Olla-Podrida: December 2024

Tuesday, December 31, 2024

Monday, December 30, 2024

Cripple Creek Crab Cakes

In the autumn of last year, I reviewed a fascinating cookbook called Food to Die For; you can read that review here. One of the recipes in the book that intrigued me was one for crab cakes. I don’t know how it is in your area, but I find it very difficult to find good lump crab meat in my area, particularly considering my favorite seafood place (a local icon) closed down a number of years ago. Lo and behold, two days before Christmas I spotted it at Fresh Time, on sale! Christmas dinner, solved!

The beauty of crab cakes is that there’s really not a whole lot to putting them together, and you can make them ahead. They need to be chilled for at least an hour, but I find them more flavorful if you chill them overnight. Imagine how easy your meal would be if the main dish was made ahead of time.

These are wonderful! As crab cakes are one of my favorite things, I’m so pleased to know that no longer will I have to deny myself because of lack of availability of lump crab meat thanks to Fresh Thyme. If you like crab cakes as much as I do, you’re going to want to try this recipe.

Cripple Creek* Crab Cakes

1 lb. lump crab meat
½ red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and finely diced
½ c. white onion, diced
4 scallions, chopped, including tops
1 garlic clove, minced
1 egg, beaten
2 T. Dijon mustard
1 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 t. Worcestershire sauce
1 t. hot sauce
3 c. bread crumbs, divided
2 to 4 T. of vegetable oil, for frying
Lemon wedges for garnish
Chopped parsley, for garnish

In a large mixing bowl, combine the crab, pepper, onion, scallions, and garlic.

In a small bowl, whisk the egg, mustard, lemon juice, Worcestershire, and hot sauce.
Add the liquids to the crab. Mix in 1/4 cup of the breadcrumbs.

Form the mixture into eight patties, and dredge in the remaining breadcrumbs.
Place the patties on a plate, then cover and chill for at least an hour, preferably overnight.

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat (I used a combination of olive oil and butter.). Cook until the patties are golden, about 3 to 4 minutes per side, turning once.

Serve with remoulade and lemon wedges.

*Adapted from a recipe in Colorado Collage by the Junior League of Denver, a 1995 a collection of recipes from across the state, inspired by different cities and towns.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Thursday, December 26, 2024

Hatch Chile Pecan Pesto

I have never been a fan of pine nuts. Honestly, their lack of flavor makes me wonder why anyone is. I suspect that the reason the Italians used pine nuts in pesto when it was first created is because of convenience, because they’re so widely available in Italy. No, I think pesto is better using almost any other seed or nut, and I have done so.

Today, not only did I try pesto with pecans, but spicy pecans from Melissa’s produce, Hatch Chile Seasoned Pecans in particular. Melissa’s Hatch Chile pecans are available in both red and green. I used the green variety for this pesto, but I wouldn’t hesitate to use the red, or a combination of the two. This pesto was out of this world! I’m a fan anyway, but seriously I could’ve eaten this stuff with a spoon. If you would like to seriously enhance the flavor of your pesto, this recipe is a must try.

Hatch Chile Pecan Pesto

3 large garlic cloves

1/3 c. Melissa’s Hatch Pecans

¼ c. grated Parmesan cheese

2 c. packed fresh basil leaves

½ c. olive oil

¼ - ½ teaspoon kosher salt

¼ - ½ t. freshly ground black pepper

1½ t. freshly squeezed lemon juice

Place garlic and pecans into the work bowl of a food processor and process until blended. Add cheese and basil and process until blended. With machine running, slowly drizzle in olive oil. Lastly, add salt, pepper, and lemon juice, and pulse to combine. Keeps in the fridge for two days, freezes for 2-3 months.

Wednesday, December 25, 2024

Merry Christmas!

Grateful thanks to all of you who are kind enough to read my blog. I appreciate every one of you, and wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

See you in 2025!

Monday, December 23, 2024

Cream of Celery Soup

Celery is a vegetable that, I think, is often underestimated. It is surprisingly good for you; regular consumption may reduce inflammation markers. It may naturally lower your blood pressure, reducing the strain on your heart. Eating it daily, as I do, provides you with a steady supply of vitamin K that supports bone density and strength. Imagine! All of these benefits, and it’s relatively low in cost as well.

When the late Mr. O-P and I were working in Dublin, we would take an early afternoon break to meet up at a local pub for lunch. It became our favorite dining spot not only because the food was quite good, but also because of the fascinating characters that we would run into along the way. One thing of theirs that I particularly liked was the cream of celery soup. I would get a cup of that as often as possible, vowing to try to replicate the recipe when we got home. One day I asked Mr. O-P if he would like to taste it. He did. I asked him how he liked it, and he said (I could not believe this response), “It sets my teeth on edge.” I grappled with that comment, I can tell you. I don’t think I have ever eaten anything that has actually set my teeth on edge. Suffice it to say, I never pursued my interest in replicating that recipe. Now that I’m on my own, and inspired by a recipe that I saw in The Cozy Christmas Cookbook, I decided to give it a shot. Am I ever pleased with the results! This is warm, soothing, and delicately delicious.

Cream of Celery Soup
Inspired by The Cozy Christmas Cookbook

¼ c. butter
1 large head celery, washed and thinly sliced
2 6-oz. pkgs. Melissa’s cleaned and sliced leeks
2 small Melissa’s celeriac bulbs (about 10 oz. total after peeling)
½ lb. Melissa’s baby Dutch yellow potatoes, halved
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 c. vegetable broth
½ c. chopped fresh parsley, plus more to garnish
2 c. half ‘n half
½ t. sea salt
½ t. freshly ground black pepper

Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add celery, leek, celeriac (a.k.a. celery root), and potatoes. Sauté for 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until softened and lightly caramelized.

Add the garlic; stir for 30 seconds.

Add the broth, and turn up the heat. Bring to a boil, lower the heat a simmer, and cook for 15 more minutes until the celery and potatoes are fork tender. Add parsley and stir to incorporate.

Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until creamy. Stir in half-and-half. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve immediately garnished with slices of fresh celery, and chopped parsley.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Friday, December 20, 2024

My 2024 Christmas Card

I know that due to the expense it’s become less popular to send cards. That’s a shame. I don’t think there is anything better than getting something personal in the mail. When you think about it, that someone will come to your home, pick up a card or letter, and take it anywhere in the country that you desire for only 73¢, has to be one of the best bargains in the world.

For me, a good part of the joy of Christmas is designing my own Christmas cards, decorating envelopes, writing notes, and putting them into the mail. I got a bit nostalgic this year, using a picture of vintage salt and pepper shakers that belonged to my mother on the cover. Every card I design has a special meaning for me. I suppose I should gather them together into a book of sorts because, combined, they tell a story of my life.

I decided to do something different with the envelope this year and do an open collage. I’m not sure that I like it. I’m also not sure that it’s going to get through the mail intact, which is why I’m including a photo of it here so that, should the recipients receive something a bit battered, at least they’ll know what it looked like when it began its journey.

If you’d like to take a look at what I’ve done in the past, here are cards from 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023.

Thursday, December 19, 2024

Santa in the Snow Tablescape

This will be my last tablescape for 2024. It will not be the last table that I set, but with the holidays coming up, and all of the activity that surrounds them, I won’t be able to share any more.

This one is a lot of fun. It started with the fabric that I absolutely fell in love with. I bought 2 yards of it, put it over the table, and went from there.

The “placemats,” for lack of a better word, I found a number of years ago at Pier One. I’m sorry that I only bought four of them because I love them so much. The nubby-edged red plates are also from Pier One.

The holly leaf salad plates I got from Pottery Barn last year. I really like these because, with such a simple design, they can be paired with almost anything, and yet they have a big impact.

On top of them is a Fitz and Floyd Santa mug (that you last saw here), doing double duty as a candle holder. It was a snap to put this together. I used a bit of floral foam in the bottom to hold the candle in place, then it was just a question of adding some dried Spanish moss, some greenery, a few berries, and I was done. I think it makes a nice impact considering the minutes it took to put together.

The script greeting at each place setting I found here. The clear snowflake Irish coffee-style mugs that I fell in love with are new this year. I found them here. They will get a lot of use this year holding hot drinks and boozy coffees.

The wooden snowflakes are favorites, and are used all over the house during the holidays, including on the tree.

The deep green stemware makes a nice impact here. When you have a table covering as bold as this one, you have to have equally bold dinnerware.

I found the red napkins here, and struggled to decide which type of flatware to use. I tried, McKenzie-Child’s “Courtly Check,” gold, and ultimately ended up with this very versatile black flatware that makes a statement while being understated.

The Santa in the center riding the bicycle I inherited from my mother. She used to collect Santas of all kinds and had them running down the center of her dining table. I have all of them, of course, but tend to use just one at a time. The tree I’ve had forever, it is illuminated with tiny string lights.

I hope this finds you all thoroughly enjoying your holiday prep. Don’t wear yourselves out!

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

This post is linked to: Tablescape Thursday

Tuesday, December 17, 2024

Beef Daube

“Marianne, One of a Kind,” [France] is a TV show featuring French actress, Marilou Berry as outspoken and unorthodox investigating judge, Marianne Vauban, who loves a quirky crime, and her food. It was through the viewing of this series that I became acquainted with Beef Daube, more or less a Provençal French stew, a dish she enjoyed most gustily in Season 1, Episode 2 “Truckers.”

Photo MHz Choice

As she savored every bite she had this to say, “Oh, my! The sauce!” and “The baby carrots are amazing!” She was not wrong. I honestly don’t think I have ever tasted better carrots. The beef itself was superb!

As you can see the list of ingredients is lengthy, and I’m not going to lie, it took me a bit of time to do this. But, it is well worth it because it is absolute heaven. Marianne was right.

Beef Daube

Adapted from thekitchn.com

3 lbs. boneless chuck roast

2 T. olive oil

1½ t. kosher salt

½ t. freshly ground black pepper

1 1-lb. bag baby carrots

4 lg. cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped

2 T. tomato paste

1 T. Dijon mustard

2 T. flour

6 Melissa’s French Echalion Shallots, peeled and halved

3 whole cloves

1 orange

1 (750-milliliter) bottle Burgundy

1 small bunch Melissa’s fresh thyme

1 small bunch Melissa’s fresh rosemary

Chopped fresh parsley, for serving, optional

Cooked wide egg noodles or fresh pasta, for serving, optional

Preheat oven to 325° F. Arrange the racks such as to be able to accommodate your Dutch oven with the lid on.

Cut beef into 2-inch cubes.

Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Dry the meat with paper towels and season with the kosher salt and pepper. Sear the meat, undisturbed, in batches for 6-9 minutes until the underside develops a dark brown crust. Transfer the meat to a clean bowl as it is seared. When all the meat has been seared, deglaze the pan with a half cup of water.

Reduce the heat to medium and add the carrots and garlic to the pan. Cook, stirring often, until the carrots are glossy and the garlic is lightly browned, 5 minutes. Add tomato paste, Dijon mustard, and flour; stir to combine.

Stick 3 whole cloves into the flesh of a shallot half. (This will make the cloves easy to remove before serving.) Add to Dutch oven, then using a vegetable peeler, peel 2 large strips of zest from 1 orange into the Dutch oven.

Add all the meat and any accumulated juices then add the entire bottle of burgundy. Tie 1 small bunch fresh rosemary and 1 small bunch fresh thyme together with a small piece of kitchen twine then add to the Dutch oven; stir to combine.

Bring to a simmer, about 5 minutes, then cover and transfer to the oven. Cook until the meat will easily pull apart with a fork, 3 hours. Check at 2 1/2 hours. If the meat has started to go dry, add more wine to cover. Put lid back on Dutch oven, put it back into the oven and bake another half an hour.

Remove the bundles of herbs, strips of orange, and whole cloves before serving. Taste and season with kosher salt and black pepper if needed.

If desired, finely chop leaves and tender stems from 1/2 bunch fresh parsley. Serve with cooked egg noodles and a sprinkling of chopped fresh parsley.

Photo MHz Choice

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.