A Serendipity: Orzo Salad Recipe

It's the week between Christmas and New Year's Eve. Work is light today, which is why I'm cleaning out my inbox. In the 7/08 section was a wonderful, simple recipe for orzo salad from my good friend Elizabeth. It can be served warm or cold, and would be a nice dish to bring to a New Year's open house:

Orzo Salad

What to buy
-1/2 box orzo
-1/2 cup fresh basil
-1 to 2 cups chopped tomatoes, any variety
- 2 to 3 cloves finely chopped garlic
-1/2 cup feta cheese
-1 cup frozen petite peas

How to prepare it
1. Prepare the orzo according to package directions

2. While orzo is cooking, chop the basil, tomatoes, and garlic and put in a large bowl with the peas. Put crumbled feta cheese on top.

3. Drain the cooked orzo and add to the bowl. Let the warm orzo soften the cheese and defrost the peas a bit then toss.

4. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve.

Happy New Year to every reader.

Joy & Laughter: Christmas Eve at the Levitt-Wilsons

It's Christmas morning. Santa came last night and left a bundle of boxes under the tree. My family is sleeping upstairs, so there's calm in the house (the calm before the storm). The dog, freshly walked, is lazing around in front of the fireplace, and I’m sitting at the kitchen bar wearing a red Santa hat, sipping my freshly brewed coffee, reliving the wonderful time we had last night at our next-door neighbor’s house.

Every year, Karin Levitt and Harvey Wilson host the most joyful Christmas Eve open house.

It’s one of my favorite events of the year. Starting at two in the afternoon, there’s a constant parade of merrymakers with cakes, pies and bottles of wine walking up their front walkway.

While the centerpiece of these festivities is Harvey’s wonderful feast, the food is just an excuse for friends and families to gather, hug and kiss, and relive the past year. Here's another example of how good times always accrete around food.

Harvey is a terrific cook...so deliberate. I love talking with him about his meals, because he’s as fascinated with the process of preparing and cooking his food as he is with the delicious outcome.

Harvey’s been perfecting his Christmas Eve feast for years, and serves the same basic menu, although he’s constantly tinkering around the edge, often adding new and interesting flavors. I always offer to cook something, but Harvey being Harvey knows exactly what he wants on the dining room table. This year, however, Harvey was traveling the week before and did take me up on my offer. I made a ratatouille recipe I found on Epicurious.com

The two items that define Harvey’s Christmas Eve banquet: Butternut squash soup and Turducken.

Last night, Harvey, who recently lost a ton of weight and looks great, was proud of the fact that his soup was as low fat as possible. He sautéed the onions in just a little bit of butter, then used no-fat cream in the soup. I was fooled. The soup was thick and rich. There was just the right blend of sweetness and kick from cayenne and white peppers.

Harvey ordered his Turducken online. If you don’t know what it is, a Turducken (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turducken) is a turkey, stuffed with a duck that’s stuffed with a chicken. Then there’s stuffing inside the three birds. I often wonder what the person who invented Turducken was drinking when he came up with this concoction. But it is a flavorful mix of fowl and, as Harvey discovered, a perfect holiday dish.

Here’s the full menu from last night (as best as I can remember):

Butternut squash soup

Turducken

Baked glazed ham

Rice Pilaf

Macaroni & Cheese

Kibbe, an Armenian dish with a grain cooked in tomato, fresh tomato, and parsley, wrapped in pita

Armenian string cheese

A red & green cabbage salad (very Christmas-y) with a citrus Dijon vinaigrette—made by our good friend Elizabeth Fabian

My ratatouille

Now, a question for you…

What’s your favorite holiday food tradition?

Post your answer here.

Next question...

If you were on death row, what would be your last meal?

Post your answer here. Please.

'Tis the Season of Brisket & Latkes (Recipe below)

Hannukah starts tonight, but I've planned my traditional brisket and latkes dinner for Sunday...two days from today. This kind of meal is what my father and uncle used to call "killer Jewish food:" Considering all the fat and cholesterol I'll be serving, it's best to follow it with a Lipitor chaser.

On Sunday, my in-laws, niece, sister and brother in-law will be coming over. I'm going to make my friend Judy's brisket recipe this year, which means I have to start two days in advance. But no worries—this recipe is the exact opposite of hard.

Brisket Marinated in Red Wine

Ingredients:
3 to 4 lb first-cut brisket (it has to be first cut)
2 cups of a hearty red wine
1 package onion soup mix
3 to 4 cloves garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

2 Days Before Meal:
- Mix together wine, onion soup mix, garlic, salt & pepper
- Pour over brisket, cover and marinate over night

1 Day Before Meal:
- Pre-heat oven to 350.
- Tightly cover pan with brisket and wine mixture.
- Bake for 2 1/2 hours covered.
- Remove from oven and let brisket cool.
- Slice cooked brisket and put back in the liquid.
- Cover tightly and refrigerate over night.

Day of Meal:
- Pre-heat oven to 350.
- Put tightly covered pan with brisket back in the oven and back for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. The meat should be so tender that you don't need a knife to cut it.

IMPORTANT:
If, at any time, the liquid seems to be evaporating, add water and then cover tightly. This dish is always cooked covered so the liquid doesn't evaporate.

If you make this recipe, post your comments. Please.

What's your favorite food scene from a movie?

My favorite...the whole last part of "Big Night."

And my favorite line from that movie..."Sometimes the spaghetti just wants to be alone."

Post your favorite food movie scene here in the comments section.

What's your favorite food scene in a movie?

My favorite...the last part of "Big Night."

And my favorite line..."Sometimes the spaghetti likes to be alone."

Post your favorite movie scene here