Engaging stories of love, joy, comfort and friendship with proven scrumptious, healthy recipes, we celebrate LOVE as the secret ingredient for wonderful food!

New!

November 17, 2012 by Mary Frances 7 Comments

This past week we had a meeting on lower Broadway and anytime I go there, I must stop in at Fishs Eddy, a fun, everyday china shop. They started out by carrying lines of old restaurant dishes (they even have the Steak ‘n Shake dishes – I worked the counter there in high school), and now have gotten really more interesting. Somebody there is starting to pay attention, and the shop looks great!

I needed some cheering up as I had to have outpatient surgery the next day on Thursday. What makes us so happy about spending money? Or is it really about getting something new? I was also able to pick up some Christmas presents – that always makes me feel so accomplished when it’s early. (I’m usually running around the city buying for everybody the week before December 25th.)

Well, I thought that perhaps you all might be getting tired of looking at the same old serving bowls here at LOVE, so I bought this bright red one. Just perfect for the holidays, don’t you think?
My wonderful husband has been cooking since Thursday and just look at how beautiful his steamed broccoli looks in it! He made a little sauce of Dijon mustard and olive oil to lightly drizzle on top. It was delish!

End of season tomatoes

September 30, 2012 by Mary Frances Leave a Comment

This is a big travel time for us – Vermont this past weekend, Vancouver for the next two weekends on business, and then a huge wedding at the Mandarin Oriental in Manhattan after that. We won’t be back at our country house for a month so I had to pick all the remaining tomatoes last weekend.

But, the good news is, we love Fried Green Tomatoes!! (great movie too – Kathy Bates and Jessica Tandy are stellar!) I like to slice them about 1/4” thick, soak them in buttermilk for at least 20 minutes and then coat in very fine cornmeal (I use Goya) seasoned with salt and pepper, sauté in very hot olive oil and you are in for a very fine treat!! Since I rarely fry breaded things, it is a real treat for us!

I just read an article in the dining section of The New York Times about buttermilk and apparently Kate’s Real Buttermilk is the real deal, so try to find that or some other organic whole buttermilk instead of skim.

Oven dried and “canned” tomatoes

August 24, 2012 by Mary Frances 2 Comments

Oven dried tomatoes in olive oil with fresh herbs and garlic

My “canned” tomatoes with thyme. CORRECTION – don’t put the thyme in unless you’ve boiled it with the tomatoes – just washed fresh thyme could contaminate

Summer – ready for storage – IN THE FREEZER, SINCE I ADDED THE FRESH THYME

So here’s what I did with the eleven pounds of tomatoes. I made 2 batches of oven dried tomatoes, which my whole family adores. They are very slowly oven dried which brings out intense flavor and sweetness. Drenched in olive oil with crushed fresh garlic and herbs they will keep for a month in the refrigerator – ha – if they should last so long!

What do you do with these? Eat them as they are, as a side with dinner or chop them up and throw in pasta for a quick sauce. Serve with broccoli rabe, sautéed scallops and lemon for a fantastic main course or throw on a pizza. Don’t worry, you will think of a myriad of ways to use them. Just make them and you won’t be sorry. And they’re so easy, all you need is time, 6 – 7 hours and you’re set. The basis of this recipe is from the Union Square Café cookbook.

The “canned” are simply the fresh San Marzano tomatoes, washed, cored and roughly chopped, cooked until the liquid boils and jarred with sprigs of fresh thyme. Ethel encouraged me to do them like this – naked – so I would have choices in the winter to do whatever I wanted with them. I couldn’t resist adding the thyme sprigs from my garden. Besides, it looks so pretty, doesn’t it? I processed these jars for 10 minutes in boiling water. UPDATE: I FOUND OUT THAT THE FRESH, JUST WASHED THYME COULD CONTAMINATE THE TOMATOES, SO DON’T ADD THE THYME AT ALL OR BOIL IT WITH THE TOMATOES.

OVEN DRIED TOMATOES
2 lbs. ripe plum tomatoes or San Marzano
1 tsp. kosher salt
5 garlic cloves, crushed
3-4 thyme sprigs
2 rosemary sprigs
1 sage sprig
Olive oil to cover – can be as much as 2 cups

Wash, core and halve the tomatoes lengthwise. Sprinkle each half with the salt and let sit for one hour. Preheat oven to 200 degrees.

Bake in the oven for 5 – 6 hours. (5 works for me but it depends on your oven). They should be dried but still slightly plump. Let cool. Layer tomatoes, garlic and herbs in a clean glass jar. Cover with olive oil. Store in the refrigerator. Enjoy!!

Salted tomatoes waiting to go into the oven

Zach’s quinoa vegetable dish

June 16, 2012 by Mary Frances 2 Comments

This was the dish my youngest made for me as part of my Mother’s Day dinner. I figured I’d better get this to you before Father’s Day!

While I loved their meal, what I love most is watching the two boys cook. They discuss, they gossip, they argue, and then they break into a dance. They are so funny. They planned the meal together and then each was responsible for certain dishes, as opposed to one being the chef and the other being the sous chef. This dish Zach made up while the older one was a Mark Bittman devotee that night.

I hope you enjoy it!

ZACH’S QUINOA VEGETABLE DISH
5 cups of chicken stock (preferably homemade)
3 zucchinis
3 large carrots, peeled
1 onion
Olive oil
2 cups of quinoa
salt and pepper to taste

Prepare the zucchini and carrots, slicing them thinly, and set them aside. Chop the onion fine as well.

In a large pan, heat a tablespoon of olive oil, add the onions, and cover. Let them simmer, break down and become sweet. While those are cooking, put 4 cups of chicken broth in a saucepan, and bring to a boil. When that boils add the 2 cups of quinoa, turn down the heat, stir and cover; let simmer on low heat for about 12-14 minutes. But don’t forget to stir your onions and check on them!
When your onions look good, add the carrots and final cup of broth. Turn up the heat and let the carrots cook in the boiling broth uncovered. After much of the broth is gone, turn down the heat to a simmer, add the zucchini, and cover the pan. When the zucchini is cooked down, after about 5-7 minutes, add your cooked quinoa and stir. Salt and pepper to taste, but be careful, some store-bought chicken stocks can be salty!

The Best Potato Salad

May 27, 2012 by Mary Frances 8 Comments

Best potato salad with fennel, parmigiano cheese, cippolini onions and piccholine olives.

The Best Potato Salad with fennel, Parmesan cheese, cipollini onions and picholine olives.

The first time I made this was one year ago. Our oldest son was having a party at his apartment where they also have use of the roof. We were invited – unusual for parents! I brought a quadrupled recipe of this along with a rhubarb upside down cake. Both were huge hits!! This potato salad recipe is unusual, surprising and so very tasty. You will love it! This is an adapted version of a Martha Stewart recipe. (Robin – this is for you!)

THE BEST POTATO SALAD – serves 6

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 1/2 pounds baby Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed and halved
3/4 pound cipollini onions, peeled (drop in boiling water for 1-2 minutes to make this easier)
1/8 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
1 cup homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken stock
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon white-wine vinegar
1/2 cup picholine olives, pitted (2 1/2 ounces)
1 small fennel bulb, very thinly sliced (use a mandoline)
1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 ounce Parmesan cheese, shaved (1 cup)

Heat a medium skillet over medium-low heat with oil. Add garlic, and slowly saute for 8 – 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Turn heat to medium-high and add potatoes, onions, and red-pepper flakes. Cook until onions are golden, about 7 minutes.

Add stock, and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook until potatoes and onions are tender, about 10 minutes. Remove potatoes and onions with a slotted spoon. Reserve 1/2 cup cooking liquid.

Combine reserved liquid, vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper. Pour over warm potatoes and onions. You must do this while the potatoes are still warm to ensure maximum flavor. Stir in olives, and let cool completely.

Add fennel and parsley, and combine. Season with salt and pepper. Top with Parmesan.

Take a look at my garden after I took off the “winter blankets” yesterday. My mint, oregano, sage and chives went wild!

My herb garden – “winter blankets” removed!

Chrzan

April 4, 2012 by Mary Frances 2 Comments

No, it’s not a spelling mistake. This is the Polish word for horseradish, but my family used it to mean a dish with beets and horseradish. Chrzan is always a family favorite for Easter morning, served with fresh cooked Polish sausage (not smoked, but fresh or white kielbasa – find a Polish deli in your area), scrambled eggs, and homemade bread with rich butter. My father would always serve a little champagne as well. Somehow we have not kept up the champagne tradition but the bubbly with all of this is a great combination. As my brother Mark used to say, you need the fizz!

This is for you, Julie!

Julie is one of my nieces who made a special request for this recipe and I must tell you, I have a brand new great niece, Morgan, just born on the 27th! Food traditions are wonderful. I hope all you girls keep them up!

Now we all like this a bit hot. Actually the hotter the horseradish, the better. Everyone likes to nearly cry with their nostrils flaring, but these days, it’s hard to find really great horseradish. If you can find some Polish imports, those are best. Horseradish from Poland is a really pristine white, so pretty, not like the Gold’s you can readily find here. Ba-Tempte is another horseradish manufacturer from Brooklyn that is definitely acceptable.

Of course, it’s always about the ingredients. Get the best that you can and it’s best to roast your own beets and slice them thinly on a hand mandolin. Although my mother always used canned whole red beets and sliced them thin with a knife.

Here’s the recipe:

CHRZAN
One bunch of red beets, scrubbed, dried, sprinkled with a little olive oil, salt and pepper, wrapped in aluminum foil and roasted at 400° for about an hour, until very tender when pierced with a skewer
OR one can of whole plain red beets, drained (not pickled)
2 tbs. sugar
1 tbs. white wine vinegar or plain white vinegar
Pinch of salt
Fresh ground pepper
1 jar of horseradish

If using fresh roasted red beets, peel them while still warm. Slice the beets very thinly, preferably on a hand mandolin. Sprinkle on the sugar, vinegar and salt. Toss carefully to combine (don’t break up your beautiful slices) and cover with a plate and let sit at room temperature for one hour. Drain the juice and save. Add the horseradish to taste (I usually add the whole jar) and toss carefully to combine. If you feel it’s dry, add back in some of the juice you saved, although I never do.

Enjoy!!