Flavors in Love

I find Oscar night to be such a great escape, and we all need to escape and create as much pleasure in our lives as possible. What better way than by cooking and sharing a wonderful meal with good friends. This is what life is all about!

Me with my son Zach

When I was trying to come up with an award winning menu, the first thing that popped in my mind was the movie Julie and Julia, and I thought it would be very apropos to make Julia’s Beef Bourguignonne because it was featured so prominently.

On Sunday I spent the day so incredibly happy prepping and cooking in my kitchen! Here’s the whole menu; We started out with some Rose champagne and smoked salmon blinis. This was followed by an amazing salad that one of my guests, John Gottfried, brought, consisting of Brussels sprouts leaves, parmesan and pecorino cheese, ginger, and garlic. Delicious!

This was followed by the main event, Beef Bourguignonne, roasted potatoes, greens with grapefruit, beets, and roquefort cheese, and of course lots of red wine! I even made Julia’s Apple Tarte Tatin for dessert!

Beef Bourguignonne is one of those French peasant dishes that was adopted by the upper classes and quickly became a staple of fine dining. Beef is braised in red wine for hours, then garnished with sautéed pearl onions and mushrooms. For my Oscar party I used Julia’s classic recipe, Bon Appetit!

Julia’s Beef Bourguignonne

Serves 12

10 ounce piece slab bacon

7 tablespoons olive oil

9 lbs lean stew beef, cut into 2 inch cubes

2 carrots, peeled and sliced

2 onions, peeled and sliced

4 tablespoons flour

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

6 cups Burgundy wine

7 cups beef stock

2 tablespoons tomato paste

4 cloves garlic, mashed

1 teaspoon thyme

2 bay leaves, crumbled

40 small white onions

7 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 lbs cremini or button mushrooms, quartered

Remove the rind from the slab bacon and cut the bacon into lardons (strips the size and shape of matchsticks). Simmer the rind and the lardons for 10 minutes in 3 quarts of water. Remove and drain them, and dry with paper towels. Set aside.

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.

In a heavy casserole with a tight fitting lid, sauté the lardons in 2 tablespoons olive oil.  Lightly brown the lardons, then remove them to a dish with a slotted spoon.

Heat the empty casserole until the fat leftover from the lardons is almost smoking. Add the beef, a few pieces at a time, and sauté until brown on all sides. When all the beef if browned, remove it with a slotted spoon and add it to the plate with the lardons.

In the same casserole, brown the carrots and onions. Then remove some of the excess fat with a spoon.

Return the beef and bacon to the casserole and season well with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the flour all over the beef and toss to coat evenly. Put the casserole in the oven to cook uncovered for 5 minutes. Stir well and then cook another 5 minutes. Remove the casserole and lower the oven temperature to 325 degrees.

Add the wine to the casserole and enough beef stock to just barely cover the meat. Add the tomato paste, garlic, herbs, and bacon rind. Bring it all to a simmer on the stovetop. Cover the casserole and put it on the lower rack of the oven to cook slowly for 3 to 4 hours.

Meanwhile, heat 3 tablespoons of butter with 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet. Add the small white onions and sauté for about 10 minutes. Add about a cup of beef stock and season with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer slowly for 45 minutes or until onions are tender but still hold their shape and the liquid is evaporated. Set onions aside.

Wipe out the skillet with paper towels and heat the remaining butter and olive oil over high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, tossing, for 5 minutes. Remove them when they are lightly brown.

When the meat is fork-tender, pour the casserole contents into a sieve set over a large saucepan. Carefully rinse out the casserole and return the beef and lardons to it. Place the small onions and mushrooms on top. Skim the fat off of the sauce in the saucepan and simmer for 2 minutes. Keep skimming the fat as it rises. Get the sauce thick enough to coat the back of a spoon (boil it rapidly at a higher temperature to make it thicken up).

Pour the sauce over the meat and vegetables in the casserole. Cover and simmer 3 minutes.

I recommend using this Le Creuset casserole dish for your Beef Bourguignonne…

Le Creuset Cast Iron Casserole

I was inspired to make this soup after my French friend, Zilia, made it for me on a recent Saturday afternoon in the Hamptons.  She is such a natural cook, and she has been making this wonderful soup since she learned how to make it from her own mother.  I think the tendency to make wholesome food from scratch is one of the reasons French women don’t have to worry about their weight!                                                                     

The only thing you will need to make this soup besides fresh, seasonal vegetables, is an Immersion Blender. It is an invaluable tool that every Chef has in their kitchen! This great tool can turn any ingredient into a puree with simply a flip of the switch.

This soup can be made with whatever seasonal veggies you happen to have on hand. You can use a vegetable stock to make the soup completely vegetarian, or you can use a chicken stock which may give you a richer flavor.

As your hearty soup simmers, you will have plenty of time to prepare the crunchy candied walnuts for your salad, and the toasted pine nuts for your soup. Nuts are SO important to incorporate into your diet…they offer the same nutritional benefits as a piece of fish, and we all know how heart smart fish is! Eating a handful of walnuts everyday will help lower your cholesterol, your risk of heart disease, and the level of inflammation in your body. Pine nuts are a rich source of amino acids and a handful supplies you with 31 grams of healthy protein, the highest among all nuts and seeds!

PUREE VEGETABLE SOUP

Serves 4 people

2 tablespoons olive oil

Half an onion, chopped

1 clove of garlic, chopped

4 small zucchini, chopped

6 cremini mushrooms, halved

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

1 turnip, peeled and chopped

8 leeks, chopped

10 leaves of fresh basil, roughly torn

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 quart of chicken or vegetable stock

Garnish: Basil Oil and Toasted Pine Nuts

2 tablespoons of olive oil

2 handfuls of fresh basil

Sea salt

1 handful of pine nuts

Heat a large stock pot over a medium flame and add the olive oil. Then one at a time add the vegetables (in the order listed above). Give each vegetable about 10 seconds before you add the next one. Stir often. After you add the basil, season the vegetables with salt and pepper and stir again. Sauté about 10 minutes, stirring often.

Add the chicken or vegetable stock and let it come up to a strong simmer. Turn the heat down a little bit and cook for 30 minutes, or until vegetables are very tender.

Turn the heat as low as possible and puree with the immersion blender. Taste and season with more salt or pepper as needed.

In a dry skillet over medium heat, toast the pine nuts just until they begin to brown, shaking the pan every few seconds so that they brown evenly.

In a food processor, combine the basil and salt, and with the processor running, slowly add the olive oil in a steady stream. Scrape down the sides to be sure that all of the basil is incorporated.

Divide your soup into serving bowls and top with a dollop of the basil oil. Scatter a few pine nuts on top.

FENNEL SALAD WITH CANDIED WALNUTS

1 cup of walnuts

¼ cup of maple syrup

A few thin slices of red onion

2 radishes, thinly sliced

1 bulb of fennel, thinly sliced

1 head of red leaf lettuce, roughly torn

Freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

½ lemon, juiced

In a small skillet combine the walnuts and maple syrup. Cook over medium-low heat until the syrup starts to bubble, and then continue cooking another minute. Pour candied walnuts into a bowl and set aside.

In a large bowl combine the red onion, radishes, fennel, and lettuce. Season with the black pepper to taste. Drizzle the olive oil and lemon over the salad. Toss well.

Plate the salad on individual plates and top with the candied walnuts.

If you do not already have an Immersion Blender, click on the image below to purchase one!

Cuisinart Immersion Blender

When I go grocery shopping in the winter, the bright colors of the citrus fruits just seem to leap out at me!The contrast of the vibrant oranges, limes, lemons and grapefruit against the dull gray of winter, call out to me.. Buy me! Buy me!!!  So I did.   Cold weather brings about the peak citrus season and that is what inspired me to create today’s recipe: Roasted Salmon with Blood Orange Salsa.

This dish is healthy, delicious, and perfect for a quick weeknight meal.

Fresh wild salmon is roasted simply and topped with a beautiful citrus salsa (which can be made the day before to save time!)

Salmon is one of the most nutritious foods you can eat, due to the high levels of Omega-3s (which are fatty acids needed for a healthy heart), and Vitamin D (a vitamin that most Americans are deficient in!). Combined with the Vitamin C in the salsa, this recipe can’t be beat!

(And don’t forget to store all your citrus fruits at room temperature so that they can produce the most juice!)

ROASTED SALMON WITH BLOOD ORANGE SALSA

Serves 2 people

2 fillets of wild salmon, about 7 oz each

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon ground cumin

Juice of 1 lemon

½ garlic clove, minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon agave syrup

Blood Orange Salsa:

2 chopped blood oranges (peeled, separated into segments, and halved)

Juice of 1 blood orange

1 teaspoon white wine vinegar

1 tablespoon minced red onion

Juice of 1 lime

1 grapefruit (peeled, separated into segments, and halved)

1 chopped lemon (peeled, separated into segments, and halved)

1 teaspoon agave syrup

2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, finely minced

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, finely minced for garnish

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Season both sides of the salmon with salt and pepper. Place the salmon in a shallow baking dish and marinate with the cumin, lemon juice, minced garlic, olive oil, and agave. Let the fish marinate about 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, to make the Salsa: Combine in a glass bowl the following; chopped blood oranges, blood orange juice, white wine vinegar, minced red onion, lime juice, grapefruit, chopped lemon, 1 tsp agave, and the cilantro. Stir well to combine. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

When you are ready to roast the salmon, simply put it (in the same pan it’s been marinating in) into the oven for 15-20 minutes (25 minutes if you prefer your salmon a little more well-done). Then turn the broiler on, and broil your salmon for 4 minutes to create a nice caramelization on the top of the fish (this last step is optional).

When your fish is done, plate it on your individual dinner plates over a bed of arugula, and top it with the delicious salsa. Garnish it with the fresh cilantro and serve.

Products I recommend:

Le Creuset Baking Dish

Organic Blue Agave

This is one of my all-time favorite chicken recipes, and I’ve been making it for years. Once you make it, you will never go back to plain roast chicken!

I am almost always in the mood for roast chicken.. when I’m happy, when I’m sad and when I want to entertain family and friends.   I love this recipe because it really dresses up a simple dish.   I stuff goat cheese and Herbes de Provence under the skin which adds so much flavor and tenderizes the breast meat.  You can also roast other winter vegetables like parsnips and butternut squash.  Especially on a cold winter day, it is the ultimate comfort food.

Please watch my video and learn exactly how to make this delicious chicken!

MY FAVORITE ROAST CHICKEN WITH GOAT CHEESE AND HERBS STUFFED UNDER THE SKIN

Serves 4-6

2/3 cup (about 6 ounces) soft, fresh goat cheese, at room temperature

½ cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

2 tablespoons butter, softened

1 shallot, peeled and finely chopped

3 ½ tablespoons roasted garlic puree

2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary

2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme

1 teaspoon Herbes de Provence, crumbled

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 lemon

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 large roasting chicken, about 3 ½ pounds (preferably organic)

1 bag peeled baby carrots, pinch sugar

1 cup good quality chicken broth

½ cup dry white wine

6-8 large whole unpeeled garlic cloves

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees.

To make the garlic puree, tightly wrap a whole head of garlic in foil and roast for about 30 minutes. When it is cool enough to handle, unwrap it and squeeze the garlic out of each clove into a small bowl. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, thoroughly stir together the goat cheese, parsley, butter, shallot, garlic puree and 1 ½ teaspoons each of the rosemary and thyme and ½ teaspoon each of the Herbes de Provence, salt and pepper.

Pat the chicken dry. Remove all visible fat. Loosen the skin over the breast meat, thighs, and as far down the legs as possible by gently sliding your fingers between the skin and the meat, avoid tearing the skin. Stuff the cheese mixture under the skin of the breasts, thighs and legs, using it all. Squeeze the juice from the lemon all over the chicken. Put ½ of the lemon inside the cavity of the chicken. Rub the remaining ½ teaspoon each of rosemary and thyme and herbs into the skin of the chicken. Drizzle with olive oil. Set chicken on a rack in a roasting pan or a baking sheet. Add the broth, wine and whole garlic to the pan.

Place the carrots in a separate bowl and add to them a pinch of sugar, salt, and pepper. Place carrots in the bottom of the roasting pan.

Cover the roasting pan with foil and put the chicken in the oven for 1 hour. Take the foil off and continue cooking until chicken skin is crispy and the meat is just cooked through while remaining juicy, 20-30 minutes.

After you remove the chicken from the oven, pour off the pan juices into a gravy strainer. Pour the juices into a saucepan on top of the stove. Boil until gravy is thick and reduced. Transfer to a gravy boat. ( You can also just strain the gravy and serve it immediately)

Carve the chicken and arrange it on a platter with the carrots, garlic and herbs. Serve the chicken warm or at room temperature.

The Holidays were filled with so much wonderful food and I indulged every night… a little too much.  So now I’m ready to start a new exercise routine after all that wining and dining and I’m making sure to cook up some lighter foods.  One of my favorite salads is pears, pistachios and Roquefort…a perfect combination!

Pears are so in season now… juicy and ripe and they combine perfectly with cheese, but especially with Roquefort…the strong smelly kind. The saltiness of the cheese and smooth sweetness of the pear send a riot of flavors throughout my mouth and then when you add the crunchiness of the pistachios and the bitterness of the frisee and chicory lettuces combined with a marvelous sherry vinaigrette…it’s all heavenly.  And so so easy. Serve this winter salad as a first course. Your guests will love it.

FRISEE, ROQUEFORT AND PEAR SALAD WITH PISTACHIOS
(Serves 4-6)

2 tablespoons sherry vinegar

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ cup cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil

6 ounces frisee

6 ounces red-leaf lettuce

6 ounces chicory

Freshly-ground black pepper

½ cup (about 4 ½ ounces) shelled pistachios, toasted and roughly chopped

¼ pound Roquefort cheese, preferably imported, crumbled

1 large ripe but firm pear, such as Bartlett, cored, peeled and cut into ½-inch chunks

In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, mustard and salt. Gradually whisk in the oil; the dressing will thicken.

In a large bowl, toss together the frisee, red-leaf lettuce, chicory and the dressing. Season generously with pepper.

Divide the salad among serving plates. Scatter the nuts, cheese, and pear chunks over the salads and serve immediately.

Since the Holidays are here and everyone is feeling the pressure,

I thought it would be helpful to give you a Gift of Flavors!!

Here is a video of an Apple Crisp recipe that is one of my favorite desserts.

In this video, I give you a step by step demonstration of how to make this

delicious recipe.  Your family and friends will love it.

Here’s a great tip!!

You can make 2 or 3 recipes at a time and freeze the topping.

When you want to make a quick dessert, simply cut up the fruit and

spoon on the topping and bake.

Voila… an easy, dessert that never fails to please !

Happy Holidays and Happy Cooking!!!

Flavors ‘Apple Crisp

Serves 8-12

5 medium Granny Smith apples ( about 1 ½ pounds)

4 large McIntosh apples ( about 1 pound)

1 1/2  cup raisins

6 tablespoons maple syrup

Juice of one lemon

2 teaspoons lemon zest

1 teaspoon vanilla

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4  teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Crunchy Oat Topping, chilled

2 pints vanilla ice cream

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees.

Cut the fruit into small sections and place into an large oven proof  baking dish and

add the raisins.

Toss the fruit with the maple syrup, lemon juice and zest.

Add the vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg.

With the tines of a fork, break up the largest lumps of topping.

Spoon the topping mixture evenly over the fruit, using it all.

Set the dish in the oven and bake until the fruit is bubbling and the topping is browned

and crispy.. about 35 to 45 minutes.  Set on a rack to cool for at least 10 minutes.

Serve hot, warm or cold with vanilla ice cream.

Crunchy Oat Topping

This all purpose topping can be prepared a day or two in advance and kept in the fridge till ready to use.

Or freeze for months and then let thaw in the fridge until ready to use.

1 1/3 cup golden brown sugar

1 cup unbleached all purpose flour

1 cup old fashioned( not quick cooking) rolled oats

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup walnut pieces

¼ teaspoon salt

12 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

In a food processor, combine the brown sugar, flour, rolled oats, cinnamon, walnuts and salt.  Pulse to blend. Scatter the butter over the oat mixture and process until a soft, crumbly and lumpy cookie like dough forms. Cover and refrigerate.  Use directly from the fridge.

When I think of Fall, I think of colors: rich golden yellows, burnt sienna-reds, deep pinks. It seems as if these colors appear everywhere — in the changing leaves, in the beautiful sunsets, and (as I realized the other night while eating a pomegranate) in the seasonal ingredients, too!

When I think of cooking in this particular season, I think of soups and stews and all of those terrific ingredients I haven’t used in so long. One such ingredient is butternut squash. My butternut squash soup is as pleasing to the eye as it is to the belly. It epitomizes that rich golden Fall yellow, and boasts a rich golden depth of flavor to match.

And isn’t that what I’m all about—flavors? Yes! I’m in love with flavors and this soup is definitely a major flavor heartthrob.

The soup is sweetened with apples (another Fall delicacy), and garlic and ginger add a lively kick. Add the smooth taste of the butternut squash, and you’ve achieved that unbeatable depth of flavor I mentioned earlier.

Making this soup also provided an opportunity to test out my new ISI Thermo Whip.

The Thermo Whip caught my eye at the Star Chefs Congress in September. I brought one home and had tons of fun experimenting with the various whipped creams, foams and sauces it can make. This soup has a Ginger Crème garnish, thickened and foamed by my trusty ISI Whip. What a beautiful thing!

A Perfect First Course

Squash, Apple and Ginger Soup

Served 8 as first course

Adapted from Pamela Morgan’s Flavors

2 small butternut squash (2 ½ pounds total)

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 small Granny Smith apples (about 1 ¼ pounds), cored, peeled and chopped

1 ½ cups finely chopped yellow onion

3 tablespoons fresh ginger, peeled and minced

2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

6 cups good quality vegetable broth

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

½ cup whipping cream (optional)

Fresh sage for garnish

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees.

Line a jelly-roll pan with foil.

Halve the squash lengthwise. Using a sharp metal spoon, scrape out and discard all the seeds and fibers.

Lay the squash halves, cut sides down, on the jelly roll pan and bake them until they are very tender when pierced with a fork (about 40 minutes)

Remove the pan from the oven. When squash is cool enough to handle, scoop the flesh, including any well-browned edges, out of the peels. Chop and reserve the flesh.

Melt the butter in a large pot over moderate heat. Add the apple, onion, ginger and garlic and cook uncovered, stirring once or twice until lightly browned (15 to 20 minutes)  Add vegetable stock, reserved squash flesh, salt and pepper and bring to a simmer.  Partially cover the pan and cook the soup, stirring occasionally, until the apples are tender (30-35 minutes). Remove from heat and cool slightly.

Puree the soup in a food processor or blender.

Cool, cover and refrigerate.

This soup can be prepared up to 3 days in advance. When you’re ready to serve it, return the soup to the pan and add cream if desired. Heat. Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with ginger creme and  sage.

Ginger Cream

1/3 cup chilled whipping cream

1 tablespoon ginger juice*

½ teaspoon Agave Nectar

Place cream, ginger juice and agave into the ISI Whip. Charge. Shake and serve.

* To extract the ginger juice: finely shred ginger on a grater. Then press it through a sieve or use a garlic press to extract the juice.

Every year, I organize an intimate charity dinner for a wonderful organization,  Maryhaven Center of Hope.

This is one of Long Island’s oldest and largest nonprofit program , a nonsectarian agency which lovingly serves disabled children and adults of every race, religion and creed from the Metropolitan area. Since its founding in the 1930s, Maryhaven has established a nationwide reputation for excellence in helping the disabled achieve small miracles of progress and independence. Former New York Governor Pataki has singled out Maryhaven for extraordinary praise, describing it as a shining example of what can be achieved for the disabled, a model agency that the rest of the nation would do well to emulate.

I have been working with this organization now for 8 years helping them to raise funds by creating an event called the  Pride of New York Award (PONY) which honors a great chef and /or  person or couple.

Previous recipients have included Mario Batali, Bobby Flay, Jacques Pépin, Lidia Bastianich, Michael Romano, Cesare Casella and Francois Payard.

Colleen Rein, Francois Payard, Pamela Morgan

The 2009 Pride of New York (PONY) Benefit on Saturday November 14th will be at Fred’s at Barney’s New York and will honor the renowned Chef Mark Strausman as well as The Real Housewives cast Jill and and Bobby Zarin. Along with Chef Strausman, I have created a very special 4 course dinner and included in this event will be a  fantastic silent auction featuring many of  NYC’s  and Miami’s best restaurants, plus certificates for spas, a beautiful bag from Coach and many more goodies.

In the past, supporters have included many charitable New Yorkers and  Hamptons’ residents, including Mayor Mike Bloomberg, Linda & Jeffrey Chodorow, John Barman, Tom Cullen, Nelson DeMille, Rocco DiSpirit, Eileen & Richard Ekstract, Caroline Hirsch, George Hirsch, Pat Molloy, Dina Merrill and Ted Hartley, Danny Meyer, Governor George Pataki, Francois Payard, Dan Rattiner, Marty Richards, Louise and Len Riggio, Al Roker, Michael Romano, Wilbur Ross, Mickie Siebert, David Walzog, Denise & Larry Wohl, Tom Wolfe, Geoffrey Zakarian, Andrea and John Stark, Steven and Candice Stark and many more. The Benefit attracts many of New York’s best and brightest from the media and the world of food and wine.

Ticket Price is: $500/person

For More Information: Contact Pamela Morgan at PamFlavors at aol.com or message me on Facebook.

Friends and Family at Rosh Hashanah Dinner at Regena's

It was the beginning of the Jewish New Year and the end of an era.

This year I celebrated Rosh Hashanah with Regena Thomashauer and her family and friends. Hollywood hottie Heather Graham was there too, and I cooked Chicken Marbella to honor my long-time friend Sheila Lukins, who recently passed away. Sheila was my boss for two years in the early 80’s, as  I worked for her at the Silver Palate.

When I opened Flavors Catering and Carry-out in the early 90’s on West 18^th Street, Sheila came to my store opening and blessed it. She wasn’t my boss any longer, and we were good friends.  She came to many of my “Chef and Foodie” Pot Luck dinners in the Hamptons and invited me to her home as well.

Her dinners were truly memorable. One time Sheila threw a small dinner for 10 people in her newly renovated and totally charming home in Sag Harbor.  It happened to be one of the hottest nights of the summer, and there was no air conditioning in her home, but that didn’t stop her!  She sweated her way through the preparations and made the most incredible meal.  We all ate well and drank like fish. The meal was Provencal Fish Stew with Aioli and a platter of the most gorgeous summer vegetables. We had a lot of laughs  and forever joked about that hot summer night.

Then there was the dinner she gave in her gorgeous apartment in the Dakota. I sat next to Ted Allen, and Dana Cowin was also there.  Sheila served meat loaf that night and she showed us her collection of photos. She was so proud of her two daughters and her grandchildren.

I will always remember my dear friend Sheila Lukins….her deep magical voice and her wonderful warped sense of humor and of course, her passion for the recipes she created for all of us to enjoy.

When I worked at the Silver Palate, we dished out Chicken Marbella every single day. I would always take the leftovers home.  But I don’t think I ever cooked it or ate it again until I dusted off the recipe and made it for Regena and her guests.

It’s such a perfect party dish.. the combination of sweet and salty.. the prunes, olives and capers combined with the vinegar, garlic and red wine. Full of flavor and great hot or cold. It was a very racy when she first created it, but today  it’s become a household name… delicious!

I served it with the brisket recipe from my cookbook, Pamela Morgan’s Flavors, and the side dishes were roasted mushrooms, string beans and quinoa with toasted pine nuts. Dessert was chocolate angel food cake with whipped cream, fresh berries  and coconut gelato. Pure pleasure!

Chicken Marbella
(Adapted from the Silver Palate Cookbook)

Servings: 6-8 Servings

Ingredients
2 chickens, 2 1/2 pounds each, quartered
1 head of garlic, peeled and finely pureed
1/4 cup dried oregano
coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1 cup pitted prunes
1/2 cup pitted Spanish green olives
1/2 cup capers with a bit of juice
6 bay leaves
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white wine
1/4 cup Italian parsley or fresh coriander (cilantro), finely chopped
Note:   I like more prunes and more olives in my dish.  So I used 2 cups prunes and 1 cup olive oil

Method
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl combine chicken quarters, garlic, oregano, pepper and coarse salt to taste, vinegar, olive oil, prunes, olives, capers and juice, and bay leaves. Cover and let marinate, refrigerated for at least 6 hours or overnight. Arrange chicken in a single layer in one or two large, shallow baking pans and spoon marinade over it evenly. Sprinkle chicken pieces with brown sugar and pour white wine around them. Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, basting frequently with pan juices. Chicken is done when thigh pieces, pricked with a fork at their thickest, yield clear yellow (rather than pink) juice. With a slotted spoon transfer chicken, prunes, olives and capers to a serving platter. Moisten with a few spoonfuls of pan juices and sprinkle generously with parsley or cilantro. Pass remaining pan juices in a sauceboat. To serve Chicken Marbella cold, cool to room temperature in cooking juices before transferring to a serving platter. If chicken has been covered and refrigerated, allow it to return to room temperature before serving. Spoon some of the reserved juices over chicken.

Maria Manetti Farrow…the name has a special ring to it…rolling off my tongue like a melody…and that is who she is…my friend…Maria…a melody…sensual…lilting…full of music.

I first met Maria in St. Barts many years ago and we became instant friends.  As we walked the beach together, she told me about her life…bringing Gucci to the United States in the early 80’s, working working working 24/7 for so many years to build the Gucci brand. Because of her incredible style and marketing abilities.. her hard work paid off!!

Ville Mille Rose

Today, she is a patron of the arts and travels the world. She built a phenomenal home on 60 acres in Oakville California/Napa and named it Ville Mille Rose, because she has roses growing everywhere on her property.  This estate is the essence of Italy where she was born and raised. There are vineyards on all sides ,flowers and fruit tress , lavender and sunflowers wherever you look.

I am so lucky to have had the privilege to stay with Maria in August for the last several years in a row…Every time I’ve gone out to visit her it’s been at the height of the season in the beautiful Napa Valley.

Maria loves to entertain. The first time I was invited to her home, she had a lunch on the lawn for me with Chef Gary Danko http://www.garydanko.com/ and some of her other dear friends. I was mesmerized by the beauty of the surroundings.  Everything was picked fresh from her garden… the tomatoes….the peaches… the fresh herbs.. Truly a heavenly place for a foodie like me.

Kitchen At Ville Mille Rose

Last summer I stayed with her for 3 days and every morning we walked in her
vineyards and picked ripe peaches and plums from her trees as we caught up on both of our lives.

Maria is a connector and loves to connect her friends together.  She never stops…she hardly sleeps…and is constantly in motion….we walk in the morning and have chicken soup for breakfast…I love this ritual.  Loi, her trusted Vietnamese housekeeper and chef., makes it fresh with all the vegetables from her garden and organic chicken.

Being the connector the she is, Maria entertains every weekend. She is meticulous about planning her menu with Loi and is involved with every detail. She does the table seating concentrating on where everyone will sit and then she writes our names on leaves with a gold pen.

Don't You Love It When You're Inspired By Your Host?

What a brilliant and beautiful touch. She picks roses from her garden and throws the leaves on the table… so very Maria!  Don’t you love when you stay at somebody’s home and they inspire you with new ideas for your own entertaining?

She figured out how to make a classic Bellini with white peach juice from her own peach trees and Prosecco. She peels the peaches and then puts vitamin C powder and lemon juice on them to preserve them and she freezes them. Then she purees them in a blender and combines with the Proscecco.  This was the cold, refreshing bubby cocktail that she served on a hot summer day in Napa.

This lunch was to celebrate her very close friend and composer, Daniel Brewbaker who composed a piece that was being played at the Music in the Vineyard Festival.http://www.musicinthevineyards.org/.  Daniel had lived with Maria for 4 years and during lunch, he toasted her with a beautiful poem, and then her friend Margrit Mondavi spoke of the special friendship they have shared for 30 years.

I was honored and privileged to be at this extraordinary lunch with Maria and her closest friends to experience the hospitality, good cheer and ambiance of her home as well as the magnificent food and Napa Valley wine.  Some of the guests included  Bill Harlan from Harlan Estate http://www.foodandwine.com/articles/californias-cult-cabernet-visionary and Margrit Mondavi, the late Robert Mondavi’s wife. http://www.robertmondaviwinery.com/flash/index.html

Pamela and Margrit Mondavi

The late Robert Mondavi said that Maria is the bubble in the champagne of life!

I agree.. perfectly said.!!!

Here’s to Maria!!