Ess Ess Mein Kindt!

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There are only a few perfect dishes, that once you’ve tried them, you can’t ever have another one made by anyone else.  Sherry’s version of her mother’s Mundel Bread is one of those dishes.  This Holy Grail is given each year as a Hanukkah present to the deserving, and it’s a special gift.  When you make this dish, follow your heart, not the measurements.

ROSE WEINER’S MUNDEL BREAD

INGREDIENTS

4 eggs

1 cup Spry

1 cup sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tsp. baking powder

Flour, enough to thicken (about 2 cups), more or less

Raisins

Chopped walnuts

Bake at 350 degrees until done.  

CREATIVE LEFTOVERS

What do you do when you have lots of leftovers and you are going away for Thanksgiving?  You combine all the different ingredients to make one wonderful meal. ALL THESE RECIPES WERE SHERRY'S IDEA.  I'm just the poster!!!

We had two mini pumpkins left over from our Pumpkin Risotto adventure, two chicken breasts from the Chicken Soup, and a lot of the roasted garlic from Sherry’s Brisket (prepared when Marilyn and Jerry had visited last week).  We decided to make a Pumpkin Polenta (rather than Pumpkin Gnocchi, which we will try another time) and Chicken with Roasted Garlic and Caramelized Onions.  I found a recipe that called for rendering bacon, and then cooking the ingredients in the bacon fat.  Instead, I poured out the fat and used olive oil instead.  The smoky taste still remained, and with smoked paprika added, the result was “tasty”.

Creamy Pumpkin Polenta

4 strips thick cut bacon, chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 medium onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 cup pumpkin puree (or the juice of two mini pumpkins)

1 cup whole milk

2 1/2 cups chicken broth (I used the broth from the soup I made)

1 cup polenta (yellow corn meal)

1 cup shredded cheese, any kind (I used Italian 4-chees blend, because it was in the refrigerator)

Creamy Pumpkin Polenta

In a medium sauce pan over medium heat cook the bacon until it is crisp.  Remove the bacon from the pan, and drain the fat.

Still over medium heat add the olive oil.  Add the onion and garlic and cook until softened, about 2 minutes.  Add the paprika, red pepper flakes, and nutmeg and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.    Add the pumpkin puree and cook, stirring constantly, until slightly darker in color, about 2 minutes.

Whisk in the milk to the corn meal.  Add chicken broth to the pot and once it comes to a boil slowly whisk in the polenta.  Cook, stirring constantly, for 8-10 minutes, or until the polenta thickens.  If the polenta seems stiff add a little more milk. Reduce the heat to medium low.

Stir in the shredded cheese until thoroughly melted.  Pour the polenta into a serving dish and garnish with the crisp bacon.  Serve hot.

SHERRY'S CHICKEN BREASTS WITH CARAMELIZED ONIONS AND ROASTED GARLIC

This recipe used pre-cooked chicken breasts.  You can bake chicken breasts, and then follow this recipe.

In a saucepan, sauté ½ chopped red onion and ½ chopped yellow onion (or 1 chopped yellow onion) in olive oil until caramelized, about 5-10 minutes.  Add 10 cloves of roasted garlic, ½ tsp each of paprika, cumin, cinnamon and cayenne, and stir until combined.  Add ¼ cup chicken broth, and cook until reduced by half. 

Pour over chicken breasts and serve.

SOUP SOUP, BEAUTIFUL SOUP!!

It was a rainy day, and everyone seems to be fighting the sniffles, so it became Chicken Soup day.  Sherry's recipe is simple and superb.  If only all recipes were this talented!!!

Ingredients
1 whole chicken, giblets removed, rinsed
1 large onion, peeled
1/2 package baby carrots
water to cover chicken
1-2 Tbsp. Sherry's Secret Bouillon

1.  Salt the chicken with Kosher salt for 5 minutes, then rinse off.
2.  Put chicken, onion and carrots in large pot.  Add water to cover.  Add Sherry's Secret Bouillon.
3.  Bring to boil, then reduce heat to rolling boil.  Cover and cook for 1 hour.
4.  Remove chicken.  Can be added to the soup or used for another meal.
5.  Serve with small pasta for adding to the soup (Pastina, Orzo, Bubbela)

Doesn't get much better than this!

THE RAIN IN SPAIN FALLS MAINLY ON THE PLAIN (SHOUT OUT TO HILLARY)

Our friends Mary and Kevin recently took a trip to Spain (Andalucía, Granada, Valencia, Barcelona), partially tracing our route from May.  To celebrate their return, Sherry and I planned to make a Spanish dinner, highlighting the best memories of the meals we had during our trip, as well as my own version of Paella.  We have a 16 inch paella pan, and have always had difficulty just making a small meal with it, so this was the opportunity to bring it out for guests. I had also purchased some Bomba rice in Spain (the recommended rice for paella) and was anxious to see how it came out.

We began with two tapas:  Champiñones Al Ajillo and Patatas Bravas.  These were two of Hillary’s favorite tapas from Barcelona, and started the meal off on the right foot.  The mushrooms are garlicky and sherried, and the potatoes are crunchy with a tomatoe-y aioli sauce.

Champiñones al ajillo (garlic mushrooms)

There are not many tapas recipes more Spanish than this. Gorgeous mushrooms infused with the exotic flavours of spices, olive oil, garlic and Spanish Sherry.

3 Tbsp. olive oil

250g (8 oz) mushrooms, sliced or quartered

6 cloves garlic, sliced, chopped or minced to taste

¼ cup dry sherry

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp pimenton (paprika)

Salt and freshly-ground black pepper

Heat the oil in a frying pan or skillet and fry the mushrooms over high heat for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Lower the heat to medium and add the garlic, lemon juice, sherry, paprika, smoked paprika, chili flakes (optional), salt and pepper.

Cook for another 5 minutes or so until the garlic and mushrooms have softened then remove from the heat, and divide up into pre-heated 'little dishes'.

Serve with plenty of fresh, crusty bread to mop up those seriously-garlicky juices.

PATATAS BRAVAS

Ingredients:

3 large baking potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges lengthwise
2 tsp. kosher salt (twice)
1/4 c. cooking oil

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 350° F. Cover the potatoes with water in a pan. Add the 2 tsp. of salt and boil for 5 minutes. Drain. Heat up the cooking oil in a pan. Tip in all of the potatoes. Stir to coat with oil and additional salt. Transfer to a non stick baking tray or tray with a non-stick liner and bake for 30 minutes or until browned and crisp.  Pour sauce over potatoes and serve.

Bravas sauce:

1/2 c. light mayonnaise
1/4 c. ketchup
1 tsp. lemon juice
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. paprika (or to taste)
1 tsp. sugar
10 drops hot sauce (or to taste)

The tapas were followed by a course of Spanish meats, cheeses, olives and grilled eggplants and peppers.  Salchichon, chorizo, and Jamon Iberico were our usual lunch/snacks while traveling – available everywhere, wide variety of choices, and incredibly tasty.  Manchego cheese, both aged and semi-hard, was the cheese of choice, and green and black olives were fresh and delicious.  In Madrid, we found the Museo del Jamon, which carried a huge variety of hams, salamis and cheeses.

The main course was Paella, with chicken, chorizo, mussels, shrimp, calamari and scallops.  It has a great balance of spice and flavor, but I like the facts that the only spices used in the entire dish are paprika, smoked paprika and saffron (which could be optional if you don’t have any).

The key to making this paella is a lot of advanced preparation.  Saturday or Sunday have always been the days to make paella, so that you are not rushed; you can chop up the ingredients, cook the meats and shellfish before the rice, and assemble the dish just-in-time for dinner.

Turned out that the Calasparra Bomba rice was the perfect rice for paella.  It’s a very small-grained rice, that expands in the middle to absorb the stock, rather than lengthening.  I’ve used short-grained rice before, which works fine, but is more sticky than Bomba.

Paella Nadworniana

Ingredients:

1 green pepper, diced

1 red pepper, diced

1 red onion, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 can diced, tomatoes, drained

1 tsp. paprika (or more to taste)

1 tsp. smoked paprika (or more to taste)

1 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 lb. calamari rings

1 lb scallops

(alternatively, buy a 1 lb package of Seafood Blend at Trader Joes)

1 lb. mussels, scrubbed

1 chicken breast, cut into small pieces

2 package chorizo, cut into small pieces

1 ½ cups Calasparra Bomba rice (or other short-grained rice

6 cups chicken stock

Directions

1.  Chop the vegetables

Finely chop 1 red onion and 4 cloves of garlic. Place garlic and red onion in one bowl.

Dice 1 red and 1 green pepper.  Place peppers in another bowl.

Place tomatoes in a bowl.  Add paprikas and stir to mix.

2. Prepare the seafood

Peel and devein 16 large raw shrimp (prawns), cut 2 squid tubes into rings, and scrub and debeard 12 fresh mussels. Cover and refrigerate.

3. Make the sofrito        

Sofrito is a Spanish tomato and onion sauce which is used as a flavor base for a variety of dishes, including paella. To make the sofrito, heat 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in the paella pan over a medium heat and cook the chopped red onion and garlic for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the pureed tomatoes and paprikas and cook until all the liquid from the tomatoes has evaporated and the sofrito has the consistency of jam. Transfer the sofrito to a small bowl and wipe clean the paella pan. 

4.  Cook the mussels

While the sofrito is cooking, place the mussels in a saucepan with half a cup of simmering water. Cover and steam on a low heat for 5 minutes. Remove mussels and set aside, discarding any that haven't opened.

5. Cook the meats

Heat 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil in a separate skillet over a medium-high heat. Add the chicken and chorizo and cook, stirring, until the chicken is cooked through.  Remove from heat, place in a bowl and cover.

6. Cook the shrimp, scallops and squid

Heat 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil in the same skillet as the meat over a medium-high heat. Add the scallops, and shrimp and cook for 1½ minutes, tossing continuously. Add the squid rings and cook for a further 1½ minutes. Remove the shrimp and squid from the pan. Place in a bowl, cover and set aside.            

Make the paella:

7. Heat stock and saffron in a saucepot until hot

8. Cook the diced red and green peppers

Heat 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in the paella pan over a medium heat and cook the diced red and green peppers for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally.

9. Add the sofrito and rice

Add the sofrito to the pan along with 1½ cups of Spanish Calasparra or Bomba rice (regular medium-grain rice makes a good substitute) and cook for a minute, stirring to coat the grains.       

10.  Add hot stock and saffron

Add heated chicken stock with a pinch of saffron threads. Stir to combine, and bring to a rolling simmer. Cook for 10 minutes, uncovered without stirring. (To make sure the rice cooks evenly you may need to regularly move the paella pan around the heat source, or you can straddle the paella pan over two burners.)

11. Lower the heat and continue cooking           

Lower the heat to a gentle simmer and cook for a further 15-20 minutes without stirring, until most of the liquid has been absorbed.  (If the rice is not fully soft, you may need to add another cup of stock or water to the pan.) After 15 minutes, turn the heat up to medium-high for a minute or so until you can smell the rice toasting at the bottom, then remove the paella pan from the heat. (The toasted rice bottom of paella is called socorrat and is highly prized.)          

12.  Add seafood and meats

Push the meats, shrimp, scallops, mussels and squid into the cooked rice, and stir. Cover the pan with foil or a clean cloth, and let the paella rest for 5 minutes before serving.

13.  Serve paella. Eat happy.