Phamily Cooking

This month’s cookbook club book was
The Food of Morrocco by Paula Wolfert. It was the perfect fall menu for a chilly night with Bastila of fes with chicken, Potato tagine with olives and harissa, Kefta Brochettes with harissa, Chicken with eggplant tomato jam, Orange and grated radish salad with orange flower water, Grated cucumber salad with orange flower water, Sesame studded tomato jam, Eggplant zaalouk, Butternut and tomato soup, Harcha (Middle Atlas Flatbread), Winter squash with caramelized, onions, almonds, and raisins, marak of cauliflower with tomatoes and olives, dessert couscous. Such a delight to be amongst such talented cooks!

And just like that, it feels like fall! We’ve had such a busy summer that we didn’t get around to posting many photos of what we’ve been making! We did however, enjoy many a meal with friends and family. Hope you all had a great bountiful summer! Stay tuned for more…

Browned butter, halva, pistachio, and toasted sesame seed rice krispy treats! 😍

I was making black trumpet mushroom (my favorite wild mushroom) deviled eggs and my egg timer went off early. The eggs were undercooked so I had to improvise. Enter jammy deviled eggs with black trumpet mushrooms, sautéed in butter with garlic and shallots, mixed with mayo and Dijon, and topped with smoked paprika and Aleppo peppers. They were so good I’m always going to make them like this!

Fall means foraging and this has been one of the most epic years for mushrooms! Found some matsutakes and made a miso butter pasta sauce with Jeff’s handmade tagliatelle, matsutakes, and green onions!

Had a game night with some friends and played Puerto Rico. Decided it was a great opportunity to make some Puerto Rican food: Bistec Encebollado, White rice, Cauliflower “arroz” con Gandules (rice with pigeon peas, sofrito, and adobo), and Maduros (fried plantains). I made a big batch of sofrito and frozen it into ice cubes to use in future recipes!

Made a lobster mushroom bisque with porcini powder toasted pepitas and chanterelles sautéed in butter and garlic, and preserved some Italian marinated chanterelles in olive oil with garlic, lemon zest, and red pepper flakes. You know, as you do….

So fun being sous chef to my sister for my mom’s luncheon with her friends. I’ve known these lovely ladies since I was a kid 🥰

Roasted cauliflower with vinegar soaked raisins, on a bed of whipped ricotta and capers. Half of the capers are deep fried until they pop like little flowers and are perfectly crispy and salty. The rest are chopped and combined with the ricotta, with olive oil, salt and pepper. The whole thing is topped with the raisins, and roasted cashews for the perfect flavor and texture combination! Add a squeeze of lemon juice if you really like it tart 🥰

I had a bunch of strawberries that were over-ripening so decided to make a strawberry shrub. One of my all time favorite drinks is Basement at the Alamo, created by Jamie at Octapas Cafe She sent me the recipe during the pandemic when they had to shutter the restaurant. Mint, lime juice, honey simple syrup, strawberry shrub (strawberries and sugar boiled down and the. Mixed with apple cider vinegar), and mezcal from Mano y corazón The only thing better was having friends pop by to share it with!

I’ve done my fair share of catering jobs for over 50 people in the past, but catering for a retreat in the woods of Rochester with no kitchen was a first for me! 2 dinners and 2 breakfasts over three days. Luckily it was a huge success with lots of the kindest comments from the families we served 🥰