Cinque Terre Lemons

Pork Marinara & Fettuccine

                Every once in a while you nail a dish perfectly. It doesn’t happen often, so when it does I am compelled to immediately record preciously how I prepared it. Italian pasta is meant to be cooked al dente and then finished off by mixing in the sauce, so it adheres to every pasta strand. Pasta sauce is also all about using the ingredients at hand. In this case I had the remnants of a pork rib roast to play with. Pasta is in the moment and always best served immediately after preparation. Try this. It will surprise you.

1                           26-ounce jar of Trader Joe’s Tomato Basil Marinara sauce

1              pound dry fettuccine, cooked

4              cups finely chopped cooked pork 

1              cup chopped Vidalia onion

1              garlic clove, minced

1              strip of cooked bacon, chopped

½             cup chopped flat leaf parsley

1              cup chicken stock

3              tablespoons olive oil

1              teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1              teaspoon white vinegar

1              teaspoon dried Greek oregano

1              teaspoon medium hot chili powder

                olive oil to taste

                salt and pepper to taste

                grated Parmigiano Reggiano

Preparation:  In a large pot of boiling salted water cook the fettuccine until al dente; usually about eight minutes. In a large cast iron fry pan sauté the Vidalia onions in the olive oil until just softened, about three minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for another minute. Add the 4 cups of cooked chopped pork and bacon and season with the Greek oregano, chili powder, salt and pepper, and sauté for two minutes. Add the Marinara sauce, chicken stock, lemon juice, vinegar, parsley and stir. Bring to a quick boil and then set to low and cook for ten minutes more. Adjust seasoning to your preference.

In a large pan or bowl combine the sauce with the drained fettuccine. Add a splash of olive oil to your preference. Serve at once with grated Parmigiano Reggiano.

Richard Wottrich

Black Mission Fig & Red Grape Frisée Salad

This salad of bright flavors pairs well with an omelet for dinner, a bistro chicken fricassee, or a flank steak with mustard cream sauce.

                                2              cups of loosely packed Frisée greens

1              heart of Romaine lettuce, chopped into 2-inch lengths

½             cup of loosely packed flat parsley leaves

½             red onion, thinly sliced

                                6              Black Mission figs, quartered

                                12           seedless red grapes, halved

                                ½             orange

                                1              tablespoon sherry vinegar

                                2              tablespoons olive oil

                                                sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste  

Preparation:  In a wooden salad bowl lightly toss the first six ingredients. Squeeze the juice from the half orange onto the salad. Take a fork and scrape the orange pulp into the salad. Add the sherry vinegar and olive oil and toss again. Add sea salt and pepper to taste.      


Richard Wottrich       

Chicken Fricassee with Two Vinegars

(Fricassée de Poulet aux Deux Vinaigres)

Friends often ask me for recommendations on how to get started in serious cooking and I usually go into a tirade on buying small quantities of the best real food you can afford and then getting out of the way of the ingredients. Then I mention cookbooks from Ina Garten (Barefoot Contessa) or Jamie Oliver. But for very sophisticated Parisian fare and perfect technique The Paris Cookbook (Harper Collins, 2001) by Patricia Wells (a close friend of Ina) is another terrific choice. Sauces can be daunting to even the experienced cook, but Patricia lays out straight forward recipes that build sublime sauces before you know it. This is such a recipe.

                 1             fresh farm chicken, 3-4 pounds, cut into 8 pieces (*see note)  

                                sea salt, to taste   

                                fresh ground white pepper, to taste               

                 3             tablespoons extra virgin olive oil     

                 4             tablespoons unsalted butter             

                 1/3         cup best quality white champagne vinegar    

                 1/3         cup best quality red wine vinegar   

                 1/3         cup of the white wine you are having with dinner       

                 2            shallots, finely minced      

                 3/4         cup tomato sauce               

                 1 2/3      cups chicken stock             

                 1            cup heavy cream

Preparation:   1. Pat the chicken dry and liberally season it on all sides with sea salt and white pepper. 2.  In a deep skillet, combine the oil and butter, and heat over moderate heat. When the fats are hot but not smoking, add the chicken, skin side down, and brown until it turns an even golden color, about 5 minutes. Turn the pieces and brown them on the other side, 5 minutes more. Carefully regulate the heat to avoid scorching the skin. (This may have to be done in batches.) When all the pieces are browned, use tongs (to avoid piercing the meat) to transfer them to a platter. 3. Pour off and discard the fat in the skillet. Off the heat, add the two vinegars and deglaze the pan. Add the wine. Add the shallots and cook, covered, over low heat until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Return the chicken to the pan. Cover and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes. Transfer the chicken pieces to a large warmed platter and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm. 4. Add the tomato sauce and stock to the skillet; stir to blend thoroughly. Add the cream and cook, uncovered, over medium heat for 5 minutes. Return the chicken to the skillet, cover and cook over low heat, turning the pieces from time to time to absorb the sauce, for about 10 minutes. Taste for seasoning, and serve.

Presentation: I served this with steamed Broccolini and two pieces of chicken per serving and poured the sauce on! A side salad of flat parsley, Romaine leaves and frisée, quartered black figs, sliced red onion and halved red grapes with vinaigrette was perfect.

* Start with the chicken at room temperature. Patricia notes that if you can't find a fresh farm chicken, a free-range or organic chicken will do. I bought an organic chicken at Harrison’s Poultry Farm, Inc. in Glenview for $5.60. Patricia serves the dish over rice or pasta. I used sherry vinegar instead of champagne vinegar, seasoned with dry tarragon, and added thin sliced white button mushrooms in Step. 4.

Jack Daniel’s Squares

Makes 12-16 Squares

These bourbon-spiked brownies hale from the holiday cookie contests Sharon used to host at the A-Plus Talent Agency, Inc. Christmas party, held at our home on 1845 N. Dayton St., in Chicago in the late 1980s. As one of the erstwhile judges, I can attest that many of the submitted confectioneries were truly dismal, but these spiked squares always brought raves. I personally happen to prefer my Jack on the rocks with a twist, water back.

Squares
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
½ cup all-purpose flower
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 large eggs
3 tablespoons Jack Daniel’s whiskey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted

Icing
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
1 1-ounce square unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
1 tablespoon Jack Daniel’s whiskey
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation: 1. Heat your oven to 350°. 2. Butter a 9-inch square baking pan. 3. For the squares: In a bowl combine the granulated sugar, pecans, flour and cocoa and stir until thoroughly mixed. 4. Add the eggs, whiskey, vanilla and melted butter, mixing until smooth. 5. Pour the batter into the buttered pan and bake in the center of the oven for 45 minutes. 6. Let cool to room temperature on a wire rack. 7. For the icing: In a bowl, combine the confectioner’s sugar, chocolate, butter, whiskey, milk, and vanilla. 8. Beat with a wooden spoon until smooth and spreadable. If the icing is too thick, add more milk, a teaspoon at a time. 9. Coat the tops of the squares with the icing and serve cold or at room temperature.

Pavés du Mail

This classic bistro dish of pan-fried steak and mustard cream sauce is simple and quick. Bistro cooking is based upon utilizing humble ingredients that are exalted via supreme saucing techniques – simple fare – glorious results. In Paris this dish would be done with flat iron steaks (flat blade) or hanger steaks. Either is fine, but I would suggest picking up a flank steak when on sale. The flavor is terrific.

1 pound flank steak
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 tablespoon cognac or brandy
¼ cup heavy cream
1 ½ tablespoons Dijon mustard
8 white button mushrooms, slice thinly
1 tablespoon minced flat-leaf parsley

Preparation: Season the flank steak with salt and pepper. Heat the butter in a 12” cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the steak and cook, turning once, until browned and cooked to the desired temperature, about 6 minutes for medium rare. Remove pan from the heat. Transfer the steak to a cutting board and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Pour off and discard all but one tablespoon of fat in the pan.

Add most of the cognac to the pan and stir, scraping browned bits from the bottom with a wooden spoon. Return pan to medium-high heat and cook for 20 seconds. Add the cream, mustard, and sliced mushrooms, season with sea salt and pepper, and cook, stirring vigorously, until the sauce just thickens. Stir in the remaining cognac.

Slice the flank steak on a slanting angle against the grain. Display several thin slices across the plate and pour on the sauce. Garnish with the minced parsley. Add freshly ground pepper and serve. Pair with a whole leaf Caesar salad.

Richard Wottrich