Potatoes Anna turned Potatoes Dana

The pizzazz of the potato.  The fluffy filling, the creamy texture, the crispy crust, the endless uses. Oh, my love affair with this starchy spud is deep.

I adore the versatility of these lumpy tubers.  Slice 'em, dice 'em, fry 'em, mash 'em.  I could go on and on.  The adaptability of a tasty tater is so vast that you can create dishes that range from super simple to elaborate, from rustic and hearty to elegant at any dinner party.  Which is why I'm always on the hunt for new ways to serve them. Awhile back I was fishing around the web and happened upon a recipe for Potatoes Anna from Martha Stewart. It seemed super easy with a crunchy outcome.  As we all know by now, I love crunchy things so it seemed like a no brainier, except that the recipe called for butter which my hubby, JC, can't eat.  But there was an emergency in my house. Potatoes were in abundance coupled with my severe hankering for some starchy goodness.  A recipe intervention was desperately required. So with two types of potatoes about to expire, tons of onions on hand, and toss in the elimination of butter, the time was ripe to modify Potatoes Ann a and make it my own.

Click here for the original recipe, in case you want to try the butter, no onion version.

Here's how it went down the first time.  Keep on reading to see what I recently did to make them even more satisfyingly star spudded.

Ingredients 

Idaho potatoes, thinly sliced
Red new potatoes, thinly sliced
Red or yellow onion, thinly sliced
Magic 3 (olive oil, salt, pepper)

The reason I haven't given exact amounts is because you can make this if you have 3 potatoes or more. It depends on the size of our pan or how many layers you want. Also you may get more slices depending on the size of the potato.  I used a 12" cast iron pan for about 6-7 potatoes.

Instructions

First things first, using a mandolin start thinly slicing your onions and potatoes. If you don't have a mandolin, do not freak out. Do it the good old fashioned way and slice them with a knife, (or even a box grater on the widest cutter).  

It's best if you use a cast iron pan for this recipe, as it holds the heat and creates the crust you want.  Again, no need to freak, If you don't have one. (Although I would highly recommend investing in one as a cast iron pan has tons of uses.)  Just use a pan that is oven safe and start placing the potato rounds in an overlapping circular fashion around the pan covering the entire bottom in one layer.  Add the onions slices, drizzle some oil, salt, pepper. Continue layering alternating between the two potato types, adding the onion, oil, salt and pepper to each layer. Keep going til you fill the pan up or run out of potatoes, whichever comes first, but do not add onions to the final top layer.

Continue layering adding onions, salt, pepper and oil to each layer.

On the burner, cook at medium high heat until you hear the sizzle.  You want to create a crust on the bottom. Then place the pan in a 450 degree oven for an hour.  Test it with a knife to see if the potatoes are done.  You want them to be tender in the middle but crusty on both top and bottom.  

A good amount of crust.  Now you can remove it from the oven. This will be on the bottom once you flip it over.

Once they have reached the perfect crust on top, carefully, and with oven mitts, place a large plate over the top of the pan and flip over so the bottom crusty part is the top.  You are going to squeal with joy when this crispy creation is revealed.

SQUEAL!! Smaller version made in a cast iron pan.  Shhh, this one has the cheese!

Use a serrated knife to cut cake like slices.  Ok, here is the rundown of ways you can serve this. It's a great dish for a party since you can serve it room temp.  It's ideal as a side dish to any meat, fish or chicken meal. It's a no brainier plate for a brunch table to be served with eggs.  Or how about with some smoked salmon and sour cream.  Oh, you don't need me to tell you how to eat this satisfying spud.  Just dig in, damn it!

 A slice with greek yogurt and scallions

A great complement to smoked salmon and sour cream.

Just recently I made this again but had the brilliant idea to add cheese to each layer.  Ok, so maybe I'm not so brilliant since it is a well known fact that adding cheese to anything makes it better. Here is an inside look at that version.  I used a Spanish cheese, L' Alt Urgell, since it was the only one I had in the fridge and it created cheesy, gooeyness that upped the ante on these layers of lusciousness.  I'm glad I had this cheese as it added an earthy, nutty flavor to the dish. Use whatever you like but I would avoid any really soft creamy cheeses like goat or ricotta, as it might ooze too much during the cooking process.  

I made this baby one using a smaller 8" cast iron pan.  I used about 4-5 potatoes.

If you love spuds like I love spuds you going to fall in love with this one.  Hope you enjoy how Potatoes Anna turned into Potatoes Dana!

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Zucchini Orzo Pie - Baked with Pure Love

It may have taken me a year of promising you this "pie" mentioned in my About page, but finally here is the recipe that was the genesis of my 'something from nothing' style.  It was hatched oh so long ago when my sister, Jill, needed help using up a boat load of zucchini that was given to her.  When I use the term boat load, I don't feel it to be an exaggeration.  The fact that we made zucchini bread, muffins, fried zucchini, you name it, yet when all was said and done we STILL had zucchini spilling over. Thus began the search for what else can we toss together to cook the zucchs up before they went belly up.  I started rummaging through her refrigerator and cupboards in hopes to find inspiration.  Mind you, my sis did not use fresh herbs or have an abundance of fresh items from which to select.  My search turned up the following:
A box of orzo, canned chicken stock, grape tomatoes,  frozen pie crust and mozzarella, plus the usual suspects, salt, pepper, garlic, dried oregano and oil. (Thank goodness for the oregano!)

Ingredients

1/2 box Orzo  (6 oz)
1 deep dish Frozen pie crust
1.5 c grape, cherry or your favorite tomatoes  
1 - 1.5 c Mozzarella, shredded
2-3 cloves, garlic, finely chopped
3 qts Chicken or Vegetable stock, you can also use water
salt, pepper to taste
1/2 t dried oregano
pinch red pepper flakes, optional
Olive oil
and of course, ZUCCHINI (2-3 medium, cubed)

Sure, I could have just made a pasta salad I guess, but I was feeling creative, adventurous and let's face it the universe was providing me with a golden nugget that would materialize 20 years later. 

Instructions

In a 350 degree oven, blind bake the crust, dotting with a fork the sides and bottom so it doesn't bubble up. Cut up the zucchini and tomatoes and grate the cheese and set them aside.

Sauté the zucchini in garlic and olive oil. Add salt, pepper, dried oregano and cook until tender. That's right, dried oregano because that was the only kind of herb my sister had in her house.  

Once the zucchini is cooked add the chicken or vegetable stock and the orzo. Cooking it together like this really help the flavors to cozy up and get to know one another nicely. Once all the liquid is absorbed and the orzo is tender, spoon it into the pie crust.  

 

Cooking the zucchini first then adding the stock and orzo let all the flavors meld together.

Fill 'em up.

Top with the chopped tomatoes and the shredded mozzarella.  

Top each pie with tomatoes and cheese.

Bake in a 350 degree until the cheese is nice and bubbly.  Let cool slightly before slicing it up.

I will admit to you that after that "experimental" day years back, I never made that pie again.  Not because it wasn't good, but it was created to solve the problem of the moment;  too much zucchini. Since that problem didn't arise again, plus add the fact I could never eat an entire pie on my own, I thought the recipe was a one off.  Jokes on me, since much to my surprise, my sister Jill, recently told that she has been making it regularly ever since. Her girls LOVE it and they make it together all the time.  And since her husband loves this too she has to make two at time since they disappear so quickly.  Even her girls' friends have come to love the 'zucchini pie'.

So in honor of our first making of this pie, my sister and I embarked on making it together again for the photos on this post.  What a joy to recreate this with her and two of her daughters.  And full disclosure.  Since I haven't made this pie in YEARS, I had to rely on Jill for measurements and instructions.  This gives her a good giggle since the tables were completely turned with me asking HER for info.  That said, I am tickled pink that she still makes it but the icing on this pie is that it is a hit with her family and has become a tradition.  

Please remember, this is a rustic pie but one that can fill up your family in a pinch.  Serve it up for a lunch or dinner with salad or veggies on the side.  As with most of my recipes, swap out for what you have.  Here are some ideas.

Orzo = Israeli couscous, Pastina, Arborio rice
Zucchini = summer squash, spinach, escarole, eggplant... well any vegetable really
Mozzarella = Fontina, goat cheese, feta, 
The possibilities are abundant, so enjoy your rustic pie anyway you like.

Post script: My neice, Gabrielle who is the founder/owner of her own Social Media Marketing Firm g-mktg, once posted the pie on her personal page. When I asked her if she could tag me the next time, she said when I post one of your recipes I definitely will. I said this IS my recipe. We had the biggest laugh because she had always thought the pie was her mom’s creation. Who knew a simple pie could bring decades of joy. I don’t think an origin pie story can get better than this.

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The Powerful, Pounding Pacific & My Year of Gratitude

I know you are wondering, where is the food image?  I get it, that has been the mainstay of this blog.  And although food takes the front seat, the real driver is LOVE.  From an appetizer, to table setting, from floral design to a restaurant review, from traveling and inhaling life, it's about living fully and stirring it all with love.  And so I share a moment of exactly that in celebration of the BIRTHday of this blog.  

A little over a year ago JC and I made our first trip to Chile.  We were so grateful for this opportunity as it was a relatively unplanned vacation that was spurred on by a generous invite from our friends. We felt even more blessed upon learning that this was not only the first time they were receiving guests in their Chilean country home, but actually the first time THEY were staying in their own home after renovations.  What an enormous honor and treat. 

The breathtaking view from our guest room of their home.

The home is perched atop the cliffside with the pounding Pacific below. Pounding being the understatement, as the ever constant rush of waves beats against the shore every minute, every second of the day and night.  To some this persistent commotion might be vexing but to me it was a soothing calm. I am a Pisces and a water lover. I love hearing it, seeing it, being near it, and most definitely being IN it.  I am in awe of water, and even more so of the Pacific.  She is relentless.

Her mighty force roars; crashing, smashing into the rocks, into beaches, into whatever it pleases. Raging with a haunting 'grito' (translation: yell)  "I, more powerful than you".  A roar of hisses, a roar of crashes, a whisper of foam.  

She screams out "Surrender to me, feel my might. I will wear you down."  But the rocks simply stand, and stand taller and stronger.  Not blinking or twitching or with the slightest concern.  They make no sound against the rushing rage. Stand strong. Stand your ground. Rock solid, now and forever.

I share this beauty of nature and my profound sense of appreciation for a year of adventure for the things I love and of being grateful.  Grateful for all of life's opportunities. Grateful to have loyal readers. Grateful for that moment in Chile,  listening to the mighty water as I sat and wrote and wrote and wrote, anticipating the launch of my blog.  Breathing in strength and belief in myself. So today in honor of the exact one year anniversary posting of this blog, a birthday on many levels, I say;  
May each of us stand tall in whatever force charges our way. With calming love and in full celebration, I wish for you to be as forceful as water and as solid as rock in all your life's journeys.

Luscious Butternut Cream Crostini with Roasted Walnuts & Honey

Let's state the obvious. We throw a lot of parties.  Entertaining fools;  we love to do it. (Alright maybe me a tad more than JC).  Whether the scale is big or an intimate gathering, you always need good nibbles. And the small bites you offer should be tasty and as exciting to you as they are to your guests. Which is why I'm constantly toying around with ideas in the ongoing quest for a tasty appetizer. 

I'm like everyone else, I have some fan favorites,  and will admit that I recycle them for certain events.  Heck, why not?  If something works then play that tune again and again. But I have flavor curiosity syndrome. so I am forever surfing my brain, and my palate for new bites.  Throw in the fact that I just like to experiment and thus the parade of apps.  (By the way, I am trying to get that syndrome classified as an official disorder. I think there might be some benefits to that.)

Usually when I come up with an idea, I don't pre-test.  I just take the plunge and serve it up to our guests before ever trying it myself.  Bold and brazen, that would be me. Yet on the occasions when I have an idea but don't have a planned party I become impatient and make a batch to test on friends and family.  So the irony didn't escape me when this particular recipe idea popped into my head at the exact same time that we had 5 weeks of revolving door guests in our home. That's right, captive prisoners, yet our sightseeing schedules left us with no time for food experimentation.  Much like a lyric from Alanis Morisette's song Ironic, "It's like ten thousand spoons when all you need is a knife".  A perfectly good crop of guinea pigs gone to waste. So, I cooked up a different plan for testing this recipe.  

Because no parties were in the sight, the next soonest taste tester opportunity was our plans to meet up with family at a restaurant in the Bronx.  My plot: bring little samples in tupperware and hand them out prior to entering the restaurant. This is my interpretation of an amuse bouche.  Appetizer BEFORE the appetizer.  (The real meaning of amuse bouche is a bit of food served before the meal to stimulate the appetite.  To amuse your mouth. I think mine did just that.)

First off, Juan Carlos thought I was nuts, (as he often does), and I thought my idea would be met with surprised faces and thoughts of, “who brings appetizers to a restaurant and requests that they be gobbled up like contraband in a dark alley?”  However, as I passed out my little samples, they were happy to oblige. I just love these people!  Once they popped these fluffy bites into their mouths, they didn’t care where they were eating them. 

Tom, one of my biggest fans, ready for his part.

Therese testing the pear, gluten free version. Thanks!

Aunt Rosie, being a good sport

Although this experiment went well, I have enhanced the original idea.  Plus I highly recommend serving them at home on a proper platter to your guests.  (Clandestinely handing them out from a plastic container on a Bronx street corner should be your last resort.)
 

Ingredients

1.5 c butternut squash, roasted
1/2 cup ricotta
1/3 c walnuts, roasted
1/3 c pumpkin seeds, roasted
1/8 tsp nutmeg
3 good pinches red pepper flakes
1.5 t salt
1/8 tsp pepper
Parmesan shards
honey, to drizzle
French baguette, sliced
Pear (I used a Red Anjou)
 

Instructions

Place the two halves of butternut squash on a roasting pan and season with salt, pepper and olive oil.  Roast at 375 degrees until fork tender (about 45 min).  Let cool.

Then scoop out the soft squash and put into a food processor.  Add the salt, pepper, red pepper, nutmeg and blend until smooth.  Add the ricotta cheese and blend until combined.

Roasted and ready for becoming a rich creamy delight.

In a saucepan on the stovetop or in a baking sheet the oven, lightly toast the walnuts and the pumpkin seeds to release their oils and fragrance.  Roughly chop them, keeping them separate.

Place the bread slices on a sheet pan and lightly toast one side, then turn and place the parmesan shards on the other side and toast until slightly melted.

Meanwhile, stir the pumpkin seeds into the butternut/ricotta mixture.  Once the crostini are ready, spoon on the butternut cream mixture, sprinkle the chopped walnuts and drizzle with honey. Serve on your prettiest plate.

If you recall, I don't eat bread.  Neither does my cousin, Therese, who was among the original taste testers. So I needed to come up with delivery vehicle that we both could consume and not feel cheated.  I hate feeling cheated.  Enter the pear for a gluten free version of this app.

Use a nice, thick slice.  We both loved the crisp, freshness of the pear against the creamy, sweetness of the butternut squash, ricotta and honey.  Not only did we not feel cheated, but we felt we had the better version. Shh!

I was really happy with how this ultimately turned out. The folks who had the crostini version liked the crunch of the bread against the creaminess of the butternut squash/ricotta mixture.  Therese and I loved how the pear worked with these flavors.   True confessions, and in authentic something from nothing style, I don't always know all the ingredients up front that will end up in a recipe.  Case in point here, as there was no red pepper in the set up photo. The addition of red pepper flakes came upon tasting it and realizing that the squash and ricotta are quite mild and were desperately calling out for a punch.  AND when I needed to bring an appetizer to a dinner party this past week I decided to make this.  In recreating it I added the pumpkin seeds for addition texture and parmesan for additional saltiness. Neither of which was in the original version. See how it works, my friends. You keep creating, improving and stirring it with more love each time.  

As I suggested earlier, instead of serving this in a back alley, bringing it to a friend's dinner party and serving it on a proper platter, well... It goes without saying that this was an infinitely much better locale!

Recipe Printable Version

Sherry Stirred Mushrooms

Love or Loathe?
Enter the Mushroom.  Most people are clearly either on one side or the other.  I'm one of those people who loves some of them and loathes others.  Sorry Mr. Portobello.  

I would venture to guess one of the reasons why there is such a strong affinity one way or the other is the intensity of a mushroom.  Robust, earthy, with a flavor depth that is undeniable, mushrooms stand up for who they are and make no excuses.  For those in favor, raise your hands in proclaiming that those are some of mushrooms' greatest attributes.   For those who say, hell no, I don't want that mush in my room, it might just be the texture. And the culprit to that is H2O.  Mushrooms are made up of 92% water.  If they don't get cooked correctly or they are salted too soon, all that 92% comes running out like Niagara Falls.  And what do you get? Mushy, soggy, spongy is what you can expect. That's actually my beef with the portobello, a big sponge that fancies itself a "burger".  I guess that's my biggest beef with Señor Portobello.  Another thing, let's not forget they are a fungus.  So that isn't too appealing either. Crap, what am I doing?  I'm supposed to get you to make these mushrooms, not give you reasons not to.  Let me take another swig of sherry and start again.

Mushrooms are in a class by themselves.  Here is a little mushroom humor.  They are neither a meat nor a vegetable.  Yet meat eaters believe them to be a vegetable and vegetarians convince themselves they are meat. Go figure.  These earthy fungi stand alone in the field, literally,  and are mineral and nutrient packed wonders.   I could list all of them but that would be boring.  Trust that they are good, AND  low in calories, fat-free, cholesterol-free, gluten-free, and very low in sodium.  Cropping up from the earth with varieties beyond your imagination and sometimes with price points that exceed the imagination, the ways to serve them are just as varied.  

Now down to brass tacks.  Hopefully I didn't scare you off of eating mushrooms or trying this recipe.   Mushrooms are a good thing and they have talents for being cooked up; they can be stuffed or used in stuffing.  They can be baked, sauteéd or raw. The can be a side dish or a topping. They can be a sauce or sauced.  They can... quite frankly do a lot.  My reason for using them recently came by way of  appetizer platter dilemma.  Our guests regularly get their fill of cured meats and cheeses, so I desperately needed to think out of the box.  A stroll through the produce aisle produced an idea for deep, dark earthiness. Enter the Mushroom: LOVE   

Ingredients

4 c mushrooms, small chopped  (you can use any kind you like. I used cremini.)
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1/3 c shallots, fine dice
1/3 c onions, fine dice
2 T scallions
1 T fresh thyme
1/4 t pepper
1/2 t salt
3/4 c sherry wine
lemon zest
squeeze of lemon juice
Olive oil

Instructions

Mise en place, French for 'everything in its place, is the best way to cook.  It allows you to have all your ingredients prepped and ready to go.  So cut up your ingredients as described above.

Sweat the shallots and onions in oil and then add the mushrooms.  Do not season with salt yet, remember their enormous water content.  If you salt them at this point, they will release all their liquid making them MUSHrooms. You want them to get a nice sear on them.  Another tip is to not stir them. Let them cook and get caramelized before you give them whirl.

Patience is more than a virtue. Let the mushrooms sit there. I know it's tempting but do not stir them around. Let them get a good sear.

Once they are beautifully browned add the salt, pepper, thyme and garlic and sauté a few minutes more.   Add the scallions and sherry wine and let the mixture reduce down absorbing up the liquor. Remove from the heat, squeeze some lemon juice and finish with the zest.  You can also drizzle a good olive oil over top. Place in your favorite serving bowl.  You can even top this with some chopped parsley and more scallions.

See the sear. And NO mush anywhere in sight.

Here is how I completed my appetizer platter.  I made bacon jam.  Uh ha, another earthy, jammy wonder to cozy up alongside my 'shrooms.  Since it wasn't my recipe, not going to dedicate a post to it, but my guests loved it so that I wanted to share it. (Click on the highlighted link above for the recipe.)  Then I whipped up some feta cream to spread on grilled bread to be topped with the aforementioned earthy yummies, added some olives, Taleggio cheese, mortadella and roasted peppers.  

Something a little different and perfect for a cold Sunday afternoon.

Let there be fungus among us, sauteéd with sherry, of course.

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