It promises to be an interesting New Year, since I’m involved in a number of cases, and although I’m doing well with them, I’m sorry you’re not around. Rob, as you know, is a master at getting information, and told me you called him for Francesca’s address before going to her home. I would have enjoyed the opportunity to work with you, although I have to tell you, walking into the room and finding Francesca’s body won’t go down as one of the most enjoyable moments of my life. The police grilled me for a long time as to how I happened to go there and find her. I told them time and time again that I had received an anonymous telephone call telling me to do that. I think they finally gave up and decided to just wrap up Vinny’s murder.
That’s all for now. If you ever do come back to the United States, give me a call. I’d like to buy you a beer.
You take care,
Jake
RECIPES
BEEF STEW WITH BARLEY
Ingredients:
2 ½ pounds beef sirloin tip, cut into 1 ½” chunks
1 lb. crimini or button mushrooms, cleaned
2 cups fresh spinach, cleaned, and roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp. tomato paste (I’ve started buying packets or tubes of tomato paste, so I don’t end up throwing out what’s left in the can.)
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. oregano
¼ tsp. kosher salt
2 tbsp. olive oil, divided
1 large onion, diced
1 large carrot, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 ½ cups red wine (I prefer a pinot noir or cabernet sauvignon. Always use a wine that you’d enjoy drinking. The better the wine, the better the dish.)
3 cups beef stock, homemade or made from a concentrate
1 bay leaf
½ cup quick cooking barley
2 cups water
½ cup parsley, chopped
Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Add the mushrooms, spinach, garlic, tomato paste, thyme, and oregano to a food processor and pulse lightly until the vegetables are diced and the mixture comes together
.
Pat the cubed meat with a paper towel to absorb the excess moisture, so it will brown. Season beef with salt. Add one tablespoon of olive oil to a large ovenproof pot over medium high heat. Brown the beef in batches. Remove with a slotted spoon and continue to brown the rest of the beef.
Add the remaining olive oil to the pot, then add the onion, carrot, and celery. Sauté for 5 minutes. Turn the heat down to medium and add the mushroom mixture, mixing well. Place the meat back in the pan, add the wine, stock, and the bay leaf. Cover the pot and place it in the lower part of the oven. Cook for 40 minutes.
While the beef is cooking, add the barley and the water to a medium pot. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 10 minutes or until tender. Strain out any excess liquid.
After 40 minutes, remove the pot from the oven, discard the bay leaf, and stir the cooked barley into the stew. Return the pot to the oven for an additional hour. (I’ve cooked it for an additional two hours, adding a little water as needed, and it was delicious.)
Serve the stew in shallow bowls, garnish with parsley, and enjoy!
IRON SKILLET GRILLED MUSHROOMS FOR BEEF
Ingredients:
1 cup white mushrooms, quartered with stems removed
1 cup Portabella mushrooms, stems removed, and sliced into 3 or 4 pieces
4 tbsp. unsalted butter + extra, if needed
2 cloves garlic, minced
Lawry’s lemon pepper to taste (If you don’t have it, you can substitute salt and pepper.)
Cast iron skillet
Directions:
Place the mushrooms in a heavy cast iron skillet. Add butter, garlic, and seasoning to taste. Place the skillet on a preheated barbecue gas grill over medium high heat and cook for 6-8 minutes. Add more butter if necessary to fully coat mushrooms. Remove when browned and the mushrooms are still firm. Spoon mushrooms over steak or grilled beef.
SEMIFREDDO (PARTIALLY SEMI-FROZEN ITALIAN DESSERT) WITH CHOCOLATE SAUCE & PINE NUTS
Ingredients:
2 egg whites
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup water
1 ¼ cups cream, whipped
2 oz. pine nuts, lightly toasted in a pan
3 ½ oz. dark chocolate, finely chopped
¼ cup fresh cream
Plastic wrap
Directions:
Combine the sugar and the water in a saucepan and heat to make a simple syrup (That’s when the sugar and water have lost their separateness and come together.) Whip the egg whites with a hand-held electric mixer until soft peaks are formed.
Pour the syrup mixture down the side of the bowl into the egg whites and continue whipping them until the bowl is cool to the touch and the mixture is fluffy and thick, somewhere between 6 and 10 minutes. Fold the whipped cream and pine nuts into the mixture.
Line a loaf pan with plastic wrap. Pour the mixture into it and freeze until firm. (3 to 4 hours.)
When about ready to serve, heat the cream in a double boiler. (You can make one by putting a bowl on top of a pan of simmering water.) When the cream is hot, stir in the chopped chocolate. Turn off heat. Stir until the chocolate has melted and the sauce is smooth. (I usually make this ahead of time and just reheat in the microwave.)
Unmold the semifreddo mixture, cut into slices and drizzle with chocolate sauce. Enjoy!
SPICY LAMB MEATBALLS
Ingredients:
1 ½ lb. ground lamb
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 ¼ cups onions, finely chopped
1 tbsp. finely minced garlic
1 ½ tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground coriander
½ tsp. turmeric
1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped (If you don’t like things really hot, you may want to leave this out.)
1/3 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 tbsp. fresh orange juice
2 tsp. fresh orange zest
1 egg, slightly beaten
½ cup fresh bread crumbs
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Parchment paper
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Heat a large frying pan over medium high heat and add butter. When melted, add onion and cook for 2 minutes, and then add garlic and the jalapeno, if you’re using it. Cook for 3 minutes. Stir in cumin, coriander, turmeric, and cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat and let mixture cool for a few minutes.
Put the lamb in a large mixing bowl and add the contents of the frying pan, bread crumbs, parsley, egg, orange juice, orange zest, and salt and pepper to taste. (If you like it salty and peppery you add more of each, that’s all “to taste” means. Only you know how much you want to taste the salt and pepper.)
Mix thoroughly by hand and form into meatballs about the size of a golf ball. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake in oven for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and serve with a sauce of your choice. (I like them over rice with a yogurt sauce.) Enjoy!
IT’S AN EMBARRASSMENT DESSERT!
Ingredients:
1 loaf Italian or French bread
1 jar of Nutella
Tin foil
Directions:
This is so easy that I’m embarrassed to put it in a book, but every time I serve it, people ask for the recipe, so here goes!
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. I slice the bread in half lengthwise, and then I slice each half into thirds. (Trust me, this is really loose, so if you prefer to cut the bread into neat slices, that works as well.) Wrap the pieces in tin foil and put them in the oven for about 10 minutes. You just want to warm them.
When they’re ready, take them out of the oven and smear Nutella on them or put the Nutella in a bowl and let your guests smear to their heart’s content. Yep, it’s that easy, and ohhhh sooo gooood! Enjoy!
*****
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ABOUT DIANNE
I live in Huntington Beach, California, with my husband, Tom, a former California State Senator, and my boxer dog, Kelly. My passions are cooking, reading, and dogs, so whenever I have a little free time, I am either in the kitchen, playing with Kelly in the back yard, or curled up with the latest book I'm reading.
Her other books are available below:
Amazon: Blue Coyote Motel
Amazon: Coyote in Provence
Amazon: Cornered Coyote
Amazon: Coyote Series
Amazon: Kelly’s Koffee Shop
Amazon: Murder at Jade Cove
Amazon: White Cloud Retreat
Amazon: Marriage and Murder
Amazon: Murder in Cottage #6
Amazon: Murder in the Pearl District
Amazon: Murder and Brandy Boy
Amazon: Murder in Calico Gold
Amazon: The Death Card
Amazon: Murder at The Cooking School
Amazon: Murder & The Monkey Band
Amazon: Murder at The Bed & Breakfast
Amazon: Murder at The Secret Cave
Amazon: Murder in Cuba
Amazon: The Blue Butterfly
Amazon: Trouble at the Kennel
Amazon: Murdered by Words
Amazon: Murdered by Country Music
Amazon: Murder at the Big T Lodge
Amazon: Murdered in Argentina
Amazon: Murder on the East Coast
Amazon: Murder at the Clinic
Amazon: Murder at the Polo Club
Amazon: Alexis
Amazon: Trouble at the Animal Shelter
Amazon: Murder in Calistoga
Amazon: Murder on Bainbridge Island
Amazon: Murder & The Movie Star
Amazon: Murder in Whistler
Amazon: Murdered by Plastic Surgery
Amazon: Murder in Seattle
Please feel free to follow me on these social media sites:
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Northwest Cozy Mysteries #1 Page 40
