We insist on saying ValenTIMES day, much to the chagrin of my eldest.
I am happy to report that my infused vodka came out wonderfully! I used the cherry/vanilla/ginger with a tiny splash of Frangelico in a chocolate shot glass. I think next time I'll put one of the vodka-soaked cherries in the bottom of cup, but everyone seemed to enjoy it. I regret not taking pictures of the finished product..... but let's just say that it was not my first drink of the evening and leave it at that.
I love Valentine's Day! I think it's sweet and I adore all the tickey-tackey pink and red and sparkly decor. I'm also into the chocolate aspect of the day LADIES AMIRIGHT
This morning I made special Valentimes pancakes for the fam.
Here's my pancake recipe; 1) purchase Krusteaze instant pancake mix 2) follow package directions 3) add a bunch of pink food coloring left over from your kid's birthday cupcakes. The end.
Not pictured: Berry Compote
The compote is very simple. I almost always use frozen fruit - it's easy and I usually have it in the house already. This should make enough for four people.
Quick Berry Compote
2 c frozen berries 1 T sugar 1/2 c juice or water, divided 1 T cornstarch
Place berries, sugar, and 1/4 c. liquid in a small saucepan on medium heat. Simmer until berries are heated through. Whisk cornstarch in to remaining 1/4 c liquid to make a slurry. Gently stir slurry into hot berry mixture. Keep stirring for about a minute until compote has thickened. Remove from heat and serve.
This is not a traditional compote by far, but it's a fast fix and right tasty. Top with whipped cream, or sour cream with a little lemon zest.
I am not cooking anything else today because we have been invited to an eight course dinner party with full wine pairings (!) and I am saving my appetite. Did I mention how much I love my friends?
why do they boil me down to a mushy grey blob I taste best roasted
Okay so maybe poetry is not my forte', but you get the point.
There is a subconcious list that we all carry around with us;
Things That Are Yucky
Lima Beans
Meatloaf
Liver
Brussel Sprouts
Where did we get this list? TV? Can't you just hear Bobby and Cindy Brady's little voices in your head bitching about what Alice made for dinner? Or, maybe your mom was like mine and would cook the hell out of everything - dry meat, formerly green vegetables boiled down to an unappetizing, soft, khaki mess. The woman could make a shaker of Italian seasoning - the only herbs we had in the house - last a year.
I like brussel sprouts. In all honesty, I like all four things on the above list. I figured out how to cook each of them so that they don't taste like poops, so that helps. I am going to tell you how I cook brussel sprouts so that they look like this:
...and taste nothing like the horrors of your youth.
Roasted Brussel Sprouts
Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Boil a pot of water, with a small handful of salt added. Take each sprout, and slice in half the long way (as shown). Remove any outer leaves that may be dried out or brown. When the water comes to a boil, add the sprouts. You will notice that they almost immediately become a more vivid green, isn't that pretty? Let them boil for about a minute, then drain. In a large bowl, toss the sprouts with 1T olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. A little fresh garlic would also be very nice, here! Spread sprouts on a baking sheet, put in oven. Check after ten minutes, stir sprouts around on baking sheet so that they roast evenly. Ten more minutes should do it, but if they don't look browned enough to you then by all means put them back in the oven! At this stage I would check every five minutes, and stir every time you pop them back in the oven.
So what is happening, here? First, you're parboiling the sprouts in the water. This cuts down on your roasting time, keeps the veg from drying out while they roast, and gives you that brilliant green color. The salt in the water brings out the flavor of the sprouts and helps maintain the green for the duration of the cooking process. Roasting the sprouts in the oil caramelizes the naturally occurring sugars and creates a wonderfully sweet nuance to the taste.
If you're not normally a fan of cruciferous veg anyway you may not like this, but you never know! I always thought I hated asparagus because my mother would boil it to limp and lifeless and then pour melted Velveeta all over the poor things. The first time I had it steamed I became a convert - then I had it grilled and it moved to the top of my List of Favorite Vegetables.
I have been a little trepidatious about alcohol and vinegar infusions. It seemed that it could not possibly be as simple as dropping stuff into liquid and then ignoring it for a few days. Apparently it is? Then why have I waited so long? The lesson here kids, is Carpe Diem (or something to that effect).
In honor of Valentine's Day, our cocktail club theme is "Pink Drinks". I am currently infusing vodka with cherries to achieve the necessary blush. I have two set up: Cherry/Vanilla/Ginger and Cherry/Lime.
The next step is to create a cocktail. I don't care for very sweet drinks; I will partake of an occasional chocolatini and call it dessert, but I tend to go for simpler tastes like vodka tonics and dirty martinis. I am also fairly new to mixology. When learning to cook, you don't jump right from toast to rack of lamb - I'm not ready to attempt anything too complex. I've decided to make a Rickey* with the Cherry/Lime Vodka. I know that Rickeys are traditionally a summer drink, but I could use a little taste of summer right about now. I'm still deciding with what to blend the Cherry/Vanilla/Ginger. I kind of want to try it with cola, but that won't be pink.
In addition to the vodka, I am infusing white vinegar with garlic, rosemary, and lemon peel. I am trying to eat mostly salads for lunch, and I prefer oil and vinegar over most salad dressings. Infusing the vinegar and/or oil adds a nice punch of flavor. Zeke, my crystal skull, is working on it for me:
I didn't measure anything for these infusions. I "eyeballed" it (yes, that is the scientific term) and am hoping for the best. The vodka should be ready in five days, I'm going to test the vinegar after two weeks, because that it what The Internet told me to do.
I'll post the cocktail recipes after I try them out!
*Basic Rickey: Lime juice, simple syrup, club soda.
This weekend, after a crazy dinner party that left me with four dishwasher loads of dishes and six kinds of cheese in the fridge, I found myself hungrily eyeing my slow cooker and trying to think of what I could make that would involve as little prep and as few dishes as humanly possible. If I could use up some of that cheese, even better. The answer, my friends, was baked ziti.
I will admit that I was skeptical about slow-cooked pasta. The very nature of the noodle is that it's a quick, easy, meal. If you know how to boil water, you're pretty much good to go. I was afraid that the long cooking time would make the noodles mushy and unappetizing, and that they would absorb too much of the sauce. I found that as long as you don't leave it in too long ad you keep an eye on it, it works perfectly. This isn't a recipe for a workday when you'll be gone for eight or nine hours, it's more for when you're home but otherwise occupied.
I highly recommend the use of whole-grain pasta in this dish. Because they are denser than refined noodles, they're less likely to lose integrity during the slow cooking process and you are less likely to end up with a crock full of glop. Slow Cooker Baked Ziti
1 box of whole grain ziti, or shape of your choice 1 jar of prepared marinara sauce 1 cup water 2-3 cups assorted cheese (I used shredded mozzarella, crumbled goat cheese, and a grated hard cheese - Roth's Private Reserve)
Spray the inside of the crock with pan spray, you'll thank me when it's clean-up time. Layer as such: One third of the sauce, half the pasta, half the cheese, one third of the sauce, the remaining half box of pasta, the rest of the sauce, the cup of water, the rest of the cheese. Cut a piece of aluminum foil about the size of the inside of the crock, spray one side with pan spray, and place it (spray side down) lightly on the ingredients. Like this:
This will keep the moisture down in the lower half of the crock, where it belongs, and the top layer of pasta will cook but not get all crunchy. Cook on high for four hours. Keep an eye on it, if it looks like it's drying out but the noodles aren't cooked through, sprinkle another 1/4 of water over the top.
This was a big hit with the family. I served it with chewy whole grain bread, and mixed greens.
P.S. My current favorite salad dressing is a sprinkling of tamari and a sprinkling of orange muscat champagne vinegar. I find the vinegar at my food boyfriend's place (Trader Joe's). It's zesty, sweet, and a little tart on the finish, and works perfectly against the subtle salt and umami of a nice tamari. Did I mention it's fat free? Because it is.
P.P.S. I started a Twitter account for notices of updates and random blurbs that won't fill a whole blog post. You can follow @mouthfull_blog, and I will attempt to be entertaining.
It was raining on Monday, and when I say it was raining I mean it was a "should we tape the windows, was that Miss Gulch I just saw fly by" crazy storm. This was not typical weather for Massachusetts in January but as we all know, climate change is a myth perpetrated by the liberal media.
...but I digress.
I did not do my usual menu planning this week out of sheer laziness, so I didn't have a plan for dinner. It was early afternoon when the craving for risotto hit and I decided just to run with it.
Oh risotto, you time-consuming temptress. Your comforting, soft creaminess totally makes the 45 minutes I have to spend standing at the stove tending you worthwhile.
I have been known to order an entree' only for the fact that it came with risotto on the side. I have made risotto in my crock pot. I have tried it with the earthiness of mushrooms and chianti, I have tried it tinted gold by saffron threads served as a bed for garlicky seafood, I have tried it as a thick and hearty breakfast food with cinnamon and raisins. I have eaten it after it was rolled into a ball, coated with breadcrumbs and deep fried, then nestled into a spoonful of whipped potatoes.
(I highly recommend that last one.)
Despite my devotion, I rarely make risotto at home. There used to be the reason of cost; Arborio rice (the highly starched grains you need to make the dish work) is much pricier than it's humble cousins, brown rice and white rice. Now it is mostly lack of time that keeps me away. Risotto takes about an hour from start to finish, and you have to tend the pot the entire time. When you've got kids tugging at your proverbial apron, this may not be a project you want to take on. But, if you've got the time then the result is totally worth it.
Why does it take so much time and attention? Here's the basic science behind it:
Arborio rice is high in a starch called Amylopectin, which detaches from the grain during the cooking process and forms the creamy sauce that makes the dish what it is. By adding the broth to the dish in small increments instead of all at once, and by stirring and agitating the rice near-constantly, you are helping the Amylopectin separate itself and fulfill it's destiny as a delicious bonding agent.
As I was researching for this post (after I made my risotto), I came across this episode of Good Eats in which Alton Brown drops the bomb that you don't have to stand there and stir the rice the whole time and you can get the same result. WHAT. Whether or not this is true, I have not had a chance to find out for myself; you can bet we're having risotto again this weekend. Just for the sake of experiment. Yeah.
So, okay, fine, Alton is one to be trusted and we may never obsessively stir our rice again. FINE. Here is my recipe, in case you want an excuse to stand in one place for an hour and watch highlight clips of Oprah's interview with Rosie O'Donnell. (I will neither deny nor confirm that is what I did with my time at the stove.)
Mushroom Risotto For Sad And Rainy Days 1 heaping cup of Arborio rice 2 T oilive oil about 1 cup of finely chopped onion (1 small onion or so, does not need to be exact) 1-2 T chopped garlic (to taste) 12 oz pkg baby bella mushrooms, finely chopped 1/2 -3/4 cup wine - I have used both white and red to equal success chopped fresh herbs - you can pick your favorite or what you have on hand. I like to pick up the "poultry blend"; it's a mix of rosemary, thyme and sage - you want about 1/2 cup, chopped. 5-6 cups of your choice of broth, brought to a boil then kept at a simmer within reach 2T butter 1/4 c parmesan cheese
It is best to make this in a wide-bottomed pot, like a soup pot.
Saute' the onions, garlic, and mushroom in the olive oil over medium high heat. After the mushrooms have released all of their liquid, add the rice. Stir for a minute or two until you notice that everything is starting to stick to the bottom of the pot, then deglaze with the wine, making sure to scrape up all the nicely caramelized bits off the bottom. Reduce heat to medium/medium low.
Add a ladle of hot stock. Stir. When you notice that the liquid has been absorbed and the rice might start to stick - repeat. Keep doing that.
Basically you're adding a little bit of stock, then watching it absorb into the rice, then adding a little more, then waching that absorb. As you stir (it doesn't have to be a constant stir, just every minute or so give it a quick toss), the starch will separate and the "sauce" will form and thicken around the rice kernels.
You want to keep adding and stirring, adding and stirring, until the rice is cooked through but is still al dente. Not crunchy, just a little firm in the middle.
Reduce the heat again to low. Add the herbs, butter, and cheese. Stir for a minute to melt the butter and incorporate the flavors. Serve immediately.
If you have leftovers, you can make the aforementioned risotto balls. Mmmmmm.
Remember the Crispy Kale & Tofu Salad that I mentioned last post? It's very tasty! Easy to make, filling, and good for you. Even my kids liked it.
I took the leftovers, poured miso soup base over it, and ate 2 bowls for lunch yesterday. I will probably do the same today. Do you even know how easy miso soup base is? I am ashamed to say that I never really looked into making miso soup until recently. Now I feel like a fool for not having this in my repertoire all along. -------------------------------------------------------------- Easy Miso Soup Base
Bring water to a boil. Reduce heat to low, stir in dashi. Simmer one minute. Stir in miso. Remove from heat. Important; do not boil the soup after miso has been added.
---------------------------------------------------------------- Seriously. That's it. Then you're free to add whatever you want; tofu, kombu, veggies, egg, rice, noodles, chicken, the possibilities are near endless. Japanese Food Report has a fantastic post about miso soup here.
It's nice to know that which will not make a good burrito* could possibly make a tasty soup.
*Holly's Leftover Rule #1; Everything solid (and non-pasta) is a potential burrito filling.
My freezer is full. We also have a small chest freezer in the basement, which is not full, and I was fixin' to move stuff from one freezer to another when I realized my folly. If I moved all this food to the basement freezer, I would forget it there and I would have to throw it out in 6 months - thus negating the point of keeping it all in the first place.
The solution, and the challenge, was to make myself build our weekly menu out of what we have in house - refrigerator and pantry included. What I actually will end up shopping for (minus the basics like juice and lunchmeat and Oreos) will fit in a hand basket. It was kind of fun! It was like when I was a cook and I would have to come up with dinner specials. You work with what you've got, and you turn it into something interesting and (hopefully) delicious.
Here's what I pulled out of the freezer;
1 plastic container of bean & bacon soup 1 loaf of crusty rosemary bread 1 boneless turkey breast; marinated in garlic, dill, and IKEA lemon salt 1 vacuum-sealed bag of chili squash with black beans and quinoa 1 box of breaded eggplant cutlets 4 salmon fillets 1 # ground beef 4 chicken legs 2 bags of pizza dough - one wheat, one herb
Here's my menu for the week;
Monday - bean & bacon soup with warm rosemary bread (see what I did there?) Tuesday - pan seared turkey breast with Crispy Kale and Tofu Salad (I actually already had everything for this meal!) Wednesday - squash, black bean, and quinoa burritos with salad Thursday - eggplant parmigiana, whole wheat pasta with aglio olio Friday - crispy salmon with greens and noodles Saturday - Breakfast For Dinner Party at our friends' house, so I'm bringing sausage and cheese bread made with the frozen pizza dough Sunday - (this is the day I cook a more elaborate meal than the rest of the week) truffle stuffed chicken legs in puff pastry. I guarantee I will end up changing this recipe. Monday - I don't know what to call this dish, because it's basically homemade Hamburger Helper. This recipe is the closest I could find to what I make.
I have to get a few things, like mushrooms and beef broth, but there it is. I also pulled a few bags of turkey neck and chicken gizzards out of the back of the freezer, so I'm gonna make some stock!
I keep a gallon sized zip bag in my freezer, and as I cook I throw all the odds and ends of vegetables in there instead of down the disposal. You want to keep things like celery bits, carrot peels and ends, onion, scallion, and leek scraps, even apple peels and cores. Mushroom stems add a nice "meaty" taste that the Japanese call umami. I tend to avoid cabbage, broccoli, asparagus, and other stinky vegetables. The taste will overpower everything else in your stock, and won't be as useful as a base if the taste conflicts with he rest of the dish.
I also keep chicken and turkey gizzards and carcasses. If I roast a bird, I'll hang on to whatever is leftover. If I buy bone-in breasts or legs and end up de-boning them, I keep the bones.
The key to a deep, rich stock is easier than you think. First, roast the ingredients. Throw them in a roasting pan at 425 degrees - I would say maybe an hour? If you're dealing with a big frozen chunk, you may want to go longer. Transfer to a stock pot or crock pot. Add a few bay leaves, a small handful of peppercorns, some fresh herbs ( I buy the "poultry mix" in winter, in summer I grab handfuls from the farm. You may want thyme, rosemary, parsley, savory, things like that). I don't salt my stock, I salt the dish that I use the stock in, but feel free to add some salt too.
Cover the ingredients with water, I'd fill the pot as much as you can. I always do mine on the stove so that I can control the temperature, but if you're using a crock pot just turn it on and walk away. If you're doing it stove-top; bring to a boil, turn it down low, then partially cover and walk away.
After it starts to boil, you're going to notice a grey foamy scuzz thing happening. Skim that off and chuck it. It's not dangerous, but it's impurities from the bones and you want to clear it out of there.
You can simmer for as little as two hours, I leave my stock on for a LONG time. Like, overnight.
Very carefully strain the stock, using a colander, into a large bowl or container. Throw away all the solids, they've done their job. Line the colander with cheesecloth and strain again. This will get rid of all of the weird little sediment that's hiding out in there. Put the bowl in the fridge for a few hours, and the fat will rise to the top and solidify - making it easier to de-fat your stock. Once that's done, your stock is ready to use!
If you're not using it right away, there's a couple of solutions. Ambitious people could can it, I freeze mine. I divide into quart size zipper bags, label and date them, and pop them in the freezer. Another good idea that I use sometimes is to pour some into ice cube trays and freeze. Then you can dump the cubes into a container or baggie (so as not to get confused and ruin your martini), and that way you have small amounts of stock for things like pasta dishes, or cooking ramen in, or whatnot.
Remember - official food safety rules say that frozen stuff is good for 6 months. Time to throw out the leftover boiled dinner from St. Patrick's Day 2008, kids.
