Veggie Homefries- A morning Staple

Looking at the recent fresh tomato post- I was inspired by some farm fresh red potatoes (a great alternative from the "pink skinned" ones you buy at the store). The skin has such a deep color you just know its packed full of nutritious iron- i couldn't wait to get them onto the stove and into my mouth.

Homefries are usually my favorite part of breakfast-especially when they're dipped in a golden runny yolk. Here is the recipe I've been using for a couple years now, it varies a little from batch to batch but the simple technique is a keeper.

Veggie Homefries
The ingredients vary depending on how many i am feeding and whats in my fridge but the staples are: unpeeled red or golden potatoes-medium diced, onions-diced, assorted colored peppers-diced, mushrooms-chopped, garlic-minced, red pepper flakes, olive oil, butter, salt, pepper, fresh thyme, oregano and parsley.
I also prefer to mix sweet potatoes with the regular but don't always have them on hand

• Put diced potatoes in a pot of salted water and bring to a boil, drain once potatoes are al dente (they will continue cooking in the pan, if overcooked it will turn into hash-which is still yummy but not always desired)
• Heat butter and olive oil in a saute pan and add drained potatoes, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Saute on medium high until they start to get brown
• Once potatoes start forming an outer crust add onions, after another five minutes add peppers, mushrooms, garlic, thyme and oregano
• When all has reached your desired crispiness, remove from heat and add fresh parsley
  
  

Writers Block EXTREME

I know I should be reflecting and writing about the recent CAW visit to California, but I just can't. I am way far more excited about the soup that I just made, than reflecting upon things we all did.

Although, I will, I promise. Eventually.

While Billy is away enjoying the sights and sounds of Yosemite with his childhood christian brethren, I am at home attempting to not freak out about the mess left behind; and the toilet seat that was up- a clear indication of man-boy rampage prior to their departure this morning.

How do I relax? I brief clean up, and immediate cooking adventure and a characteristic analyzation of my day.

Today was the Castro Farmers Market- a savior on a day where fumes were emitting from my ears for approximately 8 hours straight. After consuming a delicious lunch of Hummus and Tabbouleh* with sesame pita, around 4 o'clock I felt it was time to go for a walk.

I enjoy eating my lunch at my desk, and then going for a stroll later in the day, in lieu of a full blown lunch out. On this day, I decided that I did not crave cookies (although that was tooootally what I needed on Monday, from Hot Cookie)

I craved strawberries. Sweet Delicious strawberries.

Now it is not strawberry season, so I question the integrity of these apparent fresh market berries, but god damn you these were stupendous! They saved my day.

But I digress. Savior of Soup. Simple, delicious, my mind is a-flutter as to what to do with the savory leftovers.


Red on Red on Red Lentil Soup

1 small onion diced
1 large carrot grated
5-6 gypsy or lipstick peppers
1 excessively large ripe heirloom tomato, diced
about 1 cup frozen corn- although fresh would suffice

1/2 cup red lentils
4 cups water

larger bits of ground fennel seed
1 T crushed black pepper
pinches of salt
sprinkles of onion powder
1 pinch cumin
some garlic powder
a little mustard powder
some nutmeg

Methods:

Coat the bottom of a heavy pan with olive oil. Add carrot and onion, cook for a long while. meanwhile, dice the peppers all nice and tiny-like. Add these. At this time add some salt and lots of black pepper. Cook for an f-ing long while, add tomatos and cook until they give off their water. Add various spices now. Add lentils. Add water. Cover and cook for a long while, until lentils are cooked until you can't tell they were once tiny little things, and the soup is of a consistency that makes you happy. Turn off the heat, add the corn, mix. Eat with bread, or rice, or alone!

*a great lunch btw

Case of the Mondays

Yesterday I had a case of the Mondays, mainly due to the fact that I had beautiful weather and a long weekend. Searching various food blogs I came across the perfect way to cure my Monday blues: FRIED FOOD. A great way to avoid the guilt of eating fried foods is to eat fried veggies rather than meat. "It’s fried but atleast it’s a vegetable”

Parmesan-encrusted Zucchini and Summer Squash Medallions

My rendition of the above recipe did not come out as fancy as the Besotted Gourmet's but still did the trick. My long work day deterred me from going to the grocery store to pick up parm and flour (how does one run out of flour?). To componsate, I made sure I kept the little guys in the pan extra long to get that sought after crust and didn't hold back on the seasoning of sea salt right at the end. I made a side of sweet and red mashed taters and washed it down with a delicious Rogue Dead Guy Ale that magically appeared in my fridge- just in time to cure my Monday Blues.

Sweet and Red Mashed Taters
4 medium sized red potatoes- cut in to quarters w/ skin on
1 Large sweet potato- peeled and but into quarters
Butter- amount depends on the chef
1/4 cup veggie stock or milk
Chopped fresh parsley & chives
Salt & Pepper
- I think you know the drill: boil the potatoes then mash together with remaining ingredients.

Barley: Part Deux

this delicious barley "risotto" is best served at room temperature. the texture of the barley is so AWESOME!! i'm really becoming a big fan of this oh so beloved grain of an oh so beloved sister crow~

Barley Risotto

1 onion chopped coarsely

2 or so cloves of garlic

1 cup pearled barley

10 oz frozen chopped spinach (or mixture w/fresh)

3+ cups chicken broth

1 bay leaf

2 chopped roma tomatoes

1 can chick peas, drained

fresh parm

s&p

saute onion and garlic until translucent. add barley, saute to coat. add chicken broth and bay leaf and simmer 30-45 minutes covered. once barley is soft (you may have to add more broth and continue to simmer until you get here) and to your liking, add the tomatoes, pea, and spinach. cook about 5 more minutes, or until spinach is thawed/wilted and warmed through.

remove from heat, add grated parm and salt and pepper to taste.

Crows unite, fly to brooklyn, eat honey.

This weekend Herself and I had the rare opportunity to perch together for a few days in Brooklynand catch up with each other and some old pals. We spent all day Saturday grazing across the borough in search sublime satisfaction/ a perfect greasy mess to cure a hangover. Some truly awesome snacking occurred, including:

-An enormous taco-esque creation that was too messy to eat in public but I did anyway
-Asian-inspired hot dogs with red cabbage slaw on top
-A mango speared on a stick and sprinkled with chili power
-Expensive, but delicious pizza, eaten under the Brooklyn bridge and washed down by summer ale.

While on the journey we encountered this small farmer's market that has some super fresh looking produce and locally made yummies.

Observe below:
This local organic cheddar made my mouth water. Herself and I took a moment to fantasize about biting into a huge block of cheese; probably not as awesome as it sounds, but still, I really wanted the cheese. Sour cherries!

Free samples! Of marinated tofu! ehhh... oh well.

And lastly, I know this is a terrible picture, but I had never seen an artichoke in full bloom before and I thought it was beautiful. (Also, side note, artichokes are my favorite food. Maybe they should be my favorite food and flower?)

Porch Monkey

I got these biddies the first week in May, I have waited patiently and now I finally have some delicious porch veggies. The tomatoes are not massive, but are still tasty. Currently waiting for my peppers to turn red (those guys are wayyy to expensive in the grocery store).

Caww out to all crows and followers please share any successful porch/roof/yard crops!

Roman Salad

Keeping with Holly's post on fabulous salads, I thought I would share my own favorite. This Tuna and Arugula salad was shared with me by a true Roman lady while I was in Sicily and I love it so much that I make it every time I buy baby arugula. It is cheap, super easy and high in lean protein so makes a great lunch with a piece of sourdough bread on the side.

Lana's Roman Salad

-Baby arugula

-2/3 can of tuna, water squeezed out and then broken down into small bits.

-fresh squeezed lemon juice

-olive oil

-sea salt and fresh ground pepper

Toss the arugula, tuna, lemon juice, salt and pepper and plenty of olive oil together in a big bowl until tuna is distributed all through the arugula. Don't be shy with the lemon- that's where the flavor comes from!

eat and enjoy.

Barley Monster

Everyone has their favorite grain and mine just happens to be Barley- I like its texture and ability to absorb delicious flavors without getting mushy. Barley Salads are great as leftovers and that's why I make them so often; it's perfect to bring to work for lunch because it allows me to avoid the dreaded microwave.

I found this fabulous recipe: Quinoa with Roasted Zucchini, Feta & Oregano in a Healthy Eats email and decided to give it a whirl, but of course I needed to make some adaptations to the OG Recipe.



I substituted the quinoa for barley- I had it in the pantry and like I stated before I'm a Barley Monster. My Quiona Cousin Mo would have done differently but I'm sure it's just as tasty with either grain. Second I added tons of fresh oregano and thyme rather than the dried- It's summer and time to take advantage of fresh herbs growing in yards or on porches! Lastly, I added some sliced grape tomatoes to the salad to get some more summer flavors in there. This salad tastes even better when consumed at the beach.

Farewell BBQ's and Wiiiiiiiiine

Oh man, I've been on quite the hiatus. And tired.

I've been on a 1 and a half week vacation from life, and boy was it good. I really don't want to return to civilization.

Where have I been you ask? Entertaining my visiting parents, of course!

And entertaining my parents, really just meant eating out 80% of meals, bringing them to all the tasty restaurants in this Bay Area (...that I can't afford). In the beginning, it sounded like a great idea, but by the final night, I had heartburn (which apparently feels like your boob is asking to be ripped off of your body) from eating foreign food substances so much, and really just wanted to return to my kitchen and cook a yummy meal with my mom for billy & my dad.

It was stupendous.

The highlights were a super satisfying corn soup, and perfectly grilled portabella mushrooms (which fared considerably better than some ny strip steaks we attempted to cook, but really just chared), which we ate with grilled/burnt squash and onions and a simple salad of cucumbers and tomatoes with balsamic deliciousness.

Mama Ferrier's (chicken) Corn Chowder

1 1/2 c diced red onion
1 1/2 c diced yellow onion
1 1/2 c diced potato
1/2 c diced carrot
1 c diced celery
4-5 corns on the cob, boiled, with kernels cut of
6 c chicken broth
heavy cream
flour
olive oil
salt & pepper
1 t fresh basil
pinches of dried oregano, basil
a couple of shakes of chili powder
Optional: meat picked from half of a rotisserie chicken

In your soup pot, start with some olive oil, the carrots, the onions, and the celery. Cook until translucent, add flour and cook until the flour smell is away. This soup is thickened more by this rue, than the cream, so use a hefty amount of oil and flour to get a nice rue. Add the chicken stock to the pot now and do a little scrappin' to get all the good flavors on the bottom of the pan. Bring soup to a boil and add the potato, corn (and chicken if you wish). Now is the time to add the basil, oregano, and chili powder. Let the soup simmer for a little while, and test the potatoes for doneness. When the potatoes are to your liking shut of the heat and allow to soup to cool down to a temperature that allows you to add some cream. Add as much, or as little, as you like!

Grilled Portabella Mushrooms

4 Large Bella Shroomies
1 t mustard
olive oil
salt & pepper
1 t fresh chives
1 t fresh basil
oregano flakes
juice from 2 juicy lemons
1 Container for shaking

add dressing contents to container and shake up. Place mushroomies in a big bowl and pour the dressing all over them. You might have to add more oil than you think to coat evenly. Be sure to add enough salt to encourage a little water to release before you grill. Do this about a half hour before you are grilling. When you place the musrooms on the grill save the extra dressing in your bowl and drizzles over top the finished mushrooms.

A Note on Wine Country

While the retals were here, I had the awesome chance to go to Napa and Sonoma- only an hour from Oakland! This hole concept of driving around, and drinking, and then driving around more is really strange to me, but f-ing awesome none the less. The whole myth that you aren't drinking enough to get drunk it just that- a big myth. I got saucy both days I went up there. It was grand.

I went to about 6 wineries- all were yummy. Even the cheap wine companies we see in the store tend to have reserve wines on site that are super. The most memorable wineries were:

Peju
Ravenswood (due more to a heavy handed server than the wine)
Sebastiani




If you have $100+ to blow on wine, I recommend any of the Peju's Napa Style Cab's

Farmers Market!!!

It better not rain this weekend because I have plans to ride my bike to Roslindale and hit up the Farmers Market. The tomatoes on my back porch are still puny-sized and green and all the local grocery stores can't satisfy my craving for that farm fresh produce.


There's something so pure and simplistic about directly handing the farmer my hard earned dollars for their hard earned labor. Maybe its the realization that we're cutting out the middle man trying to make a profit, or maybe its a step back in time to how people got their food prior to the commercialization of the food industry, but what ever it is, it feels great!


I'm not going to set my hopes too high. I am a realist and know that it is still early in the season for the mother load of local veggies. If I leave with one farm-ripe tomato, or a handful of pickling cukes, I will be one happy crow.

The REAL Italian

I know mad Crowz were in Maine last weekend, so I'll give a shoutout to the 207 and it's official state sandwich, the Amato's Italian. Though you can get it with salami, turkey, capicola, pepperoni, sans meat, etc., the Original calls for ham, green peppers, olives, onions, tomatoes, picles, then salt, pepper and oil.. And American cheese, not that fancy provolone stuff. My version: no tomatoes, extra sour pickles. Sour pickles and kalamata olives are key.

To be eaten while looking at the ocean or at some NEBS winding their way down a cobblestone street in search of the next Miller Lite draft.

Pasta Salad Season

One of my favorite things about a summer BBQ or Picnic are the side dishes. Chip and dip platters, roasted veggies, kabobs, cole slaw, your almost full before you even dig into a burger or dawg. My new summer side dish love is the versatile pasta salad. I'm not talking about the stuff you buy at the deli that is drenched in Wish Bone Italian Dressing; I'm talking about these bad boys:

Grilled Chicken Pasta Salad w/Artichoke Hearts & Orzo Feta and Tomato Salad w/Marjoram Vinaigrette

Now these are the Pasta Salads I'm looking to scarf down this summer.

I saw Barefoot Contessa make a yummy Lemon Fusilli Salad with Arugula so I found the recipe online, tweaked it a bit and ended up with a tasty Pasta Salad that I would be proud to present at my next Picnic.


Changes in Recipe:

• I didn't have arugula so I just added extra broccoli
• Swapped the Fusilli for some Bow Ties
• Added the lemon juice at the end, I didn't want the taste to get bitter while simmering on the stove but I still added the zest at the beginning
• Substituted half of the cream with vegetable stock to cut back on some of the richness, but I had to simmer it a little longer to get the right consistency
• NOTES: I know this recipe calls for the broccoli florets, but I happen to really enjoy the steam. If you peel off the outer tough ends, the inside is nice and tender. Also this recipe works great cut in half

Here is my finished product, it's fine served warm or at room temperature. I would love to hear some other Pasta Salad recipes that you Crows are cooking up!

An Ode to Fish Taco

Despite the terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad weather we are being bombarded with here in the northeast my mind is still turning to summer and summer foods. Particularly my favorite of all hot summer take-out meals: the fish taco. This West Coast originated masterpiece comes in many forms; some bad, some good and some absolutely delicious. A zesty alternative to the fried haddock sandwich, the fish taco deserves to take its rightful place amongst the most scrumptious of summer mowing options. However, despite the apparent simplicity, a good fish taco is nearly impossible to find and even more impossible to make. Let me explain.

"What makes a good fish taco?" you might be wondering. Well, I will tell you. For me, the quality of a fish taco is best determined by the following 3 factors:


1. Fry Batter:
There are some who believe in a grilled fish taco. I am not one of them. It's summer goddamn it and I want some fried fish in my life. Crispy and slightly spicy does it for me; never soft or greasy.

2. Sauce(s):
It is all about lime when it comes to making the perfect zesty fish taco sauce. My all time favorite place (we'll get there later) used a chili lime sauce that brought down the house. In the absence of such culinary know-how, a good guacamole and sour cream can do the trick.

3. Veggie Crunch:
All that fry needs to be cushioned in a bed of crunchy freshness. A red cabbage slaw is my pick for #1, but some red onion and fresh lettuce also sets it off well.

And, it goes without saying that this should all be wrapped in a soft, chewy, slightly grilled fresh tortilla. This post is already making me hungry.

My relationship with the fish taco has been a toroid one. Like a bad RomCom heroine, I fall into deep, passionate, crazed love, only to be left after a few months with nothing but a craving and a few extra pounds to show for it.

The Mother of all fish tacos, the creme de la creme, the Brad Pitt of fish tacos to my Jennifer Aniston, was formally found at Crab Louie's (which before their tragic demise briefly changed their name to One Eyed Jack's) in downtown Portland, ME. Whoever owned you, Crab Louie's, if you are reading this now, PLEASE CALL ME. I will pay you any amount to taste the amazingness that was your fish taco one more time before I die. Their taco, with its crispy batter, chewy tortilla, cabbage slaw and chili lime sauce was all that is perfection in a world full of flaws. It was the holy grail of fish tacos, the place where I learned how to love. And now it has been taking from me forever and I am left to roam this earth in search of another fish taco to love.

While I was still recovering from this loss, I turned to El Pelon in the Fenway , where I found my John Mayer of fish tacos. Popular and loved by many in the past, it had many of the key ingredients and satisfied me for awhile. It wasn't perfect, and it wasn't Brad Pitt, but I was happy. And then, as suddenly as our relationship had come to be, El Pelon burnt down. I should have seen it coming, after all, El Pelon had done this to me before (burnt down, that is). But still, I was shocked. And then I really had nothing. No Crab Louie's, no El Pelon. I was alone.
So I began the hunt. A chef I knew recomended I have a fling, so I flirted with La Verdad ( also in the Fenway) for awhile, but that quickly ended with disappointment. I tried to go back to an old flame- David's Cafe (Jamaica Plain)- but they had also closed down and left me. Even my high school lover- Chicky's (Portland, ME)- is no longer around for quick, nostalgic satisfaction.

So now, I am once again on the prowl for a fish taco to love. Anyone want to set me up?

Busting Out the Winter Guns

All of this rainy cold weather is forcing me to bust out some hearty winter recipes. Rather than being outdoors grilling up some kabobs and burgers, I was tucked inside my kitchen blasting my oven conjuring up some Shepherds Pie. Growing up, Shepherds Pie was one of my dad's "go to" meals he fed to my brother and I when my mom didn't have time to prepare dinner. Due to his bland taste buds (he hates garlic!!!) his Shepherds Pie consisted of a layer of ground beef and onion, layer of canned creamed corn, topped off with some mashed potatoes. His seasonings simple: salt and pepper.
Out of nostalgia I still find comfort in this dish (my brother still refuses to touch it), but to make my own I would definitely stray from my Dad's recipe. Borrowing from an earlier Crow post, "Not Your Momma's Casserole" I have dubbed my creation "Not My Daddy's Shepherds Pie".


Not My Daddy's Shepherds Pie
1 lb ground beef (available at Harvest, JP)
1/4 onion, chopped
5 to 10 mushrooms, chopped
large bunch chard, chopped
stove top creamed corn (recipe below)
3 large yukon gold potatoes
1 large sweet potato
fresh parsley
1 large garlic clove, thinly sliced
butter, cream and stock (optional)
1/2 a beer (whatever the chef happens to be enjoying at the time)
olive oil, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.

• Stove Top Creamed Corn: Pour a packet of frozen corn kernels into a sauce pan, add a mixture of cream and vegetable stock* to cover the corn half way, a couple dollops of butter and some salt and pepper. Simmer this mixture for 20-30 minutes, near the end start breaking up the corn kernels with the back of a spoon.
• Peel potatoes, cut into chunks and bring to a simmer in salted water. Once fork tender mash together with desired amount of butter, cream or stock, salt pepper and fresh chopped parsley.
• Saute onions and mushrooms in a large pan, once onions are translucent add beef and break up into small chunks. When beef is almost cooked through add half a beer and let simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated.
• Saute garlic in a saucepan with some olive oil, add chard, salt and a pinch of red pepper flakes, simmer until just wilted.
• Coat a casserole dish with olive oil spray, add beef mixture, then creamed corn, chard, and top off with mashed potatoes
• Bake in a 400 degree oven for 45 minutes, then let rest 10-15 minutes before digging in.

* If you want to cut back on using cream or milk, substitute with vegetable stock or use a mixture of the two.

Hopefully I won't have to bust this meal out until October but who knows with New England Weather.

Gratin: Not Your Mama's Casserole (but kinda the same)

Casserole= Americana grossness favored by 60's housewives. Includes pantry staples such as egg noodles, canned tuna, canned green beans/peas/corn, Campbell's soup. Convenient way to feed your hungry brood of children when you are tired after a long day of drinking white wine and smoking Marlboros while waiting for your husband to come home from the office

Gratin= Fancy favorite of the yuppie crowd and natural food recipes, often found in the food & wine section of the NYT. Includes pantry and refrigerator drawer staples such as summer squash, potatoes, leeks, fresh herbs, cream, eggs, gruyere and arborio rice. Convenient way to feed your long-term live-in boyfriend or semi-employed friends after a long day of drinking white wine and smoking camel lights while waiting to hear back from those 20 jobs you found posted on idealist.org and applied to after you woke up at 10 am.

As the Thai people so famously say: "same-same, but different."

Gratins come in many shapes, sizes and levels of healthyness, but I think the majority of us crows agree that the Queen of all gratin recipes is this little gem that we dug up last summer:

This Summer Squash Gratin recipe from the NYT "recipes for health" section.

I have made this a least a half dozen times, and I know Mz Holly has as well. What is so great about this particular recipe is that is completely adaptable to whatever you have in your kitchen at any given time- zucchini can be substituted for sweet potatoes or butternut squash, Gruyere can be replaced by cheddar or chevre, leeks or shallots could be added, basil, parsley or organo can take over instead of thyme. Be creative!

Using rice in the gratin keeps it light yet filling (brown rice works just as well as aborio and makes it a little heartier), and personally, I like that this gratin isn't too cream-heavy, as many are.

The most important thing that this, and most, gratin recipes never mention is a classic ode to the casserole; always opt for a crusty top! A thick layer of breadcrumbs ups the yummy factor big time. After all, your Mama was right about a lot of things.

Curse the Kitchen Elves!

Have you ever planned out an entire meal, purchased necessary items at the store only to come home and find that key ingredients you were counting on are missing from your pantry or freezer. This happens to me all too often. Monday night the kitchen elves made off with my marinara sauce and half a bag of frozen gnocchi- curse those little scavengers who take off with my food while i'm slaving all day at work. Initially I get angry at the Kitchen elves, but then I realize I still need to make dinner regardless of what i have/don't have in my pantry, so then I look at it as a challenge. Drawing inspiration from a bottle of red wine, I decided to clear out most of the leftover veggies in my refrigerator bin and make my own pasta sauce. To deal with my lack of gnocchi I would just mix it in with some whole wheat pasta and this is what I came up with:

Baked Pasta with Gnocchi & Chard


1/2 package of frozen gnocchi
1/2 package of whole wheat pasta
1 28oz can of diced tomatoes
1 medium carrot diced
1/2 zucchini, diced
1/2 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 bunch chard, chopped

Parmesan Cheese
1/3 cup dry red wine
fresh oregano and thyme, chopped
Olive Oil, Salt, Pepper and Red Pepper Flakes

• Saute onions, carrots, zucchini and garlic in a deep saucepan with olive oil, salt, pepper and a 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes (reserve one garlic clove and 1/4 of the onion for the chard)
• When onions become translucent pour in red wine and let reduce for 5 minutes
• stir in tomatoes, extra dash of salt and fresh herbs, let simmer while the pasta water comes to a boil
• While sauce is simmering saute onions, garlic, chard, salt, pepper and oil until chard is just wilted- take off heat and set aside
• When water comes to a boil give it a generous salting, then pour in gnocchi and pasta- cook for 3 minutes less then instructions call for
• Combine cooked pasta with sauce in a mixing bowl
• Pour half of the pasta mixture into a casserole dish, spread out chard mixture over the pasta, then add the remaining pasta and top it off with some Parmesan Cheese
• Bake in a 425 oven for 15 minutes covered, then an additional 10 minutes uncovered to crisp up the top
  
  Here's what it looked like without the top layer:

Overall It wasn't a bad meal for a Monday night, I got to use up a bunch of veggies before I got a new batch delivered the next day. The fact that I combined the gnocchi with regular pasta made the whole dish a lot lighter, Nick commented that the gnocchi was like biting into little treats. If I make this dish again I would double the amount of chard I put in- you could also substitute the chard with spinach, kale or arugula.
Holly: 1 / Kitchen Elves: 0
until we meet again...

Pack your knives and go

Feminist hero and possible historical crow Susan B. Anthony once said "failure is impossible." I highly doubt that Susan ever tried to make hollandaise sauce.

If there are two things that I have learned from obsessively watching "Top Chef" on Bravo, they are:
1. If you can't cook eggs, you can't cook.
2. If you can't make a good hollandaise, you aren't a good chef.

I, apparently, am neither of these things. Last night I felt genius burn and I decided to embark on the deceptively simple mission of creating a twist on Eggs Benedict; a poached egg served on top of a thick slice of sourdough bread, fresh asparagus and smothered in hollandaise sauce. Sounds Delicious, right? "Simple," I thought. "Quick," I mused. Innovative! New! Challenging, but in a good way! "Get out there," I told myself, "try something new!"

To be fair, I have never in my life poached an egg or made hollandaise. But I was determined. So, armed with a hollandaise recipe from Food and Wine, I set forth into the kitchen.

The hollandaise, was, frankly a disaster. I think the double-boiler method recommended by F&W made the bowl too hot, and the yoke basically cooked on contact. Second reading of the recipe suggested I should have held the bowl over the steaming water while whisking and slowly adding ingredients. WHO HAS THAT MANY HANDS??? I added the butter too fast. The sauce never thickened, only sorta curtailed, despite my most furious whipping.

The egg poaching started off promising but ended in ruins; I am without egg poaching tools, but I cam up with the what I still believe to be genius idea of cooking the egg inside silicone muffin wrappers, which I have always regarded as silly. It worked fabulously for the eggs, they kept their shape and would have come out perfectly. However, I completely over-cooked the eggs. The yoke was solid. Not the soft clouds I wanted perched on my benedict. Hard white masses.

So will overdone eggs and not-smooth hollandaise sauce I admitted early defeat. But, to be honest, it wasn't half bad when all together. The overdone egg was much more of a travesty since it just sat awkwardly on top of the asparagus and make it difficult to eat and break apart. Plus there was none of that gooey inner egg that softens the bread and makes the Benedict so rich and good. The hollandaise, although without the correct texture, wasn't bad tasting; it's difficult to screw up the taste of something that's ingredients include butter, egg and lemon.

And the meal was quick, if nothing else. And although you may have bested me this one time General Benedict, I will return to battle once again.

Pictures to come.

Eggplant City!

The crows have been posting alot of eggplant recipes lately, but if they are all different then what's the harm? One problem I have with eggplant is that if I don't use it right away, it has a tendency to hide out in the back of my vegetable bin only to be discovered when it's way past its prime. A huge challenge to getting a produce delivery each week, or being part of a CSA is to make sure you use all of your veggies before they turn foul; there's nothing worse than throwing away brown and slimy string beans, asparagus, arugula, etc. that were once green and vibrant.

In an attempt to not repeat past mistakes, I decided to dig right into that eggplant (thank's Boston Organics!) and make one of my stand by recipes: Individual Eggplant Parms. I invited my friends over who just moved down here from Maine because I figured they needed a break from unpacking and have probably been eating out for the past week, so I wanted to treat them to a home-cooked meal. When I began prepping, I remembered that I made the same meal the last time I had these friends over for dinner and immediately felt discouraged. I knew they wouldn't mind but it's always nice to switch up meal plans when you have dinner guests, you don't them thinking you're only a one dish wonder! I sipped on a beer and weighed out my options and decided I would just jazz up the eggplant parm rather than brainstorm a whole new meal. I sliced the eggplant lengthwise to make long patties rather than my previous method of circular slices; and added some fresh asparagus.

Here's my new eggplant creation before it went back in oven:

Individual Eggplant Parm w/ Asparagus
1 eggplant
1 bunch of asparagus
1 can fire roasted tomatoes
2 eggs
Shredded Parm and Mozz
Breadcrumbs
Fresh basil leaves
Olive Oil, S&P

Preheat oven to 450
Peel* the eggplant and cut lengthwise into 1/4-1/2 in strips
salt eggplant slices on both sides and lay out on a cooling rack or strainer- after 10 minutes flip slices over to let the other side drain. After another 10 minutes pat slices dry with a paper towel. (This step is to draw some bitter liquid out of the eggplant but is completely optional if you don't mind the taste as is)
Crack two eggs in a shallow dish, whisk with a little water to thin out
Dip eggplant in egg, then breadcrumbs and place on a baking sheet and put into the oven
After 15 minutes flip the eggplant (make sure it is golden brown on the bottom side).
Toss asparagus spears with olive oil, salt and pepper
Once the other side has baked for 15 minutes take baking sheet out of oven and assemble the parms by laying 2-3 asparagus spears on the eggplant slices, top each with fresh basil, fire roasted tomatoes and cheese
Cover with aluminum foil and place back in the oven for 5 minutes.
*Peeling the eggplant is optional, I just find it easier to eat without the skin

This meal goes great with some crusty bread and a garden salad. I felt like swaying away from my normal balsamic dressing and made a yummy Dijon vinaigrette. I used a dijon jar that was almost empty and added a couple tablespoons of red wine vinegar, tablespoon of honey, salt, pepper, and a pinch of freshly chopped thyme. Put lid on and shake to get all of the leftover dijon off from the sides. Add extra virgin olive oil and give another shake and you're ready to dress your salad and have a easy container to keep your left over vinaigrette in!

Two cool Cats

I have been slacking recently on my posts.

Its just so discouraging when you don't have beautiful pictures to add on! I will work on getting my camera fixed.

I"m surprised no one has spoken about the wonders of Risotto yet. This dish is so versatile, and even at its most bare bones can be so rich and stupendiferous.

The perfect default dish for a low-cost dinner party, or a highly elegant side on a fancy night with your lovers, Risotto can do it all! It can even save the day!

On Memorial day, I was all alone! Oh No! The only thing to do was go to a really awkward building BBQ, that is so overwhelming the only way to make it okay is to pound 2 glasses of wine before joining the party. I always like these parties because I can impress the adults with my cooking miracles (they aren't too shabby either, usually they enter a whose cut of meat was most expensive contest- this week it was a full leg of lamb) but that doesn't ignore the fact that they all think Billy and I are married (wah-wah) and consider us very strange individuals.

So I bought an eggplant, some zucchini (green and yellow saucer shaped), and some red onions. Got them all slathered in a nice coating of olive oil and S & P, cut them up with nice crosshatch marks, and set out to grill. I get out there, and there is no grill space :( sad.

Long story short- I eventually got some grill space, but the coals were virtually dead and I was left with half grilled veggies. Ever try eating raw eggplant?

So I came back and finished roasting them in the oven. The next day I decided they would make a nice addition to a light and creamy risotto. As risotto can be made in all quantities, I will leave that open for interpretation and adaptation!

Risotto with Grilled & Roasted Veggies

Arborio Rice
Vegetable stock
Parmesan cheese
roasted/grilled veggies cut into cubies
S & P
garlic
onions
1 c dry white wine
scallions or chives for serving

So begin with a basic Risotto methodology. Cut onions, brown/sautee until translucent. Add Rice, toast rice, deglaze with 1 c white wine. Stir constantly, and only add liquid after previoud liquid is absorbed.

When you have 2 more cups of stock to add, throw in your cubed roasted veggies.* Continue adding liquid until the rice is cooked and rice begins to give off some of its starch (ie. creamy factor becomes visible) Add parm. cheese and enjoyyyyy!

*You probably don't even have to add the veggies to the risotto- leave them hole and serve them as sides if you wish!

Also- quick note last night I made a super fast, super protein packed meal: Halibut with onions and Quinoa. So yummy! I cooked the halibut in a lemony broth with carmelized onions. The Quinoa was simple and fast: sautee carrots, sweet peppers, and corn until soft. Add 1 16 oz can fire roasted tomatos and heat thouroughly. Add cooked quinqoa and 1/2 thinly sliced raw onion. Complete with some lemon juice or parsley. So yummy!

When liquor gives you lemons, make lemonade!

Lots of happenings in this crows kitchen this afternoon. The gorgeousness of the day inspired me to create a project so, I plunged into making homemade limoncello. Making limoncello is something I have been meaning to do for years and it will be an ongoing project that I will have to keep everyone updated on; unfortunately, it seems like it is going to be a minimum of 6 weeks before anyone will be able to sip on my brew. But, I am none the less excited.


I researched a bunch of recipes and went for it; the zest of 16 lemons is now soaking in a handle of Absolute Vodka in a 5-gallon brewer's bucket ("The Ale Pail") in my pantry. Apparently the only real trick to this is to use clean, fresh lemons and not let any brine (the white stuff on the peel) into the mix. You can use vodka or everclear (grain alcohol)- I went for vodka because everclear is hard to find.



The vodka/zest mixture needs to sit for a minimum of 10 days to 3 months, and apparently the longer the better. I'm aiming for a month. Then it will be strained, mixed together with simple syrup and water and then left to sit for another 2 weeks. So hopefully, come mid-July, there will be limoncello. I'll keep you posted.


A surprise side-effect of all of this was 16 whole lemons, minus the zest. So, not wanting to waste resources, I made another tasty, if less potent, beverage- lemonade. Equipped with a new hand-juicer from Gadgets, Mark helped me extract the juice, which turned out to be way more in volume than I would have expected. We now have a LOT of lemonade. I added two cups of sugar reduced as simple syrup and and a couple of cups of water, but is is still very tart. In retrospect, I think honey instead of sugar would have been delicious. We threw a little Bombay Saphire in the lemonade as a little pre-dinner cocktail. Yumz.


Also, I made a super yummy dinner of grilled shrimp and veggies in the thai-lime marinade with a side of spanish rice. I also grilled a lime sliced in half and used the juice all over the shrimp and veggies- an awesome trick Emily showed me last summer.
So good for a summer day.