Coq au Riesling

I made a few changes to this dish from Nigella Lawson's column in the New York Times, adding potatoes and shallots, and using prosciutto instead of bacon.

8 ounces lardons or cubed prosciutto
white parts only of 2 large leeks, thinly sliced
1 large shallot, peeled and chopped
8 ounces mushrooms, roughly chopped
10 mini Yukon potatoes, washed but not peeled (the little tiny ones)
10 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
1 bottle riesling wine
1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley

Saute bacon, leeks, shallots, and mushrooms in 2 T olive oil until softened, about 10 minutes. Add chicken pieces and potatoes to pan along with the wine, and bring to a boil. Partially cover, turn heat to low, and simmer for 1 hour.

For best results, cool, and refrigerate overnight. Reheat gently over low heat, sprinkle with parsley before serving.

This was really delicious and hit the spot on a cold autumn night. Plus it was a great make-ahead dish. I love that Nigella Lawson's recipes are so practical for family life!

Oh, and we did have the caipirinhas, for Mama Goose!

Please Help Choose the Menu.....

Okay, so I need a little advice on menu-planning for the weekend. Which sounds like the better option to you on a fall evening when I get home from work and have 30 minutes to pull together dinner for 8 people?

Menu #1
Caesar Salad
Seafood Cioppinno
Garlic Bread
It's It bars
wine: Zinfandel
cocktail: cosmopolitans

Menu #2
Endive and Roquefort Salad
Coq au Vin
Apple tart
wine: Cabernet Sauvignon
cocktail: champagne


Menu #3
Garlic Soup
Seared Tuna sandwiches on Rosemary Bread
Green Beans
Cheesecake
wine: Pinot Noir
cocktail: caipirinhas

Eggplant and Manchego Pizza

Did you know that eggplants were introduced to the Mediterranean from North Africa during the Middle Ages?  That there is no Latin or Greek word for eggplant, only the Romance albergínia, aubergine, berenjena, and beringela, from the Arabic al-badnijan?  (So why do the Italians call it melenzana?) 

(I lost the photos of the eggplant and manchego pizza, and can find only a nice photo of some mozarabic pottery and glass, so I'm trying to tie this all together. We didn't really have a linguistic discussion over this pizza, we just ate it all up and washed it down with some nice Ribera del Duero.)

Eggplant and Manchego Pizza

Ingredients for two 8-inch pizzas:
One eggplant, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup tomato sauce (plain, no added italian seasonings, or basil and onion combo, etc.)
1/4 lb Manchego cheese
1/4 lb Mozzarella cheese
3-4 basil leaves, julienned
Use your favorite pizza crust recipe, like this or this, or use a pre-made crust.  I used a pre-made Vicolo cornmeal crust.


Lay the eggplant slices on a large plate and sprinkle both sides with coarse salt.  Let sit for 30 minutes or so.

After 30 minutes, wipe the salt off the eggplant slices and dredge them lightly in flour.  Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a skillet and fry the eggplant for approximately 5 minutes each side, depending on thickness.  Add additional oil as necessary, but there is no need to submerge the eggplant slices.  Drain the cooked slices on paper towels as you remove them from the skillet.  This can be done an hour or so ahead.


Preheat the oven to 425, or as directed for your pizza dough.

Place your pizza crust(s) on a cookie tray or baking dish, and spread tomato sauce on top.  Sprinkle the Manchego cheese evenly over the pizza, and place as many eggplant slices as fit without overlapping on top.  Sprinkle the mozzarella over the eggplant.

Bake as directed for your pizza crust.  When the pizza smells good and looks lovely, remove from the oven.  Let sit for a minute or two before slicing, seasoning with salt, and sprinkling with basil.  

There are words for basil in Greek (basileus) and Latin (basilicum), by the way.

Geek.

I Miss My Boys

I am away on a work trip, and I really miss my boys.  No one kisses me good night.  No one calls me to get up in the morning.  I have no Coco to hug.  I can't wait to get home tomorrow!

Standing in Line

One of the things that gave me culture shock in my first months in living in Seville is that no one waits in line. Ever.

You don't wait in line to order coffee in the morning, you don't wait in line in the bank. At the market, you don't wait in line, you simply ask the group when you arrive who is the last person there, and then you become the last person until someone arrives after you. When they ask who the last person is, you tell them it was you, and then everyone knows that you are ahead of them, and the conversations about tomatoes, or strawberries, or ham continue.

There is one place, however, where you absolutely must wait in line. If you step out of line, or stand to the side of the person in front of you, or in any other way hint at moving faster than anyone else in the line, someone will yell at you. Tell you to be careful about respecting the line. Put you in your place.

This is when you are waiting for the citybus.

This custom sure was a surprise to me, coming from a city that is very civilized in most aspects, except for riding the bus. In San Francisco, riding the bus can sometimes be a blood sport.

California Girl

I wanted to start a blog about our experiences in Spain, but it seems like I always end up writing about California. I guess I really am just a California girl.



This is San Juan Bautista, one of the Franciscan missions in California. Those padres really knew how to choose a beautiful location!

Once Again, it's International Talk Like a Pirate Day!

What's YOUR Pirate name?

My pirate name is:

Iron Mary Rackham

A pirate's life isn't easy; it takes a tough person. That's okay with you, though, since you a tough person. You have the good fortune of having a good name, since Rackham (pronounced RACKem, not rack-ham) is one of the coolest sounding surnames for a pirate. Arr!

Get your own pirate name from piratequiz.com.
part of the fidius.org network

Life is Like a Handful of Rocks

Life is like a handful of rocks. It's so cool: putting together a collection, moving from one place to the next, grasping as tightly as you can so as not to lose any! Even if you get a little sand under your fingernails, the journey under the sun alongside the waves completes you.

I'm Still Here

Life has gotten a little out of hand these past couple of weeks, but I'm still here. Schools are starting up, routines have changed, people constantly need stuff. I will blog again as soon as I can, most likely about Manchego and Eggplant Pizza. Meanwhile, please watch the documentary short about Erica, a sweet friend. And sign up on the Registry if you can. Too many friends need donors.

Boy Convinces Grandmother to Feed Him Peanut Butter From a Spoon

We live with a boy who loves peanut butter. He would eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, if I let him.



Here he is talking his grandmother into skipping the bread and feeding it to him directly with the spoon. Look how excited he is.



Boy = very happy.

Mama = not so happy!

(photos by Dudley Poston, Jr.)