Bean and Cheese Loaf

One of my talents is that I can discover culinary gems in a cookbook.The title of this post is identical to the recipe I discovered in "New Natural Foods Cookbook" by Jean Hewitt (1982). Not exactly inspiring. Nevertheless, it seemed a reasonable way to make a vegetarian meatloaf - and that sounded good. I give you: Bean and Cheese Loaf (page 104, by the way).

The Method
The only modification I made to this dish was the inclusion of OPO turnips and carrots. I reduced the milk slightly to account for this, but not enough. 3/4 cup would have been plenty.

• 1 C whole wheat bread crumbs (I made mine with honey wheat bread from Three Sons Bakery)
• 1 C milk
• 1 20 ounce can of chickpeas, drained and coarsely ground (I used my nifty Kitchen Aid attachment)
• 1/4 C parsley, chopped
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1 celery stalk, finely chopped
• 3-4 small turnips, diced (optional)
• 2-3 small carrots, diced (optional)
• 3 TBs oil
• 1 1/2 C walnuts, finely chopped
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 TB soy sauce
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 C cheddar cheese, shredded

1. Preheat the oven to 350.
2. Soak the bread crumbs in the milk.
3. In a large bowl combine the chickpeas, parsley, and salt.
4. In the oil over medium-high heat, saute the onion, celery, turnips, and carrots until tender but not browned.
5. Add vegetables to the chickpea mixture.
6. Stir in the soaked bread crumbs, nuts, eggs, soy sauce, cayenne pepper, and cheese.
7. Pour into an oiled bread pan.
8. Bake for 50 minutes. 
9. Allow to cool in pan for 5 minutes before removing. (Mine was too moist to remove.)

The Results

Good ingredients, of course, make an enormous difference. Here, it is important to have good bread because this is a dominant flavor in the dish. The loaf is savory and a nice complement to a big salad. We enjoyed ours alongside a strawberry and mixed greens salad topped with a Dijon mustard and honey dressing.

Love me tender, Honey

We eat very little red meat. Having been vegetarian for a number of years, we explored ways of substituting soy, grains, and beans for beef. For the past ten years, we have resumed eating meat, but continue to enjoy a broader palate of options.

Our Christmas celebration involved both families. With a full house for almost an entire week, we had many different types of foods on-hand. My sister was responsible for the Christmas eve meal. This year featured an array of hors d'oeuvres, including small beef tenderloin sandwiches with horseradish sauce on homemade brioche. There were over a dozen dishes on offer, however, so she used only half the tenderloin. The remainder has set in our freezer...until now.

My goal was to prepare the tenderloin in a simple fashion. Often it is cut into fillet portions and wrapped in bacon. Without supplemental fat and careful cooking, it is easy for it to become dry and overdone. Leaving it whole gives you more latitude. I decided to pair this with roasted rutabagas and sweet potatoes.

The Method (Beef tenderloin with porcini mushroom and onion reduction)

• 1 beef tenderloin (Best if this is room temperature. I used half, but this recipe is not portion dependent)
• 1-2 large onions, sliced thickly
• 1 packet dried porcini mushrooms (other varieties, dried or fresh, would be fine)
• oil
• Salt and pepper
• 1 C red wine

1. Soak the mushrooms in hot water for 30 minutes. Meanwhile...
2. Preheat the oven to 350.
3. Season the tenderloin with salt and pepper.
4. Heat the oil in an oven-ready pot or pan over very high heat. (I used a cast iron skillet.)
5. Sear the outside of the tenderloin until nicely browned. (Depending upon the thickness and evenness of the cut, you will need to take care not to overcook the meat at this stage.)
6. Spread the onions around the tenderloin.
7. Place in the oven. 
8. Cook until your desired "done-ness." (I used a digital thermometer - set at 140 degrees. This is medium-rare, but the ends will be medium or medium-well for those who prefer it cooked further.)
9. Remove the beef from the pan.
10. Place the pan over high heat on the stovetop.
11. Deglaze the pan with the red wine.
12. Add the mushrooms and 1 C of the soaking water to the onions.
13. Simmer until the sauce has reduced by 2/3. 

The Method (Honeyed Rutabagas and Sweet Potatoes)

I have wanted to try this recipe since I saw it in the Victory Garden Cookbook by Marian Morash. It requires  very little effort, but some vigilance at the oven.

• Several rutabagas, peeling
• Several sweet potatoes, peeled
• 3 TBs butter
• 1/4 C honey

1. Preheat the oven to 350.
2. Slice the rutabagas and sweet potatoes into pieces of equal thickness.
3. Brush each slice with melted butter. Place on a cookie sheet.
4. Combine remaining butter with the honey.
5. Bake slices for 15 minutes.
6. Flip the slices and brush with the butter-honey mixture.
7. Bake 15 minutes.
8. Flip and brush.
9. Bake 15 minutes.
10. Repeat once more if you wish.

The Results

This was so delicious. The beef was moist and flavorful - the sauce was a perfect accompaniment. And the honeyed rutabagas and sweet potatoes were pure bliss, little bites of caramelized heaven. We served steamed OPO broccoli and broccoli leaves alongside.

Baked Beans, Meats, and Alaska

You may have noticed that our meals frequently involve three dishes. I'm not certain why this is so. It doesn't seem related to the amount of time or preparation involved - as you'll see in this post. Perhaps it is a minimum level of variety that feels "right"?

The origins of the ideas behind today's meal are quite different. Out of sheer concern for our nearly-full freezer, it was time to use some of the turkey and pork shoulder leftover from Christmas. A bit of ham also appeared ready for a second chance at the table, which had me thinking about a bean soup - a large bag of white beans in the pantry. Then the memory of a family favorite of my youth intruded. Finally, I relented to the request of the Junior Chef's to make good on my promise last fall to prepare a hot, sweet, and frosty treat.

Our menu: baked casserole of turkey and pork with applesauce, "New England" baked beans, and Baked Alaska.

The Method (Turkey and Pork Casserole)
Like many of you, we reach a point with holiday leftovers that demands action. Either we eat the remaining food with a burst of intense over three consecutive days of smorgesbord-ing, or we move the residuals to the freezer. I have several pounds of roasted pork shoulder (with garlic) and turkey that will demand attention in the coming weeks.

• 2-3# roast turkey and/or pork, cut into 1/2" cubes
• 1 C broth (use any type you'd like given how you approach the recipe)
• 2 C chunky, homemade applesauce (Thanks, Papa!)
• 1 C mozzarella cheese (honestly, I would have used Swiss but didn't have any in the fridge)

1. Preheat the oven to 350.
2. Place the meat in an oven-ready casserole. 
3. Add the both. 
4. If frozen, bring to a boil on the stove-top then proceed.
5. Cover the meat and broth with the applesauce.
6. Spread the cheese over the applesauce.
7. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

The Method (New England Baked Beans)

Offering a recipe for a ubiquitously popular dish like baked beans is a risky undertaking. Family and regional differences create strong preferences for ingredients; the ease of store-bought varieties makes the time involved seem burdensome. Nevertheless, I will share this from Superfoods by Delores Riccio, which contains a trove of excellent, ingredient-focused dishes. I had two pounds of beans, so I doubled the recipe.

• 2# dried white beans (Riccio calls for yellow-eye beans)
• 2 large onions, halved and separated
• 1/2 C brown sugar
• 2 tsp dry mustard
• 2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper, ground
• 2/3 C molasses
• 2/3 C pure maple syrup
• 1/2 C vegetable oil
• 1/2 # cooked ham, diced (I added this)

1. Soak the beans
• either overnight in a gallon of cold water, or 
• quickly by placing in cold water, bring to a boil for 2 minutes, turn off the heat and allow the beans to sit for one hour.
2. Preheat the oven to 300.
3. Set a pot of water to boil (2-3 quarts should do)
4. Drain the soaked beans.
5. Place half of the onion pieces in the bottom of a heavy casserole.
6. Cover with the beans and ham.
7. Mix together the brown sugar, mustard, salt, and pepper.
8. Add this to the beans.
9. Pour over the molasses, maple syrup, and oil.
10. Push the remaining onion sections into the beans.
11. Add sufficient boiling water to cover the beans.
12. Place the covered casserole in the oven.
13. Bake for five hours, checking hourly to stir and ensure there is enough water. Add more water if the beans begin to dry out.
14. After five hours, remove the lid and bake another hour until the beans are tender but not mushy. (Keep an watch on the liquid level at this stage.)

The Method (Baked Alaska)

Although I cannot point to its source, I had a long-held but mistaken notion that this was a complicated (or at least, risky) dish. When I realized that one needs only ice cream, sponge cake, and egg whites to make it, I agreed to give it a shot. We did need to make the sponge cake, which I won't review here. You can buy angel food or sponge cake, make it yourself, or use a substitute of some sort - maybe slices of leftover banana bread? This recipe is taken from the Joy of Cooking.

• cake, to cut into slices (Junior Chef #1 made a sponge cake)
• 6 egg whites (room temperature)
• 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 C superfine sugar (I used powdered sugar)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 quarts of ice cream (slightly softened to allow for scooping and shaping)

1. Preheat the broiler to high.
2. Make a meringue by beating the egg whites until frothy.
3. Add the cream of tartar and salt. Continue beating until the egg whites are almost stiff.
4. Beat in the sugar one TB at a time.
5. Beat in the vanilla.
6. When the meringue is stiff, quickly place the ice cream into an oven-ready dish (I used a pie tin)
7. Shape the ice cream into an oval mound.
8. Cover the ice cream with strips or slices of cake.
9. Cover the entire surface with meringue.
10. Place the dish under the broiler - watching carefully!
11. Broil until browned (about 3 minutes).

The Results

The casserole turned out very well. That's a simple, delicious keeper! Baked beans - love in a pot. And the Baked Alaska - what fun!

Duck-licious

We typically sit around the kitchen table on the weekends and talk about the week's menu. The Junior Chefs often have clear ideas about what they would like to have. Occasionally, they ask for quick-and-easy dishes, but more often than not propose meals that require more time and preparation.

This week, while reviewing our CSA stock I was dreaming up options for our turnips, Junior Chef #2 suggested we have duck. Having made turducken twice, this bird is not unfamiliar within our family. I also don't find the prospect of deboning fowl to be daunting. Yet, duck has never made a solo appearance.

According to one of my favorite resource cookbooks, Laroussee Gastronomique (1961), duck and turnips is a classic French dish. The rationale is that turnips (navets) tend to absorb fat and thus are cooked with meats such as mutton and duck. LG offers a version of this dish that differs from the one I chose: employing white wine and onions, glazing the turnips with sugar.

The Method
I elected "Caneton poele aux navets" (Casserole-roasted duck with turnips) from Mastering the art of French cooking. You will need to debone your duck (naming it is optional). If you saw Julie & Julia, this is presented as a Herculean undertaking. I think this is an exaggeration of some measure. If you are confident with a paring or boning knife and have a bit of patience, you'll find this very satisfying when you're finished. (On that point, too, I offer this observation from Junior Chef #1 after watching the movie: "But didn't she [Julie] have to bone lots of ducks to make all of the duck recipes in Julia Child's cookbook?" True!)

I will not endeavor to describe the boning process - except to say, begin by cutting along the backbone and work the flesh moving down toward the breastbone. Ducks have a large carcass, but the bones are more delicate than those of a chicken, so you will find yourself working more carefully to avoid creating bone shards.

The need for very few ingredients balances out the work involved in preparing the duck.

• one 5-6# duckling, thawed (I placed mine in cold water bath for 3 hours to rapidly thaw it.)
• Salt and pepper
• 3 TB rendered pork fat or cooking oil
• 2# turnips
• 1/2 bay leaf
• 1/4 tsp. thyme
• parsley

1. Bone the duck.
2. Preheat the oven to 325.
3. Season the inside of the duck with salt and pepper.
4. Truss the duck.I did not have butcher's twine, so I used a natural fiber twine.

• I did not have a large-eyed needle, so I used wooden skewers.
• Close the duck skin. Pierce and secure with pieces of skewer along the length of the back. (Poke the sharp end through, then break off a segment to leave in the duck. Repeat.)
• Criss-cross one length of twine around and along the row of skewers. Tie off the twine.
• Tuck in the neck and tail skin. 
• Flip the duck over.
• Tie lengths of twine widthwise around the duck. This will create a firm "tube-like" shape.

1. Heat the fat or oil in a deep, oven-ready pot.
2. Prick the skin of the duck around the thighs, back, and lower part of the breast. This allows the fat to release during cooking.
3. Dry the duck.
4. Brown the duck on all sides. (I didn't allow mine to brown long enough. This left the skin less crispy and more fatty than I would have liked.)

1. Remove the duck to a plate. Season it with salt.
2. Drain the browning fat.
3. Return the duck to the casserole breast up.
4. Prepare an herb bouquet by placing the parsley, bay leaf, and thyme in a piece of cheesecloth. I regularly use a coffee filter and twine for this. 
5. Add the bouquet to the pot. Cover. Place in the oven.
6. Roast for 50-60 minutes. You do not need to baste.

1. Meanwhile...prepare the turnips.
2. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil.
3. Dice the turnips. As you can see, I used both my small OPO turnips and one of the two large turnips I bought from another stall at the farmers' market. I preferred the flavor of the smaller ones, which I'll discuss later.
4. Add the diced turnips to the boiling water. Cook for 5 minutes. Drain.
5. When the duck has cooked almost an hour, remove the pot from the oven.
6. Degrease the duck juices and return them to the pot.
7. Add the blanched turnips.
8. Cover the pot and return to the oven.
9. Baste the turnips occasionally.
10. Cook until the duck is done. (Here I erred. I forgot to use a thermometer, and became so concerned with basting that I over-cooked the duck - to my liking, at least. The recipe states that the turnips will take 30-40 minutes. I think 15 would have be plenty.)
11. Remove the duck and turnips to a platter. 
12. Degrease and reserve the drippings. Serve along with the meal.

The Results

I have mixed reactions to the dish - mostly due to my choice of ingredients and errors in cooking. The overall effect was very nice. There's little to season the dish apart from the natural flavors of the bird. The turnips offered a sweet counterpoint, but were overdone. Also, the larger turnips were a tad bitter. This wasn't terribly distracting, but I would use only smaller ones next time if possible.

Some are given to believe that duck is "Greasy Goodness," as Junior Chef #1 quipped. We didn't find this true with this approach. As I mentioned, I should have browned the duck more in the beginning, so there was a little excess fattiness around the breast. And, I did cook it longer than I should have (it reached 186 degrees). For that reason, it was more tough than it should have been.

The great irony of the meal was that Junior Chef #2, who had requested duck initially, spent the night with a friend and missed it. There are leftovers, but not many - a whole duck serves 3-5 people.

One monster turnip remains in the pantry. I need to think of another dish. Lamb?

Banana Bread: Half-and-Half

In what appears to be a violation of my self-imposed rule, I made banana bread (again) yesterday. But, I enjoy a good argument, so here are two facts that you should consider before passing final judgment. First, the ingredients are not from our CSA, recording whose preparation is the primary reason for having this blog. Second, the recipe I used was different from the first in that it reduces the sugar by half, adds milk, and uses fewer eggs. The end result was entirely different - and worth sharing with you. For reasons that will become clear, call this bread ala' Lee Majors.

The Method
This recipe is taken from Jacques Pepin's, The short-cut cook (1990), which is a wonderful collection of simple yet interesting dishes generally requiring very little time to make. (Including a cheese souffle from his mother that I want to try...you add whole eggs not whipped whites.)

• 1 TB corn oil or cooking spray to grease the pan
• 2 C all-purpose flour
• 1 TB baking powder
• 4 TB butter, slightly softened
• 1/2 C sugar
• 2 very ripe bananas
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 C milk
• 1/2 C sunflower seeds (I used walnut pieces instead)

1. Preheat the oven to 350.
2. Grease a bread pan with the oil or cooking spray.
3. Combine the flour, baking powder, butter, and sugar in a food processor. (I used a Kitchen Aid stand mixer, which makes me happy ever time I cook with it.)
4. Blend until the ingredients are well combined (10-15 seconds).
5. Peel the bananas and add them to the mixture. Blend for 5 to 10 seconds.
6. Add the eggs, milk, and sunflower seeds (nuts).
7. Blend until the batter is well combined.
8. Pour the batter into the greased pan.
9. Bake for 60 minutes, or until nicely browned. (A knife inserted at the middle should come out clean.)
10. Cool on a baking rack before unmolding.

The Result

I ran a knife around the edge of the bread in the pan then flipped it over to release it. Thunk. The loaf split in half, leaving the bottom firmly attached to the pan and the top on my counter. So much for spreading a tablespoon of corn oil around the pan. (The second loaf I made today came out cleanly. I coated that pan with cooking spray.)

Still, I enjoyed the concordance of the halving of key ingredients and the loaf itself. (I did, actually, which is probably strikes you as strange - unless you know me well.) I quickly removed the bottom portion and rebuilt the loaf. (Six Million Dollar Man theme and intro montage running through my head.) The loaf was moist and warm enough to meld together to a fair degree.

It was a much lighter and less sweet bread than the original recipe. We enjoyed it with coffee and a few fresh, Florida strawberries.

Haluski: Pasta and Cabbage United

Unseasonably cold. As a midwesterner by birth and rearing, a little winter in Florida doesn't bother me too much. I still run around in short-sleeved shirts and sandals. But, the chill makes me crave warm, one-pot dishes. Enter Haluski. At the risk of repeating myself, we recently watched an episode of Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives that featured this dish. Thumbing through my Christmas gift, More DD&D by Guy Fieri, I found the recipe from the show and Guy's own version: Holy Haluski (p. 75). I opted to make the later, because it included two ingredients I especially love: pancetta and capers. I also used the dish as the chance to use the humongous cabbage I found last week at the farmers' market.


The Method
I made this one by the book. With an almost 8 pound cabbage, I doubled the recipe (below is the single batch). This was nearly too much for my favorite Le Creuset dutch oven; but as the cabbage cooked down I managed to fit everything. 

• 1/2 stick unsalted butter
• 1/2 pound thin-sliced pancetta, diced (I had mine sliced too thinly. Opt for something a little thinner than bacon.)
• 2 large onions, sliced
• 1 medium head of cabbage, cored and sliced 1/2" thick (I have no idea what a medium head weighs, but I was probably cooking with 3-4 times this amount.)
• 2 carrots, julienne (Save yourself the hassle and just diced them.)
• 1 TB fresh thyme
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 2 tsp black pepper
• 8 ounces wide egg noodles (I used the real deal, not the no-yolk style.)
• 3 TB garlic, minced (Okay, I probably used triple this amount.)
• 3 TB capers, rinsed and drained
• 1 C peas (I used frozen)
• 1/4 C white wine
• 1 TB lemon juice
• Italian parsley to garnish

1. Bring a pot of water to boil for the noodles.
2. In a large pot, melt 1 TB butter and fry the pancetta until crisp (12-14 minutes). 
3. Remove pancetta and drain, reserving the fat.
4. Add 2 TB pancetta fat to pot along with the remaining butter over medium-high heat.
5. Add the onions, cabbage, carrots, and thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Stir to coat the veggies with butter.
6. Cover and cook until cable is wilted and almost tender, 10 minutes. 
7. Uncover and cook until the cabbage is very tender, 10 minutes more.
8. While the cabbage cooks, boil the pasta al dente.
9. Increase the heat under the pot to high and cook until the cabbage and onions are golden. [Maybe it's my stove - a lack of BTUs - or the moisture content in 8 pounds of cabbage, but it took much longer: almost 40 minutes. I also had to drain off several cups of liquid so that the veggies could sautee and not simply steam.]
10. Add in the garlic and capers. Cook for 1 minute.
11. Add the peas.
12. Deglaze the pan with wine and then add the lemon juice. [I didn't achieve much of a glaze, again, probably due to the veggie volume.]
13. Add 3/4 of the pancetta (reserve the rest to garnish). Remove from the heat.
14. Drain the noodles and toss with the cabbage mixture. [It took so long for my cabbage to brown that the noodles were a congealed mass, which I lovingly teased apart with my fingers...okay, not really, I threw them in and stirred until they separated.]
15. Serve immediately garnished with parsley and pancetta.

The Results
This dish has several things in its favor. It's a great way to prepare cabbage. I suspect it would be passable even among cabbage-doubters or haters. Second, it has a mixture of sweet (onion, cabbage, peas), sour (capers), and salty (pancetta) flavors. Still, the overall dish is mellow. We paired it with a glass (or two) of the remaining wine and an OPO  arugula salad with a sharp, tangy vinaigrette.


Doubling the recipe means that we've eaten only half during three separate meals this week. As good as this was, it's going to take really willpower to eat it three more times. Unfortunately, I think it will freeze poorly; but I may give that a shot. In the end, I should have used half of the monster cabbage to make sarma.

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.

Radishes 3.0

Well, somehow I failed to report on a third way to prepare red radishes, which has further ensconced these as a family favorite. I stumbled upon this recipe in the the Victory Garden Cookbook by Marian Morash (p. 241).


The Method

1. Prepare a marinade of the following:
• 2 TB soy sauce
• 2 TB white vinegar
• 1 TB sugar
• 2 TB sesame oil
2. Add up to 4 C of thinly sliced radishes.
3. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

The Results
We ate these with homemade chili. They would be wonderful by themselves, too.


The sesame oil makes the difference. It has almost a creamy, nutty flavor and complements the crunch and spice of the radishes.


We have leftover radishes from Christmas Even hors d'oeuvres that I have marinating now in the fridge. Yum!

Boeuf et Porc: Tried and New

It is an act of pure hubris to blog about making boeuf bourguinon. After the release of Julie and Julia earlier this year, I suspect there are thousands of folks who have made and waxed poetic about this dish. 

You can find a scanned copy of the original recipe here on Knopf's website. This also provides the recipes for the brown-braised onions and sauteed mushrooms that accompany (and round out) this classic dish. I have made this before, so will provide only a few photos that show the major steps.

(I decided to create a separate pork shoulder post, but I'm leaving reference to pork here because I like this post title.)

The Method (Boeuf Bourguinon)

	Brown the beef. I used a top round roast, which I cut into chunks. It does make a difference if you buy good meat and dry each piece before searing.
	It is well-worth the time to prepare the mushrooms and onions in the way described in the recipes.
	I use a coffee-filter tied with twine to hold the herb bouquet in dishes like this. (You can see this in the onion picture.)

The Result

There's little I could add to your imagination beyond what the recipe provides that could further convince you to take a few hours to prepare beef bourguinon.You deserve to eat this meal...today. It was, in fact, so good - and late after a night of Halloween festivities - that I forgot to take the picture until mid-way through the meal.

It is so rich, however, that we'll need to wait another couple of months before making it again.

Gateau de Crepes

Don't let your children watch cooking shows. Or, at least be prepared to make at least one dish of the many they are convinced would be better than whatever you may have planned to cook. Jacques and Julia spent an entire episode making crepes, so it was inevitable that we would do the same this weekend. Could we make single crepes with fruit and whipped cream? No. Perhaps Crepes Suzette, requiring only a simple reduction of orange juice, sugar, and butter? No. We were informed that only a Gateau (cake) of crepes would do. Fortunately, we had the necessary ingredients at hand: milk, flour, eggs, butter, nuts, and a partial jar of homemade cherry jam from Grandma and Papa.The MethodThis is a dish, when first attempted, to be approached with confidence and teamwork. The crepe batter is very simple to prepare with a food processor. (1 C. milk, 1 C. water, four eggs, 2 C. flour, 4 TB melted butter). Blended on high speed for a minute and refrigerated (supposedly for two hours, we managed 10 minutes). 

Two hot skillets. One small cup of canola oil and a brush. Two adults cooking. Two children watching intently.

We made 23 crepes in the batch and laid them out to cool more quickly. These were then layered on a plate separated by pureed cherry jam and finely ground almonds.
The ResultThe gateau (like la chat and le chien) sat expectantly during dinner. I'm not certain which of us was most excited about reaching dessert.We spooned a homemade chocolate sauce over each serving, and added some flowers the kids picked while the fish was cooking. (Our apologies to the unnamed neighbor who lost the blooms.)The gateau was amazing! We managed 16 crepe layers, and the final product was dense, fruity, and a perfect foil for the semisweet chocolate. One child remarked, "The cherry jam really put a 'touch' to it!" As good as we'd hoped ... unfortunately, it appears to have confirmed for the kids that we CAN make anything they show on TV. Then again, having them think you can cook like a real chef...maybe that will convince them those hotdog and baked bean meals really are tasty!

An epiphany

The radish. For me, the first thing that comes to mind is spicy! Now, our children eat nearly everything, save one food each they've elected to forego. But the prospect of having them munch through a bag of radishes had us a little concerned. I turned to a trusty resource, the Victory Garden Cookbook. If you were a fan of public television in the 1970s and 80s you may remember this show along with the Frugal Gourmet, Julia Child, and others. It was a favorite in our family.


Well, Marian Morash offers several ways of taming this simple root. But one entry caught my eye: radish sandwiches. This struck me as the perfect way to (re)introduce radishes to us. My thinking was - if we really don't enjoy them in this straightforward preparation - we could find ways to use them in combination with other things. Plus Marian insists this is her favorite way to eat them. It was worth a try.


The Method

1. Slather good bread with unsalted butter.
2. Layer with radishes - tops attached.
3. Sprinkle with salt.
4. (Commit yourself to having only this for lunch to ensure everyone tries it.)

This was an epiphany. Our kids were even upset that there were no radishes left to make sandwiches the next day, and openly hoped next week's share would contain more. We used homemade butter (a great energy release for the kids and their friends that day) and made french bread (ala Julia Child).

The Result

The sandwich was sublime. Not distractingly spicy, but a wonderful balance between sharp and subtle flavors. The salt was important - giving a fourth thing for your taste buds to enjoy. It is important, I'm sure, to use good bread and butter, too. 


This was the perfect way to begin our CSA-inspired eating. (Sadly, the pictures we took were deleted.) In fact, we'd hoped to use "Radish Sandwich" as the blog title, but found that some folks in VA were inspired before us.