Cooking for election night?

[Jenise]

I am struggling to think of what to prepare. I veer from considering a southern menu (for authentic roots-American) to roast beef and apple pie.

Maybe I should worry more about what we'll be drinking.

What are you planning?

Booze and whatever Don, Jr. is taking.

Likely as not, warmed-up Chicken with 40 Cloves.

The Francophile and I will be watching from afar. I guess we'll have lunch, cocktails and dinner to the tune of US Election analysis in the background.

[Jenise]

Take-out at McDonalds to say goodbye to the Donald would be appropriate.

[Robin Garr]

Prison fare to welcome Chump to the next stage of his life?

[Jenise]

Prison fare to welcome Chump to the next stage of his life?

I like it! Gruel! (With maybe something buried in it in case he wants to take the Jeffrey Epstein option.)

From the frying pan Wisconsin where had I still been there would be planning an anticipatory celebration meal using the end of season produce from my garden. An erbazzone appetizer using chard and lancinato kale. Hubbard squash, Brussels sprouts, Jerusalem artichokes in a gratin. Caramelized mixed apples and Shipova pears glazed with elderflower cordial garnished with black pepper molasses crunch. Back into the fire of western Pennsylvania where I am now with great anxiety and disrupted sleep thinking about a hopeful celebration of migration with Salvadoran pupusas filled with beans and cheese garnished with a curtido.

[Jenise]

Christina, love the sound of everything you wrote about. I'm especially enchanted by the erbazzone, something I've only had once but forgot about until now. I am loaded with greens, and have an almost-vegetarian brother (I'll skip the pancetta) to cook for and a husband who needs to eat a lot of greens for other reasons, so this would be a delightful thing to prepare for election night. A progression of finger foods vs. a sit-down meal sounds like just the ticket (election pun!).

While searching just now for erbazzone recipes, I came across one for a version of beans and greens. The author's Italian and calls for "chicory" (the picture is a very bright but deep emerald green). Dawns on me that I have no idea what kind of chicory one would buy, the stem pieces one can just barely make out in the picture look like spinach. And of course if the photo came from a food stylist there could be a large disconnect between the author's intent and the photo. Where I live chicory could be anything from endive to escarole to radicchio, and in Italy it could be something else entirely. Any ideas?

A Brunswick stew featuring crow, with humble pie for afters.

-Paul W.

I don't really get into themed dinners. So it will be a regular Tuesday, which probably means a nice hearty pasta before going out to play tennis. Hopefully they will call it for Biden before I get home, but I'm not expecting that.

But if the Trump loss is clear on Tuesday night, I may toast him with some mezcal, in honor of all the glory that comes across that border.

Jenise, for the erbazzone I've used whatever greens I had, usually a mixture. Endive and radicchio, dandelion and wild chicory are great. I've even used beet greens when they were fresh and pristine. I would think about the balance of bitter, sweet as well as textures. I always include the stems of chard and thicker ends of endive, escarole and radicchio. A bit of anchovy is a great compliment. Likewise a few dried currants as a balancer for sweetness if only bitter greens. +/- pine nuts.
I've made crusts with leaf lard, olive oil or bread dough. You probably don't want to use lard for health reasons but it was by far the most tasty and flaky. The oil crust is quite good but I used far less than recipe called for. The bread dough was just ordinary and uninteresting.

Christina, love . The author's Italian and calls for "chicory" ...came from a food stylist there could be a large disconnect between the author's intent and the photo. Where I live chicory could be anything from endive to escarole to radicchio, and in Italy it could be something else entirely. Any ideas?

Chickory certainly can refer to many different green leafy things. My grandparents were chickory farmers, where the roots were dried in a kiln ad used as a coffee additive/substitute. Anyone remember the bottles of coffee and chickory essence with the man in the fez?

The author's Italian and calls for "chicory" (the picture is a very bright but deep emerald green). Dawns on me that I have no idea what kind of chicory one would buy, the stem pieces one can just barely make out in the picture look like spinach. And of course if the photo came from a food stylist there could be a large disconnect between the author's intent and the photo. Where I live chicory could be anything from endive to escarole to radicchio, and in Italy it could be something else entirely. Any ideas?

Chicory is sold in three types:
- "chicoria intybus sativa" or common chicory, whose leaves are rather like dandelion greens and whose root is the useful coffee substitute/additive
- "chicoria foliosum", which is a near-relation of endive and escarole, esp. Belgian endive
- puntarelle, a favorite of Roman cooks, falls somewhere between celery and frisee with a few dark leaves tossed in (usually photographed in its raw state, so long straight stems with narrow leaves)

Puntarelle salad and anchovy dressing...a match made in heaven if you like bitter greens. It can be grown in Wisconsin but I forage for the common type in the wild recognized by the fine hairs on the back of the main vein. Young and tender in the early spring.

[Jenise]

- "chicoria foliosum", which is a near-relation of endive and escarole, esp. Belgian endive

And includes radicchio.

While researching something else I discovered a recipe today for a vinaigrette dressing for radicchio which includes a hefty dose of Angostura bitters. Sounds fantastic, I'll post if I love it.

[Jenise]

Making pizza tonight.

Pizza #1: fire roasted tomato base, chicken Italian sausage, shaved fennel, shaved red onion, mozz, parm, black pepper

Pizza #2: pesto base, shitake mushrooms, grated zucchini, fontina cheese, rosemary, lemon zest, parm

Romaine and arugula in a garlicky vinaigrette for topping

Pork chops with lemon slices, onion slices, bbq sauce. Fair amount of booze and wine. Having slow motion stroke watching election results and wondering how PA (my home state and birthplace of democracy) is going to vote.

PA (my home state and birthplace of democracy)...

Athens might quibble with you on that one.

Hemlock or champagne? Still deciding.

PA (my home state and birthplace of democracy)...

Athens might quibble with you on that one.

True, but I meant for this country (I'm pretty focused right now). Our founding fathers must be rolling in their graves.

Larry, sitting right now in Allegheny County, PA in a sea of red yard signs.....not hopeful. Born and raised here, solidly Democratic for long years only recently lost their way. Have moved the champagne in and out of the fridge several times.

Larry, sitting right now in Allegheny County, PA in a sea of red yard signs.....not hopeful. Born and raised here, solidly Democratic for long years only recently lost their way. Have moved the champagne in and out of the fridge several times.

I'm from Pennsylvania, and I can't believe how red it has grown. I grew up in Columbia County (where my English ancestors arrived in 1832) and lived in Bucks County (where I was a teacher) before I moved to New Mexico (almost 50 years ago) where Biden won..