Check this out

I found this through another blog I follow (Save Your Fork - it comes up with a great compilation of food news, if you're into that sort of thing). This little blurb made me laugh, and then wonder if I fall victim to them...in any case, it's a good list of things for a food writer to try to avoid. Check out Seven Tropes of Objectionable Food Writing.

Lasagna sauce without the lasagna

I defrosted a package of ground beef and a package of four pork sausages, thinking I'd do something separate with each. Faced with coming up with two individual plans for meals, however, my brain just wasn't up to it - instead, it wanted meat sauce. Meaty meat sauce, with beef and sausage and tomatoes, and little else. 

I found the perfect recipe for my meat in Cook's Illustrated's The New Best Recipe. This cookbook is a solid, reliable tome for pretty much everything under the sun; think Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything, but with more details, background, and illustrations. Their stand-alone pasta sauce recipes, though, required more work and different types of meat than I wanted to use. What to do? 

So I turned to their lasagna recipe. A good meat lasagna has a rich, meaty sauce that isn't too watery - otherwise, the lasagna becomes a watery lump. What could be wrong with using a sauce for what is essentially a casserole, but without the casserole? 

Turns out, nothing. Nothing at all. Just a delicious plate of pasta sauce with some good, solid pasta. I made a double batch, and the rest will end up in a lasagna next week; the ricotta and mozzarella is already waiting, thanks to a sale at the grocery store. (And yes, I checked the sell-by dates - they'll be more than fine to use to make a lasagna this weekend.)

Thanks, New York Times!

I love the Dining section of the New York Times. I also love the food articles that appear in the New York Times Magazine every weekend. It is through the Times that I became acquainted with the amazing Mark Bittman - his simple recipes always provide inspiration. Too often, though, that's all they provide - I'll bookmark recipes, always with the idea that I'll try that recipe out, but the follow through isn't always there.

This past week, however, fate intervened. Among the meat selections for this month (or was it last? I should date the meat when it arrives) was a prime rib roast. Too big for the two of us for a single night's dinner, but having people over for dinner wasn't in the schedule for a few weeks at least. Previous uses of roasts meant one delicious meal, and then a hunk of meat sitting in the fridge until I threw it out a week later, ideas of sandwiches lost in the shuffle of the week. 


Happily, however, the Times Magazine came through not only with a roast recipe, but with a great way to use up the leftovers: hash. With a plan in hand, I forged ahead with the roast. The spice coating is tasty, but not overpowering - it makes the roast interesting, and the kitchen smells delicious while it cooks. Even without searing the meat beforehand, it develops a gorgeous brown color while cooking, likely because of the sugar in the rub. 


To round out the hash - and the dinner - were some pan roasted root vegetables. I used the method in the recipe, but not the same veggies - I had a giant carrot and two medium Yukon Gold potatoes, garlic, some dried thyme, and nothing else. And here's where I learned something interesting: I followed the recipe and used two pans. My go-to pan for this type of recipe is usually my All-Clad aluminum 12-inch frypan. I only own one, however, so the other ended up being my Hamilton Beach electric frypan. 


I expected nothing of the electric frypan; I anticipated poor browning, and thought those would be the veggies I'd throw into the hash. I was completely wrong: the electric frypan showed up the All-Clad amazingly, browning the vegetables perfectly, and cooking it all significantly faster and more evenly, to boot. 


Now, I have two theories about this. First, our stovetop sucks. It's an electric stovetop, circa who-knows-when, and the burner I was using can be iffy. So that's a possibility - the heating may have been inconsistent. Second, the electric frypan is non-stick; the All-Clad is not. The non-stick coating allowed the vegetables to brown, but not stick to the pan; in the All-Clad, the nice browned parts stuck to the pan, so when the vegetables were stirred, the nice brown parts just came off. 


Now, stick vs. non-stick pan issue can also be attributed to heating difficulties - and I may have stirred it too often. When things stick to pans, it generally releases when it reaches a certain heat. This happens with meat - at first when searing, the meat sticks to the pan - when it releases, the sear is ready. I'm not sure if the same is true for vegetables, but clearly the electric frypan was the winner in this bout, given the circumstances as they were.


I'll let you know how the hash comes out. Both of these recipes, though, are keepers even when hash isn't in their future.

Sunday schnitzel

One of the packages in our meat haul this month was some pork schnitzel. Having never made this before - but having eaten it at Denninger's - I knew we could make some tasty sandwiches. (If you have the occasion to visit, or happen to live in, the Hamilton area, definitely check Denninger's out - I miss it up here in Toronto!)


I followed the recipe found here - I love Googling recipes. I used panko instead of fine bread crumbs, and used regular salt rather than seasoned salt. The results were delicious on a toasted onion bun and with some Swiss cheese - a quick hot sandwich for a rainy Sunday night.

Meat, meat, meat

Oh, my. I always start the year with the best of intentions, and look where I am! No blog posts for 10 days...but I have managed to cook dinner more than once this week, despite many, many hours in the car each day. 

The dinners of the last two nights underscore how really quick and easy it is to make some delicious meat mid-week. Last night: rack of lamb, with roasted sweet potatoes and spinach salad. Tonight: pan-roasted pork chops with rosemary-onion-apple sauce and spinach salad. Both delicious, and both done in less than 30 minutes. 


The rack of lamb? Dead easy, and you need nothing more than some oil, salt, and pepper. Heat a pan on the stove top until a tablespoon or so of oil shimmers; meanwhile, heat the oven (and a metal pan in it - either a roasting pan or a sturdy cookie sheet) to 425 degrees. Salt and pepper both sides of the lamb. Sear both sides of the rack of lamb until beautifully brown; put onto heated pan in oven for about 12 minutes, until it's medium-rare (135 degrees F inside). Start to finish, it's 20 minutes, primarily unattended. 

The pork chops are similar: heat oil and a bit of butter in a pan at a medium-high heat. Pat pork chops dry with paper towels; season with salt and pepper on each side. Sear each side until attractively brown, about 2 minutes each side. Cover pan (in my case, with aluminum foil), and cook for 10 minutes on low heat. 


The fantastic thing about both of these meats is that they provide a quick basis for any larger meal. Sure, earth-loving vegetarian people, meat shouldn't be the centerpiece of every meal. Fine. But a nice small pork chop with a tasty green salad and homemade applesauce? Or a bit of lamb with roasted veggies and a salad? How can that be so wrong - especially when a) the meat comes from a happy animal, local farm that produces delicious meat, and b) when it's so quick to prepare? These meals feel special even on a rushed weeknight - and are quicker and healthier than anything we could order, and tastier than anything from a box. In cases like this, I vote for meat.

Blech, fennel - and something new to read

I finally made something that I'd been meaning to for ages: Fennel and Rosemary Beef Tenderloin, from Fine Cooking. We had pieces of a beef tenderloin from the meat CSA, and it seemed like a good idea. 

It was not. I have discovered that I do not enjoy fennel in such a dominant taste position in a dish, and even if it didn't bug me so much, I think the flavor combination was too much for the meat. Maybe with lamb, or something more assertive - but not beef tenderloin. I can't write about the meal, though, without mentioning my failure to properly cook the meat...I completely overcooked it. And while some people truly enjoy a gray piece of meat, I and P do not. He, being the wonderful man he is, soldiered through eating his meal; I forsook it for some cauliflower soup. 


On a more upbeat cooking note, I found another blog that I'm going to follow: Baker's Banter, from the King Arthur Flour company. Yes, they mention King Arthur products liberally.(Can you blame them? It's who pays their salary.) But seeing past this, there are some recipes on there that make me want to get in the kitchen and make some bread, and the step-by-step photos that accompany the recipes are fantastic for those trying a recipe for the first time. That's one of the things I found so good in my baking class last fall: we were shown what everything was supposed to look like at every stage. Most cookbooks don't have the space for this type of valuable instruction. Definitely check this blog out.

Cauliflower Soup

This recipe combines my two current kitchen appliance loves: my slow cooker and my immersion blender. Left with the majority of a head of cauliflower after preparing curried cauliflower earlier in the week, it seemed like a good opportunity to make soup. It was a perfect storm of favorite appliance use, trying to eat more vegetables, and cleaning out the refrigerator. 

The recipe originally comes from Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Recipes for Two: For the Small Slow Cooker, but I jazzed it up with some pepper and heavy cream. 


Cauliflower Soup
(for a smaller slow-cooker)


2 medium-sized leeks (white parts only), cleaned thoroughly and thinly sliced
1 medium-sized russet potato, peeled and diced
1 small- to medium-sized head cauliflower, broken into florets
4 cups chicken broth, to cover
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
2 - 3 tablespoons heavy cream (optional, I suppose)



Place leeks, potato, cauliflower, chicken broth, and olive oil in slow cooker. Cook on low 6 hours, or until potato and cauliflower are tender. If your slow cooker is like mine, it will cook faster than this - maybe around 5 1/2 hours.


When the potato and cauliflower are tender, use an immersion blender to puree the soup. (Or use a food processor or blender - but do it in batches, or everything will explode all over you and your kitchen.) Add salt and pepper to taste; stir in cream.

Moroccan Beef Meatball Tagine

I've already mentioned how we needed to branch out from the more traditional uses of ground beef (at least, traditional in my house). Last night, P made the Moroccan Beef Meatball Tagine from the recent Bon Appetit issue. A few substitutions had to be made - we'd run out of panko, so he used some homemade breadcrumbs I had in the freezer, and I couldn't find our cinnamon sticks anywhere, and neither of us are fond of raisins in most things - but the dish was a nice change from the ordinary, and made enough for leftovers for a few days. 

One make-ahead tip that wasn't included in the recipe, but that we needed because I had forgotten to buy onions this week - the meatball mixture can be made a day ahead and kept in the refrigerator for the next day. This may seem like a "duh" tip, but many recipes don't point this kind of thing out, so a meal like this seems like it will take hours to prepare. Taken in pieces - meatball mix one day, stew the next, and maybe even finishing it a third day with the spinach - it's not so daunting. 

Indian Lamb Chops with Curried Cauliflower

I start the year with the best of intentions, and then reality sets in: this week has been so busy at work that I'm ready for bed at 9:30. Combine long work days with a lot of time spent on the road and lots of projects going at once, making dinner when I get home really isn't high on the list of things I want to do. The list really only consists of a single entry: lie on couch in pajamas and stare at something - a book if it's put in front of my face, but more likely the TV. 

I also failed in actually preparing food for the week as I'd hoped. P's brother S left on Saturday, and Sunday was a snowy, nasty day, so grocery shopping had to wait until Monday night. By then, of course, it was too late to cook anything ahead - the week had already begun. 

One success, however: I had planned meals for the week. While home, I had picked up my dad's copy of Bon Appetit because of the meatballs on the front. All of the ground beef we get means I need more creative ways to use it, and the meatball recipes looked promising. In the same issue were several other recipes that looked good, too. So last night, despite wanting to fall over and just take a nap on the floor, I threw together this meal: Indian Lamb Chops with Curried Cauliflower. 

The recipe was true to its word - 25 minutes, start to finish, easy, and delicious. I would use the curry sauce with other things, like shrimp, or if using meat I would throw in some cooked potatoes to bulk up the meal a bit. A definite repeat dish, especially since I now have a whole jar of mango chutney in the refrigerator...

Christmas in Connecticut

This year, P and I, and his brother S went to my parents' homes in Connecticut for Christmas. (No, that doesn't mean my parents are wildly wealthy and own several homes - they're divorced.) As usual, the trip South was a fun trip - and with someone in tow who had never visited New England, exposing him to traditional New England food was a must. 

First official New England food spot: Legal Seafoods in Boston, Massachusetts. Chain restaurant, yes, but it was near the Museum of Fine Arts, and they serve excellent chowder and fried clams. There are few things more delicious than plump clam bellies lightly breaded and deep fried, so that they pop a little with hot clam juice in your mouth. I find them so delicious, in fact, that I had a clam roll (the same deep fried clam bellies, but served in a hot dog bun that is - if properly done - buttered and toasted) at Serio's in Pascoag, Rhode Island on a trip to visit my grandmother. 

Next: Pepe's Pizza. A Connecticut institution, and the home of American thin-crust, brick oven pizza. Also the home of the white clam pizza (yes, clams again) - fresh shelled clams, garlic, and olive oil on the perfect crisp crust. The original location is in New Haven, CT, but they've branched out into Fairfield and Manchester, and are at the Mohegan Sun casino in Uncasville, CT, and to Yonkers, NY. We visited the Fairfield location, since my mom lives right near there - the pizza is as good as at the original New Haven location, and worth a stop if you're in Connecticut!

There were other American experiences - Dinosaur Bar B Que in Syracuse, NY; Tastykake (seriously the best packaged baked good anywhere); and not a single Christmas turkey - American Thanksgiving is too close to Christmas to want that again. By no means was this an exhaustive food tour of New England, though, or even Connecticut...but there are many more repeat visits home to be made.

New year - new blog name

I've been thinking for a while that this blog needed a new name. See, the CSA thing was fun - I'm still part of that meat CSA - but winter in Ontario does not really allow for vibrant vegetable CSAs. (Yes, there is one that I'm aware of - but I wasn't in the mood to experiment with winter greens grown in a basement.) That, and I'm not sure we'll be doing a vegetable CSA come springtime, since the schedule really did make doing the other necessary grocery shopping a bit of a pain. 

So, in light of this shift, I've rechristened the blog. The name originates in something I did during my post doc, when my supervisor would get peeved when anyone would use the word "data" as a singular (for instance, saying "The data indicates," instead of "The data indicate"). Now, let's not get into whether this is right or wrong - one can find support for the argument that using the word data as a singular has now entered enough into common English usage for it to be considered correct. When your boss gets mad when you misuse a word, though, you don't get into this argument. 

To relearn this - I seemed to have missed the lesson in graduate school by avoiding using the word "data" at all - I started to substitute the word "cookies" for it in my head. No one says "the cookies is" - at least, that sounds blatantly wrong to me. And it worked! One might argue it worked too well; I ended up deciding to leave traditional academia, and to pursue my love of baking. Despite a full-time job not in pastry, I'm continuing to take classes in pastry (next class: The Art of Cakes, in April 2010), and pushing myself to develop my skills further. 

Welcome to the new blog!