New Potato Salad

 

This super simple salad has all the fresh flavors of summer and takes no time at all to make. It will become your staple for every picnic or cookout!

 

New Potato Salad with Roasted Garlic Mayonnaise

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

1 bag tricolor new potatoes

2 tablespoons Roasted Garlic Mayonnaise

2 tablespoons finely chopped chives

2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

Salt and Pepper

 

Method:

 

Boil the new potatoes in a saucepan for approximately 12 minutes until just fork tender. Let them cool and then quarter them lengthwise. Mix with the mayonnaise and herbs and season well.

Herbed Hasselback Potatoes

 

This is a fun recipe that is the perfect marriage between a french fry and a baked potato. They make a delicious side and also a great presentation. We thought they would be a fun Passover dish as an alternative for Potato Kugel. But you certainly don’t have to celebrate Passover to enjoy a potato bursting with buttery flavor, great texture and a fancy fan-shape. We hope you enjoy.

 

Ingredients:

5 large russet or Idaho potatoes

6 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves

2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped

2 tablespoons finely chopped chives

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup olive oil

Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper

 

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 450F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, place a potato on a cutting board between two wooden spoons and slice horizontally into 1/4″ or 1/8″ thin strips (the spoons prevent you from slicing through the back of the potato while also protecting you from slipping and cutting yourself). Repeat until all potatoes are sliced.

2. Boil potatoes for 10 minutes then remove with thongs and allow to cool.

3. In a small stockpot, combine butter, herbs, garlic and olive oil. Cook until butter is melted. Meanwhile, line a baking tray with aluminum foil.

4. Place par-boiled potatoes on the baking tray and spoon half of the herb butter over them, making sure to coat all sides and also get in all the slices. Once you’ve coated all the potatoes, spoon up the extra butter from the tray and drizzle it once more to make sure the entire spud is covered. Then season the potatoes generously with salt and pepper. 

5. Bake 30 minutes and then spoon the remaining butter over the potatoes. The first bake allows the layers to open up so that you can get more butter in there. Season again with salt and pepper. Then bake an additional 30-40 minutes more. Potatoes should be tender when tested at the bottom of the potato (you want to make sure the cooked potatoes are tender right down to the last bite).

6. Serve warm.

Roasted Corn with Jalapeño and Manchego

 

 

The world of artisanal food is exploding with new products and trends. We’re getting so many interesting packages and are beginning to add a myriad of new products to the site. I’m loving brainstorming and recipe testing with Aurora on unique ways of using these innovative products! First up is The Chili Lab whose subtle but utterly distinctive chili salts are giving a lift to everything I’m cooking from steaks to this delicious corn dish. Their chili butters are now my preferred spread on my ultimate breakfast sandwich and really any dish that needs a pick me up. I am blown away by the bold/bright flavors of their products and already know who I’m sending their gift box to for Christmas! I hope you will find them as tasty as we have.

 

Roasted Corn with Jalapeno and Manchego

Adapted from Bon Appétit

Serves 8 as a side dish

Ingredients:

6 years of unhusked corn

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 teaspoon chili salt

1 jalapeño, seeded and finely diced

1 lime, juiced

1/4 cup thinly sliced chives

1 cup finely grated Manchego cheese

2 teaspoons finely grated lime zest

 

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F.

2. Roast unhusked corn on a baking sheet for about 15 minutes – turn once.

3. Let the corn cool and then shuck. Cut the kernels from the cobs and discard the cobs.

4. Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the kernels and sauté for 5 minutes – stirring regularly until you begin to see the corn brown.

5. Add the butter and stir until melted.

6. Season with chili salt of your choosing.

7. Sprinkle with jalapeño, lime juice, chives, cheese and lime zest.

Panzanella (Tuscan bread and tomato salad)

 

I’ve been spending the last few days of my time in Italy staying with my oldest friend, Catherine, in what is to my mind, the most beautiful house in Tuscany. A stunning farmhouse at the end of a treacherous road where I feel completely at home and happy. I’m incredibly lucky to have my nearest neighbor be one of my closest friends and I always make sure our time here overlaps. I just can’t imagine being here without her. We spent last night at a local festa reminiscing about a slightly more glamorous party that used to be the highlight of every summer but which sadly no longer happens.

 

Every August, the courtyard of Badia a Coltibuono, a 12th Century monastery outside Gaiole, would be the stage for a concert by students of the famous Academia Chigiana. The classical music was followed by food and drinks in the formal garden while the courtyard was transformed into a disco. Huge ceramic bowls filled with Panzanella and platters of Parma ham, salami and cheese were laid out for the guests to feast on before the dancing began. I decided to recreate the panzanella today and I’m sure the fact that it was so delicious was thanks to every ingredient except the bread coming straight from Catherine’s garden.

 

 

Panzanella

Ingredients:

4 slices of tuscan bread or good sourdough

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

1 red pepper, deveined, seeded and sliced into strips

2 large heirloom tomatoes

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Salt

Basil leaves

 

Method:

1. The bread should be a little stale. If it is not, you can put it in a low oven for 15 minutes to dry out. Then cut into 1″ cubes.

2. Soak the sliced onions in a bowl of water for 10-15 minutes to bring out the sweetness then drain and dry.

3. In a large bowl, mix the red pepper, tomatoes, bread and red onion.

4. Sprinkle the vinegar and then the olive oil all over the salad and mix well with your hands. Add salt, taste and mix again. Tuscan bread is made without salt so I used quite a lot but it depends on your ingredients.

5. Finish by sprinkling with some chopped basil leaves and leave it to sit for at least 10 minutes. The bread will soak up all the juices of the tomatoes and continue to improve.

Cranberry Marmalade Sauce

 

This sauce is a vibrant addition to your Thanksgiving spread and is the simplest side to throw together. By using marmalade instead of zest you not only produce an utterly delicious dish but you also save yourself the time of zesting all that citrus. This sauce also makes a killer sandwich spread for post-Thanksgiving turkey sandwiches.

 

Cranberry Marmalade Sauce

Ingredients:

1 apple (Honey Crisp, Fuji or Gala all work great)

12 oz bag fresh cranberries

1 orange, juiced (makes about 1/2 cup juice)

1 jar English Breakfast Marmalade

1 cup water

3 cinnamon sticks

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

2 tablespoons brown sugar

 

Method:

1. Chop the apple into 1/4 inch chunks and combine with fresh cranberries in a medium-sized saucepan.

2. Squeeze the orange juice into pan and add marmalade and remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.

3. Reduce to a simmer and partially cover for 10 minutes, stirring from once or twice while cooking.

4. Remove lid and heat for 10 minutes on medium-low, stirring with a wooden spoon and mashing the apple and cranberry pieces as the sauce thickens.

5. Remove the saucepan from heat and allow to cool. Serve at room temperature and be sure to remove the cinnamon sticks before placing on the table. You can make this sauce in advance.

Harvest Bread Stuffing with Chorizo

 

I have been fighting a losing battle since moving to America 14 years ago. Every year at Thanksgiving, I insist on making what I consider to be stuffing. It’s completely different from stuffing in America in that it’s mainly meat based with very little bread at all – just a few breadcrumbs for binding. I try to convert someone each year and I actually caught a few young’uns early before they were corrupted to the ways of American stuffing. My first American Thanksgiving, I even tried to introduce bread sauce to the table but as I looked at it through new eyes, I realized that, like marmite, unless you grew up with it, you were never going to be convinced it was anything other than disgusting. My stubborness has kept me from trying all the myriads of American stuffing that are laid out each year at the annual banquet that I’m lucky enough to attend.

 

Aurora convinced me to put aside my pig headedness and create a stuffing with Nashoba Bakery’s Harvest Bread which screams Thanksgiving with its cranberries and pecans. We added just enough of Schaller & Weber’s Chorizo to satisfy my meat cravings and out of the oven came a stuffing that was so delicious that I ate it on its own for dinner. It still has a gentle nod to my roots across the pond but has its feet firmly placed in America and may very well have finally converted me.

 

Harvest Stuffing with Chorizo

8 Servings

Ingredients:

1 loaf of Harvest Bread (crust removed, cut to small cubes)

1 stick unsalted butter, plus extra for buttering baking dish

1 large onion, diced

3 leeks, thoroughly cleaned (sliced into half moons)

3 celery stalks, diced

1 large fennel bulb, diced

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary

2 tablespoons minced fresh sage

2 chorizo sausages, casing removed and sliced

2 1/2 cups chicken stock

2 eggs

3/4 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

 

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Butter a baking pan or casserole dish. Toast bread in the oven for 10 minutes until just crisp. Allow to cool.

2. In a large cast iron pan, melt butter and add in onion, leeks, celery and fennel. Season with salt and pepper and cook until slightly golden (about 12-14 minutes).

3. Stir the fresh rosemary and sage into the onion mixture.

4. Remove the onion mixture to the side in a large bowl and add the chorizo to the cast iron pan. Cook the chorizo until browned (about 5 minutes).

5. Add the chorizo to the bowl with the onion mixture and then add in toasted bread. Toss together until well mixed.

6. Add chicken stock, beaten eggs and parsley to the bowl and mix well. Season once more with salt and pepper.

7. Dish stuffing mixture into prepared baking dish and bake until browned at the top (about 40-45 minutes).  Serve warm.

 

Acorn Squash with Brown Sugar Glaze

 

What better way to find out how to use products in cooking than asking the producers themselves? We spoke to siblings Ken and Toan about their sauces and glazes and loved how they merged East and West in inventive ways. Since I’m a sucker for all roasted squash, I was excited to try their suggestion of basting the squash with their brown sugar glaze. I decided to add some texture with some fried sage leaves as a hark back to my Italian grandmother who always threw a bunch into the pan no matter what she was frying. The slight crunch and nutty flavor balanced perfectly with the sweetness and soft texture of the squash.

 

Acorn Squash with Brown Sugar Glaze

Ingredients:

1 acorn squash

1 bottle Brown Sugar Ginger Glaze

Butter

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Sage leaves (optional)

 

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F.

2. Deseed squash, slice in half and then into long slices.
3. Lay slices flat on a baking sheet covered in aluminum foil.
4. Add a pat of butter on each piece
5. Brush on Sweet Ginger Glaze and season with salt and pepper.
6. Roast for 30 minutes, check for doneness by color or poke with fork for softness.

7. Brush once more with ginger glaze and return to oven for another 10 minutes.

8. In a frying pan, heat 2 tablespoons of butter until it begins to foam. Add a handful of sage leaves and fry til crispy.
6) Remove squash from oven and sprinkle with fried sage leaves. Serve warm.

Potato Salad with Double Smoked Bacon

 

And people say I don’t like salads! Granted, this is about as close to a salad as a bowl of Spaghetti alla Carbonara is to a carb free diet but the recipe calls it a salad and who am I to quibble? I adapted this recipe from Stephanie Alexander’s Cook’s Companion. Stephanie is one of those rare cookery writers, like Marcella Hazan, who has never failed me. The Cook’s Companion is in my top 5 favorite cookbooks and I’ve barely scratched the surface of all she has to offer.

 

I chose to make this recipe to kick off Oktoberfest (which curiously is always in September). By making use of Mustard & Co.’s signature mustard as well as Schaller & Weber’s ridiculously good double smoked bacon, the recipe went from great to spectacular. Pair it with the Oktoberfest Pack of Schaller & Weber’s award winning German sausages and you’ve got a feast where all you need to do is add the beer. Prost!

 

Potato Salad with Double Smoked Bacon

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 lb of new potatoes, cut into bite size pieces (halve or quarter potatoes depending on size)

1/4 lb of Double Smoked Bacon, diced

2 tablespoons of sour cream

3 teaspoons of mustard

1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon of finely cut fresh chives

Salt and pepper to taste

 

Method:

1. Boil the potatoes until tender (about 8-10 minutes, test with a knife). Drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process.

2. Fry the bacon in a large frying pan (make sure pan is large enough to later fit all the potatoes).

3. When the bacon is crispy, turn off the burner and remove the bacon with a slotted spoon to drain on kitchen towel.

4. In a small bowl, mix the sour cream, mustard and vinegar and add to the frying pan while the pan is still hot. Mix thoroughly.

5. Add in the bacon and the potatoes and stir with the dressing.

6. Finish with the chives and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve warm.

Potato, Pancetta and Leek Gratin

 

Easter is a big deal in England. The whole country pretty much shuts down on Good Friday and Easter Monday and it’s still strange for me, after 14 years in America, to see that most people work on those days. For the non religious, Easter in England is a bit like Thanksgiving. It’s about family and food without all the stress of buying gifts.

 

I’m very lucky to have an adopted family in America who always include me in their Easter Sunday lunch. The same large, generous family that I spend Thanksgiving with and it’s one of the days I look forward to most in the year. I remember one Easter Lolly bought kits for us all to make Ukrainian Easter eggs (Pysanky). You use wax to create designs a bit like batik. I still have mine displayed in my bedroom as the only thing I’ve ever made that I’m not utterly ashamed of. I really recommend giving them a try and supporting Ukraine in the process – I wish we were selling the kits on Many Kitchens. A thought for next year! For now, you can find the kits here.

 

 

Though I’m not going to be doing the cooking this Easter, I wanted to suggest a recipe that is my go-to for large parties and the perfect side dish to an Easter Ham. Pair those two with a simple salad mixed with an all natural vinaigrette and you have a delicious meal which can be made completely ahead of time so you can join in the Easter egg hunt.

 

 

Easter Menu:

The Perfect Glazed Ham
Potato, Pancetta and Leek Gratin
 (recipe below)
Mixed Leaf and Greens Salad
Praline Filled Eggs

 

Potato, Pancetta and Leek Gratin

Serves 8-10

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons of olive oil

8 oz of cubed pancetta

3 large leeks, cleaned and thinly sliced

1 garlic clove, minced

3 cups of heavy cream

2 tablespoons of fresh thyme leaves

3 large Idaho potatoes, peeled and sliced as thin as possible – ideally with a mandolin

Salt and freshly ground pepper

 

Method:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a large frying pan, heat olive oil and sauté the pancetta until golden brown – about 8 minutes.

3. With a slotted spoon, remove and drain on paper towels.

4. Add the leeks and garlic to the frying pan and sweat until soft – about 10 minutes.

5. Add the cream and simmer for 5 minutes until fully heated through.

6. Stir in the pancetta, thyme and add salt and pepper to taste.

7. Butter a large ovenproof dish – I used a 10” casserole dish.

8. Arrange a layer of potatoes on the bottom of the dish.

9. Season lightly and then spoon over some of the leek cream mixture and spread evenly.

10. Repeat with remaining potatoes and sauce until all are used – remembering to season the potatoes as you go and finishing the last layer with the sauce.

11. Press down firmly on the potatoes so that the sauce fully covers the potatoes – if it doesn’t, you can add more cream or some milk.

12. Bake until the gratin is golden on top – approximately 1 hour.

Serve with Easter Ham and a Mixed Leaf and Herb Salad (perfect when dressed with Jacqueline and Jerome’s Citron vinaigrette)

Brussels Sprouts with Chestnuts and Pancetta

 

I have spent every Thanksgiving in America with the same wonderful family and their extended family in Cape Cod. One of my favorite emails of the year has the subject matter “Gobble Gobble” and is sent to find out who is bringing what. This from a family that my father describes as “having built homes that are essentially kitchens with rooms attached”. Suffice to say, every single dish is always amazing and with over 20 people round the table, plates are piled very high even before we’ve attacked the sea of pies waiting in the wings.

 

A creature of habit, I tend to make the same dishes every year mainly because I know my godson, Henry, is a fan. No Thanksgiving dinner should be without Brussels sprouts and when you add pancetta, chestnuts and Marsala, even the naysayers, like my godmother, will put a spoonful on their plate. So, Gobble Gobble to you all- wishing you a very happy Thanksgiving!

 

 

Brussels Sprouts with Chestnuts and Pancetta

(Adapted from Nigella Lawson)

Serves 8

Ingredients:

2lbs of Brussels sprouts (bottoms trimmed and sliced in half)

½ lb of pancetta (cubed)

1 onion (quartered and sliced)

3 tablespoons of olive oil

1 tablespoon of butter

1 jar of precooked chestnuts

¼ cup of Marsala

Bunch of flat leaf parsley (chopped)

 

Method:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Spread the Brussels sprouts and onion out on a cookie tray and toss well with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and a good pinch of salt.

3. Roast in the oven for about 20 minutes (turning halfway through) until the sprouts are crunchy and the onions are caramelized and soft.

4. In a large pan, fry the pancetta cubes until brown and crispy in the remaining oil.

5. Add the chestnuts and crush with the back of a wooden spoon.

6. Raise the heat and add the butter. When it starts to sizzle, add the Marsala.

7. Cook for a few minutes until it becomes syrupy, stirring constantly.

8. Add the Brussels sprouts to the pan and mix well.

9. Serve with a sprinkling of chopped parsley on top.