Cheater's Cassoulet

This is my simple, though admittedly time-consuming, version of a French country classic. My French brother-in-law, who grew up in the countryside, laughed when I asked him about the definitive version of cassoulet. I had read so many recipes requiring (to me) exotic ingredients such as smoked duck or goose. He told me that cassoulet means about the same as what an American means by casserole. Every region and even every family in a region has its own "definitive" recipe. The only constants are sausage, some kind of poultry, bacon and white beans in tomato sauce, though the duck or goose fat (if you can get it) really does make a difference to the richness of the flavor of the final product; so do use it if you possibly can. (If you're a low-fat advocate, just go away; you shouldn't be looking at this recipe anyway. 2 TBS of goose grease will not kill the 4-6 people this recipe feeds!!) This is a great way to recycle leftovers in such a way that all will clamor for more.


Ingredients:
2 TBS rendered duck, goose, chicken or bacon fat, or ghee (clarified butter)
6 chicken wings, OR 3 legs, OR 3 thighs, skin on (not breast meat)
1 smoked sausage of any kind (Kielbasa, cured Bratwurst), sliced 1/2" thick
2 slices bacon, sliced crosswise OR 2 TBS chopped pancetta
1 cup leftover cooked lamb, beef, pork or in a pinch even ham, in chunks
1 large or 2 small onions, chopped coarsely
2 cloves pressed (or finely chopped) garlic
1 rib celery, finely chopped
1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped
Generous 1/2 cup red wine
1 15-oz. can chopped tomatoes in juice
2 15-oz. cans white beans (do not drain liquid) --OR 1 can plain white beans and 1 can beans in tomato sauce
1/2 Knorr beef bouillon cube
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs fresh rosemary (if you have it)
Several grinds fresh black pepper
1 tsp. dried Herbes de Provence mixture OR
a goodly pinch each of dried rosemary, savory, and thyme
(Don't add salt --believe me, you will not need it!)

How to make it:
Preheat oven to 450°F/220°C.
Heat fat in a skillet over medium-high heat.
Brown chicken in it, turning to brown evenly, about 5-6 minutes (there is no need for meat to cook through, just get the skin browned).
Remove chicken with a slotted spoon to a deep oven-proof casserole.
In the remaining fat, sauté bacon or pancetta until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and add to chicken, along with the chunks of leftover meat.
Turn the heat down to medium. Now sauté chopped onion, carrot and celery for about 5 minutes, or until onions are transparent but not browned.
Add garlic and cook another minute.
Pour in red wine and stir well.
Add tomatoes, beans, and seasonings. Heat, stirring, until mixture just comes to a boil.
Pour it all over the meat in the casserole, and stir to combine.
Place casserole in hot oven. Close the door and turn the heat down to 325°F/160°C.
Bake, uncovered, for an hour. Stir and return to oven.
Bake another hour; stir, and return to oven. If it seems a bit dry, you may stir in up to 1/2 cup water.
(If you wish to top the cassoulet with buttered crumbs-- this is a common variation, but I find it overkill-- you may add them now.)
Bake one more hour. Remove from oven and allow to settle for 15 minutes before serving.

A green salad and crusty bread are great with this. It's even better the next day, warmed up, in the unlikely event some is left over.

Grated Carrot Salad, Austrian Style

This is a simple, delicious and nutritious way to use carrots, even those which have become a bit soft. Ready in 5 minutes and I have never met anyone who didn't like it.
This is not a sweet salad; the bit of sugar only helps to balances out the lemon juice, and the oil helps your body absorb the vitamins. You can experiment with adding raisins, dried cranberries, drained pineapple chunks, chopped nuts or any shredded veg you like, but I enjoy this salad just the way it is. An excellent side dish for grilled meats or really, almost anything else.


Ingredients:
3-4 medium-sized carrots
Juice of 1/2 large lemon
1/2 TBS vegetable oil
1/2 tsp. white sugar
Salt and freshly-ground pepper to taste

How to make it:
Peel and grate the carrots into a medium mixing bowl. Do not drain if they are juicy.
In a cup, whisk together the fresh lemon juice, oil, and sugar; pour over carrots.
Add salt and pepper to taste and stir well.

Simple & Savory Artichoke Frittata

A frittata is like a crustless Italian version of quiche. It can be successfully made with many vegetables but is particularly fast and savory with a jar of artichoke hearts. Try it with quickly sautéed asparagus spears as a variation, using the same recipe. Serve as a main meal for brunch or cut into small wedges and serve at room temperature as an appetizer. Great with wine!


Ingredients:
1 8-oz. jar or can artichoke hearts in oil
1 small or 1/2 large onion, sliced OR 2 whole green onions, chopped coarsely
1 clove garlic, crushed
4 saltine crackers, crushed coarsely
1 cup grated sharp Cheddar or other flavorful cheese
6 large eggs
Generous pinch of Herbes de Provence seasoning
Few grinds black pepper
Dash salt

How to make it:
Preheat oven to 375°F/190°C.
Drain the artichoke hearts, reserving 1 TBS oil.
In a 12" cast-iron or other ovenproof skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat and sauté onions and garlic until soft but not browned.
Remove skillet from heat and stir in the artichokes, arranging evenly over the bottom of the skillet.
Sprinkle saltine crackers evenly over the hearts.
Sprinkle cheese evenly over the crackers.
Beat eggs together with Herbes de Provence, salt and pepper; pour evenly over mixture in skillet.
Bake at 375°F/190°C for 20-25 minutes or until puffed and golden.
Eat warm as a brunch dish or at room temperature for appetizers.

Fluffy Vanilla Icing

This is really the best, fluffiest, most stable, buttery yet light icing I have found. I've adapted it from several similar recipes until I found my perfect fit. It makes enough to frost 24 cupcakes easily, to cover a 9x12" cake with excess, or to fill and frost a 9" cake generously.
You can vary the flavor by leaving out or substituting the vanilla extract, or adding to the finished product such things as crushed peppermint sticks, chopped nuts (in which case use 1 tsp vanilla), flaked coconut, or use your imagination.
It is best made with a stand mixer-- I used my fabulous Kitchenaid-- with the whip attachment. You will get a less fluffy result with a hand mixer, but it's still good, just increase the times necessary for beating.


Ingredients:
1 cup whole milk
5 TBS all-purpose flour
2 tsp real vanilla extract
1 cup butter, room temperature, cut into chunks
3 cups powdered sugar, loosely spooned into measuring cup
Dash salt if butter is unsalted

How to make it:
In a small saucepan, combine milk and flour with a whisk, smoothing out all lumps.
Place over medium heat and cook, constantly whisking, until mixture thickens (about 7 minutes). It should be about as thick as heavy cake batter.
Whisk in the vanilla or other flavoring at this point.
With a spatula, spread this mixture evenly onto a plate; set in a cool place (not the refrigerator) to cool down to room temperature throughout.
While it's cooling, beat butter with powdered sugar until very light, fluffy, and there is no more "gritty" feeling to it; 3-5 minutes with a Kitchenaid, longer with a hand beater.
When the flour/milk mixture is completely cooled to room temperature, add it all at once to the butter mixture and beat 2-3 minutes longer, or until very smooth and fluffy.
Use immediately to frost cooled cake layers or cupcakes.
Keep any leftover icing in a covered container in the fridge. It will get harder when cold; bring it to room temperature again to spread easily. Will keep up to a week.

Tender Apple Pastries / Mürbe Apfelschnitten

These are, quite simply, the best I have ever tasted in a long and varied career of enjoying apple pastries! The pastry is unlike any other I know. An Austrian woman I knew over 20 years ago gave me the recipe after I raved over it; it can be used to make all sorts of things but my favorite is this apple version. I made them today and my husband is still swooning...
Don't freak out because there is yeast in the recipe. You don't really allow it to rise much, if at all, but it adds something irreplaceable to the flavor and texture. Best eaten still warm, but wonderful at room temperature as well. Chilling does the flavor no favors.


Ingredients for pastry:
400g / 14 ounces plain flour
Pinch of salt
200g / 7 ounces cold, unsalted butter
2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
2 TBS warm milk
2 TBS sugar
2 tsp. dry yeast OR 1/2 cube live baker's yeast cake

How to make it:
In a small bowl, whisk together warm milk and sugar. Crumble 1/2 the yeast cake into this, or sprinkle the dry yeast over, and stir well. Set aside in a warm place to proof (it should foam up a bit) while doing the next step.
In a larger bowl, stir together the flour and salt.
Grate the cold butter into this mixture using the large holes of a cheese grater, tossing so each bit gets coated. (This is a fabulous Austrian trick for incorporating butter into dough.) Alternatively, cut it in finely with a pastry cutter or 2 knives.
When the yeast mixture has proofed, whisk the 2 egg yolks lightly and stir them into the yeast mixture.
Dump all this over the flour mixture and, with your hands, quickly work into a smooth dough.
Divide dough in half and press 1/2 of it evenly into a shallow 9"x14" (25cm x 35cm) baking pan.
Set aside the other half.

Ingredients for the apple filling:
3 large apples (preferably a firmish sort)
2 TBS sugar
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 TBS dry breadcrumbs
(1 1/2 TBS cream + 1 tsp. sugar) - near the end of baking

How to make it:
Sprinkle bottom crust evenly with breadcrumbs.
Peel, core and grate the apples.
Toss them with the sugar and cinnamon and spread evenly over the breadcrumbs, right to the edges of the pastry.
Roll out remaining half of pastry and cut off any overlapping edges. Tuck the pastry in to seal the apple juices inside.
Prick top layer all over evenly with a fork.
Now start to preheat your oven to 170°C / 325°F, and let the pastry stand in a warm place for 15 minutes. It may rise just a bit.
Whisk together the cream and sugar but don't use it yet.
Bake in the center of the oven for 30-35 minutes or until light golden brown.
Remove from oven and brush with cream and sugar mixture.
Return to oven for another 10 minutes or until dry and richly golden brown.
Cool for at least 20 minutes before eating, with or without whipped cream.
You can also sprinkle powdered sugar over the top for a "company" effect. Do this just before serving.

Moroccan Lamb, Almond & Apricot Tagine

This is a really lovely meal-- truly delicious and very little work. After browning things in a pan, you whack it in the oven and forget about it. Serve with couscous, bulgur or the simple rice recipe included here. Serves 4 if you have a nice vegetable dish on the side.


Ingredients for tagine:
2 TBS olive oil
500g/1 lb., 2 oz. lamb neck or shoulder, cut into chunks (not too small; 1 1/2-2" is good)
1 large onion, peeled and chopped coarsely
1 clove garlic, pressed or chopped finely
1 tsp. ground ginger, or grate some fresh
1 cinnamon stick or 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 bay leaf
8-10 oz. lamb, beef or chicken broth
75g/2 1/4 oz. blanched whole almonds
100g/3 1/2 oz. dried apricots, halved or quartered
1 TBS thick dark honey

How to make it:
Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F.
Heat the oil hot in a large frying pan and brown the lamb, in 2 batches to prevent crowding, for 2-3 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon and place in an ovenproof casserole with a tight-fitting lid.
Turn the heat to medium and add onion to pan. Cook 2-3 minutes or until softened but not browned.
Add garlic, ginger, cinnamon stick, and bay leaf and and cook 1-2 minutes longer.
Pour this over the lamb, stir, and add the almonds and apricots.
Add just enough broth to barely cover the lamb. Cover tightly and bake for 1 hr., or until lamb is fork-tender. Drizzle honey over tagine and serve over turmeric rice or the other options above.

Ingredients for turmeric rice:
200g/7 oz. long-grain rice
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. turmeric
Juice of 1 lemon

How to make it:
Cook rice according to usual directions, adding salt and turmeric powder to the cooking water.
Drain well and stir in the lemon juice just before serving.
Sprinkle with fresh chopped cilantro or parsley leaves, if desired.

Hot Artichoke-Parmesan Dip

Don't let the name put you off; this dip is wonderful. I consider it a full meal, though in the USA it's usually served as an appetizer. An excellent party food, too.


Ingredients:
2 green onions
2 jars artichoke hearts in oil (about 1 1/2 cups drained)
1 clove fresh garlic
1 8-oz. package softened cream cheese
3/4 cup mayonnaise, sour cream, or a combination of the two
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for sprinkling on top
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Optional additions:
chopped pimiento
small capers

How to make it:
Preheat oven to 350° F / 175°C.
Chop the green onions, not too finely.
Drain the artichoke hearts and chop them as well, not too finely.
Peel and crush the garlic clove.
In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese, sour cream/mayo and grated Parmesan until creamy and smooth.
Add the vegetables and any additions you wish; stir well.
Taste, and add S&P to your taste.

Turn into a shallow overproof dish. Sprinkle with more Parmesan and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until hot through, bubbly and starting to brown on top.
Serve with crackers, toasted Pita triangles, or any sturdy conveyor.

Serve lots of cold beer or chilled white wine and enjoy this treat!