Slow Cooked

A Bastille Day Dinner Party

It took me nearly four months, but finally - long after moving into our new apartment - I managed to have an actual dinner party.  The theme, as best as I could adhere to it, was summery French fare, in honor of Bastille Day (which as I see it, is an excuse to have Champagne and watch the petanque matches on Smith Street while drinking sangria out of plastic cups at noon on a Sunday). 

I didn't do anything fancy or particularly complicated, but if you'll let me toot my own horn, this Shrimp Provencal was pretty fantastic -- I followed this recipe pretty closely, adjusting some of the quantities (or, 'didn't measure' if you prefer) and added a handful of fresh chopped tarragon, and served with rice. 

The gazpacho was loved by some (okay, one), deemed too spicy by others, and I have enough leftover that I will be able to conduct a series of taste tests to see if I can identify possible alterations to make on future batches. 

Alexis's mushroom onion tartlettes were a HUGE hit (she'll have to post the recipe!), as was the ham -- ham which I had nothing to do with, aside from purchasing a pound-plus of it from the little French deli on Clinton Street, near Cobble Hill Park.  I sliced open a baguette and heaped on grainy French mustard and this really fantastic ham, cut it into small sandwiches, and VOILA, a perfect eat-at-parties-where-there-are-not-enough-chairs-for-all-guests food.

One of the very helpful employees at Cobblestone Foods helped me pick out my three cheeses; the reblochon was a big hit, as were the pretzel rolls, also from Cobblestone Foods -- think of a perfect marriage between a croissant and a pretzel, and you get the idea.

Dessert was a selection of beautiful little tarts from Cousin John's Bakery, in Park Slope, as well as an improvised plum and cherry crumble which I topped with a mixture of steel cut oats, plain yogurt, brown sugar, flour, and a pinch of salt - basically, oatmeal cookies on top of hot, bubbly fruit.   (I tossed the fruit with a little sugar, cornstarch and salt, topped with the 'dough' and baked the whole mess in a shallow baking dish at 350 for about half an hour.)

We drank plenty of lovely French wine, but somehow forgot to pop open any of the Champagne, which seems a shame, and also an excuse to open a bottle tonight, just because.

The gazpacho recipe follows -- Alexis and I deemed it "Lazy Ass Gazpacho" because it really is an exercise in minimalism - I read a few different recipes, gathered produce, chopped and blended.  That's it.  I didn't peel or seed or roast my tomatoes, I didn't roast peppers to add heat, none of that.  It took me about a half hour to prep, then I blended and let it sit overnight in the refrigerator to allow all the flavors to blend.  Lazy.  Ass.  Gazpacho.

Molly's Lazy-Ass Gazpacho

• 8 tomatoes (about 2 lbs)
• 2 sweet bell peppers (I used one red and one orange)
• 1 red onion
• 2 cucumbers, peeled and seeded
• juice of three lemons
• handful of flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped
• (smaller) handful of fresh tarragon, coarsely chopped
• a few healthy shakes of Tabasco sauce
• about 1/4 cup of sherry vinegar
• about 1/2 qt. of tomato juice
• salt and pepper to taste

Chop all the vegetables, add liquids and herbs, blend to desired consistency.  The end.  Store in a non-metal, non-reactive container with tight fitting lid and refrigerate over night to allow flavors to come together.  Serve with sliced avocado - yum!

Tortilla Soup

I'm very susceptible to suggestion, so when Caroline told me she was craving chicken tortilla soup, I began craving it as well.  Never mind that I've never actually made it, I just suddenly knew that I needed to have some. 

One of the things I love about soups is that you have a lot of freedom to be very, very imprecise and still come out with a terrific final product.  I become even more of a "winging it" cook when making soups, so my (perhaps not authentic) version of Chicken Tortilla Soup is really a blend of Caroline's soup, various Internet recipes (especially Tyler Florence) and What Was In My Pantry.

I started with:

• 2 chicken breasts, bone in
• 1 zucchini, diced
• 1 orange pepper, diced
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small can of diced green chilies
• 1 quart chicken broth
• 1 large can peeled/diced tomatoes
• 1 can white hominy (this was not in my pantry)
• Queso Fresco (neither was this)
• 4 whole wheat tortillas, cut into strips
• Limes

First poach the chicken breasts - there may be a better way to do this, but I simply poached them with water in a deep skillet, for 40 minutes.  When cooked almost to the point of falling apart, set the chicken aside to cool and then shred.  Using two forks can sometimes speed up the shredding, but when it's not a lot of chicken, I use my hands.  Which is why letting the meat cool is key!

Second, cut the tortillas into strips and toast them in a skillet - you can use oil to fry them if you want, or even bake them, I suppose, but I just toasted them in the pan until brown.

Dice the onion and bell pepper, and mince the garlic.  Heat a few glugs of oil in a heavy-bottomed stock pot or dutch oven.  When shimmering, add the onion, garlic and chilies.  Saute until the onion is translucent.  Add the diced red pepper and saute another 2-3 minutes.  Add the zucchini, saute another minute or so.  Add the tomatoes, and stir.  Let simmer about 5 minutes, then add the chicken broth and bring to a boil.  Let the soup boil for 5 minutes or so, then add the hominy and juice of 2 limes, and let the whole mess simmer for another 3-4 minutes.  Ladle into large soup bowls and add heaping handfuls each of the shredded chicken and crispy tortillas.  Crumble cheese on top and consider a craving satisfied!  This recipe easily serves four.

(I would also recommend topping with slices of avocado.  I would not recommend shopping for your avocados at the Met Food on Smith Street because every single avocado was completely unripe.)

Cilantro Sesame Crab Cakes

If I ever launch my own candle and/or home fragrance brand, I will have a line of products with a cilantro lime scent.  Cilantro and lime are, without a doubt, two of my favorite scents in the world, and two of my favorite flavors as well.  So is crab, but it would probably make for a much less pleasant candle.

It does, however merge perfectly with my beloved cilantro and lime in the form of crab cakes; my standard crab cakes are usually lump crab meat, cilantro, lime juice, bread crumbs, mayo and some sauteed fresh corn.  Tonight I mixed things up, ever so slightly, but the lime and the cilantro and the yummy yummy crab still shine.

I'm lazy, by the way:  I don't steam or even crack my own crabs.  I buy lump.  It's expensive, but I've got no patience for shelling actual crabs unless there is a bowl of dungeness in front of me and the meat is going straight from the shell into my mouth.  So instead I mixed up a pint of lump crab meat with breadcrumbs (3/4 cup), lime juice (2 limes), cilantro (about half a bunch), black sesame seeds (1/4 cup), tartar sauce (2 tablespoons), some sesame oil (about 2 tablespoons or so) and some salt and pepper and sauteed them until they were crisp on the outside. 

Between you and me, I could have eaten them uncooked, but the crispy exterior was delicious.  And, because I am lazy (see above), I served them with pre-made seaweed salad, tying all the yummy toasty sesame flavors together. 

The No Recipe, No Stress, No Fail Dinner Party Menu

As much as I like going for the "WOW" factor when entertaining, I also like spending my weekends relaxing and enjoying the (finally!) beautiful weather.  So, rather than scouring the periodicals for the latest and greatest food trends, crossing the borough in search of 47 artisinal ingredients, or spending 6 hours preparing a meal, I opted for ease this weekend.  And everything turned out perfect, all the more so because I was able to actually enjoy both my day AND my evening. 

So, I present to you, the Easiest Dinner Party Menu Ever, For 4-6 People:

• apprx 2lbs boneless pork tenderloin
• apprx 2 lbs new potatoes
• 1 head cauliflower
• salad fixins'
• garlic
• rosemary
• creme fraiche
• coarse mustard
• olive oil
• salt
• pepper

Mince 3-4 cloves of garlic and a good sized bunch of rosemary.  Add some salt, pepper and olive oil and mix together until you have a thick rub.  Smear it all over the pork and set aside to marinate for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425.

Cut up your cauliflower and spread it in a shallow baking dish.  Season with salt, pepper, and olive oil.  When the oven is hot, put the cauliflower in for about an hour.

Make a salad. 

Add the pork to the oven, roasting at 425 for about 45 minutes.

Have a glass of wine. 

Set the table.

When guests arrive, put the potatoes in a large sauce pan, cover them with water and place on burner.  Bring to a boil, let them boil for about 15 minutes or until fork-tender. 

While waiting for the potatoes, take the meat and cauliflower out of the oven.  Let the roast sit for at least 10 minutes, until juices settle.

When potatoes are ready, remove from heat, drain and add one small tub of creme fraiche and a big glob of mustard to the sauce pan.  Mash by hand, leaving skins on.  Plop into bowl.

Make sure all guests have wine.

Carve the tenderloin in thin medallions.

Serve, relax, enjoy!

Supergrain of the Future: Quinoa Salad

The first time I ever heard of quinoa was when a friend researched the grain for a Food Studies course.  It is apparently really, super, extra good for you, and was cultivated by the Incas, who referred to it as the Supergrain of the Future, or something like that.  And, it is pronounced KEEN-WAH, not QUIN-OH-AH, which unless someone told me otherwise, I would not have known.

Since first being introduced to it, I've occasionally had quinoa as a stuffing for bell peppers, or in a prepared salad from a local gourmet deli I like.  But last night I was at the grocery store picking up things for an orzo salad that I make all the time, and saw boxes of quinoa on the shelf.  Hmmm, I thought, Supergrain of the Future, eh?  Maybe I should try some of this stuff on my own...

Quinoa is wheat and gluten free, high in protein and an excellent source of fiber.  You prepare it the way you would prepare rice or bulgar -- add to a sauce pan with a 1:2 grain to water ratio, bring to a boil, then simmer at low heat until grain is fluffy and has absorbed the water.  I tossed mine with basically everything that was in the pantry for an extremely satisfying entree salad, but I think it'd be good alongside roasted  chicken, or stuffed in tomatoes or peppers.  I'm not a big fan of rice (which is a strange food not to like, but I just don't like it), and the quinoa made up for all the things I don't usually like about rice -- it wasn't bland or starchy; it tasted rich and hearty and grainy. 

The Incas knew what they were talking about...

Mediterranean Quinoa Salad

• 1 cup quinoa, brought to a boil with 2 cups water
• apprx half a pint of cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 small red onion, diced
• 1 zucchini, diced
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1/4 cup pitted olives
• 1 can Italian tuna, in oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• apprx 1 tablespoon olive oil

While grain is simmering, chop and mix together everything else -- and improvise/substitute/adapt depending on your taste and your pantry.  When quinoa is fluffy, fold into the rest of the salad ingredients and serve.  Salad can be stored and chilled for 2-3 days.

Grilled Pork Chops with Onion Marmalade (sort of)

If I had taken pictures of Sunday night's dinner, it would have been brown.  Very, very brown.  To make a long story short, let's just say I have not yet mastered a little thing called "understanding heat conduction," or even, "low heat simmering," for that matter.  I made grilled pork chops with an onion marmalade, and while the end result tasted pretty darn good, it was a smoky, blackened mess of burnt onion jam atop pork chops meant to be adorned with ooey-gooey golden brown caramelized onions instead.

I was mimicking/adapting a recipe I'd watched Giada make earlier that day - her show being one of the few I like to watch and actually cook from; my biggest critique of the Food Network is that most shows seem to focus on people shopping for high end ingredients and semi-prepared food but rarely actually TEACH us how to cook - they are all about the art of assembly.  Not that I can't sit and stare at the Food Network for hours on end, because I totally can (and do), but still, I don't adapt that many TV recipes on my own.  Regardless, had I not learned the hard way that low heat means LOW, I think Giada's pork chops would have been delicious.  Don't let my misadventures in caramelizing keep you from this recipe, but consider yourself warned -- LOW LOW LOW LOW LOW heat when caramelizing!  LOW!

I started with 3 pork chops, which was about 1 1/4 lb - but in retrospect I'd probably go for an even 2lbs/4 chops for simplicity's sake -- my three cuts were sort of irregularly sized, which is always a pain in the ass when trying to judge cooking time.

To begin, half and slice 3 large onions - I used Vidalia onions, but Spanish or yellow onions would be fine...if using regular yellow onions, add a little sugar later on in the simmering stage, but the Vidalia were sweet enough on their own.  Heat a few glugs of olive oil in a large saute pan, and when shimmering, add the onion.  As it starts to soften, add the following:

Salt -- about 1 tsp
Fresh pepper, to taste
Apprx 3/4 cup orange marmalade (one small jar)
Apprx 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
Pinch sugar (adjust up according to onion variety/taste)

When the onions have softened and everything is coated with jam/oil/vinegar, add fresh herbs of your choice - I used about 2 tablespoons each of minced thyme and rosemary.  Stir gently for about 3 minutes, then cover and reduce the heat (LOW!) and let simmer for about an hour and a half, or until onions have turned nice and golden brown and are basically falling apart.  (Or, if you are me, until the marmalade has started to burn and the blackened goo is beginning to smoke.)

As onions are simmering, season your pork chops -- I minced 3 garlic cloves and about 2 tablespoons each of thyme and rosemary, and mixed the garlic and herbs with about a teaspoon of salt and some freshly ground pepper.  Combine, and then coat the pork chops - both sides - with the mixture.  Cover and let stand while the onions do their thing.  (Remember, most cook times are based on your meat being ROOM temperature.)

When the onions are basically done (or, smoking and burnt), heat a grill pan over MEDIUM heat (again, I had some temperature issues, or rather SMOKE issues, because as much as I love cooking with cast iron, DEAR GOD ABOVE that sh*t can smoke).  Once hot, grill the pork chops, about 7 minutes on each side.  Remove from heat and let stand for 2-3 minutes, until juices settle.  Pile the caramelized onion jam on top and enjoy.  (Or, fume and stomp around in anger as your husband tries to get the windows open in an attempt to rid the apartment of excessive amounts of smoke.)

I served the pork chops with sauteed baby brussel sprouts, which were delicious, and somehow also slightly burnt.  As mad as I was about the burnt onion jam, I have to say that Giada was right on the mark with this recipe (which she said was an adaption of Babbo's pork chop, making mine the Babbo pork chop, twice removed).  The citrus and herbs brightened the jam, and caramelized onions make just about everything better in my book.  I'm not a huge pork chop fan, but the simple herb-and-garlic rub was just enough to add flavor and tenderness to a cut of meat I usually find sort of bleh.  Had things not been quite so, err, blackened, I'd be preening about the recipe, but instead, you'll just have to try it yourself.  I might need to try it again, for redemption's sake -- I'd love to blame my new stove for all of my temperature issues, but I'm pretty sure a flame is a flame is a flame.  Hmph.

Cranberry and Almond Stuffed Pork Loin

After we moved into our new apartment, my husband was helping me unpack the kitchen and ended up with the Pantry box.  "Don't worry," he said, "The dried cranberries are SAFE..."

He laughed at the carefully wrapped sundries, but while I culled quite a bit from my spice cupboard and deepest pantry shelves, there was plenty of perfectly good food still sitting in airtight containers, and I wasn't about to throw it out.  I thought of the cranberries this morning, and the slivered almonds that were packed with them, and decided that somehow, those cranberries needed to be incorporated into tonight's dinner.

First, I thought of sprinkling them in a salad, but that seemed too obvious.  Fruit and pork usually pair nicely together, so I thought I'd pick up a pork tenderloin and see what happened.  What happened was I got off the subway too late to get to the butcher before they closed, and had to rely on supermarket fare, something I'm leery of when buying meat and fish (other Met Food shoppers, am I valid in this avoidance?).  Alas, the Met Food had no tenderloin, but there was one 1.75 lb boneless loin sitting atop the spare ribs, so I snatched it up and grabbed a sprig of rosemary, figuring, Why not.

I decided to stuff the loin with an almond-cranberry mixture, pan sear it, and then roast it and serve along side an endive and orange salad, hoping the bitterness and tang of the salad would balance any over-cranberrying on my part.  (Also, cranberry and orange is one of my favorite flavor combos.)  The salad turned out really well -- I mixed a mustard vinaigrette with orange juice and tossed greens, zucchini, endive and orange with them, and the pork was a very filling success. 

I still think I'd prefer the filling with a boneless tenderloin, but this was quite good.  Word to the wise -- if you decide to try your new Analon Titanium 12" pan to see how it handles high heat in lieu of your usual stainless All Clad pan, you will start out thinking you can forgo any olive oil during the searing stage, but you will be wrong; the pork is just to lean on its own, so even if cooking in a non-stick pan (which, be SURE your non-stick can handle the oven and  the high temps!!!!  Use hard anodized, not coated!!)

Cranberry and Almond Stuffed Pork Loin
1.5 - 2 lbs boneless pork loin, seasoned lightly with salt and pepper
apprx 2 tablespoons of coarse mustard
apprx 1/4 cup dried cranberries
apprx 1/4 cup slivered almonds
apprx 2 cloves garlic, minced
apprx 2 sprigs rosemary, stripped from stem and minced

Mix 1+ tablespoon mustard with the cranberries, almonds, garlic and rosemary.  Rub the remaining mustard on the seasoned pork loin.  Make an incision through the center of the pork loin, nearly side to side.  Stuff the cranberry mixture in the incision and coat the loin with the remaining mixture that may not fit inside.  Secure with butcher's twine or silicone food ties.

Preheat the oven to 425.  Over medium-high heat, sear the loin in an oven-safe pan, about 5 minutes on each side.  Be sure to sear the "seam" where the cranberry mixture was stuffed.  Once browned on all sides, transfer to oven and roast for about 30 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches about 150.  Remove from oven and let stand til juices settle, about 10 minutes. 

Remove twine and slice, serving alongside bitter greens, and with a full bodied, fruity wine like a Zinfandel.

(Can you tell I got a new camera!?)

Ancho Spiced Beef Chili

Last summer I dropped our camera and ever since it has been dying a slow death, and finally appears to have succumbed to whatever damage was incurred by that fall on Fifth Avenue.  Which means that I have absolutely no evidence to support my claims, and can only ask that you trust in me when I tell you that I made one kick-ass batch of chili tonight, in honor of some football game or something...

Bear with my approximate measurements, but please do not underestimate how good this chili was -- just the right amount of heat and spice and richness, with sirloin chunks and a mix of black and kidney beans giving it plenty of substance.  This sh*t was good.

Ancho-Spiced Beef Chili

• apprx 1 lb ground chuck
• apprx 1.5 lbs top sirloin steak, cubed and seasoned with salt and pepper
• 2 chorizo sausages, casings removed, crumbled
• 4-5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 1 dried ancho chili, seeded and shredded
• 4 plum tomatoes, diced
• 1 large red pepper, diced
• 1 can tomato paste
• apprx 1/2 quart chicken broth
• apprx 1/2 quart beef stock
• apprx 1 cup water
• 1 can kidney beans
• 1 can black beans
• paprika
• chili powder
• nutmeg
• sharp cheddar cheese
• sour cream
• tortilla chips

Heat a few glugs of olive oil in  cast iron dutch oven (at least 5 quarts) or other large pot with tight fitting lid.  When shimmering, add garlic and saute until fragrant.  Add onion and saute until translucent.  Add chorizo and ancho chili and stir, apprx 3 minutes.  Add ground beef and stir gently until beef is browned.  Add tomatoes, red pepper, and seasonings (totally to taste -- I used about 1.5 teaspoons of nutmeg and chili powder, and about 1 teaspoon of paprika, but it is all up to interpretation), and stir, apprx 3-4 minutes.  Add chicken broth, beef stock, water and tomato paste and bring to a boil.  Add sirloin, kidney beans and black beans and bring to a simmer.  Cover, and let cook for about an hour and a half.  After about an hour and a half, remove lid and let cook for another 20 minutes or so, or until liquid has evaporated and chili has achieved desired thickness.

Serve over tortilla chips, with sour cream and grated cheddar as garnish/condiments.  I paired mine with an Italian red wine (because it was handy) but Kevin seemed perfectly happy with a beer and his chili.  Enjoy!

The Pizza Situation is Improving!

My sweet friend Sara is a pastry chef and she gave me some excellent bread advice, including only using high gluten flour.  Which I totally didn't do.  I did, however, let the dough rise in the oven, set to the lowest temp possible (somewhere around 120?).  And, I adjusted my recipe slightly -- I used a little more olive oil and water, and kneaded the dough exclusively in corn meal...this dough was much stickier (due to the higher proportion of liquid) and harder to work with, but once it rose, it was MUCH more elastic and baked up scrumptiously!  I topped this pizza with olive oil, sea salt, fennel, mushrooms and goat cheese and it was DELICIOUS!

A Moveable Yeast

I'm not afraid to admit if something I make bombs.  If you don't hear about failures, it's less due to vanity than to the fact that most of my cooking revolves around things that can range from OKAY to BETTER to GREAT, actual failure not really being an option (because I avoid the baking and the chemistry and the precise measurements).  It's hard to screw up a roast, in general.

I thought it was hard to screw up pizza dough, but it turns out that simple flour-yeast-water combo can foil me after all.  I tried to make pizza last Monday night, and after two hours had to face facts that my dough was simply not, well, dough.  At first I blamed my cold, cold kitchen (we don't have control over heat in our apartment, and let me tell you, it was COLD inside), but as I made one final attempt to knead and stretch the dough into at least one, tiny pizza, I discovered the true culprit: expired yeast.  My 'dough' was tough, clumpy, and completely non-elastic, with little yeasty chunks in it.  I checked the package of yeast in cupboard, and sure enough, it was expired.  Turns out those expiration dates DO matter...

I tried again on Thursday night.  This time I was armed with new yeast, and as I added the water to the dry ingredients, I was rewarded with a satisfying bubble-hiss-fizz sound that made me feel much more confident in this dough.  And it rose, sort of.  Still, it never actually doubled and I am again thinking that my cold, cold kitchen might have something to do with it.  I tried draping the bowl with a hot, damp flour sack to introduce some heat and humidity, but that didn't seem to do much since within a minute or two the towel was stone cold, just like the rest of my apartment.  I'm not sure if the cold kitchen theory holds up -- I mean, people have been baking bread for much longer than they have had central heat, but I've never had a problem getting dough to rise before. 

In the end, the dough proofed enough for me to stretch it into one medium-sized pie, which I topped with way too much cheese, hoping to use the cheese to "patch" the thin spots in the actual dough.  After 10 minutes in the oven at 550 degrees, the dough was crispy and slightly chewy and certainly tasted good...but I was so flummoxed over its inability to rise properly that I ate the pizza out of spite and hunger rather than enjoyment.  I'm thinking next time, I might turn the oven on early (like, two hours early, which is maybe irresponsible and probably contributes to our energy crisis or something) and set the dough near the stove.  Or, I might just wait a few weeks and try again once we've moved into our new apartment, which has its own thermostat, something I've never experienced, not in all my New York years!

This dough was a very basic pizza dough -- 1 1/2 cups flour, pinch of salt, 3/4 tsp of active yeast, 1/2 cup warm water, and a tablespoon of olive oil -- mix dry ingredients first, then add wet, form a ball of dough on a lightly floured surface and let the whole thing rise in a covered bowl for about 2 hours.  Then I kneaded it in cornmeal and stretched it into a "circle" and topped with tomato sauce and cheese and baked for 10 minutes or so in a HOT oven - as hot as possible.  And, pizza being pizza, it's pretty much always good, and this was certainly good...especially when topped with ungodly amounts of cheese.