One of the more annoying things about living with a food blogger is that they rarely make the same recipe twice.  This is especially irksome when a dish is particularly fabulous, because the blogger’s poor family knows that the chances of enjoying it again are virtually nil.   But hey,  I’m not heartless.   I realize that there are certain dishes that are favorites and beg to be made again – like these killer candied sweet potatoes.  They are absolutely to die for!  That’s why I always include them on my Thanksgiving menu -  and you should too. 

The original recipe for this dish was given to me by my mother.  It was one of her Thanksgiving specialties when I was growing up.   She only made them once a year, and believe me, they were worth the wait!  Earthy sweet potatoes are bathed in a pool of rich, gooey brown sugar syrup and baked until meltingly soft and caramelized.   Then, they’re topped with marshmallows and popped back in the oven just long enough for the marshmallows to puff up like crazy and get all browned and toasty.   It’s like eating candy for dinner.  Oooooh!   I get verklempt just thinking about it!

I’ve tried making this dish a couple of different ways, and I’ve found that it is best to partially cook the sweet potatoes before adding the syrup.  You can either boil, steam or bake them for about fifteen minutes or so.  I prefer baking the potatoes first because that leaves one less pot for me to wash, and I’m all about efficiency.   Also,  there’s less risk of the potatoes falling apart that way.   It doesn’t matter which way you choose.  You really just want to reduce the “candying” time so that the syrup doesn’t burn.

While I almost always use both light and dark corn syrup to make this dish, I have tried it with maple syrup instead of the dark corn syrup. It is really delicious that way too. In my experience, the syrup doesn’t get quite as thick, but the maple flavor is really wonderful.   One year, I also added some chopped pecans to the syrup, for a little crunch.   I liked it and would definitely do it again.

Woo Hoo!  Look at those marshmallows puff!   My salivary glands are in overdrive right now just looking at them!

I have to tell you that while I love sweet potatoes in any way, shape or form, these are something special.  Maybe it’s because they conjure up lots of sweet memories of Thanksgivings past for me.   Or maybe, it’s from the anticipation of waiting a whole year to eat them.  Whatever the reason, Thanksgiving at my house just wouldn’t be the same without my mom’s  candied sweet potatoes.

My first introduction to shepherd’s pie was in the lunch line at my high school cafeteria.  That was many more moons ago than I’d care to share.  But, not so long ago that I don’t still remember.  I’d never heard of it before and had no idea what it was.  All I knew was that it was some kind of meat covered with mounds of mashed potatoes.  That was enough for me to give it a try.  And, I liked it, which was more than I can say about the rest of the so called food they served in that cafeteria.  It may have been mystery meat, but it was pretty darn tasty mystery meat.

I never thought much about shepherd’s pie after high school, and spent many years contentedly living my life without it.  It wasn’t until about four years ago, when I found myself in Scotland, that shepherd’s pie and I were reacquainted – and became BFFs.

The exact origin of shepherd’s pie is a bit sketchy.  By some accounts, it is a British dish.  By others, it’s an Irish one.  Still others, swear that the dish’s roots are Scottish.  The only thing that most will agree on is that it came from somewhere over the pond.  I say, who cares?  I’ve enjoyed it in all three countries and have never tasted a version that I didn’t love. 

Shepherd’s pie  is a savory dish made with a meat base – usually ground lamb, beef or a combination of the two -  that is simmered in a brown sauce with vegetables, topped with potatoes and baked to burnished perfection. From what I gather, the dish was created by resourceful housewives as a way to use up leftovers. It makes sense.  Take a little of this and a bit of that, bake it all together in a pie and voilà!  It’s not leftovers anymore.  It’s a whole new and delicious dinner.  I don’t think there is one right way to make it either, as I’ve seen and heard of it done many different ways with an assortment of ingredients.

It’s been a little gray and dreary lately here in SGCC Land!  We’re not getting slammed by the same bitter cold, icy blast  that many of my blog brethren are, but it’s still pretty miserable just the same.   The wind is howling and blowing something fierce outside.  I’m just praying that none of those low-lying branches perched over my roof decide to break loose and fall on my house!  When the weather gets like this my body craves hearty, rustic comfort foods that warm from the inside out.  A shepherd’s pie is the perfect thing.

Making a shepherd’s pie is pretty easy peasy.  For my pie, I used a mixture of ground lamb and beef.  I also added some onions, carrots, peas and corn.  I don’t know about you, but I just can’t eat mashed potatoes without corn.  It must be some kind of personality defect.

The first thing you need to do is sauté your onions and carrots in a frying pan.  Then, add the meat, seasonings and some stock, and let it all simmer for a while.

I thicken the mixture with a little flour, but you don’t really have to if you don’t want to.  I just think it gives a little more body to the sauce.  I also use frozen peas and corn, but if you’re a perfectionist and have loads of extra time on your hands, by all means, use fresh.   But, I’m here to tell you that, in this dish, it really doesn’t make a difference.

Once your meat and veggies are happily bubbling away in their sauce, it’s time to top the pie with some potatoes.  Most people use mashed potatoes for shepherd’s pie, but I’ve seen it done before with sliced potatoes and even hash browns.  I may try it that way one day, but for now, I’m going with mashed.

I like to use my biggest cast iron skillet to make shepherd’s pie.  Doing all of the sautéing, simmering and baking  in one pan, makes things that much easier.  If you love washing extra dishes, you can certainly use a separate casserole dish to bake your pie.  Far be it from me to rain on anyone’s parade.   One thing I do recommend, though, is setting your pie on a baking sheet in the oven.  That sucker bubbles like crazy and tends to drip all over.

AHHH! Now, doesn’t just looking at this shepherd’s pie make you feel all warm and cozy?

Enjoy!

Though I’ve never had the pleasure of visiting any of his restaurants, Thomas Keller certainly needs no introduction to me.  I’ve been hearing about and reading about his genius in the kitchen for years.  His multi-award winning, three Michelin star rated flagship restaurant, The French Laundry, is legendary. The rest of his fleet, Bouchon, Per Se and ad hoc are no slouches either.

A few weeks ago, I was watching Tony Bourdain’s No Reservations on TV. This particular episode was all about cooking techniques, and had several famous chefs demonstrating how to make various basic dishes, such as omelets, pasta and burgers.   Thomas Keller was on board to show his method for making the perfect roast chicken.  As soon as I saw him on the screen, I sat up and paid close attention.  I just knew that there were going to be some fancy bells and whistles involved.  Except, there weren’t.  Thomas Keller roasts a chicken pretty much the same way most of us do – very, very simply.  In fact, the only thing that I usually do that Keller doesn’t is rub a little fat on the bird before roasting.  He explains that while it is perfectly acceptable to do so, he doesn’t because he feels it adds extra steam to the oven, making the chicken’s skin less crispy.  Okay.  That makes sense.  Besides, who the heck am I to argue with Thomas Keller?

Keller also explains that the key to perfectly roasted chicken with an impossibly crispy skin is to make sure that the chicken is completely and indisputably dry before putting it in the oven.  Oh, and you also need to use lots of salt – way more than I ever use.

To recap:

1. No added fat on the bird;

2. Thoroughly dry the bird before roasting; and

3. Don’t be stingy with the salt.

When Keller’s chicken came out of the oven, I think my heart skipped a little beat.  It looked fabulous!  An unequivocal poultry masterpiece!  As he cut into that chicken, its impeccably burnished skin gave way to some of the juiciest, most succulent meat I’d ever laid eyes on.  For days, I couldn’t stop thinking about it.  I had to try his chicken roasting technique for myself.

I was also planning to roast some potatoes to go along with my chicken dinner, when I remembered the way I’d seen it done at a market in Paris.  There, the chickens were roasted on spits in a big glass oven.  Huge pans filled with potatoes were placed to cook underneath the chickens. As the chickens roasted all of their luscious drippings and juices would rain down onto the potatoes, infusing them with the most amazing salty, chicken-y flavor.  Oh, yeah!  I decided to try to get the same effect by layering some thinly sliced potatoes and onions on the bottom of my pan and roasting my chicken on top of it.

So, let’s roast a chicken (and some potatoes) a la Thomas Keller!

First, get yourself a nice, free-range, organic chicken. Keller says to look for one weighing between 2 and 3 pounds, but unless you’re planning a dinner for one, I’d recommend a 3 to 3 1/2 pound bird. This guy below was a 3 1/2 pounder, and three of us picked it clean.

Melt some butter in your roasting pan.  I used an unsalted cultured butter.

Arrange a layer of thinly sliced potatoes all around the bottom of the pan.  I prefer Yukon Gold potatoes.

Scatter some thinly sliced onions on top of the potatoes.

Then, place your well-seasoned bird on top of the bed of potatoes and onions.  Don’t make fun of my crappy trussing job.  I can never get it right!

Put it all in a 450 F. oven and roast until the chicken is cooked through.

Hmmm. Let’s get a closer look at that crispy, roasted skin…..

Mmmm!

A few days ago, I shared my secrets to making the perfect (to me) Cuban sandwich, one of which was a succulent and juicy, marinated roast pork or lechon asado.  But, man (or woman) cannot live by Cuban sandwiches alone.  No, no, no!  One also needs a few fabulously delicious Cuban side dishes to complement those sandwiches.  And, Moros y Cristianos is one of them.

Moros y Cristianos is the Cuban version of rice and beans. It translates to English as “Moors and Christians”.  This interesting title is presumed to be a reference to the period during the Middle Ages called the Reconquista, when the Moors occupied the Iberian Peninsula, and the Spanish won it back. The black beans represent the Moors, who were dark-skinned, and the white rice represents the Christians, who were light-skinned.  Since Cuba was colonized by the Spanish in the early 1500’s, and since Spain continues to have a strong influence on Cuban culture, the name has stuck.

Though just as traditional, this dish differs from seasoned black beans over rice you might find on the menus of various Cuban restaurants. To make Moros y Cristianos, a sofrito of onions, peppers and garlic is first prepared.  The beans and either water or broth are added and the beans are simmered in it until tender. Then, the rice is added right to the same pot and cooked with the beans and vegetables.  It’s a perfect one pot dish! 

As with the lechon asado, the recipe I’ve used for my Moros y Christianos is adapted from Three Guys from Miami.  To make this dish a little more user friendly and realistic for a quick weeknight meal, I’ve used canned black beans in this recipe instead of dried.  I’ve made it both ways, and trust me, it is just as tasty using the canned beans. Just make sure you drain and rinse them well before cooking.

I used chicken broth to make this dish, but you can easily use water or vegetable broth to keep it vegetarian.  You can also amp it up by plopping the bone left over from your lechon asado in the pot while cooking.  As always, you just need to do what works best for you.  However you choose to make Moros y Cristianos, it will be a hearty, flavorful and very satisfying meal!

Moros y Cristianos
adapted from Three Guys From Miami

Ingredients:

4 15-ounce cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup olive oil for sautéing
2 1/2 cups white onion, diced
2 1/2 cups bell peppers, seeded and diced (I used a mixture of green, red and yellow.)
4 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped
3 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon oregano
1 bay leaf
3 tablespoons white vinegar
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
4 1/2 cups chicken broth
3 cups long-grain white rice

Directions:

1.  Rinse the rice with cold water until the water runs clear. Set aside.

2.  Use a large, eight-quart covered stockpot. Sauté the onion and green pepper in the olive oil until tender. Add the garlic, and sauté another minute or two. Add the tomato paste, black beans, oregano, cumin, bay leaf, and vinegar. Cook for about five minutes, stirring gently.

3.  Add the chicken stock and the rinsed rice. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and cook for about 20-30 minutes — until the rice is fully cooked.

4.  Remove the bay leaf and add salt and pepper to taste.

For an added treat, drizzle some Spanish olive oil (don’t be stingy!) over the rice in the pot and fluff cooked rice gently with a fork. If plating the rice as a side dish, drizzle a little olive oil over individual servings and garnish with some parsley or cilantro.

Serves 8

After I attended BlogHer Food, I had an extra day in San Francisco to hang around and do some more sightseeing before my flight home.   The first place I hit was The Ferry Building Marketplace.  It isn’t a very large market, but what it lacks in quantity, it more than makes up for in quality.

The San Francisco Ferry Building is a terminal for ferries that travel across the San Francisco Bay.   The present structure opened in 1898, replacing its wooden predecessor, and survived both the 1906 and the 1989 earthquakes.

On the grounds outside the building there was what appeared to be a farmer’s market/craft fair going on.  I wandered around a little, picked up a couple of t-shirts and moved on.  Inside the building was where the real action was!  There was a host of specialty and artisan food shops and restaurants.  I was in heaven!  It was a good thing I packed one of my big old Envirosax bags in my purse that morning!

I spent some time at Recchiuti Confectioners and stocked up on lots of fleur de sel caramels and pâtes de fruits. Then, I moved on to some macarons at Miette, and over to some “pig” at Boccalone Salumeria.  My bag was getting pretty full and I was winding up my excursion when I caught a glimpse of something that stopped me in my tracks.  It was bushels full of these…..

FRESH ORGANIC CHANTERELLE MUSHROOMS!!!

I was beside myself with glee!  I had heard much about them, and read much about them, but had never, ever seen them up close and personal before.  I immediately knew what I had to do – buy a bunch and take them home with me.  Hey, it was only 3000 miles to get home. I could do it.  And, I wasn’t about to let airport security get in my way!

Chanterelles are one of the most distinctively flavored kind of mushrooms in the world. They are described as having the fragrance of apricots and and a slightly peppery, almost floral flavor.  They are found in mixed woods, hiding under conifers and oaks.  Chanterelle mushrooms are prized by professional chefs, home cooks, and anyone who knows what they are.

As the clerk at Far West Fungi tallied up my purchases (which also included a bag of dried morels and some truffle salt), I saw something else that made me absolutely swoon!

Whether you just stepped off a boat from Dublin or don’t have an ounce or Irish blood in you, you’ll most likely be doing some kind of celebrating when St. Patrick’s Day rolls around next week. I’m not much into the whole green beer thing, but I must confess that this Italian girl loves a good corned beef and cabbage feast. But, as you probably already know, I can rarely leave a good thing be. So, I’ve put together a tricked out version of the original for you adventurous souls out there.

It all starts with the slow cooker. I gathered together all of the ingredients for a traditional corned beef and cabbage dinner and prepared it in my crock pot. After that, I separated the components and made three separate dishes with them. My corned beef was baked with a delicious apricot-spicy mustard glaze. With some of the cabbage, onion and potatoes, I made Colcannon augmented by the judicious use of some nice, thick bacon. Then, I used the rest of the cabbage and sauteed it with onion, cider vinegar and yes, MORE BACON!

Just look at these beautiful little cabbages! Aren’t they gorgeous? These beauties came out of the last harvest from my Uncle Sal’s garden. They were the tenderest, sweetest cabbages I’d ever tasted. Cooking with them was definitely a bittersweet experience, but I think he would have approved of the end result.

The great thing about this dinner is that most of the ingredients are already cooked in the slow cooker once, so preparing the individual dishes hardly takes any time at all. You can even do it all in advance and refrigerate until you’re ready to make the individual recipes. Also, you can cook all of the bacon for the Cabbage Saute and the Colcannon at once and divide it for each dish, like I did.

Please don’t let the quality of my photographs deter you from trying any of these recipes. In the first place, mashed potatoes and cabbage are not the most photogenic foods around. In the second place, that corned beef turned out so incredibly tender, that it just fell apart as I tried to slice it. In the third place, I had to work reeeeeallllly fast because my hungry natives were getting restless! All three of these dishes were absolutely scrumptious!

Tricked Out St. Patrick’s Day Dinner
(Printable Recipes)

Apricot-Mustard Glazed Corned Beef

Ingredients:

1 large sweet onion, cut into quarters
4 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cups water
garlic cloves, minced
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 (3 pound) corned beef brisket with spice packet
1 large or 2 small heads of cabbage, cut into wedges

For the Glaze:

1 cup apricot preserves
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons spicy deli mustard
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons kumquat or orange syrup (optional)

Directions:

Place the onion and potatoes in a 5-qt. slow cooker. Combine broth, water, garlic, bay leaf, sugar, vinegar, and contents of spice packet; pour over vegetables. Top with brisket and cabbage. Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours or until meat and vegetables are tender.

Preheat oven to 350 deg. F.

Carefully remove corned beef from the slow cooker and place in a shallow roasting pan.

Mix all glaze ingredients together in a bowl. Pour over corned beef. Bake 30-40 minutes, until glaze is nice and bubbly.

Remove corned beef to a platter, slice on the diagonal and serve.

Sauteed Cabbage

4-5 slices thick cut bacon
1/2 of the reserved cabbage from slow cooker, sliced into strips
1 large sweet onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tsp sugar
Salt and pepper to taste

Place bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium high heat until evenly browned. Place on a plate lined with paper towels and cut up into small pieces. Set aside.

In about 2 tablespoons of the reserved bacon drippings, (Save the rest for later.), saute the onion until very soft. Add cabbage and the rest of the ingredients and saute until liquid is absorbed and all is heated through.

Serve.

Colcannon

Ingredients:

Reserved potatoes from slow cooker
1/2 of the reserved cabbage, cut into small chunks
4 strips bacon
1 large sweet onion, sliced
1/4 cup half and half
Salt and pepper to taste
2-3 tablespoons butter (preferably Irish)

Directions:

Place potatoes in a large bowl. Smash them up a bit and set aside.

Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, reserving drippings, crumble and set aside. In the reserved drippings, saute onion until very soft. Add the cabbage for the last few minutes and continue to saute so that the cabbage absorbs some bacon flavor.

Mix the half and half into the potatoes and season with salt and pepper. Fold in the bacon, cabbage, and onions, then transfer the mixture to a large serving bowl. Make a well in the center, and top with butter.

Serve immediately.

You really just HAVE to make these……

I saw these stunning red bell peppers at the market the other day, and they stopped me in my tracks. Not only were they gorgeous, but they were HUGE and perfectly shaped! The minute I laid eyes on them, I knew that being stuffed and baked was their destiny.

I hadn’t made stuffed peppers in eons, and frankly, I wasn’t sure I even remembered how. But, after a quick phone call to Mom, and a little surfing around on Food Blog Search, I knew just what to do.

I decided to start with a basic stuffed pepper recipe, using a combination of ground beef, veal and pork mixed with rice for my filling. I used a short grain Valencia rice because I already had an opened package in my pantry, but you can use any kind of rice you’d like. After the peppers were stuffed, they were baked in a bath of tomato sauce. For a bit of a Greek flair, I added some cinnamon to both the filling and the accompanying tomato sauce. For a little oomph, I added some smoked paprika to both as well.

And the tomato sauce! I must tell you about that sauce. I did something with it that I have never done before. In addition to the regular cast of characters, plus the cinnamon and smoked paprika, I also whisked in a can of tomato soup. Yes, you heard me, TOMATO SOUP! Why, you ask? Well, first of all, I wanted to cut the acidity of the tomatoes. Secondly, I also wanted the sauce to have a touch of sweetness, which I thought would complement the cinnamon. Thirdly, I’m just crazy like that sometimes.

Did it work? A resounding YES! This tomato sauce was so velvety, that it was almost creamy. It had a warm, mellow, slightly spicy/sweet flavor that kept improving the longer it simmered. In fact, I made some meatballs out of the leftover filling and simmered them in the leftover sauce the next day. I served them over some plain, boiled potatoes and I swear, people, magic happened!

These stuffed peppers are definitely something best saved for a lazy weekend day. To do them right, you’ve got to take your time. But, it is oh, so worth it! You also have to judge exactly how long to bake them. The time will vary depending upon the size of your peppers. As I said, mine were very large, so I did have to add a good thirty minutes to the baking time. If you use smaller peppers, you probably won’t need that much time.

I served the stuffed peppers with a green salad, tossed very simply with some olive oil and vinegar, and a loaf of very crusty French bread. That’s all you need. This dish is extremely hearty, satisfying and filling. All of us here at Chez SGCC adored it! In fact, I think I noticed Mr. SGCC’s eyes roll back in his head a little as he took his fist bite.

Now, I know it’s Tuesday, and Tuesday is TWD day, but this week’s recipe was Dorie’s Chocolate Armagnac Cake, chocolate being the operative word here. It is basically another dense, rich, flourless chocolate cake made with prunes and brandy. I’ll be honest with you, people. After all of the chocolate that has passed through my kitchen in the past week, I couldn’t bear the thought (or expense) of making One. More. Chocolate. Dessert. Even I have my limits! In the past seven days, I have made chocolate covered Caramel Crunch Bars, a flourless Chocolate Valentino Cake and not one, but TWO kinds of chocolate truffles. I’ve gone through three pounds of Guittard and Valrhona chocolate, pounds of butter and countless eggs. Melted chocolate has adorned my cabinets, countertops, walls and me! By the time I was through, I could have passed for a great big, giant chocolate truffle myself! So, I hope that you’ll forgive the transgression, but I just couldn’t do chocolate again. If you’re in a chocolate mood, please stop by the Tuesdays with Dorie Blogroll to see lots of Chocolate Armagnac Cakes. If you’d like the recipe, you can find it at Lyb’s site, And Then I Do the Dishes.

Enjoy!

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Last Sunday, the food blog community lost one of its own. Sher, of the popular blog What Did You Eat? passed away unexpectedly from a heart attack. I didn’t know Sher well, but what I did know, I liked very much. She was smart and funny and caring. Her blog was a great read, with terrific recipes and beautiful photography. I enjoyed myself whenever I visited and I will miss her.

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As a tribute to Sher, Mary of Bread Baking Babes and Kalyn of Kalyn’s Kitchen have organized an online memorial to her. Fellow food bloggers all over the Internet have been preparing recipes from Sher’s blog and will be posting about them today. I think that this is a wonderful idea and I am proud and happy to participate.

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Potato Fritters with Sweet Pepper Relish

Adapted from Deborah Madison, The Greens Cookbook via Sher of What Did You Eat?

(Printable Recipe)

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3 egg yolks

1/4 cup roughly chopped cilantro

1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced, white and some of the green part

1 cup shredded jack cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

1 cup panko bread crumbs

4 tablespoons oil

Sweet Pepper Relish (recipe follows)

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Serve immediately with the Sweet Pepper Relish.

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1 small red pepper

1/4 small red onion, finely diced

1/2 cup virgin olive oil

2 Tablespoons or more balsamic vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

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Enjoy!

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