Remember the “vegetarian week” I mentioned a few blogs back? Well technically, I was not completely truthful because anything with bacon is NOT vegetarian. Broiled Salmon with a White Bean, Kale & Bacon Ragoût can easily be made without bacon, which is a better option for me since my digestive system goes into battle every time I consume it.

But The Hubs LOVES his bacon, so therefore I went with it—and it adds that much-loved sweet/salty component. It basically comes down to one slab per person that is divvied up into little bits nestled into the ragoût. We purchase double-smoked organic from the local Amish Farmer’s Market sans nitrates, so it doesn’t wreak as much havoc on my innards.

High heat adds flavor fast to the this salmon, which is drizzled with the bacon fat, then seasoned. The hearty ragoût rounds out the dish and adds substance to the overall meal. I’ve posted recipes recently for both ragù and ragoût. Are they the same thing??

Ragù vs. Ragoût:

Let’s get to the bottom of this. Both come from the same French verb, ragouter, which means to stimulate the appetite. Even though they’re both saucy, both hearty and both pronounced the same way (“ragoo”), ragù and ragoût are not the same thing. Here’s the difference.

Ragù is a class of Italian pasta sauces made with ground or minced meat, vegetables and, occasionally, tomatoes. Bolognese, for example, falls under the ragù umbrella. Ragoût, on the other hand, is a slow-cooked French-style stew that can be made with meat or fish and vegetables—or even just vegetables. You can eat it on its own, or with a starch like polenta or couscous or pasta. These very different dishes have one additional, great thing in common: Both are incredibly delicious and satisfying on a cold winter night, so that works for me.

Since I knew the kale would release liquid of it’s own, I reduced the amount of broth to one cup, which was plenty and didn’t leave the ragoût watery. In the end, the meal turned out wonderful with perfectly cooked salmon (although in our broiler it takes almost twice as long to reach a medium doneness); and the bed of kale and beans made a pleasant companion.

And how about that kale? It seems to be a love-it-or-hate-it kind of green (although I’m sort of middle-of-the-road with it). Kale is a proud member of the cabbage family, which accounts for its rather strong, forward flavor that borders (and sometimes tips over into) bitterness. The most common type seems to be curly kale whose bright-green leaves are sometimes curled so tightly it can be hard to chop them. This kind of kale tends to have a bright, peppery flavor that can become quite bitter.

Our fave however, happens to be the Lacinato kale, which goes by many names, among them are Tuscan, dinosaur, cavolo nero, and black kale. Lacinato kale (shown above) has longer spear-like leaves with a pebbled appearance and a dark, mottled green color. Its flavor is deep and earthy—it’s less bitter than curly leafed, with an almost-nutty sweetness.

TIP: Most salmon filets will have a thick and thin end. So that the thin end doesn’t get overcooked, fold it under the thicker portion before broiling.

Adapted from a recipe by Tony Rosenfeld found on FineCooking.com

Pfeffernüsse—literal translation is “pepper nuts”—not exactly the most appetizing name for a cookie. But if spice is your thing, one bite and you’re hooked. My introduction to these gems was at a recent Craft Fair held by Artist’s of Yardley where I am a member. Guess who volunteered to head up the Bake Sale portion of the event? Yep, it was me. And I don’t even eat desserts or sweets as a general rule.

While I was manning the station, the organization’s coordinator, Bette Sovinee (fellow artist and baker of this cookie) broke up a few leftover spice cookies and put them on the table for guests to taste-test. Folks were gushing about the taste (and smell) and the tactic paid off in immediate sales.

It also got me interested in a nibble. So when The Hubster and daughter Julia came by to bring me another cup of hot tea and check out the artist’s wares, I told them to try a bite. Well, my man could barely contain himself, proclaiming “these are the best spice cookies I’ve ever eaten. You must get the recipe.”  Which, by the way, I had already asked Bette to email to me.

It wasn’t long before we got the necessary ingredients and made the delectables ourselves. Two items we didn’t have on hand were shortening and anise extract, so Russ make a quick dash to the local supermarket. (If you can’t find anise extract, a couple of substitutes are licorice extract or Pernod liqueur.)

While researching a bit about Pfeffernüsse, we found out that the cookies are actually better weeks after you bake them! The flavor of Pfeffernüsse deepens and sharpens with age, so although delicious when first baked, they are incomparably better after a couple of weeks… And supposedly, still better a few weeks after that. So if that theory holds, it’s a great idea to bake them around Thanksgiving to enjoy through the Christmas holidays!

They’re most commonly compared to ginger cookies, but have a deeper flavor profile than most traditional gingerbread cookies. Spice quantities in this recipe are somewhat elastic. Alter measurements to suit your own personal preferences, although I followed it to a “T” the first time out of the gate, with the addition of dunking them into confectioners sugar at the end of baking.

I made the dough on one afternoon but it was too close to preparing dinner to start baking them, so I did that early the following morning. As I was in the midst of taking them off of the baking sheets, Julia came down from upstairs exclaiming “Oh my God, it smells so gooood in here, I thought I was dreaming!” And she’s not necessarily a “spice” girl.

Keep in mind that when Pfeffernüsse are in their “hard” stage, they make a particularly good dunking cookie. They go great with hot tea, coffee or milk—and the dunking helps soften them.

Slightly expanded recipe of that from Bette Sovinee

It turned out to be “vegetarian week” at our house, and it was quite by chance. When I started culling together the week’s menus, all of the recipes that appealed to me contained no meat, so I thought, let’s go with it.

For starters, I whipped up this very easy Casarecce with Wild Mushroom Ragù. A simple satisfying pasta, this dish hits all the right notes on a cold dark evening. Serve with crusty bread and/or a side salad to round out the meal.

Adapted from a recipe by Mindy Fox from Fine Cooking

Non-breaded Eggplant Parmesan, because who needs extra carbs?? There’s not an ounce of Italian in either of us, but for many Italian-American families, Eggplant Parmesan is that heirloom recipe that tends to put in an appearance at most important family gatherings. This simple yet special casserole, rich with silken eggplant, tangy marinara, and gooey mozzarella, pleases meat eaters and vegetarians alike.

Even if your family lineage doesn’t trace back to the Italian Motherland, this comfort food classic is perfect for group entertaining. In its original state, this recipe serves 8 (maybe 10), and is party friendly, but way too much for the two of us, so I cut the eggplant back by half. As it so happened, daughter Julia was an unexpected house guest and then there were three for dinner, but the reduced recipe still made enough for four servings. Julia (who was maintaining a low-carb diet), admitted she had never eaten eggplant before, so she was a bit skeptical in trying it. In the end, we all LOVED the Eggplant Parm!

Oh, and about that cutting the recipe in half, I still used a large 13″ x 9″ casserole dish. This option only produced two layers of eggplant. If you wish to have a thicker stack, use a square 8″ x 8″ or 9″ x 9″ dish instead, which will force you to go vertical with the tiers. It still took the entire 45 minutes in the oven to achieve the lightly golden cheese topping.

Make-ahead-tips:

• You can fry the eggplant ahead of time and store it overnight in the refrigerator. Line a rimmed baking sheet with an old clean kitchen towel. Line the towel with paper towels. Put the eggplant in a single layer on the paper towel. Continue stacking the remaining eggplant in layers on top of each other and separated by paper towels. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate overnight. This can be done up to three days ahead.
• You can assemble the dish, bake it, cool it, and store it in the refrigerator wrapped in plastic up to three days ahead. Rewarm gently in a 250°F oven until heated through, about 30 minutes.

Adapted from a recipe by Patrizia Auricchio from Fine Cooking

This blog was written nearly two years ago, but with the holiday season coming up, I thought it was appropriate for posting. The idea of it was brilliant, the execution, not so much…

Even though the Christmas season was officially over on January 6 with the Epiphany-Feast of the Three Kings, that didn’t stop us from including a nod to the holiday at our house party a few days later.

I found this Cranberry and Brie Puff Pastry Wreath recipe online at Simply Delicious and thought what an impressive appetizer it would make. Golden puff pastry is filled with sweet cranberry sauce, oozy brie cheese and pistachios that screams “eat me!”

Although a bit lack-luster in appearance, the first piece is sliced off the wreath.

An hour before guests were due to arrive I pulled out the dough that had been thawing in the fridge for the past day. And when I opened the package, my heart sank—it was phyllo dough NOT puff pastry, yikes! Russ said I might as well just throw it in the garbage because I couldn’t refreeze it—and off to the store he went…

Once he got home with the prized package, I only had 30 minutes before company was expected, and the pastry needed to thaw before I could work with it—about 40 minutes according to the directions. Well that wasn’t an option, so to expedite the process, I put it in a ziploc bag that was then emerged into a bowl of warm water. That did the trick for the most part, but because it was rolled into itself, the center panel was still frozen.

With just minutes to spare before the doorbell rang, I was able to whip it together and clean up my mess. After 15 minutes in the oven I pulled it out and found that most of the brie had oozed out into the center circle (known for erring on the side of more rather than less, I likely put too much cheese in the wreath.) Not to be deterred, I suggested spooning the cheese back into the open crevices of the wreath, and my friend Maria Odilia offered her services.

Next we had to slide it onto a serving plate. Without going into too many details, Maria suggested I use a different plate than the one I had pulled out—which actually was the second choice (the first being too big). Once all the drama was done, and the rest of the party arrived, no one was the wiser on the back story, and the wreath got rave reviews from all who tried it… Now if I can only get the presentation down…

Ingredients

• 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
• 2-3 Tbsp. cranberry sauce
• 8 oz. Brie cheese, sliced
• 2 Tbsp. pistachio nuts, roughly chopped
• 1 egg, beaten
• Sea salt

Directions

1. Pre-heat the oven to 400ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper (or pizza stone).
2. Roll the pastry out to around 1/4″ thick and cut a large circle out of the pastry.
3. Lay the pastry on the prepared baking sheet.
4. Mark a circle with a medium-sized ball and with a sharp knife, cut 4 cuts into the center circle. (As demonstrated in the video.)
5. Spread the cranberry sauce around the center “star” then top with the Brie and pistachios.
6. Bring one point of the center star over the filling as well as bringing the outer edge of pastry inwards. Press the two together and continue until you have a wreath.
7. Brush with beaten egg, sprinkle lightly with sea salt, then place in the oven and allow to bake for 15 minutes until golden brown and cooked through.
8. Remove from the oven, allow to rest for 5 minutes then slice and serve.

Adapted from a recipe found online at Simply Delicious by Alida Ryder

A Step-By-Step Pictorial:

Roll out the dough large enough to accommodate a large round plate. With a sharp knife, cut out the circle.

Place the round puff pastry on the parchment lined baking sheet.

Place a small round bowl approximately 4-5″ wide in the center of the dough. Trace around the bowl, making sure not to cut through.

With a sharp knife, slice 4 X’s through the center circle so that you end up with 8 triangles.

With a tablespoon, spread the cranberry sauce in the center all the way around.

Place brie slices on top of the cranberry sauce.

Chopped pistachios are scattered on top of the brie.

Bring one point of the center star over the filling as well as bringing the outer edge of pastry inwards.

Brush on an egg wash over the entire puff pastry.

The wreath is assembled and ready for the oven.

Since the brie oozed into the center opening, it was spooned back into the open pockets before moving to the serving plate. 

This dish is reminiscent of a hefty pizza topping minus the crust. Typically in most instances, I would opt for hot Italian sausage over sweet but this one seemed to call out for the latter. And as usual, I made a few tweaks, in this case being the package of sausage was two pounds instead of one-and-a-half, so I used it all. We like leftovers…

Employing quarter sheets about 12″ x 9″, allows you to cook your main course and side dish at the same time in the same oven. Yet there’s no mixing of flavors that would happen if you combined everything on one large sheet pan—albeit, sometimes that is the effect you want, but not here. (That being said, if all you have is a larger sheet pan, go ahead and make the recipe, you won’t be sorry.)

In Step 3, simmering the tomato mixture was supposed to take 15-20 minutes, but mine was thick and ready after only eight minutes, so keep an eyeball on yours. At Step 10, I was concerned about the toppings on the cooked links falling through the open spaces, so I cut them down into approximate 5″ lengths and lined them up in a tight soldiers row.

In the end, the sausage juices will mingle with the tomato sauce and melted cheese, without compromising the roasted garlicky broccoli to serve alongside. A definite keeper!

Adapted from a recipe by Melissa Clark of NYTimes Cooking

Inspired by the cuisine of Northern Italy, this Alpine Linguine pasta dish features thin slices of caramelized Brussels sprouts and crispy bites of prosciutto, a smoky salty meat. It’s a crafty way of getting someone who thinks they dislike Brussels sprouts to eat them.

Prosciutto is the Italian word for ham. In the U.S., the word prosciutto is used to describe an uncooked, dry-cured ham, which is called prosciutto crudo in Italian. When sliced thinly, it has a buttery texture and will melt in the mouth, and get crunchy when pan-fried, as in this recipe. 

The entire prosciutto making process can take anywhere from nine months to two years. When buying, order it presliced because it is extremely delicate and can be quite sticky. It is often packaged with deli paper between the slices to make it easier to handle the slices without tearing them.

Eight ounces of pasta may not seem like much for four servings, but with the extra ounce of prosciutto and additional cheese that I added (noted in recipe below), it was very rich and very filling. Served with a simple side salad, it made a satisfying meal.

Some acceptable substitutions are: Meat = Speck; Pasta = fettuccine; Cheese = Emmentaler.

Adapted from a recipe by Ivy Manning  from Fine Cooking

In this Citrus-Glazed Pork Chops with Gingery Bok Choy tasty meal, rich pork makes makes a perfect companion to tart oranges. The bold, bright citrusy sauce demands a robust cut of meat, therefore a well-marbled, thick-cut pork chop with a good fat cap, fills the bill. While the original recipe calls for three chops weighing in at 2 1/2 pounds, I only cooked two with a weight of 1 2/3 pounds, more than enough for the two of us.

A dry rub of brown sugar creates a caramelized layer and lends depth to the pan sauce, and the gingery bok choy adds a delightful bit of freshness. And because we are garlic fiends, I increased the number of cloves by 50%, from four to six large. To round out the meal, you can add a starch such as mashed potatoes, silky polenta, tri-colored couscous, or egg noodles—our choice.

If a recipe calls for more than a few tablespoons of citrus juice, I bring out the electronic juicer, which makes quick work of the task. With this one calling for 3/4 cup, it was a no brainer.

Adapted from a recipe by Yewande Komolafe of NYTimes Cooking

Here’s a vegetarian stew that is so simple to make and takes only a half hour or less to complete before you eat! The humble look of this stew belies its complex flavor: a mix of spicy heat and earthy legumes, topped with a cooling, creamy lemon-flecked yogurt.

If you’re not concerned with the dish being vegetarian, as we weren’t, I highly suggest using a homemade chicken stock instead of a commercial veggie broth—it adds a whole new dimension to the flavor profile. And don’t omit the topping because that zing of lemon adds a welcome bright note.

Whenever recipes call for a 15-ounce can of chickpeas, we inevitably buy the 19-ounce can. Also known as garbanzo beans, they have a buttery, nutty flavor and creamy texture, and are a great source of healthy fiber in addition to being rich in protein, folate and iron.

Now let’s talk about those lentils. Of all the colors of lentils—orange, green, yellow, black and brown—the red lentil proves sweeter and nuttier than its brethren. That’s saying a lot, given that there are hundreds of lentil varieties. Be aware that they tend to become slightly mushy when cooked down, so this variety is often used for thickening soups, purees, and stews. Bingo, that’s what gives this stew its thick base!

It doesn’t make a large amount, so if you intend to stretch it to four servings, serve over steamed rice accompanied by warm naan.

Recipe by Erica Clark from Fine Cooking

For the main entrée—Chicken and Cremini Mushroom Traybake with Red Pepper Sauce—savory roasted mushrooms and a subtly sweet scallion-accented pan sauce are delicious accompaniments to crisp-skinned chicken seasoned with ground fennel, granulated garlic and dried oregano. Doesn’t that description just make your mouth water already?

If you can’t find ground fennel seed at the supermarket, grind your own by processing a generous 1 tablespoon whole fennel seeds in a spice grinder until fine and powdery. And don’t feel that you need to roast your own peppers for this recipe. Just use jarred roasted peppers, they’ll work perfectly well. (A 7.75-ounce jar contained exactly 2 whole roasted bell peppers.)

The chicken, including the breast meat, was soooo juicy and tender, and the combination of flavors was wonderful. And to complete the meal, I promised you a bonus side. This Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Aleppo Pepper hails from Fine Cooking. We just adored the touch of orange zest!

Both of these recipes take approximately a total of 50 minutes and get cooked on rimmed baking sheets at about the same oven temperature—can’t get much easier than that! If you don’t have two ovens, just cook both sheet pans at 450° and adjust the time a little less for the spuds (cover with foil if they start to get too brown).

Recipe from 177 Milk Street

Bonus Recipe: Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Aleppo Pepper

Recipe courtesy of Emily Peterson from Fine Cooking

Garlic lovers take heed, between these two dishes, you’ll use 18 cloves—or more if you’d like…

From the freezer, we pulled the last of our leg-of-lamb purchased from Costco months ago and divvied up into different portions, this one being a 2-pound roast. On what to do with it, The Hubster flipped through our well-thumbed and dog-eared copy of Penelope Casa’s cookbook “La Cocina de Mama” and spotted Digna’s Roast Lamb and Potatoes thinking it would make the perfect Sunday evening braise. After all, having recently returned from a vacay in the Andalusian region, we were in a Spanish frame of mind…

As he read the ingredients, there was a little niggling in my brain that told me we made this dish a while back. Sure enough, I did a search on my blog and found that I had posted the very same recipe exactly 5 years ago to the day, on November 3, 2014. Now that was serendipitous indeed.

In this fabulous recipe, the lamb is first marinated, then roasted with potatoes. Prepared in an earthenware casserole—a cazuela—the lamb dish was once made on festive occasions in village wood-burning bakery ovens in Galicia Spain. Our cazuela was now a seasoned vessel compared to its maiden voyage the first time we made this recipe.

Keep in mind, you do need to prepare the lamb with marinade and refrigerate overnight, so plan accordingly. Then an hour-and-a-half before you start to cook, take the marinated meat out of the fridge so that the oil comes to room temperature. Even though we did it again, we think the next time we will forego browning the cubed meat before putting the casserole in the oven, where it should brown on its own. Eliminating this step could help ensure that the meat doesn’t get overcooked and/or dried out.

In the original directions it does not indicate to turn the meat and potatoes a time or two while in the oven. If you don’t, the spuds might not get completely cooked on the top layer, and become mushy at the bottom. You want to make sure all of the ingredients are evenly cooked and getting happy in the flavorful juices. So I mention to do this in the steps below.

Our side, (yes, another green bean dish), “Green Beans with Garlic and Vinegar” was also from Penelope’s book. She explains vegetables in Spain are typically served on their own as a first course. (We have experienced this first-hand in our travels throughout Spain.) Ingredients such as garlic, chopped hard-boiled eggs, and fried or toasted bread are common additions. They transform plain vegetables into dishes that can become light meals. (Here however, we omitted the eggs.) WOW, so simple yet so delicious!!

Green Beans with Garlic and Vinegar

While still on the subject of Spain, I’ll continue the culinary trip through parts of old town Seville. Our digs were at the H10 Corregidor, a charming boutique hotel located in Seville’s historic center and shopping district, in the midst of the city’s main tourist attractions. Being in the older section of the city, many areas are pedestrian only, no vehicles allowed, making schlepping our luggage around a real pain. Sometimes the cabbies couldn’t even figure out a way to get us to our destinations!

It has nothing to do with dining, but this video displays a moment from a Flamenco Dancing performance (and was one of those times a cabbie could not find his way to the pedestrian only location).

With each night’s stay at H10, they offer a fully-loaded breakfast buffet with the option of enjoying it in the hotel’s typical Andalusian courtyard. In fact, our room, three floors up, looked directly down onto the courtyard, and where we dined as weather permitted. The offerings were wide and varied, something for everyone’s tastes and diet.

One thing I found hard to “digest” was an interesting tidbit from our tour guide, Jaime, a lifelong Seville resident and previous architect. While strolling around the city, past numerous tapas bars and eateries, he pointed out that the more litter on the ground around the tables, the better the restaurant. He explained it is customary to throw your napkins and cigarette butts on the floor as you dine.

Sure enough, the most populated by locals were places with debris on the grounds! We did note, however, that the cigarette butts were only by exterior tables, not indoors. Owners cleaned up the mess every night after closing, and things were spic-and-span the following morning. I’m not sure how that would fly here in the States…

For lunch one day we tried to get into Bar Alfalfa at the suggestion of our hotel concierge, but it was jammed packed and spilling onto the street, and as you may have guessed, with trash strewn about! Then we noticed Petra across the way and decided to try it. Good choice (and clean as a whistle). Petra, shown below, is a recent opening in Plaza Alfalfa specializing in meats grilled on a hot stone at your table. The space is small and stylish, all warm stone and wood tones. We procured the last table.

We decided to go the route of sharing a variety of tapas, and we weren’t disappointed. Although our table, being so small and up against a wall, made it a real balancing act to accommodate all of the dishes. In no particular order we got:

Pork Cheeks with Creamy Pumpkin Soup and its Seeds

Fusilli Pasta with Sauce of Iberian Streaky Bacon and Payoyo Cheese

Creamy Rice with Crispy Duck and Fried Crunchy Onion

And perhaps the most fun of the selections was the Grilled Hot Stone complete with sliced presa Ibérica, potatoes, peppers and tossed with a finishing salt. This allowed you to eat at your own pace because the stone stayed piping hot for a long time, and you could cook to whatever degree of doneness suited your fancy.

Here is a video as Russ grills the meal:

Our last evening in Seville found us dining al fresco at Paco-Pepe Bar situated between the Plaza del Salvador and the Plaza de San Francisco, five minutes from the famous Cathedral and close to City Hall.

The decor is unusual in that their photography is a unique composition of faces, wild animals, monuments and historical moments. The tables and chairs are of their own design and painted with different country motifs. The walls are formed by large open windows and integrate a small living room with the street. But the star of Paco-Pepe Bar is, without a doubt, the terrace—where we sat and could enjoy people watching.

We weren’t overly hungry and decided to split a few smaller plates. One, the Garlic King Prawns was swimming in a wonderful garlicky extra virgin olive oil just begging to be mopped up. We had at first declined an offer of bread (in many parts of Spain, as here, you are charged extra per person for bread), but then decided to go ahead and get some.

Our other choice was the Chicken Brochette Moroccan Style which came plated with french fried potatoes (many, many dishes come with some sort of potato in Spain). The poultry was cooked perfectly, still tender and juicy with a slight char.

Time to head our next destination, Rota, a beachside town directly on the Atlantic. But first, a stop at Bodegas Tradición, a centuries-old sherry winery in Jerez founded in 1650, and still owned by the same family! Stay tuned…

It was our third visit to Spain, this time with a stay in Seville, the 4th largest city in the country. While we there only three days, we had a lot on our agenda including a personal guided tour, a flamenco dancing show and a cooking class, the latter of which is the basis of this blog.

Cooking is one of our shared passions (as is Spain), and we looked forward to a 3-hour group session at the “Taller Andaluz de Cocina” located in the market “Mercado de Triana” which is across the river from where we were staying in old town. (Taller in this case translates to workshop.) Since we arrived early before their doors opened, we had the opportunity to check out all of the vendor stalls brimming with the best quality meats, fruits and vegetables, oils, cheeses and restaurants.

Clare explains the different types of olive oils. Spain is the world capital of olive groves boasting about 866 million trees.

The class size of 10 included a couple from San Francisco; a mother and son also from California; and couples from both Poland and Britain. Our market guide who gave us a detailed tour of the glorious options was Clare; and our humorous but knowledgeable chef was Juan Pedro. (He mentioned his wife is Australian and he plans to move to that country and open a bakery.)

We don our class aprons and can’t wait to get started! 

Juan Pedro demonstrates the best way to chop an onion.

The menu for the day started with a tasty Salmorejo (below), a purée originating from the Andalusian region of south Spain (where we were). It is made from tomatoes, bread, oil and garlic. Normally, the tomatoes are skinned and then puréed with the other ingredients. The purée is served cold and may be garnished with diced Spanish serrano ham and diced hard-boiled eggs.

Salmorejo shown as a close-up above, and set before us below.

Next up was Spinach with Chickpeas (Espinacas con Garbanzos) a must-try Andalusian dish. It is a classic tapas dish that’s easy to make and wonderfully versatile. Simple, hearty, vegan, comfort food. As Spaniards would say, this dish is ‘bueno, bonito y barato’, which translates as ‘good, beautiful and cheap’. It couldn’t more true. Like many other peasant recipes from Southern Spain, this dish is a fine example of how to make the most of simple and humble ingredients.

While all of this is going on, Juan Pedro is also making the star of the show, a Paella Valenciana, or Chicken Paella. Now if you’ve been following us for any length of time, you know Russ is a huge fan of making paellas, but this one was prepared quite differently than he’s ever done or read about.

Juan demonstrates how to debone a chicken, then has members of the class try to do so on the cut away parts, as Russ does to a leg below.

Ideally you want to cook the stock from the chicken carcass and bones and leeks for at least 1 1/2 hours. After some initial cooking of the chicken, beans and artichoke hearts, you bring it all together (chicken and veggies) with the chicken stock so that it reaches the top of the rivets on the pan. Turn the heat up, and boil it down until the broth is right below the rivets. Aha, the rivets! Juan explained that they are regulated in paella pans made in Spain so that your paella comes out perfect every time.

Next, pour the rice across the pan in an even line from handle to handle, precisely between the rivets and immediately set an alarm for 18 minutes. The first 5 minutes on high heat, then 5 on medium heat and then 8 minutes on low heat. For the very last 30 seconds, turn the heat up again, drizzle olive oil, place some rosemary on top, and when the time is up, turn the heat off, cover the pan with a clean tea towel and let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. Check out this stunning video of Juan Pedro when the paella is done:

The most tasty part of the paella is the crunchy one, stuck to the bottom of the pan—and this one didn’t disappoint. While the paella was wonderful, I was a little disappointed in the amount of chicken and beans in my portion, everyone else seemed to get quite a bit. When I mentioned this to Russ after the fact, he said he would have been glad to share some of his—what a guy!

And the finale of the workshop was the Lemon Sorbet with Cava, a nice refreshing finish to the meal. Here you mix all the ingredients together in a blender and serve in a champagne glass with a straw and a mint leaf for decoration.

Of course, once class ended, we went back out into the market and purchased some saffron and pimenton. If only we could have figured out a way to smuggle back some of the Jamón Ibérico and good olive oils. Compared to the prices in the States, they were a steal!

For us, there’s nothing like a long, slow braise on a rainy or blustery Sunday afternoon. So, this was an occasion for Big Red, our large Le Creuset dutch oven which has successfully produced our best braised dishes over the years. Several weeks back, Russ came across this Tuscan Beef and Black Pepper Stew (Peposo Alla Fornacina) recipe from 177 Milk Street, a site who’s recipes have kept us more than intrigued.

The simple, generously peppered beef stew known as peposo is said to have been created by 15th century kiln (fornacina) workers in Tuscany, Italy. Chianti is the best-known wine produced in that region and is the traditional choice for peposo, but any dry, medium-bodied red wine works well. Chianti we had on hand, so Chianti we used (and drank).

Make sure to use coarsely ground black pepper, as it has more presence and better coats the beef. This recipe makes a generous amount of stew—about 2 quarts—so serve it one night with polenta; another with mashed potatoes or braised beans. The stew keeps well, so it can be made up to three days ahead and reheated in the microwave or in a saucepan over low.

The first night we served ours with parm-infused polenta and roasted Brussels sprouts and garlic.

Don’t be shy about trimming the fat from the chuck roast. Remove as much as you can, which may mean shedding about 1 pound. Pull the roast apart at the natural seams, then use a sharp knife to trim the fat and cut the pieces into 2-inch chunks.

Because that’s what we had in the freezer, we used 5.5 lbs. of boneless short ribs, which have more consistent marbling and less chunks of fat throughout than chuck roast.

Yes, it’s time-consuming overall, but only about a half-hour of active time. Plus, with a limited number of easy-to-get ingredients, you don’t have to assemble an army of elements to produce an award-winning meal.

Recipe by Diane Unger from 177MilkStreet.com

Every year around this time, the Pumpkin Bread with Candied Ginger recipe starts racking up hits on my blog. This is an update on that post from five years ago where the end result was two large loaves. I still consider it a perfect autumn recipe that produces a moist, sweet/savory pumpkin bread sure to impress, but I went the extra mile with a few tweaks.

This update makes five mini-loaves which can be gifted, or simply eaten amongst your family/house guests. The photos reflect my experiment in baking mini-loaves versus the larger size so you will see both in the pictures. If you decide to make one larger loaf in a 8/12″ x 4 1/2″ pan (shown below), plus three mini-loaves, keep in mind that you’ll have to cook the larger pan an additional 20-30 minutes to thoroughly bake.

A quick-to-assemble topping adds texture and keeps the loaves from getting soggy the next day. For the interior, crystallized ginger can be a bear to finely chop, so I use a spice grinder. In doing so, much of the ginger will become almost a powder, which is OK because the spice gets distributed throughout the batter.

As you stir the chocolate chips into the batter, some of them will start to melt lending an attractive swirl effect, while most of them will remain intact for those decadent bites. Don’t pat yourself on the back thinking these are “healthy” because of the pumpkin purée. With all of the sugars, cream cheese and nuts, they are definitely not lo-cal, so eat in moderation (if you can).

One other switch-a-roo I made this time around was substituting pecans for the walnuts—because as we know, The Mr. cannot abide the latter. If you prefer walnuts, go ahead and use them.