Cook & Love

I’m a sucker for love.  And as you know, I’m a sucker for cooking too.  That’s why when my Mom gave me a sign that said “Cook & Love” a few Christmas’ ago, I hung it up immediately in my kitchen where I could see it every day.  They are my two favorite things after all, and I wouldn’t be the gal I am without both of them playing a starring role in my life.

When considering what to do for Valentine’s Day this year, I couldn’t imagine going out to a pre-fix meal, dealing with all the crowds and eating anything other than a home cooked meal.
Don’t get me wrong, I love going out to a romantic dinner, but on Valentine’s Day, it never seems to live up to the hype...or the cost!  Even though you want to be decadent and romantic on V-Day, I am all for doing things ahead and saving your energy for something else that night...wink, wink.  No one wants an exhausted cook, and a messy kitchen to deal with on the evening of romance!

For my sweetheart, I am going to be making these melt-in-your-mouth Valentine’s raviolis.  You can make and assemble them days in advance and then cook them straight from the freezer when ready.  I promise you, these will not disappoint.  If you don’t have a pasta roller, a good old rolling pin will work too...that’s how the Italians do it...and they certainly know a thing or two about romance.  So roll up your sleeves, try this loving pasta recipe out, and let me know how much your special someone ooh’s and aah’s over you after trying one of these babies!

Beet Ravioli with Butternut Squash and Sage Filling

Beet Pasta Dough
2 medium sized beets, roasted and peeled
2 room temperature eggs (the fresher the better)
1 egg yolk
2 1/2 cups of flour

Puree beets in a food processor until smooth

Add in eggs until combined

Dump in flour and pulse to start forming dough

Find a surface that don’t mind getting a little pink from the dough (I used a wood cutting board) and put a little flour on the surface to prevent sticking.

Start kneading the dough for 5-10 minutes, or until it becomes smooth and almost buttery looking.

Cover in plastic wrap and let rest in the fridge for 20 minutes...or up until 3 days.

Meanwhile, prepare the filling...

Butternut Squash and Sage filling

1 medium sized butternut squash

4 cloves of garlic

olive oil

salt

fresh sage leaves

1/2 cup of toasted pine nuts

1/4 cup of parmesean cheese

Pre-heat the over to 425.

Peel and cube the squash

Toss it with a hearty dose of olive oil and salt

Add in the garlic cloves

Roast in the oven for 45 minutes

As it is cooling, toss in the sage leaves and let them infuse their flavor

When cooled, puree in a food processor with the nuts and cheese

Add some oil if it is too gummy looking

Remove the dough from the fridge and start rolling!

Line up your pasta sheets and place a dollop of filling every few inches.  Cover with another sheet of dough and press tightly around your filling to seal.

Cut any shape or size you’d like...see some examples below.

Cook in salted boiling water for 2 minutes.  Toss with a spoonful of pasta water, some olive oil and fresh dill before serving.

Enjoy!

And don’t forget...Cook & Love!  Life’s too short not to!
xoxo,
Chef WOW

Orange you glad...

Knock, knock.
Who’s there?
Banana.
Banana who?
Knock, knock.
Who’s there.
Banana.
Banana who?
Knock, knock.
WHO’S THERE?
Orange.
Orange who?
Orange you glad I didn’t say banana again?

Whoever thought of that knock knock joke should be fired from the joke squad.  I mean, what kind of  punch line is that?  Orange you glad I didn’t say banana again?  Lame.

Maybe that’s why I didn’t love oranges growing up.  I never enjoyed orange juice.  I rarely had orange segments at half time during my soccer games (I liked to wait for the doughnuts or cookies after the game was over!).  The orange Starbursts?  Everyone knows that’s the worst color in the pack!  I don’t know why, but I just wasn’t a fan.  Grapefruits, I liked.  But oranges?  Nope.

Even though I would have an orange occasionally in my adult years, it wasn’t really until I lived in California that I started to rethink my relationship with this zingy citrus.  I took a trip to a nearby Orange Grove in the heart of the San Joaquin valley.  If you’ve never been to the San Joaquin valley, let me sum it up for you: ranch, ranch, and ranch.  You’re more likely to see a tractor on the roads than a car.  The ranch I happen to be going to was actually in a town called Orange Cove.  How cute is that?  Oranges from Orange Cove...how could I not love them?  As we toured through row after row of Valencias and Navels, people kept picking fruit off the trees and eating it right then and there, juice dripping down their chin only to be wiped off by the sleeve of their shirt.  Big smiles and lots of mmm mmm mm-ing ensued.  I couldn’t resist that temptation, so I plucked the next one I could reach and mmm mmm mm-ed myself.  It was the most deliciously sweet, juicy orange I had ever put in my mouth!  Orange you glad I didn’t say banana in that sentence?  Haha...now THAT’S a funny banana orange joke!

Anyways, my point is, I was completely converted from then on.  All winter long, now my fruit bowl is overflowing with citrus.  I love how cute the cuties are.  How dramatic the blood varieties are.  How puckery those kumquats can be.  Clementines?  Might name my first child after one.  You get the point.

When I go to the farmer’s market and buy my orange bundles in bulk, sometimes I’m left with some extras that didn’t find their way into beet salads or zesty sorbets.  So what do I do with the leftovers?  Well, normally I would make some form of potpourri with cloves or lavender.   Or maybe create some sultry marmalade concoction.  This year, however, I decided to whip up something new.  I wanted to do a spin on preserved lemons which are used frequently in Moroccan cooking.  The rinds get tangy and sweet after a few weeks of sitting in a salt preserve, so you see them most often thrown into stews and braised dishes.  For this version, I simply slow baked my orange segments with some spicy Aleppo pepper, savory thyme and sage honey.  What I ended up with are the most colorful orange chips I’ve ever seen.  I will definitely be chopping them up and tossing them into stews, as well as partially dipping them into bitter chocolate for a yummy dessert snack.  If you use different varieties (like I did), you get a pretty assortment of colors!

Enjoy these tasty treats!  xo, Chef WOW
PS-for a fruity knock knock joke that I love, scroll to the bottom

Spicy Orange Chips
4-5 oranges, peel on, washed and cut into round segments
Handful  of fresh thyme (rosemary or sage would work too)
Aleppo pepper to taste
Sea salt
Olive oil

Slice ‘em all up as thin or as thick as you like

So pretty!

Toss with the chopped thyme, aleppo pepper and olive oil

Spread them out on a parchment lined sheet

Bake at 200 degrees for 2 to 3 hours

Drizzle some honey and sea salt on top.  Let cool.

Knock, knock.
Who’s there?
Cantaloupe.
Cantaloupe who?
Can’t elope, I’m already married!

Bright Idea

I love the start of the year.  New energy, new goals, a new spirit everywhere.
For me this year comes with a new home, a new kitchen, and a new list of space concerns.  I happen to own more cookbooks than shoes, more wooden spoons than hair products, and definitely more spices than pairs of underwear!  Not only did I discover that I have regular paprika to last a year.  But I also have smoked, sweet and Spanish.  Cinnamon?  I’ve got sticks, short and tall.  Ground varieties from China as well as Mexico.  I could seriously survive off spices this year!  I own a 2 foot tall blender, a meat grinder, Cuisinart, kitchen aid, panini press, pasta makers...and the list goes on.  With limited counter space and cabinets that are fitted for saucepans, where was I to put my juicer I intended to use for the first few weeks of the year?  And don’t even get me started on all the cool Christmas goodies I received-vintage ice tongs from my Great Great Grandfather who worked in the ice business, a new cast iron dutch oven, and even a squirrel nut cracker!  These things are too rad not to have out...right?  Or am I just a nut?
After a few breakdowns on my kitchen floor surrounded by cookie cutters and knives, I thought to myself ‘why do I have to limit myself to these stupid cabinets?’  I can hide old grimy things I rarely use behind the doors, and use bookshelves and table tops for my snazzy kitchen goods.  My Mountain Man had a brilliant idea to convert the hall coat closet into a pantry.  Now we’re talking!  Who needs coats anyways?  So we spent the first part of the year ‘expanding’ my kitchen.  We put in shelves for my pantry...

Happy Me!

Then, I decided I didn’t need a space for my cookbooks necessarily.  The bulk of them can live in bookshelves, but my favorites can be right on the counter with me!  Voila!

I even found room for my ice tongs from 100 years ago...and who knew they look like steer horns when opened up and resting on a shelf?  Yeehaw!

We do what we can to make the most of our kitchen spaces, but sometimes a little thinking outside the ice box helps.  Having a Mountain Man and a drill doesn’t hurt either!  Oh and don’t underestimate the storage space of an oven...

So now that my cooking space and living space are one...I can start the New Year off the way I intended to-with freshness and zing!  Healthy, bright, and vibrant recipes will be flooding these pages in the coming weeks, so stay tuned.  In the meantime, here’s a little teaser.   I made this tangy beet dip over the Holidays.  Serve it with crudites, pita bread or spread it on a crostini and top with goat cheese.  Enjoy the beat!

Tangy Beet Dip

Roast 2-3 beets in the oven (red and yellow work fine)
Let cool and peel
Toast 1 cup of walnuts on the stove or in the oven until fragrant
Let cool
In a food processor throw in a handful of cilantro, 2 big spoonfuls of Greek yogurt, the walnuts, beets and 2 tablespoons of pomegranate molasses.  If you don’t have pomegranate molasses, balsamic vinegar works too!
Whiz all together, add some salt and serve with some cilantro on top!

Ode to Rosemary

Rosemary, oh rosemary.  How do I love thee?  Let me count the ways.

1. I love how durable you are in any condition-I can grill scallops and meatballs on you, chop you and taste you even in your smallest form, throw you in full spears to marinades, braises, broths and syrups.

2. I can call you Rosie like you’re my cousin.

3. I can find you in so many back yards, side streets, planter boxes and some times even back alleys.

4. You’re so low maintenance.  Not only do you last in my fridge for weeks, but you don’t complain when I don’t pay attention to you for a while.

5. You love lemons as much as I do.

6. You remind people of Holidays and harvest...something I only thought pine trees and Santa could do.

7. You stand up tall when called upon for a garnish.

8. You never wilt when I use you as a sword, a wreath, a mustache, a phone...see photos below.

9. Your lasting impression is unforgettable.

10. You enjoy California as much as I do!

Thank you for being there for me and playing a key role in many of my recipes lately.  Like the the time I threw you on top of roasted candied nuts with tobasco sauce.  You spicy thing!  Or last week when I made cranberry sauce with dried figs, port and a twig or two of none other than you, my dear!  Or the time I created the best lamb chops I’ve ever made by throwing hand fulls in the marinade with garlic, olive oil and salt and pepper.  Oh and we can’t forget the apple sauce I made with tart as can be apples and your lovely presence.  You stole the show!  And last, but certainly not least, the fantastic creation my friend passed along to me calling for rosemary, lemon simple syrup served with ice cold vodka and a sprig for garnish.  Oh the times we’ve had...

Love ya.  Mean it Rosie!

Put that in your Le Crueset and smoke it

I am obsessed with smoky things lately.  Smoked turkey, chipotle salsa, provolone, smoked trout, smoked salmon, smoked chocolate, smoky cocktails, smoked jerky...I could go on and on.  What’s up with that?  Maybe I was a Blacksmith in my past life.  Or an ashtray.  Or a Native American sleeping in a teepee with smoke every night.  Am I allowed to say I may have been a Native American in my past life?  Hmmmm...if I were, I wonder what my Native American name would have been.  Sleeps Like A Bear?  Eats With The Lions?  Laughs With Food In Teeth?  Lives For Smoke?  Dances With Knife In Hand?

I am determined to buy a smoker on my next splurge at a Kitchen Supply store.  Until that day, however, there are ways to smokify your every day meals.  And if you’re like me right now, I do this with sandwiches, salads, soups, dressings and even desserts.  Go ahead, get wild.

The Fairy Food Mother

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have a Fairy Godmother?
Someone who just floats down with a glittery magic wand, a cute little pink pair of wings and a giggle that makes even the worse case scenario seem laughable?  So if you’re standing in the kitchen just after burning your hand on a hot pan, and the smoke alarm is going off from the garlic bread under the broiler,  and the doorbell rings with your dinner guests arriving early...you could say ‘hey FGM, need a little help here!!!’ and she would appear and make it all ok?  She’d make lemonade so to speak.
I recently had some lemons in my fruit basket and I was eyeing them every day waiting for them to ripen so I could use them for my lemon chicken. These guys were particularly stubborn, so I picked them up and decided if I couldn’t use them in my recipe that night, I may as well use them to juggle.  Sometimes I do this.  I think something looks easy enough to master in 5 minutes, and I dive in only to find myself frustrated after an hour of failure.  One at a time, those poor lemons fell to the floor with a thud, and I came to the sad realization that juggling is a lot harder than it looks.  How could I not know how to juggle citrus, but I could juggle work, friends, family, recreation, social life, etc?  So what did I do?  I called in my circus expert and got a crash course.  The basic principle in juggling my friends, is you have to not only stay one step ahead of the next move, but you really have to use both sides of your brain and focus on the rhythm.  The flow of all the elements is the key to success.  One must go up as another comes down.  Another must be caught as one is let go.  You ‘catch’ my drift?
After hours of practice...all in the kitchen...all with that poor unsuspecting, unripened citrus...I mastered the technique!  I will post some video of me juggling so you can see!  The moment I focused on the task at hand, I thought to myself, this is a lot like hosting a dinner party.  You must juggle your way through all the steps it takes to execute it successfully...and successfully to me, means stress free.
Recently friends have been asking me to help them with dinner parties.  They look at the menu planning and prep lists, like I did at those lemons on the ground.  One-stop shopping and do-ahead steps provide juggable (that’s my new word) flow the night of the party.  But getting to that spot where the rhythm seems natural takes practice.
While my friends practice this skill, I have decided to be their Fairy Food Mother in the interim.  Their circus expert.  I don’t want hands burnt and smoke alarms going off, only to scar them from ever wanting to entertain again!  There’s no sense in having bruised lemons if you don’t have to, right?  Can I get a “thank god, hallelujah?”
While I may not have a glittery wand and a pair of pink wings, I do have a Wusthof knife and a mean assortment of aprons.  I discovered by helping friends do things ahead, it doesn't overwhelm them with all the steps involved.  I saw how getting there early and walking them through the plating before the guests arrive, breeds confidence and smiles.   I can easily hand them a glass of wine while they whisk and let’s be honest, wine makes everything fun...at least for me and all of my friends!
My first Fairy Food Mother trial run was the other night...I’ll let you be the judge of how it turned out.
Enjoy, Chef WOW
PS-please don’t abuse your fruit like I did.  Use tennis balls when learning how to juggle.


Menu:
French Onion Soup
Arugula salad with pancetta, pomegranate and goat cheese
Roasted pork tenderloin with fig chutney and butternut squash puree
Spicy balsamic broccolini
Pot de creme au chocolat
 

To blog, or not to blog...

...that is the question I’ve been wrestling with this last year.  There are already so many amazing food blogs.  They have stunning photography, amazing recipes, cute stories attached to their creation...why would little old me need to jump on the crowded band wagon and try to keep up with these veterans?  I’ll tell you why!
It’s like many things in my life actually.  Rollerblading for instance.  I don’t care that I caught onto the trend 10 years late, I love it.  Facebook?  I am just joining ’the book' for the first time ever...gulp.  Merlot wine?  I started drinking it after seeing Sideways and love to order it even if people scowl when I tell them it is my vino of choice.  By the way, how can any wine be bad?  Silly Sideways people.  Cowhide furniture?  I think it was on its way out when I decided to make a couch...then a side table, a chair, and even a suitcase rack with the stuff.  But I like how it reminds me of the country in my urban setting.  (I will post photos of my love for cowhide so you can see my obsession)  Flashmobs?  Can’t get enough of them.  Pointy toe high heels?  I wasn’t going to buy a pair of shoes that looked like a witch!  When I finally made the leap, I hardly wear anything else with my business attire.
The point is...not talking about the shoes anymore...with many things in my life, I am late to the game.  In this case it isn’t because I was boycotting or being a stubborn individualistic minded person, it’s simply because I wasn’t sure what I’d have to share.  Why would my stories and my food be of any interest to someone other than me?  The truth is, they may not be.  But when I think about why I love food so much and why I love to make new and different things and have people over, it’s because I like to share it with others. I like to share recipes, techniques, gadgets and tricks.  But most of all, I love sharing the experience of learning.  That could be learning how to make the perfect omelet, how to plan a great cocktail party, make personalized party favors, freeze testy produce, deal with small counter space, and on and on...
So this blog is going to be a mixed bag of my experiences.  Shared with none other, than you!  I will try new things for the first time and assuredly mess them up.  Then I’ll try them again and perhaps mess it up slightly less, perhaps even more, but I think we will get a good giggle from it.  There will also be times I just want to share my love for a meal I’ve had.  Or maybe a new song that will be on repeat in my kitchen.  I’m not quite sure where this will take me, but I’m pretty sure I’ll be smiling along the way.  I hope yo do too.
And like the first time I went rollerblading, I was hunched over, wrist guards and knee pads in full force. It was not a pretty sight.  Now?  I’m no pro, but I can blade.
Let’s play!
xo, Chef WOW