Penne with Tomato Pesto

I've penned a few pesto posts in the past. The main mantra for making pesto is nut + green or other vegetable + oil = delicious sauce. But I still keep finding surprising combinations for pesto, including corn pesto and Thai (cilantro-peanut). To add to the growing list of pestovations (pesto innovations) is this recipe from Cook's Illustrated.

Pesto alla Trapanese
Makes 4 servings. Adapted from Cook's Illustrated.

Ingredients
1/4 cup slivered almonds
12 oz cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup packed basil leaves
1 clove garlic, minced
Salt
1/3 cup olive oil
1 pound penne
1 oz Parmesan cheese, grated

Directions
Toast almonds in a small, dry skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until golden and fragrant, 2-4 minutes. Cool to room temperature.

Place almonds, tomatoes, basil, garlic, and 1 tsp salt in a food processor and puree until smooth, about 1 minute. Scrape down sides of bowl and, with the machine running, drizzle in the olive oil. Run for about 30 seconds to thoroughly mix the sauce.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pot of salted water until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of cooking liquid and drain pasta. Transfer pasta back to pot. Add pesto and Parmesan cheese to pasta. Toss and add pasta water until sauce acquires the desired consistency. Serve immediately with additional Parmesan on the side.


When preparing this dish, I did have my doubts. I thought I didn't have enough sauce or that it would be too plain. But I was quite surprised. This tomato pesto had an amazing flavor. It was so bright and a bit acidic that it went really well with the penne. Normally a bowl of pasta with sauce does not sound like much of a meal, but this pasta was the exception to the rule. There's something about the simplicity of the meal that makes it even more satisfying. Leave it to Cook's Illustrated to find a new twist on pesto.

Salty Potatoes

Boil the potatoes. It's a very easy step, common to many recipes. Mashed potatoes, home fries, gnocchi. They all can involve boiling. But what if you just boil the potatoes? That's it. No other preparation involved. Sounds pretty bland and boring, right? Sounds like a Depression-era meal like lettuce soup. Believe it or not, you can make a delicious side dish or even an appetizer by simply boiling potatoes.


The preparation for this dish is so simple, I won't even bother typing it into proper recipe format. Start with some potatoes (obviously). I used Yukon Golds because I feel they have a sweeter, more interesting taste than some of the other varieties. You can use as many or as few as you want, though smaller potatoes work better for this than the larger ones. I ended up with about 4 pounds worth of different sizes. Put the potatoes in a large, heavy pot (the wider the bottom the better). Fill the pot with water to just cover the potatoes. Place the pot on the stove. To this, pour in enough salt so that the water starts to look murky (between 1 and 2.5 cups). Bring the salt water to a boil and cook the potatoes until they are tender. You can remove smaller potatoes ahead of larger ones if they finish cooking first. Drain the potatoes in a colander.


As the potatoes dry, some of the salt from the water crystallizes on the outside, giving them a very thin, dusty-looking crust. Melt some butter in a saucepan or in the microwave as a sauce for dipping and you are good to go. It is easy to eat thees potatoes as a side, but you could easily serve them as a finger food at a barbecue or tapas party.

This simple preparation allows the potatoes to stand as the feature. Very often, potatoes act as a medium for other flavors like sour cream and chives, garlic, and spices. Allowing the salt to form a second skin on the outside of these tubers prevents them from being bland. Then you can taste the subtle potato flavors. You can easily dress this up a bit more by changing out the dipping sauce, perhaps by adding smoked paprika to the butter or using a buttermilk-ranch dressing, pesto, or homemade ketchup. But don't try to overwhelm these humble spuds. They do a lot of work for us on a daily basis, so let them have their time to shine.

A Tale of Two Muffins: Orange-Peanut Butter & Carrot-Raisin

This month, I'm in charge of bringing breakfast for my lab-mates on Friday mornings. I like to break from the usual bagels or ho-hum store-bought coffee cakes, so last week I took a different route - homemade muffins. This is by no means groundbreaking, but it is rare that anyone makes anything with their own two hands for our TGIF meal. So just to make it extra special, I decided to make two muffins. One sumptuous, indulgent and surprising; one healthy, fresh and wholesome.


Orange-Peanut Butter Muffins
Makes 12 servings

Ingredients
1/4 cup canola oil
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup chunky peanut butter
1/4 cup orange marmalade
1 large egg
1 cup fresh orange juice
1.5 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a standard-sized, 12-cup muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray; set aside.

In an electric mixer, beat together the oil, honey, peanut butter, orange marmalade, egg, and orange juice.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. Gently beat in flour mixture into PB-orange mixture just until incorporated.
Divide batter among greased muffin cups. Bake for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in muffin pan on wire rack for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and allow to cool completely.

These muffins turned out quite deliciously. The oil and peanut butter give the muffin a smooth, moist texture. The peanut butter and orange are in harmony on your tongue, neither pounding you over the head with their individual flavor, but instead both blending into the background. These could also make a great cupcake with any number of frostings (off the top of my head I could think of vanilla, peanut butter, orange, honey, cinnamon, or chocolate, but the possibilities are endless).


Carrot-Raisin Muffins
Makes 12 servings

Ingredients
1 cup flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup canola oil
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 large carrot, peeled and shredded
1/2 cup raisins

Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a standard-sized, 12-cup muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine flours, sugar, baking powder, salt, and spices.

Using a standing mixer, beat applesauce, oil and eggs. Add shredded carrot and raisins and beat mixture until well combined. Stir in flour mixture just until incorporated. Divide batter among 12 muffin cups (about 2/3 full). Bake about 15-20 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and allow to cool completely.

This may sound weird, but of these two muffins, the carrot-raisin were my favorite. Don't get me wrong. I'm a huge peanut butter fan. But when I think muffin, these beauties are what I imagine. The tops are rough and rugged, emphasizing the extra fiber from the whole wheat flour within. Instead of more oil, unsweetened applesauce makes the muffins moist. The carrot and raisin provide their own sweetness and nutrients to the mix. You could easily add some nuts or sunflower seeds to these. If you're so inclined, the addition of some rolled oats could make these into granola muffins. And for all of their nutritional good, they also play nice with your taste buds, imparting their fresh flavors.


As an aside, I want to mention my newest kitchen acquisition - the cupcake courier. I've seen various people carrying these and they really are a good idea. I bought mine from Amazon. Not only can it carry three dozen muffins or cupcakes in three stacked layers, but as you can see from the picture, it even separates the layers with enough room to decorate the cupcakes. In the past I've used the disposable foil bake-ware from the grocery store, but even then you often can't get all of your cupcakes in one tin. It does take up some extra storage space in my house, but it's well worth it.

Both of these muffins are delicious in their own particular ways. When it comes down to it, even without getting into food preferences, these two muffins offered my co-workers their own ways for starting their Friday. If you need that boost of sugar and feeling of luxury on your lengua to trick yourself into finishing the week, then there's a muffin for that. If you like to start your morning feeling healthy and empowered, there's a muffin for that. Now I just need to figure out how to make a muffin that can wash the dishes.

Corn Chowder

Summer corn is coming into season and while this is not the most creative use of these sweet ears, I decided I needed some corn chowder. With the help of an onion and some small potatoes from my community supported agriculture delivery from this week, I made a deliciously satisfying soup.

Corn Chowder
Makes 6 servings
Ingredients
2 tbsp butter
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 cup celery, sliced
2 tbsp flour
1.5 cups milk
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup water
6 small potatoes, diced
1.5 cup corn, freshly shaved
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp paprika

Directions
Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook onion and celery in the butter until tender, about 6-10 minutes. Stir in flour and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for about 2 minutes. Stir in milk, broth and water until blended and bring to a boil over medium heat. Add potatoes, corn, salt, and pepper. Partially cover the pan and cook over low heat for about 30 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Stir in paprika and serve.


This recipe did not seem like anything special, but it really surprised me. The seasonings are very simple, but this hearty soup contained a world of flavors. Naturally sweet tones from the onion and even the potato are the heart of the dish. The milk and broth picked up a lot of flavor from the roux and the sauteed veggies, including some delightful caramelized bits. The slight sweetness of the paprika rounded out everything and made the soup turn a little darker in color.


I realize that we are entering the peak of summer and a think, milk-based soup is not topping everyone's list. Hot soup + hot weather does not immediately make one think of a good time. But if you need a break from all the seasonal lettuce salads out there, then this soup is an awesome option.

Kale-Kohlrabi Salad

What is this weird alien plant? Is it the offspring of an octopus and collard greens? Or is it a Pokemon? Turns out this odd vegetable is kohlrabi.


After a bit of a trim, it looks more manageable. I found these little guys at the local farmer's market. After seeing them a few times over the past few years, I decided to give them a try. Luckily, among my myriad of recipes, I had exactly one that called for kohlrabi. It was an unassuming side dish recipe from Gourmet magazine that paired kohlrabi with rough and rugged kale for some interesting vegetable vittles.

First, the kohlrabi is very thinly sliced on a mandolin. Then a marinade is prepared using the zest and juice of two limes, 2 tbsp olive oil, salt, and pepper. The kohlrabi is tossed in this marinade.


On to the kale: two pounds of kale are chopped and wilted in batches with some olive oil and chopped garlic. The kale is then left to cool with a sprinkling of salt. The kohlrabi and kale are combined with a healthy dose of roasted pistachios for some extra crunch.


This was the first time I've ever prepared and eaten both kale and kohlrabi, so I really had no idea what to expect from this side dish. The kale was a very sturdy green next to the softer rounds of kohlrabi. Both just tasted very fresh, especially with the citrus flavors from the marinade. The salty crunch from the pistachios added extra interest as well. All in all, this dish turned out surprisingly well and it made me feel healthy and satisfied.

Pineapple Hibiscus Cupcakes

Another celebration in lab, so it's time for some small cup-sized delights. I perused my ever-growing collection of cupcake cookbooks for inspiration. Lo and behold, inside of Pamela Clark's Cupcakes I found what I was looking for - pineapple hibiscus cupcakes.

Pineapple Hibiscus Cupcakes
Makes 12 cupcakes
Cupcakes
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1.5 cups self-rising flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 cups carrot, grated
3/4 cup crushed pineapple, drained
Flowers
1.5 tbsp sugar
1.5 tbsp water
12 slices of pineapple, wafer-thin
Frosting
2 tbsp butter, softened
3 oz cream cheese, softened
1 tsp lemon zest
1.5 cups powdered sugar


The main feature of these cupcakes are some amazingly beautiful "flowers" on top, and it does take some time to create these beauties. First step - dehydrate some pineapple. Mix sugar and water together in a small saucepan and place over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Brush both sides of pineapple slices with this syrup and place on a wire rack over a baking sheet. Bake at 250 degrees for 1 to 1.5 hours until the pineapple is dried and turning brown on the edges.


Immediately after removing the pineapple from the oven, crumble the slices and place them on an egg carton to dry completely. I let mine dry overnight and they were mostly fine, though they probably could have dried for longer to make sure they kept their shape.

For the cakes, combine oil, eggs, flour, sugar, and cinnamon. Add in carrot and crushed pineapple. Divide mixture among 12 baking cups and bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack then remove from the muffin pan.

Meanwhile, prepare the frosting. Beat butter and cream cheese in a mixer until smooth and fluffy. Beat in lemon zest. Gradually beat in powdered sugar. Spread frosting on cakes and top with a pineapple flower.


Flavorwise, these cupcakes were delicious. The cake itself was not too sweet but had good flavors from the pineapple and carrot (plus having fruits and veggies makes these things healthy, right?). The frosting was the sweet counter to the cupcakes with a delightful lemon twist.


Between the cake and the frosting, these were good cupcakes, but the clincher was the flowers. People were genuinely amazed by the them and most thought they were real flowers upon first inspection. Plus, they tasted good with a fruit-leather texture. In the end, this recipe gave both an amazing visual but also delivered on taste.

Sweet Potato Gnocchi

Gnocchi, when done right, are simply marvelous. Italians have taken a potato, a hefty, dense tuber, and crafted a dumpling that is light on the tongue and filling in the tummy. I have attempted gnocchi only once before. I enlisted the help of two friends who, over the course of a few hours, managed to make a disgusting and overworked dough. This time, I'm changing my attack plan - I used sweet potatoes instead of whites and I used a Bon Appetit recipe.


Firstly, you microwave a few sweet potatoes, let them cool and scoop out the flesh. Add ricotta cheese, Parmesan, brown sugar, salt, and nutmeg. Flour is gradually mixed into all of this. The dough is rolled out into long logs and cut into little, softy, floury gnocchi. You can pass the gnocchi over a fork to give it the characteristic ribs, but I skipped this step since I had about 100 gnocchi and I felt it was too much work.


Cook the gnocchi in batches in salted water. It was very easy to see when they were done because they floated to the surface of the water after about a minute. Drain the gnocchi and set aside.





Melt 2 sticks of butter in a large saucepan and continue to cook until it turns a bit brown and smells nutty. Add in the chopped sage and remove from heat. Working in batches in a skillet, cook the gnocchi in the sauce until they are heated through.


These gnocchi turned out great. They were a bit labor-intensive, but well worth it in the end. Sweet potato, brown butter and sage all meld very well. Everything I love about this food was present in this dish. The best part is you savor every bite. You can't eat them too fast or your stomach might explode like a pigeon's after a wedding. So you really get to taste all of the subtle flavors - nuttiness, sage, butter, sweet potato, nutmeg, salt, pepper. Nothing is more satisfying after a food project (other than a good result) than sitting down to really enjoy your hard work.

Eggplant Parmesan Reconstructed

After feeling stressed for the last couple of weeks, a lot has been taken off my plate and I'm ready to get back into the kitchen. To challenge myself, I undertook this recipe from Gourmet Magazine in which eggplant parmesan has been reconstructed. I was originally going to call this deconstructed, but I don't feel it is anywhere near as fancy as the haute cuisine versions. So it is reconstructed, giving it interesting characters along the way.


The one issue with this recipe is that it is quite long. But all the work is worth it. Since I posted the link for the recipe, I will only give a quick summary. The stack is constructed with these ingredients:
1. Egg patty base - made from eggs, breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, and parsley
2. Oniony tomato sauce
3. Slice of fresh mozzarella
4. Slice of roasted eggplant
5. Tomato sauce
6. Eggplant
7. Sauteed arugula and basil
8. Eggplant
9. Tomato sauce on the side

My favorite part of this recipe is that you put the entire stack into the oven for a few minutes to melt the cheese. Each portion of the stack brings its own flavors to the stack. The egg patty is fluffy in nature with some cheesy saltiness and acts as a stable base. The eggplant is soft and slightly caramelized. The tomato sauce is garlicky and robust. The arugula packs a green bite. And the cheese adds lovely decadence. Don't expect the ingredients to remained as an Italian totem pole as you it them, but the messy end allows you to combine the various ingredients differently in each bite. If you're willing to undertake the effort, this creation can be both artistically and gustatorially pleasing.

Lasagne alla Primavera

What are you doing there lasagna noodle? Are you lost? Have you lost your casserole dish and layers of sauce and cheese? Wouldn't you be more comfortable after a warm spell in the oven? A couple of years ago on my trip to Italy, I had a surprising dish - lasagna noodles in a small pile with a creamy pesto. It blew my mind that you could serve lasagna without form, but in reality it makes sense. Pasta is pasta, right? So I used these noodles as the base of my dinner celebrating the onset of spring.

While boiling the lasagna in a pot of salted water, I sauteed my vegetables. I used baby zucchini and yellow squash as well as some frozen green beans. Once all the vegetables were cooked through but still crisp-tender, I removed them from the heat. Then I warmed up some leftover garlicky pasta sauce. Once the noodles were cooked, I drained them and began plating. First a few lasagne, then a healthy portion of sauce, lots of veggies, and lastly some freshly grated Parmesan.

What I found nice about this dish is that the pasta slowed me down. Normally, most pastas can be eaten very quickly so the meal goes way too fast and you eat more than you should. With the lasagna noodles, though, you have to cut each bite before you eat it. This made the meal all the more pleasurable. The fresh snap of the vegetables exuded springtime freshness. So break free of the confines of your Pyrex bakewear and let your lasagna take the shape it wants.

Roasted Cauliflower

Cauliflower. When most people hear that word, their brains (and tongues) shut down. Who cares about cauliflower? What's so great about it? Throw some ranch dressing on it as an appetizer, then make way for real food. Normally, I agree. Cauliflower just seems to lack a lot. It's light on flavor, calories and color. But, what you may not know is that cauliflower is not as blase as you once thought.


Magical things happen to this vegetable when it's roasted. You are merely one hour away from the best cauliflower you've ever had. Nothing watery and bland. How about sweet and addictive? Cut up your florets and toss them with some olive oil on a sheet pan. Sprinkle on a generous amount of salt, pepper, and whatever spices you want. I used herbs de Provence, but you could easily include some oregano, cayenne, or even curry powder if you are so inclined. Toss it all to make sure it is coated evenly. Then throw the tray into a 400 degree oven for 1 hour to 1 hour, 30 minutes. Be sure to stir it every 20 minutes or so. You are looking for the cauliflower to be browned nicely with most of the moisture gone. Let the cauliflower cool and eat...and eat and eat and eat. I used two heads of cauliflower on the above tray and the resulting roasted florets fit easily in a small casserole dish. I could eat it all too. The roasting brings out the sweeter qualities of this veggie. Roasting leaves behind more concentrated flavors, both from the spices as well as from the cauliflower itself. I'm half tempted to serve it en lieu of popcorn at my next movie night.


But cauliflower is not done with you yet. There's more...


Surprise! Purple cauliflower! I saw it in the store the other day and just had to give it a try. It tastes exactly the same as normal cauliflower, but it just has a purply-blue hue. Now we've solved all of cauliflower's problems. Low on calories is never a problem. By roasting it, it now has some awesome flavor. And with the advent of a purple varietal, the color can finally stand out in pastas, salads or even just on your plate. So please, give this mistreated and misjudged vegetable a second chance.

Broccoli-Potato-Cheddar Soup

The weather outside is turning quite frightful. Much of the country is being hit by wave after wave of snow. We've had a fair amount here in North Carolina, and now the temperature is holding steady in the mid-thirties. When nature gives you a frigid winter and seals you inside for days at a time, here's a recipe that can help to keep you feeling warm and cozy.

Broccoli-Potato-Cheddar Soup
Makes 6 servings

Ingredients
0.25 cups flour
30oz vegetable broth
2 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
16oz broccoli, frozen
1 small onion, chopped
1.25 cups milk
10oz sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
4 green onion, chopped

Instructions
Whisk together flour and 1/3 cup of vegetable broth.

Combine remaining broth with potato, broccoli and onion in a large pot. Bring to a boil, then cover, reduce heat to a simmer. Cook until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Gradually stir in broth-flour mixture. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring often.

Stir in milk and 8oz of the cheddar. Cook over medium-low heat until cheese melts, stirring occasionally. Serve the soup in bowls, topped with remaining cheese and green onion.


We were snowed into the house for most of a weekend and this soup definitely lightened the mood. Not only did cooking the soup help get us off the couch, but it had a delicious flavor. The cheesiness is not like in some other broccoli-cheddar soups that have that neon orange glow to them. The cheese is more subtle and adds body to the soup. The main features are the broccoli and potato, making this soup feel more homey without busting your gut. Feel free to add the crackers of your choice for a little extra crunch.

Duchess Potatoes

Occasionally, as I eat my leftovers I have some odds and ends side dishes. A couple extra servings of green beans, a few ears of corn or, in my case, some mashed potatoes. At first I wanted to make some croquettes, but then I realized it would require some energy to form and fry them. I considered twice-baked potatoes, but then I remembered I needed intact skins for that. So I browsed through my recipe books for an idea, which came from one Julia Child.


I decided to turn my mashed potatoes into duchess potatoes. I vaguely remembering eating these potatoes as a side dish at a fancy dinner, perhaps on a cruise. But I had forgotten all about them. I would recommend starting with very smooth potatoes, either by thorough mashing, whipping or ricing. You can mix in some egg if your potatoes need some binding, but I omitted this step. I put my leftover potatoes into a large piping bag fixed with a large star tip (the one too big for traditional couplers). Then I formed all sorts of shapes: zigzags, tall spirals/rosettes, figure-eights, etc. I popped the tray into a 400 degree oven.


After about 15 minutes I got a little impatient. The outside of the potatoes had started to brown slightly, but I was hungry. So I turned on the broiler and slightly singed the potatoes, but other than a little extra color the potatoes came out looking good. The ridges formed by piping start to brown first, adding some beautiful contrast to the spuds.


I was very pleased with my revamped potatoes. They are a very simple way to make your formless side of potatoes into something more elegant. It's a little like the Ugly Duckling, just with potatoes.

Eggplant Parmesan Pizza

Pizza is awesome. There are no two ways about it. You have to love pizza in all its forms from brick-oven Italian to huge and thin New York to huge and thick Chicago to general all-around Papa John's/Pizza Hut/Little Caesar's/Hungry Howies/Cici's goodness. What I love most about pizza is its flexibility as a canvas to paint with whatever flavors are hitting your taste buds at the moment. I have posted at least a couple of pizzas I made in 2009 and this is the last from last year: eggplant parmesan pizza.


The idea started in the grocery store, where many great concoctions start. I realized that eggplant parmesan had a lot of the same elements as pizza. Two in particular, mozzarella cheese and tomato sauce, sealed the deal in my mind for this creation. I would make eggplant filets as if I was going to make eggplant parmesan, except I would put it all on a pizza and bake it.


Anything parmesan is pretty easy. In this case, I sliced an eggplant into 1/2" slices. I salted these to help draw out some of the bitterness. Next, I dunked each slice into eggs and then some seasoned breadcrumbs. I pan-fried them all until they had a nice golden crust. Word to the wise: don't cut your slices too thick or they won't cook all the way through at this point.


Lastly, you have to assemble the pizza. Spread out the room temperature dough on a baking sheet or pizza pan. We used Trader Joe's whole wheat dough this time. Then spread the marinara sauce. Chop up the cooked eggplant slices into bite-size pieces, then scatter them on top of the sauced crust. Sprinkle generously with mozzarella cheese and any other toppings. We added fresh tomato and chopped basil to enhance the flavors. Bake the pie until the edges are crisp and the cheese is bubbling (time depends on the thickness of the crust, the number of ingredients, etc. The result is a wonderful mix of two Italian favorites. The eggplant comes out crisp on the outside and almost creamy on the inside. All the other classic flavors are there for support as well. See, no matter what you do to pizza, it's almost guaranteed to come out tasty.

Butternut Squash

We had cause to celebrate recently, so what better to do than eat vegetarian! There are quite a few vegetarian/vegan restaurants in the Durham/Chapel Hill/Raleigh area, so the idea is nothing new. But pulling off vegetarian well is another matter altogether. We decided to try Butternut Squash in Chapel Hill.


We started with a couple appetizers in order to savor the full array of food that this restaurant had to offer. I'm still relatively new to vegetarian eating, so I relish all of the various meat-free alternatives that have been made. Our first dish was definitely one that stands on its own, no matter what your diet (well, maybe not for those who are lactose intolerant...or vegan...or low fat...). Anyways, we ordered the flash-fried goat cheese because it sounded too good to pass up. Soft, robust (and even slightly gamey, but in a good way) goat cheese was formed into balls, covered in a thin batter containing hints of cinnamon, was quickly fried to make the shell crispy and just warm the cheese. It was served with a sweet berry jam, creating a wonderful interplay between sweet and savory. I would definitely recommend this appetizer if you go to the restaurant because it is nearly transcendent.


People who do not or cannot eat particular foods are forced to become creative. If not for tofu and tempeh, vegetarians would be stuck with carbs and vegetables all the time. Butternut Squash has taken tempeh and boldly used it in place of chicken wings. These tempeh hot wings were very good, though not for the faint of tongue. They were very spicy, but also wonderfully flavorful in their Buffalo sauce. You did not miss the chicken at all.


For dinner, I ordered a special with linguine and a tempeh bacon-cream sauce. While good, not every meat substitute works as well as others. Bacon is a wonderful meat that can be eaten alone or used as the base of an entire cooking repertoire (i.e. Southern cooking). Tempeh bacon has not quite achieved the same effect, part of which may have to do with the ability of bacon to exude its smokey, salty flavor through rendered fat. With the other good dishes on the menu, I would not order this main course again.


To end on a positive note, our other main dish was butternut squash risotto. This was a fine, creamy risotto with a cheesy background flavor. I almost stole this dish for myself it was so good. All in all, Butternut Squash is a wonderful vegetarian restaurant that I think everyone should try just to expand your mind and your taste buds.

Pumpkin Lasagna

Pumpkins are finding their way into everything this time of year. You can pretty much use them in any of your favorite foods. Do you like cookies? How about pumpkin cookies? Hershey's chocolate kisses? How about add some pumpkin? Pumpkin pancakes? Pumpkin creme brulee? Pumpkin cake? Pumpkin stew? Pumpkin lasagna?


Well, if you can't tell, this is pumpkin lasagna. The recipe was crafted by Robert Irvine of Food Network and can be found here. It is made pretty much the same as a normal lasagna, except you add layers of pumpkin puree and sliced zucchini. One nice feature of the recipe is that it has you make a quick homemade meaty tomato sauce (perhaps it qualifies as a bolognese?).


I thoroughly enjoyed my slice and had to stop myself from eating half of the pan. What really makes the dish work is that Robert Irvine did not just throw some pumpkin into a normal lasagna. He added the sliced zucchini, kin of the pumpkin, for support as well as some strong flavors from de-cased sausage meat in the sauce. That may be what makes pumpkin so versatile and prolific. It can behave meekly like a mild squash for soups and other vegetal-focused purposes. But it also holds up to strong flavors. Look at the quintessential use of pumpkin in the holiday season: pumpkin pie. You throw ginger, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and a whole host of other pungent spices at pumpkin puree and it just laughs as you get in line for another slice of pie. Pumpkin can even help you balance different flavors. One of the more prevalent "alternative" flavor profiles for pumpkin outside of pie is to use brown butter and sage, the former of which has more subtle notes while the latter is a strong adversary. Pumpkin not only balances the two, but still manages to steal the show. That is what helped it to stand out in this pumpkin lasagna. Hefty sausage and tame tomatoes shine even brighter when pumpkin hangs out in this Italian melange.

Linguine with Broccolini & Walnuts

I love simple dinners that surprise you. You can't get any more bang for your buck and taste for your time than by maximizing flavor while minimizing time cost to you. Okay, enough engineer-speak, let's get on to the food.


Pasta should be required by law to be in everyone's pantry. Granted, I'm sure the legislature would have to debate the definition of "pantry" for a few weeks to pass the law, but it would be good for everyone. While nothing beats fresh pasta, dried is an alternative that has pretty much supplanted the original in the American culinary lexicon. Just think of it as more cost- and time-effective. I usually have at least two kinds of dried pasta hanging around at any given time. Today I chose the linguine for no other reason than I had half a pound sitting around. In the last couple minutes of cooking, I added some broccolini cut into two inch pieces to blanch it. While the pasta and broccolini were draining, I toasted some walnuts in olive oil and garlic, then tossed the pasta and broccolini in with this, and seasoned it with salt, pepper, and Parmesan cheese. Something that I always forget to do which makes a huge difference with something like this dish is to reserve some of the pasta water before draining it. My linguine came out good with all of the simple, straightforward flavors and textures, but the pasta was a little dry. The reserved pasta water can help to keep it all moist. Now I just have to remember to stop myself before losing all of the pasta water's beautiful starchiness down the drain. But other than that, pasta with a few simple ingredients is a great way to go, especially during the work week. So leave the canned tomato sauce in the cupboard and revitalize pasta with your favorite ingredient, be it vegetable, meat, cheese, nut, fruit, herb, or spice.

CSA Update

My community supported agriculture (CSA) shares are running out at the end of the month. They I'll actually have to go buy vegetables on my own or something...


One of my more recent shares included cabbage, two types of apples (gala and ginger gold, both similar to yellow delicious), turnips, cucumbers, onions, beets, potatoes, and yellow squash. Britt Farms is currently signing people up for next year's growing season. Payments are not needed until 2010 and if you pre-register, you will receive a free cookbook compiled by the farmers' and customers' recipes. Not only do you get fresh veggies every week, but you'll have new and interesting ideas for how to prepare them. I have greatly enjoyed this year's CSA. Having a box of widely varied and wonderful fruits and vegetables on a weekly basis has been a great way for me to eat a little healthier, not to mention helping out local economies. I guess the only drawback is that I have to buy a couple's share, meaning I either have to eat twice as many veggies as the average person, or some of it goes to waste. I think I'll try to find someone with whom I can split next year's deliveries. But all in all this is a wonderful opportunity.

Other parts of the food world are also trying this model out. Recently, a group of people have started up Walking Fish, a community supported fisheries (CSF) project. They are currently sold out, but I have the feeling more and more people will start to follow suit by offering their meats, fish, produce, honey, flowers, herbs, milk, etc. using this model. Word on the street is that milkmen have made a comeback as people are becoming more interested in where their food comes from. Backyard farms are on the rise. Local laws that ban owning some livestock are being overturned. It seems the locavore movement (the foodie craze of eating only locally-grown food) has made it to our backyards. I find this movement particularly amazing because this is how rural American and European communities have worked for centuries. We're on the verge of coming full circle, but this time around I feel we truly appreciate having a handle on understanding where food comes from.

The Week in Produce - 8/6/2009

It seems like it was another good week for Britt Farms. My box was yet again full of a wondrous bounty. In the picture you can see a small head of cabbage, eggplant, two pints of cherry tomatoes (yellow and red), green peppers, yellow squash, blueberries, jalapenos, regular-sized tomatoes, and a good haul of corn. It seems melons are finally on the wane, which will give my taste buds some time to recover. This is the first year I've been able to eat melon at all. In years past I had a near unstoppable physical revulsion to them. But with some good tongue training (much better than weight training or house training), I've discovered the wonders of melon. Also, the tomatoes have been quite excellent. Ruby red on the inside and full of flavor without the bitterness. I can pop the cherry tomatoes into my mouth without fear that they will explode with sour disgustingness. They may be my new snack while I'm cooking.

At Harris Teeter this week, I was astounded to find fresh lychee. It is very unusual for normal grocers to carry this fruit, though I hear Asian markets will often have them at particular times of the year. I have no picture of them because two days after purchasing them, they were already moldy. They are a little bit of work to get through the red shell and avoid the kidney bean of a pit, but if you get a good batch they are worth it. If you don't want to work for it or you can't find them, most Asian markets do have them canned, which can often be just as good.

One Fish, Two Fish, White Fish, Pink Fish - 7/28/2009

Something was very fishy last week. Turns out it was my kitchen.


A stop to Whole Foods found me staking out the seafood display. Whenever I'm in front of these types of cases, I get the urge to choose one of the foods without any real plan for what I'm going to do. This time it was a nice piece of cod. After some searching, I decided to use this recipe from Bon Appetit (December 2008). It's pretty much cod covered in a mushroom topping flavored with white wine, lemon zest and Parmesan. I subbed out the chanterelles (since they are so hard to find) with a combination of baby bellas and sliced button mushrooms. I don't often consider mushrooms with fish. In fact, I usually picture mushrooms on steaks and burgers. But this mushroom "ragout" added some earthiness to this surf dish, but was brightened by the touches of lemon and white wine. And leftovers made for good lunches all week long.


As a side, I had some eggplant from my CSA last week, so I made a very easy dish: roasted eggplant slices. You slice up your eggplant crosswise, then toss it in oil, salt, pepper, and whatever spices you want to use (I chose thyme). Then spread it out on a greased baking sheet and bake it at 450 degrees for about a half hour until it is tender but not starting to brown or crisp up. The great part about this dish is you don't have to worry about salting the eggplant and letting it sit for a while to remove the bitterness. The roasting does all that for you by caramelizing some of the sugars in this purple veggie. This method also works great with cauliflower. Just be warned: you will need a lot of vegetables for this for two reasons. First, they cook down in size greatly. Second, they go extremely fast, even with those who do not care for vegetables. So give it a shot with your fussy eaters of any age.


The other fish I saw at Whole Foods was this salmon crusted with nuts. I had some feta and cherry tomatoes from my CSA, so I made a side Greek salad (pitted kalamata olives, sliced seedless cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, sliced red onion, and feta) with a buttermilk-scallion-cilantro dressing. This was a quick-fix dinner because I just baked the salmon until it was just cooked through and served it with the salad. The great thing about pre-treated fish is that all you have to do is cook it. It is cheating, to a degree, but everyone needs to cut some corners every once in a while. Plus, by cooking at home I'm still saving the time and calories of going out to a restaurant. So why not eat simply when you just don't have the time to crust or marinate your meat yourself before cooking it.

Cooking, Baking, Restauranting...Pretty much just eating anything I can get my hands on - 6/29/09

What a week! I managed to do a lot of cooking and eating this week and I'm not sure where it all came from. Let's start with what I made first.


Lunch this week, as a continuation of my soup series, is chili con carne. The recipe was from Cooks' Illustrated. After browning chunks of beef, you cook some onions and bell pepper (or jalapeno). Then, you stir in some cumin, oregano and garlic, then water, beef, diced tomato, and minced chipotles in adobo sauce, simmering it for 1 hour covered, 30 minutes uncovered. At the very end, you whisk in some cornmeal into 1 cup of the chili, then whisk this mixture back into the soup, simmering it until it thickens up. I was very surprised by the consistency of this soup. Most chilis I've had contained beans, but this one omits them in favor of thickening the soup using the cornmeal. The chipotles in adobo are a very easy way to bring some heat and a nice smokey flavor without resorting to liquid smoke. The beef stayed tender and everything else seemed to melt together into the background flavor. This chili was both surprising and outstandingly delicious for something homemade.


Dinner this week is a chicken fricassee with some citrus flavors. Briefly, the chicken is seared, then some root veggies and citrus are cooked in the same pot. Tomato paste is added, then flour, then some chicken stock, orange and lemon juices, white wine, and honey. The chicken is added back in to finish cooking. On the side, you cook some potatoes and blanch some veggies (I chose yellow squash and Mediterranean zucchini). Oddly, you remove the original veggies and citrus, then thicken the sauce using an egg yolk and milk. All of this is combined again to yield the final produce. Everything tastes good, but the citrus disappears into the background. I think adding in some citrus zest in at some point could help make the flavors more bold. But this makes for a fine dinner. The citrus lightens the heavier chicken with its skin on. Plus, lemon and orange are the perfect flavors for the summer.


A great deal of the ingredients used in the foods above came from this week's CSA assortment: corn, blueberries, potatoes, onions, zucchini, squash, cucumber, tomato, and three kinds of melon.


For cake decorating this week, we learned more piping techniques, including some specific to birthday cakes. Since my lab did not have any birthdays this week, I went for an "I <3 Cake" cake. The cake was supposed to be flavored by rose water, but that flavor did not come out. Instead, the major players were the apricot jam filling and vanilla icing. Cake writing is a little difficult, by the way, if you don't have the right size tip for one, but also because you have one shot to do it right (sizing, spacing, shaping). And always, always, ALWAYS remember to spell everything correctly. Here are some examples of what can go wrong with cakes: Cake Wrecks.


The SO (significant other) did some cooking this week too that was quite astounding. It started with some pork that was combined with pureed pears and plums. To this was added some cream cheese, cilantro and hazelnuts, among other ingredients. Wrap it in a tortilla, stick it in a pan with cheese and more hazelnuts, and bake it in the oven. The flavors for this dish were definitely out of left field, but they all combined together for quite a sumptuous dinner. Add a side of fresh cucumbers and raspberries and a cup of dilled sweet potato soup, and you've got one killer dinner.


As for eating out this week, I remembered my camera for most of our meals. First up is Pepper's Pizza on Franklin Street in Chapel Hill. This was the second time I ate at this restaurant, and I've enjoyed it both times. The pizza pictured is one we made ourselves. They have some great ingredients and pre-formulated options, but we were in a creative mood. Half of the pizza was Italian sausage with fresh garlic (fantastically garlicky without being overbearing...but then again I don't know if you can have too much garlic), and the other half was a NC-style Hawaiian using pulled pork and pineapple (a great variation on true Hawaiian with ham and pineapple). Plus, they have great music while you eat. While we were there, they were playing Michael Jackson's album Thriller to honor his untimely passing. If you want some non-traditional options for pizza and you're in the area, give Peppers a shot.


While in Raleigh, we hit up the Flying Biscuit. This restaurant serves delicious, truly Southern food (breakfast all day to boot). I ordered my first chicken-fried steak and what an awesome dish it was! The crisp outside juxtaposed against a moist and delicious cubed steak, paired with a wonderful gravy made me want to wrap myself in the steak and never leave. The green beans were a good side, though a little oily. The homefries were seasoned with a house ("moondust," I believe) seasoning that made these tubers really pop. In the midground (between foreground and background), you can see their biscuits, served with strawberry jam. True to their name, these biscuits are light, airy, but totally indulgent with some good saltiness to them. Lastly, in the background, you can spy their sweet tea, which is one of the sweetest you can find without any sugar at the bottom. The South has risen again at this wonderful restaurant. Word to the wise: if there is a wait for a table, the bar seats in a first-come-first-serve fashion, so feel free to grab a stool and enjoy your food while others are still waiting outside.


In the Chapel Hill Timberlyne plaza is a rare find: an Ethiopian restaurant by the name of Queen of Sheba. If you've never had Ethiopian, try to find a restaurant and give it a shot. This one was very good with great service. To start off, we had an Ethiopian soda (flavored with spices and honey) as well as a sweet tea that was also given some depth by some warm spices. We had the vegetarian sampler, which had yellow lentils, a pea flour sauce, tomatoes, green lentils, and potatoes in a horseradish sauce, all atop and with a side of injera, the sourdough-ish spongy flat bread. Everything was fantastic. I love having lots of options when I eat, and this was the best way to get that. All of the flavors melded with each other but could still stand alone. They have many meat options too for compulsive carnivores. To finish, I had a cup of Ethiopian coffee, supposedly made with some butter, sugar, and more spices. The coffee was positively black with a rich and bold flavor that lacked that bitter aftertaste of many coffees. Overall, it was a marvelous experience that could not be beat.