Orangettes

I wanted to make these for you and post them before Christmas, but it just didn't happen. I've been eating so many oranges lately - the California Navel oranges have been so incredible for several weeks now - that I hated to see all those peels go to waste.  This seemed like a good time for Orangettes.

Orangettes are candied orange peels that are dipped in chocolate.  I think dark chocolate gives the nicest flavor with the orange.  They are a great little snack and actually go so nicely with a cup of spiced tea. 

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Short Ribs with White Polenta

It's funny how short ribs have turned up on so many restaurant menus over the last few years. - especially in fine dining establishments, where they charge an arm and a leg for them.  They've become very trendy, but the dish itself is cheap, easy to prepare and a real no brainer - it's one of those long braises in the oven that you have to try really hard to mess up. 

Short ribs aren't for everyone - they are a very fatty cut of meat but, of course, that's why the dish is so flavorful and rich.  If you make this dish the day before, or early in the day, you can refrigerate the liquid and let the fat rise to the top, to be skimmed off.  This is worth doing and the dish will actually be more flavorful if you make it the day before.  It's a lazy day dish - just pop it in the oven and forget about it for a couple of hours. 

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Stuffed Focaccia Bread with Sausage and Onions

You're going to love this recipe.  This stuffed focaccia is so delicious and such a crowd pleaser. It begins with my old standby focaccia recipe, the one I've made for 15 years, from Carol Field.  I make this bread so much that I don't even need the recipe anymore.  I take the dough, divide it in half and put one piece in a spring form (cheesecake) pan. I make up a stuffing of turkey sausage and plenty of onions and fill the pan and then lay the rest of the dough on top. I make mine spicy with the addition of a habanero chili, but you can certainly leave that out. You can really stuff it with anything you like - swap out the meat for lots of vegetables, like roasted peppers or mushrooms, if you want a vegetarian version. 

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