Butter is the Word of the Day

As soon as I read about this amazing tomato sauce, the first thing that went through my mind was a great big resounding DUH. I have been trying for YEARS to find a good basic tomato sauce, one that is good all by its lonesome or spiffed up with mushrooms, sausage, whatever. I’ve tried sauces with a mirepoix base, canned tomatoes, fresh tomatoes, olive oil, white wine, red wine, chicken stock, tomato paste, sugar, HOURS simmering on a stove top – you name it, I’ve tried it.
You know what I never tried? Butter. You know what makes this the best tomato sauce EVER? Butter. DUH, right? This sauce is so simple and so easy and so perfect and so obvious I just want to kick myself for not figuring it out sooner. There are three ingredients for the base: tomatoes, an onion, and butter. That’s it.

Now, if you’re like me and you wanna get fancy, you can add mushrooms that you’ve sautéed in butter until they’re soft and toasty and just rife with opportunity. And then you can add a little splash of marjoram to them – just to dress them up a little. And THEN you can pour in the most basic and delicious tomato sauce you’ll ever make, chop some fresh basil, grate some parmesan, and serve the whole thing over pasta.
I’m just dying to try this sauce with ground sausage, or garlic, or chili flakes, or all three, or... oh the possibilities are endless!

28 ounces whole peeled tomatoes from a can (San Marzano, if you can find them)
5 tablespoons (70 grams) unsalted butter
1 medium-sized yellow onion, peeled and halved
Salt to taste

Put the tomatoes, onion and butter in a heavy saucepan (it fit just right in a 3-quart) over medium heat. Bring the sauce to a simmer then lower the heat to keep the sauce at a slow, steady simmer for about 45 minutes, or until droplets of fat float free of the tomatoes. Stir occasionally, crushing the tomatoes against the side of the pot with a wooden spoon. Remove from heat, discard the onion, add salt to taste (you might find, as I did, that your tomatoes came salted and that you didn’t need to add more) and keep warm while you prepare your pasta.

Dinner for Two

Last week my friend Ian, a soon-to-be rockstar, graced me with his presence in exchange for a home-cooked meal. He wasn’t picky, he swore, but promised I’d win his heart with the classics…so I went with an amazing chicken meatball recipe that I’d already tried out once before to great success and decided I’d make spaghetti to go with it.

Chicken meatballs? I can hear the resounding “ick”s…but let me assure you that these are chicken meatballs of a different color. They’re moist and so flavorful and (mostly) healthy…we’ll get to that “mostly” in a minute. Ok, or now. Like most of the best meat balls you’ve had in your life, these babies pack some pork.

In this case, its chopped pancetta, which, while its sautéing to a crisp with onions and garlic will fill your kitchen with the most deliciously savory smell. In Venice, they use mortadella (the “mort” part of this particular form of pork is most likely in reference to the fact that its about 90% fat and thus is likely to interfere with your own mortality), and at your corner Italian joint its probably plain old ground pork.


To make up for the fact that these meatballs aren’t quite kosher, I used 100% ground breast meat which helps a little to garner back some healthy points. Anyways, they came out fantastically (if in need of a little salt) and I was busy polishing off my plate while Ian was more focused on polishing off a bottle of wine.
Also, I cheated this time and used store-bought sauce (gasp! The horror!) albeit Giorgio Baldi’s Arabiatta…because who can compete with Giorgio’s? But I have a new tomato sauce recipe that will knock your socks off so stay tuned…and make these meatballs in the meantime!

Chicken Meatballs
1 pound ground chicken
3 oz pancetta, chopped OR ground up in a food processor
1 tblspn olive oil
1 small onion, finely diced
1 clove garlic
3 tblspns chopped parsley
1 egg
1 cup of Italian bread torn up into little bitty pieces
1/3 cup milk
1 tblespn tomato paste
1 tspn salt
1 tspn pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

1. Saute pancetta, onions, and garlic in olive oil over medium heat until pancetta is browned and onions are soft and translucent. Cool (this is important because you’re going to be adding it to a mixture with raw egg so if its not pretty cooled down it will cook the egg and get yucky).
2. Meanwhile, soak the bread in the milk.
3. Mix chicken, salt, pepper, parsley, egg, tomato paste and milk-soaked bread in a large bowl.
4. Once the pancetta-onion-garlic mixture is cooled, add to the meat mixture and blend well (don’t be afraid to use your fingers!)
5. Make balls (should get about 12-14 of them depending on size) and place in a large baking dish or casserole dish without crowding.
6. Bake for 15-20 minutes (although mine took about 25 minutes because of my oven). Serve on their own, as sliders, appetizers, or (like me) with spaghetti and sauce.

The Pot Roast That Made Me Fat

It’s raining again out here in LaLa land. Storm #2 of four has just blown onto shore bringing with it torrential rains, a mesocyclone (small tornado of some sort?), and winds that broke the umbrella I stole from the doorstep of an unsuspecting stranger (kharma?). But not to fret! Storm #3 (due in tomorrow evening) is supposed to be even worse.
As much as I should hate the rain, working in a restaurant that relies heavily on its enchanting patio to bring in diners (and hence, my tips), I love love love the rain! Most of all because it’s a great excuse to stay in doors and to make delightfully meaty dishes like stews and pot roasts.

But usually these things come with a high caloric price tag and the weather that encourages their production also encourages those terribly sedentary habits of mine (ie not excercizing – a New Years resolution that is not going quite as planned….). So was I surprised when the dress I tried to wiggle into on Sunday didn’t quite (read: not a chance in hell) zip all the way up? I shouldn’t have been. But when that poor unwitting shop girl came to “check in” on my friend Britney and me in the dressing room I answered, with my face buried in Britney’s small Asian bosom, that her clothes made me want to kill myself.

But it wasn’t her fault! No, it was the pot roast’s fault. The pot roast that was slow cooked in wine and broth for four hours. With celery root, and parsley root, and thyme and all the other usual suspects. And devoured with two ridiculously good bottles of California Syrah (Qupe and Sherwin Family Vineyards).

The smell was one of those insanely rich and intriguing ones that made my roommates yell incredulously as they walked through the front door, “WHAT are you making?!”. And the pot roast was devoured in one sitting. The whole thing. I reduced the braising liquid down to a syrupy sauce that was just bursting with all the flavors that had gone into it. And the meat was so tender, no knife was required. Enjoy the recipe at your own risk!

Pot Roast with Winter Vegetables
1 3 lb pot roast- appropriate cut of beef
2 tblspns olive oil
1 small celery root, roughly cubed
1 large or 2 small parsley roots, chopped into hunks
1 onion, quartered
2 large carrots, chopped into hunks
1/2 cup of dry red wine
1 ½ cup of broth (I used chicken but you can use beef or vegetable also)
1 bay leaf
3-4 sprigs thyme
½ tspn whole black peppercorns
½ tspn salt

1. Start by heating the olive oil in a large thick-bottomed pot (I use my La Crouset aka the love of my life). Brown the roast on all sides.
2. Pour in the wine and scrape up all the brown bits on the bottom of the pot. Reduce to 1/3.
3. Pour in broth and all the vegetables, bay leaf, thyme, peppercorn, and salt.
4. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Skim off any foam that collects on the surface. Cook, covered, for three to four hours, turning the roast over half way through.
5. Once you can start shredding meat off the top of the roast with a fork, its done. Take it out of the braising liquid and keep warm. Skim off the fat and remove all the vegetables (you can eat them if you’d like!). Bring to a boil and reduce down until the sauce is almost syrupy. Pour this over the roast and serve.

Carrot Muffins

When I was a little girl I was obsessed with eating carrots because someone had told me once that they were good for your eyes. Having grown up with a father who was born cross-eyed and blind as a bat, I ate carrots religiously. Needless to say, I have to carry a pair of glasses around in my purse for long-distance reading. Sigh.

Anyways, carrot cake is one of my favorite things. And around the holidays, its got that perfect flavor combination that makes you feel all warm and holiday-ish; nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon. And carrot muffins, because of the aforementioned flavor combination, are just fantastic paired with a fresh cup of coffee.

Lastly, this recipe packs THREE CUPS of carrots into 24 muffins which means lots of veggie goodness and fiber. I made these last Christmas and my mom, who is really not a pastry person at all, devoured two a day and my roommates made all 12 of a batch disappear in a day. But that’s ok! They’re so healthy! So go ahead and whip these up and you’ll have something to look forward to when you drag yourself out of bed in the morning – in fact, these just might be good enough to get you out of bed in the first place.


Carrot Muffins
Makes 24 muffins (but I usually half the recipe….)
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups canola oil
4 large eggs
3 cups grated peeled carrots
1 cups coarsely chopped walnuts (optional)
1/2 cup raisins (optional)

Preheat oven to 350.

Line 24 cupcake molds with papers, or butter and flour them.

Whisk flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger in medium bowl to blend. Whisk sugar and oil in large bowl until well blended. Whisk in eggs 1 at a time. Add flour mixture and stir until blended. Stir in carrots, walnuts and raisins, if using them. Divide batter among cupcake molds, filling 3/4 of each.

Bake cupcakes 14 to 18 minutes, or until a tester inserted into the center of one comes out clean. Let cool in pans for five minutes or so, then transfer cakes to a cooling rack. Let cool completely before icing them.

Vanilla Scented Pancakes with Strawberry Syrup

Here’s a secret Biquick would not like you to know: homemade pancakes are SO easy to make…and they’re delicious! If you are, like me, someone who has a whole shelf in the pantry devoted to baking supplies, I guarantee you have what it takes to make pancakes.

I use Alice Water’s recipe for buttermilk pancakes, and since no normal person has buttermilk just lying around (nor should they – that stuff is deadly rich!) I use a mixture of plain yogurt and milk as a substitute. You can also use flavored yogurt (I LOVE peach flavored yogurt in this recipe and use Apricot Jam instead of strawberry syrup).

Anyways, the strawberry syrup part of this recipe came about because I had some strawberries lying around that were about to go bad and I just couldn’t force myself to toss them, so I decided to make a syrup – something that is always a good thing to do when you have fruit that’s just not quite good enough to eat but can make a lovely sauce.

I don’t like really super sweet syrups and its important, to me, to preserve the fresh fruit taste. The syrup recipe is simple – strawberries, water, sugar, and lemon juice all boiled down to a thick sticky delicious mess. And vanilla-scented pancakes are even delicious by themselves, with some melted butter and powdered sugar if you don’t have any fruit for a syrup. This is a quick and delicious breakfast that takes less than 20 minutes to whip up and is sure to impress should you have guest or just some hungry roommates.

Vanilla Scented Pancakes (makes about 4-6 pancakes)

¾ cup flour
1tspn baking powder
½ tablespoon sugar
½ tspn salt
1 tspn vailla extract
1 egg
3 tablespoons melted butter
1/3 cup milk
1/3 cup yogurt (plain or fruity – your call)

1. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt in a large bowl
2. Mix together egg, milk, yogurt, and vanilla. Stir into flour mixture.
3. Add melted butter and mix thoroughly. Cover the batter and keep in the refrigerator for 15 minutes for the fluffiest pancakes. Heat a non-stick griddle over medium-low heat (coat with butter if you’re feeling really bad)
4. Pour batter over the griddle and cook about 4 minutes on each side, checking often to make sure they’re not burning.

Strawberry Syrup
½ pound hulled strawberries (tops removed)
¼ cup water
¼ cup sugar
1 tablespoon of lemon juice

Bring strawberries, water, sugar to boil in large saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Boil uncovered 10 minutes, stirring occasionally and adjusting heat to prevent mixture from boiling over. Add lemon juice. Strain, pressing on solids and pour over pancakes, icecream, cheesecakes, or what have you.

LA in the rain; Braised Short Ribs and Parsley Root Mashed Potatoes

So, the rain has finally arrived. Everyone loves the chance to curl up on a couch with a warm blanket, a fire, and a cup of hot cocoa – it’s the best way to while away a rainy day. Until you have to pull on your rain boots, button your coat, grab your purse and splash right out into that very same rainy day you were so blissfully watching pass by just a little while ago.


In Los Angeles, a rainy day is a cause for celebration and complaint. For the natives, a rainy day is a break from the status quo and a reason to point our fingers towards the rest of the country, accusingly – a chance to say “aha! See? It’s not perfect and sunny all the time. We know what its like to have weather.” And then we stick our tongues out.

But because it’s so rare people freak out. Nobody in Los Angeles knows how to drive in the rain and the terrible traffic for which we’re famous only gets worse. And as the temperature drops below 60, Angelenos race to bury themselves under layers of wool, leather, and polar fleece creating a highly undesireable sartorial situation.

A rainy day, however, is always good for slow-braised meats. The hearty aromas fill the house and the oven’s heat is welcomed by chilly wet hands. I decided to make short ribs last night, in anticipation of the rain – the sky was already dark and heavy and was glowing the faint orange it always does before a big rain. Our apartment doesn’t have central heating and if it wasn’t for the little electric heater I got on Saturday, I’d be freezing my little buns off.

Short ribs are satisfying, rich, and delicious. They’re fatty and tender and perfect for one of those rare Los Angeles nights when the whole city is bracing for a storm. These short ribs are an example of comfort food at its best and most indulgent, and paired with a side of parsley root mashed potatoes, some quick-roasted boiler onions and carrots, a glass of good red wine, and Ella Fitzgerald’s Christmas album? Bring on the rain, baby…I’m ready.

Braised Short Ribs (serves 2)
2 lbs short ribs
3 oz pancetta
1 cup dry red wine (I used a Merlot)
2 cups beef stock
1 carrot, cut in half
1 celery stick, cut in half
1 medium onion, quartered
1 bay leaf
4 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 tspn dried
2 garlic cloves, quartered
1 tspn whole black peppercorns
1 tspn sea salt

1. Begin by rinsing short ribs, drying thoroughly and salt-and-peppering all sides.
2. While preparing the short ribs, place the pancetta in a thick-bottomed pot over medium-high heat and render out as much fat as you can. Remove the pancetta.
3. Place short ribs, bone side up in the pancetta fat and brown on all sides – about 2-4 minutes a side. Remove the short ribs to a plate or bowl and drain off any excess fat but be careful not to lose the browned bits on the bottom of the pot.
4. Pour in red wine and scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Reduce red wine to about 1/3 cup – it should take about 10 minutes.
5. Pour in beef stock, vegetables, herbs, peppercorns, and salt. Stir the mixture to distribute evenly around the pot. Place the short ribs, bone side down, on top of this mixture and turn heat up to high. Bring the mixture to a boil, then turn down to a simmer. Place the lid on top of the pot and simmer for an hour.
6. After an hour, using tongs, flip the short ribs so that they are bone-side up. Simmer for another hour, loosening the lid if its simmering to rapidly. Simmer for another hour.
7. Flip the short ribs again so that they are bone side down again.
8. After a half an hour check (by gently lifting the short ribs and shaking them gently) to see if any of the bones have fallen away from the meat, simmer for another half an hour and check again.
9. When the short ribs are fork-tender, and you can easily shred some meat off with the tines of a fork remove the short ribs from the pot and set aside. With a slotted spoon, discard the vegetables and any bones that may have fallen off during cooking. Turn the heat up to very high and let the sauce reduce down to a syrupy consistency. It will probably take about 15 minutes. If you want a very pure sauce, pour the braising liquid into a clear bowl and, either using a spoon, or a baster, skim the fat from the top. Remove the skimmed liquid to the pot and reduce down to a thick sauce.
10. Pour the sauce over the short ribs and serve.

Parsley Root Mashed Potatoes (serves 2)
*These are great to serve with the short ribs because the citrusy and earthy taste of the parsley root contrasts nicely with the richness of meat and the sweet reduction.

2 parsley roots, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
½ pound of yellow potatoes cut into fourths
1 cup of chicken stock
2 cups of water
1 tablespoon butter
¼-1/3 cup of milk (whatever you have on hand is fine)
salt and pepper to taste

1. Combine chicken stock, water, potatoes, and parsley root in a large pot and bring to a boil. Boil until fork tender, about 15 minutes.
2. Strain and pour potatoes and parley root into a large bowl. Combine with milk, butter, salt and pepper. Using a stand or hand mixer whip all the ingredients together until they are light and fluffy. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Curry Me Happy

Come summer time, when you're living in an apartment with the most pathetic little AC unit that couldn't...turning on the oven is just about the least appealing act one could endeavor. This situation is just as ripe an opportunity as any for fresh salads. I can't say I don't love a good salad, but being a committed carnivore, a salad all by its lonesome just usually doesn't satisfy. Sure, I can throw in some nuts or seeds for protein, fill it up with fresh veggies, or just make the perfect vinagrette - but the little voice in my stomach still cries out for meat.


Which makes chicken salad even more perfect. Chicken salad is one of my newer obsessions - as long as its rife with celery, cranberries, and not too much mayo. One of my favorite chicken salads is, in fact, a curried chicken salad and there is just nothing that hits the spot more dead-on in the middle of summer. That being said, I scoured the web for a perfect curried chicken salad recipe to quench my craving and finally found one that had recieved nothing but rave reviews from fellow foodies on epicurious.com.

Their recipe used mangoes for sweetness, cashews for crunch, and red onions for tang. I decided to replace all of the above with dried cranberries, celery, and green onions. Oh. My. God. Was it good! Just to make a good thing better, I piled it high on La Brea Bakery's whole wheat - with a malty flavor and little specks of sunflower and other delicious little sead - and topped it all off with a little spring salad mixture just so I felt ok about all the mayonaise (low fat!) that went into my chicken salad. However, speaking of mayonaise - I generally can't stand the stuff unless its in a chicken salad which is why the recipe on epicurious.com was even more perfect - it halved the mayonaise by pairing it with yogurt (Greek - 2%!).

So, if you (like me) just can't bear the thought of applying heat to an already over-saturated apartment, go ahead and whip yourself up some curried chicken salad - the only heat involved will be in your mouth.

Curried Chicken Salad (adapted from Gourmet)

1 1/2 pound (or less) chicken breast
1 3/4 cup chicken stock
4 cups water
3 celery stalks (I like to use the paler ones of the heart)
4-5 green onions, white and pale green parts only
A handful and a half of dried cranberries
3/4 teaspoon honey
3/4 tablespoon lime juice (freshly squeezed)
3 1/2 - 4 tablespoons curry powder (depending on how spicy you like your salad)
A little less than 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/3 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup mayonaise

Bring 4 cups water to a simmer with chicken broth in a 2- to 3-quart saucepan. Add chicken and simmer, uncovered, 6 minutes. Remove pan from heat and cover, then let stand until chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate and cool 10 minutes. Chop into 1/2-inch pieces.

While chicken is cooling, whisk together mayonnaise, yogurt, curry, lime juice, honey, ginger, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Add chicken, scallions, cranberries, and celery and stir gently to combine.