Saturday

EIGHT-ONE - EIGHT-THREE : NEW YEARS EVE!

DECEMBER 31 2011

EIGHTY-ONE : SPAGHETTI WITH CRABS
EIGHTY-TWO : SLOW-ROASTED RIB EYE, SLICED COLD
EIGHTY-THREE : VANILLA BEAN CREME BRULEE

New Year's Eve demands decadence... and we did not disappoint. Surf 'n turf, baby!

First I have to admit that I did not exactly follow the the recipe for the rib eye. Sorry Frankies, I just can't shell out $60 for a beautiful rib eye roast, cook it to perfection, then just shove the whole thing in the fridge to be served cold, hoping it is worth it. I just can't. Not even for "thoroughbred roast beef". I also did not roast it at the temperature they designated. Last year I did a super, super slow roast that was amazing so decided to do it again this time. So, instead of cooking it at 325º, it spent over 4 hours in the oven at 200º which makes it exactly medium-rare through the entire thing. I did use the fantastic herb rub from the recipe which smelled like heaven while it was cooking.

Phew.. now that I've got that off my chest, I can tell you all about our New Year's Eve feast :)

Wednesday

SEVENTY-NINE & EIGHTY : RICOTTA CAVATELLI W/ CAULIFLOWER

DECEMBER 28 2011

SEVENTY-NINE : ROASTED CAULIFLOWER
EIGHTY : CAVATELLI WITH CAULIFLOWER & BROWNED SAGE BUTTER

For dinner tonight, we made the alternate, and vegetarian, preparation of the ricotta cavatelli. Although the cauliflower was the only technical difference between the recipes, there were actually four things that changed since last time.

1. Roasted cauliflower replaces the Italian sausage
2. I didn't have enough ricotta so made up the difference with creme fraiche
3. I tried the "well method" to make the pasta dough
4. This time I had a cavatelli roller!

So, I never really intended to try the well method to make pasta. At least I hadn't made it a requirement in my head for this project. But, since I was halving an already small quantity of pasta dough, I decided to give it a shot because I wasn't sure there would be enough mass for the stand mixer.

The well method is undoubtedly messier and more of a pain, but the resulting dough seemed equivalent to my previous versions, even with the creme fraiche substitution.

Monday

SEVENTY-EIGHT : LEFTOVERS LASAGNA

DECEMBER 26 2011

The hardest part about making lasagne is being patient enough to let it rest so it will slice into nice, clean wedges. Just a warning... that did not happen today. Please do not judge the flavor based on the final photo which, admittedly, looks like a hot mess.

Really, I shouldn't have been so impatient to slice it because everything came together really quickly. I had meatballs and sauce reserved in the freezer and cooked up the sweet Italian sausages a few hours ago. So all I had to do for dinner was assemble and bake.

meatballs and sweet Italian sausages


Friday

SEVENTY-SEVEN : LINGUINE CACIO DE PEPE

DECEMBER 23 2011

As of today, I have four recipes left that aren't already planned for New Year's or Sunday Sauce. All four of these are pasta. Get ready for a carb-filled next week...

The approaching holiday weekend has me pretty darn worried about getting them all done so I was happy to stay in tonight to make dinner and watch media. One problem... I do NOT want to make fresh pasta. I mean really! So far, I haven't found fresh pasta to be enough better to justify the effort. In fact, I usually feel less happy cause it never seems to have enough heft or bite or something. Just lots of softness... not really satisfying.

So I am going against the recipe and using dried linguine... and I don't care!


Sunday

SEVENTY-SIX : SAUSAGE & BROCCOLI RABE SANDWICH

DECEMBER 18 2011

Man I love sandwiches! Such a perfect food. I really, really love bread and stuffing it with delicious things makes it that much better. In fact, stuffing it with Italian sausage and sauteed broccoli rabe is almost magical!

sandwich fixings from heaven



Thursday

SEVENTY-FIVE : TAGLIATELLE WITH BRAISED LAMB RAGU

DECEMBER 14 2011

DAY ONE

Usually, a recipe that starts with "Day 1" doesn't get more than a quick glance. "That can't be worth the hassle." But not today! I brought this upon myself and am attacking it with vigor. I really do appreciate the Frankies rational for making this pasta dish a multi-day slog.
"We like a two-day braise for two reasons: it's a mellower schedule to cook on, and if you fully chill down the braising liquid, it is easier to degrease it completely and replace the cooked fat with fresher fat, like olive oil or butter, which is better tasting and easier to eat."
Okay, okay... that all makes sense. And I did love that today I could do the 45 minute roast and 2 hour braise, then let it all cool down and shove it in the fridge to be dealt with later.


Tuesday

SEVENTY-THREE & SEVENTY-FOUR : SARDINES TWO WAYS

DECEMBER 13 2011

SEVENTY-THREE : SARDINE, BLOOD ORANGE & PUNTARELLE SALAD
SEVENTY-FOURGRILLED CURED SARDINES

Here fishy, fishy! I love me the fishiest of the fishes and these sardines fall squarely into that category. Mackerel is another oily, super-fishy, fabulous one that I love, love, love!

These babies had been curing since Friday in a lovely blend of olive oil, lemon, garlic, parsley. When I started the curing process, I had planned to enjoy them Sunday as a nice, light lunch. But we were both sooooo stuffed after feasting the night before that lunch never really happened. So tonight, I pulled them out of their oil bath and got to work. Truly, the painful part of these recipes is the curing process. Once that's done, everything else come together very quickly.


Saturday

SEVENTY-ONE & SEVENTY-TWO : BASTARD THANKSGIVING

DECEMBER 10 2011


SEVENTY-ONE : RICOTTA CROSTINI
SEVENTY-TWO : SWEET-AND-SOUR BAKED EGGPLANT WITH MINT & RICOTTA SALATA

I know dishes from an Italian cookbook aren't exactly traditional, but I am taking any opportunity possible to cross off recipes, so today Thanksgiving went Italian! I chose a couple recipes I thought would fit nicely with the turkey and stuffing, and I think these were quite appropriate.

The crostini is very simple. Brush sliced baguette with parsley oil, toast, then top with a dollop of ricotta cheese, a sprinkle of salt and a drizzle of olive oil. I felt like being extra fancy, so I decided to make the ricotta myself. I've done it before with pretty good success and it's not a difficult thing. I did try a new method: heating the milk in the microwave instead of on the stove top. Everything went quite well except I somehow ended up with way less finished cheese than I expected.

fresh homemade ricotta



Friday

SEVENTY : CURED SARDINES

DECEMBER 9 2011

Fresh sardines are a pain in the ass! My first attempt at this recipe, I didn't ask for them to be pre-cleaned and, halfway through the job, couldn't take it any more and just thew the whole batch in the trash. This time, I was smarter (or so I thought). I thanked the fishmonger at New Seasons for cleaning my requested 8 sardines and he said "no... thank YOU" like I had just made this the worst Friday of his entire life. Well, thank YOU, dude, for just barely removing the insides and still leaving me with the task of filleting all these mini fishes.

But I am determined to soldier ahead and rip the spines out of each and every one of these little fuckers.

Thursday

SIXTY-NINE : SWEET POTATO RAVIOLI IN CHEESE BROTH

DECEMBER 8 2011

I was never really that excited about this recipe. But it looked easy and I had all the ingredients, so it was dinner tonight. It turned out to be THE worst recipe in the whole book so far. I was so grossed out after only a few bites I had to push my plate away. What the hell is this slimy bowl of flavorless gunk? After sooooo many amazing meals, I was a little shocked by the complete crap of this one.

I can't even blame any one part... they were all so bad. My previous opinion of cheese broth holds true; greasy & watery with a weird cheese funk. Not something I want to slurp down in cupfuls. The ravioli filling did have good flavor, but needed a binder cause as soon as I cut into one, all of the sweet potato burst out and dissolved into the crappy broth (which actually improved it marginally).

But, lets back up a little.

Wednesday

SIXTY-EIGHT : SPAGHETTI WITH CLAMS

DECEMBER 7 2011

DECEMBER! OH CRAP! I was already stressing about getting everything done before the gluttony of Thanksgiving and a lovely trip to Cali delayed me even more. But, rest assured, it was totally worth it. I mean, I love Thanksgiving leftovers more than just about anything so no way I'm cooking anything else. And seeing my little sis graduate from grad school was just about the best thing ever and fully worth any delays (love ya, sis!).

But that leaves me with less than a month and, after today, 27 recipes. EEEP! We can eat nothing but Frankies from now on! I am reserving 9 of them for the Grand Finale Sunday Sauce Party, so will not worry about them right now. (Yep, I am already planning Sunday Sauce. Even got a schedule...)

Today I picked a quick and easy pasta dish I could toss together after work with little stress. This clam pasta can supposedly be made in the time it takes to cook the pasta.

Saturday

SIXTY-SEVEN : ESCAROLE & CANNELLINI BEAN SOUP

NOVEMBER 26 2011

Why am I so bad at dried beans? I leapt out of bed at 8am realizing I was supposed to soak the damn beans for 8 hours before starting the soup (which then had to simmer for 2 hours). But I only had 4-1/2 hours before the Civil War & soup eating started. Dang, dang, dang. I let them soak in hot water for about 2 hours, then put them in a pot to simmer for about an hour before starting the soup.

The soup itself is pretty basic. Saute the holy trinity of carrot, onion and celery until softened. Add the beans along with veggie broth and a bay leaf then simmer 2 hours (or in my case, however long it takes for the beans to be done). So where does the escarole come into this equation? Well, that is the pain in the ass part of this recipe; the escarole has to be cooked separately then added to the soup. 

Add caption

Sunday

SIXTY-SIX : ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP

NOVEMBER 20 2011

If it seems like my posts are coming fast and furious these days, it's because they are. Last week I thought I would make a fun little list of the recipes I have left to complete before The Sunday Sauce Event at the end of the year - and when I was done, I got pretty darn worried. Even taking out the ones I am saving for TSSE, I realized I need to step up my game.

I also discovered that my math skills apparently suck during the lazy days of summer because, per my current count, there are 94 recipes total, not 89 as previously stated (how did I miss 5 whole recipes!). So I kicked my butt into gear and since then have crossed 4 recipes off that list, including the butternut squash soup we had tonight.



Here we have another super simple recipe.

Saturday

SIXTY-FIVE : EGGPLANT MARINARA W/ MOZZARELLA SANDWICH

NOVEMBER 19 2011

It's probably so predictable that once I spend most of the afternoon baking a big dish of eggplant marinara from page 137, I will then take the leftovers and make the eggplant marinara sandwiches on page 58. Duh! Especially since there were only two of us taking on 6 huge servings so we had tons of leftovers.

Per my amazing plan, after watching multiple hours of football (the Beavs actually won!), I refueled us with a couple big, hot, delicious sandwiches. So easy too! Just chop up a cup of marinara per sandwich and warm it in a skillet. Once it's "too hot to the touch", it's heaped onto the ciabatta rolls and the whole hot mess is covered with a thick topping of fresh mozzarella. That's it. Eat it!


Friday

SIXTY-FOUR : EGGPLANT MARINARA

NOVEMBER 18 2011

I know what you're thinking... "didn't you already make eggplant marinara?" It's true, I did. But that was the shortcut version for losers who can't plan 8 hours in advance for dinner. THIS is the REAL DEAL. Thankfully, I already had the 3 cups of tomato sauce waiting in the freezer, so dinner tonight only took a completely reasonable 4 hours.

thank you, Past Day, for making me this sauce

Not much changes, really, from the shortcut version except this one bakes for an entirely rational 3-1/2 hours instead of one sad, paltry hour. Plus the sauce is the full recipe instead of a quickie made by poor planners who are willing to accept a sub-par meal.


Wednesday

SIXTY-THREE : ORECCHIETTE WITH PISTACHIOS

NOVEMBER 16 2011


Thankfully the Frankies aren't totally against dried pasta so I didn't have to spend all evening making tiny little hat shaped orecchiette. Instead, this is a meal that you can actually make in 15 minutes. (for reals!).


thank you trader joes for selling shelled pistachios

In the 12 minutes it takes the pasta to cook, you can easily prep everything else for this dish. So, ready? Drop the pasta! Now pulse the pistachios in a food processor until roughly chopped; stir together with chopped mint, minced garlic, pecorino romano, lots of olive oil and salt. Set the "pesto" aside and slice some green onions. Next, oh wait, that's it!


Friday

SIXTY-TWO : SOPRESSATA WITH PROVOLONE SANDWICH


NOVEMBER 11 2011


FANTASTIC!!


Not much to say except... BEST. SANDWICH. EVER.

SIXTY-ONE : BRUSSELS SPROUTS

NOVEMBER 11 2011 (11/11/11!)

So it's 7am on my day off and I'm out of bed and roasting brussels sprouts. Pooches looks at me from his crate wondering what on earth I am doing. Well, doggy, for your information, daylight savings has my inner clock all f'ed up so I can't sleep and I'm starving and I've got brussels sprout hash on the brain. So that's what I'm doing! But then again, I also did an Exercise TV workout while the sprouts were roasting, stuck my immersion blender in my cup of morning joe cause I wanted it frothy (bad idea.. coffee everywhere) and asked for a raise at work... so maybe the full moon is making me a little nutzo.



Anyway... back to the sprouts.

Thursday

SIXTY : BAKED CLAMS

NOVEMBER 10 2011

Well, now I know. Clams are a pain in the ass to shuck! I consider myself a pretty darn good oyster shucker, so thought these little guys would be a cinch. But that was not the case. The shells don't have much strength so start crumbling as soon as any force is applied. Then, once I got the thing open, I basically mutilated the clam itself trying to unattach it from the other side. I still feel pretty bad about my total butchery. Luckily, they will be covered up with seasoned breadcrumbs so no one will know (except all of you because there is photo evidence).

come on, mother shucker!

Friday

FIFTY-EIGHT & FIFTY-NINE : BRAISED PORK SHANK W/ GIGANTE BEANS

NOVEMBER 4 2011


FIFTY-EIGHT : BRAISED PORK SHANK WITH GIGANTE BEANS & ROSEMARY
FIFTY-NINE : GIGANTE BEANS

So far we have had such a lovely fall with crisp sunny days and very little rain (despite all the warnings that this is another La Nina year). It's making me feel a little better about summer being over and winter around the corner. Another thing helping me cope with the changing seasons is braised pork shanks! Talk about warm, comforting food. These babies are just what I need to survive the dark, dreary nights.

I will admit that not everything came together perfectly. I foolishly did not fully read the supporting Gigante Beans recipe so did not realize until there was about 2 hours to go that they were supposed to soak for 6 hours then simmer for 2 hours. Eep! Let's hope my trusty pressure cooker can save the day!


Monday

FIFTY-SEVEN : VEAL STOCK

OCTOBER 24 2011

Hypothesis : veal stock is indistinguishable from beef stock. Therefore it is not necessary to spend $13/pound on veal when $2/pound beef bones give me the same results.

Testing Method : prepare two pots of stock, one containing 2 pounds veal shanks and one containing 2 pounds beef bones, with all other ingredients being identical.

~~

It is very, very hard to justify spending $25 to make 4 cups of stock. It was actually painful. But I did, really, want to see what the fuss was all about.

veal shanks = expensive



Sunday

FIFTY-FIVE & FIFTY-SIX : ROAST PORK WITH SEMOLINA POLENTA

OCTOBER 23 2011

FIFTY-FIVE : ROAST CENTER-CUT PORK CHOPS
FIFTY-SIX : SEMOLINA POLENTA

Today marked my first foray into "BIG MEAT"!! This recipe features a 6-bone rack of pork, which is a lot of pork, but I didn't want to do less than that because I knew it would change the cooking time. So instead I enlisted some willing friends to come help us eat it :)

buying some BIG MEAT at Gartner's

But, before we could eat, I had a little work to do.

Tuesday

FIFTY-FOUR : JERUSALEM ARTICHOKES

OCTOBER 18 2011

[JER•U•SA•LEM AR•TI•CHOKE] noun : "also called the sunroot, sunchoke, earth apple or topinambour, is a species of sunflower native to eastern North America, and found from Eastern Canada and Maine west to North Dakota, and south to northern Florida and Texas. It is also cultivated widely across the temperate zone for its tuber, which is used as a root vegetable." ~wikipedia

~~~~

Fall is root vegetable season and that makes me happy.

Monday

FIFTY-TWO & FIFTY-THREE : RICOTTA CAVATELLI WITH SAUSAGE

OCTOBER 17 2011

FIFTY-TWO : RICOTTA CAVATELLI
FIFTY-THREE : CAVATELLI WITH SAUSAGE & BROWNED SAGE BUTTER

You know what is really, really good? Browned sage butter... yummmmmmmm! But, my road to butter deliciousness had one large hurdle, hand-rolling an entire batch of cavatelli. It's my own fault, really, for not shelling out $36 for the Kitchenaid attachment. I instead invented my own process involving a butter knife and two forks taped together around a chopstick. Worked pretty well, although I think my cavatelli weren't quite as delicate as they would be from the machine. Oh, and it took forever...

The dough came together quickly in the mixer and I started rolling it into ropes, then cutting said ropes into 1/4 inch thick slices.

rolling & cutting cavatelli dough

My only feedback here would be to let the dough rest for about 20 minutes before rolling to relax the gluten. Otherwise, it fights you the whole way. Once cut, each slice was stabbed with the butter knife then rolled across the fork tines. Turned out pretty darn good, I'd say!

here's my cavatelli rolling machine


Wednesday

FIFTY-ONE : LENTIL SOUP WITH SMOKED BACON

OCTOBER 12 2011

This lentil soup is exactly how I would have made lentil soup on my own, only way more boring. It starts by sauteing a standard mix of celery, carrot, onion and garlic, plus a slice of bacon to add smokey, porky flavor.

soup ingredients, waiting for the pot

The veggie mix is cooked until softened and browned. Always love to see a nice layer of fond on the bottom of the pot!

Monday

FIFTY : SHAVED RAW BRUSSELS SPROUTS WITH CASTELROSSO

OCTOBER 10 2011

As a big fan of brussels sprouts, I am quite disappointed to report that this is my least favorite dish of the cookbook so far. Tossed in a dressing that is nearly 50/50 olive oil to lemon juice, any subtle flavors in the dish are completely overwhelmed. And raw brussels sprouts... not so good it turns out.

shaved brussels sprouts ingredients

Plus, there is the saga of the Castelrosso cheese, my biggest nemesis of this project.

Saturday

FORTY-NINE : MOZZARELLA, TOMATO & RED PEPPER SANDWICH

OCTOBER 8 2011

With my supply of big, beefy garden tomatoes dwindling rapidly, I was anxious to make this recipe. It's the last one that really hinges on having fresh, delicious tomatoes.

This sandwich layers up tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, sliced red pepper and arugula into a behemoth of a bite. But the biggest surprise is that it has absolutely no condiments or seasoning. I am not instructed to salt & pepper the tomatoes (a shame, really) and for once there isn't a thick spread of mayo. I kinda wish one of those were included. I mean, it is a really good sandwich but it could have used a little zip... maybe balsamic vinegar or a sprinkle of black pepper. I can't really complain though with my amazing Mortgage Lifter heirlooms front and center :)

mozzarella, tomato & red pepper sandwich

the perfect cross-section of flavor. yummmm!

Wednesday

FORTY-SEVEN & FORTY-EIGHT : MEATBALL SANDWICHES WITH TOMATO & AVOCADO SALAD

OCTOBER 5 2011

FORTY-SEVEN : TOMATO, AVOCADO & RED ONION SALAD
FORTY-EIGHT : MEATBALL MARINARA SANDWICH

Only good things can come from having leftover meatballs. And one of them is a meatball sandwich... sooooo gooooood! I knew they would be rich and hearty so decided to serve them with a refreshing tomato, avocado & red onion salad. Both are dead easy!

For the salad, the veggies are simply sliced and dressed with olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt and black pepper. Just the kind of salad I love that highlights the fresh, lovely ingredients and the perfect way to enjoy the last of the garden-fresh tomatoes.

simple garden-fresh salad

Then on to the sandwiches.

Friday

FORTY-FIVE & FORTY-SIX : EGGPLANT CROSTINI & MEATBALLS

SEPTEMBER 30 2011


FORTY-FIVE : ROASTED EGGPLANT CROSTINI
FORTY-SIX : MEATBALLS (!!)

Oh meatballs, how I love thee. I want to eat you every day. Except that making Frankies meatballs requires a whole batch of tomato sauce, which has to simmer for hours. I had already made the sauce on the stovetop as the recipe directs, so I decided to make it a little easier on myself and used the crockpot this time. That way, I could go run errands as it bubbled away. It took a little longer, but was totally worth it.

This making of the Frankies meatballs, a momentus milestone in my journey, required a gathering to commemorate. So I took this opportunity to whip up the roasted eggplant crostini as well to feed our hungry guests.

Wednesday

FORTY-FOUR : FRANKIES GREENS

SEPTEMBER 28 2011

There are two ingredients in this dish... mixed greens and cipollini onion vinaigrette. Really? This requires an actual recipe? But, I pledged to do every recipes in this book, so here we go.

I had already made the vinaigrette for the watercress and fig salad and found it lacking. So this time I reduced the amount of olive oil (despite my previous pledge to try it again exactly as the recipe says) and it was much better. More tang and a nice onion-y flavor. This dressing was then tossed with mixed greens. Done. At least some of the greens were from the garden...

frankies greens
T'was a fine salad. I really can't complain.

This does mark the halfway point! Looking forward to all the braising and simmering and warm wintery dishes ahead :)

Monday

FORTY-THREE : OLIVE OIL CAKE


SEPTEMBER 26 2011

I'm not sure why baking gets me so flustered. Maybe it's the clouds of flour covering the kitchen or knowing it's actually important to measure out the ingredients correctly. Of course, it doesn't help that I knocked over a full glass of water just as I was supposed to add the dry ingredients, in three additions, making sure each is fully incorporated. Panic!!

Truthfully, if I remove my baking phobia from the equation, this is a very easy recipe. Once I found cake flour (thanks Mom!), it was just a matter of whisking everything together in the correct order. First up are eggs, sugar and orange zest. Into this mix goes 2 cups (!) of olive oil.


adding 2 cups olive oil to the batter



Wednesday

FORTY-TWO : GRILLED SQUID

SEPTEMBER 21 2011

I love squid. My usual approach is to stuff their little bodies with sausage and simmer in tomato sauce for an hour or so until tender and luscious. Yum! This is a new one for me, flash grilling them until just cooked. The recipe had one problem. It is intended to feed "about a dozen".  I had hoped to save it for a party or gathering, but it had basically come down to now-or-never as it's in the Summertime Grilling section and I want to avoid standing over the BBQ in the dark and rain.

And today was the day... no plans after work and it's a hot, sunny afternoon. I did my best to cut all the ingredients by about 1/3, giving us each a healthy portion. Luckily our neighborhood New Seasons cleans their squid so I didn't have to "Pull off the head, squeezing it just above the eyes... Cut off the eyes and discard. Squeeze out the beak... just like you pop the head off a dandelion." Blech!


Saturday

FORTY-ONE : SAUSAGE WITH PEPPERS & ONIONS

SEPTEMBER 10 2011

These are the best sloppy joes you have ever had. Sweet italian sausage simmered in THE tomato sauce, tossed with roasted bell peppers and sauteed onion and served with grilled bread. So, so good!

First, flame-broil™ a couple red and yellow bell peppers until blackened, let cool then peel and thickly slice.

flame-broiled™ bell peppers

Meanwhile, saute white onion until softened and lightly brown. Really, there can be no doubt that the aroma of sauteing onion is the best thing ever!

Monday

FORTY : SICILIAN TUNA

SEPTEMBER 5 2011

The high quality ingredients really make this sandwich something special. My usual reaction to tuna sounds something like "meh", but this tuna sandwich was actually quite delicious. The only deviation I made from the recipe was to use a lovely local Albacore tuna instead of Sicilian tuna (I just couldn't resist!). I am confident that it was still just as good :)

local tuna for the TLT sandwiches


Saturday

THIRTY-EIGHT & THIRTY-NINE : WATERCRESS, FIG & GORGONZOLA SALAD

AUGUST 27 2011

THIRTY-EIGHT : CIPOLLINI ONION VINAIGRETTE
THIRTY-NINE : WATERCRESS WITH FRESH FIGS & GORGONZOLA


The "watercress salad with cipollini vinaigrette" saga started Saturday morning when I decided to make this salad for breakfast (it's true, I eat salad for breakfast). And I had visions of me, sitting in the early morning sun on the deck, munching on a lovely watercress salad, watching the pets frolic in the grass. Ahhhh....

I've been really looking forward to this salad, too. Figs + gorgonzola = awesome! And watercress is an ingredient I never buy so I was pretty curious about it. My dreams, however, were dashed by a bland oily dressing and strangely proportioned salad.


Friday

THIRTY-SEVEN : PROSCIUTTO & PECORINO SANDWICH

AUGUST 26 2011

For lunch today I made us the Proscuitto with Pecorino Sandwiches. This is a really, really simple sandwich. Bread, prosciutto and pecorino. That's it. It specifically states not to use mayo or mustard as "they just don't add to the experience". I knew it would be important to have super good ingredients so I stopped in at Pastaworks and got some $28.50/pound Italian prosciutto and fresh ciabatta bread.

Each sandwich gets a little less than 2 oz each of the meat and cheese so I weighed out each portion and assembled the sandwiches.

a little less than 2 oz of each topping. 1-7/8 oz to be exact :)


Tuesday

THIRTY-FIVE & THIRTY-SIX : TRUFFLED MUSHROOM CROSTINI

AUGUST 23 2011

THIRTY-FIVE : CREMINI MUSHROOMS
THIRTY-SIX : CREMINI MUSHROOM & TRUFFLE OIL CROSTINI

Truffle oil.... yummmm. The End.

Okay, okay, there is more to say about this delicious dish than just that. Basically, this crostini is to die for! Roasted mushrooms are diced and tossed with chopped parsley, lots of olive oil, salt, white pepper and a few teaspoons of luscious, intoxicating truffle oil.

roasted cremini mushrooms

This mix gets heaped onto *toasted* crostini slices (that are brushed with parsley pesto, of course) and it's ready to eat! And so good.

Saturday

THIRTY-FOUR : BACON, LETTUCE & TOMATO SANDWICH

AUGUST 20 2011

I had one ripe tomato from my garden and I knew exactly what I was going to do with it... BLT's!!! Following the advice of a friend very familiar with The Frankies, I baked a batch of no-knead bread for the sandwiches because "fresh bread is key!". My bread came out pretty dang good. Slightly flattened with a chewy crust and soft interior.

no-knead ciabatta with huge air bubble!

Next, I baked the bacon as directed. It was supposed to have "a little chew to it". But, after assembling the whole thing, I was a little grossed out by the "chew" to the bacon so threw it under the broiler for a few more minutes until it wasn't totally rubbery.


Thursday

THIRTY-THREE : RED WINE PRUNES WITH MASCARPONE

AUGUST 18 2011

It turns out, stewed prunes aren't just for old ladies. Awesome restaurants serve them too! And oh man are they rich. I was planning to whip up this little dessert while camping last weekend. I bought red wine, a couple pounds of prunes and the mascarpone. But, totally forgot to bring sugar and a cinnamon stick from home. Dang! It was gonna be so perfect. A dozen hungry campers would devour the prunes in no time flat!

Instead, I made a batch a few days ago and it was all up to my dear hubby to eat them. I tried, really I did, but they were soooo rich that I could only eat one single prune before a sugar headache kicked in.


Wednesday

THIRTY-ONE & THIRTY-TWO : BEET SALAD

AUGUST 17 2011


THIRTY-ONE : BEETS
THIRTY-TWO : ROASTED BEET & AVOCADO SALAD

I want to like beets... I really, really do. But it hasn't happened yet. I thought my dislike might stem from their irritating habit of staining everything they come in contact with bright red, so decided to grow some sweet little candy-striped beets in my garden this year and give them another try. I saved up my entire harvest of the little guys and put them all into this salad. But, it turns out, I still don't really like beets... even my own beets.

The salad required me to incorporate the "Beets" recipe from the veggie section, which was simply roasting them with olive oil, salt and white pepper. At this point, they could be served as is or used for a couple of different salads.

baby beets ready for roasting


Saturday

THIRTY : STRING BEANS

AUGUST 6 2011

First off, string beans are the same as green beans and they are delicious. This recipe is very simple and really highlights the flavor of the veggie. My only mistake here was shopping at Costco... so I ended up with a HUGE plate of green beans, way more than three people can eat. But, I will snack on them all day tomorrow, cold from the fridge (yum!).

There are basically three steps to this dish: (1) gently saute garlic in olive oil for about 8 minutes to flavor the oil, (2) blanch the green beans, (3) toss them all together! The recipe recommends eating the beans at room temp so it's a super good recipe to make ahead then just let sit on the counter and infuse with garlicky oil until dinnertime.

gently simmer the garlic in olive oil


Wednesday

TWENTY-EIGHT & TWENTY-NINE : ESCAROLE SALAD

JULY 27 2011


TWENTY-EIGHT : ESCAROLE WITH SLICED RED ONION & WALNUTS
TWENTY-NINE : WALNUT DRESSING


So far, I have really enjoyed all the salads in the Frankies cookbook and this one is no exception. I was a bit concerned at first because all of the ingredients are super intense. A nibble of escarole proved it to be really, really bitter, to the point of almost spitting it out. Add to that 1 cup raw sliced onions, 1 cup raw walnut chunks and 1 cup sliced pecorino romano then toss it all with a raw walnut dressing. Sounds like a mouthful, right?!


walnuts and sliced red onion ready for the salad

Saturday

TWENTY-SEVEN : HAZELNUT PANNA COTTA

JULY 23 2011

This recipe marked a number of firsts for me: first time using a whole vanilla bean, first time cooking with gelatine and the first time making panna cotta. I must say, it all seemed to go pretty smoothly! First I scraped the insides out of the vanilla bean.

scraped vanilla bean

Then stirred the gelatine into cold water to "soften". It ended up looking kinda weird, but I guess that's probably how it's supposed to look!

softened gelaine


Wednesday

TWENTY-SIX : CHEESE BROTH

JULY 20 2011

First off, you're probably wondering "what the hell is cheese broth?!?" Me too, believe me. It is essentially cheese rind tea that is used in saucing pasta and making polenta. Didn't seem too hard... just simmer pecorino romano or parmesan rinds in water for a few hours, strain and it's done. There are three recipes in Frankies that call for cheese broth so I picked up a few rinds from New Seasons (cheaper than buying 5 wedges of cheese and trying to quickly use it all) and brewed myself a cauldron-full.
cheese rinds ready for the pot
It started off innocently enough and even smelled pleasantly like cooking cheese.

Sunday

TWENTY-FIVE : GRILLED VEGETABLES

JULY 17 2011

This one is pretty much just like it sounds... slice some veggies and grill them. And it's sooooo good!! In the summer, I regularly toss veggies with olive oil and throw them on the grill until lightly charred. It's the best solution I've found for my annual zucchini overload. So I barely felt like I was following a recipe at all. 

But follow it I did. I tossed 2 sliced eggplants, 2 sliced zucchini, 1 sliced red onion and 2 quartered bell peppers with minced garlic, salt and... wait for it... 1 cup of olive oil (!!).




Wednesday

TWENTY-FOUR : ROMAIN HEARTS W/ CAESAR SALAD DRESSING

JULY 13 2011

You know what I love? Caesar salad!! I was excited to make this one not only because I knew it would be delicious, but also because it was dead easy. Blend together the dressing, toss with romaine hearts and sprinkle with cheese & black pepper. Bam! Done!

So I collected all the dressing ingredients and the lettuce and got to work. Put everything except the lettuce, 1/3 of the cheese and the black pepper into a blender. Puree until smooth. Nice.



Now time to assemble.

Monday

TWENTY-THREE : CHEESECAKE

JULY 11 2011

Well, what can I say. I am totally unimpressed with the cheesecake. I thought it was overly fluffy, kinda dry and just missing a zip of some kind. It needed a fruity topping or something to make it sing. The crust was the other half of the pate brisee recipe from the chocolate tart, but it didn't live up to it's first half. Just dry and brittle.

Now believe me, there is a VERY high probability that I totally screwed it up and all of these flaws are completely my fault. In fact, I would probably bet on it. And I have a few ideas of where things went wrong...

First...
I don't ever really bake so I'm not sure when the egg whites have reached the point where they "hold stiff peaks". I dumped them into the mixer, cranked it up, and let it go for a while. They may possibly have been overwhipped. Could that be the cause of the "over-fluffyness"?

Second...

Saturday

TWENTY-TWO : BRAISED SHORT RIBS

JULY 9 2011

"Oh man, so so good". What can I say? The Braised Short Ribs are fabulous. Most of the action happened Thursday when I roasted the short ribs, sauteed the flavor-enhancing veggies, then braised the whole lot in wine for 2.5 hours.

roasted ribs, ready for a winey bath


Once the meat was falling off the bones, it was pulled out of the braising liquid and set aside.

TWENTY-ONE : FRANKIES LEMONADE

JULY 9 2011

A lovely hot summer day like today calls for extreme refreshment so I decided to bust out some Frankies Lemonade.




Thursday

Deadline... what deadline?

After careful reflection on the first month of my admittedly self-imposed Frankies challenge, I have decided to adjust one major parameter to help ensure my success and overall enjoyment of this thing. I am extending the deadline for myself until the end of 2011. I know, I know! How can I just change one of the two rules because it's convenient to me? Well... because I want to :)


I swear! I have very good reasons! First, I embarked on this project just over a month ago and in that time have managed to complete 20 of the 89 recipes. Which, I must say, is pretty darn good. But I'm not sure I can sustain that pace considering all our big summer plans. And I really want this to be fun and not stressful.


Also...

Friday

TWENTY : AVOCADO CROSTINI

JULY 1 2011
Using the remaining parley pesto, I whipped up a batch of avocado crostini for a BBQ today. The parsley pesto also was used to marinate the steaks and season a cut-up cauliflower. It worked great!

Back to the crostini. Baguette slices were swiped with parsley pesto and quickly broiled. Then topped with avocado slices, a drizzle olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and white pepper. Delicious! The creamy avocado balanced perfectly against the crunchy crostini.


They disappeared quickly! Yummmmm :)


But then later I was flipping through the book and took a closer look at the avocado crostini recipe I thought I had so deftly prepared earlier. Wait... black pepper? Not white pepper? WTF? I thought everything used white pepper so I had only glanced at it. Dang!

What do you think? Do I have to re-do it because I used the wrong pepper? Technically I guess so. Luckily they were delicious so I am not too sad about it. I had better make sure to use the correct pepper, though, so I can cross it off my list with no guilt!

Tuesday

FIFTEEN ~ NINETEEN : TIME TO MAKE FRESH PASTA

JUNE 28 2011

FIFTEEN : RED WINE VINAIGRETTE 
SIXTEEN : ARUGULA, PECORINO & RED WINE VINAIGRETTE SALAD
SEVENTEEN : BASIC PASTA DOUGH
EIGHTEEN : VEGETABLE BROTH
NINETEEN : LINGUINE WITH FAVA BEANS, GARLIC, TOMATO & BREAD CRUMBS

Today I am taking on fresh pasta. I even bought the pasta attachments for my KitchenAid so I am fully invested. Frankies is full of encouragement that fresh pasta really isn't that hard, but I am not convinced. I've made it before and always got angry. But back then I had a hand crank thingy that squeaked and the handle would fall off while I was cranking it. Maybe that was the problem. Maybe it will all be okay.

Step one is to make the pasta dough. Not too hard. Just mix it all in the KitchenAid and chill for an hour. Then I take a look at the recipe for the pasta with fava bean. Wait, what!? I have to make fresh vegetable broth?! This is too much. I almost order a pizza. But first I flip to the blurb about the broth and realize it's actually super easy. Just simmer some chopped veggies (any will do) for 15 minutes then let steep for 30. Okay, calm down, that is totally doable. Pasta is back on! And the veggie broth actually smells quite nice as it simmers.

Time to tackle the fava beans. Did you know the inside of a fava bean pod is fuzzy? I sure didn't. Looks so nice and cozy for those little guys!

Sunday

FOURTEEN : THE TOMATO SAUCE

JUNE 26 2011

I've been excited about this one! I made the short-cut version a few weeks ago and was so impressed by the difference that authentic Italian tomatoes make in flavor. So good! Four hours is a long, long time to simmer something, but I'm dedicating a large chunk of my Sunday to doing just that. Start by gently frying 13 garlic cloves in one cup of olive oil 10 minutes until nicely browned. Then four 28oz cans whole Italian tomatoes that I crushed by hand are dumped in and the whole mess is simmered for 4 hours, stirring often.


After one hour the house is smelling amazing and by the end of the four hours, I am positively drooling.

Saturday

ELEVEN ~ THIRTEEN : SWEET POTATO CROSTINI

JUNE 25 2011

ELEVEN : TOASTS FOR CROSTINI
TWELVE : PARSLEY PESTO
THIRTEEN : SWEET POTATO CROSTINI

There are 7 kinds of crostini in the antipasto section of Frankies and they all start with the toasts-for-crostini recipe that also requires the parsley pesto recipe. So when I decided to finish off the leftover sweet potato from Monday's dinner by trying the strange-sounding Sweet Potato Crostini, I had to start by making the other two.

Basically the crostini recipe requires brushing sliced baguette with parsley pesto and broiling for 2 minutes. No sweat! The parsley pesto is a blend of 1 cup parsley and 1 cup olive oil (yikes!) with garlic and seasoning. I would call it more of a parsley oil, myself. It is nice on the bread, although I feel it could use a little acid.



Crostini finished, I whipped the remaining sweet potato with olive oil, salt and white pepper until creamy and dolloped it on the toasts. My suspicions were confirmed; it was weird. There was something slightly appealing about the fluffy potato against the crunch of the crostini, but overall it was just weird.



For my second one, I brushed off all but a thin slick of potato and it was a little bit better. The parsley pesto could be tasted with just a hint of the potato. But, I will not be making this again. Just plain weird.

Monday

SEVEN ~ TEN : FAMILY DINNER PARTY

JUNE 20 2011

SEVEN : CARROTS
EIGHT : SWEET POTATOES
NINE : PATE BRISEE TART SHELL
TEN : CHOCOLATE TART

That's right, FOUR recipes conquered today! We hosted a little dinner party for some family this evening and picked up an enormous salmon from the farmer's market for the main course. There aren't any salmon recipes in Frankies, so I chose a couple simple sides to accompany the fish.

Since there were going to be eight people and I'm not a huge fan of dessert, I jumped at this chance to get one of the desserts out of the way. After consulting with hubby, who will end up having to eat any leftovers (poor guy), I picked the chocolate tart for tonight. Mostly because it's the most decadent dessert and we will need all the help we can get eating it.

Luckily, I was able to make the tart shell and the roasted carrots last night. The pate brisee came together quite easily, thanks to my handy KitchenAid mixer. Half of the recipe goes into the freezer to be used for the cheesecake recipe. The rest is pressed into a tart pan with removable bottom, baked, cooled and popped into the fridge to wait overnight. Thankfully I was able to borrow said tart shell with removable bottom because I really don't want to buy something I will only use once. Speaking of... where am I going to find a springform pan for the upcoming cheesecake? That is a question for another day.


Wednesday

FIVE ~ SIX : QUICK EGGPLANT MARINARA

JUNE 15 2011

FIVE : FENNEL, CELERY ROOT, PARSLEY & RED ONION SALAD WITH LEMON & OLIVE OIL
SIX : EGGPLANT MARINARA ("QUICK EGGPLANT FIX" VERSION)

My plan was to make the eggplant marinara when I got home from work today. But I hadn't thoroughly read the recipe and didn't realize it took 7.5 hours! Four hours to simmer the tomato sauce then 3.5 hours to bake the assembled dish. Oh man! That means we would be eating at approximately midnight.

Lucky for me, the Frankies acknowledged that 7.5 hours is a long time to wait for dinner so they included a short-cut version that only takes 2.5 hours. I can handle that! But I got to get that sauce going as it has to simmer for an hour.

Hmm... somehow I don't have any Pecorino Romano or fresh mozzarella. Dang! Gonna have to go to the store while the sauce simmers. Note to self: read the recipes thoroughly and make sure I have every ingredient on my shopping list!





Tuesday

FOUR : ASPARAGUS

JUNE 14 2011

It's asparagus season! I love, love, love asparagus. So I'm making myself a little snack :) This is one of the super simple recipes; blanch and eat. But, it's telling me to peel the ends of the asparagus. Argh! Normally I would totally skip this step (can't make that much of a difference, right?) but I can't today or I would be breaking the rule.


Okay, asparagus ends are peeled and the well-salted water is boiling. In go the asparagus for 2 minutes then immediately into an ice bath (another step I often skip). Arrange cooled spears on the serving platter, drizzle liberally with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Done. Yum.

I wouldn't mind a splash of balsamic or lemon juice and will probably add that in the future, but these are some very nice asparagus.

It turns out that peeling the ends is totally worth it! So tender yet crisp at the same time. And somehow they end up much brighter and greener. I can see one spot that didn't get peeled (oops) and it's gone kinda brown-green, but the peeled parts are vibrant! It's a revelation!

Hmm... maybe I should peel the stems of the broccoli rabe next time.

THREE : RADISH SALAD WITH PARSLEY, CAPERS & ANCHOVIES

JUNE 7 2011

This is one of the few recipes I have previously made. But, as I'm sure I was unable to resist the urge to add something extra and probably didn't use the prescribed amount of olive oil, I am making it again (which is a good thing, because it is excellent!).

I know what you're thinking: a salad with chopped raw anchovies? Could that be good? Oh yes! It's definitely not fishy. The anchovies give it a lovely saltiness that balances well with the peppery bite of the radish. And the parsley freshens up all those intense flavors.


Pretty, isn't it? And it does pair nicely with a cold Clamato Chelada :) I am happy to point out that the radishes and parsley are products of my very own garden (yay!). Next time, I will probably scale back the olive oil a little as I don't think a salad needs to leave an oil slick in the bottom of the bowl. But other than that, this version is as good as I remember.

Sunday

TWO : FRANKIES CORN SALAD

JUNE 5 2011

Tonight we BBQ'd at a friend's and it was the perfect opportunity to make a Frankies recipe! I settled on the grilled corn salad from the "Grilling" appendix. But, there were a few challenges to my plan because before the BBQ I was going on some distillery tours, by bike, and wouldn't be coming back home.

I decided to prep the ingredients I had at home, stop at the store on the way to the BBQ to buy corn and tomatoes, then grill the corn and assemble the salad once we got there. In advance I made the dressing and packed a little container with chopped mint and sliced red onion which then came along with me on my bike.


Saturday

ONE : BROCCOLI RABE

JUNE 4 2011


I've already had to make a new purchase for
this project: white pepper. The Frankies swear
it's so much better than black pepper. More elegant,
they say, and the funky flavor stand up well to
their food. Feeling skeptical that I can distinguish
the difference, but am switching nonetheless.

I can't break my only rule on the first day!

FRANKIES A~Z : THE BEGINNING

JUNE 4 2011

This year, like every year, New Year's Eve came and went without me ever considering what to declare as my "resolution", something I should do or change for 2011. I know that's the tradition, but I've never given it much thought. Why must I change my life today? Why not in March or October when the mood strikes me to exercise more or take a trip or whatever it is people resolve to do? This year, the thunderbolt came around three days ago when I was flipping through a cookbook I've had for about a year and quite enjoy, The Frankies Spuntino : Kitchen Companion & Cooking Manual. I've made a few things from this book that have all been awesome and was blown away by their restaurant, where I spent an evening for a friend's wedding.

Maybe, I thought, I should make all the recipes in this cookbook. Yes!!


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