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.

Vodka Sawce

Yo. The fact that I have not commented on Season 4 of Jersey Shore is ca-razy. First of all: Jersey Shore as a show at all is ridic. Second of all: This group of Eye-talians being filmed in Italy, having never been there before (or any other country for that matter) is ridic. I mean, how many times have they referred to the Duomo as the Vatican or some other prominent Roman architectural location? They don't even know where they are. But who cares? Wherever they are, they manage to find gyms, spray tans, laundromats, and clubs that play house music. And I watch.

I think it is only appropriate to make an Italian-American meal to enjoy while watching the Jersey Shore, even though they are in Italy. Somehow I don't think that the kids are ready for crostini di fegato or pappardelle sulla lepre, so they're probably searching high and low for some chicken parm and sausage and peppas. I figured that penne alla vodka would be perf because they would actually be able to find canned tomatoes in the market (even without being able to speak the language) and you know that the first stop upon arriving in Florence was to the liquor store to stock up on vodka for Ron-Ron Juice. (Nevermind that J-Woww doesn't eat anymore and Snooks will probably have to run up and down the stairs about 50 times to work it all off. Check them out pretending to eat in the photo above!) But hey, I'm not on TV, so I'm going to make a plate and enjoy!



Penne Alla Vodka

Salt
One (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes with their liquid
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
Crushed hot red pepper
1/3 cup vodka
1 pound penne
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus more for serving

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

2. Pour the tomatoes and their liquid into the work bowl of a food processor. Briefly process the tomatoes with a series of quick pulses just until they are finely chopped.

3. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until the garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Lower the work bowl with the tomatoes close to the skillet and carefully (they will splatter) slide the tomatoes into the pan. Bring to a boil, season lightly with salt and crushed red pepper, and boil 2 minutes. Pour in the vodka, lower the heat so the sauce is at a lively simmer, and simmer about 20 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, stir the penne into the boiling water. Bring the water back to a boil, stirring frequently. Cook the pasta, stirring occasionally, until done, 8 to 10 minutes.

5. Just before the pasta is done, pour the cream into the tomato sauce. If the skillet is large enough to accommodate the sauce and pasta, drain the pasta from the boiling water and add it directly to the sauce in the skillet. Bring the sauce and pasta to a boil, stirring to coat the pasta with sauce. Check the seasoning, adding salt and red pepper if necessary.

6. Remove the pot from the heat, sprinkle 1/2 cup of the cheese over the pasta, and toss to mix. Serve immediately, passing additional cheese if you like.

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.

It's a Boy!

Congratulations are in order for my great friends, Katie and Jon, who just gave birth to a healthy baby boy (Katie did the hard part). I couldn't be more excited for them! In their honor, I would like to share the signature cocktail that I created for their baby shower last month.

I got the idea for this drink from the soda called Squirt. I can't seem to find it readily on the east coast, not that I am even a regular soda drinker, but I grew up loving this soda. And since Katie and Jon and I are all from Michigan, I thought it had that insider-y element that great cocktails possess.

Since I was essentially creating a homemade, alcoholic version of the soda (my homage to the amazing makers of Squirt), I thought that a twist on the name was required. Hence, The Little Squirt was born (no pun intended! actually it was). The name was a nod to it's origin as well as a double entendre for the occasion.

Please enjoy the drink (I know I will) and make a toast!

*A note on flavored vodkas (which my recipe calls for): Not all flavored vodkas a very good, or, really ANY good. I've even begun making my own infusions because some of the flavored varieties that are for sale taste downright awful. However, I discovered Danzka grapefruit flavored vodka while traveling abroad a few years ago, and highly recommend it. It's become increasingly difficult to find in NYC so when I'm not able to shop duty free, I will substitute Finlandia grapefruit flavored vodka.



The Little Squirt


2 ounces grapefruit flavored vodka

1 ounce Cointreau or Triple Sec

1 ounce fresh lime juice

1 ounce fresh grapefruit juice

Club Soda

1 strip grapefruit zest


1. Pour the vodka, Cointreau, lime juice and grapefruit juice into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake briskly and pour the contents, including ice, into a highball glass. Top with club soda and stir. Garnish with grapefruit zest.


Alternatively (for The Little Squirt served up):



1. Pour the vodka, Cointreau, lime juice and grapefruit juice into a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake briskly and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with grapefruit zest.

Enjoy!