Sun Dried

So I'm a little behind on my Mad Men viewing and blogging as I have been out of town, and will actually be missing in action again next week/end. (When I am occasionally cooking and not blogging, I can usually be found on Instagram as tinanders.) I think my next trip will provide some exceptional food and drink research. At least that is what I am calling it. Stay tuned!  

Anyhoo, my recent travels brought me to Colorado where I have been many times before, but this was my first time to Red Rocks Amphitheatre, probably most recognizable for the U2 Sunday Bloody Sunday video below.



Apparently when the amphitheater is not host to a concert, the venue turns into a personal outdoor gym! #onlyincolorado. I mean...I walked down to the stage and just stood there watching the insanity before me like it was some kind of performance art. It was mesmerizing! Dudes (and chicks) were jumping up the amphitheater seats, then crawling down, then hoisting themselves up the banks along the outskirts then running back down to do a million pull ups...and on and on and on! All at 6400 feet! I was exhausted just watching so adjorned to nearby Morrison for a few margaritas. And now that I am back home without much in the way of food, I scrounged up a few dry ingredients to make this sundried tomato pesto, a great topping on sandwiches, pastas or even eggs. And strangely the color of red rocks. A happy accident!

Sun Dried Tomato Pesto

1 cup drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes (about 6 ounces)
1/2 cup grated Romano cheese or Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil or 1 tablespoon dried
2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
3 garlic cloves
3/4 cup olive oil
3/4 pound linguine pasta

1. Combine sun-dried tomatoes, Romano cheese, basil, pine nuts and garlic in food processor. With machine running, gradually add olive oil and process until smooth paste forms. (Can be made prepared 2 weeks ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

2. Cook linguine in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid. Combine 3/4 cup tomato pesto with reserved cooking liquid in same pot. Add linguine and toss over medium-high heat to coat, adding more pesto, if desired. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.

Mad Men Again. WWDD?

So it seems like my drink of choice last week should have been a Royal Mai Tai based on the Mad Men season premiere that opened at The Royal Hawaiian hotel. I have to admit that I totally love that hotel, in spite of the less than exotic location of Waikiki beach. It actually just makes me think of The Brady Bunch and the infamous tiki doll. Love that ep.

But I digress. I am working my way through the Mad Men cocktail list and tonight will be enjoying a French 75, supposedly the creation of Henry from Henry's Bar in Paris during the First World War. It can be served on the rocks or strained into a Champagne flute. I like to serve salty snacks any time I serve Champagne or a Champagne cocktail so you might want to try these zucchini fritters, especially later this summer when you can't seem to get rid of all of the zucchini that comes your way. WWDD? (What Would Don Do?) Smoke a cigarette and drink...alot.

Zucchini Fritters

3 medium zucchini (about 1 1/2 pounds), coarsely shredded
Kosher salt
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup chopped dill
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons chopped mint
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
Freshly ground pepper
Vegetable oil, for frying
1 medium cucumber—peeled, halved, seeded and coarsely chopped
1 cup Greek-style plain yogurt

1. Using the large holes of a box grater, grate the zucchini into a medium bowl. Add 1 tablespoon salt, toss and let stand for 5 minutes. Squeeze out as much liquid as possible (press into the sides of a mesh strainer) and transfer the zucchini to a large bowl. Stir in the eggs, flour, chopped dill, parsley, mint, feta, and pepper. Mix to combine. 

2. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat until the oil sizzles when you drop a small amount of zucchini mixture into the pan. Carefully drop about 2 tablespoons zucchini mixture into the pan. Repeat, spacing the fritters a few inches apart.

3. Cook the fritters until golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Lower the heat to medium. Turn the fritters, and continue cooking until golden, 2 to 3 minutes more. Transfer the fritters to a plate; set aside on a warm place. Cook the remaining zucchini mixture, adding more oil to pan if necessary. Garnish with parsley sprigs and lemon wedges, if desired. Serve.

OPTIONAL: In a food processor, coarsely puree the chopped cucumber. Transfer to a medium bowl. Stir in the yogurt and the remaining 2 tablespoons of mint and season with salt and pepper. Serve with the fritters.

French 75

1 ounce simple syrup
1 ounce fresh lemon juice
2 ounces gin
4 ounces chilled Champagne

1. Combine the first three ingredients into an ice-filled martini shaker. Shake vigorously and strain into a Champagne flute. Top with Champagne, and garnish with a lemon peel.

Maddening Men

I'm so excited for the season six premiere of Mad Men (it's been a year - WTF??) that I had to make a drink from the suggested cocktail list. (Side note: I've read no reviews so that I will be surprised by any and all of the revelations to come.) Since there is no way to know in what year we will find Don Draper and what he will be drinking, I decided to go for a whiskey sour. He does appear to be drinking a Old Fashioned in the sneak peak photo below, but close enough! So light a cigarette (gross!), grab a bottle of whiskey and enjoy. Cheers!

Whiskey Sour

2 oz whiskey
½ oz fresh lemon juice
½ oz tsp sugar
1 cherry
½ lemon slice

Put all ingredients in mixing glass and add ice cubes. Strain into highball glass. Add lemon slice and cherry to garnish.

Don Draper photos from AMCTV.com

Go Blue!

I'm still feeling March Madness even though it's April. You may be surprised to find out that I will be glued to the TV today, watching the last four teams in the NCAA tournament play this afternoon and evening, paying particular attention to the Wolverines. CBS Sports is predicting Michigan and Louisville in the finals. That would be spectacular. But whatever way the ball bounces, I have enjoyed the tournament and getting to know Coach Beilein a little better through this great read.

I haven't thought specifically about sporty snacks for your game day watching (particularly with the Season 6 Mad Men premiere looming!) so I tried to come up with some inspiration from my existing maize and blue highlight reel below, though I was hard pressed to come up with any blue food! No, not gold and navy or yellow and royal. Maize and blue. Hail!

Fresh Corn Salad

Smoked Garlic Aioli

Blueberry Crumb Pie

Lemon Bars

Lemon Tart

Buttermilk Biscuits

Mixed Berry Crumble

Rustic Berry Tart

Limoncello

Chardonnay Poulet

I'm not a super big fan of a classic coq au vin, but I did find something intriguing about the coq au vin blanc recipe that ran recently in The New York Times as an accompaniment to an article on Oregon Chardonnays. (That's not a run-on sentence or anything.) The idea of making the recipe with white wine and oyster mushrooms just sounded lighter and more spring-like than the more classically heavy winter dish. Flo Fab left out the pork, but c'mon, how can I not include it, especially when cooking with my partner in crime, Chad?) You can read about some of our other cooking adventures here, here, here and here.) This was one of the tastier recipes that we have made in a long time. Aside from the pain in the neck step of blanching and peeling the pearl onions (maybe you can find them frozen?) it was a pretty straightforward, uncomplicated recipe with outstanding results. (Unlike my photos.) And like last week's Mad Men season premiere, it goes quite nicely with Zou Bisou Bisou.

Coq au Vin Blanc

1 tablespoon grape-seed or canola oil
1 (3 1/2-pound) chicken, in 10 pieces without backbone, dried
Salt and ground white pepper
8 ounces white pearl onions, blanched 3 minutes and peeled
8 ounces pork belly, roughly chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
4 cloves garlic, sliced
9 ounces oyster mushrooms, trimmed, clumps separated (or mixed wild mushrooms)
1 cup Chardonnay
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons butter (unsalted or black truffle)
1 tablespoon minced tarragon

1. Heat the oil on medium-high in a 4-quart stove top casserole or sauté pan. Add the chicken, skin side down, as many pieces as fit comfortably. Cook until lightly browned, season with salt and pepper and turn to brown the other side. Remove to a platter when browned and repeat with the remaining chicken.

2. Add the pork belly to the casserole and cook until lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Remove to a dish.

3. Add the pearl onions to the casserole and toss in the fat until lightly browned. Remove to a dish. Reduce the heat to low. Add the chopped onion, celery and garlic, cook until softened, about 5 minutes, and then stir in the mushrooms. When the mushrooms wilt, add the wine, increase the heat to medium, bring to a simmer and season with salt, pepper and lemon juice. Return the chicken to the casserole with any accumulated juices, baste, cover and cook for 30 minutes, basting a few more times.

4. Remove the chicken to a platter. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook the sauce and mushrooms about 5 minutes, until the sauce thickens slightly. Lower the heat and add the pearl onions and butter. When the butter melts, check the seasonings, return the chicken to the casserole, baste and simmer for a few minutes. Serve from the casserole or transfer to a deep platter. Scatter the tarragon on top before serving. Makes 4 servings. Serve with crusty bread to dip in the sauce.

Mad World

Mad Men is back! And I have no memory of what happened on the season finale! Good thing I have On Demand and was able to watch the end of last season (on Friday when I was laying prone on the couch struck down with food poisoning-ugh). The Season 4 finale did happen over 17 months ago, so I think it's valid to have forgotten a few of the plot points. I wonder if 1960s advertising execs ever forgot the basic elements of their pitches after they had those 4 martini lunches...and the occasional (frequent!) dip into the office bar.

Speaking of which, you might as well whip up some martinis and a few of these snacks for the 9:00 pm Season 5 debut tonight! Martini purists would scoff at my use of vodka and would probably gag at the blue cheese stuffed olives, but I think it's a clever way to have an appetizer and drink all in one! (Truth: I didn't invent this recipe, I just particularly like it!) I opted for an American classic, Maytag blue cheese, to keep it 1960s real. And just be sure to look for olives that are packed in a water based liquid vs. olives packed in oil, otherwise you will end up with an oil slick on top of your drink. So not Mad Men chic.

The Mad Men Maytag Martini

Maytag blue cheese (or similar blue)

Green olives, pitted and drained, olive brine reserved

2 1/2 ounces top shelf vodka
Dash dry vermouth, or to taste
Splash olive brine, or to taste

1. Fill a martini glass with ice water; set aside. Stuff each olive with cheese. Skewer 2 or 3 olives onto cocktail picks; set aside.

2. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and add the vodka, vermouth, and olive brine. Shake for 1 minute. Dump the ice water out of the glass. Strain into the chilled martini glass and garnish with the cheese stuffed olives. Serve immediately. Makes one drink.

Show Me Your Teeth!

In my mad rush to take advantage of any and all remaining seasonal produce, I grabbed a giant bushel of basil from my local farmers' market and a few ears of corn (just cuz) though I had no idea what I was going to do with any of it. Sadly the basil had wilted from being out in the heat all day, but I managed to revive it! All you have to do is get a sturdy glass or similar vessel (I used a 2-cup Pyrex measuring cup), fill it with an inch or two of cold water, place the bouquet of basil into it, stems first, cover it loosely with a plastic bag, and stick it in your fridge for an hour or so. It totally came back to life and was ready to be sacrificed for a vat of pesto!

Since I still had quite a bit of basil left, I decided to make a basil infused simple syrup so that I could make a refreshing end of summer drink that would be great for sipping on while watching Mad Men or for your end of summer Labor Day bbq. If you wanted to serve this over the rocks instead, you could skip the simple syrup and basically make it like you would a Mojito, muddling some sugar with lemons and basil, then topping it off with some vodka and ice before serving. Actually, I think I'm totally going to try that. I wonder if you would get more of the basil flavor and fragrance making it that way than you do from this simple syrup...Well, at least with my recipe you won't have to worry about errant leaves getting stuck in your teeth. Not cute.

Bitter Basiltini

2 ounces vodka
1 ounce basil simple syrup (see recipe below)
1 ounce fresh lemon juice
4 - 5 dashes of Lemon Bitters
Basil leaves for garnish

1. Pour the vodka, simple syrup, lemon juice, and bitters into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake briskly and then strain into a martini glass. Garnish with basil.



Basil Simple Syrup

1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves

1. Stir together the ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, and cook for 1 minute until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat, and let stand for 30 minutes.

2. Pour the liquid through a wire-mesh strainer into an airtight container, discarding the basil. Cover and chill. The syrup may be stored in refrigerator for up to 1 month.

Countdown

This weekend I'll be hitting the beach for the first time all summer. That's right. First. Time. And it's nearly August. I'm busy, yo! So peace out until Sunday, the best day of the whole year when I'll be back on my couch with my brand spankin' new A/C cranked up on high watching the season premiere of MAD MEN right after a new ep of True Blood!!! This weekend couldn't get any better! Start pre-partying with a couple of my favorite MM/TB cocktail recipes here, here, and here. 55 hours to go!

Truly Mad

Sunday nights just got better! Have the Monday night blues? Not anymore! Now you can watch an episode of True Blood followed by Mad Men! Outstanding. (What? Do I watch too much TV? I didn't even mention Entourage...)

Don't forget to madmenyourself. I chose a vampy red dress and red lipstick for my Mad Men avatar so that she could easily transition from vampires to blood sucking advertising execs, all while clutching a vodka gimlet. (Actually I believe she's pictured with a martini, but I think she'd really be drinking a gimlet - vodka not gin).

Goat cheese stuffed Peppadew peppers

What to serve while enjoying this bounty of television goodness? Why not start with a refreshing Bloody Bellini and then snack on some goat cheese stuffed Peppadew peppers and True Blood Tomato Toast?

When you're ready to switch from bloody bubbles to some serious Stoli, whip up a few vodka gimlets. I think that gin gimlets are the real classics, but vodka gimlets were also popular during the Mad Men era. Some recipes use fresh limes, some use Rose's lime juice. I rather like the version that appeared in the NY Times this week. It incorporates fresh limes and a tiny bit of sugar, essentially a fresh version of Rose's.

Vodka Gimlet
1 1/2 ounces vodka (3 tablespoons)
1/2 ounce fresh lime juice (1 tablespoon)
1 teaspoon sugar

Place all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake well. Strain into a shilled cocktail glass. Makes one drink.

But don't get carried away with those gimlets! There's still a whole hour of television. I consulted my vintage cookbooks for appetizer ideas and while I could have made a classic "relish" tray, it sounded too healthy (well, in comparison to the deviled ham and cheese balls). I liked the idea of a canapé (mostly because it sounds so retro...and I had the ingredients) served alongside a classic shrimp cocktail.

Cheese and Tomato Canapés

Cover the canapé base (melba toast or other cracker) with a slice of yellow cheese. Place thick slices cut from a small tomato on the cheese. Arrange the rounds on a small shallow pan and place under the broiler until the cheese melts and the tomatoes begin to brown. Garnish with a sprig of parsley. Serve hot.

Shrimp Cocktail

Place chilled, cooked shrimp in cocktail glasses and cover with cocktail sauce. Serve lemon wedges on the side if desired. (I could have made my own cocktail sauce, but I was lazy and just bought a bottle. Make sure it's cold when you serve it.)

Bottoms up!

Vodka Gimlet

Tomato Cheese Canapés

Shrimp Cocktail