Green and Sprightly

Well perhaps inappropriate in what should be the cool weather of December, coddled and comforted by thick meaty stews, chowders and creams...the celery soup I made yesterday and ate today was green, light, and sprightly. The recipe was a surprising riff on celery soup, and I've made more than a few. I found this illuminating. And served with one of the best canned dolmades I have ever had.

The dolmades were Aegean Brand, I think we bought them oddly enough in the Blue ridge mountains at an apple orchard. They are much better than the canned variety sold at the Farmer's market, and the fresh versions at fancypants intown Krogers (yes a bit of bitterness sensed there) and Whole foods.

The soup was very easy to make:

2-3 small Potatoes, chopped

1 bunch Celery, chopped

1 Onion, chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon Curry Powder

1 tablespoon fresh Ginger, chopped

1 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper

1/2 Chilipepper

1 1/2 quarts Broth (chicken, veggie or bouillon)

Salt -- Pepper

3/4 of a fresh Lemon

2 tablespoons Butter

Saute the onion and potatoes in the butter, add the seasonings. Stir well till soft. Add celery and everything else up to salt--pepper. Simmer, covered for 30 minutes. Carefully puree warm soup. Finish by squeezing the 3/4s of lemon over soup and mix in the butter. Serve.

Feels Good:Inside and Out

Today was a nice day. It's been a while since I have been able to get back in the yard and do what I need to do. With today's beautiful balmy weather...for December...I was able to go out, turn the compost pile, pull all the old plants out of the vegetable garden, compost it and pull a nice warm blanket of leaves and mulch over it for the winter's rest. The garden surprised me with a last gasp harvest of chives, sweet potatoes, green peppers, arugala and jalapenos. Interesting, as I haven't watered it in months, and goodness knows I haven't tended it, thinking it was "done" for the season. In any case, Otto the pitbull hung out with me in the yard all morning, and we both came in happy, tired and sweaty in that "yard labor earthy" way that is so satisfying.

I cooked up a storm this weekend as well, but I will tell that story piecemeal. Right now I want to talk about the banana bread I made for breakfast and the empanadas (photo) I made for dinner.

The Banana Bread

I am not a fan of banana bread. I prefer non-sweet items in the morning and as you know, usually make savory items, even with bananas, such as my banana soup...when I have overripe bananas to deal with. Today I decided I would do the bread thing. Well, I came up with a highly successful, low fat, low calorie, moist result. I honestly could care less. It was almost too rich for me, but the boy raved, and I am sure others who like this sort of food would really love this recipe. Here goes:

This was adapted from allrecipes :

INGREDIENTS
1/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup butter & 1/2 cup applesauce

1 1/2 cup sugar & 1 1/2 cup Splenda or Aspira (Generic Splenda)
3 eggs
6 very ripe bananas, mashed
1 (16 ounce) container reduced fat sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons baking soda
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Grease four 7x3 inch loaf pans ( I used 1 giant loaf pan and 1 giant muffin tin, having nothing else). In a small bowl, stir together 1/4 cup white sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Dust pans lightly with cinnamon and sugar mixture.
In a large bowl, cream butter, applesauce and sugar/splenda. Mix in eggs, mashed bananas, sour cream, vanilla and cinnamon. Mix in salt, baking soda and flour. Stir in nuts. Divide into prepared pans.
Bake for 1 hour, until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

The Empanadas

It occurred to me in retrospect that empanadas have always been part of my history, and it is bizarre that I would try to make them now. Bizarre, yet timely. You see, we have always had Christmas dinner at my parents' house in Cleveland my whole life. Christmas consisted of some 30+ extended family members, children and the Torres family. The Torres, Dr and Mrs., shared a duplex with my parents when all four of them were young married couples. Ever since then, having no stateside family, the Torres spent Christmas with our family. My parents had three daughters who practically mirrored their two boys and one girl. My parents kids grew up to be a lawyer, doctor and an advertising professional...so did their three kids...Weird huh? In any case...Every Christmas, Mrs. Torres always made empanadas for Christmas dinner. This was the only time of the year we had them. And we always fought over their exotic richness. The hints of latin american spices, the combination of the sugary sweet crust, the light dough, and the savory filling. Getting an empanada for breakfast, the day after Christmas, was an honor like no other. That is, if there were any leftovers.

Last year was the last Christmas at my parents' house. The little ones who sat at the kids table are all in their thirties and have children of their own, so my mother has passed our tradition on to my oldest sister who welcomes it with much enthusiasm. I look forward to our first Christmas in Charlotte this year...and we start there with 15 people for five days...so that should be interesting. But I also realize, I will probably never have Mrs. Torres empanadas again, and possibly may never see the family I have known for the past, ahem, 30 something years.. This makes me overwhelmingly sad, but is probably why I decided to try and make these now, two weeks before Christmas, for the very first time ever. I am happy and proud to report they were wonderful. They did not taste like Mrs. Torres', but they taste like Aunt Ree's (Me).

Black Bean, Sausage and Cheese Empanadas

12 oz. ground spicy Italian (or chorizo) (turkey , pork or vegetarian) sausage in a tube

1 small onion, chopped

1 15 oz can of black beans

3/4 cup grated jalapeno jack cheese

3 tablespoons fresh cilantro chopped

1 15oz package pre-made pie crusts (soft, from the canned biscuit section)

1 egg, beaten

1/8 cup sugar

I cooked the turkey sausage on the foreman grill and set it aside. Saute the onion for a few minutes till soft and add the can of beans, and the bean liquid. Cook over medium heat, stirring and mashing the beans a bit till the mixture is thick, about 10 minutes or so. Remove from heat and let it cool completely.

Preheat oven to 400. Take two shallow baking sheets and spray with nonstick or grease.

Grate your cheese and chop cilantro. Mix both into the cooled sausage mixture.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out one of the crust circles as thin as you can. Using a 4 1/2 inch bowl (standard small soup bowl) press out circles on the dough. Between the two crusts in the package you should be able to get at least 12-18 circles.

Place about a heaping tablespoon of mixture onto each circle. moisten the inner edge of the circles with water and fold over half of the circle to make a crescent. Press gently to seal. Use a fork to crimp edge of seal. Place on prepared cookie sheet. After they are all done brush each with the beaten egg and sprinkle with the sugar. Bake for 20 minutes and let cool for 5. Eat!

It occurs to me, as the boy moaned and groaned while he ate both breakfast and dinner, that I made him feel good in his tummy, but also in his heart. I like to cook for him and others, as well as myself because for me, it is my gift. I love to please people. I love to make them happy and content and smiley. I remember eating those empanadas and being sooo smiley. I remember dozens or Christmas pasts...And I remember smiling in the garden this morning, smelling the air and gazing over at my Otto von rolling in the grass. Marveling at the worms squirming about as I got to "the black gold" of the compost pile and took it bucket by bucket to the veggie garden. I felt like today I smiled and gave smiles inside and out to me, to Sam, to the puppies, to the garden, to my memories. And I hope with this new recipe to Christmas family memories for years to come.

Tapping into the Simple

I have been to Highland Tap, hid away on Highland Avenue underneath the little strip containing Fontaines, Mitzi and Romano's and other's, for multiple reasons over the years. I have had family meals in the dining room, but mostly it has been the bar that has brought me in out of the light and into a very very dark cozy bar. You almost feel like you stumbled into a private club or something. And some of the patrons certainly act like it is a private club...The first time I came here I made a young little friend of mine try escargots for the first time; her recently post-vegetarian self was horrified and excited at how good snails could taste. The last time I was here, the escargots were ordered again, honestly, they always are. I'm reviewing this slightly from memory as I found my notes in the bottom of my purse from a month or so ago. I believe this time Belle Bleue and I were having a post shopping high drink/pre meeting friends at the bar bite. A perfect place to recover, and brings one's pulse back to normal after an exhilarating afternoon of sales and purchases. Bleue is great as she and I always order small plates and share it all.

To drink:
Me, a Pimms Cup, because this is also a place that has Pimms!
Bleue is a wino.

We nibbled on:
Escargot in puff pastry, scampi butter and crusted in asiago
I always order this, because it is (a) very rare to get escargot in puff pastry in this town and (b) rarer still to have cheese involved....and it really is sooo good, especially when you are picking the burny/crisp cheese off the edge of the escargot dish...mmm.

Shrimp & Lobster "Corn dogs" with House Honey Mustard
I had to order these simply because they sounded deliciously bizarre. They were both. And the seafood was surprisingly not over cooked; the batter was that luscious corn dog puffiness you forget about when you leave the world of cordogs and baloney around age 12...

Serrano Ham and Arugala Salad with Asparagus,
tomatoes, crispy potato croutons and aged sherry vinaigrette
We always order a salad of some sort to pretend to cancel out the other high calorie things we indulge, but it is also a way to calm and cleanse the palate and refresh the appetite. This particular choice was very nice, and if I remember correctly I adored the potato croutons.

Highland Tap is weird, I never seem to plan to go there, but sometimes just end up there. And each time, it is the perfect choice. I haven't talked about it here, but they are a steakhouse, and the steaks and sides are quite good as well. Great place for an illicit meeting, sexy date, break from the harsh cheeriness of the holidays or a steak without the steakhouse attitude and glitz so prevalent these days.

Che bella appetito Nino!

For la belle's b-day, she chose a special little place nestled amongst the peep shows and sex shops of Cheshire bridge...the old school Italian gem that is Nino's. Opened in 1968, it is Atlanta's oldest Italian restaurant.

I loved it. I do not think I have been in a restaurant in Atlanta that felt like it had hardy roots. Nino's reminded me of the Italian restaurants in Chicago. The decor was understated, if a bit out of style. The lights low. The paintings on the walls had age to them. There was no techno music playing, no model thin waitresses carrying minuscule portions on triangular trays...no "scene" to be spoken of. Now if you want Italian and scene, go to Pricci, the food is great and everyone wears Dolce & Gabbana..If you want food that is delicious, a comforting "part of the family" atmosphere, and a charming, well aged waiter who knows the difference between a chianti and a sangiovese and whether one goes better with the veal stuffed olives than the other....go to Nino's.

Our waiter was wonderful. I swear he made all three of us blush, and it wasn't because he was wearing the latest skin tight Diesel jeans...no, he was probably a 50ish gentleman about half my height, but he spoke of the specials as if he was making love to them. He squealed with delight as he put down our dishes in front of us, murmuring "bella! bella!" Could have been an act, but it felt good to us. When we asked about how they made the veal stuffed olives, he actually knew they were stuffed inside and out and said the breadcrumbs were from the very rolls on our table. He KNEW the food. Only once have a met a waiter so in love with and knowledgeable of his food, in New York's Rockefeller Center restaurant, The Sea Grill. (And I swear we had to warm him up before he would trust us with his knowledge and love for the menu! But when he did! Oh Boy!) I digress...we had:

Pre dinner cocktails: 2 vodka/1 gin martinis up, dirty with olives

Amuse bouche: tiny warm crostini with fresh tomato and herbs
These were perfect! Warm! Petit! Fresh...the best I have have. You could taste just the ingredients for their pure individual flavors.

First course:
Fried green olives stuffed with veal
These were amazing. So crisp, not a bit oily...the firm tang of the olive contrasting with the rich, moist veal...mmm I thought I had a recipe for these...Olive all'Ascolana...I found it and will have to try and make now...maybe for new years.

Main course:
Fish Special
Fresh Grouper in tomato broth
She cleaned the plate...a rarity for this ami.

Fettucine alla Michela
Fettuccine with fresh shrimp and scallops in a light Pernod and saffron cream sauce
Holy doodoo I liked this. It was not a ginormous portion...for pasta it was the most approachable of quantities. The creaminess was not heavy and rich. It was light, savory, transporting... and the saffron and Pernod gave it the most delicate escalation of flavor. The seafood was cooked perfectly: the shrimp firm and the scallops heart wrenchingly tender (and huge).

Vitello Saltimbocca
Veal sautéed in seasoned white wine sauce, fresh sage, topped with prosciutto di parma
Also a clean plate member...the birthday girl adored this, and I found it rather rich and delicious myself.

Dessert:
Cappucino, tiramisu and a special birthday trio of desserts, including the most wonderful, moist marzipan I have ever tasted. I didn't know they made it like that.

Wine:
A carafe of the house red, a Montipulciano.

Nino's was a surprising delight for me. A hidden gem. It just felt different than most restaurants in Atlanta. It wasn't all sparkly. I like sparkly, but I love different, interesting and charming. I had always heard of Alfredos...a mere stone's throw from Nino's, but will happily pass on by, sight unseen, for another table at Nino's.