Cook Here and Now

Bread: Tastes like home.

Part of me remains tied to a city some 13,000 miles away from where I chose to live my life -- and that part happens to be my stomach. Memories battered by time and distance come flooding back at the table.

That connection is essential. Even with the best intentions, gaps in communication grow, until the time difference and all those miles seem impossible to overcome. Though living abroad is choice I gladly make, I can feel detached, distant, a bit lost, like a bee without a hive.

Anyone who loves food knows it not only keeps you alive, it keeps you social, creating memories and strengthening ties through shared gastronomic bliss.

The one food I miss most from home is bread, not only as the building block of the Italian diet but as a shared point of reference. Yes, (deceptively) simple, (never) plain, (always) thick-crusted, (truly) essential bread. Endless Italian proverbs and sayings revolve around it. My favorite: Non e' pane per i tuoi denti (It's not bread for your teeth) meaning you're telling someone they can't handle something. But my beloved Neruda says it best in his Ode to Bread. (Grazie Pablo: Where would I be without you to explain what matters most?)

Even while Michelangelo was painting the Sistine Chapel, we know he mostly ate rustic bread, some fragrant sheep's cheeses and (quite) a few bottles of hearty red Roman wine from the areas surrounding the city  -- that's when he wasn't risking the the Pope's ire by running off to Florence.

If you've been to Rome and had our rustic pagnotta (loaf) you understand why. Of all the extraordinary food we have in the United States, bread is still rather bland, though getting better. Let's face it: Even when paying $3-4 for a (supposedly artisanal) loaf, the crust is unsatisfactory and the flavor rather mild or yeasty. Perhaps that's to be expected from a culture where sandwiches reign supreme, and pre-sliced bread a paragon of excellence: the greatest thing since sliced bread. Then again, when a loaf is so soft that any attempt at slicing it yourself results in an accordion-like abomination, maybe that makes sense.

For anyone born in Italy or France -- where bread is an accompaniment to every meal and not just a platform for cold cuts -- bland white bread is quite a disappointment. I am cursed with that lineage.
That's why 10 years ago, in a stubborn search for what I craved, I decided: If I can't buy it, I'll make it.

I was determined to bake something that would cover the distance between here and there with its aroma alone ... a different kind of air travel. I'd read Proust's Remembrance of Things Past, which captures the connection between our sense of smell and our memories, and studied enough science to know that most of the flavors we taste comes through the nose (remember having that cold and not tasting anything?) So I was ready to open the floodgates of flavor and memory, yet the how-to was unclear.

Two main hurdles stood between me and the bread I craved. First I had to acquire the technical expertise, and then I had to learn the patience. Guess which took longer? Right in the middle of the process, you have to step away and allow the yeast to slowly break down the carbohydrates and feast on the sugars that releases. The byproduct of the yeast feast is carbon dioxide, which the gluten in the flour catches, making the loaf rise like an air balloon. It's so primal, so simple... and so time consuming.

You can speed the process up by increasing the temperature in the room to help the yeast work faster, or increase the amount of yeast, so that more carbon dioxide is expelled and and the loaf rises more quickly -- but the result won't be the same.

To taste and smell right, I found that my rustic loaves need to rise for about 24 hours (about three rises). They are made from only five ingredients: organic flour, yeast, water, salt, and time. And you can't skimp on any one of those ingredients. Now when I let the yeast loose on the flour, I give it the time it needs to transform the dough from a sticky unmanageable mass into a crackling loaf.

These breads are finally the connection I was missing: From home, to me, to all the friends and neighbors who broke bread with me -- a benefit I hadn't considered at the beginning of what I thought would be a solo quest. Turns out this bread is best with a bottle of Zinfandel, a slice of Point Reyes blue cheese, and other wanderers like me.

This bread came from my roots, but it developed where I live. Maybe it's a little different from the original, but then so am I.

A presto, and eat well.
Marco Flavio

Let's get it right, already: Focaccia with rosemary

Buonasera.
One of my contributions to our December group cooking event was a Ligurian Focaccia col rosmarino (Liguria is the Italian region where focaccia originated). The response was truly enthusiastic -- we're talking crumbs within minutes. Nothing could've made me happier than seeing people appreciate the real thing, and see that the difference between store-bought and home-baked is always evident.

I'm often surprised at the focaccia's popularity, given how doughy, limp, stale or tough the average one is. It's really not too hard to make compared to other Italian or French breads, and when you get it just out of the oven, with the slightly crackling crust, glistening with translucent golden olive oil and coarse salt crystals reflecting the light, well... it's outstanding. The aroma of rosemary permeates the room.

The real focaccia has a couple necessary steps that make a significant difference in flavor and texture, and are usually overlooked in mass-produced versions.

First, part of the dough has to be made of boiled potatoes, not flour. This will contribute a different shade of flavor and tenderness to the dough (unlike wheat flour, potatoes have starch but no gluten).
To take your focaccia to next level, you brush it with oil before it's headed for the oven, and also as soon as it comes out. This adds another layer of flavor, wets the rosemary again to release more herbal aromas, and most importantly makes it look amazing.

This goes really well served with a Shitake or Portobello pate with white truffle oil  -- that's the recipe I gave you last week. Do try them together.

A few months back, I gave you quite a different recipe for a focaccia filled and topped with roasted grapes -- it's back in season, as grapes are all over the farmers' markets. Go check it out!

So get to that kitchen, crank up the oven and share this treat. There's plenty for everyone, even for a holiday party crowd.
Enjoy,
Marco Flavio

Focaccia with rosemary (Focaccia ligure col rosmarino)

This will make approximately a 11'x17' focaccia. I bake it in a cookie sheet with small rims.
It takes about 4 hours to make.

Ingredients

Dough
1 medium baking potato or 1 cup of organic potato flakes and 1 cup of hot water
1 and 1/2 tsp of instant yeast or 2 tsp dry yeast
3 and 1/2 cups of organic all-purpose flour (don't use bread flour)
1 cup water (warm to the touch, but not boiling)
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus a little more to oil the bowl it'll rise in
1 and 1/4 teaspoons salt

To top it
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons fresh rosemary
1 or 2 teaspoon sea salt, coarse if you can get it

How do I do it?
Boil a quart of water and cook the peeled potato until tender. Mash it finely and reserve 1 and 1/3 cup (tightly packed ) for the recipe.
If using potato flakes, add a cup of boiling water, and mix thoroughly. Set aside to cool slightly.

In a mixer, combine the yeast, 1/2 cup of the flour and 1/2 cup of water and mix well, then let sit for 25 minutes. This will activate the yeast and give it a good start, without the salt slowing it down, so the rise will be slower in the second stage. Cover the mixture tightly and let the yeast go to work in private -- it'll get bubbly in there.

Add the remaining ingredients, and mix them initially with the paddle. After a couple of minutes replace them with the dough hook and work about 5 minutes at medium speed, until the dough is tight and clears the edges. It will stick to the bottom of the mixer, as it will be a little wet. That's OK. If the area sticking to the bottom is very large, like a circle of 5" across, add some flour a tablespoon at a time until it's a little tighter.

Get out your dough, place it in a oiled bowl, and let rise until doubled. This takes about an hour at 75 degrees. Colder rooms will take longer. Don't let it over-rise; it's a slightly delicate dough.

Pull it out of the bowl, and spread it about 1/4 of an inch thick onto an 11'x17" cookie sheet. Push with your fingertips and spread it around to the four corners. It's OK if it's dimpled -- you'll need those, and you'll add more later. Do it slowly, and make sure it's spread out. The gluten structure may make it contract a little. Don't worry: It'll grow and fill the space again.

Spread a thin layer of olive oil on it with your fingers (so it won't stick to the towel covering it).
Cover with a kitchen towel and let it puff up to about double in volume.
It'll take 45 minutes to an hour. After 20 minutes, turn on the oven and pre-heat it to 425.

When it's doubled, wet your fingers with cold water (so the dough won't stick to your hands), and dimple the surface, about 2" apart. Pour the olive oil topping, the rosemary and pepper with the coarse salt. Some of the topping will pool in the dimples; that's what you want.

Put it in the oven. It'll take 20-25 minutes to cook. Keep an eye on it, as it's thin and will brown and dry up fast if you overcook it.When it's a couple of shades darker than cream, with a little lighter browning, take it out and put it on a cooling rack (or leave it in the pan if you don't have one).

Brush it well with extra-virgin olive oil. If you have a really flavorful oil, now's the time to use it. Like all breads, let it cool off slightly, at least 30 minutes for the dough to set. Otherwise it may be too chewy (not in the good way).

This reheats very well, and gets a little crisp. If you're taking it to a party or potluck, you should under-bake it a few minutes. Cook it for 20 minutes in this case, then about 5 minutes at 350 when you're ready to eat.

Enjoy!

 

Let's cook and eat together: Sunday, January 21st - ALL SLOTS FULL

Buonasera,
All I can say is: Thank you. As the founder of the group, it makes me incredibly proud to see such a terrific response. In only one day we have more people than we can accomodate. If your name is not listed in the comments section of the previous post, please stay tuned -- we'd love to have you next time. If you wish to be on the waiting list, please leave your email address and name as a comment to this post. I'll contact you if anyone cancels. Last dinner we did have three or four, and other people stepped in.

I'll start a new series of smaller events when I move to a new house (with a larger kitchen!) on February 1st.
Ciao e grazie mille,
Marco Flavio

Let's cook and eat together: Sunday, January 21st

Buongiorno.
We had a terrific dinner on the 5th and the plans are firmly in place for the next one. All poultry except turkey (we've had enough of it after Thanksgiving) will be our meat of choice, organic and free-range whenever possible. That includes goose, duck, squab and chicken. Kiwi, which is now back in season and plentiful at the market is our chosen fruit. For the vegetables, the voting is open. Sign up early and come over hungry.
A presto,
Marco Flavio

The plan
25-30 of us will cook and eat together on January the 21st, starting at around 2:30.
The dinner will be in San Francisco. Jeremy has kindly offered his company's very large, multiple-range kitchen for our gathering. Thank you, Jeremy, for making this dinner possible.
There will be enough space for us to use the stoves and ovens in a couple of shifts.

Registration will be limited to 32 people (which means that realistically there may be around 28 people, with the California flaking-at-the-last-minute syndrome) and every person coming (including any guest you bring) will have to sign up for a slot and either cook something or provide wine and a piece of artisanal cheese (if beverages slots are available, see below).

As participation is limited, please let us know at least four days before the dinner if you're not going to be able to make it, so we can invite someone else to join us. Emailing me on shorter notice (or not at all) is unfair to us and to the people who wanted to participate and couldn't because all the slots were taken.

We'll divide the cooking among the participants this way:

4 participants will make appetizers for 12 each ALL SLOTS FULL
10 participants will make main courses for 3-4 people each (please include some vegetarian options)
4 participants will make salads for 8 people each ALL SLOTS FULL
4 participants will make desserts for 8-10 people each
5 participants will bring 2 bottles of good wine and a piece of artisanal cheese (think Cowgirl Creamery, in the Ferry Building). New for the January dinner: Participants who bring wine and cheese will be asked to introduce them, just like the cooks introduce their dishes.
2 participant will bring non-alcoholic beverages for 15 and a piece of artisanal cheese (sparkling water, juices, soda)

Please let me know who is coming by name. Once we reach 32 people confirmed, I will close the event and put people's name on my waiting list. If the slots are full for what you'd like to bring, please choose something else instead. (Don't worry: There will always be another event to showcase your skills.)

Ingredients
We decided to pick these together, so we'll work with what the group decides (Iron Chef-style, only without the competition bit). Poultry except turkey and kiwis are the already-chosen ingredients, and the others are up for voting.
Below I've suggested some seasonal January produce; now YOU get to vote the ones you want. We should pick 3 vegetables.

Here are the possibilities: 
Vegetables: Chinese broccoli, yams, walnuts, potatoes, Brussels sprouts (try them fresh, really!), Red (Swiss) chard

So post a comment here letting me know the following:
First and last name
Email address
What you'll be bringing (appetizer, main course, etc. and if it's vegetarian)
Your vote for ingredients (please pick 3 vegetables)
If you brought wine last time, you should now cook an appetizer or an entree, (unless you cooked as part of a couple and made a large entree).

I'll tally the results and post a list of the chosen ingredients, and who's bringing what.
If too many people pick the same course, I'll have to assign a different course to the last entrant.
If the votes are tied for ingredients, I'll flip a coin.

This is going to be great! So sign up before we have no space left.
Precedence will be given to the people who came last time, but please feel free to pass the word to fellow foodies.

A presto,
Marco Flavio

Shitake, Portobello or Porcini mushrooms pate with white truffle oil

Buongiorno.
After our December group dinner, many of you asked me for the recipe of my mushroom pate. It's a tasty seasonal treat to bring to a holiday potluck and truly versatile, because you can adapt the recipe to make the most of whatever mushroom is in season. In December I used meaty Portobello, and at the November dinner I made it with Shitakes (which I sometimes grow myself, but it's really not necessary). The base recipe comes from back home in Italy, where we use Porcini. A little goes a long way as an appetizer with a nice crusty bread, and really satisfies that winter craving for savory umami flavors. You can omit the truffle oil, but it gives the pate greater depth of flavor: All you need is a teaspoon or two.
Enjoy and let me know how you liked it,
Marco Flavio

Shitake, Portobello or Porcini mushroom pate with white truffle oil
(Pate' di funghi porcini)

Takes about 50 minutes to make and at least 2 hours in the refrigerator to come together (or overnight). It will keep well for a few days refrigerated. Don't whine about the fat: It's a pate.

Ingredients
1 lb. Shitake mushrooms
1/2 an ounce of dried porcini mushrooms (optional)
1 stick of butter, unsalted
1/2 cup of extra-virgin olive oil
2 Bay leaves
3 cloves of garlic
1 cup of dry white white (Sauvignon Blanc works very well)
Salt to taste (start with 1 and a quarter teaspoons; I like almost two)
Freshly-ground pepper to taste (I like to put in quite a bit)

How do I do it?
If you are using the porcini as well, boil exactly 1 cup of water, and soak the dried porcinis in it for at least 20 minutes.
Brush the Shitake mushrooms (do not rinse them in water). Remove the stems, cut of the end where they're attached to the ground and chop them in small pieces with the caps (about the size of a small corn kernels). You can use a food processor if you want, but make sure the pieces don't get too small.

Cook them covered in a skillet with the bay leaves, the drained porcini (keep the water they soaked in) and the chopped garlic for 30 minutes on a low flame. Every now and them lift the cover and add some of the wine and some of the porcini water. The liquids should be all used up before the 30 minutes are up.
After 30 minutes of simmering, remove the lid. If still too wet, let the moisture evaporate: It should look like a thick sauce, not watery at the bottom. Don't burn it.
Turn the burner off and remove the bay leaves.
If you like a finer consistency, chop it finer with an immersion blender or in the food processor before adding the butter.

Melt the stick of butter in the microwave. The butter should not cook, just melt.
Add it to the pate and stir it in vigorously. At this point add a teaspoon of white (or black) truffle oil if you want repeat invitations to the dinner you're taking it to.
Truffle flavor does not like high-temperatures, so add it always at the end for maximum flavor.

Place the pate in a bowl and refrigerate it before serving at least 2 hours, the flavors will meld and concentrate.

Buon appetito!
Marco Flavio

From our November dinner:Pumpkin Cheesecake Bread Pudding

Buongiorno,
this is from Sydney Peters. The seasonal ingredient she chose for the dinner was pumpkin, and here's her delicious recipe.
Enjoy,
Marco Flavio

Pumpkin Cheesecake Bread Pudding

Ingredients
Bread Layers
14-16 ½ -inch slices brioche (store bought/homemade) trimmed of crusts and cut in half
1 ½  cups butter, melted

Custard
2 8-oz packaged cream cheese, at room temp
1 cup sugar
6 eggs
2 ¼ cups fresh pumpkin or 1 15-oz can pumpkin
2 cups milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Topping:
½ cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Set oven rack in middle, and preheat oven 350.  Coat a 9x13 glass baking dish with PAM spray.  Set aside a larger pan for a water bath.

Brush each slice of brioche on both sides with melted butter.

Combine cream cheese and sugar in a bowl and mix until smooth.

Combine eggs, pumpkin, milk, heavy cream vanilla, salt, allspice ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon in bowl of a standing mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment.  Beat until smooth.  Add cream cheese mixture and combine.

Pour ½ cup pumpkin custard in the bottom of the baking dish.  Tilt and swirl dish to make sure that the custard completely covered with a thin layer of custard.  Layer 6-8 slices of brioche on top of the custard.  Pour ½ of the remaining custard over the brioche Add remaining brioche and custard in layers.

Add topping:  Use  a knife to cut 8 slits through the layered pudding.  Cover top of pudding with plastic wrap and press down gently with your palms.  Let stand 15 min, them remove plastic. Sprinkle brown sugar over the top of the pudding.  Pour melted sugar over the top.

Place baking dish on a rack in a large metal pan.  Pour hot water into the pan until the water level rises halfway up the sides of the baking dish.  Place carefully in the oven.  Bake 1 hr. 15 min. or until the top is nicely browned and the custard has risen to the top of the baking dish.  Check water bath occasionally and add more water, if needed.

Carefully remove baking dish from oven and water bath.  Allow pudding to cool 1 hr. Serve slightly warm or cold with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Optional:  I put some chopped semi-sweet chocolate in the version I made for you all.

Enjoy!!!!!

I am the walnut.

Coo coo ca-choo -- a fresh crop of walnuts is in!
They're firm-textured and impressively leaf-and-weather stained -- they have to hang in there through wind and rain to grow ripe for the table. When they're ready, they have a complex, aromatic, savory flavor: the ideal complement to a gorgonzola and roasted beet salad, a rich whole-wheat bread, or pancakes with a drizzle of amber-colored maple syrup.

In Italy, we've always had a profound attachment to this delightful nut. Since the ancient Romans lugged it all the way across the empire from Persia, where it was a food reserved for royalty, it's been part of our cuisine. The Persian walnut is now known as the English walnut, because the British spread it through their colonies, including the United States. Officially Romans called it the "royal acorn of Jupiter" -- but because of its suggestive shape when cut in half, it was popularly associated with Juno, the goddess of fertility. Women trying to get pregnant would carry walnuts.

But when you're popular, there's always someone who doesn't like you. As the 1700s story goes in Benevento, near Naples, there was a large walnut tree that the locals believed to be the site of Satanic rites and witches' gatherings. The local bishop tried to have it removed, roots and all, but the tree sprung up again -- tenacious as a true southerner.

December is when walnuts are harvested at their most flavorful. The ones you find in the market year-round come from storage, and their flavor is often weaker and less nuanced. Since walnuts are  oil-rich, they may even turn slightly rancid -- so make the most of what's available now.

Get that nutcracker we hear so much about about this time of year, and put it to use. Enjoy the primal pleasure of hearing the shell crack, followed by the initial whiff of the flavor to come. Extract the pieces, one chunk at a time. If you're lucky, the whole half of that butterfly-shaped kernel will come out in one piece. Chew it slowly: Let the aroma linger in your mouth. There's an initial astringency, followed by that distinctive rich flavor in the back of your palate. There it is -- subtle at first, like fog lifting. Exhale though your nose: That's when most of the complexity unfolds.

Nutritional Information
By now you've been bombarded with nutritionists' findings that Omega-3 oils are good for you, and told by vitamin salespeople that fish and flaxseed are the only worthwhile sources to fulfill our daily nutritional requirements. (Did they convince you to have a tablespoon of raw flaxseed oil every morning? I'm sorry...I did it once, but never again.)

Here's the good news: Walnuts are extremely rich in the Omega-3 department. A quarter cup of them delivers 90% of your daily requirement, plus a healthy dose of manganese and copper and several phytochemical nutrients, including the elusive antioxidant ellagic acid.

Selection and Storage
In storage mold may grow on walnuts, so check to be sure the stains are from weather exposure.  Smell them before you buy to make sure they haven't gone rancid from improper storage. Once shelled, you should store walnuts in the fridge. They'll be fine for about 6 months. If you need them to keep for the whole year, divide them in single-usage packets and freeze them.

Preparation
As with most nuts, walnut flavor is amplified by roasting. But because Omega-3 oils are very delicate and heat-sensitive (remember the flaxseed oil you were told to consume raw?) they should be roasted  at just 160-170°F (about 75°C) for about 15-20 minutes.

Enjoy,
Marco Flavio

From our December dinner: Key Lime Pie

Buonasera,
this is from Dan Schuster.
Enjoy,
Marco Flavio

Key Lime Pie
From our friends at Cooks Illustrated in their book “The Best Recipe”

Ingredients
Lime Filling
4T Lime Zest
1/2 Cup Lime Juice (3 or 4 regular limes or 12-16 Key Limes) strained.
4 Egg Yolks (from Large Eggs)
1 Can Sweetened Condensed Milk (14 Oz)

Graham Cracker Crust
11 ea. Graham crackers (Honey Maid) to make 1-1/4 cup crumbs
3 T Sugar
5 T Butter (unsalted), melted

These quantities work for a 9” pie pan with sloped sides.  For a 10” tart pan, double the filling and make 1-1/2 times the crust.

Heat oven to 325F

Filling
Zest the limes before squeezing them (use a microplane grater) .  Put the zest and egg yolks into a medium bowl and beat vigorously until the eggs get light and the mix takes on a green tint, 2-3 minutes.  Beat in the condensed milk and juice.  Set aside while you make the crust.

Crust
Process the crackers in a food processor until they are very finely ground.  Alternately, put them in a heavy zip top bag and crush with a rolling pin.  Put in medium bowl and stir in sugar.  Pour in butter, mix well until all crumbs are buttered.  Scrape into the pie pan.  Press the crumbs over the bottom and up the sides.  A measuring cup or small glass works well for this.  Bake at 325F for 15 minutes until lightly browned and fragrant.  Remove from oven and cool for 20 minutes.

Pie
Pour filling into prepared crust.  Bake at 325F for 15 minutes or until the filling is set but just jiggles in the center.  (about 25 minutes for the 10” tart pan).  Cool on a wire rack.  Serve at room temperature.  Refrigerate if keeping for more than a day.

Serve with a sweet whipped cream or perhaps ice cream.  This pie is tart and can use something sweet at it’s side.

People who never liked Key Lime Pie love this one.  The reason is the fresh limes.  Most pies are made with canned or bottled juice and no zest.  This stuff tastes like a cross between soda and vinegar.  Fresh juice and zest taste, oddly enough, like a real lime.

The folks at Cook Illustrated did a blind taste test with regular limes (also called Persian Limes) and Key Limes.  None of the culinary school trained chefs could taste a difference between the two pies.  The cooks who made the pies sure noticed a difference - squeezing 12-16 tiny, seed filled Key Limes to get a half cup of juice is a lot more work than squeezing 3-4 regular limes that have hardly any seeds.  So go ahead, use regular limes and call it Key Lime Pie.

From our December dinner: Duxelles

Buonasera,
this is from Heather.
Enjoy,
Marco Flavio

Duxelles
Duxelles is a mixture of minced mushrooms with other good stuff.  For our dinner I folded it into phyllo triangles, but it is excellent with eggs, chicken (stuff breasts with brie and duxelles), stirred into soup, used with cream to make a sauce, just smeared on bread etc etc etc.  It freezes well.

Ingredients
2 oz dried porcini
1 c. Madeira
2 1/2 - 3 lbs Cremini mushrooms
1 stick butter
2 large shallots, finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 tsp dried thyme or 1 T fresh
salt, to taste
pinch nutmeg
black pepper, to taste
1/2 finely chopped parsley

Soak dried mushrooms in Madeira for at least 1 hour before starting.
Clean the fresh mushrooms and mince in a food processor -- this must be done in many batches.  Melt butter in very large skillet, add chopped shallots and onions and cook until soft.
Add fresh minced mushrooms. Lift dried mushrooms from sherry and grind in food processor -- add sherry if necessary to thin then add wild mushrooms and all of the sherry to skillet.  Add salt, nutmeg and pepper, and if using dried thyme, add now.
Cook mixture on low heat until mixture is reduced and thickened and starts to dry, about 40 minutes.
At end, stir frequently to ensure mixture does not scorch. Remove from heat into a bowl to stop cooking.
Add parsley. If using fresh thyme, add it here.

From our November dinner:Artichoke Parmesan Phyllo Cups

Buongiorno.
Thank you all again for making yesterday's dinner so well attended and delicious! This recipe is  Samsara's contribution to November's dinner. She also contributed another phyllo entree: Phyllo-wrapped wild-caught salmon with leeks and red bell peppers.
As you know, if you'd like to share your recipes (please do!) from our jointly-cooked dinners, just email them to me.

Again, thank you all so much, and special thanks to our gracious host Jeremy.
Grazie mille,
Marco Flavio

Artichoke Parmesan Phyllo Cups
They look gourmet ... but they're so easy to prepare. Simply use packaged phyllo cups from the supermarket. Makes 30 appetizers.

Ingredients
3 (6-ounce) jars marinated artichoke hearts, drained
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon garlic salt or to taste
1  teaspoon fresh lemon juice
3 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 (I5-count) packages mini phyllo dough shells
1 carrot, cut for garnish
Fresh thyme for garnish

Combine artichoke hearts, 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese, garlic salt and lemon juice in a food processor or blender. Pulse 4 times or until artichokes are finely chopped. Add cream cheese and process until combined.

Fill each mini phyllo shell with the artichoke mixture and place on a baking sheet. Sprinkle the tops with the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or until heated through. Arrange the phyllo cups on Serving Plate then garnish with carrot bits and thyme.