Dining Alone? Yes Please...

There's in a scene in the movie The Thomas Crown Affair, where Thomas Crown, a wealthy investment banker who has it all yet loves to steal priceless works of art, comes home alone to his uber posh NYC home. In this scene he walks in, opens what I would assume to be an a amazing bottle of wine, pours himself a glass...looks at his most recent acquisition and raises a glass to it and to himself. All alone. Now I'm no Gazillionaire banker nor an "acquirer" of priceless works of art. I do however absolutely relate to this scene. Why? Because he is alone and he is enjoying that glass of wine and his surroundings....alone. I think there is something very special about dinning alone, in your place with your things surrounding you and there is an amazing amount of solace that comes with that. It is impossible to share this intimate moment, because the very essence of the point is to BE alone.

I equate it to cooking, because often after having a similar scene in my MUCH smaller NYC apartment with my glass of wine, I tend to move on to the cooking portion of my evening....again....alone. If you've ever taken a moment to notice some of the things you do when you're alone, you'd be amazed. With cooking, I often find myself setting a proper table setting. Hell, sometimes I even light a candle. (and yes this plate was just for me)


I am ABSOLUTELY conscious about plating probably even more so then when I have guests over. I am far from being a meticulous person, and yet there I am, carefully laying out a meal that would cost more than a pretty penny in a fine dining establishment. But I think (and maybe you agree with me on this maybe you don't) there is a fleeting preciousness in that time alone. You know I don't actually remember when I started caring about plating (I'm no chef remember) but I am quite certain that it was when I was dining alone. Cooking alone is a chance to dream...to wonder...to explore...well...just about everything in your life. It's there to take chances and be wrong and it being ok. Places like this are very rare indeed these days my friends. BUT....I don't need to tell you that, you already know....Don't you? Yeah. Me too.


Then comes the next character in our little play.. Some may even call it the main player, but to me it's just another character. Maybe the leading lady. The meal. When you are alone You cannot be judged on what you eat. It is all you. Your choice. Your desire. Your world....even if just for a few hours. You can make the simplest of meals or the downright strangest concoctions. Why? Because it's just you....no judges here. And we ALL have that special meal or two. You know the one I'm talking about, the one you just NEED to have sometimes. The one where you get that first whiff of a smell and the house around you beings to change and fade into familiar old time surroundings. You take that first bite and the haziness of those memories solidifies into reality. And boom there you are again. Back in that little place you call comfort.


We all have one dish, maybe even two or three. But the number is never large. If the number was large the scenario would no longer be intimate. And I would probably not be writing this thought. I have two or three, but I think the one that always just settles me down is probably the very simplest of meals. Just give me a bowl of pasta, two or three spoon fulls of ricotta cheese and cover it with homemade Marinara sauce. Hell it doesn't even have to be homemade marinara sauce. There's many a fine jar of marinara sauces out there which can most certainly get the job done. Grate some fresh parmesan cheese (and on this I won't substitute, it must be fresh) all over the top, maybe a drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, some fresh bread on the side (which I will tear and NOT slice) and am truly in the very essence of the word, good.


But that is my little piece of soul comfort. We each have our own with all sorts of combinations. And none of them are odd. Why? Because they are ours....alone....with no one else to have an opinion but us. And this is a kind of wealth that anyone can own. I would love to hear some of the dishes that you guys do.

Until we do this again....

Enjoy....Have Fun...and Eat Well!

TPC

Summer Soup?....Spicy Roasted Red Pepper and Crab Soup

With the weather turning warmer you may not be thinking soup mode, but it's also a great time for garden vegetables and for seafood! I chose a fun mix of red peppers and crab and put together an easy soup for the spring and summer. And since you know I like things with a little spice to them we are looking to add some jalapenos as well to this lovely little dish. This is actually quite easy, just make sure you pay attention to TPC notes on this one. They are critical! OK Let's Prep....

Here's What You Need:

• 4 Red Bell Peppers
• 1-2 Jalapeno Peppers
• 1 Onion, chopped
• 2 Garlic Cloves, minced
• 3 cups Chicken Stock (or vegetable stock) bouillon cubes work fine
• 1 Potato cubed (adds a nice thickness)
• 1 Carrot shredded (adds a subtle sweetness)
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 Bay Leaves
• 3 Thyme Sprigs
• ½ lb Lump Crab meat (really rinse it)
• Sea Salt and FG Black Pepper, to taste
• Heavy Cream
• 1 Baguette and 1 Garlic Clove (sliced toasted and rubbed with garlic clove)

Roast the peppers directly on your stove top on the open flame. If you have an electric stove you can halve them and put them under your broiler until a nice black char shows. (About 15 minutes) Let cool and then roughly chop the roasted red peppers and set aside.

TPC NOTE: The heat from the jalapenos comes from the seeds and membrane. Adjust the heat you want by either leaving them there or removing them before chopping. ALSO the fumes from the jalapenos can be a little much so be careful and REALLY wash your hands when done handling the jalapenos. I have many a painful tale to tell you about not doing that correctly.

In a large pot, heat a splash of olive oil, add the onion, garlic, thyme, bay leaves some FG pepper then one cup of stock. Bring to a boil then lower the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes, until the onions and garlic begin to soften.

Add the carrots and potatoes and the rest of the stock. Bring to a boil again then lower the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes begin to soften.

Add the roasted red peppers and return to a boil. Cover and simmer about 10 minutes.

Remove from heat and allow soup to cool slightly. Transfer the soup to a food processor or use an immersion blender or even a regular blender and puree until smooth.

TPC NOTE: When blending the soup be very careful. Do it in two batches and make sure to put a towel on top of the blender cap to hold it down when blending, as the steam will pop the top and splash hot soup all over you....IE not good.

Return to the saucepan to reheat and adjust the seasonings (Salt and pepper). Add the crab meat, and simmer the soup just until the crab is heated through. Serve in shallow soup bowls. Add some crab meat to the middle of the bowl to create a little mound. Drizzle in the heavy cream and garnish with Italian Parsley, or Chives and a little FG Pepper. Place the baguette slices around the bowl. And there you have it!

WINE NOTE: Since we are probably serving this during the warmer days, feel free to serve with a crisp white or even some champagne.

Until we do this again....

Enjoy....Have Fun...and Eat Well!

TPC

Marinara Sauce: I just had to....

I really debated this one for a long time....when you open Pandora's box it is quite difficult, if not impossible, to close. And when you start talking about a Marinara Sauce.....you are opening Pandora's Box. Everyone has a version they love and most likely it is a version they grew up with that was cooked in their household. Or worse their favorite is out of a jar! And look, there are some good jars out there, maybe even very good. But please don't ever compare that to what can be done out of your own kitchen. Ever....

Marinara in its essence is not a complicated sauce. Which is also wherein its beauty lies. Now I'm not talking about "Sunday Gravy" here folks, which has different meats thrown in and sits for hours and hours (which is also amazing!). This is plain, simple and beautiful Marinara sauce. Though the origins trace it to southern Italy how it is made can be and is often disputed. One thing for certain is that it contains tomatoes. After that you will people get creative and argumentative. You will see onions, garlic, all sorts of herbs (Basil, Thyme, Oregano, Parsley), olive oil, cheese and maybe even peppers or olives. But I think once you get to peppers and olives you are on a whole different type of sauce here people. I keep mine very simple and use it as the base for many of my other tomato sauces. It is my favorite version because.....well....I adjusted until I was in love with it. And I've had people tell me so as well. BUT in the end, there's really only one thing to do. Grab a loaf or two of bread and keep on tasting and changing until you get what you like. OK...Let's prep...

Here's What You Need:

• 1 Onion, minced, diced or sliced depending on how you like your sauce to look
• 4 - 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 2 sprigs of Thyme
• 6 - 8 leaves of Basil
• 2 (28 oz) cans of whole peeled tomatoes (San Marzano if you can get them), broken up by hand and mixed well with their juices
• The rind of Parmesan Reggiano Cheese (yes the rind, it adds a wonderful depth of flavor, also good in soups!)
  
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Salt and FG Pepper to taste

In a large sauce pan or pot add a couple of splashes of olive oil and then add your onions and cook down about 5 minutes. Once the onions are soft and somewhat translucent looking you can add your garlic. Cook about another 5 minutes and then you can add your thyme and cook another 5 minutes.


TPC NOTE: Though you will see many recipes who add the garlic at the same time or even first, I find that since onions take longer to cook down, that when you add them first you are less likely to burn the garlic. And if you burn the garlic you HAVE to start all over again.

Add the tomatoes. Bring to a boil and then lower to a simmer, stir in half the basil and the cheese rind and stir every so often for about 45 minutes to an hour. The longer you leave it on the thicker it will be. So adjust according to how you like it. Continue to taste throughout and salt and FG pepper to your liking. About 5 minutes before you take it off the heat add the rest of the basil. And if you want....a pinch of dried oregano....shhhh.


WINE NOTE: The flexibility of this sauce stretches to the wines you can drink with it. You can really range here. But the tomatoes are really complimented with some nicely acidic wines, so you can do a Chianti or a fruity Sangiovese or on the white side a crisp Sauvignon Blanc.

I won't even go into how you can use this sauce or all the wonderful things you can add to it. I WOULD say that the first thing you should do is just have this on some pasta and try it as it is.....start there. Then....explore my friends!

Until we do this again....

Enjoy....Have Fun...and Eat Well!

TPC

Side Note: Not your Mother's Potato Salad

I just don't get it. Why does potato salad get such a bad rap? Is it because it is usually some pre-made, supermarket purchased, lumps of unseasoned potatoes drowned in a gallon or two of mayonnaise? Or because we have forgotten how such a simple little side dish could be so wonderful and satiating to the soul. No. It has become a side player. An afterthought for summer picnics used to finish out a plate laden full of wonderful grilled meats. Well not anymore my friends. We will not let this old and dear friend go quietly into the good night. It's time for action!

I stayed away from the mayo in this dish, but you are more than welcome to put it in. And I gave you variations of where you can add more or less depending on what you like. As we say.....have fun and taste to your preference. And PLEASE don't be put off by what looks like a lot of ingredients. This is easier than it looks.OK...Let's prep...

Here's What You Need:

• 2 lbs Yukon Gold, red potatoes or any type of fingerling potatoes
• Half to a whole cucumber, sliced paper thin (Use a mandolin if you have one, if not as thin as you can cut it)
• Pinch caraway seeds (these go in the boiling water with the potatoes, NYC chef trick and it's amazing)
• 1 Chicken Bouillon Cube (for 1 cup stock)
• 1 half Onion chopped (you can add more if you really like onions)
• 1 tbsp Dijon Mustard (only have Stone Ground Mustard, that's OK too)
• 1/4 cup Cider Vinegar (white wine vinegar, if that's all you have, will suffice)
• 2 - 3 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 tbsp Sour Cream (Optional, just as good without sour cream or mayo....or if you must...you can use mayo instead...ugh can't believe you did.)
• 1-2 tbsp chopped Dill (depending how much like dill)
• 4 Slices Bacon crisp and broken into small pieces (optional, try once without and once with)
• Sea Salt and FG Black Pepper to taste

Put the cucumber slices in a strainer over bowl, toss with 2 teaspoons salt, and set aside to allow the water to drain off the cucumbers. Press them later to push all the water out. This is important so you don't have watery Potato Salad.

In a pot of cold water cover the potatoes, add generous pinch of salt and caraway, bring to a boil, and cook until potatoes are just tender. Drain, peel, and slice into a large bowl while still warm. Season with salt and FG pepper.

TPC NOTE: I know the potatoes are hot but two things. ALWAYS peel them after you boil them and if you can TRY to mix in the ingredients while the potatoes are still warm. It makes ALL the difference in the infusion of flavor.

While the potatoes are boiling, in a saucepan, cook down half the onion and a quick swirl of olive oil. Add the chicken stock to the onions and simmer. Add to onion/stock mix gradually to the potatoes, and toss gently until you start to see a nice mix occurring. You may not need all the stock.

Fold in mustard, vinegar, oil and dill. (Trend to the lighter side here as you can and will ALWAYS add more a little later). Now bend down a bit and inhale...The dill really gives off a wonderful smell when it hits the warm potatoes....yeah!

Mix in the cucumbers and sour cream (if adding). TASTE! Add more salt, fg pepper, mustard and vinegar if needed.

Finally mix in the bacon if you are using it. You can even use JUST the bacon and leave OUT the cucumber. Try both! I always save a little more dill to sprinkle on when plating as it gives it a really nice look. And it is HARD to make potato salad look fancy. And there you have it. Feel free to pair with Burgers, BBQ Chicken, just about anything you'd use at a picnic. I do the sour "creamless" version with a nice Chicken Roast at home...very tasty.



WINE NOTE: If you're at a BBQ you're probably doing some ice cold beer, BUT a chilled down Riesling just adds to the refreshing quality of this rejuvenated dish!

Until we do this again....

Enjoy....Have Fun...and Eat Well!

TPC