Welcome Weekend - Cocktail: The Gin Hound

      Weekend Update: 

You need a drink. And if you don't, we do. We recommend it be The Gin Hound. 

The Gin Hound, Photo: NK 

Gin has been the alpha and the omega in the cocktail evolution of my life thus far. The first "real" cocktail I ever consistently enjoyed was the Gin and Tonic. They were my go-to whenever I was out on the town for quite a while. I'd sweeten them with a splash of grenadine, ending up with a more drinkable yet still seemingly adult version of a Gin Rickey. 

The next spirit to spark my fancy was also in the clear family - Vodka. Thus, my drink of choice became the Screwdriver. Goes down easy, right?  When a maturer palette allowed me to actually appreciate the taste of certain liquors, I moved to the browns, Whiskey, Bourbon and Scotch, specifically. This also also coincided with the popularity of Mad Men and a major return to classic cocktails like the Old Fashioned and Manhattan. Good times! 

These days, I've come full circle. I still like all the others but I've come to appreciate the clean, herbal qualities of Gin all over again. Though it may be at its best with only light embellishment - give me a Gin and Cucumber-based cocktail any day - Gin also does great when paired with big flavors like Grapefruit. There's no need to dispense with fruit-driven libations when the winter months roll around. Grapefruit just happens to be great right now. You may even want to cook with it. Enjoy and thanks to the Food52 contributor who came up with this easy and delicious cocktail. 

The Gin Hound
Recipe from Food52/JRDSquared
Yields 2 Cocktails
Ingredients: 
3/4 Cups fresh Squeezed Grapefruit Juice
1 Tablespoon fresh Lemon Juice
4 Ounces of Gin *we like Bombay Sapphire
1 Ounce Sweet Vermouth
Ice 

Method: 
Combine the Lemon and Grapefruit juices. Fill a shaker with Ice and add the Gin, Vermouth and Juice. Shake well and serve on the rocks. We like to garnish ours with a wedge of Grapefruit. Cheers!

Ingredient Spotlight: Acorn Squash (+ Brown Sugar & Walnuts)

The Beautiful Acorn Squash, Photo: NK

There are a ton of things that rock about fall - like fuzzy flannel shirts, leaf-peeping, and pumpkin flavored everything.  

Of course, cooking with autumn produce ranks high in our house and I can tell that you too love preparing the foods of the season. Our Foolproof Fall Dinner for Six  post is getting tons of traffic! It is a great menu, if we do say so ourselves. 

For more Autumn produce inspiration check out our super healthy recipe for Apple Rutabaga Mash. But today, we're all about the Acorn. Acorn Squash to be exact. If you are looking for the world's  easiest side dish for your next meal, please, look no further. Today's recipe is merely a guideline, as there are endless possibilities for baking acorn squash. Just let your favorite spices be your guide. 

Our version includes the usual brown sugar and butter, but adds a hint of cinnamon and some smokey paprika (my favorite spice of all time), before finishing it all off with a sprinkling of crunchy toasted walnuts. The textural combo of the tender squash and walnuts is just great. Also - I find it especially cool that this dish is self-contained. Slice off a bit of the squash's bottom and you've made yourself a sturdy little bowl filled with fall goodness. Just get out a spoon and start scooping out the sweet, nutty middles. 

This recipe is so easy - just bake the squash, flavor it like so
(or use your own favorite spices), and bake again! Photo: NK 

Before we jump to our recipe, let's first learn a bit about our main ingredient:

"(Acorn Squash) flesh is sweeter than summer squash, with a nut-like flavor. It is shaped like a ribbed acorn, hence its nickname. The growing period is longer than summer squash, giving it plenty of time to soak up the sweetness of the sun. 

Along with the standard green variety, you may also run across orange and white acorn squash varieties. Although available in many areas year-round, prime season for acorn squash is early fall through winter." ~About.com 

OK! Now let's cook what we've learned. 

Baked Acorn Squash + Brown Sugar & Walnuts, Photo: NK

Baked Acorn Squash With Brown Sugar & Toasted Walnuts

Loosely Adapted from Martha Stewart

Serves 2

Ingredients:

1 medium-sized Acorn Squash (about 1.5 pounds)

1/3 cup Toasted Walnuts, roughly chopped

1 heaping Tablespoon Dark Brown Sugar

1 Tablespoon Salted Butter, divided + more for greasing baking sheet

1/4 teaspoon Hot Smoked Spanish Paprika (or regular Paprika)

1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon

Salt 

Pepper

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 425 and grease a baking sheet with butter.

2. Lightly toast your walnuts in the toaster oven if you've not done so already. They should turn slightly golden.

3. Cut acorn squash in half and carefully scoop out all the seeds. Slice off a small part of each of the squash bottoms so they will sit level on the baking sheet later.

4. Bake, cut side down, until golden, about 20-25 minutes.

5. Turn the squash over and pierce the insides all over with a fork. Rub a half tablespoon of butter on the flesh of each half and place any remainder in the middle. Sprinkle the dark brown sugar evenly over each half, follow with paprika, cinnamon, and then a pinch of salt and pepper.

6. Return squash to the oven to bake for another 25 or more minutes with the cut side up. When they are done, the flesh of the squash should be easily pierced with the tip of a dull knife. Sprinkle walnut pieces over each squash and serve warm! These are best eaten with a spoon. Enjoy!  

Winter Warmers - Cold Weather Comfort Foods

Here in the Northeast, an unseasonably warm fall has regrettably come to a screeching halt just in time for the start of 2012. I am a summer girl, so it’s usually around this time of year that I add frigid weather and snow to my growing list of things to whine about. But if there’s one silver lining to the long New York winter, it’s hearty stews and cozy one-pot comfort foods. One of our old favorites is Ina Garten's wonderful version of a James Beard classic, Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic: Click HERE for the recipe.

Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic, Photo: NK

But as the New Year demands, it was time to try something different. 

In this same spirit, Mr. NK actually took it upon himself to cook up a delicious Beef Bourguignon for us last week - using Eric Ripert’s recipe, no less. Here's the link: 
Eric Ripert's Beef Bourguignon

This was a curious turn of events as I wouldn’t call Beef Bourguignon, a classic French comfort dish, particularly easy for a weeknight since it can take two days to prep. It wasn’t even as if we were celebrating a special occasion. Hmmm… perhaps he read my earlier post about Chef Eric being “real cute?”  Either way, I wasn’t asking questions. Here are some shots of my apparent Francophile's work. Few things are more annoying than your wife tailing you with a camera in the kitchen, but I couldn't pass up the chance to document my good fortune.  

Bourguignon Herbs, Photo: NK

Herbs tied in cheesecloth, Photo: NK

Marinating Overnight, Photo: NK 

Voila! Finished Beef Bourguignon, Photo: NK

Our yummy beef dinner inspired me to officially kick off the comfort food season. For me, the ultimate winter dinner is usually a long cooking one-pot meal. These can actually be wonderful and easy if you have a bit of time to spare. In searching for recipes to try, don't discount those that take 1-2 hours total time to cook - many of the best do, especially if they include slow-cooking meats like tougher cuts of beef or chicken on the bone. Even with a whopping 2 hours total time, many recipes will be comprised of largely inactive time, with just about 20 minutes of upfront, active prep before you leave your pot to simmer for the duration.


Such is the case with the Spanish classic, Pollo Al Vino Tinto (Chicken in Chorizo and Red Wine Sauce). The recipe I would be using for the dish served multiple purposes: it would make for a tasty reminder of our recent excursion to Spain, provide us with the type of stick-to-your-ribs meal we were looking for, and it would also allow me to finally christen my newest cookbook, Penelope Casas', The Foods and Wines of Spain.  All in all, a win win. 

Browned Chicken with Dry Ingredients
Ready for Wine and Broth, Photo: NK

A few things to note before trying this easy, elegant homestyle dish:                    

• This will take you a total of about 1 hour and 45 minutes, only 15 minutes of which is prep and active time. 
• Although I am sure this dish is excellent with the recommended addition of the Spanish Brandy, we did just fine adding two tablespoons of scotch, which is what we had on hand. 
• Buying a whole chicken that has been pre-cut into wings, legs, breasts and thighs is a huge timesaver that I never skip.
• I actually used dried parsley, which tasted fine, because it pains me to buy a whole bunch of parsley when I only need a pinch and have no other uses for it that week. 

Penelope recommends a "robust" wine to anchor this dish, particularly one of Spanish origin, such as Sangre de Toro. I did indeed buy a ten dollar bottle of said wine. It came with a handy twist-cap top which allowed me to pretend that I would reseal it and put it away for future use. We all know how that story ends...  The result was a superb, flavorful, fall-off-the bone chicken dish with a delicious sauce. 

Pollo Al Vino Tinto, Photo: NK

We didn't mind the extra wine either! Enjoy:


Pollo Al Vino Tinto - (Chicken in Chorizo and Red Wine Sauce)
Recipe Adapted from Penelope Casas' The Foods and Wines of Spain Cookbook
Serves 4

Ingredients:


One  3 to 3.5 pound chicken cut in serving pieces
Salt to taste
Fresh ground pepper to taste
Flour for dusting
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 carrot, peeled and chopped finely
1 chorizo sausage, about 2 ounces, chopped
2 tablespoons Spanish Brandy or Cognac (we used Scotch - worked just fine)
1 pimiento (AKA one roasted red pepper. Book suggests making from scratch but a jarred red pepper was fine for everyday use)
1 tablespoon minced parsley or 1/2 tablespoon dried parsley
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 cup dry red wine, preferably a full bodied Spanish wine. 


Method:


Sprinkle chicken liberally with salt and pepper and then dust it with flour. Heat olive oil in a large, shallow casserole or large high-sided non-stick pan. Add chicken and brown well on both sides. Add the garlic, onion, carrot and chorizo. Cook about 4 minutes over medium-low flame or until the onion has wilted and softened a bit. Add the brandy carefully as it could flame up. Stir in the pimiento (roasted pepper) and add parsley, a dash of salt and pepper, the bay leaf, thyme, broth and wine. Lower heat, cover the pot, and simmer about 1.5 hours until chicken is tender and fully cooked. Remove bay leaf and serve covered in sauce with crusty bread.