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….
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.
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.
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….
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 odd number of eggs
Good evening, everyone.
I am officially on spring break! Tomorrow morning, I’ll be on my way back to New Jersey. Ah, home.
Anyway, in yet another concerted effort to clear out the fridge, I made an omelet. This is actually the first omelet I’ve made in this kitchen, now that I think about it. When deciding what to do for dinner tonight, I felt like some breakfast. Too bad I had no bacon.
Making an omelet is a good way to use up a lot of eggs, I discovered. The flavor and texture of this omelet were stepped up a bit with the use of my new favorite ingredient: creme fraiche. I believe I’ve mentioned that I don’t buy milk, so this was an awesome, dairy-centric alternative to throwing a little water into the beaten eggs. Because I also had quite a bit of spinach left, I decided to have a spinach salad topped with pecans along with my…spinach and feta omelet.
spinach and feta omelet
Ingredients:
3 eggs
1/4 cup creme fraiche
a few handfuls of spinach
1-2 TBSP crumbled feta cheese
1-2 TBSP olive oil
pepper to taste
1/2 TBSP dried oregano
Method:
1. get some olive oil heated over medium in a saute pan.
2. while that heats, break the eggs into a bowl. beat them lightly. add the creme fraiche and whisk until combined. if your creme fraiche just came out of the refrigerator (as mine had), it’ll take about 3 minutes for it to come together – not a big deal.
3. add some pepper and the oregano. mix well.
4. add the egg mixture to the pan. i’ll assume you’ve never made an omelet before, just to be on the safe side. after you’ve added the eggs to the pan, drag the egg edges toward the center. let that sit for a minute or so, then repeat. you want as much of the raw egg to hit the pan as possible. if there’s still too much gooey egg in the center for you, tilt the pan so it spills toward the edges. add as much spinach and feta as you want at this point, and try to keep it to one side (i find this makes folding a bit easier when there’s nothing in the middle). shake the pan back and forth. if the omelet does not stick and moves as well, it’s probably done. check the bottom of the omelet. is it brown? if yes, then flip one side over and you’re done. there are many methods of making an omelet, and this is just one. well, it’s my way. some people don’t like any browning. some people don’t like any runny egg mess.
5. fold one side, serve.
I’m continually marveled by creme fraiche. I can’t lie – at first, the texture and taste didn’t really agree with me. However now, I want to eat it out of the tub (gross fantasy, I know. but hey, there are worse things). The creme fraiche makes the eggs creamy and fluffy, just the way they should be in my opinion. It also adds a hint of subtle, tangy flavor to the rich egg yolks. Very nice.
I did make a spinach salad to go along with this. And by make, I mean I put spinach in a bowl, drizzled some balsamic vinegar over it, and threw some pecans on top. It was nice.
spinach salad with pecans
Omelets are one of the most versatile dishes. You can do some serious experimentation with them. Unfortunately, I was limited to what I was purposely trying to use up, but I may just have to start buying eggs more regularly…
Well, that does it for the ‘use everything that will rot in a week’ week. It was fun throwing random things together. Although I’ll be on break, I’ll definitely be updating. I’ve been thinking about adding a page about restaurants in both New Jersey and Boston. So, even if I’m not cooking, I’ll certainly be eating (and writing)!
cleaning out
Good evening everyone.
Check that out, I changed the layout. It was time for a change. Things needed brightening up.
Tonight, for a lack of better ideas, I decided to throw the most random ingredients I had together. As we all know, sometimes this works out, other times it doesn’t. Tonight, the combination involved olive tapenade, caramelized dates, and feta cheese in cabbage cups. I needed to use the cabbage and tapenade I had hanging around before leaving for break. This recipe involved literally 5 minutes of cooking, and perhaps 2 minutes of assembly. It would make a good lunch, or in my case, a light dinner.
cabbage cups with olive tapenade, feta cheese, and balsamic dates
Ingredients:
4 cabbage leaves
approximately 1/3 cup of olive tapenade
approximately 1/4 cup chopped dates
2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
3-4 TBSP balsamic vinegar
Method:
1. prepare the olive tapenade. this involves throwing some olives (preferably kalamata) into a food processor with some olive oil and blitz. if you don’t have a food processor, then you can mince the olives.
2. chop up the dates, set aside. heat some olive oil in a pan over medium heat.
3. take 4 leaves off of the cabbage head. lay 1-2 TBSP of the olive tapenade in the cups.
4. once the olive oil becomes fragrant, add the dates and saute for about 1 or 2 minutes. add the balsamic vinegar and saute until all the liquid is gone (this takes about 1 minute). take off the heat.
5. place the dates on top of the olive tapenade. garnish with some feta cheese.
I took inspiration for this weird combination from the bacon wrapped dates. Sweet and salty is always an awesome combination. In fact, it’s one of my favorites. This dish has a little acidic kick from the balsamic vinegar, which accents the dates quite nicely. The sharpness of the feta also adds an edge to the saltiness of the olives. And, of course, the cabbage tempers the flavors well. It’s fun to experiment, especially when you have absolutely no idea what to expect for the end result. When cleaning out your pantry or refrigerator, go for it! Do anything, do everything. Let me know your weirdest combination, I’m always up for something new.
Perhaps tomorrow is breakfast for dinner?
ending february on a decadent note.
Hello everyone.
Yesterday’s chili was a big disappointment. Although it had tons of flavor and heat, I wasn’t into it. I guess I need to find a more traditional recipe.
Today, I decided to try out a macaroni and cheese recipe that did not involve baking, as I do not have a casserole dish. I experimented with a new ingredient (seems to be the current theme): creme fraiche. For those who have either never heard of creme fraiche, or just have no idea what it is in general, it’s akin to sour cream. Creme fraiche is thick, and has a high content of butterfat. It is not sour, and is often used in sauces because it doesn’t curdle when cooked. It’s really luscious and creamy, but it also has a hint of buttery flavor. It’s good. Actually, very good I’m thinking.
classed-up mac and cheese
Although mac and cheese typically involves cheddar, I decided not to go that route. I used what I had on hand, which was brie and manchego. They made a very nice pair. As you can see, I had a weird mix of pasta, as well. I’ve been trying to get rid of all the pasta I have.
Macaroni and Cheese
about 4 cups of pasta
approximately 1/4 cup of creme fraiche
1/2 cup of manchego cheese, shredded
1/2 cup brie, chopped into small pieces (can’t really shred brie)
Method:
1. Boil lightly salted water in a medium saucepan. Add the pasta and cook until al dente.
2. In a smaller saucepan, boil a little water. Create a double boiler: place a bowl over the pan just above the water level (you do NOT want the water touching the bowl). Place the creme fraiche into here and melt. Then, slowly add the rest of the cheese while stirring. Do this until everything is melted and creamy. If the sauce isn’t creamy enough for you, then add a little more creme fraiche.
3. Strain the pasta and put it back into the saucepan. Coat the pasta with the sauce, and serve. Garnish with some parsley, green onions, or even a few cracks of black pepper.
I thought this mac and cheese was really good. It wasn’t too cheesey, but it was still decadent. The cheeses I used were fairly mild, so they went very nicely with the flavor of the creme fraiche. It all tasted rather buttery and nutty, yet light and creamy because of the brie. I thought a nice squeeze of some lemon would have worked very well with this.
Tomorrow, a bit of Persian cuisine. The last time I promised Persian food, I did not pull through. This time, however, it’s going to happen (the chicken is marinading as I write). Jujeh kebab with my first ever attempt at potato tahdig. It will be good.
my first attempt at hor d’oeuvres
Good morning everyone. I never post in the mornings, now that I think about it.
Last night, we hosted a friend’s surprise 21st birthday party at our apartment. I offered to make hor d’oeuvres, which was pretty exciting. I’ve never made food for a large group of people before, and I’ve definitely never made appetizers. I didn’t want to cop out and grab frozen shit to throw in the oven before guests arrive (although it was definitely a plan B). Initially, I had too many ideas for what to make, but I chose these four things:
In the spirit of chips-and-dip, I decided to try my hand at making my own pita chips, along with an olive tapenade.
pita chip with olive tapenade
As I have no food processor, I had to chop the olives by hand. It was a lot of olives. I figured if people could make tapenade before the advent of food processors, I could do it too.
Homemade Pita Chips
5 mini pita pockets
herbs of your choice
olive oil
salt (optional)
Method:
Preheat oven to 350F. Cut the pitas into little triangles. Separate the fronts from the backs. Place on a baking sheet lined with either foil or parchment paper. Brush a little olive oil onto the triangles and place herbs and/or salt on top of that. Bake for about 5-10 minutes, or until desired level of crispiness is reached. Because these are so thin, they’ll cook quickly (which is why I had the oven fairly low for this kind of job) so keep an eye on them.
Olive Tapenade adapted from here
1 – 1 1/2 cups of pitted kalamata olives
a few tablespoons of olive oil
Method:
Chop up olives (if you have a food processor, this is when you use it) and combine with olive oil.
Along similar lines of chips and dip is this next appetizer. I wanted at least two hor d’oeuvres that people could take large quantities of at once and go.
spice roasted chick peas
Spice Roasted Chick Peas adapted from here
1 1lb bag of dried chick peas
garam masala
ground cayenne pepper
olive oil
Method:
Preheat oven to 350F.
Soak chick peas over night in water. If you can’t do this, or forgot to like I did, boil them until they are plump and a little al dente.
Pat them dry, and put them in a roasting pan, or any baking sheet with raised sides. Add a few tablespoons of olive oil, and coat the chick peas thoroughly. Throw the spices on them. I wanted mine to be very flavorful, so I spiced them pretty heavily. Roast for about 40-50 minutes, depending on the level of crunchiness you want.
I enjoyed the spicing on those because the cayenne pepper was not overpowering at all. It was a subtle, unexpected kick right after you swallowed the pea. I love surprises.
During the summer, my family and I went to Washington DC for a few days. Incidentally, my friend whose birthday we were celebrating lives outside of DC and works at this Spanish restaurant in the city. It’s called Jaleo, and after hearing such good things about the tapas there, my family and I had dinner there one night. Unfortunately, my friend was in Miami while we were in DC so we did not get to see him. One of the recommended tapas at Jaleo is the bacon-wrapped dates. Initially the combination sounded a little weird to me, but this was before I was a foodie (in fact, I kind of attribute that DC trip to my burgeoning food obsession). They are absolutely delicious. The dates are gooey and so sweet, while the bacon is crunchy and salty. This perfect combination beats chocolate covered pretzels hands down. So drawing inspiration from Jaleo, I attempted bacon-wrapped dates. (Excuse the bad photography, at this point there were a lot of people in the apartment and getting an artsy photo was pretty difficult!)
bacon-wrapped dates
Bacon Wrapped Dates
1 box pitted dates (or you can use fresh dates, which would probably be better)
1/2 lb bacon
Method:
Cut each slice of bacon in half horizontally to make two skinny slices, and then cut those in half vertically. Wrap each date with these slices and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or foil, seam side down.
You can do this ahead of time and place them in the refrigerator (which is what I did). When you’re ready to bake, put them in a 350F oven for about 30 minutes, or until the desired level of crispiness is reached. When they’re done, place them on a paper towel lined plate to drain the grease.
And finally, the most challenging hor d’oeuvre of the night. Phyllo triangles. I’ve never worked with phyllo before, and it’s something I’ve always wanted to try. It intimidated me. A lot. Initially, I wanted to make phyllo triangles stuffed with feta cheese, a walnut, and pomegranate seeds. However, I could not find a pomegranate to save my life, so I had to switch things around. Instead of walnuts, I used pecans. And, instead of pomegranate seeds, I used banana slices. Banana and feta? What? It works. Ooohhh, it works.
phyllo triangles stuffed with banana, feta, and pecans
The first sheet of phyllo I tried to work with was way too dry so it just crumbled everywhere. The first four triangles I made were absolute rejects; it took a few tries to get used to folding the dough. As with any baking or cooking (this is the best part about making Christmas cookies), the rejects become the tests. When my roommate tested a triangle and liked it, I was beyond relieved. To be honest, I wasn’t totally sure about the feta and banana combination, but it was great. The bananas provided a really subtle hint of sweetness, while the feta added that hit of salty brine. And the pecan topped it off with that meaty, nutty bite. So good. This was one of everyone’s favorites.
Phyllo triangles stuffed with Banana, Feta, and Pecans adapted from here
1 package of phyllo dough, thawed.
2 bananas, sliced
pecans
feta cheese, crumbled
olive oil or melted butter
Method:
1. Slice the bananas, get the pecans, get your feta. You absolutely want to have everything ready before you start working with the dough.
2. Take out thawed dough. Place on a dry surface (I used a baking sheet) and cover with a layer of plastic wrap, followed by a damp towel. Take out one sheet of dough. Lay it on a dry surface. Brush it with either olive oil or butter. Put another layer of dough on top of that. This is where I stopped (because I wanted to have as many triangles as possible while using only one package of dough). You can continue this for up to 4 layers, however.
3. Cut the dough lengthwise. Place one slice of banana, one pecan, and one or two chunks of feta at the top of the slice. Here is how to roll.
4. Continue until you’re finished. You can store these rolls in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours before you’re ready to bake them. When ready to bake, place the rolls on a baking sheet lined with foil or parchment paper, and brush the tops with either olive oil or melted butter (butter is always better). Bake at 350F for about 25-30 minutes, or until sufficiently browned. Keep a watch on them, as they’ll burn easily.
All right, that concludes the epic hor d’oeurves post. Tonight, I’m making chili for dinner. Good hangover food? We’ll see…
quite possibly the best carrots i have ever had.
Good evening.
It’s cold. It’s rainy. It’s miserable, and this storm is going to linger over Boston for the better part of the next five days. Yes, five days. Five days of gray wetness. If there is one weather phenomenon I absolutely detest, it is Boston’s horizontally falling rain. Usually accompanied by intense wind, this rain renders umbrellas completely useless and you, reader, unforgivably drenched.
Enough about the weather, you came here for something about awesome carrots. Skeptics may wonder how the words carrot and awesome ever managed to find themselves in the same sentence. Those in the know are waiting anxiously to hear about this probably not-so-new revelation I’ve had tonight. If you find yourself as the former, prepare to be converted.
I bought these carrots a while ago for the goulash I made. That was probably two weeks ago. Maybe more. Surprisingly, they’ve lasted (but that could be because our refrigerator seems to be freezing things lately…). This dish, as with many of my dishes, was a freak accident. I chopped the carrots and threw random spices on them. Luckily, they came out absolutely delicious. And, in the spirit of catering to those who want to cook things quickly in an effort to save time on week nights, this side is ready in 10-15 minutes.
delicious spicy glazed carrots
Spice Glazed Carrots
Ingredients
3 medium sized carrots, chopped into whatever size and shape you fancy
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3 tsp cinnamon*
3 tsp cumin*
1 tsp ground ginger*
2 tsp ground cayenne pepper or chili powder*
1/4 cup water
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
*these are gross approximations. I probably used a little more, particularly with the cinnamon. I don’t measure things. Use your judgment.
Method
1. wash and chop your carrots
2. in a large sautee pan over medium, heat the olive oil. Once fragrant, dump your carrots in. Move them around, get them nice and coated. Add the spices gradually, so as to ensure even coating. If you want, you can combine the spices and carrots together in a bowl before even putting them in the pan.
3. Add the balsamic vinegar, reduce the heat to medium-low. If you feel there isn’t enough vinegar in the pan, add the water. If you think it’s okay, leave it. Cover and cook for about 10-15 minutes. You want the vinegar to meld with the spices and carroty goodness to create one of the most delicious sauces I have ever tasted. Seriously, I could have licked the pan.
4. Once the carrots are tender, remove from heat and serve, drizzling the remaining liquid over the carrots.
I preferred the almost burnt parts of the carrots. Carrots caramelize beautifully, which makes them quite good for roasting. They exude this sweet flavor, while still retaining a great crunch. These carrots, in particular, come at you with a few different flavors. The acidity from the vinegar balances everything out while the heat from the chili powder and the sweetness from the cinnamon complement each other. The ginger serves as an excellent accent to the cinnamon, as does the cumin with the chili powder. Although balsamic vinegar is a tad overused, and subsequently overrated, it WORKS with this dish so well. The reduction sauce is so good, you may even want to bathe in it. The whole flavor profile makes the carrots absolutely mouth-wateringly delicious. I could’ve had about 10 of these carrots for dinner, and then some.
leftover week
Hello everyone.
This week, my goal is to polish off all the leftovers I’ve amassed over the past several weeks. As such, there are no new meals to post here.
There are, however, side dishes. As most of my frozen leftovers are frozen as portioned meals unto themselves, I don’t see a need to make them anew (except with leftover roast chicken and the like…then some creativity comes into play). I do, however, need new sides to go with them.
Tonight, I planned to have some leftover spaghetti. What to have with it, though? What, besides nice crusty bread, goes with pasta? I decided a salad of garlicy wilted spinach, peppers, celery, and capers would go well.
garlic wilted spinach with peppers, celery and capers
Ingredients
2 generous handfuls of washed spinach
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 red bell pepper, sliced
3 celery ribs, chopped
2 tbsp capers
freshly ground black pepper
Method
1. chop and mince. go at it. get organized. etc.
2. in a large skillet with sides, heat the oil over medium heat. once the oil is fragrant, put in the garlic and sautee for about 1 minute. add the peppers, celery and spinach. stir occasionally so everything is evenly coated and mixed. add the pepper, and be generous. cook for about 10-15 minutes, or until the spinach looks sufficiently wilted.
3. add the capers, and some more pepper. no need for salt, the capers have you covered. remove from heat and serve.
Could not be easier, especially if you’re in one of those I-just-got-home-from-the-gym-and-I’m-starving moods, or you just want something quick and easy.
I’m really interested in getting more creative with my breakfasts and lunches, particularly for the weekends and for days when I have extra time in the mornings. Although I thoroughly enjoy my
english muffin with apple butter
daily English muffin with apple butter for breakfast,
pumpkin and peanut butter sandwich
as well as my grilled pumpkin and peanut butter sandwich for lunch,I’d really love to have a wider variety of recipes to share. I think it would be good for all of us.
Tomorrow night with my leftover thareed, I intend to make Moroccan-inspired glazed carrots. Seems like a fitting fusion.
a pretty simple use for pumpkin puree
Happy Friday, everyone. Glad the week is over? I, as always, am.
Last night I found a can of pumpkin puree in my cabinet. I don’t know what I was intending to do with it, as I bought it in the autumn before Thanksgiving. Perhaps I was hoping to make a bread.
For breakfast, I usually have an English muffin with some kind of spread. Strawberry-rhubarb preserves, apple butter, raspberry preserves, etc. I’m sure you can see where this is going. Although I have a jar of apple butter currently in use, why not add some variety and make pumpkin butter?
This recipe is pretty easy to improvise. Most recipes call for either apple juice or apple cider, but I really didn’t want the taste of apples near my pumpkin butter.
Ingredients
1 15 oz can of pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling. DO NOT let that crap anywhere near anything you ever make with pumpkin)
3 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ginger
1/4 c sugar (give or take. I may have used less, you may want to use more if you like a sweeter spread)
1/2 c water
Method
Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then simmer, stirring often. You can take it off the heat whenever you feel it’s thick enough. If you want it really thick and concentrated, leave it on up to 30 minutes. I let this go for about 10-15 minutes. It’s about the consistency of apple butter (maybe a little thicker).
pumpkin butter
It tastes a lot like pumpkin pie, but not as thick and heavy. Definitely licked the spoon….and the bowl…..
breakfast for dinner, a wonderful thing.
Happy Hump Day, everyone.
Usually my Wednesdays are leftover days because I get out of class rather late. However, I strayed from routine and ate my leftover chicken biryani yesterday. Paying for overpriced popcorn and candy didn’t really appeal, so I ate while waiting in line to see a free screening of “Shutter Island” (which comes out Friday and I highly recommend seeing it). Tonight’s dinner choices are fairly limited, as the only leftover meal I have thawed in the fridge is pasta (ugh). I totally forgot I bought eggs this Monday (I rarely buy them), and decided to experiment (at least within the limits of my pantry). Eggs could not be easier to cook (I say this without having poached one), and while terribly bored at work, I came up with this recipe for a light dinner – of course, this could be a breakfast and lunch dish as well. Since I had Manchego cheese on hand, I ran with a Spanishesque theme. Why the hell not.
Scrambled Eggs with Caramelized Onions, Paprika, Manchego cheese, and toast
serves 1
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 sprig rosemary, minced finely
3 sprigs thyme, minced finely
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
2 slices of manchego cheese cut into small pieces, plus more for garnish if desired
freshly ground pepper & salt to taste
1 slice rye bread, toasted (or two, depending on the size of your bread, your hunger, etc.)
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2-1 tbsp butter
water or milk
Scrambled Eggs
method
1.chop herbs, onions, cheese, etc.
2.in a small skillet, heat up the 1/2-1 tbsp butter over medium-high heat. once foaming, add the sliced onion. you can season these with pepper or whatever other spice you want. sautee until completely caramelized – about 8 minutes or so. stir every now and then to avoid sticking and burning.
3.while the onions are happening, whisk egg and milk/water together in a mixing bowl. add the paprika, rosemary, thyme, sliced cheese, salt & pepper to taste. you might want to throw your toast on now, too.
4.in a larger skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. once fragrant, dump the egg mixture in. assuming you’ve never made scrambled eggs before, rake your spatula from all sides of the pan toward the center, creating lumps in the egg mix. continue this, swirling and stirring as much or as little as you want. you want chunks of egg to be your result, basically. it takes maybe about 5-7 minutes for this to cook.
5.remove eggs from skillet, put on a plate. garnish with some paprika and cheese.
note: you can opt to add the cheese once the eggs are in the skillet instead of putting it in the egg mixture. I did not use milk because I have none, and felt that the cheese would add a little extra fluff to the eggs if combined beforehand.
I love breakfast for dinner. Had I any challah or brioche, I would’ve made french toast instead. Nevertheless, this light and fragrant dish wins.
Tomorrow? Golabki!!
a take on spaghetti con acciughe e mollica
Good evening, all.
I’m not a huge fan of pasta. Most of the time, I find it really uninspiring and mediocre. I’ve never had homemade pasta, so this could be why I’ve been reluctant to get into it.
However, in spirit of quick meals, I chose to make a spaghetti dish tonight. Spaghetti con acciughe e mollica is essentially spaghetti with bread crumbs and anchovies. To mine, I added a tomato, mint, thyme, spinach, a leek, some lemon and some feta cheese.
spaghetti
Revamped spaghetti con acciughe e mollica
inspiration for this was found here
Ingredients
about two handfuls of spaghetti (so, maybe…a little less than half a box?)
about two handfuls of spinach (but you can really add however much you want..)
3 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 TBSP crumbled feta cheese
12 anchovy fillets packed in oil, minced — reserve the oil (remove the spine of the fish and fry them up for later! the bones are so delicate, you can eat them with no problem)
1 leek, white and tender green parts only, thinly sliced
2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
2 sprigs thyme, minced
2 sprigs mint, minced
1 tomato, diced
3/4 cup bread crumbs, toasted
pepper to taste
juice of half a lemon
Method
Get all your ingredients together. Mince the garlic, anchovies, herbs. Dice the tomato, chop the leek, get everything nice and organized.
Throw your breadcrumbs on a small skillet over low heat. I used panko bread crumbs, but you can use whatever you have on hand. Toast them until they’re evenly browned. You’re going to want to shake them every now and then because they’ll burn quickly.
In a medium saucepan, start boiling some water. Dump your spaghetti in, and cook until al dente (I cook my spaghetti for about 5-7 minutes because I like it preeetttyyy al dente).
While the spaghetti is cooking, heat the anchovy oil and extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet with sides over medium heat. Dump your garlic, anchovies, and leek in. Sautee that for about a minute. Then, add the tomato. Sautee for another minute or two. Add your spinach, thyme, and mint. Cook until the spinach has wilted. At this point you’ll be able to decide whether you want to add more spinach or not, as it loses a lot of volume once it wilts.
Drain the spaghetti and put it in the skillet. Reduce the heat to low. Add about half of the breadcrumbs and toss well. Add the feta and the rest of the breadcrumbs, remove from the heat. Toss again. Squeeze some lemon juice on it, toss a little bit more, and serve.
I garnished it with a little bit of mint I had leftover. I think the dish came out quite well. It’s a fusion dish, I guess, and a very satisfying one at that (particularly after an hour of kickboxing!). I have never used anchovies before, so this was a bit of an experimentation. I think a lot of people tend to assume that adding anchovies to a dish means it’ll reek of fish and taste horribly salty and fishy. This is not the case at all whatsoever. The anchovies add a hint of salty greatness, and I guarantee even your most anti-fish diners would never know they were in the dish. I will definitely be using them in the future.
a mushroom soup that does not involve heavy cream
Hello everyone.
It’s been a while (hasn’t it?). For the past two days in Boston, the temperature has dipped below zero. Although I had toyed with the notion of succumbing to Chinese takeout for tonight’s dinner, I instead decided to make a mushroom soup.
This soup is straight from Anthony Bourdain’s cookbook, with a few modifications. I made the perfect amount of soup, for once. When you’re cooking for just yourself, it’s hard to make the right amount of food – especially soup. So, this recipe serves one, with leftovers for the next day.
Ingredients
approximately 10 button mushrooms (you can use more or less depending on what you’re into), sliced
about 3 TBSP unsalted butter
about 2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small yellow onion, finely sliced
1 leek, white and tender green bits chopped
1 sprig rosemary
1 bay leaf
chicken or vegetable stock
salt&pepper to taste
Method
After all your ingredients are chopped, melt the butter in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Right before it browns, throw your onions in. I let mine carmelize, but you can do whatever you want. Stir occasionally so nothing burns.
Once they’ve reached a stage to your liking, add the leek bits. Give it a stir to coat. I let them cook for 1-2 minutes.
Add in the garlic and the mushrooms. As you can see, the pot is crowded, so your mushrooms are most likely not going to brown. You don’t want them to, anyway. Well, I didn’t for my soup. If you want them to brown, get a skillet and have at it.
Add in the olive oil and stir to coat everything nicely. (It was getting a little dry in there, wasn’t it?) Give it 2-3 minutes, then add in enough chicken stock to cover everything. Put in the sprig of rosemary and bay leaf, cover, and simmer for an hour.
Yup, an hour. I find the time really lets the flavors come out.
If you don’t want your soup to be chunky, you can wait for it to cool a bit and blend it in batches. I don’t have a blender, so it was chunky, which I enjoyed. I really love mushrooms, and they add a great dimension to this soup. Well, they are the soup. I served it with a side of Israeli couscous. Soup and couscous? It was a weird combination, not sure I’d do it again.
Unfortunately, I do not have a picture of the end result for tonight. Once I take one, I’ll surely update.
Tomorrow: salade d’onglet. I have the meat marinading as we speak.
chickpeas and purple potatoes
Hello again.
Chickpeas and purple potatoes – the first of my leftovers to go. I know it seems like I’m obsessed with purple potatoes, but you should know that this is the first dish I made using them. Anyway, this meal could not be quicker or easier to make. It’s really adaptable to whatever your tastes are. It is also a take on a Lebanese bean and potato casserole.
Ingredients
1-1 1/2 cup of dried beans of your choice (I used 1 can of low sodium, rinsed beans)
1 1/2 tsp turmeric
1 clove garlic, minced
1 TBSP parsley, chopped
approximately 6 or 7 small purple potatoes (you will have to eyeball this depending on what you want your ratio of beans to potatoes to be)
2-4 TBSP olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup water
Procedure
Scrub the potatoes, chop them into cubes. Chop up your parsley now, too. In fact, just grab all your herbage and things you’ll need now. Heat the olive oil in a skillet (preferably one with sides).
Add the potatoes and toss in the oil until they are golden brown. Once browned,
chickpeas & potatoes
add 1/4 cup of water to the skillet and cover. The potatoes will steam for 7 minutes before being fork tender. If you can, resist the urge to lift the lid and check on things. Sure, shake the skillet every once and a while, but no opening.
While that’s happening, get out another skillet and heat up some oil. Dump the garlic and parsley in the oil, and fry it up for like 2 minutes, if that. Add this to the potatoes, along with your beans and turmeric. Toss everything together, and then serve.
This recipe may serve about 1-2 people, depending on how hungry you are.
Enjoy!
basic potatoes
Hello all.
Last Friday at the grocery store, I found some purple potatoes.
I’ve cooked with these potatoes before, and I think they’re quite tasty. Not as starchy as the typical red or russet potatoes, but nevertheless delicious. And hey, who doesn’t love aesthetically pleasing, genetically engineered food (why, I do! I do!)?
One thing I noticed when I oven-roasted them was that they tended to cook considerably faster than other potatoes. Whether this is due to their darker color or their apparent lack of starch I’ll never know, but they came out unappetizingly dry the first time I worked with them.
With that lesson learned, I decided to take a different approach. The oven I’m working with in this apartment never keeps a consistent temperature. I sauteed, then steamed them. They came out melt-in-your-mouth tender, flavorful, and fragrant.
If you want to get creative with your food and are never daring enough to try different combinations, try experimenting with potatoes. They take on generally any flavor you give them, so go all out! Throw in some rosemary and thyme! Hell, make them spicy and add red pepper flakes or paprika with some basil for an interesting combination. And that’s just herbage! Think of the possibilities…..It’s easy, it’s fun, and messing up is just a part of the process.
Here is my recipe for a side dish, cooking for 1 person (depending on how much you eat, you may have some leftovers):
Ingredients
approximately 6-8 small purple potatoes, halved
2 cloves garlic, minced
approximately 3 TBSP of extra virgin olive oil, plus 1 TBSP
about 2-3 tsp* of any of the following: basil, rosemary, thyme, dill, oregano, parsley
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup of water
*I tend to eyeball my herbage. If I like the herb a lot, and want it to stand out, I may put more than 2tsp. It is your call, I trust you.
Procedure:
Cut your potatoes, chop your herbs.
Heat the oil in a large skillet (preferably one with sides) on medium heat. Once the oil is hot enough (if it’s fragrant, you’re good to go), dump the potatoes in and toss them around in the oil. Try to get them coated nicely. Sprinkle them with some salt and pepper (be generous about it). Toss again to get them coated evenly in the salt and pepper. Toss until they start to get a golden color.
Now, you’re adding water to hot oil and we all know how that works (right?!?!?!). SLOWLY add the water to the potatoes and cover. Let them cook like this for about 7 minutes. No taking the lid off.
(Side note: You’re not adding a lot of water to the skillet, so it’s going to boil and evaporate pretty quickly. If at the end of the 7 minutes your potatoes aren’t quite fork-tender, then add a little more water and cook for a little longer.)
While that is happening, heat some oil (1 TBSP) in a smaller skillet. Sautee your garlic and herbs, stirring constantly. You just want to get a nice flavor out of them, not make them crispy bits of black stuff.
Once the potatoes are done, add your herb and garlic mix to them, toss, and there you have it. If you want to get fancy, add a garnish of some sort (like basil or parsley). Drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil.
I hope this recipe works out for you! If you have any suggestions, or if you made some cool alterations, let me know!
