nesting in new york

why CSAs are important

2011-09-01T02:19:00.000-07:00

for many new yorkers, hurricane irene was a passing irritation - transportation was shut down, our favorite neighborhood bars were closed, and some cool events were canceled. certainly small businesses and hourly-wage workers suffered from a lost weekend, but a lot of us city dwellers stocked up on wine and beer and watched the rain from the comfort of our living rooms.

on saturday, i slow-cooked a 7 pound pork shoulder, put up 20 pounds of tomatoes, and had some friends over for dinner. the pork was delicious and my friends matt and deb brought over cheesy scalloped potatoes and coleslaw that were the perfect complement to the pork. matt has shared his recipe with me, and i've posted it below.

most of the reporting focused on new york city and the possible doom that irene could bring to the city. what didn't as much attention is the extensive damage that the rural areas north of nyc received as a result of heavy rains and the impact that rain has had on many of the farms in the region. that pork shoulder i cooked? sourced from the catskills area. those tomatoes i canned? from wiklow orchards in the hudson valley.

i try to eat as locally and organically as i can, and i depend heavily on small family farms for good produce and sustainable meat and dairy products. these pictures are of the farm from which i receive my weekly delivery of fruits and vegetables. (thank you, deb, for allowing me to use the photos.) i pick up my weekly share through a community supported agriculture (CSA) scheme. i pay money up front for a share with the understanding that i receive what the farm produces. CSA programs protect our family farms by supporting them, rain or shine. and in this case, there was a lot of rain.

in the coming weeks, i won't get as many vegetables as i'm accustomed to getting. selfishly, that makes me sad. but, i'm happy that by participating in the CSA model, that i have, in a small way, helped deb, pete and everyone at stoneledge farm.

watershed post has done an amazing job providing coverage of irene's wrath in the catskills region. they also have a resource list of how to help catskill farmers post-irene.

and of course, here is matt's cheesy potato recipe:

scalloped cheesy potatoes

start with 8 to 12 potatoes or bag of potatoes (this recipe is not very precise but I don’t think it can be messed up)
peel the potatoes and get out the mandoline and cut them into 1/8 inch slices (letting the potatoes sit in water so they don’t turn a grayish color while the rest of the ingredients are prepared may be a good idea)
cheddar, Monterey Jack, and Swiss (Gruyere may be a good substitute for Swiss) Grate enough cheese to layer over top of potatoes in rounds ---- dollops of cream cheese was added to one of the casserole dishes and dollops of goat cheese to the other
parsley – chop enough parsley to layer over top of potatoes in rounds
one medium white onion – using the lowest setting on the mandoline slice the whole onion
½ cup of cream plus 2 ounces of milk (whatever is in the fridge is good)
flour
homemade bacon bits

rub a generous amount of butter on the bottom and sides of the casserole dish. layer the potatoes, layer of onion, layer of cheese, layer of parsley, and little sprinkle of flour and repeat until the casserole dish is full. when ready for baking add the cream and milk and cook covered at 350 degrees for 1 hour and uncovered for ½ hour. when you remove the casserole dish add the homemade bacon bits. this can be done sooner if you wish. this made enough for two casserole dishes.

birthday pickles

2011-08-23T17:45:00.000-07:00

this past weekend, i celebrated my birthday and the birthdays of two good friends with a picnic in the park. i made fried chicken, biscuits, a certain southern lady's amazing pimento cheese, and about a month before the picnic i made a big batch of refrigerator pickles. everyone brought tons of food: abby made a gorgeous caprese salad from her home-grown tomatoes, kate made delicious ricotta toasts, and lisa's butterscotch cookies were to die for. my pickle-crazy friend matt brought a great relish and a few other pickled items, lynn brought a fantastic eggplant dip and the other birthday girl tia made a kick-ass mango salsa. chris's korean-style barbeque ribs were probably the biggest hit of the picnic, and i like to flatter myself that the pickles were a close second.

before setting out the recipe for the pickles, i'd like to note that this recipe is NOT appropriate for canning. i haven't tested the pH and i'm sure there's not enough vinegar to make long term storage outside of the fridge safe. if you want a recipe for pickles appropriate for canning, i'd check out a canning-basics cookbook. the national center home food preservation's website is a great resource for canning and i like food in jars and mrs. wheelbarrow's kitchen for recipes.

the following portions should create one pint of pickles. feel free to increase the amounts incrementally to make a quart or several pints of pickles. they'll go quickly.

3-4 kirby cucumbers - sliced into 1/2 inch slices

1 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds

1 clove garlic - sliced thinly

1-2 sprigs of fresh dill

place dill into the jar along the sides and pack the slices of cucumber into the jar. intersperse the cucumbers with garlic slices and toss the mustard seeds into the jar when it is half filled with cucumbers. pack the cucumbers into the jar until 1/2 inch head space remains. pour the hot brine (see below) over the cucumbers and place the lid on the jar. let sit out until the jar is room temperature and then place in the fridge. let the pickles sit for at least a couple of days before opening and eating.

brine:

2 cups water

1 cup white vinegar

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon kosher salt

combine the above ingredients in a non-reactive pot and bring to a simmer until the salt and sugar have fully dissolved.

favorite summertime recipes

2011-08-17T13:29:00.000-07:00

i tend to hand-write blog posts on my train ride to and from work, and lately i've been so immersed in the bartimaeus trilogy (which i highly recommend), that i haven't made time to write. that doesn't mean that i haven't been cooking. summertime is zooming along and my csa is in full swing. i also opted for a fruit share this year, and i've loved every week of fresh organic fruit. i've created some recipes that aren't really ready to share, so i thought i'd share some of my go-to favorites for the summer.

smitten kitchen's pickled sugar snap peas: sugar snap peas are an early summer treat that disappear pretty quickly into the season. i usually just eat them raw or very lightly sauteed with a little bit of salt. i questioned the merit of doing anything to my snap peas, but pickling them was a revelation. if anything, this quickle recipe makes the peas even crisper.

david lebovitz's baba ganoush: i've been getting eggplant from my csa for nearly a month straight. i love grilled eggplant, i like it sauteed and served over pasta, but this baba ganoush is hands-down my favorite way to eat eggplant. i use a little less tahini than called for but otherwise find the recipe perfect.

fig & plum's simple caesar salad: i know, i know, caesar salad is boring. every corner restaurant has it on their menu with stale croutons and dry chicken. that is exactly why you should make this classic at home. use real, fresh ingredients put it together with love. jess is right, this recipe is a keeper.

food in jar's roasted tomatillo salsa: this recipe is new to me this year (and the accompanying story is worth the read). this was my first summer receiving tomatillos from my csa. i've always enjoyed the flavor and just haven't used them at home before. this salsa is easy -- yes you can just throw everything in the blender, skins and all -- and tasty and is also a great marinade for veggies or meat.

asparagus and pickled rhubarb rolls

2011-06-26T15:49:00.000-07:00

asparagus season has come and gone in new york, but i still wanted to share this recipe. i first made these tasty snacks at the tail end of last year's asparagus season. my friend shaina was visiting the east coast and we planned on picnicking in the park. i had pickled rhubarb on hand and had seen a white asparagus and pickled rhubarb salad on food52. i loved the idea of the salad but it wasn't picnic friendly. i riffed a bit and produced this finger-friendly dish.

(photo credit: shaina g.)

asparagus and pickled rhubarb rolls

1 bunch asparagus, trimmed to 2 inch stalks - blanched for 30 seconds

pickled asparagus (see recipe below)

goat cheese

prosciutto - thinly sliced

group an individual stalk of asparagus, one or two pieces of pickled rhubarb and a dab (dime sized) of goat cheese together and roll in a slice of prosciutto.

pickled rhubarb

rhubarb - 1 lb, thinly sliced

1 cup apple cider vinegar

1 cup water

1 cup turbinado sugar

1 teaspoon salt

slice the rhubarb at an extreme diagonal (a la steamy kitchen's celery). pack sliced rhubarb in glass jars. bring remaining ingredients to a low boil. ensure that all sugar has dissolved, carefully pour hot vinegar mixture over the rhubarb (covering completely). let cool, and then put in the fridge to chill.

pretty in pink: rhubarb syrup

2011-05-25T17:55:00.000-07:00

i'm not sure whether i love rhubarb because of its pretty pink color or because its the first splash of spring color i see at the farmer's market. either way, its a really fun vegetable (that charades as a fruit) to prepare and eat.

as i mentioned in my last post, i'm striving to preserve as much of each season's bounty as i can. last year, i made a strawberry rhubarb and balsamic jam and pickled rhubarb, both of which i enjoyed all winter long. but this year, in addition to the jam and pickles, i wanted to try something different.

this rhubarb syrup is quick and easy and turns out a delightfully pretty color of pink.

4 cups rhubarb - cut into 1 inch chunks

2 cups water

1 cup turbinado sugar

combine the above ingredients into large pot over medium heat. simmer until rhubarb softens (approximately 20 minutes). let cool and strain liquid. store syrup in the fridge. i use the leftover rhubarb mash as a topping for my morning yogurt.

ramp-a-licious

2011-05-11T04:22:00.000-07:00

i grew up in the appalachian mountains and every spring my church had a ramp festival. my sister and i hated this festival. to us, ramps smelled so bad and we didn't even bother tasting any of the dishes with ramps in them. thank goodness palates mature.

ramps hit my local farmer's market a few weekends ago, and i took full advantage of the spring onion. my adult taste buds like ramps almost any old way: scrambled with eggs, sauteed with mushrooms on top of polenta or grits or tossed with pasta. however, this year, i am determined to preserve as much seasonal produce as possible so that i'm still enjoying local fruits and veggies in the dreary months of january and february.

so, while a few of the ramps were quickly eaten, the rest were preserved. i pickled some (pictured above), i made a ramp pesto with the tops of the ramps that were pickled, and i made a pound of ramp butter, most of which i'm storing in the freezer (thank you to serious eats for the recipes and inspiration).

after working hard to preserve these delicious spring treats, i combined a few of the products above to make this ramp-a-licious pasta. i added chicken to "beef up" the dish so that the boy and i would have leftovers for lunch for the work week, but it can easily be omitted. topping the dish with a dollop of ricotta and pesto isn't required but sure is decadent. i've recently gotten addicted to salvatore bklyn ricotta, a locally made and locally sourced ricotta.

ramp-a-licious pasta

1 tablespoon ramp butter - divided

1 raw boneless chicken breast - cut into chunks and sprinkled with salt & pepper

1/4 cup raw bacon - roughly chopped

juice and zest of 1/2 a lemon

8 ounces orichette pasta

2-3 tablespoons ramp pesto

1-2 tablespoons fresh ricotta

place large pot of water over high heat for pasta. while cooking chicken, let pasta cook according to package directions, drain, and let sit until you add to saucepan.

heat large saucepan over medium heat. melt one teaspoon ramp butter and add raw chicken to the pan. brown chicken on both sides and let cook for approx 10 minutes. add bacon, toss over medium-high heat until bacon begins to crisp (~3-5 minutes).

add cooked pasta to the saucepan and toss with lemon juice, zest and pesto. top with ricotta and another bit of pesto, if desired.

charcutepalooza: home brined corned beef

2011-03-16T17:31:00.000-07:00

the boy insists that when it comes to cooking, i tend to bite off more than i can chew. however, when i announced my decision to participate in this month's charcutepalooza, i didn't get any of the usual eye rolling. he wholeheartedly endorsed the venture . . . until i announced that i would also be making homemade sauerkraut to accompany the corned beef.

"but you don't even like sauerkraut!" he protested. that, i assured him, was not the point. i wanted to have a "traditional" corned beef experience.

so, i bought a head of cabbage and 3 pounds of beef brisket at my local farmer's market and set up my 'kraut to ferment in the coolest darkest part of my incredibly tiny studio apartment. sauerkraut takes about two weeks to ferment and this particular sauerkraut was going to be fermenting (i.e. growing bacteria) six inches from my sleeping head. the boy declared that he would not be sleeping over while the 'kraut did its business.

y'all. i made it eight days (sleeping at the foot of my bed, mind you). on day nine, i came home from work and the full smell of the 'kraut hit me. i couldn't take it anymore, the boy was right, i DON'T LIKE sauerkraut! why was i doing this? out the 'kraut went.

but what about the beef you ask? it was lovely. i brined it according to the directions set out in the charcutepalooza bible: charcuterie: the craft of salting, smoking and curing by michael ruhlman and brian polcyn (ruhlman also has a nice how to cure your own corned beef tutorial on his website). after cooking the brined brisket in a broth of water, stout beer, carrots and onions, i cooled, sliced, and enjoyed it on a slice of dense multi-grain bread topped with a whole grain mustard made by brooklyn cured. yum-o.

meyer lemon marmalade

2011-02-28T17:44:00.000-08:00

last weekend, i visited my good friends shaina and zoe in ocean beach, california. after a long and cold winter, the 75 degree weather and plentiful local produce was such a treat. we rode bikes, i wore sandals (!), we had cocktails on the beach, visited the farmer's market and ate plenty of fish tacos.

i was so jealous to find a beautiful meyer lemon tree right in shaina's yard. i picked a few to brighten my return to frigid nyc. at first, i wasn't sure what i wanted to do with the lemons. i thought about curing them (something my israeli roommate always did with her meyers). i also thought about roasting a chicken with the lemons or making a tagine, but when hipgirls tweeted about a perfect meyer lemon marmalade from shae irving, my heart was set.

shae is a prize-winning jam, jelly and marmalade maven (her ebook has this meyer lemon marm recipe plus more) and she has an excellent tutorial on how to slice citrus for marmalades on her blog. the only thing i did a little differently to the marmalade was to add the juice of half an orange - and i liked the enhanced flavor that it brought to the marmalade.

i yielded more marmalade than i expected, so if you'd like a jar, please leave a comment and i'll pop one in the mail to you.

nesting in paris

2011-01-24T16:19:00.000-08:00

over the holidays, i spent three amazing weeks in paris (with a fun little jaunt over to england). i feel as if i'm still processing my experience, and flashes of memorable events - mostly food related - pop into my head while i go about my regular business back at home. i swapped my apartment in brooklyn with a lovely parisian couple, and so i was able to settle in and cook proper meals. it was a great experience.

some highlights of the trip:

~ midnight mass on christmas eve in notre dame: being inside the chapel with throngs of people as the bells chimed twelve and the priests began their procession was an incredibly special experience.

~ oysters at l'ecume saint-honore: a fish shop with seating provided a delightful afternoon snack of briny, slippery oysters and a silky sancerre.

~ warm, crusty and oh-so-light baguettes whenever and wherever i wanted. i seriously averaged a baguette a day.

~ le grande epicerie: david lebovitz recommends g. detou, and i visited both shops. i found that for sheer volume of french (and many other) goods, i just couldn't resist going back to le grand. the boy and i went crazy there - i was lucky to get everything home.

~ commiserating (en franglais!) with a shopkeeper about our love of the beauty and quality of liberty of london fabrics.

butternut squash ready for roasting

2010-11-24T16:21:00.001-08:00

butternut squash ready for roasting
Originally uploaded by nestingnewyork

tonight i'm making evil shenanigans roasted butternut squash casserole for thanksgiving. it looks and sounds amazing. i'll report back on how it tastes.

happy thanksgiving!

concord grape jam

2010-11-21T16:21:00.000-08:00

i spent a large portion of my summer packing food away like aesop's ant. my csa provided a hefty variety this year and i supplemented with fruit and veggies from my local farmer's market. i was determined to have a store of local food for the winter.

this summer was my first foray into the world of canning. i'd always wanted to try it and i'm happy to report that it isn't as hard as i thought it would be. the national center for home food preservation is a great resource for how-to's and safety tips. the blog well preserved also has a wealth of canning information and recipes.

i got this recipe from the blue chair jam cookbook. i adapted the recipe to make a super-small batch and i liked the jam so much that i made a second small batch. i highly recommend eating this luxurious jam on a homemade biscuit.

1 lb concord grapes

1 cup turbinado sugar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon orange juice

1/4 teaspoon orange zest

peel and deseed grapes - save the peels discard the seeds. heat the grape pulp over medium heat and cook for 4-5 minutes. add peels and remaining ingredients to the pot and bring to a boil over high heat. cook for 25-30 minutes until the jam starts to thicken, stirring frequently.

to test whether the jam is done, place a small spoonful of the jam on a frozen plate and return the plate to the freezer for 1-2 minutes. remove the plate and press the jam with your finger. martha says that the jam should wrinkle.

the perfect israeli salad

2010-08-06T07:51:00.000-07:00

while in law school, i worked in an israeli-owned restaurant. the owner was, to put it nicely, a perfectionist. the kitchen was by far the cleanest i'd ever worked in - you could practically eat off the floor. the food was tasty and the salads were divine.

the kitchen would prep for hours - dicing each component of the salads into perfect squares. cucumbers were put through a french fry cutter and then cut into even squares. the israeli salad was my favorite. i was lucky enough to get the exact directions on making the salad from the owner.

the proportions below make a salad for one. the salad is best served right away - you don't really want it as a leftover.

1 cup kirby cucumber - seeded and evenly diced into 2cm squares

1/2 cup roma tomato - seeded and evenly diced into 2cm squares

1 tablespoon white onion - diced

1 tablespoon fresh dill - chopped

1 teaspoon parsley - chopped

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil (never olive oil - it is too heavy for this salad)

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

toss all ingredients in a bowl and serve immediately.

squash, fennel & leek gratin

2010-08-03T17:56:00.000-07:00

in those last dreary months of winter, i longingly think of summer and of all the fresh abundance that the season produces. now, summer and all of its glory is upon us. its been a hot steamy summer, and as a result i'm drowning (in a good way) in summer squash from my csa.

last week when, in addition to squash, i received leeks and fennel, my thoughts wandered to a lovely potato and fennel gratin a friend had made for me years ago. i thought, why not switch the potatoes out for squash? the result was yummy.

1 lb summer squash (any variety) - sliced

1 medium fennel bulb - thinly sliced

2 leeks, sliced and lightly sauteed in butter

1/2 cup parmesan - grated

1 egg

3/4 cup milk (or cream if you want to be decadent)

1/4 - 1/3 cup breadcrumbs

1 teaspoon butter

salt and pepper

lightly grease a shallow baking dish and place a single layer of squash on the bottom of the pan. sprinkle the first layer with 1/3 of the cheese and add salt and pepper. layer the fennel and leeks, and top with cheese and salt and pepper. add top layer of squash, top with remainder of cheese. combine egg and milk and lightly whisk together. pour mixture over the veggies and lightly spread breadcrumbs to the top. dot the top of the bread crumbs with small bits of butter.

bake at 375 for 20-30 minutes until set.

a sneak peak

2010-07-27T15:48:00.001-07:00

yesterday wrapped up an eight week summer sewing class that i took with the ladies of sew moni.

i learned lots of great clothing construction techniques and my first real piece of clothing is nearly finished. full pictures to come!

eggs eudora

2010-05-31T15:32:00.000-07:00

i'm gearing up for the start of my second season of community supported agriculture (csa) with stoneledge farm. my first pick up is in a week and i can't wait to see what goodies i'll be getting.

to prepare for the new season, i've been cleaning out my freezer. all that remains of last year's bounty is a small bag of frozen and sliced jalapenos and a pack of blanched and frozen greens. the greens sauteed up nicely with bacon and i served them over biscuits with a fried egg. since this is a decidedly southern twist on eggs benedict, i decided to name the dish after one of my favorite southern authors.

this recipe serves four.

1/2 portion of biscuits - baked and sliced in half (yields 4 biscuits)

2 slices bacon - cut into chunks

2-3 large handfuls of greens (any hearty type: collards, swiss chard, etc.) - washed, chopped and blanched (i used pre-blanched, frozen greens)

1 medium onion - sliced and carmelized

4 eggs - fried, sunny side up

cheese sauce (see below)

i generally make the cheese sauce, biscuits and onions before starting the greens and eggs.

heat up a medium-large skillet over medium high heat and add bacon chunks. cook for 4-6 mintues or until bacon begins to crisp. add greens to bacon and toss well. cook another 5-7 minutes over medium high heat until greens and bacon are cooked through. set greens aside, fry eggs (for 4 eggs, i would fry in 1 1/2 tablespoons butter).

for plating: place biscuit, cut in half open on plate (as you would an english muffin), place greens and bacon mixture on top of biscuit, layer carmelized onions on top of the greens, then place one fried egg on top of the onions, and top with cheese sauce.

cheese sauce:

1 1/2 tablespoons butter

1 1/2 tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon cracked pepper

3/4 cup whole milk

3/4 cup white cheddar

dash grated nutmeg

melt butter over medium heat in skillet. once butter is melted, slowly add flour, stirring as you add. once flour is fully incorporated into the butter, add salt and pepper and stir for another minute. add milk and stir well and cook for 2 minutes or until milk has mixed well with the flour mixture. slowly add cheese, stirring constantly. add nutmeg and cook until cheese has melted and mixture is smooth.

peas and carrots - a spring tasting

2010-05-27T15:22:00.000-07:00

a close friend and her husband have been working to revitalize his family's bed & breakfast (the twilight lodge) in the catskills region of new york. they've done an amazing job and the innkeepers they've hired are fantastic.

last weekend, they invited a group of family and friends for their first chef's tasting dinner. using primarily ingredients from local farms and purveyors, they created a fantastic 4-hour taste of spring. each course was wonderful, but my favorite really captured the essence of the season. i was able to work my "in" with the chef to get the recipe for this spring salad named: peas & carrots.

1 lb english peas in the pod

2 large carrots

1/2 lb french green beans

1/2 lb baby bliss potatoes (red & white)

2-3 pheasant eggs

1/4 lb prosciuto (obtained locally from the smokehouse of the catskills)

1 clove garlic

1 sprig thyme

handful parsley

handful peashoots (garnish)

olive oil

shuck the peas, then blanch and shock in ice water. cut carrots and beans into 1 inch batons, blanch until tender but al-dente and shock in ice water.

cook potatoes in water with thyme, garlic and salt until potatoes are done, then blanch in ice water. after the potatoes have cooled, cut into halves.

cook eggs in boiling water for five minues and shock in ice water for three minutes, peel and cut in halves or wedges.

arrange above ingredients on plate with dressing on the side.

dressing:

1 cup mayo

2 tablespoons ketchup

1 teaspoon chili sauce (preferably siracha)

1 shallot - finely minced

a touch of dijon mustard

12 spanish olives - finely chopped

2 cornichons - finely chopped

handful parsley - finely chopped

1 lemon - juiced

salt & pepper to taste

mix the above ingredients well.

strawberry rhubarb & balsamic jam

2010-05-18T15:41:00.000-07:00

a few weeks ago, i attended the spring food and craft fair at the brooklyn lyceum. while there, i tasted a strawberry and balsamic jam made by anarchy in a jar. after tasting their jam and subsequently running into some beautiful rhubarb at the local farmer's market, i pulled together the following recipe.

i'm not typically someone who craves sweets, but this jam has been pulling me from bed in the mornings. its easy to make and oh-so-good!

1/2 pound rhubarb - cut into chunks (approx 1/2 inch)

1 pound strawberries - cut into chunks

1 1/2 cups turbinado sugar

1 lemon - juiced

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

combine the rhubarb, strawberries and sugar and let sit in the fridge overnight (or, if you don't have that much time, for several hours). the sugar will macerate the fruit and bring out their juices.

place fruit/sugar mixture (with all resulting juices) into large saucepan or pot, add lemon juice and vinegar and cook over medium high heat until the fruit has nearly completely broken down and the mixture begins to jell (approximately 45 minutes).** carefully pour into jam jars, seal and let cool. because this recipe yields a small amount (two 4-ounce jars), i did not give these a water bath - i am storing them in the fridge.

**note: both ina and martha use a chilled plate to test whether their jam has jelled.

a simple corn chowder

2010-02-26T05:17:00.000-08:00

the warm(ish) weather this past weekend turned my thoughts to spring and fresh produce! thinking of the soon-to-come fresh greens, i inventoried my remaining csa veggies.

this corn chowder used up those last two pounds of withering potatoes and the last wizened celery root hiding in the back of the crisper. i even, sadly, used up the last of the carrots that, blanched and frozen, had seen me through this long and cold winter.

the resulting soup is simple and refreshing.

1 teaspoon butter

1 medium onion - finely chopped

1/4 cup (approximately 1 slice) bacon - chopped

1 leek - white and light green part sliced

1/2 cup carrots - peeled and sliced

1/2-1/3 celery root - peeled and diced in 1/4 inch cubes

2 lbs potatoes - peeled and cut in 1/2 inch cubes

3 cups corn - kernels only (i used frozen)

2 bay leaves

4 cups stock (chicken or vegetable)

1-2 cups milk

salt & pepper

in large pot, melt butter over medium high heat, add onions and bacon and cook for 5-7 minutes. add leek, carrots and celery root and cook for 10 minutes (or until veggies are beginning to soften). salt and pepper to taste. add potatoes, corn, bay leaves and stock. lower heat to medium and cook until potatoes begin to soften (approx. 15 minutes). add milk and cook another 10 minutes (do not let soup boil once dairy has been added).

to thicken the soup, ladle 2 cups of soup into the food processor or blender, puree and add back to soup.

enjoy!

cookie takedown

2009-12-01T18:08:00.001-08:00

i'll be participating in another takedown. i think that cookies are going to be a lot easier than my prior takedown task.

suggestions, thoughts and support welcome!

nesting in brooklyn

2009-11-28T14:06:00.001-08:00

i'm now officially nesting in brooklyn

what i learned from my csa

2009-11-25T04:13:00.000-08:00

i had my last pickup from my csa last week and i was sad to see the season end. i've traveled the vegetable road from delicate spring greens to summer squash and, most recently, thanks to the cool and rainy weather here in the northeast, mounds and mounds of potatoes.

i'll admit that the mass of vegetables i received each week was initially overwhelming and i felt guilty each time i pulled a wilted veggie from the depths of my fridge. however, as the season progressed, i learned to take charge and control my csa share.

here's a quick list of what my first csa share taught me:

1. food is beautiful.

the variety of colors and shapes ready to be made into sustenance for my body was an amazing sight. my favorites were the rainbow swiss chard and the turnips (yes, turnips - their white and purple bodies topped with bright green are just gorgeous).

2. food is dirty.

most of us get our produce from a grocery aisle where the veggies line up like soldiers and are misted every 1.2 minutes for that perfect camera-ready sheen. the carrots are straight and unblemished (or bagged and smooth if you like those "baby" carrots) and the lettuce is bagged and triple washed.

my first csa pick-up was, to my surprise, dirty. there was actual, honest-to-goodness, d.i.r.t. on this food. it was a reality check for me and then it became a source of pride. i was happy to wash the dirt off of my veggies each week. my farmer had worked hard to coax these veggies to life in the dirt, and i was happy to wash it off.

3. food is not perfect.

yes, fresh produce is beautiful, but its not perfect. heads of lettuce had blemishes on them, my carrots weren't ruler straight, and my eggplant were sometimes misshapen. i realized, as i cleaned, cooked and ate through my share, perfection at the grocery store is only skin deep. my csa veggies had more depth and flavor than any grocery veggie could ever have.

4. the freezer is your friend.

i learned that i would not be able to eat each week's share within the week i received it. i blanched and froze greens, peppers and carrots. i made and froze pestos and soups. and, now, i'm looking forward to a winter of enjoying the remains of my csa.

5. it really does feel good to know where your food comes from.

hands down, i had a great csa. our farmer from stoneledge farm sent a update from the farm to csa members each week. i loved hearing about the preparations, the work and the hurdles. when our farmer told us that "late blight" had come to the farm and that there would be no tomatoes for the season, i was disappointed. however, my disappointment was tempered by the sadness you could sense in the farm's message. they had started seedlings in march, transplanted in may and staked the plants in june. until then, i had never truly appreciated the hard work that goes into caring for the food sources that come to my plate everyday.

~~~~~

if you live in nyc and want to join a csa, take a look at just food. if you're outside of nyc, wilson college has a searchable database of csa's.

the most delicious muffins in the world

2009-10-17T15:05:00.000-07:00

(i'm not exaggerating)

i so wish that i could take credit for this recipe, but, alas, kudos must go to the delicious life for her carrot muffins with cream cheese filling.

the only changes i made to the existing recipe were to omit the raisins and walnuts (i just don't like "surprises" in my baked goods) and to substitute confectioners sugar in the cream cheese filling portion.

these muffins were a hit at home and at work. they'll make you appear to be a cooking goddess.

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 cup sugar

3 eggs

2/3 cup vegetable oil

1 1/2 cups shredded carrots

cream cheese filling

4 oz cream cheese - softened

1 egg yolk

1/2 cup confectioner's sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

sift dry ingredients together. in a separate bowl, combine the carrots, egg, and oil and mix. add carrot mixture to the dry ingredients and mix well.

scoop mixture into greased (i used butter) mini-muffin tins. add dollop of cream cheese mixture to each muffin. bake for approx 25 minutes in a pre-heated 350 degree oven.

potato, leek and sorrel soup

2009-09-09T16:49:00.000-07:00

in an effort to use all of the veggies from my csa, i made a soup tonight that contains 4 different items from this week's haul. its turned out quite nicely, and i'm going to freeze most of it (sans dairy). the soup was complemented nicely with a hearty rye bread.

1 tablespoon butter

2 slices bacon - chopped

1 medium onion - diced

1/2 cup carrots - diced

1 leek - sliced

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon flour

1 quart chicken stock

1 cup water

1 lb potatoes - diced in 1 inch cubes

1 bunch red sorrel (seen at right) - cut off stems and slice thinly

2-3 sprigs summer savory

cream (approx 1 tablespoon to 1 cup soup)

parmesan - grated to top soup

melt butter in large pot, add bacon, onions, carrots and cumin. saute over medium-high heat until onions are translucent. add leeks and saute until leeks are soft. salt and pepper to taste. add flour, stirring constantly until flour dissipates into the mixture.

add chicken stock, water, potatoes and summer savory. cook over medium heat until potatoes are cooked approx halfway through. at this point, add the sorrel, salt and pepper to taste, and cook over medium heat until the potatoes are soft.

let soup cool and puree the mixture. prepare soup to order: cook over medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon cream per 1 cup soup (or more if desired). top with grated parmesan. enjoy!

veggie & goat cheese lasagna

2009-08-28T04:30:00.000-07:00

its been a fun summer (a little too fun for blogs posts) and i've been making good use of my csa veggies. just before taking a two week trip (food photos to come), i was becoming buried in summer squash. i also had to empty the fridge before the trip. this lasagna is a result of using only ingredients (excepting the noodles) that i already had in the fridge. the result was delicious.

3 cups marinara

3 lbs summer squash - sliced

1 cup onion - diced

2 leeks - sliced and sauted in 1 tablespoon butter

8 ounces ricotta

8 ounces goat cheese - room temperature

1 egg

2 tablespoons fresh parsley - chopped

bechamel sauce (1/2 cup butter, 1/3 cup flour, 1/4 cup cream)

8 ounces whole wheat lasanga noodles - cooked

to prepare bechamel sauce:

melt butter in sauce pan over medium heat, gradually add flour to melted butter, stirred constantly to blend flour into butter. once all flour has been blended, cook on low for 2-3 minutes. slowly add cream to mixture, and cook on low for 3-5 minutes. remove from heat, blend with 3 cups marinara (makes a pink-ish orange sauce).

to prepare squash:

in 1 tablespoon butter, saute diced onion until glistening. add squash, salt & pepper. saute for 3-5 minutes over medium heat (do not over cook).

to prepare cheese mixture:

add ricotta, goat cheese, parsley and egg; mix well

to layer lasagna:

spoon thin layer of marinara/bechamel sauce on the bottom of the pan and top with noodles, then layer, sauce, leeks, squash, cheese mixture, noodles, sauce, etc. top the casserole with cheese sauce. bake at 350 degree for 45 minutes to an hour. let cool, slice and enjoy!

slightly southern swiss chard

2009-06-29T13:49:00.000-07:00

i originally crafted this recipe for the mustard greens that came in my last csa pickup. from growing up in the rural south, i was familiar with cooked greens (collards, mustard and turnip greens), but i hadn't cooked with them before. as a dutiful cook, i began with the basics. about these greens, mark bittman, merely said that they were a green of the South that are "traditionally boiled to death with smoked meat." i turned to one of my southern culinary gurus, mama dip.

this recipe is a compromise between my southern tastebuds and my desire to keep the nutrients and integrity of the fresh greens.

i found my adaptation worked very well with rainbow swiss chard (i didn't even have to blanche it first).

1/4 yellow onion - finely chopped

3 slices bacon - diced while raw

1 bunch swiss chard (or other green - the heartier the green, the longer the cooking time)

1/8 chicken stock (water will do)

dash red pepper flakes (to taste)

salt and pepper

in large saucepan saute onions, add salt and pepper, add chopped bacon and cook over medium high heat until bacon is crispy. add swiss chard, stock, and red pepper. cook uncovered over medium heat until chard is wilted and stock evaporates (5-7 minutes). serve over polenta (see below). note: in the photo, i have more liquid than i would have liked, thus i reduced the amount to add for the recipe. however, the rainbow chard is just so pretty, i couldn't resist showing it cooking.

2 cups chicken stock

1 teaspoon butter

1/4 cup tomatoes - diced

3/4 to 1 cup quick-cooking polenta (more or less depending on how thick you like your polenta)

1/4 cup mozzarella cheese (or whichever you like, a white cheddar also works nicely)

salt and pepper

add stock, butter and tomatoes to a large sauce pan. bring to simmer. slowly stir in polenta. turn heat off, add cheese and stir until blended.

cooking away my csa

2009-06-20T07:17:00.000-07:00

i've joined cooking away my csa, a group of food bloggers who will be sharing their csa-product recipes at least once a week on their blogs. thanks to flour girl for creating this group - its a great way to make sure that we all get the most out of our csas.

eating well magazine will be posting some of the recipes as well.

bok choi & pork stir fry

2009-06-18T05:27:00.000-07:00

springtime csa produce is primarily greenery - which means a.lot.of.salads. i was pleased, however, to get bok choi this week and last night i made a tasty stir fry. its budget friendly and good for you!

1 lb pork - cut all fat away, cut into 1/2 inch cubes (marinate pork in 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 teaspoon olive oil and cracked pepper for approx 1 hour)

1 teaspoon peanut oil (or other vegetable oil)

1 small onion

1/2 cup carrots - sliced thinly

1 garlic scape - diced (or 1 clove garlic)

1 tablespoon fresh ginger - diced

1/2 teaspoon chili garlic sauce (aka rooster sauce!)

1 head bok choi - sliced in 1 inch sections

1 teaspoon lemon juice

in large skillet (or wok, if you're lucky), saute onions in peanut oil over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes. add pork and marinade, cook for 5-7 minutes or until pork is brown on all sides, add ginger, carrots, garlic scape, and chili garlic sauce, toss over medium-high heat for 3-5 minutes, add bok choi and lemon juice and toss until the bok choi is slightly wilted.

serve over rice. enjoy!

bounty from the farm

2009-06-16T16:01:00.000-07:00

today marks the second week of gathering fresh veggies from my csa. last week's bounty included red leaf lettuce, mizuna, arugula, and a small bunch of radishes. i dragged all of this from new york to ocracoke island, and used the radishes to make a delicious simple relish for some freshly caught fish that we grilled (recipe below).

this week (seen at right) the farm delivered bok choi, buttercrunch lettuce, mustard greens, and garlic scapes.

its looking like a great summer already.

simple radish relish

1 bunch radish - diced (approx 1/4 cup)

1/2 large cucumber - peeled and diced (approx 1/4 cup)

1/2 small red onion - diced (approx 1/8 cup)

1/2 lime - juiced

1 teaspoon vinegar (i used apple cider because that was the only one available)

1 teaspoon olive oil

dash sugar

salt & pepper

mix all ingredients and marinate for at least 4 hours. overnight is best.

goodbye fried chicken, hello fried rice!

2009-05-19T08:37:00.000-07:00

* simple supper series *

when i make rice for a dish, i always make extra so that the following evening, i'll have leftover rice for this dish. i toss in whatever produce and protein i have lying around (the recipe below is based on what i had in my fridge tonight). its not so much a true fried rice as it is a chinese-takeout inspired rice pilaf. the best part is that its nearly as fast as ordering take-out and its even more satisfying.

1 medium onion - finely chopped

1/4 cup carrot - diced

1/2 cup broccoli - chopped

handful frozen corn niblets

1/2 cup protein (chicken, pork, beef, tofu - whatever you have leftover in the fridge) - cubed

1-2 eggs - scrambled, cooked, and chopped

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon olive oil

2-3 tablespoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce (optional - if you want a spicy kick)

2 cups cooked rice (brown or white)

heat large saute pan over medium-high heat. add olive and sesame oils. once oil is hot, add the onions and carrots. cook 5-7 minutes over medium heat until the veggies are nearly cooked through. add remainder of veggies, protein, soy sauce and garlic sauce. saute for 3-5 minutes and then add rice. at this point, it depends on how "fried" you want your rice. mix the rice and veggie mix well, toss in the scrambled egg, and cook over medium-high heat until rice is heated through (another 5-7 minutes).

(title of post taken from a dave chappelle skit)

urban gardening

2009-05-18T17:12:00.001-07:00

(basil, mint and thyme)

cupcake cookoff at union pool

2009-05-12T05:30:00.000-07:00

i went to the third annual cupcake cookoff hosted by the brooklyn kitchen last evening. there were sixty entries that ranged from banana cupcakes with peanut butter frosting topped with bacon bits, to vanilla citrus cake with mascarpone frosting, to mexican hot chocolate cupcakes.

my favorite, aesthetically, was a vanilla cupcake with strawberry frosting topped with bluebirds and ladybugs (at left) by cake hero. she got my vote. i also really liked the 24-carat cupcake (at right). this was a carrot cake cupcake with cream cheese frosting.

cupcakes aside, my favorite part about the event was that all proceeds benefited the greenpoint soup kitchen.

(below: creamsicle cupcakes & mexican hot chocolate cupcake)

chicken marsala with fried zucchini

2009-05-07T16:19:00.000-07:00

my friend taylor makes the best chicken marsala. i've been begging him to send his recipe to me for months. alas, he hasn't, so i improvised based on observation and taste. below is the result. taylor (seen at right enjoying . . . something) always serves his chicken marsala with breaded zucchini, and who am i to break tradition?

chicken marsala

2 chicken breasts - pounded flat (to approx 1/2 inch thickness)

1/2 cup onions - finely chopped

1 1/2 - 2 cups mushrooms - sliced

1/4 cup (or more) marsala wine (ironically, taylor always uses the "taylor" brand - its also the cheapest)

1/4 cup scallions - sliced

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

enough all-purpose flour to lightly coat chicken

pre-cooking prep: after pounding chicken breasts, pat dry, rub down with salt and pepper and lightly coat in flour.

place olive oil in medium-hot skillet (large enough for the chicken breasts to lie flat). add onions and saute until onions are soft (5-7 minutes). add butter, raise heat and add mushrooms. saute over medium-high, adding marsala wine if the mushrooms get dry. cook for approx 7-10 minutes. add chicken, more marsala and brown chicken on both sides. salt and pepper dish to taste as you cook. just before chicken is fully cooked (10 minutes or so), add the scallions, allow to slightly cook (3-5 minutes). remove from heat, rest 5-7 minutes, serve.

fried zucchini

2 cups zucchini - thinly sliced

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons finely ground bread crumbs

2 tablespoons onion - finely chopped (or grated)

3-4 tablespoons parmesan or pecorino cheese (grated)

salt & pepper to taste

add above ingredients to a large mixing bowl. toss until breadcrumbs and cheese are evenly distributed amongst the zucchini. saute over medium heat until zucchini are cooked through (or longer if you want them crispy). the zucchini can also be baked at 375 for 15-20 minutes.

the notorious PIG

2009-03-30T08:34:00.000-07:00

i'm so exhausted from spending the weekend making 300 bacon meatball stuffed bacon biscuits, that i can't even write something clever here.

however, i do want to provide the recipe and let you know that you can see clips of the takedown on good morning america's website! my dish is the one named the notorious PIG.

meatballs
4 ounces button mushrooms - chopped
1/2 medium onion - finely chopped
1 tablespoon butter
dash cayenne pepper
1 lb ground pork
6 ounces bacon - cooked and crumbled
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 tablespoons fresh parsley - finely chopped
1 egg
1/2 cup finely ground breadcrumbs

in saute pan, melt butter over medium-low heat and add onions. salt and pepper onions and cook 5 minutes. add dash cayenne and mix well. turn heat to medium-high, add mushrooms and cook another 5-7 minutes.

in large bowl, combine cooked mushrooms with all ingredients, except the breadcrumbs. mix gently until everything is incorporated together, then mix the breadcrumbs into the mixture.

roll into quarter sized balls. stuff with cream cheese (see below).

cream cheese
4 ounces cream cheese - softened
1 tablespoon chives - finely chopped
2 cloves garlic - roasted
2-3 tablespoons bacon - cooked and crumbled.

mix all ingredients together until well blended. refridgerate to harden before stuffing into meatballs (its easier to stuff with cold rather than softened cream cheese).

once the meatballs are stuffed, sear them in a saute pan until all sides are browned. drain on a paper towel. wrap in biscuit dough (click here for my biscuit dough recipe - one batch should cover all of the meatballs), brush tops with an egg wash, and bake in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for 20 minutes. yields approx 12 delicious biscuit wrapped meatballs.

enjoy!

countdown to the takedown

2009-03-28T08:13:00.001-07:00

the brooklyn bacon takedown is tomorrow. there's been quite a bit of press about the event, and i'm a little nervous about feeding the crowds. nevertheless, my fridge is full and i'm determined to have 300 of my bacon tidbits by tomorrow afternoon.

spring!

2009-03-23T05:23:00.000-07:00

it may have snowed on friday and it may be 25 degrees this morning, but spring is definitely here. i spotted these crocuses on a long walk yesterday.

lentil soup

2009-03-14T14:45:00.001-07:00

i've received a couple of requests for this soup (and i hear its a rainy day down in north carolina), so even though i'm hopeful that our cozy soup days will soon be behind us, i thought i'd post this recipe.

i developed this last winter when i couldn't find any lentil soup recipes that i liked:

2-3 slices bacon

1-2 tablespoons butter

1 medium onion - finely copped

1 clove garlic - diced

1 stalk celery - diced

1 medium carrot - peeled and diced

2 plum tomatoes - diced

1 teaspoon cumin

dash red pepper flakes

2 bay leaves

1 tablespoon red wine/worcestershire sauce

1 cup lentils - rinsed and picked through

3-3 1/2 cups chicken (or veggie) stock

1-1 1/2 cups water

in large soup pot, melt one tablespoon butter under medium-low heat. chop bacon and add to pot. cook bacon over medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes. add onion, garlic, celery, carrot, cumin, red pepper flakes and bay leaves (add the other tablespoon of butter if you need to). cook over medium heat until veggies are soft (approx 7-10 minutes). salt and pepper to taste as the veggies cook. add one tomato (reserve other) and one tablespoon red wine (or worcestershire sauce, or both!) to mixture. mix in lentils and chicken stock. stir well and cook until lentils are done - 20-30 minutes. add water or chicken stock as the soup cooks depending upon how thick you want your soup.

serve with a sprinkling of the raw diced tomato on top (chives are also a nice addition). i also like to eat mine with a nice hunk of homemade whole wheat bread, but the lentils are filling enough that you certainly don't need that.

food rut

2009-03-10T15:22:00.000-07:00

occasionally, i get in a food rut: i don't feel like cooking, i don't know what i want to eat, and i feel generally uninspired about food. i'm chalking that current feeling up to the switch in seasons.

i am excited about getting off the wait list for a neighborhood csa. the farm that supplies the csa looks so pretty, and i immediately began fantasizing about making a day trip to visit my veggies.

i'll be getting a weekly supply of fresh veg and i anticipate that making sure i don't let anything go to waste will be a challenge. however, if anything is going to get me out of this food rut its the weekly sample list of what the farm will likely produce!

bacon takedown!!

2009-02-25T15:06:00.000-08:00

i am super excited to announce that i'll be a contestant in the brooklyn bacon takedown!!!!! the takedown will take place on march 29 at the beer hall in williamsburg. details are above. i am currently in recipe development - any thoughts, ideas, brainstorms or requests are welcome.

fish curry

2009-02-21T16:36:00.000-08:00

at my requests, the boy is making fish curry for dinner tonight. live, from brooklyn, its fish curry!

2 stalks celery

1 small-medium red onion

1 small red pepper

1 scallion

2 thin carrots

1 shallot

2 cloves garlic

1 teaspoon fresh parsley

2 14 oz cans coconut milk

3 tablespoons curry powder (he used madras)

1/4 teaspoon coriander seeds - crushed

1/4 teaspoon cumin

dash fish sauce

teaspoon fresh ginger - diced

3 medium red potatoes - cut into bite sized pieces

1 1/2 cups sugar peas

1/2 cup cherry tomatoes - halved

1/2 stalk lemongrass

1 lime - juiced

1 pound white fish (we got some really good looking dover sole in chinatown today)

chop the veggies and saute in large pot with 2 tablespoons butter for 5-7 minutes. salt and pepper to taste.

keeping burner on medium-low heat, add coconut milk, curry powder, coriander, fish sauce, and cumin. then add ginger, potatoes, snow peas and tomatoes. place stalk of lemongrass in the pan. salt and pepper to taste again. let simmer for 10 minutes and prepare the fish in a separate pan (saute in bit of oil with salt, pepper and juice of 1/ 2 lime). add fish to curry, add remaining lime juice, and let cook down a bit (another 15-20 minutes). serve over rice, garnish with fresh cilantro and enjoy!

oops! forgot to mention the spiciness - he added 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes and a teaspoon of chili-garlic sauce.

urban composting

2009-02-20T04:58:00.001-08:00

something i've lamented since moving to new york is the lack of opportunity to compost my food waste. a year or so ago, i looked around for a location, within manhattan, where i could drop off my weekly waste. i was sure that i would find something in central park but didn't, and so composting in new york seemed impossible.

i thought very briefly about the options for indoor composting in yesterday's article in the times. and, i just don't think i'm hardcore enough. i also know, that despite her unwavering support for my hippie ways, an indoor composting system would kill L.

i see two different possible scenarios: the smell, wafting up to her hyper-sensitive nose, would simply strike her dead, or an errant worm, escaped from his compost nest, would wriggle his way towards her, causing immediate heart failure on her part.

best laid plans

2009-02-14T06:30:00.000-08:00

(not a valentine's day joke . . . well, maybe a little bit)

last night, i was way too grumpy to blog this, but as always morning brings perspective. i had decided to make cookies for the boy for valentine's day. i conceived a very pretty dried cherry and white chocolate drop cookie and decided that it would be tasty and pretty with the red and white. i planned on using a regular chocolate chip cookie recipe and then subbing the cherries and white chocolate - makes sense, no?

so, after work, i set off upon my dried cherry/white chocolate mission. i went to my neighborhood go-to for all things fancy and was dismayed to find that not only were the dried cherries the color of rust (not the bright red i fancied), they were dried with some chemical process. the dried cranberries sitting next to them were just the right color and were naturally dried, so i decided to go with that. on to the chocolate! and there was none.

so, i put the cranberries away and went to my regular grocery. there, the cranberries were dull and the white chocolate was only in bar form. at this point, it was getting late, i was overly frustrated and deep inside, i knew that the boy would actually prefer old-fashioned chocolate chip cookies. i left empty handed, and here i am this morning, making cookies without a pretty valentine's theme.

oh well.

carolina blue biscuits

2009-02-12T14:31:00.000-08:00

well, they're not actually blue, but i'm posting this recipe in honor of carolina's win over rat face last night. biscuits for basketball, you ask? well, when i lived in chapel hill, a certain southern fast food joint offered great biscuit deals. their biscuits are lovely and sweet tea divine. . .

but, on to my biscuits:

2 cups all purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt (i use kosher salt)

1 teaspoon sugar

1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter

3/4 cup buttermilk

mix dry ingredients with spoon. butter should be cold, but not too cold (i like to let it sit out of the fridge for 15-30 minutes before using). cut stick in half lengthwise and then slice both halves into pats of butter. mix butter into dry mixture. i use my hands for this and i think it produces the best biscuits. if you've got a fancy mixer, feel free to use it, but i really think that handmade biscuits taste the best. mix butter and flour until butter is incorporated (there will still be plenty of loose flour, but all of the butter will be pea sized and completely flour covered). add buttermilk. mix in with a (wooden) spoon. you can try to completely mix it with your spoon or with the aforementioned fancy mixer. however, i again have to plug the hand mixing method. its messy, but it really gets you delicious biscuits.

also, i totally don't roll my biscuits. i shape them (as you would shape a mini-meatloaf or a meatball). i know this may seem sacrilegious to some, but its just how i do it.

coat the tops with an egg wash and bake at 375. length of cooking depends on what size you make your biscuits (i make monsters and minis). basically, you want the tops and the bottoms to be golden brown.

fun additions:

goat cheese

cheddar cheese

chives

parsley

rosemary

curry time

2009-02-07T08:40:00.000-08:00

i had been in the mood to try a new soup when epicurious posted a curried butternut squash and lentil soup as its recipe of the week. i bookmarked it, made sure i had plenty of broth in the freezer and made my first trip to kalustyan's.

i don't know which was more fun: exploring kalustyan's shelves or making the soup. this picture reflects only a portion of the shelves of spices in the store.

as for the soup, it turned out better than i expected. i made a few alterations to the recipe: i didn't add the ginger. to be honest, i didn't add the ginger because i had forgotten to pick it up. when i realized i didn't have ginger, i just couldn't go back outside because, y'all, its cold up here in new york. but, after completion, i was happy that i didn't have the ginger. i think it would have added a little too much sweetness to the soup.

i only added 1 quart (4 cups) of liquid - 3 cups chicken broth and 1 cup water. i also added a teaspoon of cumin and a tablespoon of white wine.

i topped the soup with the cilantro oil. i also topped the soup with butternut squash seeds that i toasted in harissa - spicy, tangy and crispy - they were a perfect topping.

fried chicken for shaina

2009-02-03T14:47:00.001-08:00

one of my favorite things in the world is feeding those that i love. that's why when i got an email today from a good friend on the west coast requesting my fried chicken, it made me sad that i couldn't just up and fly to make it for her. sorry, this is the best i can do...

soak raw chicken in buttermilk (8 hours to overnight) in the fridge (!)

remove chicken from fridge 30 to 45 minutes before breading and cooking

when you're ready to bread the chicken, prepare three shallow dishes:

one with plain all-purpose flour (add some salt and pepper)

one with scrambled egg wash (i add a little water to the eggs as i scramble them)

one with an even mixture of all-purpose flour, finely ground bread crumbs, healthy dose of ground cumin, a little paprika, and salt and pepper

before removing chicken from buttermilk prepare medium sized skillet or pan with approximately an inch of canola or vegetable oil (oil will not cover chicken), and turn onto medium heat.

remove chicken from buttermilk and let drain. dredge first in plain flour mixture, then egg wash (let wash drip off a bit), and then the flour/bread crumb mixture.

gently add chicken to oil and fry until outside is golden brown, flipping once to fry on both sides - approx 5 minutes on each side. do not crowd chicken in pan. if necessary, fry in batches.

i've found that boneless chicken (i.e. chicken fingers or strips) are easier and pretty popular. yes, you lose a little flavor from not cooking on the bone, but i don't miss it too much. if you are cooking chicken on the bone, you'll want to put the chicken in a 350 degree oven after frying to cook the rest of the way.

superbowl meatballs (aka superballs)!!

2009-02-02T14:34:00.000-08:00

a very brave friend of mind hosted a superbowl party in her home one week before her due date. i ate myself silly and i actually watched the game.

my contribution to the evening were mini-meatball subs. i made the meatballs and sauce at home and took sliced mozzarella and sliced sub rolls over. for homemade marinara, i follow a basic recipe like the oh-so-sexy giada's, but i usually add a dollop of honey to cut the acidity and some red pepper flakes for a bit of heat.

the meatball recipe is my own, but just like everyone else's . . .

1 pound ground chicken or turkey

1 small onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, roasted or sauteed in oil (anything to cut the sharpness), chopped

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 tablespoons fresh parsley

2 tablespoons fresh basil

1 egg

1/2 cup (approx) finely ground breadcrumbs

mix the above (hands are best) until ingredients bind together. pre-heat skillet on medium heat with minimal amounts of oil (olive or vegetable). at the same time, have marinara sauce simmering on low heat. roll meat mixture into balls and sear on all sides. place seared balls into marinara to finish cooking through. enjoy right away or later. these also freeze well.

of snausages and scarves

2009-02-01T08:56:00.000-08:00

well, just one scarf actually - i'm almost finished with the scarf for my mom's birthday. will post a pic of the completed project, but in the meantime, here's one of the detailing....

also, this is all over blogs and the paper, but i just couldn't resist posting about the BACON EXPLOSION

this looks so amazing. i already talked to my neighbor, downstairs dan, and this baby is going into his smoker out back as soon as we get a nice weekend day in new york.

knitting

2009-01-24T14:52:00.000-08:00

i didn't intend for this blog to focus solely on cooking. however, over the holidays, i was in overdrive on the cooking end of things. lately, i've been able to make time for other fun nesting activities -- namely knitting.

the knitting girls and i are making a baby blanket for a close friend. i finished my first square this week:

no, we are not making a brown baby blanket -- we're making a patchwork of dark pink, light pink, cream and this brown. we're each making four 9 by 9 squares and are going to seam the pieces together and possibly knit and seam a border.

i've heard that group knitting projects can be hard because everyone knits at different tension levels. we're committed to making a lovely homemade gift for our motherfriend-to-be, and i don't think she'll mind at all if its a bit wonky.

"bolognese" sauce

2009-01-23T17:37:00.000-08:00

when the knitting girls came over last march, i made a pork roast. a had enough left over that i had to do something other than have sandwiches, so i made "bolognese" sauce. i jotted the recipe down in my journal and forgot about it until recently. it was a great way to use leftover bits of meat.

1 medium onion (chopped)

2 cloves garlic (finely chopped)

2 small carrots (chopped)

1 stalk celery (chopped)

1 cup pork loin (chopped)

1/2 cup raw bacon (chopped)

1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme

1/2 teaspoon fresh rosemary

1/2 teaspoon fresh sage

1 can tomato paste

1 cup red wine

1-2 cups stock (chicken or veal)

salt and pepper to taste

saute the onion, garlic, carrots and celery in olive oil until veggies are semi-soft. add pork, bacon, and herbs and cook on medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes. add tomato paste and cook for 3-5 more minutes. add wine and stock. reduce heat and cook uncovered so that it will reduce for 1 1/2 hours. add more stock if sauce becomes too thick. salt and pepper to taste throughout cooking process.

serve over pasta.

asian-inspired beef salad

2009-01-18T16:56:00.001-08:00

all this snow is helping me finally begin to post some of the new year's recipes.

this is a very unprofessional photo of the salad, which was, despite its appearance, quite delicious.

my inspiration for this salad was one that i had at a restaurant in my neighborhood. i know i'm biased, but i liked the one i made even more....

salad

bibb lettuce

fresh mint

1 green apple

1/2 small red onion

tear medium-sized leaves of bibb to desired salad amount. slice small handful mint. finely slice green apple and onion. mix ingredients well. top with dressing and beef.

salad dressing

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

1/8 teaspoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon fresh ginger - finely chopped

1 teaspoon (approx) fresh mint - finely chopped

1 teaspoon (approx) fresh cilantro - finely chopped

salt and pepper to taste

olive oil to taste

whisk together all ingredients except olive oil. slowly whisk in olive oil to mixture until dressing meets desired consistency. i don't like oily salads, so i don't add more than 1/4 cup or so of olive oil.

also, i dislike overdressed salads, so when making this salad for two, i probably used less than half of what the above dressing yielded. but, it makes for lovely leftover dressing or marinade.

beef

1 lb. flank steak

2 tablespoons cup rice wine vinegar

2 tablespoons olive oil

dash sesame oil (not too much, its strong)

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon fresh ginger - finely chopped

2 cloves garlic - finely chopped

small handful mint - finely chopped

small handful cilantro - finely chopped

salt and pepper to taste

whisk together vinegar, oils, and ginger soy sauce. add ginger, garlic, mint and cilantro. mix well and pour over steak. marinate 4 hours to overnight. remove beef from refrigeration at least 30 minutes prior to cooking. sear to desired temperature (as the picture suggests, i prefer rare to medium rare). let rest before slicing. top the salad the with sliced beef.

enjoy!

cold and snowy weekend cream of broccoli soup

2009-01-11T12:46:00.000-08:00

this weekend was a bit of a nasty one - weather wise. so this morning, when i had bacon that was nearing the end of its life, i decided to make soup (i love using bacon in my soup bases).

the boy requested broccoli soup and here's the result...

2 tablespoons butter

2-3 slices bacon - chopped

2 shallots - finely diced

1/4 cup flour

1/2 cup water or stock

1 stalk celery - chopped

1 medium carrot - chopped

1/2 yellow onion - chopped

1/4 teaspoon cumin

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper powder

pinch sugar

2 bunches broccoli - cut up

1-2 cups chicken or other stock

1/2 cup half & half

4 ounces white cheddar

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

salt and pepper

melt butter in large pot (large enough for your soup). add bacon and shallots. cook for 5-7 minutes, slowly add flour and water, stirring continuously as you add the flour. add celery, carrot, onion, pinch sugar and cumin. add salt and pepper to taste. make sure the mixture is covered in liquid and cook until veggies are soft - approximately 10-15 minutes. add broccoli and chicken stock. cover pot and cook until broccoli is soft - approximately 10-15 minutes. take mixture off the burner and with an immersion blender (this is the easiest way, you can also do in food processor, but that can be dangerous with a hot mixture), blend until mixture is liquified. add half & half, nutmeg, and cheese and place back on burner and cook until cheese is melted.

top with homemade croutons and crumbled bacon - enjoy!

bad blogger

2009-01-04T14:07:00.000-08:00

i haven't been writing here, but i've certainly been cooking a lot. i've got recipes on various scraps of paper and promise to put them up soon.

as a teaser, i'm listing my new year's eve and day menu below.

new year's eve picnic:

homemade chicken nuggets

mini buttermilk biscuits

cheddar and apple slices

new year's day extravaganza:

lunch

white chili with homemade salsa

dinner

bacon wrapped scallops

beef salad (actually quite delicious, despite this terrible name. i'll try to think of something when i post the recipe)

lamb chops served with wilted kale and a sunchoke puree

chocolate gourmandise

blue cheese and walnut "crackers"

2008-12-17T15:31:00.000-08:00

i made these blue cheese and walnut "crackers" (they really seem more of a savory cookie) for a friend's holiday brunch this weekend. i dearly love the contessa and like most everything she does.

based on the comments made regarding the recipe, i decided to wait to add salt towards the end. when i tasted the nearly-complete dough, i decided that the crackers didn't need salt. i believe it was the right decision.

i made the dough the night beforehand and chilled the log over night. in the morning, i sliced the decidedly blue crackers and baked them. they browned nicely on both sides (after a flip halfway through cooking) and were a total hit at the party. people having bloody mary's were especially appreciative. i think the acid from the tomato juice complemented theses savories nicely.

made with love

2008-12-17T15:06:00.000-08:00

the boy got home from a two-week visit to vietnam on sunday. i told him i would have dinner ready for him when he got home from the airport and he requested "american" food.

the following recipe resulted in a delicious beef stew that i served over mashed potatoes. i cooked this for a really long time (nearly 7 hours). the result was a very rich and flavorful dish. you can sacrifice cooking time, but the meat won't be as tender and tasty.

first stage:

3 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

1 shallot - finely chopped

1/8 cup red wine

2 lbs chuck stew beef - cut into cubes

1-1/2 cups water

1/8 teaspoon cloves

1/8 teaspoon coriander

salt and pepper to taste

in large pot, melt 2 tablespoons butter on medium-low heat. slowly add flour, stirring to blend as you add the flour. once flour is incorporated into the butter (you want the mixture to be reasonably thick), add the shallot and wine. cook on medium heat until shallot softens (7-9 minutes).

put shallot mixture into a reserve bowl. melt 1 tablespoon butter and place salted beef cubes in the pot. brown well on both sides. add the shallot mixture, cloves, and coriander to the pot and cover beef with water. simmer, uncovered, on low heat for 1-2 hours - until beef is tender. (note: make sure when simmering uncovered, that water does not completely evaporate). remove beef from pot, let cool, and then shred and remove any excess fat.

second stage:

1 tablespoon butter

2 medium carrots - sliced

1 medium onion - chopped

1/8 cup wine

2 cups chicken stock (or beef or veggie stock, i just had chicken on hand)

1/8 teaspoon cloves

1/8 teaspoon coriander

1 bay leaf

salt and pepper to taste

melt butter in the same pot, add carrots and onion and cook on medium-high heat for 10-15 minutes. add wine, cloves, coriander, salt and pepper and bay leaf. add shredded beef and chicken stock. let simmer on low heat for 3-4 hours. the liquid should reduce and the mixture will thicken.

serve over mashed potatoes or cous-cous.

best sugar cookie recipe, ever.

2008-12-13T13:19:00.000-08:00

sugar cookies and christmas go together. every year my mother and sister and i would cut out the cookies and decorate them with colored sugar. there was always one problem: after only moments out of the fridge, the dough would stick (to the rolling pin, the cutting board, our hands, everywhere). we'd try different recipes, different methods, and still, the sticking problem persisted.

a number of years ago, i tried the following recipe and it is truly the best sugar cookie recipe ever. it is, predictably, from my girl martha.

1 cup unsalted butter

2 cups sugar

2 large eggs

4 and 2/3 cups all-purpose flour (plus more for work surface)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup buttermilk

with electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. sift dry ingredients and gradually blend into the sugar/egg mixture, alternating with the buttermilk.

wrap dough in plastic and chill until firm. martha suggests 1 hour to overnight. i generally chill this dough overnight. it also freezes well.

heat oven to 350 degrees. on floured surface, roll dough out to approximately 1/8 inch thick. cut into desired shapes. bake until just golden but not too brown - about 10 minutes.

favorite chicken salad

2008-12-09T18:01:00.001-08:00

this chicken salad is a favorite amongst my friends. as you'll see, its a different kind of chicken salad.

when i make this for dinner, whether for friends or for myself, i serve it with a diced cucumber and tomato salad, crusty bread, and brie. to me, these things go together in a manner that cannot be questioned.

enjoy.

2 medium-large chicken breasts -- cooked through (i prefer baking versus boiling)

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 small-medium onion, finely chopped

1/2 cup almond slivers

1/2 cup (or more to taste) mayonaise

1/2 cup parmesan cheese (reserve 1/4 for topping)

1/2 lemon - juiced

1/2 cup fried onions

salt and pepper to taste

generally, i take two chicken breasts, rub them in salt, pepper and olive oil and bake them at 375 in the oven for approximately 45 minutes. after cooling, i shred the chicken and mix with the onion, celery and almonds. i like to add the oil/juice that accumulates while roasting the chicken. this adds a bit more moisture. i then add the mayo, lemon juice, and half of the parm to the mixture. mix well and then place in flat baking dish. sprinkle top with fried onions and remaining parmesan. bake at 325 for 20 minutes.

recession chili

2008-12-07T11:40:00.000-08:00

its "snowing" here in new york (i think i saw a flake or two float by my window earlier) so i decided to make chili. i, like many other people, have become slightly obsessed with the state of our economy and, after spending a chunk of change on dinner last night, decided to make this particular batch of chili with an eye towards thrift.

so, along with the recipe, i'll document the costs. these are manhattan grocery prices, which tend to be really high, but my neighborhood grocery store has decent weekly sales. with sale items and the spices i have at home, i made this batch of chili that will make at least 6-8 servings for less than seven dollars.

1 lb ground beef (in the interest of economy, i used ground chuck - $3.11)

1/2 large onion - finely chopped

1 28 ounce can whole or diced tomatoes in puree (on sale at .99 per can)

1 8 ounce can tomato sauce (.89 per can)

1 can pinto beans (.75 per can)

1 can white kidney beans (.75 per can)

1 cup chicken stock (homemade - i make in one cup batches and freeze)

1 tablespoon (or more) chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon paprika

1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce

1 bay leaf

salt and pepper to taste

in large pot, brown meat and onions together. add the cumin and half of the paprika along with salt and pepper to meat/onion mixture while browning. once meat is cooked through, add remaining ingredients, salt and pepper to taste. simmer on low heat, adding chili powder to taste (this is where the "or more" part comes in) as it cooks. i like to slow cook my chili for at least 3-4 hours. definitely a sunday afternoon kind of project.

i rinse beans before putting them in the chili -- i don't like the extra thickness you get from the starch in canned beans. but, i generally like a less-thick chili, thus the chicken stock. if you want something thicker, don't rinse the beans, eliminate the chicken stock, or add another can of beans.

serve over cornbread or with whatever chili fixins you like.

homemade cranberry sauce

2008-11-29T11:03:00.001-08:00

if you're like me, your childhood thanksgiving included cranberry sauce straight from the can. i accepted this as the only cranberry sauce that one had on thanksgiving. when i "grew up," i had thanksgiving at a friends house. he made a cranberry sauce from (gasp) real cranberries. his concoction was a bit too sweet (i couldn't get over the cloying taste of the grand marnier) and had a bit too much going on for me (raisins, walnuts, etc.). but, i happily copied down his recipe and below is my adaptation.

its simple and refreshing and its almost as easy as opening a can . . .

Homemade Cranberry Sauce

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

1 12 ounce bag of fresh cranberries

1/2 lemon - juiced

a bit of lemon zest

1/2 orange - juiced

1 medium apple - chopped

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 cup brandy (optional)

Combine water and sugar in saucepan on medium-high heat on the stovetop. Stir occasionally until sugar is completely dissolved. Add remaining ingredients and turn heat to medium. Stir frequently. Cook until cranberries and apples are soft -- approximately 20 to 30 minutes.

a weekend of culinary delights (and disasters)

2008-03-25T16:07:00.000-07:00

the knitting girls came over on friday night for an evening of good food, wine and chatting (and knitting!). the menu consisted of a shrimp ceviche with a roasted red pepper spread for snacking and then a pork roast with sweet potato gnocchi and sauteed brussel sprouts for dinner, and strawberry jam filled sugar cookies for dessert.

thursday evening i started with the sugar cookies -- they were the easiest for me since i've been using this recipie for years (thanks martha!). the ceviche was next and was fun to make (when is it not fun to chop up pretty ingredients and mix them together). for some reason, i left the gnocchi for last. even with help from my trusty sous chef, i was up until 12:30 being a gnocchi monkey.

on friday i picked up a four pound pork roast from one of my favorite local butchers and some crusty bread for the ceviche and spread along with a pound or so of brussel sprouts from my yuppie grocery store. (note: despite its yuppie-ness i love this store, probably because i've banned myself from its more over-priced counterpart.)

i wasn't thrilled with the gnocchi -- i sauteed them in butter and sage and probably should have let them brown quite a bit more. i blame this on my wine-ing and gossiping while fixing that portion of the dinner. i'm going to work on the recipie, and hopefully will provide it at some point down the road.

the hit of the evening was definitely the red pepper spread, and i loved the ceviche, so below, find the recipies:

Shrimp Ceviche

1 pound shrimp, cooked, shelled, deveined, and chopped
1 medium shallot, finely diced
1/2 fennel bulb, finely diced
1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped
1/8 cup fennel fronds, finely chopped
1 and 1/2 teaspoons orange zest
1 and 1/2 lemons, juiced
1/2 medium orange, juiced
1 teaspoon honey
olive oil to bind (probably 1/4 cup, but add it slowly until you're happy)
salt and pepper to taste

Mix all above ingredients, let marinate overnight, and serve with any sort of chip or bread! Serves 4-6 people for appetizers.

Roasted Red-Pepper Spread
1 red pepper, roasted, skinned and de-seeded
1 medium shallot, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon fennel fronds
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Chop red pepper into sections. Sautee shallot with fennel fronds. Place pepper, shallot and fennel fronds in food processor, add salt and pepper and roughly chop ingredients. Add olive oil, one tablespoon at a time, to the food processor, chop between additions.

Notes: I liked this roughly chopped and so I didn't over process the mixture. If you want a finer spread or a more dip-like substance then whirl away, and you may want to add more olive oil than I did. Also, this dish was really popular (more so than the ceviche) -- one red pepper doesn't make much, so I recommend doubling the recipie. 4 of us demolished the spread pretty quickly.

One more note, I really think that roasting your own peppers is important. They taste better than the jarred stuff, and its not hard to do at all. If you want to learn how, just email.

xxoo
h