Lamb Shanks Osso Bucco: Why We Have Winter

Bruce Aidells and Denis Kelly's Complete Meat Cookbook has proved an invaluable friend in our kitchen library. Whenever I find myself in need of a little red meat in my life, The Book is there to guide me in its preparation. I'm especially enraptured with this recipe for lamb shanks osso-bucco style. It's the sort of thing I love to whip out on a chilly (or semi-chilly - this is California) winter evening, when the world seems to call out for braised meat, red wine, and polenta. Perfection.

INGREDIENTS:

4-6 lamb shanks
Olive oil

SAUCE
1 ounce prosciutto, pancetta, or good old bacon
2 medium onions, sliced
1 carrot, chopped
2 tablespoons garlic
1 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 cups peeled, seeded, and diced fresh tomatoes, or seeded + diced canned tomatoes (the GOOD ones)
2 cups meat stock, preferably beef
2-3 strips of lemon peel
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme or oregano (I like thyme)

Get the oven up to 325 first off. Find a big oven-safe skillet or pot, then heat up the olive oil. Brown the shanks over high heat - about 5 to 7 minutes all told. Put the meat aside.

Pour off most of the fat from the pan, but not all, you damned puritan. Turn the heat down to medium, then toss in the prosciutto, onions, and carrot. Cook for ten minutes, stirring often, until the vegetables are nice and soft, then put in the garlic. Cook for one more minute, then put in the wine, tomatoes, and stock. Bring this all to a boil.

Toss in the lemon peel, bay leaf, rosemary, thyme, and the lamb shanks, then cover the pot with foil. Put it in the center of the oven. Bake for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the meat is quite tender, turning from time to time during the cooking process. Remove the shanks and cover them to keep them warm. Degrease the sauce, take out the bay leaves and lemon peel, and then reduce by half over high heat. This could take a bit. Be patient. Add salt and pepper at your own discretion.



Serve with polenta or risotto. I'm a polenta girl myself. I served this with the Lee Brother's tarragon-lime carrots and some slow-cooked Southern collard greens, as well as a salad with a simple balsamic vinegrriate. I thought it made for a very nice winter combination. Break out a good Zin and you are living the good life, crappy weather, seasonal depression, and pre-or-post holiday ennui be damned.

The Zuni Cafe's Chicken Braised With Figs and Honey

God, I love fresh figs. There's few things nicer then a fresh fig, combined with pretty much anything. Eat them in the summertime with thick Greek yogurt and honey. Roast them in the oven with a little bit of stinky cheese , some honey, and bacon. Toss em' in your cereal and eat them fresh off the tree. The Greek gods ate boatloads of them, and so, I imagine, did Alexander the Great and all those other Mediterranean luminaries: they knew what the score was. I'll take figs any way they're being offered up. Even fig leaves are beautifully shaped - and highly useful for covering up naked people in Renaissance paintings.

When it comes to figs for dinner, Judy Roger's delightful Zuni Cafe Chicken Braised with Figs, Honey, and Vinegar is my go-to, my main squeeze. I adore braises and I really adore figs, and this winter dish is the the perfect synthesis of the two.

The Zuni Cafe's Chicken Braised with Figs, Honey and Vinegar

Source: The Zuni Cafe Cookbook by Judy Rodgers
Yield: Serves 4

4 chicken legs (thigh plus drumstick)
salt
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and cut into chunks
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons dry white vermouth
about 1/2 cup strong chicken stock
1 bay leaf
1 sprig fresh thyme
a few crushed black peppercorns
about 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
about 1 tablespoon honey
8 to 10 ripe fresh figs, more if you're an addict like yours truely.

Wash and dry the chicken legs. Season with salt and stick in the fridge until it is time to use them.

Preheat the oven to 375F/190C. Pat the legs dry. Heat up the olive oil to a nicely popping state, then put in the chicken legs. Cook until the skin is golden brown and crispy, not moving the chicken, for 8-10 minutes. Turn the legs over and cook for about four minutes on the other side, then pour off the chicken fat. Or keep it for other uses. We're not going to judge you.

Put the chicken in a roasting dish if you must, and an oven-safe skillet if you're doing this right. Put the onion wedges in between the chicken legs, then put in the wine,t he vermouth, and the chicken stock, up to a depth of about a 1/2 of an inch. Get it simmering on the stove, then toss in the bay leaf, the thyme, and the pepper.

Put the uncovered roasting pan or skillet in the oven and cook - roughly 40 minutes should suffice. You want crispy skin and nicely reduced liquid, with a nice fall-apart texture to the meat inside. Take out the pan or roasting dish and pour or skim off the surplus fat again.



Put the pan over medium heat, then bring to a boil again: you want to reduce the liquid to a nice thick sauce. Put in the figs amongst the chicken and onions, then put in the vinegar and honey, continuing to gently swirl the sauce. Keep boiling until the sauce is thick and delicious looking. The flavor may be tweaked according to one's proclivities. .

Serve the chicken legs with plenty of sauce, onions, and figs. You may encounter interfamilial strife over who gets the most figs. This is an unfortunate byproduct of preparing this dish and should be accepted with grace and understanding. Serve with polenta or rustic, crusty bread. Devour.



I also made a big pot of collards, using my go to recipe out of the dearly departed Gourmet magazine. The link to my earlier blog post is over here. As always, they were delicious. The trick, as with most Southern food, is avoiding the urge to skimp on the bacon. Just roll with it. Give in.

Shrimp Vindaloo: It's Actually Sorta Portuguese!

Vindaloo is an Indian dish that's particularly common in Goa - the well known Indian "vindaloo" derives from the Portuguese dish Carne de Vinha d' Alhos, which was adapted with tons of spices to the Indian palate. Today's vindaloo is defined primarily by the addition of vinegar - red wine vinegar traditionally - and a considerable amount of chili. Although vindaloo is traditionally prepared with pork, shrimp can be easily substituted, as I've done here. Vindaloo isn't all that common in India - in fact, I don't remember seeing it on the menu anywhere - but it sure as hell is good and worthy of addition to your recipe roster. This particular recipe is from the Cooking Club cookbook, and it's pretty darn easy (and good).

You will need (for 4 servings):



1 teaspoon whole cloves
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
2 teaspoons garam masala
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
1/3 cup tamarind concentrate/paste
4 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons chopped ginger root
1 tablespoon ghee or vegetable oil
1 to 2 pounds shrimp
1 teaspoon salt
Fresh black pepper
1 large onion, sliced
1/2 cup water
1/2 of a 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes, with juice
7 curry leaves/ 2 bay leaves
1 tsp sugar
1 red bell pepper cut into 1 inch pieces



Get yourself a small skillet and heat it over medium heat. Add the cloves and mustard seeds, and dry roast them til' they get fragrant - about 2 minutes.



Put the cloves and mustard seeds into a blender jar, along with the garam masala, turmeric, cinnamon, cayenne, vinegar, tamarind, garlic, and ginger. Blend it all at a nice high speed until it's turned into something approximating a liquid.



Now, heat up the ghee or oil, and brown the shrimp. Once they're pretty much done, stick them in a bowl. The aim is to get some nice flavoring on them.



Next, saute the onions and get them caramelized - this will take around 10 or 12 minutes. Be patient. Once that's done, toss in the spice paste and saute until they're fragrant, around 2 minutes.



Then, add the water, red pepper, tomatoes, curry leaves, and sugar, and bring it all to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for about 20 minutes or so. Once done, it should look about like this.




Serve it up with some yogurt raita (recipe forthcoming,) and some other Indian veggie dish - this roasted cauliflower, potato, and pea dish with Indian spices was a delicious addition. The tomato chutney I talked about earlier also goes nicely - not surprising. Go forth, my brethren, and cook Indian tonight.

tomato chutney! chutney is swell!

Chutney is ubiquitous in India - and "chutney" doesn't always mean the sweet mango concoction favored by British folks and traditionalists. Chutney's encompass a wide variety of ingredients and flavorings, producing one of the most diverse and interesting condiments found anywhere. My favorite chutney varieties include the sweet and tangy flavor of imli or tamarind chutney, the refreshing bite of coriander and mint (Hali) chutney, and the creamy, sweet flavor of Kerala and Southern India's coconut chutneys. Chutney can also be made with meats: many chutneys (especially, it seems, in Goa) are made from dried shrimp and fish. One thing unites them: fresh chutneys are almost invariably delicious, and I find a few good chutneys an integral part of any excellent Indian meal.

Traditionally, Indian chutneys are made fresh with the aid of a mortar and pestle. Nowadays, chutney can be quite easily made in a blender or food processor - or cooked on the stove, as in the case of the tomato chutney I'm demonstrating here.

This tomato chutney recipe comes from the Cooking Club book I've previously mentioned here. It's somewhat ridiculously easy and a great summer condiment, compiled as it of of fresh tomatoes, mint, and red onion, among other seasonal ingredients.

An excellent source of chutney recipes can be found here.



You will need, for 8 servings (and you will want that much):

2 large tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup diced red onion
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic minced
1 teaspoon minced ginger root
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro (Didn't use this as cilantro apparently nauseates my mom from 12 feet away which is a pretty cool trick)



In a saucepan, turn the heat to medium and throw in the tomatoes, onion, vinegar, garlic, ginger salt and pepper. Bring these all to a boil and stir them around a bit. Reduce the heat and simmer the whole thing for about 20 minutes - you'll want the tomatoes to break down and the flavors to meld nicely.



Take the pan off the heat, then put in the chopped mint and cilantro. Once that's complete, put the chutney in a serving bowl: you're done.



The chutney keeps pretty well and can be made a couple days in advance. It's excellent with spicy seafood curries, as well as various Indian spiced grilled meats. I think this would also be tasty with some grilled white fish - halibut, tilapia, and so on. Chutneys are endlessly versatile: experiment with them. I'll hope to try out some more kinds sometime soon.

Salmon Burgers with Spinach and Ginger = Yum

Salmon Burgers with Spinach and Ginger Gourmet | October 2001



This is a killer little recipe from the big yellow Gourmet cookbook, and it's become one of our easy dinner in a hurry standbys. These salmon burgers are about as healthy as humanly possible without sacrificing an ounce of taste, they're easy to throw together, and they're versatile. They can be served on a bun, open face, eaten on a plate, and tossed into a fritatta or some scrambled eggs. You will love them long time.

Yield: Makes 4 servings (Depending on how hungry you is)
Active Time: 40 min
Total Time: 45 min
ingredients
1 lb salmon fillet, skinned
4 oz baby spinach, coarsely chopped (3 cups)
3 scallions, minced
1 tablespoon finely grated peeled fresh ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 large egg white
1 tablespoon soy sauce
Vegetable oil for brushing skillet
2 tablespoons pickled ginger

Dice the salmon into quarter inch chunks, then toss it in with the spinach, scallions, ginger, salt, and pepper in a big bowl. Mush it around a bit.

Then, beat together the egg white and the soy in a little bowl and stir into the salmon chunks. Make into patties as big or as small as you like, this is total anarchy.

Heat a nonstick skillet over moderate heat, then toss in some oil. Cook the patties until golden brown: around six or seven minutes. Raw salmon is tasty but raw salmon patties? Enh, not so much.

Serve the burgers with pickled ginger on top. We also like to mix up some wasabi mayo to go on top. I usually just eat these as is but foccacia makes a good bun. I also like to serve these with some teriyaki shitake mushrooms and a quick Asian salad. Add a good adult beverage (white wine!) and you should be a very happy camper.

Dorie Greenspan's Scallops with Grilled Nectarines and Corn Salad

Grilled Scallops and Nectarines with Corn and Tomato Salad - Dorie Greenspan




This is an incredible recipe, published in last August's Bon Appétit by the marvelous Dorie Greenspan. I made it for the first time last summer for my parents, who were incredulous as hell when I pitched the idea. "Try it," I told them, "grilled fruit is not nearly as mysterious as it seems," so I made it and they did. It was delicious. The tender scallops paired perfectly with the tangy and slightly sweet corn salad, and the grilled nectarines developed a divine caramelized sugar flavor. I can think of nothing I'd rather make on one of those crazy-hot Sacramento evenings, when the though of eating anything heavy and fatty is terror inducing.

I admit, dear reader: I made this out of season. Forwith I have sinned and used Chilean nectarines. I am not particularly repentant. I am willing summer to get here desperately. I step outside every day and think "It has got to be summer by now," and New Orleans always keeps me on the hook. I made this dish because although it did not taste as good as it would be in the middle of July, it was good enough. Locavores are politely invited to shove it on this one.

Grilled Scallops and Nectarines with Corn and Tomato Salad Bon Appétit | August 2008

by Dorie Greenspan

Yield: Makes 6 servings
ingredients
Dressing:
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated lime peel
1/8 teaspoon (generous) piment d'Espelette or chili powder
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Fleur de sel*

Salad:
24 large sea scallops, side muscles removed, patted dry
3 firm but ripe nectarines (white or yellow), each cut into 6 wedges
Olive oil, for brushing
1 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels, cut from 2 large ears of corn
24 grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
1/3 cup thinly sliced basil leaves
Fleur de sel

Basil Puree:
3/4 cup (loosely packed) fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Fleur de sel
preparation


First, whisk together the lime juice, peel, oil, and salt in a little bowl. (I have no piment d' Espelette and am not sure where I might get it.) Cayenne pepper is a decent substitute. Make the basil puree, which is eminently simple. Just chop basil coarsely and puree with oil and salt until smooth.



Prepare a barbeque or grill pan on medium high heat. Brush the scallops and sliced nectarines with oil, add salt and pepper, and grill until the scallops are cooked through. On this occasion, I added some leftover shrimp to the mix, and I think they made a nice addition.



Grill the nectarines until they are a little bit charred.


Next, make the corn salad. Cut the kernels off the cobs, then eat the remnants of the kernels on the cobs (if you are like me). Toss the corn and as much dressing as you feel is required in a medium bowl, then toss the halved cherry tomatoes with the rest of the dressing in another. Season both with salt and pepper. Dorie Greenspan says it is best to scatter the corn around the plated scallops and nectarines. I am lazier and simply tried to arrange them on top. I do not think this would affect dinner in any meaningful way unless you are hosting a Michelin inspector or something.

Arrange the tomatoes and nectarines on the plates, then drizzle the remaining dressing and the basil puree over the plates. Add some more basil and fleur de sel. Serve with a good white wine. Consider moving to an entirely warm climate where nectarines and scallops are magically in season at all times. Take me with you.



I served this with some mixed mushrooms on the side, mostly because I had a jones for them. I think this was not a bad combination, but not by any means necessary either. I love those Mycopia mushroom packs at Raleys. I love getting the sensation that I am eating space aliens.

Collards with Red Onion and Bacon

Collard Greens with Red Onions and Bacon (Recipe from the always-helpful Gourmet Cookbook)




The traditional Southern method of preparing collard greens involves, as we like to say in our family, "cooking all the nutrients out of them." This produces the delectable broth known as pot likker, but I can understand the complaint: it'd be nice to have Southern style greens with a little texture and life left in them. To fill the gap, I submit this excellent recipe via the Gourmet Magazine Cookbook: Collard Greens with Red Onions and Bacon. The combination of pork, caramelized onion, and cider vinegar produces truly tasty and not entirely killed greens that will stand up nicely to any Southern dish. The fact that they are entirely easy to make is icing on the cake.



* 1/2 pound sliced bacon, cut crosswise into fourths
* 3 medium red onions, chopped coarse (about 3 cups)
* 1 1/4 cups chicken broth
* 1/4 cup cider vinegar
* 2 tablespoons firmly packed dark brown sugar, or to taste
* 1/2 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes, or to taste
* 4 pounds collard greens (preferably small leaves), coarse stems and ribs discarded and leaves and thin stems washed well, drained, and chopped coarse

Begin by browning the bacon. I didn't have any bacon on hand, but I did have some fatback, which made a perfectly fine substitute. Once the bacon is browned, pour off all but 3 tablespoons of the drippings. In the remaining luscious pork fat, throw in your sliced red onions and cook until nicely browned. Transfer to a bowl and keep them aside. You will be meeting them again.



To the aforementioned pan, add the chicken broth, the cider vinegar, the brown sugar, the red pepper flakes, and about half of your preserved pork product (be it bacon or fatback or whatever.)



Now, begin to add the collards in handfuls, stirring to ensure proper wiltage. Once wilted, cover the pot and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once 30 minutes are up, stir in the red onions and simmer for 30 minutes more. Serve topped with the remaining bacon or fatback. You are free to drink the pot likker, like civilized people do.

north carolina style barbeque from our very own backyard!

My dad likes barbeque. My dad really likes barbeque. My dad really really likes to make barbeque.

Clarification: my dad likes to make North Carolina style BBQ. North Carolina style BBQ revolves around the pig in all its various incarnations. My dad possesses a very large smoker, which lives in the backyard. We use it most often in the summer, but my dad will happily fire up the smoker whenever the whim strikes him. It's a Zen thing for him, I think. Some people cultivate topiary, some people do watercolors of covered bridges, my father smokes pigs. And we are all the better for it.

For this particular meal, Dad smoked a pork shoulder, racks of baby back AND spare ribs, and a whole chicken. Indeed, I sometimes suspect my dad is setting back for a nuclear holocaust when he fires up the smoker. (I am always happy to know that when and if the End Times come, I will be able to eat pulled pork for at least a few months before the zombies arrive.)

A note, if you will: North Carolina BBQ sauces are far removed from the ketchup based concotions popular in other regions of the country. At Chez Greenwood, we home-make two typical N.C sauces: vinegar and mustard. Although my dad has a SECRET RECIPE for vinegar sauce, the base ingredients include vinegar, red pepper, salt, black pepper, and lemon juice.

We usually have coleslaw to accompany the feast, prepared with more vinegar and less mayo in the general fashion of tarheel BBQ. If you're eating a pulled pork sandwich, the coleslaw is required to go on top of the sandwich: it does not belong anywhere else. It is also required by law to serve pulled pork sandwiches with sliced dill pickles. Defy these regulations at your own peril. Hushpuppies go beautifully with North Carolina BBQ but we are attempting to be healthyhere. (Hahah!) If you are really going for broke, make blackberry cobbler with vanilla ice cream. I can't talk about that anymore because I might burst into tears.

This is a story best told in pictures.



Here are our lucky participants in the midst of the smoking process. As I recall, my dad likes to do his pork shoulder for 6 or 7 hours to attain a texture that is truly "pulled." I have no idea exactly how long the ribs and chicken take and should probably ask.



Since we are health-minded individuals, we had a light appetizer of pork spareribs. Here's the slab pre-carving.



And here they are sliced. If you are not licking the screen, I can only assume you are Jewish, Islamic, Jain, or lacking a human soul.



After that delightful interlude, the pork shoulder was ready. Here it is in the midst of the chopping process. The shoulder wasn't done enough for real pulling but we were hungry. Dad put half back on the smoker for another go to achieve the desired texture.



Here's the chopped pork all finished up. Yum.



For dessert, we had this smoked chicken. This chicken came out just plain divine: perfectly juicy with tons of soulful smoky flavor, thanks to the flavorful spice rub. I ate this for about two days straight after this particular dinner. It was a difficult task, a trial, let me tell you.

Next time: I show you how to make cheating-ass Southern collard greens. That still taste delicious.

How To Make Marcella Hazan's Osso Bucco

Oh, osso bucco. These delectable veal shanks have got it all: fatty and delightfully rich meat, delicious pan juices, juicy and mouth-coating bone marrow. We use Marcella Hazan's recipe in our household and it's a good one - I like the heartier Milanese take on the dish, complete with plenty of tomatoes. We picked up the meat from Corti Brothers which I hadn't been to before, believe it or no. (I know, I'm a lousy Sacramento resident.) The meat was attractive, if partially frozen. Apparently Corti Brothers doesn't sell enough osso bucco to justify keeping out thawed. What's wrong with people?

Here's how we did it last week, with much credit going to Marcella.


INGREDIENTS:
1 cup chopped onion
2/3 cup finely chopped carrot
2/3 cup finely chopped celery
4 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon garlic
2 strips lemon peel
4/5 veal hind shanks (for 3 people who LIKE or REALLY LIKE meat)
flour
1 cup dry white wine that doesn't suck
1 cup beef stock
1 1/2 cups canned tomatoes - I like San Marzano's
Package of Baby Bella mushrooms if so inclined
1/2 tsp fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
2 or 3 sprigs parsley



Preheat your oven to 350. You'll want a large pot where you can lay out the osso bucco, with plenty of space. Once you've found a suitable pot, toss in the onion, celery, carrot, and butter, then turn your burners heat to medium. Cook the vegetables for 6 or 7 minutes, then add the chopped garlic and finely grated lemon peel. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes until the vegetables are soft. Pull them off the heat.



Dredge the shanks in the flourgiving them a heathy coating, then toss them in a suitable skillet (not in the pot.) Brown them all over. Once browned, lay them over the vegetables in the pot. Perhaps even nestle them.

Tip the oil out of the skillet then add the wine and reduce , by simmering over medium heat. Make sure to scrape out the delicious brown bits!



Pour these juices over the veal and vegetables in the pot. Put the beef broth in a separate skillet, bring to a simmer, then pour into the pot as well. Add the chopped tomatoes (with juice), thyme, bay leaves, parsley, pepper, and salt. I also like to add some baby bella mushrooms. This can be omitted if you're a purist or mushrooms make you die. If the broth isn't two thirds of the way up the shanks, you have DONE IT WRONG. Okay, just add some more broth.



Bring all the various tasty liquids in the pot to a simmer on the range, cover the pot tightly, and place the whole shebang in the oven. Cook for two hours or until the meat is fall apart tender. It is rather difficult to OVERcook osso bucco. Turn and baste the shanks every 20 minutes or so, although this can become a bit difficult as the meat gets falling-apart tender and generally awesome.



Once the meat is done, remove the pot from the oven and serve. Be forewarned: the meat often slips right off the bone, so be sure to keep things together when removing from the juices.



I like serving osso bucco with greens sauteed with balsamic vinegar and shallot - try a combo of kale and collards. Osso bucco calls for polenta with parmesan cheese, or perhaps some home-made mashed potatoes. The delicious fatty marrow inside the bones is the absolute best part of this dish, and should be fought over by everyone at the table if they have any sense of value or decency. (I need some marrow forks very badly.)

I'll even tell you how to make the greens. Why? Because it is very easy and I am feeling profligate and friendly.



INGREDIENTS:
Serves 4 or 5
2 big bags of pre cut collards, kale, or combination therein OR
2 pounds of greens
2 or 3 shallots
Garlic
Kosher salt
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar

Get some collard greens and some kale. If you can't find those magically convenient pre-cut bags, wash the greens and rip into pieces This is easily done in a sink. Next, boil the greens in a big pot. Collards take a little longer then the kale, so start them first. The entire process should take no more then 12 minutes.

Locate a big skillet, and chop up the shallot, as well as a couple cloves of garlic. Saute in olive oil until the shallot is soft. Put in the greens. You'll need to do this in bunches and wilt them as you go. Depending on how you like your greens, you can cook them just enough to wilt them - they are boiled, after all! You can also braise the greens for around 30 minutes with a bit of chicken stock. I like my greens just barely wilted and that is what you are looking at here. I also like to add a few glugs of balsamic vinegar to the mix. Use at your own discretion.

Plated. This tasted delicious, meaty, and ever so perfectly fatty and rich, and I highly recommend it to everyone who really enjoys hearty Italian peasant food - and really, who doesn't? I thought so.

Creole Okra from Cooking Up A Storm: Tasty!

Creole Okra



This is a recipe from Cooking Up A Storm, a new cookbook compiled by the food editors of the New Orleans Times Picayune. The cookbook is great: it's made up of recipes requested by readers of the Times Picayune, attempting to gather up the beloved New Orleans recipes that had been lost to the storm or simply lost to history. Judy Walker and Marcelle Bienvenu, the cookbooks editors, combed through these recipes to include the most popular and the just plain best - and the result is an excellent cookbook, full of the good stuff that people really eat in New Orleans.

Being an okra fiend, I decided to try out the Creole Okra for my first experiment from the book. The results? Delicious.

INGREDIENTS:
1 lb okra
2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil or butter if you're bad
1 onion
2 cloves of minced garlic
1 8 oz can of tomato sauce
1 chopped tomato (my addition)
1 chicken bouillon cube (trust me)
1 cup water
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp dried basil (I also used about three sprigs of fresh basil.)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 to 1 pound shrimp or spicy sausage, or both!




Cut up your okra - I like to slice them in half for easier eating - and wash the heck out of them. This helps de-slime them a bit. You may also want to prepare your chicken bouillon: dissolve it in one cup of boiling water. You can cheat and do this in the microwave. I won't tell.



Toss the okra in a big pan and brown them on all sides, heat on high. They may create a mildly distressing slime slick around them but this is perfectly normal. It is just their way.



Add the onions and garlic, as well as the chopped tomato, and sauté until soft and translucent. (I also added some sliced baby portobello mushrooms, which may be a crime, but a tasty crime.)



Once that looks satisfactory, toss in your 8 oz can of tomato sauce and stir it all up. You will also want to toss in the dissolved bouillon.



Add the salt, the pepper, the dried and fresh basil, and the garlic powder if you are so inclined. If you like it spicy, toss in as many shakes of Crystal hot sauce as required. You should now have something that looks like this. Cover, reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook for 30 to 45 minutes.



If you are using shrimp or sausage, you will want to add it in the last 10 minutes of cooking. I used some nice little gulf shrimp - I sauteed them briefly with some Cajun spices then tossed them into the mix.



And here's what you should have at the end of 45 minutes. De-licious.

Serve over rice or pasta or whatever floats your boat. Leave out the meat and you've got a great hearty side dish - keep the meat in and you've got an easy one dish meal with some real Louisiana flavor. You really can't lose.

balsamic roasted brussels sprouts with shallot and rosemary

ROASTED BALSAMIC BRUSSELS SPROUTS WITH SHALLOT AND RED ONION



Brussel sprouts are often maligned. Many an innocent American child has suffered through dismal dinners of boiled and unseasoned brussel sprouts: no wonder they're so often hated. But if treated with respect and love, the brussel sprouts becomes one of the planet's tastiest vegetables. Here's my recipe for roasted brussels sprouts with balsamic vinegar, red onion, and shallot. Guaranteed tastiness. Shed thy childhood trauma.

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound brussels sprouts
1 red onion
1 shallot
Rosemary
Tsp of kosher salt
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 - 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Artichoke hearts (if desired)

You will need about a pound of sprouts for four people. Round up or down depending on the sprout lovin' proclivities of your audience.



Cut the sprouts and remove the outer leaves and split in half if you are using big guys. Leave them whole if using baby brussels sprouts. As you do this, turn up your oven to 425 degrees.

Finely chop one red onion and one shallot.



Get a bowl or pan and toss in the sprouts and the onion and shallot, as well as some chopped rosemary. Mix with a tablespoon or two of extra virgin olive oil, a teaspoon of salt (more to taste), and a tablespoon or so of nice balsamic vinegar. Make sure the sprouts and the onions are nicely coated.



Get a big flat baking sheet and coat with olive oil or Pam. Spread out the onion and brussel sprout mixture, making sure to even out clumps. If you're like me and deeply enjoy crispy roasted onion bits, you'll want things to lie nice and flat.

Stick those suckers in the oven! My oven takes around 20 minutes to roast these to tenderness: it may take a little less time if you are using baby brussel sprouts.

If you would like to go all fancy with this, about 10 minutes into cooking time, get out a small sauce pan, turn it to high, and add two or three tablespoons of vinegar and a finely chopped shallot, as well as some rosemary and diced garlic. Reduce the sauce to a nice thick level, and toss on the sprouts when they are just about done cooking.



They should look something like this once they're done. Serve the sprouts immediately after they are removed from the oven, making sure to scrape up aforementioned crispy onion bits to sprinkle on top. These brussels sprouts go especially nicely with braised meat or chicken dishes: I like these with lamb shanks, beef short ribs, and other earthy and wonderful winter specialities.

Variant: toss in some cleaned artichoke hearts or mushrooms along with the brussels sprouts. Extra deliciousness!


Next up: smothered okra with tomato sauce and shrimp from Cookin' Up A Storm. Yeah baby.