Monthly Archives: November 2013

FRESH CRANBERRY RELISH

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We’re finally enjoying some cold weather, and looking forward to the holidays.  This is a great time to hit the farmers market, when there are so many more interesting offerings than during the dry, hot summer months.  Here’s a salad plate I made for my husband (trying to offer him something healthy after one of his bike rides), using some leftover duck confit, espresso-rubbed cheese, and seasonal produce from the farmers market.  Pretty, isn’t it?

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There are watermelon radishes, pomegranate arils, arugula sprouts, and dried figs:

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and persimmons, baby mustard greens with a sweet lemon vinaigrette, and slivers of candy-striped chioggia beets:

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We only recently discovered the fuyu persimmons at the farmers market, and we’re crazy about them.  When they’re first ripe, they’re firm and crunchy, with a taste like a combination of apple and carrot.  As they ripen, they become slightly softer, but develop this wonderful sweet honey-like flavor..

Although I’m not cooking for Thanksgiving this year (hallelujah!), I couldn’t let the holiday pass without making a batch of Fresh Cranberry Relish.  I was introduced to this recipe by my mother-in-law, and I love the freshness of the ingredients and the sweet/tart pop of flavor, not to mention the beautiful color it adds to the Thanksgiving plate.

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FRESH CRANBERRY RELISH
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Ingredients
  • 1 large honeycrisp apple (or favorite apple), cored and coarsely chopped, including peel
  • I medium orange, seeded and coarsely chopped, including rind
  • ½ pound fresh cranberries
  • ¼ cup pecans
  • ⅓ cup sugar, or to taste
Instructions
  1. Place apple in bowl of food processor and process until coarsely chopped. Transfer apple to a medium bowl. Repeat with orange, cranberries, and pecans, [b]processing each separately[/b] and then transferring to bowl with apple. Add sugar and mix until all ingredients are combined. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Cranberry Relish gets gobbled up fast!

SPAGHETTI CARBONARA

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I found this vintage French copper mold on ebay.  It’s actually one of a trio of molds:

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I’m not sure what you would mold in these — maybe pate or aspic?  Maybe they’re just decorative.  Of the three, the pig with his curly little tail is my favorite, and the inspiration for today’s recipe.

Have you ever wondered why a whole roasted pig is usually served with an apple in its mouth?  One urban myth is that it’s to keep the pig’s mouth open in order to let toxic gasses from the pig’s stomach escape during roasting.  It turns out that it’s purely aesthetic.  Reportedly, as the pig roasts, its jaws tighten into an unsightly grimace, and the apple helps prevent, or at least minimize, that.  It is also believed by some that the tradition, which goes back 800 years, may be symbolic of the pig’s life cycle.  In the fall, pigs were fattened up on apples, and an apple in the pig’s mouth is thought to have been a way to symbolize the life and death cycle.

I’m not a big fan of the whole roast pig with an apple in its mouth thing.  Maybe it’s because my dog Jasper likes to pretend he’s a whole roast pig with an apple in his mouth:

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photo-8 copyYou can put lipstick on a pig . . . .

Not long ago, I came home to discover that my friend had dropped off a bunch of leftovers from a business dinner, including roast pig:

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Although there wasn’t enough for a meal for our family, there was plenty to use in Spaghetti Carbonara.  The recipe is adapted from one from Martha Stewart, and although most traditional recipes call for pancetta, you can use any smoked pork product — bacon, Canadian bacon, prosciutto, roast pig — and it will be just as good.  Martha’s calls for half a cup of half and half, but do yourself a favor and just use 2 tablespoons — you’ll still get the desired taste and effect.

The kids were so happy to have this rich dish for dinner that I earned a “thanks for making dinner, Mom.”  They literally pigged out on it.  Were they happy enough to help with the dishes?  Yeah, right, when pigs fly!

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SPAGHETTI CARBONARA
Author: 
Recipe type: Pasta
 
Ingredients
  • 1 pound spaghetti
  • 3 eggs
  • ¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
  • 2 tablespoons half and half
  • ⅓ cup minced roast pig (can substitute bacon, ham, etc.)
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add spaghetti and cook according to package instructions until al dente.
  2. While pasta is cooking, whisk together eggs, Parmesan cheese, and half and half in a medium bowl.
  3. Drain pasta and transfer to large bowl, Immediately add egg mixture to hot pasta and toss to combine (the heat from the pasta will cook the eggs). Add roast pig, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese, as desired, and serve immediately.

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Kids were happy as pigs in mud eating Spaghetti Carbonara!