One way to add variety to veggies is to mix them. We had these with leftover turkey meatloaf. The richness of the veggies makes up for the leanness of the meatloaf. Don't be scared of the brussels sprouts. They are delicious if they aren't overcooked!
For two servings:
4-8 mushrooms, washed and sliced
8-10 brussels sprouts, washed, bottom removed, and halved
1 large leek, white & light green part, sliced and soaked in a bowl of cold water to remove any grit
2 T. olive oil
1 T. butter
1/2 lemon, zest and juice
1. In a large sauteé pan, put butter and olive oil on medium heat. Allow them to heat while you prepare the mushrooms.
2. Add sliced mushrooms and allow these to sauté while you prepare the brussels sprouts.
3. Add the brussels sprouts to the mushrooms and give them a stir. Let this sauté while you prepare the leeks.
4. When the grit from the leeks has settled, carefully scoop the floating leeks into the pan. Water clinging to the leeks helps create the sauce. Let this sauté while you prepare the lemon.
5. Add the lemon zest and lemon juice. Stir and sauté for a couple minutes until the sprouts are softened but still crunchy.
6. Spoon artfully over whatever else is on the plate.
Hint for using a lemon over several days: Don't cut it open. For this recipe, I scraped one side of it with a micro-plane for the zest and poked a fork in the lemon to get some juice. The wounded lemon is now back in the fridge to help another meal.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Pasta Servings are Difficult to Eyeball
I know this runs counter to the idea of imprecise cooking but who wants a half serving of left over pasta? I started weighing pasta when on an exchange-based diet and found that weighing dry pasta helps you have the right amount of pasta every time.
Dried pastas differ greatly in shape and thickness but for many, a serving is listed in the nutrition panel as 56 dry grams. Just multiply this by the number of servings and you will have the right amount of pasta with no leftovers. If you find that 56 grams is too much for you, choose your own number and commit it to memory.
Local box stores carry food scales that weigh in both grams and ounces. Try to find one that has a "tare" button that allows you to cancel out the weight of the container you pour the food into.
What can be imprecise in cooking pasta? The water, the salt and the time.
How much water? Lots. How much salt? A good deal. Watch Giada De Laurentiis throw salt into the pasta water some time. How long? Fish out a piece and test it. I usually drain pasta when it is still a little under done so it can do it's last cooking in with the sauce.
Dried pastas differ greatly in shape and thickness but for many, a serving is listed in the nutrition panel as 56 dry grams. Just multiply this by the number of servings and you will have the right amount of pasta with no leftovers. If you find that 56 grams is too much for you, choose your own number and commit it to memory.
Local box stores carry food scales that weigh in both grams and ounces. Try to find one that has a "tare" button that allows you to cancel out the weight of the container you pour the food into.
What can be imprecise in cooking pasta? The water, the salt and the time.
How much water? Lots. How much salt? A good deal. Watch Giada De Laurentiis throw salt into the pasta water some time. How long? Fish out a piece and test it. I usually drain pasta when it is still a little under done so it can do it's last cooking in with the sauce.
Friday, March 6, 2009
Moist Turkey Meatloaf
One of the tricks that seems to result in a moist meatloaf is to use the food processor to make a frothy liquid of the eggs and other ingredients before them to the meat and bread crumbs. Another trick is to add a carrot, which is in itself moist. Here's last night's turkey meatloaf.
1 pound ground turkey
2 eggs
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 carrot cut into 1 inch pieces
3 green onions cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 bunch curly parsley roughly chopped
1/4 cup sundried tomato pesto
2 Tbl. olive oil + oil for pan
Salt & pepper
1/2-3/4 cup bread crumbs
1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. In a food processor, whir eggs, ricotta, vegetables, pesto, and olive oil until well mixed and somewhat frothy.
3. In a large bowl, fold all the ingredients until well mixed.
4. Grease a glass or metal pan with olive oil and spoon in the meat mixture. Cooking the meat in a pan keeps any juices in the loaf rather than around it on a flat pan.
5. Bake for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, using an inversion thermometer to make sure the interior has reached at least 165 degrees.
My favorite pan for this is an old glass tube pan I found at a farmyard auction in Indiana.
1 pound ground turkey
2 eggs
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 carrot cut into 1 inch pieces
3 green onions cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 bunch curly parsley roughly chopped
1/4 cup sundried tomato pesto
2 Tbl. olive oil + oil for pan
Salt & pepper
1/2-3/4 cup bread crumbs
1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. In a food processor, whir eggs, ricotta, vegetables, pesto, and olive oil until well mixed and somewhat frothy.
3. In a large bowl, fold all the ingredients until well mixed.
4. Grease a glass or metal pan with olive oil and spoon in the meat mixture. Cooking the meat in a pan keeps any juices in the loaf rather than around it on a flat pan.
5. Bake for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, using an inversion thermometer to make sure the interior has reached at least 165 degrees.
My favorite pan for this is an old glass tube pan I found at a farmyard auction in Indiana.
Squits and Dollops of Flavor, or Stocking Your Refrigerator Door
My refrigerator door is full of things that can add flavor to the most mundane ingredients. In fact, between the fridge and various cupboards and shelves, there are many different ingredients standing ready.
Although, like spices, some of them are expensive per pound, you don't use them by the pound. You use them in squits and dollops. So think of their expense per meal. And think of the flavor they can add to yet another boneless chicken breast or broccoli crown.
Here of some of my standards, all readily available in the supermarket. (Hint: different grocery stores in the same chain carry different things by neighborhood. Use this to your advantage in the hunt for flavors.)
Fresh on hand? Different things different weeks but always one or another thrown in the grocery cart. Garlic, shallots, onions, lemons, parsleys and other herbs. Peruse the fruit and vegetable section and ponder what could be used for flavor. Think of a Granny Smith apple as a flavoring agent. Or a single jalapeno. Is the dill fresh this week?
Barbecue sauces are ever at the ready to perk up a pork chop, moisten some brisket, or give kick to pulled pork.
Sesame oil, fish sauce (Nam Pla), soy sauces of various strengths, and other Asian ingredients.
Jarred pestos and tapenades, e.g. the classic basil pesto and the more recently available sun-dried tomato pesto, black olive tapenade.
Vinegars: white, cider, wine (red, white and rice), and balsamic.
Salad dressings for quick marinades of fish or chicken breasts.
Various tubes of goodies like black olive paste, sundried tomato paste, and pre-chopped dill.
Wine and other liquors. Since I'm cooking for only two, I find the little four-packs of wine to be convenient for cooking. Want to make a spectacular dessert that calls for Grand Marnier? Know what liquor store in town has the best mini-bottle collection.
Of course, I don't have all ingredients on hand at all times. Who has the money or storage for that? But by picking up a few things weekly, the larder is always ready for some experimentation.
Although, like spices, some of them are expensive per pound, you don't use them by the pound. You use them in squits and dollops. So think of their expense per meal. And think of the flavor they can add to yet another boneless chicken breast or broccoli crown.
Here of some of my standards, all readily available in the supermarket. (Hint: different grocery stores in the same chain carry different things by neighborhood. Use this to your advantage in the hunt for flavors.)
Fresh on hand? Different things different weeks but always one or another thrown in the grocery cart. Garlic, shallots, onions, lemons, parsleys and other herbs. Peruse the fruit and vegetable section and ponder what could be used for flavor. Think of a Granny Smith apple as a flavoring agent. Or a single jalapeno. Is the dill fresh this week?
Barbecue sauces are ever at the ready to perk up a pork chop, moisten some brisket, or give kick to pulled pork.
Sesame oil, fish sauce (Nam Pla), soy sauces of various strengths, and other Asian ingredients.
Jarred pestos and tapenades, e.g. the classic basil pesto and the more recently available sun-dried tomato pesto, black olive tapenade.
Vinegars: white, cider, wine (red, white and rice), and balsamic.
Salad dressings for quick marinades of fish or chicken breasts.
Various tubes of goodies like black olive paste, sundried tomato paste, and pre-chopped dill.
Wine and other liquors. Since I'm cooking for only two, I find the little four-packs of wine to be convenient for cooking. Want to make a spectacular dessert that calls for Grand Marnier? Know what liquor store in town has the best mini-bottle collection.
Of course, I don't have all ingredients on hand at all times. Who has the money or storage for that? But by picking up a few things weekly, the larder is always ready for some experimentation.
Travel to exotic places, like Cincinnati, and buy spices
I now have a spice cupboard! Yes, in the recent remodel of my home office/pantry, a re-purposed bar and entertainment center yielded a spice cupboard among other things. Why do I need a whole cupboard for spices? Because you never know when you might need marjoram for the chicken salad, celery seed for the coleslaw, or cream of tartar for the snickerdoodles.
Stocking a spice cabinet can be an expensive proposition but not if you spread the project over a lifetime of cooking and travel -- interspersed with trips to the local ethnic markets, health food stores, and even supermarkets.
Buying Little Bits in Bulk
If you stop to add up how much bottled spices bought in the grocery store cost per pound, you will consider storing them in the safe deposit box! The supermarket is a very convenient place to buy spices but once I have that nicely labeled container, I refill it with stock from cheaper sources. When your cinnamon bottle is empty, don't buy another bottle. Buy bulk cinnamon from the health food store or look in the supermarket or taqueria for cinnamon in plastic bags. Much cheaper. When your oft-refilled bottle starts to look seedy, buy another bottle.
Spices as Souvenirs
I've bought spices as souvenirs since those days when the only travel I did was to visit friends or attend professional meetings. I would come home from seeing Boston friends stocked with goodies from the Italian North End. My gumbo file was my souvenir from a conference in New Orleans. Souvenirs help us remember our journeys. Why not spice up a trip to visit the inlaws with a stop in Cincinnati at Jungle Jims, the world's largest grocery store, to restock that wonderful lemon pepper or find a disposable grinder full of nutmeg bits? If a friend asks you what to bring back from their trip, ask for spices, especially if that trip is home to a foreign land. I will never know what was in those wonderful spice blends brought to me from a mother in Israel but, oh, they were delicious while they lasted!
Oh, and yes, though freshly purchased and ground spices are best, you can keep most spices for years if they stay air conditioned. Just use more. When they lose their taste, throw them away and start over.
Stocking a spice cabinet can be an expensive proposition but not if you spread the project over a lifetime of cooking and travel -- interspersed with trips to the local ethnic markets, health food stores, and even supermarkets.
Buying Little Bits in Bulk
If you stop to add up how much bottled spices bought in the grocery store cost per pound, you will consider storing them in the safe deposit box! The supermarket is a very convenient place to buy spices but once I have that nicely labeled container, I refill it with stock from cheaper sources. When your cinnamon bottle is empty, don't buy another bottle. Buy bulk cinnamon from the health food store or look in the supermarket or taqueria for cinnamon in plastic bags. Much cheaper. When your oft-refilled bottle starts to look seedy, buy another bottle.
Spices as Souvenirs
I've bought spices as souvenirs since those days when the only travel I did was to visit friends or attend professional meetings. I would come home from seeing Boston friends stocked with goodies from the Italian North End. My gumbo file was my souvenir from a conference in New Orleans. Souvenirs help us remember our journeys. Why not spice up a trip to visit the inlaws with a stop in Cincinnati at Jungle Jims, the world's largest grocery store, to restock that wonderful lemon pepper or find a disposable grinder full of nutmeg bits? If a friend asks you what to bring back from their trip, ask for spices, especially if that trip is home to a foreign land. I will never know what was in those wonderful spice blends brought to me from a mother in Israel but, oh, they were delicious while they lasted!
Oh, and yes, though freshly purchased and ground spices are best, you can keep most spices for years if they stay air conditioned. Just use more. When they lose their taste, throw them away and start over.
A Word About Mustards
As the courier dropped the box off, he said, "Mustard Museum? That's a new one on me!"
Yes, we order our mustard online. Even though there are only the two of us we go through mustard at quite a pace. Bill eats it on the sandwiches he carries to work. I cook with it.
Mustard isn't just mustard. Mustard comes in hundreds of varieties from a glossy Canadian honey mustard to a course-ground British mustard that is to die for on a chunk of good cheddar. Mustard also keeps in the fridge for months after opening and is relatively cheap. A $3 to $5 jar of mustard can bring excitement to many meals.
So, several times a year, we order a half-dozen or so different mustards from the Mustard Musem in Mt. Horeb, Wisconsin. Although I wonder how exquisite the $22 french mustard tastes, I have a lot of fun ordering from the lower end of the price spectrum. Six jars is about right for filling a box while keeping the shipping costs low.
Oh, and as you can see in the picture, I got to visit the place last summer. I raided the sale table!
The Struggle For Moist Boneless Loin Chops
When boneless pork loins go on sale, I hie myself to the grocery store and bring one home to convert into loin chops and perhaps a small roast or two. Just slice the loin as you would a loaf of bread, each slice being the thickness you wish for chops. Leave some chunks as roasts for variety.
WARNING: I tried this once with a bone-in loin and the only thing that was clear at the end was that the loin had lost. If you don't have a bone saw, let the butcher do it!
Pork producers have bred wonderfully lean animals that make pork about equivalent to chicken when it comes to fat. There are two downsides to this, one is that pork production is hard on the environment, the other is that this wonderfully lean pork often tastes like sawdust!
So, here's one way to try to have moist and flavorful, though lean, chops: boil them. That's right, boil them. You don't even need to think ahead to thaw them.
Here's a recipe for tangy pork chops:
Boneless loin chops (1 per person)
Beef broth (any broth works in a pinch but beef adds more flavor for this)
Mustard
White wine
Dill, basil, curly parsley or other herb
Something salty
Pepper
Throw all these into a saucepan, making sure the liquids almost cover the chops, and simmer for an hour or so. When you serve the chop, spoon about a teaspoonful of the liquid on top to soak in on the plate.
Again, an imprecise recipe but there is no need to be precise in this case. You can adjust the flavors to suit.
This week's herb/salty/pepper combo was a dill-celery-garlic mustard, pre-chopped dill-in-a-tube, black olive paste (salty), and lemon pepper. But you could use any old hot dog mustard, dried parsley flakes, salt & pepper. Just go for it.
WARNING: I tried this once with a bone-in loin and the only thing that was clear at the end was that the loin had lost. If you don't have a bone saw, let the butcher do it!
Pork producers have bred wonderfully lean animals that make pork about equivalent to chicken when it comes to fat. There are two downsides to this, one is that pork production is hard on the environment, the other is that this wonderfully lean pork often tastes like sawdust!
So, here's one way to try to have moist and flavorful, though lean, chops: boil them. That's right, boil them. You don't even need to think ahead to thaw them.
Here's a recipe for tangy pork chops:
Boneless loin chops (1 per person)
Beef broth (any broth works in a pinch but beef adds more flavor for this)
Mustard
White wine
Dill, basil, curly parsley or other herb
Something salty
Pepper
Throw all these into a saucepan, making sure the liquids almost cover the chops, and simmer for an hour or so. When you serve the chop, spoon about a teaspoonful of the liquid on top to soak in on the plate.
Again, an imprecise recipe but there is no need to be precise in this case. You can adjust the flavors to suit.
This week's herb/salty/pepper combo was a dill-celery-garlic mustard, pre-chopped dill-in-a-tube, black olive paste (salty), and lemon pepper. But you could use any old hot dog mustard, dried parsley flakes, salt & pepper. Just go for it.
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