Friday Night Dinner

There are no words (well, besides HUGE SUCCESS and EXTRAORDINARY, etc.), so I'll just show you...

The lazy lady's purple pasta

Tonight I threw together a bunch of monotonously purple-hued foods - radicchio, red wine infused pasta, currants, oil-cured anchovies (ok, that's a stretch) - and ended up with something deliciously complex in taste. I shall call it...


Purple Pasta with a Punch (or: Red Wine Pasta with Radicchio and Currants)
Yield: 2-3 servings

- 1/2 lb. whole wheat linguine (or other long pasta)
- 1/2 bottle good-quality red wine
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 4 anchovy fillets, chopped
- 1 small head radicchio, thinly shredded
- 1/4 cup currants, soaked in a few spoonfuls red wine (or water)
- handful of mesclun greens
- 1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese
- sprinkling of toasted pine nuts (or nut of choice - I like walnuts)
- crushed red pepper & salt to taste

1. Put up a salted pot of water to boil. Once rolling, add the pasta and cook till 3/4 done. Meanwhile, slowly bring the wine to a boil in a separate saucepan. Drain pasta, reserving about a cup of the cooking water, then return pasta to the pot, and pour the now boiling wine over it. Simmer over medium-low heat until wine is mostly absorbed and pasta is a rich purple.
2. In a saucepan (I used the former wine-heating pan to reduce clean-up), heat the oil over medium heat and add the garlic and anchovies at once. Cook until mixture is fragrant and garlic is golden. Add radicchio and enough pasta water to keep mixture wet, sprinkle in salt, stir a bit, and cover to steam a few minutes.
3. Add the anchovy-radicchio sauce and soaked currants to the pasta and stir together. Divide into bowls and fold in some mesclun greens for color, and cheese, nuts, and red pepper flakes. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve hot or lukewarm.

Torte reform

And here's the (most certainly not vegan) almond torte I made, to go with the truffles and the fruit platter I did for tonight's July 4th dessert and wine party...
This recipe is foolproof yet refined (also from the Natural Gourmet):

- 3 cups blanched almonds
- 6 eggs
- 1 cup maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons almond extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 deg. F.
2. Powder almonds in food processor. Add eggs, maple syrup, and almond extract and continue processing until smooth.
3. Oil and flour an 8-1/2" spring form pan. Pour batter into pan.
4. Bake for 30 minutes. Top should be firm to the touch and golden brown.

Trufflufacas

Today, on my day "off" (yea, I need to work on that) I whipped up about 8 different food creations (including more bread with my home-grown sourdough starter!), but what I most care to share with you all are the truffles. Oh, they are diiiiviiiiiiiiiiiiiine. And I bet if you were to add some orange liqueur, they would be even fancier (but I stuck with the classic drop of vanilla extract, since that's all I had). Dusted with cocoa powder and smooth to the core, each one of these bad boys is a multi-level chocolate house of fun.

I used a recipe for chocolate ganache that I had from the Natural Gourmet Institute (my school), which uses coconut oil and coconut milk rather than the classic, cholesterol-laden butter and cream combination. Have I ever mentioned how beneficial the coconut's medium-chain fatty acids are to the maintenance and functioning of many of your body's systems? Remind me to tell you someday...

For now, just trust me: these things are good

Vegan Chocolate Truffles

(yield: about 40 truffles)

- 3/4 cup coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 12 ounces dairy-free dark chocolate, broken into small pieces
- cocoa powder for coating

1. In a small saucepan, combine coconut milk, oil, and vanilla extract and whisk together over low heat until the ingredients are just combined and warmed.
2. Remove pan from heat and stir in chocolate with a rubber spatula or spoon. Continue stirring until all chocolate is melted and the mixture is totally smooth.
3. Allow to cool until the ganache binds but is still pliable (you can put in the refrigerator, but be careful that it doesn't solidify completely). Take about a teaspoon-worth between the palms of your hands and roll into a small sphere. Repeat until all the chocolate is used up.
4. Let the truffles rest about 15 minutes, then roll in a shallow bowl of cocoa powder to coat. Spread the truffles out on a large dish or baking tray covered with parchment, and leave in the refrigerator until ready to eat.

And just for kicks, a few more of the day's highlights:

The Highest Salad Honor

My mom might not be the greatest cook, but she has impeccable taste. Not sure if something's high quality? Just ask Mom. So when today, after tasting my mizuna and sprouts salad with mint-garlic dressing, she proclaimed it was "one of the best salads I've ever had," you can imagine my satisfaction and pride.

Seeing as this dressing passed the "mom test," I'd love to share it with my dear readers. Unfortunately, I didn't pay much attention to exact measurements as I made it (big surprise) - but if you follow the general rule of one part acid to three parts oil, which holds up for all classic salad dressings, you should be fine. And, as always, follow your taste buds.

Mint and garlic dressing

*Note: For this dressing, I use garlic scapes (the spirally plant that grows out of a garlic bulb), since they are now in season and plentiful at the farmer's market. I like how their delicate taste and soft color add to the vibrant aroma and look of the dressing. Regular garlic cloves will work just fine; just substitute one large clove for 2 garlic scapes.

- juice of one lemon
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 bunch fresh mint leaves, chopped
- 2 garlic scapes, finely chopped
- 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce, or to taste

Combine all ingredients except oil and soy sauce in a blender until liquified. With blender running, slowly pour in oil and blend until the dressing has emulsified (is creamy and uniform). Lastly, blend in the soy sauce and adjust dressing to your liking, by adding more soy sauce, mustard, vinegar, etc.

Main ingredient: Time

What do homemade wild-yeasted bread and sprouts have in common: lots of time sitting around looking inedible. The sprouts, from overnight soak to final sunning, took 5 days (not too bad). The bread, from the initial mixing of water and rye flour to the fateful bake: a full week. Of course, they've got nothing on my 3 week sauerkraut!

But for now, the bread and the sprouts are on parade:

After 2 hours in a 350 degree oven, this came out with a satisfying crust and a moist crumb, and the most excellently dark, sweet and sour taste. Better than I had hoped for. Next time, I'll try a rye/wheat mix, because the pure rye is really heavy. As my friend aptly described it: a rye brownie!

And the alfalfa sprouts! Not much to say by way of ingredients (just alfalfa seeds + water + sun + love), but get this: I yielded nearly four cups of packed sprouts from just 2 tablespoons of seeds. Kinda reminds me of those little sponge animals I used to throw in the bathtub...

What's cooking?

While the majority of bloggers probably engage in this egotistical act in order to satisfy a narcissistic urge to let the general public in on their every thought and desire, I oftentimes blog for this simple reason: I hate to eat alone. When I cook a meal, the idea of just consuming it - destroying the evidence, in a sense - without sharing it with others seems ludicrous. However, I find myself in this situation quite a bit, working city dweller that I am.

So tonight, like so many other nights, I want to let you in on some of the activity that's been going down in my little kitchen:

We'll start with last weekend:

I roasted a chicken, brushed with olive oil, garlic, chili pepper flakes, rosemary, lemon juice, and salt, until the skin was crispy and the aroma had me almost licking the oven door:

Next, I started fermenting cabbage to make this outrageously PINK sauerkraut (a fine demonstration of our rich NYC cult-shaah):
This weekend, although I spent almost every waking moment working in some commercial kitchen or another, I still couldn't resist the urge to dabble in my own cooking projects so I:

roasted some peppers...

and made veggie/nut/seed pate, then put both on my made-in-Brooklyn flatbread and rolled that up with farmer's market red romaine and feta for lunch:
And since I was on such a "roll," I decided tonight to make some minty, garlicky meatballs and wrap those up with my colorful bounty of veg:

Ahhh, I feel much better! Thanks for humoring my voyeuristic kitchen confession.

Up next: the results of my garlic brining, alfalfa sprouting, and sourdough starting!

New and Old

I love those random dinners that come together so perfectly out of a few leftovers and something fresh and new. Tonight we had:

Warm cauliflower salad with vinaigrette and...

Freshly-picked rosemary along with...

Leftover lentil stew over brown rice.

Here's what brought it all together (seriously delicious - have faith in the fish!):

Anchovy garlic vinaigrette
(enough for 1 two-person salad)

- 2 cloves garlic, smashed
- 2 anchovy filets (oil-packed)
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 sprig fresh rosemary, chopped

Using a mortar and pestle, smash the garlic and anchovies together until a paste is formed. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the mustard and red wine vinegar until uniform. Slowly whisk in the oil and continue whisking until creamy and smooth. Stir in the rosemary. Serve on steamed veggies (like cauliflower!), salad greens, or even pasta (this is the best: thin the sauce out with some of the pasta water, and top with a bit of freshly grated parmigiano reggiano).

Bringing it down a notch

After going a little loco as of late with my hectic work/school/internship schedule, which includes a lot of fancy-schmancy commercial kitchen cooking, I decided tonight to bring things back to basics and make a simple impromptu lentil stew. I hope to refocus the next few posts on food that highlights simplicity, freshness, and healthfulness. It's about time I took it down a notch.

This is the sort of easy weeknight dinner you can start 1 hour in advance and completely ignore most of the time it's on the stove. I used a Moroccan-esque spice combination of cumin, cinnamon, and paprika, but go ahead and dabble in your own herbal hocus-pocus, substituting out any of the aromatics for others. This iteration of the dish goes well over basmati or brown (or brown basmati!) rice.


Lentil Stew
(serves 2-3)

- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, chopped
- 2 teaspoons grated ginger
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 1 teaspoon each: cumin, cinnamon, paprika
- 1 cup brown lentils
- 3 cups plus 1/2 cup water
- 1 tablespoon dark miso
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 3 handfuls fresh leafy greens (spinach, arugula, tat soi, etc.)
- salt to taste

Heat the olive oil in a medium pot, tilting to coat, and add the garlic, ginger, and onion. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, over medium heat until softened and fragrant.

Add the lentils and 3 cups water and bring to a boil, covered. Lower heat and simmer, partially covered, about 30 minutes. Dissolve miso in a dish with remaining 1/2 cup water and add to the pot, stirring to incorporate. Continue to simmer, partially covered, another 20 minutes or so, until the lentils are softened but not falling apart. Season with salt to taste (you won't need much, since the miso adds saltiness).

Just before serving, stir in the peas first, mix briefly, and fold in the greens. Cook until peas are thawed and bright green and greens are just wilted. Ladle into bowls over rice and enjoy hot.

Connecticut cookery

As you may have noticed, it's been a good long while since I've updated this blog. Time is to blame. Or the lack thereof. But this blessed weekend afforded me some time, at my family's lakehouse in CT, to sit and ponder and read and, don't ya know, cook like a maniac! I never know how to explain to the people who witness me running around like a madwoman from this pot to that food processor to those cutting boards that, no, I'm not stressing myself out, I'm actually reveling in this and wishing I could do it more often. I suppose that's why I'm in culinary school and counting the days until I can cut myself out of the status quo and insert myself into some fire-breathing commercial kitchen. Hey, one person's idea of a multi-layered hellscape is another's picture of paradise. So get over it!

Now, on with the show:

First we set the stage, in the lovely granite-topped kitchen of my dreams:

Next, breakfast:

This involved a savory caramelized onion frittata topped with thin tomato slices that became perfectly roasted and sweet after a few minutes of blasting in the oven. And, of course, the requisite bacon. Do this in the oven and expect a crispier, deeper flavor than your average stove top variety.

Then came the flame-grilled baba ghanoush,
before...
and after...

What I found was that the traditional tahini, garlic, lemon, and cumin ritual didn't cut it. This delicacy must, at the last minute, be emulsified with a lot of good quality extra virgin olive oil. Rich in fat, but at least it's of the heart-healthy variety! And ooooh the taste.

The normal accoutrements of salad and side...


What we've got: a salad of mixed baby greens and slivered radishes with a balsamic vinaigrette and some oven-blasted, well-salted asparagus spears, first tossed with olive oil and a bit of red wine vinegar so they don't brown.

The average dinner plate looked something like this (please forgive the crappy lighting):
Counter-clockwise from left is the asparagus, the salad, and a medium-rare filet mignon topped with chimichurri sauce, a punchy paste of garlic, parsley, chilis, lemon juice, olive oil, and salt.

And finally, the wacko dessert: An experiment gone completely awry, but I'll share it nonetheless in hopes that I might inspire others to create ridiculously shiny and symmetrical vegan panna cotta that leaves your dinner guests shocked and befuddled!
The results of my cooking marathon might not have been gourmet-perfect, but at least I had a hell of a time! Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to munching on my red bean brownies...

THE END