So, let’s see. This is my first post on Garlic & Sapphires. I am really enjoying the book so far. I got really into it quite early and blew through the first 100 pages or so. It’s been sitting on my nightstand waiting to be read for the last week and a half though, not gonna lie (did you see the part about 5 classes? Yeah.). So I’m hoping to get through some more of it sooner rather than later, because I’m really enjoying it. It’s definitely quite different from our last book, but interesting and a completely different point of view.

So the first recipe I came across was Ruth’s cheesecake. Well, no offense to Ruth, but sorry. My cheesecake is awesome. It’s the only one my husband will eat, and I’m not about to mess with what he calls perfection. So that recipe was out, immediately. I kept reading and came across something I’ve been dying to make… risotto. A little backstory on this part of the book- Ruth decided she was going to review Le Cirque restaurant. She went in complete disguise, as the “unknown diner.” The treatment she received from a supposed 4 star restaurant was appalling. Servers were rude, inconsiderate, and treated her like she didn’t exist. And her food was pretty crappy, from the sound of it. Not something I’d want if I was spending $40 on a plate of risotto. She returned later as herself, no disguise, and in a packed restaurant with people waiting forever, she was greeted by the owner, “The King of Spain is waiting at the bar, but your table is ready.” Well, needless to say, this visit was all bells and whistles and the finest of everything. She still took a star away. Good for her. She took a lot of shit for that review and taking away that star, but I love a woman who doesn’t give a shit and tells it like it is.

Anyway, so she talked about her adaptation of Le Cirque’s Lobster Risotto. She mentioned being a lobster snob (as am I) and refusing to do lobster at home where so much of the lobster would go to waste. Now, she also “demands” that you use homemade chicken stock. Well, sorry lady, but a 2 year old does not allow for that kind of time or energy. I bought chicken stock. It tasted fine. If you have the time, go for it. If I had some more time, I might try to do that next time, but for the first attempt, I was happy. She also replaced the rosemary in the dish with saffron. I used rosemary. I had it at home, and it was yummy.

But, for my first attempt, I was pleasantly surprised. I made it last night for dinner, with some shrimp that was sauteed in garlic and olive oil. It was really delicious. Madeline loved it, so that was a plus in my book. Brett ate his reheated and he said it was awesome. Thumbs up for me… he’s my own food critic, and can be a pretty snobby one. I attribute that to the amazing palette he has – he can taste such subtle differences that it’s a pretty awesome gauge when I make a flawless dish. So, here you go -

Risotto Primavera

You need:
1/2 pound asparagus
5-6 cups homemade chicken stock*
1/2 teaspoon saffron strands, crumbled**
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium red onion, diced
1 smallish carrot, diced
2 small zucchini, diced
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup thawed frozen peas
1/2 cup Parmigiano cheese, plus extra for table
salt and pepper to taste

Then you should:
Cut the tips off the asparagus and set them aside. Dice the top half of the stalks (discard the rest) and set the diced asparagus aside.
Bring the stock to a steady simmer in a saucepan. Remove 1/4 cup, add saffron (*I used rosemary, which is fine) and set aside.
Melt 2 tablespoons of butter with the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add the onion and cook for about 6 minutes, until it’s golden.
Add the carrot and cook for about 5 more minutes, followed by zucchini, diced asparagus and 1/2 tsp salt and cook for 5 minutes more.
Add the rice and stir until it’s completely coated with the oil. Add the wine and cook, stirring until it has evaporated, about 3 minutes. Now slowly add simmering stock to cover the rice and cook, stirring, until it’s evaporated. Repeat this, adding, stirring, evaporating, for about 20 minutes. Then add asparagus tips, peas (I didn’t use them), and the saffron (rosemary) stock and cook for another 5-10 minutes, until the rice is soft on the outside and still has a bit of a bite at the center. Add a few more spoonfuls of stock, remove pan from heat, and add the remaining 1 tsp of butter and the cheese.

Serves 4.

Ok, so I didn’t use the peas. Honestly, I forgot they were in the recipe when I was food shopping. Oh well. Like I said, I used rosemary instead of saffron and I used store-bought stock. It was delicious. It was a great consistency and I plan on warming some up for lunch today. It would serve 4 people as a big side dish, kind of like an appetizer size of meal. Brett and I had hearty portions with our shrimp, and Madeline had a mini bit of it. I have enough left for probably 2 sides for us for dinner tonight, if you want to gauge it that way.

So, I hope it’s less than a few weeks until I’m back with more from the book. Fingers crossed!! Happy cooking!

My attempt to make Giulia’s gnocchi was to take place on Christmas Day. I planned on making the gnocchi and the sauce, as well as roast a chicken (a very simple roast chicken, like the one a la Giulia I made a while back). And my attempt was very successful. Not perfect, but very close, and successful.

Gnocchi, if you’re uninitiated to the wonders of it, is pronounced “nioki”, the ‘g’ is silent. And people who pronounce it never fail to crack me up… “I’ll have the guh-notch-y…” Here’s some interesting background on it from Wikipedia:

The word gnocchi means “lumps”, and may derive from nocchio, a knot in the wood, or from nocca (knuckle). It has been a traditional Italian pasta type of probably Middle Eastern origin since Roman times. It was introduced by the Roman Legions during the enormous expansion of the empire into the countries of the European continent. In the past 2000 years each country developed its own specific type of small dumplings, with the ancient Gnocchi as their common ancestor. In Roman times, gnocchi were made from a semolina porridge-like dough mixed with eggs, and are still found in similar forms today, particularly in Sardinia (where they do not contain egg, however, and are known as malloreddus). One variety, gnocchi di pane (literally bread noodles), is made from bread crumbs and is popular in Friuli and Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol. Another variety from Trentino-Alto Adige/Sudtirol is spinach gnocchi, called strangolapreti. This translates to “choke the priest.” The use of potato is a relatively recent innovation, occurring after the introduction of the potato to Europe in the 16th century.

I love potato gnocchi, and ever since I had first read I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti I’ve been wanting to make this recipe. And it didn’t disappoint. The sauce was incredible. I was only feeding four, but Jay and I have appetites like Ethiopian refugees, so I actually used two 28 oz. cans of whole tomatoes, but not the plain, the ones seasoned with basil. I doubled the salt and sugar but not the wine or the butter. WOW. A super simple sauce, but really tasty. Perfect with the gnocchi. I think it’ll definitely become my go-to sauce recipe. I think the added basil was a great touch. Thank you Giulia (and Marcella Hazan)! And actually, speaking of feeding four, I had plenty of sauce for more, especially since the gnocchi recipe didn’t make as much as I anticipated, or maybe I made mine too large. Woops. But that’s cool, because tonight we’re having homemade margherita pizza with the remainder of the sauce. Yum.

Now for the gnocchi, I used three russet potatoes instead of two, and added a ¼-½ cup of extra flour. Brianne told me when she made hers, she had a problem because she didn’t have a ricer or food mill, and that worried me because I don’t either (and I looked in a bunch of stores and couldn’t find a ricer, so boo to them). I Googled it, and read that using a sieve works too. So I figured if I made the potatoes just a tad softer by boiling them a bit longer, they’d be easier to push through the sieve and therefore less lumpy in the pasta. Also, I peeled them before I boiled them, thinking that without skin they’d get softer. It totally worked. Even without a ricer, the potatoes were so soft and mushy I just pushed them down with a fork and they were the perfect texture. Voila! I cooked them about 55 minutes, which was only 15-20 minutes longer than recommended. The pasta wasn’t too soggy at all, either.

The shape… well, that was a bit harder. Mine came out all kinds of different sizes and shapes, but always with the signature fork-print. Maybe if I’d taken my time, and wasn’t rushed or on a schedule, I could’ve made them more even.  Mine were more like little squares and rectangles. Next time, I would roll them into little balls and then use my thumb and a fork to make the little impressions. But who cares, really. They tasted awesome.

As far as the name of the recipe (see below), you’ll have to read the book to find out why it’s referred to as such. *smiles*

No- Nookie Gnocchi

• 2 russet potatoes
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon salt
• pinch freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 heaping cup flour, plus more for dusting
• salt
• freshly grated pepper
• freshly grated parmigiano

Put the potatoes in a pot with enough water to cover, bring to a boil, and cook, partially covered, until they are just tender, about 35-40 minutes. Remove the potatoes to a cutting board and peel with a paring knife as soon as you can stand to touch them, then run them through a potato ricer or food mill, spreading them out on a cutting board to cool completely.

Mix the egg, salt and nutmeg. Form the cooled potatoes into a mound and pour the egg mixture into it. Begin kneading the potato and egg mixture with your hands, adding the flour a little at a time, being careful not to overwork the dough.

When the flour is evenly combined with the potato and the dough is only a little sticky, divide it into 4 pieces.Roll each piece into a long, narrow tube like a garden snake and slice it crosswise into little soft pillows, each ½ inch wide. Rest each pillow on the tip of your thumb and impress it with the tines of a fork lightly dusted with flour, creating a ribbed surface for the sauce to cling to. Keep a bowl of flour nearby to dip the fork into, as it will become tacky- or better yet, keep some extra forks nearby.

Add the gnocchi about 10 at a time to a pot of salted boiling water. When they rise to the top, they’re done. Remove them to a serving bowl with a slotted spoon or spider and continue to cook in batches. Toss with the sauce and serve with grated parmigiano and freshly grated pepper.

Yield: about 6 dozen.

For the sauce:

(Adapted from Marcella Hazan’s Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking)

• 1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes
• ½ cup (1 stick) butter
• 1 medium onion, peeled and cut in half
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• ¼ cup red wine
• 1 teaspoon salt

Put all ingredients in a large saucepan over medium heat, bring to a simmer, then lower heat and cook for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove onion before tossing sauce with the gnocchi.

And to anyone who complains about making sauce, or says they can’t make homemade pasta- BASTA. It is not that difficult at all. If I can do it, you can do it too.

In the few months I’ve had Giulia’s book, I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti, I’ve made a few recipes from it, and posted them on my other blog. Most recently the “Morning After Pumpkin Bread” (which was a massive hit). I’ve also made the “Fuck You Cupcakes” (which were also a big hit- not only because of the bourbon frosting, but both despite and because of the name) and the “Healthy Penne” with broccoli (which I had to use ziti for because I thought I had penne, and did not). I made a variation of the “Italian Grilled Cheese for Teenage WASPs” this week as well. Every recipe was met with praise, and it made me happy, because I enjoyed the book so much and it gave me an excuse to continue trying recipes from it. And now I’m really glad that the other girls are enjoying it and getting as much out of it as I have!

In terms of relationships (which, in case you haven’t realized.. the book is about), I admittedly don’t have a huge span of different experiences. Since the age of 17  I’ve had two long-term relationships. Yeah, two. That’s it. Two relationships in the past 11 years. One pretty solid, and one pretty not solid. Obviously the solid one is the one I’m in now, 6 & ½ years and going strong. The rocky one was the other one, 4 & ½ years on and off (*ahem* mostly off) with more drama than a Gossip Girl episode- but what else can be expected from a high school “romance”? I was a different person altogether in that relationship; we were kids, we were selfish, we were still in school (both high school and then college) and we had different priorities. If you told me back then I’d be overjoyed at receiving a Kitchen Aid mixer from my boyfriend for my 27th birthday, thrilled to get a collection of Watkins extracts as a stocking stuffer for Christmas, or that I’d have not one, but two cooking blogs… I would’ve laughed my ass off and called you insane. And then I would’ve went to a bar and spent my paycheck on cocktails and spent my time for the rest of the night on the phone arguing with someone who shall remain nameless. Nowadays it’s completely different. I haven’t had an arguement on the phone or otherwise in so long I can’t remember. My family loves him, I love his family, we’re a perfect fit. And that’s awesome. Without that balance and presence in my life, I don’t know if I’d be the little punk rock Betty Crocker I am now.

Don’t get me wrong, I always baked and cooked with my mother for holidays. We made struffoli and sugar cookies and magic bars and gingerbread and big meals. And she always cooked dinner. I just didn’t do it for myself, unless you can consider heating up a microwave dinner, making Velveeta shells & cheese, or eating Totino’s Pizza Rolls with a side of white cheddar Smartfood popcorn “cooking.” I was missing out on so much. I see that now. There’s nothing wrong with cooking for one. And while I never would’ve done that before, I’ve become much more domesticated now, and while I love that… just because I’m domestic doesn’t mean I’m domesticated. I love cooking for people, I love hearing how fantastic a new recipe is, I love impressing my mother (an excellent baker and cook herself) with something I’ve made, or seeing people do that “Oh-my-god-this-is-so-good” eye-roll thing when they sink their teeth into something I made. I love when Jay gets excited because I’m making broccoli lasagna. But I’m still selfish: I also do it for me. I enjoy food so much more now. I appreciate it so much more. And I just enjoy creating things, which I guess goes back to me being an artist. I love kneading dough, cutting potatoes, frosting cupcakes with a new Wilton tip on my pastry bag. I love making things from scratch. I love seeing nothing turn into something. I guess it’s like a sculptor with clay or when I painted; you have a canvas and some paints that are just there, and then when you’re done you have a painting that tells a story or makes people happy (or sometimes sad). Cooking is very similar. It evokes emotions and brings back memories and comforts you and sometimes challenges you. I could spend all day and night in the kitchen making tons of food and not be tired of it. The clean-up, now that’s another story.

One of my favorite things to make is roast chicken. It’s really simple practically fail-proof, yet it’s really delicious. You just put it in the oven and let it go, how easy is that? So since Thanksgiving week was going to be a busy one for me, I knew an easy meal to make would be this “Real Estate Roast Chicken”; a meal Giulia makes when waiting for a call from a listing agent about an apartment she wanted.  She didn’t get the apartment, unfortunately. But a nice roast chicken makes everything better. Right? It’s like comfort food. Stick-to-your-ribs food. Especially with some potatoes. And who doesn’t like potatoes? Crazy people, that’s who.

What I like to do is cut up some potatoes (in slices, not too thin ’cause they’ll burn or get like potato chips, not too thick or they won’t cook enough), and slice some carrots and onions, and put them around the chicken in the roasting pan. Then I sprinkle a little olive oil and pour about a ½ cup white wine over them, and some salt (and pepper if you like) and just let it cook with the chicken. When you flip the chicken or baste it, just give them a little turn over so the bottom potatoes have an opportunity to be on top for a bit. Then when you take it out, you have an automatic side dish that takes no extra cooking time and doesn’t create an extra pot or pan for you to wash. Just use a slotted spoon to scoop it out. Ta-da! You could also use fingerling potatoes or baby red potatoes if you like, just use ‘em whole. You can also add whatever seasoning/herbs you like to them. But I like ‘em simple, myself- just salt & a dash of pepper.

Real Estate Roast Chicken

• 1 (3- to 4-pound) chicken
• 2 tablespoons soft butter
• Salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• 1 lemon
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

Preheat oven to 375° degrees.

Rub the chicken with butter, season generously with salt and pepper, squeeze the juice of the lemon over it, and stuff the cavity with the lemon rinds and garlic. Place on a rack breast side down in a roasting pan; roast for 30 minutes. Then turn breast side up, baste with pan juices, and roast for another 20 – 30 minutes, until the breast is golden and the juices that run from a pierced thigh are clear.

Yields: 2 servings.

My chicken was a bit bigger, so it cooked for longer and served more. And was it ever delicious. I usually, when I roast chicken, use the lemon/garlic way of seasoning it, and I love it. If you’ve never tried it; try it immediately.

Mitch was a recovering alcoholic who really was totally unimpressed with food, unless it was simple (like spaghetti with butter and parmesan or… well, grilled cheese). I am neither a recovering alcoholic nor am I unimpressed with food- quite the contrary. I’m a bit over-impressed with food. As in, I’m so impressed, I eat and eat and eat… and in Jay, I’ve found someone who enjoys that as much as I do. Which can be dangerous, for my waistline anyway. And it was, thankfully I’ve dropped all the weight I gained during our first few years together in our journeys through every restaurant in Long Island (and some in New Jersey and Manhattan).

Anyway, tonight I wasn’t all that hungry (unusual for me, if you know me you know I can out-eat most men twice my size… or at the very least, keep up with them), and I have a LOT of baking/preparing to do for Thanksgiving, so I wanted something light and quick. I decided that the Italian grilled cheese was perfect. I switched it up a bit from Giulia’s recipe, which is actually more along the lines of a hybrid of French toast and a croque monsieur. I made mine more like a regular grilled cheese, however. Giulia uses Italian bread in her recipe, I used Wonder bread (I know, I know). I spread some minced garlic and drizzled a bit of olive oil on two slices. Then I put some mozzarella on one of them, flipped the other slice over so the garlic side faced the cheese, and grilled it in a skillet in some olive oil. I also used some marinara sauce in a little bowl to dip it in, because I am of the school of thought that bread + cheese is always better with marinara or some kind of tomato/tomato sauce. Oh- and garlic (like Brianne said the other day).

Italian Grilled Cheese for Teenage WASPs

• Olive oil
• Italian bread, or even a French baguette (1 to 2 days old is fine), thinly sliced
• Mozzarella, thinly sliced (this may have been sitting around a couple of days, too)
• 1 to 2 eggs, lightly beaten

Heat olive oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Make little sandwiches with the bread and cheese and dip in the egg. When the olive oil is hot, slip in the sandwiches (you may insert a toothpick in each for the cooking if you find they are falling apart) and cook until golden on both sides and cheese is melted. Press with a kettle or pot full of water to flatten (if you’ve used toothpicks, remove them when the cheese is melted and has glued everything together).

Yield: 1 loaf of bread makes 8-12 sandwiches.

I thought this was so easy and yet so good. Even if I had made mine with the egg, I’d probably have used the garlic as well. It really adds a little something extra. You could make so many variations on this theme- add ham, or chicken, or turkey. Add mushrooms, use a different kind of cheese… etc, etc. It’s a great basic staple recipe you can build on. No wonder why Mitch liked it so much!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone reading this. Enjoy your day, enjoy your family, eat a lot of food and think of us!