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.