Recipes

Chili con carne

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 medium yellow onions, diced
1 medium red bell pepper, diced
6 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/4 cup chili powder
1 Tbs. ground cumin
2 pounds lean chopped beef
1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste
1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (14-ounce) can tomato sauce
2 (15-ounce) cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup coarsely chopped pickled jalapeños, drained

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onions and bell pepper, season with salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 8 minutes.
Add the garlic, chili powder, and cumin, stir to coat the vegetables, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the beef and 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt, and cook until the beef is no longer pink, about 7 minutes.
Transfer the mixture to a slow cooker, add the diced tomatoes and their juices, tomato sauce, and beans, and stir to combine. Cover and cook until the chili thickens and the flavors meld, about 8 hours on low or 6 hours on high.
Stir in the jalapeños. Taste and season with salt as needed. Serve topped with a good cheddar cheese, chopped scallions, and sour cream (optional).

Photography by Courtney A. Liska

Beef Stew with Dijon & Cognac

¼ pound salt pork, diced
1 large onion, finely diced
3 shallots, chopped
2 to 4 Tbs. butter, as needed
2 pounds beef chuck, in 1-inch cubes
2 Tbs. flour
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup Cognac
2 cups beef stock
½ cup Dijon mustard
4 tablespoons Pommery mustard
4 large carrots, peeled and cut into half-moon slices
½ pound mushrooms, stemmed, cleaned and quartered
¼ cup red wine

Place salt pork in a Dutch oven or a large heavy kettle over low heat, and cook until fat is rendered. Remove solid pieces with a slotted spoon, and discard. Add onion and shallots and cook over medium heat until softened but not browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to a large bowl.
If necessary, add 2 tablespoons butter to the pan to augment fat. Dust beef cubes with flour, and season with salt and pepper. Shake off excess flour, and place half of the meat in the pan. Cook over medium-high heat until well browned, almost crusty, on all sides, then transfer to a bowl with onions. Repeat with remaining beef.
Add Cognac to the empty pan, and cook, stirring, until the bottom is deglazed and the crust comes loose. Add stock, Dijon mustard and 1 tablespoon Pommery mustard. Whisk to blend, then return meat and onion mixture to pan. Lower heat, partially cover pan, and simmer gently until meat is very tender, about 1 1/2 hours.
Add carrots, and continue simmering for 30 minutes, or until slices are tender. As they cook, heat 2 tablespoons butter in medium skillet over medium-high heat, and sauté mushrooms until browned and tender.
Stir mushrooms into stew along with remaining mustard and red wine. Simmer 5 minutes, then taste, and adjust seasoning. Serve with egg noodles or mashed potatoes.

Photography by Courtney A. Liska

Mushroom and Barley Soup

2 Tbs. butter
½ lb. fresh mushrooms, sliced
½ c. onion, diced
½ c. celery, diced
½ c. carrot, diced
1 Tbs. flour
3 cups beef stock
½ c. pearled barley
Flat-leaf parsley

In a 3-quart sauce pan melt butter over medium heat and add onion; cook for 4-5 minutes. Add celery, carrots and mushrooms and continue to cook for about 10 minutes. Stir in the flour and add the stock. Add barley, cover and simmer for about an hour. Ladle into bowls and garnish with the parsley. Serve with warm rye bread. Dobrou chut!

Photography by Courtney A. Liska

Tuscan Ribs

We spent a week in a villa above Florence, Italy, many years ago. On a Sunday morning I awoke to incredible aromas drifting from the courtyard where tables for a hundred or so had been set. A cook had a 30-foot long wood-burning grill loaded with dozens of chickens and rack after rack of baby-back pork ribs in preparation for a first communion celebration.

When I asked in my broken Italian about the ribs, he answered in his broken English that you “season them and burn them.” Maybe that’s what he said. I’m not sure.

Anyway, this is how I like to cook baby-back pork ribs. I serve them with soft polenta.

3 Tbs. fresh sage, minced
2 Tbs. fresh rosemary, minced
2-3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1-1/2 Tbs. coarse salt
1 Tbs. black pepper
1 Tbs. red pepper
3 racks of baby-back ribs

Extra-virgin olive oil
3-4 cloves fresh garlic, sliced
2 tsp. red pepper
3, 15 oz. cans of diced tomatoes
1-1/2 Tbs. Worcestershire
1-1/2 Tbs. Tabasco
1 cup white wine
1 cup water

Combine seasonings and rub the mixture on the ribs. Refrigerate for 24 hours.
Preheat oven to 475º. Place seasoned racks in a shallow roasting pan and roast, uncovered, for 30 minutes (until slightly browned). Turn ribs and cook another 30 minutes.
In the meantime, heat oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat, add garlic and red pepper. Add tomatoes, Worcestershire and Tabasco. Simmer for 30 minutes.
Add wine and water to the sauce and pour over the ribs. Cover and cook for 30 minutes. Remove cover and cook for another 15-20 minutes.

Illustration by Courtney A. Liska

Pretty Good Potato Salad

2 lb. red potatoes, peeled and cut into 1” cubes
2 ribs celery, minced
½ medium red onion, minced
½ cup mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. dill pickle relish
2 Tbsp. finely chopped parsley
1 Tbsp. yellow mustard
1 tsp. kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 hard-cooked eggs, chopped (optional)

Put potatoes in a 6-qt. pot and cover with salted water by 1″. Bring to a boil over high heat; cook until just tender, about 12 minutes. Drain and transfer to a large bowl along with celery and onions. In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, relish, parsley, mustard, salt, and pepper; add to potatoes along with eggs, if using, and toss. Chill.

Photography by Courtney A. Liska

Bookbinder’s Soup

The Cape Cod Room went out of business at the end of last year. It had opened in 1933. I’ve been making Bookbinder’s soup for many years, modifying the original recipe from Bookbinder’s Restaurant in Philadelphia as did the Cape Cod Room to replace snapper turtle with red snapper and using a fish or vegetable stock rather than veal.

10 oz of red snapper fillets
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons flour
2 medium carrots, 2 medium celery ribs, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
8 white peppercorns, crushed
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
dash marjoram
8 cups fish or vegetable stock
salt
a few dashes Tabasco
1/8 cup sherry

Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat; sear and cook snapper fillets for about three minutes a side. Remove fish and reserve.
Melt the butter in the Dutch oven over medium heat and sauté carrots, celery, garlic, onion, and bell pepper for about four minutes. Add the flour; stir the mixture for about five minutes. Stir in peppercorns, bay leaf, tomato paste, thyme, rosemary and marjoram; cook two minutes.
Whisk in the stock until smooth; bring to a boil over high heat; reduce to a low simmer for thirty minutes. Add Tabasco at the fifteen-minute mark, and salt to taste.
Strain the broth, discarding solids and return broth to pot.
Flake reserved snapper and add to the broth along with the sherry.

Photography by Courtney A. Liska

“The Original Caesar’s Salad”

Adapted from Tony’s business card, circa 1980
(For 2 persons)

2 medium heads of hearts of romaine lettuce, chilled, dry, crisp
Garlic-flavored corn oil, ¼ cup
Red wine vinegar, 1 Tablespoon
Juice of half a lemon
Freshly ground pepper
Kosher salt
Dash or two of Worcestershire sauce
Freshly grated parmesan cheese, to taste
Croutons, a handful or two

Cut the lettuce hearts into thirds, discarding the thick stem. Place in a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle with salt and squeeze lemon over the lettuce. Mix. Add vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and 3-4 Tablespoons of parmesan cheese. Mix. Add oil. Mix. Divide between two plates. Top with pepper, croutons and another sprinkling of cheese.

Photography by Courtney A. Liska

Turkey Tetrazzini

This dish has long been a family favorite and what we always have enjoyed on the days after Thanksgiving and Christmas. It has a widely disputed origin, but I like the the version that credits Auguste Escoffier, the great French master chef, with creating the dish for the pasta-loving opera diva, Luisa Tetrazzini.

1/2 roasted turkey breast (about 4 cups), cut into bite-size pieces
8 oz. crimini mushrooms
2 large onions, thinly sliced
8 oz. spaghetti, cooked al dente
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tbs. cream sherry
8 Tbs. butter, divided
1/3 cup flour
1-1/2 cups whole milk, at room temperature

Heat oven to 400°. Butter a 9×13 casserole.

Heat 4 Tbs. butter in a skillet and sauté the onions until soft. Add mushrooms and continue to cook for about 10 minutes. Add sherry.

In another large skillet, melt 4 Tbs. butter over medium-high heat; add 1/3 cup of flour and whisk, making a roux. Slowly add 1-1/2 cups of whole milk, whisking to make a creamy béchamel.

Add turkey, onions, mushrooms, cheese and spaghetti to the béchamel, mixing gently.

Pour into casserole, sprinkle lightly with paprika and bake, covered, for 25-30 minutes. Uncover and bake another 5 minutes. Let rest for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Photo montage by Courtney A. Liska

Spinaci Quatratini

The name is nonsensical (although it might have some specific meaning in a Sicilian dialect), but this simple dish is one of the greatest pasta dishes I’ve ever eaten. I had forgotten all about it.

For two generous servings, slowly saute 3 oz. of prosciutto, thinly sliced and then minced, in butter. Add one finely chopped medium onion, a clove of garlic, a cup of diced tomatoes, and “small amounts” of fresh basil, oregano and black pepper. Cook at a medium-low temperature for 15 minutes or so and add a teaspoon of chicken base (I like the Better Than Bouillon brand) and a cup of water. Add one 10-oz. package of frozen chopped spinach and cook until the spinach is thawed and the sauce is hot.

In the meantime, cook 1/2 pound of dried orecchiette or farfalle pasta (I prefer Di Martino), following the package instructions. Drain and mix the pasta and sauce. Serve with grated Pecorino Romano cheese.

An old-world style Montepulciano would be an excellent wine pairing.

Sicilian Tonno Insalata

This salad, along with some warm focaccia and a glass or two of a good Lambrusco emilia or a lively prosecco from the Veneto, makes a perfect summertime lunch.

Drain two small cans of solid white tuna and mix with 3-4 green onions (sliced thinly on the diagonal), an orange separated into sections, Italian Cerignola black olives, lots of black pepper, a couple of pinches of dried oregano and lots of extra-virgin olive oil. Serve on a bed of bitter greens.

Foccacia

This is my own recipe for the bread I served at each of my restaurants.

1 Tbs. active dry yeast
1 Tbs. sugar
2-1/2 cups warm water
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tsp. granulated garlic
1 Tbs. kosher salt
8-1/2 cups (2#, 4 oz.) flour

Mix yeast, sugar and water; let stand for 10 minutes. Add oil.
Mix flour, garlic and salt, then add to the yeast mixture.
Mix until dough forms. Knead on a floured board 5-8 minutes.
Place dough in a greased bowl; cover and let rise for 1 hour.
Spread dough onto a well-oiled sheet pan or,
divide by four and place in 4, 8″ deep-dish pizza pans.
Dimple surface(s), brush on oil and sprinkle with salt.
Let rise, covered, 30-45 minutes.
Bake at 475º for 14-15 minutes. Serve warm.

Photography by Courtney A. Liska

Meatballs alla Jimmy

I prefer to grind my own meat and whenever possible, I use a mix of 70% chuck and 30% short rib, ground twice through a medium blade. That represents half of the meat mixture. The other half is equal parts of pork and veal, coarsely ground as well.

2# ground beef
1# ground pork
1# ground veal
½ cup flat-leaf parsley
½ cup diced onion
6 cloves garlic, finely minced
¾ cup plain bread crumbs
1½ cups grated parmesan cheese
4-6 eggs
1 cup ice-cold water
Salt & black pepper
A few gratings of fresh nutmeg
1-2 tsp. red pepper flakes

Season the onions and garlic with salt and black pepper and fry in olive oil until soft, but not browned. Let cool. Combine with other ingredients, adding the eggs as needed. Cover and refrigerate overnight to allow the flavors to develop. Form into 2-1/2 ounce spheres (about golf ball size). Bake on a sheet pan for about 20 minutes at 475º.

Tomato Sauce

Heat three tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. And 4-6 cloves of finely minced fresh garlic and a teaspoon of red pepper flakes. When the garlic has softened, crush the contents of one 28-ounce can of San Marzano tomatoes by hand into the garlic and oil. Season with salt and pepper. Let simmer for 20-30 minutes. Just before serving, tear a small bunch of fresh basil leaves and stir into the sauce.

Broccoli Strascinati

¼ c. extra-virgin olive oil
1# broccoli florets or rapini, zucchini
½ medium-sized onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, smashed
½ tsp. red pepper flakes
Salt

Heat oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic until just before turning brown. Remove. Add onion and broccoli; cook, until lightly browned, 6-8 minutes. Add 2 Tbs. water. Cook 2-3 minutes. Add red pepper; cook another 2 minutes. Season with salt.

Photography, inspiration and Italian Groucho mask by Courtney A. Liska