Monthly Meal: November 2007

I was at the gym a couple of weeks ago, and as I sweated it out on the elliptical machine, the person in front of me was watching the Food Network on their little personal TV. (I’ve never understood why gyms have those. Don’t we get enough TV injected directly into our brains already?) The Food Network chef and “personality” Tyler Florence was on, making a sausage and artichoke dish that looked interesting. However, peak artichoke season is from March to May, which made me wonder, why in the world were they featured in a recipe designated for the Food Network’s All-Star Thanksgiving episode? Ah, Food Network, you never cease to confound me. (Also: who the hell eats sausage on Thanksgiving? Why get fancy when the classic holiday dishes are preferred? Save the sausage for later, guy. And not in a dirty way.)

So I’ve changed the recipe to suit the season and my eating standards. (You won’t find rancid olive oil here, ever.) Also, this meal plays to my Eastern European roots, meaning that every time I eat it, I always drink a dark and bitter Czech pilsner with the meal. If you can’t find any, Lagunitas Czech-style pilsner will do in a pinch.

This dish serves four.

MAIN DISH

Polish Sausage with Yukon Gold Potatoes

INGREDIENTS:
-4 Tbsp. Original Paradise oil
-4 links Polish sausage, uncooked (I buy mine from the meat department at Whole Foods, where they make their own sausage in the store)
-4 or 5 Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed and cut into medium-sized chunks
-8 fresh sage leaves
-4 shallots, minced
-6 garlic cloves, minced
-1 lemon cut into paper-thin slices

DIRECTIONS:
In a cast iron skillet, heat Paradise oil over medium heat. Once the pan is ready, add the sausage and the potatoes. Watch the sausages as they cook, they’ll need to be flipped (after about 12 minutes) so they are browned on both sides. Also, the potato chunks may cook faster than the sausage, so turn them frequently and take them out of the pan when they’re done (about 20 minutes). Test the potatoes for doneness by spearing a larger chunk with a fork; if it pierces the potato chunk easily, they’re done. Set them aside until the sausage is thoroughly cooked and browned.

When the sausage and potatoes are done cooking, remove sausage from the pan. There should be some oil and fat remaining in the pan; if not, add a little more oil. Add sage, shallots, garlic, and lemon to the pan; when they have been softened, add the potatoes back into the pan to warm them and infuse them with the flavors. When the shallots have slightly browned (about 5 minutes), turn off the heat.

Serve the sausages warm, with the potatoes on the side. Spoon the shallot, sage and lemon mixture over the potatoes.

SIDE DISH

Sautéed Cabbage Wedges

INGREDIENTS
-1 head cabbage, cut into eight wedges with the hard center removed
-1 tsp. sea salt
-Original Paradise oil
-1 yellow onion, chopped
-1 tsp. caraway seeds
-1/4 c. white wine vinegar

DIRECTIONS
In a medium-sized pot, boil water and add sea salt. Cook cabbage wedges until tender; test by piercing wedge with a fork. Drain and set aside.

While cabbage wedges are cooking, heat Paradise oil in a cast iron pan over medium heat. When pan is ready, add chopped onion and sauté until clear (about 10 to 15 minutes). Add caraway seeds and vinegar to the pan, and add cabbage wedges, arranging them on their sides. Cook for about 15 minutes, covered, turning the wedges halfway through so they’ll brown on both sides. Serve warm.

DESSERT

Persimmon Pudding

Persimmons are perfect this time of year, and they’re delicious in this traditional pudding dish. My favorite persimmon pudding recipe is from the Joy of Cooking; it’s deliciously rich and spicy, and it’s made in the oven rather than a pudding mold, baked instead of steamed. You can let this dessert bake while you do other things, which is my idea of time well spent.

This recipe call for persimmon pulp, which is made from super-ripe, mushy persimmons. Joy of Cooking has this to say about making persimmon pulp:

Cut 4 to 6 very ripe large persimmons in half. Remove any seeds, then scrape the pulp free from the skins with a teaspoon. Puree the pulp in a blender or food processor. If it looks stringy, force it through a sieve with the back of a spoon. Measure 1/2 cups pulp.

Couldn’t have said it better myself. I prepare the pulp in my Cuisinart food processor, which has saved me many, many hours in the kitchen since I received it nearly five years ago. A blender is also fine; just look out for the “stringy” texture that JoC warns you about. Here’s the rest of the recipe.

INGREDIENTS
-(persimmon pulp, see above)
-4 large eggs
-2 1/2 c. buttermilk
-1/4 c. unsalted butter, melted
-1 1/2 c. sugar
-1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
-1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
-1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
-1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
-1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
-1/2 tsp. sea salt

DIRECTIONS
Prepare a shallow 3-quart glass baking dish by coating the inside surfaces with butter. Preheat the oven to 400ºF.

Whisk the eggs in a bowl until light and fluffy. Whisk in the persimmon pulp, then whisk in buttermilk and melted butter. [I like to do this part in my KitchenAid stand mixer on a lower setting, using the whisk attachment. However, you could do the same with a hand mixer and a whisk attachment, or go old-school and whisk it by hand.]

In a separate bowl [I use my hand mixer for this part], whisk together the remaining ingredients. Once thoroughly mixed, add the dry ingredients to the persimmon mixture and whisk until well-blended.

Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish. Bake until the top is deep golden brown and it springs back when lightly pressed, about 50 minutes. Serve the pudding warm or cold, with whipped cream* on top, if desired.

*To make whipped cream, pour some heavy cream into a bowl, add some powdered sugar and vanilla extract to taste, and whip until stiff peaks form.

MUSIC

Album: Iron & Wine, The Shepherd’s Dog

I’ll admit that I began to grow weary of Iron & Wine after they came out with their collaboration album with Calexico. The music was good, but then they started to do an insane amount of late night appearances, and I got sick of their sound which, it seemed, never changed. I loved 2002’s The Creek Drank the Cradle, but I didn’t think any of their albums had been as good since.

But then I heard this album, and while Iron & Wine still have “that sound,” I think it’s more evolved than some of their other albums. Also, this is perfect for the holidays. If this album had a scent, it’s be pumpkin pie spice. If it were a drink, it would be homemade chai tea. Have you ever made chai at home? If not, you should. And make sure to listen to this album while you do it.