RIPE

Weeknight polenta

2012-01-12T19:05:00.000-05:00

Even when I'm too busy (notice how posts stop just as internship interviews start!!!), I find myself in the kitchen. I come home, hungry or not, and even though I'm exhausted, I need to cook something. I have this mental block that keeps me resisting take out, even when I have the cash for it, and it's late, and I'm in need of nourishment. It is irrational. I know. I don't need to be told. I just can't help it!

Also, since Mr. Ripe has my camera while he's off traveling the world, and I am once again cameraless, making me a bit embarrassed to post what has been turned out of my kitchen. But I finally cracked, feeling bad about neglecting the blog, which is supposed to offer me some sort of balance or comfort while I hit the grindstone in the psych world.

Two nights ago I thought I was cooking for two. It was a good thing my guest was too tired to show, because it turned out this polenta recipe was so creamy, so just what I needed when I was cooking too late at night, that there would not have been enough for what I wanted to eat and an extra for said friend to have a meal, too.

That said, this recipe makes enough for one very hungry person and half of a regular person, or two smallish appetite people. If you need more, double or triple it. As for what to eat it with, I topped mine with Russian Kale and button mushrooms sauteed in oil with garlic and red chili flakes, with a squeeze of lemon. Then I placed a perfectly soft boiled egg on it all, broke it open, and dug in.

Creamy Polenta Recipe
1 T olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 t crushed red pepper
3/4 c water
3/4 c milk
1 t salt
black pepper
1/2 c cornmeal

In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Saute garlic and crushed red pepper. When fragrant but not brown, add liquids. Bring to boil and reduce to simmer. Whisk in cornmeal. When no lumps exist, switch to a wooden spoon, and stir occasionally, until polenta becomes thicker, or for 15-20 minutes. Top with your favorite veggies or even just tomato sauce. And soft cooked eggs make everything better...

Me: Oh my my. I made gingerbread cookies this weekend.

2011-12-11T22:55:00.002-05:00

Friday night I took it easy. A dear friend came over, and we made "snacks" (read: pasta bolognese) and gingerbread cookies. There was pretense; she vowed to not drink for 2 weeks while she cleaned up her slovenly ways, and I thought what better way to have good, clean fun than to spend the night rolling out gingerbread dough!?
When she got here, the dough was already resting in the fridge, so our "Friday Night Activity," cutting out shapes with butter knives (I don't have any cookie cutters... something I think I should change), was all set up for us ahead of time. We ate too-rich-for-me bolognese (read: I am not a real meat eater and never will be one) and watched Heathers. I felt like a good wholesome teenager!

I wasn't going to blog about these because really I didn't make the recipe up or do anything insanely adventurous. But then I realized I can't stop eating them and they're freaking perfect. So here they are. With one added special ingredient that I think was appreciated by all who tried them: Love. Just kidding. It's cayenne. The secret ingredient is cayenne.

Good night!

Gingerbread cookies with Royal Icing
adapted from know-it-all sources like Martha, and Joy of Baking, and even this one, that I love to hate
2 c unbleached flour
1 c whole wheat flour
1 t baking soda
2 t ground ginger
1 t cinnamon
1/8 t grated nutmeg
1 t ground cloves
1/2 t cayenne
1/4 t salt
1 stick softened unsalted butter
1/4 c nonhydrogenated vegetable shortening
1 c turbinado or brown sugar
2/3 c molasses
1 egg

In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients. Then, in the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter, shortening, and sugar. When light and fluffy, add molasses and egg. Mix until combined, then in thirds, add the dry mixture. Turn off mixer, and divide dough into two portions, patting each into a disc, and wrapping in plastic. Put in the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight. Or you can freeze one disc, as I did, so you have it on hand in the future when you crave these.

When ready, roll out one disc of dough at a time to 1/4" thick. Cut out into desired shapes and place on parchment paper lined sheet. Bake at 350 for 7-8 minutes. Cool on a rack and frost with royal icing if desired (recipe below).

Royal Icing:
1 egg white
1 1/2 c confectioners sugar
1 T lemon juice

In a stand mixer or with an electric mixer, beat egg white until stiff. Add sugar and juice and continue to mix. That's it!

2011-12-03T17:07:00.001-05:00

Look, there's just nothing like really good food. I'm not talking gourmet. I'm talking about how to put together a simple dish, with simple ingredients, and if they're seasonal, well then it's all that much better.

I'm temporarily supposed to be on a high potassium diet. What foods have potassium in them? Well, bananas (fortunately bananas and I are old friends who never get sick of each other), sweet potatoes, raisins, and a whole bunch of other things. But when I heard sweet potatoes are a good source of the potassium, I got excited. I got this idea in my head to make a simple seasonal dish: sweet potato/black bean/cotija tacos, with additional ingredients as garnishes, but no radical spices. This simple dish is about the vegetables that I have not celebrated enough yet this fall.

You can add and subtract components as you wish, but my final version of the fall constructed taco was perfect, in my opinion.

Here's the simple deal to simple good food, fall taco style:

What you need:
Corn tortillas
2 sweet potatoes, chopped
sweet dumpling squash, halved and seeded
cooked black beans (or canned)
1/2 an onion, cut into strips
1/2 a poblano pepper, seeds in for heat
a few leaves of swiss chard, steamed or sauteed
1-2 T cotija cheese (or feta if you can't find this)

In an oven preheated to 400, on an olive oiled baking sheet, spread potatoes in one layer and half or all of the squash (depending on your appetite) next to the potatoes. Bake at 400 for 20-30 min, until each the potatoes and squash are tender when pierced with a fork.
Meanwhile, saute onion and pepper in a small skillet with olive oil.
Warm tortillas, layer cooked potatoes, pieces of squash (skin removed), black beans, onions, peppers, chard, and cheese on top. Eat with a fork, if you are inept at eating tacos as I sometimes am, or pick it up and get messy! Go for it! You won't be disappointed.

Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies

2011-11-06T18:13:00.001-05:00

Remember that post I wrote over the summer about growing up not liking peanut butter except for in my pb&j, and then one day having a craving for sweet, creamy, peanut butter in dessert-like fashion? Well that love of sweet things with peanut butter has waxed and waned since I first made peanut butter gelato, and then it was dormant. Until today, this afternoon.
I decided to decrease the amount of sweets I eat per week. I could never quit cold turkey, but I just think I need to be a bit more conscious of what I'm eating. So I'm going to try this new policy of eating sweets and buttery treats only on Sunday evenings, unless I'm invited out and force-fed something like apple pie or birthday cake.

In preparation for the first sweet Sunday, I thought I should choose a really good snack. What would be good enough for the once a week sweet? I decided on Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies, made the chewy way! I guess that peanut butter craving is back.

Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies
Inspired by Fine Cooking, Martha, and my own stubbornness and refusal to follow anyone's recipe
1 stick unsalted butter, plus more for greasing pan
4 oz unsweetened chocolate
1-2 oz semisweet chocolate
1 1/2 c sugar
1 t salt
2 eggs
1 1/2 t vanilla
1 c flour
2 T cocoa

Prehead oven to 350. Line 8x8 pan with parchment paper and grease well with butter. In microwave safe bowl and in the microwave on high for 2 min, or over pot of simmering water, double boiler style, melt butter and chocolate together, stirring occasionally (once every 30 seconds?). Mix in sugar, eggs one at a time, and then salt and vanilla. Once combined, add flour and cocoa. Batter will be thick. Spread half of the batter into the pan. Dot peanut butter mixture (recipe below) over layer of brownie dough. Dump and spread the rest of the brownie batter on top, and then dot the top with peanut butter mixture again. Starting at one end, plunge butter knife into the pan and drag it around, swirling the peanut butter into the brownie pan. Bake at 350 for 25-35 min, or until toothpick comes out slightly gooey. Don't overbake!

Peanut Butter Swirl
1/2 c soft peanut butter - does not have to be creamy or fake (like Jif or Skippy) - can be any smooth kind
2 T softened butter
1/2 c confectioners sugar

In food processor, blend ingredients. Taste. Add sugar if necessary. If too thick, add more softened butter and process further.

I'm on the bandwagon, too.

2011-11-01T21:06:00.000-04:00

The first time I made this recipe, I wanted to write about it. But then I didn't because I was distracted and the draft of the post I wrote ended up sounding too much like a love letter to Jim Lahey. And now it's 3 weeks later and I've made the recipe, tweaking it each time a bit, twice more. 3 loaves of bread in 3 weeks. Pretty sweet - I'm not just tooting Jim's horn; his No-Knead Bread recipe has revolutionized the way I bake, buy, and eat bread.

Jim's recipe calls for white flour, yeast, salt, and water. Pretty darn simple. If you like your bread like that, do it that way. I've been making it at least 1/3 whole wheat, just because why not. I also choose to dust it in wheat bran for the final rise, instead of flour, because I just love the crunch this gives the crust.

I know this is my first time writing about this bread, but I've already boasted about it and encouraged friends to make it. Now I turn to you, readers. If you want to fool guests into thinking you're an expert baker or if you don't and you want to convince someone you just made a trip to your local boulangerie, this bread is for you! Crusty, tasty, great big holey inside... mmmm. Just. Make. It.

Here's the recipe. I'm not sure how long it will do on the counter after it's cut, so I cut the round loaf in half and cut one of the halves into slices which go into a plastic freezer bag and get frozen to toast and eat as the week goes on.

Jim Lahey's No-Knead Bread, tweaked by me:

2 c unbleached flour
1 c whole wheat flour
1 1/2 t salt
1/2 t yeast
1 1/2 c water

Mix ingredients in large bowl. Stir till just combined - "dough" will be raggedy and maybe dry in some spots, wet in others, or look fine. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside for 12-18 hours. The longer the better. Unwrap and dump onto floured surface. Fold dough over once or twice. Let sit 15 min, then shape into a simple ball. Place ball of dough on kitchen towel that has been dusted with wheat bran or flour. Sprinkle dough with more bran or flour, and cover with second towel. Let rise 2 hours. With 1/2 hr left to rise, put heavy pot or dutch oven uncovered in the oven. Heat to 450 degrees. When dough is ready, place seam-side up in very hot pot. Cover and bake for 30 min. Remove cover and bake for another 15-30 min. Remove dough to cool on wire rack.
*As tempting as it is, don't cut it before it's cool because the bread will dry out!!!

2011-10-12T20:30:00.000-04:00

I'm sorry, I've slowed, again.
You know, stress, lots to do, it's all gotten in the way of writing. And this time, I haven't even really been cooking much. Usually when I am absent from blogging, I'm at least cooking and baking and just not writing. This time, I honestly have not been so active in the kitchen.
But this week, I reemerged.
On Monday, I canned 20# of tomatoes. Tonight, I used the remaining few peeled plum tomatoes that did not fit into the 9 quart jars I owned.
I bought a bottle of wine on my way home, and opened it just after my prep work was done.
Smashed and diced garlic cloves, chopped, peeled tomatoes, spices, and baby lima beans. Definitely not a meal to make in a rush - those unsoaked beans take about 2 hours to become tender. Oh, I also got to put my Le Creuset tagine to use, something that rarely comes out of its bottom cupboard.

Once finished, this made a lovely ragout to top pan-fried polenta.
Here's the recipe:

1 T olive oil
3 cloves garlic
10 peeled, chopped plum tomatoes (blanching them first makes taking the skins off easier, or use a can) and their juice
3/4 c dried baby lima beans
2 1/2 c broth or water
2 t smoked paprika
2 t crushed red pepper
2 t salt, or more to taste

Saute garlic in olive oil over low-medium heat in a cast iron tagine or dutch oven or cast iron pan or oven-proof, stove-proof dish. When fragrant, add the rest of the ingredients. Stir, cover, and stick in the oven on 350 for about two hours, or until beans are tender.

Eat alone or over polenta with feta. Yum.

Vegetarian Corn Chowder with a Bite

2011-09-16T20:27:00.001-04:00

There used to be a to-go place near where I grew up that had really delicious corn chowder. It was smokey and creamy and I'm sure full of fat and canned ingredients. But I was young and definitely not concerned with what exactly made it so good. Having grown up not eating meat and other fatty things, it didn't occur to me that the two key ingredients were bacon and cream. Of course it was delicious!

I didn't eat bacon in any other form when I was growing up -- as far as I was consciously concerned, I did not eat red or pig meat. I only ate it in this soup! Then, when I started my first cooking job, I was faced with a major challenge: eating things I had grown up thinking I didn't eat. One of the first challenges was Bacon. I succeeded with flying colors and loved it even outside of the beloved corn chowder! I started eating all sorts of things I always thought I wouldn't. My food horizons expanded for a few years, and then, they started retracting, which was totally fine with me. Now, unless I'm very hung over, eating bacon kind of makes me feel like a pig. So I try not to eat it if I can avoid it.

This morning when I woke up and thought I would go to the Union Square Greenmarket, the first items on the list were New Potatoes. Creamy, delicate, naturally flaky-skinned potatoes. What else (aside from roast chicken) goes well with freshly dug potatoes? Corn. Farmers Market Corn. All day I thought about making this version of corn chowder. It's vegetarian and uses half-and-half instead of cream, and poblano peppers instead of... I don't know what they're instead of but they're good and add the perfect amount of heat when seeded. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did tonight!

Vegetarian Corn Chowder
1 T olive oil
2 or 3 strips "Fakin Bacon" (smoked tempeh), diced small
1 large onion, diced (not too small)
1 small (or half of a large) poblano pepper, chopped
1 T butter
2/3 lb potatoes, chopped
6 c veggie stock
2 corn cobs and the corn from the cobs
1/2 c half-and-half
salt and pepper to taste

In a large saucepan, saute tempeh and onion in olive oil. When onions are translucent, add peppers and butter. Add potatoes, stock, and stripped corn cobs. Bring to boil and simmer until potatoes are cooked through, about 15 min. Add corn and cook until heated, about 5 more minutes. Stir in half and half, salt, and pepper, and serve.

I'm back. Full force.

2011-09-12T19:50:00.000-04:00

This summer I was a bit distracted. You'd think I'd have posted a whole bunch, since it was the first summer in I don't know how long that I didn't have any job, school, or other obligations (at least not for the month of August). It's not that I wasn't creating. I most definitely was; in the weeks to come you'll find super easy pepper-egg tagliatelle, stuffed peppers, and more mostly vegetarian recipes, pictures, and tales. But for now, you'll just have to bear with me as I give you words and not photos. My camera is overseas, touring Western Europe without me with a particularly talented musician who lost his battery charger. So it is.

I don't know if you've ever felt like you've taken your health for granted. Sure, I might have said once or twice in my life, I'm thankful for my health. But did I really mean it? Did I still carelessly chow down on unhealthy food, make bad decisions, and stop exercising for months at a time? I did. Sometimes it takes a bit of a health scare to get your butt in gear. At least that's what's currently happening to me.

In the next few weeks and months I'm hoping to bring a slightly more rigid healthful bend to the blog, due to my revisiting the issue of not taking health for granted. This time I mean it. Let's see how long it lasts.

So, in honor of less-processed, organic-when-possible, healthy in the moment food, I give you warm balsamic wheat berry salad for one.

1/2 T butter or olive oil
1/2 red onion, diced
1 portabello mushroom, cut into small cubes
1 handful green, purple, or yellow beans, diced into 1/2" pieces
1/2 sweet green pepper, diced small
1 T balsamic vinegar
pinch herbs de provence or italian seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
1 c cooked wheat berries*
goat cheese

In a medium to large skillet, over medium-high heat, melt butter. Add onion and cook until translucent. Add mushroom and cook 5-7 min, until cooked down. Throw in beans and peppers. Cook another 2-3 minutes. Pour in vinegar and stir, allowing to simmer a bit. Add herbs, salt and pepper, and wheat berries. Cook until wheat berries are heated through. Serve like this, or with a teaspoon of delicious goat cheese.

*Wheat berries are an awesome grain, but they take a while to cook. Soak 8 hours or overnight before the day you plan to cook them. Then cook in stock or lightly salted water for 30-40 min or until they feel sort of bouncy but soft to the teeth.

Lemon Poppy Experiment

2011-07-25T19:54:00.001-04:00

I need to give my supervisor a gift. He's been great this year, helping me through clinical issues and basically just showing me what it's like to be a therapist. A colleague of mine who has the same supervisor called and "warned" me that she was going to pick him up a box of chocolate or something like that. I typically don't buy people food gifts unless it's something really out of this world, or something impossible for me to make. If I want to give a food gift, it has to be homemade. So today I began experimenting in a series of drafts of what will become the gift for the supervisor.

I had read in the Tartine cookbook about an almond lemon cake (though in the book they actually have a photo of the almond lemon POPPY cake without a recipe for such). I thought it sounded good, but they used almond paste and I didn't have any on hand. So instead, I adapted my experiment cake from a basic recipe for Passion Fruit Pound Cake in David Lebovitz's book. Instead of passion fruit (when was the last time you saw that in New York City?) and oranges, I used lemon zest and a bit of lemon juice. And instead of making a full batch, because, after all, this is an experiment, I didn't know if I'd want a whole bunch around, I made 2/3 the recipe, and baked it in muffin tins, instead of a loaf pan.

The results, sadly, were flat -- not in flavor, but in volume. Maybe this recipe makes a beautiful cake. Maybe to be a pound cake, the rise is not important. But for muffins, or cupcakes, I like to see a bit more volume. A bit of, I don't know, lift? Dome-shape? Something? Well I'll tell you what. You know me, I'm not the most beautiful baker-- I mean, I don't bake or cook the most beautiful dishes. Taste, for me, is taste, and yes, while people say presentation is half of it, for me, that's not the case. For me, it's completely about taste (and relishing at the thought of what great ingredients went into the creation). But regardless, aside from what I prefer, I know other people prefer things that look better. So I'm glad I experimented, but aside from their almond-lemon-poppy taste and their perfect texture (moist, nice crumb, light, not greasy), these cupcakes will not be what I give my supervisor. They will, however, be something I know is a great breakfast or snack cake, that I may make again in the future.

Lemon almond poppy Cupcakes (sort of adapted from David Lebovitz's Passion Fruit Pound Cake in Ready For Dessert)
1 stick butter
2/3 c sugar
zest of 1 lemon
2 eggs
1 t almond extract
juice of half a lemon
2/3 c all purpose flour
1/3 c whole wheat pastry flour (optional - you can use just 1 c all purpose if you wish)
3/4 t baking powder
pinch salt
1 1/2 T poppy seeds

Preheat oven to 350 and oil or butter a muffin tin well. In a stand mixer, cream butter, sugar, and zest until light and fluffy. With mixer running on low speed, add eggs, one at a time, and almond extract. Add lemon. Turn off mixer and add flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix on low until just combined. Then stir in poppy seeds. Spoon into muffin tins until just about full. Bake for 20 min, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of one comes out clean. Makes about 10 cupcakes.

It happened.

2011-07-16T01:29:00.003-04:00

I've always liked peanut butter, but I was never a peanut butter lover, as many are. I liked peanut butter on sandwiches, usually with jam, or sometimes in noodles in an attempt at Asian-style peanut noodles. I did not like peanut butter flavored desserts or candies, though. The idea of peanut butter as a sweet was just not appealing. Didn't get me going.

But then it happened. I was very hungry after working all day and not being fed (a sob story for another occasion), and I was also disappointed and stubbornly angry that all the sandwich places I came across in Park Slope were overpriced (go figure). I reasoned I could either trek to the coop and buy raw ingredients with which to make a snack at home, knowing that from start to finish would be well over an hour and by then I'd be sickeningly famished, or I could stop at the ices place right in front of me and just have a sweet snack. I picked the sweet snack. And not only that, but I picked the peanut butter chocolate chip cookie dough ice! O.M.G.!!!!! I know, I know, I didn't think it would ever happen either! I thought I was a life-long peanut butter lover hater! But apparently, as vipassana meditation reminds us, nothing is permanent.

When I realized my self-discovery, I decided to merge two new interests: Ice cream sandwiches and Peanut butter as a sweet. Genius. Just genius.

Chocolate cookie/Peanut Butter Gelato sandwich recipe (makes 8 ice cream sandwiches and some leftover gelato for later)

Cookies (adapted from Smitten Kitchen adapted from Retro Desserts)
1 c flour
1/4 c whole wheat flour
1/2 c cocoa
1 t baking soda
1/4 t baking powder
pinch salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/4 sticks softened butter (10 T)
1 egg

By hand or in electric mixer, combine all ingredients in order above. With damp hands, roll bits of dough into uniform balls. Place on lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet at least 2" apart (these babies spread!). Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes. Cool completely.

Peanut Butter Gelato
1 Quart Whole Milk
1 3/4 c peanut butter (I used Smuckers Natural style)
1 1/3 c sugar
1 1/2 T arrowroot powder (or cornstarch if you can't find this)
2 large egg yolks

Pour milk into large saucepan and begin to heat over low heat. Whisk in peanut butter. Whisk occasionally while milk heats slowly. While milk heats, mix arrowroot powder and sugar. When milk is hot, but not yet simmering, add 1/2 c sugar mixture to the egg yolks in another bowl. Temper the egg mixture with some of the hot milk. Then add the egg mixture followed by the sugar mixture quickly to the not-yet-simmering milk. Whisk consistently now -- the mixture will thicken quickly! Continue stirring constantly until it comes to a boil. Then turn off the head, pour custard into a big bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and put in the fridge to cool. Once cool, run through your ice cream maker.

To assemble sandwiches, simply spread some softened gelato on 8 cookies and top with another 8. Your friends will love you forever.

Really amazing

2011-06-27T17:15:00.001-04:00

Last summer we canned twelve quart jars of plum tomatoes. With extreme self-control, I managed to make them last through the year. I decided to use a jar tonight (why not, it's almost tomato season again!), and I still have two in the cupboard for next time I have a craving.

Though not fresh, these jarred tomatoes are the BEST canned tomatoes I have ever had! The flavor is impeccable. Simmered with some garlic in olive oil, these jarred tomatoes make the best sauce I have ever made, and so simple! I think I will have to do this every year at the end of summer. It is more than worth it.

No hassle summer dinner

1 eggplant, sliced lengthwise into 1/2" strips
a few zucchini, sliced to similar length
1 c tomato sauce
grated parmesan or mozzarella cheese
toasted baguette

Toss eggplant and zucchini in olive oil. Place on baking sheet and broil about 7-10 min, then turn over, and broil another 5 min. Remove from oven, add sauce and top with cheese. Place under broiler again, until cheese has bubbled and browned. Serve with toasted bread. The simplest.

Crepes

2011-06-27T09:24:00.001-04:00

I made these for my brother the other morning. When he asked what I was making, I told him pancakes. Because that is what River Cottage Every Day* author Hugh Fearnley-Whittingsall called them! I knew they were what we would call crepes, but if River Cottage Every Day says they are pancakes, then they are pancakes. While I seldom follow recipes, this morning I thought, why not. (Though I halved it, since it was only two of us.) The result, while boring and a lie, according to my brother, who refused their name, and instead insisted that if we were having something that looked like crepes they must be filled with Nutella, was a clean, simple breakfast. A staple to be added to the repertoire.

Here's what I made, adapted from River Cottage Every Day
1 c whole wheat pastry flour, sifted
pinch salt
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 c 2% milk
butter

Mix sifted flour and salt. Make a well in the center, and add egg and milk. Whisk until smooth. Set aside for at least 30 min. Hugh Fearnley-Whittingsall says to do this to make the pancakes less "wet" once cooked. When ready to get crackin again, melt butter in a large skillet. Pour 1 ladle full of batter (about 1/3 c) into the hot pan, and tip pan so batter spreads around into a circle. When the whole thing has changed color, about 3 min, flip pancake. (This can be done without a spatula, just go for it!) Cook on this side for another 2 min or so. Set aside and repeat with remaining batter. Makes 8 8" crepe-like pancakes. Serve with sprinkled sugar and lemon juice, or with Nutella.

*I just want to add, that if I ever write a cookbook, I would only hope it could be just as charming as River Cottage Every Day. The illustrations, pictures, and overall writing style is just brilliant, but mostly I admire the style's accessibility, which is something I go for here, on Ripe.

Freak Out!

2011-06-26T18:33:00.000-04:00

Mr. Ripe's mother gave me a pasta maker as a gift maybe six months ago. I made a couple of different kinds of pastas, easy ones, that you just run through the machine and cut with the spaghetti attachment or chop with a knife to make "handkerchiefs". But in April, she also gave me a ravioli crimper! I was so happy with my little tool, but I wasn't sure I had the patience to make ravioli by hand. I also wasn't really inspired at the time to make the ravioli.

Recently, however, I was hit with inspiration. You know, it sort of just comes to you sometimes, and you can't escape it. Anyway, the idea for beet dough ravioli with some sort of cheesy filling popped into my head and, once there, it just wouldn't leave me alone. At first I thought I'd make beet ravioli and fill the things with greens. I bought baby mustard greens (so cute!) but then worried about my actual flavor profiles. I thought I should stay as simple as possible for my first ravioli attempt. Clean flavors that I knew would taste good together (at least the picture I had of them in my head definitely tasted good).

So I ditched the greens, and instead opted for two simple cheese fillings. One would have goat cheese and tarragon, the other would make use of the leftover beet puree and some Danish blue cheese. And, once cooked, I imagined these babies on a plate with lemon poppy butter. You read that right. Heaven.

I planned to make the raviolis the day before I planned to have people over to eat them. The dough was simple to make, and turns out the whole endeavor was a success that my dinner guests gobbled up and wanted more of. The only downside to the whole process was the sore shoulder that appeared just in time for my guests due to three hours spent the day before cranking out sheet after sheet of magenta pasta!

I will definitely make these again, and other kinds of filled pasta.

Greens Risotto

2011-06-21T20:10:00.001-04:00

It's incredible I haven't posted in over two weeks. What have I been doing? Well, I've definitely not been not cooking or baking. In fact, I've been cooking and baking a ton! I just didn't feel like writing (maybe it was a break from writing all together, after finals and school came to a slow halt). And now, when I want to write, though I've imagined telling you all about the beet-dough ravioli, arborio rice pudding, or chocolate ice cream I made in the past few weeks, I'm forgoing those really artisan recipes (which are uncharacteristic of my style, to be honest) to bring you a messy recipe (of course, more my speed) - Greens Risotto.
This was kind of like dump-out-your-fridge risotto, except it turned out that I had really amazing things in my fridge, like peas in their pods, fava beans, dino kale, carrots, and broccoli. There weren't any odds and ends I wouldn't have wanted in here. And I had leftover arborio rice from the creamy rice pudding I'd made a couple of weeks ago. And I also had leftover chicken stock from the chicken I'd roasted a while ago, too. (You see? I have been cooking up a storm here!)

So all those odds and ends, plus my ever present supply of Parmesan and Cheddar cheeses in the fridge compelled me to tinker with the idea of Risotto, without a recipe. I do have a recipe for you, however:

Greens Risotto (Risotto from mostly green things)
2 T olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 head broccoli, stalks trimmed and cut into small dice, florets separated
2 carrots, diced
1 c arborio rice
1/2 c fresh shelled peas
1/3 c shelled favas
1/2 bunch kale, chopped
4 c chicken or vegetable stock
1/3 c shredded cheddar cheese, loosely packed
1/3 c parmesan cheese, grated
1 T soy sauce
1 t mustard powder

In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook until onion is translucent. Add broccoli and carrots, stir. Add rice and stir occasionally, just to toast a bit. Add 1 c stock and bring to a simmer. When the stock begins to be absorbed, add another cup of stock. When this liquid begins to be absorbed, add the third cup of stock. Stir, reduce heat, add the rest of the vegetables. Again, when the liquid is almost all absorbed, add the last cup of stock. Simmer until absorbed. Remove from heat, and stir in cheese, soy, and mustard powder. Serve.

Seitan is not the devil

2011-06-03T11:02:00.000-04:00

Something happened the first time I ate seitan. And the second time. And I'm pretty sure there wasn't a third time because I had decided it tasted like dog food (considering the first tries were in an OSCA dining room, it's entirely possible that it did...). I swore the stuff off and turned my nose up at it when I read it on menus or about it in articles. I would have avoided it for the rest of my life but a couple of weeks ago my brother bought some seitan at the coop, left it in the fridge, and waiting for the expiration date to pass. And that's when I made my move. I got... a little curious. I wanted to see what this "wheat meat" was like cooked outside of a college coop, and by someone who was very hungry.

So I made seitan vegetable coconut curry. And guess what? Not only was it not bad, I even liked it! I know, can you believe that?

Here's the recipe I threw together last night at dinner.

1 can coconut milk
2 T green curry paste
1 c seitan, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 large onion, sliced
1 carrot, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
1 russet potato, diced
1 yellow beet, peeled and diced
1 T soy sauce
2 T peanut butter
1/2 c veggie stock

In a medium-large pot, heat 1/3 can coconut milk to simmer. Turn off heat once it begins to boil, and let cool a few minutes. Whisk in curry paste. Saute seitan and onion in curry liquid. Add the rest of the ingredients and the rest of the coconut milk. Bring to boil, and simmer 30 min. Serve over brown basmati rice and/or garlicky greens.

Need. Vegetables.

2011-06-02T12:02:00.002-04:00

This past weekend I was in Oberlin for my college reunion. It was a really beautiful experience - got to reconnect with old friends, Oberlin (such a special place!), and myself. The experience was like a cleanse. An emotional reboot. It made me feel confident, happy, independent, and self-assured in ways I hadn't noticed that I hadn't felt in years.

On Day 1 of the visit, we went straight to the Feve, Oberlin's only bar. For the last couple of hours of the car ride from New York to Oberlin, nobody could stop gabbing about how much they wanted to eat a Buffalo Shishtawouk, the Feve's signature sandwich. We got to the bar, ordered our food (with tots, of course), and hung out. On Day 2, we had brunch at Joe Waltzer's Black River Cafe (where the eggs taste like eggs!), which we had been looking forward to and referencing since, oh, the day we graduated, perhaps. We had dinner at the Feve, again. On Day 3, I had a bagel from Black River and dinner at a very unusual and comical college event that my friend Ali described as a "potato cocktail". Very strange. But filling for the time. On Day 4, it was back to Black River, before we left for New York, filled with strong emotions of bittersweet sadness about leaving a place that meant so much to us as very young adults, and still does, today.

Between food on the road and the constant eating out at Oberlin, when I got home, all I wanted was VEGETABLES. I went to the coop and just loaded the cart with lots of vegetables, of all different shapes and colors. Last night, I made a spring-style ratatouille of sorts, served over baked garnet sweet potato. And today for lunch, I thought it may taste better at a cooler, lukewarm temperature, topped with chopped kalamata olives and feta cheese. And it did. mmm...

Spring Veg Lunch

Garnet (or any variety) sweet potato(es), wrapped in foil and baked in a 350 degree oven for about 30 min.

1 T olive oil
2 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 eggplant, cut into 1/2" cubes
2 red peppers, chopped
1 T diced seeded jalapeno peppers
1 bunch asparagus, chopped
3 plum tomatoes, diced
1/2 T dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste
chopped kalamata olives for garnish
1 oz per serving feta cheese for garnish

In a large french saute pan or any large stovetop dish, heat olive oil on medium. Add garlic and cook until fragrant but not brown. Add eggplant, peppers, asparagus, and cook until eggplant starts to shrink and look like it's heating through, about 10 min. Add tomatoes, oregano, salt and pepper, and cook for another 10 min, stirring occasionally. Serve atop half a baked sweet potato and garnish with olives and feta. This dish is also very tasty at room temperature.

Breakfast for one.

2011-05-14T12:39:00.001-04:00

I woke up this morning and did not feel so good. My mind went to that yummy egg sandwich place it's gone to on so many mornings like these. The paper-and-foil wrapped roll filled with sliced cheddar cheese that melts on contact with hot scrambled egg...so good... But eating an egg sandwich would require me to like, get out of bed? or change out of pajamas? feel less groggy? All alternatives that just were not.

So i forgot about that idea. I dozed. And then, I up and created.

A baked egg-broccoli-cheddar puff. Kind of loosely based on the idea of a strata, but no overnight soaking required. Very satisfying. And then I had a bowl of vanilla gelato. What can I say, that's just my mood on this permacloud hazy day.

Puffy Baked Egg with Broccoli and Cheese (for one)
2 eggs, beaten
pinch salt, pepper
1/8 t yellow mustard powder
handful broccoli florets, cut into little tiny pieces
1 slice whole wheat bread, crust removed, cut into 16+ squares
1 oz cheddar cheese, in cubes

In bowl, beat egg with salt, pepper, mustard powder. Gently toss in broccoli, bread, and half of the cheese. Pour into lightly greased ramekin or ovenproof dish, and top with remaining cheese. Bake at 350, covered, for 15-20 minutes.

Dear Broccoli, when did you become so enchanting?

2011-05-09T23:55:00.001-04:00

The Enchanted Broccoli Forest is not only the title of a brilliant book (or a recipe in the book). For me, it is the equivalent of your favorite childhood story book. A flip through its tattered pages, a glance at the hand-drawn illustrations and text, without even reading the recipes yet, makes me feel good. Late last night, I was getting ready for bed, and I saw this cookbook on the floor. It was already past midnight, but I just had to have a peek.

It had been a while, maybe a year? since I had browsed its pages, but honestly, it brought me a feeling of warmth.

Today I brought a bad lunch to work with me. I held out till this evening, and made Confetti Spaghetti from the Enchanted Broccoli Forest. Yes, I was feeling sort of starving, but I think even if I wasn't famished, this pasta dish would have been amazing. Like a healthier macaroni and cheese, this veggie-packed pasta is comforting and satisfying in color and taste. Amazing. Will make again.

3 T butter
2 T olive oil
2 minced onions
4 cloves garlic minced
2 broccoli stalks, diced
1 head cauliflower (I used the yellow kind), chopped
1 red pepper, diced
2 c frozen peas
dash soy sauce
1 lb whole wheat spaghetti
2 c shredded cheddar cheese

In a big saute pan, melt butter and oil. Add onions and garlic and cook until fragrant, and onions are translucent. Add broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms. Cook, stirring occasionally, about 10 min. Add pepper. Cook until soft. Add peas and cook only heated through. Remove from heat, stir in soy. Cover. Cook spaghetti, drain, and return to pot. Add veggies to pasta, and then stir in the cheddar. SO GOOD.

I know it's not winter but this soup rocks.

2011-05-05T21:05:00.001-04:00

Look guys, "It's not winter!" is not a good response to "I'm making soup."
Soup is a year-round food. Maybe not what you want to eat when it's a million degrees out, but we've been in a crisp, cool, lull. The heat hasn't hit us yet. And even when it does, who's to say I won't still be making soup?
I was food blog searching the other day, just seeing what my sites were posting. I like to stop by Cathy Erway's Not Eating Out in New York site, just because, well, you know, I live in New York, and I like to not eat out. She's pretty inspirational (I'm a tad envious of her book deal, but also wanna say You go, girl! as if she were my sister...). Anyway, she had this roast potato leek soup up there, and it sounded like a great idea. I came home tonight and made it with baby kale I bought in bulk at the coop the other day.
The roast potatoes and onions have such a deep flavor, having caramelized for about thirty minutes before having chicken stock added. The baby kale leaves are crisp though cooked through, and have a slightly lemony flavor, standing out it this rustic potato puree as a beacon of brightness.

Super easy to make, doesn't take a lot of ingredients or attention, this one is a sure bet.

2 T olive oil
6 red-skinned potatoes, cut into wedges
2 onions, sliced
6 c chicken or vegetable stock
salt and pepper to taste
2 big handfuls of chopped kale or other hearty green

In a dutch oven or big oven-proof saute pan, toss potatoes and onions in olive oil. Cover and cook in oven on 400 degrees for 30 min. Remove from oven, place on stove top over medium heat. Add stock, salt, and pepper. Cook for another 30 minutes. Puree with hand blender and then add kale. Adjust seasoning and serve!

A hankering for

2011-05-03T22:32:00.003-04:00

Biscuits!
What's a yankee like me doing craving biscuits, anyway? Dunno. All I know is I went for a beer at 7, came home and ate a salad, and then didn't quite want dessert but wanted more! I would have settled for a slice of good, crusty bread, but I didn't have any. So I went for a short order of whole wheat biscuits with raspberry jam. Crumbly but warm and tender inside. Flaky. Wow. Perfect, I might say! They're even crispy on the outside when I bite! And tender inside! Yes, I'm excited. Thank you, Homesick Texan, for being so inspiring when it comes to whipping up a batch of biscuits.

For a small order, of about 6-8 biscuits, follow below. For more, double recipe.

1 c whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/2 t baking powder
pinch sugar
pinch salt
3 T non-hydrogenated shortening or butter
1/3 c buttermilk

Preheat oven to 450. In medium bowl, mix dry ingredients. Cut in shortening with a fork or your fingertips. Mix until mixture is cornmealy or crumbly. Do not over mix! Add buttermilk and stir to form a dough. Pat into a disk about 1/2" thick and cut into circles. Bake 10-15 min, until lightly browned on top. Eat warm, right out of the oven. Now.

Earthy Lasagna

2011-05-02T20:57:00.002-04:00

Hopefully this post makes up for my recent lack of writing anything about food. On a whim, inspired by a previous mushroom lasagna recipe on this blog, I attacked in the kitchen tonight. Without a real plan in mind, just a loose idea of lasagna noodles, something green, earthy portabello mushrooms, and a sweet, bright flavor, I whipped up this earthy lasagna dish. The mushrooms and spinach keep the flavors deep and grounded; the oven-carmelized carrots and onions add a sweet brightness. And the dill... I have to admit... makes it taste Jewish! I swear! It is a must-try.

Carrot Puree
olive oil
3 big carrots, cut into 1/2" thick coins
1 onion, sliced
1 shallot, cut into wedges
red wine vinegar
3/4 c milk simmered with 1/2 T butter

Mushrooms
1 T butter
Four portabello mushrooms, sliced into 1/4" thick pieces
salt to taste
1/4 c white wine

1 bunch spinach, cleaned and steamed
1 box lasagna noodles, cooked according to package
1 1/2 c mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 oz taleggio cheese, pulled into pieces
2 T chopped dill

Preheat oven to 425. On an oiled baking sheet, spread carrot coins, onions, and shallots in one layer. Drizzle with 1 T olive oil and 1/2 T red wine vinegar. Sprinkle generously with salt. Roast 20 minutes, then stir and roast for another 20 min. Remove from oven and put everything in a food processor, along with milk cooked with butter. Puree until smooth.

In a large saute pan, melt butter. Add mushrooms and cook until greatly reduced in size. Add wine when pan looks dry, and add salt to taste.

Lightly oil a casserole dish. Place one layer of noodles in bottom. Spread with carrot puree, then top with spinach, mushrooms, and mozzarella cheese. Top with second layer of noodles, and repeat layering until four layers of noodles are in place. On top layer of noodles, spoon carrot puree and top with remaining mozzarella and taleggio cheese. Sprinkle with chopped dill. Cover with lid or foil and bake at 425 for 15 min. Uncover and cook for another 20 min.

Cleaning out the fridge

2011-04-17T00:31:00.000-04:00

I had to empty out the fridge today. I am leaving for a week-long vacation to the Bay Area on Tuesday, and I realized I had a bunch of perishables in there. Last night I made the biggest salad ever to dispose of my vegetables. And this morning I saved the milk from its would-be obligatory welcome home after being gone for a while, having spoiled.
Typically when I have an excess of milk, I think: Pudding.
Actually, I usually think: Rice Pudding.
But I strangely had no more brown rice. I finished it and forgot to get more this week. I did, however, have couscous!
So I made a couscous custard, with the lone left banana and vanilla. Damn, I love custards! I am such a custard girl. If you ever want to please me, present me with custard. Any temperature will do, but warm is best.

Banana Couscous Custard
3 c milk
1 cinnamon stick
1 banana, cut into small pieces
1 T vanilla extract
2 egg yolks
3/4 c sugar
1 1/2 c whole wheat (or regular) couscous

In a big saucepan, heat milk, banana, vanilla, and cinnamon stick on low. Whisk occasionally. While milk heats, whisk 1/2 c sugar into the egg yolks in a medium bowl. When milk begins to simmer, temper the egg mixture by adding a ladle full of milk into the bowl and whisking. Add the egg mixture into the milk pot and whisk until well incorporated. Add remaining sugar, and whisk. Finally, add couscous, and stir a few times, with the custard still simmering. Turn off heat, pour into a big bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and put in the fridge to set, about 1 hour if you are impatient, or longer if you can wait, unlike me. Remove cinnamon stick. Serve in bowls just so, or underneath fresh fruit.

The Importance of Being Flexible

2011-04-11T19:55:00.001-04:00

I want to start today's post with a funny story. At least it's funny to me. Around the beginning of my third year at Oberlin, I was in the Old Barrows kitchen getting ready for Pizza Night. As the head cook, I arrived in the early afternoon before any prep people started. I would make the dough, start the huge pot of sauce, and get any special toppings ready. On this day, I must have been very distracted. Or maybe I had a bit too much to drink before the party started... Whatever it was, I somehow forgot about the giant pot of tomato sauce on the stove. When I remembered it was there (maybe it smelled like burning? I don't remember), I ran to it with a long-handled spoon and stirred. Damn! Totally burned. Can you believe I burned the sauce? I thought, there's no way I can serve this. It's going to taste burnt. Just then, a few prep people arrived, and maybe a cook or two. They said, "What's that great smell? Smokey! What did you do to the sauce? It smells delicious!" No joke. I thought, are they serious? Well, yes, they were, and then I tasted it. ...And it tasted smokey! Like a nice chipotle kind of smokiness. It was pretty rad!

Now, while I don't advocate for burning tomato sauce intentionally, my point is, sometimes "burnt" is salvageable, especially if you are able to reconceptualize your original plan as something else.

Yesterday morning I tried to cook some black beans I had soaked overnight the night before. I rinsed the beans from their soaking water, filled the pot an inch from the top with clean water, added some salt, a chopped-up carrot, and a whole dried chili. I turned the pot onto medium heat, and I hopped in the shower. And then I sat on the couch, and then I caught up on emails, and then I watched some guilty-pleasure television. And in the middle of watching a show, I heard a noise like "shhhh". I thought, what's that noise? Is it the heater? no... Is it the sink running? definitely no... I told myself to forget about it. A few minutes passed and I jumped up! SH*T! I completely forgot about the beans! Darn darn darn darn darn! What a waste of a pot of beans! I turned off the heat. I removed the pan from the burner. I put on the tap and ran water into the pot of burning beans. I stirred. I tasted. Still hard. I put the beans and the new liquid in a deli container.

That evening, I chopped up some veggies, onions, garlic. I heated the diced onion and garlic on the stove. I added the beans with the newer liquid back into the saucepan. I put the heat on medium and I brought it to a simmer. And can you believe it? In about 20 minutes, I had cooked, smokey-tasting beans! So tonight and last night, I dined famously.

Green tortillas with homemade spanish rice, beans, a light pickle of vegetables, ripe avocado, and some white cheddar. Man.

Light vegetable pickle
1 c shredded red cabbage
1 1/2 carrots, grated
2 persian cucumbers, sliced into rounds or half-moons
1 red pepper, diced
3 T red wine vinegar
1 T lime juice
2 t sugar
salt to taste

Mix all ingredients. Eat alone or atop rice and beans and avocado and cheddar. Yummm.

A little of this, a little of that

2011-04-09T15:57:00.001-04:00

I always tell myself I must take a few cooking classes in foods I just don't have inborn tastes for but love to eat. For example, I have no idea how good Chinese food is made. I don't just have that palette like I do with other foods; I can't eat a great Chinese meal and say oh, there's this, this, and this in it the same way I can with Western cooking. It's way harder to replicate. So as embarrassing as this is, I took a page from Mom. I spied on her making us dinner a few weeks ago.
Here's my version of a little of this, a little of that and, I have to say, for a Honky, it's pretty decent/awesome!

1/4 c low sodium soy
1 T rice vinegar
2 T honey
1 clove garlic, grated
1" ginger, grated
1 1/2 T sesame oil with chili (or without)
vegetable oil
1 head bok choy, cleaned well and chopped
1 clove garlic, sliced
1/2 cake tofu, pressed and cubed

In a medium bowl, combine soy sauce through sesame oil. Let sit, 5-10 minutes. In a wok or frying pan, head 1 T oil. When oil is hot (not smoking), add tofu. Cook until puffed a bit and lightly browned. Add sliced garlic and cook 30 sec or so, add bok choy and stir it up. It should make a loud sizzling sound. When the green parts of the bok choy are wilted, add your sauce, stir for a minute, turn off heat.
Serve with brown rice.

Stayin in Soup Night

2011-03-26T21:56:00.007-04:00

I made a soup like this a while back, and it was incredible. So simple, but so good! I've tweaked it a bit this time, and I also realized that last time there were no photos. So in an effort to beautify the blog, here is a sweet, spicy winter-relapse root soup, with some unusual add-ins for flavor (not including the bit of thumb I sliced off with an untrustworthy vegetable peeler). Paired with a small salad or rice and beans (or both!) this soup makes for a good warm-you-up soup on a very cold night.

What you need:

3 big peeled sweet potatoes, chopped big
1 leek, cleaned well and sliced
1 poblano pepper, seeded and chopped
1 beet, peeled and chopped
10 c water
1/2 c cooked squash
salt and pepper to taste
3 c corn kernels
2 T molasses

In a T of olive oil in a bit soup pot, saute ingredients listed from potatoes through beet for about 5 minutes. Add water and bring to boil. Then add squash. Boil about 1 hour. Puree. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add corn and molasses. Stir well. Serve.

** I've got to add-- last night I ended up eating this with rice and beans in the soup. And then tonight I ate it without the rice but with chipotle black beans and cheddar cheese on top. I think the black beans, though not essential, are a terrific addition to the soup...
Also, that beet? My best idea in a long time. For the flavor, the color, the texture (not all of the beets and sweet potatoes were pureed so smoothly). That beet was essential!

Bread Pudding

2011-03-22T22:35:00.002-04:00

What do you do with a half loaf of a HUGE homemade challah you froze several months ago then defrosted because you thought you'd eat it and then let it sit in the fridge for two and a half weeks, untouched?
I'll answer my own question. You bake Nutella Bread Pudding! That's what you do!
Tonight, when I got home from school and a no-show in the clinic, it was late. 8:30 already. I had a quick dinner with a new protein I hope to not try again (a very salty new kind of sausage at the coop that I thought maybe looked good?), and I whipped up the leftover milk in the fridge with eggs and flavors that smelled good.
Hopefully I don't make a habit of not eating homemade bread. But in the case that I do, bread pudding is a Terrific way to not waste food! And if it was Sunday morning instead of a Tuesday evening on which I had a hankering for sweets, I could have made a strata instead. A savory bread pudding custardy thing. With like, vegetables, or something.
...the leftover bread possibilities are endless. Waste Not!

Nutella Bread Pudding
5 c torn up pieces of challah
1 3/4 c milk (any kind)
4 eggs
1/2 c sugar
1 t cinnamon
10 rasps nutmeg
2 t vanilla
2 T nutella

Preheat oven to 350 and lightly grease a loaf pan. Fill a large bowl with torn bread. In another bowl, beat all ingredients except nutella. Pour over the bread and push down to cover. Pour about 1/3 into prepared pan, and then try to spread 1 T nutella over this layer. Then pour another 1/3 of bread mixture on top, and spread another 1 T nutella over. Pour remaining bread mixture into pan. Spread/push down with spatula. Bake for 30-40 minutes. Let cool in pan about 10 minutes, then invert onto cooling rack.

Farro in Parmesan Brodo

2011-03-20T12:09:00.001-04:00

A couple of weeks ago Mr. Ripe and I had house guests. On their second night with us, I insisted we feast. The menu was inspired by my recent falling back in love with the charming Jamie Oliver, having borrowed his book on Italian cooking from the local library. The theme of his book and of our dinner was very simple food, made with simple ingredients. The results were phenomenal. We marinated chicken overnight in Chianti for Chicken Cacciatore, and made Jamie's Italian beans (our version was simply cooked white beans in water with herbs on hand and veggies, sort of in a light stock, then tossed with olive oil). We also did a quick field greens salad and, upon remembering a flavorful side dish I once had at a restaurant here in Brooklyn, I could not abandon my instinct to make a similar farro side.
I have never cooked farro before, but it is a great hearty grain to use. It looks like a wheat berry, but it doesn't need to soak overnight in order to cook. In this way, it's much more versatile and easy to use, a perfect fit for my whim.
I started by toasting onion in olive oil, and then toasted the farro in there as well. I then used a very rich chicken stock (although vegetarian can be substituted) leftover from weeks prior, which I had frozen into ice cubes for easy access at just a time like this, as my cooking liquid. When the farro was cooked through, softened but still with a light chew, we added about 1 1/2 c parmesan. The idea is to go for a brothy batch of farro, so the grain is cooked, but it is served in quite a bit of rich parmesan chicken brodo. It is quite rich, but a delightful side dish if you require extra whole grains in your meal.
I definitely recommend this one- it's so easy, there is no reason not to try it!
Farro in Parmesan Brodo
1 - 2 T Olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 1/2 c farro
1 t salt
6 c chicken stock (or water, or vegetable stock)
1 1/2 - 2 c grated Parmesan cheese
black pepper and salt, to taste

With olive oil in medium saucepan, turn heat to medium, and add onion. Cook until translucent. Add farro, and toast, 2-3 minutes. Add salt and stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and allow to simmer until still chewy but tender, 40-50 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cheese, pepper, and salt. Serve farro with its broth.

Chili Lime Chicken Soup

2011-03-03T22:06:00.000-05:00

Man, I feel like I haven't posted forever! And I am sorry. My routine had taken over, I guess. And I cooked less in the past two weeks than I would have liked to. But oh, the agony, of leaving the house at 7 in the morning and not returning until 8 or 8:30. Oy.

Today I was recuperating from a terrible head cold. But by 5:30, I was going stir crazy! I had to leave the house. I had to feel fresh air on my face! I caught a ride to the coop with little more on my list than oranges and Emergen-C. And somehow (of course), I ended up buying more, spending $35 instead of perhaps $15. But it was because when I was there, as I slowly walked through the produce section, I became inspired by some fresh baby ginger and lemon grass. I grabbed some limes from a box and a couple pounds of potatoes. (And irresistible looking spicy marcona almonds, and chocolate covered raisins, and dried mango...)

Once home, I promptly got to business, without even fully having unpacked my bag. And soon, there was a pot of almost-done chili lime chicken soup on the stove! When Mr. Ripe came home, he served each of us a bowl of the soup, topped off with fresh lime juice. After his first few bites, with delight, he asked me where the recipe was from. I want to share with you readers that I was flattered! No recipe. I urge you to change and increase this and take out that and add some more of whatever to this recipe- make it yours! Mmm!

Chili-lime Soup
*excellent for speedy cold recovery*

2 T olive oil
2 carrots, diced
2 potatoes, diced
1 large onion, diced
1 1/2" piece of ginger, minced
2" piece of lemongrass, minced
3/4 c red lentils
3/4 c short grain brown rice
1 whole dried chili
6 c chicken stock
4 c water
half a head of napa cabbage, thinly sliced crosswise
salt and pepper to taste
fresh lime juice
sriracha

In a large pot, heat olive oil. Add ingredients on list through the rice. Saute 5 minutes. Add the chili, stock, water, cabbage, and salt and pepper, stir, turn heat to high and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat and simmer 45 minutes or until rice is cooked through. Serve and add lime juice and/or sriracha to individual bowls.

Light Spice Yogurt Cake

2011-02-20T14:00:00.016-05:00

I know I just posted the lemon cake less than two weeks ago, but I made this for my class and everyone loved it and asked if it would be on the blog. So, by popular demand, I bring you very lightly spiced yogurt cake!

1 c flour
3/4 c sugar
1 t baking soda
1/8 t freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 t cinnamon
1/8 t salt
1 1/2 c yogurt
1 egg
1 t vanilla extract
1 t almond extract
1/4 c melted butter
cardamom syrup (recipe below)

cardamom syrup: in small bowl, mix 6 crushed cardamom pods with 1/4 c boiled water and 1/4 c sugar. Let sit 5-10 minutes. Strain through sieve, discard pods.

In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, mix remaining ingredients. Add wet ingredients to dry, including the syrup. Stir until thoroughly combined. Pour into lightly greased loaf pan. Bake on 350 for 25 minutes, or until golden brown and inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Really Delicious Hearty Breakfast

2011-02-19T12:50:00.000-05:00

I love mushy food. I'm sure you've read that here before. So perfect breakfast on a day that I don't need to be anywhere at any time? Polenta, steamed kale and, of course, a poached egg. I don't know what those foods make you think. I know what I think:
mmm mushy, creamy polenta...
kale? The ultimate green leafy.
...and everyone knows poached eggs make EVERYTHING better!

Double the recipe for two people; I cooked for me and me alone!

1/2 c polenta, or any grind corn meal
1 c water
pinch salt
4 dino kale leaves, roughly chopped
medium saucepan full of boiling water
pinch salt
1 T vinegar (any kind, though probably not like balsamic)
1 egg
shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

In a small saucepan, bring 1 c water and pinch salt to boil. Slowly add polenta, whisking until incorporated. Lower heat to low. Stir every minute or so with wooden spoon. Cook until mixture pulls away from sides when stirred. Remove from heat, pour into serving bowl.
Blanche the kale in the medium pot of boiling water (quick dump in and slotted spoon out; no need for ice water); place kale on top of polenta in bowl. Bring water back to boil, add vinegar. Poach egg by cracking egg into small cup, bringing cup to water's surface, and quickly dumping egg into water.
Maintain slow boil, cooking for about 2-4 minutes, checking by pulling egg out of water with slotted spoon and gently tapping yolk with your finger to check done-ness. When done, remove egg from water and place on top of kale. Sprinkle with cheddar if using. Dig in!

Easy Lemon Yogurt Cake

2011-02-08T23:09:00.000-05:00

I've been waking up early on the weekends. It's just in my blood at this point. I can't help it. And I enjoy it! I wake up, tip toe out of bed, and put something cheesy on Netflix. I make myself a cup of tea, cozy up on the couch, and I'm set. But this past Sunday I had a hankering for something sweet. Not french toast- too boring (if I'd had challah that would be a different story). Not pancakes (too similar to the Chinese scallion pancakes I made the night before). A quick look in the fridge told me what was possible. I had a quart of vanilla yogurt that was a week past its expiration. Now, you may read that line and think EW THROW IT OUT! But come on, everyone knows that for many things, the expiration date is actually a "sell by" date. Not a date on which the product will "expire". This applies especially to yogurt, which can be good for at least two weeks beyond said date. But anyway, it's just as good if you have fresher yogurt; yogurt-past-the-expiration-date is not a requirement for this recipe.

And yes, this satisfied my sweet tooth as a terrific early morning breakfast treat to enjoy as I vegged out on the couch. Reminiscent of my early days as a child in front of the television watching Mickey Mouse Club (those were the days...).

Lemon Yogurt Cake

1 c flour
1/2 c sugar
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1 1/3 c yogurt
1/3 c oil
1 egg
1 t vanilla
zest and juice of 1 lemon

Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir well until combined. Bake on 350 for 20-30 minutes, until golden brown on top and inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Cool in pan for 5-10 minutes, then on a cooling rack. Yum.

Go to your room! er... I mean.. The Fridge!

2011-01-25T23:22:00.000-05:00

Tonight was one of those nights I came home and it was already 7:00 and I knew I couldn't start making a meal from scratch that late because then I wouldn't be eating till maybe 9 pm and then by the time I was done I'd have no time to really relax. So instead of making a meal for tonight, I put some frozen tamales in the steamer and sliced up a cucumber real quick for a mini cucumber salad (read: red wine vinegar, pinch sugar, salt, and pepper). And, as the tamales steamed, I chopped an onion, two carrots, some of that beautiful marina di chioggia squash, and started on soup for lunches and dinners this week!

Though I didn't get to enjoy it tonight, cooking a nearly hands off soup while I got to sit on the couch and relax definitely has its benefits. I'll be good for tomorrow and the next day. And I can stop feeling bad about that gorgeous squash just sitting around, not being used!

Here's the recipe; it's incredibly simple. Promise!

2 T olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, diced
3/4 c chopped hard winter squash
1 1/2 T cumin
1/2 T curry powder
2 c red lentils, rinsed (Hey, sometimes when you buy them, they're dusty. It won't kill you but...)
10 c water
salt and pepper to taste

In a saucepan, heat olive oil. Add onions, carrots, squash, and spices. Stir, and saute until onions are translucent. Add lentils and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and allow to simmer until lentils are soft, about 25 minutes. (Or, if you forget pot is on the stove for an hour, it will be good then, too!)

Bright Yellow Squash Cake

2011-01-23T21:16:00.001-05:00

I struggled over whether or not to post this recipe. I made it in an obstinate mood. I refused to look at any recipes even for guidance. I had a big Marina di Chioggia squash, which is a large, heirloom squash that looks like a very big pumpkin but instead of being round and orange, it has bumpy blue-green skin and is a bit more ovular than round. This squash was my last remnant from having worked at the Fort Greene Farmers Market for Hector Tejada at Conuco farms. It had sat on my counter for a number of weeks and so I thought it was ready to be processed. I cut the squash in half, crosswise, and scooped out the seeds of one half (the other half went into plastic wrap in the fridge... maybe soup later this week?). I roasted it on 375 for about 70 minutes, then let it cool before scooping out the flesh and putting it in a container in the fridge.

When I came home from my orientation at the Park Slope Food Coop (yes, I'm now a member! Awesome!), and I had four ~~boys~~ men in my livingroom watching football and screaming every few minutes, I thought baking a squash butter cake would be a good way to occupy myself. (And, I have to say, I had some report writing to do and you know me- what better way to procrastinate than to bake?)

Here is the recipe to the cake, which I devised out of thin air. It's very damp. Moist. I warn you. It's kind of like a kugel with no noodles, because of the egg, mashed squash, and yogurt. But it is freakin tasty. And bright orange-yellow in color. So here it is in case you decide you want to retrace my evening:

1/2 c softened butter
1 c sugar
1 1/2 c mashed squash (I bet you could use canned pumpkin, unseasoned or sweetened)
2 eggs
3/4 c vanilla or plain yogurt
1 t vanilla extract
2 c flour
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add squash, and mix until combined. Add eggs and beat well, then add yogurt and vanilla. In another bowl, mix dry ingredients together. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and stir until combined. If the batter is too thin, add flour. If it is too thick to be poured into a loaf pan, add more yogurt. Bake on 350 for 40 minutes. Remove from pan and place on rack to cool.

Vegetarian Chili

2011-01-10T12:24:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was cold. Cloudy and cold and snowing on and off, but not sticking. We had some friends stopping by for tea, and I thought, Hey, if I'm stuck inside all day, I may as well have a project going.
So to the store I went for canned beans and carrots and scallions. (I know I am an avid supporter of dried beans, but we had just gotten back from the Bay Area and our supplies are low.)

This chili is one of the easiest things to make, especially if you have the staples lying around somewhere. We ate it served on top of creamy polenta, but you could have it over rice, egg noodles, or just plain. Or with cornbread (which was our second choice after polenta). Throw all the ingredients in the pot in no specific order (although the order in which the following ingredients are listed is a good order to go in!), and let it simmer away until it thickens up. We didn't even add any water or stock--the only liquid is from the tomatoes and bean liquid. And this chili flavor was very chilily!

2 T olive oil
2 onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 1/2 c diced carrots
1 1/2 T chili powder (we used a mix of 2)
1 T cumin
1 dried chipotle pepper, whole (or a can of adobo chiles)
2 dried anaheim peppers (or just a couple t's of crushed red pepper)
32 oz canned tomatoes (we used the ones we put up this summer, but store-bought is fine)
1 can each of black beans, kidney beans, and pinto beans
salt to taste
white pepper to taste

Saute onions, garlic, carrots, and spices in olive oil. Add beans and tomatoes. Season to taste. Boil and then reduce to simmer, cooking for about 45 min, or until it reaches desired consistency. Serve with chives or cheddar cheese or sour cream (or all three!).

Like most things in life

2011-01-09T12:15:00.001-05:00

Polenta is better the next day served with an egg.
Those people to put on the egg commercials are on to something. The incredible, edible egg, indeed! I swear by eggs making just about any meal better. Especially a meal based around a starch. With some sort of vegetable thing in there, somewhere.
So this morning, when I wanted a real good breakfast, I turned on the broiler, boiled a pot of water on the stove, reheated last night's dinner, and called it Brunch.
A small skillet of last night's creamy polenta with butter and goat gouda, topped with last night's vegetarian chili, under the broiler for 10 minutes until bubbly was topped with a perfectly poached egg, seasoned with salt and pepper, and finished with a dollop of Mr. Ripe's cousin's Christmas Salsa. Wowza.
Talk about brunch!

I'm just not a meat eater.

2010-12-21T19:37:00.002-05:00

Apologies for the lack of posting this month. I've been busy. Head spinningly so.
But tonight I decided that when I got home, I was going to make a dish inspired by this one at Food52. I made butternut squash pancetta mac and cheese. It was incredible. But I have to say, not being a native meat eater, I don't think I'll ever appreciate what is, in my opinion, the superfluous addition of meat to excellent-already recipes. Sitting with my bowl of pasta, hot from the oven, I found myself eating around the pancetta. And when I was done, I saw that I had automatically pushed all of my serving's meat to the side, to remain untouched, to be thrown out. It's fine, it just means I learned something about myself. That I am who I am! It's okay. And that when Mr. Ripe returns from California, he will be quite happy on a cold, hungry night to know there are squash pancetta mac and cheese leftovers in the freezer, just waiting for someone to reheat in the oven.

Butternut Squash Pancetta Mac and Cheese
1/4 lb pancetta, diced, browned, and drained on paper towel
1 2-3 lb squash, cut in half lengthwise, seeds discarded
16 oz ziti, cooked al dente
2 T butter
1 T flour
1 c milk
1 c grated cheddar cheese
1/2 c grated gouda (I used goat gouda)
1/2 c Bridgid's Abbey (from a greenmarket, if you can find it, or just use more cheddar)
salt and pepper to taste
tiny pinch nutmeg
Parmesan
Paprika

Place your squash, cut side down, on a baking sheet and bake about 45 min at 375. While this bakes, heat butter in a medium saucepan. Add flour and whisk to cook it evenly. Add milk. Whisk until mixture thickens slightly, then add cheeses and continue to stir until mixture is fairly homogenous. Turn off heat and set aside. When squash is done, scoop out and mash the insides. This can be done in the blender. Then add the squash and pancetta to your cheese sauce. Combine with pasta and pour into a greased casserole dish or a 9x9 square pan. Sprinkle top with parmesan and paprika. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes.

Mustard Greens with Whole Wheat pasta

2010-12-05T11:29:00.000-05:00

Working at the farmers market definitely has its perks (duh). I'd never bought mustard greens before in adult form. I'd only had it in baby size, in salads for surprise bite. But the adult plant, some leaves purple, some jagged and green, is quite something itself. I think this dish must be traditional Italian but, not being Italian myself, I can't say that with any certainty. Just the simplicity and ingredients remind me of something I would make more often if I were a genuine Italian person.
Give it a shot and tell me what you think. Leave a comment and tell me if my Italian gauge is spot-on or totally out of whack... and I'll go back to writing about what I know.

2 bunches mustard greens, one purple, one green, if possible
5 cloves garlic, diced
3 whole anchovy fillets, diced or smashed with a fork
crushed red pepper, to taste
salt, to taste
1/2 package whole wheat spaghetti
cooked chickpeas (optional)

In a pot of boiling water, blanch mustard greens for about 30 seconds (may take two batches) and then shock them in ice water. Set aside to drain. In a large skillet, heat 1 T olive oil on medium heat. Add garlic, anchovy, and crushed red pepper. Cook until garlic is lightly browning. Add drained mustard greens and a large pinch of salt (you won't need too much because anchovies are salty). Saute until all of the water has evaporated and greens have cooked, about 5-7 minutes. If using chickpeas, add them now. Cook pasta according to directions. Drain and toss with olive oil. Serve pasta in bowls with greens heaping on top. You may top with Parmesan if desired.

Warm roasted salad

2010-11-22T21:39:00.001-05:00

Tonight's dinner will make enough for two, or enough for one and lunch the next day (which was obviously my master plan).
My new boss gave me one of his last buttercup squashes on Saturday because I told him I didn't think I had ever had one. My favorite winter squashes had been his Marina di Chioggia, an heirloom dark green, gnarly pumpkin, the delightful delicata, and of course, butternut. But I am so happy that I was given this prized small green winter variety, the buttercup. I was planning on just slicing crosswise and roasting, cut-side down on 400, but I had this idea gnawing at me and I just couldn't ignore it. The idea said: salad, salad, salad...chickpeas, chickpeas, chickpeas...warm, warm, warm. I followed the impulse and ended up with a very tasty roasted buttercup squash chickpea salad with wilted kale and mustard greens.
I ate it without grains, but cooked some oat groats in vegetable stock to bring with the leftovers for lunch tomorrow.
I promise this recipe is simple. And if you end up thinking it's complicated, please please leave a comment and I will address your needs! I want seasonal simple food to be accessible and if it is not, I'm not doing it right! Tell me what you think.

1 buttercup squash (or a small butternut), peeled and cubed into 1" cubes
1 small onion, rough chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 t tumeric
1 t cumin
1 t cinnamon
1 t salt
1 T olive oil
1 1/2 c cooked chickpeas (or from a can)

In a large bowl, mix all of the ingredients. Spread evenly on a baking sheet. Bake on 400 for 30 minutes, checking once or twice and stirring ingredients with a spatula.

Greens
Chop a large handful of hearty winter greens. I used kale and mustard greens. Place in a skillet on medium high heat with a few tablespoons of water. Cover and cook for about 3 minutes, until greens are just wilted.

I apologize that my camera is on Long Island, without me. I know everyone likes pictures but I urge you to try this one even though I have none. It is so. good.

If you don't think this is beautiful then we can't be friends.

2010-11-14T19:45:00.001-05:00

As much as I started to strongly dislike Alice Waters after she made some comment about eating local, healthy food being a matter of priority, ignoring issues that might hinder one from eating in such a way (such as accessibility and socioeconomic status and privilege, just to name a few), the woman is good at what she does.
I happened upon her Chez Panisse Menu Cookbook at the Central branch of the Brooklyn Library and had to take it home with me. The book itself is very pretty, even in its tattered library-used condition. There are illustrations and the layout is quite simple, just like Ms. Waters' food. Recipes are straight forward. Simple. Not completely accessible (she says things like "Flame the pan with the Cognac," and even I, a self-proclaimed seasoned cook, am not sure I entirely know what she means by that), but overall, pretty inspirational.
I started browsing the book in the bath last night, and one recipe stayed with me. I thought about it on and off all day. It was the recipe for new potatoes in parchment paper. Easy. Of course. Who would need a recipe for something like that? But, as Ms. Waters explains in the introduction, we have gotten so far away from simple food, that an easy recipe such as new potatoes baked in parchment paper with a touch of butter and fresh thyme can be read as more exciting than it should be. This isn't to say shame on us but, it is to say that Alice Waters brings simple food back, without shaming readers or eaters. Instead, she entices us.
Tonight, with Chez Panisse on my mind, I roasted new potatoes, radish, and turnip with a pat of butter and a few sprigs of fresh thyme from my windowsill. I cut all of the vegetables into about 1" pieces, dispersed three small pats of butter, and laid the thyme on top. I roasted for 30 minutes on 400. The results? Beautiful. In taste and looks. Mission Accomplished.

Yes, Yes, Yes!

2010-11-07T22:34:00.001-05:00

Revere simple foods. Vegetables taste good! NYmag writes about it: http://nymag.com/restaurants/features/69372/

Awesome.

Fall Foods

2010-11-07T19:29:00.003-05:00

Last night I had a small gathering for what will likely turn into a seasonal event. I hosted the first Fall Foods dinner. Although it was only last night, I am already looking forward to the Winter Foods dinner, which will be followed by the Spring Foods dinner! The Fall Foods dinner was a potluck that encouraged guests to bring, if possible, only something homemade and/or local. Pretty incredibly, we ended up with a wonderful spread. Everyone brought a dish and/or drink they were proud of, and there was a feeling of communal pride when the table was set with our fabulous looking handicrafts.
We started with a cheese plate, bread from the farmers market, and homemade hummus, along with pumpkin ale and red wine. The main course followed. It consisted of brussel sprout slaw with pancetta dressing, cassoulet, sweet and spicy carrots, beans and greens, salad with beets and goat cheese, cinnamon black rice with butternut squash and goat cheese, and mushroom lasagna (my contribution).
Even though we had eaten so much as the main part of the meal, dessert was phenomenal. One guest brought a gingerbread spice cake with not-too-sweet whipped cream, and another brought her mother's special recipe Linzer Torte. Wow. A feast of feasts. (Can't you see why I'm already looking forward to the next one?)
Last night wasn't just about good food though. It was about spending the night in a cozy apartment, catching up with old friends, reminiscing about college, and meeting and learning about new friends. By the end of the night, we were all stuffed. But I had a few moments of bliss, in which I felt really grateful to be a part of such an evening. A friend who has been living in Boston commented that I was making her miss New York enough to move back. It would be an understatement to say that the night was merely a Success. It was much more than that!
Below is the recipe, almost exactly from Ina Garten, for Mushroom Lasagna (the dish of which we have no leftovers!). I made the bechamel and cooked the mushrooms the night before, which made assembly much faster.

Bechamel Recipe:
Make the bechamel the way Ina tells you to, even though it's not my top secret favorite way to make it. Pour into a container and set aside until it comes to room temp, then refrigerate.

Mushroom Recipe
1 1/2 lb portobello mushrooms, stems discarded, sliced into 1/4" thick strips
1 T olive oil
2 T butter
2 sprigs fresh thyme

In a large skillet, over medium flame, heat olive oil. When oil is hot, add mushrooms. Stir. Add butter and fresh thyme. Cook on medium heat, about 10 minutes, until liquid has been released and mushrooms are just done. Remove from heat and set aside.

Assembly
Cook 1 package lasagna noodles al dente.
Grate 1 c parmesan cheese.
In the bottom of a large casserole dish, at least 12" long, 8" wide, spread a layer of bechamel. Layer noodles on top. Then layer more sauce, mushrooms, and grated cheese. Repeat twice more, starting with noodles. When done, place final layer of noodles on top, spread bechamel, and top with remaining cheese. Bake at 375 for 45 min covered, 15 min uncovered. Serve.

Simply martha

2010-10-31T19:57:00.001-04:00

Look, you can think she's absolutely crazy. A criminal. Too wholesome (?). Think what you want, but Martha Stewart is a freakin genious. That's all there is to it. She's a genius. She is one of the experts, no questions asked. What Martha says is good is good. The end.
So when I googled Oatmeal Raisin bars, thinking I wanted ideas for how to make simple, good, wholesome Oatmeal Raisin bars, and this came up first, I was satisfied.
In a very un-Meg fashion, I followed the recipe. Yes, I. Followed. A. Recipe. I didn't change anything*. I used parchment paper. I used a whisk. Melted butter- the full amount. When Martha said to level the flour after measuring, I leveled!
*I will say that I do not actually have white flour in the house, or have it very rarely. So I used my trusted whole wheat flour. I'm sorry. Get over it. It tastes better, and it's not like I needed special white flour for elasticity or something. So there. All you critics can just shove it.

You can go directly to Martha's site for the recipe. And browse around. She's fun!

Clotilde, you're onto something

2010-10-20T23:36:00.000-04:00

I'm really into baking with yogurt. I like that it makes baked goods have a flavorful tang, and I like that it gives potentially drier cakes and muffins a delightful moistness. I volunteered to bring breakfast for my class tomorrow, and I was about to make a recipe that is already posted on here: blueberry yogurt cake (a great, but dangerous recipe--last time I ate almost the entire thing alone, in one day), but instead I opted for a healthier choice: Clotilde's Blueberry Bran Muffins.
I multiplied the recipe by 1.5 so that I'd have enough to bring to class and some leftover to eat at home and to feed my house guest, too. (I'd hate to be a visitor in someone's home and see them baking at night, and wake in the morning to an empty apartment with no goodies to breakfast on!)
Since I didn't have paper cupcake liners, I made some out of parchment paper by cutting it into 4"x4" squares and then pushing the squares into lightly greased muffin tins. This worked rather beautifully, in terms of functionality, but not in terms of actual physically beauty. That is, next time I'll cut them smaller because some of the finished baked muffins ended up with indentations where the paper bent into them (if you know me, you know this aesthetic glitch doesn't bother me at all, but it could easily disappoint others).

Physical beauty aside, these muffins were delicious. I tried one just now as a tester (wouldn't want to serve the whole class less than A+ work), and I was pleasantly surprised given the relative liquid nature of the batter pre-baking.

Blueberry Bran Yogurt Muffins (and leftovers for cake in an 8x8 pan)
adapted from Chocolate and Zucchini

1 1/2 c wheat bran
1/4 c boiling water
1 1/2 c flour
1 1/2 t baking powder
3/4 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1/2 c turbinado sugar
1/4 c granulated sugar
1 1/2 c frozen blueberries
1 1/2 c full cream vanilla or plain yogurt (I used Ronnybrook vanilla yogurt which I think is way less sweet than most)
2 eggs
3 T vegetable oil
dash vanilla extract

In a medium bowl, measure out bran. Pour hot water over bran, mix gently, and let stand 5 minutes. In a large bowl, mix other dry ingredients. Add frozen blueberries, toss to coat w/ dry mixture. In a pyrex measuring cup (or in another bowl), mix yogurt, eggs, oil, and vanilla. Add the soaked bran to the blueberry mixture. Then add the combined wet ingredients and stir until well-incorporated but allow lumps to remain (if any). Spoon into lined muffin tins or into an 8x8 inch square dish lined with parchment or lightly greased. Bake at 350- 15 minutes for muffins, 25 minutes for cake.

Finally fall

2010-10-17T18:14:00.001-04:00

Even though fall officially started weeks ago, the New York weather has vacillated from almost-cool to summer-hot. Finally, yesterday and today, the weather has been cooling down. It's chilly out! "Jacket weather". I love it.
Don't get me wrong- I love spring and summer warmth. But I look forward to having to layer up: long sleeved shirts, vests, sweaters, turtlenecks (yes, indeed), long socks, smartwool, tough boots. I look forward to needing these layers of clothing and now, the truly cold weather is approaching and it is exhilarating!

I'm not sure if it's living alone, the cool, biting air, or the fact that I have been navigating Brooklyn by bike, riding nearly every day just to feel the air rushing by my face, making my eyes water, but I have been really happy these days. I feel lighter, calmer, just plain good, just being. I see I've written myself into a tangent, but I guess it was worth sharing on the blogosphere. When I came home today, after a long ride all over south Brooklyn, as soon as I stopped sweating, I was cold! I took out a soup pot and started at it. I had potatoes, leeks, onions, jerusalem artichokes, and skinny celery, all from the farmers market. Easily enough, I turned my fresh fall ingredients into an off-white soup, rustically pureed into something just right for warming up at home, alone. My ingredient list is below, but you may add whatever you want. I ended up with having a sort of white color theme, but any fall vegetable, especially root crops, will taste good in here. It's soup, come on, how can you mess up? Give it a try! Having had only 1 bowl, I'm ready for bed. It's been an exausting weekend. Fortunately I have this entire pot of soup to keep me going through the week.

Fall Soup
1 1/2 T butter
1-2 leeks, 2 c chopped
1/2 c chopped onion
1 c chopped fresh celery, leaves removed
5-6 white-fleshed potatoes, skins on, chopped
3 jerusalem artichokes, peeled and chopped
1/2 head cauliflower, chopped
3 sprigs dill, chopped
1 bay leaf
pinch whole peppercorns
salt

Over medium heat, melt 1 T butter. Add leeks and onion, and let cook, stirring occasionally, about 5-10 minutes, careful not to let brown. Add the rest of the ingredients. Fill pot with water until 1 inch from the top. Bring to boil. Reduce to simmer, cover, and let cook 1-2 hours. Remove from heat and puree with immersion blender if desired. You can make it as chunky or smooth as you'd like. Return to low heat and add remaining 1/2 T butter. Serve sprinkled with fresh dill.

Lazy Saturday Soup

2010-10-10T11:54:00.002-04:00

Last night I told myself I'd stay in. Not only was I tired but I had been soaking cannellini beans for the past 18 or so hours and they had to be cooked, or they would go to waste. I gathered my ingredients. A red onion. A yellow onion. A quart jar of the Roma tomatoes I put up a couple months ago. Half a bunch of kale from Bradley Farms (so good, so worth the $3 price tag). And on and on (don't worry, full ingredient list below).
I admit, this pot took a good almost 3 hours of simmering to be perfect. But damn, it was perfect! So simple, so easy, no reason to not make this soup.
With an hour of simmering to go, I invited over a couple of good friends. We ate it with a crusty baguette and a bottle of wine. We listened to records- Laura Nyro, David Bowie, Chaka Kahn, Captain Beefheart. We had a wonderful Saturday evening at home, indoors, with excellent food and a warmth that only good hearted friends who love to laugh can provide.
I will definitely aim for more evenings like this one.

Ribollita Soup
2 c dry cannellini beans, soaked in water overnight or up to 24 hrs
1 T olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped small (you can use whatever kind you like)
half a bunch of kale, chopped
about 2 c chopped green cabbage
1 russet potato, chopped
1 quart/4 c canned tomatoes in their juice, can be whole, diced, whatever
1 T crushed red chili pepper (optional but so good)
1 t ground chipotle pepper (optional)
5" parmesan rind
water

Drain and rinse beans. Set aside. In a big soup pot, heat olive oil over medium heat and add onions. Sautee. Add all the rest of the ingredients, including beans. Then add water until liquid level in pot is about an inch and a half from the top. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, then reduce to a simmer. Cover and simmer for about 3 hours, or until beans are soft and you are ready to eat.
Serve with a piece of stale bread or toast in the bottom of the bowl and topped with grated parmesan cheese. Add salt to taste.

Easy plum cake. It's pretty, just make it.

2010-10-08T20:03:00.000-04:00

I had a moment last weekend during which I had a pang of anxiety: Oh No, I have to say goodbye to stone fruits until next year!
The thought was quite unsettling. I am not yet ready to see them go! I didn't even make stone fruit jam yet this year! Obviously not the end of the world, but I'm sure it symbolizes bigger things for me (the end of summer fun, warmth, transitioning back into doing work, being busy...). Either way, I needed to calm myself. What did I do? Along with a *so delicious* liter of cider, I purchased a pint of Italian plums from Red Jacket Orchards. (Side note: cider is so good. I think it often goes under-drunk... it's one of fall's most amazing treasures.)

With the plums, I made a quick cake.
1 1/2 c sifted whole wheat flour
1 1/2 t baking powder
1 t salt
1 egg
1/4 c oil
3/4 c sugar
3/4 c milk
1/4 c plain yogurt (optional-- my batter was a bit too thick so I added this and it did the trick)
6-8 Italian plums, halved and pitted
1/2 T butter, cut into little pieces
small handful sugar

In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients. In a glass measuring cup, mix wet ingredients plus sugar. Pour wet ingredients into dry. Stir until combined. Butter or oil a round cake pan. Pour in batter. Then place plums, skin side down, cut side up, in batter in any arrangement you think looks nice. Dot the top with butter and sugar. (This makes it have a nice crunch on top.) Bake at 375 for 30-40 min.

Dinner tonight is accidentally spot-on!

2010-10-08T19:49:00.001-04:00

Last week Saturday I bought the most beautiful cauliflower on Saturday. On Sunday, I stumbled by the Cortelyou farmers market, which is way small but adorably so. It feels like a real community down there.
Anyway, I'd been waiting for sunchokes, and I found them down there (YES!!!) at Muddy River Farms. They sat in my fridge all week because I didn't want to waste them, use them for the wrong dish, have them go under- (or- even worse, un-) appreciated.
Tonight on my way home, I was near Sahadi's, so I stopped in. I figured, I could cheat on dinner a bit. Once in a while buying store-bought ready-made foods are ok. So I bought a Kofta Kebab (ground lamb with sweet tasting spices) for $1.75 and hopped on the train.
Once home, I made a single serving of whole wheat cous cous, and also prepared my lovely cauliflower and sunchokes. Maybe not as surprising as I originally thought, the flavors matched and complemented each other perfectly! Quick-roasted curried cauliflower and sunchokes tasted wonderful alongside kofta kebab atop cous cous. Who knew (not me...but now I do!). The only thing that may have made this meal better would have been dried apricots somewhere in there. Something fruity. A challenge for next time.
Today's eating cheap and alone was a success. Maybe even a double success because it was a bowl-meal. And who doesn't love a meal you can eat in one bowl?

Curried Cauliflower and Sunchokes

About half a head of cauliflower, cored and cut into florets
1 whole onion, chopped
4-5 sunchokes, peeled and sliced into 1/4" pieces
2 T olive oil
1 1/2 t curry powder
1/2 t diced jalapeno or other hot pepper (optional)
pinch salt

Mix ingredients in a baking dish (I used an 8x8 square pan). Cover and put in oven at 425 for 20 minutes. Uncover and continue to roast about 5-10 min. Serve. (it's really that easy)

Yes, I'm a messy cook

2010-10-06T19:58:00.001-04:00

I am a messy cook. I can't help it. I know, I know, cooking professionally it's all about being super clean, keeping your station clean. Even at my best, in the professional kitchen, keeping clean took major effort. But even then, there was a dishwasher. Someone whose job it was to wash the dishes! There's a difference between keeping your station clean and having to keep your whole kitchen clean, all dishes included.
That said, I don't even manage to keep my station clean when I cook at home. The whole kitchen=my station when I'm home alone and, while this is wonderful (definitely not too many cooks in my kitchen!), it also means Meet the Mess.
Aside from the mess, I'd say I make a mean dinner. Or breakfast. Or baked good any damn day of the week I please. So there.
Tonight, as I left my unpaid "job" (part of my training) at a psychiatric hospital, I really wanted to go for a bike ride. But when I got home, all I wanted to do was make dinner! So I did. And the royal We (I) made a terrific squash gratin, also from Deborah Madison's Savory Way cookbook.
You know, usually I don't stick to recipes (and no, I didn't stick to hers tonight completely), but when I'm falling in love with a cook book again (gosh, now I feel guilty. I actually bought this book for my mother last April for her birthday and then sneakily stole it the other week), I like to try to replicate things my way.
Anyway, the weather has been cold in New York, and I've just really wanted food I can eat hot from the oven, warm up for lunch the next couple of days, and really just enjoy comfortably. With this dish (and the one from the last post), I feel great cooking and eating. I know what's going into each dish, and all of the ingredients are from the market or friends' farms, which is just amazing to me. It's comforting in so many ways.

Squash Gratin
olive oil
1 small red onion, chopped
1 small yellow onion, chopped
6 sage leaves, torn into pieces
1 bay leaf
butter
1 butternut squash, peeled (a peeler works well), seeded, and cut into 1" pieces
1/2 c shredded or cut up swiss or colby cheese (anything, as long as it's not too sharp, will do)
1 c warm whole milk (I switched to Milk Thistle, in case you're interested)
about 3 slices of stale bread, crusts ok as long as they're not rock hard

In a bit of olive oil in a skillet, heat onion and herbs. Cook on low-medium heat for about 15 min. Remove bay leaf. Set aside. Bring a pot of water to boil, salt it generously, and add squash. Return to boil and simmer 2 min. Drain, but BE SURE TO SAVE SOME WATER FROM THE POT. Use some of this water to soak the bread. I did this in a bowl. Then I removed the bread pieces and removed the hardest crust pieces. Squeeze excess water from the bread if you can. Chop with knife.

Butter a square baking dish (or gratin pan, if you have one), and layer onions in bottom. Layer squash on top. Cover with cheese. Pour milk on top. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Distribute bread pieces on top. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for about 30 min. Uncover and cook another 30 min.

#5 in Eating Cheap and Alone

2010-10-04T20:52:00.001-04:00

Hello potatoes and fresh as fresh-can-be greens. Meet cream. And salt. And pepper. And the oven at 325 degrees. I hope you like each other, you're gonna be in that pan together for about an hour.

What's the true best way to eat cheap and alone? Have a friend who has a vegetable garden snip you some kale, chard, and spinach. And maybe some other things for later, like huge green peppers and heirloom tomatoes. Oh, and have said Friend live on a street where there are planters of sage and rosemary.

Tonight, I was able to combine my Maxwell Farms potatoes (russets-- the cheapest they sell, at $1/lb) with the freshest greens possible to lay hands on. This potato-greens gratin adapted from Deborah Madison's The Savory Way was so delicious, I tried to lick the pan. No joke. I couldn't quite reach, though. I bring you a recipe for gratin for one or two people. I ate mine alongside leftover striped bass that I bought from Blue Moon fisheries on Saturday at Grand Army Plaza. $5 worth got me through dinner on Saturday with leftovers of the poached fish enough for tonight and tomorrow's lunch. Now that is some good value! Truly, this gratin, though, was the highlight tonight. The fish was just my self-imposed protein.

This gratin is to me what I love about chowders and creamy soups, but in a relatively more solid form. It was creamy, potatoey, tasty, and the greens were just superb. I urge you to try this yourself. Makes a great side dish. And I'm sure the leftovers will go great with eggs tomorrow morning!

Mini Potato/Greens Gratin
2 medium russet potatoes, sliced into 1/8" or 1/4" rounds
2 big handfuls of hearty greens (kale, chard, or even spinach will do)
1 c cream or half+half
salt and pepper

Bring a medium saucepan of water to boil. Add salt and potatoes. Simmer 5 minutes. Remove potatoes with slotted spoon. Add greens, and simmer for a minute. Remove. Lightly butter a small baking dish (I used a 5" ovenproof skillet with 1 1/2"-high sides). Layer half of the potatoes in the bottom. Then spread out a layer of your greens. Layer remaining potatoes on top. Add salt and a liberal sprinkle of pepper. Bake at 325 for about an hour, or until dairy is mostly absorbed.

Note: I had to place a sheet of foil on the bottom of the oven so that the gratin would not boil over and burn on the oven. It doesn't hurt to take this extra step.

...and about that ricotta

2010-09-26T20:49:00.001-04:00

By the time my monkey bread was done, it was time for dinner. As good as it was (and it only got better with time as the sweet risen bread had time to soak up the syrup), earlier in the day I had decided and committed to using last night's fresh ricotta with broccoli rabe and pasta. I did a bit of prep work just whipping the ricotta with some salt and olive oil in in the food processor.
Keeping to plan, dinner was a success. I am going to have to buy another quart of milk and make more ricotta, because this stuff is so good! I think next time I'll also buy some higher quality olive oil, because I really think whipping the homemade cheese with better oil will make a world of difference.
I feel spoiled by my dinner, and even further by the bounty I enjoyed all summer.
Warning: cheesy moment (and I'm not talking about ricotta). I want to relay to you, my readers, that I feel truly grateful for having access to local farmers' harvests.

OK this was dinner:
1 bunch rapini, bottom inch cut off and tossed out, the rest chopped into inch long pieces
pot of water, boiling rapidly, salted heavily (make it taste like the ocean. for real.)
olive oil
2 cloves garlic, sliced
crushed red pepper
salt
whole wheat pasta of choice
whipped ricotta cheese

Blanch rapini in water. Set aside. In a skillet, heat olive oil. Add garlic and cook until it starts to color. Add crushed red pepper and then rapini. (You may have to do this in batches depending on the size of your pan.) Add generous pinch of salt and saute 2-3 minutes. Serve atop whole wheat pasta with a dollop of ricotta. And enjoy.

Monkey Bread and other musings

2010-09-26T18:09:00.001-04:00

I've come across recipes for monkey bread a million times before. And it always looks so good in photos. And those who know me well know I have the biggest sweet tooth of perhaps anyone I know (which works to my detriment, of course, in the way of cavities...) Well anyway, today I was feeling a bit down, and all I wanted was some buttery, bready, sweet comfort to sink my teeth into to make me smile.
I consulted my favorite virtual wholesome cooks and bakers and settled on a happy medium in ingredient and style between Smitten Kitchen and the Pioneer Woman. 'Cuz you know, as much as I like to study, cook, preserve, eat, buy, and talk about wholesome local, seasonal veggies and fruits, I also fully embrace fats and sugars as essential parts of life that must be celebrated at times!
So here's to celebrating. Hello to delicious whole wheat monkey bread (didn't you just know I had to draw the line somewhere!). See below, let mouth water, and get on with the baking!
Here's what you need:
3 T butter, melted
1 c whole milk (I use Ronnybrook creamline)
1/4 c water
1 packet yeast
4 table spoons sugar
3 c whole wheat flour
pinch salt
Mix butter, milk, water, yeast, sugar in bowl. Place flour and salt in separate large bowl. Make a well in the middle of the flour. Pour wet ingredients in, and mix until you can no longer mix with a wooden spoon. Dump out onto floured surface and knead, 10-15 min, until dough is elasticky (I made up this adjective because whole wheat flour does not become smooth and elastic as does its white counterpart. That is ok. Just stop after 15 minutes.) Put kneaded dough into lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic, allow to rise 1-2 hrs, until doubled in size. Pat dough into rectangle and cut into 6 strips one way, 8 another, so that you have 48 little pieces of dough. Ball each individually and then put the balls in a large bowl. Then:

1/2 stick butter, melted
1/2 c sugar
3 T freshly ground (or not) cinnamon
Pour melted butter over the pieces of dough. Put sugar and cinnamon into a plastic bag. Toss buttered dough pieces into plastic bag, trying to separate into individual pieces that will coat with the cinsugar.
Then put into a buttered cake pan (or bundt- I just didn't have one). Cover with plastic wrap again and let rise 45 minutes in a warm place. Uncover, and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. While it is baking, make glaze by whisking:

1/2 stick butter, melted
1 c brown sugar
1/4 c maple syrup (optional)

When monkey bread is done, put a plate over the pan and invert it to get the monkey bread out. Pour glaze on top. Serve warm. OMG OMG OMG!

Ricotta!

2010-09-25T21:37:00.000-04:00

I made ricotta just now! How cool! I thought it would be easy but not THIS easy!

I finally remembered to return 2 quart bottles to Ronnybrook today at the Grand Army Plaza market...and picked up a new quart of their creamline milk (the best).
I also bought a bunch of broccoli rabe- it was the last bunch (!!!) at Maxwell farms. I was super happy to walk away as if it was a gold medal! Anyway, on my way home, I thought, hey, I can make ricotta and serve it with sauteed broccoli rabe and some whole wheat pasta!

So here's the ricotta. So easy, so awesome. It tastes delicious! Here's what to do:

2 c whole milk
1 T lemon juice
pinch salt

Bring milk to simmer over low heat. When the simmer is pretty rolling, add lemon juice and reduce heat to even lower. Simmer for two minutes. Strain through cheese cloth or fine mesh sieve. The end!

#4: Breakfast of Champions

2010-09-24T12:12:00.001-04:00

Two egg posts in a row: allowed?
Regardless, here it is. Instead of trekking down the street to Tom's Diner for greasy eggs and potatoes, I'll keep the 6 bucks and make my own feast right after I unnecessarily move my car for street cleaning (which apparently doesn't happen on Sukkot?)... yeah.
Two eggs over easy served atop raw tomato sauce with rosemary homefries. And toast with chevre.

If you're cooking for one, which I am still doing, you will need:
Olive oil
1 small onion
2 small potatoes of any kind (I used the last of my Carolas)
salt
rosemary
*optional washed spinach leaves*

butter
2 small (although sold as "large") eggs

RAW TOMATO SAUCE: 1 blanched tomato+2 cloves garlic+pinch salt in the blender/food processor

TOAST+CHEVRE

In small pan on medium heat, heat a bit of olive oil. Add onions. Cook 5 min. Add potatoes, salt, rosemary to taste. Cook until potatoes are done. If using spinach, throw it into the pan just as the potatoes are finishing and let it cook down. Dump potatoes out onto plate.
In same pan, melt butter.
Crack your eggs. Cook until whites are set, then carefully turn over. Over easy is the best way. Period.
Pour a puddle of tomato sauce onto plate next to potatoes. When eggs are done, serve atop tomato sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Eat with toast. Yum.

#3 How to eat Cheap and Alone: Midmorn Corn

2010-09-23T12:00:00.002-04:00

You read that right...
In my excitement about this summer's bounty, I almost completely forgot about corn. You'd think it wouldn't be easy to forget about, considering both that I love corn and that the Sunday NY Times magazine has been running fresh corn recipes for weeks now (see here and here or here). Can you believe, I went almost the entire season without buying a single ear? Sweet, juicy, crunchy, fresh summer corn is one of those things that if you're not careful you won't see again till next year.

So I made a point of buying some ears (and it's so cheap!). This morning, post-jog, I whipped up scrambled eggs with chevre and fresh corn kernels served alongside a favorite of mine: versatile chipotle black beans.

I think next up will be corn pudding or grits or corn fritters... we'll see.

Fresh corn scramble with black beans:
1 T olive oil
1 small onion, chopped (about 1/3 c)
1 can organic black beans with liquid from can
1 t chipotle pepper powder
pinch salt
sliver butter (less than 1/4 T)
1 ear fresh corn, kernels cut off the cob*
1-2 eggs
1 T chevre (I used Vermont butter and cheese co.)

Start the beans first. In a small saucepan, heat oil on medium heat. Add onions and cook until softened a bit (about 5 min). Add beans, chipotle, and salt. Stir. Bring to simmer.
Heat butter in pan on medium heat. Whisk eggs, about 1/2 c corn kernels, and chevre and add to pan. Jostle pan and move eggs around until just done.
Check beans-- most of the liquid should have evaporated. Serve alongside eggs.
You'll probably have leftover beans and corn. Definitely save these for snack later- the beans are great atop rice or with tortillas or chips.

*I save the cobs in case i want to use them to make a quick corn soup or something with their good flavor later on.

Veggie Curry with Rice Noodles

2010-09-22T19:34:00.001-04:00

While I was really into my series, "how to eat cheap and alone," tonight's dinner made use of a bunch of farmers market produce that was sitting in the fridge just dying to get used. I had to cook it for fear of not using it soon enough! So this is more like dinner for 4, or for 1 with leftovers (which is how I will be using it).

In tonight's curry, I attempted to cook with half of a cup of simple peanut sauce I made on Sunday and neglected to use (peanut butter, mirin, soy sauce, and chopped fresh cayenne pepper, all whisked up). I added this peanut sauce to onion and garlic being sauteed in butter along with added chopped orange squash, an ear of corn kernels, and carola potatoes. After I added the peanut sauce, in went one chopped tomato, light coconut milk, orange cauliflower, and spinach. Spices were thrown in without measurement: mustard seeds, garam masala, fennel seeds, cumin, paprika, and whole black pepper. I stirred. I covered. I sat down for 15 minutes. I came back and boiled water for rice noodles (though this curry could easily be served atop rice or regular pasta) and allowed the curry to simmer uncovered. When the rice noodles were done, so was the curry.

This dish was brightly colored (see for yourself!), pungent, fresh. I will admit, I even saw a little green worm crawl off of the cutting board. For you insect-phobic people, this is a good thing! If the worms want to eat our food and survive, it means it's safe, it's tasty, it's pesticide free! These are positive qualities of our food!

I sat down at my dining room table, added torn pieces of fresh basil and mint to my bowl of rice noodles and curry, and topped it off with sriracha. And I ate until there was nothing left in my bowl. The end.

#2 in the series of How to eat Cheap and Alone

2010-09-16T21:25:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I went to the farmers market. Oh, how good it was! It makes me feel amazing being able to go there, touch the vegetables, talk to the vendors, smell the smells. It is one activity that always puts a smile on my face without fail.

Yesterday I didn't buy much. I am cooking for one, after all, and yesterday was only a Wednesday. (If I run out of goodies post-Yom Kippur, I can always go down to the Cortelyou market on Sunday.) I bought a beautiful head of orange cauliflower, some carola potatoes (that supposedly taste like butter), purple carrots, orange carrots, beets, SPINACH, and some button mushrooms. Oh and a cute, cute, cute orange squash about the size of a large orange. I can't wait to eat squash! (I am going to try to stick to farmer's market fare for as long as possible, although I predict stopping at some point in the dead of winter, sick of potatoes, apples, and squash.)

OK so tonight's edition of how to eat cheap (and alone) is spinach and mushroom quesadillas. Easy Peezy. My ingredients were either from the farmer's market (all of the veggies) or here, at home, but I want to emphasize that buying vegetables from the farmers market is typically cheaper and better quality than anything you will find in a store--the veggies used for this meal cost less than $3 all together, and they tasted like what they were, instead of like "COLD" (which is how I find supermarket veggies tend to taste!). It is entirely possible to cook healthy, wholesome, tasty meals for cheap.
Here's what you need:

1/2 T butter
2-3 T chopped onion
8-10 big button mushrooms, sliced
a few fresh oregano leaves (or any herb. or none.)
salt and pepper to taste
3 small bunches (about 2 c loosely packed) spinach, washed well
cooked or canned black beans (optional)
1 oz cheddar cheese (optional)
3 tortillas

In a medium saute pan, heat butter on medium heat. Add onion and cook until translucent. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until they release their juices and then cook down, about 10 minutes. Now add oregano, salt, and pepper. Stir. Add spinach and cook, tossing ingredients, until wilted. Remove from heat. In another pan, heat tortillas. If making quesadillas, assemble one at a time by layering shredded cheese, veggies, and beans into a tortilla and either folding after several minutes or laying another tortilla on top (I use both methods).**

**These quesadillas are messy. A better way to eat this messy food may be to make straight up cheese quesadillas and then eat your veggies on the side, with a fork.

How to eat cheap and alone

2010-09-14T22:27:00.001-04:00

The past two weeks, and hopefully the next couple of months, are an experiment in just how cheaply I can cook and eat healthy, wholesome meals for one. Mr. Ripe is off in the bay, and I am alone at home in our awesome new apartment.

I love to peruse other people's food blogs for inspiration, but there is one in particular that has been extremely helpful in laying out exactly how possible it is to cook at home using great ingredients (yes to farmers market produce!) for cheap. Not Eating Out In New York, a blog based in (of all places) Brooklyn (what what) provides readers with healthy, cheap, green meals in very simple terms. Cathy Erway's writing style and food ideas are simple (I find them quite comparable to my own) and accessible. I had her blog on my mind tonight when I made my super simple leftovers dinner from last night's dal atop two slices of whole wheat bread spread with Vermont Butter and Cheese company's original chevre. It may sound yucky, and my apartment may smell like an Indian restaurant, but this meal was super satisfying, tasty, and definitely cheap.

Here's the recipe from last night's dal. And think of this post as one of many to come in the series of How to Eat Cheap and Alone!

3/4 c split yellow lentils (or mung dal)
2 1/2 c water
2 whole cloves garlic
1/8 t cumin
1/8 t turmeric
3 T vegetable oil
pinch black mustard seeds (like really maybe 8 individual seeds)
pinch asafoetida

Rinse lentils. Place in pot with water and bring to boil. Add garlic cloves, cumin, and turmeric. Reduce heat so lentils simmer and almost cover the pot with the lid (leave it open a crack if possible). Simmer about 1 hour, or until lentils are soft and resemble lumpy mush. Remove from heat. In a small saucepan, heat vegetable oil. When hot, add mustard seeds and asafoetida powder. Cook until mustard seeds begin to make popping sounds, then pour spice oil over lentil mush. You now have dal! Enjoy over rice with freshly squeezed lemon and charred onions.

Enjoy again the next day atop a piece of toast slathered with chevre!

PIGS!

2010-09-14T18:22:00.001-04:00

In an age when factory farming and antibiotics given to all animals, healthy or not, is scarily commonplace, it's nice to see articles like this one in the NY Times. It gives me hope. Especially after returning from another wonderful weekend in the Berkshires, after attending the season's foodiest event: North Plain's Pig Roast!

Now now, you may know that, as a Jew and a relative non-meat-eater, I do not usually enjoy the thrill of roasting a giant animal and then eating it. But there were a few wonderful details of the pig roast that made it quite exhilarating to be able to take part in. To start, the farm on which the even took place was a farm benefit. Proceeds from the mere $35 tickets (which, may I add, sold out before 6:30 pm on the day of the event), went right back to the people who supplied the night's delights. All of the food and drink served at the event was either from the farm itself, or from very very close surrounding farms. And man, you could sure as hell tell.

To be honest, after eating the local cheeses (including that BOMB Monterey Chevre) and the freshly made baba ganoush, and then having my second course of buttered sweet corn, beans, fire roasted summer squash, and fresh salad greens with a light vin, I wasn't even hungry for the meat! By the time the two big ol' pigs and one veal calf (all raised on the farm, killed by the men who fed them for their whole existences) were removed from the spits, I was stuffed to the brim. I managed to take one bite of some meat someone brought me on a plate, and to nibble on one of the 40+ chickens that were also slaughtered on the premises and roasted over the fire.

Local food prevails and continues to make me happy.

One more time, Go GreenMarket!

2010-09-05T22:34:00.000-04:00

I know all summer the few times I posted I raved and raved about farmer's market produce and the exhilaration I feel when I'm at the market. But I just can't stop! Until the local farmers' bounty is no longer available for purchase by me, I will continue to feel blissful and simply happy every time I cook in my kitchen. Knowing where my food comes from is one way I practice mindfulness in my everyday life. It gives me a satisfaction, a basic good feeling that stays with me.

Tonight I made stuffed baby eggplant with feta. Here is the ingredient list:

3 baby eggplants (about 5-7" long, 1-2" in diameter)
2 cloves garlic, diced
1 small onion, chopped
5 plum tomatoes, cored and diced
1 yellow sweet pepper, sliced
1/4 c oat groats (I bought mine from Cayuga Organics, but they're also available from Bob's Red Mill)
1/4 c water or broth
2 t salt
1 t dried oregano
1 oz goat feta cheese (optional)

Start by preheating the oven to 375. Next put the oat groats and water or broth in a small sauce pan. Bring to boil, reduce to simmer, and then cover. Cook until water is absorbed, even if they may seem a bit chewy to you- they'll cook more with the veggies and in the oven. While the oat groats cook, heat a large skillet on medium heat. Add olive oil. When oil is hot, add onion and garlic and cook until onions are translucent. While these saute, cut each eggplant lengthwise and then scoop out its flesh with a spoon. Set the eggplant bodies aside. Dice the scooped out flesh and add it to the cooking onions and garlic. Cook for 10 min, then add tomatoes. When tomatoes begin to break down and veggies get watery, dump the oat groats into the skillet with salt and oregano. Saute and then cover skillet to allow oats to cook more, for about 10 minutes.
Place eggplant skins in a baking dish and fill with veggie/oat mixture. Cover with foil, and cook for 30 minutes.
Serve with crumbled feta on top. Yum!

Could-be-vegan Thumbprint Cookies

2010-08-13T23:01:00.001-04:00

After my blueberry picking adventure in Roscoe, NY, I made jam. For some reason, one jar did not seal properly when I processed it, so I am trying to use it as soon as possible. I thought...jam tart? blueberry newtons? And then I came across this awesome recipe on Post Punk Kitchen and altered it so as to make it NOT vegan. haha. Here's what I did, and these cookies are rich, rockin, just the right amount of sweet, mm-mm-good.

3/4 c blanched sliced almonds
1/4 c pumpkin seeds
1 c rolled oats
3/4 c whole wheat flour
1/3 c softened butter
1/3 c maple syrup
1 t vanilla
1/4 t baking soda
pinch salt
jam

Grind almonds and seeds in food processor. Add the rest of the ingredients and process until mixture turns to dough. Roll into what PPK calls "walnut-sized" balls and indent each one with your thumb. Fill indentations with a bit of jam. Bake on greased pans at 350 for 13 minutes.

Small Batch Green Tea Ice Cream Experiment

2010-08-05T21:32:00.001-04:00

So the week of Mr. Ripe's birthday, I tried to make mixed berry gelato. It was a bit too eggy for my liking (which I didn't think possible), and I was so impatient that I didn't wait for my custard to cool before putting it in the ice cream maker. Today, a day off from work, I decided I would try again. Do the right thing, you know what I mean?

I awoke mid-morning and began with my secret experimental ingredient: Agar-agar. I soaked 1/3 of a kanten bar in water and then I trekked to the corner store, bought a quart of Ronnybrook Creamline milk, and got started. At home, I poured 3 cups of milk into a medium saucepan and dropped in 2 green tea bags. I put the heat on low, whisking occasionally. While the milk heated, I got the rest ready. In a medium bowl, I separated an egg (which, I must say, was not an ordinary egg, but one of 12 farm-fresh eggs my friend Rebecca brought me from the Berkshires--sweet!). I dumped the white down the drain. I measured out 1/2 cup of sugar. When the milk was hot, I discarded the tea bags. I took my agar-agar and drained the water from it. I mixed the agar-agar into the egg yolk as well as 1/4 cup of the sugar. I tempered the egg mixture with about 1/4 cup of the hot milk, and whisked. I added the tempered egg mixture into the pot of milk, as well as the leftover sugar. I turned the heat to medium and whisk-whisk-whisked until the mixture came to a boil.

And then I poured it into a bowl and set it in the fridge for 5 hours to chill.
Later, I poured it into the ice cream maker.
It was blissful.
Fuck yeah.

Blueberry Cake

2010-08-04T20:35:00.001-04:00

I receive the culinate newsletter and often browse and delete it. This morning, however, my eye was caught by something simple that I was immediately attracted to. Yogurt cake. I love yogurt. I love cake. I have an abundance of wild blueberries from last week's expedition to Roscoe, NY.
This cake is amazing. I baked it in a pyrex square dish, but you could also bake it in a regular circular cake pan. You could also make it into little sweet muffins, too, if you have a muffin tin. Fruit is optional, but a very nice addition to the tang and moistness lent by the yogurt.

I urge you to try this simple recipe:

2 c sifted whole wheat pastry flour
1 t baking powder
1/4 t baking soda
pinch salt
1 c sugar
1 c yogurt
2 eggs
1/2 T vanilla
1/4 c veg oil
1 c blueberries

Sift and mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, mix the remaining ingredients. Then add to the dry and mix until incorporated. Fold in blueberries. Pour into greased baking dish and bake for 50 minutes on 350.

For real, summer, you make me love you.

2010-07-21T20:09:00.000-04:00

Now that I'm back into posting action, and it's summer, get used to me blabbing on and on about local, farm-fresh produce. I just can't help it! Last Saturday I had off, which is unusual after working every weekend. I roused myself early and made a trip to the Glass Shop, a darling coffee shop at which a friend works. We shared ice coffees and a chocolate-cinnamon sticky bun, a breakfast treat even stickier than and as rich as it looks, but worth every bite!!! Then I left, and headed to the Grand Army Plaza farmers market. This market is the second largest market in NY, a stat that meant and still means nothing to me. But what really stood out to me was the good vibes that filled this market. In NY, people talk about how the Union Square greenmarket is the best in the state, maybe even in the US. I've always thought this was nonsense. Visiting the Grand Army Plaza market confirms my hunch that this claim is hullabaloo. Fooey. That's right! Nonsense!

The Grand Army Plaza market just felt right! Not hustle and bustle and overwhelming garbage one encounters while in Union Square. This market had tons of variety, great options, friendly vendors, and good deals to be had all around. I bought a ton of things, staying within my self-imposed $30 budget, including greens, nightshades (my favorites), cheese, plums, and berries.

I want to share with my readers my mid-evening meal. Tonight, feeling peckish after a snack of jerk chicken from Peppa's, I roasted some of my leftover market treasures in some olive oil in a cast iron in the oven, set to 400: cloves of spring garlic, a whole sweet pepper, three sliced 2-inch baby eggplants, and halved heirloom tomatoes. The veggies cooked for 20 minutes, till juices were bubbling from each, and I ate the platter, with bread and cheese. Just fantastic. New York, summer, you do make me love you.

Finally, finally back

2010-07-15T19:42:00.001-04:00

Has it really been since May that I posted here? I guess it has. Summer's been busy! I moved to Crown Heights, Mr. Ripe came in from the Bay Area, and I started working at a restaurant in Manhattan. I didn't want to post, I guess, because I was a tad embarrassed about the blog. Truly, I was. But now that everyone seems to know about it at work, I say fuck it. As exhausted as I am from working the past seven days straight, I came home happy today, excited for my three day weekend on an actual nationally recognized weekend!
And despite scarfing down some veggies at work before I left, I feel hungry. So I'm in the process of making a simple summer green quinoa salad. It's gonna rock, I know this already.

The ingredients are green by accident, but they are so amazing looking and so exciting as they are all either from the greenmarket in Union Square or from the farm my brother is working on in Connecticut on and off this summer. Knowing where my food comes from makes it that much more exciting for me. And working in the restaurant makes me exponentially more inspired to create!

Here you have it, summer quinoa salad made simple, with no measurements whatsoever--those ratios are up to you:

Cooked quinoa
sliced small zucchini
blanched romano beans, cut into 1" lengths
2 garlic scapes, cut into small pieces
red wine vinagrette (simple: dijon, rw vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper)

Toss all ingredients. Eat with a smile, because it's summer and your food is glorious.

Mushroom/Broccoli Raab/Lemon Lasagna. Dig it.

2010-05-24T16:09:00.000-04:00

I made this a while ago, and never posted it because, well, I don't typically photograph everything I make, and even when I do, I don't post all of the dishes that I photograph. But when I was reading Cathy Erway's blog here, her amazing looking dish reminded me of my own variation of these flavors. There is just something awesome that happens when you mix lemon zest with broccoli raab. It becomes...alive! The lemony flavors mixed with the bitter broc combine to play fascinating tricks on your taste buds. The mushrooms in this recipe only add to the richness of the dish. I also think the ingredients could be restructured to not be a lasagna but, you know me, I'm really into baked dishes, casseroles and the like. So I made lasagna, inspired by an old Cooks Illustrated recipe for a much different mushroom lasagna.

So here is the ingredient list for this awesome piece of work:

1 bunch broccoli raab, chopped into 1" pieces
1 T olive oil
1 red onion, diced
4-6 cloves garlic, minced
1 T butter
30 oz cremini mushrooms, roughly diced
salt and pepper, to taste
1/8 t nutmeg
fresh parsley, roughly chopped (2 T for cooking w/ mushrooms, 2 T for sprinkling on top)
1/4 c dry vermouth
2 T flour
1 c milk
box cooked lasagna noodles, set on a baking sheet so they don't stick (or the no-bake kind will do)
6-8 oz part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 c ricotta cheese
zest of 1 lemon

RAAB

Blanch the broccoli raab in boiling very salted water (it should taste like the ocean). Drain and set aside--you won't use it till the layering of the dish.

SHROOMSAUCE

In a saute pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and garlic, stir and cook until unions are translucent. Add the butter to the pan and melt it. Add the mushrooms, and cook until liquid has been expelled and largely evaporated, about 10-15 min on medium heat. Add seasonings and vermouth. Stir, cook another 5 min. Add the parsley, stir. Add 2 T flour and milk. Whisk in pan to create a mushroom sauce.

CONSTRUCTION

In a 9x9 baking dish, spoon some mushroom sauce to coat the bottom of the pan. Lay out first layer of noodles. Top with broccoli raab, then ricotta, then mushrooms with sauce, and a light sprinkling of mozzarella. Repeat with two more layers of noodles. Atop last layer, sprinkle remaining mozzarella, spray a heavy piece of aluminum foil with oil, cover dish, and bake at 350 for 45 min. Remove from oven, top with fresh parsley and lemon zest. Wowie.

I think this is #100...

2010-05-16T18:50:00.000-04:00

I think this may be my 100th post. I am not certain, and honestly it's not a huge deal or anything. I have no "honorary 100th recipe". Nope nope. All I have is my breakfast from yesterday morning. Simple, light, and satisfying. Take it or leave it. And then I have to finish editing this paper.

These are slightly tangy, wonderful light pancakes. I love cottage cheese, and the curds sort of melt, but do not become stringy. The texture is not unlike regular pancake texture, they just feel better than regular pancakes. I made mine silver-dollar sized, because the batter tends to be a bit more watery than pancake batter, and this smaller size flips in one piece more easily than larger ones.

Cottage Cheese Pancakes (thank you Anna Thomas)

2 c small curd cottage cheese
2 eggs
3 T whole wheat flour
dash salt
dash agave nectar
dash cinnamon

Mix all ingredients well. Pour by the 1/4 cup-full into a skillet heated on medium heat, lightly oiled. Cook 4-5 min on each side, flipping when pancake looks a bit dry on the edges.
Serve with maple syrup and strawberries.

Scones of my dreams...

2010-05-10T16:01:00.002-04:00

I dreamed about making scones the other night. In the moments before I woke up, I have vivid memory of dreaming about cutting butter into cubes, re-wrapping it, and storing it in the freezer until I was ready for it. In the dream, the butter was being cut for scones--what else?

Because yesterday was Mother's Day, and I had not yet gotten my mother a gift, I interpreted the dream to mean I should make my mother scones. And so I did.

She was gifted with two varieties, both adapted from Nick Malgieri's The Modern Baker, and excellent, excellent baking book (I can't say that about just any book). I made two batches of scones out of one recipe. See below.

The key for scones, in my experience, is to *really, really* not handle them too much so that the butter stays relatively solid, the ingredients mixed until *just* incorporated and no more, until baked. This truly makes all the difference. These scones have the penultimate texture and taste, and I cannot decide which I like more. Try them for yourself!

1 1/2 c flour
1/2 T baking powder
2 T sugar
pinch salt
1/2 t ginger powder
3 T butter, cut into 9 cubes and kept very cold until use
1/2 c crystallized ginger, minced
1/3 c milk
1 egg

Topping: mix 1 T egg white with blanched, slivered almonds, 3 T sugar, 1 T cinnamon.

To make cranberry orange scones instead, halve the amount of ginger powder, and add cranberries instead of crystallized ginger. Add zest of 1 orange to milk mixture.

Mix flour, bp, sugar, salt, ginger in food processor. Add butter. Pulse until mixed, but still heterogeneous mixture. Add ginger. Pulse a couple of times. Beat milk and egg in bowl. Add to food processor. Pulse literally 3 or 4 times, until dough is wet in most spots. DO NOT OVERMIX!!!
Dump dough out onto floured board.
Fold a few times, to mix a bit more. DO NOT OVERHANDLE!! Shape dough into 6-8" circle. With benchscraper or knife, cut into 8 wedges. Top with almond/sugar. Place on silpat or parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake on 400 for 14-15 minutes.

Damn Good Sprouted Wheat Bread

2010-05-06T20:28:00.000-04:00

I'm not a big boaster, honest.
I typically don't go on and on about how good one of my baked goods is.
But I just cannot hold back. I make a damn good loaf of sprouted wheat bread! I almost forgot, it's made with my darling sourdough, too. This sourdough mama is at a great point. It's healthy, it's mature, and it's able to be used in breads that do not have to taste "sour". This bread, for example, is sweet, not sour, as far as breads go. It's the perfect sandwich or toast bread. Truly.
Not kidding. I'm sitting here, after a long day, eating a toasted slice of sprouted wheat bread, slathered with cream cheese, topped with dried cranberries. The bread has the perfect crumb. It's chewy but not too chewy. It was baked for the perfect amount of time. And it's sweet, but not too sweet. The crust is good crust, too. Sheesh, it's just freakin amazing, what can I say???
And what's more is it's pretty easy to make.
This recipe will give you four mini loaves or one ~~normal~~ typical** size loaf. I made the minis because it's hard for me to finish a whole loaf of bread before it grows mold. So I eat one, then slice and wrap the remaining ones in plastic, then put in plastic bags, and stick in the freezer. It keeps pretty well in there, and then you take out a slice when you want and put it in the toaster.
Enough chatter, though, here's there recipe:

2 c wheat berry sprouts, ground in food processor
12 oz firm starter (see http://bit.ly/9lafSE)
2-3 c whole wheat flour
1/2 c milk
1/2 c water
2 T agave
1/2 T salt
Put all ingredients in a standing mixer OR in bowl if you are mixing my hand.
Mix on speed 2 or 3 (or by hand, and knead for at least 15 min) for 10 minutes. Add flour as needed (this dough tended to be a bit wet; it should be lightly sticky, not like glob onto your hands way sticky). Let dough rest for 5 minutes after mixing for 10 minutes (or kneading for 15), and then continue to mix (or knead) for another 10 minutes. Dough should pass the "window pane test", but if it doesn't, just mix a bit longer and stop. In my experience, it doesn't really matter! Just keep baking and you'll get to know your dough. I promise.
OK. Ball up the dough, and put in lightly oiled bowl. Cover with plastic and rest and rise 2 hours.
Punch down, and shape, and place into loaf pans. Let rise another hour and a half.
Preheat the oven to 350. Bake for 30 minutes.
Remove from oven. Cool in pan 10 min, then on rack until completely cooled.

**(I say typical instead of normal as a silly joke...ha ha. In my field we don't call kids normal, we call them typical, which is really the same thing, but for some reason they think typical sounds more PC? who knows...enjoy the bread!)

Super Simple Saturday Salad

2010-05-01T21:12:00.000-04:00

Tonight I'm starting my sprouted wheat sourdough, but it won't be done until tomorrow evening. I bought wheat berries at the Union Square Green Market from Cayuga Organics. I soaked about a cup of them the night before last thinking I would cook them up for breakfast yesterday morning, but I clean forgot about them. This morning, they were already sprouting! That was fast, I know, but apparently the fresher the grain/bean/seed, the faster the sprout?
I'm really excited about the wheat berries, and you'll see a lot more spring time posts coming now that the weather's changed and the growing season will be in full bloom soon. It's super uplifting.
Anyway, while the dough for tomorrow's bread gets going, I made myself a simple, quick salad for a very *light* dinner. This isn't enough for a full meal, probably, but I'm a true snacker. I had the salad an hour ago, and moved onto cantaloupe now. Next I'll probably dip into the Ben & Jerry's hiding in the freezer. This salad was a good start. Tasty and easy.
I will say, if you don't use really really good bread and better-than-average olive oil, it won't be good. The bread can be a day or two old, but it has to have been good quality. Otherwise you'll just have vegetables in a bowl with some mediocre bread and oil. Not. Tasty. Do it this way or pay the price! That's a threat! Ha!

Simple Saturday Salad for 1
1/2 c diced red peppers
1/2 c diced cucumbers
1/2 a big, ripe tomato, cut into 1/2" cubes, salted and peppered
2 slices good bread, crusts removed, sliced into strips, and then again into cubes
1/4 c crumbled French Feta cheese (the only good kind, come on now)
healthy drizzle of good-quality olive oil (don't lie to yourself, you'll know if it's not good)
squeeze 1/2 of a lemon
salt and pepper to taste

Mix all of the ingredients. Don't dress until you are eating or the bread will get soggy (ew).

Granola Balls

2010-04-25T23:53:00.000-04:00

This is a fast and easy one. And just because it's fast and easy doesn't mean it's not a totally wholesome, tasty snack. So super simple: 1/4 c peanut butter+2 T agave+1 T veg oil in a small pot on medium heat. Stir till liquidy(ish). Add 1 3/c of your favorite granola. Stir. With wet hands, shape into balls. Lay on waxed paper so they don't stick. DEE-lish.

This recipe makes 12 granola balls, about the size of golf balls... keep away from granola lovers if you want them to make it an hour past the time they were finished!

Can I replicate the best bomboloncini?

2010-04-18T16:13:00.000-04:00

I can sure as heck try, by looking at as many recipes that look like bread, donuts, and bomboloncini as possible, to get an idea of how to make the perfect not-quite-sweet bread product with delicious sweet filling. So that's just what I did, and this will be the first documented experiment in the feat of replicating Levain bakery's raspberry bomboloncini because, although my mid-morning snack yesterday morning was beyond satisfying, at $2.25/each, I'd like to figure out how to bring my cost down just a tad.

When I woke up this morning, I mixed the dough, went to the gym, and, when I came home, it was time to shape and fill these little gems (which my mother called "mini turtle shells" when they came out of the oven). I decided to make the first batch a white batch, because white flour has more elasticity, and it rises more easily. For this test run, I wanted to use white flour and sugar. I reasoned to myself, if this batch succeeded, the next few batches I would play with using alternative ingredients. I will say, although these are delicious and delightful in their finished state, I have a lot of work to do to make them as light and chewy as Levain's. I wonder what would happen if I filled them after baking, instead of shaping them and filling them in the same step before the second rise... If anyone has any comments of any kind, leave them below, instead of the facebook page. Let's start a dialogue: Help me make light bready donuts!

Here is the recipe I used:
2 T lukewarm water
1 package dry yeast
1/2 c heated and cooled whole milk
1 1/2 c all purpose flour
2 T sugar
pinch salt
2 T softened butter
fruit spread or smooth jam
1 T soft butter
1/4 c confectioners sugar

Pour water into bowl of electric mixer and sprinkle yeast on top. Let sit for 5 min. Add milk, sugar, flour, and salt. Mix until incorporated. Add butter, mix until dough forms, about 3-5 min. Remove dough from bowl and knead on floured surface until dough is smooth. Place in oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to rise 1 hr.
Prepare 2 baking sheets. Line each with parchment paper. Spread softened butter into four 5" circles on each sheet. Sprinkle confectioners sugar over each buttered circle.
Divide dough into 8 portions. Remove first portion from bowl and keep the rest covered with plastic wrap. Have floured surface ready to work on. Divide first portion in half. Flatten each piece, from outside, in, so near the edges it's thinner than in the middle. You are aiming to make two 3" circles that are slightly thinner near the edges than in the middle. Lightly brush water around the edges of each circle. Dab (about 1/2 T) some jam on the middle of one circle. Lay other circle on top. Create a seam, with your fingers or, as in the picture above, with a fork. Then gather into a ball, and place, seam-side down, on circle on prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the rest of the dough portions.
Cover both baking sheets with plastic, loosely, and set aside, 45 min, for dough to rise again.

Bake one sheet at a time, on the middle rack of the oven, at 400, for 8 min. Remove bomboloncini to a rack (use tongs). Dig in!

Richly colorful gnocchi

2010-04-18T11:21:00.000-04:00

I did it! And it was freakin awesome.
I saw this recipe in Sunset magazine ages ago. I think it was a vegetarian Thanksgiving option. I ripped out the page when I was visiting in the Bay Area, and it's been floated from my desk, to bookshelf, to bedside table for months. Finally, last night, it made its way to the kitchen counter. I had all of the major ingredients, just made a trip to pick of the cheeses and mushrooms and, voila!
I swear it looked amazing. I was initially pretty impressed with myself but then I realized something: it's actually a pretty simple recipe. Just a tad time-consuming if you are alone. If you're NOT alone, and you have someone to make the gnocchi, someone to make the veggies, you're set, and this will be a cinch. But seriously, if you are alone and you want to make this, even though it makes about 4 servings, it's still manageable and satisfying and vegetarian and healthy and innovative. So i urge you to give it a go, because even before you eat it, it will make you feel good that you created this colorful (and in food terms, colorful is like super richly good, nutrient-wise), simple masterpiece!
Sweet Potato Gnocchi w/ spinach and mushrooms
adapted from Sunset magazine
Gnocchi
1 lb (about 3 small) sweet potatoes, peeled, boiled, and pureed in blender
1 T brown sugar
1/2 c ricotta cheese, strained 1-hr over sink if watery
1/2 c freshly-grated parmesan cheese
1 1/4 c flour
1/2 T salt
1 T extra virgin olive oil

Begin to boil large pot of lightly salted water. Mix all ingredients to form a soft dough you can handle. Have a floured work surface (I used a cutting board) ready. With flour on your hands, form dough into four sections, and shape each one into a 1/2" wide rope. With a sharp knife, slice each rope into 1/2" sections. In batches of about 15, begin to boil gnocchi in water. Boil first batch about 5 min, or until firm and floated to top. Remove with slotted spoon to strainer, then to lightly oiled pan so they don't stick together. Do this for each batch. When they're all done, heat oil in a saute pan, add gnocchi, and toss occasionally, cooking until browned lightly. Set aside.

Veggies
1 T butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T sliced shallot
2 c sliced cremini mushrooms
1/2 c vegetable broth
1-2 c baby spinach
salt, pepper, parmesan to taste

In saute pan, heat 1/2 T butter. Add garlic and shallot, cook until fragrant but not brown. Add mushrooms, cook 5-8 min on medium heat, until they release their liquid. Then add broth, remaining butter, and spinach. Cook on medium-high heat until spinach is wilted.

To serve: Put gnocchi on plate, top with veggies, salt and pepper, and freshly grated parmesan. Enjoy!

Did I already say I love California?

2010-04-02T14:12:00.000-04:00

Yesterday's short trip to the North Berkeley Farmer's Market yielded some results, but not much. I didn't remember that market being so small! But it's just the beginning of spring, I'm sure it will grow as the season progresses. I returned home with two bags of greens from Happy Boy Farms: one of flowery salad mix, and one of prewashed mixed greens to cook, including escarole, kale, and chard. Matt happened to have some baby artichokes in the fridge, you know, so small they don't even have chokes yet, so you can peel off the darker green leaves, slice the remains, and chow down once sauteed or roasted.

So, this morning for breakfast, I made something so green it makes me smile to just look down at my plate and, although my camera-to-computer link is at home (boo), I took some less-good photos to share with you, just so you can have a picture to this glorious description. Greens *lightly* sauteed in garlic with sliced baby artichokes, served with scrambled eggs. Who could ask for anything else?

And an easy second Passover recipe

2010-04-01T19:50:00.002-04:00

I write this post from Oakland, CA, where it is nice and sunny. I'm about to leave for a Berkeley farmer's market to get some grain-free dinner supplies as I attempt to keep Passover in the region with the best food in America. I think it'll be an organic chicken sausage night, with some quinoa pilaf and baby artichokes (that's what we've gotten so far), but we'll see what we can scrounge up at the market.
Anyway, as I promised, here is recipe #2 of kosher for passover cookies.

This is the simplest French Macaron recipe in the world. You may think it's cheating, but it's flawless. I've made these with ground almonds before and just didn't get the same results. So call me what you will, but these are perfect, and will also garner the love and compliments from your friends just as the previous recipe did, I'm sure.

Simple Almond Macaroons, the easy way
7 oz almond paste
scant 2/3 c sugar
2 egg whites
Apricot jam

Combine ingredients in food processor. With rubber spatula or wooden spoon, scoop dough into pastry bag or large food-grade plastic bag with a very small hole cut in one corner. Squeeze all dough to where you want it, and twist bag at the top. Twist/squeeze bag from the top, as in, not near the hole, to spiral small circles of dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Try to make them about the same size. I start by outlining a circle and filling it in until I reach the center. Bake sheets for about 10 minutes, until just golden, not brown. Let cool on sheet, then remove to plate. Put a small dollop (less is more) of jam onto half of the cookies, and sandwich with the other half.

I promised...

2010-03-31T12:15:00.001-04:00

I promised on twitter that I'd post recipes of two of the most delicious kosher for passover, gluten-free cookies ever thought of (at least in my experience). I think I've come through with that promise, but feel free to comment as to whether you do or don't agree with me. The first recipe will be in this post today. The second will be up tomorrow, so check back, quickly-- passover won't last forever! (Although I'll admit, these cookies are terrific passover time and non-passover time, unlike the "baked goods" they sell in the stores for this Jewish holiday.) The only thing is, you have to NOT have a nut allergy. Both recipes are loaded with nuts, but in a very balanced way. That is, nuts compose a large part of the ingredients for each, but there's a lot more to these than just nuts.

Moving on, here's the recipe for the first one.
I adapted from François Payard's Flourless Chocolate-Walnut Cookies. Although his recipe is probably great, I wanted more cookies and the kosher for passover confectioners sugar I had looked kind of gross. I did some improvising, next time will improvise more, but the cookies turned out amazing. When I brought them out at last night's seder, several people asked, in awe, if they were really kosher for passover. It's true. They are. Shock your friends, go ahead, try 'em.

Chocolate Walnut Chews
recipe makes about 40-50 cookies

1 1/2 c cocoa
2 c granulated sugar
2 c superfine sugar
1/4 c potato starch
3 1/2 c walnuts
1/2 t salt
8 egg whites
1 T really good vanilla

While you preheat oven to 350, toast walnuts in a single layer on a sheet pan for about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool a bit. Roughly chop walnuts, set aside. In a large bowl, mix cocoa, sugars, and potato starch. Add walnuts and salt, stir to combine. Add egg whites, two at a time, until batter is moist. (If you add them all at once, it's not the end of the world--if batter ends up being too liquidy, as mine was, you may put it in the freezer for 20 min, then scoop and bake.) Add vanilla, and stir to incorporate.

Lower oven temp to 320. Scoop dough by the tablespoon (or half of an ice cream scooper) onto parchment lined pans. Bake 12-15 min. Let cool on pans, slightly, and then remove to cooling rack. Cool completely, then plate, and shock your guests.

POPOVERS!

2010-03-25T17:31:00.001-04:00

I already explained that I made my brother a beer cake for his birthday. He'd also mentioned one day that he really loves popovers. He'd said, "Hey, do you think you know a good recipe for Popovers?" I took this subtle hint and acted on it.

The day before the broski left for Yale, I whipped up an easy batch of popovers. Quite an interesting baked good, I admit. Puffy, light, yet substantial as a breakfast food, or snack. And I think it's seriously cool to see the height these things exhibit once they get to the right temperature. Next time I think I'll add some grated hard cheese into the batter. I'm also working on a mixed popover/blueberry muffin recipe. I think it will be perfect.

But for now I just have the super simple popover recipe for you.

1 1/2 T melted butter
2 eggs
1 c flour
1 T agave

Whisk all ingredients well. Pour into well-greased muffin tins - mini or regular (I used both, for variety!). Bake for 30 min on 350. Remove from muffin tins, eat!

Is there such thing as chocolate beer?

2010-03-17T21:15:00.007-04:00

I'm sure. That question came from my brother, who turned 20 today. We gathered for birthday celebration and, without a clue of what to buy him for his special day, I made a cake. So I don't know if there's really a "chocolate beer" (there must be), but there is a beer-chocolate... in this cake.
Of course, Austin's birthday is the same day as St. Patrick's Day, so I could've just done Guinness cake, which I've done before, as cupcakes. I almost even ran out of the house last night to buy Guinness. I'm not sure if my reason for not doing so was to not seem like a teenager tryin to get my hands on some Irish Car Bombs, or because I found this other great Brooklyn Brown Ale in my fridge and therefore didn't have to leave. Either way, I made Brown Beer Chocolate cake, topped it off with cream cheese frosting (homemade, of course), and served it for dessert, after a too-filling Mexican feast.
I'll have to try it again tomorrow when my stomach doesn't feel like it's about to explode, but as far as I can tell, all family members (who I can only assume were as full as me) ate a piece, and gave good feedback (isn't a clean plate enough?).

You can actually taste the chocolate and the ale, and it's quite nice, subtle, complex.
Here you go. I made it in a springform pan, and only frosted the top. Simple. Good. (Usually I find myself partial to the 2-layer cake, filling and covered in luscious frosting; this time, I settled for frosted top only, and I'm glad.) I will say that the middle seemed it was about to implode. It never did, but it did sink mildly. You couldn't tell, though, with the thick frosting on top.

Brown Beer Cake
3/4 c cocoa
9 T butter
2 c sugar
2 eggs
1 c dark brown ale (such as Brooklyn Brown Ale)
3/4 c sour cream
1/2 c whole wheat flour
1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
2 1/2 t baking soda
1 t salt

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Whisk in cocoa and sugar. Pour into medium-large mixing bowl. Add eggs, beat well. Add beer and sour cream. Stir well. Separately mix dry ingredients, then add them to the mix. Whisk. Consistency should be thick but still liquidy, pourable.
Lightly oil a round springform pan and line bottom with parchment paper. You can dust with cocoa, too, if you want, but no pressure. I didn't. Pour in cake batter. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes, exactly, or until a wooden skewer/toothpick inserted comes out practically clean.
Cool on rack. When TOTALLY COOL (next day is good, too), frost with your best cream cheese frosting (mine is: 1/4 c butter+1/4 c cream cheese+1-2 c confec. sugar, depending on your taste, beaten). Enjoy!

Moist, Light Bran Muffins

2010-03-16T21:24:00.007-04:00

I recently bought some bran. I bought it because I thought it an essential ingredient in whole wheat or multigrain bread. And as soon as I had it, I remembered how good the banana bran muffins were that I made as a baker at San Francisco's Cafe Ponte.
Although I don't remember the Cafe Ponte recipe, I fudged my own. The result was a very moist, light, tasty, perfect texture muffin. I will definitely make them again.

6 T butter, softened
1/4 c sugar (white or brown)
2 eggs
1 c plain yogurt (I used fat-free Greek yogurt)
1 1/2 c flour
1 1/2 t baking soda
1 t salt
2 t vanilla
2 very ripe bananas, mashed or in small chunks
1 c bran + 1 c hot water, left to sit 5 min

Cream butter and sugar. Stir in eggs and yogurt. Add flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix until incorporated. Finally, add vanilla, bananas, and bran/water mush. Scoop into muffin tin. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. Remove from tins so the muffins don't steam and become mushy. Cool. Eat!

Hell Yes, multigrain sourdough loaf

2010-03-14T21:44:00.007-04:00

For a while there, in the beginning of the New Year, I was posting a lot. In the past week or so, though, I just haven't gotten around to it. So apologies, apologies. I haven't NOT been cooking or baking. Of course, I am always creating something in the kitchen. I just didn't have the time to blog it. So, over the last ten days, the most memorable food creations have been: Potato Leek Soup, Lavash/Squash/Jack Cheese layered baked thing and, drum roll, please, multigrain sourdough loaf!

One thing that is easily lacking in my house at any given time is bread. For some reason, loaves of bread are not bought. Not regularly, at least. You know, there's always some Eli's health loaf in the freezer, in case of emergencies, but no bread easily accessible in the rare occurrence of a craving for PB&J.
So today, I made use of my sourdough starter, which usually just sits in the fridge, waiting to be poked at and refreshed. I will start the recipe for multigrain sourdough loaf bread by assuming you have a mother starter accessible. If you do NOT have a mother starter, I will post one very very soon. It's easy to make, only takes about a week. I've had mine for a few months now, and it's very easy to keep alive, needing only minimal care now and again.

THE DAY BEFORE YOU BAKE:
So basically, you want to use some (2/3 c) of your mother starter to create a firm starter. To do this, mix 2/3 c of your mother starter with 1 c flour and 1/4 c water. Stir, by hand, adding water if necessary, and form into a ball. Let rise in room temperature, covered with plastic wrap, in greased bowl, 6 hours, then refrigerate overnight.
Firm starter is now ready to use.
You also want to mix some grains and let them soak, overnight, in minimal amounts of water. I used 3 T polenta, 3 T rolled oats, 3 T bran, and 1/4 c water.

MULTIGRAIN SOURDOUGH LOAF
6 oz firm starter, cut into 5-6 pieces
1 1/2 c whole wheat flour
1/2 c milk
1/2 c water
soaked grains (from night before)
3 T brown sugar
pinch salt
1 T honey

Mix with a spoon all the ingredients. Then knead for 15 min, or more, until dough is as elastic as possible (whole wheat flour is not exactly elastic, so just knead a lot until it doesn't tear when you bend it--tearing at the surface indicates less developed webs of gluten = bad bread). You can also use an electric kitchenaid mixer, which is super easy, but less "in touch" with your bread.
Once dough is mixed, put in greased bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise 3-4 hrs.
Now shape the dough. You basically want to lay the dough out in the shape of a rectangle, and roll it up, lengthwise, or fold it on itself, lengthwise, and then sort of seal it that way, make a seam. Then lay this rolled up dough, seam side down, in a greased loaf pan. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise another 3-4 hours.
Bake 45 minutes on 350, with convection on. If you don't have convection, just turn the pan 180 degrees halfway through cooking.
When bread is done, remove from oven, and invert loaf out of pan asap. Let cool at least one hour.

Cinnamon Buns

2010-03-04T19:37:00.004-05:00

No surprise, I enjoy food-blog-browsing in my free time. I found this recipe online and just had to try it, because I love breakfast foods! These easy to make breakfast buns are perfect for a grab-and-go start to the day. *Also, you can make the dough and retard the proofing by putting it in the fridge 45 minutes after mixing. Then, just remove 2 hours before you are ready to use it, let it come to room temperature and rise, and cut and bake as directed below!
I wanted to post them before I completely fall asleep after the longest day ever (referring to every Thursday, every week).
They are truly delicious as is, but with glaze or frosting, even better, taking away from the original author's namesake goal, but adding to my enjoyment!

Skinnymon Buns
adapted from The Skinny Chef

1 c all-purpose flour
1 1/4 c whole wheat pastry flour
1 package yeast
1/2 c sugar
1 T butter, melted
1 c milk (any fat content fine)
1 egg
pinch salt
cinnamon sugar (2 parts sugar, 1 part cinnamon, mixed)

Pulse flours, yeast, and salt in food processor. Mix melted butter, milk, egg, and salt in bowl. With the food processor running, add to the dry mixture. Mix until well blended. Scoop dough out with spatula and place in lightly oiled bowl. Cover and let rise for 2 hours, or until doubled in size*. On a floured board, dump dough out, and roll into a rectangle of even-thickness, about 1/4" thick. Spray vegetable oil, and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar to your liking (I used about 1/4 cup, then decided I wanted more sugar and sprinkled some on top). Roll up dough into a long snake, and then slice, about 1-2" thick. Place slices on parchment paper and bake at 375 for 12-15 minutes. If glazing or frosting, do so right before cooled so it melts a bit, too.

Marmalade!

2010-03-01T19:38:00.004-05:00

My grandma's boyfriend takes pride in his fruit trees. The San Diego climate keeps his garden producing abundantly. This year, he sent my mother home with two huge sacks of kumquats and one lemon. While the proportions are a bit off for me (I've never quite been a fan of the small, bitter orange fruit), I decided, someone's gotta do something here.
I've never made marmalade before, but I sure as heck like it. Pizzaiolo in Oakland's upscale Temescal district serves excellent marmalade as part of their weekday breakfast. I think eating their servings of Blue Chair marmalade made me really turn on to the stuff.
Anyway, so I turned my lazy Friday night through Saturday into marmalade time. I will admit, it was a bit more time consuming that plain ol' jam, but much more exciting. The labor that went into it made me value the end result a lot more than when I've made jam. The recipe below will yield you 1 1/2 pints, about. I filled 3 half-pint Ball's jars.

Kumquat Marmalade
2-3 cups sliced, seeded kumquats, some seeds reserved in a tea ball strainer
water to cover
equal amount sugar as fruit
1 cinnamon stick

Soak sliced fruit in the water to cover, along with the seeds in the strainer (or cheesecloth) overnight, for at least 10 hrs. Remove seeds from pot and add the sugar and the cinnamon stick. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, about 1 1/2 hrs, or until marmalade has thickened significantly, almost to the gel point (which means that when you dab some marm' on a very cold plate and tip the plate, it doesn't budge. It's gel!).
When it's almost done cooking, sterilize 3 half-pint mason jars and their lids. Fill jars with marmalade, and process in boiling water for 10 minutes.

Snow Day Breakfast

2010-02-26T11:04:00.004-05:00

I canceled my day's appointments because it's still snowing. All night and still, more snow. What's a girl who's stuck inside to do? Work? Nah. I decided to gather up my courage and make a creamy pot of steel cut oats.
Can you believe I've never cooked steel cut oats? They're oats that have been sliced crosswise, instead of rolled flat like the more common oats we know and may love or hate. I've always loved oatmeal made of rolled oats, even when it's slimy, just not when it's thick and gooey. Steel cut oats make oatmeal completely different. For starters, the pieces of oat don't completely disappear and meld together - they stay rather individual, whole, kind of chewy. The texture is pretty good as far as breakfast cereals go.
I cooked mine in boiling liquid that was half water, half soy milk, and a pinch of salt. After 20 minutes of cooking, I spooned them into my bowl with dried cranberries and agave nectar. This is a definite breakfast grain I will be experimenting with again soon.

Steel cut oats with dried fruit (2 servings)
1 c water
1 c soy milk
1/2 c steel cut oats
pinch salt
dried cranberries
1 T agave nectar

Bring liquid to boil in small-medium saucepan. Once boiling, add oats and salt. Simmer on low heat for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally. When liquid is mostly absorbed, spoon into 2 bowls. Drizzle each with agave and sprinkle cranberries on top.

Whole Wheat Mac+Cheese with Maple-Glazed Brussel Sprouts

2010-02-24T18:00:00.006-05:00

You read that right! I've been craving mac and cheese lately. My mom used to make a pretty good mac + cheese and, as we got older, she'd incorporate some veggies into the dish (come on, if you know her, it's no surprise--it's almost a miracle she agreed to the basis of the dish in the first place). Today I got home at 2:40. I thought, I just had a long day of work. Nonstop. Busy busy. And I have more to do tomorrow. Ugh. If I start now, I'll have time to prepare dinner, go to the gym, come home and bake it, and then do some reading. Sounds like I pack it in, doesn't it? I'll admit, busy busy busy baking busy busy busy isn't so typical for me, but for some reason I bake more when I'm relatively low stressed and very busy than any other time.

Anyway, as I browsed through the fridge for a green vegetable to put in my mac+cheese, the only appetizing verde was a bunch of brussel sprouts. Brussel sprouts. How will they be good in mac and cheese? What flavor profile am I looking for? Think...think... shaved and sweet and spicy? Along with creamy rich cheesy? Yes! That's it!

Also, I want to encourage you, my readers, to leave me your comments, questions, any thing, about what you read here on Ripened. I appreciate the feedback. Keep Cooking!

Whole Wheat Mac and Cheese with Maple Glazed Brussel Sprouts
12 oz whole wheat noodles, shape of your choice, cooked al dente
2 T butter
2 T flour
3 c warmed milk
dash nutmeg
bay leaf
1/2 t paprika
1 T yellow mustard powder
salt and pepper
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 onion, diced
8 oz shredded cheddar cheese
4 oz shredded Gruyere cheese
2 c maple-glazed brussel sprouts, recipe below

In a medium-large saucepan, make a roux (melt butter, whisk in flour, and slowly whisk in milk). Add nutmeg, paprika, mustard, salt and pepper. Temper egg and add to milk pot. Stir lightly on medium-low heat until mixture begins to thicken, about 10 min. Remove bay leaf. Add diced onion, a bit more than 3/4 the cheddar, and 3/4 of the Gruyere. Stir well, until cheeses have melted and you have one uniform mixture. Turn off heat, add noodles and brussel sprouts. Stir until all is incorporated. Pour into lightly greased casserole dish and bake, 20 min with lid or foil covering, 10 min uncovered, or until bubbly and brown on top.

Maple Brussel Sprouts

2 c brussel sprouts (measure after cut), shaved with mandolin or very thinly sliced by hand
1/2 - 1 T butter
1/4 c maple syrup
salt and pepper

In a large saute pan, melt butter. Add maple syrup. Heat until bubbly. Add brussel sprouts. Season with salt and pepper. Toss around in pan on high heat, for about 7 minutes. Brussel sprouts should have a crunch when done.

What are friends for?

2010-02-21T17:39:00.004-05:00

Trekking out to Long Island first, before going to see their long-distance significant others in the city, just to spend the evening making soup, drinking bourbon, and watching funny movies. That's what! Like I said in Thursday's post, as soon as my head knew I was settled for next year's placement and had no need for psychological stress, my immune system shut off. Took a hiatus. Call it what you will, I have this gross head cold.

Thank goodness for Rebecca, who came over, asked me what I needed done, and basically followed my liquids-only plan for the night. With her loving monitoring, we stirred up a delicious pot of tortilla soup. Super simple, and exactly what I was craving. All I had all night was tortilla soup and hot toddies. Recipe for success, I think.

Anyone can make this soup. But if you have a good friend to come over and make it for you, it's all that much better.

What we used:
vegetable oil
1 onion, diced
some garlic, diced
2 t cumin
3 t chili powder
1/4 c fresh cilantro, chopped
1 1/2 c diced tomatoes
4 c low sodium chicken broth
1 jalapeno, mostly seeded, diced
4-6 small shredded sprouted corn tortillas

Put oil in saucepan on medium heat. Add onions and garlic. Cook until fragrant but not brown. Add spices and cilantro. Add tomatoes and broth. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 15 min. Add jalapeno and corn tortillas, and salt and pepper, to taste. Cook for an additional 5-10 min. To make a nice touch, serve with sour cream and avocado, as in our beautiful photos below!

Stress and Cooking: What is the relationship? I bring you the Hot Toddy

2010-02-18T22:46:00.004-05:00

I don't know what the relationship between cooking and my stress levels is. When I'm too stressed, I simply cannot bear to enjoy the pleasure cooking gives me. And yes, cooking is a stress reliever, but I think only for minimal amounts of stress for me. Is it a bell curve? Do moderate levels of stress correlate with higher frequencies of baking? It's possible... because I know I often do it to procrastinate.

Well either way, my month of stress is officially OVER! I know, I know, I can't believe it either, yet. I just know I feel like a giant heavy weight has been lifted off me. It feels AMAZING. And just when I start to feel destressified, I feel my throat starting to ache.

So tonight's recipe is the Meg Hot Toddy. Check it out:

2 T honey
1-2 oz Kentucky Bourbon
juice of 1 lemon
8-10 oz boiling water

Mix all ingredients in nice round mug. Sip. Feel the liquid coat your throat. And relax.

For Presidents Day, Something English

2010-02-15T17:00:00.005-05:00

Instead of calling these English Muffins, which they are, apparently the Joy of Cooking says we can also call them Raised Muffins, making them seem much more appropriate to be made on a national holiday that's American enough to have no mail come today. So here we have it, raised muffins. English--er--Raised muffins are just yeast breads that you bake in a skillet instead of in an oven. If you add more milk to the recipe and use a circular ring in which to shape and bake them, they are no longer muffins but instead become Crumpets (another un-American food). I will admit, the idea of a crumpet is quite appealing to me, ever since I first saw Alice in Wonderland and was drawn to the magic of the Mad Hatter's tea party and whole-heartedly wished I could have attended. Anyway, never having had actually eaten a crumpet, I thought it may be a waste to make now, since I may not know what to do with it. We'll save the crumpet for next time.

These raised muffins were shaped into rectangles. The dough was very sticky and, it being my first time and all, I was ill-prepared. So I just left them as sticky rectangles, and they baked beautifully!
Here's how you make Raised Muffins (adapted from The Joy of Cooking).

1 c water
1/2 c boiled milk
1 1/2 t agave nectar
2 T warm water
1 package dry yeast
3 c all purpose flour, sifted first
1 c whole wheat flour, sifted first
1 t salt
2 1/2 T softened butter

Mix water, boiled milk, and agave in mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, dissolve yeast in the 2 T water for about 3 minutes. Add to the milk mixture. Add 2 c all purpose flour, stir. Let rise 1 1/2 hrs--this is your sponge.
When mixture is bubbly and collapsing back into itself (after at least an hour), add softened butter, flours, and salt. Stir, then knead, well.
Dough will be very sticky, not stiff, and annoying to handle.
Dump it out onto a cutting board floured with cornmeal and whole wheat flour. Pat dough down into a 1/2 " thick rectangle. With a bench scraper or serrated knife, cut lengthwise into 4 strips, then cut each strip into 4, so you have 16 odd-shaped pieces. Place pieces on greased parchment paper, and let rise 1 hour.
Heat a cast iron skillet on medium. Grease with butter. Bake, 4-6 pieces at a time, in skillet. Flip once, top and bottom should be unevenly browned. To eat, split with a fork. Enjoy!

Happy Valentines Day!

2010-02-14T15:50:00.006-05:00

This isn't really a V-Day post-- It's really just a post I should have done last week when I made these cookies. When people ask me what I like to cook the most, I have a hard time answering. It's a very hard question to answer! I don't know what I like to make the most. I don't have a #1 thing to make. I do know that I love to bake, however. I have a real sweet tooth. Once, for like 2 months, I got myself to stop eating sweets and candy and pizza. It was more of a challenge to see if I had the will power than anything else. I probably shouldn't eat as many sweets as I do, though, because I've always been someone who has a lot of cavities. No matter what, the dentist is never happy with me. It kind of sucks, but I've kind of given up hope for my teeth because I think they are just bad because of genetics. I think it's my dad's fault. That said, these cookies I made last week were the bomb diggity. For real.
Mark Bittman's How To Cook Everything was the basic guide recipe. Of course, you know me, I couldn't stick to the recipe. Also, next time, I will make them with less butter. I don't think they actually needed as much as the recipe called for, or even as much as I put in (which, of course, was less than what Mark suggests). I don't like when a baked cookie actually makes your hands greasy, and these did that. SO the recipe I provide below is the new recipe. The less greasy recipe. And if you like greasy fingers while you eat delicious cookies, then just go ahead and make the recipe with 2 whole sticks of butter, for all I care.

Crispy and Amazing Chocolate Chip Cookies with Oats

1 1/2 sticks butter, softened
3/4 c brown sugar
3/4 c white sugar
2 eggs
1 t vanilla extract
3/4 c oats
3/4 c whole wheat flour
1/2 c all purpose flour
2 t baking soda
2 t salt
1 1/2 c chocolate chips

Mix the dry ingredients together in one bowl (not the chocolate chips). Beat the butter and sugars together. Add the eggs, one at a time. Add the vanilla. Add all of the dry ingredients, except for the chocolate chips. Mix very well. Finally, add the chocolate chips. Using two regular kitchen spoons or your hands, drop 12-16 balls of dough onto 3 cookie sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake 12 minutes on 375.

Mogador, J'adore

2010-02-14T15:11:00.004-05:00

They have shirts that say that, you know.
And while I don't usually use the blog as a venue for restaurant reviews, I owe my thanks to the deliciousity of Mogador, that wonderful Moroccan place on 8th street in the East Village.

Mogador, you are so simple, but so good. A tad greasy, but the perfect tad for a hangover breakfast. I ordered an Americano and the Haloumi Eggs, which comes with 2 roasted tomatoe halves, each topped with grilled haloumi cheese, topped with perfectly poached eggs. On the side, instead of homefries (which come with other dishes, just not this one), are a lightly dressed mixed greens salad and delicious pita with za'atar. This green rub of earthy sesame and green herbs is perfect, meant to be, at home, atop warm, fresh, pita. Instead of hot sauce, they serve a small dish of harissa with your order. The subdued flavors and heat of the spice paste help your eggs get to exactly where they need to be.

If you are in NY, you must, must, must check it out for brunch, although other meals are served, too.

So the plumber is over and you can't use your stove?

2010-02-01T12:26:00.003-05:00

Who says the toaster oven ain't an oven? Here's a recipe for crack 'em and forget about 'em toaster oven baked eggs. Because when I'm hungry, I'm hungry. And usually, I won't settle for crap food out of a box (no offense, you crab box food eaters), if I can help it.

So what you need is:
a ramekin (or a small dish that can fit and not break in the toaster oven)
an egg
shaved manchego cheese and/or tomato sauce or pureed tomato-red pepper soup are optional for under and on top of egg
salt and pepper

What to do is:
In the ramekin, crack egg either right into ramekin or onto 1/4 c sauce/soup.
Top with some shaved cheese, if using, and salt and pepper, to taste.
Pop in the toaster oven on 425 for about 10 minutes. Remove carefully (It's HOT in there!).

Eat. Enjoy. No hard feelings, Mr. Plumber.

My 3rd Sourdough

2010-01-31T12:14:00.003-05:00

Now that I successfully have three different batches of sourdough under my belt, I feel competent to post about them, recipes and all.
I will admit, in the same way I never really understood high school math, I didn't understand sourdough at first. The whole concept of baking bread from a sourdough starter made me feel a bit lost and, even though I had two wonderful books to consult, it took me quite some time and reading to really understand what was going on here. And still, I'm learning. I think making good sourdough bread is something a class could really help. I've never thought I needed a class for anything--just hands on experience--but I'm changing my tune. As of now, I think a class would be good for sourdough bread baking basics as well as for Japanese and Central South American cooking. These are just culinary categories that I know I am not "a natural" at performing. I need experiential exposure from an expert to really "get" them.
Anyway, back to the bread.
This is a basic sourdough with the addition of rosemary. This time, I used Rose Levy Beranbaum's Bread Bible as my consulting force. She describes things differently than Peter Reinhart, which I liked for some things and didn't like for others.
The bread took over 24 hours from start to finish. I don't know if that's typical or if it's because I made it on the coldest weekend in forever (what, like 13 degrees?), but that's just how it went.

Here's the deal. I'll start the recipe for you, but you need to already have a sourdough starter in the works. Consult breadtopia.com if you need help with this.

If I understand correctly (and this is what I did), you first need to convert your liquid starter into a storage starter, and then into a stiff starter.

So, you take about 1/4 of your sourdough starter and put it in a bowl.
Mix in 1/3 c flour and 1 T water. Mix with a wooden spoon, and then knead with your hands until its a cohesive blob. Put blob in oiled glass container, cover with plastic wrap, leave for a few hours.
Now mix in another 2/3 c flour and 2 T + 2 t water. Leave to rise another few hours (about 4?).
Now you have your stiff sourdough starter. You don't have to make the bread right now. You can wait until you are ready and put the starter in the fridge until then. If you decide to do that, just let it warm up 1 hr on the counter before you use it.

What you will need: FLOUR/WATER/STIFF STARTER/SALT/ROSEMARY
Put 2 1/4 c flour in a bowl. Mix in 2/3 c water until all incorporated.
Let sit 20 min.
Cut or tear 2/3 c stiff starter into pieces. Discard the rest.
Mix pieces of stiff starter into the flour/water mixture on low speed for 2 minutes. Then mix on high speed for 3 minutes. Add the salt and the rosemary. Continue to mix another minute. If not mixing well, stop mixer, do a few letter folds with your hands, and then put back in the mixer and mix.
Oil glass container. Drop dough in. Wrap with plastic wrap so dough doesn't dry out. Let rise 1 hour. Take out. Do 2 business letter folds. Put back in container. Let rise 1 more hour. Repeat folds. Let sit 4-5 hours, or until dough has doubled in size.

Now you can shape it. A plain ol' ball of dough is a good shape. In french, it even sounds fancy. It's a boule.
Shape it, put it on a baking sheet on parchment, cover in plastic wrap, and leave about 5-6 hours.
Preheat oven to 475. Put a cast iron pan on the bottom rack of the oven. When its hot enough, put bread in on baking sheet. When bread goes in, throw about 10 ice cubes into the cast iron pan and shut oven door. Bake 5 min. Lower heat to 450. Bake for 20 min.

Remove from oven. Let chill COMPLETELY before eating, as it bakes as it rests! IF you cut it before it's cool, it will dry out. This part takes lots of patience. It's true.

She just couldn't wait...

2010-01-28T21:25:00.004-05:00

When I came home today, I used whatever leftover momentum I had to make banana chocolate chip bars. I've been wanting to cream butter for the last few days. I know, it must sound funny, but I develop little food goals I want to accomplish over the course of a week. This week it was:

cream butter
use the really ripe bananas that are turning black

It took me a while to figure out what, exactly, I wanted to do with these goals. Banana bread just seemed so... boring. I consulted King Arthur. The answer was right in front of me, but I resisted. I had only softened 1 stick of butter, not 1 1/2 as called for by their banana chocolate chip bars. I also didn't have spelt flour (and baking in Oberlin's Fairchild may have turned me off to the flour that seems impossible to make rise). So I adapted. It was...Delicious. Go ahead, try it.

Banana Chocolate Chip Bars

1 stick butter, softened
1 1/4 c brown sugar, packed
4 mashed very ripe bananas
juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 t vanilla
dash nutmeg
3/4 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1 1/2 t cinnamon
1 egg
1 1/4 c whole wheat flour
2 handfuls chocolate chips
2 handfuls walnuts, chopped (or hammered in double plastic bags)

In a bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add bananas, mix. Add lemon juice, mix. Add vanilla, nutmeg, baking powder, salt, cinnamon. Mix. Add egg, mix. Add flour, mix well. Pour and spread in an oil-sprayed 9x13 pan. Let sit 10-15 min while mixture thickens. Bake at 350, 35 minutes. Cool, and eat, but really let cool first, unlike my mother who just couldn't wait.

It's true... I'm addicted to making granola

2010-01-26T22:00:00.004-05:00

I just can't stop.
So here, no recipe. Just ingredients.
It's called Dump-It-In Granola.
You just pour from the containers. No measuring cups or spoons allowed. Just pouring and sprinkling and tasting and mixing.
Oats, mixed chopped nuts, dried fruit (cranberries, raisins, nectarines, cherries), brown sugar, honey, vegetable oil. Taste. Adjust. Taste again. Adjust again. Bake at 350 for about 12 minutes or longer, depending on how crunchy or burnt you like it.

Comfort me with Casseroles

2010-01-25T22:14:00.007-05:00

As you may have already figured out, I love to bake. When I think of baking, I typically think of breads and sweets coming out of the oven. On the contrary, when I think of cooking, I think of savory flavors, prepared stove-top. Perhaps that's why I love a good casserole so much-- because it's cooking, but it requires the oven to make it the comfort food it is. Perhaps what I find so enjoyable about making and eating a casserole is that it merges "cooking" and "baking". I'm not sure what draws me to the casserole. What I do know, is it represents the perfect comfort food for me.
Tonight I prepared two pans of vegetable lasagna, prepared with home-roasted red peppers, eggplant, and zucchini. The noodle layers were whole wheat, and I think this factor made the lasagna a bit sturdier, in a good way. The sauce is super simple to make at home (only three ingredients), and as simple as it is, it is delicately delicious.
Try for yourself--the recipe is pretty easy. It takes about 1-2 hours from start to finish. Also, this recipe is for two 9x9 or 1 9x13 dishes. I made two 9x9 casseroles so I have one for this week, and one to freeze for later, in a few weeks, when I'm too tired to cook but still want something yummy.

Vegetable Lasagna
1 1/2 lb (about 3 small) eggplant, diced
1 lb zucchini, diced
3 red peppers, roasted and chopped
6 cloves garlic, crushed or minced
3 T olive oil

1 box (about 16 sheets) whole wheat lasagna noodles

olive oil
2 28-oz cans plum tomatoes, crushed with an immersion blender
6 cloves garlic, minced
basil, to taste

1 c ricotta cheese
1 lb mozzarella cheese, grated

Toss veggies with olive oil, crushed garlic, salt, and pepper. Roast at 375 for 30 minutes. Set aside.
Cook lasagna noodles according to package instructions for al dente (about 7 min). Remove from pot and set, in a single layer, on two baking sheets (this way, they won't stick together). Let cool.
In medium saucepan, head olive oil. Add garlic and saute. Add tomatoes. Cook, stirring occasionally, over relatively high heat, for about 15 min. Add basil and stir.
In the bottom of each pan, spoon a thin layer of tomato sauce. Layer three noodles in each pan (you may have to use a knife to trim them to fit). Dot each noodle with ricotta cheese, then vegetables, then mozzarella, then sauce. Layer three more noodles on top, and repeat this layering pattern. At your fourth noodle layer, pour on remaining sauce and sprinkle remaining mozzarella. Bake at 375 for 30 min, covered in well-oiled (spray works best) foil. Uncover after 30 min, and bake another 15 min.

It's Time for Payback

2010-01-24T21:24:00.008-05:00

Whenever Matt visits my family, he makes a point of cooking them dinner at least one of the nights. Tonight, he and I orchestrated a Thank You feast. The two-course meal was one of the best savory things we've cooked together in a while. The salad and the main dishes weren't part of the same theme, but the flavor profiles of each were amazing. I must say, this was one of those meals I tasted a few times while preparing, but I had no idea it would turn out this good.

To start, we served baked goat cheese atop a bed of salad greens tossed with red wine-chive vinaigrette. To follow was Moroccan chicken breast and drumstick served with almond-cranberry cous-cous. The chicken dish was akin to a curry, although not in flavor but in composition. The flavors were rich, bold, and clean. Also, a few months ago, I started preserving lemons. They had been curing for at least 8 weeks by tonight, and their addition to this dish gave it an indescribable complexity. Not quite sour, not quite salty, strangely rich, I urge everyone to try to cure their own lemons.

Below is the recipe for the Moroccan Chicken with Almond-Cranberry Cous-Cous. I looked to Cooks Illustrated as well as Epicurious.com for guidance with the recipes.

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

4 drumsticks

2 T olive oil

1 onion, chopped

6 cloves garlic, minced

4 quarters preserved lemon rinds, sliced lengthwise, then chopped crosswise

1 1/4 t paprika

1/2 t cumin

1/4 t cayenne

1/2 t ginger

1/4 t coriander

1/4 t cinnamon

squirt honey

2 c chicken broth

2 carrots, sliced thinly

1/2 c halved, pitted green olives

cilantro to garnish

In a large pot, brown the chicken, two minutes on each side, in 1 T olive oil. Place it on a plate, out of the way. Add remaining oil to pot, and saute onions and garlic. Add spices and preserved lemon, stir regularly, and cook for about 5 minutes. Add honey and broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low, add carrots, chicken pieces, and simmer 15 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken from pot, set aside under foil. Add olives, and raise heat to thicken liquid in pot. Cook about 5 minutes. Return chicken to pot, add cilantro. Serve atop Almond-Cranberry Cous-Cous.

Almond-Cranberry Cous-Cous

3 T butter

2 c cous-cous

1/2 c onion, chopped

3/4 c dried cranberries

2 c chicken broth

2 c water

1/2 c toasted sliced almonds

juice from 1 small lemon

Saute cous-cous in 1 T butter until lightly browned. Pour cous-cous into a bowl and set aside for later.

Saute onion in remaining butter. Add cranberries and then add liquids. Raise heat and bring to boil. When fully boiling, pour contents of saucepan into the bowl of cous-cous. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for 15 min. Add almonds and lemon juice, and fluff with fork.

...I'm back!

2010-01-23T13:26:00.006-05:00

Apologies for the lack of posting towards the end of December/beginning of January. I was away on holiday visiting family in Cape Town. I took lots of pictures, but cooked and baked a lot less than usual. My days were filled with lying on the beach and braiing (South African's way of our classic BBQ, pronounced brai, rhymes with eye) at night. It was wonderful, I even had time to read novels.

One of the best markets I had the chance to visit was in Observatory, called the NeighborGoods Market. It's not quite a farmer's market-- much less fresh produce and more food items being produced on location or pre-baked and sold, looking beautiful. It's held at an old biscuit mill, which makes it rather quaint.

At the market, I bought some uniquely South African flavored macarons, a chocolate croissant, and a couple of giant meringues (can you tell I have a sweet tooth?). The presentation of most of the vendors' goods was out of this world adorable and delicious. There were booths for fresh pizzas, omelets, and biltong, among other things. The photos are below. I hope they at least leave your mouths watering.

I have been baking!

2009-12-14T20:27:00.003-05:00

I just haven't been posting. How boring, I know. But once again, finals time is here. And anyone who knows me knows finals time means baking time. Last week I made lemon poppy muffins. I would have posted but the recipe I created based on a bunch of different ideas came out slightly too dry and, in my opinion, not sweet enough. Almost a failure, except that they were good! Just not good enough to be called lemon-poppy muffins on my blog.

Tonight, instead of reviewing slides for my in-class presentation of the psychosocial and cognitive effects of chronic illness, particularly heart disease and sickle cell anemia, I am baking simple chocolate cookies. So super simple that I whipped up the dough in 5 minutes, and now it's sitting in the fridge to chill for 30 while I write this post..err.. I mean... work on slides?

Here's the recipe. I'll recap how they came out when they're done, at about 9 pm.

6 T softened butter
2 T oil
1 1/4 c sugar
1 egg
splash vanilla
1 1/2 c whole wheat flour
1/4 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
1/2 c cocoa
1/4 c cream cheese

In a bowl, cream butter, oil, and sugar. Add egg and vanilla. Beat well. Add all the dry ingredients. Continue to beat. Finally, slowly stir in cream cheese. You can leave it in swirls or fully incorporate it. It's up to you. Toss dough into a container and stick in the fridge for 30 min to chill. 10 min before it's done chillin, preheat oven to 325.

When your dough is chilled and your oven is preheated (or almost there), start scooping. With a regular table spoon, scoop some dough into the palm of your hand, and shape into a ball. I fit about 18 cookies on each tray; the balls don't spread too much, I could have fit more, but I was experimenting. You could probably fit about 24 on each tray. If you want, roll each ball in confectioners sugar. I didn't but I thought about it when they were done.

Bake for 18 minutes on 325 convection. Remove from the oven and let cool on a rack.

I have to admit, yesterday, I wasn't so into these. But they got better with a day! The texture is very nice-- somewhere between brownie and cookie. Slightly chewy, slightly dense. Real good.

Fall Mushroom Stew

2009-12-02T23:25:00.004-05:00

I felt ill all day. I knew I couldn't just up and leave my externship and come home and get into bed, although that was what I desperately wanted to do. I also knew that all I needed was a good rest and some soup. So what did I do? I created the ultimate fall stew.

The recipe I give below is super easy. The entire process requires very little tending-to time once you've chopped all your veggies. The stew turned out great. It wasn't too thick, there was enough broth to coat my aching throat, and although it is chunky in texture, there wasn't too much I really had to chew (which was perfect, because I just was not in the mood to chew!).

Also, I realized when I was putting the leftovers away that this stew looked like fall. Orange carrots, pale yellow parsnips, white potatoes, brown broth reminded me of the season we are in now (although I say it feels more like winter). The recipe here will serve 6, or 1 or 2 with leftovers for lunch!

Fall Mushroom Stew

2 c + 8 c water or stock (I use both)
1 1/2 oz dried porcini mushrooms
1 1/2 T unsalted butter
1 lb sliced button mushrooms
1 leek, white part sliced
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, sliced
3 parsnips, sliced
2-4 bay leaves
2 potatoes, chopped
1 c rinsed barley
2 T soy sauce
black pepper and salt to taste

Heat 2 c water or stock to boil. Pour liquid over dried mushrooms in a small bowl. Let sit 20 min. Meanwhile, melt butter in a pot. Add sliced fresh mushrooms and cook, on medium-low heat, until they've released liquid and are cooking down. After about 10 min, add the rest of the ingredients through bay leaves, including the rehydrated mushrooms and their soaking water and the rest of the 8 c water or stock. Bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer 30 min. Add potatoes and barley, and simmer until both are done, about 30. Add soy sauce and season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Beyond Cauliflower

2009-12-01T00:04:00.005-05:00

This recipe was in the New York Times foodie Thanksgiving section. I usually do not "do" recipes straight from other recipes; I find it hard to stick to what is written (problem with authority?). However, for this recipe, I stayed pretty spot on. The results were well received: cauliflower as a vehicle for subtly serious flavors of brown butter, sage, and lemon. With only hints of each main ingredient, this cauliflower is definitely the most Mysterious I've ever had. And the sage salt-making process was beautiful and fun.
I will most likely make the recipe again, but will perhaps experiment with adding other herbs. I'll keep you posted. Check it out:

1/4 c extra virgin olive oil
handful of fresh washed sage leaves (you don't need much- fresh sage is very strong)
1 T kosher salt
2 heads cauliflower, cut into bite-sized pieces
3 T unsalted butter
1 lemon, zest set aside (a microplane or regular grater works great for zesting; you'll also need the juice, so don't toss it out when you're done zesting!)

Pour olive oil into a small saucepan. Over medium low heat, warm the oil. When little bubbles form on the bottom of the pan, add the sage leaves. Simmer about 2-3 minutes. Pour oil and sage into a small bowl. Remove the sage leaves from the oil; dry them on a paper towel.
On 425, roast cauliflower tossed in fresh sage oil. Keep in oven about 30 min, or until lightly browned. While this is in the oven, prepare brown butter sauce by melting and simmering butter on low. Cook until butter turns brown, smells toasty, and solids are brown. Add lemon juice, stir well. Prepare sage salt, too, while cauliflower cooks. Do this by crumbling the sage leaves in between your fingers and then adding your kosher salt.
When cauliflower comes out of the oven, place in a large bowl and toss with brown butter sauce, zest, sage salt. Season with salt and pepper if needed.

Fall Granola

2009-11-13T09:35:00.005-05:00

I was asked yesterday why I make so much granola. My response? "We like it, don't we?" The answer is obviously yes. The stuff flies outta the jar! But people enjoying granola isn't the only reason I make it. I also make it because it is super simple and really fun to make. There's almost no way to screw up. All you need are oats, and any of your favorite seeds, nuts, fruits, seasonings, sweeteners... in any combination, really.

I'm always working on my granola recipes. They're in no way scientific, but I've experimented with many different combinations, and will continue to. I'm sure I'll never settle on just ONE granola recipe.

I always thought I liked my granola chewy. I turned my nose up at crunchy granola, or loose granola, that didn't clump together. But this week's granola recipe pleasantly surprised me. Crunchy? Yes. Sort of loose? Also yes. I didn't have these on hand, but I think cut-up dried apples would have gone more nicely than the dried tart cherries and cranberries I put into this batch. Or some crystallized ginger. Next time. There will definitely be a next time. For now, I am just going to savor my new batch, either right out of the palm of my hand, or sprinkled on plain yogurt.

This Week's Granola

Approximately 3-4 c oats
3/4 c pumpkin seeds
3/4 c sunflower seeds
1/3 c sesame seeds
3/4 c slivered almonds
3/4 c dried flaked coconut (unsweetened is preferred but not necessary)
1/4 c oil
1/3 c brown sugar
1/3 c honey
1 T vanilla extract
1 1/2 c chopped dried fruit

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Toast the oats, seeds, almonds, and coconut on a sheet pan, dry, in the preheating oven, for about 6-8 min, or until the coconut begins to brown or become fragrant. Allow to cool just a bit, and then pour into a big bowl. Mix in oil, sugar, honey, and vanilla. Mix until all ingredients are adequately integrated and coated well. On parchment paper, in one layer, spread the granola mixture. Bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes. Check it at 15 minutes. If it's nicely browned, it's done. If not, you can let it go a bit longer. Once out of the oven, allow to cool about 10-20 minutes on the pan. Add the dried fruit right on top of the granola and, using a spoon or a bench scraper, incorporate the fruit into the cooling granola. This way, the fruit doesn't bake and become too chewy. Allow to further cool before storing it in a jar or eating.

I can't believe I did it, but I did it!

2009-11-12T20:26:00.004-05:00

Last night I baked my first ever batch of sourdough bread. I had been working on the starter for about a week and, although I sort of botched it by not saving enough to keep the thing going post-bread making, the bread turned out amazingly. Not to toot my own horn or anything, but this bread was a-may-zing. Is amazing.

I used Peter Reinhart's The Bread Baker's Apprentice to make the starter and the Basic Sourdough. This book is incredible. It's by the same guy who wrote Brother Juniper's Bread Book, which is what we used as a guide when I worked in a bakery. I took this one out of the library about a week ago after seeing it on shelves and hearing it was awesome. I'm telling you, the book lives up to the hype. I am going to need a copy for Hanukkah or something (hint hint!)...

Not only are the recipes amazingly easy to follow, but Reinhart's commentary and description of the Stages of Bread have are indispensable. For instance, I never knew that what makes sourdough sour isn't that it is made of wild yeast but instead because of the bacteria it attracts during fermentation. I also didn't know there was a unique bacteria in the San Francisco Bay Area that is named after it: Lactobacillus sanfranciscensis. Who knew? This book has copious amounts of information--everything I ever wanted to know about baking hearth breads. Even the esoteric method of steaming bread in the oven in order to create a great crust with adequately baked bread beneath.

Following Reinhart's method in the book is advised (by me). I took mine basically straight from the his, except my starter was 100% organic whole wheat, and the bread dough itself was a mix of white and whole wheat, about 3 to 1, which is unusual for me, but I thought I'd go more by the book or this one.

I will post my own recipe for other sourdough in the coming weeks, so be on the look out. For now, revel with me in the sourdough skills! Thank you bacteria!