Neapolitan Pizza and Pizza with Leek and Bacon and Goat Cheese

Here are two choices: classic cheesy pizza Neapolitan style or pizza with bacon bits. Either way it will be delicious. We decided to make two kinds with different ingredients to keep everybody happy. Either you love bacon or you won’t touch it, so here’s an alternative. The leek and bacon pizza was inspired by a recipe in Bon Appetit for pappardelle with leeks and bacon. We thought the combination was blissful. We'd make pizza every day if we could. it's a top 5. It’s really your call on the ingredients, but try these. You won’t be disappointed.

Makes 2 pies, ready in 1 and 1/2 hours

Bake at 475 degrees

Dough
1 cup of warm water
1 tbsp sugar
1 packet of active yeast
2 tbsp of olive oil
1 tsp salt
3 cups of all purpose flour

Neopolitan Pizza
½ pound of fresh lightly salted mozzarella
½ cup of San Marzano tomato puree (enough to cover the surface of one pie)
8-9 basil leaves

Leek and Bacon Pizza
3 medium leeks
3 strips of bacon
2 cloves of garlic
1 tsp fresh thyme
1 oz goat cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Put the water, sugar and yeast in the bowl of a standing mixer and let it sit for 5 minutes until yeast is activated. Add olive oil, salt and flour to the bowl and mix on low using the dough hook just to incorporate. Increase speed to medium, for 4 to 5 minutes, until dough is smooth. Cover the bowl and let rise for at least an hour. It should double in size.

While the dough is rising, cut leeks lengthwise in ½ and then into inch size pieces. Clean well to get the grit out. Cut the bacon into ½ to 1 inch pieces. Then cook the bacon in a large pan until it's partially done. Add the leek and cook until it begins to soften. Then add the garlic, thyme, and salt and pepper to taste. Keep cooking until the leeks are caramelized.

After the dough has risen, divide into 2 balls. Flour a clean surface and roll it out to the thin-ness of your preference.  The thinner you make it the larger the pizza will be. Put the toppings on for your rolled out pizza dough and bake for 15-20 minutes.  Keep an eye on the pies to make sure the crust doesn’t get too dark around the edges.

Rice Bowl with Tofu and Sweet Potatoes

Rice Bowls are very easy to make and the ingredients are dictated by one’s individual taste and desire to use up odds and ends, such as items that will go bad if you don’t use them quickly-- like ripe avocados that will get mushy in a day or two, or carrots in the crisper that you forgot you had. Making the bowls with an inventive combination of foods is what it’s all about. The more colorful, the better.

Speaking of using up odds and ends and being inventive, there’s a documentary on msnbc called "Just Eat It: A Food Waste Story" about food waste and food rescue. It really opened our eyes to how much food is wasted. First rule, serve reasonably sized portions and make a “clean plate”. Second rule, eat all the leftovers. Leftovers are not a problem in our home. We love foraging for them to eat for lunch the next day. We never throw leftovers away and this goes way back. When I (Vivi here) was a kid, feeling full before my plate was clean, would play a game with my father. I would step on his foot, his mouth would open, and I would feed him what was left on my plate. We called him “the human garbage pail”.

Here are some suggestions: If you do weekly shopping trips, meal plan ahead and stick to your shopping list -- then use everything you buy before your next shopping trip. Or, shop daily and only buy what you need for the day. Rescue food by buying imperfect looking produce that no one else will buy. For instance, pick the slightly bruised bananas. They usually get tossed. Use up your perishables before buying more food, and keep them in the front of your fridge (out of sight, out of mind). Create an “eat me first” bowl for foods that will go bad quickly. Use your freezer for the foods that you can’t eat right away. Don’t discard foods that are past their “sell by” date. Those dates are about freshness, not safety -- they are perfectly fine to eat.

Makes 4 bowls, ready in an hour

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

1 cup of cooked brown rice
2 large sweet potatoes
1 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp cayenne
Salt
Pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
1 brick of extra firm tofu
1-2 tsp organic miso paste
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp soy sauce
1-2 tsp sriracha
1/2 tsp honey

Pickled Carrots
2 tbsp white vinegar
½ tsp sugar
2 carrots
enough water to cover carrots in jar

1 thinly sliced avocado
2 scallions
chopped peanuts

Cut sweet potatoes into approximately 1 inch cubes. In bowl, toss with curry powder, cayenne, salt, pepper and oil until coated. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes or until the cubes are golden brown, tossing the cubes once or twice while baking.

Cut the tofu into bite-size cubes or rectangles. In a medium size bowl, whisk the miso, sesame oil, soy sauce, sriracha, and honey together in a bowl. Add the tofu and toss gently to coat. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes - flip cubes over after 15 minutes.

While sweet potatoes and tofu are baking, combine vinegar and sugar in a jar.  Add ribboned carrots to the jar, and then add enough water to cover the carrots. Close jar and gently shake so ingredients are mixed together. Assemble all ingredients in bowl, adding the rice, avocado, scallions and peanuts. Use liquid from pickling jar for your rice bowl dressing. Season to your liking with salt and pepper.

Posole

We are having a dalliance with Mexican food. We recently traveled to Guadalajara and San Miguel de Allende and tasted all kinds of food from street offerings to meals at sit-down restaurants. While in San Miguel we tried posole (pork and hominy stew) at a local restaurant called La Alborado on Diez de Sollano. The posole is a very tasty combination of soup and stew and it is a very filling meal. It was thinner and spicier than ours, but very good, and there were so many accompanying bowls with toppings, sauces, and garnishes such as radishes, crunchy cabbage and tart lime. They add color and texture. Tortillas or tortilla chips belong in the mix as well.

We enjoyed many local food products and brought back the sweetest honey imaginable, sweet and savory jams, Valentina pepper sauce, tamarindo and different kinds of chiles. For the posole we used two large “Guajillo” chiles. The package reads: Empresa 100%  Mexicana - picante! If you aren’t planning a trip to Mexico you can find red chiles at the supermarket. The placemat is from a textile shop in the historic city of Tlaquepaque, in the state of Jalisco. Tlaquepaque is known for its local crafts and pottery.

Serves 10, ready in 3 hours

1 head of garlic
12 cups water
4 cups chicken broth
3 lbs pork shoulder
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs of thyme
1 tsp dried oregano
2 large red chiles
1 ½ cups boiling water
½ white onion
1 tsp salt
2 pounds of prepacked white hominy (can used canned as well
tortilla chips
1 ½ cups vegetable oil
hot sauce to taste

Serving garnishes
wedges of lime
sprigs of cilantro
fried tortilla strips or chips
shredded cabbage
thinly sliced radishes
finely chopped onions
refried beans
salsa
chile sauce
a sprinkle of queso fresco.

Peel and slice all but two cloves of garlic. Bring water and broth to a boil in a large soup pot with sliced garlic and pork, bay leaf, thyme, and oregano. If the pork is very fatty you may need to skim the surface of the pot occasionally. Let the pork gently simmer, partially covered, until tender (1-½ to 2 hours). Transfer pork to a cutting board and shred the pork, using 2 forks, or tear by hand. Save the cooking liquid.

Posole garnishings at La Alborado in San Miguel de Allende

To make the chile sauce, remove the stems and seeds from the dried chiles. You may want to wear rubber gloves, and be careful not to touch your face! Boil 2 cups of water and pour over the chiles. Soak the chiles,for 30 minutes, moving them around occasionally. Cut the onion into large pieces and peel those last two cloves of garlic. Combine the chiles, soaking liquid, onion, garlic and a teaspoon of salt in a blender or food processor. Mix until smooth.

If using prepared hominy (canned, or if you can get it vacuum packed), rinse and drain it. Return pork to broth mixture and add chile sauce, hominy, and salt to taste. Simmer uncovered posole, until the hominy is softened - 30 to 60 minutes, and the liquid begins to thicken.  Check the seasonings and add salt and/or hot sauce as needed. Add garnishes and serve.

Carrot Cake

To celebrate my birthday we wanted to bake a cake we haven’t had in a long time. Carrot cake is very nostalgic for me. When I was a teenager my mother would go to Philadelphia on business trips. On her way back, she would stop at The Commissary cafeteria to pick up one of their famous carrot cakes to bring home. It was so rich and indulgently cream-cheesy, like nothing we’d ever tasted before, and ironically, it seemed so healthy at the time! The Commissary closed its doors in 1991 but here’s the good news, their recipe is still available here Our version is a little simpler and faster. We did not start the cake a day ahead or make the pecan cream filling. Carrot cake recipes have pretty much become standardized with variations tailored to one’s personal preferences  -- for instance, we never put raisins in ours! One thing you can count on, The Commissary’s will always stand out. 

Serves 12, ready in 1 ½ hours,

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2 cups sifted all purpose flour
2 tsps baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/ tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp cinnamon
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
½ cup of brown sugar
½ cup applesauce
3/4 cup cooking oil
4 eggs
4 medium sized carrots shredded
½ cup shredded coconut
1 cup chopped walnuts
whole pecans for top of cake (optional)
16 oz cream cheese (at room temperature)
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 stick of butter (at room temperature)

Grease bottom and sides of two round 8” cake spring pans. In medium bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, ginger, and cinnamon. In large bowl, whisk together sugars, applesauce, cooking oil, eggs, until all are blended.  Stir in bowl of dry ingredients and mix until blended, then mix carrots, coconut and walnuts in.  Pour equal amounts of batter in spring pans and bake for 40-45 minutes. While cakes are baking prepare the frosting. Using a standing mixer with the paddle attachment, mix softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla extract and softened butter for a few minutes, until smooth.  

Once the cakes are cool, remove the sides of the spring pans from the forms. Choose a cake platter, and place two pieces of parchment paper on its surface, seams overlapping in center.  Place one cake on platter, on top of parchment paper. Spread frosting over surface of cake on platter. Carefully remove second cake from pan and place it over the top frosted cake. Put one coat of frosting on sides of cake.  For best results, at this point refrigerate cake and the rest of frosting for a few hours. Remove frosting from refrigerator ½ hour before removing cake to frost.  This will result in a smoother more even application of frosting on sides and top of cake.  Add pecans to top, and serve.

Quinoa Salad with Shredded Carrot and Feta

Some of our friends are vegetarians and they have influenced us to try different ingredients to give our salads added protein and health benefits. Quinoa has been marketed as a “superfood”. There is some disagreement as to whether it's a grain but there is no doubt that it's a complete protein and a good substitute for meat. We put this salad together last summer while hanging out with those veggie loving friends. In our opinion there are other reasons quinoa deserves its “superfood” status: its fluffiness, its ability to mix well with strong flavors, and its pearly transparent appearance.

Serves 4-6, ready in 30 minutes

1 cup quinoa
1 carrot, shredded
¼ cup toasted pignoli nuts
2 tsp finely chopped parsley
3 oz good quality imported feta cheese
2 tbsp good quality olive oil
2 tsp red wine vinegar
2 tsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
baby arugula or other delicate salad green

Rinse the quinoa and then boil it in 2 cups of water. Once it is boiling, reduce heat to a simmer, cover pot and cook until tender (around 10-15 minutes). While the quinoa is cooking, shred the carrot, roast the pignolis and chop the parsley. When quinoa is cooked, drain and let it cool to room temperature. In a bowl, combine quinoa, carrot, pignolis, parsley and crumbled feta cheese. Once the ingredients are blended, add the olive oil, vinegar, and lemon juice. Mix again and serve on a bed of your favorite salad green.

Ham and Cheese Palmiers

Marcia, my mother-in-law, used to throw big parties at her east side apartment. We called it the Leisure Palace! She would spend days making delicious food - pasta pinwheels, filet of beef with sauce Choron, poached salmon, mini crab cakes, etc. One of our favorite appetizers were always made "just-in-time” - freshly baked palmiers with ham and cheese. They smell fantastic and are sweet and savory and cheesy delicious. They can be assembled and frozen in advance, then baked and served without much fuss when company arrives. It’s best to serve the palmiers right out of the oven.  

Makes 30-40 palmiers, prep time 20 minutes, bake 15-20 minutes

2 sheets of frozen puff pastry dough (or for the more ambitious, fresh puff pastry dough)
1 cup of honey mustard
¾ lb very thinly sliced black forest ham
¾ lb of gruyere, grated
1 egg
2 tsp water

Thaw out both frozen sheets until they are ready to roll out. Put flour on large surface area and roll out dough with rolling pin, as evenly as possible, until dough is about the width and length of the surface of a baking sheet.

Spread the honey mustard evenly over the dough. Add slices of ham on top of the mustard, as seamlessly as possible. A little overlap of slices is fine. Evenly spread the shredded gruyere over the ham until entire surface is covered.

Roll dough from both sides lengthwise so that the two rolled sides join in the middle. Carefully pick-up the finished roll and wrap it in plastic wrap and place in freezer until you are ready to bake the appetizers.

When it’s time to cut and bake the palmiers, preheat the oven to 375 degrees and remove rolls from freezer and thaw for about 20 minutes at room temperature, or until they are thawed enough to cut. Cut off uneven ends and use a very sharp knife to cut ½ wide slices. Place slices on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. The puff pastry will expand while baking so leave an inch of space between slices. Prepare egg wash by whisking 2 tsp of water with a raw egg. Brush egg wash onto surface of palmiers and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until palmiers are puffed and golden. Remove from tray and serve while cheese is warm!

Ramen Noodles with Pork Belly

The summer before this past summer I stumbled upon the PBS show The Mind of a Chef on Netflix. The first episode, with David Chang, focused purely on ramen, had me hooked to say the least. I insisted on playing it for my family, who appreciated it as much as I did, but were annoyed because it made them hungry and the options for ramen are limited in our neighborhood. This nonetheless sent us on a scavenger hunt to test out various ramen places around Manhattan.  

We went to Totto Ramen, Ivan Ramen, Soba-ya, Setagaya Ramen and Yasha Ramen. Those excursions made it all the more tempting to try it at home, so we did a little research.  We knew that we had to find the real “ramen” noodle. We discovered that a big supplier called Sun Noodle sells to Whole Foods. Once we had figured out where to buy them, we knew the rest was possible.

It was a bit of a production, with lots of slicing and dicing of veggies, and there were many dirty pots, pans, and colanders. Technically, this is not a traditional ramen recipe but the idea is the same: delicious soy-braised pork belly, medium boiled egg, a rich broth, fresh noodles, and a variety of fresh vegetables.

Presentation is paramount! The noodle bowls are important to the success of this ambitious meal. Ikea sells them but they aren’t available for shipping, and getting to an Ikea store would be a challenge. Instead, we decided to get large, simple white pasta bowls at Bed Bath & Beyond. We got the chopsticks there as well.

Serves 10, ready in 4 hours 

Pork Belly

Preheat oven to 300 degrees
4 pounds of pork belly (skin removed)
4 tbsp sesame oil
6 stalks of scallions, sliced
8 stems from shiitake mushrooms
4 tbsp maple syrup or brown sugar
1 cup soy sauce
6 cups water
4 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp chili paste or sriracha
1 inch piece of ginger peeled and thinly sliced

Stir ingredients, except for the pork belly, ginger and mushrooms, together in a small bowl. Brown pork belly on all sides over medium high heat in an oven-proof covered pot or dutch oven. Cover with marinade, mushroom stems, and ginger slices, and bake for 3 hours. Remove pork from liquid (reserve liquid) and place in fridge until ready to use. 

Broth

liquid from pork belly
3 cups chicken broth
3 cups water

Strain any solids from the cooled cooking liquid.  For the soup stock, combine pork belly cooking liquid with chicken stock and water in a large pot. Bring to a simmer and season to taste with salt, pepper, more chili paste for spice, ginger, garlic, water, etc.

Eggs

5 boiled eggs

For soft boiled eggs, place eggs in medium-sized pot, cover with water until submerged by ½ inch and place on stove over high heat. When water begins to boil, cover with lid and let sit on hot burner for 4 minutes. Rinse under cold water and carefully peel.

Veggies

3 medium carrots in 2” matchstick julienne slices
2 small zucchini in 2” matchstick julienne slices
2 handfuls of green beans, cut into 1" - 2” pieces
4 stalks kale ribs removed, torn into small pieces (spinach works too)
6 scallions thinly sliced
2 cup of shiitake mushrooms thinly sliced in long strips
1 cup of cilantro leaves, cleaned, stems removed

Noodles

Heat a large pot of water to boiling.  When all garnishes are ready, cook the noodles according to package directions, usually 2 minutes is more than enough. It is best to cook each serving in a separate strainer.

Final Assembly

Assemble soup by placing ramen noodles in individual bowls. Then arrange the vegetables and slices of pork belly around the noodles, and the soft-boiled egg sliced in half, in a visually pleasing array. Ladle the hot stock to cover and serve. Garnish with cilantro and scallions. Add hot sauce to your liking!

Turkey Lasagna with Bechamel Sauce

We have been in deep hibernation lately with all the snow and ice and consistently cold weather on the East Coast. Lasagna is one of the best winter comfort foods. I talked to Claudia just before I made it and she suggested adding a garlic Bechamel sauce. The sauce really gave it a richness and flavor that made it better than usual. Funny, she made lasagna the same time I did, and served it to Ricardo the nurse who is taking care of our father. Maybe it’s not common in Mexico, because he said he felt like Garfield the cat!

Each tray serves 6-8 , ready in 1 hour

Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion coarsely chopped
1 medium red, orange or yellow pepper diced
6 cloves pressed garlic (3 for the Bechamel sauce)
1 pound ground turkey meat
1  32 ounce jar of tomato sauce
½ tsp dried oregano
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
salt and pepper to taste 
4 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
12 pre-cooked lasagna noodles
16 ounces ricotta cheese
1 egg
3/4 pound mozzarella cheese, shredded

Bechamel Sauce

3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp flour
1 cup of milk
salt and pepper to taste

Coat bottom of a Dutch oven with olive oil. Over medium heat,  add the onion and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are soft. Break up the ground turkey, and add it to the pot, stirring until meat is cooked, about 10 minutes.  Add the tomato sauce, garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper and half of the parsley.  Lower heat to a simmer, and cover,  stirring occasionally.

In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, remaining parsley.

While the meat sauce is cooking,  make the Bechamel sauce. Melt butter in a small pot, over a low flame.  Once melted, add the flour and and stir until smooth. Add the pressed garlic, milk, and salt and pepper, and whisk until the sauce thickens. Remove from heat.

Spread 1 cup of meat sauce in the bottom of 2 8x8 inch baking dishes. Arrange a layer of 3 noodles over the meat sauce. Evenly spread half of the ricotta cheese mixture over the noodles, and top with 1/2 of shredded mozzarella cheese, more meat sauce (do not use all of it) and the Bechamel sauce. Add another layer of noodles. Spoon remaining ricotta, mozzarella and meat sauce on top of noodles. Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake another 20- 25 minutes, until cheese on top is melted. Cool 10-15 minutes, until ready to serve!

Cream of Cauliflower and Leek Soup

Ella had all four of her wisdom teeth removed last week so we were looking for a soothing soup recipe to make that was rich and tasty, but not too spicy. The little bit of extra sharp cheddar cheese made all the difference. We adapted it from Cottage Grove House’s luscious cauliflower soup recipe.

Serves 8-12 bowls, ready in one hour and ten minutes

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup diced sweet yellow onion
3 stalks of leek, cut into one inch section
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 head of cauliflower, cut into medium size pieces
3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into one inch cubes
5 cups chicken broth
½ cup heavy cream
½ cup grated good quality cheddar cheese
fresh chives

In a soup pot the heat olive oil. Add the diced onions and leek and cook until soft, about 5 - 10 minutes until soft and then add the chopped garlic and cook a few minutes. Add the cauliflower and potatoes and continue to cook for 5 minutes, mixing the ingredients together.

Add the chicken broth and bring to a low boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the vegetables are softened, about 20 - 30 minutes. Remove pot from heat and let cool a little. Blend the soup until desired consistency. Before serving, add the cream, then the cheddar cheese, and stir until all ingredients are combined. Garnish soup bowls with fresh cut chives.

Cinnamon Sugar Yeast Donuts

Ella: I have concluded that donuts are my absolute favorite food. One recent night at around 11 pm, my mom could not stop talking about how all she wanted was a good old jelly donut, to which I semi-seriously told her I would make the 20 block trek to Dunkin Donuts to pick up a box if she paid me $50. Both of my parents found this hilarious. But in all seriousness, we were determined to get our donut fix that night so the two of us bundled ourselves up and called the closest Dunkin Donuts that was still open, to make sure they had jelly donuts in stock. I decided that it only made sense to try and make our own donuts, and it seemed the perfect time to do so. With the success of our chicken and waffles we realized that deep frying is not too intimidating - it's actually fun and delicious!! Also, if you’re going to eat a donut, why not eat a fried one?!?

Vivi: We went to Mexico recently and were excited by all the bright colors and patterns of the textiles, and the pretty dishware. The metal plate in the picture is from a shop in the Aurora Art and Design Center in San Miguel de Allende, and the striped placemat is from a shop in Guadalajara.

Makes 18 donuts, takes roughly 2 and 1/2 hours - between prep, waiting for the dough to rise, and cooking

2 (¼ ounce) packets of yeast
6 tbsp water heated to approx. 115 degrees
½ cup of sugar plus one tbsp
1 cup of milk
1 tsp kosher salt
2 eggs
5 tbsp vegetable shortening
5 cups of sifted all-purpose flour, more for rolling out the dough
Canola or corn oil for frying
½ cup - 1 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

In the bowl of a standing mixer combine yeast, warm water and 1 tbsp sugar. Let sit for 10 minutes until yeast has activated. Add the remaining sugar, milk, salt, eggs and shortening to the activated yeast. Using the dough hook attachment, slowly add in the sifted flour with the machine on a low speed and beat until a smooth dough is formed. Place dough in a greased bowl, cover and let rise until doubled in size, approximately one hour.

Once dough has risen, turn the dough out onto a very lightly floured surface. Roll the dough out to about a ½ inch thickness. Cut out donuts using a 3 ½ inch and 1 ½ inch doughnut cutters. Place the cut donuts and donut holes on baking trays lined with greased parchment paper. Cover the trays and let rise again for approximately 30 minutes.

Heat 2-3 inches of oil in a pot until the temperature reaches 325 degrees. Using a slotted spoon, place about 2 donuts in the oil at a time. Once golden on the first side, flip. Remove once the second side is golden, about 1-2 minutes on each side. Place fried donuts on a cooling rack with paper towels underneath, to catch extra oil that will drip off.

Mix the additional sugar and cinnamon in a shallow bowl. Once the donuts have cooled down enough to be handled, dip both sides into the cinnamon sugar and serve. They are best when they are fresh!

Fried Chicken and Waffles with Spicy Honey

We have been craving chicken and waffles for the longest time.  It is such an indulgent combination of ingredients and it's popping up on a lot of restaurant menus these days. We wanted to know if it would be as delicious as it sounds so we decided to make it at home. Ella and I found several recipes to combine to make the dish come together. I have a fried chicken recipe I wrote down in my recipe book when I was a kid, from a friend named Ruth who was from the South. Her fried chicken was the best I’d ever tasted and we always begged her to make it! We have changed it a little by soaking the raw chicken in buttermilk before dredging and then deep frying. The waffle recipe is adapted from a cookbook we love called Smoke & PIckles by Edward Lee. The pickled cucumbers have become a favorite addition to many of our dishes and we thought it would add a little pucker and crunch. Claudia gave Ella a new mandolin for the holidays. It has 8 slicing options, so now Ella can make ridged slices. The spicy honey with pepper flakes galvanized the parts!

serves 6, ready in 2 hours, 10 minutes 

Fried Chicken
 

2 cups buttermilk
6-8 cups peanut oil, depending on size of pot used - recommend 8” high pot
½ cup flour
1 tbsp or more seasoned salt
½ tsp ground black pepper
1 tbsp sweet or smoked paprika
12 chicken thighs and drumsticks
salt
deep fry thermometer

Wash, clean and dry chicken parts and soak them in buttermilk for at least one hour at room temperature (if longer, keep in refrigerator but allow to come to room temp before deep frying). In a large bowl combine the flour, seasoned salt, pepper and paprika, and shake very well. Dredge chicken parts in mixture and let sit on a rack above a baking sheet for 30 minutes.  Dredge again to make sure the pieces are fully and thickly coated.  Heat oil in pot to 325 degrees.  Drop pieces in one at a time, making sure that they are fully immersed in the oil.  We fried batches of no more than three at a time. Let chicken brown slowly, until deep golden brown, turning at least once. Frying will take 8-10 minutes for smaller pieces and thighs, at least 10 minutes for drumsticks, longer if they are large.  Remove carefully, lay out on paper towel or drying rack.  Lightly salt while still warm.  Keep warm in oven until waffles are all ready. 

Spicy Honey

3 tbsp honey
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes 
1/2 tsp sriracha

Mix all ingredients together. Microwave for 5-10 seconds just before plating so honey is thin and pourable. 

Quick Pickles

1 cucumber, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1/3 cup of rice wine vinegar
1-2 tbsp water

Waffles

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
2 tbsp of chopped scallions

In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, paprika, and black pepper. Melt the butter in the microwave or stove and set aside to cool for a few minutes. Once the butter is no longer hot, mix with eggs, and buttermilk. Slowly pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, while whisking constantly. Cook the waffles to your preferred doneness.  Leave them whole or cut them diagonally. Top with fried chicken, quick pickles, drizzle with spicy honey and garnish with scallions.

Salted Brownies with Walnuts and Pecans

A few days ago we had a quick afternoon visit with family from out of town so Ella and I decided to bake at the last minute.  It’s pretty easy to make these brownies and you can improvise a bit with the mix-ins. This is the recipe that Paul’s mother, Marcia, always made with the kids when they were little.  We would visit on a weekend afternoon and she would have all the ingredients ready. We usually bake it in an 8” pyrex dish but this time we baked it in a 9” by 12” metal pan. The brownies were very thin and compact.  We added walnuts and pecans but have made them with chocolate chips or chunks in lieu of nuts many times.  We forgot to add the salt before mixing in the nuts so we sprinkled it on top of the batter before putting it into the oven.

Makes 16 brownies. ready in 50 minutes

¼ lb sweet butter cut into pieces
2 oz unsweetened chocolate
1 cup of sugar
½ tsp vanilla
2 eggs
½ cup sifted all purpose flour
½ cup of chopped walnuts and pecans
butter or non stick cooking spray for pan
sea salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Melt butter and chocolate in a saucepan or double boiler at a very low heat. Stir until smooth. Cool for 5 minutes.  Place in mediium size bowl and stir in sugar and vanilla and then add the eggs. Stir until smooth after the additions. Add flour, and stir until blended, and then add the nuts. Pour batter into buttered 8” cake pan. Evenly sprinkle sea salt on top of batter. Bake 20-25 minutes, until a poked toothpick comes out clean! Cool to room temperature, and then cut into brownie squares.