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Veal Milanese – or Pork

June 18, 2020 by Mary

Veal Milanese with Mizuna salad topping.

My late husband (Why do they call it late? He’s not coming back, unfortunately, so he’s not late for anything.) would always order this dish – Veal Milanese – if it was on the menu. I would think, yuck, fried meat. Fattening. I’ll never have that.

I had been so conditioned as a child that fried things were SO fattening that I shouldn’t ever go near them.

And just look what I’ve been missing out on!!

With Covid-19…

In this Covid-19 time, anytime there is something new in the grocery store, excitement, almost giddiness, bubbles up. Well at my little local store upstate, they had veal scaloppine in the meat case!! Bingo! Something different – I’m in!

So now what to do with it?

Veal Milanese!

Of course, I always loved the salad part. Because I also love warm meat with a cool salad, this seemed to hit the spot. The true recipe calls for arugula but I substituted these mizuna greens – so delicious and a tiny bit bitter – so yummy – but hard to find and the season is short. You can use any greens you like but I would not recommend romaine. I used it once here and the greens really need to be softer in this case.

Have fun with the salad part

But have some fun with the salad part! You can use large tomatoes and slice thinner wedges, or skip the cheese and add thinly sliced radishes. Anything goes to your heart’s desire!!

Well I made this once, and then I made it again and again within 2 weeks!

In all honesty, the panko crumbs and cheese mixture were enough for at least 2 servings, but then I did have to add to it for the third round. The second time I made it with a pork chop! Equally delicious, just a little more cooking time in the oven as I opted to not pound it thin.

And then the third time, they had veal scaloppine again.

It is often hard cooking for one and getting portions right or making sure you’re not eating the same thing four times in one week.

The anniversary of Steve’s passing is TODAY. It is three years since he’s been gone and sorely missed by all of us. We had a family Zoom call recounting “Steve stories”.

So count your blessings, enjoy and cherish what you have today and don’t let a day go by without telling the people you love that you love them.

VEAL MILANESE – serves 2

Ingredients

1/3 cup flour
1 egg beaten with 2 tablespoons water
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano, plus a little extra for shaving over the top
1/2 cup Panko, pound more finely with a rolling pin or wooden mallet
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 veal scaloppini, pounded to 1/4-inch thickness, about 6 ounces each
About 1/3 cup Canola oil
2 big handfuls of baby arugula, or mizuna, or other soft farmer’s market lettuce
8 cherry tomatoes, cut into quarters, or 1 large tomato cut into thin wedges
Extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 lemon, cut in half

Your dipping plates in order, right to left and then to your hot skillet with oil.

Directions

Place flour in one shallow bowl or pie plate and beaten egg in a second. Combine parmesan and Panko in third and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Dredge veal in LOVE, flour, then egg. Allow excess egg to drip off, then transfer to Panko mixture. Turn to coat evenly, pressing crumbs in so they adhere. Transfer scaloppini to a large plate.

Add oil to a small skillet and heat over medium-high heat until shimmering and some Panko crumbs dropped in the oil immediately start bubbling. Carefully add one piece of veal to hot oil. Cook, until golden brown on the first side, about 1 1/2 minutes. Carefully turn with tongs and cook until second side is golden brown, about 1 minute longer. Adjust heat as necessary to prevent oil from burning—veal should bubble steadily. Transfer veal to paper towel-lined plate and season immediately with fine sea salt. Repeat with second veal scaloppine.

Toss arugula, tomatoes, and some of the extra parmesan shavings in a medium bowl with olive oil and lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Immediately serve the veal topped with the salad and additional parmesan.

Alternatively, you can use a pork chop. If not pounded thin, heat oven to 350 degrees F. Dip in flour, egg and panko and fry for 3 – 4 minutes on each side. Drain on a paper towel lined ovenproof plate. Then place in the oven for 5 – 7 minutes until the instant read thermometer registers 140 degrees.

Top with salad and enjoy!!

New Friends from The Plaza and a New Year’s Crostini Appetizer Recipe with Roasted Grapes

December 30, 2014 by Mary

We went off to see The Theory of Everything yesterday – something our new friends from The Plaza said we had to see. And then I’d like to tell you about this new appetizer that I made that was really different, delicious, and surprising. I think it would be a great a addition to your New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day celebrations. Later, I’ll tell you all about our Christmas dinner with a terrific new salad, but here’s the New Year’s Crostini Appetizer Recipe with Roasted Grapes.

But first, let me tell you this wonderful story – an only “in New York City” story. Could have definitely been a Woody Allen movie.

The day after Christmas, we went to see The Imitation Game at the Paris theatre, across the street from The Plaza. After the very crowded (where did all these people come from?) movie, my husband, Steve, asked if The Plaza was still a hotel. I said yes, partly, and partly condos and then suggested we go have a drink there before heading home.

So there we went and were ushered to a round table right next to a lovely couple who immediately engaged me, (Steve had gone to the bathroom), in conversation, asking what brought me to The Plaza, thinking I was from out-of-town. Well one thing led to another and here we were, the four of us talking for nearly an hour – about life, business, and the secret to a wonderful life. He was 86 and she was 82 and let me tell you, they both looked amazing!!! (I wanted to ask what brand of neck cream she used.) Seriously beautiful, she looked more like 62. They lived in The Plaza – a dream of hers since being a little girl, raised in New Jersey. Her first husband, as she said, dropped dead in front of her at the age of 29. She was 28, with 2 kids. (Can you imagine?) Then, family members recommended she go to the Concord for a vacation, to possibly meet a nice Jewish man. (The Concord – the precursor to JDate!) And that she did, and met Bert, (I have changed their names as I didn’t ask permission to tell their story.) and now they’ve been married for 52 years! Bert made a hugely successful insurance business in the ensuing years, with his wife helping him at his side, hiring his sales force of 250+ people.

So Bert goes on to say that there are three things necessary for a very happy life. One, you must have close family and friends; two, good health; and three is: money! You need money to do the things you need to do and to be able to give it away freely to help others. He said the more you give away, the more comes back to you.

Bert, you know, is absolutely right!

Oh and one more thing they said that they do. They tell each other they love each other, many times, every day, and even more so now as they’ve gotten older.

What a wonderful couple. May you all meet people like this who inspire and delight you in your travels of life!

On to my appetizer – this could be a great starter to your next holiday meal and perfect for New Year’s Eve. The basis of this recipe came from a recent Food and Wine magazine, but of course, I have changed it. The roasted grapes end up looking like olives so this can be a delightful sweet surprise when you bite into it as the roasting only heightens the sweetness of the grapes.

Getting ready to roast the grapes with rosemary for a crostini grape appetizer.

Isn’t this just so pretty?

NEW YEAR’S CROSTINI APPETIZER WITH ROASTED GRAPES – serves 4

1 lb. seedless mixed red and black grapes, stems discarded
1 Tbs. balsamic vinegar, regular or aged
2 rosemary sprigs, plus chopped fresh rosemary for garnish
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Flaky French sea salt
Pepper
3 Tbs. pine nuts
Twelve 1/2-inch-thick baguette slices
1/2 cup fresh ricotta cheese
Honey
Finely grated lemon zest, for serving

Preheat the oven to 400°. On a parchment paper-lined baking sheet, toss the grapes with the vinegar, rosemary sprigs and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Roast for 15 – 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the grapes are softened.

Meanwhile, spread the pine nuts in a pie plate and roast in the oven for 6 to 8 minutes, until golden. Brush the baguette slices with the remaining 1 Tbs. of olive oil. Arrange on a baking sheet and toast for about 8 minutes, until golden and crisp.

To assemble the crostini, place the toasts on a serving platter and spread some of the ricotta onto each toast. Spoon the warm grapes with their juices on top and sprinkle with the pine nuts. Top with a drizzle of honey and some lemon zest. Sprinkle the crostini with salt and garnish with chopped rosemary. Serve with LOVE. Enjoy!!

Lovely Lemon Bars

September 27, 2013 by Mary Frances

Lovely lemon bars you will LOVE!

I adore lemon bars. My mother used to make them for us when we were kids. I loved having them in my lunch bag. I loved the powdered sugar on top and the buttery crust on the bottom. I loved the fact that it was a rectangle. (The graphic designer in me at an early age.) And I loved licking the last bit of powdered sugar off of the Saran wrap.

When we moved into our NYC apartment six years ago, my friend Leslie and her husband Rainer came to visit. Leslie and I went to high school together in Webster Groves, Missouri. And now we both live here. Her last name started with Pa and mine started with Pi so our lockers were right next to one another for our four years at Nerinx Hall. The nuns liked that type of organization.

Leslie brought the cookbook from Tartine, the famous pastry shop in San Francisco, as a housewarming gift. It is a beautiful book filled with the richest recipes for sweet and savory specialties. We’re talking mucho butter. She wrote on the opening page, “…when things get a little crazy living in crowded New York … just remember to enjoy one of the desserts in this book – and you will return to a mellow state as “DESSERTS” is actually “STRESSED” in reverse!”

Now I really don’t like to cook with a lot of butter. I consider myself a clean and healthy cook, which I really am. (Do I sound like I’m trying to justify myself here? Yes I am!)

But you see, every once in while, you can splurge. And this is a recipe to splurge on. This is a heightened, no, magnified version of my mother’s lemon bars. An adult lemon bar. A sinful lemon bar. These have the richest, buttery crust with the addition of pine nuts for a surprising delightful crunch. The lemon filling is so so lemony. No fooling around here. This is one serious, OMG lemon bar.

Just give these a go. Add your own LOVE and you will have everyone drooling. Truly!

LEMON BARS ON BROWN BUTTER SHORTBREAD – makes 12 bars – from the Tartine cookbook

CRUST FOR LEMON BARS
½ cup of confectioner’s sugar
1½ cups of all-purpose flour
¾ cup of unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup of pine nuts (optional)

FILLING FOR LEMON BARS
½ cup of all-purpose flour
2 1/4 cups of sugar
1 cup + 2 tbs. of lemon juice
Lemon zest, grated from 1 lemon
6 large whole eggs
1 large egg yolk
1 pinch of salt
confectioner’s sugar for topping (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking pan.

MAKE THE CRUST
Sift the confectioner’s sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the flour and stir to mix. Add the butter, and pine nuts (if using) and beat on low speed. Beat just until a smooth dough forms.

Transfer the dough to the prepared pan and press evenly into the bottom and ½ inch up the sides of the pan. It should be about ¼ inch thick. Even out the crust by using the flat bottom of any type of cup, pressing down firmly. Line the crust with parchment paper and fill with pie weights, dry rice or peas. Bake for 25 – 35 minutes. Make sure the color is a deep golden brown color. Rotate the pan if the crust appears to be baking unevenly.

MAKE THE FILLING
While baking the crust, make the filling. Sift the flour into a mixing bowl. Add the sugar and whisk until blended. Add the lemon juice and zest and stir to dissolve sugar. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk the eggs and egg yolk with the salt. (This breaks down the protein.) Add the eggs to the lemon juice mixture and whisk until well mixed.

When the crust is ready, pull out the oven rack that is holding the baked crust. Remove the weights and put pan back on the oven rack. Pour the filling directly into the hot pan – it is easiest to do so when the pan can slide right back into the oven.

If the crust has come out of the oven and cooled down before you have finished making the filling, put it back in for a few minutes so that it is hot when the custard is poured into it.

Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees. Bake for 30 – 40 minutes just until the center of the custard is no longer wobbly.

Let cool completely on a wire rack, then cover and chill well before cutting. Use a sharp knife and cut it into 12 squares. You can serve with confectioner’s sugar dusted on top of the squares. They will keep in an airtight container or well covered in the baking dish in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. I have also wrapped each one individually in plastic wrap and carefully placed 4 of them in a large Ziploc bag and frozen them to serve at a later date. Thaw in the refrigerator and touch up the powdered sugar and serve. No one will know you made them weeks ago.

MARY’s secret ingredients summer 2015 box revealed!!

July 10, 2015 by Mary

Sand, surf and summer!!! You have got to check out this video created by our amazing and very talented team!! So FUN!!

The summer box is awesome if I may say so myself. Full of great new products that are sure to inspire your barbecues and beach parties. We hope to make your summertime living easy and these products will do it. And thank you for your purchase because each one helps us in our partnership with Feed The Children, as no one should go hungry.

We hope to inspire healthy eating for you and we want to eradicate hunger in the world.

That’s all.

Fall box mails on September 25^th. Remember there’s only a limited supply so order now!! They make a great gift and we can enclose a lovely note card with your message.

Here are all the products in the summer box:

Chipz Happen

Chipz Happen, a family owned and operated business, manufactures a line of gourmet tortilla chips. Created by our “Mom” over 25 years ago in her kitchen for family and friends, she took a bold leap of faith at the age of 73 to launch a company. Our mission is to produce products that are made with limited, premium ingredients that consumers can understand.

We offer four unique flavor profiles** and all of our products are gluten free, non-GMO, no trans fats, artificial ingredients or preservatives.** Parmesan Garlic, Spice-z Parmesan Garlic, Cinnful Sweet Heat and Himalayan Pink Salt.Cinnful Sweet Heat: The first DESSERT tortilla chip made with an unexpected “kick” at the end. Similar to a bunuelo but made with corn, this GLUTEN FREE tortilla chip is like traditional cinnamon and sugar with a little heat of cayenne.

Serve it over vanilla ice cream for a Sweet Heat experience or crunch over pancakes, apple pie or any of your favorite desserts for an unforgettable burst of flavor.

Delta Blues Rice

Delta Blues Rice is grown, milled, and packaged on a multi-generational family farm that has been in operation for over 90 years in the Mississippi Delta. The rich soil of the Delta has given birth to both agriculture and the Blues, feeding both the body and the soul of our country.

Delta Blues Rice Grits: Delta Blues Rice Grits are a delicious and versatile byproduct of the rice milling process. Traditionally known as “middlins,” rice grits are actually broken pieces of rice. The broken pieces cook up creamy with a texture that is perfect for sauces. Grits can also be cooked as a risotto or eaten plain with butter, salt, and pepper.

Love Grown Foods

Love Grown Foods was started to put healthier foods on the shelves because we are passionate about making delicious and nutritious foods available to everyone. We are also committed to educating kids, parents, and teachers about the importance of eating healthy.

Chocolate Power O’s: Power O’s will revolutionize your breakfast. Made with navy beans, garbanzo beans, and lentils, Power O’s are a powerfully nutritious cereal and a great way to power up your day!

Rufus Teague

Rufus Teague Made Some Sauce. He put some in a jar and shared it with the boys. They kept on painin’ him ‘til he fixed up another batch. Next thing he knew he’s makin’ sauce all the time. It’s damn good. All natural, gluten free.

Touch O’ Heat Barbeque Sauce: Rufus spiced it up a bit with this one. He always said, “A touch of heat will let you know it’s there”. Trust me, you’ll know the heat is there hangin’ out with all that delicious sweetness. This one’s special.

SpeegeeCo

My name’s Anthony Silva and I’m the founder of SpeegeeCo. I’m just a regular guy that loves to cook and try out recipes, while keeping things cost efficient. When faced with the plight of not wanting to buy anymore cooking tools just to try new recipes, was when the Speegee was born! The Speegee is a reinvention of the globally used silicone spatula. I found myself with cluttered kitchen drawers filled with items I’ve only used once, and tons of silicone spatulas! I asked myself, “Why have so many spatulas when it only really does a couple of jobs?”

Speegee Spatula: The Speegee was designed to accomplish any task that the spatula could, plus a whole lot more! From mixing, to folding, to spreading icing, transferring food, effortlessly scraping the sides of large pots, and even cutting, the Speegee outclasses the boring, old silicone spatula in every way. There’s no longer a need to clutter your drawers and spend a fortune on new tools, when one tool does it all!

Villa de Patos

Since 1980, Villa de Patos has combined ancient traditions with the newest technology to provide products that embody all that nature has to offer. Their products are minimally processed, or as we like to say, are preserved from the goodness from nature. Rooted in Aztec tradition and carefully crafted, Villa de Patos Maguey Sapis an ideal, unrefined and unprocessed alternative sweetener. Featured in Food & Wine as one of the top 10 objects of their obsession, Maguey Sap has a very unique flavor profile and tons of versatility in baked goods, marinades, dairy products, beverages and so much more.

Maguey Sap: Since Maguey Sap is never-heated and is all-natural, it is considered a “live” product meaning the colors will change gradually over time. The starting light amber color is ideal to use as an everyday sweetener, and the dark, rich brown color adds a one-of-a-kind flavor in sweet and savory dishes.

Potatoes Mary

March 3, 2014 by Mary

Since our children are no longer home, and as we have gotten older, I try to prevent the weight gain that happens with the slower metabolism by just not making or serving carbs at dinnertime. I try with all my might to keep in shape, (except for the couple of chocolates after dinner on weekends) but you know, I don’t consider myself too successful. I never really lost all the weight from having my boys. And you’re now talking 25 years ago.

Did I tell you I hate to shop for clothes? Seriously, I hate it. I always have. I love it when my husband buys me outfits and he does the work and lately, I guess because I haven’t shopped in so long, he went out and bought me two! The first was one of my Christmas gifts. A pair of really skinny, hip hugger jeans (that’s what we used to call them) and a beautiful navy shirt with sheer sleeves. Honestly, I was afraid to try the jeans on. I waited a few weeks. But miraculously, they fit! And they’re even a size 8 – but I think they’re making all the sizes more generous now – and they really should be a 10. Whatever, I was just so happy they fit and I didn’t have to tell him I had to take them back for a larger size.

I was reminded of a lunch I had some months ago with my friend Sharon, who is just a couple of years younger than me. Sharon is in good shape – don’t get me wrong – but she said she was with another friend who was helping her clean out her closets and her friend told her to throw out all the clothes that were too small because she thought they would constantly depress her. So Sharon decided right then and there that she didn’t have to strive for still being in her twenties. She said she gave it up!

Me? I’d like to think that I’m still nineteen – hell – forget the twenties – I want to be nineteen again! And I’m not giving up – and still striving for the body – not that I’m there – but you know what I mean?

So recently I had lunch with my friend Marie who is a few years older than me and she said she understood me. She was in that frame of mind in the past, but she thought she had moved to Sharon’s camp now. I was wearing the new outfit at that lunch and the jeans are not all that comfortable – but I’ll suffer for fashion every once in a while.

Who’s camp are you in?

We have been entertaining a lot and when we entertain, we do always serve a carb. Lately I’ve been making these potatoes – similar to Potatoes Anna but not done in the oven and not nearly with the amount of butter James Beard would call for. So let’s call these Potatoes Mary. They’re easy to do as long as you have a hand mandoline. Cook them slowly while you’re having cocktails, flip carefully and you’ll turn out a delicious and impressive looking dish for your guests.

POTATOES MARY – serves 6 – 8

6 – 7 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed and sliced thin on a mandoline (you can peel these but I don’t if they’re really fresh – my mother always said the skin was good for you – made your own skin pretty!)
1 tbs. olive oil
2 tbs. unsalted butter, divided
1 tbs. chopped fresh thyme leaves
Salt
Pepper

Slice your potatoes right before using. Warm the olive oil with 1 tbs. of butter on medium heat in a non-stick skillet. When butter is melted, swirl together and start laying the potatoes in the skillet, overlapping them in a round fashion, making sure the overall thickness is even and using 1/2 – 2/3 of them. Then stop and salt and pepper over the top. Sprinkle the thyme leaves evenly over the surface and dot with the remaining tbs. of butter. Layer in evenly the rest of the potatoes, and salt and pepper the final top surface.

Cover the skillet for 15 – 20 minutes. The potatoes will sweat and cook. Check the bottom carefully with a spatula to make sure the bottom is not browning too much. Uncover the skillet after the 15 – 20 minutes to let some of the accumulated moisture dry up as you’re aiming for a crispy bottom, yet all the potatoes must be tender and creamy so check them with a fork in the center, cooking them for 10 – 15 minutes longer on this side, uncovered. When they’re pretty dry on top as the photo shows, slide them out of the skillet onto a plate. Then cover the plate with an unrimmed cookie sheet and flip them over. Now slide the whole potato gallette back into the skillet to brown the other side. Cook for 15 – 20 minutes more to slowly brown the other side. Keep checking with a fork. If they are not getting tender, cover them for a bit but you want to end up with your last 10 minutes or so uncovered to get them crispy. Carefully slide the whole shebang out of the skillet and onto a serving plate.

Cut like a pie into wedges. Serve with LOVE.

Delicious crab cakes

December 29, 2011 by Mary Frances

A traditional Polish Christmas Eve dinner is comprised of numerous courses of fish. It was a sin, way back, to eat meat on Christmas Eve and many folks fasted all day too.

However, my brother David was born on Christmas Eve so things got all catawampus at our house. David is the second oldest, was born with no name in mind. The story goes that after attending midnight mass, my father went back to the hospital and said he had to be named David, as that was the most mentioned name in the entire service.

Then I moved to New York and every Jewish person I met was totally surprised that our Catholic family had a son named David! Oy vey!

Well David and his brood (7 kids and 10 grandchildren with 2 more on the way) still live in St. Louis. So all of us on the East coast could go back to a more traditional meal, rather than his birthday request.

Here is what I served for this year.

Appetizers:
Taramusalata with red pepper and celery sticks
Greek cheese & aged Gouda with Breton crackers
Beautiful bunch of grapes

Dinner:
Crab cakes on a bed of Boston lettuce with chipotle mayonnaise and 1/2 slice of warm homemade Polish bread just out of the oven.
Steamed whole striped bass with ginger and lemon
Fennel salad
Coarse bulgar with olive oil and parsley
Oven roasted plum tomatoes with oregano

Dessert:
Christmas cookies, of course!

David’s wife, Pat, requested the crab cake recipe. This is from Preston Clark at Food and Wine magazine and it is the best crab cake recipe I have found so far. Now my husband is from Baltimore, so this is a big deal. Baltimoreans know their crab and they serve up the BEST jumbo lump crab cakes. A fine restaurant there will never use a lot or maybe any breading, but then I could never figure out how they got them to hold together because every time I would try to replicate their recipes, they would taste good, but look terrible as they always fell apart.

This recipe uses another fish as a binding – it’s genius! Fresh and full of flavor with the jalapeños and scallions, and crispy on the outside, you will love these. And they hold together nicely.

Crab cake on a Boston lettuce leaf with organic watercress and chipotle mayo

Here you go!

CRISP CRAB CAKES WITH CHIPOTLE MAYONNAISE – ADAPTED FROM PRESTON CLARK
-serves 8 as a first course or 4 as a main

Crab Cakes
1/4 – 1/2 lb. skinless flounder fillet, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
5 scallions, thinly sliced
3 jalapeños, seeded and minced
3 tbs. fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 tbs. chopped parsley
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
3/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 lb. lump or jumbo lump crabmeat, picked over for shells, lay out on a paper towel and pat dry on top
1 1/4 cups panko bread crumbs
Pure olive oil, for frying (I think I might try canola or peanut next time to get it at a higher temperature.)

Chipotle Mayonnaise
This makes a lot and all is not necessary for the crab cakes, but you can use leftovers for other meat sandwiches, especially turkey would be good
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 chipotle chile in adobo, seeded and minced (or leave the seeds in if you like it spicey – I did)
1 tbs. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. Old Bay Seasoning
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
Salt and freshly ground pepper

To make the cakes:
In a mini food processor, puree the fish. A small fillet is about 8 oz and my fishmonger wouldn’t sell any less so I used the whole 1/2 lb. and pureed it in two batches. Transfer the pureed fish to a large bowl and add the scallions, jalapeños, lemon juice, parsley, cayenne, salt, pepper and mayonnaise and mix thoroughly. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the crabmeat. Form the mixture into 8 cakes. Place the panko in a pie plate and gently coat the cakes with the panko and refrigerate for 30 minutes. It is important to refrigerate them for at least 30 minutes, so you can handle them and they hold their shape when frying.

To make the mayonnaise:
In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, chipotle, lemon juice, Old Bay and mustard and season with salt and black pepper. Cover and refrigerate.

To fry the cakes:
In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1/4 inch of oil until shimmering. Add the crab cakes and cook over moderate heat until browned and heated through, about 3 minutes per side. Use 2 skillets or do 2 batches as 4 at a time is enough.

To serve:
I served the crab cakes on a bed of one Boston lettuce leaf topped with watercress with a dab of the chipotle mayonnaise. Squeeze a tiny bit of fresh lemon juice on the outside rim of the lettuce, before placing on the crab cake, then put on your dab of mayonnaise.

So pretty. So fresh. So good!!

Covered bread

Homemade Polish bread on a white napkin.

Homemade Polish bread – the slight sweetness of this bread offset the spiciness of the crab cake with chipotle mayo – yummy!

Amazing tomato chicken braise

June 5, 2013 by Mary Frances

I made the most amazing dinner Monday night, if I might say so myself.

Back when I really started cooking, my youngest son (who inscribed the cookbook in the About section) would say to me, “Mom, repeat after me, ‘Yes, I really am a good cook.'” However, I often didn’t, and still don’t now, know what I’m going to cook on any given night — meaning I don’t use recipes and I haven’t necessarily bought things that make sense for one. I usually make up something that I am in the mood for on the subway ride home. I think you have to cook something that you like, something that gets you excited, because that’s part of imparting your love into the dish. Fortunately, my family is usually okay with this.

So on Monday, I had a whole chicken and was tired of making roast chicken. I also had 6 plum tomatoes that needed to be used and was in the mood for a tomato chicken stew over some light pasta. I thought it would be good.

My husband said, “Stew? It’s too hot for stew. I could eat roast chicken again.” Not me. So then I said, “Call it a braise. I have an idea and I think you’ll like it.” (He had seconds. And it was in the 70s and rainy on Monday.)

I started making it, determined to change his mind and make something he would love.

It was fantastic!! Light and packed with flavor and very clean tasting. Actually there is very little oil or fat in this dish. I must say that I also used my Le Creuset Dutch oven to cook this in and I do think that makes a difference. It is such a great pot and no one pays me to say that.

I hope you will give this a go, in whatever pot you have. You will not be disappointed.

FRESH TOMATO CHICKEN BRAISE – serves 4

1 tbs. olive oil
1 whole chicken, washed and thoroughly dried, backbone cut out (save for stock) and cut into 6 – 8 pieces, depending on if you want to cut the breasts in half
Salt
Fresh ground pepper
1 large onion, chopped
5 – 7 cloves of garlic, minced
1 carrot, scraped and chopped into 1/4” pieces
4 anchovy fillets, drained, patted dry and chopped
2 tbs. water
6 plum tomatoes
4 sun dried tomatoes, packed in oil, drained and chopped
1 large sprig of fresh oregano
4 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 lb. thin fettucine
Pecorino Romano cheese for grating – optional

Trim all the fat from the chicken. Wash and dry your pieces thoroughly. Salt and pepper both sides to taste. Heat the oil on medium-high heat in a Dutch oven and place in chicken, skin side down. Brown on each side for 5 – 6 minutes, using a metal spatula to turn the chicken over, so you don’t lose the skin. Remove the chicken from the pot and place on a deep plate or pie plate, as juices will collect.

Add the onion, garlic, anchovies and carrot to the Dutch oven. Add 2 tbs. water and lower heat to low and cover, to sweat the vegetables and make them sweet. Scape up the bits from the bottom of the pan and stir. After about 5 – 7 minutes, they should have succumbed and become tender and rich.

Add your browned chicken back in and blanket with the chopped plum tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes, thyme and oregano. Cover and on low heat, cook for 7 minutes, stir and turn chicken over, cover and cook for another 7 minutes until done. Remove from heat, covered and let sit for 5 – 7 minutes. Temperature on an instant read thermometer should read 155 – 160 degrees.

Meanwhile, cook dried fettucine in salted boiling water 1-2 minutes less than the package directions. Drain and toss with a little olive oil.

Serve the pasta topped with the chicken and the sauce. Pass the Pecorino Romano cheese and grater if you like. I did, my husband didn’t.

This dish was so very flavorful and clean tasting – rich and buttery tasting, yet no butter and very little olive oil or chicken fat to speak of – just delicious, full bodied, clean tasting richness. I know that doesn’t make sense – just trust me – this was very good! The fresh tomatoes were ripe and bright, anchovies always add a burst of flavor and the carrot sweetened it all. Not to mention the herbs were just cut from my garden upstate the day before. We are very lucky to have that, I know.

I served this with baby bok choy from Ethel’s garden, sautéed with a little olive oil, water, garlic, salt and pepper. Just delicious!

Whether you make this dish or your own concoction, make it with LOVE and it will taste amazing! Truly!

Now I digress. Very early this morning I had a dream about my youngest son. He was back to being three years old and had a large, terrible wound on his back with a scab, and it was in the shape of a heart! He didn’t mind it, unless you touched it. It was almost as if he didn’t know it was there, he was such a trouper. But I was so concerned for him. I felt so sorry. I wanted to keep sleeping and stay in the dream to make sure he was okay and not in pain. He seemed to know how he got it – some sort of scuffle with another kid – like he knew what he doing and was okay with the wound. Very weird.

Any dream interpreters out there?

What is it??

October 10, 2012 by Mary Frances

Our wonderful friend, Carl, presented this gift to us at lunch last week. He was so excited! He was recently visiting Berlin and saw a kitchen shop there near the train station and knew he had to run in and see if he could find this for us.

Steve and I looked at one another. We were perplexed.

Certainly for him to think of us while he was vacationing in the Eastern Block was so generous of him but what the hell was this thing? And Carl was oh so very careful in taking it out of the bag and setting it on the table.

At our lunch together the last time, we had this big discussion on eggs! The variety of ways to cook them, how wonderful creamy and dreamy local farm fresh eggs taste these days and how not to have them crack when making hard or soft boiled eggs.

Well, this is an egg piercer!

When you unlock it by twisting it, a needle pops up. You place the raw egg on this baby and pierce a hole, to prevent it from cracking when boiling it.

Isn’t that cool?

I suppose, if you’re really a Martha Stewart or Sandra Lee, around Easter time, you could pierce both ends and blow out the eggs and paint and enamel them for eternity, or make Christmas ornaments, or whatever. Now I see people even hanging painted and colored eggs from trees at Easter!

So, my husband, Steve, makes breakfast for both of us during the week. I only do it on weekends. (Yes he is a sweetie.) So this is his tool. I think he’s getting used to it. He’s only broken one egg.

Crystal Lake in Barton, Vermont

August 23, 2014 by Mary

Our visit to my brother and sister-in-law, Steve and Trish, at their vacation home on Crystal Lake in Barton, Vermont was filled with great food, amazing wine and wonderful times to create lasting memories. We picked up our youngest son, Zach and his girlfriend, Agata, arriving from Germany, at the airport last week on Thursday and headed straight up north. Barton is a quiet village with a population of 720, near the Canadian border. This makes for a marked contrast to the hustle and bustle of our daily lives in NYC. We have been going up there for 34 years now and not much has changed. Crystal Lake is aptly named. It is very crystal clear.

Steve and Trish are the most amazing hosts. They planned every meal to perfection along with delicious pairings of wine. (you may remember that Steve has a wine and food pairing blog – www.wineandfoodpairings.net) We were joined by their friends, Dana and Richard. (They are the owners of the beautiful Bernese mountain dog, Otis.) Richard was celebrating a birthday last Saturday, and he brought some fantastic champagne, French Chardonnays plus a magnum of Tensley Syrah from CA and a 1977 port! Both Richard and Steve have full wine cellars. Richard said that since it was his birthday, he picked very special bottles he had been saving and felt like a kid in his own candy store. We got to be the lucky beneficiaries!

We arrived home this past Wednesday, relaxed, refreshed, and happy. We all ate and drank too much – but I’m not sorry. Here are some visual highlights so you can take a vicarious tour of our little vaca. I wish I would have taken more pictures, but I was too busy drinking all the delicious wine.

We are a cooking family! Here’s Trish’s agile hands on the mandolin cutting raw zucchini into pasta-like strips to make Jenny Ross’s zucchini pasta with lemon pistachio pesto recipe from Jenny’s cookbook, Raw Basics. Jenny has the restaurant 118 Degrees in Costa Mesa, CA, where everything is served at 118 degrees or less. It was delicious!! Totally raw and totally healthy.

Here’s my brother, Steve completing his fresh tomatoes and basil side, with balsamic vinegar pearls or as he likes to call them, balsamic caviar. This is made with the Molecular Gastronomy Kit by Cuisine R-evolution. To make them you put a tall glass of vegetable oil in the freezer for 30 minutes. Combine agar-agar with balsamic and bring to boil. Fill a pipette (dropper) with this mixture and then slowly drip the liquid from the pipette into the cold oil. The pearls will form and then you use a sieve to remove pearls from the oil, rinse with water and serve. Pretty cool, eh?

Zach and Agata helping themselves to my brother’s famous grilled baby back ribs. What a beautiful meal with a gorgeous wine pairing!! The Williams Selyem vineyard is one of my brother’s favorites, and mine too!

Having just come back from spending the summer in Europe, Zach and Agata wanted to make some traditional food for us for lunch – borscht and pierogi.

Here’s Zach’s Ukrainian style borscht, which was delicious and oh so healthy with homemade chicken broth. (I liked it with a small dollop of sour cream.) They brought back a bottle of wine from Georgia to give to my brother. They said they knew that it was a little like bringing sand to the beach, but did you know that Georgia has some of the oldest wine producing regions on earth? I surely didn’t.

The pierogi ready to boil. Agata made 71 of them!! Aren’t they beautiful?

The finished pierogi with a bacon onion topping. Delish!!

The starting point of my 10 mile bike ride around neighboring Lake Willoughby.

Waterfalls along the way.

Steve and Steve (my husband and brother) out for an afternoon cruise. You can see just how clear the water is.

Always a highlight of a Vermont visit is the weather permitting, early evening cocktail cruise. Here’s our appetizer tray for one evening – homemade kale chips, jalapeño hummus, vegetable dipping sticks and lightly salted cashews.

My husband enjoying the cruise. Notice the “S” on his hat – so he doesn’t forget his name is Steve! (Actually it’s from Summit, NJ baseball when our boys played.)

Now you’ll notice I have no mention of my meal made there, as my Provencial chicken got quite the blackened treatment from a fire on the grill. Although it still tasted good and seconds were had, it was not something to share in a photograph.

I hope you all have been able to fit in relaxing vacation time this summer as well. School is starting soon!

A very special day.

November 27, 2011 by Mary Frances

Yesterday was my birthday and as has become a tradition from my husband and sons, I am to stay out of the kitchen the whole day and only do what I want. Pretty special! So I slept late, went for long bike ride, chatted with an old friend (actually my second employee who never forgets my birthday after all these years) from San Francisco and then some of us went to the movies to see J. Edgar.

Zach and his Polish girlfriend, Agata, made breakfast and lunch, while my husband and my eldest son made dinner. Breakfast and lunch were surprises to me while the dinner menu was my request. All were amazing!!

Homemade Polish bread on a wooden cutting board.

Polish homemade bread

We have a bread recipe in our family from my grandmother that I usually make on each holiday. Since we were all spending Thanksgiving at my brother, Steve’s house in CT, Agata volunteered to make the bread. Yipee!! This is a yeast number with 2 risings and takes about 6 hours. So it was a treat to have someone else offer to make it! The most interesting thing is that her family has a really similar recipe to ours and she made a few modifications to match ours exactly, as she had tasted my bread last Christmas. Nowhere else have we ever run into this! Most people think of babka or some form of that when you say Polish bread but this is a slightly cakey, eggy version and she said we do it a little sweeter than her family.

Polish vegetable and cheese salad in a blue and white bowl.

Polish vegetable/cheese salad

She did a beautiful job!! See the photo – light, airy and just the right texture. So for breakfast she made us all a breakfast her grandmother used to make for her! Egg salad (with Tom and Ethel’s delicious farm fresh eggs) and another dish that is a mixture of fresh peeled cucumbers, Farmer’s cheese, creme fraiche, tomatoes, garlic and chives. For each bite, we put a spoonful of either one on a piece of toasted homemade bread, and it was yummy! Creamy, light, refreshing and different! All things I LOVE!

Creamy egg salad

Right after breakfast, Agata got to work on lunch. From scratch, she made nearly 70 pierogis! They were delicious. They were stuffed with a mixture of sautéed onion, mashed potatoes and Farmers cheese and then topped with a light sauce of onions and bacon. Served with a chilled glass of Sauvignon Blanc and we were all happy campers!! Just delicious!

A pierogi lunch!

So for dinner, our oldest son made me a terrific Rob Roy straight up. It is one of my favorite cocktails, right up there with a Tanqueray 10 straight up martini. A Rob Roy is essentially a slightly sweet Manhattan made with either Scotch or better yet, choose a single malt, like Oban. Add a lemon twist and I am set!

This drink, besides being delicious, always brings back fond memories of the first time I had it. It was at the Windows on the World restaurant at a special event for World Trade Club Members. This was the storied restaurant on top of the World Trade Center. We were doing marketing work for the private club, dealing with the legendary Joe Baum, and they were holding this single malt scotch tasting for club members and we were invited. It was like an accelerated wine tasting. You can get pretty loopy pretty fast and our host was from Scotland, enjoying every moment and Jules, our client, insisted I try this Rob Roy. It was a match for me! You should try it.

Zach, Agata and I played Bananagrams in front of the fire while dinner was being prepared. Because it was my birthday, they let me get away with “luvv” (I kept on getting those darn v’s) and “eazy”. It’s good to be the birthday girl!

I still didn’t win!

But I digress – on to dinner. We started with fresh shrimp sautéed in hot pepper, parsley, garlic, and olive oil, served with warm crusty French bread for dipping in and scooping up every last drop of the delicious olive oil, served with a ’97 San Marco from Tuscany – a beautiful Tuscan red.

Dinner was Chicken Scarpariello served with sides of spaghetti squash with a fresh tomato garlic sauce and oven roasted Brussels sprouts tossed with blue cheese. It was fantastic!! Wine was a Portuguese 2007 red from this wine store we recently found on the Upper East side. Check out Park East Wines and Spirits on York Avenue at 87^th St. Tom Anderer is the Manager and very helpful. He is a certified sommelier.

Dessert was a lovely cheese plate complete with Medjool dates, Golden Delicious apple wedges and toasted walnuts.

Quite a feast! All so wonderful!

Tonight we’re having homemade tomato soup with grilled cheese sandwiches – a break from the richness of the past 3 days. I hope your holiday weekend was also filled with wonderful family times and scrumptious food!