Red Onion with Walnut Salsa from "Plenty More"

In searching for my second recipe inspiration from "Plenty More" I sought a dish that was both relatively light (Happy New Year waistline), fresh, and didn't require too much effort for a weeknight dinner. We had also just bought some beef from the meat market (Chicago's fabulous Publican Meats) so the dish would ideally pair well with a simple steak. 

Enter page 164's enticing recipe: Red Onion with Walnut Salsa.

Beef and onions pair well together and the greens added the brightness that I was looking for. The walnuts, however, had to go (or so I was told). Derek has an aversion to walnuts and refuses to eat anything knowingly containing the poor nut. He says that he doesn't like the way that walnuts feel in his mouth. He is in good company being a walnut hater - Andrew Zimmern of Bizarre Foods - the man who will literally eat anything (I'm talking rotted shark, blood, worms....) - also will not eat those silly walnuts. To each his own.

So instead, the dish was modified to Red Onion with Walnut Pecan Salsa. Fine with me.

When I think of the word "salsa" something juicy, zesty and maybe a little spicy comes to mind. Here, that's not the case. The pecan "salsa" here is not quite that. Here we are looking at a purely nut-based salsa with little flecks of spice and acidity. I was skeptical nonetheless but WOW was I surprised when I tried a bite. I had never had nuts tastes so vibrant! It was fantastic! 

What made this dish so great was the fact that I could point out the purpose of nearly every ingredient. The components were thoughtfully selected and paired together to create a dish that was simple to prepare but so complex in flavor.

In a nutshell, the cast of characters for this salad are:

• Red Onions: The Star of the Show - the "Meat"
• Arugula: The Fresh and Peppery "Foil" (primary contrast to the Red Onion) 
• Parsley: The Understated Vibrant Mark
• Goat Cheese: The Tang and the Cream
• Walnuts/Pecans: The Crunch (texture) and Supporting Lead
• Red Chile: The Spice (a touch)
• Garlic: The Secret Dimension (adds a subtle depth of flavor)
• Red Wine Vinegar: The Punch (of acid)
• Olive Oil: The Balance (brings it all together)

Add some salt and pepper and you've got a simple dish that is extraordinarily well composed and deceivingly complex (in flavor).

The recipe mentions that pomegranate seeds could add a nice vibrancy and sweet crunch to the salad as well. I wouldn't disagree as it would be quite delicious when you get a burst of pomegranate juice complementing the tangy goat cheese and rich onion. However, the dish certainly doesn't need it so if pomegranates are not in season or too expensive, then you won't be missing out!

One Tip: Weigh your ingredients before use. The smallest onions that they had at the store were nearly double the weight of the "medium" red onions stated in the recipe. Not that you have to follow everything measurement for measurement but, in this case, what I thought were "medium" red onions were certainly not "medium."

Two red onions were nearly the same weight as listed in the recipe

Red Onions with Walnut (or Pecan) Salsa from Plenty More

Serves Four as a starter (or two as a main + protein)

Salad:

4 medium red onions (1 1/3 lb/600 g)

1 1/2 tbsp olive oil

1 cup/20 g arugula (I used a bit more to make it more salad-like)

1/2 cup/15g small flat-leaf parsley leaves

2 oz/60 g soft goat cheese, broken into 3/4-in/2-cm chunks

salt and black pepper

Roasted Banana Pudding

I had never planned on posting about our New Year's "Good Luck" meal but I was so blown away with the flavor of the dessert that I had to share my excitement!

Over the past few years' I have been privileged to attend a true Southern-style New Year's celebration meal with all the fixins': Pork with Sauerkraut, Collard Greens, Black Eyed Peas, Cornbread and Banana Pudding. Deeeeeeelicious.

I never really had looked into why these dishes were celebration staples until this year when I was tasked with keeping the tradition alive. Growing up we never had a New Year's food tradition but I've learned that, like most other holidays, many cultures have traditions surrounding celebrating the new year and with the food centered around "good luck."  So while many people start the year off with dieting, many others around the globe are feasting - all in the name of luck!

The star of the New Year's Celebration menu is the pork. I learned that pork is the preferred meat based on how the animal is built and how it moves. A pig, by nature, first grounds itself with its snout before moving forward. This signifies progress. On the flipside, popular animals such as chickens and turkeys scratch backward before proceeding forward. Progression sounds good to me for a new year outlook - I'm not sure what this means for vegetarians though!

We slow roasted the pork (pork butt) in a mixture of spices, beer, and the next lucky ingredient: sauerkraut!

I'm of German heritage and attribute my love for sauerkraut to that. This concoction of fermented cabbage is not only healthy and delicious, it is also said to make your next year more "sweet" by having the "sour" cabbage. 

Brussels Sprout Risotto from "Plenty More"

With a 333 page cookbook (before the index), choosing a "first" recipe wasn't an easy task. Rather than start at page 1, I intend to skip around and select recipes based on what's in season, what else we are making for dinner, and simply, what I'm in the mood for. I've grown to love risotto (who doesn't?) and have been the designated risotto chef as of late so I figured a new take on a risotto would be a fun but approachable challenge.

Page 76 of Plenty More outlines the recipe for "Brussels Sprout Risotto" followed by three full pages of beautiful accompanying images of the dish throughout the cooking process. The chef, Yotam Ottolenghi, displays these absolutely beautiful brussels sprouts that are unlike what you typically find in a traditional market in the U.S. Rather than the mini green cabbage look-alikes that I typically cook with, the pictured brussels sprouts appear more leafy and have a darker green hue with tones of purple near the stem. If I ever see those in a store, I will pick them up. For this recipe, however, we're dealing with the traditional brussels sprout - still delicious nonetheless.

I would classify the basic taste of this of recipe as zesty with a touch of pungency. Perhaps this is an odd combination when you think of risotto, but it works - and adds a new perspective on a classic dish.

Finished product (1/2 recipe)

As I was cooking for 2, I halved the recipe and we had leftovers with the risotto acting as the side dish. Portions are appropriate as a main. The full recipe is as follows:

BRUSSELS SPROUT RISOTTO (from Plenty More)

2 tbps/30 g unsalted butter
2 tbsp olive oil
2 small onions, finely chopped (1 1/3 cups/200 g)
2 large cloves garlic, crushed
2 tbsp thyme leaves
2 lemons, rind shaved in long strips from one, finely grated zest from the other
1 1/2 cups/300 g Arborio or another risotto rice
18 oz/ 500 g trimmed brussels sprouts, 7 oz/200 g shredded and 11 oz/300 g quartered lengthwise
scant 2 cups/200 ml dry white wine
scant 4 cups/900 ml hot vegetable stock
about 1 2/3 cups /400 ml sunflower oil     (I forgot to pick this up so I used unflavored coconut oil)
1 1/2 cups/40 g coarsely grated Parmesan
2 oz/ 60g Dolcelatte, broken into 3/4 chunks    (I used Gorgonzola Dolce - a soft mild blue cheese)
1/3 cup/10 g tarragon leaves, chopped
2 tsp lemon juice
salt and black pepper

Place the butter and olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and fry for 10 minute, stirring occasionally, until soft and lightly caramelized. Add the garlic, thyme and lemon rind strips and cook for a further 2 minutes. Add the rice and shredded sprouts and cook for another minute before you start adding the stock, 1 teaspoon salt, and a good grind of pepper. Turn down the heat to medium and carry on adding the stock in ladlefuls, stirring often, until the rice is cooked but still retains a bite and all the stock is used up.

New Year - New Culinary Adventures

Happy New Year!! 

I can't say I know where the past few years have gone. I realized that I had given up on continuing to document my culinary adventures but looking back at the entries in the blog - I can't believe it has been three whole years! This blog was originally created as an internal resource for tracking recipes and was meant to be a collaboration between my boyfriend and I. Quickly I realized that collaboration was a bit too much to ask and I was tasked with documenting nearly all of our meals - sometimes not fully knowing what Derek may have done to tweak a recipe if he was wearing the chef's hat for the night. When this became a chore rather than a fun activity, I gave up.

In the past three years, we have continued to explore new cuisines and truly grow in our culinary journey. Sadly, these creations are largely forgotten as the is no record of what we made or how we made it. Just as a photo album preserves life's memories, I find that a simple food blog helps to preserve "food memories." For any budding "foodie" - this preservation is actually meaningful!

So here we are, entering 2015 with a renewed focus and countless culinary adventures ahead. I'll go at this solo this time around seek to drive my own foodie journey. I won't be tracking every single meal - that's too exhausting. Instead, I have purchased a fabulous new cookbook which I intend on using as inspiration throughout the year.  The book is "Plenty More" by Yotam Ottolenghi.

Plenty More on Amazon

It's an all vegetarian cookbook which I find leads to some truly interesting perspectives on how to use simple ingredients and make them the star of the plate. My goal is to try every recipe - though I won't put a timeline on that endeavor. I'm not a vegetarian, so many recipes will be considered a "side." My boyfriend would be unenthusiastic about adhering to a veggie-focused diet. I have also eliminated gluten from my diet so some recipes will be modified accordingly. Otherwise, I'll do my best to follow Mr. Ottolenghi's instructions and see what new creations can be brought to life.

Cheers to a renewed goal and continued love of new flavors and techniques!

~Katie

White Bean Soup with Winter Vegetables

White Bean Soup with Winter Vegetables
from Cooks Illustrated

Total Time: Approximately 3.5 hours

Ingredients

• 6 oz. pancetta - one 1-inch-thick slice, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 pound dried cannellini beans, rinsed and picked over
• 1 large onion, unpeeled and halved pole to pole
• 4 medium cloves garlic, unpeeled
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon table salt
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil plus extra for serving
• 2 small carrots, medium diced
• 2 ribs celery, medium diced
• 2 small leeks, white and light green parts, washed thoroughly, and sliced crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 small onion, medium diced
• 3 medium garlic cloves, minced
• 4 oz. kale, stemmed, leaves cut into 1/2-inch strips (about 3 cups) - we used swiss chard instead of kale and escarole)
• 4 ounces escarole, stemmed, leaves cut into 1/2-inch strips (about 3 cups)
• 2 small boiling potatoes, medium diced
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary

Directions:

1. In a large, heavy-bottomed Dutch oven, cook pancetta over medium heat until just golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Add 12 cups water, beans, halved onion, unpeeled garlic, bay leaf and 1 teaspoon salt; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover pot partially; reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until beans are almost tender, 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Remove beans from heat, cover, and let stand until beans are tender, about 30 minutes. Drain beans, reserving cooking liquid; discard pancetta, onion, garlic, and bay leaf. Spread beans in even layer on baking sheet and cool.
2. While beans are cooling, heat oil in now-empty Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering; add carrots, celery, leeks and diced onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened but not browned, about 7 minutes. Stir in minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add enough water to reserved bean cooking liquid to equal 9 cups, add to pot with kale and escarole. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to boil; cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 30 minutes. Add potatoes and tomatoes; cover and cook until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Add cooled beans; increase heat to medium-high and bring to simmer. Submerge rosemary sprig in liquid; cover and let stand off heat 15 to 20 minutes. Discard rosemary, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into individual bowls, drizzle each bowl with extra-virgin olive oil, and serve.

Gingerbread House

One Christmas the Sugermeyer family decided to get crafty. My mom proposed making a gingerbread house. I'm pretty sure she was thinking along the lines of picking up a small kit at the grocery store and decorating it with basic candies - no big deal. However, having myself and my father in the mix, she should have known that we would not settle for the status quo in the creation of our very own family gingerbread house. No sirree.

So at the mention of this family task, I took the lead on finding a recipe for the gingerbread and my dad started designing the template for house construction - the architect of the gingerbread house per se. My mom and sister stayed out of the basic building of the house but certainly contributed in the decoration task.

We went to the candy store any bought an exorbitant amount of candy to make sure we had enough options, Then, as you'll see below, we went to town.

Not too bad for a first effort!

If you set aside several hours on three days to make the house, that will allow plenty of time for all the icing to set firmly and plenty of time for you to have some fun. The completed house can stand for up to one month.

Herb Crusted Lamb Chops

Herb-Crusted Rack of Lamb with Honey Mustard Glaze 
(from Thomas Keller’s Ad Hoc at Home)

Yields:  8 servings 

Ingredients:

• 2 frenched, 8-bone racks of lamb (2 to 2 1/4 pounds each)
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• Canola oil
• 1/4 C Dijon mustard
• 3 T honey
• 6 T (3 oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 4 cloves Garlic Confit
• 3 to 5 anchovy fillets, salt-packed or oil-packed, rinsed, dried, and minced
• 1 1/2 C ground panko bread crumbs
• 3 T finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1 T minced rosemary
• Gray salt or coarse sea salt

Directions:

Score the fat covering the lamb in a cross-hatch pattern, taking care not to cut into the meat. Season the racks on all sides with salt and pepper.

Set a roasting rack in a roasting pan.  Heat some canola oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat until it shimmers.  Put one rack fat-side down in the pan and sear until golden brown, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes.

Carefully move the lamb as it sears to brown as much of the fat as possible.  (It is best to sauté one rack at a time, so the temperature of the pan doesn’t drop dramatically.)  Transfer the lamb to the roasting rack, meat side up.  Drain the fat, and reheat the pan, adding fresh oil.  Repeat with the remaining rack.

Combine the butter, garlic confit and anchovies in a small food processor and puree until smooth.  Transfer the puree to a medium bowl, and stir in the bread crumbs, parsley and rosemary to combine.  Do not overmix; the mixture should be moist, but it may not all come together.

Brush the mustard mixture over the fat and meat, but do not coat the underside of the racks.

Spread the bread crumbs evenly over the racks, pressing gently and patting them so the crumbs adhere.  (The lamb can be refrigerated on the rack in the roasting pan for up to 6 hours, but remove it from the refrigerator 30 minutes before roasting.)

Position the oven rack in the bottom third of the oven and preheat the oven to 425° F.  Put the lamb in the oven, meat-side toward the back, and roast for 25 to 35 minutes, until the temperature in the center of the meat registers 128° F to 130° F.  Let the racks rest on the rack in a warm place for 20 minutes for medium-rare.

Carve each rack into four 2-bone chops, and arrange them on a platter.  Sprinkle with gray salt or sea salt and serve.

Ok so the chops are a little over (should be more pink) but they were still amazing