At the Morning News, Matthew Baldwin is putting forth a revolutionary food-centered, community-building idea: National Pizza Party Day to be celebrated on Leap Days.
The Fro-Yo Trend is pushing east in the US, according to the New York Times. Other than Yogokiss (rumored to re-open from its winter freeze on March 15), does anyone know of a Pinkberry-esque yogurt outlet in central Indiana?
Something to consider from Orangette: make your own granola. This is one of those things (like cooking my own dried beans or baking weekly loaves of bread or canning vegetables) that I really want to do, but never seem to fit in. Hopefully, exposing these un-achieved goals here will give me the push I need.
If you love bacon, the interwebs are addressed your porcine needs. Notmartha reports on bacon curls and bacon bowls. The Gluten-Free Girl featured a bacon-themed party.
Is it wrong that I'm loving the way some journalists and food writers are incorporating candidates' food choices into campaign coverage? While good policy talk is definitely my preferred political conversation - you know, since policy is what we should rely on to pick a leader rather than their hair, their "style" of speaking, and whatever other not-quite-relevant blather that's popular from week to week - if fluff pieces are necessary, let them be about something that's interesting. With that in mind, I'd recommend reading this Slate piece about what Hillary Clinton's food choices may reveal about her personality.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Thursday, February 28, 2008
rosemary dumplings & cremini stew
Sometimes a food item seems commonplace when, in actuality, it is not. I've heard about dumplings my whole life, but I'm not sure that I've actually consumed any until very recently, other than the apple-filled variety. (Mom - if you're reading this and believe that this impression is incorrect, please feel free to chime in.) And all this time, I've been ignoring what could be the vegetarian's best winter friend, the dumpling. Thankfully, Didi Emmons has several recipes in Vegetarian Planet that sparked my interest in dumplings. Ben and I simplified her Wild Mushroom Stew with Herbed Dumplings to create this quick, filling, cold-weather dish.
Cremini Stew with Rosemary Dumplings
Serves 2 - multiply the recipe according to your needs
for the stew:
1/2 - 1 Tablespoon of olive oil, depending on how extravagant you feel
8-10 ounces of cremini mushrooms (sometimes called baby bellas), sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon fresh thyme or 1/3 teaspoon dried thyme (you'll have to eye-measure the third)
2 cups vegetable broth
1 cup of red wine (more or less to taste)
salt and pepper to taste
for the dumplings:
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon of chopped fresh rosemary
1 1/2 Tablespoons of butter, cut into little pieces and chilled
1 egg
1/4 cup of milk (possibly plus a little more)
make the stew:
Heat the oil over medium heat. Add the creminis, stirring to disperse the oil evenly. The mushrooms will quickly absorb the oil, but keep stirring them; they'll start releasing their juices after a few minutes. When the mushrooms are cooked (4 to 6 minutes), add the garlic and thyme, stirring and cooking for one more minute. Add the broth and simmer for about 5 minutes (this is a good time to make the dumpling batter). Add the wine, return the stew to a simmer.
make the dumpling batter:
Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and rosemary in a bowl. Mix in the butter pieces until you have a crumbly texture and the butter is well dispersed. (We both use our hands to mix in the butter, but it's more traditional to use a fork or a pastry cutter.) Add the egg and milk, stirring it until just combined. If there are pockets of dry flour, add a bit more milk until you have a thick batter. Chill the batter if the stew isn't quite ready.
bring it all together:
Keeping the stew at a simmer, add the batter by tablespoons to the stew. Ben, who handles the dumpling-cooking in this house, likes to fill a tablespoon and use his fingers to transfer the batter to the simmering stew, but you can use two spoons just as easily. Try not to crowd the dumplings. Cook them for five minutes on one side. Flip them and cook for about ten more minutes.
Variations
Cremini Stew with Rosemary DumplingsServes 2 - multiply the recipe according to your needs
for the stew:
1/2 - 1 Tablespoon of olive oil, depending on how extravagant you feel
8-10 ounces of cremini mushrooms (sometimes called baby bellas), sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon fresh thyme or 1/3 teaspoon dried thyme (you'll have to eye-measure the third)
2 cups vegetable broth
1 cup of red wine (more or less to taste)
salt and pepper to taste
for the dumplings:
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon of chopped fresh rosemary
1 1/2 Tablespoons of butter, cut into little pieces and chilled
1 egg
1/4 cup of milk (possibly plus a little more)
make the stew:Heat the oil over medium heat. Add the creminis, stirring to disperse the oil evenly. The mushrooms will quickly absorb the oil, but keep stirring them; they'll start releasing their juices after a few minutes. When the mushrooms are cooked (4 to 6 minutes), add the garlic and thyme, stirring and cooking for one more minute. Add the broth and simmer for about 5 minutes (this is a good time to make the dumpling batter). Add the wine, return the stew to a simmer.
make the dumpling batter:
Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and rosemary in a bowl. Mix in the butter pieces until you have a crumbly texture and the butter is well dispersed. (We both use our hands to mix in the butter, but it's more traditional to use a fork or a pastry cutter.) Add the egg and milk, stirring it until just combined. If there are pockets of dry flour, add a bit more milk until you have a thick batter. Chill the batter if the stew isn't quite ready.
bring it all together:
Keeping the stew at a simmer, add the batter by tablespoons to the stew. Ben, who handles the dumpling-cooking in this house, likes to fill a tablespoon and use his fingers to transfer the batter to the simmering stew, but you can use two spoons just as easily. Try not to crowd the dumplings. Cook them for five minutes on one side. Flip them and cook for about ten more minutes.
Variations
- The original recipe calls for adding one sliced carrot when you add the mushrooms. We've done it both ways to equally yummy results.
- You can use different herbs for the dumplings. Suggestions: thyme, sage, parsley.
- This basic recipe could go in almost any direction. Any chunky-brothy soup or stew could be combined with any sort of dumpling. Ideas: corn soup with basil dumplings, brothy black beans with cilantro dumplings, or cannelini soup with sage dumplings.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Spring Mill Trip
About two weeks ago, our friend Rachel left us a sweet, slightly rambling voice message about a plan to head out of town and an extra room at the intended weekend spot. Our excitement for a drive-able and gorgeous destination - Spring Mill Park & Inn - was only secondary to our excitement about the company of many really great people.
The weekend, in brief capsules...
Friday: After tag-team baking cherry-oatmeal cookies to share and almost forgetting board games, we left Indianapolis in the midst of not-so-nice weather. In the back of the Volvo, rosemary-flavored white beans, lentil-walnut salad with pomegranate molasses, goat cheese, provalone, pitas, and crusty French bread shared space with way too much clothing. Ben and I are horrible over-packers, but we usually forget something. (One co-weekender, Damon said, "I'm not an over-packer, I'm just an under-wearer," so Ben has adopted that outlook for himself.)
On the way to Spring Mill, we stopped at Anyetsang's Little Tibet in Bloomington. Oh, Little Tibet! I had a split plate of chura and tsel momos. Momos, in case you've never had them, are yummy little dumplings, which can be filled with meat, vegetables or cheese. The tsel momos at Little Tibet come with chopped vegetable filling; the chura momos have a Swiss-cheese and green-onion filling. Both momos are flavored with "Tibetan seasoning" and come with soy-sauce and hot-pepper sauces. Ben ordered the temo cha tse. Temo is a Tibetan-style steamed bread (you can see Ben tearing it apart in the collage above) that accompanies the "almost stew, almost stir-fry" cha tse. Ben got it beefy-style and cleaned his plate. Little Tibet's main dishes are always amazing, even their pad Thai (they have Thai and Indian dishes in addition to the Tibetan items), but their salad dressing and simple lentil soup are also near and dear to my heart. The dressing has flavors of sesame, ginger, soy, and citrus, a combination that will be familiar to anyone who regularly eats at sushi restaurants that serve "salada." But something happens at Anyetsang's that elevates the flavors to something truly special and refreshing. They're not trying to impress anyone with the pre-dinner lentil-cilantro soup, but it warms and prepares the palate for the main course in an honest way. The service was gracious, low-key, and quietly enthusiastic about the food, which is my favorite kind of service.
Saturday & Sunday: Ben and I slept through the breakfast buffet on Saturday, but snacked on the legumes, cheese, and carbohydrates that we brought along throughout the day. For dinner and Sunday breakfast, we ate at the Inn's buffet-style restaurant. Southern Indiana cooking is straight-forward and can often seem a bit tiresome, but the Inn's buffet was definitely above average. One highlight: the mashed potatoes seemed super-fresh and truly made from real potatoes. And, in a special surprise for this no-meat-gravy girl, they were served with MILK-BASED gravy. Ben reported that the fried chicken was delicious, though I'm not sure that he needed to express that verbally. I was convinced of the chicken-y goodness after seeing his two very large servings. Breakfast was good, too. My two favorites in the morning were grapefruit halves and more of the milk-based gravy to ladle onto small but yummy biscuits.
Many other good times were had including but not limited to: swimming, ping pong, Beyond Balderdash played with a group of hilarious people, driving in adverse conditions, discussions about Lindsay Lohan's New York magazine pictures, a chilly winter walk with Ben, Saturday Night Live viewed in a crowd, trashy fashion and entertainment magazines, some of the cutest and most interesting children in the world, new-ish and brand-new friends, and finally... the joy of returning home to our little bungalow and kitties.
Sunday night: We ate at Udupi and had the surprise opportunity to eat with friends Tim & Katie. Indian buffet was possibly the least safe decision we could have made after a weekend of so much food, but who are we to decline ourselves the pleasure of chaat, dosa & samosa?
The weekend, in brief capsules...Friday: After tag-team baking cherry-oatmeal cookies to share and almost forgetting board games, we left Indianapolis in the midst of not-so-nice weather. In the back of the Volvo, rosemary-flavored white beans, lentil-walnut salad with pomegranate molasses, goat cheese, provalone, pitas, and crusty French bread shared space with way too much clothing. Ben and I are horrible over-packers, but we usually forget something. (One co-weekender, Damon said, "I'm not an over-packer, I'm just an under-wearer," so Ben has adopted that outlook for himself.)
On the way to Spring Mill, we stopped at Anyetsang's Little Tibet in Bloomington. Oh, Little Tibet! I had a split plate of chura and tsel momos. Momos, in case you've never had them, are yummy little dumplings, which can be filled with meat, vegetables or cheese. The tsel momos at Little Tibet come with chopped vegetable filling; the chura momos have a Swiss-cheese and green-onion filling. Both momos are flavored with "Tibetan seasoning" and come with soy-sauce and hot-pepper sauces. Ben ordered the temo cha tse. Temo is a Tibetan-style steamed bread (you can see Ben tearing it apart in the collage above) that accompanies the "almost stew, almost stir-fry" cha tse. Ben got it beefy-style and cleaned his plate. Little Tibet's main dishes are always amazing, even their pad Thai (they have Thai and Indian dishes in addition to the Tibetan items), but their salad dressing and simple lentil soup are also near and dear to my heart. The dressing has flavors of sesame, ginger, soy, and citrus, a combination that will be familiar to anyone who regularly eats at sushi restaurants that serve "salada." But something happens at Anyetsang's that elevates the flavors to something truly special and refreshing. They're not trying to impress anyone with the pre-dinner lentil-cilantro soup, but it warms and prepares the palate for the main course in an honest way. The service was gracious, low-key, and quietly enthusiastic about the food, which is my favorite kind of service.
Saturday & Sunday: Ben and I slept through the breakfast buffet on Saturday, but snacked on the legumes, cheese, and carbohydrates that we brought along throughout the day. For dinner and Sunday breakfast, we ate at the Inn's buffet-style restaurant. Southern Indiana cooking is straight-forward and can often seem a bit tiresome, but the Inn's buffet was definitely above average. One highlight: the mashed potatoes seemed super-fresh and truly made from real potatoes. And, in a special surprise for this no-meat-gravy girl, they were served with MILK-BASED gravy. Ben reported that the fried chicken was delicious, though I'm not sure that he needed to express that verbally. I was convinced of the chicken-y goodness after seeing his two very large servings. Breakfast was good, too. My two favorites in the morning were grapefruit halves and more of the milk-based gravy to ladle onto small but yummy biscuits.
Many other good times were had including but not limited to: swimming, ping pong, Beyond Balderdash played with a group of hilarious people, driving in adverse conditions, discussions about Lindsay Lohan's New York magazine pictures, a chilly winter walk with Ben, Saturday Night Live viewed in a crowd, trashy fashion and entertainment magazines, some of the cutest and most interesting children in the world, new-ish and brand-new friends, and finally... the joy of returning home to our little bungalow and kitties.
Sunday night: We ate at Udupi and had the surprise opportunity to eat with friends Tim & Katie. Indian buffet was possibly the least safe decision we could have made after a weekend of so much food, but who are we to decline ourselves the pleasure of chaat, dosa & samosa?
Monday, February 25, 2008
the Good Earth will not move
You may have seen the tidbits in the Indy blog world that reported on the rumors and the rumbles that the Good Earth store might be moving to the recently vacated Sunflower Market space.
Well, I have it direct from owner Bob Landman's mouth that the Good Earth won't be moving. It seems that the happy little house that the store currently occupies will continue to provide local folk with natural foods and goods. Of course, whimsical shifts of ideas and plans are the natural right of natural foods purveyors, so this isn't a guarantee. But it is a pretty clear statement from the Good Earth proprietor: they're not moving.
[editorial note: As I've stated before, the Good Earth happens to be where half of our monthly mortgage originates. My husband Ben manages their internet business along with our friend Lani.]
By the way, our weekend in southern Indiana was awesome - more on the food-related aspects of the trip will follow later today.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
grey garden plans
Indianapolis is currently under a winter storm warning. Ben and I leave tomorrow afternoon for a fun weekend with some lovely people at Spring Mill State Park. Our backyard is currently experiencing a tundra-like freeze. But no matter! It is time for garden planning.
So, like SoBro Bungalow, I've been dreaming of green in the midst of gray.
The upcoming Spring & Summer will be our fourth in this house. Each year, we've tried our Martha-style best, starting a wide variety of seeds and tending the earth in the sunny half of our backyard. Evidence of said efforts, from 2005:
We've had a good time overall. Losing our battle with the squash vine borers was a staggering defeat in 2005. In 2006, we had good luck with Persian Eggplant, both plant-wise and kitchen-wise. Of course, tomatoes are always good. Each year, my sister and I get a bit overzealous and order seeds for more plants than either of us have room for. This year, we have discussed a need not to go overboard, but I don't really have faith in either of us.
I've already begun looking at Baker's Creek, Johnny's and You Grow Girl, dreaming of v
eggies, herbs, and edible flowers. And I already have my heart set on way too many of them. It's just so hard to resist a tomato that is an Iraqi refugee, you know? And what about rapini? Or a new cherry tomato? Finally, what is a basil-freak like me supposed to do when she sees a new, "essential" Thai basil? How can I turn down that opportunity?
It may be gray outside, but I am ready for green and I am planning for it. Is there any great seed that you couldn't resist? Holla.
So, like SoBro Bungalow, I've been dreaming of green in the midst of gray.
The upcoming Spring & Summer will be our fourth in this house. Each year, we've tried our Martha-style best, starting a wide variety of seeds and tending the earth in the sunny half of our backyard. Evidence of said efforts, from 2005:
We've had a good time overall. Losing our battle with the squash vine borers was a staggering defeat in 2005. In 2006, we had good luck with Persian Eggplant, both plant-wise and kitchen-wise. Of course, tomatoes are always good. Each year, my sister and I get a bit overzealous and order seeds for more plants than either of us have room for. This year, we have discussed a need not to go overboard, but I don't really have faith in either of us.I've already begun looking at Baker's Creek, Johnny's and You Grow Girl, dreaming of v
eggies, herbs, and edible flowers. And I already have my heart set on way too many of them. It's just so hard to resist a tomato that is an Iraqi refugee, you know? And what about rapini? Or a new cherry tomato? Finally, what is a basil-freak like me supposed to do when she sees a new, "essential" Thai basil? How can I turn down that opportunity?It may be gray outside, but I am ready for green and I am planning for it. Is there any great seed that you couldn't resist? Holla.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
the final heart: corn (hearts) basil
This whole "ingredient (hearts) ingredient" series kind of took it out of me. Thinking about perfect pairs, my most beloved food partners, in the middle of Indiana's deep, dreary February was more than a little challenging. The difficulty really lies in the fact that my food romances are in their best form in summer. And today's pair is certainly no exception. So, now please allow me to introduce you to: Corn (hearts) Basil... presented in Basil Corncakes with Rustic Cherry Tomato-Olive Sauce
Today's highlight recipe utilizes corn in two forms: cornmeal and fresh (er - actually frozen) corn. Of course, it also highlights the herbal loveliness that is basil.
Basil Corncakes
Serves four as a side dish or snack
2 teaspoons butter or olive oil
2 cups fresh or frozen corn (fresh when it's good and local, frozen when fresh is unavailable)
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup flour - we use straight-up unbleached white, but wheat will work, too
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup of buttermilk
2 large eggs
1/4 cup ribbons of basil (see note)
Olive oil or butter (or a little bit of each)
Heat the oil over medium to medium-high heat and cook the corn for about 8 minutes, stirring often. You want the corn to be fully cooked, possibly with little spots of browning. Set aside.
Combine the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Separately, combine the buttermilk and eggs and beat them until they are frothy. Add the buttermilk-egg mixture, the cooked corn, and the basil, mixing until just combined. Don't mix too much or too aggressively.
Heat oil or butter in a wide skillet over medium heat. Make the cakes by putting heaping tablespoons of batter on the oiled skillet, lightly spreading the batter to make the cakes uniform in height. As you put the batter on the skillet, leave ample room for flipping the cakes. Turn cakes over once they are firm on the bottom and golden brown, one and a half to two minutes per side. Depending on how ample your tablespoons are, you should have around one dozen cakes. Serve with rustic tomato-olive sauce, recipe below.
Note: The best way to chiffonade or "ribbon" the basil is to roll up the leaves into a basil cigar and run your knife across the roll in quick 1/8-inch or smaller increments.
Rustic Tomato-Olive Sauce
olive oil
1 pint cherry tomatoes, cut in half
a pinch of pepper flakes (add or subtract depending on how you like it)
salt
18 to 24 Kalamata olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
Heat olive oil over medium high heat. Toss in cherry tomatoes, a pinch of pepper flakes, and a dash of salt. Cook, stirring often, until tomatoes begin to expel their juice and wrinkle. Remove, mix with olives, and adjust seasoning to your taste.
You want more ideas for corn and basil? Well, here you go:
Enjoy!
Today's highlight recipe utilizes corn in two forms: cornmeal and fresh (er - actually frozen) corn. Of course, it also highlights the herbal loveliness that is basil.
Basil Corncakes
Serves four as a side dish or snack
2 teaspoons butter or olive oil
2 cups fresh or frozen corn (fresh when it's good and local, frozen when fresh is unavailable)
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup flour - we use straight-up unbleached white, but wheat will work, too
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup of buttermilk
2 large eggs
1/4 cup ribbons of basil (see note)
Olive oil or butter (or a little bit of each)
Heat the oil over medium to medium-high heat and cook the corn for about 8 minutes, stirring often. You want the corn to be fully cooked, possibly with little spots of browning. Set aside.
Combine the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Separately, combine the buttermilk and eggs and beat them until they are frothy. Add the buttermilk-egg mixture, the cooked corn, and the basil, mixing until just combined. Don't mix too much or too aggressively.
Heat oil or butter in a wide skillet over medium heat. Make the cakes by putting heaping tablespoons of batter on the oiled skillet, lightly spreading the batter to make the cakes uniform in height. As you put the batter on the skillet, leave ample room for flipping the cakes. Turn cakes over once they are firm on the bottom and golden brown, one and a half to two minutes per side. Depending on how ample your tablespoons are, you should have around one dozen cakes. Serve with rustic tomato-olive sauce, recipe below.
Note: The best way to chiffonade or "ribbon" the basil is to roll up the leaves into a basil cigar and run your knife across the roll in quick 1/8-inch or smaller increments.
Rustic Tomato-Olive Sauce
olive oil
1 pint cherry tomatoes, cut in half
a pinch of pepper flakes (add or subtract depending on how you like it)
salt
18 to 24 Kalamata olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
Heat olive oil over medium high heat. Toss in cherry tomatoes, a pinch of pepper flakes, and a dash of salt. Cook, stirring often, until tomatoes begin to expel their juice and wrinkle. Remove, mix with olives, and adjust seasoning to your taste.
You want more ideas for corn and basil? Well, here you go:
- Corn on the cob with basil-lime butter
- Vegan Chai has a snappy corn chowder with basil, vegan of course.
- Gourmet has a barley and corn salad with basil-chive dressing that sounds amazing - I just added it to my summer menu links!
- I'd also recommend trying something new and making humitas - a ground corn, basil, onion, and spice dish from Chile (and several other South American countries). Humitas bare some resemblance to tamales, but are smaller and made from fresh corn, rather than masa.
Enjoy!
Sunday, February 17, 2008
sweet potatoes (heart) rosemary
Ingredient (hearts) ingredient continues with: Sweet potatoes (heart) rosemary.
Rosemary is a symbol of remembrance and is reputed to improve memory, two claims that make it a great ingredient to include in a romantic food pairing. And sweet potatoes? Well, the name makes it kind of obvious that these earthy orange prizes are inclined to pair nicely with other ingredients. While coconut milk, peanuts, and cinnamon are all great partners for sweet potatoes, the palatable relationship for this excellent tuber that I have found most surprising and rewarding is sweet potatoes and rosemary.
And I absolutely have Jeanne Lemlin to thank for it. In her Simple Vegetarian Pleasures, she shares a recipe for a ragout with sweet peppers, sweet potatoes, rosemary, and white beans. When I first read the recipe, I thought that the peppers, sweet potatoes, and rosemary sounded like an odd and potentially questionable combination. But I was very, very wrong. The recipe that I've adapted below is an excellent cold, rainy day dish, which is perfect for the dreary day that we're currently experiencing in central Indiana. The book, by the way, is a favorite in our house. It's full of homey, easy recipes with a European emphasis. The desserts, especially the Nantucket Cranberry Cake, are always crowd pleasers.
White Bean, Sweet Potato, and Pepper Ragout
adapted from Simple Vegetarian Pleasures by Jeanne Lemlin
Serves 2 greedy people or 3 regular folks - Ben and I devoured the whole thing for lunch, no sweat.
Olive oil
1 large green pepper or 2 small sweet peppers (one of which must be green), cut into 1/2 inch by 2 inch pieces
1 large sweet potato, cut in half lengthwise and sliced into 1/4 inch half-moons (Lemlin recommends pealing them, but we like to leave the skins on)
4 minced garlic cloves
1/2 teaspoon rosemary, finely chopped (that's typically the leaves from one small shoot)
1 14-ounce can of diced tomatoes
1 14-ounce can of white beans
salt and pepper to taste
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the peppers and cook, stirring regularly, for 5 minutes.
Add the potatoes, garlic, and rosemary. Continue to cook for about 8 minutes, stirring regularly. Don't worry about the little bits sticking to the bottom - they'll make the sauce great later on.
Add the remaining ingredients, being generous with the pepper. Cook, with occasional stirring, for about 20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Serve in wide bowls with crusty bread.
Other ideas for this lovely ingredient couple?
Sweet potato oven fries with rosemary are a great side dish.
Sweet potatoes mashed with rosemary-infused oil is a great quick side, as are roasted sweet potatoes with fresh, chopped rosemary or infused oil.
Martha has a delicious-looking caramelized sweet potato focaccia that has lovely rosemary sprigs.
Sweet potato soup with rosemary croutons would be a perfect cool-season comfort soup. -- I'd modify the linked-to recipe, replacing the pancetta with crisped onions and the chicken broth with vegetable broth.
Rosemary is a symbol of remembrance and is reputed to improve memory, two claims that make it a great ingredient to include in a romantic food pairing. And sweet potatoes? Well, the name makes it kind of obvious that these earthy orange prizes are inclined to pair nicely with other ingredients. While coconut milk, peanuts, and cinnamon are all great partners for sweet potatoes, the palatable relationship for this excellent tuber that I have found most surprising and rewarding is sweet potatoes and rosemary.
And I absolutely have Jeanne Lemlin to thank for it. In her Simple Vegetarian Pleasures, she shares a recipe for a ragout with sweet peppers, sweet potatoes, rosemary, and white beans. When I first read the recipe, I thought that the peppers, sweet potatoes, and rosemary sounded like an odd and potentially questionable combination. But I was very, very wrong. The recipe that I've adapted below is an excellent cold, rainy day dish, which is perfect for the dreary day that we're currently experiencing in central Indiana. The book, by the way, is a favorite in our house. It's full of homey, easy recipes with a European emphasis. The desserts, especially the Nantucket Cranberry Cake, are always crowd pleasers.
White Bean, Sweet Potato, and Pepper Ragout
adapted from Simple Vegetarian Pleasures by Jeanne Lemlin
Serves 2 greedy people or 3 regular folks - Ben and I devoured the whole thing for lunch, no sweat.
Olive oil
1 large green pepper or 2 small sweet peppers (one of which must be green), cut into 1/2 inch by 2 inch pieces
1 large sweet potato, cut in half lengthwise and sliced into 1/4 inch half-moons (Lemlin recommends pealing them, but we like to leave the skins on)
4 minced garlic cloves
1/2 teaspoon rosemary, finely chopped (that's typically the leaves from one small shoot)
1 14-ounce can of diced tomatoes
1 14-ounce can of white beans
salt and pepper to taste
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the peppers and cook, stirring regularly, for 5 minutes.
Add the potatoes, garlic, and rosemary. Continue to cook for about 8 minutes, stirring regularly. Don't worry about the little bits sticking to the bottom - they'll make the sauce great later on.
Add the remaining ingredients, being generous with the pepper. Cook, with occasional stirring, for about 20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Serve in wide bowls with crusty bread.
Other ideas for this lovely ingredient couple?
Sweet potato oven fries with rosemary are a great side dish.
Sweet potatoes mashed with rosemary-infused oil is a great quick side, as are roasted sweet potatoes with fresh, chopped rosemary or infused oil.
Martha has a delicious-looking caramelized sweet potato focaccia that has lovely rosemary sprigs.
Sweet potato soup with rosemary croutons would be a perfect cool-season comfort soup. -- I'd modify the linked-to recipe, replacing the pancetta with crisped onions and the chicken broth with vegetable broth.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Valentines, Revisited
Last night, Ben and I were lucky to attend a simple, sweet wedding in a gorgeous place with a group of lovely people. We're not really big V-Day people. I am not of the heart-loving variety of girls, and my guy adheres to a non-conformist view of romance. But all that baggage aside, the short, heartfelt ceremony, yummy foods, and good company shifted me toward a pink and red perspective. That perspective came in handy, since my legs were covered in bright-pink tights.
I forgot my camera, but there were nifty treats that I have tucked in my mental steal-this-food-concept file. Namely:
I forgot my camera, but there were nifty treats that I have tucked in my mental steal-this-food-concept file. Namely:
- Fig, blue cheese, caramelized onion & rosemary bruschetta bites - a combination I always mean to make for a party, but tend to forget. Usually, the fig-walnut goat cheese plate tends to distract me.
- Shrimp cocktail served in a shot glass with ample sauce - we're unlikely to serve this exact dish at a cocktail party, but I love the idea of serving something with the sauce in this manner.
- Grilled cheese. I gobbled up several grilled cheese triangles and was reminded of how much fun it can be to serve this up to a smallish crowd. My absolute favorite Domino food article featured several great iterations of this childhood classic. Again, this was a reminder moment, but a really great reminder! Here's a picture from the Domino article...
- Another great idea to steal was the red velvet cake. This crimson cake is perfect for the holiday and such a fun kitschy surprise for guests. Recipes? Go to Confections of a Foodie Bride for a cute cupcake version, while Mac & Cheese goes dairy- and egg-free with a recipe from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
ricotta (hearts) roasted tomato
The featured culinary romance for today's installment of the "ingredient (hearts) ingredient series": ricotta (hearts) roasted tomatoes.
Now, I don't know about you, but I didn't grow up in a ricotta-loving house. In fact, it rarely even made its way into our middle-American-style lasagna. In my childhood home, lasagna was just chewy mozzarella and jarred tomato sauce between layers of pasta, which suited me quite well. Eventually, my high school boyfriend owned a copy of The Essential Vegetarian Cookbook by Diana Shaw which had a simple little recipe for roasted tomatoes, along with the suggestion to toss the tomatoes with basil, salt, pasta, and a healthy heap of ricotta cheese. That is how the following recipe came into my life. Modifications have developed since my school days, but the basic idea remains the same -- creamy ricotta, tart almost caramelized tomatoes, and starchy pasta goodness, all punctuated with a heavy does of salt and pepper.
Roasted Tomatoes
1 pint of cherry tomatoes OR 8-10 roma tomatoes OR 4-5 juicy tomatoes (whatever looks best - in winter, that's rarely the juicy sort)
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
olive oil to lightly coat the tomatoes
salt and pepper
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. If using Roma or garden-variety tomatoes, core and quarter them. Toss the tomatoes, garlic, and olive oil together in a small casserole or jelly roll pan. I usually line it with parchment paper or aluminum foil, for easy clean-up. The casserole with given you a juicier product, the jelly roll is more likely to produce a bit of carmelization. You can add woody herbs at this point, if you have some on hand. Season with salt and pepper and roast for 30 to 40 minutes until the tomatoes begin to brown (non-cherry) or pop (cherry).
(At this point, you can save those little gems for a variety of uses: sandwich filler; key ingredient for roast-y salsa; a simple, pretty side dish; the base of a blender soup; or a lovely companion for pesto in any situation. They also freeze pretty well - a solution for summer over-abundant tomato crops in summer.)
But back to our perfect pair... Roasted tomatoes must get down with ricotta.
Roasted Tomato-Ricotta Pasta
1/2 pound of pasta - penne and rigatoni work nicely
1/2 cup to 3/4 cup ricotta cheese
roasted tomatoes (see above)
red pepper flakes to taste
salt and pepper to taste
Cook the pasta, drain, and return it to the pot. Add the ricotta, roasted tomatoes, pepper flakes, salt and pepper. (Don't hold back on the salt and pepper; the ricotta sucks it up.) Stir it all up. Dish it up. To make it all a little bit more special, you can add basil leaves or fresh chopped chives.
________
You can also mix up some ricotta and fresh herbs, smear the herby cheese on toasted bread, and top it all with roasted tomatoes for a fun party snack.
Now, I don't know about you, but I didn't grow up in a ricotta-loving house. In fact, it rarely even made its way into our middle-American-style lasagna. In my childhood home, lasagna was just chewy mozzarella and jarred tomato sauce between layers of pasta, which suited me quite well. Eventually, my high school boyfriend owned a copy of The Essential Vegetarian Cookbook by Diana Shaw which had a simple little recipe for roasted tomatoes, along with the suggestion to toss the tomatoes with basil, salt, pasta, and a healthy heap of ricotta cheese. That is how the following recipe came into my life. Modifications have developed since my school days, but the basic idea remains the same -- creamy ricotta, tart almost caramelized tomatoes, and starchy pasta goodness, all punctuated with a heavy does of salt and pepper.
Roasted Tomatoes1 pint of cherry tomatoes OR 8-10 roma tomatoes OR 4-5 juicy tomatoes (whatever looks best - in winter, that's rarely the juicy sort)
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
olive oil to lightly coat the tomatoes
salt and pepper
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. If using Roma or garden-variety tomatoes, core and quarter them. Toss the tomatoes, garlic, and olive oil together in a small casserole or jelly roll pan. I usually line it with parchment paper or aluminum foil, for easy clean-up. The casserole with given you a juicier product, the jelly roll is more likely to produce a bit of carmelization. You can add woody herbs at this point, if you have some on hand. Season with salt and pepper and roast for 30 to 40 minutes until the tomatoes begin to brown (non-cherry) or pop (cherry).
(At this point, you can save those little gems for a variety of uses: sandwich filler; key ingredient for roast-y salsa; a simple, pretty side dish; the base of a blender soup; or a lovely companion for pesto in any situation. They also freeze pretty well - a solution for summer over-abundant tomato crops in summer.)
But back to our perfect pair... Roasted tomatoes must get down with ricotta.
Roasted Tomato-Ricotta Pasta
1/2 pound of pasta - penne and rigatoni work nicely
1/2 cup to 3/4 cup ricotta cheese
roasted tomatoes (see above)
red pepper flakes to taste
salt and pepper to taste
Cook the pasta, drain, and return it to the pot. Add the ricotta, roasted tomatoes, pepper flakes, salt and pepper. (Don't hold back on the salt and pepper; the ricotta sucks it up.) Stir it all up. Dish it up. To make it all a little bit more special, you can add basil leaves or fresh chopped chives.
________
You can also mix up some ricotta and fresh herbs, smear the herby cheese on toasted bread, and top it all with roasted tomatoes for a fun party snack.
Monday, February 11, 2008
beets (heart) tangy dairy
Today is the beginning of a brand-new "ingredient (hearts) ingredient" series, and it will begin with more soup swap follow-up! In honor of the ridiculous marketing effort and occasionally heartfelt holiday that is Valentine's Day, I will be posting about my favorite food combinations this week. These are the sort of combinations in which an ingredient falls deeply in love with another ingredient and amplifies all that is good about the object of affection while maintaining a sense of individuality. You know, just how love ought to be. And today, I present: beets (heart) tangy dairy!
Behold: Beets love tangy dairy, in this case exemplified by Mitch's Beet-Walnut soup with a little bit of creme fraiche swirled in. Based on how delicious this soup was, we could have just as easily been thinking about how much beets (heart) walnuts. Or even Kirsten (hearts) beets. But I am not a food item, so that would have ruined the series. Mitch recommended this addition to his lovely soup, and it was delicious! I don't have a copy of the original recipe, but here are a link to a different beet soup with creme fraiche.
But do not limit this loving partnership to soup alone! Let roasted beets befriend goat cheese rounds in a salad made with arugula. Make up a different sort of salad with shredded beets, Greek yogurt, and mint to serve with Middle Eastern, Mediterranean or similar meals. Compose a great side dish of beet greens, beet slices, and horseradish-spiked sour cream.
I could spend many meals allowing the beets to (heart) those tangy dairy products. The flavor created by combining the earthy beets with tart, tangy creaminess is so fabulous that the gorgeous pinks and reds produced by this love-match are only a secondary, though very holiday-appropriate, benefit.
Do you have a favorite example of how much beets (heart) tangy dairy? *** By the way, if anyone knows some quick easy code for the heart symbol, I'd love to find out what it is.
Behold: Beets love tangy dairy, in this case exemplified by Mitch's Beet-Walnut soup with a little bit of creme fraiche swirled in. Based on how delicious this soup was, we could have just as easily been thinking about how much beets (heart) walnuts. Or even Kirsten (hearts) beets. But I am not a food item, so that would have ruined the series. Mitch recommended this addition to his lovely soup, and it was delicious! I don't have a copy of the original recipe, but here are a link to a different beet soup with creme fraiche.
But do not limit this loving partnership to soup alone! Let roasted beets befriend goat cheese rounds in a salad made with arugula. Make up a different sort of salad with shredded beets, Greek yogurt, and mint to serve with Middle Eastern, Mediterranean or similar meals. Compose a great side dish of beet greens, beet slices, and horseradish-spiked sour cream.
I could spend many meals allowing the beets to (heart) those tangy dairy products. The flavor created by combining the earthy beets with tart, tangy creaminess is so fabulous that the gorgeous pinks and reds produced by this love-match are only a secondary, though very holiday-appropriate, benefit.
Do you have a favorite example of how much beets (heart) tangy dairy? *** By the way, if anyone knows some quick easy code for the heart symbol, I'd love to find out what it is.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
eating out too much
Something very bad and also very good happened this last week. After several weeks of moderate dining-out activities, I ate out too much. The run down, with mini-reviews:
Thursday night was dinner with a lovely group of ladies at Istanbul Cafe. I'd been there before, but this experience was even yummier than the last. Our group of eight shared several appetizers: the platter of dips and whatnot (good), the cheese borek (so very good), and the zucchini pancakes (perfect and paired with a delicious yogurt sauce). Last time, I got the vegetarian grill, which was good, but the vegetarian stuffed cabbage that I ate on Thursday night was truly amazing. As a proud mostly-Irish woman, I love good cabbage dishes as much as I enjoy potatoes. These cabbage rolls, filled with rice, herbs, and vegetables, and served with a tomato sauce and more of the yogurt sauce, were ideal for the cold weather. We also went a little bit crazy with the desserts and one was especially great - it had goat cheese, shredded wheat bits and a syrup. Can anyone remind me of its name???
Friday lunch was Jockamo's in Irvington with my mom. Despite frequent raves from my sister, my mom and step-dad, my coworker, and anyone else that had eaten there, it took me a while to head to this new pizza place. Since it was lunch, we just did the slice and salad combo. My piece of spinach-mushroom had a crisp crust, good sauce, the right amount of toppings, and a generous but not overdone layer of cheese. But the standout was the creamy Gorgonzola dressing that came with the little lunch salad. Next time, I'll get it on the side, so I can dip my crust into any leftover dressing.
Friday night, Ben and I used a gift card from his dad and step-mom to go crazy at the Melting Pot. While we stick to cheese and chocolate, we love fondue at home; it's an annual feature at Ben's birthday party. Because we'll be going to a wedding on Valentine's Day, we decided to think of our dinner as our v-day treat. That's why Ben's wearing a tie (a thrifted Pendleton gem) above. The most note-worthy part of the Melting Pot was the service. Our server, Christopher, made our meal fun and was pretty low-key about the service-heavy style of dining. The classic fondue cheese was good; the salad, okay; and the main course, good; but the make-your-own chocolate fondue of dark chocolate and cointreau was made especially exciting with the dip-able rice crispie treats. The best part: it was an engaging way to have a fun date with my guy. And I can't say enough how grateful we are to Ben's dad and step-mom for making it all possible.
Saturday, despite our best intentions, we ended up at India Garden in Broad Ripple for lunch. Good, as always. The pakoras were especially good. Saturday night was a good friend's 40th birthday party, catered by Yats. I can not overstate my love for Yats and Joe, the owner. We ate Yats at our rehearsal dinner. I could eat Yats every day of the week. I ate plenty of Yats at the party.
Least proud of all, we ended up at Steak 'n' Shake Sunday night. Too much party on Saturday night led to it. That's as much as I'm willing to divulge.
This week, I've promised myself that I will be better and get some cooking done!
Thursday night was dinner with a lovely group of ladies at Istanbul Cafe. I'd been there before, but this experience was even yummier than the last. Our group of eight shared several appetizers: the platter of dips and whatnot (good), the cheese borek (so very good), and the zucchini pancakes (perfect and paired with a delicious yogurt sauce). Last time, I got the vegetarian grill, which was good, but the vegetarian stuffed cabbage that I ate on Thursday night was truly amazing. As a proud mostly-Irish woman, I love good cabbage dishes as much as I enjoy potatoes. These cabbage rolls, filled with rice, herbs, and vegetables, and served with a tomato sauce and more of the yogurt sauce, were ideal for the cold weather. We also went a little bit crazy with the desserts and one was especially great - it had goat cheese, shredded wheat bits and a syrup. Can anyone remind me of its name???
Friday lunch was Jockamo's in Irvington with my mom. Despite frequent raves from my sister, my mom and step-dad, my coworker, and anyone else that had eaten there, it took me a while to head to this new pizza place. Since it was lunch, we just did the slice and salad combo. My piece of spinach-mushroom had a crisp crust, good sauce, the right amount of toppings, and a generous but not overdone layer of cheese. But the standout was the creamy Gorgonzola dressing that came with the little lunch salad. Next time, I'll get it on the side, so I can dip my crust into any leftover dressing.
Friday night, Ben and I used a gift card from his dad and step-mom to go crazy at the Melting Pot. While we stick to cheese and chocolate, we love fondue at home; it's an annual feature at Ben's birthday party. Because we'll be going to a wedding on Valentine's Day, we decided to think of our dinner as our v-day treat. That's why Ben's wearing a tie (a thrifted Pendleton gem) above. The most note-worthy part of the Melting Pot was the service. Our server, Christopher, made our meal fun and was pretty low-key about the service-heavy style of dining. The classic fondue cheese was good; the salad, okay; and the main course, good; but the make-your-own chocolate fondue of dark chocolate and cointreau was made especially exciting with the dip-able rice crispie treats. The best part: it was an engaging way to have a fun date with my guy. And I can't say enough how grateful we are to Ben's dad and step-mom for making it all possible.
Saturday, despite our best intentions, we ended up at India Garden in Broad Ripple for lunch. Good, as always. The pakoras were especially good. Saturday night was a good friend's 40th birthday party, catered by Yats. I can not overstate my love for Yats and Joe, the owner. We ate Yats at our rehearsal dinner. I could eat Yats every day of the week. I ate plenty of Yats at the party.
Least proud of all, we ended up at Steak 'n' Shake Sunday night. Too much party on Saturday night led to it. That's as much as I'm willing to divulge.
This week, I've promised myself that I will be better and get some cooking done!
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Asian-Esque Crudite
As I described previously, our last first Friday party had a sort-of Asian feel. My favorite little discovery of the evening was the sesame aioli that we served with the crudite. We also whipped up a peanut dip, but we eat peanut sauce about once a week at this house, sometimes with West African flavors, sometimes with southeast Asian flavors, sometimes with Caribbean flavors. We may have been unimpressed by ourselves, but the peanut dip is vegan, and we like to have plenty of vegan options for our dairy-less friends.
The peanut sauce doesn't really have a recipe. Basically, we mix 2 or 3 tablespoons of natural peanut butter ("natural" is important - you don't want anything too sugary), a splash of coconut milk, juice from one or two limes, and a miserly few drops of chili oil, then season the whole thing with garlic, ginger, or whatever flavors feel right at the time. Coriander and clove are great options. On Friday, we had Thai basil and cilantro, so I chopped up some of that and stirred it in.
But the aioli, ah the aioli. I very slightly adapted a recipe from my Vegetarian Appetizers cookbook. In the book Paulette Mitchell recommends serving it with asparagus. But asparagus in early February in Indianapolis? You don't want to eat that and neither do we. So, here's the recipe that we served with radish rounds (halves are probably a better idea) and blanched snow peas:
Toasted Sesame Aioli
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons of mayonnaise
1 tablespoon of Greek-style yogurt
2 teaspoons of sesame oil (the toasted Asian kind)
2 teaspoons tamari soy sauce
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1 clove of garlic, minced
Toast the sesame seeds for 8 to 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Let the seeds cool.
Mix all the ingredients together.
You're all done.
Peanuts to the front, aioli to the back:
The peanut sauce doesn't really have a recipe. Basically, we mix 2 or 3 tablespoons of natural peanut butter ("natural" is important - you don't want anything too sugary), a splash of coconut milk, juice from one or two limes, and a miserly few drops of chili oil, then season the whole thing with garlic, ginger, or whatever flavors feel right at the time. Coriander and clove are great options. On Friday, we had Thai basil and cilantro, so I chopped up some of that and stirred it in.
But the aioli, ah the aioli. I very slightly adapted a recipe from my Vegetarian Appetizers cookbook. In the book Paulette Mitchell recommends serving it with asparagus. But asparagus in early February in Indianapolis? You don't want to eat that and neither do we. So, here's the recipe that we served with radish rounds (halves are probably a better idea) and blanched snow peas:
Toasted Sesame Aioli
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons of mayonnaise
1 tablespoon of Greek-style yogurt
2 teaspoons of sesame oil (the toasted Asian kind)
2 teaspoons tamari soy sauce
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1 clove of garlic, minced
Toast the sesame seeds for 8 to 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Let the seeds cool.
Mix all the ingredients together.
You're all done.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Who likes to rock the party?
I found a fun little post over at Decorno about big parties in small spaces that reminded me of something...
I've completely neglected to write about our happy little shindigs. We throw a monthly party, of the family-friendly cocktail variety, on first Fridays here in our bungalow. (For non-Naptowners, every first Friday, local galleries invite folks to storm their doors and generally encourage art consumption. With our semi-arty group of friends, it's a social event in our circle.) Last year, after our successful New Year's Eve party, we decided to host something more regular, to provide an outlet for my need to plan, my desire to have a regular home-cleaning push, and our social needs. We skip January, because of our now-annual New Year's Eve bash, represented above.
If you have a calendar, then you know that last Friday was a first Friday. What did we serve? Well, we always have at least two savory bites, one sweet snack, and two drinks, one with alcohol and one without. So, this month it was:
Ingredients:
One package of wasabi-flavored rice crackers
6 ounces goat cheese
2 ounces creme fraiche (sour cream would work in a pinch)
10 ounces frozen, shell edamame
fresh chives
Prepare the edamame according to your package (basically, boil some water, throw the edamame in, take it out once they are unfrozen but not starchy). Drain and set aside.
Bring the goat cheese to room temperature and mix it up with the creme fraiche.
Mince the chives. Lightly chop half of the edamame and add chives to taste.
Lightly spread the cheese on a cracker, put a little bit of the edamame on top. Eat up!
I've completely neglected to write about our happy little shindigs. We throw a monthly party, of the family-friendly cocktail variety, on first Fridays here in our bungalow. (For non-Naptowners, every first Friday, local galleries invite folks to storm their doors and generally encourage art consumption. With our semi-arty group of friends, it's a social event in our circle.) Last year, after our successful New Year's Eve party, we decided to host something more regular, to provide an outlet for my need to plan, my desire to have a regular home-cleaning push, and our social needs. We skip January, because of our now-annual New Year's Eve bash, represented above.
If you have a calendar, then you know that last Friday was a first Friday. What did we serve? Well, we always have at least two savory bites, one sweet snack, and two drinks, one with alcohol and one without. So, this month it was:
- Radish and snow pea crudite with a sesame aioli and peanut sauce
- Veggie potstickers, thanks to Saraga, with a simple soy dipping sauce
- Wasabi rice crackers with goat cheese and edamame tapenade
- Green & pink coconut tapioca pudding with lychee
- Korean-ish cinnamon-ginger-persimmon punch
- Mango-lychee vodka drink (I know, this needs a better name)
Ingredients:
One package of wasabi-flavored rice crackers
6 ounces goat cheese
2 ounces creme fraiche (sour cream would work in a pinch)
10 ounces frozen, shell edamame
fresh chives
Prepare the edamame according to your package (basically, boil some water, throw the edamame in, take it out once they are unfrozen but not starchy). Drain and set aside.
Bring the goat cheese to room temperature and mix it up with the creme fraiche.
Mince the chives. Lightly chop half of the edamame and add chives to taste.
Lightly spread the cheese on a cracker, put a little bit of the edamame on top. Eat up!
Monday, February 4, 2008
Richard's Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Day Potato Soup
More Soup Swap follow-up:While I was quite excited to post Nikki's Black Bean soup recipe, the sad fact is that Ben and I did not get a quart of her soup. But Ben was fortunate enough to nab some of Richard's Potato Soup. Since this baby was loaded with bacon and chicken broth, it was all Ben's. He heated it up last night and was delighted that he didn't have to share. I can attest that it smelled delicious and that my guy was plenty happy to gobble up the whole container and the amazing black currant glazed onion rings that came with it. Ben says, "It was astronomically gastronomical!"
Richard (that's his profile above) described this soup as "an off-the-cuff potato soup made for the first time Monday, January 21, 2008" and "laden with cream." If you are of the omnivorous persuasion, I would strongly recommend that you make it for the first time very soon. Here's the recipe:
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Day Potato Soup topped with Black Currant Glazed Onion Rings
Ingredients:
2 quarts chicken broth
5 lbs. Yukon gold potatoes, diced
1 large sweet onion, diced
1 quart heavy cream
1 pint sour cream
1 cup dry Alsatian wine (Huegel's Reisling, vintage 2002 in this case)
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon powdered thyme
1 tablespoon coarse sea salt
Coarsely ground fresh black pepper (30 twists of the mill)
6 strips smoked bacon, crumbled
Preparation:
In a 6-quart stock pot combine chicken stock, potatoes, onion, bay leaf, thyme, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for two hours until you cook the crap out of the potatoes (that's a direct Richard quote).
Remove bay leaf. Strain potatoes and onions from stock. Blend potatoes and onions until smooth. Return to stock.
Stir in wine, cream, sour cream, and bacon. Serve hot, with glazed onions (recipe below).
Glazed Onions:
1 large onion cut in thin rings
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup black currant preserves
Saute onions in olive oil and butter until brown. Deglaze pan with black currant preserves. Stir to coat onions until fully coated and crispy and preserves have been reduced.
Richard, LonPaul, and Rupert heading out after the swap:
Sakura's Tofu Steak
Another in my series of little pleasures: Sakura's Tofu Steak.
A few weeks ago, I was talking with good vegan friend Tim about Sakura and what he eats when he goes there. He told me about what he'll order from this always accommodating sushi standby (and I mean standby in the nicest possible way). I asked him if he'd ordered the tofu steak, and he looked at me as if he'd never realized such a thing existed on the menu. No tofu steak, Tim?!?! Tim's inexperience offered me an opportunity to lovingly describe what may be my favorite tofu-based item at any local restaurant, and I'll do the same for you below.
To make their lovely tofu steak, the good folks at Sakura (pan?)fry a silken slab of tofu, bathe it in a yummy sweet-soy glaze and then sprinkle sesame seeds all over it. An order comes with two slabs, meaning that, if you are as competitive and food-focused as Ben and I, you and a dinner companion can divvy up portions without argument. The glaze/sauce is amazing. In fact, it is so good that after Ben and I finished our little steaks on my birthday and were waiting for the next course, Ben repeatedly dipped his finger into the sauce and then up to his mouth. He didn't even realize what he was doing until I asked him to stop. The sauce is that good!
Now, I haven't grilled any Sakura servers with the critical is-that-really-vegan question list, but I'm pretty sure that the steaks are vegan. If you know any different, please let me and/or Tim know.
Friday, February 1, 2008
Indy Food Hints
I don't intend to spend a ton of time highlighting local food commerce issues. Feed Me/Drink Me seems to do that quite well enough. But, but, but I saw two things this week that I think anyone in the central Indiana area should know about. And these are those things:
- Kahn's is having an "Adult Liquid-ation Sale" from February 1st to 9th. They mean business with 25% of wine bottles $50 and higher, 20% off wines $20-$49, 15% all under-$20 wine, 15% all liquor and bear, and 25% off wine accessories and crystal. Wowza!
- Okay, so I don't eat the pork, but many do, so I think it's necessary to pass along this information. Goose the Market has some Pata Negra, some jamón ibérico de bellota, and they are ready to sell it for, well, let's say they're ready to sell you an arm and a leg for an arm and a leg. If you love pork and work neither for a nonprofit nor a local health food store or other limited-income concern, you should head over to Goose and fork over $5 for a taste or $82 per pound for this little sucker.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
