Dreaming of snow

(photo courtesy of elephant.com)

To say that we had a "nice Christmas" this year would be such an understatement. To quote my older brother who is usually sparse with words and short on emotion, "It was one of the best in a long time." And I would have to agree. I know that a lot of people have mixed feelings about Christmas, and holidays in general, as they tend to bring up memories of family dramas of years past and the stress is sometimes running high. After all, anytime you gather too many family members under one roof, not to mention members of more than one family, things can get goofy at best, unbearable at worst.

But ours was a fun and cheerful time spent with both our families all together, our house serving as the neutral gathering place. We didn't travel to one or the other, or miss seeing one in order to see the other. We made everyone come to us and I have to say, it was perfect. Since everything pretty much revolves around the baby now, it made sense to do this and she had a ball. She really had fun seeing everyone and kept repeating everyone's names after they left, saying "see you." It was so sweet.

Now we are in the middle of January and I miss my family and also --the snow. I realize that after so many winters living in Colorado I equate winter with cold and snow and the beautiful mountain scenery that I miss so much. I can take really cold temperatures, as long as they're dry and mixed with sun. In the south when it's cold, it's often also wet and damp which makes winter a lot less enjoyable. I also miss skiing and hiking in the mountains and the FUN that winter brings in Colorado.
(the photo above is of the Flatirons in Boulder on a typical winter day).

So we try to make the most of it by going to the library or the coffee shops or wherever we can find a good train table (June is obsessed with trains all of a sudden and can't get enough of Thomas the Tank Engine) and we hit the playground on warmer days where she can get some exercise and meet friends.

In my kitchen things are warm and we're roasting a lot of chickens, making beef stew or creamy, indulgent things like this mushroom-leek risotto that I made last night. It was one of those wintry dishes with lots of cream, butter and cheese that you can only really justify when the weather is cold and you've earned it by working outside all day (like Daniel) or worked out at the gym (that would be me).

(image from the NYTimes)

Here's an article I just came across in the NYTimes Dining and Wine section today and it was totally speaking to me. I love vegetable risottos like the beautiful one above this time of year. They really warm the soul and satisfy that craving I have for a real winter. If I can't be in the Rockies or the Alps right now, at least I can cook the way they do in the colder climates. And keep dreaming of snow.

cider vinegar-braised chicken

I have been inspired by my brother lately who is cooking in a newly re-opened restaurant inside the oldest building in Manhattan. Fraunces Tavern once hosted George Washington for dinner. That's how old it is. And the unique pub fare promises to be just as traditional but with a twist. Smoked lamb ribs, bangers and mash and house-made Irish bacon are a few of the items my bro has been working on.



Anyway, it sounds like a pretty meat-heavy menu, as it should be, and the preparations are all time-tested and old world (think American Revolution). Like boiling your meat until it's fork tender. Braising I guess would be the more modern way to look at it, but as long as the piece of meat is submerged in water or other cooking liquid (wine, stock, vermouth, beer) it qualifies. I like this cooking method because it's easy. It involves browning briefly on the stovetop, then adding elements that will then be part of a sauce such as garlic, carrots, fresh herbs, bacon, whatever really. Then adding the preferred liquid, bringing to a boil, and then popping the whole thing in the oven at a low temperature: 300 or 325 to simmer slowly for at least an hour. It produces some really juicy and tender meat, that's for sure.


speaking of meat, this is the huge prime rib my brother made for Christmas Eve. It wasn't braised but it was delicious

Because we eat only grass-fed and high quality meat in my house and I don't live near a real butcher, beef is only seldom on the menu. But we do eat a lot of good, free-range chicken from Springer Mt. farms. I used only the leg quarters in this dish, but any bone-in chicken pieces will do.

Start by browning some bacon or pancetta, then remove. Add the chicken pieces and brown well on each side. Then throw in a couple cloves of garlic, some carrots if desired and any herbs that make sense. I had rosemary and sage so I used them. At this point, you could make a little roux with some butter and flour just to thicken the mixture, but it's not necessary. Then add the liquid--in this case I used cider vinegar and chicken stock, about 3-4 cups worth. Let the whole thing come to a boil, and then off the heat and throw it in the oven (because you've used your oven-proof skillet, or cast iron dutch oven of course). Keep the temp low and cook for about an hour.

Pull it out, plate the chicken, turn up the heat on the remaining liquid and reduce until you have a couple of cups. This is then poured over the meat and served nice and rustically, straight from the pot. Serve with some boiled potatoes or buttered egg noodles or Winter root veggies for a very simple, hearty meal.

Sweet and spicy penne with cauliflower

I found this recipe on a really cute blog called Pink of Perfection. I love her tagline: "A thrifty girl's guide to the good life." I admit I have had to be much more thrifty than usual lately. So much so that my dinner parties have almost ceased to exist. But I got the idea from her to do a dinner for 8 people for $50. That's right. $50. Tips she shared and implemented were not going too heavy on the apps and asking guests to bring the beverages. And it worked! I threw a birthday dinner for my friend and 8 others (okay, so I went a little over with the guests) and spent around $60 total. I made spaghetti with meatballs, a big spinach salad and two kinds of cupcakes for dessert. People could not have been happier. So, thanks, Pink, for the inspiration and the tips on how to scale it down. After all, comfort food is always a winner and so is keeping things simple.

Thus my new favorite pasta dish, also from Pink of Perfection by way of How to Cook Everything. If you don't mind linking away (but not yet!) you'll find the recipe here.



I've made it twice and not only is it really economical (a $5 dish), it's really tasty too. There is nothing better in winter than the spicy zing of red chili flakes, garlic and oil, combined with mashed anchovies, cauliflower and golden raisins thrown in for a little sweetness. These flavors really do something to lift the mood in winter, while showcasing a great (and under-appreciated) winter vegetable like cauliflower. Recently I've been seeing this curious yellow cauliflower in the grocery store and I'm hoping it didn't get that way because of some weird genetic engineering. I like the way it adds color to an otherwise boring palette and the taste is somehow milder than regular cauliflower.

I've made this dish once with whole wheat pasta (originally called for in the recipe) and once with regular pasta. We preferred the regular pasta but the whole wheat made us feel more virtuous. I figure, with the amount of pasta that we eat in my house, it wouldn't hurt us every once in while to switch to a whole wheat version. But the only kind I like and buy is Barilla brand. In my limited experience with "healthy" pastas, I like theirs the best.

Feel free to kick up the dish even more and add more anchovies, more chili flakes and lots of fresh-grated parmigiano at the end. And, for another recipe using this combination of garlic, oil, chili and anchovies (and cauliflower too!), see my "orecchiette from Puglia" post. There's nothing like Southern Italian flavors to spice up the middle of winter.