January Random Bites

Here is what I have been eating and cooking all week.



Instead of throwing out the bread from making the chevre croutons yesterday, I saved the bread for the next morning's breakfast. Toads in a hole!




We had a quick visit to the City of Brotherly Love, that would be Philadelphia, to visit our Loverly Brother.



It's an easy city to walk around while enjoying historical sites, such as Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. The Philadelphia Museum of Art is also a fantastic museum, don't miss it.

Stephen Starrs seems to own a lot of Philly's restaurants, all with a different theme. We ate at his Continental Martini Bar in the Olde City, a sort of retro diner and had a great lunch, a Southwestern Chicken Salad.



I found these cute baby Thumbelina carrots and roasted them for a change.
They were a big pain to peel and I don't think I will bother with them again, though they were very tasty!



Have a nice weekend everybody, see you on Monday.

Marinated Chevre

Why would anyone want to marinate cheese?

This is the cover recipe from Ann Willan's fantastic book Country Cooking in France.



You make these nice little round wheat toasts and put them under the broiler with cheese and place them on top of a salad!

Oooh la la!

First you have to buy a firm small log of chevre (goat cheese).
I bought an Il de France log.

Slice log into 6 rounds.



Recipe for marinade:

3 dried bay leaves
3 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 teaspoons of black peppercorns
a dash of hot pepper flakes
1 cup of walnut or olive oil to cover the cheese

In a 1 quart jar or container, add cheese rounds to the herb oil mixture. You can keep adding cheese to the marinade and also use it for salad dressings.



Marinate the cheese rounds at least 1 week and up to one month.

Now cut wheat bread slices into rounds and brush with a little of the oil from the marinade.

Lay a round slice of marinated chevre on top of each bread slice and place under the broiler for about 2 minutes until bubbly and golden brown (be careful and watch the toasts, they burn easily, I burned the first batch).

Make a simple salad with some nice mixed greens, like frisee and watercress and treviso.
Dress w/ a vinaigrette of red wine vinegar, some of the oil from the marinade, and an 1/8 teaspoon of Dijon mustard.

Plate your dressed salads and place a warm cheese crouton on top of each salad.

Voila!



Now don't you want to marinate some cheese?

French Lentil Soup

Nothing exciting on the horizon today, except the frigid temperatures and lack of greenery.

This is the time of year I would like to live in Arizona.

Here is Ina's recipe for good old fashioned lentil soup.
I used those green beauties, Lentilles du Puy, & added bacon and fennel to make it my own, and it was very comforting.



French Lentil & Vegetable Soup: (adapted from Barefoot Contessa) this makes a lot of soup! (you can cut the recipe in half)

1 pound French green lentils, picked over and rinsed
4 slices of bacon, cubed
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
2 large onions, chopped
3 medium garlic cloves, minced
2 large leeks, white and tender green parts only, chopped
1 head of fennel, sliced and chopped (optional)
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1 teaspoon ground cumin
6 celery ribs, cut into 1/2-inch dice
6 medium carrots, cut into 1/2-inch dice
3 quarts chicken stock or low-sodium broth
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 tablespoons dry red wine or red wine vinegar
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

In a heavy Dutch oven, heat your bacon and render the fat and cook a few minutes.

Add your vegetables, thyme and cumin to the bacon fat, and cook about 15 minutes, until soft.



Add the chicken stock, tomato paste and lentils to the pot. Increase the heat to high, cover and bring to a boil. Uncover, reduce the heat to moderate and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are tender, about 1 hour. Stir in the red wine vinegar and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkling of Parmesan.



Good news: I have a new PRINT button under each post, so if you want to print out a recipe with or without photos you finally can! Thanks Rosemary for your help!

Ingredient of the YEAR: Brussels Sprouts

How nice that the most HATED vegetable of my childhood has become the most LOVED.

The Brussels Sprout has won "Ingredient of the Year" on Serious Eats website, and I concur.

This was something that I detested while growing up: smell, taste, texture, you name it, nothin' good about it.

Now that I am a mature woman (or so I think), I love this little green cabbage called the Brussels Sprout (yes, Brussels, as in the city in Belgium) because I know how to prepare them now.

I roast them weekly and serve them at room temperature with Pecorino Romano on top, or slice them up and saute them with pancetta & shallots.



I have found a third way to love this vegetable now!
I tried this recipe from Bon Appetit, which is more like a Brussels slaw and it is a winner!

Don't forget to make the maple pecans, they would be great in any salad and they are a perfect compliment to the sprouts with the grainy mustard.

Brussels Sprout Slaw with Mustard Dressing and Maple-Glazed Pecans: (adapted from Bon Appetit)

1 cup large pecan halves
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon plus 1 tablespoon coarse kosher salt plus additional for seasoning
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup whole grain Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts, trimmed

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray large sheet of foil with nonstick spray. Place pecans on small rimmed baking sheet. Whisk maple syrup, 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in small bowl. Add to nuts and toss to coat; spread in single layer. Bake nuts 5 minutes. Stir. Continue to bake nuts until toasted and glaze is bubbling thickly, about 6 minutes. Immediately transfer nuts to prepared foil and separate. Cool completely. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead. Store airtight.



Whisk mustard, vinegar, lemon juice, and sugar in small bowl; whisk in oil. Season with coarse salt and pepper.

Bring large pot of water to boil. Add 1 tablespoon coarse salt. Add brussels sprouts. Cook until crisp-tender and still bright green, about 5 minutes. Drain; rinse with cold water. Cool on paper towels. Using processor fitted with 1/8- to 1/4-inch slicing disk, slice brussels sprouts. Transfer to large bowl. DO AHEAD: Dressing and brussels sprouts can be made 1 day ahead. Cover separately; chill.

Toss brussels sprouts with enough dressing to coat. Let marinate 30 to 60 minutes. Mix in some pecans. Place slaw in serving bowl. Top with remaining pecans.



It was delicious the second day out of the fridge too!

Winter Salad: Beets & Clementines

This salad has winter written all over it.
All the components are in season and readily available.

Sometimes I roast my own beets, and mix them with jarred beets which are really sweet. You can also find great tasting prepackaged steamed beets sold vacuum packed.

Using prepackaged baby greens makes this an easy, delicious lunch.



To roast beets: trim the leaves and stems and scrub the beets clean.
Place trimmed beets in a piece of aluminum foil. Sprinkle with kosher salt and a tbsp of olive oil. Roast at 400F for 45 minutes or until the beets are tender.



When the beets are cool enough to handle, the skin will rub right off.
Slice anyway you like. I love the golden beets the best, they taste like candy!



To make the salad:

Quarter some roasted beets and toss them with clementine slices.
Add a handful of walnuts and 1/4 cup of feta cheese.

Place all in a bowl with baby arugula.



Make a dressing with a tablespoon of orange or lime juice, 1 tablespoon honey, & 2 tablespoons of white balsamic vinegar (if I am using jarred beets, then I use a tablespoon of beet juice instead of the honey).
Whisk in 4 tablespoons of walnut oil and a tablespoon of neutral oil, such as canola.

Drizzle dressing on salad right before serving.

Enjoy!

Braised Lamb Shanks w/ Rosemary

I recently had a dinner party and decided on lamb shanks.
Much less expensive than veal osso buco for a crowd.

Braising for hours ensures that the meat falls right off the bone. The last time I served this over polenta, but mashed potatoes or mashed cauliflower works well too.

The tomato, wine & rosemary sauce makes your kitchen smell so good, you might not want to leave the house for 2 days.



Braised Lamb Shanks w/ Rosemary: (adapted from All Recipes)

6 lamb shanks
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, chopped
3 large carrots, cut into 1/4 inch rounds
10 cloves garlic, minced
1 (750 ml) bottle red wine
1 (28 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes with juice
1 (10.5 ounce) can chicken broth
1 (10.5 ounce) can beef broth
5 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

Sprinkle shanks with kosher salt and pepper. Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Working in batches, cook shanks until brown on all sides, about 8 minutes. Transfer shanks to plate.

Add onions, carrots and garlic to pot and saute until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Stir in wine, tomatoes, chicken broth and beef broth. Season with rosemary and thyme. Return shanks to pot, pressing down to submerge. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Cover, and simmer until meat is tender, about 2.5 hours.

Remove cover from pot. Simmer about 20 minutes longer. Transfer shanks to platter, place in a warm oven. Boil juices in pot until thickened, about 15 minutes. Spoon over shanks.



Note: I had about 2 quarts of delicious lamb stock leftover.
Don't even think of throwing this valuable liquid out!

I put the liquid in containers and refrigerated the stock overnight.
I skimmed off the layer of fat and made a DELICIOUS soup with the leftover lamb meat, added a can of chicken stock and a can of chickpeas. It made enough for 6 bowls of hearty soup!

Frankie's Olive Oil Bundt Cake

There is this great little homey Italian restaurant in Brooklyn called Frankie's Spuntino.
I love the cozy casual atomsphere and the rustic food they serve.

Well, this month's Food & Wine had an article with some of their recipes inside.

I made Frankie's unusual olive oil bundt cake.
Why do I say it's unusual?

Well, for one, it has a teaspoon of sea salt in the recipe, which really hits you when you take a bite. It's an interesting and nice combo using good Sicilian olive oil and the orange zest.



They use a special olive oil from Sicily, and it really makes a difference.
I happen to have a bottle of Frantoia from Sicily, which I treat myself to every once in a while, and save only for special occasions. It's so delicious, I can sip it.

Let's not get carried away here.

It's pricey, so I don't use it for cooking. I use it in small quantities, except for this recipe, which calls for 1 cup.

It was worth every drop.

After a few days, the cake got a little dry, so I couldn't resist saving it by making an orange juice and confectioner sugar glaze, and it was even better!

Frankie's Olive Oil Bundt Cake: (adapted from Food & Wine)

5 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups cake flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon fine sea salt (I used Fleur de Sel)

Preheat the oven to 325° and butter and flour a 10-cup bundt pan. In a bowl, using a handheld electric mixer, beat the eggs with the sugar and orange zest at medium-high speed until smooth. Gradually beat in the olive oil until creamy, about 2 minutes. In a small bowl, whisk the cake flour with the baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture in 3 batches, beating on medium speed between additions.



Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake in the center of the oven for about 50 minutes (the recipe says 1 hour, but mine was done in less), until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then invert onto a rack. Let the cake cool completely before cutting into slices and serving.



This is not a cake for everyone.
If you like a sweet, icing type of cake, skip this one.
But if you are like me, and like an interesting taste with every bite, special and great with a cup of coffee at 3 pm, then this cake is for you.

Good Ideas: Turkey Quesadillas

I am addicted to cooking a turkey breast on a week night.

A. because I love turkey
B. it's so easy
C. because I love the leftovers even better

Cooking a large turkey breast or a pork loin is not only delicious, but economical because you can be creative with the leftovers for lunch or dinner the next day.
Forget the turkey salad, let's make turkey quesadillas.

I got this idea from Kalyn's Kitchen. Kalyn cooks low carb recipes and great looking South Beach diet foods.

I am certainly not a low carb cook, so you can tailor this to your liking by finding low carb tortillas and skim milk cheese.

I saved my calories by baking them in the oven instead of frying.

Turkey Quesadillas:

flour tortillas
olive oil for brushing the tortillas

1 avocado, halved and pit removed
juice of half a lemon
1 tsp kosher salt

cooked turkey or chicken breast meat, shredded
1/2 cup of shredded Mexican blend cheese (cheddar & Monterey Jack)

Mash up the avocado with the lemon juice and kosher salt making a creamy guacamole.



Brush a small amount of olive oil on one side of tortilla.
Lay oil side down on a baking sheet.

Spread the guacamole on the tortilla, and then top with shredded turkey and shredded cheese.



Cover with second tortilla and brush with more olive oil on top.

Bake at 400F for about 12 minutes.
Cut into wedges like a pizza!

Enjoy!

Fancy Pants: Egg Salad & Salmon Roe

Here is another elegant appetizer, or in my case, breakfast.

I swear, I ate 8 of these for breakfast this a.m.

This is stupid easy and so good if you love egg salad, and you know I do.

Lightly toast some good whole wheat bread slices.

With a biscuit cutter, cut out rounds from the bread. If you are making appetizers, then use a smaller biscuit cutter and cut out 4 rounds, if for brunch, cut out 1 or 2 rounds.

Mash up some hard boiled eggs in a bowl.

Spread some real mayo on each slice of bread then carefully mound some chopped egg on top of the mayonnaise.



Top with a small spoonful of caviar or wild salmon roe (which are wonderful sticky little bursts of salt.....sounds gross, but they are divine).

Garnish each with a small piece of chive and you have an elegant brunch or appetizer.



I love these.