Real Food Is Better

Yes, definitely the worst blogger ever.

2010-07-20T19:34:00.000-04:00

So, seven months between posts. Typical, right? I guess not. Sorry for those of you who have been patient enough to keep checking back. Here is finally something new!

A few weeks ago, I signed up for a service called E-Mealz. Every week, I download menus based on sale items at Publix (such a yuumy store!). Some of the dishes are a little, um, well, let's just say they're not all designed for people who are looking for fresh real ingredients (case in point, a wrap filled with pepperoni and jarred pesto; economical, yes. Real, not so much.) But they make an effort to include fresh fruits and veggies and most of the dishes are easy to make and really good. This is one of the best, easiest and most fun ones! I only wish I'd bought more.

Spicy Pork Roast for Two Dinners
1 lb. chuck roast (on sale!)
14.5 oz can diced tomatoes with chiles
14.5 oz can black beans (pinto or other beans can be substituted), drained
1 tsp. ancho chili powder
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 packet beef stew seasoning (cheating, I know but it was cheaper than buying all the spices I needed. Feel free to revoke my real foodie status)

As with most pot roast recipes, this one is made in a slow cooker. Cut the roast in half, combine all the other ingredients and add it all to the pot. I sort of sandwiched the meat, putting half the bean/tomato mixture on the bottom, then the meat, them more beans/tomatoes on top. It will seem like there should be more liquid; there shouldn't. Just make sure the meat is covered, put on the lid and and let it sit for 4-6 hours. This is why I love slow cooker recipes! Seriously, in 4-6 hours, you will have wonderful fall apart tender beef. Reserve one half of the roast (take a little liquid but leave most of the beans and stuff) for the beef and rice bake later. Let the other half cool and then slice/ shred and add it back to the bean mixture. Use in flour tortillas with cheese (and your other favorite burrito accoutrements) and enjoy! I'll post the recipe/ pics for the beef and rice bake when I make it later this week! (I promise)

Here's what the beef and bean mixture looks like, pre-burrito.

Am I the worst blogger ever?

2010-01-08T22:34:00.006-05:00

Probably. I have abandoned the blog for many months now and have also abandoned cooking for the most part. Sad, I know. My last serious cooking undertaking was Christmas Eve when I made cassoulet for my family. It was a great meal and it was wonderful to enjoy it with my brothers and parents. I would also tell you about baking cookies later, but it was pretty much... awful. Let's just say, I should never bake. Ever.

But back to the cassoulet. Or rather, what was supposed to be cassoulet but what turned into a lovely sausage and white bean soup. I suppose I should be embarrassed that after slacking off in my cooking efforts for a few months I can't even produce a simple cassoulet, which, incidentally, I have made before with great success (if I do say so myself). But the resulting flop was truly so remarkable so I can't muster being embarrassed. I'm too full of pork induced happiness.

Ingredients:
2 lbs. white beans (navy, cannelini, etc.)
1 onion
2 carrots
2 stalks of celery
5-6 cloves of garlic
1 bay leaf
3-4 springs thyme
1 lb. bacon
4 sweet Italian sausages
2 lbs. pork steak
14.5 oz can of chopped or diced tomatoes
1 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbs. olive oil

Soak the beans overnight. You may use a quick soak method if running low on time, but I usually prefer a longer soak. Drain the beans and save the soaking liquid. Begin chopping your vegetables, making sure to cut small, even pieces. (To avoid crying, it helps if your onion is cold and your knife, sharp.) Save the skins and tops to add to your freezer bag for vegetable stock. You do save your scraps for homemade liquid gold, don’t you? I thought so.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and put your Dutch oven (or whatever you are using to cook in) over medium heat. Melt 1 Tbsp. each butter and olive oil. Add your chopped bacon to the pan. After it has browned, remove bacon and add the Italian sausages. Brown on all sides; don’t worry about cooking them through; that will happen in the oven. Remove sausages and cut into chunks (not too large as you will be eating them soon!). Next, brown the pork steaks, remove and cut into chunks. Deglaze the pan (there should be lots of yummy brown bits stuck on the bottom) with some of the soaking liquid, chicken stock or white wine. Scrape up the bits then add your mirepoix (onions, carrots and celery). Stir occasionally until the vegetables are soft. Add the garlic and continue stirring one minute.

Add the meat back to the party (don’t forget the bones from the pork steak- they’ll add lots of flavor), along with your chopped tomatoes. Put the beans on top then cover with water (see, I told you to keep that soaking liquid for good reason). Yes, this will look like a lot of food, but it will cook down some. Also, this soup is very easy to freeze and keep for a long time. Back to business.

Cover the pot and bake in the 400 degree oven for about 1 ½ hours. Time will vary based on your beans, so start checking for bean doneness after you pass the hour mark. When it’s finally finished, (hooray!) remove the bones, bay leaf and thyme springs, season to taste with salt and a pinch of cayenne pepper. Even if you don’t like a lot of heat, the cayenne is necessary; otherwise your soup will taste like it’s missing something.

I hope you enjoy this yummy soup as much as my family did and it will warm you during this cold spell. And here's hoping your next mistake is as fortuitous as this one was.

Breakfast for Supper

2009-11-07T20:42:00.002-05:00

Having a pretty low key night and decided to make some eggs. Aren't they wonderful? Simple. Delicious. And can be made a hundred different ways! I've recently taken to eating them over easy, runny, so when you cut into them, the yolk runs spilling all over the plate and you must chase it with your bread to get every last golden bite. Tonight's edition was "toad in the hole" aka eggs in a basket, aka birds in a nest, aka everyone has a different name for this dish! There are a million different names for this dish, but the end result is always delicious. Take some bread- doesn't matter if it's wheat, white, rye or sourdough- cut out a hole in the middle. Butter in the skillet, addthe bread, crack an egg in each hole, cook a couple of minutes and flip. Don't forget to season the eggs before flipping; I have found two cracks of black pepper per egg is perfect. Now slice into perfection and start chasing!

Butternut Squash and Carrot Soup

2009-10-29T18:24:00.005-04:00

This yummy soup is warm and inviting, perfect for a cool autumn evening. I love the musty smell of the sage with the earthiness of the squash and garlic! The recipe is pretty straightforward and doesn't take long to make. I made a huge batch in just over an hour- not bad for a Sunday afternoon! I choose to use vegetable stock and no cream or butter to make this a vegan dish, for no apparent reason : ) As usual, free free to add or take out any ingredients you wish.
**Warning-This is spicy! Cut down on the spices or add cream to cool it down. **

Butternut Squash and Carrot Soup
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 lb. carrots, chopped*
2 lbs. butternut squash, chopped*
1 1/2 tsp. ground mustard
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
4 cups vegetable stock
1 bunch sage leaves, roughly chopped
approx. 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
salt and pepper (as always!)

Saute onions in olive oil until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and stir 1 minute more. Add carrots and squash and stir well. Add mustard, cayenne, nutmeg and sage leaves an stir to combine. Pour in vegetable stock (I choose Swanson's Organic Vegetable Broth) making sure it covers the vegetables, turn heat to high and bring to boil. Lower heat, cover and allow to simmer until vegetables are tender. Remove from heat and blend thoroughly, transferring in batches to a blender or using an immersion blender. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately. You could also freeze in small portions in zip top bags to enjoy all week long!

* Cut carrots and squash in pieces of uniform size to ensure even cooking .

Hello from Tennessee!

2009-09-21T15:27:00.007-04:00

Well, I finally made it! Technically, I made it here a few weeks ago, but this is my first chance to write. So here I am, back in Tennessee, living in my hometown... with my parents... without a job. Wow. That's sort of depressing! You'd think that without a job I would have tons of free time to bake and cook all sorts of delicious things. I have made a few yummy meals, but mostly I've been enjoying being spoiled by my mom's homecooking and eating more fast food in the past two weeks than I had in two years in Boston : )
Fortunately, I have made a few discoveries in the local food scene. The Nashville Scene had several articles about farm to table eating and some great chefs who use local ingredients, so once I have a job I know where I'll be heading to eat! It also seems I just missed the Tomato Art Festival in East Nashville, which is very disappointing. East Nashville is a very interesting area; Rob and I have briefly explored the Five Points area (including the Boston seafood restaurant Batter'd and Fried) and I can't wait to check out The Turnip Truck to start buying local produce.
Here is a recipe I made a few weeks ago for a lunch at church. The first time I made it was at Whole Foods and it was equally successful this time. It's very simple and very easy to spice up. Here's the basic recipe with a few ideas for seasoning!

Sauteed Apples, Leeks and Mushrooms
2-3 leeks trimmed, washed and thinly sliced
3-4 apples peeled, cored and cubed
1 lb. mushrooms rinsed and chopped
salt
pepper
olive oil
butter (optional)

Heat two tablespoons of oil (or one each of butter and oil) in a large saucepan with high sides. The leek, apple and mushroom slices should be roughy the same size to ensure even cooking. First add the leeks, season with salt and pepper, and stir occasionally. When the leeks are soft but not browned (about 5 minutes), add the apples. Season, stir and repeat with the mushrooms. The apples will take approximately 4 minutes to cook and the mushrooms 2-3 minutes.
* The first time I cooked this, I used this recipe exactly. The second time, I didn't use butter and I added a few teaspoons of chopped thyme at the end. I think adding rosemary or carraway seeds could be equally delicious. This dish is easily adaptable; you can use one apple, one leek and a handful of mushrooms to make a small serving or double, triple, even quadruple the amount to feed a big crowd for the holidays. The butter adds a great flavor but is not necessary if you wish to keep the dish vegan. Give it a try and see what flavor combinations you'd like to try with it!

Have you missed me?

2009-08-20T17:00:00.003-04:00

So, I apologize for being away for a whole month! Things have been pretty wild around here, and I'm sure they won't be slowing down anytime soon since Rob and I are moving. Don't worry, I'll still be blogging (hopefully more frequently) and making delicious, clean, REAL food! I'm actually looking forward to discovering the local food scene in Nashville; the last time I lived in TN, I was definitely not as into food as I am now, so it will be fun to find farmer's markets, reastaurants and other foodies!

There probably won't be any recipes for a while, but I will keep you up to date with what I'm cooking, where I'm going, etc. Also, I just signed up for The Daring Kitchen. That means, each month a recipe will be released on the website and all members have a month to make the recipe and post it.Look for those soon!

Summer Salad

2009-07-13T21:19:00.009-04:00

To celebrate the beautiful summer weather we've been having, I made a simple sald for supper tonight. I used Locally Known summer salad mix and topped it with a gorgeous chopped heirloom tomato and some chicken with a brown butter-balsamic glaze. Very easy and light. Enjoy!

Chicken

I used four thighs, baked for about 40 minutes in a 350 degree oven. This I did earlier today; I ran some errands while Rob payed bills on-line and baby-sat the oven : ) I then removed the skin and stored them in the fridge. Right before I finished the sald, I broke the chicken into bite size pieces.

Brown Butter-Balsamic Glaze

I melted a few tablespoons on butter in a skillet, waited for the foam to subside (the sign that the butter is "browned") then added some balsamic vinegar. Stir that around then add the chicken to coat it with the yummy goodness and warm the chicken through. Toss the salad, tomatos and chicken (pour the chicken and remaining glaze on the lettuce), then plate and top each with shaved parmasean cheese.

FREE Local Cheese Tasting Tonight

2009-07-09T12:10:00.004-04:00

I found this event on one of my favorite sites: Boston+Localvores.

Local Cheese Tasting
cost: FREE
location: The Growing Center, Union Square, Somerville (click on link for directions)
time: 6-9pm
rain date: July 11
*They have some different cheeses they are providing, but feel free to bring your own fav local cheese as well (I'm bringing Constant Bliss!) or fav cheese accoutrement like bread, jam, chocolate, etc.

Hope to see you there!

Veggie Stock

2009-07-08T18:32:00.007-04:00

I'm quite a packrat, which is actually quite a good thing when it comes to making stock. Saving all the bits and pieces that are unusable in any other venue are perfect for a stock and it's a great way to reduce your environmental impact from your kitchen. So, I have a freezer bag labeled "Vegetable Stock" and it stays in my freezer collecting the carrot tops, celery leaves, parsley and thyme stems and odd bits of onion or other vegetables I have left over from my other cooking. Today I also threw in a random summer squash that was on it's last legs in the back of my crisper drawer, proving that stocks are a great way to use of leftovers of any kind.

This stock was very easy to make, it just takes quite a bit of time. My freezer stock bag included carrots (ends and tops as well as a few scraggly ones I apparently didn't feel worthy to add to some other dish), celery ends and leaves, onion ends and that outside layer you have to pull off to get to the good onion stuff, plus tons of parsley and thyme stems (no need for the leaves) and that chopped up summer squash I threw in at the last minute. For flavor, I added some salt, whole peppercorns and two bay leafs. Everything goes into the pot (the largest one you have) and the whole thing gets filled with water. Keep the lid on while you bring it to a boil, then remove the lid and bring the temperature down to low. Simmer the stock for about 4 hours, until the veggies are falling apart.

Next comes the fun part: straining! I only have one large stock pot, so I strained the liquid into my largest bowl. Place the strainer/collander into the bowl and the bowl in the sink. I like to remove the vegetables to a seperate bowl for easier pouring/ladeling. Once the liquid is seperated from the veggies, strain it into containers. I use quart containers from the deli counter, but any container will do. You can vary the amounts you use depending on your needs; I usually like to have at least 1 smaller container (mine is a reused Sauces N Love container) as well as 1 quart in the refrigerator and the rest in the freezer. You could even use freezer bags if you wanted. Just let them chill for a couple of hours, then squeeze the air out flatten as much as possible so the stock can be stored side by side, like notebooks*. Anyhow, to strain into the containers, use cheesecloth to remove the last of the impurities. I secure the cheesecloth over the opening with an elastic, then place the container in a bowl in the sink (can you tell that I'm a little nervous about losing any of this golden goodness?) You can definitely use the same piece of cheeselcoth for all the containers, just rinse it off if it gets too grimy looking ; )
So there you have it, a great, easy vegetable stock recipe you can use for ANYTHING! Try it in place of water or wherever you would noramlly use canned chicken broth. It adds a completely new depth and flavor to the most familiar foods. Look for the recipe I used it in: Risotto Primavera. It's coming soon!

Easy Mac N Cheese dinner

2009-07-06T22:11:00.002-04:00

Well, it's finally summer in Boston. Almost 80 degrees today, a big shock from last week. When thinking about dinner, I wanted something easy, something that didn't require me to stand over a stove. Rob and I didn't really feel like meat and then it hit: the craving. We wanted, nay, needed, macaroni and cheese. I found a recipe on Smitten Kitchen and happened to have most of the ingredients on hand. The only thing missing was cottage cheese, which I misread as cream cheese, which is what I bought and used. It was delicious. No need to boil the pasta; it still cooks up beautifully. It's super cheesy and the crust bakes up perfectly brown and crunchy, with no need for breadcrumbs. (Which is good, because I'm all out and couldn't find a single decent, non-HFCS breadcrumb at the supermarket) The sides where pretty straightforward: sauteed green beans with garlic and bacon and corn on the cob. Comfort food at its best! We enjoyed this on our back porch, savoring the cool summer breeze and homecooked food.

Easiest Baked Mac-and-Cheese (Adapted from Smitten Kitchen,adapted from New York Times)
Serve it with a green salad, in a feeble attempt at caloric balance, and wine, to remind yourself that you’re a grown-up.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings.

2 tablespoons butter (divided)
1 package cream cheese (8 oz.)
2 cups milk
1 teaspoon dry mustard
Pinch cayenne (I was out so I just used chili powder)
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg (totally worth it!)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound cheese (half cheddar, half mozzerella)
1/2 pound whole wheat pasta, uncooked.
1. Heat oven to 375°F and position an oven rack in upper third of oven. Use one tablespoon butter to grease a 9-inch round or square baking pan.
2. In a blender, purée cream cheese, milk, mustard, cayenne, nutmeg and salt and pepper together. Reserve 1/4 cup grated cheese for topping. In a large bowl, combine remaining grated cheese, milk mixture and uncooked pasta. Pour into prepared pan, cover tightly with foil and bake 30 minutes.
3. Uncover pan, stir gently, sprinkle with reserved cheese and dot with remaining tablespoon butter. Bake, uncovered, 30 minutes more, until browned. Let cool at least 15 minutes before serving.

So-called "Food Independence"

2009-07-04T19:39:00.007-04:00

Wow. I almost can't believe that someone would write this. I don't know which is more shocking: the fact that they claim one of our greatest liberties is having a cupcake or that Colonel Sanders is a national hero. Really? This article just makes me sick as I realize who twisted these agencies are. I'm not saying that I think everyone should join the raw vegan movement and say "Death to corporations!" That is an extreme view that some take but one that isn't practical for the rest of us. I think hot dogs and hamburgers are great.However, I'd prefer to know that the animals in question are not harboring some unknown disease because of the tragic conditions they lived-and were ultimately killed- in. And I really hope that no one actually believes that HFCS is the same as sugar. If it is, then why is it that I can make soup, breadcrumbs and salsa at home without using either? If this bothers you as much as it bothers me, do something about it! Start eating more locally, organically, naturally or some combination of the above. Moreover, be conscience of the food you are eating and giving to your family. This 4th of July, declare your true food independence.

First Blog: Welcome and Dinner Party

2009-07-04T09:47:00.002-04:00

So, I guess this is my first blog post! I promise to try to keep the self-indulgent blathering to a minimum and instead focus on interesting recipes I’m trying, as well as commenting on articles from other publications (newspapers, blogs, etc.) on the food industry and sustainable food movement. A couple of things I hope to incorporate weekly are 1) an in season recipe (look for a garlic scape recipe coming soon!) and 2) another blog I consider interesting and check in on consistently.
For those you have stumbled upon this blog, I suppose I should tell you a little about myself. My name is Jessica and I am origianlly from middle Tennessee. I’ve lived in Boston for almost two years, where I met my wonderful boyfriend Rob. We live not too far from where he grew up, in Dorchester. I love food and love that Boston has introduced me to the ideas of sustainability and local eating, as well as the issues we are facing with Big Food. Hopefully, this can be my little part of combatting it.
So, on to the first recipe! This past Sunday, Rob and I hosted 12 of our friends for a dinner party. One of our guests, Erin, started a supper club a few months ago, and it was our turn to host. It was fun (and a little stressful) to make so much food and one of my favorite items was the roasted vegetables with a lemon-basil mustard vinaigrette. Very light and summer-y, and tons of leftovers! (look for those recipes soon)

Roasted Summer Vegetables with Lemon-Basil Mustard Vinaigrette
Vegetables:
Summer Squash
Zucchini
Bell peppers (I choose orange for a great color contrast, but you could use any color)

Vinaigrette:
1 tsp. mustard (I used Coleman’s for a bit of heat, but any good mustard will do)
juice of half a lemon
2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
5-6 Tbsp. olive oil*
handful of basil leaves, chopped
Salt
Pepper

Wash the vegetables and slice to even thickness. Toss with a little olive oil and roast at 400° until tender. Meanwhile, whisk mustard, lemon juice and vinegar to combine. Then, still whisking, slowly pour in oil. Whisk vigorously to combine then season and add basil. Pour over vegetables and garnish with lemon wedges and basil leaves.
* For the olive oil, I used half regular olive oil and half citrus infused olive oil. I had some Blood Orange olive oil from O Olive Oil on hand and it added a nice citrus-y tang, but is by no means necessary! Use whatever you have.