By: centraljersey.com
One of the many bonuses of writing this column is that I have at my disposal a surplus of fantastic recipes, which I keep in a folder and ferret out when I’m looking for ideas.
Sometimes I collect these recipes over the course of my travels, both personal and professional. Other times, I profile a professional chef, caterer, cooking school instructor, or talented home cook and they generously share more recipes than space allows.
The result is a folder bursting at the seams with winning recipes, over which I’ve scrawled enthusiastic comments and exclamation marks. Below are three such winners, along with the story of where and how I accumulated them. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I love my job.
SHRIMP WITH GREMOLATA Judy Witts Francini, www.divinacucina.com
Back in 2005 I attended the annual conference of the IACP (International Association of Culinary Professionals) in Seattle. Among the many seminars and workshops I attended was one featuring Judy Witts Francini, an American who married a Florentine and has lived in that glorious city since 1984. She conducts gastronomic tours and gives cooking classes there and is the author of "Secrets from My Tuscan Kitchen." At the conference, she handed out a lovely recipe booklet featuring recipes using her homemade limoncello. Even with the commercial kind, this quick and easy recipe is a winner. – P.T.
6 ounces shrimp, peeled and cleaned
2 cloves garlic, sliced
2 chili peppers, such as small bird’s eye
Extra virgin olive oil
1 ounce limoncello
Salt
For the gremolata:
Zest of 1 lemon
1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley
1 garlic clove, sliced
1. Make the gremolata by mincing all the ingredients and combining in a bowl. Set aside.
2. Place garlic slices and chili peppers in a large skillet with olive oil. Heat until garlic is golden, but do not let burn. Add shrimp and quickly saute until shrimp becomes pink. Splash with limoncello, add salt to taste.
3. Add gremolata and cover. Let steam together for 2 minutes.
Serves 2.
SMOKED TROUT SALAD WITH APPLES Whole Foods 25th Anniversary Recipes Booklet
I picked up a small, spiral-bound booklet at the Princeton Whole Foods market back in 2005 and continue to use several of its recipes at home. I and my family really enjoy smoked trout – one of the most flavorful convenience foods I know of – and this salad, perfect for fall, is among our favorites. – P.T.
For the dressing:
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 bunch watercress, washed and separated into individual stems
1 medium fennel bulb, cut in half and sliced as thinly as possible
1 tart apple, cut in half and sliced thinly
8 ounces smoked trout, gently flaked into large pieces
1. Make the dressing: in a small bowl whisk together the vinegar, lemon juice, and shallots. Gradually drizzle in the olive oil while whisking continuously, until the dressing comes together. Whisk in salt and pepper.
2. Combine the remaining ingredients together in a salad bowl and toss with the desired amount of dressing.
Serve immediately. Extra dressing will keep for up to one week in a tightly closed container in the refrigerator.
Serves 6.
CHORIZO-STUFFED HONEY DATES WITH MANCHEGO CHEESE www.cejavineyards.com
On a family vacation in 2008 we toured wineries in the Carneros region north of San Francisco. The small, sustainable Ceja Vineyards stood out for several reasons, including its wines. Ceja was founded by four members of a Mexican-American family who started as grape-pickers and whose matriarch was named Inc. magazine’s entrepreneur of the year in 2004. Ceja has since opened a tasting room and a bistro in downtown Napa City, but I collected this terrific party recipe from its chef even before that. Honey dates, by the way, are a California specialty. They are smaller, softer, and sweeter than the more common medjool dates, but this recipe is delicious either way. – P.T.
15 to 30 honey dates or other dates, such as Medjool
1 link of spicy Mexican-style chorizo
1/2 shallot, diced
1 fresh chile, diced, or to taste
15 to 30 small slices Manchego cheese (to top dates)
Olive oil as needed
1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Remove the casing from the chorizo meat and saute the chorizo, shallot, and chile in a small amount of olive oil. Set aside.
2. Carefully split and deseed the dates. Place the dates on a baking sheet and stuff them dates with the chorizo mixture. Place a slice of cheese on top of each and bake for 5 minutes, until cheese is melted. Tip: Leftovers can be added to salad or chopped up and mixed into cooked couscous.
Makes 15 to 30 hors d’oeuvres.
Alice Waters to speak at Princeton University
Alice Waters, champion of sustainability and locally-grown fresh ingredients, will be Princeton University’s Belknap Visitor in the Humanities on Thursday, Oct. 14, at 5 p.m. in McCosh 50. Her appearance is free and open to the public.
Co-owner of Chez Panisse in Berkeley, Calif., and a pioneer of "edible education," Ms. Waters has written many books, including "The Art of Simple Food" and "In the Green Kitchen: Techniques to Learn by Heart."
In 2009 Princeton University awarded her an honorary Doctor of Humanities degree, citing her accomplishments and her influence: "Sustenance for the soul as much as for the body, her glorious food has changed the way America eats – and thinks … At a time when global agribusiness threatens not just to perfect the art of tasteless produce, but to effect a radical reduction in crop diversity, her advocacy for sustainable agriculture and slow food may change the way our children eat – and how they understand the world."
Besides giving a public talk, Ms. Waters will meet with students who have been active in the university’s sustainability efforts. As Belknap Visitor, hosted by the Humanities Council, she joins a distinguished roster of eminent guests, including Meryl Streep, Ian McEwan, Chuck Close, Don DeLillo, Arthur Miller and Maurice Sendak, who have come to Princeton through a program created in memory of Chauncey Belknap of the Princeton Class of 1912.
Winery tasting room opens at Terhune Orchards
The long-awaited Terhune Orchards Vineyard and Winery tasting room is now open to the public. Terhune Orchards is one of the few operating farms in the Garden State with a winery and tasting room. The winery offers seven varieties of red and white wine, including an award-winning Vidal Blanc, a bronze medal winner in the 2010 New Jersey State Wine Competition. The winery also offers an apple wine, made from Terhune Orchards apple cider.
The new tasting room s open Wednesdays and Fridays, from 1 to 7 p.m., and Saturdays and Sundays, from noon to 6 p.m. Taste five wines for $5 ($8 with the glass). The tasting room has opened just in time for Terhune’s Fall Festival weekends, which run every weekend through Oct. 31.
Terhune Orchards is located at 330 Cold Soil Road in Lawrence. On the Web: www.terhuneorchards.com.
CoolVines tastings at ‘the new digs’
CoolVines has moved into its new digs at 21 Spring St., Princeton, and is celebrating the transition with a full weekend of Wine and Beer Tastings, Friday through Sunday.
Friday, Oct. 1: 5 to 8 p.m., Craft-made vs. Big Brands; 8 to 10 p.m., Dessert Wines.
Saturday, Oct. 2: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Mimosas, Bellinis & Sparkling Wines;2 to 6 p.m., Cru Collection; 6 to 10 p.m., U.S./Modern vs. France/Traditional.
Sunday, Oct. 3: Non to 2 p.m., Gifts & Accessories; 2 to 5 p.m., Beer.
For more information, call Thomas McAteer at 609-924-0039 or go to http://www.coolvines.com/tastings/princeton.
Harvest & Music Festival at Witherspoon Grill
Celebrate fall during Witherspoon Grill’s second annual "Harvest & Music Festival" on Sunday, Oct. 3, from noon to 5 p.m. on Hinds Community Plaza, adjacent to the Princeton Public Library on Witherspoon Street.
This family-friendly outdoor event – rain or shine – will feature live music, kids’ activities and food and spirits from the Witherspoon Grill, Blue Point Grill, Nassau Street Seafood, and Sweet Mama’s.
The festivities kick off with live performances, which continue throughout the day:
Noon, Riverside Bluegrass Band; 1:15 p.m., Franklin & Alison Band; 2:45 p.m., Carole Lynne Quartet, and 4 p.m., Vinny T’s World of Pure Imagination.
Admission is free. A portion of all proceeds from food and activity sales will benefit the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen (T.A.S.K.).
"We wanted to bring a fun celebration of the fall harvest season to the town, while at the same time using the event to give back to the community by collecting food donations and raising funds for those in need, especially given the hardships that so many have faced this past year," said Jack Morrison, President of JM Group.
Donations (food and monetary) to T.A.S.K. will be collected during the festival.
T.A.S.K. is in need of the following non-perishable items (no glass, please): Powdered milk; canned green beans, corn and mixed vegetables; spaghetti sauce; canned fruit; canned chicken or beef gravy; salad dressing; rice, spaghetti, elbow macaroni; vegetarian beans; individual servings of Jell-O or pudding that do not require refrigeration, and juice boxes.
Hygiene items including toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant, razors, shampoo and hand/body lotion are also needed.

