AMAZING GRAZING~~~~Chicken With Artichokes

The same three options keep cropping up as dinner choices at wedding receptions and Bar Mitzvahs: Steak, salmon and the inevitable chicken. Only of late do we get to decide upon a vegetarian meal, and who in the world wants a plateful of veggies at a party? We can have that at home.

I gave up attending an annual luncheon for my high school compatriots because the luncheon choice was either a salad or some sort of concoction containing chicken. You’re safer with the salad.

Mind you, I like chicken, during one period of my early life my father built a chicken coop and populated it with a few chickens. We lived in Connecticut at the time, and he concerned himself with running the nearby navy base, at least I thought he ran things over there. He certainly ran things at home; with the exception of the chicken family, which it turned out, was my job. You’d never imagine my father in his spit and polish uniform was a country boy, but he was, right down to the large vegetable garden and those blasted chickens.

As soon as we named a chicken and took note of its daily routine, my father dispatched it and my mother cooked it. I am not a country girl at heart, and I was never quite comfortable eating Esmerelda, but we did many deeds in the Depression which were not politically correct.

Now as a Sunday tribute to all the Esmereldas and Henriettas we have eaten:

CHICKEN WITH ARTICHOKES

Dip skinless and boneless chicken thighs in beaten egg, then shake in flour.
Heat a little butter and oil and brown chicken lightly. Remove from pan.
Add 1# sliced mushrooms and a couple cloves of garlic and cook till mushrooms release moisture and are done.
Put chicken back in pan and pour 1 cup wine over. I used Marsala in this one but any white wine would do. Cover and cook on stovetop or in oven in moderate heat till done.
Add 1 can artichoke quarters and a small can of sliced water chestnuts. Add 1/2 cup whipping cream or more and a squeeze of lemon.

SOMETHING TO CHEW ON

I have been asked to share some recipes and/or food tips, so until I run out of ideas, I will try to share something foodwise with you on Mondays. Today, it’s what we ate yesterday during the Superbowl game, and the less said about the game, the better. It was a bitter pill to digest, but we win some and we lose some. This Stuffed Foccacia was much easier to make and to digest.

One thing you must remember is that Superbowl Sunday is inviolate. The game is important of course, but the food and drink take top spot in some families. The amount of chips, dips, and chicken wings consumed on that day could probably tilt a battleship, and the amount of beer and or wine bears no discussion. They threatened to run out of chicken wings two years ago. I didn’t hear any suggestions that it might happen again this year. I guess they are raising more chickens.

The second most important thing about the Superbowl game are the commercials on TV. Budweiser Beer wins hands down always with their Clydesdale horses and puppies every year. This year the puppy ran away and the horses found him and brought him home. Adorable. The third thing is the half time entertainment. I can’t speak for it usually because that’s when I’m out in the kitchen whipping up something to to munch on. This year it was Katy Perry, and I only got a glimpse of her flipping her skirts as she was shouting determinedly into her microphone while riding some sort of robotic animal.

Now for the good part: this is a Stuffed Foccacia, which is so easy your 12 year old could make it.

It’s my version of an Umbrian road food sometimes served at outdoor eateries in Italy. It’s the kind of thing you can pack up in a wicker basket with some good Italian olives and a great bottle of wine. Already that can’t be bad.

FOR THE FOCCACIA:
1 pkg. active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups flour, plus more for working the dough
1 tsp kosher salt

Two cast iron frying pans, or at least really heavy ones that will take the heat. I use my grandma’s. If you didn’t save your grandma’s I’m sorry for you. The others will work.

Dissolve the yeast with 1/4 cup of warm water in a small bowl. Let it sit for a few minutes, until it starts to bubble. Put the flour and salt in the food processor and pulse a few times.
Combine the dissolved yeast with a cup of warm water and pour it all into the processor over the flour while its running. Process until it clumps up and leaves the side of the bowl, about 20 seconds. Process another 20 or a total of 40 seconds.
Turn out onto floured board and knead for a minute then put into oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise for about an hour until doubled.
Heat your oven to 450 preheated for 10 minutes. Deflate dough and divide in two. Flatten each piece of dough and press into cast iron skillet. Dimple all over top with fingers and bake for 15 minutes or until light brown on top.

When cool, split in half crosswise and fill with an assortment of your choice. I like to use roasted vegetables, deli turkey or ham, two or three cheeses, a few sauteed greens, and of course a generous drizzle of olive oil. Yesterday I spread a layer of artichoke pesto, then I used some roasted zucchini, and broccolini, and eggplant, havarti cheese, sliced turkey. Put the tops back on and press lightly together. Brush with good olive oil and wrap tightly in a layer of foil and place in a hot oven for about 10-15 minutes.

JINGLE ALL THE WAY

Collage by kayti sweetland rasmussen

Attics are wonderful places. They hold all the left-over stuff of our lives, unless one is also fortunate in having a cellar, in which case you get to collect more stuff.

As soon as the Thanksgiving turkey was in the soup pot Dr. Advice led the foray into our attic to gather wreaths, bows, ribbons, ornaments and lights to brighten the season. While visiting a nice gift store in our area, the owner, who lives nearby, was pleased to see the wreaths in place, and the candy canes lining our walkway. Green boughs and red bows enliven all the doorways and windows inside, contribution of the good Dr. a true decorating demon. It took me a little longer to trim the small tree indoors. It’s always fun to unwrap each ornament and remember where you got it and how long ago. Some pieces become the worse for wear through the years, and though each year you threaten to toss those out, you never do. Memories are too precious.

A couple of years ago we were guests of friends in Seattle at Christmastime. A magnificent tree stood in the corner of the living room and was covered with beautiful and expensive ornaments. It was a work of art, much like visiting a fine store or museum. Our little tree waits patiently each year to hold its small offerings and remind us of where each piece came from and which child may have made it.

For our first Christmas while living in the Northwest, Dr. Advice brought home a 14 foot tree which we placed in the barn on our little farm which we used as our recreation room, where it stood tall and proud and held a number of life-sized elves made of papier mache. Alongside an antique pot bellied stove which brought cozy warmth to the space, it was a taste of an old fashioned Christmas for our California city relatives.

I think our animals must think we are crazy bringing trees into the house. We have had dogs who drank out of the water containers the trees were standing in, and cats who sat quietly at our feet eating the popcorn we used to string to drape around the tree, until when we thought we had strung enough, we lifted the string only to find it empty. We are never ending mysteries to our furry friends as they are to us.

My Merry Christmas gift to you is my friend Betty’s Persimmon Pudding. Don’t turn your noses up and think you won’t like it—it is NOT a steamed pudding which I wouldn’t like either. It’s more like a nut bread. I get to make this every year courtesy of my friend Judy who brings me persimmons. I made 20 loaves this year to give to friends and neighbors. Now it’s time to begin the cookie baking! GLAEDELIG JUL!

PERSIMMON PUDDING
1 Tbs. melted butter
1 cup persimmon pulp (I use the hard Fuyu and put them through the processor.)
1 cup flour
2 tsp. soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup golden raisins

Mix dry ingredients in bowl, add nuts and raisins and toss about
Add persimmon, and milk and mix well.
Add butter last.

325 for 40-45 min. in buttered loaf pan. ENJOY

THE VIRTUES OF LATKES AND FRUITCAKE

There is a great difference between Hanukkah and Christmas materiel.

Latkes begin with a tasteless vegetable—potatoes—that are cleverly fashioned into something everyone likes.

Fruitcake begins with fruit, which is delicious to begin with, and then gets pounded into dense oblivion and kept in the freezer until the day you move out of your apartment.

Unbeknownst to most theologians, there was a fourth wiseman, who was turned away for bringing a fruitcake.

Now in this season between seasons, I am baking fruitcakes. We eat a lot of latkes at all times of the year; we just call them potato pancakes, and delicious though they may be, they are not particularly festive.

Now I can almost feel the sneers and ughs flying through the ozone from assorted fruitcake haters. (Some are even related to me.) But today I am going to bring you, at absolutely no cost to you, the recipe for the best fruitcake you never ate. It was given to me by a long deceased cousin of Dr. Advice, and I treasure it as I do the recipe for my mother’s tapioca pudding.

BRAZIL NUT SENSATION

temp. 300 f. time: 1 hr. 45 min. 2 med. size bread pans greased and lined with waxed paper

3/4 c. flour
3/4 c. granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3 c. Brazil nuts whole 1#
1# pitted dates whole
1 c. well-drained marachino cherries
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
sift 1st 4 ingredients. Put nuts, dates and cherries in large bowl
sift dry ingredients over and mix till well coated.
Beat eggs until foamy, add vanilla
Stir into nut mixture till well mixed.
Spread in pan and bake till done. Cool in pan 15 min. Remove and peel paper.
Store in fridge. Keeps 5-6 weeks if you can stay away from them.
I wrap mine well if made this far in advance of a holiday and store in freezer.