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.

The last time I last added a post it was a cold, dreary winter day — four weeks ago.

Where has the time gone? Oh yeah, it’s been spent creating the above–our first spring catalog!

The photographer, Katherine Martinelli who shot the cover asked me recently in a Q&A for her blog how I juggled being a mom, wife, fully employed worker bee and start-up publisher. I can’t remember what I answered, but what I didn’t admit was that I barely have time lately to cook anything that’s not work related.

So we’ve been eating a lot of eggs and farmers’ toast.

But, it’s worth it because we’re introducing five ecookbooks this season–all filled with irresistible spring recipes. One by yours truly and four by amazing writers, who I have long respected and admired and whose culinary skills are extraordinary, including Katherine Martinelli, Kate Washington, Paul Abercrombie and the dynamic husband-and-wife duo, Diane Darrow and Tom Maresca. You can find out more about all of their books here.

Braised in beer, chicken thighs are flavorful and tender.

I wish stews were prettier. I don’t think they’d win a popularity contest for top-of-mind dinners either, but if they were nicer to look at that might help their cause.

They are super satisfying on a cold winter night so it was a no-brainer when my friend Billy, who owns Port City Brewing Company, needed a recipe for a winter dish that used one of his brews, Optimal Wit.

Rather than take the red meat route, I chose chicken thighs, which are flavorful and cook faster than most meats. Then I added some dried ancho chile powder and roasted green chiles. The result: a perfect winter dish even if the weather is mild.

Chile-Infused Chicken Stew

Chicken thighs are the perfect meat for stew. Not as heavy as beef or lamb, but robustly flavorful and they cook quicker too. This chicken stew was made to be matched with Port City Brewing Company’s Optimal Wit, a brew that is crisp and aromatic, with complex citrus and spice flavors that evolve in the glass. Add a loaf of crusty French bread or warm tortillas and you’ve got a hearty meal for a winter’s night.

6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 tablespoon ground ancho chile powder
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
4 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 pound chorizo sausage
1 small red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 small yellow onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
4 large red potatoes, skin on and cut into 8 pieces each
4 small carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
One 3.5-ounce can roasted and diced green chiles
2 teaspoons dried oregano
One 12-ounce bottle Optimal Wit
1 cup chicken stock
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Rinse the chicken with cold water and pat dry. Remove any excess fat. Cut into 2-inch pieces and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the ancho chile powder, salt and paprika. Add the chicken and toss to coat evenly.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large stock pot over medium-high. Add the chicken and cook until browned on all sides, stirring as needed, for about 5 minutes.

Transfer the chicken back to the bowl.

Add the chorizo to the pot and cook until browned, about 3 minutes, breaking it into small pieces as it cooks. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and the bell pepper and onion. Cook until the onion is translucent, about 4 minutes, stirring to prevent burning.

Add the potatoes, carrots, chiles, oregano, beer and stock. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook for 1 hour. Remove the lid, increase the heat to medium and cook for 30 minutes until the liquid begins to thicken and the chicken is tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve warm.

Perfect for a snack or a crunchy addition to a salad or soup.

It’s National Almond Day. And we are celebrating with a giveaway of Kate Washington’s upcoming “Almonds in the Savory Kitchen,” an ecookbook devoted to this super food.

This recipe, included in Kate’s book, makes the best roasted almonds you’ll ever eat. Once you try these, you will never want to eat an almond roasted any other way. They are that delicious.

To get a copy of Kate’s book, join the Hang Time Press mailing list between now and February 29 and we’ll send you a free copy when the books is released March 5.

Slow-Roasted Salted Almonds

Roasted salted almonds are widely available in stores, of course—but the advantages of making your own are many. First, they’ll taste fresher and more delicious; second, you can use the kind of salt you prefer (I like flaky Maldon sea salt); and third, you can control just how deeply roasted you like them. Slow roasting in a low oven for a long time gives the almonds a deep flavor and even color, and prevents them from splitting.

Time: 1 hour
Makes: 2 cups

2 cups (about 12 ounces) whole raw almonds
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 250ºF.

2. Spread the almonds on a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle the oil over them. Toss to coat.

3. Bake, stirring or shaking the pan occasionally, until the nuts smell toasty and are browned to your liking, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Sprinkle with the salt and let cool before serving. Keep in a sealed container for up to one week.

What to drink: A spanish white, such as an Albarino or Vino Verde will be just right for a pre-dinner snack and glass of wine.

Not the prettiest dish ever, but one of the most delicious!

Moussaka. Not a word that exactly rolls off your tongue easily. But, oh boy is this moussaka delicious–I mean really, really delicious.

We had dinner with friends on Saturday, Michael and Tara, who cooked some spectacular Turkish food, including a moussaka with potatoes layered between the meat rather than eggplant.

It was super tasty and paired so well with the Napa Cabs that were opened I couldn’t resist making my own version on Sunday. This is the result. Try it—unless you grew up eating Moussaka your mother made from a recipe passed down from her Greek grandmother…

Moussaka

Anything cooked in a casserole dish is worthy of a Sunday dinner or a crowd, and this Moussaka is no exception. The rich combination of flavorful lamb, creamy potatoes and slightly tangy sauce however is not your ordinary casserole and the breadcrumbs on top take it to another dimension. No crowd? No worry. This dish tastes better the next day, so whether you have leftovers or need a make-ahead dish, this Moussaka is perfect for those occasions.

What to drink: We were lucky to enjoy a bottle of Sequoia Grove Cabernet Franc with this dish. It was like a little smorgasbord of robust and hearty flavors on a Sunday night.

Serves 4 to 6

4 cups milk
3 medium (about 1 1/2 pounds total) potatoes
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound ground lamb
1 yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup canned ground or crushed tomatoes
1/2 chicken stock or red wine
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground Aleppo or cayenne pepper
2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
4 ounces goat cheese
1/2 cup high-quality bread crumbs

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Pour the milk into a large saucepan.

Peel the potatoes. Use a mandolin or vegetable peeler to cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Add the potatoes to the pot of milk as you cut them.

When all of the potatoes are sliced, push down into the milk and bring the milk to a boil on low heat. Remove from the heat and drain over a bowl to reserve the milk. Rinse out the pan.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add the lamb, onion and garlic. Cook until the onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and increase the heat a little to medium-high. Cook until nearly dry, about 5 minutes. Add the stock, bring to a boil and cook for 3 minutes. Stir in the oregano, parsley, Aleppo pepper and half of the salt and half of the pepper. Set aside.

Melt the butter in the saucepan from the potatoes. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Add the reserved and remaining milk. Cook over medium-low heat until it begins to thicken, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in the goat cheese and remove from the heat. Stir in the other half of the salt and pepper.

Spread the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in the bottom of a casserole dish (about 13X9X2-inch). Arrange one-third of the potatoes over the oil, starting in the center and overlapping the potatoes just slightly in a circle until the entire bottom of the baking sheet is covered with a single layer. Spread one-third of the meat mixture over the potatoes. Spoon one-third of the béchamel over the meat. Repeat the layers twice.

Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the breadcrumbs and cook until lightly toasted, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle over the top of the casserole and bake until the potatoes are tender, 60-70 minutes. Let sit for 10 to 15 minutes to set. Serve warm.

In fall, the minute the temperatures begin to drop I begin to think about Brussels sprouts. Now I know a lot of people have an aversion to the little cabbage-like vegetables, but I’m a big fan.

I do have some criteria though, including never eating one until there’s been at least one hard frost to ensure they’ve been exposed to the cold that converts the starch to sugar. And, also roasting is paramount to caramelize those sugars.

Around here, we eat them after they’ve been roasted at a high temp, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt.

At Cook in St. Helena, they are roasted, sautéed in butter and topped with parmesan. To say they are delicious is to say cream has a little fat—a big understatement.

So, last weekend I set out to recreate Cook’s version at home. I didn’t use as much butter, but they were pretty darn good.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts a la Cook

Serves 4

1 pound Brussels sprouts, halved
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup shredded parmesan

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Put the Brussels sprouts in a large bowl, add the olive oil, salt and pepper. Stir to coat the B sprouts evenly. Pour into a baking dish large enough to hold the B sprouts in an almost single layer but not so big that they are spread out. The more condensed space will help steam the B sprouts without browning them. Bake until tender 20-30 minutes depending on the size. (I like to use smaller B sprouts, about the size of ping pong ball.)

Turn on the broiler.

Melt the butter in a large oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. When it begins to bubble and turn brown around the edges, add the B sprouts and cook, stirring to coat evenly until the B sprouts begin to brown slightly, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with the cheese, put under the broiler to melt, about 1 minutes and serve.

Spinach, almonds and dried apricots make a tasty trio -- perfect for keeping the resolution to eat healthier.

2012 is here and it’s a big one. I have a milestone birthday at the end of it and have begun a bucket list of new things to try and places to go.

While I didn’t make any real resolutions, I have a couple of goals for improving myself. Not things I can work on at the gym per se, but ways that I want to be happier about myself.

But of course if I could “move” around a few pounds that would make me happy too. One of the ways I hope to do that is with an item on my list: learning to skateboard.

Another is to continue a trend we started last year, which involved eating less meat, more veggies and a lot more beans on our plates. And, nuts became a much more common ingredient in our meals and as a snack.

Lucky for me, our first book of 2012 is “Almonds in the Savory Kitchen,” by Kate Washington. It is a collection of 10 tasty and pretty healthy recipes that all include almonds as a main ingredient.

I photographed it, which required cooking all of the recipes. It was like a mini-cooking class. Kate’s recipes were thorough and easy to follow, but there were several dishes I hadn’t made before.

When I read the headnote for the spinach recipe below, I thought Kate’s note was a lot of hype. And then I tried the spinach. I couldn’t stop eating it and quickly began to call it by a different name, Crack.

If you made a resolution to eat healthier this recipe will help you stay on track. Otherwise it’s just a totally delicious plate of spinach you’ll have trouble putting down after the first bite.

We’ll launch Kate’s book mid-month. If you’d like to win a free copy, sign up for our mailing list here.

Catalan Spinach with Slivered Almonds and Dried Apricots

This flavorful Spanish dish of sautéed spinach is great as part of a tapas spread or as a side dish for fish or paprika-dusted roasted chicken. That said I’ve been known to eat a whole batch of this spinach for dinner when there’s not much else in the house. It’s quick, savory and healthy.

What to drink: Albariño. This racy white wine variety from Spain offers fresh fruity flavors and enough zing to counterbalance the richness of the spinach and almonds.

Time: 10 minutes
Makes: 2 to 4 side-dish servings

1/4 cup slivered almonds
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, slivered
6 dried apricot halves, cut into thin strips
3/4-pound (about 8 cups) baby spinach leaves
About 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper

1. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, stir the almonds until lightly toasted, 3 to 4 minutes.

2. Add the oil to the pan. When the oil is hot, stir in the garlic and apricots; cook, stirring, until garlic is beginning to brown, about 2 minutes.

3. Add the spinach a few handfuls at a time; sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste, and add more spinach as the leaves cook down. Stir until all the spinach is wilted, 2 to 3 minutes. Add more salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Part cosmo, part Champagne cocktail, this is a tasty bevvie perfect for using up any leftover bubbly.

Are you ready to ring in the new year?

What are you looking forward to in 2012?

Me? I can’t wait for Mad Men to return.

I’ll be toasting that and all the other great things to come with this cocktail this weekend (I’m thinking Sunday morning–a little hair of the dog…).

With a wink towards my favorite show, I like to serve this cocktail in vintage Champagne glasses. I have a pretty extensive collection, vintage and non, and keep adding to it with estate sale finds. (Just look at the details on the glass–even the bottom is beautiful.)

I recommend using a low-price sparkling wine for this drink. It should still be good quality, but the flavors will mingle with the other ingredients so a less expensive bottling will suffice. And, of course if you have any leftovers from the night before use those.

Bottoms Up! And Happy New Year!

2 ounces cranberry juice
1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice
1/2 ounce Cointreau
Sparkling wine, about 1/4 cup
Lemon or lime slices for garnish

Fill a shaker with ice. Add the cranberry juice, lemon juice and Cointreau. Shake well. Pour into a chilled Champagne glass. Fill the glass with the sparkling wine and add a slice of lemon or lime.