have been cooked in a souffle dish rather than the cake pan which I used. Upon mastering the egg technique, the recipe is flexible for different ingredients. I've made this with mushrooms and was pleased with the result there too. This recipe can do nicely on its own though there is nothing wrong with putting a sauce over the top when serving. Any leftovers will tuck nicely into a corn tortilla the next morning.

For another recipe on this blog where the book, Beard on Pasta, was helpful, check out Fish & Pasta Deluxe Dinner

Yes, My Dumpling, Of Course!

Is it any longer that lovers might still refer to their sweetheart as a dumpling? I suppose the word dumpling implies weightiness and that such implications are perilous, but, does it really feel right to call your sweetheart a carrot stick?

This chicken stew recipe can stand on its own or be served over rice, or biscuits, or pasta, or dumplings. I suggest dumplings and on an earlier post I've blogged a favorite dumpling recipe, Parsley Dumpling, Mushroom and Leek Soup. I recommend the soup but, for this recipe, we're only interested in the dumplings. Skip making the soup, make only the dumplings, and I do fancy that you'll be calling your sweetheart a dumpling in no time at all! And, good luck to you!

Chicken and Carrot Stew with Parsley Dumplings

Ingredients:

• 2 cups 1/4-inch-thick rounds peeled carrots
• 1-1/2 thinly sliced leeks (white and pale green parts only; about two medium)
• 1-1/2 lbs. skinless deboned chicken thighs, cut into 2-inch cubes
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon smoked spanish paprika
• Sea salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 cup low-salt chicken broth
• 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 tablespoon Tobasco mustard
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

Preparation:

If you've chosen to prepare dumplings, then do those first.

I was able to do this recipe using just one 8 quart stock pot. First, cook the carrots in boiling salted water for 3 minutes. At the 3 minute mark add the sliced leeks in with the carrots and continue to cook for another 3 minutes. Drain and remove the carrots and leeks to a large bowl. While the carrots and leeks are cooking, sprinkle the cubed chicken with sea salt and white pepper. Whisk flour, thyme, and paprika in medium bowl. Add the cubed chicken to the flour mixture and toss to coat.

Our stock pot is now emptied of the boiled carrots and leeks, and the cubed chicken is floured and ready for cooking. Now add the olive oil to the stock pot and heat over medium high. Add the chicken to stock pot and cook until browned, about 2 minutes per side. Add the wine and bring it to a boil for about 3 minutes. The wine will reduce by about 1/2. Add the carrots and leeks back into the pot laying them over the top of the chicken. Add broth, cover, and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes. Uncover, add cream and mustard; stir until sauce thickens a bit, about 2 minutes. The dish is ready to serve though if you've prepared the dumplings you'll need to add those back in and rewarm for about 2 minutes.

Transfer to a large shallow bowl. Garnish with the chopped fresh Italian parsley.

Fessin' Up:

Much of this recipe idea came from the magazine "bon appetit". Their recipe called for a 1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream and the use of fresh chopped thyme rather than dried. Also, they only asked that paprika be used whereas I used smoked spanish paprika. And, they called for a dijon mustard; I used a Tobasco flavored mustard.

Comments:

I enjoyed this recipe and it's preparation was not a time killer. Execute the recipe's timing and you'll end up with tender meat and nicely textured carrots. I had slightly better results when I deboned the chicken thighs though buying already boned chicken thighs is a time saver. You'll need to add bulk (hence, the dumplings) to this meal for it to be satisfying as it is rich and calorie dense. I took the richness down a notch by using less cream.

A Ragu Is Not A Dance

Okay, I do know that a ragu is not a dance. So, what exactly is a ragu? After some study I've arrived at this brief description; simply, a ragu is a slowly simmered meat sauce that is most often associated with the cuisine of northern Italy. In a loose translation, ragu means to stimulate the appetite. Wow! There are so many foods which stimulate the appetite and it's this food that gets the linguistic street cred! So, what's a cook to do but to try a credible ragu?

A ragu sauce usually contains tomatoes, garlic, carrots, celery, onion and spices. The meat is cooked by adding it to an already started sofritto; a sofritto is a mixture of chopped vegetables frying in olive oil. Our sofritto includes all of the vegetables except for the tomatoes. Cook the meat in the sofritto, then add the white wine. Simmer to reduce until the wine is almost totally absorbed. Add the tomatoes, broth and more spices if needed. Cover and simmer until the meat is tender. That's a ragu!

Street Cred Ragu

Ingredients:

• 1 ounce - dried mixed mushrooms


• 1 1/2 cups - boiling water


• 3 tablespoons - olive oil, divided


• 8 ounces - sliced baby bella mushrooms


• 3 cloves - garlic, minced


• salt


• 2 1/2 cups- dry white wine, divided


• 3 - slices applewood smoked bacon, pan fry, chop rough


• 5 - links, mild Italian turkey sausages, casings removed


• 2 - carrots, peeled, finely chopped


• 2 - celery stalks, finely chopped


• 1 - 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes


• 1 - cup low-salt chicken broth


• 1 - 6 ounce can tomato paste


• 1 tablespoon - dried basil

Preparation:

Start this recipe by rehydrating the mushrooms. Place the dried mushrooms in a small bowl, pour 1 1/2 cups of boiling water over them. Allow to sit for about 45 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the mushrooms then chop coarsely. Reserve the soaking liquid; we'll add it later to the cooking broth providing some depth of flavor.

While waiting for the mushrooms to complete their soak we'll be doing other parts of the recipe.

Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large fry pan over medium-high heat. Add fresh crimini mushrooms and garlic: saute until beginning to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of wine, simmer until crimini mushrooms are soft, about 4 minutes. Set aside.

While the mushrooms and garlic are cooking we can also begin frying the bacon. In a large heavy pot fry the bacon to a crisp then remove from pot and chop coarsely. Drain the bacon fat from the pot but do not wash it as we want the bacon flavoring to extend into the next part of the recipe.

To the pot add 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the turkey sausages, casings removed. As the sausages cook break them apart into small pieces, about 5 minutes. Add the onion, carrot, and celery. Reduce heat to medium, cover the pot and cook until the vegetables are soft, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Add the remaining 2 cups wine, bring to a boil. While it's coming to a boil, stir and scrape the pot loosening any browned bits (this is called deglazing). Simmer until almost all the liquid is absorbed. Add tomatoes, 1 cup broth, dried basil, bay leaves and the coarsely chopped rehydrated mushrooms. Pour in the reserved dried mushroom soaking liquid, leaving any sediment behind in bowl. Bring back to a boil then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered, adding more broth if mixture becomes dry, about 1 hour.

Stir the crimini mushroom and garlic mixture into the pot. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve over your favorite pasta. This ragu would also be nice served over gnocchi. Check out this previous posting: Pneumatic Gnocchi.

Comments:

This is a nice basic ragu recipe. Don't be afraid to adjust the recipe in order to make it your own. Look again at the ingredient list and note the lack of onions and oregano. Perhaps your ragu would include these ingredients. Perhaps a broth made from stewed bones could also be well served here.

Pneumatic Gnocchi?

Making gnocchi is probably as close as I'll ever get to making a pasta from scratch. While gnocchi refers to a broad range of dumpling preparations, this recipe will not stray from its more traditional meaning. This recipe presents gnocchi as a potato dumpling.

A lighter gnocchi is a better gnocchi and so, to start, I'll mention a few important asides.

1. Select a proper potato. The Russet potato is the best choice as it is floury, starchy and has a low water content. The recipe benefits when using a drier potato (think left over baked potatoes). Were we to use a waxy potato the result would be a heavy and gummy gnocchi.
   
2. Work the dough briefly. When adding flour to the potatoes, toss to coat and then knead together but don't bully it!
   
3. Consider buying a potato ricer. A potato ricer works by extruding the potato into an almost filament-like state. Again, this can help to achieve a lighter gnocchi.

Potato Gnocchi

Ingredients:

• 1 & 1/2 lbs. - russet potatoes, baked until done then cooled
• 1 cup - all purpose flour (more if needed)
• 1 large egg yolk - beaten to blend
• 1 teaspoon - salt
• large pinch - nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon - olive oil

Preparation:

Take the cooled baked potatoes and cut them in half. Scoop out the flesh, save the potato skins for another use. Now, use a potato ricer to extrude the potato flesh into a large bowl. If you're not using a potato ricer then just mash the scooped out potato flesh in a large bowl.

Now, add one cup of flour to the extruded (riced) potatoes, toss to coat. Form a well in the center of potato mixture. Add egg yolk, salt, and nutmeg; stir with a fork until the mixture is moistened evenly.

Turn the mixture out onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead the dough until it just comes together. If the dough is very sticky add a little more flour. Form the dough into a ball and divide into 4 pieces. Roll each piece between hands and work surface into 3/4-inch-thick rope. Cut each rope into 3/4-inch pieces. At this point alot of people will use a fork to roll the raw gnocchi piece between the fork tines and work surface thereby impressing it with some texture. Place these raw gnocchi pieces on a cookie sheet. If you pile them up on top of each other they'll just end up sticking together.

So, we're ready to cook the gnocchi, but we can't just cook them all together. We have to work in batches. Have a large pot of boiling salted water ready and then add about 10 gnocchi. They will sink at first and then rise as they cook. Cook each batch for about 4 minutes stirring occasionally. As the gnocchi is cooked to doneness, use a slotted spoon to transfer them to a bowl. Drizzle a small amount of olive oil over them and toss to coat.

Comments:

Gnocchi can be served many ways. Some people rewarm it in the oven and sprinkle it with some cheese. You can serve them with pasta sauce and be good to go. I like to use gnocchi to extend a meat sauce. With gnocchi I can get two meals with the same amount of meat. Gnocchi will make a meal stout in a hurry! For another dumpling recipe check this previous blog post:

http://offanon.blogspot.com/2010/02/parsley-dumpling-mushroom-and-leek-soup.html

Showcase Lemon Pie

This is likely a picture of America's first railway locomotive, the Tom Thumb. The builder, Peter Cooper, not only built the Tom Thumb in 1830, he also invented and patented a dessert gelatin in 1845. He never really had any commercial success with his gelatin invention, that success came later after the invention's ownership rights had changed hands several times. The gelatin acquired the iconic name of Jell-O in 1895 and it's popularity soared throughout the 1900's. As a major brand, Jell-O played an outsized role in forming today's industrialized foodscape. Presently, the Jell-O brand is owned by Kraft Foods.

True to the era, my childhood included lots of Jell-O. From the simply flavored to exotic ringed and creamed creations, gelatin desserts were everywhere in the 1960's. Banana slices incorporated into the gelatins were my mother's most common use for Jell-O. I don't think Jell-O is as popular as it once was. Even so, if you're planning to use a red gelatin around Thanksgiving, you'd be wise to buy it early. Especially on this holiday, red Jell-O is still a hot item and it consistently gets sold out!

Though often mocked and considered old-school banal (Hey! I'm still talking about Jell-O here!), gelatins do have their uses. This recipe allows you to create a showcase dessert. Much of this recipe idea came from one seen in the magazine "bon appetit".

Lemon Pie with Gingersnap Crust

Ingredients:

Crust:

• 1 & 1/4 cup - finely ground gingersnap cookies (about 26 cookies)
• 2 tablespoons - sugar
• 1 teaspoon - minced crystallized ginger
• 5 tablespoons - unsalted butter, melted

Filling:

• 2 cups - ice cubes

And:

• 1/4 cup - water
• 1 - envelope unflavored gelatin

And:

• 3/4 cup - sugar
• 3/4 cup - fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 4 - large egg yolks
• 2 teaspoons - finely grated lemon peel
• 1/8 teaspoon - salt

And:

• 1 & 1/4 cup - chilled whipping cream
• 1/4 cup - sugar (powdered sugar best option)

Crust Preparation:

Mix gingersnap cookie crumbs, sugar, and ginger in medium bowl. Add melted butter and stir to evenly moisten. Put this crumb mixture into a 9-inch diameter glass pie dish. Press the mixture firmly and evenly onto the bottom and up the sides of the pie dish. Place onto the center rack of a 350 degree oven and bake for about 9 minutes. The crust will need to cool completely after it's baked.

Filling Preparation:

Fill a bowl about half way with cold water and to this add the 2 cups of ice cubes.
This will be used to cool the pot and the mixture within it as it comes off the stove.

Pour 1/4 cup water into small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over. Let this stand about 15 minutes to soften.

Mix 3/4 cup sugar, egg yolks, lemon juice, grated lemon peel, and salt in a medium saucepan to blend. Cook this mixture over medium heat, stir continuously. Cook until mixture thickens slightly, about 6 minutes - do not boil. We want the mixture to attain a temperature of 160 degrees farenheit. Now, add the gelatin mixture stirring until dissolved and smooth, about 1 minute. Place the sauce pan in the bowl of ice water until the filling is cool to touch, stir occasionally, about 8 minutes. Afterwards, transfer lemon mixture to a large bowl.

In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer to beat together the chilled whipping cream and sugar until peaks form. Fold 1/4 of the whipped cream into the lemon mixture until incorporated. Fold in the remaining whipped cream in three additions. Transfer the filling to the cooled crust mounding slightly in the center.

Refrigerate the pie until set, about 4 hours. Let the pie stand at room temperature for 20 minutes before serving. Garnish as you see fit to do. Perhaps lemon curls, or blueberry compote, or raspberries could serve as a garnish.

Comments:

Be somewhat careful with the crust as it could come out fairly hard. I think I allowed mine to linger in the oven a bit too long. Though even with that mistake the crust was enjoyable. You won't get any complaints about this dessert and it's one of the easier showcase things to pull off.

Crab Soup Done Quick and Hearty

Growing up in Missouri our seafood selection was very limited. Nevertheless, our mother was able to regularly include fish as a part of our diet. The fish was purchased frozen and came in 16 ounce rectangular blocks. Being frozen, the riskiest part of the meal's preparation came when simply thawing the fish. Cats! We always had cats as pets and countless times these lovable animals managed to destroy mom's dinner plans. It's a wonder we ever had fish at all! Were you to turn your back or to just blink your eyes you could almost be sure the cat would have clawed and chewed its way into that box of fish. It's a wonder we ever had cats at all!

Smokey, Polly, Sam, and Bee Cee, you were all fantastic pets, but, this dinner is not for you!

Quick & Hearty Crab Soup

Ingredients:

1/4 cup - olive oil
2 - medium onions chopped
2 - medium fennel bulbs (reserve fronds), pared of stalks (trash), thinly sliced
3 - large garlic cloves, minced
2 - 14-1/2 ounce cans diced tomatoes in juice
2 - cups vegetable broth
1 - 16 ounce jar fresh crab meat

reserved fennel fronds - chopped

12 - fresh corn tortillas

Soup Preparation:

Heat 1/4 cup oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onions, fennel slices, and garlic. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Saute until onions and fennel are tender stirring often about 15 minutes. Add tomatoes with juice and 2 cups broth, bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until vegetables are very tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in crabmeat simmering until heated through, 3 to 4 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile:

While the soup is cooking, lightly fry the corn tortillas in a small amount of butter using a large fry pan. Don't be overly particular here, a standard large fry pan will hold 4 tortillas at a time though they will overlap, that's fine. Once lightly fried cut the tortillas crosswise and lengthwise forming one inch squares. Reserve into a separate bowl.

Serving:

Ladle soup into bowl. Sprinkle the chopped fennel on top. Each diner chooses how many of the tortilla cubes to put into their own soup.

Comments:

The sliced fennel bulbs offer subtle flavor and provide a good contrasting texture. The inclusion of tortillas were useful to add heartiness to the soup. I had tortillas leftover from a previous recipe, feel free to sub in a crusty bread. Much of this recipe idea came from one seen in the magazine bon appetit.