tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5596478843175964412024-03-19T05:24:49.979-07:00Living on Pure Landhealthy, local, delicious food made simpleMeganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09818798322208287824noreply@blogger.comBlogger103125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-559647884317596441.post-54292805041642849022013-11-06T09:15:00.003-08:002013-11-06T09:18:12.474-08:00Pumpkin and apple soup with andouille, balsamic vinegar, and blue cheese toasts<br />
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We survived another busy summer, and here I am once again recommitting to being a Better Blogger. <i>Does she mean it this time? Who knows!</i> Mama's trying her best, friends. Let's just jump right back into business, shall we? Tasty business!<br />
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I recently read <a href="http://www.animalvegetablemiracle.com/">Animal, Vegetable, Miracle</a> by Barbara Kingsolver as part of the Coppell Public Library "Coppell Reads" program. Great book, overall, and in it Kingsolver recounts coming across a headline in her local newspaper touting the arrival of pumpkin season, and to turn to page whatever for some great pumpkin recipes. She flipped to the article, and every single recipe called for opening a can of pumpkin puree. Can't even make this stuff up, right?<br />
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The <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Butternut-Squash-Apple-Soup-with-Melted-Blue-Cheese-235924">inspiring recipe</a> calls for butternut squash, but I consider all the winter squashes pretty interchangeable. Acorn, kabocha, delicata, butternut, pumpkin, get whatever's available and looks good at your Farmer's Market (we are especially partial to <a href="http://whiterocklocalmarket.org/">White Rock Local Market </a>and <a href="http://www.coppellfarmersmarket.org/">Coppell Farmers Market</a>, where you can usually find us) or <a href="http://www.greengrocerdallas.com/">Green Grocer</a>. I made a few changes because I'm lazy (sloshing hot water in a shallow pan to roast the pumpkins didn't sound fun), health-conscious (a cup of butter, really?), cheap (if I'm using apples and have cinnamon and nutmeg in my pantry, I see no reason to buy apple cider as well), and really, really like sausage (who are you to judge me?). Winter squash and apples are going to vary in their level of sweetness; I found I needed to add just a little maple syrup to round it out at the end. Go by your taste. Adding a healthy drizzle of good quality aged balsamic vinegar right before serving was about the best decision I made yesterday. I also relocated the blue cheese to atop some toasted baguette as opposed to in the soup, but that was just so the bread wouldn't be lonely. I'm nice.<br />
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I do have to make one snooty little plea to use homemade stock, if you have it. There's just no comparison. I'd use boxed (organic, low sodium) in a pinch, but you'll really notice the difference if you make your own. Don't toss your turkey carcasses after <a href="http://festivusweb.com/">Festivus</a> - throw that sucker in a huge pot with onion, carrot, celery, some fresh herbs, kosher salt and a few peppercorns. Cover with water and simmer a couple hours, skim off the foam and schmutz, let cool and stash in small batches in the freezer. It's well worth the effort.<br />
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The soup as written below makes enough for 4-6 big portions, but only enough sausage and cheesy toasts for 2.<br />
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~2-3 lb winter squash (I used several li'l New England pie pumpkins, it was about 4 cups once cooked and scooped out)<br />
2 tbsp unsalted butter<br />
1 medium onion, finely chopped<br />
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped<br />
1 rib celery, finely chopped<br />
1 apple (I used a Gala), peeled, cored, and chopped<br />
8 cups chicken, turkey, or vegetable stock<br />
1/4 tsp nutmeg, freshly grated<br />
dash cinnamon, ground (probably about 1/8 tsp)<br />
dash cayenne pepper, to taste<br />
1 tbsp maple syrup<br />
drizzle of good quality aged balsamic vinegar<br />
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2 oz spicy andouille sausage, cut into 1/4 inch dice<br />
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1/2 a fresh baguette, sliced 1/2 thick on the bias<br />
nice funky blue cheese<br />
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.<br />
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Halve your winter squash and scoop out the seeds (save those guys for toasting). Arrange them cut-side down on a baking tray rubbed with a little olive oil and roast until tender, about 45 minutes. Allow them to cool. <br />
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Meanwhile, dice the rest of your vegetables. Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven and sweat the onion, garlic, and celery with a good pinch of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper until soft, about 10 minutes. Add the apple and sauté another few minutes, until they start to break down, then add all the stock. Bring to a simmer. When your winter squash is cool enough to handle, scoop out the flesh and add it to the pot along with the nutmeg, cinnamon, and cayenne. Cover and let it simmer about half an hour.<br />
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Heat a non-stick skillet over medium flame and add the andouille. Technically it's already cooked, you just want to brown it up nicely on all sides. This shouldn't take longer than 5 minutes. Drain the excess fat.<br />
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Toast up your baguette slices and smear with your lovely funky blue cheese.<br />
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When all the vegetables in your soup are tender, jam your immersion blender in there and puree that sucker smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary (I like a good grind of black pepper at this point). It's a good idea to taste your sausage and blue cheese too, mine were both actually pretty salty so I went easy on the soup.<br />
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Plate up in shallow bowls with a sprinkle of sausage and a drizzle of high quality balsamic vinegar. Dip that damn toast in there.<br />
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Serves 2 as written with lots of leftover soup.Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09818798322208287824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-559647884317596441.post-73681654441148335782013-03-26T20:13:00.000-07:002013-03-26T20:13:03.385-07:00Linguine with artichokes and pancetta<br />
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First things first, farm update. Team Pure Land have been busy li'l bees, we tackled all kinds of projects this winter. We trenched, laid, and buried a few thousand feet of irrigation pipe to make watering infinitely easier. We planted 38 peach trees and started 119 varieties of baby veggie plants, now ready to go in the ground. We've about finished our greenhouse, and it hasn't flown away yet! The design is almost complete for our barn / shop / walk-in cooler / apartment (with TWO bathrooms!!!) and soon we'll start swingin' hammers. We have spreadsheets and fun new equipment and terrace layouts and pest control <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strategery">strategery</a> and new friends up the yin-yang. In short, there's a lot going on, and with Spring springing all around... things are about to get nuts. Wouldn't have it any other way!<br />
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My intention with this blog is to give you ideas of what to do with our produce as it comes into season and off the fields, into your homes. Unfortunately there's nothing ready to eat yet, so let's just pretend I grew these little artichokes. Aren't they cute? <i>Thank you.</i><br />
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When your mother texts that she randomly bought a whole bunch of baby artichokes and asks if you want some, you say yes, then figure out what to do with them. I turned to<a href="http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/spaghetti-with-artichokes-and-pancetta"> this recipe</a> from my fantasy BFF, Mario Batali. Pork + pasta + wine + artichokes + cheese? That doesn't suck! I modified the proportions a bit; Mario called for just 8 baby artichokes and 2 ounces of pork for a pound of spaghetti... I prefer more <i>stuff</i> than that. It turned out perfectly, a gloriously springy dish. The only thing I would change is a handful of parsley at the end. Get some baby artichokes from your mother or farmer's market and partake.<br />
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~1/4 lb pancetta, diced<br />
2 cloves garlic, sliced thinly<br />
1 shallot, minced<br />
~ 8 wee baby artichokes, trimmed up <a href="http://www.saveur.com/article/Techniques/Trimming-Baby-Artichokes">like so</a>, sliced 1/4" thick and dunked into a bowl of water with a lemon squeezed into it (to prevent browning they say, but mine browned a bit anyway)<br />
1/4 cup dry white wine<br />
4-6 oz strand pasta (I had linguine)<br />
freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano<br />
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Put a pot of water on to boil for your pasta. Cook it for one minute shy of the package directions, retain 1/4 cup of the cooking water, drain and set aside.<br />
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While that's happening, get your pancetta rendering in a little olive oil in a pan (that has a lid) over low heat. I like to let that go 5-10 minutes, then turn the heat up to start crisping the pancetta. Chop your garlic and shallot and add them to the pan, allowing to sweat another couple minutes. Now add the sliced artichokes, cover, and let cook for about 10 minutes, stirring once or twice. Add the wine, cover, and let cook another 5 minutes. When the artichokes are cooked through, add your drained pasta with the 1/4 cup of cooking water, toss toss toss, and taste a strand for doneness. Add a good shredding of Parmigiano-Reggiano, then taste again and adjust seasoning with Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Top with more cheese. Sprinkle with parsley if you are smarter than me. YAY SPRING!<br />
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Serves 2, takes half an hour.Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09818798322208287824noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-559647884317596441.post-82997769456080710222012-09-11T19:48:00.000-07:002012-09-11T19:48:17.055-07:00Tomato-braised lamb steaks, kale, and garlic bread<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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What month is it?... September, <i>seriously</i>?</div>
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The summer was an absolute blast. An absolute blur, to be sure, but man did we have some fun. Met scores of cool people, made great connections, and started allowing ourselves to dream a little bigger. Like a good li'l group of STEM professionals, we had designed the summer as a feasibility experiment: can we grow food, and will people want to buy it? After a long, hot summer of backbreaking research, the data have been interpreted thusly:<i> Hell. Yeah</i>. I'll cop to minor cherry-picking, but you know you can take the girl outta the lab, can't take the lab outta the girl. Overwhelmingly, our successes outweighed our failures, Farmer Pop's cholesterol went down 30 points, and I never want to see another zucchini again.</div>
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We established a Saturday morning home base at <a href="http://www.saintmichaelsmarket.com/">Saint Michael's Farmers Market,</a> where they really treated us wonderfully and we got to know the names of our "regulars" pretty quickly. Our produce could have been on your place at <a href="http://www.nonnadallas.com/">Nonna</a>, <a href="http://restaurantava.com/">Restaurant AVA</a>, or <a href="http://bolsadallas.com/">Bolsa</a>, not to mention amazing <a href="http://www.patinagreenhomeandmarket.com/">Patina Green Home and Market</a>, our neighbors in McKinney (who recently won Food Network's best sandwich in Texas). You may have had our veggies delivered to you by <a href="http://www.greenling.com/">Greenling</a>, too. And I've already got a couple new places already lined up for fall, like the <a href="http://greenhousetruck.com/">Green House</a> food truck and a very cool new all-organic shop opening up in Lower Greenville, <a href="http://greengrocerdallas.com/">Green Grocer.</a> [This paragraph has been brought to you by the word Green.] </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Make a friend. Share your kale.</td></tr>
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We <strike>ran out of food</strike> terminated the experiment a few weeks ago and started gearing up for fall. Unfortunately, Farmer Pop has been called away on a temporary assignment overseas until Christmas, with a week off every month to come back and make sure I haven't burned the farm down <i>(no promises).</i> His penance for this abandonment is having to wear things called "slacks" and sit in an office all day... I think that's punishment enough. I also lost my Friday morning pickers to the start of the school year, but I think they were mostly relieved to get out of the heat. I had a couple of excellent farm hands from Colorado for a few weeks, but had to let them go back home eventually. Fortunately, I do still have my sweet husband for weekend farming, which is extra nice because he's so cute. Obviously Farmer Pop's absence means I've scaled back, but with some 700 lettuce transplants almost ready to go into the ground, I plan to continue the summer's tradition of having Way Too Much Food. </div>
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This is a meal I make pretty often, lifted from the <a href="http://www.amateurgourmet.com/2012/01/lamb-shoulder-for-those-who-love-lamb-but-dont-want-to-spend-the-money.html#more-7445">Amateur Gourmet</a> (with modifications). I've made it with lamb leg and shoulder steaks, pork shoulder, and homemade meatballs - use any kind of stewing meat you've got. My favorite thing to do is bake a loaf of <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/08/dining/081mrex.html">no-knead bread</a> to go with it, but when I am a not-totally-successful adult as I was this week, a fresh baguette does just fine (quickly whipped into garlic bread, all the better). I like to serve with a nice dark leafy green like kale or chard sautéed down with a rendered slice of pancetta, because pork. This is one to make when you're home early, but don't wanna have to work much for a really hearty dinner. An autumn kind of meal, I imagine, in places where it isn't still in the 90s. Are there places like that? I don't remember. </div>
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<div>
2 lamb steaks, cut from the leg or shoulder </div>
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1 large shallot, thinly sliced</div>
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3 cloves garlic, minced</div>
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1 small carrot, finely diced</div>
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1 small celery stalk, finely diced</div>
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1 red Fresno chili or any other chili you like, thinly sliced into rings</div>
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glug of wine, red or white, whatever you have open </div>
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can of good quality diced or crushed tomatoes</div>
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handful Italian parsley, minced</div>
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1 bunch kale</div>
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1 slice pancetta or bacon, diced</div>
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a baguette</div>
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Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. </div>
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Heat a heavy-bottomed pan or Dutch oven (make sure it oven-safe and has a lid). Season the lamb on both sides with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. When roaring hot, add a couple tablespoons of olive oil to the pan and brown the steaks thoroughly on both sides, 5 or 6 minutes total. Remove them to a plate and add the shallots, garlic, carrot, celery, and chili to the pot with a pinch of kosher salt. Allow to soften for a few minutes, then add a splash of wine and scrape up all the lovely browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Stir in the tomatoes and parsley, then return the steaks and any juices that accumulated on the plate. Pop into the oven for about an hour, then stir, turn the steaks over, and pop back in for another hour, or until fork-tender.</div>
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When that time is about up, sauté your pancetta in a large non-stick skillet until the fat has rendered, then add the kale and a splash of water. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper and toss with tongs until wilted, it should only take a couple minutes. </div>
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Serve your lamb with the kale and a big hunk of fresh bread slathered with the remaining sauce in the pot. No knives necessary.</div>
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Serves 2, takes a couple hours, largely hands-off. </div>
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Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09818798322208287824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-559647884317596441.post-8458767610388045382012-07-05T18:55:00.000-07:002012-07-05T18:55:51.250-07:00Ratatouille<br />
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Summer bounty... my fave.<br />
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I haven't been around much, so first of all, I must apologize. But I promise it has been for good cause; the farm is absolutely kicking ass. We've got more zucchini than you can shake a stick at (<i>and I've shaken a lot of sticks at them let me tell you</i>), basil bushes the size of pre-teens, pole beans just begging for another foot of trellis so they can plow further skyward. It is an absolutely wondrous thing of beauty, and we spend an embarrassing amount of time just strolling through the rows, winding vines on stakes and peeking under leaves, giggling while shouting what we've found to each other across the fields. I love how the cars on the road slow as they pass, how the passengers faces break into smiles as they point at all our hard work.<br />
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This is not to say everything has gone perfectly. Apparently the entire Collin County <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blister_beetle">blister beetle</a> population had never experienced the culinary foodgasm that is our potato plant foliage, so they dropped in and called aaaaaall their friends. Farmer Dad and I bravely fought the bastards for weeks before conceding yesterday... about four weeks shy of full growth. There ought to be some new potatoes under there, so all is not lost, but you won't be seeing Pure Land Organic potatoes next year, that's fo sho. Win some, lose some.<br />
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There are as many ways to make ratatouille as there are French people in France, but this is how I do it. I go for "easy". You can use any summer vegetables you like, but I'm sure you won't have trouble finding the canonical ones in any farmer's market this time of year. Unfortunately, eggplants have had a really hard time at the farm... they're just a magnet for the indigenous pests out there. It's a good thing the Japanese eggplants in my garden are producing like gangbusters, so this is still an all self-grown recipe. Just don't look for eggplants on our table at <a href="http://www.facebook.com/SaintMichaelsMarket">Saint Michaels</a> farmer's market on Saturday morning. You are coming to the farmer's market, aren't you? I have an enormous zucchini to sell you.<br />
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This is of course infinitely adaptable, so I'll just post exactly what I did based off the inspiring <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Ratatouille-with-Penne-102256">recipe</a>. You do what you like, you are the boss of you.<br />
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2 large Japanese eggplants, diced<br />
1 onion, diced<br />
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2 large zucchini, diced</div>
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3 small yellow crookneck squash, diced</div>
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3 small bell peppers, diced<br />
few Hungarian hot wax peppers, seeds and stem removed, diced<br />
12-15 medium sweet very ripe tomatoes, halved and cored<br />
3 cloves garlic, minced<br />
few sprigs thyme<br />
few leaves basil, julienned<br />
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Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. I know that's crazy in this heat, so next time I might grill everything instead. If you do that, tell me how it goes.<br />
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Toss the eggplants and onions with a good glug of extra virgin olive oil, kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Spread in a single layer on a foil-wrapped baking sheet (for easy cleanup) and pop into the oven for about fifteen minutes. Pull the pan back out and add the zucchini, yellow squash, and peppers. If you need to go to two baking sheets at this point, feel free. It's better than crowding the one sheet. Pop back into the oven for another 20 minutes, or until all of the veggies are soft and have browned in places.<br />
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The tomatoes you can do in a few ways. I used a food mill, because I have one. Place your food mill over a bowl and mash the tomatoes through (according to your manufacturer's directions) until you have all the lovely wonderful pulp and juice in the bowl, and all the awful seeds and skins up in the mill. <i>Maximum efficiency.</i> If I didn't have a food mill, I'd have squeezed the seeds out of the halved tomatoes, placed them cut-side down on another baking sheet and into the oven for 10 minutes or so, until the skins could easily be pinched off, then proceeded as usual. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large heavy pot and add the garlic, sautéing until it becomes aromatic. Add all the tomato juice and pulp, thyme, and a good pinch of kosher salt and allow to cook for about 20 minutes, adding a cover to the pot once it becomes thick like marinara. I just add the thyme sprigs whole and fish out the twigs when it's done. Bash them with a wooden spoon in the pot to get the little leaves off. Turn off the heat and sprinkle in the basil.<br />
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When your vegetables are done, stir them through the tomato sauce and taste, adjusting the seasoning if necessary. Serve over pasta or with fresh crusty bread. Summer in a bowl y'all.<br />
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Serves 6-8, takes an hour or so.<br />
<br />Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09818798322208287824noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-559647884317596441.post-82768318766716187622012-06-07T20:03:00.001-07:002012-06-07T21:02:10.245-07:00Yellow tomato gazpacho<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This time of year, one of my favorite things to do is count the tomatoes on my countertop. </div>
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From the garden this morning I collected six Husky Red Cherries, two nice Celebrities, and two orangey Old Germans. Living with them on the counter is also one big red guy from the "Texas Tomatoes" bin at Central Market (I suspect it's a Celebrity or Carnival). Even though I know I have a virtually limitless supply of tomatoes this year, I can't walk past the bin without buying a couple. Because, <i>what if the five plants in my garden and the thousand plants at the farm die?? I should secure alternative tomatoes, just in case. </i>And from the farm, five beautiful Yellow Perfections and fourteen little Golden Nuggets. I stow them in an assortment of cute bowls on the counter and visit multiple times a day to smile down at them and count again. I don't know why... it just makes me happy.<br />
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Farmer Pop and I have been busting our sweaty humps out at the farm (exactly one year old today - happy birthday, little farm) and yes, we really do have about a thousand beautiful tomato plants. Eight varieties in all, from little bitty red Sweeties to gnarly giant Beefsteaks. I spent the better part of yesterday morning scooting along the tomato rows in the sunshine, gently encouraging the plants up into the twine support lines, basking in the perfume of their leaves and grinning like a filthy, sweaty idiot. Every once in a while I'd stumble upon a ripe one and snag it for Quality Control. Yes... sweet, delicious Quality Control.<br />
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This is another lovely recipe from Susan Goin's<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sunday-Suppers-Lucques-Seasonal-Recipes/dp/1400042151/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1339118933&sr=8-1"> Sunday Suppers at Lucques</a>. As you could guess, this is featured smack dab in the middle of the "Summer" section, and involves no cooking whatsoever. I made it for the first time last year with gorgeous bright yellow tomatoes from the farmer's market (and used the Yellow Perfections here), but I'm sure any color of garden or farmer's market tomato would do, with "garden or farmer's market" being key. This is not a recipe to be made with the plastic tomatoes from Albertson's in February. You must have fabulous tomatoes, or you must make something else. You may not have tomatoes yet where you are, and if not, I pity you. But there have to be <i>some</i> benefits to living in Texas, and two seasons of tomatoes is a bigass one for me, possibly the biggest... well, probably the biggest.<br />
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I'm not sure what I finally did right, but I also have fantastic cucumbers in the garden this year too, so the majority of this recipe is self-grown. YEYA. I went out to pluck some cilantro but apparently it has bolted beyond the point of consumption, so I substituted still-gorgeous Italian parsley and it was perfectly great. How are your gardens? What have you been cooking from them?<br />
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~ 3/4 to 1 lb excellent garden or farmer's market yellow tomatoes<br />
1 small cucumber, garden or farmer's market obviously preferable<br />
1/4 a jalapeño (goofy, I know, but the original recipe called for 1/2 a jalapeño to serve 6, and this definitely wasn't hot at all so I'll use 1/2 to serve the two of us next time), seeded and diced<br />
2 sprigs cilantro or Italian parsley, plus more for garnish<br />
1 small clove garlic, chopped<br />
2/3 tbsp red wine vinegar<br />
1/2 tsp kosher salt<br />
freshly ground black pepper<br />
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil<br />
3 tbsp red or orange bell pepper, finely diced<br />
3 tbsp red onion, finely diced<br />
few cherry tomatoes, halved<br />
best-quality extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling<br />
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Set a pot of water to boil. Prep a medium bowl with ice cubes and water. Cut an "x" into the bottom of each of your glorious tomatoes and drop them into the boiling water for 30 seconds, then plunge into the ice bath for a minute. Drain the tomatoes and pop the back into the bowl. Peel them over the bowl, saving all the juices - the skins should just slip off like in the picture above. Also remove the cores. Don't be concerned about mashing them up with your gorilla hands, they're about to get pureed. Pour the entire contents of the bowl, seeds and all, into the blender. According to Suzanne Goin, a blender is really preferable to a food processor here.<br />
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Chop off the ends of the cucumber, the bits before you reach the seeds, and dice them finely. Set aside. Then peel, seed, and coarsely chop the rest and chuck it in the blender with the tomatoes. Also add the jalapeño, garlic, red wine vinegar, kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, and extra-virgin olive oil. Pulse until everything has broken down, then puree the living shit out of it, until completely smooth. Pour into a bowl, cover, and tuck into the fridge to chill. I only had the patience to let mine go for an hour, but it was plenty chilly for me. The recipe calls for straining through a fine mesh sieve, but it is smooth and lovely and there is absolutely nothing wrong with it as is. You need the fiber, anyway.<br />
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Combine the finely diced cucumber with the orange bell pepper and red onion in a small bowl, and set aside. In the original recipe, this would be the amount of garnish for six servings, but I really like the texture contrast so I made the same amount and just divided it between the two servings.<br />
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To serve, ladle the soup into two chilled bowls and garnish with the cherry tomato halves, sprinkling of parsley or cilantro leaves, and the cucumber, pepper, and red onion mix. Drizzle with a spoonful of best-quality extra-virgin olive oil.<br />
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Serves two as part of dinner, four as appetizer. Takes about 20 minutes of work, then at least an hour to chill.Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09818798322208287824noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-559647884317596441.post-49680176876958428652012-05-11T14:42:00.000-07:002012-05-11T14:42:03.188-07:00Paccheri and cheese with peas and mint<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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After many weeks of threatening without delivering, it is actually raining in the Metroplex. This is farmerspeak for "Yay, day off!!"<div>
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I made this so long ago, I had wanted to recommend it to you guys for <i>Easter</i>. Obviously, I'm still trying to work out my farm/blog/life balance... bear with me. Anyway, this is a great little pasta, perfect for a gathering as part of a buffet since it's not the kind of thing you want to make an entire meal of; it's yet another glorified mac and cheese, really. Fresh in-shell peas are still in big glorious piles at <a href="http://www.centralmarket.com/default.aspx">Central Market</a>, and they just scream <i>"eeeee spring!" </i>to me. (And as of this morning, they finally have ramps too! <i>Eeeeeee SUPER SPRING</i>!) Peas and mint are a classic combination, of course, made all the more interesting with a few Italian cheeses: Parmesan, Fontina, and ricotta (although ricotta is not technically a cheese). </div>
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I'd never baked pasta in a springform pan before, but it works perfectly and gives you great built-in presentation for the table, just pop it up onto cake stand and cut into wedges. Lovely! But the best part is all the crispy edges. Because you butter and coat the inside of the pan with finely grated Parmesan, you get lots of wonderful savory brown crunchy bits. <i>So good.</i> </div>
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I should note that I halved the original recipe as written below, so it only filled my springform pan halfway and wasn't as nice and tall as the one photographed in <a href="http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2012/03/paccheri-and-cheese-with-peas-and-mint">Bon Appetit</a>. I should have used a smaller pan. <i>Be smarter than me. </i>Other than that, I changed only a few steps to streamline.</div>
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2 tbsp unsalted butter, plus a pat to grease the pan</div>
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3/4 cup finely freshly grated Parmesan, plus about 1/3 cup to dust the pan</div>
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2 tbsp all-purpose flour</div>
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2 cups milk (the recipe calls for whole, but I used the 2% I always have around and it was perfectly fine)</div>
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1/2 cup shredded fontina</div>
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1 small egg</div>
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8 oz dried paccheri rigati or rigatoni </div>
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1 cup freshly shelled English peas</div>
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1 cup roughly chopped arugula</div>
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1/2 cup finely chopped Italian parsley, plus more for garnish</div>
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1/4 cup finely chopped mint, plus more for garnish</div>
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1/2 cup ricotta</div>
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zest of 1/2 a lemon</div>
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Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Set a large pot of water to boil for your pasta. Butter a smaller-than-9 inch springform pan and dust with the 1/3 finely grated Parmesan, saving whatever shakes out for the top.</div>
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Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk while cooking for 2 minutes, then gradually add the milk. Bring to a simmer, whisking constantly, and cook until thickened, which the original recipe claims will take 20 minutes but only took mine 10 at the most. Remove from the heat and stir in the Fontina and 3/4 cup of Parmesan until smooth. Let it cool for a minute and whisk in the egg (or temper it in a bowl with a little hot cheese and then pour back into the saucepan). Taste (try not to just mop it all up with a piece of crusty bread and call it a day) and add kosher salt if necessary. Definitely give it a good grind of fresh black pepper. </div>
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When the water is boiling, salt it generously and cook your pasta according to the package directions. When there are 2 minutes left of cooking time, add the peas and allow to cook for 1 more minute, then drain everything. The pasta will cook the rest of the way in the oven. </div>
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In a large bowl, combine the cheese sauce, arugula, parsley, mint, and lemon zest. Add the pasta and peas and stir to thoroughly combine, then add the ricotta and only loosely fold through, so there are little pockets of ricotta throughout the pasta. Transfer into the springform pan and top with the remaining Parmesan. Bake for 30 minutes. </div>
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Let it rest for 10 minutes before taking off the ring, then sprinkle with fresh parsley and mint to garnish. </div>
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Serves 4, more like 6 as part of a bigger buffet. </div>Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09818798322208287824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-559647884317596441.post-69581694300792224592012-04-14T19:52:00.004-07:002012-04-14T19:58:18.702-07:00Another day, another frittata<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwl6cJsoqtHyGTGfpXMTR_Dg-KYefyLjq47WyBfhFcQo985eaf0QtVmeJKwF5f_BvlRWH8jNVGsN1D39-EwW19r8NjnVh2kAu3AxWlNUdF6hkt-lj-j9QCILoiad8BYi1vkb6QJnf9VXV-/s1600/IMG_3865.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwl6cJsoqtHyGTGfpXMTR_Dg-KYefyLjq47WyBfhFcQo985eaf0QtVmeJKwF5f_BvlRWH8jNVGsN1D39-EwW19r8NjnVh2kAu3AxWlNUdF6hkt-lj-j9QCILoiad8BYi1vkb6QJnf9VXV-/s400/IMG_3865.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 19.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">Last week, at the tender age of 29 and 15 months, I officially retired from the rat race. Pure Land Organic FTE: 2. </span></div><div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 19.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">It was weirdly unsettling at first. We got in late Sunday night after a fun weekend with family in Louisiana. Monday morning, I was completely adrift. It felt like I had called in sick to work but wasn't <i>actually</i> sick, which I've never been able to do without a thick, sticky coating of guilt and shame (oh, my character!) even when I actually <i>was</i> sick. After a few hours of hemhorraging money to have my brakes replaced, I took myself to <a href="http://centralmarket.com/"><span style="color: #1b00ee; text-decoration: underline;">Central Market</span></a> to rectify our empty fridge, then made étouffée for dinner with the leftover tails we shucked from the crawfish boil my cute husband made on Saturday. </span></div><div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 19.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">Tuesday morning, Farmer Pop came over. We had <a href="http://www.wrcoffee.com/"><span style="color: #1b00ee; text-decoration: underline;">White Rock Coffee</span></a>, omelets, and a nice long meeting, generating a three page to-do list (single spaced, y'all). I mentioned the weird feeling hovering over me as if I was playing hooky, and having just been through it himself a few years ago, he replied, "... it'll go away." The dogs were pleasantly confused by my presence at home and duly delighted at Grandpa's until he headed up to help our neighbor dig holes for fence posts (a PTO driven auger will make you friends). We had lots of family in town, so later on we had everyone over for dinner. I served grilled lemon and oregano chicken with spring asparagus, freshly procured green onion <a href="http://www.savoiesfoods.com/">Savoie's</a> sausage and spicy <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boudin">boudin</a> from Louisiana, rosemary balsamic roasted beets and carrots, and a green garlic and Swiss chard risotto. The oregano, rosemary, beets, carrots, green garlic, and chard came from my garden. My Mama brought her world-famous (literally) Kahlua chocolate cake for dessert. </span></div><div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 19.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">Wednesday, I packed a little two-person lunch of chicken salad sandwiches from the previous night's leftovers, and headed for the farm. Farmer Pop and I rolled out a shit ton of irrigation tape (one "shit ton" is metric for 900 feet) and got rained on. We learned that the pump we have generates enough water pressure at the end of 900 plus feet to make it function as a fire hose. That was fun. Then we plowed the top terrace (I place my current tractor skills at about a 2, but practice makes hopefully mediocre, one day) and marveled at all the wonderful roots that had been laid down by the cover crops. I learned I definitely need to invest in some work boots, got quite filthy, and made <a href="http://purelandorganic.blogspot.com/2010/11/cajun-salmon-soft-tacos-with-tomato.html"><span style="color: #1b00ee; text-decoration: underline;">Cajun salmon soft tacos</span></a> in like 5 seconds for dinner. </span></div><div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 19.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">Thursday the forecast called for rain, so I hunkered down at home and started to crack our crop rotation plan. One of the most critical techniques in organic farming is crop rotation; you should never put crops of the same family in the same place in direct succession. The longer you can go without replanting the same family in the same spot, the better (it has to do primarily with the soil nutrition but also all kinds of things like the insects and microbes left behind from certain crops affecting detrimentally <i>or</i> beneficially certain following crops). This is not tremendously difficult per se; it's more like a logic puzzle, so it just takes a bit of thought. The dogs were tickled pink that Mama was home. Of course, it didn't rain, so the non-sissy employee had another productive day on the tractor. For dinner, I made <a href="http://purelandorganic.blogspot.com/2010/09/lime-shrimp-over-coconut-rice-with.html">lime shrimp with coconut rice and roasted acorn squash</a>. </span></div><div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 19.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 16.0px Times; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">Friday morning, Farmer Pop and I did some collective head-scratching at the little index card village making up my rough crop rotation, but ultimately came up with a solid plan... it seems, thus far. Then he went out to buy a tiller and wrecked shop on the top flat and terrace, which we ought to have completely filled within the next couple of weeks. I spent an ungodly amount of time flipping back and forth through Howard Garrett's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Texas-Organic-Vegetable-Gardening-Vegetables/dp/0884158551">Texas Organic Vegetable Gardening</a> and compiled planting and harvesting dates for each of our major crop groups to start a Project file. Later, I did a little meal planning and grocery shopping, at which point the dogs became hysterical because <i>Mama lives at home now Mama can't leave, EVER.</i> Then I quickly whipped up this frittata using my <a href="http://purelandorganic.blogspot.com/2010/05/new-potato-swiss-chard-fresh-green-pea.html">master recipe</a> with Brussels sprout leaves from the garden, a couple slices of ham, and the leftover acorn squash. </span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">And the weird feeling? It's still there, but I feel it starting to fade. I give it another couple days tops, because I'm about to have <i>so much</i> work to do, I'm not even going to remember what it <i>felt</i> like to play hooky. I'm hoping to schedule some "blogging time" at least weekly, but I just have no idea how crazy it's going to get, so please bear with me (and "like" our Facebook page, I put a lot of pictures up there and plan to even more frequently as things get interesting).</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Happy spring!</span>Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09818798322208287824noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-559647884317596441.post-2464357935426355002012-03-26T19:03:00.004-07:002012-04-14T19:56:51.577-07:00Sweet potato and red pepper quinoa<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpc1ai0azzwFCqCa6R8kbUH7hFSgGm5zQ57_f0Px2UpO8ldN47iszpytCfA1eW6cDcCC1JtMCA7kFzlPnBjaKKKbogyZT84mRfcyXfgGwTrTsQYSPjCEi0fqSMJYcEd-8MzCC5xlNMlkaJ/s1600/IMG_3769.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpc1ai0azzwFCqCa6R8kbUH7hFSgGm5zQ57_f0Px2UpO8ldN47iszpytCfA1eW6cDcCC1JtMCA7kFzlPnBjaKKKbogyZT84mRfcyXfgGwTrTsQYSPjCEi0fqSMJYcEd-8MzCC5xlNMlkaJ/s400/IMG_3769.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>I can't believe I haven't shared this recipe yet. I've long since lost the original so I can't cite the source of inspiration, but this is how I make it. The combination of cumin, cayenne, and maple syrup is divine. Yams and red pepper provide earthiness and sweetness, and quinoa, as we all know by now, is one of the healthiest things you can possibly consume. The dish scales up easily for a crowd, is best eaten around room temperature, and would certainly travel well. It's absolutely delicious and goes with just about anything; I've served it with everything from steak to salmon to chicken, salmon being our favorite. Sold? Yay! Let's make it!<br />
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</div>I've used all manner of sweet potato in this recipe, garnet yams being my favorite, but any will do. Just don't use a regular potato here, it won't be nearly as interesting.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>The cilantro is optional for those <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=98695984">weirdos</a> who think it tastes like soap, but for us <i>normal people</i>, it add a fresh hit of grassiness that ties the whole dish together.<br />
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1/2 cup dry quinoa, rinsed<br />
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1 medium yam, peeled and cut into about 1/2" cubes<br />
1 tsp cumin<br />
1/2 a red bell pepper, finely diced<br />
1 shallot or 1/2 a small onion, minced<br />
2 cloves garlic, minced<br />
few pinches cayenne pepper, to taste<br />
1 tbsp pure maple syrup<br />
juice of 1/2 a lemon<br />
handful of cilantro leaves, chopped<br />
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In a small pot with a lid, combine the quinoa with a cup of water and sprinkle of kosher salt. Bring to a simmer and cover, stirring occasionally, until the water has all been absorbed. It should take about 10 minutes. Then taste for doneness; it should retain a little pop when you chew it, but not be outright crunchy. If it's still too raw, add a little more water.<br />
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While that's happening, heat a good drizzle of extra virgin olive oil in a large nonstick pan. When hot, add the yam cubes, sprinkle them with the cumin, and sauté until browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Next add the red pepper, shallot, and garlic, tossing through and allowing to cook until softened, another 5 or 10 minutes. Season with kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper and cayenne pepper, then taste one of the larger yam chunks for doneness. If it's tender, add the now-cooked quinoa to the pan along with the maple syrup, lemon juice, and cilantro. Stir thoroughly to combine.<br />
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Serves 2, takes half an hour.Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09818798322208287824noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-559647884317596441.post-16199861170434605092012-03-13T16:35:00.001-07:002012-03-14T05:44:17.680-07:00Carrot Mac and Cheese<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-vG3dnkk0CupD9E0RlfyTSInLlFGmF4Eos8IqyulR2taQsOxvzxra2HFIeJR2mXZ18lk6S4CA5Nb_sJBBXEFqOBDHteB89dmCpjjBWmzLDdFfSX0PdFD1hxuvpqLrB2-Im1wd99GMBgUS/s1600/IMG_3710.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-vG3dnkk0CupD9E0RlfyTSInLlFGmF4Eos8IqyulR2taQsOxvzxra2HFIeJR2mXZ18lk6S4CA5Nb_sJBBXEFqOBDHteB89dmCpjjBWmzLDdFfSX0PdFD1hxuvpqLrB2-Im1wd99GMBgUS/s400/IMG_3710.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>The objective of this dish is not to sneak vegetables into fussy, unsuspecting children. Nay, you will taste the carrot. You will also taste zingy orange and lovely distinctive tarragon. These are not <i>bad</i> things; you <i>should </i>taste them, or you're doing it wrong. So while the caption of the <a href="http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/carrot-macaroni-and-cheese">original recipe</a> touts the benefits of adding carrots for vitamin A and reducing the overall fat of the dish, I say the actual benefit is that carrots are delicious and go fabulously with the sharp cheddar and citrus.<br />
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This is mac and cheese elevated; not meant to replace the original, but a sophisticated dish to stand on its own. I don't want to mislead that it's complicated, because it isn't at all; in fact, there are only five ingredients. It's just mac and cheese <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTPxEwfNTJc">all growns up</a>. <br />
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My overwintered carrots are finally peaking, and man, are they glorious. I pulled one out the other day that was as thick as all my fingers and thumb put together. However, I don't have the widest carrot recipe repertoire... Plain old boiled or steamed, in my humble opinion, they're about as gross as vegetables can be. Their greatest potential lies in all the sugar they contain, which caramelizes into deliciousness when treated right. But this recipe is not about that; for this, we need a fancypants little puree. <br />
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~3/4 lb of carrots, peeled (I didn't bother since they were from my garden), thinly sliced<br />
1 orange, zest removed with a vegetable peeler in long strips (try not to get any of the white pith), then juiced<br />
8 oz penne<br />
4 oz sharp cheddar cheese, shredded<br />
scant tbsp fresh tarragon, finely chopped<br />
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.<br />
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In a small pot that has a lid, combine the carrots, orange zest, and orange juice with 1/4 cup of water. Season lightly with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper (white pepper, if you're fancy) and cover. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 30 minutes, or until the carrots have completely softened. Remove and discard the zest. Carefully pour the hot carrots and liquid into a food processor and puree until very smooth.<br />
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Meanwhile, heat another pot of water with a good pinch of kosher salt and cook your penne until about two minutes shy of the package directions. Reserve one cup of the cooking water, then drain and set aside.<br />
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Return the carrot puree to its pot. Add the pasta cooking water and bring to a simmer. Now add about three quarters of the cheddar and the tarragon, stirring until smooth and melted. Add the penne and stir thoroughly to combine.<br />
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Transfer the pasta to a baking dish and top with the last of the cheddar. Pop into the oven for about 20 minutes, uncovered, until the cheese has melted and some bits on top have become browned and crispy.<br />
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Serves 4, takes about an hour, largely hands-off.Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09818798322208287824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-559647884317596441.post-70368669031457591812012-03-06T15:28:00.000-08:002012-03-06T15:28:29.529-08:00Red flannel hash<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWKj5bxakJsOwsdSPTEbReOe5tuh8Lf-gwWKulK_0xIG6l_bLG0LxdKro38qs6-tpdQ-HzfySKwR5-tngCPa1emt77wcMiWKtC32P0q3GZoyzHEvpLAxsyYw9bISLWixGvCDcmxEcGun9M/s1600/IMG_3673.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWKj5bxakJsOwsdSPTEbReOe5tuh8Lf-gwWKulK_0xIG6l_bLG0LxdKro38qs6-tpdQ-HzfySKwR5-tngCPa1emt77wcMiWKtC32P0q3GZoyzHEvpLAxsyYw9bISLWixGvCDcmxEcGun9M/s400/IMG_3673.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Over brunch in San Francisco the other month, a dear old friend asked me what was currently in my garden. When I mentioned beets, she exclaimed that I <i>had </i>to make this recipe from one of her favorite breakfast spots in Berkeley, emailing the link to me from her phone on the spot. I quickly skimmed the ingredients and could hardly wait for my beets to mature.<br />
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And mature they finally did! I pulled the first few beautiful red globes from the garden last weekend and this breakfast hash from <a href="http://www.rickandanns.com/">Rick and Ann's</a> was first in the (long) beet recipe queue. I realize there are people out there who dislike beets, and if I had only eaten them from a can, I would probably be among them... but there is absolutely nothing like a <i>fresh</i> beet. They smell like clean soil after a rain, the embodiment of earth and nature itself. Used raw in salads (like <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Shaved-Root-Vegetable-Salad-368266">this one</a> I am making later this week with the cutest freakin' little pink and purple Easter Egg radishes I found), they are refreshingly crunchy and go well with all kinds of vinegar and citrus. Roasted (in <a href="http://purelandorganic.blogspot.com/2011/03/steak-au-poivre-over-mixed-mashed.html">my favorite beet dish ever</a>), they become soft, buttery, and musky. What's not to love? <br />
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I'm of the inclination that you can pop an over-easy egg on just about anything to make it delicious, but when that anything is pile of crispy potatoes fried in bacon fat, delicious is too mild a word. The addition of sweet, earthy beets and yams is divine and adds a whole other dimension of flavor and sophistication to plain ol' breakfast potatoes. If you were having guests, you could even steam everything up the night before and just fry in the morning, easy peasy.<br />
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The <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Red-Flannel-Hash-5814">original recipe</a> gives measurements in cups, which I would use if I were feeding a crowd, but this is what I used to feed two perfectly. It is every bit as glorious as described.<br />
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2 small red potatoes, diced into 1/2 inch cubes<br />
1 small yam, peeled and diced into 1/2 inch cubes<br />
1 medium, 1 small, and 1 teeny beet, peeled and diced into 1/2 inch cubes <br />
4 slices bacon, chopped<br />
1/2 a small red onion, minced<br />
2 tbsp parsley, finely chopped<br />
2 tbsp heavy cream<br />
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4 eggs <br />
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Pop your steamer basket into a pot (that has a lid) and fill with water to almost the bottom of the basket. Bring to a boil, then add the red potato and yam cubes. Steam until tender, about 13 minutes. Remove them to a bowl, then steam the beets until tender as well, another 10 minutes. Add them to the bowl. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper as you go. <br />
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While that's happening, fry up your bacon in a large non-stick skillet until golden brown and delicious, but not too crisp. It will be cooked again with the hash, and you don't want it to turn into coal. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and add to the bowl with the steamed veggies. Also add the onion, parsley, and heavy cream, stirring to combine.<br />
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Remove all but about a tablespoon of bacon drippings from the pan, and turn the heat on medium-high. Flatten the hash into the skillet with a spatula (I found the best method was to use both hands, one with a flat spatula, the other a large metal spoon). Once you get it all in and smooshed, let it sit for about 5 minutes without disturbing. This is critical, you need to give it time to form a crust on the bottom. Then scrape it all up (in big chunks if you can), and flip it over to brown the other side. If it all falls apart, just stir it up and flatten it back out.<br />
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When you're confident everything has become lovely and golden and crispy and wonderful, plate up your beautiful hash and start to heat another non-stick skillet with a drizzle of olive oil. Or use the same one, if you are me/lazy. I'm a big fan of the olive oil fried egg, so if you are used to using butter, give this a try. Quickly fry the eggs over-easy (or to your liking), sprinkling with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, and pop atop your hash. Give it a dash of hot sauce, break those beautiful yolks, and be grateful for sweet old friends who love beets.<br />
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Serves 2.Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09818798322208287824noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-559647884317596441.post-25666933395535035932012-02-28T17:50:00.000-08:002012-02-28T17:50:04.803-08:00Gemelli with cauliflower, crispy prosciutto and sage<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsFZ_TTlsuBqZXURtZ6AmMXBUXKoRU1uUSxKwVJNLeKrnpPSl22_L1h9w_Iyzo2KOM6TWl7l7pPxJEhmYsArKwzRXNJx25GZt_uwbNryM6_BK5b04loiGTrrlg2otbS4Cv9mXapfTBwlfR/s1600/IMG_3652.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsFZ_TTlsuBqZXURtZ6AmMXBUXKoRU1uUSxKwVJNLeKrnpPSl22_L1h9w_Iyzo2KOM6TWl7l7pPxJEhmYsArKwzRXNJx25GZt_uwbNryM6_BK5b04loiGTrrlg2otbS4Cv9mXapfTBwlfR/s400/IMG_3652.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
As we all know, smothering things in cheese (at absolute minimum, not the orange goo that came in the box) <i>is</i> delicious, but cauliflower is a much more versatile vegetable than most people realize. Back in the days of the Atkins craze my sister would steam and puree it in place of mashed potatoes, which was good, but decidedly <i>not </i>going to fool anyone. In my opinion, the optimal cauliflower preparation method is roasting, thanks to the magic of caramelization. One of my favorite sides of all time is <a href="http://purelandorganic.blogspot.com/2010/04/chicken-sausages-with-roasted.html">roasted cauliflower and green olive pasta</a>, with all its salty olive loveliness, dotted with crunchy pine nuts and a smattering of Parmesan. I serve it under broiled salmon with a squeeze of lemon on a near-weekly basis.<br />
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But I was ready to branch out from ole faithful, and found this whilst thumbing through the latest <a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/everyday-food">Everyday Food</a>. This recipe calls for browning the cauliflower in a pan instead of oven, but the effect is the same: caramelized tasty goodness. <br />
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The recipe called for bacon, but I had two lonely slices of a very nice 24 month prosciutto in the fridge without purpose, so I used them instead. Frying prosciutto is so cool, it becomes almost translucent and gets so crispy and savory, it's absolutely heavenly. Maybe even better than bacon... don't tell bacon I said that. I have room for both in my heart.<br />
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When I was a wee one and in the (unusually long) phase of carrying my stuffed animal friends everywhere, I would gently rub my thumb against the fur on the insides of their little ears, constantly. That's where the softest fur on the animal would be, always in the ears. Sage reminds me of those little ears, so very soft and perfectly shaped for a wee thumb to rub. And the smell, at once musky yet pure and clean, is one of my absolute favorites. It elevates the dish entirely, please don't skip it or use dried sage. Besides, shouldn't you be thinking about reviving your herb garden? It's almost March, people!<br />
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I served with a couple of grilled sausages to round it out.<br />
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~ 4oz gemelli or other short pasta<br />
reserve 1/4 cup pasta water<br />
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2 slices prosciutto, cut into thin slivers (don't trim the fat, it will melt and you want that flavor)<br />
1 tbsp unsalted butter<br />
1/2 a medium onion, finely diced<br />
1 clove garlic, minced<br />
1/2 a medium head cauliflower, cut into florets<br />
1 tbsp fresh sage leaves, chopped<br />
1 tsp red wine vinegar<br />
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Start a pot of water to boil for your pasta while you prep everything else. When boiling, add a good pinch of kosher salt and your pasta. Cook until about 30 seconds shy of the package directions. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking water, and set aside.<br />
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Meanwhile, heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large non-stick skillet and when hot, fry your prosciutto until crispy. It should only take about 3 or 4 minutes, and watch that the pan doesn't get too hot, because they burn easily. Transfer the prosciutto to a small bowl and set aside. To the skillet, add the butter, onion, and garlic and cook over a medium flame until softened, about 10 minutes. Now add the cauliflower with a pinch of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper and cover, stirring occasionally, until the cauliflower is tender and browned in places, about another 10 minutes. Add the prosciutto back to the pan along with the sage and toss for a moment until it becomes fragrant. <br />
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Now, add the pasta to the pan along with the reserved pasta water and red wine vinegar. Toss to coat everything thoroughly. <br />
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Serves 2, takes about half an hour.Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09818798322208287824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-559647884317596441.post-74554047317380122912012-02-16T16:05:00.000-08:002012-02-16T16:05:24.113-08:00Pasta with fennel, tomatoes, olives and shrimp<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-60gNuPIK1rLQfbeha7ZwGXwoiGY9hVLv-I_jfgKtPbfBaE_bLOs0VJRU6q8YKfezldH0qGLiC3Xla4xE8Il0kXX5klQ1cQvt_AgMZYvNN0A6kLbuuT8_dIUa8YDIJ6hGhdXeNrOqgzeE/s1600/IMG_3622.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-60gNuPIK1rLQfbeha7ZwGXwoiGY9hVLv-I_jfgKtPbfBaE_bLOs0VJRU6q8YKfezldH0qGLiC3Xla4xE8Il0kXX5klQ1cQvt_AgMZYvNN0A6kLbuuT8_dIUa8YDIJ6hGhdXeNrOqgzeE/s400/IMG_3622.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Many Americans are only familiar with fennel as the seeds in their sweet Italian sausage, but raw fennel has become really easy to find and there are all kinds of things you can do with it. Fennel has this great fresh anise flavor that's crisp and sharp when raw, but sweet and mellow when cooked. <br />
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This recipe is from a new cookbook (gifted by a certain lovely Auntie!) called <a href="http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/weeknight-fresh-and-fast-cookbook/?pkey=ccookbooks">Weeknight Fresh & Fast</a>. It's full of wonderful quick recipes all organized by season, which I love. I flipped straight to "Winter" and quickly selected this as the inaugural dish. It came together in under half and hour and was comfortingly delicious.<br />
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Do try to find San Marzano tomatoes for your sauce. I like this brand in particular. It really makes a difference, the flavor is far superior to any other canned tomatoes I've tried and they break down beautifully. <br />
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1/2 tsp fennel seeds<br />
1 large fennel bulb, core removed, and sliced thinly lengthwise (save the fronds for garnish)<br />
1 small onion, halved and thinly sliced like the fennel<br />
pinch of red chili flakes<br />
1 14oz can of chopped or diced San Marzano tomatoes<br />
1/4 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and quartered lengthwise<br />
3 tbsp dry white wine<br />
~ 12 large shrimp, peeled and deveined<br />
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4 oz spaghetti<br />
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Put on a pot of water to boil for your spaghetti.<br />
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Drizzle a little olive oil into a large saute pan over medium high heat. Add the fennel seeds and stir for a few seconds just until fragrant, then add the fennel bulb, onion, and red chili flakes. Allow to soften and begin to brown, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes. Add the wine and let it bubble up, then also add the tomatoes and olives. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper and simmer, allowing the tomatoes to break down, about another 10 minutes. <br />
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Meanwhile your water is surely boiling, so cook your spaghetti about 30 seconds shy of the package directions. Drain and set aside. <br />
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When the time is up on the sauce, add the shrimp and simmer until they are just opaque and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Toss the spaghetti through and allow to finish cooking together in the pan for the last 30 seconds or so. Garnish with fennel fronds.<br />
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Serves 2, takes half an hour.Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09818798322208287824noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-559647884317596441.post-26972828612469517012012-01-29T17:01:00.000-08:002012-01-29T17:01:19.307-08:00Smothered pork chops over rice with garden salads<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTwsmpqDCcOC5nSvvdlO3tTwzTN4kri0YwcTDJALB1kubI0Q5-9JBvF391YKweCsUJCEsLhqCobRyhonNhUzV8reU6Rbmy23WE4D7K25_AAgq04FqUeaBWqU7yXiJ471yagbtZ07LNXhC5/s1600/IMG_3583.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTwsmpqDCcOC5nSvvdlO3tTwzTN4kri0YwcTDJALB1kubI0Q5-9JBvF391YKweCsUJCEsLhqCobRyhonNhUzV8reU6Rbmy23WE4D7K25_AAgq04FqUeaBWqU7yXiJ471yagbtZ07LNXhC5/s400/IMG_3583.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Last week, I bid a fond farewell to my twenties. I knew something big was coming (my husband had been asking "Can I give you your present yet?" multiple times a day), and as there had been all kinds of bugs going around, I became paranoid about getting sick. It happens very rarely as it is; I'd say we each only get colds about every two or three years, but Allan had a terrible cold the first week of this year and was petrified of giving it to me. I took appropriate distance-keeping measures and cultivated the perfect immunity-boosting regimen: a tangerine Emergen-C and a B-vitamin complex in the morning, and a mega sweat-inducing hot yoga class every other day. I developed not even the weensiest sniffle. I was<i> bulletproof.</i><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Test Carrot reveals it is not time to yank them yet.</td></tr>
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My birthday finally arrived, and my incomparable husband surprised me with a weekend trip to Napa, culminating in a reservation at the French Laundry. Upon hearing the plans, I wept with joy, gratitude, and love. It was a perfect weekend! First a night at a gorgeous hotel in San Francisco, then breakfast with one of my dearest old friends on Saturday, and a lovely drive to Napa under clear California skies when the forecast had predicted steady rain. The French Laundry was everything I imagined; impeccable service, stunningly beautiful presentations, and of course, maximum deliciousness. Although there were cameras going off at almost every table, I chose not to photograph and blog each dish. I wanted to just be completely present to enjoy it. Needless to say, should you find yourself in a position to dine at the French Laundry, run there, don't walk. As I read in a review about it somewhere, "Once in a lifetime? Not if I can help it."<br />
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Naturally, in all the excitement of a surprise weekend trip to Restaurant Heaven (and all kinds of other showers of love from family and friends), my carefully crafted immunity-preservation measures quickly fell to the wayside. Add to this several hours cooped in a tin can full of other people's germs, and the inevitable has arrived. I am heinously sick. And because it didn't happen last week, I am a-okay with it.<br />
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Easy comfort food became the name of the game, and nothing's easier than the slow-cooker. This is one of my favorites, I just love the classic combination of pork and black-eyed peas. This dish is full of flavor but easy on the stomach, and really sticks to the ribs to boot. Apparently it's in the 60s and 70s outside (I have only vague recollections of the world beyond my couch and tea kettle), but if it's cold where you are, a batch of this will warm you right up.<br />
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2 pork chops, excess fat trimmed, cut into ~1 inch chunks<br />
1/2 a medium yellow onion, diced<br />
4 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed<br />
8 oz mushrooms, sliced<br />
1 hot pepper (I had lovely hot red Fresno chiles), seeds and ribs removed, minced<br />
1/4 cup white wine (I'm sure red is fine if it's all you have)<br />
1 can black-eyed peas, rinsed<br />
1 bay leaf<br />
1 tbsp tomato paste<br />
~1-2 cups low sodium chicken stock<br />
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1/2 cup white rice<br />
<br />
few handfuls of lovely winter garden lettuce (how lovely is my lettuce? I love it so)<br />
nice homemade vinaigrette<br />
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Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large heavy skillet. Season the pork chunks on all sides with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Brown them thoroughly on all sides until deep dark golden brown, then remove them to the slow-cooker. Add the onion and garlic with a pinch of kosher salt and allow to soften and become translucent, about 5 minutes. Now add the mushrooms and hot pepper and cook until the mushrooms shrink up a bit, another 5 minutes. Deglaze the pan with the wine, scraping up all the browned bits on the bottom, stir in the tomato paste, and dump the entire contents over the pork. Add the black-eyed peas and bay leaf, then pour in enough chicken stock to just cover. Pop on the lid and cook on high for 6 hours (or all day on low).<br />
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About half an hour before you're ready to eat, cook your rice and assemble your salads. Serve the fork-tender pork and peas over the rice, salads alongside with a nice vinaigrette.<br />
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Serves 2 (really, more like 3).Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09818798322208287824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-559647884317596441.post-13612403603881843072012-01-11T18:39:00.000-08:002012-01-11T18:39:01.300-08:00Chicken pot pie<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimksh9V70-mFMF2VIqxFhDvFnN70ZLqeqjBapP5df2qpAubn9w980_SysmEjizEqgnrtxG504pJ52x-i3ZPKFnVpE8H5lDif33Ac6y-u-mucJIlRMy-NmKqW6TdWc8iqC25poa6DfnAvNs/s1600/IMG_3553.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimksh9V70-mFMF2VIqxFhDvFnN70ZLqeqjBapP5df2qpAubn9w980_SysmEjizEqgnrtxG504pJ52x-i3ZPKFnVpE8H5lDif33Ac6y-u-mucJIlRMy-NmKqW6TdWc8iqC25poa6DfnAvNs/s400/IMG_3553.JPG" width="400" /></a></div> <br />
The other day, I made our favorite ridiculously crazy delicious <a href="http://purelandorganic.blogspot.com/2011/06/zuni-cafe-roasted-chicken-and-bread.html">Zuni cafe roast chicken</a>. We only ate about half, so I stripped the rest and pondered its future. A quick scan of <a href="http://foodgawker.com/">foodgawker</a> for inspiration reminded me of the existence of chicken pot pie. I looove chicken pot pie (who doesn't?), but it's usually so weighed down with butter and cream my wee ladybrain has a hard time justifying the calorie bomb. So, I read a few dozen recipes to get a gist of the canonical ingredients and method, then pared it all down and came up with this. <br />
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I wanted to keep it simple: leftover chicken, carrots and peas for vegetation, and thyme for herbage. I went out on a limb by halving the butter in my regular pie crust recipe and honestly, it's perfect this way. It's absolutely still tender and buttery, but the interior is so rich and creamy, you would never guess there's only about a tablespoon of butter in each personal pie and absolutely no cream at all. I jacked up the veggie quantities as well. I don't make "diet" food; I just don't see a reason to eat more not-so-healthy stuff than actually makes food taste good. Fat-free and austere is not delicious at all, but I don't find a quarter cup of butter per serving particularly appealing either. There is a sweet spot, and this pot pie hits it.<br />
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As with most of of my recipes, consider it just a template. If I had some mushrooms or a few green beans wilting despondently in the crisper I could certainly have added them. Or maybe a handful of diced yams or butternut squash? But as written, this is almost an all pantry and freezer meal.<br />
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Do note that the crust below makes enough for 4 individual (about 5") pies. I made two last week and stored the other half of the dough in plastic wrap in the freezer, which I thawed to make these two. However, this recipe makes only enough filling for <i>two</i> pies, since we always eat half a chicken and have the other half sitting around at a time. Just get a whole chicken if you're feeding four people. And, obviously, use the whole crust recipe. I feel like I'm over-explaining. I'll back away now. <br />
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1 cup all-purpose flour<br />
4 tbsp cold butter, diced<br />
1/2 tsp kosher salt<br />
1/2 tsp sugar<br />
~ 4-6 tbsp ice water<br />
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1/2 a small onion, finely diced<br />
2 cloves garlic, minced<br />
1 cup carrots, diced<br />
2 big sprigs fresh thyme (don't even bother stripping the leaves)<br />
2 tbsp all-purpose flour<br />
~1/4 cup dry white wine <br />
~1 1/2 cup chicken stock<br />
1/2 a chicken (just grab a rotisserie bird if you don't have leftovers) or about 2 cups, stripped<br />
1 cup frozen peas<br />
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1 egg, beaten with a tablespoon of water<br />
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Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.<br />
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Combine the flour, butter, salt, and sugar in a food processor. While running, add the ice water one tablespoon at a time until the dough just comes together and forms a shaggy ball. Dump it out onto your board and gather into a proper ball, taking care not to knead it, because that will make it tough. Split the dough in half and wrap each tightly in plastic wrap. Chuck one into the freezer for two more pot pies on a rainy day, and the other into the fridge while you get everything else together. <br />
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In a large heavy saucepan, heat a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil. Over medium heat, saute your onion, garlic, carrots, and thyme with a pinch of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper until they've softened and the onion is translucent, about 7 or 8 minutes. Add the flour and cook dry for another couple of minutes, then add the wine, whisking to start dissolving the flour. Next add the chicken stock, continuing to whisk, and bring to a simmer. If it over-thickens and becomes paste, add a little more stock to loosen. Stir in the chicken and allow everything to meld together another 5 minutes. Add the peas. Taste and adjust seasoning. Load half of the filling into each 16 ounce ramekin and let it cool for just a few minutes before popping the crust on top (or it'll melt the butter). Pop the ramekins onto a baking sheet to make loading them in and out of the oven easier. <br />
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Pull your dough out of the fridge and halve into two equal round balls. Roll them out to, well I don't really know how thick, just make them big enough to cover the ramekins with a little flopped over the rim. If you have extra dough, get creative with some decorations. Once your filling has cooled slightly, flop the crusts on top and squinch the dough adorably around the rim to seal. I'm sure there's a technical term for this, but I don't really care. Adorn the pie with your special decorations, then paint the whole surface with egg wash. Poke a few holes in the top with a paring knife and pop the pies into the oven for about 35 minutes, or until golden brown and delicious<i>. Don't burn your mouth, </i>that shit is <i>molten. </i>Attempt patience. <br />
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Serves 2, takes about an hour.Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09818798322208287824noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-559647884317596441.post-68252633764174453532012-01-05T17:34:00.000-08:002012-01-05T17:34:43.993-08:00Red curry salmon with steamed rice and garlicky bok choy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EjsPZr5kmO8/TwZMM6pUmtI/AAAAAAAAA8c/F2it1NtqKwQ/s1600/IMG_3522.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EjsPZr5kmO8/TwZMM6pUmtI/AAAAAAAAA8c/F2it1NtqKwQ/s400/IMG_3522.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
I'm always looking for new things to do with salmon, because it's so wonderfully healthy (and delicious), and Dog knows I love a curry. This is an easy little weeknight recipe I came up with from a few different sources of inspiration, including this one (and all the comments) from an old <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Roast-Salmon-with-Thai-Red-Curry-and-Bok-Choy-101402"><i>Bon Appetit</i></a>. The curry takes a different form from how I usually prepare it; instead a making big pot of curry and cooking other stuff in it<i>,</i> it's simmered down into a thick sauce and drizzled <i>over</i> the other stuff.<br />
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Bok choy is flourishing in my garden right now, along with spinach, lettuces, and about a million beets and carrots I can't wait to pull up. Are they ready?<i> I don't know. It's so excitingly mysterious. </i>Anyway, my bok choy is doing fabulously, and I hope you have some in your garden too.<br />
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It meets all my weeknight dinner criteria: quick, healthy, tasty, and interesting. Give it a try!<br />
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2 salmon fillets<br />
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1 lemongrass stalk, hard outer leaves removed, tender inner stalk minced as finely as you can<br />
an equal amount of fresh ginger, also minced (something like a tablespoon each of lemongrass and ginger)<br />
3 tsp red curry paste<br />
1/2 a can of coconut milk (I generally use "light") (don't toss the other half of the can! Pour it in a Ziploc and stick it in the freezer)<br />
juice of 1/2 a juicy lime<br />
1 tsp fish sauce (don't chicken out when you smell it, it's very important) <br />
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1/2 cup jasmine rice<br />
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1 tsp sesame oil<br />
2 cloves garlic, minced<br />
several big handfuls of bok choy, leaves and stems rinsed and roughly chopped (I used all of the bok choy in the picture above, and while it was a big portion, we both cleaned our plates. It's mostly water, really)<br />
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Get a pot of water on to boil for your rice. When it's boiling, cook your rice according to the package directions. I like to make mine nice and fluffy by straining it into a colander just before it's cooked and letting it steam back in the pot for the last few minutes.<br />
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While that is happening, saute your lemongrass, ginger, and red curry paste in a small saucepan with a drizzle of vegetable oil. After about 5 minutes, add the coconut milk and stir to dissolve. Turn the heat to low, and just let it reduce gently, stirring every once in a while, while you do everything else. Don't worry about seasoning, the fish sauce will bring all the salt you need. <br />
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Wrap a baking sheet in foil (for easy clean-up) and flop your salmon fillets onto it. Rub with just a little vegetable oil to moisten and season both sides with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. <br />
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When the rice is done (or steaming) and your sauce has thickened and reduced by about half, pop the salmon under the broiler. Mine takes 6 minutes to cook exactly to our liking, but your broiler may be more or less powerful than mine. Simultaneously set a large saute pan over a medium high flame and add the sesame oil as well as a little vegetable oil (sesame oil is to potent, so you need to dilute it with a neutral oil). When hot, saute your garlic for a moment until aromatic, then add your bok choy along with a good pinch of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Use tongs to toss and toss and toss until everything quickly wilts down into a lovely green pile of happiness.<br />
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Serve the salmon atop a mound of rice and slather copiously with your red curry sauce, piling up the bok choy on the side. Sprinkle with cilantro.<br />
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Serves 2, takes under 40 minutes.Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09818798322208287824noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-559647884317596441.post-80643842149628355602011-12-28T17:55:00.000-08:002011-12-29T17:29:28.438-08:00Burmese red pork stew<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_CTq1n1IDjA/Tv0T2adS7HI/AAAAAAAAA8A/H2TQ-447A7M/s1600/IMG_3493.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_CTq1n1IDjA/Tv0T2adS7HI/AAAAAAAAA8A/H2TQ-447A7M/s400/IMG_3493.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-c60DexDnRks/TvxubdefZtI/AAAAAAAAA70/_M03sNzfv0M/s1600/IMG_3501.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>I love it when you read a recipe and can tell exactly how it's going to taste. I love it even <i>more</i> when that taste is something you've been looking for but couldn't really find or articulate. This is one of those recipes, discovered in last September's <a href="http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2011/09/burmese-red-pork-stew">Bon Appetit</a>. For a kid who grew up in Southeast Asia, this is comfort food at its absolute finest. <br />
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But a word of caution, if you couldn't tell by the ominous appearance, it is not for the faint of heart. It's intensely spicy, salty, and porky (my faves, eee!). The heat is pretty strong, but the final dish is not nearly too spicy for us. The <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Huy-Fong-Sambal-Oelek-Sauce/dp/B001MGEU0W">sambal oelek</a> and chili oil function as major players in the flavor profile rather than just agents of spiciness (you should be able to find both at any upscale grocer, and many options of each at your local Asian market). That being said, I definitely wouldn't prepare this for anyone who couldn't handle some heat.<br />
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Like my mom's <a href="http://purelandorganic.blogspot.com/2010/05/stew-chicken-and-pigeon-peas-over-brown.html">stew chicken</a>, caramelized sugar provides the foundation for this dish. Add to that the sheer deliciousness of just garlic, ginger, chili, and just a little soy sauce, and the final dish is so much more than the sum of its parts.<br />
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I altered only slightly to streamline and am pretty happy with my decisions, so here is my inauthentic version. It does need to be started a day in advance and will take up to 2 hours to braise, but it's pretty hands-off once you get it going. I served with broiled Brussels sprouts because it was easy, but the cabbage was actually a really good match with the stew.<br />
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1/4 cup soy sauce<br />
1 tbsp sesame oil<br />
1 tbsp chili oil<br />
1 lb pork shoulder, excess fat trimmed and cut into ~1-2" chunks<br />
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4 cloves garlic, minced<br />
2 tbsp ginger, minced<br />
1 1/2 tbsp hot chili paste (such as the sambal oelek linked above)<br />
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1/3 cup white sugar<br />
1 tbsp water <br />
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1/2 cup white rice, boiled then steamed up nice and fluffy<br />
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3 or 4 scallions, finely sliced<br />
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Whisk together the soy sauce, sesame oil, and chili oil in a non-reactive bowl. Add the pork, toss well to coat, then cover and refrigerate overnight. Don't be tempted to salt and pepper. You will regret it. <br />
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About 2 hours before you want to eat, preheat the oven to 275 degrees. In a medium sized Dutch oven (with a lid), heat a drizzle of vegetable oil. Dab the pork chunks dry on paper towels (you won't have much left, but save the marinade) and brown deeply on all sides. Once browned, add the remaining dribble of marinade to the pot as well as the garlic, ginger, and hot chili paste. Turn the heat to low, cover, and let that just hang out for a minute. <br />
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In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and tablespoon of water. Caramelize the sugar over medium heat, swirling to mix (no spoons), until dark amber (but don't <i>really</i> burn it, like making stew chicken). Pour the caramel over the pork. Add about 1/2 cup of water to the saucepan and dissolve any remaining caramel, then pour over the pork as well. Stir to make sure it's all combined and dissolved, cover with the lid, and braise until the pork is very tender, about 1 hour and 45 minutes. Take it out and stir every half hour, topping off with a couple tablespoons of water if it gets too dry. It's not a dish that yields much "sauce", but the liquid that clings to the pork is so pungent you really won't be looking for more. <br />
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Consume over steamed rice and sprinkle with scallions. Ho yeah!! <br />
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Serves 2 gluttons, 3 normal people (but make 3/4 cup of rice if you're serving 3).Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09818798322208287824noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-559647884317596441.post-88735972180366032942011-12-09T18:31:00.000-08:002011-12-09T18:31:14.837-08:00Spaghetti with turkey-pesto meatballs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvTtES3LPTT92TawiC2nh4aneLXFehJjqoiylbrC-9JqDFGtBo6HxJQSr7lq4ucm7y9GXHhavTIA2hi1EOayD-PnSPZ1mbGxSlzqUK9UNbkGpaY_dLeBXhnOaN5W_MkAP8LpgJpdIdxnwB/s1600/IMG_3468.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvTtES3LPTT92TawiC2nh4aneLXFehJjqoiylbrC-9JqDFGtBo6HxJQSr7lq4ucm7y9GXHhavTIA2hi1EOayD-PnSPZ1mbGxSlzqUK9UNbkGpaY_dLeBXhnOaN5W_MkAP8LpgJpdIdxnwB/s400/IMG_3468.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
This recipe is another favorite in my house. They're lighter than your average meatball, but the bread crumbs and pesto keep them extremely moist. It comes together very quickly, especially with the aid of a quality store-bought marinara. Of course you could use store-bought pesto as well, but I just don't like it as much as my own. I realize this is essentially admitting I make a crappy marinara... we all have flaws. <br />
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The other really great thing about this recipe is that it serves four and freezes beautifully, so I always make a full batch as written below and freeze half in a Ziploc, sauce and all. Simply defrost and reheat in a saucepan and dinner's almost ready on another night.<br />
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The original recipe (<i>Bon Appetit</i>, March 1999) has you plunk the raw meatballs right into the sauce, but I think that makes them too soft. I've found that a quick stint in the oven helps them stay together much better. For some variety, these meatballs are also great with lovely fresh crusty bread instead of pasta. I served with sliced cucumbers and a drizzle of vinaigrette.<br />
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1.25 lb lean ground turkey<br />
1 egg, lightly beaten<br />
1/4 cup pesto<br />
1 cup bread crumbs<br />
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1 large jar marinara (about 3 cups)<br />
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~ 4 oz spaghetti (~8 oz if you are serving 4 people)<br />
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1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded and sliced<br />
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Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.<br />
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In a large bowl, combine the turkey, egg, pesto, and bread crumbs with a big pinch of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Form them into even-sized balls and place onto a foil-wrapped baking sheet that has been lightly sprayed with cooking oil (so you can just toss the foil for easy cleanup). I get about 14 big meatballs from one recipe, which is perfect - that's two dinners of 4 meatballs for him, 3 for me. Pop them into the oven for 20 minutes.<br />
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Meanwhile, cook your spaghetti, prepare your little sliced cucumber salads, and begin to heat your marinara in a large heavy pot.<br />
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When 20 minutes has elapsed, pull the meatballs out of the oven and plop them into the marinara. Allow to simmer together for another 20 minutes or so.<br />
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Serves 4 (or 2 twice), takes under an hour.Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09818798322208287824noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-559647884317596441.post-61510454278607543822011-11-18T07:31:00.000-08:002011-11-18T07:31:46.802-08:00Chicken and sausage jambalaya<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit0LHZF3QN2BHXvNtKRMCwOUHCAMTIiozzADInTWkl4wn3kPhY028hHngQy6bUrhyphenhyphenGiuDBnT8PynavDRUFqW6kWMItsI0mysFoOcYJC5LHGgEFnj58RT5XGA3Zhb88tO8aOZS08JNw9sJK/s1600/IMG_3431.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit0LHZF3QN2BHXvNtKRMCwOUHCAMTIiozzADInTWkl4wn3kPhY028hHngQy6bUrhyphenhyphenGiuDBnT8PynavDRUFqW6kWMItsI0mysFoOcYJC5LHGgEFnj58RT5XGA3Zhb88tO8aOZS08JNw9sJK/s400/IMG_3431.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
I love where I work. Sharing hallways with some of the world's best and brightest, it's hard to not feel inspired, especially when you stumble upon stuff like this.<br />
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Beutler">Hell of a lot cooler</a> than a Jeter or Kardashian sighting, if you ask me. <br />
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There's world-changing work happening in every corner, but it's not all blood, sweat and tears; you need a sense of humor to go into science. For every positive result, there are a thousand that you absolutely work your ass off for but ultimately don't pan out. Just this week we figured something out and got some great data, the first in a long time. My boss and I just kind of stared at it... then at each other... until I finally said what we were both thinking: "Huh... I'm not really sure what to do with<i> good</i> news." That <a href="http://www.sciencemag.org/">Science</a> paper may look simple and elegant, but it took 10 sleepless years to design, generate reliable data, write, and get accepted by the journal, not to mention the shitload of heartache someone endured from every little failure along the way. In the face of constant rejection and frustration (<i>"I've done this protocol a thousand times and it's always worked, and the science is correct and I'm using the same lots of buffer and yes I adjusted the pH everything and my PI double checked my calculations so WHY ISN'T IT WORKING? IT MAKES NO SENSE!</i>), a sense of humor is critical to survival. And that's why you also come across stuff like this.<br />
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It's a wonderful community, and I'm proud to be a teensy little star-struck part of it (until I transition to full-time farmerhood). Anyway, on to the food: the ole saying goes, when life hands you lemons, you make lemonade. When the world's foremost pediatric hematologist hands you the last peppers of the season from his garden, you make jambalaya.<br />
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This recipe is from a recent <i>Bon Appetit</i>, and it is awesome. I hardly changed a thing. I had no idea it was so easy to make jambalaya! Oh, the things you learn when you try. And it's a one-pot wonder, too. I served with diced avocado tossed in a little vinaigrette to round it out.<br />
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1 lb boneless skinless chicken parts (breasts or thighs, whatever you like), diced into bite-sized chunks<br />
~ 1/2 lb Cajun sausage (<a href="http://www.savoiesfoods.com/">Savoie's</a> is the best!), sliced thinly on the bias<br />
1 small onion, finely diced<br />
2 ribs celery, finely diced<br />
2 small bell peppers, finely diced (basically, you want equal parts onion, celery, and pepper, so adjust accordingly)<br />
2 cloves garlic, minced<br />
1/2 tbsp fresh thyme, stripped from the stems<br />
2 tsp paprika (sweet, but I'd use smoked if it was all I had)<br />
1 tsp chili powder (I used ancho)<br />
cayenne pepper to taste<br />
few shakes of Cajun seasoning of your choice (we're a <a href="http://www.tonychachere.com/">Tony's</a> house)<br />
1 can <a href="http://www.ro-tel.com/index.jsp?gclid=CMHxiZm_wKwCFUaCtgodMzdVrA">Rotel</a> (the printed recipe called this "diced tomatoes and green chilis", so picture me scouring the aisles for something called "diced tomatoes and green chilis" and finally asking someone and OH, why didn't they just SAY Rotel?? Who you trying to impress, <i>Bon Appetit</i>?)<br />
1 cup low-sodium chicken stock<br />
1 cup long-grain white rice<br />
1/2 a bunch of scallions, thinly sliced <br />
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.<br />
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In a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot with a lid, heat a drizzle of olive oil, just to get the sausage going. Add the sausage and allow to start browning, then add the chicken and brown on all sides. Add the onion, celery, and peppers (also known as the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_trinity_%28cuisine%29">trinity</a>) and allow to thoroughly sweat, about 10 minutes. Mix in the garlic, thyme, paprika, chili powder, cayenne, and Cajun seasoning. Now, I didn't add any salt to this because I let the Tony's bring salt to the party. If you skip the Cajun seasoning or use a salt-free variety, be sure to add kosher salt at this point as well. Let cook for just another minute, then stir in the Rotel and chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add the rice, stir well to combine, cover, and pop in the oven for 40 minutes. Sprinkle with a big handful of scallions (these are non-negotiable, in my opinion - <i>do not</i> forget the scallions) and gorge. <br />
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Serves 4, takes under an hour.Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09818798322208287824noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-559647884317596441.post-49382696469731010832011-11-13T16:43:00.000-08:002011-11-13T16:43:55.507-08:00Salmon cakes with lemon yogurt sauce with roasted asparagus and arugula salad<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi69uTm4F_N8w64BbqjawtjorPh9kQIDuuMihea2h-OEEGnTTWhoZKxghkrkJvQdsecnfmGOK8-B-odcdK-_DrJMAalkmLGyM9_XTo_8I6Auhdls4hYHDGFGqQgPkU09Oqdt0Ic7ImKfPTj/s1600/IMG_3382.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi69uTm4F_N8w64BbqjawtjorPh9kQIDuuMihea2h-OEEGnTTWhoZKxghkrkJvQdsecnfmGOK8-B-odcdK-_DrJMAalkmLGyM9_XTo_8I6Auhdls4hYHDGFGqQgPkU09Oqdt0Ic7ImKfPTj/s400/IMG_3382.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
I've been making this dish for a few years, since I came across it in <i>Gourmet</i> in 2008. It has that "everyday special" vibe that I love, but is pulled together really quickly and only contains ingredients I usually have around the kitchen anyway. For some reason, eating foods in fried cake form is just plain <i>fun</i> (like the<a href="http://purelandorganic.blogspot.com/2011/08/black-bean-patties-with-pineapple.html"> black bean cakes</a> from this summer). Here I've formed them into large cakes for a main course, but you could easily make teeny little cakes for appetizers. <br />
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I love these salmon cakes in particular because you start from whole salmon fillets and hack them down to the texture you like. Definitely don't use the food processor, you want some nice big chunks of fish as well as some that has been finely minced (which helps hold them together with the bread crumbs and egg white). <br />
The yogurt sauce is the perfect accompaniment; creamy and tangy.<br />
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I found this side because I had half a pound of asparagus and some arugula to use up. I always like something a little acidic on the side when I'm frying, and indeed it was a great compliment to the salmon cakes. It reminds me of an Everyday Foods recipe that's similar but uses mushrooms and a little honey. It's reeeally good, I'll blog it sometime. Alas, I did not have mushrooms, I had arugula. <br />
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2 tbsp mayonnaise<br />
1 tsp Dijon mustard<br />
1 egg white<br />
1/4 tsp ground coriander<br />
pinch of cayenne pepper<br />
1/2 a bunch of scallions (maybe 4 nice thick ones), whites and greens thinly sliced and separated<br />
zest of 1 lemon <br />
1/2 cup of bread crumbs, I like panko<br />
2 boneless, skinless salmon fillets (around 2/3 lb)<br />
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1/2 cup of plain yogurt, I like Greek<br />
juice of 1/2 the lemon you zested<br />
green parts of the scallions you sliced<br />
<br />
1 small shallot, minced<br />
juice of the other 1/2 of the lemon you zested, about a tbsp<br />
1 tbsp sherry wine vinegar<br />
1 tsp Dijon mustard<br />
~ 2 tbsp good quality extra-virgin olive oil<br />
1/2 lb asparagus, woody ends trimmed off and cut into bite-sized lengths<br />
~ 4 cups arugula<br />
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In the interest of time and dish-saving, I like to chop all my veggies for everything on the cutting board first, leaving the meat for last.<br />
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Combine the shallot, juice of half a lemon, sherry vinegar, and Dijon in a small bowl. Add the olive oil in a slow steady stream, whisking continuously until it emulsifies (which is really easy to do when there's mustard in the dressing). Season with a little kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, and set aside. Prep your asparagus by tossing with a little olive oil and kosher salt and spread them onto a baking sheet (foiled, for easy cleanup). If you want your salad cold, you could broil the asparagus at this point and let them cool, but I like mine warm so I waited until the salmon cakes were frying to broil them.<br />
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In a large bowl, combine the mayo, Dijon, egg white, coriander, cayenne, scallions, and lemon zest until thoroughly mixed. Now that you have no veggies left to chop, flop your salmon fillets out on the cutting board and first cut into one inch-ish cubes. Then just run your knife through several times until there are chunks of all different sizes, taking care to make sure there's a half cup or so that has been thoroughly minced. Add the salmon and bread crumbs to the mayo mixture with a good pinch of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper and stir to combine. Form into four nice big patties, placing them on a clean plate as you go, and slip them into the fridge. This is important, letting them sit in the fridge for 20 minutes or so really helps them stay together when they cook. I'd cover them in plastic wrap if I was going to go longer than that, though.<br />
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Stir together the yogurt, juice of the other half of the lemon you zested, green parts of the scallions, and a pinch of kosher salt. Taste - if it's not zingy enough, you should add more lemon juice. <br />
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When you are ready to eat, preheat the broiler on low and pop your asparagus under it for about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a large non-stick pan and when hot, carefully add your salmon cakes. They'll only take 2 or 3 minutes to reach golden deliciousness per side. Pull out your asparagus and toss with the arugula and a couple of spoonfuls of the dressing (you'll have too much dressing, so save it for another salad). Serve the cakes with a dollop of yogurt sauce and your lovely asparagus and arugula salad alongside. <br />
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Serves 2, takes about half an hour.Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09818798322208287824noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-559647884317596441.post-68847059437520204782011-11-03T19:54:00.000-07:002011-11-03T19:54:17.613-07:00Udon noodle and miso soup with avocado and peanut salad in ginger dressing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicMvpFjGTzZFs3UzfDzVLbjekbb2JQZvRP2cAj1qBURCIIdL2c2KYE4UsnFw5RvD-q2vkrro5BKGeoOpQfB2WjVROdNX6L-nLSUqdGiEkudelErCKFOQepKCvZpMTYEV4swM7DRm43vmBc/s1600/IMG_3341.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicMvpFjGTzZFs3UzfDzVLbjekbb2JQZvRP2cAj1qBURCIIdL2c2KYE4UsnFw5RvD-q2vkrro5BKGeoOpQfB2WjVROdNX6L-nLSUqdGiEkudelErCKFOQepKCvZpMTYEV4swM7DRm43vmBc/s400/IMG_3341.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
I've tried (in vain) to ignore the reports of crippling snowfall in other parts of the country but deep in the heart of Texas, the weather has finally turned as well... this displeases me. I'm one of those people that become miserable when temps dip below 80 degrees, so the threat of an overnight freeze is particularly shitty news. <i>Winter</i>. I hate it so. But I do like toasty fires and have a darling collection of cozy hats... so there's that. <br />
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The real silver lining on this looming prolonged torture cloud is a change in cuisine, a chance to bring back all those lovely hot soups and stews I couldn't imagine cooking a couple of months ago. This is another great staple from the Bible, <a href="http://www.howtocookeverything.com/">How to Cook Everything</a> by Mark Bittman. There are a couple of potentially unfamiliar ingredients, but nothing you wouldn't be able to find at any Asian market (and probably at most upscale grocers). <br />
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I suspect most of us have had miso soup at some point, likely a steamy little bowl with soft cubes of tofu and some scallions at a sushi bar. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miso">Miso</a> is most commonly prepared by fermenting soybean paste but the internets tell me you can make rice or barley miso as well. Any will work in this recipe. Dashi is a stock made of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonito_flakes">bonito flakes</a> (dried tuna flakes) and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kombu">kombu</a> (dried kelp, which brings the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umami">umami</a>. You want this. Umami is good). <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Udon">Udon</a> are thick wheat Japanese noodles that are traditional to the dish, but if you couldn't find them you could certainly substitute any noodle you like. And of course, you can add any meat you like or none at all; here I've just used a few shrimp. <br />
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While these ingredients may not be common in the typical American kitchen, they can and certainly should be in yours. A bag of bonito flakes and kombu will last pretty much until the end of time (or you run out), and miso paste can stay stashed in the fridge for ages as well. <br />
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The first time I made this salad I was really surprised, I had no idea how wonderfully peanuts and avocados go together. It makes sense, they're both loaded with good fats and actually end up being a similar texture in the mouth when the the crunchiness from the peanuts subsides. The ginger dressing is just a bonus, particularly for ginger-philes like us, and really ties the flavors together. I did cut back the sugar a bit and would definitely recommend doing so.<br />
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First you have to make your <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dashi">dashi</a>, the stock that gives the soup its flavor.<br />
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1 piece of kombu, ~ 3 inches long<br />
4 cups water<br />
heaping 1/3 cup bonito flakes<br />
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Combine the kombu and water in a small pot and bring almost to a boil, but do not allow to boil. Remove the kombu and discard, then stir in the bonito flakes and cover. Let steep for about 5 minutes, then strain and set aside. You can refrigerate the dashi for up to 2 days if you want to do this in advance.<br />
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2 tbsp rice wine vinegar<br />
1 tbsp sugar<br />
1 tbsp fresh ginger, finely minced or microplaned<br />
1 large avocado, diced<br />
1/4 cup unsalted peanuts, dry toasted<br />
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handful of dried shiitake mushrooms<br />
3 tbsp miso paste<br />
4 oz udon noodles<br />
~ 10 large shrimp, peeled and deveined <br />
1 bunch scallions, white and pale green parts thinly sliced<br />
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In a small saucepan, combine the rice wine vinegar, sugar, and ginger. Reduce over medium heat until syrupy, about 5 minutes. Remove to a bowl and stash in the fridge to cool down.<br />
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Pour about half a cup of very hot water over your mushrooms and allow them to steep and rehydrate for about 20 minutes. Add the shrooms along with their liquid to the dashi, taking care to leave behind any grit that may have settled out of the mushroom liquid.<br />
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Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook your udon noodles for a minute or two shy of the package directions. Drain and run some cold water over them so they don't overcook, and set aside.<br />
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Once it's cool, toss the avocado and peanuts in your (very thick) ginger dressing to coat. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Set on the table. <br />
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Whisk the miso paste with about a cup of still warm dashi in a bowl until dissolved, then pour it and the rest of your dashi and mushrooms into the same pot you cooked the noodles in and bring to a simmer. Add the shrimp and allow to poach for a minute or two, then add the noodles for the last minute of their cooking time. Plate in a large shallow bowl and top with a generous sprinkling of scallions. Eat with chopsticks! Getting all the peanuts is great practice.<br />
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Serves 2, takes under an hour.Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09818798322208287824noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-559647884317596441.post-49229888845356759252011-10-29T19:26:00.000-07:002011-10-30T18:08:40.819-07:00Ziti alla Papera<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji6L6423reDboeY5dgVY6Q4wJaP1Uug_vSscI5rhWvWHzDj4E_NnKw8KpzcFOYQvDF0vslQ0X3i5yGJB5rrQQP31iAnGgUmJS6iy11MBk1cavwqsv5nSjLQNazHK7bKethcqBFsOgmaAD_/s1600/IMG_3288.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji6L6423reDboeY5dgVY6Q4wJaP1Uug_vSscI5rhWvWHzDj4E_NnKw8KpzcFOYQvDF0vslQ0X3i5yGJB5rrQQP31iAnGgUmJS6iy11MBk1cavwqsv5nSjLQNazHK7bKethcqBFsOgmaAD_/s400/IMG_3288.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Apologies for the sparse posting... That pesky World Series required extensive time commitments to hang out at the ballpark and drink beer, then we were entertaining out-of-towners a couple of days, and I've been forging the frontiers of science like a mofo at my day job. I was hardly cooking, and even when I was it was quick easy ol' reliable recipes all the way. Fortunately, Farmer Dad has been plowing away (heh) at the farm. The terraces are all cut, the pond is completely dug out (and is a gorgeous teal color from the underground streams filling it) and we've just started to sow grass and cover crops for the winter.<br />
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This is another recipe discovered during my nightly bedtime viewing of Molto Mario reruns. Of note, there is no herbage or seasoning in this sauce except salt, pepper, and a little parsley at the end. I was concerned about that the first time I made it, but honestly, it's staggeringly delicious as is. I would never have guessed that half of the meat is duck, but flavor and texture wise, you can tell it clearly isn't all pork. The duck gets so soft and delicate, it brings not so much a <i>duckyness</i> to the sauce as a sumptuous melt-in-your-mouthy <i>richness</i>. It adds a lot of complexity to the simple, somewhat expected sweetness of the onion and tomato. It would really overpower the flavor profile to add any other herb than parsley (basil would be an especially bad fit, so don't be tempted). Which is not to say the parsley isn't important, I actually think the tiny hit of fresh grassyness is key. <br />
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I served with very simple broiled asparagus to round it out. I am offering the above picture as proof.<br />
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1 thick boneless pork chop (1/3 - 1/2 lb), excess fat trimmed, cut into big chunks<br />
1 duck leg quarter (the drumstick and thigh), excess fat trimmed (<a href="http://www.centralmarket.com/default.aspx">Central Market</a> has frozen duck leg quarters vacuum packed and ready to go for like $4 apiece)<br />
1/2 an onion, finely diced<br />
1 clove garlic, sliced <i>wahfer theen</i><br />
2 tsp tomato paste<br />
1/4 cup dry white wine <br />
1 cup canned crushed tomatoes<br />
handful of Italian flat-leaf parsley, minced<br />
freshly grated caciocavallo or pecorino Romano cheese <br />
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~ 4-6 oz dried ziti <br />
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Heat a good glug of extra-virgin olive oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan (with a lid) or Dutch oven. Rinse and pat dry your pork and duck, then season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. When the pan is hot hot hot, add the pork chunks and lay the duck leg in skin side down. Don't move anything for about five minutes, then flip the duck and rotate the pork chunks until deeply browned on all sides, another five or ten minutes. Add the onion and garlic and allow to soften, then add the tomato paste and cook until it rusts in color, another five minutes or so. Add the wine and bring to a boil, then add the crushed tomatoes and red pepper flakes. Cover and simmer for 2 1/2 hours. I was getting aggravated about having to stir to keep it from sticking, so I popped mine into a 325 degree oven for the last 2 hours, stirring and replenishing with a little water halfway through. I'm sure you could use a slow cooker, too, for 4 or 6 hours.<br />
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Go catch up on Facebook, thin your carrot sprouts, and have a cocktail in the tub with a magazine.<br />
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When time is just about up, put a pot of water on to boil for your pasta. Pull your sauce out of the oven and remove the duck leg, shredding the meat off the bone with a fork. Add it back into the pot and shred the pork into the sauce as well. Broil your asparagus for a couple of minutes somewhere in here. Season your now boiling water generously with kosher salt and cook your pasta to about a minute shy of the package directions. At this point if your sauce is looking a little "tight", you can add a bit of the pasta cooking water to loosen it up. Drain the pasta and add the noodles and parsley to the sauce for the last minute of cooking. Top with freshly grated caciocavallo or pecorino Romano cheese. <br />
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Serves 2.Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09818798322208287824noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-559647884317596441.post-49711229996038339912011-10-16T13:44:00.000-07:002011-10-31T19:54:54.621-07:00Sea scallops with chanterelles and Sherry, Champagne risotto, and roasted Brussels sprouts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia2ZY4v_0HtfVZXxGsEmxiD1xWu2tBqVN4gJ2xiRgDu2gg-3fTI9A5H5hDEbw5Jc93gKBa6D0wzZOh_NUr9-W_MV184Xa66gxDnZcMjWgZXGf7ibten9kSM8cUNjQZCu80uxcQFQgac_-4/s1600/IMG_3244.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia2ZY4v_0HtfVZXxGsEmxiD1xWu2tBqVN4gJ2xiRgDu2gg-3fTI9A5H5hDEbw5Jc93gKBa6D0wzZOh_NUr9-W_MV184Xa66gxDnZcMjWgZXGf7ibten9kSM8cUNjQZCu80uxcQFQgac_-4/s400/IMG_3244.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Now, don't get me wrong; I <i>love</i> slaving away all day on terribly over-complicated and tedious recipes, but special little weeknight meals are my favorites. The speed with which they get on the table is due to simple but sophisticated flavor combinations and quick cooking techniques not employed because they are simple and quick, but because they cannot be improved upon with complication.<br />
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The recipe is adapted (based on what I had around) from Suzanne Goin's beautiful and much-blogged-about cookbook <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sunday-Suppers-Lucques-Seasonal-Recipes/dp/1400042151">Sunday Suppers at Lucques</a>. Although this is only the second time I've cooked from it (I made the yellow tomato gazpacho at the height of summer tomatoes and it was<i> so good</i>), I can't recommend it enough. The recipes are organized not only into lovely four course meals but also into seasons, based on what's typically available from a farmer's market that time of year. So cool. As much as I adore a scallop, the chanterelle mushrooms are the true stars of this dish. I found these gorgeous blue-foot chanterelles at <a href="http://www.centralmarket.com/default.aspx">Central Market</a> for the bargain price of $40 a pound. [To minimize the choking risk, I suggest you resist sharing this fact with your husband after he mentions how delicious they are. Fortunately, it dislodged quickly and dinner resumed.] Fear not, you only need 6 or 7 bucks worth for this dish. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgufcK8K253DVhijlV8KVhvKnGBhyphenhyphenW7Z48UeuEXJW73jpOwVuQ9VPha2PPD8uV3Ub58qBlmdVPaboRhXQXgsYuLyo_XSq2QyorsiVUzfoi8P9njShmsRVNeR4O_tZcgJ2OZIYcjyljyI6e4/s1600/IMG_3220.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgufcK8K253DVhijlV8KVhvKnGBhyphenhyphenW7Z48UeuEXJW73jpOwVuQ9VPha2PPD8uV3Ub58qBlmdVPaboRhXQXgsYuLyo_XSq2QyorsiVUzfoi8P9njShmsRVNeR4O_tZcgJ2OZIYcjyljyI6e4/s400/IMG_3220.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><a name='more'></a>Not a very long time ago, I would only eat scallops in restaurants. I had fears about cooking them at home, for some reason I can't remember (so, not a very good one). Eventually, I bit the bullet and never looked back. They can be pricey, which is what makes them a little special occasiony, but remember that Living Social deal that came around a couple of weeks ago, $10 for $20 to spend at Whole Foods? Bought me a pound of gorgeous fresh U10 sea scallops for just over the coupon. And really... two-thirds of a pound would have been the right amount. I am so easily seduced by never-frozen seafood.<br />
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I paired the scallops with this fantastic champagne risotto (from an old <i>Bon Appetit</i>) and broiled Brussels sprouts. The risotto is pretty much perfect; you can really taste the champagne, and it imparts such elegance to a really simple recipe. Ideal for a dinner party. Regarding the Brussels sprouts... look. They're just delicious. Please, please just buy a little sack and try them this way. If you insist you still don't like them, I will not bother you any further (but secretly think you're really strange and still serve them to you anyway while pretending I forgot). <br />
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The quickest way to do this is to prepare the chanterelle Sherry sauce first, then broil the Brussels sprouts while the risotto cooks, searing the scallops last.<br />
1 tbsp unsalted butter<br />
~ 6 nice chanterelle mushrooms, lightly brushed free of any dirt (don't wash them, it ruins the texture), sliced<br />
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves, stripped from the stems<br />
1/2 cup scallions, white part only, finely chopped<br />
1/4 cup dry Sherry<br />
2 tbsp low sodium chicken stock<br />
2 tbsp heavy cream<br />
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~ 12 medium misunderstood Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved<br />
<br />
1 tbsp unsalted butter<br />
1 clove garlic, minced<br />
1 small shallot, minced<br />
heaping 1/2 cup arborio rice<br />
1 cup (yes, a whole cup) dry Champagne (in the interest of full disclosure, I used a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cava_%28Spanish_wine%29">Spanish cava</a>, which I prefer and consume in great volumes)<br />
~ 2 cups low sodium chicken stock<br />
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese<br />
<br />
1 tbsp unsalted butter<br />
2/3-1 lb large sea scallops<br />
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Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the foam subsides, add the mushrooms, thyme, and scallions. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Saute, tossing often, until the mushrooms are browned and tender. Add the Sherry and boil for a minute or two, then add the chicken stock and reduce by half. Stir in the cream and allow to simmer for a minute or until thickened, then turn off the heat. <br />
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Toss the Brussels sprouts with a drizzle of olive oil and good pinch of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Arrange them cut side down on a baking sheet. Preheat the broiler on low. When ready, broil the Brussels sprouts until deep golden brown and delicious, then flip them all and broil until the other side is also golden brown and delicious (about 10 minutes on each side in my oven). <br />
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Pour the chicken stock for the risotto into a small pot and bring to a simmer. Melt the butter in a small heavy saucepan. When the foam subsides, saute the garlic and shallots until aromatic, then add the rice and saute for another two minutes. Add the Champagne and allow to be absorbed completely, stirring often. Add the chicken stock a half cup at a time, allowing each addition to be fully absorbed before adding more. Test the rice for doneness, it should take about 20 minutes. When it's ready, stir in the Parmesan, taste, and adjust the seasoning.<br />
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Scallop time! Rewarm the chanterelle Sherry sauce. Melt yet another tablespoon of butter in another heavy skillet. Rinse and thoroughly pat the scallops dry. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, then sear them for a minute or two on each side, depending on the thickness. Plunk them into the sauce and toss well to coat.<br />
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Serve the scallops and mushrooms over a heap of Champagne risotto with glorious delicious roasted Brussels sprouts alongside. Celebrate all of the little things. <br />
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Serves 2, takes about 45 minutes.Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09818798322208287824noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-559647884317596441.post-83249865169528087522011-10-08T15:49:00.000-07:002011-10-08T15:49:49.125-07:00Turkey shepherd's pie<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHMeXQD3no1QDSZou8lDPq8RKQNNOUBmP_PqgfqKUL-0RgaHFBJiOGfL70RuBV-C2l_Q0QcedCvaHgOblqJO0Cnmn5SWkJPFZOiV_fUnGQw8ORHZxNvfUSuNXphk9kuvoU6MmqIG10S2Ke/s1600/IMG_3189.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHMeXQD3no1QDSZou8lDPq8RKQNNOUBmP_PqgfqKUL-0RgaHFBJiOGfL70RuBV-C2l_Q0QcedCvaHgOblqJO0Cnmn5SWkJPFZOiV_fUnGQw8ORHZxNvfUSuNXphk9kuvoU6MmqIG10S2Ke/s400/IMG_3189.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
This is my light take on a classic. I substitute ground turkey for the beef or lamb, pack it full of veggies, and skip the cheese altogether (I honestly just don't think it needs it). The result is heavy on flavor, light on damage. It also reheats very nicely, making it ideal to stick in a lunchbox.<br />
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The vegetables I used on this occasion are carrots, mushrooms, and zucchini, but the possibilities are endless. Frozen peas would be pretty classic, but you could use spinach, green beans, whatever you want. You are the boss of you. Clean out that fridge.<br />
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I also did my usual trick of making the mashed potato topping with half potato and half yams, to make it more interesting and nutritious. If I had butternut squash lying around I'd have used that too, even carrots (and then skipped putting them on the inside).<br />
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1 lb ground turkey<br />
1 medium yellow onion, finely diced<br />
4 cloves garlic, minced <br />
3 medium carrots, finely diced<br />
12-15 medium mushrooms, chopped or quartered<br />
2 large zucchini, diced <br />
2 cups low sodium chicken stock<br />
1/2 a little can of tomato paste<br />
~ 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves (you don't even have to pull them off the stems, just remember to fish them out)<br />
~ 2 tsp fresh rosemary, minced<br />
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1 lb russet potatoes, peeled and chopped<br />
1 lb yams or sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped<br />
2 tbsp butter<br />
~ 1/2 cup milk<br />
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Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.<br />
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Heat a glug of olive oil in a large Dutch oven. Brown the turkey, breaking it apart with a wooden spoon. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. When the turkey looks about done, add the onion, garlic, and carrots and allow them to sweat for a few minutes. Then add the mushrooms and zucchini (or miscellaneous vegetables of your choice), season again, and allow to cook another minute or two. Add the chicken stock, tomato paste, thyme, and rosemary. Bring to a boil and simmer, uncovered, for about 20 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Fish out the thyme stems. <br />
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Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook your potatoes and yams. Drain, pop them back into the pot, add the butter and milk, season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, and mash to your desired consistency. <br />
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Assemble! Layer your turkey and vegetables into the bottom of a large rectangular baking dish. Spread the mashed potatoes evenly over the top. Bake for about 30 minutes, until bubbly and wonderful. <br />
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Serves 6 health-conscious shepherds.Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09818798322208287824noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-559647884317596441.post-42757469221764357412011-09-30T15:18:00.000-07:002011-09-30T15:18:04.410-07:00Salted caramel ice creamI was wandering through the "blue ribbon" top-ranked recipes on epicurious.com the other day, looking for an interesting dessert to cap off a dinner party, and there it was. Salted. Caramel. <i>Ice cream</i>. Yes! <br />
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This recipe is <i>awesome.</i> I realize that's an inelegant description but it feels the most accurate. The texture is exceptionally smooth and creamy. And while you can taste the salt humming in the background, it's predominantly sweet and very decadent; a one-scoop portion was just right. I whipped up a little homemade <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sponge_toffee">hokey pokey</a> to crumble on top, which I highly recommend. (But I eated it all before I took a picture. Sorry. Well, not really.)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How cute is my ice cream scoop? It used to belong to my grandfolks.</td></tr>
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Like many of the reviewers I increased the amount of salt, so I've modified the recipe to reflect that below. <br />
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1 1/4 cups sugar, divided<br />
2 1/4 cups heavy cream, divided<br />
1 tsp flaky sea salt, I used cute pink Murray River salt<br />
1/2 tsp vanilla extract<br />
1 cup whole milk<br />
3 whole large eggs<br />
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Pour 1 cup of the sugar into a small dry pot and cook over medium heat, swirling often, until it's completely melted. Stirring causes the sugar to form crystals, so mix by swirling only. If you see or smell any smoke and burn the sugar, start over. Once it's all melted and amber, pour in 1 1/4 cups of the cream and cook, stirring now, until all of the caramel dissolves into the cream. Gourmet warns that the caramel will splatter when you add the cream, which had me all freaked out and chicken about it, but mine didn't splatter whatsoever. Have no fear. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the salt and vanilla. Allow to cool.<br />
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Pop the pot back onto the stove and combine the milk with the remaining cup of cream and 1/4 cup of sugar over medium heat, stirring often, until just to a boil. Whisk together the 3 eggs in a large bowl and temper by whisking in a couple of spoonfuls of the hot milk mixture, then pour all the eggs into the pot and allow to cook until the custard coats the back of a spoon (about 170 degrees). Don't let it boil. Strain custard into the pot with the caramel cream and mix until homogenous and delicious. At this point, I actually strained it again because it wasn't completely smooth, and then it was perfect. Your mileage may vary. <br />
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Refrigerate overnight or until completely cold, then freeze according to your ice cream maker's directions. This took longer than usual to me, and as the recipe warns, it will still be pretty soft when it's done. Transfer to an air-tight container and freeze overnight before serving.Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09818798322208287824noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-559647884317596441.post-54060364798971967812011-09-20T19:53:00.000-07:002011-09-21T15:28:52.797-07:00Saumon aux lentilles with mustard-herb butter and roasted butternut squash<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZOhrJEF0qwGub5ggpqxkrNTixGjrSRwS3Z8wdBWo1rduYdvGw0p-QxR7sk9cVdODW3lQ-316gIJ9d19S3QzV4XdNJOLywV6gnLBkj2xkpVAOJtqxD8MWbrgCA4_tlhcz_Xpsf8Wuvapg9/s1600/IMG_3103.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZOhrJEF0qwGub5ggpqxkrNTixGjrSRwS3Z8wdBWo1rduYdvGw0p-QxR7sk9cVdODW3lQ-316gIJ9d19S3QzV4XdNJOLywV6gnLBkj2xkpVAOJtqxD8MWbrgCA4_tlhcz_Xpsf8Wuvapg9/s400/IMG_3103.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbNsTydi6GvyL4wwOZrVN6981xoz1HKSq5nSXoM5EopeshQc-Aeg35X0-TJncnR_7dCxlNJWijZZt-Bq4rVM-vL1Hbhibe4a85ym6TCivo_i9L6Gqd2aZrICBSWI0imq64B0FoVskAZ16j/s1600/IMG_3124.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div> As it is so marvelously healthy, I'm always looking for new things to do with salmon. This quick little French dish has been on my list for quite a while. Such a while, in fact, that the chives I originally bought to make it had turned to slime while neglected in the back of the fridge (<i>merde!</i>) and I had to use scallions.<i> </i><br />
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Lentils are an ingredient I'm trying to use more frequently. Legumes in general, really. These cute little green French lentils have great texture and cook in just half an hour.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>I made a few small modifications, mainly to reduce the butter (and there was still was plenty, in my opinion) and substituting olive oil to cook the leeks and fish. And because my crazy only allows me to serve meals composed of odd numbers, I popped some butternut squash in the oven to roast with a simple maple glaze. The flavors combined really nicely with the mustard-herb butter. Deelish.<br />
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~ 1-2 cups butternut squash, peeled and cubed<br />
~ 1 tbsp real maple syrup<br />
1 clove garlic, minced<br />
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1/2 cup French lentils, rinsed and picked over<br />
1 medium leek, white and pale green diced and thoroughly washed<br />
1 tsp fresh lemon juice<br />
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2 tbsp unsalted butter<br />
1 heaping tbsp scallions, minced (or non-slimy chives)<br />
pinch of dried tarragon, crumbled (be careful, tarragon is potent stuff)<br />
1 tsp whole-grain mustard<br />
1 tsp fresh lemon juice<br />
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2 fillets salmon, rinsed and patted dry <br />
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Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl, combine your squash, maple syrup, and garlic with a drizzle of olive oil, pinch of kosher salt, and few grinds of fresh black pepper. Mix thoroughly and transfer to a baking vessel, covering tightly with foil. Pop it into the oven and set the timer for 20 minutes. When that goes off, uncover the squash and let it cook another 20 minutes or until tender and browned in places.<br />
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In a medium saucepan, combine the lentils with 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Season with kosher salt and reduce to a simmer, letting the lentils cook uncovered for about half an hour, or until just tender. You should have very little liquid left, so just turn off the heat and let them sit for a few minutes. But if for some reason it looks like a lot of liquid left, reserve just 1/4 cup, drain the rest and pour the 1/4 cup back into the pot with the lentils. <br />
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While that's happening, saute the leeks in a heavy skillet over medium-low heat in a drizzle of olive oil until soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. Add them to the pot with the lentils. <br />
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Combine the butter, scallions, tarragon, mustard, and lemon juice for the herb butter, just mushing it all together with a spoon. After the lentils have rested and you've mixed in the leeks, add half of the herb butter and the teaspoon of lemon juice, stirring through so the butter melts. Mmm. Taste to see if it needs salt or pepper, adjust if necessary, cover and set aside. <br />
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By now your squash is probably almost done, so put the pan in which you cooked the leeks back on the heat with another drizzle of olive oil. Season the salmon on both sides with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cook for 2 to 4 minutes per side or until just medium, refraining from turning your salmon into cat food. Plate up on a bed of lentils with your lovely fragrant butternut squash (not pictured, because while delicious, it was not attractive). Squeeze a little more fresh lemon juice over everything and top each fillet with a nice pat of mustard-herb butter. Yeya! <i>Bon appetit</i> y'all!<br />
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Serves 2, takes an hour.Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09818798322208287824noreply@blogger.com3