Writer’s Block = Eggplant Sliders

21 Thursday Jun 2012

Posted by in Appetizers, Main Course, Rose Wine

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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.

A Cocktail to Toast Dad

14 Thursday Jun 2012

Posted by in Breakfast, Hang Time Press news

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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.)

Pasta Anyone?

24 Thursday May 2012

Posted by in Hang Time Press news, Main Course, Vegetarian main course

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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.

Get Your Shaker On

10 Thursday May 2012

Posted by in Breakfast, Hang Time Press news, Vegetable

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I’m New York bound! I’ll be speaking at the Manhattan Cocktail Classic Industry Invitational on Saturday about my favorite subject: publishing.

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).

Time for Brunch!

06 Friday Apr 2012

Posted by in Breakfast, Sparkling Wine

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Sometimes, a picture really does say it all. This photo of scrumptious Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict from Katherine Martinelli‘s cookbook “Puff Pastry at Brunch: 10 sweet and savory recipes” certainly needs no description.

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.

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