BEEF TONGUE!

Before you say, YUCK, let me describe how I prepared this delicious dish and then  you decide. I had never cooked or even eaten tongue before so I was pretty excited. OK, some of the photos are pretty gross, but the end result was surprisingly good.

I did not realize that Beef Tongue is so large. This one was nearly 3 lbs. and a little over 12 inches.

BEEF TONGUE in DIJON CREAM SAUCE

Ingredients:
1 (3 lb.) Beef Tongue
1 large onion, sliced
6 garlic cloves, smashed
1 bay leaf (I used 2.)
1 whole star anise (Also added 2.)
1/2 tsp. black peppercorns
2 Tbsp. salt (Next time I would double amount of salt.)

This gives you a better idea of just how big this thing is!

Preparation:
I did quite a bit of research before beginning to prepare the tongue and somewhere read that soaking your tongue overnight in salt water is a good idea so that is what I did.

Rinse tongue well with cold water and place in a deep 6-8 qt. pot. Add cold water to cover by 3 inches, then add remaining tongue ingredients. (I added all the ingredients first and then placed the tongue on top.) Cover pot and bring to boil. Simmer, partially covered, until tongue is fork-tender, 3 to 3 1/2 hours. (The recipe called for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, but my tongue needed more time.)

Once tender, transfer tongue to a cutting board (reserve 1/2 cup liquid) and when cool enough to handle, peel off skin and trim any fat or gristle. (This part was pretty gross.)


Cooked, unpeeled.

 

Cooked, peeled. The skin is quite thick and leathery.

Skim off fat from cooking liquid (--there really was not much fat. My tongue was very lean.) and pour liquid through a paper-towel lined sieve into a large bowl, discarding solids. Keep tongue warm, covered.

DIJON CREAM SAUCE

Ingredients:
1/4 cup finely chopped shallot
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 1/2 Tbsp. flour
1/4 cup heavy cream (I only had light and it worked well.)
2 Tbsp. whole-grain Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp. prepared Horseradish
1 Tbsp. parsley, chopped
1 Tbsp. dill, chopped
1/2 tsp. fresh lemon juice

Preparation:
Cook shallot in butter in 2 qt. saucepan over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until softened. Whisk in flour and cook, whisking for about a minute. Gradually whisk in reserved cooking liquid and cream, then bring to a boil while whisking. Simmer sauce, whisking, until slightly thickened; 2-3 minutes. Whisk in mustard, herbs, lemon juice, salt/pepper to taste.

Thinly slice across the tongue (not length-wise) and serve with the sauce. I served with Pickled Asparagus and a thinly sliced French Baguette. There was lots of leftover tongue, which I cut even finer--nearly shredded--and used for Lengua Tacos; very popular where I live on the Mexican border!

QUICK PICKLED ASPARAGUS

Ingredients:
3/4 cup rice wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. salt
2 Tbsp. sugar (I used brown sugar.)
2 Tbsp. pickling spices
1 - 1 1/2 lbs. asparagus, rinsed, tough ends removed
Preparation:
In a wide 4-5 qt. pan combine: vinegar, salt, sugar, pickling spice, and 2 cups water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Add asparagus. Make sure asparagus is completely covered with water. If not, add more. Simmer, stirring occasionally until asparagus has faded to dull green and is tender-crisp-about 6 minutes. Remove from heat. Add 1 cup ice cubes to stop cooking. Let stand at least 30 minutes (I let mine stand an hour so it would get a little more pickled.) Drain asparagus and either serve right away or store in a container in the fridge.

THAT'S GOING TO DO IT FOR TODAY...!

 

I LOVE TRYING NEW THINGS AND HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS ONE, TOO!

 

TUNE IN AGAIN SOON FOR

ANOTHER EPISODE OF...

WWW.COOKWITHCINDY.COM

HAPPY EASTER! BUONA PASQUA!

This year, in honor of our fabulous trip to Italy last summer, I am doing an Easter feast featuring Tuscan favorites.

TO TUSCANY...WITH LOVE

 

 EASTER CELEBRATION 2017

 

Olives groves and grapevines as far as the eye can see.

ANTIPASTO:
Peperoni Arrotolati-Rolled Bell Pepper Delights
Cecina-Chickpea Flatbread
Sole Pomadori Secchi e Formagio Spalmabile Pesto-Sun Dried Tomato and Pesto Cheese Spread

IL PRIMO
Ravioli di Zucca con Burro Fuso e Salvia Fritti-Pumpkin Ravioli with Brown Butter and Fried Sage Leaves

INTERMEZZO
Melone e Menta Granita-Honeydew Melon and Mint Granita

IL SECONDO
Lonza di Maile Arrosto con Riduzione di Vino-Roast Pork Loin with Prunes and Red Wine Reduction

CONTORNI
Toscano Asparagi Arrosto con Parmigiano e Pistacchi-Tuscan Roasted Asparagus with Parmesan and Pistachios
Pure di Patate con Olio d'Oliva Toscano-Tuscan Potato Mash with Olive Oil

IL DOLCE
Tiramisu al Limoncello-Limoncell Tiramisu
Cantucci-Tuscan Almond Biscotti

Vin Santo-Sweet Tuscan "Saint Wine" for dipping the Biscotti
Cappacinno/Espresso

This dramatic crucifix resides in St. Francis of Assisi's Cathedral.

WISHING YOU ALL A JOYOUS, BLESSED

AND VERY HAPPY EASTER!

 

THANKS, AS ALWAYS, FOR TUNING IN!

Of course, we have many EXQUISITE Tuscan wines for each course!

www.cookwithcindy.com

FARRO SALAD

FARRO AND GREEN OLIVE SALAD

WITH WALNUTS AND GOLDEN RAISINS

I just made this salad today. I didn't have golden raisins, but dark raisins work, too.

 

A daily staple in ancient Rome for thousands of years, Farro was also consumed throughout the Mediterranean and Middle East. It is still a popular grain and recently making a resurgence in swanky American restaurants.

Farro is in the wheat family and it is believed farro may be the "mother" of all wheat. It contains lots of goodies (high fiber, protein and iron) and has a delicious nutty flavor and chewy consistency. It is excellent in salads, soups, and mixed with vegetable stir-fries or other side dishes.

Here's a recipe my good friend Debby V. gave me, which I love--perfect balance of salty and sweet.

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups Farro
1 cup chopped walnuts, lightly toasted
2 1/2 cups pitted green olives, preferably Castelvetrano; chopped
4 scallions, white and light green parts only, finely chopped
1/3 cup snipped chives
2 Tbsp. golden raisins (I used 4 Tbsp.)
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper (I used 1/4 tsp. white pepper and 1/2 tsp. ground West Indian Pink Peppercorn--any pepper combo would work well.)
1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp. honey
Sea salt to taste (But use cautiously as both the olives and cheese are already salty.)
Shaved Pecorino cheese for serving (I used Parmesan.)

I bought these Castelvetrono Olives online, but you could
probably get them at Trader Joes or other similar stores.
Note, the word, WHOLE. Make sure you buy them pitted!

 

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 375. (I skipped this step and lightly roasted the walnuts in a dry frying pan on top of the stove.) If using the oven, place the walnuts on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for about 15 minutes.

In a medium saucepan combine the farro with 4 cups of water (I used 2 cups chicken stock and 2 cups water), and 1/2 tsp. salt. Bring to a boil and simmer, partially covered until the farro is tender, about 20-25 minutes. Drain (Save the liquid for future soup stock.) the farro and spread it on a baking sheet to cool.

In a large bowl, combine the farro, toasted walnuts, scallions, chives, raisins, crushed red pepper, olive oil, lemon juice, honey and season with salt. Toss well. Transfer salad to a platter and garnish with the cheese. I made it the day before and I think it helped meld the flavors. 

 

From Serious Eats:

"Castelvetrano olives are Italy's most ubiquitous snack olive. Bright green, they are often referred to as dolce (sweet), and come from Castelvetrano, Sicily, from the olive variety nocerella del belice. They have a Kermit-green hue, meaty, buttery flesh, and a mild flavor."

 

To find recipe for Poached Salmon, go to:
http://cookwithcindy.blogspot.com/search?q=Poached+salmon

In the above recipe I used wild Coho Salmon versus a high-quality farm-raised Scottish salmon pictured below.

Poached Salmon with a creamy lemon sauce on a bed of spinach
and cherry tomatoes were the perfect complement to the Farro Salad.
I dressed the greens with a citrus vinaigrette.

LEMON CREAM SAUCE
Ingredients:

3 Tbsp lemon juice.

1/4 cup chicken broth, fish stock, clam juice, white wine, or water. (I used chicken stock.)

2/3 cup heavy cream (Light cream is OK, too.)

1 Tbsp butter

Salt/ White pepper to taste

 

Preparation:

Melt butter in a frying pan. Add stock. While stirring, bring to a gentle boil. Add lemon juice. Keep stirring. Reduce heat. Add cream. Stir some more. Season with salt/pepper. The secret to a good sauce is to bring everything together over a moderate, not high heat, and stir continuously. This sauce has endless variations: add rosemary, garlic, chives, dill, or almost any other herb you can think of!

THAT WILL CONCLUDE THIS EPISODE OF

 

COOK WITH CINDY!

 

Until next time...Keep on Cooking!

www.cookwithcindy.com

 

 

 

 



CHOCOLATE MOLTEN LAVA CAKES

Rich, elegant, delicious...all describe this dessert for a very special occasion. This recipe is from Paula Deen, apparently before she began her reduced sugar/low fat diet! To her credit she 'same clean' regards to her diagnosis of Type2 Diabetes. EVERYTHING IN MODERATION...that was even Julia Child's mantra about butter.

So make this simple, wonderful dessert...just don't make it every day! Once you cut into this exquisite bite it is easy to see why they call it "lava" cake. It really does erupt like a volcano!

MOTLEN LAVA CAKES

Ingredients:
6 (1 ounce) squares bittersweet chocolate
2 (1 ounce) squares semisweet chocolate
1 1/4 sticks salted butter (10 Tbsp.)
1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
3 large eggs
3 egg yolks
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 Tbsp. orange liqueur

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Grease 6 (6 ounce) custard cups. Melt the chocolates and butter in the microwave or slowly on top of the stove in a double boiler, which is what I did. Add the flour and sugar to chocolate mixture. Stir in the eggs and yolks until smooth. Stir in the vanilla and orange liqueur. Divide batter evenly among the custard cups. Place in the oven and bake for 14 minutes. The edges should be firm, but the center will be runny. Cool slightly on a rack. Run a knife around the edges to loosen and invert onto dessert plates.

I made this for my husband's birthday last year. He loved it!

It is so chocolatey that a little vanilla ice cream or whipped cream is the perfect complement.

Spring is right around the corner.

Loving our warm and sunny Arizona days and cool nights. Spring flowers are beginning to bloom!

Goodding Verbena
This purple verbena helped herself to our yard.
The Goodding verbena variety grows wild throughout southern Arizona.

Carolina Jasmine...this one we planted!

UNTIL NEXT TIME...

HAPPY SPRING!

The Penstemmon also cultivated naturally.
Things grow where they want to grow!

 

WWW.COOKWITHCINDY.COM

We planted the Gerbera Daisy several years ago and each spring it returns!
This hearty daisy comes in shades from soft pink to brilliant orange, crimson red, and golden yellow.

SUMPTUOUS SOUPS ARE SO SATISFYING!

I made this gorgeous soup as a first course at our Christmas feast, but it would be good any time of year. It is equally yummy both cold or hot---think cold Hungarian Borscht!

ROASTED BEET AND POTATO BISQUE

Ingredients:
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion (1 cup), finely chopped
3/4 lb. baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2" pieces (about 2 cups)
1 stalk celery, diced (1 cup)
1 clove garlic, minced
4 cups good, rich chicken broth
1 bay leaf
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/4 tsp. black pepper
4 large beets, roasted (Method follows*)
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup light cream or half and half
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

Sour cream or plain yogurt and fresh dill for garnish (optional)

Preparation:
Heat oil in large saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook onion, potatoes, celery, and garlic, stirring occasionally until veg are crisp-tender; about 10 minutes.
Add broth, bay leaf, salt, thyme, and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook 20 minutes. Add beets and continue to simmer until veg is very tender; about 10 minutes more. Remove from heat. Discard bay leaf. Puree soup in small batches in a blender until smooth and return to pot. At this point you may refrigerate overnight and finish next day. If you are doing so, return cold soup to saucepan and slowly re-heat. Stir in milk, cream and lemon juice. Stir to combine and heat until warmed through. Garnish and serve.

To Roast Beets:
I like this method of cooking beets because they are a pain to peel raw. Once roasted the skin practically rubs off. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Wash and dry beets thoroughly. Cut off tops and bottoms. Cut into quarters (skin on) and place on baking sheet. Drizzle a little bit of olive oil over beets. Salt liberally and rub the oil and salt into the beets. Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until beets are just tender. Let cool. Remove skins and chop into 1/2 inch pieces.

CARROT, COCONUT, CURRY AND GINGER SOUP

...WITH A SPECIAL ADDITION!

To get this squiggly effect, once you drizzle on the yogurt,
 drag a knife through to make the design.

I have given you this recipe in the past and one of the things I love about it is that you can keep changing it up to give a slightly different flavor or texture.

http://cookwithcindy.blogspot.com/search?q=Carrot+ginger+soup

As with the Beet Bisque this soup is good either cold or hot. In this case, I used the original recipe (above link), but added vegetable/fruit fiber into the broth that I had saved from a 3-day juice fast my husband and I did recently.

This combo of fruit and veg is from Joe Cross's 3-day Juice Cleanse called, Sunset Blend Juice. It was truly delicious and the pulp is what I added to the Carrot, Coconut, Curry and Ginger Soup.

It seems such a waste to throw out all that good vegetable matter so I froze some for future soup stock and to another batch of pulpy fiber I added unflavored gelatin and turned the fruit/veg fiber into a cold vegetable cake. The cakes were surprisingly good!
What I learned in juicing for the first time is the combination of ingredients is not that important as long as you mix some sweet (beets, carrot, apples, oranges, etc.) with not so sweet (celery, kale, spinach, etc.).  And, fresh ginger root was a nice addition to all recipes.

Here is the Sunset Juice Blend all bottled and ready to drink!

Joe's Breakfast Juice: Carrots, green and red apples and ginger. Delicious!

Look at all that fiber!

To learn more about the benefits of Juicing, go to: http://www.doctoroz.com/article/joe-cross-3-day-weekend-juice-cleanse

Both Jerry and I felt great after Juicing for 3 days, but we were hungry for real, solid food!

That's it for today. Thank you for joining me

for another glimpse into my kitchen!

www.cookwithcindy.com

EXTRAVAGANT COCKTAILS!

Holidays are a wonderful time to indulge with a special cocktail, but they don't need to be reserved just for the holidays. This years signature Christmas Eve drink was a Pomegranate Martini. Leave off the crushed candy cane; drop in a few pomegranate seeds, skewer some fresh cranberries or add a twist of lemon for garnish and you have a terrific martini for any time of year.

POMEGRANATE MARTINI

Ingredients:
2 oz. Pomegranate Vodka
1/2 oz. Orange Liquor (like Cointreau)
1/2 oz. dry Vermouth
3 oz. Pomegranate Juice (or more/less to taste)

Fill a cocktail shaker half full with ice and add all ingredients. Cover and shake until chilled. Run a squeeze of lemon along rim of martini glass. Roll the rim in crushed peppermint candies or candy canes. Strain into cocktail glasses.

Dennis hard at work making drinks!

Or here's a twist:

CRANBERRY MARTINI

Ingredients:
2 oz. Cranberry Vodka
1/2 oz. Orange Liquor (like Cointreau)
1/2 oz. dry Vermouth
3 oz. Cranberry Juice

Much like a Cosmo, but the Vermouth adds a different flavor. Adjust the ingredients to your liking...a little sweeter or a little more dry.

And his wife, Diana, enjoying the fruits of his labors.

Our special Christmas cocktail was a...

 

MAPLE MANHATTAN WITH BACON GARNISH

Ingredients:
2 oz. good Bourbon (like Makers Mark)
1/4 oz. sweet Vermouth
1/4 oz. pure Maple Syrup
2 dashes bitters (or more to taste)

Fill a cocktail shaker half full of ice. Add all ingredients. Shake until cold and well blended. Serve either straight up or in your favorite rocks glass. Add a bacon garnish; optional, of course, but quite fun and surprisingly balanced flavor with the sweet bourbon. No matter how much bitters you add this is a sweet drink, but so exotic that you will feel very special sipping.

The cook was pretty happy to receive a second Maple Manhattan!

I will keep interspersing our Christmas menu with other blogs. Next time I want to share the best breakfast I've ever had...in Jerome, Arizona, or maybe anywhere!

THANK YOU ALL FOR TUNING IN AGAIN TO SHARE MY PASSION OF FOOD AND COOKING!

WWW.COOKWITHCINDY.COM

PEPPERMINT ICE CREAM AND ITALIAN COOKIES!

Who doesn't like cookies and ice cream? This year for Christmas Eve dinner I made my husband Jerry's favorite ice cream-Peppermint Stick! My ice cream maker only holds a little more than 1 quart so I halved this recipe which made more than enough for 4 people with lots of left-overs! I am going to give you the full recipe in case your machine is larger. I found this recipe online at Epicurious.com. Very creamy. Wonderful texture and flavor.

PEPPERMINT ICE CREAM

Ingredients:
3 cups milk
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
6 egg yolks
2 Tbsp. vanilla (I also added 2 drops peppermint essential oil.)
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups half and half
8 oz. broken/crushed peppermint candy or candy canes*

Our good friends Dennis and Diana joined us
for the entire Christmas weekend! What a treat!

Preparation:
Pour milk into medium saucepan. Heat over low heat about 8-10 minutes stirring frequently, until scalded. Do not let it boil and if skin forms on milk, just pull it off with your fingers. Remove from heat and stir in salt and sugar until dissolved. Beat egg yolks in a medium bowl. Slowly pour 1/2 cup hot milk over eggs while whisking constantly. Repeat 2 or 3 times to temper the eggs. This ensures that the eggs don't begin to cook in the hot milk. Pour egg mixture back into the rest of the hot milk, whisking constantly until well mixed. Cook over double boiler, stirring frequently, until custard coats the back of a spoon (about 15 minutes). I prefer to use a candy thermometer and heat the custard until it reaches 170 degrees. Remove from the heat. Chill a couple hours or overnight. I always chill overnight. It freezers better when really cold. The next day...Mix together chilled custard, vanilla (and peppermint oil if using), cream, half and half and 1/2 crushed peppermint in a large bowl. Pour into ice cream maker and churn until partially thickened (about 10-15 minutes). Then add remaining crushed peppermint candy and churn for another 10-15 minutes until you have the desired consistency. I garnished with more peppermint candy which gave a really nice textural contrast to the super creamy ice cream.

*To crush the peppermint candies or candy canes, place in a baggie and gently tap them with a rolling pin or similar hard object until you have the desired consistency-you don't want peppermint dust, but also don't want large chunks.

Even JoJo enjoyed this Peppermint Ice Cream and he is not a sweet eater!

 

CHRISTMAS COOKIES FROM SIENA

All the Christmas cookies I made this year were Italian in honor of the fabulous time we spent in Tuscany last summer. My old friend, Claire spent a few days with me before Christmas and helped get the cookies started!


I had not seen Claire in more than 10 years!
What a festive reunion we had together!

RICCIARELLI

These cookies, from Siena in central Italy's Tuscan region, are made with almond flour so gluten free. They also have no butter! If you like a cookie with a chewy center you will love these Ricciarelli's; reminiscent of a macaroon. I made 3 different types of Italian cookies and these were my personal favorite. I will give you the recipes for the other two soon...they were also pretty awesome!


The Ricciarelli are in the back. When they bake the crust cracks slightly.

Ingredients:
3 cups fine almond flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, divided
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 egg whites, beaten to soft peaks
2 tsp. almond extract
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 Tbsp. lemon zest

Preparation:
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Combine the almond flour, granulated sugar, 1 cup powdered sugar, the baking powder, and the salt in a bowl.
In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites into soft peaks.

When the peaks bend over slightly
they are considered soft vs. a stiff peak.

Fold in the almond extract, vanilla extract, lemon zest, and almond flour mixture. Stir completely until combined.

The texture will be quite crumbly, but pulls together in a ball nicely.

Use a tablespoon to scoop out a large ball of cookie dough. Roll the dough into a ball in your hands, then use the bottom of a glass to gently smash the cookie into a disk about 1/2 inch thick.

 

 

Roll in the remaining powdered sugar and set on the parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough.
Let sit uncovered on the counter for about 45 minutes, or until the surfaces dry out just a little. Preheat oven to 275. Place the cookies into the preheated oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, until they are golden brown around the edges and tops begin to crack.
Cool completely on a rack, then store in an airtight container for up to a week. They also freeze well.

That's all for today. I am going to do a series of mini-blogs (one or two recipes) to recapture our holiday festivities.

And right after the new year we visited the Grand Canyon with our son and his girlfriend and made a stop on the way home to an enchanting B&B in Jerome, Arizona--The Surgeon's House. Owner/hostess Andrea Prince serves an over-the-top breakfast not to be missed. More about her beautiful home and elaborate food coming in a blog soon!

This historic home is turning 100 this year!
www.surgeonshouse.com
 

WISHING YOU LOVE, HEALTH, HAPPINESS AND MANY JOYOUS TIMES IN YOUR OWN KITCHEN THROUGHOUT 2017!

Happy New Year from both Jerry and me!

WWW.COOKWITHCINDY.COM