Carols, Cookies and Christmas Cheer

The holiday season is in full swing, and though this is the most busy time for some, it's actually a bit slower in our household, believe it or not. The preceding months were absolutely action packed, and try as I might, I did not get to do nearly enough blog-worthy kitchen experimentation. 

Every holiday season, I attempt to add another cookie to my highly selective baking repertoire (find two of our other favorites HERE and HERE). As a prerequisite, the recipes I repeat must be both very easy to master and predictable in outcome. Nothing bothers me more than doing everything exactly the same and getting a less than stellar result, but such is life with baking, and that's why to this day, I will always prefer to cook. 

This year I have had a bit of an inexplicable thing for shortbread (all my life I had no idea it was so easy to make, often with only 3 ingredients in the dough! ) so Ina Garten's Shortbread Jam Thumbprints drew me in almost immediately. After one test run for half this large-batch recipe, I was convinced that it was totally foolproof. A baker I am not, but I know a good cookie when I taste one. 

You'll find the link to the recipe in the photo below. You can make them ahead and freeze them too! I used unsweetened Coconut Flake whereas the Contessa calls for sweetened. I think ours came out delicious. Pull them just when the coconut stars to get slightly golden. You can't miss! 

Ina's Jam Thumbprint Cookies - Click HERE for Recipe! 

Next up, with all sugar and holiday treats around, I set out to bake an ever so slightly more virtuous treat for my family, one a little less sweet, maybe a little more biscuit like, but still satisfying over a cup of tea or, for the little one, a sippy cup of Milk. 

Arrowroot Flour always catches my eye in the health food store, and I've always been curious about it.  Given this, it only made sense that I should try and recreate a childhood favorite, Arrowroot Cookies. Turns out Arrowroot itself is pretty interesting.  It is a tropical tuber and is native to Indonesia, though is widely used across the eastern world in particular. The starch from derived from this tropical root, commonly referred to as Arrowroot Flour, is known for being easily digestible and satisfying. It was prized in ancient South and Central American cultures particularly. Arrowroot, as the colonists renamed it sometime in the mid 1600's, is almost certainly derived from an Arawak word "aru-aru" which means "meal of meals."   

Once I got my hands on a super simple recipe from another blogger, I was pleased both by how fast the easy dough came together, the equally quick bake time and of course the results. The original recipe from Someone's In The Kitchen Blog appears below with my only change, the addition of a 1/2 teaspoon of Cinnamon, a favorite spice in our house, and the fact that I used light brown sugar instead of dark. Either would work. 

Kids and adults of all ages will enjoy these simple, homey treats, and you will love the cost savings as compared to other kid's crackers. You could get creative and cut the dough into letter shapes, stamp it, decorate with a fork as I did, or even engage your kids in the effort. 

Enjoy and I hope the holiday season is as stress free and fun as possible! 


Simple Cinnamon Arrowroot Biscuits
Lightly Adapted from Someone's In The Kitchen
Yields 25-30 Cookies 

Simple Arrowroot Cookies - So many possibilities! Photo: NK 

Ingredients: 

1/4 cup butter brought to room temperature
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla 
1/2 cup arrowroot flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon Cinnamon 

Method
Preheat oven to 350. 

In a KitchenAid or using a hand blender, combine butter and brown sugar together until creamy

Add vanilla and egg and beat well.

Sift together flours, baking powder, salt and cinnamon if using.

Combing dry ingredients with egg mixture and mix until incorporated. 

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll into about ¼ inch thickness.  

Cut into desired shapes and put cookies on a parchment lined cookie sheet, not too far apart as they will not spread out when baking. 

Bake for about 10 minutes or until lightly browned.

Cool on rack.

Comfort Cooking - Perfect Chicken Stock

Rainy, gloomy, and damp, today is just a Chicken Soup kind of fall day. 

Of course, the first step to any great soup is a well developed stock, and if you've got some leftover Chicken and nothing better going on for a few hours, making it is from scratch is both wonderfully easy and very worthwhile. 

Now, keep in mind, you can certainly put your own stamp on Stock (it's very hard to mess up and the longer you simmer it, the more the flavors will intensify), but it you're looking for a good basic method, the below recipe works very well and always seems to deliver a tasty result. 

Here's how we do it:


Perfect Chicken Stock 
Makes 5 Quarts 
Slightly adapted from Ina Garten 


Ingredients: 

The seasoned, cooked carcass of a 4.5-5 lb Roaster Chicken, with some meat still on it (we like make Chicken Salad with the meat of the Roaster Chicken, and reserve about 2 Cups of chopped, cooked Chicken to add back whenever we make the Chicken Soup from this stock)
3-4 large Carrots, rinsed, cut lengthwise and broken half
1 very large Yellow Onion cut into quarters, skin on
4 Celery Stalks, leaves on, broken in half
2 Parsnips, halved crosswise
1 head of Garlic, top slice off
1 large Leek, (hard green tops discarded then cut lengthwise and in half, then and soaked to remove dirt)
1 large handful of fresh Dill
1.25 Tablespoons Kosher Salt (a bit less if you are sodium sensitive, you can always add more later if needed)
2 Tablespoons Whole Peppercorns 
5 Quarts (1 Gallon + 1 Quart) Spring Water 
Squeeze of Lemon Juice (optional) 

Method:Add all the ingredients into a very large pasta or cast iron pot (ideally with a strainer basket inside to easily remove the large solids). 

Cover with Water and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower to a simmer and cook uncovered for about 4 hours (skim foam from the top periodically if you can). When finished, let it cool and strain it all using a colander until all solids are removed. I like to finish it with a squeeze of Lemon Juice. Use the Stock to make your favorite Chicken or Chicken Noodle Soup! (Cook's Note: for a very simple, improvised Chicken Soup, I just saute some chopped yellow Onion, Carrot and Celery and add chopped cooked Chicken, Stock, and some cooked Barley or small Pasta. Greens like Parsley, Dill or Thyme would be a welcome addition -- add Salt and Pepper only as needed, serve and enjoy!). 

Tip - Use extra Carrots, Onions and Leeks you may have bought to make our favorite Turkey Mushroom Meatloaf!

Saying Goodbye to Summer - Fig & Brioche Tartines

There are few things that make me happy about the end of summer, but the beauty of the fall season to come is one of them. With that comes great produce - Pumpkins and Pumpkin flavored foods get all the attention (or should I say, overexposure?), but for me, the humble Fig is the most worthy harbinger of the changing season. Earthy green or purply brown on the outside and bright and beautiful on the inside, it's as if they carry the last of the sweet summer memories into the autumn the chill.

Fig & Brioche Tartines, Photo: NK

If you you look back through Neurotic Kitchen's late summer posts, you'll almost always find a Fig recipe to try. This year's is the simplest, and was inspired by a decadent Grilled Cheese Sandwich I enjoyed from one of the food trucks at the lovely Hallockville Museum Farm Country Fair. Hallockville is a not-for-profit and working farm featuring landmark historic buildings. The organization seeks to "preserve and interpret the history of farming on the North Fork of Long Island." The Country Fair had lots of great food, farm-themed amusements for the kids, and lots of really interesting old-time tractors and farm equipment. This city girl was shocked by how much she enjoyed the antiques! If you have the chance, make sure to visit next summer. 

Anyways, on the drive home, we stopped by our favorite farm stand where they were selling some really good looking, ripe black figs. Seeing as I can almost never resist them, I just knew they'd need to be worked into our dinner somehow. The next stop was to the supermarket where I grabbed a log of Brie and, when additional inspiration struck, some sliced Brioche. What followed was one of the easiest and yummiest pre-dinner bites I've had in a while. I hope you enjoy as much as we did!

Fig & Brioche Tartines
Serves Six

Ingredients:
About 8 Ripe Black Figs, cut into 1/4 inch slices
8 Ounce Log or Wheel of Brie (doesn't need to be a fancy Brie)
6 slices Brioche
Fig Preserves (Optional)
Salted Butter
Coarse Sea Salt 
Fresh Thyme Sprigs (Optional)

Method: 

Hollow out the Brie Log or wheel and reserve the soft inside in a bowl or on a surface until it reaches room temperature. 

Just as you would a grilled cheese, butter both sides of each slice of Brioche and lightly toast until one side is deeply golden and close to fully toasted. Lower the flame all the way. 

Remove Brioche to heatproof surface, toasted side up. Lightly spread each slice with optional Fig Preserve (a thin layer) and a healthy amount of Brie. Butter the griddle again and return the toast, Brie Side up to the griddle where you'll heat until the Brie Fully Melts. 

Remove toasts and top with slices of Fig. Now give them a light sprinkle of Sea Salt and a garnish of fresh Thyme Sprigs (with a few of the leaves removed and scattered on top. Enjoy! 

Neurotic Kitchen Tip: This would make for a great brunch dish too!

House Special - My Rules of Seafood Pasta

Seafood pasta is the signature dish of our household, with Linguine and White Clam Sauce inarguably holding the top spot. Still I am at heart, a lover of variety. That's why especially in summer when fresh fish most appeals to me, I like to change things up a bit and create different variations of shellfish over pasta, whether in white (oil/broth based) or red "tomato-based" sauces. 

One thing is for sure, once you master the very forgiving technique of most basic seafood pastas, you are almost guaranteed a quick cooking meal that tastes and feels special. Just be sure you are choosing the absolute freshest fish you can find - it will make all the difference.

Below you'll find some of my rules and techniques for successful Seafood Pastas plus a few of our favorite recipes that you can try. Once you get the hang of them you owe it to yourself to improvise one on your own. You'll be surprised at how easy it is. 

TIPS

1. Always clean, prep and chop non-fish ingredients ahead.  Seafood pastas are quick cooking so if you aren't prepared, your timing can be really thrown off. Chop all vegetable or herb ingredients in advance (usually garlic, shallot or onion, and a green like Italian Parsley). 

2. With shellfish, smaller is always better. Particularly with bivalves, the smallest Littleneck Clams or Mussels are the way to go. I always find them to be sweeter, fresher, and more flavorful. If you cannot personally select them just ask your fishmonger to select the smallest they can find. Shrimp is probably an exception to this rule, as the various sizes can all be delicious as long as they are fresh (and preferably, Wild & American). Consider your recipe in choosing the most ideal Shrimp size. 

3. Scrub and prepare all shellfish as directed - this is crucial because no one likes a sandy dish of food. Additionally, the process of cleaning is your opportunity to to do some additional quality control. I personally sniff every Clam, Shrimp or Mussel that I serve. If anything has a cracked shell, or smells a bit off, definitely toss it. Your nose will almost always steer you in the right direction. The internet has a wealth of information on cleaning your shellfish, and you'll find tricks for all varieties (for instance, Ina Garten submerges Mussels in cold water with flour to get them to unleash any sand or impurities). Your fishmonger may also be able to execute timesaving measures such as peeling and deveining Shrimp. Even if you have to pay a little extra, it's nearly aways worth it. 

4. Salt the pasta water. This is the rule almost always, but I find it particularly important with Seafood Pasta which is usually delicately flavored and layered.

5. Don't overcook the pasta. Please. Al dente is crucial, and to get it perfect ever time, I time it!  Also, always reserve some pasta water to loosen the pasta if necessary or add to the sauce. 

6. Don't overcook the Shellfish. Noticing a theme? Whether clams, mussels, here is my secret to success -- the second they open, take them out and set them aside in a bowl to catch the juices. To achieve this, you'll need to stand by your pot with tongs and work quickly, checking under the lid of the pot frequently. This is no big deal - Shellfish cooks so quickly and there's nothing worse than rubbery seafood (I'm talking to you, Calamari). 

7. This one is more a suggestion but I can't resist -- skip the Cheese! There's an unwritten rule that Italians don't put grated cheese on Seafood. I abide by this rule and it has never failed me. If you follow these steps, the flavor will be there - or there is not much a sprinkle of Salt can't fix. 

BASIC METHOD

1. Start your salted Pasta Water boiling. 

2. Add either Olive Oil or Salted Butter to a large, deep pan. (I actually like a mix of both - depending on how many you are serving, either one or two Tablespoons of each will do. Warm it over a medium flame taking care not to let it smoke). 

3. Add minced fresh Garlic or finely chopped Onion or Shallots. These are always good aromatic base ingredients. Cook gently taking care not to burn, especially if we're talking Garlic. If you burn the Garlic, dump it and start over. 

4. Time for Liquid. For Clam Sauce I use Clam Juice and White Wine. White Wine, even in a red-based sauce, is preferably. It won't turn your Calamari or Onions purple. That's a plus. As an aside, if you are cooking Calamari, always cook the Tubes before the Tentacles, removing the Tubes before cooking the Tentacles, the reason being that the Tentacles have the purple pigment which will turn the whole dish purple - it'll taste fine but won't look as good.

5. Once your liquid is bubbling, add the shellfish -- Clams, Mussels, a mix, etc. If you are working with Calamari, Shrimp, or finned Fish, I usually choose to cook them in a separate pan and toss it all together towards the end b. If you are adding "red" or Tomato Ingredients (fresh chopped Tomatoes, Sauce, Paste, now would also be a good time to add it). Cover to steam, checking frequently. As Shellfish begin to open, pull them out one by one right away and place them in a bowl to catch the juices. Continue until all Shellfish has opened and discard any that take much longer than the rest. 

6. Want it more brothy? You can always add more wine! Also add Salt, Pepper, Crushed Red Pepper as needed at any point in the process, just be gentle with Salt as Seafood has natural salinity. My rule of thumb: you can always add but never subtrace salt. If you over-salt, Lemon can some times counteract it. Speaking of Lemon, Lemon Juice and Zest are natural partners to "white" style Seafood Pasta preparations. 

7. When are you done? Your fish and Shellfish is all cooked, you have some sort of brothy sauce or tomato based sauce, and your Pasta is done and drained (with some pasta water reserved). Either plate the Pasta and top with Shellfish and Broth, or toss it all together in a large, high-sided pan. You can add a few drizzles of Oil and/or some Pasta Water to create more of a sauce (stirring consistently). Taste for Salt, Pepper and add fresh Herbs to finish-- my favorite is finely chopped Italian Parsley for versatility. Serve and enjoy! 

Some Recipes to Get You Started

Scallops With Sungold Tomato Pasta
Linguine With White Clam Sauce
Spaghetti Rigati With Lemony Calamari