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2 large unpeeled potatoes (Yukon Gold work very well – don’t use baking potatoes)

1 egg

Scant (small) handful of flour

Vegetable oil (about ¾” in a frying pan)

DIRECTIONS 

Caution – once you start on this recipe, don’t stop until you’re done – grated potatoes left to stand will turn dark and yucky looking.

1.     Grate 2 large potatoes (the results will be a bit crisper if you use a hand grater.)

2.     Dump the grated potatoes into a clean cloth dish towel; over the sink, wring out as much liquid as you can.

3.     Put the wrung-out potatoes into a mixing bowl,  add an egg and a scant handful of flour, and mix.

4.     Heat oil in a frying pan until a bit of potato sizzles when it hits the oil.

5.     Ladle in tablespoons of potatoes into the hot oil. Cook until brown and crisp on one side, then turn and cook on the other.

6.     Drain cooked potato pancakes on paper towel on a cookie rack and keep in a warm oven until all the potatoes are done.

7.     Cook batches until all are cooked.  Serve with salt and sour cream.

SPICY APPLE CHICKEN

INGREDIENTS

4 thin-sliced boneless breast filets

Apple cider or apple juice – enough to just cover the chicken, about 4 ounces

1 large Granny Smith (or other cooking) apple, peeled, cored and cut into thin wedges

1/2 large onion, thinly sliced

2 TBSP butter

1 TBSP olive oil

1 TBSP packed light brown sugar

1-1 ½ TSP curry powder (or to taste)

1 TSP ground cinnamon

1/2 TSP Chinese 5-spice powder

2 TBSP coarse mustard

1/4 cup honey

2/3 cup apple cider or juice

fresh thyme sprigs (or 1/2 TSP dried)

salt and pepper

 DIRECTIONS

Marinate filets in cider and keep in refrigerator for about 2 hours.

In the meantime, core and cut apple.  Drizzle with lemon juice to prevent darkening.  Slice onion.

In a large saute pan melt about 1 TBSP butter and 1 TBSP olive oil together over medium heat.  Take filets from cider; discard cider.  Add filets to the pan, being careful not to crowd (you might have to do this in batches, depending on the size of your filets.) Turn filets when edges become white; let the surface become slightly golden, but not brown.  Transfer to a plate; tent with tin foil and let rest.

In a medium-size saute/frying pan melt about 1 TBSP butter over medium heat.  Swirl it around pan as it melts.  Quickly add sugar, curry powder, cinnamon, and 5-spice powder; stir to disperse, making sure sugar doesn't burn.  Add apples and onions.  Saute until onion becomes translucent. Take off heat; cover and set aside.

In same pan over low-medium heat melt another 1 TBSP of butter; swirl.  Add mustard and honey, keeping the mixture moving so the honey doesn't burn (it may fizzle and foam -- if it does, take it off the heat for a moment while stirring, then return it).  Add cider and mix to combine.  Add filets and the apple/onion mixture and thyme.  Lower heat, cover, and let simmer for 5-6 minutes.

Serve with a wild rice mixture and a green vegetable or salad.

(You may thicken the juice/sauce if desired with 1 TB of cornstarch mixed with 2-3 TB of the cider mixture. Combine into a slurry, pour into pan along the edge, and quickly mix to disperse. Cover and continue as above.)

Apple Maple Crisp

INGREDIENTS 

5-7 good-sized cooking apples (Granny Smith, Cortland, Macoun, Jonagold, etc.) peeled, cored, and cut into rough pieces

2 tsp. lemon juice

about 2 TB maple syrup

dash of cinnamon

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 cup oats (quick-cooking is OK)

about 1/3 c. of anything else lying around -- graham cracker crumbs, granola, the sludge at the bottom of the cereal box, etc.

1/4 c. flour

1/2 to 3/4 cup packed brown sugar

dash salt

about half a stick of cold butter cut into small cubes

1 TSP ground cinnamon

1/2 TSP allspice

1/2 TSP nutmeg

1/4 TSP ground ginger 

DIRECTIONS

In a large bowl toss together the apples, lemon juice, maple syrup, cinnamon, and vanilla.  Pat into a 13x9 baking dish.

In another bowl mix together the dry ingredients.  Cut in the butter with your fingertips until the mixture becomes moist and crumbly.  Pat onto apples.

Bake at 350F for about 40 minutes.  Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Grilled Flank Steak with Provencal Spices (serves 8) – Served Family Style

5 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

4 garlic cloves

1 Tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves

1 Tablespoon fresh lavender leaves

1 Tablespoon fennel seeds

1 Tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

2 teaspoons cracked black pepper

1 flank steak, about 3 pounds

Start a charcoal or wood fire, or preheat a gas grill or the broiler.

Combine all ingredients except the steak in a food processor and blend until minced but not pureed.  Rub all over steak.  Marinate the steak overnight or as little as one hour before cooking.

When the fire is hot, grill the steak about 4 minutes per side, or until nicely browned, for medium rare, turning only once. Remove from the fire and let rest for about 5-15 minutes before slicing thinly (against the grain) and serving.

Basic Polenta (serves 4-6) – Served Family Style

2 cups whole milk

2 cups water

1 Tablespoon unsalted butter

1 bay leaf

1-2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 1/2 cups coarse yellow cornmeal (if using fine cornmeal, the polenta takes less time to cook)

1/2- 1 cup of freshly grated parmesan cheese

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

In a saucepan, bring all ingredients except cornmeal to a simmer over medium heat.  Do not let it boil.  Very slowly, begin to pour the cornmeal into the pan stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or whisk.  Once all the cornmeal is in the pan, continue to stir and reduce heat to medium low.  Stir constantly until polenta is smooth and thick and pulls away from the sides of the pan, about 20 minutes. Add more water if consistency becomes too thick.

Discard the bay leaf and slowly and carefully pour the polenta onto a large wooden board. Guide it into a circle and be careful it doesn’t run off the board.

Take a wooden spoon and make a depression around the edge of the polenta, about 2 inches from the edge, forming a sort of “moat”.

Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and let it rest for about 10 minutes to firm up.  After 10 minutes of resting, sprinkle with parsley for color.

Red Wine Mushroom Sauce (serves 8)

1 small container of Beef/Veal Demi Glace*

3/4 cup of water

3/4 cup of your favorite red wine

8-10 oz container of fresh mushrooms, button or any type you like, sliced and sautéed in 1 Tablespoon of butter (can make this in advance)

1 Tablespoon of butter (this is optional if you use the Demi Glace)

Wondra Flour

In a small saucepan, place container of Demi Glace and add water and wine to it. Stir to blend and let it sit on low heat to cook for 10 minutes.  If you like a thicker consistency, add about 2 teaspoons of Wondra and carefully thicken the sauce.  Add mushrooms and set aside until ready to serve.

*  If you don’t want the use the Demi glace, just cook down the wine and water, and use a bit more Wondra to thicken the sauce.

Putting it all together

Place the sliced flank steak on the wooden board on top of the polenta, placing it into a circular design with edges of the beef meeting in the center. 

Carefully spoon the red wine mushroom sauce into the moat.

To serve, dip a serving spatula or large spoon into warm water.  Advise your guests to scoop the polenta along with steak and red wine sauce right onto their plates.