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Saturday, October 10, 2020
Fairy Tale of New York (Cocktail)
Source - includes instructions to make single drinks
Fairytale of New York
Winter Warmth Syrup
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup raw, demerara or turbinado sugar (granulated will do just fine if you do not have them)
1/2 apple, peeled, cored, and diced
1/2 pear, peeled, cored, and diced
12 walnut halves
3 cinnamon sticks, broken up
6 whole cloves
1 whole nutmeg
Drink Ingredients
Several pieces of orange peel (about 1 by 2 inches)
Winter Warmth Syrup (recipe above)
Bitters to taste
5 1/2 cups bourbon, rye or Canadian whisky
Method
Make the winter warmth syrup: Combine all ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, stirring until the sugar dissolves, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool. Strain into a clean glass bottle, cover and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks. Makes about 2 cups.
Make a pitcher (volume 8 cups) Combine the syrup and about 5 1/2 cups bourbon. Toss a few orange peels into each jar. Add bitters to taste. To serve pour over ice.
Acorn Squash Quesadillas with Tomatillo Salsa
Salsa Recipe is below. . .
Acorn Squash Quesadilla
Ingredients
1 small/medium acorn squash
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons diced white onion
1 tablespoon minced jalapeno
1 clove garlic, minced
2 poblano chiles, roasted, peeled and cut into strips
Salt and pepper to taste
10-inch flour tortillas
1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend of your choice (I used Muenster, not Mexican but worked great!)
Butter for frying quesadillas
Garnishes: Julienned radishes, crema or sour cream and/or salsa verde cruda (recipe below)
Method
First, roast the acorn squash. Preheat the oven to 400° and lightly oil a baking sheet. Halve the squash, scoop out the seeds (you can save them to toast later, if you wish) and cut each half into half-inch slices. Lay them on the baking sheet and roast for about 20 minutes, until soft but not cooked to mush. (You’ll finish it in the pan.)
When cool enough to work with, use a paring knife or your hands to peel the skin off each slice. Lightly chop the squash and put it in a bowl.
Saute the onions, garlic and jalapeno in the oil until translucent. Add the poblano strips and cook for a couple minutes more. Add the squash and cook for another 5 or 10 minutes, until the squash is tender and the flavors have melded. Season with salt and pepper and take off heat.
Spread a few tablespoons of the cooked squash mixture onto one half of a 10-inch flour tortilla. Sprinkle with a couple tablespoons of the cheese. Fold over and place in a hot pan with melted butter, and fry until crispy. Cut the finished quesadilla into four triangles. Serve with your choice of garnishes.
Eat while warm.
Tomatilla Salsa [Salsa Verde Cruda]
Ingredients
10 tomatillos, husked and well washed, quartered
1/2 bunch of scallions, roots and green ends trimmed, cut into big segements
5 garlic cloves, smashed
2 jalapenos, roughly chopped
Pinch of allspice
Salt to taste
Method
Puree all ingredients together until very smooth either in a blender or food processor. Season with salt.
Stuffed Endive with Herbed Goat Cheese
Stuffed Endive with Herbed Goat Cheese
Ingredients
1 ounce goat cheese, crumbled (about 1/4 cup)
2 ounces cream cheese, softened (about 1/4 cup)
1 teaspoon lemon zest plus 1 Tbsp. fresh juice (from 1 lemon)
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 1/2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh chives, divided
1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, divided
2 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh tarragon, divided
24 green Belgian endive leaves (about 2 heads)
Method
Stir together goat cheese, cream cheese, zest, juice, salt, pepper, 2 tablespoons of the chives, 1 tablespoon of the parsley, and 2 teaspoons of the tarragon in a bowl. Spoon mixture evenly into bottom halves of endive leaves.
Combine remaining 1/2 tablespoon each chives and parsley and 1/2 teaspoon tarragon. Sprinkle evenly over stuffed leaves. Serve immediately.
Curried Empanadas
Curried Empanadas Recipe
Make Ahead: The dough and the filling can be made 2 days ahead of time. The formed empanadas can be chilled several hours before baking. Once baked, the empanadas can be made a day ahead of time and reheated before serving.
Pastry Ingredients
16 ounces cream cheese (do not use light), room temperature
8 ounces (2 sticks, 1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 egg, beaten, for pastry egg wash
Filling Ingredients
Salt
1/2 pound ground pork, chicken or beef
2 tablespoons plus one teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onions
1 clove garlic, minced
4 shiitake mushrooms, finely chopped (optional)
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
2 tablespoons sherry
1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/4 cup golden raisins, chopped
Method
Make the empanada dough: Beat together the cream cheese, butter, and 1/2 teaspoon salt, until well blended. Slowly add in the flour, mixing until incorporated.
Form two balls (it will be easier to work with 2 separate pieces of dough), then flatten each into a disk. Dust with flour, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least an hour.
Cook the meat: While dough is chilling, heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil in a large frying pan on medium high heat. Break off bits of ground meat and add to the pan, until all the meat is added without crowding. Sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon of salt over the pork. Do not stir.
Once the meat is lightly browned on one side, use a spatula to flip the pieces to the other side so the other side can cook.
Once the meat is lightly browned on both sides, reduce the heat on the pan to medium, and remove the pork to a bowl.
Make the picadillo stuffing: Add 2 more tablespoons of olive oil to the pan. Then add the finely chopped onion. Let onions gently cook on medium heat for a few minutes until translucent.
Add the minced garlic. Cook until fragrant.
Add the finely chopped mushrooms, cooking for a few minutes more.
Add the curry powder, ground coriander, and cardamom to the pan. Mix the spices in with the onion mix.
Add the ground meat back to the pan, mixing in the seasoned onion mix.
Add the raisins. Add the sherry, soy sauce, sugar, and corn starch, mixing well.
Break bigger pieces of ground meat with the edge of a metal spatula. Remove from heat, and chill until time to stuff the pastries.
Roll out the dough and cut out rounds: Preheat oven to 375°F. On a lightly floured, smooth, clean surface, roll out one of the dough rounds to a thin 1/8-inch thickness. (If refrigerated for more than an hour, you may need to let it sit for 10 minutes to soften it enough to roll it out more easily.)
Use a wide-mouthed jar or biscuit cutter (about 3 inches wide) to cut out rounds. Place them on a baking sheet.
During this and the next step, if the dough becomes too soft and therefore difficult to work with, put whatever you are working on in the refrigerator to chill for 5 or 10 minutes.
Stuff and fold the empanadas: Use a pastry brush to lightly brush the inside edge of the rounds with egg wash (to help the empanadas seal).
Place a teaspoon of meat inside each round
Fold the round over to and press the edges to seal shut. Use the tines of a fork to flute the edges.
Place standing upright on a baking sheet, spaced an inch apart. (You can also lie them down, but with them upright, you'll fit more on a pan.)
Use a pastry brush to brush the sides (not the bottom) of the empanadas with more egg wash.
Bake in oven: Working in batches, cook in the 375°F oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown.
Spanish Tortilla Bites with Winter Greens and Garlic
Makes 36 pieces
Spanish Tortilla Bites with Winter Greens and Garlic
Tortilla Ingredients
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon plus 1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt, divided
2 cups plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided
6 packed cups winter greens, such as collards, Lacinato kale or mustard greens, stems removed, leaves cut into 1/4-inch thick ribbons
2 pounds starchy potatoes, such as Yukon gold, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch rounds (6 to 8 medium potatoes)
1 medium yellow onion, diced
Freshly ground black pepper
10 large eggs
Sauce Ingredients
1/2 cup good mayonnaise, such as Hellman's
1 teaspoon pimentón or smoked Spanish paprika
1 teaspoon Tabasco
1 large garlic clove, finely minced
Method
In a 12- to 14-inch non-stick skillet over medium heat, heat 1 tablespoon oil. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the greens and cook, tossing occasionally, until wilted and softened, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside.
Wipe out the skillet and heat 2 cups oil over medium heat until a potato added to the oil sizzles gently. Add half the potatoes and onion to the pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are soft but not browned, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove potato mixture with a slotted spoon and transfer to the bowl with the greens. Repeat with remaining potato mixture, reserving oil. Season potato mixture with 1 1/2 tablespoons salt and a few grinds of pepper. Add the eggs and stir carefully to combine, keeping the potatoes intact.
In the same skillet over medium-high heat, add 1/4 cup reserved oil and swirl to coat. When the pan is hot, add the egg mixture and reduce the heat to low. Give it a shake and gently agitate the eggs in the middle of the pan with a spatula. As the tortilla sets, occasionally shake the pan and run the spatula along the rim to keep the tortilla from sticking. Cook until the eggs are almost set, 25 to 35 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the sauce. In a small bowl, stir together mayonnaise, pimentón, Tabasco, and garlic. Refrigerate until ready to use.
When you can easily lift the side of the tortilla up with the spatula and see underneath, it is ready to flip. Place a plate, platter, or inverted or rimless baking sheet larger than the skillet on top of the tortilla in the skillet, then flip the skillet over so the tortilla transfers onto the plate. Slide the tortilla back into the skillet and add any runny egg that was left on the plate. Continue to cook until tortilla is light golden on the underside, pushing the edges under to give it a nice round shape, 5 to 7 minutes more.
Flip tortilla onto a wire rack to cool. To serve, thinly slice around the perimeter to square off the sides (save those for a cook's treat). Cut the tortilla in 6 equal rows lengthwise and widthwise to make 36 bites. Serve tortilla with aioli for dipping.
DO AHEAD: The tortilla can be made 3 days in advance, kept whole, wrapped tightly in plastic, and refrigerated. The aioli can be made 3 days in advance and refrigerated.
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