Dayrecipe Food Community

Active time: 10 min Start to finish: 25 min

Makes 6 servings.

INGREDIENTS

• 6oz wide egg noodles
• 1 1/2teaspoons poppy seeds
• 1 1/2tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2teaspoon finely grated fresh lemon zest
• 2tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives

DIRECTIONS Cook noodles in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender. While noodles are cooking, lightly toast poppy seeds in a dry small skillet over moderately low heat, stirring, until just fragrant, about 2 minutes.

Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water and drain noodles in a colander. Add butter and zest to warm pot and swirl until melted. Add noodles and toss, adding enough of reserved cooking water to keep noodles moist, then stir in poppy seeds, chives, and salt and pepper to taste.

Coffee Semifreddo “Drowned” in Coffee

We have served this dessert at Pó for six years and it is consistently my favorite — a kind of adult milkshake. Be careful to use decaf for the bathing liquid, or your guests may be up yakking all night.

Makes 8 servings.

INGREDIENTS

• semifreddo
• 2 1/2 cups whole milk
• 3 ounces very strong espresso
• 6 egg yolks
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups heavy cream8 cups strong decaffeinated coffee, cooled
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

DIRECTIONS In a 3-quart saucepan bring the milk to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove from heat and add the espresso.

In a mixing bowl, beat the yolks until pale yellow. Gradually add the sugar and beat until light yellow ribbons form when the beaters are lifted. Stir in half of the hot milk, then stir in the remaining milk. Cook over low heat without boiling until the mixture coats the back of a spoon thickly and sets slightly, about 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in the vanilla and chill for 1/2 hour.

Whip 1 1/2 cups of the cream to stiff peaks and fold into the custard mixture. Transfer to an ice cream machine and freeze according to manufacturer’s instructions. (The semifreddo can be made up to 2 weeks in advance).

Whip the remaining 1/2 cup cream to soft peaks. Place 1 scoop of semifreddo in each of eight tall glasses. Pour 1 cup of cooled coffee over each scoop, dollop with whipped cream, and dust with cocoa.

Serves 6.

INGREDIENTS

Stitt likes to use rock salt — the kind used for old-fashioned ice cream churners — as a bed for these oysters because it keeps the shells from tipping and sliding around in the pan and on the plates. Rock salt is sold at many supermarkets, but kosher salt is a good substitute.

At the restaurant, Stitt makes this recipe with local Apalachicola oysters, though he also likes the flavor of East Coast varieties such as Blue Point, Pemaquid, and Malpeque, so feel free to use your favorite.

Active time: 1 hr Start to finish: 1 1/4 hr

Makes 8 first-course servings.

INGREDIENTS

• for stuffing
• 1/4cup kosher salt
• 2(10-oz) bags fresh spinach, coarse stems discarded
• 2leeks (white and pale green parts only), quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
• 1tablespoon olive oil
• 3oz slab or thick-sliced bacon, cut into 1/4-inch dice
• 1shallot, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
• 1garlic clove, minced
• 1day-old baguette, crust discarded and bread coarsely ground in a food processor (2 cups)
• 2tablespoons finely chopped fresh chervil
• 2tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives
• 2tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2tablespoons finely chopped fresh tarragon
• finely grated zest and juice of 1 medium lemon
• 3/4teaspoon fine sea salt, or to taste
• rounded 1/4 teaspoon white pepper, or to taste
• pinch of freshly grated nutmeg, or to taste
• 1stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, meltedfor oysters
• about 10 cups rock or kosher salt for baking and serving (3 lb)
• 40oysters on the half shellaccompaniment:lemon wedges

DIRECTIONS Preheat oven to 500°F.

Make stuffing:
Bring a 6- to 8-quart pot three-fourths full of water to a boil with kosher salt, then stir in spinach and cook 30 seconds. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a large bowl filled with ice and cold water to stop cooking. Drain spinach and squeeze dry, then finely chop.

Wash leeks well in a bowl of cold water, then lift out and drain well.

Heat oil in a 10-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté bacon, stirring, until golden and just cooked through (but not crisp), about 3 minutes. Transfer with slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Add leeks, shallot, and garlic to fat in skillet and cook over low heat, covered, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 8 minutes.

Toss together leek mixture, spinach, bacon, bread crumbs, herbs, lemon zest and juice, sea salt, white pepper, nutmeg, and butter in a large bowl with a fork.

Bake oysters:
Spread 2 to 3 cups rock salt in each of 2 large shallow baking pans and nestle oysters (in shells) in it. Spoon a heaping tablespoon bread-crumb stuffing loosely on top of each oyster. Bake in batches in upper third of oven until golden, about 6 minutes.

Serve warm oysters in shells on plates lined with rock salt.

Marjorie Farr, Silver Spring, Md.
Use fresh spinach in this dish — frozen will not do. A sprinkle of parsley before serving adds a fresh touch.

Makes 4 servings.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 8 ounces sweet italian sausage, casings removed
• 4 ounces fresh spinach, coarsely shredded
• 4 ounces escarole, coarsely shredded
• 1 tablespoon finely minced garlic
• 3 cups fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 4 ounces medium-sized shell-shaped pasta, uncooked
• 1/2 cup uncooked long-grain rice
• 1/2 cup dried quick-cooking barley
• 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
• freshly grated parmesan cheese (for serving), optional

DIRECTIONS 1. Place oil in a 10- or 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add sausage and cook, breaking up clumps, until no longer pink. Add spinach, escarole and garlic. Cook, stirring, until greens are wilted, 2 to 3 minutes; reserve.

2. Place the broth and oregano in a medium-sized saucepan and bring to a boil; reserve.

3. Preheat oven to 350°F. Place pasta in the bottom of a 10- to 12-cup covered casserole. Spoon reserved sausage and greens over pasta. Scatter rice and barley over greens. Stir in reserved broth; bring to a boil. Remove from heat, cover and bake until pasta and grains are tender and most of the liquid is absorbed, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven, add parsley and stir well. Serve immediately with cheese, if desired.