It's what's for dinner

I had eaten shakshouka, a Tunisian and Israeli dish of cooked tomatoes, spices and eggs, at Sunday brunch, but wouldn't have ventured to make it myself had my co-worker not successfully done so and given it an enthusiastic Two Thumbs Up. Once I realized that there really wasn't much to it - just slow-cooking some tomatoes (either fresh or canned will do), spices, and adding an egg or two on top to essentially poach in the stewing vegetables - I couldn't deny what a deal this was: a fast, healthy and delicious weeknight dinner for one. Major duh here, people.

So I set about making the dish, of course adding some splatters of culinary paint to the blank canvas, such as a glug of red wine into the tomatoes, a few handfuls of fresh spinach for color and texture, and a few sprinkles of red pepper flakes for zing. And the final product:



Drunken Shakshouka with Spinach
Yield: 1 dinner serving

- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 15-oz can of whole peeled tomatoes (go for organic, no-salt if available)
- 1/4 cup dry red wine
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 3 handfuls fresh baby spinach/arugula leaves
- 2 eggs (organic, free-range is the best)
- dash of crushed red pepper (optional)
- salt to taste

1. Set a large saucepan (with a lid) over low heat. Add the oil after a minute or two and swirl around to coat bottom of pan. Add the garlic and stir 2-3 minutes, until fragrant and just sizzling. Add tomatoes and raise heat to medium-low. Cover pan and let the tomatoes break down about 10 minutes. Open lid, pour in wine, and raise heat to medium-high to allow for alcohol to cook off, stirring frequently. Once the tomato sauce starts looking thicker, add the spinach on top, turn the heat back down to medium-low, and cover the pan to allow the spinach to wilt, about 2 minutes. Uncover and stir to incorporate the wilted spinach into the tomato sauce.

2. With heat still on medium-low, crack one egg into a cup and carefully slide it into one side of the pan. Do the same with the second egg, on the other side. Cover and let the eggs cook 3-7 minutes, depending on your preference. (I went for an even 5 minutes and got egg yolks that were still gooey but totally set - just the way I like them!) After the eggs are cooked to your liking, transfer the contents of the pan to a large dinner plate (carefully, to not upset the eggs), sprinkle with red pepper (if using) and salt to taste, and enjoy with a slice of whole grain toast.

Ironing out the Beef Situation

Thus begins my first communique involving beef (just as a friendly warning to those who might not be so keen on the idea)...

Beef is a pretty sticky situation in this day and age: Overcrowding, injections of antibiotics and other mystery drugs, fecal run-off, deforestation, e. coli - and on and on. Why would I even suggest eating such nasty stuff, you ask? Well, in my case, my propensity to be iron deficient - and my doctor's admonitions - require that I do so. But the stuff's not all bad, as long as you know what to look out for. Here are a few helpful guidelines:

GRASS FED: Cattle that are pasture-raised naturally subsist on a diet of grass, rather than industrial feed. Mass produced beef tends to be fattened up with soy and corn by-products and kept in tiny pens indoors, away from the sun, with no room to even turn around (thus the need for such excessive amounts of antibiotics). What is wrong with this? Well, for one, it's cruel. Furthermore, Americans eat far too many refined corn and soy products to begin with (high fructose corn syrup, chemically altered soy derivatives, cornstarch, etc. etc.) which is partly responsible for our current obesity dilemma. And what the cow eats, you eat. Thirdly, pasture-raised cows, if they truly are that, are more environmentally sustainable, because you can't keep thousands of grazing cows on one farm, however huge, meaning there is less fecal matter that runs off into our water systems. (However, the "grass-fed" label can lie: it might mean that the cows are left to graze for only the first few months of their lives, and are henceforth confined to cattle pens - so better yet, look for "grass-finished"). As an added perk, if the farmer adheres to a crop-rotation system, once the cattle have completely trampled and eaten up all the grass, the manure they leave behind can be used as natural fertilizer to grow crops in the very same swath of land, which makes use of the important carbon-nitrogen cycles that for centuries have supported the sustainable use of limited tracts of farmland.

LOCAL: If you can't find grass fed stuff at the supermarket, go to your local farmers market and start poking around there! Since local probably means small (unless you live next door to a big cattle factory), any way you slice it, this beef will have had less of an impact on our planet than the supermarket options. Also, it's fun to get involved in the resurgence of local agriculture and support the fight that these folks have ahead of them against the big-name, US government-subsidized agri-evil-businesses.

ORGANIC: If all else fails, go for organic - an unfortunately increasingly meaningless label. What you'll be getting: beef from factory-raised cattle that never saw the light of day, were fed feed (albeit organic) rather than grass, and may or may not have been shot up with cocktails of drugs during their lifetime. Oh, you thought organic meant drug-free? No sir. Another battle won by the commercial cattle-farming industry and another blow to the USDA's waning integrity.

Okay, now that you're thoroughly disheartened, I'll show you the beef dish I made, which used a grass-fed (I couldn't find grass-finished) lean bottom round cut.
Deconstructed Beef Negimaki

A bottom round cut of beef holds up well in stir fries because it's extra-tough and marbles nicely. This recipe can be doubled, tripled, even quadrupled - just make sure you have a large enough wok or saute pan to pull it off without overcrowding the pan; doing so could leave you with a steamed mush of meat.

- 3/4 lb. piece of bottom-round grass-fed beef, cut into thick slices
- 6 scallions, white part minced and green part chopped (separated)
- 2 tablespoons shoyu (soy sauce)
- 2 tablespoons (brown) rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- pinch salt to taste

Start off by heating a large wok or high-sided pan over medium-high heat. When a drop of water will sizzle, lay the beef slices out in the pan. Do not try to move them until the juices have released a bit - otherwise they will stick and tear. (You can judge if they've released by lifting the corner of a piece slightly with a spatula) Flip and continue to cook a few minutes more.

Meanwhile, mix the white part of the scallions, shoyu, rice vinegar, and sesame oil in a bowl and add to the cooking beef. Move around with a spoon or spatula, lowering heat slightly if the scallion starts sticking to the pan or the sauce scalds . Keep moving around until the pieces are all well coated and the sauce thickens a bit, 3-5 more minutes.

Turn off the heat, move pan from the burner, and sprinkle with scallion greens. Serve immediately over brown rice or rice noodles.

My cracked-out Lasagna

The first subject to be addressed in this entry is not the mysterious lasagna itself, but the vessel that birthed it: my brand spanking new Le Creuset casserole! I got it for the best deal in town...from my family's house. Evidently, the Le Creuset cookware came with the place. That this has been kept from me for so long is a sick joke. So I'm making up for lost time...

Say hello to my little friends:

Le Creuset of wonder (left) and my shiny new Cuisinart Multiclad saucepan (also totally dreamy)

But putting my consumer gratification aside, I finally come to the real reason why I've summoned you here to ooh and ahh at my wondrous cookware. It's all about what's inside...

Cracker Lasagna (Adapted from a recipe by Heidi Swanson)
Yields about 8 portions

First, a hefty headnote explaining why this isn't as crazy as it sounds. I don't know about you all, but I've about had it with pasta. And I happened to have a whole box of crispycrunchyclassy Kavli crackers sitting in my cupboard. Plus, I have Heidi Swanson of 101cookbooks.com to thank for ample inspiration. So let me just say: this ain't no lasagna-substitute, diet-food crazed alternative. No suh. With just the right amount of onion and mushroom caramelization, enough frothing on the cottage-cheese/egg mixture, and a healthy sprinkling of whole wheat breadcrumbs on top, you'll never want to go back to the heavy, slimy pasta stuffed up in your lasagna (sorry, was that obscene?). Now, hit it...

- 2 cups low-fat cottage cheese
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup skim/low-fat milk
- 1 box Kavli Hearty-Thick crisps (about 18 crackers)
- 1 shallot, minced
- 1 large onion, sliced lengthwise
- 1 lb. brown mushrooms, chopped
- 3-4 handfuls baby spinach
- 1/2 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs/panko
- 1/4 to 1/3 cup grated parmesan, for dusting on top.

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. In a blender, mix the cottage cheese, eggs, and pour in the milk slowly until the mixture swirls more freely but isn't quite liquid. In a large flat casserole or baking dish, spread out the crackers and pour the dairy mixture over, to cover. Let soak 10 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large saucepan over low flame and add the shallot and onion. Stir occasionally, letting cook for about 10-15 minutes, until soft and lightly colored. Add mushrooms to the pan and incorporate. Cover and sweat for 5 minutes, until the mushrooms are soft, fragrant, and have released some liquid. Quickly fold in the spinach and turn off the heat while continuing to stir. The spinach should be just wilted.

5. Lightly oil a 12-inch casserole (or something similar). Begin with a layer of the soaked crackers (you will have to break some to fill in the spaces; don't worry about overlapping, that's fine). Next ladle in some of the cottage cheese mixture, smoothing over the crackers. Lastly, spoon about 1/3 of the veggies on top and spread evenly. Repeat for another two layers, ending with the last bit of veggies and a sprinkling of breadcrumbs and dusting of parm on top.

6. Bake uncovered 30-40 minutes, until the top is turning golden and has cracked a little. Allow for some growing space in the casserole - the crackers soaked in the egg mixture rise noticeably! Remove from the oven and let stand 10-15 minutes to set completely. Serve or refrigerate for later (it keeps pretty well).

The last supper of 2008

The final hours of 2008 were spent ingesting food among friends (how else?) - appearing here are just a few of the apps. Also key players were hummus, caramelized onion dip (courtesy of Kat), and broiled eggplant rounds topped with feta, peppers, and minced olives. And the main course (I know, we must have been out of our bloody minds), consisting of garlic-and-lemon-stuffed roast chicken and polenta squares with mint-walnut pate, will not be photo-documented here. I couldn't bear to reproduce the entire gluttonous parade.
It was just too much food!!

I take no credit for this masterful arrangement of cheese ravioli, grape tomatoes, and pesto (above). This was a Paul-n-Leigh Production. A total knockout on taste and presentation!

The heavenly nova...

And the spicy olives of yummmm....

Faux-Foods-R-Us!

I've never been one of those people who claims that fake crab tastes like crab, or that a seitan fillet is a dead ringer for chicken breast, but I don't see any problem with creating alternative versions of certain foods. No copyright issues there - just a bit of imagination. So, this Christmas, I'm going for the real fake thing, and I'm doing it in style: hijiki caviar and tofu sour cream. (both recipes from the Natural Gourmet School)

Hijiki Caviar

1/2 cup hijiki
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2-3 tablespoons shoyu
2 shallots, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
sea salt
lemon juice
2 tablespoons grated ginger, squeezed through cheesecloth to make juice

1. Soak hijiki in water for 15 minutes
2. Remove hijiki from water and saute in sesame oil for 3 to 5 minutes. Add water to cover, bring to a boil, add shoyu and cook until all liquid is evaporated.
3. In another pan, saute shallots and garlic in olive oil for 5 minutes
4. While shallots are sauteing, finely chop the hijiki
5. Season with shoyu or sea salt, lemon juice and ginger juice to taste. Serve with tofu sour cream...

Tofu Sour Cream

12 ounces soft tofu, blanched
juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon EVOO
2 tablespoons water
1/2 bunch dill

1. Blend tofu, lemon juice, salt, olive oil and water until smooth and creamy
2. Add dill and blend for 30 more seconds

Hijiki-tiki-wonka-wonka

After my sea vegetables class last week, during which our instructor informed us of the rejuvenating benefits of essentially sitting in a bathtub of miso and seaweed soup (if anyone feels like trying this, please do share!), I felt inspired to do something tasty with the most intense of all the seaweed varieties: hijiki (pronounced hee-JEE-kee). This can be served as a warm or cold salad, and should definitely be paired with something sweet (ie: mango chicken salad?) to counterbalance the tight saltiness of the dish - or, to make this into a balanced main dish, you can toss in some pan-fried tofu cubes and try cooking the hijiki in apple juice rather than water, which yields a lovely sweet-and-savory effect. You can find many varieties of seaweed at the health food store, always dried and vacuum sealed in a plastic bag.

I admit, seaweed sounds kind of scary and gross, but in light of the upcoming new year, now's the time to try something different. (And for the record, I am not condoning bungee jumping or anything like that... just a bit of culinary pluck!)

Hijiki Salad

- 1/2 cup dried hijiki
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 onion, diced small
- 1 carrot, grated or julienned
- water (or apple juice) to cover
- 1/4 cup shoyu (soy sauce)
- 8 ounces tofu, cut into slices and lightly fried (optional)

1. Soak dried hijiki in warm water until it absorbs water and doubles in size, about 30 minutes
2. In a large skillet, saute the onion in very hot oil until lightly browned, then add the carrot and cook about 5 minutes longer, stirring frequently.
3. Add the rehydrated seaweed to the pan, stirring to coat with onion mixture. Add water or apple juice to cover, then cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid and let seaweed simmer in liquid.
4. Keep cooking, covered, until all the liquid is almost absorbed. Then uncover and stir in shoyu and tofu slices, if using. Serve warm or allow to cool and refrigerate for a few hours.

The Indian in me

Yes, friends, it's me again. The new job, on top of cooking class, has me running circles around myself, so the posts have become infrequent as of late (as I warned they would). But I continue to cook! So here's one fleshed out recipe and a few other thoughts that have emerged from my kitchen.

All credit for the harshi roti (sp?) goes to Mrs. Kaushik, mother of my good friend Vinitha and the woman who contributed to raising me on solid Indian cooking. This was my favorite dish to eat while I was growing up across the street from the Kaushiks, and I've made a valiant effort here to recreate it. It's not exactly "authentic" but it comes close. And I can't even express how happy it makes me to smell these familiar smells in my own kitchen.

*photo credit to Kat Cheng and her shutter skills!

Harshi Roti (adapted from the kitchen of Mrs. K)

- 1 cup brown rice flour
- 1/2 cup chickpea flour (besan)
- 3 peeled and grated carrots
- 1 knob ginger, peeled and grated
- 1 green chili pepper, seeded and diced small
- 1 small red onion, chopped
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 cup plain yogurt
- 2 tbsp. oil
- salt

Mix the dry ingredients together, then add in the wet. The mixture should have the consistency of pancake batter, pourable but not runny.

Cut a square sheet of tinfoil and spoon about 2/3 cup of the mix onto it. Smooth the batter out into a circle with the back of the spoon and push aside the middle to make a silver-dollar sized hole.

Heat a large pan with oil and wait until a drop of water will sizzle when dropped in. Then turn the prepared batter onto the skillet, leaving the tinfoil to cover for the first few minutes of frying. Remove tinfoil once the bottom of the roti is pretty solid. Add a few more drops of oil to the perimeter and in the center of the roti, and flip once the bottom is well browned. Fry a few minutes on the other side, then remove onto a plate and serve with butter, chutney pudi, raita (yogurt-based condiment) and, my other fave, Indian peanut stew (sounds like "goj") - or any combination therein.

Other things I've churned up (the Cliffs Notes edition):
- Barley with roasted garlic, olive oil, chopped fresh mint, and cumin
- Curry split pea soup (with cardemom, fenugreek, coriander, cumin, cinnamon, cloves, etc.)
- Chicken soup with wild rice & quinoa (made with my Thanksgiving turkey stock)
- Black-eyed pea tomato stew with mushrooms and cinnamon

Testing, testing...

For the most part, I rush to post my cookery on this blog before the specifics of ingredients and amounts fly from my brain like so many tiny grains of salt. But this time, I actually wrote down the recipe and tested it, not only once, but twice. (It's a good thing I'll be starting work on Monday, huh? Not a moment too soon...)

This cornbread (or is it cake?) was created with the help and creativity of my friend Trevanna Grenfell. She is an amazing person who has most recently been learning about herbal remedies and taking classes at the Maine Primitive Skills School (nifty stuff, check it out). So when the apocalypse comes, you all know who to call...

But while you wait, eat cake!


Vegan Corn Cake

- 1 cup whole cornmeal (medium grind)
- 1 cup whole wheat pastry (or unbleached all-purpose) flour
- 1 tbsp. baking powder
- pinch salt
- 1 tbsp. nutmeg
- 1 tbsp. cinnamon
- 1 tsp. cayenne
- 1/2 tsp. ginger

- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/2 cup virgin coconut oil
- 1 tbsp. vanilla
- walnut milk: 1/2 cup walnuts and 2 cups water, well blended
- egg sub: 2 tbsp. ground flaxseed whisked with 3 tbsp. water

- 1/2 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together the ground flaxseed and water in a small cup and set aside to puff up.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together dry ingredients. In a small bowl, mix wet ingredients, pour in the egg replacement, and add to the dry ingredients, mixing just until incorporated. Add the corn kernels and pour into a greased 8x8 (or thereabouts) cake pan.
3. Bake for 50-60 minutes, until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

A (cran)Berry Happy Thanksgiving to You!

As promised, here is the cranberry sauce recipe I mentioned, just in time for the big GobbleFest. Now seriously folks, who of you out there looks forward to Thanksgiving for the turkey? Turkey with gravy - okay, maybe I'll buy that. But we're all really in it for the sides. They can be sweet, salty, colorful, crunchy, earthy, buttery, leafy - you name it! Turkey is, more often than not, just dry. Of course, nothing beats the carnal satisfaction derived from tearing into a huge drumstick with your canines! (Howls emphatically for effect)

But on with the show...

This recipe is originally from the New York Times, but I've altered it somewhat to yield more of the stuff and to give it a bit of a zing (the orange zest). Hope you like!


Cranberry and Walnut Relish (adapted from the NY Times, 11/12/08)
Makes 8 cups

- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 2 leaves fresh sage
- 1 tablespoon butter, unsalted
- 1 small yellow onion, diced small
- 2 cups dried cranberries (look for fruit juice sweetened)
- 2 cups apple cider
- 1 cup fresh squeezed orange juice (plus 2 tablespoons of its zest, chopped small)
- 1-1/4 cup Demerara sugar (type of unrefined evaporated cane juice)
- pinch salt
- 16 oz. fresh cranberries, rinsed, dried and roughly chopped
- 2 cups walnuts, toasted and chopped

Tie the rosemary and sage together with kitchen twine and set aside. Place a medium saucepan over medium-low heat and melt the butter. Add the onion and cover to cook, stirring occasionally, till tender but not browned (about 5 minutes).

Add the rosemary and sage, dried cranberries, apple cider, orange juice and zest, sugar, and salt. Simmer until the liquid is reduced by half. Add the fresh cranberries and simmer, stirring frequently to prevent burning, till the relish is thick and sticky, about 15 to 20 minutes. Taste and adjust sugar as necessary. Add the walnuts and let cool. Allow the relish to chill overnight before serving.

* To make ahead: Prepare and freeze in an airtight container for up to three months

To My Superstar Readers...

Ahem, ahem, announcement: I have procured a full-time job!

With respect to the blog, this is bittersweet news, because a steady 9-5 will keep me out of the kitchen during my brightest hours of inspiration. So this is a formal heads-up that blog traffic might slow considerably within the next few weeks.

But hey, maybe now I'll be finally invent some time efficient (wot??) recipes!

Next up: Cranberry-Walnut Sauce...!