VittlesVamp

Cinnamon Goes Savory

A couple of teaspoons of cinnamon in your Apple Pie recipe? Of course. A heaping tablespoon of cinnamon for Snickerdoodles? Absolutely!

But cinnamon with chicken? With eggplant? Not so much...Unless you know better. Unless you know the wonders of this fragrant spice when applied with a Greek culinary sense of savory.

Take for example, Mama Vamp's recipe for Pastitsio -- the Greek version of lasagna that pairs a tomato and cinnamon-imbued stew of ground lamb and beef with tubes of pasta and a blanket of sharp grated cheese. Once layered, it goes into the oven to bake, crowned with an eggy, rich bechamel scented with nutmeg.

Don't resist. The recipe is below. Time to break out the cinnamon for more than Rice Pudding and Coffee Cake. Go grab a stick or two of the stuff and get your Greek on!

Pastitsio

2 onions, finely diced
1/2 cup butter
1 lb ground chuck
1 lb ground lamb
2 1/4 cups tomato sauce
2 teaspoons salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 sticks of cinnamon
16 oz. box of ziti
1 1/2 cups Locatelli Romano cheese, grated

Saute onions in butter until golden. Add meat and saute until browned. Add tomato sauce, salt, garlic and sticks of cinnamon. Simmer for 30 minutes. Allow to cool and refrigerate overnight. Remove any hardened grease that has settled on the top and warm gently on the stove top. Cook ziti per package instructions, strain and rinse. Place a layer of the stewed meat at the bottom of a 13x9x2 baking pan. Alternately layer ziti with more sauce and cheese. Make bechamel.

Bechamel
6 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup flour
3 cups milk
4 egg yolks
1/2 cup Locatelli Romano cheese, grated
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
salt and pepper, to taste

Melt butter in a large saucepan. Stir in flour and then slowly stir in milk. Cook until thickened. Add salt, pepper and nutmeg. Add cheese. After adding a bit to the yolks to temper them, stir entire mixture into egg yolks.

Pour bechamel over meat and ziti. Bake for 40 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Serve.

Revisiting Mama Vamp's Recipe Box

Certain dishes remain with me from my childhood and teenage years. For the most part, those dishes sprung from Mama Vamp's recipe box, and lately I've been reminiscing about those recipes -- longing to revisit them in my own kitchen.

A couple of years ago, a forgotten recipe from Mama Vamp's vault was finally located and several luscious Plum Cakes have been lovingly baked in my home ever since.

Recently, after paying call on a Brighton Beach bakery chock-full of freshly-made Rugelach, I've been feeling the need to break out Mama Vamp's own recipe, whipping up a batch filled with apricot jam and toasted walnuts. I'm equally drawn to her recipe for Cheesecake, a hauntingly rich version that combines cream cheese and whipped cream with flecks of bright orange and lemon zests.

On the savory side, I conjure up memories of her Greek Pastitsio, baked pasta in a hearty tomato-meat sauce tinged with cinnamon, and topped with a creamy bechamel.

Yup. Thinking it's about time to dig up some of Mama Vamp's old favorites on well-worn index cards and head to my kitchen. Anyone care to come over to sample the results?

Put A Pepper On It

That's right. It's time to forget about burgers and hot dogs and grab a pepper or two (or three) for your next barbecue.

I'm serious. And, this is seriously delicious...

Grilled Peppers a la Vamp

3 red, orange or yellow bell peppers (Note: Do not substitute green peppers)
2 TBSP olive oil
1 TBSP white balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup julienned basil leaves
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper

Get the grill fired up. Cut four slabs per pepper, removing the core and seeds. Brush with 1 TBSP of olive oil and place on grill, covering for about 15 minutes, till starting to get soft on one side. Flip over the pepper pieces and cover again, cooking for about 10 minutes more, until they are very soft and skin is starting to char. Remove from grill and slice into smaller pieces. Plate and drizzle with remaining olive oil and white balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle with basil, salt and pepper.

Summer of Ceviche

On scorching days, my fancy usually turns to oysters, ice-cold, lightly briny beauties splashed with tart shallot mignonette. This summer, oysters have been had, but a new seafood favorite has emerged as well -- ceviche.

Just a few weeks ago, I reveled in a bowl of Ecuadorian Shrimp Ceviche at Sunset Park's El Tesoro Ecuatoriano. Unlike any rendition I'd had before, this irresistible ceviche featured tender shrimp floating in a tomato-lime chilled soup, topped with a shower of fresh popcorn and fruity hot sauce.

I was enthralled. Two bites in, and I was officially hooked on ceviche -- and I was on the prowl for more.

Visiting Chimu in Williamsburg a week later with a gal pal, I insisted we order their Peruvian-style Ceviche Mixto. Replete with raw mussels, crab, shrimp, and delicate white fish, enlivened by lime and cilantro, the ceviche was divine.

And, returning to Billysburg this past 4th of July, I joined a few friends in Maison Premiere's enchanting back garden for bracing Sazeracs, live Dixieland jazz, and Sea Bream Ceviche. Pictured above, this shell-plated dish included hints of coconut milk, lime juice, sharp red onion, bright scallion and sweet mango. Not sure if it is an "old New Orleans recipe," but who the heck cares when it's this delicious.

Now, I'm intent on making my own ceviche. Lucky for me my Ecuadorian pal Emi was willing to part with her family recipe. She says that it is best consumed on an ungodly hot day as a brunch or lunch dish with a really cold beer. Sounds good to me!

I'm definitely going to make some soon. But, if you get to it before me, give me a shout and I'll head over with an icy six-pack of Coronas!

Emi's Ecuadorian Ceviche

1 lb of either large prawns or fish (mahi mahi or sea bass are the best)
4 large tomatoes
1 large yellow onion
1/2 can of tomato paste
8 limes
1/2 orange
2 TBSP mustard
black pepper
salt

Take each tomato and cut it in half. Grate one of the halves and chop up the other one. Do this for all 4 tomatoes. Add to a big bowl. Julienne the onion. Add to the tomato mix. Cut up the seafood. If it is fish, dice the fish, if it is the prawns, devein and shell them and then cut each of them in half lengthwise.

Put about a liter of water to boil in a pot. Once the water boils, blanche the seafood (dip it in the water until it becomes white). The fish should be blanched for about 30 seconds (don't overcook it!) and the prawns anywhere from 30 seconds to about a minute. Put the seafood in a bowl. Turn off the pot when you finish. DO NOT THROW OUT THE WATER.

Add the seafood to the tomato and onion mix. Add the 1/2 of tomato paste to the tomato-onion-seafood mix. Mix thoroughly.Squeeze the eight limes onto the mix. Mix thoroughly again. Ladle in about one or two cups of the water that was left over from blanching the seafood into the mix. Mix thoroughly again. Add salt & pepper to taste, as well as the mustard. Mix again. Squeeze the orange juice onto the mix. Mix thoroughly. Taste. Add limes, salt, pepper and/or mustard if needed.

It should be refreshing, but salty and slightly sweet (only slightly!). The lime flavor should be present but not predominant.Chill for about an hour or hour and a half. Serve.

Serve with sides of popcorn, corn nuts, and plantain chips (the thinner, salty kind) that can be added to taste by the people who will be doing the eating. It is customary to also have a few limes cut into quarters served with the ceviche in case people prefer their ceviche a little more on the sour side.

St. Paddy's Day Rendered Unnecessary By Mama Vamp's Corned Beef

There is no reason to hold out for St. Patrick's Day to get your Corned Beef on. Take it from me. And, if you don't want to take it from me, take it from Mama Vamp. Her recipe is below. It's freakin' delicious. Great with cabbage, but equally lovely with a side of asparagus. In addition, it's complimented by most beverages, but truly at its best if you refrain from drinking a pint of green beer alongside.

Mama Vamp's Corned Beef

4 lb Corned Beef (including pickling spice packet)
3 TBSP mustard
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt

Boil the Corned Beef with pickling spice packet for 3 hours or until tender. Place on a cooking tray or roasting pan. Allow meat to cool for 15 - 20 minutes. Spread a coat of mustard on the top of the meat. Sprinkle generously with light brown sugar, followed by a light sprinkling of the salt. Broil for 4 -5 minutes, until sugar is fairly melted. Turn oven down to 425 degrees and allow to bake for another 10 - 15 minutes until the sugar and mustard are bubbly, but not burnt. Remove from oven and cool for 15 minutes before slicing.

Gobsmacking Turkey Gumbo Goodness

One of the best parts of Thanksgiving (real or faux) is most definitely the leftovers. Who doesn't love revisiting turkey, stuffing and sweet potatoes after the big day is over? Still, there is just so much anyone can handle. That's when a little creativity in the kitchen is called for. In my case, I needn't look any further than a recipe from Justin Devillier of La Petite Grocery in New Orleans -- Leftover Turkey Gumbo.

No surprise, I added my own VittlesVamp twist to the dish and delivered a humdinger of a spicy Big Easy bowl of goodness. (One slurp of this magic elixir and my pal Joy started speaking with a Creole patois -- and she's from New Jersey!)

Here's a link to the original recipe, if you want to check it out. Below is my version...

Gobsmacking Good Turkey Gumbo

Roux:
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup & 3 TBSP vegetable oil

Over moderate flame, heat the vegetable oil in a large enamel-coated cast-iron skillet. Add the flour slowly while whisking out any lumps. When all of the flour is incorporated, the mixture should have a viscosity slightly thinner than cake batter. Cook while whisking constantly to prevent any roux from sticking to the bottom of the pot and burning. As the roux gets close to finishing—in about 30 to 40 minutes—it will turn dark brown. Remove from heat and transfer to a heatproof container. Use in recipe, or cool completely, cover, and refrigerate until ready to use, bringing the roux back to room temperature.

Gumbo Ingredients
leftover cooked turkey (half a breast, turkey leg and wing should do)
4 cups chicken broth (preferably College Inn)
4 cups water
2 bay leaves
1 andouille sausage (cut into 1/4 inch thick coins - should be approximately 1 cup)
2 small yellow onions (diced)
6 garlic cloves (finely chopped)
1 green bell pepper (diced)
4 stalks of celery (diced)
1 bunch thyme
1 sprig sage
1/8 cup paprika
1 TBSP cayenne pepper
1 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup hot sauce (Crystal preferably)
Coarse salt and ground 
black pepper

The night before: Place the turkey in a five-gallon pot and add broth, water and bay leaves. Over moderately high heat, bring the liquid to a boil, lower heat, and simmer for a few hours to make an enriched stock. Cool and refrigerate. The next day: Remove turkey stock (with turkey bones) from refrigerator and let stand for one hour. Over moderate heat, bring back to boil, add the roux, and stir to dissolve. Add remaining ingredients, lower heat, and simmer the gumbo until thickened, about 2½ hours. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with rice, if so inclined.

Cranberry, Quince & Apple Chutney

I'm no liar. I promise you one of my personal T-day recipes and here I am to offer one up -- my Cranberry, Quince and Apple Chutney. Pictured above, it is a zesty autumnal fruit affair that will easily make you forget the jellied cranberry sauce tragedies of Thanksgivings past.

It's simply delicious. In addition, it is the perfect accompaniment to a Christmas goose or Hanukkah latkes, or even atop Greek yogurt for an anytime treat.

Cranberry, Quince & Apple Chutney

1 cup water
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 quince (peeled and chopped)
2 granny smith apples (peeled and chopped)
1 bag of fresh cranberries (approximately 3 cups)
juice of 1 orange

Combine quince, water and sugar in a pot over medium-high heat. Boil for 15 minutes. Add apples. Boil for 5 minutes. Add cranberries. Cook for 10 minutes more, until cranberries have burst and the mixture has taken on a crimson color. Add orange juice and mix. Allow to cool and then refrigerate before serving.

Mama Vamp's Plum Cake

Up until a couple of weeks ago, I thought this recipe was lost forever. Then, miracle of miracles, Mama Vamp found the fragile, 1970s-era recipe card that contained the secrets behind this delectable autumn treat.

The season for Italian prune plums is almost over. I strongly recommend you buy some immediately and whip up this cake in your own kitchen. You won't -- no, you can't -- be disappointed with the results.

The Plum Cake

1 cup flour (sifted)
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 TBSP sugar

Sift together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.

1 1/2 TBSP butter

Add into dry ingredients, using pastry cutter.

1 egg
2 TBSP milk

Add into the mixture until it forms a stiff dough.

Spread into a greased 8x8 square pan to 1/4 inch thickness. Cover top closely with plums in a circular fashion (about 12 Italian prune plums, cut in half and pitted). Place skin side down. Sprinkle with a combination of:

1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
Dash of nutmeg

Dot with additional butter. Bake at 425 degrees for 25 minutes. Allow to cool before serving.

Something is Fishy -- In A Good Way

Lately, my dinner party default has been chicken. I make a darn good bird, but I was starting to worry that me and my guests were gonna sprout wings if I kept it up.

No more poultry rut!

And, happily, the rut is over. Proof positive? The photo above is not of chicken.

Yowsa!

We're talking about Herb Roasted Salmon with Corn and Wild Mushrooms.

Yowsa and yum!

Here's the recipe, in case you need a break from the bird too...

Herb Roasted Salmon with Corn and Wild Mushrooms

6 pieces of salmon filet (about an inch thick)
1 stick butter (room temperature)
3 TBSP chopped chives
3 TBSP chopped tarragon
4 ears of corn (shucked)
2 cups of wild mushrooms
2 TBSP chopped shallots
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sprinkle bottom of a large roasting pan with corn, wild mushrooms and shallots. Mix butter with chives and tarragon. Spread one tablespoon of the herb butter on top of each piece of salmon. Place salmon on top of corn and mushrooms. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 - 25 minutes.

Ringing In 2011 With Pure Pie Goodness

It may not have been the prettiest of pies, but it was a humdinger. Apple-Currant with a light, crisp crust and a shower of demerara sugar crystals, it was a sweet good-bye to 2010 and a happy welcome to 2011. Generous scoops of homemade Creme Fraiche Gelato made each slice even more delectable.

The recipe for this wintry fruit pie is below, in case you feel like starting the new year with something freshly baked and altogether yummy.

Apple-Currant Pie

Crust:
3 cups flour
1 TBSP sugar
1 tsp salt
2 sticks butter (very cold)
1/2 cup vegetable shortening (aka Crisco)
1/2 cup plus 1 TBSP ice water
1 egg
1 TBSP demerara sugar

Combine flour, sugar and salt in food processor. Add butter, cut into small cubes, and shortening. Pulse until mixture resembles small peas. With processor running, add 1/2 cup cold water and process until it forms a ball. (You can add a bit more water - a spoonful at a time - if it is too dry.) Shape dough into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap, placing in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. Once chilled, cut in half and roll out into two large disks.

Filling:
8 Granny Smith apples (peeled, cored and thickly sliced)
1/4 cup dried currants
1/2 cup water
1 TBSP lemon zest
1 TBSP orange zest
2 TBSP lemon juice
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp allspice
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Heat 1/2 cup water and add to dried currants in a small bowl. Allow to sit for 30 minutes and then drain currants. Add currants to apples along with all the other filling ingredients in a large bowl. Mix to allow for all the spices, sugars, flour, etc. to coat each apple slice.

Place one of the pastry disks at the bottom of a 9-inch pie pan. Spoon filling into the crust. Top with the second pastry disk, folding excess under the bottom crust and using a fork to seal the edges.

Whisk egg with 1 TBSP water. Brush on top of pie. Sprinkle with demerara sugar. Cut three slits into the top crust to allow for steam to be released during baking. Place pie pan on a cookie sheet and bake in the oven for an hour or until crust is golden brown and juices are beginning to bubble down the edge a bit.