My Deer Friends

Last weekend I had the pleasure of taking part in my uncle's long-planned and much-anticipated venison feast. Having scored two large deer late in the Fall, he had a bounty to share. So he invited us all, friends and family, to share his good fortune and his passion (both for hunting and for cooking), and to taste a bit of the good life.

Artwork by M.P.W.

The menu was outrageous, with venison shepherd's pie, venison sausage and peppers, a venison roast, venison chili, venison jerky, even venison egg rolls! But the crowning achievement of the night was the venison tenderloin that was saved until last. As we all stood around the fire pit, Pat grilled up thin slices of venison in the style of a beefsteak and then dipped them in a bath of warm butter and garlic. It is exactly as delicious and decadent as it sounds. Bathed in the glow of the fire, with the smell of wood smoke and cigars and the sound of laughter hanging in the cool Spring air, I felt profoundly lucky and happy to be alive. 

Last night I had the pleasure of going to see a concert, one that showcased 5 different bands whose careers are now beginning their third decades, at the Bell House in Gowanus. The stage was a revolving door of different acts, often sharing and trading members, all of them friends who came together to support each other. Ida, fronted by a husband and wife duo, was mellow and sweet. Haunting harmonies and poignant lyrics. M Shanghai String Band packed the stage with all sorts of instruments - standing bass, banjo, two violins, harmonica, saw and spoons! - and with energy, sheer electricity. Babe the Blue Ox, whose release party this whole thing was, rocked the house with two drummers, a guitar and larger than life female bassist. The night passed from slowcore, to Americana, to indie rock, but with no break in the good vibes, no loss of the crowd's enthusiasm for each new group. It was so clear to me that these people truly enjoyed every moment that they were performing, and I couldn't help but feel their joy.

Watching Babe the Blue Ox play through their first new album in 15 years, I was struck by the same sort of profound feeling I had leaving the venison dinner. Perhaps it had something to do with the lead singer's uncanny resemblance to Pat, but more likely it was the trait that they have in common: pursuing the things that they love throughout their lives. And beyond that, they recognize that the best part of having a hobby or a talent is to share it with others, to bring it to full fruition.

The venison dinner would not have been the same without Pat opening his house to friends and family, to showcase his successful hunt and keen abilities in the kitchen. The show was made even better because it was clear that the bands were there to play alongside each other and to invite us all to feel that support and exuberance with them.

It's so true of all things in life: they are made better, more fulfilling, by joining with others to experience them. So eat! Drink! Run, jump, hunt, sing, play, cultivate your talents! And do so with an openness to celebrate each moment with others.

Artwork by K.E.H.

Check out some of last night's acts!

• Ida
• M Shanghai String Band
• Babe the Blue Ox

...And the Craic Is Good

'Tis the season. The season of parades and pipe bands, of sweaters and shillelaghs, of smiling Irish eyes. It's such a beautiful time to me, when good friends and family meet in good cheer and revelry to celebrate our Irish roots.

 West Orange Parade Through the Years

There is such a feeling of togetherness at these gatherings. Everyone is jovial and spirited, simply happy to be alive. We rejoice in good health, good times, and good fortune to be Irish Americans!

In addition to the parades, a corned beef and cabbage dinner has always been a staple for our family, along with Irish soda bread. Throughout the month of March, Granny would bake loaves and loaves for each one of our homes. She even would make a special loaf for me, free of caraway seeds. I decided to try out Granny's recipe for the first time today as a test-drive for our family's feast tomorrow afternoon.

This is one recipe that I never actually watched Granny make, so I was not sure what to expect out of the dough. I sure do wish I had her around to ask her advice! Since I only have one loaf pan and was running low on all-purpose flour, I cut the recipe in half and used 1/2 cup whole wheat flour. I, of course, left out the caraway seeds. Made with buttermilk and shortening, it is a very thick dough, much like a scone or biscuit. It took a bit of muscle to come together and had to be spread out into the pan.

My finished product was pretty good, but definitely could be improved. Next time I will make the entire 2 loaf recipe and use all-purpose flour alone. Hopefully I can turn out a decent couple of loaves for dinner tomorrow.

Granny's Irish Bread

1 cup sugar
3/4 cup shortening
2 eggs
2 cups buttermilk
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
5 cups flour
raisins
caraway seeds
_____________________
Mix together - ( 2 loaves)
Grease pans
Bake at 350º - 1 hour

Make a loaf, don some green, get your Irish eyes to smile and have a great weekend!

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Sláinte! 

Just Passing Through

This weekend is basically just an extended layover in New York for me. Last week I traveled to Miami for work and early tomorrow morning I will be flying out to Irvine, CA. Luckily both of these trips provide escapes from the bitterly cold weather we've been experiencing in town lately. Unfortunately they have made my life very hectic. There has been a lot of eating out, eating late, eating poorly due to limited options. I am very much looking forward to getting back to the East Coast next Saturday and settling back into a normal rhythm and routine. 

I feel especially reinvigorated in my love of cooking by a lecture I attended Friday night. My dad and I went to see Jacques Pépin at William Paterson University's distinguished lecturer series. What a fantastic couple of hours! Accompanied by his daughter Claudine, the world-renowned chef demonstrated his immense skill in the basics of cooking techniques and tricks. He also whipped up salmon tartare and "instant" gravlax. Within a matter of 15 minutes he had a simple, elegant spread that would be admired at any dinner party or buffet. Very fitting for the self-proclaimed "short cut cook."

The seventy-seven-year-old didn't miss a beat. He was cheerful and funny, a true delight to watch and to listen to. His experiences in the realm of cooking and of eating inspire the joy and care with which food should be treated. One of his last answers to a question asked of him by an audience member was summed up in this way: "It is more than food. It is comfort. It is life." How beautifully true.

While I may not have hours every day to spend in the kitchen as Mr. Pépin does, I want to try harder to make that time to create real, nutritious, and worthwhile meals. Now and throughout my life. So as I jet off for another week of running around, I already look forward to my return, to some quiet time, and to more experiences in the kitchen. 

For today, to get through the chilly, snow-dusted Super Bowl Sunday in Brooklyn, I made a batch of cookies to take to our friend's party. These "Mexican hot chocolate" cookies are rich little treats full of warming flavors: cinnamon, chocolate, almond, espresso and cayenne. They may not be a piping hot mug of steamed milk and cocoa, but they are the next best thing. Stay warm, New York. I'll be back soon.

Good Bread, This

Work has been busy lately. Oh, very busy. The later part of 2012 was quite hectic in the office, and the early days of the new year are off and running on the same track. Long days and never-ending to-do lists have been taking their toll on me. At the end of a day, there's not much more I've wanted to do than head straight home to my spot on the couch. Curled up in my blanket, fending off the cold and dark outside, hoping to prolong the hours between work days, I started watching the HBO series "Rome." I started and I did not stop. In the span of about 2 weeks (not counting the holidays at the family homestead) I watched all 22 episodes and relished every minute! It was what I call true entertainment: beautiful costumes and scenery, tremendous acting, relatable characters, rich storylines, British wit peppered with Roman jargon, and a plot that doesn't stray far from the true course of events. Historical fiction. Can't beat it with a stick.

The interest I had in the ancient world as a young student of history - fueled by reading books, watching documentaries, and translating Julius Caesar's Commentarii de Bello Gallico and Vergil's Aeneid in Latin class - was reignited. I promptly bought a new book on the subject of the Roman Empire and am plowing my way through it now, remembering things I once knew, learning new things I did not. But seeing this beautiful tableau of Rome sparked another curiosity in me, beyond the historical personalities and events written in the annals of history. The vivid portrayal of this people made me begin to wonder how the Romans lived and, among other things,  how and what they ate.

A quick search led me to a number of books on Roman gastronomical history, which I am sure I will dive into soon, and to a handful of recipes, which I wanted to employ immediately. From the little I've read so far, everyday Roman cooking was simple and used basic ingredients available to the inhabitants of Rome - bread, cheese, honey, and wine seem to have been staples. These cookies capture that simplicity perfectly. Made with only 8 ingredients and sweetened with honey instead of sugar, the little treats are not too sweet, not too heavy...just right.

Ancient Roman Honey Cookies with Sesame Seeds

courtesy of Eating Places 

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
• 1/2 cup honey
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup sesame seeds

In a small bowl, combine the dry ingredients and set aside.

In a larger bowl, beat the butter, honey, and eggs with an electric mixer until well blended, or about two minutes. Gradually add the flour mixture, a third at a time, and beat until the dough comes together. Cover and chill for about an hour or until firm.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease two baking sheets. Form chilled dough into 1-inch balls and place balls on prepared baking sheets. Pat the top of each ball down to flatten slightly.

Bake 10 minutes or until golden brown.

Remove cookies from baking sheets and roll in sesame seeds while still warm. Cool on a wire rack.

I had a bit of trouble getting the sesame seeds to stick after coming out of the oven, so I brushed just a bit of water on the top of each before rolling in the seeds and that worked like a charm without affecting the cookie or its flavor.

I imagine these biscuits would pair very well with a cup of tea or coffee. Or with hot spiced wine, a la Romani.

To Kids from One to Ninety-Two

"Although it's been said, many times, many ways, Merry Christmas to you." - Nat King Cole

The chestnuts have been roasted and the open fire has burned to embers. The turkey has been eaten and dishes are being done as the sound of Yuletide carols float away in the frigid air. Another Christmas has come and gone, more quickly than any before it. I am still getting used to this phenomenon called "growing up," which seems to send time speeding by at an accelerated pace. I do wish the march of time would slow a bit around this special time of year.

While I did not get to try every cookie recipe I had been planning, I did do some Christmastime baking with the help of my lovely sisters. We made peanut butter kiss blossoms, a family favorite long made by Granny, and lemon bars, upon the youngest sis's request, which turned out to be crowd-pleasers as well. On Christmas Eve morning I arose early to try another recipe that had been queued-up since September when my younger (not youngest) sister brought it back from Ireland with her: buttermilk scones. After her trip to Ireland where she first ate these in a thatched cottage at tea time, she heralded them as the best scones she'd ever had. So on Christmas Eve morning we ate scones with blackberry jam, fresh whipped cream, and Irish breakfast tea. A new tradition was born!

In the grand scheme of things, running out of time to bake cookies is not a big deal. Spending time with family and loved ones, however, certainly is, and I was fortunate enough again to spend Christmas, both Eve and Day, surrounded by the people that mean the most to me in the world. No matter how quickly the days pass, when Christmastime comes we gather together and celebrate the most important gifts in life: one another. This year, in the wake of senseless tragedies around the country and the world, I feel especially blessed and lucky to have my health, my family, and my life, and to be surrounded by such love.

Christmastime presents a reminder of the true, meaningful parts of life: giving, sharing, loving. As Jack Frost continues to nip at our noses through the winter months, let us carry the Christmas spirit of joy, love, and cheer to keep the whole season bright.

Peace on Earth and mercy mild. Merry Christmas season, friends.

Oak Leaf

"And the sun poured in like butterscotch and stuck to all my senses." -Joni Mitchell

I may have recently spoken of the melancholy that settles over the world at the end of summer, but anyone who knows me also knows that the end-of-summer blues do not trouble me for too long. For autumn is a'coming! I can feel it in the evenings, smell it in the breeze, hear it in the trees. It is a magical time of year. It brings crisp air, fresh apples, spiced drinks, orange hues, and cozy feelings. Fall always puts a little spring in my step. As the lyric above from Ms. Mitchell captures perfectly, I relish the days of soft golden sunlight, deeper in color than the summer sun: marigold and amber. I think of it setting, piercing through the thinning trees, warming my cheeks just enough to counter the cool gusts of wind. Oh! What a magical time, indeed.

I cannot claim to be the only person in the world who loves this season. I can't even pretend to think that I am the one who loves it best. But I can most assuredly say that I come alive in the fall.

You and I know (and love) pumpkin spiced breads, coffees, cookies, cream cheeses, caramels, doughnuts, and ales. We breathe deeply to take in cinnamon scents of baked apples from a kitchen window and smokey wisps of wood fires in the distance. We all share in these things and delight in their return each year.  But there is something more to this bewitching season, something that entwines itself in between each one of these delights. What is it?

Fall has always been more of a beginning for me than New Year's Day has ever been. I'm sure that has a little something to do with the school year cycle that has prescribed the majority of my twenty-five years of life. With school days beginning in the fall, how could the season not hold a promise of new things? But in a more natural sense, it seemed to me to mark a period of renewal. That may seem counterintuitive, considering the harvest celebrates the end of a growing season and the Autumn heralds the hibernation of many plants and animals. Even humans, by and large, prepare for the long, gray winter ahead, sad to see the warm weather go. We stock our shelves, pull on our sweaters, shutter our windows, and huddle inside. We cling to each other and gather around the hearth. And how! For those very reasons, fall is not a time of sadness and melancholy. It is such a beautiful start for us humans.

We spend the first half of the year running around, making plans for fun and adventure. The summer comes and we go far and wide. Fall is what beckons us home. It is the voice that reaches us in far off lands, sunburnt and weary, ready for familiar people and places, tastes and smells. At home in the fall, we relax and regroup. We get back to the root of it all, the very beginning of it all - our own lives, the lives of our predecessors - and we are made humble. We begin again.

As a sophomore in college, I got my first tattoo. It was one that I had planned out in my head for some time, and when the opportunity presented itself, I jumped at it. The tattoo is of an oak leaf, done in black shaded outlines. It is simple and it is beautiful. Of course, it was chosen as a symbol of my affinity for the season. But it also stands for more. When asked by my Pop what the leaf symbolized, I told him 'Home.' For all that fall is (see: every trick and treat listed above), it is above all else a connection to home. Each fall holds the treasured memories of falls past....

I take a breath...

...they all come rushing back to me in an instant, and I smile.

The heart and soul of fall growing up was Granny's apple pie. It was there at Thanksgiving. It was there the day after bringing a bushel of apples from the orchard. It was there after school with a cup of tea. It was there on your 21st birthday when you knew it would be better than any cake in the world.

I've tried my hand at apple pie many times in my life. I followed a recipe at age 10. And another recipe at age 12. I did away with the recipe at many other ages. Today, I follow the memories of how Granny made her pies: cutting the apples directly into the bottom crust already in the pie dish, sprinkling layers of cinnamon and sugar at just the right dusting intervals, chatting cheerfully as she stood at the counter. No rush, no stress. Perfection without even trying.

This weekend I made my first apple pie of the season, using these techniques and touches. And, by golly, it tastes almost as good as Granny's. Almost. Almost will have to do.

Lemon Lavender Shortbread

From the first time I saw a recipe for lemon lavender shortbread, I was excited to try it out. The combination of lemon and lavender sounded like a refreshing, warm-weather take on classic shortbread.   I had never baked with flowers before and was a bit wary of how it would taste, especially if I was to be sharing these with others. I was concerned that the aromatics of lavender would overpower the delicate cookie. But I picked up a bag of dried culinary English lavender from Lavender By the Bay, which has a stand in Union Square three days a week, and made my first batch at the beginning of July. I cautiously submitted them for the approval of my taste-testers, my entire family, at the Montclair 4th of July parade. The verdict? Hey, Mikey! They like them! My mom even recently dubbed them her favorite cookies... ever. These little, buttery treats turned out to be the runaway hit of the summer.