NYE | Bigos, or Polish Hunter's Stew

Before the bacchanalia, comfort. In fact, comfort food to line the stomach. Cabbage, sauerkraut, mushrooms, sausage are key. Without those it's just not it. Beyond that, get creative with cooked meats and prunes. Wash down with vodka preferably and traditionally, or beer to keep it in the hunter spirit, or red wine to take it in that direction. Be bold. Happy New Year!

Sunday Feast № 52 | Roasted Red Snapper with Rosemary and Fennel

About a year ago, a photo of red mullet with fennel appeared in front of me again. OK. Less dramatic: I was looking for a Christmas Eve fish dish that was not carp. I went to one of my local stores that still has the fishmonger-like stand and one that seemed the most likely to have less standard fish options despite still being a supermarket, and looked for mullet. Saw none and asked - yes, actually interacted in the supermarket with someone beyond a cashier! I was told that this supermarket doesn't carry mullet due to its poor sustainability. "What is a good substitute then?" "Sea bass is one." It was good. Just did not have the red tinge on in its scales, and I suppose that's what I wanted. Too.    But red snapper does! What's more, supermarket next door always has it and I had a roasted red snapper recipe ferreted away already. This one was from Food Network courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis, which is rather fitting since the red mullet recipe was from an Italian cookbook. My oil use was liberal; hence, no measure. I sliced the onion and fennel bulb being too lazy to chop - isn't that the height of laziness?! This roasted snapper makes a great alternative to Christmas Eve carp, and beyond.

Sunday Feast № 51 | Almond Frangipane and Cranberry Tart with Honeyed Pistachios

Ever since late fall, there was a bag of fresh cranberries still hanging around in the bottom drawer of my fridge. They should have been gone by now, meaning eaten, but no, and suprisingly still looked highly edible. Maybe it is the skin... Anyhow. Here I had in my hands the latest issue (December/January 2017) of Saveur magazine, with this tart on the cover. Well, "those cranberries are dead now!" The original recipe called for ¾ cup frozen cranberries, which I thought suprising considering my state of fridge affairs and perception of the season, but probably normal for other fridges-freezers, and the original recipe called more sugar to mix them in. Also, seeing all the butter mixture beating, this recipe pushed me to acquire a hand-held electric mixer despite trying to keep the kitchen as "decluttered" as humanly possible - for me. Hand-held since I am still not ready to graduate, spacewise and otherwise, to a standup mixer. Give it time. Before that, bake this tart.

Sunday Feast № 50 | Quinoa with Dried Cranberries and Pistachios

Quinoa is one of those ancient Latin grains that became very popular outside of its indigenous regions around mid-2000s and early 2010s, and around that time, funnily enough, I always ate it as a cool salad with fruits and vegetables that one would most likely not cook. Fast forward tiny bit past exactly mid-2010s, and yes I am super late to the party, I considered the season and locked onto this version, which in fact tastes better warm, and was a very welcome alternative to the cool, or cold to be exact. Serves 4 as stand alone lunch or 6 as a side dish. The recipe is from Muscle & Fitness magazine November 2014 issue and has been slightly changed by adding twice the dried cranberries and pistachios.

Sunday Feast № 49 | Grilled Swordfish with Cilantro Chile Vinaigrette

The combination of what I see as Latin flavors of cilantro, chilies, lemon or lime juice, is irresistible to me. The multi-dimensional citrus flavors cut with spicy heat enhance any rich food far better than any of those ingredients alone. Plus, the simplicity of this meal is quite alluring. Think about it: simply grilled fish steak with butter finish, elevated with that kind of a vinaigrette. Have it with crisp dry white wine and good bread to mop up those juices, or maybe skip the latter if you have big fish steaks, and after all, licking the plate is acceptable is certain circumstances. If you can't get swordfish steaks, I hear halibut and fresh tuna are good substitutes. The recipe is very slightly adapted from Food & Wine magazine November 2014 issue (yep, still with the same issue after the pumpkin focaccia): it was the garlic - the cloves I had were big so I downsized from two to one as not to lose the other flavors. And yes, I did use left over vinaigrette like pesto. Fun on the side The same magazine issue made me happy to no end by including a recipe for Yemeni hot sauce. This meant that for once I didn't have to fret over what to do with significant amount of cilantro left behind, which is more often than not the case in my kitchen. This sauce drizzled over roasted vegetables was a divine simplicity. Yet again.

Sunday Feast № 48 | Focaccia with Roasted Pumpkin

It is well into pumpkin season and I've also been meaning to make bread. This adaptation of a recipe from Food & Wine magazine November 2014 issue (yes, I am going through my old issues) is mainly to do with the fact that I do not have a stand up mixer, so elbow grease it was instead. What I do have is great central heating that allowed me to proof the dough with the bowl or baking sheet standing on a wooden cutting board on top of a column radiator for that perfect 80-90°F/27-32°C range. Lose some. Win some. Watch the initial roasting of the pumpkin slices knowing that they will roast again atop of the focaccia dough.

Sunday Feast № 47 | Mushroom Barley Salad

Do you like mushrooms? Have I got a recipe for you, adapted from Food & Wine magazine November 2015 issue. I used more sage (2 tsp vs. my 2 tbsp) and was happy for it as the sage added a woodsy-like smell to go with button, baby bella, shiitake, and oyster mushrooms. "Mushrooms. Meat for vegetarians." was the advertising tagline for Australian mushroom growing industry. Makes no difference to me. I like mushrooms, vegetarian or not. The wilder, the better. Maybe it's the childhood memories of my Grandma picking fresh mushrooms in the forest, or their smell as she dried them for winter, or how they add flavor to warming dishes. Having barley also induced childhood memories. Such a filling grain. Nutritious, too. One cup is loaded with more fiber than you would think (~ 32 g), has a high amount of protein (~ 23 g), and appears to be a nice source of magnesium, iron, and vitamin B-6! This one is good for lunch (~ 6 servings) or as a side (~ 8-10 servings). Bring it to room temperature, if you prepared it earlier or maybe zap it in the microwave on the vegetable reheating setting. Prepare to be satisfied.

Sunday Feast № 46 | Grilled Escarole Toasts with Salmon Roe

Simplicity is happiness. "Really?!", you pull back and purse your lips. Take a look at this! As simple as it gets! Grilling and good produce brought together to get the feel good factor going. And I have you know that I woke up uncustomarily early for a weekend day, and for me, and started the day with crème fraîche and salmon roe courtesy of œufs en cocotte, so you would think I have had enough crème fraîche and salmon roe already. Come lunch, this tweaked recipe from Food & Wine magazine October 2015 issue was on the menu (more thyme and infusing the olive oil with thyme and garlic, microwave has to have its purpose). Great as an appetizer, too. Add a glass or more of your favorite dry white wine, and you will be as happy. Trust me.

Sunday Feast № 45 | Sabayon or Zabaione, or an exercise in tenacity

After making potato and onion frittata, I was left with egg yolks. Unusual situation for me, since majority of the time it is egg whites, and I know what to do with those; add to them an egg or two and have eggs your way, sunny side up in my case, for breakfast, brunch, or lunch. I haven't made dessert in a while, and that is where egg yolks are used the most. I looked around and found an egg yolk based one in “The Little Paris Kitchen” by Rachel Khoo - champagne sabayon. I had prosecco though, which makes me wonder if this is now officially zabaione, the Italian version. However, as it turns out, that was the least of my worries.    First time around I took "To test, draw a figure 8 in the mixture with the whisk. If it stays put, then sabayon is ready." too literally, was too heavy handed, and most of all missed the timing when to take the mixture off the heat, and ended up with rather tasty and sweet and smooth but scramble. I overcooked it. Truth be told, I needed to research the required consistency when cooking as I knew that the final product was too thick and lacked the expected volume all that whisking should produce. Time to learn.    This YouTube video at 5:09 showed me what I should be looking for, and I tried again. To say that I was gun-shy next time around is an understatement. I kept on taking the bowl on and off the heat, and kept on whisking furiously. When it seemed to head in the right direction, I took the sabayon mixture off the heat and "threw" it into the fridge, then proceeded to deal with leftover egg whites.    When I came back to it, it decreased in volume and liquefied under a layer of breaking froth. I undercooked it. Yes, I took it off heat too quickly. To save it, off I went whisking over the heat again and persisted and watched till the consistency was definitely right, this is why I am not telling you how long the whisking takes. I have no clue. Also, serve immediately. While whisking, I thought how this is too much. All that changed after having a serving with raspberries and prosecco with raspberry syrup. I will master.

Sunday Feast № 44 | Festival des Pommes, with Honey Glazed Roast Pork with Apples as a Main Attraction

"An impressionistic tour of Normandy, where the apple is king and calvados completes the meal" said the subtitle to a story in Saveur magazine May 2016 issue. That also means apple cider, or as it was in my misreading of a recipe I locked onto - apple cider vinegar. Yes, that is what I used even though looking at the recipe again, it distinctly calls for just apple cider. Did the swap matter? No, it was super tasty just as the run through the ingredients promised.    If the photo here does not grab you, please ignore it, I was in a rush to eat and feed, and proceed with cooking your own. Absolutely worth it. All that butter and honey help, I'm sure. Also, if you happen to have those big size apples, three is enough. Pair it with apple, celeriac, and carrot salad and apple cider to drink. Finish off with after-dinner swigs of calvados. Life is good.

Sunday Feast № 43 | Potato and Onion Frittata

Yes, I am one of those sad souls who assumed this was a Spanish dish. The thing is first time I had it, it was cooked by a Spaniard and I forgot him referring to it as tortilla de patatas. Back then attention span was shaky at times or otherwise preoccupied; I will blame memory now. Hence, this Italian dish has embedded itself in my brain as Spanish. Olé! We all make mistakes. Mi dispiace.    Looking for some color in the autumn cooking, I locked in on this recipe from “Everyday Food: Great Food Fast” by Martha Stewart Living Magazine, more so since it suggested to make a side of red and yellow bell peppers sauté (bell peppers cut lengthwise, sliced red onion, olive oil, salt and pepper, and you are good to go).    As a tip: if you have the misfortune of the onion, potato, and rosemary mixture sticking to your skillet, do not disrepair. Warm up another skillet to a similar temperature, lightly oil it, transfer the onion, potato, and rosemary mixture that did not marry itself to the first skillet, and proceed with pouring the egg mixture. You, or your frittata, will survive and bond very well together. Via your belly.

Sunday Feast № 42 | Wild Rice Cranberry Soup

Not exactly the most photogenic, but sometimes that's what it has to be. You know it. That vegetarian cooked food that you must have to feel nourished, less stuffed, and virtuous. Here is my autumn baby. Adapted from "A Beautiful Bowl of Soup: The best vegetarian recipes" by Paulette Mitchell, I upped and tweaked the portions of the ingredients to match my one-and-only/last/entire supply of vegetable stock: 4 cups.

Sunday Feast № 41 | Latin Braise Coc Co Co Coc, or Coconut Braised Chicken with Chorizo and Potatoes

The flavor combination read as perfect. Perfect enough to drown the pages with dribbling saliva.    I might be exaggerating, but mussing up of the pages was involved, followed by quick run through the cupboards and the fridge, and a grab for pen and paper to write a shopping list, to make about a half of the original recipe. Then I spaced out on changing the cooking time when recipes are halved, first time around at least, then I learned fast.    Adapting a recipe from from Food & Wine magazine October 2016 issue to a smaller portion, I went ahead and let it braise in the oven for about an hour the original called for. Now being mindful of the fact that the cooking smells, no matter how divine, after lingering overnight are less so, I opened to kitchen backdoor, and thus effectively removed smell as a cue to check in on the chicken. An hour later, I came back to a broken sauce and a rim of burn where it used to be. However, the chicken and potatoes were fine, and there to prove that my initial impetus to make this dish was absolutely justified. Two days later, I remedied the situation. See below. This one is here to stay as an alternative finish-the-chicken-in-the-oven-"go-to" to Pablo's chicken with potatoes and aioli. And that says something.

Sunday Feast № 40 | Apple Tart

Unlike making sweet pastry from scratch, I am not ready (if ever) to do puff pastry from scratch. It's easy, some say - you just need cold but pliable butter and a good rolling pin and get a'rolling. I suppose with the cooling weather, butter is easier to keep chill on the counter, but all that rolling - I don't know, and I am feeling lazy. Prepackaged puff pastry has been used in many cooking shows, so who am I to get THAT busy? As for that cooling weather, it is apple season, although in the Midwest apples seem to be always in season. I suppose other regions have apples galore and some of those, OK - plenty of those end up also here. This recipe from “Everyday Food: Great Food Fast” by Martha Stewart Living Magazine is very easy once you do the prep, which truth be told is mostly around the peeling, coring and slicing of the apples. Truth be told, I changed and ignored some, but you don't have to. The recipe asked for Granny Smith apples but I used Jonathan apples first time around because that is what I had - made for a sweeter tart than with Granny Smith. It asked to roll out the pastry while it is unfolded, but I did not first time around. The texture and most definitely the taste did not suffer much, but I was not lazy next time around, and neither should you be, says Mum, unless ... Serves 4-6, and disappears very quickly.

Sunday Feast № 39 | Spicy Chicken Stir-fry

Keeping it very brief this time. It's been a long while since I made this one, and since I am burrowing through my recipe notes, it was time to make it. The spices give this dish a warmth that has nothing to do with heat but everything with aroma. With this amount of vegetables, you can skip sides like rice or noodles, unless you absolutely must have them for a trio on a plate. Serves 4.

Sunday Feast № 38 | You saucy tart, Spaghetti alla Puttanesca

Spaghetti alla puttanesca means "spaghetti in the style of a prostitute", and is not a very old dish after all, but considering the taste profile, it has a fitting name. Saucy, briny, with a hint of spicy heat, with a color selection of red and black that imitates just right, say, Carmen's garb (Spanish, I know, but you get the reference), while taking care of you just the way you needed. I was so fixated on getting the visual right that the Kalamata olives I already had just would not do. They were not black enough. The recipe is adapted from "The Food of Italy: A Journey for Food Lovers" - I used fresh cherry tomatoes instead of canned ones, and dried oregano although I could've used 1 tbsp fresh oregano. Let's play.

Sunday Feast № 37 | Goat Cheese Pistachio Prune Savory Cake

As Rachel Khoo notes in her video, often cake is taken as something sweet, but French do savory cake. Music to my ears as I believe that cakes are perfect breakfast food. Think of them as something similar to muffins. This one being savory has the lower guilt factor, if you will, and as such can be paired with egg done you favorite way - sunny side up in my case, till I truly master poached egg. The recipe is from "The Little Paris Kitchen" by Rachel Khoo, adjusted to use goat cheese instead of sausage, the way she does it in the video of her show.    Hopefully, unlike me, you can bake it at a setting specified in the recipe below, or twiddle with it all by baking at 345°F for 45 min then 340°F for 10 min then 350°F for 10 min then keeping it in an off-oven for 5 min for a total of 70 min.    Absolutely not necessary, but I guess I like to twiddle.

Sunday Feast № 36 | Roasted Trout with Thyme

This is a recipe I picked up a long time ago. Really long time ago. It is the easiest way to prepare a meal that can be served on a bed of lettuce or with Turkish bread and salad or with some sautéed potatoes and salad, and paired with a nice sauvignon blanc or similar dry white wine. Till now, I always did it with a whole trout, head and all, but as it turns out fillets work just as well. They have the added advantage of visual assessment for doneness as you can see the flesh turning opaque. Clean, filling, and very satisfying.

Sunday Feast № 35 | Quinoa Salad

Don't know where this recipe came from. My guess is that it was from a vegetarian magazine or website or blog. It made it into my recipe notebook back when I didn't keep references. Let me know when you find a reference, but till then I encourage you to give this one a go. Make the whole batch, which is meant to have 12 servings, and make those servings larger for a stand alone lunch or eat the leftovers on the weekdays as your carry-with lunch. Chill in the refrigerator in a meantime, of course. With the magic of quinoa and freshness of vegetables and herb and fruit (yes, tomato is a fruit) and nuttiness, prove me that you are not feeling wholesome after having this salad. Let me know if used it as a side dish, if you used it a side dish at all, and what did you pair it with.

No rice cooker? Lost the box with cooking instructions? No worries. Bring 2 qt/2 L of salter water to boil. Add quinoa, cover, and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for 12-14 min, or until quinoa is tender and small 'tails' bloom from the grains.

Sunday Feast № 34 | Baked Potato

Baked potato is so pedestrian, and so simply comforting for that very reason. Helen Russell in her book "The Year of Living Danishly: Uncovering the Secrets of the World's Happiest Country" wrote how in the rural Jutland, where she ended up living for a year ... or ... I digress, feasts seemed to include something with potatoes more often than not. That something many a time was a pork product of one kind or another, but that is beside my rambling point. The Russets at my local seemed appealing all of the sudden, especially so since I prefer to either roast or fry or boil potatoes (yes, in that order, with the latter the only choice for young potatoes) rather than bake them, and Russets are perfect for baking; hence, there was something new to do at home. For me. Armed with Ali's recipe for the perfect baked potato at Gimme Some Oven and simply dressing the finished product with butter, sea salt, ground pepper, and dill, I was set to have my Jutland inspired meal. However, rather than porky anything, I opted for a different nod to the Scandinavian - smoked salmon. The meaty and porky sides will come out later in the year when the temperatures drop and need to feast rises.

Sunday Feast № 33 | Roasted Romaine Hearts with Vinaigrette

I like lettuce as much as the next person who likes lettuce. Its coolness is wonderful for hot weather, and having something light or lightened up, but unless loaded with extras that go beyond the dressing and extras with heft that might drown it as the star feature, lettuce does not even remotely feel like a meal. It just does not hug the tummy. Alas. With a bit of roasting, yes - roasting of lettuce, before getting dressed up moderately, it can be transformed. This is my favorite way of making romaine hearts into a meal with them still at the center. Sometimes I skip the cheese, or sprinkle on few bacon-y or bacon-like bits. The recipe is adapted from Food & Wine magazine from October 2013 - a recipe that inclued crushed roasted pine nuts in the vinaigrette and shaved hard cheese instead of crumbled feta.

Sunday Feast № 32 | Pesto and Feta Cheese Pizza

Are you still sitting on some frozen pizza dough from the time you made pizza Margherita? Made a new batch?    I am the former, freezer is my treasure chest, and lusting for that pizza base crunch, but with something other than tomato sauce. Here is something easy I threw together.

1 30 cm/12 in pizza base ½ cup traditional basil pesto ½ small red onion finely chopped 1 cup feta cheese crumbled

Preheat the oven to 230°C/450°F. Spread pesto onto the pizza base. Top with tomatoes, red onions, and feta cheese. Bake for 8-10 min or until cheese is melted and brown.

Sunday Feast № 31 | Crispy Tilapia with Spicy Thai Basil Sauce

Ah dear Thai basil, you just keep on growing! Also, it is time to clean out the freezer from those frozen tilapia fillets (fresh is always nicer, but stocking food is a must). How can I marry you both? Thai basil meet tilapia fillets. Tilapia fillets meet Thai basil. And lets coax this relationship along with a dowry of matching staples. The recipe is from Sel et Sucre, and considering that I more often than not have non-panko bread crumbs (for such comforts as breaded pork cutlet), panko breading was a textural heaven for the mouth with that funky Thai basil sauce. Up for many returns. Thank you Thai basil!

Sunday Feast № 30 | Apple Walnut Spelt Muffins

"Why is there spelt flour in the cupboard?" "Dunno." "There must be a reason. I get the almond flour, but ... What was it used for?" "Dunno." "Hmm. Wait. Ah yes, it was for that rosemary and chocolate cake! OK, what else can I do with it?" "What does it say on the packet?" "Muffins. Yes, muffins are good and while at it let's see what else is there to add. Apples. Nuts. OK. OK." So I searched and came upon apple walnut crunch spelt muffins by Anne of fannetastic food (get it, f-anne-tastic?). I had pretty much everything except for ground flaxseed or even whole flaxseed; hence, the recipe below uses old fashioned oats as a substitute, and for different kind of texture. Also, a small pointer: skip using muffin cups like I did, unless you are willing to spray them with something oily; just spray the muffin pan or use a non-stick one. Why? The cups adhere quite well to the muffins and do not peel as smoothly as usual. Otherwise, if you are OK with fussing or eating paper ... See how you do. Makes 12+ muffins.

Sunday Feast № 29 | Korean Soybean Paste Soup

This is a simple story I am prone to have. After a discussion about miso soup, I ventured to procure miso paste. Now a sane person would probably pay more attention to the fact that they are in a Korean supermarket and Korean delicacies are more than likely to occupy shelf space. I grabbed a box of soybean paste not paying attention that doenjang is not the same as miso paste. The preparation process differs and so does the taste spectrum, so I read. What to do with doenjang then, I asked myself?    PBS Food website features a warming and light yet nourishing soup from Cathlyn’s Korean Kitchen that I altered by not using enoki mushrooms but upping the amount of shiitake and ground beef, using ichimi togarashi still curiously left from when I made Japanese-style Squid/Seafood Salad, and using a simple konbu and soy sauce broth instead of anchovy seakelp one. Apologies for straying into Japanese, but happily a mistake turned into a new favorite that hugs the belly just right.

Sunday Feast № 28 | Apricot or Peach and Almond Cake

When flicking through my cookbooks are got it into my head to make a cake with almond flour or at least almonds. Ultimately, I was looking through Spanish desserts and came upon inspiration. Then some time passed and apricots were in season. I found a recipe for Apricot and Almond Cake by Christina Marsigliese on her Scientifically Sweet blog. Admittedly, it is not as almond-y as I originally thought of, but is has almond flour and almonds and allowed me to incorporate apricots. Fast forward a bit and I tried the same again this time with peaches that appeared in the shops. Both cakes were light and fruity as desired and are highly recommended for tea hour.

Sunday Feast № 27 | Take on Caprese Sandwich

Caprese. Always a salad. Insalata Caprese. The foundation comprises mozzarella, tomatoes, basil, and olive oil, then you play. I like a side of good bread to mop up the juices, whatever they may be, so the Charred Caprese Sandwich I found in Bon Appétit magazine June 2016 was absolutely up my alley - insalata Caprese on bread. Perfecto! Almost ...    I did not alter this one ... much ... well I made a "mistake" of not using fresh mozzarella like I know better. Kind of dumb of me really, since I have access to fresh white goodness at a reasonable price. I was lazy and used a somewhat solid one ... that I picked up at some point off the local supermarket shelf. Oh fellow buongustaio, please do not judge. I don't know how and when, but the solid stuff ended in my fridge, and I am lazy and was too hungry to do the walk to get something better, so there it was. However, when it is your turn, please be better foodie than me and use the lovely semi-solid mozzarella that floats in brine.

Sunday Feast № 26 | Goat Cheese Cucumber Radish Avocado Sandwich and Pimm's Cup, anyone for tennis?

So for the longest time, at least it seemed like a long time, I have been preoccupied with cucumber sandwiches, that dainty staple of Victorian upper classes in Queenly Kingdom. I would mention them often enough, and mentioning does not necessary mean doing, to anyone that would listen, that I felt like the Kid from "Bad Santa" and probably deserved Willie's response, but everyone was polite and just nodded and hmm-d. Kid: Want me to fix you some sandwiches? Willie: What the fuck is it with you and fixin' fuckin' sandwiches?    By the time I got to it, Pimm's № 1 came into the picture, which may not be typical pairing for cucumber sandwiches, but what a great London offering! And it was all in the Queenly family! As far as coincidences go, Pinterest offered a tasty looking alternative to the Victorian fare - OK, maybe not so coincidental considering I did search cucumber sandwich recipes and the algorithm is watching.   So it was set: The Green Thumb Sandwich courtesy of Broma Bakery - adapted to what I had - and a Pimm's № 1 cocktail. Next choice was to rather than go with Victorian afternoon tea to find some tennis. Made sense with Pimm's № 1 in the picture. Instead of waiting for next tennis Open, I went with a movie about upwardly mobile former professional tennis player and his twisted pathway. Anyone for tennis?

Fun on the side Pimm's Cup 2 parts Pimm's № 1 4 parts lemon-lime soda 1-2 mint sprigs A few slices of cucumber Add ice to a chilled highball glass, then pour Pimm's, lemon-lime soda, and stir. Garnish with slices of cucumber and mint. Movie Match Point (2005)

Sunday Feast № 25 | Pea Cashew Soup

The inspiration was a scene from "Best in Show", a mockumentary about a prestigious dog show: Sherri Ann Cabot: [Discussing her 80 year old husband who's 44 years her senior] Leslie and I have an amazing relationship and it's very physical, he still pushes all my buttons. People say 'oh but he's so much older than you' and you know what, I'm the one having to push him away. We have so much in common, we both love soup and snow peas, we love the outdoors, and talking and not talking. We could not talk or talk forever and still find things to not talk about. Soup. Snow peas. Peas. How about a pea soup? Luck had it that Bon Appétit July 2016 issue arrived earlier and it had a recipe for a more mealy pea soup, thanks to the cashews, that I adapted and dressed up with olive oil and pepper.

Sunday Feast № 24 | Vietnamese Chicken and Mint Salad

Have mint. Crave a salad with more than vegetables and dressing. A salad that can stand on its own, yet feels light. I looked to the trusty "The Cook's Companion" by Stephanie Alexander for answers and found a super easy recipe to play with. Thai chilies may make more sense regionally, but Serrano chilies are a good substitute, if that is all you can get your hands, and in a pinch if you are in possession of sambal oelek, that ground chili paste goodness, you are good. Three teaspoon, about.    I like the way my small herb garden is pushing me around, first with Thai basil - a beef dish repeated many times since, also with substituting Thai chilies with sambal oelek - then with mint - mixed with radishes and pumpkin seeds. Thai basil shoots up and out vigorously, while mint - well, mint really just hangs around draping as it sees fit, gently twisting on itself, surprisingly laissez-faire for such a refreshing herb. Cocktails with it will be in order soon. Meanwhile, poach chicken breasts yourself with lemongrass, ginger, salt, initially covered with cool water by an inch or so. Bring to boil then simmer for 10-15 min. Skim the foam as you go along if you plan to hold on to the light broth. Might come in handy.

Sunday Feast № 23 | Pizza Margherita with 212 Cocktail

Thank you The Daily Meal for pointing out that savory cocktails CAN go with dinner - see 11 Cocktails That Go Perfectly With Dinner slideshow - and since I am still on the gem looking cocktail trip since the Negrosky aperitivo session, 212 cocktail recommended by Ryan Fitzgerald, bartender at New York City’s ABV, looks good to me. I lightened it up by switching reposado tequila parts with grapefruit part, going for 1:2 instead or Ryan's 2:1. Take your pick there. The Daily Meal suggests pizza Margherita to go with. Not a problem at all. Not a problem whatsoever.    The recipes for the dough, sauce and the final product are abridged from “The Food of Italy: A Journey for Food Lovers”.	Fun on the side 212 Cocktail Lite 1 part reposado tequila 1 part Aperol 2 parts grapefruit juice And useful to know How to Defrost Frozen Pizza Dough

Sunday Feast № 22 | Aperitivo, or what to have with that Russian cousin of Negroni called Negrosky

The yearning for sunshine increases as the temperatures rise and days become longer. To while away the long afternoons drinking and eating at an outside table at you favorite watering hole is now a real possibility, and one long overdue. All that whiling means that a preamble to the dinner is called for. Since that ray of sunshine limoncello has to wait till after the dinner, being a digestivo, my mind drifted to Campari, a fine red aperitivo, a pre-dinner gem reminiscent of freshly breaking sunrise or the last smidgen of sunset, the latter yet to come if you start early enough. Now, we are civilized people; therefore, we will not sustain on Campari drinks alone (say, the titular Russian cousin of Negroni called Negrosky), but indulge the Italian art of aperitivo which calls for curbing alcoholic overindulgence with tasty sides. What a way to ease into the dinner hour!    As for that red goodness, "[Campari] is made by infusing a base of alcohol and water with a proprietary mix of herbs and fruits, including rhubarb, orange, and a variety of sour orange known as chinotto in Italian. The bitter infusion is then sweetened with sugar in the form of simple syrup and stiffened in accordance with its destination: 24% alcohol (48 proof) for American drinkers and 25% alcohol by volume (50 proof) for the Italians. Differences in taxation on alcohol are the most likely explanation, as Italians are not particularly well known for their high tolerances. Campari's signature ruby red color comes from colorants. Until recently, Campari's colorant of choice was cochineal dye, an all-natural coloring agent extracted from a beetle-like insect native to Central and South America. In 2006, the beetle juice was replaced with FD&C Red #5. Some claim the change came in response to protests of animal rights activists, but it's more likely that the artificial colorant was simply less expensive." - from Aperitivo: The Cocktail Culture of Italy by Marisa Huff, where the recipes are also from. Saluti bambini!

Fun on the side Negrosky 1 part vodka 1 part Campari 1 part sweet vermouth You know what to do. Serve on ice with a slice of an orange. Movie Cinema Paradiso (1988)

Sunday Feast № 21 | Roasted Cornish Hens with Lemon, Rosemary, Garlic, and Balsamic

Photo by Aurora Samar

Last time was Chinese. "We should do it again." "What should it be this time?" "Greek! We can do lots of salads. Stuffed peppers." "OK, what about a meat dish? Lamb?" That is roughly how it went. Fast forward. "We can do Greek, but maybe mix in Italian ..." "Mediterranean like? Well, close to." "Then I make tiramisu." "Love Tiramisu!" "Then I'll think if it is still lamb or something else." In the end, it was close to Italian. And sorry, but no, this is not tiramisu recipe blog. I have professionals for that. My mind drifted to chicken. And rosemary. The Gooey Shell    Having found a recipe for roasted chicken with rosemary in one of my trusty books, I went shopping for an approximately 3 lb/1.5 kg bird. Maybe it was laziness, but with little time to scour supermarkets within my immediate walking distance let alone any further a field, I settled for the closest and met with monster chickens. At around 6 lbs each! Whoa mama! Yes, each could feed a small army but roasting a BIG BIRD is a different game I might reserve for turkey. Luckily, the supermarket had lots of frozen Cornish hens, and those I was willing to deal with. Six of them. Yes, yes, also can feed a small army, but smaller birds mean quicker roast and greater likelihood of being cooked throughout without drying out. So I set to task finding required roasting temperature and time, as well as possible combinations of flavorings for the roast. One criteria for the latter: rosemary must be included.    The result was a lovely brood of hens for carnivores (one bird per person in one sitting) and lesser carnivores (half a bird per person in one sitting with the other half for next days). Very satiating. Mind you there were salads - "Mum" made sure, grilled octopus - we had two that not just love but LOVE octopuses (queue up Octopussy snickering and general nudge nudge wink wink behavior), there was bread, foccacia, polenta, bruschetta, tiramisu of course, and macarons with smoked salmon filling (not my recipe or mine to disclose, but a fine product, and like I said, I have professionals for that), and more. Macarons?! Well, France does boarder the Mediterranean Sea.

Sunday Feast № 20 | Cherry for Blueberry, or with Blueberry, Tart with Oat Crumble

There is nothing like late night baking. Well, there are other as exciting, if not more exciting things, to do late at night, but sometimes switching it up is called for, and honestly, if the muse strikes in the middle of the work week, late night is the only time to do it. The beauty of late night baking is that it perfumes the air for a great soporific effect while the baking goods cool overnight to welcome you in the morning with temptation. So here I was again, this time adapting a recipe by Rachel Conners of Bakerita.com. The result didn't last long when next day's visitors started tasting - a seal of universal approval.
The original recipe called for blueberries since Rachel was "having waaay too many blueberries in the house". I had leftover frozen cherries, reserving fresh ones to eat as they are, and I had some blueberries for the start of the season, which for the most part I also wanted to eat raw. Nevertheless, I "sacrificed" some. Walnuts I had on hand were a good pairing for what in my case was predominantly cherry filling.    This is the most solid coconut oil I have ever used in anything, and baking at night when it was cool meant it stayed solid rather then liquefying in the jar the way it tends to do at the height of summer. There is also something comforting yet decadent in baking with almond flour. With the addition of honey and oats, I guess this tart is borderline healthy in a way few tarts can be. Trick of the mind? Perhaps, but a very good one. Very tasty.

Sunday Feast № 19 | Radish Salad with Mint and Pumpkin Seeds

Fun on the side and after Drink Pinot Gris Movies Saint Laurent (2014) vs. Yves Saint Laurent (2014)

In the Midwest, the season for radishes starts in March, provided the weather abides. It should by May. So here I was with a bunch of radishes, and a box of raw pumpkin seeds. The latter happened to stare at me from the nuts and seed shelf at the local and jumped into my basket. A happenstance that eventually worked out as I was looking what else to do with the radishes. My usual with radishes is very simple and satisfying - slices of good or toasted bread, smeared with butter, layered with radish slices, and sprinkled with a pinch of salt - but I wanted to try something different. Recently, I had a seasonal platter that included finely sliced, shaved really, radishes with mint and dressing. Radishes and mint? Hmm. Different, and the inspiration I needed. By now, just as the Thai basil did, my hydroponic mint was in bloom and begging to be messed with in other ways than tea or mojito. And nuts or seeds are good! I have seeds!    The recipe I found called for radish wedges, which is fine, but I slice for a mellower bite, and pistachios, which is fine, but I have green pumpkin seeds. Great lunch salad with a slice of good bread (could not stray too far from my usual), sharp-ish personable cheese such a Saint Malachi (cow milk cheese from Unionville, PA) beckoning from my fridge, and a bottle of Pinot Gris to match the crisp radishes peeking through the smoothness of olive oil and the freshness of mint.    Why Saint Laurent vs. Yves Saint Laurent? By this point my brain was somehow remembering something about clean whole radishes dipped in salt as a French snack. Since I did not have a movie about the quintessential French fashion designer Coco Chanel, ladies who lunch had to do with chronologically next best thing - Yves Saint Laurent. That I had, together with enough wine to see us through almost four and half hours of indulgent viewing. This did not have to make sense, but that is what long Sunday lunches can be.

Sunday Feast № 18 | Rosemary and Chocolate in a Cake

In winter, rosemary is milder, and in Midwest spring fights with winter, trying to assert itself before summer assuredly stomps on it. So it stands to reason that since late April is more like a mild winter, or a cool spring at best, rosemary is less pungent and robust right now. Having said that, I never thought of rosemary in a sweet cake or with chocolate, as a singularly savory bake makes more sense to me for a herb I love on anything roasted. Then I came across an image from 101 Cookbooks of a rosemary olive oil cake from "Good to the Grain" by  Kim Boyce and wondered "How would this taste?" I got to work, but I wouldn't be me without attempting some short cuts. First time.
Local supermarket had 2-for-1 bags of bittersweet chocolate chips and fresh rosemary pack was generous, so I had the goods for multiple attempts. The first time, I used the chips as-is. All good, but since rosemary was such an odd taste for me in a cake, I figured that coarsely chopping the chips as the recipe suggested would work better to mix the two flavors of rosemary and chocolate in each bite. Second time, I did just that. The recipe called for 9½-in fluted tart pan, which worked just fine despite the cake rising slightly just above the rim, but next time I chose 9½-in round spring form with higher sides so I did not have to worry even about that as both times 40 min bake was all I needed for a good bake. I have to admit that chopping the chips and refrigerating the cake before eating worked a charm. The beauty of oil is that it does not solidify like butter when chilled, but keeps the cake nicely moist. The consistency was much better than at room temperature, and I suppose like stews cakes tend to be better next days. Patience does pay off. It is also possible that having rosemary in a cake with chocolate shavings grew on me, and that the addition of rosemary made this cake fair game for breakfast or lunch and thus more frequent exposure to this new mix. Breakfast or lunch?! The cake was somewhat savory after all, non? Not that cake being nothing but sweet has ever stopped me from having it for breakfast or lunch ...