Brandade
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| not my photo |
Serves 8-10 as a first course
1 lb skinless, boneless salt
cod
1c milk
1 thyme sprig or 1/4 tsp
dried thyme leaves
2 bay leaves
5-6 peppercorns
1/2 tsp ground allspice or 2
allspice berries
2 whole cloves
1 lb boiling potatoes, cut in
1” cubes
6 lg garlic cloves, peeled
salt and freshly ground black
pepper
1/3-1/2 c olive oil
Pinch cayenne or red pepper
flakes (1/4 tsp if you like this tangy)
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp grated lemon zest
1/2 c crème fraiche plus
another 3 tbsp
3 tbsp butter
1/2 c bread crumbs (coarse is
preferred but fine works)
Rinse salt cod carefully,
rubbing off any noticeable salt. Soak in a large bowl of water at least 8
hours, changing the water every four hours or leaving it overnight. Drain and rinse again when ready to use.
In a medium/lg saucepan, heat
milk with 1 c water. Add salt cod, thyme, bay leaf, peppercorns, allspice and
cloves. As soon as the pot wants to boil, reduce heat to simmer and cook until
the fish falls apart and flakes, about 15-20 minutes. Remove fish from the pot.
While the cod is cooking, put
cut potatoes in another pot with a good pinch of salt and cover with water.
Bring to a boil. Add the garlic cloves.
As soon as the potatoes are soft enough to mash, remove from heat and
drain. Keep both the garlic and cooking liquid; you’ll need them.
Put the garlic in a small
saucepan and crush or smash it lightly. Add the olive oil and over medium heat,
warm the garlic. Don’t fry, just warm it.
In a large mixing bowl
combine the cooked potatoes and flaked salt cod. Use a potato masher to blend
them. Drizzle in the warm garlic and oil and keep mashing toward the look of
mashed potatoes. Add the cayenne, nutmeg and lemon zest, thoroughly blending.
Stir in 1/2 c crème fraiche and mash to blend.
Now using an immersion blender
or hand mixer or your masher, add about 1/2 cup potato cooking liquid to thin
the brandade into a soft mash. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to your
taste.
Grease a shallow 1 qt baking
dish or pie plate with 1 tbsp butter. Fill the dish with the brandade, leveling
it with a spatula. At this point, you can refrigerate the mix overnight if you
need to.
Heat oven to 400º. Bring the
brandade to room temperature if you refrigerated it. Paint the top with those 3
tbsp crème fraiche and sprinkle on the breadcrumbs. Dot the surface with bits
of the remaining 2 tbsp butter. Bake until golden on top and bubbling around
the edges, about 20 minutes.
Serve immediately with toast.
Fragrant Anatolian bulghur with dates, figs and nuts 
serves 6-8 easily
2 c coarse bulgur
4 tbsp butter of ghee (divided 3 & 1)
2 med/lg orange carrots, peeled and cut into matchsticks
3/4 c blanched slivered almonds
3 tbsp pine nuts
3 tbsp pistachio nutmeats (roasted but raw is okay too)
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
12 oz fresh dates, pitted and coarsely chopped
4 oz dried figs, coarsely chopped into bite size pieces
1 tsp rose water
1 tsp salt
For serving
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
6 oz plain thick (Greek) yogurt
Boil about a gallon of water.
Put the bulghur in a large bowl and pour enough boiling water to cover it with 1" extra inch above. Stir to blend. Cover the bowl and let the bulghur steam in it 25 minutes.
While that's happening, in a large heavy skillet or casserole, melt 3 tbsp butter or ghee over medium heat. Add the carrots. Lower heat slightly so they don't burn and sauté stirring 10 minutes, stirring from time to time. They should get soft and buttery. Add cinnamon and the nuts. Stir to blend and continue on low heat to cook until the nuts begin to color, 60-90 seconds. Add the dates, figs and rose water. Mix well.
Drain the bulghur and add it to the pot on the stove along with salt and 1 tbsp butter/ghee. Mix everything so the fruits and nuts are evenly distributed through the bulghur. Turn off the heat. Put a dishtowel over the top of the pot, put a lid over the towel to seal the pot and let the contents steam 5 minutes. Transfer to a serving bowl and stir in the chopped cilantro.
To serve: you can make a well in the bulghur and put the yogurt right in OR insert a small bowl filled with yogurt in that space. OR yu can simply put the yogurt in its own bowl and pass it around as an extra.
Potato Tart aka Potatoes Anna
serves 6-8
4 med/lg potatoes,
scrubbed
½ tsp dried rosemary leaves
5 tbsp unsalted butter, cut
in small bits
Salt and fresh ground black
pepper
Slice potatoes into very thin
disks.
In a 7½” frying pan, melt 1½
tbsp butter over medium heat. Layer potatoes in the pan in concentric circles,
overlapping each one with the next. Salt the layer and sprinkle on rosemary,
pepper and 1½ tbsp butter bits. Arrange another circular layer of potatoes.
Salt. Sprinkle with rosemary, pepper and 1½ tbsp butter bits. Add another potato
layer. Top with remaining butter, season with salt and pepper.
Cover with a heavy weight,
like a pot of water. Cook over medium heat 10-12 minutes. During that time, preheat
broiler. Remove weight from potatoes, put frying pan under broiler 5 minutes or
until the tart top is light brown. Invert onto a plate and serve garnished with
fresh chopped parsley.
Stuffed Turkey Breast
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| not my photo |
buffet table: a succulent turkey breast wrapped around creamy green stuffing with a bit of crunch. It won't remind anyone of the Thanksgiving turkey and be a delight to those who shun red meat. An orange side dish--squash, sweet potatoes, carrots--makes a very vivid table.
2 tbsp butter
¼ lb brown button mushrooms,
chopped
1/8 tsp ground cloves
¼ lb sausage or smoked ham,
diced*
2 tbsp olive oil
1 lg onion, diced
1/2 tsp ground chili powder
1 lb kale, washed &
chopped
¼ lb spinach or chard, washed
& chopped
3 tbsp coconut cream
¾ cup cottage or ricotta
cheese
Salt and fresh ground black
pepper
*optional
1 lg turkey breast, partially
split (a hinge should keep it together)
2 tbsp unsalted butter,
softened
¼ c chicken broth
Heat oven to 400º.
Melt butter in a large
skillet and brown mushrooms with cloves 3 minutes. Add optional sausage or ham
and lightly brown 2-3 minutes. Pour into a work bowl. Heat oil in the same skillet
and cook onions with chili over medium low heat until soft. Add kale and
spinach, increase heat and evaporate moisture on the greens. Reduce heat and
simmer until kale is tender, 3-5 minutes. Blend in coconut cream. Add to the
mushrooms. Stir in cheese, salt and pepper.
Rub the all surfaces of the
turkey breast with softened butter. Lay open the two halves, still hinged and with
a large spatula spread the filling evenly the interior. Close the two halves,
like closing a book and use any leftover filling to seal them shut. Brush the
chicken broth all over the turkey breast and pour the remainder over it.
Lay the stuffed breast on a
baking sheet lined with parchment paper to avoid clean up and bake at 400º 45 minutes. Test to see if the turkey breast juices run
clear, meaning it’s cooked. If not
reduce heat to 350º and cook another 10 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes before
slicing horizontally.
Braised red cabbage with chestnuts, apples and smoked seats
This is a more colorful and handsome alternative to the traditional winter Choucroute often brought to the French/German table the day after the main feast. Choucroute is French for sauerkraut so that's
what that version features. And it doesn't have the luxury of chestnuts.
serves 8
2 med/lg heads red (aka purple) cabbage
1 sm can chestnut meats, unsweetened
2 lg onions (red or yellow), peeled and diced
2 tsp juniper berries (these are the secret sauce of choucroute too)
1 tsp caraway seed
1 tbsp celery seed
1 tbsp dried thyme leaves
1 lb smoked sausage (your choice), cut into 1" disks
1/2 lb smoked ham, cut into 1 1/2" cubes
1 lb pork tenders or tornedos, cut into thick strips
1 hot sausage or chorizo, cut into thin disks
2 beef knockwurst, cut into thin disks
1/2 c dry white wine
3 med yellow boiling potatoes, chunked
3 lg Granny Smith apples, washed, peeled and cored
1/2 c apple cider
1 lemon, juice only
3-4 tbsp olive oil
freshly ground black pepper
salt to your taste (remember the meat is salted)
Core and shred the cabbage. Coat the bottom of a large heavy, lidded casserole with olive oil and on medium heat, warm it up. Sauté the onion, juniper berries, celery and caraway seeds and thyme about 5 minutes until onion is soft. Add the pork strips, knockwurst, sausage and ham. Sauté to brown the meats. Pour in 1/4 c white wine to deglaze the pan (help remove the grease).
Cut the apples into thick strips or chunks. Add to the pan with the cabbage, potatoes, 1/4 c wine, cider and chestnut meats. Add half the lemon juice. Stir to blend everything. Cover the pot, set heat to low and cook 30 minutes or until cabbage is very soft and tender. Season with pepper and salt and the remaining lemon juice. Maintain on simmer until ready to serve.
Yogurt Pie
Makes 6-8
wedges or 12 slivers
4 extra
large eggs
½ cup sugar
½ cup flour
(pastry flour if you have it) mixed with 1/8 tsp baking powder
14-15 oz
thick creamy plain yogurt (strain if it isn’t thick like Greek yogurt)
grated rind
of 1 lemon
juice of I
lemon
1/8 tsp of
nutmeg or cardamom (which flavor you prefer)
pinch of
ground cinnamon
Preheat
oven to 350º. Butter a 9” round baking dish or pie plate.
In a mixer
or mixing bowl, beat the eggs with the sugar until light and fluffy.
Beat in the
flour with baking powder, then the yogurt, rind and lemon juice.
Transfer
the mixture to the baking dish and level it. Bake about 45 minutes until firm.
The cake will brown around the edges and should begin to turn golden on top.
That’s okay.
When cool
enough to handle, you can flip it onto a serving plate or, if you prefer, serve
it right from the pie plate.
TOPPING
ALERT: Turks and Arabs often top this with orange syrup. I use a large dollop
of my own homemade strawberry or apricot jam or sometimes squiggles of honey. I
also serve a dollop of cinnamon inflected plain yogurt with it in place of
whipped cream.
Mocha Fudge Cake
serves 16 (because you cut it in tiny slivers)
1 cup strong coffee
1 lb semisweet chocolate,
chopped
2 cups sugar
2 cups unsalted butter
8 eggs, lightly beaten
Preheat oven to 250º
Butter a round 9 x 3 cake pan
with removable bottom and line the foil, pushing foil over the sides of the
pan. Butter foil.
In large saucepan, combine
coffee, chocolate, sugar and butter. While stirring, cook over medium heat
until the chocolate is just melted and it is only warm.
Remove from heat and
gradually whisk in the eggs.
Pour this batter into the
prepared pan and bake 1½ hours. The center might seem uncooked but it will
harden up. Let cool. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
1 ½ cups heavy cream
¼ c powdered sugar
½ tsp vanilla
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