So, I have an offer on the table from a NY publisher for my book. It looks like The Good Home Cookbook will undergo a cover change and it is reported to become their lead spring 2009 title according to the marketing plan they sent. I’ll announce who the publisher is once the contract is signed. Part of the deal (understandably) means that I won’t be able to sell my book by early spring. The first edition will become one of those collectible classics (I hope). That said, it’s all good. The new edition will get the kind of launch behind it that Collectors Press was unable to afford when the book first came out. But did we ever sell a lot of copies in 3 months with relatively little effort! Thanks to all of you that have emailed me over the last year with your kind comments. I plan to keep my blog updated periodically, so keep in touch. Warmly, Richard

If you’ve never tried Moussaka, you will find its unique cinnamon very appealing. I was reminded about that last night when we made it for dinner. The meat sauce has an acidic characteristic from the tomatoes, which is balanced by the cheesy white sauce (of which has a hint of nutmeg). Be sure not to skip the step where the moisture is extracted from the eggplant by salting slices and leaving them to rest between paper towels. Otherwise you’ll end up with too much moisture. Enjoy!!

Moussaka (Greek-style Shepherd’s Pie)

Moussaka is the shepherd’s pie of Greece, often featured on the menu of Greek restaurants or served at Greek heritage festivals. The combination of fried eggplant, delicately spiced lamb, and rich cheese sauce is irresistible and well worth the rather lengthy preparation. It can be prepared earlier in the day for final cooking and browning in the oven.

Serves 6

4 medium eggplants (4 to 5 pounds), peeled and sliced
Salt
8 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 pounds ground lamb
1 medium onion, chopped
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 (28-ounce) can tomato purée
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
Pinch of ground nutmeg
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. Arrange the eggplant on paper towels and sprinkle with salt on both sides. Cover with another layer of paper towels. Let drain while you prepare the lamb.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the lamb, onion, and garlic and sauté until the lamb loses its pink color, about 10 minutes. Drain off as much fat as possible.
3. Stir in the tomato purée, oregano, and cinnamon. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat and let simmer while you prepare the eggplant.
4. Heat the remaining 7 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the eggplant slices to fit in a single layer and fry until browned, 4 to 5 minutes each side. Drain on paper towels and repeat with the remaining eggplant slices.
5. Melt the butter over medium heat in a small saucepan. Stir in the flour to form a smooth paste; cook for 1 minute. Add the milk and cook, stirring frequently, until the sauce is smooth and thick. Add the nutmeg. Season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside.
6. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
7. To assemble, layer one-third of the eggplant in a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Top with one-third of the meat sauce and sprinkle with one-third of the cheese. Repeat to make two more layers with the remaining eggplant, meat sauce, and cheese. Spoon the white sauce over the top.
8. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until the topping is browned. Serve hot.

I’ll be honest, my kids eat Eggos for breakfast from time to time–opposite mini bagels with cream cheese and cereal. But on the weekends the Eggos stay frozen and homemade waffles make the morning spotlight. This recipe is a bit labor intensive, but like many good eats they are well worth the trouble. And if you’ve never had homemade waffles before you are in for a real treat!

Golden Waffles

If you can find an old, well-seasoned waffle iron at a yard sale or flea market, go for it. Old irons turn out the crispiest, tastiest waffles. And for a bit of variety, try pouring in the batter and sprinkling it with cooked sausage, bits of bacon, or ham. Plunk down the lid and inhale the wonderful aroma. Serve your luscious waffles with sliced fresh fruits, jams, maple or fruit syrup, or honey. A variation made with blueberries follows.

Serves 4

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, separated
1 1/2 cups milk
6 tablespoons melted butter
Toppings of choice, such as maple syrup, fresh fruit, and butter

1. Brush a waffle iron lightly with vegetable oil and preheat.
2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl.
3. In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks, milk, and melted butter with a fork.
4. Make a well in center of the flour and add the milk mixture. Mix with a spoon just until moistened.
5. In a medium bowl, beat the egg whites with a mixer until stiff. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter with a rubber spatula.
6. Pour about 1/2 cup batter (or according to the manufacturer’s recommendations) onto the hot iron and spread it with the back of a spoon to within a 1/4 inch of the grid’s edge. Close the lid and bake for about 4 minutes, until golden brown with crisp edges. Remove the waffle with a fork and put on a plate. Serve hot with toppings as desired, and continue making waffles until all the batter is used.

Love to grill in the winter! While I was watching the NY Giants upset the Packers for the Super Bowl bid, I grilled a tri-tip for 4 hours at about 250 degrees on the grill. I coated, massaged, imbedded the rub into the meat and let it sit for about an hour until the rub was no longer a dry coating, but rather a nice moist (not wet) covering. The long slow cooking time over indirect heat helped the rub to penetrate the meat while converting the exterior to a semi-crisp texture. I let the meat rest for 15 minutes and there was but a drop or two of moisture that escaped onto the cutting board. And the meat was soooo juicy! Try this rub out. Feel free to add more brown sugar if you like your meat sweet. For that matter, modify any of the ingredients and make it your own. This is a great base recipe!

Texas Spice Rub
In some parts of the country, mainly Texas and the South, meat is rubbed with this mix of spices before it is put on the grill. This particular combination of spices is good with beef, pork, and chicken. Simply rub the mixture into the meat the night before, then cover the meat in plastic wrap and leave in the refrigerator until you’re ready to grill.

Makes about 1/2 cup

3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons paprika
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons dry mustard
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon crumbled bay leaf (about 1 leaf)
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

Mix all the spices in a small bowl or jar. Use immediately or store for up to 4 months in a sealed jar in a cool, dark place.

For a warm and filling meal this winter try Swedish Meatballs. The creamy sauce over egg noodles is classic comfort food. We usually make 5-10 times the number of meatballs needed and freeze them for all sorts of different usages. To make Swedish Meatballs dinner from frozen meatballs, all you need to do is thaw the meatballs (microwave works fine for this) and make a roux. Before you begin step 5, simply melt 3 tablespoons butter (not oil) over medium heat, then add the flour in step 5 and continue with the recipe. Your family will LOVE this!!!

Swedish Meatballs

Swedish meatballs are indeed a Swedish dish, brought to America’s northern Midwest by Scandinavian immigrants. It is traditionally served at Christmas in Swedish homes as one of many dishes and is also served at smorgasbords. This dish makes excellent leftovers.

Serves 4 to 6

2/3 cup milk
2 cups fresh bread crumbs
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons salt, plus more to taste
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups beef broth (page 000)
1 cup sour cream
Hot buttered egg noodles, to serve

1. Pour the milk over the bread crumbs in a medium bowl and set aside.
2. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until softened, about 3 minutes.
3. Combine the softened bread crumbs, onion, and ground beef in a large bowl. Add the eggs, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and paprika. Mix thoroughly with a spoon or your hands until well blended. Shape into 2-inch balls.
4. Heat the oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add the meatballs in a single layer and fry until browned, turning carefully with two spoons to brown all sides, about 8 minutes. Transfer the meatballs with a slotted spoon to an ovenproof plate and keep warm. Repeat until all the meatballs are browned.
5. Use the wooden spoon to stir the flour into the remaining drippings until well blended. Cook over low heat for 1 minute. Add the broth and cook, whisking constantly, until thickened. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the sour cream, a little at a time, until thoroughly blended after each addition. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
6. Return the meatballs to the sauce. Reduce the heat to a low simmer, cover the pan, and cook for 5 minutes. Turn the meatballs over and simmer for another 5 minutes. Serve hot over the buttered noodles.

To end this year I’ve decided to not post a recipe for a change. Instead, I’m going to give you an idea for the new year. Every New Year’s Eve my wife and I create a collage of images, words, phrases, illustrations–just about anything and everything that represents what we each want for the coming new year. We make our “vision quest” maps on a standard 8 1/2 x 11 inch piece of blank paper, but you can use whatever you want. I taped mine to my bathroom mirror for all of 2007. It served as a reminder of what I hoped for in the year. Tonight we will have friends with us who bring their own magazines and some good cheese and wine to share. Yesterday I blew a few bucks on gourmet cheese and wine at Whole Foods. We’ll put little tent cards out w/the name of the cheese on them, alongside water crackers and other thin crunchy crackers. We call the party “The Wine, Cheese and Vision Quest Party” for the purpose of invitations. And for additional fun I do fortune telling using an old gypsy fortune telling deck. We also pull out board games. The scene looks like small groups of gatherings doing a wide range of fun things with a bit of good wine and cheese. I highly recommend this activity any time of the year, but especially to launch a new year or birthday. Happy New Year!!!

My dad’s favorite pie on earth is pecan. What’s not to love about the combination of sweet, crunchy, soft, and flakey? And with a scoop of hard niller ice cream. Mmmm! I guess it’s my favorite too! Try it out…

Pecan Pie

Pecans are native to America, but it is not clear how long pecan pies have been made. The development of corn syrup in 1906 spread word of pecan pie, so much that in some areas of the country the pie is called “Karo pie” after a major brand of corn syrup. The crunchy-sweet combination is enjoyable, especially when served warm with vanilla ice cream.

Serves 8 to 10

3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup pecan halves or pieces

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Beat together the eggs, corn syrup, brown sugar, butter, flour, salt, and vanilla extract in a medium bowl. Set aside.
3. Roll out the dough on a floured surface to a 1/8-inch thickness. Fit into a 9-inch pie pan, leaving a 1-inch overhang. Fold and flute the edge. (Do not prick the bottom.)
4. Arrange the pecans in the bottom of the pie crust and pour in the corn syrup mixture.
5. Bake for about 45 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and the filling is firm.
6. Serve slightly warm or cool to room temperature.

Let’s face it, homemade refried beans are far superior than those of the can. The recipe below has been adopted by many cultures and modifed to create innumerable variations. I’m not one for falling into shortcuts, but some nights I’m in the mood for refried beans and just don’t have the time to make this recipe. And like I said, canned refried beans just don’t cut it. They have a strange texture, almost like whipped beans that have settled and separated, with a few chunks thrown in for texture. But there is a time-saving alternative to those preservative messes: canned whole beans. That’s right, take a whole can of your favorite beans (kidney are a bit too sweet, black are my favorite), drain but do not rinse, and pour into a medium bowl. From here you can add pinches of the classic seasonings found below. With an electric hand blender (if you don’t have one of these go right out and buy one today–they are invaluable–picture below), blend the beans, adding a small amount of water, chicken or vegetable broth, to get the desiged thickness and texture that you want. Heat, taste, adjust the seasoning and serve. We LOVE these short notice bean and hope you do too!

Refried Beans

Refried beans can be served as a side dish, a filling for tacos and burritos, or a topping for nachos. You can make a vegetarian version by substituting vegetable oil for the lard, but the flavor will suffer.

Serves 4 to 6

Chili with Meat (Chili con Carne) 

This is an unapologetic chili—made with chunks of beef instead of ground beef. And the beef is browned in beef fat (suet), not vegetable oil. Unlike other chilis, this dish’s red coloring comes from the hot red chile peppers, not tomatoes. At one time, this chili would have simmered over a campfire and been spooned out to dust-covered cowboys after a long day riding cattle. Serve the chili with rice and beans on the side. 

Serves 6 to 8 

3 1/2 cups boiling water 

5 dried red chile peppers, such as ancho or New Mexico 

1/2 pound beef suet or lard 

3 pounds lean beef chuck, cut into 1/2-inch cubes 

3 bay leaves 

1 tablespoon ground cumin 

1 tablespoon minced garlic 

1 tablespoon dried oregano 

3 tablespoons paprika 

1 tablespoon sugar 

1 tablespoon salt 

3 tablespoons masa harina or cornmeal, dissolved in 1/4 cup water 

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional) 

1. Pour the hot water over the chile peppers in a medium bowl. Let soak for 30 to 45 minutes. Strain the liquid through a fine-mesh strainer and reserve. Chop the chile peppers and set aside. 

2. Melt the suet over medium heat in a large saucepan, stirring often. Remove the suet bits and reserve 1/4 cup. 

3. Return the rendered fat to the saucepan. Add the beef and cook until the meat is lightly browned, about 10 minutes. 

4. Add 2 1/2 cups of reserved chile pepper liquid and bring it to a boil. Stir in the bay leaves and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 1 hour. 

6. Stir in the soaked chile peppers, remaining chile pepper water, the cumin, garlic, oregano, paprika, sugar, and salt. Simmer for 30 minutes. 

7. Slowly stir in the masa harina mixture to thicken the stew. 

8. Taste the chili and adjust the seasonings as needed. Add the cayenne pepper to taste if desired. Serve hot. 

It’s that time of year again! Brussels sprouts are ubundant at farmer’s and other markets.  And if you’ve never had them with bacon and onions you’re in for a real classic treat.  For a twist you could also add a teaspoon of fresh finely chopped herbs.  I like thyme with this dish. 

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Onions