I told my dear boyfriend that he should not get me anything for Valentine's Day this year. But for those of you who know Mike, you can guess what happened. On Thursday I found out that he bought me a "little something".
Since I hadn't planned on buying anything, I sort of blanked on gift ideas and decided that I would make a treasure hunt to lead to a big pile of Twinkies with pink filling--"pinkies" if you will. So I bought a chocolate cake mix and some raspberries and set to work.
The chocolate cakes ended up a little soft, but the real disaster was the filling. I'd softened some butter and started to whip it, but when I went to add the powdered sugar--something I've had bags and bags of for months--I realized I was completely out. It was too late to go to the store, so I decided I'd blend up some granulated sugar. It came out looking like powdered sugar, but the resulting frosting was a little gritty. And when I added the raspberries, the sugar melted and left the frosting feeling sort of greasy. But I pumped it into the "pinkies" and, while not ideal, the resulting cakes were tasty and, when he found the plate full at the end of his hunt, Mike seemed to appreciate them.
But after I was finished filling the cakes, I had a good cup of the stuff left over. What do you do with a cup of frosting that is only okay?
I thought about this for a couple of days. The idea of tossing it was disappointing, it was such a lovely color and it had fancy organic raspberries in it. I couldn't bring myself to frost a cake with it because that seemed like a bit of a waste of cake. But what is frosting? Butter and sugar. That sounds like the start of all sorts of things. I added some flour and an egg and made it into these delicious, chewy, lavender colored cookies that both of us loved.
And the "little something" Mike got me, turned out to be some awesome Psych bobble heads of Shawn and Gus. Sweet!
Raspberry Frosting Cookies
1 cup raspberry frosting (recipe follows)
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bring frosting to room temperature and stir in the egg and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking soda and salt. Place rounded tablespoons on a greased cookie sheet and bake for about 20 minutes. Cool on wire rack and enjoy.
Raspberry Frosting
*I'm not entirely sure this frosting would have turned out if I used powdered sugar, the raspberry may have made the frosting weird either way. So consider yourself warned.
1/2 cup softened butter
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup frozen raspberries, thawed and mashed
Whip the butter (just stir it quickly with a spoon, this is such a small amount it doesn't seem worth pulling out the mixer). Continue stirring and slowly add the sugar and then add the raspberries
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Two days and a whole lot of tears
Let me start by saying that Alton Brown (and his show, Good Eats) has a lot of things going for him. He makes cooking interesting to a whole new audience. He makes it wonderfully geeky by explaining the science, he adds fun trivia, and me makes everything so exact and analytical that there's little room for error.
But I guess its that last bit that grates on my nerves a little. I hate the idea that there is only one way to do something, one way things are supposed to taste and one right way. What if I like my beans squishy and my pasta past al dente? What if I don't have the "right" kind of blender or I don't have three hours to drain my tofu? What if I forgot to buy one of the twelve vitally important herbs that were supposed to go in that bouquet garni...or forgot the bouquet garni all together? I want cooking to be more personalized, more spur of the moment and less rigid.
My other problem with Alton Brown is that he is some sort of black magic juju wizard. He somehow manages to make onions caramelize in 45 minutes when in my reality they take hours, his sauce ends up clear when mine ends of weirdly black (yes, I followed directions) and how on earth did he know that cake crumbs at the bottom of a pear gallette was amazingly delicious?
Maybe I'm just bitter because I tried to make French Onion Soup from the Good Eats cookbook and it did not turn out as planned. I got home at six and immediately set to work chopping the three pounds of onions (the original recipe called for FIVE!) which took me at least an hour because I had to keep stopping to wash my eyes out so I could see what I was chopping. Then I began the three and a half hour process of caramelizing the onions! The recipe said it would take 45 minutes on an electric skillet, but I never imagined it would take THAT much longer. When it finally came time to add the wine, broth and bouquet garni, I realized that I missed that bouquet garni bit in the recipe, but it was too late now so I added a little balsamic vinegar and let things simmer until bedtime.
Cut to the next day, I went to work reeking of onions and the smell was like a punch in the face upon returning home. By the time the onion soup went it the oven I was already over this whole adventure, but when I finally pulled the cheese covered, bubbling soup out of the oven it was hard to stay annoyed. It was delicious, and the leftovers we froze were even better.
It might be a long time before I make it again, but it was totally worth it.
Totally Worth It French Onion Soup
(adapted from French Onion Soup from Good Eats: The Early Years)
3 lbs yellow onions (larger onions are easier to work with, sugarier will caramelize better)
3 T. butter
2 t. salt
2 t. brown sugar
1 c. white wine
4 c. vegetable broth
1-2 T. balsamic vinegar
1/2 loaf french bread
1 c. shredded swiss cheese (and maybe a little smoked gouda if you've got it)
Store the onions in the fridge until you're ready to start the cutting and only remove a few at a time. Cut the onions in half lengthwise and place cut side down on the cutting board. Peel on half and slice down the length of the onion in a radius (if that doesn't make sense, I'd look at Alton's pictures for direction). Once finished with the batch, place in the fridge or freezer and do what you have to do to be able to see again. Repeat with the remaining onions.
Melt the butter in a big soup pot over medium heat, add all those onions, the salt and the sugar and stir. Adjust the heat so that you can't hear the onions sizzle and then leave it, stirring occasionally, until the onions are a super tender and deep brown. This took me three and a half hours, so be patient and don't wait on your dinner.
Add the wine and scrub all the caramelized bits off the bottom of the pan (deglaze if you wanna be all fancy about it). Turn up the heat to high and cook until the wine is thickened, then add the broth and the vinegar and simmer for a half hour (don't forget to turn the heat back down).
When you're ready to finish the soup, turn the oven on to 375 degrees. Cut the bread into 1 inch cubes and toast on a cookie sheet for 5-10 minutes. Pour the soup into oven safe single serving containers (I stored the soup in some lidded correll casserole dishes which easily went from the fridge/freezer to the oven). If the soup is frozen or refrigerated, heat in the oven until the soup is bubbling, then add the bread cubes and the cheese and bake until everything is melty, bubbly and delicious looking. If the soup has been cooking, you can put the bread and cheese on at the start.
But I guess its that last bit that grates on my nerves a little. I hate the idea that there is only one way to do something, one way things are supposed to taste and one right way. What if I like my beans squishy and my pasta past al dente? What if I don't have the "right" kind of blender or I don't have three hours to drain my tofu? What if I forgot to buy one of the twelve vitally important herbs that were supposed to go in that bouquet garni...or forgot the bouquet garni all together? I want cooking to be more personalized, more spur of the moment and less rigid.
My other problem with Alton Brown is that he is some sort of black magic juju wizard. He somehow manages to make onions caramelize in 45 minutes when in my reality they take hours, his sauce ends up clear when mine ends of weirdly black (yes, I followed directions) and how on earth did he know that cake crumbs at the bottom of a pear gallette was amazingly delicious?
Maybe I'm just bitter because I tried to make French Onion Soup from the Good Eats cookbook and it did not turn out as planned. I got home at six and immediately set to work chopping the three pounds of onions (the original recipe called for FIVE!) which took me at least an hour because I had to keep stopping to wash my eyes out so I could see what I was chopping. Then I began the three and a half hour process of caramelizing the onions! The recipe said it would take 45 minutes on an electric skillet, but I never imagined it would take THAT much longer. When it finally came time to add the wine, broth and bouquet garni, I realized that I missed that bouquet garni bit in the recipe, but it was too late now so I added a little balsamic vinegar and let things simmer until bedtime.
Cut to the next day, I went to work reeking of onions and the smell was like a punch in the face upon returning home. By the time the onion soup went it the oven I was already over this whole adventure, but when I finally pulled the cheese covered, bubbling soup out of the oven it was hard to stay annoyed. It was delicious, and the leftovers we froze were even better.
It might be a long time before I make it again, but it was totally worth it.
Totally Worth It French Onion Soup
(adapted from French Onion Soup from Good Eats: The Early Years)
3 lbs yellow onions (larger onions are easier to work with, sugarier will caramelize better)
3 T. butter
2 t. salt
2 t. brown sugar
1 c. white wine
4 c. vegetable broth
1-2 T. balsamic vinegar
1/2 loaf french bread
1 c. shredded swiss cheese (and maybe a little smoked gouda if you've got it)
Store the onions in the fridge until you're ready to start the cutting and only remove a few at a time. Cut the onions in half lengthwise and place cut side down on the cutting board. Peel on half and slice down the length of the onion in a radius (if that doesn't make sense, I'd look at Alton's pictures for direction). Once finished with the batch, place in the fridge or freezer and do what you have to do to be able to see again. Repeat with the remaining onions.
Melt the butter in a big soup pot over medium heat, add all those onions, the salt and the sugar and stir. Adjust the heat so that you can't hear the onions sizzle and then leave it, stirring occasionally, until the onions are a super tender and deep brown. This took me three and a half hours, so be patient and don't wait on your dinner.
Add the wine and scrub all the caramelized bits off the bottom of the pan (deglaze if you wanna be all fancy about it). Turn up the heat to high and cook until the wine is thickened, then add the broth and the vinegar and simmer for a half hour (don't forget to turn the heat back down).
When you're ready to finish the soup, turn the oven on to 375 degrees. Cut the bread into 1 inch cubes and toast on a cookie sheet for 5-10 minutes. Pour the soup into oven safe single serving containers (I stored the soup in some lidded correll casserole dishes which easily went from the fridge/freezer to the oven). If the soup is frozen or refrigerated, heat in the oven until the soup is bubbling, then add the bread cubes and the cheese and bake until everything is melty, bubbly and delicious looking. If the soup has been cooking, you can put the bread and cheese on at the start.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Taking a joke waaay too far
While my sister was in Hawaii last week she posted a status report complaining about the Mai Tais in Maui. She said that serving her a crappy drink and calling it a Maui Mai Tai was equivalent to her taking a block of tofu, wrapping it in kale and calling it Seattle Pork Lau Lau.
So I joked with her that she must make me some Seattle Pork Lau Lau the second she comes back home.
Cut to last night when she invites me over ands jokes that I should bring some Seattle Pork Lau Lau.
Well I just couldn't resist a challenge like that, so I went straight to the store for supplies.
But when I got to the store I found myself wandering the aisles puzzling over what one would put into Seattle Pork Lau Lau. Tofu and kale were requirements, but what comes after that? Do I take the flavors in a Northwest direction or do I give it some Hawaiian flair? Hawaiian seemed like more fun so I settled on that.
Until I realized that I have no idea what makes something taste Hawaiian, short of pineapple. So I grabbed a can of pineapple and thought about what would taste good with that. Teryaki sauce came to mind, so I wandered that direction and found something called Huli Huli sauce, which is "authentically Hawaiian". Perfect! Everything was falling into place.
I drained the tofu and marinated it. But when I looked at the chard I bought (the kale looked like it would be difficult to wrap with so I decided 'authentic' Seattle Pork Lau Lau uses chard) the leaves were small or full of holes and extremely brittle. So I cooked them until they were soft but that didn't help the small leaves and giant holes. So I took several leaves and leaf pieces and pieced them together (squishing them together to make one sheet).
I'm not saying this is remotely similar to traditional pork lau lau, but the thing that started as a joke turned out to be quite tasty.
Seattle Pork Lau Lau
1 block of firm tofu
1/3 cup Huli Huli sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
the juice of one lime
a bunch of rainbow chard (I'm going to guess it was 1 pound)
2 green onions, sliced (everything except the root end and any green that looks like its seen better days)
pineapple juice and extra huli huli sauce
Slice the tofu into about 1/2 slices and drain (I do this with paper or dish towels and a lot of weight, but it makes it a little ugly and smooshed. You can do it with less weight, but it takes longer to get good and dry). Once drained dice into 1/2 inch cubes.
Mix together the Huli Huli sauce, soy sauce and lime juice and pour over the tofu cubes.
Meanwhile, cut the heavy stems out of the leaves and give them a really good washing. Then place the leaves in a large pan of water, add some salt and set it over medium heat until the leaves are soft.
While the leaves are cooking, heat some oil in a pan and add the tofu. Cook until the tofu has browned, stirring occasionally. Add the green onions and cook a minute or two longer, then pull from the heat.
Cool the leaves and pat them dry.
Piece together enough leaves to make a leaf sheet about 10 inches long and six inches wide (mine were ovals, so six inches was the fattest point).
Place about 1/3 cup of the filling in the center of the leaf and roll it up like a burrito, and place in a baking dish.
Pour a little pineapple juice and some Huli Huli sauce over the rolls and bake, covered for 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees (or just use the microwave like I did).
You'll end up with some leftover tofu from this, I think it would be excellent stuffed inside a bit of Hawaiian bread.
So I joked with her that she must make me some Seattle Pork Lau Lau the second she comes back home.
Cut to last night when she invites me over ands jokes that I should bring some Seattle Pork Lau Lau.
Well I just couldn't resist a challenge like that, so I went straight to the store for supplies.
But when I got to the store I found myself wandering the aisles puzzling over what one would put into Seattle Pork Lau Lau. Tofu and kale were requirements, but what comes after that? Do I take the flavors in a Northwest direction or do I give it some Hawaiian flair? Hawaiian seemed like more fun so I settled on that.
Until I realized that I have no idea what makes something taste Hawaiian, short of pineapple. So I grabbed a can of pineapple and thought about what would taste good with that. Teryaki sauce came to mind, so I wandered that direction and found something called Huli Huli sauce, which is "authentically Hawaiian". Perfect! Everything was falling into place.
I drained the tofu and marinated it. But when I looked at the chard I bought (the kale looked like it would be difficult to wrap with so I decided 'authentic' Seattle Pork Lau Lau uses chard) the leaves were small or full of holes and extremely brittle. So I cooked them until they were soft but that didn't help the small leaves and giant holes. So I took several leaves and leaf pieces and pieced them together (squishing them together to make one sheet).
I'm not saying this is remotely similar to traditional pork lau lau, but the thing that started as a joke turned out to be quite tasty.
Seattle Pork Lau Lau
1 block of firm tofu
1/3 cup Huli Huli sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
the juice of one lime
a bunch of rainbow chard (I'm going to guess it was 1 pound)
2 green onions, sliced (everything except the root end and any green that looks like its seen better days)
pineapple juice and extra huli huli sauce
Slice the tofu into about 1/2 slices and drain (I do this with paper or dish towels and a lot of weight, but it makes it a little ugly and smooshed. You can do it with less weight, but it takes longer to get good and dry). Once drained dice into 1/2 inch cubes.
Mix together the Huli Huli sauce, soy sauce and lime juice and pour over the tofu cubes.
Meanwhile, cut the heavy stems out of the leaves and give them a really good washing. Then place the leaves in a large pan of water, add some salt and set it over medium heat until the leaves are soft.
While the leaves are cooking, heat some oil in a pan and add the tofu. Cook until the tofu has browned, stirring occasionally. Add the green onions and cook a minute or two longer, then pull from the heat.
Cool the leaves and pat them dry.
Piece together enough leaves to make a leaf sheet about 10 inches long and six inches wide (mine were ovals, so six inches was the fattest point).
Place about 1/3 cup of the filling in the center of the leaf and roll it up like a burrito, and place in a baking dish.
Pour a little pineapple juice and some Huli Huli sauce over the rolls and bake, covered for 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees (or just use the microwave like I did).
You'll end up with some leftover tofu from this, I think it would be excellent stuffed inside a bit of Hawaiian bread.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
A Little Green...
A few weeks ago, I bought a bunch of dill to make a potato gallette I saw in a magazine. But then I had leftover dill. So I made orzo with cherry tomatoes, feta and dill (which I found on my epicurious app) which left me with extra feta, dill and a lemon. The lemon and dill went into an arugula salad with herbs, roasted asparagus and eggs (from an old Vegetarian Times), which left me with extra arugula that went into an arugula edamame dip (another epicuriuos recipe). And so on and so forth until Saturday afternoon. I found myself with some orzo, which I cooked al dente adding some spinach in the last few minutes. I also had some lemon and dill, which were mixed together with some olive oil, oregano and garlic, and some feta. I mixed the dressing, put the feta on top and added the hot pasta to melt it all. Absolutely delicious.
So I thought I had this Greek thing down. Some lemon, some garlic, a little feta and you're golden. Maybe some olives, because whats Greeker than that? I may have been a bit over confident.
Tonight I decided to make a Greek inspired pesto. It had green olives, lemon, capers, walnuts (that's Greek, right?) and garlic mixed in with flat leaf parsley and enough olive oil to make it saucy. I'm not saying it was bad (Mike and I really enjoyed it) but I'm missing the mark on the flavor profile.
Not Quite Greek Pesto
1 bunch flat leaf parsley
1 teaspoon lemon zest
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (I think if you took it up to 1/4-1/3 cup it might help)
6 large green olives (again, more of this might up the missing Greek Factor)
1-2 tablespoons of capers (and the juice that fell in while I added them)
1-2 cloves of garlic (my olives also had garlic centers so I only needed one)
1/2 cup of walnuts
Enough oil to make it a creamy saucy consistency (I'd guess 1/3-1/2 cup)
Salt & Pepper to taste
Process everything but the oil in a food processor until everything looks as small as you'd see it in a pesto (super helpful, I know), then slowly stream in enough olive oil to make it creamy and the saucy consistency you're looking for.
I poured mine over some fresh pasta and added a bunch of feta.
And then I ate it while watching Greek.
I guess that's as Greek as I'm getting for now.
So I thought I had this Greek thing down. Some lemon, some garlic, a little feta and you're golden. Maybe some olives, because whats Greeker than that? I may have been a bit over confident.
Tonight I decided to make a Greek inspired pesto. It had green olives, lemon, capers, walnuts (that's Greek, right?) and garlic mixed in with flat leaf parsley and enough olive oil to make it saucy. I'm not saying it was bad (Mike and I really enjoyed it) but I'm missing the mark on the flavor profile.
Not Quite Greek Pesto
1 bunch flat leaf parsley
1 teaspoon lemon zest
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (I think if you took it up to 1/4-1/3 cup it might help)
6 large green olives (again, more of this might up the missing Greek Factor)
1-2 tablespoons of capers (and the juice that fell in while I added them)
1-2 cloves of garlic (my olives also had garlic centers so I only needed one)
1/2 cup of walnuts
Enough oil to make it a creamy saucy consistency (I'd guess 1/3-1/2 cup)
Salt & Pepper to taste
Process everything but the oil in a food processor until everything looks as small as you'd see it in a pesto (super helpful, I know), then slowly stream in enough olive oil to make it creamy and the saucy consistency you're looking for.
I poured mine over some fresh pasta and added a bunch of feta.
And then I ate it while watching Greek.
I guess that's as Greek as I'm getting for now.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Finally...
We've been eating a lot of fake meat over the last few months. Fake burgers are a no brainer and they seem to please my meat eating boy, but at five bucks a pop (yeah, prices in Seattle are nuts) they were getting kinda expensive.
But after making the awesome chickpea cutlets from the Veganomicon last week, I've been thinking that there's a better, cheaper option.
I should also mention at this point that I received the awesome gift of a green apple colored KitchenAid mixer for my birthday, complete with several attachments to play with. I've been staring at the grinder attachment (pictured with chunks of raw meat hanging out of the top) trying to think of a use for it that didn't involve weird meat chunks hanging out of it.
So today I made my first attempt of cheapy fake meat. Ground "beef". I made it with wheat gluten (pretty cheap and available in bulk) and a couple of pantry staples, cooked it, ground it and browned it. I ended up making sloppy joes, but I think it would work in tacos or maybe a meat sauce. I'm pretty happy with it.
My next project: burgers.
Ground "Beef"
2/3 cup vital wheat gluten
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
a shake or two of cayenne pepper (more if you're feeling daring)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce (very important for color & umami)
1/2 cup vegetable broth (plus a little more if its looking dry)
Mix together all the dry ingredients. Add the wet all at once. Mix with a spoon until combined and then start kneading together (this stuff feels really cool while you're mixing, kinda rubbery). After it starts sticking together into a rubbery ball thing, start pulling it into a log shape.
At this point, I rolled it in foil that I sprayed with oil and then placed the roll seam side up into a pan with some water at the bottom and baked it at 350 degrees for twenty minutes. I think you could probably bake it without the water or boil it in some water.
Run it through your handy dandy grinder and brown the grounds in some olive oil and use as you would ground beef...or at least the fake kind.
But after making the awesome chickpea cutlets from the Veganomicon last week, I've been thinking that there's a better, cheaper option.
I should also mention at this point that I received the awesome gift of a green apple colored KitchenAid mixer for my birthday, complete with several attachments to play with. I've been staring at the grinder attachment (pictured with chunks of raw meat hanging out of the top) trying to think of a use for it that didn't involve weird meat chunks hanging out of it.
So today I made my first attempt of cheapy fake meat. Ground "beef". I made it with wheat gluten (pretty cheap and available in bulk) and a couple of pantry staples, cooked it, ground it and browned it. I ended up making sloppy joes, but I think it would work in tacos or maybe a meat sauce. I'm pretty happy with it.
My next project: burgers.
Ground "Beef"
2/3 cup vital wheat gluten
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
a shake or two of cayenne pepper (more if you're feeling daring)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce (very important for color & umami)
1/2 cup vegetable broth (plus a little more if its looking dry)
Mix together all the dry ingredients. Add the wet all at once. Mix with a spoon until combined and then start kneading together (this stuff feels really cool while you're mixing, kinda rubbery). After it starts sticking together into a rubbery ball thing, start pulling it into a log shape.
At this point, I rolled it in foil that I sprayed with oil and then placed the roll seam side up into a pan with some water at the bottom and baked it at 350 degrees for twenty minutes. I think you could probably bake it without the water or boil it in some water.
Run it through your handy dandy grinder and brown the grounds in some olive oil and use as you would ground beef...or at least the fake kind.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Luck O' The Irish
I don't know why, but I always feel like things should come in threes.
So tonight I started making soup and realized that I could take it in two different directions: cream of broccoli or cream of spinach. I could even let Mike decide so I didn't have to...but two options didn't seem right and I just couldn't help myself from figuring out a third option.
I opened the fridge and saw some cabbage left over from Thursday's steamed bun extravaganza and decided to offer a cabbage and potato soup as the third (and throwaway) option.
But Mike had to go and stick with his Irish roots, citing the proximity to St. Patrick's Day, and choose the one option that I had no earthly idea how to pull off: potato and cabbage soup.
I feel I rose to the challenge quite well. Maybe my Dad is right about me being "mostly Irish".
Potato and Cabbage Soup
2 t. Olive oil
1/2 small onion, diced fine
1 large clove of garlic, smashed
2 smallish potatoes, diced fine (I used russets, but some red potatoes would save you the peeling and be tasty too)
1/4 cabbage, thinly sliced (I'd say it was about 1 1/2 cups)
3-4 cups of vegetable stock (depends on how brothy you like your soup)
1/2 t. paprika
1/2 t. turmeric
a pinch of caraway seeds (okay, I used adjwan seeds, but only because it reminds me of caraway and I don't own any caraway seeds)
Buttermilk
Sliced green onion
Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until soft and translucent (mine got a little past this and I had to deglaze the pan). Add the potatoes, cabbage, stock, paprika, turmeric, caraway and a bit of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are soft.
To serve, fill your bowl, dribble in some buttermilk and add a sprinkle of green onion.
And this is definitely a case where the garnishes are vitally important. Without the buttermilk and onion this soup is a little flat, but with I'm quite proud of the soup.
So tonight I started making soup and realized that I could take it in two different directions: cream of broccoli or cream of spinach. I could even let Mike decide so I didn't have to...but two options didn't seem right and I just couldn't help myself from figuring out a third option.
I opened the fridge and saw some cabbage left over from Thursday's steamed bun extravaganza and decided to offer a cabbage and potato soup as the third (and throwaway) option.
But Mike had to go and stick with his Irish roots, citing the proximity to St. Patrick's Day, and choose the one option that I had no earthly idea how to pull off: potato and cabbage soup.
I feel I rose to the challenge quite well. Maybe my Dad is right about me being "mostly Irish".
Potato and Cabbage Soup
2 t. Olive oil
1/2 small onion, diced fine
1 large clove of garlic, smashed
2 smallish potatoes, diced fine (I used russets, but some red potatoes would save you the peeling and be tasty too)
1/4 cabbage, thinly sliced (I'd say it was about 1 1/2 cups)
3-4 cups of vegetable stock (depends on how brothy you like your soup)
1/2 t. paprika
1/2 t. turmeric
a pinch of caraway seeds (okay, I used adjwan seeds, but only because it reminds me of caraway and I don't own any caraway seeds)
Buttermilk
Sliced green onion
Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until soft and translucent (mine got a little past this and I had to deglaze the pan). Add the potatoes, cabbage, stock, paprika, turmeric, caraway and a bit of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are soft.
To serve, fill your bowl, dribble in some buttermilk and add a sprinkle of green onion.
And this is definitely a case where the garnishes are vitally important. Without the buttermilk and onion this soup is a little flat, but with I'm quite proud of the soup.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Leftovers
The other day we did some heavier shopping than normal at the cheap (and far away) grocery store. Normally my shopping is just what I feel up to carrying down the block, but we came home with several bags of fresh vegetables only find we had no room in the fridge.
I spent an hour going through moldy tupperwares and forgotten ends of cheese and came to the conclusion that I have to get better at using up my leftovers.
So the next day I took the few things that passed the no-fuzz test. Some enchilada sauce, the last of my pile of tortillas, some black beans I'd cooked with a little onion and some of my chipotle in adobo, the other half of my acorn squash and some steamed kale (though the chard filling from last post would have been delicious here, the few leftovers were devoured as lunch the following day). I added cheese (so I use it up before I forget it) and ended up with a very satisfying, easy enchilada casserole.
Enchilada Casserole (Made Entirely Out of Non-Fuzzy Leftovers)
Spread about 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce* over the bottom of a greased 8x8 pan. Break two tortillas and cover as much of the bottom as you can. Sprinkle with half the beans, half the kale (I added a bit of garlic and chili powder to mine), half the squash (sliced and peeled) and a handful of grated monterey jack cheese. Break another two tortillas and follow with the other half of the beans, kale and squash, along with another handful of cheese. Break another two tortillas on top of that and pour on the rest of your sauce. Then sprinkle with a little more cheese and put it in a 350 degree oven until its hot, bubbly and the tortillas are a bit squishy (that's how I like them at least). It should be about 15 minutes.
You can freshen everything up by adding some lime juice and/or fresh cilantro after it comes out of the oven. Sour cream is always nice as well.
*My enchilada sauce is just a 1/4 of an onion (diced fine) sauteed in a little oil. To that you add 3-4 crushed garlic cloves and 1/2 a seeded chipotle from a can of chipotles in adobo** and cook just until you can smell everything. Add a 15 oz can of tomato sauce, 1 cup water and a tablespoon of cocoa powder along with a teaspoon of the adobo sauce. Sometimes I add a little pinch of sugar and I'm sure I'd add cumin if I had any, but that should give you a nice jumping off point. You can add more heat from there, but it'll sneak up on you, so start slow.
** A note on the chipotles: Just because they are packed in sauce it does not mean you don't need to be careful while handling them. Wash your hands thoroughly after dealing with them and avoid touching your face until you're sure you are clean and pepper free.
I mention this because I made the mistake of scratching my ear after only rinsing off my hands. It'll start out as a gentle warming and get more and more intense until you just can't stand it.
Luckily (or unfortunately) I've done this on another occasion so I know that a cotton swab dipped in a little milk will kill the flame, but its seriously embarrassing to have to explain why you're making dinner with a q-tip in your ear...for a second time...so I suggest just being careful.
I spent an hour going through moldy tupperwares and forgotten ends of cheese and came to the conclusion that I have to get better at using up my leftovers.
So the next day I took the few things that passed the no-fuzz test. Some enchilada sauce, the last of my pile of tortillas, some black beans I'd cooked with a little onion and some of my chipotle in adobo, the other half of my acorn squash and some steamed kale (though the chard filling from last post would have been delicious here, the few leftovers were devoured as lunch the following day). I added cheese (so I use it up before I forget it) and ended up with a very satisfying, easy enchilada casserole.
Enchilada Casserole (Made Entirely Out of Non-Fuzzy Leftovers)
Spread about 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce* over the bottom of a greased 8x8 pan. Break two tortillas and cover as much of the bottom as you can. Sprinkle with half the beans, half the kale (I added a bit of garlic and chili powder to mine), half the squash (sliced and peeled) and a handful of grated monterey jack cheese. Break another two tortillas and follow with the other half of the beans, kale and squash, along with another handful of cheese. Break another two tortillas on top of that and pour on the rest of your sauce. Then sprinkle with a little more cheese and put it in a 350 degree oven until its hot, bubbly and the tortillas are a bit squishy (that's how I like them at least). It should be about 15 minutes.
You can freshen everything up by adding some lime juice and/or fresh cilantro after it comes out of the oven. Sour cream is always nice as well.
*My enchilada sauce is just a 1/4 of an onion (diced fine) sauteed in a little oil. To that you add 3-4 crushed garlic cloves and 1/2 a seeded chipotle from a can of chipotles in adobo** and cook just until you can smell everything. Add a 15 oz can of tomato sauce, 1 cup water and a tablespoon of cocoa powder along with a teaspoon of the adobo sauce. Sometimes I add a little pinch of sugar and I'm sure I'd add cumin if I had any, but that should give you a nice jumping off point. You can add more heat from there, but it'll sneak up on you, so start slow.
** A note on the chipotles: Just because they are packed in sauce it does not mean you don't need to be careful while handling them. Wash your hands thoroughly after dealing with them and avoid touching your face until you're sure you are clean and pepper free.
I mention this because I made the mistake of scratching my ear after only rinsing off my hands. It'll start out as a gentle warming and get more and more intense until you just can't stand it.
Luckily (or unfortunately) I've done this on another occasion so I know that a cotton swab dipped in a little milk will kill the flame, but its seriously embarrassing to have to explain why you're making dinner with a q-tip in your ear...for a second time...so I suggest just being careful.
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