• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 medium onion, julienned or sliced
• 1 large fennel bulb (optional) you can also use ½-1 teaspoons fennel seeds
• 2 teaspoons salt
• ½ teaspoon white pepper
• ½ cup Pernod (optional)
• 2-3 ripe tomatoes, seeded & chopped or 1 can diced-in-juice tomatoes (best quality possible)
• 2 cups chicken stock
• ½ cup heavy cream
• ½ cup half & half
• Dash of Tabasco

• 3 eggs
• 3 c. sour cream
• 1/3 c. oil
• 2 ¼ c. cornmeal
• 2 t. salt
• 2 T. sugar
• 1 t. baking powder
• 6 diced serranos
• 1 bunch sliced green onions
• 1 ½ c. shredded cheddar cheese

Mix eggs, sour cream and oil. Add cornmeal, salt, sugar, baking powder—mix only until combined. Fold in serranos, green onions and cheese.

Bake 20 minutes in 350° oven.

"The winter solstice occurs exactly when the axial tilt of Earth's polar hemisphere is farthest away from the sun." For centuries, rituals, festivals, and holidays marked the resurgence of the winter Sun. Stonehenge is thought to provide a portal to view the sunset of the year's shortest day. In 46 BC, Julius Caesar established the Julian calendar and set December 25 as the day of the European winter solstice. Pagans, worldwide, once gathered to banish the cold and celebrate being halfway to the warmth of the longest day.

Not wanting to ignore centuries-old traditions, we have a little soiree the day before Martin Luther King Day to celebrate the return of the light. By the middle of January, the gradual lenthening of the day is a certainty. I don't turn the living room lamps on until 4:45 or so, the City of Tacoma's hideous orange day-glo street lights don't go on until 5:00, the sun rises spectacularly between 7:00 and 7:15 am, and grape hyacinths pop up, brashly ignoring the 30 degree nights.

We skipped last years' event so are really ready this year with a Semi Sicilian-based menu. Years ago I watched Mario Batali make arancini and planned everything around that memory. I found the recipe he used, added several dishes I'd made successfully before and eventually went with the menu below. I thought I was the first to know about arancini. Imagine my surprise when I saw them for sale both at Costco and Trader Joes. Once again, I'm the last to know.

BTW, I'm almost sure Costo's or TJ'swould be as good as mine and certainly easier. For heaven sakes, Batali's recipe starts with, "6 1/2 cups leftover risotto." Really?? Leftover risotto?

ANTIPASTO  PLATE
ARANCINI WITH TOMATO SAUCE
BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP WITH SAGE CROUTONS
TUSCAN BREAD SALAD
SICILIAN CHICKEN CANZANESE
ORZO WITH SPINACH
MANGO PANNA COTTA

Winter solstice, courtesy of Flickr


 My friend Jim's picture of a 2011 December sunset in Grayland, WA


Sunrise off Lake Superior, December 2010


December sunset in La Jolla CA, 2007



Here are the recipes I used for the sort of Sicilian menu. All are fairly easy and more than tasty. The mango panna cotta is a real keeper.

Roasted Pepper Salad:

• 2 red bell peppers
• 2 orange bell pepper
• 1/3 cup pitted kalamata olives, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons drained capers
• 6 fresh basil leaves, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the broiler. Cover a heavy baking sheet with foil. Arrange the bell peppers on the baking sheet. Broil until the skins brown and blister, turning the peppers over occasionally, about 15 minutes. Enclose the peppers in a resealable plastic bag. Set aside until cooled to room temperature, about 20 minutes.

Peel, seed, and cut the peppers into 1/2-inch thick strips. Toss the pepper strips, olives, oil, capers, basil, garlic, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl to combine. Cover and refrigerate up to 2 days.

Tuscan white bean spread

• 2 15 oz cans white beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 teaspoons coarse sea salt (Fleur de sel)- or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• roasted garlic
• 1 tablespoon flat leaf parsley
• 1 tablespoon fresh Rosemary
• 1 tablespoon fresh Thyme

Place all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and blend until smooth. Serve with sliced French baguettes or grilled pita bread

ARANCINI 
(Worked just fine to fry in the morning, keep at room temperature, and reheat in a 350 degree oven ten minutes before serving.) 

• 6 cups pre-cooked rice (leftover risotto works well or even leftover plain rice from take-out)
• 2 eggs, plus 4 eggs separated
• 1 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan, plus more for grating
• Pinch of red chile flakes, plus more to taste
• 1 bunch mint coarsely chopped, leaves and stems and all, 2 tablespoons reserved for garnish
• 1 pound fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into small cubes
• 2 cups panko or breadcrumbs for coating
• oil for frying
• Salt, to taste

Place the cooked rice in a large mixing bowl. Add 2 whole eggs and 4 egg yolks. Then mix in pecorino, sea salt, chile flakes and mint. Set the egg whites aside.

After ingredients are thoroughly mixed, form into 2.5” to 3” diameter balls, filling center of balls with several pieces of cheese (or any other filling of your choosing).

In each of 3 shallow bowls, place flour, egg whites and breadcrumbs. Whisk the egg whites briefly to loosen them. Roll each ball in egg whites, then in breadcrumbs. Place balls on a tray, and refrigerate uncovered for one hour.

Heat 4 inches of olive oil in a deep fryer or a pot to 350 F. CAUTION – don't fill pot above two thirds full.

Carefully place 3 balls at a time into pot and fry until golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes, stirring with a kitchen spoon to keep them moving.

Using a spider or a slotted spoon, drain cooked balls on paper towels. Serve hot or at room temperature. Finish with grated pecorino cheese, chile flakes and mint.

Chicken Canzanese

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 ounces prosciutto (1/4 inch thick), cut into 1/4-inch cubes (bacon is a less expensive alternative)
• 4 medium garlic cloves , sliced thin lengthwise
• 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 3 pounds)
• Ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 cups dry white wine
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 4 whole cloves
• 1(4-inch) sprig fresh rosemary , leaves removed and minced fine (about 1/2 teaspoon), stem reserved
• 12 whole fresh sage leaves
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• Juice from 1 lemon
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in 12-inch heavy-bottomed oven-safe skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add prosciutto and cook, stirring frequently, until just starting to brown, about 3 minutes. Add garlic slices and cook, stirring frequently, until garlic is golden brown, about 1½ minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer garlic and prosciutto to small bowl and set aside. Do not rinse pan.

Increase heat to medium-high; add remaining 2 teaspoons oil and heat until just smoking. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with ground black pepper. Add chicken, skin side down, and cook without moving until well browned, 5 to 8 minutes. Using tongs, turn chicken and brown on second side, about 5 minutes longer. Transfer chicken to large plate.

Remove all but 2 tablespoons fat from pan. Sprinkle flour over fat and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Slowly add wine and broth; bring to simmer, scraping bottom of pan with wooden spoon to loosen browned bits. Cook until liquid is slightly reduced, 3 minutes. Stir in cloves, rosemary stem, sage leaves, bay leaves, red pepper flakes, and reserved prosciutto and garlic. Nestle chicken into liquid, skin side up (skin should be above surface of liquid), and bake, uncovered, until meat offers no resistance when poked with fork but is not falling off bones, about 1 hour 15 minutes. (Check chicken after 15 minutes; broth should be barely bubbling. If bubbling vigorously, reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees.)

Using tongs, transfer chicken to serving platter and tent with foil. Remove and discard sage leaves, rosemary stem, cloves, and bay leaves. Place skillet over high heat and bring sauce to boil. Cook until sauce is reduced to 1¼ cups, 2 to 5 minutes. Off heat, stir in minced rosemary, lemon juice, and butter. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour sauce around chicken and serve.

Mango Panna Cotta:

• 1/4 cup whole milk
• 1 cup mango pulp
• 1 tablespoon unflavored powdered gelatin
• 3 cups heavy cream
• 1/2 cup sugar
• Pinch of salt

Mango Sauce: 

• 1/2 cup mango pulp
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon lime juice

Panna Cotta:
 
Place the milk, gelatin and mango puree in a blender. Blend until smooth.
Pour milk mixture into a small pan and stir over medium heat, about 5 minutes.
 
Add the cream, sugar, and salt. Stir until the sugar dissolves, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the heat.
 
Pour into 6 glasses or ramekins so that they are about 1/2 full. Refrigerate until set, at least 4 hours. Spoon the mango sauce on top and serve.

Mango sauce:

Place all the ingredients in a small sauce pan and cook stirring often for about 10 minutes or until a syrup consistency.

 

Last week while eating out with a group of Bob's work friends, the subject of Christmas traditions came up. No one seemed to be a regular church goer, but as the question rounded the table each person had a personal Christmas story to tell.

Chris, "My mother is a terrible cook and always resented being stuck in the kitchen all day making Christmas dinner.  One year my middle sister and I took over the stove, forced my mother out, and divvied up the cooking chores. That night, for the first time, our family sat down to  a pleasant—no pans thrown, no yelling—edible meal. She (my mother) has never gone back in."

Clementine, "I'm from Jamaica, and every Christmas Eve after midnight mass, we stay up all night drinking sorrel and baking Christmas bread."

Audra, "I grew up in a low-country Georgia Gullah community, where every house on the block belongs to a family member—a family member who is a great cook.  So Christmas day is a huge block party with okra soup, fried turkey, oyster pilau, hoppin' John, and sweet potato pie."

Fortunately, Bob and I were sitting at the end of the queue. The wheels in my brain whirred as I tried to spin a Hallmark moment. I haven't spent Christmas with my kids since they were little, I usually worked during Christmas, Bob and I have moved regularly and never put down deep community roots, and we've spent the last two holidays in a hotel room...but there had to be something.

There was that first year in LA when we took boloney sandwiches, Hershey bars, and boxed wine to the beach; or what about that winter in San Diego with our Cuban renter and his mother; oh and that year with the Fostermiglias when Gretchen fell down the front steps, yes and don't forget that freezing trip from Olympia to Bellingham on Tommy's boat, drinking schnapps to stay warm.

Inevitably, it was our turn...all eyes were on Bob.  "Chinese food", he said. "We try to eat Chinese food." I was surprised but managed to blurt out, "You can usually find an open Chinese restaurant or throw together some fried rice."

There was a pause in the glow of the moment, but the next storyteller picked it right up and shared a tradition complete with roasting chestnuts, caroling, and trimming the tree.

Chinese food on Christmas Day may never merit a card or a song, but believe it or not—it is a tradition. Just Google "Christmas Chinese food" and you'll see. Anyways, now that we had an official Christmas tradition, we were determined to follow through, so this Christmas night, we walked down the street to The Canton. I was prepared for that most dismal of restaurant experiences—eating Christmas dinner in an empty room and, sure enough, when we arrived at 5:00 pm, there was only one other table occupied, but Whoa Nelly! Within fifteen minutes, the place was packed with Blended Families, Romantic Couple, the Young and the Hip, Older Kids with Gramma and Grampa In Tow, Foreign Couple, Quietly Arguing Couple, Distracted Couple with Annoying Child, and a line out the door.

We ate our now traditional pot stickers and fried rice, took enough back for the next night's dinner, and called it good—another slightly nicked penny in the memory bank.

I worked at Tom Douglas' original Dahlia Lounge when it opened—fried rice was on the first menu. Leftover vegetables were never used but hey, we're home now. Here's a vague approximation of the Dahlia's fried rice. In my kitchen, it has morphed over the years to include anything that is in the frig: shrimp, pork, chicken, tofu, mushrooms (fresh or re-constituted dried), nappa cabbage, green cabbage, chard, spinach, lettuce, broccoli, carrots, sweet potatoes—and always frozen peas.

Not Very Authentic Fried Rice

• 1 cup frozen peas
• Vegetable oil
• 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
• Sesame oil
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon dried chili flakes
• Garlic, finely chopped, amount per preferance
• Fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped, amount per preference
• 1 onion, diced
• Mushrooms
• ½ pound cooked meat, cubed tofu, or tempeh
• Salt and pepper
• 3 scallions, sliced
• 2 cups raw vegetables—cut approximately to the same size
• 4 cups cold cooked white rice
• Flavor blend: 1 part soy sauce or oyster sauce, ½ part rice vinegar, sugar to taste, Chinese chili paste to taste (a little fish sauce wouldn't hurt)

Start out with a bigger pan than you think necessary. You’ll have less flotsam on the stove after you’re done. Cover frozen peas with cold water. When thawed, pour into seive.

Heat wok or a large heavy-bottomed nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. When hot add 1 swirl of the vegetable oil. Scramble eggs until slightly undercooked, remove from pan and set aside.

If you’re using raw meat or shrimp, now’s the time to sauté it—undercook a tad, please. Remove from pan and reserve.

Clean out pan and return to heat. Add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and 1 tablespoon sesame oil, heat until oil shimmers. Add chili flakes, garlic, ginger, mushrooms, and diced onions. season with salt and pepper, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until onion is fragrant.

Add raw vegetables: shredded head cabbage, julienned carrots, small broccoli florets, cauliflower, fennel, celery, etc. and sauté to coat with oil. Pour the vinegar/soy sauce mixture over vegetable and cook until your desired softness. If it's too dry, add a bit of water or stock. If you’re using leftover cooked vegetables, add just to heat. Add scallions and cooked meat or tofu to heat.

If you’re using nappa cabbage or spinach, wait until onion/garlic/ginger mixture is finished then fold in and remove from heat.

Now this is the part that would make Tom D. cringe: I just microwave the cooked rice (whether it be brown, Uncle Ben’s, jasmine, basmati, Korean, etc.), put it in a large bowl, add the scrambled eggs and fold in the vegetable mixture. Serve immdiately or make ahead and whack it in the mw.

This is a perfect vehicle for left over anything. You can have Cajun rice (andouille sausage, bell peppers,celery, onion,paprika/thyme/oregano/cayenne), Italian rice (tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, roasted red pepper/pesto/parm), Spanish rice (chorizo, black beans, jalapenos,cumin, chile powder), Hawaiian rice (spam and macaroni). Add the eggs, leave out the eggs—who’ll care? Change the oil and the flavor blend to suit the ingredients—who’ll know?

Bright blue skies, large puffy clouds, early winter sunshine. 4-6' surf. Semi-clean, warbly lines as tide drops. Workable corners but mostly soft/shouldery with some decent sets showing.
                                                                         LONG SHOT:

EXT. WATER BELOW OVERLOOK - DAY

Thirty or so surfers sit on their boards waiting for the next set of waves.

            PAN TO:

EXT. BEACH OVERLOOK WITH WAIST-HIGH WOODEN RAIL - DAY

A mixed crowd of fifty or so—young, old, hip, straight, some on bikes, some on skateboards, some with dogs, some with strollers—gather on the overlook of a rocky beach and watch the surfers below.
 

Film equipment covers the small parking lot across the street from the overlook.  Crew members wander around—some with clipboards, some eating burritos, some wearing headphones, all looking down at their devices.

DUDE and BRO, two mid-teen surfers in wetsuits, stand off to the side with rented longboards under their arms.

BRO, short, chunky teen in billed wetsuit. Turns to DUDE

BRO

(impatiently)

I told you they were filming today! We shoulda' been lined up at dawn patrol!!! We problie so missed our chance to be in a shot!!!

DUDE, tall, thin teen board under his arm.

DUDE
(angrily)

Don't blow your squeaker, Bro!! My ears are plugged, I have a chode burn on my butt, and my knees are like totally blown out—gimme a friggin' break!! You shoulda' lemme rack more ZZs, I got hell munched yesterday!!

BRO
(obliviously)

Dude, check it!! That grey who took a sand facial lives to tell!! Shhhhway!! The legend got thrashed—he's totally wack!!!!

DUDE

Let’s walk down and line up.

STAIRS LEADING DOWN TO THE WATER BELOW

EXT: CALM WATER FULL OF SURFERS SITTING ON THEIR BOARDS - DAY

Dude and Bro walk down the stairs to the water, get in, paddle out, and join the line up. They sit on their boards waiting for the next set, talking.

BRO
(woundedly)

The Barbie like totally gave me the stink-eye—that's like effin' schwag!! I was like, whoa Emma chillax!!!

DUDE
(glumly but with determination)

Bro, I'm so bleak after that flat spell. Gotta carve this Macker comin' up so the camera dude will notice me.

BRO
(wryly)

Ka-Biff!! Dude, that was a real whoopsydangit!!

DUDE
(off-handedly)

Who cares Bro...anyways our vacay is over tomorrow so it's back to Fargo.

BRO
(defiantly)

Dude, I'm so over North Dakota!!! I'm stayin' here. The camera kahuna said there might be a grunt job for the January re-shoot in Half Moon Bay. Tell my Mom I said Hi. And please, feed my fish.

• two fourteen oz. cans drained artichoke hearts in water
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup cream cheese
• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon Tabasco
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Put drained artichoke hearts, Parmesan cheese, cream cheese, mayonnaise, lemon juice, Tabasco, salt, and pepper in food processor. Pulse four or five times, or until mixtures is chunkily smooth. Spoon mixture into baking dish.

Bake in a 375 degree oven for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.


Downtown Santa Cruz building mural







Street musicians






He was being very good...




He was in a time out.




Local artist, Nick Craig's work in progress




Area produce sold at Santa Cruz Community Farmers Market