Tom & I decided to head to RI to see some of my extended family recently. We will not being spending Xmas in New England this year. We're heading South. Our time will be divided between Richmond, Virginia with Tom's family and Charlotte, North Carolina with my mom & sis, new Southern bells. It will be the first time in my thirty-five years that I will not be with my entire family celebrating the feast of the seven fishes. I'm not sure how I feel about that. Xmas Eve last year was so much work and not very fun, but it's all I know. The thought of being in my grandparents basement eating and partying without Poppa just doesn't seem right. I guess there's no time like the present to try something new and different.

Walking into my grandparent's house and not seeing Poppa was so strange. He was the first person you'd see when you opened their front door. He'd be sitting in his chair in the "breeze way" (TV room) watching the Food Network, QVC, or his beloved NY Giants. His head would pop around the minute someone entered and his face would light up if it was a grandchild or a great grand baby.

My grandmother is doing surprisingly well. She becoming a bit more independent. She took Tom for hot wieners when we arrived on Saturday. How does one describe hot wieners? Well, they are only available in RI because they do not pass the health regulations of any other state. Sad but true. They seem like regular hot dogs but it's the toppings that set them apart. A special mystery meat is place on top along with chopped onions and mustard. They are usually made by some big, sweaty, hairy guy who will line at least six of them up on the inside of his forearm and add all the fixings. Yum.... maybe the sweat from his arms adds to their flavor. It's important to state that if you eat a hot wiener you will be burping them up for days. And do not eat them in your car!! The smell seeps into your interior and you'll have to have the car reconditioned to get the stench out. Again - sad but true. But they do taste great. And once you've had one you do develop strange cravings for them.

Our trip to RI also included visiting all of my cousins babies. All are too cute. A bit of shopping and the Olive Garden. I know, I know. You're all shocked that I, a real Italian, would set foot into such an establishment. Let me say in my defense that it was not my idea and I really didn't enjoy it. We wanted to take my grandmother out to lunch and decided to let her choose the place. I was a bit surprised by her choice, but happy that she wanted to venture out of her normal routine and try a new place. Next time we visit we'll try to take her Federal Hill, RI's Little Italy, for some authentic cuisine.

Tom & I were watching the Food Network one of the nights we were there and fell in love with Nigella's show. Tom thought it was lit and shot so beautifully. I loved how it takes place in her home, not some studio. And she has a warm, relaxed quality about her. I totally felt like I was one of her pals watching her cook up a feast. And all of her recipes looked amazing. She even made a version of Shepherd's Pie that looked great. And I absolutely hate Shepherd's Pie because I'm not a fan of corn, mashed potatoes or plain ground beef, but she added so much pizazz to her version. I can't wait to check it out.

Nigella's Rudolph Pie (Shepherd's Pie)

Cook's Note: This is one of those simple-hearted, down home kind of dishes that in fact is quite fiddly. Nothings difficult, but there are quite a few steps. But that's often the way with food that you can simply reheat when you need it: you have to put more hours in earlier. Often, especially at this time of year, it's worth it. I sometimes think that 1 hour's cooking alone, calmly and in advance, is so much more preferable than 15 minutes frenetic, last-minute activity when you're tired and have a roomful of people to entertain. I say this now, as a form of defence on my behalf, but also to warn you, however encouragingly, of the labour to come. 1 3/4 ounces dried porcini mushrooms 4 onions 4 carrots 4 cloves of garlic 3 to 5 tablespoons olive oil Salt and freshly ground pepper 1 pound button mushrooms, sliced or quartered 2 1/4 pounds minced venison 2 1/4 pounds minced pork 2 tablespoons flour 2 (14-ounce) cans chopped tomatoes 2 tablespoons tomato paste, diluted in 1/2 cup water 1/3 cup Marsala Worcestershire sauce, to taste 9 pounds potatoes 3 1/4 pounds parsnips, peeled and cut into chunks 1/2 cup full-fat milk 1 stick butter, melted, plus extra to dot on the top Pinch freshly ground nutmegPour 2 cups of near-boiling water over the dried porcini mushrooms and leave to steep while you get on with the rest of the cooking. Peel the onions, carrots and garlic cloves and chop them; I use a food processor here, and do them in 2 batches of 2 each. Pour the oil into a very large, thick-bottomed pan and when it's warm add the chopped onions, carrots and garlic. Cook, stirring, for about 10 minutes, sprinkling in salt if the vegetables look as though they might burn. Drain the porcini, reserving the soaking liquid, chop them coarsely and add them to the vegetable mixture along with the button mushrooms. After about 5 minutes, when the fresh mushrooms have cooked down a bit into the mixture, transfer the vegetables to a plate so that you can start cooking the meat. Add a little more oil to the pan then add the minced meats, breaking them up with a wooden fork or spatula. Stir for about 5 minutes until the rawness has left them a bit, add salt liberally, and then return the vegetable mixture to the pan. Stir in the flour and, still stirring, pour in the mushroom-soaking liquid, tomatoes, tomato paste, Marsala and a few drops of Worcestershire sauce. Stir well, cover partly with a lid and turn down the heat so that the mixture bubbles gently with some of the liquid evaporating and the flavours intensifying, for about an hour. Even longer wouldn't do it any harm providing the heat is very low. Once cooked, taste for seasoning then remove from heat. If it helps you can cook the base in advance (either freezing it or leaving it in the fridge for a few days), which means that when you want to serve the pie, you have only to bother with the topping. Some people are happy to make a shepherd's pie in its entirety and then leaving it to be reheated, but I think that's only OK if you don't need to refrigerate it for days (it does something funny to the texture of the potatoes). An afternoon, even a longer stretch, in a cold wintry kitchen, though, is fine. An easier alternative might be to refrigerate the cooked base and leave the mashed potatoes and parsnips in a plastic wrapped bowl in a cold place in the kitchen for however long you need, bringing the two together just before they go into the oven. Given the amount of potatoes stipulated, I suggest you hand people a peeler if you have any around who ask if there's anything they can do to help. Or use a potato ricer, which means you don't need to peel them. Either way, boil the potatoes in a large pan of salted water until they are nearly tender and then add the parsnips which have been peeled and cut into chunks. Simmer until the potatoes and parsnips are cooked to easily mashable tenderness, but not to the point of disintegration, then drain them and let them dry slightly in the colander while you warm the milk and melt the butter in the heat of the pan that you cooked the potatoes in. Rice the potatoes and parsnips straight into this pan (or mash them) and then grate in some fresh nutmeg and add salt to taste. Put the meat mixture into a large dish approximately 12 1/2 inches by 14 1/2 inches in size. Then dollop the potato mash on top, spreading with a spatula, taking care to seal the edges to prevent the meat below from bubbling up in the oven. Use a fork to draw lines over the top, then dot with butter and sprinkle with Worcestershire sauce. If you're cooking this straight away, in other words when everything's still warm, about 10 minutes in a 425 degree F oven should be enough to make it piping hot and golden and crisp on top. If cooking from cold, about an hour in a 375 degree F oven should do it.

Posted by Dawn Falcone @ 8:55 PM 1 comments