Radishes Fowl Point Zero

The smaller CSA share this week and our earlier salad extravaganza  left us with only a few items remaining to cook. I had bought a whole chicken thinking to roast it with sage and red potatoes. That felt a little uninspired, so I decided to check the fridge. Pulling open my veggie drawer, I found a large bunch of OPO radishes, some turnips, and a number of carrots. 


We've come to love both radishes and turnips. In fact, the other day, we all set upon a sliced raw turnip: crunchy and spicy with just a hint of sweetness. Both remind us of horseradish - another favorite. Then it struck me: Horseradish roasted chicken. It sounded quirky but worth trying.


The Method


If you don't have the luxury of homemade horseradish grown in Midwestern soils (thanks, Dad), you will want to a) buy a horseradish root and make some, or b) purchase really good jar. You could brine the chicken in advance, but I prepared this without doing so.

• 1  roaster chicken
• 3-5 turnips, sliced in half/quarters if large
• 1 bunch of radishes
  
• 3 carrots, roughly chopped
• several new, red potatoes
• 2 TB horseradish, ground
• 2 TB butter, melted
• Salt and pepper
• 2 TB real maple syrup

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Season the inside of the chicken with salt and pepper.
3. Place the turnips and radishes in a plastic bag.
4. Season the turnips and radishes with salt and pepper.
5. Add the horseradish and melted butter to the bag. Mix to coat the vegetables well.
6. Stuff the chick with the turnip and radishes. Set breast-up into a roasting pan. (I use one with a rack, adding 2 C of water, so that I can make gravy.)
7. Turn the bag inside-out and rub the chicken with the horseradish butter.
8. Place the remaining vegetables around the chicken. 
9. Season the outside of the chicken with a little salt and pepper.
10. Drizzle with maple syrup.
11. Roast until done, about 1 1/2 - 2 hours. (Check the water level to ensure it doesn't dry out completely.)

The Results

As with several of our previous radish meals, this was scrumptious. The chicken was moist, buttery, and sweet - with just a hint of the spiciness from the horseradish. Roasted vegetables are always delicious. They held up well to the peppery flavor of the dish. The resulting gravy, however, made by adding a few tablespoons of flour and water blended together with the pan set over high burners on the stove, was the star! It had an ambrosial aroma and taste - piquant, yet creamy, blended with a touch of maple syrup. On the side, OPO mustard greens, turnip, tops, and kale.

Enwraptured: The Filling Tale of Two Dishes and a Salad

Buffalo. Junior Chef #1 asked me to make buffalo recently. Yes, our junior chefs are experienced and relatively adventurous eaters, so this request didn't catch me too much by surprise. We bought a pound of grass-fed ground buffalo, and I began to think about how best to prepare it. An obvious choice: Buffalo Empanadas. (Only obvious if you know that I've been planning to make empanadas for a couple of weeks, and thought to substitute buffalo for ground beef.)


But there were gorgeous oyster mushrooms on offer at the farmers' market this week. I had to buy a pound. While they would keep a couple of days in the fridge, I decided to make the for dinner, too. The question was, how?


We tend to overbuy food for the holidays. Generally, most of our families join us here for the week of Christmas. And to feed the multitudes, we make sure the pantry, fridge, and freezer are well-stocked. I had intended to make a couple of pots of blackbean and turkey chills to feed the ravenous throngs, but we had more than enough other food. The turkey remained unused in the freezer. Then there were the leftover crepes from our Gateau de Crepes, which have set atop several other items in the freezer - longing to be used. 


A vision. Turkey and oyster mushrooms wrapped and baked in crepes - a savory, mild counterpoint to the spicy empanadas.


... and a salad from the lovely OPO offerings this week.


It was the best of menus.


The Method (Buffalo Empanadas)


Every culture has its version of travel-friendly food.  While living in Africa and traveling through southeast Asia, I sample many interesting items - perhaps most interesting was "mbewa pan ndodo." (A quick Google search of the individual words will reveal more than you'd like to know about that culinary treat.)


The empanada takes various names and forms around the world. But the notion of stuffing breads with meats is familiar. Think of burritos and sandwiches. The calzone takes this to a larger scale. Alternate starchy coverings give us sushi/sashimi, the corndog, and meat-filled crepes in the night markets (pasar malam) of Malaysia. 


Here, I offer spicy buffalo in a crispy, buttery pastry.


The Crust

• 2 1/4 C all-purpose flour
• 1 stick butter, chilled and cut into tablespoon pieces
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp vinegar
• 1 egg
• ice water (about 1/4-1/2 C)
• 2 egg whites (reserve for filling the empanadas)

1. Mix the flour and salt.
2. Cut in the butter using a fork or pastry knife  until the consistency is like cornmeal
3. Beat together the egg, vinegar, and 1/4 C of ice water.
4. Mix the liquids with the flour and butter until the dough just begins to hold together. (It should be very flaky and loose.)
5. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and press it into a mound. (Add a bit of ice water if it's too dry.)
6. Knead the dough quickly and gently. You want it to just hold together.
7. Press the dough into a disk-shape about 1/2" thick.
8. Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1+ hours. (This allows the butter to firm up and the gluten in the dough to relax.)

The Filling (while the dough is chilling)

• 1# ground buffalo
• 2 TB canola oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 5 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2-3 chipotles in adobo sauce, chopped finely
• 1 tsp Adobo seasoning
• 1 TB tomato paste

1. Saute the onions and garlic in the oil over medium-high heat until lightly browned.
2. Add the ground buffalo and cook thoroughly.
3. Stir in the chipotles, Adobo, and tomato paste.
4. Simmer 5 minutes.

Creating the Empanadas

1. Preheat the oven to 350.
2. Remove the dough from the fridge. 
3. Roll the dough until it is about 1/8" thick.
4. Cut out circles of dough about 5-6" in diameter. 
5. Brush one half of each circle with beaten egg whites.
6. Add 2-3 TBs of filling.
7. Fold the dough over the filling and seal the edges using a fork.
8. Brush with egg white.
9. Bake for 45 minutes.

The Method (Turkey and Oyster Mushroom Crepes)

Crepes freeze very well, so we used what was on hand along with a few newly-made. They are simple to make from scratch - and quick, apart from the one hour rest period for the fresh batter.


The Crepes

1. Whisk together until smooth: 3/4 C flour, pinch of salt, 1 C skim milk, 1 egg, and 1 egg white.
2. Chill covered for one hour.
3. Heat a non-stick skillet over medium-high.
4. Spray with cooking spray.
5. Remove the pan from the direct heat.
6. Tilt the pan toward you. (Far end from the handle is higher.) 
7. Pour about 1/4 C batter into the far end of the pan.
8. Tilt the pan until the batter covers the bottom. (This should be a thin layer with a lacy appearance around the edges.
9. Cook 1 minute.
10. When the underside is lightly browned, flip the crepe.
11. Cook 30 seconds.
12. Remove to a plate. 

(If you choose to freeze crepes, separate them with waxed paper.)

The Filling

The filling was more involved, but still uncomplicated.

• 1 TB butter
• 1/2 C onion, thinly sliced
• 4-5 C oyster mushrooms, roughly chopped
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 4 TB flour
• 1 1/2 C chicken broth
• 2 TB sherry
• Salt and pepper
• 1# ground turkey
• 1/4 C Grana padano cheese, grated (Parmesan or Asiago would substitute.)

1. Preheat the oven to 350.
2. Brown the turkey in a pan with a little butter. Set aside until you fill the crepes.
3. Saute the onion in butter over medium heat until softened.
4. Add the mushrooms, garlic, and thyme. Cook until mushroom release their juices, 5 minutes.
5. Sprinkle flour over the mushroom mixture and cook for 1 minute.
6. Slowly add the broth and sherry.
7. Season with salt and pepper.
8. Return mixture to a boil and simmer for 3-4 minutes, until the sauce thickens. (But don't overcook the mushrooms; they should retain some firmness.)
9. Remove from heat.
10. Reserve 1/2 C of the sauce.
11. Stir the cooked turkey into the mushroom sauce.
12. Spray a baking dish with cooking spray.
13. Add 1/3 - 1/2 C of the turkey and mushroom mixture to the center of a crepe.
14. Fold one side over the mixture, and pull it tight against the filling with your fingers - holding the filling tightly under the flap.
15. Fold the second side over the first to create a sealed "tube" containing the filling.
16. Place the filled crepes in the baking dish with their seams on the bottom. 
17. Cover the crepes with the reserved mushrooms.
18. Sprinkle with cheese.
19. Bake for 15 minutes.

The Results


We savored this meal in three courses beginning with a crepe apiece. These were soft and creamy with a meaty, earthy flavor from the mushrooms. The turkey contributed a firmness that offered nice contrast.

The salad was an inspired creation from our CSA share - and definitely worth a few notes here. We placed a small head of loose-leaf lettuce (variety?) on each plate. We then sprinkled chopped arugula around and over the lettuce. Next came layers of grated carrots, raw turnips, and radishes. We added sprigs of shunkigu (edible chrysanthemum) and a dressing concocted by Senior Chef #2, which was purposefully sweet to balance the strong spicy and bitter flavors of the greens. (Brown and yellow mustard, Worcestershire sauce, canola oil, garlic powder, and brown sugar)

We concluded with the empanadas. Dense, crunchy, and full of hot, peppery meat! They were entirely different from the crepes in almost every way. (I would roll the dough more thinly next time, and add a bit more fat to the buffalo meat.)


The meal, divided in three parts, was thus enjoyed by us one and all.


(Although there is plenty of both for a second meal.)

Triple "B" Pasta

I have a problem. I love cookbooks. Fortunately, people give me cookbooks regularly as gifts, so I don't often need to feed my addiction. Occasionally, however, I have perused and purchased a new cookbook before I've thought through the consequences: namely, that I have now committed myself to making several new dishes in the coming days.


Several family members and friends have mentioned they enjoy America's Test Kitchen, which I think appears on PBS. I haven't seen the show, but spied an eponymous magazine at the grocery store the other day. (The Winter 2010 issue, to be specific.) Among the many promising recipes, I stumbled upon this pasta dish. The editors note that the recipe works because "...the [Brussels] sprouts integrate with the pasta." As a lover of sprouts and integrated pasta dishes, this had to be my first choice. (Even if you are a sprout skeptic, I strongly encourage you to give this a shot. It's wonderful!) I give you Pasta with Brussels Sprouts, Bacon, and Blue Cheese (plus a few improvised additions).


The Method

• 3/4# Brussels sprouts, trimmed and sliced thinly (They recommend using a food processor, but it takes only a few minutes by hand.)
• 5 slices bacon, chopped
• 2 shallots, sliced thinly (I used red onion.)
• 1/2 C chicken broth
• 1/2 C heavy cream
• 1 C crumbled blue cheese (I used Kellie's Blue from Sweet Grass Dairy, salty and intense)
• 1# rigatoni
• 1/2 C walnuts, toasted and chopped
• 3 large turnips (my addition)
• 1/4# mushrooms (my addition)

1. Cook the pasta al dente while completing the next steps.
2. Cook the bacon in a large skillet until crisp. Remove bacon and drain off fat, reserving 2 TBs.
3. Add reserved bacon fat to pot. Season with salt and pepper and cook the sliced sprouts and shallots (along with turnips and mushrooms, if using) until tender, 5 minutes. 
4. Stir in cream and broth. Cook until sprouts are tender, 3 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and stir in the cheese.
6. Toss with the cooked pasta and garnish with walnuts.

The Result


Wow! As much as we enjoy Brussels sprouts, these were even better than I'd envisioned. (A little cream and bacon certainly helped.) The turnips were an excellent addition - they brought a little spice, snap, and sweetness to the dish. The mushrooms gave another layer of earthiness. Rigatoni holds up perfectly against the thick, rich sauce. You could be tempted to add chicken, which would be fine but is unnecessary. An excellent cold weather meal.

Holy Mole!

One of my culinary loves is the mole. Spicy, sweet, rich. Despite this, I have never attempted to make it myself. A few months ago, we watched an episode of Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives that featured moles from the Red Iguana restaurant. One in particular – the Mole Negro -  required more than two dozen ingredients – needless-to-say, this is exactly the kind of cooking challenge I enjoy – but it was too complicated to write-down completely at the time. However, for Christmas, I received “More DD&D”, which contained this recipe (pp. 237-238). I hope you’re as inspired as I was.


The Method
Some recipes are really exercises in preparation and organization. This mole requires a well-stocked pantry. I had to make a few substitutions here – after researching the acceptable alternates. It contains almost 30 ingredients, but none needs any extensive prep.





In order of appearance, by column (L to R):

• 7 pasilla negro chiles (guajillo as substitute)
• 6 mulatto chiles (ancho as substitute)
• 1 quart hot water
• 1/2 C vegetable oil
• 1 flour tortilla, roughly torn
• 1 overripe banana/plantain
• 1 small poblano chile, stemmed/seeded/chopped
• 5 cherry tomatoes
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled/chopped
• 1/4 yellow onion, chopped
• 1/2 C raisins
• 6 whole sprigs of epazote (I used 1 TB dried)
• 3 whole springs cilantro
• 1/3 C walnuts, roasted/chopped
• 1/3 C salted peanuts (I used peanut-only peanut butter)
• 2 ounces Mexican chocolate (I used Ghirardelli semi-sweet)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 avocado leaf (Nope, couldn’t find one – maybe an avocado rind next time?)
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns
• 1/2 tsp. coriander seeds
• 1/4 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1/4 tsp. anise seeds
• 3/4 tsp. dried marjoram
• 3/4 tsp. dried whole thyme
• 1 whole clove
• 1/2 cinnamon stick
• 1/4 C sugar (I also added 2 TB dark brown sugar)
• Kosher salt to taste

1. Remove the stems and seeds from the dried chiles (pasilla and mulatto).
2. Soak the dried chiles in hot water for 20 minutes (keep the water).
3. Heat 1/4 C oil in a deep pot over medium-high heat.
4. Toast the tortilla in the oil until golden brown.
5. Add the banana/plantain, poblano, tomatoes, garlic, onion, raisins, epazote, and cilantro.
6. Sauté until poblano and onion are soft.
7. Add the nuts, chiles and their soaking water, chocolate, bay leaf, avocado leaf, and all the spices (peppercorns through cinnamon stick).
8. Simmer for 10 minutes.
9. Remove the bay leaf and clove. (Finding the clove was a minor miracle, but doing so in under 20 seconds told me this sauce was preordained for gastronomical greatness.)
10. Transfer the very hot mole to a blender and puree until smooth. You want it to be the consistency of tomato sauce. Add water if necessary.
11. Heat 1/4 C oil in the deep pot over high heat.
12. Carefully pour the mole into the pot. (This is very dangerous, as the sauce is thick and slurpy – it likes to pop and sputter.)
13. Stir in the sugar and then salt to taste.
14. Simmer for 15 minutes – partially covered to reduce splattering. 

The Results
Magnificent. I lightly seasoned and browned several chicken breasts then cooked them in the simmering mole for 15 minutes or so. We ate these sliced in homemade tortillas with a few refried beans, lettuce, and fresh avocado.


The sauce hits you with some initial sweetness and a little heat in the front of your mouth. After a few seconds, the heat travels back and becomes deeper, but the chocolate and toasted nuts suddenly appear, too. You could probably discern many of the primary ingredients, if you set your mind to it.


Moles are a treasure. This one seems especially forgiving because of the number and variety of ingredients. I’m dreaming of variations already…but for now, we have plenty of leftovers.

Just between Us

We’ve known each other long enough for me now to entrust you with my very favorite way to prepare chicken. I learned the general approach from my mom, and have developed my own version.


First, I recommend that you buy a whole chicken (hen, fryer, or roaster is fine) rather than pay the per-pound premium for pre-cut. With a sharp knife and a bit of patience, you can save yourself $1-$2 – plus relearn some high school biology.
Second, you need to inherit as I did (or buy) a large cast iron skillet for this recipe to work. I am fortunate to own three of various sizes. This dish uses the largest – a 13-14” behemoth weighting close to 10 pounds.


Third, it is best to use a charcoal grill – although I have made it in a gas grill and in the oven.


The Method

• One whole chicken, cut into serving pieces (I would suggest halving the breasts width-wise.)
• 4 limes
• 1 head of garlic, separated into peeled cloves
• Seasoning – I prefer Penzey’s Southwest or Northwoods Fire spice mixes, and have made my own versions of this. I use 3-4 TBs.

1. Put the juice, garlic cloves, and seasoning in a gallon ziploc bag. Squish to blend. You can add the lime rinds, too.
2. Add the chicken pieces.
3. Shake and turn the bag to coat all of the pieces.
4. Allow marinade to set for at least an hour – 3-4 if possible.
5. Prepare the grill as you would normally – with a pile of ~30 briquettes.
6. After the grill is hot and ready for cooking, remove the chicken to a deep cast iron skillet skin-side down.
7. Place the garlic cloves (and limes) on top of the chicken.
8. Set the skillet on the grill screen directly over the coals.
9. Close the grill for 45 minutes.
10. Open the grill and use tongs to reposition the chicken pieces. (Turn once the skin has browned.)
• NOTE: the skillet will fill with juices from the chicken and marinade during the first hour of cooking. I’ve always left these to cook off, although you could remove them. They help to caramelize the skin and flavor the meat, however; so I would leave them.
11. Cook for another 20-30 minutes after turning. (The chicken will be done before you flip it, but I like to have it brown on all sides.)

The Results
We eat this 3-4 times per month. The chicken absorbs the marinade and develops an almost-chewy caramelized texture on the outside. The best portions, in my opinion, are the back and wings. These don’t have much meat, but do become especially flavorful.
We served this with brown rice and OPO greens (steamed with radishes). [You can see the brown crispies from the skillet to the right – these include chunks of now-roasted garlic. Heaven!]


I don’t recommend using a juice or marinade with much sugar in it, as these tend to burn over such a high heat and long cooking time. For example, I have had difficulties in substituting orange juice for the limes.


You owe me one.

Four corners and layers of flavor

It's odd that I was in the mood for chicken. We eat little red meat and have chicken (or pork or seafood) for most meals. But chicken sounded perfect this weekend. Then there were the greens... Knowing that I have bags of fresh greens in the fridge led me to think about a variation on my fish + greens = goodness recipe in October.

I should confess that I also love crispy chicken skin, so cooking by steaming in a packet wasn't very appealing. Instead I decided to roast the chicken. How then to incorporate the greens? Certainly, they could be sauteed and stuffed in the bird, or perhaps laid underneath during cooking. I opted for the latter.

The Method (Marinade)

1. Combine:
   
   
   • 1 TB dried rosemary
   • 1 tsp ground black pepper
   • 1 tsp salt
   • juice from three oranges
   • juice from one lemon
   • 1/2 tsp mango powder
   
   
   
2. Marinate chicken pieces for 2-3 hours.

The Method (Greens)

1. Render chicken skin. (You should have 3-4 TBs of fat.)
2. Add 5-6 white radishes (peeled), 1 large carrot (roughly chopped), 1 large onion (roughly chopped).
3. Add 2 TBs garlic, minced
4. Add 1 TB ginger, minced
5. Sautee until vegetables begin to brown.
6. Add 5-6 C greens, roughly chopped (I used mustard greens and bok choy).
7. Cook until the greens are wilted and almost tender.

The Method (Chicken)

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Heat oil in a deep skillet until smoking hot.
3. Brown the chicken on all sides. (Don't crowd the pan. The pieces will brown faster. I split one chicken into two batches.)
4. In a roasting pan, layer in order:
• the wilted greens and veggies
• a thick layer of cooked brown rice
• the chicken pieces
5. Drizzle the remaining marinade over the chicken.
6. Looking ahead to dessert, I partially cored and placed an apple in each corner of the roasting pan. I set a pat of butter inside the top of each apple.
7. Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until the chicken is done. (I use a convection oven, which shortens the cooking time a bit.)

The Results

Everything was incredibly moist. The greens, much to my surprise, did not dry out at all. A few grains of rice around the edge of the pan were crispy. Orange infused the entire dish...but was not overwhelming. Rosemary was the most pronounced scent and flavor, but - again- not distractingly so. The apples absorbed the mix of flavors - bit of cinnamon would have been fine.

Next time, I would perhaps flip on the broiler for the last few minutes to crisp the chicken skin a bit more.  This would work well with fish (if it is firm fleshed and/or oily like salmon), beef, or pork. The addition of carrots was fine but not necessary, while the onions and radishes contributed to the overall flavor of the greens.

Three for Three

With family in town, who like to eat, today has been a frenzy of cooking. Three dishes in three hours.

• Leek and Potato Soup
• Boeuf Bourguinon (ala Julia Child)
• Stuffed pork shoulder (ala moi)

We'll deal with the second and third dishes in later posts.

The Method (Leek and Potato Soup)

With an hour's notice, I was asked to make soup for lunch. This is a simple recipe for that yields a creamy, fresh soup.

1. Chop four slices of bacon into 1# pieces.
2. In a soup pot, brown the bacon in 2 TBs of butter.
3. To the pot, chop and add:
   • 3 large leeks
   • 1 large onion
   • 2 stalks celery
4. Saute the vegetables - without browning - until tender.
5. Add 2 quarts chicken stock.
6. Add 5-6 potatoes, roughly chopped. (I used yellow potatoes, which resulted in a light green color to the soup.)
7. Bring soup to a boil then simmer until the potatoes are tender (about 15-20 minutes).
8. Blend or mash the veggies to create a smooth soup. (I used a potato masher, leaving the pot on the stove.)
9. Optional: add 1-2 C heavy cream at the end. If you do, however, the soup will not freeze well.

The Result

Everyone enjoyed this light (we omitted cream), flavorful soup. I like mine with a heavy grind of black pepper. There's plenty for another meal.

Bratwurst, baked pasta, and lima beans?

As week seven draws to a close, we had only a few things remaining to make from the CSA. Primarily, there were several handfuls of salad greens, but also a single moderately spicy chili pepper.

With family coming into town, I added the pepper to a pot of bratwurst and onions. This is a favorite method of cooking these.

The Method (Bratwurst)

1. Slice 2-3 onions
2. In a deep pot, add:
• onions
• 2 bottles of dark-ish beer (Sam Adams works well)
• 1 TBs whole mustard seed
• 1/2 TB whole black peppercorns
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 fresh red chili pepper, whole or cut in half
3. Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes
4. Add 5-10 bratwurst to the pot.
5. Simmer for 20 minutes. (You may wish to move the top brats to the bottom of the "pile" occasionally.)
6. Grill the brats as you like. They will be completely cooked already through the simmering, so you can grill for color.
7. While the brats are grilling, continue cooking the onion mixture over high heat until most the liquid has boiled off. (You can add a splash of oil at this stage, too, if you'd like.)

The Method (Baked Pasta and Lima Beans)

First, disabuse yourself of the notion that you have to buy specialty pasta made for baking. Several brands market a "no boil" noodle - usually lasagne - that costs more. You can achieve perfectly good results with regular pasta.

I decided to use locally grown lima beans in this dish. These weren't from our CSA, but were hand-picked and -shelled by a family who has a regular stand at the farmer's market. We love limas, and they pair well with tomatoes as a rule. I thought it was worth a shot to add them here.

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Parboil 2 C fresh lima beans in water or chicken broth, about 10 minutes.
3. Add 1# pasta to a 9x13 baking dish. (I used corkscrew-shaped pasta.)
4. Drain and add the lima beans.
5. Add slices of Italian sausage. (I used sweet sausage. Spicy would work, as would bulk Italian sausage.)
6. Add 1 jar of prepared pasta sauce. (You can certainly use homemade sauce. Publix had these 2-for-1. Easy.)
7. Mix the ingredients gently.
8. Add enough water to cover the pasta completely.
9. Top with mozzarella cheese.
10. Bake for approximately 45 minutes (until the cheese is well-browned).

The Results

What's not to love about bratwurst? The onions make a rich garnish - sweet with just a hint of spice from the pepper.

Baked pasta is a comfort food. The lima beans held up well - they retained some bite and mixed nicely with the chewy pasta.

Homemayo and a secret ingredient

Everyone has a "life list" - a lifelong to-do agenda. Then there is the short term list of impulse-type items - let's call this the "near list". You probably have a very different list than I do. Mine includes making mayonnaise from scratch - call it, "Homemayo."

After a day of building a clubhouse for the Junior Chefs (weekend three of the project), I didn't have the energy for a major cooking session. A ready-made meal seemed just right...and something easy to dress up with a few homemade additions.

The Method (Mayonnaise)

1. Bring two egg yolks to room temperature.
2. Add these to a food processor (you can do this by hand, too)
3. Add 1/2 tsp ground mustard and 1/2 tsp salt
4. Blend on med-high for 1 minute
5. Add 2 TBs lemon juice, blend 10 seconds
6. Very slowly add 1 C oil (I used Smart Balance oil blend - olive, soy, and canola).
7. Very slowly.
8. After you add about 1/2 of the oil, it will begin to thicken.
9. Continue blending and add the remainder of the oil. You can add more if you like - up to 1 1/2 C total - but there is a point at which the mayo will "break."

The Method (Ginger Greens)

1. Bring 2 C of chicken broth to a boil.
2. Add the secret "ingreenient" - a 1-inch square piece of fresh ginger.
3. Simmer for 5 minutes.
4. Add 1# greens, roughly chopped (I used turnip greens).
5. Simmer until the greens wilt (2-3 minutes).
6. Add 1 C carrots, penny-sliced.
7. Add 3 white radishes, penny-sliced.
8. Sprinkle with garlic powder.
9. Simmer another 15 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
10. Drain the greens, return to the pot, add 1-2 TBs of butter and saute for 3-4 minutes.

The Result

We had a low-key dinner of chicken strips, french fries and baked beans. We mixed some of the mayo with fresh basil and some with horseradish. Both were tasty as dips. Homemade mayo has a very different consistency and flavor than store-bought.  I've made it before, and was again reminded that this is a super-simple recipe; there's little or no reason to buy mayo at the supermarket - especially if you have locally-raised organic eggs.

Everyone agreed the greens were delicious. The ginger was understated but effective - so subtle in fact that it stumped the very experienced panel of diners we assembled for tonight's meal (and for nearly all meals at our house). The ginger and radishes were off-set by the sweetness of the carrots. Two members of the panel asked for seconds...alas, the greens were no more.

Meggsican Breakfast Magic

We haven't yet gone grocery shopping for the week, so our supplies are running a bit low. (If I was completely honest, I would tell you that we have a pantry stocked so full it could support us for several weeks if need be.) Last week was very hectic with the Senior Chefs both traveling for work...

Wow! Without ruining the surprise...I have to admit that I just checked on breakfast in the oven...very, very exciting! (More about that in a moment).

Consequently, we didn't make very many meals at home. That left us with a surplus of OPO produce and other farmer's market goodies. In reviewing the situation, I pulled a bag of chili peppers from the vegetable drawer along with a carton of eggs. This sparked an idea for a breakfast casserole.

The Method
First, bear in mind that this is a dish intended to use up items in the fridge and pantry. I began with the basics. An egg-based casserole benefits from a starch of some variety as an ingredient (i.e., frittata) or base (think quiche). I opted for oatbran bread. Also, I wanted to use the bag o'peppers, and remembered our recent success with roasted green chiles. So, I flipped on the broiler.

1. Preheat the broiler.
2. Place several green chiles (including one anaheim pepper) on a baking sheet and roast. Turn as the peppers blacken. Total roasting time was about 10-12 minutes.

3. Remove chiles to a ziploc and place in the fridge. (Thanks, Ellen, for this suggestion.)
4. Meanwhile, cook 5-6 slices of bacon. (Okay, we cooked an entire pound...ate a few slices in the process; but only 5-6 made it into the casserole.)
5. Grate a stick of "seriously" sharp cheddar cheese - about 2 C
6. Butter 5-6 slices of good bread and place butter-side down in a 9x13 baking dish.
7. Prepare an egg mixture:
• 6-7 eggs beaten
• 1 C skim milk
• 1/2 C half-and-half (because you ran out of milk)
• 1/2 C water (because you didn't have enough milk or cream)
• 1/2 C ricotta (leftover and lonely in the fridge)
• 1 TB oregano
• 1/2 onion chopped
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp garlic powder (because you ran out of fresh garlic)
• Salt and pepper

8. Peel and chop the chiles. Spread onto the bread.
9. Sprinkle half of the cheese over the chiles.

10. Add a layer of bacon slices and tomatoes.
11. Pour the egg mixture into the pan.
12. Cover with a final layer of cheese.

13. Allow to rest in the fridge. (Optimally, you would leave this overnight, but it was already 9:30 a.m. so we decided 15 minutes was sufficient.)
14. Bake at 350 for 50 minutes.

The Result
Clearly, this is BRUNCH, in that a) it contains all of the food groups, including bacon, b) it didn't come out of the oven until 10:30, and c) it contains more calories per cubic inch than most naturally-occuring or synthetic food products.

It is gorgeous! Fortunately, we don't have guests here for the weekend, so there's no obligation to share this with anyone else. (I considered grabbing the casserole and making a break for the car, but Junior Chef #2 is patroling to ensure that she doesn't miss the opportunity to eat.)

It smells wonderful! We use a good deal of oregano in our cooking, and it plays a prominent role here.

Off to eat...taste report forthcoming...

This is a very intense, savory dish. Everything melded together well. The chiles produced a little background heat and deep, roasted flavor. Junior Chef #1 was very happy with how the tomatoes turned out - given we included them at his suggestion.

Everyone enjoyed it thoroughly. That said, I would make a few adjustments next time.

• Grease the pan for easier serving.
• Reduce the oregano by half to 1/2 TB. There are a lot of flavors involved. The oregano was too pronounced.
• Add little or no salt to the egg mixture. The bacon and cheese are salty enough by themselves.
• Use heartier bread. The store-bought variety lost most of its texture. French-bread or another type would retain more "bite." I also think it would be worth trying this with corn bread. That would produce a very different end result - probably much sweeter and creamier.
• Bacon alternatives. I would chopped the cooked bacon next time. The strips made this difficult to cut. It would also be interesting to try alternative meats, including roast pork, grilled chicken, or ground turkey. The dish is substantial enough to incorporate these. It would then serve well as a dinner entree. (This could easily be a meatless dish, too.)

Sarma and Remains of the Days

The cooking ceased for the last few days. We have a refrigerator filled with leftovers. This makes evening meals a snap, and allows for interesting combinations.

Two nights ago we had beer can chicken, boiled red potatoes with a little gumbo as gravy (yes, it was excellent gravy), and spicy greens.  Gumbo reappeared as a stand-alone meal, too. Another night was spent re-enjoying the bratgers and potato, greens, and ham casserole. 


Yet, I had planned to make sarma (stuffed cabbage leaves) in the crockpot. I had already frozen a head of cabbage from the farmer's market, so I was committed to this dish. Yesterday, as we finished off the remains of the past several days, I prepared my sarma.


The Method

1. Place a head of cabbage in the freezer until frozen solid (a couple of days). Transfer to the refrigerator two days before making the dish. 
2. Using a sharp knife, remove the stem of the cabbage. Gently peel off several large leaves.
3. Prepare the filling. Combine well:
• 1# ground beef
• 1/2# ground pork
• 1/2# ground ham (using your new Kitchen Aid food grinder)
• 1 C uncooked white rice
• 1 onion, minced
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
4. Place a good portion of the filling in the middle of each cabbage leaf.
5. Tucking in the sides, roll each leaf around the filling until it forms an oval packet.
6. Spread 1# sauerkraut in the bottom of the crockpot
7. Place the sarma rolls on the sauerkraut.
8. Cover the rolls with a 15 oz. can of crushed tomatoes.
9. Set crockpot to low and cook for 8-10 hours.

The Results

After a great Saturday filled with fun, a few errands, and friends, it was nice to have dinner ready when we were. The sarma were complemented by a steamer filled with brown rice (good enough to eat for breakfast, I might add) and a quick pot of lima beans cooked with a few onions sauteed in a piece of rendered bacon.


I'll open with the closing remark of Senior Chef #2 - "this might be my favorite meal you've made so far [since blogging, I'd like to think]." Sarma is comfort food at its best: easy to prepare, delicious, filling and - yet - only a small helping of guilt. The filling is light and savory. It absorbs the flavors of the tomatoes and sauerkraut. Amazingly, the cabbage retains some firmness despite the many hours of freezing and cooking. It is a straight-forward dish without a great deal of complexity.


We only ate 1/3, thus raising the possibility of another 1-2 meals this week.  This doubles or triples the overall rating for the dish.