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Showing posts from 2011

What you can REALLY do with that nitrous in the whipped cream charger...

I'm a geek. I'm not a science genius, but I like knowing why and how things work--including cooking. What I really love is when amazing chefs and science geniuses team up and give FREE lectures. Check out the Science and Cooking Public Lectures at Harvard! Better yet, these lectures you can watch in your pjs, smoking jacket, muumuu, etc, from the comfort of your own home. Watch them...Monday nights at 7: http://video.isites. harvard .edu/liveVideo/liveView.do?name= Science Cooking Schedule Here: http://seas.harvard.edu/cooking Tonight's fantastic lecture featured Harold McGee and Dave Arnold . Any many thanks to the Hungry Musicologist over at Food, Wine & Song , for the heads up!

REVIEW: Mission Street Food-Recipes and Ideas from an Improbable Restaurant

Mission Street Food: Recipes and Ideas from an Improbable Restaurant by Karen Leibowitz My rating: 5 of 5 stars First, let me start with some full disclosure. I know one of the authors of this phenomenal book. That said, we haven’t seen each other or talked to each other in over twenty years. Karen Leibowitz and I went to elementary school together, and for a short time, even took tennis lessons together. Through the wonders of the internet, and some gentle stalking research, I learned that Karen has been busy—you know, the usual: getting a doctorate while starting a wildly successful restaurant/concept/model for humanity in the meantime. Oh, right. And then there’s this book. And do not be fooled—yes, it has recipes, so one might call it a cookbook. But “cookbook” doesn’t begin to touch this amazingly honest, engaging, inspiring, and creative narrative about two people, their friends, their perseverance, their sheer luck, and the joy to be had in both dreams and realities

Miscellanea: Sicilian Caramelized Onions and Homemade Pita Chips

Last month, my family came to visit. My father, who has recently been getting back in touch with his Sicilian roots, is a wonderful cook and I'll admit that I've always been a little daunted cooking for people who cook really well. At any rate, we decided to have a barbeque, invited a few close friends, and I cooked...for three days. This was certainly the most cooking in which I have ever engaged for a single event. Because the attendees to our barbeque ran the gamut of dietary concerns and preferences, I wanted variety. And variety there was. The menu (aside from the meat, which we left to my dad to grill): homemade roasted peppers Sicilian caramelized onions homemade pita chips tabbouleh Amish slaw Chorizo salad watermelon and fresh mint salad To keep this blog post short and sweet, I'll only blog two recipes (the ones that are hyperlinked have been blogged before). First, the pita chips. My dad wanted to help me in the kitchen (something toward which I am usuall

A Pie for Mikey

This came in over Facebook from Simply Recipes. It is a beautiful tribute video for Mikey, the husband of Jennifer Perillo What I love about the video, in addition to the beautiful and touching thoughts from the online food community, is the beauty of the process. For me, there is much comfort to be found in the making of food...food that takes time, commitment, and concentration. This video captures it beautifully. Grief is also a process, as the saying goes. But it isn't just rhetoric. I just hope Jennifer feels the warmth of community as she cooks in grief's kitchen. And someday, the sun will re-enter the window as she makes Mikey's favorite pie, and she'll know he's smiling as she takes it out of the oven.

Experiments in Granola

Reb's Granola It is rare when I find something to be outrageously expensive (like a small box of granola for $9) that I decide to go ahead and make my own. I usually just go without. The other morning, however, I was determined to make my own granola because I had a recipe from one of my favorite books ( The Craft of Baking ), and a whole cabinet full of various nuts and dried fruits which I needed to empty. Is it hard? No. Is it time consuming? Yes. This explains only a SMALL fraction of the markup, I assure you. I doctored the recipe a bit, so we can say it is largely based on the original with a few modifications. Anything I modified or added is in italics. Reb's Granola (based on Karen DeMasco's "Toasted Nut & Honey Granola") INGREDIENTS: 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes 2 1/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats 1/3 cup hazelnuts, roughly chopped 1/2 cup slivered almonds 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil* 2 tablespoons honey 2 tablespoons packed dark

Scallion & Scape "Chimichurri" & balsamic lamb chops

So, given that I bought a large amount of scallions and scapes at this last week's Union Square Farmer's Market , I thought it rather serendipitous that this recipe from Elly Says Opa! should pop up in my Google Reader feed today! I had lamb shoulder chops on hand, so I figured, why not? I threw together a quick recipe for the chops that would balance the sour/savory qualities of the "chimichurri." I used about 4 scapes instead of 2, and I had some sort of semi-dried pepper in the fridge, so that got pulverized in the food processor as well. As for the lamb chops (serves 2): 3 tablespoons olive oil 2 high quality lamb chops (mine were from Stillman's Farm) 2 teaspoons salt 2 teaspoons sweet paprika 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar rub chops with salt and sweet paprika on both sides heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a skillet/pan over medium heat pan-fry chops until cooked through (about 8 min each side, depending on thickness of chops) just before the lamb is done, pour

The Best Meal I've Ever Had

No, I'm not joking. I've been to a lot of nice restaurants and have had some amazing meals, but while I was in Quebec City a few weeks ago, I had the PERFECT dinner. Where? Restaurant Initiale Rather unassuming from the outside, you might walk right by it. My husband had made a reservation there and we were surprised when they told us that 6:30 was the only seating available (this was a Wednesday evening, not at the height of tourist season). We soon found out why. When we arrived at the restaurant, we were greeted graciously by the host, who was an elegant and classy woman whose responsibilities seemed like a cross between a host and a concierge. She showed us to our table and we soon understood that we were to be only one of four couples in the entire room for the rest of the evening. The room was dimly lit, but not so dark that we couldn't see our food, which would have been a tragedy given the presentation of each dish. We started with lovely cocktails (I had the Kir

Summer BBQ: Herb-Marinated Pork Loin; Amish Slaw; and Tabbouleh

When it is hot, as it has been for the last several days here in Boston, I tend to avoid turning on the oven as much as possible, and use it as a great excuse to dine outside. I've had several Ina Garten recipes that call for grilling that I end up broiling in the toaster oven due to lack of motivation to fire up the grill. Finally, however, we tried Garten's Herb-Marinated Pork Tenderloin on the bbq. It is really very good...especially in the summer when you want a "lighter" meat. I'm not totally sure how I feel about lemon and pork, to be honest...there is a moment of adjustment when I first taste it, but then it is decidedly delicious. I think the fresh rosemary, thyme, garlic, and dijon save it. The lemon sort of "summers up" these more traditional pork seasonings. Now, looking back at my blog, I can't believe I haven't already blogged my Amish Slaw recipe...it is part of what I call the Summer Salad Marathon (SSM), but I actually make it

Lamb Persillade & French String Bean Salad

I love lamb. And I've cooked it in almost every form (chops, roasts, kofta...) EXCEPT rack of lamb. I've had this fear, you see, because I always remember the very elaborate crown roast my parents made once for a dinner party long ago. At any rate, now that the school year is over, I decided it was time to get over that. So, as usual, if I want a recipe I'm almost guaranteed to like, I turn to Ina Garten. Here's Ina's Lamb Persillade recipe (also found in her Barefoot in Paris cookbook). It truly was easy. I undercooked it a bit much (I like med rare), but the leftovers were fantastic, broiled in the toaster oven. Just cut how many you want to eat for lunch and broil them (if your original rack was rare...otherwise, I'd just heat them). I served it with two other Ina Garten recipes: Pasta with Pecorino and Pepper (which may be my all-time favorite easy pasta recipe because it goes with so many other dishes) and her French String Bean Salad ( How Easy is That

Seafood Extravaganza 3: Green Bean and Seared Shrimp Salad with Spicy Curry Vinaigrette

This is the last of my Seafood Extravaganza posts (three total). This one is a lot shorter than the last . This recipe is, once again, from Barbara Lynch's Stir cookbook. This is a fantastic recipe (not reproduced verbatim here) and next time I'll be a little more liberal with the red curry paste...it was subtle and wonderful, but I'll be happy for a little more kick) Vinaigrette: chopped shallot , white wine vinegar , Thai red curry paste , grapeseed oil , crème fraîche Shrimp is lightly sauteed in olive oil, haricots verts are blanched, and hazelnuts are toasted in oven and chopped when cool (skins rubbed off with paper towel after toasting---neat trick!). Toss everything together with some sliced radishes and cilantro , and the dressing!

Seafood Extravaganza 2: Saffron-Steamed Mussels with Crème Fraîche

One might subtitle this post: Or, Why Not to Cook When You Don't Feel Well. It doesn't help that celery, fennel and leeks all begin to look rather alike--especially when cut into matchsticks. But have no fear--this "mistake" actually turned out well in the end...at least for the mussels While on "Spring Break" which I affectionately refer to as "Break from Teaching, but little else," I've been focusing on going trough my fantastic Stir cookbook by Barbara Lynch. After conquering clams the week before, I felt it was time to try mussels, which, frankly, are more of a pain to clean. I wish I had looked at Ina Garten's Barefoot in Paris, because I just found a great description of how to clean mussels, but I managed. Mussels have these annoying "beards" that one must remove. I didn't soak the mussels as Garten recommends, and I wonder if this would have made the beard-removal easier. Moreover, half the beard stays IN the musse

Seafood Extravaganza 1: Linguine with Clams, Fennel, Leeks and Saffron

I've been on a seafood kick for the last two weeks, largely due to the fabulous seafood I can buy at the Somerville Winter's Farmers Market. I've never cooked shellfish, and I decided it was time to try. I started with some fresh littleneck clams and used this recipe that I found on Cookthink. I used gluten-free linguine (because I happened to have some), so it made this already healthy recipe even healthier. It was very tasty. I'd probably be more generous with the saffron threads next time (see more about that in my next post ), and if making it for company, I'd serve it with the clam shells (that I took the time to scrub!). It will make a lovely summer dish as well, followed by some kind of lemony dessert.

Winters Farmer Market: Fish with Avocado Relish and Carrot Puree; Rosemary Almond Orzo Pilaf

I will start with a confession. I don't like avocados. Yes, I am from California, and I do NOT like avocados. Ok, mash 'em up with lots of spices, lime juice, etc. and call it guacamole and we are all good. So...why I would make something with avocado for the first time now that it is winter in Massachusetts is beyond me, but this recipe from the March 2011 issue of Real Simple jumped out at me: Pollock with avocado relish and carrot puree (click link for recipe) I used these amazing carrots I bought at the Somerville Winters Farmers Market from Winter Moon Farm for the purée. Something about a mixture of kalamata olives and avocado appealed to me--I can handle avocado when it is in smaller chunks--it is the slices that trouble me. I didn't have pollock, but substituted haddock from Jordan Bros Seafood (also purchased at the Somerville Winters Farmers Market). This recipe was healthy, delicious, and colorful--and would be great for summer. I used the leftover carrot pu

Winter Farmer's Market: Pork Chops with Caramelized Apples, Celery and Spiced Walnuts

I have wanted to use a recipe from Barbara Lynch's Stir cookbook, almost as much as I've wanted to go to her restaurant, No. 9 Park . Most of the recipes aren't weeknight-type meals, but this one looked like something I could handle. I bought some great pork chops from Stillman's at the Turkey Farm at the Somerville Winter Farmers Market , along with some apples as well. I'm actually not a big fan of apples with pork chops, usually, but the caramelization did the trick here! Mmm....caramelized apples... Due to copyright, I won't give the amounts, but the ingredients are as follows: Pork Chops with Caramelized Apples, Celery, and Spiced Walnuts grapeseed or canola oil (I used grapeseed) pork chops, about 1 1/2 in thick salt and pepper Honeycrisp or Granny Smith apple (I used the latter) sugar (for caramelizing) unsalted butter (for caramelizing) chopped fresh thyme celery stalks, sliced very thinly on the diagonal whole parsley leaves (1/4 cup...quite a lot--

Winter Farmer's Market: Marinated Flounder fillets in Ravigote Sauce

I own many cookbooks. I enjoy looking through them and I'm a sucker for good food photography. However, after buying flounder at last week's Somerville Winter Farmer's Market, I discovered that I have a dearth of flounder recipes. It is only since moving to New England that I've been cooking fish regularly, so I'm still sort of shy when it comes to substituting one fish for another in a recipe (ok, except for whitefishes). So, I turned to The Joy of Cooking which remains one of the most inspiring cookbooks of all time and does so without the use of photographs (for me, this is saying a lot). First challenge was that the flounder is to be marinated in tarragon vinegar. No such vinegar was to be found at the store, so, I try to be resourceful: With that out of the way (I let the tarragon sit in white wine vinegar for a couple of hours until the vinegar smelled like tarragon (+ vinegar)), I could get going on the sauce. Ravigote Sauce is an adaptation of Velouté sau

Winter Farmer's Market: Potato-Leek Soup

Potato-Leek Soup (The City Tavern Cookbook) and onion & garlic burrata on sunflower bread I had a lovely morning at the Farmer's Market, enjoying a chance to chat briefly with two fabulous people (hi, Alex and Claire!), and I headed straight for Jordan Bros. Fish upstairs, having enjoyed the scallops I bought last week. This week I bought some flounder (in addition to more scallops), which I will be making tomorrow night. Next to Jordan Bros. were two of my favorite Somerville companies: Taza Chocolate and Fiore di Nonno , so some 80% chocolate and Onion/Garlic burrata jumped into my bag. When I got home I realized I still had potatoes and leeks from last week's market ( Enterprise Farm ) that I never cooked, and the leeks still looked fine, so that was the priority for tonight. I wanted to make what is probably an amazing and fantastic potato leek soup from Barbara Lynch (as found in her book, Stir ), but a recipe calling for four cups of cream isn't really compat

Winter Farmers Market: Sautéed Scallops and Herbed Rice

Somerville, MA is a great city. I love living here, and this year's new Winter Farmer's Market just added to my joy. It runs between now and March, and it has been inspiring to see people trudging out in the cold, ice and snow, to the Armory (yes, the market is inside). This past Saturday, I stocked up on locally grown leeks and potatoes, grabbed some hot Italian sausage from Stillman's , and then ventured upstairs to buy some FRESH FISH from Jordan Brothers Seafood. Yes, that's right: haddock from Gloucester, and scallops from Maine. Not frozen--fresh. When she showed me the scallops I might have cried, just a little. Oh, and I picked up a baguette, brioche, and potato bread. Scallops don't require a lot of fuss, but are easy to overcook. I pulled out my San Juan Classics Cookbook (San Juan Islands in the Pacific Northwest, not Puerto Rico) and went straight to the shellfish section where I found a recipe for "Sautéed Prawns or Scallops" from Thibert