Orzo with Lemon and Parsley

Since moving to Florida, Peggy has been kayaking, attending yoga classes, doing power walks in the morning and, of course, making new friends. She enjoys inviting people over for dinner and entertaining in that casual Florida way. On a recent visit to New York we talked recipes. This one sounded especially appealing and easy. The flavors are classic, the combination slightly unexpected. The orzo would go particularly well with simply broiled fish or chicken.

2 lemons

1/2 tsp. sugar

1/2 box orzo

1 tbl. olive oil

3 tbl. parsley, minced

Zest the lemons and set the zest aside. Cut the rind off the lemons and discard. Remove pits and chop the lemons into small pieces. Sprinkle sugar over lemon pieces and set lemons aside.

Cook the orzo according to package directions. Drain and toss with olive oil. Add lemon zest and parsley. Stir in lemon pieces and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 6 as a side dish.

Note: Chopped dill would taste wonderful in this dish. Either replace the parsley with dill or use both.

Coconut Lime Squares

What would be a good dessert to serve after a hearty beef stew? (See previous posting.) I chose one that was tangy and light with the delicious crunch of toasted coconut. The recipe for these simple to make squares was published in the January 1995 edition of Gourmet Magazine. We all loved the squares and ate far too many.

For crust

3/4 cup plus 2 tbl. flour

3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into bits

1/3 cup sweetened flaked coconut, toasted and cooled

1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

For custard

4 large eggs

1 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup flour

1/2 cup plus 2 tbl. fresh lime juice (from about 5 limes)

1 tbl. freshly grated lime zest (from about 2 limes)

1/3 cup sweetened flaked coconut, toasted and cooled

Make crust:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees and butter and flour an 8 inch square baking pan, knocking out excess flour.

In a bowl blend together with fingertips flour, butter, coconut, confectioners' sugar and salt until mixture resembles coarse meal. Pat mixture into prepared pan and bake in middle of oven 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown.

Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees.

Make custard:

In a bowl whisk together eggs and granulated sugar until combined well and stir in flour, lime juice and zest.

Pour mixture over crust and bake in middle of oven for 20 minutes. Top custard with coconut and bake 5-10 minutes more, or until just set. Cool in pan on a rack and chill 1 hour.

Makes 16 2 inch squares

Notes:

When I added lime juice to the custard mixture, the mixture suddenly got lumpy. I squashed most of the lumps with a wooden spoon. The lumps were not a problem once the squares were baked.

These were a little difficult to get out of the pan. When I make them again I will line pan with buttered parchment or foil. The lining should be large enough to have an overhang which can help lift everything out of the pan.

Beef Stew with Potatoes and Carrots

Deb and Jeff came for dinner and an overnight stay yesterday. They have hearty appetites and enjoy eating beef, lamb and all those foods that many of us gave up eating years ago. I decided that beef stew was just the thing to serve on a rainy autumn evening. I made the stew the night before and reheated it, which actually improves the flavor. Since this is a one dish meal, the only accompaniments were crusty bread and a green salad. The recipe appeared in Gourmet Magazine in December 2008. It serves 12 so I halved the amounts. That was a mistake. The leftovers would have gotten us through a bunch of dinners or could have been frozen for future meals. I made a few minor changes.

For braised beef:

5 lbs. boneless beef chuck (not lean), cut into 2 inch pieces

3 tbl. olive oil

3 carrots quartered

2 medium onions, quartered

1 head garlic, halved crosswise

3 tbl. tomato paste

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

1 (750-ml) bottle dry red wine (about 3 3/4 cups)

2 bay leaves

2 thyme sprigs

3 cups reduced sodium beef broth

2 cups water

For potatoes and carrots:

2 1/2 lbs. boiling potatoes

1 1/2 lbs. carrots

Preheat oven to 350 degrees with rack in middle.

Braise beef:

Pat beef dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in large heavy pot over medium-high heat, then brown meat, without crowding, in 3 batches, turning, about 8 minutes per batch. Transfer meat to a platter.

Reduce heat to medium, then add carrots, onions, and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until well browned, about 12 minutes.

Push vegetables to one side of the pot. Add tomato paste to cleared area and cook paste, stirring 2 minutes, then stir into vegetables. Add vinegar and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Stir in wine, bay leaves, and thyme and boil until wine is reduced by about two thirds, 10-12 minutes.

Add broth to pot along with water, beef, and any juices from platter and bring to a simmer. Cover and braise in oven until meat is very tender, about 2 1/2 hours.

With a slotted spoon, remove the cooked vegetables and discard.

Cook potatoes and carrots:

While the beef braises, peel potatoes and cut into 1/2 inch wide wedges. Slice carrots diagonally (1 inch).

Add potatoes and carrots to stew (make sure they are submerged) and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until potatoes and carrots are tender, about 40 minutes.

Notes:

Avoid buying stew meat already cut into pieces. If possible, buy a few whole pieces of chuck that look good and cut them up yourself.

Stew improves in flavor if made at least 1 day ahead. Chill (covered once cool) up to 5 days. Reheat, covered, over medium heat or in a 350 degree oven.

Monkfish with Pine Nuts, Saffron and Tomatoes

I am always on the lookout for interesting fish recipes that are not very complicated. This one qualifies. The sauce contains pine nuts, which I love, and saffron, a spice that adds an elusive flavor. The recipe was published in Against the Grain by Diane Kochilas, who has written several wonderful books on Greek cuisine. Serve the fish with steamed rice tossed with sauteed zucchini or any other vegetable that appeals to you.

3 tbl. extra virgin olive oil

2/3 cup chopped onion

2 tbl. pine nuts

2 ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and finely chopped with their juices or 1 cup canned, chopped plum tomatoes with their juices

1/4 tsp. saffron threads, crushed in a mortar

1 1/2 lbs. monkfish or other firm-fleshed delicately flavored fish fillets, cut into 2 inch strips

salt and pepper to taste

Heat 1 tbl. of olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and saute 5 minutes, until soft. Add pine nuts and cook stirring for 2-3 more minutes. Add tomatoes and bring to simmer. Cook, stirring, for 6-7 minutes, until sauce begins to thicken. Add saffron and stir to combine. Remove pan from heat and set aside.

Heat remaining 2 tbl. olive oil in a separate large skillet over medium high heat. Season fish with salt and pepper to taste and saute for 1 minute on each side. Pour sauce into skillet, reduce heat and cook for another 8 minutes, until fish is flaky.

Serves 4

Notes: I used about 4 tbl. of pine nuts.

Many people avoid cooking monkfish because it looks strange in the fish store. Often it is covered with a thin gray membrane. Cut the membrane and peel it off. If you are squeamish about this, just select another type of fish.

Spicy Apple-Pear Chutney

I'm still working on that pile of apples accumulated on an overexuberant apple picking day. As a chutney lover, this recipe was very appealing and I had all the ingredients on hand. I found the recipe in Jane Brody's Good Food Gourmet and doubled it to use up more apples and to give jars of the chutney as house gifts. This concoction is not for everyone so it is important to know who in your life is a chutney fan. The recipe is quite simple. All the ingredients are thrown into the pot and cooked for an hour or so.

2 cups (about 2 large) peeled, diced apple (preferably Granny Smith)

1 cup (about 1 large) peeled, diced pear

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup cider vinegar

1/2 cup raisins or dried currants

1/2 cup diced onion

1 tsp. grated gingerroot

1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

Place the ingredients in a large nonaluminum or nonstick saucepan. Cook the mixture over low heat for about 1 hour (until it is thickened and looks like chutney).

Pack the chutney into hot sterilized canning jars, cover the jars, and process the chutney for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath.

Makes about 3 half-pints

Note: My brother-in-law Stan makes wonderful plum chutney. He does not process it and it keeps well for several months in the fridge. If the waterbath business is too intimidating, skip it and keep the chutney refrigerated.

Teddie's Apple Cake

One person can pick a whole big pile of apples in no time at all. Every year I am amazed at the number of apples getting weighed as I leave Samascott's Orchards in Kinderhook N.Y. Friends and relatives are important here but even they may reach their apple limit. Why not bake a down home apple cake with a few apples from your pile? Teddie's Apple Cake immediately comes to mind. The recipe was first published in the N.Y. Times in 1973. I have been making it ever since. The Times reprinted it a few years ago but I still have my yellow, crumbling original.

Butter for greasing pan

3 cups flour, plus more for dusting pan

1 1/2 cups vegetable oil

2 cups sugar

3 eggs

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp/ baking soda

1 tsp. vanilla

3 cups peeled, cored and thickly slices tart apples, like Honeycrisp or Granny Smith

1 cup chopped walnuts

1 cup raisins

Vanilla ice cream (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 9-inch tube pan. Beat the oil and sugar together in a mixer (fitted with a paddle attachment) while assembling the remaining ingredients. After about 5 minutes, add the eggs and beat until the mixture is creamy.

Sift together 3 cups of flour, the salt, cinnamon and baking soda. Stir into the batter. Add the vanilla, apples, walnuts and raisins and stir until combined. The batter will be very thick and unwieldy. Just keep at it until the fruits and nuts are incorporated.

Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in the pan before turning out. Serve at room temperature with vanilla ice cream, if desired.

Serves 8

Notes: I have always mixed this cake by hand and it comes out fine. It also freezes well, wrapped securely in plastic wrap and then placed in a heavy plastic freezer bag.

Chicken with Sausage and Peppers

I've mentioned several times that Deb is an incredible cook. A few weeks ago we were lucky enough to have dinner in her home. Since this was a last minute affair, she served leftovers. But Deb's leftovers are nothing like mine. This earthy dish was based on a recipe from Fairview Wines and Spirits Wine Club. It even tastes wonderful a few days after it is made. Great bread for mopping up the juices and a tossed salad are all else that is needed. Oh, I almost forgot- the Wine Club recommends serving a Spanish red wine from the region of Bierzo.

3 chicken breast halves, with wings, skin and bones

6 chicken thighs with skin

2 tbl. extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp. smoked paprika

salt and freshly ground pepper

4 cups cooked cannellini beans, starting with 1 1/2 cups dry beans, or 2 cans, rinsed

1 tbl. sliced garlic

3 red bell peppers, cored, seeded, in half-inch wide vertical strips

2 medium-size sweet onions, in eighths

12 ounces chorizo or linguica sausage, sliced 1 inch thick

1 cup dry red wine

2 stems fresh rosemary, leaves only

Separate wings from breasts. Cut each breast in half. Dry all chicken pieces. heat 1 tbl. oil in a 12 inch skillet. Add chicken, skin side down, and cook over medium-high heat, just until skin is golden. Do not turn pieces; cook in stages if they do not all fit in pan at once.

Place chicken in a bowl and rub with paprika, slat and pepper. Toss beans with garlic, season with salt and pepper, and spread in a large, shallow casserole that can hold chicken is a single layer. Place chicken, skin side up, on bed of beans. Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Heat remaining oil in skillet, add peppers and onion chunks and saute until starting to brown. Scatter around chicken. Add sausage to skillet, saute, stirring, a couple of minutes until just starting to sizzle. Tuck sausage pieces into casserole. Scatter rosemary on top. place in oven and bake 45 minutes, basting chicken with juices once or twice.

Serves 6