Dayrecipe Food Community

Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 1 1/4 hr

Makes 4 servings.

INGREDIENTS

• 2(1 1/2-lb) cornish game hens, halved lengthwise and backs removed
• 1/4cup fresh orange juice
• 2tablespoons soy sauce
• 1tablespoon white-wine vinegar
• 1teaspoon honey
• 1/8teaspoon minced peeled fresh ginger
• 1/4teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS Put oven rack in upper third of oven and preheat oven to 400°F.

Pat hens dry and whisk together remaining ingredients in a small bowl.

Marinate hens in orange juice mixture in a sealed bag, chilled, 15 minutes.

Transfer hens, skin sides up, with marinade to a 13- by 9- by 3-inchroasting pan and roast, basting with juices every 10 minutes, for 30 minutes. After third basting, roast hens until skin is golden and juices run clear when a thigh is pierced, about 15 minutes more. Transfer hens to a platter and drizzle liberally with pan juices.

Brutti ma buoni (which means “ugly
but pretty”) are cookies found in many regions of Italy, usually made from finely ground almonds in a meringue base. But the Mattei bakery, in Prato, makes them in typical Tuscan style, which is quite different. The egg whites are only beaten lightly, and the nuts are coarsely ground. They are known in
the Tuscan dialect as brutti-boni.

Active time: 45 min Start to finish: 1 hr

Makes about 48 cookies.

INGREDIENTS

• 2cups raw almonds with skins (10 1/2 oz), toasted
• 1/4cup pine nuts (1 oz), lightly toasted
• 1 1/3cups sugar
• 2to 3 large egg whites
• 2tablespoons cake flour(not self-rising)
• 1/8teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS Preheat oven to 350°F.

Coarsely chop almonds and pine nuts with sugar in a food processor. Lightly beat 2 whites and add tonuts with flour and salt. Blend until evenly moist. (Dough should be slightly sticky but firm enough tohold together. If it is too dry, lightly beat remaining egg white and blend into dough 1 teaspoon at a time.)

Drop heaping teaspoons about1/2 inch apart onto a parchment paper–lined baking sheet. Gently squeeze each with your fingers toform a rough cone shape.

Bake cookies in middle of ovenuntil barely browned and moist in center, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool 5 minutes on sheet, then transfer to a rack tocool completely.

Cooks’ note:

• Cookies keep in an airtight container at room temperature 1 week.

“While visiting a friend in Albuquerque, I fell in love with a local bakery and cafe called Double Rainbow II,” writes Beth White of Phoenix, Arizona. “The food is great—especially the caldo de maìz (corn soup) that I had for lunch.”

This spicy version gets its hot, smoky taste from chipotle chilies.

Makes 4 (main-course) or 6 (first-course) servings.

INGREDIENTS

• 2tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
• 1large red bell pepper, chopped
• 1medium onion, chopped
• 3garlic cloves, minced
• 114 1/2-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice
• 2cups (or more) water
• 2tablespoons chopped canned chipotle chilies*
• 214 3/4-ounce cans cream-stylecorn
• 116-ounce package frozen corn
• 1cup whipping cream
• 1teaspoon dried oregano
• chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

DIRECTIONS Melt butter in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper, onion and garlic; sauté until onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes with juices to pot; cook 2 minutes. Combine 2 cups water and chipotle chilies in blender and puree. Mix puree and cream-style corn into vegetables in pot. Bring soup to boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add frozen corn, cream and oregano; simmer 5 minutes. Garnish with cilantro, if desired.

*Chipotle chilies canned in a spicy tomato sauce, sometimes called adobo, are available at Latin American markets, specialty foods stores and some supermarkets.

Salsa di Pomodoro d’Emilia

Emilia would add a sprig of basil or rosemary or a glass of red wine along
with the tomatoes, according to her mood. The sauce always turned out a bit
differently, yet it was always delicious.

Makes about 2 cups.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 medium yellow onion
• 1 medium carrot
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/2 stalk celery
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 pound ripe tomatoes or one 14-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
• salt and freshly ground pepper a piacere (to taste)

DIRECTIONS Peel and finely chop the onion, carrot, and garlic. Finely chop the celery.
Sauté the vegetables in the olive oil in a medium saucepan over low heat,
stirring, until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, if using fresh tomatoes, peel and seed them, then roughly chop.

Stir the fresh or canned tomatoes into the vegetables. For extra zing, add
some red pepper flakes. Simmer gently for 2 hours, stirring occasionally,
until the sauce is thick and flavorful. Season with salt and pepper.

Active time: 45 min Start to finish: 4 hr

Makes about 10 cups.

INGREDIENTS

• 6lb chicken wings, halved at joint
• 4qt cold water
• 1/2cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro stems
• 3garlic cloves, smashed
• 3(1/4-inch-thick) fresh ginger slices, smashed1 1/2teaspoons saltspecial equipment:cheesecloth

DIRECTIONS
Crack chicken wing bones in several places with back of a cleaver or large knife on a cutting board. Bring all ingredients to a boil in an 8- to 10-quart pot, skimming froth as necessary,then reduce heat and gently simmer, partially covered, 2 1/2 hours.

Remove pot from heat and cool stock to room temperature, about 1 hour. Pour stock through a large fine-mesh sieve lined with a triple thickness of cheesecloth into a large bowl and discard solids. Measure stock: If there is more than 10 cups, boil in cleaned pot until reduced; if there is less, add water.

If using stock right away, skim off and discard fat. If not, cool stock completely, uncovered, before skimming fat (it will be easier to remove when cool), then chill, covered.

Cooks’ note:
Stock can be chilled 3 days or frozen 1 month.