Pot Roast For Company

" Do you need us to bring anything?" they asked. "No, just come" we said. And yet our friends Mike and Sally came bearing gifts. Literally a bucket of fresh beets direct from Sally's amazingly beautiful and productive garden and greenhouse, a cushion spurge she thought I might enjoy in my garden and a beautiful package of beef cheeks wrapped in white paper. Invite a rancher to dinner and if you rate you might get an enviable cut like cheeks or hanger (both tucked away in my freezer right now).

Our favorite neighbors, our friends recently came back from a trip. We missed them and wanting to hear about their travels made a good excuse for dinner at our house.
Looking into my freezer I found a chuck roast -- almost 4 pounds --really two big for the two of us (not a fact that generally stops me) so it seemed perfect to build a dinner for four around. Pot roast. Could I really serve pot roast to guests? James had advised me to make a "regular dinner" not go overboard. Pot roast is about as regular as it gets so I forged on.
Stracotto (Italian Pot Roast) in Italian officially means overcooked but the name is used for a variety of braised roasts. The meat is slow cooked in a rich sauce flavored with pancetta, aromatic vegetables, dried mushrooms and tomatoes. Jumping off from Sara Moulton's recipe I found online I started by soaking 1 ounce of dried mushrooms in a cup of warm beef stock. Then browned the seasoned meat on all sides in hot olive oil. I set the meat aside, poured off most of the fat and added a couple ounces of chopped pancetta to the pan along with a chopped onion, carrot, and celery stalk. When the vegetables softened I tossed in 4 cloves of garlic (finely chopped), about a TB minced fresh rosemary, 1/4 cup chopped parsley, 2 bay leaves and seasoned the pot with salt and pepper. Next I stirred in 3 TB of tomato paste and a whole bottle of red wine (well actually the remains of two bottles I had in the kitchen -- using up that wine was initially the inspiration for this dinner). The wine cooked down for about 20 minutes and then the beef went back in the pot along with the mushrooms, a 28 oz can of tomato purée, and enough beef stock (yes I used the mushroom soaking liquid but poured it through cheesecloth first to remove any grit) to come 2/3 of the way up the side of the roast in the pot. The meat simmered very slowly, covered for almost 3 hours. I turned it over in the pot a couple times while it cooked.
When the meat was super tender I strained the sauce to remove the aromatic vegetables and cooked the liquid down a bit (with the meat resting on the side) to serve as gravy.
When people come to dinner, though I do like to be busy in the kitchen, I to have a good number of make ahead dishes. That way the kitchen seems clean and everything well organized to hit the table at the same time without guests seeing the cook starting to sweat. I usually add the finishing touches while James and our guests enjoy a few appetizers (today it was a salt cod brandade I had tucked way in the freezer for just such an occasion and toasty French bread) Alongside the classic of make ahead dishes, pot roast, I served an oven baked polenta. -- a fuss free but still impressive side dish, especially when studded with delicious creamy Humbolt Fog goat's cheese and parmesan. With these two rich dishes instead of a heavy vegetable recipe I opted for a bitter fresh tasting arugula, radish and red onion salad with tart balsamic vinaigrette (1/4 cup balsamic, 1 tsp dijon mustard, 1/2 tsp salt, pepper, 1 minced clove garlic, 1/2 cup olive oil shaken together).

I know James said "regular dinner" but I just can't have people to dinner and not serve dessert -- especially when I know our guests, like Mike and Sally, appreciate a sweet treat. More than once James has told "you don't always have to serve dessert." But honestly I do. You go to someone's house you expect dessert -- it's what good boys and girls get. Even if it's just something simple I can't feel that I have treated guests well unless the cake plate comes out.

Usually, because I love a theme, I would have gone for something terribly Italian like budino or biscotti and vin santo. But tonight -- because I wanted to try a recipe I saw on The Kitchy Kitchen, a cooking blog with photography so gorgeous I think about quitting every time I read it -- and because we have a lot of jam around the house thanks to my annual county fair efforts -- I opted for these simple lemon jam bars. A little tart a little sweet and just sugary enough to feel special -- just like the perfect dinner for friends.

Flaky Spinach And Arugula Pie

Our garden is overflowing with greens. Tonight I chopped up some spinach and the overgrown arugula into a Greek style spinach pie. James loves flaky pastry (I am more of a muffin scone kind of girl) so I topped the savory filling -- a combo of cooked greens, feta cheese, sautéed onions, spring onions, fresh dill, S&P, and eggs -- with butter soaked, crisp, flaky phyllo dough.

Summer's Favorite Sauce

Stretching our backyard harvest into yet another meal I whipped up a batch of one of my favorite garden treats -- arugula pesto. I pulse together grated parmesan (1 cup -- or whatever sharp aged cheese I have in the fridge), arugula (4-5 cups), garlic (3-4 cloves), 3-4 TB lemon juice to taste, S&P, around a half cup of blanched almonds and about 3/4 cup olive oil into a hearty, still a bit chunky paste. An all purpose sauce that keeps well in the fridge or freezer, arugula pesto is great on sandwiches and stirred into soups . Tonight I topped a big bowl of spaghetti and broccoli (boiled with the pasta for the last 4 minutes of cooking time) with a good sized dollop of the piquant co cooking required sauce and a super fresh lightly olive oil fried egg (thanks Foggy).

What To Do With Chicken Breasts

Crispy, creamy, crunchy. Thin chicken cutlets dredged in flour, dipped in beaten egg and then coated in a mixture of breadcrumbs, rosemary, S&P, and parmesan cheese. Shallow frying in olive oil and butter turns an otherwise humble cutlet into the Italian classic, chicken Milanese. Underneath a flavorful, creamy cauliflower purée (soft cooked cauliflower, olive oil, butter, thyme, S&P whirred together in the food processor). On top for both color and crunch -- not to mention a slight bitterness to offset the fattier chicken and unctuous purée,
"This is  a keeper," James declared.

Pasta and Peas

A simple dinner.

Start with salted boiling water. Pour in pasta. Two minutes before the pasta is cooked pour a bag of fresh peas into the same water. Drain the noodles and vegetable saving about a cup of the cooking water. In the same pot heat some olive oil with lots of chopped garlic, crushed red peppers, and oregano. Dump the pasta and peas back in along with about 1/2 - 3/4 cup of cooking water and give it a few good turns in the oil. Toss in a handful or arugula and let it just barely wilt from the heat. Serve sprinkled with parmesan cheese. Easy one pot to clean twenty minute dinner.

Local Dinner With Christmas Duck

Our first Christmas in the new house. I wanted something memorable and still manageable --given the state of our not so, let's say, elegant kitchen. One quick trip to the weekly farmer's market brought home a treasure trove of ingredients: wild arugula, fingerling potatoes, baby turnips, cauliflower, pomegranates, shallots, and a fresh Muscovy duck. After pricking the skin all over with a fork I popped our duck in the oven, seasoned with salt and pepper; the cavity filled with shallots, garlic and thyme. He roasted for about 2 1/2 hours at 400º with me turning him breast side up or down every 45 minutes. I really wanted to cook the duck slowly -- more like 5 hours at 300º or 350º. With just one oven and a cake to bake I had to sacrifice a bit of the slow cooked taste for a nice early Christmas dinner. That's what I get for laying in bed watching Christmas movies instead of jumping up and baking. For the last hour of roasting I tossed the peeled turnips and halved fingerling potatoes in with the duck to roast in the rich fat. Just before the duck was cooked through I coated the skin with a delicate honey lemon glaze. I used that same glaze along with a dash of balsamic vinegar and, yes I admit it, a drizzle of duck fat instead of olive oil to dress the salad.

Along side the duck, offering a bit of creamy sauce to the dark meat, a cauliflower and endive gratin. The vegetables baed for more than an hour (I started them raw) in a cheesy mornay sauce brimming with nutty gruyere and fresh marjoram.
Though I am not really much for tradition, every year I make the same cake for Christmas. A gooey, spicy gingerbread from a recipe by Claudia Flemming, former pastry chef during Tom Coliccio's reign, of Gramercy Tavern. Flemming's recipes are simple, straight forward and brimming with flavor. Flavored with Guinness stout and molasses James is always happy to see this cake on the table. It's so easy and quick I am always happy to make it -- but I save it for once a year . . . most times.

Merry Christmas Honey.

Mixed By Hand, Crisped In A Pan

Every now and then a girl has to do something a little special. I wanted a dinner that would make james happy so I rounded up a few of his favorite ingredients. First layer; arugula avocado and bacon salad lightly dressed with lemon juice and olive oil. Center stage; dungeness crabcakes. the crab may be West coast but the recipe is all East, flavored with dry mustard, Old Bay, tabasco, and bound with just the barest amount of cracker crumbs. The cakes were lightly fried in peanut oil and butter (in the same pan where I fried the bacon) for just the right bit of crunch.

Alas, the crowning touch -- I forgot the cocktail sauce with no horseradish or ketchup in the house. A good excuse to make crabcakes another night.

Pesto Spaghetti

Every now and then (more often than not) I wake up in the middle of the night and flip around for something to watch on TV. Last night I caught Chef Sara Foster of Foster's Market, a cook I have long admired, showing Martha Stewart how to make a green bean salad with arugula pesto.

Through the day I couldn't stop thinking about that pesto. I had all the ingredients in the house. I just wasn't sure how James feels about pesto -- whether an uncooked sauce on his pasta would be a disappointment.

None the less I loaded the food processor with 4 cups of arugula, 1 cup of shredded parmesan cheese, 1/2 cup of slivered almonds, juice of one lemon, 4 peeled cloves of garlic, S&P, and 1/2 cup of olive oil. I pulsed a couple times along the way adding ingredients and gave everything a final whirl to arrive at a chunky texture. I cooked green beans and peas in boiling water and tossed them, along with the drained pasta and a good sized dollop of the sauce for James' dinner.

This pesto is so delicious I may forget all about basil. I will certainly make it again, and I may conveniently forget it is not my recipe. It would be perfect as a dressing for summer salads, spread onto a grilled sandwich, or as a topping for house appetizer favorite caprese salad. It is light and rich and playful all a once.

James went back for seconds.

Just In Time

A few minutes after the pasta cooks, this super simple diner is ready to serve. I sautéed garlic, fennel seed, chiles, and oregano in a good quantity of olive oil, added chopped prosciutto and turned off the heat. When the pasta was drained I added the aromatics along with chopped radicchio, baby arugula, S&P, and chopped burrata cheese. I gave it a few stirs until the cheese was just barely melted and our improvised warm pasta salad was ready to serve.

Colorful and quick.

Cotoletta alla Milanese

Cotoletta, paillard, scallop, wienerschnitzel . . . whatever you call it these lightly breaded crispy slivers of meat (often veal but ours was chicken) are ready in a flash and just the thing for a light summer dinner.

I butterflied a chicken breast and pounded it to about 1/4 inch thickness. I briefly dipped the chicken in beaten egg (seasoned) and then in a combination of panko bread crumbs (for extra crunch) and grated parmesan cheese (S&P of course). The trick to the crispy exterior is all in the pan. Heat a good quantity of olive oil over medium heat until the surface just shimmers, then add a TB or so of butter. When the butter has melted and just starts to foam, lay in the breaded cutlet and let it cook over medium heat until nicely browned and crisp on one side (3 -4 minutes). Flip the meat, with a spatula or tongs, and cook the other side until golden brown -- about 3 minutes.

To finish and garnish our one dish dinner I mixed up an arugula and parsley salad with shaved parmesan cheese and "grilled" figs. Usually for this salad I would toss the halved figs on the grates of the grill but since I was only using one skillet I gave the figs a turn in a thin slick of olive oil (before I cooked the chicken, the figs don't need to be warm), over high heat until they just started to soften and crisp on the edges. I tossed the salad ingredients with a light rosemary vinaigrette (2 TB olive oil, 2 TB balsamic vinegar, 2 TB chopped rosemary, S&P), and topped the crisp cotoletta with thin slices of prosciutto and a tangle of the fresh bitter and sweet salad.

"If you save that last little piece for me, I'll eat it tomorrow," James said while clearing the plates. Success!