Posted December 22nd, 2006 by Vicky in Holidays, Ideas, Menus, Recipe, Tips

Are you tired of having turkey for christmas dinner? You are not the only one. Traditions are great but every now and then it is nice to have a change. Turkey at thanksgiving is enough for some.

Instead of taking out the turkey, just add a few dishes as alternatives. You can try Rachel Ray’s Christmas Pasta for one. It is loaded with all sorts of meat, perfect for those who don’t want fowl or fish. You don’t even need to worry about any leftovers. This dish just tastes better with every reheat. Do note Rachael Ray’s reminder: cook only as much pasta as needed. That comes to about half a pound for every 3 people.

If you really want to keep the turkey off the table this year, how about some of Giada de Laurentiis’ Spicy chicken instead? It’s an easy dish to make that doesn’t take too much work to cook and it adds a little kick to your christmas meal.
Here are the recipes for these two dishes:

Rachael Ray’s Christmas Pasta

1/4 pound pancetta, thick cut, chopped into small bits (Italian cured pork, ask at deli counter)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 pound bulk hot Italian sausage
1 pound combined ground beef, pork and veal
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 medium carrot, peeled and finely chopped
1 rib celery, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup good quality dry red wine
1 cup prepared beef stock, paper container or canned
2 (32-ounce) cans chunky style crushed tomatoes
Handful chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/4 teaspoon (a couple of pinches) allspice or cinnamon
Coarse salt and black pepper
2 pounds penne rigate, cooked to al dente
Grated Pecorino Romano, as an accompaniment
Fresh, crusty bread, for mopping

Heat a deep pot over medium-high heat. Add pancetta and brown to render the fat. Transfer pancetta to paper towels to drain. To the pan add the oil, and the meats and brown and crumble them for 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, and pancetta bits.Chop carrot, celery, and onions near the stove and add to the pot as you work. Cook vegetables with meat 5 minutes and add wine. Cook for 1 minute; add stock and tomatoes to the pot.

Stir in parsley, allspice, or cinnamon and season sauce with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring sauce to a boil, reduce heat to medium low, and cook 10 to 15 minutes, minimum, before serving. Reheated sauce only improves.

Toss pasta (cook off only as much pasta as you need at the time: half a pound for every 3 people) with a couple of ladles of sauce to coat, then top bowl with extra sauce. Top pasta with lots of cheese and pass bread at the table

Giada de Laurentiis’ Spicy Chicken

4 chicken thighs with skin and bones
2 chicken breasts with skin and bones, halved crosswise
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons Chili Oil, recipe follows
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup pitted, coarsely chopped green olives
4 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
1 1/2 tablespoons drained capers
2/3 cup dry white wine

Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a heavy large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes per side. Remove the skillet from the heat. Stir in the garlic, olives, 3 tablespoons of parsley and capers. Add the wine. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until the chicken is just cooked through, turning occasionally, about 10 minutes.Transfer the chicken mixture to a platter. Spoon the sauce over. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon of parsley and serve.

Chili Oil:
2 cups olive oil
4 teaspoons dried crushed red pepper flakesCombine the oil and crushed red pepper flakes in a heavy small saucepan. Cook over low heat until a thermometer inserted into the oil registers 180 degrees F, about 5 minutes.

Remove from heat. Cool to room temperature, about 2 hours. Transfer the oil and pepper flakes to a 4-ounce bottle. Seal the lid. Refrigerate up to 1 month.

Yield: 2 cups
Prep Time: 2 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Inactive Prep Time: 2 hours

Technorati Tags: Giada de Laurentiis, Rachael Ray, chicken, turkey, pasta, christmas

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Posted December 20th, 2006 by Vicky in Holidays, Recipe, Trivia

It is a funny sounding name for a drink. The first time I heard it I wondered if my uncle was pulling my leg rather like the way the would say eating tomatoes would make your chest hair grow.

Eggnog isn’t actually a drink created for a specific holiday. It is a winter drink meaning that it was concocted as a drink that helps warm up a person. In Europe they would call it a posset.

Of the many versions of how this drink got its name, the version that makes the most sense is the one that says eggnog is short for egg and grog in a noggin. Grog is another term for rum and noggin was a kind of mug used for drinks served at the tables in a tavern.

Reference to this drink first appears in the 17th century. It was apparently meant as a drink with which to toast one’s health.

No matter what the real story of the eggnog, you will want to try this recipe from Emeril Lagasse. Don’t forget to say Bam!

Emeril’s Eggnog

Ingredients:

• 8 large eggs, 2 separated
  
• 3/4 cup sugar
  
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
  
• 2 1/2 cups heavy cream
  
• 2 cups whole milk
  
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
  
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, plus more for garnish
  
• 3/4 cup bourbon
  
• 1/4 cup brandy
  

Directions:

Combine the 6 whole eggs, 2 egg yolks, sugar, and salt in a medium mixing bowl and whisk together. Heat 2 cups heavy cream with the milk in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. When the cream and milk are hot, ladle about 1 cup into the egg mixture and whisk to incorporate. Pour the egg-milk mixture into the hot cream mixture, and continue to cook, stirring continuously, until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the stove and strain the custard immediately through a fine-mesh sieve. Allow the custard to cool for 10 minutes before proceeding.

Add the vanilla, nutmeg, bourbon, and brandy to the eggnog and stir well to incorporate. Beat the 2 egg whites to soft peaks in a clean mixing bowl and fold them into the custard base. In a separate bowl, beat the remaining 1/2 cup cream to soft peaks, and fold it into the eggnog as well. Serve warm or cover and refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour.

Pour into a decorative bowl or pitcher and garnish with nutmeg. Serve in small punch cups or old-fashioned glasses.

The recipe is from Emeril Live: Christmas Holiday Party Episode.

Technorati Tags: christmas, eggnog, recipe, Emeril Lagasse, drinks

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Posted December 17th, 2006 by Vicky in Chef, Holidays, Tips, Trivia

For most families, a traditional christmas dinner means having turkey even if it isn’t on the list of the twelve days of christmas. Turkey just seems to evoke that feeling of feasting and family that makes the meal more special. For some no substitute will do, which is why turkey stays high on the list of featured recipes during the season.
In fact last year, Gordon Ramsey chose 6 turkeys for the christmas special of his show, the F Word, last year. He had named them after six celebrity chefs specifically Delia Ramsey, Nigella Lawson, Jamie Oliver, Gary Rhodes, Anthony Worral and Ainsley Harriot. If you are interested to try Gordon Ramsey’s Roast Turkey and Stuffing in a Pan, just click here for the recipe.
If you avoid cooking turkey because it often comes out unevenly cooked, try the advice of Jaime Oliver. Push some stuffing between the breasts and skin of the turkey. This makes the breasts thicker which is will help keep it from drying out. This way the legs and the breast cook at the same pace.

Technorati Tags: Gordon Ramsey, Jamie Oliver, turkey, roast, christmas

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Posted December 14th, 2006 by Vicky in Holidays, Ideas, Recipe, Tips, Uncategorized

Children love christmas time. Maybe it’s because of the joy in the air or maybe it’s because of the gift giving. They definitely enjoy the decorating that is done for this holiday.

The gingerbread house is a fun christmas tradition. It allows you and your kids to work together to be creative. It also makes a great item for your christmas decorating. You might want to buy extra bits of the ingredients as some might get nibbled before you finish making your gingerbread house.

The gingerbread house starts with the form. Most use a cardboard house as a base. You can usually buy these in stores if you don’t want to make your own or try creating your own template, it is really easy. Of course you can always print out guides from online.
For the rest of the gingerbread house, try this recipe from Chef Bobby Flay. He introduced this recipe on his show, Food Nation.

Ingredients:

• 5 1/2 cups flour
  
• 1 tablespoon ginger
  
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
  
• 1 cup solid vegetable shortening
  
• 1 cup granulated sugar
  
• 1 1/4 cups dark molasses
  
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  
• Frosting, either store-bought or homemade
  
• Brightly colored candies such as gumdrops, licorice, peppermint sticks, etc.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix 5 cups of flour, the ginger and baking soda in a large bowl. Set aside.

Cream shortening and sugar in large bowl with mixer. Add molasses and lightly beaten eggs. Blend well. Gradually add dry ingredients. Knead in remaining flour, if necessary. Chill dough 1 hour for best rolling results.

Lightly grease cookie sheets. Roll out dough to 1/8-inch thick directly onto cookie sheets. Cut patterns, removing excess dough. Chill 10 minutes before baking. Bake for 5 to 8 minutes.

Let cookies cool.

Next, to assemble house, you will want to make a simple cardboard house to use as your base to help hold the house together. Begin applying cookies to the cardboard using your frosting as glue. Once cookies cover the entire house you can decorate with colorful candies such as gumdrops, peppermint sticks and licorice.

Technorati Tags: Christmas, recipe, Bobby Flay, gingerbread house, decorating

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Posted December 12th, 2006 by Vicky in Entertaining, Holidays, Recipe

Christmas is definitely in the air, so what better time to start baking cookies? If you have children, this simple action can turn into a wonderful holiday tradition! These Linzer cookies from Ina Garten are festive and elegant enough to also serve at holiday get-togethers, and also make fabulous presents to give away.

Linzer Cookies

3/4 pound unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup good raspberry preserves
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the butter and sugar until they are just combined. Add the vanilla. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour and salt, then add them to the butter-and-sugar mixture. Mix on low speed until the dough starts to come together. Dump onto a surface dusted with flour and shape into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.

Roll the dough 1/4-inch thick and cut 2 3/4-inch rounds with a plain or fluted cutter. With 1/2 of the rounds, cut a hole from the middle of each round with a heart or spade shaped cutter. Place all the cookies on an ungreased baking sheet and chill for 15 minutes.

Bake the cookies for 20 to 25 minutes, until the edges begin to brown. Allow to cool to room temperature. Spread raspberry preserves on the flat side of each solid cookie. Dust the top of the cut-out cookies with confectioners’ sugar and press the flat sides together, with the raspberry preserves in the middle and the confectioners’ sugar on the top.

Technorati Tags: Christmas, Holidays, Christmas recipe, linzer cookies, Ina Garten

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Posted December 10th, 2006 by Vicky in Cookbook, Entertaining, Holidays, Ideas, Menus

Next in line for Christmas menus to consider is Mario Batali’s, the Food Network’s, larger than life American-Italian chef. I must say though, that this menu is not typical-Mario, whose recipes I’ve found not to be the simplest to do in your average home kitchen.

This Christmas menu is actually pretty easy to pull off, in both availability of ingredients and procedure, unlike his Christmas Eve menu, the Seven Fish (also found in his cookbook Holiday Food, pictured above), which is what I would call, classic Mario - delicious, but not exactly easy peasy.
“This menu has all the ingredients for a superb holiday. The dishes indulge and comfort, and they incorporate a little bit of tradition and a lot of play. Best of all, none of these dishes is particularly complicated.

I love to cook for my family at the holidays; it’s a special way of showing love and affection. But there’s no point if all that cooking actually takes away from time spent with loved ones.

That’s why this menu is ideal. Certain components can be prepared ahead of time, and even the final preparations won’t leave you feeling as though you’ve spent the day handcuffed to the stove. It’s a celebratory dinner everyone, even the cook, will have energy and desire to enjoy.”

— Mario Batali

Mario’s Italian Christmas Dinner

Vongole Origanate
Clams with Oregano and Bread Crumbs

Crostini Napoletani
Fresh Ricotta, Anchovy, and Oregano Toasts

Broccoli Soffriti
Braised Broccoli

Tacchino Ripieno
Turkey Stuffed with Chestnuts and Prunes

Linguine alle Noci
Linguine with Walnut Sauce

Affogato al Caffe
Coffee Semifreddo “Drowned” in Coffee

For recipes, click HERE.

Technorati Tags: Christmas, Holidays, Christmas dinner, Mario Batali

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Posted December 8th, 2006 by Vicky in Entertaining, Holidays, Ideas, Menus

With Thanksgiving barely over and leftovers still smouldering in the fridge, theres no better time to start thinking and planning for the next big day ahead - Christmas!!

Ok, call me a bit of a sadist, but unlike Thanksgiving which really only involves a singular meal (maybe you were even lucky this year and played guest and not chef) , Christmas is so much more, especially so if you have a family with little children.

You know what I’m talking about - stockings, tree, decorations, outfits, parties, pantomimes and presents - to a list which seems to get longer every year! So yes, early preparations for this particular holiday does make good sense.

And since this blog is about chefs and therefore food, I’ll be posting about some of my favourite celeb chefs’ Christmas menus. Depending on your mood, gathering and needs this year, you can decide early on what tickles your fancy most. After all, Christmas is the season for celebration, joy, and splashing out indulgently - as Nigella so rightly reminds us in her Christmas Menu below.

“I think the mistake people make most when entertaining is to get too fancy with the food. No one is ever too sophisticated for the basic pleasures of home cooking, and there is something about those old favorites that makes everyone feel a little leap of joy in the heart………The whole point of a feast is that it is unnecessarily abundant”
Nigella Lawson

Crab Cocktail
Seasonal Breeze
Perfect Roast Potatoes
Petits Pois à la Française
Green Bean and Lemon Casserole
Standing Rib Roast
Chestnut Cheesecake

For recipes, start HERE.

Technorati Tags: Christmas, Holidays, Christmas dinner, Nigella Lawson

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Posted November 23rd, 2006 by Vicky in Chef, Entertaining, Holidays, Television

While watching the holiday-appropriate “Turkey Challenge” episode of Iron Chef America, in which the contestants were each given the Thanksgiving bird to get creative within the show’s time slot, I watched half-interested as to who was challenging Bobby Flay (yet again) with Alton’s semi-sarcastic drawl in the background.

When I saw that it wasn’t Mario and that it was two affable ladies - a blonde in bright pink and a diminutive brunette with funky glasses, it got my attention. I realized after a while, that it was the Two Hot Tamales, also known as Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger.

The most interesting dish of the show by far was the Hot Tamales turkey (yes, turkey) ice cream, which used the bourbon Wild Turkey, and (regretfully) turkey stock. As one of the judges aptly put it, high marks for originality, low marks for the proteiny taste. Much as I like Mary Sue and Susan, I have to say that they reached a little too much here - who on earth would eat a poultry-flavoured ice cream? I must say that the presentation was beautiful though, a chocolate ball crust in a chocolate turkey-shaped basket.

Their other dishes beat Mr.Flay’s multi-turkey breast renditions (all the same, different sauce) by a mile I thought, with things like turkey meatball soup and a scotch egg which looked absolutely scrummy. You don’t get to see of the humble scotch egg on television much, and I have to say that the last time I saw one was at a garage shop in a UK motorway.

Sadly, it was a tie (the injustice!!), and even if Alton said that that was “rare” for the show, I should really email them and say that the last time I watched it was also a tie.

But anyway, one good thing was that I got to see the Two Hot Tamales again, who I hadn’t seen in years and had actually forgotten about in the sea of the new breed of Celeb Chefs (or dare I say media whores?). Now you know who I’ll be blogging about next.

Technorati Tags: Thanksgiving, Two Hot Tamales, Iron Chef America

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