I've always been a sucker for croutons. My good friend Kristine fed me this and then taught me how to make it.
Print recipe only here
Serves 4
Romaine - 3 heads (I buy the organic ones that are three to a pack and are just the interior leaves - adjust if you but the bigger single heads)
Grate about ½ cup parmesan.
Combine in a blender:
* 1 T mayo
* juice of one lemon ( you can add more later if you want)
* 1-2 cloves garlic (I use a garlic press first, pressing it into the
* blender, If you don't have a press just chop it up a bunch first)
* 2 t Worcestershire sauce
* 2 t grey poupon dijon mustard
* 4 anchovies
* several turns fresh ground pepper
Blend until smooth, scraping sides of blender as necessary.
Add slowly while blender is running:
* 1/3 cup olive oil (you can use half canola oil if you want)
Don't spin too long on the blender or it will get WAY too thick. Just
blend until all the oil is emulsified in there.
Pour over romaine, add parmesan and toss to coat.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Caesar Salad
Friday, February 15, 2008
Tortilla Soup
This recipe is largely from James Peterson’s Fish & Shellfish, one of my favorite cookbooks. He gives some credit for it to Rick Bayless’s Authentic Mexican (Bayless has authored some great cookbooks, Mexican Everyday being a favorite of mine).
Makes four first course servings.
Tortilla Soup with Crab or Chicken
Print recipe only here
INGREDIENTS
* 4 ears sweet corn, or 2 cans organic whole kernals or two 10-ounce packages of frozen organic white corn
* 1 onion, finely chopped
* 3 garlic cloves
* 2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped
* ½ t oregano
* 2 T canola oil
* ½ cup Muir Glen fire roasted crushed tomatoes
* Two 32-ounce boxes (8 cups) Imagine free-range chicken broth
* 4 marinated, grilled chicken breasts* or about a pound of lump crabmeat
* Fresh cilantro
* Juice of 2 limes
* 4-6 fresh corn tortillas, cut into thin strips
* 1-2 ripe avocados, cut into chunks
METHOD
Sauté the onion, garlic, jalapeño and oregano in canola oil over low-medium heat for about 5 minutes or until the onions soften.
Add the corn, tomatoes and broth and bring to a boil. Let simmer, loosely covered, for about 30 minutes. Remove cover, stir and allow to cool for about an hour (you can speed this up with an ice bath).
At this point prepare the tortilla strips and avocado and grill the chicken. For tortilla strips, heat 1 T canola oil in a 10” nonstick pan and add strips, pan-frying until crispy. Drain strips on paper towels and sprinkle with kosher salt.
Once soup has cooled well, puree between half and two-thirds of the soup in a blender (you do not want to puree hot soup or you’ll end up with burns and a very messy kitchen) and strain into a clean pot. You can puree as much as you want – I like it to have a smooth base with some texture.
SERVING
Bring soup to a simmer and add lime, cilantro (crabmeat, if using) and salt and pepper to taste. If serving with chicken, slice breasts and add to each bowl. Top with soup with avocado chunks and add a small tower of tortilla strips and serve immediately.
* If using chicken, plan to marinate skinless breasts for 4 hours in a mixture of lime juice, chopped fresh cilantro, thinly sliced onion and a tablespoon or so of canola oil. Grill and allow to cool before slicing into strips.
Rice Penne Pasta with Lemon and Artichoke Hearts
About a year ago you couldn't say the word PROTEIN to me without it eliciting a negative response. Chefs were saying it, physical trainers were saying it, my doctor was talking about it, my husband was complaining that we didn't eat enough of it.
It made me realize how stubborn I am about what I like to eat, and how deep my affection (read: addiction) for carbs was.
Anyway, a year has passed and I'm pleased to report that I've loosened up a bit and made some necessary dietary changes. For the most part I try to eat about equal parts lean protein and carbs. I'm not completely reformed (and I do find it hard sometimes) but I do feel a lot more energetic and look a lot better when I reduce the amount of bread I eat and increase the amount of lean protein.
All that aside - here's a great rice pasta recipe (you could always add chicken to round it out). It's got a great kick from the chilis and the lemon. My friend Kristine tipped me off to the best choice for rice pasta - Tinkyada. It has the best texture when cooked of any I've tried.
Print recipe only here.
You will need:
* 1-2 lemons
* 1 good sized jar of artichoke hearts (people have different opinions on a proper packing: water or oil. I usually get the marinated ones and hope for the best flavor)
* 1 pkg rice pasta
* Chili flakes
* 2-3 cloves garlic, smashed a bit
* Olive oil
Method
1. Cook the pasta according to package instructions. Rice pasta will cook a lot longer than regular wheat pasta.
2. Heat 1 T olive oil in a saute pan. Add a pinch of chili flakes and the garlic cloves and sauté over medium heat until the garlic is nicely browned all over and the chili flakes bleed some of their color.
3. Turn off the flame and allow to cool a bit. Add another tablespoon of olive oil to the pan.
4. When the pasta has just a couple of minutes left to cook, add the juice from one or two lemons (depending on how juicy they are. You want to have about ¼ cup of lemon juice in the pan. Add the artichoke hearts and put over a low-medium flame to heat through. Add salt and pepper and any fresh herbs to taste (fresh parsley is nice here).
5. Drain and rinse the pasta and transfer to a serving bowl. Pour the sauce on top and stir to incorporate. Test again for seasoning and serve.
Chicken Pesto Pasta
The first time I had pesto (circa 1985, before its rise to popularity on the American table) it had been made for my dad as a gift by an Italian colleague. Having no clue what to do with it, he heated it up in a small saucepan before tossing it on pasta. I think it might have turned brown.
Pesto is something we enjoy year-round in our house. It's easy to stockpile pine nuts (well, Trader Joe's makes it easier than many purveyors); buy the raw ones so you can roast them yourself) and parmesan and I try to keep fresh basil on hand at all times since I use it for a variety of foods.
Pesto is sort of an à la minute preparation.
Makes enough for about 12-16 oz pasta, serving four
Print recipe only here.
Morning Prep:
1. Marinate a few boneless, skinless chicken breasts in olive oil, garlic, lemon or whatever else you like in there.
Evening Prep:
1. Preheat Grill and oven or toaster oven to 350.
2. Boil water for pasta, adding a spoonful of kosher salt to the water. A cooking school teacher once told me that pasta cooking water should be as salty as the sea. That seemed extreme, but I do remember each time I cook pasta.
3. Roast a scant ¼ cup pine nuts in the oven or toaster oven for about 1 minute or until lightly browned and fragrant. Set aside to cool.
4. While the water is heating, trim haricots (top and tail). Fill a medium sized bowl with ice and water.
3. Grill chicken breasts.
4. When the pasta water comes to a boil, throw haricots in and blanche - no more than a minute. Remove them with a slotted spoon and toss in the bowl of ice water. (Honestly, I usually just put the beans in a strainer and run cold water over them.)
5. Get chicken off the grill and allow to cool slightly.
6. Put pasta in boiling water and prepare pesto:
In a cuisinart:
* 2 oz fresh basil
* pine nuts, cooled
* 1-2 cloves garlic (pressed through the Susi)
* 1/2 t kosher salt
* 1/3 cup grated parmesan (I use Grana Padano)
Pulse cuisinart until throroughly blended, stopping to scrape down sides as necessary.
With motor running, add through the tube:
* ¼ cup good olive oil
7. Slice chicken
8. Drain pasta and put in a serving bowl. Add chicken, haricots vert and the pesto and toss to coat. Read Full Post
Friday, January 25, 2008
In the Pinch Pantry
The Pantry
Asian
With these things in your cupboards and fridge you can make a variety of Asian-inspired meals.
- Fish sauce
- Thai Kitchen red curry paste
- Mae Ploy chili sauce
- Reduced fat coconut milk
- Soy sauce
- Eden Organic Tamari
- Tamarind paste
- Rice Vinegar
- Mirin
- Toasted sesame oil
- Hot chili oil
- Essential produce: fresh garlic and ginger, green onion, bell peppers and cilantro.
General
- Barilla Penne and Thin Spaghetti
- Beretta Arborio rice
- Organic Basmati Rice
- Organic Wild Rice
- Muir Glen Whole Peeled Tomatoes and Fire Roasted Crushed Tomatoes
- Albacore tuna in spring water
- Pimento-stuffed jumbo green olives
- Giardinera - Hot and Mild
- Tillen Farms Hot and Spicy Beans
- Imagine Organic Chicken Broth
- Mama Lil's Kick Butt peppers
- Noh Hawaiian BBQ sauce - tied here with Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce
- Organic Garbanzo beans
- Tahini
- Cholula
- Anchovies
- Horseradish
- Mustards: Dijon, country dijon, Pommeray, spicy
The Baking Cabinet
Vestiges of my professional life are evident in my pantry: I buy the largest tupperware containers that will fit into my cabinets and dump several bags of flour into them (this method is also less messy as paper flour bags are no good for storage). And now I label them so everyone knows what's what.
- All-purpose flour. I buy the organic 365 label at Whole Foods and have a container that holds about 15#.
- Cake flour. Soft as Silk or Swansdown are often available in regular grocery stores. It's in a 2# box. My container holds about 6#.
- Whole wheat flour. I spend a little more here, as there's more depth of flavor in the smaller batch flours. Whole Foods has a nice selection. I'll provide an update soon on the order I've got coming in from Ireland. Mmmm...brown bread! My stainless steel canister holds 5#.
- Pure extracts: vanilla, almond and peppermint
- Sugars: white granulated, superfine, light brown, powdered. Also: Sugar in the Raw (well-priced at Target - look for the 2# bulk box); rustic but still chic La Perruche cubes; coarse white crystal sugar for sprinkling atop scones.
- Milwaukee Iron seasoning (from The Spice House in Chicago)
- Hometown blended seasoning (from Town & Country market on Bainbridge Island, WA. They're kind enough to ship me several jars once a year).
- Ancho Chili Powder
- All the basics from The Spice House - a fantastic purveyor
The Fridge
- Beef base, chicken base (Better than Bouillon is great)
- Kalamata olives
- Grana Padano
- Gruyere
- Buttermilk
- Bell pepper
- Fresh ginger
- Fresh herbs: cilantro, parsley, basil
- Green onions
- Jalapenos
- Leeks
- Lemons
- Limes
The Freezer
- Tilapia or Dover Sole - these both thaw nicely and are great for a dinner of fish and chips.
- Meatballs. I buy 1# packages of lean veal and pork at Whole Foods, and the leanest ground beef (96/4)at Trader Joes and make a big batch of meatballs a few times a year. Save some for that night's dinner and freeze the rest on a baking sheet. Once frozen, transfer to a big ziploc bag. Prepare straight out of the freezer: brown the sides in olive oil, add some tomato sauce, bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer for 20-25 min until cooked thru.
- Uncooked shrimp - deveined, tail on. At Whole Foods and Trader Joes.
The Root Cellar
- Yellow onions
- Red Onions
- Garlic
- Shallots
- Russets
- Red New Potatoes (seasonally)
Mark Bittman's Must Haves for the Pantry
Gluten-Free Girl's Pantry Essentials
101 Cookbooks: Building a Natural Foods Pantry Read Full Post
Equipment I cannot cook without
Appliances
* Professional Blender
* KitchenAid stand mixer
* Mini-Prep Cuisinart. I usually object to keeping appliances that I don't use weekly, but the mini prep is an exception. I really only make hummus and tapanade in it, but I can't imagine using anything else for the job.
* Cuisinart. Everyone's got to have a food processor.
Cookware
* 10" cast iron pan
* 8" and 10" nonstick omelet pans
* Covered pyrex bakers for marinating meats
* Steamer insert
* Le Creuset dutch ovens - 4qt, 6 qt
* 4.5 qt All Clad saucepan
Cooking Tools & Utensils
* Food mill
* Zyliss garlic press
* Microplane zester
* Short and Full-sized off-set spatulas
* High-heat spatulas - I love the ones that are one-piece. I listed the Rubbermaid professional since I've had it forever. I just got another one - at TJ Maxx - that is all one piece, and a bit shorter, more like 10-inches. You really can't make scrambled eggs without one of these.
* Chef knives. These are so personal. I recommend spending some time in a shop and really getting a sense of how a knife feels in your hand. That said, find two chef knives, one about 6-inches and another somewhat larger (I think my biggest isn't quite 8-inches - I don't like anything any bigger), get a carving knife, a 3-inch paring knife or two, this 5-inch serrated utility knife, a 10-inch or longer serrated bread knife. My favorite brands are Henckels and Wüsthof and I have a fantastic Rösle chef's knife that I love.
* Variety of ladles
* Mesh Strainers
Baking
* Silicone pastry brushes - I use these to soak cake layers, to baste my pizzas, to slather panini oil on baguette. I love how they don't shed (I worried about even my best bristle brushes shedding on a wedding cake) and how they don't retain odors or oils. This particular one from Crate & Barrel really holds liquid better than some of the other ones I've (briefly) owned.
* Parchment paper - I buy these for my half-sheet pans (they measure apx. 13x18"). I cook everything in my oven on these pans, and all my baked goods get a sheet of parchment.
* Half-sheet pans - You can often pick these up at restaurant supply stores as well. I have 6-8 of these. And Bed Bath & Beyond sells one with it's own plastic cover!
* Pyrex liquid measuring cups - You really need a one-cup, pint (two-cup) and quart (4 cup).
* Melamine mixing bowls - Get the three-pack of these (and look at TJ Maxx, too - I've seen them there before). They're great for all your baking.
* Ramekins
Misc. Essentials
* Splash Shopper
* Desk Calendar - blotter type - use to plan weekly meals to give you a better sense of how you intend to eat on a monthly basis.
* High Heat Canola Oil (spray)
Where do I find all this stuff?
Target, Sur la Table, Amazon.com, Chef's Catalog and Williams Sonoma are always reliable. Both Bed Bath and Beyond and TJ Maxx frequently surprise me with their selection and competitive prices.
Monday, January 7, 2008
Back to the 2 0 6
I know you're digging the Mix-A-Lot reference.
I lived in Seattle for a few years. I worked at some great restaurants and lived in close enough proximity to the public market that I shopped there almost daily. It was a lovely time.
Whenever I'm back I make the rounds of my favorite spots. I know there's got to be new good stuff, but these are some goodies.
1. De Laurenti Specialty Foods
For bread, amazing cheese and charcuterie, and imported foods. And olive oils! And wine!
1435 1st Ave
Seattle, WA 98101
(206) 622-0141
2. 5 Spot
Best breakfast in the city, hands down. Love the mason jars and the breakfast potatoes. In Queen Anne.
1502 Queen Anne Ave N
Seattle, WA 98109
(206) 285-7768
3. Monorail Espresso
Seattle's FIRST espresso cart. Don't order a double or you'll get four shots. Double is understood at Monorail, fool.
520 Pike St
Seattle, WA 98101
(206) 625-0449 (They have a phone in there?!? It's just a hole in the wall!!)
4. Macrina Bakery
Great potato bread and killer ginger cookies. In Belltown.
2408 1st Avenue
Seattle, WA 98121
(206) 448-4032
5. Pagliacci Pizza
For starters, it's pronounced Pal-ee-a-chee. Oh, man. I thought I couldn't get east coast pizza in the Northwest.
550 Queen Anne Ave. N.
Seattle, WA 98109
(206) 726-1717
6. Tutta Bella Pizza
OK - I haven't actually eaten here (my kids went with grandpa and we had the leftovers). It's the Northwest's first certified Neopolitan pizza - and I'm a big fan of that charred, thin crust 'za.
4411 Stone Way North
Seattle, WA 98103
(206) 633-3800
Read Full Post
