Winter-Spiced Chocolate Cake

I am all about the savory. Savory pies and appetizers draw me in but once in a while - chocolate comes calling like the four calling birds and I call back, "Yes, I will bake it."  And so it happened with this fudgy chocolate cake spiced with winter. Winter is here - or the meteorologists say it's coming. (Yesterday's prediction was "1-18 inches" will hit the Twin Cities Monday through Tuesday. Dear Meteorologists: How vague can you get?")

I don't do "pretty" very well - but it did come out of the bundt pan very prettily. And since pretty is as pretty does - I don't fret that my frosting efforts don't look as professional as they are in my head. (Years ago when I tried to pipe snowflakes in a Martha Stewart fashion my then young daughter soothed me with, "That's okay, Mom. She's a professional." Le sigh.)

I was pleased with the sugared cranberries. You don't need small motor skills to get those right.

The recipe comes from http://www.louisespis.com/2013/12/spicy-chocolate-bundt-cake-with-ginger and I really advise you visit the blog (scroll down for English) because she makes things very, very pretty. Louise provides a lot of the ingredients in grams - some of my amounts are near-approximations.

The cake has a nice dense, chocoholic-almost-not-quite-fudge crumb and the sour cream in the batter keeps it moist for days. It's very helpful to make things ahead of time where you are expecting 36 for a Midwestern Christmas Eve dinner and then turn around and provide an Italian Christmas Day dinner. So yes, make it ahead.

It is of course perfect for Christmas - my internet was out the week before Christmas (tricky when your recipes are online) but really - there's still New Years, Valentine's Day, family celebrations and even snowstorms where this would be welcome at the table.

And it's really easy - nothing to it (until you frost the cake and find your hands consist of ten thumbs). But remembering this cake - we are ending 2015 on a chocolate cloud.

INGREDIENTS:
Cake
8 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup cocoa
1-1/2 cups water
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
pinch of ground cloves
1 cup sour cream
2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 large eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Frosting
8 ounces cream cheese
1/2 cups confectioner's sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice mix

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 10-12 cup bundt pan.

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Once melted, add the cocoa and spices and whisk until smooth. Add the water and remove from heat. Add the sugar, sour cream, vanilla and eggs to the cocoa mixture and whisk until smooth. Set aside.

In a large bowl whisk the flour, baking soda and salt. Add the cocoa batter to the flour mixture and whisk until well-blended. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 45-50 minutes (until firm to touch and slightly puled away from the sides of the pan). Remove from oven, cool twenty minutes. Carefully loosen cake with a knife and invert onto a large plate (really, that was the scariest part of the process. I had a caramel-apple pie ready\y-in-waiting in case it all fell apart). Cool completely before frosting.

For the frosting: Combine ingredients with in a large bowl with electric mixer or if your arms need a workout - by hand. Spread frosting on cake and dust with cinnamon and/or confectioners sugar. Decorate with lingonberries or cranberries.

I had two days of laughter over the holidays and three generations. It's warming and fuzzy and sweet - and exhausting!

Pino and Pippin entertained my son's cat (Puck) and my sister's cat (Murray-the-cat) for two days.

He was a wee bit Christmassed-out!

Puck is going to be a visitor for awhile. Matthew will be in Germany and after figuring out how to safely get here there, it was decided that she will stay with us for awhile. Both my family and Paul's family have a history of family members taking in our furry loved-ones while we moved around. We will continue the tradition.

Puck is tiny, and affectionate and a little sassy. Just what our fur boys need to be kept in line.

Tonight all is quiet. And we wait. For the 1-18 inches of snow that was supposed to arrive three hours ago.

The fire's lit. There's leftover Chocolate Cake. 

Just as winter should be. I hope your December has been as cozy.

Lidia's Chicken Breast with Oranges and Olives

'tis the season - where candles are lit to ward off darkness. Where sparkle is called for and the usually-muted Claudia looks for a bit of glitter. And for dinner - I want flavor - more than the riches of fats and sugar so prevalent in December - I want the bright tang of oranges coupled with some briny salt. So I brought Lidia Bastianich's chicken with oranges and olives to the table. And was promptly told I could make it again.

So should you. 

Ingredients - serves 6 (I halved it and it served two just fine)

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1-1/2 pounds thinly sliced chicken cutlets

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Flour - for dredging

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 large red onion, sliced

1 cup pitted Gaeta or Kalamata olives, whole or halved

Juice and zest of 1 orange

1/2 cup white wine

1 teaspoon fennel powder (I used fennel seeds)*

2 tablespoons chopped, fresh Italian parsley 

For fennel powder: put 1/2 cup of fennel seed in spice grinder and mill until you have powder. Makes 1/4 cup. Store at room temperature, sealed.

1. In a large skillet over medium high heat, heat olive oil. Season chicken with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and lightly dredge chicken in flour. Lightly brown the chicken in oil (until it has a blonde crust), about two minutes per side. Cook chicken in batches. Remove chicken to plate.

2. Add butter and onion to skillet and cook until onion is softened - 3-4 minutes. Add olives, orange juice, zest white wine and fennel. Add chicken back into skillet and simmer until chicken is cooked through and the sauce coats the chicken - about 4 minutes. Season with remaining salt, sprinkle with parsley (I used some fennel frond) and serve.

We had a trim-the-tree dinner. 

It will never be a designer tree. The ornaments come from our travels, our quirks - all the stages of our lives. Trimming the tree evokes all the threads of our Christmases -  Past, Present and Future.

This little beauty was from my parent's earliest Christmas together.

And this came from a neighbor when I was five years old. I am willing to bet some of you have him.

Paul (who prefers to direct the trimming of the tree) noted that the lower third of the tree was bare.

And it still is. Because ...

Thanksgiving: Turkey Meatballs with Apple-Cranberry Chutney

I write this in Thanksgiving. For the holiday coming up. For the thanks I offer all year round for this life - with all it's roller coaster rides - for this life. 

My offering for the holidays starts with a meatball. And then I go all-American with it. Apples. Cranberries. Minnesota fare. It has a little spice, and a little fruit (and you know that "healthy" thing). You can make a meal for two or feed a crowd. It's a recipe that owes it's heritage to Italy (meatballs) but is decidedly American.

Grandma Gresio, who served a huge turkey (after the lasagne) every Thanksgiving would approve.

It's jazzed-up turkey meatballs coated in cranberry-apple chutney. Turkey and cranberries. Think about it. It seems to work.

TURKEY MEATBALLS: (Makes approximately 28 1-inch meatballs)

1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/4 teaspoon freshly-ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (crushed red pepper, cayenne)
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
16 ounces ground turkey
8 ounces cranberry-apple chutney
3 tablespoons orange juice (I used apple cider)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray.

Whisk first six ingredients together. Add milk. Whisk and let stand for fifteen minutes. Add egg and mix well. Add ground turkey and mix well.

Form turkey mixture into 1-inch meatballs. (Very sticky stuff - use hands and consider spraying them. After they were formed, I went over them with a spoon trying to get a semblance of meatball shape.)

Place on baking sheet. Bake for approximately fifteen minutes.

While baking, combine cranberry-apple chutney and orange juice. Heat in microwave for 1-2 minutes. When meatballs are done, combine warmed chutney in bowl with meatballs and serve.

Or place in a slow-cooker on low to use as appetizers for guests.

Cranberry-apple chutney recipes can be found here or here. Or you can do what "expedient Claudia" does and buy Stonewall Kitchen's Apple-Cranbery Chutney.*

*I am not on Stonewall Kitchen's payroll nor did I receive coupons or anything for this plug. I am simply - a big fan.

It's been a rough week for our world. I wish you love.  I wish ...

Hugs are in order.

Smiling and greeting and holding doors open for people seem more important than ever. Throwing love into the universe to counter the unloving has to help.

And somehow, on November 16, the earth still brings forth pink smiles. And I am grateful.

Chicken Normandy: A Very Good Idea

I've taken a lot of detours as of late with my "Italian blog." This is my last detour for a bit and I promise you that you will enjoy the journey. It's a side tripe to France - home of sauces that should be served with cholesterol warnings (unless you're French - the sauces don't seem to affect their cholesterol) - home of women who learn to wear scarves before they can walk - home of Monet, Renoir, Impressionism and all things pretty. 

With Calvados, apples, cream and chicken - you have the perfect bridge from autumn to winter. Plus it's Dorie Greenspan's recipe from Around My French Table and when Dorie is your guide, you know you will eat well. It's a worthy addition to any Holiday Wish List (shhh .... I know it's early November). Plus Calvados is always a good idea. Calvados is an apple-brandy that hails from Normandy and a small shot of it during a chilly eve works as well as a fireplace to lull you into thinking you love the winter cold. You may use another apple brandy or even apple cider.

It comes together surprisingly fast (my mantra now that I am a woman "of a certain age").

Chicken, Apples and Cream a la Normande

Chicken Normandy

Ingredients
flour for dredging seasoned with salt and pepper
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts at room temperature (Patted down a bit if thick; I used six)
1-2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large apple, peeled, cored and cut into 1 inch chunks) (I used 2 medium MN apples sliced thinly and cored but not peeled)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
8 mushrooms (thinly sliced; I sometimes omit)
1/3 cup chicken broth (I use more)
2 tablespoons Calvados, apple jack or brandy (or cider)
2/3 cup heavy cream (I use a little less)
My addition: fresh thyme sprigs to finish

Preparation

1. Put the seasoned flour in a shallow bowl and dredge the chicken in it, shaking off any excess.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter (I almost always combine the two even when seemingly unnecessary) in a large deep skillet. If the pan isn't large enough for all the chicken, brown the chicken in batches.

3. Cook each side approximately 3 minutes until they are browned.

4. If needed, add in the other tablespoon of oil and tablespoon of butter (I always need). Leaving the chicken in the pan, add in the mushrooms (if using), onions and apples. If the pan won't hold everything, you can briefly take out the chicken while you sauté the mushrooms, onions and apples. Make sure everything is coated with the oil-butter mixture. Saute for 1 minute and then add in the broth. When the broth boils, reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for about ten minutes. (Tines will vary depending on the thickness of chicken.)

5. Increase the heat and add in the Calvados (if you're feeling very ooh la la Normandie - use a little more). Boil until it is just about evaporated - about 1 minute.

6. Add the cream and with the heat still high, let the cream boil down about 1/4 - about 3-5 minutes.

7. Adjust seasonings, arrange on platter and serve. I finish it with some fresh thyme.

And now it's your turn - serve it with rice, sautéed spinach or crusty bread - what you think is a good idea.

We've had a blissfully warm autumn. Those of us in Minnesota look to El Nino for "short winters" (under 7 months). There is dancing in the streets when the words "El Nino" first appear in the summertime. Yes, the photo below was taken in mid-October, but I am still am amazed that I have geraniums, petunias, shrub roses, sage, thyme, parsley, bridal veils and other assorted happy plants.

Our patio days are numbered, but the "good ideas" are in full force. A fire on the patio is always a good idea. Calvados remains a good idea.

There have been many family discussions as of late. Matthew is poised to get his doctorate in April/May 2016. He has been "job" searching (for a post-doc). (And obsessing. He is his mother's son after all.) And last week, his number one choice came through and he accepted a two-year position at IPK in Gatersleben, Germany. It's a world-class lab for his work (plant pathologist). My "little guy." Living and working in Europe. Such a good idea.

And below:

He came to us exactly one year ago. Cioppino-Pino-Bambino was a very good idea. The days may be shorter, but November is filled with good ideas.

The Sauerbraten Tradition

Leaf-turning-pumpkin-mums-hot cider season. October. Thirty-one days of color culminating in an eve of children wandering in the dark in eccentric clothing begging for white sugar.

Love it.

For as long as I can remember, October was sauerbraten season. My father (not exactly Italian!) had sauerbraten on his October birthday since childhood. Great-Grandma Schmidt and Great Aunt Elsie and Great Aunt Helen were always at the helm of this birthday dinner. I do have one of those tug-at-your-heart-holiday tales regarding sauerbraten and my two great aunts carrying a sauerbraten roast, gravy, red cabbage, dumplings and the requisite pitcher of Manhattans on two subways and a bus (from the Bronx to Queens) during a particularly difficult New Year's Eve. Their intent was to nourish body and soul. It was a spirit-saver. The post is here: My Three Magi. There's also a simpler version of sauerbraten there as I hadn't found my mother's yet.

My father passed five years ago. Nobody had the heart to make the sauerbraten for a while. And then my mother joined my father and the sauerbraten meal remained in the past. Until this year. It was time to revive happy celebrations.

My sister brought me the sauerbraten roaster that my mother used for ... let's just kindly say - decades. And I have her metal potato ricer - equally as old. I like tradition. I like playing with new but never, ever discarding the old. And that makes me fortunate because my "old" is filled with loving memory. And I loved, loved having the sauerbraten in that little blue roaster in my oven.

This is one of those things where almost all the work is done ahead of time (chorus of happy singing just started) and the work on the day of the meal (including the gravy) couldn't be easier.  So there's this ingredient list - looks long. It is long - but it's water and two types of vinegar and things like salt and sugar - nothing you need to go find at a specialty store.

And then - you get this. Tender. Warm. Autumn. October. Good.

Marinade and Meat (serves 4, easily doubled)
This is basically my great-grandmother's recipe. The addition of juniper berries and mustard seeds came from Alton Brown and I thought it was fun. I also happened to have juniper berries in my spice closet. Don't go crazy trying to find them. They are easily omitted.

3-1/2 - 4 pound *top round roast
*About the roast? You want a decent roast - certainly not a tenderloin - but not grizzly and fatty (I did trim) and you want a low roast. The sirloin tip roasts I looked at were way too tall. This should be a long, low roast. It soaks in the marinade better. Even my low roast had to be turned daily as it was not completely covered.

Marinade Ingredients - here we go!
2 cups water
1 cup cider vinegar
1 cup red wine vinegar
1 medium onion - chopped
1 large carrot - chopped
1 tablespoon Kosher salt and 1 teaspoon Kosher salt for seasoning meat
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 bay leaves
6 whole cloves
 12 juniper berries (can omit)
1 teaspoon mustard seeds (can omit)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Before cooking:
1/3 cup sugar

For gravy:
18 gingersnap cookies - crushed

1. Combine water, vinegars, onion, carrot, 1 tablespoon of the Kosher salt, pepper, bay leaves, cloves, juniper berries and mustard seeds in saucepan. Cover and bring to a boil. Simmer ten minutes. Set aside to cool.
2. Pat meat dry and rub vegetable oil all over. Rub in the teaspoon of Kosher salt. Heat a sauté pan over medium-high heat and brown on all sides. (About three minutes a side.)
3. Place meat in a non-reactive container. Poor cooled marinade over it and refrigerate for 3-5 days (I did five days) turning daily if not completely submerged.
4. When ready to cook, place rack in middle of oven and preheat to 325 F. Add the sugar to the marinade. Cook covered for four hours.
5. Remove meat and keep warm.

GRAVY (so easy)
1. Strain liquid to remove solids. Place in pan over medium-high heat. Whisk in gingersnaps and cook till thickened, stirring occasionally. Strain again to remove lumps (I didn't). You also do not need to de-fat this. I did skim the top once. Slice meat and serve.

And do serve with these dumplings. They're surprisingly easy and all the work is done ahead of time (except for the boiling).

Boil the potatoes in their jackets the day before. You can do all the steps except for the actual cooking of the dumplings the morning of the dinner.

Dumplings - makes 12 - supposedly serves 6 - (HA! I doubled the recipe for six people. None were left!)
1-1/2 pounds Russet potatoes (about 2 large). Do use Russet - they are low moisture and the dumplings hold together well
1-1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg (you can use more)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 cup cornstarch
1 large egg

DAY BEFORE: Cook scrubbed, unpeeled potatoes in a large pot of salted boiling water for 45 minutes. Refrigerate over night. Really. Just plan on it.

CAN DO WHILE MEAT IS COOKING; CAN DO MORNING OF MEAL:
1. Peel potatoes and run through a potato ricer. You can mash them - but the ricer really makes them smooth.
2. Mix in salt and nutmeg.
3. Using hands, mix in flour and cornstarch. Knead until it forms a smooth dough. You can add more flour if it is sticky. I didn't need to.
4. Add egg and mix in using your hands. (The best kitchen utensil by far!)
5. Form dough into balls using 1/4 cup for each.

If making ahead: place balls on a pan lined with wax paper lightly dusted with flour. Refrigerate.

When ready to cook: (I was making 24 dumplings so I started the process 20 minutes before the meat was ready.)

Cook dumplings in nearly/almost not-quite boiling, salted water. Only cook four at a time - you don't want them touching each other and sticking to each other while cooking. Semi-boil for ten-fifteen minutes (until they rise to the top). You can cover them to keep them warm or put them in a warm oven (I turned off the oven when the meat came out and placed the dumplings in it while the other dumplings cooked.)

Do serve with red cabbage. Do buy the jars of red cabbage. You don't have to make everything.

There were six of us for the sauerbraten meal - six family members reliving old tradition that happened to be delicious. And there was sweet remembrance at the table.

These are bonus days. Only one hard frost and I am still enjoying geraniums, shrub roses, petunias, violets, mums and herbs. The burning bushes are bursting fiery red. More candles will get lit as the days get darker.

Our King Maple had to come down this week. We will miss it (and it's accompanying hosta glade). The garden will evolve and the seasons turn. And sometimes you get to return to a past memory. It's different. It, too evolves. But it never goes away.