at last, a reprieve
Hello everyone.
This weekend, I took a micro-vacation to visit my aunt and uncle in Indiana. Before heading out there, I received a challenge:
It is your job to plan (and assist cooking) our meal for the Saturday evening you are here. The requirements are vegetarian only, no eggplant, keep it simple.
Vegetarian food (by the by, I added a vegetarian tag for my posts…). How would I plan a menu without relying on pasta? Or veggie burgers? Wait, no eggplant?
In any case, I began scouring the blogs I most frequently turn to when in need of something easy, impressive, and adaptable. I also did some consulting (thank you, Alex), and decided I would throw together my take on Iranian food.
Nearly the minute after I got to my aunt and uncle’s house, the cooking began. I began by making Mast o Khiar, which is just yogurt, cucumbers, and mint. We didn’t have any mint, so I substituted with dill. Really, though, you could use whatever herb you have on hand if mint eludes you. It’s probably one of the easiest side dishes to make. All I did was add one English cucumber (the long, seedless variety) to one 16oz tub of plain greek yogurt. I chopped up as much dill as I thought necessary, sprinkled a little salt and pepper, and threw it in the refrigerator to chill for an hour or so. Initially, I was a little skeptical about using greek yogurt out of fear it would be too thick, but it loosens some with the liquid from the cucumber. I would only use greek yogurt for this recipe because I really dislike thin, soupy yogurt. This dish is cool, refreshing, light, and perfect for hot and humid days. With mint, it would have been even better because it’s such a bright herb. I’d even recommend adding a teaspoon of rosewater to add a wonderful aromatic component. Rosewater is wonderful on super hot days.
Up next was my take on a Shirazi salad.
(excuse the poor photography)
Again, we had no mint, so I switched things up a bit. This is another insanely easy dish to make, and is something you can prepare about an hour or so ahead of time. It calls for cucumber, tomato, red onion, lime juice, a little bit of olive oil, and mint. I won’t bother giving you measurements, because it’ll depend on how many cucumbers, tomatoes, and onions you plan to use. Because we didn’t have mint, I just added salt, pepper, and garlic. (I had to sneak some garlic in somewhere.) Personally, I should have used more lime juice. All in all, it was quite comparable to a salsa. While I wasn’t as enthusiastic about this side dish, fresh vegetables are always an awesome addition to any meal.
And finally, for our main meal, I attempted kuku sabzi. Kuku sabzi is essentially an intensely-herbed frittata. Really, the eggs are more or less a vehicle for the herbs. For about 6 eggs, you should use a cup of fresh: parsley, cilantro, dill, and chives. You can add in about 1/3 cup of walnuts, if you want, and you must also add 1 tsp of baking powder. The baking powder makes the eggs fluffy and sponge-like.
kuku sabzi
(I promise, the other side of the kuku sabzi was much more herb-dense. The herbs floated to the top of the mix while cooking, which is to be expected.)
Procedure:
1. In a large mixing bowl, combine 6 eggs, salt, pepper, and baking powder. Whisk to combine.
2. Add your chopped herbs and walnuts to the mixture and whisk again.
3. To a medium nonstick skillet, add some olive oil over medium-low heat. Once the oil is hot, add the egg mix and cook for approximately 20 minutes over medium-low heat. Check the bottom of the egg every once and a while to ensure nothing is burning. It should get to be a nice brownish color.
4. Now. You have two options. You can get out two spatulas and try to flip this thing yourself, or you can cut it into quarters and carefully flip each piece. I opted for the two spatula method, with my aunt holding the skillet. After three or so flip attempts, the kuku sabzi flipped with no spillage. Cook the other side for another 20 minutes over medium low. (I got impatient, as I often do, and cranked up the heat so it would cook faster.)
Cut into pieces and serve.
The kuku sabzi was really cool, actually. It was light and airy, and really flavorful because of the herbs. The herbs are the star of this show, so I resisted the urge to add any sort of spices like turmeric or something. Salt and pepper do the job well, allowing the herbs to stand their ground. While some lemon zest would’ve been a nice accompaniment, why mess with tradition (especially on the first time making it)?
As another side dish, I attempted to make hummus without tahini. Word to the wise (or perhaps the not so wise), this doesn’t work. Don’t even.
Before I began my marathon dinner preparation, my aunt and I made this awesome bunt cake a la Betty Crocker.
awesome cake
It came out sooooo good. While I’m not a confident baker, this cake was rather easy to make. It used sour cream, and we put this awesome cinnamon-sugar-walnut mixture between layers of batter. And who doesn’t love gooey cinnamon sugar in their cake?
So, what did we learn today? Vegetarian food doesn’t always have to involve pasta, eggplant, or processed soy. It can be bright, inventive, flavorful, and best of all, simple.
Have fun:
record breaking heat
Hello everyone.
It’s hot here in New Jersey. I mean, 100+ degrees (F) hot…plus humidity. To some, this is every day weather and is, therefore, no big deal. For us, however, this is record-breaking, danger zone, fry-an-egg-on-the-pavement hot. On days like today, the last thing I want is a heavy meal. So, what to have?
Ceviche.
Ceviche? Yes. You can make something as elegant as ceviche at home. And with much ease, I might add. In fact, it’s one of the easiest things I’ve made. Ceviche, a dish with its relatively unknown roots attributed to South America and Spain, consists of citrus marinated seafood and a few other basic ingredients. This dish relies on an important chemical reaction between citrus and seafood. The seafood in ceviche is technically not cooked, as no heat is applied to it. Instead, the citric acid in the marinade induces what is called denaturation. De-what? Well, the citric acid manipulates the proteins in the seafood, changing their physical and chemical properties. After sitting in the marinade, the seafood turns firm and opaque, just like it had met heat. So, do you take the same risks with eating seafood in ceviche as with eating sashimi? Yes, actually. While the citric acid does modify the seafood protein, it does not kill off any bacteria and such that could potentially be hanging around your fish. However, if you buy fresh fish, then you really don’t have anything to worry about. Really.
So, for my ceviche, I used tilapia. I wanted a firm white fish, and it was either that or cod. I think tilapia has a meatier texture to it, and cod seemed too flaky for this. After consulting a variety of sources (like here and here), I began making my citrus marinade. The following is for just under 1 1/2 lbs. of tilapia.
3 limes, squeezed of their juice
about 1/4-1/3 cup of orange juice (I only used this because I realized I definitely did not have enough lime juice……it worked out well)
about 3 pinches of freshly minced cilantro (fresh is a must. no exceptions.)
about 4 cloves of garlic, finely minced
1 tomato, seeded, diced
about 1/4 of a cup of red onion, diced
salt and freshly cracked black pepper
3 tilapia fillets cut into bite-sized pieces
tilapia ceviche
So, basically all you need to do is get a shallow dish. Lay out all your fish pieces in the dish. In a separate bowl, combine all of the above ingredients and then pour over the fish. Cover with plastic wrap, and throw it in the fridge. I would marinate this for 20-50 minutes. If you take it out before 20 minutes, there’s a decent chance the inside of the pieces will be quite raw. If you like that sort of thing (I certainly don’t mind), then go for it. If you leave it in longer than 50 minutes, it will probably have the texture of overcooked fish. Ew. In any case, my ceviche tasted fresh, bright, and citrusy. The fish got a huge kick from the cilantro and the onion, and the texture was very meaty. The pieces of fish had some bite to them, which I really enjoyed. The garlic undertones complimented the citrus so nicely. It really hit the spot.
So, what goes along with this awesome ceviche? How about tostones? Ah, tostones are awesome. I’ve had good (crunchy on the outside, pillowy and soft on the inside) and bad (rubbery….tough….) ones. If you like french fries, you’ll like tostones even more.
So, what the hell are tostones?
perfect tostones
Very simply, fried (green) plantains. Get a cast iron skillet. Fill it about 1/4 inch of the way with vegetable oil. Heat the oil over medium heat. You’ll know the oil is hot enough when you stick the end of a wooden spoon in and it bubbles.
Grab about 3 green plantains. Slice the skin lengthwise, and peel off to reveal the plantain itself. Slice into 1-inch thick pieces on an angle.
Now, you’re going to blanch the pieces in the oil. Fry the pieces on each side for about 1-2 minutes (until lightly golden). Do this in batches. Lay the pieces out on a paper towel lined plate. Once cooled, take a wooden spoon or the bottom of a small glass — whatever you have on hand — and smash lightly. The pieces should still be in tact. Once you’ve done this to all of the pieces, put them back into the oil and fry for another 2-3 minutes on each side, or until the pieces have reached a medium gold color. It’s okay if some get a little dark (one of mine got kind of crispy….). Immediately place them onto a paper towel lined plate. This is so the oil gets wicked away from the pieces, resulting in a crispy crust with a delicate interior. Sprinkle some salt over top of the tostones, squirt some lemon juice too if you’d like. These tostones were perfect. I can’t even be modest about it. I have never made them before, but they came out so crisp on the outside, yet so tender on the inside. And with just the right amount of salt and lemon juice, it was a PERFECT addition to the light and airy ceviche.
Usually, tostones are served with a mojo. I chose to serve mine with some guacamole. I love avocados.
ultra chunky guacamole
They seem like the perfect fruit (?) to have on a blazing hot day. They’re creamy, light, decadent, and so damn good for you. I like my guacamole chunky, so I didn’t mash this as much as I could have. All I added to this was 1 avocado, juice from 1/2 a lemon, a few pinches of freshly minced cilantro, 1/2 a tomato, diced, 2 TBSP of diced red onion, and a pinch of salt.
I could’ve just spooned this out of the bowl and eaten it.
So, that was probably the perfect meal for a 100 degree day. Light, citrusy, and satisfying. Mmmm….
you’ll need many a napkin to eat this sticky rack of deliciousness.
Good morning all.
My life has been overrun by my part-time job, internship, and now the World Cup. What will I watch when the World Cup is over?
Anyway….We celebrated Father’s Day a few days early this year. Initially, my plan was to make some delicious hanger steak. I’ve seen hanger steak at this one grocery store I often turn to for my foodie needs. However, (as predicted) the store did not have hanger steak in stock when I was, of course, looking for it. So, Plan B? Barbecued beef short ribs.
rubbed ribs getting ready for the oven
I started off by rubbing the ribs with a nice spice mix. For two slabs of ribs, I used (adapted from here):
4 TBSP brown sugar
2 TBSP smoked paprika
3 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp celery salt
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp ground cumin
I let the ribs sit in the rub all day so all the flavors could marry. If I had things my way, I would’ve smoked these ribs for about 4-6 hours over low heat with hickory wood chips and such. Buuut, I don’t have a smoker. So instead, I opted to braise the ribs first, then finish them on the grill. In a roasting pan with a rack, add 1 16oz bottle of beer and some water so that there is about an inch of liquid in the pan. Place the ribs that you rubbed at least 12 hours ago on the roasting rack and put them in the pan. Cover with foil, and place in a preheated 250F oven. Roast for 1.5-2 hours. Check your ribs after an hour to be sure there is enough liquid. When the ribs are done (the meat on mine was falling off the bones – a challenge to get on the grill, but so worth it), slather (and I mean SLATHER. BATHE those ribs) in some barbecue sauce and grill for about 10 minutes.
While you’ve got some time on your hands as the ribs are braising, you may as well make your own barbecue sauce, right? Well, I did. I had no idea what I was doing, and it thankfully came out really well. I adapted this sauce from a variety of sources in an attempt to combine the best of both tomato-based and vinegar-based sauces. My sauce started out involving about…
1 1/2 cups of apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup of ketchup
1 TBSP molasses
2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp paprika
some freshly cracked black pepper
2 tsp ground cumin
2 TBSP brown sugar
sweet and spicey short ribs
Whisk all the ingredients together in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Then, reduce to a simmer. Cook until the mixture has reduced and thickened to your desired consistency. I think I cooked mine for about 20-30 minutes. It was perfect timing, really. Once I put it in the refrigerator, the sauce thickened up really nicely. The sauce was REALLY vinegary at first, but it sweetened throughout the cooking process. Throughout cooking, I added a few more shakes of paprika for an additional smokey flavor, and a few more shakes of cumin for….well, mostly because I enjoy cumin a lot. The sauce was sweet, but had a nice kick. A perfect blend.
fresh garden herbs
Now that the ribs are figured out, it’s time for the side dishes. I decided to make grilled vegetable kebabs with summer squash, cherry tomatoes, onion, and little bell peppers. To go along with the vegetables, I made a sauce inspired by the chimichurri sauce native to Uruguay and Argentina (and probably other countries, too). It’s an awesome sauce, traditionally made with parsley, garlic, pepper and olive oil. I needed all of my parsley for the crab cakes I planned to make, so I used basil, oregano, and cilantro. The recipe is adapted from here. It turned out really nicely. Cilantro is such a powerful herb, and when combined with garlic, it stands out with such an intensity. I minced the garlic VERY finely (almost to a paste) so it functioned on an aromatic level, as well. (Yesterday, I spread some of the sauce on some bread and made a sandwich with it. I hope to use the rest of the leftover sauce as a marinade — it’d be awesome with chicken.)
Along with the grilled vegetable kebabs, I made some crab cakes. I used the same recipe as in here, except I added a little more mustard and worcestershire sauce. The difference ended up being minimal, but the cakes were still REALLY good.
jumbo lump crab cakes
Completing the compendium of side dishes was some awesome Mexican-inspired grilled corn on the cob, adapted from here. I grilled the corn for about 20 minutes, rotating the cobs every now and then to ensure even cooking.
a riff on Elote
Then, I deviated from the original recipe a bit and spread only a little butter and mayo on the warm cobs. I felt 1 TBSP of each was waaayy too much. I grated some cotija cheese, sprinkled it on the cobs, and dusted with a little smoked paprika. The cobs were still fairly warm, so the cheese ended up melting slightly. The mayo and cheese added a nice salty bite to the juicy, sweet corn.
And that was that! It was a fantastic and flavorful dinner. I don’t usually like barbecue sauce (I have been rather vocal about my dislike — the bottled nonsense is always way too sweet…), but thought this was deliciously savory, sticky, sweet, spicy, and perhaps most importantly, addictive as all hell. I could’ve eaten an entire rack of short ribs (in all fairness, there isn’t THAT much meat on ribs).
whew!
Happy Father’s Day to all, and Happy Summer, too!
timely
Good morning everyone.
I did say that I would post again in a timely manner, so I’m attempting to make good on my word.
Two items are featured today: polenta that no one in my house liked, and pork that generally everyone felt tasted good.
Let’s begin with the polenta.
I tend not to post my failures on here, partly because I never take pictures of them, and also because I’m thinking of making a worst hits post in the future.
So, polenta.
cheesey, herby polenta cake
Polenta is essentially coarse corn meal cooked in water. Typically, 1 1/2 cups of polenta is cooked with about 4 cups of water. The water can be salted, as you would for pasta or potatoes. The cooking liquid doesn’t have to be just water, of course. For more flavor, you could substitute any stock of your preference, or you could even add a bit of heavy cream for some deliciously silky polenta.
I decided to just cook it in water. To a medium sauce pan, add 4 cups of cold water. Then, add 1 and 1/2 cups of polenta. Begin stirring, and turn on the heat to high, bring to a boil. This will need your constant attention…so keep stirring! If you don’t, it will stick and scorch. And who wants that? Once it begins to form a porridge-like consistency, add seasonings, herbs, whatever you want. After all the water has been absorbed, turn the heat down to medium-low/low and add 1 TBSP of butter. Then, fold in some cheese, perhaps marscapone or creme fraiche for a really velvety consistency, or some gruyere or cheddar for a nice bite. And there you have it.
You can serve it like that, or you can preheat your oven to about 350F and pour the polenta into a cast iron skillet (or some other oven-proof dish). Spread it out so it’s even, top it with more herbs or cheese, and throw it in the oven for about 20-25 minutes. It forms a delicious crust on the outside, and maintains its creaminess on the inside. *I* thought it was very good.
The other night, we were set to have pork chops. So, with my day off, I decided to roast them until they were fall-off-the-bone tender.
roasted pork chops with roasted tomatoes and fresh herbs
I generally followed my previous roasted pork recipes and made an interesting sauce prior to putting this all in the oven. In a medium saucepan, I combined 2 cans of diced tomatoes, about a cup of red wine, onions, garlic, mushrooms, and fresh basil, oregano, and tarragon from my garden. I am LOVING my basil plant, it is going crazy out there and it’s REALLY fragrant. By far one of my favorite herbs.
In some olive oil, saute about half a vidalia onion until soft. Then add garlic, loads of salt and pepper. Stir, add the wine and cook out some of the alcohol. Then, add the tomatoes and mushrooms. Reduce about 1/4th of the volume. Then, add the herbs.
Add a generous amount of salt and pepper to the pork chops and place in an oven proof dish. Pour the sauce over the chops, and put in a preheated 350F oven for about 2 1/2 hours. Serve with some egg noodles and you’re all set.
Tuesday, I am (hopefully) going to a book signing with Anthony Bourdain. Holy. Shit.
Embarrassment.
Hello everyone.
Hopefully you’ll forgive me for my disappearance.
I really haven’t cooked at all since I’ve been back home, with the exception of Mother’s Day. Within the last year or so, my Dad and I have successfully joined forces in the kitchen to make good food for my Mom (hi Mom!) – whether for her birthday or Mother’s Day.
This year, I unfortunately had to work the evening of Mother’s Day, but we made an awesomely huge lunch to make up for it.
First up is grilled lamb chops. Yes, lamb. As many of you may have observed, this blog is called everything but the baa. I’ve undoubtedly explained this in the past, but will reiterate here. I try to avoid eating lamb. Not because it tastes badly, but because of how much I enjoy living lambs. I make exceptions for occasions such as these, because lamb is one of my Mom’s favorite things.
Having said that, here is roughly what we did.
grilled lamb chops
with a bright lemon-herb sauce
I have to say, I highly prefer grilled lamb over roasted. Then again, I find I tend to have a preference toward almost anything grilled. I enjoy the smokey flavor. Initially, we thought the sauce’s recipe called for too much lemon zest so we halved it. Personally, I would have appreciated the full amount, but even with half it tasted wonderfully. The lemon serves two purposes here. The zest functions as an aromatic enhancement, while the juice brightens the intensity of all the herbs. I thought the combination of mint and rosemary with lamb seemed a little tired, and was so happy to find this recipe. The thyme and parsley pair quite well with lamb.
We decided to go with a surf-and-turf theme and make some serious crab cakes. Seafood is one of my favorite food groups (in fact, I think it may be THE favorite), but I make it a point to avoid restaurant crab cakes at all cost. In fact, you should avoid commercial crab cakes as well. It’s well-known that the cakes are nothing but filler (be it bread crumbs, crushed crackers, or whatever other non-crab ingredient they throw in there). I actually quite pride myself on these cakes, adopted from here.
UBER crab cakes
I only had 1 lb. of jumbo lump crab meat, so I adjusted the recipe accordingly. The bottoms were a little crispy, at which I initially freaked out. However, it worked out well, because crispy crab meat is delicious. After they came out of the oil, I set them on a plate lined with two paper towels. Do this, otherwise the oil will sit in the cakes and make them soggy and greasy (and who wants that?). Next time, I would probably increase the amount of Worcestershire sauce a little bit, as well as the mustard. I love the taste of crab (more than lobster, if I’m honest), but I wanted some more of the other flavors in the cakes. Nevertheless, these cakes were great because I was able to control how much filler went into them. Once you make these, there is no going back to those….excuses you get at most restaurants.
And finally, for the vegetable component to the meal, I blanched some green beans and tossed them in olive oil, salt and pepper. Simple, but so good with lamb. The beans were so crunchy and full of vibrancy. In fact, a squirt of lemon juice over them would’ve been great.
crunchy green beans
And that is that! I made blackberry souffles (first try ever!) for breakfast, but never took pictures. They turned out nicely, but I wasn’t that enthusiastic about them. I guess I expected something different (I’ve never had a souffle before).
Oh, fun fact. I turned 21 this past Tuesday, and to celebrate, I got cannolis instead of a birthday cake. If you are in the Central Jersey area, PLEASE go to this bakery. They have a location in Brooklyn (which is what the site links to), and one on Middlesex Ave in Metuchen. They have some of the finest cannolis I have had the pleasure of eating. Good bakeries are dying out, so SUPPORT THEM (but leave all the cannolis for me)!
screw cake
in under an hour.
Hello everyone.
Today is the last day of the semester, and yesterday was a farewell party (of sorts) for one of my classes. We all had to bring food, and while most people brought doritos or out-of-the-box brownies (which were really chewy, and not in a good way), I decided to make somewhat of a meal.
I called it paella, even though it bares little resemblance to an authentic paella. Especially since I made it in less than an hour right before class. Perhaps I should call this “chicken and rice,” rather than paella.
hot off the stove
Excuse this, but I have to: Someone in my class took it upon themselves to remind me that paella is usually made with seafood. So, I returned the advice (?) by telling her that when there is a meat involved, paella is traditionally made with rabbit (or chicken, or really, whatever you have on hand…as paella is what would be called a “peasant dish” because any and all ingredients available go into it). This only provoked another snarky comment regarding the paella she had when she was in Spain, and I resolved to let her rant because it clearly made her feel better to put down the food that I busted my ass to make before class. I just want to say, I know what I made isn’t authentic paella, but I did put effort into what I brought. I left work an hour early to make it. When she learns how to make proper, not-soggy deviled eggs (they were so soggy, they fell apart..no exaggeration), she can come to me with paella instructions.
Now that that little story is out of the way, I’d have to say that the chicken and rice came out pretty well. The chicken was especially flavorful because I threw it in a marinade the night before. It involved red wine vinegar, cilantro, bay leaves, pepper and lots of paprika. What the exact proportions of all the ingredients were, I’ll never know. If you want to make an authentic paella, I advise you to go here. It is the most authentic recipe I’ve yet to find, and I’ve been searching for months. I really ought to invest in a paella pan…perhaps I’ll add that to my ever-growing summer “to do” list.
Anyway, that takes care of my chicken and rice inventory. Now, all I have left in the freezer are some miscellaneous berries, two chicken drumsticks, and two pork chops. Plus an assortment of leftover pork, “paella,” and spanakoptia. Will this tide me over until Monday night? Perhaps, especially since I need to use up the last of my spaghetti. It will be interesting…
Macadamia nuts are native to Australia. And are toxic to dogs.
Good evening everyone.
It’s been a few days, but I’ve been trying to clear away my leftovers.
Tonight was pork night. Slow, deliciously roasted pork loin chops. No knife needed.
tender, juicy pork
Ingredients:
2 pork loin chops
1/2 cup beef stock (home made preferably)
1/2 cup red wine
1 overflowing spoonful of creme fraiche
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
4 sprigs of thyme
salt and pepper
dried parsley (use your judgment)
5 or 6 small gold potatoes, cubed
2-3 garlic cloves, peeled
olive oil & butter
Method:
1. preheat oven to 350F and chop, smash, season, etc. everything to get it out of the way.
2. rinse and pat dry the pork chops. season generously with salt and pepper.
3. in a saute pan with sides, heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat. once the butter’s foam subsides, sear the pork on both sides so a nice, brown crust forms. remove when done.
4. in the leftover fat, add onion and saute for about 2-3 minutes. add the garlic, thyme, dried parsley and beef stock. simmer for 2-3 minutes.
5. add dollop of creme fraiche and stir until melted completely. taste and add salt and pepper as needed (you should probably just make it a habit to taste your food constantly…and use a different spoon every time you do)
6. simmer for 1 minute, then add the red wine. simmer for about 5 minutes, or until the alcohol has cooked out.
7. add pork to a small roasting pan. pour liquid over chops, and add potatoes to the pan. cover the pan with foil and put in the oven for 2-2 1/2 hours. After one hour, flip the pork. After 2 hours, check the pork. If you can pierce it easily with a fork, it’s done (the fork should really melt into the meat with little to no force on your behalf).
slow cooked pork in a creamy red wine sauce
I’ve got the beginnings of a cold right now, and this was one of the best comfort-food dishes for it. It wasn’t too heavy, it was nourishing (pork is always good for the soul), and the meat was melt-in-your-mouth tender. It was practically falling apart as I sliced into it with the fork. UGH, SO GOOD. The creme fraiche added a whole other level to the sauce. It lightened it up while thickening it. So savory, so good. I could’ve eaten 5 more chops like this. The potatoes were perfectly cooked. They just absorbed all the delicious flavors of the pork, beef stock, creme fraiche, red wine, garlic….everything. Delicious. It seems like 2 hours, in my oven, was the perfect amount of time. I encourage you to braise things. Yes, these dishes take hours, but come on…I got all my laundry done in the meantime. Plus, your house will smell SO GOOD.
what do you do with extra phyllo?
Good morning, everyone. Yes, a morning post.
Yesterday I tried to use up all my remaining phyllo dough by making a version of spanakopita. However, I had some left over sheets of dough…probably about 6-7 sheets. What to do with it? Make more spanakopita? No. Already have way too many leftovers. Make baklava? Close, but no. I have none of the necessary ingredients.
After scrounging around my refrigerator, I noticed I had an unopened container of creme fraiche and some pumpkin butter. What an interesting combination…
phyllo triangles with creme fraiche and pumpkin butter filling
Drizzled very lightly with honey, these triangles make a nice dessert…..or breakfast.
Ingredients:
phyllo dough
olive oil (or unsalted butter, whatever you prefer)
pumpkin butter
creme fraiche
*by the way, when working with phyllo, it always helps to lay it out on a baking sheet or other flat surface, covered with plastic wrap and a damp towel. it keeps the dough from drying out, which is very important*
Method:
1. preheat oven to 350F.
2. lay out one sheet of phyllo and brush the top with olive oil (or your fat of choice). lay another sheet on top. repeat the process until you have 3-4 sheets.
3. vertically, cut about 2 1/2 – 3 inch wide strips. at the top of each strip, add maybe……2 tsp of creme fraiche and 2 tsp of pumpkin butter. fold as you would a flag (i posted a youtube video on how to do this in an earlier post)
4. continue this process until you’ve used up all your dough.
5. line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper and place all the triangles on. throw in the oven and bake until the triangles are golden brown. i’d say…about 15-30 minutes depending on your oven. just keep an eye on them.
a breakfast treat
The creme fraiche and pumpkin butter turned out to be a really good combination. It sort of tasted like a creamier pumpkin pie wrapped in buttery phyllo. You can fill these with anything, though, to make them either sweet or savory. I had some last night fresh out of the oven and they were so crunchy and gooey. This morning, I had some that had been in the refrigerator. They weren’t as gross as I thought they would be. In fact, the filling hardened slightly, and it was actually really enjoyable (at the expensive of the phyllo’s crunch). Drizzled with honey, it was a perfect pastry-esque breakfast to have with some good coffee (I would’ve preferred an espresso, but whatever).
The average Australian will consume 18 beef cattle and 90 sheep in his or her lifetime.
Hello everyone.
Yet another fun fact about Australia and food. I sense a trend…anyone who guesses what sparked my latest obsession with Australia gets a prize. Seriously, I’ll mail you something food related (disclaimer: this doesn’t count for people who already know the answer)!
Tonight, I decided to use the rest of my frozen phyllo dough. It’s been in the freezer since February, and I was afraid it was just going to dry out if I kept it in there longer.
So, after consulting this very good site about the basics of spanakopita, I decided to go my own way about it. For those unfamiliar with Greek cuisine, spanakopita is a spinach pie made with phyllo dough as the crust. I’ve always been too intimidated to make this, but once you get the hang of working with the dough, it’s really easy. Really.
a different sort of spanakopita
Ingredients:
1/2 bag of spinach, chopped
1/2 cup of feta, crumbled
1/3 cup marscapone
2 eggs, lightly beaten
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup olive oil
phyllo dough
other herbs like dill, parsley, or even onions. you can really put what ever *fresh* herbs you want into this, it’s a blank canvas. i just had nothing on hand.
Method:
(preheat oven to 350F)
1. mix the spinach, feta, marscapone, salt and pepper in a bowl. (frustrated because the marscapone is sticking to the spoon you’re haplessly abusing your mix with? well, the only solution is to use your hands. sure, it may be gross or…icky, even. sure, it may make a nasty squishing sound when you dive your hands in. but, it’s the best method.)
2. brush bottom of an 8×8 (or 9×11, whatever you have) pan with olive oil.
3. place a sheet of phyllo in the pan. brush the top of it with olive oil. put another sheet on top of that, and repeat this process until you have 6-8 layers.
4. place the spinach mixture on top of the phyllo dough layers in the pan. spread it around evenly.
5. plae another sheet of phyllo on top of the spinach mixture, and brush with olive oil. place another sheet on top of that, and repeat this process until you have another 6-8 layers.
6. bake until the top is a golden brown, for about 30-50 minutes.
This was so good! Next time, I will definitely add the fresh herbs because it lacked a little bit of flavor. However, the marscapone made the filling pretty creamy, which was very pleasant. Yes, pleasant.
# # There are more than 150 million sheep in Australia, and only some 20 million people.
Hello everyone.
Hope you enjoyed that fun fact for this evening. It’s an oldie, but goodie.
Anyway, I had no idea what I was doing for dinner tonight. I knew it would involve chicken, but had no other plans. Today was not conducive to planning out a meal.
So, I threw a bunch of random things into a pot (and then a pan), and called it a meal. It came out tasting, well, really damn good.
chicken with a balsamic and caramelized onion reduction
Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts
3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup water (or good chicken stock if you have any)
1/3 cup soy sauce
4 or 5 sprigs of thyme
1 bay leaf
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
freshly cracked black pepper
ginger
turmeric
basil
butter
extra virgin olive oil
Method:
1. in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, add the balsamic vinegar and half the water. bring to a light boil so the acid cooks out. i’d give this about 10 minutes (you’ll know the acid has been cooked off once it doesn’t sting your nose when you take a whiff). if the level of the liquid seems to be too low, add the other half of the water.
2. meanwhile, in a large saute pan with sides, heat 1-2 tbsp butter and 1-2 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. once the butter is foaming, add the chopped onions and cook until brown and caramelized.
3. add the soy sauce, bay leaf, and thyme to the balsamic vinegar. turn the heat down so it simmers. if need be, add more water.
4. rinse and pat the chicken dry. sprinkle liberally with turmeric, basil, and ginger. i tend to go light on the ginger because i’m least fond of it.
5. once onions are browned, add the vinegar mixture to the pan. scrape up any brown bits and give it a stir. add the chicken and cover. cook on medium heat for about 7-10 minutes (depending on the size of your cuts of chicken). after about 10 minutes, turn the chicken over and cook for another 7-10 minutes. remove the chicken to a plate once cooked, and crank the heat up to high. boil the sauce so it reduces by about half. there should be barely enough liquid in the pan to coat the entire bottom.
For whatever reason, I thought this worked really, really well. The turmeric and basil are a weird combination, but it worked for me. It was a weird….pan-asian, italian fusion. The chicken came out really tender, too, which is always a plus. I’ve been eating a lot of dark chicken meat lately (it’s cheaper), and have forgotten how much I enjoy white meat. People argue white meat has no flavor. I disagree – its flavor is just different than dark meat, and it’s just as good.
versitility
Hello everyone.
I’ve mentioned my food crisis here before. I move out in less than two weeks, and have tons of meat in my freezer. And tons of leftovers in my refrigerator. There’s nothing worse than wasted food, in my opinion. So, what oh what to do?
Well, in an effort to put the kibosh on my chicken leftovers, I improvised some “chicken salad.” It isn’t really chicken salad because it doesn’t involve cups of mayo and other such things. I’d argue this was much, much better as a result.
"chicken salad"
I didn’t really keep track of proportions or how much of what ingredients I was using (I was rushing out the door to the library) but I scooped in SOME mayo, lots of whole grain mustard (I use Maille; I find it’s the best), and like two or three sprigs of fresh thyme. I chopped up a leftover chicken thigh and combined everything in a bowl. I have about half left over for today, and I’m thinking about putting some cheese on the sandwich. It’d be good with pesto, too.
See? Leftovers can be so useful….
how big are oxs’ tails?
Good evening everyone.
It seems as though the rain in Boston is finally over, just in time for the marathon. Fortunately, my apartment is located right along the route, so tomorrow shall be quite interesting!
After a very stressful weekend, I decided to make something savory and delicious for dinner tonight. Something involving red wine and braising in the oven. In my effort to get rid of as much food as possible within the next two weeks, I dug some oxtails out of the freezer. Perfect.
oxtails braised in red wine
I don’t know the chemistry behind this, but red wine develops the most unctuous, decadent, luscious flavor once the alcohol has cooked off. And when braised for 3 1/2 hours in the oven with vegetables and your meat of choice, it becomes the most velvety, savory sauce. It blows my mind every single time. Seriously, every time. This is a dish I can get enthusiastic about. The meat literally pulls right off the bone, which is an accomplishment for oxtails. The meat is pretty tough, so getting it tender is a challenge. I’ve stewed oxtails in the past to a degree of success, but never have I had oxtails so tender as these. Braising in the oven is truly the way to go.
Oxtails Braised in Red Wine, adopted from here
2 meaty oxtails
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
3 large carrots, coarsely chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 Turkish or 1/2 California bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon sweet or hot Spanish smoked paprika
3/4 cup red wine, such as a Shiraz
1 can of diced tomatoes (no salt added)
Method:
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Pat oxtails dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat oil in pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown oxtails in batches without crowding, turning occasionally, about 5 minutes per batch. Transfer as browned to a bowl. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from pot.
Cook onion, carrots, garlic, and bay leaf in fat in pot over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, 6 to 7 minutes. Add paprika and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add wine and bring to a boil, stirring and scraping up any brown bits. Add oxtails with any juices accumulated in bowl and chopped tomatoes (liquid should come about halfway up sides of meat) and bring to a boil.
Cover pot and braise oxtails in lower third of oven, turning once or twice, until very tender, 3 to 3 1/2 hours. Skim fat from sauce, then add salt and pepper to taste.
I made some spaghetti with this dish, as you can see. It made a good accompaniment, especially with the sauce.
Some of you may gawk at the 3 1/2 hours it takes to cook. Don’t judge, your efforts are rewarded.
pork-on-pork action
Good morning, everyone.
Not only is today a rainy one, but it’s quite cold as well. Gross.
Anyway, I move back home in just over two weeks (17 days, but who’s counting?) and I’m feeling some pressure to use up the food I have lingering in the pantry and such. So last night, I made an effort to use up some pork and prosciutto.
Initially, I thought it would be a good idea to wrap chicken breasts with the prosciutto. However, when I took pork out of the freezer, I realized it was time for some pork-on-pork action. Last night was a veritable porkfest, as it were.
pork chop wrapped in prosciutto
I don’t know what my deal was yesterday, but my game was off. I decided to make some rice to go along with the pork, but I started cooking the rice way earlier than the pork. I’ve…never done that before. So to stall for time while the pork cooked in the oven, I used the rice for tahdig. I’m glad I did because the piece of lavash bread I had hanging around was getting REALLY stale.
Porkfest
Ingredients:
2 pork loin chops
2 slices of prosciutto
1/2 lemon thinly sliced
garam masala
pepper
Method:
1. preheat oven to 350F.
2. rinse and pat dry the pork. set on a baking sheet lined with either parchment paper or foil.
3. coat pork generously with garam masala and freshly cracked black pepper on both sides. you won’t need salt here, because the prosciutto’s got you covered.
4. take a slice of prosciutto and wrap it around one of the pork chops. note: i have pork loin chops (or something like that), so my cuts are a little narrower. if you have huge pork chops, you could stuff them with the prosciutto or something if wrapping doesn’t work.
5. slice half of a lemon and place the slices on top of the pork. place in the oven for about 45 minutes to an hour, or until you notice the lemons are dehydrated and starting to change in color.
This was a completely random recipe, and it came out really nicely. The pork was kept tender and moist because of the lemons, and surprisingly, the lemon slices went really well with the prosciutto and pork. The garam masala is a bit of an odd ingredient in here, but I think it worked. It added warmth, which contrasted nicely with the brightness of the citrus. It just goes to show that even when you slop random ingredients together, it often comes out pretty damn well.
a riff on fried chicken
Hello everyone.
It seems as though we’re entering yet another cold and rainy weekend here in Boston. While depressing, it is conducive to getting 2 papers and 1 project done (or at least started).
Thursday night, I decided it was time for some comfort food–or at least my interpretation of it. I wanted fried chicken, but didn’t really have the means of deep frying it. So, I pan fried some chicken thighs that were coated in panko bread crumbs.
fried chicken
“fried” chicken
Ingredients:
panko bread crumbs (or whatever you have on hand)
1 egg
2 chicken thighs
salt & pepper
Method:
1. In a medium saute pan, heat some olive oil over medium heat.
2. Rinse and pat the chicken dry. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Break the egg into a bowl, beat it and thin it out with a little bit of water.
4. Put some bread crumbs into a second bowl, preferably next to the one with the egg.
5. Dunk the chicken into the egg bowl. Coat completely. Then, dunk the chicken into the bread crumbs bowl. Coat completely. Repeat if you want more coverage.
6. Saute chicken on both sides until firm when poked.
So, there you have it. It’s a really easy, quick meal, and it’s a somewhat healthier substitute for actual fried chicken.
Easter Dinner
Hello Everyone.
For the first time since beginning college, I went home for Easter. Although Easter does not seem to hold quite as much importance to our family as does Thanksgiving or Christmas, it still meant a lot to come home. Of course, it means a lot any time I go home.
While most of my Easter memories involve a honey glazed ham of sorts, this year we decided to go with pork shoulder. My appreciation for pork is growing (I never used to like it), and this recipe pushed me over the edge in to full-on pork love.
the glorious pork shoulder
I spotted the recipe here and thought it sounded delicious. It involves braising the pork in a champagne vinegar mixture. To be honest, I have never heard of champagne vinegar so this recipe was exciting. New ingredients are always exciting. I won’t bother reposting the recipe, as you can just follow the link over to Food & Wine.
As you can probably tell, the pork was damn good. Perfectly cooked, if I may say so (I had nothing to do with the cooking, which is probably why!). It was moist, tender, and fell apart when sliced with a fork. For whatever reason, there ended up being about a half a gallon of sauce (yes, a half a gallon!) which is rather excessive. Nevertheless, it was a delicious sauce. I was wary of including the grapes, and we toyed with omitting them. In the end, I’m glad we kept them in. They added a subtle sweetness to the pork. I personally hate the honey-glazed ham crap because I think it’s too sweet, so this was just the right amount of sweetness for my liking.
With the pork, my mom and I tried our hand at making dinner rolls. We dug out the bread machine to use to make the dough. To the original recipe, we added some thyme and tarragon so they would have a nice herby feel.
herbed dinner rolls
They came out really well for our first try at making them. They were soft, and the egg wash made them look store bought (at least, I thought so). They had a slight sweetness to them, which was really nice along with all the savory food. The recipe was out of a cookbook we have at home.
In addition to the rolls, we had prosciutto-wrapped roasted asparagus with a citronette found here.
The original recipe calls for pancetta, but we opted for prosciutto. This side dish could not be easier, and can be prepped the night before if need be. All you have to do is wrap the asparagus in some prosciutto and keep them covered in the refrigerator until you are ready to cook them. The citronette was actually really, really good. It was a little sweet, and the citrus really balanced the intense salty flavor of the prosciutto well.
It has become a rather well-known and accepted fact that my mother makes the best deviled eggs, and these were certainly no exception. Alex never had deviled eggs before visiting for Easter, and I would argue that these were probably the best
introduction to this side dish. Although deviled eggs are commonly had during the summer for picnics and such, we had lots of eggs and who doesn’t love deviled eggs?
For dessert, we bought a cheesecake. It was really good, but I’m a little biased.
I think I can safely say that this was the most delicious Easter I’ve had yet.
long time, no post.
Hello Everyone, and Happy Monday…..
I’ve been on a bit of a hiatus, it seems! Someone special came to visit all the way from Australia (hi Alex!) this past week and a half, so I was quite busy. However, we ate at a lot of really great restaurants, so hopefully within the next few days I’ll give you some updates on our food experiences.
I told Alex that I would make him something good for dinner the first night he got here. After about a week of agonizing over what to make, I decided on making Brasato al Barolo. Essentially, beef braised in red wine. This recipe calls for a Barolo wine, but it’s not exactly cheap. Really any full-bodied red wine can be used.
(I apologize in advance for the crappy photo quality that is about to be shown, but the lighting in my apartment really, really sucks.)
beef braised in red wine
Beef Braised in Red Wine adapted from here
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 (3- to 3 1/2-pound) boneless beef chuck roast (I used a smaller top round roast)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 pound sliced pancetta, finely chopped (I used proscuitto)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 medium carrot, finely chopped
2 celery ribs, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
4 (4- to 6-inch) sprigs fresh thyme
2 (6- to 8-inch) sprigs fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cups Barolo or other full-bodied red wine such as Ripasso Valpolicella, Gigondas, or Côtes du Rhône
2 cups water
*You can use a heavy-bottomed pot for this, or just a roasting pan. I only had a roasting pan on hand, so I covered it with foil once the meat and everything was in.*
Method:
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 325°F.
Heat oil in pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking.
Meanwhile, pat meat dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Brown meat in hot oil on all sides, about 10 minutes total. (If bottom of pot begins to scorch, lower heat to moderate.) Transfer to a plate using a fork and tongs.
Add pancetta to oil in pot and sauté over moderately high heat, stirring frequently, until browned and fat is rendered, about 3 minutes. Add onion, carrot, and celery and sauté, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened and golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Add garlic, thyme, and rosemary and sauté, stirring, until garlic begins to soften and turn golden, about 2 minutes. Stir in tomato paste and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add wine and boil until liquid is reduced by about half, about 5 minutes. Add water and bring to a simmer, then return meat along with any juices accumulated on plate to pot. Cover pot with lid and transfer to oven. Braise until meat is very tender, 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
Transfer meat to a cutting board. Skim fat from surface of sauce and discard along with herb stems. Boil sauce until reduced by about one third, about 5 minutes, then season with salt. Cut meat across the grain into 1/2-inch-thick slices and return to sauce.
—
Although I thought the meat came out a little dry (my oven doesn’t really cook things evenly or maintain its temperature), it was really, really good. It fell apart when you stuck your fork in it, and the sauce was intensely savory. Red wine adds an awesome richness to food – I love cooking with it.
So, what did we have with the meat? I took some inspiration from the movie Julie & Julia and made bruschetta. If you have never seen the movie, Julia makes this AMAZING looking bruschetta in one early scene.
bruschetta
She fries slices of bread in some oil, and then places these succulent-looking tomatoes on top of the bread slices. Unfortunately, I didn’t have heirloom tomatoes on hand as it’s not tomato season, so grape tomatoes had to suffice. I diced them, and tossed them in a little bit of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. I bought this loaf of rosemary-olive oil bread. I thought the rosemary in the bread would tie in well with the rosemary used with the beef.
green beans
And finally, as if that wasn’t enough, I made some green beans. They are in season right now, and I wanted a nice springy side dish to offset the ultra-savory beef. I blanched the beans in boiling water until I saw their green color intensify, then I threw them into some ice water to stop the cooking. I sauteed them in some olive oil, salt, and pepper for about 3-4 minutes. I tossed them with some crumbled manchego cheese, which tasted really good against the beans. Delicious.
So, that was dinner. It was delicious, and there were lots of leftovers (which is always good). That is the last thing I cooked in this apartment, as we either went out for dinner or got takeout every night the following week. I’ll update on the awesome Easter dinner we had, along with all the restaurants we hit in Boston, later this week.
the magic that is pork
Hello everyone.
Yes, two in one day. Can you tell I have an exam coming up later this week?
As I mentioned earlier, I decided to go for a buy one get one free sale of pork. I also mentioned that it has become my new mission to make pork chops tender and delicious.
When I think of tender and delicious, I think braising. Braising is one of my favorite methods of cooking because it leaves meat fall-off-the-bone tender. I was in the mood for something spicy tonight, and I coincidentally came across this recipe for carnitas. Although pork shoulder is traditionally used for carnitas, I don’t see myself buying THAT much (as much as I would love to, that would be leftovers for….a while…and I’ll only be living here for one month more). I decided to take Anthony Bourdain’s advice when it comes to pork:
Love pork in all its many-faceted glory. Respect it. Do not waste it. Use it carefully and well. Cook with it, at all times, as if you were dirt poor; it is imperative that you do not waste a scrap. A highly intelligent animal died so you could have bacon. So don’t overcook it.
And that is what I did. I did not overcook it. Even though I was working with these two smaller than average pork chops, I respected it and tended to it diligently while it slowly braised in a savory and spicy sauce. Embarrassingly, I did not have all the accoutrement for proper carnitas (cilantro, lime, salsa, you know…everything you would need), so I improvised with some potatoes. I braised them right along with the pork chops so they benefited from the sauces and juices as well.
improv carnitas
Ingredients
2 pork sirloin chops (mine were small. these two probably equaled the size of one normal chop)
3 cloves garlic, minced
water
salt and pepper
a generous pinch (or two) of chili powder
1 cinnamon stick, or about a teaspoon of ground cinnamon
a generous pinch (or two) of cumin
a few shakes of tobasco sauce
2 bay leaves
olive oil
Method
1. cut the meat into 2-3″ chunks and season all sides with salt. preheat the oven to 350 F.
2. in a saucepan, heat the oil and cook the meat until very well browned on all sides. once brown, remove and blot on a paper towel. after blotting, add to a small roasting pan (i used an 8 x 11 brownie pan, as it turns out).
3. once all the meat is browned and it has been removed from the pan, add about two cups of water and scrape the bottom of the pan to release all the brown bits. add the cinnamon stick (or powder), bay leaves, garlic, chili powder and cumin. mix well, and then add to the meat in the roasting pan. if the meat is not about 2/3 covered, add a little more water.
4. braise in oven, covered with foil, for about 3 hours. check on the meat occasionally, turning it, adding more water if it seems to be too dry, etc.
5. once a fork pierces the meat like it would room temperature butter, remove from the oven and transfer the meat to a plate. strain the liquid. shred the pork and put it back into the pan. add the liquid and put it into the oven. cook until most of the liquid evaporates. the pork should be crispy and start to caramelize.
These were the most tender pork chops I’ve ever had. The cinnamon added a real nice warmth to the dish, while the chili powder, paprika, and tobasco added some HEAT. It was exactly what I was looking for tonight. I served it over lavash bread in the absence of tortillas. This would’ve been good in a pita, too. It was screaming for a squeeze of lime and some cilantro, but I was totally lacking. I’ve got tons of pork left, so I’m sure I’ll be making something like this again – only less ill prepared. This is a pretty easy recipe, and you’re left with a lot of free time to either study for an exam or watch a movie. Not to mention it perfumes the place with the most delicious smell – I could not wait to taste it.
oeufs et asperge
Hello everyone.
Ordinarily, Thursday is the day I plan out the following week’s meals. Then Friday, I go grocery shopping to pick up any random ingredients or pantry items that I’m low on.
That didn’t happen this week. I’m not sure why, but I felt myself starting to lose inspiration. While I waxed lyrical yesterday about how eye-opening Judith Jones’s perspective was, I’m still not really feeling into it. I took this as a sign: I need to start cooking more challenging dishes. I noticed one of the local grocery stores sells honeycomb tripe every now and then, so after hitting the gym, I headed there yesterday to get some. Tripe? Yes. Really? Oh yes. One of the points Judith Jones made was that Americans are too afraid to eat offal and other less common bits of animals. And why should we be? Seriously, why?
So, off I walked to the store in hopes of diving into personally uncharted culinary territory. I had no idea how I would make the tripe if I managed to score some. I stalled by the vegetables for a bit trying to think up a recipe while picking up a small bunch of asparagus and a small box of juicy, red strawberries; the nice fruits and vegetables that would hold my hand as I walked to the meat section. Once there, I scoured the meats. No tripe. I looked again. No, still nothing. What the hell! I got all in the mood for some tripe only to be disappointed. sigh–Maybe next time.
The store did, however, have pork sirloin chops on a buy one get one free sale. So, I now have lots of pork. Ordinarily, I buy chicken and the occasional beef. Yes, very boring. While it’s true I do not like pork chops (I find them tasteless), I want to branch out. Admittedly, I have no idea what pork sirloin chops are. I have never seen that labeling before. However, I’m determined to make pork chops taste good — that is tonight’s mission.
Disheartened after my grocery store fail, I had no idea what to do for dinner yesterday. I didn’t want meat. I didn’t even want to cook. I even toyed with the notion of getting take out from somewhere. However, I did just buy some asparagus and marscapone cheese….and I did buy eggs a while ago for, well, I don’t remember what. Sounded like all the fixings for a spring omelet.
asparagus omelet with collard greens and caramelized onions
(As you can see, I’ve yet to master the art of folding an omelet.) I believe somewhere in this blog, I posted an omelet recipe, so check that out if you don’t know the basics of making an omelet. When whisking the eggs, I added some marscapone cheese instead of creme fraiche or milk. I have never used marscapone before, and I’d say it’s got the texture of cream cheese with the taste of ricotta. It’s quite good, actually.
As for the asparagus and onions, I thought they would taste nice in a balsamic reduction of some sort. So, I drizzled olive oil into a saute pan, chopped one half of an onion (I had a half laying around in the refrigerator) and sauteed the pieces until caramelized. Just before the onions turned full-on brown, I added about 5 stalks of chopped asparagus. You can leave the asparagus raw if you want the crunch. Then, I added a little bit of balsamic vinegar diluted in some water along with generous amounts of pepper and salt, and let the liquid reduce out. I also sauteed some collard greens because I need to use what I’ve got before it all goes bad. When you have your eggs set up in a saute pan, add some of the onion and asparagus mixture to it, and continue with the omelet-making process.
I have some asparagus and onions left over…no idea what I’ll end up doing with it. They might be nice in a baguette with some cheese.
So, tonight? Pork. Good pork.
waiting for rice to cook.
Good evening, everyone.
As many of you probably know, waiting for rice to cook when you’re really quite hungry is well, excruciating.
I often find myself standing over the pot, staring into its glass lid scrutinizing the dark, boiling water for evidence of absorption. This is, of course, a futile process. As I pace back to my computer, feigning preoccupation, I find myself getting up to check the progress (or lack thereof) of my rice almost as quickly as I sat down at my desk. Sigh. Note to self: start buying white rice; it cooks way faster. In what feels like 45 minutes, 3 have managed to pass. It is only when I find myself beginning to consider the virtues of eating very al dente rice that I even pry myself away from the stove.
And that was the beginning of my tahdig with lavash venture. This is my second tahdig attempt; the first was with potato slices. I was not enthusiastic about how tahdig #1 came out, and so I persisted in using lavash. Lavash, on its own, is fantastic. Better than tortillas, I’d argue. Although, maybe not. It’s all contextual, really.
tahdig with lavash
And there it is, people. My first successful tahdig. The lavash became so damn crunchy, I cut into it like a pie.
So, how did this happen without totally burning to a crisp? Here’s what I did after cooking the rice:
In a medium saucepan, dump in 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil along with 1 tablespoon of saffron water. Stir with a wooden spoon to combine the olive oil and water as best as you possibly can. Cover the bottom with the lavash. You can do either one or two layers, I did one. Put the cooked rice on top of the lavash, cover and cook.
This can happen in a few ways. You can cook it over low heat for about 45 minutes to an hour, or if you’re impatient (as I was), you can cook this over medium heat for about 20-30 minutes. My advice to you: let some of the lavash come up the sides so you can take a fork and pull it back to check its level of doneness. This is probably cheating, probably a little unorthodox, but for your first time I’d say go for it. You need to be able to gauge how done it gets over time.
When it’s done, take a plate big enough to fit over the saucepan, and put it over the pan. Flip the pan so the tahdig is on the plate, and you’ve got something awesome.
delicious tahdig
Tomorrow night, I am going to a cooking demonstration with Judith Jones. For those of you who don’t know, Judith Jones was the editor of Julia Child’s most famous cook book, Mastering the Art of French Cooking. The subject of the demonstration is cooking for one, something I’ve grown quite fond of. I will, of course, take tons of pictures!
sweet and savory
Hello everyone.
I feel like it has rained every Tuesday for the past month. It’s starting to bum me out.
So, to lift my spirits, I made something special for lunch today. And by special, I mean not a sandwich.
strawberries and almond butter on lavash
Yummm. It is spring, which means strawberries. These, unfortunately, were the last of my little stash. The almond butter and strawberry combination is one of the most mood-lifting tastes out there. Something about strawberries always puts me in a good mood, though. I slathered a piece of lavash bread (a Lebanese flatbread) with almond butter (the more, the better in my opinion) and topped it with about 5 sliced strawberries. Then, roll.
mmm....
So, it comes out kind of like a skinny burrito of sorts. But it’s so, so good. And not to mention, healthy. I try not to endorse the “EAT THIS, AND A LOT OF IT….BECAUSE IT’S HEALTHY” attitude that so often circulates throughout mainstream culture in the US, but this is damn good. Drizzle a little honey over top the strawberries and almond butter for a little something extra, and you’ve got an awesome lunch. There’s tons of protein in the almond butter, this lavash bread has a lot of fiber to it, and strawberries are full of carbohydrates (among many other good things) to keep you energized throughout your afternoon.
And now, for dinner. In keeping with the berry theme my lunch ran with, I made some chicken with a raspberry and red wine vinegar sauce. The original recipe is blackberry and balsamic roast quail…but I had neither quail nor blackberries, so chicken thighs and raspberries worked. I haven’t been using my red wine vinegar lately, so I used it instead of the seemingly omnipresent balsamic vinegar.
Chicken with a Raspberry and Red Wine Vinegar Sauce adapted from here
2 chicken thighs
1/2 c raspberries
1/2 c red wine vinegar
2 tsp thyme
salt and pepper
generous bunch of collard greens
extra virgin olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
Method
1. Heat vinegar and raspberries in a small saucepan. Mash the raspberries and reduce the liquid to half the volume, add in thyme, salt, pepper – set aside and let cool.
2. Heat some olive oil over medium-high heat. Saute onions until translucent or caramelized, then transfer to raspberry mix.
3. Heat some more olive oil over medium heat in a large saute pan with sides. Add the collard greens. Cover and cook until wilted. Add some salt and pepper.
4. Rinse and pat dry the chicken thighs. Coat with salt and pepper. In yet another saute pan, heat some oil over medium. Add the chicken, and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side, or until chicken is firm to the touch.
5. Pour sauce over chicken, serve.
chicken with raspberry sauce
I’ve gotta say, the sauce was really good. I’m not a huge fan of the sweet-savory combination, but this was good. I made some deviations from the original recipe, as you can see. I definitely intend to try the original recipe at some point, it looks delicious.
And for dessert, I had (a lot of) cheese and a pear. I love cheese.
All right, perhaps Thursday I will make a second attempt at tahdig using lavash bread instead of potatoes. Though, what to make with the tahdig is still being decided….
no knife needed
Good evening, everyone.
Today I decided to attempt east Asian cuisine. After pouring over many blogs in search of a recipe suited for someone admittedly unfamiliar with cuisine from this vast region, I decided to make adobo.
Adobo is a Filipino method of cooking meat with vinegar. When the Spanish came to the Philippines, they observed the cooking practices of native Filipinos and labeled them adobo. In Spanish, adobo means seasoning or marinade. Essentially, that’s exactly what the meat in this dish do: they stew in a vinegar and soy sauce based sauce with about four other ingredients.
adobo with chicken and oxtails
Adobo is really central to the oft-overlooked Filipino cuisine. I’d love to learn more about Filipino food, as I feel the food culture for the Philippines gets little to no attention. Below is the recipe, with my substitutions/alterations as noted.
Adobo as adapted from here
2 chicken drumsticks
1-2 oxtails*
1/2 c white rice vinegar*
1/4 c soy sauce
3/4-1 c water
1 1/2 tsp whole black peppercorns
8-10 cloves garlic, slightly smashed, skins left on
2 bay leaves
freshly ground black pepper & salt to taste
Method:
1. put all ingredients in a heavy bottomed pot and leave for 30 minutes to marinate.
2. place the pot over medium heat. add 1/2 cup of water, bring to a boil. lower the heat to a simmer, and simmer without stirring (seriously, no. stirring.) until most of the vinegar acid has cooked off. how will you know if it’s cooked off? open your bottle of vinegar and sniff. that stung, right? well, once the vinegar acid has cooked off, it won’t do that.
3. keep simmering until the chicken is tender, which will take about 40 minutes. taste the sauce. if it’s too salty or sharp, add more water.
4. when the chicken is tender, remove it and set it aside. you can mash SOME of the garlic into the sauce.
5. keep simmering on low for about 30-60 minutes, or until a fork pierces oxtails like it would with butter. remove the oxtails, set aside.
6. keep simmering until the sauce has reduced to your desired consistency. meanwhile, heat some oil in a saute pan over medium heat. once hot, add the chicken and oxtails and fry on all sides. the goal is to get a crispy exterior. this, however, is optional.
7. add the chicken and oxtails back to the sauce, toss to coat.
This dish is traditionally paired with white rice, which is great for soaking up some of the delicious sauce.
*the original recipe calls for pork belly and white cane vinegar, neither of which I could find.
If you’ve never made this before, I can assure it is easy and the end result blows you away. The vinegar adds some tang, while the small amount of soy sauce lends a hint of flavor and a lot of color. The garlic is not at all overpowering, contrary to what you may expect with 8-10 cloves. I simmered this with a lid on because the liquid did not cover the meat. I’m not actually sure if it’s supposed to, but nevertheless, I felt the oxtails would benefit from the pressure. And they did. The oxtails were SO TENDER – they came out better than they did the first time I made them. When I stuck a fork into one of the tails, it just melted right into the meat. oohhhhhh mannnnn……so. good. The chicken was equally as good. It was extremely flavorful (an accomplishment for chicken, some may argue) and it just pulled apart. No knife needed whatsoever. This is a comfort food dish in every sense of the term – very satisfying and a pleasure to eat. If you’re having a bad day or are approaching a stressful week, make this. Just…do it.
Side note. I deviated from my ritual almond butter and (insert add on here) sandwich today (although, an almond butter + strawberry sandwich is AMAZING). After hitting the gym, I walked to Trader Joe’s to pick up some chicken and ended up getting a bunch of other stuff too (no surprise there). After walking past the cheese section about 4 times, I relented to my gnawing urge to buy some cheese. I’m constantly on the look out for a new, exciting cheese.
- cheddar on a baguette
My latest obsession had been Manchego, so I decided to go for another Spanish cheese. I find Spanish cheeses are overlooked in favor of French or Italian ones. So, I bought a block of Iberico cheese. Then I had a sudden impulse to get a really sharp, pungent cheddar. My search for a blow-your-face-off cheddar is everlasting, and with high hopes I purchased some English-made cheddar today.
I planned to have a cheese sandwich for lunch, and bought a nice demi baguette to complete my vision.
It was suggested that I put some butter and dijon mustard on a sandwich like this, but the thought of butter and cheese sort of turns my stomach. Unfortunately, I have no good mustard on hand, so this was just a plain cheese sandwich. The cheese is good, but not even close to what I was after. All in all, it was a really good sandwich. I should get baguettes more often, particularly the smaller ones. They are perfect for lunch, and they were quite inexpensive (which is always important).
spring is on its way…
Good evening everyone.
It feels great to still see the sun at 6:30 in the evening. The tree below the window next to me is budding and the grass is definitely coming back to life. Flowers are peaking out of the ground, and birds are slowly coming back (yes, we get the occasional non-pigeon bird).
Although it was tempting to grab a burrito on my way home from the gym and eat it somewhere outside, I came home and made a big pot of Israeli couscous. If you buy the small-grained couscous in a box with those seasoning packets, you’ll likely be a little surprised at the look of Israeli couscous. Its grains are larger, and it’s often called pearl couscous. It may be used as a rice substitute, or you can do as I did and make a meal out of it.
Israeli couscous
Ingredients:
About 1 1/4 cup of Israeli couscous (I just used the rest of the bag I had)
1/2 lime
1/2 lemon
1 tbsp dried cilantro
1/2 tbsp dried parsley
1/2 tbsp cajun seasoning
1 smoked chile pepper, cut in half
1/2 onion, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
olive oil
salt & pepper to taste
Method:
1. Chop the onion and mince the garlic. Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. When fragrant, add the onions and saute until browned. This will take 5-7 minutes or so. If your pan gets too dry, add more olive oil.
2. Meanwhile, a good ratio to keep in mind. For 1 cup of couscous, boil 1 and 1/4 cup of water. I had a little over 1 cup of couscous, and so I eyeballed the amount of water. In a saucepan, let the water come to a boil and add the couscous. Bring it back down to a simmer. Cover for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Just like cooking rice.
3. Once the onions are browned to your liking (feel free to go all out and caramelize them, I was going to but I grew impatient), add the garlic and the chili pepper. It helps to cut the chili pepper in half to expose the seeds and veins to the onions and garlic. All the heat is in the pepper, and that’s what you want. Add your cilantro, parsley, salt and pepper at this point also. Saute for 2-3 minutes, then remove from heat.
4. Uncover your couscous when it’s done and stir in the onion mix. Combine well. Squeeze some lime juice and stir again. Add more salt and pepper, as necessary and mix that through. If you want more heat (I did), add some cajun seasoning. This is a seasoning blend I picked up from the store. If you don’t have it, here is some idea of what is in it. Add some lemon juice and maybe 1/2 tbsp more olive oil, and mix yet again.
At this point, you can do a few things. You can serve it as it is, you can let it come to room temperature, or you can set it in the refrigerator and let it sit in the lemon and lime juices for a while. It’s great hot because the warmth of the food enhances the kick from the chili. It’d probably be better cold, though, because it would have an opportunity to marinade in the juices and oil. I sprinkled a little feta cheese on top of my first helping. The saltiness of the feta was perfect with the acidity of the lemon and lime juice, plus it offset the heat of the pepper a little. And the couscous was so tender, unlike how it came out the first time I cooked it (it was a soggy, unappetizing mess).
So there you have it. A very easy and healthy meal/side dish. Fun nutrition facts: couscous is so great because it’s loaded with complex carbohydrates (which means it won’t send your blood sugar skyrocketing), and even has a fair amount of protein to boot.
an early st. patrick’s day dinner
Greetings from a very wet Boston. This rain sucks – our ceiling is leaking…and it drips on me every so often.
Anyway….
My last dinner home involved one of my favorite things: corned beef. I’ve been on a corned beef and pastrami bender lately, and this topped it off really nicely. Like many Americans, we made corned beef and cabbage in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day. This only begs the question: Is corned beef and cabbage a traditional Irish dish? Well, not technically. It’s as Irish as spaghetti and meatballs is Italian: sure, spaghetti and meatballs are rooted in traditional Italian cuisine – but not served together (if you really want to get into it, spaghetti is typically enjoyed doused in a good olive oil, not tomato sauce…but I digress). Here’s my understanding of the corned beef phenomenon: Corned beef is quite traditionally Irish in and of itself. Back in the day, cows were prized for their milk, and weren’t often killed for their meat. However, when they were, the brisket was brined for days and then boiled. The meat was then served with potatoes or other vegetables, but not cabbage. So, when did the cabbage come in? Well, there’s another traditional Irish dish consisting of bacon and cabbage. A large hunk of bacon was boiled for a long period of time and then served up with cabbage. When Irish immigrants came to the US, they looked for the same bacon meat they used to make this dish, but to no avail. They found that the Jewish immigrants’ corned beef tasted rather like their bacon, and had a similar texture. Thus, corned beef and cabbage.
As with many foods in this culture, corned beef and cabbage is an immigrant improvisation. And it’s so, so delicious.
corned beef fresh out of the pot
While corned beef is traditionally brined for a few days before cooking, we sort of decided to have this on reeeeally short notice, so brining wasn’t an option. Nevertheless, it was absolutely delicious. It was salty, beefy, and fell apart. I don’t know how to describe it, other than…it was delicious corned beef. Side note: why “corned”, you ask? Well, brining it involved rubbing it in tons of salt. The salt would take the shape of corn kernels, so there you go.
corned beef, carrots, potatoes
I’m not sure I’ll bother with posting a recipe, as we used the prepackaged meat. Essentially, after brining the meat, you simmer it in a stockpot for 2 1/2-3 hours so it gets really tender. During the last 20 or 30 minutes of the cooking, throw in your carrots, potatoes, and cabbage. For this, we used about 6 or 7 medium to small carrots, 5 red potatoes, and 1 medium head of cabbage.
- irish soda bread
My mom also made some delicious Irish Soda Bread from scratch earlier that day. It was a bit of a marathon baking day, as she was making batches upon batches of cookies for the school she works at (I had the pleasure of being the official tester/cookie dough eater). The bread had the most crispy crust and yet a delicate, not too dry interior. Irish Soda Bread gets extremely dry if not done well. I wish I had room in my suitcase to take a chunk of it (as well as some cookies) back with me.
Irish Soda Bread as adapted from here
4 cups flour
2 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
4 tbsp. butter
1 cup raisins
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups buttermilk * the original recipe calls for 2 cups, but a correction was made
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 425°. Sift together the flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda into a large mixing bowl.
2. Using a pastry cutter or two knives, work butter into flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal, then stir in raisins.
3. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Add beaten egg and buttermilk to well and mix in with a wooden spoon until dough is too stiff to stir. Dust hands with a little flour, then gently knead dough in the bowl just long enough to form a rough ball. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and shape into a round loaf.
4. Transfer dough to a large, lightly greased cast-iron skillet or a baking sheet. Using a serrated knife, score top of dough about 1/2” deep in an “X” shape. Transfer to oven and bake until bread is golden and bottom sounds hollow when tapped with a knife, about 40 minutes. Transfer bread to a rack to let cool briefly. Serve bread warm, at room temperature, or sliced and toasted.
We baked our bread for about 35 minutes because the outside of the bread started to look a little too brown, but I guess it depends on how evenly your oven cooks.
The night ended, as all nights should, with a cannoli from a local Italian bakery. And I’ve come full circle. Break started and ended with an excellent cannoli.
So, I have relatively no food here with the exception of pasta and some leftovers. Perhaps there will be a chicken or pasta dish somewhere during the week. Other than that, updates may be sparse….
today’s (second) post is brought to you by the letter “c”
Hello everyone.
Two posts in one day….can you tell I’m supposed to be writing a paper?
Anyway, I decided after seeing this that I needed to make my own psychedelic cupcakes. Let me tell you something. I do not bake. I’m not sure why, but I don’t get as much of a kick out of baking as I do when cooking. Although, baking Christmas cookies is probably one of my favorite things to do. Anyway, I don’t know why these intrigued me as much as they did, but I promised myself I’d make some before going back to school.
psychedelic cupcakes
Gotta say, the entire time I was making them, I had the Sesame Street theme song stuck in my head. These cupcakes are made for little kids. They’re really colorful, and dolloped with a nice swirl of icing and sprinkles, they would be great for a birthday party (or, you know, for when you’re sitting around on a Friday night watching Maid in Manhattan).
I decided to make a white cake batter from scratch, and then I chose the colors I’d be working with. I used Wilton gel food coloring – a little dab of it made the batter a really vivid color. It took me forever to decide on what colors to use, since you get quite a variety in a box. However, I stuck close to the colors of the rainbow and went with red, yellow, green and blue.
more cupcakes
White Cake Mix from the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook
4 egg whites
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter or shortening, softened (shortening will yield a whiter cake mix)
1-3/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1-1/3 cups buttermilk or sour milk
Method:
1. Allow egg whites to stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Get out a muffin tin and line it.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
3. Preheat oven to 375F. In a large mixing bowl beat shortening or butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar and vanilla; beat until well combined. Add egg whites 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk to butter mixture, beating on low speed after each addition just until combined.
And now, for color.
4. Get separate bowls or ramekins to put about 2/3 of a cup of batter in. Choose your colors, and add a small amount of food coloring to the separate bowls. Once the coloring has been completely mixed into the batter, begin filling the cups with one color at a time. I found it was useful to use two spoons to do this.
5. Once the cups are full with one layer of each color, put in the oven for about 16-17 minutes. This seemed like a long time to me, but I guess I was putting quite a bit of batter in the cups…? If 16 minutes seems too long to you, check the cakes after 10 minutes. If they’ve risen, insert a toothpick into the center and see if it comes out clean. Obviously if it does, your cakes are done.
yumm
Those colors are definitely not photoshopped. They are really vivid cupcakes! Maybe next time I’ll attempt making the colors a bit darker to see what happens. I had enough batter for 24 cupcakes. I filled 4 ramekins with 2/3 of a cup of batter for each batch. The cakes came out very light and fluffy, almost airy. I did not use buttermilk or sour milk…I had to use plain milk. I don’t yet know how this affected the outcome, as I’ve never made this white cake mix before (or any cake mix, for that matter).
I should probably get on that paper now…
