So it’s January and many of us have resolved to take better care of ourselves and eat better food, and save money. The problem is that if we don’t have good ingredients on hand and a few essential tools, it becomes too easy to reach for the take out menus.

I recently made a list of essential tools for a bachelor friend of mine who is looking to increase the odds of having “overnight” dinner guests. So I made him a list of tools and ingredients to help him execute an enticing dinner and spread the love! But seriously, these are tips that will impress anyone from your latest crush to your friends or family.

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A roasted chicken (organic, kosher, regular) is the perfect solution for a multiple meal solution and nothing makes a better chicken soup that one made with the leftover bones of an already roasted chicken. It doesn’t matter if you roast the chicken yourself or pick one up at your local rotisserie or supermarket or a Whole Foods .  Roasted bones make a better stock and this has been a long-time secret of chefs since most of the stocks and demi glaces in restaurants are made from bones that have been roasted.  So get a rotisserie chicken tonight and make this “roast chicken” soup as a first course and use the breast meat for you main course or sandwiches for the next day.

The stock (you will begin by making a stock/the soup is the finished product after straining the stock)
Ingredients
Rotisserie Chicken Carcass
1 whole onion rough chopped
the bottom bulb of your celery, chopped off (reserve stalks for soup)
Peels of 4 carrots along with trimmed ends to add to soup (reserve the actual carrots for the soup)
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New Year’s Eve is a time to celebrate our friendships and memories with loved ones. So, if you are entertaining for New Year’s Eve, keep it simple, so that you can spend time with your guests and not in the kitchen. Serve a simple spread of anti pasti. Ask each of your guests to bring something that does not need to be heated. Serve an assortment of colorful bruschetta. Set out cocktail napkins, toothpicks, and paper dessert plates. Don’t even worry about washing silverware.

Alongside your bruschetta, serve a platter of some of your favorite prosciutto, salami, capicola, mortadella, supersade, assorted olives and pepperoncini.  Top it off with a variety of your favorite cheeses: provolone, sharp cheddar, havarti and fresh mozzarella from The Village Cheese Shop in Mattituck. 

What’s a cocktail party without the cocktails?  Select  red and white lcoal wines to pair with your display.  I prefer the red Nautique  from Peconic Bay and Pellegrini’s Merlot.   Of course, you’ll need a bubbly to toast at midnight!   Head to Sparkling Pointe and pick up a bottle of their new release Cuvee Carnaval.

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For a simple, yet memorable first course start with this fennel salad.  With only a few ingredients it takes mintues to prepare and compliments the salty cheeses of your apertivo with anise and tangy oranges.

Fennel is one of those vegetables we overlook and it’s very available during the winter.  It has a fresh flavor with a hint of Anise, which goes beautifully with citrus.  You can use blood oranges, which should be available during this time of year, or just substitute with navel oranges or red grapefruit.

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Casserole cooking is great for a family gathering and especially for holidays.  You can assemble the night before and tuck it away in the fridge for the next day.  Then pre-heat the oven an hour before dinner and serve straight from the oven to the table and get to spend time with your guests.

All of your seafood should be raw except for the crab which you will most likely need to buy in a container, pre-cooked and cleaned. Start by portioning your fish into 4 oz strips. Shrimp peeled, lobster poached and cut down the center and the remainder of the shellfish will go on top of the rolled fish once in the casserole dish.  Missing an ingredient, use calamari, oysters, whatever you have on hand.

Use an oven proof casserole dish that is pretty enough to go straight to the table.  Drizzle the bottom with some EVOO and a sprinkle of breadcrumbs to make a bit of a crust. It makes it easier to divide and serve in portions at the table.

Ingredients

• 1 lb A white fish of your choice – flounder, sole, striped bass (trimmed and/orbutterflied) – with seafood feeds up to four
• Shrimp (half pound)
• Bay scallops (half pound)
• Mussels (half a bushel)
• Clams (one dozen)
• Lobster (2 small lobster split in half is plenty for four people)
• Crab – Long Island blue-crab or high-quality lump crabmeat (small container)
• 2 Carrots
• 1 stalk of Celery
• 1 can of high-quality seasoned canned tomatoes or your favorite sauce
• Your own roasted peppers or high-quality preserved peppers
• Bread crumbs
• Two eggs
• Fresh parsley
• Salt and pepper

Optional: basil, chopped, 1 tbs. capers, Parmesan

The filling
Finely mince and brown the onion, celery, carrots and bits of the fish trimmings in 2 tbs. oil. Add the parsley, breadcrumbs, minced red pepper, and other optional herbs, salt and pepper. Cook for 2 minutes and then remove from heat, cool. Combine the eggs with the mixture into smooth filling. Taste the filling for salt and pepper.

Flatten the fish fillets slightly and sprinkle lightly with salt. Place a spoonful of filling in the middle of each fillet and roll up. Close with toothpicks and place in casserole dish (and if you don’t have toothpicks, don’t worry, the fish will be weighed down by the shellfish and sauce and the filets won’t open much). Lay seafood on top and cover with tomato sauce and more fresh herbs. Drizzle with more EVOO and bake for one hour at 425. Allow to cool for 15 minutes and serve tableside. Serve with your favorite white wine or a selection from our Italian Christmas Eve recommendations and enjoy.

If you are on the North Fork or visiting a vineyard, stop by  The Southold Fish Market on the Main Road.

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve and although some stores will be open, it’s best to finish up your food shopping by tonight. If you are going to prepare our Italian Christmas Eve dinner or a version of it, this list may be helpful if you are shopping on the North Fork or visiting a vineyard.

Aperitivo

• Wines: 1 red, 1 white, 1 bubbly – Feel free to use our selections.
• Black olives
• Sharp provolone
• Dried fruit
• Assorted nuts – pistachios, almonds, hazelnuts
• Crostini, grissini (Italian breadsticks), or crackers

Salad Course – Shaved Fennel and Blood Orange Salad

• Champagne vinegar
• Fresh fennel bulb
• Blood oranges, navel oranges, or Ruby red grapefruits
• Shallots
• Dijon mustard

Soup Course – Tortellini en Brodo

• Fresh Chicken Stock or Garden Stock
• Cheese Tortellini or your choice
• ½ lb of baby spinach

Main Course – Seafood Involtini

For seafood, visit The Southold Fish Market on the Main Road.

• 1 lb A white fish of your choice – flounder, sole, striped bass (butterflied) – feeds up to four
• Shrimp
• Bay scallops
• Mussels
• Clams
• Lobster
• Crab – Long Island blue-crab or high-quality lump crabmeat
• Carrots
• Celery
• 1 can of high-quality canned tomatoes
• Your own roasted peppers or high-quality preserved peppers
• Bread crumbs
• Fresh parsley
• Parmesan

Dessert Course

Exotic Fruit Salad:

Find fruit at your local supermarket.

• 1 or 2 bananas depending upon number of guests
• ½ of a papaya
• 1 mango
• 1 small pineapple
• 2 teaspoons of dark rum and 1 tablespoon of brown sugar (optional)
• Torrone
• Panatone
• Toasted Chestnuts
• Bottle of Laurel Lake Moscato

When I think of Christmas Eve, I think about Italy and the diversity of Christmas traditions from all over the country.  Traditions from the North and South, the Amalfi Coast and the Adriatic and the far reaches of Sicily and its diaspora.   I have visions of the beautiful wreaths and garlands made of plump mandarin fruit entwined with the leaves still on the vines cascading over doorways from the smallest of villages to the posh streets of cities along the Adriatic. I hear the pop of the disengorged Prosseco cork, the clinking of glasses and the laughter at the family table, as they embrace memories of grandmothers and other relatives kept vivid through the planning and sharing of these holidays.

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Photo by Ila Nguyen-Hayama

You may be in need of comfort after holiday shopping and nothing is more soothing than a bowl of soup.  This a reved-up version of “cream of tomato and grilled cheese.”   This recipe calls for fresh tomatoes or organic canned or house-canned tomatoes, fresh fennel and shallots.  For the grilled cheese we’ll try some creamy smoked gouda.   This combination will provide all the comfort you’re looking for and a bit more flavor and sophistication than what you might remember.  And you can save the rest of the fennel for one of my holiday posts, blood orange and shaved fennel salad.

Winter is a good time of the year to plan ahead for next summer. Decide which tomatoes you want to plant so you have plenty of tomatoes to can early or freeze, so you can enjoy the farm to table experience year round like this tomato soup.

If you have a Pannini press, you’ll be all set and if not, get one on your wish list. [Read more →]

Winter can be tough if you are trying to buy from the farmstand, but winter squash keeps the possibilities alive and the options delicious. Butternut squash risotto is delicious enough, but add a little white truffle oil and it becomes something even more special. I have adapted a recipe from Martha Stewart and made it friendly for vegetarians or those who are lactose intolerant.

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I call this garden stock because I make this vegetable stock from cuttings from my garden as well as trimmings from carrots and peppers.  The great thing about having a garden on the North Fork is that most of your herbs stay green until early December.  I was cutting chives and parsely on Sunday morning.  It was wonderful!

Add teaspoon of olive oil into stock pot and heat.  Quickly add all peels and trimmings and stir.  This releases the aromas and will make a richer stock.  You can add other herbs but be careful because stronger herbs like rosemary, basil or sage can take over the stock and make it less versatile.

Once the trimmings and peels begin to sauté, add your water and boil for 20 minutes.

Remove stock from heat and set aside.  Allow to cool for at least 15 minutes.  Strain through colander into a pitcher.  This will make it easy to pour into ice cube tray or other containers.

This will reduce and give you about a half quart of vegetable stock which will keep between 2 to 4 days or up to a month if frozen in ice trays, then removed in cubes and stored in zip lock bags.