Baby Kale Salad with Roasted Squash

This recipe is from the delicious New York City restaurant, Northern Spy.  I ate there a few years ago, and happened to notice that this random kale salad recipe pilfered from the internet was one of theirs. The salad did not disappoint, and made me miss spending time sampling the dishes of the excellent farm-to-table chefs in New York.  Crispy, crunchy, with a healthy dose of nuttiness from the roasted squash and toasted almonds, and tangy from the aged cheeses, this complex, filling salad was a huge hit at the dinner table, and could have held its own against the best made caesars or any of the roasted beet with goat cheese permutations.

I recommend you seek out baby kale for this salad, but if you can't find that try for one of the nicer kales mentioned in the recipe.  In a pinch, use regular kale, but blanch it for 60 seconds and then shock it in ice water to make it more palatable and bright.

Zuccotto

I haven't forgotten about you, folks - I've been busy cooking!  This time it's an obscure Italian dessert that has been a hit at two pot luck events, called a zuccotto.  This is a large multi-layer domed cake, often made with ice cream, but commonly made with just different cake layers and flavored whipped creams.  I have no idea where I found the original recipe, all I have is an old scribbled down document that I haven't been able to trace back to anything in particular.  I kind of prefer it that way, and have made adjustments since anyway.

The first time I made this I had no idea what to expect, so I brought it in without tasting, set it down at my department event, and walked away for about two minutes.  When I came back, this gigantic cake was completely gone.  So this time I tried a piece before serving, and now I see what the excitement was about.  Not too sweet, incredibly moist, fantastic flavors and very colorful.  Everyone had great things to say.

I'm going to teach you how to make your very own, which I don't recommend for just a small family gathering.  Only make this if you have a lot of people coming over - preferably ones you want to impress.  You're going to make your own whipped cream, and you may even bake a cake.  But the real fun of this one is the assembly, which is unlike anything I've ever seen before.

Zuccotto

• 1 16 ounce pound cake (home made or store bought)
• 1 devils food cake mix (or store bought chocolate pound cake)
• ½ cup strawberry jam
• ¼ cup Amaretto, or Luxardo Maraschino (preferred)
• 1 6-ounce bag miniature semisweet chocolate chips
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• ½ cup confectioners sugar
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 cup slivered almonds, slightly toasted

Equipment needed:

• Bowl that is 9 inches across and 4-6 inches deep.
• Good serrated knife, or an electric knife (recommended)
• Handheld electric mixer, or a stand mixer

If making cakes yourself, prepare per recipe instructions on box.  I recommend you buy the pound cake, and make the devil's food cake.  For devil's food cake mix, pour half of mix into a greased and floured ovenproof 6 inch diameter bowl - I used a Pyrex mixing bowl, and filled about halfway full to allow for rising.  Bake the remainder in muffin cups - note that these will cook MUCH faster than the large bowl version.  If you don’t have an ovenproof bowl, get one.  Because of size differences you need to approximate the times listed on box for the bowl-shaped variant, but use a toothpick for testing and you'll be fine.  A toothpick inserted should pull out clean, so check regularly to avoid overbaking and drying it out.  For the record, the small bowl cake took about 10-15 minutes longer than the package directions said for the most stout of cake shapes it described.  Unfortunately, it seems the Duncan Hines folks didn't expect people to be baking their products into bizarre geometries, so I had to sort this out on my own.

Cool the cake(s) for 20 minutes, then turn out on baking racks to continue cooling.  Slice the pound cake into ¼ inch thick pieces, trying to be as consistent as possible.  Now line a 3 quart mixing bowl with plastic wrap.  Layer the lined bowl with slices of pound cake, overlapping slightly to create a pound cake bowl inside the mixing bowl.

Only an electric knife would let you get this many evenly sliced pieces.  I love mine.

Mix strawberry jam and almond or cherry liqueur (not the extract).  A note - I used Luxardo, an excellent liqueur used to make the real Maraschino cherries (recipe to follow soon).  This has a very sweet taste with notes of both almonds and cherries, and I thought it was an excellent substitution for Amaretto.  Whatever you use, mix in a 1:2 ratio with your jam of choice, and brush over inside of pound cake bowl.

Brush the jam and liqueur in the layered pound cake.  Careful not to get the jam on the outside of the cake, or it will ruin the exterior appearance

In another mixing bowl beat whipping cream, sugar and almond extract until stiff peaks form. Fold in chocolate chips and almonds. Spread evenly over bottom and sides of pound cake bowl, using a spatula or back of large spoon to smooth.

Fold the mini chocolate chips and almond slices into the whipped cream, gently

Spread a good layer of the almond infused whipped cream inside of the lacquered pound cake

Place bowl baked chocolate cake gently in the center of whipped cream lined bowl. If using store bought chocolate pound cake just cut to fit center. Fill in gaps by cutting scraps from remaining cake. Be gentle when adding the cake so as not to redistribute the whipped cream layer.

The devil's food bowl cake, before I inverted, trimmed the bottom, and nestled into the whipped cream.

Like a glove!

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate cake overnight.  Put some pressure on with the tension of the plastic wrap, to help apply a downward force that will compress the cake and press the pound cake out to the shape of the bowl.

To serve, place serving plate on top of bowl. Turn bowl over and remove plastic wrap. Garnish by placing strawberries around cake and place one on top, cut in a fan shape. To make fan shape strawberry, just make 4-5 slices ¾ of the way through from top to base. With both hands holding strawberry gently spread so it creates a fan shape.

The final cake, turned out of the bowl.

Here's what you have waiting for you - two cakes in one, with a few delicious extra layers of fruity, nutty awesomeness in between

You may have noticed a gargantuan quantity of pound cake at the beginning of this recipe.  If you find yourself with too much cake, hopefully you have made the extra cupcake-sized devil's food cakes, and have some leftover whipped cream.  I was able to make a medium-sized and small-sized zuccotto to send off with friends in addition to this huge version, which was a great way to use up everything I made.

Holy Mole Poblano!

Apparently there's a Mexican tradition to cook a really heavy stew called mole (pronounced mole-ay) and then bring it to picnics, where you feed it to your relatives on a hot day and then they pass out from all of the blood rushing to their stomachs trying to digest it.  I think this is a tradition many of us can get behind, so I present you with a recipe for mole.

Mole is like a Mexican version of chili, or curry.  It's got a whole bunch of varieties, and it's more of a type of dish than a particular recipe.  There are all kinds of interesting versions, many of which I was able to sample at Red Iguana in Salt Lake City, UT of all places - a strawberry mole, an almond-based mole, pumpkin seed-based, red, green, pink, cream-colored, whatever you can imagine.  However, if you ask most people who have had it, they'll tell you that even the most iconic mole - a mole poblano - contains some very interesting ingredients, such as nuts, chocolate, chile peppers, and then some kind of protein.  It does not, contrary to popular belief, contain any moles.

Mole poblano - enough to fell a bull elephant

WARNING: this is another labor of love dish.  Do not attempt this if you're just bored and curious.  You will need time, energy, a few strange ingredients, a big kitchen, and a food processor to do it right.  What?  You're still going to attempt?  Fine, but I tried to stop you.

I will mention before presenting the recipe that I scaled this up by a factor of 5, to feed 9 people.  We ate half of what I made, and still felt full.  I ended up using less than 5x the olive oil (maybe 6 tbsp total), and only about 6 cups of stock to make it the appropriate thickness.  So keep that in mind as you make...

Mole Poblano de Pollo (Chicken in a Poblano pepper Mole sauce)

from: I have no idea where, somewhere on the internet

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 4 chicken pieces, about 6 oz each
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 hot dried red chili such as chipotle, or 2 milder dried chiles such as ancho, reconstituted & finely chopped
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted, plus extra for garnish
• 1 tbsp chopped almonds
• ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp ground cumin
• ¼ tsp ground cloves
• 3 tomatoes, peeled & chopped
• 2 tbsp raisins
• 1½ cups chicken stock
• 1 tbsp peanut butter
• 1 oz/25 g semisweet chocolate with a high cocoa content, grated, plus extra for garnish

So you want to make mole, huh?  Well too bad, you have to spend an hour prepping first.  If you're crazy like me, you started with whole spices, fresh tomatoes and whole chickens, and toasted and ground / peeled / cut them up, respectively.  To see how to peel a tomato, check my other post on chili here.  While you're doing that, soak your chiles in boiling water, then take off the stem and scoop out the seeds, and chop coarsely.  This will ultimately go in the food processor, so feel free to slack on the precision a bit with your chopping.

All of the more interesting ingredients, ready to go.  Chocolate and peanut butter are among them - my cousin said the kitchen smelled like Reese's peanut butter cups

Blanching the tomatoes to remove the skin

Peeled tomatoes, ready for action.  This was surprisingly simple.

Now you're ready to start actually doing things.  Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large skillet.  Add the chicken and cook until browned on all sides.  Really brown it, don't just make it yellow.  And certainly not black, either.  Be sure to have enough fat in the pan, and don't overcrowd.  I did mine in two pans, over about 3 batches each, but I also had 27 pieces of chicken to deal with.  Remove chicken pieces with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Browning the chicken in multiple pans keeps things moving without you overcrowding.  Cast iron is far superior here.

Add the onion, garlic, and chilies and cook for 5 minutes, or until softened.  Add the sesame seeds, almonds, and spices and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.  Add the tomatoes, raisins, stock, peanut butter, and chocolate and stir well.  Add only as much stock as you think will be necessary for stewing the meat you're using - you don't want soup, this should be more like a curry consistency after you blend.  I found that placing each round of ingredients into separate areas helped to idiot-proof my throwing things casually into the pan without double-checking the recipe.  And, if you are hasty and didn't think to chop them up before adding, chop up the tomatoes somewhat with a knife or spoon while they're in the pan.  Season to taste with salt and pepper and let simmer for 5 minutes.

After cooking the onions, garlic and peppers, add the spices and nuts

Then things get really crazy - add the chocolate and peanut butter

Tomatoes could have gone in chopped, but I didn't think this through

Be sure to fill your pan dangerously full, so that stirring is nearly impossible and you make a huge mess.  Or don't.

Transfer the mixture to a food processor or blender and process until smooth.  Try to put a towel over the top so you don't spray mole all over your kitchen - it is best taken internally, not through the skin and clothes.

Into the food processor for a quick spin

Return the mixture to the skillet, add the chicken, and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat, cover, and let simmer for 1 hour, or until the chicken is very tender, adding more liquid if necessary.  If you're impatient, bust out the pressure cooker and cook for 20 minutes.

Serve garnished with sesame seeds and a little grated chocolate.  We served with homemade tostones and platanos (both plantain dishes), Mexican yellow rice, and tamales.  It was an excellent traditional feast, and well received by everyone.  Slightly sweet, nutty, rich, and just a little spicy.  I also had tons of sauce left over, which I froze to use next time I want to make this.  If that's the case, all you have to do is brown the chicken and then throw it into the ready-made sauce.  And don't forget to bring it to your next family gathering - especially if you are being taken against your will.