The Vivaldi Pasta Concerto Finale

We celebrated the arrival of the Winter Solstice with the last recipe from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons Pastas: L’Inverno from The Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook. Folks, this one is worth making! The cheese makes a very creamy and delicious sauce. Add a tossed salad and a glass of Cabernet and you will be in heaven!

Here's L'Inverno!

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

1½ cups large walnut pieces

1 pound St. André cheese, rind removed, cheese cut into irregular pieces

1 cup coarsely chopped fresh Italian parsley

8 ounces thinly sliced Parma ham, shredded

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 cup plus 1 tablespoon best-quality olive oil (next time I'll use only ¾ cup)

4 quarts water

1 pound dried linguine (I used spaghetti)

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. Combine the garlic, walnuts, St. André, parsley, ham, ½ teaspoon of the salt, pepper, and oil in a large serving bowl. Let stand at room temperature at least 4 hours.

2. Just before serving, heat the water to boiling in a large pan. Add 1 tablespoon oil and the remaining 1½ teaspoons salt. Add the pasta and boil until tender but still firm, 8-10 minutes.

3. Drain the pasta and immediately toss with the walnut sauce. Serve immediately. Pass the peppermill and Parmesan cheese.

4 portions

Autumn Pasta Concerto

In my opinion, besides fresh apples, there's no better reason to welcome fall than to enjoy this pasta dish, part of Vivaldi's Four Seasons pasta dishes, from the Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook.

Here's L’Autunno:

¾ cup best-quality olive oil
15 cloves garlic, 6 minced and 9 cut into thin slivers
1 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, or 1½ teaspoons dried
¾ cup dried apricots, cut into slivers
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 pound linguine (I used spaghetti)
½ cup chopped fresh parsley
1-2 tablespoons grated Parmesan (my own addition)

1. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the minced and slivered garlic and sauté until just browned.
2. Stir in the white wine. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes. Add the rosemary and apricots. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer 5 to 10 minutes longer.
3. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in boiling, salted water until tender but still firm; drain.
4. Place the pasta, sauce and parsley in a serving bowl and toss to coat. Sprinkle cheese. Serve immediately.
4 to 6 portions 

Simple and Fresh, As Summer Ought to Be

This is the second pasta dish of Vivaldi's Four Seasons, from the Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook.  It is easy and light, encouraging us to pluck the cherry tomatoes off the bush in the backyard, and use up some of the basil growing wantonly next to it.

Ladies and Gentlemen, L'Estate:

2 cups fresh basil leaves
5 ounces Parmesan cheese (I used Parmigiano-Reggiano)
¾ cup pine nuts (pignoli), lightly toasted
6 cloves garlic, lightly crushed
2½ cups extra virgin olive oil (I only used ½ cup)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 pound linguine (I used spaghetti)
Cherry tomato halves, or tomato wedges

1. Combine the basil, Parmesan, pine nuts and garlic in a medium-size bowl. Pour the olive oil over it all. Season with salt and pepper. Let stand at room temperature for three hours.
2. Cook the linguine (or spaghetti) in boiling salted water until tender but still firm. Drain and toss immediately with the sauce. Place in a large serving platter and arrange the tomatoes around the edge.
4 portions

Cooking Inspired by Vivaldi

For the Instrumental Solo Festival during my high school years, I chose to play the 1st Movement of Vivaldi's Concerto in A Minor, where, much to my astonishment, I received a “Superior” rating.  Since then, Vivaldi has held a special place in my heart.  So, when I saw the Four Seasons Pasta recipes in the Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook, a book that was published in the 80s, I knew that, sooner or later, I'd have to try making them all.  But, as so frequently happens, life gets in the way, and I never got around to it.  Until now.  This is it.  This is the year!

Here's La Primavera . . .

Here's the recipe:

2 quarts water

1 lemon, cut in half

1 lb. medium-size shrimp, shelled and deveined

1 pound bay scallops (I used sea scallops)

8 oz. Nova Scotia smoked salmon, thinly sliced and shredded into 2-inch pieces

2 cups mild olive oil

¼ cup fresh lemon juice

1 cup diced ripe tomatoes

½ cup chopped fresh dill

2 tablespoons finely chopped shallots

1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Salt, to taste

1 pound linguine

1.  Heat the water and lemon halves in a large saucepan over medium heat to boiling.  Reduce the heat and add the shrimp.  Simmer for 1 minute.  Remove the shrimp with a slotted spoon and cool under running water.  Pat dry and place in a large bowl.

2.  Cook the scallops in the simmering water for 1 minute.  Drain and cool under cold running water.  Pat dry and add to the shrimp.

3.  Combine the oil, lemon juice, tomatoes, dill, shallots, and pepper in a separate bowl.  Pour over the seafood and toss gently to combine.  Let stand covered at room temperature for 1 hour, or in the refrigerator up to 12 hours (warm to room temperature before serving).

4.  Cook the linguine in boiling salted water until tender but still firm.  Drain and toss immediately with the seafood sauce,

6 portions

The salmon, lemon and dill made for a not-so-Italian flavor profile, but it was delicious just the same.  I wish I had taken the time to find the bay scallops, they would've provided a more delicate, seasonal touch.  Then again, would Vivaldi have been able to find those tiny scallops while working in Venice?  I've also discovered that my husband doesn't care for linguine, he prefers a thinner pasta, so the next three recipes will be prepared using good ol' spaghetti instead.

Chicken Noodle Soup

Here's la soupe au poulet et nouilles —

Chicken Noodle Soup, elevated to something magnifique . . .

by merely serving it on the dashing Lion's Head Soup bowl . . .

And then, for dessert, Lime Mousse, from the Silver Palate Cookbook.  This is part of the standard repertoire in the Cheney household, and we never seem to tire of it — plus I got to use up the leftover limes from last Sunday's Irish Whiskey Mules.  Bon appétit!

A Romantic Christmas Eve

I was going to call this "A Very Paisley Christmas" in honor of the Red Caroline Paisley from Pottery Barn that captured my heart a while back.  You can see a little bit of the napkin here in this Valentine's tea post from last February.

But then, I decided to fold the napkins à la fleur-de-lis to show off its gorgeous pattern . . .

The centerpiece from Teleflora.com had pretty red roses in a mercury glass container . . .

 I love the look of mercury glass . . .

But the arrangement seemed a bit too dark to me, so I added some Baby's Breath . . .

 

Suddenly, the romance of it all struck me . . .

It reminds me of a Victorian-era table . . .  Hmm . . . would Mr. Dickens approve . . . ?

Each little box contained Godiva truffles.  Everyone should wake up to truffles on Christmas morning, don't you think . . . ?  The little packages were tied with red ribbon and I added a Christmas ornament, to be hung on the tree later on . . .

We had a toddler in our midst this year, so we dug up the table and chair set that my boys used when they were little, and set up a proper table for this young man . . .

Oliver, my brother's first grandson, and my great-nephew, stole the show, in the same way that he's stolen our hearts.  What a cutie!

Here's the family, as we sat down to say grace.  The menu:  Waldorf Salad on Baby Romaine, Filet of Beef Au Jus, Mashed Potatoes, Steamed Broccoli . . .

And for dessert a Cookie Tower.  I became a baking fool this Christmas with the help of my son, John, enabler and invaluable assistant.  The phrase "visions of sugar-plums danced in her head" could have been applied to me!

The tower included Cranberry Pistachio cookies, Magic Bars (Chocolate Chips, Butterscotch Chips and Coconut with a gooey center), Double Chocolate Chip Peppermint Cookies, Pecan Butter Balls, Almond Cream Cheese Cookies, Chocolate Espresso Snowcaps, Chocolate Chip Cookies, with semi-sweet chocolate drizzles, Almond Raspberry Thumbprints, Potato Chip Cookies, and Peanut Butter Chocolate Blossoms . . .

A closeup of the Almond Raspberry Thumbprints, Potato Chip Cookies and Peanut Butter Chocolate Blossoms . . .

The chocolate chip cookies are on the right, because it isn't Christmas around here without your basic CCC, and to the left . . . Pecan Butterballs, recipe from the Silver Palate Cookbook.  Let me tell you, those Butterballs are the essence of winter, they are kissed with HONEY and seem to melt in your mouth . . . fabulous . . .

Here you can see the Chocolate Espresso Snow caps and the Almond Cookies a little better.  These are not the best pictures but I was snapping away as fast as I could before the cookies were devoured . . .

The Chocolate Espresso Snowcaps were a new addition to our cookie repertoire, I found them in Pinterest but they are Martha Stewart's.  The were delicious and so pretty, too!  Here is the link for the recipe. 

My sister-in-law, Kathy, also brought a gorgeous, delicious flan to share!  I wish I had taken a picture of it.  It was a beautiful thing.  It can be tricky to bake a flan to a proper consistency, but hers was perfect!  Oh, if only we could slow events down a little bit so we could capture everything on camera!

And here is the photo that still makes me smile:  My son, John, trying to hold on to a slippery Oliver, and my other son, David, in the background with a half-smile on his face.  He seems to be thinking:  “Better you than me, bro!”  Oh, what a wonderful Christmas Eve!  I hope yours was, too!

I'm joining Tablescape Thursday at Between Naps on the Porch and Let's Dish! at Cuisine Kathleens!  Please stop by for inspiration!

Tea Bread Tuesday: Apricot Raisin Bread

It's a true testament to how good this bread is, that, even though I botched the baking time, it still came out delicious. 

I should rename this bread "Discombobulation Bread" in honor of my mood while I was preparing it.  I couldn't get a system going as I prepared the bread.  I was so distracted that I kept losing track of what I was doing and had to measure a few ingredients a couple of times . . .  I even remarked to my DH that this bread was a lot of work, just because it called for soaking the apricots and raisins in boiling water . . . that little extra step was frustrating me to no end!

I finally popped it in the oven, and ran upstairs to my office to file a couple of warranty booklets that had been lying around since Christmas, then on top of my desk I noticed a friend's birthday card I'd been meaning to send . . . then there was the envelope with my friend's new address that had to be transferred to my address book . . . then there was a sock that needed to be put away, not two socks, mind you, just one . . . and where's the second one?  Ah!  There it is!  In the sock drawer!  And, since I was upstairs, I decided I may as well take my shower and get dressed . . . and while shampooing my hair, I suddenly remembered:  THE BREAD!!!!  I yelled down at my DH to check the bread, but it was already too late - the bread wasn't burned but it was definitely overdone, and somewhat dry.

So instead of a moist tea bread, I ended up with a bread that had the texture of panetone - a dry Italian fruit cake.  But heck, I wasn't about to throw it out!  We've been dunking it in our tea and coffee!

The bread was so tasty!  I'll be making this one again for sure - but baking it for the correct time . . . after I take my shower . . .

Here's the recipe (from The Silver Palate Cookbook):

1 cup boiling water, approximately
¾ cup coarsely chopped dried apricots
½ cup raisins
3 tablespoons plus ½ cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup oil
2 eggs, beaten
2¼ cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2/3 cup milk
3/4 cup unprocessed bran

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.  Grease a 9 x 5 x 3 inch bread pan.
2. Pour boiling water over apricots and raisins just to cover.  Let sit for 10 minutes.  Drain well and add 3 tablespoons sugar.  Mix well.
3. While fruit is soaking, add the remaining ½ cup sugar to the oil and beat well.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating until well mixed.
4. Sift flour, baking powder and salt together and add alternately with milk and bran to oil mixture.  Fold in fruits.
5. Pour mixture into prepared pan.  Bake for 1 hour, or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
6. Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes.  Remove from pan and cool on a cake rack.

1 loaf

Tea Bread Tuesday: Date-Nut Bread

I baked the tea bread last night for today's blog post because I knew I'd be out tonight at the annual Las Tres Amigas get-together (more on that tomorrow).  And this is what I found this morning on the kitchen counter before I had a chance to photograph the bread.  A little mouse named Lee apparently had a slice before going to bed, and then a second one this morning on his way out the door . . .  Well, at least he re-covered it so it wouldn't dry out . . .

The bread was deeee-licious!  I have made many versions of Date-Nut Bread over the years, but I had never tried The Silver Palate's version.  Now I could kick myself for having had this recipe at my fingertips all this time and never trying it out!  The recipe's secret ingredient is rum - 1½ tablespoons of it, just enough to infuse the batter with its flavor.  It compliments the dates beautifully!  What an unexpected surprise!  And, as an additional boon, Lee loved it!  I'll definitely be making this one again.

Here's the recipe:

4 tablespoons sweet butter, cut into 6 chunks

1 cup, pitted dates, coarsely chopped

¼ cup brown sugar

¼ cup granulated sugar

¾ cup boiling water

1 egg, beaten

2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour, sifted

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup shelled black walnuts, coarsely chopped

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1½ tablespoon rum

1.  Preheat oven to 350°F.  Grease a 9 x 5 x 3 bread pan.

2.  Place butter in a large mixing bowl, place dates on top, and pour both sugars over.  Pour boiling water over ingredients in the bowl.  Let sit for 7 minutes.  Stir well.

3.  When mixture is cool, add the egg and mix well.

4.  Sift flour, baking powder and salt together.  Add to date mixture, beating for 30 seconds.  Stir in walnuts, vanilla and rum.

5.  Pour mixture into prepared pan.  Bake for 45-50 minutes.

Just be careful of little mice left to wonder around by themselves . . .

Tea Bread Tuesday: Sour Cream Coffeecake

I took the advice of my fellow blogger, Nicki, and served this week's treat with a cup of Java. I also decided to give our taste buds a break by baking an old tried and true recipe. This one also comes from “The Silver Palate Cookbook” and I've made it many, many times. For a while, this coffeecake was so popular at work that I had to make it every time we had a potluck - heaven help me if I made something else!

It doesn't look like much on the outside . . .

But on the inside . . . Ah . . . ! Pure bliss! The swirls of cinnamon and pecans add a wonderful crunchiness to an incredibly moist cake!

Here's the recipe:

16 tablespoons (2 sticks) sweet butter

2¾ cups granulated sugar

2 eggs, beaten

2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup dairy sour cream

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2 cups shelled pecans, chopped

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease a 10-inch bundt pan and lightly dust the inside with flour.
2. Cream together the butter and 2 cups of the sugar. Add eggs, blending well, then the sour cream and vanilla.
3. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.
4. Fold the dry ingredients into the creamed mixture, and beat until just blended. Do not overbeat.
5. In a separate bowl, mix remaining ¾ cup sugar with pecans and cinnamon.
6. Pour half of the batter into the bundt pan. Sprinkle with half of the pecan and sugar mixture. Add remaining batter and top with the rest of the pecan mixture.
7. Set on the middle rack of the oven and bake for about 60 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve warm.

10 portions
It may have "Coffeecake" in its title, but the recipe calls for baking powder in the batter as a leavening agent, not yeast, so it still qualifies as a tea bread. Just in case we want to get technical about it . . .

Tea Bread Tuesday: Orange Pecan Bread

This recipe came from “The Silver Palate Cookbook.” It wasn't bad, but I don't think I'll be making this one again. The bread was crumbly and too sweet, and, worst of all, my husband, the ultimate judge, just shrugged his shoulders when I asked him how he liked it - it didn't even rate a “Not bad, but it could have used a little more . . . ” I wonder if we are suffering from tea bread fatigue . . . I may need to reassess whether to continue this series on a weekly basis or do it less frequently . . .

And, by the way, thank you to all my wonderful blogging friends who rack your brain every week to comment on essentially the same thing - another tea bread . . . It's nice of you to humor me while I work this project out of my system . . . I so appreciate you!

Here's the recipe - for the terminally curious:

8 tablespoons (1 stick) sweet butter, softened
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 eggs, separated
grated rind of 1 large or 2 small oranges
1½ cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
½ cup fresh orange juice
1 cup shelled pecans, chopped

Orange Glaze

¼ cup orange juice
¼ cup granulated sugar

1. Pre-heat oven to 350ºF. Grease an 8½ x 4½ inch loaf pan.
2. Cream the butter. Add ¾ cup sugar gradually, beating with an electric mixer until light. Beat in the egg yolks, one at a time, and the grated orange rind.
3. Sift the flour with baking powder, baking soda and salt, and add dry mixture to the batter alternately with ½ orange juice, beginning and ending with flour. Gently mix in the pecans.
4. Beat the egg whites until stiff and fold them carefully into the batter.
5. Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan, set on the middle rack of the oven, and bake for 50 to 60 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, make the glaze. Spoon the hot syrup over the bread as soon as the bread is removed from the oven. Cool in the pan on a wire rack.

1 loaf

Tea Bread Tuesday: Zucchini Bread

For this week's tea bread, I turned to one of my favorite cookbooks: The Silver Palate Cookbook. Unfortunately, this is one of the rare times when a recipe from this trusted source did not turn out as well as I hoped. The bread rose and then sunk in the center, and looked quite ugly when it came out of the oven. It was also too oily and heavy. Lastly, the recipe called for one teaspoon of ground cloves, but for my taste, a half teaspoon would have been plenty.

I took some to work today and it flew off the plate. I received many nice compliments about it, but frankly, my only other competition was the Break Room vending machine . . .

I cut the slices in half and picked the best pieces for the presentation below . . . Shh! Don't tell anyone, O.K.?

Here is the recipe, for those who, like me, are perennially curious . . .

1 tablespoon sweet butter

3 eggs

1¼ cups of oil

1½ cups granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups grated unpeeled raw zucchini

2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cloves

1 cups shelled walnuts, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Butter a 9 x 5 loaf pan.

2. Beat eggs, oil, sugar and vanilla until light and thick. Fold grated zucchini into oil mixture.

3. Sift dry ingredients together. Stir into zucchini mixture until just blended. Fold in the walnuts.

4. Pour batter into buttered loaf pan. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

5. Cool slightly, remove from pan, and cool completely on a rack.

1 loaf