Tomato Jam

I don't think it's too late for this tomato recipe...  at least I hope not!  Quick, go buy some tomatoes and then come back :)

A bunch of field tomatoes from my CSA were sitting on my counter, giving me the evil eye for not using them.  I had to do something, and quick!  Dawn's Tomato Pie was almost the winner until the thought of a tomato jam couldn't get out of my head.

whole grain pita bites topped with goat cheese and tomato jam

It took awhile to cook the juicy red fruits down, but oh it was worth it!!  I fell in love immediately with this sweet and spicy jam and immediately started brainstorming things to do with it.

scrambled eggs with corn and tomato jam

Scrambled eggs with corn and tomato jam
Cheese and crackers with tomato jam
On sweet corn poundcake
On a sandwich...  egg and cheese or grilled cheese anyone?
As a savory cheesecake
Inside pop tarts!

sweet corn poundcake with tomato jam

Tomato Jam
adapted from the NY Times and food52
Yield:  ~2c

You can probably use whatever kind of tomatoes you have on hand or can find at the farmers market.  I just used field tomatoes - which are pretty juicy and took awhile to cook down.

3 to 3 1/2lb tomatoes, cored and chopped
1sm onion, diced (~1/2c)
zest & juice of 1 lemon
1/2c brown sugar
1 1/2c evaporated cane juice (or granulated sugar)
1/4c cider vinegar
1/2t cinnamon
2t salt
1t cumin
1/2t coriander
1/8t cloves
red pepper flakes or cayenne, to taste

Combine all ingredients in a heavy sauce pan or stock pot.  Heat over medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring often.  Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the mixture has thickened and reached a jam-like consistency, 2-3hrs.

Transfer to sterilized glass jars and cool.  Can be stored in the refrigerator 1-2 weeks or use a hot-water canning bath for 15min for long-term storage.

What would you put this tomato jam on??

Spicy Sweet Ginger-Garlic Chicken Wings

Being creative in cooking sometimes means breaking the rules or borrowing a sauce from a traditional dish and using it in a non-traditional way.

When a diner is served the popular Vietnamese soup called pho, a basket of fresh green vegetables and bean sprouts accompanies a giant soup bowl filled to the brim with meat and noodles. For seasoning, a dipping sauce is also provided.

In a flash of inspiration, I realized the dipping sauce would make a delicious marinade for chicken. For Zesterdaily I wrote a recipe for Pho Buffalo Wings that gives the tender wings a beautiful glaze, flavored with ginger-heat and sweetness.

Weird Little Mushrooms in Soup

After living a mile from it for a decade, I finally made a shopping trip to Jong Boo Korean Market, which I drive by often but had never set foot in. The occasion was a successful day of marketing that included the new fancy supermarket that just opened across from the Jewel, Paulina for meat and a fly-by of Andy's for some weird little cucumbers and such. Jong Boo was pretty cool, and I got some stuff I was curious to try cooking with, including red miso, a big hunk of fresh pork belly, Korean shiso leaves (colloquially called "sesame leaves" in Korean), Koeran leek chives, fresh Chinese noodles and a carton of weird little white mushrooms cultivated in a mass. As soon as we got home I decided now was as good a time as any to try making a soup with some of this stuff.

I started the soup by sweating some onions and garlic in some sesame oil reinforced with olive oil. When they were soft and smelled good, I added some finely diced ginger, carrots and peppers. The alley patch has been incredibly productive this year, prodigiously producing Hungarian wax peppers, jalapenos, tiny Thai chiles, little golfball-sized cherry red peppers and some red things that look like serrano peppers but aren't as hot. For this soup, I made a brunoise of a fat jalapeno, one of the red mock serranos and a couple of the little Thai firecrackers. Those things are pretty hot, but aren't disruptive unless you bite directly into a whole chile.

I salted all the vegetables, and once they made their introductions, I covered them with water and stirred-in a healthy blob of the red miso. When the miso had dispersed and formed a broth, I added a splash of fish sauce and let the whole thing come up to a boil. Meanwhile I boiled water for the noodles. Typical Asian soups have noodles boiled separately and added to the bowl, and that seemed like a good protocol to follow. Boiling the noodles separately keeps the starch in the noodles from leaching into the soup and clouding and thickening it. The noodles are less flavorful than egg noodles, so it's critical to salt the water they boil in or they'll be a flavorless paste. 

While the noodles were boiling, I prepared some herbs. I tried one of the leek chives, and it was underwhelming. Not a lot of flavor and a strong chlorophyll taste. I plunged one into the soup stock and let it blanch a little, then tasted it again and was surprised that the raw greenness had left, leaving a nice mild onion/chive/leek flavor. I chopped a small handfull and dropped them in the soup. I tried the shiso/sesame leaf raw and it was pretty rude, with a medicinal/poisonous licorice flavor that reminded me of sassafras and wintergreen. I was intrigued by the flavor and didn't dislike it, but I suspected Heather would be put off by it. I tried blanching a leaf and the medicinal quality was reduced considerably, leaving just the suggestion of anise and wintergreen. I rolled a couple of the leaves into a bundle, cut them into ribbons of chiffonade and added them to the soup. The final flavor of the soup was hearty and complex, with considerable spiciness and a rich mouth feel. Given the complex flavor of the shiso, I thought fresh mint and tarragon would compliment it, so I ran out to the alley and grabbed some, then chopped them fine to use as a garnish.

When the noodles were done, I made a little mound of them in the soup bowls, then ladled the soup over the top. The stock had turned a lovely amber color, but was a little plain, so I floated a couple slices of spicy capicola on it. The heat from the soup instantly made the fat transparent and the meat turned a bright rosy pink. I pulled a few of the weird little mushrooms off the cluster and plunked them in the soup, then scattered some of the chopped herbs over the soup, and the final look of the soup was nice.

The pork belly will be in play shortly.

Cleaning out the Pantry

I've been trying to get better about using the ingredients in my pantry.  I really have.  When I rummaged through them the other day I came across some refried black beans and garlic salsa that I pulled out and set on my counter to use.  A few days later I used them, along with some sauteed onions, zucchini and summer squash from my CSA to make delicious tacos for dinner!

Made even better by homemade spelt tortillas!  (Spelt flour being another thing I was apparently hoarding for a rainy day).   A fun project, these were soft and tasty, albeit a little tough to work with in my warm, humid apartment.  Some (ok, a lot of) extra flour and a little perseverance was all that was needed ;) 

I also uncovered a little bit of Israeli couscous from who knows when ;)  Really, I don't want to know.  When an eggplant arrived in my CSA I knew just what to make!

Don't let my sub-par photo deter you (I was exhausted and couldn't bring myself to get out my light box), the warm spices and creamy roasted eggplant totally won me over.  

Israeli Couscous w/Roasted Eggplant

slightly adapted from bon appetit

serves 2

This could be served as a side, or bulked up with some greens and chickpeas to serve as a vegetarian main dish.  Feel free to toast your own cumin seeds and grind them fresh as the original recipe suggests.  I was short on time, so opted to take the easy way out.

1- 1lb eggplant, cut into 1/2" cubes

1/2c israeli couscous

2-3T extra virgin olive oil, divided

1T white balsamic vinegar
1t ground cumin

3/8t ground cinnamon

2T finely chopped shallot

2T golden raisins

4 cubes of fresh frozen cilantro (found at Trader Joe's, could also use 1-2T fresh chopped)

Preheat oven to 450deg.

In a bowl or on a baking sheet, add 1 1/2T olive oil, salt and pepper to the eggplant.  Toss to coat and then roast until tender and golden, 20-40min.  (Mine were done rather quickly, they may have been on the smaller side)

Meanwhile bring a small pot of water to a boil.  Cook Israeli couscous in salted, boiling water until just tender, a little over 5min.  Drain and then rinse with cold water.

After the couscous and eggplant are cooked, prepare the dressing.  In a medium bowl, add vinegar, 1-2T olive oil, cinnamon and cumin.  Whisk well, then add in onion and season with salt and pepper.  Once cooled to RT, add couscous, eggplant, raisins and cilantro.  Fold together, taste and adjust seasonings.



CSA items used:  4
Pantry items used: 6

I might have a ways to go, but I'm making progress!!

Do you have a tendency to stock up on ingredients you use normally or have a small pantry and have to pick up everything you need each week?

Farro w/Roasted Tomatoes & Eggplant

This recipe was born from the bounty of a friend's garden.  Slowly roasted tomatoes as sweet as candy (reminding of the tomato tarte tatin from last year!).  Chewy farro.  Soft roasted eggplant.  Aromatic roasted garlic.  The success, I think, is in its simplicity.

Farro w/Roasted Tomatoes & Eggplants
Recipe by Shannon
Serves 4

I served this along some fish (not worth repeating), but it would also pair well with roasted garlic sausage, tofu or your favorite protein.

1c farro
2lb grape tomatoes
1 lg eggplant, diced
4-5 cloves of garlic
extra virgin olive oil
salt and freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 250deg (or 300deg if you're a little short on time).

Add tomatoes to one baking sheet and eggplant to another.  Drizzle both with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and toss to coat.  Wrap garlic cloves in foil and place on one of the pans.

Bake, stirring every 15min or so, until the tomatoes have begun to burst and release their juices and eggplant is soft and browned.

Meanwhile, bring a medium pot of water to a boil.  Add a bit of salt and farro.  Cook until tender, 15-25min.  Drain and add to a large bowl.  Add roasted eggplant and tomatoes.  Squeeze roasted garlic out of the cloves.  Mix well, then taste and adjust seasonings before serving.


Are you a fan of farro?   Or perhaps you prefer quinoa, wheat berries or another grain?

Lessons From My Cat Part 2

Male metaphors tend towards the active: hunting, chasing, holding, making her mine. Let's be kind and say that there's a certain carnivore and prey smell to our way of thinking. The implication is that women in the wild are innocent unwilling participants.

Which is dumb. Male metaphors can be crap.

As I noted previously, the humble house cat gives us fundamental clues about female human behaviour. Think of her as woman stripped of overthinking and emotion - she's the essence of feminine...in a soft, seasonal fur coat. Not that I am suggesting women are large upright cats without tails. It's that I see more than coincidence in the commonality of feline and feminine. Plus I love both cats and women.

But back to the chase metaphor. Yes, on one level men hunt for women, but it's like describing the Champs-Élysées as a Parisian street. A street takes you somewhere. A French avenue is for strolling. One takes one's time, checking out the boutiques, being surprised by what one finds along the way. Waiting for just the right moment to steal a kiss. Waiting for her to tell you by her actions when she wants a kiss.


Which is the way my cat works. Most of the time she's engrossed in her own world. There's stuff to look at, food to eat, naps to take. Washing. Grooming. Exploring. But once a day, she makes it perfectly clear that we need to be affectionate. She'll jump on my desk and sit on the keyboard. Or she'll climb onto my lap. That's the point at which I have to - I must - stop everything and focus completely on her. A petting session or a few minutes of brushing is enough...physical contact to reconnect with each other before we get on with everything else.

Observing and reacting. Not hunting.



Bottoms Up, Tail-less Ones.

Lobsterman 2011

Location: Freeport, ME
Distance: Olympic (.93mi s, 24.7mi b, 6.2mi r)
Time:  9am start
Weather:  gorgeous (70s?)
Participants: 615

I can't begin the race recap without acknowledging Aaron Brooks (Perfect Postures) and Mike Carey (Performance Health Therapy).  Without them, training for an olympic distance race wouldn't have happened.  I've talked about it before, but over the past year I've been working Aaron and Mike to get my hips and feet back in proper alignment so that I can run (and bike) without that nagging ache in my left heel.  Obviously, it worked and I can't say enough good things about these guys!


My goal for this year (my first year in the 30-34AG) was to do an olympic distance tri.  Given the above, I picked a late season race to make sure I could ease back into training.  I was ready and looking forward to a fun race with a cheering section set to attend.  Then Hurricane Irene arrived, and said race was cancelled.  Understandable, but disappointing to say the least.  A week later I heard about another race up in Maine that was still open... hmm.

BPC friends help keep the nerves at bay pre-race ;)

To add another race or not?  After the let-down of Irene/no race, I took a week off of training, I just couldn't do it.  That's a bit of a long taper :)  And the course profiles couldn't be more different--  the race I trained for was pretty much flat, maybe some rolling hills.  This new race had hills.  Oh, and did I mention I was moving the day after the new race?  So I adjusted my goals--  just enjoy the race.  On Tuesday before the race, I officially signed up.

Our wave is off!

Swim
Given the wetsuit requirement and temperatures in the low 60s earlier this week, I was a bit worried about how cold the swim would be.  Luckily it wasn't bad (announced as 68), and the only thing that was a bit chilly were my feet.  The course had three buoys, and we were in the 6th wave.  Things went well from the start, I felt pretty good through the first two buoys.

At least I wasn't the only one swimming off course ;)

After rounding the second buoy I couldn't find the 3rd buoy (due to a poorly placed raft/boat), people from the wave behind me started to catch up, the water was getting a bit choppier, and I was getting a bit tired.  I tried to catch some feet, but that didn't last more than a couple of strokes as I was likely going off course :)  Somehow I made it to the third buoy and headed to shore.  I was guessing/hoping for ~30min, so 33:16 probably takes into account the extra distance covered by searching for buoy 3.

That's me in the purple cap and ear plugs!

Bike
Up a little hill to transition and back to my bike, I got out of my wetsuit without any issues and got ready to head out on the bike.  My chilly feet came back to life pretty quickly and before I knew it I was heading up the first hill out of the park.

As I mentioned before, the course is has some hills (see above).  There are more challenging courses out there, for sure, but for my untrained legs I was a little weary.  After all, I still had to run a 10K!  The course definitely keeps you on your toes;  I hung out in my granny gear on a couple hills but tried to take advantage of the downhills and maxed out on the other end a few times as well.

I'm sorry for taking a screen shot...  is that copying?

I safely maneuvered the packed gravel around mile 8, kept my cool when a couple people passed me and then stopped pedaling (really?), and I pulled back into the park just under 1:28 (16.8mph ave).  I'll take it!

Run
While I survived the bike, I wasn't really looking forward to the run (usually my favorite part).  You see, I had ridden the first part of the run, and, well, it had the same sort of hills.

There's not really much I remember about the run...  my hips were really tight off the bike, but after walking up the second half of the first hill they loosened up so that was good.   My stomach wasn't feeling awesome (nerves?  salt water?), and I tried to keep my focus to one mile at a time.   Reminding myself of my goal (have fun!  enjoy the scenery!) and my move the following day, I didn't push it and walked up a few of the hills.  Unusual for me, but I was totally okay with it and somehow I finished in 58:50.

Hey look, my feet are moving!

I did see a retriever with his owner walking along the side of the road towards the end of the run.  He suddenly copped a squat and wouldn't budge, must have been tired of spectating/cheering :)   I feel the same way, Buddy!

Where is the finish line already??

Overall time:  3hr 5min 5sec  (21/42 in my AG)

Lobster Bake!

Final thoughts
I was aiming for 3hours and came in right around that on a challenging course that I didn't train for.  So I am very pleased!  It was great to see some friends podium too (Congrats Laura and Jeff)!

Oly?  Done.

It was an absolutely beautiful day for a race, and Lobsterman was a great one.  Volunteers were pretty awesome all day, and the race was very well organized.  The only issue I had was at the end of the race, when all I wanted was a bottle of water and they were filling small cups of water.  Bottles next time, please?  Thanks!

How Popcorn Came to Matter

Heather loves popcorn. We go through phases where she needs popcorn every evening, so I make a lot of popcorn. When I was a kid, my mom made popcorn with olive oil and butter as the frying medium. Timing was critical, because if the fire was too hot or the popcorn didn't come off the fire precisely when it was done popping, the butter solids burned and it came out horrible, but when it everything worked, it was delicious. I have tried making popcorn this way, but in the interest of a higher success ratio I have modified the mom technique.

I use canola oil for the cooking medium. It has no flavor, but can handle high temperatures easily, and a high temperature means fewer un-popped "old maid" kernels are left. For on top* I mostly use melted butter, and once in a while we get this ridiculous Irish butter that costs like ten bucks a pound just for the popcorn. While Heather was rocking the JP, and occasionally to accommodate movie night with vegan friends, I make a topping that is as delicious as butter but isn't butter.

I'm going to call it a dressing. I hate that word "topping." It's a food industry word for something fake and gross to use instead of something normal like butter. Worse, it's an all-purpose word, used equivalently for synthetic versions of mayonnaise, whipped cream, bacon crumbles or ice cream sprinkles. Fuck "topping" and "spread" and "chocolaty" and "creamer" and the rest of the industrial food replacement dictionary.

The non-butter dressing I've settled on is a clove of garlic emulsified with some liquid smoke, siracha, sesame oil and olive oil. There's more olive oil than anything else, but the other elements make the dressing complex enough to do battle with the Irish butter. I have tried adding various other savory sauces, Worcestershire (and its Sheffield counterpart  Henderson's Relish), Tabasco and balsamic vinegar, but none of them improved matters and some of them occasionally made kernels damp in spots. 

Regardless of the dressing, popcorn isn't really fit for eating without salt, and given the geometry and physics of popcorn and oil, popcorn salt needs to be ground very fine to do any business with popcorn. A civilized popcorn experience requires fine popcorn salt, and trying to make do with granulated table salt is what pruno is to wine. Like that prisoner's tipple, brewed in toilet tanks from packets of mystery fruit jelly (topping? sure) and moldy bread, it sucks, it's degrading and it's for people who have been shit on by life. At the million-plex theater where Heather and I go see movies sometimes, they don't butter the popcorn at the concession, they hand it to you and make you walk over to the oil pumps to butter it yourself. With topping, we can call it topping. Adding fuck you you're a sucker and we hate you to insult, there is no popcorn salt, only little paper packets of granulated salt like you'd get in a pre-pack of plastic cutlery. In prison. The next step down the ladder is a cavity search.**

To salt our popcorn, I tart-up regular sea salt with some dried Mexican oregano, black pepper and paprika, and grind it super fine in a mortar. It comes out like talcum powder and it disperses well into the popcorn's texture. If I'm in a rush I'll grind some Vegeta with the salt instead of individual herbs and spices. If we're using the olive oil dressing instead of butter, I'm more likely to just use plain salt and pepper for seasoning. Having just returned from Hawaii (thank you Hawaii) and still being in the throes of a Li Hing Mui obsession, I'll be trying that out on some popcorn real soon, and I suspect it will be wonderful.

Li Hing Mui

Stop Press! Just made some li hing popcorn and it was delicious. Made popcorn and dressed it with butter, reserving some for the li hing experiment and seasoning the rest for Heather with ground salt, pepper and oregano. For the experimental bowl I ground li hing powder with salt and dusted the popcorn with it. It turned my fingers a rather gaudy scarlet, but man that stuff is great. Sour, salty and pungent with fruit and licorice.

Li Hing, I will see you soon. I have plans for you. (v) or (vg)

* Bishop.

** Then blanket party.

Delicious Authentic Mexican Dishes at La Sandia in Santa Monica Place

To celebrate Mexican Independence Day (September 16), through the weekend La Sandia will serve Ponche, a traditional Independence Day punch, and the rich and spicy Chile en Nogada, a poblano pepper stuffed with pork in a walnut cream sauce.

La Sandia Mexican Kitchen and Tequila Bar shares the top floor of Santa Monica Place with half a dozen other restaurants, the Food Court and the Market.

You'll recognize La Sandia by the crowded patio and open air bar, offering over 200 tequillas, half a dozen margaritas and Mexican beers, Mojitos, Capirinhas and Sangria pitchers.

The front part of the restaurant is dominated by the busy bar scene, especially at Happy Hour. With generously extended hours Sunday-Thursday from 4:00pm-9:00pm and Friday 4:00pm-7:00pm, Happy Hour appetizers are $3.00 (shrimp ceviche, a choice of quesadillitas, tacos, empanadas and sliders, chicken wings and bbq pork ribs), margaritas $5.00, Mexican bottled beer $3.00, daily specials Mondays-Thursdays and $5.00, "bottomless" bowls of guacamole.

Walk past the bar and you enter the restaurant with a dining room in a plaza style expanse, dominated by a retractable ceiling, a large fountain with four, smiling cherubs and upholstered booths with plush seating.

On a recent weekday visit, the bar area and patio were packed with young professionals. The booths and tables in the restaurant were filled with a mix of couples, families with small children and groups of friends relaxing, eating and drinking.

The food is well-plated, with good sized portions. All the sauces, flour and corn tortillas and salsas are made fresh daily.

Featured dishes like the molcajete tacos for two ($23.95), could easily feed four as part of a family style meal that included the guacamole prepared tableside ($10.95/$18/95), an appetizer like the mushroom huraches ($9.95), one of the rich and deeply satisfying soups (tortilla soup/$7.95 and roasted corn/$8.95), another entree like the iron skillet shrimp fajitas ($17.95) and a sampling of the desserts, which include affordable portions ($2.95) of flan, tres leches cake, sorbets and a banana empanada with vanilla bean ice cream.

The moderately priced food is hearty, well-seasoned and fresh-tasting with a homemade quality. Nicely, La Sandia feels festive without being loud.

The molcajete is used in the presentation of many featured dishes.

Traditionally made from volcanic stone, the three-legged bowl is used in preparing the guacamole at the table. Whole avocados are mashed together with onions, fresh tomatoes, cilantro, serano peppers for heat, sea salt and lime juice. Guacamole can be good but at La Sandia it is great, with the perfect balance of salty, creamy, crunchy (those delicious raw onions) and heat. Eaten on the freshly made tortilla chips and all you're missing is an ice cold cerveza or a salt-rimmed margarita.

Attention to details is a standard of good cooking.

The molcajete tacos for two exemplifies that perfectly. Also served in a molcajete. This time the stone bowl has been heated in the oven so the sauce surrounding the cubes of grilled skirt steak bubbles and pops, releasing waves of savory sweetness into the air. Topping the dish are the quartered pieces of a whole tomato, two plump brown mushrooms and a packet of charred scallions. A raft of beef cubes appear to float on the surface.

Looking at the dish you assume the word "tacos" in the menu description is a mistake. There is a container of freshly prepared flour and corn tortillas next to the molcajete but surely this is a hearty stew not a "taco."

But you would be wrong. The molcajete contains the taco filling. Possibly the most elaborately constructed "filling" I had ever seen.

To finish the dish, you will ask your waiter for more flour and corn tortillas....many more. Dig deep into the stone bowl to discover its hidden, secret wonder: molten hot fundido cheese.

Tear a tortilla into quarters, put a spoonful each of the Spanish rice and charro beans (black beans simmered with chorizo and onions), a fork-full of caramelized steak coated in liquid cheese, add a piece of charred scallion, a tasting of the roasted tomato and green chile salsas and pop the tasty packet in your mouth.

As your mouth enjoys all those flavors and textures, your eyes close and you begin to mumble. Your friends at the table will wonder what you are muttering about. If they could hear you clearly, they would understand you are saying, "Oh my god that is wonderful."

When the plate of chile en nogada, the holiday dish, appears on the table, everyone will lean forward to inhale the wealth of aromas rising from the poblano pepper, split open to reveal the crumble of sauteed pork. One bite and your eyes close again and if you are all sharing bites together, all eyes will be closed and mouths will be moving as if speaking through sealed lips. A passing waiter will wonder if this is a group seance.

The walnut sauce makes the dish. Warm, creamy, full of flavors that are nutty and yet so much more, the sauce perfectly ties together the muskiness of the poblano with the sweetness of the pork. Adding the pomegranate seeds is a delightful finish. The acidic crunch cuts diagonally across the richness of the sauce.

Chef-owner, Richard Sandoval generously shared his recipe for Chile en Nogada so even after Mexican Independence Day, you can continue to enjoy this delicious dish at home.

CHILE EN NOGADA


Serves 6


Ingredients for the sauce


1 tablespoon shelled walnut pieces
1/4 cup almonds, blanched
3/4 cup whole milk
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup goat cheese
3/4 teaspoon each granulated sugar, salt and black pepper, to taste

Directions


Place the ingredients in a blender and pulse until smooth. Set aside covered and refrigerated until ready to use.

Ingredients for the filling


1 3/4 pounds combination of shiitake, button and portobello or crimini fresh mushrooms, cleaned, de-stemmed and sliced
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 medium white onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 pound fresh tomatoes, peeled and finely chopped
1 tablespoon almonds, blanched and finely chopped
2 tablespoons golden raisins
2 medium apples peeled, cored and chopped
1 medium ripe pear, peeled, de-seeded and finely chopped
1 medium ripe peach, peeled, pitted and finely chopped
1 tablespoon of oloroso sherry
1/4 teaspoon ground clove
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons light brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 pound ground pork picadillo

Directions


In a large frying pan, heat the oil to medium high and sauté the onion until translucent; add the mushrooms until golden on all sides. Add the rest of the ingredients and continue to cook until all ingredients are heated thoroughly.

Cool enough to handle easily.

Directions for final assembly


6 poblano chiles, roasted and peeled, stems kept attached
1 fresh small pomegranate, seeded
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley for garnish

Make a slit in each roasted poblano chile from the stem to the tip. Remove the seeds and placenta carefully and divide the filling equally to stuff the chiles. If not serving immediately, chill in the refrigerator, covered, for up to a few hours before heating.

Before serving, cover and heat through in a 300 degree oven for a few minutes or under the broiler until hot. When ready to serve, spoon the sauce over the stuffed chiles and garnish with pomegranate seeds and chopped parsley.

Gajar Halwa

Delicious Indian food was in abundance at the rehearsal dinner for my best friend's wedding earlier this summer.  There was one dish that stuck in my mind...  a cardamom-kissed dessert made with carrots, or gajar halwa.  I was smitten at first taste and determined to make it in my own kitchen.  What better time than when you get carrots in your CSA?

Gajar Halwa
adapted from beyond the plate

I changed the recipe a bit to retain the carrots' integrity, not be too sweet and not take too long... my personal preferences, feel free to adjust as necessary ;)  Raisins could also be added if you have them!

10oz carrots, peeled and grated
2c milk (I used Lactaid)
1/4c water (supposed to prevent milk from sticking to the bottom of the pan, but mine still stuck)
1/2c evaporated milk
1/3t freshly ground cardamom (or 1/2t pre-ground)
1/4-1/2c sugar (1/2c was too sweet for me)
1/4t saffron (a pinch)
2T butter (optional)
2T pistachios, chopped (or almonds or cashews)

Add carrots, milk, water, evaporated milk and cardamom to a medium, heavy-bottomed pot.  Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to a simmer.  Cook, stirring frequently, until milk is cooked off.  I turned mine down too low (below a simmer) and it took over an hour, so cooking it at a low simmer should take 20-40min.

Add 1/4c sugar, butter (if using) and saffron (crushing between your fingertips as you add to the pot).  Stir and cook until sugar is dissolved.  Taste and adjust to your desired level of sweetness.  Serve, garnished with chopped pistachios.  It's good warm, RT or cold, or even stirred into your morning oats!

You all know I'm all about vegetables for dessert lately ;)  Have you ever tried gajar halwa??

Goat Cheese Ice Cream w/Roasted Cherries

So I decided to mix things up.  Instead of my traditional coconut milk-based ice creams, I went rogue.  Hello egg yolks!   Don't worry (?), I didn't use cream.  I restrained myself.  Ha.

The almost too-sweet cherries were a nice complement to the tang of the goat cheese ice cream I am now in love with.  If you're not as much of a fan of goat cheese as I am, try using 4oz, or perhaps substitute cream cheese instead.

Goat Cheese Ice Cream
adapted from Kitchen Confit & Ezra Pound Cake

Confession:  I must have heated my custard too much, as it curdled.  I continued, didn't bother straining the mixture and simply threw it in the blender before chilling and churning.  I'm not sure how this affected the final texture, as I haven't done it properly yet, but worked well enough for me!

For the cherries:
2c pitted fresh cherries (or frozen, unthawed)
1/2c sugar  (I'd use even less next time)
2t cornstarch

For the ice cream:
1 1/2c milk (I used Lactaid Fat Free Smooth & Creamy...  I had a coupon and it was on sale!)
2/3c evaporated cane juice (or granulated sugar)
8oz goat cheese, RT
6 lg egg yolks

To prepare the cherries, preheat the oven to 400deg.  Toss cherries, sugar and cornstarch in a 9"sq baking dish (or anything that's large enough to hold the cherries).  Bake for 30-45 min, stirring occasionally, until the juice is thick and bubbly.  Cool to RT, then store in the fridge until making the ice cream.  Can be done a few days ahead.

For the ice cream, warm the milk and sugar in a medium saucepan so the sugar dissolves.

Meanwhile, crumble goat cheese into a large bowl and set a mesh strainer on top.

In a separate bowl, whisk together egg yolks.  Temper the egg yolks by pouring warm milk/sugar into the egg yolks, a little at a time, whisking constantly.  Once the milk has been added, pour the entire mixture back into the saucepan.

Stir the milk/egg yolk mixture with a spatula continuously over medium-low heat until the mixture thickens.  You'll be able to coat the spatula with the custard and draw a line that stays once it's thick enough.  Pour custard through the strainer and stir into the goat cheese until it's melted (or just use your blender like I did!).  Cool to RT (use an ice bath if you need it to happen more quickly), then refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, a few hours or overnight is best.

Churn ice cream according to manufacturer's directions.  Once churned, pour a layer of cherries into whatever container you use for ice cream.  Top with a layer of goat cheese ice cream, and continue alternating layers until the container is full or you're out of the ice cream and cherries.  Don't mix, as the ice cream will turn pink!  Cover with a layer of saran wrap or parchment paper and freeze until firm (a few hours).


If you really want to take it up a notch, serve a scoop with a pickled cherry brownie ;)

Pickled Cherry Brownies
adapted from Janetha's go-to brownie recipe

3 squares of Bakers unsweetened chocolate
1/2c butter (1 stick)
1 1/2c evaporated cane juice
2 eggs
1t vanilla extract
3/4c white whole wheat flour
1c pickled cherries, halved

Follow the instructions here (you can use the stove instead of the microwave), using a 9"sq pan and baking for 30-40min.  Mine were done perfectly at 35 min, a toothpick came clean but they were still fudgy when cooled!

What's Your Number?

Anna Faris pic credit.

Dating movies never cut it with me. Except that THIS one looks more like it.

The premise comes straight from the single thirty-something woman's field of screams - that having more than twenty past lovers makes you statistically unmarriage-able. Or more accurately, unable to find the love of one's life.

Sounds like bollox to me.

Then again, it might be the best date-night movie in a long time.





And the big Hollywood promo looks pretty funny too.





Bottoms Up, Lookers and Doubters.

Burdock What the Hell is Burdock

Like most people, the only time I ever come across burdock root is watching episodes of the original Japanese Iron Chef. They seem to throw burdock in everything they boil, and having eaten my share of Japanese food, I'm pretty sure I've eaten it, but I couldn't tell you what it tastes like and couldn't identify its flavor blindfolded. While at Mitsuwa buying a bunch of Asian stuff, I came across a pile of burdock roots, each about a yard long, in the produce section. Burdock certainly doesn't look like food, it looks like a dirty stick. Now's as good a time as any to find out what burdock is all about, I assured myself, and six bucks later I owned a solid yard of dirty stick.*

I did some googling but got bored with it and decided to just boil some and see what was up. Turns out it tastes pretty dull and isn't much fun in the mouth**. Kinda like dirt crossed with a turnip plus rope. The smell of it while boiling was pretty interesting though, like a wet dog and a rotting tree stump. If you've ever taken a dog for a walk in the woods after it rains you'll know what I'm talking about. I decided on the spot to make some vegetable stock with the burdock and use that to make a risotto as a vehicle for the funk.***

I don't know if you're supposed to peel burdock, but the outside is the part that doesn't look like food, so I peeled it and cut it into one-inch lengths. The burdock being pretty long, there were a lot of one-inch lengths to deal with.**** I started the stock by slightly caramelizing an onion, some celery and an apple, chopped coarsely, and a mess of little carrots from a bag. When they were browned a little, I seasoned the vegetables with a handful of salt and added four or five smashed garlic cloves, a couple bay leaves and the burdock, then covered everything with water and let it come to a boil. Once boiling, I turned it down to a simmer. I skimmed the stock a couple of times out of habit over the course of about an hour, but the stock was pretty clean.

Using cold liquid to make risotto takes a long ass time so I like to have the stock on a light fire right next to the rice pan so adding stock doesn't bring down the temperature of the risotto. While decanting the stock into the warming pot I noticed that the burdock pieces had retained their structure through more than an hour of cooking, while all the other vegetables were reduced to putty. Curious, I threw one in my mouth and it wasn't half bad. Still underwhelming but the texture had improved, and I could see pores in the center of the root had opened up, which might allow for a dressing to penetrate and make it tastier. I reserved a dozen or so of the burdock chunks to dress for later and pitched everything else.

I tried a shot of the stock and it was pretty good. Had the sort of dirty undercarriage musk I associate with mushroom stock, but without the lingering sensation of rot and slime. If I needed mushroom stock for something I wouldn't hesitate to use burdock broth instead.

Anyhow, made the risotto, starting with a sofrito of diced apple (or was it pear? I can't remember for sure, but I want to say it was pear) onion and celery, and while that was underway I built the dressing for the burdock hunks by making a puree of a garlic clove with a microplane and emulsifying it with an egg yolk, mustard, some sesame oil, siracha, rice vinegar, salt and a little honey. I covered the burdock with it and let it soak in. The risotto was coming together nicely but as the dirty color of the burdock broth intensified in it, the color was starting to look  drab and a little shitty, so I made a plan to enliven the plate with a roasted red pepper puree. It's a pretty good quick sauce for anything starchy, just throw a roasted red pepper in the blender with a little olive oil, salt and vinegar and you've got a nice bright red sauce that tastes delicious. I built the plates with the risotto surrounded by the pepper sauce, then loaded the burdock chunks on top, scattered some alley herbs and shaved some parmigiano over everything.

The risotto was excellent, with the murky taste of the burdock***** broth brightened by the tangy dressing and red pepper sauce, and while the burdock wasn't an exciting vegetable to eat, it was a decent vehicle for a nice dressing and was the catalyst for this whole thing. Sort of like an asshole buddy who introduces you to the love of your life, he gets a pass lifetime for that. (vg) (v without egg yolk or parmigiano)



* Do I have to spell it out for you?
**Overheard at the PRF BBQ
***"Vehicle" by the Ides of March is pretty funky
****Overheard at Quenchers pre-PRF BBQ
*****While I was typing that last bit, I mis-typed burdock as "buttdock," which was too good to just erase

Stuffed Peppers (CSA Week 11)

The purple peppers in this week's CSA screamed to be used for something special.  I almost went with Joanne and Meghan's suggestion for a curry before it dawned on me-- I should make stuffed peppers!  Even better, I could use some other items from my CSA and pantry, a win-win given my impending move.

Stuffed Peppers
Yield:  4-5 stuffed peppers

4-5 peppers (the bigger the better)
1 small onion, diced
1 zucchini, diced
1 summer squash, diced
1-2T extra virgin olive oil
~1/2c frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
~1/2c frozen corn, thawed
1 package of sprouted brown rice (or 1c of your favorite grain)
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 can diced tomatoes (mine were roasted w/chipotle)
seasonings (ex:  s/p, cumin, oregano, hot sauce...)
1/2c grated cheddar (or more, I used grass-fed New Zealand cheddar)

Preheat oven to 400deg.

Heat oil in a nonstick pan over medium heat.  Add onion, and cook 3-4min, until translucent. Add zucchini and summer squash, stir and cook until soft and starting to brown.  Remove from heat and let cool a few minutes.

Wash your peppers and cut them in half.  Remove stem, ribs and seeds and set in a square pan with sides so they don't roll around.

In a large bowl, add spinach, corn, rice, chickpeas, diced tomatoes and cooled veggies.  Mix well, taste and add seasonings.  I went with a little salt, freshly ground pepper, and a few shakes of ground cumin.  Stir again and then stuff your pepper halves.  Top each pepper with ~2T grated cheese.

Bake for 20-25min, until cheese is melted and peppers cooked through (you can test them with a knife).

CSA items used: 3 (peppers, summer squash, zucchini)
Pantry items used: 5 (corn, spinach, brown rice, chickpeas, diced tomatoes)

Pantry items left:  let's not discuss that...

Gnocchi and Summer's Best Produce

Walk through any farmers market and the bounty of summer will be on display in mounds of freshly picked carrots, beets, lettuce, broccoli, cucumbers, peppers, onions, parsley, zucchini, corn, celery, green beans, tomatoes and spinach.

Nearby there will be baskets of fat figs ready to burst, bright pink peaches, sharply colored pluots and plums, nectarines the size of soft balls and clusters of black, green and red grapes, seedless and seeded.

How great is all that wonderful food! Now, what to do with it? That's the challenge.

It's hot outside, so who wants to cook? You've grilled all summer long and while you love grilled vegetables, you need to take a break.

My suggestion is simple, make gnocchi.

If you've never made gnocchi, you're probably saying it's too difficult to make. Only Italian chefs can do that.  The truth is, gnocchi are easy to prepare.  And it doesn't take much time in the kitchen.

For Zesterdaily I wrote an easy-to-make recipe that lays out all the steps to making gnocchi at home.

Peach Sangria

A couple of weekends ago, I happened upon a large basket of peaches.  Topping out over 20lbs, I had fun trying to figure out what to do with them all (fun, in a stressful kind of way when they all ripen at once)!

Halfway through!

There was a request for Brown Sugar Peach Ice Cream, so that was done.  And there had to be pie.   Joanne's Peaches and Dream Pie of course!  I used a frozen pie crust from my last baking adventure and baked it right up, my only other change being 4 egg whites instead of 2 eggs (I had them after ice cream making, recipe to come).  Light and peachy, everyone enjoyed :)

And then there was something I've had in mind ever since I visited Bishop's Orchard last summer.  We did a wine tasting there and I picked up a bottle of wine I thought would be perfect for sangria.  I planned it out before realizing it was, in fact, a peach wine (Blushing Beauty)!

Peach Sangria
Recipe by Shannon

The mint isn't overwhelming in here, but I think it adds a little something-something!

1 bottle peach wine (or other semi-dry white wine)
1c vodka (Absolut Acai Berry)
1c mint simple syrup*
3 peaches, thinly sliced
1 orange, sliced horizontally
club soda
frozen mango cubes
frozen raspberries

In a pitcher, combine wine, vodka and simple syrup.  Stir to combine.  Add peaches and oranges, and refrigerate a few hours, or overnight.

When ready to serve, pour sangria into wine glasses (~3/4 full) and top off with club soda.  Drop in a few frozen mango cubes and raspberries and serve!

*Mint Simple Syrup

1c water
1/2c evaporated cane juice  (or granulated sugar)
large bunch of mint

Bring water and sugar to a boil over medium heat.  Once sugar has dissolved and mixture comes to a boil, turn off heat and add mint leaves.  Steep for ~30min, then strain out mint leaves.  Store simple syrup in the refrigerator until ready to use.




It sure was a tasty way to pass the time through Hurricane Irene!