THANKSGIVING 2020!

 Here we are at another holiday during the time of Coronavirus. What a troubled and disturbing year it has been, but I remain hopeful that things on all fronts will improve and life will return to something that feels a bit more familiar, normal and safe. In the meantime, I am grateful for so much: My husband whose love and support is endless; the fact we live in a beautiful, rural area allowing me to walk and enjoy nature; and the love of friends and family who I continue to enjoy both near and far, and so much more! We just celebrated my husband Jerry's 76th birthday, which has come to be known as the "kick-off" to the holiday season. And now on to Thanksgiving. I'm going to start by sharing the soup we will have as a starter on Thanksgiving day.

ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH GREEN APPLE SOUP

Ingredients:

1 large butternut squash, cut in half and seeded

1 onion, peeled and cut into thick slices

2 Granny Smith apples, cut in half and cored

Olive oil for drizzling.

Liberal Salt/Pepper

4 cups chicken stock

1/2 cup apple cider

Preparation:

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Prepare veg and apple. Drizzle with oil. Salt generously. Roast for about 30-40 minutes until veg is just starting to caramelize and squash is very tender.

Let the veg cool. Peel the skin off the butternut squash and put in a large soup pot. Smash up the squash with a large spoon. Scoop the apple out of the skin. It will be very soft. Add to the pot. Drop in the onion and add 4 cups chicken stock and 1/2 apple cider. Heat to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer about 30 minutes. Cool slightly and blend either with an emulsion blender or add all to your blender and blend until very smooth. Taste for seasoning. Salt/pepper as needed. I also add a dash of white pepper to help counter the sweetness of the soup. Serve this soup, hot or cold, with a scoop of Greek-style yogurt and thinly sliced green apple. I really like it best cold! This soup tastes like Thanksgiving in a bowl!

RABBITT'S THANKSGIVING MENU

Smoked Chicken Liver Pate Garnished with Pomegranate seeds

    Served with Caramelized onion, Apricot/Shallot Jam and Smoky Bread toast points

Roasted Butternut Squash and Green Apple Soup

Applewood and Sage Smoked Turkey with Apple Cider Glaze

Traditional Herb Stuffing

Sweet Potato Puree with Pecan crust

Creamed Boursin Spinach

Cranberry Ginger Relish

Freshly Baked Rolls

Butternut Squash Pie with Ginger Pecan crust topped with Ginger-infused Whipped Cream

I think that meal should feed the two of us!

I will brine the turkey for 24 hours, then marinate, and finally smoke the bird brushing with an Apple Cider glaze. 

We celebrated Jerry's birthday, which was Friday, November 13, for the entire weekend. Birthday night we had a rack of lamb, gruyere scalloped potatoes and roasted asparagus. For dessert I made one of his favorites, a blueberry cheesecake! Here is Jerry on our birthday morning walk...Looking good Mr. Rabbitt!

Saturday night we made pizza's on the grill. Thank you to my old friend Trudy G. Silverman who suggested I put the pizza right on the grill! It will take me a couple times to perfect the grilling technique as I had a little trouble controlling the heat, but they were delicious!

THAT'S ALL FOR TODAY!

WISHING YOU THE HAPPIEST 

THANKSGIVING POSSIBLE!

WITH LOVE...

WWW.COOKWITHCINDY.COM

LET THEM EAT...

 CAKE!

A small group of us recently got together to 'safely' celebrate my good friend, Jan Burke's very special, big birthday. We won't say just how big, but as far as I am concerned every birthday is big and special. I love birthday's!  When I learned that chocolate was her 'favorite' I went on a search for the richest, most luscious chocolate cake recipe and I found this Chocolate Truffle Layer Cake recipe online. This one may just take the cake! 

Apparently the cake was a lucky accident created by a Los Angeles baker, Kimberly Sklar, who took her cake out of the oven a little too early. She had used creme fraiche in the batter and discovered that the cake was super moist and fudgy, so instead of cooking longer decided to go with the mistake. She layered it (all 6 layers!) with even more chocolate in the form of white and dark chocolate ganache. If you are a chocolate lover, this is your cake!

Jan is on the left, and our host,
Bonnie Ungerecht on the right.

CHOCOLATE TRUFFLE LAYER CAKE

Ingredients for...THE CAKE

10 oz. good quality bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped and divided 6 oz./4 oz.

1 stick unsalted butter (I like to use Kerry Gold.)

1 Tbsp. pure vanilla extract (Again, good quality; such as Nielsen-Massey.)

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup water

2/3 cup creme fraiche (6 oz.)

3 large eggs

3 large egg yolks

1 1/2 cups granulated white sugar

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp. baking soda

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

Preparation for the Cake:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. (This is the easiest thing you will do in making this cake!)

Butter two 15x12 inch jelly roll pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper. In a medium saucepan, melt 6 ounces of the chopped chocolate with the butter and vanilla over very low heat, stirring gently. Remove the chocolate mixture from the heat and let cool slightly.

In a small saucepan, combine the cocoa with the water and bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Let cool slightly, then whisk the mixture into the melted chocolate. Whisk in the creme fraiche.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the whole eggs, egg yolks and both sugars at medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the chocolate mixture. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour with the baking soda, baking powder and salt and transfer to a sifter or a sieve. Sift the dry ingredients and fold into the cake batter with a large spatula until fully incorporated.

Spread the batter evenly between the prepared pans and sprinkle with the remaining 4 ounces of chopped chocolate.

Bake the cakes in the lower/middle third of the oven for 25-30 minutes, until the centers spring back when lightly pressed; shift the pans halfway through baking. Let the cakes cool completely in the pans. Cake can be made and refrigerated for up to 3 days in advance or frozen up to 2 weeks.

Ingredients for...WHITE CHOCOLATE GANACHE

1 pound white chocolate, chopped (I used Ghirardelli.)

3/4 cup, plus 2 Tbsp. heavy cream

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

Preparation for the White Chocolate Ganache:

Set a medium bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. The water should just touch the bottom of the bowl. Add the white chocolate to the bowl and melt the chocolate. Remove from the heat. Pour off the water in the saucepan and wipe it out. Add the heavy cream and butter to the saucepan and heat until the butter is melted and small bubbles appear around the edges. Whisk the hot cream mixture into the white chocolate. Set the bowl in a cool place until the ganache is firm enough to hold its shape, at least 1 hour. 

I had no idea these steps would take so long and did not allow quite enough time for my ganaches to set so as I assembled the cake the layers got a little uneven. Next time I will allow more time!!

Ingredients for...DARK CHOCOLATE GANACHE:

1 1/3 cups plus 2 Tbsp. heavy cream

10 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped

Preparation for the Dark Chocolate Ganache:

In a medium saucepan, heat the cream until small bubbles appear around the edges. Put the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl and pour the hot cream on top of the chocolate. Let stand 2 to 3 minutes, until the chocolate melts, then whisk until smooth and shiny. Set the bowl in a cool place until the ganache is firm enough to hold its shape, at least 1 hour.

Ingredients for...CHOCOLATE FROSTING:

4 oz. bittersweet chocolate

3 Tbsp. granulated sugar

1/4 cup corn syrup

6 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. water

1 Tbsp. brandy

1 pound unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup confectioners sugar, sifted

Bittersweet and white chocolate shavings for garnish. I skipped this step as I ran out of time.

Preparation for the Chocolate Frosting:

In a medium saucepan, melt the chocolate over very low heat, stirring frequently. In a small saucepan, whisk together the granulated sugar, corn syrup, cocoa and water and bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Remove from the heat and whisk in the brandy and melted chocolate. Let cool completely, about 30 minutes. 

In the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with a wire whisk, beat the butter at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the cooled chocolate mixture. At low speed, beat in the confectioners sugar.

NOW THE ASSEMBLEY BEGINS...

The original recipe went into elaborate instructions as how to create forms to cut the cake into even pieces and how exactly to fill this cake. I'm going to share what I did, which seemed much simpler. 

The sheet pans are 15x12 inches.  Gently flip the pans onto your counter or a cutting board using your hand to ensure the cakes pop out in one piece. The trick here is to not break the cake. Carefully remove the parchment paper. Now cut each sheet pan of cake into 3 equal pieces per pan, so 3 pieces of 5 inch x 12 inch cake making a total of 6 pieces between the 2 pans. Trim the edges with a sharp to remove any crusty edge, but make sure each of your pieces is the same size. 

Place the first layer on a serving plate or tray. I used my mesquite wooden cutting board as my cake platters were not large enough. Spoon a generous dollop of the chocolate frosting onto the first layer creating about 1/2 inch even layer of frosting over the first cake layer. Add a layer of cake on top. Spread 1/2 of the white chocolate ganache on this layer and top with another layer of cake. Top this layer with 1/2 of the dark chocolate ganache and repeat with 2 more layers, alternating the white and dark chocolate ganache. 

Keep the sides as even as you can as you build the cake. My cake had a little tilt to it! Top with the final layer of cake. Coat the sides and top of the cake with a smooth layer of chocolate frosting (I used all the frosting that was left); refrigerate briefly to set the frosting. Garnish with the chocolate shavings.

Refrigerate until firm. Using a hot knife, cut the cake into slices while cold and let it come to room temperature before serving. In the excitement of the celebration I ignored those last 2 steps, which also resulted in a less than perfectly even final presentation, but it sure did taste fantastic. And, the birthday girl and other guests seemed very happy with this rich, decadent, gooey chocolate cake!

Our gracious host, Bonnie, offered to cut the cake!

Don't let the many steps involved in making this cake discourage you. It is truly worth the effort for a special occasion or holiday.

THAT'S IT FOR TODAY!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AGAIN, DEAR JAN!

...AND MANY, MANY MORE!

HOLIDAYS ARE FAST APPROACHING.

WE WILL MAKE THE MOST 

OF THE FESTIVE SEASON AHEAD!

KEEP ON COOKING AND KEEP THE FAITH!

www.cookwithcindy.com

  

SMOKING REDUX!

 Here is Part II of my big smoking adventure of a couple weeks ago. I'm going to start with one of my favorites. I love it because it is so antithetical...Ok, it also seems mutually incompatible. How can you possibly smoke an ice cube?! Once again, I am learning from Steven Raichlen's wonderful book, Project Smoke. He is a believer that just about anything can be smoked. I am also starting to believe!

SMOKED ICE CUBES!

For smoked cubes, simply pour water in a pan and place in your smoker (once you've got it going) for about 15-20 minutes. That's it. Pour the smoked water in ice cube trays and once frozen you have smoked ice cubes. The longer you smoke the water, the smokier the cubes will get. I thought 20 minutes was perfect with a little scotch. I think the smoked cubes would also make a fantastic Manhattan or served with any rye whisky or bourbon. They would also be great with Ice Tea...Lapsang Souchong, which is inherently smoky also sounds like a perfect combo.

SMOKED DEVILED EGGS

As with the Ice Cubes it only took about 20 minutes to smoke these hard boiled eggs. Boil your eggs. Cool. Peel. Place on smoker (once lit) and smoke for about 20 minutes.

Behind the eggs is a pan of Pink Himalayan Sea Salt. I smoked it for about 20 minutes, as well, but next time would smoke for a longer amount of time. The salt was smoky, but very subtle. On the bottom shelf is the Brisket.

After they came out of the smoker I salted and peppered and then prepared as you would any deviled egg. I think a nice pink caviar would be excellent as a topper on these smoked eggs, but my local market did not have any caviar so smoked salmon went on top of mine. Delicious!

ON TO SMOKED BREAD...

Similar to the smoked ice cubes and deviled eggs, smoked bread is simpler than it sounds. All you have to do is smoke the water using to make the bread and also smoke the flour. When you put it all together you have a very subtle, delightfully smoked bread. Again, I smoked the flour and water for about 20 minutes. Steven Raichlen gives credit to French baker, Johann Villar who showed him how to smoke such unexpected ingredients.

I used Raicheln's recipe, which called for 1 cup whole wheat flour and 2 cups white flour. He also uses honey as a sweetener, which lends a nice floral flavor. Use your favorite bread recipe or send me an email and I will send you his recipe.

SMOKY FRENCH TOAST

From this wonderfully smoked bread I made a few different things. First, French Toast.

I cut the bread for this French Toast thicker than usual; almost 2 inches and also cut off the crust. Soak the bread in an egg (2 large eggs, well beaten for 3 big pieces of toast) batter with cinnamon, a little salt, tiny bit of sugar for about an hour, turning every 15 minutes or so to make sure it was completely soaked through. Heat a heavy-bottomed skillet (I like using my old cast iron pan) until very hot and add about 1 Tbsp. olive oil and 1 Tbsp. butter. Lower heat to medium high. Carefully drop in the bread (It becomes quite soggy from all that soaking!) and saute for about 5-6 minutes on each side.

My husband, Jerry likes his French Toast traditionally sweetened with maple syrup with bacon on the side.

I chose (because I am still watching calories!) to have mine with Greek-style yogurt and fresh blueberries!

I actually liked mine better, but then I am not a fan of sweet things in the morning.

Next, I used the crusts from the French Toast to make a...

SMOKY GAZPACHO

Gazpacho is a cold Spanish soup, specifically from the Andalusian region. It is an ancient dish dating back to the 7th century. The version we know today with tomatoes and green peppers was brought to Spain from the 'new world' in the 16th century. To serve completely pureed or chunky is a personal preference. I like both so puree the base and then add lots of toppings. Take liberties with the fresh veg ingredients, but this is what I used for this Gazpacho. Also, purists would never used canned tomatoes, but unless you grow tomatoes yourself, often the ones you buy in the grocery are not that tasty (picked way too early) so I prefer to use canned unless I have a source for really good fresh tomatoes picked ripe off the vine.

Ingredients:

1 28 oz. can San Marzano style tomatoes

1 cup V-8

1 large English style cucumber (no need to peel); 1/2 in puree; 1/2 for garnish

1/2 small red onion, peeled and finely diced; same

1 medium Green Bell pepper, cored and diced; same

1 medium Red Bell pepper, cored and diced; same

2 large garlic cloves

2 Tbsp. sherry vinegar

1 tsp. sea salt 

1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1/2 tsp. cumin

1 thick slice white bread-This is where I used the crusts from the smoked bread. I used a large handful of crusts that I ran under water and gently squeezed out.

For garnish: In addition to the English cuke, red and green pepper, I also added 1/2 sliced avocado and 4 steamed shrimp per serving. I also added some chopped fresh tomato to the garnish. 

Here's my husband, Jerry helping to chop garnishes. 

Preparation:

Combine all ingredients in blender or food processor. Puree until the soup is completely blended and the right consistency. If it is too thick, thin with a little more V-8 juice.

Taste for salt/pepper and more cumin if needed. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Top with whatever garnish you prefer. I cannot believe how just a handful of smoked bread crusts flavored this entire soup. You could definitely taste the smoke!

Sometimes your finger acts as the best utensil!

From the Smoked Brisket I also made Brisket Burgers and a very lovely Brisket Hash. Can't wait to get that smoker stoked up again. I have Steven Raichlen to thank for these smoky ideas, but am looking forward to creating some of my own.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

TOMORROW I AM MAKING SUGAR COOKIES AND CHOCOLATE SUGAR COOKIES 

FOR BATS, GHOSTS AND PUMPKINS!

ENJOY ALL THE GOOD SPIRITS OF THE HOLIDAY!

UNTIL NEXT TIME...

WWW.COOKWITHCINDY.COM

SERIOUS SMOKE!

 A couple weeks ago our hot Arizona weather cooled down a bit and I decided to stoke up the smoker. And did I ever go smoking crazy! I have a new cookbook by Steven Raichlen, PROJECT SMOKE, which is filled with fabulous ideas; some his original, and others from smoking adventures around the world. Basically Raichlen believes it is possible to smoke anything. I smoked from 8:30 in the morning until 10:30 that evening. I will have to share these recipes over a couple of blog posts as it is just too much to cover in one post. So I will start with the feature attraction:

BEEF BRISKET

"If there's one dish that epitomizes barbecue, that every aspiring smoke master hopes to perfect, it's brisket." Steve Raichlen

I learned that there are several cuts of beef brisket, but the most commonly found in your local grocery is a small, lean, center-cut 'brisket-flat', which is what I bought. Mine weighed about 5 pounds. As Raichlen predicted most of the fat had been cut off this already lean cut of meat so at his suggestion I layered slices of thick-cut bacon over the top of the brisket as I began to smoke. 

I seasoned very simply with lots of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Next, with the help of my husband, got the smoker up to a perfect 225 degrees. Checking the fire and temp about every hour is necessary to keep the temp between 225 and 250 degrees. My smoker has a water pan so I kept that filled with at least 3 inches of water. 

This brisket smoked for 10 hours at which point the exterior was darkly browned and internal temp registered 175. I then removed the brisket from the smoker and wrapped it tightly in parchment paper. Raichlen recommends butcher paper, but I did not have any. This step keeps the moisture in the meat for the final smoking. Put it back in the smoker for another couple of hours. When done, internal temp of meat should now be around 200 degrees. The 'smoke masters' tell the doneness by look and touch. A properly cooked brisket should jiggle when you shake it. There was not much jiggle left in my brisket, but I proceeded with Raichlen's suggestions for making a perfect brisket. 

As you can see, evening has fallen, but not trusting my 'touch/feel' skills, I was very happy my brisket finally registered 200 degrees. 

The final step involved placing the cooked brisket, still wrapped in its paper, in a cooler for 2 more hours. This step ensures that any moisture that has released into the paper is re-absorbed into the meat.

By this point it was too late for supper, but we were anxious to try it.

I am very pleased with my first smoked beef brisket. It was a bit overdone so lost some of its juiciness, but the taste more than made up, and the fun of spending the day smoking was well worth it. The brisket was wonderful as a meal the next night with potato and veg. It also made fabulous sandwiches with BBQ sauce and I also ground some to make hash. Other items I smoked on that day included: ice cubes, which were perfect in the scotch I had at the end of my 14 hour smoking day!; flour/water to make smoked bread; eggs, and chicken thighs. The ice cubes were the best!...or maybe it was the scotch at the end of a long, but very enjoyable and satisfying day!

ALL FOR TODAY...

THANKS FOR TUNING IN!

MORE SMOKING TO COME VERY SOON!

WWW.COOKWITHCINDY.COM

SAUCY COLD POACHED SALMON

 I had my good friend, Dorita Pina, over for lunch on the first day of fall. This was my first "food-guest" since March when COVID19 came on strong. We were able to sit outside, but the day was still very warm so I decided to serve a cold lunch.

I had everything put together except the dressing of the salad so we had lots of time to visit.

COLD POACHED SALMON 

WITH DIJON MEYER LEMON SAUCE

Ingredients:

2 Wild Coho Salmon filets

Cut 3 lemons into quarters after juicing and zesting for the vinaigrette and sauce. I also added a big squeeze of lemon juice to the poaching liquid. 

1/2 cup white wine

Lots of freshly chopped chives.

Lots of freshly chopped dill.

Salt/Pepper

Water to nearly cover the salmon filets.

Preparation:

Place salmon on a rack in a saute pan. Drop lemon pieces around the salmon. Cover with herbs, salt/pepper, white wine and top with water to nearly cover the salmon filets. Cover the pan. Bring to a gentle boil and reduce heat immediately to a bare simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off heat and leave in covered pan for 5 mins. Salmon will be done when it becomes opaque and is slightly firm to the touch. Remove cover and let cool on the rack before removing the salmon. Carefully lift out the salmon with a spatula. Peel off skin and any herbs that have stuck to the fish. Set aside, covered in the fridge with plastic wrap.

DIJON MEYER LEMON SAUCE

Ingredients:

Juice and zest of 1 Meyer lemon. If you don't have Meyers, any lemon is good. I just really like the sweet flavor of the Meyer lemon.*

1/4 cup mayo

Scant tsp. Dijon mustard

2 Tbsp. capers

2 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh chives

Salt/Pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients. Cover and place in fridge until ready to serve. Giving it an hour or more in the refrigerator helps to bring the flavors together.

*WHY ARE MEYER LEMONS SO SPECIAL? Meyer Lemons, originally from China, are considerably less acidic than the regular lemons you will find in the grocery, which are usually either Eurekas or Lisbons. Meyer Lemons definitely taste lemony, but both the juice and zest are more fragrant than what you normally get in the groceria. They are also smaller with thinner skin and less white pith under the skin than the regular lemons. You could practically eat the entire Meyer Lemon whole, but probably would not. They are perfect for a totally lemon-forward meal!

LEMON VINAIGRETTE

Ingredients:

Juice 2 Meyer lemons to make 1/3 cup. Again, any lemons are good. Just make sure you have 1/3 cup juice so citrus to oil is proportionate. Add 1/2 cup of your best extra virgin olive oil. I used an oil I bought at my new favorite store in Tucson, Roma Imports. Salt and white pepper to taste. Do not under-salt. Put all ingredients in a jar and shake vigorously until they come together and somewhat emulsify. Leave on counter until ready to dress your greens. Shake again just before dressing. 

Just before Dorita arrived, I dressed some beautiful, fresh arugula with the vinaigrette and made a Caprese Salad with heirloom tomatoes, fresh Buffalo Mozzarella and lots of basil from my garden. I drizzled balsamic vinegar over the top and added salt and freshly ground black pepper. 

I completed the meal by steaming asparagus and dressing in just a little, you guessed it, lemon juice and lemon zest. This also was served cold. The theme today was definitely lemon and perfect for a warm first day of fall. 

We had such a fun afternoon eating, sipping some lovely wine and enjoying each others company. I have truly missed sharing food with my friends and hope to do more of it soon!

This meal was so easy to put together. I think you will love it!

ALL FOR TODAY...

SEE YOU NEXT TIME FOR ANOTHER EPISODE OF...

WWW.COOKWITHCINDY.COM

CHICKEN TWO WAYS!

 Last time I talked about the wonderful cured meats at Roma Imports in Tucson. Today we are going to start with a recipe for chicken using their fabulous prosciutto and provolone cheese.

CHICKEN STUFFED WITH ARUGULA 

AND PROVOLONE WRAPPED IN PROSCIUTTO

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded thinly to about 1/4 inch

2 cups arugula

12 thin slices provolone

8 slices prosciutto

Salt/Pepper

Olive oil for sauting

Preparation:

Pound the chicken breasts so they are an even 1/4 inch, or simply buy the skinny ones prepared at your grocery store. Liberally salt and pepper both sides of the chicken. Spread 1/2 cup of arugula over each breast. Top with 3 slices of provolone. Roll chicken tightly the long way and wrap two slices of prosciutto around the rolled chicken breast overlapping the prosciutto so it sticks together. Prosciutto has a little stretch to it so you can pull it to cover the entire piece of chicken. No need to tie as the prosciutto holds together nicely. Place chicken seam side down in a shallow baking dish. This can be prepared in the morning. If you prepare ahead, bring to room temp before proceeding.

Place a medium skillet over high heat and heat 1 Tbsp. oil until nearly smoking. Saute one chicken breast at a time until prosciutto is nicely browned. The oil tends to splash up so watch your eyes. Add more oil if necessary as you brown all chicken breasts.

Once you have browned all 4 chicken breasts place back in shallow baking pan and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. Thermometer should read 165. Slice chicken breasts in half to serve. 

I served with lightly steamed summer squash, asparagus and cauliflower rice. 

Next, I'm going to share an old classic recipe for chicken. No one seems completely sure where this dish originated; possibly London, Belgium or New York. Earliest mention I could find of it was 1914, but it gained popularity in the 40's through 1960. In New York it was often prepared tableside and flambeed as the grand finale. Supposedly it is named after the Roman Goddess Diana or Diane who was the Goddess of the Hunt, but there is also much disagreement on this. Originally it was made with venison and for many years, and often today, with steak. I am sure at New York's finest restaurants they would use steak, not chicken! A simple, luscious lemony sauce flavored with Dijon mustard, chives or scallions and a hint of brandy is what makes this dish so special.

CHICKEN DIANE

Ingredients:

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1/2 tsp. salt

l/4 tsp. black pepper

2 Tbsp. olive oil

2 Tbsp. butter

3 Tbsp. chopped chives or scallion tops

3 Tbsp. chopped parsley

Juice of 1/2 lemon (I used a bit more.)

2 Tbsp. brandy or cognac (I used E&J Grand Blue. Inexpensive and lovely brandy.)

2 tsp. Dijon mustard

1/4 cup chicken broth

Preparation:

Place chicken breast halves between sheets of plastic wrap. Pound slightly with mallet or rolling pin. You don't want them as thin as in the recipe above, but do want them to be an even thickness. Liberally salt and pepper both sides of chicken breasts. Heat 1 Tbsp. each of olive oil and butter in a large skillet. Cook chicken over high heat for 4 minutes per side. Do not overcook or they will dry out. You can always use a meat thermometer to make sure they are done. 165 is the desired temp. And remember they will continue to cook a bit more so if only at 160 degrees they are fine. Transfer to warm platter. Cover loosely with foil to keep warm while making sauce.

Reduce heat and to the pan you cooked the chicken in, add chives or green onions, lemon juice, brandy, parsley and mustard scraping up all chicken bits. Cook for a few seconds briskly whisking all ingredients. Whisk in chicken broth. Whisk in remaining butter and oil. Check seasoning. Original recipe did not call for it, but I needed to add 1/2 tsp. of salt to the sauce and a dash of white pepper. Pour sauce over chicken and serve immediately. If you have not had this dish, once you do, you will see why it became 'Classic Continental Cuisine'! 

THAT'S IT FOR TODAY!

NEXT WEEK WE CELEBRATE 

THE AUTUMNAL EQUINOX!

HAPPY FALL!

WWW.COOKWITHCINDY.COM

ROMA IMPORTS-MY NEW FAVORITE MARKET!

 I recently visited Roma Imports in Tucson with my good friend, Les Jackson.

www.Romaimports.com

This market, located at 627 S. Vine in Tucson, is packed with the most wonderful selection of Italian meats, cheeses, homemade pastas, pizzas, sauces, olive oils, deli products, homemade bread, and much, much more! I felt transported directly to the heart of Tuscany.  Les and I spent 2 hours going over each and every item. We didn't want to miss a thing. And when we finally finished our shopping we bought take-out to go and had a fabulous Italian lunch. Because of COVID they are no longer serving meals in-store, but Candra, our ever-helpful sales lady said they hope to again soon.

The meat counter at Roma's! And here is Candra with carefully wrapped Proscuitto. She was very knowledgeable of their meats and generous by offering samples of the various salumi's and other meats.

I bought several different types of salumi, proscuitto from Parma and one of my all-time favorites--Mortadella. It also happens to be my friend Steve Vis's favorite, too so I picked some up for him. I had a recipe in mind that Steve made for an elegant dinner party he and his wife, Deb hosted several years ago. The pork he served made a huge impression on me--complex, rich flavors, moist and tender. Steve shared the recipe and the story of how he came to know it. Over 20 years ago he took a cooking class with his good friend, Don Brewer when they were living on Bainbridge Island in Washington state. The class was taught by Judy Keen, 

a local teacher, and she got the recipe from Epicurious. The recipe is still on their website this many years later so I guess I was not the only one who fell in love.

And here is Steve eating upside-down biscotti that he just took out of the oven. Both Steve and Debby are excellent cooks and bakers and they love to entertain! Steve also is a very funny fellow!

And now on to the recipe...

MORTADELLA-STUFFED PORK LOIN 

WITH ROSEMARY ROASTED POTATOES

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp. whole black peppercorns (I used heaping rounded tablespoons.)

3 1/2 tsp. kosher salt

5 cloves garlic

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened (I was generous with the butter, too.)

1 pork loin, about 3 1/2 - 4 lbs.

3 Tbsp. black truffle butter, softened (I did not scrimp here either!)

1/2 lb. thinly sliced Mortadella

4 lb. small Yukon gold potatoes

3 Tbsp. olive oil

1 Tbsp. freshly chopped rosemary

1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

For the sauce:

3/4 cup chicken broth

1/4 cup water

1 1/2 tsp. cornstarch

1 Tbsp. black truffle butter

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. 

Coarsely crush peppercorns and salt with mortar and pestle, then add garlic and mash until a paste forms. Stir in 2 Tbsp. softened butter.

The original Epicurious recipe has a fairly elaborate description of butterflying the pork loin. What I did was simply place the pork on a cutting board and using my sharpest knife cut the pork in half without cutting all the way through so the pork opens like a book.

Using a meat pounder or rolling pin, pound the pork until it is about 1/2 inch thickness. Spread 1 Tbsp. truffle butter over the interior of the pork. Then place half of the mortadella slices onto the pork slightly overlapping pieces. Spread another tablespoon of truffle butter over the mortadella. Top with the remaining mortadella slices and another tablespoon of black truffle butter.  Starting from the long side gently, but tightly roll the pork. You may have to push the mortadella in so it remains inside the roll. Tie with kitchen string. Rub roast all over with the peppercorn garlic butter.

Place fat side up on an oiled rack in a roasting pan. At this point I covered with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge for the day. Bring to room temp before roasting.

Roast for 20 minutes at 450 degrees.

While pork is roasting, peel and halve potatoes. Parboil potatoes for about 5 minutes until they start to soften. Drain in a colander and then toss with oil, rosemary, 1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt and black pepper. 

Remove pork from oven and reduce oven temp to 325 degrees. Add potatoes to roasting pan, turning them in pan juices to coat, then add pork and roast pork with potatoes until thermometer registers 155 on the pork, about 30-35 more minutes. The Epicurious recipe calls for roasting pork and potatoes for another 45-55 minutes. Check temp on pork at 30 minutes in. If it registers 155-160 it is definitely done. USDA says pork loin should be at least 145 degrees. The sauce really brings this dish together, but you do not want to over cook the pork. Transfer pork to a platter and let rest 15-20 minutes.

Increase oven temp to 450 and remove rack from roasting pan. Spread potatoes out in pan and roast in middle of oven, stirring every 5 minutes until potatoes are golden brown, about 20 minutes more. Transfer to a bowl and keep warm.

Make the sauce:

The recipe calls for skimming off as much fat as possible from pan juices. Pork these days is so lean that the only fat in this dish is from the butter and truffle butter so I did no skimming. Straddle the roasting pan across 2 burners. Since I used my beautiful ceramic roasting pan from Poland I made the sauce in the oven, rather than stove-top. Add the chicken broth and de-glaze pan by boiling over high heat, stirring and scraping up brown bits, about 1 minute. This worked fine in the oven. Stir together water and cornstarch getting out as many lumps as possible and then add to the broth mixture, whisking for 1 minute. Remove from the heat and whisk in one more tablespoon of black truffle butter. 

Cut string off the pork and serve with sauce and potatoes.

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