You Say Oyster and I say Erster - Conchigli y Crema Ostrica

It's the middle of Winter.   OK, not exactly "the middle" but with the 24 degree temperature and 30 mile an hour winds creating a wind chill of 8 degrees, it sure as heck FEELS like the middle of winter.

Some strange part of my brain always makes me hungry for things that are out of season.  Thus it is that I am completely obsessed with all things of the Oyster persuasion.  And while I also realize that oysters are in season with now, the "fresh" Oysters out there, like the ones at "Whole Paycheck", are expensive.  Consequently, I have deemed it necessary to break into my "emergency stores" and go with the canned variety for this particular dish... at least this time.

I have to admit that I actually kind of like the canned oysters.  I got use to having to use them while living in San Diego for 14 years.  Simply because I could never find any fresh oysters that didn't smell kind of funky, and I am really picky about my shellfish.  If it's questionable in ANY way... Forget about it.

The trick with canned oysters is making sure you do not cook them again.  The canned oysters simply need to be warmed, or they will turn into little super balls bouncing around your kitchen.  Not tasty.

Conchigli y Crema Ostrica

(Shells in Oyster Cream)

16 oz Medium Shells, Elbow Macaroni or other medium pasta shape
1 TB olive oil
1 Garlic clove, chopped
1 Shallot, minced
2 8-oz (227g) cans Oysters, juice reserved (or, 18-24 fresh petite "olympia" oysters, shucked with liquor reserved)
3 oz Pinot Grigio or other white wine
optional - Clam juice – Enough mixed with oyster liquor to make 6 oz (You only need this if using fresh oysters)
4 oz Heavy Cream
10 oz fresh Arugula, washed, hard stems removed
Kosher Salt
White pepper to taste

Cook pasta according to package directions.
Open the Oyster cans and reserve 6 ounces of the juice.

While pasta is cooking, heat oil in a Sauté pan.

When the oil is hot, sweat the shallots and garlic being careful not to burn the garlic.

Add wine and bring just to a boil.

Add Oysters, Oyster juice and heavy cream,

bring to a simmer and cook for 3 minutes. (Just enough to warm the oysters through)

Then season with Kosher Salt and White Pepper.

Place the Arugula in a large pasta bowl.

When pasta is done, remove about 1/4 cup of the water and set it aside....

Then drain the pasta and pour it into the bowl over the Arugula, let set for a couple minutes, then toss briefly.

Pour the Oyster Cream sauce over the Pasta and Arugula.

Toss until the heat from the Oyster sauce and the pasta wilts the Arugula slightly.

If the Oyster cream sauce seems a little thick, add the reserved pasta water and toss again.

Serve immediately.

Mangia!!
~~

Lend Me Your Ears - Orecchiette con Bietole y Ricotta Salata

So I was mindlessly flipping between 487 channels this morning. Knowing full well that there wasn't going to be anything of interest on any of the channels that I have not already seen a million times already.... I mean REALLY, how many times DOES the History channel have to run "Hitler's Inner Circle"...? Come one!

Then I flipped past the Food Network... big mistake... For who should be presenting a pasta dish, but my beloved--Giada. And with one of my favorite pasta shapes too... Orecchiette (little ears).

Her combination of grape tomatoes, Ricotta Salata and Swiss Chard sent me into uncontrollable drooling. Then again, I had been staring at the TV like a thrall. So that may have had something to do with it. LOL

I have already combined Swiss Chard and Pasta before, when I made Conchiglioni con Bietole. But I loved her additions (though I did change a couple of the proportions as well as 2 ingredients). Giada's recipe is available at the Food Network web site HERE. But this is what I did with her idea. Not a whole lot different, but it's my spin on her dish.

I roasted the tomatoes in the oven separately, instead of adding them to the fry pan for starters. I also used a higher percentage of Swiss Chard and chose to replace the Baby Spinach with Arugula as well as swapping out the lemon zest with that of a Meyer Lemon.

Orecchiette con Bietole y Ricotta Salata

2 cups Grape Tomatoes
1 (15-oz) can Garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
16 oz Swiss Chard, after stemming
6 oz Arugula
16 oz Orecchiette
1/2 cup Olive Oil
2 Garlic Cloves, crushed
8 oz Ricotta Salata cheese, Cubed
the Zest of one Meyer Lemon
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 and place tomatoes on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper.

Roast in the oven for 20 -30 minutes.

Meanwhile, drain and rinse the Garbanzo Beans and set aside.

Remove the ribs from the chard....

Then rough chop it.

Rough chop the arugula as well.

Drop the Orecchiette into the salted boiling water and cook according to package directions (about 9 minutes)

Begin heating the Olive oil in a large skillet, adding the garlic cloves.

Remove the garlic when it begins to brown.

Add the chard and a pinch of salt, then toss a little to coat with oil, letting it wilt.

Once the chard wilts down a little, add the arugula and toss, allowing the whole thing to wilt down.

Cube the Ricotta by slicing the wedge into slabs.

Then cut the slabs into strips and finally cut the strips into cubes..

Zest the Meyer Lemon.

Drain the pasta and pour into a warmed bowl.

Add the Wilted Greens and Lemon Zest

Toss well.

Add the Garbanzo beans, Roasted Tomatoes and toss again.

Add the Ricotta Salata and a little salt and pepper, then toss a final time.

Your ready to serve.

The garbanzo beans were so creamy that it almost felt like I had smothered the pasta in a cream sauce. It was awesomely delicious! And fairly healthy to boot. Thanks Giada!!!

Mangia!!
~~

Beefing Up Your Appetite - Bresaola

I am not usually big on Beef. Lucky for me, Italian cuisine tends to focus on Pork, which makes me a very happy camper. And while I am thoroughly convinced that man can live by Pancetta and Prosciutto alone, every once in awhile I DO like to mix it up a little. Thus was the case when I was able to get my hands on some delicious Bresaola.

Bresaola hails from the Italian alpine valley of Valtellina in the Lombary region of northern Italy. It is made in a similar process as Prosciutto di Parma in Emilia-Romagna, being a salted and air dried Beef though, instead of pork.

Normally it is served similarly to the dish carpaccio; with Arugula, olive oil, lemon juice and shaved Parmegiano-Reggiano. I decided to twist it up a bit. Using Gruyere and rolling the bresaola to be used as an appetizer.

Bresaola Appetizer

Zest of 1/2 Lemon
2 TB lemon juice
1 TB olive oil
12 slices Bresaola
36 Arugula leaves, washed
Black pepper, to taste
1/4 cup shaved Gruyere (or Parmegiano-Reggiano)

Combine Lemon zest, Lemon juice and Olive oil in a small bowl and whisk until emulsified.

Lay out your Bresaola.

Top each slice with 3 Arugula leaves, drizzle with the dressing and sprinkle with pepper.

Crumble the shaved Gruyere over the top and roll the Bresaola up.

Place on a serving plate, seem side down and repeat until all the Bresaola is used.
Drizzle the plate with any remaining dressing and serve.

Mangia!!
~~

Disaccharide Drenched Drupes - Walnut Praline

Today, June 24th, is Praline Day. (The Southern pray-LEEN, not the French prah-lin-AY) So I set out to make walnut pralines with a particular salad in mind. They it occurred to me.... I should write about nuts... For all those who are as Nuts about Nuts as I am.... Or should I say, Daffy about Drupes? Maybe, Looney about Legumes .....?

Botanically speaking, not all nuts are created equal. Most of the "nuts" that we eat from our friendly neighborhood trees are in actually Drupes. A drupe being the single edible "seed" extracted from a "pit" (endocarp) that was surrounded by, possibly edible, flesh (mesocarp) that was protected by a skin (exocarp). Example the Seed of the apricot is edible, once you eat the fruit, crack open the pit and you will find an edible seed, with a taste similar to an almond. This is because Almonds are in the same "Stone Fruit" Family as Peaches, Apricots, Cherries and Prunes. Walnuts, Cashews, Pecans and Coconuts fall into this category as well. Though I do not recommend eating the green fruit of the walnut and you would be pretty hard pressed to gnaw through the fibrous fruit of the coconut. The illustrious Olive, Cacao and Coffee are also drupes as are a lot of "berries" in the bramble family... each Raspberry, Salmon Berry, and Blackberry is a cluster of druplets. <--Seriously, I am not makin this stuff up ;)

Then there are the legumes such as Peanuts which exhibit odd behavior. After pollination, the fruit at the end of the stalk actually bends over and buries the ripening fruit several inches under the ground to ripen. And finally, seeds, like the Brazil Nut, with several "seeds" inside a large Coconut looking fruit, and the Pine nut; both Stone pine and Pinyon.

While true nuts such as Hazelnuts, Macadamia, Chestnuts, Beech Nuts, Acorns and Birch Nuts consist simply of the hard shell with no surrounding fruit or outer skin. Or rather, the shell is the skin.

Be that as it may, for culinary uses they are all simply referred to as "nuts". After all the slogan "Sometimes you feel like a Drupe... Sometimes you don't!" just doesn't have quite the same catchy ring to it, does it?

Praline Walnuts

(Over Mediterranean Salad)

1/4 cup plus 2 TB Granulated Sugar
2 TB Light Brown Sugar
1/4 cup Buttermilk
3/8 tsp Baking Soda
1/8 tsp Cinnamon
Pinch of Mace
1 1/2 TB butter
1 Cup Toasted Walnut Halves or other favorite Drupe, Nut, Legume or Seed

If your walnuts are raw, toast them in a 350 degree oven for about 8 minutes
Line your counter with waxed paper.
In medium heavy saucepan, cook Sugars, Buttermilk, Cinnamon, Mace and Baking Soda over medium heat....

till the syrup reaches Firm Ball stage (243-250 degrees); stirring constantly to prevent scorching of the buttermilk.

When the mix has reached the proper temp, remove from heat, and mix the butter into the syrup. (This is important, the added fat will prevent premature crystallization of the sugar)

Add Walnuts and stir to coat.

Pour Walnuts onto Wax Paper Lined counter and separate the nuts as quickly as possible.

Let cool completely before attempting to eat.... Trust me, they are extremely hot!!

What to do with Praline Walnuts, besides sitting in a corner and eating them all, one by one?

I like to make, what I call, Mediterranean Salad. I delicious combination of peppery Arugula, Crispy Pear, Pungent Blue Cheese, and Crunchy Praline Walnuts all drizzled with a Lemon-Honey Vinaigrette.

Lemon Honey Vinaigrette is surprisingly simple
2 TB Lemon Juice
1/4 tsp Kosher Salt
2 tsp orange Blossom Honey
1/3 cup Kalamata Olive oil or Walnut oil

You are going to need a jar or bottle that you can shake...
Place the salt in the jar/bottle, then the lemon juice and swirl them around so the salt dissolves before placing the remaining ingredients in the jar/bottle.

Shake the dickens out of it.

Voile!!

Composing the salad

Take a handful of arugula and place it in a bowl.
Top with slices of d'Anjou or Comice pear (ususally about 1/2 pear per person)
Crumble blue cheese over the top, and dot with praline walnuts.
Drizzle with Lemon-Honey Vinaigrette
You can certainly hit it with a little ground pepper too, if you like....

Serve.

Mangia!!
~~