Sandradi’s Blog

Saint Augustine

 Saint Augustine, our most philosophical and prolific Saint, was born in 354 AD in Thagaste, a provincial Roman city in North Africa, what is now a part of Algeria. The Roman inhabitants of this territory were thoroughly Romanized citizen but very likely linked biologically to the North African Berbers. There are many African saints who exerted a great influence in the early church. Saint Augustine’s mother, Saint Monica, was a North African  Christian, his father was a minor Roman official.  The food of North Africa has always been sophisticated in its use of spices and fresh ingredients. Indeed, when the Romans conquered that part of the world, they introduced many North African ingredients into their own cuisine. Below is a carrot recipe using the same flavors available to those who lived in the time of Saint Augustine.

I’ve been finding the most amazing carrots this summer at my local greenmarket, not only the standard orange ones, but ones in deep crimson, yellow, and dark burgundy. Seeing these carrots reminded my of a beautiful North African carrot salad that I hadn’t made in a long time. It’s traditionally seasoned with cumin, cinnamon, spicy paprika, a touch of sugar and fresh mint. You can add black olives or dates, depending on whether you want to sway it in the sweet or savory direction. It seemed like the perfect recipe to celebrate August 28th, Augustine’s Saint day. If you can find any of these heirloom carrot varieties, try making this fragrant salad with a mix of colors, but it’s also quite beautiful and delicious made with all orange carrots. This salad goes very nicely with grilled lamb and a side of cous cous.

 Carrot Salad with Cinnamon, Cumin, and Fresh Mint

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into rounds, on an angle

2 summer garlic cloves, peeled

1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon medium spicy paprika

Salt

Extra virgin olive oil

A handful of black Moroccan olives

A handful of fresh mint leaves

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and the butter over medium heat. When hot add the carrots and the garlic cloves and sauté a minute to release the garlic’s flavor. Add the sugar, cumin, cinnamon, paprika, and a little salt and sauté a minute longer to deepen the flavors of all the spices. Add a splash of warm water to the skillet and cover it, letting the carrots steam cook until just tender but not falling about, about 6 minutes or so. Give them a stir from time to time and add a little more water if the skillet becomes completely dry. When done, they should have a nice glaze on them. Transfer to a serving bowl. Add the olives and scatter on the mint leaves. Serve hot or warm.

 By chef and food writer Erica De Mane. Please check out her food blog at www.ericademane.com

The Feast of Santiago

The feast day of Santiago, or St. James the Greater, the patron Saint of Spain is celebrated on July 25th with a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, the holy sight in Galicia, Spain where the Saint’s remains are said to be buried.

One of the original twelve apostles,  St. James was sent to Iberia as an evangelist. Upon his return to Jeruslaem, he was killed by Herod Agrippa the First. His disciples then carried his body by sea to back Iberia, where they landed at Padron, on the coast of Galicia, and then took his remains inland for burial at Santiago de Compostela. Due to his return to Spain by sea, his symbol has always been the cockle or scallop shell and pilgrims often wear this symbol on their hats or clothes.

Coquille St. Jacques, ‘cockle of Saint James’ is a popular French dish in honor of the Saint. It’s a dish of broiled scallops served in their shell, often topped with a béchamel sauce and a little Gruyere. It’s very popular in bistros throughout France, but since Santiago’s holy sight is in Galicia I thought a dish from that region would be a more fitting tribute to this popular Saint. In Galicia the local scallop is called vierias, the pilgrim’s scallop, in honor of Saint James. They’re eaten broiled in their large shells with garlic, parsley and sherry or white Albarino wine. Since scallops with their shells still intact are hard to find in the U.S., I’ve chosen a cockle recipe instead. The tiny New Zealand cockles you find in many American fish shops are perfect for this.

Cockles with Spanish Sherry and Almonds

(Serves four as a first course)

Extra virgin olive oil, preferably a Spanish brand

3 fresh summer garlic cloves, thinly sliced

2 pounds cockles, well washed (discard any that are opened)

¼ teaspoon Piementon de la Vera (Spanish smoked paprika)

Salt

½ cup Spanish Fino sherry

1 fresh bay leaf

The leaves from 8 thyme sprigs

¼ cup sliced, blanched almonds, lightly toasted

A handful of flat leaf parsley leaves

In a large pot, heat about 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium flame. Add the garlic and let it turn very lightly golden. Add the cockles, the paprika, and a little salt. Give the cockles a quick stir and then add the sherry and the bay leaf. Cook, uncovered, stirring frequently until the cockles have opened, about 4 minutes or so. Add the thyme and stir it in.

Pour the cockles, with all their cooking juices into a large serving bowl. Give them a generous drizzle of fresh olive oil and garnish with the toasted almonds and the parsley leaves.

Serve with crusty bread and glasses of white Spanish wine such as an Albarino from Galicia.

Dining with the Saints, written by Erica De Mane, is a monthly feature on novena.co. If you like, you can also check out www.ericademane.com, her blog on Southern Italian cooking.

In Honor of St. Anthony of Padua

Frisee Salad with Strawberries, Basil, and Warm Goat Cheese

Saint Rita of Cascia

 Saint Rita of Cascia was born in the 14th century in the beautiful, hilly countryside of Umbria in Central Italy. Some years ago when I visited the neighboring town of Norcia, I noticed a lovely statue dedicated to her in the town square. In Cascia itself, a huge shrine to the Saint was built in the early 20th century, and you can still visit the house where she was born. Her feast day is celebrated on May 22.

 Saint Rita came to be associated with roses and with fresh figs, both of which are placed on altars to celebrate her Saint’s day. Evidently near the end of her life, when Saint Rita was bedridden in the convent, a cousin visited her and asked if she desired anything from her old home. Saint Rita said she would like to have a rose and a fresh fig from the garden. Since it was January her cousin didn’t expect to find either. However when her cousin went to the house she discovered, in the little snow covered garden, a single blooming rose as well as a fully ripened, edible fig, both of which she brought back to Saint Rita.

 Coincidently fresh figs come into the market right around May 22 (and in California their season extends into January, so possibly this story is not unfeasible). I thought a great way to celebrate St. Rita’s feast day would be by preparing this salad which incorporates some of May’s most fragrant and beautiful produce; fresh figs, chives, mint, and watercress.

 Green Fig Salad with Watercress, Chives, and Mint

  (Serves two)

 1 large bunch of watercress, thick stems removed

5 fresh green figs (or use the black skinned variety if you wish), cut in half

About 10 chives, chopped (with blossoms if available)

1 small shallot, very thinly sliced

A dozen fresh mint leaves

The grated zest and juice from ½ a lemon

A pinch of sugar

Salt

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Freshly ground black pepper

A small chunk of Parmigiano Regggiano

Place the watercress in a medium salad bowl. Add the figs, the chives (and blossoms if you have them), shallot, and mint leaves.

 In a small bowl whisk together the lemon juice and zest, sugar, a little salt, and the olive oil.

 Grind some black pepper over the salad and the pour on the dressing. Toss gently. Shave some thin slices of Parmigiano over the top and serve.

 Dining with the Saints is written by Erica De Mane. Her food blog can be found at www.ericademane.com

A Roman Easter Dinner

Roman Easter food has always had a big allure for me. It’s creative, seasonal Italian cooking at its best. Lamb, ricotta, eggs, artichokes, asparagus, shell peas, favas, and wheat all play a part in the Easter feast and Roman springtime celebrations. These are rich tastes, but their youth and greenness makes them renewing to the spirit, which is just what I want around this time of year.

Here’s a Roman dish that I absolutely love since it highlights the beauty of spring asparagus, and I can’t imagine Easter without asparagus (even though they’re not quite in season here yet, but California imports are pretty decent). Here you’re bringing together a few simple ingredients, asparagus, eggs, pecorino, guanciale, a handful of herbs, to create a very opulent dish. Since you leave the egg yolks soft they run all over the asparagus and the guanciale, creating a cheesy, eggy sauce. Really nice. I think it’s a great first course before another classic Roman Easter dish, braised lamb with fresh green peas. Here’s my recipe for that if you’d like to give it a try: http://ericademane.com/2002/05/05/agnello-alla-cacciatore/.

Easter Eggs with Asparagus, Guanciale, and Pecorino

 (Serves four as a first course)

1 large bunch of medium thick asparagus, trimmed and peeled

Extra virgin olive oil

1/3 cup well chopped guanciale (you can use pancetta instead)

2 garlic cloves, peeled and lightly crushed

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

The juice from ½ a large lemon

4 extra large eggs

1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano (get the best you can find, something that’s not overly salty)

A few chives, chopped

A few large sprigs of fresh mint, leaves left whole

Set up a pot of water and bring it to a boil. Drop in the asparagus and blanch for about 4 minutes. Drain the asparagus in a colander and then run them under cold water to stop the cooking and set their green color. Drain well.

Lay the asparagus out in a shallow baking dish.

In a large skillet heat a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add the guanciale and let it get crisp and give up its fat. Add the garlic and sauté a minute longer, just to release its flavor.

Remove the crisp guanciale bits from the skillet with a slotted spoon and scatter them over the asparagus. Discard the garlic. Season the asparagus with salt, black pepper, and the lemon juice. Reserve the guanciale cooking fat.

Poach the eggs in just simmering, lightly salted water until the whites are set but the yolks are still runny. Scoop them from the water with a slotted spoon, resting them on paper towels for a moment to blot excess water, and arrange them on the asparagus. Spoon a little of the guanciale cooking fat over the eggs (an important step for flavor) and season them with salt and black pepper.

Sprinkle on the pecorino and run the dish under a broiler until the cheese just starts to melt, about a minute or so. Garnish with the chives and the mint. Serve right away.

Dining With the Saints is a monthly column written by chef and writer Erica DeMane.

Erica DeMane.com

Image: “Resurrection” mural by Piero Della Francesca  1463 – 65

St. Patrick’s Day

Baked Salmon with White Wine, Cream, and Capers

A  SAINT VALENTINE’S DAY DINNER

Saint Valentine, the Saint associated with marriage and love, has a very special place in the hearts of the people of Roquemaure, and small town in the Vaucluse region of Provence, France. In 1868 the town welcomed the Saint’s relics into their town in an effort to cure their terribly blight infested vineyards. Every year since the arrival of the holy relics, the town holds a huge festival, starting on the Saint’s feast day of February 14 and lasting three days. Couples promenade through the town square in 19th century attire, and there is much period dancing and live music, all dedicated to the theme of love. Kids play traditional 19th century games, and basket makers set up their stalls to demonstrate their craft. Barrel organs are on every street corner, and horse drawn carriages carry residents and tourists,dressed head to toe in the fashions of St. Valentine’s Day, through the town. This area now produces some of Provence’s best red wine and much of it is consumed during this cold weather, outdoor festival.

The St. Valentine’s festival also coincides with the black truffle season in the Vaucluse, where truffle hunters spend hours in the chilly Provence woods with their truffle hunting pigs or dogs, searching for these expensive prized tubers. Truffles have always been a culinary symbol of romance and an offering of love.

Black truffles are prepared simply so their beautiful perfume is not masked by competing flavors. In the Vaucluse shaving truffles over boiled potatoes drizzled with olive oil is a standard treatment, so is shaving them onto creamy scrambled eggs. But my favorite is a dish of egg pasta, tossed simply with butter and fine Provencal olive oil and topped with thin shavings of the Vaucluse truffle. If you really want to woo your lover, Provence style, try this simple but extravagant recipe.

Tagliatelle with Black Truffles, Vaucluse Style

(Serves two)

½ pound fresh tagliatelle pasta

Salt

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, from Provence, if possible

A few sprigs flat leaf parsley, leaves lightly chopped

1 ½ to 2 ounces fresh black truffle

Freshly ground black pepper

Put up a pot of pasta cooking water and bring it to a boil. Season it with a generous amount of salt.

Warm a pasta serving bowl and have it close at hand.

Drop the tagliatelle into the water and cook until just tender. The fresher the pasta the shorter the cooking time. Just made egg pasta can take as little as a minute. Store bought, fresh pasta tends to be slightly firmer and might take about 3 minutes. When tender, drain the pasta, leaving a little water clinging to it, and pour it into the serving bowl. Add the butter and olive oil, the parsley, a few big grindings of black pepper, and a pinch of salt, and toss until the pasta is well coated. With a vegetable scraper or a truffle shaver, shave the black truffle over the top. Serve right away.

By Erica De Mane, chef and cookbook writer

www.ericademane.com

More about Saint Valentine.

The Feast of Sant’ Antonio Abate

 Sant’Antonio Abate (Saint Anthony the Abbot, born 251 in Egypt) is the protector of domestic animals, so in Italy on his feast day, January 17, all kinds of pets and farm animals go to be blessed in church. Donkeys, geese, cats, monkeys, goats, parrots, all arrive at the door of the church carried or escorted by their owners and often decorated in ribbons, bells, and bows.

 As the protector of animals, Sant’Antonio Abate is usually depicted accompanied by a large domestic pig. This part of his iconography is said to stem from his success in healing inflammatory skin diseases. The traditional treatment for these ailments were pork fat. However, his feast day in Italy also serves as the bittersweet slaughter day for the family pig, one that has been fattened all year just for the occasion. It’s a huge ritual throughout rural Italy, and the pig provides food for an entire family for the whole year.

 January 17 is always celebrated with pork dishes. In Piemonte they prepare sausages with red wine and lentils, or a pork loin piccata. No part of the pig is wasted. The lungs, brains, and liver are made into a fritto misto. Fennel-flavored sausages are made in Tuscany, and in the South, in Puglia and Calabria, they always serve their famous coppa, a cured pork loin seasoned with either hot peppers or sweet spices. Pork ragú, served with pasta or polenta, is often another highlight of the huge pork-focused feast, as is sanguinaccio, a sweet blood pudding. Sanguinaccio sounds peculiar, but it’s quite delicious. It can be flavored, depending on the region, with cinnamon, chocolate, nutmeg, Marsala, raisins, pine nuts, pistachios, or red wine.

 Here’s a pork braciole recipe inspired by the cooking of the Abruzzi region. Try it if you’d like to celebrate your own feast of Saint Anthony.

Pork Braciole with Provolone, Parsley, and Capers

(Serves 4)

    1 garlic clove

    A large bunch of flat-leaf parsley, stemmed (about a cup of packed leaves), plus a small handful of whole leaves reserved for garnish

    A large handful of salt-packed capers, soaked for about 20 minutes in several changes of water and rinsed

    3/4 cup grated provolone cheese (try to find a imported Southern Italian cheese, not a domestic brand, which can be salty and lacking in finesse)

    Salt

    A few pinches of ground cayenne pepper

    Extra-virgin olive oil

    About 3 pounds of pork, cut for braciole (into thinly sliced rectangular pieces. The shoulder cut is best.

    3 medium shallots, cut into small dice

    2 cloves, ground to a powder in a mortar and pestle

    A bay leaf

    A wineglass of dry white wine

    A 35-ounce can of plum tomatoes, well chopped, with the juice

    Kitchen string for tieing the braciole

 Place the garlic, parsley, and capers in the bowl of a food processor and pulse briefly until roughly chopped (you don’t want a paste). Transfer the mixture into a small bowl and add the grated provolone, a pinch of salt (not much, since the cheese and capers will be slightly salty), the cayenne pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil. Mix everything together.

 Lay the pork slices out on a work surface. Spoon a heaping tablespoon of filling onto each slice and spread it out to about 1/4 inch from the end all around. Roll up the braciole lengthwise and tie each in about 3 or 4 places with string. They’ll look like they’re a lot of meat, but they’ll shrink down considerably during cooking.

 Choose a casserole fitted with a lid and big enough to hold all the braciole and the sauce. Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in it over medium heat. Season the braciole with salt and a pinch of cayenne and place them in the casserole. Take your time to brown them well all over (the browning will add great flavor to the sauce). Scatter on the shallots and season the meat with the ground cloves. Sauté a few minutes longer, just until the shallots have softened and given off flavor.

 Add the white wine and let it boil for a couple of minutes, scraping up any cooked-on juices from the bottom of the casserole. Add the tomatoes and a pinch more salt. The braciole should be almost completely covered by the liquid (just poking out a little); if they’re not, add a bit of warm water. Cover the casserole, lower the heat, and simmer, turning the braciole occasionally, until they are very tender, about 2 hours. You’ll need to skim the surface once or twice during cooking. Uncover the casserole for the last half hour of cooking so the sauce can reduce.

 When you’re ready to serve the braciole, lift them from the casserole onto a cutting surface. The sauce should be reduced to a medium thickness (it is not meant to be a dense tomato sauce). If it seems a little too liquid, boil it over high heat for a few minutes. You also may need to give the surface a quick skim. Taste for seasoning, adding another little pinch of cayenne pepper if you like and a little salt if needed. Remove the string from the braciole, and cut them into approximately 1/4-inch slices on a slight angle. Place them on a warmed serving plate and spoon a little of the sauce over the top (you can pour the remaining sauce into a small serving bowl and bring it to the table). Garnish the plate with the whole parsley leaves.

 It’s customary to serve pasta dressed with the braciole sauce as a first course and then serve the meat second. You can certainly do this if you like, but I prefer to forgo the pasta and instead offer a dish of roasted potatoes or rice, bringing the extra sauce to the table so guests can use it to pour on the rice or to sop it up with bread.

 ‘Dining With the Saints’ is a monthly column written by Writer and Chef Erica DeMane. EricaDeMane.com

Images: Top, a poster for one of the thousands of local festivals celebrating Saint Anthony the Abbott from Italy.  Bottom: Italian Holy Card

All Souls Day

 November 2nd is All Souls Day, or Day of the Dead as it’s commonly called in Mexico, where it’s one of the most important religious events of the year. Mexicans travel miles to take food and flowers to the graves of their departed relatives. As morbid as this sounds, it’s usually a day of great celebration, as families reunite, catch up on gossip, and eat and drink together. Altars are set up in private homes, elaborately decorated with candles, photos of their dead relatives, skulls, crosses, huge bouquets of flowers, fresh fruit of all kinds, and Pan de Muertos, breads flavored with orange flower water and shaped into skulls and bones. Tomales, chicken mole, chunks of Mexican chocolate, even cans of soda, beer, and cigarettes are left at the altar in honor of the departed.

To celebrate your own All Souls Day, Mexican style, you might like to try this elegant chicken dish made with almonds, raisins, and hot and sweet spices. It’s a lot simpler than many of the Mexican mole sauces often cooked with chicken, but it’s hauntingly delicious with a great depth of flavor. I’ve adapted the recipe from one in The Art of Mexican Cooking, by Diana Kennedy.

Braised Chicken with Almonds, Raisins, and Jalapenos

(Serves four)

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

1 large chicken (about 3 ½ pounds), cut into serving pieces

Salt

1 medium onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced

A few large thyme sprigs, leaves chopped, plus extra leaves for garnish

A few large marjoram sprigs, leaves chopped, plus extra leaves for garnish

1 fresh bay leaf

3 cloves, ground to a powder

3 allspice, ground to a powder

½ cup white wine

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

1 cup chicken broth

½ cup raisins

½ cup sliced almonds, lightly toasted

8 small new potatoes, peeled and cut in half

2 or 3 canned jalapeno chilies, sliced

Choose a large casserole, fitted with a lid. Pour in the olive oil and get it nice and hot over medium heat. Add the chicken pieces and brown them on both sides. Season with salt and add the onion, garlic, carrots, thyme, marjoram, cloves, and allspice. Sauté a minute or so longer, just to blend these flavors and soften the vegetables. Add the white wine and the vinegar and let it bubble for about a minute or so to burn off the alcohol. Add the chicken broth and bring it to a boil. Turn the heat to low, cover the casserole, and simmer for about 30 minutes. Now add the raisins, almonds, potatoes, and the sliced jalapenos. Continue simmering, covered, until the chicken and the vegetables are very tender, about 30 minutes longer. Garnish with the extra marjoram and thyme leaves. Serve hot.

by Erica De Mane

w.ericademane.com