St. Patrick's Day Corned Beef - March 17, 2013

Inspired by Jess's home corned beef last year, I decided to try my hand at it this year. I earmarked and hoarded the brisket from our Polyface grassfed beef larder all winter, then mixed up a brine per Michael Ruhlman's directions, and stashed the whole thing in the back of the refrigerator for about a week. It was particularly nice that St. Patrick's Day fell on a weekend this year so I had plenty of time to do a slow stovetop braise.

I have never been much of a fan of cabbage, but I learned this year that it was just because I'd been cooking it the wrong way all my life! Boiled cabbage = putrid. Roasted cabbage = delicious! So delicious in fact, that I had to stop myself from eating it all (and suffering the consequences later... even roasted it still has some "magical, musical" properties). I also roasted a few carrots, since at that point I still wasn't sure I'd like the roasted cabbage and wanted to make sure I had something to eat.

Not pictured are the red potatoes I boiled for Richie, the horseradish sour cream I made from homemade yogurt and Penzey's horseradish powder, and the grain free Irish soda bread that rounded out the meal.

All together it was a delicious meal. I had vague intentions of making some kind of hash with the leftovers, but they didn't make it that long. Next year, maybe I'll order an extra brisket and make two!

Spiced Beef Corn Bread Cobbler - Dec 5, 2012

I found this recipe while flipping through our "Sixty-Five Years of Gourmet" cookbook from Chip and Nan.  The book describes this as a "sloppy Joe with a corn bread and cheddar crust."

It was better than that. 

It came together quickly and all the ingredients are pantry staples at our house.  The spices are a mix of all those warm spices I crave this time of year: cinnamon; cayenne; allspice; and ginger.  Adding the cheesy biscuits on top is genius (and I think would be nearly as good with regular biscuits if corn must be avoided).  This also meets the "my Dad would eat this" criteria.

Stuffing with Roasted Winter Squash - Nov 28, 2012

The other downside to never hosting Thanksgiving is that we never have those wonderful leftovers stocking our refrigerator.  The Thanksgiving stuffing is my favorite.  Nick's dad makes great stuffing, but my favorite is the stuffing I grew up with.  I should probably get that recipe from my Mom at some point. 

This was my attempt at recreating my childhood food memory.  I think I may have used a Mark Bittman recipe, but I'm sure that I made enough tweaks to it that he wouldn't recognize it as his.  I know I added a lot more chicken broth than the recipe called for, but my end result was still too dry. 

Yes, I must make it a priority to get Mom's recipe. 

Along with our slightly dry stuffing, I roasted a little winter squash, which Nick and I split between the two of us.  I made it in the pressure cooker, my new favorite way to cook squash (10 minutes!).  Even sub-par stuffing is delicious.

Kima Curry - Nov 14, 2012

This is another one of our treasured recipes from JJ, my sister-in-law, an amazing cook, and someone that always inspires me.  According to JJ, Kima Curry is a Kenyan ground beef curry.  According to me it is an amazingly flavorful dish to make with a pound of ground beef, a can of tomatoes, and some rice.  My Mom made countless meals with those same three mid-western kitchen staples when I was growing up.  I think they could be considered the busy mom's go-to ingredients for a quick weeknight dinner, able to be combined in a myriad of ways.  Well, this rendition is now firmly on my list.  I love that the addition of a few herbs and spices makes these familiar ingredients come together in a new and interesting way.   The recipe is from the cookbook, "Extending the Table," and can be found online here.  Nick and I both really enjoyed it, and this dinner also meets my "My Dad would eat this" criteria, meaning that I could make this for dinner on a night that he joins us and he (a notoriously picky eater) wouldn't go hungry.

Pork Chops with Apples and Shallots

I have been a terrible blog contributer lately and I have no excuse! We have been eating, of course, but am lacking inspiration and creativity these days. I need new ideas for every day meals! This is a dish I have made before and enjoy this time of year. The apples are among the last of those we picked earlier this fall in Maryland. I also made some wilted spinach and heated up the "cheesy potatoes" leftover from our Thanksgiving dinner contribution.

Four Bean and Beef Chili - Nov 3, 2012

This was good chili.  I made it in the crock pot to sustain Nick and I through a football Sunday, and I didn't really follow a recipe.  I used two cups worth of a motley assortment of dried beans that I found in the cupboard.  The mix included pinto, red kidney, black, and snow caps (an heirloom variety from Rancho Gordo).  For vegetables, in addition to the quart of home-canned tomatoes, I chopped up an onion and a carrot or two, plus some cubed sweet potato that I had leftover from another dinner.  I also added a pound of ground beef.  Once the beef and beans were cooked (I used the pressure cooker for the beans!), I tossed everything into the crock pot and seasoned with chili powder, cumin, coriander, smoked Spanish paprika, oregano, cayenne, salt and pepper.

It turned out deliciously.  We topped our bowls with sour cream, shredded sharp cheddar and some crumbled corn tortilla chips.

CSA Hash - Nov 2, 2012

Another hash made from a mish-mash of our CSA goodies and garnished with a fried egg and cheesy toast.  This version contains turnips, carrots, potatoes, onions, kale, and bacon.  Nick and I usually do this earlier in the day than dinner, but too late to really call it breakfast.  Maybe it qualifies as a late lunch?  I'm happy, however, to eat it any time of day.

Moroccan Chicken Stew with Sweet Potatoes - Oct 25, 2012

A recipe shared and recommended by JJ, this chicken stew was a delicious use of some of our sweet potatoes.  I changed up a few things...first, I used chicken breasts rather than the thighs called for in the recipe, but only because that was what I had on hand.  I think this would be even richer with thigh meat.  Next, I served this over white jasmine rice rather than couscous, which probably makes it a little less "Moroccan."  JJ's notes stated that she uses rice, so I followed her lead here.  I think any grain would be an easy substitute. The rice was quite nice.



Nick and I really enjoyed this dinner.  In fact, it made enough so that we were able to enjoy it twice. 

Potato Leek Soup with Tarragon and Truffle Oil - Oct 2, 2012

It's been raining most of the day here in Minneapolis, which I'm so grateful for, after our very dry summer.  Rainy days seem made for soup, even if this soup appeared much earlier in the month.  Just because it's long gone from our bowls, doesn't mean it's too late to talk about it here.  This simple soup is one of my go-to recipes* for an easy, but delicious dinner.  When we received potatoes and leeks in our CSA delivery, it was a given that this would show up on our table.  I dressed this version up with some fresh tarragon and a drizzle of luxurious truffle oil.  This was belly-filling and spirit-lifting...just what one needs on a rainy day.

* I omit the yogurt and cream and puree all the other ingredients together for a smooth, creamy texture with no dairy needed.

Matzo Ball Soup with Pastrami on Rye - Sept 14, 2012

Nick stayed home from work last Friday with a cold.  That meant chicken soup was on the menu.  Instead of noodles, I thought matzo balls would be a nice addition.  And why stop there?  Since I had a little Jewish Deli theme going, pastrami sandwiches on marble rye with Swiss cheese and sauerkraut seemed only appropriate.

 

I followed the recipe in our How to Cook Everything cookbook.  Luckily I had carrots, celery and onions from our CSA delivery to make up a nice mirepoix.  I picked up the matzo meal at the store and mixed it up according to the directions.  All turned out deliciously.  Nick is feeling much better.

Another Eggplant Parmesan - August 22, 2012

Jess's post on eggplant parmesan inspired me to try making my own tonight. This version is loosely based on the recipe in Marcella Hazan's Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking, though scaled down dramatically to be just a single serving since I'm dining solo while Richie is out of town.

I've actually not eaten a lot of eggplant parmesan in my life, so I'm not really sure what it should taste like, but this turned out to be delicious. I salted and drained the eggplant slices per Hazan's directions, then dusted them in flour and fried them. I layered the fried slices with some quick cooked sauce from my home grown tomatoes, basil, mozzarella, and of course parmesan. The eggplant did drink up quite a bit of oil in the frying process, but the end result wasn't too greasy.

Potato Leek Soup - August 20, 2012

Even though the temperature is still climbing into the 90s here in Virginia, my appetite is starting to turn to fall comfort food... particularly creamy soups. I picked up leeks at the farmer's market last week without any real plan as to how to use them, but I was thumbing through my favorite new cookbook, The Homemade Pantry by Anna Chernila, and stumbled on this very simple recipe for potato leek soup. A seasoned breadstick made from some leftover pizza dough completed the dish and I sat next to the air conditioning vent and pretended it was a chilly fall evening!

Eggplant Parmesan - Aug 16, 2012

Minneapolis has had a little hint of fall in the air lately.  Because of this, I've been craving some heartier, autumn fare.  Last week I made a small batch of eggplant Parmesan for Nick and I.  I like to make portions sized for two in my thrifted Nordic Ware loaf pan, although any loaf pan would be the correct size.



Essentially, eggplant Parmesan (this recipe, at least) is a lasagna where battered and fried slices of eggplant stand in for the lasagna noodles.  I actually chose to bake the eggplant, however, because my attempts at frying eggplant have resulted in a soggy, greasy mess.



I used this recipe, but altered the amount of ingredients.  I found that one eggplant and one quart of my canned tomatoes, cooked along with some garlic, basil and oregano while the eggplant baked, worked out pretty well.  Otherwise, I stuck to the recipe and layered my eggplant and sauce with fresh mozzarella slices.  It was delicious, and perfect for the two of us. 

Homemade Graham Crackers & Marshmallows - July 7, 2012

Our 4th of July travels took us to the Wisconsin Northwoods, where I wanted to be able to eat corn-free S'Mores around the campfire. Since all three of the typical elements of a S'More (Honey Maid graham crackers, Jet Puff marshmallows, and Hershey's milk chocolate) all contain one corn derivative or another, I knew I had to get creative. The bonus outcome was that my substitutes were either ultra gourmet or homemade and created the most delicious ooey-gooey creation you could ever imagine. Not "as good as the original," but much better!

I got the recipe for both the graham crackers and the marshmallows from one of my latest cookbook purchases, The Homemade Pantry by Alana Chernila. The graham crackers (pictured above) include both whole wheat flour and rye flour, in addition to all purpose flour, resulting in a heartier cracker than the store bought version. She also dusts them lightly with cinnamon sugar, which I think is really necessary because they are otherwise a bit light on the sweetness.

Chernila's marshmallow recipe is a miracle to behold. The alchemy of the whole transformation in the mixer bowl is simply amazing. I've never been very excited about traditional marshmallows. I'll eat them once or twice a year when toasted over a campfire, but that is pretty much it. These are a totally different story. Flavorful, luscious, smooth, and pillowy... yum! I also elected to toss them in toasted coconut so they wouldn't stick together in the transport to Wisconsin and it was a delightful addition both for eating them alone and in the S'More. Instead of corn syrup, her recipe uses the British import Lyle's Golden Syrup, so it is totally safe for me to eat without any modification.

For chocolate, I used the organic dark chocolate truffle bar from Trader Joe's. For S'Mores I would prefer to use milk chocolate, but that seems impossible to find in a corn-free version.

Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of the marshmallows and it was pitch dark outside when we actually consumed the assembled S'Mores so no photo of that either. I do, however, have a gorgeous photo of the view of the sun rising over Two Sister's Lake in northern Wisconsin. This was taken from the dock at my parents' lake house on our last morning there.

Cabbage and Sausage Soup - March 30, 2012

Minneapolis saw some cooler weather last week (at least cooler than the 70 degree days we'd been enjoying, although still incredibly temperate for March).  It was good soup weather, and hopefully that's the last time I write that this year.  I threw this in the crock pot one morning before work.  Onions, carrots, celery, and shredded cabbage combined with a handful of brown basmati rice, and some leftover beer brats from a previous dinner.  I poured enough water in to cover everything and seasoned with chicken stock concentrate, salt, pepper and some fresh thyme.  This cooked away on low all day and was ready for dinner upon my return home, filling the house with the smell of cooked cabbage.  Perhaps not the best smell in the world, but this soup was delicious.

Hoisin-Glazed Meatloaf - March 2, 2012

This recipe is from the March 2012 issue of Bon Appetit that Nick and I have been perusing for dinner inspiration.  I don't remember the last time I made meatloaf, but this recipe, with it's mildly Asian flavors, seemed like a great reintroduction to the classic comfort food.  Actually, the recipe was supposed to be put together as a sandwich, cleverly billed as a 'bahn meatloaf' by the magazine.  We skipped the sandwich part, but did make the accompanying salad to serve alongside.


Things got a little messy in the oven, but I remembered to put this on a cookie sheet, which contained things nicely.  In another clever move, I made my own hoisin sauce for this, because I didn't have any on hand.  It worked out perfectly and I will make my own from now on rather than buy those big bottles that I can never seem to get through before the expiration date.

This was delicious and made quite a bit, so we've been working on finishing up the leftovers.

Coffee-Rubbed Skirt Steak with Turnip Mash - Feb 21, 2012

This was my Clancey's purchase last week. Nick and I don't prepare much beef at home, but this skirt steak had an amazing rub on it including Jim's 5-star roasted coffee (another incredible Linden Hills gem), cumin, cinnamon, and chili among others, and I could not resist. I bought a pound of it, so I knew we would get multiple meals out of it.

For the first, I decided on a very simple preparation so that we could get a good sense of the flavor. I simply seared the steak on a hot cast iron skillet for a couple of minutes per side. Skirt steak is usually so thin that cooking time is quite minimal. I found no need to add any oil to the pan, as the rub prevented any sticking and my skillet is perfectly seasoned (for which I take very little credit as it's an old Le Crueset snagged at the thrift store that came 'pre-seasoned' by years of use from it's previous owner).

Alongside I made a literal mash-up of Yukon Gold potatoes and a CSA turnip, seasoned generously with grated Pecorino-Romano cheese. This was a simple meal that was perfect for gauging how to best use the remaining skirt steak. With the cumin, chili and cinnamon it became clear quite quickly that it needed to be something with a Mexican bend. Stay tuned.

Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes with Brown Sugar Bacon - Feb 20, 2011

Just as I thought, the March 2012 issue of Bon Appetit has proven to be just the kick in the pants I needed to get cracking in the kitchen. Nick and I started out the week with these twice-baked sweet potatoes. I cut the recipe way back to accomodate just the two of us. I also prepared the bacon a bit differently, choosing to use Rima's brown sugar bacon method rather than the more labor intensive process described in the recipe. Brown sugar bacon simply involves spreading out bacon slices on a cookie sheet and sprinkling them with a light dusting of brown sugar before popping them into a 350 degree oven for 15 - 20 minutes (check often so you get the bacon consistency you prefer). I learned this very useful technique from Rima at a dinner club brunch years ago at Jaime's condo, and it works beautifully every time.



I wanted to show off the lovely sweet potatoes we get from our CSA. We have been slowly, but diligently, working through our storage vegetables from the farm and I am happy to report that we are doing a much better job than last year. We still have two winter squash and about 8 to 10 sweet potatoes to get through in the next months, as well as some beets, black and beauty heart radishes, a rutabaga and a turnip. We just signed up to get our farm share again this season, and regular deliveries will begin the first week of May.

Duck Fat Potato Galette with Rabbit Gravy in the Style of Poutine - Jan 29, 2012

The French-Canadian dish, Poutine, is a favorite here at Chez Jess & Nick. Just in case you're not familiar, please let me describe it in gooey detail: French fried potatoes piled on a plate, topped with fresh cheese curds. And gravy. In my opinion, it's the perfect dish to eat sitting in front of a roaring fire with a bottle of rich red wine or Belgian style quadrupel after spending a day outside participating in some rigorous winter snow sport. It's hearty fare, to be sure, and I wanted to try to make something like it at home.

For those of you with a subscription to Bon Appetit, you may remember their December 2011 spread on 'Hot Potatoes.' I've had it mentally bookmarked for the past few months, waiting for an opportunity to make the Duck Fat-Potato Galette with Caraway and Sweet Onions. This recipe was the impetus to purchase that rendered duck fat I've been waxing poetic about.

After my rabbit escapade left me with a nice carcass, a plan started to take shape. Nick's dad uses his turkey bones, left over from his annual Thanksgiving de-boning, to make some pretty incredible gravy. I began to wonder if I could do something similar with my bunny bones. A quick phone call was made to Chip, where he described to me his gravy process, and sounded intrigued at the prospect of trying it with rabbit.  "Be sure to take pictures," he said.  "Of course," I replied.



I went to work, following some hastily scribbled notes I'd made while chatting with Chip. It turns out that making gravy, a la Chip, is not a quick process. In fact, Chip says he likes to spread it out over two days, making the stock one day and then the gravy the next. That's a good idea, and next time I will plan ahead, but, as Nick and I wanted poutine later that night, I compressed the process a bit.

First I placed my rabbit carcass in my little Dutch oven with a quartered onion. This went in a 425 deg oven for about an hour and 15 minutes until everything was nice and brown. It could have probably gone a little longer, but I'm not always a patient person. I pulled the Dutch oven out and placed it on the stove top, adding enough water to just cover the bones, along with salt and pepper. This needs to simmer for one to two hours, until it turns a rich, opaque brown. At this point, I strained out the solids and was left with my rabbit stock.

Next I made a roux, which for future reference is equal parts butter and flour. I used two tbsp of each (which was a good amount to make gravy for two), melting the butter in a heavy sauce pot and adding the flour in, whisking over medium heat until it was a nice golden color. Again, I could have probably gone a bit longer for a richer color, but I was getting hungry. Now that the roux was ready, I began adding my rabbit stock to it, a little at a time, which is a tip from Chip, and a good way to control the viscosity of your gravy. I kept adding stock and whisking all the while until the gravy was the consistency that I liked. I'm no gravy expert, but I think it turned out quite well. It was light but flavorful, kind of like rabbit itself.



While I was making the gravy, I also put together the potato galette, which, as you may have guessed by now, would stand in for French fries in our homemade version of poutine. I halved the recipe for just the two of us. It turned out beautifully and the caraway is a nice touch that brought some interest to our plate of starch.



After I pulled the galette out of the oven, we topped it with coarsely shredded sharp cheddar cheese, which stood in for the cheese curds.  Unfortunately, good cheese curds are much harder to come by here in Minnesota than they are in Wisconsin. This is, apparently, a common substitution to poutine, even in Canada. Regardless, it worked for our purposes. On top of the cheese, we poured our gravy. Between the heat from the potatoes and the gravy, the cheese melted slowly into the dish, which made for a good poutine texture.

This was meal was no small undertaking, but a fun kitchen adventure and well worth the effort.  I am happy that I can now make gravy from scratch, a valuable life skill, no doubt, thanks to Chip's instructions.  And, I am happy that this admittedly nutty plan of mine produced this delicious meal.

Chicken Nuggets and Oven Fries - January 30, 2012

I swear that I don't just eat junk food, but it does seem that many of my home kitchen projects these days seem to be devoted to creating corn-free versions of such things from scratch. I tell myself though that it isn't junk if you make it home and use "organic" ingredients... right?

I stumbled upon this recipe for chicken nuggets inspired by Chick-Fil-A on Pinterest. (Side note: I am trying to "get" Pinterest but so far it is kind of leaving me cold. Pictures are nice, but I guess I'm a word person too. Sometimes I am as enthralled by a description of something than I am by the visual. But if you want to follow me on Pinterest, I'm here.)

The only variation I made was to use buttermilk instead of regular milk, since I had a partial quart in the fridge that was already past its expiration date. Also, since regular powdered sugar has corn starch, I made sure to use the organic variety from Whole Foods.

The fries I made in the oven while I fried the nuggets on top of the stove. I followed a technique I've seen in a couple places that essentially boils down to this... 

Preheat oven to 450. Peel and cut two large russet potatoes, toss them with a tablespoon or two of olive oil, spread on baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, use spatula to turn rearrange, bake for 10-15 minutes more. Then turn the oven OFF but leave the pan in the oven for another 10-15 minutes. This has the effect of drying out the fries so they are more like crispy fries than soggy oven baked faux fries!