Merry, Merry to all of you, and I know it is entirely possible that Christmas Eve is here and nary a menu to be found. Think food that is going to make you happy as you cook it–bacon for instance–especially if you have a fireplace to cook it over. Bacon is great served stuffed into a Turkish flatbread with a side of broccoli rabe and crispy bits of onion or how about a baked apple with sausages. Not that a pig has ever done me wrong, I have never called 311 on a pig, I just like the smell of a pig cooking.
Yesterday I worked for people I love, which always make work good. I only hope that they don’t miss the chocolates I ate while I was there. I made leg of lamb with carrot, celery, onion and garlic that had been given a enough time in a saute pan with olive oil to go brown at the edges before getting thrown into a low oven with a good spill of a nice French white wine I found sitting by the fridge. Three hours later, and lots of love and basting, you can cut it with a fork. Along with, I sliced potatoes thin enough to see through and layered them with a drizzle of cream and tiny spills of fried garlic and sage. I like to bake it covered, and when it is completely soft, stick it under the broiler with a good sprinkle of parmegiano reggiano, watching it like a baby crossing the road. For a spinach sformata you have to cook a small mountain of spinach and squeeze it until your hands hurt. Add 1 pound of fresh ricotta for every four pounds of fresh spinach, 3 eggs, and then a good spoonful of mascarpone and parmesan, before baking until hardly set.
Serve a salad of spicy arugula with nothing but olive oil on the side and then come back in, both engines running, with a chocolate cake with whipped cream cream and espresso folded into the batter and then more cream and chocolate melted together to make a ganache for the top.
And then sit. Have someone make you a plate and give you a kiss.