Good Morning.
Once a week I will send you a meal of recipes. I believe in breaking bread with people who laugh a lot. Find them and cook for them. They will bring you joy and hopefully a nice bottle of wine.
Let us begin this week with a GOOD DOG. These ingredients make one big drink.
1 1/2 oz. Southern Comfort
1 1/2 oz. cranberry juice
1/2 oz. vodka
1 oz. pineapple juice
Splash of Grenadine
Mix these ingredients in a glass on ice. Garnish with a slice of lime. Sit. Stay.
Have a few GRAPES WITH BLUE CHEESE AND ALMONDS
2 cups seedless red grapes
1/2 cup blue cheese, your choice, at room temp
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup almonds, finely chopped
In a skillet, melt the butter, add the garlic and almonds, and saute for about three minutes. Transfer this mixture to a plate and cool. Roll each grape in the blue cheese, then in the almond coating. Serve these bites on toothpicks.
And onto JAMIE'S PIG FIG CHICKEN for four
4 chicken quarters
8 strips of bacon
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp. thyme from a jar
6 figs, quartered
1/4 cup dry white wine, dry vermouth works in a pinch
Cook the bacon in a large, heavy skillet until crisp. Drain and crumble. Pat the chicken dry and rub with salt and pepper. In the bacon grease, saute the chicken until nice and golden brown. Transfer these pieces to a baking dish and bake, uncovered, in a 375 degree oven for 45 to 50 minutes depending on how fat they are. About 35 minutes into the cooking, remove the chicken, sprinkle with thyme, throw on the figs, and return to the oven until done. Meanwhile, deglaze the skillet with the wine, scraping up any bits. To serve, pour the skillet juices over the chicken and figs and top with the crumbled bacon.
I was raised on figs but they were served with cream for dessert. We never worried about bacon, cream, or any other food that has been disparaged in recent decades. This is because people had only one car and when one family member needed it,
the others had to walk or take the bus but they had to walk to the bus stop. In the winter people shoveled the sidewalks so they could walk. When they played golf they walked and carried their clubs. They had to go up and down a ladder to change
the storm windows for the screens and fool around with the television aerial. We have traded all of that loveliness in for
six cars per family with teenagers, snow blowers, golf carts, combination windows, cable TV, and trips to the doctor.
Serve the chicken with WARM LIGURIAN SALAD
1/2 pound potatoes, cut into thin rounds, Yukon Gold recommended
1 lemon
Kosher salt
2 bunches fresh basil
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish. Freshly and finely grated is best.
1/2 cup olive oil, plus a bit more
1 pound penne
1/2 pound fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
Put the sliced potatoes in a pot of cold water, add a bit of salt, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to medium and simmer until the potatoes are barely tender, maybe 10 minutes. Drain and set aside. Squeeze the lemon on them and toss
carefully. Trim the bitter stems off the basil, wash the leaves, and dry. Toast the pine nuts in a small skillet for a minute or two. Put the basil, pine nuts, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and the garlic in a food processor or blender and process. Add the Parmesan and continue blending while you add the olive oil slowly through the top. Set this pesto mixture aside. Cook the pasta according to package directions to al dente. During the last four minutes, add the green beans. Drain. In a large bowl, toss the pasta, beans, potatoes, pesto, and just enough olive oil to keep it from being dry. Taste and add a bit more cheese if desired. Serve at room temp.
Liguria is part of the Italian Riviera. Let us away.
And finally, CHOCOLATE PUDDING POPSICLES
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup corn starch
Dash of Kosher salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
3 cups whole milk
3 oz. semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 tbsp. Grand Marnier
In a saucepan, combine the sugar, cocoa, corn starch, salt, and cinnamon. Whisk in the milk over medium heat until smooth, then cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens. Cook another minute and stir in the chopped chocolate and Grand Marnier. Let cool slightly, pour into popsicle molds, and freeze overnight.
These are adult popsicles. Serve them to people who are able to find their inner child.
Best regards,
Elisabeth
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