Yucca Hash

As much as I love my sweet potato hash on weekend mornings, it never hurts to mix it up a bit.  One of the nice things about NYC is that some grocery stores are good about stocking somewhat ethnic ingredients like yucca.  So it was definitely worth trying out this recipe.

The Recipe

1 yucca, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 tsp each of paprika, pepper and salt
1/4 lb bacon, chopped (optional)
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
chopped green onion for garnish (optional)

Drop your chopped yucca in a pot, sprinkle with the spices and cover with water.  Bring to a low boil until yucca is soft, about 15-20 minutes.  Once that's well on the way to done, start crisping your bacon; if you're going vegetarian, wait a bit longer and heat some olive oil.  Then add your onion and garlic, and brown.  By then your yucca should be done.  Add it into your skillet, mix up, brown, and flip.  Once that's done, you're ready to eat, with or without your garnish.

Notes

The biggest question might be when your yucca is done.  Once it starts to look gooey around the edges, I'll poke a couple pieces with a fork to test softness.  I haven't quite figured it out, but also haven't turned out inedible hash.

Visually, the dish looks like it really needs some color - maybe the green onion garnish would help.  The taste is actually pretty solid though - pepper and paprika really come through.  Good stuff.

One yucca makes a heaping serving, more than enough for me:

Butternut Squash Bread Pudding

One of these days I'll get to enjoy a Philly cheesesteak when visiting the City of Brotherly Love.  For now, though, it's all about finding good vegetarian options.  Cooking in this time, we gave this recipe a try (definitely the one I found most promising here (but more dishes worth taking a look at!)).

The Recipe

2 lbs butternut squash cut into small pieces - about 1-2 medium to large squashes
1 baguette, torn into 1 inch pieces
7 eggs
2 1/4 cups half & half
6 tbsp white wine
1 1/2 tsp dijon mustard
1 cup shallots, chopped - about 4 large
2 bunches kale, stems removed and chopped/torn
8 oz extra sharp cheddar, grated
olive oil, salt

Peel, de-seed and chop your butternut squash, toss with some olive oil and bake at 400 degrees until soft, about 20-30 minutes (stir occasionally).  Meanwhile, whisk together your egg, half & half, wine, mustard, and a little salt, and fold in the bread chunks.  Let this sit about half an hour (yes, stir occasionally).

Catch your breath, then chop your shallots, and wash and prep your kale.  Saute the shallots for a few minutes with some oil in a very large saucepan.  Then add your kale and stir, saute, cover/uncover about 5 minutes until wilting but still bright green.  Oh yeah, and grate your cheese.

Once those four elements are all ready, turn the oven down to 350 and butter a large casserole dish.  Start with a bottom layer that goes (half of the) bread, kale, butternut squash, then cheese; repeat with the second half of each.  Cover with tin foil and bake for 20 minutes, then uncover and cook until the inside layers of bread are set - about another 20-30 minutes.  Then put it under the broiler a few minutes for a toasty finish.

The Outcome

You definitely want a team working on this one so you can get the squash and bread elements going at the same time.  We vaguely 1.5'ed everything.  No complaints about the balance; if anything, I'd do it again with a little less bread and more squash and kale.  But it's hard to go wrong when you have a nice chunk on your plate and you can carve out a bite wherever looks good!  And the recipe's cooking time may be on the low side - we waited until the inside was clearly set.  The top was crusty but still juicy; the bottom was a bit further along, but it just tasted like Yorkshire pudding...

That left us with a delicious meal, not to mention one of the most filling vegetarian dishes I've ever had.  The egg-soaked bread on its own gives you plenty of starch and protein, and butternut squash and kale are both hearty ingredients too.

Oh yeah, if vegetarianism isn't your thing (or your fellow diners'), maybe crisp up some bacon before the shallot saute?  Some chicken would go well in there too.

Westerosi Honey-Clove Lamb - Updated

The North remembers.  It was not so long ago that Ned Stark ruled in Winterfell, free of those meddlesome southern lords and their Iron Throne.  Such feasts we had!  Who knows when we'll next know the taste of mutton in this long winter?

The imagination of George RR Martin as interpreted by The Inn at the Crossroads blog is not always on point...  No complaints at all about this one, though.  It's such a simple recipe - almost no prep of the ingredients - but such rich flavor between the lamb and sauce.  That said, it does almost seem like something's missing.  After a couple tries, I think sauteed mushrooms and onions do the trick.

The Recipe

lamb chops or steaks
mushrooms, chopped
1 onion, copped
1 cup cider
2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp cinnamon
4 tbsp honey
butter/olive oil, salt, pepper

Preheat oven to 400.  Sprinkle your lamb with salt and pepper, and sear (over pretty high heat) in a dry skillet.  Then move to a buttered/oiled baking dish and cook for about 10-15 minutes.  Meanwhile, sautee the mushroom and onion in the skillet until softening, then put everything else in and simmer.  You want it to reduce down pretty well into a nice gravy.  Combine, give thanks to the Old Gods and eat.

Notes

And that's it!  A few points.  What are cloves?  I don't know but they are delicious.  The original recipe calls for mead.  I have no idea where to get that and was at a loss, until it came to me right there in Morton Williams - cider.  Even if it doesn't work out, you have five and a half ciders to comfort yourself with.  And if (when) it goes amazingly well, you still have those ciders!  The only suitable cuts of lamb they had were shoulder steaks, a bit tough but not expensive, and they still have that great lamb scent, and then taste.  Once the lamb's in the oven and the sauce on the stove, you have some good time to work on sides.

Here's the finished product as per Inn at the Crossroads with a tasty fancy-boy sauteed spinach.  As you can see, ideally the sauce would be thicker and sit on top of the lamb (instead of sloppily pool in the plate), but it tasted great.

And here's a subsequent iteration with the full gravy.  Much less wet, especially over mashed potatoes:

Pumpkin Panna Cotta

Happy Thanksgiving!  This year saw my first effort to contribute in the kitchen.  I dug into the archives for a recipe with some seasonal flavors - and definitely sounds much fancier than it actually is to put together:

Recipe

1/2 cup milk
1 envelope  gelatin
2 cups half-and-half
1 cup (half a can) pureed pumpkin
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
chocolate for garnish (optional)

Combine the half-and-half, pumpkin, sugar, and cinnamon and mix (or blend) until it's very regular.  Meanwhile, put the milk in a large saucepan and sprinkle the gelatin on top.  Don't turn on the heat for about five minutes, then warm over low until the gelatin dissolves.  Then add the pumpkin mixture, cook over medium and stir until it steams.  Then pour into a dish (or individual dishes) and chill for a couple hours.  Once it's firm you can garnish with ground chocolate.

Outcome

For the hungry, sweet-toothed clan, I doubled everything.  The chocolate was my own addition to the recipe, for an extra texture and flavor (but also to distract from a little bit of a splotchy top).  We used an ounce of unsweetened baker's chocolate over the top.  The result wasn't too sugary, so you could potentially use something richer...

On its way to being fully consumed...

Stewed Pepper Catfish

I usually rely on old Morton Williams for my grocery needs, but their seafood selection can be a bit limited unless you want tilapia.  So, on evenings where I try to get some vitamin D or omega-3, I generally take the slightly longer stroll to D'Agostino, who usually have something more interesting in the fish section (although their produce can be pretty unappealing).

One recent evening, the pick of the D'Ag fish cooler was clearly a big catfish filet.  I bought it, and returned to my apartment to see what recipes the Internet could provide that I could fill out with what was in the pantry.  Lacking flour ruled out most recipes I turned up, but this one caught my eye.  I didn't have the right ingredients as written, but who ever heard of Italian catfish anyway?  No, catfish has to be Southern, and while I may have taken it a little too close to or over the border, it worked out nicely.

My Recipe

1 jalapeno pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
1 can (4 oz) diced chiles
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp black pepper
catfish filet(s)

Heat olive oil in a skillet and saute the jalapeno, onion, and garlic for a few minutes.  Add the broth, chiles, cumin and pepper and boil for a few minutes.  Reduce heat and plop the catfish onto the sauce base, cover, and simmer for about 10 minutes.  If the catfish is falling apart it's probably pretty fully done...  Serve on its own or over rice.

Outcome

There's just something missing when you don't deep fry catfish...  Even if you prepare it some other way, it really needs some spices - I'd probably add a rub to the mix to make it again.  But the improvised pepper stew sauce was great - I finished off what was left with some Scoops!

Meatloaf!

Tough day at work, redeemed by a solid Knicks win, a hearty carnivorous feast, and the dulcet stylings of the eponymous vocalist:

I was never a big meatloaf fan as a kid (goes for a lot of stuff on here...), but was definitely intrigued by this take on it.  (Have a look if you don't mind really gratuitous profanity.  If you do, no worries; key takeaways below.)  Why go off a recipe when you have license to combine your choice of ground meats and extras?  I'd just preface by saying that meatloaf will be a process of ongoing experimentation.  It's a dish that lends itself to whatever you feel like, have on hand, etc., even after you find formulas that work really well.

OK, to sum up the key meatloaf principles:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Start with your ground meats - I used a mix of chuck and sirloin, really wanted veal, and supposedly even pork or turkey can be solid components.
• Add more ingredients!  They recommend a cup of add-ins per pound of meat.  Most of that should be bread crumbs.  Onions are solid; I want to try other veggies like kale, jalapeno, carrot, etc.
• For chemistry reasons, I assume, add a "glug" or two of milk and a (whisked) egg or two.
• Season (maybe a couple tsps?) - salt and pepper; mustard and thyme (what I used); red/cayenne pepper; garlic and parmesan; the possibilities are not endless, but near to it...
• Get your mitts in there and mix roughly - no need to be a perfectionist.
• Instead of squeezing into a bread pan, lump it into a vague loaf shape and cook in a deep pan or dish so that it's not confined by the sides.  The goal is to get a delicious crust on as much surface area as possible.
• Cook for 60-90 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 160 (I actually used a meat thermometer for the first time).
• Squirt some ketchup on top, and cook another 15 minutes or so.
• Serve on toast and/or with mashed potatoes and veggies, and definitely more ketchup - no way around it, it's the perfect complement to the blob of meat.

That's a lot of steps, but it's not that complicated and turned out very well in my first try (with my signature onion, mustard, and thyme, side of zucchini).  More variations to come!

Crockpot Apple Ginger Pork

I first tried this recipe a little while back at the convergence of a few themes of my cooking experimentation to that point - paleo recipes from CrossFit, getting use out of my crockpot, and trying to incorporate ginger.  This isn't my favorite crockpot pork roast preparation, but it's a solid recipe with distinctive sweet-but-not-too-sweet flavors.

The Recipe

2 lb pork roast
1 onion, sliced
2 apples, sliced
2/3 cup broth
1 tbsp honey
2 tbsp ginger, grated
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp pepper
1 garlic cloves, smashed
1 bay leaf

It's a crockpot recipe.  Put it all in there and cook for like 6-8 hours on high.

Notes

Because of my much lamented mini-crockpot I really had to cut back on the onion and apple just to fit everything.  And I used vegetable broth as the liquid base.  Otherwise, not much to improve on!  I would point out that the recipe doesn't specify a type of apple, but since it gets kind of mushed into the gravy it's not a big deal - I just lean toward something sweet versus tart.

Here's the finished product - that crispy green on the side is a batch of kale chips:

Swiss Chard with Bacon & Raisins

As I write this, Hurricane Sandy is bearing down on the Atlantic seaboard.  Luckily I'd braved the ridiculous Morton Williams line situation yesterday, as hundreds of New Yorkers scrambled to make what was probably their first grocery run in months.  Amateurs ;)  With a little planning, though, I'm ready to eat well for the next few days.  Assuming the power stays on, otherwise all bets are off...

Who better to wait out the storm with than Rachel Ray?  I dogeared this one in her book since Swiss chard is apparently a pretty healthy fall-seasonal vegetable, and it's got fruit and meat too!

The Recipe

1/8 pound pancetta or bacon (two slices, which I obviously doubled), chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1+ pound Swiss chard, stems removed and chopped (um, now re-reading it calls for red Swiss chard? oops!)
1/4 cup golden raisins
1 container (14 oz) chicken broth
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

It all proceeds pretty logically: Heat the pancetta/bacon in a pan with olive oil, add onions and cook until bacon is crispy and onions are soft (funny how that works).  Then add the chard in bunches until it wilts.  Stir in the raisins and add the broth (and nutmeg if you've got it).  Boil the liquid and simmer until greens are soft and no longer bitter, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Notes

So I already posted some notes above.  Just by doing a Google image search, I don't think red chard makes a big difference, which is reassuring.  In fact, it looks like the main difference is in the stem color, which mostly doesn't make it into the dish anyway.  I also neglected to pick up broth of any kind in my last-minute preparations, so I subbed in salt water with a splash of whiskey as per wise, wise Internet folks.  The final product was salty but still very tasty!

Billie Bubba Shrimp

This peppery dish is a riff on an official Bubba Gump shrimp recipe and it is best to make said dish while listening to Billie Holiday--hence the name.

(serves 2-3)

INGREDIENTS:

For the broth:

• 1/2 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon Cajun spice
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 chicken bouillon cube
• 8 ounces clam juice
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar

For the shrimp:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
• 1/2 tablespoon garlic, minced
• 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 baguette (optional)
• 1 cup cooked white rice (optional)
• Lemon wedges (optional)

RECIPE:

For the broth:
In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter, and in the melted butter cook black pepper, Cajun seasoning, and garlic, about 5 minutes. Add bouillon cube, clam juice, Worcestershire sauce, and sugar. Bring to a boil then turn down the heat to low until ready to serve.

For the shrimp:
In a large saute pan melt butter. Add Worcestershire, black pepper, Cajun seasoning, garlic and shrimp. Cook shrimp quickly, approximately 2 minutes. Combine shrimp and broth. Serve with bread or rice and lemon, whatever you'd like.

NOTES: "Creole" seasoning has the same spices as "cajun," so feel free to use that...and you could probably throw in some collard greens in at the end for a more nutritionally-complete meal...

Tuna Marinara with Ravioli

Speaking of "domestic goddesses," how about Rachel Ray?  On a whim, I dug back into one of her 30-minute meals cookbooks for this recipe.  More to come...  Anyway, I subtitle this one "dinner from cans."

1 package (12-16 oz) ravioli
1 can (6 oz) tuna
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 onion, finely chopped
3-4 tbsp olives, chopped
1 can (15 oz) crushed tomatoes
parsley &/or basil garnish

Cook the ravioli to al dente.  Meanwhile, heat a skillet (medium), add olive oil, then garlic, then tuna (drained).  Break up the tuna, then add the onion and cook for 3-5 minutes.  Then add olives and tomatoes and simmer for a few minutes.  By now, the ravioli should be done; in it goes.  Mix, garnish and serve.

When I think of it, I try not to over-season dishes.  This one, I dunno, maybe was missing a little something?  So next time I'd add a little more salt and pepper at key moments.  Otherwise, there's a decent bit of chopping to get started, but Rachel probably has the timing about right.

Broiled Salmon with Homemade Teriyaki Sauce

Coming to you from the domestic goddess who is Gwyneth Paltrow, I present the greatest way to cook salmon EVER...(pic coming soon!!)

1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons mirin
3 tbsp honey
1/3 cup water
1 teaspoon peeled and finely grated ginger
2 sprigs fresh cilantro
4 6 oz. salmon fillets, skin discarded
1 tbsp finely minced fresh chives

Combine the soy sauce, mirin, honey, water, ginger and cilantro in a small saucepan over high heat. Once it boils, turn heat to low and let simmer for 2 minutes.  Remove saucepan from heat and let sauce cool down.  Once it's cool, pour into large bowl or plastic bag and add salmon.  Marinate in the fridge for at least an hour, up to overnight.

When you're ready to eat, preheat the broiler.  Put the salmon on a heavy baking sheet with whatever sauce adheres to it and broil until cooked to your liking, around 10 minutes.  While it's cooking, put extra sauce into clean saucepan, bring to a boil and let it reduce.  To serve, drizzle the salmon with the extra sauce and sprinkle some chives on top.

NOTES:  I am lazy--therefore I buy jars of pre-grated ginger.  I'm a fan of really seeing and tasting the ginger in each bite, so I probably double the amount.  I always forget the cilantro and I don't think the dish suffers for it.  The chives are, in my opinion, more necessary.  I cannot express how good this sauce is--as it cooks is gets all caramelized and gooey (makes pan cleanup a B*TCH if you cook it too long FYI) I want to try it on chicken and eggplant soon...

Chicken Piccata

Here at Cannibal Stew, we apparently like our chicken (tastes like chicken?).  Well, here's another one, courtesy of a friend of a sister, I think...  Chicken piccata, though of uncertain translation, is basically a breaded chicken cutlet with a lemon-butter-white wine-caper sauce.  A little more elaborate as a chicken entree, but reasonable and rewarding!

The Recipe

6-10 medium-sized chicken breasts or thighs (skinless/boneless)
bread crumbs
1-2 cloves garlic
2-3 lemons
3/4 cup white wine
1/2 cup capers
olive oil, butter, salt & pepper

Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper, and coat with bread crumbs.  Heat a few tbsps of oil over medium high and add garlic.  Next you cook the chicken in single layers and cook for about 3 minutes per side.  Once it's all done, it goes into baking dishes.  Sprinkle the zest of a lemon over the top and set aside while you whip up the sauce.  Without cleaning your pan, add lemon juice and white wine, then a tbsp butter and the capers.  Scrape/stir and heat for a few minutes, then pour over the chicken and cook at 350 for about 20 minutes.

Notes

Well, I'm not a classy enough guy to just have some white wine lying around, so I subbed in a splash of the Chardonnay of beers: Stella Artois.  I was a little worried, but as soon as I tasted the sauce I realized there were no ill effects.  Whatever you use, you'll want a generous amount of that sauce.  I also thought my chicken (thighs) might be a little smaller than the recipe calls for, so I left them in the oven for more like 15 mintues, which was probably the very bottom end of doneness...  I was too lazy to make pasta, so here's the finished product on a bed of greens:

Sweet Potato Hash

Got to give credit for the idea here and here, but basically just sort of winged it this weekend.  Grating three sweet potatoes was a bit of work, but one or two would be much more manageable and still plenty of grub.  Here's my usual for a hearty breakfast for myself - scale up as needed:

1 medium sweet potato, grated
1 small-to-medium onion, chopped
1/4 pound bacon (four slices), chopped
Optional ingredients - garlic, peppers, mushrooms, anything else

First, fry up your bacon until it's just starting to crisp up.  In go the onions until they're soft and brown; add your other ingredients around here as well.  Then, drop in the sweet potatoes and mix it all up.  Cook about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sweet potato is cooked through.  From that point, doneness is up to you - soft, a little crusty, charred, somewhere in the middle.

Here's a nice tasteful serving of the first try, which used fancy wild boar bacon:

Apple Onion Pork with Butternut Squash

Fall is in the air, but maybe not enough of an autumn chill to turn entirely to soups and stews and such...  Instead, we started with some seasonal produce with this recipe.  It's a bit of an ambitious undertaking, appropriate for a group cooking and eating evening.  Butternut squash is always a bit of an ordeal, and this preparation took longer than anticipated to cook.  On the plus side, though, the crockpot can really turn not-quite-ripe squash into a pleasant goo...  It was a shame it wasn't ready with the rest of the entree, though, because the pork and apple-onion relish (?) really could have used another savory component, and it was not nearly sweet enough to pass off as a dessert.  But it was interesting and fun, and now that I've rambled on, I guess trying to provide those thousand words to make up for no picture...  But yeah, no picture :(

Crockpot Chile Pork

I went through a phase where I was ducking out of work briefly to set up a crockpot meal about once a week - don't know why I stopped!  Aside from the Johnson family classic, this crockpot pork and peppers was maybe the biggest success.  A lot of peppers and spices in there - too many to fit into my kiddie crockpot, unfortunately.  But even cutting back gives the meat plenty of flavor and a great sauce.

The Recipe

2 lb pork roast
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 4-oz cans of diced chiles
2-3 jalapenos, diced
2 cups broth
1 8-oz can of diced tomatoes
1 tsp each of oregano, salt, pepper
1/2 tsp each of cumin, sage, paprika, cayenne pepper

Put your pork in the crockpot, then veggies, then chiles and tomatoes, then spices, then broth.  Cook on low 6-8 hours.

Outcome

Because of said mini-crockpot, I had to stretch the pork for a couple people.  With some tortilla, papaya and kale chips, made a very nice meal:

Steak Fajitas

Red meat always seems a little tricky in a humble NYC apartment.  If you're not grilling, you're probably using a second-best cooking technique, sadly.  So I was happy to find a steak recipe that actually recommends using a pan.  A little guidance on the marinade didn't hurt either.

The Recipe

1 lb flank steak or skirt steak
1 onion, sliced
2-3 bell peppers
olive oil, salt

Marinade
juice of 1 lime
1 jalapeno, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Mix the marinade ingredients together, coat the steak and let sit at least an hour.  Then heat a skillet over high with oil and sear your meat for a few minutes each side.  Let it sit while you cook the vegetables.  Then slice the meat and serve with tortillas, etc.

Results

With your choice of peppers, veggies and other fajita fixin's (I liked sprinking some Manchego on mine), it makes a fun group meal.  I was a little underwhelmed by the marinade, though - the more you stuff into your tortilla, the less that flavor comes through.

No picture :(

Cider Braised Brats

This is one of my favorites. It's simple enough, with just a handful of ingredients, and you can enjoy one of your extra bottles of cider while you cook and/or eat.  You might not think that sausage could absorb much flavor from the cider, but that just isn't the case at all.

The Recipe

bratwurst
1 onion, sliced
1 bell pepper, sliced
1 bottle hard cider

Melt a tbsp or two of butter over medium low, and put on your peppers and onions.  Once they're pretty well cooked, add the cider and brats, cover loosely and simmer until the sausage is cooked through.  Then char the brats a little on a grill pan, while turning up the heat to reduce the cider and finish off the veggies.

Thoughts

My only problem with the recipe is that it's a bit ambiguous with the peppers and onions.  What does it mean to "sweat" them out?  I basically soften them pretty good, and then you have to make sure to nuke them pretty well at the end.  And if you don't have a grill pan, sear the brats a bit in another pan.  And did I mention, enjoy another cider while you eat?

Spanish Potato Bake

I dug this recipe up for a "non-traditional Thanksgiving" cooking evening.  Unfortunately in that friendly competition it couldn't take the prize over some of the hardcore meat/bacon dishes, but it turned out well, got pretty positive feedback as a great side.  It's pretty hearty, could make a vegetarian entree as well.

Recipe

Sauce
3 cloves garlic
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 1/2 tsp hot Spanish (smoked) paprika
1/2 tsp salt
3 tsp olive oil
3 tbsp white wine vinegar
16 oz tomatoes
Bake
1 1/2 to 2 lbs potatoes
1-2 tbsp olive oil
1 yellow pepper, chunked
1 courgette (a.k.a. zucchini), chunked
10 oz sliced mushrooms
2 onions, sliced
3/4 cup grated Manchego or other cheese
handful of green olives, chopped

Start by boiling your potatoes, whole or in halves to go quicker.  They should be soft but hopefully still a bit firm.  Let cool and slice.

Saute the onion, then add courgette, pepper, and mushroom and saute another 15 minutes.  Then stir in the olives.

Blend the sauce ingredients together.

Then you layer into an oiled casserole dish - (half of the) potatoes, veggies, sauce, cheese, and repeat.  Cover with tin foil and bake at 350 for 30 minutes, then uncover and cook another 15.

Notes

I do have a couple notes that might be helpful.  I've usually erred on cooking the potatoes pretty long, since even ones a bit on the mushy side work better in this combo than undercooked.  "Courgette" means zucchini.  And I haven't blended all the sauce ingredients, just minced everything pretty well - again, I figure everything's supposed to be a bit lumpy and uneven.  And Manchego may be a little more expensive, but worth it!  Think of the final product as less of a lasagna than a zesty potato salad?  Observe:

Thai Coconut Chicken Soup

A.k.a. Tom Kha Gai, this one was a team effort by Emma and me on an uncharacteristically cool and rainy spring day.  As good as it was, it'll be a while before I make it again, but when winter hits, it could be a go-to dinner.

The Recipe

chicken breast - a pound and change? - cut into small pieces
1 onion, sliced
2 cans coconut milk
4 cups chicken stock
1 tbsp coconut (or sesame) oil
2 tbsp minced ginger
2 tbsp red chili paste
2 1/2 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp lemongrass - paste or minced - if you can find it

Cook onion in the oil over low heat for about 15 minutes.  Mix in the spices/sauces.  Add the coconut milk and simmer for 15-20 minutes, then the stock and chicken, raise heat to low boil and simmer for about 20 minutes until done.

Results

So yeah, it was really good.  A lot of elements, but they go in in phases, so you can prep the next batch while the previous one is cooking.  We had some (friendly, of course) debate over the proportion of broth to solid ingredients, as well as the possible addition of mushroom.  And it's a little tricky to find the exact right amount of sriracha to balance flavor and heat.  But overall a success and something to make a seasonal favorite!

It was very good, but look - it's mostly broth!

Emma, feel free to add your notes or pictures!

Lemon Rosemary Salmon

Salmon is one of those pieces of meat that's worth trying a few different ways to figure out what works best for you (and your pescatarian friends).  This recipe is a pretty simple way to do it, relying on just a few hard-working seasonings - butter, lemon, salt, rosemary (I just use both separately, no making special salt in advance for me).

The Recipe

about 1 lb salmon fillets
1 lemon
rosemary, salt, butter

Place pats of butter on a baking dish with the salmon on top.  Sprinkle with salt and rosemary, put more pats of butter and slices of lemon on top.  Broil for 15 minutes* or until done.

Notes

* I just don't get the recipe's broiling instructions.  A low broil took *way* more than 10-15 minutes (unless you're going for lemon rosemary sushi).  Maybe they meant high?  In any case, something to be aware of if you try it out.

Here's a nice piece of salmon with maple-mustard beans, a very tangy/acidic preparation...

South Dakota Beef Brisket

It is a grave oversight that we have not yet taken the time to give this family gem its due.  This recipe goes back to the early days when the courageous Johnsons first came over from Sweden and settled in America's heartland, persevering through harsh conditions, tenuous relations with the Sioux, and encroachment from the pesky Norwegians.  It was passed down to me with great solemnity.  Here it is documented for posterity.

The Recipe

One pound beef roast
One bottle of ketchup
One can of Coke
One packet of French onion soup mix

Cook in your crockpot on high for about 6 hours. 

Give thanks to Odin and eat.

Thai-Style Minced Chicken

The first time I encountered ground chicken, I was kind of grossed out.  However, add enough Asian sauces and spices and it turns out I'll enjoy myself pretty thoroughly.  I've made this recipe twice now, both times doing about the same thing for the main componentry but taking the rest of the meal, fixin's and whatnot, in very different directions.  See below for notes.

The Recipe

1 lb ground chicken
1 onion, sliced thinly
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 tbsp minced garlic
1-2 jalapeno peppers, chopped
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 cup basil, sliced
peanut (or sesame) oil

Heat a tbsp of oil over high, then add onion, then bell pepper for a minute or two each, then garlic briefly.  Set aside, and heat two more tbsp of oil and lightly brown the chicken.  Stir in the veggies and jalapenos, then soy sauce, then fish sauce, then basil.  Serve over rice.

Notes

For the stir-fried chicken, I've generally started with sesame oil in place of peanut oil in the spirit of using what I have on hand.  I'm not sure exactly how they expect the onion and pepper to be cut (small but not too small?), but there isn't really a wrong way, maybe just a slower one...

The last instruction they give is to serve over rice.  I've done that, and it got pretty positive feedback.  Originally, though, I'd kind of leaned toward a Latin fusion approach, subbing in turkey as a New World fowl and serving (to myself) in tortillas.  I only thought to capture that approach on camera:

Crispy Roast Chicken with Lemon-Herb Sauce

Obviously I can't let Emma have the last word in crispy chicken...  This one comes courtesy of America's Test Kitchen, and while it's more labor intensive than some other recipes, it's hard to argue with the results.  The skin does crisp up deliciously, and it makes me want to cook with shallots more. To wit:

The Recipe

3 1/2 lbs bone-in, skin-on chicken, mix of parts
1 - 1 1/4 c chicken broth

1 medium shallot, minced
1 tsp flour (optional?)
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 1/2 tbsp parsley, minced
1 1/2 tbsp chives, minced

butter, salt, pepper, olive oil

Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil medium-high, and add chicken skin-side down until golden-brown (5-8 minutes).  Flip chicken, lower heat to medium-low, add 3/4 c broth, cover and cook 10-15 minutes.  Remove chicken to a plate and liquid to cup.  Wipe skillet with paper towel, heat oil medium-high and add chicken again, skin-side down until "deep golden brown" (about 5 minutes).  Remove (back) to plate and cover; skim fat from reserved liquid and add broth to about 3/4 c.

Now, heat shallot over low heat, about a minute.  Add flour and cook about 30 seconds; add broth, heat to medium-high, simmer and scrape up chicken bits...  Reduce to about 1/2 c, stir in juices from resting chicken, remove from heat and stir in lemon juice, parsley, chives, and butter.

The Results

Re-reading the recipe, I'm not sure I added all the herbs, but the shallot-lemon-broth sauce was still excellent!

Stewed Collard Greens & Chorizo

I don't have much to add to this recipe, but it's just too good not to share here.  You get your meat and veggies in one very savory pot/bowl.  Just follow the recipe!

The Recipe

1 bunch collard greens, leaves removed from stems and chopped into bite-size pieces
1 lb fresh chorizo, casing removed
1 quart stock
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp hot sauce

Brown the chorizo in a bit of oil in a soup pot.  Then add stock, vinegar, soy sauce and hot sauce, put in the collard greens, cover loosely and stew for about 20 minutes, until the greens are soft and wilted.

Notes

My only notes: The biggest thing is to use fresh chorizo, not the smoked and packaged type.  I use chipotle Tabasco sauce, and a substitution for vegetable stock is pretty tasty too even though it's still not vegetarian-friendly...

And turns out I do have a picture (with the wrong chorizo, though):

Honey Mustard Chicken

Trying to get a lot of my favorites and reliable stand-by's out of the way, so time now for Honey Mustard Chicken.  Although, to be fair, I don't really follow that recipe too closely.  Yeah, it was helpful to use their cooking guidelines: 350 degrees, about 30 minutes, flip and another 10-15.  And I try to use equal parts mustard and honey as they prescribe.  But I ignore their spice additions (maybe if they called for some thyme that would get my attention).  I also prefer using skinless, boneless thighs when ol' Morton Williams has 'em.

In any case, it's a straightforward but tasty dish, and it's worth keeping the two main sauce ingredients (honey and mustard, if you're paying attention) around.  Here's it with some classic kale chips:

And here it is accompanied by roasted Brussels sprouts with pepperoni.  This concept (not even really a recipe) deserves its own paragraph.  It's so simple - just half a sprout with a pepperoni on top.  Amazing, though:

Baked Breaded Pork Chops

After trying out a number of pork chop recipes, here's the one I've gone back to by far the most.  Breading and baking the chops just seems to be much simpler and harder to mess up than pan-searing it.  Instead of stressing about not over- or undercooking your chops, you have a little bit of fun getting your hands dirty breading it, then just let it sit in the oven some 40 minutes. OK to get specific:

The Recipe

pork chops
butter crackers (1-2 servings per chop)
1 egg
butter
garlic powder, salt and pepper

Beat the egg(s); crush the crackers and sprinkle in the seasonings and anything else you want to mix in.  Dip the chops in egg, then coat with the cracker mixture.  Put in a baking dish with pats of butter - a quarter cup for two chops.  Cover and bake at 375 degrees for 35-45 minutes.

Thoughts

I've experimented with different substitutions and additions to the breading - Corn Flakes, pretzels, Goldfish, Parmesan.  But it's hard to top the way the butter crackers absorb the juices and, yes, butter.  If you do want to change it up, I recommend mixing equal parts crushed butter cracker and breading element of choice.

Another advantage of the hands-off baking approach is that, while it's cooking, you have plenty of time to prepare a vegetable or other side, e.g., roasted asparagus, Parmesan zucchini, or sauteed kale.

Pretzel pork with roast asparagus

Spaghetti alla Carbonara

I haven't cooked this one in a while, but it's definitely worth including in the archives here...  The backstory comes from when I was just starting to think about cooking for myself more, was hungry one night but didn't want to get groceries.  With help from Google and the Food Network, I found a recipe for which I actually had all of the key ingredients on hand - pasta, eggs, bacon, garlic, olive oil and parmesan cheese. Here goes:

The Recipe

1 lb spaghetti
4 oz bacon (or pancetta), chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 eggs
1 cup grated Parmesan
pepper

Get all your ingredients queued up because this moves fast.  Start your pasta.  Beat the egg and Parmesan together.  Meanwhile, heat your oil, then bacon until crisp, then garlic for about a minute.  Your pasta should be done here - add it to the pan with about 1/2 cup of the water.  After that's mixed, turn off the heat and add the egg/cheese and some pepper.  Eat.

Notes

Returning to this recipe many, many times over the following months, I refined it to my liking with a few footnotes to the Food Network recipe:

• Start the oil just a minute or two after the pasta goes in the pot.
• Plop the bacon in with around five minutes to go. It hits that perfect point quickly! One minute it looks like it'll end up undercooked, the next it's crisping up...
• I suck at cracking eggs.
• Don't strain the pasta. Just pour out as much water as you can without losing any noodles, and the rest of the pot gets tossed with the rest of the mix.
• Never bother with parsley or (ugh) peas.

After a quick but intense 15 minutes or so, you too can end up eating this:

Asparagus & Egg

I was surprised to come across this concept for broiled asparagus and eggs - apparently it's a thing? - but I was intrigued enough to try it.

1 lb asparagus - the good end, chopped into about 1 inch pieces
1/4 onion, diced
4 eggs
lemon juice, olive oil, salt & pepper

Turn on the broiler and get the rack about 5 inches below.  Put 1-2 tbsp oil in a skillet and heat it in the oven.  Add the vegetables and coat in the oil, then cook until lightly browned, a few minutes.  Clear the center of the skillet and crack in the eggs.  Cook until set but still runny (could be as quick as a minute or two).  Sprinkle with lemon juice, salt, and pepper, and eat.

I made it as a hearty side for a steak, which overall worked out pretty well, i.e., I didn't go hungry.  I reduced the portion size but not proportionally - could have used another egg and (a lot) less onion.  Not sure I nailed it but worth trying again.  Spargel!

Oven Fake Fried Chicken

Oh LORDY, this is great, easy chicken--all the crunch and savoriness of fried chicken, but baked!

Giving credit where credit is due, this is adapted from a Paula Deen recipe.  That woman is a treasure.

INGREDIENTS:
-2 cups panko bread crumbs
-1 cup grated Parmesan
-4 tbsp olive oil
-2 tbsp rosemary (I used rosemary instead of the recommended thyme)
-salt and pepper
-1/4 cup dijon mustard
-2 tbsp water
-2 1/2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breast

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a shallow dish, combine bread crumbs, cheese, 2 tbsp olive oil, rosemary, salt and pepper to taste.
In a separate shallow dish, combine mustard, water, salt and pepper to taste and remaining olive oil (2 tbsp).
Coat each chicken breast with mustard mixture, dredge each in bread crumb mixture.
Place in an oil coated baking dish.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until chicken is golden brown.

NOTES:
I highly recommend using rosemary, as it's such a nice bold herb.  And make sure to get a block of good quality parm and grate it yourself, DON'T SKIMP!  And I dribbled some leftover bread crumbs on top of the already-breaded chicken...that meant there were little extra crispy bits in the dish after cooking...

Lamb Shoulder

I think my cooking has come a long way, but I'm still not ready to trust myself with a really fine, expensive piece of meat.  When it comes to lamb, so far I've stuck to ground or, for this post, shoulder.  That link is more walkthrough than specific formula, but here's what I've done:

The Recipe

lamb shoulder chops
onion, chopped
baby carrots, chopped
mushrooms, chopped
a few cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup red wine
1 can crushed tomatoes

Season your chops with salt and pepper, and brown over high in a skillet.  Set aside; lower heat, then cook up your vegetables in the same skillet.  Once they're cooked and soft, add the red wine.  Reduce a bit, then add the tomatoes and plop the lamb (and juices) back in.  Cover and simmer for about 45 minutes, until the meat is tender.  Once the meat is done, set aside again and reduce the sauce down.

Notes

This recipe does involve some serious chopping (onion, carrot and garlic; think we've added some mushrooms too) and takes a while to stew (I used red wine; not sure why you'd use white with lamb and tomatoes).  But it seems pretty hard to mess up, and done anywhere close to right both the chops and the sauce come out so rich at the end.  Like the walkthrough explains, it's good on its own or over pasta.

Not my best photographic work, but I swear the taste was all there!  Doesn't the sauce at least look awesome:

Sesame Chicken

I was always a bigger fan of ol' General Tso, but when I came across something vaguely similar that looked well doable here via here, I decided to give it a shot.  I followed the recipe from the first link, with the second's addition of a chopped jalapeno for that extra kick.  To sum up:

Recipe

1+ lbs boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1 inch chunks
2 onions, thinly sliced
5 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
5 tsp honey
2 tbsp oil
1 tbsp grated ginger
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
4 tsp cornstarch
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp chili paste
2 tbsp sesame seeds

Start with a big bowl; whisk together 3 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tsp sesame oil, and 2 tsp honey.  Add in your chicken, coat in the sauce and marinate for 20-30 minutes.

Next up is your large skillet.  Heat 2 tsp oil and cook your chicken until browned, in two batches if necessary.  Set aside.

Put 2 more tsps oil in the skillet and cook up the onions, ginger, and garlic.  Meanwhile whisk together the broth with the cornstarch, vinegar, chili paste, and remaining soy sauce (2 tbsp) and honey (3 tsp).  When the onions are to your liking, add in this sauce and cook a few minutes until it thickens.  Then stir in the last tsp of the sesame oil. 

Pour the sauce over the chicken, garnish with sesame seeds, and serve.  Rice and broccoli optional...

Notes

This one requires a lot of ingredients, lots of chopping, etc., so it's worth making it a group project.  Scaling up did seem to make it more difficult to create that thick sauce, though...  (Maybe doesn't help that I ignored the cornstarch ingredient - do I really have to buy a whole package just to use a few tsps?)  Either way, very tasty!

Don't forget to sprinkle the sesame seed garnish on top!  Even if you do, there's plenty of sesame flavor from the oil, but still...

The worst part of Chinese takeout is clearly the bland steamed broccoli.  I came close to first cooking this dish without greens at all, but luckily Google turned up the perfect compromise: fried broccoli, now in my mind a necessary element to this meal.  Keeping with my spicy tastes, I didn't skimp on the crushed red pepper...

Lamb Meatballs

Recipe

Thanks Natalie for the Best Meat Recipes cookbook a few Christmases back!  Unfortunately, most of the recipes involve equipment beyond what my humble NYC kitchen supports (e.g., grilling) or premium cuts of meat you just can't get at Morton Williams.  This one took two tries on the latter point, but was well worth the effort.

1 lb ground lamb
1 tsp cumin
1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
3 tbsp cilantro, chopped
1 cup + 3 tbsp yogurt
1 slice of bread, crumbled
1 clove garlic, minced
oil
fixin's (pita, pasta, rice, greens, etc.)

Combine the lamb, cumin, cayenne, 2 tbsp cilatro, 3 tbsp yogurt and bread crumbs in a large bowl - get in there up to your elbows to mix it up.  Then gently roll into meatballs of about an inch.  Freeze for a few minutes.  Heat oil in a pan (medium-high), in go the balls.  Brown about two minutes, flip, lower heat (medium), cook another six minutes; couldn't help rolling them around a little to make sure they cook through.  Combine the yogurt, garlic, remaining cilatro and a bit of cayenne and salt as a sauce.

Outcome

Technically I did this recipe with about .88 lb of meat and didn't hold back too much on the cayenne, so it came out very flavorful.  I ended up with about a dozen meatballs, enough for two with some pasta and spinach to go with.  Most were cooked about right - little to no pink, with a nice brown crust.  Fun and not too difficult to put together!

Baked Tilapia

It's not the fanciest fish, but it's super easy and quick to make, and you can spice it up with whatever you feel like or have on hand.

The basics, courtesy of this handy video (which I don't think I've ever watched past 0:57 - why mess with success?):

Preheat oven to 400 degrees, lightly oil a baking dish, add a bed of spinach, lay the tilapia (defrosted) on top, season however you like, cook 10-15 minutes.  Some ideas I've tried:

• Italian: garlic, rosemary, salt & pepper; optional cherry tomatoes, red pepper, Parmesan cheese or pepperoni
• Southwestern: diced jalapenos, a sprinkle of cumin, salt & pepper (below left)
• Asian: soy sauce, grated ginger, sesame seeds, pepper (below right)
• Country(?): mustard, thyme, salt & pepper

Cider-Brined Pork & Gravy

Notes
This is apparently some sort of award-winning pork dish from Food52.com.  As such, it's probably most appropriate for special occasions - it requires some fancy liquor ingredients and a day's advance preparation.  But you can't very well promise it to guests without giving it a run though first, can you?

So what actually is/are calvados?  Some fancy kind of Spanish or Portuguese brandy?  Are there any non-fancy brandies?  In any case, it's not something I have lying around, or would invest $40 (as per recipe comments) in for one cooking experiment.  So I gave it a shot (heh) with some spiced rum instead.  Similarly, I replaced the various mustard/mustard elements with spoonfuls of good old Gulden's from my fridge.  I also used milk instead of cream, which in general seems not to not effect the texture too adversely in small portions.  Otherwise, the ingredients were surprisingly simple and mostly on hand.

Recipe

Pork
2 thick bone-in pork chops

Brine
2 cups apple cider
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp peppercorns
2 tsp mustard seeds
3 sprigs thyme

Sauce
1/4 cup calvados
1 shallot, minced
1 tbsp thyme, minced
1/3 cup apple cider
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tsp mustard

Day 1
Combine brine ingredients in a saucepan and simmer until dissolved.  Remove from heat and let cool.  Put your chops in a single layer in a pan, pour in the brine, cover, and let sit overnight.

Day 2
Rinse and dry the chops and season with a little salt & pepper.  Heat up 1-2 tbsp oil in a skillet and saute your pork until cooked through, 4-5 minutes a side.  Set aside your chops, pour out excess oil, and deglaze the pan with the calvados, scraping up bits.  Add 2 tbsp butter, then the shallots and thyme.  Saute a couple minutes, then add the cider and cream, and boil to thicken.  Then stir in the mustard and serve over the pork.

Outcome

This was dear-God good.  Yes, a lot of it came from the straightforward salt part of the brine.  It was hard to pick out the distinct components of the sauce, let alone the brine, but overall it was a very rich combination.  Shallots and thyme are very solid, flavorful ingredients.  And despite the whole cooking process spanning over 24 hours, no one part of it was too time-intensive.  The process left me time to cook dinner the night before, and could leave time for side dishes the day of, although I just served it (to myself) with some greens and carrots, extra sauce poured over the top, of course

One tip: I went pretty quickly from heating the brine to pouring it over the meat, which looked like it actually mildly started cooking the outside edges of the chops.  I'd probably let it cool first next time.

Blackened Salmon

This recipe comes from (paleo-friendly) Health-Bent.  The couple of different parts (requiring their own dishes) are all necessary, but it doesn't use many out-of-the-ordinary ingredients.  It's a good one for when you have some time for a more elaborate, hands-on salmon preparation.

Recipe

4 salmon fillets

Seasoning
3 tsp paprika
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp black pepper

Gravy
4-6 slices bacon, diced
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (14.5 oz) crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup stock
1/2 lemon, juiced (optional)

Start with the gravy.  Cook up the bacon, then the onion and garlic; you can either add in the second set of ingredients if you're confident, or set aside the bacon while the onion and garlic go.  Then everything goes in with the stock and tomatoes.

While that's simmering, skin the salmon and rub the spice mixture into both sides.  Get some oil hot in a skillet and cook the salmon maybe five minutes each side.

Outcome

For once, I basically played this one as written with no real substitutions: salmon skinned and coated with paprika, cayenne, thyme, etc., with a bacon tomato sauce.  Cooking for myself, I about halved the salmon portion but left the sauce the same except for adding zucchini for some summer-seasonal veggies.

I was skeptical even after the first couple of tentative bites from the outside of the filets.  Could the salmon really have been cooked through without burning the outside?  In short, yes.  Doneness is tricky to judge, but the spiced outside is almost a crispy, tangy crust, while the inside of the thicker filet especially was nicely rich and juicy.  The tomato sauce is pretty simple, but a necessary element to bring some extra moisture.

The one minor disappointment was the spice mix, which was a little bit underwhelming.  Maybe in the future I'd use smoked paprika, or more cayenne pepper for an extra kick?