Oh my god, this was so good. I think this is the best cake i’ve ever made. I think this will be my signature cake, you know, if I ever need a signature cake.

I wasn’t even sure this was going to turn out as I basically combined two recipes, substituted some ingredients and just hoped for the best. It’s a little spicy, very vanilla-y, with a little hit of citrus.

This cake uses cheese! Intriguing! But, instead of all ricotta cheese, I used one cup of mascarpone and 1/2 cup of ricotta — but you could use all ricotta (what the original recipe with the cheese called for if you wanted to). I just had the marscapone on hand and I wanted to use it.

The cake has a light texture and a wonderful flavor. It doesn’t even need a glaze or powdered sugar!

Cardamom, Vanilla & Orange Pound Cake
A combination of two recipes — an orange ricotta pound cake by Giada De Laurentiis and a vanilla cardamom pound cake in Gourmet magazine
1 1/2 cups cake flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp cardamom seeds, freshly ground (or just use ground cardamom)
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, room temperature (plus more for the pan)
1 cup (8 oz) mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped out
1 tsp vanilla extract
zest of 1 orange
2 tbsp milk (fat-free is fine)

Cardamom seeds — I ground these in a spice grinder. You can also just use pre-ground cardamom

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a bundt pan or a 9 by 5 by 3-inch loaf pan with a little butter. Actually, here I used the Pam for baking (butter + flour in a can) because I kind of love it…I’m not sure why. Anyway, in a medium bowl combine the flour, ground cardamom, baking powder, and salt. Stir to combine.

I accidentally added the orange zest after creaming but before the eggs…no biggie…it still worked!

Using an electric mixer, cream together the butter, mascarpone, ricotta, and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. With the machine running, add the eggs 1 at a time.

Add the vanilla (seeds & extract), orange zest, and milk until combined.

Add the dry ingredients, a small amount at a time, until just incorporated.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick comes out clean and the cake is beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan, about 45 to 50 minutes.

Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

You might not make it to “completely”…just do the best that you can. It is pretty good warm!

Mmmmmmm…cake….

***

I finally got my Alton Brown poster up on the back of the basement door. It looks good and guards over the kitchen like a benevolent, science-y mascot!

This is a kind of recipe mash-up. A lamb tagine recipe (with the wonderful & amazing spice-paste-rub stuff) and a chicken tagine recipe with the tomatoes and broth and oven cooking. And wow, good call to mix the two recipes togetther! This was WONDERFUL — all caps wonderful. I wrote it down right after dinner so I would remember exactly what I did.

Let’s see, what else? I did not make this in an actual tagine (*hint* *hint*) but a big, heavy, ovenproof, wide skillet. That worked well. I also used some of a spice mix I got at Penzeys — Rogan Josh. It has ginger, paprika, cumin, garlic, etc…so if you don’t have that specific blend, you can just add a little of those spices or omit it, it was only a 1/2 teaspoon. I was really just looking for an opportunity to use it. It smells so good. I wind up with so many little jars of spice blends from Penzey’s because they all smell so good!

Obscure ingredient alert: I actually had sundried tomato paste! If you don’t, I’m sure you could just use regular tomato paste. I’ve also included the recipe for the couscous I made to accompany the tagine and a harissa yogurt sauce below.

Chicken Tagine with Chickpeas & Golden Raisins
Adapted from two recipes by Bobby Flay — one for Chicken Tagine and one for Lamb Tagine
2 lb chicken thighs and drumsticks (I used about 1 lb bone-in, skin on drumsticks and about 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs — this was a good combination!)
6 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 tbsp honey
1/4 cup olive oil
1 handful chopped cilantro
Pinch of saffron threads
2 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tbsp sun-dried tomato paste
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 white onion, diced
1 leek, cleaned, trimmed and sliced
Optional: 1/2 tsp Rogan Josh seasoning
2 cups chicken stock
1 cinnamon stick
1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
1 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup golden raisins

Mix together the garlic, honey, olive oil, cilantro, saffron, paprika, cumin and tomato paste in a large bowl. Rub the mixture all over the chicken and cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 5 - 8 hours. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven or a tagine over high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper on both sides and place in the hot pan, in batches if needed; cook until golden brown.

Remove chicken to a plate or bowl. Make sure you get up all the garlic pieces and crispy cilantro bits.

Return the Dutch oven/tagine to the stove and add the onions, leek and Rojan Josh seasoning and cook until soft. Add the stock, tomatoes, cinnamon stick, tomatoes, chickpeas, and raisins and bring to a simmer.

Nestle the chicken (and any accumulate juices) down into a tagine or Dutch oven. Cover and cook in the oven for 45 minutes or until the chicken is tender. Do not remove the lid to check on the chicken until after the 45 minutes.

Garnish with chopped clinatro and serve harissa sauce on the side.

Harissa Sauce
1/2 cup 2% fat Greek yogurt
1 tbsp harissa paste

Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl and let stand at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator before serving. This is awesome stuff. Do not skip it!

Almond, Orange & Pomegranate Couscous
1 cup couscous
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp orange zest
1/4 cup toasted almonds, chopped
1/4 cup pomegranate seeds
2 green onions, sliced
salt

Bring the chicken stock, pinch of salt and olive oil to a boil. Add the zest, green onions and couscous. Stir. Add the almonds and pomegranate seeds to the top. Turn off the heat and cover for 5 minutes.

Fluff with a fork and serve with the tagine.

So, this was an experiment of meaty, epic proportions — and it was pretty good too! I was a little concerned about the shrimp being overcooked, but it wasn’t at all. Good job, paella recipe from the cookbook I forgot I had!

I changed a few things — I added garlic, red bell pepper, fennel and oranges. I used sweet Italian sausage instead of chorizo, mainly because I had sweet Italian sausage in the freezer and I didn’t have any chorizo. If you do this, you may want to add a few red pepper flakes for a bit of spice. Also, since the sausage I used was uncooked, I had to cook it longer in the beginning. You know, because it was raw.

On the side: a salad of sliced mangos, sweet onion and cilantro with a dressing of olive oil (3 tbsp), honey (2 tbsp) and lemon (2 tbsp). Add a few grinds of pepper and some crumbled feta cheese too! Also, crusty bread and goat cheese on the side.

Paella, Italian Style
Adapted from a recipe from the cookbook, At Home with Michael Chiarello, this is a half recipe and will feed 4-5 people. For the original recipe, double amounts below to feed 8-10
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, about 2 pounds total
Finely ground sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 sweet italian sausage links, casings removed (you can also use Spanish chorizo, cut crosswise into 1/8-inch slices)
1/2 pound large shrimp, peeled and de-veined
1 3/4 tsp Spanish smoked paprika, divided
1 tbsp whole fresh oregano leaves (plus more for garnish)
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped yellow onion
1 medium carrot, finely chopped carrot
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 small fennel bulb, cored and diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
3 cups chicken stock
3 medium tomatoes, chopped
1/2 tsp saffron
Pepperoncini and quartered oranges, for serving

Cut all the chicken into 1 1/2-inch pieces. Season with a little salt and pepper.

Heat the oil in a large ovenproof pot over high heat. When the oil is almost smoking, add the chicken. Cook until well browned on 2 sides, turning once, 6 to 7 minutes total. If using cooked (cooked) chorizo, add it to the pan with the chicken and cook for about 30 seconds. Remove and cover with foil. If using raw sausage, remove the chicken from the pan and cover with foil.

Then, add the sausage to the pan and cook about 5-6 minutes. Add to the bowl with the chicken when done. Cover with foil. Next, season the shrimp with salt and pepper. Add the shrimp to the pan, stir once then cook for 2 to 3 minutes total. Remove from the pan and add to the bowl with the other meat. Stir in 3/4 teaspoon of smoked paprika and the oregano. You guessed it, cover it back up with foil to keep warm.

Return the pan to high heat. Add onions, carrots, bell pepper, fennel and garlic. Pour in any accumulated juices from the chicken, sausage & shrimp bowl. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook until the vegetables are soft, but not brown, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Raise the heat to high under the veggies. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and remaining 1 teaspoon of paprika. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the rice. Stir to evenly coat the grains with oil. Cook for 1 minute. Add the stock and bring it up to a simmer.

Add the tomatoes and stir to incorporate. Sprinkle in the saffron.

Taste and adjust the seasonings, if needed. Cook until the liquid comes back to a simmer. Cover and put the pan in the oven. Cook for 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven.

Return the chicken, sausage, and shrimp to the pan. Cover the pan again and put it back in the oven to cook for an additional 10 to 15 minutes until everything is warm.

Serve the paella surrounded with the orange wedges for squeezing. Sprinkle the top with additional oregano and a drizzle of olive oil. Also, serve with a bowl of pepperoncini on the side. I don’t really like pepperoncini, but jwa does.

I look for any excuse to use my smoked paprika. I love smoked paprika. Get yourself some and you will never be sorry. Here’s a good resource for your smoked paprika needs.

We had this chicken with a bunch of pan roasted asparagus (olive oil + heat + salt + pepper = tasty) on the side and also some orzo that I cooked in spinach-y chicken broth (add broth and handfuls of spinach to a food processor, and *whir* *whir* to combine. It’s green!), with some tomatoes and Parmesan cheese. A great weekend meal. And, since there are only two of us, we got about three meals out of this. Always a good thing.

The original recipe called for 500 degrees F at 30 minutes, however, I doubted my oven’s cleanliness to handle that high of a temperature. I decreased it to 475 and added on a few minutes. Worked fine and my kitchen remained smoke free!

Paprika Roast Chicken with Sweet Onions
Adapted from Gourmet Magazine
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tbsp paprika (Use smoked paprika if you have it, you won’t be sorry!)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cayenne
1 whole chicken (about 3 1/2 pounds), cut into serving pieces
1 sweet onion, cut into 1/2-inch wedges
Garnish: Orange wedges

Preheat oven to 475 degrees F with rack in upper third.

Mix oil with spices, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl, then add chicken and onion, tossing to coat. Arrange chicken, skin side up, and onion in a 3-quart shallow baking dish.

Bake until chicken is just cooked through and skin is golden, about 40 minutes. Use a thermometer to know for sure, and start checking for doneness after 30 minutes. You may be taking different pieces out at slightly different times. White meat should be around 160 and dark meat 170 when you take them out of the oven. Skim any fat from pan juices in dish.

While the chicken was resting for about 10 minutes (covered with fol ha! foil), I added some wine and chicken broth to the pan juices to make an quick jus. Very tasty!

Arrange everything on a platter (whatever sides you are having with the chicken too) and it’ll look lovely.

Serve with the orange wedges. Nom-nom-nom-nom.

Well, it looks like it is still Winter. Make a big pot of this and snuggle under a blanket or something!

Red Lentil Soup with Garam Masala
Adapted from the Spice House
2-1/2 cups dried red lentils (about one pound)
2 medium onions, chopped fine
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp chili powder,
1 1/2 tsp coriander seed, ground
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp cumin seed, ground
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp cayenne chile pepper
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1/8 tsp ground cloves
6 cups lamb or chicken stock (or vegetable broth would work too)
2 cups water
Optional garnishes: yogurt and cilantro leaves

Rinse and drain lentils in a fine mesh colander.

Cook onions and garlic in oil over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until golden and soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in salt and spices and cook over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, 5 more minutes.

Stir in lentils, stock and water and simmer until lentils fall apart, about 30-40 minutes. (Old lentils may take longer to cook.)

Let soup cool slightly. I cook my lentils until they really fall apart, but if you want a smoother soup, let cool a few minutes and puree in a blender/use a stick blender and reheat before serving.

Garnish with a dollop of plain yogurt and fresh cilantro leaves.

The Unrelated Saga of Dr. Ladybug
About a month ago I found a ladybug in some thai basil I bought at HMart. I took it outside and let it go. Afterward I told jwa about how I rescued a ladybug and he was all, “Oh…it’s too cold. It’ll die.” I hurried outside and brought it back inside and fashioned out a swanky ladybug pad with a tupperware container and some plant leaves.

We named her/him Dr. Ladybug (after Dr. Girlfriend — kind of fitting), but s/he also answers to Dr. Mrs The Ladybug. Apparently, ladybugs will eat moistened raisins and like damp paper towels for water, for The Google told me so. We’ll release her next month or so when it’s warm enough outside.