Paper Whites

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Gran Fran loves paper whites, also known as narcissus. They're bulbs that bloom into beautiful white flowers.

When I was in college, I worked in every retail store imaginable, one of which was located in SoHo in Manhattan. We sold all sorts of beautiful housewares, furniture and bath items. Around the corner there was another shop that was very rustic, but kind of modern. I would walk over on my lunch break and dreamily go through every inch of the store.

They sold  paper white bulbs along with some lovely smooth black rocks packaged in a brown paper bag with raffia tied around it. Every time I see these, it reminds me of Gran Fran. I found the above specimens at The Gardner in San Francisco this past weekend.

I think I'll bring her some this Thanksgiving.

After I posted this, my friend Jeff gave me the following advice (he's a garden guru, so trust him):

"OMG it is so easy to grow them. glass bowl, fill with rocks. nestle bulbs in rocks. add more rocks so rocks come up to shoulders of bulbs. bulbs shouldn't be touching. add water so water level is about half way up bulbs. every day check water to keep level between base of bulb and half way up bulb. don't add so much water that the whole bulb is submerged, they'll rot. put in room that gets lot of INDIRECT light. watch them grow!"

Shimeji Mushrooms

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I came across these mushrooms at Far West Fungi at the San Francisco Ferry Building yesterday. I come to this stall often to get Porcini mushrooms and stock, which I used in my Risotto recipe. The Shimeji mushrooms are beautiful and delicate. Since I usually buy dried mushrooms, I was intrigued by the soft and round quality of them.

Having never used Shimeji mushrooms before, I took a look at Wikipedia and found the following information:

Shimeji should always be cooked: it is not a good mushroom to serve raw due to a somewhat bitter taste, but the bitterness disappears completely upon cooking. The cooked mushroom has a pleasant, firm, slightly crunchy texture and a slightly nutty flavor. Cooking also makes this mushroom easier to digest. In stir-fried foods, as well as with wild game or seafood it is a good mushroom. Also it can be used in soups, stews and in sauces. When cooked alone, Shimeji mushrooms can be sautéed as a whole, including the stem or stalk (only the very end cut off), using a higher temperature or they can be slow roasted on a low temperature with a small amount of butter or cooking oil. Shimeji is used in soups, nabe and takikomi gohan.

I'm very much looking forward to a warm broth-based noodle dish incorporating these mushrooms, which, of course, I will share with you all!

Fig and Speck Pizza

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My mother grew up in an Italian-American family in Brooklyn. Gran Fran, my mother, has for all sorts of recipes, both old and new. Her favorites were passed down from her Nonna (the typical Italian grandma) and her mother. In turn, over the years, she has passed along her considerable collection of recipes and food facts to all of her children and now her grandchildren.

Recently, I asked Gran Fran about the difference between speck and pancetta. She told me speck is more like a black forest ham, cured, whereas pancetta is raw and needs to be cooked. She then shared this Fig and Speck Pizza recipe with me.

There are a lot of ingredients here, but it's a simple process to put the whole thing together. I bought pizza dough since I've never had much luck with making my own. The fun part comes when you spread everything out and grate that final sprinkling of parmesan over the top.

Have fun with this and enjoy your Fall!

recipe courtesy of Fran Claro of The Italian Pantry.

Fig and Speck Pizza

Ingredients:

  • Dough for 1 pizza crust, store-bought or homemade
  • 1 cup whole milk ricotta, well drained
  • 1/2 pound whole-milk mozzarella, thinly sliced
  • 1/4 pound speck, diced
  • 12 figs, halved lengthwise
  • 3 garlic cloves, quartered
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 6 basil leaves, torn
  • 3 tablespoons Parmigiano Reggiano, grated
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • Sprinkle coarse salt
  • Sprinkle red pepper flakes

Method:

  • Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
  • In the olive oil, saute garlic until golden; set aside oil and garlic.
  • Spread pizza dough in lightly oiled pan.
  • Smooth ricotta over dough; top with mozzarella.
  • Arrange figs in a pinwheel pattern atop mozzarella; sprinkle with speck.
  • Scatter garlic over ingredients; set oil aside.
  • Sprinkle pizza with basil, Parmigiano, salt, and pepper.
  • Drizzle with garlic oil and honey.
  • Bake 18 to 25 minutes, or until crust is golden and cheese is bubbling.

Finalist: Play With Your Food, instructables.com

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This is my entry from the instructables.com contest: Play With Your Food.I was a finalist, alas, did not win, but did have plenty of fun working on this project. Hope you do, too.

Edible gems. We’ve been talking a lot around here about fun things we could cook that would be a little different. And, as we got further into the conversation what with the Holidays coming, the timing couldn’t have been better, we realized that some of our ideas would make great party favors or small gifts.

My nephew asked if I knew how to make rock candy. That’s when my sister yelled out “candy jewelry!” She hit upon something classic. The idea of trying to update this kids classic was daunting, but I think I rose to the challenge quite nicely.

It has been over 17 years since I last tried my hand at hard candies. Making them now, I’m reminded of my tiny kitchen in my first non-roommate apartment with no counter and only a small foldout table. There was a point during that early attempt, where I had the trays laid out on our 7 foot mustard yellow thrift store couch. In hindsight, this could have been a huge sugary disaster, but hey, I was young, you did whatever you had to do to get by.

Speaking of which, I’m realizing now, that I’m heading back to that devil-may-care attitude these days. I’m so enamored with posting everything that I make right now, that I’m pushing myself to find the time and creativity to make something new and better each time.

Hard Candy Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup sugar
  • ½ cup light Corn Syrup¼ cup Water
  • ¾ tsp extract of choice (I used lemon)
  • Food coloring

Special Equipment:

  • Parchment paper
  • Non-stick Cooking Spray
  • Lollipop and Hard Candy Molds
  • Quilter’s Pins
  • Disposable Sheet Pans
  • Candy Thermometer
  • Colorful Thread for stringing

Method:

  • Lay down parchment paper on your work surface, it will make clean up so much easier.
  • Put pins in the molds and attach the molds to the sheet pans.Spray the molds with the non-stick cooking spray.
  • Combine sugar, corn syrup and water in a saucepan.Place the pan over medium-heat and insert the candy thermometer.
  • Do not stir.Heat the mixture to 295 degrees and remove the pan from the heat.
  • Stir in extract and food coloring at this point.Fill the candy molds with the mixture. I used metal spoons, but if you can create some kind of piping method, that would be great.
  • Allow the hard candies to cool completely.Carefully remove the candies from the molds.
  • Immediately thread a needle and string the candies as a pendant.
  • Package individually in waxed paper or small glassine envelopes

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Porcini Red Wine Risotto

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If you're not from here I'd like you to know that  San Francisco gets its Summer weather the last week in September or in early October. We're in it now, so are wearing skirts with no tights, but the sun is going down as if it's Fall. It is always an odd time of year for me because the light is changing and I expect a chill in the air, just like when I was little in NY.

This time of year (no matter what the weather) always makes me want to have warm, satisfying rice or pasta dishes. The other day I decided to break out my stand by risotto recipe. It's fairly simple, and oh-so-satisfying.

Just a note, I don't eat cheese, so the only dairy product in this recipe is butter: I can't seem to remove it completely from my repertoire. There's just no replacement for the flavor andcreaminess butter brings to rice. But, if you'd like to make this completely vegan, replace the butter with Olive Oil, it works just fine.

Ingredients:

  • 4 Bouillion Cubes (I use Porcini cubes, but you can use whatever type you like)
  • 4 Cups Water
  • 1 bag Dried Porcini Mushrooms
  • 1 cup Red Wine (or enough to fully cover the Dried Porcini Mushrooms)
  • 3 tbsps Butter
  • 2 tbsps Olive Oil
  • 3 cloves Garlic, minced
  • 2 Cups Arborio Rice
  • 4 Fresh Sage Leaves, minced (or 1/4 tsp Dried Sage)
  • Salt, Pepper and Red Pepper to taste

Make the Stock:

  • Heat the Bouillion and the water in a large saucepan.
  • Bring to a boil, making sure all the cubes dissolve completely.Lower to a simmer and stir occasionally until it is time to add the liquid to the rice.

I love Porcini mushrooms. When I discovered this boullion, I just about fell over in glee. It is amazing how strongly the mushroom flavors comes through. In general, I'm more of a chicken stock kind of girl, and I do not care for veggie stock. It usually tastes way too much like celery for my liking. But these cubes make it possible to have the best of a non-meat based boullion and a well flavored broth all in one.

Soak the Dried Porcini

  • Pour the cup of red wine into a small saucepan.
  • Add the Porcini mushrooms, making sure there is enough wine to completely submerge them.Bring the wine to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
  • Keep simmering for about fifteen minutes, until the mushrooms are soft.Pour the wine and mushrooms through a sieve or strainer, making sure to capture all of the liquid in a bowl beneath the strainer.
  • Chop mushrooms coarsely and set aside.Startthe Rice:

Again, Porcini is my favorite. Any chance I have to add them to a dish, I take it. The dried ones are usually what I have on hand, and they work well.

In San Francisco, there is a whole mushroom booth at the giant Ferry Building farmer's market. We're lucky enough to get frozen fresh Porcini there. It costs an arm and a leg, but the flavor is so intense you don't need to use that much, so a bag lasted me for a good six months in the freezer.

The red wine makes the depth of the earthy flavors shine through. If you can afford to use a higher quality cup of wine here, you'll taste the difference.

Start the Rice:

  • Heat a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat.
  • Add butter and allow to melt, then add the Olive Oil.• Lower heat to medium-low and add the minced garlic.
  • Saute garlic until almost opaque.• Add rice, stirring to cover all the grains in the butter/oil mixture

Quite simply, you are trying to get the rice to cook slowly so that it will toast somewhat in the beginning and then take its time absorbing all of the lovely stock and wine you are going to add to it.Take your time here, and if it seems things are starting to stick or burn, lower the heat and relax. If you like a glass of wine, now's a good time to grab one, as you get ready to stir for a bit.

Cook the Rice:

  • Using a 1/2 cup measure, add 1/2 cup of stock to the rice pot, stirring constantly.
  • As soon as the stock has been completely absorbed, add another 1/2 cup and stir until absorbed.
  • Alternating 1/2 cup of stock and wine, continue adding liquid and stirring to absorb until all the liquid has been added.
  • The rice should be soft and ready to eat once all the liquid has been incorporated.
  • Remove the pot from the heat and add the sage, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes to the rice.

This is the most time consuming step, but again, just take it slow and don't worry, you'll be eating soon enough.

Make sure that all of the liquid gets absorbed before you make a move to add more. It's tough to wait, I know I've rushed it before and regretted it after the fact. The rice needs time to soak it all up before it takes another breath and is ready to drink up some more.

It'll be well worth your effort (and the number of pans you'll have to clean). It's a great Fall dish, especially if you live somewhere where the weather has actually started to shift to coolness.

Enjoy and eat up!

How to Make the Chutney

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On a warm San Francisco Sunday we decided it was necessary to get some of our nice late Summer fruits canned up for the coming Fall. The chutney I ended up with is sweet and tangy, with a nice hint of sage, which is perfect with roast, especially pork.

It's a very simple recipe, and the way I did it, required little more than measuring (sort of), chopping and boiling down the fruits.

Herewith, the recipe.

Hope you enjoy it.

Orange, Fig and Sage Chutney

3 to 4 pounds Oranges, sliced into 8 pieces each

1 lb granulated Sugar

1 basket Figs (about 14 figs), sliced in half

3 sprigs Sage, minced1/4 cup Lemon juiceRind of 1/2 Orange

2 cups water, or enough to cover

Make the Chutney:

Put all the ingredients into a large, heavy bottomed pan, making sure there is enough water to cover the fruit.

Set over a medium heat and bring to a boil.

Once the mixture boils, lower the heat to a simmer and stir regularly to keep it from sticking to the pan.

While you are stirring, press down on the orange pieces to release the juice.

As soon as you are satisfied with the texture of yo

ur chutney (meaning it will be chunky, good for spreading on meats!), turn off the heat making sure that your jars/lids are ready to be filled.

Boil your jars and lids while the fruit is bubbling away in the other pan

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Take a large wide pan, fill with water, enough to submerge the jars and lids, and place on the heat to boil.

Once the water has boiled, lower to a simmer and keep the jars in the water for five minutes.

When the chutney is ready, remove each jar and lid one by one onto a

clean cloth, right side up, to keep them as sterile as possible.

Fill your jars and  seal them:

Ladle chutney into each jar, filling up to the bottom of the neck of the jar, leaving headspace for the sealing to go well.

Wipe down the top of the jar to make sure nothing is sticky on the outside, so that you can seal the jars, and they can be opened again.

Put the lid on and close it as tightly as you can.

Turn the jars upside down and leave to cool. This will seal the jars.

some people re-boil the filled jars, but I opt not to. if you want to, this is the time to do it!

Scones on a Sunday

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I maybe gluten-free, but my daughter, Ms Iz, certainly is not. She is very good about eating my versions of baked goods and pastas. But, every now and then, she wants the real deal.

Her request this weekend was for some "gluten-full" scones, please. I happily made them for her.

I've used the NY Times recipe for Tea Scones for years. I wonder, too, if this is Gran Fran's scone recipe of choice. It's a nice recipe, very simple and when you take your time with it, the results are great. Very fluffy and satisfying.

Ms Iz loves lemon curd on her scones, and not too much butter. As you can see below, I made half a batch with chocolate chips. These were well received, but the orignal ones went over big.

So, get your paper, a cup of tea and some berries and settle in with these wonderful scones.

Click on this link to the NY Times online to get the recipe.

Enjoy!

The Jam Continues On

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My friend and I did some more canning this past weekend. Ms. S is a lovely lady from Minnesota with a grandma in Iowa who taught her about all things preserved. I am not much of a measurer (ala Gran Fran), Ms. S measures everything to a T.

Needless to say, our jam session was interesting, what with me just chucking all sorts of stuff in my pot, and her making sure to follow her grandma's instructions to the letter. Of course, Ms. S ended up with a lovely and perfect batch of strawberry jam, which was perfectly set and tasted great.

I ended up with more of a chunky sauce, best to accompany meats. It's not that mine tastes bad, on the contrary, it tastes great. But, it's really hard to classify it. The ingredients are simple enough: oranges, figs, sugar, water, pectin, sage and cinnamon. The end result is really flavorful, just not necessarily for spreading on one's toast.

Mostly, I'm here to boast about how I used my first jar. By spreading it over a pork loin, that was placed atop carrots and new potatoes for roasting.  The jam melted into a wonderful sauce. It coated all the veggies and gave the pork a really nice sheen, not to mention the contrast of the sweet orange flavor with the meat.

The greatest part about working with Ms. S, was how we each approached our projects with such different attitudes. We acknowledged that though each of us had her own way, we could totally see the benefit to each of our methods. It's nice to find someone who is different from you, but who gets you so completely.

The recipe that follows is just for the pork loin. I want to refine the chutney recipe a bit more before I post it officially, so, for now, I will recommend that you use a nice orange marmalade instead.

Pork Loin, Carrots and Potatoes with Orange Jam


Ingredients

  • 2 pounds Pork Loin
  • 8-10 New or Fingerling Potatoes cut into quarters
  • 2 large Carrots, cut into 1/4 inch chunks
  • 3 sprigs fresh Sage, chopped coarsley
  • 1/4 cup Orange Marmalade
  • Oil for searing the meat
  • Salt and Pepper to Taste
Method
  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
  • Place a heavy-bottomed non-reactive oven proof pan on the stove over medium-high heat. When it is heated well, add olive oil to coat the bottom.
  • Put the pork loin in the hot pan and sear on both sides, about 4 to 5 minutes per side.
  • Once the meat is seared, pick it up with tongs and put the potatoes and carrots beneath in the pan, then put the pork on top of the veggies.
  • Spread the marmalade, jam or whatever saucy goodness you are using over the meat, making sure to coat it thoroughly. It's also nice to get some of it on the veggies, so they get a little crispy and sweet while they cook.
  • Sprinkle sage over the pork and add some salt and pepper.
  • Place the pan in the pre-heated oven and cook for approximately 25 minutes.