My cousin Don used to work for IBM in Endicott, New York, on the Western side of the state. (He still works for IBM, but he lives in North Carolina now. This is in no way germaine to this story, but just for the sake of accuracy...you know.) One summer, when I was maybe 8 or 9 -- Don is maybe 15 or so years older than I -- he came home for a visit and announced that we were all having Spiedies.
Spiedies (pronounced spee-dees) are chunks of skewered chicken, although I guess a variety of meats are commonly used. They're marinated, grilled over charcoal, drizzled with fresh marinade, and served on a slice of Italian bread--the grocery store kind, with sesame seeds on top.
I can't explain to you how glorious this was. They were amazing, crusty, with a deep complexity, beautifully textured, served with a big bowl of my grandmother's cabbage salad--a recipe I'd love to give you, except that nobody in family seems to be able to reproduce it and she died four years ago--and my mother's exceptionally boring potato salad. I call it exceptionally boring because it is, and she even says so.
I forgot all about spiedies until ten years later, when I went away to college and my friend Ryan turned out to be from Westfield, NY, not terribly far from Endicott. Not only was Ryan familiar with this regional delicacy, he is almost as big a food nerd as I am. I don't know many 18-year-olds that served Sunday brunch to their friends in their college dorm rooms, but he did. And when I say brunch, I mean brunch: quiche lorraine, broiled grapefruit with brown sugar, vanilla french toast, country ham. That kid could throw down in the kitchen.
I seem to have forgotten about spiedies again until I heard some mention of them on NPR recently. Spiedies! Of course! Mmmmm, spiedies.
The recipe that I found for them uses beef, although you could really probably use chicken, or pork, or whatever else floats your boat. Not having tried this recipe, I have to say that I have serious reservations about the length of time that is called for in marinating, and the amount of acid in the marinade. At the risk of sounding like Alton Brown, acid turns meat fibers into mush. A mushy surface on your meat tastes...mushy. Consider reducing the marinating time, or not, as you see fit. I am not sure how many this would serve, the recipes that I found were all frustratingly non-specific. This seemed to be the simplest, most pure incarnation of a spiedie.
Spiedies
3 pounds boneless beef; cubed
1 cup olive or vegetable oil
1/2 cup dry white wine
3 tablespoons lemon juice
4 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup fresh sweet basil; chopped
4 cloves fresh garlic; chopped
3/4 cup italian parsley; chopped
3 tablespoons fresh mint; chopped
salt to taste
pepper to taste
Sliced loaf of Italian bread
Combine marinade ingredients. Reserve 1/2 cup of marinade.
Let meat marinate in refrigerator for three days in a non-reactive plastic, ceramic, or non-aluminum metal bowl.
Skewer; grill over hot coals. (A note: as it is currently winter, I would consider another medium. Like maybe your broiler, or a grill pan.) Using a slice of bread as an oven mitt, grasp the meat with one hand and remove the skewer with the other.
Drizzle the sandwiches with the reserved marinade. Serve immediately.
Friday, February 8, 2008
Thursday, February 7, 2008
February 7: Gingery Sauteed Carrots
This month's Fine Cooking magazine has sort of tipped the scale for me in terms of the steel-cage death match of cooking magazines. Between it and Cook's Illustrated, there's way more advertising in Fine Cooking--since Cook's Illustrated doesn't carry any. Fine Cooking has way more recipes, and I like their variations on a theme. They also tend to have great little sidebars about great cook- and bakeware, special ingredients, tips, and other useful, interesting tidbits, rather than Cook's Illustrated, some of which read a little like a ten-year-old with Asperger's Syndrome talking about science.
Nevertheless, these are still my two favorite cooking magazines by far, and the only two I'm still subscribing to. I am really looking forward to making something Asian again sometime soon, so that I can make these gingery sauteed carrots that are in Fine Cooking this month. They sound wonderful. I make this chipotle-maple cashew chicken with brown rice. I think this might be a yummy side dish with that, with the flavor of maple tying them together. This serves 4 generously.
Gingery Sauteed Carrots
1 tbsp. maple syrup
2 tsp lime juice
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 lb. carrots, trimmed, peeled, and cut into sticks about 4 inches long and 1/3 inch wide
kosher salt
1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
Combine the maple syrup, lime juice, and 1 tbsp. water in a small dish and set near the stove. In a 10-inch straight sided saute pan, heat 1 tbsp. of the butter with the olive oil over medium-high heat. When the butter is melted, add the carrots and season with 3/4 tsp. salt. Toss with tongs to coat well. Cook, gently tossing occasionally at first and then more frequently, until most of the carrots are well browned and tender when pierced with a fork, 6-9 minutes.
Reduce the heat to low, add the remaining 1 tbsp of butter and the ginger and cook, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan with a heatproof spatula, until the butter has melted and the ginger is fragrant, 15-20 seconds. Carefully add the maple syrup mixture and cook, stirring, until the liquid reduces to a glazey consistency that coats the carrots, 15-20 seconds.
Immediately transfer the carrots to the serving dish, scraping the pan with the spatula to get all of the sauce. Let sit for a few minutes and then serve warm.
Nevertheless, these are still my two favorite cooking magazines by far, and the only two I'm still subscribing to. I am really looking forward to making something Asian again sometime soon, so that I can make these gingery sauteed carrots that are in Fine Cooking this month. They sound wonderful. I make this chipotle-maple cashew chicken with brown rice. I think this might be a yummy side dish with that, with the flavor of maple tying them together. This serves 4 generously.
Gingery Sauteed Carrots
1 tbsp. maple syrup
2 tsp lime juice
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 lb. carrots, trimmed, peeled, and cut into sticks about 4 inches long and 1/3 inch wide
kosher salt
1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
Combine the maple syrup, lime juice, and 1 tbsp. water in a small dish and set near the stove. In a 10-inch straight sided saute pan, heat 1 tbsp. of the butter with the olive oil over medium-high heat. When the butter is melted, add the carrots and season with 3/4 tsp. salt. Toss with tongs to coat well. Cook, gently tossing occasionally at first and then more frequently, until most of the carrots are well browned and tender when pierced with a fork, 6-9 minutes.
Reduce the heat to low, add the remaining 1 tbsp of butter and the ginger and cook, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan with a heatproof spatula, until the butter has melted and the ginger is fragrant, 15-20 seconds. Carefully add the maple syrup mixture and cook, stirring, until the liquid reduces to a glazey consistency that coats the carrots, 15-20 seconds.
Immediately transfer the carrots to the serving dish, scraping the pan with the spatula to get all of the sauce. Let sit for a few minutes and then serve warm.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
February 6: Ravioli Nudi (Naked Ravioli)
Edited: Holy smokes, was this amazing. I made the meatballs with 93% lean ground beef and ground pork, a 50-50 mix. I mixed in the Italian Sausage seasoning, and skipped out on the onion, because I think chopped onions in these little meatballs would be onion bombs. Besides, the key here was quick. Also, I am out of parmesan cheese (oh NOOOOO!!!) and used romano instead. A little stronger-tasting, delicious. I used more butter, maybe an additional 2 tablespoons, because I love butter, and I didn't have fresh sage, so I used Penzey's dried sage, about a tablespoon of it, crumbled between my fingers and thrown right in the brown butter for the last two minutes or so. I made rotini pasta because it looks fun and because it's easy for my kid to eat.
A resounding hit for the whole family. Meatballs=love. Pasta=love. Cheese=love. Brown butter and sage=lurrrrve. This was ready in twenty minutes, the hardest work that was required was making meatballs, and yet the brown butter and sage tasted indescribably complex, toasty and nutty and herby. Next time, to punch that up a little, I might garnish the whole thing with some chopped, toasted pecans.
I am going to try this dish, like, tonight. Seriously, that's how good it sounds to me. I found it on Bitten, the new food blog by genius and author Mark Bittman. Serious about the genius thing too; if he started a religion, I would totally join.
I probably won't go for the veal and pork though, those aren't always easy to find--I'm thinking lean ground beef, or ground turkey. Turkey might not hold together that well when poached though. I think I'll try ground beef. Or, maybe ground pork with that Italian Sausage seasoning I bought at Penzey's this weekend. Hmmmmm.
This is exactly the reason that I want to worship at the Church of Mark Bittman, though: a simple, smart recipe, intelligently conceived, beautifully executed. This is the kind of cooking that has made me believe that anybody, even the people stumbling around out there saying, "Oh, I can't cook, we should just get some take-out" really should give it a try.
Give it a try, you people. Start here. Serves 4-6.
Ravioli Nudi (Naked Ravioli)
1/2 pound each veal and pork, or other ground meats
1 egg
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, more for garnish
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
1/4 cup minced onion
Salt and pepper to taste
1 pound fresh or dried pasta, any kind
4 tablespoons butter
20 sage leaves
1. In a bowl, combine meat with egg, cheese, parsley, onion, and salt and pepper. Mix well but do not knead. Form into balls 1/2 inch in diameter. Refrigerate until ready to cook. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it.
2. Cook meatballs in water for about 5 minutes; remove with a slotted spoon and keep warm. Cook pasta in same water until tender but not mushy. Meanwhile, in a medium pot cook butter and sage together until butter is light brown, about 5 minutes.
3. Before draining pasta, reserve a bit of its cooking water. Drain pasta, then toss it with butter-sage mixture and enough reserved water to make it saucy. Top with meatballs and serve, passing grated Parmesan at the table.
A resounding hit for the whole family. Meatballs=love. Pasta=love. Cheese=love. Brown butter and sage=lurrrrve. This was ready in twenty minutes, the hardest work that was required was making meatballs, and yet the brown butter and sage tasted indescribably complex, toasty and nutty and herby. Next time, to punch that up a little, I might garnish the whole thing with some chopped, toasted pecans.
I am going to try this dish, like, tonight. Seriously, that's how good it sounds to me. I found it on Bitten, the new food blog by genius and author Mark Bittman. Serious about the genius thing too; if he started a religion, I would totally join.
I probably won't go for the veal and pork though, those aren't always easy to find--I'm thinking lean ground beef, or ground turkey. Turkey might not hold together that well when poached though. I think I'll try ground beef. Or, maybe ground pork with that Italian Sausage seasoning I bought at Penzey's this weekend. Hmmmmm.
This is exactly the reason that I want to worship at the Church of Mark Bittman, though: a simple, smart recipe, intelligently conceived, beautifully executed. This is the kind of cooking that has made me believe that anybody, even the people stumbling around out there saying, "Oh, I can't cook, we should just get some take-out" really should give it a try.
Give it a try, you people. Start here. Serves 4-6.
Ravioli Nudi (Naked Ravioli)
1/2 pound each veal and pork, or other ground meats
1 egg
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, more for garnish
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
1/4 cup minced onion
Salt and pepper to taste
1 pound fresh or dried pasta, any kind
4 tablespoons butter
20 sage leaves
1. In a bowl, combine meat with egg, cheese, parsley, onion, and salt and pepper. Mix well but do not knead. Form into balls 1/2 inch in diameter. Refrigerate until ready to cook. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it.
2. Cook meatballs in water for about 5 minutes; remove with a slotted spoon and keep warm. Cook pasta in same water until tender but not mushy. Meanwhile, in a medium pot cook butter and sage together until butter is light brown, about 5 minutes.
3. Before draining pasta, reserve a bit of its cooking water. Drain pasta, then toss it with butter-sage mixture and enough reserved water to make it saucy. Top with meatballs and serve, passing grated Parmesan at the table.
Owning My Addiction
I think there might be something wrong with me.
I mean, I am a visual person. I started college as a photojournalism major--although I didn't stick with it because I wasn't that great at it, nor did I have the resources to spend with impugnity the way that most of the students in the program seemed to. I would find it hard to believe that any of them graduated with less than $40,000 in debt.
But I am a visual person, and I found this website. I don't know if they really cook this way only on Sunday nights--I can't imagine some of this stuff on my table on, say, a Tuesday. All I know is that this is some of the most visually-arresting food photography I think that I have ever seen. At the very least, it makes me want to race out and invest $800 in a really good macro lens, not to mention a $1200 digital camera.
The post about Trader Joe's One Head Per Clove Garlic almost made me cry, especially when I got to the part about it no longer being available.
Like I said, I think I might have a problem. I might need some kind of an intervention.
Oh well. As they say, go big or go home.
I mean, I am a visual person. I started college as a photojournalism major--although I didn't stick with it because I wasn't that great at it, nor did I have the resources to spend with impugnity the way that most of the students in the program seemed to. I would find it hard to believe that any of them graduated with less than $40,000 in debt.
But I am a visual person, and I found this website. I don't know if they really cook this way only on Sunday nights--I can't imagine some of this stuff on my table on, say, a Tuesday. All I know is that this is some of the most visually-arresting food photography I think that I have ever seen. At the very least, it makes me want to race out and invest $800 in a really good macro lens, not to mention a $1200 digital camera.
The post about Trader Joe's One Head Per Clove Garlic almost made me cry, especially when I got to the part about it no longer being available.
Like I said, I think I might have a problem. I might need some kind of an intervention.
Oh well. As they say, go big or go home.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
February 5: Cheddar Soup
One small administrative note: Dan and I stopped at a small Italian restaurant in a strip mall in College Park tonight. It failed miserably in atmosphere and fell far short in service. However, it had by far the best pizza that I've tasted in years. I promise to review Mamma Lucia's in more detail later this week, but I am just really mezmerized by American Idol right now.
Great cheddar soup is silky, elegant enough for company, and rich. This is a great lunch with a loaf of good bakery bread and a big crunchy salad and some kind of a fruity-berry tart for dessert. The bad news: this isn't a soup that holds well. The good news: it's simple and delicious and also, it's ready in 20 minutes.
This is plenty of soup for at least four as a centerpiece. You might stretch it to six for a starter.
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium onion, minced (about 1 cup)
1 medium carrot, minced (about 1/3 cup)
1 small rib celery , minced (about 1/4 cup)
1 medium clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 1/2 cups half-and-half
1 bay leaf
pinch cayenne pepper
3 tablespoons dry sherry
12 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (about 3 cups)
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves
Table salt and ground black pepper
1. Heat butter in large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium heat until foaming; add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add carrot, celery, and garlic; cook until garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. Add flour and cook, stirring to coat vegetables, until mixture begins to brown on bottom of pot, about 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in chicken broth and half-and-half and add bay leaf. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to boil; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until vegetables soften, about 10 minutes.
2. Off heat, add cayenne and sherry; cool soup for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in cheese and thyme; season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.
Great cheddar soup is silky, elegant enough for company, and rich. This is a great lunch with a loaf of good bakery bread and a big crunchy salad and some kind of a fruity-berry tart for dessert. The bad news: this isn't a soup that holds well. The good news: it's simple and delicious and also, it's ready in 20 minutes.
This is plenty of soup for at least four as a centerpiece. You might stretch it to six for a starter.
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium onion, minced (about 1 cup)
1 medium carrot, minced (about 1/3 cup)
1 small rib celery , minced (about 1/4 cup)
1 medium clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 1/2 cups half-and-half
1 bay leaf
pinch cayenne pepper
3 tablespoons dry sherry
12 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (about 3 cups)
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves
Table salt and ground black pepper
1. Heat butter in large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium heat until foaming; add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add carrot, celery, and garlic; cook until garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. Add flour and cook, stirring to coat vegetables, until mixture begins to brown on bottom of pot, about 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in chicken broth and half-and-half and add bay leaf. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to boil; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until vegetables soften, about 10 minutes.
2. Off heat, add cayenne and sherry; cool soup for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in cheese and thyme; season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.
Monday, February 4, 2008
February 4: Firecracker Chicken
There's just something about fried chicken. It is both decadent and homey; a real salt of the earth meal that satisfies and gratifies.
I have not been a fan of "Cook's Country," the home cookin' red-headed stepchild of serious cooking magazine Cook's Illustrated. But in August of 2006, this recipe appeared. It uses the America's Test Kitchen practice of making a recipe until it's perfect, which is something I appreciate. And it's fried chicken, and it's spicy. Two things I am just crazy about.
I made this probably a year ago. It is an astounding amount of work, and totally, one thousand percent worth it. Seek out the fresh habanero chile the recipe calls for. You've probably heard of its legendary heat. This is not as scorching as it sounds--I even made a note to myself to add one more pepper next time I make this.
The thing is, you don't want to skip any steps in this recipe. The marinade, the drying, the breading, the frying--it all contributes. The only shortcut I would take is using those pre-packaged chicken tenderloins--they are mostly uniformly shaped and sized, and might cut a little time off this project.
Serves 6.
Firecracker Chicken
Firecracker Sauce
1/2 cup sliced pickled banana peppers, chopped fine, plus 1/4 cup pickling liquid
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup yellow mustard
3 tablespoons dry mustard
2 tablespoons chili sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 habanero chile, minced
4 scallions, sliced thin
Chicken
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, about 2 1/2 pounds, trimmed
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
4 large egg whites
1 cup vegetable oil
For the sauce: whisk ingredients together in large bowl.
For the chicken: Cover chicken breasts with plastic wrap and pound lightly with meat mallet until about 1/2 inch thick.
Slice breasts in half lengthwise and transfer to large zipper-lock storage bag. Add 1/4 cup Firecracker Sauce to bag, seal, and gently squeeze bag to coat chicken with sauce. Refrigerate for 30 minutes, or up to 2 hours.
Meanwhile, in large bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking powser. Add 6 tablespoons firecracker sauce and, using hands, combine until mixture resembles coarse, wet sand.
In another bowl, whisk egg whites until foamy. Remove chicken from marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Working with one strip at a time, dip chicken in egg whites and transfer to flour mixture, pressing lightly to adhere. Place chicken pieces on wire rack set on rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate 15 minutes (or up to 4 hours.)
Heat oven to 200 degrees. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Carefully place half of chicken strips in oil and fry until golden brown and cooked through, 2 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer to baking sheet lined with paper towels and place in warm oven. Repeat. Transfer chicken to platter, drizzle with remaining sauce, and serve.
I have not been a fan of "Cook's Country," the home cookin' red-headed stepchild of serious cooking magazine Cook's Illustrated. But in August of 2006, this recipe appeared. It uses the America's Test Kitchen practice of making a recipe until it's perfect, which is something I appreciate. And it's fried chicken, and it's spicy. Two things I am just crazy about.
I made this probably a year ago. It is an astounding amount of work, and totally, one thousand percent worth it. Seek out the fresh habanero chile the recipe calls for. You've probably heard of its legendary heat. This is not as scorching as it sounds--I even made a note to myself to add one more pepper next time I make this.
The thing is, you don't want to skip any steps in this recipe. The marinade, the drying, the breading, the frying--it all contributes. The only shortcut I would take is using those pre-packaged chicken tenderloins--they are mostly uniformly shaped and sized, and might cut a little time off this project.
Serves 6.
Firecracker Chicken
Firecracker Sauce
1/2 cup sliced pickled banana peppers, chopped fine, plus 1/4 cup pickling liquid
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup yellow mustard
3 tablespoons dry mustard
2 tablespoons chili sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 habanero chile, minced
4 scallions, sliced thin
Chicken
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, about 2 1/2 pounds, trimmed
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
4 large egg whites
1 cup vegetable oil
For the sauce: whisk ingredients together in large bowl.
For the chicken: Cover chicken breasts with plastic wrap and pound lightly with meat mallet until about 1/2 inch thick.
Slice breasts in half lengthwise and transfer to large zipper-lock storage bag. Add 1/4 cup Firecracker Sauce to bag, seal, and gently squeeze bag to coat chicken with sauce. Refrigerate for 30 minutes, or up to 2 hours.
Meanwhile, in large bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, salt, and baking powser. Add 6 tablespoons firecracker sauce and, using hands, combine until mixture resembles coarse, wet sand.
In another bowl, whisk egg whites until foamy. Remove chicken from marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Working with one strip at a time, dip chicken in egg whites and transfer to flour mixture, pressing lightly to adhere. Place chicken pieces on wire rack set on rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate 15 minutes (or up to 4 hours.)
Heat oven to 200 degrees. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Carefully place half of chicken strips in oil and fry until golden brown and cooked through, 2 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer to baking sheet lined with paper towels and place in warm oven. Repeat. Transfer chicken to platter, drizzle with remaining sauce, and serve.
Sunday, February 3, 2008
February 3: Warm Salad of Greens, Italian Sausage & Potatoes
Merseydoats has talked a little on her blog about her share in a local produce -- I'm not sure what you'd call it. A cooperative, I guess. You pay for a share and each week you get a portion of what this group of local growers and farmers produce, from eggs to produce, even fresh flowers. One of the things she mentioned was that she was getting a lot of kale and other greens through the co-op. I am considering trying to find something like this for us this spring, just based on the greens.
I have developed a real taste for all kinds of greens, from spinach to kale to collards. I love them with smoked sausage, I love them sauteed with garlic and olive oil and tossed with penne, I love them plain, braised.
This is a great simple little salad and a balanced meal all in itself. I found it in the archives of Eating Well. I haven't tried it yet, mostly due to the fact that the grocery stores are pretty well picked over this weekend, thanks to the Superbowl. Good God Gertie, did every woman in America go to the grocery store this weekend? I am really looking forward to trying this, though. This serves 4.
Warm Salad of Greens, Italian Sausage & Potatoes
Ingredients
1 pound mustard greens
1 pound new potatoes
1/2 pound hot or sweet Italian sausage
2 teaspoons fennel seeds
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
1 small clove garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper
1. Bring 2 cups lightly salted water to a boil in a large wide pan. Add mustard greens (or kale), cover and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Stir in potatoes; add about 1/2 cup water, if needed. Cover and cook until the potatoes and greens are tender, 5 to 10 minutes longer. Drain and place in a large bowl.
2. Meanwhile, cook sausage with fennel seeds in a small skillet over medium heat, turning from time to time, until cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes. (The seeds will adhere to the sausage.) Drain. Cut sausage into 1/2-inch-thick slices; add to the potato mixture.
3. Whisk oil, vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Pour over the sausage-potato mixture and toss to blend. Serve immediately.
I have developed a real taste for all kinds of greens, from spinach to kale to collards. I love them with smoked sausage, I love them sauteed with garlic and olive oil and tossed with penne, I love them plain, braised.
This is a great simple little salad and a balanced meal all in itself. I found it in the archives of Eating Well. I haven't tried it yet, mostly due to the fact that the grocery stores are pretty well picked over this weekend, thanks to the Superbowl. Good God Gertie, did every woman in America go to the grocery store this weekend? I am really looking forward to trying this, though. This serves 4.
Warm Salad of Greens, Italian Sausage & Potatoes
Ingredients
1 pound mustard greens
1 pound new potatoes
1/2 pound hot or sweet Italian sausage
2 teaspoons fennel seeds
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
1 small clove garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper
1. Bring 2 cups lightly salted water to a boil in a large wide pan. Add mustard greens (or kale), cover and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Stir in potatoes; add about 1/2 cup water, if needed. Cover and cook until the potatoes and greens are tender, 5 to 10 minutes longer. Drain and place in a large bowl.
2. Meanwhile, cook sausage with fennel seeds in a small skillet over medium heat, turning from time to time, until cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes. (The seeds will adhere to the sausage.) Drain. Cut sausage into 1/2-inch-thick slices; add to the potato mixture.
3. Whisk oil, vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Pour over the sausage-potato mixture and toss to blend. Serve immediately.
Saturday, February 2, 2008
February 2: Roasted Tomato Salsa
If I were told that I had to accept only one nationality of food for the rest of my life, it would be Mexican. It really would. I have loved Mexican food all my life, and I would rather have a bowl of great chips and really good spicy salsa than any other kind of snack on earth. Just this week, a blogger who goes by the name Homesick Texan wrote about nachos, how the best were just a great corn chip topped with longhorn Cheddar cheese and a slice of jalapeno. I couldn't agree more. That is a great nacho. Pure. Straightforward. A thing of beauty.
The thing about real Mexican food (I am not talking about a burrito from Chipotle either) is that it is simple ingredients made to taste good by poor people. Why do you think southern food tastes so good? Who first started cooking black eyed peas and greens with the pieces of the meat that rich people threw away? The slaves, that's who--they were carrying on their culinary traditions the best way they could with very few real resources. Real Mexican food isn't covered in melted cheese and Old El Paso taco sauce. It isn't folded inside a perfectly round, thinly-pressed, flaky flour tortilla or in a fried corn taco shell.
I am crazy about my husband but I have a tiny crush on Rick Bayless. He is an American chef who is as crazy for Mexican food as I am. He has two Mexican restaurants in Chicago, Topolobampo and Frontera Grill. The Frontera brand salsas you see in grocery stores? Those are his. He also has a PBS cooking show that I miss more often than I see it, which is a shame because he is always cooking something like a spice paste-rubbed pork shoulder wrapped in avocado leaves and slow-cooked over a low fire for hours. Man oh man.
Luckily for me, he writes cookbooks. My mother gave me one in 1999, called Salsas That Cook. I can count the number of actual jars of salsa I've purchased since then on one hand. Why should I buy a jar of tomato-paste-flavored, dull, over-processed, additive-laden imitation salsa when I can make my own so easily? Even in the dead of winter, when tomatoes are...well, how many times have I mentioned what I think of mid-winter tomatoes? Anyway, Rick Bayless makes flawless, amazing, delicious salsa of every imaginable variety, and the importance of the quality of the ingredients is diminished substantially by his cooking methods.
Roast a tomato in a very hot oven, even a bad tomato, and it becomes, at worst, entirely tolerable. Roast it along with thick slices of onion and whole peppers and cloves of garlic and it becomes something magical. This is my go-to guy when it comes to salsa. It is as great on chips as it is next to a cheese quesadilla or on top of a chicken enchilada. Something about the oven transforms these ingredients, which are perfectly fine raw--I am a big fan of pico de gallo, that staple of your local Mexican restaurant--into a complex, rich, great big taste.
This makes about a cup of salsa, which isn't enough. I double it, and occasionally, I make three or four times this recipe and freeze it. It freezes really well.
Roasted Tomato-Jalapeno Salsa
4 medium vine-ripened tomatoes
1 white onion, sliced into 1/2 inch thick rings and separated
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1-2 fresh jalapeno peppers
1/4 cup finely minced cilantro
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
salt to taste
Preheat broiler. Place rack in topmost position under broiler.
In a sheet pan lined with foil, arrange the tomatoes, onions, garlic, and peppers. Broil, stirring occasionally, until onions are very dark. The tomatoes may need a few more minutes until they are losing their shape. Remove from oven, let cool slightly, 10 minutes or so.
Put all ingredients into bowl of food processor fitted with chopping blade. Pulse in one-second pulses until ingredients are well chopped and combined. Taste for salt. Cool until chilled, stir, and serve.
The thing about real Mexican food (I am not talking about a burrito from Chipotle either) is that it is simple ingredients made to taste good by poor people. Why do you think southern food tastes so good? Who first started cooking black eyed peas and greens with the pieces of the meat that rich people threw away? The slaves, that's who--they were carrying on their culinary traditions the best way they could with very few real resources. Real Mexican food isn't covered in melted cheese and Old El Paso taco sauce. It isn't folded inside a perfectly round, thinly-pressed, flaky flour tortilla or in a fried corn taco shell.
I am crazy about my husband but I have a tiny crush on Rick Bayless. He is an American chef who is as crazy for Mexican food as I am. He has two Mexican restaurants in Chicago, Topolobampo and Frontera Grill. The Frontera brand salsas you see in grocery stores? Those are his. He also has a PBS cooking show that I miss more often than I see it, which is a shame because he is always cooking something like a spice paste-rubbed pork shoulder wrapped in avocado leaves and slow-cooked over a low fire for hours. Man oh man.
Luckily for me, he writes cookbooks. My mother gave me one in 1999, called Salsas That Cook. I can count the number of actual jars of salsa I've purchased since then on one hand. Why should I buy a jar of tomato-paste-flavored, dull, over-processed, additive-laden imitation salsa when I can make my own so easily? Even in the dead of winter, when tomatoes are...well, how many times have I mentioned what I think of mid-winter tomatoes? Anyway, Rick Bayless makes flawless, amazing, delicious salsa of every imaginable variety, and the importance of the quality of the ingredients is diminished substantially by his cooking methods.
Roast a tomato in a very hot oven, even a bad tomato, and it becomes, at worst, entirely tolerable. Roast it along with thick slices of onion and whole peppers and cloves of garlic and it becomes something magical. This is my go-to guy when it comes to salsa. It is as great on chips as it is next to a cheese quesadilla or on top of a chicken enchilada. Something about the oven transforms these ingredients, which are perfectly fine raw--I am a big fan of pico de gallo, that staple of your local Mexican restaurant--into a complex, rich, great big taste.
This makes about a cup of salsa, which isn't enough. I double it, and occasionally, I make three or four times this recipe and freeze it. It freezes really well.
Roasted Tomato-Jalapeno Salsa
4 medium vine-ripened tomatoes
1 white onion, sliced into 1/2 inch thick rings and separated
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1-2 fresh jalapeno peppers
1/4 cup finely minced cilantro
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
salt to taste
Preheat broiler. Place rack in topmost position under broiler.
In a sheet pan lined with foil, arrange the tomatoes, onions, garlic, and peppers. Broil, stirring occasionally, until onions are very dark. The tomatoes may need a few more minutes until they are losing their shape. Remove from oven, let cool slightly, 10 minutes or so.
Put all ingredients into bowl of food processor fitted with chopping blade. Pulse in one-second pulses until ingredients are well chopped and combined. Taste for salt. Cool until chilled, stir, and serve.
Food Geek Nirvana
Sorry about the awful picture, it's my cell phone. I can't find the digital camera.Remember back a week or so ago when I declared that my husband could forego any kind of traditional Valentine's Day gifting and substitute a big pile of Penzey's Spices?
Penzey's Spices has...wait for it...retail locations. Did you hear me?
Two of them in the D.C. area, to be exact; one on Rockville Pike, not terribly far from the NIH (ahem, Kimberly) and one in Falls Church.
This morning, we drove out to the Falls Church location. For those of you who are interested and local, it's located on Broad Street, which evidently is what Lee Highway turns into...I don't know exactly how we got there, Dan made a total of three recommendations for turns this morning and all three turned out to be totally wrong, but we got there. There's a parking garage in back, so plenty of parking. We stopped in Cosi next door and got a snack and some coffee.
I think the coffee might have made me a little giddy by the time I made it into Penzey's. I could have done a little more damage, I think, but not without effort.
Here is a list of what I bought:
- French Thyme
- Albanian Whole Leaf Sage
- Shallot-Pepper Seasoning
- Shallot Salt
- Mexican Chile Piquin
- Rocky Mountain Seasoning
- Creamy Peppercorn Dressing Base
- Black and Red Spice
- Turkish Aleppo Pepper
- Salsa Salad Seasoning
- Sicilian Salad Seasoning
- Tsardust Memories Russian Sausage Seasoning
- Rogan Josh Seasoning
- Sandwich Sprinkle
- Italian Sausage Seasoning
- Buttermilk Dressing and Dip Seasoning
- Ground Red Chipotle
- Northwoods Fire Seasoning
$60 worth of seasonings and herbs, seriously? I am out of control. But really, I am so fantastically excited about this, I can't even tell you. That Northwoods Fire seasoning? It smells so good. Well, really, everything does. Very seldom have I ever made such a thoroughly satisfying purchase. Pound for pound, when it comes to what this stuff is doing to my imagination, $60 is a relative bargain I would say.
I have another project in mind right now: You know those Archer Farms brand sauces and marinades and sauces that they sell at Target? I don't know if it's because I'm always in Target right at dinner time, but they always look absurdly good to me. They were on sale last night so I bought three of them: a mustard beer marinade, a Thai peanut sauce, and a teriyake-shittake mushroom burger topper. I am a little freaked out by these kinds of things--they tend to be salty and taste "off," despite always looking great on a store shelf.
I am going to see how these work. I plan to use the suggested uses from the labels: a "simmer sauce" for bratwurst for the marinade, on simple chicken skewers for the peanut sauce, and on (duh) burgers for the burger topper. I will season everything very simply--salt and pepper on the skewers, same thing for the burgers. The brats I'm planning on not seasoning at all--just like they come from the store. With all these new goodies from Penzey's, that's just frickin' killing me right now, let me tell you. Bratwurst seasoning! Did I tell you? Penzey's sells bratwurst seasoning. I could make my own brats! For a nice German-Dutch girl from the upper midwest, that's music to my ears. I didn't buy any this time but it's on my list. Oooh, think about this: ground pork and beef (a 50-50 mix), seasoned with the bratwurst seasoning and made into burgers, topped with some kind of crazy grainy mustard and onions. I may need to go back to Penzey's for the Bratwurst seasoning.
I will run them past the fam, and I'll let you know how these go. First up: the mustard-beer marinade.
I'm off to the grocery store for brats. More later.
Friday, February 1, 2008
February 1: Hummus, Three Ways
Kimberly asked me about hummus in the comments yesterday. Clearly, my best friend has an excellent grasp on the depth and breadth of my love of dip of all kinds. Kimberly is trying to avoid becoming hopelessly bloated and swollen while pregnant and so is trying to reduce sodium by avoiding packaged products. Good for you, I say; I became hopelessly bloated and swollen while pregnant, and it is not comfortable for very long to keep your feet elevated above the level of your head.
Mmmm, hummus. I have recently been banned by my husband from making hummus, sadly, for two reasons: I love to throw so much garlic in it that I smell like a Middle Eastern restaurant, and because it lately hasn't been agreeing with me, and while I smell like a Middle Eastern restaurant, the air immediately surrounding me smells far worse. That might have been what my husband refers to as an "over-share."
And even worse, I don't really have a recipe per se for hummus. I find most of the recipes for them really unsatisfying, except for one in a cookbook called Pita the Great. But hummus is really nothing more than a Middle-Eastern bean dip, made even better by the addition of chewy, toasty pita bread chips drizzled with a little olive oil and baked in the oven. I make hummus with pantry staples in varying amounts, based on what I'm craving. Spicy? More cayenne. Tarty? More lemon juice. Plus, you can add all kinds of things to hummus, and add hummus to all kinds of things.
I am worried I oversold this recipe slightly to Kimberly as being "not a lot of work." Our standards might be a little different in this regard. But it won't kill you, and in fact might make you a convert.
One note about chickpeas: most canned chickpeas come with a funny skin on them. This will not ruin your hummus, but I am sort of a freak. I individually hull each chickpea because I am a freak for that great smooth texture. Also, because I am just kind of a freak, in general.
And also, one note about garlic: Look, I will admit it. I do over-do the garlic in the hummus a little. Add less if you want. But the whole skillet toasting thing I am about to describe will tame some of the garlicky garlic-ness. If it's a step you'd rather skip, than by all means, consider this nothing more than a guideline, but maybe you might, you know, hold it back to maybe three cloves of garlic. Or less.
Basic Hummus
1 can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons tahini (sesame seed paste)
5 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons lemon juice, or to taste
pinch cayenne pepper
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Olive oil (approximately 1/4 cup, plus extra for drizzling, if you drizzle, depending on how loose you like your hummus and how much lemon juice you add)
For garnish:
1/2 cup pitted, chopped kalamata olives
cayenne
olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
Heat a small skillet over medium-high heat. Put the peeled whole garlic cloves in the pan. Shaking the pan every few seconds, toast the garlic until it begins to darken, 3-5 minutes total. Remove, cool slightly. Don't let it burn. If it burns throw it out and start over; it will be gross and bitter.
If you decide not to toast your garlic, mince it or press it.
In a food processor fitted with the chopping blade, put all the ingredients but the olive oil and garnishes. Process 30 seconds, or until things are well-chopped and combined. With the blade running, slowly pour in the olive oil until everything forms a cohesive thick texture, or not so thick, depending on what you like.
Chill for an hour or so to let the flavors meld together. Garnish it with a drizzle of olive oil, a handful of chopped olives, a sprinkle of cayenne, a smidge of parsley, or any combination of any of these. Serve with toasted pita wedges tossed with 2 tablespoons olive oil and toasted in a 350 oven until lightly golden. If you don't want all the excess bad stuff, you can serve with cucumber slices and baby carrots.
The following is easy and a little more luxurious, sort of a cross between bean dip and a Middle Eastern fondue. Still great with toasted pita, or maybe grilled French bread rounds.
Hot Hummus With Feta and Olives
1 recipe of hummus (see above)
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 cup pitted, chopped kalamata olives
Preheat oven to 350.
Put hummus in a heatproof oven-safe dish. Stir in feta and olives.
Bake hummus for 15-20 minutes, or until the dish is hot and cheese is melted. Serve. If needed, keep warm in a chafing dish.
Here's what to do with your leftover hummus: make a great veggie wrap. This is a veggie wrap even a meat-eater could love. It's very adaptable--add more stuff you like, leave out whatever you don't like.
Veggie Wrap With Avocado and Hummus
1 cup leftover hummus
4 slices smoked provolone cheese, cut in half lengthwise
1 ripe avocado, peeled and sliced
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
1 tomato, diced
1 cup romaine lettuce, chopped
1/2 cup chopped kalamata olives
salt and pepper to taste
4 10-inch flour tortillas
Divide hummus evenly and spread on tortillas. Down the middle of each tortilla, layer cheese, avocado slices, onion, tomatoes, lettuce, and olives. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Fold in right and left ends of tortilla and wrap from bottom up. Cut each tortilla in half on an angle and if needed, secure with a toothpick. Serve.
Mmmm, hummus. I have recently been banned by my husband from making hummus, sadly, for two reasons: I love to throw so much garlic in it that I smell like a Middle Eastern restaurant, and because it lately hasn't been agreeing with me, and while I smell like a Middle Eastern restaurant, the air immediately surrounding me smells far worse. That might have been what my husband refers to as an "over-share."
And even worse, I don't really have a recipe per se for hummus. I find most of the recipes for them really unsatisfying, except for one in a cookbook called Pita the Great. But hummus is really nothing more than a Middle-Eastern bean dip, made even better by the addition of chewy, toasty pita bread chips drizzled with a little olive oil and baked in the oven. I make hummus with pantry staples in varying amounts, based on what I'm craving. Spicy? More cayenne. Tarty? More lemon juice. Plus, you can add all kinds of things to hummus, and add hummus to all kinds of things.
I am worried I oversold this recipe slightly to Kimberly as being "not a lot of work." Our standards might be a little different in this regard. But it won't kill you, and in fact might make you a convert.
One note about chickpeas: most canned chickpeas come with a funny skin on them. This will not ruin your hummus, but I am sort of a freak. I individually hull each chickpea because I am a freak for that great smooth texture. Also, because I am just kind of a freak, in general.
And also, one note about garlic: Look, I will admit it. I do over-do the garlic in the hummus a little. Add less if you want. But the whole skillet toasting thing I am about to describe will tame some of the garlicky garlic-ness. If it's a step you'd rather skip, than by all means, consider this nothing more than a guideline, but maybe you might, you know, hold it back to maybe three cloves of garlic. Or less.
Basic Hummus
1 can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons tahini (sesame seed paste)
5 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons lemon juice, or to taste
pinch cayenne pepper
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Olive oil (approximately 1/4 cup, plus extra for drizzling, if you drizzle, depending on how loose you like your hummus and how much lemon juice you add)
For garnish:
1/2 cup pitted, chopped kalamata olives
cayenne
olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
Heat a small skillet over medium-high heat. Put the peeled whole garlic cloves in the pan. Shaking the pan every few seconds, toast the garlic until it begins to darken, 3-5 minutes total. Remove, cool slightly. Don't let it burn. If it burns throw it out and start over; it will be gross and bitter.
If you decide not to toast your garlic, mince it or press it.
In a food processor fitted with the chopping blade, put all the ingredients but the olive oil and garnishes. Process 30 seconds, or until things are well-chopped and combined. With the blade running, slowly pour in the olive oil until everything forms a cohesive thick texture, or not so thick, depending on what you like.
Chill for an hour or so to let the flavors meld together. Garnish it with a drizzle of olive oil, a handful of chopped olives, a sprinkle of cayenne, a smidge of parsley, or any combination of any of these. Serve with toasted pita wedges tossed with 2 tablespoons olive oil and toasted in a 350 oven until lightly golden. If you don't want all the excess bad stuff, you can serve with cucumber slices and baby carrots.
The following is easy and a little more luxurious, sort of a cross between bean dip and a Middle Eastern fondue. Still great with toasted pita, or maybe grilled French bread rounds.
Hot Hummus With Feta and Olives
1 recipe of hummus (see above)
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 cup pitted, chopped kalamata olives
Preheat oven to 350.
Put hummus in a heatproof oven-safe dish. Stir in feta and olives.
Bake hummus for 15-20 minutes, or until the dish is hot and cheese is melted. Serve. If needed, keep warm in a chafing dish.
Here's what to do with your leftover hummus: make a great veggie wrap. This is a veggie wrap even a meat-eater could love. It's very adaptable--add more stuff you like, leave out whatever you don't like.
Veggie Wrap With Avocado and Hummus
1 cup leftover hummus
4 slices smoked provolone cheese, cut in half lengthwise
1 ripe avocado, peeled and sliced
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
1 tomato, diced
1 cup romaine lettuce, chopped
1/2 cup chopped kalamata olives
salt and pepper to taste
4 10-inch flour tortillas
Divide hummus evenly and spread on tortillas. Down the middle of each tortilla, layer cheese, avocado slices, onion, tomatoes, lettuce, and olives. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Fold in right and left ends of tortilla and wrap from bottom up. Cut each tortilla in half on an angle and if needed, secure with a toothpick. Serve.
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