Itinerant Muse

Le Cirque's Spaghetti Primavera

Back in May, Amanda Hesser's Recipe Redux article in the Sunday New York Times Magazine featured  1977: Le Cirque's Spaghetti Primavera from that year's article by Craig Claiborne with Pierre Franey.

Having always love what I know as Pasta Primavera and living in the Garden State surrounded with an abundance of fresh produce at farmers' markets, I finally decided to give the old recipe a try.  The photo here is the finished product of what was a rather laborious two-day journey through ten very detailed steps in the recipe (too lengthy to publish; link  is above).  Two days because I decided to clean, trim and cut all ten vegetables the night before, as well as mincing the herbs and garlic.  Now I know why I don't use many of my cookbooks published back in the 60's and 70's!  However, the end result was truly delicious ~ all the veggies were cooked to crisp perfection, the spaghetti was absolutely perfect al dente and the sauce was a light blend of cream and parmesan cheese.

Now, there were a lot of veggies left over that didn't make the final cut in the primavera, so last night I made my own version of pasta primavera with the leftover veggies and cappellini.  Total time to prep and cook, approximately ten minutes!  The only change I made was the sauce ~ rather than a cream sauce, I just mixed some of the pasta water with extra virgin olive oil and parmesan.  The

result was an equally flavorful, healthy and delicous pasta. 

I love my collection of old cookbooks and wouldn 't give them up for the world, but time is precious these days and improvisation is good when it can achieve the same results in a tenth of the time.

More on Salmon

Grilled Salmon Burger with grilled mushrooms and red peppers on a bed of spinach

Can't get enough of wild Alaska salmon!  Chef, author and New York Times columnist Mark Bittman talks about the dangers of eating farmed salmon, as I had mentioned in a previous post.  You can see his video at http://tinyurl.com/mps6op.

His video and article led me to the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch, a really interesting website where you can actually print out  a fish buying pocket guide for your geographical region.  This guide is invaluable as a buying guide on how to buy fish emphasizing three key issues:  where is the seafood from, is it farmed or wild-caught, and how was it caught.  The guide lists best choices, good alternatives and what to avoid.

For instance, did you know the Bluefin Tuna has become an endangered species and consumers are asked not to purchase it?  And did you know that when buying halibut, make sure it is Pacific Halibut, not Atlantic?  Who knew!

Anyone who loves fish as much as I do should check out this website.  In doing so, you also support those fisheries and fish farms that are healthier for ocean wildlife and the environment.

Be healthy and buy wisely!

Chicken Pesto Pizza

Chicken Pesto Pizza

When I recently received an e-mail from Twitter that "Doughxpress" was following me, I checked out its tweets and the website, as I always do to determine if I want to follow my follower.  One of the first tweets was this Chicken Pesto Pizza recipe.
Well, I love making pesto and  my basil is flourishing so last night I decided to try the recipe. So delicioso!
Here is my adaptation with notes on the original recipe from Doughxpress.
1/2 c. pesto (mine is homemade from the Chamberlains Flavor of Italy)
1-12" pre-baked pizza crust (usually I make my own, but I used a frozen one - won't do that again)
2 c. sauteed chicken breast strips
1-6oz. jar artichoke hearts drained
1/2 c. fontina cheese ( I used both fontina and asiago cheese for a little extra bite)
Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees -- bake the crust for 5-10 minutes until it lightly browns arond the edges.  Let cool.  Spreead pesto sauce over pizza crust.  Arrange chicken strips and artichoke hearts over the sauce. Sprinkle with the cheeses.  Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until cheese is melted and lightly browned.
Serve with a lovely, rich red.
Bon Appetit!

Wild about Wild Alaska Salmon

Easy Salmon Cakes adapted from Eating Well magazine is a delicious salmon recipe.  I changed it slightly by using wild Alaska salmon that I poached slightly in white wine & herbs.  Also since the salmon was already cooked, I heated the oven to 375 and baked until golden (photo came out a little dark).  I served it with an herb-infused couscous and made a fruit salsa to complement it.

My guests gave the menu rave reviews.  The reason I have started using wild salmon is because of the controversy over farmed salmon.

In the May issue of Better Nutrition there  was an article about why wild-caught salmon is the only way to go.  Although farmed salmon is cheaper, it has been positively proven that it is loaded with toxins, including flame retardants and dioxins that are classified as human carcinogens.  It also is endangering the environment and the wild salmon population.  And, it is usually always dyed to looked more robust and redder, plus the flavor can not compare with wild-caught salmon.

When I purchased the salmon at my favorite market, Wegman's, I picked up interesting information about the salmon seasons, starting with the Copper River King/Chinook & Sockeye salmon running in May & June, then in other Alaskan rivers the Sockeye run in June & July.  In July a new salmon debuts, the Yukon River Keta Salmon, highest in Omega 3 content of any salmon and runs through August until the Coho or Silver salmon appears in August and September. Believe me when I say you can not compare the flavor of wild Alaska salmon to Atlantic and farmed salmon.  It is so far superior, rich and delicious. I promise you that you will save all your copper pennies to splurge on Alaska salmon, while eating healthily at the same time!

Happy Memorial Day ~ Let the Grilling Season Begin

Happy Memorial Day!

Got the barb-e  ready to go.  Chicken is marinating in a Wasabi/ginger sauce with garlic and pepper.
Making Andrew Weil's Turkish Spinach Salad with a yogurt dressing and fresh green beans.
This is the first for a cook-out this year.  To inaugurate the grilling season, I bought a small table-top Weber-like grill and some Mesquite wood chunks (I hate charcoal) and love the smell of mesquite.

It's a beautiful evening and my deck is flourishing with flowers and herbs.
A nice glass of chardonnay, enjoying my petite jardin ~ what more?

This recipe I prepared for my daughter and myself on Mother's Day and forgot to post.  It's really delish!

Ham & Cheese Strata (credited to Food & Wine)

8 large eggs

1 1/2 c milk

1/2 rap.  each of salt & freshly ground pepper

4 cups Italian bread crumbs ( I use a fresh Rosemary/Olive bread)

6 oz. VA. ham diced

8 oz. Gouda cheese ( I am going to use Manchego, because my daughter loves it)

1/2 cup julienned sun-dried tomatoes, drained

1/4 cup. chopped chives and 1 cup grated sharp Cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 450 .  In large bowl, whisk eggs w/ milk, salt & pepper.  Stir in bread until evenly moistened, then stir in ham, cheese, tomatoes and 1/4 cup chives.

Butter a 9x12 bakingdish & pour in strata mix.  Sprinkle w/ cheddar and bake for about 20 minutes until puffed & golden.  Cool slightly, sprinkle w/ remaining chives and serve.

Tribute to Spring Chicken

Today is not a day in May, but a day that should be in April ~ rainy, cold, clammy  & very gray!

Interesting April was more like March ~ cold and windy ~ and now May has arrived mimicking April's weather.  When will we see true seasonal changes again?

Coping with the cooler spring weather, has led me to find two great recipes that soothe the body's chill,  yet take advantage of spring's early produce. 

Spring Chicken Soup

One 3.5 lb. chicken cut in pieces, 3 carrots halved crosswise, 2 ribs celery, 1 med. sweet onion diced,1.5 tsp. kosher salt, 4 oz. green beans cut in 2" pieces, 8 oz. asparagus cut in 2" pieces, 1 beefsteak tomato diced, 1/4 tsp. fresh ground pepper

Place chicken in large pot w/ celery, onion & salt. Cover w/ water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat & simmer for about 45 min., skimming off foam.  Add water if necessary to keep chicken covered. Remove chicken & let cool. Add green beans, asparagus, tomato (and a turnip -opt.) to broth. Simmer about 5 min. until veggies are tender.

Shred chicken meat, discarding skin and bones. Add meat & pepper to soup. Stir & ladle into bowls.

Quick, easier version: Simmer veggies in 8 cups of chicken stock about 5 min.  Shred meat from a store-bought rotisserie chicken and stir in at last minute of cooking. Taste for seasoning.

Note:  If you have too much broth, stir in 1 cup of quinoa.  Simmer for about 15 minutes, until just tender, but crunchy.  Super healthy!

Chicken & Andouille Sausage Jambalaya

1 Tbsp. olive oil, 1.5 lb. andouille or hot Italian sausage, 1 large onion diced, 2 ribs celery diced, 1 green & 1 red pepper diced, 2 cloves garlic minced, 1.5 c. long grain rice, 3 c. chicken broth, 1/4 tsp. cayenne, 2 bay leaves, 1.5 tsp salt and 1 lb. cubed chicken pieces.

In large saucepan, heat oil on medium.  Add sausages, browning for 5-10 minutes. Remove to cool ~ cut in 1/4" pieces. With 1 Tbsp. remaining oil, add onion, celery, peppers and garlic ~ cook covered over medium heat until veggies start to soften. Add rice, broth, sausage, cayenne, bay leaves & salt ~ bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer covered for 15 minutes.  Stir in chicken and simmer, covered until chicken is just done and veggies and rices are tender.  Remove from heat, let stand for 5 minutes covered and serve.

Bon Appetit!

Spring has finally sprung!

We've gone from wellies and slickers to flip flops and shorts in just a matter of a few days.  Hopefully the cold is behind us now, as I have started to plant my deck garden ~ lots of beautiful pansies and almost 50 hot salmon pink impatiens (ShopRite had a sale on a flat for $4.99).  Couldn't resist the bargain except usually a flat is only about 24 plants.  This was double that and I was running out of pots.  Also planted one pot of basil ~ still fearful of frost until the bewitching day, May 15, when supposedly it is safe to leave plants outside.

Want to buy the book Gardening Anywhere ~ it is reviewed as one of the best books for gardening in small places.  ("Garden Anywhere shows how anyone can create an oasis in the smallest of spaces. We're not talking just a simple pot of marigolds, here. Garden Anywhere outlines everything an aspiring gardener needs to know to sow a bounteous, thriving garden.") by Alys Fowler  She is a presenter on the BBC tv show Garden's World and has a wonderful gardening blog.

It's really a chilly spring night ~ too dusky and cold to take pics on the deck.  Will have up tomorrow.  Time for a nice sip of Chardonnay!

Here's the early beginnings of my deck garden...............Salud!

 

Driving Miss Daisy

    My happy girl here, Daisy, is not so happy these days ~ and one of the many reasons I haven't written for a while.  You can see here her bulging left eye ~ that's glaucoma and she lost her vision in that eye quite some time ago.  Didn't bother her much as you can see from the smile on her face, but last week  she lost the vision in her good eye and is blind and totally disoriented.

Normally, I write about happy, fun, good things ~ food, wine, lifestyle, etc.  But I have been really grieving for my beloved Daisy who will be 12 in September.  She has always been so fiesty, loving, obedient, the perfect pup ~ always doting on her brother, Popper,

who is much bigger than she, but totally defers to her.  Now I am trying to have him guide her, although he is totally confused as to why she bumps into him, won't move out of the kitchen doorway when he wants in to drink some water.  Here he is trying on my son's flip flops.

And, I find myself trying to retrain her to find her way ~ we live in a second floor condo, so getting down stairs when you can't see them is very traumatic for her ~ so I am trying to teach her the word 'step' so that will alert her to know to step down.  Guiding her to food and water is another big challenge.  As advised by my vet, I am trying to guide her by sense of smell with food in my hand.  She loves to eat and when I am cooking and doing prep work chopping veggies, etc. she is always right at my feet, because she knows eventually some yummy morsel will land on the floor.  Not any more until she finds the way to my feet or smells the food.

Here they are anxiously awaiting dinner on their 11th birthday when I made them turkeyburgers.  Oh boy, did they love that meal!

Sometimes for their amusement, I read to them "The Daily Wag" written by Martha Stewart's two dogs, Francesca and Sharkey.

Another pastime Daisy loves is riding in the car, looking out the window and barking at anything that moves while the wind blows through her fur.  Well, I will always be driving Miss Daisy ~ she will still feel the wind, smell the fresh flowers and  ocean breezes, and hopefully this will be enough along with my constant love and caressing of her and Popper's companionship to keep her happy for a long time to come.                            

Popper and Daisy after  going to the beauty parlor.                                                                                             

Ice Wine and a Martini

Ice wine?  Are there vineyards in Alaska?  And, what about mixing this ice wine with vodka to make a martini?  Who thought up this concoction?

Well, it's the creation of the mixologist at the Salt Creek Grillein Rumson, NJ.  According to the bar manager, ice wines, which are not well known ~ RIGHT!, are "deliciously complex and pack a lot of flavor."  The Salt Creek Grille carries Covey Run'Reserve' Semillon Ice Wine, Yakima Valley, 2006 produced in Washington state.  Ice wine is made from grapes that have frozen on the vine. 

At Covey Run, the ice wine is said to be one of the world’s rarest dessert wines. In order to make it, vintners must leave grapes on the vine until they freeze. In eastern Washington, this requires a Canadian arctic air mass and temperatures of 19°F or below. Brrrr!

Here is Salt Creek Grille's recipe for an Ice Wine Martini.  According to the bar manager, "It is the perfect complement to Skyy Vodka."

4 parts Skyy Vodka, 1 part Ice Wine and 3 frozen white seedless grapes on a skewer for garnish.  In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine vodka and ice wine.  Shake vigorously for 10 seconds, then strain into a chilled martini glass.  Garnish with the grapes.

Salud!  An icy aperitif to bid winter adieu and welcome spring!

Acai ~ The New Miracle Food?

  I don't know about you, but I know I get as much spam mail about acai (ah-SIGH-ee) as the miracle diet food, as I do about Viagra.  I don't need to diet and I certainly don't need Viagra.  But I did decide to research the acai berry and what I learned was really, really interesting.

Acai is the high-energy berry of a special Amazon palm tree.  It is harvested in the rainforests of Brazil and, reputedly, tastes like a lively blend of berries and chocolate ~ yummy!  It is called the next miracle food (replacing pomegranate)because this little royal purple berry is nature's perfect energy fruit.  Yes, energy!  It has been used by athletes in South America for centuries to increase their energy and stamina during competition.  Additionally, acai is packed full of antioxidants, amino acids and essential fatty acids.  It is nature's perfect source of nutrition and carbohydrates and, taken on a regular basis, strengthens the immune system.

And, there's more to this little powerhouse of a berry.  Because it is jam packed full of powerful antioxidants, studies show its ability to fight off cancer and disease.  Acai is also known  to help maintain good cholesterol and fight off heart disease.  Also found in the berry's antioxidants, is anthocyanin known to fight various eye-related diseases and improve vision.

The list of health benefits go on from aiding digestion to promoting a more peaceful sleep.  Since spending so much time on my computer, my vision has really weakened, and many more nights than not, I can't sleep ~ either because my mind is aflurry with "to-do's tomorrow" or I am having an allergy attack.

So I decided to try acai ~ but, always careful about trying a new product, I delved deeper into my research, read the caveats, about scams with mail orders, etc. and found a product called Acai Puree, purely organic, at Amazon Thunder ™.  The puree contains essential fatty acids, Omegas 3,6 and 9, antioxidants, essential amino acids, sterols, and Vitamins A and C.  Just two ounces a day  is all that is required to give you all the essentials needed in a healthy diet.

  I'll let you know the results after I have tried the puree for a week.  I hope I will be sleeping like a baby and waking with the roar and energy of a tiger!

Raising the bar, the first acai-based spirit has been created. VeeV takes on the exotic flavor of acai with intense chocolate overtones, and hints of prickly pear and cherry.  Bartenders at Manhattan's Library Bar, Hudson Hotel and Asia De Cuba at Hotel Morgan are serving up a trendy new drink called Brazilian Rose.  Here's the recipe: 2 oz. VeeV Acai Spirit, 1/2 bar spoon Rose Water, 1/2 oz. grenadine, 1 oz. heavy cream, and 3/4 oz. fresh lemon juice.  Shake all ingredients well with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.  Garnish with a rose petal.  Salud!