Simmered Shortribs, Savoy Cabbage And Root Vegetables.

This is one of my favorite meals and I make it quite often so this is a repeat. This can also be made with a whole chicken which is then portioned and placed on top of the vegetables. It can be served with Dijon mustard or, as in this case, a strong horseradish sour cream.

When these are finished cooking they leave a great consomme -like broth that you can drink as a soup.

You can use any kind of cabbage or root vegetable. I used Savoy here because I had some left over from a Savoy cabbage and white bean soup that I made last week. The vegetables are carrots, white turnips, potatoes, cabbage and Brussels sprouts. A relly good kosher or sea salt is also good with this.

Another Great Tajine

This dish keeps getting better and better each time I make it. This one is with chicken and apricots.

Mahi-Mahi Baked With Limes And Onions

Roasted Peppered Brisket With Gnocchi Alla Romana

Some of the photos are out of focus because I used two cameras and I am still getting used to one of them.
The gnocchi is a great side dish for fish or meat and very easy to do. If you follow this recipe exactly you will get good gnocchi. I added some chopped garlic to the milk as it was heating and I also added some spinach leaves and tomato sauce underneath the gnocchi. You can put the piece of gnocchi that are left over after cutting under the nicely cut pieces.. It was really good.
The Brisket was seared and allowed to cool. Then it was smothered in Dijon mustard. Then crushed black pepper was put onto the mustard (lots) and then it was roasted to a medium rare in the oven.
Gnocchi alla Romana
2 cups milk
2 ounces butter
Salt to taste
4 ounces semolina flour (about 3/4 cup)
1/4 cup parmesan, Romano cheese
2 egg yolks (omit the yolks for a lighter gnocchi)
Cheese of your choice for gratineeing
Bring the milk, butter and salt to a simmer. Slowly whisk in the semolina flour, ensuring there are no lumps. With a spoon or rubber spatula, stir the paste, over medium-low heat until the mixture is thickened, about 3 to 4 minutes. Turn off the heat and whisk in the parmesan cheese. Taste the mixture for salt, and season to taste with pepper, nutmeg, or any other herbs or spices you want to use. Whisk in the egg yolks. Spread the mixture in an even layer into a serran wrap lined pan. Let the mixture cool and then put it, covered, into the refrigerator.

When you are ready to bake the gnocchi, take the pan out and lift the cooled sheet of gnocchi paste out of the pan. Use a cookie cutter or knife to cut the paste into pieces. Layer them or lay them in a baking dish and sprinkle them with cheese. Put the pan in a 375 oven until the gnocchi are warmed through. After the gnocchi are hot, run them under the broiler for about 5 minutes until browned .

Slow Braised Pork Roast Leftovers With Sweet Peppers And Onions.

This is the left over pork roast from the other night. I put it back in a slow oven and let it roast for a few hours and then put the barbeque sauce in it and let it roast some more. While that was roasting I sliced some sweet peppers and some onions. They were simmered in olive oil until tender with some chopped garlic. The whole thing was then mixed together and served on a hamburger bun on tomato slices and sliced red onion along with some fresh french fries.

Pork Roast With Rosemary Gravy, Braised Cabbage,Roasted Roots And Garlic Cloves.

Mediterranian Shrimp With Citrus Cilantro Rice.

Irish Dinner

I know that I do this quite often and I don't like to repeat myself , but this was so exraordinary that I am posting it. Served with a strong cream of horseradish.

Tafelspitz.

This is a staple in Germany and it is very good. It can be found in all restaurants and hotels. It is this country's version of the Pot au feu or the New England Boiled Dinner. This dish only uses beef and the beef is cooked in a stock containing juniper berries. It is served with a horseradish cream. I have attached a recipe.

1 piece brisket of beef (approx. 2 kg)

750 g beef bones

3 pieces carrots

3 pieces turnips/parsnips

1 piece celeriac (small)

1 piece onion

2 leaves bay

10 pieces peppercorns

2 pieces juniper berries

Salt

Chives (chopped)

Fill a large pot with about 5 liters of cold water. Wash the bones and boil in the water. Remove the sinew and skin from the beef but leave the fat on. Place the meat, bay leaves, peppercorns and juniper berries in the water and simmer just below boiling point on low heat for about 2–2 1/2 hours, regularly skimming off the fat.
Halve the unpeeled onion, and fry, without fat, preferably in old pan, on the cut surface until dark brown.
Cut the vegetables into large cubes and add with the onion to the meat. Simmer for another hour until the meat is really tender. (Test the meat with a fork to see if it’s ready: the fork should slide in easily when the meat is ready). Remove the meat, strain the soup, and put the meat back in the soup for a while.
Take note: as long as the meat is sitting in the soup, don’t add salt, otherwise it will become red and dry up.
Slice the meat, and arrange on a warmed plate. Pour over a little soup, add salt to taste, and sprinkle with chives. Serve with boiled potatoes and carrot and white turnip cut into strips and tossed in butter when they are cooked, chive sauce and apple-horseradish sauce.

Roge Verge In Palm Springs

Roger Verge was the owner of the Michelin 3 star restaurant in France called Moulin De Mougin. He came to Palm Spring to do a Weekend in Provence. The photo below is of the crew of the Esmerelda Resort in Palm Springs with Mr. Verge.

I had worked in his restaurant and invited him to come over and do a special weekend. He was delighted to do so and the mayor named the day of the big event ' Roger Verge Day'. It was very successful and got a lot of publicity for the hotel.

Cauliflower Risotto With Sauteed Shrimp And Bacon

This is a recipe from a Mr. Jose Gutierrez who was the restaurant chef in the Meridien in Houston. He was an outstnding restaurant chef and is to this day a dear colleague. I made a few changes to suit myself but stuck to his main idea. Jose is now in Memphis and is a great hit down there. I was glad to make contact with him over the weekend. Here is the link to the pdf with the article and the original recipe for the risotto.

http://www.cookingwithjennifer.com/documents/magazines/Jose.pdf

Pork Wiener Schnitzel

Braised Beef And Carrots And Roast Potatoes.

In praise of simple food. A great staple from the British Isles and one that never goes out of fashion. The beef braised for about 4 hours and could be carved with a fork. Great with a pint of full flavored ale.

Braised Oxtails In Tomato Sauce And Creamy Polenta.

Creamed Chicken And Vegetable Hotpot With Potato Dumplings.

Citrus, Garlic And Herb Roasted Poussin With Root Vegetables And Pureed Potatoes.

New Year's Eve.