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Attend a cooking class at Studio of Good Living in San Francisco and you’ll soon discover a new world full of culinary adventures. More than just a cooking school, the Studio of Good Living shares the art of living well with all its students!
Studio of Good Living offers exceptional cooking classes and events in the Bay Area and Beyond. Want to learn how to cook or brush up on your cooking skills? Take a class with us! Escape to San Francisco for a Taste of San Francisco or indulge yourself with Cook, Shop, Spa. Burned out? Drop into Live Well, Eat Well for yoga lovers. Continue the journey with the Art of Dinner Blog and view our video classes for new ideas to spice up your dinner table. . Need a change of scenery? Join us for a total culinary and lifestyle retreat in beautiful Maine. Discover the possibilities with Chef Phoebe Schilla and the Studio of Good Living. Life is Beautiful by Design.
There are many different types of mole sauce, but the one that I remember, the one that I was completely intoxicated with, is the Mole sauce that I had in Paris, while I was studying at the Cordon Bleu. A number of my classmates were from Mexico. They introduced me to a fabulous Mexican joint that was my first experience with authentic, high quality Mexican food—and I fell in love.
Mole sauce is a romantic sauce, loaded with exotic spices, chilies and touched with chocolate. It is like that tall, dark and handsome stranger that you can’t take your eyes off of. The flavors are rich, complex and totally mysterious. I’ve made Mole sauce many times over the years and come close to my memory from Paris, but never quite got it right. One time I over toasted the chilies which gave the mole a slightly acrid taste and aroma. Another time not all of the ingredients were available and I boldly made substitutions, and the sauce was a watery imitation of what I remembered. However, all that changed this weekend. I had a serious yen for Mexican food and I came across a mole recipe on epicurious.com from archives of the Gourmet magazine. It was a far simpler recipe than I remembered making previously and I had all of the ingredients on hand so I had to try again. (I am such a geek when it comes to cooking!) It was fabulous. It took less than an hour to put together and I loved it. This was the sauce that I remembered! I adapted the sauce a little. I altered the amount of chilies used because I didn’t want it to be too spicy and I reduced the amount of orange zest. Because I wanted to make a vegetarian version I used water instead of chicken stock and I didn’t braise the chicken in the sauce. Instead I grilled chicken (and tofu) separately and served the sauce on the side. We invited some friends over and had a feast fit for a king.
Enjoy!
Mole Sauce, adapted from Gourmet Magazine
3 tablespoons Olive Oil
3 cups chicken stock or water
2 cups orange juice (I used the Blood Orange Juice that I had in my fridge.)
1# onions, sliced
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted to a light golden brown
4 teaspoons cumin seeds
4 teaspoons coriander seeds
3 ounces dried pasilla chiles, stemmed, seeded, torn into 1-inch pieces, rinsed
1 ancho chili stemmed, seeded, torn into 1-inch pieces, and rinsed
1/4 cup raisins, I used golden)
(1) 3 x 1/2-inch strip orange peel (orange part only)
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 3.1-ounce disk Mexican chocolate, chopped
Heat the oil over medium high heat in a large, heavy bottomed saucepan. Add the onions, and caramelize the onions slowly for 20-30 minutes, until they are a deep brown color. If they start to stick to the bottom of the pan, simply deglaze with a little bit of water. Once the onions have browned, add the spices and almonds to the saucepan. Add the stock or water and juice. Bring to a simmer and toss in the chilies, oregano, orange peel and raisins. Continue to simmer for about 30 minutes or so, until the chilies are soft. Turn off the heat and add the Mexican chocolate to the sauce. Allow the chocolate to melt, then puree the mole sauce in batches. Season to taste with salt and pepper. If the sauce seems too thick, thin with a little bit of water.
Serve as part of a meal with chicken, tofu, warm flour or corn tortillas, Queso Fresco and Crema.
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Chicken Mole
There are many different types of mole sauce, but the one that I remember, the one that I was completely intoxicated with, is the Mole sauce that I had in Paris, while I was studying at the Cordon Bleu. A number of my classmates were from Mexico. They introduced me to a fabulous Mexican joint that was my first experience with authentic, high quality Mexican food—and I fell in love. Mole sauce is a romantic sauce, loaded with exotic spices, chilies and touched with chocolate. It is like that tall, dark and handsome stranger that you can’t take your eyes off of. The flavors are rich, complex and totally mysterious. I’ve made Mole sauce many times over the years and come close to my memory from Paris, but never quite got it right. One time I over toasted the chilies which gave the mole a slightly acrid taste and aroma. Another time not all of the ingredients were available and I boldly made substitutions, and the sauce was a watery imitation of what I remembered. However, all that changed this weekend. I had a serious yen for Mexican food and I came across a mole recipe on epicurious.com from archives of the Gourmet magazine. It was a far simpler recipe than I remembered making previously and I had all of the ingredients on hand so I had to try again. (I am such a geek when it comes to cooking!) It was fabulous. It took less than an hour to put together and I loved it. This was the sauce that I remembered! I adapted the sauce a little. I altered the amount of chilies used because I didn’t want it to be too spicy and I reduced the amount of orange zest. Because I wanted to make a vegetarian version I used water instead of chicken stock and I didn’t braise the chicken in the sauce. Instead I grilled chicken (and tofu) separately and served the sauce on the side. We invited some friends over and had a feast fit for a king.
Enjoy!
Mole Sauce, adapted from Gourmet Magazine
3 tablespoons Olive Oil
3 cups chicken stock or water
2 cups orange juice (I used the Blood Orange Juice that I had in my fridge.)
1# onions, sliced
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted to a light golden brown
4 teaspoons cumin seeds
4 teaspoons coriander seeds
3 ounces dried pasilla chiles, stemmed, seeded, torn into 1-inch pieces, rinsed
1 ancho chili stemmed, seeded, torn into 1-inch pieces, and rinsed
1/4 cup raisins, I used golden)
(1) 3 x 1/2-inch strip orange peel (orange part only)
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 3.1-ounce disk Mexican chocolate, chopped
Heat the oil over medium high heat in a large, heavy bottomed saucepan. Add the onions, and caramelize the onions slowly for 20-30 minutes, until they are a deep brown color. If they start to stick to the bottom of the pan, simply deglaze with a little bit of water. Once the onions have browned, add the spices and almonds to the saucepan. Add the stock or water and juice. Bring to a simmer and toss in the chilies, oregano, orange peel and raisins. Continue to simmer for about 30 minutes or so, until the chilies are soft. Turn off the heat and add the Mexican chocolate to the sauce. Allow the chocolate to melt, then puree the mole sauce in batches. Season to taste with salt and pepper. If the sauce seems too thick, thin with a little bit of water.
Serve as part of a meal with chicken, tofu, warm flour or corn tortillas, Queso Fresco and Crema.
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 Inspiration for my cooking comes in many different forms. Magazines and cookbooks, trips to the farmer’s market and exquisite in season produce all inspire me. Sometimes, I just like to look a picture of a finished dish, glimpse a recipe and re-interpret it . That’s what I did this week with these lamb meatballs. The picture that I saw called them ‘Polpetonne di Agnello’ which is Italian for lamb meatballs. I loved the idea of a spring meatball with lamb and mint—mint is such a classic pairing for lamb, and my garden is full of it at the moment. I added a little parmesan cheese for richness, flavor and mouth feel. Then, I wanted to add a little bit of texture and a little bit of an eastern Mediterranean flair, so I incorporated some steamed bulgur and toasted pine nuts into the mix. I browned the meatballs and braised them in chicken stock. I tossed in fava beans, spring onions and asparagus at the very end and finished the sauce with a walnut sized lump of butter and a generous pinch of chopped fresh mint.
Phoebe’s Lamb Meatballs with Spring Onions, Fava Beans and Asparagus
1# ground lamb
1 egg yolk
2 cloves of garlic, minced or grated
¼ cup of cracked bulgur, cooked
*To cook simply cover the bulgur with boiling water, cover and let steep for 20 minutes. Drain and set aside.
¼ c. grated parmesan cheese
¼ cup pine nuts, toasted and chopped
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper
4-6 Tbsp. of chopped mint, depending on how much you like mint
¼ cup flour to roll the meatballs in
1 cup of chicken stock
½ cup white wine, water or more chicken stock
Vegetables
1 bunch of spring onions, outside layer peeled off
1 bunch of asparagus, about 12 ounces, ends trimmed, and remaining stalks chopped into 1 inch lengths
1 # of fava beans, shucked, blanched and peeled or if you don’t have the time for favas you can easily substitute 1 cup of fresh or frozen peas
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp chopped mint
Meatballs
Combine the all of the ingredients and go ahead and make meatballs. Roll the meatballs in the flour, gently knocking off the excess. Heat a tablespoon or two of olive oil in a 10” sauté pan with sides. Brown the meatballs in the oil and remove from the pan. Drain any excess oil from the sauté pan. Return the pan to the heat and add the onions. Brown the onions lightly and deglaze the pan with white wine. Add the meatballs and the chicken stock to the pan. Bring to a simmer and continue to simmer covered for 10 minutes. Add the fava beans to the pan and simmer for an additional five minutes. Add a little more chicken stock if necessary to keep the pan from drying out. Add the chopped asparagus to the pan and cover. Cook for just a couple of minutes more—until the asparagus is just tender. *If you are using peas instead of fava beans, they will cook more quickly so just add them in with the asparagus to preserve color and flavor. Finish with a tablespoon of butter—this will add richness and texture to the sauce and sprinkle with the remaining chopped mint.
Voila! Enjoy!
 I recently discovered this wonderful tart in ‘Wood Fired Cooking’ by Mary Karlin. This tart is wonderful in part because it is so flexible. It’s made with leftover risotto; it is gluten free and can be made vegetarian or not depending on your guests and what you have in the fridge. Did I mention that it’s delicious and I went back for seconds?
Risotto, Leek and Asparagus Tart, Adapted From ‘Wood Fired Cooking’ by Mary Karlin
Makes 1 10” Tart, serves three hungry people as a main course or 6 as a side dish.
2 ½ cups leftover risotto, I made a double batch of plain parmesan risotto the night before and set what I needed for the tart aside.
*Mary Karlin notes that you can use leftover risotto that you have frozen and saved for this purpose. What a great idea, huh? I will do this every time I make risotto from now on.
1 cup of asiago, parmesan or pecorino romano cheese.
3 Tbsp. fresh thyme leaves
12-14 asparagus stalks, trimmed, peeled, and cut into 4 inch pieces
Salt and Pepper
4 leeks, white part only, sliced into thin rounds
Grated zest of ½ lemon
3 large eggs, beaten
*Variations: Mary Karlin suggests adding cubed crisped pancetta, smoked chicken or duck to the filling. I would also recommend crispy bacon, diced prosciutto and any vegetable combination that makes your mouth water.
Pre heat the oven to 375F
Heat 3 Tbsp of the olive oil in a 10 inch ovenproof skillet. Line the bottom and sides of the pan or dish with the risotto mixture and press to form an evenly solid crust. Make sure that the sides are just as thick as the bottom. If the sides are thinner, especially at the top, the rice can dry out turn into jaw breakers before the rest of the tart is done. Sprinkle 1 Tbsp. thyme leaves over the risotto and coat with ½ cup of the cheese. Bake in the oven for 15-18 minutes, or until golden.
While the tart crust is baking, toss the asparagus in olive oil and salt. Roast on a baking sheet in the oven until slightly browned, about 10 minutes.
Heat the remaining 2 Tbsp olive oil over medium heat in a skillet and sauté the leeks until soft, about 7 minutes. Lightly salt and set aside.
Line the baked crust with the remaining 2 Tbsp thyme leaves the lemon zest and sautéed leeks. Arrange the asparagus in a starburst pattern over the leeks. Pour the eggs over the filling. Top with the remaining cheese. Bake in the oven until the eggs are firm and the cheese has formed a golden brown crust, about 25 minutes.
Remove the tart form the oven and let stand for 10 to 15 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve.
Enjoy!
Tags: Asparagus, Cook, Fruit and Vegetable, leeks, Olive Oil, Pecorino Romano, recipe, Rice, Risotto, Water, Zest —  Send to a Friend
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There is something so enticing and haunting about Saffron. It is neither an herb nor a spice. It is the stigma (the female part of the plant that catches pollen.) Saffron is mysterious—it has been used as a health aid and aphrodisiac for centuries. Although I like Saffron and the glorious yellow color associated with it, it has a delicate flavor that is easily overpowered. It’s an expensive spice (for lack of a better word), costing upwards of $600 a pound and at those prices I don’t want to use it as food coloring.
 This Saffron Garlic soup is a wonderful showcase for both the flavor and color of Saffron. The most time consuming but necessary part of making this soup is to blanch the garlic no less than three times. Taking the extra step to blanch the garlic renders the garlic to a mild background flavor and allows the saffron to shine through. This recipe is from my new-favorite-cookbook-of-the-week. You know the one I mentioned in Monday’s post? The recipe originated at Fleur de Lys, where it is referred to as Garlic Saffron Soup. But for me this soup is all about the saffron.
P.S. The coloring of this soup is perfect for Easter Sunday!!
Saffron and Garlic Soup
Adapted from The Secrets of Success Cookbook. Signature Recipes and Insider Tips from San Francisco’s Best Restaurants by Michael Bauer
3 large or 4 small heads of garlic, separated into cloves and peeled
1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
2 small leeks, white part only, thickly sliced
1 quart of chicken broth, vegetable broth or water (I used chicken.)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 small potato, peeled and finely diced
1 generous pinch of saffron threads
½ cup of heavy cream
Garnish with chopped chives or chervil
Blanch the garlic 1 minute in a medium pot of boiling water. Remove the garlic and repeat the process 2 more times, changing the water after each batch.
Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat.
Add the leeks and cook until soft, stirring often, about 6 minutes or so.
Add the broth and blanched garlic. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Add the potato and saffron threads, reduce the heat and simmer until the potato is soft, about 7 or 8 minutes.
Stir in the cream and return to a boil.
Remove the soup from the heat and cool slightly. Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender or food processor until smooth. Return the soup to a clean saucepan and heat through. Taste and reseason if necessary.
This week I am having a love affair with ‘The Secrets of Success Cookbook’ Signature Recipes and Insider Tips from San Francisco’s Best Restaurants’ by Michael Bauer. I have to tell you that this book is out of print, but is available on Amazon. (Seriously what would I do without Amazon.com? It’s hard to imagine a world without the internet, isn’t it?) This past week I have made no less than five different recipes, and they are all the ‘make again’ kind. One of my clients flipped through it and earmarked a bunch of recipes that he would like me to make for him—I love it when my clients do this. They often choose recipes that are not my first choice and it gives me a great chance to expand my repertoire. (It also takes the guess work out of the daily ‘what am I going to make for dinner tonight’ question that I deal with everyday.
Most of my clients give me free reign with the dinner menu—they say, ‘Oh, make whatever, you know what I like.’ This is in turns deeply gratifying and terrifying. It really keeps me on my toes. ) The first recipe that I chose to make from this book was the Sesame Spinach Rolls with Soy Lime Vinaigrette from the now closed Hawthorne Lane restaurant in San Francisco. I have a soft spot for Hawthorne Lane. It was one of the first restaurants that I went to when I moved to San Francisco—I had an amazing duck dish there, and my assistant worked in their catering department for a while, so I have gotten some titillating insider stories from her.
 I am always, always looking for new and exciting vegan and vegetarian dishes that look and taste good. These rolls were perfect served with Teriyaki Glazed Portobello Mushrooms and Brown Rice Pilaf. (Hawthorne Lane served them with Miso Glazed Black Cod—it would be delicious with that too.) I just love the way these look. The brilliant green of the spinach next to the pale green of the cabbage leaves is just fantastic. Sometimes I feel like a painter, only I work in the rainbow world of vegetables. Make sure to season your spinach well with salt and pepper when you make these, otherwise they could be rather bland, and well ‘too spinach-y’. The vinaigrette is the perfect complement with these rolls and takes them from being just another ‘vegan’ recipe to a crossover dish that will appeal to flexitarians as well.
As Julia would say, ‘Bon Appétit!’
Sesame Spinach Rolls with Soy Lime Vinaigrette
The Secrets of Success Cookbook. Signature Recipes and Insider Tips from San Francisco’s Best Restaurants. By Michael Bauer.
Spinach Rolls
2 large Savoy cabbage leaves—I used 3 medium sized Napa cabbage leaves.
Salt
2 Tbsp. plus 1tsp. olive oil
1 shallot, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
2 (10 oz) bags of spinach, about 5 cups
Pepper
1 Tbsp. sesame seeds, lightly toasted
Vinaigrette
3 Tbsp. Fresh Lime juice (1 large juicy lime or 2 small ones)
2 Tbsp. soy sauce (I used Tamari)
2 Tbsp Rice Wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. Shallot, minced
1 small garlic clove, grated
Salt and Pepper
1/3 Cup Peanut oil
½ tsp. sesame oil
For the Spinach Rolls: Blanch the cabbage leaves in a medium saucepan of boiling salted water until limp. Drain. Spread each leaf flat, pat dry and cut off the thickest part of the rib. Set aside.
Heat 2 Tbsp of the oil in a saucepan over medium high heat. Add the shallot and garlic and sauté to release the aromas. Add the spinach and stir to coat with the oil. Cook until the spinach becomes completely limp, just a few minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and cool.
Squeeze out all of the liquid from the spinach. Place an equal amount of spinach at one end of the cabbage leaf and roll up tightly into a cylinder. Rub the cabbage cylinders with the sesame oil and roll in the sesame seeds.
To serve cut each spinach log into bite sized medallions using a sharp knife. Cut straight down—don’t saw back and forth. Arrange on plates and serve the vinaigrette on the side for dipping.
The Vinaigrette
Combine all of the ingredients in a container that has a lid and shake vigorously to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Every year I have a new favorite marinade—last year’s was an excellent lemon and herb(basil, dill, parsley—I think that I have tried them all) that is terrific on chicken and fish, but I am oh-so-tired of it. This year I have discovered the oregano-garlic marinade from Joyce Goldstein’s Mediterranean Fresh cookbook. It is awesome, simple and tasty—excellent for both chicken and lamb, as I have pictured here. The vinegar in the marinade helps to tenderize the meat. Basically the acid breaks down proteins. It is important to know that you can over tenderize meat—it gets kind of gross and mushy. This especially happens with chicken. I would recommend marinating lamb or chicken for no longer than a day using this marinade.
 That said, the star of the show was the yogurt orzo salad with yogurt, dill and mint. It was delicious, a little sharp from the yogurt—I balanced out any unpleasant tartness with a pinch of sugar—and pungent with fresh dill, mint and scallions. I pulled that recipe out from ‘How to Roast a Lamb’ by Michael Psilakis, a gorgeous cookbook that deserves a spot on your shelf. For a vegetable I chose a simple sautéed spinach with garlic—I love spinach, especially with lamb. Eating spinach always makes me feel so green and healthy. (Maybe it’s the Popeye cartoons I watched as a kid? I don’t know.)
Here is the recipe for both the marinade and the orzo. The orzo is particularly easy. I already know that I will make it all summer long!
Oregano Garlic Marinade adapted from Joyce Goldstein’s Mediterranean Fresh
1 ½ Tbsp. dried oregano (preferably Greek, if you can find it.)
¼ c. red wine vinegar
2 cloves of garlic, minced or grated
½ c. plus 2 Tbsp. mild olive oil
2 tsp. sweet paprika
1 medium shallot, chopped
Salt and Pepper to taste
Put all of the ingredients in the blender and whirr away! That’s it. Pour it over the lamb and let marinate for a minimum of 2 hours. Grill or broil to your desired temperature.
*This is a great vinaigrette if you leave out the paprika and the shallot.
Yogurt Orzo Salad, from ‘How to Roast a Lamb’ by Michael Psilakis—I increased the dill and mint and added a pinch of sugar, but otherwise stayed true to the recipe.
3/4c. orzo
2 Tbsp. Greek yogurt
1 Tbsp. White vinegar
1 Tbsp. Water
2 tsp. chopped dill
6 leaves of mint, slivered
2 scallions, green part only, thinly sliced
Salt and Pepper to taste
Pinch of sugar
Cook the orzo in boiling salted water according to the package instructions. While it is cooking, in a large bowl, stir together the yogurt, vinegar, water, dill, mint and scallions. Drain the orzo, rinse well and shake dry. Transfer to the yogurt mixture and season with salt and pepper. Mix well and enjoy. This would be a terrific side dish for grilled chicken, shrimp, crab or white fish.
Bon Appetit!
I love this recipe for ‘Chicken in Pistachio, Sumac and Sesame Crumbs’ from the cookbook ‘Turquoise, a Chef’s travels in Turkey‘ by Greg and Lucy Malouf. It’s easy, exotic sounding and tastes great. The sesame seeds and pistachios add a delightful crunch, the lemon zest and sumac add a bright lemon-y note that is tempered by the richness of the parmesan cheese. Leftovers keep well and this chicken is great the second day in a pita sandwich with a little yogurt dressing, sprouts and shredded carrots. Chicken is the workhorse of the carnivore world. It’s easy to eat, a good source of protein, and inoffensive. At its best it is tender, juicy and moist. At it’s worst, dry, tough and tasteless. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts can get more than a little boring if you eat them frequently—and I am constantly looking for new ways to dress them up. The breading on this chicken ensures that it stays nice and moist. The recipe has a couple of steps you need to take to ensure success. The first is to pound the chicken breast to an even thickness so that it cooks evenly, use fresh bread crumbs and don’t chop the pistachios too finely.
Chicken in pistachio, sumac and sesame crumbs
4 small boneless, skinless chicken breasts, about 6 oz each, pounded to an even thickness
2 eggs
Salt and Pepper
All purpose flour
Olive Oil
Lemon Wedges to serve (optional)
Pistachio Crumbs
2 slices of sandwich bread, crust removed, torn into pieces
1 Tbsp. ground sumac (if sumac is unavailable, substitute the zest of ½ a lemon in addition to .)
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
¼ c. unsalted, shelled pistachios, coarsely chopped
¼ cup of sesame seeds
2/3 cup finely grated parmesan
To make the crumbs, put the bread into a food processor with the sumac, zest and pistachios and pulse briefly. Add the sesame seeds and parmesan and pulse briefly to combine.
Preheat the oven to 350F.
When ready to cook the chicken, lightly beat the eggs with a little water in a shallow bowl to make an egg wash. Set up a production line of seasoned flour, egg wash and crumb mix. First dip the chicken pieces into the flour, then the egg wash and finally the crumb mix, patting them carefully all over
Heat the oil in a saute pan and saute the chicken pieces until golden brown all over. Transfer to a cookie tray and cook for 8-10 minutes in the center of the oven. Remove the chicken from the oven and allow to rest for a few minutes before serving with wedges of lemon.
Serves 4
Lasagna is a crowd pleaser. Everyone I cook for loves lasagna, especially when the weather keeps you inside the house. There is something really comforting about staying indoors and cooking when it is cold and raining. The kitchen is nice and warm and the smell of tomato sauce, cheese, garlic and basil will make your mouth water. I also like lasagna because it is easy to make—especially if you follow my recipe using no boil noodles. This is also a great way to incorporate bits and pieces of leftover veggies from the fridge. Lasagna freezes well so you can easily have a pan of lasagna stowed in the freezer for a quick and delicious dinner—really impressive when guests show up for an impromptu dinner or if you are too tired to cook.
 Learning to segment an orange in the stanford dorms The secret to dressing up a simple dinner is in the accompaniments. Make a terrific garlic bread with a homemade garlic butter (see my recipe below), have your guests wash and prep salad greens, make a simple vinaigrette and you will have a 3 star dinner in no time flat! I recently taught another cooking class at the Stanford dorms in Palo Alto. That was the menu we made, plus Panna Cotta for dessert. The students loved the results.
I like to use the lasagna recipe from America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook. Technically, it’s a flawless recipe and it’s easy to add vegetables, meat or herbs to it to change it up.
Variations:
Spinach and Shitake Mushroom
Italian Sausage and Summer Squash
Roasted Red Pepper and Swiss Chard
Cheese Lasagna
Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated Family Classics
Tomato Sauce:
3 Tbsp. Olive Oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 (28oz) can of crushed or diced tomatoes
1 (14oz) can of Tomato Sauce
3 Tbsp. minces fresh basil or 3 tsp. dried
¼ tsp sugar
Salt
- Heat the oil and saute the garlic in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring often until fragrant, but not browned, about 2 minutes. Stir in the crushed tomatoes and the tomato sauce. Bring to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened, 15 to 20 minutes.
- Stir in the basil and sugar. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
*If you don’t have time to make the tomato sauce you can use a 32oz jar of high quality marinara.
*For a meat sauce, brown 1 pound of ground beef to the garlic before adding the tomatoes.
 Serving up lasagne Lasagna
9×13” baking dish
9 ‘no boil’ lasagna noodles
1 (15oz) container of ricotta cheese
½ cup of grated parmesan cheese
¼ cup of chopped basil or 4 tsp. dried
2 eggs
1 clove of garlic, minced
½ tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
1# of mozzarella, shredded (not fresh mozzarella)
- Combine the eggs, ricotta, ¼ cup of the parmesan, garlic, basil, salt and pepper.
- Assemble the lasagna: Spread a scant ½ cup of sauce on the bottom of the baking dish. Place three lasagna noodles evenly spaced across the pan. Top each noodle with 3 Tbsp. of the cheese mixture and spread evenly over the noodle. Sprinkle shredded mozzarella over the cheese-noodle layer. Spread ½ cup of pasta sauce over the noodles. Repeat two more times, finishing the lasagna off with a layer of sauce and cheese, topping it off with the remaining parmesan. *At this point you can wrap and freeze the lasagna for 1 month. To cook, place the frozen covered lasagna in a 350F oven for 90 minutes. Uncover for the last 15 minutes of cook time.
- Cook the lasagna covered with greased foil for 35 minutes. (Greasing the foil keeps the cheese from sticking.) After 35 minutes, remove the foil and continue cooking for 10 minutes.
- It’s easiest to serve and cut if you let the lasagna rest for 20 minutes or so.
Phoebe’s roasted garlic bread
Preheat oven to 350F
1 loaf of Italian style bread, pugliese or Batard
Roast 1 head of garlic, mash and set aside
¼ c softened butter
1/4c. Parmesan cheese, grated
2 Tablespoons of chopped parsley or 2 tsp. dried
Salt and Pepper to taste
Combine the garlic, butter, parmesan and parsley. Cut the bread crosswise into slices, leaving the slices hinged to the bottom crust. Using a knife spread the roasted garlic butter between the slices. Wrap in foil and place in the oven to heat. Heat for about 15 minutes.
 It’s been a great week so far! I’ve discovered ‘Somersaults’ a delicious and healthy new snack, made with sunflower seeds. Somersaults come in a few different flavors. I like the sea salt and the black pepper varieties. I didn’t care for the cocoa and haven’t tried the salsa. Whole Foods has started carrying drinks sweetened with agave nectar—important for my family since my mom has blood sugar issues. I really liked the Gingerade from Big Island Organics. It was pleasantly piquant and definitely gingery with 1 oz of ginger juice in each 16 oz bottle. I found and purchased an almost new racy, red kitchen aid (with all of the attachments!) at a yard sale for $75 and Mollie Stones, the supermarket in my neighborhood has started carrying Labne. Labne is a yogurt cheese—it’s simple to make—it’s just strained yogurt, but until recently it has been difficult to find in the grocery store. I think it is a yummy alternative to cream cheese. Spice, by Ana Sortun with Nicole Chaison has a great recipe for a winter salad using Labne. It starts with a base of Labne, mixed with herbs and pecans, formed into a disc and topped with a marinated apple slaw and endive. It was delicious, refreshing and different.
Have you found any new and exciting treats at the grocery store lately? If so, please share!! I’m always interested in trying new foods and products.
 Endive and Apple Salad with Grapes, Sumac and Pecan Labne
Adapted from Spice by Ana Sortun with Nicole Chaison
Serves 4
½ cup pecan pieces, toasted and chopped finely. Reserve 1 Tbsp for garnish.
1 Granny Smith apple, julienned
2 tsp each chopped mint, dill and parsley
2 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 Tbsp. Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
A handful of grapes, stemmed and washed
1 garlic clove, grated
¾ cup of labne
2 Tbsp. ground melba toast or very crisp, dry breadcrumbs
1 head of endive
Sumac for garnish (If you can’t find sumac sprinkle a few drops of lemon juice over the finished dish.)
- Toss the julienned apple with the 1 Tbsp of olive oil, the herbs and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Cut the grapes in half and add them to the apple mixture.
- Combine the labne, the remaining 2 Tbsp. of olive oil the melba crumbs, grated garlic and pecans. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Trim the bottom ends of the endive and remove the leaves, one by one. When you reach the heart of the endive, set it aside.
- Slice the endive hearts into thin rings and toss with the apple mixture.
- Assemble the salad by placing a couple of tablespoons of labne on the bottom of each salad plate.
- Using the back of a spoon, smooth the labne into a 2 inch circle. Arrange the endive spears on each plate at a slight angle, sticking the bottom of the spears into the labne.
- Spoon ½ tablespoon of the apple mixture over each endive spear. Sprinkle sumac and reserved pecan pieces over the salads and serve.
I’ve been meaning to make the Lamb Kebabs with Charmoula Citrus Dressing from Joyce Goldstein’s Mediterranean Fresh cookbook for a while now and I couldn’t put it off any longer. Chermoula is a Moroccan sauce flavored with lemon, garlic, parsley, cilantro, paprika and cumin. It is zesty and extremely flavorful without being overwhelming. Since it is not overwhelming it is an extremely versatile sauce. I use it to marinate chicken and fish, as a dip for pita, as dressing for pasta salads…so be creative! I served the kebabs with a couscous salad and roasted cauliflower for a simple and delicious meal. I would recommend pairing this meal with a rose, pinot noir or other lighter red wine such as a Chinon or a cotes du rhone.
Lamb Kebabs with Charmoula Citrus Dressing
Adapted from Mediterranean Fresh by Joyce Goldstein Serves 4
2 pounds boneless leg of lamb, trimmed of fat and sinews and cut into cubes. I also really like lamb shoulder for kebabs. It’s a little more work than the leg of lamb to bone out the shoulder blade, but I find that it is a more tender and flavorful cut.
1 small shallot, roughly chopped
1 cup of Charmoula Citrus Dressing (recipe follows)
Olive Oil, Salt and Pepper
Combine the shallot and the dressing in a blender and puree. Pour this mixture over the meat and toss well to cover. Marinate overnight in the fridge or at room temperature for a few hours. (I marinated my lamb at room temperature for about 2 hours.) Bring the lamb to room temperature before grilling or broiling. Preheat your broiler or grill. Thread the meat onto the skewers. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Broil or grill to desired doneness. Serve immediately.
Charmoula Citrus Dressing (1 cup)
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
3 cloves of garlic, grated or minced
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. cumin
Pinch of cayenne
2 Tbsp. Parsley
2 Tbsp. Cilantro
½ c. olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste.
Although the recipe says to mix this by hand, I found it much easier to put all of the ingredients in the blender and puree it. This worked out really well, and I had one less bowl to wash at the end of the night.
As Julia used to say, Bon Appetit!
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