Beef stew - a magical combination of the lowly chuck roast, some veggies that might have been in the 'fridge a little longer than ideal, a couple of potatoes, a can of Guinness, some fresh herbs and a nice gentle nap in the oven at 300*. In a few short hours, I will have a bubbling pot of goodness to present to my hard working darling. Being domestic does not suck.
Beef stew - a magical combination of the lowly chuck roast, some veggies that might have been in the 'fridge a little longer than ideal, a couple of potatoes, a can of Guinness, some fresh herbs and a nice gentle nap in the oven at 300*. In a few short hours, I will have a bubbling pot of goodness to present to my hard working darling. Being domestic does not suck.
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My bottles of love. I'm making lemon ginger 'buch, so that's what you see floating on the top. I already have my next batch brewing. this is the original mother and the daughter that was produced. this should make one kick ass batch! the new batch will live somewhere a little warmer, the garage. i'd put her in the bathroom but it's so teeny we would trip over her! the fruits of my labor.... i will never buy kombucha again, this is so yummy already! dropped a little piece of lemon in it and will sip while i study. i feel better already :-)
It's been three weeks, and I'm getting antsy. There hasn't been much change, it's kind of cold in my kitchen, and the SCOBY is growing slowly. So I'm still buying 'buch, just not every day. It was cheaper to smoke, which I stopped doing July 13th. This is what I'm addicted to. I miss it when I don't have it, I feel sluggish and off. But at that price, even with my discount, I'm down to only two a week. I have other probiotics that I take to keep my system healthy, and I add acidophilus to my smoothies, but it's just not the same. I treated myself to one today - poured it into my big thermal cup with ice and sipped on it all day long while making the challah. Ahhhh, what a treat. I will give my kombucha one more week, then I must bottle it and get another batch started. I'll be making ginger beer, because I adore the flavor and it's sooooo good for the tummy. I might just get a heating pad to put the next batch on so I don't have to wait forever.
My lovely sister goddess Christy guest teaches my class from time to time. She's an on and off raw foodie, kombucha queen, herbalist and all around amazing human. Beautiful and brainy, she's who I want to be if I ever grow up. Well, a combo of her and my mom. Mother Theresa with an edge.
So, a few months back she taught a raw Italian class. Un-freaking-amazing food. Raw pasta made from zucchini and yellow squash, using a Japanese spiral slicer. Pestos - a basil and cashew, and sundried tomato and brazil nut. Incredible slaw made from so many veggies that I can't remember them all, with a sherry vinegar based dressing that was perfect. Finished the meal off with raw tiramisu made from soaked cashews and raw cacao powder, with some nibs thrown in for texture. Off. The. Hook. I love being able to show my class that raw doesn't have to mean salad. We've also done spring rolls, another great raw meal. I think it's time to do another raw class, I miss my goddess... Please check out her blog... http://cprojectpatton.wordpress.com/ Okay, being in love is awesome. Cooking for someone you love is awesomer. It's how my mom always showed people that she cares, making amazing culinary creations for every occasion, like it being Tuesday. This morning it was baby spinach, double Gloucester cheese with chives and onions, and cage free eggs. (which, in case you were wondering, are very worth the small additional cost. they just taste eggy-er, and the yolks are such a gorgeous golden orange.) These simple ingredients were combined to make some very killer omelettes. Paired with Jittery Joe's breakfast blend coffee (could you die? he brought his own coffee grinder..... swoon), it was a breakfast to die for. Now if I could just get him used to my photographing every plate I create before I eat.... It was a great class last night overall, except for a couple of snafus. First, I couldn't get the pork loin I wanted, so I had to go with a boned out pork shoulder. Not a bad thing, I think it has far more flavor, but after it's been rolled and tied the presentation isn't as pretty. Second, they scheduled assistants for the class. None of them was worth a spit, and they kept getting in the way. Its a way for rich old ladies to attend a class for free, I guess. Note to anyone who thinks they belong in a kitchen - if someone far more skilled than you asks you nicely to back off and has a large knife in her hand, please do so because the next time she asks will not be pleasant. Anywhoooo.... the pork came out positively divine. Such flavor. I cheated a little and browned it really well on all sides, very slowly in a heavy bottomed pan. I was hoping to develop as much of a crust as possible before putting the herbs on top. Mission accomplished! Abso-freaking-amazing. The rosti was killer even with a few changes. The same crazy old biddy kept reaching in front of my face to stuff potatoes into the processor feed tube - if it wasn't for my genteel upbringing (thank you, Mom), I would have bit that biddy's arm. In all the confusion, I forgot to process the onions, so I sliced them thin and it was better than the original. So slice your onions. The edges get crispy like the potatoes and parsnips, and it's really yum. Holy schmoley, you have to try the pannacotta recipe. The flavors all together are just .... wow.
Overall, it was a good class. The guests seemed to like me, the food was incredibly good (shameless self promotion), and I think some of them might just start attending Wednesday night classes. Another set of tummies conquered!! Made a huge move today. I am going through a Facebook cleanse. After finding out that my son's car was broken in to by a post instead of a call, I flipped. I will keep my Healthy People page going, but the other is being put in moth balls for a while. I already feel calmer.
Teaching a class tonight.... and getting paid! It's gigs like this that allow me to do HPCP. I can make as much as I usually make in several days, in about four hours. I'll post pictures as soon as I can, but I wanted to get the recipes on here so all of my faeries could keep up with what I'm doing. Love you! Eggplant Caponata 1 1/2 pounds eggplant (1 large), roasted in the skin (see directions below) 1 TB olive oil 1 medium onion, chopped 2 stalks celery, from the tender inner stalks, diced 3 large garlic cloves, minced 2 red bell peppers, diced 1 TB chopped rosemary and thyme 1 bunch parsley, chopped Salt to taste 1 14-ounce can petite diced tomatoes (in puree) 3 heaped tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained 3 tablespoons coarsely chopped pitted green olives 2 tablespoons sugar, plus a pinch 3 tablespoons red or white wine vinegar, or sherry vinegar (more to taste) Freshly ground pepper to taste 1. Roast the eggplant, then allow to cool. Chop coarsely. 2. Heat one tablespoon of the oil over medium heat in a large, heavy nonstick skillet, then add the onion and celery. Stir until the onion softens, about five minutes, and add the garlic and herbs. Cook together for a minute, until the garlic begins to smell fragrant, and add the peppers and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Stir until just tender, about eight minutes. Add the eggplant, and stir together for another five minutes, until the vegetables are tender. The eggplant will fall apart, which is fine. Season to taste. 3. Add the tomatoes to the pan with about 1/2 teaspoon salt and a pinch of sugar. Cook, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan often, for five to 10 minutes, until the tomatoes have cooked down somewhat and smell fragrant. Add the capers, olives, remaining sugar and vinegar. Turn the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring often, for 20 to 30 minutes, until the vegetables are thoroughly tender and the mixture is quite thick, sweet and fragrant. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and remove from the heat. If you have the self control, allow to cool to room temperature. If possible, cover and chill overnight. Serve at room temperature. To roast an eggplant – halve it longways, leaving the skin on. Score the flesh with a sharp paring knife in a diamond pattern almost all the way down to the skin, drizzle well with a good olive oil, season well with salt and pepper, put in a lightly sprayed roasting dish and bake at 350° until it is deeply browned and softened. Herb Crusted Roasted Pork Loin with Mustard Sauce chopped herbs of your choice – we will be using what I call the Simon and Garfunkel Mix (if you need this explained, have I got an album for you to listen to) a couple of garlic cloves salt and pepper panko crumbs 3# pork loin butter shallot white wine good coarse grain mustard salt and pepper Combine the herbs, garlic, salt and pepper in a food processor, making a paste. Add a little panko until its a moist crumble. Season the loin well with salt and pepper, and sear all over in a heavy pan. Remove to rest a bit, then cover completely with crust mix. Place in a roasting pan and roast in a 375° oven for about an hour, until it registers 160° on a thermometer. Remove from the oven, and let it rest at least 15 minutes before slicing and serving. Put the roasting pan over medium high heat on the stove after removing all of the extra fat. Add the butter and shallots, and scrape up any browned yummy bits on the bottom of the pan. Add a good amount of wine and a touch of the mustard, and cook until it begins to thicken. Adjust seasoning and serve with the pork loin. Roasted Fennel and Pear Salad 2 fennel bulbs 4 d'anjou pears olive oil fresh thyme salt and pepper baby arugula 1 shallot, minced sherry vinegar Cut the tops off of the fennel and reserve the fronds for dressing and garnish. Cut the bulbs into thin wedges. Core the pears and cut into thin wedges. Toss both with a little olive oil, a little chopped thyme, and season with salt and pepper. Roast in the same oven with the pork until they are browned and tender. Remove from the oven and cool to room temperature. In a small mixing bowl, add some sherry vinegar with a minced shallot, chopped thyme, salt and pepper, and some of the fennel fronds minced up. Mix in some olive oil and make a nice vinaigrette. Toss this with the baby arugula, and divide on to plates. Top with the roasted fennel and pear, and serve. Potato and Parsnip Rosti 3 large russet potatoes, peeled 4-5 parsnips, peeled 1 sweet onion, minced 1 TB chopped herbs (Simon and Garfunkel is awesome) salt and pepper olive oil for frying Grate potato and parsnip together, and place in a strainer over a bowl to collect the starch. Mix everything together, season well with salt and pepper. Drain the liquid from the draining bowl, being careful not to lose the starch in the bottom. Mix that in with the other stuff. Heat a heavy saute pan over medium low heat. Add some olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan and get it heated up. Add enough of the rosti mix to make a nice layer in the bottom. Press it down and let it cook until the bottom is browned nicely. Slide it on to a plate, put the pan over the top and flip it back in. Cook the other side until its browned. Remove to a pan and keep warm in the oven while you do a second one (if you have enough of the mix). Cut into wedges to serve. A couple of notes: Use the grating disk on a food processor to make this lightning fast. If you don't have one (I don't either, so don't feel bad), a box grater works perfectly. You want the strands of potato and parsnip so they can get crispy and yummy. Sweet onions are my choice, but if you like that bite, use whatever onions makes you happy. If you want to make it a little fluffy, add a beaten egg. You will have to cook it a little longer to make sure it's set. If you will be making these for a dinner party, you can grate everything ahead to make it easier. Soak the potato and parsnip in enough water to just cover until you're ready to cook the rosti. Drain well, but the odds of you having any starch left over is going to be slim. You may need to add a little potato starch back in. Or, cook the rosti ahead and reheat in the oven while you're roasting your pork. You can make these in one big pancake and cut into wedges, or make littler like latkes for ease in serving. (They are pretty much the same thing.) Lemon and Rosemary Infused Buttermilk Pannacotta with Blackberry Cabernet Compote Pannacotta: makes 12 - 4 oz ramekins, or one big mold. 1 ½ tsp unflavored gelatin 1 ½ TB water ¾ c heavy cream 1/3 c sugar 2 stems rosemary zest of 2 lemons 1 tsp good vanilla (or ½ vanilla bean, split and scraped) 1 ½ c buttermilk a few grains of sea salt Put water in a small bowl, and sprinkle gelatin over the top. Let it set. In a heavy bottomed saucepan, combine cream, sugar, rosemary, lemon and vanilla bean. Bring to a simmer and keep it there for a few minutes. Remove from heat and let the flavorings steep until it reaches room temperature. Add the buttermilk and whisk well, making sure everything is well combined (if you are using vanilla extract, add it now), and pour into serving dishes. Chill for about 4 hours before serving. Serve in the ramekin topped with a little of the blackberries, or unmold and surround it with the compote. If you want to get really fancy, top with a piece of rosemary and a little finely chopped candied lemon peel. I recommend using only ceramic, glass or plastic to mold this. Any rust spots in metal molds can react to the acids in the buttermilk and make black spots. Blackberry Cabernet Compote: ¼ c water ½ c cabernet (see note) 2 TB sugar juice and zest of 2 lemons pinch of salt 1# blackberries, fresh or frozen, divided Put water, cabernet, sugar, zest and juice, and about 1/4# of the blackberries in a heavy bottomed, non-reactive sauce pan. Bring to a simmer and reduce by half, about 10 minutes, until it's thick and syrupy. If it seems to have gotten too thick, add a little water. Add the rest of the blackberries, stir well to combine, cook briefly just to bring everything up to temperature, then pour into a serving dish. I would always serve this at least room temperature if not a little warm. Note: if you don't use alcohol in your cooking, you can use a good all fruit juice of some sort with excellent results. Choose something that is flavorful, like blueberry, acai or cranberry, but make sure it's all juice, not colored sugar water. Treat it just the same as the cabernet. Keith's first smoothie - avocado, Goatein, hemp seeds, yogurt, Greens+, coconut oil, flax oil, acidophilus, raw cacao powder, apple cider (locally fresh pressed), and a pinch of himalayan sea salt. He drank it, but I think he was humoring me. I sucked down a huge cup and now I feel ready to conquer the world! see that second disk on top of the first SCOBY? I've grown my second mother! I've been having problems because my kitchen is cold, my 'buch is hovering around 70* instead of 76* that I've been told is ideal. I keep her wrapped in a big towel so it doesn't fall farther, and I don't peek at her often to keep her dark and warm. I wasn't sure it was going to grow, but when I unwrapped her this morning to check I found that beautiful second disk floating on the top. I swear, unless my man starts to throw fits about it, my kitchen is soon to be filled with big jugs of bubbly love.
I figure from the looks of her that I have a couple more weeks before I can start bottling. I've decided on doing a ginger beer as my first batch, a flavor that I adore in all it's forms. Ginger is amazing for the stomach, so it's a perfect match for all of those tasty probiotics. More to come.... Okay, I'm sure that half of you saw that title and moved quickly to something else. Of that half, a few got curious and came back. The one thing I ask of everyone is approach food with an open mind, so I guess I'm asking that now.
Chicken livers are one of those things that I crave from time to time. My PopPop (Mema's other half) made the most amazing "chopped liver" on the planet. It was a simple mix of livers, onions and hard boiled egg, and it was divine. Since I started cooking for a living, I've had many versions of liver pate, which is what I had been eating my whole life and didn't know it. Some were so complicated that the liver got lost, and some were just boring. There has to be a balance between the irony taste of the liver and the other flavors or it just doesn't work. Well, at work yesterday, I found out through the grapevine that they had gotten a fresh supply of livers in, and if I was really nice, I could get my hands on some before they hit the freezer. (my MeatHeads take care of me, and I them.) I bought a pound with visions of chopped liver dancing in my head. I got home and immediately set to work. I diced up a sweet onion and slowly started it caramelizing. Then I saw a little container of dried blueberries and a nice valencia orange, and thought, hmmm, that could work, so I tossed in about a quarter cup of the blueberries and two pieces of orange zest. Thyme, parsley and fresh bay leaves in, all cooking nicely in a huge knob of fresh unsalted butter. Then I turned the heat up a bit and put the livers in. I like to get a little sear on them, but keep them medium on the inside. Once they started to color, in went some Red Stag Honey Tea Bourbon. (a little for the pan, a little for the chef.... ). I let that reduce down, then turned off the heat, letting the remaining heat of the pan finish the reduction. Popped everything into the Ninja and buzzed it up. I usually like it chunky, but with the herbs, blueberries and orange zest, I had no choice but to puree it fully. I didn't even taste it, just slapped it into a container and into the 'fridge. The color is a little off - the blueberries made it zombie grey - but i had two pieces of fresh challah slathered with the pate, and trust me, it was amazing. The blueberries add a sweet tart edge, and the floral notes from the orange zest are just what it needed. Can't wait to share it with my cooking class on Wednesday, they are going to love it! |