Happy 4th Birthday, Mr. Brown Clown

Last night I went upstairs to find this business - Mr. Otis (aka Handsome, the Oatman, the Brown Clown and just plain O) all sprawled out as he loves to do on the one spot he knows he's not supposed to be. Can you blame him? All those pillows to nest in? All that comfort in one place?

You can see too that he's using all his charm here. Who could resist that face? Batting those honey eyes at me as if to say, "What? I'm just warming up the bed for you. Don't you love me?" 

The answer, of course, is yes. Yes we do. We love you ridiculously O, and we wish you a happy happy 4th birthday. Woof!

Happy 1st Birthday Penny!

Fall is a special time in our family. Between September and November we have four wedding anniversaries and eight birthdays across all of our siblings. Phew! But today is a very special day because Penny (Penelope if we're being proper about it) is one year old today. Could she be any cuter? 

Of course, I had to sew her a couple of dresses to mark the occasion. I made this same pattern for big sister Paloma when she was a wee one so it was fun to continue the tradition. Plus, there was just the perfect amount of extra fabric from Penny's quilt - to make a second dress. What's not to love about pink elephants?

Orecchiette with Tomato Sauce, Lamb Sausage and Mint

Oh my. I think this could be in my top 5 pasta favorites. It's from the same book I've been raving about in other posts. When we made this, we used a wonderful lamb sausage from The Local Butcher and it was finger licking good. It's the mint that adds that perfect finishing touch though.

Orecchiette con Salsiccia d'agnello, Salsa di Pomodoro e Menta
Orecchiette with tomato sauce, lamb sausage & Mint
Serves 4

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
10 oz lamb sausage
3 garlic cloves, smashed
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
28 oz canned whole San Marzano-style tomatoes, pureed with a hand blender or in a food processor
20 parsley springs, picked and chopped (about 6 tablespoons)
12 mint sprigs, picked and chopped (about 4 tablespoons)
1 teaspoon hot pepper flakes
1 pound orecchiette
2 oz Pecorino Romano, grated (about 1/2 cup)

Bring a large pot of cold water to a boil.

Put the olive oil in a 14-inch sauté pan over medium heat. Add the sausage in small flecks, add the garlic and sauté, stirring frequently, until the sausage starts to brown. When the garlic is golden, remove and discard it. Add the red onions and a pinch of salt and cook until the onions are translucent. Add the tomatoes and simmer the sauce until it has reduced by half.

Add the parsley, mint, and hot pepper. Cook for another minute and turn off the heat. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

Drop the orecchiette into boiling salted water and cook, stirring frequently, until the pasta is almost al dente. Drain the orecchiette 3 minutes before the indicated cooking time, reserving 1 cup cooking water. The pasta will cook for the last few minutes in the sauce and absorb its flavors.

Transfer the pasta to the tomato sauce and turn the heat to medium-high. Simmer the pasta in the sauce for about 2 minutes, adding cooking water as necessary and stirring frequently to avoid sticking. Serve immediately with freshly grated pecorino. 

Gnocchi alla Borgo

I thought I'd died and gone to heaven the moment that perfect little gnocchi dripping in tomato gorgonzola sauce crossed my lips. 

Our friend "Borgo" first made this recipe for us in Spoleto. It was a perfect hot summer evening and we ate outside, enjoying the last rays of sun while sipping a delicious Umbrian wine and licking our fingers. Vacation doesn't get better than that!

The secret is flavoring the oil with the rosemary and using only the sweetest, creamiest gorgonzola possible. Note that the cheese seasons the sauce - so no additional salt is needed.

Gnocchi alla Borgo

Gnocchi in a tomato, rosemary gorgonzola sauce

Serves 4

1 recipe fresh gnocchi

2-3 pounds fresh San Marzano tomatoes or other ripe tomatoes from your farmers market, quartered.

Two 10-inch sprigs fresh rosemary

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

a hunk of beautiful sweet Italian gorgonzola

Make fresh gnocchi. I like this recipe from Mario Batali.

In a saucepan, warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the rosemary and simmer gently until the oil is infused with the rosemary (10-15 minutes). Remove and discard the rosemary. 

Add the tomatoes, cover the pan and turn up the heat to medium high until the tomatoes are nice and hot and begin to get soft and release their juices. Uncover, reduce the heat slightly and use a wooden spoon to break up the tomatoes further. Continue cooking stirring occasionally until the tomatoes reduce by half and achieve a sauce-like consistency. 

Pass the sauce through a food mill, removing the skins.

Return the sauce to the pan, and add the gorgonzola in small hunks over low heat, stirring and tasting as it melts until you reach a perfect salty/sweet balance. Keep warm while you cook the gnocchi.

When the gnocchi are done, add them to the sauce and toss. Serve immediately.