Cacio e Pepe

Italian food can be brilliant in its simplicity. That is when the finest ingredients shine. Take Italian spaghetti, sharp Pecorino Romano, smooth Grana Padana cheese and toss it together with coarsely, fresh ground pepper to create the sublime. Cacio e Pepe, simply pasta with cheese and pepper, is found on many menus in Rome. This can be deeply satisfying when started with tender, sweet vine ripened melon wrapped in thinly sliced, salty prosciutto. Finished with a gelato it is transporting. Or by itself, it's just simply delicious. I'll take it either way. It is a dish that chefs are measured by and stirs up heated discussions on nuances of the few ingredients. Some will never add butter and some will use only one type of cheese. Most agree on the method of preparation making a velvety sauce with the cheese and a little bit of pasta water. You can leave those variations up to personal taste. The important thing is to add the right amount of the pasta water to have the cheese turn into a sauce that just coats the pasta and no more. Use your favorite extra virgin olive oil. Right now I using an olive oil that I got in an open market in Rome. It is right around the corner from our hotel in a small piazza and is a market by morning and filled with tables by day and evening for dining. I take a short cut and skirt through a narrow opening by this ancient column.The olive oil has no label and only has a metal bottle cap to seal it. I don't think there is a middle man involved, it's straight from the countryside. The closer to the grower you are, the closer you are to your food. And this dish is like a close, warm hug. Buon Appetito!

Cacio e Pepe

8 ounces Italian spaghetti
1/2 cup grated Grana Padana cheese
1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1-2 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons coarsely grated black pepper
pasta water
freshly grated cheese for serving

Boil the pasta until 2 minutes before it is al dente. It will cook a little further in the skillet. While the pasta is cooking, add the olive oil to a large skillet and heat over medium heat. Add the pepper and stir for about a minute or less, until the oils release from the pepper. Turn off heat and drain pasta, reserving about 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Add the cooked pasta into the skillet, being careful since the oil and water will spatter. Toss together and then add the cheese while still tossing. Gradually add pasta water a tablespoon at a time to make a light sauce that just coats the pasta, and no more. Finish by tossing the pasta with 1-2 tablespoons butter. The cheese is salty, but salt to taste if you want more. Divide into 4 pasta bowls and top with freshly grated cheese and even more pepper, if you want.

Serves 4.
Now, if I only had a little gelato!
Cutting board by Ann at Thibeault's Table.

Paris Love Locks and Dinner at Louis Vins

It was an early fall day and we knew we were lucky. Soon chilly weather would come in, convincing the leaves to turn and the sunny days to get shorter. We had all been friends long enough to not take this time for granted. We knew a good day when we saw it! And we had plans. After coffee and a Croque Monsier, we started walking toward the footbridge, Pont des Arts. In recent years it has become the Love Lock Bridge, as lovers pledge amour with a lock of love. We were placing red heart locks on the metal grid along the bridge that glistened with promises of love. One of us had a recently married daughter, and another a soon to be married niece. One day they would come to Paris to discover the heart shaped lock with their names engraved on it. We placed the locks on, made a note of where they were and tucked away the keys being careful they didn't fall through the crevices of the time-worn wooden planks. Then we sat just to take in the day. I ♥ my friends! Crossing back over the bridge we had a little window shopping to do.We were meeting friends, who live in Paris, for cocktails and then dinner. It was hard to not stop and look at each window, and we had some time. Ahhh....I was eying this, until I saw the price.........back to window shopping. We wanted to stop at Lauduree, but it was time for cocktails....at Fish la Boissonnerie! A few toasts later we were all pretty hungry, so we made the short walk for dinner at Louis Vins at 8 for 8. It was a day of celebration of love, life and friends ♥ Cheers!

A Valentine ♥

It was an annual event. The invitations went out and all of of the little girls arrived and circled our large mahogany dining table in their red flouncy dresses. Craft paper, markers, scissors and heart stickers were spread out. Heart-shaped cookies ready to decorate sat on the table, and sprinkles littered the floor. Red heart-shaped Jello Jigglers were always invited to the party along with the bestest of friends. Giggles and Jigglers....bows and curls. That little girl is now all grown up and wearing a different flouncy dress....with a soon-to-be wedding bouquet and a handsome man across from her. There is a different chapter now with different invitations and a new version of hearts. My little girl isn't nearby, but she is close. Every Valentines Day when treats take on that shape of love, I think of her.

This Valentine's Day I'm still icing my knee instead of cupcakes and cookies and I'm thinking of Valentines past. My daughter wants to make the Jigglers if she can get a heart shaped cutter in Korea, and my son and his girlfriend, Val, are making Truffles. Love is truly in the air. For me, I decided to re-post some ideas for your V-Day. Just click on the photo for a link to the post. ♥XO♥

Mulled Wine and Down for the Count

10, 9, 8, 7, 6.....I have been down for the count. Feeling like the Whac-a-Mole game at the carnival, I just keep popping my head up again and again dodging the mallet! One of the latest whacks was knee surgery a few weeks ago. I've been watching movies and too much TV, reading books and doing some computer work in short spurts while icing my knee instead of icing cakes. Friends, family and neighbors have dug in, shoveling snow, checking in by email or phone offering food and comfort. Nice :-) My friend, Debbie, gave me a very welcome gift of Glögg or mulled wine that she made. It is served warm, which enhances the spices as it snugs the soul. I looked at the recipe she referred me to and liked the addition of port and brandy, which add depth. We all have our favorite spices and I prefer cinnamon over the stronger taste of clove. When a recipe calls for cloves, I often just give it a dusting instead of the full amount since their bold flavor can dominate. The mulled wine stores well in a sealed bottle and just a small mug of it takes the chill out while watching snow fall, coming in out of the cold or icing the knee...I think I'll just mull that over...5, 4, 3...

Mulled Wine

1.5 liters medium body inexpensive red wine
1.5 liters inexpensive port (the less it costs, the better)
750 ml inexpensive brandy
2 cinnamon sticks, each 5 inches long
1 whole nutmeg
15 cardamom pods, cracked
3 whole cloves (or more to your liking)
peel of 1 orange, organic is best
1/2 cup dried sour cherries, (may substitute raisins)
1/2 cup whole almonds, blanched and peels removed
1/2 cup or more to taste, turbinado sugar
Orange rind and cinnamon sticks for garnish

In a nonreactive pot such as stainless steel, pour in the wine and port. Add the cinnamon sticks, whole nutmeg, cardamom, cloves, orange peel, cherries and almonds. Cover and simmer over low heat.

Put the sugar in a pot and add half of the brandy. Over medium-low heat, stir constantly until it becomes a golden caramelized syrup, about 10-15 minutes. Then add this mixture to the wine simmering in the pot, cover and continue simmering for another 45-60 minutes. At this point, test for sweetness and add more sugar and brandy if you like. Strain* and serve or pour into clean bottles and seal. If you are serving a crowd, you can pour it all into a slow cooker to keep warm.

*You can reserve the soaked cherries to use in baking.

Serve warm in a small mug and garnish with a twist of orange peel and a cinnamon stick.

Makes about 5, 750ml bottles.

3 Japanese Dressings

My trips to Japan weren't all work and play. There was plenty of time to meditate on dining while touring around. The western influence in Japan is evident, but there is never any mistaking where you are. Great attention and respect are given to the food preparation in appearance and taste. When the Japanese prepare western foods, there is always a trace of the hand that makes it. There is a certain je ne sais quoi. And so, these dressings have that same quality. They came by me from a book I got in London, Simple Japanese, and I have loosely adapted a few recipes. All of the dressings are comfortable on just beds of greens, or whatever combination suits you. I used the Japanese Creamy Dill Dressing to top an heirloom tomato salad that was fresh from my Massachusetts garden, dill and all. It is also perfect with grilled or poached fish.The Miso Dressing sat beside varieties of grilled baby eggplant and peppers that I got at the farmers market in Boise, Idaho while I was visiting my son. I have bought a version of this dressing for years not really knowing how to make it, but wanting to. The sesame flavor compliments beef, chicken or pork when used in a salad. One evening I quickly made a salad of leftover grilled chicken, sliced peaches ripe from the tree and toasted pecans. The Japanese Vinaigrette blended with the fruit and chicken so well, that I wondered how I had never known this fusion of flavors. One of the ingredients is yuzu juice, a citrus juice that tastes like a medley of lemon and grapefruit with a hint of orange. My daughter, who lives in Korea, uses it in her cooking. I bought a bottle in Japan and it is available here, as well.

These are all easily made in advance, keep well and will make your salads as satisfying as a walk through a Japanese garden....well, almost.

Japanese Creamy Dill Dressing

1/3 cup fresh dill, finely chopped
6 ounces creme fraiche
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 teaspoon wasabi paste
1/2 teaspoon sugar
salt and freshly ground pepper

Mix all of the chopped dill, crème fraîche, lemon juice, wasabi paste and sugar together in a bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Keeps 3 days refrigerated.

Miso Dressing

1 shallot, finely chopped
1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
3 tablespoons white miso paste
juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
3 teaspoons good quality toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 tablespoon honey
1/4 cup peanut oil
1/4 cup canola oil
2 tablespoon olive oil

Put shallot and garlic into a small food processor with the miso, lemon juice, mustard, sesame oil, balsamic vinegar and honey. Blend to combine.

Mix together the peanut oil, olive oil and canola oil in a bowl. Gradually add the oil mixture to the miso mixture and blend until emulsified and the consistency of a thick vinaigrette. You may not need all of the oil, or you may need more, just check the consistency and see.

Keeps 1 week refrigerated.

Japanese Vinaigrette

2 tablespoons yuzu juice*
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon wasabi paste
2 teaspoons sweet chili sauce
1/2 cup canola oil
1/4 cup olive oil
*can substitute 1 tablespoon Meyer lemon juice and 1 tablespoon grapefruit juice to equal 2 tablespoons yuzu juice.

Combine the yuzu juice, vinegar,wasabi and sweet chili sauce in a small food processor and blend until smooth.

Mix the canola oil and olive oil in a bowl. Add to the wasabi mixture while the machine is running and mix until it has the consistency of a vinaigrette.

Keeps 2 weeks refrigerated.