New Potatoes with Sorrel Sauce and Truffle Salt

When Stephen is away Tabitha will cook with duck fat and truffle salt.

While I enjoy cooking for others, it is nice at times to cook only for myself, to not consider the dislikes of the other person(s). I knew that I would be able to cook for just myself tonight and started thinking about what I wanted this afternoon.

The ingredients I needed to work with:
New red potatoes - purchased from the farmers market yesterday and one of my long standing favorites. Sorrel - weeded from the garden this afternoon, a leafy green with a lemony bite.

The ingredients I wanted to work with:
Salt - I received six speciality salts from my mother for my birthday. Duck fat - rendered by me a while ago.

Boil a bunch of new potatoes until they are just tender. Drain and leave to dry out on a baking sheet. Heat 2 tsp of rendered duck fat in a pan until quite hot. Throw one potato in to test the heat - if it sizzles you are set to go. Throw the rest in and shake them about for around 20 seconds. Dump back onto the baking sheet and throw into a 415 degree oven. Bake until crispy.

Chop up around 1.5-2 cups of sorrel. Melt 2 tsp of butter in a sauce pan, add the sorrel and cook until wilted. Add 3/4 cup of vegetable stock and cook over medium heat until thick and mushy. Set aside. Meanwhile heat 1.5 cups of whole milk. In the same sauce pan (now rinsed) melt 2 T of butter. Add 3 T of flour and cook until it loosens up. Slowly add heated milk until it has a thick consistency. Add the reserved sorrel and cook for another minute or two. Add remaining milk until desired consistency. Finish with salt, paprika and pepper to taste.

Serve potatoes with two options for topping: Sorrel sauce and truffle salt.

I was worried about over salting my potatoes by salting them once out of the oven and then again by dipping in truffle salt. I could have either over salted the sauce or dipped each sauced potato first in salt. I chose to dip in a Mayan sea salt before the sauce.

Raised Potato Doughnuts

My friends came over for dinner, doughnuts and drinks yesterday. Of the three doughnuts I made - these were my favorite!

The recipe is from Greg Patent's Baking In America. I've had hit and miss luck with this cookbook - this was a definite hit.

Scald 3/4 cup whole milk with 1T sugar - when cool - pour over 2.5tsp yeast. When yeast is proofed add 1/2 cup sugar, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp nutmeg, 1.5 tsp vanilla, 8 T soft butter, 1 cup of mashed russet potato, 3 eggs and 3 cups of flour. Add up to 2 cups more flour - until the dough is just this side of stickiness. Here you are supposed to let it raise for 1.5 hours. I did not have time as I made this on Friday night after bookclub. I put it straight into the refrigerator for an overnight rest. Roll the dough out to a 1/3 inch thickness. It's pretty springy so I had to roll - rest - roll - rest etc... in order to get it that thin. Cut with a doughnut cutter and raise until they are light and puffed. Fry in 365 degree vegetable oil for 2 minutes a side. After 30 seconds of draining on a paper towel dip into a mixture of 3 cups powdered sugar, 1 tsp vanilla, 1/4 tsp almond extract and 1/2 cup milk. The glaze will harden in about 30 minutes.

Chestnut and Pancetta Soup

This soups is from a book I've checked out from the library, The Soups of France by Lois Rothert. I need to add this one to my collection!

Place a pot over medium heat and add 1/4 lb finely diced pancetta - cook until crisp and set aside. Drain the fat from the pan and add 2 T back in. Add 2 large chopped onions and 2 thinly sliced and chopped fennel bulbs. Cook over low heat until soft. Add 2 quarts of water, 1 can of roasted chestnuts (roughly chopped), 2 tsp salt and a couple grinds of pepper. Bring to a boil - then simmer for 35 minutes. Puree and taste for salt and pepper. Serve with pancetta.

Makes 6 1.5 cup servings. Delicious!

Cannellini and Celery Root Gratin

I was looking for a new way of using celery root based this recipe on one found in Mark Bittmann's How To Cook Everything Vegetarian. I made this last Wednesday - it's takes a bit of time after work - don't expect to eat before 7:30.

In the morning place 1.5 cups of cannellini beans in a bowl and cover with water. When you get home drain and place in a large pot with fresh water and bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer and cook until done (50 minutes for my batch). Drain.

Melt 1.5 T butter in a large saute pan over medium heat - add 1 celery root chopped into 1 inch cubes. Cook until they begin to brown. Add one chopped up onion along with 1.5 tsp salt and pepper to taste - cook until soft. Add 1/4 cup white wine and turn off the heat. Add cooked beans, 3/4 cup water, 1 tsp regular paprika, 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp chopped fresh marjoram and 1 tsp dried oregano. Dump into a buttered dish. Top with a mixture of equal parts bread crumbs and grated parmesan. Bake at 400 for 40 minutes.

It made dinner for Stephen and I plus two frozen lunch servings.

Artichoke Ravioli with Avocado Sauce

Some of you might know that avocado's are not my favorite item to eat...

Last week Stephen served omelets for breakfast with a topping of canned artichoke, avocado, scallion, garlic, and onion blitzed together in the food processor (all raw) that was delicious.

Work was not so interesting today and I got to thinking about the frozen artichokes in the freezer and the avocado on the counter top. So I made an interesting dinner.

For the filling: blitz a large handful of parsley, 1 T capers along with a nice amount of their brine, and some pickled ramps. Add 1 pgk frozen artichokes steamed (although having now used them I like the canned version better), 1/4 cup ricotta cheese, a T of your preferred vinegar (not balsamic though) salt, and pepper - blitz together.

Roll out your preferred pasta and stuff accordingly.

Meanwhile simmer 1 cup of white wine (something citrus) down to 1/2 cup - keep warm. When the ravioli is cooked - add it to 1 mashed avocado and a bunch of chopped basil.

I don't want this everyday but it was interesting.

Winter Soup

I decided to start this up again with a soup theme. Some from cookbooks some not.

This is one I've been thinking about for a while. I tried last Sunday and just as I was going to throw the baking sheet of veggies into roast - I broke a glass ramekin all over it. Needless to say I threw it in the garbage and quit cooking for the day. Sadly this is not an uncommon occurrence. Anyway - I was successful yesterday.

Roughly chop and throw onto a cookie sheet: 2 peeled parsnips, 1 peeled carrot, 1 onion, 1 red bell pepper, and about 4 inches of a butternut squash neck. Add 1 bulb of garlic separated into cloves. Toss with 1 T olive oil, a bunch of freshly chopped rosemary, a bunch of freshly chopped thyme, salt and pepper. Bake at 350 for an hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Until browned and soft.

Meanwhile, melt 1 T butter in your preferred soup pot. Add one chopped up leek and cook on low while the other veggies roast.

Dump the roasted veggies into the soup pot, add 6 cups of water and bring to a simmer. Throw in a stalk of sage, two of thyme, one of rosemary and three of marjoram along with two dried bay leaves. Cook until the squash is falling apart and the carrots are tender - about 40 minutes. Taste occasionally for salt. Remove the stalks of herbs and bay leaves. Blend and serve.

This made enough for dinner (with bread and beer) and three lunches (without beer).