6160 A Diary of the Urban Gardener and Cook

The mild winter of 2012 couldn't last forever; sure enough, the February temperatures plunged from sixty degrees to ten degrees in about a day and a half.  Old Man Winter wasn't going to let us off easy...  sigh.

I'm not sure why, but I've always viewed Lemon Turkey Cutlets as a winter dish, so with the return of winter temperatures, this hit the menu rather quickly.  An easy dish to prepare and very aromatic, this entree is usually paired with butternut squash at 6160. 

You will need:

Seasoned breadcrumbs

Turkey breast cutlets (approximately 1lb)

Fleur de Sel

Course Black Pepper

Olive Oil

Minced Garlic

Fresh Sage leaves, shredded

Dry White Wine

Chicken Broth

One small lemon

Butter

1.  With the stove set at medium high, heat the olive oil in a skillet. 

2.  Cut several small slits into the outer edges of the turkey cutlets (this prevents curling). 

3.  Spread the breadcrumbs on a plate, dredge the cutlets through the breadcrumbs.  Shake off excess and discard the remaining breadcrumbs.

4.  Cook the cutlets until golden brown on the outside and no longer pink on the inside (about ninety seconds each side).  Add Fleur de Sel and Black Pepper to taste.

5.  Remove the cutlets and set aside.

6.  Add a touch more olive oil to the skillet, and add the garlic and sage.  Cook for about a minute, then add the wine and broth.   Be sure to scrape the browned bits and allow the liquid to reduce by half.

7.  With a zester, zest about a third of the lemon into the sauce.  Always avoid the white part of the peel (it is bitter).  Then cut the lemon in half, and squeeze the juice into the sauce.  Simmer for about one more minute, then remove from heat.

8.  Add about one tablespoon of butter into the sauce, then spoon over the turkey cutlets.

Enjoy...

Several years ago there was a wonderful French restaurant with vaulted, tin covered ceilings and seventeen foot tall windows covering a wall which looked out across a turn of the century cafe.  In the brasserie section of the restaurant, sepia toned posters of old French wineries from the 1920s covered the walls while a richly carved oak bar boasted a pair of giant silverplated espresso makers like something from a vintage italian cafe.  While the restaurant was reknowned for its desserts (like tarte tatin), the entire menu hit it out of the park start to finish.  Although the restaurant is long since gone (not sure St Louis' French cuisine has rebounded from that loss), I have never forgotten it served the best salad lyonnaise I've ever had. 

Salad Lyonnaise is one of the most popular salads in French restaurants and bistros. And what's not to love?  A simple salad of frisse, bacon, and a poached egg, with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar, it can be put together in minutes and sits squarely in that wonderful, narrow category of year round comfort food.

You will need:

Frissee, six to eight ounces

Six strips bacon cut into lardons

Four eggs

Balsamic vinegar

Fleur de Sel

Course Black Pepper

With a skillet set to medium-high heat, add the lardons and cook until crisp. Remove the bacon.  With the skillet still hot, drop the frissee in and toss gently, removing quickly.  Add the crisped bacon to the frissee and set aside.

Carefully crack each egg into a small bowl.  Bring a shallow saucepan with three to four inches of water to a boil. Reduce to a simmer. Carefully slide the eggs into the pan of water. Poach for two to three minutes, using spoons to gently wrap white around the yolk.  Do not overcook the yolk, as it is an integral component for dressing the salad. Using a slotted spoon, remove eggs and place atop the frissee.  Drizzle balsamic vinegar onto the salad, and add a pinch of Fleur de Sel and Black Pepper.

The restaurant always served the salad with two to three sliced pears on the side (it really made a nice presentation; this of course is optional...).  Serve while the salad is still slightly warm.

If there's one thing you can count on in St. Louis, is that you just can't count on the weather.  Two back to back years of absolutely awful winters, and then this year - mild, for the most part, with a solid week now in January of fifty degree temperatures.  So... far from the customary shift into cold weather comfort foods, I find myself longing for salads.  In Europe, this little dish is served as small side to rich flavored meat dishes.  Whether sitting alongside a thick juicy pork chop or a sizzling herb encrusted ribeye, a rustic parsley side salad is a wonderful accompaniment.

You will need:

One bunch of Italian Parsley

Half a shallot

One teaspoon of minced garlic

One lemon

Shaved Parmesan

Olive oil

Fleur de Sel

Course Black Pepper

Roughly tear the parsley and place in a small bowl.  Thinly slice a half shallot and add to the parsley, along with the teaspoon of minced garlic.  Zest a fresh lemon atop the parsley, then cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice into a separate bowl to form the dressing.  Add olive oil, fleur de sel, and course black pepper to the lemon juice, then stir lightly.  Top the parsley salad with shaved parmesan, then dress the salad with the lemon dressing.  Place alongside any intensely flavored meat entree and enjoy.

Laura Calder is my absolute favorite chef.  She really does make the complex simple, and where Italian cooking is, by and large, "rustic" (ie, simple), French cooking is not.  Her approach and lecture style put it within reach, which is nice for cooks like me who have little to no time for heavy, stylistically dependent recipes.

Often her recipes, especially salads and appetizers, call for Goat Cheese ("Chevre") at some point in the process.   To be honest, I have never eaten Goat Cheese as much as I have in the last ten to twelve months as I've delved further and further into her cookbooks.  And as I've gotten more and more atuned to Beekman1802 Goat Cheese (Blaak), it all just seemed to come together in an awesome Radicchio salad.

I absolutely love Radicchio.  A member of the chicory family, it is both bitter and spicy.  Radicchio is definitely big in Italy, where it is often grilled with abit of olive oil;  however, it's equally at home in Belgium in quite a number of dishes - so for me this vegetable is an absolute win-win...

For this salad, you will need

Radicchio, about a pound, shredded

Goat Cheese, about half a pound, shredded and/or crumbled

Golden Raisins, about half a pound

Balsamic Vinegar

Olive Oil

Place the raisins in a small bowl and drizzle the Balsamic Vinegar over them.  You want them well soaked but not "floating", so about four to five tablespoons generally fits the bill.  Set aside and let them marinate for ten to fifteen minutes.  Pour the raisins and vinegar over the Radicchio in a serving bowl.  Add the goat cheese, drizzle with olive oil, and gently toss (using your hands is best). 

Enjoy..,

Sometimes the weather just "speaks" to you and tells you need to start making a particular dish.  As temperatures wobbled in January from a high of 50 one day to a high of 15 the next, I can only assume my blood wasn't sure whether to thicken or thin (so I felt perpetually cold...).  And Baked Ziti began sounding better and better.

As a child, I recall it was hard at times to determine if we were eating Baked Ziti or Lasagna because my mother's recipe called for ricotta in both - it was only when you actually doing the serving or got the noodles in your line of sight that you could make the call.  When the only main variance is the noodle cut or shape, forget it, I'm bored...  So as I thought about Baked Ziti and the cold, I slightly morphed the recipe to something with a more unique taste (to differentiate from Lasagna) and kickup the heat ever so slightly.

At 6160, we are completely enamoured with Barilla Plus pastas.  All of them are multigrain - not whole wheat (whole wheat pastas make me feel like I've drank a six pack of Guiness Stout) and loaded with Omega3 (increasingly important for those of us who have cruised past the forty year mark and are thinking about heart health).  For this Baked Ziti recipe, of course Barilla Plus Penne figures into the equation...

You will need
One box Barilla Plus Penne pasta

Roasted Red Peppers (3-4 sizable strips cut into slivers)

1/2 pound Hot Salciccia

Garlic, minced

Yellow Onion, diced

Eight to Ten cocktail tomatoes, halved

Tomato puree

Water (as needed)

Two Roma tomatoes, diced

Olive oil

Red Pepper flakes

Sugar

Fleur de Sel

Course Black Pepper

1/2 pound Fontina Cheese, cubed

1/4 pound Parmesian Cheese, shaved

1/2 pound Mozzarella Cheese, shredded

Handful of fresh Basil

Italian Spices

Preheat the oven at 395 degrees and on the stove, fill a large pasta pot with water and set to boil.  Add the Penne to the water when boiling, and cook.  Do not overcook, and know that Barilla Plus pastas always have an al dente quality to them due to being multigrain (this is something I really like).  When fully cooked, drain the pasta in a colander and set aside. 

Next, begin browning the Salciccia in a skillet on medium high heat.  Using a wooden spoon, break the sausage apart into mouth sized bits.  Reduce the heat in the skillet to medium, as you do not want to overcook...  To this, add the garlic and onions, cooking just long enough for the garlic to turn golden and the onions to soften and become translucent.  Again, don't overcook...  Pour the tomato puree over this mixture, which will immediately slow the cooking process entirely.  Add a pinch of sugar, two pinches of Fleur de Sel, and Black Pepper to taste (we like alot of pepper).  Add the diced tomatoes and roasted red peppers, as well as two pinches of red pepper flakes for heat.  Drizzle a few dallops of olive oil on top and stir gently into the sauce.  it is important at this point to consider the sauce - if it appears too thick for your liking, add water or more olive oil to thin somewhat.   For my part, I've never had to add more liquids but it's all a matter of personal preference.  Finally, add the Italian Spices (go heavy handed) and gently stir into the sauce.

Take a rectangular baking pan, spray the bottom and sides with nonstick spray, and add a couple spoonfuls of the pasta sauce to the bottom of the pan.  Next add roughly half of the Penne pasta to the pan, atop which you will add half of the Fontina, Parmesian and Mozzarella.  Shred half of the fresh basil and scatter across the mixture.  Pour half of the pasta sauce on top of the noodle and cheese mixture, then add all the remaining noodles, nearly all the cheese (reserve abit), all the remaining basil, and add all the remaining sauce.  Sprinkle the reserved cheese on top of the entire mixture to ensure you get a crispy brown cheesy top, and bake in the oven until you see the cheese browing and crisping like pizza (approximately fifteen minutes).

The dish will look and smell phenomenal.  The Fontina is a wonderful melting cheese and combines beautifully with the sharp taste of the Parmesian and the mellowness of the Mozzarella.  The Salciccia ensures a spicy, meaty flavor with just the right amount of heat.   Often with pasta I recommend a loaf of crusty bread, but this really is a one dish meal to enjoy as is...

Thanks so much for the relentless emails over the last few weeks.  Yes, I've been offline for abit; while work has required a good amount of time closing out 2011 and preparing associates for 2012 objectives, I've also gone back to school for French language training as well as Italian cooking.  With a trip to Belgium just weeks away, the idea of becoming fully fluent in French became increasingly intriguing to me.  Further, with many of my recipes moving in my repertoire from "new" to "go to", I needed to continue expanding my capabilities on the cooking front.

If time permits this weekend, I'll begin filling the site with some of my newest "successful" recipes, from Baked Ziti - Penne to Lemon Turkey Cutlets to Butternut Squash Soup with Ricotta Quenelles. 

January is always an interesting time at 6160.   While most of my gardening friends have moved to "armchair gardening" (a phrase coined for those individuals who in the absence of the ability to garden at all because of the Winter season turn to reading about gardening to fill the time) we suddenly discovered that our kitchen project of replacing the old birch countertop with solid quartz was going to need to shift forward rather quickly.  Right after a wonderful New Years Eve party we found the telltale split in the wood by the sink (the sink and its constant exposure to water is the downfall of wood countertops everywhere...).  As I outlined the kitchen project for our contractor, the customary "while he's doing this I think I'm gonna changeout that" scenario began to take place in my mind; and of course, I began to introduce my changes before he even got started.  As such, the kitchen is already beginning to morph to make it both more functional and (in my estimation) attractive.

January is also the month where as Christmas decorations come down and the house returns to a sense of normalcy, the functional evaluation of the space takes place.  Coming right out of the holidays it was clear we needed yet more storage at 6160.   A key change many of you noted in the "Early Winter Interiors" photo log I started a couple weeks ago was the storage chest I built in the Living Room.  Its artistic "mentor" if you will was the milk crate sitting in the second floor sitting room.  What made it fun was taking a chain and beating the living daylights out of it to distress it, then decoupaging an old French winery label to it. 

While for most of St Louis' residents January is a month where cabin fever has just begun to set in, French classes, Cooking classes, and changeouts to the 19th Century Kitchen at 6160 have me completely occupied; to be honest, I'm glad not to have the opportunity to go into the gardens right now - at least I can stay focused!

So stay tuned - recipes are on the way...

Sometimes you notice a plant or planting on your drive to and from work that stands out from the rest.  You find yourself looking for it on your daily commute and acknowledging it as you pass by.  And so it goes with a very old tree that lines one of the main thoroughfares in Dogtown.  It stands out not because of its large size (in a community with homes dating back to the Civil War, Dogtown is loaded with towering trees...); it stands out because it is always the very first to undergo leaf change in Autumn.  Last weekend, the first splotch of yellow leaves were spotted and as temperatures have plunged again (highs are now only in the low 60s - it's wonderful), I have an overwhelming urge for Fall flavors.

Pumpkin and Butternut Squash - they have very similar tastes to me at least - are two of my absolute favorite ingredients.  For anything.  And what makes this an easy product to work with is that there is a plethora of "cheats" available - meaning, grocery stores, specialty stores (like Williams Sonoma) and the internet (such as Amazon) offer a number of organic pureed Pumpkin or Butternut Squash products as time savers.  Some are seasoned - that's important to note when cooking and what the flavor profile will look like if you go down that path.  In that regard, many recipes for Pumpkin and Butternut Squash dishes are actually basic recipes that have been "added to" with Pumpkin or Butternut Squash product - that's also important to note.  It means you can go through the labor of preparing and seasoning the Pumpkin or Butternut Squash yourself (it's really easy), or if you are part of the time compressed population, shift to a "cheat" without compromising the end product (all the guilt mongering cooks be damned...).

I will be filling this website over the coming weeks with my "go to" recipes with Pumpkin and Butternut Squash.  And with the onset of cooler weather this week, nothing could be better than Pumpkin Soup. 

You will need:

2 - 3 tablespoons Olive Oil

1 onion, chopped

4-5 red potatoes, chopped

2 1/2 cups chicken broth (or slightly less depending on your preference for soup thickness)

1/2 cup whole milk

1 cup pureed pumpkin

Fleur de Sel (to taste)

Course black pepper (to taste)

Herbs (see below)

Directions

1. Heat olive oil on medium high; add onions and cook until translucent.

2. Add potatoes and chicken broth to saucepan; cover and bring to a boil.

3. When potatoes are fork tender, pour into a food processor or blender.  Pulse.  I prefer my soup to be abit chunky; those wanting smoother texture should simply puree the potato and onion mixture until silky.

4. Return mixture to saucepan. Add pumpkin puree and whole milk.  Reheat, folding in the pumpkin and milk.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Herbs:  Pumpkin soup can be served savory or sweet (or abit of a combination of both).  It pairs well, obviously, with nutmeg, cinnamon and clove.  But it pairs equally well with Herbes de Provence (Sage and Thyme are wonderful partners here), especially since the base recipe for this is actually potato soup. 

At 6160, the savory route is preferred for this soup - our recipe always calls for a generous sprinkling of Herbes de Provence, to which we add a tiny pinch of nutmeg - nutmeg brings out a special something in any Pumpkin or Butternut Squash recipe...

Enjoy...

Dialing the clock back to the late 80s, there was a vegetarian restaurant in St Louis that was reknowned for it's salad dressing.  Non-vegetarians flocked to the restaurant, simply because of the delicious heartiness & total uniqueness of this recipe.  Many a non-Vegetarian made a meal of a salad topped with this dressing and a fat wedge of garlic cheese bread - so delicious...

A down economy ensured the demise of this fantastic restaurant, and although slightly tweaked for the nuances of 6160, the recipe certainly lives on here.  Typically this is used to dress a salad that includes Romaine lettuce, Sunflower Seeds, Golden Raisins, Shredded Carrots, Alfalfa Sprouts and Shredded Fresh Mozzarella. 

You will need:

Two or three heirloom tomatoes (watery varieties excel here)

Two tablespoons minced garlic

1/2 lb (or more, depending on taste) of grated Parmesian

Lemon juice (to thin)

Olive oil (to thin)

Directions:

Slice the tomatoes into quarters.  In a blender, add the tomatoes and garlic; quick pulse.  Add parmesian slowly, along with lemon juice and olive oil to thin.  Dressing should be the consistency of chunky cake batter.  Pour atop salad right when ready serve, as chilling the dressing unfortunately causes it to thicken dramatically.

One of the favorite appetizer and side dishes here at 6160 are mushroom recipes of all sorts.  While friends and family always demand them because of the flavor (the usual quote:  "and you're gonna make the mushrooms again right?  They're so good!"), as a cook you have to love them because they prepare so easily and quickly. 

Yet another of these mushroom "go to" recipe at 6160 are stuffed mushrooms.  They tend to be Fall favorites, merging the earthy flavors of onion & garlic with savory panceta (Italian bacon) and creamy goat cheese (or as the French refer to it, chevre).  And if that were not enough, it's topped with the rich tangy flavor of crema.  Such a small little bite sized dish to be bursting with so much flavor... 

 You will need:

Six to eight large white button mushrooms

Yellow onion, diced

Minced garlic

Panceta, diced

Goat cheese

Italian seasoned breadcrumbs

Olive oil

Course black pepper

Thyme (preferably fresh)

Fleur de sel

Balsamic glaze (crema)

Directions

Preheat an oven to 400 degrees.  Remove the "foot" from each of  the mushrooms (set those aside; you will use them later), and place the mushrooms cap side up on a baking sheet.  Generously drizzle olive oil over the caps, and place in the oven for only four or five minutes.  Remove, then flip the mushrooms over onto their caps (so they can be stuffed) but do not remove them from the baking sheet.

Dice "the foot" from each of the mushrooms.  In a small skillet heat the olive oil.  Add the onion and garlic, allowing it soften and turn golden.  Add the diced mushroom and panceta, as well as the course black pepper and just a pinch of fleur de sel.  Add half of the thyme, stir into the mixture and remove from heat. 

In a small bowl, gently mix the breadcrumbs with the remaining thyme.  Now begin the mushroom stuffing process.  With a spoon, put a dallop of goat cheese in the base of each of the mushroom caps.  Add to this a spoonful of the onion/garlic/panceta stuffing for each of the mushrooms.  Finally, apply the breadcrumb and thyme mixture. Top with olive oil to ensure the breadcrumb mixture will crisp.

Return the mushrooms to the oven and bake for five to ten minutes until the breadcrums look browned and toasted.  Remove, then drizzle with crema in a thin, zig-zag pattern.

Enjoy...

Cioppino is a fall and winter favorite at 6160.  In fact, because Christmas day tends to be an all day cooking and eating affair here, it's been a tradition for over a decade to serve cioppino for Christmas Eve dinner - it's a simple dish that's light and yet bursting with flavor.  Developed in the 19th century by Italian fisherman who'd settled in San Francisco, the name originates from "ciuppin", or "to chop" - a direct reference to the process of chopping up the leftovers from the day's catch, which would then be combined with a zesty tomato broth.

Although true cioppino serves the shellfish components still in shell, I'm afraid I fall into a variation known as "lazy man's cioppino", where the shellfish are, well, shelled...  You can use almost any type of seafood for the dish;  at 6160, it is served strictly with clams, scallops and shrimp.

You will need:

Olive oil

Two yellow onions, coursely chopped

Minced garlic

Large can of tomato puree

Seafood or chicken stock (to taste)

Half pound scallops (any; bay work particularly well here since the shrimp will be large)

Half pound shrimp (large; 70-90ct)

Three cans minced clams

Two to three Roma tomatoes, diced

Course black pepper

Salt

Italian herbs (dried)

Directions

Heat a generous amount of olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic, and cook until soft and just starting to turn golden, stirring frequently.  Pour in tomato puree and add stock (add more or less stock to thin to the consistency preferred).  Season with course black pepper and salt, then reduce the heat to medium.

Add shrimp and scallops.  Cover, and cook over medium heat until scallops and shrimp color.  Add clams, diced tomatoes, and herbs (at 6160, we go heavy handed on dried Italian herbs) and immediately shut off the heat.  Let it sit on the burner for approximately ten minutes, allowing the flavors to intermingle. 

A loaf of crusty Italian is ideal with this dish.  Enjoy...