Comfort food for fall.

From our bedroom window I can hear tractors harvesting grapes in the cool morning air.

It is finally beginning to feel like fall despite the 100-plus temperatures earlier in the week and the fact that my kitchen is still full of plums and tomatoes. I’m ready for for the change of the seasons, to light the first fire in what is now our dining room after moving everything around this summer and to spend more time at the stove than the grill.

While I wait for the cold weather to arrive so I can begin braising and baking, I think I’ll make this simple and uber delicious pasta dish from Tom and Diane’s book, “Not the Same Old Spaghetti Sauce.”

It reminds me of a pasta dish my mother made when I was growing up so it is the best of all autumnish dishes—nostalgic, comforting and tasty.

Fusilli with Pork Tenderloin Medallions
By Diane Darrow and Tom Maresca

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients
1/4 cup olive oil
1 pound pork tenderloin, cut into 1-inch-thick slices
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/2 cup dry red wine
3 cups drained, canned, Italian-style plum tomatoes, puréed in a food processor
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 pound imported Italian fusilli
Freshly grated parmigiano

Steps
Heat the olive oil in a pan large enough to fit the pork in a single layer. Brown the pork medallions over moderately high heat, about 1 minute per side. (If necessary, do them in batches.) Transfer the pork to a plate and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to medium, add the garlic and red pepper flakes to the pan and cook 1 minute. Don’t let the garlic brown.

Turn the heat to high, add the wine, stir and scrape up any the brown bits on the bottom of the pan and cook until the wine is reduced to a thick liquid — almost to a syrup, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn the heat back to medium and return the pork medallions to the pan along with any juices that have collected on the plate. Turn the pork medallions  once to coat with the liquid.

Stir in the tomatoes, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and several grindings of black pepper. Bring the sauce to a simmer, cover and cook on a simmer for 1 hour or until the meat is very tender. Stir and turn the medallions once or twice during the cooking. Five minutes before ready to serve, stir in the oregano.

Bring a large pot of water and 1 tablespoon of salt to a boil. Add the fusilli and cook until al dente. Drain in a colander, transfer to a serving bowl and mix with the pork sauce. (As suggested above, the pork can be presented along with the pasta or separately, as a second course.)

Pass the grated parmigiano at the table.

What to drink: A hearty dish like this wants a hearty wine to stand up to it. Try either a good Pugliese Primitivo or a Montepulciano d’Abruzzo. A fruity, simple Zinfandel will work well too. Ample acidity and plenty of fruit are the keys to the match.

Early Wednesday morning I sent a pitch to 14 editors of online publications. As I hit send – after hours of agonizing over every detail in a long email that was then rewritten and shortened in five minutes – I realized what an impact it could make for our first full-length book, Tuscan Blood if just one of those editors decided to write about it.

It’s a little scary.

I checked the email source we used and 35.71% of the editors I sent it to opened the email. I’m not even sure what that means. Did the others see it and not open it?

I sat and pondered this later. And I’ve been wondering since, what I can do to compete with the ever-growing number of books being published and how can we  appeal to the readers who don’t understand what an ebook even is.

I thought about it and then I ate pasta. And tonight, while I think about it some more I’m going to make my favorite pasta recipe, Linguine with Zucchini.

Several years ago, I made this pasta for my friend Heidi, who included it in her cookbook, Super Natural Everyday, which leapfrogged right on to the New York Times bestseller list when it was released last year. I think it was because of this pasta…

Linguine with Zucchini
Serves 2

2 large green zucchini, coarsely grated
Kosher salt
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large garlic clove, sliced thin
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
8 ounces linguine
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 ounce parmesan, freshly grated (use a microplane to get that really fine, snow-like texture), plus extra
Freshly ground pepper

Put the zucchini in a colander, sprinkle with some salt and let sit for 10 minutes.

Begin cooking the pasta according the package directions for al dente. (This can be done in advance. Just cook, drain and toss with a little olive oil to keep from sticking. Then store in an airtight container or plastic bag.)

Heat the olive oil, garlic and crushed red pepper in a large skillet over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes. Squeeze the zucchini between your hands over a bowl to release any liquid and add the zucchini to the skillet, cook until tender, stirring it frequently, for about 5 minutes.

Drain the pasta, reserving a little bit of the water. Add the pasta to the pan and the reserved liquid from the zucchini. Toss to distribute the zucchini around the pasta. Add the butter and cheese and toss. Divide into two bowls and season with salt and pepper. Top with more cheese if you like.

Stuffed peppers make a tasty appetizer for a late summer-early fall gathering.

Josh has always had a fascination with peppers and for months on end we bought one or two whenever we went to the store. I added them to this and that.

When he saw the big basket of colorful peppers at Big Ranch Farms I knew we were in for a real challenge because one or two peppers would not be enough. We bought a selection and when I separated them by size, the Gypsy peppers struck me as perfect for an appetizer and called out for a simple stuffing.

They are one of the recipes we’ll be serving on Sunday afternoon at Big Ranch Farms to celebrate the release of the cookbook, “Big Ranch Farms: Fresh Starters from the Farm Stand.” If you are in the area stop in. It will be a fun time.

Stuffed Gypsy Peppers

Serves 4 to 6

8 medium gypsy peppers
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small shallot, chopped
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
1 1/2 cups dried breadcrumbs
1 1/2 cups finely grated asiago, fontina or jack cheese

Cut the peppers in half, keeping the tops attached. Set aside.

Melt the butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil and shallots and cook until the shallots are tender, about 3 minutes. Add the rosemary and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the breadcrumbs and cook until toasted, about 5 minutes. Stir often to prevent burning. Let cool slightly.

Stir the cheese into the breadcrumb mixture and spoon into the peppers, packing it firmly into each pepper. Arrange the peppers in a nonstick skillet with a tight fitting lid. Set over medium-high heat, cover and cook until the peppers are slightly tender and the cheese is melted, about 10 minutes. Serve.

What to drink: Beer. While these peppers aren’t spicy, they just call out for a cold beer. An IPA would be my preference, but a fruity wheat beer would be equally delish.

This little figgy came from the market….

It’s been a busy summer! Between weekends away, including Tahoe where we drove the circumference of the lake so I could decide whether or not to attempt cycling around it in the fall, my daytime job at Chandon and publishing Hang Time Press’s first novel, Tuscan Blood (more to come later), there wasn’t a lot of time to be creative in the kitchen.

This quick fig recipe pretty much sums up the food we ate this summer: fresh and simple. Try it this weekend. Or check out our other new release from Hang Time Press:

“Big Ranch Farms: Fresh Starters from the Farm Stand”! In it are 10 recipes using seasonal produce that will knock your socks off. Try the Caramelized Onion Dip for a crowd or the Baked Feta with Arugula Pesto for a smaller group. The layered Panzanella on the cover can be served on small crostini for finger food or doubled as a first course. You’ll recognize some of the recipes in the book from this blog, but you’ll also find a few new ones. It’s available on Amazon now and should be on iTunes and Barnes and Noble with a few days.

Figs with Goat Cheese and Toasted Nuts
Serves 4

1/4 cup shelled walnuts or pistachios
8 fresh Mission figs, room temperature
2 ounces fresh goat cheese, room temperature
Sea salt
Walnut or pistachio oil
Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Put the nuts in a small baking dish and bake for 7 to 8 minutes until they being to release their aroma. (The nuts can be toasted a few days in advance and then stored in an airtight container.) Chop.

Cut the figs in half and press about 1 teaspoon of goat cheese into the center of each half. Turn upside down and press into the pistachios covering the entire cut side. Sprinkle with pinch of salt and drizzle with a few drops of pistachio oil. Serve immediately.

What to drink: Bubbly. The crisp acidity, fresh fruit and toasted nut and brioche flavors of a bottle with a little age will make this appetizer sing.

Bye bye onion dip from a package….

I am nearly finished with the Big Ranch Farms cookbook. It was supposed to be called Fast Starters from the Farmstand until I stopped by one day and Teresa told me about a caramelized onion dip she’d made the night before.

At that time, there was a huge blanket of onions drying out next to the stand so I wasn’t surprised she was cooking a lot with onions, but I was surprised how absolutely delicious and effortless this dip is.

Everyone I’ve made it for so far has agreed.

It’s tasty with crinkled potato chips or whole grain pita chips if you are feeling virtuous. Although after a few bites everyone has suggested the same thing: it would also be great as a sandwich spread.

The only problem is once I decided to add this recipe to the book I had to change the name from Fast Starters to Fresh Starters because caramelizing onions takes a while. But this dip is worth every minute…and the name change.

Caramelized Onion Dip

2 extra large or 3 medium red onions
Olive oil
1 teaspoon raw sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup sour cream
4 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
1 tablespoon parmesan
Chopped chives (optional)

Cut the tops off the onions and set the flat side down on the cutting board and cut into quarters. Peel the outer layer away and discard. Holding on to the stem end, cut the onion quarters into thin slices.

Heat a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add just enough oil to coat the bottom to prevent the onions from sticking initially. Add the onions and let cook for 5 minutes. Stir and let cook for 5 minutes. Continue to do this for 20 minutes total. At this point, the liquid from the onions should be entirely evaporated and the onions will begin to brown. Decrease the heat to medium-low and let cook for 10 minutes, stirring just enough to prevent the onions from burning. Sprinkle the sugar, salt and pepper over the top of the onions and add the wine. Stir, increase the heat to medium-high and cook until the liquid is evaporated almost entirely. Let cool slightly.

Put the cream cheese in a large bowl.

Add the onions to the cream cheese or transfer to a cutting board and chop for a smoother texture. Add to the bowl with the cream cheese. Stir until completely combined. Stir in the sour cream and parmesan. Sprinkle with chives and serve.

What to drink: Bubbly. I’ve always been a huge fan of Chardonnay-based sparkling wine with potato chip anything. Try Chandon Reserve Chardonnay Brut or etoile Brut.

Eggplant Slider

There’s nothing like a little pressure to squelch creativity. Right after we announced our plans to release a Big Ranch Farms cookbook this summer I ran into Brian Streeter, an extraordinarily talented chef who I basically idolize. He said he was looking forward to seeing the BRF book.

The idea of Brian wanting to see my book flipped a switch in my head and all progress on creating new recipes for fast starters screeched to a halt.

Until, finally it was kick started when I spotted the first eggplant of the season in a basket behind the cucumbers, the zucchini and the beets at BRF’s farm stand last weekend. And, voila, the idea for eggplant sliders was born.

I toyed with a fresh tomato slice or a spoonful of marinara…a small sourdough roll or a soft dinner roll…a basil leaf or a smear of pesto. I thought about what “Italian food” tasted like growing up and realized it had to be a doughy, yeasty roll, just a simple basil leaf and definitely marinara—more eggplant parm like.

This recipe was so easy and we liked it so much we ate it two days in a row. They are pretty filling so they’d be great for a party in the backyard with cocktails—anything made with compari would be a plus. Depending on the size of the roll, two to three also make a satisfying lunch or dinner.

Eggplant Sliders

Serves 6 to 12

2 large Japanese eggplants
Kosher salt
4 to 6 tablespoons olive oil
12 small, soft dinner rolls, cut in half
3/4 cup prepared Marinara sauce (Whole Foods 365 brand is a fave of mine)
8 ounces fresh mozzarella log, cut into 12 slices
12 large basil leaves

Wash and cut the ends away from the eggplant. Cut each into 12 thin slices (about 1/4-inch thick) on the diagonal. Arrange in a single layer in a colander and sprinkle a generous amount of salt over the eggplant. Let sit for about 15 minutes while you prep the remaining ingredients.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and as many eggplant slices that will fit in a single layer. Cook until browned, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and cook the next batch, adding oil as needed. (The eggplant will soak up the olive oil.)

Open the bread rolls on a flat surface and put a tablespoon of marinara sauce on the bottom half of each roll. Top with two slices of eggplant, a slice of mozzarella and a basil leaf. Replace the top and serve.

Note: While it may be tempting to heat these sandwiches they are much better at room temperature.

What to drink: A Negroni would be delish, but a glass of Rose, such as Stepping Stone, a bone-dry rose made from Syrah, would just as easily hit the spot and then some.

Two words: Bacon. Bourbon.

These are the primary ingredients in the Horton Hog Bloody Mary, from The Abbey in Hollywood, one of 10 recipes in Paul Abercrombie’s ecookbook, “Sublime Bloody Marys.”

I would never have put them together, much less in the way they are combined, but thankfully someone had a lot more ingenuity than me. They rock it together and I can’t think of a better combo for Father’s Day.

Ironically, my dad was a Ramos Fizz kind of guy. But I love bourbon. Actually, I love Maker’s Mark bourbon—I’m a proud card-carrying ambassador (thanks Jock for the tip!). If my dad were here I’d make both drinks, but he’s not so I’ll make Hortons for Jack and I and we’ll toast our fathers on Sunday.

The Horton calls for a strip of bacon as garnish, but when I make these I steal the garnish from another recipe in the book and make a bacon-sugar crumble for the glass edge.

Horton Hog Bloody Mary
Bacon-Infused Bourbon
1/4 pound bacon
1 cup bourbon

Steps
Put the bacon in a frying pan large enough to hold all of the slices in a single layer. Cook on medium-low until the bacon is crisp and all the fat has been released, about 10 minutes. Let the bacon drippings cool slightly.

Transfer the bacon to a cooling rack set over a plate and save for garnish.

Pour the bacon drippings into a glass container or fat separator, and add the bourbon. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

When the fat has solidified, remove it from the top of the bourbon and discard it. Strain the bourbon through a fine-mesh strainer lined with a coffee filter or paper towel.

Transfer the bourbon to a clean container and refrigerate until ready to use.

Store the bacon flat in the refrigerator for up to two days to use for garnish. (Alternatively, arrange uncooked bacon on a baking sheet, slather with barbecue sauce and coarsely ground black pepper and bake on 350°F until crispy, about 15 minutes.)

Mary
For one serving

4 ounces tomato juice
3 ounces bacon-infused bourbon
1 tablespoon barbecue sauce
1/4 ounce fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated or prepared horseradish
3 dashes of Tabasco Sauce
2 to 3 dashes of Worcestershire sauce
Pinch of sea salt
Pinch of freshly ground pepper

Steps
Combine all of the ingredients in a shaker, plus a heaping handful of ice cubes. Shake vigorously and strain into an ice cube-filled Collins glass. Garnish with a piece of cooked bacon.

Alternative Garnish:
Candied-Bacon Crumble
Yields about 2 tablespoons

Ingredients
2 pieces crispy cooked bacon, chilled
2 tablespoons raw sugar

Steps
Put the bacon in a coffee or spice grinder. Pulse until the bacon is fine crumbs. Add the sugar and pulse one or twice to combine. Transfer to a shallow bowl. Refrigerate until ready to use. (A word of caution: warm or room temperature bacon won’t stick well to the glass.)

The extraordinary Kristen Loken shooting the last pasta dish of the day.

This is what a photo shoot looks like when you cook 10 pasta dishes, one right after the other, on a rainy Saturday and between shots you pack up some of the dishes and sample all of them.

The results of this shoot are gathered in a nifty ecookbook, “Not the Same Old Spaghetti Sauce,” by Diane Darrow and Tom Maresca, which we’ve just released this week.

I’ve loved Diane and Tom’s previous print cookbooks, which helped shape my understanding of Italian food and I’m thrilled to have published their first ecookbook.

The process of producing a cookbook, even a mini ecookbook that doesn’t involve printing, is still an arduous one. From start to finish, it is a lot of work and Diane and Tom’s book was no exception. But in the end it is a book we are proud of and one we will cook from for a very long time.

It is tiny treasure trove of tomato-based pasta recipes from all over Italy and each recipe has a fabulous wine suggestion from Tom, one of America’s leading Italian wine authorities.

I can’t imagine that anyone has access to ripe tomatoes yet, but when you do this recipe from “Not the Same Old Spaghetti Sauce” is the recipe to make. It’s summer in a bowl.

Summer in a bowl.

Spaghetti with Vegetable Garden Sauce

1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 pound small zucchini, cut in strips 2 to 3 inches long and 3/8 inch by 3/8 inch thick
3/4 large sweet onion, chopped
2 pounds ripe plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded and finely chopped
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
5 to 6 basil leaves, shredded
1 pound imported Italian spaghetti

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the zucchini and cook, stirring often, about 5 minutes or until soft and partially browned. Transfer the zucchini to a large bowl with a slotted spoon, leaving behind as much oil as possible.

Add the onions to the skillet and cook, stirring often until soft and partially browned. Scrape the entire contents of the skillet (that is, oil and all) into the bowl with the zucchini. While these vegetables are still warm, stir in the tomatoes, 1/2 tablespoon salt, generous amounts of pepper and the basil. Let the mixture sit for several hours at a cool room temperature (or in the refrigerator if necessary — but bring them back to room temperature before dressing the spaghetti).

Near serving time, bring a large pot of water and 1 tablespoon of salt to a boil. Cook the spaghetti until al dente. Drain in a colander, mix with the vegetable sauce and serve.

Wine
The brightness and lightness of these flavors call for the same elements in your wine. White or red will serve equally well. For a white, try a Soave Classico from a good producer like Pieropan, Inama, Gini or Suavia. For red, we’d suggest a Sicilian Frappato or a Cerasualo from the Marche, or even a Bardolino from the Veneto. And if you can’t make up your mind to a red or a white, this is a case where a good, dry rosé from almost anywhere would serve.

So, what better way to kick-off my trip than suggest this delicious Green Mary from our latest mini ecookbook, “Sublime Bloody Marys: 10 Boozy Ways to Start the Day,” by Paul Abercrombie. And the timing is perfect because really who doesn’t need a drink on Mother’s Day?

Don’t stop at just this recipe for one bloody mary. Buy the book for you…for mom…or for dad–who will love it for the bacon-infused bourbon recipe…okay mom will love that too!

Green Mary
By Angus Winchester

Juices
Yields approximately 2 ounces each

Ingredients
1 medium green bell pepper, halved, seeded and deveined
2 celery stalks
1/2 large cucumber

Steps
Push the vegetables through a juicer separately and store the juices in small glasses or jars. If using a blender, chop the vegetables, purée separately in a blender with sharp blades and press through a fine strainer set over a bowl.

Mary
For one serving

Ingredients
1 3/4 ounces vodka
1  ounce celery juice
1 ounce cucumber juice
1 ounce green pepper juice
1 ounce lime juice
1/2 ounce white wine
1/4 ounce lemon juice
1 to 5 dashes Tabasco
1 to 5 dashes Worcestershire sauce
Pinch of sea salt
Pinch of freshly ground pepper
Thin carrots with green tops for garnish

Steps
In highball glass filled with ice cubes, combine all ingredients (use equal amounts of Tabasco and Worcestershire for the best results) and stir a dozen or so times. Garnish with thin carrot stick (looks best with greens attached).

It’s on our menu for Sunday. And with the recipe below it can be on yours too. Or, buy Katherine’s book and use it for this weekend…mother’s Day next month…father’s day in June…tonight for dinner…next week for lunch….really anytime you want something delicious to eat!

Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict

Yield: 4 servings

Hollandaise Sauce
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
3 egg yolks
Salt
Cayenne pepper
Juice of 1 lemon

Benedict
14 ounces frozen puff pastry, defrosted
8 eggs
6 ounces smoked salmon
Finely chopped parsley or chives

Melt the butter over very low heat in a small saucepan (or in the microwave in a small glass bowl). Skim the fat off the surface and set aside to cool slightly.

Put the 3 egg yolks in a heat-proof metal bowl and whisk until fully beaten. Place the bowl so it fits over a small pot filled with about 1-inch of water. Turn the burner to medium-low and whisk until the water is lightly simmering and the eggs are lightened in color, doubled in volume and thick (do not allow the water to boil, and be careful not to scramble the yolks).

Lower the heat. While still whisking the yolks, add a few drops of the melted butter. Once fully incorporated, continue adding the butter in a very, very slow stream while constantly whisking.

If you notice that the sauce begins to look grainy and slightly curdled, that is an indication that it is about to break. Immediately stop what you are doing and add a splash of cool water. Whisk vigorously until completely smooth. Resume adding butter.

Once the butter is fully incorporated, add a dash of salt and cayenne and whisk in 2 teaspoons of lemon juice. Taste and add more salt, cayenne, and/or lemon juice (up to 8 teaspoons) as desired.

Remove from the heat and set aside while preparing the eggs. Whisk occasionally to prevent a skin from forming. Use within 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Unroll the puff pastry (it should be about1/4-inch thick). Using a cookie cutter or large glass, cut out 8 (4-inch) circles. If you don’t have room for all 8 circles at once, roll up the extra puff pastry scraps in a ball and roll out to 1/4-inch thick and cut out the remaining circles. Transfer the pastry circles to the prepared baking sheet.

Put in the oven and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until puffed up and golden brown. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Meanwhile, poach the eggs. Fill a small pot or shallow pan with 3 inches or so of water. Heat over medium heat until just simmering (not boiling). From just above the surface, crack an egg into the water (you can cook multiple at a time depending on the size of your pot or pan).

Poach for about 2 minutes, or until the eggs are set. Using a slotted spoon, remove the eggs from the water and drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Repeat with the remaining eggs.

Put two puff pastry disks on each of four plates. Top with smoked salmon, then one poached egg per disk. Drizzle hollandaise sauce over and garnish with chopped parsley or chives. Serve immediately.

What to drink: Bubbly! And since it’s spring a rose will be just right. Consider one from Schramsberg Vineyards, Roederer Estate or Domaine Chandon.