Brian Bondy
 
We first discovered Limoncina’s stronger brother drink, Limoncello, while visiting the Amalfi coast with Mary Helen and Natalia.    I brought home the recipe on a kitchen towel purchased on Capri.
 
It’s a great after dinner drink.    As an alternative to sipping, try pouring a shot over lemon sorbet or mix with seltzer water over ice.

6 Ripe Lemons
2 1/2 Cups Vodka
2  Cups Sugar
2 Cups Water
½ vanilla bean.

Wash the lemons well. Carefully remove the peel only, cutting away as much of the white pith as possible.  Use a carrot peeler.  Put the rind in a sterilized glass jar with a lid, and pour the vodka over top, add the ½ vanilla bean. Cover, and store for 10 days. After 10 days, prepare sugar syrup with the sugar and water. Bring them to a boil, and then simmer for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool. Filter the vodka and lemon peel, by pouring through cheesecloth. Mix with the syrup, and leave for about 10 days to mature. Place in the refrigerator before serving. This liqueur will keep for months and makes a great holiday gift or hostess gift.

Note:  Chill and serve in chilled liqueur glasses; it is a refreshing summer after dinner drink. Use Grain Alcohol (same recipe) for Limoncello, which can be stored in freezer.

Kristen Andreasen
​
Many moons ago, while living in Manhattan, I had a small apartment across the street from Sullivan Street Bakery.  At the time, I just knew it for excellent loaves and pastries, not unlike other neighborhood bake shops.
 
Years later, the bakery owner, Jim Lahey became famous for his No-Knead Bread when the New York Times published his recipe. From that moment on, home cooks everywhere finally had access to an unfussy, simple bread recipe that yielded consistent results.
 
If you have ever been scared of yeast baking, I urge you to give this one a shot.  It is easy peasy.
 
With 4 basic ingredients, you'll be looking for excuses to make this bread every week (love handles be damned!).
 
When baking here in Abiquiu, I have found the following tips make a difference:
 
*use bread flour for a chewier texture
*use the whole packet of yeast
*add a bit more water (the dough should remind you of a wet, shaggy dog)
*don't skip the second rise!
 
When you get glowing praise from your friends and family, send me a picture of your creation!  I would love to share in your success. (kristen@kristensellsnm.com)
 
3 cups bread flour
1 1/3 cups warm water
1/4 tsp yeast
1 1/4 tsp salt
 
Mix all ingredients well, cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm spot for 12-18 hrs. 

Fold the four corners of the dough into the center of the dough and place the seam side down on a well floured kitchen towel.  Leave to rest 1-2 hrs.
Preheat the oven to *450 and allow your dutch oven to come to temp in the pre-heating oven (Be sure to have an oven safe knob)
​
Carefully remove pot from oven and place your dough ball inside.
Cover and bake 30 minutes.
Remove cover and bake an additional 15-20 minutes (until golden brown)
Cool at least 1 hour before slicing (you can do it!)
 
***Adapted from LC***
 
https://leitesculinaria.com/99521/recipes-jim-laheys-no-knead-bread.html

From Mostly Plants: 101 Delicious Flexitarian Recipes from the Pollan Family
By Tracy Pollan, Dana Pollan, Corky Pollan, Lori Pollan with foreward by Micheal Pollan

​For my birthday this year, I received a copy of "Mostly Plants" by the Pollan Family.  The title refers to a quote of their brother Michael Pollan. Pollan says everything he's learned about food and health can be summed up in seven words: "Eat food, not too much, mostly plants." 

A few years ago I added a spiralizer to my kitchen equipment.  While you can spiralize almost anything, it works great with zucchini.  

Zucchini noodles are an ideal gluten-free alternative to pasta. Zucchini has a mild flavor and a similar texture to linguine, so we find it is the ultimate partner to this lemony, garlicky sauce with seared shrimp. This is a lighter, healthier alternative to an old Italian standard.

4 SERVINGS TIME: 35 MINUTES
1 pound large shrimp (31/ 35 count), peeled, deveined, and butterflied Kosher salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
4 medium zucchini (about 2 pounds), or 2 pounds store-bought zucchini noodles
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
1 tablespoon minced garlic (note from Carol... more wouldn't hurt)
1 small fresh red chile pepper (such as cayenne or Thai bird), thinly sliced
2 teaspoons capers, drained
½ cup dry vermouth or dry white wine
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon lemon zest 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon
Freshly ground black pepper 1.

In a medium bowl, combine the shrimp, ½ teaspoon salt, and the baking soda. Mix well until evenly coated. Set aside at room temperature for 10 minutes or refrigerate for up to 1 hour.

2. Cut the zucchini into noodles using a vegetable spiralizer, according to the manufacturer’s directions. Place the spiralized zucchini in a bowl lined with paper towel or a tea towel to remove any excess water.

3. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil until shimmering. Add half the shrimp in one layer, cut-side down with the tails sticking up, and cook undisturbed until pink, 1 ½ to 2 minutes. Flip and cook, turning and stirring the shrimp occasionally, for an additional 2 minutes. Transfer the shrimp to a medium bowl. Repeat with the remaining shrimp, adding more oil to the pan if needed. Set aside.

4. Wipe the skillet clean, return it to medium heat, and add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, the garlic, and chile pepper. Cook, stirring, until the garlic starts to turn golden brown, about 1 minute. Add the capers and cook for an additional minute, making sure the garlic doesn’t burn.

5. Add the vermouth, raise the heat to high, and stir until the liquid has reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Add the butter and stir until melted. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon zest, lemon juice, parsley, tarragon, ½ teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon black pepper. Pour the sauce over the shrimp and toss until well coated; set aside.

6. Wipe the skillet clean, return it to medium-high heat, and add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. When the oil is very hot, add the zucchini noodles and cook, stirring continuously, for 2 minutes. Transfer the shrimp and all of the sauce to the skillet, mix into the zucchini, and cook for an additional minute. Season with salt and black pepper. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve hot.

Food for Thought Who knew zucchini was a great choice for those looking to lose a few pounds? It’s high in water and low in calories, as well as rich in vitamins C, A, and K. Zucchini is also brimming with nutrients like potassium and manganese. Oh, and remember not to peel it—the skin is an excellent source of fiber.

​Intro – January 2020
 
The New Year usually gets off to a very wet start—champagne or eggnog or punch, etc.  My personal preference to greet the New Year is hot-buttered rum.
 
This is a very old libation much loved by the American colonists, but it probably descended from drinks imbibed at the time in Merry Olde England, whose citizens loved quaffing hot spicy drinks in Winter.  One Colonial practice was to warm the ingredients by plunging a red-hot poker into the mug.  Rum was cheap and originated in nearby Caribbean islands, where sugar cane was grown with slave labor.  The cane was cooked down to molasses which was shipped to New England, where distilleries were built to turn molasses into rum.  Nowadays, the entire process usually takes place close to sugar-cane production not only in the Caribbean but also in Latin America.
 
Recently, good friends and I gathered around a blazing fire burning in a firepit set up in the snow and drank hot-buttered rum.  We did not feel the cold.
 
National Hot-Buttered Rum Day is coming up soon--January 17.  Get ready to celebrate by mixing up a batch of spicy hot-buttered rum mix per this recipe

​This drink is wonderful on a cold wintry day especially in front of a roaring fire—indoors or out.  It can be given to children without the rum, and it will soothe sore throats and reduce coughing.  A covered batch of hot-buttered rum mix can sit in the refrigerator for months and still be good.  Developed by a bartender in Oregon, this recipe was published in Gourmet magazine in the ‘60s.