Cook Like Mad

picture from BBC Good Food

Thanks to S for the suggestion to share recipes that use up your summer bounty (comment found in my last post). I’ve selected my top 5 summer produce picks and selected a favorite recipe for each ingredient. I’ve also posted my favorite summer squash recipe, inspired by my trips with D to the South. Whether your garden is overflowing or you over-bought at the farmer’s market, these recipes are tasty, easy, and trusted. Enjoy!

Asparagus

Saveur’s Pasta Primavera

Baby Greens

Summer Salad with Apricots, Pistachios, and Almond Soft-Fried Eggs

Rasberries

Raspberry Ripple Pavlova

Tomatoes

Mark Bittman’s Tomato Paella

Summer Squash

Michel Bras’ Stuffed Zucchini

And finally, a recipe of my own:

My Yellow Squash Casserole

Ingredients:

3 medium yellow squash, sliced into 1/4-inch thick disks
3 c. whole milk
2 tbsp butter, plus extra to coat casserole dish
salt, to taste
1/3 c. Bread crumbs (I prefer the italian seasoned ones here)
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese, divided into 1/4 c. and 1/4 c. portions

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place a medium-sized pot on the stove, add the milk, a pinch of salt and sliced squash to it, and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Simmer 5 minutes until squash are tender. While squash simmers, butter a small- to medium-sized casserole dish.

2. Turn off heat under pot, drain most of the milk (let’s say, leave 1/2 cup milk in the pot- this isn’t an exact science though), stir in 1/4 cup parmesan and transfer entire mixture into the casserole dish.

3. Top the mixture with the bread crumbs, then with the remaining 1/4 cup of parmesan. Dot the top with the 2 tbsp butter and place in the hot oven for 30 minutes, until the top is golden brown. If the top begins to get too brown, cover it with foil and continue cooking for the remaining time. Enjoy!

-M

A round up of my food photos this week. Most of these are very simple, so recipes aren’t included in this post. Enjoy : ) -M

L. A. Burdick’s Luxembourgers (very similar to macarons)

Intricate blown candy at the Sakura Matsuri festival in D.C.

A vendor grilling chicken on skewers at the Sakura Matsuri festival

Sunny-side up eggs in the pan

Sunny-side up eggs on baguette, covered in thinned potato leek soup (just try it, trust me!)

Steamed artichoke

and last but not least,

Really devilish eggs

Scallop Ceviche in Cucumber Cups

So Thursday night I catered a cocktail party for 15 people and let me tell you, it took me all of yesterday to recover. The cooking itself was not particularly difficult, but combined with the menu planning, the inevitable readjustments, the shopping and the assembly, I had my work cut out for me. I spent all of Wednesday (til 3am…) cooking and baking and then Thursday morning I spent another few hours cooking and prepping garnishes. By the time 3pm rolled around, it was time for me to go to the client’s house and start setting up platters and assembling dishes. It was at this point that I started to realize why there are so few parties catered by a sole individual. This was a lot of work! Not only was I in charge of keeping the polenta triangles, beef, and chicken warm in the oven, but I had to use that same oven to toast the bread. This meant switching back and forth from the broiler to the lowest setting on the oven all night, while simultaneously assembling and refilling platters of appetizers and keeping the garnishes fresh.

Thankfully, the night went perfectly smoothly and everyone was delighted by the food, the atmosphere, and the company. I was very anxious about not having enough food, since 15 adults can be a vague number to cook for. Are they big eaters? Are they just interested in drinking and will nibble on something once in a while? Who knew? Not me at least. In the end, there were a few leftovers, but I calculated well. Those interested in eating balanced out those abstaining, and I never ran out of a dish, nor did I have too much left over. My menu is listed below, as well as a few pictures from the event. Please excuse the picture quality here, since taking well adjusted pictures was the farthest thing from my mind that night. Btw, if you’re ever interested in catering a party yourself, I highly suggesst making up some business cards. They’re no more than $10 on many websites, such as overnightprints.com, vistaprint.com, and 123print.com, and some are even free. The moral of the story? Cook as much as you can ahead of time, including preparing your garnishes, and you’ll be well prepared for a smoothly executed evening. Recipes will be posted tomorrow. Today, I rest. : )

Menu:

Muhammara Spread (on whole grain crackers)

Blue Cheese Mousse (on water crackers, made with Valdeon)

Homemade Blue Cheese and Pecan Crackers

Scallop Ceviche in Cucumber Cups

Crab and Avocado Profiteroles

Roast Beef with Pesto Cream on Homemade Garlic and Herb Focaccia

Rosemary and Lemon Chicken with Black Olives on Thyme-infused Polenta Triangles

Chocolate Meringue Sandwich Cookies

Boysenberry Bars

Coconut and Tropical Fruit Chewy Cookies

Mini Chocolate Rum Balls

Spiced Glazed Nuts

Pics:

blue cheese mousse

scallop ceviche, marinating

crab and avocado profiteroles

-M

After reading each post I write, D tells me he’s looking forward to coming back home to raid our ever-expanding (or is it ever-contracting?) freezer. I thought, why make him wait? I’ll send him a little care package of edible goodies to munch on, simultaneously filling him tummy with good food and his mind with good thoughts (of me, that is). But when it comes to actually making the goodies, I was unsettled on what to send.

Cookies seem dependable yet predictable, quick breads (i.e. banana bread) get stale too quickly if pre-sliced and are cumbersome if they’re sent whole, and muffins get smooshed easily. Then I thought, why does a care package have to be limited to sweet foods? It doesn’t, and here are two recipes for savory treats that will make your care package recipient the happiest he’s ever been away from home. Enjoy : )

Care package necessity number 1:

Crackers in Two Varieties: Plain and Salsa

Makes 5-6 dozen crackers (depending on size)

3 cups all purpose flour (you can subsitute half this amount for whole wheat or ww pastry flour, if desired)

1 tbsp salt

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 cup water

optional: 1/4 cup salsa (I prefer the finely chopped kind with a medium amount of heat, but it’s your choice).

* If using salsa, reduce water to 3/4 cup)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchments paper. Combine flour and salt in a large bowl, then add oil and water (and salsa, if using). Mix well to create a fairly stiff dough, adding a little more water if necessary (depending on climate, humidity, etc, you might need a little more water to make the dough easier to roll out).

2. Cut the dough in 4 even pieces, and wrap in plastic. Let rest on the counter for 15 minutes to fully relax.

3. Taking on piece of dough at a time, roll dough out on a very lightly floured surface, to no more than 1/8th of an inch, and less if possible. If you have a pasta machin, feel free to use it to thin out the dough to less than 1/8th of an inch thickness.

4. Use a small (about 2 inch diameter) round cookie cutter, a knife, or a pastry cutter to cut crackers from the dough. Prick each cracker with a fork to prevent it from rising too much in the oven. (If you don’t care about the crackers looking uniform, you can save time and prick the dough prior to cutting it into shapes.) Place crackers on the baking sheets. Spacing isn’t necessary since they really don’t expand much, just don’t let them touch.

5. Place baking sheets in the oven, rotating them half way, to ensure even cooking, for 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool on a rack and serve, or place in tins or bags to store. They keep for 1 month.

Note: If you like saltier crackers, brush on a thin coat of olive oil once they are on the baking sheets and sprinkle them with coarse salt prior to baking.

Some goat gouda and blackberry jam pair well with the plain variety of these crackers

Care package necessity number 2:

Homemade Soft Pretzels

Makes 6 pretzels

1/8 oz (1 1/2 tsp) rapid rise yeast (1/2 a package- just estimate, you’ll be fine)

1 cup warm water (about 110 degrees)

2 cups all purpose flour

1 tbsp sugar

2 tsp salt

2 tbsp butter, cold, cut into small pieces

coarse salt, for sprinkling

oil for greasing baking sheet

Method

1. Grease 1 large baking sheet or two small ones. Add yeast to warm water in a small bowl. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar and salt. Cut in butter, using a pastry cutter or rubbing the mixture between your hands, until the butter pieces are no larger than small peas. Pour in yeast mixture and mix well to create a wet dough. Grease a large bowl and dump dough into it, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour, or until nearly double in size.

2. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Flour your rolling surface well and place dough on top of it. Sprinkle more flour over the dough and gently work the dough for just 1 minute, until it is smooth and soft and no longer feels wet to the touch. Cut the dough in half, then cut each half into three even pieces. Place 5 pieces under a towel while you roll the first one into a rope. bring the two ends up to make a “U”, cross the ends, and bring the loop up over the cross and 1 inch below the ends. See picture below for assistance. Place formed pretzel under the towel and repeat with remaining dough pieces. Proof for an additional 20 minutes. When time is about up, bring a pot of salted water to a boil on the stove.

3. Two at a time, drop pretzels into boiling water. Boil for 45 seconds, then remove to a large piece of wax paper and immediately sprinkle with coarse salt. Repeat with other 4 pretzels. Place pretzels on the greased baking sheet(s) and bake 15-20 minutes, or until golden, risen, and cooked through. Enjoy hot, or let cool and rewarm in an oven, toaster oven, or microwave. Enjoy!

-M : )

When I think of icebox pies, I think of those super sweet, cool-whip(or pudding) based, high rise pies often seen in diners and old country cookbooks. In one of my favorite southern cookbooks, A Taste of Louisiana, by the Louisiana Federation of Women’s Clubs, among the many pie recipes, there is a recipe for Peanut Butter Pie that calls for chunky peanut butter, raisins, vanilla pudding mix, whipped topping, and salted peanuts, all set up in a graham cracker crust. Now I haven’t made this pie, but it did give me an idea to make the one below, modified from this epicurious.com recipe.

The epicurious recipe uses creamy rather than chunky peanut butter, whipped cream rather than pudding mix, and swaps the raisins for a layer of chocolate ganache. I like the fact that epicurious keeps the graham cracker crust, but I thought the pie recipe needed to be (forgive me) “kicked-up a notch.” So I made raspberry preserves to spread over the chocolate ganache to revive the fruit component established in the first version by the raisins. The raspberry preserves give a much-needed tartness to the rich and creamy pie, without adding “chew,” which no doubt was an effect of adding raisins to a chilled pie. The chocolate ganache is made from 60% cocoa-content chocolate chips, adding to the complexity of the pie’s flavors. This is not your average refrigerator pie, it is a pie for adults, in addition to children, and speaking of children, it’s a great recipe to make with them. If you prefer to use store-bought raspberry preserves, just make sure you stir it up a bit before spreading it over the chocolate layer, so it’s loose and easy to manipulate. Also, feel free to make this pie in 8 of those individual graham cracker crust molds you can buy in the store- that way there’s no worrying about cutting perfect slices and each guest will feel particularly royal : ) So give this old-school pie a try. It’s a perfect, comfy winter dessert and it’s easy to boot. Enjoy!

Chocolate Pb & J Mousse Pie

Adapted from this Epicurious.com recipe

Makes 8 Servings

1 bag frozen raspberries
2 tablespoons sugar

Nonstick vegetable oil spray
7 whole graham crackers, finely crushed into crumbs (the food processor works best here)
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
4 tablespoons sugar, divided

1 1/3 cups (about 8 oz) 60% bittersweet chocolate chips
2/3 cup plus 1 3/4 cups chilled whipping cream, divided
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract, divided

1 cup (about 6 oz) peanut butter chips
2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter

Bittersweet chocolate chips, melted, to serve
Roasted, lightly salted peanuts, to serve

Method

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. If making raspberry preserves from scratch, dump bag of frozen raspberries in a small pot with 1/3 cup water and bring to a boil Lower to medium heat, stir occasionally, and add 2 tbsp sugar. Stir frequently for another 10 minutes and then turn off heat, transfer to a bowl, and let cool. Meanwhile, make other pie components.

2. Spray 9-inch pie dish lightly with vegetable oil spray. Mix graham cracker crumbs, 1/4 melted butter and 2 tbsp sugar with a fork until it comes together and spread out evenly in the bottom of the pie dish, making sure, to patch up any holes, as you work the mixture up the sides of the dish. Bake in preheated oven for 10-15 minutes, until just lightly golden brown and firm to the touch. Let cool on the counter.

2. Mix chocolate chips, 2/3 cup whipping cream, 2 tbsp corn syrup and 1 tsp vanilla in a microwave safe bowl and microwave on half power for 2 minutes. Let sit for 30 seconds, and stir, until fully incorporated. At first the mixture will look like it won’t combine, but be patient, it will become quite thick and dark with a little stirring. Pour overcooled crust and set pie dish in the freezer for 20 minutes.

3. Mix peanut butter chips, 3/4 cup whipping cream, 2 tbsp creamy peanut butter, and 1 tsp vanilla in a microwave safe bowl and microwave on half power for 1 1/2 minutes. Stir the same way as the chocolate chip mixture. Let cool in the freezer for 10 minutes.

4. Once chocolate mixture has cooled in the crust, spread cooled raspberry preserves over chocolate layer, ensuring to create an even layer, as it will be pretty thin. I like to use the back of a tablespoon for this if there is no offset spatula available.

5. Chill 10 minutes in the fridge. After this point, the peanut butter mixture will be cool, so whip 1 cup whipping cream with 2 tbsp sugar until it is thickened but has not reached soft peaks. It is very important to not whip the cream to soft peaks or beyond, to keep the mixture creamy. Fold in the peanut mixture to the whipped cream in thirds, trying to keep the volume you created. Dump this peanut mousse in the middle of the raspberry preserves layer and spread to the outer edges of the pie crust. It will look as if there is too much mousse mixture, but it is exactly the right amount, so don’t skimp. Place the pie in the fridge for at least one hour, but up to overnight, to allow it to set. Do not cut the pie until the pie has chilled for 1 hour. To serve, drizzle with melted chocolate and roasted, lightly salted peanuts. Enjoy!

-M : )

So I kind of wish this idea for roasted carrot bean dip came to me before this past weekend, because it would have been a great contribution to the hoards of Superbowl recipes that flew around the food blog universe last week, but alas, some ideas just don’t come to me on demand. This recipe is the direct result of me being sick of eating raw carrots, having bought one of those 5 lb bags, and needing a recipe to avoid “forgetting” them in the fridge and ultimately tossing them out.

From that hearthbread I made a couple days ago, I had some roasted garlic left over (I always roast extra garlic once I’m going to the trouble of turning the oven on for a solid hour), and thought it would be a marvelous idea to mix that with some carrot puree and make a dip. To give the carrot puree extra flavor, I roasted them on a sheet tray first. To give texture to the dip, I added half a can of white beans, which is why the dip looks oddly yellow and not orange…though, I assure you part of the reason for this is my lack of picture-taking ability. The dip really was a more carrot-induced color.

Anyway, add a few flavorings that harmonize these three ingredients (namely, thyme) and toast up some whole grain bread and you’ve got yourself a great, healthy appetizer to add to your party food line-up. Put bowls of salsa and guacamole on the table and your guests will be astounded by how colorful your table looks. Enjoy!

Roasted Carrot White Bean Dip

Makes 2 1/2 cups

1 1/2 lbs carrots, sliced (or use baby carrots ,whole)

1 head garlic, top sliced off about 1/2 inch from the top.

1 can cannellini or broad beans, drained and rinsed with cold water

1 tsp thyme, fresh (fine to subsitute dried)

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

olive oil, for roasting carrots and garlic, about 2 tbsp

salt and pepper, to taste

toast points, to serve

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350, toss carrots in olive oil in a bowl to coat and spread carrots out on a sheet tray. Wrap head of garlic in foil, and before closing the package, drizzle in a little olive oil (about 1 tsp). Place foil wrapped garlic on the same sheet tray as the carrots and roast for 45 minutes until both the garlic and carrots are completely soft and golden.

2. While the carrots and garlic are roasting, get the rest of your mise en place ready (i.e. open the can of beans, measure your cheese, olive oil and thyme, and make sure your food processor isn’t dusty.

3. Place roasted carrots in bowl of food processor and squeeze garlic cloves out of the head into the bowl, as well. Add beans and thyme and puree until very smooth, but it will never be baby food, so don’t try for that. Add in cheese and extra virgin olive oil, and process until fully incorporated. If the mixture is a little dry, add more olive oil, about a tablespoon at a time. Season with salt and pepper and serve with toast points. Enjoy!

-M

For a long time organizations such as the Center for Consumer Freedom have been educating and warning the public about hysterical food police attempting to restrict and dictate our consumption decisions in America. From this proposed Mississippi bill, you can now understand, in just one example, why they have been so insistent on their admonitions to the public that we must stand up for ourselves in the face of these self righteous food regulators. Here is the main clause, taken from HB 282 itself, if you aren’t already familiar with the news:

from: http://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/2008/pdf/history/HB/HB0282.xml

…you get the point. The bill goes on to say that it will be within state rights to revoke the permit of any restaurant caught violating this bill, and that the bill is set to go into effect on July 1, 2008. Oh, and the restaurants that qualify? Any that contain five or more seats for customers.

While it’s not easy to write with my stomach turning from this news, let me say a few words about this bill and it’s demented focus. It is easy to find out on the web that Mississippi is the U.S.’s fattest state. With 31.4% of their population obese, and 66.7% obese or overweight, they top the chart, but not too far above even the leanest state, Colorado, whose population is 18.2% obese and 54.9% obese or overweight. It should also be noted that every single state in the U.S. (excluding Hawaii, for lack of available data), has seen the percent of their obese population increase in the last year, so let’s not act like Mississippi is the only state struggling with the health problems an obese population faces. If I lived in Colorado, I wouldn’t be throwing a parade over my state’s statistics.

However, there are ways to help overweight and obese individuals become healthier, and denying them food, is not a moral solution, in fact, it is bigotry. While this bill does not directly state that it “hates” obese people, as my use of bigotry would infer, it does mandate a policy of intolerance on these individuals, which is key to the definition of this term.

I have touched before on topics like schools disallowing students from bringing in birthday cakes, but this trumps puny school rules. This is going to take more than a PTA meeting to override; it is going to require cultivating a fresh perspective on our American obesity epidemic. While this bill tries to slim down the obese Mississippi population by denying them food at the restaurants they have the right to dine in, what stops these same individuals from buying food that maintains or increases their weight? Are supermarkets going to follow suit and place scales and BMI calculators at their entrances? Are cameras going to be placed in homes and on the streets to monitor each morsel of food an obese person puts in his/her mouth? Furthermore, is this movement going to stay in the reactive realm or move to the preventative one? As states become more and more overweight, are individuals with BMIs in the “healthy” range going to face restrictions, too? Surely some individuals counted among the obese population were once within a healthy BMI range- can the state legislators prevent this transition from normal to obese by slowly increasing the margins of what we consider obese, thereby preventing these individuals the pleasure to dine in their desired restaurants, too?

There are many other factors here that many have not yet addressed in regards to the topics of weight and responsibility (both of the restaurants and the individuals). Trans fat was recently banned in New York City, but portion sizes are larger than ever in NYC and around the country. Can’t we have both value and reasonable portions? Can we not tell when we’re full anymore? Do we even care? Has the sense of fullness shifted from a biological signal to a perturbance we slowly train ourselves to ignore?

I think the solution to our growing obesity problem is greater responsibility for both individuals and restaurants. While customers may be dismayed initially to see portion sizes decrease, prices would also, and that’s always welcome. In the short term, restaurants may have difficulty reestimating the amount of food they need to serve their customers, and they may also have to deal with angry customers, but if the quality remains, and prices decrease, I believe the upset would be short lived.

In terms of individual responsibility, it all comes down to education. There are very successful children’s programs known around the country for their effectiveness in teaching the next generation how to eat to live, and respect their body’s internal signals of fullness and hunger. For adults, the path may be trickier, but public outreach, community nutrition counseling, more transparent food labeling are all steps in the right direction. I am not an expert on this topic, and these are just my opinions, but education is often an effective tool for positive long-term change.

If you had not heard the news of the Mississippi bill before reading this, I am glad I was able to alert you to this important piece of consumer news, and if you had, I hope this post brought something new to the discussion. Please feel free to comment on this post and let me know your sentiments.

-M

I told D before we moved in together that we were going to have to make room for my enormous cookbook collection in our new apartment, but it wasn’t until I started piling the books against the wall last month for lack of bookshelf space, that he quite understood what I meant. Thankfully we “inherited” a second bookshelf from a past roommate, giving my collection a proper home, as well as freeing up some floor space…

This recipe for Garlic and Parsley Hearthbread comes from Nigella Lawson’s cookbook, How to be a Domestic Goddess. Nigella has a talent for making baked goods, both rustic and refined, seem utterly simplistic, and leads you through recipes as a friend would, with gentle nudgings in the right direction. One thing I particularly love about Nigella’s writing is the unparalleled way she describes a treat’s deliciousness. She says of dream bars, “on top is a sticky mixture of nuts and coconut bound by a tender, toffeelike chewy gunge,” and of chocolate macaroons, “Though description is irrelevant: the utter gorgeousness of just one mouthful of these chocolate macaroons…reveals the rank inadequacy of language.” For someone who describes her chocolate loaf cake as having “damp, heady aromatic denseness” and her cream cheese brownies as “rich, sweet, sharp, palate-cleaving,” its quite the complement to a dessert that it is beyond her ability to describe its lusciousness. Then again, if you’ve ever watched Nigella on TV, you are already aware that her words hold no flame to the look on her face when she takes a bite of her creation. Nothing makes you want to cook more than watching her hedonistic smile as she licks chocolate brownie batter off a wooden spoon. If you’re a guy, maybe you’re not thinking so much about cooking…However, if you’re attracted to men, then most likely you’re thinking about making those brownies to see the same smile on your guests faces as they delight in another fabulous Nigella recipe.

Back to the hearthbread (sorry guys…). All you need is your hands, a baking sheet, and a hot oven. Sure you can use the dough hook on your stand mixer to knead the dough, but for me, the whole point of baking bread from scratch is feeling the dough elasticize and strengthen in your palms. Nigella describes this hearthbread as “something between garlic naan and herby focaccia: dimpled, doughy, and headily pungent.” As usual, she gives an honest and accurate description of what will come from your oven. Enjoy!

Garlic and Parsley Hearthbreads (adapted from Nigella Lawson’s How To Be a Domestic Goddess)

Makes 2 6” x 10” breads, but you can shape them into rolls or rounds as you wish.

3 1/2 cups white bread flour (secretly, I used all purpose, and they turned out great! Don’t waste money on buying special flour if you don’t want to)

1 package (1/4 oz) rapid-rise yeast

1 tbsp salt

1 1/3 cup warm water

5 tbsp olive oil, plus 3 tbsp for garlic parley mixture, and more for greasing

1 large head fresh garlic, top sliced, drizzled with oil, roasted in the oven in foil at 375 for 45 minutes, until golden and soft

1/2 cup flat leaf parsely, minced

salt, for sprinkling

1 large or 2 small baking sheets, lightly oiled

Method (I’m being brief to avoid copyright issues, ok?)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine warm water and 5 tbsp olive oil in a measuring cup and flour, yeast, and salt in a large bowl. Stir wet mixture into the dry one, combine and dump on your cutting board. Knead 15 minutes, or until dough is stiff and elastic and smooth. Clean your large bowl, lightly oil it and place the bread inside. Cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm place (on top of your stove, while the oven is heating is nice) for 1 hour.

2. Meanwhile, mince together your roasted garlic (which you’ve extracted from its bulb) and parsley and place in a small bowl. Add 3 tbsp olive oil and stir to combine.

3. After your bread has risen for one hour (it should be about double in size), punch down dough and dump onto your clean counter. Form into desired shapes and set on greased baking sheet(s). With your finger tips, take a pinch of the garlic and parsley mixture and press it into the top of the bread, creating green and golden flecked dimples on the top of your dough. Repeat until the mixture is gone and your bread is covered. Let rest for 20 minutes on the baking sheet(s) under a damp paper towel (or two).

4. Once the dough is rested, place in the oven on the baking sheets, and bake for 20 minutes, until the top is golden, and totally firm to the touch. You can tap the bottoms of the breads and if it sounds hollow, they’re done. Let cool for at least 20 minutes, to allow the crumb to set and dry. Enjoy!

-M : )

So my breakfast this morning, as you can see in the pic, involved some of my all-time favorite breakfast treats: yogurt, raw honey, blueberries, and dried fruit. For a long time now I’ve been interested in “superfoods.” Yes, way before it became cool to bond with mystery jungle purple foods rich in antioxidants, I was all over blueberries, dark chocolate bars, prunes and broccoli like a drunk college student on a 2am breakfast sandwich- you know who you are.

Growing up with a mother who loved these foods explains my gravitation to them, but it’s not just about my palate recognizing healthy food from my childhood; it’s also about visual appeal. I mean, just look at this colorful list of a few of my favorite superfoods below:

10 Superfoods and their benefits:

• Allium family edibles, like garlic and onion- fights heart disease, bacterias, cancers (esp. oral, throat, ovarian)
• Beans- helps lower cholesterol and blood pressure, stabilize blood sugar, lowers risk of heart disease
• Blueberries- boosts memory and brain function, immune system, and vision
• Broccoli- boosts memory function, fights cancer
  
• Grapes (red)- helps reduce cardiovascular disease, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, anti-oxidant
• Oats- helps reduce cholesterol
• Oranges- helps prevent arthritis, and by reducing free-radical damage to DNA, helps prevent cancers.
• Pumpkin- promotes lung health, helps prevent artery plaque and colon cancer, lowers blood pressure.
• Salmon (wild)- helps protect against heart disease and other inflammatory diseases
• Spinach- provides more nutrients than any other food, per calorie; promotes bone, brain, heart and eye health
• Tea (green)- boosts immune system, helps prevent tumors, cancer, heart disease and stroke risk
• Tomatoes- boosts immune system, cancer fighting (esp. prostate cancer)
• Walnuts- helps reduce artery plaque and heart disease with Omega-3s
• Yogurt- live active cultures promote healthy digestion

It’s no coincidence that all of these foods have deep pigmentation, of course. The colors are nature’s way of alerting us that they’re extra nutritious. I say “extra” nutritious only because there exist innumerable varieties of fruits, vegetables, grains, spices, herbs, and natural proteins that have some health benefits, but “superfoods” like the ones listed above are especially nutrient-dense. For more information on this subject, check out one of my favorite health websites, World’s Healthiest Foods.

Also, if you’re interested in the nutrient breakdowns of more than just the world’s healthiest foods, go to NutritionData.com for detailed reports on both health and junk foods. You can even search their database to find only the foods that are highest in specific nutrients, to ensure you’re getting the most bang for your bite.

No recipe in this entry, but come back tomorrow for a twist on a Nigella Lawson recipe from her book, “How to be a Domestic Goddess.”

Scallops are one food most people love to eat in restaurants but rarely cook at home. Why? They are just as quick to cook as shrimp, easier to clean than shrimp, and when seared on high heat, make for a beautiful presentation. The reasons I compare scallops to shrimp are their like nutritional values (did you know they are both high in B vitamins?), and their market prices. However, like shrimp, scallops are brought to your supermarket frozen. Now, some supermarkets are honest about the state of their shellfish and leave them in their frozen state. Others- one major gourmet grocery store comes to mind- “refresh” (read: defrost) their scallops, shrimp, and lobster tails, so they appear to have been fresh all along. My problem is not with the refreshing process, but with the presentation in the fresh fish case- almost every other fish in the case is shipped fresh, so why would a normal shopper think to ask about the state of the shellfish? All I’m saying is I wish customers paying top dollar had full disclosure. Ok, that’s the end of that rant.

Now for another one. Scallops can be totally tasteless. Its true- they’ve been frozen as we know, and refreshing them causes them to lose flavor. Did you think all scallops, even perfectly cooked ones, must taste like nothing? Sure, the texture is wonderful, but to me at least, the taste is always lacking. if you want to see what scallops are supposed to taste like, go to a restaurant where you know they’re flown in fresh, like the Grand Central Oyster Bar in Grand Central Station in NYC. You’ll truly believe the scallops you’ve been eating are muted versions of the real deal. Right, Dad? (Dad introduced me to the scallops at Grand Central, so he gets a shout out).

Ok, Maddy, get to your point. The point is, scallops are great for you, and are still yummy in their refreshed, albeit muted, state. Here is a recipe that brings intense flavor to those texturally decadent morsels. Sea scallops are best here, as they develop a nice sear when dropped in a hot oiled pan. Don’t be discouraged, just informed! Enjoy : )

Scallops with Spicy Asian Barbecue Sauce

Serves 2

1 lb sea scallops, small muscle on the side removed

salt and pepper

Sauce:

4 tbsp hoisin

2 tsp Sriracha hot sauce (found in every asian supermarket)

1 tsp rice wine vinegar

1 tsp soy sauce

1/2 tsp fresh ginger, minced

optional addition: 1 tsp mung bean sauce (also found at asian supermarkets- its like bean peanut butter (peanuts are legumes, after all)

4 leaves fresh basil

Method:

1. Heat 2 tbsp canola oil in a saute pan on high heat. Season scallops liberally with salt and pepper. Sear scallops for 2 minutes on each side, allowing a nice brown crust to form.

2. While you sear the scallops, mix all the ingredients for the sauce. When scallops are done, plate them, then, makign sure the pan is on low heat, add the sauce to the pan. Just warm the sauce in the pan, don’t cook it, and drizzle it over the scallops. Tear basil leaves over each plate and serve immediately. Enjoy!

-M : )

Some people like crunchy cookies, other likes soft, chewy cookies- I like both, but today I’m standing up for cakey cookies. Perhaps these would be better named as cake bites, since the dough is looser than normal cookie dough and the resulting texture is more like a cakey pumpkin blondie than a cookie, but the shape and size beckon me to continue to refer to them as cookies. The fact is, in order to make the cookies taste enough like pumpkin to merit their title, you have to moisten the batter with so much pumpkin puree that there’s no way this cookie could come out chewy, let alone crunchy.

pumpkin cookie innards

Since the recipe calls for 1 cup of pumpkin puree and most cans are over 14 oz, use the extra for mini pie fillings, pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin muffins, or freeze it in a ziplock bag to defrost when you want to make these cookies again- it won’t be long. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Cake Bites (Soft Pumpkin Cookies)

Makes 40 small cookies

• 2 1/8 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup white or milk chocolate chips (or both)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with a silpat or lightly grease it.

2. Mix first seven ingredients (the dry ingredients) in a small bowl and set aside. Combine butter and sugar in another bowl and beat with an electric mixer until creamy and lightened in color, about 5 minutes.

3. Beat in egg, then stir in pumpkin puree. Add dry ingredient mixture all at once and stir until just combined. At this point you can fold in white or milk chocolate chips if you;re making drop cookies, or if you;re piping the cookies, add the cookie dough to a pastry bag fitted with a tip at least 1/2” wide. Drop or pipe cookies onto baking sheet and if you piped the cookies, place one chip, white or milk, in the center of each cookie.

4. Bake in the center of the oven for 10-12 minutes. Cookies should be fairly firm to the touch, but not dry, and they should only be barely browned on the top and bottom. Move to a rack, cool, and enjoy! Cookies keep in an air tight container for up to 5 days.

-M : )

Just look at that photo- do I even need to say anything to encourage you to make this pot pie? Feel free to bake this in individual ramekins so you can serve them in their baking dishes. With this rustic dish, that would be a beautiful presentation. Interestingly enough, this dough is very similar to the dough I created to make those Chinese five spice pinwheels. If you find yourself with leftover dough, you can always bake up a few of these cookies while you wait for the chicken to cook through. Dinner and dessert in one recipe! What’s better than that? Enjoy : )

Chicken Pot Pie

Makes 3 Servings

2 1/2 cups chicken stock (broth is fine)

2 large chicken breasts

1 carrot, diced

1 stalk celery, diced

1 small onion, diced

6 tbsp beurre manie (3 tbsp flour mixed with 3 tbsp oil or melted butter)

vegetable oil, as needed

1 egg, mixed with 1 tbsp water

salt and pepper, to season

1 sheet Frozen puff pastry or use the recipe below:

Easiest Pastry Recipe:

1. Mix 1 1/4 cups flour with 1/4 tsp baking powder, and 1/2 tsp salt. Cut in 6 tbsp diced cold butter. Mix in 4 tbsp water until dough just comes together, wrap in plastic and set in fridge. Roll out to 10” circle when you’re ready to cover your pie.)

uncooked pastry crust, with a decorative topping made from extra crust

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Lightly grease a baking dish that has a diameter of about 9” (I prefer a cast iron dish, but any baking dish will work). Bring chicken stock to a boil in a 4 qt pot, turn down heat, and keep hot over medium heat, covered.
2. Heat a saute pan over medium high heat with 1 tbsp oil in it, and add carrots, celery, onion and a pinch of salt.

3. Meanwhile, set up another pan (that has a fitting lid) with 2 inches of water and heat on high. Place chicken breasts in pan, cover, and once the water comes to a boil, turn the heat to low and shallow poach the chicken breasts for 15 minutes, or until cooked through. When cooked, remove from water to a clean cutting board and let cool slightly. Once cool, shread or cut into large dice.

4. Add vegetables to chicken stock once golden brown and slightly soft. Add chicken also, then whip in beurre manie. Bring mixture to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook until thickened, 5 minutes, then pour into baking dish. (Note, you can stop here and refrigerate mixture, if you want to serve the dish tomorrow.)

5. Place round of pastry crust (or puff pastry) on top of baking dish, ensuring that the pastry overlaps the side of the dish slightly, so you can crimp the sides shut. Brush top of pastry crust with egg mixed with 1 tbsp water and bake in oven on a sheet tray (to catch drips) for 20 minutes, or until top is golden and cooked through. Serve in shallow bowls and enjoy!

-M : )

Ignore those button mushrooms next to the broccolini (or don’t)- I just sauteed them and put them on the plate to use up leftover mushrooms in the fridge. They married well with the other ingredients, though.

I’m cooling off from my sugar rush and getting back to my culinary school basics. While I cooked some great recipes in school, there’s one that stood out for its easy yet powerful flavor. Balsamic braised chicken is deceptively simple and sensible, and easily multiplied for extra guests. The rich brown sauce that drenches it isn’t ladden with butter, but instead, its full of rich, slow cooked chicken stock, balsamic vinegar, vegetables, tomato, and a touch of flour, to thicken it. No roux, no heavy cream, just a deep, dark, delicious sauce.

Now you may be wondering what in god’s name are those potatoes on the plate. Good question. In culinary school we were tortured by this exercise where we made “tourne” potatoes. (There should be that little accent over the “e” but alas, I’m new to this blogging thing, and don’t know how to add accents, so forgive me French cooking masters, as you roll in your graves.) Anyway, “tourne” means turned, and that’s what’s done to these potatoes. You peel and quarter your russet potato, then trim it, turning it dangerously in your hand as you point the tip of your knife towards your finger, to create a football shaped potato nugget. Yum. Now you could make any shape you want, but having a food blog makes you an anal cook, so I made pretty shapes with my potatoes. Also, football was on that evening. Get it? Yeah, dorky, I know. Parboil them in salted water for about 10 minutes (or until they barely resist being poked with a sharp knife tip), dry them with a clean towel, and saute them in olive oil, sprinkling with coarse salt as they come out of the pan. You’ll find they are a perfect pairing for your chicken (the main squeeze) and your broccolini (your obligatory veg). Double yum. Or is that triple?

The only trick to making this recipe excellent instead of just “good” is to taste your sauce and add more balsamic if the flavor isn’t coming through. It looks as dark in person as it does in the picture, so don’t be shy. Also, balsamic vinegars vary greatly in sweetness, viscosity, and acidity, and I won’t dare to tell you which you should buy, so feel free to add a touch of sugar or lemon juice, to balance the flavors of the sauce. Enjoy!

Balsamic Braised Chicken

Makes 3 Servings

6 chicken thighs, bone-in

1 large carrot, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

1 small onion, diced

2 tbsp tomato paste

3 tbsp flour

2 cups Chicken Stock

1 cup Balsamic Vinegar (the better the quality, the better the outcome, but don’t go crazy)

vegetable oil, as needed

salt and pepper, as needed

Sauteed broccolini and tourne potatoes, to serve (factor in 1 small bunch broccolini and 1 medium potato per person)

Method

1. Add 2 tbsp oil to a large, deep pan (one that has a lid that fits, ideally) and turn heat to medium-high.

2. Sear chicken thighs, meaty-side down, turning once, to color both sides a nice golden brown. Remove from pan and set aside.

3. Add carrots, celery, onion, and a pinch of salt to the same pan (do not wash between steps!) and saute until golden brown and slightly softened, 5-7 minutes.

3. Add tomato paste, “pincage” until the tomato paste turns an even darker red and add the flour, mixing well. Cook 1 minute to get rid of the raw flour taste.

4. Add chicken stock and balsamic vinegar to the pan, turn the heat up to high, and bring to a boil. Add the chicken thighs back in and reduce to a simmer. Cover immediately and let cook for 25-35 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. You may want to turn chicken over after 15 minutes to ensure even cooking, as the liquid will not cover the chicken entirely.

5. Remove chicken to serving plates, taste sauce for seasoning, and adjust as necessary with salt and pepper. If you desire, the sauce can be strained, but I prefer it unstrained. Thicken a little if necessary by cooking the sauce a little longer on the stovetop, without a lid, and pour sauce over the chicken. Add broccolini, potatoes, or whatever sides and vegetables you wish, to the plates and enjoy!

-M : )