For the last twenty years since Sandy and I have been together, she makes this dish, serving it with mashed potatoes, on New Year’s Day. In her family it was a tradition to make this meal, believing it brings all who eat it good luck throughout the new year. So far, so good!
May the new year bring all of you, your friends and family, peace and happiness.

1/4 lb. salt pork
2 lbs. pork loin roast
1 lb. polish sausage
2 lb. bag sauerkraut, rinsed
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large apple, chopped
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1-2 Tbsp. caraway seeds

Cut salt pork into several pieces and sauté in dutch oven.
Brown pork loin in salt pork fat. Add chopped onion and sauté about 3-4 minutes. Add chopped apple, sauté about 1 minute. Add rinsed sauerkraut, caraway seeds, and about 1 cup of water. Sprinkle brown sugar over sauerkraut mixture, cover and bake at 350 degrees for about 1 1/2 hours. Add polish sausage and heat through for about 20 minutes.
Serve sauerkraut, pork and sausage with mashed potatoes.

I received a paella pan for Christmas and was determined to use it right away since I’ve never before made paella. Looking through recipes, I found there were no two paella’s alike, so I decided to choose, from all that I read, the ingredients I like, and this is what I came up with. I winged it, and was rewarded.

1 14.5 ounce can organic diced tomatoes
4 cups chicken broth
1 medium sweet onion, coarsely chopped
1 large head of garlic, peeled and chopped (about 10 cloves)
1 large pinch saffron threads
2 cups Bomba rice (or Valencia rice)
1 Tsp. smoked paprika
1-2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1 red pepper, diced
2 lemons
1/2 cup string beans, broken into 1 inch pieces
2 Tsp. capers
1/4 cup minced, fresh cilantro
4 chicken thighs, fat removed and cut in half
8 ounces chorizo cut into 1/4 inch pieces
Steamers to top dish

1. In paella pan, on medium heat, add olive oil and sauté garlic for about 1 minute. Add onions, beans, pepper and tomatoes and cook until slightly tender.
2. Add chorizo and cook for about 6-7 minutes, tossing often.
3. Add chicken and cook for about 6 minutes on each side.
4. Remove chicken from pan and set aside.
5. Add rice and blend with vegetables and chorizo, then add broth, saffron, paprika, salt, pepper, cilantro and capers. Stir all ingredients together, then push chicken back into the mixture and cover. Reduce to simmer and cook about 12-15 minutes. Do not stir rice until dish is complete.
6. Place about 1 dozen little neck clams (steamers), (hinge side down) over ingredients and cook until the clams open. About 10-12 minutes.
7. Remove from heat and let stand covered for 5 minutes. Discard any unopened clams and squeeze fresh lemon juice over the entire dish. Garnish with lemon wedges.

Wine served: 2001 Brovia, Barbera D’Alba, Sori’ Del Drago

This is a very simple recipe from The Seasons Of Veuve Clicquot, A Social Cookbook For All Celebrations. I roasted this chicken so that there is plenty in the house to snack on when the snow storm overtakes our town.

1 whole chicken, giblets removed from the cavity
1 bunch thyme, plus some thyme flowers for garnish
7 Tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Stuff the chicken with entire bunch of thyme. Smear the chicken with a generous layer of butter. Put the chicken in an oval baking dish, breast side up, and roast for one hour (or until a thermometer reads 180 degrees), regularly spreading the melted butter and juices over the chicken, until nicely browned and crisp on the top. If you like, turn the chicken upside down and roast until the bottom is crispy.
Remove from the oven and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle a few thyme flowers. (I put some thyme on top shortly before the chicken was finished so that I could spoon melted butter over the herb).
Collect the sauce from the bottom of the pan and serve it in a gravy boat alongside the chicken.

A storm is headed our way tomorrow. We could be stuck indoors for a few days so I drove into town and stocked up on sweets from Raymer’s Chocolates (this included homemade peanut brittle). When I came home I started cooking. This recipe comes from Giada’s Everyday Pasta cookbook. I made dishes we could go to throughout the weekend so that my snow removal duties were not interrupted.

2 New York strip steaks, about 8 ounces each
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 Tsp. herbs de Provence
1 garlic clove, minced
3/4 cup plus 3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound penne pasta
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 cups chopped arugula

Season the steak with salt and pepper, herbs de Provence, and the minced garlic. In a skillet, heat 3 Tbsp. of the olive oil over medium heat. Cook the steaks for about 7 minutes per side. Remove the meat to a cutting board and let rest while you cook the pasta.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the pasta, reserving 1/4 cup of the cooking water.
In a small bowl, whisk together the balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, 1/2 Tsp. salt, 1/2 Tsp. pepper, the basil, parsley, and 3/4 cup olive oil. In a large bowl, toss the pasta with half of the salad dressing and the reserved water. Set aside.
Slice the steaks thin and add to the pasta with the arugula. Add more dressing and season with salt and pepper as needed.

Wine served: 2009 Louis Latour Marsannay

Today’s lunch, at least the pork chops in cream, comes from my favorite cookbook, The Silver Spoon. More times than not, when I’m looking for something to cook or just looking to be inspired, this is my “go to” book. I served the chops with stacked polenta and fresh, steamed carrots.

Pork Chops In Cream
serves 4

4 pork rib chops (I used 3/4″ boneless loin chops)
2 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. olive oil
3/4 cup port
1 cup heavy cream
1 Tsp. all purpose flour
Salt and pepper

Lightly pound the chops. Heat the butter and oil in a large skillet, add the chops, and cook, turning occasionally, for 6 minutes on each side. Season, then remove from the skillet, drain, and keep warm. Pour the port into the skillet and cook over low heat, scraping up any sediment from the bottom of the skillet, until the liquid has reduced by half. Combine the cream and flour in a bowl, stir into the skillet, and season lightly with salt and pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes, then pour the sauce over the chops (and polenta stacks) and serve.

Wine served: 2004 Domaine Joseph Voillot, Pommard

This Thanksgiving Sandy made an unbelievably delicious selection of side veggies to have with our turkey. She gave each one of them a distinctive flavor, yet managed to have them compliment each other. As you can see, she also paid close attention to color both in the vegetables themselves and the dish in which they were served. Well done! (that extra goodie is homemade cranberry mold which can be found on the blog)

Glazed Carrots

1 Lb. carrots
2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. honey
1 Tbsp. lime (or lemon)
Salt and pepper
Parsley

Boil carrots in salted water until tender. Drain and put back in pan with butter, honey, and lime juice. Cook until glaze coats carrots. Season with salt and pepper and parsley.

Roasted Beets

Approx. 1 Lb. fresh beets
3 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. good balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup orange juice
Salt and pepper
1 1/2 Tsp. fresh thyme leaves

Cut beets into 1 1/2″ chunks. Place beets in roasting pan with olive oil, fresh thyme leaves, salt and pepper. Roast beets for 35-40 minutes at 400 degrees, turning two times, until beets are tender. Remove from oven and toss with vinegar and orange juice. Season with salt and pepper.

Brussel Sprouts

6 slices bacon, chopped
1 shallot, chopped
1 Lb. Brussel sprouts
1 cup chicken broth
Salt and pepper

Brown bacon, remove from skillet and drain on paper towel. Add shallot to skillet and sauté 1-2 minutes. Add sprouts and coat in oil. Season with salt and pepper. Cook 2-3 minutes until sprouts begin to soften. Add broth, bring to a boil then lower to a simmer, cover and cook for about 10 minutes. Top with bacon bits.

Wine served: 2005 Blagny, 1er Cru Burgundy