The Fearless Cook: How to Wine and Dine Daringly

Parsnip-Cauliflower Soup & Sopressata Flatbread Twists

2010-11-13T19:55:00.000-08:00

Episode Three! Wheeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Parsnip Cauliflower Soup and Sopressata Flatbread Twists from Ross Cauvel on Vimeo.

INGREDIENTS

For the soup:

2 T. butter
1 T. olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 medium carrot, peeled and diced
6-8 medium parsnips, peeled and cut into chunks
1 head cauliflower, cut into chunks
salt and pepper
1 box low-sodium chicken broth
juice of half a lemon
2 cups lowfat milk
fresh chopped parsley

For the Twists:

1 ball pizza dough (mine was homemade, from Emeril's by-hand recipe), rolled out and sliced into 1-inch wide strips
1 egg beaten with 1 T. milk
5-6 slices sopressata (or other salami-like deli meat), in 1-inch wide slices
shredded Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper

STEP 1:

Heat butter and oil in a Dutch oven or large pot on medium-high heat. Add carrots and onion and season with salt and pepper. Cook until onions begin to brown at the edges a little. Add parsnips and cook for a few more minutes.

STEP 2:

Add cauliflower, lemon juice and chicken broth. Cover and cook on high heat for about 30 minutes, until parsnips and cauliflower are very tender.

STEP 3:

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lay pizza dough strips out flat on a pizza stone or baking sheet. Brush each strip with a little egg wash. Cover each strip with strips of sopressata. Twist into twisty shapes. Sprinkle Parmesan over the top along with a little salt and pepper. Bake until golden brown, broiling for a few minutes at the end if needed for extra crispness.

STEP 4:

Use an immersion blender to puree the soup (or puree it in a regular blender or food processor). Reduce heat and stir in milk. Taste and adjust seasoning. Keep warm till ready to serve. Ladle into bowls, top with parsley, and serve with twists. Enjoy!

Ribeye Steaks & Sweet Potato Fries

2010-11-11T07:44:00.000-08:00

Without further ado, I present to you: the second installment of the Fearless Cook vlog! Enjoy!

Steaks & Sweet Potato Fries from Ross Cauvel on Vimeo.

INGREDIENTS

2 thick ribeye steaks (mine were about 3/4 lb. each)
1 and 1/2 large sweet potatoes (or 2 small)
~6 cups neutral cooking oil, like canola
seas salt and black pepper
olive oil

For steak rub:
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1 tsp. paprika
pinch of salt
pinch of black pepper
pinch of red pepper flakes
1 tsp. store-bought steak rub

For compound butter:
6 T. room temperature butter
chopped fresh parsley
chopped fresh oregano
1 clove garlic, minced

For curry mayo:
2 big spoonfuls mayo
~1 T. honey
pinch of curry powder

For homemade croutons:
~1 cup cubed stale bread
~2 T. olive oil
chopped fresh parsley
chopped fresh oregano
sea salt and black pepper

For the rest of the salad:
Mixed baby greens
1 pear, thinly sliced
~2 ounces Gruyere cheese, in small cubes
walnut pieces (you can toast them if you want)

For the salad dressing:
juice of half a lemon
~1 tsp. mustard
~1 tsp. honey
~1/4 c. olive oil
salt and pepper

STEP 1:

Let steaks come to room temperature. Make the steak rub by mixing together all steak rub ingredients. Make the curry mayo by whisking together all ingredients; store in fridge till ready to serve. Make salad dressing by whisking together all ingredients; store in fridge till ready to serve.

STEP 2:

Preheat your frying oil for the potatoes. Turn a pot of oil to medium high heat and let sit for 15-20 minutes. Test the temperature of the oil by sticking the handle of a wooden spoon in - if little bubbles surround it, the oil is ready. Once you have a good base heat going, you can crank up the heat a little to make sure it stays hot throughout the cooking process.

STEP 3:

Add the fries, in batches the size of large handfuls, and cook until fries are tender. Use a slotted spoon to remove them from oil and place on some paper towels to drain. Once all batches have gone in the first time, bring the oil back up to temperature (just let it reheat for about 5 minutes), then fry the batches a second time, repeating the draining on paper towels process. Sprinkle the fries with sea salt while still warm.

STEP 4:

Preheat the oven to 450. Preheat a cast iron or fry pan (NOT non-stick) over high heat. Make sure it's REALLY hot. Put a little olive oil in the pan - it should start smoking a little. Immediately add the steaks and don't touch them for about 5 minutes. You want a good crusty sear. Flip them and cook on the other side. When both sides have browned, transfer the whole pan to the oven and cook until the steaks are to your doneness-liking. I think I cooked mine for about 5 minutes in the oven for a perfect medium to medium rare. You really just have to go by feel - when you give the steaks a little poke with tongs, if it's very very soft, it's still quite raw. If it's more firm, it's more done. Remember that when you take the steaks out and let them rest, they'll continue to cook, so err on the side of underdone - you can always put them back in the oven, but you can't fix an overcooked steak!

STEP 5:

Remove the steaks from the oven, set aside on a plate, cover with aluminum foil, and allow them to rest for at least 5 minutes, preferably 10. Scoop about a teaspoon of compound butter on top of each steak and let it melt. Serve with the fries, curry mayo, and salad. Enjoy! (How could you not?)

Pear & Caramelized Onion Flatbread

2010-11-10T14:29:00.001-08:00

Let's have a brief moment of silence in appreciation for the perfection that is cheese.

*SILENCE*

Now that that's out of the way, we can jump into what is a delicious, easy, and
not-made-out-of-a-zillion-ingredients meal. I called this flatbread, but it's more like sauceless pizza. Tomato, tom-ah-to, right?

This is crisp, chewy pizza dough topped with sweet caramelized onions and perfectly ripe fall fruit - all smothered in melty cheese. In the immortal words of Ina Garten: how bad could that be? The answer: not bad at all.

In fact, this was so good, I just might make it again. And as we all know, I do not make recipes twice. How might one tweak this recipe, you're wondering? One might add hot Italian sausage; sub apples for pears, leave the fruit out altogether and use sun-dried tomatoes or artichokes or olives or all of the above; use mozzarella cheese, or all cheddar, or all Gruyere; I could go on. A sauceless pizza is just like a sauced pizza: a blank canvas on which to paint by numbers using the fan brush of innumerable ingredie–OK, OK, I'll stop with the stupid art metaphor.

Misguided metaphors aside, MAKE THIS! You'll thank me later. (You're welcome.)

INGREDIENTS

One ball fresh pizza dough
olive oil
cornmeal
1 pear (not too too ripe), cut into thin slices
3 small onions, halved and sliced thinly
butter and oil for caramelizing
3/4 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
3/4 cup shredded sharp white cheddar cheese
salt and pepper
red pepper flakes

STEP 1:

Caramelize the onions: heat a little butter and olive oil in a pan and cook the onions over medium heat, seasoning with salt and pepper, until brown and lovely. Set aside.

STEP 2:

Preheat the oven to 450. Sprinkle some cornmeal on a pizza stone or baking sheet. Shape the dough into a round-ish, thin crust. Rub all over with a little olive oil.

STEP 3:

Spread the onions all over the dough, then top with the pear slices. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper over all that. Sprinkle cheese evenly over everything. Top with red pepper flakes if you want. Bake at 450 until cheese is melty and crust is getting golden brown. Switch oven to broil and cook for 2-4 more minutes, until many brown spots appear on cheese and crust. Remove from oven, cut into slices, serve and enjoy!

Mushroom Ravioli with Creamy Kale Sauce

2010-11-02T13:55:00.000-07:00

EEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!! Squeals of joy abound! My first video post! I hope you love it :-)

The Fearless Cook - Mushroom Ravioli from Ross Cauvel on Vimeo.

INGREDIENTS

2 T. butter
1 T. olive oil
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch kale, tough stems trimmed, cut into ribbons
~3/4 c. chicken broth OR white wine
~1/3 c. heavy cream or half and half
salt and pepper and red pepper flakes
fresh chopped parsley
1 lb. frozen good quality mushroom ravioli

STEP 1:

In a large Dutch oven over medium high heat, melt the butter and oil. Add the onions and cook for a few minutes, seasoning with salt and pepper. Add the kale and garlic and red pepper flakes and let wilt for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken broth, cover, and cook for 8-10 minutes.

STEP 2:

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Boil the ravioli according to package directions. Drain and place in serving dish.

STEP 3:

Uncover kale, turn down heat, and stir in cream. Cook for a few minutes, until sauce is thickened and reduced a bit. Taste and adjust seasonings. Ladle sauce over ravioli, top with parsley, serve, and enjoy!

Meatless Monday: Pumpkin-Chevre Pasta & Warm Brussels Sprouts Salad

2010-10-25T18:11:00.000-07:00

Ah, the humble pumpkin! It graces us with its presence each October, ushering in a season of ghouls, goblins, candy corn, and becostumed walks of shame.

Usually relegated to cruel mutilation or cloyingly sweet pies, it's underused in savory dishes. Its mellow squashiness, however, lends itself perfectly to sauces, soups, and otherwise non-sugar-based applications. Pairing it with chevre was a random choice, but an all-out success! The sauce was smooth, slightly tangy, and tasted deeply of autumn.

Ross turned to me and said, "What is this?" as he shoveled another forkful in his mouth. Me: "Why?" Ross: "It's incredible." That's what I like to hear! He wasn't quite as jazzed up about the Brussels & chickpea salad, but not too many folks get giddy over miniature cabbages (what can I say - I'm a freak!). Actually, the salad is so hearty, it could stand alone as a vegetarian main dish. And, although it's Meatless Monday, I couldn't help but think how amazing it would be with a little pancetta or hard Spanish chorizo.

Don't be fooled by the nacho-cheese-esque appearance of the pasta sauce - this is one to serve to company. If you were having a dinner party with vegetarian guests, it would be an elegant main dish. It would also make a fantastic first course. If you're a normal person who doesn't plan their life around dinner parties, it makes, well, a scrumptious stormy-night-in dinner.

I'd recommend stocking up on canned pumpkin before it disappears into the night like a Halloween spirit. You'll want to make this all winter!

INGREDIENTS

PASTA:
2/3 lb. whole wheat spaghetti
2 T. butter
1 T. olive oil
1 can unsweetened, unseasoned pumpkin puree
1 small log goat cheese (chevre)
~10 sage leaves
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper
freshly grated nutmeg (or a sprinkle of jarred ground nutmeg)
~1/2 cup chicken broth
~1/4 cup pasta cooking water

SALAD:
~15 small Brussels sprouts, ends trimmed and halved
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 T. butter
1 T. olive oil
salt and pepper and red pepper flakes
~1/4 cup apple cider vinegar (or white vinegar or red wine vinegar)
splash of chicken broth

STEP 1:

Boil spaghetti until al dente. Drain, then set aside.

STEP 2:

Meanwhile, heat butter and oil in for the Brussels Sprout salad in a pan. Add Brussels sprouts to pan and season with salt and pepper. Let cook without stirring or shaking the pan for about 10 minutes, until undersides of sprouts start to brown. Add chickpeas and stir. Cook for a few more minutes. Add vinegar, more seasoning, and red pepper flakes. Cover and let vinegar cook for a few minutes. Uncover and let vinegar evaporate. Add chicken broth and re-cover. Cook for a few minutes, then uncover and let it evaporate, too. Taste and adjust seasoning. If it tastes good, take it off the heat and keep it warm in a bowl.

STEP 3:

Meanwhile, heat butter and oil for pasta sauce over medium high heat in a Dutch oven or other pot. Add onion and season with salt and pepper. Cook until onion is soft and translucent. Add chicken broth, sage, and garlic. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add pumpkin and chevre, reduce heat to medium, and cook, stirring, until chevre and pumpkin are mixed and sauce is one homogenous color. Cook over low heat until noodles are ready. Stir in a little pasta water if sauce gets thick.

STEP 4:

Add cooked pasta to sauce (or vice versa) and stir to combine. Serve pasta alongside warm salad. Enjoy!

Gorgonzola Penne with Butternut Squash & Spinach

2010-10-20T19:33:00.000-07:00

It's time for the truth: I can't find my camera.

Which begins to explain the even-worse-than-usual photos - and sad lack of posts - on this blog. I've been using my iPhone (and it's not even the iPhone 4, which takes scockingly lovely pictures). Of course I do a little primping in Photoshop, but no amount of amateur retouching can save these photos from themselves.

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While I'm making excuses, I'll try this one: I've been sadly lacking in inspiration lately. Not that I haven't been cooking. I've just been cooking the same boring rotation of things I always make: tofu peanut curry, lasagna, pasta in a veggie marinara sauce. Zzzzzzzzz...

So, loyal readers, is there anything you'd like to see me make? Any requests? Ideas? Things from your own repertoire I could put my own spin on? I've reached the point of saturation: every time I open a Food & Wine or check my Chow daily email I think to myself, Already made that, or I don't really eat swordfish, or Baking? Who wants to measure?!

Having said all that, using blue cheese in a pasta sauce was new for me, and I really liked it. The other liquid ingredients cut the pungency of the cheese, but the deep moldy flavor is enough to create a tangy, savory, highly flavored sauce. I think next time I'd cook the butternut squash a little longer, but hey, I was really hungry. If I were going to make this a meaty dish, my first inclination would be to use hot pork sausage, or something whose flavor can stand up to the richness of the sauce. Then again, I know some of you are diehard chicken fans, and you could go that route, too.

Thanks for sticking with me through my existential recipe crisis! And please, leave me a comment or two with requests and inspiration!

INGREDIENTS

2 T. butter
1 T. olive oil
1 medium butternut squash, peeled and diced
salt and pepper
3/4 c. white wine
3 cloves garlic, minced
juice of one lemon
~1-2 T. chopped fresh sage
1-2 T. chopped fresh parsley
~1/2 lb. gorgonzola cheese, in chunks
splash of milk (optional)
~1/3 cup pasta cooking water (if needed)
2/3 lb. whole wheat penne pasta

STEP 1:

Pre-heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add butter and oil and let butter melt. Add butternut squash chunks to pan. Let cook without moving for about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Shake the pan and cook for about 5 more minutes.

STEP 2:

Add in lemon juice, white wine, garlic, and herbs. Cover and cook for about 10 more minutes, until squash is tender but not mushy. Meanwhile, boil the penne pasta until just below al dente, reserving a little pasta water. Place the spinach in the bottom of a colander, and drain the pasta over the spinach to wilt it. Set aside.

STEP 2:

When squash is tender, uncover the pan and add the gorgonzola. Let melt while stirring. If sauce is too thick, add a splash of milk and/or pasta water. Stir in drained pasta and spinach and stir until well mixed. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve and enjoy!

Meatless Monday: Cauliflower & Caramelized Onion Frittata and Figgy Salad

2010-09-27T10:59:00.000-07:00

I will admit upfront that this meal used an absurd amount of dishes. I only sort of anticipated this. And, to be honest, I'm not sure there's a way to cut down on the number of dishes used; some things just are what they are.

Having said that, this would be such an elegant dish to serve at a brunch. It came out light, fluffy, savory, with a hint of sweetness from the onions - definitely a taste winner. There were a few setbacks, however: the aforementioned dishstravaganza; and the fact that the frittata clung stubbornly to the bottom of its baking dish even though I buttered the crap out of it. Next time, I'd cook it in a nonstick pan - like what you'd bake a cake in (9" X 9").

If you're an egg person, you'll probably really like this recipe. It's not as frou-frou as a quiche (not that I'm knocking quiche, I love the stuff), but it's a bit fancier than, say, scrambled eggs and toast for dinner (which I eat embarrassingly often).

This is a Meatless Monday post, but of course you could meat this up a bit. I actually tweaked it from a Food & Wine recipe that used bacon. Bacon would be delicious (DUH), as would ham, sausage, pancetta, etc. The great thing about a recipe like this is you can just take the base ingredients and swap them out to your liking. Hate cauliflower? Swap it for broccoli or asparagus. Not a fan of caramelized onions? You may be crazy, but nonetheless you could skip those, too.

Make this one your own! And go with a nonstick pan, for cryinoutloud - in fact, bring out the Pam spray! You'll thank me later.

INGREDIENTS

Frittata:
8 eggs, beaten
splash of half and half
salt and pepper
2 T. olive oil
1 T. butter
sprinkle of sugar
2 medium (or one giant) onion, halved and sliced thinly
1 T. olive oil
1 small head cauliflower, cut into small florets
salt and pepper
2 cloves garlic
sprinkle of water
fresh chopped parsley
lots of freshly grated parmesan cheese

Salad Dressing:
5-6 fresh figs, quartered
~1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
drizzle of honey
salt
squirt of mustard
spring mix
sliced cucumbers
1 medium carrot, sliced
2 T. olive oil

STEP 1:

Heat a pan over medium heat. Add olive oil and butter and sliced onions. Season with a little salt and pepper. Cook for about 20 minutes, until caramelized. Sprinkle a little sugar over the onions and cook for a few more minutes. Transfer to a plate and allow to cool.

STEP 2:

Heat an ovenproof dish (such as a Dutch oven) over medium-high heat (if you don't have a cooking pot that can transfer from the stovetop to the oven, no worries - just cook the cauliflower, add it to the eggs, then pour it all in a casserole dish). Add a little olive oil, then add the cauliflower, and season with salt and pepper. Cook for a few minutes, until cauliflower is beginning to turn golden brown. Add about a 1/4 cup water to the pan, add the garlic, cover, and cook until cauliflower is tender, about 8 minutes.

STEP 3:

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Meanwhile, beat eggs, half and half, salt and pepper, parsley, and a good amount of parmesan cheese in a large bowl. When the onion is cool, stir it into the egg mixture. When cauliflower is done, scoop it out and allow to cool on a plate. Rinse and wipe out the ovenproof dish. Rub a little butter into the dish. Pour the egg/onion mixture into the dish, then sprinkle the cauliflower around. Top with more grated parmesan. Bake until frittata is set, about 30 minutes. When set, switch oven to broil, and cook under the broiler until the top is brown in places.

STEP 4:

While the frittata is baking, put the balsamic and figs (with a pinch of salt) in a small saucepan, cover, and cook for about 10 minutes, until figs have basically disintegrated into the vinegar. Remove from heat, transfer to food processor, add squeeze of honey, and process until smooth. Add the mustard. Process again, and drizzle the olive oil in through the top until the mixture is emulsified. Set aside while you get the salad greens ready. Toss the greens with the dressing. Slice the frittata into pieces, serve with the salad, and enjoy!

Baked Rigatoni with Mushrooms

2010-09-26T17:20:00.001-07:00

If there's anything positive about the short Chicago summer melting into fall, it's that it's easier to plan meals around cheese melting into pasta.

These past few days have felt particularly autumnal, and since tonight was a lazy night in, a baked pasta dish sounded perfect. I basically took the idea of baked ziti - which I used to eat, in a very rudimentary form, in college, all the time - and twisted it a little bit.

Using whole wheat pasta and adding mushrooms boosts the nutrition (as does serving it with a big green salad, which I did), and, while tons of melty cheese isn't exactly health food, it does add protein (and, obviously, it's ridiculously delicious).

This dish takes awhile to make, especially if you make the sauce from scratch, but on a Sunday, when you have plenty of time, it's totally worth it. It was soooo delicious. Ross, against his better judgment, ate two huge platefuls, then moaned in pain afterward. Still - totally worth it.

Happy Fall, everyone!

INGREDIENTS

2 T. olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 rib celery, diced
salt and pepper
red pepper flakes
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large can whole fire-roasted tomatoes and all juices
fresh chopped parsley
fresh chopped basil
sprinkle dried oregano
~1/3 cup half and half

1 T. olive oil
1 T. butter
1 container baby bella (cremini) mushrooms, sliced
~1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper

~10 oz. whole wheat (or regular) rigatoni
1 baseball-sized ball mozzarella, torn into large pieces
freshly grated Parmesan cheese
salt, red pepper flakes, and dried oregano for sprinkling on top

STEP 1:
Make the tomato sauce [note: if you're in a hurry, you could skip this and use any jarred marinara sauce you like]: heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium high heat. Cook the onions, carrots, and celery until browning in some places. Season with salt and pepper and red pepper flakes. Stir in the garlic and cook for about a minute. Add the tomatoes and chopped fresh herbs and oregano. Stir, cover, and turn the heat down to medium low. Cook, breaking up the tomatoes with a wooden spoon every now and again, until tomatoes have broken down and sauce has reduced a little. Use an immersion blender to puree the sauce (or skip this). Turn off the heat and stir in the half and half. Taste and adjust seasoning. Cover and set aside, off the heat.

STEP 2:
Boil the noodles until slightly less cooked than al dente (they'll continue to cook while baking). Meanwhile, heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the butter and oil. When the butter is melted, add the mushrooms, and allow to cook without stirring or shaking the pan for about 5 minutes. Then stir and continue to cook for a few more minutes, until some of their water has cooked off. Pour in the balsamic and stir until it evaporates a bit. Add salt and pepper and continue to cook until many of the mushrooms have dark edges. Remove from heat and stir into the marinara sauce.

STEP 3:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. When the noodles are done, stir them into the pot with the marinara and mushrooms. Pour the mixture into a casserole dish. Top with the mozzarella and parmesan. Sprinkle a little salt, red pepper flakes, and oregano over the top. Bake for about 30 minutes, until edges look bubbly. Switch the oven mode to broil and cook for another few minutes, until the cheese has a lot of brown crispy spots. Serve and enjoy!

Sardine Mousse & Argula Manchego Salad

2010-09-19T12:25:00.000-07:00

YOU: Sardine mousse? Really? Really?

ME: Really!

I have been wanting to experiment with sardines for awhile now, because, according to
several reliable sources, they're magic in a can! Plus, there's something so rustic and decidedly low-rent about eating fish from a little tin. I feel like I should also be sporting a handlebar moustache and smoking from a pipe while wearing my tattered argyle sweater vest.

I conceived the idea for sardine mousse...well, I don't remember when, exactly. But having semi-recently had chicken liver mousse at a restaurant and really liking it, and having been experimenting with my food processor, I thought I'd try my hand at a fancy classic. And it was good!

It tasted, actually, a lot like tuna salad. And who doesn't like the occasional tuna salad? It was definitely a bit "fishier" tasting, but not in the creepy maybe-this-is-too-old-to-eat way. It was pleasant. And I got to fantasize that I was wearing a gauzy white tunic, standing on a rocky cliff overlooking a hidden little fishing village somewhere near...this place:

Or this one:

Maybe even this one:

You get the idea. On crisp grilled toast, with a nice fresh salad and a fancy pants clementine soda, the sardine mousse was a perfect lunch. And my nutrient-fortified body agrees!

INGREDIENTS

1 tin sardines packed in olive oil
1/3 stick butter, room temperature
spoonful of mayonnaise
1 clove garlic
salt
pepper
red pepper flakes
3 slices French bread, sliced about 1/2" thin on a deep bias
a little olive oil for brushing
fresh chopped parsley for garnish

handful baby arugula
a few slices manchego cheese
1 roasted red pepper, chopped
small drizzle olive oil
small drizzle balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper

STEP 1:
Add all the mousse ingredients to the food processor and process until smooth, scraping down sides of the processor as needed. Meanwhile, heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Rub a little olive oil onto the bread slices. When the pan's hot, grill them, using something heavy (like a cast-iron pot) to weigh them down so they get pronounced grill marks (this is not required, but it speeds up the process). When the bread has nice grill marks, spread some mousse on each piece and top with parsley.

STEP 2:
Make the salad: in a bowl, toss the arugula with the olive oil, salt and pepper, and balsamic. Scatter the manchego and red peppers on top. Serve with the sardine mousse and enjoy!

Chicken Rosé & Basil Smashed Potatoes

2010-09-14T17:37:00.000-07:00

Rather than use this space to discuss the finer points of the flavors in this dish*, I'm going to use it to rant about my food annoyance du jour (because it's my blog, dammit): FROZEN MEALS.

I realize I'm probably preaching to the converted; if you're reading a cooking blog, you're probably not the type to throw a Lean Cuisine in the microwave and call it dinner. (Clearly, that logic isn't going to stop me.) My deep-seated loathing of frozen meals started at work. Day after day, I queue up outside one of our 2 office microwaves...and wait. And wait. And wait, while some of my illustrious coworkers heat their Healthy Choice ("healthy" choice) fettuccine alfredos ("fettucine alfredos") for upwards of 6 minutes per meal. SIX. MINUTES. When you're starving, have 15 minutes to eat between meetings, and have been thinking about your, say, leftover Chicken Rosé since 9:00 a.m., six minutes might as well be the Mesozoic Era.

I bet you thought I was going to rave about their staggering list of ingredients, their extreme over-processed-ness, and/or their general lack of nutrition. Nope. That all goes without saying. I have more faith in the American consumer (especially the fine folks of my ad agency) than to think that they actually believe that fettuccine alfredo created months ago, shuttled from warehouse to truck to warehouse to frozen food case, then reheated in a plastic container could be healthy, let alone truly satisfying. My biggest issue with those Lean Healthy Cuisine Choice meals is that they're masquerading as real meal in the first place: clocking in, on average, at around 250 calories, there is no way they could legitimately fill up an adult human being. And when you're not satisfied at lunch, the stale bagels from this morning's meeting start to not look so bad, after all.

You've probably stopped reading by now, but if you haven't - I salute you. And I apologize for surrounding these delicious looking photos with my blatant high horsery. In conclusion, I hope you make this for dinner tomorrow, and pack the leftovers for Thursday's lunch. And I really, really hope you don't get stuck behind a Stouffer's single-serve Mac 'n' Cheese.

*I couldn't completely ignore the dish at hand. This was mega delish! I named it Chicken Rosé because I used up some leftover red and white wine. If you're not a boozehound like me, feel free to pick one or the other, although I'd lean toward red to maintain the rich, coq au vin-esque flavors of the original. The sour cream was a downright naughty addition, but boy did it make for a silky, tangy sauce. The smashed potatoes offered a nice textural contrast and a pleasant brightness from the basil, although if you really wanted to knock someone's socks off, a traditionally made creamy, smooth mashed potato would be elegant and incredibly tasty. I hope you love it as much as I did!

INGREDIENTS

1-2 T. olive oil
6-7 chicken drumsticks, skin removed
salt and pepper
3 T. butter
1 medium onion, diced
1 lg. container button mushrooms
1 lg. container baby bella mushrooms
~1/2 cup red wine
2-3 T. balsamic vinegar
2 bay leaves
3 garlic cloves, minced
handful chopped fresh parsley
~1/2 cup white wine
~1/2 cup chicken broth
~1/3 cup light sour cream

8-10 small, thin-skinned potatoes (like baby Yukon Gold)
2 T. butter
salt and pepper
~1/3 cup milk
~1/3 cup chicken broth
2 T. chopped fresh basil

frozen peas
salt and pepper

STEP 1:
Heat a Dutch oven or big pot over medium high heat. Add the olive oil, and brown the chicken (in 2 batches if neccessary), seasoning with salt and pepper. Turn chicken and brown on the other side. Remove and set aside on a platter.

STEP 2:
Reduce the heat a bit, add butter to the pan, let melt a bit, then add the onion and mushrooms. Cook, stirring, for a couple minutes. Then add the red wine and balsamic vinegar. Boil uncovered for about 10 minutes, until the mixture gets a little dry (the liquid should reduce by about half).

STEP 3:
Return the chicken to the pot. Add all the rest of the chicken ingredients except the sour cream. The liquid should just barely cover the chicken (with maybe a few little pieces sticking above the liquid line). Cook on medium high (it should be boiling), uncovered, for about 15 minutes.

STEP 4:
Once again remove the chicken from the liquid and set aside on a plate. Continue to cook the liquid until it's reduced by about half. Turn the heat down to medium and stir in the sour cream. Continue to cook until the mixture has thickened to a gravy-like consistency. Taste and adjust seasonings. Return the chicken to the pot, cover, and keep warm on low until ready to serve.

STEP 5:
Meanwhile, boil the potatoes until very tender. Drain. Return the cooking pot to the burner, and reduce heat to low. Add butter to the pot and let melt a bit. Return potatoes to the pot while still very hot, and begin to smash with a masher or the back of a wooden spoon (you want a chunky consistency, not creamy smoothness). Add the basil, milk, chicken broth, and salt and pepper.

STEP 6:
Cook your peas in a little water until hot. Drain, return to pot, and season. Scoop some smashed potatoes onto each plate and top with 2-3 chicken drumsticks as well as some mushroom "gravy." Serve peas alongside. Enjoy!

Red Pepper & Walnut Pesto AND Corniest Corn Chowder

2010-09-14T11:27:00.001-07:00

OMG where have I been?!

Well, let's see: after my AMAZING birthday trip to Punta de Mita, Mexico [surfing La Lancha, deep-sea fishing for swordfish, relaxing by the pool, snorkeling, sun soaking, pina colada sipping, guacamole overdosing], Ross and I embarked on the Great New Apartment Adventure! We are now in a MUCH more spacious and completely adorable one bedroom right in the heart of Lakeview.

Not a week went by after my return from Mexico that I was whisked away to LA for work (not the most terrible place to work, I must admit). Amidst the travel, the moving, then being swallowed up in a downright challenging barrage of work and social activities, I didn't cook a thing for the entire month of August (unless you count late-night scrambled eggs on toast, which, frankly, you shouldn't).

All excuses aside, to my loyal blog fans: many apologies for my absence, but here's to looking forward to an autumn filled with squash, cider, and cozy nights at home (in front of our WORKING FIREPLACE!!!). And check out our "Urban Surf Shack" bedroom:

Sascha Fierce is enjoying the extra room to run wild, Ross is loving his very own Surfboard Storage Space, and I'm loving my big, open, granite-countertop-boasting kitchen (WITH A DISHWASHER!!!)...in which, I promise you with this post, I will be creating more of the delicious meals you've come to expect. So, as atonement for my laziness, please enjoy not one but TWO Fearless recipes that will take you from late summer to early fall.

RED PEPPER,WALNUT, & TOMATO PESTO

INGREDIENTS

1 6-oz. can tomato paste
1 jar roasted red peppers
~1 cup walnut halves/pieces
big handful basil leaves
1/2 bunch parsley
6-8 kalamata olives
salt to taste
juice of one lemon
~1/4 cup water
~1/3 c. olive oil
1 box whole wheat penne pasta (or any other pasta you like)
grated Parmesan cheese for topping

STEP 1:

Place all ingredients except pasta and Parmesan into food processor and blend until smooth. With the blade running, drizzle in the olive oil. Taste and adjust seasoning. Set aside.

STEP 2:

Meanwhile, boil the noodles in salted water until al dente. Drain and return to cooking pot. Toss with the sauce and heat on low to warm sauce through. Serve topped with Parmesan. Enjoy!

CORNIEST CORN CHOWDER

INGREDIENTS

3 T. butter
1 small onion (or 1/2 a large onion), diced small
salt and pepper
red pepper flakes
10 cobs fresh corn, husked
3 cloves garlic, sliced
~1/2 carton chicken broth (probably about 2 cups)
1/2 pint half and half
4-5 large fresh basil leaves, in ribbons
sour cream, grape tomatoes, and fresh basil for garnish

STEP 1:
With a sharp knife, cut the kernels off the corn cobs into a large bowl. Meanwhile, heat a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium-high heat. Melt the butter in the pot. Add the onion, corn kernels, and salt/pepper/red pepper flakes. Stir and let cook until onions begin to get translucent.

STEP 2:
Add enough chicken broth just to cover the kernels. Add the garlic and basil, stir, then cover and cook over medium high heat for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, and adding a little chicken broth if the mixture seems to be getting a little dry.

STEP 3:
Use an immersion blender to break down most of the corn kernels - you want a soup that's not pureed, but that's creamier than cream corn. You could also do this step in a blender or food processor. If you want it chunkier, leave more kernels. If you want it creamier, puree the heck out of it.

STEP 4:
Reduce the heat a bit and stir in the half and half. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve in bowls topped with quartered grape tomatoes, slivered basil leaves, and a dollop of sour cream. Enjoy!

Pesto Cavatappi for Carnivores, Omnivores & Cats

2010-08-01T20:45:00.000-07:00

It's time for Adventures in Food Processing, Part 2!

I basically don't want to make anything now unless it requires using my amazing new machine, and luckily I've been accumulating mental notes - for literally years now - on things I'd like to make but really couldn't (not properly, anyway). Pesto was one such thing.

I love pesto. I love this pesto. And if Rachel Zoe had joined us for dinner (were she to ever do something as silly as eat), I feel sure she'd think this pesto is BUH-NAH-NAS. I sure did. The boys for whom I was cooking had lovely chicken chunks in theirs, while I stuck to a monokini-friendly vegetable medley mixed into mine.

Speaking of bananas, you know what else is bananas? Cat playdates. Lest you think that my life consists of dressing fabulously and flitting around from photo shoot to client dinner to chic speakeasys (admit it, this is what you think), I can assure you much more of my time is spent doing things almost-but-not-quite as dorky as staging a real life feline Match.com encounter.

Explanation: Ross and I will be in Mexico all next week [pause to allow jealousy to soak in], and our beloved Sascha Fierce will be traveling north to Edgewater to stay with her Uncle Joshua and (hopefully future life partner) Ernest. (See picture below for evidence of adorability.)

As far as cat playdates go, this one went shockingly well! It was more like a three-hour staring contest between the cats while the humans enjoyed a delicious pesto pasta concoction. Sascha is veritably trembling with excitement to reunite with her new friend Ernest for a whole week of barely-civil staring! Thanks so much to Joshua, Colin, and Ernest for being such gracious hosts, and for watching over Mommy's little angel as she rings in her 28th year by drinking her weight in margaritas.

INGREDIENTS

1 bag whole wheat cavatappi pasta (or any short pasta, like penne or shells)
1 red bell pepper, in large chunks
1 red onion, in chunks
1 yellow squash, in chunks
1 zucchini, in chunks
olive oil
salt and pepper and red pepper flakes
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, in large chunks

Pesto:

1 large bunch basil
1/2 bunch parsley
1/2 c. pine nuts, lightly toasted
big handful walnuts, lightly toasted
big chunk parmegiano reggiano, in 1-inch chunks
olive oil
flax oil
salt to taste
juice of half a lemon

STEP 1:

Make the pesto: put all ingredients except oils into food processor and process until close to smooth. While the processor is on, drizzle in the oil until pesto reaches desired consistency (I'm quite sure I used much less oil than you'd find in commercially made pestos, and it was delicious - I probably used a half cup at most, and it made A LOT of pesto).

STEP 2:

Boil the pasta until al dente. Drain and set aside. Meanwhile, heat a pan over medium high heat. Add a little olive oil, then cook the onion/bell pepper/squash/zucchini until tender, seasoning to taste.

STEP 3:

In another pan on medium high heat, heat a little more olive oil, and cook the chicken until done all the way through, seasoning as you go. Add the pasta and pesto to the pot you cooked the pasta in. Toss in the veggies (and chicken, if everyone is eating chicken), serve, and enjoy!

Roasted Poblano & Cilantro Hummus

2010-08-01T12:00:00.000-07:00

This post brought to you by the month of August - my birthday month!

When my dad called and asked if there was anything I wanted for my birthday, I didn't skip a beat when I answered, "A food processor!" It's rather shameful that someone who loves to cook as much as I do would have gone this long without one, isn't it? I had one for a brief period of time that I paid $25 for. You get what you pay for: it broke after 3 uses.

Lucky for me, I have a dad who's well-versed in electronics and home appliances, and he found an amazing deal on a really nice 14-cup Cuisinart that blends like a dream! Hummus was the first thing I made, although my first batch contained no tahini (Trader Joe's doesn't sell it) and was waaaaay too garlicky. Rather than perfect my base recipe like I promised myself I would, I immediately began thinking of creative things to add to my hummus. A roasted poblano version was at the top of the list.

I have to say, once I got the garlic issue under control and finally got my hands on some tahini, my hummus improved dramatically! I think the only thing I'd change about this one is the liquidity level - I put in a little reserved chickpea liquid, but the water that's naturally in the peppers was plenty; next time I'll leave out the liquid and hopefully achieve hummus with a slightly thicker consistency. Despite that, the taste was fantastic - and I know it'll only get better as it sits and the flavors meld. Even for you hummus purists, this is a must-try.

INGREDIENTS

1 can chickpeas (reserve the liquid from the can)
2 poblano peppers
big handful cilantro leaves
2 T. tahini
juice of 1 lemon
2 cloves garlic
salt
avocado oil (or sub olive, canola, or safflower oil)

STEP 1:

Roast the poblanos: lay one pepper at a time directly on the flame of a gas burner, on medium heat. Let the skin char, turning as necessary with tongs, until the whole pepper is blackened. Repeat with the other pepper. Place both peppers in a plastic tupperware container with the lid on. Let sit for about 10-15 minutes, then scrape the blackened skin off and discard it. Discard the stem and attached cluster of seeds (a few seeds in the hummus is fine - it adds a nice spice). Cut into large chunks. Place in food processor.

STEP 2:

Drain the chickpeas over a bowl, reserving the liquid from the can. Place the chickpeas, cilantro, garlic, lemon juice, and tahini in the food processor.

STEP 3:

Begin to puree the hummus, and while the food processor is on, drizzle in the avocado oil until the mixture looks like hummus is supposed to look. Remove food processor lid and taste the hummus, then add salt as needed. Blend hummus again, adding a little of the reserved chickpea liquid if the hummus is too thick. Serve with veggies, chips, or tortillas. Enjoy!

Eat well and enjoy life! More soon...

Meatless Monday: Peanut-Sauced-Veggie Lettuce Wraps

2010-07-26T11:54:00.001-07:00

Today was marked by a severe hangover. A mac 'n' cheese hangover.

One of my dearest friends requested that I cook "mac 'n' cheese two ways" for her boyfriend's birthday, and, as that meant I myself would be invited to enjoy the feast, I was only too happy to oblige. But after a couple hours of sauce-tasting and cheese-nibbling, followed by the meal itself (followed by - brace yourself - cheesecake), I was feeling...less than svelte.

Enter Meatless Monday. I was thrilled that after I tallied up the ingredients for this dish, it turned out to be vegan! I figure that after the dairy damage I did last night, a purely plant-based meal was called for. Nonetheless, what a voluptuous tasting meal it was!

The peanut sauce and tofu give it a lush richness, while the crispness of the lettuce and serving the rice cold make it totally summer-worthy. This would be dynamite with chicken instead of tofu, and if you wanted to skip the zillion-ingredient peanut sauce, a nice bottled Asian stir-fry sauce would be a dandy switch as well.

My continued apologies, dear readers, for my sporadic posts! I have vowed to cook up a storm from now till I head to Mexico in two weeks - it's simply the only way I won't sink my surfboard! To your health!

INGREDIENTS

Peanut Sauce:

2 T. sesame oil
several big spoonfuls natural peanut butter
big squeeze of honey
squeeze of Sriracha
a few vigorous shakes tamari or soy sauce
juice of one lime
several vigorous dashes rice wine vinegar
3 cloves garlic, minced
cilantro, chopped

Veggies/Filling:

1 T. olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
shelled edamame
broccolini, chopped
2 carrots, sliced thinly on the bias
1/3 block tofu, in small chunks

Lettuce leaves from one head of iceberg
cooked white or brown rice, cold or warm

STEP 1:

Make the sauce: whisk together all ingredients and set aside.

STEP 2:

Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Squeeze excess moisture out of the tofu with paper towels, and cook the chunks in a dry pan until golden brown on all sides. Remove from pan and set aside.

STEP 3:

Heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add onion, bell pepper, and carrots to pan. Cook until onions get lightly brown at the edges. Add the broccolini, tofu pieces, and peanut sauce.

STEP 4:

Serve the rice and lettuce leaves alongside the veggie mixture. Place a little rice and veggies in each lettuce leaf, roll up like a burrito, and enjoy!

Lemony Rockfish, Jeweled Couscous & Wilted Spinach

2010-07-12T11:58:00.000-07:00

Somebody has a case of Summertime Fevaaahh, baby!

Oh yeah. That would be me. How can I stay inside on the internetz, blogging away, when I could be outside playing volleyball (terribly), paddleboarding (dangerously), visiting the Chicago Greenmarket (hungrily), or patio drinking (heavily)?

So I apologize for my less-frequent posts (or, for those of you who hate seeing it pop up in your newsfeeds coughjerkscoughcough, you're welcome). But the sun has been out! The bikini has been on! And the fun just hasn't stopped!

Yes, I've been cooking. But I've also been wolfing down whatever I've made in attempt to return to the glorious agenda of summertime activities as quickly as possible. Until I get my blogging act together and give the people more posts, please enjoy this light, healthy, summery and delicious fish dish! (Warning: this makes a boatload of couscous - which bodes well for all your BBQ and potluck picnic needs.)

INGREDIENTS

2 rockfish (or other white fish) fillets
flour for dredging
olive oil and butter (don't be a wimp about it)
a couple cloves of garlic, minced
juice of one lemon
salt and pepper
parsley for garnish

1 cup whole wheat couscous
1 large shallot, minced
olive oil
salt and pepper
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
roasted red peppers, drained and cut into small pieces
kalamata olives (no pits)
capers
cucumber, small dice
fresh chopped parsley

lots of spinach (I used a 10-oz bag)
olive oil
squeeze of lemon juice
salt and pepper

STEP 1:

Heat a skillet. Add some olive oil and butter. Add the garlic and cook for about a minute. Meanwhile, pat the fish very dry. Dredge it lightly in the flour and tap off the excess. When the oil and pan are very hot, cook the fish until it's brown and crisp on one side. Flip it and cook until the fish flakes easily with a fork. Remove from pan and set aside. Deglaze the pan with the lemon juice, then pour the pan sauce over the fish.

STEP 2:

Meanwhile, heat a little olive oil in a pot with tight fitting lid. Cook the couscous according to package directions. When it has absorbed the water, stir in the cucumbers, peppers, capers, and all the rest of the ingredients. Season with salt and pepper.

STEP 3:

In another pot, heat a little more olive oil. Put the spinach in and cover it. Wilt it down to your desired level of wiltiness. Season with salt and pepper and lemon juice. Serve the fish with couscous and the spinach. Enjoy!

Grilled Shrimp Skewers with Peanut Sauce & Veggies

2010-07-01T19:28:00.000-07:00

Yet another reason to keep a well-stocked pantry: the ability to make peanut sauce at a moment's notice.

This sauce has a similar flavor profile to Pad Thai: salty, sweet, sour, and spicy. All its components are long-keeping, so once you buy them, you'll have them until you run out, and can make this easy peanut sauce again and again. I pour it over soba noodles, tofu, use it as a base for stir-frying veggies - it's really versatile.

It tastes just right on shrimp, and it's rich enough that a light meal of just shrimp and an Asian-inspired veggie mix is completely satisfying - especially on a sweltering summer night.

INGREDIENTS

about 1 lb. raw peeled and deveined shrimp
1 red onion, in large chunks
1/2 pint grape tomatoes
1 bunch fresh bok choy, cut into pieces
1 yellow bell pepper, in chunks
big handful sugar snap peas
handful fresh cilantro, chopped
sesame oil
salt and pepper

FOR PEANUT SAUCE:
big scoop natural peanut butter
about 1/3 cup tamari or regular soy sauce
squeeze of Sriracha
a few tablespoons brown sugar
several dashes rice wine vinegar
3 cloves garlic, minced
juice of one lime
1-2 T. sesame oil

DIRECTIONS

STEP 1:

Whisk together all the peanut sauce ingredients and set aside. Create the skewers: if you're cooking them on an outdoor gas or charcoal grill, soak the skewers first for about 30 minutes. If you're cooking them on a grill pan, no need to pre-soak. Place shrimp, some onion, and grape tomatoes on the skewers, alternating each ingredient.

STEP 2:

Preheat a grill pan over medium high heat. Also preheat a pan for the veggie saute. When the pan for the veggies saute is hot, add some sesame oil, then add the veggies, seasoning with salt and pepper. Cook over medium-high heat until veggies are crisp-tender.

STEP 3:

Cook the skewers on the grill pan, spooning or brushing the peanut sauce onto them. Flip each skewer and cook on the other side until the shrimp are cooked through. Serve and enjoy!

Hope you're having a delicious, relaxing summer! More soon...

Raspberry Oatmeal

2010-06-29T19:43:00.000-07:00

I'm always surprised at the posts that prove to be the most popular. My popularity scale is based mainly around comments and "likes" on Facebook (not exactly scientific, I admit), but that's all I have to go on.

The last surprisingly popular post was my Peanut Butter Oatmeal. Who would've thought that a humble bowl of oatmeal would inspire commentary - and several fans to try it themselves at home! I was, frankly, flattered that so many friends wanted to make my version of oatmeal for breakfast. So, in the spirit of democracy, I present to you Oatmeal Part Deux: Ridiculously Raspberry. Back and berrier than ever!

And speaking of being, ahem, back, you may (or may not) have been wondering about my recent absence. That, my friends, is called the 80-hour work week. While it only comes around every once in awhile, it's always a doozy. Now that the back-to-back 16-hour days fueled with Thai takeout and cans of Diet Coke salvaged (stolen) from conference rooms are behind me, I'm back in the kitchen trying to get my nutrition - and blog! - back on track.

So thanks for bearing with me, and thanks for being as passionate about oatmeal as I am! This simple, yet defiantly magenta, oatmeal was borne - as many of my dishes are - from the need to clean out the fridge and save innocent produce from meeting its maker in the trash bin. Rather than let that half pint of berries go to waste - and bored with putting berries merely on top of things - I dumped them into the oatmeal as it was cooking, and they just melted right in. I had to take a photo of the gorgeous bright pink concoction my aversion to waste created! The taste was exactly as you'd imagine - really, really raspberry-y. It gave a hearty cold-weather breakfast a summery twist.

I hope this oatmeal post proves as irresistible as the first. Thanks, as always, for reading. Eat well and enjoy life!

INGREDIENTS

1 cup water
1/2 cup steel cut oats
pinch of salt
1-2 T. brown sugar
1 T. butter
1/2 pint fresh raspberries
cold milk (optional)

STEP 1:

Bring milk to a boil. Add salt and butter. Stir in oats and reduce heat to a simmer.

STEP 2:

Add sugar and raspberries. Cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently, until oats are tender and raspberries have dissolved into the oatmeal. Serve in a bowl topped with a little cold milk if you want. Enjoy!

Stovetop Mac 'n' Cheese & Blackberry-Studded Salad

2010-06-13T12:03:00.000-07:00

Poor stovetop mac 'n' cheese, I almost forgot about you! A travesty!

I was chatting with a co-worker (also a food fanatic) about my plans to make macaroni and cheese, and he asked if I was making a baked one or a stovetop version. Being from the south, my inclination is always to bake it, casserole-style. But now that we're (finally!) in the summer months, cranking up the oven is becoming more and more of a chore. And I've done baked mac 'n' cheese on this blog before - more than once!

I thought a stovetop version sounded like a fantastic idea. However, I wanted to make it a.) healthier than your typical mac 'n' cheese (there is a time, a place, and a recipe for the heart-attack version, but a weeknight dinner is not it), and b.) more interesting than a homemade version of the blue box classic. A quickly dying loaf of whole wheat bread inspired me to make a Mediterranean(ish) breadcrumb and red pepper topping, which really took the dish to the next level (and added some veggie goodness - yay!). Sticking with the Mediterranean "theme," I added a can of chickpeas to the pasta to pump up the protein, stretch the dish, and make it even more nutritious (you know I love my chickpeas).

Nothing complements a big bowl of cheesy pasta better than a fresh (guilt-mitigating) salad. And with blackberries on top? Mmmmmm. One disclaimer: I made this several weeks ago and forgot to post it, so the recipe might not reflect exactly the way I made it, but reflects how I'd attempt to make it again. I used a blend of cheeses that I'd picked up from the farmer's market. Of course, any melty cheese would work fine here, although I think the sharper, the better (goat cheese, come to think of it, would be rad).

It's really nice when a comfort food classic not known for its healthiness can get a figure-friendly (to borrow a Rachael Ray phrase) makeover! Hope you're all enjoying your summers, and look out for more posts soon!

INGREDIENTS

1 lb. whole wheat rotini pasta
3 T. butter
2-3 cloves garlic
2 medium shallots, minced
2-3 T. flour
1/2 c. white wine
about 1 and 1/2 cups milk
salt and pepper
lots of (1-2 cups) grated cheese (I used grated sharp white cheddar, a couple slices leftover American, and some other cheese I can't remember - just cheese it up! Use whatever kind(s) you like)
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
fresh parsley for garnish (optional)

fresh whole wheat breadcrumbs (about 2 cups - I just made mine from some oldish bread)
2-3 T. butter
about 2 roasted red and/or yellow bell peppers, chopped (I used the jarred kind)
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
fresh chopped parsley
salt and pepper
red pepper flakes

SALAD:

baby greens mix
several handfuls fresh blackberries
lightly toasted almonds
lemon juice/honey/olive oil/dijon mustard/salt and pepper for the dressing (or any jarred vinaigrette you like)

STEP 1:

In a large pot, bring water to a boil. When it boils, salt it and add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain and set aside. Meanwhile, in another large pot, melt the butter. Cook the shallots until translucent, about 3-5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another minute. Whisk in the flour to make a roux, then cook for a couple minutes. Slowly whisk in the milk a little at a time. Add salt and pepper. Add the cheese, a handful at a time, and stir until mixture is thickened. Stir in the pasta and chickpeas. Keep warm and gooey until ready to serve.

STEP 2:

Assemble the salad and whisk the dressing together. Set aside (don't dress the salad until right before you serve it). In a pan, melt the butter for the breadcrumbs. Add the garlic and cook for about a minute. Add the breadcrumbs and chopped bell peppers. Season with some salt and pepper and red pepper flakes. Add the parsley and cook for a few minutes, stirring frequently, until the breadcrumb mixture has dried out a bit.

STEP 3:

Serve the mac 'n' cheese in bowls topped with a few spoonfuls of the breadcrumbs. Serve with the salad. Enjoy!

Thanks for reading! Eat well and live life, friends :-)

Meatless Mondays: Indian Feast (feat. Moong Dal)

2010-06-07T14:12:00.000-07:00

I'd like to take a moment to discuss thoughtfulness.

There are so few people who actually care about other people's lives. And this isn't my cynical-advertising-copywriter speaking. I think it's true. Sure, there are people in your life who care about you: your parents, your significant other, your close friends. And then there are those special few people who care about, well, everyone.

People who always remember birthdays - and send cards weeks in advance. People who donate to every charity run/walk/jump/bake sale possible. People who keep a mental catalogue of you, your siblings, your siblings' families, and your pets' health - and remember to ask about all those every time they talk to you.

It's safe to say I'm not one of those people. But I happen to know one - and she happened to send me a large container of mung beans. Not because I've been pestering anyone to buy me mung beans, but because I once - in passing (apparently) - mentioned I'm curious to try them. (Giver of the Mung Beans, you know who you are, and this post is for you!)

What better way to celebrate someone's thoughtfulness than to cook something seasoned with thoughts of them? (Loyal readers: don't fret, this is the most sentimental I'll ever get on this blog.) I did quite a bit of research on cooking mung beans. You can buy them with the skins already off (mine still had theirs on, which I'm convinced is more nutritious), and you can soak them (or not) before cooking. I didn't soak them. I left the skins on. And they were delicious.

Not to too my own horn, but - TOOT TOOT! This was by far the best Indian-inspired meal I've made to date. And it might even be the best Meatless Monday meal I've made. Ross said (and I'm paraphrasing): "UGGGHHHHHH, it's [expletive deleted] Meatless Monday, isn't it?" [ONE HOUR LATER:] "Oh my God, these are some delicious vegetables!...The whole point of cooking is to mask the gross taste of vegetables, and you really did that. This is really good. The rice is the best part. And the chapatis are amazing. I'll have another."

I know this meal has a lot of parts, and quite a few ingredients, but nothing about it is difficult. Even the chapatis are super low maintenance - unless you count the fact that Ross had to stand under the smoke alarm, fanning it with a towel, so I could get the pan hot enough to cook them (the perils of apartment living). If you try this meal at home, invite over someone really thoughtful - or at least be mindful of those who truly care about you. It'll make the food taste even better.

INGREDIENTS

Moong Dal:
1/4 c. olive oil
1 cup mung beans
3 cups water (actually I don't know how much it really was - I think it was more. I just kept adding water until the lentils were done)
1 onion, diced
3 finger peppers, sliced
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 medium tomatoes, in chunks
3 cloves garlic, minced
fresh chopped cilantro
Cumin seeds (about a teaspoon, whole, toasted)
Turmeric
salt

Homemade Chapatis:
I used this recipe, subbing in 2% milk for the water.
I also used a little more than 3/4 c. milk, and I cooked each chapati in a smidgen of butter.

Creamy Spinach:
1 10-oz. bag spinach leaves, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
a few tablespoons water
big spoonfuls sour cream
salt and pepper

Rice Pilaf:
1 cup rinsed white rice
2 cups water
turmeric (a few dashes)
cumin seeds, whole (about 1/2 tsp.)
1 cinnamon stick
a few tablespoons dried currants
a few tablespoons sliced peeled almonds, toasted
salt
olive oil

STEP 1:

In a Dutch oven or large pot, heat the 1/4 c. olive oil. Add the onions and some salt. Cook over medium high heat until translucent. Add the finger peppers, bell pepper, turmeric, bay leaf, and toasted cumin seeds. Stir and cook for a few minutes. Add the mung beans and a few cups water. Add the tomatoes and garlic. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, for about an hour, adding more water as needed and stirring every few minutes, until mung beans are tender and consistency is a bit thicker than a stew. Stir in chopped cilantro about 10 minutes before it's done. Taste and adjust seasonings. Cover and keep warm until ready to serve.

STEP 2:

While moong dal is cooking, prepare the chapatis. Cover with a kitchen towel and keep warm until ready to serve. Also prepare the rice: add rice, water, turmeric, cumin, and cinnamon stick to rice cooker (or pot with lid) and simmer until all water is absorbed. Stir in currants and toasted almonds. Fluff with a fork. Keep warm until ready to serve.

STEP 3:

Prepare spinach: in a pot with a lid, place the spinach and all other ingredients. Cook over medium low heat until spinach is wilted. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve moong dal and spinach over rice pilaf, with chapatis on the side. Enjoy!

Meatless Mondays: Thing One & Thing Two

2010-05-17T12:57:00.000-07:00

After a weekend
of meatish indulgence,
veggies were called for
in overabundance.

She chopped up some leaves
and defrosted some beans
and whipped up a dressing
quite worthy of queens.

"Tis a shock to my system"
her boyfriend exclaimed,
yet not one lettuce leaf
on his plate went unclaimed.

Despite her public distaste
for salads in general,
she realized she needed
some vitamins, minerals!

"Cilantro," she said,
"will just do the trick."
And indeed it transformed
the salad - and quick!

She boiled wheatberries
till soft to the tooth.
It took over an hour -
and that's the sad truth.

Every once in a while
you need a good cleanse
so you and your figure
can remain best of friends.

Enjoy these two salads
without any guilt.
For optimum health
they were specially built.

INGREDIENTS: WHEATBERRY & ASPARAGUS SALAD

1 cup wheatberries
olive oil
1 bunch thin asparagus, ends trimmed
1 medium shallot, chopped
1 small onion, diced
2 stalks green garlic, halved and thinly sliced
fresh thyme
fresh oregano
fresh rosemary
salt and pepper
red pepper flakes
~1/3 c. white wine
1/3 block of extra-firm tofu

INGREDIENTS: ASIAN BROCCOLINI SALAD & CILANTRO-TOFU DRESSING

a few handfuls mixed baby lettuces
1 T. sesame oil
2 finger peppers, thinly sliced, with all seeds
1 bunch broccolini, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 medium shallot, chopped
~1 cup frozen shelled edamame
salt and pepper
~1/2 c. roasted cashews
2 smallish carrots, peeled and thinly sliced into rounds

Dressing:

1/2 medium shallot, chopped
a few big dashes rice wine vinegar
juice of 1 lime
dollop creme fraiche (or sour cream, or yogurt)
1 bunch cilantro, ends trimmed
big squeeze honey
1/3 block tofu, crumbled
~1/3 c. water
salt and pepper

Spring Feast!

2010-05-16T11:35:00.000-07:00

This Saturday, I made my first trip of the outdoor-market season to Green City Market. And aaaahhh, what a glorious trip it was!

I've literally been waiting months for this! And I couldn't be happier to get reacquainted with my most favorite Saturday activity. It was a fantastic weekend morning all around: an early bird market visit (8 AM) followed by Starbucks, a rhubarb muffin (from a local vendor), and the New York Times on a patio. A nice walk home finished the morning off perfectly.

And what's a girl with a bag full of produce to do with the rest of her day? Why, invite friends over for dinner - the perfect excuse to start cooking at 3 PM!

I wasn't entirely sure what I was going to make until crunch time. I picked up some nice lean lamb at Whole Foods, and, inspired by my Green City haul, I pretty much just winged the rest of it. There were a few recipes I'd been stashing away that made planning pretty much a no-brainer considering I'd picked up Spring's main stars: asparagus, green garlic, strawberries, and rhubarb.

A couple of bottles of red wine and some great company made Saturday night just as good as Saturday day. We really rung in Spring deliciously. Thanks to guests Taylor and Sarah (Fearless Cook loyalists)!
INGREDIENTS

Lamb

about 2 lbs. lean lamb roast (mine was in 2 pieces)
2 T. olive oil
salt and pepper
2-3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
fresh chopped rosemary, oregano, and thyme
~1 cup rich red wine, such as Malbec
fresh chopped parsley for garnish

Radish Relish
Check out this recipe: Radish Relish.

Asparagus & Potato Gratin

4 medium Russet potatoes, boiled whole until about 3/4 of the way cooked, unpeeled
1 bunch thin fresh asparagus, ends trimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces on the bias
3 T. butter
2 stalks green garlic, halved and thinly sliced, white part only (or substitute 2 cloves garlic or 1 small leek)
2-3 T. flour
~1.5 c. milk
~1/2 c. white wine
salt and pepper
~1/2 lb. sharp white cheddar (leave a little for topping the gratin)
fresh chopped parsley for garnish

Biscuits

Check out Alton Brown's no-fail biscuit recipe here: You'll thank me later.

Rhubarb Compote

I got this recipe from Chow.com: Ridiculously easy.

Full dessert recipe ingredient list:

one batch Alton's biscuits, fresh from the oven
one recipe rhubarb compote, preferably warm (but mine was at room temp - the world continued to turn)
sliced fresh strawberries (don't skimp - get organic. Strawberries are one of the most pesticide-heavy fruits out there.)
a few dollops store-bought creme fraiche (or just substitute unsweetened whipped cream - you could also be extra-sinful and top them with vanilla ice cream)

STEP 1:

Make the radish relish, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Make biscuit dough, then wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to bake. (NOTE: I didn't have buttermilk, so I just used regular milk (1%) and it was fine. I also added about 1 and a 1/2 tablespoons sugar to the recipe since I was making them for dessert.)

STEP 2:

Boil the potatoes, then set aside. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and saute the green garlic for about a minute. When the butter has melted, whisk in the flour and cook for 2-3 minutes while whisking. Pour in the milk a little at time, whisking constantly, until the roux and milk are smooth and incorporated. Turn the heat up. Whisk in the wine. Add salt and pepper and bring the whole thing to a boil and cook for a few minutes to thicken. Add the cheese in two to three batches, whisking until it's melted and the whole thing is a smooth, fragrant, cheesy delight. Taste and adjust seasonings (make sure you don't skimp on salt - this will be the seasoning for the entire dish).

STEP 3:

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375. Slice the potatoes thinly (about 1/8" thick). Put a ladleful of the cheesy bechamel sauce into the bottom of a casserole dish. Place a single layer of potato slices on the bottom, then scatter half the asparagus pieces on top. Top with a couple ladlefuls of the bechamel. Repeat that process again. Place a final layer of potato slices on top, top with a little more bechamel, and sprinkle a light layer of cheese on top. Bake for about 30-45 minutes, until top is browned in places and edges are bubbly. Set aside and cover with a kitchen towel. Reheat in the oven about 10 minutes before serving.

STEP 4:

Reduce oven heat to 325. In a Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Liberally season the lamb with salt and pepper. Brown on both sides. Remove meat from pot and set aside. Turn off stove heat and pour in wine, scraping the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Return the lamb to the pot and add garlic and herbs. Cover and roast for about 45 minutes to an hour, until lamb is medium (I overcooked my lamb, so just remember to check it and take it out of the oven before you think it's done. If it's underdone after resting for about 20 minutes, you can always stick it back in).

STEP 5:

When lamb is done, remove from its cooking liquid and slice thinly. Return to cooking liquid and cover until ready to serve. Place on a serving platter, ladle some cooking liquid on top, top with fresh chopped parsley and a few spoonfuls of radish relish. Serve with the hot gratin. Enjoy!

STEP 6:

Preheat oven to 350. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface until it's about 3/4" thick. Using a biscuit or cookie cutter (or glass, which is what I used), cut the dough into rounds and place on a baking sheet lightly coated with nonstick cooking spray. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until biscuits rise and become golden-brown on top. Use a fork to pry them in half and top with a few spoonfuls of rhubarb compote. Top with sliced strawberries and a dollop of creme fraiche. Serve while biscuits are still warm. Enjoy!

Eat well and enjoy life, friends! More soon...

Spicy Shrimp & Peppers and Goat Cheese Mashed Potatoes

2010-05-12T19:12:00.001-07:00

I was worried I would regret buying that potato ricer. It's now safe to say I don't.

Not only has it paved the way to delicious gnocchi, it has expanded its repertoire to mashed potatoes. I don't make mashed potatoes often, only because I have no self-control. Once I finish my very sensible portion size, I take my dish to the sink to rinse it, and before I know it, I'm standing over the pot eating the potatoes with a serving spoon.

And when goat cheese is added to the mix...well, there's basically no hope of keeping my caloric consumption in check. Consider this fair warning. The spicy, acidic shrimp and pepper topping is a pleasantly bold counterpoint to the creamy potatoes. In fact, the combination of flavors is almost good enough to take one's mind off a devastating Stanley Cup playoffs loss [see above photo].

This is one of those dishes that Ross deemed "menu-worthy" (the menu of our fictional island bistro, of course). I love when he says that :-)

If you don't have a potato ricer, you can still make this - you'll just have to mash your potatoes by hand, or you can always just use an immersion blender or hand mixer to get that creamy consistency (although many mashed potato purists advise against this because over-mixing can over-activate the starches, resulting in gluey mashed potatoes). No matter how you make them, I promise you won't have any trouble eating them.

INGREDIENTS

5-6 medium-sized Russet potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
3 T. butter
1/2 c. milk
~1 c. vegetable or chicken broth
8 oz. goat cheese
salt and pepper

2 T. olive oil
1 T. butter
2 bell peppers (I used red and yellow), sliced
1 medium onion, sliced
1 pt. grape tomatoes
paprika
cayenne pepper
red pepper flakes
juice of one lemon
~1/2 c. white wine
fresh chopped parsley
salt and pepper
~12 large raw shrimp, peeled and deveined, defrosted if frozen

STEP 1:

In a large pot of salted water, boil the potatoes until very tender (some falling apart). Drain. Using a potato ricer, push them through the ricer into the same pot you cooked them in. Add the butter, broth, milk, salt, pepper, and goat cheese and stir over low heat until cheese is melted and mashed potatoes are hot.

STEP 2:

Meanwhile, heat the oil and butter over medium heat. Add peppers and onions and salt, pepper, cayenne, red pepper flakes, and papkrika. When peppers have softened a bit, add tomatoes. Stir till all the peppers/onions are coated in the seasonings.

STEP 3:

When over half the tomatoes have burst, stir in the parsley, lemon juice and wine. Add the shrimp and reduce the heat to low. Cook, stirring, until shrimp are just done. Spoon some potatoes onto the plates. Spoon the shrimp mixture over top. Garnish with extra parsley and serve. Enjoy!

Eat well and enjoy life, friends! More soon...

Karyn's Green Zebra

2010-05-08T18:46:00.000-07:00

I don't usually give my dishes creative names, only because I think that when you see my newest post online (or in your Facebook newsfeed), you should instantaneously be able to know if you'd like to make it, based on the ingredients.

This, however, I couldn't resist. This past weekend was nothing but work, work, work for me, but I did have one night of respite - and what respite it was. I had dinner with my friend Colleen at Green Zebra, an amazing upscale restaurant (thank you, Groupon!). Green Zebra also happens to be a vegetarian restaurant. I had heard such amazing things about it - from veggies and non-veggies alike - that I couldn't wait to go.

Green Zebra did not disappoint. In fact, it was one of the best meals I've had in Chicago. From a sublime cauliflower pot de creme to a truly transcendent duck egg on potato puree, it was an incredible meal from the first bite to the last. I can't wait to go back.

I also recently experienced local vegan haunt Karyn's Cooked, which was - much to my surprise - delicious! Not that I can't imagine vegan food being good...I guess I just didn't expect it to be that good. I had brunch with my friend Sarah, and I'd love to go back for lunch or dinner. Hence, I named this dish after my two recent inspiring vegetarian meals. Karyn's Green Zebra (or asparagus and carrots with cilantro chutney and marinated tofu) is easy, healthy, and was completely unplanned. It was borne of pure hunger and a desire to use the last of my fresh veggies before they wilted in the fridge.

If I made this again, I'd roast the veggies a bit longer, as they were a bit crisp, but if you prefer a more raw, salad-like texture, you could cook them as little as you like. The quick-marinating of the tofu really added a nice texture and flavor to it - this is a technique I am definitely going to revisit with varying ingredients in the future.

After a weekend full of work and several late nights, I'm exhausted and going to cut this short, but to my Chicago followers, let me know if you head to Green Zebra or Karyn's. Better yet, take me with you!

INGREDIENTS

1 bunch thin-stemmed asparagus, washed and trimmed or tough ends, and cut in half
1 bunch true baby carrots (the kind with green tops attached), peeled and halved
2 finger peppers, sliced, with all seeds
3 T. olive oil, divided
1/4 block extra-firm tofu, cut into thirds and pressed dry of excess moisture
soy sauce
rice vinegar
Sriracha
1/4 c. roasted salted cashews
2 medium onions, halved and sliced thinly
salt and pepper
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, leaves and stems
juice of one lime
juice of one lemon
olive oil
salt
water
squeeze of honey

STEP 1:

Preheat the oven to 400. In a shallow baking dish, toss the carrots, asparagus, and finger pepper slices in about 1 T. olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast until desired donesness (I cooked mine for about 20 minutes). You could cook it more, but I wouldn't recommend cooking it less.

STEP 2:

Meanwhile, heat another 1 T. olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook the tofu in the oil until golden brown on one side. Flip and cook until golden brown on the other side. In a shallow bowl wide enough to hold the three tofu pieces, mix a few dashes soy sauce, a few dashe rice vingegar, and a squeeze of Sriracha. When the tofu is done, take it out of the pan (leave the oil in the pan) and place it in the soy sauce mixture. Let it soak until you're ready to seve the dish, flipping it occasionally. Nestle the cashews alongside the tofu, in the liquid.

STEP 3:

Add another T. of olive oil to the pan. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add the onions and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until caramelized. Set aside.

STEP 4:

Meanwhile, put the rest of the ingredients listed (starting with the cilantro) into a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings. Set aside. Remove the asparagus and carrots from the oven. Pile on a plate, top with some onions, lay the pieces of tofu on top, and top with a little of the tofu marinating liquid and the cilantro sauce. Scatter some cashews around the plate. Serve and enjoy!

Eat well and enjoy life, friends! More soon...

Meatless Monday: Pizza a la Mumbai

2010-05-03T10:47:00.000-07:00

This is how I described this meal to Ross [picture the proud, self-indulgent grin of a 4th grader bringing home an A on a math test]: "It's pizza with homemade Indian-spiced marinara, curried spinach and chickpeas, and fresh ricotta!"

Ross' response [picture a blank stare]: "Were you speaking English just then?" [Me: *shakes head.*]

When he finally took a bite, he exclaimed, "Whoa! This is like...Indian pizza! I get it!" He has seen the light! *ANGELS SINGING ON HIGH* After another bite: "It tastes just like Indian food...only, on a pizza." Wonders never cease. Actually, I was thrilled that he "got" the "concept" behind this Meatless Monday meal. Not that it was on a Moto-esque level or anything. But for someone who doesn't do a lot of fusion food (unlike one of my favorite bloggers), I was sort of proud of myself.

Before I go handing out my very own James Beard award, I should remind us all that anything - anything - tastes good on a pizza. And lest you think it's a completely original idea, let me admit now, publicly, that it was inspired by - of all things - something I saw on a Bobby Flay show, and also by the lone vegetarian dish I had while dining at the porktastic restaurant The Publican.

Anyway, it was good. The flavors in the marinara and the toppings melded beautifully, and the ricotta added a rich counterpoint to the bold flavors. One note: I wouldn't skip the cilantro and peppers on top - their brightness and crunch really lighten up the tastebud flavor assault.

INGREDIENTS

1 fresh ball of pizza dough
flour
cornmeal for dusting
1 batch Indian marinara (recipe follows)
~1.5 cups fresh ricotta cheese
olive or canola oil
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 large bag baby spinach leaves, steamed then squeezed dry, roughly chopped
several dashes curry powder
salt and pepper
fresh chopped cilantro, for garnish
1/2 thinly sliced fresh finger pepper (optional), for garnish

MARINARA:
1 medium onion, diced
1 finger (or serrano) pepper, sliced, with all seeds
1 large can whole peeled plum tomatoes and all juices
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
handful cilantro, chopped
a few dashes cumin
1 cinnamon stick
a few dashes allspice
salt and pepper
red pepper flakes

STEP 1:

Make the marinara: Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium-high heat. Cook the onion and finger pepper until beginning to soften. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes. Use an immersion blender to make it smooth (you can skip this step and have chunkier sauce). Turn off heat and set aside until ready to use.

STEP 2:

In a skillet, heat about 1 T. olive oil. Cook the chickpeas, seasoning with salt, pepper, and curry powder, for a few minutes, until chickpeas are hot and coated evenly with the spices. Remove the chickpeas and set aside. In the same pan (don't bother wiping it out), put a little more oil and the squeezed-dry spinach in the pan, and season with salt, pepper, and curry powder. Cook until hot and spices are evenly distributed.

STEP 3:

Preheat your oven to 500 degrees. Dust a little flour on your work surface and roll out the dough until desired thinness (I think thinner is better, but that's just me). Spread a little cornmeal over your pizza stone or baking sheet. Place the dough on top. Brush with a little olive oil. Spread the chickpeas and spinach over the dough evenly. Place dollops of fresh ricotta enenly around the dough. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper over the whole thing. Top it all with dollops of the marinara.

STEP 4:

Bake until dough is crisp and bown on the edges and ricotta is beginning to brown in places. Remove from the oven and cut into slices. Top slices with a little fresh cilantro and sliced finger peppers. Serve and enjoy!

Vegan Sweet & Sour...Hot Pot?

2010-05-02T16:37:00.000-07:00

You don't have to be able to define something to like it.

And for that reason, this will be a short post, because I don't know what this really is.

There's too much liquid for it to be a stir-fry.

But not so much that it's a soup.

It's an Asian-flavored, animal-product-free, easy, cheap, and delicious dinner.

And that's as close to a definition as I'm going to get. Enjoy, friends.

INGREDIENTS

2 T. sesame oil
1/3 block extra firm tofu, squeezed dry and cut into cubes
1 medium onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, in chunks
1 serrano pepper, sliced, with all seeds
~1 cup fresh broccoli florets
~1/2 c. frozen shelled edamame
~1/3 c. frozen green peas
2 T. brown sugar
~1/4 cup soy sauce
several vigorous shakes rice wine vinegar
~1 tsp. grated ginger
3-4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
zest and juice of one lime
handful fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
pinch of salt
black pepper

STEP 1:

Heat 1 T. of the oil in a Dutch oven or nonstick pan. Cook the tofu over medium heat, flipping each piece when it's golden brown on one side, until all pieces are golden brown on both sides. Remove from the oil and set aside. Add the rest of the oil to the pan, then add the red bell pepper, onion, and serrano pepper. Cook for about 4-5 minutes.

STEP 2:

Add the broccoli, soy sauce, sugar, rice vinegar, lime zest and juice, salt and pepper, ginger, and garlic. Cook for a few more minutes.

STEP 3:

Add the tofu, edamame, peas, and cliantro. Cook for 3-4 more minutes. Serve and enjoy!

Mediterranean Orecchiette, Cooked Risotto-Style

2010-04-30T18:27:00.000-07:00

How great is Groupon, right?

I came across a Groupon for Fox & Obel the other day, and my fellow Chicagoans know that it's an amazing gourmet market located conveniently (dangerously?) close to my office. As if I needed another excuse to shop there, the Groupon provided me the perfect opportunity to browse the shop and pick up a few things I needed. One of the produce treasures I came across was a pack of "heirloom peppers." I had no idea if they were going to be sweet or spicy, but I am not one to turn down a pepper of any variety, and certainly not an heirloom edition.

As it turned out, they were a variety of red bell peppers, but their thin flesh made them crisper and much sweeter than your average red pepper. They also had an intriguing, elongated shape, reminiscent of Cubanelles. If you happen to find them in your local market, definitely pick some up. They're a nice change of pace.

Among the other things I found at Fox and Obel was a box of Italian orecchiette, one of my favorite pasta shapes, but it's not always available at the regular supermarket. With a few other treats I had around, I had the perfect beginnings for a pasta dish, and I had been wanting to try cooking it risotto-style ever since I saw Mark Bittman do it on his blog a few months ago.

It's exactly what it sounds like - you add dry pasta to a base of oil and butter, and gradually add liquid while stirring, just like risotto - only instead of arborio rice, you use a short pasta. Just like with the rice grains (but to a lesser extent), the pasta releases its glutens slowly, thickening the sauce you cook it in and creating a rich base - all without having to add anything but the broth.

Despite the fact that this blog's subtitle is "How To Wine and Dine Daringly," I almost never share with you my adventures in vino. What a shame! Consider this my first step toward a remedy. We enjoyed this wine (photo above) with dinner, and at about $8 a bottle at Treasure Island, it was an absolute steal! In fact, I may just wrap this up and have another sip or two...or three....

INGREDIENTS
Makes 4-6 servings

2 T. olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
3 heirloom red bell peppers, sliced, ribs and seeds removed
2 T. butter
~2 c. dried orecchiette pasta (or other small pasta, like shells or rotini)
zest and juice of one lemon
1 container (the box) low-sodium chicken broth
salt and pepper
red pepper flakes
fresh chopped thyme
fresh chopped oregano
1 can artichoke hearts, quartered (not packed in oil)
~1/2 cup frozen peas
handful olives, halved (use good quality black or green olives, or a combination)
~15 shrimp, cleaned, peeled, and deveined (if using frozen, thaw first)

STEP 1:

In a large Dutch oven or pot with lid, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and bell pepper. Add a little salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Cook until beginning to soften. Add the butter and dried pasta. Stir unti the butter has melted and coated the pasta.

STEP 2:

Add the chicken broth about a cup at a time, stirring almost constantly (the chicken broth should be at a steady simmer). Add the rest of the ingredients except the peas and shrimp, and continue to add the broth and stir.

STEP 3:

Taste a piece of pasta. When it's just shy of al dente, add the shrimp and peas and the rest of the chicken broth, stir, and cover. Cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, until the shrimp are cooked through and the pasta is tender but not mushy. Adjust seasonings if neccessary. Serve and enjoy!

Eat well and enjoy life, friends! More soon...

Vegetarian Stuffed Poblanos with Avocado Crema

2010-04-25T16:51:00.000-07:00

There may not be anything more satisfying than serving tofu to a mixed crowd and having everyone love it.

Ok, ok, it certainly wasn't the star of the meal - in fact, it was cut into tiny little pieces and scattered amongst beans, rice, and Mexican delights of all varieties. But it was definitely in there! And let me tell you what - these stuffed peppers were freaking good. Ross and my friends Jess (of former roommate fame) and Mike (her boyfriend) agreed. It was a spontaneous Sunday night dinner that I look forward to revisiting tonight in the form of leftovers.

I had been really scared to try roasting peppers on the gas stovetop, for obvious reasons (fear of causing the Great Chicago Fire 2.0 chief among them), but it's actually a mellow process. I made sure there weren't any kitchen towels in sparking range, and just stood and watched the skin char. And the way it enhances the flavor of the poblanos - that's worth a little fear, my friends. In fact, you should only be afraid of not making this recipe - ASAP!

INGREDIENTS

4 large poblano peppers
2 T. olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 large green bell pepper, diced
1 serrano chile, thinly sliced
1 can diced tomatoes and green chiles and all juices
1 can tomato paste diluted with equal part water
cumin (start with a few shakes, taste, and add as needed)
Mexican chili powder (start with a few shakes, taste, and add as needed)
dried oregano (start with a few shakes, taste, and add as needed)
salt and pepper
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
2/3 block extra-frim tofu, cut into 1/4" cubes and squeezed dry
juice of 1/2 a lime
~1/2 cup chopped cilantro
~3 cups cooked brown rice
~1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
grape tomatoes, in chunks, for garnish

Avocado Crema:
1 very ripe avocado
~1/2 cup light sour cream
juice of 1 lime
1/3 c. chopped cilantro
salt and pepper

STEP 1:

If you have a gas stovetop, turn a burner on medium heat, and place a poblano pepper directly on the flame. Roast on each side until the skin is charred black and bubbly. (You can also just roast them in the oven on high heat or under the broiler, or in a grill pan.) When each poblano is blackened, place in a bowl or a tupperware container with a tight-fitting lid and let rest for about 15 minutes. Peel the skins off and discard.

STEP 2:

With a sharp knife, cut a slice lengthwise down the poblanos and cut circularly around the stem of the pepper. Pull out the stem and seeds and discard. Meanwhile, cook the rice in a rice cooker or on the stove.

STEP 3:

Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium-high heat. Cook the onions, green pepper, and serrano pepper until beginning to soften. Add some cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, and oregano. Stir and cook for a few more minutes. Add the can of diced tomatoes and the watered-down tomato paste. Add more seasonings, cooking and stirring occasionally.

STEP 4:

Add the lime juice, beans and tofu, and add the rice after it's cooked. Stir to combine, taste, and adjust seasonings. Fold in the cilantro.

STEP 5:

Preheat the oven to 375. Place the poblano peppers in a lightly oiled baking dish. Stuff each one with the rice/beans/tofu mixture. Cover each poblano with cheese. Bake for about 20-25 minutes, until cheese is melty.

STEP 6:

Meanwhile, in a small pot, heat all the ingredients for the avocado crema over medium-low heat. Use an immersion blender to blend it until smooth. When the peppers are done, top each one with the crema before serving. Garnish with fresh tomato chunks. Serve and enjoy!

I think Ross put it best when he said, "I couldn't even taste the healthy." Really says it all.

Eat well, enjoy life, and more soon!

Anthony Bourdain and Basil-Oil & Asparagus Pizza

2010-04-25T08:31:00.000-07:00

J'taime Tony! Ever since I read Kitchen Confidential a couple years ago, just about the time my love for all things culinary was really starting to blossom, I have had a growing obsession with Anthony Bourdain, the former chef-turned-travel-host and star of the Travel Channel's fantastic No Reservations.

If you haven't seen No Reservations, it's basically a raw, documentary-style travel show focused on Bourdain's travels around the world - Istanbul, Saudia Arabia, Singapore, you name it. It's wickedly well-written (by Bourdain himself) and compulsively watchable.

For lovers of the show (and all things Tony), seeing Anthony Bourdain on stage is a dream come true. He basically talks for about an hour, an hour and a half - very much in the style of his show, although sans bleeping - and then takes questions from the audience for another hour. He tells behind-the-scenes stories, but he also pontificates (hilariously) on everything from how not to piss off your host to why he thinks vegetarians are a-holes.

Perhaps most famously, he slaughters the Food Network and almost everyone on it (he is well-known for past diatribes against Rachael Ray, although he's left those jokes in the past since she sent him a fruit basket). He actually respects Ina Garten, Bobby Flay, Emeril, and Mario Batali (also one of his close personal friends) - but Sandra Lee: watch out. Tony no like. (And it seemed as though the audience couldn't agree more - we erupted in applause when he told tales of her "pure evilness." Actual quote: "Sandra Lee does to food what Hitler did to Poland." Cue audience hysterics.)

The thing I love about Anthony Bourdain is his deep respect for the sheer diversity of world cultures and the people who live, eat, and breathe those cultures every day. He urged us all to "be grateful, and try our best to be polite" as we explore all the world has to offer. That's a philosophy I can most definitely get behind.

Before I left for the show, I whipped up a sauceless pizza that captured one of Spring's best treats: asparagus. I dedicate a slice to the inimitable Anthony Bourdain. Cheers, Tony!

INGREDIENTS

1 recipe hand-method pizza dough (or store-bought)
a few spoonfuls basil oil (recipe follows)
torn fresh basil leaves
small fresh mozzarella balls, halved
several asparagus spears, just the fluffy ends (reserve the rest for another use)
grape tomatoes, halved
freshly grated Parmesan
salt and pepper
red pepper flakes

Basil Oil:
~1/2 cup olive oil
~a dozen basil leaves, torn

STEP 1:

Bring your pizza dough to room temperature and preheat your oven to 500 degrees. Make the basil oil: in a small saucepan, combine the olive oil and basil leaves over medium0low heat and cook until the basil looks fried. Strain the oil into a jar and discard the basil.

STEP 2:

Roll out the pizza dough. Sprinkle your baking stone or pan with a little coarse cornmeal (to prevent sticking). Place the dough on the cooking pan. Spread a little basil oil over the dough's entire surface. Place the torn fresh basil leaves around randomly (as much or as little as you like - I used about 3 large basil leaves total).

STEP 3:

Spread the asparagus ends, tomato halves, and mozzarella ball halves randomly around the pizza in a single layer. Grate Parmesan cheese over the top. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Drizzle a little more basil oil over the top. Bake at 500 until the edges are browning and the cheese is browned in places. Cut into pieces, serve, and enjoy!

Maple-Honey Peanut Butter Oatmeal

2010-04-25T08:19:00.001-07:00

I so rarely share with you the simple things I make.

But I should. Because most people don't cook with an average of 15 ingredients per meal. Most of us just want simple ways to enhance the things we love to eat. And because I love to eat oatmeal, I wanted to share with you oatmeal my way.

This is so much more filling (not to mention unprocessed) than those cloyingly sweet instant oatmeal packets (although you could start with 2 packets of plain instant oatmeal and turn it into this recipe if those were all you had around). The protein from the peanut butter will keep you full, and the fiber in the oatmeal is what makes it such a heart-healthy breakfast option.

If you use quick oats and have the basic ingredients on hand, you can even whip this up before work -as long as you don't mind opening a few jars in your morning haze. This is the kind of hearty morning meal that won't leave your tummy rumbling by 10:15 AM. And I think we could all use a little more energy in the mornings.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup water
1/2 cup steel-cut quick-cooking oats (or any quick oats)
pinch of salt
1 tsp. butter
~1 tsp. natural maple syrup
~1 tsp. honey
~1 T. natural peanut butter
freshly grated cinnamon (or jarred cinnamon)

STEP 1:

In a small pot, bring the water to a boil. Stir in the oats and reduce heat to a simmer.

STEP 2:

Stir in the rest of the ingredients except the cinnamon and cook until it's creamy - about 5 minutes.

STEP 3:

Transfer to a bowl and top with the grated cinnamon. Enjoy!

Yogurt-Marinated Shrimp, Fiery Cauliflower & Indian-Spiced Sweet Potatoes

2010-04-23T14:20:00.000-07:00

Someone stage an intervention. Because I think I'm addicted to serrano peppers.

How else to explain my constant craving for the lip-numbing heat, the crisp chili-ness, the slow burn? Serranos just make everything more delicious - bottom line. And I know at least one chef who would agree with me.

The British have a reputation for bland, boring food, but Jamie (like me) adds chilies to almost everything he cooks. And mainstream American curry powders have their roots not in India, but in the derivative Indian cooking of England. I hope that Jamie's uber-inspirational new show, Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution, will inspire people around the country who have never so much as picked up a pan to try their hands at making healthy, unprocessed food in their home kitchens.

The show is fantastic - and if you don't catch it in its normal timeslot, every full episode is on Hulu. The amount of resistance Jamie gets from the people of Huntington, VA, is astonishing - but the way he overcomes every obstacle is truly amazing. It's a great show, and I hope that it's reaching the audience that needs to see it most (obviously, people like me are already on the home-cooking bandwagon).

And if YOU weren't interested in home cooking, you probably wouldn't be reading this blog! Hopefully these recipes will be more fodder for creating a great meal of your own - and don't worry, if you're sensitive to spice, you could leave out the serranos entirely and still have a great dinner on your hands. But if you're one of those crazies who can't quell the craving for heat, forget deseeding those babies and have a fiery field day, my friends.

The potato recipe would actually be a great way to indroduce kids to the complex flavors of Indian spices. They're sweet, creamy, and when you use a light hand with the spices, very mild and completely delicious. They'd be as at home on a Thanksgiving spread as they are on an Indian-themed plate.

The idea for marinating the shrimp in yogurt is based on the traditional preparation method for chicken tikka masala (funnily enough, people joke that it's the national dish of the UK) - the chicken is marinated in yogurt and then cooked in the tandoori oven before being stewed with vegetables. If you haven't ever had chicken tikka masala, find your nearest Indian restaurant immediately and try it - it's absolutely delicious. I don't happen to have a tandoori oven in my apartment, but the yogurt marinade gave the shrimp a tangy and complex flavor. The lemon juice thins it out, so only a little of the marinade sticks to the shrimp when you grill it, but the flavor really comes through.

INGREDIENTS

SHRIMP
12-15 medium sized shrimp, cleaned, peeled, and deveined (if frozen, thaw)
1 cup plain nonfat yogurt
several dashes curry powder
a couple dashes cayenne pepper
salt and pepper
juice of one lemon

SWEET POTATOES
3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
2-3 T. butter
~1/2 cup milk
cinnamon
nutmeg
cumin
allspice
cayenne pepper
salt and black pepper

VEGGIES
2-3 T. olive oil
1 head caulifower, cored and cut into florets
1 red bell pepper, cut into chunks
1 medium sweet onion, cut into chunks
2 serrano peppers, minced, with all seeds (for less heat, remove seeds and/or leave out serranos)
salt and pepper
a few dashes curry powder
~1/3 cup water

STEP 1:

In a bowl with a lid, mix all the ingredients under the word "shrimp" (except the shrimp, haha) together in a bowl. Place the shrimp in the marinade and make sure they're all covered. Marinate for 30 min to an hour in the fridge.

STEP 2:

Boil the sweet potatoes until very tender. Drain. Pass through a potato ricer (or you can skip this part and just mash them with a fork in the pot you boiled them in) and add in the milk, butter, and spices. Set aside and keep warm.

STEP 3:

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet with a lid. Add the bell peppers, onion, chilies, and cauliflower. Add the seasonings and curry powder. Cook until veggies are beginning to brown at the edges. Add the water and cover and cook until the cauliflower is tender.

STEP 4:

Heat a grill pan over medium heat. Cook the shrimp, flipping once, until cooked through (about 2 minutes per side). Serve with the potatoes and veggies.

I hope I've helped inspire you to stay in and cook fresh! Check out Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution - maybe over a big dish of spicy sweet potatoes. Eat well and enjoy life! More soon...

Meatless Mondays: Three-Pepper Thai Pesto Noodles

2010-04-19T17:12:00.000-07:00

One sad, lonely photo. That is all.

That's simply all I could muster. In an apartment with no less than four digital cameras, two photo-enabled cell phones, one small video camera, and two laptops with built-in camera lenses, I could only manage one photo of this delicious, spectacularly indulgent vegan dinner.

I searched high and low for batteries, memory cards, matching computer-connection cords, and all the digital accoutrements needed to take and upload photos, but everything was scattered, missing, misplaced, or broken (all within 400 measly square feet, lest we forget). *Le sigh.* At least my old, decrepit batteries in one camera held out for this photo - the AA's swan song.

If I had a few more lovely photos to break up my commentary, I'd share with you all about how traditional pesto gave way to an Asian pesto inspiration, but you can Google pesto and see for yourself. Sparse though the evidence may be, this was a craveable meatless Monday creation. And I realized, mid-bite, that it was not only vegetarian, it was vegan as well (bonus for me and my planet!).

If you've never made pesto, or are trying to eat more conscientiously, or if you simply delight in an overabundance of cilantro, I urge you to make this pesto* posthaste. And then try not to have seconds.

NOTE: If you are sensitive to spicy foods, as mentioned, watch your serranos, and if you're a total wuss, substitute green bell peppers for the Cubanelles. Trust me.

INGREDIENTS
Makes 5-6 servings

PESTO (makes about 2 cups - you'll have some leftover):
1 bunch cilantro, stems trimmed off
1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, stems trimmed off
1/4 c. toasted sesame oil
1/3 c. olive oil (you could use less - I just eyeballed it)
4-5 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
big handful roasted salted peanuts (about 1/2 cup?)
1/3 cup (about) roasted unsalted cashews
several vigorous dashes soy sauce
juice of 1 lime
juice of 1 lemon
a few vigorous dashes rice vinegar
2 T. honey
~1/3 c. water (more or less as needed)

PEPPERS/TOFU
1 T. toasted sesame oil
1-2 tsp. olive oil
1/3 block extra firm tofu, cut into chunks, moisture squeezed out
1 red bell pepper, in big chunks
1 medium sweet onion, in chunks
2 cubanelle peppers, halved and sliced
2 serrano chilies, halved and sliced, with seeds (if you're sensitive to spice, remove all seeds, or leave out serranos altogether)

1 package rice noodles (or, if you're dumb like me ran out of rice noodles, use 1/3 rice noodles and 2/3 whole wheat spaghetti - cook them according to package directions and in two separate pots).
small handful peanuts and cashews for garnish (optional)

STEP 1:

Combine all ingredients under "PESTO" in a blender. Blend on high until mixture forms a smooth, creamy pesto sauce. My blender is a 7-year-old, $8 blender from Wal-Mart, so it took a little prodding till it would really get going, but just push stuff around in there until it all gets mixed. Set aside.

STEP 2:

Heat the sesame oil in a pan. Fry the tofu on all sides until golden brown. Remove from oil with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add a little olive oil to the pan (and the remaining sesame oil) and add the onion and bell pepper. Cook until lightly browned at the edges.

STEP 3:

Add the Cubanelle and serrano peppers to the peppers/onions. Add a little salt and pepper. Cook until the cubanelles and serranos are softened and beginning to brown lightly in places. Meanwhile, boil the noodles, drain, and set aside (try to time it so that you're ready to toss everything together as soon as the noodles are done).

STEP 4:

In the pot you cooked the noodles in (off the heat), toss the noodles with 1 to 1.5 cups of the pesto and the peppers mixture. Transfer to plates or a serving dish. Top with the fried tofu and some extra nuts for garnish. Enjoy!

Potato Gnocchi with Bacon & Pea Cream Sauce

2010-04-05T20:39:00.000-07:00

For Christmas, Ross and I bought each other gift certificates. I got him a massage at a spa, and he got me cooking classes at the Chopping Block, a local cooking school and gourmet store. I was ecstatic (truth be told, I felt a little outdone). The hardest part was picking out a class to begin with - a culinary tour de Argentina? Basic Knife Skills? Advanced Meat Cutlery?

Soon enough, my pasta tooth swayed me: I'd take a gnocchi class. We would learn to make gnocchi three ways, with three different sauces. I showed up on a cold February night with the attitude of the fiercest Top Chef contestant (I tend to forget that not everything is a competition). I showed up prepared to sharpen my skills (and maybe even suffer some Gordon Ramsay-style berating) and, to my surprise, it was immediately apparent that the class was supposed to be (gasp) fun.

In fact, I was surprised to see that I was the only one in the class that had come alone. It was about 90% married/engaged/dating couples and 8% other pairs - friends, coworkers, etc. And then there was me. So I did what any savvy single(ish) girl would do. I ordered a bottle of red and made friends! The class ended up being great, and the gnocchi were amazing. It only took me 2 tries to really get the hang of it at home, and I'm really, really glad I learned. Because this gnocchi is life-changingly delicious. Light, fluffy, potato-y - and with a few tips, not that hard!

A few tips that I picked up from Chow.com:

1. Don't use too much flour. It makes your gnocchi heavy and gluey.
2. Don't boil them - cook them in simmering water.
3. Treat them very gently - like little pasta babies.
4. Don't overboil the potatoes - if they absorb too much water, they'll be hard to work with.

INGREDIENTS

GNOCCHI:
2 large Russet potatoes
handful of all-purpose flour
salt and pepper
grated Parmesan cheese

SAUCE:
1/2 lb. bacon, cut into smallish chunks
olive oil
2 large shallots, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1/2 c. white wine
1/2 c. chicken broth
8 oz. heavy whipping cream
salt and pepper
red pepper flakes
frozen peas (a good handful or two)
fresh oregano, chopped
grated Parmesan for serving

STEP ONE:

Boil the potatoes with the skin on, whole, until easily pierced with a fork, but not overly soft. Peel them while still warm and push through a potato ricer into a large bowl. Sprinkle salt, pepper, Parmesan, and a little flour over the top. Mix together until the dough just comes together, adding more flour if needed, little by little. Turn out onto a lightly floured countertop and knead until the dough forms a sturdy ball, but is still quite pliable. Don't over-add flour.

STEP TWO:

Using a little more flour on your work surface, cut off chunks of the dough and roll them into about 1" wide tubes - just like making a Play-Doh snake. Use a knife or pastry cutter to cut them into 1-inch chunks. Set aside on a platter until ready to coo. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a simmer - not a boil.

STEP THREE:

Add the gnocchi, about 10-12 at a time, to the simmering water. Cook them until they float, then remove them gently with a slotted spoon and transfer to a plate, making sure they aren't crowded and sticking together. Continue this in batches until all gnocchi have been cooked. Set aside and cover lightly with parchment paper.

STEP FOUR:

In a Dutch oven or large saucepan, cook the bacon until crispy, draining fat as needed. Scoop out the bacon pieces with a slotted spoon, leaving a little fat in the pan. Add a little olive oil and cook the shallots until soft and beginning to brown. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the wine to deglaze the pan, scraping all the brown bits up from the bottom.

STEP FIVE:

Add the chicken broth and raise the heat until it's simmering. Add salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, oregano, and cream. Simmer until it's thickened a bit. Stir in the bacon and peas and cook for a few minutes. Reduce the heat and stir in gnocchi. Transfer to plates or serving bowl, top with parmesan, serve and enjoy!

If you're nervous to try gnocchi at home, don't be! Google some how-to videos and get cooking. Since they're really just potatoes and flour, even if you screw them up, it's not like you'll have to break the bank to throw them out and start over again. And if they turn out great, they may have everyone around you (including your feline roommates) opening up and begging for a bite.

There's really nothing more satisfying than eating a tender, handcrafted gnocchi that was handcrafted by - YOU! Good luck, eat well, enjoy life, and more soon!

Meatless Monday: Chinese Tofu Stir-Fry

2010-04-05T19:59:00.000-07:00

Meatless Mondays. And no, this is not yet another excuse to employ alliteration (although just about any excuse will do). Meatless Mondays is a nationwide initiative spearheaded by the John Hopkins (never heard of 'em) school of Public Health to try to reduce Americans' meat consumption by 15%.

One day a week without meat? But why?!

*Sccccrrrreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeech* [That's the sound of me dragging my soapbox into place.]

You can reduce your risk of heart disease. Reduce our fossil fuel dependency. Save money, water, energy, and - let's call a spade a spade - cute little animals. I could go on. But why take my word for it? Check out all the details on www.meatlessmonday.com.

I let the 3/4 rule guide my diet: I try to make sure 3/4 of my diet is plant-based. So Meatless Mondays aren't a big stretch for me. I look forward to eating meatless meals, not only for all the reasons Johns Hopkins says I should, but simply because I enjoy plant-based foods (although admittedly, I like them best when smothered in cheese). But as for a certain - ahem - live-in boyfriend, Meatless Mondays might as well be called I'm-Still-Hungry-Where's-The-Meat Mondays. Unlike the fine folks working in public health, Ross didn't exactly jump up and down when I told him I'd like to institute MM's in our household.

In fact, fresh off a trip to the gym, Ross was no doubt fantasizing about animal flesh the entire bus ride home, while I, meanwhile, lovingly drained and pan-fried tofu for our dinner. But he kept a positive attitude and had faith that I could make any meal - even a vegetarian one - pretty tasty. I'd like to think he was right.

INGREDIENTS

1 T. toasted sesame oil
1/2 block extra-firm tofu, cut into thin-ish 1" square slices
1 more T. sesame oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 medium bell peppers, cut into chunks
1/2 head cabbage. sliced thinly
1 bunch broccolini, cut into 1-inch pieces
handful roasted unsalted cashews
splash of wine OR juice of one lime OR 1/4 c. water OR 1/4 c. vegetable broth
3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
about 1/3 c. soy sauce
about 3 T. hot sauce (or to taste)
several vigorous shakes of seasoned rice vinegar
a few big drizzles of honey
salt and pepper to taste (season at the end only if needed)
cooked brown rice for serving

STEP ONE:

On paper towels, press the tofu down, squeezing out the water. Meanwhile, heat 1 T. sesame oil in a large pan. When tofu is dry, cook in the oil over medium heat until crisp and golden brown on one side. Flip each piece individually and cook until the other side is crisp and golden brown.

STEP TWO:

Add the rest of the sesame oil to the remaining oil in the pan, then add the onion, cabbage, and bell peppers. Cook for a few minutes, until beginning to soften. Add the wine (or alternate acid/liquid). Cook for a few more minutes, until liquid is almost evaporated. Add the soy sauce, rice vinegar, hot sauce, honey, garlic, broccolini, cashews, and tofu. Cover and cook until broccolini is crisp tender. Uncover and let some liquid evaporate.

STEP THREE:

Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve over brown or white rice. Enjoy!

Ross' Comments:
"It tasted delicious even though it had negative calories. I think I lost weight while eating it."

Ha! Negative calories? If I knew how to make delicious food that actually took away calories as you were eating it, I'd already have a Food Network show (not to mention line of stylish cookware), my friends.

I usually don't espouse the nutritousness - or lack therof - of my recipes, mostly because I'm no dietician, and far be it from to guess how many calories, fat grams, etc., are in my dishes. However, just to make you feel even better about trying this meatless meal: the fat in this dish is mostly good fat, from the cashews and sesame oil (fat helps you feel full even if you're not eating animals). The cashews and tofu have a good amount of protein; the bell peppers are little Vitamin C bombs, and broccolini has calcium and iron. The brown rice has fiber (as do all the veggies), and the soy sauce helps to unlock all of rice's nutrients (yes, rice has lots of nutrients!). And that's just the tip of the delicious stir-fry iceberg.

Happy Meatless Mondays, friends! Eat your veggies and live well :-) More soon...

Cauliflower & Potato Curry

2010-03-22T18:20:00.000-07:00

Aaah, living with a boy. It's like one neverending Wendy's commercial: "Where's the beef?" My good friend and informed vegetarian Kara took note of the fact that, ever since Ross moved back from DC, all my blog posts have featured meat.

It's true; in an ongoing effort to help Ross meet (ahem, exceed) his protein needs, I include meat in most dinners, and in a sheer effort on my part to use as few dishes as possible while cooking, I end up just submitting to the meat as well. Not that I don't enjoy it - I do. But while I was not so long ago eating meat more conscientiously, I have of late been eating meat, well, Tyrannosaurus-Rexily.

So, in the name of the planet, my heart, and my personal nutrition goals, I enjoyed this meat-free meal this evening. And Ross? Far be it from me to deny his carnivorous demands - he got a (free-range, organic) chicken breast simply pan-cooked in lime juice, honey, and a pre-bought Moroccan spice blend. And I took a big spoon to my potato curry - the potatoes were so rich that it didn't even need rice.

So, Kara, all my veggie peeps, and anyone who enjoys the occasional animal-free meal, enjoy! Oh, and check out my "vegetarian"-labeled posts to the right.

INGREDIENTS

2 T. oil (I used grapeseed oil, you could use any neutral oil)
1 white onion, chunked
2 red bell peppers, chunked
salt and pepper
1 can light coconut milk
2 heaping tablespoons natural (unsweetened) peanut butter
juice of one lime
big squeeze Sriracha hot sauce
several spoonfuls brown sugar
1 cup chicken broth (obviously true vegetarians would use vegetable broth)
1 head cauliflower, in florets
3 smallish russet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
fresh cilantro leaves, torn or chopped
more salt if needed

STEP 1:

Heat a Dutch oven or large pot over medium-high heat. Heat the oil. Add the onion and bell pepper and season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 10 minutes, until browned at the edges and beginning to soften.

STEP 2:

Meanwhile, in a bowl, whisk together the coconut milk, peanut butter, Sriracha, brown sugar, and lime juice. Pour into the pot. Add the chicken broth, cauliflower, and potatoes. Bring it to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Add the cilantro leaves. Cook, partially covered, until potatoes are tender. Serve in a bowl with more fresh cilantro on top. Enjoy!

Pacifico Pulled Pork Tacos

2010-03-14T19:06:00.000-07:00

This is Carolina barbeque meets Mexico City street food. In short, me gusta!

The ingredient list looks long, and it is. If you're not a compulsive spice hoarder like me, you can certainly feel free to leave a few of these out, unless you feel like stocking your spice cabinet. This would also be just fine if you don't happen to have Pacifico lying around - any other beer (or chicken stock, or beef broth, or water) would work just fine. And if you can't find the curious cut of meat called a "pork picnic?" You guessed it - not to worry. Any old cheap cut of pork (or beef) would work beautifully.

In fact, even after eating about a quarter of our pork picnic, I'd be hard-pressed to tell you exactly what it is - but at $4 for 2-3 lbs., you can bet it was a part of the pig you would not want to eat unless you'd cooked it all day. All I know is, I fished out what was unmistakably a ball joint bone from the Crockpot, so I'm guessing it was either a shoulder cut or a hind-quarters cut. Regardless of where on the little porky guy it came from, it was downright delicious after a juicy all-night bath and about 10 hours in the slow cooker.

Despite its formidable ingredient list, this dish is definitely worth making! It was inspired by a post on Smitten Kitchen which originally used beef brisket. I've made a similar dish with beef before, and it was great. At this point in the post, I sound like a broken record, so I'll wrap it up and take you to the directions. I hope you like this as much as Ross and I did!

Wait, wait, one more thing! Sorry about the grainy photos - none of our cameras had charged batteries, so I resorted to snapping pics of this on my iPhone - it was too good not to document! Better photos next time, promise :-)

INGREDIENTS

1 large pork...piece (mine was called, as mentioned earlier, a "pork picnic" - basically a big hunk of cheap meat; mine was about 3 lbs. before being cooked - a lot of it cooks off, and you'll need to discard some fat both before and after cooking)
3 T. olive oil
1 bottle Pacifico beer
1 14.5-oz. can "Mexican" diced tomatoes and all juices
1 onion, diced
3-4 cloves garlic, smashed
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
2 T. cumin
1-2 T. hot Mexican chili powder
1 T. paprika
1 cinnamon stick
juice of 2 limes
2 bay leaves
several heaping spoonfuls brown sugar
a few dashes cayenne pepper
1/2 T. ground coriander
salt and black pepper

corn tortillas
1 T. olive oil
salt and pepper
1 onion, julienned
2 poblano peppers, julienned
fresh cilantro, chopped
juice of one lime
sour cream (I used light)

one 28-oz can Mexican-spiced black beans, drained
one can Mxican-spiced tomatoes and all juices
fresh chopped cilantro

MORE NOTES ON SWAPS: If you want to skip the poblano/onion topping and sour cream-lime sauce, be my guest. This would ve fine topped with any taco fixin's you like...and under tons of melty, gooey cheese...? [CUT TO EXTREME CLOSE UP OF ME DROOLING.] If you like flour tortillas, use those. If you want to skip the taco building altogether and stand over the crockpot and eat the damn pork with a spoon, I wouldn't blame you.

STEP ONE:

The night before you want to eat this (or the morning of), trim the pork of any big pieces of obvious fat, and heat the oil in a pan and brown the pork on both sides, seasoning liberally with salt and pepper, until browned.

STEP TWO:

Meanwhile, in your Crockpot's interior pot (the one that can be removed, not the electrical part), add the beer, tomatoes, lime juice, all spices, onion, garlic, and brown sugar. When the pork is browned, transfer it to the liquid. Turn off the heat in the browning pan and pour in the vinegar, scraping the bottom of the pan to deglaze it. Pour this into the Crockpot too. Cover and refrigerate until the morning.

STEP THREE:

Place the inner pot into the Crockpot and turn on low. Cook for 8-10 hours. Remove the pork from the pot and place on a plate or cutting board. With two forks, shred the meat, discarding any too-fatty bits. Meanwhile, strain the cooking liquid over a pot. Boil until reduced by half. Return the shredded pork and about 1 cup of the reduced liquid to the pot and mix together (you can also skip this step entirely - or, you can use an immersion blender to puree the wilted veggies and juices together - whatever you prefer).

STEP FOUR:

In a pan, heat the other 1 T. oil. Cook the poblano peppers and onions until softened, seasoning with salt and pepper. In a small bowl, mix together the fresh chopped cilantro, juice of one lime, and a few big spoonfuls of sour cream. Set aside, refigerated.

STEP FIVE:

Place the beans and tomatoes in a pot. Boil until much of the tomato juices have steamed off and the mixture has thickened. Stir in the fresh cilantro. Serve in individual cups or small bowls. Serve the shredded pork in the tortillas, top with the poblano/onion mixture and sour cream-lime sauce. Serve with the beans & tomato. Enjoy!

A Lesson in Simplicity. And Cleanliness.

2010-03-09T17:51:00.001-08:00

Have you ever heard the term "cooking clean"? I'm not sure exactly what it means, but I assume it means cooking with whole, pure, healthful ingredients. And it might even mean wiping the counter down when tomato sauce gets an attitude and splatters your white cooktop.

While I like to "cook clean," in at least one sense of the phrase, no one has every accused me of being a clean freak when it comes to, say, my apartment. I consider myself more of a binge cleaner; I throw things on the floor between Monday and Friday (the pile of clothes and towels that accumulates Ross and I have lovingly dubbed the "Traveling Tumbleweed of Textiles," due to our habit of shifting it from the bed to the couch and back to the bed, depending on where we're parked at the time).

Normally, this works out just fine. I wake up on Saturday mornings, grab a coffee and some bagels, and commence the 2-hour cleaning spree that leaves our tiny abode sparkling and pleasant - for a couple of days. When it doesn't work out, however, is when our maintenance man makes an unannounced drop-in. I came home from work today to find my trash can, cat litter box, and granny grocery cart moved to my "dining room" from their usual place in the useless nook blocking the door to the creepy back staircase that we never use (you following?). That nook is also where the previous tenant stored her unused window screens, which I had never bothered to put back in the windows (I know, I know, I'm ridiculously lazy). The screen had been moved from the nook to the window. Alrighty then.

What I didn't notice until a random stop into the bathroom is that the maintenance guy (apparently) had come by not to replace our screens, but to deliver a shiny new bathroom sink console! Behold:

I was really excited to have a little something new for this old house, until I took a look around the place (now with fresh eyes) and realized that it was totally trashed. I could just see it: Tony the Maintenance Guy comes in the back, moves the stinky garbage and cat litter out of the way, and is greeted by the sight of dishes and bits of parsley in the kitchen, half-drunk bottles of wine in the dining room, and - the horror - underwear on the bathroom floor. Needless to say, I was mortified. I'm tempted to invent a leaky pipe or faulty lock just so I can bring Tony back and show him what the place looks like when it's nice and tidy!

Anyway that was a very, very long way of introducing a sauce so simple, so pure, and so delicious that - I can't believe I'm about to say this - you just have to taste to believe. I could not make myself believe that a sauce with only three ingredients could be so delicious. I'm having an existential crisis about everything else I've ever cooked! Have I been over-ingredient-ing this whole time?!?

Without any more chatter, I'll let you in on The Sauce That Set The Blogosphere Ablaze. I urge you to set aside your doubts and commence making this sauce as soon as humanly possible. It's truly marvelous.

INGREDIENTS:

SAUCE
1 28-oz. can diced tomatoes (you could also use whole) and all juices
1 medium yellow onion
5 T. butter (I used salted butter)
you can add salt to taste, but mine didn't need any
whole wheat spaghetti (or any pasta you like)

FISH
1 tilapia filet, fresh
juice of one lemon
1 T. olive oil
salt
red pepper flakes
capers
fresh chopped parsley

SALAD
fresh chopped Romaine lettuce
1/4 of the onion you stewed in the tomato sauce, sliced
some cooking juice and capers from the cooked fish
grated parmesan cheese
a little more olive oil

STEP ONE:

Place the tomatoes, onion, and butter in a pot and simmer for about 45 minutes, until the tomatoes have broken down. At this point, strain out the onion. (I left a little of the onion in, then pureed it all with an immersion blender - you can skip this, but it made it super creamy and smooth.)

STEP TWO:

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350. Put the raw fish in a baking dish. Top it with the lemon juice, oil, salt, red pepper flakes, and capers. Bake for about 10-12 minutes, until opaque and flaky. Boil some pasta until al dente. Drain and set aside.

STEP THREE:

Place the lettuce in a bowl. When you fish out the onion from the sauce, chop a little bit of it into pieces and put it on the salad. When the fish is done, spoon a little of the lemon/oil/caper cooking juices from the pan on top of the salad. Top with a little drizzle of olive oil and some fresh parmesan cheese. Serve the sauce and pasta by the fish and enjoy with the salad!

Russian Pot Roast with Sour Cream-Dill Sauce

2010-03-02T15:48:00.000-08:00

Here we are again with another dish of questionable national origins (remember my "Spanish" dish from last night?). I deemed this "Russian" pot roast because the combination of red meat, egg noodles, cabbage, and sour cream says Russian to me.

Regardless of its origins, this was a simple, satisfying dish. I don't do a lot of things on this blog that I would describe as "family friendly" (enjoying strange, spicy, and ethnic foods on a daily basis is one of the many perks of being child-free), but I think this is something kids would like - provided you leave the "green stuff" (dill) out of the sour cream topping. In fact, the cabbage is so unrecognizable after cooking with meat all day, no child of average intelligence would be able to pinpoint a single vegetable in this meal!

This meal really stoked my frugal side - the side of me that hates to throw anything away. I had an almost-completely-full jar of red cabbage kraut in the fridge from my reuben tartines a few days ago, and frankly, what was I going to do with that? Then came the sherry wine from my foray into Spanish cuisine, and - being the only wine I've ever not wanted to drink - it needed to be used for cooking. And then there was the sour cream, which, if not integrated into a specific meal, would surely get inhaled by me in a tortilla-chip-wielding, late-night attack.

So you see that I had no choice but to make this exact dish, and it all - miraculously - worked. It was really good! Savory, tangy, subtly sweet, and ridiculously low-maintenance. All I did was throw everything into the crockpot, boil some noodles, and mix up a quick sour cream sauce. If you don't have an overage of sherry (and why would you?), you could substitute regular white wine, or red wine, or just beef stock with a few dashes of vinegar. Hell, you could even use water, although you'd have to do a little more work to punch up the flavor. But if you're at all a fan of sauerkraut (sauerkraut people are, truly, my kind of people), make this dish ASAP! NOTE: red-meat-loving boyfriends will also swoon.

INGREDIENTS

1 very lean top round roast, about 1 and 1/4 lbs.
vegetable oil
salt and pepper
about a cup (or more) jarred pickled red cabbage (this is like sauerkraut, only purple, found on the same shelf)
3/4 bottle sherry wine (not cooking sherry)
1 medium onion, cut into chunks
juice of 1/2 a lemon
salt and pepper
cooked egg noodles
1/2-3/4 c. lowfat sour cream
juice of 1/2 a lemon
handful fresh dill, chopped

STEP 1:

Get a pan screaming hot. Drizzle in some vegetable oil. Brown the meat, seasoning with salt and pepper, on both sides. The browner the better.

STEP 2:

In your slow cooker, put the sherry, onion, red cabbage, and lemon juice. Add a little salt and pepper. When the meat is done browning, nestle it in the crockpot. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.

STEP 3:

Uncover the meat. Set a strainer over a pot and strain the meat and cabbage over the pot, catching the liquid in the pot. Return the meat and cabbage to the Crockpot and turn off the heat. Cover it. Bring the cooking liquid to a boil and cook until reduced by half. Taste and adjust seasoning. Meanwhile, boil the egg noodles.

STEP 4:

Return the cooking liquid to the Crockpot with the meat and cabbage. With two forks, tear the meat apart and mix together with the cabbage (mine was actually so tender that I just took a spoon to it, and it came apart very easily).

STEP 5:

Mix the sour cream, dill, and lemon juice with a little salt and pepper. Serve the meat, cabbage, and cooking liquid over hot buttered egg noodles. Top with the sour cream sauce. Enjoy!

Spanish (?) Fried Chickpeas & Roasted Beets

2010-03-01T08:27:00.000-08:00

There are a few ingredients that even I have been afraid to use. Well, not afraid, exactly, but...there are just some things that don't stay at the top of my overcrowded mind. I pretty much used all of those ingredients in this dish.

One of those ingredients is sherry. Now, there is cooking sherry, and there is drinking sherry. I used Spanish sherry wine, which I'd never even tasted until popping the cork on the bottle I used tonight. Frankly, it's not something I'd ever drink. I find that amber-colored alcohols are not to my liking. But for cooking, it's divine. Cooking sherry, however, is something else entirely - nothing you'd ever want to drink, to be sure. I had also been hesitant - for no logical reason at all - to cook with beet greens. Having never met a green I didn't like (I used to gnaw on grass as a child), I have no idea why I was so dubious. Turns out, beet greens are delicious! And the best part? They come attached to beets (also delicious!).

Everyone has a moment when they, well, get over the hump with a certain food. Most often, getting over the hump just happens over time, and goes largely unnoticed until one day, you find yourself "mmm"-ing over something you used to shun (cilantro, sushi, and rye bread are all things I used to dislike, and now regularly enjoy). Occasionally, the transition happens in one unforgettable moment - like it did when I realized I liked beets. Not the cloyingly sweet jarred beets of my childhood, but real, actual, beets.

This moment happened at Deleece, a great restaurant on the north side of the city. I ordered a beet and goat cheese salad (cheese is the ship that has delivered many a hesitant food pilgrim to the New World of ingredient love). The beets were roasted, the moment was perfect - and that was it for me. Beets and I have been inseparable ever since - at restaurants, that is. At home, nary a beet crossed my doorstep. Till tonight. Simply roasting them with olive oil and salt and pepper (the most basic root-vegetable-roasting method) made them absolute perfection.

Truth be told, I can't take credit for this recipe. It's a Mark Bittman recipe, from the New York Times. His was a bit different - he used Spanish chorizo, which I find nearly impossible to obtain in Chicago (the fattier, uncased, raw Mexican version of chorizo is all the rage here, but I don't like it, so whenever a recipe calls for chorizo I sub in andouille sausage). After watching an episode of No Reservations about Spain, a friend telling me I'd love Barcelona, and stumbling upon this recipe, I decided it was fate that I create this Spanish-inspired dish. Bittman also used only chickpeas, and did not include garlic, red pepper, flakes, or paprika. He also used spinach rather than beet greens. Despite my capricious swaps, the dish turned out nicely. I like that it's cheap, easy, and balanced. The perfect mealtime storm!

INGREDIENTS

3-4 medium fresh beets, cubed
2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
1 medium onion, cut into chunks
olive oil
salt and pepper

1/4 cup olive oil
1 can chickpeas, drained, rinsed, and patted very dry
1 can white beans, drained, rinsed, and patted very dry
2 links turkey andouille sausage (or Spanish chorizo, or pork andouille, or kielbasa...you get the idea)
a few slices salami*
salt and pepper to taste
red pepper flakes
dash of paprika
1 bunch fresh beet greens, washed, tough stems trimmed off, and cut into smallish pieces
1/4 c. - 1/2 c. sherry (I used a Spanish sherry found at Whole Foods for a reasonable $11; I also used the remainder of the bottle in a recipe you'll see here very soon - waste not, want not!)
2 cloves garlic
1 cup freshly made (or store-bought) bread crumbs**
more olive oil

*This is not necessary, but I had some salami I wanted to use up. It was good in there, though. You could use any deli sausage.

**Not having a food processor, I have never been able to make my own breadcrumbs. Until my epiphany: I can simply use my spice/coffee grinder as a mini-food processor! I toasted some stale-ish Italian bread, tore it into pieces, and placed it in the spice grinder, with incredible success. Voila! Fresh breadcrumbs. If you have neither processing equipment nor the inclination to make your own breadcrumbs, use store-bought Panko breadcrumbs. The world will continue turning.

STEP 1:

Preheat the oven to 375. Toss the beet cubes, carrots, and onion in olive oil, salt and pepper, and roast for about an hour, turning a few times, until tender but not mushy.

STEP 2:

Meanwhile, in a large oven-safe pan or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the chickpeas, beans and sausage, stirring until it's all in more or less a single layer in the pan. Add some salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and paprika. Cook for about 15 minutes, stirring infrequently, until the sausage has released some fat and the chickpeas are lightly browned and crisp. Remove sausage and bean mixture from the pan with a slotted spoon, leaving any remaining oil in the pan, still over medium-high heat.

STEP 3:

Add the beet greens and sherry to the pan, and cook until wilted, scraping any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook until cooked to your liking (cook longer for softer greens, less for crisper greens). Add the chickpeas/beans/sausage back to the pan and stir to combine. Top with the bread crumbs, a little salt and pepper, and drizzle with a little more olive oil. Heat under the broiler until lightly browned. Serve alongside the roasted veggies. Enjoy!

Braised Thai Drumsticks

2010-02-24T20:02:00.001-08:00

Chicken Drumsticks: A Haiku

Tender and juicy
So very affordable
Always overlooked

People turn up their noses at dark meat - especially when it's still on the bone. But most of what you're paying for when you shell out $9 for three boneless, skinless, chicken breasts is the labor of the bone and skin removal. And I think dark meat is just so much more flavorful! To be sure, not everyone agrees, but for those of you who appreciate dark meat in all its succulent glory, cooking with chicken drumsticks is a great way to stretch your dinner dollar at the, ahem, end of the month.

I got 6 organic, free range chicken drumsticks for about $2.75 at Trader Joe's, and this meal all in all (counting the meatless leftovers I packed for my lunch tomorrow) made about 4 servings. Drumsticks, besides being an economical choice, are also perfect for a quick braise. When you braise them (as opposed to, say, frying them), you can always be sure they'll be fully cooked - if you've ever bitten into a drumstick that's been fried golden brown on the outside but is raw on the inside, you can understand my paranoia.

The easy, yet exotic, flavors of this easy intro-to-Thai braise might just make you white-meat-only people out there reconsider your poultry preferences. And if you just can't walk away from your precious breast meat, be my guest - chicken breasts would work great in this dish too. So screw takeout! Make a fantastic Thai-inspired dish at home. You can do it :-)

INGREDIENTS

6 chicken drumsticks, skin removed
2-3 T. grapeseed or vegetable oil
1 red bell pepper, in chunks
1/2 large white onion, in chunks
2 large Roma tomatoes, in chunks
3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 serrano pepper with all seeds (optional)
1/2 c. chicken broth
pinch of salt
1 head broccoli, in florets
2 T. Sriracha hot sauce (or less, to taste)
2 heaping T. natural (unsweetened) peanut butter
1 T. honey
2 heaping T. brown sugar
juice of one lime
big pinch of salt
1 can light coconut milk
brown rice for serving
fresh chopped cilantro for serving

STEP ONE:

In a large pot with tight-fitting lid or a Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken on all sides. Remove from pan and reduce heat to medium. Set chicken aside. Preheat oven to 375.

STEP TWO:

In a large bowl, whisk together the Sriracha, peanut butter, lime juice, salt, honey, and brown sugar. Whisk in the coconut milk.

STEP THREE:

Add the bell peppers, onions, serrano pepper and tomatoes to the oil still in the pan from the chicken - be careful, it will splatter something fierce. Throw in a little salt and stir around, scraping any chicken bits from the bottom of the pan. After a few minutes, add the chicken broth and garlic. Bring to a boil and cook for a couple minutes.

STEP FOUR:

Stir the peanut butter-coconut milk mixture into the veggies in the pan. Add the broccoli. Bring to a simmer, then nestle the chicken down into the sauce and veggie mixture. Cover the pot, turn off the heat, and transfer the whole thing to the oven. Meanwhile, cook the rice in a rice cooker or on the stove.

STEP FIVE:

Remove the chicken from the oven and serve with the sauce and veggies over rice. Top with cilantro and a few lime wedges, if desired. Enjoy!

J'taime Tartines!

2010-02-23T18:33:00.000-08:00

Here, friends, is another lesson in working with what you've got. In this case, what I had was bread. A LOT of bread. And what I didn't have was patience.

Ross had picked up a gigantic loaf of Italian bread at the store one day (I love when he goes grocery shopping - the only thing he's guaranteed to come back with is beer, and the rest is inevitably a grab-bag of delicious surprises). The past, oh, month for me can basically be summed up in one appropriately four-letter word: WORK. I've been pulling long hours at the office and had no time to buy food, let alone cook it. These gorgeous little open-faced sandwiches mark my (perhaps temporary) return to the world of the living.

At any rate, a mountain of Italian bread and a whole evening of free time on my hands, I decided to make tartines. Tartines are, as I mentioned, simply open-faced sandwiches. They're (according to Ina Garten) a Parisian cafe staple, and I love them because they seem less lunch-y than a full-on sandwich, yet lighter than a typical dinnertime meal. The beauty of them is that you can top them with literally anything you want. I've made peanut butter-pear-cheddar versions, topped them with prosciutto and piled lemony arugula on top...you name it. The bread is your canvas, limited only by your cravings.

Of the three I made, my personal favorite was the ham and Gouda - but then again I'm a sucker for anything smoky. Ross liked the Reuben-style tartines. These would be fantastic for a party, or anytime, really. The best part is that they're no-fuss, super fast, and really economical. I hope you experiment with some fabulous toppings of your own!

INGREDIENTS

3 very large slices good quality Italian bread
corned beef, sliced thinly
salami, sliced thinly
maple-glazed ham, sliced thinly
Swiss cheese, sliced thinly
smoked Gouda, sliced thinly
mayo
Red cabbage kraut

[Thousand Island:]
mayo
ketchup
sweet pickle relish

Grapes and Salad for serving (optional)

STEP ONE:

Heat oven to 375 with a baking stone or baking sheet inside it. When hot, place the bread slices on the baking sheet and allow to crisp a bit (for about 5-10 minutes).

STEP TWO:

Remove bread from oven and top with meats and cheeses. My combos were:

- [Reuben:] Thousand Island, corned beef, red cabbage kraut, and Swiss
- Mayo, ham, and Gouda
- Salami and Swiss

STEP THREE:

Place back in the oven and cook until the cheese is melted. Remove from oven, slice into smaller pieces, and serve. Enjoy!

OMG Lamb (and Cumin-Roasted Carrots & Potatoes)

2010-02-09T18:21:00.000-08:00

Since Sunday, I've been repeating a particular mantra: "All I want to do is go home and cook that f***ing lamb!"

Why the foul-mouthed theatrics? Well, first there was The Epic Oven Fail of 2010 (Adam, remember how much I adore you). I bought a 6 lb. ($40) leg (LEG!) of lamb from Whole Foods on Sunday morning, psyched to (as I had promised) roast it in Adam's oven and serve it for the Superbowl festivities he was hosting. At 2 PM the day of the big game, Adam texted me saying his oven was suffering from an electrical failure, rendering it locked (LOCKED!), and thus unable to roast said lamb (or to cook his delicious stuffed pizza, trucked in from Indiana).

Needless to say, we all survived. The Saints were victorious, and the patron saint of snack foods, St. Guacamole, saved the day.

Then came Monday. I rarely curse (on this blog, I mean), but Monday was an undeniable shitshow from the very beginning. Said shitshow continued well into the evening (until midnight, to be precise), as my Digitas team toiled into the night creating brilliant online advertising that will one day be avoided by all of you in a fit of irritation.

I digress.

Back to the lamb. As you can see, for the past 48 hours, my lonely leg of lamb, having made the arduous trek from New Zealand to the Whole Foods in Boystown, was left to marinate in the fridge for a full 48 hours in a blanket of the delectable Tunisian chile paste, harissa. It had been sitting in salt and harissa for two days. And that, my friends, is not a curse - it is a blessing of the most savory, meaty variety.

Because that lamb, I swear to God, was the most delicious meat I have ever put into my mouth. Most. Delicious. Meat. Ever.
You all KNOW how I feel about meat: lukewarm, at best! But this was no ordinary meat. It was the best. Ever.

So, in conclusion, I advise all of you to buy an absurdly large and expensive leg of lamb, rub something all over it, and then become too busy to cook it for two days. In the end, you will thank me. Seriously.

INGREDIENTS

6-lb. leg of lamb, bone-in (fresh)
lots of harissa paste (I used about a half a jar)
lots of kosher salt (don't be shy, salt it up, it's a whole damn lamb's leg for god's sake)
1/3 c. olive oil
5-6 cloves garlic, minced
lots of freshly chopped cilantro
lots of freshly chopped parsley
3 medium carrots, in large chunks
7-8 baby yukon gold potatoes, halved
1 red onion, in large dice
drizzle olive oil
2 tsp. cumin
salt and pepper to taste

STEP ONE:

Place the raw lamb leg in a large baking dish (I used a 9 X 12 casserole dish, and the lamb bone hung out the side - I also had to turn the dish sideways when I put it in the oven - the hilarity of living in a shoebox), fat-side up. Make shallow slices in the top of it, diagonally going both ways (making an allover X pattern). Rub with salt, then harissa. Cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and refrigerate for 1-2 days. In an airtight container, combine olive oil, garlic, cilantro, and parsley. Shake. Refrigerate that also.

STEP TWO:

Preheat the oven to 450. Toss the carrots, onion, and potatoes in the olive oil with salt, pepper, and cumin in a baking dish. Set aside.

STEP THREE:

Take lamb out of fridge. Remove plastic or foil. Rub the harissa into the lamb again (not new harissa, just the same harissa - jsut give it a rub). Pour the oil-garlic-herb mixture over the top. Place the lamb in oven and roast at 450 for about 30 minutes.

STEP FOUR:

Turn the heat down to 350 and place the potato/onion/carrots into the oven with the lamb. Roast the veggies and lamb for another hour. After an hour, take the meat's temperature. The lamb needs to reach an internal temp of 145 (make sure the meat thermometer does not touch the bone). If the lamb is up to temp, remove it from the oven and cover it with aluminum foil. Allow it to rest for 15 minutes. Let the veggies keep roasting till the lamb is done resting.

STEP FIVE:

Slice the lamb. Serve it with the vegetables. Enjoy!

Pork Chops in White Wine-Caper Sauce & Brussels Sprouts Gratin

2010-01-30T18:54:00.000-08:00

I sort of had a religious experience with whole nutmeg.

At my recent gnocchi-making class at the Chopping Block (don't you worry, a gnocchi blog will be coming soon), we grated whole nutmeg into a rich cream sauce (truly the most delicious cream sauce I've ever had, and with 2 cups of cream and a stick of butter, there's no guessing why). The difference between freshly grated nutmeg and the pre-ground jarred kind cannot be overstated. Soon after, I bought whole nutmeg on my own - it's worth noting that it's no more expensive than ground nutmeg, and while ground spices from the supermarket last only about 6 months (and this is counting the time they sit on the store shelves), whole spices last between 1-3 years.

Gripped by a transcendent desire to be one of those people who toast and grind their own spices (because I have so much free time on my hands, you know), I headed straight to the Spice House.

I know I've mentioned The Spice House on this blog before. For those of you who aren't familiar, The Spice House is a specialty spice shop in Old Town. You can literally smell the delectable spices wafting down Wells Street from a block out.

The veritable food blogging saint Mark Bittman further goaded me toward the toasting-and-grinding light when he mentioned in his book, How To Cook Everything Vegetarian (a truly lovely book, and absolutely comprehensive), that spice "purists" use a mortar and pestle to crush their spices. To me, that sounded like a challenge.

I booked it to the Spice House immediately (as much to escape the interminable sounds of Modern Warfare 2's digital XBox explosions as to actually buy the spices). I didn't really have a plan going in, other than to buy as many whole spices as I thought I'd feasibly use. I picked up a wide range of spices, many commonly used in Indian cooking, as well as a few designer salts and a harissa spread, all for under $30. I'm really excited to make a true curry spice blend, but, much too excited to wait until I had a meal plan laid out, I decided to incorporate a few of my new spices into the dinner I had already planned to cook - pork chops.

I also made Brussels Sprouts Gratin and served the whole thing with roasted parsnips. I served the pork to Ross and Taylor and had a giant plate of veggies for myself (although I did taste the pork and sauce, because after all that old-school crushing of spices, there was no way I wasn't going to try it). Here's how it came together:

INGREDIENTS

PORK

whole mustard seeds
whole fennel seeds
whole black peppercorns
1 T. butter
1 T. olive oil
2 pork chops, fresh
flour
salt
~3/4 c. white wine
fresh chopped parsley
capers

BRUSSELS SPROUTS

~2 lbs. fresh (raw) Brussels sprouts
2 T. butter
2 T. flour
~1.5 cups milk (I used 2%)
salt
pepper
freshly grated nutmeg
grated parmegiano reggiano
~1 cup panko bread crumbs
2 T. butter
salt and pepper

PARSNIPS

5-6 medium parsnips, peeled and cut into roughly equal chunks
olive oil
salt and pepper

STEP ONE:

Preaheat the oven to 375. Par-boil the Brussels srpouts whole until tender but still bright green. Drain. Cut off tough bottom part and cut in half. Place in a baking dish.

STEP TWO:

In a dry pan, toast the mustard seed, fennel seed, and peppercorns for about 2 minutes. With a mortar and pestle (or in a spice/coffee grinder), crush the spices.

STEP THREE:

In a smallish baking dish, toss the parsnips with a little olive oil and salt and pepper. Bake for about 45 minutes, until soft and browning.

STEP FOUR:

Melt 2 T. butter in a pan and stir in the breadcrumbs, seasoning with salt and pepper. Stir them around in the butter until they are coated. Set aside.

STEP FIVE:

In a shallow pan, melt the butter for the Brussels sprouts gratin and whisk in the flour to make a roux. Cook for a couple minutes. Whisk in the milk and season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Turn up heat and cook, whisking constantly, until the bechamel is thickened. Grate in the parmesan cheese. Pour over the sprouts. Top with the bread crumbs. Bake for about 30-40 minutes, until edges are bubbly and breadcrumbs are browned.

STEP SIX:

Heat the butter and oil for the pork in a skillet. Dredge the pork chops in a little flour, removing excess. Place in the pan, topping with salt and the crushed spices, pressing them into the meat. Cook on one side until beginning to brown. When browned on one side, flip over and fry on the other side until browned. Add the wine, capers, and parsley. Cover and cook over medium heat until pork is cooked to your liking. Serve with the Gratin and the parsnips, drizzling the sauce over the pork.

Here's what Taylor had to say about the meal:

"Sure, the pork was perfectly cooked with a nice earthy spice blend that complimented it perfectly. And yeah the parsnips were evenly browned and delicious. But the real triumph of this dish was making Brussels sprouts not only edible but quite delicious. I guess that's the magic of cheese. Another triumph for the Fearless cook, for sure."

Nice! A success! Ross seemed to enjoy it too, judging by his empty plate. I was pretty happy with the way the sauce came out - the freshly ground spices were super flavorful, and the fact that they were more coarsely ground than they'd be from a jar added a pleasant textural element.

I can't wait to do more toasting and mortar-and-pestling, especially with an Indian spice blend! Check back soon for more spicy action.

Thanks for reading! More soon...

Battle Chili, Part 1 - Three-Bean Turkey Chili

2010-01-24T11:45:00.000-08:00

It won't come as a surprise to most of you that I'm really competitive.

So you'll understand my excitement at the announcement of my company's annual Chili Cook-off. The proceeds go to a great cause - the Greater Chicago Food Depository - and everyone at Digitas gets to enjoy homemade chili cooked by their colleagues. Apparently, I'm up against some stiff competition. Luckily, the Cook-off isn't for another month, so I have a lot of time to test recipes.

My plan is to cook one chili recipe per week up until the competition, and enter the best recipe I come up with. I am, of course, entering mine into the "non-traditional" category, because I just can't go up against people who have been cooking regular beef-and-red-bean chili for years. My strength lies in creativity - I hope.

This first recipe came out pretty well. The turkey flavor, despite my aggressive seasoning, really comes through to complement the mix of beans. Overall, I'd say this recipe is solid, but not yet a winner. Fortunately, the thrill of head-to-head battle has my head positively overflowing with chili ideas, each one more creative than the last.

I am going to need honest, willing chili judges over the next few weeks, so if you consider yourself a connoisseur, please let me know and I'll reserve you a spot at the judges' table (AKA my coffee table). I'm going to be faced with more chili leftovers than you can shake a wooden spoon at in the month of February - thank goodness it keeps getting better the longer it sits.

THREE-BEAN TURKEY CHILI

INGREDIENTS

2 T. olive oil
1.5 lbs. ground turkey
1 medium white onion, diced
1 large carrot, diced
3 ribs celery, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
3-4 T. chili powder, more if needed
a couple dashes cayenne pepper
a couple dashes paprika
salt and black pepper to taste
1 large can diced plum tomatoes
1 regular sized can diced tomatoes and green chiles
1 small can tomato paste
~1/2 c. water
1 can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 can cannellini (white kidney) beans, drained and rinsed
sour cream and grated cheddar for serving
salad and bread for serving (optional)

STEP ONE:

Heat olive oil over medium high heat in a large pot or Dutch oven. Cook turkey, seasoning with a bit of all the spices, until browned. Add the onion, carrot, celery, and green pepper. Add more seasonings and cook until the vegetables are softening and most of the moisture has steamed away.

STEP TWO:

Add the tomatoes (with all juices), tomato paste, water, and still more seasonings - especially chili powder. Stir to combine. Add in beans and stir again. Cover and cook for about 30 minutes over medium-low heat.

STEP THREE:

Taste the chili and add more seasonings if you need to. Cover and cook until you're ready to serve it - longer is better. Serve and enjoy!

Summer in January

2010-01-22T17:32:00.000-08:00

Aaaah...life's little luxuries. 40-degree days in January in Chicago (thank you, El Nino!). Coming home after a hellish work week and cooking a relaxed meal at home with a glass of wine. And shrimp pasta so tangy and bright that it almost doesn't feel like winter at all.

Eating this pasta is like escaping to a tropical beach from a blizzard (or ice storm, or icy rain, or ice...hail?!). No matter the weather, or whether it's a weekday or a lazy weekend night at home, this dish is so easy and foolproof that it's always a perfect time to make it.

I picked up the Italian sweet peppers (they come in bell pepper colors but are the same size and shape, roughly, as jalapenos) at Trader Joe's, and every time I use them I wonder why I don't use them more often. They're sweeter and crisper than bell peppers, but not spicy, so they're perfect for any palate - even spice-sensitive ones. They really jazz up the flavor of a sauce. And speaking of sauce, this simple scampi-inspired one is low on ingredients but high on flavor. If you're not a huge fan of lemon, I might start with half a lemon, but the overall effect is tangy, crisp, and delightfully sunny.

SWEET PEPPER SHRIMP SCAMPI & SPAGHETTI

INGREDIENTS

2 T. olive oil
1 T. butter
1 very large or 2-3 small shallots, chopped
1/2 lb. grape tomatoes
10-12 small sweet Italian peppers
3 cloves garlic, minced
juice of one lemon
~1/2 c. white wine
fresh chopped parsley
salt and pepper
red pepper flakes
1 lb. raw, peeled and deveined shrimp
2-3 more T. butter
whole grain spaghetti (1/2-2/3 of a package)

STEP ONE:

Heat 2 T. olive oil and 1 T. butter in a large skillet with semi-high sides. Cook shallots, tomatoes, and peppers, seasoning with salt and pepper, until beginning to soften. Add in garlic and cook for another minute.

STEP TWO:

Add lemon juice, wine, parsley, red pepper flakes, and a little more salt and pepper to pan. Stir and cover. Cook over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti until al dente.

STEP THREE:

Add shrimp and the other 2-3 T. of butter to pan. Cover and cook until shrimp are pink, stirring when neccessary and seasoning as needed. Serve over noodles. Enjoy!

These past few weeks, cooking at home has truly been a luxury - I've barely set foot in my apartment the entire month of January! It's nice to remember what makes me love it so much. I hope you're all off to a fantastic start to the new year, and finding - no, making - time to do what you love.

More soon!

Zin-fully Delicious Short Ribs

2010-01-04T17:55:00.000-08:00

With a wallet brimming with just-unwrapped Christmas cash, most city gals would run to their nearest Zara, buy an absurd faux-fur vest, and strut out onto the streets to find some good sushi and a cocktail!

Not this girl. But mostly because I had already bought said vest in one of those one-for-you-two-for-me Christmas shopping slip-ups. So, feeling, as I often do, generous toward myself, I bought what I've been lusting after for about two years now: a Dutch oven. Coming in at a very reasonable (as these things go) $50, you'd think I would've had one by now (I'm not one to deny myself much, as is plain to see).

My better half was due to arrive back from his Mexican surfing vacay with his mom, and I wanted to treat them to something delicious to make their transition back to sub-Arctic temperatures slightly more bearable. For some time now, I've been feeling compelled - yes, compelled is the accurate word here - to braise. And braise I did! I braised like no one has braised before! Er, like...well, many people have most likely braised before.

My compulsion to braise and my recent semi-obsession with making short ribs collided in a meaty explosion of slow-cooked goodness, all dripping in glorious Zinfandel. Biting into the spoon-tender ribs was like coming in from a blizzard and sinking under your covers still fully clothed to read Twilight - pure guilty pleasure. And don't think that just because this recipe looks a tad advanced or because it "requires" a $50 piece of cooking equipment (it doesn't), that you can't tackle it at home. With a few hours to kill (and maybe a great glass of wine and some tween vampire lit), you'll be singing your braise's praises without a hitch. Promise.

INGREDIENTS

4 beef short ribs, bone in
1/2 bottle Zinfandel
1/2 carton beef broth
2 large leeks, white and light green parts only, halved and sliced
2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
3 ribs celery, chopped
2-3 T. olive oil
salt and pepper
about 16 small (golf-ball to egg-sized) thin-skinned potatoes (like baby Yukon gold)
mix of chopped fresh herbs (like rosemary, parsley, oregano, etc.)
2 T. butter plus 1 T. olive oil
salt and pepper
dash of cayenne pepper
5-6 small heads Belgian endive, trimmed, separated into leaves
handful toasted walnuts
1 ripe pear
blue cheese crumbles

[for salad dressing:]
juice of 1 lemon
dollop of dijon mustard
olive oil
dollop of honey
salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS

STEP 1:

Bring the ribs to room temperature. Salt and pepper them generously on all sides. Preaheat oven to 350. On the stovetop, in a Dutch oven or large skillet, heat the olive oil. Brown the ribs on all sides, working in batches if necessary. Set aside, and drain all but about a T. of the remaining fat in the pan. To that, add about a T. of olive oil over medium-high heat.

STEP 2:

Add the leeks, carrots, and celery to the pan, adding a little salt and pepper. Cook, scraping the brown bits from the bottom of the pan, until beginning to soften, about 10 minutes. Return the ribs to the pan. Pour in the wine and broth so that the liquid comes about 3/4 of the way up the sides of the ribs, but does not totally submerge them. (At this point, if you are not cooking in an oven-safe pan, transfer all of this to an oven-safe dish with a lid). Put the lid on the pan and braise in the oven for about 2.5-3 hours, until the meat literally falls off the bones.

STEP 3:

About 45 minutes before the braising is done, boil a large pot of salted water. Par-boil the potatoes until they are easily pierced with a fork, but not falling apart. Drain. Return the same pot to the stove and heat some olive oil and butter (about 3 T. total) over medium heat. Add the potatoes, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, and fresh herbs to the pan. Cook them until they begin to get brown and crisp on the skins, stirring occasionally, and smashing a few down so they crack open and suck up the oil.

STEP 4:

Whisk together all salad dressing ingredients, then slowly whisk in olive oil to emulsify. Place the thinly-sliced pear into the bowl of salad dressing (to prevent oxidation) until ready to serve. Place some endive on each salad plate. Top with some dressing-coated pears, walnuts, and blue cheese crumbles. Drizzle a little more dressing over it all if if seems a little dry.

STEP 5:

Serve: place 4-5 potatoes on each plate, along with one short rib per person, topping it off with a little jus from the cooking pan. Serve with the salad. Enjoy!

Ross said that I could "easily charge $25 to $30 for this in a restaurant." [*blush*] And Ross' mom (no shrinking violet in the kitchen herself) said they were the best short ribs she'd ever (ever!) had. I'd say my tryst with braising turned out better than expected - and I have a feeling me and my Dutch oven (we are, it may go without saying, are staunchly Team Edward) are going to be mighty cozy all winter.

Cauliflower Puttanesca

2009-11-15T11:24:00.000-08:00

What does a not-very-true-to-the-original-recipe Pasta Puttanesca sauce have to do with my recent trip to Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York, America?

Not very much at all. However, I must've been really, really excited to eat this - excited to the point of shaking - because when I uploaded the photos and saw them on the big screen, all but one were hopelessly blurry. And I was really, seriously excited to see THE Brooklyn, NY. And I was so excited once I got there, I sort of forgot to take pictures of it, too.

I was there for a whirlwind 48 hours, and my equally-high-energy, fast-walking friend Jesse and I managed to fit about a week's worth of fun into said hours. An incomplete list of where and what:

- Brunch at Juliette in Williamsburg, where we saw a movie being filmed
- Trip to SoHo to go to Madewell, the J. Crew brand for slouchy hipsters
- Appearance at a surprise party at Bowery Bar, followed by...
- Urs Fischer opening at the New Museum
- Pile of fries (with ketchup and mayo) at a German bar I can't remember the name of
- Drinks at Nita Nita in Brooklyn
- Brunch at Lodge in Williamburg (I had an absolutely amazing curry tofu scramble)
- Inaugural trip to Bergdorf Goodman on 59th - I touched a $12,000 Oscar de la Renta gown
- Just-for-kicks stop into the new LV store, which is winning design awards left and right
- A quick stop into 10-ft. Single, consistently named the Best Vintage Store in the County (and trust me, it's incredible)
- *Amazing* dinner at Dressler - I had the duck. There are no words.
- *Equally amazing* dessert at Marlow and Sons - apple crisp that blew. my. mind.

At any rate, after Hurricane Brooklyn, I was pretty much too exhausted to cook much of anything last week, but I did manage to eke out this simple dish. Puttanseca is traditionally made with pancetta (and not with a mirepoix base); it's basically just a simple, spicy tomato sauce. Since I've been on a major cauliflower kick for the past, oh, 6 months or so, I thought I'd throw that in, too. I actually love the flavor of black olives with cauliflower. They both have a subtle bitterness that goes nicely together, and the capers and olives help to add a nice saltiness to the otherwise pretty bland flavor of cauliflower.

CAULIFLOWER PUTTANESCA

INGREDIENTS

1 head cauliflower, chopped into florets
1/2 lb. whole wheat rigatoni
1 small onion
1 carrot, peeled and thinly sliced
1 rib celery, peeled and thinly sliced
2 T. olive oil
handful kalamata olives, chopped
1/2 small container capers (or less, depending on how much you like capers)
1 large can crushed tomato with basil
1/2 can tomato paste
glug of red wine
salt to taste
black pepper
pinch of red pepper flakes
fresh chopped parsley
grated parmesan, optional

STEP 1

Heat olive oil in a large, deep pot. Cook onion, celery, and carrot over medium heat, seasoning with salt and pepper, until softened and translucent, 5-7 minutes. Pour in wine and stir, scraping any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.

STEP 2

Add the rest of the ingredients to the pot, stir, cover, and cook until the cauliflower is tender (about 10 minutes).

STEP 3

Meanwhile, cook the pasta in salted water. Drain. Place some pasta into two bowls. Top with the cauliflower puttanesca and cheese. Enjoy!

I'm always sad to leave New York, but I always know that I'll be back. Hopefully very, very soon. And admittedly, I was happy to come back to my tiny little apartment, my better half, and this little ball of love:

Thanks for reading! More soon...

Copycat Risotto and a Gorgeous Disaster

2009-11-03T11:05:00.001-08:00

Has anyone else been following Project Runway like a hawk tracking its prey through an open field?

Remember a couple episodes back where Mean-a Irina accuses Althea on the runway of copying her Aspen look, and Althea claimed her voluminous sweater was based on her own original sketch all along? This was a classic case of who-thought-of-it-first. This kind of stuff happens all the time among creatives working closely with one another (it happens to me in my job, like, every day). You see striking similarities between your work and someone else's, and no one can quite figure out whose idea was the original one.

That same phenomenon happened in my kitchen the other night. I was thinking over the ingredients I had - collard greens, arborio rice, butternut squash, bacon - and it occurred to me that a Butternut Squash, Collard Green and Bacon Risotto would be lovely. Later, I was perusing NewYorkTimes.com, one of my daily staples. I was looking through the recent recipe archives when I came across - you guessed it - Risotto with Butternut Squash, Bacon, and Collard Greens. Had I seen that recipe before, and had it lodged in my gray matter, only to resurface when the time was right? Admittedly, I made a dish very similar to this a couple weeks ago on a random night in with my friend Sarah, but this exact recipe - collard greens and all - well, I suddenly understood Mean-a Irina's irate runway reaction.

Regardless, this risotto is delish, be it hacked or not.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH, BACON, & COLLARD GREENS RISOTTO

INGREDIENTS

1 smallish butternut squash, cut into smallish chunks
1 T. olive oil
salt and pepper
4 slices natural bacon, cut into small pieces
1 T. olive oil
2 T. butter
1/2 small onion
2 small shallots
2 cloves garlic
1 c. dry Arborio rice
1/2 c. white wine
zest of one lemon
1 container chicken broth (the box container)
2 bunches fresh collard greens, washed and sliced into ribbons
10-12 leaves fresh sage, chopped
salt and pepper
Parmesan cheese for serving (freshly grated)

STEP 1:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Toss the butternut squash chunks in a little olive oil, salt, and pepper, and roast until soft and beginning to brown at the edges, about 30-40 minutes, stirring around a few times in the baking dish.

STEP 2:

In a large, deep pot, fry the bacon pieces until lightly browned. Remove from pot with slotted spoon and set aside. In another, smaller pot, heat the chicken broth, covered, over low heat. In yet another pot, boil some water and boil the collards in it for about 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.

STEP 3:

Drain almost all the grease from the pot, but do not wipe out (you want the brown bits on the bottom of the pan as well as a little grease). Add the olive oil and butter to this pan over medium heat. Cook the shallots and onion, seasoning with a little salt and pepper, until beginning to soften. Add the dry Arborio rice and stir. Pour in the wine, and stir, scraping the brown bacony leftovers from the bottom of the pan (trust me on this part). Add the garlic and lemon zest. Cook until the rice begins to look translucent.

STEP 4:

Add the chicken broth, about a 1/2 cup at a time, and stir constantly until the rice grains have almost completely soaked up the broth. Do this over and over until the broth is gone. Stir in the sage somewhere in the middle of the brothing action. About 5 minutes before you want to stop cooking the risotto (when there is still some broth to be soaked up), stir in the greens, squash, and bacon. Taste and adjust seasoning.

STEP 5:

Serve in shallow bowls immediately, and grate some fresh Parmesan over the top. Enjoy!

I'm sure it's no surprise to you that I don't post everything I cook on this blog. If that were the case, you could assume I only eat about once every week or so, and we all know that's not true. Sometimes, I intend on taking photos as I cook, then forget. Sometimes, I'm so hungry that slowing down to take a photo before I eat seems completely absurd. And sometimes, I just plain screw something up and decide not to tell anyone about it.

These pancakes, however, fall somewhere in a gray area - I did sort of screw them up (but I proceeded to eat them anyway). And despite the fact that they were oozingly raw in the center, they photographed beautifully. A second batch actually turned out OK, so I decided to post the recipe with the simple warning to not make the pancakes too thick when you put them in the pan. Unlike raw cookie dough, no one wants to eat raw pancake batter.

PUMPKIN PANCAKES

INGREDIENTS (not exact recipe I used, but a good recipe from Martha Stewart Living)

1 and 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
2 T. brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder;
1/2 teaspoon each cinnamon, ground ginger, and salt
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
pinch of ground cloves
1 cup milk
6 tablespoons canned pumpkin puree
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 egg

STEP 1:

Mix together first 6 ingredients. Get a nonstick pan medium-hot.

STEP 2:

Mix the remaining ingredients in a separate bowl. Fold mixture into dry ingredients. Melt some butter in the skillet. Pour in 1/4 cup batter for each pancake. Cook pancakes about 3 minutes per side; serve with butter and syrup. Makes 8 to 10.

Other than the raw first batch, these pancakes were a delicious fall indulgence, and so pumpkin-y! We all know at this point how I love a hot, hearty breakfast.

Thanks for reading! More soon...

Banana-and-PB-Stuffed French Toast

2009-10-18T18:05:00.001-07:00

Have I ever shared how much I adore French toast?

Actually, I'm a francophile in many regards - I so dearly love their wine (Beaujolais being my favorite, and only available this very time of year!), their language (though I speak little - "J'adore les croissants avec poulet et Jean-Paul Gaultier!"), their fashion - oh, and did I mention their food? I spend about 92.8% of my time daydreaming about wandering through Le-Grande-Jatte-esque landscapes, picnicking with a baguette, some stinky cheese, and some red wine near a bridge, followed by a jaunt through the Louvre and maybe dinner in some obscure post-beatnik cafe--

--and then I remember I'm actually sitting in front of my iMac, thinking up banner ads. Sigh. Now might be a good time to mention two things: 1.) I've never actually been to France, and 2.) I'm not at all convinced that French toast bears any resemblance to anything the French actually eat for le petit dejeuner. That notwithstanding, my love for French toast (much like my love for the fried potatoes and the kisses for which they are so well-known) endures despite its dubious provenance.

Usually, I make it very simply: egg, milk, cinnamon, butter, maple syrup. Done. But, a few almost-too-ripe bananas weeping on my fruit tray and a new jar of homemade peach honey whispering from within the cupboard, I decided to make that IHOP-bastardization of French toast - Stuffed French Toast. Although this came out nicely and was a fantastic way to start a lazy weekend morning, I truly prefer French toast in its simplest form, but since this insisted on photographing well and being somewhat interesting, I decided to share it. So, thank you, France, for your toast! And thank you America, for your irrepressible spirit of excess!

PEANUT-BUTTER-AND-BANANA-STUFFED FRENCH TOAST

INGREDIENTS

4 thick slices bread (I used whole wheat)
a few spoonfuls natural (unsweetened) peanut butter
1-2 ripe bananas, sliced into rounds
drizzle of peach honey (or regular honey)
2 eggs
1 T. heavy cream (milk is fine, too)
pinch of cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
2 T. butter
maple syrup for drizzling

STEP 1:

Beat the eggs, cream, nutmeg, and cinnamon in a bowl. Set aside. Meanwhile, heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat.

STEP 2:

Spread 2 slices of bread with the peanut butter, then top with the banana slices. Drizzle honey over both. Top with the other pieces of bread, making two sandwiches.

STEP 3:

Melt the butter in the pan. Dredge each sandwich in the egg mixture, until coated. Fry on the first side until golden-brown. Flip and fry on the other side until golden-brown. Remove from heat, slice in half, drizzle with syrup, and serve. Enjoy!

The Old College Try: a Pasta Party

2009-10-17T16:51:00.000-07:00

Glory, glory to old Georgia!

Yes, friends, I'm thrilled to share one of my most exciting blogs to date - guest-wise if not menu-wise. My old college friend Raj was in town for the Men's Health Urbanathlon, with two friends in tow. I was hugely flattered when Raj wrote to tell me that he's a huge fan of my blog, and wanted to spend one of his few nights in Chicago having dinner with me. And even better, I had guests on my hands that needed to carbo-load, and I think we all know at this point how I feel about pasta (Pasta, will you marry me?).

To mix things up, I decided to invite my also-new-to-Chicago friend Ryan, and of course, Ross was on hand to eat up and weigh in. It was a funny, interesting, smart, eclectic group of people gathered in my little shoebox, and I for one had a fantastic time.

For backstory: Raj and I met [WARNING: shameless plug in 3...2...1...] on an Alternative Spring Break program my junior year at Georgia. My friend Amy and I led a trip to Alabama to work at a home for people living with HIV and AIDS. Like the other ASB trips I went on or led, it was life-affirming and outlook-changing. Raj followed in my footsteps, not only leading trips, but also helping to lead the entire program - eventually doubling the number of trips (there is even a trip that comes to Chicago!).

As far as conversation goes, you couldn't ask for a more accomplished, more interesting group of people - as far as dinner goes...well, I know I'm my harshest critic, but I think it may have left something to be desired. Everything tasted good, but as Ross ended up admitting, it wasn't my most creative meals to date. Additionally, I mistimed quite a bit of the action, and we didn't get as much time to eat as I would've liked. Despite these criticisms, my guests seemed to like everything, and hopefully they were well-fueled and well-rested for the race.

The turkey bolognese, I thought, was pretty tasty - I actually really like the flavor that the turkey, as opposed to a traditional sausage and beef blend, lent to the sauce. And the veggie sauce actually turned out to be quite a hit, even among the omnivores! I was sure I'd ruined it when I let the carrot-onion-celery mixture burn, but it actually really deepened the flavor of the sauce, giving regular old canned tomatoes a more fire-roasted flavor.

It was great to catch up with a fellow Bulldog (he's still in school - Law - by the way), and meet new friends with the same zest for life and good-natured Southern charm that Raj is known for.

TURKEY BOLOGNESE

INGREDIENTS

1 and 1/2 lb. ground lean turkey meat
2 T. olive oil
1 and 1/2 carrots, peeled and chopped into small pieces
1 small sweet onion
2 ribs celery, chopped into small pieces
salt and pepper
2 cloves garlic
1 and 1/2 large cans whole plum tomatoes with basil
1/2 can tomato paste
1/2-1 c. red wine (more as needed)
fresh chopped basil
sprinkling of dried Italian herbs (oregano, rosemary, parsley, red pepper flakes) to taste
1/3 c. heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste
1 pack spaghetti

VEGGIELISCIOUS SAUCE

INGREDIENTS

2 T. olive oil
1 and 1/2 carrots, peeled and chopped into small pieces
1 small sweet onion
2 ribs celery, chopped into small pieces
salt and pepper
1 and 1/2 large cans whole plum tomatoes with basil
1/2 can tomato paste
1/2-1 c. red wine (more as needed)
fresh chopped basil
2 cloves garlic
sprinkling of dried Italian herbs (oregano, rosemary, parsley, red pepper flakes) to taste
1 small head broccoli, chopped into small florets
2 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
1 pack spaghetti

STEP 1:

In a nonstick skillet, brown the turkey meat with some salt and pepper. Set aside.

STEP 2:

In both pots, heat the olive oil. Cook the onion, carrot, and celery over medium heat, seasoning with salt and pepper, until they start to get some color. Add the canned tomatoes, tomato paste, Italian seasonings, wine and garlic and some more salt and pepper. Add the turkey to the pot that will be the meat sauce.

STEP 3:

Cook all this for awhile, covered, stirring occasionally and breaking up the big tomato pieces with a wooden spoon. As the sauces cook, keep an eye on how liquid-y they are, and add some more wine as needed if they're getting too thick/dry.

STEP 4:

Add the broccoli and zucchini to the veggie sauce. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the spaghetti. Add the fresh basil to the sauces. Turn the heat down on the turkey sauce and add the cream. Stir and cook a little more. Taste the sauces and adjust seasonings. When the spaghetti is al dente, drain it and set aside. Serve and enjoy!

JUDGES' VERDICTS:

Raj: I liked the spicy tang to the veggie sauce - it wasn't too sweet or too creamy. And the salad dressing was excellent.

Patrick: Very good. I actually liked the vegetarian sauce more than the meat sauce.

Ryan (male): I'd want to try the sauce over angel hair, since I like thin pasta. I was worried about the sauce's spice, but it was fine. And the music was good.*

Ryan (female): I liked the spicy kick to the veggie sauce. It was good, although I did have to pick out the visible tomato chunks. By the way, your cat is psycho.

Ross: This was ok, but not very creative. I expect more from you at this point.

*Ross put on our perennial favorite dinner mix of classic Sinatra tunes. Always a hit.

So it appears that the Veggie Sauce was the winner. Who knew? And all that time, I thought I'd burnt it.

Catching up with an old friend and making news ones was the real highlight of the meal, though. Thanks so much to my guests for spending a night in Chicago with little ol' me! And....GOOOOOO DAWGS! SIC 'EM! WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF....

Haluski & Chocolate Apple Bread

2009-10-08T17:00:00.000-07:00

You know what I like? When I get to bake a chocolate cake and call it "bread."

If this is bread, can I make a sandwich out of it? How about toast? Would it follow that it could be justifiably slathered in a.) butter, b.) peanut butter, or c.) jam? Let me tell you, friends, that if this is indeed bread, man can, in fact, live on bread alone (or woman, at least). Because this bread is - I think you already knew this - made of chocolate.

As if that fact alone weren't enough to make you run immediately into your boss' office and alert her that you have swine flu and must leave the office posthaste (in order to go home and bake this "bread," naturally), let me tell you this: this bread that is magically chocolate - it's also...pretty healthy! To be clear, it's not exactly the nutritional equivalent of a shot of wheatgrass, but as far as chocolate baked things go, it's one of the better things you could eat.

How is this possible, you ask? For one thing, I adapted a chocolate and zucchini bread recipe, subbing in apple for the zucchini (I had several apples that needed some love quickly). I also used olive oil as the fat (not butter), and reduced the amount of sugar in the recipe (because I figured the apples would lend a natural sweetness on their own, which they did).

CHOCOLATE APPLE BREAD

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups shredded raw apple
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted (not Dutch-processed)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup granulated white sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chips (optional - I didn't use these)

STEP 1:

Grate the apple, using a medium sized grater. Set aside.

STEP 2:

In a large bowl whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, and ground allspice. Set aside.

STEP 3:

In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the oil, sugars, eggs, and vanilla extract until well blended (about 2 minutes). Fold in the grated apple. Add the flour mixture, beating just until combined. Then fold in the chocolate chips (if using).

STEP 4:

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake until the bread has risen and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 55 to 65 minutes. Place on a wire rack to cool for about 10 minutes, then remove the bread from the pan and cool completely. Makes one - 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf.

This Chocolate Apple Bread was so good, even Sascha Fierce wanted in on the action! Go make this right now!

Luckily, the photos of the bread came out nicely, because Haluski, while simple and delicious, is not very photogenic. It's simply cabbage, onions, and noodles, which is pretty monochromatic (which I like in my outfits but don't like on my plate). If you can get past that, though, you'll have a great dinner whipped up in no time.

Haluski is a Polish dish that's traditionally made with a lot of butter - we're talking 3 sticks of butter. I only used about a half-stick of butter, which still sounds like a lot, but this recipe makes about 5-6 servings, so it's really not that bad (for one serving, you end up eating the amount of butter you'd spread on a couple slices of French bread). The real key to making this dish amazing and and not bland is seasoning it really well. Throw in a few pinches of salt, cook it, taste it, then add more if needed. You just really do not want to under-season it, because under-seasoned cabbage just isn't pleasant. The salt will also help the cabbage and onions to release their moisture, aiding in the cooking process.

I had some leftover hot Italian sausage that I quickly browned and scattered around Ross' plate, but I topped mine with a simple fried egg (I must say, one of my favorite ways to add protein to a dish - I'm an absolute egg fanatic). The original recipe is meat-free, and I've seen a lot of online Haluski recipes that use a rustic dumpling in place of egg noodles. With more time on my hands, I'd make the dumplings, maybe adding some potato for texture, but since I was crunched for time, I just threw in the noodles and it was still good. (I've made it before using egg noodles, which are great. The No Yolks brand are delicious as well as better for you than other types of egg noodles.)

HALUSKI

INGREDIENTS

1 medium head cabbage, thinly sliced
1 large sweet onion (Vidalia or yellow), halved and sliced into thin half-moons
6 oz. dried pasta (I used fusilli, but egg noodles are traditional)
1/2 stick butter (calm down, I'll explain)
1-2 T. olive oil
1-2 eggs (optional)
1 hot Italian sausage (optional); or kielbasa, if you like
salt and pepper

STEP 1:

Melt the butter over medium heat in a large skillet that has a lid. Add the cabbage and onion, season well with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally. This should cook until the veggies are tender and beginning to caramelize.

STEP 2:

Meanwhile, boil the pasta in salted water until al dente. Drain and set aside.

STEP 3:

About 5 minutes before you want to turn off the heat on the cabbage/onions, add the noodles to the haluski in the skillet. Add some olive oil, season some more with salt and pepper, and toss the noodles with the rest of the mixture. Cook a few more minutes.

STEP 4:

If you're going the route of topping your haluski with a fried egg (that's how I like mine), fry the eggs when you add the noodles to the pot. I served Ross' portion with some hot Italian sausage, simply browned in a pan and scattered around the haluski. Place some haluski on each plate, top with an egg and/or sausage, serve, and enjoy!

The Haluski came out great - and it was still yummy the next day when I ate it for lunch. One of the best things about it, too, is how cheap it is! I found the cabbage for 19 cents/lb. at my local grocery store, onions are cheap, and so are noodles - and this recipe makes enough to feed at least 4 hungry people! I think Haluski is the perfect example of people all over the world have been able to create delicious meals out of very little that then become hallmarks of their local cuisine - some leftover cabbage, a little onion and butter, some flour and water made into dumplings - voila! A Polish national treasure.

Thanks for reading! More soon...

Mushroom-Swiss Grass-Fed Burgers (and one Portobello Burger)

2009-10-02T06:54:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my Flexitarian Table.

Remember that post awhile back where I declared myself a Flexitarian, someone who eats mostly vegetarian food, but occasionally eats meat? That was inspired by a conversation I had with my vegetarian (and sustainable-food-knowledgeable) friend Kara. That conversation led me to this book, The Flexitarian Table. And that book led me to this meal.

Now that my omnivorous (and meat-loving) boyfriend is back, meal planning has required a bit more thought. For the past 6 months, it was simply, "What do I want to eat tonight?" Now it's, "How can I make a meal that we'll both love without going back to my formerly meaty ways?" Which brings me back to this wonderfully written and culinarily inspiring book. The author explains that his family of foodies has a variety of requirements: vegan, vegetarian, and omnivorous. He was a chef in a vegan restaurant for years, although he himself eats not only eggs and dairy, but also meat and fish.

The thing that makes Peter Berley's book so unique and engaging is that he finds creative ways to essentially make one meal that can satisfy many dietary needs by making simple ingredient switches. Yes, sometimes this may require an extra pan or two, but by and large it doesn't make prep any more difficult.

Inspired by his strategic meal-planning, I came up with this simple dinner that could please not only myself and Ross, but our friends The LeCroys, who most definitely know their burgers. By making the burger "mushroom-Swiss" themed, that made it easy for me to just use a portobello mushroom as my burger patty, eliminating the need for extra ingredients or a whole other meal or side dish.

INGREDIENTS

1 lb. 100% grass-fed ground beef (I used 85/15%)
1 egg, beaten
salt and pepper
1 tsp. Worcherstershire sauce (I never spell that right)
a few dashes burger or grill seasoning
4 slices baby Swiss cheese
3 large portobello mushroom caps (1 kept whole, 2 chopped into chunks)
1/2 large white onion, sliced into half-moons
4 brioche buns (or any hamburger buns you want)
2 lb. baby yukon gold potatoes
big handful chopped fresh herbs of your choice (I used parsley, green onions, and rosemary)
3 T. olive oil
3 T. butter
mixed salad ingredients, any you like

STEP 1:

Boil the potatoes until tender, but not falling apart, in a large pot of salted water. Drain, rinse with cool water, and set aside.

STEP 2:

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix the beef, Worchestershire sauce, salt and pepper, and grill seasoning with the egg using your hands. Shape into three burger patties. Set aside.

STEP 3:
In a nonstick skillet, heat about 1 T. olive oil and cook onions and mushrooms, seasoning with a bit of salt and pepper, until they're browned to your liking. Remove from pan and set aside.

STEP 4:

In a large skillet, melt the butter and oil. Place the potatoes in the skillet, pressing down gently to smash them slightly. Allow to cook until browned on one side. Turn over and cook until browned on all sides, sprinkling in the herbs about 5 minutes before you're done. Sprinkle with a generous amount of salt and toss in the remaining butter and oil in the pan before serving.

STEP 5:

Meanwhile, heat a grill pan over medium heat. Grill the burgers, and the portobello mushroom cap, until desired doneness, adding cheese about 4-5 minutes before you want to take the burgers off the pan.

STEP 6:

Place each burger on an open bun. Top with some of the onion and mushroom mixture and any condiments you want. Serve with the potatoes and salad, if you're having salad. Enjoy!

A few notes on the ingredients: I wanted to use 100% grass-fed beef, because even though I wasn't going to be eating it, supporting sustainable farming practices when feeding my friends and loved ones is just as important to me as if I were chowing down on the beef myself. (Sarah even commented on how different in color my burgers were than burgers made from regular corn-fed ground beef - nothing creepy, it just makes you cognizant of the fact that whatever what you eat eats, you eat too. Corn-fed beef is fattier and lighter in color. The grass-fed beef I bought was a rich brick-red, with very white, not yellowish, fat.)

I also splurged on the bakery brioche buns, which turned out to be vegan (I didn't know that when I bought them). I usually opt for whole wheat buns, but these were absolutely delicious, and they really added that "restaurant quality" to the overall meal. The potatoes turned out great, too! I think I just found my new favorite way to cook potatoes. I've been seeing a lot of the Food Network-types make these "slightly smashed" baby potatoes, and now I understand why: when you brown them in butter and oil, and season them well, the gentle smashing opens them just enough to so that they soak up all the flavor from the pan, but they still retain that pleasant, not-too-mushy baked-potato texture.

I hope this meal, as well as The Flexitarian Table cookbook, inspires you to create meals that bring everyone - no matter their style of eating - together for a meal. Because aren't all disputes ultimately solved at the dinner table?

Thanks for reading! More soon...

Snappy Shrimp Dinner & Korean Soba Noodles

2009-09-27T20:17:00.000-07:00

Weeknights are hard. Considering the fact my refrigerator is now too small to hold more than a few days' worth of food, planning meals a week in advance isn't so much an option any more. So, while that cuts down on food waste, it also means I find myself stopping at the grocery store on my way home from work quite a bit.

It's nice to have a few meals that are quick and easy to prepare, making the after-work grocery trek not such a big deal time-wise. This shrimp dish is one of those meals. It includes some of my favorite quick-cooking ingredients (most notably, shrimp), with a few things you see me combine all the time: peppers, tomatoes, onions, white wine, and lemon. I love a sauce with a nice, acidic bite ladled over simple white rice. A healthy heap of spinach rounds it out nutritionally.

SNAPPY SHRIMP DINNER

INGREDIENTS

2 T. olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, put though a press or minced
1/2 lb. raw peeled, deveined shrimp
1 red bell pepper
1 orange bell pepper
1 red chile pepper
1 can whole peeled tomatoes and all juices
handful fresh parsley, chopped
1/2 c. white wine
juice of one lemon
salt and pepper to taste
several big handfuls raw baby spinach leaves
cooked white or brown rice

STEP 1: Place the rice in a rice cooker or cook according to package directions. While it's cooking, heat olive oil in pan over medium heat and cook onions and peppers (including hot chile pepper) until tender. Add garlic and cook another minute.

STEP 2: Add lemon juice, wine, about 3/4 of the parsley, and tomatoes. Break up tomatoes with a wooden spoon and stir until well-mixed. Season with salt and pepper. Bring heat up to medium-high and cook, covered, for about 5 minutes.

STEP 3: Add spinach to the pan and stir. Recover and cook for about 2 minutes, until spinach is slightly wilted.

STEP 4: Add shrimp, stir, and recover, and cook until shrimp is pink and cooked through, about 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat. Taste and adjust seasonings. Spoon shrimp and veggie sauce over rice. Top with remaining chopped parsley. Enjoy!

I got the idea for this easy noodle dish when browsing thekitchn.com, an offshoot of Apartment Therapy, one of my favorite blogs. The original recipe (found here), was actually for Naengmyun, a Korean noodle dish served in cold broth. I thought the combination of pear, cucumber, and typically Asian flavors was interesting, and I thought it could be nicely adapted into a cold noodle dish - sans the broth, making it more portable as a workday lunch. I strayed from the original recipe, pumping it up with crisp green beans for a greater veggie-to-noodle ratio, but I tried to keep the spirit the same.

KOREAN SOBA NOODLES

INGREDIENTS

3 bundles buckwheat soba noodles
1.5 lbs fresh green beans, trimmed and halved
1/4 c. rice vinegar
1/4 c. soy sauce
3 T. toasted sesame oil
1 one-inch piece ginger, thinly sliced and cut into small pieces
3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
1 T. Sriracha hot sauce
3-4 T. finely chopped green onions
1 ripe Bartlett pear, thinly sliced and cut into small pieces
handful cilantro, roughly chopped
1 fried egg (for serving), optional
thinly sliced cucumber, for serving, optional

STEP 1: Boil soba noodles and green beans together in a large pot of salted water. Drain.

STEP 2: Meanwhile, prepare the sauce. Combine rice vinegar and next 6 ingredients in a bowl and whisk to combine. Pour over noodles. Add pear and cilantro to pot and toss to combine. Thinly slice cucumber and place on top before serving. Just before serving, fry an egg and place it on top of the noodles. Serve and enjoy!

These noodles are so light and refreshing - perfect for a lunch that won't weigh you down or send you into a midday food coma when you should be pounding out headlines.

Thanks for reading! More soon...

Sick Day Soup(s) & The Rollover Elvis

2009-09-20T19:37:00.001-07:00

Wow, it's been much too long, my friends!

I spent the August-to-September transition moving from my smallish apartment to my tinyish apartment (because, you see, it was just going to be little ol' me), and then my better half unexpectedly moved back from his stint in our nation's capital.

So it's me, Ross, and Sascha - and as they say, three's a crowd. And in our Boystown studio, three's verging on an unruly mob.

The good news? Well, yes, that we're happily reunited, but also - I now have a dining room! Behold:

OK, it's technically a "breakfast nook" (or as the previous tenant and my good friend Emily had it, a bedroom), but it is a room with a table that between one to four individuals can dine in - thus, a dining room. That was one thing my old place lacked that I always had a jones for. But now I can eat breakfast - or any meal I darn well please - in my sunny, yellow, Seventies-throwback dining room - er...nook.

The bad news is...well, there's no real bad news, although I'd love to return to the blog with some triumphant culinary masterpiece, and instead I have...a grilled cheese sandwich.

I call it: The Rollover Elvis.

It's a known fact that The King enjoyed fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches (a man of impeccable taste if ever there were one). And in a pinch the other night, I found myself with Swiss cheese, some gala apples, whole wheat Challah bread (found at Treasure Island - a treasure indeed) and some natural peanut butter. I was inspired by an amazing sandwich I had once at the excellent gastropub Hopleaf in Andersonville - it was cashew butter, sharp Irish cheddar, and some sort of fruit chutney (fig?) nestled between buttery, crisp-fried Challah bread.

I figured if Elvis were alive to shimmy anywhere near my kitchen, he'd gyrate in sheer horror at the bastardization of his deliciously gooey southern treat - so he's probably rolling over in his grave. Well, Elvis be damned - the sandwich was downright tasty! (Fit for a King?)

It took about 10 minutes to make, start to finish, and was surprisingly hearty. It's protein-packed, buttery, and it's a so-simple-it's-stupid meal solution for a quick dinner when you're just too tired to make anything.

THE ROLLOVER ELVIS

2 slices whole wheat (or regular) Challah bread
2 thin slices Swiss cheese
several thin slices apple
natural peanut butter
pat of butter for the pan

Melt the butter over medium-low heat. Spread the peanut butter on one slice of bread. Lay the cheese on the other. Arrange the apple slices on top of the peanut butter and lay that piece of bread in the pan. Top with the cheese and other slice of bread. Fry until browned and crisp, then flip. Fry on other side until desired doneness. Slice in half and enjoy!

Because Nature must always laugh in the face of human bliss, Ross and I have spent this last week under the weather. I got a beast of a cold, then promptly passed it on to him, despite his best efforts to ward it off. Luckily, I'm one mean soup-making machine.

I made a veggies version for me, first, then a chicken version for him, later.

CHICKENLESS NOODLE SOUP

1 and 1/2 qts. vegetable stock
1 large carrot, peeled and thinly sliced
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic
juice of one large lemon
2 T. olive oil
big handful baby spinach leaves
big handful egg noodles
2 eggs, whisked
salt and pepper
Sriracha sauce (optional)

Heat olive oil in large pot. Add onion and carrots and cook until beginning to soften. Add garlic (press through a garlic press or mince), and cook for about a minute. Add lemon juice and some salt and pepper. Cook for another minute. Add stock and bring to a boil. Cook for about 5 minutes, then add the noodles. Cook for about 5 more minutes, then add the spinach. Cook for about 3 more minutes, then add the whisked eggs and stir quickly so they cook and scramble, like egg drop soup. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve and enjoy!

SICK DAY CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

6 chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces
3 T. olive oil
2 celery ribs, diced
1 onion, diced
2 carrots, peeled and sliced thinly
2 T. white wine vinegar
salt and pepper
2 qt. chicken stock
fusilli pasta
dash Worchestershire sauce
poultry seasoning
all-purpose seasoning

In a large pot, heat olive oil. Saute carrot, celery and onion, seasoning with salt and pepper, until softened. Stir in vinegar and cook for a couple minutes. Add stock and chicken. Bring to a low boil. Add the rest of the ingredients. Cover and cook until chicken is cooked through. Add the pasta about 8 minutes before you want to serve the soup. Reduce heat and simmer until ready to serve, tasting to adjust seasoning. Enjoy!

Here's hoping this long-overdue post finds you all healthy and happy. More soon...

Lusciously Legumelicious Soba Noodles

2009-08-22T12:13:00.000-07:00

I love soba noodles.

Apparently, they're extremely difficult to make from scratch. The buckwheat flour is tricky to work with, and it takes years of practice and training to make excellent soba noodles. I like to think that eating lots and lots of soba noodles is my way of showing my appreciation for all the hard work these soba masters put into their craft.

After stumbling across them at World Market (finally), I was excited to make a dish bursting with Asian flavors and seasonal goodness. I happened to make the noodles on a day when my fridge was less-then-ideally stocked, and I ended up resorting to padding my basic peanut sauce recipe with some jarred Satay sauce form Trader Joe's that I bought months ago - I'm not dead, so I guess it was fine. The recipe I've provided below, however, is the real deal.

Soba noodles are tastier than plain old spaghetti (although this recipe would be fine with whole wheat pasta subbed in), and there's something about their texture that makes them the perfect complement to hearty, leafy greens and stubbornly crisp summer beans. The peanut sauce is so refreshing, and only requires a few ingredients. The noodles simply swathed in the sauce would make an excellent lunch, served cold with a fresh green salad on the side.

INGREDIENTS

9 oz. dry soba noodles
1 bunch red kale (or other variety kale or leafy green)
1/2 c. shelled, ready-to-eat edamame
3/4 lb. (approx.) mixed green and yellow wax beans
1/2 large white onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T. olive oil
a few slices extra-firm tofu (optional), squeezed dry and lightly pan-fried

sauce:

2 T. natural (no sugar added) peanut butter
a couple good dashes rice wine vinegar
2 T. honey
squirt of Sriracha (to taste)
2 T. soy sauce
juice of 1/2 a lemon

STEP ONE:

Boil the soba noodles in salted boiling water until al dente. About 3 minutes before the noodles are done, add the kale to the water. Drain the kale and noodles.

STEP TWO:

Make the peanut sauce by whisking all the ingredients under "sauce" together. Set aside.

STEP THREE:

Heat the olive oil in a nonstick skillet and saute the onion until translucent. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant. Add the wax beans and cook until slightly tender. Add the edamame and stir in the sauce, stirring around until all the veggies are hot and coated with the sauce.

STEP FOUR:

Place the kale/noodle combo on a serving dish or in individual bowls and top with some of the bean/peanut sauce mixture. Enjoy!

Thanks for reading! More soon...

Salade Nicoise a la Green City Market

2009-08-16T21:46:00.001-07:00

It absolutely kills me to disagree with Julia. But when it comes to using canned tuna versus fresh, I simply cannot abide her near-holy directives.

After all, Julia cooked during wartime, when canned tuna was all a gal could come by. I live in a world where fresh fish is abundant - and in the case of my one little $4 tuna steak at Jewel - inexpensive.

Julia's Salade Nicoise calls for canned tuna - that's just how it's traditionally made. Not only did I use a fresh tuna steak, I didn't use Nicoise olives, ostensibly rendering this salad not a Nicoise salad at all! My friend and host Emily, into whose apartment I'll be moving in 12 days (she's moving out), had never had tuna that wasn't from a can, and isn't much of a fish lover at all. I wanted to take this opportunity to school her (pun intended) about the glories of tuna steaks, which in my opinion are a lot more like steak than tuna.

I got really excited to make this salad when I realized that almost everything in it is in season (aaah...late summer!) - the green beans from the market were exquisite, the salad greens were fresh, and even the little thin-skinned new potatoes had an uncharacteristically sweet, creamy taste.

When combined with the eggs I had, and the black olives Emily had, I knew that bringing the salad together would be a snap.

SALADE NICOISE A LA GREEN CITY MARKET

INGREDIENTS

2 big handfuls mixed salad greens
2 hard-boiled eggs, halved
big handful fresh green beans, cut into pieces and blanched
~12 black (or nicoise) olives
1/2 c. halved grape tomatoes, any variety (we used orange ones)
4 small thin-skinned baby potatoes, boiled until tender, then sliced
1 medium tuna steak, fresh
a few spoonfuls capers
1/3 c. cucumbers, sliced into half-moons
1 T. olive oil
salt and pepper

Dressing:

1 T. mayo
1 T. grainy brown mustard
juice of one Meyer lemon
1 T. honey
1 small shallot, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste

STEP ONE:

Heat the olive oil in a grill pan or a nonstick skillet until hot. Cook the tuna on one side, seasoning the side facing up, until it's nice and browned. Flip and cook the other side until it matches, or until the tuna is cooked to your liking. Slice and set aside.

STEP TWO:

Arrange all the elements of the salad in little side-by-side piles and place the tuna on top.

STEP THREE:

Whisk together the dressing ingredients and drizzle over the salad. Serve and enjoy!

Emily also relished learning how to make a quick dressing out of just a few staple ingredients - this is truly the only salad dressing I ever eat anymore.

The salad came out great, and I think Emily may be inching closer and closer to becoming a fish-eater - here's what she had to say:

"Considering I don't like fish and had never had tuna not from a can, I thought it was really good. I couldn't finish all my tuna though - baby steps. It was really good - a lovely mix of flavors in my mouth."

Not too shabby! We spent the rest of the evening sipping wine and using her measuring tape to figure out how in the world I'm going to fit all my worldly possessions into the new place - check back in a couple weeks for pics of the new kitchen and dining area!

Thanks for reading! And thanks to my lovely host Em - more soon...

Meyer-Lemon Poached Halibut with Tuscan Bean Salad & Chard

2009-08-15T09:55:00.000-07:00

I'm on a little bit of a chard kick right now. It's in season, and it's just divine everywhere I go looking for it. The bunches at the farmer's market yesterday were so lusciously green and leafy, I bought two different varieties. In this dish, I chose to use the classic Swiss variety.

My good friend Colleen, who "doesn't eat quadripeds," challenged me to make a meal with fish. Since I've really been dialing back the bipedal and quadripedal animals myself lately, I was all too excited to make it work. I decided on halibut, which is a notoriously not-overly-fishy fish. Only after I bought a gorgeous filet did Colleen tell me that apparently, halibut is also one of the most difficult fishes to cook.

Undaunted, I decided that cooking the halibut in a sauce on low heat would keep it moist and prevent it from overcooking. My instincts were correct, and we found ourselves with a couple of delicious, quadriped-free dinners.

MEYER-LEMON POACHED HALBUT WITH TUSCAN BEAN SALAD & CHARD

INGREDIENTS

Tuscan Bean Salad:

~1 c. cooked chickpeas (canned is fine)
~1/2 c. cooked cannellini beans (canned is fine)
~ 1 c. cooked wheatberries
glug of good olive oil
zest and juice of 1 Meyer lemon
chopped fresh rosemary
chopped fresh oregano
chopped fresh dill (or you could use parsley)
salt and pepper
red pepper flakes

Chard:

1 large bunch fresh Swiss chard, tough stems removed, chopped into pieces
a little olive oil
salt and pepper

Halibut and sauce:

1 shallot, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T. olive oil
3 T. butter
Two fresh halibut filets
1/2 c. dry white wine
Juice of 1 Meyer lemon
Juice of 3 on-the-vine tomatoes (use a sieve to prevent any seeds from getting through)

STEP ONE:

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients for the Tuscan Bean Salad. Toss to combine. Allow to sit in the refrigerator for a few hours, covered. Bring to room temperature before serving.

STEP TWO:

Blanch the chard (dunk for about a minute into boiling water, then drain and rinse with cold water). Set aside.

STEP TWO:

Heat the olive oil and butter and in large, semi-deep skillet that has a tight-fitting lid. Cook the shallots until translucent. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant.

STEP THREE:

Add the white wine, lemon juice, and tomato juice and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low. Season the broth with a little salt and pepper and add the fish fillets to the broth. Cover and cook until halibut is just cooked through, about 5-6 minutes. Do not overcook. Remove halibut and set aside. Cook the sauce on high heat for another few minutes until it reduces a bit.

STEP FOUR:

While the fish is cooking, in another skillet, heat a little olive oil for the chard. Saute the chard quickly until it is hot and just a tad more tender than it was from blanching. Season with salt and pepper.

STEP FIVE:

On two plates, spoon some Tuscan Bean Salad. Place some sauteed chard on top of the salad. Top off each with a halibut filet, then pour the poaching liquid over everything. Serve and enjoy!

If you wanted to make this salad more quickly, using canned beans would be fine. I really liked the texture of the beans I cooked myself, although I came perilously close to oversalting the bean salad - I just dialed back the salt elsewhere and the overall dish came out fine...whew!

The bitterness of the chard was a nice astringent complement to the creaminess of the beans and the succulent, tender fish. I thought the sauce was pretty strongly lemony, but being a lover of all things lemon, it certainly wasn't too lemony for me!

Overall, I thought the meal felt really indulgent when it was actually really light and healthy. Here's what Colleen thought:

"Basically this is my ideal summer meal - light lemony fish, a bed of greens, and magic chickpea melangé. I'm still not quite sure what makes Meyer lemons so amazing, but I swear I could taste a difference in the sauce. Next time I would not brine the beans (though I enjoyed the salt a great deal) - I think it's easy to just add seasoning later on. Maybe we (you) could try an iteration of this dish again for the wintertime and create a more hearty, brothy sauce and winter greens? Mmmm, broth."

Not too shabby! (And I totally agree about brining the beans - a very salty oops. I had no idea the beans would soak up the salt from the water the way they did.)

It was a successful, laid back dinner at home followed by a tour de Ukie-village bars - deliciousness followed by friends and chatter! Saturday night, perfected.

Thanks for reading! More soon...