Rigatoni with sausage and fennel

Ina Garten is my pasta hero. I made this dish for Pedro and I for Sunday dinner and we both loved it. If you're going to splurge on pasta, this one is absolutely worth it. I used a mix of hot and sweet sausage as I recall. I used one c. of half and half and did not include the heavy cream.

• 3 tablespoons good olive oil
• 3 cups chopped fennel (1 large bulb)
• 1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion
• 1 1/4 pounds sweet Italian sausages, casings removed
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic (2 cloves)
• 1/2 teaspoon whole fennel seeds, crushed with a mortar and pestle
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2/3 cup half-and-half
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 pound rigatoni
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
• 1 cup freshly grated Italian Parmesan cheese, divided

RECIPE

Heat the olive oil in a large heavy pot or Dutch oven, such as Le Creuset, over medium heat. Add the fennel and onion and saute for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender. Add the sausage and cook for 7 to 8 minutes, crumbling it with a fork, until nicely browned. Add the garlic, crushed fennel seeds, red pepper flakes, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon black pepper and cook for one minute. Pour in the wine, bring to a boil, and add the heavy cream, half-and-half, and tomato paste. Bring back to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 20 minutes, until the sauce has thickened.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil, add 2 tablespoons salt, and cook the rigatoni according to the directions on the package. Drain and add to the sauce, stirring to coat the pasta. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes to allow the pasta to absorb the sauce. Off the heat, stir in the parsley and 1/2 cup of the Parmesan. Serve hot in shallow bowls with the remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan on the side.

"Cooking for Jeffrey" by Ina Garten © Clarkson Potter 2016. Provided courtesy of Ina Garten. All rights reserved.

Carnitas

Pedro is the barbacoa master in our home, but this recipe has turned me into the carnitas master. Carnitas are essentially like a pork confit. Truly delicious. I did these in my dutch oven instead of a pressure cooker. I also cut way back on suggested amount of salt for the manteca boil. I kept the carnitas in the dutch oven for about 3 hours.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 kilos de manteca de cerdo
• 1 kilo de costilla de cerdo
• 1 kilo de carne de cerdo maciza
• 1/2 pieza de naranja
• 1 pieza de naranja cortada por la mitad
• 1 taza de leche evaporada
• 1/4 de taza de sal (CUT THIS IN ABOUT HALF)
• 1 manojo de hierbas de olor
• 1 cucharada de pimienta gruesa
• 4 dientes de ajo
• 1/2 pieza de cebolla
• suficiente de tortillas de maíz
• al gusto de cilantro finamente picado, para acompañar
• al gusto de cebolla finamente picada, para acompañar
• al gusto de limón cortados por la mitad, para acompañar
• al gusto de salsa verde cruda

RECIPE

En una olla de presión, coloca la manteca y calienta la olla hasta que se funda por completo. Agrega la costilla y la maciza de cerdo.

Agrega el jugo de naranja, la naranja, la leche evaporada, la sal, las hierbas de olor, las pimientas, el ajo y la cebolla.

Cierra la olla y cocina durante 1 hora o hasta que estén perfectamente cocida la carne.

Prepara taquitos de carnitas, acompaña con cilantro, cebolla, salsa verde y limón.

Fried sage leaves

The first time I ever tried these was at the Four Seasons Hotel in Milan after a week of heavy travel. Enjoy these with a cold beer on a hot summer day!

Mix cider and flour for a "beer batter" and pan fry these to taste. Dash with salt immediately after frying. I made this sage bouquet for Mother's Day 2017. Following this appetizer we served mashed turnips and potatoes, Ina Garten's peppercorn filet mignon, and salad.

Chiles en nogada

Pedro and I recently hosted a Mexican Sweethearts meal to celebrate Valentine's Day with friends and escape the winter cold. We made home made red and green salsas, guac, tortilla soup with all the fixings, an awesome chile en nogada and an ice cream dessert with home made churros. It was such a treat. Everyone clapped for Pedro's soup and finished their plates with the poblanos. I used Rick Bayless' recipe for the chile, which has lead to me subsequently cooking through many other recipes in his 20th anniversary cookbook. Here is the recipe I followed for the chiles. Definitely a special occasion meal. Very labor intensive.

Pork-and-Fruit Stuffed Chiles in White Walnut Sauce
FROM RICKBAYLESS.COM

Chiles en Nogada

From Season 3, Mexico—One Plate at a Time

Servings: 6cups of filling and 2 generous cups of sauce, enough for 4 large servings or 8 small ones

Ingredients

Walnuts for the Sauce 2cups (7 ounces) walnut halves and pieces, you’ll need 36 (about 1 pound) very fresh walnuts in their shells OR 48 mature-green walnuts with fruit still attached (about 4 pounds) Chiles and Pork-and-Fruit Stuffing 1pound boneless pork shoulder, cut into 2-inch cubes 2large garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped 1small white onion, diced 8very large (about 2 pounds)fresh poblano chiles, choose good-looking chiles with their stems intact if possible 3 1/2tablespoons vegetable oil 2generous tablespoons raisins 2generous tablespoons dried mango, candied biznaga cactus or citron, cut into 1/4-inch dice 1small pear, peeled, cored and cut into 1/4-inch dice 1small Jonathan or McIntosh apple, peeled, cored and cut into 1/4-inch dice 2medium fresh peaches (or extra pears or apples), peeled, pitted and cut into 1/4-inch dice 1ripe, medium-smalltomato, seeded and roughly chopped 1teaspoon dried marjoram 1/2teaspoon dried thyme 1/2teaspooncinnamon, preferable freshly ground Mexican canela Salt, about 1 generous teaspoon 1/3cup (about 1 3/4 ounces) slivered blanched almonds 1 ripe, medium-size plantain, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice Walnut Sauce 1 to 1 1/2cups milk 1slice firm white bread, crusts removed 1tablespoon sugar Salt, about 1/2 generous teaspoon 1teaspoon dry sherry 1/4teaspoonground cinnamon, preferable freshly ground Mexican canela 1/2cup heavy (whipping) cream or Mexican crema Garnish 1 pomegranate 8sprigs flat leaf parsley

Instructions

1. Peel the walnuts. If using mature-green walnuts, break away the soft, green, outer layer with your hands. Working with 5 or 6 at a time, crack open the nuts, remove the meats in the largest pieces possible. Drop the walnut pieces into a small pan of boiling water, immediately remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel, then peel: the thin, brown skin that covers each piece will peel off in fairly large pieces if the nuts are very fresh; use a small pick or pointed trussing needle to help lift the skin out of the crevices. Continue until all are peeled. Store the nuts in a tightly-sealed jar,refrigerated, until ready to use.
2. Cook and shred the meat. Place the pork in a medium saucepan, cover with heavily salted water, add the garlic and half of the onion. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat, skim off any grayish foam that rises to the surface, partially cover and simmer over medium-low until the meat is thoroughly tender, about 1 1/2 hours.
   If time permits, let the meat cool in the broth, then remove it with tongs or a slotted spoon and shred it between you fingers or with two forks held back to back. (There will be about 2 cups of meat). Reserve the broth.
3. Roast the chiles. The open flame method: Place chiles directly over the gas flame or on a medium hot charcoal or gas grill. Roast, turning occasionally, until blistered and blackened on all sides but not soft, about 5 minutes. The broiler method: Lay chiles on a baking sheet set about 4 inches below a preheated broiler. Roast, turning occasionally until blistered and blackened on all sides but not soft, about 10 minutes. Peel the charred skin off the chiles and rinse them if necessary. Make a long slit in the side of each chile and carefully remove the seeds and veins.
4. The stuffing. Before you start cooking, complete all the initial peeling, coring, chopping and so forth of the stuffing ingredients (a little oxidizing of the apples and pears won’t spoil the appearance of the dish.)
   Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of the oil in a very large (12 inch) skillet over medium-high. When quite hot, add the remaining half of the onion and shredded pork in a thin layer and cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture is lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain off any excess fat.
   Stir in the raisins, candied fruit, pear, apple, peach, the tomato, herbs and cinnamon. Measure in 1/4 cup of the reserved broth, mix well, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the skillet and simmer until the apple and pear are tender (but not mushy) and the flavors are blended, about 10 minutes. Season with salt, usually a generous teaspoon.
   While the meat mixture is simmering, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a medium-small skillet over medium heat. Add the almonds and fry, stirring nearly constantly, until they are a deep golden color, about 3 minutes; remove with a slotted spoon and cool. Add the diced plantain to the skillet and stir it frequently until nicely browned and sweet, 3 or 4 minutes. Add to the meat mixture along with the almonds. Remove the filling from the heat and let cool uncovered. (There will be about 6 cups).
5. Stuff the chiles. Stuff the chiles with cooled filling, packing it in well and re-forming them in their original shape. Place on a baking sheet and cover with foil.
6. Complete the sauce. Within a couple of hours of serving, prepare the sauce. Put the peeled walnuts into a blender jar along with 1 cup of milk, the bread, sugar, salt, sherry and ground cinnamon. Blend until a drop of the puree no longer feels gritty when rubbed between your fingers (this will be more successful with the mature-green walnuts); if the mixture should clog in the machine or if only the mixture at the bottom is moving through the blades, add more milk a little at a time, until all the mixture is moving through the blades again. Finally add the cream and blend for just a few seconds; add additional milk if necessary to achieve a medium consistency. Taste for salt and sugar; the sauce should have a slightly sweet edge with just enough salt to bring up the flavor of the walnuts. Set aside at room temperature.
7. Finish the dish. Half an hour before serving, place the chiles in a 250-degree oven to heat through. Break the pomegranate apart, pick out all the seeds and place them in a small dish.When you are ready to serve, add a little mike or cream to the sauce if it is thicker than a medium-consistency custard sauce. Place 1 or 2 chiles (depending on how you have chosen to serve them) on each warm dinner plate. Spoon the room-temperature sauce over the warm chiles, generously covering them half away from the stem. Sprinkle the sauce generously with the pomegranate seeds, garnish with the parsley, and serve at once.

COOK’S NOTES:
Techniques: Preparing chiles for stuffing: Since the flavors are more delicate here, it is best to devein the chiles to insure they won’t be too hot. If you suspect that they are hot, soak them in salted water overnight.
Timing and advance preparation: Start a day or so ahead, peeling the walnuts (allow 1 1/2 to 2 hours); they will keep for a couple days in the refrigerator tightly wrapped. Finishing the dish will require a little less than 2 hours. The chiles may be prepared and the stuffing made a couple of days in advance; store them separately, covered and refrigerated. Complete Steps 5 through 7 shortly before serving; the sauce can gray if prepared too far ahead.

©Rick Bayless. All rights reserved.

Lebanese Kibbeh

Cleaning out the freezer after a weekend trip to the Greenbrier for the Classic. I laid a bed of nutmeg and nutty kibbeh filling. Filled the bowl with cauliflower and roasted garlic purée. On top I placed two kibbeh, a bacon & jalapeño relish and a drizzle of truffle oil.