4 cups water 3 cups chickpea flour 4 cups zucchini (grated, or 2 large Zucchini) olive oil (for deep frying) 1 lemon (cut into wedges) salt 1 Place the zucchini in a colander and sprinkle with salt. Set aside for 15 minutes. Put the zucchini in a towel and wring out the liquid. 2 Grease a baking sheet and place a sheet of wax paper or parchment paper on the bottom. 3 Bring the water to a simmer over medium heat. Gradually pour in the chickpea flour while whisking constantly. Season with salt and pepper. Once all the flour is in, whisk rapidly until the mixture is thick and most of the lumps have been worked out, like a thick pancake batter, about 1 minute. Take care to adjust the heat to so the batter doesn't boil or it will become too thick. Stir in the zucchini. 4 Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and smooth out with a small spatula. Refrigerate until cool, about 1 hour. 5 In a heavy bottomed pot, add olive oil to the pan for deep frying. Heat to 370 degrees F. 6 Flip the set chickpea mixture on to a cutting boards, peel off the paper and cut into fries (approximately 3 x 1/2 inches). 7 Working in batches so as not to overcrowd the pan, add the fries. Cook 3 to 4 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove with a slotted utensil to a paper towel lined plate and season immediately with salt. Squeeze a few lemon halves over the fries and season with salt just before serving.

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite... I am prone to wanderlust. When the siren calls, I seek one of two things. It's occasionally the lure of brighter lights or a bigger city, but more often than not, especially these days, solitude better meets my need to cast away. Silence paves the way for reflection. Insight and serenity follow and they are my fresh air, my cosmic oxygen. My Valentine, bless him, has brought me to Loon Lake for the weekend. At this time of year, our only neighbors are the loons and save for their keening wails, silence and solitude reign supreme. The weather today was glorious and though a front has just moved in, we are warm and dry and very well-fed as we sit in this tiny cabin that teeters on the edge of the world. Bob has the fire blazing and the wind and rain are beating a steady tattoo that will have me sleepy well before my bedtime. I'm mesmerized by the artillery-like barrage that pine cones, loosed by the wind and pelting rain, are making as they bounce off the metal roof. There will be a mess for someone to clean up tomorrow, but for tonight all's right with my world. I have a lemon pie, and a special one at that, waiting to set, but it won't be ready in time for tonight's post. Fortunately, I can share tonight's dinner with you. I suspect many of you have read, or are at least familiar with, Molly Wizenberg's cookbook "A Homemade Life" . While her recipes are wonderful, I'm always struck by her facility with language and the restrained power of her words. I have come to love her writing and her blog, Orangette . Hers, is one of the few books that has made from the library stacks to my personal collection. The meatballs we had for supper came from her book. While they are delicious, they are hard to categorize. They are vaguely Greek and definitely have their roots in Mediterranean kitchens. The ingredient list will be surprising to many. While the meatballs are made with pine nuts and raisins, they serve to make the recipe unique and add a texture and sweetness that makes an otherwise ordinary dish special. I mixed and formed the meatballs yesterday and brought them with us to be cooked. That gave all the flavors time to develop and made for a very tasty supper. While I served the meatballs on pita bread, it is not necessary and they do quite well on their own. The meatballs can be baked if you are watching your diet. I prefer them fried, but to each his own. These are very easy to make and can be assembled in less than 30 minutes. I promise you the flavor is unique and the meatballs are delicious. Here's the recipe. Turkey Meatballs with Lemon-Garlic Yogurt Sauce ...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, courtesy of Molly Wizenberg Ingredients: Meatballs 1-1/4 pound ground turkey thigh meat 1/2 cup finely minced onion 1 large egg 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts 1/2 cup cup golden raisins (chopped if large) 1/3 cup fine bread crumbs 1/8 teaspoon ground cumin 1/8 teaspoon fresh ground pepper 1/2 teaspoon salt 4 tablespoons olive oil Lemon-Garlic Sauce 1 cup plain yogurt (Greek-style if possible) 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 1 teaspoon minced garlic 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin Pinch cayenne pepper 1/4 teaspoon salt Directions: 1) To make meatballs: Combine turkey, onion, egg, cilantro, nuts, raisins, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper and cumin in a large bowl. Mix just until ingredients are combined and evenly mixed. With wet hands form the mixture into 1 to 1-1/2-inch balls. Set on a tray. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and chill until ready to sauté. 2) To make sauce: Combine yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, cumin and salt in a small bowl. Mix well. Cover and refrigerate. 3) To cook: Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a heavy skillet over moderate heat, and sauté meatballs in batches, so as not to crowd them. As they begin to color, turn them regularly so that they are golden on all sides. They should be done when they are evenly browned and feel medium firm, but not hard when touched. Place on a paper towel to catch excess oil. Serve hot, warm, or cold with yogurt sauce. Yield: 4 to 5 servings. You might also enjoy these recipes: Italian-Style Turkey Meatballs - My Kitchen Adventures Cheese Stuffed Turkey Meatballs - Sydney's Kitchen Mario Batali Meatballs - Made Famous By Mozzarella-Stuffed Meatballs - Being Suzy Homemaker Spicy Buffalo Chicken Meatballs with Creamy Blue Cheese Dip - My Kitchen Adventures Swedish Meatballs - The Galley Gourmet Porcupine Meatballs - The Daily Dish

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite... This is a wonderful dish that I love to make at least once during the Christmas holiday. If I were Italian and celebrated the Feast of Seven Fishes , I would include it in my menu for Christmas Eve. That would raise an eyebrow or two because the dish, like vodka sauce for pasta, is an Italian-American creation that is rarely served in Italy. Whatever the origin, mussels prepared in this fashion are a memorable, if messy, treat. Whenever I serve these, I cover the table with vinyl or oilcloth and distribute lobster bibs. It also helps to provide a large bowl or two to hold empty shells. Everyone at the table also receives two dish towels, one damp, the other dry. Only a crab boil is messier than this to serve to folks who eat with gusto. Believe me when I say, my folk have cornered the gusto market and these preparations are a necessity rather than an affectation. Once the mussels have been scrubbed and their beards removed, the dish can be made in minutes. Its heat, the alla diavola, comes from red pepper flakes, so you can manage it to your family's liking as long as you know their tolerance for heat. The dish has just three elements, a spicy red sauce, mussels and linguine. The mussels simmer in sauce and when they open they are served along with the sauce over piping hot linguine. I always serve this with a salad and the best Italian bread I can get my hands on. I do hope you'll try mussels prepared in this fashion. They really are delicious. Here's the recipe. Mussels Fra Diavola ...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite adapted from Gourmet magazine Ingredients: 12 garlic cloves, minced (1/3 cup) 3/4 to 1-1/2 teaspoons dried hot red pepper flakes 1/2 cup olive oil 1 (28-oz) can whole tomatoes in purée 2 tablespoons tomato paste 2 teaspoons dried oregano, crumbled 1 teaspoon dried basil, crumbled 1/4 cup drained bottled capers 1/2 cup Kalamata or other brine-cured black olives, pitted and chopped 1/3 cup dry red wine 1 lb dried linguine 3 lb mussels (preferably cultivated), cleaned (see cooks' note, below) Directions: 1) Cook garlic and red pepper flakes in oil in a deep 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring, until fragrant but not browned, about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes with purée, tomato paste, herbs, capers, olives, and wine and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally and breaking up tomatoes, until sauce is thick, about 15 minutes. 2) Cook linguine in a 6- to 8-quart pot of boiling salted water until al dente, then drain in a colander. 3) While pasta cooks, increase heat under sauce to moderately high and add mussels, then cook, covered, until mussels just open wide, checking frequently after 3 minutes and transferring to a bowl. (Discard any mussels that remain unopened after 6 minutes.) 4) Serve linguine with mussels and sauce. Yield: 6 servings. Cooks' note: 1) Scrub mussels with a brush under cold water and scrape off any barnacles with a knife. Remove beard by pulling it from tip to hinge or by pulling and cutting it off with knife. 2) Tomato sauce, without mussels, can be made and refrigerated 2 days before serving. You might also enjoy these recipes: Salt Cod and Tomato Stew - One Perfect Bite Feast of the Seven Fishes - Italian Food Forever Broiled Mussels - Smitten Kitchen Sauteed Mussels with Garlic - The Housewife Diet Flexing My Mussels - Charm and Salt Moules Mariniere - One Perfect Bite Coconut Curry Mussels - Simply Recipes Spicy Mussels in White Wine - The Culinary Chronicles Mario Batali's Feast of the Seven Fishes - Epicurious

6 medium oranges 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil 4 eggs 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup sugar 1 1/4 cups flour (high gluten preferred, such as bread flour) 1 tablespoon baking powder 1 Preheat oven to 350°F and oil a 9-inch round cake pan. 2 Remove zest from all oranges and juice from one. Set fruit aside for another use. 3 In a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer, beat eggs and salt together until frothy and light (about 2 minutes). 4 Slowly add sugar while continuing to mix (about 2 more minutes). 5 Sift the flour and baking soda together and gradually add to egg mixture. Mix about 1 more minute. 6 In a side bowl, mix olive oil, citrus zest and juice. Using a spoon, stir this into the egg mixture, just folding until all inches. 7 Pour batter into prepared pan and place in oven and bake 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. 8 Cool to room temperature, cut into wedges and serve.

3 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour , for dusting 4 extra large eggs 1/2 teaspoon olive oil 1 Pile the larger amount of flour in the center of a large wooden cutting board or countertop. Make a well in the center and add the eggs, oil, and any flavoring agents you desire (herbs, spices, tomato paste, etc). 2 Using a fork, beat the eggs and oil together, slowly incorporating flour from the walls of the well. As you expand the well, keep pushing the outside of the mound up to maintain the well shape. 3 Once about half the flour is incorporated, the dough will begin to come together. From this point, start working the mass with your hands, using mostly the palms. 4 Once the flour is fully incorporated and the mass is cohesive, remove the dough from the board and scrape the board clean. Dust the board lightly with flour and knead for 6 minutes, dusting when necessary. The dough should be elastic, and a little sticky. Wrap the dough in plastic and allow to rest for 30 min at room temperature. 5 Roll out dough using a rolling pin or pasta machine. Cut into desired shapes and cook as required by the shape. Strand pastas like fettuccini, spaghetti and linguini only need to cook 2-4 minutes. For cannelloni, lasagne or ravioli, cook as per the recipe.

10 lamb shanks kosher salt black pepper 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 2 Spanish onions , chopped 5 carrots , peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces 6 leeks 2 cups dry white wine 1 cup tomato sauce 3 cups chicken stock, Brown 2 cups red grapes , Concord grapes, halved and seeded 1 Preheat the oven to 375 degrees 2 Rinse and dry the lamb shanks, and season them liberally with salt and pepper. In a very large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat until smoking. Add the lamb shanks, 5 at a time, and sear until dark golden brown all over, 10 to 12 minutes per batch. Remove the shanks and set them aside. 3 Add the onions, garlic, carrots, and leeks to the pot and cook until softened, 8-10 minutes. Use only the white and light green parts of the Leaks only, trimmed, halved lengthwise, cut crosswise into thin half-moons, rinsed thoroughly, and drained. 4 Add the wine, tomato sauce, and sock to the vegetables and bring to a boil. Return the lamb shanks to the pot and bring back to a boil. Cover the pot tightly, place it in the oven, and bake for about 1.5 hours, until the meat is fork-tender. 5 Remove the pot from the oven, check the sauce for seasoning, and then add the grapes. Stir them in gently, and serve directly from the pot.

1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil light 1 sm red onion cut into crescents 2 x lean Italian sausage links crumbled 1 tsp fennel seed crushed 1/2 lb Tuscan cabbage or possibly kale leaves only     cut into 1/2-inch ribbons 1 x garlic clove finely minced 1 c. ready cut Italian Peeled Tomatoes with juice     seasoned with Basil and Oregano 4 ounce tomato sauce     salt and pepper to taste 1 sprg fresh thyme leaves only 2 c. rotini pasta dry measure 2 Tbsp. Parmigiano Reggiano freshly grated 2. Heat a Dutch oven or possibly 4 qt sauce pan with a non-stick surface. When warm, ass oil and onion and cook over medium heat till just softened, about five min. Add in crumbled sausage and fennel seed. Cook till red is gone. Remove from the pan; drain grease and use a knife to chop the meat into a finer crumb. 3. Meanwhile, return the pan to the burner. Add in the garlic and kale and cook over medium for 2 to 3 min or possibly till kale has wilted. Add in the seasoned tomatoes and the tomato sauce. Season with salt, pepper, and thyme. Cover pan and simmer over low heat for 20 to 25 min. 4. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package instructions till just "al dente" and drain. Remove lid from pan and add in warm pasta. Toss to mix well and keep hot for about 5 min while you prepare a sale. Serve topped with freshly grated cheese. EACH: 638 cals, 27% from fat, Mario demonstrated this dish on television to introduce Tuscan Cabbage, also known as Cavolo Nero or possibly black cabbage. Similar to kale but it holds it's color: it will be dark green after cooking. Another tip: mix the pasta and sauce and heat together before serving. The dish is Mario's: simple home cooking, slightly undercooked with lots of color. My version added peeled tomatoes and herbs; used less oil and lean turkey sausage. NOTES : REVIEW: Classic pasta and tomato with the crunch and color of kale. With cheese, it was very comforting. Just a rustic and straightforwardone-pot meal. The Tuscan Cabbage didn't have much flavor: which was asurprise. Mario's show on Tuscan Cabbage and fact which it was available at Ralphs got me to try it. The recipe is Mario Batali's - very rustic, quickly cooked. Tri-color: white red and green. Except: I substituted lean turkey Italian sausage. After tasting it with just tomato sauce, I added herbs and some ready-cut tomatoes with juice. I also let it steep longer. The cabbage/kale was pleasant. It did not have much of a flavor or possibly it didn't compete with the tomatoes. I will use the other half lb. in a Tuscan potato soup.-Pat and Bob email to ELF, FareShare, MC

10 medium chicken drumsticks 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil 2 cups medium shrimp , enough for about 5 per person 1 medium Spanish onion , cut into 1/4-inch dice 1/2 cup pureed ripe Tomato 1 teaspoon kosher salt , to taste 1 teaspoon saffron thread 2 tablespoons sweet pimientos (Spanish smoked paprika) 4 quarts chicken stock 2 cups bomba or other short-grain rice 1 lb manila clams , scrubbed 1 cup fresh peas 10 asparagus spears , stalks cut on the diagonal into 1/4-inch thick slices 1 inch piece sausage 1 Preheat an oven to 400°. Place the drumsticks on a baking sheet and season all over with salt and extra-virgin olive oil. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes and set aside. 2 In the meantime, heat a 14- to 18-inch paella pan over medium-high heat. Add the oil and heat until smoking. Add the shrimp and cook until golden brown on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and set aside. Add the onion to the pan and cook until soft, about 8 minutes. Push the onions into the center of the pan and sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the salt around the edges of the pan. 3 Add the tomato puree, stirring it into the onions, and cook for 3 minutes. Add the remaining salt, the saffron, pimentón and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes. Add chicken stock, bring to a boil, and cook for 5 minutes. Add the rice and stir well to distribute it evenly. Add clams, drumsticks, arranging them nicely throughout the pan. Then add the peas and asparagus and bring the stock back to a boil, and cook, without stirring, for 10 minutes. Taste for salt and add it if needed, then cook, again without stirring, for 10 more minutes, or until the liquid is almost completely absorbed and the pan starts to make a crackling noise (don't worry, this is what you want). 4 Remove from the heat and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

1/4 cup red wine vinegar 3 garlic cloves , minced 1 teaspoon dried oregano , crumbled 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon colman's dry mustard 1 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil 1 grated orange, juice and zest of 2 small Japanese eggplants or 2 small italian eggplants 2 red bell peppers 2 yellow bell peppers 12 baby zucchini , with zucchini flowers or 4 small zucchini 2 medium red onions 6 scallions 12 spears pencil asparagus kosher salt 12 fresh basil leaves , cut into chiffonade (thin slivers) 1 Preheat a gas grill or prepare a fire in a charcoal grill. 2 In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, garlic, oregano, cumin, mustard, pepper flakes, olive oil, and orange juice (reserve the zest for garnish). Set aside. 3 Cut the eggplant into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Cut the peppers into quarters and remove the cores and seeds. If using baby zucchini, remove the blossoms and set aside; cut the zucchini lengthwise in half. If using small zucchini, cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices (discard the first and last slice from each). Cut the onions into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Trim the scallions. Snap off the tough bottom parts of the asparagus stalks. 4 Place the vegetables on two large baking sheets. Brush lightly with some of the marinade and season lightly with salt. Place on the grill over medium-high to high heat (you will probably have to cook the vegetables in batches) and cook, turning once or twice, until tender and slightly charred on both sides: the eggplant will take about 8 to 10 minutes, the peppers 10 to 12 minutes, the zucchini 6 to 8 minutes, the onions and scallions 4 to 6 minutes,and the asparagus 5 to 7 minutes. Remove each vegetable from the grill as it is done and return to the baking sheets. 5 Cut the peppers into 1/2-inch-wide strips. Arrange the vegetables decoratively on a large serving platter and drizzle with the remaining marinade. Sprinkle with the orange zest, the zucchini blossoms if you have them, and the basil. Serve warm or at room temperature.