Warming Winter Stew

Not too long ago James went to an afternoon party at our neighbors, cattle and sheep ranchers and avid gardeners. As he started the car to come home he noticed not just a dozen multi-colored eggs but several winter squash had found their way inside the car. James wasn't quite sure what to do with his new found loot.
I love butternut, pumpkin, acorn - - all kinds of winter squash. These beautiful hubbards and tromboncinos are great just roasted on in a simple soup but I thought I go a little further. Tooling around the internet I found a recipe for Moroccan winter stew from Bruce Aidells. I figure if meat lover and expert Aidells can present a vegetarian dinner it might just be good enough for my James. I started by sautéing a chopped onion and 3 cloves of garlic in olive oil. I seasoned that mixture with 2 tsp of paprika and 1/2 tsp each of cumin, coriander, chili powder, ginger, turmeric, a tsp of salt and a pinch of saffron. I added one small can of tomatoes (from our backyard garden), 1 cup of water, and the juice of one small lemon and brought the liquid to a boil. Into the pot went about 3 cups of cubed butternut squash along with several carrots and parsnips (I just happen to have them) peeled and cut into 3/4 inch pieces. After 20 minutes simmering (covered) over medium-low heat the vegetables were tender and the stew was ready to serve.
Aidells serves his stew (or rather the recipe he created along with chef wife Nancy Oakes) over flavorful quinoa. I'd used all my carrots and felt ready to finish chopping so I took a shortcut and ladled James's winter stew of fluffy, buttery couscous seasoned (and colored) with turmeric. A sprinkle of chopped mint hinted at the recipe's Moroccan theme.

Ribs Aidells' Italian Style

Some days the idea of a sticky, delicious, home bubbled barbecue sauce and the myriad of dirty dishes it tends to require is just too much to face. Yet it was a perfect day for ribs -- beautiful weather, a welcoming picnic table in the yard, and a friend coming to spend the afternoon. So I dug up a recipe I had been saving from meat cooking superstar Bruce Aidells and started to tinker. Like Aidells I made a seasoning paste of rosemary (2 TB or so), thyme (about 1 TB), fennel seeds ( 1 1/2 TB), sage (2 tsp), chili peppers (almost 1 TB), oregano (2 tsp --my addition), all spice (1/2 tsp), coriander (1 tsp), salt (1 1/2 TB) and pepper (2 tsp) mixed with fruity olive oil. I rubbed that mixture over both sides of the ribs and let the meat sit at room temperature for 2 hours. I wanted to make sure our oven-cooked ribs were nice and tender so after the marinating time I splashed half a bottle of red wine over and around the meat, sealed the baking tray with aluminum foil and placed the ribs in a 300º oven for 2 hours until the meat was just about falling off the bone. I uncovered the ribs, poured off the pan juices ( I would usually add at least some of those into my sauce) and brushed the bone side of the racks with good quality balsamic vinegar. I broiled the ribs, bone side up, for about 4 minutes until the balsamic formed a crusty glaze, then flipped them over, brushed the meat side with more balsamic vinegar and broiled for another 4 minutes. Crispy, lightly sweet oven-barbecued ribs. No one asked for sauce.

Back Home In My Kitchen

James has a knack for getting me just the right kitchen gifts. Things that are fun, have endless uses (the kind of things I wonder how I lived without), and look great besides. Under the Christmas tree this year was a super heavy Le Creuset square grill pan. In my favorite color (and Julia Child's) -- flame. It's just the thing for toasting grilled cheese sandwiches and paninis, "grilled" chicken, and for nights like tonight when steak is on the menu but the weather outside is far from summer BBQ ready.

I stayed inside and, following a recipe from meat guru Bruce Aidells. I patted a mixture of brown sugar (1 tsp), Spanish paprika (2 tsp), kosher salt (1 tsp) and black pepper (1 tsp) on the outside of my already super delicious Hearst Ranch grass fed sirloin steaks and laid the steaks in my new -- preheated -- grill pan for nearly 7 minutes on each side.

Meanwhile I heated 1/4 cup of olive oil in a pan and added in 2 sliced shallots, 3 minced cloves of garlic, 1 TB of capers, and a heavy pinch of rubbed sage. The vegetables cooked around for a bit (about 3 minutes) -- just until soft -- and I added in 8 chopped piquillo peppers (Spanish roasted peppers with a distinctive fruity taste), a tsp of Dijon mustard and 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce. The "sauce" simmered for about 12 minutes while the steaks were cooking.

The potatoes, for whatever reason I really can't say, I decided to oven braise in olive oil. I've never done it before. I sliced the fingerlings in half and put them in a small oven proof dish along with 2 peeled cloves of garlic, a sprig of rosemary, a sprig or fresh oregano and a couple peppercorns. I poured olive oil over the mixture until the potatoes were just about submerged, covered the dish with foil and popped it in a 450º over for about 35 minutes. The potatoes came out super tender and lightly perfumed with the herbs. They just needed a sprinkling of salt and pepper to come to the table.

An easy dinner made even better with a bright orange Christmas gift. Thank you, honey.