Pasta Alla Norma With Roasted Eggplant And Smoked Carolina Sausage

Pin It

Legend has it that the original Pasta Alla Norma was created as a tribute to the opera "Norma" composed by Vincenzo Bellini.   He was from Sicily where this dish originated.  This is a Southern twist on this old Italian favorite with the addition of smoked Carolina sausage.  If you haven't tried the latter, you are in for a big treat.

Pasta Alla Norma is essentially pasta with tomatoes, fried eggplant, grated ricotta salata cheese, and basil. The kick comes in the form of chili peppers or red pepper flakes.  Because this recipe has sausages that are already spicy and hot we omit them here.   The idea came after grilling a few too many links on the 4th of July.  Don't omit them.  It is really the game changer that takes this recipe from great to spectacular.

If Smoked Carolina Links are not available in your neck of the woods, try substituting hot Italian ones, but grill them.  Don't be afraid of all the cheeses.  I use a relatively small amount of each but it creates a good texture.  It is also one of the few pastas that reheats well the next day.

Friends and readers are always asking me for new eggplant recipes around this time of the year.  Here is one you will enjoy and one I promise you will be making again and again.

 

SERVES 4—6

2 medium eggplants, cut into 3/4″ cubes
7 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4 Smoked Carolina Sausage Links or hot Italian sausages.
1 small yellow onion, minced
1/8 tsp. crushed red chile flakes (only use if not using hot sausages)
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 28-oz. can whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes, undrained and crushed by hand
16 fresh basil leaves, torn by hand
1 lb. fettucine, bucatini or spaghetti
1/4  to 1/2 cup heavy cream or milk
6 oz. ricotta cheese
6 oz. shredded mozzarella
3 TB. grated Parmigiano


Directions:

Heat oven to 500º. Put eggplant into a bowl and drizzle with 4 tbsp. oil. Toss to combine and season with salt and pepper. Transfer eggplant to a baking sheet and bake, turning occasionally, until soft and caramelized, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a rack; set aside.  Grill  the 2 smoked sausage links or hot Italian Sausage. You can also cook them in the oven or in a skillet.  Mine were leftovers from the night before.   When done cut in cubes and set aside with the eggplant.

Lower oven temperature to 350 degrees

Heat remaining oil in a 5-qt. pot over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring, until soft, about 10 minutes. Add chile flakes and garlic and cook, stirring, until garlic softens, about 3 minutes. I actually added less pepper flakes since the sausages were hot and spicy.  Add tomatoes and half the basil, season with salt, and cook until heated through, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until just al dente, about 9 minutes. Drain the pasta.  In a square casserole dish, smear about 2 TB. of the tomato sauce in the bottom.  Add the pasta and most of the tomato sauce but save about 3 TBS.  Mix a bit but not completely.  Stir in reserved eggplant, the sausage. the ricotta and the mozzarella and toss to combine.  Add about 1/4 cup of heavy cream (or milk) to soften it up a bit.  Stir in remaining basil and taste for with salt. Add the remaining tomato sauce in teaspoonfuls and stagger them on top.

Before going into the oven

Top with grated Parmesan cheese and place in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes until the cheese has melted on top and it's bubbly in the bottom.  To serve, transfer pasta to a platter and garnish with more parmesan cheese if desired..

Picnic Fare...Duck Pate De Campagne

Pin It

I know you are going to take a quick look at the ingredients and directions of this recipe and come to the erroneous conclusion that this is not for you.   Thus, you will be missing out on one of the best pates you will ever have....here or in France.

Some of the best things I have ever made have come from what was left over from a previous meal.  This is one of them. It reminds me of recipes I have initially discarded as too complicated and only after a second reading have I come to the conclusion that they can be made in two stages with the first being an original meal and the leftovers the basis for the second. Case in point, the original recipe for this pate involves roasting a duck.  Do you remember the last time I roasted one? If you are an avid follower you will recall that it was at Christmas time when I had to cancel a party and give away a couple of ducks because I had come down with the flu.  Not a flu, THE FLU.   Well one of the ducks did get roasted sometime in January and the leftovers packed and put in the freezer for a summer pate.

About a month ago I got a call from my daughter to clear out "all the body parts" from the freezer to make room for a Costco run.  Guess what I found!   Carefully packed and surrounded by other "body parts" like chicken livers and wings and backs, which I freeze to make broth, was the leftover meat from the ducks together with the livers.  The next day I took out a trio of recipes that had appealed to me and off I went.

Now here's the rub.  The pate is made over a period of a week and laid in the refrigerator to rest for at least another three days, so plan ahead.  The steps are simple and not complicated.  I promise you will not be in the kitchen on any of these days for more than 20 minutes.  The end result will be an amazing pate and one you will be proud to take anywhere, especially on a picnic!

This recipe is for 12 or 14.  You can always bake it in two terrine molds and serve them at different times.  It goes a long way.   Also perfect for when you have weekend guests served with a French potato salad, lightly dressed,  a baguette or toast points, Dijon mustard and cornichons.   The perfect Saturday lunch.   Concert in the park, lunch on the boat?  How about the perfect hostess gift!

My lunch three days in a row!

I suggest you roast a duck, or two, and make a meal of it one night and use the leftovers for this recipe.  I know it can be a pain to roast a duck when it's hot but you have no other alternative if you want to enjoy a duck pate in the summer.  Just looking at these photos makes me want to make it again!

Duck Pate de Campagne

Ingredients:

1 lbs roasted duck meat from leftovers
3 cloves garlic minced
4 tbsp. Cognac,  or Grand Marnier (I used Cognac)
9 fresh or dried bay leaves
1/2 cup dry white wine
 
1 lb. ground pork
3⁄4 lb. fatback, chilled
1⁄4 lb. duck or chicken livers
1/4 finely chopped shallots
1 tbsp. chopped thyme
leaves plus 8 sprigs
1⁄2 tsp. ground cloves
1⁄2 tsp. allspice
1⁄4 tsp. ground nutmeg

3 or 3 chicken livers cut in half
4 1⁄2 tsp. kosher salt

1⁄3 cup shelled pistachios
3 tbsp. dried green peppercorns
12–15 slices bacon

Directions:

Day 1

1. Cut the leftover meat from the duck breasts into 1⁄2" cubes. Transfer duck,  2 finely chopped  garlic cloves, Cognac or orange liqueur,  3 torn bay leaves,  to a small bowl; stir to coat the duck pieces. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 day and up to 3 days, to allow the flavors to come together. (The longer the duck marinates, the better the pâté will taste.)

This is all you will do today.

 Day 3

In a bowl combine the ground pork, the fatback or bacon cut into pieces, the chopped dark meat from the duck legs.  


2. Meanwhile, in the bowl of a food processor, finely chop the remaining garlic and the shallots. Scrape the sides of the bowl with rubber spatula. Add dark duck meat and fatback or bacon and the livers. . In short bursts, pulse until the mixture resembles coarse hamburger meat, about 20 pulses. Add the ground pork and pulse a couple of times until just combined.  Transfer to a large bowl. To this bowl also add the duck breast meat with the marinade. Add the white wine and the pistachios.

Add  chopped thyme, cloves, nutmeg, allspice and salt and pepper. Mix the ingredients together with your hands until well combined. Test the mixture for seasoning by heating some olive oil in an 8" skillet over medium-high heat. Transfer a pinch of the mixture to skillet and cook, flipping once, until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Taste; adjust seasoning accordingly.

 Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 day and up to 3 days, to allow the meats to cure and the flavors to come together.

Day 6

3.When you're ready to assemble the pâté, remove bay leaves from duck mixture; discard. Using a spoon, fold duck mixture and any juices from marinade into the forcemeat along with the pistachios and peppercorns; set aside in the refrigerator.

4. Meanwhile, line the bottom of a 1 1⁄2-qt. rectangular terrine mold with 4 evenly spaced thyme sprigs and 3 bay leaves. Place bacon crosswise along the bottom and up the sides of the mold, covering the herbs.

5. Spoon the meat–duck mixture into the terrine mold and gently smooth the top with the back of a spoon. Lay 4 strips bacon lengthwise across the top of the pâté. Cover bacon with remaining thyme sprigs and bay leaves. Cover the top of the pâté with 2 sheets of aluminum foil; crimp foil around edges of the mold to form a tight seal.

6. Heat oven to 325°. Transfer terrine mold to a 9" x 13" baking dish. Transfer dish to middle rack of the oven. Pour in enough boiling water that it reaches 1⁄2" up the sides of the terrine. Bake the pâté until an instant-read thermometer inserted into center reads 158°, about 2 hours.

7. Transfer baking dish to a rack; remove foil. Cut out 2 rectangles of cardboard to fit inside rim of terrine mold. Wrap cardboard rectangles in foil and place them over pâté. Place three 15-oz. soup cans atop cardboard; let sit in water bath for 1 hour; remove. (Weighting makes the pâté easier to slice.)

8. Refrigerate pâté (in its mold) for at least 1 day and up to 4 days. To serve, slide a knife along edges of pâté to loosen it. Invert the pâté onto a cutting board and slide a butter knife along one short edge to free the pâté from the mold. Cut into 3⁄4" slices and serve with baguette, Dijon mustard, and cornichons.

SERVES 12–14 AS AN APPETIZER

Cooks Note:  I have a couple of these terrine molds made in France by Apilco.

Recipe and photos Lindaraxa

A Perfect Saturday Night Menu... Grilled Lobster Tails & Strawberry Tart!

Pin It

 Let's face it, not everyone has access to Maine lobster tails.  That is a fact that my daughter and I have had to adjust to living here in the South.  That and not being able to grow lilacs has been perhaps the biggest adjustment we have had to make since we moved here; but then again,  we have other things.

Yes, we have had to sacrifice the lilacs for jasmin, camellias, gardenias, magnolias, wisteria, and honeysuckle, which grows wild everywhere, and Maine lobster for catfish!  On balance, the flowers have it, hands down. Now in Florida, the fish had it big time for all I had to do was go down to the docks and wait for the boats every afternoon, loaded with red snapper, yellow tail, or grouper.  Sometimes we would get the Florida lobsters which Floridians claim they like better than Maine lobsters but to me that is a cop out.  Let's face it guys, there is nothing in the world better than a fresh Maine lobster.  Admit it and get on with it!

If you shop around you will find lobster tails at the Fresh Market, Whole Foods, and Costco.  Read the labels carefully for the country of origin.  Some will say Brazil, South Africa, or Thailand.  They are kind of greyish, or maybe its my eyes, and they taste quite different from Maine lobster.  At the Publix here in town we have live ones from Maine but my daughter thinks they look sad so we don't buy them.  Who would ever think of cooking a sad lobster...

Last weekend my daughter went to Costco by herself for she claims that my coming along always ends up costing her more. So she came back with two of the biggest lobster tails I have ever seen for a hefty price she wouldn't admit to.

Now one thing I have had to learn the hard way is that you do not cook this kind of lobster the way you would the ones from Maine.  The latter you steam and enjoy with lemon and melted butter.  These ones require a little more creativity.  We argued exchanged ideas all afternoon about how best to cook them and since it had been her idea (and expense) I thought it best she tackle them herself.  And that she did, in spades!  It is by far the best way we have found to prepare this kind of lobster.

The menu that night was simple and unexpectedly elegant:  There was no planning, just pulling together a few things from the fridge such as a box of fresh strawberries I had bought for making preserves.

Chilled Watercress Soup

Grilled Lobster With Herb Butter

Cherry Tomatoes With Oil, White Balsamic Vinegar And Basil

Strawberry Tart

 If you made the watercress soup like I did a couple of nights before, all you had to do was serve it in chilled demitasse cups.  The tart came together when I realized there was nothing for me to do except watch someone else make the dinner.  That frustrates me to no end.   The recipe for the dough is from Julia Child and it was a cinch to make while enjoying a chilled glass of Sancerre.   Oysters on the half shell would be perfect if you want to splurge and impress your guests.  You can always throw them on the grill.

It is the perfect menu for when you are having special guests on a hot summer evening.

Grilled Lobster Tails With Herb Butter

Ingredients

1 stick salted butter, at room temperature
2 tablespoons chopped chives
1 tablespoon chopped tarragon leaves
1 clove garlic, minced
Dash hot sauce
Freshly ground black pepper
4 (7-ounce) lobster tails
Olive oil
Kosher salt
Lemon wedges, for garnish
Chive sprigs
Special equipment: 4 metal skewers

Directions

Preheat your grill to direct medium-high heat.

In a small bowl blend butter, chives, tarragon, minced garlic, hot sauce, and black pepper with a rubber spatula. Blend thoroughly. Cover with plastic wrap and reserve.

Using kitchen shears, butterfly the lobster tails straight down the middle of the softer underside of the shell. Cut the meat down the center without cutting all the way through. Insert a metal skewer down the lobster tail so the tail stands straight. Brush the tails with olive oil and season with salt, to taste.

Grill lobsters cut side down over medium high heat about 5 minutes, until the shells are bright in color. Turn the tails over and spoon a generous tablespoon of herb butter onto the butterflied meat. Grill for another 4 minutes, or until the lobster meat is an opaque white color.

Remove lobster tails from the grill and serve with more herb butter and lemon wedges. Garnish with chive sprigs.

Recipe from The Neely's, Food Network

Photos Lindaraxa

 

Cold Cream of Watercress Soup

Pin It

There is nothing more elegant as a starter than watercress soup, hot or cold.  When I have a dinner party I serve it in demitasse cups.  About a half hour before we sit down to dinner I bring out a large silver tray with the cups and pass them around.  Not only is it a pleasant surprise for the guests but also a simple way to serve the soup. I am always thinking of ways to eliminate dishes particularly when I do not have outside help.

Watercress is in your grocery stores right now.  Don't pass it up if you see it, even if you are not entertaining.  I made some last week and we have been enjoying it since them.  Perfect for a quick lunch.




There are a few recipes out there but the one I have always made is Julia Child's.  Here is the recipe:


POTAGE CREME DE CRESSON
(Cream of Watercress Soup)

from Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child


Ingredients:



1/3 cup minced green onions
3 Tbs. butter
3 to 4 cups packed cups of fresh water cress leaves and tender stems, washed and dried in a towel
1/2 tsp. salt
3 Tbs. flour
5-1/2 cups boiling chicken stock
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 to 2 Tablespoons softened butter
Watercress leaves, for garnish, optional



Directions:

Cook the onions slowly in butter in a covered saucepan for 5 to 10 minutes, until tender but not browned.

Stir in the water cress and salt, cover and cook slowly for about 5 minutes until tender and wilted.

Sprinkle in the flour and stir over moderate heat for 3 minutes.

Off heat, beat in the boiling stock. Simmer for 5 minutes, then puree through a food mill (I used a blender). Return the soup to the saucepan and correct seasoning. (If not to be served immediately, set aside uncovered. Reheat to simmer before prodeeding.)

Blend the yolks and cream in a mixing bowl. Beat a cupful of the soup into them by dribbles. Gradually beat in the rest of the soup. Return the soup to the saucepan and stir over moderate heat for a minute or two to poach the egg yolks, but do not bring the soup to the simmer.

Off heat, beat in the enrichment butter a tablespoon at a time. (I skipped this step).

Pour the soup into a tureen or soup cups and decorate with the optional watercress leaves.

TO SERVE COLD: Omit the final butter enrichment and chill. If too thick, stir in more cream
 

Blue Point Oysters On The Half Shell And How To Shuck Them

Pin It

There is nothing I love more than Blue Point Oysters.  Last week while I was marking time waiting for some lamps to be fixed, I stopped at Whole Foods.  This store is a pain in the neck for me to visit as it is far off the beaten path.  Much to my surprise it was smack across the street from the lamp store and I had two hours to kill.  Good news and bad news, for this is a place where I can really get in trouble.

After loading my cart to half full and then unloading three quarters of it (after a serious talk with myself)  I decided to revisit the fish counter where I had talked myself out of buying the oysters at least three times.    To begin with they would not shuck them, so I had to do it myself.  Secondly I had a long drive which was a major concern.  But I wanted those oysters really, really bad.

While I was in NYC last month I had dinner with my friends Reggie D. and Boy F. and we had the most delightful East Coast oysters I have had in a long time.  They were cold and fresh, as if they had just come out of the sea.  A memory like that stays with you for a long time, specially if you are an oyster aficionado like me.  One of the things I miss the most in this part of  Georgia is fresh fish and shellfish,  particularly lobster and oysters.   When I see them so close and yet so far because I don't know how to shuck them, it can be a major problem.  And these were Blue Points no less,  the cat's meow as far as I am concerned.

Now, don't let people talk you into ordering or buying the wrong thing.  The term Blue Point is often used loosely for oysters from the North Atlantic.  True bluepoints are raised in Long Island's Great South Bay where they were first found. There are others from the same genus, such as  "New Jersey bluepoints" and "Virginia bluepoints", but they are not the real Blue Points, although I'm sure they'll do in a pinch.

Luckily I had a really nice fellow at WF who took pity on me and showed me how to shuck the oysters with a special little knife they sell there.  Okay, I can do this.  If I can make a souffle I can shuck an oyster; and you know what,  I did it!!!

I encourage you to try it i only for the thrill of saying you have.  Think of all the money you'll save by purchasing them at the fish monger and serving them at home.  Can you imagine the face on your guests when you tell them you shucked then yourself!.  It really is a cinch, if you have the right tool.  Slide it where you see a little opening, usually towards the back, wiggle it until you get traction and pop!  Here's a video.  I did not have those fancy gloves, just my little oyster knife which I got a Whole Foods for $5 and a towel. Hold them like he shows you so you won't loose the juice like I did.

The guys packed them in ice for the ride home and I put them in the refrigerator until ready to eat.  Make sure you keep them very cold or they will start to open up.  You don't want that. 

The rest, as they say, is history.  I served them, to myself,  on crushed ice with some lemon and cocktail sauce.  That's how I like them.  I have never been able to eat them with a mignonette sauce.  I go into convulsions when the vinegar hits my nose, which can be quite embarrasing when you are in a nice restaurant.  Can you imagine if that had happened while dining with Reggie D? Even though he is on hiatus, I am sure a post would be forthcoming on how to keep your cool while your guest is chocking on  mignonette sauce.

Never pass up doing something you really want to do just because you don't know how.  Learn and  try it, if only for the experience.  You would be surprised at what you can do if you just put your mind to it.

Photos Lindaraxa
Oyster knife Google

 

Friday Night Dinner On The Deck...Crispy And Cheesy Zucchini

Pin It

Friday night is my favorite time to cook dinner.  Even when I worked,  it was a time to take out the pots and pans and cook something special perhaps in celebration of two days of R & R!  Now that I am retired I go at it with gusto and try to make it fun for my daughter and me.

Last night was the first Friday in a long time that we have not had a downpour.  The weather this year in this part of the country has been bad for those who work and look forward to a weekend at the lake.  Heavy rain and tornado warnings have been the order of the day and a couple of times already we have sat in front of the TV waiting for the sign to go down to the basement.  Yikes, and I thought hurricanes were bad...at least you get plenty of warning.  The only ones enjoying this weather have been the flowers in the garden; that is, except for the geraniums whose leaves turn brown from so much water.

One of my favorite dishes with steak is zucchini.  I have several ways of preparing them in the summer, usually in combination with tomatoes and onions and basil, of course.  Last night I decided I wanted them simple, crispy and with a little cheese, given the fact that my daughter had already asked for a cauliflower gratin and grilled potobellos.  You should see the amount of Parmeggiano Regiano we go through in this house!

There really is no recipe for making zucchini in this simple way;  but make plenty,  for once cooked they seem to evaporate!

If you are having company for dinner make a strawberry tart for dessert!

For 2 people

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Slice 2 zucchinis in fairly thin rounds.  Sprinkle some fresh oregano, salt and pepper.

In a skillet melt 1 TB butter and 2 TB olive oil.  Add 2 cloves of garlic, mashed and thinly sliced.  Sautee until golden and remove to a plate.  Add the zucchini rounds in a single layer and cook undisturbed until browned .  Flip and do the same on the other side.  Remove to a plate.  Cook the rest of the zucchini and if you need to add more butter and olive oil do so but sparingly.  Once all the zucchini are browned transfer to a gratin dish. Sprinkle liberally with Parmesan cheese and drizzle the oil from the pan over the cheese.  Bake for about 20 minutes or until browned on top.

Strawberry Cheesecake For A Mother To Be

Pin It

I just realized that it's been ages since I shared a dessert recipe but I have been lazy this summer and have not entertained at all.  I usually make a dessert when I have guests, a great excuse to try something new and post it on the blog.  The fact that the weather has been miserable doesn't help either.  We have had rain practically every weekend...really big downpours is a better word.

Today, looking at my now inactive lake blog, My Kitchen by the Lake,  I came across a recipe that I am sure most of you have not seen.  It was published almost two years ago shortly after my favorite neighbors moved out of town.  She loves cheesecake and I made this dessert for her farewell dinner.  The original post is here

It also gives me the chance to make it up to Ina after the bad review I gave her frozen meals.  This is her recipe and it's typical of what we have all come to expect from her.  Simple, easy, delicious and more importantly, reliable.

Strawberry cheesecake is a favorite of expectant mothers...wonder why.  If you have one in your life, this will bring a big smile to her face!

Strawberry Cheesecake

Prep 30 min Cook1 hr 30 min


Ingredients

For the crust:

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (10 crackers)

1 tablespoon sugar

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted



For the filling:


2 1/2 pounds cream cheese, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups sugar

5 whole extra-large eggs, at room temperature

2 extra-large egg yolks, at room temperature

1/4 cup sour cream

1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (2 lemons)

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract


For the topping:

1 cup red jelly (not jam), such as currant, raspberry, or strawberry

3 half-pints fresh raspberries (I used strawberries because that is what she likes and she is expecting!)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

To make the crust, combine the graham crackers, sugar, and melted butter until moistened. Pour into a 9-inch springform pan. With your hands, press the crumbs into the bottom of the pan and about 1-inch up the sides. Bake for 8 minutes. Cool to room temperature.

Raise the oven temperature to 450 degrees F.

To make the filling, cream the cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Reduce the speed of the mixer to medium and add the eggs and egg yolks, 2 at a time, mixing well. Scrape down the bowl and beater, as necessary. With the mixer on low, add the sour cream, lemon zest, and vanilla. Mix thoroughly and pour into the cooled crust.

Bake for 15 minutes. Turn the oven temperature down to 225 degrees F and bake for another 1 hour and 15 minutes. Check 5 or 10 minutes before in case your oven  runs hot, like mine.  It should not be perfectly set...it should jiggle a bit in the center.

Turn the oven off and open the door wide. The cake will not be completely set in the center. Allow the cake to sit in the oven with the door open for 30 minutes. Take the cake out of the oven and allow it to sit at room temperature for another 2 to 3 hours, until completely cooled. Wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Remove the cake from the springform pan by carefully running a hot knife around the outside of the cake. Leave the cake on the bottom of the springform pan for serving.

To make the topping, melt the jelly in a small pan over low heat. In a bowl, toss the raspberries/strawberries and the warm jelly gently until well mixed. Arrange the berries on top of the cake. Refrigerate until ready to serve.


Note: Measure your springform pan. The bottom of mine measures 9 inches.

Recipe adapted from Ina Garten
Photos Lindaraxa