Summer Feast: Roasted Chicken, Italian Sausage and Potatoes

A few weeks ago, my youngest daughter Erin celebrated her 21st birthday.  In honor of this event, we invited a few of her friends (and their parents) over on a Friday night.  As we planned the event, we had to wrestle with two issues.  First, as young adults tend to have a fluid social calendar, we weren't exactly sure how many would attend.  So how much food do we cook?  Our second concern was that this was to be held on a Friday night.  As small business owners, we tend to have long weeks.  By Friday, we're exhausted.  So from an entertaining perspective - what could we fix that would require maximum flavor with minimal effort?  And isn't this everyone's conundrum in summer?

I needed a one-pot meal.  Something that I could scale to feed a crowd.  Something simple to prepare - but that would be satisfying too. And given the age of the attendees, something that paired well with beer.  

I harkened back to my NJ days.  Days of summer fun at the pool and classic Italian-American fare.  I thought of my brother-in-law who makes this great dish each summer when we visit the Jersey shore.   The dish? Roasted chicken, Italian sausage, and potatoes.  

I can't explain why I like this so much.  The chicken is typically dark meat (thighs) and roasted with olive oil so the skin is crispy.  I made one platter with hot Italian sausages and another with mild sausages.   The savory sausages with rich chicken and roasted potatoes and onions - it just works.  I used big disposal aluminum trays just to keep things simple. 

We ended up serving 14 people.  I had tripled the recipe meaning I had six pounds of chicken and six pounds of sausage.  We had a 1 quart container of leftovers.    That's all you need to know. 

Again, this isn't complex fare, but it gets rave reviews and works in summer when you need to feed a crowd. 

Pair it with a salad, some crusty bread, a nice red wine (or beer) and it's a winner.  The weekend is coming up!  Fix a batch and let me know how it goes!

Roasted Chicken, Italian Sausage and Potatoes

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup dry red wine [or balsamic vinegar]

1 tsp. finely chopped fresh thyme

1/2 tsp. kosher salt [or coarse sea salt]

2 1/2 lbs. bone-in chicken thighs

2 lbs. sweet Italian sausage links or hot Italian sausage (you pick), cut into 2-inch chunks

4 medium potatoes, cut in half and then sliced into 1/2 moon discs.

1 medium sweet onion, chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425°.

2. In small bowl, combine Olive Oil, wine, thyme and salt. In large, shallow roasting pan, toss potatoes, onions, with oil mixture. Toss to coat. 

3. Roast potatoes 1/2 hour or until potatoes begin to brown.  Then add chicken and sausage, re-toss,  and cook an additional hour or so until chicken is thoroughly cooked.  

4. Enjoy the party.  

The Secret to Great Pulled Pork

I freely admit - I love barbecue.   I love all of it.   I love brisket, pork ribs, beef ribs, chicken, turkey, and sausage.  I love smoked salmon.  Beer-can chicken? Any day, any time. I even like smoked cheeses and vegetables.  My favorite, however, is pulled pork.  For me, nothing is finer than a great pulled pork sandwich.

My odyssey began in of all places, Rhode Island.  My dear friend Blair was hosting a few high school pals for a weekend of fun.  Thoughtful guy that he is, he brought in some barbecue from Corky's in Nashville, TN.  Until this event, my barbecue experience had been largely relegated to ribs.  I loved ribs (still do), and never ordered anything else.  But that weekend I feel in love.  I loved the pulled pork. Tender, juicy, bold and satisfying. It was perfect.  Ever since that day, I've been sampling it at almost every opportunity.  Years ago we used to make an annual summer pilgrimage from our home outside of Dallas to the Outer Banks of North Carolina.  We would always interrupt our 15 hour first-day leg to stop in Jackson, TN to visit Corky's.  Our kids were all under 10 and the stop afforded me amazing food and a brief respite from continuous replay of The Aristocats on DVD.  Culinary shelter from an endless Disney storm.

The only topic that engenders more polarizing debate than either politics or religion is barbecue.  Parochialism runs amok.  Texans love their brisket.  KC's beef tips are exquisite.  'Q in the deep south often means pork. And in the Carolina's the battle rages over which sauce is supreme.  I believe the origin of MMA fighting began when a Texan met to debate barbecue with a guy from Memphis.  Try it.  Sparks will fly.  Fists may fly too.

I have little use for provincial pride.  People who believe their place in the world is better than everyone else's place in the world are usually short-sighted.  They're missing out.  In the world of food, the same precept is true.  Cooked properly - all of this great country's barbecue is a supreme treat.

Conversely, marginal barbecue is one of life's utter disappointments.

For years I've endeavored to cook a good pulled pork.  I can consistently cook a great cuban pork shoulder in the pressure cooker - which results in killer soft tacos or a fine cuban sandwich.   But my pulled pork in the smoker?  Meh.  A tad dry.  A tad chewy.  OK but never great.  I've read dozens of recipes.  I've read numerous books.  All to no avail. The results were always the same.

Last weekend, I solved the puzzle.  To my great surprise and delight, I figured it out.  I cooked the best pulled pork of my life.  It was worthy of any BBQ competition.  Tender, smokey, moist, savory... like finding the Holy Grail of 'Q.

Before I impart my secrets - a quick note to the BBQ Pharisees.  To you people I say, chill.  Spare me both your legalism and your provincialism.  I care not for your ritual purity. This is about gathering at the table and sharing some good food.

So how do we proceed?

1. Go to a good food market and procure a pork shoulder (aka Pork Butt).  Preferably bone-in.  Get a good quality pork in the 5-6 lb range.

2. Before going to bed, rub the pork with a nice dry rub.  I like kosher salt, paprika, chill powder, granulated garlic, granulated onion, white pepper and cumin in my rub.  Rub the meat thoroughly,  cover it, and let it sit overnight in the fridge.  "Overnight" is the operative word.  Got it?

3. In the morning, fire up the smoker.  I have found that saw dust is the best option in my smoker.  What kind of smoker?  Sigh.  Yes, I have an electric smoker.  I know, I know.  A violation of ritual purity. Get over it. I yearn for a barrel smoker that I make from a steel drum, but until that day comes - this will do.  I fill the smoke box with oak and/or hickory sawdust.  Saw dust smokes longer and more consistently than wood chips.  Turn the smoker on high and get that thing smoking. Then reset to about 250 degrees.

Now, some purists will say 225 degrees is best.  Others say 275.  I don't think this matters that much. Sacrilege, I know.

4. Put the pork on a shelf in the smoker.  Put an aluminum try underneath it to catch drippings.  There will be lots of drippings.  Be sure to have a water tray in the smoker to keep the environment moist.  Refill water and saw dust as necessary.  DO NOT LET THE WATER TRAY GO DRY.

5. After four hours, I cover the meat with foil.  Why? I don't want it to dry out.  Some purists call this cheating.  I call them stupid.  You're spending all day cooking this meal.  You want to risk making bad 'Q?  Neither do I.

6. At this time, I also insert a meat thermometer.  I love my bluetooth iGrill thermometer.  Accurate, simple, and it affords me the opportunity to walk away from the smoker.

Now for the secret step.  If you read dozens of pulled pork recipe, you'll often see "experts" (i.e. acclaimed chefs) tell you to pull the pork after x number of hours.  Or you'll read that you pull the meat at 175 or 180 degrees.  However, if you look long and hard to seek out the hard-to-find missives  from competitive 'Q cooks, you'll find that you should actually pull the meat at 202 degrees.  That's right.  202.  Sounds counter-intuitive to me.  To me, longer cooking to a higher temp translates to dry, tough meat.  Not true here.  At this temp, the pork is tender, moist, and absolutely fall-apart perfect.    There's a lot of science here about "the stall" and how and when the fibrous tissues break down.  I'll spare you. You don't care. You just want amazing pulled pork.  So just trust me on this.

Last week, my boneless pork shoulder was done in six hours. Yes it was boneless.  That's all my meat market had.  Make due and move on.  Six hours is a lot less than the recipes I've read that say 12 hours or more.  Ignore time.  Go with temperature.

For what it is worth, I also cooked some St. Louis-style ribs in similar fashion.  I removed the silver skin, applied dry rub, cooked for two hours, and then wrapped the ribs and cooked for one hour more.  Again - just fantastic.

Let the pork sit for 15 minutes and then shred with two forks.  I add a little barbecue sauce into the shred along with a little salt and/or dry rub.  Add pork to a toasted brioche bun (lightly buttered and grilled) along with some cole slaw and a little more barbecue sauce and your day is complete.

Now I love food lore as much as anyone.  If you love the concept of barbecue, I thoroughly encourage you to pick up a copy of Franklin Barbecue, A Meat-Smoking Manifesto by Aaron Franklin and Jordan Mackay.  Franklin Barbecue is a world-famous 'cue joint in Austin, TX.  This book takes you through the entire barbecue process from smoker construction to meat selection and preparation.  It is practical, fun, and without the fundamentalist dogma.  They do not have a recipe for pulled pork - but everything else in there looks amazing.

Try this out and let me know how do you.  And please share any other barbecue tales.  What have you tried? What works for you?

World Gin Day!

Working on my next post regarding farmer's market feasting when I stumbled upon this little diddy.  It is world gin day!

I am passing this along simply to inspire you to make a fun cocktail this weekend.   We are notorious gin and tonic aficionados, but tonight I promise to shake things up. Literally.  I will report back to you but will you do the same?

12 cocktails to consider this weekend!

UPDATE:

My version of the picnic martin, using blackberry preserves rather than strawberry.  Fresh berries from the farmer's market and lemon peel garnish the drink.  Excellent!

Supper Club / Culinary Comedy Among Friends

Are you in a food rut?  Cook the same things over and over?  How would you like to expand your kitchen repertoire just a bit? I've been there. Today, we talk about a fun way to do just that. 

Years ago when we lived in the western suburbs of Chicago, we were part of a supper club.   The idea was pretty simple.  The host would pick a theme, provide recipes for each course, and you would be assigned one of those recipes to cook and bring to dinner.   It was a great way to get to know people.  And as busy parents of very young children, it allowed us the opportunity to gather for dinner parties without the burden of preparing an entire menu.

Recently, we used that concept to start another comparable group here in Colorado.  However, while forging friendships was the primary goal, we added a secondary goal.  We wanted to learn together; share experiences with food that would add to our time together.   We wanted to push ourselves a bit and learn a little. We wanted to try new foods and expand our culinary horizons.  So each gathering would be thematic, focusing on regional cuisine. 

The revised concept was a bit intimidating to some, so we laid out some simple ground rules.  First, no food snobbery. This was to be about fun and fellowship, not culinary skills.  If a dish failed, we'd all have a good laugh, another glass of wine, and move on.  Second, we'd keep it simple.   We'd pick seasonal and regional themes.  Basic fare (and basic skills)  from around the country or around the globe. I wanted us to pick foods (and subsequently ingredients, recipes and skills) that were perhaps unfamiliar.  We would strive for fresh, hand-made, and authentic whenever possible.  And if that meant a trip to a specialty market or two - so be it.  It was all part of the learning experience.

We have nine people in the group and we meet roughly once a quarter. When we host, Emily handles the decor - one of her many gifts.  I handle the menu and the playlist.   The members of the group select their recipes to prepare on a first-come first-serve basis. 

Let me tell you, this has been tremendously fun.   We spend hours sitting around the table and we laugh so hard.  We have formed such great friendships.  And the stories we've shared are priceless.  Truly, I love these events! 

And the food? It has been outstanding! 

At our first gathering, the theme was "Summer Dinner en Provence."  It was early fall and great fresh vegetables were abundant.  We served chilled Lillet for cocktails - a great french aperitif and something you should try this summer.  We listened to a playlist featuring  Madeleine Peyroux, Edit Piaf, and a little Maurice Chevalier while swapping funny stories of our cooking adventures. One couple - our least kitchen savvy duo - were tasked with preparing grilled petite bell peppers stuffed with Camembert and olive tapenade.  After asking a Whole Foods employee for the location of "cayman bert", the employee gently and graciously asked to see the recipe and then helped them fill their basket.  And the appetizer was fabulous!


Since then, we've done Octoberfest,  Northern Italy, the Caribbean, New England Fall Feast, and most recently Tapas.   The Tapas menu included the following: 

• Tortilla de Berenjena (eggplant tortilla - akin to a fritatta)
• Baguette with tomato and Serrano ham
• Stuffed dates wrapped in bacon
• Boles de Picolat (meatballs with tomato sauce)
• Pescado a la Sal (sea bass baked in rock salt)
• Catalan Cod Brandada
• Serrano Ham and Manchebo Croquetas
• Tortilla Primavera

OK, some of this may sound intimidating, but that's only because it's in spanish. These are mostly simple dishes.  

Case in point - I prepared the fish.  Over the years, I haven't cooked a lot of whole fish, but this was both simple and delicious.   Whole sea bass wasn't available so I used fresh whole snapper - again there is no need for menu rigidity.  I seasoned the inside of the fish and added a few slices of lemon.  I set the fish in a baking tray on a bed of kosher salt.  I then covered the top of the fish completely with kosher salt.  I baked the fish for about 35 minutes at 425 degrees.  

The steam from the fish causes the salt to harden like a shell.  Once removed from the oven, I cracked the shell.  The salt and skin easily peeled away, revealing a gorgeous moist fish.  I served the fish over a plate of oven-roasted vegetables. Truly, it was the easiest and perhaps the best fish dish I've ever made. The flavor had just a hint of salt 

Craig and Allyson's tortilla primavera was topped with a pesto made with asparagus, spinach and chives. The flavor was unbelievable.   And the brandada?  Really great.    Basically it is a cod emulsion made with garlic and olive oil that is spread on bread. You're just going to have to trust me on this. It's really good food. 

Now, would I have ever tried any of this without this group? Not likely.  But I will certainly repeat at least a few of these dishes.  And the stories from that evening will last a lifetime.  

What's next?  Two pending menus include A Tour of American BBQ and Pan-Asian cuisine. Other potential menus include Low Country, Cajun & Creole, Garden State Diner Menu, and Game Day Brunch. Feel free to cast a vote in the comments section. 

The hardest thing is coming up with the menu.  That task is fun for me as I like doing the research. If you'd like one of our past menus, just ask!  I'm happy to help you get a group started.  And please share your stories!

Pescado a la Sal

Ingredients

• Whole fish (Sea Bass fish or whatever is fresh, cleaned and scaled)
• 1 box of coarse kosher salt

Instructions:

• Heat the oven to 425 degrees. 
• Rinse the fish and add slices of lemon plus fresh thyme inside the fish. 
• Put a thin layer of salt in a baking tray and lay the fish on top. Cover the fish with the rest of the salt and sprinkle over 1 tsp water. 
• Bake for 35 minutes.
• Crack open the salt shell and remove the fish. Serve over a selection of oven-roasted vegetables.  I roasted a variety of colored bell peppers with sliced onions and asparagus tossed in olive oil.  The vegetables roasted at 350 for 40 minutes.  

Could you do this on the grill?  Sure.  Just use foil instead of a baking tray (do not seal the foil, just leave it open) and place in the center of the grill over indirect heat.  

Salvation on Thursday Night / Pasta and APOP

Thursdays are a such a beating.

I'm tired.  I've spent four days fighting the good fight (which is what we small business owners do).  Jousting with difficult clients, difficult employees, incompetent vendors amid a stream of never-ending interruptions - I'm exhausted. Late nights and early mornings only compound my state.

I live in Colorado and on this late Thursday in May, mother nature has given us a persistent cold rain.  My lawn and flowers are quite content.  Me? Far less so.  Add a good chill to my malaise.  To make my situation a complete tragicomedy, I've just gone back to crossfit.  I can barely move. Fat old guys shouldn't go to crossfit.  Deep down, I know this.  My thighs cry out with protest as I hobble to the fridge.  I lift my right hand to the refrigerator door (supporting it by my trembling left hand) only to take my exhausted, cold, tired, depressed and aching body to a new low.  After prying open what must be a one ton refrigerator door, I find that my stash left from Sunday's culinary endeavors are now all gone. Curse you, Wednesday! There is no braised pork chop in buttermilk gravy.  Nary a drop of grilled salmon in a maple-soy glaze.  And the primavera? Not a chance. Nada. Not. Nil. Nein. Nicht.  I am shutout.

Dejected, I turn to the cupboard. In my current state, it's a 3 minute walk.  Nearly 15 feet. I rummage past the tuna, the broth, and the tortilla chips with little but despair in my heart.  Wait.  What is that? And there calling out to me like the Holy Grail of canned goods, I see it.  There before my eyes, I see a 15 oz can of diced tomatoes.  It's going to be ok. I'm going to make it. For I know that this one of the five key ingredients I need to turn my night around.  And the remaining four are always on hand.

I grab a box of penne pasta.  Now moving more fluidly, I grab garlic and crushed red pepper flakes. Olive oil is already by the stove.  After putting on a pot of water, spirits lifted, I put on a little music. I think my Sinatra playlist will do nicely.  And as "That's Life" comes on, I smile.  Tomorrow is Friday. There's good stuff on the DVR.  I pour a glass of red.  And I get to work.

I realize that many of you still live with jars of store-bought tomato sauce.  Today, we'll fix that.  Today, I give you my simplest recipe and yet one of my favorite comfort foods.  Try this.  I'm begging you.  You'll never procure another jar of ho-hum tomato sauce again.  Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the house pasta sauce; aglio,  pomodoro, olio e pepperoncino (APOP).

Heat the oil, red pepper flakes and chopped garlic together for just a minute until the oil is fragrant.  Add the can of tomatoes.  Let it simmer for five minutes.  Done.  Toss the pasta into the pan and coat.  Maybe top with a little freshly grated Parmigiana Reggiano?  Serve.  Crazy fast.  Crazy good.

Oh, and please - get yourself a chunk of Parmigiana Reggiano and keep it in the fridge, just for nights like this.  You can do a hundred things with it and it keeps well for weeks.  We'll take about parmesan chips at a later date... for tonight we're talking about sauce.

Can you use fresh tomatoes in the summer?  Of course.  Add basil?  Absolutely.  A touch of white wine?  Yup.  I used this base sauce for an tapas meatball dish a few weeks ago, but added beef broth and let it cook down for an hour.  It was fabulous.  But this basic sauce is the very core of greatness. Add some crusty bread and a nice glass of red wine and as I sit down with my piping hot bowl of life, it dawns on me...  Hey - tomorrow is Friday!  The weekend is upon us!  Farmer's market on Saturday! And perhaps my thighs will unlock by Sunday!  It's going to be ok!

APOP Recipe

Ingredients
2 ounces nice extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp crushed red pepper
2 tsp minced garlic
1 can (15 oz) diced tomatoes (good quality please!)
1 lb pasta of choice, but I like penne with this recipe
2 TBS butter
Parmigiana Reggiano
salt to taste

Directions
While the pasta is cooking in salted water, warm the oil with the garlic and red pepper flakes together in a sauté pan over medium heat.  The key to this recipe is to not burn the garlic.  Brown is bad people.  Tan is even bad.  Slightly off-white is good.  Have the tomatoes ready so that you can toss them in the pan and arrest the garlic's frying before good goes to oh crap.  Let it simmer and slightly reduce for about 5 minutes.  Season to taste with salt.

Drain the pasta and toss with a little butter.  Add the pasta to the sauté pan and toss to coat.  Shave (use your vegetable peeler) or grate a little parmesan over the top and you are good to go.

Next time you decide... more garlic? Less? More red pepper?  Make notes and tweak to your taste.

As for jars of bland sauce? You'll never look back. Trust me.

Summertime is Limoncello Time

It's been a great night around the table with friends.   We had a sunny summer evening with cocktails and appetizers outside.  There was a great sunset, fun music, lots of laughs (often at my expense), a good meal, and now the evening is winding down.

We're all still sitting at the table.  Or maybe we're sitting outside around the fire pit.  We're all a little tired, but the conversation continues, just slightly less vibrant than before. As we're winding down - it's time for one last little surprise.  Something sweet.  Something savory.  Just a little taste...

Our House Limoncello

I reach into the freezer and pull out a favorite bottle.  Frosted on the outside.  Ice cold, thick, and syrupy on the inside.   I fill small aperitif-style glasses with bright yellow nectar. The intense lemon scent hits you long before the glass meets your lips.  Yes, its limoncello.

If you haven't had limoncello, go get some.  It screams of summertime.  Adult lemonade.  It's special, just like your guests.

One of our favorite restaurants, The Wooden Table in Greenwood Village, CO pours guests a complementary glass after each meal.  It is so civilized.  

Limoncello has it's origins in and around Napoli and on the Amalfi Coast of Italy.  The giant lemons, raised in volcanic soil, produce vibrant fruit that someone figured should be used in alcohol.  I believe that clever person(s) is at the forefront of natural selection. 

John, my brother-in-law, introduced me to limoncello many years ago.  John is my very Italian, north-Jersey-born friend, brother, and Italian food guru.  I remember sipping my first limoncello and was struck by the icy-cool of the frosty syrup, the bright fresh taste of lemon, followed by the warmth of the alcohol.  It was the perfect after-dinner summer sip. 

Shortly thereafter, I purchased limoncello at the local liquor store.  I tried several different varieties but nothing struck me like that first taste with John.  They were ok, but for the price, they just weren't all that great.  

So shortly thereafter again, I found a recipe and made my own limoncello.  Fear not. This isn't like making bourbon, kids.  This is shockingly simple.  There are just three ingredients - lemon peel, sugar syrup, and alcohol (either grain alcohol or a good neutral vodka).  My first experimental batch sat steeping on the counter for a full ten days.  As the days wore on, my son took it upon himself to make daily inquiries about the "specimen" jar on the counter.   Nice.  He was 14.  That's what you get for being creative.  

I strained the mixture, mixed in simple syrup and bingo!  My boy proved wrong.  The flavor was fabulous.  I've kept some on hand ever since. 

And it isn't just a great drink.  It's a great addition to a host of cocktails.  It's also a killer marinade.

Here in Denver, Marco's Coal-Fired Pizzeria (recently renamed Racca's Pizzeria Napoletana) uses it to marinade chicken wings.  You let the wings bathe in lemon greatness for 24 hours and after a high-heat baking, you get a wing with a great blackened edge as the sugars caramelize to create a magical lemon chicken wing.  I don't have a high-heat pizza oven (yet) but my grill does a great job.  And the smell of these wings cooking will lift the spirits of everyone in the neighborhood. 

I've got two recipes for you; one for limoncello and another for Racca's limoncello chicken wings.  You have friends coming over this weekend?  Do this. Your friends will thank you.  Your palate will thank you.  And once again - you'll be living large with simple but great rustic fare.  

p.s.  Thank you, Susan S. for requesting this topic!

Limoncello

Ingredients:
1 bottle (750 ml) of grain alcohol or a good quality, very clean vodka.
10 medium to large organic lemons. If they're small, get a few extra.

For the lemon simple syrup:
3 1/2 cups of of filtered tap water or spring water
3 1/2 cups of white granulated sugar
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (strained of pulp)

Rinse and peel the lemons with a vegetable peeler.  Be sure not to get any of the bitter white pith.  You just want the oil-rich peel.  Put the peels in a large mason jar along with the alcohol.  Let it sit on the counter for three days.  Some say one day is sufficient.  I want to ensure that I get all the oil out of the peel.  I do think there are diminishing returns waiting more than a few days. Besides, the kids will start to freak out.

Make the simple syrup by combining water and sugar in a pot.  Heat without stirring (so it doesn't crystalize) until the sugar dissolves and you have a nice syrup.  Add the strained lemon juice and let it cool.

Combine the syrup and the strained lemon alcohol mixture.  Toss it in the freezer and leave it there until you're ready for some fun.  Drink very cold.

Don't feel constrained by the lemons. Oranges and limes would also work. I have heard of others doing this with cantaloupe or melons but I have no experience with this.  Yet.

Limoncello Chicken Wings by Racca Pizzeria Napoletana via Pizza Today

Ingredients:
5 pounds chicken wings

3 whole lemons
½ cup limoncello
¼ ounce fresh thyme
3 ounces fresh rosemary
¾ ounces fresh oregano
2 tablespoons
kosher salt
Pinch of crushed red pepper
1½ cups extra-virgin olive oil

Blend the quartered lemons, limoncello and rest of the ingredients in a food processor until smooth.
Marinate 5 pounds of chicken wings in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.

Remove from marinade and bake at 450 F until browned and cooked through, 20 to 30 minutes.
Serve with roasted Vidalia onions.

Or do as I do and cook them on a hot grill.  I like to get a char on them over an open flame, and then turn off the center of the grill, move the chicken to the center of the grill, close the lid and bake for 15 to 20 minutes at 450 degrees.

Follow The Wooden Table on Twitter at @WoodenTableCO
Follow Racca Pizzeria Napoletana on Twitter  @RaccasPizzeria

My Most Popular Appetizer

We entertain all of the time. It's a hobby. Often it's an impromptu affair. Someone is dropping by for a drink (or dinner), it's the weekend, and I've spent most of the day knee-deep in a house project. Somehow I need to shower, run to the store, and whip up something in under an hour. This recipe is my most popular go-to appetizer recipe.

What about you? Having someone special over? Want to dazzle them? You can fix this in minutes. It looks beautiful. It smells fabulous. Unlike a port wine cheese ball, your guest have probably never had this before. And frankly, you may never get to eat dinner. Paired with a nice red wine and you can scarf this stuff down and be entirely content.

People ask me for the recipe all the time. And it's so versatile, you can use it in 50 different ways.

So what's this wonder dish? Sheep's Milk Ricotta, Sea Salt & Herbs

The recipe hails from Andrew Carmellini's "Urban Italian" cookbook. I admit I'm a bit of a cookbook junkie - and this one is a favorite. I highly recommend it. Andrew is a great storyteller and he does a great job bringing great flavors without pretense. This recipe is no exception. Andrew's gnocchi recipe rocks too, but that's for another day.

Here's the ingredients from Andrew's recipe from his website.

SHEEP’S MILK RICOTTA, SEA SALT & HERBS

Serves 6
Time: About 10 minutes plus a little more if you’re a serving with Grilled Country Bread

2 cups Sardinian sheep’s milk ricotta
½ cup whole milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon Calabrian oregano
1 teaspoon fleur de sel or coarse sea salt
1 teaspoon course-ground black pepper
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
2-3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Now hold on a minute. I know what you're thinking. You're reading the ingredients and thinking to yourself, "I'm not sure I have a high quality purveyor of Sardinian sheep's milk ricotta." Consequently, you are now entirely ready to bail on this recipe. Whoa. Relax. We make things easy around here.

Head to your local food store (any one with a decent selection of cheeses) and look for Ricotta Salata. I get mine at the local Whole Foods. It isn't as obscure as you think.

Ricotta salata looks a lot like feta. Basically it's a salted and pressed ricotta cheese that is aged for a couple of months. Ricotta is a whey product - the liquid stuff left over from making most cheese (the curds). When very fresh, it is utterly fabulous. By salting and pressing it, you preserve the cheese's great quality for several more weeks. A queso fresco is a reasonable substitute as is feta, but if you can find ricotta salata - get it. Why should you care about this bit of cheese lore? After you make this, someone will ask "I love this. What's in it?" I want your answer to be as brilliant as your food.

The instructions are simple - whip up the ricotta with the whole milk so that it is smooth and silky. Andrew likes to use a mixer. I prefer the food processor. Ricotta salata is a little grainy. You have to wail on it a little to make it soft and silky. I find the food processor's blades do this nicely. Add milk a little at a time, watching the consistency as you go. You're looking for something that will spread and then stick to bread. Think peanut butter. Not too soupy. Not too thick. Go slow and you'll get it. Mix in the salt but be careful. Salata means salt. You don't want to overdue it. Add a little, taste, and adjust accordingly.

Add the mix to a serving bowl and top with herbs, sea salt, and seasonings. I use fresh oregano from the garden. I also add a touch of fresh thyme.

Top with olive oil (use a good quality olive oil) so that some dip is revealed and surrounded by a lovely pool of olive oil.

Grilled bread? No worries. Pick a good rustic country bread. A ciabatta, a boule, a peasant bread - all will work. Cut into thick slices and grill and be sure to rotate so you get nice grill marks. Too cold to grill? No worries. I've even put this on the gas flame on my stove. Broil it. Use a panini maker. Use a grill pan on the stove. Heck - use a toaster if you have too. Rub the resulting slices with a piece of raw garlic. You're good to go.

Get a nice white serving tray. Place the bowl with the dip in the center and surround with the nicely charred rustic bread.

You can use this a lot of different ways too. Top your pasta with it. Stuff shells with it. Mix it in an omelet. On pizza? Divine.

Now go have someone over. Serve this, but be prepared. You're in for some adoration.

I'd encourage you to follow Andrew Carmellini on twitter at @andrecarmellini
His cookbook "Urban Italian: Simple Recipes and True Stories from a Life in Food" is available on Amazon

Preheating This Blog

I've been cooking since I was 12 years old. To be clear - experience does not equal talent. It just means I've been doing it a long time. It isn't my job, it's just an ongoing hobby.

I started in my grandfather's kitchen in Jersey City. He was a German immigrant who came to this country when he was 11 years old. He learned English on his own. He forged his way as a fisherman, tug boat captain, and butcher and general store owner - all through hard work and determination. He was stocky, quiet, confident, and loving. And when my sisters and I would go from the New Jersey suburbs to spend a weekend there, we ate the food that he (and my grandma) had been cooking for decades. Roasted cuts of beef, oxtail soup, spaetzle, red cabbage, and many other mostly humble foods. It was simple, delicious food. While turmoil raged in my parent's marriage, these trips were an oasis of comfort. I recall the fabulous smell of food that hit you the moment you walked in the house. There was a sense of peace and anticipation. You knew good things were coming.

Between hours building toy models and playing in the yard, I'd hang out in the kitchen. I'd watch as my grandparents orchestrated simple culinary magic. I'd learn a little, and I'd eat a lot.

That experience pushed my curiosity. As a kid, I ate a wide variety of foods. I liked liver and onions and had it once for my special birthday dinner. I loved duck, bluefish, and I ate lobster whenever I could. But it was my grandparents' oxtail-barley soup that really captured my heart.

Food does that. It reminds you of good times, special events, and great people. Think about it from a historical standpoint. Feasts and festivals are central to human history. Heck - even God used food as a central point in great covenants with his people. Think manna from heaven, Passover, and the Last Supper. Food is central to our special moments in life.

Sure, we all enjoy the occasional lobster dinner or the standing rib roast. However, the food that resonates most is the simple fare, not haute cuisine. Who doesn't appreciate a good fried chicken, a home made loaf of bread, or a great bowl of pasta? In Louisiana, it's a gumbo or a poor boy that makes people smile. A chowder in New England, a low country bowl in Charleston, a fish boil in Wisconsin, or great barbecue in (pick your location and style) Kansas City, Memphis, North Carolina, or Austin. Perhaps your heart is drawn to memories of the covered dish at the baptist church. Maybe you recall pastries at the Greek Orthodox church or hot pastrami at that tremendous NY deli. And don't even get me started on pizza....

In the end, food connects us, makes our great moments greater, and our darker moments just a little brighter.

Yet for many, food is complicated. For some, the thought of cooking ranks right up there with public speaking. For others, cooking defines their very lives. Each plate is validation of their superior tastes and skills. I promise, we'll keep this simple. This is about gathering with friends and family around a table, having a laugh or two, in humble fellowship. We'll focus on hospitality - making others feel relaxed, welcome, and special. We'll focus on simple fare, big on flavor and low on pretense, but maybe uncommon too! We'll mix in a few good libations along the way. It's not about you, the cook. It's about making the guests feel special. And if you're dining alone - it's about making you feel special too.

So tell me - what food memories make you smile?

Now pour yourself a cup of something and let's get started.