Brisket Smoked Slow & Slow Over Hickory With Serrano-Honey Vinegar Mop

Spicy-Sweet Italian Peppers Pickled in Oregano Infused White Balsamic

Tis the end of the summer growing season.  However, peppers, cucumbers, okra and other vegetables which make fantastic pickles are still going strong, and are readily available at most supermarkets and farmer's markets alike.  Pleas find my recipe for Spicy Sweet Italian Pickled Peppers below.










Spicy-Sweet Italian Pickled Peppers in Oregano White Balsamic

2 cups Delizia Oregano White Balsamic Condimento

1 cup water
4 whole cloves garlic
2 tablespoons kosher or pickling salt
2 cups sweet Italian peppers, sliced
1 ripe, red jalapeno, seeded and sliced 

Directions  
In a medium sauce pan, combine the water, vinegar, and salt.  Bring to a boil over medium heat.  Place the garlic and sliced peppers in a large mouth canning jar or two smaller jars. Pour in the hot boiled pickling liquid in to each jar, completely covering the peppers but leaving a head space of 1/2" from the top of the jar.  Allow to cool to room temperature and then refrigerate for 10 days before eating. Keep refrigerated and use within 1 month.  These peppers can be enjoyed as is or drained of pickling liquid and drizzled with a fresh, herbaceous extra virgin olive oil such as Frantoio, Coratina or FS17. 

Extra Virgin Olive Oil Education & Tasting Class at The International Culinary Institute

Spicy Champagne Vinegar Dill Pickles

Ingredients

• 10 - 3 to 4 inch long pickling cucumbers
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups Delizia Champagne Vinegar
• 1 Bunch fresh dill weed
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 4 whole cloves garlic
• 2 tablespoons kosher or pickling salt
• 1 dried bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon peppercorns
• 1 whole hot chili, stem removed (optional)

Directions  
In a medium sauce pan, combine the water, vinegar, sugar, salt, bay leaf a peppercorns.  Bring to a boil over medium heat.  Slice a very thin piece off the end of each cucumber and arrange cucumbers, garlic, dill and peppercorns in a large mouth jar or two smaller jars. Pour in the hot boiled pickling liquid over the pickles in each jar, completely covering the pickles.  Place a sprig of fresh dill into each jar and seal with lids. Refrigerate for 10 days before eating. Use within 1 month.

Local, Fresh, Home Cured Alder Wood Smoked Sturgeon

I received a five pound section of local fresh sturgeon as a present from a local fisherman friend of mine.  I love sturgeon prepared just about any way, but most of all, I love it smoked. 

Alder Wood Smoked Sturgeon

4 pounds sturgeon fillets
3/4 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 bay leaf
12 smashed peppercorns
1 garlic clove, smashed
1/2 gallon ice cold water.

Mix the water with the salt and the remaining ingredients in a container large enough to hold both the brine and fish, and mix until dissolved.  Brine the fish overnight.  Take the fish out of the brine, rinse and pat dry.  Allow to dry at room temperature for an hour until the surface is dry but not tacky.  Smoke at 180-190 degrees over alder wood or apple wood chips for approximately two hours or until the internal temperature of the thickest part of the fillet registers 150.  

Slow Braised Prather Ranch Lamb Shank With Ultra Fresh Coratina Olive Oil & Malbec Wine Reduction

Fall is upon us.  The first day of Autumn is exactly two weeks away.  It's time to start gearing up for  braising, baking, and... *gulp*... dare I say, the holidays.  Please find the recipe for my crock pot adaptable slow braised lamb shank which utilizes our superlative, ultra fresh, award winning Coratina extra virgin olive oil and UP Barnea in two separate elements of the recipe.

Slow Braised Lamb Shanks With Coratina and Malbec Wine Reduction

Four lamb shanks
1/2 cup flour
1 tablespoon kosher salt
fresh ground pepper to tastefour inch sprig of rosemary, woody stems discarded
4 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 medium onion minced
1 large carrot, finely diced
1/3 cup Ultra Fresh, UP, Gold Medal Coratina Olive Oil
3 cups robust red wine such as Malbec
1 cup water

*This recipe can be made in a dutch over or crock pot. 
If using the oven, preheat to 300.  In a wide shallow dish or a gallon size Ziplock bag, mix the flour, salt and pepper.  Rinse and pat the lamb shanks dry and dredge in the flour.  In a large heavy bottom pan, heat the Coratina over medium-high heat, and brown the lamb shanks until golden brown on all sides, taking care not to over crowed the pan, cooking for about 5 minutes per side and set aside.

In the same pan, add all of the vegetables and saute over medium heat, scraping up any browned bits, until the onions are translucent, for approximately five minutes.  Pour in the wine and simmer for another couple minutes and then add cup of hot water.  Add the fresh rosemary to the bottom of the crock pot or dutch oven and arrange the shanks on top.  Pour the wine and vegetables over the top.  Cook, covered in a heavy dutch oven for six hours or in a crock pot set on low.

After six hours, carefully remove the shanks from from the liquid taking care not to allow the meat to slip off the bones.  Cover to keep warm.  Strain and de-fat the braising liquid.  Place in a small saucepan and reduce by half.  Adjust the seasoning with sea salt and fresh ground pepper.  Pour the reduction over the lamb shank placed atop a bed of mashed potatoes made with Ultra fresh UP Barnea extra virgin olive oil.


Serves 4  

Samosas Made With Ultra Premium, Ultra Fresh Koroneiki

Samosa Dough
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons (UP) Gold Medal Koroneiki EVOO
3/4 cup water

Samosa Filling 

2 cups cubed, cooked potatoes, drained

2 tablespoons (UP) Gold Medal Koroneiki EVOO

1 cup diced onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon curry powder

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cumin, to taste

1 teaspoon fresh lime juice

1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger

1 cup frozen peas, thawed

1 small green serrano, seeded and minced fine

salt & pepper to taste

Oil for Deep Frying*

Cilantro Chutney 

2 cups chopped cilantro
1 fresh serrano pepper, seeded and chopped
3 cloves fresh garlic
1 teaspoon ground cumin
salt to taste

1/4 cup (UP) Gold Medal Koroneiki EVOO 
the juice of two limes
2 tablespoons water

For the Dough
Combine the dry ingredients for the dough in a large bowl or the bowl of a food processor.  Add the water and olive oil and mix or pulse until a rough dough begins to form.  Add more water as necessary.  Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until it becomes smooth and pliant.  Allow the dough to rest, covered for about 30 minutes while the filling is prepared.

For the filling
Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large heavy skillet or saute pan.  Add the chile, ginger, onions and garlic.  Saute until the onion is translucent, about three minutes.  Add the spices and cook for another minute or so until fragrant.  Add the potatoes and gently crush them with the back of a spoon to a desired lumpy consistency.  Add the peas and lime juice, cook for another minute and season to taste with salt and pepper.

For the Chutney
Place all the chutney ingredients in to the bowl of a food processor or blender jar.  Pulse until finely pureed.  Adjust seasoning. 



Assembly 
Roll the dough in to a large round of 1/8" thickness.  Using a three inch round cutter cut out rounds.  Spoon 2 tablespoons of filling in to the center of each round, folding it in half to form a half-moon.  Seal the inside edges of each round with a little beaten egg and crimp the outside firmly with the tines of a fork. 

In a large heavy pot, preheat safflower, grape seed or sunflower oil to 350.  Drop the samosas in just a few at a time, being careful not to overcrowd the pan and drop the temperature.  Fry the samosas, flipping once, until both sides are golden brown, about 2 minutes per side.  Serve warm with cilantro chutney. 

*Reccomended oils for deep frying:  grape seed, high oleic safflower, or high oleic sunflower 

Heirloom Tomato, Zucchini & Manchego Tart

Coming home from a day in the test kitchen and finding the willpower to wander in to my own kitchen can be daunting at times.  It never fails that the moment I walk through the front door, Pavlov's Bell seemingly rings and both my children simultaneously chime, "Mom, what's for dinner?"

I am usually blindsided by the "what's for dinner" question, even though its utterance is as certain as the day is long.  Typically, I'm too busy  transitioning from work mode to home mode to mentally prepare a meal in my head in the space between.  Much of the time, as was the case last night, the meal simply materializes from ingredients which are lying about.

I quickly honed in on some heirloom tomatoes from the prior weekend's farmer's market. The tomatoes were fabulous and bursting with sweet juice.  Then I spied some sweet baby zucchini just brought in from our garden as well as a sizable wedge of Manchego cheese in the cheese cave.  These ingredients were literally staring at me from their respective places in the kitchen.  It didn't take long for me to mentally piece them together in to a simple, one dish, weeknight meal.  And easy like Wednesday evening, an heirloom tomato, zucchini, and Manchego tart was born.

Tart Crust
2 cups + 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
4 tablespoons chilled, unsalted butter cut in 1 " pieces
6 tablespoons chilled shortening
1 teaspoon salt
4 (+/-) tablespoons ice water

In a medium bowl or in the bowl of a food processor, whisk the salt with the flour. First cut the shortening and then the butter in to the flour until pieces no larger than a pea remain. Add the ice water a tablespoon at a time until a shaggy dough is produced which will hold its shape when pressed together.  Gather the dough in to a ball, flatten in to a disk, and cover and chill for at least 30 minutes.

Filling

1 cup thinly sliced, sweet heirloom tomatoes
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced zucchini
1 cup thinly sliced sweet onion
2 tablespoons fruity, fresh extra virgin olive oil such as picudo
6 large eggs
2 cups finely grated Manchego cheese
1 teaspoon salt
Fresh ground pepper to taste

Process

Preheat the oven to 350.  Sprinkle 1/2 a teaspoon of salt on the sliced zucchini in a colander and allow drain. Meanwhile saute the onion in the olive oil until caramelized and golden brown.  Add the zucchini slices Cook the onion and zucchini together until the squash becomes slightly tender, and most liquid has evaporated, about 2 minutes.  Taste and adjust seasoning accordingly.

Remove the tart dough and roll out on a lightly floured surface.  Place the dough in to a 9"-10"  tart pan with removable bottom.  Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the Manchego cheese over the bottom of the tart.  Top the layer of cheese with the sauteed zucchini and caramelized onion.  Add another 1/2 cup layer of cheese.  Arrange the tomato slices over the top of the zucchini and onion.

Whisk together the eggs teaspoon of salt, remaining cheese and fresh cracked pepper.  Pour the mixture evenly over the entire tart.  The filling will not cover the vegetables but will puff while the tart is baked.  Place on the middle rack in the preheated oven.  Bake for 35 minutes or until the filling is set and the top is golden brown.  Allow to cool slightly before serving.  This tart is also excellent served at room temperature.

Serves 6-8

Makes one 9"-10" tart