A Meal of Foods I Used To Hate

Dried Calimyrna figs from Trader Joe's are my current food obsession. I especially like the ones that are sort of gooey on the inside. I eat them cut up in steel cut oatmeal for breakfast and after work as a snack with cheese and any other time of the day, just plain. So I was especially pleased to find a recipe to make for dinner that so prominently features them.

Last week the grocery store had cabbage and carrots on sale (in conjunction with St. Patrick's Day, I can only assume). My roommate had bequeathed me several beets before jaunting off to Europe and there was a bag of potatoes in our pantry leftover from the the potluck brunch slowly growing eyes and begging to be used.

So I threw together this lovely dinner only to realize that not that long ago, I really did not much care for beets, cabbage or pork tenderloin.

For most of my life, the only beets I had known were those from a can. I can't even describe what they taste like. Growing up, the smell was so offensive to me and so pervaded our house when cooked that I probably only bothered to try them once and never looked back. The cabbage in sauerkraut, I also deemed too smelly or if in coleslaw, too soggy (and mildly smelly as well). And don't even get me started on pork loin. It was this weird cut of meat that pretended to be from the same animal as ever-delicious bacon and ham. Except it had the whitish appearance of chicken and was fashioned into the shape of a small, rodent-like mammal (i.e. not appetizing...beaver, weasel, large rat).

So my point is that not only are looks (and smells) deceiving when it comes to food but also that the method of cooking as well as the supporting ingredients (clearly, I have an aversion to vinegar) play an important role in the success of a dish. And that roasted beets are a million times more appetizing than those from a can.

Stuffed Pork Loin with Figs (from New York Times)

1 cup dried figs
1 boneless pork loin, 2 lbs or so
Salt and freshly ground pepper
3 or 4 fresh rosemary sprigs, minced
Red wine

Soak figs in a bowl of hot water (just enough liquid to cover). Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Insert a thin, sharp knife into both ends of the loin. Use the end of a wooden spoon (or a finger) to widen the opening and force a hole all the way through the loin. The hole should be at least the thickness of your thumb (or larger if you are using a fatter cut of meat).

Drain the figs, reserving the liquid. Stuff the figs into the opening of the loin to the center from each end.

Combine salt, pepper, and rosemary and rub it over the pork loin. Place meat in roasting pan and pour 1/2 cup of fruit-infused water over the meat. Roast for 20 minutes. Lower oven temperature to 325 degrees and continue roasting, basting the meat with pan juices or added liquid, such as the water or some red wine, every 15 minutes. When a thermometer inserted in meat (and not the fruit center) reads 145-150 degrees, remove from oven. Let sit for 15 minutes before serving. To make a sauce, scrap up the juices in the roasting pan and add some red wine, if needed. Reduce to 1/2 cup and serve over pork.

Roasted Root Vegetables

Root vegetables (potatoes, carrots, beets, turnips, onions...), cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 head of garlic, cloves separated and peeled
Assorted minced herbs/spices
Olive oil

So this recipe is very open-ended. I used four large pototoes (unpeeled), four medium-sized beets (unpeeled), and a bag (1 lb.) of carrots (peeled) as well as heaping tablespoons of both minced rosemary and thyme.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Oil two large, rimmed baking sheets. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, tossing vegetables to ensure they are thoroughly coated in olive oil.

Divide vegetables, spread evenly on baking sheets, and generously sprinkle with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Roast until tender and brown, about an hour. Stir occasionally while cooking to prevent sticking.

Sauteed Green Cabbage with Apples and Onions (adapted from Orangette)

1/2 large green cabbage, quartered, cored and thinly sliced
2 onions, thinly sliced (I used a red and a yellow one)
2 apples, quartered, cored, and thinly sliced
Olive oil
Salt and ground pepper
Apple cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon caraway seeds

In a large saucepan, heat up olive oil over medium-high heat. Sautee onions until they are softened and beginning to brown. Add apples, and sautee for a minute or so. The pan should be steaming a bit. Finally, add the cabbage, salt and pepper, a dash or two of vinegar, caraway seeds, and some water, as needed. Continue cooking, but on high heat, until the cabbage is barely softened. It should still have a bit of crunch, however. Adjust seasoning accordingly.

And thus, a lovely meal with no processed ingredients that, other than the cabbage, basically cooked itself. One person is more than capable of handling this dinner. Especially if you prep some of the ingredients ahead of time (chopping vegetables, mincing herbs). I started the vegetables roasting in the oven and then prepared the pork loin. They both cook at 425 degrees for awhile, and by the time you need to turn the temperature down on the pork, the vegetables have enough of a head start to continue on at a lower heat. The cabbage takes probably ten minutes total, so it can be attended to on the stove as the other dishes finish up in the oven.

a saucy dessert (literally and figuratively)

Mark Bittman is somewhat of a hero of mine. He is the author of a very comprehensive, yet unpretentious, cookbook that I possess and frequently utilize. His blog on the New York Times is uncanny in its ability to inspire me to try new dishes and ingredients. And best yet, as the title of his column, The Minimalist, indicates, his recipes are very simple and unfussy.

This chocolate dessert, posted on his blog for Valentine's Day, has just five ingredients! It can be very depressing to stumble upon an enticing recipe only to discover that it requires three different types of chocolate and seventeen egg whites and has fifteen different steps spanning two days of cooking. Especially when you need to create something at the last-minute. Okay, so I exaggerate. But not only is this recipe undemanding, it yields quite impressive results. Adorable little cakes that ooze warm, melted chocolate. Very satisfying and perfectly compact in its deliciousness. The only downside is that they are not larger. (In fact, when I made it the second time I distributed the batter amongst three ramekins, instead of four just to up our portion sizes...)

Molten Chocolate Cake (from Bittman's Bitten blog)

1/2 cup unsalted butter, plus some for buttering the ramekins
4 ounces high-quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons flour, plus some more for dusting (alternatively, use cocoa powder, for a more appealing look)

In a double boiler over simmering water, melt chocolate and butter, whisking until smooth. Meanwhile, beat the eggs, yolks, and sugar in a bowl with an electric mixer until light and thickened.

Remove chocolate from heat. Pour in the egg mixture and then quickly add the flour, whisking until smooth.

Butter and flour three or four 4 ounce ramekins (or other similarly-sized ovenproof molds or cups). Tap out the extra flour and then butter and flour again. It is important that you do this twice. The first time I made this, I shirked at this seemingly repetitive step and the cakes suffered for it, by sticking to the bottom and collapsing a bit.

Divide the batter evenly among the molds. Bake at 450 degrees for 6-10 minutes (my oven can be eccentric and yours might be too, so just keep an eye on things). Remove from oven when the sides have set but the middle is still soft.

Invert ramekins onto a small plate. Let sit for a few seconds and then carefully remove ramekin. The cake should slide out. Eat immediately while the cake is still warm and gooey.

beef, it's what's for dinner (every night this week)

I rarely purchase, or eat really, red meat (except for making cheeseburgers!). So I don't know much about the different cuts. But I learned on Wikipedia just now that chuck comes from the neck/shoulder area of a cow. Also, it contains a lot of connective tissue such as collagen, which breaks down during cooking and gives the meat a more intense flavor.

This recipe is a bit involved. Actually, the active time is not too long, but unless you are comfortable with leaving your oven on while you are not home, you are going to need to block out about five hours to make this. Luckily for me, my roommate Jenn babysat this dish while I ran off to the gym (so that I could justify eating it twice a day until it ran out...).

So I usually don't include information for how many a recipe will feed. It never seems accurate. But Gourmet said that this would feed 12 people. I would guess even more. I mean, it has 9 pounds of meat and vegetables in it alone!

Beef Stew (adapted from Gourmet)

5 pounds boneless beef chuck (not lean), cut into 1 and 1/2-inch pieces
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 carrots, quartered
3 medium onions, quartered
1 head garlic, halved crosswise
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1 (750-ml) bottle dry red wine (about 3 3/4 cups)
2 bay leaves
2 thyme sprigs
2 rosemary sprigs
1 tablespoon cloves
3 cups reduced-sodium beef broth
3 cups water
2 1/2 pounds small boiling potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 wedges
1 1/2 pounds carrots, peeled and sliced diagonally into 1 inch pieces

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Season chuck with 2 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon ground pepper.

Heat olive oil in large, wide pot (one that can hold 6-8 quarts) over medium-high heat. Brown the chuck in separate batches, about 8 minutes per batch. Turn to make sure it cooks evenly. Remove from pot and transfer to large platter (one that won't allow the juices to run off).

Reduce heat to medium. Add a bit more salt and pepper to the pot. Add the first batch of carrots listed in the recipe, and also the onion and garlic, and cook, stirring every so often, until thoroughly browned, about 15 minutes.

Move vegetables to the side of the pot. Cook tomato paste in the remaining side of the pot, stirring occasionally, for two minutes. Stir into vegetables.

Add balsamic vinegar and let cook for 2 minutes, stirring.

Add bottle of wine, bay leaves, thyme, and rosemary. Let cook for about 10-12 minutes, until wine has cooked down to two-thirds.

Add broth, water, beef, and whatever juices that were on the platter. Bring to simmer. Then cover with tight lid and braise in oven for 2 1/2 hours until meat is tender (as in, it is basically falling apart).

Remove from oven and let it cool down for a few minutes, as this next step is a bit tricky (and even more so, if it's boiling hot. Set a large colander in an even larger bowl on a sturdy surface. Pour the contents through the colander so that the liquid ends up in the bowl and the meat and vegetables are left in the colander. This task might take two people since when I first attempted it, the liquid splashed out all over the place. Pour the liquid back into the pot. Pick out the meat and return to the pot. Discard the rest of the solids.

Add carrots and potatoes to the pot, making sure they are covered in liquid. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender (about 45 minutes).

squashed squash

So my roommate Sydney discovered this recipe back in October and since then, we have made it at least three or four times. I think that those recurrences alone attest to how delicious and unique it is. Butternut squash abounds during the winter months, as demonstrated by the fact that this is the second recipe to feature it in only eight posts. Luckily for me, it is one of my favorite vegetables (okay, technically it is a fruit).

Maybe you are looking at the list of ingredients and saying to yourself "What is canned chipotle chili in adobo?" In an effort to be efficient, you may even do what I did, and call the grocery store to inquire as to whether they stock this product. After being transferred around to three different departments and speaking with several confused employees, they will probably tell you that they do not carry it. But do not be deceived! They just do not know what they are talking about. Look in the "International Foods" section. It will be a very small can. Next to the other canned chilis and "Mexican" sorts of foods.

Roasted Squash, Red Pepper, and Jack Cheese Quesadillas with Chipotle Chili Lime Sour Cream (from Gourmet)

5 cups butternut squash, peeled and diced into 3/4 inch cubes
1 large onion, unpeeled and cut into eighths
2 large cloves of garlic, unpeeled
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 flour or corn tortillas, 5- to 6-inch in diameter
1 large red bell pepper, chopped
1 cup coarsely-grated pepper jack cheese
1 can chipotle chili in adobo, minced
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1 cup sour cream

In a shallow baking dish, place squash, onion, and garlic in a single layer. Drizzle with olive oil and toss to ensure everything is thoroughly coated. Roast in an oven at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until garlic is tender. Remove garlic and continue roasting the onion and squash for another 15 minutes. Let cool and remove peels from garlic and onion.

In a food processor, blend squash, onion, and garlic until almost smooth. Meanwhile, heat up a large skillet over medium-high heat. Melt a bit of butter in the skillet. Spread 1/4 of the squash mixture on a tortilla. Sprinkle with 1/4 of the red peppers and cheese. Place a tortilla on top but do not flatten the quesadilla too much or the contents will ooze out. Lightly butter each side.

Cook quesadillas one at a time until sufficiently browned and the cheese is melted, about 3 minutes per side. Cut quesadillas into slices and serve with chipotle lime sour cream dip (which is made by mixing together minced chili, lime juice and sour cream).


Not a picture of the finished product, obviously. But a picture of the finished product would not reveal much.

bread with lots of appeal

The problem with most banana bread recipes is that there is a blatant lack of banana flavor. Obviously, that is not a problem with this recipe as it calls for six, very much ripened bananas. They are a lot sweeter this way and add more moistness to the bread. You might think it would be difficult to accumulate six, very much ripened bananas all at once. But when you have a banana that you'd rather throw out than eat, just put it in the freezer. When you are ready to bake, thaw for a few hours before you begin.

I am not sure exactly how I created this recipe. It has been saved in my Google notebook for years now. It seems somewhat similar, at least in proportions, to this one from Gourmet but with a few substantial changes. I, for one, always prefer a dessert without nuts than with so I omit the walnuts. I also use sour cream instead of creme fraiche as it is more readily available. And if I can somehow add chocolate chips to a baked good, I always will.

Banana Bread

3 cups flour
2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 stick butter, brought to room temperature
3 eggs
8 oz. (small container) sour cream
2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
6 large overripe bananas
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, cream sugar and butter with a hand mixer. Beat eggs in one at a time. Continue to blend in wet ingredients. Turn up the mixer to a high speed to ensure that the bananas get thoroughly pulverized. Stir into the dry ingredients and mix with spatula until integrated. Fold in the chocolate chips (and maybe some walnuts if you happen to enjoy that). Bake in a large, very well-greased Bundt pan (or two small loaf pans). Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour to 1 hour 20 minutes. This is a large window of time, I understand, but ovens and baked goods are both fickle. Just keep checking. When the bread is a deep golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the bread comes out clean, it is done.

This is not the best picture in the world. But I am guessing that you know what banana bread looks like by now...

a bunch of brunch recipes

In high school, I did not care much for breakfast. My senior year, I took a class that began at 6:55AM. Let's just say that I did not have much of an appetite then. Even in college, I remember forcing down a bowl of cereal before a lecture, just so that my stomach would not be rumbling crazily by the end of class.

But since having my own apartment, I have come to appreciate the delight that is brunch. It is very satisfying to roll out of bed too late on a too cold day to eat a too decadent meal.

My friend came over this Sunday, trudging through several inches of freshly fallen snow (on top of a foot or so that had already fallen) and bearing wonderful gifts--the New York Times crossword puzzle and bacon. Alone, I fail miserably at the Sunday puzzle, but together, we are a (somewhat) formidable team.

I made a crustless quiche as well as crème brulée French toast. Trust me, it is as delicious as it sounds. It has to sit for at least 8 hours though, so plan accordingly.

Crème Brulée French Toast (from Gourmet)

1 stick unsalted butter
1 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons corn syrup
a round loaf of country-style bread (something dense with thick crust)
5 eggs
1 1/2 cups half-and-half (or milk would work fine too if you have that on hand)
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon Grand Marnier
1/4 teaspoon salt

Slice bread into six 1 inch-thick slices (there will probably be bread left over...but six slices is about all that will fit in the pan). In a heavy saucepan, melt butter, sugar, and corn syrup, stirring frequently until smooth. Pour mixture into a 9x13x2 baking pan, making sure that the bottom is completely covered. Arrange bread slices in a single layer in the pan. You will have to do some squeezing to get it all to fit.

Whisk eggs, half-and-half, vanilla, Grand Marnier, and salt together in a bowl. Pour evenly over bread slices. Cover pan and refrigerate for at least eight hours.

Before baking, bring bread to room temperature. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until the bread is puffy and slightly goldened on the edges.

Crustless Spinach and Onion Quiche

1 large onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
spinach
3 eggs
1 cup milk
1/3 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
salt
freshly ground black pepper
pinch of cayenne
1 cup grated cheese

Cook onions and garlic in saucepan with olive oil over medium-high heat until tender and just starting to brown. If using fresh spinach, add a couple of large handfuls until the leaves are wilted. (I had frozen spinach on hand. I thawed, drained and threw in half of the 10 ounce package with the egg mixture).

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, and cayenne until somewhat smooth. Stir in the spinach, onions, and cheese until evenly distributed. I think that we used cheddar as it was leftover from an event my roommate helped cater. But use whatever you prefer.

Pour quiche base into a buttered 9 inch glass pie plate. Bake at 350 degrees for about 35 minutes, or it starts to brown on the top and edges. Both of these dishes cook at the same temperature for about the same time, so it is easy to coordinate oven space and to time the meal accordingly.


Do not be deceived by the arrangement on this plate. I definitely ate more than one slice of bacon.

good luck not having bad luck (if you didn't eat black-eyed peas)

I was intent on having black-eyed peas on New Year's Day and turning it into a dinner party with some of my Boston friends. According to Southern tradition, eating some on January 1st will bring a year of good luck. And upon further research, I learned that eating ham ensures "good health" (for some strange reason) and collard greens "good wealth" (green like money). All three can be combined into one dish and I found a good recipe, that I modified substantially, from my favorite cookbook, "How to Cook Everything" by Mark Bittman (a New York Times food columnist).

But I needed a main dish. And what is more Southern and deliciously-bad-for-you than fried chicken? I mean, I generally try to eat fairly healthily. Sometimes though, there is something devilishly satisfying (and vaguely scary) about cooking with 64 oz of oil.

Unfortunately, neither of these recipes are very exact. I just kind of improvised as I went along. Tasting and tweaking and adding seasonings as needed.

Fried Chicken

lots of chicken (maybe 1-3 pieces per person, depending on appetite and cut of meat)
kosher salt
1 1/2 cups flour (plus another 1 1/2 cups repeating, as needed)
ground pepper
garlic powder
cayenne powder
8-10 cups vegetable oil (enough to fill large skillet a little less than half way)

Put all chicken in a large pot. In another container, mix water and kosher salt until mixture tastes salty. Add enough of water to cover top of chicken. Let the chicken sit in the brine for 7-8 hours.

Cover bottom of large casserole dish with flour. Add pepper, garlic, cayenne powder, and salt to taste (maybe 4 tablespoons of salt, a teaspoon or two of pepper, and a few generous dashes of the garlic and cayenne powder). Make sure that the seasonings are uniformly distributed in the dish. If you need more flour or find the mixture getting soggy, add another 1 1/2 cups of flour along with the same amounts of the seasonings to keep everything in proportion.

Remove chicken from brine and shake of excess liquid. Roll chicken in flour mixture until thoroughly coated. Dip chicken back into the brine and coat in flour again. Wait 20-30 minutes before frying. This step helps ensure crispier skin.

Meanwhile, the oil should be heating up in a heavy skillet. You want it to be around 350-360 degrees. A food thermometer is helpful. But if you don't have one, try sprinkling some flour on the oil. If it sizzles and then cooks off almost immediately, it is probably ready. Add chicken 2-3 pieces at a time. If you add too many at once, the temperature will drop too much. The chicken should cook for about 10 minutes per side. Remove from oil and pierce the chicken with a sharp knife to check to ensure its cooked through thoroughly. Drain on paper towels.


Now for the black-eyed peas. The original recipe called for dried beans, but it was New Year's Day and I was not hiking all over Boston/Brookline/Brighton to find them. The closest, non-Whole Foods grocery store to my house is a very small Shaw's. Like five aisles small so the selection is not especially good. But after buying the cans of beans, I decided I needed to be authentic and use ham hocks, as the original recipe called for (and for the "good health" it would bring). So I walked to four separate grocery stores, only to not find ham hock (bacon substitutes instead) and still use canned beans. But it was good exercise.

Southern-style Black-Eyed Peas

4 15 oz. cans of black eyed peas
2 large yellow onions, chopped
a package of bacon (preferably smoked)
a bunch of collard greens
salt
ground pepper
Tabasco sauce
whatever other seasonings you so desire

Cook bacon. Reserve some of the grease for the onions and pour the rest into a large pot with the beans and water to just cover the top. Chop the collard greens and add to pot. Tear up the bacon and add to pot. Brown the onions. I just kind of improvised on the time. Add onions to pot. Turn the heat on medium-high until the water starts to boil. Turn the heat down and let the pot simmer for a couple of hours until the water boils off and the beans have thickened. Serve with cornbread.