Sausage, Butternut & Gnocchi

I'm not sure where this idea came from, but it's a keeper. (And easy!)

Peel, cube and steam (until fork-tender) about half a butternut squash.

Meanwhile, crumble and fry about a pound of spicy italian sausage with half an onion, diced.

When the sausage is browned, remove it from the skillet and drain on paper towels.

Peel and thickly-slice 2 cloves garlic.

Boil water and prepare gnocchi according to package directions.

Heat remaining grease from sausage, add garlic and steamed squash cubes. Cook on medium-high until squash is lightly browned and/or begins to get squashy (er, squishy). Add back in the sausage and salt to taste.

Stir together gnocchi with sausage/squash and enjoy!!

Thai Pork Chops and Stir Fry Veg

I recently came across this on Smitten Kitchen: http://smittenkitchen.com/2010/07/thai-style-chicken-legs/ and I was determined to try it out. (First I had to get to the Asian grocery store to get hoisin.) I didn't have any chicken legs and while I thought it might be good on turkey drumsticks, I'm saving those for turkey pot pie when it gets cooler. :-) We did have pork chops, and that sounded like an excellent combination. (To preview: it was! I'm practically drooling as I write this, remembering...) I'll repost the Smitten Kitchen instructions here, which we mostly followed, aside from snubbing the oven entirely (particularly at 450 degrees!!) and using a cast iron skillet instead.

for the marinade:

5 garlic cloves

1/4 c cilantro

1/4 c fish sauce

1/4 c canola oil

4 T hoisin sauce

1 1/2 t coriander

1 t salt

1 t black pepper

2 porkchops (we used boneless but bone-in would be fine)

Whirr together everything but the chops in a blender or food processor until it's mostly smooth. Use about 1/2 of the marinade to generously coat the chops and refrigerate for 30-60 minutes. Reserve the rest of the marinade for veggies, see below.

Once pork is marinating, chop veggies:

1 medium onion, sliced

2 japanese eggplants (no need to peel)

1 bell pepper

a handful of shitakes wouldn't be amiss here either

Mix the veggies together with the remaining marinade and throw in the fridge too.

Start rice (jasmine is excellent with this).

Take a cat nap or otherwise occupy 10 minutes...

Then heat a large skillet over high heat with a heavy splash of oil. When the oil is shimmering add veggies and any marinade that wasn't absorbed. Stir fry for 2-3 minutes or until onions are starting to brown, then reduce the heat and add a few T of water, let cook until eggplant is tender (about 3 more minutes).

There are two chop-cooking options:

Skillet: While the veggies are cooking heat a heavy skillet (cast iron if possible) to med-high head with more oil. Add the pork chops and cook about 3 minutes per side-- they should brown and be barely pink in the center when done. If the marinade starts to carmelize in the pan that's fine (in fact, delicious), but if it's starting to char (carefully) add a T of water. Remove chops from pan and let them stand five minutes, then slice.

Wok: Reserve cooked veggies to a plate and add more oil to wok. Slice chops (only boneless work here) into 1/4 in strips and cook over med-high heat (in batches if needed) until slightly browned and no longer pink. Serve immediately.

If the veggies are done and have cooled, reheat them over high heat in the wok. Serve over rice. And HOLY CRAP, this is good. Go make it now. No excuses, just do it. Trust me on this one. (Have I ever steered you wrong?)

Tortilla española in fotos

Start with a few handfuls of potatoes,

slice into 1/4" slablets,

and fry in olive oil

until brown but not crisp.

Chop a handful of green onions

and fry in leftover oil.

Crack 7 eggs for a 10 inch skillet,

add a fair measure of salt,

and beat into oblivion.

Layer potatoes on top of the onions,

pour in the eggs,

And cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes, or until the edges look set. Then broil for 5 minutes (top will become fully set) and let cool for another 5.

(Eat!)

recipe from: http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/spanish_tortilla/

Summer Soups (for Riley), or How to Not Neglect Your Blender

Riley has a lot of tomatoes. To solve such a delicious predicament, I recommend immediate application of gazpacho. And just for kicks (and because it's peach/cantaloupe season), I recommend further application of Peach-Cantaloupe soup for dessert (though perhaps not in the same day; that's a lot of pureed fruit). I've made each of these a few times, but not yet this season-- I'll post pictures when I do. The gazpacho recipe gets its basics from a recipe my Mom has (of unclear origins), but it's been altered over time and generally proceeds in an "Eh, that looks like enough X" fashion. I've tried to be a bit more useful than that here, but it's a really forgiving recipe so don't stress if you don't have exactly enough of any ingredient. The Peach-Cantaloupe soup comes directly from "The Enchanted Broccoli Forest," which is a wonderful cookbook by Mollie Katzen (of Moosewood). She has delicious ways to prepare all sorts of fresh veggies and fruits, as well as a chapter on bread which is both inspiring and easy-to-follow. Onwards and soupwards...

Gazpacho for Riley
1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 medium onion or a handful of green onions, diced
3 c. tomato juice*
2 large tomatoes, peeled** and chopped
1 bell pepper or 2 poblanos, chopped
1 jalapeno, diced (or a dash of hot sauce)
3 cloves garlic, crushed
two splashes vinegar (apple cider is good, or whatever you've got)
two heavy drizzles of olive oil
salt and pepper to taste


*If you're feeling particularly inundated with tomatoes, make juice out of them yourself instead of buying canned. Peel (see below), halve or quarter, scoop seeds out, and blend.

**To peel tomatoes (easily): bring a small pot of water to a boil. Add tomatoes and simmer for 60 seconds. Dunk in ice water. The skins should slip right off; if not then boil them for a few more seconds. (This also works for peaches/plums!)















Blend half of cucumber, half of onion, half of bell pepper, jalapeno, garlic, tomato juice, and oil/vinegar (in batches as necessary). Add to remaining ingredients. Chill at least 2 hours. Slurp up. Really good with rosemary sourdough bread and fresh mozzarella or more olive oil. It looks pinkish when you first make it (see photo) because the tomatoes get frothy, but regains a rich red color after chilling.


Peach Cantaloupe Soup (credit: Mollie Katzen, with minimal alterations)
6 medium ripe peaches, peeled, pitted and sliced (see above for peeling tip)
1/4 c. dry white wine
6 T. lemon juice (from one juicy lemon)
1 T. honey
1/4 t. cinnamon (MORE!)
dash of nutmeg (make it two)
1 medium-sized ripe cantaloupe (5" diameter or so), seeded and diced
1 c. OJ

Place all but cantaloupe and OJ in a heavy saucepan. Heat to a boil and then simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Allow to cool. Puree peach mixture with 3/4 of the cantaloupe and OJ until smooth. Pour into serving bowl. Add remaining cantaloupe chunks and chill for 2 hours. Garnish with fresh blueberries and mint. And whipped cream if you're feeling adventurous.

Lilly and Lentils

It's about time we introduce Ms. Sour Puss to you, aka Lilly. I found her like this on my bed one morning last week. A prize goes to anyone who can find her face.
On a tastier note, I made easily-vegan Curried Lentil Soup last night. I followed the voices in my head when I made it, but here's approximately what I did:

Dice 1 small onion, and saute in olive oil for a few minutes, until soft but not brown. Add 2 large cloves garlic, sliced, and 3 carrots, sliced, and turn up the heat slightly to brown the onions/garlic and start to cook the carrot. Throw in 1.3 cups lentils (I measured out a cup, but then decided it needed another handful, hence the .3 c.) and another splash of olive oil. Add two handfuls of garam masala powder (5 T. maybe??) and stir around for a minute or two. Next add 1 small can or about half of a large can of diced tomatoes (fire-roasted works well) and about 7 cups of stock (chicken, beef, turkey, mushroom, or some combination) or equivalent water and some broth powder. Simmer for about an hour, or transfer everything to a Crock Pot and leave it all day. Check periodically to make sure that you're getting curried lentil SOUP instead of just curried lentils. (Or reduce the liquid to about 3 cups and forget about making it into soup.)

Other good additions would be: mushrooms in with the onions (and some butter, of course) or leeks or celery or potatoes or any other soup vegetables you've got on hand. If you want plain lentil soup, leave out the curry and instead add 2 bay leaves, 2 pinches of thyme, and some black pepper. Easier than pie!

Not a bad pairing with a glass of merlot (somehow), and the notes from my senior honors thesis defense make a great placemat!

Also, today was the first Wednesday of the Carrboro Farmers' Market, and I got a free squash seedling. Sorry about the picture quality today, by the way.

Holey Swiss Cheese Batman, on my Onion Soup!

Let's face it, nowadays it's easy to find recipes for just about anything. So when we had leftover, now flat, champagne, a 3lb bag of onions and some stew beef in the freezer it would have been all too easy to make something like this . But where is the fun in that? One of the joys of cooking, at least for me, is the feeling of adventure (have you read the blog title?) and creativity. Besides, we had beef but no beef stock and yes I could have bought some, but in the interest of being thrifty I decided to strike out on my own and create something that at least closely resembled French Onion soup. Here's what I did:

Ingredients:
For Soup:
.5lb Stew Beef
2lb Onions
1 Stalk Celery
1/2 Stick Butter
2 tsp Dry Thyme
1 Bay leaf
2 tsp Salt
1 Tbs Flour
4 c. Water
1/2-3/4 c. Dry white wine or flat Champagne

For Garnish:
1 Baguette (Thickly sliced, the more stale the better)
Cheese (Usually Gruyere, Emmental, or Cantal, are used)

Directions:
Slice all your onions and celery, however thick or thin you like, remember they have to fit on a spoon. Try not to cry (I failed this step). Set aside. Get a big pot out, at least an 8qt. Add a smidge of oil to the bottom, set to med-hi heat and throw in beef chunks to sear. You don't want to cook them, just get them nice and crisp on all sides. When this has happened take out beef and set it aside. Turn the heat down to med and add butter, thyme, and salt. Let the butter melt without burning it and then throw in your onions and celery. Stir them around so they are coated in butter mix. Take a moment to inhale deeply and smile. Onions and thyme are like rainbows and sunshine for you nose. Cook down onions slowly till they begin to turn brown. Ok, here comes the kinda tricky part. You know that tablespoon of flour this recipe calls for? Well you need it to make a roux. This is actually the main reason you used such a big pot. Push onions to the sides of the pot and slowly add your flour to the butter on the bottom while stirring constantly. Alternatively you can melt a little more butter in a bowl in the microwave, mix the flour in and then pour this on top of your onions. (A little extra butter never hurt anyone, right?) At this point you have a choice. You can transfer the onions and the beef you have set aside into a crock pot, add the water, champagne and bay leaf and let it cook on low all day (this is what I did because I had to go to work) Or you can add the beef, liquid, and bay leaf directly to your onion pot, turn down the heat and simmer until the beef is done and everything is a nice golden brown color. It's really just a matter of preference/how much clean up you want to have later.

When you are ready to serve your oh-so-wonderful soup get some bowls that can withstand broiler heat and ladle your soup into them. Top bowls with a slice of your crusty bread and sprinkle the whole thing with a generous amount of cheese. Put bowls on a cookie sheet and set them under the broiler. When the cheese gets nice and bubbly take them out and enjoy! Oven warning: all broilers/ovens are different, I would crack the door a bit and watch the bowls because it probably wont take more than a minute or so for the cheese to melt and seconds after that the whole thing is burnt and you have ruined all your hard work!

So there you have it, French Onion soup made without beef stock but with beef actually in it. It may not be perfectly traditional but it still tasted oh so sweet ;)