Italian Mashed Potatoes for Thanksgiving?? YES

Although our mashed potato duty has been contracted out for Thanksgiving this year I am sure that sometime between now and New Years Day I will make Rosemary Mashed Potatoes. These are our favorite mashed potatoes of all time. I got the recipe years ago from a cooking class at the Kitchen Witch when it was still open in Encinitas. If I remember correctly it was taught by Nadia Frigeri. I think it was an Italian inspired class because the recipe is titled Puree Di Patate Ai Peperoni e Rosmarino. If you don’t have a plan for your mashed potato dish this holiday season, this is for you!

Rosemary Mashed Potatoes with Red Bell Pepper and Pine Nuts
Serves 6 (or 2 hungry Saakes, recipe multiplies well)

2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes skin on diced into 1″ cubes
Coarse Sea Salt and Freshly ground coarse pepper
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 cup or more of milk
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
1/3 cup toasted pine nuts (toast at 350 for 5 minutes)
1/2 cup or more grated parmesan cheese
1 red bell pepper, roasted, peeled and cut into strips (directions below)

1. Boil or steam potatoes until tender, start checking about 12 minutes. a fork should slip into a piece of potato easily. Puree with a potato ricer or food mill. Transfer to  large saucepan, season with salt, pepper and add the melted butter, mix together.

2. In a small saucepan heat the milk and chopped rosemary. Simmer 2-3 minutes. Slowly incorporate the milk mixture into the potatoes, just until you reach the desired consistency, stir to blend the ingredients. Taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary. Stir in pine nuts, grated parmesan and red bell peppers strips. Serve warm.

Make Ahead Note: These can be made ahead and refrigerated but leave the red bell pepper out until you are finished reheating the potatoes.

Roasted Bell Peppers:
Preheat the grill to high heat for 10 minutes. Place the whole pepper directly on the grill and close the lid, turning occasionally. Take care to not let the pepper burn too badly ( some blackening and blistering is desired) cook until the pepper collapses about 10 minutes. I like to grill them but you can also roast them in the oven at 500F on a rack set near the top this takes a little longer about 30 minutes. Place the hot peppers in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. When cool enough to handle the peel will remove easily. Discard the stem, peel and seeds.

This version is slightly tweaked a la Saake. I rarely peel vegetables because I like the added texture and nutrition gained by leaving the peel on but the original recipe did call for peeling the potatoes. I puree the potatoes with a potato ricer which takes some muscle and time if your cooking for a crowd. I think a food mill would be easier but it is one of the few kitchen gadgets I don’t own. If your in a hurry you can mash them but the fine texture really is worth the extra time. I am a bit picky about my salt and pepper and highly recommend these OXO salt and pepper grinders. If I could permanently set the grind to coarse I would. Whenever Willie is home he adjusts them down to a finer grind which I only discover after the fact! A great holiday gift for the cooks on your list.  I start by adding only 3/4 of a cup of the milk and rosemary mixture and usually that gives me just the right texture. I often let the milk and rosemary sit on the warm oven after simmering, I think it allows the rosemary to soften a bit. If you live in a Mediterranean climate plant an upright rosemary plant, you will never regret it. It is a low maintenance, low water plant that stays green all year and will provide you fresh rosemary for the kitchen for years to come. Although I have 2 friends who do not like rosemary I cannot fathom how that can be. Be sure to watch and smell for the pine nuts closely when toasting, they are too expensive to let burn! You can use jarred roasted bell peppers if you must but be sure to pat them dry first.

Buon Appetito!

 

 

 

As I prepare for a big week of eating…..

I thought I would share some Encinitas Saakes favorite Thanksgiving recipes. Tonight it is Sweet Potato casserole which is our middle ground between an over the top version that could be a dessert and the scrimpy light version. This is Serena’s favorite and she will prepare it for our feast this year. This needs to cook for 30 minutes and set for another 30 minutes so be sure to factor that into your plan.

Saake Sweet Potatoes:

6 servings

CRUST:

2/3 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup flour

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1/4 teaspoon cardamom

1/4 cup butter, melted

SWEET POTATO MIXTURE:

3 cups cooked and mashed sweet potatoes (approx. 4 medium potatoes)

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 large egg, well beaten

5 ounces evaporated milk

For the crust: Combine brown sugar, flour, spices, nuts and butter in a mixing bowl. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine sweet potatoes, sugar, salt, vanilla, egg and evaporated milk in a mixing bowl in the order listed. Mix thoroughly. Pour mixture into buttered baking dish. Sprinkle the surface evenly with the crust mixture. Bake for 30 minutes. Allow to set at least 30 minutes before serving.

Mom’s Night Out (aka MNO)

For the last 18 years I have gathered once a month with 10 moms for a delicious meal and an evening of sharing and laughing. It was my turn to host last month and honestly I was not looking forward to it. As with many social situations in my grief it just seemed like too much work. I often find it difficult to join in the fun and enjoyment of socializing. I had recently returned from traveling, a conference in Yosemite and visiting my son at Penn State. I was tried and wanting to spend time alone. But once my kitchen was filled with these women with whom I have shared so much with I began to relax. What cook can help but love a group that refuses to hang out anywhere besides the kitchen. This year I was prepared and just brought the chairs into the kitchen.

Later during dinner as I looked around the table I thought which of us has not suffered? These women understand that I might need to sit back and listen and not share. We are a funny group. We have known each other for so many years but will often only see each other at our monthly gathering. We have mom couples, Yanina and I see each other at least once a week for a walk, I teach Natalie’s daughter and see Natalie at school most weekdays, B and I go to the same church and I’m sure there are connections amongst the others in between our get togethers. We have two widows, two who have suffered through divorces, serious marriage problems, major illnesses and disabilities with their children, cancer, loss of siblings, parental illness and death. Nothing close to the group of young moms we started as. These women understand and accept my grief. They were there at Tom’s memorial service quietly organizing and cleaning up the massive amounts of food that that arrived at our home after the church service. Always we bring food to each other when one is suffering, it is how we share our love.

It was an honor to prepare a meal made with love for them in my home.

I made my favorite chili. How is it that I have never made this for the moms? I have made this slow braised tri-tip chili for our annual neighborhood halloween gathering, my son’s robotics team kick off and many other large gatherings for years. It is always very well received. I recently shared the recipe in our local lifestyle magazine 92024 and several people from school have told me how much they like it. No beans, no veggies just pure chili. Great for a gatherings because it is even better a day or two after you make it. Here is a link to the recipe, originally from Sara Moulton:

http://92024magazine.com/2014/09/07/karens-tri-tip-chili/

In our new found quest to keep it simple for the hostess my menu was pretty basic:

Apple slices and crackers with Pumpkin dip
Chili with all the fixins
Pumpkin Roulade

Josie brought a nice jalapeño corn bread that was extra moist almost like corn pudding.

My favorite fall appetizer – Apple slices, Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Cranberry Crisps and pumpkin dip. The pumpkin dip is:

8 oz. cream or goat cheese
1/4 cup Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Butter (any fruit butter would work)
Mix together with a hand mixer until light and fluffy and voila!

My favorite fall dessert by far! Ina Garten’s Pumpkin Roulade with Ginger Buttercream

Ingredients

For the cake:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup canned pumpkin (not pie filling)
1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar, plus extra for dusting
For the filling:
12 ounces Italian mascarpone cheese (COLD)
1 1/4 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons heavy cream (COLD)
1/4 cup minced dried crystallized ginger (not in syrup)
Pinch kosher salt

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 13 by 18 by 1-inch sheet pan. Line the pan with parchment paper and grease and flour the paper.

In a small bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt. Place the eggs and granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium-high speed for 3 minutes, until light yellow and thickened. With the mixer on low, add the pumpkin, then slowly add the flour mixture, mixing just until incorporated. Finish mixing the batter by hand with a rubber spatula. Pour into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake the cake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the top springs back when gently touched.

While the cake is baking, lay out a clean, thin cotton dish towel on a flat surface and sift the entire 1/4 cup of confectioners’ sugar evenly over it. (This will prevent the cake from sticking to the towel.) As soon as you remove the cake from the oven, loosen it around the edges and invert it squarely onto the prepared towel. Peel away the parchment paper. With a light touch, roll the warm cake and the towel together (don’t press!) starting at the short end of the cake. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack.

Meanwhile, make the filling. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the mascarpone, confectioners’ sugar, and cream together for about a minute, until light and fluffy. Stir in the crystallized ginger, and salt.

To assemble, carefully unroll the cake onto a board with the towel underneath. Spread the cake evenly with the filling. Reroll the cake in a spiral using the towel as a guide. Remove the towel and trim the ends to make a neat edge. Dust with confectioners’ sugar and chill overnight.

This will make another appearance on my Thanksgiving menu! Looking forward to MNO at Anne’s in December and hearing about her travels to Costa Rica.