Whip It Up: Week 6: Appetizers

This post will have no pictures and be very brief. I'm at the beach - be happy I'm on the computer at all.

Not wanting to spend much time in the kitchen, not wanting to turn on the oven and in a flurry of unpacking, I kept this week's choice exceptionally simple. Don't worry, I was sure to not skimp on the scrumptious factor.

This is, apparently, the Best Tzatziki Sauce Ever. Well, maybe I added the ever, but that would be my guess. I'm so lazy, I'm not even going to post up the recipe itself. But, what you want to know is...

Was it good?
Yes. I may never buy store bought again.

Was it easy to make?
Again, yes. Simple, straight forward directions. It's hard to mess up, even for me. Admittedly, it would have been easier had I had a food processor.

Will you make it again?
I most certainly will. I can't vow off the store bought stuff and not replace it.

Mighty Comfortable

So remember that blog, Thursday Night Smackdown, I mentioned finding back in July? Or posted a submission for 5 days ago?? Well, typically on Thursdays she posts a new dish she's never made. Pushing the boundaries of the kitchen and discovering flavors, techniques and general kitchen adventures. As with what will happen to the best of us, she just didn't have it in her this week. I must admit, I know the feeling.

So instead of dazzling us with her julienne skills or presenting something so mouthwatering I could hardly stand it, she presented a contest. Submit your most comfortable comfort food.

I love comfort food. It's almost entirely the only thing I cook. And I love winning. And I'm really indecisive. Which is where the conundrum comes in. What to submit?? We're really only supposed to offer one. (Unless you link in your blog, which I did. We'll see if I want to cheat.) To muddy the waters up even more, I can submit something from someone else's blog!

So Help!!!

What should I make?

Things already posted on the blog that I think could work include:
Challah French Toast
Roast Chicken
Jalapeno Popper Macaroni and Cheese (though she did say there's only so much mac and cheese she can eat)
Name TBD (suggestions?) Chicken with Crispy Chicken Skins

Things I make not on the blog (yet):
Aunt Eve's Beef Brisket
Pumpkin Curry Soup (this I even have pictures of)
Tuna Melts w/ sweet potato fries (I also have pictures of this)
Matzoh Ball Soup
Chicken Rice and Veggies Soup
Pasta and Meat Sauce
Stuffed Cabbage
Greek Penne Pasta

Things that I have made but aren't mine:
Cinnamon Buns
Chicken with a-crap-ton of Garlic

...I just realized I needed to stop. Okay. Suggestion time! (Last time I did this, nobody offered advice.That makes me a sad panda.)

Tom Yum Inspired Cauliflower and Green Beans (an attempt)

Tom Yum is one of my favorite soups of all time. It's absolutely part of how I judge and remember a Thai food restaurant. Part of what I loved was the crisp, sweet spiciness of the cauliflower in the dish. The green beans weren't too shabby either.

So when I got both cauliflower and green beans in my farm share last week - I needed to try to emulate the wonderful, wonderful result that is vegetables in Tom Yum soup. You know, without the soup because I tried that once and am far from perfecting it.




This was a little over cooked due to multi-tasking. And a little too spice due to underestimating the chilies I was working with. But I'm determined to figure this shiz out.

Tom Yum Inspired Vegetables

1 medium head cauliflower
1 handful fresh green beans
(or whatever vegetables tickle your fancy)
2-4 shakes cayenne pepper
paprika

1/2 to 1 c chicken broth
2 dried ancho chilies (I wanted 1 birds eye chili)

Add chicken broth and chilies to sauce pan and bring to a simmer.

In the mean time, break down cauliflower into bite sized florets . Remove the ends from the green beans and cut into 1 to 1 1/2 inch lengths. Sprinkle with paprika and cayenne pepper (Can you tell I didn't trust the chilies to be spicy? I'm bright.). Add vegetables to simmering broth. Stir to coat vegetables and work spices into broth. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Drain broth and return vegetables to pan. Saute for another 2 minutes.

Enjoy!

(I modified the written cooking times from what I did because, obviously, what I did wasn't quite right.)

Unexpected Goodness

I have, what is probably an irrational, distinct dislike of Martha Stewart. So imagine my surprise when trying to figure out what was in my farm share last week and then figuring out what to do with my apparent fava beans, I came across a person who modified a Martha Stewart recipe that I wanted to try.

But then when I went to make it tonight, I figured out I had only the orzo and shallots. And so using it as an inspiration, that is where our two recipes part ways. Whew.


Orzo with Green and Fava Beans

1 1/2 c. dry orzo pasta
1 shallot diced
2 tbs olive oil
1 tbs capers
1/4 - 1/2 c. shelled fava beans, white casing removed
1 c. green beans, cut to 1" lengths
1 glug white wine (about 1/4 cup)
1 tbs dijon mustard
6 - 7 slices turkey bacon
2 tbs fresh diced parsley
shaved parmesan
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 415

Fill a medium pot with water, salt lightly and bring to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente according to directions on the box. Drain pasta and rinse with cold water to stop cooking.

Place turkey bacon on a baking sheet and place in oven until crispy. About 15 minutes. No need to flip. Remove from oven until cool. Dice/crumble.

Add olive oil to pot. When heated, add shallots and capers until shallots are translucent. Add white wine, dijon mustard. Combine well. Stir in cooked orzo and bacon. Salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and add parsley.

After plating, top with parmesan shavings.



Personally, next time, I wouldn't add the capers. That's it. I would have liked more fava beans as well, but I used all I had. The contrasting crunch of the green beans was very nice.

Whip It Up: Week 2: Guilty Pleasure

That's right, a guilty pleasure. In regards to this, I think most people would automatically jump to dessert. The really rich, ooey-gooey stuff. Probably involving lots of chocolate, maybe some peanut butter. Or brown butter. But then, I've never been much of a dessert person.

I'm also not much of a chain restaurant person. I like eating local, supporting local business and seeing what the best chefs in town are capable of creating for my own gastronomic pleasure. And then there's the one food dish that I crave far more often than anyone should crave something from a national chain.



PF Chang's Vegetarian Lettuce Wraps (this version on Recipeezaar)
Cooking Sauce
1 tbsp hoison sauce
1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp dry sherry (I used an open bottle of red table wine)
2 tbsp oyster sauce (omitted because I could not find vegetarian oyster sauce)
2 tbsp water
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp corn starch

Marinade
1 tsp corn starch
2 tsp dry sherry (same as above)
2 tsp low sodium soy sauce
1 tsp Chinese chili sauce (I use Sambal Olek)
2 tsp water


Filling
2 tbsp sesame oil
1 c baked tofu (recipe used below), diced
1 tsp fresh minced ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 green onions, minced
1/4 large red onion, small diced
4 oz bamboo shoots, diced
4 oz water chestnuts, diced
1 8oz package cellophane noodls (could. not. find. Help!!)
1 head ice burg lettuce (or your wrapping lettuce of choice)

Spicy Sauce
1 tsp rice vinegar
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp dry mustard (Coleman's)
1 tbsp water
1 tsp Chinese chili sauce


While the tofu is baking...

Mix cooking sauce in bowl and set aside.

For the spicy sauce, mix the dry mustard and water until well combined and smooth. Add the rest of the ingredients and set aside. I ended up adding about another tablespoon of soy sauce.

In a medium bowl, make the marinade and set aside. Prep all of your ginger, garlic, green and red onion, bamboo and water chestnuts. When the tofu is done baking (if not done ahead) dice and add to the marinade. Stir until coated well and let sit for 15 minutes.

Heat a wok or skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil and stir fry the tofu for 2-3 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.

Add the ginger, garlic and green and red onion; stir-fry for about a minute. Add the bamboo and water chestnuts; stir-fry for another 2 minutes. Return tofu to the wok, add the cooking sauce. Cook until thickened, about 2 minutes.

Place cellophane noodles on a platter and pour the tofu mixture over the noodles. Serve with lettuce and spicy sauce.

Viola!



Baked Tofu (recipe found here)

1 lb extra firm tofu, drained and pressed
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp low sodium soy sauce
2 tsp olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
grated zest of 1 lemon
1/4 c vegetable broth (I used chicken. the ppk vegan would be mad)
1/4 c white wine (I didn't have any. replaced with broth)

Preheat oven to 400

Add the dry ingredients of the marinade to a small goal. Mash a bit to release the flavors better. Add wet ingredients, combine well.

Cut tofu into 8ths. I did this by cutting the long way. I might do it differently next time for slightly thicker pieces of tofu. Pour some of the marinade into a 9x15 baking pan. (or the cookie sheet with a rim that I used) Dredge tofu in the marinade and place in pan in a single layer. Pour remaining marinade over the tofu slices. Make sure some garlic and lemon zest sit on top of each slice. Cover.

Bake for 30 minutes. Remove tin foil, flip the tofu and continue baking for another 20 minutes. Remove from over and cool a little before serving (or you know, dicing and putting in the marinade)

So.
Was it easy? Surprisingly so. There are a lot of ingredients, but most are already pantry staples for me. Seriously people, if chili sauce and soy sauce are not a part of your pantry, they should be.

Was it good? Yes, it was good. However, though close... it wasn't quite PF Chang's. So I will keep looking for recipes, playing tweaking and trying. And until I get it right. Mr Feinstein (or whatever supremely Jewish name that the F stands for) will continue to get my money.

As for the baked tofu. I tried some out of the recipe. It was okay. I couldn't really taste anything. Next time, if I use the same recipe, I'll try it with the wine. And add salt and pepper. I was surprised it didn't call for any, but figured I'd never made baked tofu, so what the hell did I know. Apparently, something.

Would you make it again? See above. If I didn't want the PF Chang's version this would be very good and certainly made again. And I will try again, just maybe not this exact version.

Hobo Mondays Tuesdays

I've recently discovered a new food blog. And I love it. She's snarky, smart and interesting. The food looks amazing. And she hated Stefan from last season's Top Chef almost as much as I did. (almost because I didn't care if it was Josea winning... just anyone but that cocky jackass)

Seriously. You should check out Thursday Night Smackdown. (Unless there are little eyes about, she doesn't censor)

So on my first visit there, I saw a tab labeled Hobo Guidelines. Obviously I had to see what this is about. The first (now) Tuesday of each month, you have to create and blog about a meal. But not just any meal. It has to be able to feed 2 people for $5 or 4 people for $10. This is no small task. As an added challenge bonus, this month, we have to find something that travels well - in honor of summer (you know, all three days we've had so far).

Quinoa

3/4 c. dry quinoa
1 1/2 c. water

1 c. diced carrot
1/2 c. diced red pepper
2 sliced green onions
1/4 c. minced parsley (dried is okay)

1-2 tbsp lemon or lime juice
1 1/2 tbsp low sodium soy sauce (I usually add more upon tasting)
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp chili paste

Rinse quinoa in a strainer and drain well. Place in a medium sauce pan over medium heat and toast until you smell a nutty aroma. Add water to the pot. Bring to a boil and then cover and simmer until all the water is absorbed and quinoa tender. Usually about 20-30 min. Let cool thoroughly.

To make the dressing, whisk together lemon or lime juice, soy sauce, garlic and chili paste.

Mix together the cool quinoa, carrot, red pepper, green onion and parsley. After well combined, add dressing and mix well. Add more soy sauce or chili paste to taste if desired.

Enjoy!

As you can see, it travels very well. Quinoa is so very more than healthy. It's a grain, it's a seed, it's a protein. Delicious and filling. And you even sneak some vegetables in. Not to mention, it looks pretty.

Cost Break Down
Quinoa - $2 ($6 for a box, about 3 recipes worth per box)
Carrots from farm share - $0.20
Red Pepper - $0.89
Green onion - $0.22
Parsley - $0.05
Lemon Juice - Pantry Staple
Soy Sacue - Pantry Staple
Chili Paste - Pantry Staple
Garlic - Pantry Staple

Total - $3.36
Servings - 2-4 (seriously, just depends on what you count as a serving)
Also possible to subract $0.05 off the total if you use dried parsley, which, for me, is a pantry staple. Also also, I'm not really sure what the carrots are worth. I just know I paid in the winter to get a wonderful bounty all summer. To be honest, I guessed high, they could be less.

Whip It Up: Week 1: Holiday Favorites

So here it is, the last day to post on what I made for Whip It Up. Way to wait to the last minute, right? Well, would it make you feel any better if you knew that I started it last Saturday? No, I guess not. I could tell you about how I'm tired or have been busy, or spent yesterday baking in the sun next to the river. But you're probably here for the cake.

This week's theme of "holiday" favorites had me thinking. I make almost everything for Thanksgiving, save for one recipe I don't yet know and will likely never share. I've hosted Rosh Hashanah dinners and Passover Sedars. Basically, if it's a holiday favorite, I've probably made it. Well crap. So I started looking up "holidays." You know the kind. Holidays such as "Stupid Guy Thing Day (June 23)" and "Let it Go Day (June 24)." Yes, those two follow each other.

And then I remembered one recipe from Passovers past that I have never, ever attempted.

Angel Food Cake. Added bonus? This recipe requires a lot (a LOT) of whipping. So there you have it. One cake, two holidays: Passover and Whip It Up's Inaugural Week, 2009.



(See all the whipping?)

I'm giving you the recipe as I made it... but hop over to Baking Bites for the real thing. I didn't have any almond extract, like theirs call for. However, I will write the instructions correctly. Not adding the vanilla after adding one addition of the flour mixture. I blame this for the deflation of my batter and resulting denser cake. It still tasted great.


Angel Food Cake (Courtesy of Baking Bites and The Best Recipe)

1 1/2 c. egg whites (about 10-12 large eggs) room temp
1 1/2 c. super fine sugar, divided
1 c. sifted cake flour
1 tsp. cream of tartar
1/4 tsp. salt
2 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325F.

In a small bowl, whisk together 3/4 cup sugar and the cake flour. Set aside.

Beat egg whites until frothy, the add cream of tartar and salt. Beat until fully incorporated then begin to add the remaining 3/4 cup of sugar 1-2 tablespoons at a time. When sugar has been added, beat egg whites to soft peaks. You will know when you have soft peaks because the egg whites will look like soft waves and when you lift the beaters, the peaks will droop back down into the batter. If your batter is falling in ribbons, it is not quite done. Don’t be afraid to slow down the mixer and check a few times as you get close. Do not beat all the way to stiff peaks. Once you have soft peaks, add the vanilla and almond extracts and beat for a few seconds to evenly distribute. (highlighted because I missed this)

Sift the flour/sugar mixture over the egg whites in 6-8 additions and gently fold it in after each addition.

Spoon batter into an ungreased 9 inch tube pan with a removeable bottom. Smooth the top with a spatula and tap the pan on the counter once or twice to ensure that there are no large bubbles lurking beneath the surface.

Bake for 50-60 minutes, until the top springs back when lightly pressed. Mine took 55 minutes.

Allow to cool completely or overnight.

Gently run a thin knife around the sides, then around the bottom, of the pan to release the cake when you are ready to serve it.

I served ths with both fresh and stewed strawberries. This was easy. All you need is 1/4 - 1/2 c sliced strawberries, a sprinkle of brown and white sugar and a splash of lemon juice.

Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan. Let sit for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until juices form. Place over medium heat and let simmer for 10-20 minutes until strawberries are soft, cooked through, syrup forms and both strawberries and syrup are a beautiful bright red.

So, to recap:

Was it good? Yes. Very.

Was it easy? Not exactly. Maintaining the appropriate level of whipped-ness proved to be elusive. But then, maybe it would have been easier if I'd actually followed the instructions.

Would I make it again? Probably, but I'm not a huge baker.

AhEeeOooo Killer Tofu

So, I've no pictures of my own to share, the one above is courtesy of epicurious dot com (one of my favorite sites ever). But I made this last night. Well, a version of it. And let me tell you, this was surprisingly phenomenal.

The tofu is made very simply.
Drain one package of firm tofu. I pressed it with paper towels before slicing.

Then slice the long way into 8 pieces.

Let rest on and covered by a paper towel for about 10 minutes.

Spread both sides of each slice with about 1/4 to 1/2 cup total of whole grain dijion mustard. (I did not use nearly so much as is shown in the picture) Let rest for a while - as you prepare the other parts of the meal.

To actually cook the tofu, I used a sauce pan I had just finished making crispy shallots for this recipe (sans bacon drippings). Bring the burner to medium heat and let the pan heat a bit. Then lay the slices in the pan in a single layer, cover. Cook like this for about 2 minutes per side, so the tofu browns a bit and is heated through.

Enjoy!! I know I did. Seriously. I could not get over how good tofu quasi-marinated in mustard and seared tasted. This will definitely have to be worked into the regular rotation. Possibly with some mustard-roasted potatoes I saw over at my fav food blog (but have yet to make).

Since I obviously followed a different recipe for the greens but still wanted the sweet potatoes - I basically replaced shallots (since they were in the greens) with the onion, halved the amount of onion, ginger and lime juice. The sweet potatoes caramelized a bit on the outside.

All the flavors from the two? three? dishes still blended so well. A little brown rice on the side topped with a few shallots, some gastrique and a splash of soy sauce rounded out our plates.

Can you tell I'm loving my farm share? Can you tell I'm excited for Whip It Up?? Remember this?

Adventures in Cooking ^2

I'm about to embark on two adventures in cooking - simultaneously and separately. And I couldn't be more excited.

Adventure 1: Whip It Up! 2009
The gauntlet has been laid down and challenge accepted. Some of you might have even noticed a little icon on the right side of your window.

I've been invited to join a weekly cook-off. From what I understand, the only hard rule is that it has to be a new-to-me recipe. I also believe that each week we'll be given a style or foodstuff to work with to aid in narrowing down the vast world of culinary possibilities. Whilst cooking, I take pictures. After cooking, I put up the recipe, pictures and thoughts about the recipe. Oh yeah, and something about was it actually any good? was it easy? and would I ever put myself through it again?

Sound fun? Want to join in the merriment? Check out the link here. All you would ever hope to know about it... or at least who to ask if it's not posted. Seriously, you should sign up.

The fun begins on June 28th. And hey, added bonus.... I'll actually be posting weekly!

Adventure 2: Produce!!!!!!
Back in January, a friend and I signed up to be part of a farm share this summer. What this means in someone other than me works really hard all spring, summer and fall to seed, grow, nurter and harvest lots and lots of fresh produce, all for my our enjoyment. (all of my efforts so far have proved entirely fruitless veggieless. [see what I did there?])

Tonight I pick up my first share! I cannot wait. I don't get any say in the goodies I get, so the adventure part is no meal planning.... and probably lots of entirely new produce. That means new recipes, new ideas, new flavors, new new new. To be honest, I sort of love that Whip It Up! has corresponded (almost) with the beginning of this adventure in produce.

Roasted Chicken

Apparently, when I decide to roast something for dinner, I decide to roast everything. (almost)

I had never roasted a chicken before, but suddenly had a hankering to do so. I had never even really been in charge of the turkey, no matter how much I do for Thanksgiving. For a first attempt, I'd say I did pretty damn well.

With all the apples sitting in my kitchen, taunting me, daring me to try to use them all before they went bad, I knew that at least one had to be used as a part of this recipe. I did some research on the interwebs, and it didn't seem like it would be all that hard. I was expecting to stuff the chicken more like a turkey, but wasn't very disappointed when I discovered that that wasn't the norm. Following a few guidelines, but sort of just feeling my way - this is what I did.


What you'll need:
2 carrots, unpeeled and sliced about 1/4" thick
2 stalks of celery, sliced the same
1 medium onion, diced
1 apple, quartered only (do not peel or core)
5-8 cloves garlic
fresh rosemary sprigs
fresh thyme
1 whole chicken, giblets and all
butter/margarine
1 cup white wine (plus however much you would like to drink)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place a rack 1/3 of the way up in the oven so that the chicken will sit in the middle.

Line the bottom of a roasting pan or casserole dish with the carrots, celery and onion. Place a few sprigs of thyme and rosemary on top in center, where you will place the chicken.

Clean the chicken - remove any remaining feathers, remove the giblets and place in the bed of vegetables. Also remove the pieces of fat attaching the skin near the cavity. You can chose to wash and pat dry the chicken. I did not as I didn't want to spread salmonella to my sink and kitchen and figured that roasting the chicken would kill the germs anyway.

Once the cavity of the chicken is empty, sprinkle with salt and pepper, insert garlic, a few sprigs of rosemary and thyme, as well as the apple. The entire apple may not fit. I had to cut mine into 1/8ths to fit more than a quarter. Massage the butter or margarine into the skin all over. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the chicken on top of the bed of vegetables, herbs and giblets.

Place in the oven to roast for 45-60 minutes. I did not have a meat thermometer, so let my chicken stay in a little longer than it probably should have. I'd rather have my chicken be a little dry than under cooked. Ideally, though, you want the meat to be about 160 degrees in the thickest part of the breast.

Once the chicken is done, remove the pan from the oven and the chicken from the pan. Remove the apples, garlic, etc from the cavity. Cover with aluminum foil and let sit while you prepare the phenomenal au jus.

Scrape all the vegetables and giblets from the pan into a bowl, allowing any juices to remain. Pour the glass of wine into the bowl with the vegetables so it can collect any remaining flavor or juices. Then pour the wine, straining out the vegetables into a sauce pan along with the juices from the roasting pan. Be sure to smush the vegetables a bit as you're straining them so you get as much flavor out of them as possible. Turn on the burner to a medium low heat to allow the alcohol to begin to burn off. At this point, check the chicken to see if any juice has accumulated on the plate or in the cavity. If so, add this to the pan now and continue cooking for just a few minutes longer.

Now the sauce and chicken are both ready to serve!



Our meal was accompanied by an attempt at roast vegetables. I say attempt because unfortunately, the rack to roast the chicken on was low and therefore close to the bottom rack in the oven. The vegetables seemed to steam more than roast, but it all worked out.

This one's easy!
Slice and dice your favorite assortment of vegetables and arrange in one layer on a baking sheet.


Brush with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, pepper and other spices of choice and place in the oven. After 15 minutes turn over, brush, sprinkle and return to the oven for another 10-15 minutes. Once the vegetables have reached the desired doneness, enjoy!


Eat me, I'm done!!



(also accompanied by mashed potatoes, as you can see)

Oodles of Apples

Yesterday, being a typical fall day in New England, boy, friends and I decided to venture out in search of apples. The orchard we ended up with was a "buy a bag" orchard. $20 for half a bushel, and half a bushel we got.

Now the quandry: what to do with all the apples.
















So far, the following has been proposed/thought of:
Apple Crumb Pie
Apple Butter
Apple Sauce
Apple Tartarin with Pomegranate
Apple Strudel

But half a bushel is a lot of apples. Does anyone have recipes to share? Hopefully ones that don't go bad easily? or are easy to distribute?


Btw. Girl at Bolton Farm Stand's apple pastry window sucks at the customer service thing. We stand in line for 40 minutes. I only want one or two cider donuts. The rest of our crew is getting assorted various pastry so we get in the 5 or less donut line. Three customers from glory and no more individual donuts are being served. We didn't want to cut the other line or wait another 40 minutes so banked on sympathy. None was had. No individual donuts. And she couldn't sell donuts from that line. Fine. I'll just take my cider. Talk was had of a visit to another farm stand to get me a donut. Instead, my friends got a puppy. And puppy always trumps donut.