Peggy's Panforte - A Winter Treat

Another of Peg's originals...

Peter and I had our first taste of panforte (literally "strong bread") imported from Italy early in our marriage - he was smitten. I continued to buy them on occasion, but always found them too hard and I was not a fan of the candied citron that seemed to be a main ingredient. I found a recipe in Carol Field's book, The Italian Baker, but it was too sweet and not nutty enough for me. It also contained the candied citron which I had no intention of using. So I've since come up with a recipe that most everybody seems to enjoy, including me. It is certainly not traditional, but is very good never-the-less. It is labor intensive, primarily because I candy the orange peel that I use (see an earlier post). I have not found a candied orange peel that I like enough to pay the  high price for. And I decided that if I am going to go to all the trouble to make this dessert, I want it to be good. This recipe makes enough to share or give as gifts (it's a traditional Christmas treat in Siena), or store away. It never lasts that long in our house, but since the Crusaders took it along  on their "pilgrimages" as a long lasting and energy-boosting food, I assume it has quite a long shelf life.

Peggy's Panforte

2 ½  cups toasted whole hazelnuts (remove as much skin as possible after toasting), coarsely chopped

2 ½ cups toasted whole almonds, coarsely chopped

2 ½ cups candied orange peel, coarsely chopped (see previous post for the recipe)

2 ½ cups coarsely chopped dried pineapple, dried figs, and dates (approximately 1 cup pineapple and

¾ cups each of figs and dates)

2 ½ teaspoons of lemon zest

1 ¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour

2 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

5/8 teaspoon ground coriander

5/8 teaspoon ground cloves

5/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

2  pinches of ground white pepper

1 cup honey

1 cup sugar

2 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter

Mix together nuts, orange peel, dried fruit, and all spices in a large bowl and set aside. Butter two 9"or four 6" spring form pans. I actually make five 6" cakes with this recipe so that they are a little thinner. Cut a piece of parchment to fit the bottom of each pan and then butter the parchment as well. Heat the honey, sugar, and butter in a heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat stirring constantly until the syrup registers about 248 degrees. Pour the syrup into the nut and fruit mixture and stir to combine. I use a lot less of the honey/sugar mixture in my recipe so it requires a bit of muscle to get it all incorporated into the dry mixture before it becomes too stiff (Peter helps with this and get a taste or two in the process). Pile equal amounts of the mixture into each pan, dampen you fingers in  a bowl of water and press the mixture into the pans until fairly level. Bake at 300 degrees for about 30 to 40 minutes. Cool on rack, remove from pans, peel off parchment and dust with powdered sugar.

Tomato Chutney

Often, when hunger strikes me at home, I go to the fridge and stare at the various containers left from various meals we've enjoyed. So the other day I did just that and came up with something I've never made before, and I'm pretty sure no one else has either. The thing about using what you have in the fridge is you end up with concoctions that are like snowflakes - completely unique and soon to be only  a memory (unless an effort is made to have these very specific things converge in the ice box again).

The thing that really made this invention shine was actually something my sister Peg had made - a tomato chutney. She confesses that it's not her own recipe, but from The Joy of Pickling, by Linda Ziedrich. It's a sweet, aromatic blending of seeds and spices (plus her homegrown tomatoes), that works well on or in many dishes. Just use your imagination!

So here is the recipe, followed by a brief description of what I put together to make the dish you see in the photo.

Tomato Chutney


4 lbs ripe tomatoes, peeled & chopped

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups white wine vinegar

1 tbsp pickling salt

Juice and zest of one large lime

1/4 cup chopped garlic

2 tbsp chopped fresh ginger

1/2 tsp hot pepper flakes

1/2 tsp fennel seeds

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds

1/2 cup dark raisins

Combine all ingredients in heavy non reactive pot; bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer. Cook for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until chutney is quite thick (depending on the tomatoes used it could take longer). Stir frequently to keep from scorching ( I once scorched it, but it was still quite good--tasted like bbq sauce). You can refrigerate at this point, or can it by ladling into pint or 1/2 pint canning jars; leave 1/4 inch headspace; close with hot two-piece caps; and process for 10 minutes in a boiling hot water bath. Store cooled jars in cool, dry, dark place. Makes about 2 pints.

My lunch (left): I had some leftover garlic nan (storebought) that I brushed with olive oil and heated in the oven. On top of that I put leftover Brazilian style collard greens (sautéd with olive oil and minced garlic), Peg's tomato chutney, plain yogurt, mint leaves and toasted chopped walnuts. Who'd have thought this would be so delicious?!

Creamy Summer Squash Soup

Got Giant Zucchini? Here's a Solution!

Every spring I get over eager and plant way more than I need of most everything--including summer squash. It's always so exciting when the first little squashes peek out from under their floral caps. They are firm crisp and delicious. But before long they become giants that torment and threaten to take over the garden if not harvested regularly. Out in the rural area I live in people put up signs begging passersby's to take their squash--FREE!

I generally grow an Italian trumpet squash which is lighter in color than zucchini and has a denser texture...plus it is very cool looking. When mom was visiting this year she would not let me toss the overgrown trumpets into the compost for the worms to devour. She is not one to waste food. So I gave her the task of creating a soup that I could freeze for winter enjoyment. The result was luscious so she wrote down the basics, and after she returned home I made another batch to fill in some of the details. Again it turned out well and is quite easy to make though if your squashes are quite large you'll need a very big soup pot! By the way, you don't need to wait for the squash to be overgrown to make this--it will be good with any size squash. Just don't use the squash if it has gone so far as to have a hardened shell because at that point it is just short of being a winter squash.

Creamy Summer Squash Soup

2 large onions, coarsely chopped
1 Tbsp each butter and olive oil
8 cloves garlic
5 lbs coarsely cut up summer squash (any one type or a mix)
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1 -2 Tbsp chopped basil, marjoram, or oregano
1/2 Tbsp chopped thyme
1 quart chicken stock (or enough to just cover the vegetables)
Juice and peel of 1/2 medium lemon
Salt and pepper to taste.
Heavy cream or half and half (optional but good)

Sauté the onions in butter and oil until browned then add the garlic and cook a few more minutes. Add all the remaining ingredients except cream and cook until squash is very soft--1/2 to 1 hour. Puree the mixture in batches in a blender or food processor then season to taste with salt and pepper. At this point you can cool and freeze batches. It can be eaten as is or made richer by adding some cream/half and half (start with a little and add as you like) when you reheat it. If you do add cream you may need to re-season it. It is good served with a sprinkling of parmesan and some croutons.

Farfalle with Smoked Salmon

Peg's son Gabe is an avid fisherman and has perfected the art of smoking salmon. I was lucky enough to get a fresh piece of one of his catches and used it for this dish a few days ago. You can add more or less of the salmon, mushrooms, cream or whatever based on your taste. I would put butter on the pasta first to keep the cream from being absorbed and disappearing.

1 lb. bow tie pasta

¼ c. finely chopped green onions
1 c. white or crimini mushrooms, sliced
4 oz. smoked salmon shredded
¾ c. heavy cream
2 tablespoons cognac or brandy
¼ c. grated parmesan or romano or a mixture
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
salt and fresh black pepper

In a large saute pan or skillet, sweat the onions until translucent. Boil the pasta in salted water to al dente, drain (add about 2 T butter) and set aside in the pan you cooked it in. Add the mushrooms to the onions and saute until soft and just beginning to brown at the edges. Add the cream and cook over medium heat til it starts to bubble. Add the pasta and toss. Add the salmon and the cognac cook for about 2 minutes and Add the butter (optional) and cheese (not optional). Toss again, then serve after grinding some pepper on top.

Simple Raspberry Tart, or Blueberry If You Prefer

Here's a fruity twist on a recipe posted back in October 2011 called Easy Pear Tart. Peg made it more summery with raspberries. You can change the toppings as instructed here: 

"Just heat a little apricot jam (jam/jelly should work too) and honey (optional) and brush a little on the finished custard; place the raspberries on it and then lightly brush some of the jam/honey mixture over the berries. Or top the custard with fresh blueberries before placing it back in the oven to cook. The berries sink in and cook with the custard—it needs an extra 5 minutes to set up in the oven, but is really good."

San Francisco Night Out in Portland

After a long pause in posts, here's a fun one from Peg...

We were recently invited to a friend’s wine and dine group with a San Francisco theme. All dishes were to have originated in SF, or ingredients be indigenous to the area. Hence, the menu included everything from a bay shrimp and artichoke appetizer (among others), seafood cioppino as the main course, homemade sourdough bread, and two delectable desserts. Since I had a variety of salad greens available in my garden, I opted to make a salad and did some online research to find a dressing that might have originated in SF. I usually opt for a simple olive oil and vinegar or lemon type dressing, but I discovered that Green Goddess dressing was created by the chef of the Palace Hotel in SF back in 1920. He named it in honor of the actor George Arliss who had a healthy appetite and was performing in the most popular Broadway play of that year’s season The Green Goddess.

The name is appropriate as the various herbs give it a light green color, and combined with the creamy ingredients it makes a heavenly dressing for most any vegetable. I had full heads of various types of lettuce as well as some spicy baby greens but I didn’t want to mix them in case someone didn’t like the spicy greens. So I filled two large bowls accordingly and dressed both with the Green Goddess and both were equally delicious.

Green Goddess Dressing

1 tsp anchovy paste (or more to taste)

1 medium clove garlic, minced

½ up plain yogurt (low fat ok)

½ cup mayonnaise

½ cup sour cream (low fat ok)

¼ cup loose packed snipped fresh chives

¼ cup loose packed tarragon leaves

½ cup loose packed Italian parsley leaves

2 Tbsp lemon juice (or more to taste)

½ tsp salt

Fresh ground pepper to taste

Place ingredients in food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Adjust lemon and seasonings, etc. to taste. Refrigerate in jar with lid for up to one week. 

Note: You can use other herbs (basil, cilantro, chervil) for a little different flavor, although I think parsley and chives (or green onion tops) are a must.

Winter to Spring Comfort Food

Peg writes: Cold as it is today, it’s hard to believe that spring is only a few weeks off. This time of year I get a hankering for spring greens, but I’m still clinging to the comfort of hearty winter fare like polenta and potatoes. Yep, bring on the carbs cuz nothing soothes me like a warm belly filled with hefty, savory carbs.

One of my favorite transition dishes is scalloped greens and potatoes—not as rich as regular scalloped potatoes, and much tastier and healthier as well. They are delicious served on their own or as a side. They’ve also been a hit at brunches.

Scalloped Greens & Potatoes

2 large bunches greens (approx 2 to 3 lbs chard, kale, dandelion, endive, etc.) one or any combo
3to 4 large russet or Yukon gold type potatoes (approx 3 lbs)
2 to 3 good sized garlic cloves, chopped
1 small to medium onion, chopped
1 to 2 tbsp chopped fresh herbs (basil, parsley, dill, rosemary, etc. try to match the herb to any meat/fish you may be serving)
¼ cup melted butter
1/8th cup olive oil
3 eggs
¼ cup milk
1 to 2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
½ tsp pepper, or to taste
2 to 3 cups grated firm cheese—a mix is good (cheddar, gruyere, parmesan, etc.)
Seeds to sprinkle over top—sesame, pumpkin, sunflower, etc. (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Wash greens and pat dry. Slice stems into ¼ inch pieces and place in over size mixing bowl (I use an 18 inch SS one). Slice leaves into ½ inch strips and add to stems. Scrub (peeling is optional) potatoes and slice crosswise 1/8th inch thin. Set aside enough slices to cover the top of your gratin, and add the remainder to the greens. Generously grease a shallow 2 to 3 quart baking dish with some of the melted butter or oil. Mix the remaining butter and oil into the potato mixture along with the garlic, onions, herbs, 1 to 2 cups of cheese, and set aside. In a small bowl, beat together eggs, milk, salt and pepper and pour into the potato mixture and toss together (your hands work best for this). Pour this mixture into your baking dish, even out and place the extra potato slices evenly over the top. Cover with foil and bake until potatoes in the center are very tender (about 50 to 60 minutes). Uncover, raise the temperature to 400, sprinkle top with the remaining cheese and seeds if used and bake until the top is golden (about 10 to 15 minutes).