Paella Risotto and Turkey Empanadas

Tonight we had a pretty large group for dinner, so we decided to go with something quick and easy- risotto. It ended up not being as quick as we thought.

We decided to make a paella inspired risotto since we were looking to incorporate shrimp, one of the few meat options that was acceptable to everyone coming.



To make it we first heated some oil in a pot with saffron, chili powder, paprika, onion and garlic and added Arborio rice to get it lightly toasted. We then slowly added watered down vegetable broth eventually with some peas, cherry tomatoes and the shrimp (unfortunately only precooked is available at Weshop), until all the broth had been added and the rice became soft and gooey. The box told us that this would take around 15 minutes total, which we knew was a lie. What we didn't expect is that it would actually take around an hour.



As an appetizer Xiaoxi made some turkey empanadas, and for dessert we began to work on the Zgougou I made last night. But there's plenty left, so its not too late and come have some for yourself!

Zgougougougougou

Around midnight last night I decided it was finally time to make my zgougou. Zgougou is a Tunisian pudding made with black Aleppo pine seeds. It is usually eaten on Mouled, the prophet Mohammed's birthday. Unfortunately this year Mouled fell during spring break, and I left the Zgougou at school so we had to celebrate a bit late. I had never made it before, and the instructions were all in French and Arabic, but it somehow turned out similar to how I remembered it in Tunisia. Usually people put ground almonds or pistachios on top with lots of pretty decorative chocolates and stuff; I used grated coconut and pine nuts since that what we had lying around at 1 in the morning.



I bough the seeds preground and packaged in Tunisia, and the box I had ended up making over half a gallon of pudding. So come over and eat some!

Doing a little bit of research I found out that there are Aleppo pine trees in California, however I have no idea if it is possible to buy the seeds. If you find them, send me an email, or better yet, the seeds themselves. I can also give you a recipe.

Here's a picture of them so keep your eyes peeled:



And here's a picture of a kitten named Gigi that my friend found on the streets of Tunisia and brought home. (not to the US) For some reason her picture popped up on google images when I searched for "zgougou seed"

Schnitzel Time

So we're back from spring break. Sorry I haven't been posting. I got my wisdom teeth out and have been eating different forms of vegetable mush and ice cream.
I also learned that not everything can be put in a blender with a bit of liquid; my fake meat and spinach stir fry smoothie didn't turn turn out so well.

I can eat more solid food now, and for our first dinner back we made some schnitzel.


To make it we took boneless skinless chicken breasts and beat them (with our fists) until they were somewhat flat.
We then dipped them in egg, and coated them in a mixture of (proportions are really not exact. I don't know if I would even trust this at all)
1/2 cup corn meal
1 tsp chili powder
a large pinch of salt
a pinch of pepper
and 1 tsp sumac - I went on a field trip to Formaggio in Cambridge (which by the way is the best store ever- they have their own cheese cave!) with a friend and went through their spices smelling the ones I had never heard of. Sumac kinda has a woody citrus flavor

We then pan fried them for around 3-5 minutes on each side.

On the side we had creamy orzo cooked with parm and butter, and roasted brussel sprouts.

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!

Brownies Gone Neon

Yesterday, Rachel and I decided to make brownies for our friend Bill from scratch. This was a challenge both logistically (we are spazzes) and emotionally (I've given up sweets for Lent). Nonetheless, we prevailed--despite a fateful vanilla miscalculation that I'll just describe as that classic "oh...a TEAspoon" scenario.

The Food:

We used a recipe from epicurious.com (originally from Gourmet). It involved:

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 large eggs

We didn't have brown sugar, or unsweetened chocolate, but we substituted regular granulated sugar and sweetened chocolate. Unfortunately, I can't really tell you if these substitutions worked or not, since I never actually tried the brownies. Anyway, we preheated the oven to 350°F, then stirred and melted the chocolate and butter over low heat on the stove. After letting the mixture cool a bit, we stirred in the (not brown) sugar, (too much) vanilla, and eggs--then beat the mixture until it was smooth. Finally, we stirred in the flour, spread the stuff in a pan, and put it into the oven for 30 min.
We decorated the brownies using frosting (let's pretend it was homemade)--in a ziploc bag, mixed with food coloring. I'm still not sure why we felt the need to spell out "BILL," but I'm pretty pleased that it happened.

And The People Who Ate It (Rachel and Bill):

The People Who Could Only Inhale the Brownie Odors Longingly (Me):


If anyone could take 3+ hours to produce a decent batch of brownies, it's me and Rachel. We were exhausted and Bill was surprised, so all in all, we felt pretty accomplished!

Around the Family Table

The Food:
It is so nice to be back home again! There is nothing like family, good food, and little black puppy dog noses sticking their noses up from under the table hoping for scraps. We aren't supposed to feed them, but how can you resist. I love to feed the dogs, especially Misty who takes things so gently on the tip of her tongue. Marley is much riskier to feed if you value your fingers....Anyway, I digress.
On the menu tonight was spaetzle, salmon, and caramelized leeks. It was a very springy meal to complement the nice weather we have had here. The salmon was cooked rubbed in a mixture of olive oil and soy sauce and then sprinkled with salt and pepper before it was placed on the grill. The leeks were so good, that I will include the recipe below. It is loosely based on a recipe from last year's march issue of Cooking Light, but I ended up changing it up a whole lot.

1) Take two leeks and cut off the roots and the dark green leaves. Then cut it in half longways so that you can properly rinse the grit out from between the layers. Then you cut 1/4 inch strips down the stalk to create a nice julienne.
2) Melt 1.5 tbs of butter in a deep skillet on medium heat. When it is melted, add about 1/2 tbs of olive oil.
3) Add leeks and let cook for about 3 minutes or until slightly wilted
4) Add a quarter cup of dry white wine (I used a Smoking Loon Chardonnay!) and let cook a few more minutes
5) Add two tablespoons of brown sugar, 1 tsp salt (really to taste), and some pepper
6) Turn down heat and let continue to cook until the leeks begin to brown slightly

The People Who Ate It (Hooray, I finally remembered to take a picture!):
From the left: Brother Rob (19), Brother Jack (15), Mom Lisa, Grandmother Gene, and the dog is Blue who belongs to my grandparents. My dogs are suspiciously absent which is strange considering that there is food on the table!

Vietnamese crab noodle soup

This is from the dinner I hosted at my house a while ago for the Vietnamese student group on campus. The dishes were (from the top left): veggie skewers, fried tofu, crab noodle soup, rice, salsa chicken, bacon wrapped asparagus and fried meatballs.

The only thing that was truly Vietnamese was the "bun rieu cua" (crab noodle soup). I was quite proud of it because it turned out almost like the real thing I get back home.

That's me putting mashed tomatoes into the soup. The white thing in the other pot is rice vermicelli.

And the people who ate:

spring break thank you, part II

We made dinner for Becca's mom, for letting us stay with her and for driving us to the airport. Becca's mom is a big fan of Southwestern cuisine, so we made a polenta gratin with roasted poblanos and ancho puree, and grilled salmon with a tequila-lime spice rub. The polenta misbehaved in the beginning (the grain was too fine and got lumpy), but Becca beat it into submission.
We also made pecan butter, which is just pecans in a food-processor. Pecan butter on apple slices is my new favorite snack.

spring break thank-you gift, and a muffin debate

We baked whole wheat apple muffins for Becca's dad, who was kind enough to let us crash at his beachfront condo in Florida for four days. They turned out great, but the brown sugar topping was a little... eh. I would have made a streusel topping, but Becca and Emily thought that chopped nuts would have been a better idea. Something about preserving the "integrity of the muffin." I don't get it. I think integrity is preserved in a muffin when the muffin is delicious. Not that chopped nuts aren't great, I like chopped nuts a lot and I would happily add nuts to this recipe, as long as it's with streusel.

More Florida, More Feasting

It was another gorgeous day in Florida. I spent the day shelling, reading, napping, and soaking up some much needed sun. There is nothing like sunshine and salt air for the appetite though. Come dinner time, I was ravenous, and luckily I was in for another lovely meal.
Tonights menu was lamb shanks, a white bean side, sugar snap peas and a pear, gorgonzola and walnut salad.

The salad was truly divine! This salad is one of G-pa's favorites so it always reminds me of time spent with my grandparents. It has such a perfect combination of ingredients!

The lamb shanks were also a real treat! I quizzed my grandmother on her method so that we can avoid another night of disasters. She enjoys lamb shanks because they are quite economical. The real trick is to sear them before baking them in order to get a crispy caramelized outer coating. An added bonus is that this cooks off a lot of the tough outer fat. She reccomends baking them at 350 for 45 minutes (or more to increase the tenderness factor!) and then at 400 for 15 minutes. They are delicious atop the white beans (a recipe invented by G-ma herself), but she also says they are good on brown rice.

And for the recipe de jour, here is how to make those beans!
1) Add 1 chopped sweet onion, 3 cloves worth of minced garlic, and 1/2 cup of chopped carrots to a pan in which oil (or ideally some of the fat used for searing the lamb) has been heating
2) Cover the pan and cook over low heat until the vegetables are softened. You may want to add a bit of chicken broth to aid this process. Periodically scrape the browning off the bottom of the pan.
3) Rinse and drain 2 cans (15.8 oz) of Great Northern bean and add them to the pan. Also add a can of diced tomatos (G-ma prefers Del Monte's blend with garlic in it). Next add 1-2 cups of chicken broth, half the juice from the diced tomatoes, salt, pepper and dried thyme (2 tsp).
4) Put bean mix in a 5 x 10 baking dish. In G-ma's original recipe this was to go with lamb shanks (and this is how we ate it tonight), if you are going for this version arrange the lamb shanks on top.
5) Poke a few bay leaves down into the beans. Check the moisture level, you don't want the beans to be swimming but they should be moist enough to avoid drying out. Cook at 350 for 45 minutes and then at 400 for 15 minutes until beans are creamy and tender!

A Floridian Feast

The Food:
Yesterday, Olivia and I were lucky enough to leave behind the dreary New England winter to go to Captiva, Florida with my grandparents. After a very restful afternoon reading and napping on the beach, we were treated to a delicious G-ma supper. Right before dinner we had a sunset that looked almost good enough to eat!

The highlight of the meal was the fresh, local snapper. Apparently there is a technique to making fish come out so tender and moist. G-ma says that you have to cook the fish "very gently". First she coats it with a very thin layer of mayonnaise - the thin part is key, you are to apply it "like you apply cold creme to your face". This is then topped with salt, pepper and lime juice and popped in a 475 degree oven for about 7 minutes. A handy G-ma trick is that you know it is done when it feels like the fleshy part of your forearm, if you let it get to the point that it feels like your wrist you are up a creek without a paddle. When the fish starts to feel done, you turn on the broiler for about 30 seconds to give it a nice top. To top the fish off, G-ma cut up some grapefruit and orange and put it in the microwave for about 30 seconds to take the chill off. What a treat!

This was accompanied by a delicious sweet potato, apricot, and cranberry casserole. We will be very happy to have this recipe next time the fruit and veggie co-op gives us sweet potatoes.
1) Combine 1/2 cup water, 1 2/3 cups chopped dried apricots, 3/4 cups craisins, and a 12 oz. can of apricot nectar in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand, covered, for 20 minutes. Drain the mixture over a bowl, reserving both the fruit and the cooking liquid.
2) Combine sweet potato (about 4 pounds, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick) and 1/4 cup of water in a 3-quart casserole dish. Cover with the lid and microwave on high for 18 minutes, stirring about halfway through. Drain well and set aside.
3) Preheat oven to 350 degrees
4) Arrange half of the sweet potatoes in a casserole coated with cooking spray; top with half of the apricot mixture and 1/4 cup of sugar. Repeat procedure with remaining sweet potato, apricot mixture and 1/4 cup of sugar. Pour reserved cooking liquid over the casserole. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until bubbly.

The meal was rounded out by some nice broccoli.

The People Who Ate It:
We were all too eager to dig in to take a picture, but the meal was enjoyed by Olivia, G-ma, G-Pa, my Aunt Betsy, and me!

Curr-tastic

Another stunning curry happened tonight. I think this might be the best one yet, so I am going to try to make up some sort of a recipe so that we can recapture what happened.

1) Lots of chopping. I chopped up some Tofu Lin, a green pepper, cabbage, and two cloves of garlic
2) Some oil goes into a wok. In go all of the above. They sizzle around for a bit and then in goes a can's worth of chickpeas.
3) Some more sizzling. Then about 4/5's a can of coconut milk is added. After that I added some Tumeric, Cumin, Cardamom, Salt, Chili Powder, and a spice blend from a lady who sells stuff at the Farmer's market (basically a curry powder with some cinnamon in it).
4) Finally I added about a tablespoon of red curry paste and about 1/3 a cup of tomato paste.
5) This hung out on the stove at a simmer for like 20 minutes as we waited on rice and asparagus.

YUM!
p.s. We keep forgetting the people who ate it pictures, but I can at least give you an answer. This meal was enjoyed by me, Sarah W. and Olivia on the night before Olivia and I leave for Florida.