Glazed Carrot Coins with White Wine and Muscats

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...We had a rare, mid-week, steak supper last evening and to say it was well-received would be an understatement.The Silver Fox, who as you know is a committed carnivore, was in flatiron paradise and that gave me the opportunity to try several new side-dishes without there being too much complaint. The recipe I'm featuring today was among them and it really is a keeper. I found it while browsing through The Novice Chef,  a blog that is as delicious as the food it features.  The recipe is simple to prepare and it would make a wonderful addition to your holiday or hostess menus. There are no tricks to its preparation, though I did substitute a good French vermouth for the white wine, and used leeks instead on onions. Both changes were mandated by what I had on hand, not because I thought the recipe needed revision. The carrots would be wonderful made with a not too sweet Riesling or a Pinot Gris. I, unfortunately,  had neither in the house so I went with Julia Child's  tried and tested vermouth substitution.  Works every time!  I do hope you'll give these carrots a try. Here's how they're made.

Glazed Carrot Coins with White Wine and Muscats...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of the Novice Chef

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup white onion, chopped
2-1/2 (about 1 lb) cups sliced (and peeled) carrots
1 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 teaspoon herbs de provence
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1)  Place olive oil in a large deep skillet set over medium heat. When it shimmers add onions and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are translucent.  Add  wine, bring mixture to a boil, then turn down to a simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, until  liquid has reduced by half. Add the raisins and simmer for about 5-10 more minutes until another 1/4th of  liquid has reduced (leaving some liquid as it makes a lovely sauce).
2) Stir in herbs de provence,  brown sugar, and salt and pepper and allow to cook for another minute or so. Remove from heat and serve immediately. Yield: 4 servings.







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Tuscan Tomato and Bread Soup - Pappa al Pomodori

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...The late August summers of my Chicago childhood moved in veiled slow-motion. Mirage-like waves rose from the steaming pavement and the incessant drone of cicadas slowed already weary bodies to a dirge like sway. Afternoons were spent under the sprinkler or reading beneath the rank trees-of-heaven that grew untended in the neighborhood. Boredom was a common malady that I escaped by venturing across the street to the Salvino's garden. When the tomatoes came in, the stamp-size plot and the kitchen of the bungalow teemed with activity as Mama S. and her sisters put-by the hundreds of jars that would be used for winter meals. Several of the sisters worked over an old starch stove that had been set up in the yard to contain the mess that came with blanching and skinning bushels of tomatoes. Another crew used the old stove in the basement to sterilize jars for canning, but the jars were filled upstairs in the blast furnace of a kitchen under Mama's watchful eye. The kitchen produced jar after jar of stewed tomatoes, tomato sauce and tomato paste, and, when lunch rolled around, everyone got to enjoy a marvelous Tuscan soup called pappa al pomodori. Mama called the soup tomato water. It contained the juice of sieved tomatoes, a handful of fresh basil, some onion and cubes of stale bread that were used to thicken the broth. I suspect that to those who have never sampled it, the soup sounds like prison fare, but, I promise you, that when it is freshly made, it is, unequivocally, delicious. There are scores of recipes for the soup. Jamie Oliver has one that is wonderful, but I prefer to use one that was developed by Mary Ann Esposito and featured on her program Ciao Italia. It's a hands down favorite for me, because of all the recipes I've found, it is the one most like the soup I first tasted as a child. This is a straightforward recipe and I know those of you who try it will enjoy this peasant favorite. It is important to use fully ripe, meaty, blood red tomatoes and good day-old bread when you put this together. This is a wonderful way to use summer's bounty and I hope you will give this soup a try. You can see Mary Ann make the recipe, here. I've included her recipe below. Here's how pappa al pomodori is made.

Tuscan Tomato and Bread Soup - Pappa al Pomodori...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Mary Ann Esposito

Ingredients:
2-1/2 pounds plum tomatoes, cored and cut in half
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 pound leeks, white bulb only, finely diced
12 basil leaves, minced
3 cups hot chicken or vegetable broth
3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
Grinding black pepper
3 cups stale bread cut into 1-inch cubes

Directions:
1) Puree tomatoes in a food processor until smooth. Pour mixture into a fine sieve placed over a large bowl. Strain juice by pressing down with a wooden spoon; discard seeds and skins. Set aside.
2) Heat 1/4 cup of olive oil in a large soup pot, stir in leeks and half the basil and cook until leeks soften. Stir in tomato juice, broth, salt, and pepper and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Cover pot and remove from hit.
3) Heat remaining olive oil in a large sauté pan. Stir in remaining basil and bread cubes. Brown bread quickly over medium heat. Stir cubes into soup. Cover the pan and allow bread to absorb liquid.
4) When ready to serve, slowly reheat the soup. Pass extra virgin olive oil to drizzle on top. Yield: 8 servings.

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Champ - Scallion Mashed Potatoes for St. Patrick's Day

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Mashed potatoes were a real treat when I was a child. Our standard daily fare was a plain boiled or baked potato, but on Sunday those lowly spuds were transformed into a billowy mounds of creamy goodness that were fortified with butter and cream. It went a step further when my Grandmother was visiting. She made slight changes to my mother's recipe and by infusing the cream she used with scallions, our Sunday treat became Champ, an old Irish favorite. Nowadays potatoes are served as an accompaniment to meals, but there was a time in Ireland when potatoes were the meal. Traditionally, people who observed religious fasts would abstain from meat on Fridays. Champ became a popular meal, particularly for those who lived in inland areas where fish was not available. In their stead, Irish cooks made huge quantities of scallion infused mash. Champ was served in individual bowls and each portion had a well of melted butter in the center. The dish was eaten from the outside in. Forkfuls of potato were taken from the outer edges of the mound and dipped in the melting butter before tasting. Champ, by the way,is a translation of the Gaelic word brúightín, which means to bruise or pound. The dish should be made from winter potatoes that are cooked, then peeled and mashed. I like to rice the potatoes before mashing. Never use a mixer to prepare these. Over beating will make the potatoes gummy and you'll be disappointed with the results. Hot is the operative word here. Hot milk or cream should be beaten into the hot potatoes with a wooden spoon. The end result is a fluffy mound of potatoes flecked with scallions. This dish is much like Colcannon, which is made with cabbage or kale instead of scallions. I prefer Champ because it is lighter. I hope those of you who have never sampled the dish will give it a try. It is a perfect side-dish for St. Patrick's Day. Here's the recipe.


Champ ...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Darina Allen's Irish Traditional Cooking

Ingredients:
3 pounds (6 to 8) unpeeled baking potatoes, e.g., Russet or Yukon Gold
1 large bunch (4-oz.) scallions (use the bulb and green stem)
1-1/2 cups milk or light cream or half-and-half
4 to 8 tablespoons butter
salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions:
1) Scrub potatoes and boil them in their jackets.
2) Finely chop scallions. Cover scallions with cold milk and bring slowly to a boil. Simmer for about 3 to 4 minutes, then turn off heat and leave to infuse.
3) Peel and mash freshly boiled potatoes and, while hot, mix with boiling milk and scallions. Beat in some butter, reserving most for serving. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper. Serve in one large or four individual bowls with a knob of butter melting in center.

Cook's Note: Champ may be put aside and reheated later in a moderate oven at 350°F. Cover with foil while it reheats so that it doesn't get a skin.

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