Veal Marsala

by Tom Landshof

Ingredients: (Serves 6)
12 slices scaloppine of veal
flour seasoned with salt & pepper
2 to 3 Tbs. oil
2-3 Tbs. butter
½ lb. sliced mushrooms
1 garlic minced
2 Tbs. chopped chives
2 Tbs. chopped parsley
1½ cups beef broth
¾ cup dry Marsala wine
paprika (Penzey’s smoked paprika adds a nice touch)
salt and pepper

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 350˚ F. Dust veal slices lightly in flour. Heat 2 to 3 Tbs. oil in skillet. Sauté quickly over high heat 3 to 4 slices of veal at a time until lightly browned. Transfer slices to casserole sprinkling each with paprika. Repeat ’til veal is finished.

2. Turn heat to medium and melt butter, add mushrooms and garlic and sauté about 5 minutes. Add chives, parsley, beef broth and pepper to taste. Check and add salt if needed. Add ½ cup Marsala and simmer 5 minutes. Thicken with a 1 to 2 T flour if necessary. [Add a little Marsala to flour, mix and then stir into skillet.]

3. Pour above over veal slices. Add remaining ¼ cup Marsala to top and place casserole in 350˚F oven for 20 to 30 minutes. Serve with hot buttered noodles.

Note: The secret is to pound the veal slices before you begin, the thinner the better. Can be made ahead and reheated in oven. Freezes well. Another easy recipe that takes less than an hour.

Ethel's Pot Roast

by Tom Landshof

We have been making this once or twice a year for over the last 15 years, tweaking a little bit each time. Guests seem to love it and the leftovers, if any, freeze well. We usually serve it with mashed potatoes. It is pictured with noodles on the second time around. A fairly easy recipe that takes a lot of oven time but not much attention.

Modified by Tom Landshof Feb. ’08
(From my mother, Ethel Landshof)

Ingredients
3–5 lbs. chuck eye roast (see note)
2 Tbs. oil
2 onions sliced very thin
3 celery stalks small dice
1 cup water
¼ cup cider vinegar
1 cup red wine
¼ cup light brown sugar
1 Tbs. salt
½ tsp. ground black pepper
2 bay leaves
4-5 whole peppercorns
3-4 whole cloves
½ tsp. thyme
12 – 14 Nabisco ginger snaps ground
1 cup beef broth
½ cup milk

Preparation:
Adjust oven rack to accommodate pot and heat to 310°F. In a large Dutch oven or pot, melt some (2 Tbs.) oil (I use bacon or duck fat) and brown meat well on all sides. Remove meat and add onions and celery scraping fond on bottom of pot. Sauté about 10-15 min. till clear. Add butter if needed.

Add 1 cup water, ¼ cup Vinegar, 1 cup red wine (Pinot or Merlot preferred), ¼ cup light brown sugar. Add following spices: 1 Tbs. salt, some ground pepper, 2 bay leaves, few whole peppercorns, 3 or 4 whole cloves, ½ tsp. thyme.

Return meat and any juices and cover tightly and bring to simmer. Transfer to oven and cook turning every 30 minutes for about 2 hours until internal temp is 210°F. [Can also do on stove top.]

Crumble 12-14 Nabisco Ginger snaps very fine (Cuisnart) and whisk into them 1 cup beef broth. Remove meat and whisk in ginger snap mixture and ½ cup milk.

Return meat and juices to oven [or stove top] for 1½ to 2 + hours turning every 30 minutes until fork tender. Leave uncovered last half hour. Cool meat in juice. Remove and slice. Let slices stand in gravy till needed. Heat gently and serve. Leftovers, if any, freeze well.

Note: This is another recipe of my mother’s that I’ve modified somewhat over the years.
I use chuck eye roast from Costco but any of the following work well: chuck eye roast (best) (4-5 lbs.), chuck top blade roast (3-4lbs.), chuck shoulder boneless (4-5 lbs.), or bottom round rump roast (5-6 lbs.). The eye round roast has very little fat so skimming fat off is not necessary. You may have to do this with some of the other cuts.

Lentil Soup

by Doug Pendleton

We were served a delicious lentil soup at a wine dinner and Linda spent a Saturday afternoon trying to come up with a similar recipe. And she did it – hers was better than the chef’s!

Ingredients:

2 slices thick cut bacon, cut into ½ pieces
1 medium onion, chopped

¾ cup each of coarse chopped carrots and celery

2 cloves minced garlic

1 Tbs. olive oil

½ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. pepper

1-1/2 cups lentils

8 – 9 cups beef broth

2 bay leaves

1 Tbs. fresh Thyme, chopped

¾ cup finely diced ham

1 Tbs. balsamic vinegar

Preparation:

Brown the chopped bacon in large pot for 3 – 4 minutes, then add olive oil, garlic, onions, carrots and celery and continue sautéing over medium heat for about 10 to 12 minutes. Add salt, pepper and lentils, sautéing for about 1 minute. Add 8 cups of beef broth (depending on how long you cook the soup and your “thickness” preference, you may want to add some more). Add remaining ingredients, and simmer for 1-1/2 hours.

At this point we took two cups out and puréed it in a food processor and then blended it back in to smooth things out a little. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and serve with a nice Grenache, Côtes du Rhône or even the Crios Malbec we were reviewing that evening.

Uncle Charlie’s Kalamata Tapenade

by Mark Finch

Here’s a simple and delicious tapenade that’s perfect with grilled leg of lamb.

Ingredients:
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 3/4 cups whole kalamata olives, pitted
1 2-oz.can anchovy fillets, rinsed
2 Tbs. capers
1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
1 tsp. chopped fresh rosemary
3 Tbs. lemon juice
4 Tbs. olive oil

Preparation:
Combine garlic, olives, anchovies, capers, thyme, rosemary and lemon juice in an electric blender. Slowly drip the olive oil into the blender while you are blending the ingredients together. Blend until a paste is formed.

Source: figandplum.com.