Tomato Sauce

Recipe Name: Tomato Sauce

Story:
"It brings back so many great memories that I had with Julie in Venice!  She was at cooking school and I was at the mosaic school.  One day I took the water taxi to join her and Enrica Rocca …. It was at the end of the cooking day and waiting for me to taste and savor was the risotto with wild mushrooms!  It was heavenly.  And, once home Julie made this recipe often.  Always good.

Also, once home and for several years, Julie made the homemade tomato sauce!  I don’t know how she did it in her small kitchen!  I have a feeling the dogs had a lot to lick up!" - Sheila

Years you've been making it: Since 2009

Author / Creator: Enrica Rocca

Submitted by: Julie

Ingredients:
20 mils extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves whole
500gr. Cherry tomatoes or baby plum tomatoes whole and washed
1 small bunch of fresh basil leaves
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
In a small frying pan, place the olive oil and garlic and let the garlic infuse with the oil at a very low temperature for as long as you can.

As soon as the garlic becomes brown (don’t let it burn as burned garlic gives a very bitter flavour to the sauce) add all the tomatoes, a bit of salt and close the pan with a lid.

Increase lightly the temperature and let the tomatoes explode which will take approx 10 min. Time will vary depending on the temperature.

Once all the tomatoes are exploded, mash them with a hand potato masher or a wooden spoon.

Now you will have a lot of liquid in the pan, more in the winter when the tomatoes are less ripe.

Keeping the lid off will let the water evaporate till you reach a thick consistency.

Add only at the end the basil as otherwise a lot of the flavour will evaporate.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Notes:

If you wish to use tomato sauce to dress a stuffed pasta (ravioli, tortellini..) it’s better to avoid putting basil, as basil has a very strong flavour, and add some crème fraiche or mascarpone or panna to take off a little bit of acidity that tomatoes have and doesn’t cover the flavour of the pasta filling.

Risotto with Wild Mushrooms

Recipe Name: Risotto with Wild Mushrooms

Story:
"It brings back so many great memories that I had with Julie in Venice!  She was at cooking school and I was at the mosaic school.  One day I took the water taxi to join her and Enrica Rocca …. It was at the end of the cooking day and waiting for me to taste and savor was the risotto with wild mushrooms!  It was heavenly.  And, once home Julie made this recipe often.  Always good." - Sheila

Years you've been making it: Since 2009

Author / Creator: Enrica Rocca

Submitted by: Julie

Ingredients:

320gr Carnaroli rice
500gr. mix wild mushrooms
20mils Olive oil
½ a large onion finely chopped                                                             
2 glasses dry white wine
Chicken stock (if available) or fresh or hot water with 2 chicken Knorr cubes
Parsley
Salt and pepper
20 gr. butter
30 gr freshly grated parmesan cheese

Serves 4

Directions:

Start by cleaning the mushrooms and break them into smaller pieces.

In a pan, add the whole garlic clove and the oil. On low temp let the oil infuse with the garlic and when it starts browning remove from the pan and add the mushrooms..

Stir fry for 10  minutes or more if necessary. Cooking time will depend on how much water the mushrooms will release.

In a separate pot add butter and when melted add finely chopped onions. Cover with a lid and let soften for as long as you can without letting them brown.

Add the wine and let evaporate on slow temp.

Add the rice and let fry for 1 to 2 min.

Start adding BOILING stock a bit at the time till rice is cooked(approx. 25 min.).

Season with salt and pepper, add butter and Parmesan cheese, some chopped parsley, and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Salmon Wellington

Recipe Name: Salmon Wellington

Story: I started making this recipe as a substitution for Beef Wellington when Forest started having gout. Now we like it even better than Beef Wellington.

Years you've been making it: 10

Author / Creator: Adaptation for an Allrecipes

Submitted by: Suzy (Mom)

Ingredients:

1TBS Kosher salt
2 lbs salmon filets (skin off)
Tsp chopped fresh thyme
Tsp dried oregano
1 tsp chopped fresh basil
2 tsp. dried dill weed
1.5 cups mayonnaise
¾ C crumbled feta cheese
1C frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 pkg. frozen puff pastry thawed
2 egg whites beaten.

Directions: Cut the salmon in 4 oz. pieces (I usually have the store take the skin off the salmon and cut them into 4 oz. pieces, it really minimizes the labor).
Sprinkle salt on both sides of salmon

Mix all the herbs, mayonnaise and mustard together and spread over the salmon. I have found this recipe makes too much sauce so I spread about 2 TBS over each filet and use the rest as a side condiment.
Sprinkle the feta cheese on top, then layer the spinach on top of the cheese.

Roll out the pastry wide enough and long enough to wrap around the salmon, about ¼ inch in thickness.  I use one roll for 4 filets. Take a fork with a little water and crimp the edges. Cut several slits on top.
Brush with egg white.

Wrap in plastic wrap then tinfoil and freeze.
When ready to cook take out of the freezer for 30 minutes, coat with more egg white.
Cook at 375 for 45 minutes until the pastry is golden brown.

Notes:
This recipe is an adaptation from allrecipes. I have modified it from the original one which was to cook the salmon as a whole filet. I found that to be messy when cutting it into individual servings. So it made more sense to make them into individual servings then you can take as many out of the freezer that you need at one time.

This is one of Forest favorite recipes.

Spanish Garlic Soup

Recipe Name: Spanish Garlic Soup

Story:
“Despite the robust-sounding title of this soup, I find it delicate and elegant. I like to serve it as a first course at somewhat formal occasions when lamb or beef are featured as a main course. “
Cold-Weather Cooking by Sarah Leah Chase’s

We did not have a traditional Christmas meal, I would vary the menu except for many years we would enjoy this soup as a first course. And as the author stated it is delicate and elegant.

Years you've been making it:

Author / Creator: Sarah Leah Chase

Submitted by: Suzy

Ingredients:
Makes 8 servings

Ingredients
1/3 C extra virgin olive oil
9-11 cloves garlic, peeled, slightly bruised
8 slices (each 1/3 inch thick) Day-old French bread
2 ½ Quarts chicken broth
½ C dry (fino) Spanish sherry
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper to taste
4 lg egg yolks at room temperature
1/3 C heavy or whipping cream at room temperature
¼ C minced fresh parsley or basil  (we always used parsley)

Directions:
Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a medium-size stock pot. Add the garlic and sauté slowly until golden brown all over, and very, very soft, 30-40 minutes.  (This process has to be done slowly so the garlic does not burn). Remove from the pot to a small bowl with a slotted spoon and mash coarsely with a fork. Set aside.

Sauté the bread slices in batches over low heat in the olive oil remaining in the pot. When one side becomes golden, flip an continue cooking until the other side is crusty and golden, flip and continue cooking until the other side is crusty and golden as well.

(Sometimes you may need to add a little extra oil). 15-20 minutes in all. Remove from the pot and set aside to drain on a plate lined with double thickness paper towels.

Add the chicken broth to the pot along with the crushed garlic, the sherry, and bay leaves. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook the soup uncovered over very low heat 1 hour. Pour the soup through a trainer, pressing hard with a wooden spoon to extract the essence of the garlic.

When ready to serve, whisk together the egg yolks and cream in a large bowl until light and frothy. Bring the garlic-scented chicken broth just to a low boil. Whisking constantly gradually beat the hot broth into the egg-cream mixture. Serve immediately, garnish with a bread crouton and a sprinkling of parsley or basil.

A chilled glass of the fino sherry used in the soup is a typical accompaniment.

Jim Lahey's No-Knead Bread

Recipe Name: Jim Lahey's No-Knead Bread

Story: I've always loved to cook, but I really started to hone my skills while in college. I regularly visited my local farmers market, started following lots of food blogs and food columns, and experimented with new foods and recipes. My mom and I would often share recipes and tips with one another. Around 2008, my mom shared a no-knead bread recipe featured on Mark Bittman's "The Minimalist" in New York Times. I immediately became obsessed with Bittman's column and corresponding cooking videos and I would anxiously wait for a new video to air so I could learn to make something new. Occasionally, Mark would interview chefs and bakers and highlight a specific recipe from them. One of the most popular segments was (and continues to to be) with Jim Lahey of Sullivan Street Bakery, where Jim shared his no-knead bread recipe and gave viewers a tour of his bakery. I was intrigued from the start, but it wasn't until I received a dutch oven for Christmas of 2009, that I actually made the bread. I had learned to make bread earlier that year from an eccentric British gardener in Long Island (his community garden was next to the farm I worked on). I enjoyed making bread, but as soon as I received the dutch oven, I immediately switched to making the no-knead bread. In 2010 when I was managing farmers markets, I made a loaf (or two) of this bread every week to go with whatever local produce I brought home from the market. I don't make the bread as regularly anymore, but it is still a great go-to recipe. You just need a little bit of time and patience. I hope you enjoy as much as I do!

Years you've been making it: Since 2009

Author / Creator: Jim Lahey, https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/11376-no-knead-bread

Submitted by: Chelsea

Ingredients:
Yield: 1.5 pound loaf
Time: 1.5 hours, plus about 20 hours' resting time

3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting
¼ teaspoon instant yeast
1 ¼ teaspoons salt
Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed

Directions:
Step 1: In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.
Step 2: Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.
Step 3: Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.
Step 4: At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.

Notes:
Unlike most of my cooking, I follow this recipe pretty closely. I usually let the dough rest closer to 18 hours. You'll definitely want to generously coat a cotton towel with cornmeal so the dough won't stick. Or you can use a flexible cutting board on the bottom of the dough - I find this makes it easier to transfer the dough to the hot pot. And of course, I use my favorite dutch oven for this! The organization I work for is one of the pioneers in the local grain movement (https://www.grownyc.org/grains), so I am very lucky to have access to different flours. I've tried using these other types of flours for this recipe with varied success. If you decide to change the flour, you'll definitely need to make some adjustments to water, yeast, and/or rise time and be aware that the density might change as well.