Orange Coriander Sangria

This is a sure-fire crowd pleaser adapted from "Spice: Flavors of the Eastern Mediterranean"
by Ana Sortun; Chef/owner of Oleana Restaurant in Cambridge via The Recipe Files. This is seriously addictive and a tad bit stronger than your average sangria.

• 2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon whole coriander seeds
• 1 cup fresh squeezed orange jucie (use the best oranges you can find)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 cups dry, floral white wine like a Verdejo or a  Chenin Blanc from the Loire (should be a fairly decent wine but doesn't have to be pricey)
• 1 cup cognac or extremely good brandy
• 1 cup sparkling water
• A splash or two of Cointreau (optional)
• 1/8 teaspoon orange blossom water (optional)
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar or turbinado sugar, for rimming the glass
• 1 or 2 oranges for slicing

Toast the coriander seeds over medium-high heat in a saute pan until fragrant. Remove one teaspoon of the seeds and set aside.

Add the orange juice and sugar to the remaining seeds and bring to a boil. Turn off heat and throw mixture in a blender pitcher and cover. Infuse the syrup for fifteen minutes to a half hour.
Buzz the syrup in the blender and strain into a pitcher. Add the rest of the ingredients, orange slices and ice. Add more orange juice and/ or sugar to taste if it's too strong.

For rimming the glasses: Finely grind reserved seeds in a spice grinder and mix them with the two tablespoons of  brown or turbinado sugar or a combination of the two sugars together.

servings: 8

Greek Shrimp

• butter + olive oil
• garlic, minced
• shrimp
• canned diced tomatoes
• white wine
• orzo or other pasta, cooked to your liking

Thaw shrimp. Melt butter with olive oil in a skillet. Add garlic for one minute, then shrimp. when they're starting to pink up, add tomatoes and a bit of white wine. Quantities are all to your liking so test and serve when you like it. (Possibly originally from a Moosewood Cookbook.)

Serve over orzo or other pasta.

Mulled White Wine (Vin Cuit)

• 1/2 orange
• 1 bottle white wine
• 3 tablespoons superfine sugar
• 1 stick cinnamon
• 6 cloves

1. Cut an orange in half and slice it. Slice the slices in half.

2. Put the oranges, wine, cinnamon stick and cloves in a saucepan.

3. Place over medium heat and heat the wine just until it simmers around the edges.

4. Remove from the heat.Remove the cinnamon stick and the cloves.

5. To serve, place a couple of orange slices in each of 4 mugs. Fill with the wine and serve hot.

Refreshing Mulled White Wine

• A bottle of white wine
• 4 sprigs of rosemary
• 4 sprigs of thyme
• 4 tbsp of clear honey
• A couple of slices of lemon

Heat the wine. Stir in the honey. Give the rosemary a bashing with a spoon to release the flavor, add to the saucepan with the thyme. Add a couple of slices of lemon and gently heat. Allow the herbs to infuse, without letting it boil.

Mulled Red Wine

• 3 cinnamon sticks, 3 inches each
• 10 whole cloves
• 10 black peppercorns
• 1 teaspoon (about 25) allspice berries
• 2 bottles medium- or full-bodied red wine, such as Cabernet, Pinot Noir, or Zinfandel
• 4 strips zest from 1 orange, removed with vegetable peeler, each strip about 2 inches long by 1/2 inch wide, cleaned of any white pith
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 to 4 tablespoons brandy

1. Toast cinnamon sticks, cloves, peppercorns, and allspice in medium heavy-bottomed nonreactive saucepan over medium-high heat until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add wine, orange zest, and 1/2 cup sugar; cover partially and bring to simmer, stirring occasionally to dissolve sugar. Reduce heat to low and simmer 1 hour until wine is infused; do not boil.

2. Strain wine through fine-mesh strainer; return wine to saucepan and discard spices and orange zest. Stir 2 tablespoons brandy into wine; taste and add up to 2 tablespoons more sugar and 2 tablespoons more brandy, if desired. Ladle wine into small mugs; serve immediately.

The flavor of the mulled wine deteriorates if it is simmered for longer than one hour. It is best served immediately after mulling but will keep fairly hot off the heat, covered, for about 30 minutes. Leftover mulled wine can be reheated in the microwave or in a saucepan on the stovetop.

from Cooks Illustrated

Yield: Makes about 1 1/2 quarts (8 servings)

Boeuf Bourguignon

• 1/4 lb bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 3 lb boneless beef chuck, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 4 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup brandy
• 1 (4-inch) piece of celery
• 4 fresh parsley stems (no leaves)
• 4 fresh thyme sprigs
• 2 bay leaves (not California)
• 2 cloves
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 carrots, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 (750-ml) bottle dry red wine (preferably Burgundy or Cotes du Rhone)
• 1 lb small (1 1/2-inch) boiling onions or pearl onions
• 1 lb mushrooms, quartered if large
• Accompaniment: peeled boiled potatoes tossed with butter and parsley
• Special equipment: kitchen string

Cook bacon in boiling salted water 3 minutes, then drain.

Pat beef dry and season with salt and pepper. Divide flour and beef between 2 (1-quart) sealable plastic bags, seal, then shake to coat meat.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil and 1 1/2 tablespoons butter in a wide 6- to 8-quart heavy pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown beef well on all sides in 2 or 3 batches, without crowding, adding remaining tablespoon oil as needed. Transfer to a bowl.

Pour off any excess oil from pot, then add brandy to pot. Deglaze by boiling over high heat 1 minute, stirring and scraping up brown bits, then pour over beef.

Tie celery, parsley, thyme, bay leaves, and cloves together with kitchen string to make a bouquet garni (tuck cloves into celery so they don't fall out).

Heat 1 tablespoon butter in cleaned pot over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then saute bacon, stirring, 2 minutes. Add chopped onions, garlic, and carrots, then saute, stirring, until onions are pale golden, about 5 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add wine, meat with juices, and bouquet garni and simmer gently, partially covered, until meat is tender, 3 1/2 to 4 hours.

While meat simmers, blanch boiling onions in boiling salted water 1 minute and drain in a colander. Rinse under cold running water, then peel.

Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then saute boiling onions, stirring occasionally, until browned in patches. Season with salt and pepper. Add 2 cups water (1 1/2 cups if using pearl onions), then simmer, partially covered, until onions are tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Boil, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until liquid is reduced to a glaze, 5 to 10 minutes.

Heat remaining tablespoon butter in a large nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then saute mushrooms, stirring, until golden brown and any liquid mushrooms give off is evaporated, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Stir onions and mushrooms into stew and cook 10 minutes. Remove bouquet garni and skim any fat from surface of stew. Season with salt and pepper.

Cooks' note: Boeuf bourguignon may be made 1 day ahead. Cool, uncovered, then chill, covered (it tastes even better made ahead because it gives the flavors time to develop). If making ahead, it's easier to remove fat from surface after chilling.

from Epicurious

Yield: 8 servings

Easy Chicken Marsala

• ¼ cup of flour
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 4 chicken breasts (boned and skinless)
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• ½ cup of dry Marsala wine
• ½ cup of chicken stock
• juice from ½ lemon
• ½ cup of white sliced mushrooms
• 1 tablespoon of fresh chopped parsley

Season the flour with salt and pepper. Lightly coat the chicken breast with seasoned flour.

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan on medium heat. Place the chicken breast in the pan and brown on both sides then remove from the pan and set aside.

Add the dry Marsala wine to the pan and gently bring to boil removing the alcohol. Add the chicken stock, lemon juice and stir in the mushrooms. Lower the heat and cook for about 10 minutes reducing the marsala sauce. Return the browned chicken breast to the pan spooning over the sauce. Cook for about 5 minutes on each side until cooked.

Serve with mashed potatoes or pasta. Garnish with parsley.

Serves 4

Seafood Lasagna with Tomato and Bechamel

FRESH TOMATO SAUCE

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cups seeded and diced plum tomatoes (7-8 tomatoes) or drained chopped canned tomatoes
• 3/4 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
• 3 scallions, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons slivered fresh basil
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

SEAFOOD FILLING

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 pound bay scallops or quartered sea scallops
• 1/2 pound medium shrimp, shelled and deveined
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 3/4 pound haddock or other white fish such as cod or pollock fillets, cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

BECHAMEL SAUCE

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 cups heavy or whipping cream
• 1/2 cup reserved seafood cooking juices
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 pound fresh pasta sheets or 9 ounces dried "no-boil" lasagna noodles
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (2 ounces)

1. To make the fresh tomato sauce, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, wine, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, until the tomatoes give off their liquid and the sauce begins to reduce, about 10 minutes. Stir in the scallions, basil, tarragon, sugar, salt and pepper and simmer for 2 minutes. If the consistency is too thick -- it should be pourable-- add 1/2 cup water.

2. To make the seafood filling, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the scallops and shrimp and cook, stirring often, until the shrimp begin to turn pink, about 1 minute. Add the wine, bring to a boil, and cook 1 minute. Add the fish, tarragon, thyme, salt and pepper, and continue to cook, stirring gently, just until the seafood is opaque, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the seafood witha slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl. Reserve the liquid remaining to use in the bechamel. You should have about 1/2 cup; add water, if necessary, to make up the difference.

3. To make the bechamel, melt the butter in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and cook, whisking constantly, for 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in the cream, bring to a boil, and cook, whisking, for 2 minutes. Whisk in the reserved seafood juices and season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.

4. Grease a 3- to 4-quart baking dish, such as a 14x10-inch lasagna pan, with butter, Preheat the oven to 375.

5. Spoon about one-third of the tomato sauce into the prepared dish, spreading to coat the bottom. Make a layer of one-third of the pasta sheets, then half the seafood, then one-third of the bechamel, spreading each layer evenly. Make a second layer of each, then finish with the last third of the pasta and bechamel. Spread the remaining tomato sauce on top and sprinkle with parmesan.

6. Bake, uncovered, until the cheese is golden and the filling is bubbling and tender, 35 to 40 minutes. If the lasagna has been refrigerated, bake covered with foil, for 25 minutes, then uncover and bake until heated through, 20 to 30 minutes. Let rest for about 15 minutes before cutting into squares.

Serve with Lamb Sausage Hors d'Oeuvres with Cranberry Chutney, a spinach salad, seeded Italian bread, Orange Creme Brulee

from Dishing Up Maine

8 servings

Shrimp Linguine

• 6 T. butter
• 6. T olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 T. minced shallots
• 1 cup bottled clam juice
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 2 t. angostura bitters
• 2 t. grated lemon zest
• 1 T. lemon juice
• 1/4 t. dried red pepper flakes
• 12 ounces linguine
• 1 lb. shelled Maine shrimp or other small to medium shrimp
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
• salt and pepper

1. Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente.

2. Heat the butter and oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and shallots and cook for 1 minutes. Add the clam juice and wine, raise the heat to high and boil briskly until reduced by about one third, about 5 minutes. Add the bitters, lemon zest, lemon juice, and red pepper flakes.

3. Add the shrimp to the sauce and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the shrimp just turn pink, about 2 minutes. Stir in the parsely and season with salt and pepper to taste.

4. Drain the pasta, spoon the shrimp and sauce over it, and serve.

VARIATION: substitute chopped or bably clams or bay scallops for the shrimp

from Dishing Up Maine

La Matta Cena Sangria

• chardonnay
• port
• vanilla syrup
• cloves
• cinnamon stick
• oranges
• lemons
• lime juice

Hearty Beef Stew

• 3 pounds beef chuck, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 medium-large onions, chopped coarse (about 2 cups)
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 cup full-bodied red wine
• 2 cups chicken stock or low-sodium chicken-flavored broth
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
• 6 small boiling potatoes, peeled and halved
• 4 large carrots, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 1 cup frozen peas (6 ounces), thawed
• 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley leaves

Make this stew in a large, heavy-bottomed soup kettle measuring at least ten inches in diameter. If the kettle is any smaller, you may need to cook the meat in three batches rather than two.

1. Heat oven to 250 degrees. Place beef cubes in large bowl. Sprinkle with salt and pepper; toss to coat. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium-high heat in large nonreactive soup kettle; add beef to kettle in two separate batches. Brown meat on all sides, about 5 minutes per batch, adding remaining tablespoon of oil if needed. Remove meat and set aside. Add onions to now empty kettle; saute until almost softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and add garlic; continue to saute about 30 seconds longer. Stir in flour; cook until lightly colored, 1 to 2 minutes. Add wine, scraping up any browned bits that may have stuck to kettle. Add stock, bay leaves, and thyme; bring to simmer. Add meat; return to simmer. Cover and place in oven; simmer about 1 hour.

2. Remove kettle from oven, add potatoes and carrots, cover, and return to oven. Simmer until meat is just tender, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Remove stew from oven. (Can be cooled, covered, and refrigerated up to 3 days.)

3. Add peas and allow to stand 5 minutes. Stir in parsley, adjust seasonings, and serve.

variations:

BEEF STEW WITH BACON, MUSHROOMS, AND PEARL ONIONS

Rather than the portions of liquid in Hearty Beef Stew, use equal portions of red wine and stock (one and one-half cups of each). Instead of the frozen pearl onions called for here, you can use an equal amount of fresh pearl onions that have been blanched, peeled, and steamed.

1. Follow recipe for Hearty Beef Stew, making the following changes: Before preparing beef, fry 4 ounces sliced bacon, cut into small dice, in bottom of kettle until brown and crisp. Drain bacon, reserving bits and drippings. Substitute drippings for oil when browning meat. Return bacon to kettle with stock, bay leaves, and thyme.

2. Omit potatoes, carrots, and peas. Heat 2 tablespoons of reserved drippings in large skillet until hot and add 1 pound white mushrooms, quartered; saute over high heat until browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from skillet, then add 1 cup (8 ounces) frozen pearl onions, cooked according to package directions. Saute until lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes. When meat is almost tender, 2 to 2 1/2 hours, add mushrooms and pearl onions to stew. Cover and return to oven. Cook until meat and pearl onions are tender, 20 to 30 minutes longer. Stir in parsley, adjust seasonings, and serve.

BEEF STEW WITH TOMATOES, ORANGE ZEST, AND OLIVES

1. Follow recipe for Hearty Beef Stew, making the following changes: Substitute 1 cup chopped tomatoes with their juice for 1 cup of the stock. Add two strips orange zest when adding stock. Substitute equal portion herbes de Provence for the thyme.

2. Omit potatoes, carrots, and peas. Stir in 1 cup black olives such as Kalamata to fully cooked stew. Cover and let stand 5 minutes. Stir in parsley, adjust seasonings, and serve.

BEEF STEW WITH TOMATOES, CINNAMON, AND CLOVES

1. Follow recipe for Hearty Beef Stew, making the following changes: Stir in 1 tablespoon tomato paste after flour has colored. Substitute 1 cup tomatoes for 1 cup of the stock and add 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon and 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves along with stock, bay leaves, and thyme.

2. Omit potatoes, carrots, and peas. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in medium skillet; add 1 cup frozen pearl onions, cooked according to package directions, and sauté until lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes. When meat is almost tender, 2 to 2 1/2 hours, add pearl onions and 1/3 cup currants to stew. Cover and return to oven. Cook until meat and pearl onions are tender, 20 to 30 minutes longer. Stir in parsley, adjust seasonings, and serve.

6 servings

Reisling-Braised Sauerkraut and Apples

• 4 cups drained sauerkraut from 2 lb. packaged sauerkraut (not canned)
• 1 Granny Smith apple
• 1 McIntosh apple
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 cup finely chopped shallot (3 large)
• 1 cup finely chopped onion (1 medium)
• 1 (1/2-oz) piece slab bacon, rind discarded
• 1 cup dry Riesling
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
• 5 juniper berries
• 1/2 Turkish or 1/4 California bay leaf
• 2 cups heavy cream (optional)
• 3 tablespoons apple schnapps
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Cover sauerkraut with cold water by 1 inch in a large bowl and soak 5 minutes, then drain in a colander. Repeat soaking and draining once more, pressing on sauerkraut.

Preheat oven to 325F.

Peel and core apples and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices.

Cook shallot and onion in butter in a 4- to 5-quart pot over moderate heat, stirring, until softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Add apples, bacon, wine, broth, thyme, juniper berries, and bay leaf and bring to a simmer, then stir in sauerkraut. Cover pot with foil, then lid, and braise in middle of oven until tender, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Discard bay leaf.

Meanwhile, simmer cream and schnapps in a 2-quart saucepan until reduced to about 1 cup, about 40 minutes.

Add cream mixture, salt, and pepper to sauerkraut and stir well.

Makes 6 side-dish servings servings

Poached Pear and Raspberry Trifle

• 4 cups water
• 1 cup honey
• 2 vanilla beans, split lengthwise
• 4 firm but ripe Bosc or Bartlett pears, peeled, cored, halved
• 2 cups heavy cream, plus 2 cups heavy cream
• 6 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup sugar
• Prepared pound cake, about 12 ounces, crusts trimmed
• 3/4 cup Ruby Port or Marsala wine
• 4 cups fresh or frozen and thawed raspberries
• 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
• 3 ounces bittersweet chocolate shavings

To poach the pears, in a medium saucepan, combine the water, honey, seeds scraped from 1 vanilla bean and vanilla bean. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring, until the honey dissolves. Add the pear halves, reduce the heat, cover and simmer until the pears are tender when pierced with a sharp knife, about 12 minutes. Transfer the pears with a slotted spoon to a cutting board and let cool slightly. Cut into thin slices.

To make the creme anglaise, in a small saucepan, bring 2 cups cream to a bare boil with the remaining vanilla bean and scraped seeds over medium heat. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly. In a medium bowl, beat the egg yolks and sugar until ribbons form. Gradually add 1 cup of the warm cream, and mix well. Add back to the pot with the remaining cream and stirring constantly cook over medium heat until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat and strain through a fine mesh strainer, discarding the vanilla bean. Press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Let cool slightly.

In a medium bowl, whip the remaining 2 cups cream with the sugar.

To assemble the trifle, cut the cake into 1/2-inch thick slices to fit tightly into the bottom of a trifle bowl (or a 1 1/2-quart decorative glass bowl), and slightly up the sides about 1-inch.

Drizzle the cake with Port. In a mixing bowl toss the berries with 2 tablespoons Port, stirring to bruise the berries slightly. Layer 1/3 of the pears over the top of the cake, then top with 1/3 of the creme anglaise, followed by 1/3 of the raspberries. Repeat the process, layering the remaining ingredients, finishing with the whipped cream on top. Decorate with chocolate shavings.

Emerill Lagasse recipe; Mary made at Christmas 2004

from the Food Network

8 servings