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

Photofood

This weekend I took advantage of fresh ingredients and hot ovens...

More ramps:

And farm-fresh eggs:
With the addition of some turkey bacon, a tasty brunch:A gluten-free, refined-anything-free cookie that I have yet to perfect:

And a black-bean (!!) brownie that someone already has perfected: click HEREI wish you all a delicious week!

I'm a Tramp for the Ramps

On this fine summer-esque day in New York, I have awoken to an entirely new wonder of the world:

Ramps!!

These distant relatives of the onion, also called wild leeks, spring onions, or ail des bois (ooh la la), are cripplingly delicious. Addictive, even. Considered delicacies by the quebecois and West Virginians (can you guess which of these distinct populations fries their ramps with potatoes in bacon grease?), this rare breed of veggie (an officially protected species under Quebec legislation, mind you!) has a following of aficionados who organize delectable gatherings such as the annual "Feast of the Ramson" in Richwood, WV and the "International Ramp Festival" of Elkins, WV, which features a cook-off and ramp eating contests (!!)...

But you don't have to go to West Virginia to find these beauties; I snagged a bunch this afternoon while ambling through the Union Square Farmer's Market. They'll cost you a pretty penny, but oh boy if they aren't worth it!

Basic cooking method:
Clean off the slimy thin membrane at the bulb base and trim off the hairy root end. Cut the bulb from the leaf, thinly slice the bulb on the bias (as you would a scallion) and sautee in some oil, then add the leaves and cook until just wilted.

Simple but tasty:
You might try ramps and spaghetti, with some red chili pepper flakes,
Or ramps and scrambled eggs,
Or salmon on a bed of steamed ramps,
Or a salad of wild rice, slivered almonds, and flash-sauteed chopped ramps in a lemon vinaigrette!

NOM NOM!

Just mussel through it

This is quite possibly the most elegant dish I've ever executed, but also the easiest (and even the cheapest). I had this done in 15 minutes flat. And the sweet and juicy mussels disappeared almost as quickly. Delicious and fresh, these $5 for 2 lb. mussels came from a fish market at the northeast corner of 31st Street and 30th Avenue in Astoria (carefully selected by my lovely assistant Dan!) and were probably the best specimens of pseudoped I've tasted as of late.

The recipe comes from Melissa Clark of the NY Times and it's just excellent, as are most of her creations. I dialed down the butter, since I'm not such a fan, and went with the parsley option instead of tarragon.

Add a crusty multi-grain baguette, and you have yourself a finger-lickin'-good weeknight dinner.

Ale-Steamed Mussels with Garlic and Mustard (by Melissa Clark, New York Times 4/8/09)
Yield: 2 servings

- 2 pounds mussels in shell
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 full sprigs thyme
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 large shallots, chopped
- salt and pepper
- 3/4 cup good ale
- 1-3 tablespoons butter, to taste
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon or parsley
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- Crusty bread, for serving

Rinse the mussels under cold water. Pull or cut off the beards (these are the stringy bits coming out the mouth of the shells) and scrub shells well with a vegetable brush.

In a soup pot with a tight-fitting lid, head the oil, add thyme, garlic, shallots and a pinch of salt and pepper. Saute until shallot and garlic are softened, about 3 minutes. Pour in ale and bring to a simmer. Add the mussels and cover the pot. Let the mussels steam, stirring once or twice, until they open, 5 to 10 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer mussels to bowls. Discard any that have not opened (these will have been DOA).

Add the butter, herbs and mustard to the pan juices and bring up to a boil. Whisk the sauce until the butter melts, then taste and adjust seasoning. Pour over the mussels and serve with bread for some serious sopping.

The Chopped Salad

Challenge: To make lunch to take to work that won't be boring after the second day and won't be a hassle to make on those relaxing Sundays.
Solution: Take the chopped salad to the next level of laziness using your food processor! (I know you all remember how I adore this miracle machine.) There's no need to stand at the cutting board, mincing carrots, onions, and herbs until you develop tendonitis. Just give it a quick whirl and then go watch some trashy television!

Tempeh Salad Sandwich Filling (adapted from Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites)
Yield: 4 servings

- 8-oz package tempeh (Garden Vegetable variety, if available)
- 2 carrots
- 1 small granny smith apple
- 1/2 red onion
- 1/4 cup plain nonfat yogurt
- 2 tablespoons reduced-fat mayo
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- pepper and salt to taste
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce

Cut the tempeh into 1/2-inch cubes and place in a steamer basket over boiling water, covered, for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, cut the carrots and onion into chunks and run through the food processor, separately, until minced to your liking. Cut the apple into 1/2-inch cubes. Mix together in a medium bowl and season with salt and pepper. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the yogurt, mayo, and mustard.

When the tempeh is soft and thoroughly cooked, sprinkle with soy sauce and add to the onion, carrot, and apple. Stir the dressing into the salad, toss everything well, and chill before serving. Makes a great sandwich filling, or can be served with crackers as a hearty snack.
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Multi-Grain Tabouleh
yield: about 4 cups

Note: I made this up on the spot, so measurements are not exact. Thankfully, making good tabouleh ain't exactly rocket science. Also, feel free to experiment with other whole grains, besides the traditional bulgur. After having gathered all the ingredients together, I realized I only had a small amount of bulgur left - no biggie! Millet, quinoa, cracked wheat, cous cous, etc. all work here.

- 1/2 cup bulgur
- 1 cup millet
- 2 bunches parsley (or 1 bunch parsley and 1 bunch cilantro - a very tasty variation!)
- 1/2 red onion
- 3 plum tomatoes
- juice of 2 lemons + zest
- 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- salt and pepper to taste

Cook the millet and bulgur (or whatever grains you're using) separately, according to instructions.

Roughly cut the parsley, tomato, and onion and run through the food processor for a few seconds, each separately. Combine in a large bowl, and mix in lemon juice, zest, and vinegar.

When grains are cooked, add to the vegetables and mix well. Drizzle with the olive oil and mix until everything is well coated (adding a little more if necessary). Season with the spices and salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning (vinegar, salt, lemon juice) as needed. Serve immediately at room temp, or refrigerate until cold.

I loaf life

So, I'm still on this baking kick. Or, rather, this I-don't-have-time-to-make-real-food kick. But hey, I can't say I'm bored! And now you won't be either. Onward ho!

First, zee bread:

Italian Olive Bread (adapted from the Natural Gourmet School cookbook)
Yield: 1 LARGE loaf

- 2 cups warm water
- 1 teaspoon warm maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon dry yeast
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup pitted and chopped olives
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
- 1/3 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon sea salt
- 3 cups whole wheat bread flour
- 3 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1. In small bowl, combine water, maple syrup, and yeast. Allow to sit about 10 minutes until mixture is foamy.

2. Add oil, olives, rosemary, walnuts, lemon zest, salt, and just enough flour to create dough that pulls away from sides of bowl.

3. Knead dough on floured surface about 10-15 minutes or until firm, smooth dough has been created.

4. Place dough in large, clean, lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place for 45-60 minutes or until dough has doubled.

5. While dough is proofing, prepare loaf pan by lightly oiling.

6. Gently punch down dough (about 10-15 strokes) and return to bowl and loosely cover with plastic wrap. Allow to double in size for another 40 minutes.

7. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

8. Punch down dough again and form into a smooth ball. Place in loaf pan and cover with a damp cloth. Set aside to double in size once more (third proofing) before baking for approximate 30 minutes or until dough is golden and firm to touch.

9. Allow bread to cool completely on racks (out of loaf pan) before serving. Cutting into warm bread will ruin the crumb.

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Carrot Oatmeal Granola (adapted from 101cookbooks.com)
Yield:about 2 and 1/2 cups

- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 2/3 cup chopped walnuts
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1/2 cup shredded coconut
- 1/3 cup raisins
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/2 cup coconut oil, warmed till just melted

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and lightly coat a glass baking dish with oil.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together all ingredients except maple syrup and coconut oil. In a separate smaller bowl, combine maple syrup and coconut oil. Add this to the dry mixture and stir until combined.

3. Spread the mixture out along the bottom of baking dish and bake in on top shelf of oven for about 20 minutes, stirring once or twice throughout to ensure even baking.

4. Lay granola out on a large baking sheet to cool and dry overnight. Serve with plain yogurt and berries.

Pie on the sly

Bet ya didn't know I made pie! Well, I don't make a habit of it, but I did make a cranberry-pear tart for class this past Saturday, and it actually came out quite nicely. The recipe isn't really worth sharing, but the pictures are.


Thank you for admiring my pie! Now, if you'll please excuse my abruptness, it's past my bedtime, I met Savion Glover tonight, and I'm declaring this day officially DONE...ZZzzzzz