The JP Special

Hello. I'm back. And I still cook.

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 20:43:45 -0500

It’s not been a good week. On the other hand, the fall harvest is plentiful and savory. After having been subjected to terrible, carb-heavy conference food for 2 days, this dinner, my own recipe (thankyouverymuch) is just what I needed. Plenty of protein, spicy, smoky, veg-heavy, and all around, pretty effing perfect.

Chorizo (soy for veg-heads like me)-stuffed Spaghetti Squash

Ingredients:

2 medium (about 3 lb each) spaghetti squash, halved lengthwise, and seeded

3 T. light olive oil, divided

1/2 medium-large onion, small dice

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 ea 12 oz package Soy Chorizo

1 can garbanzo beans / chickpeas (no salt added), drained & rinsed

2/3 c fresh bread crumbs

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

2/3 cup shredded cheddar

Method of Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.

2. Place squash cut-side down on oiled sheet pan (brush sheet pan, or in my case, foil on sheet pan, with 1 T oil).

3. Roast squash till tender & shreddable, about 40-45 min.

4. While squash is roasting, heat large skillet over medium heat.

5. Add 2 T oil, allow to heat, add onion over med-low heat. Let soften 5 min.

6. To skillet add crumbled chorizo, garlic. Stir, breaking up, mixing well. Cook 5 minutes.

7. Add beans and breadcrumbs over medium heat. Stir occasionally 10 min, allowing breadcrumbs to toast and mixture to heat through. Season to taste.

8. When filling is done, remove from heat and stir in cilantro.

9. Remove squash from oven when done, invert to cut-side up, and generously fill each half with chorizo-chickpea filling.** Top with shredded cheddar.

10. Return stuffed squash to oven, bake 15-20 minutes till heated through, cheese melted and bubbly.

To serve: shred the squash and mix with the filling. 4 very generous servings at half a squash each or 6-8 smaller servings.

** I ended up with a lot of filling. While 2 squashes will use up a lot of filling (truth be told, I only used 1 squash, so assume 2 will do nicely), there will be extra. I plan to enjoy the chorizo-chickpea mix as taco filling with sliced avocado, extra cilantro and lime juice, or maybe scrambled up with eggs. Yeah, you heard me. Scrambled chorizo chickpea eggs.

I didn’t think to take a photo but trust me, it was delightful to look at, too.

The Minimalist - Out of the Wok, Tofu Stars in Dessert - NYTimes.com

Mon, 25 May 2009 21:25:22 -0400

The Minimalist - Out of the Wok, Tofu Stars in Dessert - NYTimes.com:

Wow. Super fast, easy, and totally amazing. I’m not a pudding person but this was light and really almost mousse-like. I used 70% bittersweet and added a teeny dash of cayenne. Oh, yes.

"I’ve been on a pilsner jag recently, enjoying them in both their American form – Victory Prima Pils..."

Wed, 29 Apr 2009 21:40:27 -0400

“I’ve been on a pilsner jag recently, enjoying them in both their American form – Victory Prima Pils was our consensus favorite…”

- Good With Peanuts and Cracker Jack - The Pour Blog - NYTimes.com

Peas in Earth: A Haiku - Bitten Blog - NYTimes.com

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 09:26:07 -0400

Peas in Earth: A Haiku - Bitten Blog - NYTimes.com

The yummiest white pizza. Ever. AKA: An ode to fresh, whole...

Mon, 06 Apr 2009 21:48:00 -0400

The yummiest white pizza. Ever. AKA: An ode to fresh, whole milk ricotta.

Pizza dough:

3 c. all-purpose flour (or bread flour)

1 T. vital wheat gluten (exclude if using bread flour)

2.5 t active dry yeast

2 t salt

1 c warm water (btwn 85-100 degrees F)

3 T olive oil

Spin flour, yeast, wheat gluten up in food processor. Slowly stream water into processor till ball forms. Add olive oil, slowly, spin up 10 sec. Add salt last, spin a few seconds.* Turn out and knead on floured surface 1-2 minutes. Place in bowl and cover with damp towel or plastic wrap and let rise 1 hour. When dough ready, punch down, roll out to desired size/shape— should aim for 1/4” thickness— and transfer to oiled sheet pan. Let proof 15 minutes, then proceed with desired toppings. Bake at 500 degrees F 15-20 minutes.

My toppings for a good white pie:

1/2 bunch broccoli rabe, sauteed with olive oil, salt, red pepper flake (I used leftovers, which is what inspired this pizza in the first place)

1 1/2 cup roughly chopped / hand-torn baby spinach

1/2 c whole milk ricotta (if you’re lucky, use fresh, like me because YUM)**

1/2 lb thinly sliced fresh mozzarella**

red pepper flake

salt and pepper to taste

olive oil for drizzling

You get the idea.

* many formulas will tell you to add the salt at the same time as the yeast. Resist this urge. Salt kills yeast if added in too high of a quantity or if added to a mixture too soon. In this case, simply waiting to add salt till things are pretty much together; this ensures a flavorful dough that happily rises for you.

** = always taste / check to see if fresh cheeses have been cultured in any briney solution. How salty your cheeses are will help you figure out your seasoning, so always give cheese a taste BEFORE seasoning whole pie.

Creamy Roasted Cauliflower Soup I’ll start by telling you...

Sat, 14 Mar 2009 21:24:00 -0400

Creamy Roasted Cauliflower Soup

I’ll start by telling you I was inspired by this post by Deb of SmittenKitchen here: http://smittenkitchen.com/2006/09/the-fragile-cooking-ego/. And now I’ll tell you how I changed it up to suit my own sensibilities.

Roasting virtually ANY vegetable adds lots of depth of flavor and often nice color to any dish. While the original recipe sounded nice, I really thought: why not roast the cauliflower first? It’ll add a more amber color to the soup and so much good flavor. And it did. My other thought was, why a quart of stock? Why not split the stock with some milk to add extra creaminess while increasing the nutritional profile of this soup?

So here are my amendments:

— Roast one small to medium sized head of cauliflower with 1 T. olive oil at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes, tossing once. I used the other tablespoon of olive oil mentioned in the recipe to cook down the onion and garlic.

— Use 2 c. low-fat milk and 2 c. stock (I love Imagine Food’s No Chicken Broth)

— I added no additional salt. Nada. Between the stock and the naturally salty Parm, no need for extra. I likely added extra black pepper b/c I love black pepper.

— I finished it w/ chopped chives and an extra grind of pepper, but imagine a little drizzle of heavy cream would be good, as would a dollop of goat cheese or maybe even some thinly sliced roated cauliflower (if one reserved a small floret).

I would have loved this with some garlic toast, but enjoyed it with a dark green salad and some of Metropolitan Bakery’s olive thyme bread instead.

Easy, fast, tasty, healthful soup. Does it get better than that?

Fresh, hot cookies for freshmen, sophs . . . | Philadelphia Inquirer | 03/05/2009

Thu, 05 Mar 2009 22:48:10 -0500

Fresh, hot cookies for freshmen, sophs . . . | Philadelphia Inquirer | 03/05/2009:

Ha! I’ve seen this truck near Mitten Hall a few times now. One wonders about the opportunities lurking out there…

Baby Bok Choy with Pan-seared Tofu. This is one my stand-bys. ...

Mon, 26 Jan 2009 20:15:10 -0500

Baby Bok Choy with Pan-seared Tofu.

This is one my stand-bys. It comes together quickly and is always tasty and healthy. I usually eat it sans carbs, but I tonight I craved some forbidden rice and thought the fragrance and great texture of the rice would be nice. And it was really nice. Any rice would do in a pinch (or, for that matter, soba noodles), but this black rice is just awesome and very nutritious. I also typically add carrot for color and sweetness but I didn’t have any today. It was just as good.

Do it up:

2 c. cooked forbidden rice

2 teas. vegetable, peanut or walnut oil plus 1 teas. additional oil (I use canola for the omega-3s)

1 fourteen oz. block of tofu, drained well, sliced into 8 long strips

3 heads baby bok choy (or 1.5 large bok choy) leaves and stems chopped and separated

1 tbls very finely chopped or grated garlic (I used my rasp); about 3 cloves

1-2 teas. very finely chopped or grated fresh ginger

1 pinch red pepper flake to taste

1 teas. Bragg’s amino acids (optional)

1 T. oyster sauce, or in my case, vegetarian stir fry sauce

Cook it up, yo:

Heat a large skillet to medium heat with 2 t. oil to coat bottom of pan. When pan is hot, place tofu strips down into the pan. Do not touch. Let the tofu sizzle and really form a good crust. When the pieces are ready to be turned, they will release from the pan and will be a deep blonde color. If they are sticking, they aren’t ready yet. Be patient. Keep rotating till sides are a nice golden color, set aside on paper towel-lined plate.

In same skillet, lower heat a little, and add remaining teaspoon of oil to pan. Add bok choy stems and red pepper flake. Let cook about 2-3 minutes, then add bok choy greens, ginger and garlic. Stir to combine and let greens wilt down, about 2 minutes. Add amino acids, oyster / veg sauce and stir to coat. Add tofu back into pan, nestling strips into veg to allow strips to quickly glaze. Let heat through about 1 minute.

Serve greens and 4 strips tofu over rice and finish with a spash of low-sodium soy sauce and a drizzle of toasted sesame oil, if desired. Serves 2 for dinner, 3-4 as light lunch.

My own leek and goat cheese crustless quiche recipe with...

Mon, 19 Jan 2009 22:58:00 -0500

My own leek and goat cheese crustless quiche recipe with homemade french bread. This is a preview of the inaugural lunch feast I’ve planned for my colleagues. I’ll also pick up greens for salad. Had thought I’d have enough chard to melt down with shallots as a side, but have realized I’d need, like, 3 more bunches of dark greens for that to work. Salad it is. Not too shabby.

Winter Cabbage with Pasta

Mon, 12 Jan 2009 20:37:01 -0500

This is a variation on the “straw & hay” recipes I’ve seen. I had a really nice head of cabbage on hand from the farmstand and, I’ll tell you it’s not my first this season and it won’t be my last. Fresh local cabbage is so tasty there’s just nothing like it. For the people who hate cabbage, I encourage you to get to your nearest farmer’s market, pick up a napa, green, or savoy variety and have at it with this recipe. A winter treat, truly.

Here’s the latest to come out of my kitchen worth posting.

Winter Cabbage with Pasta:

1/2 lb. linguine (or other flat noodle)

1/2 head napa or green cabbage, quartered and shredded (cut with sharp knife to create short ribbons of cabbage)

2 tablespoons butter cubed into small pieces, plus 1/2 T.

1/4 c. finely grated Parmegianno Reggiano

1/4 c. finely grated Locatelli or Pecorino

2 T. half and half

1/4 teas. freshly grated nutmeg

3 T. finely chopped parsley

Bring large pot of water to boil. When at rolling boil, add salt and bring back to boil. Add noodles, cook 4 minutes. Add cabbage to noodles and cook 2 minutes more. Add 1/2 T. butter and cook noodles to al dente (or desired tenderness) and cabbage till tender, but not mushy.

While cooking, grate cheeses in bowl together.

Reserve 1/2 c. cooking water, set aside. Drain cabbage and noodle mixture. Transfer to large bowl. Add remaining 2 T. butter and mix to coat. Add a few tablespoons of cooking water, stir. Add 1/3 amount of cheeses, toss to combine. Add few more tablespoons water, then 1/3 cheese. Toss again. Add half and half and toss to combine. Add last portion of cheese, toss. If too dry, add a bit more cooking water or half and half till smooth and creamy enough for your taste. Stir in nutmeg and parsley. Serve immediately. Serves 2 as main (large) dish or 4 as side dish.

Be thankful for January and enjoy.

Moroccan Vegetable Couscous This past Memorial Day weekend, I...

Mon, 29 Dec 2008 21:05:00 -0500

Moroccan Vegetable Couscous

This past Memorial Day weekend, I was lucky enough to travel to Paris. It was my first (long overdue) trip to that amazingly beautiful, remarkably friendly, and most delicious city. Chez Omar fed my vegetarian self really well and it didn’t hurt that the cafe was a mere 5 minute walk from my hotel in the 3rd. I have dreamt often of the brothy, gorgeous vegetables and fluffy, perfect couscous I dined on there. I attempted tonight to recreate such a dish. It wasn’t the same— not nearly— but it’s one I’d make again because it’s similar enough that I am reminded of the early days of June I spent in one of loveliest places I’ve ever been.

Moroccan Vegetables with Couscous (in the style of the 19123):

3 T. vegetable oil

1 T. butter (ideally ghee, which of course, I didn’t have and wasn’t willing to make; it should be noted at this point that quite a lot of butter typically goes into these dishes. I, however, have opted in favor of my ticker and went for a wee bit of butter per serving and heart-healthy oil).

1 large, sweet onion, halved and sliced into 1/4” pieces

1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded, diced into 1/2 ” dice

4 small / 3 med carrots, peeled and coined into 1/4”-1/2” pieces

4 small waxy potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/2” dice

2 small zucchini, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2” slices

1/2 teas. tumeric

1/4 teas. cinnamon

1/4 teas. scant cumin

3 cups vegetable stock

1/2 cup pureed tomatoes or 1 T. tomato paste

1 cup water

healthy pinch saffron (about 1/2 teas)

1 can drained, rinsed chickpeas (garbanzo beans)

salt, pepper to taste (I kept additional salt and pepper to bare minimum thanks to a flavorful broth and plenty of saffron)

___________________________________________________________________

2 c. whole wheat instant couscous

2 1/2 c. water

harissa, to taste

____________________________________________________________________

Directions:

Heat large pot over medium heat. Add oil and butter. Let fat heat through till butter has ceased bubbling. Add onion, butternut squash, carrots. Season with pinch of salt, reduce heat to medium-low, stir. Cover and sweat veg over low heat 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add potatoes, stir. Stir in cumin, cinnamon, tumeric. Cover and sweat 5-7 min. Gently stir and add zucchini. Cover and sweat 2-3 minutes. Add stock, 1 c. water, saffron, tomato. Bring to boil, then lower heat to gentle simmer. Let pot simmer over low, gentle heat for 30 minutes. Add chickpeas and simmer 10 minutes more. Test for seasoning and adjust salt and pepper if necessary.

During last 10 minutes cooking (read: while waiting, impatient for such good food), bring 2 1/2 c. water to boil. Turn off heat, stir in couscous. Remove from heat, cover, let sit 5-7 minutes; fluff with fork.

To serve: Put 1/2 c. cooked couscous in bottom of bowl. Ladle veg and broth over couscous, and, if desired, add a small dollop of harissa. Eat immediately, preferably with a nice French rose, outside, while conjuring la Rue de Bretagne.

Serves 8.

Leftovers for breakfast.

Tue, 09 Dec 2008 13:43:28 -0500

Last week I prepped a bunch of ingredients one evening in order to put together vegetarian nicoise-style salads for lunches. This included par-cooking string beans, boiling small red potatoes, chopping parsley, hard-cooking eggs, making dressing, and getting olives, tomatoes, capers, etc to the ready.

While the salad was tasty and nutritionally complete (with a hunk of whole-grain bread on the side), like most people who live alone and do a lot of cooking, I have a hard time eating the same thing 5 days in a row.

Knowing that the life of my hard boiled eggs and potatoes were nearing their end, I decided to put both to use for breakfast today, after a tough run in the cold morning air. While I rarely make a warm breakfast on a weekday, let alone eat 2 yolks in one day, this was the kind of grey cold day calling for a good, hearty breakfast. Two whole eggs give the bowl body, a creamier texture, and enough protein and fat to get me through what will be another long day and night. This recipe is easy to double, treble, or multiply out by however much you need. I actually think it’d be really nice for brunch as much can be prepped ahead of time.

Hasty Tasty Potato Bowl with Boiled Eggs:

1 teaspoon olive oil

2 boiled small (2-3 inches long) red (or new) potatoes, sliced into 1/2” rounds with skins intact

2-3 small scallions— whites and greens, sliced

2 hard cooked eggs, shelled and roughly chopped

1/2 t. finely chopped parsley

salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Add sliced potatoes and scallions and heat through 6-8 minutes, letting the scallions soften and sweeten and the potatoes brown a wee bit. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl, sprinkle with parsley, and top with eggs. Toss very gently and serve immediately. Serves 1 if you’ve gone running on a very empty stomach or 2 if you feasted the previous evening.

Sunday dinner. See here: ...

Sun, 07 Dec 2008 20:43:00 -0500

Sunday dinner.

See here: http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/9026?section=

How I changed it: Simple toasted almonds; added freshly grated nutmeg to soup, used 1 cup 1% low-fat milk, 1 cup half and half instead of 2 cups heavy cream. Also I didn’t strain the soup; it was creamy and lovely as it was.

Here: http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/9217?section=

How I enhanced it: added 1 t. fresh chopped thyme and treated it as a warm salad by tossing a bit of it with loads of arugula.

And here: http://drfrankwines.com/ (the 2006 dry rose)

A well-rounded, really tasty Sunday supper.

Quick supper after a miserable evening.

Tue, 25 Nov 2008 22:19:00 -0500

Tonight, my motorcycle helmet got stolen out of the locker room at my school. I was not pleased. I will tell you that having the foresight to par-boil some chunked butternut squash last night was truly prescient. I had leftover kale and spinach from other recipes so thought it’d all work nicely together. It did. In fact, it’s one of the best on-the-fly meals I’ve ever made. It’s low carb (not if you have it with a beer, like I am, mind you), high protein, packed with lovely vitamins and not insignificantly, makes a pretty plate in the end.

Behold:

Butternut Squash Ragu with Vrapple, Greens, and Shallots with Egg. Poached eggs: the best topper of all time. Goat cheese, a dollop of fresh ricotta, mascarpone, or yogurt would be acceptable substitutes. Not equal. Substitutes.

1 T. olive oil

1/2 T. butter

1/2 butternut squash, diced (parcooked the day before for quickest cooking)— about 2-3 cups [I’ve frozen the other 1/2 of the squash, also parcooked for a barley risotto I plan to make after Turkey Day but if you wanted to double this and use the whole thing, god speed.]

2-3 ounces vrapple (or your favorite crumbly sausage), diced

1-2 cups chopped kale

2-3 cups chopped spinach

1 large shallot, minced

1/2 cup apple cider

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

salt and pepper to taste

4 eggs poached (poaching: bring water to gentle boil; slide egg into water 1 at a time out of a small ramekin or prep dish; cook 1-2 minutes)

Cooking:

Heat large skillet over medium heat. Add oil and butter. Add butternut squash, a sprinkling of salt, and cook over low-medium heat 5 minutes (10 minutes if starting with raw squash). Add vrapple and shallots. Break up vrapple (or sausage) with spoon so it crumbles and distributes through the dish nicely. Once the vrapple cooks down a bit, season with salt and pepper. Crank to medium heat. Add in greens; let them start to wilt. Add cider, cover, let everything stew till cider cooks off over medium heat. Once greens are wilted, squash is a little creamy, etc, add cinnamon off heat and stir gently.

In bowl, put in heaping spoonful of ragu and top with poached egg. Serves 4.

Final note: except for the olive oil and the butter (from Vermont) this meal was a totally local feast, most items within 65 miles of Philly, the rest within 100. Our farmstand rules. So does Sarah, my officemate, Vrapple visionary.

Back to school. Kit 1 (via deb5)

Wed, 01 Oct 2008 18:08:44 -0400

Back to school.

Kit 1 (via deb5)

Dinner: a tribute to late-season sweet corn

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 20:15:00 -0400

Since moving to greater Philadelphia, I have the good fortune of a longer growing season than that in New England. As such, I have continue to enjoy local nectarines, eggplant, summer squash, and tomatoes. To say nothing of the amazing corn here. You could swap the arugula for spinach if you like— just use a very tender green that wilts on contact with heat. This recipe is meant to let the corn shine. The sweetness plays off the peppery arugula and salty pecorino beautifully. Enjoy while you can.

Penne with sweet corn, arugula, and Pecorino Romano

3-4 ears sweet corn, husked and cleaned, whole

1 lb penne pasta

4 T unsalted butter, cubed into small pieces

2 c roughly chopped arugula

1 c finely grated Pecorino (or Parmesan)

1/2 t. finely ground pepper

sea salt to taste

Bring a large pot of water to boil; add corn and cook 3 minutes or until heated through. Retain cooking water. Remove corn from water to cool. Keep water in pot boiling, add pasta.

Put butter into large mixing bowl. When cool enough to handle, cut corn off cob and toss with butter and a small pinch of sea salt.

When penne ready, reserve 3/4 c cooking water and drain pasta. Add pasta to corn / butter mixture and toss to coat. Add a bit of arugula, toss. Add a bit of pepper, then a bit of pasta water and toss. Add cheese, toss. Repeat till mixed and pasta coated. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if needed. Serve immediately.

Rich Girl.

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 10:40:00 -0400

Inspired by clampants’ post to find out the #1 song on my birthday. It was “Rich Girl” by Hall and Oates, which is kind of great considering that’s a band from Philly, the general neighborhood of my youth.

Unfortunately, many years of working at my parents’ pharmacy means I was exposed to more soft rock than any teenager ever should be. I want to love the cheese-factor of H&O, but have never been able to reconcile having been made to work after a track meet (I can assure I never got to choose the nights I worked; choice was for non-related employees), at night, behind the counter, answering phones and ringing up customers, while trying to do calculus homework with “Rich Girl,” playing from the speakers on a seemingly endless loop.

Aunt Jemima!! (the pancake song) (via reebop67) Found on Dooce;...

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 15:55:54 -0400

Aunt Jemima!! (the pancake song) (via reebop67)

Found on Dooce; must share with the rest of the world. If this was a school project I hope he got an A+++.

The Associated Press: Newly released files detail early US spy network

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 15:15:27 -0400

The Associated Press: Newly released files detail early US spy network:

I already thought she was quite a gal. Julia, you were really one of a kind.

City Feed has opened on Centre St in Jamaica Plain! At long...

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 09:27:00 -0400

City Feed has opened on Centre St in Jamaica Plain! At long last! Hurray! Photo courtesy of gribley: www.flickr.com/photos/gribley