Thanksgiving 2011

This year (after the usual apple, fig compote, and goat cheese accompaniment for the start-to-the-evening champagne toast, and some herb pesto-stuffed mushroom hors d'oeuvres), we had:

Tuscan kale salad
Miso-glazed cod
French lentils
Apple-leek stuffing and cranberry chutney
Gingered yams and mustard greens
Brussels sprouts by way of Beirut
Apple cake

Marinating the cod was the first thing I did yesterday, since it needs to soak up the marinade for 2-6 hours. I mixed 2/3 cup sake, 2/3 cup mirin, 2/3 cup mild white miso, 3/8 C (packed) brown sugar, and 1/4 C nama shoyu, and turned seven 6-oz cod filets (about 3/4" thick) in that marinade over a few times to coat them. Throughout the course of the afternoon I turned them a few more times. Six minutes before dinner, I broiled the fish six inches from the broiler until just opaque in the center. The top gets nicely caramelized. I garnished each filet with one long chive.

For the lentils, I soaked 2 C French lentils for a while, while I was doing other things, then drained them. I heated about a tablespoon of clarified butter on medium-low heat and sauteed three minced garlic cloves and one finely chopped yellow onion as well as a few fresh bay leaves until the onion was translucent. Then I added the lentils, salt, and pepper, and stirred to coat the lentils with the onion-garlic-butter. Then I added 5 C water, brought the mixture to a boil, and then simmered it about 12-15 minutes. I drained most of the water once the lentils were cooked, since I'd be using the lentils as a bed for the fish filets. I garnished the lentils with some finely chopped fresh chives.

Mushroom anticuchos

Mushroom anticuchos

To make these, I simmered rice vinegar and sugar until reduced to a syrup, then added soy sauce, aji paste, chestnut paste, and wine and reduced by half. (You could substitute miso for the chestnut paste and mussel broth or clam juice for the wine.)

I seasoned the cleaned mushrooms with salt and pepper, then poured the hot marinade over and let the mushrooms soak up the marinade for a few hours.

We grilled the mushrooms (about four minutes per side) on bamboo skewers. While the mushrooms were grilling, I heated and further reduced the marinade. We removed the mushrooms from the skewers and placed them atop the wasabi-chive cauliflower mash, then poured the hot marinade over the mushrooms as a sauce.

Uppama

Uppama

Uppama is a South Indian breakfast dish that can be made with coarse semolina, pearl tapioca, rice flakes, or vermicelli. You can toss in all kinds of vegetables. At home my family makes it with diced carrots, peas, green beans, but I also like it with black-eyed peas, asparagus, soaked and chopped kokum ka phul, chopped kale... Really, choose your own adventure!

It goes well with chutney. My favorite chutney pairing for uppama is red bell pepper chutney or ginger chutney.

1 1/2 cups coarse semolina ("sooji"), rice flakes ("poha"), pearl tapioca ("sabudana") or vermicelli ("sev")
1/3 cup olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons brown mustard seeds
1 stalk curry leaves
1 1/2 tablespoons cumin seeds
3/4 cup salted peanuts, coarsely crushed, or tuvar dal
3 tablespoons finely chopped shallots
1 Serrano chili, minced
1 1/2 tablespoon finely chopped and peeled fresh ginger
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup sliced spinach (or other veggie)
3 tablespoons thinly shredded cilantro
1 lime, juiced
Salt

[If using tapioca, put the grain in a bowl and wash in several changes of cold water from the tap until the water loses its murkiness and remains clear and soak in fresh cold water to cover 8 hours. Drain in a sieve and spread on a tray laid with a paper towel. Refrigerate the drained tapioca at least 1 hour.]

Heat the oil in an 8-quart pot over moderately high heat until shimmering and add the mustard seeds. When the seeds being to pop, which will be almost immediately, add the curry leaves and cumin seeds and stir.

Add the peanuts/dal, shallots, serrano, ginger and increase the heat to high. Cook the mixture, stirring, for 1 minute.

Stir in the butter and when melted, add the grain and salt to taste. Cook until grain is heated through (3-4 minutes). Add the veggies and continue to cook until the grain turns transparent. Unless you're using the pre-soaked tapioca, pour 3/4 to 1 cup boiling water in, bring to boil, then turn off the heat, cover, and let the grain absorb the liquid and steam.

Just before serving, stir the lime and cilantro into the pilaf and season with salt.

Wasabi-chive cauliflower mash

Wasabi-chive cauliflower mash

Put a head of trimmed and roughly chopped cauliflower into the smallest pot it will entirely fit in and cover it with water. Salt generously. Bring to boil over high heat, then reduce to medium heat and cook until the cauliflower is so tender it is mash-able.

Drain away the water, add olive oil, 2 bunches chopped chives, salt, and a few tablespoons wasabi to taste, and mash together with the cauliflower using a potato masher.

Beef rendang

Simmering the rendang

This recipe came to us via Floyd Cardoz, formerly the chef at Tabla and a good friend of Wiemer/Milo Vineyards cook-off star Sudhir Kandula.

10 pieces short ribs
Salt, to taste
1/4 cup sliced lemon grass
1 knob ginger, minced
1/2 cup minced shallots
1 Serrano chili
1 tablespoons cumin
1 tablespoons coriander
One 2 inch piece of Pasilla de Oaxaca
1/2 teaspoons turmeric
1/8 teaspoons cayenne
2 tablespoons canola oil
3 inches Indian cinnamon
5 cloves
6 cups veal stock
6 cloves garlic
1 inch galangal sliced into coins
4 lime leaves
2 pandan leaves
4 cups coconut milk
4 cups chicken stock
4 cups water
1 teaspoons tamarind paste
1/2 teaspoons brown sugar
2 sprigs rosemary
1 Thai chili
1/2 cup fried minced shallots 2 sticks lemon grass leaned and lightly crushed
1/2 cup ground cashews

1. Pre heat oven to 400 degrees at convection setting.
2. Season the short ribs with salt and let stand for 10-15 minutes. Reduce heat in oven to 325.
3. Combine the sliced lemon grass, minced ginger, sliced shallots and Serrano chili in a food processor and processor till finely chopped.
4. Grind the cumin, coriander and the Pasilla de Oaxaca in a spice grinder to a fine powder and combine with the turmeric and the cayenne.
5. Place seasoned short ribs in oven and sear until golden brown. Approximately 15 minutes.
6. In a large stew pot add the canola oil and the ground shallot mix and cook over moderate heat stirring for 15 minutes until paste get slightly colored and releases some oil.
7. Add the cinnamon, cloves and ground spice and cook for 2-4 minutes. Add short ribs and all the other ingredients (except cashews) and bring up to a boil.
8. Place the pot with a lid in the oven and continue to cook until fork tender.
9. Cool down in liquid.
10. Next day remove form liquid and trim short ribs of any fat and gristle.
11. Reduce the brasage until thick.
12. Add the cashews stir. Place the short ribs in the pan and put into a 325 degree oven and cook. Letting the liquid reduce slowly. Baste the short ribs every 5 minutes.
13. The liquid will reduce and form a glaze on meat. At this time to the fat will start to separate.
14. Pull out the cinnamon, cloves, galangal and lemon grass.
15. Plate and top with cashews.

Roasted peanut salad

Roasted peanut salad is a very easy, satisfying, high protein, vegetarian, tasty snack!

Finely dice a red onion into a large bowl, then squeeze the juice of 1 lime over the red onion. Top with 1/2 a bunch of finely chopped fresh cilantro.
Take 1 lb. raw Spanish peanuts and either pan roast them or roast them under your broiler until they darken and the peanut oils release and give your whole kitchen a peanut smell. Be careful not to burn them.
Toss the hot roasted peanuts with the red onion, lime juice, cilantro, and added salt and red chilli powder to taste.

Recipe by Miz Hummus: Grand Marnier candied pecans

Grand Marnier candied pecans

1. Preheat oven to 325°F.

2. Grate the rinds of 2 large oranges to create 7 tablespoons zest.

3. Melt together over low heat in a saucepan:
1/2 stick butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup Grand Marnier
2 teaspoons salt
Zest

4. Let cool slightly

5. Add mixture to a mixing bowl and cover 5 cups pecans in mixture

6. Butter two cookie sheets

7. Spread pecans evenly on cookie sheets and bake for 15 minutes

8. Let cool for 5 min and then sprinkle pecans with 1/8 cup Grand Marnier

9. Let cool completely and serve

Superfood Indulgence: Dark Chocolate-Ginger-Walnut-Cherry "Bark"

Dark-Chocolate Bark with Ginger, Walnuts and Dried Cherries (or Cranberries)

This antioxidant rich indulgence packs omega-3s, vitamin C, and fiber derived from whole foods into one small, delicious (vegan!) package.

1 1/2 cups walnut halves (6 ounces)
9 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1 cup dried sour cherries or cranberries (4 ounces), coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons finely chopped crystallized ginger

Preheat oven to 350°. Toast walnuts on a baking sheet for 8 minutes, until golden and fragrant. Let cool, then coarsely chop.

Line a baking sheet with parchment / wax paper. In a glass bowl, heat two-thirds of the chocolate in a microwave oven at high power in 30-second bursts until just melted. Stir until smooth. Add remaining chocolate and stir until melted. Stir in the walnuts, cherries and crystallized ginger until evenly coated.

Scrape the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet and spread it into a 12-by-8-" rectangle. Refrigerate for 10 minutes, or until firm enough to cut. Cut into 48 pieces (6 x 8) and transfer to a plate. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Astonishingly simple chocolate mousse recipe

Courtesy of unwilling guest blogger Mr Bee:

Purchase ~200g of bittersweet chocolate (Callebaut ~70% cacao works for me — the better the chocolate, the better the mousse) and six eggs. Mr Bee is Aussie and so talks in metric equivalents; I think I used 0.48 lb chocolate or something like that.

- Beat egg whites in a bowl until firm
- Melt chocolate on low heat and mix into bowl with egg yolks (use bowl that you want to serve mousse in as this will be final bowl)
- Then fold the beaten egg whites into the chocolate/yolk mixture using a wooden spoon (make sure it is wood)
- Put in fridge for 4-5 hours
- Optional: add a little fruit or sea salt, or even sesame seeds to give it a “sexy edge” (Mr Bee’s words)

Tree Trimming Sipper: Rosemary Martinis

Last night, we Hindus, Jews, Zoroastrians, Muslims and Christians trimmed my favorite Persian and Jewish couple's Christmas tree while becoming steadily more inebriated on a very alcoholic infusion of rosemary lightened with lemon. Spirits were high in more than one sense of the word, and the sweet scent of pine wafted not just from the Douglas fir but also from our martini glasses.

I made a simple syrup infused with rosemary by slowly over low heat stirring 1 cup sugar into 1 cup water along with all the needles from five or six rosemary stalks. When the sugar completely dissolved, I let the rosemary sit to infuse the simple syrup, probably for at least half an hour until the others arrived.

I took wide strips of zest off several lemons and juiced them, and set myself up with ice, vodka, and a cocktail shaker to make individual martinis.

For each, I placed a few strips of zest, a shot of vodka, and half a shot of rosemary infused simple syrup into the cocktail shaker with two ice cubes and the juice of about half a lemon. I vigorously shook each cocktail for at least 30 seconds, strained, and served.

Happy syncretic Obama nation holidays to all : )

An Oscar Potluck

Two of my closest friends work in media/entertainment, and I've been left with a rather large television, so they and some others came over for some noshing, dishing, and Oscars-viewing.

We had so much food! laid out - not like an etherized patient, more like the antipasti table at a trattoria. Everything we ate last night was light, refreshing, tasty, simple but high quality, easy to prepare. The floral honey, bright green parsley flavor and crunch in the chickpea salad, and raspberries felt like harbingers of a much-awaited spring, while the depth in the blood oranges and dark, woodsy, berry tang of sumac felt like a poignant last look at winter.

*Popcorn tossed with Sumac

*Queso de Murci Curado, a six months' aged raw goat's milk cheese from Murcia in Southeastern Spain (with unspeakably delicious raw Manoir des Abeilles honey mixed with freshly ground black pepper poured over it)

*Red Kardoula Peppers stuffed with Feta and marinated in olive oil, garlic, and basil

*Green-and-black Olive Tapenade (with pita chips): Simply, pitted green and black olives food processed with fresh parsley and thyme, red chilli powder, a small amount of capers, and a slice of preserved lemon.

*Stuffed Grape Leaves

7-layer Bean Dip

Steak Sandwiches a la Ina Garten courtesy of Miz SunDrop

*The Ratatouille from "Ratatouille"

*Blood Orange and Treviso Salad: I sliced two heads of treviso on the bias and laid supremed blood orange slices over that on a platter, scattered some sliced scallions on top, and dressed the salad with a vinaigrette of blood orange juice, pomegranate molasses, cider vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper.

*Roasted Chickpea Salad: I tossed cooked chickpeas with olive oil, salt, sumac, red chilli powder, and cumin, and roasted them spread out on a baking pan for 45 minutes in a 350-degree oven, then tossed them with shredded red cabbage, lots of fresh chopped flat leaf parsley, and a simple vinaigrette of lime juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.

Farmers Market Quiche

*Raspberries with Honeyed Greek Yogurt

*Moroccan Mint Tea

* = organic

Food Poem Fridays: John Engels' CRANBERRY-ORANGE RELISH

Cranberry-Orange Relish
by John Engels

A pound of ripe cranberries, for two days
macerate in a dark rum, then do not
treat them gently, but bruise,
mash, pulp, squash
with a wooden pestle
to an abundance of juices, in fact
until the juices seem on the verge

of overswelling the bowl, then drop in
two fistsful, maybe three, of fine-
chopped orange with rind, two golden
blobs of it, and crush
it in, and then add sugar, no thin
sprinkling, but a cupful dumped
and awakened with a wooden spoon

to a thick suffusion, drench of sourness, bite of color,
then for two days let conjoin
the lonely taste of cranberry,
the joyous orange, the rum, in some
warm corner of the kitchen, until
the bowl faintly becomes
audible, a scarce wash of sound, a tiny
bubbling, and then
in a glass bowl set it out
and let it be eaten last, to offset
gravied breast and thigh
of the heavy fowl, liverish
stuffing, the effete
potato, lethargy of pumpkins

gone leaden in their crusts, let it be eaten
so that our hearts may be together overrun
with comparable sweetnesses,
tart gratitudes, until finally,
dawdling and groaning, we bear them
to the various hungerings
of our beds, lightened
of their desolations.

________________________________

P.S. What do you think of poem-recipes?

Recipe by Miz SunDrop: Cornbread Dotted with Dried Cherries

We used Indian green chillies (just 2, finely sliced -- nowhere near the 1/2 cup the recipe calls for!) instead of the canned kind. Enjoy!

1 cup butter

3/4 cup sugar

4 eggs

1/2 cup diced canned green chillies (or 2 finely sliced fresh Indian or Thai green chillies)

1 1/2 cups "creamed" corn (canned)
1/2 cup shredded jack or cheddar
1 cup flour

1 cup yellow cornmeal

2 tbsp baking powder

1/2 cup dried cherries

Cream together butter, sugar and eggs. Add remaining ingredients, mix well. Spread into a greased 9"x9" pan (double recipe makes a 9"x13").

Bake at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 minutes.

Yams with Mustard Greens

This dish has a great range of flavors - sweetness from the yams, kickiness from the mustard greens and red chilli powder, and an aromatic brightness from the ginger. It's also very good for you!

- 4 yams (sweet potatoes with golden flesh) (I used 8 long and skinny ones that I picked up from the Union Square Greenmarket) , peeled and cut into half-moons, 1/4" thick
- 2 small heads mustard greens, washed, dried, and sliced into 2" long ribbons (cut down the length of the rib and then slice into thin ribbons cross-wise)
- 1.5" ginger, peeled and thinly julienned
- 4 shallots (or 1/2 large red onion), finely chopped
- salt to taste (approx. 1 tsp)
- lal mirchi (red chilli powder) to taste (mine is very spicy, so I probably used no more than 1/4 tsp)
- about 2 tbsp olive oil

Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan or wok on medium high until hot. Add shallots and ginger and sauté until soft, or for about two minutes. Add yams, salt and red chilli powder, and sauté until the yams are half-cooked, or for about seven or eight minutes. Add mustard greens and continue sautéeing; the water that leaches out from the greens will help to partially steam-cook the yams. Turn off heat in about seven minutes, when the yams are cooked through but not mushy and the greens are completely wilted.

This can be served hot or eaten cold as leftovers, too.

I used purple mustard greens (like these) that I picked up at the Union Square Greenmarket.

Mulled Apple Cider Granita

yield: Makes about 1 1/4 quarts

6 cups unpasteurized apple cider
a 3-inch cinnamon stick and/or mulling spices
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons strained fresh lemon juice

In a large saucepan combine the cider, the cinnamon stick (I used a mixture of cinnamon sticks, allspice, orange zest, and cloves), the sugar, and a pinch of salt and boil the mixture for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the liquid is reduced to about 4 cups. Stir in the lemon juice, strain the mixture through a fine sieve into a bowl, and chill it, covered, until it is cold. Freeze the mixture in an ice-cream freezer according to the manufacturer's instructions if you want to make sorbet, or freeze and scrape with a fork for granita.

Shaved Brussels Sprouts with Pecorino Romano

Makes 6 side-dish servings

1 1/2 lb Brussels sprouts (preferably on the stalk), any discolored leaves discarded and stems left intact -OR- finely chopped kale (I actually think this dish tastes better made with raw kale)

2 tablespoons finely grated Pecorino Romano, or to taste

1/4 cup olive oil

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (I probably ended up using double or almost triple that amount)

red pepper flakes to taste

Shred Brussels sprouts in a food processor and toss in a bowl with lemon juice to separate layers and prevent discoloration. Toss with Pecorino and red pepper flakes and olive oil just before serving.

Hazelnut, Sage, and Mushroom Stuffing

yield: Makes 8 servings

8 cups 1/2-inch cubes of firm bread such as a Pullman loaf (1 pound)
1 1/2 cups finely chopped shallots (about 8 medium; 10 ounces)
1 stick unsalted butter, divided
1 1/2 pounds mushrooms, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 1/2 cups finely chopped celery (from 3 ribs)
2 teaspoons chopped thyme
2 teaspoons finely chopped sage
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 cups hazelnuts (1/2 pound), toasted , any loose skins rubbed off in a kitchen towel, and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
2-4 cups stock
3 large eggs, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 400°F with racks in upper and lower thirds. Generously butter baking dish. Arrange bread in 1 layer in 2 large shallow baking pans and toast, switching position of pans halfway through baking, until golden and dry, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl. (Leave oven on.) Bread cubes and hazelnuts can be toasted 2 days ahead and kept in sealed bags at room temperature.

Meanwhile, cook shallots in 1/2 stick butter in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened and golden, about 6 minutes. Add mushrooms, celery, thyme, sage, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid given off by mushrooms has evaporated and mushrooms are browned, 20 to 30 minutes. Add wine and deglaze skillet by boiling, stirring and scraping up any brown bits, until wine is reduced by about half, about 2 minutes. Transfer to bread in bowl.

Add hazelnuts and parsley and toss.

Whisk together stock, eggs, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, then stir into bread mixture. Transfer to baking dish and dot top of stuffing with remaining 1/2 stick butter.

Bake, loosely covered with foil, in lower third of oven 30 minutes, then remove foil and bake until top is browned, about 15 minutes more.

(Stuffing, without hazelnuts and stock-and-egg mixture, can be assembled (but not baked), 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Stir in nuts and stock mixture, then proceed with recipe. Stuffing can be baked 6 hours ahead and chilled, uncovered, until cool, then loosely covered. Reheat, covered, in a 400°F oven until hot, about 30 minutes.)

Fish tikkis and imli chutney, dal with hot lime pickle, and salad

During the week, putting together motley things I had completely or half-prepared on a Sunday:
- a salad made with arugula, cucumbers, and bell peppers, with a cranberry vinaigrette I have in the fridge that I made when the cranberry preserves were almost over and it was easier to get the last bits by swirling them with vinegar and making a dressing;
- moong dal made chunky-style with mustard greens, topped with hot lime pickle; and
- fish tikkis topped with imli chutney.

Citrus-Fennel Salmon

I swear, this dish took all of 15 minutes to prepare. We coated the salmon with citrus-fennel salt and freshly ground black pepper, and seared it. I sliced a few endives and a bulb of fennel, reserving the fronds, and sauteed them in olive oil, citrus-fennel salt, and freshly ground black pepper. When the fennel softened, I turned off the heat and tossed in a bit of freshly squeezed lemon juice. We served the salmon over the sauteed vegetables and squeezed lemon juice over the whole dish, and topped it with the fennel fronds.

Recipe: Quick Cinnamon-Chocolate Mousse (vegan!)

We had some friends over for watercress and radish salad (dressed with verjus and extra virgin olive oil and topped with sliced boiled egg), fish tacos, and Mexican corn.  I made this quick (and vegan!) cinnamon-chocolate mousse the day before so we'd have a little chocolatey bite for afterwards!

Quick Cinnamon-Chocolate Mousse for 4

1 ¼ cups chilled MimicCreme
1/8 teaspoon (generous) ground cinnamon
4 ounces bittersweet dark chocolate (at least 65% cocoa content), chopped

Combine ¼ cup MimicCreme and cinnamon in small saucepan; bring to boil. Remove from heat. Add chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth. Transfer chocolate mixture to large bowl and add remaining MimicCreme. Using electric mixer, beat until chocolate is completely incorporated. Divide mousse among 4 glasses / bowls / ramekins and cover with plastic wrap. Chill until set, about 4 hours. (Can be made 1 day ahead.)