pi on my mind

Well, folks, today is the one week anniversary of Pi Day, also known as the date 03/14.

[thank you Miss Spont]

As a result, I'm gonna go back in time here--back a week--to tell you about how I celebrated the glorious number 3.14...


Today's menu:

Mini Quiche Lorraines
Maple Syrup Pie


When I first realized that Pi Day was upon me I immediately got to thinking about pies. That was an entire week before the holiday came around...

Hey, I love pie. So so much. Any excuse to think about pies and make pies is always welcome.

Eventually, I came up with some ideas. I didn't want Pi Day to only celebrate those pies that are sweet, so I decided to extend the pie theme and make an entirely pie based dinner on Friday night. That meant making both a sweet and a savory pie.

It didn't take long to decide on a savory pie--a quiche lorraine would be perfect. The sweet pie, though, was a toughy. I thought a lot about different fruits and just couldn't come up with an in-season fruit that would make a decent pie. So, I started to move away from the fruits and think about other kinds of pie: grasshopper, peanut butter, pecan...

None of them felt quite right.


I thought about it some more. Suddenly, I remembered that March is prime maple syrup season. I started looking around to see if there were any good maple syrup based pies and lo-and-behold Tarte au Sirop d'Erable [maple syrup pie] is a traditional French Canadian pie!!

Hurrah! A celebration of the French and the winter and PI[E] was well on its way to coming true...


But, then I got the memo about the potluck.

I was still adamant about making pies, but I didn't just want to bring two plain ol' pies. Eventually, after thinking about it a bit and doing a little searchign around, I decided to make mini quiche lorraines and a single maple syrup pie.


Then I had another problem--I didn't want to make two butter crusts. I just felt that was too much. I decided, though, that I shouldn't mess around with the maple syrup pie. So, what to do with the quiche lorraines?

The answer came quickly: a cornmeal crust! make a cornmeal crust! ahhhh!

And that's what I did. And everything came out splendidly. And the quiches were a seriously big hit! The pie was delicious--on the sweet side, but paired with a dollop of unsweetened whipped cream...c'etait parfait!



Mini Quiche Lorraines


[note: this recipe is based on a whole bunch of different recipes I looked at, which I mostly used to figure out proper egg-to-milk ratios. The crust is adapted from the one found in Gourmet, September 1998. It's easy to play around with the ingredients here--keep the egg base and add whatever you want!]



for the crust:

1 stick butter, very cold and cut into small cubes
1 c flour
1 c cornmeal
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp ice water


for the filling:

5 slices of bacon, cut into small bits
1/2 medium onion, sliced thinly
1 c grated gruyere cheese, divided
3 eggs
3/4 c milk
1/4 c cream
salt
pepper
olive oil


directions:

1. make the crust
a. in a medium bowl, mix the flour, cornmeal, and salt together.
b. add the butter and mix with fingers or pastry blender [or pulse on a with a food processor] until mixture resembles a course meal with some pea-sized chunks remaining. I don't have a food processor so I always use my hands and I find that I don't overmix when I do it this way. You don't want the dough to come together in a ball and you don't want the butter to melt--there should be chunks of butter left in the dough and this is what makes a crust flaky!
c. add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and bring the dough together to form a ball. with the heel of your hand, smear the dough across the countertop a few times to spread out the butter.
d. wrap in plastic, flatten into a disk, and chill at least 30 minutes.
e. pull off a large chunk of dough and roll it out until it is about 1/8-inch thin. lay the dough over a muffin cup and press in to the cup. you can clean up the edges, but I like mine to have a "rustic" look so I just let it hang over the sides. repeat this process until all the cups are filled.
f. bake at 375F for approximately 10 minutes, until the sides of the crusts set.

2. make the filling
a. heat some oil in a saucepan and add the bacon. cook until bacon starts to brown. add the onions and cook until they begin to caramelize. remove from the heat and let sit while you make the custard.
b. in a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, and cream. add salt and pepper to taste.

3. make the quiches
a. place half of the cheese on the bottoms of the crusts, followed by the bacon and onions.
b. add custard to reach 3/4 of the way up the crust.
c. top with the remaining cheese.
d. bake at 375 until centers are set, approximately 15 minutes.
e. let cool slightly and then remove from the muffin cups. i found a spoon and a spatula worked well for this job.




Maple Syrup Pie

[note: this recipe is from the one found in Gourmet, November 1999. You can use an 8-inch pie plate or a 9-inch tart pan--if you use the tart pan, prebake the crust] The dough is from Gourmet, November 2007. Do as the recipe suggests and serve the pie with creme fraiche or unsweetened whipped cream. Don't be swayed to sweeten the whipped cream!]



for the dough:

1-1/4 c flour
1 stick unsalted butter, very cold cut into cubes
1/4 tsp salt
3-5 tbsp ice water


for the filling:

1-1/2 c packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 c heavy cream
1/3 c pure maple syrup, preferably dark amber
2 tsp butter, melted


1 c heavy whipping cream, whipped


directions:

1. make the crust
a. in a medium bowl, mix the flour and salt together.
b. add the butter and mix with fingers or pastry blender [or pulse on a with a food processor] until mixture resembles a course meal with some pea-sized chunks remaining. I don't have a food processor so I always use my hands and I find that I don't overmix when I do it this way. You don't want the dough to come together in a ball and you don't want the butter to melt--there should be chunks of butter left in the dough and this is what makes a crust flaky!
c. add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and bring the dough together to form a ball. stop when you can grab a chunk and it stays together. with the heel of your hand, smear the dough across the countertop a few times to spread out the butter.
d. wrap in plastic, flatten into a disk, and chill at least 1 hour.
e. roll dough into a circle larger than the pie or tart pan you are using. lay dough over the pan and press down into the sides.
f. if you are prebaking the crust, pierce the bottom of the crust with a fork and bake at 350F for about 10 minutes. if you have pie weights, put them on the bottom to avoid having the crust bubble up.

2. make the filling
a. whisk together the eggs and brown sugar until creamy.
b. add cream, maple syrup, and butter and mix until smooth.
c. pour into pie shell and bake at 350F for 50-60 minutes, or until pie has browned and puffed up--the top will look dry but the insides will still tremble. let cool and serve with unsweetened whipped cream or creme fraiche.

and that's how an Ay does pi[e].




Comments, questions, and recipe alterations are always more than welcome.

halloween in march.

It's Purim!

Purim is one of my favorite holidays on the Jewish calendar because it is like my favorite non-Jewish holiday: Halloween. However, unlike Halloween, when Purim rolls around the weather is usually beginning to springify.

Ok, so it's not exactly like Halloween--there's no trick-or-treating or haunted houses or carved pumpkins. But! There is serious partying and playing, megillah reading and costume wearing...though the costumes tend to be variations on the King Ahasuerus-Queen Esther-BadMan Haman themes. Nonetheless, despite the lack of costume diversity, it is a time to celebrate and shake groggers and boo when Haman's name is mentioned [boooooo].

It also means hamantasch in great quantities--Purim's answer to Halloween candy. The word hamentaschen actually mean's "Haman's pocket", but they are made to represent Haman's famous tricornered hat.

Hamentaschen are delightful cookies that are traditionally filled with mohn--a poppyseed spread that has a limited number of dedicated followers. Generally, people tend to prefer a filling of jam or dried fruits.

It's astounding to me that this time last year I was sitting in a kitchen in Ankara, folding dough into hamantaschen at 11pm with MDL. It was a great time, but the results were a bit off-putting. The flavor was great, but the expansion of those things was remarkable. At the time, I blamed the "freak taschen growth" on "high" altitude...

I just can't believe it's been a year already. I still wake up sometimes expecting to open my eyes and see Anitkabir outside my window while hearing Screaming Boy screaming his head off. Sigh...I miss Turkey so much.


Anyhow, today's menu:


Raspberry Hamantaschen




So, in honor of the holiday that starts tonight, the PB and I made some hamantaschen last night. It was the PB's first time making them and I was thoroughly impressed. I think his ended up looking nicer than mine, but his turnover rate was half of mine--so ha! Ok, ok, his are better. This one was his definition of a "perfect" hamantasch.




I actually used the same dough recipe as last year, I wanted to experiment and see if it was a problem with the recipe or a problem with the altitude [I stand by my beliefs!].

The results?

They were completely different--they didn't expand at all! They came out lookin' and tastin' like hamantaschen should.

These cookies are fun to make, especially when you have friends around. They can be time consuming, so having an assembly line system makes for a good time. The dough is incredibly forgiving and the results are worth the effort!

Try different jams, dip half in chocolate, eat 'em while they're hot or while they're cold, dunk them in milk...oh-so many ways to make and eat these delicious cookies!

Happy Purim!





Raspberry Hamantaschen


[note: This is a slightly altered version of a recipe that my mom gave me. I don't know where she got it from--she owns a lot of Jewish cookbooks. When I find out, I'll let you know. Don't forget to try out different fillings!]



1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 c sugar
1 egg
2 c flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla
raspberry jam


directions:


1. in a medium bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. add egg and mix until incorporated.
2. in another bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and salt.
3. add the dry ingredients and the milk, alternating between the two and mixing to incorporate before making the next addition.
4. mix in vanilla.
5. the dough will be quite sticky, but don't worry about that. place dough on a floured surface and, using a floured rolling pin, roll dough to 1/16-inch thickness.






6. cut dough into 2-inch rounds.









7. remove the excess dough and set aside. you can roll this out again, repeating the processes below.








8. place a dollop of jam in the center of the circle. don't use too much--it will make explode out the sides. it always seems like you aren't using enough, but you are usually using too much.








9. draw up the sides to create a three pointed shape.








10. if filling is oozing over the top, remove the excess. and there you've got a hamantasch!




11. after making a batch, carefully transfer them to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. if they tear or start to fall apart, take some of the extra dough and smooth it over the areas where holes have formed.







12. bake at 375F for 10-15 minutes, until edges have browned and tops are lightly tanned.

eating hamantaschen: a passive-aggressive way to fight the [Ha]man!







Comments, questions, and recipe alterations are always more than welcome.

how to eat a beet--part III.V

Well, here I am at the third-and-a-half and final installment in the How To Eat A Beet series. I know, it's sad. Don't worry though, there's some great stuff for you to consume in upcoming posts.

Let me tell you, today's foods are quite exciting! Ok, maybe they are only exciting because I find new and inventive uses for foods to be fantastic, but a girl's gotta have something to keep her going in this cruel cruel [or not really cruel (to me) at all] world! Or, ok, I'm making excuses for being the food geek I am...and I'm rambling, so now it's time to ferme ma bouche and move on to what counts: the beets.

Now, I have to be honest with you--the only reason today's post is happening is because Sunday rolled around and I had forgotten [gasp!!] that I had a third beet. Since it was the beginning of a new week [i.e. a new vegetable], I needed to do something with the beet--quick!


Today's Menu:

Beet Chips
Ruby Red Sorbet


I was having some gal pals over for afternoon tea on Sunday and the theme was, no surprise, St. Patrick's Day and All Things Green [recipes forthcoming]. However, I thought the crimson of the beets would make a nice contrast to the rest of the table and it was the perfect opportunity to see what beets could do as snack foods. So, I decided to see what I could do with my limited time.

Luckily, earlier in the week I had stumbled upon a recipe for beet chips. Remembering how much I love those red Terra chips [also beet], I was pretty thrilled at the though of making my own. Furthermore, I thought they would make a wonderful addition to my array of teatime finger foods.

The beet chip recipe calls for making a simple syrup in which you soak the beets before baking them. However, that process leaves behind a beautiful simple syrup that I didn't want to just dump down the drain.

Simple syrup: One part water to one part sugar, heated and boiled until the sugar dissolves and the mixture thickens slightly. A simple syrup is often put in cold drinks [like iced tea] as a sweetner because straight sugar doesn't dissolve. Additionally, it forms the base of sorbets and granitas.

Given this fantastic leftover simple syrup, infused with beety goodness, I decided to make a sorbet out of it. This is the "half" part of the series because:

a. it doesn't actually have beets in it
b. i'm still working on the recipe a bit--as it is, the sorbet is very very beety, even with the addition of grapefruit juice. While it makes for a wonderful 'tween courses palate cleanser, I'd like to see if I can make it into something viable as a stand alone dessert. I'd like to mellow the beet flavor a tad and bring in some more citrus flavor, which is a wonderful and common combo with beets.

I must say, though it needs some work the sorbet has the most gorgeous color. I can't get over how well beets impart their crimsonness to anything they touch. Thoroughly pleased.

The end results of this experiment were definitely satisfying. The chips were great, with good flavor and an interesting crunchy-yet-chewy texture that was quite pleasant. The sorbet is also delicious, but i'm still working on it.

And this concludes beet week, but don't worry...







Beet Chips


[note: this recipes is based on the one found in Gourmet, June 2004. I recommend a mandolin for slicing, but a sharp knife and steady hands will do just as well.]




1 medium beet
1 c water
1 c sugar

directions:

1. prepare the beets
a. peel the beets.
b. using a mandolin, or a sharp non-serrated knife, slice the beets paper thin.

2. make the simple syrup
a. put the water and sugar in a medium saucepan. bring to a boil, stir until sugar dissolves, and continue boiling a few minutes longer until the mixture thickens.
b. add the beets and remove the pot from the heat. let beets sit at least 15 minutes.

3. bake
a. preheat the oven to 225F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
b. using a slotted spoon, take the beets out of the syrup and let drain. lay them on the baking sheet making sure they don't overlap. season with salt and pepper.
c. bake beets until dry, approximately 1 hour. remove from the oven and let cool--they should crisp up as they cool.








Ruby Red Sorbet


[note: this sorbet is highly sugared. as a result, it does not get icy and it melts relatively quickly when taken out of the freezer. it is, however, easy to scoop]




beet infused simple syrup [see above]
juice from 1/2 ruby red grapefruit

directions:

1. add juice to the prepared simple syrup and bring to a boil. continue boiling a few minutes until mixture becomes very thick.
2. remove from heat and let cool completely.
3. pour liquid into a plastic container and put in the freezer. let freeze overnight.

...the beet goes on!





Comments, questions, and recipe alterations are always more than welcome.

how to eat a beet--part II

After the success of beet gnocchi I was more excited than ever to continue on my personal beet discovery mission.

I was definitely pleased with beets as a main course. However, in initially undertaking this exploration, my goal had always been to experiment with the versatility of the root. So, for my next foray into Beet World, I decided to use them in a side dish.

In some ways, this should have been easy to do. In the end, though, I actually had a harder time coming up with a non-salad side dish featuring beets than I did coming up with a main dish. It was a slow process and I nearly ran out of time, but in the end I did manage to develop a well-balanced meal.


Today's Menu:

Sweet and Spicy Mini S&P Burgers
Rubied Mashed Potatoes
Chopped Salad


As with the gnocchi, I built the meal around the beet--trying to find a balance of flavors and textures that would be both complimentary to each other and highlight the beets. But, as I said, I had a hard time coming up with a beet dish. At the last minute, I remembered that I had a bunch of red bliss potatoes lying around, and they were about to take root...

Again, I wanted to stay away from the traditional uses of beets, so I didn't want to just make a side of roasted beets and potatoes [delicious though this may be]. Eventually, I decided to go for a mashed potato that included roasted beets, caramelized onions, feta cheese, and parsley.

I thought the caramelized onions would add nice texture. The feta would be a nice change from something like cheddar--it has a distinct flavor and saltiness that I imagined would play nicely with the beets. Basically: it's a mediterranean spin on mashed potatoes.

In the process of creating this recipe, I learned something about making these mashed potatoes:

I've been baking a lot of bread lately and have gotten used to putting my hands in bowls and kneading doughs. I don't have a potato masher at home and two forks was a waste of time. So, I actually kneaded the potatoes and beets together with the heels of my hands and ended up with a nice smooth consistency. I love chunky mashed potatoes, but in this case I think a smooth dough worked out better as it allowed the texture of the feta and onions to contrast boldly.

Just like the gnocchi, this dish sure was colorful. This time, though, the magenta-crimson color was maintained and the bright flecks of green and white really popped. It wasn't an appalling color, either--somehow, it managed to seem natural even though I can't think of any magenta colored foods. It's absolutely gorgeous on a black plate.



I always have trouble coming up with meals that pair with potatoes. This was no exception. It took me forever-and-a-day to come up with a main dish. In fact, I stopped thinking about it for awhile because it was frustrating me so much and I moved on to another side dish. Since I don't feel like i'm eating real vegetables when I eat mashed potatoes, I decided that a nice chopped salad of fresh veggies would be a reasonable idea.

Ok, ok, so I stalled long enough. I really struggled to come up with something, though looking back at it I don't know why. I actually came up with the idea, went off to do some work, and then I couldn't remember what I'd decided to make. It took another hour for the idea to come back. Boy did I breathe a sigh of relief!

Granted, I was super stressed out at the time because of grad school and work related stuffs...but that is no excuse for forgetting a meal plan!

Shame.

Moving on.

So, I often have the traditional Meat + Taters urge when I make potatoes. I don't have a lot of time in the evenings to go grocery shopping, so I try to use what I have at home. In this case, that left me with some boneless skinless chicken breast and some ground beef as potential proteins. Remember that I had leftover rolls [I'd made them to go with dinner the night before], I suddenly came up with the idea of mini-burgers.

My mind went quickly from there, recalling a recipe for salt & pepper burgers with a mustard sauce in my Best American Recipes 2004-2005 cookbook. I'd enjoyed the mustard-beet combo before, so I thought I would make those.

Alas, when I went to make them I discovered I had only the ground beef, the salt, and the mustard necessary. So, I adapted it a bit and ended up with some delicious salt & pepper burgers with a mango mustard sauce.

The end result: all good. This meal is definitely going to be entered into my regular rotation of go-tos. It's easy, satisfying, and, yet again, brings out the greatness of the Beet!






Sweet and Spicy Mini S&P Burgers


[note: this recipe was inspired by the one found in The Best American Recipes 2004-2005. it's been changed significantly, so you should really try out the original sometime]




for the burgers:

1/2 lb ground beef
coarsely cracked black pepper
fine-grained sea salt


for the sauce:

1/4 c dijon mustard
1/4 c sweet mango chutney


directions:

1. make the burgers
a. make four patties from the beef.
b. cover the surface of a plate with black pepper. place one side of each patty into the pepper and press lightly to get it to stick. do not repeat this on the other side.
c. heat a skillet [preferably cast-iron but use the heaviest skillet you have] over high heat until very hot [a drop of water will skate across the surface]. pour salt in the skillet to lightly cover the bottom surface.
d. place the patties, un-peppered side down, in the skillet and cook a few minutes. flip the burgers and cook until done to your standards.

2. make the sauce
a. remove the burgers from the pan and put them on buns. leave the pan on the stove and decrease the heat to low.
b. add the mustard and chutney to the pan and stir with the remaining burger juices until it is all combined and becomes runny.
c. put sauce on the buns and add whatever other condiments you wish.











Rubied Mashed Potatoes











1 medium or 3 small red beets
5 red bliss potatoes
1/2 medium onion, sliced
1 handful parsley, roughly chopped
1/3 c feta cheese, crumbled
olive oil
salt
pepper


directions:

1. prepare the dough
a. make the beets
i. preheat the oven to 450F. wrap the beets in tinfoil and place in the oven to roast 1 hour or until fork tender.
ii. remove from the oven and peel off the skin. cut into chunks and put in a medium bowl.
b. make the potatoes
i. bring a saucepan of salted water to a boil. add the potatoes and cook until tender, approximately 15 minutes.
ii. remove from water and put in the bowl with the beets.
c. mash
i. with the heels of your hands, knead the beets and the potatoes together until they form a smooth dough that comes together [some chunks of beet will likely remain and that's great!].

2. prepare the onions
a. put some olive oil in a pot and heat on medium-high. add sliced onions and cover. cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are brown.

3. mix
a. add the onions, feta cheese, and parsley to the dough. with your hands, lightly knead the dough until everything is combined. chunks of onion, cheese, and parsley should remain distinct.
b. add salt and pepper to taste.



Chopped Salad


1 bell pepper, cut into large chunks
1 medium tomato, cut into large chunks
1/2 medium cucumber, cut into large chunks
1 celery stalk, sliced into thick crescents
1 carrot, cut into chunks
1 handful parsley, finely chopped
1 handful walnuts or other nut, coarsely chopped
1/2 handful raisins or other dried fruit, coarsely chopped
balsamic vinegar
olive oil
salt
pepper


directions:

1. combine vegetables, nuts, and fruit in a medium bowl.
2. add a few swigs of vinegar and olive oil, to taste. add salt and pepper to taste.

beets and burgers bewilder the [taste]buds!





Comments, questions, and recipe alterations are always more than welcome.

how to eat a beet--part I

To me, beets are dirty.
I mean, the taste dirty...but not like they come from the tuvalet.

They taste like dirt.
But, in a good way. Somehow.

Do you know what I mean?


A lot of people fear the beet. There are all sorts of nasty stereotypes attached to the poor root, bad borscht and a rough Russian winter being one. But, hey, good borscht is good! I think--I don't know that I've had any good borscht to be honest...

But, I can imagine it's possible because behind all that dirtiness lies a delightfully sweet flavor and vibrant color! You just have to get it out.


The challenge with beets usually lies in what to do with them. It shouldn't be that hard. They have so much going for them: flavor [original but pliable], color [of all types], season [all the time]!

Often, good beets are left to shine on their own, typically in salads where they are set to reign supreme. However, there is much more that can be done with the root.

The PB and I have recently started a new "thing": Every week, when we go grocery shopping, we try to get a new fruit or vegetable that we've never had or haven't cooked with much frequency. We also try to keep it seasonal [but that doesn't always pan out, much to my chagrin].

Last week, we picked up three beautiful red beets and I tried to find-slash-create some new ways to use them.

Here's what I found out:
a. beets are great
b. beets can be used in anything
c. anything that uses beets is great

So here I present you with a three-and-a-half part series on How To Eat A Beet, my attempt to open your eyes to the world of beets outside of salads.


Today's Menu:

Gnocchi Tartare
Durdy Peas


The first beet laden meal I made last week stemmed from a dinner the week prior. Every week I have a food date with MZarc and it was his turn to decide on the meal. He made some potato gnocchi.

Inspiration. I was reminded of a time last year, in Turkey, when I had some potatoes to use up and I decided to make gnocchi. When doing research about it I learned that gnocchi can actually be made out of so many things, not just the potato!

So, why not beet gnocchi?

As it turns out, I'm not the only one who thought of this. I discovered, as I was trying to determine general gnocchi-making ratios, that beet gnocchi is actually a traditional dish from the Piedmont region of Italy.


The key to making any gnocchi is in the flour. Flour weighs the gnocchi down, so you want to use just enough to keep the dough together. If you use too much, the pasta will be too dense and they won't float to the top when cooked. Light and airy gnocchi, that's the goal.

Everyone always asks about the little ridges on the gnocchi. Well, there are a bunch of different techniques for getting it, but I tend to just use a good fork.















I find it works best if I pick up the gnocchi and press my thumb into the back while I roll the fork over the top and edges.


A few other tricks I've discovered:


do things quickly: make the gnocchi when the grated/riced vegetable is still hot, for some reason this keeps them lighter

don't overwork the dough: make sure it comes together and then stop touching it!!

don't worry about the shape: cut up all your pieces and shape them with your fingers when you add the ridges

a little goes a long way: one medium piece of vegetable will make nearly 100 gnocchi

freeze, freeze, freeze: it's a somewhat labor intensive process to make gnocchi, so make a big lot and then freeze them for another day



I wanted the flavor of the beets to shine through in this dish, so I didn't want to overwhelm it with a heavy cheese-based sauce. Red sauce would also be too much. At the same time, I was bored with the typical "herb butter" sauce that goes with so many gnocchi recipes.

So, for this one, I brought some spinach, garlic, and parmesan into the mix. This gave the pasta some added body and texture but kept the beets as the centerpiece.

The color of the dough was utterly fantastic, nearly magenta! Unfortunately, however, it wasn't exactly easy to work with--I was constantly tempted to add more flour, but I knew that would ruin it. You just have to trust that it will work out. A bit of flour here and there is ok, but it's a sticky dough and messes with your head.



Coming up with a side dish to go with the gnocchi was a bit difficult. Using spinach in the pasta made me hesitant of making a salad. Additionally, I didn't want to just make a bland vegetable.

Eventually, I decided that the punch of dijon mustard would be a good compliment to the sweetness of the beets, and peas would be a nice additional texture. Putting these together I developed a wonderfully easy but flavorful pea dish.

All I have to say about that is this: mustard is the most underrated condiment ever. Learn to love it, learn to use it--if you do, your life, and your stomach, will be eternally blessed.

In the end, this meal was a success--for me, for you, for beets. The flavors and textures melded beautifully and the sight was a delight!


Gnocchi Tartare

[note: The reason this recipe is named gnocchi tartare is because in the pictures the end result looks like a pile of raw meat--that icky pale pink color. Do not let the photos dismay you! These gnocchi are delicious and, in reality, they are a much more vibrant pink. This recipe is based on the one in Bon Appetit, October 2004]



for the gnocchi:

3/4 c grated roasted red beet [see below], approximately 1 medium or 3 small red beets
1 lb ricotta cheese
1 egg
3/4 c grated parmesan cheese
1-1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1-1/2 c flour, divided


for sauce:

1 clove garlic
1 lb fresh spinach
1/2 c grated parmesan cheese


directions:

1. prepare beets
a. preheat oven to 450F. wrap beets in tinfoil and place in oven for approximately 1 hour or until fork tender.
b. remove skins and grate on a medium tooth or rice with a potato ricer. place 3/4 c into a large bowl and reserve the rest for another purpose.

2. make gnocchi
a. in a large bowl, combine beets, ricotta, egg, parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper.
b. mix in 1 c of flour. the dough will be very sticky and you may need to add more flour, but do this cautiously. add only enough to make it so you can just barely roll the dough--it will still seem sticky, but you will roll it on a floured board with floured hands.
c. lightly flour the countertop and your hands. roll 1/4 of the dough into a log 1/2-inch in diameter. with a knife, cut the roll at 3/4-inch increments to make the gnocchi. continue this process with the remaining dough, working in batches.
d. [optional] dip a fork in flour and roll the tines over each gnocchi to create the ridge pattern.
e. at this point the gnocchi may be frozen [put them in a plastic ziploc bag] or cooked. to cook, put the gnocchi in a large pot of salted boiling water and wait until they rise to the surface.

3. make sauce
a. in a large saucepan, heat up some olive oil. add garlic and cook for a few minutes.
b. add all the spinach and cook until it has wilted.
c. add the cooked gnocchi directly from the pot to the saucepan. cook until the sides of the gnocchi start to brown somewhat.
d. sprinkle the top with parmesan cheese and turn off the heat. let the cheese melt before serving.











Durdy Peas









1 large shallot
2 cups fresh or frozen peas [petits-poids are the best]
2 tbsp dijon mustard
olive oil

directions:

1. in a medium saucepan, heat up some olive oil on medium heat. add the shallots and saute a few minutes until translucent.
2. add the peas and cook until they are warmed through.
3. add the mustard and stir until peas are coated. serve immediately or cover to keep warm [they will turn a lighter green as they steam a bit with the lid on].

color me beet!




Comments, questions, and recipe alterations are always more than welcome.

frenched fungi.

Soup.
Yet another one of winter's pleasures!
[aren't I awfully positive these days?]

It amazes me, this whole www world of cooking. There are so many different soup recipes out there it seems like absolutely anything can be made into soup!

Next thing you know, I'll be posting about leather soup: a delicious broth made from old watchbands.

Watch out!

Now, the problem with soup is that its place in a meal is questionable. If you want a soup course or a soup appetizer, how do you make it light enough to allow some appetite to remain for a future course? If you want it as a main course or half of a main course, how do you make it heavy enough to keep you full through the afternoon or night?

Well, I considered this question quite seriously the other day as I was wanting to make soup, and only soup, for dinner. More specifically, I was set on a mushroom soup--I haven't had a mushroom based meal in a while and I felt I'd neglected the poor fungi.

Most mushroom soup recipes out there are cream soups. Now, I love cream soups, don't get me wrong. I mean, in my opinion, homemade Cream of Mushroom soup is probably one of manure's greatest gifts to the world. It's a superb and classic soup.

But, on this particular day I didn't want a cream soup. Sure, it would have fulfilled the requirements of a soup focused meal--it's heavy and filling--but not in the way I was craving. I wanted juicy, meaty, rustic mushrooms in all their glory.

Ironic, given that I used to despise the slimy, grimy, manure covered things.

So, I got to thinking: how could I pump up my non-cream soup without overwhelming the flavor and texture of the mushrooms?

Well, two of the great soup "heartiers" are cheese and bread. But how to make it such that they didn't take over the dish? You see, the problem was that I wanted to include the flavor of the cheese and bread--not just the texture and filling capacity--but I didn't want them to be the soup.

This really is a problem. The flavor of mushrooms, while strong on their own, is easily lost when other bold ingredients are introduced into the mix. To make a good mushroom soup, one that keeps the flavor of the mushrooms and actually tastes good, is a difficult feat.

So, I thought. And I picked some tiny zircon crystals. And I thought.

Then I thought again and an idea came to me: why not make it like French onion soup--with a crouton and melted cheese floating on top?!?

Brilliant, I thought. This way I would keep the flavors and textures strong but separate, they would be incorporated in small bits-per-bite that would allow the mushroom broth to stay the focus . I could even use a sharp cheese!


And so, I give you today's menu:

French Mushroom Soup


The result of the experiment was fantastic. The spicing was just right and those mushrooms shone shone shone through in all their earthy splendidness. The textures and flavors of the cheese and bread were all there, but I always knew I was eating mushroom soup.

To further vindicate the recipe, I had the leftover soup for lunch the following day and the broth stood strong on its own--so, I wasn't "hiding" anything with the cheese and bread, it just served as a perfect compliment.

Precisely what I wanted.


French Mushroom Soup

[note: you really want to get a variety of mushrooms. they all have different flavors and textures and that's what makes this soup what it is. don't worry about having everything be chopped to the same size--that's not what you want, just slice them so they can be eaten in a bite. remember, too, that mushrooms lose a lot of water when they are cooked.]


for the soup:

1/2 large onion, sliced
1-1/2 lbs various mushrooms [such as crimini, portabella, and shitake], thickly sliced
1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
1 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
1 tsp fresh sage, chopped
1/2 tsp medium hot dried red pepper, chopped or red pepper flakes
salt
pepper
1/4 c dry white wine
4 c vegetable or beef broth [go for a low sodium brand if you can]
olive oil

for the cheese and bread topping:

1 c emmentaler, gruyere, or other swiss cheese, coarsely grated
1 c bread cubes


directions:

1. make the soup
a. in a large pot, heat some olive oil. add onions and cook over medium-high heat until translucent.
b. add mushrooms and cook out most of the water--they will reduce to 1/2 or 1/3 of their original volume.
c. add thyme, rosemary, sage, and red pepper. let cook 30 seconds-1 minute.
d. add white wine and simmer until reduced by half.
e. add broth and bring to a boil. reduce heat to a low simmer, cover, and let cook another fifteen minutes while preparing the topping.

2. make the topping
a. grate cheese and set aside.
b. in a skillet, heat up some olive oil. add the bread cubes and reduce heat to low-medium. cook the cubes, stirring often, until they are toasted. alternatively, you can put them on a baking sheet in a 300F oven for a few minutes.

3. serve the soup
a. ladle soup into bowls. cover the top with bread cubes. sprinkle cheese over top. the cheese will melt from the heat of the soup--if it doesn't, put them in a 300F oven until it is melted.
b. brown the cheese:
i. if your bowls can be put under the broiler, broil for 1 minute or until the cheese gets brown.
ii. if your bowls can not be put under the broiler, use a butane torch to brown the cheese.
iii. don't bother, go straight to the consume stage.

a big merci beaucoup to mushroom cultivating poo!




Comments, questions, and recipe alterations are always more than welcome.

relief in chili weather.

question: what would winter be without chili?
answer: cold and sad, utterly disastrous

Luckily, in my house, winter does not pass without at least one chili instance [but, you can usually count on multiple]. It's true, chili is delicious and incredibly simple to make, but that's not why I make it.

No, I make it because chili is the ultimate in finger & toe warming goodness.

I also love chili because it has no set recipe and it doesn't require fresh or perfect produce. You can use canned tomatoes, frozen veggies, or those peppers that are beginning to get too wrinkly for salad but are otherwise fine. Thus, since winter is not prime produce time it is prime chili cookin' time.

Chili. The ultimate garbage can meal...in the best way.
Winter. The perfect excuse for making chili.

I prefer my chili to be chunky, so I tend to use a course chop. However, some people like finer pieces and a soupier consistency. This, too, makes for great chili. Topped with some grated cheese and yogurt/sour cream, chili is the meal candidate when the temperatures are in the single digits and major league soul-warming is necessary.

To make this into the ultimate meal, however, chili should be paired with a hearty chunk of cornbread. I like to break my cornbread up into pieces and put it in my chili or slather it with some butter and eat it when it's still warm from the oven.

Today's Menu:

Sweet Relief Chili
Cheesy Sage Cornbread

As I mentioned, chili needs no set recipe. However, some people don't work like that and they feel much better when it's all laid out for them. So, here i'll give a recipe for a "version" I've been working on lately.

Many chili recipes call for potatoes, which is great, but I wanted to give my old school chili a kick in the pants. Consequently, I replaced potatoes with some butternut squash [using both would be fine, too]--I just love the texture and sweetness of the squash, especially in contrast to the bit of heat from the spices.

Cornbread batter is also a versatile medium to work with--you can make it sweet or savory or both! The cheese and buttermilk in this recipe keep it moist, which is a problem with many cornbread recipes.This makes for a nice crusty outside and tender inner crumb that soaks up the chili broth without falling completely to bits.








Sweet Relief Chili







[note: this is pretty much a vegetarian chili, but meat/poultry can always been used. just brown some ground beef/turkey/chicken/pork, then take it out and drain it while you cook the vegetables. add it back to the pot when you add the broth. you can also replace/combine the black beans for/with another type of bean]


1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 small-medium carrots, sliced into rounds
1 stalk celery, sliced into crescents
1 butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 red, orange, or yellow bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 medium tomatoes, diced or 1 14-oz can diced tomatoes
2 c prepared [hydrated] dry black beans or 1 14-oz can black beans
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tbsp cumin
1 tsp sweet paprika
1 tsp cayenne, or more to taste
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, or more to taste
salt
pepper
2 c chicken or vegetable stock
a handful of parsley, roughly chopped
olive oil
grated cheese
yogurt or sour cream

directions:

1. heat some oil in a large pot. add garlic and onion, turn heat to medium-high, and saute until onions are translucent.
2. add carrots, celery, pepper and butternut squash. continue to cook until carrots and celery are tender.
3. add spices and cook 30 seconds - 1 minute. add stock and bring to a boil. cover, lower heat to a simmer, and let cook until squash is tender. if you prefer less liquid you can continue to boil until it's reached the desired consistency.
4. taste for spices and add more if desired. turn off the heat and stir in fresh parsley. serve with cheese and yogurt or sour cream.







Cheesy Sage Cornbread


[note: this recipe was adapted from the one found in Bon Appetit, December 2002. if you don't have buttermilk, check out the substitution here]





1/2 c all purpose flour
1/2 c yellow cornmeal
1/8 c sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 c extra-sharp cheddar cheese, coarsely grated
6 sage leaves, coarsely chopped
1/2 c buttermilk
1 large egg
2 tbsp butter, melted and cooled slightly

directions:

1. in a medium bowl whisk together flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. mix in cheese and sage.
2. in a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk, egg and melted butter. add to dry ingredients and mix together until just incorporated. be careful not to overmix.
3. cook at 400F until top is golden and a tester comes out clean.

winter can't chill me cause i've got chili!

Comments, questions, and recipe alterations are always more than welcome.

the moroccan revolution.

I must say, I've been feeling rather inspired in the kitchen as of late. It's been wonderful! I have a whole slew of new recipes that I'm more than pleased with.

Recently, I've been trying to jazz up some old standbys. It's a lot of fun, if sometimes unsuccessful, trying to figure out how to make something already good into something great. So far I've been fairly successful and the process has created some new incarnations of classic recipes that are sure to become new standbys.

Today's menu is the perfect example of some new old dishes:

Rockin' Moroccan Meatloaf
Moroccan Carrot Cake with Lemon Labne Frosting


A few weeks ago, I was at a potluck that inspired today's dishes. You see, someone brought a carrot cake.

I love carrot cake. I love cream cheese frosting. I hate that I can't eat it all the time.

The day after the potluck, I was putzing around on the internet and found an interesting recipe for a moroccan carrot sandwich. This got me thinking...

Why not develop a savory carrot cake--not a bread--that could be used as a side dish?!? Then I could eat carrot cake all the time!

So, I started developing a recipe for a Moroccan Carrot Cake. One of the greatest challenges of the recipe actually came when I thought about the icing--how could I replace the cream cheese frosting to make a cake for dinner?

As I pondered the problem, I focused on Middle Eastern flavors and came up with the answer: a labne frosting!!

What is labne, you ask?

Labne [or labanah, labneh, lebna]: It's yogurt cheese! Also known as strained yogurt, it's similar to cream cheese but tends to be a bit tarter. It's best when the tangier Middle Eastern/Greek/Indian yogurt is used, but it's great with any plain yogurt. The flavor and consistency goes well with both sweets and savories--on a bagel, on a sandwich, with herbs mixed in and eaten with crackers, with tea and scones...the list goes on. It's an incredibly versatile food and so easy to make! Here's a quick primer on How To Make Labne:

[note: there is a lot of water in yogurt, so be sure to use at least 1.5 times as much starter yogurt than you want to have as finished labne]



step 1
place a sieve in a bowl, making sure the bottom of it doesn't touch the bottom of the bowl. line with a thin towel, cheese cloth, or some paper towels. dollop in yogurt, wrap the cloth over, put a weight on top, and leave in the fridge.




step 2
let sit at least 8 hours [overnight is best]. the towel will be soaked and there may be some liquid at the bottom of the bowl, which can be tossed. transfer the residual substance to an airtight container and eat immediately or keep it in the fridge.





Unfortunately, carrot cake doesn't make a [healthy, well-rounded] meal in and of itself. So, I had to think of something to go with it...

It took awhile, but eventually I decided to create a Moroccan Meatloaf [jazzing up the classics]. Meatloaf is totally under-appreciated. People associated it with bad cafeteria food, but it can be a fantastic comfort food meal. I don't know why people think it's so gross--it's basically just a big hamburger!!

To make my rendition, I focused on spices: cumin, sweet paprika, cayenne, cinnamon, oregano, salt, pepper, parsley, onion. I kept the egg-and-breadcrumb combination that is usually used to keep a meatloaf together. However, still following the Moroccan idea, I added some labne to give a bit of creaminess and some chopped olives for texture and salt.




I cooked both the meatloaf and the cake in mini loaf pans at the same time. The cake finished before the loaf, but the timing worked well and the mini loaf pans made the perfect sized meal for two or three people [or two and a leftover lunch].





Both experiments turned out wonderfully. I was concerned about the cake--would it be a bread? would you taste the spice? would the frosting work?

In the end, it was just what I wanted. Added bonus: it can be made into a sweet cake, too--just add more sugar!







Rockin' Moroccan Meatloaf







1 lb ground beef
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp sweet paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp oregano
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 c fresh parsley, coarsely chopped
1/4 c green olives with pimentos, rinsed and chopped [note: any olives will work]
1/2 small-medium onion, coarsely chopped
1 medium tomato, coarsely chopped
1/4 c labne
1/2 c breadcrumbs
1 egg


directions:





1. in a medium bowl, mix everything together.
2. put in a loaf pan or shape into a loaf in the center of a glass baking dish
3. cook at 350F approximately 1 hour












Moroccan Carrot Cake with Lemon Labne Frosting

[note: to make this a sweet cake, increase the sugar in the cake to 3/4 c and add 1/2 c powdered sugar to the frosting. this recipe was adapted from the one found in Bon Appetit, March 2001]





for the cake:

2 c marinated grated carrots [see recipe below]
1 c flour
2 eggs
1/2 c olive oil
1/4 c sugar
1/2 c pine nuts
1/4 c golden raisins, currants, or chopped apricots
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cayenne
1 tsp baking soda


for the frosting:

1/4 c labne
juice of 1 lemon



directions:






1. make the cake
[note: you can do this with a whisk or a wooden spoon, no need to pull out the mixer]






a. in a medium bowl, beat the sugar, eggs, and oil together.
b. add flour, baking soda, and spices. beat until blended.
c. fold in carrots, pine nuts, and raisins.
d. bake at 350F until a tester comes out clean, approximately 30 minutes. let cool before frosting.


2. make the frosting
a. in a small bowl, mix together the labne and lemon juice. if the labne remains too thick to spread, add more lemon juice.








Moroccan Carrots

[note: you can do this 4 hours in advance but I suggest you make these the night before to let the flavor really soak in--it makes a big difference. this recipe is adapted from the one found in Gourmet, August 2002]





2 c grated carrots
3 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp lemon juice
2-1/2 tsp sweet paprika
1-1/4 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1/4 c + 1 tsp olive oil


directions:

1. put everything but the carrots in a bowl and stir until sugar dissolves.
2. add carrots and stir to coat. cover and put in the fridge to marinate overnight

mmmoroccan loaves!




Comments, questions, and recipe alterations are always more than welcome.