This Holiday Season is reinventing itself at my home. Thanksgiving Day became a night out at the movies for Jered and I when our friends notified us that they were under the weather. We were prepared for a flexible feast; take out! Homemade pumpkin ravioli in alfredo sauce from Al Gelato. We made our first fire of the season and dined contentedly reviewing the movie we had just seen… Leonardo DiCaprio as J Edgar Hoover – Clint Eastwood’s directorial symphony characterizing the birth of the FBI. Definitely worth seeing.

A few days later, our friends informed us that they were in better spirits so a new plan was evolving. One grand night now became a series of events. My children would celebrate on solstice, cousin Natalie became an afternoon by the sea (bringing binoculars in the case a of dolphin siting) and brother Phil, an evening at home, just the three of us.

I knew Phil had begun a cleanse so I decided to go ‘light’ for dinner. Our menu was a cup of soup and a sandwich… a special sandwich!

Veggie Reuben

Traditional reubens are made with rye bread, swiss cheese, corned beef and sauerkraut, grilled. My veggie reuben also calls for rye bread, but here’s where the rubber meets the road: First, I substitute Soya Kaas mozzarella soy cheese (melts beautifully) for the Swiss cheese. Then I add avocado, tempeh bacon, tomato and sauerkraut.

In a skillet, add soy butter to fry the bread. Slice the mozzarella thin and add a layer on top of the bread. As it is melting, slice the avocado and add another layer to this hero sandwich. Remove from skillet and fry tempeh bacon. I add two or three strips per sandwich. On top of that layer I place a slice of heirloom tomato and finally, a generous portion of sauerkraut. Take one slice of crisped fried bread with melted cheese and close your reuben. Melted cheese on both sides of the toasted golden bread keeps all the ingredients together.

Suggested Brands:

Tempeh Bacon: Lightlife Fakin’ Bacon    Mozzarella Cheese: Soya Kaas  Sauerkraut: Bubbies  Soy Butter: Earth Balance

For a companion soup, make a velvety cream of mushroom soup and serve in a coffee cup: Saute’ two cups of mushrooms (any variety) with onion, garlic, parsley, salt, pepper and turmeric. Add eight cups of water and simmer for 90 minutes. Puree and add 1/4 cup of cream.

Bon appetit

My friend and collaborator, Adam, and I went shopping last Sunday at the local Farmer’s Market. He had just arrived from San Fran and a whirlwind tour of the US. Being a native of Australia and raised on fresh fruit and veggies, we made a cheery pair while selecting our treasures from the bounty. Chanterelles are once again in season; my favorite buttery, melt-in-your-mouth mushrooms that I was first introduced to on a visit to Stockholm, Sweden.

Fall is finally here. The temp in my hybrid Lexus read 63 degrees; a bit more chilly than usual. Risotto came to mind…a good way to warm up the bones as well as my home.

This recipe calls for Arborio Rice, common for making risotto. It has a more glutenous content for a creamy texture – and that is what we are striving for here.

Begin by warming up a skillet or pot large enough to make a serving for four. Add olive oil and chopped onion (white) until a tinge of caramelizing occurs. Immediately add chopped parsley, thyme, oregano and garlic.

• 3 tblsp. olive oil (extra virgin)
• 3 tblsp. parsely
• 1 tblsp. thyme
• 1 tblsp. oregano; fresh herbs are preferable
• 2 cloves garlic

Stir in herbs and add salt (Himalayan pink sea salt). Cook for one minute and add mushrooms. Chanterelles are quite dirty so you’ll need to clean them thoroughly with a specialty brush so as not to bruise these delicate morsels from heaven. Or, just simply wash off all specks of dirt that remain on the surface and dry on a paper towel. Slice thin, stems and all, lengthwise for a ribboney affect in the risotto. Saute for 2 minutes and add 1 & 1/2 cups of rice.   If you love large portions, double it! Let rice toast in all the condiments. Add 2 tblsp. butter stirring constantly. Begin adding liquid.

Shopping for mushrooms are much more economical at a Farmer’s Market. Mine offers paper bags @$5-10-15 and a large mixed basket for $20. A $5 bag of preselected chanterelles is the way I rolled for this recipe. They can get very expensive in a super market or specialty store. You may substitute with any mushroom or mix them up for a variety of earthy flavors. Dried mushrooms can be used as well when they are reconstituted.

For this recipe I simply add water. Keep a kettle boiling and add 1/2 cup at a time- stirring constantly until incorporated. Just as the liquid seems to solidify with the rice add more water until rice is tender. At the end of this dish, finish with 2 more tblsp. of butter and 1 cup of fresh grated parmesan reggiano cheese. Stir in slowly to complete a silky texture. I like to grind a fine mist of black pepper to balance out the richness of the butter and cheese. Give it a quick stir and plate. Grate a sprinkle of parmesan. Garnish with fresh asparagus slightly seasoned and steamed with a drizzle of olive oil.

Bon Appetit

Donna's Shindig! Cocktail

Join me for a delicious drink and toast to my second live concert on StageIt.com.

Cocktail recipe:

Fresh Watermelon Juice; pour into ice cube trays and freeze.  In a blender, add 1 cup of Prosecco and 6-8 watermelon ice cubes. Blend until frothy, pour into your favorite goblets.

Cheers!

BBQ Corn on the Cob

I like to go to the Farmer's Market for fresh corn. Most markets will do but make sure the entire husk is covering the tender kernals of corn.

Start your BBQ

Four Servings: Four ears of corn!

Place the corn on the grill when the coals are ready. The husk will protect the beautiful corn while cooking. Turn the corn on all sides until the outside of the husk is black. Usually takes 20 minutes.

I put on lightweight disposable gloves to remove the husks. Steam will pop through as you reveal the delicious corn. Wash each ear quickly so all the charred husk is totally cleaned off. If your corn is a little black on the inside-well, that tastes good too!

Next, in a lrg. pan melt 1/2 stick of butter and 3tbsp. olive oil (extra virgin). To that, add chopped parsley and garlic, almost to a paste. Add the corn to the pan and drench each ear in the herbed butter. Finishing touch: grate my old friend, Parmesan cheese (Reggiano) and serve.

Bon Appetit

For All you artichoke lovers, this gets to the heart of the matter! I have incorporated tips from Giada De Laurentis on the Food Network.

Serves 4

I'll make this as easy as can be. You'll need 2 large artichokes. With a scizzors, trim off the thorny tip from all the leaves. Cut lengthwise into quarters. Trim the end of the stems. I like to peel the outer skin so the stem will be more tender. Take a tablespoon and scoop out the fuzzy heart and rinse. Fill a bowl with cold water and lemon wedges. Add artichoke asap to retain the fresh color. Pour the contents into a large pot, add salt and boil. Turn heat to simmer until tender. Drain in a colindar. Next, heat a grill pan, coat the artichokes with olive oil and place in the pan. Check for grill marks- gives it a smokey-chokey flavor. Let cool.

Dip:

1/2 cup Veganaise, 1 or 2 tblspn balsamic (how strong do you want it?), salt & blk pepper, 1 tsp chopped thyme and rosemary, very fine chopped garlic to taste and stir until nice and creamy. Option; grate a hard boiled egg over dip when served and sprinkle paprika.

Bon Appetite

Fresh Summer Salad

Try visiting your local Farmer's Market for fresh summer greens and other delights. My latest sojourn featured a plethora of Heirloom tomatoes…yellow, green, red, burgundy, striped…all bursting with juicy goodness. My favorite pairing with these beauties is basil and buffalo mozzarella cheese.

Look for Butter Lettuce grown hydroponically with it's roots still attached. Also, find basil, oregano. garlic and of course the star of this dish, her majesty, the Heirloom.

Makes 2 servings

One head of butter lettuce; one lg. tomato; fresh garlic, basil, oregano; lemon; olive oil (extra virgin); blk pepper; dijon mustard; balsamic vinegar.

Usually the size of the lettuce leaves are not too big to serve whole. Carefully wash and remove each leaf and drain in a colendar. Saute rough chopped garlic lightly in olive oil. In a salad bowl (wooden preferably) add 1/2 tsp dijon mustard, juice from half a lemon, 1 tsp balsamic vinegar, several leaves of oregano, 1/2 tsp blk pepper & warmed garlic-remove from oil. Wisk in 3 tblsp extra virgin olive oil; this vinagrette is a creamy consistency. Toss in lettuce.

On a dinner plate place two or three slices of heirloom tomato and equal slices of mozzarella cheese along with with lettuce. at the bottom of the salad bowl there should be extra dressing to drizzle over cheese. You may want to add Balsamic vinegar directly in small dropletts for a stronger flavor. Chiffonade or thinly slice basil and sprinkle over all ingredients.

Garlic toast: 1/2" thick slices of French bread baggette. Bake at 350 for 5 min. Rub with fresh garlic clove; drizzle olive oil and sprinkle with fresh grated parmesan cheese

Bon Appetite!