Rescue browning

Cooking is a crap shoot. You think something will work and it just doesn't.

"I'll throw it in the oven," you say, "it'll get a nice crisp crust."

But no. Sadly that crust requires a bit more planning. We've all been there. It's done, or almost done, but it's just not BROWN.

What to do? Jack up the broiler?

Always an option, but there's the risk of overcooking.

I discovered a few months ago that you have the option of browning on the stove AFTER you've cooked in the oven. In fact, it almost works better. Anything hot and covered in grease is made to brown.

I was making salmon when I made the discovery. This wonderful recipe from Jerry Traunfeld where you slow cook it for half an hour at 250. It comes out amazing. The texture of sushi, but cooked.

Unless you're my father-in-law. He couldn't deal with the texture. No problem, I thought. I'll brown it on the stove.

And unlike many of my cooking experiments, it worked perfectly. It browned like a champ, maybe better than if I'd tried to brown it first. Cold salmon sticks to the pan, this searing hot salmon almost bounced off. Developed a perfect crust in minutes.

The other night I was cooking for myself and I ran into the same problem. This time with pork loin.

I had plopped it in a pan at 400 degrees thinking it would just brown on its own at that temp, but after 30 minutes it was far from brown. It was about 130 degrees at that point (just shy of the beautiful 140 degrees that renders pork edible) so I pulled it from the oven and plopped it in a hot skillet, scraping off as much of the garlic and ginger as I could so they wouldn't burn.

A few minutes on each side and I had a nice golden crust. Then I pulled it out of the pan, splashed in some red wine, put back in the garlic and ginger and cooked that down a bit till I had a nice sauce. Poured it over the pork loin.

Amazing. Can't even describe. As luck would have it, this would happen on a night Cobe was away so I had no one to congratulate me.

But I thought I should tell you about it. Because in cooking as in life, you're going to make mistakes. You just have to know how to fix them.

Pork loin with soy sauce and ginger

1 pork loin (~1.5 lbs)
peanut oil (~2/3 cup)
soy sauce (~2tbs)
rice vinegar (~1 tsp)
sesame oil (a few drops)
honey (~1tsp)
ginger (~1 T)
garlic (~1 T)
black pepper
green onions (2-3) sliced
red wine (a splash)

Okay a warning, I did not measure (thus, the parentheses, which you should read as guesses).
So why should you measure? Mix it all together. Taste it. See what it needs. More vinegar? More soy?

Into medium size bowl pour some peanut oil until it more than covers the bottom (~1/4 cup). Then pour in some soy sauce until it seems about 2/3 as much as the oil. Next rice vinegar, a smaller amount (~1tsp). Then a blob of honey also ~1 tsp. A few drops of dark sesame oil. Around 1 Tbs each of minced ginger and garlic. A few grinds of black pepper. Taste the marinade and see if it needs something for balance. Experiment. You'll get the hang of it.

Put the pork loin in the marinade and let sit ~30-60 minutes. Prehead oven to 400 degrees. Put pork loin in 9x9 pan lined with foil and cook ~20-30 minutes or until thermometer reads 130 degrees.

Heat up cast iron skillet over medium heat. Put in small amount of peanut oil and drop in pork loin (after scraping off as much marinade as possible). Brown a few minutes on a side until golden. Ensure pork loin has now come up to 140 degrees.

Place on platter. Pour drippings from 9x9 pan into skillet and add a splash of red wine (1/4-1/2 cup). Cook down until slightly thick and good tasting. Pour over pork. Sprinkle with sliced green onions. Serve.

Taming the yeast beast (aka, bread in 5 minutes a day)

I always love a good shortcut.

Don't get me wrong, I believe in the importance of the little things in cooking. Washing the lettuce three times. Cutting the onion into fine dice. Deveining shrimp.

But I think it's important to decide when those things matter and when they don't.

So I was very excited to hear about no-knead artisan bread. Bread making somewhere along the way morphed into these long recipes where you have to measure the temperature of the water and punch the dough down five times precisely 40 minutes after rising.

It's just not necessary.

Many years ago, Natalie Colwin wrote this book "Home Cooking." If you haven't read it you should. It's wonderful writing.

Anyway. Natalie had a small child and couldn't deal with the fussiness of bread baking so she set some limits. It would rise when she wanted it to rise, bake when she wanted it to bake. She used less yeast, extended the rise, used a cold rise. She made the dough in the evening, let it rise all night, and baked it in the morning.

And it worked!

This transformed my idea of breadbaking. It's not a delicate thing, that yeast. Kick it around, put it in the fridge, let it rise for days, it still works.

I started experimenting, letting the dough rise 12 hours, 15 hours. At some point it needed to be punched down, but maybe even that wasn't necessary.

The key is to use less yeast. The less you use, the slower the rise, the more the gluten can develop. And what's amazing is the bread is better this way. The flavors become complex, like sourdough.

Your thought process changes when you bake bread this way. You realize that you have control over when the bread rises or doesn't rise, not the reverse. You are freed from the binds of those obsssively detailed recipes.

So a few months ago Lynn Rosetto Kasper of "The Splendid Table" (this very cool radio podcast) had these bread bakers on and they took it a step further. Use very little yeast, don't knead the dough AT ALL, and let it rise in the fridge for days. From what they said on the broadcast, the bread was amazing.

Of course, I had to try it. I made the dough two days ago (it took 10 minutes despite my spacy slow post-call state), let it rise on the counter for 2 hours, then punched it down, put it in the fridge, and forgot about it. Today I punched it down again, tore off a hunk, made a roll and baked it. Oh and I let it rise a little before I threw it in the oven. Like 20 minutes.

It was fabulous. This rich sourdough taste, the perfect crust. So simple.

This all comes from a cookbook called "Artisan Bread in 5 minutes a Day." You can find the recipe here.

Those people are geniuses.

p.s. if you want to be fancy you can use a pizza stone which will give you that thick artisan crust. I didn't have one and it was just fine without it.

p.p.s You can also top the bread any way you like. I chose to sprinkle on a little water and then some rock salt. You could use butter or oil if you like a softer crust, cornmeal for a crunchier taste, or egg whites for that shiny look. So many options.

We've got the beet

Damn it's beautiful in Seattle.

I just got back from a week-long trip visiting friends and family on the east coast (that's my cousin's son above). As the plane approached Seattle we glided over greenlake and lake union and puget sound to touch down at Sea Tac. The surface was like glass.

After I got home I went for a walk and the temperature was 50 degrees, the sky clear blue and the mountains etched in the sky. It felt like spring.

It was not so balmy on the east coast. Mostly it was cold and rainy. Perfect roasting weather. I stayed with my cousin for a few days in Jersey and we went on a pilgrimage to Wegmans, her 2 1/2 year old son in tow, to collect salmon and bok choy and golden beets. We also got some asparagus. A bit of ginger. Scallions.

When we got to her house I decided to roast everything. Except the bok choy, which I just love to stir fry. I cranked the oven to 400 and got started. First the beets, then after a while the asparagus and salmon with an asian marinade. At the last minute I sauteed the bok choy.

It came out beautifully. But I forgot to photograph.

I will vouch that her son ate all of it, which is no mean feat for a 2 1/2 year old. Of course this is a kid who eats salsa (the spicy kind).

But he especially loved the beets. They were sweet and slightly glazed from the pan and crunchy with rock salt.

I had been struggling with beets, I used to boil them and make a vinaigrette but it was never satisfying. We wouldn't eat the leftovers. But roasting was perfect. They tasted earthy and sweet.

I tried to recreate the whole meal tonight, but sadly the salmon in our grocery store was disappointing. Isn't that sad? New Jersey had better salmon than Seattle. Of course it was atlantic and farmed...but still.

Instead, I roasted beets again, the red ones this time. And I braised some baby bok choy, in halves (it's actually less work). Oh and I made chicken wings, because I'm a buffalonian so I love them. They came out great, a spicy garlicky rub with a honey glaze, but I'm still playing with them. I think that's for another day.

The beets were wonderful, as earthy and sweet as their golden new jersey counterparts. You have to leave the skins on, so scrub them well. And halving them helps--they cook faster and caramelize a bit. The bok choy is good both ways, chopped or halved but this way definitely has more class.

Roasted beets

3-4 beets (any variety)
rock salt
pepper
good quality olive oil

Scrub beets and trim off ends, cut in half. Don't peel them. It gives them more flavor. Dry well. Rub with olive oil, and sprinkle with rock salt and pepper (you can use regular salt, the rock salt just has a nice texture). Place cut side down in a roasting pan without touching (I used a 9x9) and roast at 350 for 30-60 minutes or until tender. You can roast at a different temperature if you like, just check them if it's higher. My oven runs hot, my cousin's runs cool. I split the difference.





Braised Baby Bok Choy

3-4 whole baby bok choy
soy sauce
dark sesame oil
peanut oil
sesame seeds
1 tablespoon minced ginger
black pepper

Wash bok choy well especially at the base but leave whole. Dry. Cut in half lengthwise. Heat peanut oil in a heavy pan on medium high. Add bok choy cut side down (only as many as will fit without touching). Cook ~2-3 minutes covered (until golden brown). Carefully flip with tongs and cook another 1-2 minutes covered. Place cut side up on a pan. Drizzle with one drop sesame oil per bok choy half, and a bit more soy sauce. Sprinkle on sesame seeds. Saute ginger in hot pan, then sprinkle on top. Serve.

Salad Days

It's time to talk about salad. Or really-- salad dressing.

I admit it. I'm a salad snob. Growing up my brother and I would go to our father's house on the weekend and he always made his own dressing. There was a jar of it on the counter, redolent of mustard. Salad seemed naked without it.

I soon learned to make my own, measuring olive oil and red wine vinegar (2/3 oil to 1/3 vinegar), and adding mustard, salt, and pepper.

In college, my tastes evolved. I read Marcella Hazan and was persuaded to buy really good olive oil (frantoia) and even better balsamic. I changed from mustard to honey mustard, liking the subtle sweetness. I added garlic. And I no longer measured, preferring to eyeball it in a small jar and shake it, then taste and retaste until it was right, adding oil or vinegar as needed.

The perfect taste is neither oily nor vinegary, but somewhere in between.

One day everything changed. I read in a cookbook about layered dressings, the true italian way. First you wash and dry the greens. Then you add a dribble of olive oil, mix to coat. Rock salt. And finally a splash of vinegar. Be generous with the olive oil, and frugal with the vinegar.

This was a revelation to me. So simple, and yet so different. The flavors are layered on top of the leaves.

In the past few years I've digressed even more. I no longer use vinegar, just lemon. Sometimes I make other dressings, miso-rice vinegar, or the trusty balsamic, but I make this 90% of the time. And Cobe says it is the best.

Simple Lemon Salad Dressing

Good quality olive oil (frantoia is my favorite, it should be rich and green, extra virgin)
Rock salt
1/2 Lemon
fresh cracked pepper


1. Wash the leaves and dry very well. Do NOT underestimate this step. Dirt in the leaves will completely ruin your salad, I have done it believe me. I usually wash the leaves in 3 rinses. And the drying is doubly important. Water and oil do not mix, the oil will not coat the leaves if they are wet. Even after spinning the leaves I still use paper towels.

2. Coat with olive oil. Use a little splash. You can put your thumb over the spout to slow the stream. You need less than you think. Mix with your hands or two spoons.

3. Sprinkle rock salt. You can use regular salt but the thick chunky rock salt adds a nice texture.

4. Squeeze on half a lemon. Mix with hands or spoons again. Taste after mixing and decide if you want more lemon.

5. Sprinkle on fresh cracked pepper.

Other additions
- parmigiano reggiano in thick shreds
- lemon rind shredded on a rasp (the flavor is beautiful)
- thinly sliced pear or green apple (coated with lemon to keep from turning brown)
- toasted nuts
- bits of creamy cheese, such as goat or feta or mascarpone
- dried fruits, such as apricots or dried cherries
- sliced persimmon
- pomegrante
- shredded bacon

the list is endless.

The Crock Pot Chronicles (Parts I & II)

First an admission: I used to have a crock pot and I gave it away. It failed me too many times and I couldn't take it. It went into the little "good will pile" before I left Philly. There's probably a Philadelphian family eating out of it right now.

Then the other night I'm at this blogger dinner and I somehow win this raffle and end up with this cute little crockpot.

It's like getting a goldfish at the fair. You think, what do I do with this thing?

I brought it home and set it on the kitchen floor and it just sat there, begging me to make something. I kept thinking about it. And then I realized...it's just a slow braise. I'm fond of the slow braise.

In my mom's day the whole point of the crock pot was to dump everything in in the morning and have instant dinner by the evening. Usually it involved a can of cream of mushroom soup.

I didn't have to do that. I could brown the meat first, saute a few onions, use a spice rub, some wine. Let it cook for hours. And then adjust the sauce, boil it down, fix the seasoning.

I tried it for the first time last week.

My first mistake was doing this while I was home. Why use the crockpot when you're home? In the oven you have full control over temperature, you can add fluid or take it away, turn things, adjust how well it's browning or not browning.

In the crockpot there are two temperatures: high and low. And mine is this little squat thing, so it's hard to tell what's going on in the bottom.

Besides, the best use of the crockpot is to save you time. To be able to cook when you're not home.

The results were actually pretty good, but it didn't cook long enough. I made beef spareribs and they needed a few more hours. Of course we ate them anyway. Partly because the sauce was amazing--red wine, shallots, and the bits of the puebla mole spice rub that fell off the ribs, mixed in with the juices of the spare ribs.

Today I decided to go for the pork ribs. Increase the cooking time, decrease the liquid. I browned the ribs, and then coated them with the same puebla mole spice rub.

I discovered spice rubs this summer, they're my favorite for quick dinners. This one is mostly cocoa and chipotle, with oregano, marjoram, cloves, allspice, coriander and black pepper. You could make your own. Mix whatever spices you like.

So I loaded the crockpot, this time standing the ribs up so they didn't just boil in the liquid. I added carrots, sauteed onions, garlic, a little red wine. Turned it on high and walked out the door.

When we got home the house smelled WONDERFUL. The ribs were, admittedly, almost too well done. But they were succulent and flavorful. The sauce had an unforseen problem, too much grease from the cooking ribs. I don't have a separator so I decided to blend it all together. This worked fairly well, as the carrots soaked up the grease. The flavor was wonderful, but the texture wasn't what I was looking for. I made a little arugula salad and we were sitting down to dinner in 5 minutes.

I can't bring myself to post the actual recipe though, even if it is just in my head. It needs more tweaking. I promise, a few more crock pot mishaps, and we may have something. I just wish the little thing had a temperature gauge, I'd be in heaven.

Why does dairy hate me (aka, butterscotch pots de creme)

Dairy and I used to get along like wildfire. There were some long nights by the TV with a little ben&jerry's heathbar crunch. We were tight.

Then one day I noticed I didn't feel well after we hung out. My stomach hurt. I didn't sleep well. And slowly, we stopped seeing each other.

Don't get me wrong, I still eat ice cream. I just pay for it. I've messed with those lactaid pills, but they sometimes help, they sometimes don't. And they're not cheap.

And lately I've discovered, my taste is changing. I'm starting to fear the creamy white stuff.

But I couldn't resist when I saw Orangette's last post: butterscotch pots de creme. Heavy cream, two kinds of sugar (muscovado and demerara), vanilla, and eggs. The results are heavenly, like pudding made of dulce de leche.



Or they would be heavenly, if I didn't secretly hate dairy.

It's like dating someone who abuses you. I'm going to stop doing it. Tomorrow.

By the way...muscovado tastes like the best brown sugar you've ever had, deep and rich with molasses and ginger undertones. You could thus substitute brown sugar, and it would just be a tad less good. Demerara is raw sugar. If you can't find it near you, stop by your local Starbucks and grab a few of the brown packets of sugar. You'll be all set.

recipe here

Shrimp with Tamarind and Avocado

Another grey day. How many of these do we get? How many hours?

I went to IKEA today and there was a moment, in between browsing rugs and eating the requisite IKEA hotdog, when I saw the bank of lights. I was drawn like a moth.

When I moved to Seattle a friend told me about being drawn to lamps in the winter. I didn't believe her. Lightbulbs just aren't that bright. But 50 of them, all clustered together, it's like the sun.

I miss the sun.

So tonight, I made some hot food. I can't do any more european grey mush, the world is grey enough. Spicy shrimp with tamarind and avocado.

Bought some shrimp at the fish market near the junction (it's not mutual fish, but it will do in a pinch). They looked charming, really. Nice and moist, a good size. Can't imagine they came all the way from Indonesia but I'm pretending I don't know because I need hot food.

Then off to PCC for tamarind. They didn't have the block of tamarind that the recipe calls for, but they had something called tamarind concentrate which worked splendidly. I used about 3 T, you could probably cut it back to 2 or 2.5 T.

Made it home just minutes before Cobe pulled in the driveway. I started mincing and had him make some rice. The whole thing was done in an hour.

Oh and in case shrimp freak you out, I took a picture to show you how to devein them. It sounds hard, but it's easy really. They have a vein (or really two veins, but the ones I got had one vein already removed). You cut the shell and pull it off. Then use a little knife to pull out the vein on each side.

I kind of like doing it. It's like a medical procedure.

The dish came out wonderfully. A bit indonesian even, though I'm not sure they have avocados in Indonesia. I used 2 serranos. It needed more.

Of course it's possible my taste buds have been dulled by Cobe's habanero obsession.

Recipe here

Mexican Fiesta

A few years ago I was dating a guy who only made one dish--mexican fiesta. I was all excited, expecting some carne asada and cotija, but it turned out to be bean burritos. With organic black beans. And jarred salsa.

Even that was a step up from the tacos we ate growing up. Hard taco shells, ground beef with taco spice mix, preshredded american cheese, iceberg lettuce and pace taco sauce.

They're not bad in their own right. Just a different food category.

These are a bit more fussy. A bit more mexican. I had to twist Cobe's arm to get him to stop by the mexican butcher shop.

"Can't we just go to Thriftway? It's already 6 oclock."

Pouting sad face. "But they have better meat at the mexican place."

He caved. A few minutes later we were in Carniceria el paisano. This place is amazing. Real mexican. Half of the cuts of meat I had never even heard of. Crazy bright red chorizo hanging from the ceiling. I picked out some skirt steak.

"You want it marinaded?" the guy behind the counter asked.

In a few minutes we had a big lump of meat layered with orange and onion, a block of cotija, some nopalito salsa, and some fresh tortillas. At home I decided to add some fresh ground ancho chili and cumin to the meat, as it seemed kind of bland. Then I threw it under the broiler for a few minutes on a side.

It came out great, but a bit salty. Next time I'll make my own spice mix as who knows what was in the mystery marinade. But mixed with the avocado, cotija and cilantro on the warm corn tortillas, it was pretty awesome.

We even pulled out all the stops and got the canned presliced olives for Chris. He probably would have preferred those crunchy tacos with spice mix ground beef, but he downed a few of these just fine. We cracked a few Negro Modelos and pretended it was August.

But I have to admit I pined a bit for the carne asada I made this summer on the grill. It was out of this world. I'll give you the recipe for that. Next time maybe I'll dodge the raindrops and fire that puppy up.

Carne Asada Tacos (from Bon Appetit July 2007)
20 servings

8 garlic cloves
2/3 cup ancho chili powder (grind 6-10 ancho chili's in a coffee grinder, it's amazing fresh. They're also called pasilla peppers.)
3T brown sugar
2T gr. black pepper
4 tsp. mexican oregano, dried
4 tsp ground cumin (grind fresh if you can)
4 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
5# skirt steak, cut into 6" lengths

Put garlic through press. Mix with chile powder, brown sugar, pepper, oregano, cumin, salt and cinnamon. Spread over steaks. Let stand 1 hour. Grill to desired doneness (~4 minutes/side) then let rest 10 minutes. Cu into 1/2 inch wide strips.

Serve with warm corn tortillas, lime juice, avocado, chopped cilantro, chopped onion, cotija cheese, salsa and hotsauce.

Sweet Potato Coconut Curry with Sticky Rice

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It's been raining a lot here lately and the rain made me want sweet potatoes.

I started burrowing through my cookbooks but came up empty handed. And then I looked in Culinary Artistry and I saw it.

Coconut. Sweet potatoes go with coconut.

I'd make a thai curry.

This is a bit of a made up recipe. I used a curry paste from my favorite thai cookbook (The Original Thai Cookbook) and added sweet potatoes, red peppers and onions. If you're not trying to get some use out of your mortar and pestle, you could also use jarred paste. There are some good ones out there.

Came out pretty yummy, in the end. I made sticky rice too. Sticky rice is the BOMB.

Sweet Potato Coconut Curry

2-3 sweet potatoes, diced
2 medium onions, sliced thinly
2 red peppers, sliced thinly
1/2 cup minced cilantro
1 1/2 cups coconut milk

curry paste:
1 stalk lemon grass, minced
1 tsp turmeric
3 cloves garlic, minced
7 dried red chilies blended in a coffee grinder
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
2 shallots finely chopped
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg

The original recipe also calls for 1 tsp shrimp paste and 1tsp laos (galangal) but I didn't have these so I added a little premade curry paste. You could also add a bit of fish sauce instead of the shrimp paste (or even just salt). Galangal is like mild ginger, so you might be able to replace it with a smaller amount of ginger.

Anyway. Combine all the above in a mortar and pestle and cream it till smooth. If you are more equipped than me and have a food processor you can do that too. Takes the fun out if it though.

To make the curry:

First heat a bit of oil (vegetable or peanut) in a pan and add the onions, cook on high until they start to brown then turn down low until they are nice and caramelized. Take out of the pan. Now put in coconut milk and then add spice paste to mix. Cook for a few minutes until fragrant. Add sweet potatoes and cook until almost soft covered on low-med heat (20-30 minutes). Then add caramelized onions and red pepper. Cook another few minutes, then add cilantro. Taste for spiciness and salt. Serve.

Sticky Rice

The easiest way to make this is to have this special getup:


You don't absolutely need it, but it costs like 20$ on line and is so much easier so why the hell not. You can get it (and the rice) here.


Soak 2 cups sticky rice overnight. I know I know. You can soak it in warm water for 2 hours and it comes out OK but it really is not as good. You'll taste the difference.

Anyway. Take the soaked rice and wrap it in the cheesecloth, then put it in the top of the steamer basket over boiling water and cook for 25 minutes. If you don't have one of the special steamer set ups, you can use a regular dishcloth (hopefully clean) and put it in a steamer or colander. You might have to turn it halfway through if you do it this way.

Cover it till serving or else it gets dry.

And now everyone will think you are cool because you can make sticky rice. Really.

Lentil soup with bacon

I just got this book "Culinary Artistry" and it's fascinating. Pages and pages of flavor pairings. Lamb with pomegrante. Lentils with foie gras. Lemon with parsley and mint.

I have been dreaming about lentils. Lentils are the sophisticated bean. Perfectly round and thin, like small coins. In Italy they eat on them on the new year to bring prosperity.

Culinary artistry says lentils go well with bacon and parsley. And lemon, tomatoes, bay leaves, goat cheese, foie gras, ham, mint, olive oil, onions, peppers, pork fat, prunes, radishes, sausages, scallions, sorrel, spinach, thyme and sherry vinegar.

They left out mango. And cumin, my favorite with lentils.

If you're in doubt about mango (or cumin), head to Quinn's where they will make you a believer with their cumin scented black lentils with curry roasted cauliflower and raw mango. Just perfect.

Anyway. As I drove home this morning I began putting together a soup in my head. I had some lentils sitting on my counter in an old pasta sauce jar. Leftover carrots, celery and onion in the fridge. Parsley. Bacon. Greek yogurt.

I riffed on an old Jane Brody recipe from "Good Food" (one of my first cookbooks ever, it really is pretty great), and then merged in a little Sally Schneider and some Zuni Cafe. Kind of a hodgepodge but it turned out pretty yummy. Bacon is a friend to the lentil. Especially with parsley. And a little lemon.

******************************************************
Lentil Soup with Bacon

1 tsp olive oil + 1 tbs butter
onion, sliced thinly
2 carrots, sliced thickly
2 stalks celery with some of the leaves, sliced thickly
1 cup lentils (washed and picked over)
1 can diced tomatoes with their juice
1 cup white wine
4-5 cups stock (chicken, veggie, beef....I used chicken but all should work)
bay leaves
2 slices lemon
1/2 cup minced parsley (flat leaf)
pinch cumin
pepper or grains of paradise
salt
yogurt
2-3 slices bacon, cooked and cut finely

Heat olive oil and butter in a big stock pot. Add onion and saute a few minutes on medium high. You can add in some shallots or garlic as well if you like. I added a shallot. Didn't feel in a garlic mood. Then add carrots and celery. I purposely cut these thick because I like them that way, but you could also mince them fine so they blend into the soup. Saute a few minutes more, then add lentils, wine, stock, tomatoes and bay leaves. Bring to simmer, then cover and cook about 20 minutes. Then add two slices of lemon, a pinch of cumin and a pinch of black pepper. Taste to see if it needs salt (depends on your stock). Cover again and cook another 20 minutes or so until the lentils are soft. Add the parsley and taste again to adjust the pepper and salt. It may need a little kick of balsamic, you decide. Top with a dollop of yogurt (or grated parmigiano reggiano or grated cheddar) and the crumbled bacon.

Meatloaf

It's amazing how different it feels in Seattle on a sunny day. Especially in the winter.

I went for a walk in Lincoln Park on Monday and the place was packed. People walking their dogs, kids making driftwood forts. The mountains stood silhouetted above the water, just crystal clear. Like some sort of paradise.

The tradeoff is the sunny days seem to be colder, with no cloud cover to keep in the warmth. So yesterday after my walk, I decided to make meatloaf. It sounded like just what we needed-- something warm and bacony. Besides, I had just seen a new meatloaf recipe in gourmet.

Cobe was all for it. He's quite a fan of meatloaf. Especially with bacon.

We set off to the store with my gourmet magazine clutched under my arm, and loaded up with ground beef and pork, as well as bacon, dried prunes, carrots, celery, onion and parsley.

The recipe is very french in style, starting with mirepoix (minced carrot, celery, onion, and garlic). I'm not the most finicky mincer, but I've begun to realize the importance of knife skills. The finer you can chop, the finer the flavors you produce. As I sauteed this in some butter, Cobe wandered over.

"That smells good!" he exclaimed.

It did smell good. It tasted good as well, much more than the sum of its parts. The onion and garlic provided a little bite, the carrot some sweetness, and the celery a certain grassiness. Because of the mincing, these flavors all blended to create some new flavor, perfectly balanced.

I let that get a bit caramlized, then added it to the breadcrumbs I had soaked in milk. I was pretty proud of myself that I figured out how to make my own breadcrumbs. I just threw some cubed bread in my little cheapy blender, turned it on high, and presto: breadcrumbs.

Then the pork, beef, egg, celery, bacon, prunes and allspice. Made a loaf and baked it at 350 for like an hour (till it was 155). It turned out wonderful, the subtle sweetness adding depth and the prunes and breadcrumbs adding moisture. Could have made a little gravy with the pan juices, but we were feeling a little WT so we went with ketchup.

You can find the recipe on epicurious (Gourmet February 2008): here

Breakaway Kofta

I brought the leftovers from this dinner to work on Wednesday. When I put them in the microwave, the smell of star anise and meat wafted through the break room.

"What are you making?" Annette asked. "It smells wonderful!"

"Kofta." I said.

Blank look.

Apparently kofta isn't as well known as I thought. If you look kofta up in Wikipedia, you find it exists in 15 different countries, from the arab world to romania to bangladesh. Always some type of ground meat on a stick, always spicy, usually lamb.

This is another recipe from one of my fave cookbooks, "Breakaway Cook" by Eric Gower (see breakaway chicken). Essentially, it's kofta with ingredients you have in your kitchen. Or maybe that I have in my kitchen because most people don't stock pomegrante molasses and star anise.

It's a shame. They should.

I managed to stop at the grocery store on my way home to buy some ground beef. At 3pm I rolled out of bed and started toasting the star anise and coriander. Then I put them in my spice/coffee grinder. My coffee grinder is kind of crap though. It's not crap for coffee, but star anise doesn't like to grind. I ended up with this mixture that was a little gritty. I pined for a burr grinder and decided it was good enough.

Then I put the spices into a pan with a little butter and olive oil, and added chopped shallots. Eric says red onion, but I didn't have red onion and for some odd reason I had a bag of shallots in my basement. Cooked them till soft, then added a dollop of pomegrante molasses.



This stuff kicks ass. It's a mix of sweet and sour, like tamarind but better. Cooked that a bit. Tasted again and it needed a little salt so added some soy sauce which was perfect.

Then I threw this in with some ground beef and broke in an egg, mushed the whole thing up and made some sausage shaped balls which I tried to skewer. Except it was kind of mushy (maybe too much egg? Maybe the addition of the soy sauce?). No matter. It looked fine. I did make the mistake of trying to put a few of these meatball like things on each skewer though. Don't do this. One per skewer. When I tried to turn them under the broiler they all fell apart.

Oh and I also forgot to soak the skewers so smoke was pouring out of the oven.

Cobe turned on the fan, eyeing me suspiciously.

But in a few minutes I had the kofta spread out on a platter, adorned with mint, and accompanied by toasty warm flat bread, greek yogurt and feta. And you know, a salad and veg because you should always have a salad and veg.

"You've done it again!" said Chris, finishing his first forkful.

The kofta turned out perfectly, the meat was soft and juicy from the addition of the caramelized shallots and perfectly spicy. The greek yogurt and feta were just the right foil. And they were even better the next day, heated up with some feta.

It makes me want to play with ground beef. So many possibilities. Black bean sauce. Chili in adobo. Endless.

...........................................................................................

Breakaway Kofta
(from Eric Gower's Breakaway Cook)

1 T. whole coriander
2 T. whole star anise
1 t. ground cinnamon
1 T. unsalted butter
1 T. olive oil
1 med red onion minced (1 cup) or 5-6 shallots
1 T. pomegrante molasses
1 - 1/2 # ground beef (or ground lamb or both)
1 egg
mint leaves, chiffonaded

Toast coriander and star anise in a skillet over medium heat until fragrant. Grind in coffee grinder with cinnamon. Melt butter and olive oil over medium heat, add onion and spices, sautee til soft. Add pomegrante molasses and continue to sautee a few minutes (here is where I added ~1tsp soy sauce).

Place ground meat in bowl, add onion mix and egg, mix well. Make into balls or sausage shape and put on kebabs (remember to soak the kebab sticks first or else smoke will come billowing out of your oven). One meatball per kebab (or else you will not be able to turn them so well). Cook under preheated broiler, ~5 minutes per side until crispy brown. Top with mint. Serve with feta, greek yogurt, and flat bread or pita.

Smoky ancho chili pork stew

This last sunday we went out shopping to southcenter. We were halfway there when I realized I hadn't brought the recipe for the lentil chili I wanted to make.

"Lentil?"said Cobe, "no meat?"

I relented. We were out anyway. "Let's stop by Trader Joes."

I stared at the packages of beef but they just looked so blah. The pork shoulder was calling me. A few peppers, some cilantro. I could make it the same way as Jerry Traunfeld's pork stew, but with mexican spices.

At home I dug out my ancho chilis. I discovered ground ancho chilis this summer when making carne asada. Real chili powder, not that tasteless stuff from the grocery store. I pulled the stems and seeds out of a few and threw them in a coffee grinder, adding some whole cumin and coriander.

"Taste this!" I brought it into Cobe who was just stepping into the shower. Slightly smoky and sweet with this beautiful rich red color. His eyes widened.

I took out the pork and rubbed it with the mix, adding a bit of kosher salt. Then I threw a couple of sweet red peppers under the broiler to char them, letting the skin get black all over. They smelled incredible and at some point they seemed to deflate, giving a little audible sigh. Then I put them in a bag to rest, so the skins would slip off.

I pulled out some fresh tomatoes and dunked them in boiling water so their skins would slip off, then deseeded them as well.

Then I heated up some oil and browned the meat. A bit more complicated with all the spices as it's hard to see it browning. Might have been easier to add the chili after the meat, but then the flavor might change. Hard to say.

When the meat was browned I pulled it out and put in some onions and garlic, letting them cook down, then the peppers and tomatoes. And a little wine. And a can of tomatoes. Then I turned it way down and let the whole thing cook at barely a simmer for 2 hours. At that point the pork was falling-apart-good so I pulled it out and cooked down the sauce for about 5 minutes until it was nice and thick, then added some chopped cilantro.

Beautiful. Usually I feel like chili needs cheese or sour cream to balance it, but this was nice on it's own. Smoky sweet and a little spicy with the freshness of cilantro.

We had the leftover sauce over pasta the next night with a little grated cheese and it tasted perfect....still the flavor of pork and just the essence of chili. It's not too spicy. You might think it was italian. Very dark italian.


Slow cooked pork with ancho chilis and cilantro
(2 people)

1.5 pounds pork shoulder cut into big slabs
tomatoes, either fresh peeled and seeded or canned or both, chopped
(I used 5 fresh and a small can--to peel them dunk in boiling water for ~1minute, then the skins will slip off. Cut them in half to deseed them, pull seeds out with finger or spoon).
2-3 red peppers, charred under broiler and then peeled, seeded and chopped (see above)
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup minced cilantro
1/2 cup red wine
2 dried ancho chilis, pull off stems and deseed
1/2 tsp whole cumin
1/4 tsp whole coriander

Grind ancho chilis in coffee grinder with cumin and coriander. Coat all sides pork. Salt all sides as well (kosher salt). Brown in hot oil a few minutes on each side. Pull out pork, add onions and garlic to pan, cook until limp. Add fresh tomatoes if using and cook a few minutes, then add roasted red peppers, canned tomatoes and wine. Put pork back in pan and turn temperature down to lowest setting, simmer x 2 hours or until pork very tender. Pull out pork. Cook sauce down 5-10 minutes until thick (medium high). Add cilantro and pork, serve.

Cookies that will rock your world

I know. Cookie season is over. I was in the grocery store this morning, driving home from work and there were like 3 people there. I haven't seen that few people in our grocery store since October.

"You should've seen it yesterday," the checkout lady said, "it was crazy. All buying wine and beer and avocados."

A month of cooking and decorating and parties and then it's over. The city feels stark. Like an old woman who's taken off her makeup.

But I have to say. If you ever make another cookie again, you should make the molasses ginger chocolate chip cookies from Orangette. They have this deep molasses flavor infused with crystallized ginger and bittersweet chocolate. All she says they are and more. The snickerdoodles from the food network aren't bad either, but I'm not really a snickerdoodle type of gal. I made them for Jacobe. He loved them. But even he loved the molasses ginger chocolate chip more.

Both recipes are on-line:

snickerdoodles
molasses ginger chocolate chip

Incidentally, Orangette's blog rocks.