Leftovers
Meals that make good leftovers are a windfall in my house. John loves hot lunches and I shudder at the idea of spending money on food while at work. Leftovers are the ultimate solution.
Along comes shrimp and vegetable pilaf. Pilaf, the way my dad makes it, is so delicious. It’s a combination of onions, butter, rosemary, and rice that creates an aroma that seeps into your clothes. My mouth waters just thinking about it. Of course, I can’t live off pilaf. At least, not in that form. So one day, I looked at the ingredients I had on hand and decided to make pilaf into a complete (healthy) meal… and to make enough for leftovers.
The great thing about this dish is that most of the ingredients are either shelf stable or freezer-friendly. It’s the kind of meal that you can put together quickly and just leave in the oven and watch West Wing while you wait. For those of you who are into “easy,” look no further. Also, it’s healthy. Lots of vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, and low fat. Can you ask for more?
Note that you can make this dish with white rice instead of brown rice, but the cooking time will have to be reduced. You might want to cook the shrimp separately and add it at the end.
Shrimp and Vegetable Pilaf (Serves 4-6)
Preheat the oven to 375.
Thinly slice 2 onions. Over medium heat, melt about a tablespoon of butter and saute the onions in a dutch oven or a large saute pan until soft. You want to use a pan that can hold about 2 quarts and is oven safe. If you don’t have one, have a casserole dish ready.
Once the onions are soft, add about a teaspoon each of rosemary and thyme. Use more if you have fresh herbs available. Add a few grinds of black pepper. Add 2 cups of brown rice, substituting some wild rice for the brown rice if you have it on hand. Stir the rice into the onions and after about a minute, add a quart of chicken stock. Stop stirring. Bring to a simmer and lightly salt. Cover with an oven-safe lid or aluminum foil and put in the oven. Set a timer for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, peel about a pound of shrimp. I like to use frozen shrimp because I can always have it on hand and I don’t have truly fresh shrimp available. I usually defrost it by putting it in a colander and running it under cold water for about 5 minutes.
Cut up a crown of broccoli or asparagus or whatever vegetable you like best and set aside.
After the rice has been in the oven for 30 minutes, remove the lid and scatter the vegetables on top. Most of the liquid should have already been absorbed. Put in the oven for 5 more minutes, then scatter the shrimp on top. Salt and pepper it and put it back in the oven for 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes, the shrimp should be pink and the dish should be aromatic. Let it cool for about 5 minutes, then use a big ole spoon to mix it all together. Eat.
Let’s Talk About Coffee
Like most people, I discovered coffee in college. I mean, I drank it before, but really just those sugary syrupy gateway-drug drinks at Starbucks (notably Frapuccinos and Gingerbread Lattes). Then, in college, I got really into coffee. You know how I’m really into food? It was kind of the same way for coffee. I remember when I stopped putting sugar in it (sophomore year).
I was kind of cheap (still am). So, I started brewing my own coffee every day instead of paying dear, sweet, scarce money for someone else to brew inferior coffee. Now, I lived in a dorm with a roommate. (Really, a wonderful roommate.) I had a tiny little four cup Mr. Coffee maker with an automatic switch off, because dorm fire safety rules prohibited anything without one. My obsession was obvious – for Christmas that year every single gift I got was coffee-related. I had just started dating John at the time and he got my my first stovetop espresso maker.
He’s always been such a thoughtful gift-giver.
I came home after winter break with a coffee grinder, because I wanted ever better, fresher coffee.
My Mr. Coffee maker served me faithfully for 2 years. Then my Papa got me a cappuccino maker for Christmas and my coffee-snobbery was taken to all-new heights. I spent the summer before senior year perfecting my cappuccino-making abilities. Senior year I would take up an hour and a half before class just to fit in a full breakfast and two cappuccinos. Heaven.
After I graduated, my obsession with coffee dwindled, possibly because I had already discovered how I like it best and I sort of focused my energy into food. I still made capuccinos every day, with an option to use my French Press if desired.
I once visited my brother, who was living in Pittsburgh at the time, and discovered he had no way of making coffee. I bought a plastic drip coffee cone and brought it back with me – it is also an excellent way to make coffee.
Note the cup below the cone - Camilo (my brother) got me that cup for Christmas this year. So cute!
Finally last summer, after years of resistance, John finally started drinking coffee. I was pumped. We started going to Dunkin Donuts every morning before work to get coffee together, switching off who pays. My cheaper side kind of got angry with me. So, after some amazon research, I got us a 10 cup drip coffee maker so we could brew coffee at home to bring with us to sip in the mornings.
Yes. Now I have 5 different ways to make coffee at home.
Jealous?
So I almost never buy coffee, unless it’s to support my favorite local coffee shop, Drip. Then, I see it as a luxury. My favorite beans are Whole Foods’ Allegro French Roast, Peet’s French Roast, the Coffee Exchange‘s Santo Domingo Blend, and Burlap and Bean‘s espresso roast. I buy as fresh as possible and grin it myself. I keep beans in an airtight container for not more than a week on the counter.
<3 coffee.
The cup's cute isn't it? My Papa got it for me in Spain a couple years back. He has a set of two and I have a set of two so that when we visit each other we can have Father-Daughter coffee. They're hand made.
So Sorry
I’ve been AWOL. I apologize. You know what though? It’s so so so so so hard to write a food blog when it’s almost always dark out. You know how much better pictures of food are in natural lighting? It makes it difficult to lug out the camera when I make something fantastic, because I know the picture just won’t do it justice.
Food updates: I’ve been making a lot of soups and stir fries. I really like bean-based soup, like lentil soup, black bean soup, and split pea soup. They’re filling an comforting. I also made a fantastic Latin-style chicken soup that I looked forward to eating for lunch all week. Stir fries have become a big part of my life – I love seeing how many vegetables I can put in a single dish. Lately my stir fry sauce has consisted in a soy sauce and peanut butter mixture, with some hot pepper sauce and garlic, brought to a quick boil. It’s a really great combination.
I also read Mark Bittman’s Food Matters and The Food Matters Cookbook, which sort of puts into words the way I cook in general (and gives it reason): lots of vegetables and raw ingredients, not a lot of meat and pre-packaged goods. He has a lot of great recipes… I recommend it.
Other updates: assuming my current back injury (going on 3 weeks) heals soon, I’m running the New York Half Marathon on March 20. Fun!
Finally, a simple recipe for Lentil Soup. Note the difference in winter photography. Sorry! This soup is filling and healthy, packed with fiber and vitamins. It’s also delicious.
Lentil Soup (From Joy of Cooking)
Chop up an onion. Slice two stalks of celery and two carrots in fairly uniform pieces. In a large soup pot, heat one or two tablespoons of olive oil over low heat. Add the onion, celery, and carrots, and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 5 to 10 minutes. Meanwhile, dice tomatoes from a 14 oz can of whole tomatoes, and mince 3 cloves or garlic. When the vegetables are soft, raise the heat to medium and add the tomatoes and garlic to the pot, with about a teaspoon of dried thyme. After cooking for a minute or two, add 1 pound of dry lentils, rinsed. Stir the ingredients together, then add 8 cups of water. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat back to low. Simmer gently for 30 to 45 minutes, or until the lentils are tender. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons of balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper, to taste. You can also add some greens at this point. I like it with spinach or kale. Cook for a couple more minutes, until the greens have wilted slightly. Serve hot. Take comfort.
Cranberry Season
Cranberry season comes and goes very quickly. It’s sort of just the month of November. At least, that’s how it seems to me. I guess this is why there isn’t a lot you normally do with cranberries.
I went to the store. They had fresh cranberries. I couldn’t pass them up. I picked up an orange too (almost orange season!!!!!). I went home and made cranberry orange muffins. Then I made cranberry orange bran muffins. I froze them. I’m excited about this development.
As always, use a light hand with muffins. Mix the ingredients until just moistened. Remember: Muffins are NOT just bald cupcakes. That’s why they don’t have oodles of butter and sugar. They are, however, delicious fresh from the oven, perhaps split down the middle and served with a little butter, melting slowly into the nooks and crannies that are a result of a light hand used in mixing them.
I’m making myself hungry. I’m going to go defrost a muffin. One moment.
…
Cranberry Orange Muffins (Makes 12 muffins)
Preheat the oven to 400. Line a muffin tin with muffin liners, or lightly grease each tin.
In a large bowl, sift
2 cups flour
2/3 cups sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
Toss 1 cup fresh cranberries in the flour mixture. Set aside. In a small bowl, pour
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
1/4 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 egg yolks (put the egg whites in a medium bowl)
Stir thoroughly with a whisk or a fork. Set aside. Beat the 2 reserved egg whites until soft peaks form.
Pour the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture and stir until just moistened. Fold in 1/4 cup vegetable oil or melted butter. Fold in the beaten egg whites. Spoon into prepared pan, filling each muffin cup to the top. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until the muffins start to brown on top. Serve immediately or cool completely and freeze. Defrost in a 400 degree oven for 5 minutes or for 30 seconds in the microwave.
Cranberry Orange Bran Muffins (Makes 12 muffins)
Preheat the oven to 400. Line a muffin tin with muffin liners, or lightly grease each tin.
In a large bowl, sift
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Toss 1 cup fresh cranberries, 1/3 cup dried cranberries, and 1/4 cup flax seeds, wheat bran, or wheat germ in the flour mixture. Set aside. In a small bowl, pour
1/2 cup buttermilk
3/4 cup applesauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 egg yolks (put the egg whites in a medium bowl)
Stir thoroughly with a whisk or a fork. Set aside. Beat the 2 reserved egg whites until soft peaks form.
Pour the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture and stir until just moistened. Fold in 2 tablespoons vegetable oil or melted butter. Fold in the beaten egg whites. Spoon into prepared pan, filling each muffin cup to the top. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until the muffins start to brown on top. Serve immediately or cool completely and freeze. Defrost in a 400 degree oven for 5 minutes or for 30 seconds in the microwave.
Pizza: Some Updates
I’ve been making pizza for a few years now, basically since I acquired a kitchen of my own, senior year of college. I started out using the method my dad used all throughout my childhood, and it has evolved since then. Lately, largely due to reading articles on the Cook’s Illustrated website (you have to subscribe to be able to read them fully, but it’s well worth it), I’ve deviated from my original method. A couple things remain, however. 1) Always make the dough by hand. This rule is part snobbishness and part wanting to get a feel for when the dough is the right consistency. 2) Use some whole wheat flour. Well, are you surprised? I love me some whole wheat. 3) Use lots of garlic.
Here are the tips I want to pass on.
1) Unlike commercial pizzas, which are baked in 800 degree ovens, homemade pizza dough does not benefit from high-gluten bread flour or long kneading times. As a result, I’ve switched to using part pastry flour or cake flour, and kneading it just until it forms a smooth ball.
2) In order to make a thick sauce that is not overly watery, you can blend canned tomatoes in a blender and let it drain in a fine mesh sieve for about a half hour until a lot of the water is released. I like to mix in some canned tomato sauce and minced garlic as well. A little salt and sugar and herbs improves the sauce.
3) Use a pizza stone. No need for a pizza peel – build the pizza on parchment paper on a rimless baking sheet and use the baking sheet to slide the pizza onto the hot stone in the oven.
4) Bake the pizza for about 5 minutes at 500 degrees with just crust, sauce, and toppings, then add the cheese and bake for another 5 minutes. This method keeps the cheese from burning.
5) Fresh mozzarella is awesome. As is adding a parmesan-like cheese to the pizza.
6) Slice toppings very thin so that they cook evenly. Green peppers, especially.
Those are my current tips for homemade pizza. I’m sure I’ll discover more soon enough.
