A Life, Lived

Post no Bills . . .

How is this for a clever bit of street art . . .?

Travel Tuesdays - Rome

Well, I did it.

Next ear it would have been four years since I was last in Italy and I was feeling the tug.

On Friday I checked out the Black Friday airfares and noticed some great deals on flights to Rome.

Yesterday I booked.

A week in Rome in March. I'll be traveling solo since Paul can not get the time off of work (although he never bothered to ask) and as much as I'll miss my favourite traveling companion I'll manage somehow.

So, in honour of my plans, here are some shots from my last trip to Rome . . .

Sunday Pot Roast

Comfort food brings to mind different things for different people.  For some, they crave creamy and decadent like mac n cheese or scalloped potatoes.  Others associate pots of chili  or a rich lasagna  as a homey favorite.  

While all of these are yummy, for me comfort food is a nice roast.

Growing up mom would often make some sort of roast on Sundays. It is a tradition that I continue (although only in cooler weather). While this Perfect Pot Roast is the quintessential hearty (perfect for this time of the year), Sunday dinner, it is also perfect for special occasions and company because not only is it easy, it is JUST. SO. GOOD. 

We made this in the Dutch Oven last week and the results were brilliant. In fact, this pot roast was one of my personal favorites. It isn’t over-the-top  fancy, just hearty, warm and satisfying. With big chunks of carrots and celery and lots of tender mushrooms. The sauce is a fragrant amalgam of red wine, broth and tomato paste with a healthy dose of fresh herbs thrown in.

The porcini mushroom powder provides even more richness.  It’s optional, but it adds a great umami boost to this homestyle pot roast — and it’s so easy to make.   Just buzz dried porcini mushrooms in a spice grinder for a few seconds.

Home-style Pot Roast

2 1/2 pound boneless chuck roast
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
16 ounces button mushrooms thick sliced
1 onion peeled and sliced root to tip into eighths
4 carrots peeled and cut into 1" pieces
2 stalks celery cut into 1" pieces
4 small red skinned potatoes cut into quarters
1 1/4 cups beef broth
2/3 cup red wine
2 tablespoons
1 tablespoon dried mushroom powder
3-4 sprigs of thyme and 3-4 sprigs fresh rosemary tied into a bundle with kitchen twine
2 bay leaves

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

In a large dutch oven, heat the oil over medium high heat.

Use a paper towel to dry all the moisture off the chuck roast. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sear the meat in the dutch oven for 3-4 minutes on each side, until it forms a nice crust. Transfer the meat to a platter and add the mushrooms with a sprinkle of salt. Stir and place the lid on the pan until the mushrooms start to give up their liquid. Cook for 5-8 minutes, stirring occasionally. When most of the liquid has evaporated from the mushrooms, add the onions and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes until crisp tender. Add the chuck roast and any accumulated drippings back to the dutch oven. Add the carrots, celery and potatoes, thyme bundle and bay leaves.

Stir together the broth, red wine and tomato paste and pour over the vegetables. Cover and heat to boiling. Transfer the covered pot to the oven and braise for 2 1/2-3 hours until meat is tender.

For my American Pals . . .

Please have a Trump-free Thanksgiving!

Travel Tuesdays - Rome

Oh my, our friend Valerie is in Rome right now and she has been wowing me with her photos.

Yes, I am very jealous.

Today she was wondering the Galleria Borghese and I am taken with jealousy.

Paul and I spent a day wandering the Borghese and its surroundings gardens before meeting our friend Sandra for a bottle of prosecco at a bar overlooking the Piazza del Popolo on our last day in Rome in 2013.

What a fabulous way to say goodbye to one of my favourite cities!

Veal Marsala

Veal marsala is like spaghetti and meatballs - “Italian-American” fare, not really Italian, but sort of Italian. Due to the massive influx of Italians that immigrated in America, Italian-American cooking takes cues from both cultures.

I’ve never seen veal Marsala in Italy, but it’s popular in America, and is even easier to make than spaghetti and meatballs. And only requires one pan. Even better, in this age of everyone wanting a dish that are fast, easy, and not too rich, veal Marsala checks all those boxes.

Even better - if you are not a big fan of veal, it can be made with chicken.

You season the cutlets before frying them up in a big skillet. The finished dish has mushrooms, a bit of stock, and a good pour of Marsala. The final flourish is a sprinkling of chopped herbs.

Veal Marsala

8 veal cutlets (about 3 ounces each)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 to 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 to 4 tablespoons olive oil
1 large shallot, finely chopped
2 to 4 garlic cloves, smashed
2 ounces assorted mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup sweet Marsala
3/4 cup low-salt chicken broth
Leaves from 1 fresh rosemary sprig

Sprinkle the veal with salt and pepper. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of oil in a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 4 veal cutlets and cook until golden brown, about 1 1/2 minutes per side. Transfer the veal to a plate. Add another tablespoon of butter and oil, if necessary. Repeat with the remaining 4 cutlets. Set the cutlets aside.

Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the skillet. Add the shallot and garlic. Saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add a tablespoon of the olive oil, if necessary. Add the mushrooms and saute until tender and the juices evaporate, about 3 minutes. Season with salt. Add the Marsala. Simmer until the Marsala reduces by half, about 2 minutes. Add the broth and the rosemary leaves. Simmer until reduced by half, about 4 minutes. Return the veal to the skillet. Pour in all of the pan juices. Cook just until heated through, turning to coat, about 1 minute. Stir the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter into the sauce. Season the sauce with salt and pepper, to taste.

Using tongs, transfer the veal to plates. Spoon the sauce over the veal and serve.

Vegetable, Orzo Soup

It has gotten cold here . . . when the weather turns so does my cooking. I cope with the cold by making a big pot of warming soup every Sunday. The one I made this week was ready in only 30 minutes - a bonus. I’m also a fan of this recipe because it’s packed full of fresh vegetables.

The recipe was on the Gimmee Some Oven blog. The author called it 'Italian Orzo Spinach Soup. There is nothing really Italian about it so I changed the name. I also subbed kale for the spinach since I had a bunch from the CSA that needed to be eaten up.

This was a perfect soup to start 'soup season' with. Just saute your veggies, then let everything simmer until the pasta is al dente and it is ready to serve.

Vegetable, Orzo Soup

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small white onion, peeled and diced
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced celery
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 (14-ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
1 1/2 cups (about 8 ounces) orzo
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
4 cups loosely-packed spinach
salt and black pepper
optional toppings: freshly-grated Parmesan cheese, crushed red pepper flakes

Heat oil in a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute for 4 minutes, until soft. Add carrots, celery and garlic and saute for an additional 3 minutes. Add chicken stock, tomatoes, orzo (pasta), thyme, oregano, rosemary and stir to combine. Bring soup to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is al dente.

Stir in the spinach and cook for 1-2 minutes until it is bright green and wilted. Taste, and season with salt and black pepper as needed.

Serve warm, garnished with your desired toppings.

Travel Tuesday - Greece

The season is zooming quickly towards winter. We have had our fireplace on. The warm clothing has been brought out of storag. It won't be long before the snow flies.

I am heading to the beach in order to deal with the cold!

When Politics Get to be too Much!

A friend of mine from California posted this. Given the state of the political discourse in the US these days I can appreciate the feeling.

Apple Crisp

Apple crisp is a classic fall dessert consisting of baked chopped apples, topped with a crisp streusel crust. Ingredients usually include cooked apples, butter, sugar, flour, cinnamon, and often oats and brown sugar, ginger, and/or nutmeg. Comfort in a bowl!

I do not normally follow a recipe when I make apple crisp - it is one of those tried and true things that I just whip together but I did last Sunday. I found this recipe on the Ricardo website and thought that it looked good. I actually followed the recipe which is rare for something like this. The result was delicious.

We served it warm with some vanilla ice cream. MMMMM

Apple Crisp

1/4 cup (60 ml) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (60 ml) brown sugar
1/3 cup (75 ml) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup (125 ml) brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) ground cinnamon
3 Cortland apples, peeled and sliced
3 McIntosh apples, peeled and sliced
1 tablespoon (15 ml) lemon juice

With the rack in the lowest position, preheat the oven to 180 °C (350 °F).

In a bowl, combine the oats, flour, and brown sugar. Add the butter and stir to combine. Set aside.

In another bowl, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon. Add the apples and lemon juice and stir to combine.

Spoon into a 20-cm (8-inch) square baking dish. Cover with the topping. Bake for about 50 minutes. Let cool.

Serve warm or at room temperature. Delicious with vanilla ice cream.