off the (meat)hook :: lifestyles of the carnivorous and fabulous

Macaroni and Cheese of Epic Proportions

karen — Sat, 02 May 2009 16:49:39 GMT

Macaroni and Cheese has become a standard of the hipster food scene, and seems to be on almost every trendy menu. Yet surprisingly, I'm not sick of it yet! Maybe that's because it's just cheese, noodles, butter, bread crumbs, and often some form of bacon or ham. What's not to like? Seriously, how could I get sick of that combo?

I will say that in addition to Mac N Cheese being hella good, it is also highly changeable and adaptable. This was what I hope to be the first in a series of many experimental Mac N Cheeses. For this one I added roasted garlic, shallots, and a bunch of cheeses including Affinois. If you've never had Affinois, it's a triple-creme brie-style cheese from France that tastes ridiculously good. I had a tough time deciding if I wanted to use the outside crusty part, and in the end I decided to just use the insides. It added a subtle flavor and increased the creaminess.

And then, for the piece de resistance: crispy prosciutto on top. I crisped prosciutto in a low oven, crumbled it, and mixed it with toasted bread crumbs, butter, and freshly grated parmigiano. Once you've crisped prosciutto, you'll start putting it all OVER the place. It's especially good on salads. Then again it's also just good on its own- good luck resisting its charms!

Macaroni and Cheese of Epic Proportions
Serves 6 as a main course, 8-10 as a side dish.

Ingredients:

1 whole bulb garlic
4 oz. prosciutto
1 1/2 lbs. pasta (I used fusilli)
3/4 cup melted butter
1/2 cup chopped shallots
3-4 sprigs fresh thyme
1/2 cup flour
1 qt. whole milk
1/2 lb. Affinois, inside scraped out
1/2 lb. emmenthal or Swiss cheese, grated
1/2 lb. sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1 1/3 cup toasted white bread crumbs (I like them a little chunky)
1/2 cup grated parmigiano
olive oil for drizzling
salt and freshly ground pepper

Method:

Preheat oven to 350.
Cut top off garlic. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Wrap tightly in foil. Cook for 45 minutes. Remove from oven, open foil, and set aside to cool. When cool, squeeze out garlic innards and set aside.
Meanwhile lay prosciutto out in a single layer on a rack over a sheet pan. Cook on the bottom shelf of the oven for 20-30 minutes, until crispy. Remove and set aside to cool.
Cook pasta according to directions, drain and set aside.
Melt 2 Tblsp butter in a medium saucepan over medium high heat. Saute shallots with thyme sprigs until soft. Add 6 Tblsp butter and melt. Add flour and bring to a boil, whisking, until mixture pulls from sides of pan.
Add milk and continue to whisk until sauce thickens. Remove thyme sprigs. Season with salt and pepper.
Add Affinois insides, emmenthal, and cheddar, and stir to melt. Taste and re-season if necessary.
Mix cheese sauce with pasta. Pour into deep 9x13 dish.
Make topping by crumbling prosciutto in a bowl. Mix with bread crumbs, parmigiano, and 1/4 cup melted butter. Season with pepper. Sprinkle on top of pasta.
Cover with foil and bake 15 minutes. Remove foil and bake 10-15 minutes, until topping just starts to brown and cheese is bubbly.

Sweet Spicy String Beans

karen — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 05:07:00 GMT

Sometimes you just need a perfect side dish that's sweet, spicy, and salty all at the same time. This is a quick and easy way to makestring beans sing in an Asian-inspired side dish.

If you prefer to walk on the mild side... cut the sambal down. And if you don't own any fish sauce, don't stress, just leave it out.

Sweet Spicy String Beans

Ingredients:

1 Tblsp + 1 tsp soy sauce
1 Tblsp honey
1 tsp sambal
1/4 tsp fish sauce
12-16 oz. string beans or green beans, trimmed and washed
1 small clove garlic, sliced as thinly as possible

Method:

Combine soy sauce, honey, sambal, and fish sauce in a bowl and mix together.
Put green beans in large saute pan with 1/4 cup water. Turn heat on high. When water starts to bubble, cover tightly and cook 5 minutes.
Remove lid and add sauce. Toss to coat and continue cooking on high, tossing every few minutes. Continue cooking about 5-10 minutes, until sauce has thickened and coats the beans.
Add garlic slices and cook, tossing, about 1 more minute.
Remove from pan and serve immediately.

Questionable Practice: Pass Off TJ's Hummus As Homemade

karen — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 01:01:00 GMT

You probably already know that the hummus at Trader Joe's is pretty tasty. I used to make hummus from scratch but now I often just make the TJ's hummus all fancy looking and homemade and even tastier which is easier and actually just as good as homemade. So, buy the hummus, put it in a different bowl, drizzle some high quality olive oil over it, sprinkle with fleur de sel or black flake salt, and then sprinkle over a good amount of garam masala or ground cumin. I'm eating some right now.

I love the multigrain pita chips at TJ's too! Or, even better, you can also make your own hot delicious pita chips by cutting up pita bread, drizzling with olive oil and salt, and baking them in the oven for 10 or 15 minutes until crispy.

Colorful Silk-Dyed Eggs: Happy Easter!

karen — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 19:09:00 GMT

Last Easter I made these pretty marbled pink eggs, but this year I was inspired to try silk-dyed eggs. I used this helpful tutorial from Our Best Bites and they turned out gorgeous!

To make them, you wrap eggs in patterned silk and then in plain fabric (I used an old t-shirt). It's important to get as tight a wrap as possible for good results. They look funny all wrapped up and ready to go!

A couple of notes: you must use 100% silk fabric. I used silk neckties I bought from our local thrift store and was able to dye 2 eggs with each necktie. The only downside to the thrift store ties: when you pour out the water at the end, it smells like thrift store for a minute or two! You could also use a tie that had an irreparable stain, or an old silk shirt. I was tempted to buy one of those sandwashed silk shirts that were so popular in the 90s, since there were quite a few to choose from, but I wasn't sure if washed silk would work, so I stuck with the ties. I was really happy with how they turned out!

Here are the ties I used. Some of the colors that came out were surprising. For example, the dark green and tan tie made eggs that had all different shades of light blue, green, and yellow. Overall the vibrant colored ties came out more dramatic, but I like the softer colors as well. Some of the eggs came out with fine-grain patterns that weren't discernible on the ties, which was neat.

You can learn how to make your own, and see pictures of some really pretty ones, on Our Best Bites. Happy Easter!

Robert's Chilaquiles

karen — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 18:19:00 GMT

My friend Robert (of oatmeal cookie fame) also makes amazing homemade chilaquiles for a hearty weekend breakfast. He makes everything without measurements, which he refers to as doing it "Mexican style", so it was a little tricky to pin down the measurements. After a few years of prodding and cajoling, he finally allowed me to shadow him in the kitchen and try to furiously transcribe his methods.

If you've never had chilaquiles before, it's a traditional Mexican breakfast dish that consists of fried tortilla chips coated in a green or red sauce, layered with scrambled eggs and chorizo, and baked with cheese on top. While it makes it something of a royal pain in the butt, the key to this recipe's tastiness lies in frying up the tortilla chips yourself. If you have an avid and patient kitchen helper (even one who lacks culinary skillz), this chip-frying task would be a good time to call on them.

Chilaquiles are also commonly lauded as a hangover cure. To that end, Robert always makes this on the Sunday of our yearly Spring wine-tasting weekend. To protect his precious family recipes, I have made some key changes in this version! Robert: you can sleep easy knowing that while now everyone can enjoy some delicious chilaquiles, they will never be exactly the same as the ones you make.

Robert’s Chilaquiles
serves 8

Ingredients:

1 pound fresh corn tortillas
2 - 29 oz cans tomato sauce
1 teaspoon cumin
1 Tblsp chili powder
3 cloves crushed garlic
3 chicken bouillion cubes
1 Tblsp flour, shaken in a jar with 2 Tblsp water
1 pound fresh Mexican chorizo
12 eggs, beaten well
1/2 pound grated cheese (Monterey Jack, mild cheddar, or shredded Mexican blend)
1 cup queso fresco, crumbled
salt and pepper to taste
vegetable oil for frying

Method:

Cut tortillas into chip-sized wedges. Heat about 1 inch of oil in a large saute pan. Fry chips in batches until golden on both sides, removing to drain on paper towels.
Meanwhile, in a saucepan, combine tomato sauce, cumin, chili powder, garlic, and bouillion. Heat over medium heat until bubbling. Lower heat and leave to simmer. Stir in flour/water mixture and salt and pepper. Taste and add more seasonings if you wish.
Continue simmering over low heat for about 30 more minutes, stirring to make sure sauce doesn't stick to pot.
Preheat oven to 350.
Combine half of chips and half of sauce, tossing to coat well. Lay in 9x13 pan. Bake for about 10-15 minutes, until chips have dried out a bit.
While chips are baking, cook chorizo, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until browned. Add eggs, salt and pepper to taste, and cook until scrambled.
Spread egg and chorizo mixture over chips. Mix remaining chips with remaining sauce and spread on top of eggs.
Sprinkle grated cheese on top, then crumble queso fresco over the top.
Bake for about 20 minutes, until cheese is melted. Serve with refried beans, Spanish rice, avocadoes, and sour cream.

Chicago Is For (Food) Lovers

karen — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT

I was in Chicago for a weekend this past winter, and packed in a ridiculous amount of good eating and food shopping. I should really get to sharing this backlog of gluttonous exploits before it's too late. I'm going to keep it to some of my personal food highlights, and there were many! I had no idea Chicago food would kick so much a$$.

We'll start with pizza, meander through various and sundry other tasty treats, and finish with a full play-by-play of 15 courses at Alinea.

Chicago is for (Food) Lovers

Spinach and cheese stuffed pizza at Bacino's- I could explain how they chop all of the cheese and spinach together to make a perfect blend and so forth but I think the picture is pretty much loud and clear on the deliciousness front. Bacino's: 2204 N. Lincoln Ave.

The Berghoff has been around since 1887, and bills itself as Chicago's oldest restaurant. More importantly, though, they make their own brand of beer, boast a cool sign, and rock a German-esque wood and stained glass dining room right off the Miracle Mile. You can't go wrong for lunch with a housemade Hefeweizen and a bowl of onion-apple-gruyere soup. The Berghoff: 17 W. Adams St.

Vosges is a Chicago chocolate company (with outposts in NYC and Vegas) that offers "haute chocolate"- sure, that might seem a little haughty, but one sip of insanely thick Aztec hot chocolate with chilies, cinnamon, dark chocolate, and cornmeal will surely win you over- especially if it's a cold and windy day in the Windy City. And if you're more or less adventurous, don't fear: they offer a wide spectrum of chocolates in all forms and flavors, including a high-end chocolate bars boasting bacon, thai chilies, and a bunch of other wacky stuff. Vosges: 951 W. Armitage St. or 520 N. Michigan Ave.

You can't do better for a global roundup of olive oils and balsamic vinegars than the science lab-esque Old Town Oil Co. You can taste oil varietals and flavored oils from big stainless steel jugs, and fill up your bottles with the ones you like best. Bonus: it's right next to The Spice House, which is a veritable temple of fresh bulk spices, shmancy salts and peppers, spice blends from around the world, and everything else spicetastic you can think of. Old Town Oil: 1520 N. Wells St. The Spice House: 1512 N. Wells St.

At some point you're going to want to take a break from your eating orgy to hear some Chicago blues, and there is no better place than B.L.U.E.S. Plus, the name is easy to remember even after a few drinks. Pack yourself in and get ready to rock- this intimate, funky spot has live music 7 nights a week. B.L.U.E.S.: 2519 N Halsted St.

Tea Gschwendner (pop quiz: close your eyes and spell "Gschwendner"!) is a German tea merchant that offers a dizzying area of fragrant loose-leaf teas. They wouldn't be German without a little bit of attitude, which at Gschwendner comes in the form of making sure you know that only dirty disgusting apes would use teabags, while real humans always use loose tea. Cue eyeroll. Overall, though, the staff are knowledgeable and are happy to walk you through tastes and help you pick out the perfect tea for any occasion- and their teas are, admittedly, pretty darn perfect. They only have 3 U.S. locations, and 2 are in the Chicago area. The other, inexplicably, is in Scottsdale Arizona. Go figure. Tea Gschwendner: 1160 North State Street.

Alinea: are you kidding me? What a mind blowing and fun experience. This baby is number 12 on a 15 course list. It's candied bacon suspended from a wire, in case you were wondering! Just for fun, I've included all my notes from each course of the dinner below. Alinea: 1723 N. Halsted.

TROUT ROE, coconut, hyssop, passionfruit
I don’t even know what hyssop is but damn. This hand-harvested steelhead roe with banana, coconut, and passionfruit gels and pastes, with fleur de sel foam, was a screamin’ start to the eating evening.

CAULIFLOWER, five coatings, three gels, apple
Five cubes of cauliflower puree with aromatic apple soup. Each cube was crusted with a different dried or dehydrated aromatic such as cheese, nuts, or what have you.

LOBSTER, popcorn, butter, curry
I think this was my favorite. Apparently it was supposed to be on a theme of “things that taste good with butter.” OK, you had me at butter. There were too many things on this plate to describe but they included a butter poached lobster tail, a butter sphere you popped to get melted butter out of, curry pudding, popcorn, a popcorn gelee ribbon (don’t ask), corn kernels, dehydrated onion, and in my mind an unnecessary dollop of palate-cleansing mango-lime gel.

WAGYU BEEF, maitake, smoked date, blis elixir
Maitake mushroom on an applewood-smoked fig puree, raw wagyu beef, a dusting of fennel pollen, and sherry that had been aged in casks that previously held maple syrup and bourbon.

RABBIT, prune, shallot, burning leaves
A tempura’d chunk of tasty rabbit loin with prune gelee, shallot, impressively served on a skewer of smoldering oak leaves.

HOT POTATO, cold potato, black truffle, butter
I could eat about a hundred of these. You’ve got a cold potato, chive, butter, parmigiano, and truffle slice on a metal toothpick stuck into the side of a tiny wax bowl that holds hot potato soup. Pull the pin to let the cold items fall into the hot soup and drink the whole thing like a shot.

SHORT RIB, Guinness, peanut, fried broccoli
Melty soft short ribs caged under a Guinness gelatin sheet. Peanuts and broccoli in different forms, including pastes, shaved, etc.

BLACK TRUFFLE, explosion, romaine, parmesan
Literally an explosion especially for one person at our table who shall remain nameless but who will heretofore be thought of as the one who uncouthly squirted hot truffle juice at the table. One ravioli filled with truffle tea and served with romaine and a truffle slice. Meant to be taken in one bite with your mouth CLOSED to contain the explosion.

LAMB, saffron, poppy seed, pistachio
Thought I would love this but it was not my favorite. Sous vide lamb in a lamb and veal stock with white poppy seed custard, foam, cippolinis, and I can't remember where the pistachios came in at all...

CONCORD GRAPE, yogurt, mint, long pepper
An exploding ball of liquid plum sorbet with a mint shell and bathing in approximately 3 drops of yogurt water. Squirt in your mouth, not in your hands. No idea what the long pepper had to do with this one.

CRABAPPLE, foie gras, brown sugar, sorrel
An 18-inch metal skewer pointed at your face, with one bite’s worth of crapapple mousse coated in foie gras with apple gelee and a caramel chip. Diners were encouraged to attack the skewer hands-free with one barbaric chomp to the skewer.

BACON, butterscotch, apple, thyme
Dehydrated bacon suspended from a wire, dipped in caramel and flavored with thyme and dried apple. One bite o’ heaven.

PUMPKIN, gruyere, Blis maple syrup, smoke
Points for showmanship. Smoke-filled pillows arrive at each person’s place setting. A plate is set upon the pillows which deflate slowly and release smoke aromas to enhance the experience of the dish. There was a lot going on here- roasted pumpkin, pineapple puree, oloroso sherry pudding, maple cream, cereals and seeds, sugar crystals, and puffed rice.

CHOCOLATE, fig, olive, pine
I was roundly chastised for not finishing this but let’s face it, by this point I was stuffed. A soft chocolate sheet, olive oil custard, and elements of figs and olives plus pine nuts. The olives were mostly in sort of a crumbly form and not too offensive- mostly salty with a hint of brine. It came with pine ice cream which I imagine is made by, you know, soaking pine needles in warm cream or something, which was a little weird.

DRY CARAMEL, salt
The science nerd in me LOVED this finale. Picture a shot glass full of dry caramel crystals, roughly the feel of raw sugar. Put these in your mouth and they turn to liquid caramel as if by magic. Magic! Seriously. A simple yet great end to an incredible night of molecular gastronomy.

And the MORAL of this story is... go to Chicago and get your grub on! It's a food-lover's dream!

Off The Blogs: Tomato Cream Sauce

karen — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 20:10:00 GMT

I made this recipe off of the always informative Doesn't TaZte Like Chicken. Although it's called a tomato cream sauce, it has meat in it so to me it's more like a creamy tomato bolognese. I put it over gnocchi. Yum!

The sauce comes out incredibly rich and flavorful, as well as very ORANGE. While I absolutely loved the taste and texture and everything else, Ross kept saying "this dinner is so ORANGE. Great, but, like, really ORANGE." And it is. It kind of looked like the color of liquid Doritos. Not that that's a bad thing. I love Doritos, and this sauce. (Objects in pictures may look less orange than they appear in real life.)

Find the recipe here and enjoy!

Pecan-Crusted Chicken

karen — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 20:19:00 GMT

I was thinking about one of my favorite old white-trash recipes, which involves coating chicken pieces in mayonnaise and cornflakes and baking them in the oven. I decided there must be a more sophisticated way to make a dish like this, so I swapped out the cornflakes for pecans and made a tangy yogurt-based coating to stand in for the mayo. I also sauteed the chicken in olive oil instead of baking it, although I would suspect that you could just as easily throw it in the oven.

Not only did it taste a heckuva lot better than the original, it seemed a slightly more balanced nutritionally, and yeah, a lot less white trashy. I served it over a bed of kale wilted with a little garlic and cayenne in homage to its down-home roots.

Pecan-Crusted Chicken

Ingredients:

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, 6 to 8 oz. each
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 1/2 cups plain yogurt
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 cups pecans, finely chopped
1 cup bread crumbs
olive oil for sautéing

Method:

Use a mallet to pound chicken breasts into a uniform 1/2 inch thickness. Cut each breast into 2 or 3 pieces for manageability.
Combine lemon juice, yogurt, mustard, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a bowl and set aside. Put chicken pieces in mixture and let sit for about 10 minutes.
Combine pecans, crumbs, and 1 teaspoon salt in a bowl and set aside.
Heat about 1 tablespoon olive oil in a sauté pan over medium high heat. Wipe excess yogurt off chicken and dredge in pecan mixture. When oil is hot, add chicken pieces to pan and cook about 3-4 minutes on each side until golden brown on the outside and cooked through. You may need to do it in batches, in which case you should wipe the pan out between batches and add a bit more oil.
Serve immediately.

Off the Blogs: Heidi's Buttermilk Cake

karen — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 00:36:00 GMT

I made Heidi's Salt-Kissed Buttermilk Cake from 101Cookbooks last week, and want to encourage you to try it! The cake came out incredibly moist and delicious, and was easy to make.

I made it as a dessert, which was OK, but I think it would be an absolute knock-out for brunch. Next time I'm going to cover the entire top with berries. I used big smooshy blackberries and wished I had one in every bite!

Lazy Man's Hoppin' John Recipe

karen — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 21:32:00 GMT

This recession/depression business is really starting to get me down! In light of that I wanted to share a recipe with you that's triply good for these dark, dank economic times. Why triply? First of all, people in the South traditionally eat Hoppin' John on New Year's to bring prosperity and good fortune. Second, the ingredients are really cheap, so it's easy on the wallet. Third, it packs a nutritional wallop of protein, folates, carbs, and more, so you won't have to eat again for awhile.

I was looking for recipes involving black-eyed peas, and Hoppin' John is the one that most intrigued me. I'll admit, it's totally, completely, 100% because of the name. All of the recipes I found involved crazy time-consuming things like soaking the peas overnight and procuring ham hocks and what have you, but I was like "I want my dinner NOW, dammit!" So this is the corner-cutting, lazy-ass version I came up with to maximize deliciousness and minimize time and effort.

As to the name, a bunch of people have different theories about the name that seem highly farfetched, so I've decided just to go with it and not wonder too much. Confusingly there's talk of making the leftovers into pancakes and calling it called Skippin' Jenny or some such nonsense but I can't even get into that.

Lazy Man's Hoppin' John
This is good with a side of wilted kale or collards, and should be served with Frank's Red Hot sauce on the side for those who like the extra heat. Serves 4.

Ingredients:

5 slices smoky bacon, chopped in small pieces
1 small onion, chopped finely
1 small red pepper, chopped into 1/4 inch squares
2 cloves garlic, chopped finely
2 cups cooked rice
1-15 ounce can black eyed peas, drained and rinsed
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire
salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste

Method:

Put bacon in medium-sized saucepan, and cook until crispy over medium het.
Add onion, pepper, and garlic and cook 3-5 minutes, until vegetables are soft but still vibrant.
Add rice, black-eyed peas, dry mustard, and Worcestershire sauce.
Cook for 5 minutes, stirring to combine. Taste and add salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste.
Stir and cook another 10 minutes. Taste, adjust seasoning, and serve immediately.

Spiced Orange Blueberry Pancakes

karen — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 00:07:00 GMT

It's a yucky, wet, rainy Tuesday right now and I am reminiscing about a lovely sunny Saturday a few weeks back when I made these pancakes to share with friends. I wanted to use a combination of white flour and whole grain flour, because while I love the health benefits of whole grains I feared that going 100% whole grain would yield spiced blueberry rocks as opposed to pancakes. I opted for oat flour, which really shines in this recipe- it doesn't have all the heft of whole wheat flour, but it's got a nice texture and flavor while offering that whole grain goodness.

I love the combination of berries and oranges, so I incorporated both orange zest and juice into the batter, along with some vanilla yogurt for tang and sweetness. Using the yogurt, which I always have on hand, also prevented me from buying a quart of buttermilk and only using 1 cup, then letting the rest rot in my fridge... which is what has happened every single time I have ever bought buttermilk in my entire life, without fail. Seriously, it's a real problem.

You should feel free to play with the spices or flavors in this recipe to mix it up. Other combinations that would be delicious would be...

replace the orange with lemon, and replace blueberries with raspberries
replace the orange with lime, and replace blueberries with blackberries, omit the cinnamon, and add toasted coconut
keep the orange and replace blueberries with chocolate chunks, with or without the cinnamon and ginger (I'd keep 'em in)
keep all as is but add chopped toasted nuts and/or a handful of granola in the batter

Spiced Orange Blueberry Pancakes
serves 4-6

Ingredients:

1 cup oat flour
1 cup white flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
zest of 2 oranges
2 cups vanilla yogurt
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
2 eggs
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 pint blueberries, rinsed and dried
butter for pan, and to serve

Method:

Combine flours, baking powder, baking soda, spices, salt, and sugar in a bowl.
Add orange zest, yogurt, juice, egg, and butter and stir to combine. (Batter may be lumpy.)
Heat skillet over medium heat and add a small dollop of butter (about a teaspoon.) When butter bubbles, pour about 1/3 cup of batter into the skillet for each pancake. Sprinkle about 8-10 blueberries over each pancake.
When pancake is golden on the bottom, flip and cook the other side until done.
Repeat with remaining batter. To keep warm while cooking, you can put the cooked pancakes in a 175 degree oven while you're finishing up.
Serve warm with maple syrup and butter.

Spicy Thai Noodle Bowl for One

karen — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 18:01:00 GMT

Ah, that elusive concept known as "healthy lunch." Despite my best intentions I find that in the middle of the day it's hard for me to resist the charms of foods like pizza with ranch dressing, giant burritos, or 9 pounds of hummus and falafel with 17 slices of pita. The other day I took a little time to make a healthy, flavorful, simple noodle bowl with whole wheat fettucine and a whole lot of hot sauce. Not only did I feel physically energetic and alive for the rest of the day, but also smugly virtuous. Win-win!

Spicy Thai Noodle Bowl for One

Ingredients:

4 oz fresh whole wheat fettucine
½ tsp vegetable oil
¼ cup chopped white, yellow, or red onion
1 Tblsp torn cilantro leaves
~10 cracked coriander seeds
1 pack liquid chicken broth concentrate or 1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup coconut milk
salt and freshly ground pepper
juice from 1 small lime
1 scallion, finely chopped
sambal oelek or sriracha to taste

Method:

Cook fettucine in salted boiling water until tender. Drain and reserve about 2 Tblsp pasta water.
Meanwhile, heat oil in a small sauté pan. Add onion, cilantro, and coriander seeds and sauté until soft and fragrant, and onion just starts to brown.
Add broth and coconut milk, plus a large pinch of salt and about 3-4 grinds of pepper, and reduce over medium high heat until thick and creamy.
Add fettucine and reserved pasta water to pan and cook over medium high heat until sauce coats the noodles, about 3-5 minutes.
Turn off heat and stir in lime juice and scallions.
Pour into bowl and top with sambal oelek or sriracha to taste. If you put the amount shown here you will be in for some serious heat!

The Best Crab Cakes

karen — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 23:19:00 GMT

After a dungeness crab feast at my parents' house, I was blessed with the hard-won fruits of my cracking labors in the form of about a cup and a half of fresh lump crab to take home. I love crab cakes but often feel disappointed by the filler-full ones you get in restaurants. This recipe is the best one I've tried, because it really highlights the crab, without overpowering it with too many seasonings or too much filer.

Before you think I'm bragging too much, let me tell you that this is not my recipe- it was in the NYTimes a couple years ago. The secret brilliance here is that instead of using bread crumbs as a binding agent, you use a little bit of mashed potatoes. It calls for a small amount, so if you don't want to make them either buy a small amount of prepared mashed potatoes from Whole Foods or a deli, or boil 1 peeled potato and smash it up with a little butter, milk, yogurt, or whatever to make it the right consistency.

The Crystal Beurre Blanc is a fantastic addition, but if it seems like too much effort, just put a bottle of Crystal or Frank's Red Hot on the table. The recipe suggests serving the crab cakes over spinach, but in this case I served them over sauteed shredded brussels sprouts. Delicious!

Get the recipe here.

Sauteed Potatoes with Green Garlic and Fresh Horseradish

karen — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 17:49:00 GMT

I went to the fancy Ferry Building Farmers’ Market today- usually I go for the lower key, lower priced Alemany Market so it was a welcome change of scenery. I picked up a few slightly unusual things and tasked myself with combining them in a delicious dish. You can think of these as really fancy, really flavorful hash browns. They would be a great side dish for a roast chicken, a prime rib, or steak.

I picked up some pink huckleberry potatoes, which are pink throughout and have a creamy texture. You can use any kind of potatoes for this recipe- red bliss would be a great choice. As well, I splurged and threw down 50 whole cents (!) on a fresh horseradish root, and got a couple stalks of green garlic. If you’ve never tried green garlic, try to get your hands on some. It looks like a small leek, but the taste is like a cross between sweet pungent garlic and a fresh scallions. They complement any form of potato perfectly. The fresh horseradish is a fun little condiment to grate on steaks, potatoes, or anything that needs a little kick.

pink huckleberry potatoes and a fresh horseradish root

The trick to getting great sautéed potatoes that are cooked through, a little crispy, but not burnt, is to parboil them then sauté them in clarified butter. Butter is made up of oil and milk solids. Clarified butter is just the oil part of the butter without the milk solids. When cooking with butter, the part that burns is the milk part whereas the oil part won’t blacken. Making clarified butter is quite simple and quick, and it’s a great tool to lock away in your culinary repertoire. I add a little bit of plain yogurt at the end, which mostly cooks away. It adds a slight tang and is a nice finishing agent to get the potatoes perfect.

Sauteed Potatoes with Green Garlic and Fresh Horseradish

Ingredients:

4 medium sized potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/8 inch slices
4 Tblsp butter
2 stalks green garlic, the white parts and a bit of the green parts finely chopped
fresh horseradish to taste, peeled and finely grated (I used about 1 tsp.)
2 Tblsp plain yogurt (nonfat, 2%, whole milk- doesn’t matter)
salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook 8-10 minutes, until al dente. (The potatoes should be firm but you should be able to cut through them pretty easily.)
Meanwhile, clarify the butter. Put butter in a large sauté pan over medium low heat. When the butter bubbles, you will notice the white foamy matter rises to the top. When the bubbles settle, turn off the heat and use a spoon to skim off the white foamy bits. Discard white bits. Leave clarified butter in pan.
When potatoes are done, drain. Turn clarified butter on high heat and add potatoes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Saute for about 10-15 minutes, flipping every 2-3 minutes, until potatoes have crisped on the outiside.
Turn off heat and add green garlic, horseradish, and yogurt to the pan. Flip a few times to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve immediately.

Thursday Restaurant Review Haikus: Ice Creams of the World

karen — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 20:25:00 GMT

today in Thursday Restaurant Review Haikus:

ICE CREAMS OF THE WORLD

Haiku Reviews: They're baaaa-aaaaaaack! I had a fierce urge to put some haikus together today, and I have to tell you, the haiku muse has been conspicuously absent for the better part of 6 months now, so I thought I should go with it. The timing is unfortunate, since I just posted a recipe earlier today after not posting for like a week, but what can I say? I can be an undisciplined blogger. (I'm working on it, though, in therapy. Or I would if I went to therapy.) At any rate, I've decided to strike while the muse-iron is hot and wax poetic on some ice creams of the world!

I could have gone on all day, but then it would be one in the afternoon and I'd still be in my pajamas. Oh wait! That happened already. Add your suggestions/disagreements in the commments and tell me what creamy delights I'm missing out on!

this ice cream in Dubrovnik, Croatia looked pretty, but did not taste that good.

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BASKIN-ROBBINS (Everywhere)
Ah, the old standby.
gold medal ribbon kicks a**.
thirty one-derful

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MITCHELL'S (San Francisco)
San Francisco treat!
I admit, I never try
the purple yam though.

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BEN & JERRY'S (Everywhere)
it's a hearty scoop
it reminds me of college
cookie dough is king

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GELATO (Anywhere in Italy)
there's nothing better.
throw down as much as you can
before you die. word.

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MASHTI MALONE'S (Los Angeles)
ice cream from Iran?
well, it is really hot there.
this place is AWESOME.

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MR. SOFTEE (Northeast U.S./China/HK)
summer in New York
hearing the tune, I'm consumed:
plain dip with jimmies

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HUMPHRY SLOCOMBE (San Francisco)
you're a bit much, dude.
salt, pepper, chili, and such?
get "secret breakfast"

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FENTON'S CREAMERY (Oakland, CA)
love the old-time biz.
fun for the whole family!
sundaes are required.

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CHRISTINA'S (Cambridge, MA)
so many flavors!
(folks will say "Toscanini's!"
C-Money's better.)

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BI-RITE CREAMERY (San Francisco)
can be uneven,
but salted caramel IS
as good as they say

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LOARD'S ICE CREAM (Oakland, CA)
a cool, old skool joint
big creamy cones to drool for
they have candies too!

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BERTHILLON (Paris, France)
the best in Paris
it's famous for a reason.
oui, c'est bon bon bon!

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COLDSTONE CREAMERY (Everywhere)
it's too much pressure.
I always feel sick after.
mix-ins overwhelm

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CARVEL (Northeast U.S.)
hi, fudgy the whale!
now you taste artificial.
better as a kid.

************************

Here's why I do them in haikus.

Previous Haiku Reviews:

Las Taquerias de San Francisco
Odes to Foods I Love to Eat
Eating Indian Food in SF
Omnivorous in Oaktown- Eating in Oakland, CA
Where I Tell People To Eat When They're Visiting SF
Pleasing the Palate in Palo Alto
Cole Valley's Culinary Delights
Cafe Gratitude
7 Spots in SF's Outer Richmond District
SF's Bernal Heights Haunts
Pizzas of SF's Mission District
5 Stunning Sandwiches of San Francisco
Romantic Restaurants of the Bay Area

Spiced Marinated Chicken Skewers

karen — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 19:01:00 GMT

We've been trying to eat a little healthier lately, especially when we have dinner guests. Somehow in my mind if the meal is a bit more nutritious I feel less guilty about all the wine and dessert and cheese and what have you. I recognize it's a flawed system, but somehow it works for me.

On this note, I wanted to serve boneless skinless chicken breasts for dinner but I wanted them to be flavorful, moist, and spicy. Taking hints from India and the Middle East, I marinated them in yogurt, herbs, and a fresh spice blend that all comes together in the food processor. I used one of my favorite time-saving tricks here too, by reserving half of the yogurt mixture to serve as a sauce on the side. The result is incredibly moist and tender chicken that gets flavor and interest from the tang of the yogurt and the mixture of spices- instead of making it appealing and tasty by just, say, wrapping it in bacon or frying it in butter or dousing it in cream.

Spiced Marinated Chicken Skewers
serves 6-8. This is pretty spicy, so cut back on the peppercorns and cayenne if you like it milder.

Ingredients:

¾ cup packed mint (stems OK)
¾ cup packed cilantro (stems OK)
1 shallot
1 garlic clove
juice and zest of 1 lemon
1 inch piece of peeled ginger
1 whole clove
1 tsp whole coriander seeds
¼ tsp cumin seeds
10 peppercorns (fewer if you don’t like it spicy)
½ tsp cayenne pepper (omit or put less if you don’t like it too spicy)
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp salt
2 cups Greek strained yogurt (like Fage; I used the 2% which worked great)
2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into 1 ½ inch cubes

Method:

Combine everything except yogurt and chicken in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add yogurt and mix until everything is finely combined and smooth.
Set aside half of the yogurt to be used as a dipping sauce and refrigerate. Marinate the chicken pieces in the other half of the yogurt for at least 2 hours, or up to overnight.
Put chicken on skewers. Cook on a bbq or under the broiler for about 7-10 minutes per side, until chicken is browned on the outside and cooked through.
Take chicken off skewers and serve over rice or couscous with the reserved yogurt sauce on the side.
*tip: if you’re using wooden skewers, soak them for 8 hours in water so they don’t burn.

Coconut-Kissed Banana Bread

karen — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 16:01:00 GMT

I love banana bread, but sometimes it's a little ho-hum. I spiced this one up by incorporating coconut milk and fresh ginger, which add moistness as well as a subtle but delicious flavor.

I made the banana bread to serve at the clothing swap I recently hosted. If you've never done one, I highly recommend it! This tanking economy is the perfect time and place for you to swap clothes with your friends, because you get to clean out your closet and give to charity while picking up some new duds for yourself- all for free. This time around I scored a bunch of great items, including a pair of jeans that fit perfectly, a Marimekko-ish FCUK top, and an adorable pair of Marc Jacobs heels with little hearts all over them. For info on how to host a clothing swap, check out this handy guide from RookieMoms.

Coconut-Kissed Banana Bread
makes 1 loaf

Ingredients:

6 T soft butter
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup lightly packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 ripe bananas
½ c coconut milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp fresh grated ginger
1 cup flour
1 cup oat flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
large pinch salt
¼ cup toasted coconut*

Method:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
Cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about three minutes. Add eggs 1 at a time and combine completely after each addition.
Add bananas, coconut milk, vanilla, and ginger and mix to combine.
Add dry ingredients and mix just until blended. Don’t overmix. Fold in coconut.
Pour into a lightly greased loaf pan and bake about 1 hour, until a toothpick comes out clean.
Cool on a rack. Serve warm if possible.

* to toast coconut: spread out on a parchment-covered sheet. Toast in 350 degree oven just until it begins to brown, about 3-6 minutes. Keep a close eye on it as it can go from raw to burnt very quickly!

Vietnamesque Seared Ahi Salad

karen — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 01:20:00 GMT

I bought some fresh ahi tuna yesterday and envisioned searing it and serving it over some tasty Asian noodles, but that didn't happen. We wanted to eat a light dinner tonight because we're going to a "holiday" party (yep, in January) and are unsure of the potential food options at the event. I made a mixture in the food processor and seared half of it onto the tuna, then tossed the rest with some microgreens. A lovely, tangy, fresh and healthy meal!

Note: I'm calling it "Vietnamesque" instead of "Vietnamese" because I don't want to front or anything. You know, because I just made it up and I'm not Vietnamese.

Vietnamesque Seared Ahi Salad
serves 2.

Ingredients:

2 Tblsp packed mint leaves
2 Tblsp packed cilantro leaves
1 shallot
1 small jalapeño, seeded and chopped (optional)
1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger
3 Tblsp slivered almonds
1/2 tsp rice vinegar
juice of 1 lime
1/2 tsp sugar
1 Tblsp sesame oil
1 Tblsp vegetable oil
salt and pepper
2 small ahi tuna steaks
about 2-3 oz microgreens (or greens of your choosing- I found the microgreens at Trader Joe's)

Method:

In a food processor or blender, combine mint, cilantro, shallot, jalapeño (if using), ginger, and 2 Tblsp almonds. Pulse until chopped.
Add vinegar, lime juice, sugar, 2 tsp sesame oil, vegetable oil, salt and pepper and pulse until well-blended and saucy but not perfectly smooth.
Heat 2 tsp sesame oil in a flat pan. Meanwhile rinse ahi steaks and dry very well. When oil is hot, use tongs to sear all sides of the tuna. (If tuna is less than 1/2 inch thick, you can just sear on each side. If it's thicker than that, you should sear the edges as well as the large flat sides, by holding the fish on edge in the pan with the tongs for ~30 seconds each side.)
When done, smear about 1/4 of the sauce on one side of each tuna steak and flip over to cook for about 10 seconds. Mixture will brown almost immediately. Remove fish to cutting board, sauce side up.
Toss microgreens with remaining sauce. (Start with one Tblsp and add more as desired.) Arrange on plates.
Slice tuna in large pieces and lay over greens. Crush remaining Tblsp of almonds in your hand and sprinkle on top. Serve immediately.

Spaghetti Carbonara Taste Test: aka Carbonara vs. Not Carbonara

karen — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 01:30:00 GMT

The other day I threw out a status update asking what to make for dinner, and my friend Sarah from San Diego suggested that a chilly winter's night merited a warm bowl of spaghetti carbonara. (I know what you're thinking, chilly winter's night in San Diego? But let's move on.) I immediately glommed onto the idea and started trolling the internets for the skinny (fatty?) on the best carbonara recipes out there. I was thinking bacon, cream, eggs, you know, the basics. Figure out the best balance and method and get to some good eating.

As you know, the internets are MAGICAL and I was quite surprised to learn that carbonara has a lot of rules, and a fair number of people have intense and even acrimonious feelings about these rules. The number one rule is: YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO USE CREAM, not even one drop, how could you even THINK of ruining your carbonara with cream, do you have no sense at all YOU A**HOLE?!?!?! Now, I'm only type-shouting and degrading you to reflect the aggregate loathing of bloggers and commenters alike, who rally loudly against abuses of the term "carbonara" to describe these allegedly nefarious and horrifying excuses for a pasta recipe. Examples:

From tommy:eats: "Here in the states, you see a lot of "light cream sauce" when describing carbonara. That's not carbonara. I don't know what it is, but I know it's not good. I often say that can judge an Italian restaurant by its description of carbonara: if I see "cream", I know I don't have to bother trying the place."

From a commenter on Il Forno: "First and fore most - NO CREAM. If you like cream then go and cook yourself a TV dinner or something and don't pretend to like Italian food."

Wow. Harsh. I could go on, for days in fact, but you get the picture. So, well, there I am feeling pretty sheepish with my crazy ideas about cream in carbonara. And then come all of the other issues piling on, the more I keep reading. Like, no bacon, it has to be pancetta or better yet, guanciale (that would be, cured hog cheeks). No peas. No onions. No wine. No garlic. No pasta shapes other than spaghetti. If you make any of these egregious missteps then you had BETTER not be callin' your nasty ol' slop heap carbonara. (People are really serious about this.)

So I did what any curious, self-respecting, reasonably hungry person who doesn't balk at eating two multi-thousand calorie meals in the span of 8 hours would do: I made a very authentic and "real" carbonara for lunch, and then I made my verions of fake, bastard, I'm-a-bad-person carbonara for dinner. Personally, I wouldn't turn either of these dishes down, but I will agree that the purist version was more exciting and ultimately more satisfying, albeit a pretty hearty (heavy?) meal. As Ross described it, "it's like eating a rich, salty, delicious bowl of pasta, and a pork chop, simultaneously." Good enough for me.

Spaghetti Carbonara
makes 2 servings.

Ingredients:

1/2 pound spaghetti
4 oz. guanciale (use pancetta if you MUST)
2 whole eggs
salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano

Method:

Put pasta water on to boil. Meanwhile, chop guanciale into small pieces and cook in a large saucepan over medium high heat until brown and crisp. Turn off heat and leave on stovetop as is.
Separate one egg and reserve yolk. Thoroughly whisk 1 whole egg and 1 egg white with a liberal amount of salt and pepper in a bowl. Add the parmigiano and whisk together.
Add pasta to boiling water and cook until done. When the pasta has about a minute left on the timer, turn the guanciale pan back on high heat just until it starts sizzling again (which, conveniently, should take about a minute.)
Using tongs, carefully transfer the spaghetti into the guanciale pan along with about 1/4 cup of the pasta water. (You could also drain the pasta and reserve some of the pasta water, but that would dirty out more dishes, so... I go with the tongs.) Turn off the heat and use the tongs to toss the pasta and guanciale.
Slowly poor the egg/cheese mix in, tossing furiously with the tongs so the eggs don't cook too much. When fully combined, add the yolk and mix thoroughly one more time.
Remove to 2 (preferably warm) serving bowls, garnish with extra parmigiano, and consume immediately.

Not Carbonara: Pasta with Eggs, Pecorino, and Pancetta
I didn't call it carbonara so please don't beat me up. Serves 2.

Ingredients:

3 oz. pancetta, cut in 1/4 inch wide strips
1 small clove garlic, finely chopped
2 shallots, finely chopped
3 Tblsp white wine
1/3 cup cream
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 egg + 1 yolk
1/2 cup grated pecorino (can substitute grated parmigiano)

Method:

Cook pancetta over medium heat until browned. Drain on paper towels. Remove all but about 1 Tblsp of the fat.
Add the shallots and garlic and cook a few minutes, until translucent but not browned.
Add the wine and swirl in the pan to deglaze 1-2 minutes. Add the cream, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta (I used something called campanelle, which look like bells and had lots of good sauce-holding ridges.)
While waiting for the pasta to boil, crack the eggs into a bowl and whisk well to mix. Add the pecorino and mix. Set aside.
Drain the pasta and set aside. Reheat cream just until it simmers. Turn off the heat. Whisk a little bit of the warm cream into the eggs, then a little more, then a little more. Combine all together in the pan (still with the heat off) and add the pasta and pancetta and mix furiously. If the sauce is too thin, turn the heat on medium low to reduce without letting it out and out boil.
Serve immediately.
If you wish, you can add frozen peas with the cream in the first section.

Sweet Arborio Rice Pudding

karen — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 00:05:00 GMT

I have never been a big fan of rice pudding, but I do love risotto. When I worked at Rose Pistola we made a rice pudding with Arborio rice that utilized the same technique as a risotto, but using cream and milk and plenty of aromatics. I couldn't remember the exact proportions, but with some experimentation I found a nice balance with this recipe. It's ultra-creamy, delicious, and satisfying.

I like to stud mine with beautiful, jewel-like apricots and pomegranate seeds in winter, but you can (and should!) experiment with your choice of fruits and nuts to your liking. You can also alter the spices as you wish- I’m sure citrus peel, ginger, lemongrass, or anything else you can think of would work beautifully. The simplicity of this recipe makes it very forgiving in taste and texture.

Sweet Arborio Rice Pudding
This makes 4-6 portions- it’s pretty rich so I made 6 small servings.

Ingredients:

¾ cups Arborio rice
2 whole allspice or 2 cloves
½ vanilla bean (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)
1 small cinnamon stick
3 cups milk
1 cup cream
¼ cup dried Turkish apricots, chopped finely
seeds from ½ pomegranate

Method:

Put rice, spices, milk and cream in a pot over medium heat. When mixture starts to bubble turn heat to low.
Cook over low heat for about 40 minutes, until liquid is absorbed and rice is creamy. During cooking, stir with a wooden spoon at least every 5 minutes.
Remove spices and gently stir in fruit. Serve immediately
To make ahead: Cook recipe using only 2 cups of milk. (Rice will not be fully soft.) Turn off heat and remove spices and aromatics. Cover loosely, leaving lid a little bit open. Before serving, remove lid and add one more cup of milk and heat over low flame, stirring constantly. Gently stir in fruit and serve immediately.