Pimento Cheese and Memories of Boston in Winter

I can't believe it has been 5 years since my last trip to Boston for Charlotte & Tim's Annual Christmas Barbecue! What an amazing time it was — a barbecue extravaganza with fabulous food and friends! Warms my heart to think back to that trip. There was a foot of snow the day we made the trip from our home in Philly. Travel was treacherous, but once we made it to my friend Julie & her husband Rich's house for the night and had some wine, all was right in the world.

I always think of Charlotte whenever I make Pimento Cheese — one of her specialties from her roots in North Carolina. She adds peppadew peppers and hot sauce to hers and it is delicious. I made a batch today, but didn't have any pimentos, so I decided to make up my own new variation using roasted red peppers and fresh jalapeños. I think it is pretty fantastic — I will have feedback tomorrow when I share with friends.


Stephanie's Cucina Spicy "Pimento" Cheese

1 pound extra sharp cheddar, grated fine
1 (7 oz) jar roasted red peppers, drained and chopped small
1–2 fresh jalapeños, minced*
2/3 cup mayonnaise

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until just combined. Let sit in the refrigerator for at least one hour for the flavors to meld. Serve on crackers, celery stick. Great with pieces of smokey ham!

* Taste test the jalapeños for heat. I used 2 whole jalapeños with seeds and the dip is nicely spicy — not overpowering. Jalapeños can vary in heat though, so be sure to test and add as much or as little as you like.

Thanksgiving

Another Thanksgiving has come and gone... it's hard to believe! This was my first Thanksgiving in my new apartment. It was a very special day surrounded by an amazing group of friends. I made the Pumpkin fondue again this year and it was a big hit. Search "Pumpkin Fondue" in this blog for see the recipe.

The menu this year was my garlic-herb brined turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, mushroom-pesto bread stuffing, pork and rice stuffing (a family recipe), lime roasted sweet potato wedges and French green beans with garlic and bacon. Dessert was homemade pumpkin pie and a new recipe I created — Gooey Gingerbread Squares, both topped with homemade Cognac-honey-cinnamon infused whipped cream.

Stephanie's Cucina is Back!

Hi Everyone! Wow, it has been a while since my last entry. Things have been a little crazy in my life lately. I recently moved and have been way too distracted from my writing. But the good news is I am back and I have lots of great things to share with you!

Earlier this summer some of my good friends graduated from Cal Western School of Law here in San Diego. I watched them painstakingly study half of the summer away to prepare for the bar exam. Along the way, we had cooking and relaxing nights, but I really wanted to do something special for them during the exam. On the last day of the exam — CA Bar exam is an intensive 3-day event — I brought them a picnic lunch during their break. I was channeling the energy of one of my culinary idols, Ina Garten (The Barefoot Contessa) as I came up with the menu and plan.

I made french style sandwiches of fresh baguettes from the bakery down the street. I lightly buttered 12-inch sections of baguette with Kerrygold Irish Butter, then filled the sandwich with layers of prosciutto, dry salami, ham, Fontina cheese and Asiago cheese. As a side dish, I created my own new potato salad recipe (Bacon & Roasted Jalapeño Potato Salad A La Stephanie's Cucina) and also brought back the roasted corn salad I wrote about early this summer. We sat in the park and had a great relaxing lunch! A simple sparkling lemonade was served and we had fresh strawberries and chocolate for dessert.
I haven't perfected the potato salad recipe yet, but here is the general concept! Since I haven't truly recipe tested this for measurements, I will explain it the way I cook, by feel. Let me know if need to clarify anything.

Bacon & Roasted Jalapeño Potato Salad A La Stephanie's Cucina

6–8 Fresh jalapeño peppers, seeded and halved
1 large sweet onion, halved and cut into long strips
1 head garlic
Olive Oil
About 2–3 pounds red skin potatoes, rough cut into bite size pieces
Dijon mustard
1–2 ounces cream cheese
1 lb bacon, fried crisp and crumbled
salt & pepper to taste

In a baking dish, toss together jalapeños, onion, olive oil and a touch of salt and pepper. Cut the top off the head of garlic, rub with olive oil and place in the dish to roast with the peppers and onions. Cover with aluminum foil and roast for about 45 minutes. Uncover for the last 5-10 minutes of roasting. Lager peppers may take longer, just keep and eye on them — they are done when both peppers and onions are soft and tender.

While the peppers and onions roast, boil the potatoes until tender and easily pierced with a sharp knife.

Drain potatoes and allow to cool slightly. Remove peppers and onions from baking dish, allow to cool slightly and chop into small pieces. Allow garlic to cool to the touch and squeeze the roasted garlic from the cloves. Combine potatoes, peppers and onions, bacon, garlic and cream cheese. Dress with olive oil, Dijon mustard and salt and pepper to taste. Add olive oil and Dijon in small quantities and taste as you go. You can always add a touch more, but you can't take any away.

This would be a great recipe for then upcoming labor day weekend! You can add a touch of mayo if you would like, but leaving it out makes the dish a little more picnic friendly and there is less need to worry about keeping it on ice. Enjoy!

Cheers!
Stephanie

Baking at the Scrivo Cousins Reunion!

I am enjoying my time in Houston with my family SO much! Catching up with cousins we haven't seen in years and reminiscing is the perfect time for me to make a couple family favorites — Pepperoni Rolls and Cinnamon Rolls from scratch. I think the batches I baked this evening are some of the best I have ever made.

The cinnamon rolls are an adaptation of my Great Aunt Nellie's recipe as my mom learned to make them from her when she came to visit us. The optional icing recipe is my Great Aunt Katie's recipe, also as learned by my mom and passed down to me.

Cinnamon Rolls

2 packets active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 cup scalded milk (DO NOT Boil)
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
4 cups flour1 stick butter
2 cups sugar
3 tablespoons cinnamon
1 recipe Whipped Cream Icing (optional)

Preheat oven to 350º.

In a small bowl, mix 2 teaspoons sugar, water and yeast and let it rise (double).
In a small sauce pan, scald the milk. Stir constantly. Do not allow it to boil. Mix in the shortening and allow to cool to room temperature.

In a large bowl, combine flour (except 1 cup), salt and 1/4 cup of sugar. Add the yeast mixture. Mix well. Add milk and shortening mixture.

Beat eggs well and ad them to the mixture. The dough will be very sticky. Add the last cup of flour, mix thoroughly and kneed until dough doesn't stick to a clean finger.

Place dough in a large, lightly buttered bowl. Cover and allow to rise about 1 1/2 hours in a warm, non drafty place.
Punch down and let rest 10–15 minutes.

Roll dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Spread butter all over dough and coat with sugar and cinnamon.

Roll up like a jelly roll and cut into pieces. Place against one another on a baking sheet. Cover and let rise 20 minutes.
Bake at 350º for 15–20 minutes or until dough is golden and filling is bubbling.

You can serve the rolls as-is, glaze them with a simple powdered sugar glaze or ice them with the following Whipped Butter Cream Icing. Serve and enjoy!

Whipped Butter Cream Icing

5 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
1 cup butter (or 1/2 cup butter and 1/2 cup shortening)
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

In a small saucepan, cook flour and milk over medium-low heat. Stir constantly until a paste is formed. This can take 10-15 minutes, be patient and watch closely so the mixture won't burn. Allow to cool thoroughly. Use an ice bath to speed cooling if you would like.

While the paste cools, cream butter, sugar and vanilla in a large bowl. Add cooled paste and whip until light and creamy with an electric mixer on high.

Grilled Corn Salad!

I put together this recipe quite by accident earlier this summer. It is super fresh and delicious and would be perfect for July Fourth celebrations!

4 nice, fresh ears of corn, outer layers of husk peeled away, soaked in cold water for about an hour
1 jalapeño, seeded and diced fine
1/2 of a red bell pepper, diced fine
1 small to medium tomato, seeded and diced
2–3 green onions, chopped small
juice of 1 lime
2–3 tablespoons good olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

Grill the corn until it is cooked through and some of the kernels are nice and toasty. Allow to cool to the touch and cut all the kernels off the cobs. Combine remaining ingredients with the corn, allow to sit and flavors to meld for 30-45 minutes if possible. Serve and enjoy!

The second time I made this, I added fresh mozzarella and basil — amazing!

Happy 4th of July! I am off to Houston to see my family this week. I'll be cooking while I'm there, so update to follow.

Ramps — Springtime Treasures

After a couple of challenging weeks, I am finally back to my blog!

I have been meaning to write on this topic for weeks... Ramps! I grew up in West Virginia where ramps are readily available, but I was totally disinterested in them until much later in my life. I always associated them with being eaten raw and their pungent smell. I had not idea what a culinary delight they could be when prepared properly.

It really wasn't until years later when I was living in Charleston, WV and a friend shared a "mess" of ramps one spring that I came to adore these springtime treasures. They are only available in certain areas and for a limited time each year (generally March – early June). I remember vividly preparing that first batch of ramps! We put them in a foil packet with new potatoes and seasoned them simply with salt pepper and olive oil. We grilled them and ate them right away. The only problem was that it left us wanting more. The flavor is somewhere between a good onion and roasted garlic. The tops are like tender greens, and the ramp is cleaned and left whole to roast with the potatoes. Such a simple pleasure!

I moved to the New York City area soon after that, but was pleased to find that ramps were being discovered by chefs in the city and had become readily available in season at the green markets. Years later after relocating to the west coast, it is much harder to find ramps in the spring. To my knowledge, they are not found locally, but occasionally a specialty market will ship them in from a company called Earthly Delights. I ran across some at my local Whole Foods Market this spring and was able to enjoy them grilled with potatoes, just like home. We savored every bite.

Blackberry Philly Pastry

Check out my latest video! It is my last entry in the Real Women of Philadelphia contest. Technically not the best video we have produced, but the recipe is delish! Look for me to get back to writing this week. More videos will also come soon — new videos on our own terms here at Stephanie's Cucina! I can't wait to share more of my world of food and entertaining with you!