Ina Garten’s Blueberry Pie

 

• 4 cups (20 ounces) fresh blueberries, washed and dried
• ½ cup sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
• 1 tablespoon Cassis liqueur
• Perfect Pie Crusts (see below)
• 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon milk or cream, for egg wash

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Mix the blueberries, ½ cup of sugar, the flour, lemon zest, lemon juice, and Cassis in a large bowl. Carefully ease one pie crust into a 9-inch pie plate, making sure not to stretch the dough, or it will shrink as the pie bakes. With a sharp knife, cut the excess dough off at the edge of the pie plate. Spoon the blueberry mixture into the pie shell, scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula to be sure you include all the juices.

Brush the edge of the crust with the egg wash. Carefully lay the second crust on top, again easing—not stretching—it onto the pie. Cut the excess dough off at the edge of the pie plate. Press the two edges together with a dinner fork. Brush the top crust with the egg wash, cut three slits for steam to escape, and sprinkle with sugar.

Place the pie on the prepared sheet pan and bake in the middle of the oven for 45 to 50 minutes, until the filling is very bubbly and the crust is nicely browned. Allow to cool and serve warm or at room temperature.

Perfect Pie Crust (Makes two 10-inch crusts)

• 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) very cold unsalted butter
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/3 cup very cold vegetable shortening
• 6 to 8 tablespoons (about 1/2 cup) ice water

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Mix the blueberries, ½ cup of sugar, the flour, lemon zest, lemon juice, and Cassis in a large bowl. Carefully ease one pie crust into a 9-inch pie plate, making sure not to stretch the dough, or it will shrink as the pie bakes. With a sharp knife, cut the excess dough off at the edge of the pie plate. Spoon the blueberry mixture into the pie shell, scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula to be sure you include all the juices.

Brush the edge of the crust with the egg wash. Carefully lay the second crust on top, again easing—not stretching—it onto the pie. Cut the excess dough off at the edge of the pie plate. Press the two edges together with a dinner fork. Brush the top crust with the egg wash, cut three slits for steam to escape, and sprinkle with sugar.

Place the pie on the prepared sheet pan and bake in the middle of the oven for 45 to 50 minutes, until the filling is very bubbly and the crust is nicely browned. Allow to cool and serve warm or at room temperature.

Bobby Flay’s Rib Rub

Bobby Flay is a king of flavor. Give this a try.

 Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Store in an airtight container. Pack on the dry rub onto your next rack of ribs.

1 tablespoon cumin 
1 tablespoon paprika 
1 tablespoon granulated garlic 

1 tablespoon granulated onion 
1 tablespoon chili powder 
1 tablespoon brown sugar 
2 tablespoons kosher salt 
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper 
1 teaspoon black pepper 
1 teaspoon white pepper

Cucina Domenico Marinated Eggplant

 
Melanzana Marinata (Marinated Eggplant)
6 lb. eggplants
2 1/2 tbsp. salt
3 c. white vinegar
2 c extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for topping off jars
6 cloves garlic, peeled & sliced
2 tbsp. dried oregano
1/4 tspn red pepper flakes
4 pint-size glass canning jars (often called mason jars) and 2-piece metal canning lids
Rinse and peel eggplant. Either a) shred the eggplant in a food processor, or b) cut into 1/4 inch lengthwise vertical slices, then cut slices into lengthwise 1/4 inch french fry-size strips. Place the shredded/sliced eggplant into a nonreactive (plastic or stainless) colander and toss with salt. Place a plate on the eggplant and place a weight (several large cans of tomato sauce works well) on the plate. Let colander stand in the sink for 2 hours, so that bitter eggplant juices drain away. Place colander under running cold water and rinse eggplant quickly. After rinsing the eggplant, take a handful at a time and squeeze out all the excess water from it.
Put the eggplant in a bowl with the vinegar and marinate it for 30 minutes (it will return to shape like a wet sponge). Drain the vinegar from the eggplant and squeeze it dry again. Put the eggplant into a bowl with 2 cups olive oil and remaining combined ingredients.
Wash 4 pint jars with hot, soapy water and rinse thoroughly. Then, gently immerse the jars into a large pot of boiling water, turn down heat and let simmer for 10 minutes. Carefully remove jars with tongs. Fill jar with eggplant mixture to within 1 inch of top. Ladle oil into jars, filling them to within 1/2 inch of the top. Wipe rims of jars with a clean, damp cloth, as residue may not allow for lids to seal properly. Immerse lids (flat disc portion only – not the ring part) into hot, but not boiling, water. Remove and press lids onto top of jars. (NOTE: Some lids have different preparation steps, so closely follow the lid manufacturer’s directions for heating time). Screw rings onto cool jars.
At this point, you can place the jars in a pot of boiling water for a few minutes, making sure that the jars are fully immersed. This will help seal the jars.
Allow jars to cool undisturbed for 24 hours. During cooling, you might hear a soft “ping” when the lids seal tightly. Once the jars are cool, test for vacuum seals by tapping the top of the jar with a spoon. You should hear a bell-like tone, not a “clunk.” Also, the lids should be concave; a convex lid is a sign of a bad seal. Finally, the lids should not move when you press on them with your finger. Refrigerate the jars that did not seal properly. (Resealing jars after they have cooled isn’t safe.)
Store the jars in a cool, dark place, such as a cupboard or a basement for at least two months prior to opening. Once the jar has been opened, keep it in the refrigerator.

Abigail Hitchcock’s Tequila Lime Marinated Shrimp

 

 Abigail Hitchcock not only a chef, a restaurant owner, a judge but also gives classes on practically everything.

1/4 cup Tequilla

1/4 cup lime juice

1 tablespoon honey

1 lemon, quartered

1 small onion, quartered

2 bay leaves

8 peppercorns

1 (1-pound) bag frozen salad shrimp

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

1 Jalapeno pepper, chopped

 In a small saucepan combine tequilla, lime juice and honey. Bring just to a boil to melt honey and evaporate most of the alcohol. Set aside.

Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil. Add lemon, onion, bay leaves and peppercorns to boiling water. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Add salad shrimp and simmer until shrimp are thawed, about 2 to 3 minutes. Drain shrimp and place in bowl. Add Tequilla mixture, cilantro and jalapeno to shrimp and toss.

Chill in refrigerator, covered until ready to use or for a quick chill, place bowl over ice. Serve on platter with endive spears, crackers or alone with toothpicks for spearing.

Evelyn's Kitchen Roasted Lemon Pepper Wings

 Ayala Donchin, founder and executive chef of New York-based Evelyn's Kitchen serves up ridiculously delicious cuisine and goodies that have landed her on the pages of 'O' Magazine, People Magazine and The Cooking Channel. Recently she showcased her goodies on, QVC. We asked Ayala to share one of Evelyn's Kitchen's mouth-watering recipes.

Evelyn's Kitchen Roasted Lemon Pepper Wings

Roasted and not fried, these crispy and tender wings are one of the most popular on the Evelyn's Kitchen menu & the perfect healthy poultry alternative with layers of flavor.  

5 Pounds Chicken Wings 
Marinade: 
1/2 Cup Olive Oil
1.5 Cups Fresh Lemon Juice
1/4  Cup Lemon Pepper Seasoning
1 Tablespoons Granulated Garlic Powder
1/2 Tablespoon Paprika

Whisk All ingredients of marinade until well blended
Pour over Chicken Wings
Let Marinate for at least 2 hours or overnight

Preheat Oven to 375 Degrees

Spray Baking Pan with light cooking spray

Place Wings about One Inch Apart (so air can circulate as wings roast) 
Roast Off at 375 for 30 to 35 minutes or until crispy

cacciucco di livornese ricetta

 

From Ciao Italia

This dish originated with fishermen in Livorno; they sold the best of their catch and used what was left over and unwanted at day’s end to make fish stew. A variety of fish went into the pot including squid, monkfish and cod. Tradition dictates that at least 5 different types of fish be used, one for each of the “c”s in the word cacciucco, which means mixture. 

In this preparation start by adding he fish that takes the longest to cook. Make sure all the fish is cut the same size to minimize cooking time. This dish from start to finish should take about 25 minutes and is even better the next day. Crackling, crusty bread and a crisp salad make the meal both wholesome and complete. This stew is usually cooked in an earthenware pot atop the stove. Use your heaviest pot.

• 1 large onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1/4 cup parsley leaves
• 8 basil leaves
• 1/4 cup Filippo Berio Extra Virgin Olive Oil**
• 1/2 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
• 2/3 cup dry white wine
• 2 cups peeled and diced plum tomatoes*
• 1 cup clam juice, fish bouillon or water
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt or more to taste
• 1/2 pound cleaned squid, cut into 1-inch rings
• 1/2 pound swordfish, skinned and cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1/2 pound medium shrimp (about 13) shelled or bite-size pieces of cod or other firm fish
• 1/4 pound sea scallops
• 1/4 pound monk fish
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 8 toasted bread slices##

In a food processor or by hand, mince the onion, garlic, parsley and basil together. Heat the oil in a heavy-duty pot and stir in the minced onion mixture. Cook over low heat until the ingredients soften, then stir in the pepper flakes and cook 1 minute longer. Raise the heat to high, pour in the wine and allow most of it to evaporate.

Lower heat and stir in the tomatoes, clam juice and salt. When bubbles just begin to appear on the sides of the pot, begin adding the fish pieces in the order given, allowing the squid to cook for 5 minutes before adding the swordfish. 

Cook just until the fish turns opaque or whitish looking and flakes easily with a fork and the shrimp have turned pink. 

Stir in the lemon juice and correct the salt, if necessary. Ladle the soup over the toasted bread slices and serve piping hot.

**  The best olive oil you can find.

* The best tomatoes you can find. I used San Marzano DOC. They cost more but a worth it.

*** I add clams, mussels and anything the enhances the seafood experience.

## I toasted the bread, add olive oil,and rub it with garlic. Pane casareccio.

As to the wine, I choose a Pinot Grigio.

How does bouillabaisse differ from cioppino or cacciucco?

These are as alike as brothers. Difference are small. Boullibasise uses saffron, fennel, and orange peel and lobster, whereas cioppino is thicker using tomato paste, salt pork, more kinds of shellfish and fish than cacciucco which is really a poor fisherman’s stew.

Veal Piccata

 This is a famous Second Piatti at any reputable Italian restaurant. In Rome, is generally served alone and the parley is largely cooked, in the USA, it may be served with egg noodles, spaghetti, or something green.

1/2 pound veal cut in thin slices

4 tbsp flour

8 slices lemon (see notes)

2 sprigs thyme

4 tbsp butter

2 tbsp Italian capers

2 tbsp lemon juice or same amount of stock

2 tbsp white wine dry

1 pinch salt

1 pinch pepper crushed

First make sure the veal in uniformly the same thickness, if not hammer the high spot with a rubber mallet. To cheap everything clean, place the veal between parchment paper. Dredge the veal just before cooking in flour seasoned with salt, and plenty of pepper. Oil a heavy skillet once it come up to medium. Add butter. And thyme. When butter is melted, add veal. Get it golden on the downside before flipping. When the other side is cooked, add lemon juice or stock, the capers, and slices of lemon. Let the liquid briefly cook down. Taste the sauce, it should be a balance of all the ingredients. Remove the thyme stacks, and serve on heated plates with buttered wide egg noodles or with acidulated chopped spinach.

I like to garnish the plates with a bit of Italian flat leaf parsley.

Bisquick Biscuits

With only two ingredients you can have fluffy, golden biscuits in just 8-10 minutes.* The only thing, is not overwork the dough.

Pre-heat oven to 450F. Stir 2 1/4 cups of milk to 2/3 cups of bisquick with a spoon until it just forms a dough. Drop in a glass dish in a tablespoon side by side allowing room to expand. Bake until go,den brown.

*At higher altitude, biscuits may take longer to cook.

Traditional Challah (King Arthur Baking)

Dough

4 to 4 1/4 cups (480g to 510g) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

3/4 cup (170g) water, lukewarm

6 tablespoons (74g) vegetable oil

3 tablespoons (63g) honey

2 large eggs

1 large egg yolk (white reserved for the topping)

1 1/2 teaspoons (9g) salt

4 teaspoons (12g) instant yeast

Topping

1 large egg white (reserved from above), beaten with 1 tablespoon cold water

poppy seeds for sprinkling

Divide the dough into pieces, the number depending on what kind of braid you want to make. You may braid the challah the traditional way, into a three-strand braid; for helpful tips watch our video, How to braid a three-strand loaf. 

For a fancier presentation, make a six-strand braid; watch our video, to see how it's done. To make a four-strand braid, see shaping instructions in our blog post about making four-strand braided challah.  (video)

Once you've decided which braid you're doing, divide the dough into the appropriate number of pieces. Roll each piece into a rope about 20" long. 

If the dough starts to shrink back as you roll, cover it and let it rest for about 10 minutes, then resume rolling. The short rest gives the gluten a chance to relax.

Braid the loaf. Remember, for three- or six-strand braids, watch the videos linked above. For a four-strand braid, see the step-by-step photos of how to make a four-strand braid.

Gently pick up the braided loaf, and place it on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet.

Cover the loaf with lightly greased plastic wrap and let it rise at room temperature until it's very puffy, 60 to 90 minutes. Toward the end of the rising time, place a rack in the upper third of your oven and preheat the oven to 375°F.

To make the topping: Whisk together the reserved egg white and water. Brush the mixture over the risen loaf. Sprinkle generously with poppy seeds.

Bake the challah on the oven's upper rack for 25 to 30 minutes, or until it's a deep golden brown and a digital thermometer inserted into the center reads 190°F.

Remove the challah from the oven and transfer it to a rack to cool.

Sweet onion pie

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 large Vidalia onions, cut in half, then thinly and uniformly sliced on a mandoline
1 partially baked 9-inch pastry shell and when cool, rubbed with cold butter
1 cup grated Gruyère cheese
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1 1/2 cups of half and half
1 teaspoon salt
Plenty of white pepper

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a heavy saucepan.  Add onions and cook over medium-low heat, tuning regularly until clear and limp but not brown. Drain the onions and arrange them in a cold pastry shell.  Cover the onions with the grated cheese.  Beat the eggs yolks, eggs and half and half together and pour over cheese and onions. Season with salt and white. pepper.

Bake until the pie is golden brown all over about 40 minutes.

Vicki’s Festive Wassail Bowl

The orchard-visiting wassail refers to the ancient custom of visiting orchards in cider-producing regions of England, reciting incantations and singing to the trees to promote a good harvest for the coming year.

6 oranges studded with cloves

10 2” cinnamon sticks

1 gal. Apple cider

1 1/2 cups lemon juice

2 cups vodka

1/4 brandy

Stud the oranges every 1/2 inch a bake @ 350F uncover in the oven. At the same time, in a pot until bubbles appear around the edge, then remove the cider from the heat. Add the lemon juice, cinnamon sticks, and oranges. Add lid and simmer on low for 30 minutes. Add the liqueur. Mix well. Pour into wassail bowl and serve warm.

Serves 36 four ounce servings.

Boston “Baked” Ham and Beans

This is one of my favorites, the beans practically candied at the end. I add the molasses to taste as the beans cook.

2 pounds ham1 cut into small pieces plus ham bone shank 

1 1/2 bag of small white Northern beans
Black Pepper
Pinch of ground cloves
1 pound dark brown sugar
6 ounces Low sulfur Blackstrap Molasses
Soak beans over night in water. Drain. Add enough water back into pot to cover beans by 2 inches. Add ham and all other ingredients. Bring to a boil, cover then cook slowly for four hours. (Remove lid the last two hours to reduce the water content.) Add water as necessary while cooking.  Correct seasoning only at the end.

Boston “Baked” Ham and Beans

Note: If ham is especially salty, par boil in hot water for ten minutes. Discard water. Add back to beans. Too much salt while cooking will cause the beans to become tough on the outside. 

Austrian Apple Strudel

 

This is one of those apple recipes that’s perfect for the holiday season, or the fall apple season. The best thing about this easy apple strudel recipe is that it’s not only delicious, it’s quick and easy to make.

This recipe was first presented to me by my mother. She made the puff pastry from scratch and placed chopped nuts with butter between each layer. This is, however, a shortcut.

For topping:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons brown sugar

¼ cup chopped pecans

For filling:
3 pounds Honeycrisp or Jonagold apples (about 6 medium), peeled
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
¾ teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons milk

Dusting

Powdered sugar

Defrost the puff pastry. Lay a layer of puff pastry on your work surface, cover with the mixture, then roll it up. Apply topping. Bake as directed until golden brown. Dust with powdered sugar when cool.

Arroz Rojo (Mexican Red Rice)

 

When executed properly, this rice is terrific not merely an accompaniment. The main thing is to not over cook.

1½ tablespoons unsalted butter
2 garlic cloves, minced

½ small white onion, finely chopped
1 cup jasmine white rice
2 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 teaspoon Knorr tomato bouillon with chicken

1 packet Sazón*

¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1 jalapeño pepper, whole

Garnish with chopped cilantro

* Sazón is a blend of coriander, cumin, achiote, garlic powder, oregano, salt & pepper.

In a saucepan with a lid, put all the ingredients in the pot, a cover with the lid. Cook in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes on the dot. Remove the lid, add to a sheet pan to cool as the steam escapes. Avoid over cooking.

Fluff with fork,garnish, then serve warm.

Chinese Chicken Thighs Marinade

2 tbs. Cornstarch 
1 tbs. Oyster sauce
1 tbs. Soy
1 1/2 tsp. Sugar
2 tbs. Shoaxing wine
1 tsp. White pepper
Optionally, 1 tsp. Seasoned rice wine vinegar