Saffron Rice...Don't Forget to Remove the Bay Leaf!

Hello Friends. Have I told you about Gran Fran's Saffron Rice with Shrimp? It is truly extraordinary. I cannot recall a time without it showing up on a large buffet set out for friends and family. There is some idea in my brain that it was always included in group parties, but I don't recall it being made as a main course until we were grown.But, beyond the loveliness of the dish, I do know that I will always hear Gran Fran's voice in my head, loud and clear "You can make a nice dish of Saffron Rice with Shrimp, but don't forget to remove the bay leaf." She said this with a warning in her voice that matched only her request for us kids to cross the street when a dog we didn't know approached us.

I suppose she is right. The bay leaf can be sharp and doesn't really taste all that good. But, the flavor it lends to a recipe is immeasurable.

So, in closing on this little post, enjoy the following dish. Simple to make, serves many and is generally enjoyed by a host of different palettes.

But "Don't forget to remove the bay leaf."

Saffron Rice with Shrimp

serves 6 as a main course

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Rice
• 5 cups Water
• 6 Boullion cubes
• 1/2 cup White wine, Vermouth or Pernod
• 2 cloves Garlic, quartered
• 4 Tbsps Butter
• 1 tube Saffron
• 1 Bay Leaf
• 1/4 Tsp Fennel Seeds (if you have them on hand)
• Salt, Pepper and Red Pepper Flakes to taste

Method:

• Bring water, boullion, garilc, butter, saffron and bay leaf, fennel, pepper and red pepper flakes to a boil in a large nonreative pan.
• Once it has reached the boil, reduce the heat to medium and allow to simmer for 20 minutes or so.
• Add the rice to the liquid. Bring to a boil again. Stir rice and reduce heat to medium/low to achieve a simmer.
• Cover closely with a fitted lid, and simmer for 21 minutes or until all the liquid has been absorbed.

Sauteed Shrimp for Saffron Rice

Ingredients:

• 1 Lb. Shrimp, cleaned and deveined, tails off
• 2 Tbsps Butter
• 1/4 Tsp Fennel Seeds
• 1 Lemon, zest and juice
• 1/4 cup White Wine, Vermouth or Pernod
• Salt, Pepper, Red Pepper Flakes to Taste

Method:

• Heat nonreactive skillet over high heat.
• Add butter herbs and spices and lower heat a little somewhere between medium and high. Sautee for 1 minute.
• Once butter has melted, add shrimps. Sautee until opaque, about 4 minutes.
• Remove shrimps from pan.
• Turn off the flame. Add wine, lemon juice and zest to pan and turn the flame back on the medium. Reduce the liquid by about half, scraping up the brown bits in the pan at the same time.
• Pour the liquid over the shrimp.
• Stir it all together with the rice and ENJOY!

Popcorn, Popcorn Get Your.....I Mean, Bring Your Own Popcorn

The weather here in SF has been nothing if not confusing these past few weeks. Not only have we had rain, including thunder and lightning (which rarely, if ever, occurs here), but in a span of 3 days, we have gone from 95° to 55°, with no knowledge of which way the wind will blow next (literally, folks, I mean it). With the hope that Fall is really coming to us, and all of those great new releases, I've been thinking a lot about popcorn. Not the microwave kind, nor the Jiffy-Pop stovetop popper kind, and most certainly not the air popper kind. No. The Joe kind. My Dad makes the best oil-popped popcorn around. And I should know, since popcorn was a bring your own affair to movie theaters and baseball games alike.

This was as much out of necessity (imagine buying popcorn for five kids and two adults...it could cost as much as a downpayment on a small house), as it was out of personal taste. It is yet another example of Gran Fran and Joe's unerring level of taste, which extended even to snack foods.

Getting everyone out the door for the movies, not only involved a final trip to the bathroom for all (which always led Gran Fran to yell out "Gotta go to the bathroom Anthony?", apparently this was something she often overheard as a child in her Brooklyn neighborhood, being yelled from a window to kids on the street), but also to the preparation and packaging of everyone's popcorn.

There were two packaging methods, plastic quart bag with a twist tie, or a brown paper lunch sack. I am unclear to this day as to whether or not these co-existed, or if we transitioned from one type of bag to the other over time. Regardless, the popcorn went with us in a lare purse, and somehow we always made it into the theater with our secret stash intact until the lights went down.

To this day, even though I have been known to consume huge quantities of movie theater popcorn, it never quite lives up to Joe's. The secret, I believe, is his use of olive oil as teh cooking medium. It leaves the popcorn just moist enough to not burn, but no too soggy. And, there is no butter served or offered. Instead, salt, cayenne pepper or just black pepper are accompaniments for Joe's popcorn. I don't think I even realied that butter was an option until I was grown and buying popcorn at the movies myself. I do sometimes add butter at home, but usually, just sprinkle some more olive oil over the top when cooking is complete.

I can no longer keep popcorn kernals in my house. Many a night has passed without dinner while I watch movies at my house. Instead, I can be found on the couch with a mixing bowl large enough to hold a small baby in it, filled with popcorn, covered in olive oil, salt and cayenne, alongside a big glass of water. Needless to say, my belly isn't well for hours afterward, but it is sually worth the slight stomach upset in return for the goodness of JoeCorn (I just made that name up, but I think it might stick).

JoeCorn (or Popcorn: The Joe Way)

from Joe: 

I pretty much follow the instructions on jar, except that I don't put the corn in until the pot is hot. So, do the following once you have determined how much corn you shall pop:

Three generous tablespoons of oil and four or five kernels into the pot. High heat until one of the kernels pops. Then add the rest of the corn and lower the heat to medium-high.

Jostle the pot every 20 seconds or so, even after the popping begins. When the popping slows, turn the heat off and leave the pot on the burner until the popping stops.

If you want to surprise your guests, offer cayenne along with the salt, both to be administered in bowls filled from the serving bowl.

Crepes at 6AM

In keeping with the theme of cooking at any hour of the day or night, I got up this morning and made 20 crepes for Ms. Iz’s class at school. It didn’t seem so crazy on Sunday night when we had our friends over for a dinner party. But, in the light of day (or, I should say, the dark-of-ever-rainy-SF morning), with a kitchen full of dirty dishes and breakfast, lunch, and dog to deal with, not so good. Here it is, Iz asked me to make crepes for her school for Mardi Gras. Yes, it was a week late, and all, but I agreed since it’s such a nice thing for your kid to bring in something special to share. It must be mentioned here that she attends a French school. In hindsight, I was insane to agree to make such a treat for a bunch of real French people, but I wasn’t thinking of that.

What was going through my mind, was how Gran Fran, no matter what, would send me off to preschool (then known as Nursery school) with fresh-baked treats for whatever holiday was being celebrated. I attended a Jewish Nursery school (long story, short, even though our family wasn’t Jewish, the private Nursery school was willing to take me a year earlier than the public school) and so Gran Fran made many challahs, and even hamantaschen cookies for Purim

Oddly, this is the first time I’ve made the connection between putting Iz into a French school as a non-French person, and my Jewish Nursery school experience. That being said, it just shows to go you that you can never walk far away from you past. Gran Fran is always on my shoulder saying “What? So, you get up a little early? What’s it going to cost you … a little sleep?” This, from a woman who seems to need no more than 5 hours of sleep a night. Who knows if that is a product of raising five kids, what with all the worry and all, or if she was always that way.

On Saturday before she left for her Dad’s house, she asked if I had bought the crepe pan and Nutella yet. I assured her the purchases would be made before she returned the next night. I did get everything, Iz made the batter, and then, with many cooks in my kitchen, we tried to make the crepes. There was the learning curve to deal with, having never made crepes, the burn Iz got on her finger whilst trying to flip one, and the inevitable boredom that comes from making the same thing over and over. And, that, my friends, is how I ended up making these at 6AM on a Monday.

The crepes, as it turned out, were a huge success. Iz was very proud to report back that she got to serve them and was able to have two with Nutella for herself. She was the only one who brought crepes, with some of the other kids supplying donuts the week before, or other sweet treats. So, in the end, Gran Fran was right (as usual). Who needs sleep when you can supply such joy with a little bit of flour, butter, milk and eggs?

Crepes ala Iz

Makes 25 crepesYou will need a flatish-round, nonsticl pan, or better yet, a nonstick crepe pan.

Ingredients:

• 1cup flour
• 1cup milk
• 1/2cup water
• 4 eggs
• 4 tablespoons melted butter
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• pinch of salt

Method:

• Mix all ingredients well in a food processor or blender until smooth.
• Let the batter stand for 30 minutes, undisturbed.
• Heat the non-stick crepe pan over medium heat.
• Spray a light coating of vegetable oil on pan.
• Pour batter slowly into center of pan. Then, quickly pick up pan and twist the handle to move batter around into a thin coating.
• Leave undisturbed on medium heat for 3 minutes, until edges begin to curl a little.
• Flip the crepe over. Cook another 2 minutes and flip onto a plate.
• Cover finished crepes with a clean kitchen towel while making the others.
• Serve immediately with Nutella or sugar rolled inside.
• If storing, simply make a stack of crepes and wrap in plastic wrap.

Adapted from The Joy of Coking

Challah ala Gran Fran

Yield: 2 loaves

Ingredients:

• 1 cup warm water (100 to 110 F)
• 2 packages (1/2 ounce or 4 1/2 tsp) Fleischmann's Active Dry Yeast
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/3 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 5 1/4 to 5 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon water
• Poppy Seed and/or Sesame Seed, optional

Method:

Place 1/2 cup warm water in large warm bowl. Sprinkle in yeast; stir until dissolved. Add remaining water, sugar, margarine, salt, and 1 1/2 cups flour; blend well. Stir in 3 eggs, 1 egg white (reserve 1 yolk), and enough remaining flour to make soft dough. Knead on lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 6 to 8 minutes. Place in greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover; let rise in warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 30 to 45 minutes. Punch dough down. Remove dough to lightly floured surface; divide in half. Set aside 1 half. Divide remaining half into 2 pieces, one about 2/3 of the dough and the other about 1/3 of the dough. Divide larger piece into 3 equal pieces; roll to 12-inch ropes. Place ropes on greased baking sheet; braid. Pinch ends to seal. Divide remaining piece into 3 equal pieces. Roll to 10-inch ropes; braid. Place small braid on large braid. Pinch ends firmly to seal and secure to large braid. Repeat with remaining dough to make second loaf. Cover; let rise in warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 30 to 45 minutes. Beat reserved egg yolk with 1 teaspoon water; brush over loaves. Sprinkle with poppy or sesame seed, if desired. Bake at 400 F for 20 to 25 minutes or until done, switching positions of sheets in oven halfway through baking time. Remove from sheets; let cool on wire racks.

Source: Fleischmann's Yeast, a division of Burns Philp Food, Inc.

Hamantaschen Cookies ala Gran Fran

Dough Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup Butter (salted, or add a pinch of salt)
• 1 cup Sugar
• 1 teaspon Baking powder
• 1 Egg
• Vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon Milk
• 2 cups Flour

Filling Ingredients

• 1/4 lb. dried apricots
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons water

Method (Dough):

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Cream butter sugar and add egg.
• Mix and sift flour and baking powder and salt and add some of mixture to creamed butter and sugar mixture.
• Add the milk and rest of flour. Add flavoring.
• Roll dough out, cut into rounds and place spoonful of filling on each round.
• Fold up 3 edges to form triangles and pinch the corners so they'll hold their shape in the oven.
• Bake at 375 F. for 15 to 20 min. depending on size.

Method (Filling): you can use apricot jam (or whatever flavor you'd like) or make your own:

• Cover apricots with 1/2 cup water.
• Cook over low heat in covered pan for 15 minutes.
• Mash and add sugar while hot, then add 2 tablespoons water.

the stronger, the better: my must-have comfort food

Comfort food makes me happy. Check out this drinks list: apple juice, iced coffee in the blender, Vin Santo, single malt whiskey.

What, pray tell, do these four drinks have in common? I believe only a select few outside of The Family would know this, so I’ll tell you. The list represents key Gran Fran-esque drinks over the span of my childhood into my adulthood. And, there is a food pairing for each, too. All of these make my comfort food list. This is more of a stroll down memory lane, rather than a plethora of Gran Fran recipes. But, it does shed some light on the nice times we had as a family over the past four-plus decades.

Apple Juice: Our friend-after-school-snack consisted of pretzels (either the super salty skinny pretzel sticks, or the traditional pretzel shaped ones) and apple juice. This was offered all the way through high school to our friends, who made snide remarks about the kiddie snacks at our house, but who told me later in life that it was still a favorite snack. I still crave this snack when things get tough and I find myself serving it to my daughter and her friends, too.

The super salty skinny pretzels came in their own individual boxes and were made by Mr. Salty. You know, the sailor pretzel guy? Sadly, I have found that they are not available any longer and I can't even find picture of them. But, any super salty pretzel will work here with your apple juice!

Blender Cappuccino: On very hot summer days, Gran Fran would break out the blender, grab some ice cubes, milk and espresso and blend it all up. I think she also added sugar. It was lovely. Real coffee and milk, none of this modern-day Starbucks blended stuff. Even though we were little, we were allowed to have this treat. A nice side with this was Gran Fran's best-ever pound cake.

I can no longer drink coffee (makes me very angry and too hyped up), but the smell of coffee in the summer always brings me back to the kitchen in Queens with Gran Fran jamming ice cubes into her blender and telling us all to "Stand back!” At least I can still make the pound cake, which is a little consolation for the demise of my coffee drinking days.

Vin Santo: Gran Fran and I went to Italy in 1989 on a college trip (I was in college, she was recently unemployed so she came along with the group). It was the first time we traveled together, and it lasted a month. The evenings were filled with drinking local wines and eating ourselves silly.

Gran Fran hung out with all of us, until one night when we young'uns decided to go to the local Disco. She opted to hang at the Enoteca, the local wine bar. When we came back to get her, she had been drinking Vin Santo, a sweetish wine that is paired with salume and heavier meats. She was in heaven! I have not developed much of a taste for Vin Santo, but whenever I do have it, it brings back Gran Fran's happy smile in Italy, where she enjoyed the summer light.

Single Malt Whiskey: I am a girl who loves me a whiskey. In bars, they are always questioning whether I realize what I'm ordering, when I ask for a very smoky whiskey, neat. I am all of 5'2" and love to wear short dresses with boots. Not the typical looking whiskey woman.

The first time I had a good glass of whiskey was with both Gran Fran and Joe at a jazz club in Manhattan while watching Les Paul play guitar. I think I was about 20 or so at the time and thoroughly enjoyed it. We ate burgers and the pairing was exquisite.

For my money, you can't get better than apple juice, iced coffee in the blender, Vin Santo or single malt whiskey. I hope to bring this list into the next generation with Iz, but for now, we're sticking to apple juice and an occasional iced coffee in the blender.

Blender Cappuccino ala Gran Fran

serves 1 (but easy to make multiples)you will need a blender (ok, seems obvious, but thought I should mention it) Ingredients:

• 2 cups hot coffee, if it’s winter; cold if it’s summer
• 1 cup whole milk or better yet half-and-half
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 6 ice cubes if it’s summer
• Cinnamon, optional

Method:

• Place all ingredients in blender; adjust amounts to fit capacity of blender.
• Hold down cap of blender with a dish towel.
• Turn blender on high.
• Blend until frothy and creamy.
• Pour into glasses or cups. Sprinkle with cinnamon if desired.
• Serve immediately.

Pound Cake ala Gran Fran

serves many!

Ingredients:

• 2 sticks room-temperature butter
• 1 2/3 cups sugar
• 5 eggs, room temperature
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups flour, unbleached, all purpose

Method:

• Butter and flour a 9-inch loaf or tube pan.
• In an electric mixer, or by hand, beat butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt together for about 10 minutes; longer if by hand.
• Add 4 eggs one at a time. Beat on medium for about 4 minutes, scraping bowl well.
• Add flour all at once. Beat on medium for about 3 minutes.
• On high speed, add final egg and beat for about 15 seconds.
• Place batter in pan. Place pan in cold oven on a lower third shelf.
• Turn oven on to 300 degrees.
• Bake for 2 hours if beaten in mixer. Bake for 90 minutes if beaten buy hand. Let cool on rack in pan 10 minutes. Remove from pan and continue to cool.

Salume Platter ala Gran Fran

serves 8 (you can increase or reduce the amount of items you get based on how many people you are serving.)

to be served with Vin Santo

This doesn't really count as a recipe, more a serving suggestion for an excellent platter of Italian savory items.

Ingredients

• 1 lb Proscuitto di Parma
• 1 lb Soppresatta Salume, sliced thin
• 1 package Pate (Campagnola, is what I prefer, or Country-Style made with Pork)
• 1/2 cup Caper Berries
• 1 cup Black Oil Cured Olives
• 1 Sweet Baguette (or a nice loaf of Italian Bread), sliced
• 4 ripe Roma Tomatoes, diced
• 5 cloves Garlic, 3 minced, 2 cut in half
• 3 Tbsp. Olive Oil, plus more for brushing on bread
• Salt and Pepper

Method:

• Preheat broiler or get toaster oven ready.
• On a large platter, disply the assortment of meats, with bowls for the caper berries and the olives.
• In a serving bowl, mix together the diced tomatoes, garlic and olive oil. Add salt to taste.
• Place baguette slices on a baking sheet in one layer.
• Rub baguette with the cut garlic halves, and then brush the bread with oil. Add a sprinkling of salt.
• Toast baguette in broiler or toaster oven until brown, turning once after a minute or so.
• Serve baguette alongside the diced tomato mixture to have guests create their own bruschetta.

Hamburgers ala Gran Fran

serves 6 to be served with a nice single malt whiskey

you will need a large non-reactive skillet Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground sirloin, shaped into 4 fairly thin burgers (they retract and get fatter as they cook)
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Kosher salt
• 1/4 cup Marsala, Madeira or other semi sweet wine
• 2 shallots minced
• 2 tablespoons butter

Method:

• Prepare burgers. Sprinkle generously with fresh-ground pepper.
• Heat nonstick pan over medium heat until very, very hot.
• Add butter and oil, swirling pan off heat so fats don’t burn
• Return pan to heat; add burgers keeping space around each.
• Cook over high heat for about 4 minutes; reduce heat to medium; continue cooking 4 minutes more. Increase heat to high.
• Turn burgers; cook over high heat for 4 minutes; reduce heat to medium; continue cooking 4 minutes longer.
• Remove burgers from pan. Sprinkle with salt.
• Over medium heat, sauté shallots, sprinkled with salt, until golden. Turn heat to high for 2 minutes.
• Remove pan from heat; add wine, swirl. Return pan to medium heat; simmer until the wine no longer tickles your nose. Swirl cod butter into sauce to make it creamy. Pour sauce over burgers and serve on bread of your choice or on a plate with mashed potatoes