fun with addition

Last night my housemates and I had each invited someone over to cook dinner which meant that by about 7:00 our kitchen was full of 6 people preparing 3 separate meals. Sarah was making pasta. I was roasting veggies. Olivia was putting things together for a cold barley salad. Aliza was preparing to cook some tempeh. Avi and Emily hadn't even started and we had a storm of people chopping, sauteing and mixing. The counters and tables were littered with spices and Brussels sprout ends and dirty bowls and utensils. Things were kind of crazy, when someone had a brilliant idea - - we could combine all of our efforts into one meal for 6. All of the food got combined into 2 delicious dishes that didn't go together that well but were excellent on their own.
Dish # 1 - a barley/rice and veggie salad
What went in:
- Olivia made a base of tomatoes and artichoke hearts
- Olivia had also made some barley. We thought it was going to take too long to cook though so I also started some brown rice which was mixed in as well.
- I roasted some brussels sprouts and green beans
-I also picked some cilantro from our garden and mixed it in
- Avi made a delicious vinaigrette using grapeseed oil infused with orange, rice vinegar, a bit of mustard and some other mysterious ingredients. It was a delicious dressing and its too bad that we don't know exactly what went in it.
- This was all tossed together....yum!


Dish # 2 - Penne with tempeh and cranberries in a brie sauce
- Sarah made some penne
- Emily brought some red onion and chopped it up
- Aliza made Tempeh using the onion, some sherry, dried cranberries and some mysterious add-ins by Avi (Avi, you should comment on the post or edit if you can fill in any of these ingredients. I would love to duplicate this dish)
- Avi made a brie sauce. At the last minute we threw in some cranberries and curry powder.
- Once again this was all mixed together for another amazing dish!

We took our food outside and sat down as a merry group of six. What an excellent last minute dinner party!
-

A new take on an old favorite

The Food:
On Tuesday night I enjoyed a Sarah Duo Dinner, where Ms. Weisbuch and I sat at the table together for a simple spaghetti feast. In the interest of keeping my palate engaged, I modified my portion by adding in some quartered roasted brussels sprouts and some crispy prosciutto before topping with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
Lately, I have been a brussel sprout addict. They are a regularly stocked item at weshop and I end up having them at least once a week - yum! My favorite way to eat them is roasted. The outer leaves end up caramelized and crispy while the inside is nicely tender. To do this you just cut off the bottoms and halve or quarter the sprout. The sprouts then go on a baking sheet where they are tossed in olive oil and seasoned in some fashion. Popular seasonings in my kitchen include: salt and pepper, salt and cumin, a seasoning mix a bought a the farmer's market, or salt and garlic. Salt is definitely a theme - it does something marvelous to the brussel sprout.
Anyway, with a few mix-ins, my spaghetti was elevated from a simple meal to a gourmet feast. Magic!

Macaroni a la Fondue and some grilled stuff

The Food:
Tonight we had a very simple dinner that was much like the ones we used to eat when we all lived at home. The only twist is that this was the culinary adventurous version because me and my brothers can't seem to get enough of cooking. Instead of Annie's, we made homemade macaroni that was inspired by the classic ingredients of Swiss Fondue. In lieu of steaming, we grilled the asparagus to ensure a nice caramelization on the outside. For the flat iron steak, we stayed simple. I am always a no-frills person when it comes to meat. Rob brushed it with a bit olive oil , and then sprinkled it with a red pepper blend. It was absolutely delicious!
The fondue macaroni was something I improvised on the spot, loosely based on a couple of recipes from the food network website. It ended up being very good, something I would definitely do again. Here is the recipe, in case you want to try it.
1) Cook whatever shape pasta you want (I used elbow) according to the package directions. I used a full pound box - I was feeling hungry and you can't beat macaroni leftovers.
2) While the pasta cooks, heat 2 tablespoons of butter in a medium saucepan, over medium heat. When it is nice and warm, I put in about a handful of flour to form a roux. At this stage, constant whisking is imperative! Stir the roux around to allow the taste of the flour to mellow out while keeping it from burning. I did this for about 2 minutes.
3) Start stirring in little bits of milk at a time. I used whole, raw milk, but I suppose that other types would do the trick. To get the richness that made the dish so good, I would hesitate to use a milk that wasn't at least 2% milk fat. I didn't do any measuring, but I thinned it out until it was about the consistency of cake batter. To this I added a half a cup of chardonnay.

4) Into this went the grated cheese. I did about 6 ounces of Gruyere, 4 ounces of sharp cheddar, and 2 ounces of freshly grated Parmesan. Stir until melted, adding more liquid if it seems too thick. Then season with nutmeg (freshly ground if possible), lemon zest, white pepper, salt and ground mustard. I didn't measure, so go forth and experiment to taste!
5) When the pasta is done, drain it and put it into a greased casserole dish. Pour the cheese sauce over the pasta and mix it in well. Sprinkle breadcrumbs on top (we had the bottom of a bag of potato chips left so those also got crumbled and put on top - it added a nice saltiness) and then drizzle with a bit of melted butter.
6) Put under the broiler and cook until the top is crispy and browned.

The Creatures that wished they ate it:
Marley, Misty, and in front, Ziggy!

lamb tenderloin

The Food:
Today was impossibly cold, the kind of day where you try to bury yourself in your jacket as you scurry around campus. I had my hood sinched up tightly and moved from place to place as fast as I could. At the end of my very busy Tuesday I wanted something warm and hearty. You know, the kind of dish that has been bubbling along all afternoon. Unfortunately, I only had 20 minutes....AND the only vegetable in the house was an eggplant - something I had never cooked before. Going without the vegetable was unthinkable; I grew up having a veggie, a carb, and a protein on my plate each night around the table with my mom and brothers. This meant I had a challenge on my hands - a new food and very little time.
Luckily, under Avi's tutelage I have learned to pull my nose out of the cookbook and start cooking creatively. I made up a satisfying recipe on the fly. Sauteeing garlic, eggplant, and diced tomatoes yielded a deliciously hearty sauce.


The sauce was thrown on top of some pastina (adorable star-shaped pastas for those of you who haven't had it). This was then topped with lamb tenderloin. I had this unusual cut of meat for the first time over winter break and found it to be succulent and delicious. I was thrilled when I saw them at Whole Foods! This is definetly a cut to try - very easy to cook and a large payoff.
The People Who Ate It:

Sarah, Xiaoxi, Avi!
The Whole Foods Conquerers