The Belgian Leek recipe I was going to use called for a specialty pan, and pie weights? I’m not even sure what those are, and should have read ahead and realized this was a bit beyond my realm. Someday. I was really excited about using leeks this week, as I’d never cooked with them before. So, I went to my go-to guy - Jamie Oliver. And he didn’t fail me. I made a Chicken and sweet leek pie with a flaky pastry. I had puff pastry in the freezer, carrots, leeks, milk, and chicken, also in the freezer. So I went over budget and bought the $5.00 of mild Italian sausages to complete the dish. It was great and homey, and it was finally cool enough yesterday to justify a warm casserole/stew. Make sure you simmer the stew long enough and let it get thick - ours was a bit runny. The crust isn’t crunchy reheated, but it still made a great lunch. Cheers!

Serves 4

Olive oil

2 Tablespoons butter

2lb boned and skinned chicken legs, cut into pieces

2 medium leeks, trimmed, washed and sliced into 1/2 inch pieces

2 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped

3 sticks celery, finely sliced

small handful of thyme, leaves picked

2 tablespoons flour

1 wineglass of white wine

1.25 cups milk

9oz pork sausges

1lb package of all-butter puff pastry

1 egg

1. Preheat oven to 425F. Take a large casserole pot and add a lug of olive oil and your butter. Add the chicken, leeks, carrots, celery and thyme and cook slowly on the stove for 15 minutes. Turn the heat right up, add the flour, and keep stirring for a couple minutes before adding the wine, a wineglass of water and the milk. Season with a little salt and freshly ground black pepper, then cover with a tight-fitting lid and simmer very slowly on the stove for 30-40 minutes until the chicken is tender. Stir it every so often so it doesn’t stick to the bottom. The sauce should be loose but quite thick. If it’s a little too liquid, just continue to simmer it with the lid off until it thickens slightly.

2. Pour the chicken mixture into an appropriately sized pie dish. Squeeze the meat out of the sausage skins, roll it into little balls, brown them in a little oil and sprinkle them over the stew. Roll out your pastry to about 1/4 inch thick. Egg-wash the rim of the dish and drape over the pastry, using a knife to trim the edge of the dish. Egg-wash the top of the pastry to make it go golden while cooking, then pinch it to crimp it round the edges. Use the back of a knife to lightly criss-cross the tip= this allows the pastry to go crisp and flaky. Cook the pie in the center of the oven for about 30-40 minutes, until golden on top.

Mondavi Vineyard, Napa Valley

After 2 weeks away from my kitchen, I’m having a hard time getting back into my routine. We’ve reunited with the cat and dog, and adjusting to our new time zone. I was so inspired by the dishes I ate in Northern California - not so much the over fried plates from Honolulu. We got to go to some of the best spots in San Fran - Nopa, Foreign Cinema, Hog Island Oyster, and Dottie’s. I also got to take a day trip up to Napa to scope it out - my parents want to take their dream vacation there next year. It was stunning - once the fog burned off - which seemed later and later every day. I stopped at the Marin Farmer’s Market - the best I’ve ever been to. This blows Union Square out of the water - and I went on the slow day (Thursday). There were a lot more purveyors, and vendors set up to cook - and there were places to sit!! I had a wheat crepe with heirloom tomatoes, brie, and pesto for breakfast - great way to start the day. I also tasted the best strawberries I’d ever had, and actually had great conversations with people there. I think the longer people live in New York, the lower their expectations are for everyday encounters - I was shocked how friendly, helpful, and interested people were there, and at the restaurants we ate at.

If you’ve ever been to the Bay Area, especially in San Fran itself, it gets chilly, and fast. It didn’t rise about 70F the whole time we were there. It did get a bit toasty in Napa, but Fall was certainly in the air. I woke up this morning to a muggy 86F and was dripping by the time we walked back from the crappy, stressful market with eggs, bacon, and cheese for breakfast. However, I’m still in Fall mode, even if NYC isn’t, and it might not be till late October. So this week’s menu is a bit homey, warm, and rich. We also have a friend of a friend from England via Figi (not sure how that works yet) staying with us Wednesday and he requested a good old American roast, which I’m so happy to do. Now I’m not sure how traditional this recipe is, but beetroots are in season and a rib of roast beef can’t be too bad. So if you can crank up your A/C here in NYC and pretend it’s fall or if you’re lucky enough to be experiencing it right now, enjoy these homey treats!

Monday - Mushroom Soup with Hazelnut Gremolata

Tuesday - Belgian Leek Tart with Aged Goad Cheese

Wednesday - Rib roast of beef with Beetroot and Horseradish

Thursday - Cheesy Baked Penne with Cauliflower and Creme Fraiche

Friday - Risotto with Butternut Squash and Sage/ Carrots with Ginger-Honey Glaze