Trouble With Toast
Recipe: Turnip-Parsnip Gratin
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As the days get shorter and darker, and as the temperature dips further downward, my cravings for “comfort food” become stronger and more persistent. Unfortunately, food that brings comfort often comes with a high caloric price.
This gratin has everything that I expect from a comforting winter dish–EXCEPT the empty calories! Potatoes are fine and dandy, of course, but the use of turnips (high in Vitamin C) and parsnips (rich in potassium and dietary fiber) provides a similar texture and some added nutritional benefits. Yes, there is some full-fat dairy in this recipe, but it was split between eight servings of the finished dish, so it doesn’t concern me too much. The other benefit of using sturdy root veggies is that you can prep the dish in advance and then refrigerate until you are actually ready to pop it in the oven. If you don’t have gratin dishes or large ramekins, you can use a glass casserole dish.
The end result was deeper in flavor than a potato gratin, which I really liked. There was just enough cheese to hold everything together without turning into a goppy mess. The buttery, toasted panko was a really tasty topping, and it gave just enough crunch to add some textural contrast to the softened vegetables. All in all, I was really happy with how this turned out, and I’ll definitely be adding it to the comfort food rotation. Enjoy!
- 3 3/4 cups (1/8-inch-thick) slices peeled turnip
- 3 3/4 cups (1/8-inch-thick) slices peeled parsnip
- 6 cups water
- Cooking spray
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/3 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Gruyère cheese
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
Preheat oven to 400°.
Combine first 3 ingredients in a large saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 7 minutes or until almost tender. Drain; let stand 5 minutes. Arrange about 1/2 cup vegetable mixture into each of 8 (5 1/2-inch) round gratin dishes coated with cooking spray.
Combine milk, broth, flour, salt, and pepper in a saucepan over medium-high heat; bring to a simmer. Cook 4 minutes, stirring constantly with a whisk until thick. Remove from heat; add cheese, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Spoon about 3 tablespoons sauce over each serving.
Melt butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add panko; toast 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Sprinkle breadcrumb mixture evenly over cheese mixture. Place dishes on a baking sheet. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown on top. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
Recipe: Spaghetti with Caramelized Onions and Radicchio
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As much as I like to cook impressive, complicated, time-consuming dishes, I also work a full-time job and sometimes just don’t have it in me after a long day at the office. So, I’m always searching for recipes that are at least mildly creative and interesting (at least, more so than boxed pasta and Ragu) but that don’t require a ton of prep and cooking time.
This dish, which I saw in a recent Cooking Light magazine, seemed to fit the bill for a quick and tasty weeknight meal. Other than some slicing and chopping of veggies and herbs, there really wasn’t much prep work involved at all. You could definitely stick to the recipe as-is and have a delightful vegetarian meal; however, I had some big, beautiful shrimp on hand that I grilled (seasoned with olive oil, kosher salt, and black pepper) and served on top. My one caution: don’t be stingy with the seasoning on this one! Since there’s no real sauce, and since the onions and radicchio mellow out once they are cooked, don’t be afraid of the salt and red pepper flakes–you don’t want to wind up with a big pot of bland pasta. This is a great dish to make in bulk and then eat leftover, as the flavors mingle together in the fridge and taste even better the second time around. Enjoy!
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 6 cups thinly sliced yellow onion (about 1 3/4 pounds)
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1 pound uncooked spaghetti
- 3 1/2 cups thinly sliced radicchio (about 1 head)
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3/4 cup (3 ounces) crumbled Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté 15 minutes or until almost tender, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook until deep golden (about 20 minutes), stirring occasionally. Add red pepper and garlic. Cook 3 minutes; stir occasionally. Add wine; cook 4 minutes or until liquid evaporates.
Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain pasta in a colander over a bowl, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid. Add reserved cooking liquid, pasta, radicchio, parsley, and oregano to onion mixture. Sprinkle with salt and black pepper; toss to combine. Top with cheese.
Recipe: Rosemary Walnut Loaves
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To say that I love carbs would be a gross understatement. Shoot, I do triathlons just for the opportunity to gorge on bread, pasta, and rice without shame (we call it “carbo-loading” to make it sound all athletic and official). In order to further my love of all things carbohydrate, I put a breakmaker on my wedding registry, but no one chose to gift it. Sad Betty.
Instead of rushing to Macy’s and buying that breadmaker, I decided to see if I could make bread without any fancy gadgets or gizmos. I am not a naturally gifted baker, so I put off the experiment for quite some time. I don’t know exactly what I was afraid of, but this recipe somehow seemed to put my mind at ease. After all, the author assured me that if I followed the instructions to the letter, I would have warm, delicious loaves of carby goodness. She promised, darnit!
For the most part, she delivered. I did wind up with bread at the end of the day, and it was darn tasty at that. It didn’t rise exactly as I thought it would, resulting in two flat-ish discs, which may have had something to do with having no way to verify the temperatures of the milk and water at the beginning of the process. It could also have something to do with my flour measurements being slightly off. Before I attempt this recipe again, I will procure a good kitchen thermometer AND a baking scale.
All that being said, Jason and I enjoyed the first loaf of this bread immensely, eating some of it within a half hour of it coming out of the oven. It was delicious with some unsalted butter, and would probably also be nice with the jam of your choice. I am really glad that I tried my hand at baking bread, and I look forward to perfecting the technique once I get the right equipment! Do y’all have other “quick bread” recipes that you swear by? Share them in the comments!
Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add yeast, stirring with a whisk; let stand 5 minutes. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Add 2 cups flour to yeast mixture, stirring with a whisk. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 15 minutes.
Add 2 1/2 cups flour, walnuts, rosemary, and 1 egg, stirring with a whisk. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic (about 10 minutes), adding enough of remaining flour, 1/4 cup at a time, to prevent dough from sticking to hands.
Place dough in a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat top. Cover and let rise in a warm place (85°), free from drafts, 1 hour or until doubled in size. (Lightly press two fingers into dough. If indentation remains, the dough has risen enough.)
Preheat oven to 400°.
Punch dough down; turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide dough in half, shaping each portion into a round. Place loaves on a baking sheet dusted with cornmeal. Cover and let rise 30 minutes or until doubled in size.
Combine 1 tablespoon milk and 1 egg, stirring with a whisk; brush over loaves. Make 3 diagonal cuts 1/4-inch deep across top of each loaf using a sharp knife.
Place loaves in oven; reduce oven temperature to 375°, and bake 40 minutes or until bottom of each loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Let stand 20 minutes before slicing.
Recipe: Roasted Pork Loin with Orange-Herb Sauce
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A few weekends ago, when it was chilly and raw and all I wanted to do on a Saturday night was curl up with my critters, I decided to try a dish that just screamed comfort This recipe came from one of the chef features in a recent Food and Wine magazine, and it called out to me with its piggy goodness and warm, citrusy sauce.
The dish was delicious, and fairly simple and straightforward to make (if a bit time-consuming). The meat was nicely browned on the outside, but it also had that consistent moisture and tenderness that comes from roasting. The sauce was great on the pork AND on the accompanying baked potato. As a bonus, it filled the house with a lovely herbacious aroma. It’s not terribly fancy, but it was exactly what I needed on a fall evening. Enjoy!
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
- One 1 1/2-pound boneless pork loin
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 cup fresh orange juice
- 1/2 cup chicken stock
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 5 black peppercorns
- 1 rosemary sprig
- 1 oregano sprig
- 1 parsley sprig, plus 2 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves
In a large bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of the oil with the garlic. Add the pork, turn to coat and let stand for 1 hour.
Set a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°. In a medium ovenproof skillet, heat the remaining oil. Season the pork with salt and pepper and add to the skillet, fat side down. Cook over moderately high heat until richly browned, 4 minutes. Brown the pork on the remaining sides, then turn it fat side up. Add the orange juice, stock, wine, peppercorns and herb sprigs and bring to a boil.
Transfer the skillet to the upper shelf of the oven and roast the pork for about 35 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center registers 145°. Transfer the pork to a carving board.
Strain the cooking liquid into a saucepan and boil until reduced to 1/2 cup, 15 minutes. Season the sauce with salt and pepper and stir in the chopped parsley. Carve the pork and serve with the orange sauce.
Recipe: Pumpkin Cupcakes
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Greetings from Salt Lake City! I’m over here in Utah, trying to stay warm in the snow (yes, snow…ugh). So, there will be no Top Chef recap till much later in the week, and posting will continue to be light. In the meantime, though, since it is almost time for Halloween, here’s a tasty and easy recipe for a very nice fall treat. The recipe came from Real Simple magazine, and the cupcakes were a hit both at the Eat on $30 wrap party AND my office luncheon. Enjoy!
- 1 18.5-ounce box yellow cake mix (plus the ingredients called for in the package directions)
- 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
- 2 8-ounce bars cream cheese, at room temperature
- 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 24 pieces candy corn
Heat oven to 350° F. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners. Prepare the cake mix as directed but with the following change: Add the pumpkin pie spice and substitute the can of pumpkin puree for the water called for in the package directions.
Divide the batter among the prepared muffin tins and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 18 to 22 minutes. Let cool.
Meanwhile, using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and sugar until creamy. Spread on the cupcakes and top each with a piece of candy corn.
Recipe: Korean Sizzling Beef
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On a healthy diet, chicken and fish make frequent appearances. However, sometimes you just crave that rich and meaty flavor of good old-fashioned cow. This recipe is a great way to work some beef into the rotation without going overboard on the fat (both in the meat itself and in the cooking method. Flank steak (or skirt steak) is fairly lean, but it can also be somewhat tough. The marinade (think about it early and definitely leave it overnight), the slicing, and the quick, high-heat cooking time all contribute to the tenderizing of the meat. And, of course, the marinade also gives this dish great flavor! With the oniony kick of the scallions and the nuttiness of the brown rice, this dish is balanced and satisfying. It’s also pretty darn quick and easy. Just don’t spill the boiling rice all over your feet like I did. Ouch.
In a large, shallow dish, combine the soy sauce with the sugar, white wine, chopped garlic, toasted sesame oil and crushed red pepper, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add the sliced flank steak and coat thoroughly in the marinade. Cover and refrigerate the steak for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Light a grill or heat a griddle. Rub the scallions all over with vegetable oil and grill them over high heat, turning once, until the scallions are just softened, about 2 minutes. Season with salt.
Working in batches, grill the steak over high heat until the slices are richly browned and medium-rare, about 30 seconds per side. Transfer the steak to a serving platter and serve with the grilled scallions and steamed rice.
Recipe: Seafood Gumbo with Okra
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As some of you know, my husband recently hung out a shingle and started practicing law as a solo attorney. Mostly (at least for now) he does indigent criminal defense work, but occasionally he gets retained clients and gets to dabble in other things. Recently, he helped some folks with a commercial lease agreement, and in addition to paying a retainer, the clients gave him some fresh okra from their garden as a token of their appreciation. Since we are still trying to eat healthy, fried okra was out of the question. What’s the next best way to use the little green pods? Gumbo, of course!
The recipe inspiration came from Tyler Florence, but I mucked with it significantly. First of all, I was WAY too lazy to make shrimp stock, and I couldn’t find any kind of seafood stock in my local megamarts. So, for the base of the soup, I used vegetable stock seasoned and simmered with some Old Bay, lemon, onion, and bay leaves. Second, the recipe called for shrimp and oysters, but the latter were impossible to find at a price I was willing to pay. So, I found a frozen seafood mix that worked fairly well.
The end result was actually really tasty. Okra is a great thickener, so the gumbo wasn’t weak or watery. Sure, shrimp stock would have provided some deeper flavor, but there was so much seafood in the stew that I think it evened out a bit. As with most soups, I loved the way my kitchen smelled while everything was simmering. My only regret? Not having some crunchy oyster crackers or Saltines to crush on top of the gumbo (the rice and the veggies are soft, so some textural contrast would have been nice). Overall, though, I think this is a good base recipe for gumbo that can be modified to suit one’s on-hand ingredients and personal taste. Enjoy!
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 yellow onions, chopped
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 pound okra, cut into 1/4-inch slices
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
- 1/2 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
- 1 (15-ounce) can chopped tomatoes, drained
- 3 bay leaves
- 3 fresh thyme sprigs, leaves striped from the stem
- 2 quarts stock
- 1 pound peeled shrimp
- 1 pound seafood of choice (I used a mix of squid, octopus, and mussels)
- 3 cups cooked long-grain white rice
- Chopped flat-leaf parsley and green onions, for garnish
- Crusty French bread
Start by making a roux base: Melt the butter over medium-low heat in a Dutch oven or other large, heavy pot. Just as the foam subsides, add the flour, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or whisk to prevent lumps. Cook the roux until it’s the color of a walnut and smells equally as nutty, this should take about 15 minutes.
Add the onions, celery, bell pepper, garlic, and okra; season with salt, cayenne, and Old Bay. Mix in the tomatoes, bay leaves, and thyme. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring now and then, until the vegetables are soft. Pour in the cooled stock and stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil, and then reduce the heat. Simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the gumbo is dark and thick. Toss in the seafood, cook about another 15 minutes; adjust seasoning.
To serve: Ladle the gumbo into shallow bowls and pile some rice in the center. Sprinkle the parsley and green onions over the top. Pass the French bread and hot sauce at the table.
Recipe: Lemon Ginger Chicken
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NOTE: I am in St. Louis for business, but I hope to have the Top Chef (episode 4) recap up this evening. In the meantime, here’s a recipe I’ve been meaning to post forever! Enjoy.
This recipe is absolute proof positive that a) if you are going to follow a recipe, you should READ said recipe all the way through before beginning, and b) adjusting and improvising can garner good results in the kitchen. I knew both of those things before, of course, but I was reminded this week when I attempted this dish.
The recipe (from Cooking Light magazine, and posted below as it was supposed to be followed) calls for an hour of marinating and about two hours of double-coating and refrigerating (and that’s all before the 45 minutes of cook time in the oven). I discovered this at about 6:30 PM, when I was starving. So, I cut the marinating time down to about 30 minutes, and I only coated the chicken once. The end result probably wasn’t as crispy and “fried” as it would have been if I had followed the recipe exactly, but the chicken was incredibly moist and flavorful. I served it with crusty bread, which came in handy to sop up the yummy juices. If I had more time, I would have served this with some roasted veg.
I hope to try the longer, uncut version of the recipe sometime soon, so I’ll let you know how the results differ!
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
- 1 cup fresh lemon juice (about 4 lemons)
- 2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger
- 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 2 bone-in chicken breast halves, skinned
- 2 bone-in chicken thighs, skinned
- 2 chicken drumsticks, skinned
- 4.5 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 cup)
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup peanut oil
- 1/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 lemon, thinly sliced
Place rind, juice, and next 5 ingredients (through drumsticks) in a large zip-top plastic bag; seal and shake to coat. Marinate in refrigerator 1 hour, turning bag occasionally.
Sift together flour and next 3 ingredients (through red pepper). Place flour mixture in a large zip-top plastic bag. Remove chicken from marinade bag, reserving marinade. Sprinkle salt and black pepper evenly over chicken. Add chicken, one piece at a time, to flour mixture; seal bag and shake to coat chicken. Remove chicken from bag, shaking off excess flour mixture. Reserve remaining flour mixture. Place chicken on a wire rack; place rack in a jelly-roll pan. Cover and refrigerate 1 1/2 hours. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350°.
Return chicken, one piece at a time, to flour mixture; seal bag and shake to coat chicken. Remove chicken from bag, shaking off excess flour mixture. Discard remaining flour mixture.
Heat oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken to pan; cook 3 minutes or until golden, turning once. Arrange chicken in single layer in a shallow roasting pan. Discard remaining oil in pan. Combine broth and reserved marinade in a small bowl; pour broth mixture into pan. Sprinkle chicken evenly with sugar, and top with lemon slices. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until golden and a thermometer registers 165.
Recipe: Fried Rice with Scallions and Edamame
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Like any self-respecting Jewess, I love me some Chinese food. Egg rolls, hot and sour soup, lo mein, General Tso, Americanized or spicy authentic Szechuan, I crave it all. Unfortunately, the Chinese delivery options near us are either WAY too pricy or just plain terrible. Also, delivery Chinese isn’t exactly known for being a beacon of goodness, nutritionally speaking.
The last time I made fried rice, it was in 6th grade home ec class. I’m happy to report, it’s just as simple now as it was then, but it’s HEALTHIER! I adapted this recipe (which originally came from Ellie Krieger) to suit my on-hand ingredients, and it worked beautifully both the night that I made it AND for leftover lunches. I par-cooked the chicken on the indoor grill pan first, then cubed it, then finished it in the wok with the garlic and ginger. You could easily substitute tofu (actually, that’s what the original recipe calls for) or another protein of your choice, and you could play around with the veggies (try peas for edamame, or add mushrooms, or throw in some water chestnuts). To make this dish even healthier, use Egg Beaters instead of the real deal. Enjoy!
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a wok or large skillet until very hot. Add the garlic, scallions and ginger and cook, stirring, until softened and aromatic, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the rice, red pepper, edamame, and corn and cook, stirring, until heated through, about 5 minutes. Make a 3-inch well in the center of the rice mixture. Add 1 teaspoon of canola oil, then add the eggs and cook until nearly fully scrambled. Stir the eggs into the rice mixture, then add soy sauce and incorporate thoroughly. Serve hot.
Recipe: Garlic Basil Shrimp
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While my fiance and I may disagree on fish–how often to eat it, whether to eat the skin, whether to serve it whole, et cetera–we can usually agree on shellfish. We both love shrimp, which is convenient while dieting because it is a fairly healthy protein (it IS somewhat high in cholesterol, but we are fortunate that we don’t have problems in that area). This shrimpy recipe called out to me because of its relatively short (and staple-centric) ingredient list and its quick preparation. Perfect for a weeknight dinner!
If you are trying to cook on a budget, I highly recommend scanning the supermarket sale fliers and grabbing bags of frozen shrimp when they are on sale. The ones in the fish case are usually previously frozen anyway (unless you happen to live by the water and/or have a VERY good fishmonger), so you might as well save some money, right?
As for what to serve with this dish, I went with orzo and it worked nicely. You could use any sort of pasta you like, or you could go with the rice family of carbohydrates. Even couscous would work, I think. The key is, don’t pick a starch (or a side veggie, for that matter) that is going to overpower the beautiful fresh flavors of the basil and the tomatoes and the garlic. They are the stars of this show!
Heat the oil in a large heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then saute shrimp, turning over once, until just cooked through, about 2 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a large bowl.
Add garlic and red pepper flakes to the oil remaining in skillet and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add wine and cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes. Stir in basil and tomatoes and season the sauce with salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste. Return the shrimp to pan and cook just until heated through.
