Naomi: Cooking for one and for friends



For years now, even before I wrote the recipes in what I think of as my "static blog," Fiftytworecipesfrommymother, at the request of my children, Sarah and Sam, Sarah had been urging me to keep a daily (more or less) record of my cookings--the meals I make for myself in my (surprisingly) solitary life as well as those I make for friends. For whatever reasons, I've never done it.


But, after months of wandering, I've finally begun. As I haven't quite mastered the art of cooking for one, and love throwing together grand meals at the last minute, I have been encouraging friends to call to check on what I might have on hand any evening for a quick meal. Instructions can be found in my entry for March 20th--What's in Naomi's Refrigerator.

This is primarily a record of the meals I prepare for myself and others, accompanied by "mug shots" of the food (when I remember to photograph before eating). Shot by my phone, with no styling, they may not capture their subjects at their best, but so be it.



Saturday, July 7, 2012

July 7th. Dinner Artichokes with aioli, Guacamole. Penne with asparagus and portobello mushrooms. Ice cream with strawberries and caramel nut sauce.


Dan, Andrea and Sam are coming for dinner.

Big vegetarian menu.For starters-- the artichokes were already steamed (I'd scarcely made a dent at lunch) , but I did have to make a fresh round of aioli.


All the avocados were guacamole ready, and I even had a bag of chips--and there was still a bit of Fourth of July corn salad.

These were all old stand-bys, but the main course--penne with portobello mushrooms and asparagus was completely new and refrigerator inspired.

INGREDIENTS
One bunch asparagus
Four portobello mushrooms
3 shallots
4 cloves garlic
1 cup vegetable broth
lemon juice
1/2 cup parsley
parmesan cheese

Steam the asparagus for just a few minutes--barely tender--then cut into pieces about the size of the penne and set aside.
Slice the mushrooms, saute in butter and olive oil--when the mushrooms are nicely browned,  add finely chopped shallots and garlic and cook for another minute or so.  Add vegetable broth (you could also use wine, or chicken broth--you just want to add enough liquid to make a bit of a sauce.  

Cook Pasta.  Toss pasta with mushrooms, asparagus, finely chopped parsley and cheese (I used parmesan, but many possibilities here as well).

I'd forgotten the cheese, so before dessert we had a mini-course of burrata--it was amazingly fresh and delicious-- with roasted tomatoes.
Last week, I'd made a very delicious salted caramel sauce, but tonight I made a caramel nut sauce from Deborah Madison.
CARAMEL NUT SAUCE
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup dark corn syrup
1 cup cream
pinch salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Toast the nuts for about five minutes in the oven pre-heated to 350°.  Combine sugar, corn syrup and cream in heavy saucepan.  Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently until smooth. Add salt and cook for another five minutes or so--it will thicken a bit--but won't be really thick until it cools.  Stir in vanilla and nuts.

mini-portion of ice cream with caramel nut sauce and strawberries
I served it over ice-cream, strawberries and raspberries, along with the tiny bit of left-over salted caramel sauce for comparison. High marks all around--the salted caramel,  containing cream and butter was perhaps richer, but both were very delicious indeed.  
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