Braised Kale

Here is Emeril's recipe for braised kale. It's a healthy and delicious side dish. I'll eat kale with breakfast, lunch and dinner!

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups thinly sliced onions/shallots
1 teaspoon salt
12 turns freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons minced garlic
8 cups (firmly packed) torn and stemmed kale pieces (I used both dino and curly varieties)
2 cups chicken stock (water will work too, but stock is more flavorful)
Splash cider vinegar

Preparation

Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the onions, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add the garlic, kale, and stock and cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes; add a splash of cider vinegar in the last minute of cooking. Remove from the heat. Serve immediately.

Pesto & goat cheese stuffed pork tenderloin

Devoted blog readers - I am now staffed on a new case. My goal is to keep up the cooking/blogging, since I am lucky enough to be working on a client in town... but... we'll see. For now, I'm still trying to catch up on my previous cooking frenzy.

Last week I made dinner for two lovely Dallas ladies: M&M. M&M are working gals (also at Bain), so I had to share the joys of beach time with them. This dinner was relatively easy, but needs a little planning time. Preparation took ~30 minutes, and cooking time was close to an hour. Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 pork loin (I used tenderloin, which is a bit smaller and harder to work with....)
1 1/2 cups chopped mushrooms (I used baby bellas)
2 Tablespoons goat cheese
3 Tablespoons pesto (I used a fresh one from Whole Foods)
2 Tablespoons bread crumbs
Salt
Pepper

Tools: Food processor, butcher's twine or satay sticks to keep the stuffed loin together, and a sharp knife.

Preparation

For the stuffing:
Combine the mushrooms, goat cheese, bread crumbs, and pesto into the food processor. Blend until combined. Taste and season if needed.

For the meat:

Preheat the oven to 350F.

To begin, you will need to fillet the tenderloin into a 1/2-thick, flat piece. I won't try to explain how, just watch this video for technique.

Once your meat is flat, season both sides with salt and pepper and stuff with the mushroom mixture. I used bamboo sticks to keep the meat together, but if you have butcher's twine, have a go at trussing.

Next, sear the pork loin in a hot pan or cast-iron skillet so the outsides get a nice brown color. Once seared, pop into the oven and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour. Check the internal temperature of the meat around 40 minutes. The pork is done if the internal temperature is 160F.

Serve with braised kale.

Red peppers stuffed with bison, wild rice and lentils

Just a random dinner on a weeknight. Healthy and filling! I could see myself making this again, but with slight modifications. For instance, It's probably better to stuff half peppers instead of full ones. Also, I tried my best to make it spicy and the jalapeño AND serrano AND cayenne were not enough. Hmm... Also, I want my stuffing to stay together better, maybe an egg would help? Not sure, but it's delicious regardless.

Ingredients

4 Red bell peppers (medium sized), cut off tops and remove seeds
1 bunch green onions (regular would be fine too)
1 serrano
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
3 cloves garlic
1/2 cup spanish pardina lentils
1/2 cup wild rice (or any other whole grain)
Salt to taste
Grated cotija cheese and cilantro to garnish

To prepare the stuffing:

Boil water in 2 small sauce pans. Cook lentils by bringing water to a boil, then cover and simmer for 20 minutes. At the same time, cook wild rice the same way, but boil for 30-40 minutes (until tender.

Meanwhile, start the bison. Sauté the onions, garlic, and serrano for 2-3 minutes. Add bison, 1 tsp cumin, 2 tsp salt, pepper, 1/2 teaspoon chili powder and cook until browned (medium), probably 5 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350.

Drain your lentils and rice, season with salt, pepper, and a dash of cayenne. Mix together with the bison and stuff the peppers with the mixture using a spoon and lightly packing down mixture. Add cotija cheese on the top and bake for ~40 minutes. *** Note: I think next time I will boil the peppers for 2 minutes to get them softer and then they will only have to bake for 20 minutes or so. ****

Garnish and serve w/salsa.

Whole wheat Rosemary Olive No Knead Bread

This loaf has got it going on. It boasts a crunchy crust with a soft and fluffy inside delicately perfumed by olives and rosemary. NOM NOM NOM!


You've probably heard about the famous "No Knead" recipe from Jim Lahey (see NY Times article). The recipe yields delicious homemade artisan bread with little effort. The magic of yeast and time (18+ hours to rise) is enough to convert any novice into a professional baker. My first attempt at homemade bread was pretty good - I followed a simple version of the no knead recipe from the Italian Dish blog. I had success and a delicious plain white loaf.

I was hooked, but if you know me, I am always trying to incorporate whole grains into my baking. Next, I tried a recipe for a 100% whole wheat loaf. This recipe involved a crazy flour called "vital wheat gluten" to boost the gluten chains (erm..?)This effort was a DISASTER.

I consulted a foodie friend, Odile of Fruippé. Her blog is a dazzling array of sweats and savory recipes that will leave you amazed and hungry. Odile, with her infinite baking wisdom, pointed me towards this recipe. I adapted her adaptation and I think you should adapt mine and keep the party going.

Olive rosemary artisan loaf

Adapted from Nourish Network’s Kneadless Olive Rosemary Bread

Ingredients

2 cups unbleached, organic bread flour
1.5 cups organic white whole wheat flour (King Arthur)
1 tsp sea salt
1 cup coarsely chopped Kalamata olives (Greek)
4 sprigs coarsely chopped fresh rosemary
16 warm ounces water
1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast

Preparation
Mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl (flours, salt, yeast) as well as the rosemary and olives. Pour in the water and mix until it all comes together. Make sure all the flour is incorporated, but try not to over handle the dough (remember, it's kneadless!)

Cover the bowl partially and let it sit for 20 minutes on the counter- I used a lid that has a small air hole. This allows your dough to give off gases. Odile plastic wrapped her bowl, and opened it after 30 minutes, then closed it.

Place your bowl of dough in the fridge and forget about it for at least 18 hours. I read that your dough can sit in the fridge for up to 14 days! In fact, the longer the yeast has to act, the tastier your bread will be.




18 hours later, you should have a bubbly bowl of sticky dough ready to be baked. Dump your dough onto a floured cutting board and fold it over itself twice so you create surface tension on the top and a seam on the bottom. Watch this video from the Italian dish for pointers.

Once shaped, place your bowl upside down over the dough and let it sit for 15 minutes.

After 15 mins, dust a small kitchen towel with flour (necessary) and polenta (optional). Place the dough on the towel and fold the towel over it to cover. Place this package of joy into a plastic grocery bag and tie it up. Let it sit for an hour (the final rise!!)

About 15 minutes before you plan to bake, preheat your oven to 500 degrees and put your dutch oven w/lid on into the oven. The dutch oven creates a humid environment for the bread and also gives it an even crunchy crust.

Plop your bread into the hot dutch oven, and be sure to cut a few slits in the surface. This will not only make your bread pretty, but also helps when the bread rises. Pop the lid on and bake for 30 minutes at 425. After 30 minutes, take the lid off and bake for another 30 minutes.

Tadaaaa - fresh bread! Cool your bread on a wire rack and try to wait for a few minutes before tearing into it. I've already devoured 1/4 of my huge loaf... carb overload and I love it.

Blueberry Cornbread mini muffins (Alice Waters recipe)

I recently bought two mini-muffin trays from Michael's and I've been on a mini-muffin baking spree! Mini-muffins are a convenient grab-and-go snack to take to work (and they will definitely make your co-workers jealous).

Alice Water's cornbread

Ingredients:

1 cup cornmeal
3/4 cup AP flour
1 tablespoon sugar (optional, I used it)
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 egg
4 tablespoons butter (1/2 stick), melted
1 cup blueberries (my personal addition)

Prep

Preheat the oven to 425F and butter mini-muffin tins. Alice says you can use this recipe to make one 8-inch round or square loaf (may need longer cooking time). Also, you could pre-heat a cast iron skillet, butter it, and bake for a crispier crust.

Mix together the dry ingredients in a bowl. Whisk together milk and egg separately. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients, pour in the milk/eggs and stir until smooth. Stir in the melted butter and add blueberries.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake:
12-15 minutes for mini muffins.
20 minutes for pans.

Note: this cornbread isn't sweet, so add a little jelly and enjoy!

Valentine's chocolate yogurt snack cakes

Chocolate Yogurt Snack Cakes

From David Lebovitz’s The Sweet Life in Paris on Smitten Kitchen's blog

Makes 16 or so mini muffins

Ingredients

7 ounces (200 grams) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup (125 ml) vegetable oil
1/2 cup (125 ml) plain, low-fat yogurt (mine was 9% fat from Central Market brand)
1 cup (200 grams) sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (I didn't have any, tasted fine!)
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 1/2 cups (200 grams) flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly butter the pan or coat w/non-stick spray.

In a heatproof bowl set over simmering water, melt the chocolate with 1/4 cup of the oil. Once melted and smooth, remove from the heat. You could also melt the chocolate in the microwave by zapping and stirring in 15 second increments.

3. In another bowl, mix the remaining 1/4 cup oil with yogurt, sugar, eggs and vanilla and almond extracts.

4. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the yogurt mixture. Stir lightly a couple times, then add the melted chocolate and stir until just smooth.

5. Divide the batter among the muffin cups and bake for 20ish minutes or until they feel barely set in the middle and a tester or toothpick comes out clean.

6. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack. Dust w/powder sugar and serve. I added hearts because I baked them for my boyfriend his roommates on Valentine's day. Needless to say, they all love me (and the muffins!)

White whole wheat pappardelle

The Italian grandmother in me loves making homemade pasta. I've done it a couple times now, and it's always exciting. This time I opted for a whole-wheat version. I'm obsessed with white whole wheat -which comes from a different variety of wheat than normal whole wheat flour. It's still a whole-grain, but has a softer texture that I've found works well as a substitute for AP flour.

Ingredients



2 3/4 cup white whole wheat flour (King Arthur's)
3 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon olive oil
A tiny bit of water, as needed


Mound the flour on a clean work surface and make a large deep well into the center. Crack the eggs into the well and add the salt.

Stir the eggs and salt together and then gradually incorporate the flour from the sides of the well. Work the ingredients together until it forms a rough and sticky ball. If dough is too sticky, add a small amount of flour. If dough is too dry, add a few drops of cold water.You can also mix everything in your kitchen aid w/the dough hook attachment.

Scrape the dough that sticks to the countertop or cutting board and press the dough into a rough ball and knead as you would bread. Knead for 5 minutes. Dough should be very smooth and elastic.

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let rest for 20 minutes at room temperature.

Unwrap the ball of dough and cut into 1/8 pieces (golf-ball size), keeping the remainder wrapped in plastic wrap.

Following your pasta machine manufacturer's instructions, feed the flattened piece of dough into the machine. Fold the dough into thirds, then feed again into the machine. Repeat folding and rolling two additional times.

Increase the roller setting one notch. Sprinkle the pasta lightly with flour and feed through the rollers again, unfolded.

Turn the roller setting another notch and repeat the rolling, then continue without folding the dough until you get to size 6 or 7. I made mine a little thick, so next time I want to get it thinner.

Cut the pasta using a pizza cutter into fat strips.

To freeze pasta, place loosely in a large ziploc bag and place flat on a freezer shelf. Thaw frozen pasta for about 15 minutes before cooking in boiling water. Do not store at room temperature - your pasta will attract mold.

Serve w/your favorite tomato sauce or rabbit ragu.

Wintry Rabbit Ragu w/homemade wheat pappardelle

According to the Chinese calendar, we are currently in the year of the Rabbit. My off-beat sense of humour decided that my rabbit ragu is a really tribute to the upcoming year. If the year is as delicious as my creation, then oh what a sweet time we'll all have. However, something as wonderful as rabbit stew does not come cheap. First, rabbits are expensive ($30/rabbit!). Second, not all high-end grocers have rabbit (I got mine at central market). Third, you probably have to thaw your little 4-legged friend, which takes longer than expected.

So, a word of caution: allow ample time to procure/thaw/debone your rabbit. Otherwise, you'll end up like naive me: eating dinner at 10:45pm... Oops!

Rabbit Ragu

Adapted from a New York Times recipe found on http://mixbakestir.com

Ingredients:

1 rabbit (~3 lbs), cut into 8 pieces, bone in
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
Pinch of red-pepper flakes (mine was generous!)
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon tomato paste
1 cup dry red wine
1 cup seeded, chopped San Marzano tomatoes
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs thyme
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
12 ounces pappardelle
Pecorino Romano cheese, for grating


Preparation

Step 1: Thaw your rabbit ahead of time!! If you don't have the time, however, you can give the rabbit a "bath" of lukewarm water to thaw. Change the water every 10-15 minutes. It will probably still take an hour, but you can start chopping and prepping everything else.

Step 2: Watch a video on how to butcher a whole rabbit. I was lucky enough to have practiced during a cooking class last May, however, it was still VERY tricky. You will need a boning knife and I found kitchen shears very helpful. Alternatively, have your butcher do this step for you!

Now you are ready to.....


Pat the rabbit pieces dry and season with salt and pepper. In a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add the oil and brown the pieces, working in batches if needed to avoid crowding. Transfer to a plate.

Reduce the heat to medium. Add the onion, carrots and celery, stirring until soft, about 5 minutes. Then add the red-pepper flakes, garlic and tomato paste, stirring for another minute. Deglaze the pan with the wine, turn the heat to high and boil to burn off the alcohol, about 4 minutes.

Add the tomatoes, broth, bay leaves and thyme. Return the rabbit pieces to the pot, spacing them evenly so they are partly covered by the liquid. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the rabbit is falling off the bone, about 2 hours.Turn the pieces at least once. Time enhances the flavor and gives the rabbit it's texture, so don't be in a hurry.

Turn off the heat and discard the thyme and bay leaves. Remove the rabbit from the sauce and let cool; then pull the meat from the bones (Don't eat too much of it!). Shred some pieces and leave others large. Return the meat to the pan and simmer the sauce until thickened, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the butter, piece by piece. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

4. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pappardelle until al dente. Before draining, save a cup of the pasta water. Toss the pappardelle with the sauce over low heat, adding pasta water as necessary if the sauce is too thick. Divide among pasta bowls and top with the grated cheese.

This makes about 6 servings - Boyfriend and I had rabbit ragu for at least 2 more full meals!

Enjoy!

Life on the beach

Work-related travel definitely came between me and my blossoming food blog. What a tragedy! Recently, however, I've been living the good life of a consultant "on the beach" (read: not staffed). This grace period has been a lovely break from the M-Th grind of business travel and resulted in some fruitful cooking adventures.

I have ambitious plans to update with new recipes and photos, but in an effort to take the first baby step, I'm going to post some long-due photos from previous kitchen endeavors. No recipes, because frankly, I've forgotten them by now! I hope you still enjoy the pictures.

Simple & delicious grilled cheese and tomato sandwich



Summer Quinoa salad



Blueberry steel cut oatmeal



A trip to the farmer's market: Grilled flank steak & peppers, sauteed greenbeans, bitter greens salad w/radishes and reduced balsamic vinaigrette



The accident: Quinoa cookie squares (quite yummy actually!)



Indian spiced okra