Cod Cakes Antipasto

Cod Cakes Antipasto

½ lb cooked cod, cooled and shredded
1 cup of sifted flour
2 eggs
1 ½ to 2 teaspoons of baking powder
1 pressed garlic clove (garlic powder, if desired)
1/4 onion minced
1 to 2 tablespoons of parsley or cilantro minced
Salt and black pepper to taste1 tablespoon of white wine

Mix together all the ingredients. Let it rest in fridge ½ -1 hr.
Take out of fridge and let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes.
Fry by a tablespoon at a time. Drop into very hot corn oil to fry.

Serve piping hot. May serve with lemon wedges.

Stuffed Yellow Squash

November 4th Election Day


A quick announcement:
Screw Iowa is giving a presentation/ panel discussion at the Writer’s Room in NYC on Thursday, November 6th

Stuffed Yellow Squash

A good cook will always use what’s on hand, or what the season gives us…
Yellow squash is on tonight’s menu.

Wash and bake the squash for about 10 minutes in a 350 degree oven
in a baking dish with a little water on the bottom.

When cooled, cut them and take out all the seeds.

Stuff them anyway you like. Here’s what I did.

Mix ¼ lb of chopped beef and ¼ lb of chopped pork. Cook these together without fat or oil. Set aside. In a mixing bowl use about ½ cup of ricotta, ½ mozzarella chopped, and ½ Parmigiano grated. You may want to add some tomato sauce to the mix also—it’s lovely and moist this way.

Chop 1/2 onion and add together the meat, onion and cheeses … (this of course, is not Kosher…) You can substitute the meat with chopped mushrooms, and it’ll be good also. Season to taste

Stuff the squash, top with seasoned grated breadcrumbs and a dollop of tomato sauce. Arrange in a baking pan with a little bit of olive oil smeared on the bottom. Bake for 15 minutes in a high over (400 degrees.)

In Memory of Carolyn Winer

Our friend Carolyn Winer passed away. She was a vibrant and beautiful lady, and she did not let anyone know she was dying of a rare lung illness. She lived her last year to the very end, enjoying the gift and beauty that is this life. She now rests with her wonderful husband Jack, a dear friend of my husband, brother and friend Jerry from high school fraternity days at NYMA. She was and still is Jack's "Princess."

Here is the poem that was read at her funeral.

DO NOT STAND AT MY GRAVE AND WEEP

Do not stand at my grave and weep
I am not there; I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow
I am the diamond glints on snow

I am the sun on ripened grain
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning's hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight
I am the soft stars that shine at night

Do not stand at my grave and weep.
I am not there, I do not sleep
Do not stand at my grave and cry
I am not there, I did not die.

I am the song that will never end.
I am the love of family and friend
I am the child who has come to rest
In the arms of the Father who knows him best.

Whey you see the sunset fair
I am the scented evening air
I am the joy of a task well done,
I am the glow of the setting sun.

Do not stand at my grave and weep
I am not there, I do not sleep
Do not stand at my grave and cry
I am not there, I did not die.

~Author unknown~

La rustichenella

Nov 2, 2008

The party last night at my brother's was wonderful...a million Gators cheering on UF, who slaughtered GA., while eating like as though the sun would not rise on the morrow.

My nephew Stefan cooked a whole pig in the back yard! And also 10 lbs of chicken, 5 lbs of eggplant and 5 lbs of zucchini all on the grill. He made 5 lbs of yucca, seasoned with lime juice and garlic fried in hot olive oil. He also oven roasted a 22 lb leg of pork--Cuban style—just in case there wasn’t enough to feed the crowd and one of Broward’s finest, the cop who came to tell me to move my car.

I brought avocados for 3 huge salads and then made 1 &1/2 lbs of black beans and 2 lbs of rice and about 20 sweet fried plantains...

There was also dessert which I won't go into...suffice it to say, some people actually ate it.

If I tell you there was barely enough pork to scrape together a sandwich today, would you believe me? You’d be foolish not to. It's true. And there weren't even 50 guests.

The mojitos were made by the pitchersful, not to mention a keg of beer and several cases…and of course, vino.

Everyone had either a designated driver, slept over, or called a cab.

Today I'm making a pasta dish that I haven't made in over 20 years...
pasta alla rustichenella—pasta a little rustic style

In a large as in really big fry pan cook:

2 lbs of mushrooms thin sliced
one onion, sliced
3 tablespoons of olive oil
hot pepper to taste
salt to taste

Cook for a few minutes and then add:

¼ cup of white wine. (I usually cheat here and eye it…and my eye is generous, because I like wine).

Next, when the alcohol burns off, add:
3-4 artichoke hearts, marinated or not, quartered
2 ounces of flat anchovies with the olive oil from the tin
3 cloves of garlic.

On a high flame swoosh and smoosh around till the anchovies dissolve. Add 8 ounces of tomato sauce.

Bring to almost a boil and then reduce heat to LOW…cook for 5 minutes.

Let cool and them plop it into the blender and mix away to a creamy blend.

Cook linguine and top with this delice de Dieux! and a smattering of bread crumbs.

CHILE CHEESE BALL

For all of you party animals and/or people having guests for the holidays, or for a wine and cheese event, here's an easy and delish as in YUM! recipe from Jane Brownley of www.plainjanescloset.com (gorgeous Christmas items for holiday gift-giving!)

CHILE CHEESE BALL

1 package Wispride cheddar cheese cold pack
1 - 8 ounce package low fat cream cheese
1 cup chopped walnuts
garlic powder to taste
chili powder to taste.

Soften Wispride cheddar and cream cheese.
Mix together with garlic and walnuts until combined.
Shape into a ball and roll in chili powder.

Chill ball before serving.

Taste for yourself...YUM!!

French Coconut Pie (stolen from Marni!)

French Coconut Pie


Stolen and adapted from mystery writer Marni Graff (creator of the indomitable, gutsy and spirited sleuth Trudy Genova) who stole it from ... ???

~Quick and easy and delicious! And versatile~see below.

Ingredients:

4 Tbs (1/2 stick) butter, melted*
2 eggs, beaten*
1 Tbs all-purpose flour
¾ cup sugar *
1 cup shredded sweetened coconut
1 cup milk*
1 9 inch unbaked pie shell*

Preheat oven to 350F. In large bowl, combine all ingredients. Pour into pie shell. Bake until firm and golden on top, about 45-55 minutes.
"Easy-peasy," as Jamie Oliver says!


Everybody loves this recipe because you can substitute ingredients where there are asterisks ( * ) all the way through and still have a great dessert.



Any combination of these substitutes work well to good effect: Land o’Lakes butter spread to reduce trans fat, egg beaters for same, Splenda for less sugar/carbs, and low-fat milk, and still have a reasonable dessert. The pie crusts that are boxed and refrigerated to roll out are great in this, too.


Or use frozen Marie Callender's Deep Dish Pie Shell. It’s one of those quick pies you can throw together unexpectedly if you need to take something somewhere, or your body is "calling for a sweet," or to pull you out of the mid-week cooking doldrums--just as long as you keep coconut on hand, which I'm sure you will from now on… I do.


Enjoy!

Thanks, Marni!

Clam and Sqaush Soup

Oct.24th

Clam and squash soup

Ingredients:

1 ½ butternut squash, cut, skinned, chunks tossed with 1 tbs. of oil, baked for 25 minutes
1 lb of Navy beans, soaked and cooked for 1 ½ -2 hrs. Reserve one cup of broth
9-10 dozen little neck clams, steamed open and shucked and reserve one cup of juice
1 cup of chopped celery
5 ounces or 5 pieces of bacon, cut small and fried
1 cup of chopped onion
4 gloved of garlic, minced
1 cup of heavy cream
1 ½ cups of white wine
Salt and pepper to taste.
2 tablespoons of butter
1 tbs of olive oil
Total cooking time: 2 hours

While the beans cook, pop the squash into the oven, steam the clams open, shuck and discard all the shells. Filter the water from the clams. Reserve 1 cup.

Hint for cooking the beans: cook in a little water—about an inch or less over the beans, and keep adding the water as it evaporates.

Fry bacon….when crisp, add butter and fling in the celery and onions. When veggies are wilted, toss in the vino—let the alcohol burn off. Add cream and let thicken a few minutes.

Then add all the liquid and stir. Transfer this mix to the beans, add clams and squash. Heat through. Serve with bruschetta. For you wimps who think you’re going to live to 110, don’t add the bacon…you’ll lose a ton of flavor, but oh well…you avoid clogged arteries, cholesterol and triglycerides.

A crisp wine will go nicely with this—a buttery Chardonnay, or a fruity sauvignon blanc…I’ll stick to Pinot Grigio. A nice touch would be champagne…Veuve Clicquot, for instance. Don’t wait to turn 80 to try it.