Our dear friends Cory and Richard have enormous hearts and when they entertain they do so with warm generosity, surprising guests with wonderful recipes and signature culinary creations. Never one to do anything in half measures, Cory and Richard spend hours pouring through cookbooks and magazines in search of the most interesting dishes to serve family and friends. Visiting them for a wonderful winter interlude, we were treated to one inspired meal after another, including this sumptuous dinner featuring Jean White's Reuben Spirals as an appetizer with Richard's bottomless Manhattan's, his Uncle Ross's premium T-Bone steaks grilled to perfection by Cory, served with Stanley Tucci's Tuscan Stewed Beans, Richard's lovely green salad, and Cory's outstanding Sticky Toffee Pudding with Rum Butter Sauce by Dame Mary Berry, which was gobsmackingly delicious.
We enjoyed Jean's Reuben Spirals as an appetizer with Richard's Manhattans
Cory used dried beans rather than from a can, and cooked them for about 4 hours
A soffritto of onions, carrots, and celery, gently sautéed in olive oil,
followed with garlic, fresh herbs, tomatoes, wine and broth then simmered
The ultimate rustic Italian comfort food,
Stanley calls his Stewed Tuscan Beans "a wholesome hug in a bowl"
2 gorgeous T-bones from Corey's Uncle Ross who raises his own cattle
Pink, juicy and gloriously full of flavour
Cory's delicious grilled steak and Tuscan stewed bean dinner with Richards salad,
and outrageous Sticky Toffee Pudding for dessert
Cory's Sticky Toffee Pudding just out of the oven was a sight to behold
Serves 4
Recipe courtesy of Stanley Tucci
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 medium or large carrots, peeled and finely chopped
2 celery ribs, diced
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves and tender stems, minced
1 tbsp minced fresh sage
4 1/2 tbsp tomato paste
3/4 cup dry white wine
1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand
1 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
Freshly cracked black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth, plus more as desired
2 15-oz cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the onion, and season with a pinch or two of salt and pepper. Cook for 7 to 8 minutes, until golden, stirring occasionally. Add in the carrot, celery, and garlic, with another pinch of salt and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the red pepper flakes, parsley, and sage and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring almost continuously, for 1 to 2 minutes, until it's a bit darker in colour. Pour the white wine in and deglaze the pan, scraping up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. Allow wine to simmer rapidly for 3 minutes, or until mostly evaporated and it no longer smells like wine, stirring often.
Add tomatoes along with their juices, bay leaf, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and several cracks of black pepper. Cook at a rapid simmer, stirring fairly often, until the tomatoes are fully broken down and most of the liquid has evaporated, 12 to 13 minutes.
Add the veggie broth and 2 cans of beans. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan, and maintain a decent simmer for 30 minutes, stirring once in a while. If you want the stew to be thicker, towards the end of cooking, use the back of a wooden spoon or a spatula to gently smash a small portion of the beans.
Taste, adding a pinch of sugar if needed (if your tomatoes are good-quality, it should not be necessary). Remove the bay leaf. Finish with chopped basil. Season to taste, adding salt and pepper as needed.
Mary Berry's Easy Sticky Toffee Pudding
Serves 6
Recipe courtesy of Mary Berry
3 1/2 oz butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
6 oz light muscovado sugar
2 large eggs
8 oz self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
3 tbsp black treacle
9 1/2 fl oz full-fat milk
double cream or vanilla ice cream, to serve
For the sauce:
3 1/2 oz butter
4 1/2 oz light muscovado sugar
1 tbsp black treacle
10 fl oz pouring double cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp Rum (Cory's addition!)
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a wide shallow 1.7-litre (3-pint) ovenproof dish.
Put the butter, sugar, eggs, flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and treacle into a mixing bowl, and beat using an electric handheld whisk for about 30 seconds or until combined. Pour in the milk gradually and whisk again until smooth. Pour into the prepared dish, then bake for 35–40 minutes or until well risen and springy in the centre.
To make the sauce, put all the ingredients into a saucepan and stir over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved and the butter has melted. Bring to the boil, stirring for a minute. To serve, pour half the sauce over the pudding in the baking dish. Serve with the cream or ice cream.
Jean's Reuben Spirals
Makes 10-12 spirals per roll
Recipe by Jean White, bless her soul
1 package of frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 cup dijon mustard
1 1/2 cups shredded swiss cheese
16 thinly sliced deli corned beef
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp caraway seeds, as garnish
On a floured surface, roll the puff pastry to a 12"x10" rectangle. Spread 1/2 cup of dijon mustard over the pastry and top with shredded swiss cheese, then top with whole slices of corned beef. Cut the puff pastry crosswise in half, making 2 rectangles. Roll up one rectangle from the short end, jelly roll fashion into a log shape and seal seam with water. Repeat with the other rectangle.
Freeze by wrapping each roll in cling film, but thaw at room temperature 30 minutes before using. Cut each roll into 1/4-inch slices placed cut side up on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with caraway seeds. Bake at 400° for 10-12 minutes until golden brown. Jean likes them served with a martini! Each roll makes about 10-12 spirals.
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