a SUPERGAY VODKA SAUCE

I have been carrying this recipe in a journal since 2005. I started working on this while I lived in Australia and by looking through my journal, it was the first day I went to ALL my classes haha. I was watching Desperate Housewives this night and making gnocchi all vodka.

Since living in Australia, I have been making this same recipe

I paired this one with SuperGay Vodka, because it’s queer owned, organic, and batched in upstate New York. Love the founders - this one is for you Aaron.

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup vodka (obvi needed for this)

• 1 medium onion, finely diced

• 1 cup heavy cream

• 3/4 cup canned tomato paste

• 1 can whole peeled tomatoes (28oz), drained + cut into rough pieces

• 1/2 lb Bacon or Pancetta, diced

• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) salted butter

• 2 cloves garlic, pressed

• 3/4 cup Locatelli or finely grated parmesan

• Salt + Pepper to taste

• 1 lb of Pasta - penne recommended, but choose your journey

• 1/4 Fresh Basil, chopped

Sauté bacon in medium pot. Render till crispy. Remove bacon from pan and set aside in bowl for later. In ‘pot-o-gold’ with bacon fat, add diced onion. Cook until translucent, above 5 minutes. Add garlic. Cook another minute or so, be careful not to overcook garlic. Sh*t browns real quick. Just cook enough to make fragrant. Add butter. I just love the texture butter adds to this. It’s totally not needed, but it makes the sauce more “velvety.” Once butter is melted, add diced tomatoes and tomato paste. Cook another 5 minutes or so, stirring often to meld flavors.

Add Vodka to pan. Bring to a simmer for 6-10 minutes or so. Cooking off the alcohol. Add the heavy cream, stir. This will give you the gorgeous pink-ish color you are looking for. Heat till simmering a bit. Stir in cheese + basil. Stir. Carefully taste. Add salt + pepper. You will know when the sauce is ready. It’s going to stick to the back of your spoon and be right where you want it.

I love salt, so I will always add more salt. You could add crushed red pepper into the sauce now, or just let peeps add at the table.

Cook pasta per instructions on box. There is no magic here. I like my pasta al dentè, so I tend to undercook pasta for more bite.

Add cooked Pasta to sauce, stir. This is pretty sexual. It should be. You are adding pasta to sauce to coat. I want the pasta dripping in sauce. It’s so good.

Serve. Eat.

DUTCH BABY's - The Mormon Way

I have been on a mission (Mormon pun), to find a dutch baby recipe that is a keeper. My partner Marc grew up on a farm in Idaho with 11 siblings, 11…Mormon family. Can you imagine having to cook for a dozen people every meal? No thanks. However, it brings me amazing tested recipes, which are more than comforting.

A cast iron skillet is ideal for this, but you can use another oven-safe skillet as well. If you don’t have a cast iron skillet, I highly recommend investing in one or two, or four. I use them for everything and they will outlive any other pan you have.

Recipe makes (1) dutch baby, I usually double it, because I am always cooking for more than 4.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• 1 cup milk

• 1 teaspoons kosher salt

• 6 large eggs

• 6 tablespoons of butter

Preheat oven to 425° F with cast iron skillet inside. This is important step as it will allow for the soufflé like texture you will create.

Mix all ingredients except the butter, in a blender. Don’t waste your time doing this in a bowl. It’s just so easy to throw all in a blender. It also gives it nice whipped texture as well that will really ensure you get a nice fluffy baby.

Once oven is preheated, carefully take out the skillet and add butter. Make sure its melted and then slowly pour batter into pan. Place back in oven.

Bake 20 minutes, till puffy + golden.

Serve with syrup.

CRANBERRY PISTACHIO BISCOTTI

One from Mom’s archives. I don’t even care where she got the recipe, because to me, these are hers. Just the right amount of baking time is ideal. You want them crisp, but you don’t want to break a tooth. Make sure to watch these bake and you’re looking for golden brown finished product. Oven temps will vary.

I never made these before now, so texted Fran for the recipe. I needed to keep tradition going by tested new cookies the weekend post Thanksgiving. Its always a good time to work out the kinks before the real cookie season starts.

My first batch was a dud. It was a massacre. My logs were too much log. I underbaked them on the first round and then when I went to cut them, they crumbled. I modified my method a bit - I tried to get into Fran’s head, WWFD (what would Fran do). I should have just called her, but had a good feeling about my tweaks.

I added a little more sugar on round 2 and also switched from unsalted butter to salted. I am sold on these.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter (softened)

• 1 1/4 cup sugar

• 2 large eggs

• 1 teaspoon pure Almond Extract

• 1/2 cup dried cranberries

• 1/2 cup shelled roasted pistachios

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. In medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until smooth. One at a time, beat in the eggs. Mix in the almond extract.

With the mixer on low, gradually add the flour mixture, mixing until just incorporated. Mix in the cranberries and pistachios

Divide the dough in half and shape into two 12-by-2-inch logs. Place on a silicon or parchment-lined baking sheet. Flatten a bit. This will help with even baking and also make it easier to slice later.

Bake until just golden around the edges and firm to the touch, 22 to 25 minutes. Let cool for 30 minutes.

Reduce oven temperature to 300° F. Using a serrated knife, cut the logs into ½-inch-thick slices. Arrange in a single layer on the baking sheet.

Bake until dry and crisp, approx. 15 minutes per side.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 weeks

BUTTERNUT SQUASH SALMON CAKES with Dill Sriracha Sauce

Whenever this pandemic is over, I will be ready for healthy Summer meals to do in advance. This is another great meal you can prepare in advance and pop in fridge to chill until you are ready to cook. If the salmon is fresh, you could always freeze the patties for a future use, but I have been managing with frozen wild-caught salmon and would cook these shortly after you make them and reheat leftovers within 1-2 days.

I made these for dinner and will have extra for lunch, already looking forward to what I am going to do to these tomorrow mmmm.

Ingredients

SALMON CAKES:

• 24 ounces salmon, about 4 fillets, cooked (instructions below)

• 1 Cup Butternut Squash, roasted (instructions below)

• 1.5 TBLS Old Bay plus more for coating fish

• 6 TBLS chopped fresh dill or 3 teaspoons dried dill weed or more to taste

• 2 eggs, lightly beaten

• 1/4 cup chopped Chives or Scallions

• 2 TBLS Olive Oil, for frying

FOR THE DILL SRIRACHA SAUCE:

• 1 cup fat free plain Greek yogurt

• 4 TBLS chopped fresh dill (the more the merrier)

• 2 TBLS Chives or Scallions

• 1 teaspoon honey

• 4 TBLS sriracha (or more to taste)

• Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

SALMON CAKES: Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

1. Slice Butternut Squash in half, scoop out seeds. Spray with olive olive and place flesh side up on roasting pan or on baking sheet (with foil). Season with salt and pepper. Roast 50 to 60 minutes, until flesh is fork-tender. Set aside to cool.

2. To cook salmon. Pat salmon dry and then rub flesh with Old Bay

3. In a nonstick pan, add oil and heat to medium-high. When pan is hot, add the salmon, flesh side down and cook for 3 minutes with lid on the pan. Flip the salmon and cook fish all the way through (uncovered), about 5 more minutes. Set aside to cool

4. When Butternut squash is cooled. Scoop out into large mixing bowl and mash slightly.

5. Skin the salmon and flake into bowl with squash. Combine all other ingredients in medium bowl.

6. Using 1/3 cup measuring cup, scoop batter and shape into cakes. Place on a parchment or silat lined baking sheet. Refrigerate for 30 mins.

7. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

8. Sauté cakes approximately 5 minutes on each side. Depening on pan size, you may need to do this in (2) batches. I used (2) pans to do all at once.

9. Once lightly browned on both sides, remove from skillet and transfer to paper towel lined plate.

FOR THE DILL SRIRACHA SAUCE:

1. Simply combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Serve along-side salmon cakes

BLACKENED COD with pesto spaghetti squash

This is one of those perfect summer meals when you relaxed all day at the beach or by the pool and you want to have a nice healthy dinner, but not work for it. This works with any fish, but I prefer cod or halibut. I like to have this dish always on hand to make in a pinch, so I will usually keep a spaghetti squash handy - if stored in a cool dry place, they can last up to 2 months! 

Insane. 

I also keep individually frozen cod filets in freezer, and I am slightly obsessed with Costco's Kirkland brand Pesto. It's sold in refrigerated section. It contains nuts, so don't kill anyone. I am sure one of my Italian ancestors is pissed I am using store bought, but I have made pesto sooo many times and I just cant stand cleaning all that basil, the outcome for me is not worth effort, when Kirkland did it so well.

Also, the blackened seasoning is easy enough to make from scratch if you have all the ingredients on hand. Don't be shy of a store-bought pre-mixed seasoning. I rely on them often when I have no sh*ts to give when making a quick dinner. 

Recipe for Marisol - enjoy making it for Rob :) lol 

For the Cod

Ingredients

• (4) 6 oz filet cod 

• olive oil

• lemon wedges for serving

Blackened Seasoning* (see note) 

mix all ingredients in a bowl - store excess in jar or ziplock

• 1 Tablespoon paprika

• 1 Tablespoon onion powder

• 2 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1 teaspoon black pepper

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1 teaspoon brown sugar

• 1 teaspoon cayenne

• 1/2 teaspoon thyme

• 1/2 teaspoon oregano

Instructions

• Dry cod with a paper towel to remove any excess moisture.

• Rub cod with olive oil

• Coat the cod in the blackened seasoning on all sides. Push the seasoning into the filet to ensure it coats it.

• Pour 1-2 Tablespoons into sauté pan and heat to medium high.

• Once oil is hot, place cod into the sauté pan.

• Cook each side for approximately 3-4 minutes or until cod is thoroughly cooked through.

• Serve with lemon wedges.

*note: store bought blackened seasoning is totally fine, I am all about ease of cooking and investing time where most needed. My store bought seasoning of choice for fish is Chef Paul Prudhomme's Magic Seasoning Blends: Blackened Redfish Magic Seasoning

For the Pesto Spaghetti Squash

Ingredients

• 1 spaghetti squash

• Store bought pesto (I prefer Costcos Kirkland brand, I put that sh*t on everything)

• olive oil

• salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. With a sharp knife cut off the top and bottom ends of the spaghetti squash. Stand the squash upright and carefully slice through it from top to bottom to divide it in half, you should be sitting it lenghtwise in half. Be careful - this is the hardest part of the whole recipe.

3. Scoop out the seeds and discard them. Rub the insides of each squash half with olive oil and rub it all over the inside. Season the insides with salt and pepper, then place them cut-side down on the prepared baking sheet.

4. Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, until the cut sides are browning and the inside is easily pierced through with a fork. 

5. Once the squash is done and you can cleanly remove a fork when poking it, fluff the inside with a fork to make the insides spaghetti-like. You can get deep in there and keep using the fork to remove spaghetti like squash.

6. Place in bowl. 

7. Add 1/4 cup or so of pesto. Mix well. 

8. You can heat this up if preferred to ensure the sauce warms up and evenly coats the squash, I prefer it @ room temp.

EVERYTHING BAGEL LATKES

Growing up Italian, a "Latke" is the most foreign thing I can think of during the holidays. However, growing up in New York, with many amazing Jewish friends & neighbors, I ate a few 100. Maybe 1,000 by now. Some more doughy and thicker than others, some heavy on the onion, some saturated in oil, others dry and like a hockey puck. Then some are just perfect. Since I didn't grow up with these traditionally, I can't be nostalgic, but I can pretend. 

My first attempt at these years ago, I omitted the onion. BIG MISTAKE. Then I made them with plain breadcrumbs a few times, which is fine, if you are basic. But I feel a few things are critical. Potato...obvi, salt...don't be shy....onion, yes its critical...then matzo. The matzo can be matzo meal, which I have used the most, or my fav, crushed up matzo bread.

When I didn't have matzo meal, I ended up taking matzo bread and crushing it up in a ziplock bag with a rolling pin. This was a winner and how I still make my latkes today. 

I will never turn down a latke, but I will certainly judge it. I still will eat the whole thing. No Latke left behind.

I prefer them crispy. Super crispy. More potato than anything. I was trying to get creative and added everything bagel seasoning, great move.

Ingredients Makes 16-20 Latkes depending on your definition of 1/4 cup :)

• 2 pounds baking potatoes (4 -6 potatoes) - I use russets. Scrubbed well, but not peeled.

• 1 medium yellow onion, peeled

• 2 large eggs

• 4 matzo bread sheets (crushed in ziplock) or 4 TBLS Matzo Meal or unseasoned breadcrumbs

• 2 teaspoons kosher salt

• 2 Tablespoons Everything Bagel seasoning (I use Trader Joes)

• Freshly ground pepper to taste

• Frying Oil - I use Canola and recommend it 

• Applesauce and sour cream for serving

Instructions

1. Line a baking sheet with paper towels. Need to soak up that oil. Set aside. 

2. Grate potatoes and onion with a cheese grater or food processor. If I am making these for event, I tend to double the recipe and will use the shredding disk on my food processor. If it's just a single batch, I tend to use the cheese grater. Grate this all into large bowl. Then squeeze a bit and pour off as much liquid as you can. 

3. Add the other ingredients to shredded potatoes and onion: eggs, crushed matzo bread, salt, pepper, and everything bagel seasoning. Mix with your hands, making sure that the crushed matzo bread gets all up in the rest of the ingredients. Set aside for 10 minutes. This lets the bread soak up some of that potato and onion juice.

4. You probably need more salt and pepper...do it again...just a little more :)

5. Heat the oil. Place the oil in large skillet. About an inch to inch and half. Heat over medium-high heat until a piece of the mixture sizzles.

6. Form latkes one at a time. Scoop 1/4 cup of the mixture and flatten with your hands into a patty. Like you're forming a burger, then smushing it. 

7. Fry the latkes until golden on both sides. Gently place the latke into the hot oil. Repeat until the pan is full but the latkes aren't crowded. Cook until deeply golden-brown, 4 to 5 minutes per side, adjusting the heat if necessary.

8. Drain the latkes. Transfer the latkes to a paper towel-lined baking sheet to dry a bit while you fry the others. 

9. Serve immediately with applesauce and sour cream. These heat up so well. So you can make in advance and just heat back up in oven on baking sheet till sizzling. 

FIRE ISLAND ICE CUBES

Welcome to Fire Island, you should be making this recipe in the winter/spring as you prepare for summer - this is a great meal to make ahead for all you meal-preppers. It will feed a crowd and is not too expensive.

This checks every box for many special diets, which is rare these days - it's keto, vegan, and gluten free and also super low calorie. 

Now you will want to make sure your freezer even works...this is critical to frozen ice. Does your house have an ice maker or even ice-trays, this will be the hardest part of the recipe. If you have a built in ice-maker, you must be rich. If you don't have ice-trays, or if they look like they have been used to clean the toilet, you should Amazon some ASAP or get some at the Pines Pantry. 

Even if you have an ice-maker, you will run out of ice. So make sure to have some extra trays on hand or a bag of store bought ice.

Ingredients

• 2 cups water (approximately)

• 2 tablespoons water (additional if needed)

Directions

Empty the ice cubes that are left in the trays (if there are any left) into the bin.Take the trays over to the sink and fill them with cold water [Hot water will freeze faster and more clear], so use HOT if possible.Place the water filled ice trays back in the freezer. Replace the ice bin if you had to remove it. Shut the door to the freezer. Be sure to leave for around 4-6 hours at least to make sure it is frozen. If you want to get fancy, you can freeze things into the ice like fruit, or freeze juices/mixers. One of our favorite things to do is freeze iced-tea or coffee and use it for our ice to not dilute down the drink. 

Enjoy your summer. 

DILL & GOAT CHEESE MINI EGG FRITTATAS

These Dill & Goat Cheese Mini Frittatas are quick and easy to throw together, and reheat well for a quick breakfast any day of the week. I have been working on fine tuning some recipes for Fire Island, when things turn back to normal and I can enjoy brunch out here with others. This are a great do-ahead breakfast that will free you up in morning when you wake up hung-over, or just too tired to cook.

These are also SO easy to modify & customize. I happened to have fresh dill and goat cheese, but any combination of herbs, cheese, and cooked meat or veggies would work well here. These are a staple in our house and since they are done in muffin tins, you can feed the masses with little to no extra effort.

Ingredients (makes a dozen mini frittatas)

• 6 large eggs

• 1/4 cup milk

• 1/2 cup crumbed goat cheese

• 4 TBLS chopped fresh dill

• Salt & pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

1. Spray a 12-cup muffin tin with nonstick spray and set aside.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, cheese, dill, salt and pepper.

3. Pour egg mixture into prepared muffin cups and fill 2/3 to 3/4 with egg mixture. Sometimes I make too much egg mixture and it just won't fit into tins, don't overfill.

4. Bake 20-25 minutes, they will rise a bunch and be golden brown. Cool in muffin tin for about 5 minutes, then remove and serve immediately, or transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling if you are going to refrigerate for later.

I ended up serving these ones on an English muffin with fresh bacon and mixed greens tossed with some lemon and white vinegar. Highly recommend adding a pop of freshness to your breakfast with some vinegar or citrus.