Every week day I begin my morning in pretty much the same way, feed the cat so she'll stop screeching, make my latte, watch my morning news soap opera, and eat my oatmeal. While I'll save my discussion on the struggle to make the best foam for my latte for another day, today's its all about the oatmeal.
I have found oatmeal to something that many people really like, but its never a food that really gets the attention that it should. Especially in the winter, when everyone needs a little warm morning pick-me-up, oatmeal really gets you going in the morning. I have found that many of my friends and family are closet oatmeal lovers. There's a few things that I really like about it:
1. It tastes pretty good on its own, but you can flavor it really however you'd like. Whenever I start to get sick of eating oatmeal every day I change up my "mix-ins" (I also only eat it during the week and indulge in my real breakfast love on weekends, bagels). I have used nuts like pecans and almonds and a variety of sweeteners (honey, maple syrup, brown sugar), and a wide variety of fruits (berries, bananas, apples). Or you can use any combination; the possibilities will keep you interested in oatmeal for months and month and months. Right now I'm hooked on dehydrated fruit (which plumps up when you add the milk and heat it up), but my classic is really just a bit of maple syrup.
2. It keeps you full for the whole morning. This is especially true if you put nuts and fruit in it. But even if you don't, the thick gooey meal really does "stick to the ribs" and keeps you satisfied and starts your day off right. I also think (pure speculation) that if you think about the meal in terms of how much food you're eating (by weight and perhaps calories), you'll find that you can eat way less oatmeal and stay full longer. Maybe it's because it doubles in size when you cook it. One of the reasons that I never used to like it was because it made me feel so full (when I would use the packets). Now I do the measuring myself so I get the appropriate serving size and it's just right, much like the Goldilocks tale.
3. It's super healthy. First of all, it has been shown to lower cholesterol, so I don't need to worry about that rice pudding I had last night. It also can help lower your blood sugar level (again, no worries on the rice pudding). Both the cholesterol and blood sugar lowering benefits are from the soluble fiber, beta glucan. Great stuff. I guess this super-duper glucan "slows the rate at which food leaves the stomach and delays the absorption of glucose following a meal." I wonder if you could just have a little bit of oatmeal with every meal and that would slow the digestion of the entire meal. Somehow I doubt it, but that would certainly make it my favorite food ever.
As if all of that weren't enough, the oats also have phytonutrients (I know that you wouldn't be convinced of its healthy power unless it had these "ph"abulous nutrients). One of the two main phytonutrients is ferulic acid which is an antioxidant and has been shown to inhibit the growth of some cancer compounds. Rock on oatmeal.
I personally like McCann's Quick Cook oatmeal (which is the rolled oat variety). I just add milk (and/or water) pop it in the microwave for about 2 minutes and its done. I recently tried Quaker Oats and I could taste a difference (not good or bad, just a difference), and I prefer the McCann's, but it's really just personal preference (I think I really just got used to the taste of McCann's and I like it). There is a difference as well between steel cut and rolled oats, the steel cut take much longer to cook - for the steel cut, you can boil water, add the oatmeal, turn off the heat and let it sit overnight. Then the next morning you bring it back up to a boil and cook until tender. That's easy, but then I'd need to remember to set up my breakfast the night before (but it would be great if you were already setting up the coffee as well for the morning). I think the steel cut is the more old-fashioned traditional type of oatmeal. I do believe that the it is more nutritious as well.
So don't forget about your oatmeal, you can jazz it up or leave it plain, but either way you're really starting your morning off right. So much so that you'll be able to run and jump and kick your legs up to the side just like Maria in The Sound of Music (if I ever had a commercial for oatmeal that's how it would end).
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Monday, February 27, 2006
Pork Butt for Everyone
I decided it was time that I cooked a massive piece of meat. So I decided on the pork butt (which is actually the shoulder of the pig) for some delicious pulled pork bbq goodness. It also goes by the name Boston butt or roast and I think there's a few others. I got the boneless variety, 7 pounds of pork delivered to my door via Fresh Direct. I had them tie the roast up for me, which turned out to be a mistake, because there was probably about an inch (no joke) of fat on the top of the roast. It was actually relatively disgusting (and I really like pork fat) because it kind of looked like pig skin on top of the roast. Now I'm sure you're ready to vomit, sorry about that.
So I had to untie the roast, trim off the excess fat and tie it back up (if you get the bone-in variety I don't think you need to tie it up). Trimming the excess fat on the surface of the roast is ok because there's so much fat marbling (see my steak entry) it'll still stay moist inside through the long cooking process. Which is key to this roast, very low and very slow cooking. Hours and hours in the oven. The fat melts and the whole thing gets very tender, very moist and delicious. That is, unless you completely over cook it (keep reading).
The recipe I had said about 6 hours in the oven at 300 degrees, and after I read the directions there was a very brief flash through my head which sent me a warning signal I should have paid closer attention to - it seemed like kind of a high temperature. Many of the other recipes I had previously read mentioned 200 or maybe 250 degree ovens. But, my rule is follow a recipe the first time and make adjustments the 2nd time.
Luckily, about 4 1/2 hours into the cooking time, I decided to take the temperature of the meat, which, after about 10 readings was consistently 10 - 20 degrees above the target temperature. I took it out of the oven and allowed the roast its obligatory rest and then attempted to "shred" the meat, as it should have (in an ideal world) fallen apart. It was more like a tug of war with butt, which I was now not-affectionately referring to as the "ass." This, after Jeff had invited some friends over for dinner since we were going to be having 7 pounds of pig, which is about 6.5 pounds too many for us to eat ourselves. The cat, however, seemed to think that it still smelled good, until we put a piece in her bowl, to which she snubbed her nose. It wasn't looking good for our delicious bbq pork dinner.
I finished my tug-of-pork and had a reasonably "shredded-like" pile of meat. I poured some bbq sauce over the top and hoped that the sauce would sort of be soaked into the meat and make it at least some what more moist. In the end, it didn't taste terrible and it was actually edible, a battle well fought on my part. I wouldn't call it a victory, but I think I can safely say, it was a scrappy battle.
What I think the issue may have been was that the recipe was actually for a bone-in roast (it doesn't say) which would make it take longer to cook. I can say that I'm SO glad I decided to check the meat temperature well before it was scheduled to be done. I can't imagine if I had left the roast in for another 1.5 hours. I would have had a shrivled rock solid hunk of butt in the oven. Doesn't that sound delicious?
So if my disaster story has inspired you, a few things to keep in mind when cooking the pork beast:
1. always keep a thermometer in the roast so you can constantly measure the meat temperature, it should end up between 160-170 (not 190 like mine was) - in fact I would ignore all cooking times and depend only on the internal temperature readings 2. make sure you know whether the recipe is for a bone-in or boneless roast
3. pour the bbq sauce on it when its warm, it really will soak up some of the sauce
4. don't invite guests until after you know whether or not it turned out to be delicious
5. if it's boneless, I'd probably cook it at 200-250 and cook it until it gets to the right temperature
6. have the butcher cut off the excess fat for you (if there is any) and then tie up the roast if its boneless
Here's the recipe for the rub I used (which was good), and if you want to make this, you can follow my guidelines above (or you may not want to since I haven't actually made a successful roast yet)! I got the recipe from the Food Network.
Pork Roast Rub
3 T paprika (I used the spicy variety)
1 T garlic powder
1 T brown sugar
1 T dry mustard
3 T salt (kosher/sea salt better)
Mix everything together and rub all over the roast, allow it to sit at least an hour up to overnight. Good for a roast about 5 - 7 pounds. Don't over cook it!!
So I had to untie the roast, trim off the excess fat and tie it back up (if you get the bone-in variety I don't think you need to tie it up). Trimming the excess fat on the surface of the roast is ok because there's so much fat marbling (see my steak entry) it'll still stay moist inside through the long cooking process. Which is key to this roast, very low and very slow cooking. Hours and hours in the oven. The fat melts and the whole thing gets very tender, very moist and delicious. That is, unless you completely over cook it (keep reading).
The recipe I had said about 6 hours in the oven at 300 degrees, and after I read the directions there was a very brief flash through my head which sent me a warning signal I should have paid closer attention to - it seemed like kind of a high temperature. Many of the other recipes I had previously read mentioned 200 or maybe 250 degree ovens. But, my rule is follow a recipe the first time and make adjustments the 2nd time.
Luckily, about 4 1/2 hours into the cooking time, I decided to take the temperature of the meat, which, after about 10 readings was consistently 10 - 20 degrees above the target temperature. I took it out of the oven and allowed the roast its obligatory rest and then attempted to "shred" the meat, as it should have (in an ideal world) fallen apart. It was more like a tug of war with butt, which I was now not-affectionately referring to as the "ass." This, after Jeff had invited some friends over for dinner since we were going to be having 7 pounds of pig, which is about 6.5 pounds too many for us to eat ourselves. The cat, however, seemed to think that it still smelled good, until we put a piece in her bowl, to which she snubbed her nose. It wasn't looking good for our delicious bbq pork dinner.
I finished my tug-of-pork and had a reasonably "shredded-like" pile of meat. I poured some bbq sauce over the top and hoped that the sauce would sort of be soaked into the meat and make it at least some what more moist. In the end, it didn't taste terrible and it was actually edible, a battle well fought on my part. I wouldn't call it a victory, but I think I can safely say, it was a scrappy battle.
What I think the issue may have been was that the recipe was actually for a bone-in roast (it doesn't say) which would make it take longer to cook. I can say that I'm SO glad I decided to check the meat temperature well before it was scheduled to be done. I can't imagine if I had left the roast in for another 1.5 hours. I would have had a shrivled rock solid hunk of butt in the oven. Doesn't that sound delicious?
So if my disaster story has inspired you, a few things to keep in mind when cooking the pork beast:
1. always keep a thermometer in the roast so you can constantly measure the meat temperature, it should end up between 160-170 (not 190 like mine was) - in fact I would ignore all cooking times and depend only on the internal temperature readings 2. make sure you know whether the recipe is for a bone-in or boneless roast
3. pour the bbq sauce on it when its warm, it really will soak up some of the sauce
4. don't invite guests until after you know whether or not it turned out to be delicious
5. if it's boneless, I'd probably cook it at 200-250 and cook it until it gets to the right temperature
6. have the butcher cut off the excess fat for you (if there is any) and then tie up the roast if its boneless
Here's the recipe for the rub I used (which was good), and if you want to make this, you can follow my guidelines above (or you may not want to since I haven't actually made a successful roast yet)! I got the recipe from the Food Network.
Pork Roast Rub
3 T paprika (I used the spicy variety)
1 T garlic powder
1 T brown sugar
1 T dry mustard
3 T salt (kosher/sea salt better)
Mix everything together and rub all over the roast, allow it to sit at least an hour up to overnight. Good for a roast about 5 - 7 pounds. Don't over cook it!!
Friday, February 24, 2006
Field Trip Friday
So I decided that Fridays would be my field trip day, which means late blog postings (I know how much everyone is anticipating every entry, so I do apologize), but hopefully it also means thrilling, edge-of-your seat stories for the Friday blog. TGIF.
So today I decided I would go to the Farmer's Market at Union Square; I think it's supposed to be one of the best most famous farmer's markets in the city, but I'm not sure. We had been there once before in the fall and had a good experience, so I wanted to check it out in the dead of the winter. And, I decided that I was going to walk there and back to add to the "adventurousness" of the first Field Trip Friday. It's about a 3.1 mile walk each way, just about a straight shot down Broadway, so I was destined to not get lost, which was good.
The trip would take me down to Columbus Circle, through Times Square, by Macy's and some area in the 20's which I don't really know what it's called. Union Square is between 14th and 18th and is bordered by Broadway and Park Ave/4th Ave (it's right where Park ends and 4th sort of starts). We're at 75th, so I got to painfully count down to 14 from 75 and then back up again. So I packed up my bag, charged up my phone, grabbed the iPod and the camera and set out for my journey. Unfortunately, I managed to take 0 pictures in the first Field Trip Friday, I know, I shouldn't have even told you that I took my camera with me.
Good thing I decided that the first Field Trip Friday would be on a day that had 50 mph wind gusts. Awesome. Actually, it was awesome when I was walking there and the wind pushed me down the street. It was not awesome when I was walking home and I was hungry, wind burnt and it felt like a big windy hand pushing me backwards. For comparison sake for my mom and Jeff (who are probably the only 2 people who read this), it was windier than the Statue of Liberty, but WAY warmer. The hardest part of the journey (besides the wind), or maybe I guess the most annoying part, was the fact that Broadway wanders diagonally down Manhattan (between 77th and 6th streets, above and below that it is straight). So it's kind of really annoying because it crosses 4 avenues, which means navigating through these huge intersections where you can't really tell which street is going to which direction. Times Square is obviously the worst. I always have to cross back and forth repeatedly to make sure I get on the right side of the right street to go in the right direction. But have no fear, I managed to get it right the second time around, and I never wandered too far off my path, I know you all were worried.
The farmer's market was terribly unexciting, there were about 15 vendors, which is reasonable since it's February. But they did have some good ones - a honey vendor (my only purchase at the market was a bottle of honey), homemade pretzel vendor, turkey vendor (with some delicious smelling turkey sausage), and a couple of bakeries that looked like they had some great bread products. I do like the fact that it's open 4 days a week even in the winter. Although maybe not worth a 3 mile walk (one way), but it was Field Trip Friday, so I guess that was the point.
So as I leave you for the weekend, with such an unexciting story about the unexciting Farmer's Market, I promise you that next week's Field Trip Friday will include some pictures. Hopefully that's enough to keep you reading the blog. TGIF.
So today I decided I would go to the Farmer's Market at Union Square; I think it's supposed to be one of the best most famous farmer's markets in the city, but I'm not sure. We had been there once before in the fall and had a good experience, so I wanted to check it out in the dead of the winter. And, I decided that I was going to walk there and back to add to the "adventurousness" of the first Field Trip Friday. It's about a 3.1 mile walk each way, just about a straight shot down Broadway, so I was destined to not get lost, which was good.
The trip would take me down to Columbus Circle, through Times Square, by Macy's and some area in the 20's which I don't really know what it's called. Union Square is between 14th and 18th and is bordered by Broadway and Park Ave/4th Ave (it's right where Park ends and 4th sort of starts). We're at 75th, so I got to painfully count down to 14 from 75 and then back up again. So I packed up my bag, charged up my phone, grabbed the iPod and the camera and set out for my journey. Unfortunately, I managed to take 0 pictures in the first Field Trip Friday, I know, I shouldn't have even told you that I took my camera with me.
Good thing I decided that the first Field Trip Friday would be on a day that had 50 mph wind gusts. Awesome. Actually, it was awesome when I was walking there and the wind pushed me down the street. It was not awesome when I was walking home and I was hungry, wind burnt and it felt like a big windy hand pushing me backwards. For comparison sake for my mom and Jeff (who are probably the only 2 people who read this), it was windier than the Statue of Liberty, but WAY warmer. The hardest part of the journey (besides the wind), or maybe I guess the most annoying part, was the fact that Broadway wanders diagonally down Manhattan (between 77th and 6th streets, above and below that it is straight). So it's kind of really annoying because it crosses 4 avenues, which means navigating through these huge intersections where you can't really tell which street is going to which direction. Times Square is obviously the worst. I always have to cross back and forth repeatedly to make sure I get on the right side of the right street to go in the right direction. But have no fear, I managed to get it right the second time around, and I never wandered too far off my path, I know you all were worried.
The farmer's market was terribly unexciting, there were about 15 vendors, which is reasonable since it's February. But they did have some good ones - a honey vendor (my only purchase at the market was a bottle of honey), homemade pretzel vendor, turkey vendor (with some delicious smelling turkey sausage), and a couple of bakeries that looked like they had some great bread products. I do like the fact that it's open 4 days a week even in the winter. Although maybe not worth a 3 mile walk (one way), but it was Field Trip Friday, so I guess that was the point.
So as I leave you for the weekend, with such an unexciting story about the unexciting Farmer's Market, I promise you that next week's Field Trip Friday will include some pictures. Hopefully that's enough to keep you reading the blog. TGIF.
Thursday, February 23, 2006
Life without a dishwasher
Sucks. Big time. I didn't actually think it would be a big deal, probably mostly because I didn't ever really do the dishes, I did the cooking. But if you've ever seen my kitchen, I make a huge mess, every time, with as many dishes as possible. So there has obviously been a transition for me and my cooking, which I liken to my laundry habits when I went to college. Prior to going to college (and doing my own laundry) I would wear a t-shirt for 5 minutes, decide I didn't want to wear it and put it in the laundry. Then once I went to college I would wear jeans for about 3 months before I put them in the laundry. But I was talking about dishes, not laundry.
So you might be wondering, "hey, she doesn't do anything all day, I don't think that she can complain about dishes." And you have a good point, but the frustrating thing is that every time you walk into the kitchen, there are dishes. Whether they are in the sink or in the drying rack (clean), they are always there. And that gets pretty annoying. I even got a dish break last weekend when my mom (thankfully!!!) did all the dishes, and it didn't take 2 days for me to get sick of them again.
Finding an apartment in NY was hard enough (and I already had a million criteria), so I wasn't really allowed to add any more criteria to our search menu, so I was willing to give up the dishwasher, although maybe I should have prioritized having an elevator too. Some day I'll write about the apartment search in NY; every day when Jeff leaves for work he gives me a kiss and says "write about the apartment search today." One day he'll get his wish, but not today.
So I'm always on a search for recipes that are: quick, use few dishes and can be eaten on one plate/bowl. I've taken to using foil when I roast things so I don't have to wash the pan (and can recycle the used foil, I think I can at least). And I definitely don't wash strainers every time I drain pasta (really, how dirty do you think they get? and I haven't gotten sick yet). I'm curious to see what happens when I'm actually working, but I think our little NY kitchen will become more of a typical NY kitchen, one that doesn't see much action.
But for now, I'll keep up my dish routine, and I'll keep hating it. As for recipes, the best ones are really stews and chili's and things which really are one pot meals, that also can be eaten in one dish as well. But everyone knows those. A technique that I've really taken too is the pan saute with the gravy/sauce made in the same pan. It's great - take your meat of choice (chicken, turkey, whatever), dust it with flour (which will help thicken the sauce later) and saute the meat in a pan. When it's almost done, take the meat out and wrap it up in some foil (don't use another plate), add some garlic, onions, peppers, chilis, whatever, to the pan. Add a little broth or wine and cook it all together, reduce it a bit and then add whatever else from your fridge (herbs, other vegetables, beans, dried fruit). Last night I added some spinach and some heavy cream, but fresh tomatoes and basil is great too. Then you just add the meat back into the sauce and let everything cook together a bit longer until the meat is done. You can round out the meal with some roasted veggies (cooked on foil, of course), like sweet potatoes or asparagus, two of our favorites. It's easy, it's quick, and there aren't very many dishes to clean!
So you might be wondering, "hey, she doesn't do anything all day, I don't think that she can complain about dishes." And you have a good point, but the frustrating thing is that every time you walk into the kitchen, there are dishes. Whether they are in the sink or in the drying rack (clean), they are always there. And that gets pretty annoying. I even got a dish break last weekend when my mom (thankfully!!!) did all the dishes, and it didn't take 2 days for me to get sick of them again.
Finding an apartment in NY was hard enough (and I already had a million criteria), so I wasn't really allowed to add any more criteria to our search menu, so I was willing to give up the dishwasher, although maybe I should have prioritized having an elevator too. Some day I'll write about the apartment search in NY; every day when Jeff leaves for work he gives me a kiss and says "write about the apartment search today." One day he'll get his wish, but not today.
So I'm always on a search for recipes that are: quick, use few dishes and can be eaten on one plate/bowl. I've taken to using foil when I roast things so I don't have to wash the pan (and can recycle the used foil, I think I can at least). And I definitely don't wash strainers every time I drain pasta (really, how dirty do you think they get? and I haven't gotten sick yet). I'm curious to see what happens when I'm actually working, but I think our little NY kitchen will become more of a typical NY kitchen, one that doesn't see much action.
But for now, I'll keep up my dish routine, and I'll keep hating it. As for recipes, the best ones are really stews and chili's and things which really are one pot meals, that also can be eaten in one dish as well. But everyone knows those. A technique that I've really taken too is the pan saute with the gravy/sauce made in the same pan. It's great - take your meat of choice (chicken, turkey, whatever), dust it with flour (which will help thicken the sauce later) and saute the meat in a pan. When it's almost done, take the meat out and wrap it up in some foil (don't use another plate), add some garlic, onions, peppers, chilis, whatever, to the pan. Add a little broth or wine and cook it all together, reduce it a bit and then add whatever else from your fridge (herbs, other vegetables, beans, dried fruit). Last night I added some spinach and some heavy cream, but fresh tomatoes and basil is great too. Then you just add the meat back into the sauce and let everything cook together a bit longer until the meat is done. You can round out the meal with some roasted veggies (cooked on foil, of course), like sweet potatoes or asparagus, two of our favorites. It's easy, it's quick, and there aren't very many dishes to clean!
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Frittata salad?
So I promised (myself) that I wouldn't post more than once a day (I don't have THAT much to talk about), but since I'm so busy today and I just saw the craziest thing on tv, I had to share. Since there's nothing else on tv at noon I've taken to taping Molto Mario. Not a huge fan of the show, especially because there's always weird things on the menu, chicken livers, etc... And he does a terrible job showing me how to do anything. But anyway, today, he was making frittata salad so I was intrigued, especially since I had just written about frittatas the other day.
So he made the frittata with just some simple herbs and a bit of chili pepper flakes and chopped it up and added it to a bed of escarole (kind of bitter-ish lettuce) and orange segments. I think I actually like the idea of eggs on salad with the citrus. I've been going back and forth on it for a few minutes, but it might be good. The eggs would have to be cooked well done for sure. And the lettuce would have to be crunchy, but not too crunchy, but I think I could do it. Not sure what Jeff would think, but his rule is: "I love eggs"
It's definitely not something that I'd ever ever think of, but maybe I could do it - frittata salad. I think I'd have to work up to it. Like maybe start by having eggs with some other vegetables and move on to the lettuce. I don't know, but I've heard that things that you don't like to eat before you're 30 you'll never like, so I guess I'll have to try it within the next couple of years.
So he made the frittata with just some simple herbs and a bit of chili pepper flakes and chopped it up and added it to a bed of escarole (kind of bitter-ish lettuce) and orange segments. I think I actually like the idea of eggs on salad with the citrus. I've been going back and forth on it for a few minutes, but it might be good. The eggs would have to be cooked well done for sure. And the lettuce would have to be crunchy, but not too crunchy, but I think I could do it. Not sure what Jeff would think, but his rule is: "I love eggs"
It's definitely not something that I'd ever ever think of, but maybe I could do it - frittata salad. I think I'd have to work up to it. Like maybe start by having eggs with some other vegetables and move on to the lettuce. I don't know, but I've heard that things that you don't like to eat before you're 30 you'll never like, so I guess I'll have to try it within the next couple of years.
Mac 'n Cheese Please!
I remember this one time when Christa and I were at home with a babysitter who asked us what we wanted for lunch. Christa immediately began singing/screaming Mac-a-ron-i and cheeeeeeeeeeeeeese! Mac-a-ron-i and cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeese! She was unstoppable until the babysitter agreed to make us the requested macaroni and cheese. All I remember (besides the song which still runs through my head, obviously) was that I was thinking, "I HATE macaroni and cheese." I don't know what I was thinking, because I love macaroni and cheese. I think she just loved it more and we always had to have it.
We were Kraft mac 'n cheese fans. Die-hard. No velveeta, give us the blue box. (Holy crap, I just realized that I must be way behind the times in that velveeta is actually owned by Kraft, which completely changes my world view, but I won't dwell on that right now). After college I would continue to buy the Kraft macaroni and cheese, although it no longer served in the weeknight dinner position, it had moved to the Saturday afternoon meal slot and more recently we have actually moved to the organic variety of mac 'n cheese - Annie's. I guess that's step one on the path to yuppie-ville.
I never really thought of making my own macaroni and cheese, but I also think there's also recently been a resurgence of macaroni and cheese and it's much more in-vogue these days (although it's kind of weird to me that food can be in style). So it's on people's minds a bit more. Anyways, it probably wasn't until last year when I attempted my own macaroni and cheese. And, I do have to warn you, if you're looking for that macaroni and cheese from your childhood, you're not going to find it if you make it yourself, but you will have a delicious creamy dinner that will bring a smile to your face.
I'm not sure I've ever actually followed a recipe (not even the first time I made it) for homemade macaroni and cheese. It seemed to me that you really could make a good mac 'n cheese without putting in cups of heavy cream or even cups of half and half. I'm sure those versions are quite delicious, but I'm not sure I could eat more than 3 bites without wanting to throw up. I honestly believe that comfort food should not come at the expense of vomit. So I use part milk and part broth, and it's still pretty darn delicious. I actually make my "cheese sauce" to be almost like a cheese fondue, thicker than what you'd typically think of, but I think it's fantastic.
Another great thing (depending on who you talk to) about homemade macaroni is that you can bake it in the oven and add a breadcrumb (and/or parmesan cheese) topping. I personally like the creamy noodles under the topping, but Jeff likes the crunchy topping, ours is a marriage made in mac 'n cheese heaven (and the creamy part wouldn't be possible without having the crunchy topping). You can also just cook the whole thing on the stove top and it tastes just as good too (and it uses one less dish), but you don't get the crunchy topping. And, you can do the dishes while it bakes in the oven, so it's not as big of a deal that there's an extra dish.
So here's my recipe for macaroni and cheese, since I never really followed a recipe to being with, this recipe is particularly vague. But you can be creative if that's any consolation (that actually wouldn't be consoling to me, so I'm sorry about that).
Macaroni and Cheese (serves 2 plus a bit extra for snacking)
1/2 box of pasta, a tubular shape so the cheese sauce can really get in there
2 T butter
2-3 T flour
1 1/4 cup milk (typically I use 2%, I wouldn't really recommend skim since you're already substituting with some broth)
1/2 - 1 cup broth (chicken, veggie, whatever, I've even used beef)
2 cups of your favorite cheese combination, I like 2% sharp cheddar, muenster and parmesan, mostly because that's what I typically have. You can use just about anything, but I would recommend using cheddar as at least one of your cheeses. And, if you use some more milder cheeses (mozzarella, provelone, etc...) you'll probably need to add a bit more salt to the sauce.
Breadcrumbs/parmesan and oil/butter (for topping)
Pre-heat oven to 350. Bring pot of water to boil. Before adding the pasta, be sure to salt it. Add the pasta and stir it a bit. Don't cook the pasta all the way, for pasta that should cook about 10 minutes (according to the package) I cook it about 6. It's going to cook more in the oven and suck up some delicious cheesy sauce too.
If you want you can start the cheese sauce in another pan (I don't because it's one more pan to wash, I wait until the pasta is done and then make the sauce in the same pot). Melt the butter over medium heat and add the flour. Cook the flour for a couple of minutes, stirring rather frequently. Add the milk and broth and whisk very quickly until there aren't any lumps. Keep the heat relatively low and stir frequently until the sauce thickens. Turn off the heat and add the cheeses. Let the cheese melt; if the mixture looks too thick for your liking add some more milk or broth. Make it a bit thinner than you want it to actually come out of the oven because it'll thicken a bit when the pasta sucks up some of the sauce. Taste the sauce and make sure there's enough salt and pepper before you add the pasta.
Add the pasta to the sauce and put in a casserole dish sprayed with non-stick spray. Top with as many or as little breadcrumbs/parmesan as you want and then top the breadcrumbs with some oil/butter to make it golden and delicious. Bake for about 30 minutes until its bubbly and irresistible.
We were Kraft mac 'n cheese fans. Die-hard. No velveeta, give us the blue box. (Holy crap, I just realized that I must be way behind the times in that velveeta is actually owned by Kraft, which completely changes my world view, but I won't dwell on that right now). After college I would continue to buy the Kraft macaroni and cheese, although it no longer served in the weeknight dinner position, it had moved to the Saturday afternoon meal slot and more recently we have actually moved to the organic variety of mac 'n cheese - Annie's. I guess that's step one on the path to yuppie-ville.
I never really thought of making my own macaroni and cheese, but I also think there's also recently been a resurgence of macaroni and cheese and it's much more in-vogue these days (although it's kind of weird to me that food can be in style). So it's on people's minds a bit more. Anyways, it probably wasn't until last year when I attempted my own macaroni and cheese. And, I do have to warn you, if you're looking for that macaroni and cheese from your childhood, you're not going to find it if you make it yourself, but you will have a delicious creamy dinner that will bring a smile to your face.
I'm not sure I've ever actually followed a recipe (not even the first time I made it) for homemade macaroni and cheese. It seemed to me that you really could make a good mac 'n cheese without putting in cups of heavy cream or even cups of half and half. I'm sure those versions are quite delicious, but I'm not sure I could eat more than 3 bites without wanting to throw up. I honestly believe that comfort food should not come at the expense of vomit. So I use part milk and part broth, and it's still pretty darn delicious. I actually make my "cheese sauce" to be almost like a cheese fondue, thicker than what you'd typically think of, but I think it's fantastic.
Another great thing (depending on who you talk to) about homemade macaroni is that you can bake it in the oven and add a breadcrumb (and/or parmesan cheese) topping. I personally like the creamy noodles under the topping, but Jeff likes the crunchy topping, ours is a marriage made in mac 'n cheese heaven (and the creamy part wouldn't be possible without having the crunchy topping). You can also just cook the whole thing on the stove top and it tastes just as good too (and it uses one less dish), but you don't get the crunchy topping. And, you can do the dishes while it bakes in the oven, so it's not as big of a deal that there's an extra dish.
So here's my recipe for macaroni and cheese, since I never really followed a recipe to being with, this recipe is particularly vague. But you can be creative if that's any consolation (that actually wouldn't be consoling to me, so I'm sorry about that).
Macaroni and Cheese (serves 2 plus a bit extra for snacking)
1/2 box of pasta, a tubular shape so the cheese sauce can really get in there
2 T butter
2-3 T flour
1 1/4 cup milk (typically I use 2%, I wouldn't really recommend skim since you're already substituting with some broth)
1/2 - 1 cup broth (chicken, veggie, whatever, I've even used beef)
2 cups of your favorite cheese combination, I like 2% sharp cheddar, muenster and parmesan, mostly because that's what I typically have. You can use just about anything, but I would recommend using cheddar as at least one of your cheeses. And, if you use some more milder cheeses (mozzarella, provelone, etc...) you'll probably need to add a bit more salt to the sauce.
Breadcrumbs/parmesan and oil/butter (for topping)
Pre-heat oven to 350. Bring pot of water to boil. Before adding the pasta, be sure to salt it. Add the pasta and stir it a bit. Don't cook the pasta all the way, for pasta that should cook about 10 minutes (according to the package) I cook it about 6. It's going to cook more in the oven and suck up some delicious cheesy sauce too.
If you want you can start the cheese sauce in another pan (I don't because it's one more pan to wash, I wait until the pasta is done and then make the sauce in the same pot). Melt the butter over medium heat and add the flour. Cook the flour for a couple of minutes, stirring rather frequently. Add the milk and broth and whisk very quickly until there aren't any lumps. Keep the heat relatively low and stir frequently until the sauce thickens. Turn off the heat and add the cheeses. Let the cheese melt; if the mixture looks too thick for your liking add some more milk or broth. Make it a bit thinner than you want it to actually come out of the oven because it'll thicken a bit when the pasta sucks up some of the sauce. Taste the sauce and make sure there's enough salt and pepper before you add the pasta.
Add the pasta to the sauce and put in a casserole dish sprayed with non-stick spray. Top with as many or as little breadcrumbs/parmesan as you want and then top the breadcrumbs with some oil/butter to make it golden and delicious. Bake for about 30 minutes until its bubbly and irresistible.
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
What Flatiron, Hanger, Skirt, and Flank have in common
Before you read "flank" I'm sure the correlation between flatiron, hanger and skirt may have been obvious. Clearly, I'm speaking of steak and not of things you may find in your closet.
As you may have noticed, I was on vacation for the past few days. Actually, my parents came to visit, which put the blogging on hiatus. Just like when I was in college, I spent many hours researching restaurants in anticipation of their arrival. Most of the research was for naught, as our plans typically changed about 6 times prior to us actually venturing out of the apartment.
So Friday night, in an effort to get some sight seeing done during the dinner hour, I found a restaurant (one of about seven) at the Waldorf-Astoria. Reasonably priced and with a relatively diverse menu, I thought it would appeal to everyone. Alas, the only steak on the menu was "Flat Iron" to which my dad responded: "what's flatiron steak?" The extent of my knowledge on the steak was, a thin steak that is best eaten medium rare which can get tough if not prepared correctly. "Too complicated" was my dad's reply and he decided on the burger.
Saturday night, we were off to a French restaurant that Jeff and I had wanted to try. Looking at the menu, my dad spotted "hanger steak" and asked again what was this mysterious steak. Replying with just about the same answer as the previous night "thin steak that should be cooked medium rare and cut against the grain." "Too complicated" my dad again replied. Strangely enough, he ordered it, until we pointed out that he missed the strip steak on the menu (it was disguised under the heading "Steak Frites"). He did order the strip and got the classic steak he was looking for.
In an effort to dispel the mystery around these seemingly complicated and "new fangled" steaks found on menus in restaurants these days, I decided to explore the flat steaks. I personally think that these steaks are appearing on menus because they aren't as expensive cuts of meat, but they can trick the unexpecting consumer into paying higher prices because its "steak." A little trickery...
So there are really four of these flat steaks, and I personally think they can be quite tasty, and I very often buy one of these cuts when I'm in the mood for a little red meat (although having red meat every day last weekend I don't think that I'll be indulging again anytime soon). I actually really like cooking them at home because they are cheaper and can taste great (although there are a few simple rule to remember to make it actually taste good, otherwise you're going to end up gnawing on your meat and kicking yourself for wasting your time and money cooking the steak).
First up, the skirt steak. A great beginner flat steak, mostly because it's got some "good marbling." That's some BS phrase for "lots of fat goodness running through the middle/inside of the steak" but what it really means is that it is harder to dry out because the fat running through the middle keeps the steak juicy tender and delicious. Call it marbling, call it fatty goodness, whatever, it's great stuff. The skirt steak is typically used for fajitas, so you've probably had it before in restaurants. It comes from the diaphragm of the cow (that sounds super nasty, so I'm not going to dwell on its location). Anyway, cooking the skirt steak - I think it's best grilled, but there's some debate on the best cooking method. Again, the key with these 4 steaks is quick cooking, keep it at medium rare. And, like I told my dad, cut this steak against the grain. You'll be able to see the grain running down the steak - slice it up for your guests/family prior to serving. And please please, wait the obligatory 10-15 minutes before slicing. The tasty juices must "redistribute." Some other BS term, but it is true. Let the meat rest my friends, make the steak happy. And happy steak equals happy dinner.
Next, the flank steak. Much leaner than the skirt steak, but just as flat and also from the cow diaphragm. So you definitely definitely need to be careful on the cooking time, but with a little salt and pepper and cooked medium rare, this too can be quite delicious. BUT, I have the most yummy braised recipe for flank steak. Wow, it is tasty. Braciole. You take the meat, sprinkle some cheese and breadcrumbs (some recipes call for sausage too), roll it up and sear it. Then you braise it in tomato sauce for awhile and it's the most tender delicious dinner ever (well maybe not ever, but it's one of my very best Sunday night meals). I usually get the "holy cow, you made this? why don't you make this every night?" one eyebrow lift from Jeff whenever I make it. The lack of marbling makes flank steak a great candidate for braising.
Onto the hanger steak. Again, a cow diaphragm steak (hmm...perhaps a pattern emerging? I'm actually starting to wonder about the available information on the interweb). Apparently it hangs between the last rib and the loin. It's a big thicker cut of steak, and works great marinated. Since it is thicker, the marinade (I am postulating here) helps to infuse more flavor and tenderize the meat a bit. Again, same rules apply: cook quickly, slice against the grain.
And finally, the flatiron steak. Kind of a fake flat steak. It's a big steak liar. It's actually a "slice" of the top blade roast (aka top boneless chuck, top blade steak, among other names). Essentially, if you cut the top blade roast in half you get two flatiron steaks. Weird. Not sure who decided to do that. It's pretty well marbled, but keep in mind the rules of the flat steaks: cook it medium rare and slice against the grain.
So, really, hopefully I've beaten into your brain the two "flat steak" rules: quick cooking (medium rare) and slicing against the grain. Don't even try to eat these if you want it cooked medium or medium-well, you're going to spend most of your meal gnawing on your food, and probably end up spitting it out in the end. The cuts of meat are cheaper, but not that cheap. I'd recommend any of them just with a generous sprinkling of salt and pepper grilled (bring the meat up to room temperature for a better cooking experience), but I'm giving you the recipe for the braciole, because it's awesome. It's a Giada De Laurentiis recipe that I've tweaked a teeny bit.
Braciole
1/2 cup dried plain bread crumbs (seasoned with salt and pepper and whatever dried herbs I feel like throwing in)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2/3 cup grated Pecorino Romano (this is key, don't substitute anything for this)
1/3 cup grated Parmesan or mozzarella
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
4 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 (1 1/2-pound) flank steak
1 cup dry white wine
3 1/4 cups Homemade Tomato Sauce, or store-bought marinara sauce
Stir the first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl to blend. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the oil.
As you may have noticed, I was on vacation for the past few days. Actually, my parents came to visit, which put the blogging on hiatus. Just like when I was in college, I spent many hours researching restaurants in anticipation of their arrival. Most of the research was for naught, as our plans typically changed about 6 times prior to us actually venturing out of the apartment.
So Friday night, in an effort to get some sight seeing done during the dinner hour, I found a restaurant (one of about seven) at the Waldorf-Astoria. Reasonably priced and with a relatively diverse menu, I thought it would appeal to everyone. Alas, the only steak on the menu was "Flat Iron" to which my dad responded: "what's flatiron steak?" The extent of my knowledge on the steak was, a thin steak that is best eaten medium rare which can get tough if not prepared correctly. "Too complicated" was my dad's reply and he decided on the burger.
Saturday night, we were off to a French restaurant that Jeff and I had wanted to try. Looking at the menu, my dad spotted "hanger steak" and asked again what was this mysterious steak. Replying with just about the same answer as the previous night "thin steak that should be cooked medium rare and cut against the grain." "Too complicated" my dad again replied. Strangely enough, he ordered it, until we pointed out that he missed the strip steak on the menu (it was disguised under the heading "Steak Frites"). He did order the strip and got the classic steak he was looking for.
In an effort to dispel the mystery around these seemingly complicated and "new fangled" steaks found on menus in restaurants these days, I decided to explore the flat steaks. I personally think that these steaks are appearing on menus because they aren't as expensive cuts of meat, but they can trick the unexpecting consumer into paying higher prices because its "steak." A little trickery...
So there are really four of these flat steaks, and I personally think they can be quite tasty, and I very often buy one of these cuts when I'm in the mood for a little red meat (although having red meat every day last weekend I don't think that I'll be indulging again anytime soon). I actually really like cooking them at home because they are cheaper and can taste great (although there are a few simple rule to remember to make it actually taste good, otherwise you're going to end up gnawing on your meat and kicking yourself for wasting your time and money cooking the steak).
First up, the skirt steak. A great beginner flat steak, mostly because it's got some "good marbling." That's some BS phrase for "lots of fat goodness running through the middle/inside of the steak" but what it really means is that it is harder to dry out because the fat running through the middle keeps the steak juicy tender and delicious. Call it marbling, call it fatty goodness, whatever, it's great stuff. The skirt steak is typically used for fajitas, so you've probably had it before in restaurants. It comes from the diaphragm of the cow (that sounds super nasty, so I'm not going to dwell on its location). Anyway, cooking the skirt steak - I think it's best grilled, but there's some debate on the best cooking method. Again, the key with these 4 steaks is quick cooking, keep it at medium rare. And, like I told my dad, cut this steak against the grain. You'll be able to see the grain running down the steak - slice it up for your guests/family prior to serving. And please please, wait the obligatory 10-15 minutes before slicing. The tasty juices must "redistribute." Some other BS term, but it is true. Let the meat rest my friends, make the steak happy. And happy steak equals happy dinner.
Next, the flank steak. Much leaner than the skirt steak, but just as flat and also from the cow diaphragm. So you definitely definitely need to be careful on the cooking time, but with a little salt and pepper and cooked medium rare, this too can be quite delicious. BUT, I have the most yummy braised recipe for flank steak. Wow, it is tasty. Braciole. You take the meat, sprinkle some cheese and breadcrumbs (some recipes call for sausage too), roll it up and sear it. Then you braise it in tomato sauce for awhile and it's the most tender delicious dinner ever (well maybe not ever, but it's one of my very best Sunday night meals). I usually get the "holy cow, you made this? why don't you make this every night?" one eyebrow lift from Jeff whenever I make it. The lack of marbling makes flank steak a great candidate for braising.
Onto the hanger steak. Again, a cow diaphragm steak (hmm...perhaps a pattern emerging? I'm actually starting to wonder about the available information on the interweb). Apparently it hangs between the last rib and the loin. It's a big thicker cut of steak, and works great marinated. Since it is thicker, the marinade (I am postulating here) helps to infuse more flavor and tenderize the meat a bit. Again, same rules apply: cook quickly, slice against the grain.
And finally, the flatiron steak. Kind of a fake flat steak. It's a big steak liar. It's actually a "slice" of the top blade roast (aka top boneless chuck, top blade steak, among other names). Essentially, if you cut the top blade roast in half you get two flatiron steaks. Weird. Not sure who decided to do that. It's pretty well marbled, but keep in mind the rules of the flat steaks: cook it medium rare and slice against the grain.
So, really, hopefully I've beaten into your brain the two "flat steak" rules: quick cooking (medium rare) and slicing against the grain. Don't even try to eat these if you want it cooked medium or medium-well, you're going to spend most of your meal gnawing on your food, and probably end up spitting it out in the end. The cuts of meat are cheaper, but not that cheap. I'd recommend any of them just with a generous sprinkling of salt and pepper grilled (bring the meat up to room temperature for a better cooking experience), but I'm giving you the recipe for the braciole, because it's awesome. It's a Giada De Laurentiis recipe that I've tweaked a teeny bit.
Braciole
1/2 cup dried plain bread crumbs (seasoned with salt and pepper and whatever dried herbs I feel like throwing in)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2/3 cup grated Pecorino Romano (this is key, don't substitute anything for this)
1/3 cup grated Parmesan or mozzarella
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
4 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 (1 1/2-pound) flank steak
1 cup dry white wine
3 1/4 cups Homemade Tomato Sauce, or store-bought marinara sauce
Stir the first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl to blend. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the oil.
Lay the flank steak flat on the work surface. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture evenly over the steak to cover the top evenly. Starting at 1 short end, roll up the steak as for a jelly roll to enclose the filling completely. Using butcher's twine, tie the steak roll to secure. Sprinkle the braciole with salt and pepper.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a heavy large ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add the braciole and cook until browned on all sides, about 8 minutes. Add the wine to the pan and bring to a boil. Stir in the marinara sauce. Cover partially with foil and bake until the meat is almost tender, turning the braciole and basting with the sauce every 30 minutes. After 1 hour, uncover and continue baking until the meat is tender, about 30 minutes longer. The total cooking time should be about 1 1/2 hours.
Remove the braciole from the sauce. Using a large sharp knife, cut the braciole crosswise and diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Transfer the slices to plates. Spoon the sauce over and serve.
Be ready to get a few eyebrow lifts from your family! I promise to post my recipe for homemade tomato sauce too, which definitely helps make this so darn tasty.Friday, February 17, 2006
Thursday, February 16, 2006
What separates the Italian from the NY style?
No, not fashion. I'm talking pizza. I'm not sure how the conversation got started, but last night we were discussing what exactly constitutes a "New York Style Pizza." Oddly enough, but lucky for me, Wikipedia has an entry to help end the debate: "New York style pizza is...oversized, thin and flexible slices. It is traditionally hand-tossed and light on sauce. The slices are sometimes eaten folded in half, as its size and flexibility may otherwise make it unwieldy to eat by hand."
Doesn't that sound really gross to anyone else? The slices are folded in half? Nasty. I don't want to have to fold my pizza in half to eat it. And to be clear, I have had my fair share of NY pizza, so I'm not flying blind here and judging without a taste test. So, in our debate last night, the question inevitably arose, "what's the difference between real Italian pizza and New York style pizza?" A question that I instinctively knew the answer to, but could not put into words.
To me, the NY pizza always tastes like it has been made from frozen dough, overcheesed, and is nearly tasteless. That's not to say that it doesn't make a great late night snack. But it does have a thin crust, which makes the distinction much more difficult between Italian pizza and NY pizza. So, I'll do my best. Maybe I'll just talk about all of the things that make Italian pizza so good, that's easier.
The crust on Italian pizza, like I mentioned, is thin. But not only is it thin, like the NY pizza, but it's crispy too. I think the crispiness comes from the fact that it is often cooked on stones that get really really really hot. 1000 degrees or something. So they cook uber-quick. You get a great bite when you get to the crust of the pizza, but not so much that it bites back.
I'm not sure what the "rules" are for the sauce, seems like you don't necessarily need a tomato sauce, and if there is a so-called tomato sauce on the pizza, it's typically just pureed fresh/canned tomatoes. Again, it adds to the freshness of the pizza, not the kind of cooked tasted you get with marinara sauce.
And, the cheese, like with panini, the mozzarella should be very fresh, and it doesn't necessarily need to coat every inch of the crust. It's very much a freestyle dish. Each bite has its own unique mix of toppings, with the cheese also considered a topping, so its not serving as the base for the pizza.
So, now that I've just put forth my description of what is Italian pizza, I realized that Wikipedia had another entry, which literally defines exactly what it is. Their definition is much more technical (this is actually a definition for Neapolitan pizza and there are some distinctions with some other regions of Italy, but the differences are mostly just the toppings):
"According to the rules proposed by the Associazione vera pizza napoletana and other sources quoted by the BBC [3], and the legal EU document with the Vera Pizza Napoletana Specification in translation. The genuine Neapolitan pizza dough consists of Italian wheat flouryeast or brewer's yeast, and water. For proper results, strong flour with high protein content (as used for bread-making rather than cakes) must be used. The dough must be kneaded by hand or with an approved mixer that moves in a clockwise direction. After the rising process, the dough must be formed by the right hand and the first two fingers of the left without the help of a rolling pin or other mechanical device, and may be no more than 3 mm (1/8 in) thick. The pizza must be baked for 60–90 seconds in a 485 °C (905 °F) stone oven with an oak-wood fire. When cooked, it should be soft and fragrant."
Wait, are you kidding me? The mixer must mix in a clockwise direction and formed by the right hand? Seriously? What, is it French pizza if you use your left hand? Maybe that's the line between Italian and NY style pizza, the hand that you use to form the dough. Or maybe, the difference is that New Yorkers don't have so many rules surrounding what qualifies as NY style pizza. Wow. Well, I certainly unexpectedly learned something about Italian pizza today, pretty pretentious.
Even though there's so many rules, I still like the Italian pizza better, and NY style still remains a tasteless blob of cheese on floppy bread. But, the funny thing, is that Chicago style is my favorite. If I want pizza, that's my pie of choice, hands down. The thick doughy crust that you can dip in extra sauce, mmmmm...., my mouth is watering. I like Italian pizza, but when I want pizza, that's not what I think of. I want the thick, gut-busting heavy crust. So, my favorite recipe for pizza is therefore a deep-dish recipe. There are also recipes for making dough in bread machines, which work well too, but, alas, my bread maker didn't make the cut and resides 300 miles from my kitchen. This recipe too is from the Food Network and has corn meal in it, which gives it an awesome kind of crunch. It takes some time for the dough to rise, but its a great Saturday night meal.
(type 0 and/or 00), natural Neapolitan Deep Dish Pizza
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 cup warm water (110 to 115 degrees F)
1 (1/4-ounce) package active dry yeast (about 2 1/2 teaspoons)
2 1/4 to 2 1/2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for oiling bowl
1 (14 to 16-ounce) can peeled, whole tomatoes, drained and chopped OR tomato sauce
your favorite toppings
2 cups grated whole milk mozzarella cheese (about 1/4 pound)
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan (optional)
In a large bowl, dissolve sugar in water. Sprinkle yeast over water and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Stir in 2 1/4 cups flour, cornmeal, salt, and 2 tablespoons oil and blend until mixture forms a dough. Knead dough on a floured surface, incorporating as much of remaining 1/4 cup flour as necessary to prevent dough from sticking, until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.
Doesn't that sound really gross to anyone else? The slices are folded in half? Nasty. I don't want to have to fold my pizza in half to eat it. And to be clear, I have had my fair share of NY pizza, so I'm not flying blind here and judging without a taste test. So, in our debate last night, the question inevitably arose, "what's the difference between real Italian pizza and New York style pizza?" A question that I instinctively knew the answer to, but could not put into words.
To me, the NY pizza always tastes like it has been made from frozen dough, overcheesed, and is nearly tasteless. That's not to say that it doesn't make a great late night snack. But it does have a thin crust, which makes the distinction much more difficult between Italian pizza and NY pizza. So, I'll do my best. Maybe I'll just talk about all of the things that make Italian pizza so good, that's easier.
The crust on Italian pizza, like I mentioned, is thin. But not only is it thin, like the NY pizza, but it's crispy too. I think the crispiness comes from the fact that it is often cooked on stones that get really really really hot. 1000 degrees or something. So they cook uber-quick. You get a great bite when you get to the crust of the pizza, but not so much that it bites back.
I'm not sure what the "rules" are for the sauce, seems like you don't necessarily need a tomato sauce, and if there is a so-called tomato sauce on the pizza, it's typically just pureed fresh/canned tomatoes. Again, it adds to the freshness of the pizza, not the kind of cooked tasted you get with marinara sauce.
And, the cheese, like with panini, the mozzarella should be very fresh, and it doesn't necessarily need to coat every inch of the crust. It's very much a freestyle dish. Each bite has its own unique mix of toppings, with the cheese also considered a topping, so its not serving as the base for the pizza.
So, now that I've just put forth my description of what is Italian pizza, I realized that Wikipedia had another entry, which literally defines exactly what it is. Their definition is much more technical (this is actually a definition for Neapolitan pizza and there are some distinctions with some other regions of Italy, but the differences are mostly just the toppings):
"According to the rules proposed by the Associazione vera pizza napoletana and other sources quoted by the BBC [3], and the legal EU document with the Vera Pizza Napoletana Specification in translation. The genuine Neapolitan pizza dough consists of Italian wheat flouryeast or brewer's yeast, and water. For proper results, strong flour with high protein content (as used for bread-making rather than cakes) must be used. The dough must be kneaded by hand or with an approved mixer that moves in a clockwise direction. After the rising process, the dough must be formed by the right hand and the first two fingers of the left without the help of a rolling pin or other mechanical device, and may be no more than 3 mm (1/8 in) thick. The pizza must be baked for 60–90 seconds in a 485 °C (905 °F) stone oven with an oak-wood fire. When cooked, it should be soft and fragrant."
Wait, are you kidding me? The mixer must mix in a clockwise direction and formed by the right hand? Seriously? What, is it French pizza if you use your left hand? Maybe that's the line between Italian and NY style pizza, the hand that you use to form the dough. Or maybe, the difference is that New Yorkers don't have so many rules surrounding what qualifies as NY style pizza. Wow. Well, I certainly unexpectedly learned something about Italian pizza today, pretty pretentious.
Even though there's so many rules, I still like the Italian pizza better, and NY style still remains a tasteless blob of cheese on floppy bread. But, the funny thing, is that Chicago style is my favorite. If I want pizza, that's my pie of choice, hands down. The thick doughy crust that you can dip in extra sauce, mmmmm...., my mouth is watering. I like Italian pizza, but when I want pizza, that's not what I think of. I want the thick, gut-busting heavy crust. So, my favorite recipe for pizza is therefore a deep-dish recipe. There are also recipes for making dough in bread machines, which work well too, but, alas, my bread maker didn't make the cut and resides 300 miles from my kitchen. This recipe too is from the Food Network and has corn meal in it, which gives it an awesome kind of crunch. It takes some time for the dough to rise, but its a great Saturday night meal.
(type 0 and/or 00), natural Neapolitan Deep Dish Pizza
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 cup warm water (110 to 115 degrees F)
1 (1/4-ounce) package active dry yeast (about 2 1/2 teaspoons)
2 1/4 to 2 1/2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for oiling bowl
1 (14 to 16-ounce) can peeled, whole tomatoes, drained and chopped OR tomato sauce
your favorite toppings
2 cups grated whole milk mozzarella cheese (about 1/4 pound)
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan (optional)
In a large bowl, dissolve sugar in water. Sprinkle yeast over water and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Stir in 2 1/4 cups flour, cornmeal, salt, and 2 tablespoons oil and blend until mixture forms a dough. Knead dough on a floured surface, incorporating as much of remaining 1/4 cup flour as necessary to prevent dough from sticking, until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.
Put dough in a deep oiled bowl and turn to coat with oil. Let dough rise, covered with plastic wrap, in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.
Punch down dough and knead 4 times. In an oiled 10 1/2-inch cast-iron skillet, press dough with oiled finger until it comes 2 inches up the side and is an even thickness on bottom. Let dough rise, covered loosely with plastic wrap, in a warm place for 15 minutes.
Sprinkle dough with tomato sauce, cheese and your favorite toppings. Sprinkle the top with the Parmesan and bake the pizza in the lower third of an electric oven, or on floor of a gas oven for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees F. and bake 10 minutes more, or until crust is golden.
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
Quest for the Perfect Valentine's Dinner
So it began a few weeks ago while I was perusing the Williams-Sonoma website (an activity in which I often partake). I found a recipe for Chocolate-Peanut Butter Ganache Heart Cakes (I tried to put a link to the recipe, but the recipe section of the W-S website is down right now). Any recipe that includes the words "chocolate" and "peanut butter" and "ganache" is one in which I absolutely must try - no questions asked. There is no more perfect union than chocolate and peanut butter. That was the point at which I decided I would make us dinner on Valentine's Day. So in an effort to save some pennies and the excitement of making an exotic meal, and of course, with dessert already decided on, I was on my way to creating our Valentine's dinner.
Over the next few weeks I kept myself busy by browsing my recipe books (something that I actually rarely do), searching my favorite sites online, and getting ideas from my favorite day time tv. I finally decided on a 5-course meal:
1. Salad - blue cheese, dried cherry and walnuts (an easy choice, it's Jeff's favorite)
2. Cannelloni with a ground turkey filling
3. Cabernet Sauvignon sorbet
4. Veal Scaloppini with a saffron cream sauce
5. Chocolate Peanut-Butter Ganache Heart Cakes
With the planning underway in January, I had many weeks to refine the menu. I decided that the pecans on the salad would be candied/spiced, that I'd make my homemade tomato sauce for the cannelloni, I also added roasted asparagus to course 4, and I decided the dessert wouldn't be complete without some homemade raspberry sauce. I also wanted the five courses to come sequentially, which turned out to be a pain in my ....
So, a few (very minor things) that I decided to simplify. I decided to use store bought salad dressing and I decided to use wonton/egg roll wrappers instead of making the pasta noodles for the cannelloni. This is the point at which you're probably thinking - crazy lady. But, it's not like I'm busy during the day, so I was ready. I'm not going to take you through the entire process, but I will share what I learned....
1. Turning cannelloni into ravioli is easier than you might think.
When my eggroll wrappers came from Fresh Direct as wonton wrappers (I'm pretty sure that was my fault), it was clear that it would be impossible to make cannelloni, unless they were the world's smallest. Easy enough, I thought, I'll make them into raviolis. Great, except that it's difficult to make ravioli ahead of time; I was planning on putting the dish in the oven when we ate our salad, and it wouldn't have worked if I needed to boil the delightful little packages. Hmmm... tricky. In a flash of shear brilliance, I decided to cook the noodles and the filling ahead of time (I was already planning to cook the filling ahead) and then put them in the oven while we ate our salad. Yeah, um, well that didn't really work out so well, the whole cooking the noodles thing. After throwing 8 wrappers into boiling water and pulling them out in one big glob. I needed to re-think. So, I tried cooking them one at a time. No luck. They folded over themselves and when they were cool enough to even touch they were already glued to themselves. AAAAAHHHHHH! So, I thought to myself, "screw it, I'm using raw noodles, covering them with pasta sauce and hoping for the best." Turns out, that works too. Easy and delicious.
Even better, was that I turned our favorite turkey meatball recipe into the filling for the ravioli's. I cooked the meat, dropped the breadcrumbs and added the egg and romano cheese to the cooked meat mixture. Tasted just as good in a ravioli as it does as a meatball. Clearly, it's possible to put anything that you think tastes good into some noodle squares.
2. Spiced nuts turns a regular salad into an unquestionably delicious restaurant grade salad.
This decision was a last minute one. For the weeks leading up to the big dinner, I was torn between wanting to make Jeff's favorite salad and wanting to make it special. It hit me just a few days ago like an ice cream headache, "dress up the nuts!" (yes, you can laugh childishly at that quote). It took me some time to find a recipe I liked. I really wanted them to be spicy and sweet, kind of like the ones that Zingermans makes. And, I didn't want to deep fry them (which was a step in many of the recipes). So, I checked the Zingermans site and tried to find out what spices they used and then searched for those ingredients. I finally found a recipe in which you mix a bunch of sugar and spices (typical pumpkin pie spices actually) and then drop the nuts in egg whites and the sugar/spice mixture and bake 'em.
Seems like a lot of work for some nuts on a salad? I know, I know. BUT, the good thing is that the recipe makes a TON of them, and you can keep them in an airtight container and then you'll have them on hand for many a delicious salad. Or, you can eat them right out of the container as a snack, and everyone will love you and your nuts.
3. If your first 4 courses go off without a hitch. Dessert is destined to be a disaster.
Maybe it was because I was sure I'd screw up one of the other courses. I went into the dessert course like Bode Miller at the Olympics. I was going to kick its butt. I decided to wait to make the dessert course until after we had finished the first 4. It was only supposed to be about 20 minutes to make and bake the heart cakes (which it was). Things were going great, raspberry sauce was already done, the eggs were whipping up just as they should, truffles were, if I might say so myself, perfect. Into the oven the heart cakes went, 10 minutes later out they came. 5 minutes to cool and then, time to "pop" them out of the pan.
This was the point at which I realized that the silicone pan that the cakes were supposed to be baked in was kind of the key of the whole thing. I was using a heart shaped pan, but it wasn't silicone (yes, it's true I have a pan that makes mini heart shaped cakes, but I don't have a panino maker to feed my panino habit). Crap. Seriously, once I pried the little cakes out of their molds, that's what the cake actually looked like, crap. Literally. But I gracefully put the crap on the bed of raspberry sauce and added a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Luckily things that look like crap still can taste good.
So, the cornerstone of my five course Valentine's dinner completely flopped. Really, literally flopped. Thankfully, everything still tasted fan-tastic, and while it took me all day yesterday to prepare everything and it'll probably take me all day today to clean all the dishes, I think that it was totally worth it (though, ask me again once I finish the dishes today).
I'm gonna share the recipe for the nuts (I got it from the Food Network), because I think everyone should try making them. I don't think everyone should try making the chocolate peanut butter heart shaped cake unless you have the specific silicone W-S pan, and that's just annoying. Whether or not you like them on your salad is irrelevant, eat them as a snack, eat them for dessert (guaranteed not to flop), eat them with some cheese and grapes, eat them with some yogurt for breakfast. And, don't forget about all of the goodness and health benefits in them:
Ginger: helps with digestion, helps reduce motion sickness, helps reduce blood pressure and blood clotting (similar to aspirin). Perhaps not enough ginger in the recipe to do all these things, but that doesn't really bother me.
Walnuts: reduce coronary artery disease (Omega-3's), reduce inflammation (Reversatrol flavonoid), reduce likelihood of adult onset diabetes, has lots of Vitamin E (which, apparently, people don't get enough of), helps prevent cancer and some aging (folic acid and ellagic acid)
Enjoy and don't feel bad about all the sugar that's in them!
Spiced Nuts
2 egg whites
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups sugar
4 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/2 pound pecans (I did some research to find an equivalent in cups, and I thought it was equivalent to about 2 cups, but I think this was a bit of an underestimate. I also made it with half walnuts and half pecans, both were good)
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Over the next few weeks I kept myself busy by browsing my recipe books (something that I actually rarely do), searching my favorite sites online, and getting ideas from my favorite day time tv. I finally decided on a 5-course meal:
1. Salad - blue cheese, dried cherry and walnuts (an easy choice, it's Jeff's favorite)
2. Cannelloni with a ground turkey filling
3. Cabernet Sauvignon sorbet
4. Veal Scaloppini with a saffron cream sauce
5. Chocolate Peanut-Butter Ganache Heart Cakes
With the planning underway in January, I had many weeks to refine the menu. I decided that the pecans on the salad would be candied/spiced, that I'd make my homemade tomato sauce for the cannelloni, I also added roasted asparagus to course 4, and I decided the dessert wouldn't be complete without some homemade raspberry sauce. I also wanted the five courses to come sequentially, which turned out to be a pain in my ....
So, a few (very minor things) that I decided to simplify. I decided to use store bought salad dressing and I decided to use wonton/egg roll wrappers instead of making the pasta noodles for the cannelloni. This is the point at which you're probably thinking - crazy lady. But, it's not like I'm busy during the day, so I was ready. I'm not going to take you through the entire process, but I will share what I learned....
1. Turning cannelloni into ravioli is easier than you might think.
When my eggroll wrappers came from Fresh Direct as wonton wrappers (I'm pretty sure that was my fault), it was clear that it would be impossible to make cannelloni, unless they were the world's smallest. Easy enough, I thought, I'll make them into raviolis. Great, except that it's difficult to make ravioli ahead of time; I was planning on putting the dish in the oven when we ate our salad, and it wouldn't have worked if I needed to boil the delightful little packages. Hmmm... tricky. In a flash of shear brilliance, I decided to cook the noodles and the filling ahead of time (I was already planning to cook the filling ahead) and then put them in the oven while we ate our salad. Yeah, um, well that didn't really work out so well, the whole cooking the noodles thing. After throwing 8 wrappers into boiling water and pulling them out in one big glob. I needed to re-think. So, I tried cooking them one at a time. No luck. They folded over themselves and when they were cool enough to even touch they were already glued to themselves. AAAAAHHHHHH! So, I thought to myself, "screw it, I'm using raw noodles, covering them with pasta sauce and hoping for the best." Turns out, that works too. Easy and delicious.
Even better, was that I turned our favorite turkey meatball recipe into the filling for the ravioli's. I cooked the meat, dropped the breadcrumbs and added the egg and romano cheese to the cooked meat mixture. Tasted just as good in a ravioli as it does as a meatball. Clearly, it's possible to put anything that you think tastes good into some noodle squares.
2. Spiced nuts turns a regular salad into an unquestionably delicious restaurant grade salad.
This decision was a last minute one. For the weeks leading up to the big dinner, I was torn between wanting to make Jeff's favorite salad and wanting to make it special. It hit me just a few days ago like an ice cream headache, "dress up the nuts!" (yes, you can laugh childishly at that quote). It took me some time to find a recipe I liked. I really wanted them to be spicy and sweet, kind of like the ones that Zingermans makes. And, I didn't want to deep fry them (which was a step in many of the recipes). So, I checked the Zingermans site and tried to find out what spices they used and then searched for those ingredients. I finally found a recipe in which you mix a bunch of sugar and spices (typical pumpkin pie spices actually) and then drop the nuts in egg whites and the sugar/spice mixture and bake 'em.
Seems like a lot of work for some nuts on a salad? I know, I know. BUT, the good thing is that the recipe makes a TON of them, and you can keep them in an airtight container and then you'll have them on hand for many a delicious salad. Or, you can eat them right out of the container as a snack, and everyone will love you and your nuts.
3. If your first 4 courses go off without a hitch. Dessert is destined to be a disaster.
Maybe it was because I was sure I'd screw up one of the other courses. I went into the dessert course like Bode Miller at the Olympics. I was going to kick its butt. I decided to wait to make the dessert course until after we had finished the first 4. It was only supposed to be about 20 minutes to make and bake the heart cakes (which it was). Things were going great, raspberry sauce was already done, the eggs were whipping up just as they should, truffles were, if I might say so myself, perfect. Into the oven the heart cakes went, 10 minutes later out they came. 5 minutes to cool and then, time to "pop" them out of the pan.
This was the point at which I realized that the silicone pan that the cakes were supposed to be baked in was kind of the key of the whole thing. I was using a heart shaped pan, but it wasn't silicone (yes, it's true I have a pan that makes mini heart shaped cakes, but I don't have a panino maker to feed my panino habit). Crap. Seriously, once I pried the little cakes out of their molds, that's what the cake actually looked like, crap. Literally. But I gracefully put the crap on the bed of raspberry sauce and added a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Luckily things that look like crap still can taste good.
So, the cornerstone of my five course Valentine's dinner completely flopped. Really, literally flopped. Thankfully, everything still tasted fan-tastic, and while it took me all day yesterday to prepare everything and it'll probably take me all day today to clean all the dishes, I think that it was totally worth it (though, ask me again once I finish the dishes today).
I'm gonna share the recipe for the nuts (I got it from the Food Network), because I think everyone should try making them. I don't think everyone should try making the chocolate peanut butter heart shaped cake unless you have the specific silicone W-S pan, and that's just annoying. Whether or not you like them on your salad is irrelevant, eat them as a snack, eat them for dessert (guaranteed not to flop), eat them with some cheese and grapes, eat them with some yogurt for breakfast. And, don't forget about all of the goodness and health benefits in them:
Ginger: helps with digestion, helps reduce motion sickness, helps reduce blood pressure and blood clotting (similar to aspirin). Perhaps not enough ginger in the recipe to do all these things, but that doesn't really bother me.
Walnuts: reduce coronary artery disease (Omega-3's), reduce inflammation (Reversatrol flavonoid), reduce likelihood of adult onset diabetes, has lots of Vitamin E (which, apparently, people don't get enough of), helps prevent cancer and some aging (folic acid and ellagic acid)
Enjoy and don't feel bad about all the sugar that's in them!
Spiced Nuts
2 egg whites
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups sugar
4 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/2 pound pecans (I did some research to find an equivalent in cups, and I thought it was equivalent to about 2 cups, but I think this was a bit of an underestimate. I also made it with half walnuts and half pecans, both were good)
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Beat egg whites lightly with salt. Sift together sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and allspice and mix well. Add pecans to egg whites and coat completely. Transfer pecans from which excess egg whites have dripped off to cinnamon sugar mixture. Coat pecans completely and place on parchment lined baking sheet, leaving space between nuts. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until sugar coating on nuts is crisp. Cool and serve or store in an airtight container.
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Perfect Panino
I am a self proclaimed panino snob. There are very few so called panino sandwiches that actually meet my lofty expectations. And most of them are found in Europe or in my kitchen. They are very easy to make and delight all the senses (except perhaps those looking for a romantic dinner for two, which is why I'm not sure why I decided this would be the Valentine's Day posting).
To clarify two points before I continue, the first of which I actually just learned:
1. Panino is the singular form of the word, while panini is the plural form of it (which is why it's even more annoying when restaurants have "panini" on the menu)
2. This is my self-proclaimed perfect panino, while it does reflect what I saw in my European travels, it does not reflect what is and is not a true panino as defined by an actual Italian citizen. I'm just being snobbish over something that I have decided to define as the perfect panino. We all have our faults...just wanted to blog with open disclosure.
The perfect panini have a few key elements: bread, tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, lettuce and olive oil. Some acceptable alterations of this basic recipe include italian meats: prosciutto, sopressa, salami, I'd even allow real Italian bologna (although you would certainly never find that on my sandwich). A sandwich with any other ingredients is simply a glorified grilled cheese, it is ABSOLUTELY NOT a panino. Please just call it what it is, a grilled sandwich.
Perhaps a little background on this topic is necessary, where does one become such a panino snob? For me, it was Paris, France about 8 years ago. I was visiting, and while trying to maintain a low food budget, I was introduced to the panino. I think there is something a little bit more special about the sandwich when you're enjoying it in Luxembourg gardens or on the river Seine. Kind of hard to beat that. The homemade panino is good, but it can never be that good. Every time I've gone back to France or Italy, I have really focused my eating efforts on these delightful sandwiches. And, the other thing, is the panino is to be enjoyed from a street vendor. Don't waste your time ordering it in a restaurant, the best are found on the street.
At this point, you're probably wondering "seriously, she's going to tell us how to put some cheese on some bread and grill it?" Am I right? You are, aren't you? There are a few things that you may not think of that will make your panino second to none (well, maybe second to those found in Europe, but those our really out of reach on a day to day basis). So keep reading.
Now, onto those key ingredients. Let's take them one at a time - starting with the bread.
A baguette is key. Not sliced bread. No no no no no. It must be a baguette. The tricky thing with a baguette is that they tend to be quite crusty. So, you have to take a squeeze of the baguette before you buy it (or you can make it too, just don't make it too crusty, i.e. don't brush with so much water). Just make sure that the outside crust isn't too crusty, and that it gives a bit when you squeeze it. If you're in NY, the Balthazar baguette is perfect.
Next, mozzarella cheese. Absolutely do NOT use the pre-shredded or pre-sliced mozzarella. You can use fresh mozzarella (which is the best), but I'm ok with the low-moisture stuff too. I like to put slices of the cheese on both sides of the bread so it gets super gooey. But that's not really standard, so do what you want.
Onto the tomatoes. Really the only thing you need to know about the tomatoes is that you need to salt and pepper them. Do not forget this step. It is absolutely key. If you're ever lucky enough to eat a tomato off the vine (my first experience doing this was also in Italy, but I was 10, and I'll never forget it), try eating it both with and without salt and pepper. A WORLD of difference. Even if you don't like salt. Try it. It doesn't taste salty, it actually just enhances the sweetness and the flavor of the tomato. You've got to do it. You don't need a lot, a few sprinkles. But it separates a bland sandwich from a world class panino.
And the basil. Add it. It's fantastic. Whole pieces, chopped, whatever. I highly recommend fresh basil. But, if you really really need a panini and you don't have fresh basil, you can use the dried stuff, but it doesn't taste nearly as good. You could also heat up some olive oil with some dried basil to flavor the oil and bring out the basil flavor, still though, not quite the same.
So that's all the stuff you'll add to the sandwich before you grill it. But, you'll also need to add the lettuce once it's done getting all melty. For the lettuce, this too is key - chop it fine (almost shredded) add some olive oil (the best you have) and again, add salt and pepper. Sounds gross, salt on lettuce. But believe me, it just tastes like oily lettuce if you don't add the salt and pepper.
And the grilling process. If you have one of those fancy schmancy panino grills, fan-freakin' tastic. You're all set. If not, try a Foreman grill. And, if you don't have room for a million crazy kitchen gadgets, pull out your grill pan. No grill pan? Just use a regular pan. It doesn't really matter. What you do need, however, if you don't have some kind of pressing type grill, is a cast iron pan. When the sandwich is grilling, you need some weight on the top of it to press it down and make it super gooey and delicious. If you don't have a cast iron pan, you can just put a plate on top of the sandwich and press down on the plate with your hand (hopefully covered in an oven mitt).
So, please, don't go to a restaurant and order a "grilled chicken sundried tomato aioli panini" unless you want something that's not a panino. There's no aioli on panini. There's no grilled chicken on panini. Panini does not come with a side of fries. It comes in some wax paper all wrapped up and ready to eat. And, if you're ever in Europe, please please please try one from a street vendor. You'll understand my obsession.
Panino (add a side salad or soup to make it a meal, serves 2)
1 baguette
8 good size slices of mozzarella
1 tomato, sliced
~ 6 basil leaves
~ 1 cup sliced lettuce
prosciutto, salami, etc... (optional)
olive oil
salt and pepper
Pre-heat your grill pan / panini maker / regular pan. Cut off the ends of the baguette (you can use the ends for croutons, store 'em in your freezer) and cut the baguette in half then slice it lengthwise. Add the first layer of cheese on one side of the bread, and add a layer of sliced tomatoes. Add the salt and pepper to the tomatoes and the basil. Add the meat layer (if you want it) and second layer of cheese. Close up the sandwich. Brush both sides of the bread with some olive oil and add it to the pan (don't forget to weight it down!). While the sandwich is cooking, add the olive oil to the lettuce and the salt and pepper. Set aside. When the bread is golden brown and the cheese is melted (a couple of minutes) flip it over and cook on the other side. When you pull the sandwich off, add some of the lettuce dressed with the olive oil to the middle of the sandwich.
I'm sure as soon as you bite into this hot, crispy, gooey, sandwich you will never go back to any other version of the panino, or at least you'll understand my crazy obsession with the perfect panino.
To clarify two points before I continue, the first of which I actually just learned:
1. Panino is the singular form of the word, while panini is the plural form of it (which is why it's even more annoying when restaurants have "panini" on the menu)
2. This is my self-proclaimed perfect panino, while it does reflect what I saw in my European travels, it does not reflect what is and is not a true panino as defined by an actual Italian citizen. I'm just being snobbish over something that I have decided to define as the perfect panino. We all have our faults...just wanted to blog with open disclosure.
The perfect panini have a few key elements: bread, tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, lettuce and olive oil. Some acceptable alterations of this basic recipe include italian meats: prosciutto, sopressa, salami, I'd even allow real Italian bologna (although you would certainly never find that on my sandwich). A sandwich with any other ingredients is simply a glorified grilled cheese, it is ABSOLUTELY NOT a panino. Please just call it what it is, a grilled sandwich.
Perhaps a little background on this topic is necessary, where does one become such a panino snob? For me, it was Paris, France about 8 years ago. I was visiting, and while trying to maintain a low food budget, I was introduced to the panino. I think there is something a little bit more special about the sandwich when you're enjoying it in Luxembourg gardens or on the river Seine. Kind of hard to beat that. The homemade panino is good, but it can never be that good. Every time I've gone back to France or Italy, I have really focused my eating efforts on these delightful sandwiches. And, the other thing, is the panino is to be enjoyed from a street vendor. Don't waste your time ordering it in a restaurant, the best are found on the street.
At this point, you're probably wondering "seriously, she's going to tell us how to put some cheese on some bread and grill it?" Am I right? You are, aren't you? There are a few things that you may not think of that will make your panino second to none (well, maybe second to those found in Europe, but those our really out of reach on a day to day basis). So keep reading.
Now, onto those key ingredients. Let's take them one at a time - starting with the bread.
A baguette is key. Not sliced bread. No no no no no. It must be a baguette. The tricky thing with a baguette is that they tend to be quite crusty. So, you have to take a squeeze of the baguette before you buy it (or you can make it too, just don't make it too crusty, i.e. don't brush with so much water). Just make sure that the outside crust isn't too crusty, and that it gives a bit when you squeeze it. If you're in NY, the Balthazar baguette is perfect.
Next, mozzarella cheese. Absolutely do NOT use the pre-shredded or pre-sliced mozzarella. You can use fresh mozzarella (which is the best), but I'm ok with the low-moisture stuff too. I like to put slices of the cheese on both sides of the bread so it gets super gooey. But that's not really standard, so do what you want.
Onto the tomatoes. Really the only thing you need to know about the tomatoes is that you need to salt and pepper them. Do not forget this step. It is absolutely key. If you're ever lucky enough to eat a tomato off the vine (my first experience doing this was also in Italy, but I was 10, and I'll never forget it), try eating it both with and without salt and pepper. A WORLD of difference. Even if you don't like salt. Try it. It doesn't taste salty, it actually just enhances the sweetness and the flavor of the tomato. You've got to do it. You don't need a lot, a few sprinkles. But it separates a bland sandwich from a world class panino.
And the basil. Add it. It's fantastic. Whole pieces, chopped, whatever. I highly recommend fresh basil. But, if you really really need a panini and you don't have fresh basil, you can use the dried stuff, but it doesn't taste nearly as good. You could also heat up some olive oil with some dried basil to flavor the oil and bring out the basil flavor, still though, not quite the same.
So that's all the stuff you'll add to the sandwich before you grill it. But, you'll also need to add the lettuce once it's done getting all melty. For the lettuce, this too is key - chop it fine (almost shredded) add some olive oil (the best you have) and again, add salt and pepper. Sounds gross, salt on lettuce. But believe me, it just tastes like oily lettuce if you don't add the salt and pepper.
And the grilling process. If you have one of those fancy schmancy panino grills, fan-freakin' tastic. You're all set. If not, try a Foreman grill. And, if you don't have room for a million crazy kitchen gadgets, pull out your grill pan. No grill pan? Just use a regular pan. It doesn't really matter. What you do need, however, if you don't have some kind of pressing type grill, is a cast iron pan. When the sandwich is grilling, you need some weight on the top of it to press it down and make it super gooey and delicious. If you don't have a cast iron pan, you can just put a plate on top of the sandwich and press down on the plate with your hand (hopefully covered in an oven mitt).
So, please, don't go to a restaurant and order a "grilled chicken sundried tomato aioli panini" unless you want something that's not a panino. There's no aioli on panini. There's no grilled chicken on panini. Panini does not come with a side of fries. It comes in some wax paper all wrapped up and ready to eat. And, if you're ever in Europe, please please please try one from a street vendor. You'll understand my obsession.
Panino (add a side salad or soup to make it a meal, serves 2)
1 baguette
8 good size slices of mozzarella
1 tomato, sliced
~ 6 basil leaves
~ 1 cup sliced lettuce
prosciutto, salami, etc... (optional)
olive oil
salt and pepper
Pre-heat your grill pan / panini maker / regular pan. Cut off the ends of the baguette (you can use the ends for croutons, store 'em in your freezer) and cut the baguette in half then slice it lengthwise. Add the first layer of cheese on one side of the bread, and add a layer of sliced tomatoes. Add the salt and pepper to the tomatoes and the basil. Add the meat layer (if you want it) and second layer of cheese. Close up the sandwich. Brush both sides of the bread with some olive oil and add it to the pan (don't forget to weight it down!). While the sandwich is cooking, add the olive oil to the lettuce and the salt and pepper. Set aside. When the bread is golden brown and the cheese is melted (a couple of minutes) flip it over and cook on the other side. When you pull the sandwich off, add some of the lettuce dressed with the olive oil to the middle of the sandwich.
I'm sure as soon as you bite into this hot, crispy, gooey, sandwich you will never go back to any other version of the panino, or at least you'll understand my crazy obsession with the perfect panino.
Monday, February 13, 2006
2006 Adventures in the Purple Crush
"So, I heard NY got some snow?" "What'd you guys do?" Well, here are a couple of our adventures....
After it finally stopped coming down yesterday evening, the official snow measurement came in at just under 27 inches in Central Park. That makes it THE biggest snowstorm in NYC's history, or as it's fondly now known, The Blizzard of '06 (which must be said in a booming voice with a bit of an echo in the back get the right effect). You would think someone could be a bit more creative in naming the storm. All hurricanes get real names, so you would think that THE biggest blizzard in history would get some kind of name. So, I've decided to refer to the Blizzard of '06 as the purple crush (for those of you that know me well or were at our wedding will understand my history between snow and the color purple, thanks dad).
Late last week I began to hear of the purple crush, and began to plan my weekend accordingly (yes, I AM an obsessive-compulsive planner). I scheduled Fresh Direct for Saturday morning, planned to finish off the rest of the grocery shopping at Fairway, changed our Saturday dinner plans to Saturday brunch plans, and turned the radiator on. I also planned to get our Sunday morning bagels on Saturday after brunch, but Jeff insisted that we make it an adventure Sunday morning and go out in the snow. The best laid plans...
Fresh Direct came an hour late, which made us late for the rescheduled brunch, and Fairway, ah Fairway, where do I begin? (Fairway is a grocery store here, actually, a really good grocery store that's just down the street from us, supposedly people come from all over the city. So, it's always busy, I promise an entry at a future date on the insanity which is shopping at Fairway.)
On this particular Saturday, before the purple crush, it was like walking into a slapstick comedy movie. I felt like people were running around, vegetables, fruit, elbows and bodies flying through the air. Checkout lines were wrapped (literally, I am NOT EVEN exaggerating, you can ask Jeff) around the store and OUT the door. People were walking down the aisles asking others if they were in line for checkout; it was impossible to tell if someone was actually shopping or checking out. Someone tried taking my stuff out of my cart and taking the cart, but I was able to successfully defend our cart. We made it out of the store, with everything we went in for, but we went home and had to take 2 hour naps to recover.
Saturday night I was like a kid before Christmas, "is it snowing yet?" "how much do you think we'll get?" I kept looking out the window. By midnight there was still barely a dusting on the ground. A little disappointed, we went to bed, I had visions of snowmen dancing in my head. But I wasn't disappointed when we woke up Sunday morning, and it was still coming down! Lola was even trying to attack the snowflakes through the window. When I opened my eyes the first thing I whispered out of my mouth was "the storm" (much like Doc whispered in "Back to the Future.") It had come in full force!
Purple Crush Adventure #1: H&H Bagels
We headed out for our bagels around 9 or so. I stepped out of our front door and right into thigh deep snow (to be fair, it was snow drift). The very first thing we felt was a calm that had come over the city. It was so quiet. No cars, no people, just snow. Bright white snow. And it was kind of snow that drapes the trees, picture perfect. It was literally the exact opposite of our experience at Fairway. All there was, was the sound of silence.
Walking to the bagel shop, it was impossible to see. Thank goodness we knew where we were going, street signs were covered, my glasses were less than useless, but we could wander down the middle of the street since there were no cars, and even if there were, they wouldn't be able to get through. Half way to H&H Jeff wondered out loud who's dumb idea was it to go out and get bagels. I gently (or perhaps, not so gently) reminded him it was his. But we knew that the reward of hot fresh bagels was going to be sweet (or in my case, savory), especially because we were certainly getting our workout as we blindly trudged through the knee deep snow. Really, the reward was that there no line on Sunday morning at H&H. After returning home after a successful bagel procurement trip, we decided that we were going to hit Central Park in the afternoon.
Purple Crush Adventure #2: Central Park
Puffy coat - check
Knee high snow boots - check
Camera - check
Ski pants - check
Ski pants? Are you kidding? Of course we were going to wear our ski pants, there was thigh deep snow out there (and yes, Jeff does have ski pants even though he doesn't ski)!
Central Park was fantastic, I believe that just about everyone in the city was in the park (probably why the streets were so quiet). But there was an atmosphere of camaraderie and smiles all around. Dogs were bounding around, completely covered in the white stuff, parents were pulling their kids on sleds through the streets and sidewalks of the park (which were really just snow paths). We stopped to take some pictures and a very nice lady insisted that she take our picture together and insisted that she crouch down in the snow to make sure she got us the perfect Christmas card picture (Purple Crush pictures will soon be available on my website).
We saw everything, it was after all, still New York. Umbrellas, snow boards, runners in shorts, people pulling luggage and women in high heels. Yes, high heels. Clearly, tourists. New Yorkers aren't that dumb.
We saw sleds of all shapes and sizes: cardboard boxes, traditional wood, plastic bins, and what we decided to use - our good ole' fannies. Not so slippery, but still does the job. Thank goodness for bib ski pants.
The funny thing to me was that everyone was taking pictures, not really pictures of people though (that's what we were taking pictures of). They were taking pictures of everything with snow on it. Look - that tree, with a bit of snow on one of the branches! Look, you can't see those buildings because it's snowing, take a picture of the building you can't see! Hey, there's ducks on that pond over there, let's go get a shot. And, the statue, covered in snow!
It's not like it doesn't ever snow here! I have yet to figure that one out.
Two hours later we trudged home. Our adventures thanks to the purple crush made us weary but very much content in the joy of the city we found in Central Park. And, when we got home, the only thing that could top off our afternoon was the perfect cup of hot chocolate. I'm sure by the end of today, much of the snow will resemble the color of our hot chocolate, but I'm also sure we won't forget our 2006 adventures in the purple crush.
Hot Chocolate
3 T Scharffen-Berger Sweetened Chocolate powder
2 T water
mug full of warm/steamed milk
marshmallows (optional)
Mix the water and chocolate together until a smooth paste. Add it to the warm milk and add the marshmallows and serve!
After it finally stopped coming down yesterday evening, the official snow measurement came in at just under 27 inches in Central Park. That makes it THE biggest snowstorm in NYC's history, or as it's fondly now known, The Blizzard of '06 (which must be said in a booming voice with a bit of an echo in the back get the right effect). You would think someone could be a bit more creative in naming the storm. All hurricanes get real names, so you would think that THE biggest blizzard in history would get some kind of name. So, I've decided to refer to the Blizzard of '06 as the purple crush (for those of you that know me well or were at our wedding will understand my history between snow and the color purple, thanks dad).
Late last week I began to hear of the purple crush, and began to plan my weekend accordingly (yes, I AM an obsessive-compulsive planner). I scheduled Fresh Direct for Saturday morning, planned to finish off the rest of the grocery shopping at Fairway, changed our Saturday dinner plans to Saturday brunch plans, and turned the radiator on. I also planned to get our Sunday morning bagels on Saturday after brunch, but Jeff insisted that we make it an adventure Sunday morning and go out in the snow. The best laid plans...
Fresh Direct came an hour late, which made us late for the rescheduled brunch, and Fairway, ah Fairway, where do I begin? (Fairway is a grocery store here, actually, a really good grocery store that's just down the street from us, supposedly people come from all over the city. So, it's always busy, I promise an entry at a future date on the insanity which is shopping at Fairway.)
On this particular Saturday, before the purple crush, it was like walking into a slapstick comedy movie. I felt like people were running around, vegetables, fruit, elbows and bodies flying through the air. Checkout lines were wrapped (literally, I am NOT EVEN exaggerating, you can ask Jeff) around the store and OUT the door. People were walking down the aisles asking others if they were in line for checkout; it was impossible to tell if someone was actually shopping or checking out. Someone tried taking my stuff out of my cart and taking the cart, but I was able to successfully defend our cart. We made it out of the store, with everything we went in for, but we went home and had to take 2 hour naps to recover.
Saturday night I was like a kid before Christmas, "is it snowing yet?" "how much do you think we'll get?" I kept looking out the window. By midnight there was still barely a dusting on the ground. A little disappointed, we went to bed, I had visions of snowmen dancing in my head. But I wasn't disappointed when we woke up Sunday morning, and it was still coming down! Lola was even trying to attack the snowflakes through the window. When I opened my eyes the first thing I whispered out of my mouth was "the storm" (much like Doc whispered in "Back to the Future.") It had come in full force!
Purple Crush Adventure #1: H&H Bagels
We headed out for our bagels around 9 or so. I stepped out of our front door and right into thigh deep snow (to be fair, it was snow drift). The very first thing we felt was a calm that had come over the city. It was so quiet. No cars, no people, just snow. Bright white snow. And it was kind of snow that drapes the trees, picture perfect. It was literally the exact opposite of our experience at Fairway. All there was, was the sound of silence.
Walking to the bagel shop, it was impossible to see. Thank goodness we knew where we were going, street signs were covered, my glasses were less than useless, but we could wander down the middle of the street since there were no cars, and even if there were, they wouldn't be able to get through. Half way to H&H Jeff wondered out loud who's dumb idea was it to go out and get bagels. I gently (or perhaps, not so gently) reminded him it was his. But we knew that the reward of hot fresh bagels was going to be sweet (or in my case, savory), especially because we were certainly getting our workout as we blindly trudged through the knee deep snow. Really, the reward was that there no line on Sunday morning at H&H. After returning home after a successful bagel procurement trip, we decided that we were going to hit Central Park in the afternoon.
Purple Crush Adventure #2: Central Park
Puffy coat - check
Knee high snow boots - check
Camera - check
Ski pants - check
Ski pants? Are you kidding? Of course we were going to wear our ski pants, there was thigh deep snow out there (and yes, Jeff does have ski pants even though he doesn't ski)!
Central Park was fantastic, I believe that just about everyone in the city was in the park (probably why the streets were so quiet). But there was an atmosphere of camaraderie and smiles all around. Dogs were bounding around, completely covered in the white stuff, parents were pulling their kids on sleds through the streets and sidewalks of the park (which were really just snow paths). We stopped to take some pictures and a very nice lady insisted that she take our picture together and insisted that she crouch down in the snow to make sure she got us the perfect Christmas card picture (Purple Crush pictures will soon be available on my website).
We saw everything, it was after all, still New York. Umbrellas, snow boards, runners in shorts, people pulling luggage and women in high heels. Yes, high heels. Clearly, tourists. New Yorkers aren't that dumb.
We saw sleds of all shapes and sizes: cardboard boxes, traditional wood, plastic bins, and what we decided to use - our good ole' fannies. Not so slippery, but still does the job. Thank goodness for bib ski pants.
The funny thing to me was that everyone was taking pictures, not really pictures of people though (that's what we were taking pictures of). They were taking pictures of everything with snow on it. Look - that tree, with a bit of snow on one of the branches! Look, you can't see those buildings because it's snowing, take a picture of the building you can't see! Hey, there's ducks on that pond over there, let's go get a shot. And, the statue, covered in snow!
It's not like it doesn't ever snow here! I have yet to figure that one out.
Two hours later we trudged home. Our adventures thanks to the purple crush made us weary but very much content in the joy of the city we found in Central Park. And, when we got home, the only thing that could top off our afternoon was the perfect cup of hot chocolate. I'm sure by the end of today, much of the snow will resemble the color of our hot chocolate, but I'm also sure we won't forget our 2006 adventures in the purple crush.
Hot Chocolate
3 T Scharffen-Berger Sweetened Chocolate powder
2 T water
mug full of warm/steamed milk
marshmallows (optional)
Mix the water and chocolate together until a smooth paste. Add it to the warm milk and add the marshmallows and serve!
Friday, February 10, 2006
Thursday, February 09, 2006
Dinner according to Jeff - Breakfast!
If you would have put eggs down in front of Jeff about four years ago, he would have turned his nose (or really, he would have just not eaten them). Now, he can't get enough. Something happened somewhere between Michigan, California, and Florida a few years ago. We went on vacation and he came home an egg lover. Perhaps I should clarify, a scrambled egg/omelet lover. He still won't touch a runny yolk.
Now, he eats eggs anytime he gets the chance. This past fall, whenever he would cook himself dinner or breakfast or lunch, it would be scrambled eggs. That's it. For four months that was the only thing that was on the menu, (to be fair, he didn't actually cook himself a meal very often). I think that he may just really like ketchup, with which he smothers his eggs; typically his plate is half eggs half ketchup, but I have much weirder food eating habits, so I won't poke fun.
And I used to love eggs. Sunny side up was my favorite, or as I fondly referred to them - "dippity eggs" (dippity because I could 'dip' my toast into the runny yolk). But I liked scrambled too. My mom made a mean egg. Now, I'm sort of indifferent. I'll eat omelets if they're stuffed with lots of delicious things (sausage, feta, tomatoes, ...) or every once in awhile I'm game for a poached or scrambled egg, especially if its on an H&H bagel with bacon and muenster cheese.
I do, however, like to eat the Omega-3 eggs, makes me feel healthy. I don't eat nearly enough flax seed to get those delightful Omega-3's. In fact, I never eat flax seed unless its disguised as something else or hiding in a muffin or something I don't know about. Although Kashi has a delectable granola bar that has those potent little seeds which is actually quite tasty. I'm also a bit afraid of fish (another good source of Omega-3's). I love fish, almost any variety, but it changes practically daily which fish you can and can't eat because of over fishing and farming, and I absolutely can not keep track of the "bad to eat because of high levels of mercury" fishes. Although the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California is supposed to keep an updated list on these issues, who wants to be checking a list every time you feel like fish, especially if you're out at the restaurant? However, I have heard that Google has a beta service for your cell phone that you can text message them with a search and they'll text you back the answer, so I suppose you can actually check the list even if you're at a restaurant.
And there it is, I have digressed. Back to the topic at hand...
Are you beginning to see the issue? Jeff wants eggs for every meal. I'd rather have something else. The answer came to us last summer when Jeff was in California. He had this wonderful Italian roommate who introduced us to the wonder which is the frittata. I had seen recipes for them before, just looked like an omelet to me. But, what I learned, was that the eggs in the frittata were just a vehicle for any and every leftover you have in the fridge. Leftover pasta? Put it in a frittata! Leftover steak? Add some eggs! Veggies, meat, cheese, noodles, rice, whatever! And Jeff could get his breakfast for dinner. Now it's pretty standard if we have pasta one night for dinner, the next night will be frittata with the leftovers. You can either put in 'naked' cooked noodles or throw in the leftover pasta, sauce and all.
The BEST part of this meal, is that it epitomizes the one pot meal. The dishes that I dirtied yesterday (in our frittata after pasta ritual): one small bowl (for mixing the eggs), the cutting board (unavoidable unless I don't cook at all), and a 10" pan. That's it! My kitchen was still clean, while I was cooking, even in a NY apartment kitchen. Unbelievable. ESPECIALLY for me.
So, keep your kitchen clean, get dinner on the table in 20 minutes and eat a meal that's quite nutritious (depending on what you add) and keeps everyone in your family happy! How could I not share this one?!
Frittata
This recipe serves two for dinner, add some garlic bread or a salad to round it out. Just increase or decrease the amount of eggs to change the number it serves, but be careful as you'll also need to change the size of your pan as well
6 eggs (or some combination of egg whites and eggs, you definitely need some whole eggs though)
milk
salt and pepper
whatever you have leftover in the fridge (asparagus, peppers, onions, feta, sundried tomatoes, regular tomatoes, garlic, pasta, chicken, meat, are some of our favorites)
Last night we had: half an onion sliced, half bunch asparagus cut up in small pieces, leftover pasta (~ 1 cup), spinach (some), sundried tomato (4 tomatoes, cut up) and feta (~ 1/4 cup)
Pre-heat oven to 400. Heat some oil in a non-stick pan that can go in the oven over medium/medium high heat. Add the veggies that need a little extra time to soften (asparagus, peppers) or the onions if you want them a bit carmelized. Add the pasta. Mix the eggs in a bowl with a splash of milk. Beat eggs very well (if you want, it's even better to throw them in a blender). Lower the heat to medium low and add the eggs to the pan. As the egg cooks on the edge of the pan, use a spatula to scrape the sides and tip the pan so that the runny egg can get to the edge. When the egg is beginning to set, add the rest of the ingredients (the cheese, sundried tomatoes, etc...). Don't forget to season each layer that goes into the pan with salt and pepper. Once the egg is almost completely set, put the pan in the oven for 5 - 10 minutes.
Enjoy!
Now, he eats eggs anytime he gets the chance. This past fall, whenever he would cook himself dinner or breakfast or lunch, it would be scrambled eggs. That's it. For four months that was the only thing that was on the menu, (to be fair, he didn't actually cook himself a meal very often). I think that he may just really like ketchup, with which he smothers his eggs; typically his plate is half eggs half ketchup, but I have much weirder food eating habits, so I won't poke fun.
And I used to love eggs. Sunny side up was my favorite, or as I fondly referred to them - "dippity eggs" (dippity because I could 'dip' my toast into the runny yolk). But I liked scrambled too. My mom made a mean egg. Now, I'm sort of indifferent. I'll eat omelets if they're stuffed with lots of delicious things (sausage, feta, tomatoes, ...) or every once in awhile I'm game for a poached or scrambled egg, especially if its on an H&H bagel with bacon and muenster cheese.
I do, however, like to eat the Omega-3 eggs, makes me feel healthy. I don't eat nearly enough flax seed to get those delightful Omega-3's. In fact, I never eat flax seed unless its disguised as something else or hiding in a muffin or something I don't know about. Although Kashi has a delectable granola bar that has those potent little seeds which is actually quite tasty. I'm also a bit afraid of fish (another good source of Omega-3's). I love fish, almost any variety, but it changes practically daily which fish you can and can't eat because of over fishing and farming, and I absolutely can not keep track of the "bad to eat because of high levels of mercury" fishes. Although the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California is supposed to keep an updated list on these issues, who wants to be checking a list every time you feel like fish, especially if you're out at the restaurant? However, I have heard that Google has a beta service for your cell phone that you can text message them with a search and they'll text you back the answer, so I suppose you can actually check the list even if you're at a restaurant.
And there it is, I have digressed. Back to the topic at hand...
Are you beginning to see the issue? Jeff wants eggs for every meal. I'd rather have something else. The answer came to us last summer when Jeff was in California. He had this wonderful Italian roommate who introduced us to the wonder which is the frittata. I had seen recipes for them before, just looked like an omelet to me. But, what I learned, was that the eggs in the frittata were just a vehicle for any and every leftover you have in the fridge. Leftover pasta? Put it in a frittata! Leftover steak? Add some eggs! Veggies, meat, cheese, noodles, rice, whatever! And Jeff could get his breakfast for dinner. Now it's pretty standard if we have pasta one night for dinner, the next night will be frittata with the leftovers. You can either put in 'naked' cooked noodles or throw in the leftover pasta, sauce and all.
The BEST part of this meal, is that it epitomizes the one pot meal. The dishes that I dirtied yesterday (in our frittata after pasta ritual): one small bowl (for mixing the eggs), the cutting board (unavoidable unless I don't cook at all), and a 10" pan. That's it! My kitchen was still clean, while I was cooking, even in a NY apartment kitchen. Unbelievable. ESPECIALLY for me.
So, keep your kitchen clean, get dinner on the table in 20 minutes and eat a meal that's quite nutritious (depending on what you add) and keeps everyone in your family happy! How could I not share this one?!
Frittata
This recipe serves two for dinner, add some garlic bread or a salad to round it out. Just increase or decrease the amount of eggs to change the number it serves, but be careful as you'll also need to change the size of your pan as well
6 eggs (or some combination of egg whites and eggs, you definitely need some whole eggs though)
milk
salt and pepper
whatever you have leftover in the fridge (asparagus, peppers, onions, feta, sundried tomatoes, regular tomatoes, garlic, pasta, chicken, meat, are some of our favorites)
Last night we had: half an onion sliced, half bunch asparagus cut up in small pieces, leftover pasta (~ 1 cup), spinach (some), sundried tomato (4 tomatoes, cut up) and feta (~ 1/4 cup)
Pre-heat oven to 400. Heat some oil in a non-stick pan that can go in the oven over medium/medium high heat. Add the veggies that need a little extra time to soften (asparagus, peppers) or the onions if you want them a bit carmelized. Add the pasta. Mix the eggs in a bowl with a splash of milk. Beat eggs very well (if you want, it's even better to throw them in a blender). Lower the heat to medium low and add the eggs to the pan. As the egg cooks on the edge of the pan, use a spatula to scrape the sides and tip the pan so that the runny egg can get to the edge. When the egg is beginning to set, add the rest of the ingredients (the cheese, sundried tomatoes, etc...). Don't forget to season each layer that goes into the pan with salt and pepper. Once the egg is almost completely set, put the pan in the oven for 5 - 10 minutes.
Enjoy!
Tangelos -- "a crummy commercial"
We've all seen the NY Times ads every weekend recently for Honeybell Tangelos (if you haven't seen them, there's an ad every weekend for tangelos). According to the ad, ONLY AVAILABLE ONCE PER YEAR! Last week, while I was doing my grocery shopping at Fresh Direct, I saw, gasp, the famous tangelos (only the Minneola variety though). Being a victim to advertising, I instantly added them to my "cart" -- seriously, if I could only get them once per year, I wasn't going to miss my opportunity.
So before I get to my tasting, I'll digress into a bit of background on the tangelo. Doing a bit more research on Wikipedia (and the sources listed on Wikipedia's Tangelo entry) I found that the tangelo is a cross between a tangerine (that might be obvious from the name) and either a grapefruit or a pummelo. To digress further, a pummelo appears to be a strain of grapefruit and according to one site I found, may also go by the names: pamplemousse, pomelo, Bali lemon, Limau besar, and shaddock. They also tend to have a bell shape, which aids in peeling. Anyways, after learning a bit more about what tangelos are, it occurred to me that this may be one of the world's most perfect foods (well, it's no blueberry, but hear me out).
Grapefruits are a good source of lycopene (also found in tomatoes and even more so in cooked tomatoes) but have a drawback of "increasing the bioavailability" of medicines. Tangerines/oranges are obviously a great source of Vitamin C, they also have some powerful flavonoids that are antioxidant and antimutigenic. When the two were crossed it appears that the issue with the "bioavailability" of the grapefruit is no longer an issue (although I really wouldn't take my word for it). Holy cow, it's a citrus miracle!
So on to the tasting...
I peeled my Minneola with great anticipation, although it wasn't the "dream to peel" as advertised. I took my first bite. Huh, I thought...tastes like an orange. So much for the "sweet" and "in a class by themselves" citrus treat. My first response, was similar to Ralphie's in "A Christmas Story" when he got his decoder pin from Little Orphan Annie -- "...a crummy commercial..."
Now, I do like oranges, so all was not lost, but still, come on, what's all the hype? I must be missing something. It was like buying Sunny D and realizing that the unique blend of 5 citrus fruits really didn't add up to anything all that great (in fact, I think Sunny D is citrus fruit gone bad) Perhaps it was because I didn't get to try the Honeybell variety of the tangelos. Maybe next year...
Here's the recipe section, but I don't have a recipe for you today, just some ideas
I would, however, recommend using these for a vinaigrette, the oil you add helps release the lycopene from grapefruits (not sure how) in your body. I think that citrus vinaigrettes are great on fennel salads/cole slaw (add some granny smith apples too, yum!), or even better as a marinade or sauce for fish. And don't forget to use the zest, its even better for you, it has limonene (it stimulates our "antioxidant detoxification enzyme system" and helps prevent the growth of tumors, and both of those sound pretty darn good to me).
So I would recommend to keep eating your citrus, and if you're bored of regular oranges or clementines by now, try a tangelo, it'll taste exactly the same, but you'll feel exotic.
So before I get to my tasting, I'll digress into a bit of background on the tangelo. Doing a bit more research on Wikipedia (and the sources listed on Wikipedia's Tangelo entry) I found that the tangelo is a cross between a tangerine (that might be obvious from the name) and either a grapefruit or a pummelo. To digress further, a pummelo appears to be a strain of grapefruit and according to one site I found, may also go by the names: pamplemousse, pomelo, Bali lemon, Limau besar, and shaddock. They also tend to have a bell shape, which aids in peeling. Anyways, after learning a bit more about what tangelos are, it occurred to me that this may be one of the world's most perfect foods (well, it's no blueberry, but hear me out).
Grapefruits are a good source of lycopene (also found in tomatoes and even more so in cooked tomatoes) but have a drawback of "increasing the bioavailability" of medicines. Tangerines/oranges are obviously a great source of Vitamin C, they also have some powerful flavonoids that are antioxidant and antimutigenic. When the two were crossed it appears that the issue with the "bioavailability" of the grapefruit is no longer an issue (although I really wouldn't take my word for it). Holy cow, it's a citrus miracle!
So on to the tasting...
I peeled my Minneola with great anticipation, although it wasn't the "dream to peel" as advertised. I took my first bite. Huh, I thought...tastes like an orange. So much for the "sweet" and "in a class by themselves" citrus treat. My first response, was similar to Ralphie's in "A Christmas Story" when he got his decoder pin from Little Orphan Annie -- "...a crummy commercial..."
Now, I do like oranges, so all was not lost, but still, come on, what's all the hype? I must be missing something. It was like buying Sunny D and realizing that the unique blend of 5 citrus fruits really didn't add up to anything all that great (in fact, I think Sunny D is citrus fruit gone bad) Perhaps it was because I didn't get to try the Honeybell variety of the tangelos. Maybe next year...
Here's the recipe section, but I don't have a recipe for you today, just some ideas
I would, however, recommend using these for a vinaigrette, the oil you add helps release the lycopene from grapefruits (not sure how) in your body. I think that citrus vinaigrettes are great on fennel salads/cole slaw (add some granny smith apples too, yum!), or even better as a marinade or sauce for fish. And don't forget to use the zest, its even better for you, it has limonene (it stimulates our "antioxidant detoxification enzyme system" and helps prevent the growth of tumors, and both of those sound pretty darn good to me).
So I would recommend to keep eating your citrus, and if you're bored of regular oranges or clementines by now, try a tangelo, it'll taste exactly the same, but you'll feel exotic.
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
The first, and hopefully not the last
While I have some time on my hands, I figured I'd share all my exciting (and perhaps not terribly exciting) endeavors in my kitchen and in my new home in NYC.
The first adventure began yesterday while I attempted to create the family-famous pierogi recipe. It began well intentioned. Got the official recipe from Grammy, wrote it diligently in my "Treasured Polish Recipes for Americans" cookbook and dug my heels in. Unfortunately, in our small NY kitchen, I needed to knead the dough on the table. Great, if we didn't have one of those tables with sides that fold down (more explanation later). It also would have been better if I would have remembered to add the egg yolks before I had kneaded the dough and set it to rest. Hmmm...that presented a problem.
In a stroke of culinary stupidity, out of the fridge came the dough and in went the egg yolks to the smooth ball of dough. What then happened was an oozing mess of egg yolk covered dough, dripping through the cracks of the kitchen table (where the sides fold down) onto the floor. Even the cat wasn't interested in the mess.
A pile of flour and an extended resting period for the dough later, I rolled it out, stuffed them with a delicious potato mixture...and I ended up pulling it out in the end. If you're interested in this terribly resilient dough recipe...see below (Grammy, I hope you don't mind I'm giving away the family secret).
Pierogi (this is intentionally left to be somewhat ambiguous, use your culinary judgment)
2 cups flour
1 cup sour cream (use the good stuff)
2 egg yolks (don't forget these the first time!)
1 T melted butter
salt
Mix everything together in food processor until just comes together. Dump out on table and knead a bit until smooth. Let rest for 10-15 minutes (or longer if you've made a mess of it). Roll out dough, stuff with your favorite filling. Boil then fry in butter.
DEE-LICIOUS!
The first adventure began yesterday while I attempted to create the family-famous pierogi recipe. It began well intentioned. Got the official recipe from Grammy, wrote it diligently in my "Treasured Polish Recipes for Americans" cookbook and dug my heels in. Unfortunately, in our small NY kitchen, I needed to knead the dough on the table. Great, if we didn't have one of those tables with sides that fold down (more explanation later). It also would have been better if I would have remembered to add the egg yolks before I had kneaded the dough and set it to rest. Hmmm...that presented a problem.
In a stroke of culinary stupidity, out of the fridge came the dough and in went the egg yolks to the smooth ball of dough. What then happened was an oozing mess of egg yolk covered dough, dripping through the cracks of the kitchen table (where the sides fold down) onto the floor. Even the cat wasn't interested in the mess.
A pile of flour and an extended resting period for the dough later, I rolled it out, stuffed them with a delicious potato mixture...and I ended up pulling it out in the end. If you're interested in this terribly resilient dough recipe...see below (Grammy, I hope you don't mind I'm giving away the family secret).
Pierogi (this is intentionally left to be somewhat ambiguous, use your culinary judgment)
2 cups flour
1 cup sour cream (use the good stuff)
2 egg yolks (don't forget these the first time!)
1 T melted butter
salt
Mix everything together in food processor until just comes together. Dump out on table and knead a bit until smooth. Let rest for 10-15 minutes (or longer if you've made a mess of it). Roll out dough, stuff with your favorite filling. Boil then fry in butter.
DEE-LICIOUS!
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