stick gooey goodness.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
for all you gluten-free vegetarians out there
what is rich, creamy, filling, and does not involve excessive meat, cream, or bread? mushroom risotto. my dad's classic recipe (most likely lifted out of "The New York Times" 15 years ago) is hard to beat. the hour-long effort in front of the stove is surely worth this indulgent meal, plus stirring doesn't require much skill...what's great about this recipe is that it's packed with flavor without being (too) bad for you. the whole recipe only calls for 2 tbsp. of olive oil and 3 tbsp. of butter. the cheese is added to suit your taste. it must be a function of the Arborio Italian rice. now we know how they manage to stay relatively skinny with all that gelato...a tip though: i used half dried porcini mushrooms and half fresh shitake mushrooms which gave it all the flavor without too much effort.
stick gooey goodness.
stick gooey goodness.
Sunday, November 6, 2011
the one productive thing i did all weekend
is make this delightful galette. "galette" is a general term used in French to designate various types of
flat, round or freeform crusty cakes aka a huge ass cookie. gentle flaky crust topped with roasted butternut squash, caramelized onions, sage, and swiss cheese. it is a great potluck dish because it is the right amount of complex savory flavors and can easily be transported in one piece. tonight i had my martlet girls over for a potluck, but the ante was upped this time as one of them said "everything she makes tastes like
rainbows"-- well i'm flattered but i'm not quite sure what rainbows taste like so i hope this fit the bill.
to achieve a truly flaky crust, all of the ingredients have to be cold, especially the butter. my friend gave me this AWESOME tip: if you have to freeze the butter only to eventually cut it up into smaller pieces and mix it with a flour mixture, it is easiest to freeze the stick whole then use the larger holes of a grater to get the butter into pieces. yes, the picture above is butter, not popcorn. sweet eh?
roasted butternut squash and caramelized onions-- the two stars of this recipe.
it's like a pocket of goodness.
i think they liked it too. what a wonderful starch, cheese, and carb filled meal :)
For the pastry:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into
pieces
1/4 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup ice water
For the filling:
1 small butternut squash (about one pound)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 to 2 tablespoons butter (if you have only non-stick, the smaller amount will do)
1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced in half-moons
1 teaspoon salt
Pinch of sugar
1/4 teaspoon cayenne, or to taste
3/4 cup fontina cheese (about 2 1/2 ounces), grated or cut into small bits
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage leaves
the "how-to":
1. Make pastry: In a bowl, combine the flour and salt. Place the butter in another bowl. Place both bowls in the freezer for 1 hour. Remove the bowls from the freezer and make a well in the center of the flour. Add the butter to the well and, using a pastry blender, cut it in until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Make another well in the center. In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream, lemon juice and water and add half of this mixture to the well. With your fingertips, mix in the liquid until large lumps form. Remove the large lumps and repeat with the remaining liquid and flour-butter mixture. Pat the lumps into a ball; do not overwork the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
2. Prepare squash: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Peel squash, then halve and scoop out seeds. Cut into a 1/2-inch dice. Toss pieces with olive oil and a half-teaspoon of the salt and roast on foil lined (for neatness sake) sheet for 30 minutes or until pieces are tender, turning it midway if your oven bakes unevenly. Set aside to cool slightly.
3. Caramelize onions: While squash is roasting, melt butter in a heavy skillet and cook onion over low heat with the remaining half-teaspoon of salt and pinch of sugar, stirring occasionally, until soft and lightly golden brown, about 20 minutes. Stir in cayenne.
4. Raise the oven temperature to 400 degrees. Mix squash, caramelized onions, cheese and herbs together in a bowl.
5. Assemble galette: On a floured work surface, roll the dough out into a 12-inch round. Transfer to an ungreased baking sheet. Spread squash, onions, cheese and herb mixture over the dough, leaving a 1 1/2-inch border. Fold the border over the squash, onion and cheese mixture, pleating the edge to make it fit. The center will be open.
6. Bake until golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven, let stand for 5 minutes, then slide the galette onto a serving plate. Cut into wedges and serve hot, warm or at room temperature. Serves 6.
source: www.SmittenKitchen.com
to achieve a truly flaky crust, all of the ingredients have to be cold, especially the butter. my friend gave me this AWESOME tip: if you have to freeze the butter only to eventually cut it up into smaller pieces and mix it with a flour mixture, it is easiest to freeze the stick whole then use the larger holes of a grater to get the butter into pieces. yes, the picture above is butter, not popcorn. sweet eh?
roasted butternut squash and caramelized onions-- the two stars of this recipe.
it's like a pocket of goodness.
i think they liked it too. what a wonderful starch, cheese, and carb filled meal :)
For the pastry:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into
pieces
1/4 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup ice water
For the filling:
1 small butternut squash (about one pound)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 to 2 tablespoons butter (if you have only non-stick, the smaller amount will do)
1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced in half-moons
1 teaspoon salt
Pinch of sugar
1/4 teaspoon cayenne, or to taste
3/4 cup fontina cheese (about 2 1/2 ounces), grated or cut into small bits
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage leaves
the "how-to":
1. Make pastry: In a bowl, combine the flour and salt. Place the butter in another bowl. Place both bowls in the freezer for 1 hour. Remove the bowls from the freezer and make a well in the center of the flour. Add the butter to the well and, using a pastry blender, cut it in until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Make another well in the center. In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream, lemon juice and water and add half of this mixture to the well. With your fingertips, mix in the liquid until large lumps form. Remove the large lumps and repeat with the remaining liquid and flour-butter mixture. Pat the lumps into a ball; do not overwork the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
2. Prepare squash: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Peel squash, then halve and scoop out seeds. Cut into a 1/2-inch dice. Toss pieces with olive oil and a half-teaspoon of the salt and roast on foil lined (for neatness sake) sheet for 30 minutes or until pieces are tender, turning it midway if your oven bakes unevenly. Set aside to cool slightly.
3. Caramelize onions: While squash is roasting, melt butter in a heavy skillet and cook onion over low heat with the remaining half-teaspoon of salt and pinch of sugar, stirring occasionally, until soft and lightly golden brown, about 20 minutes. Stir in cayenne.
4. Raise the oven temperature to 400 degrees. Mix squash, caramelized onions, cheese and herbs together in a bowl.
5. Assemble galette: On a floured work surface, roll the dough out into a 12-inch round. Transfer to an ungreased baking sheet. Spread squash, onions, cheese and herb mixture over the dough, leaving a 1 1/2-inch border. Fold the border over the squash, onion and cheese mixture, pleating the edge to make it fit. The center will be open.
6. Bake until golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven, let stand for 5 minutes, then slide the galette onto a serving plate. Cut into wedges and serve hot, warm or at room temperature. Serves 6.
source: www.SmittenKitchen.com
Thursday, November 3, 2011
thank goodness my bubbe doesn't use the internet...
or else she'd blush at the fact that there are shrimp tails sticking out of the bowl below. oh well, it was too delicious to forgo! i would say this is the first real dinner that I've cooked for myself in quite a while. i feel like food never tasted this good! sometimes there just is a limit to take-out, frozen dinners, and even fancy restaurants. there is almost no other activity that i get as much enjoyment out of as cooking a one-pot meal then settling into an episode of "The West Wing," grinning with satisfaction at having created a tasty meal. one of my roommates mentioned that i put so much effort into cooking as if it was a burden, but the truth is that the effort makes the outcome so much more enjoyable.
ingredients:
so what it took me 15 minutes to grate and squeeze limes...
the rest was a breeze. sauté , simmer, and serve--
this thai shrimp curry hails from my holy grail: Bon Appétit
ingredients:
- 3 large limes
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 cup chopped shallots
- 1 large red bell pepper, cut into 1/2- to 3/4-inch dice
- 1 1/2 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger
- 2 1/2 teaspoons Thai red curry paste (such as Thai Kitchen brand)
- 1 13 1/2- to 14-ounce can unsweetened coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce (such as nam pla or nuoc nam)
- 8 peeled deveined uncooked large shrimp (8 to 10 ounces)
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
the "how-to":
-
finely grate enough peel from 2 limes to measure 11/2 teaspoons. Squeeze enough juice from 2 limes to measure 2 tablespoons. Cut third lime into wedges.
-
heat vegetable oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add chopped shallots, diced red bell pepper, and minced ginger; sauté until shallots are tender and peppers soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in curry paste, coconut milk, fish sauce, 11/2 teaspoons lime peel, and 2 tablespoons lime juice. Simmer gently, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle fish and shrimp with salt and pepper. Add shrimp to curry sauce. Return to very gentle simmer and cook just until fish and shrimp are opaque in center, 5 to 6 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Gently stir in cilantro and basil; serve with lime wedges.
בתאבון
Thursday, October 27, 2011
cold cake
so i guess i've been going with the alliteration theme here. whatever-- it works. all i can say is i've been in a funk. walking through the aisles of "Provigo," only ready-made food seems to catch my eye. amy's frozen mac 'n' cheese, bagel bites, wait for it...POP TARTS. yes i said it. i'm embarrassed. i would like to take back those 400 calories per serving pleaseandthankyou...
with ultimate season winding down now i've had time to browse through the septemper edition of "bon appétit" (though really mostly on the toilet). but alas! it's near Thanksgiving time for all you expats reeling to get through the next few weeks in the great white north up here in canadia. i figured it would be appropriate to wring in the next month and next issue of bon appétit with a recipe to ease me into the cooking swing again. i actually made this family cake recipe for rookie night in september-- just threw out the last 2 pieces my roommates never got around to munching down-- but the perfect combination between ease and taste fits my mood quite well-- for now.
the holy trinity:
petit buerre biscuits, baker's semi-sweet chocolate, and *jello* instant vanilla pudding
the "how-to": cream together a pint of heavy cream with a packet of instant vanilla pudding
make 2 cups of hot coffee, then scald your fingers by dipping the buttery biscuits into said coffee (just before becoming too mushy to take out as a whole) and layer them in a pan
spread some cream on top and repeat
finish off with a layer of coffee-dipped petit buerre and then melted semi-sweet chocolate (it is better if the chocolate is more liquid-y so that it doesn't freeze over in the fridge. i suggest adding butter when melting it). looks willy-wonkafied
let sit for at least a few hours in the fridge, this cake gets better with age
...just like my mom
with ultimate season winding down now i've had time to browse through the septemper edition of "bon appétit" (
the holy trinity:
petit buerre biscuits, baker's semi-sweet chocolate, and *jello* instant vanilla pudding
the "how-to": cream together a pint of heavy cream with a packet of instant vanilla pudding
make 2 cups of hot coffee, then scald your fingers by dipping the buttery biscuits into said coffee (just before becoming too mushy to take out as a whole) and layer them in a pan
spread some cream on top and repeat
finish off with a layer of coffee-dipped petit buerre and then melted semi-sweet chocolate (it is better if the chocolate is more liquid-y so that it doesn't freeze over in the fridge. i suggest adding butter when melting it). looks willy-wonkafied
let sit for at least a few hours in the fridge, this cake gets better with age
...just like my mom
Monday, September 26, 2011
soul soup
i was sick last week. so i made chicken soup. a lot easier than you think. water, veggies, chicken. chicken stock (prefer consommé). salt. Poof! soup for the soul.
only trick before setting it to a low-boil for 45 minutes over the stove is to first boil water with the raw chicken, once it boils empty the pot, clean it and the chicken, and then dump all the good stuff back in (this process gets all the gross stuff out of the way).
it may not be your mama's but it sure ain't bad for ya
only trick before setting it to a low-boil for 45 minutes over the stove is to first boil water with the raw chicken, once it boils empty the pot, clean it and the chicken, and then dump all the good stuff back in (this process gets all the gross stuff out of the way).
it may not be your mama's but it sure ain't bad for ya
Monday, September 19, 2011
i'm baaaccckk!!
no i have not gone entirely 5 months without cooking. yes i probably gained 15 pounds this summer. but please let me explain...let's face it- there is nothing better than home-cooked food. also, fact: there is no other city on earth with as good and as many food options as New York. so with that killer combo, you can understand why i took somewhat of a hiatus from the kitchen myself.
that being said i think i owe you a recap of the culinary delights that i discovered this summer...
1) Smorgasburg. a Brooklyn flea food market. in other words- my nirvana. situated on the East River in Williamsburg, with a view of the New York City skyline, it is a home to the cream of the crop- the best food purveyors in the metropolitan area. with everything from banana soft serve to pickles to maple syrup to lobster rolls- this place has got it all. not only is there a wide variety of goodies to suit any taste buds, but the creativity is astounding. i mean hibiscus lime soda? come on!
2) my dad's knack for Grecian style fish. i can say with unequivocal certainty that the simpler the food, the tastier it is. take for example a basic white fish stuffed with veggie goodness and slathered in olive oil, salt & pepper, roasted on the bbq. nothin' betta.
3) Olive & Gourmando. discovered this hidden gem on a weekend sojourn to MTL with some good friends. the meal lasted approximately 2.5 hours and consisted of multiple orders of the same dishes. we just couldn't get enough of the spring pea soup and turtle bars.
4) burrata."burrata" means "buttered" in Italian- for good reason. this scrumptious, creamy, rich cheese is best when used as a spread on fresh baguette with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, top with roasted tomatoes and fresh figs. to me this screams heaven on a slice of bread. but please see for yourselves. you can usually find it at a farmer's market or Italian grocer- ours is "Dante's"- notice the little old Italian ladies, aren't they cute!
5) the 3 g's: grapefruit. gin. ginger. a refreshing summer cocktail if i ever heard of one. men- don't despair, it is not the girliest of drinks, even my dad drinks it. the recipe: 1 part gin, 1 part canton (ginger liquor), the rest fresh grapefruit juice. to add a little zing we put some fresh ginger syrup that we purchased at Smorgasburg.
believe you me, there is way more where this came from, but i understand that i should not overload your epicurean fantasies all at once.
that being said i think i owe you a recap of the culinary delights that i discovered this summer...
1) Smorgasburg. a Brooklyn flea food market. in other words- my nirvana. situated on the East River in Williamsburg, with a view of the New York City skyline, it is a home to the cream of the crop- the best food purveyors in the metropolitan area. with everything from banana soft serve to pickles to maple syrup to lobster rolls- this place has got it all. not only is there a wide variety of goodies to suit any taste buds, but the creativity is astounding. i mean hibiscus lime soda? come on!
2) my dad's knack for Grecian style fish. i can say with unequivocal certainty that the simpler the food, the tastier it is. take for example a basic white fish stuffed with veggie goodness and slathered in olive oil, salt & pepper, roasted on the bbq. nothin' betta.
3) Olive & Gourmando. discovered this hidden gem on a weekend sojourn to MTL with some good friends. the meal lasted approximately 2.5 hours and consisted of multiple orders of the same dishes. we just couldn't get enough of the spring pea soup and turtle bars.
4) burrata."burrata" means "buttered" in Italian- for good reason. this scrumptious, creamy, rich cheese is best when used as a spread on fresh baguette with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, top with roasted tomatoes and fresh figs. to me this screams heaven on a slice of bread. but please see for yourselves. you can usually find it at a farmer's market or Italian grocer- ours is "Dante's"- notice the little old Italian ladies, aren't they cute!
5) the 3 g's: grapefruit. gin. ginger. a refreshing summer cocktail if i ever heard of one. men- don't despair, it is not the girliest of drinks, even my dad drinks it. the recipe: 1 part gin, 1 part canton (ginger liquor), the rest fresh grapefruit juice. to add a little zing we put some fresh ginger syrup that we purchased at Smorgasburg.
believe you me, there is way more where this came from, but i understand that i should not overload your epicurean fantasies all at once.
Friday, April 22, 2011
passover: not for chumps
we need not be chumps on passover and let our stomachs writhe in agony over the loss of bread for an entire...WEEK! take the sephardic root (middle eastern/mediterranean tradition) and make yourself a scrumptious bowl of the recipe below. it will be sure to fill your stomachs and allow you to forget (for at least 3 days given the quantity i made) that you are barred from bread. while the veggies took a while to prep, i was able to "discover Bonnaroo 2011" through grooveshark- pretty snazzy site if you ask me. since brown rice takes a while, cook it while you chop the veggies.
dai·kon/ˈdīkän/
Noun: A radish of a variety with a large slender white root that is typically eaten cooked, esp. in Eastern cuisine, and is also used for fodder. don't let the "fodder" adjective phase you- it is in fact a nice crunchy treat that i mistook for jicama, which goes very well with citrus in salads as i'm sure this root vegetable would also.
did i mention that these slices look splendidly like snowflakes reminiscent of the flash blizzard we had today in Montreal or that everything in this recipe cost $10.17 (except the sauce)? damn straight.
some shredded carrot
and raw peeled and shredded beets
sliced red cabbage...kind of looks like the endoplasmic reticulum- only my favorite cell body part.
letters a.k.a lettuce
i couldn't decide which photograph showed the real essence and plethora flavors of the dragon bowl so it's up to you.
add some special dragon sauce bought especially from "Aux Vivres," a vegan restaurant on Boulevard St. Laurent that debuted the "dragon bowl" recipe above. however, mine is cheaper! and with all the leftovers i have it will last me a week. i've got cabbage up to my ears.
next up possibly kosher for passover...quinoa?
dai·kon/ˈdīkän/
Noun: A radish of a variety with a large slender white root that is typically eaten cooked, esp. in Eastern cuisine, and is also used for fodder. don't let the "fodder" adjective phase you- it is in fact a nice crunchy treat that i mistook for jicama, which goes very well with citrus in salads as i'm sure this root vegetable would also.
did i mention that these slices look splendidly like snowflakes reminiscent of the flash blizzard we had today in Montreal or that everything in this recipe cost $10.17 (except the sauce)? damn straight.
some shredded carrot
and raw peeled and shredded beets
sliced red cabbage...kind of looks like the endoplasmic reticulum- only my favorite cell body part.
letters a.k.a lettuce
i couldn't decide which photograph showed the real essence and plethora flavors of the dragon bowl so it's up to you.
add some special dragon sauce bought especially from "Aux Vivres," a vegan restaurant on Boulevard St. Laurent that debuted the "dragon bowl" recipe above. however, mine is cheaper! and with all the leftovers i have it will last me a week. i've got cabbage up to my ears.
next up possibly kosher for passover...quinoa?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)