Any Given Sunday

How to roast anything well

Forget those expensive metal roasting racks - you don't need them. If you want to roast anything well, start with a rack of carrots and celery in the bottom of your roasting pan, add a little stock or water, then roast the way you normally would. The juices that are left when you're finished are infused with the wonderful flavors or carrots and celery. Make a gravy or sauce - delicious! I literally roast everything this way: roast chicken on Sundays, Thanksgiving turkey, a standing rib roast at Christmas or New Year's...

When roasting a chicken, I usually add about 2 cups of homemade chicken stock in the bottom of the pan. If I don't have chicken stock, I'll add a cup of water (just to make sure the vegetables don't burn). When doing a standing rib roast, it's 2 cups of homemade beef stock. If I don't have beef stock on hand, I'll use chicken stock with a tablespoon of veal demi glace stirred into it. Almost anything you have on hand will work - water, wine, stock, etc. It's the carrots and celery that are important. The end result will be worth it.

Pot Lucky

Living with an artist comes with many rewards. My rewards, in addition to hundreds of stunning photographs, come in the form of functional vessels. Having Carole be able to find the time to get back to her wheel and kiln again not only makes her feel great, it makes me pretty happy too. All I have to say is "I need some ramekins. I need a fruit bowl, and herb pot..." You get the picture. Shown above is the latest batch. Next up: soup bowls!

Peppers Padron

This is one of the easiest appetizers in the world - and tastiest too!

All you have to do is find a pound or so of fresh Padron peppers (we have them from July until October at our farmers market)
Rinse peppers off and make sure they are totally dry before frying
Place all peppers in a large bowl and lightly drizzle them with olive oil
Toss peppers in olive oil until lightly coated then remove from bowl, leaving behind any leftover oil
Saute them in a hot, non-stick skillet until they blister and begin to brown (peppers will be very tender after 5 to 7 minutes of cooking)
Place cooked peppers in a serving bowl
Sprinkle generously with coarse sea salt to taste (Madron works great because it has large flakes that melt
evenly)
Serve warm

Fall is in the air

Autumn is my favorite time of year. Once the days cool off and nights get even cooler, I always find myself ready to curl up in front of the fire with a big pile of cookbooks. Buying too many cookbooks is my #1 vice but at least they get their use from now until next spring, when I drag myself out to the garden and being that process all over again.

Here is a mini-list of my favorite cookbooks to curl up with:
The Zuni Cafe Cookbook by Judy Rodgers
A16 Wine + Food by Nate Appleman and Shelley Lindgren
Olives and Oranges by Sara Jenkins and Mindy Fox
The New Vegetarian Epicure by Anna Thomas
Local Flavors by Deborah Madison
Cooking One on One by John Ash
My Mexico by Diana Kennedy
Casual Cooking by Michael Chiarello
Anything by Elizabeth David
Anything by MFK Fisher

Marinara Sauce

Marinara Sauce

This recipe was originally taught to me by my grandmother who used it mostly for baking lasagna or eggplant parmesan. Today, I make it with crushed red chile pepper for heat and a lot more garlic than she would ever have used.

Special equipment required: a food mill and a tomato press (see photos in Marinara recipe photo album)

Ingredients:
5 lbs. roma tomatoes (Fresh or canned. If using canned, make sure they are "San Marzano")
1 bunch fresh Italian (flat leaf) parsley, washed and rough chopped
1 head fresh garlic (approximately 8 large cloves)
1/4 c. good quality olive oil (I use McEvoy or Bariani - both are from California)
1 tsp. crushed red chile pepper (or more depending on your taste)
kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Directions:
Prep all ingredients first: rough chop parsley and garlic, wash the tomatoes, have olive oil, salt, pepper and crushed red chile pepper handy.
To be able to peel fresh tomatoes easily, score an "X" in the bottom of each one using a sharp paring knife.
Drop tomatoes - 6 to 8 at a time - into a pot of boiling water for approximately 20 seconds or until you notice the skins beginning to pull away from the meat of the tomatoes.
After 20 seconds, remove the tomatoes from the boiling water and drop them into an ice bath to stop them from cooking.
Either using your fingers or a small paring knife, remove skins from tomatoes.
Place all peeled tomatoes in a pile near your tomato press and begin processing in batches.
Heat olive oil in a heavy bottom, non-reactive pan (I always use enameled cast iron), then add crushed chile pepper and garlic and cook until garlic just begins to soften and become aromatic.
Add pressed tomato sauce and cook for approximately 20 minutes.
Using a ladle, put cooked tomato sauce through the food mill that has been placed over another large pan and turn the mill until all of it is processed.
Discard parsley and any other leftover matter from the top of the mill.
Bottom pan will contain your finished sauce.

Farmers Market Bounty

There's nothing like the hint of fall in the air to get me out to the farmers market by 7am on a Saturday morning. Here in Santa Fe, we're teetering on the edge of seasons between summer and fall. There is only another week or two of tomatoes and sweet corn left and stalls are starting to fill with pumpkins and squash. Rather than feeling torn about the range of recipes that are possible this time of year - summer to fall, light fare to comfort food - make them all!

Purchases from the Santa Fe Farmers Market on Saturday, September 20, 2008:

Fresh roasted green chile, salad greens and roma tomatoes from the Romero Farm
1 dozean ears fresh sweet corn
1 4.5 lb. French "Rouge" chicken from Tom and Tracey of Pollo Real
Peppers Padron from Talon de Gato farm
Leeks, carrots, hard neck garlic, Italian parsley, radishes and butternut squash from various vendors

What we made:
6 quarts chicken stock
6 quarts vegetable stock
4 quarts marinara sauce
Rajas on tortillas
Peppers Padron appetizer

See recipe for Marinara Sauce with photos in the "Recipes" category.