Caramelized Walnuts
Written on March 2, 2010 at 2:18 pm, by claudia
Making caramelized walnuts is pretty easy. Just place 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 tbs balsamic vinegar, dash of sea salt and dash of cayenne pepper in a large non-stick skillet. Place over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is the consistency of thick syrup. Stir in 2 cups walnut halves. Stir to coat about 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer walnuts to a baking sheet lined with a silpat mat. Let cool. Break apart any that are stuck together. Serve with cheese, on salads or as a snack. Cook, Eat, Laugh…Claudia
Woman of the Year
Written on March 1, 2010 at 10:10 pm, by claudia
As you know it is important for us to be active participants in our communities. Rima has been working very hard as President of Architects of Peace Foundation (www.architectsofpeace.org) and was recently honored by Assemblyman Bill Berryhill, R-Ceres. He announced that Rima is the 2010 Woman of the Year for the 26th Assembly District. She will be honored during a special Assembly ceremony at the State Capitol. Congratulations! Cook, Eat, Laugh…Claudia
Shredded Chicken
Written on February 20, 2010 at 1:04 pm, by claudia
Some great recipes call for “shredded cooked chicken” as opposed to diced or chopped. The texture mixes nicely with other ingredients especially when wrapped in a warm, homemade tortilla! Yesterday I had the privilege of working with some youth at the Mary Graham Foster Center and one very smart boy showed me the best way to shred chicken is to pull it apart using two forks. Honestly, I had not known this and was so glad to have been taught. Again you never know what you’ll learn when helping others. Cook, Eat, Laugh…Claudia
Food Rules
Written on February 15, 2010 at 3:27 pm, by claudia
Food Rules, a new book by Michael Pollan (Penguin Books) has some great tips on eating healthy. Many are common sense one-liners which ring true but somehow are often ignored. Tip number 63 is simple – COOK. “…people who cook are more likely to eat a more healthful diet.” Cook, Eat, Laugh…Claudia
Staying Connected
Written on February 11, 2010 at 11:56 am, by claudia
Rima and I recently had the pleasure of speaking and cooking at a YPO event in San Francisco. We were so pleased to hear the keynote speaker, Michael Riera, PhD author of Staying Connected to Your Teenager and Uncommon Sense for Parents with Teenagers say that dinnertime is the most important time to connect with your family. We encourage you to make dinnertime a priority in your home. Cook, Eat, Laugh…Claudia
Homemade Cheese – Part 1
Written on January 23, 2010 at 2:27 pm, by claudia
Transforming milk into cheese requires the freshest ingredients, a good food thermometer and above all patience! Our good friend, Chris Flaherty recently gave us a private cheese making lesson. Many websites give directions on how to make cheese, but it is so much easier to watch someone if you are a beginner. The basic process involves heating fresh milk and adding a culture of warm milk and yogurt, letting the mixture rest, adding rennet – a very important enzyme, allowing more rest time, cutting the resultant curds, pouring off the whey, seasoning with salt and then pressing the curds so they compress into a small round. The steps are not difficult but they do require exact measuring of temperature, patient stirring and attention to detail. Of course, delicious domestic and imported cheeses are easily available to us. But there is something fascinating and affirming when conquering a task that seems a little daunting. The cheese round is now wrapped in cheese cloth and ripening in the refrigerator. It can be eaten right away but is best after 30 days. So we will report back on its progress. Cook, Eat, Laugh…Claudia
Butternut Squash Ravioli
Written on October 13, 2009 at 10:16 am, by rima
I made this ravioli for a fund raiser for the Child Abuse Prevention Council and it was really enjoyed by all guests. I posted pictures of the dish on facebook and was asked for the recipe, so here it is!
- 1 2-pound butternut squash, halved lengthwise and seeded
- 1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 3 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 8 oz Mascarpone Cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
- 2 pounds fresh pasta sheets
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
- 6 fresh sage leaves
- 1/2 cup walnuts chopped coarse
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
For the Pasta
Make fresh pasta dough from scratch, or buy ravioli skin from a noodle factory.
For the Filling:
Put the squash halves, flesh sides down, in a baking sheet with one inch of water and roast in middle of oven 45 minutes, or until very tender. Scoop out flesh into a bowl and discard skin. Mash squash with a fork until smooth.
In a large skillet cook onion in butter and oil. Add squash and cook over moderate heat, stirring, for 5 minutes. Add mascarpone cheese, salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
Spread one sheet of ravioli on a ravioli mold and using a teaspoon fill each slot with butternut filling. Cover with second sheet of ravioli skin. Seal with ravioli cutter.
Cook the ravioli in plenty of salted boiling water for 5 to 6 minutes. Ravioli will float to the top when cooked so be careful not to overcrowd the pot. Lift the ravioli from water with a large strainer or slotted spoon.
Meanwhile in a medium size sauté pan cook butter with sage and walnuts over moderate heat until butter begins to brown, about 2-3 minutes, and immediately remove from heat. Keep warm.
Plate the pasta, top with butter walnut sauce and freshly grated parmesan cheese before serving.
Buon appetito!
Cook with your heart spread your love. Rima
Wine & Roses
Written on October 8, 2009 at 10:44 pm, by claudia
We had a great time teaching the patrons of Wine & Roses how to make a simple yet delicious party menu. With the help of eager volunteers from the audience, Rima and I took turns sauteing, stirring, cutting, mixing and blending an array of fresh ingredients and demonstrated how to prepare several recipes from our cookbook We would like to thank Wine & Roses Inn & Restaurant in Lodi, CA for inviting us to be “Guest Chefs of The Ballroom” and look forward to a return appearance.
Cook, Eat, Laugh… Claudia
Fresh Peaches
Written on August 23, 2009 at 2:33 pm, by claudia
I was inspired to create this recipe for a Fresh Peach Cooking Contest conducted by The Fruit Bowl – a local and very famous produce market in Stockton, California.
Follow these 5 simple steps for Fresh Peach Chutney
1. Saute 1/4 cup chopped sweet onion in 1/4 cup olive oil over low heat.
(Maui or Vidalia are sweeter than plain yellow or white ones!)
2. Add 1 pound peaches that have been rinsed and chopped into medium pieces.
3. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon sea salt, a pinch of crushed rosemary and a pinch of sugar.
4. Cook over low to medium heat stirring occasionally.
5. After 20 minutes add 1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar and 1 tablespoon Marsala wine.
Cook for 5 more minutes or until the liquid has evaporated. Garnish with 1 tablespoon pine nuts.
Serve as a topping to cooked meat, fish or chicken or on a cracker with cheese.
For a unique mixture, combine equal parts of Fresh Tomato Sauce (see Claudia’s blog from Aug. 14 2009) with the Fresh Peach Chutney. You will agree it’s sublime!
Let your imagination guide your cooking adventure - Cook, Eat, Laugh. Claudia
Summer Tomatoes
Written on August 14, 2009 at 6:23 pm, by claudia
Today I made a fresh tomato sauce with red ripe tomatoes picked fresh from the garden.
This sauce is so easy and versatile.
Follow these 5 simple steps for Fresh Tomato Sauce:
1. Saute 1/2 cup chopped onion in 1/2 cup olive oil over low heat.
(If you have sweet onions like Maui or Vidalia - that’s even better!)
2. Add 2 cloves of garlic and saute for 2 more minutes.
3. Add 6 tomatoes that have been chopped into medium pieces.
4. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
5. Cook over low to medium heat stirring occasionally.
After 30 minutes the sauce is ready! After 45 minutes the sauce is even better!!
What’s so great about this sauce, besides its great flavor, is its versatility. At the 30 minute mark it makes a perfect pasta sauce – especially if you finish cooking the pasta in the sauce – like they do in Italy. (see page 130 of our cookbook Cooking Dinner for the technique) At 45 minutes the sauce is thicker and quickly becomes a tasty spread on your favorite bread, a delicious topping on scrambled eggs or a flavorful addition when stirred into cooked rice. Let your imagination guide your cooking adventure - Cook, Eat, Laugh. Claudia