Simplicity

Sometimes I get overwhelmed with the thought of making dinner.  I know it sounds silly, but today was one of those days.  I haven’t been sleeping well lately, and I finally took a day off of work to try to rest, even though actual deep sleep eludes me.  I sat around, planning dinner in my head, but every recipe required planning and chopping and cleaning and prepping….well, you get the idea.  I finally managed to wander to the basement to stare into the depths of my chest freezer, hoping a good idea would pop up and smack me in the face.  Not quite, but the top chunk of meat was a flank steak, so I picked it up and brought it upstairs to defrost.

I was already roaming on the internet, so I searched for a flank steak recipe.  Most involved grilling and marinades.  I was not about to operate the grill; even though it’s been unseasonably warm, I feared injuring myself in the 40-mile-per-hour wind gusts.  All the marinades involved food-processing ingredients I didn’t have; and even if I had them, my food processor is toast, so I’d have to do them in the blender or something.  Sigh.

So I picked up my son from school and went to the library.  I don’t know why, but I suddenly started craving baked potatoes.  Well, that’s easy enough, I told myself.  I’ll just broil the flank steak and have baked potatoes and some random green vegetable from the freezer.  When I got home, I opened the fridge, took out the steak, and a container of leftover shallot vinaigrette caught my eye.  Perfect!  I smeared it over the steak, added some fancy garlic salt, and let it marinate while I baked the potatoes.

Flank steak is a fairly muscular cut of meat.  If cooked right, it can be tender and full of flavor, and there are a couple of secrets to getting it that way.  First, marinades, especially with tenderizing ingredients like salt and vinegar, add flavor and make the meat more malleable.  Second, these cuts must be eaten rare or medium rare.  Cooked more and they become almost inedible.  I had a one-inch-thick piece, and I broiled on high five minutes each side.  Third, they must rest at least 5-10 minutes after coming out of the heat before slicing.  I’m sure there’s some sort of chemistry and/or physics here at work,  but I don’t know exactly why it works.  But it works.  Finally, be sure to cut perpendicular to the grain.  This is easy with a long cut of meat.

While this was going on, I steamed some green beans to go with it. Nothing fancy; I just decided to enjoy the simple flavors of good beef, green beans and a baked potato (with salt and a dab of sour cream).  And that was exactly what my tired brain and body needed.

Invention

From inside, it looked like a warm summer day.  When I met my friend at the park, however, I realized that it was bitter cold and blustery, despite the clear blue sky and warm sunshine.  Our walk warmed me up a bit, but I got chilled again as I watched my son run around the play structure afterwards.

I needed hot soup, stat.

If necessity is the mother of invention, I’d have to say that this particular brainchild came out just fine.  I’d just simmered a Triple S chicken carcass for a couple of hours yesterday, so I had plenty of lovely stock.  I looked in the freezer for an appropriate meat base, but all I could find was some Triple S bulk breakfast sausage.  I wasn’t really sure what I’d been thinking on that one—I can’t remember the last time I had sausage for breakfast—but it would fit the bill now.  I had just bought four $1 organic “baby bella” mushroom (8 ounce) packages, knowing that meant they would need to be used up right away.  "Baby bella" mushrooms are actually crimini mushrooms, and are quite good for you, as mushrooms go.  I cleaned them and quartered them, including the stem.  I chopped two medium-sized onions, then shredded three giant Blue Moon Farm carrots (making about a cup and a half of shredded carrots).

I had recently seasoned my cast iron “cauldron”.  I had been recently noticing black flaking off the cooking surface, so I knew it was time.  Seasoning requires a very hot oven (450 or 500 degrees), some oil which can withstand very high temperatures (peanut, grape seed and coconut come to mind, but there are others; check labels), and time.  The result is an almost non-stick surface, minus the Teflon.  This was perfect for browning my pound of breakfast sausage, then adding in my onions and shredded carrots to sauté for a few minutes.  After that, the mushrooms were added in.  At this point, you couldn’t say that they were sautéing, but the mushrooms changed color a bit, and added some moisture to the mixture.  After all the mushrooms were no longer white, I added a half a cup of flour and cooked for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly.  The flour took up all the spare liquid, and all the vegetables were coated (much like my roux in the gumbo).  I added a half a cup of pinot grigio that was threatening to pack up to move to warmer climes, and a scant half-gallon jar of chicken stock, poured through a strainer to remove the top layer of fat.  Thyme, you ask?  But, of course!  A couple of teaspoons seemed to be the right amount.  I added a pinch of rosemary for good measure, and some of my favorite gourmet garlic salt.  The whole thing came to a boil, and then simmered for 30 minutes.  I added a half a cup of heavy cream at the end (which is, of course, optional), and could hardly wait to taste it.

By this time, I was thoroughly warmed up and didn’t really need the soup, but it seemed a nice way to end a lovely day outside.  I was also anxious to post this recipe; most of my past inventions have never been repeated, as I never write them down.  This one I can make again, on another chilly day.

Bacon Fat Tuesday

I hardly ever use recipes.  I should re-phrase that, actually.  I use recipes quite frequently; I never follow them to the letter.  Most dishes I make are an amalgam of several recipes I’ve downloaded from the internet, read in a cookbook, or inherited from family members, and my own quirky shortcuts.  And so it was with my shrimp and sausage gumbo last night….what was always a slightly complicated and time-consuming gumbo was reduced to its basic elements for a weeknight prep.  I had read several recipes and found the commonalities:  some sort of fat and flour to make a roux, onions, peppers, shrimp or fish, and spices providing that specific brand of Cajun heat.  Sausage was in several of the recipes, and I happened to have some Triple S Farms Andouille Bratwurst.  I cut it into bite-sized chunks and fried it up in the Cauldron.  I started defrosting the "anti-eco" shrimp (I promise I'll buy it from another source after I exhaust my supply!).  I then removed the sausage to a plate and kept it warm in the oven.  Triple S pigs seem to get a little too much exercise to provide enough fat to make a roux from the sausage, so I added in some stored (Triple S again!) bacon fat I’d saved from my breakfast-for-dinner meal.  It totaled about a half a cup of fat; I heated it thoroughly, then added—bit by bit—a half a cup of unbleached flour.  The tricky part of a roux is the temperature; too high and it will burn and be bitter; too low and it will taste like flour and not get that kind of cake-batter consistency.  Really, it should look like caramel-colored cake batter when you finish, even a bit more chocolaty if you can wait longer—which I couldn’t.  To avoid burning it, you should keep stirring constantly.  If you do it right, it will take 20-25 minutes.

Which is where my “quirky shortcut” comes in.

I figure if it’s blended, not burnt, and smells good, a light brown roux won’t kill anybody, so I save a chunk of time by adding the cut up vegetables earlier and not waiting until it’s dark brown (the dark roux tastes better, of course, but that will have to wait for a weekend).  A couple of cut-up bell peppers (I don’t like green, so I use orange and yellow), two cups of diced onions, and 3 or 4 stalks of cut-up celery are the most important.  Second shortcut:  I let the roux cook them for 5 or 10 minutes (not allowing them to burn) and make sure all the veggies are coated with the roux.  I don’t cook them for the whole 30 minutes that my recipe recommends.  At this point I add in diced tomatoes (3 large fresh or one 28-oz of canned) and 4 cups of chicken broth.  Stir, stir, stir.  Back in goes the sausage, then a package of cut-up frozen okra (fresh would be better, of course, if it’s available), and some Cajun spice (not too much, as the Andouille is pretty spicy) and a couple of bay leaves.  If you have leftover cooked chicken, you can add that in too, of course.  I bring the whole thing to a boil, then turn down to simmer, cover, and start my rice. The gumbo needs a good 35-40 minutes yet.   

I like brown rice for many many things, but it just doesn’t seem right for gumbo.  Long grain white rice cooks fairly quickly, so it will be ready and waiting by the time the gumbo is done.  I sauté the dry rice in a little olive oil, then add the water, cover, and bring to a boil.  When boiling, I lower the temperature to the lowest setting and don’t lift the lid for 15 minutes.  I check quickly, lifting the lid for a brief second without letting the steam escape.  When the rice looks done on the top and has little holes (like rabbit holes) all around the surface, it’s done.  Replace the lid tightly and let it sit for another 5-10 minutes.

Meanwhile, I pour a glass of wine and thank my husband for chopping veggies in advance.  I check my son’s homework and set the table.  My shrimp has been defrosted, and I make sure there’s not a lot of water left in the strainer.  I add it in to the gumbo for the last five minutes of cooking, just until the shrimp is pink, and the whole thing is heated through.  A scoop of rice and a ladle-full of gumbo—suddenly I’m in the Mardi Gras mood!  I’d give up many things for Lent, but not delicious food.

The Country, the Captain, the Chicken

Country Captain’s Chicken?  Captain’s Country Chicken?  I can never say this right, for some reason, so thankfully, it always turns out right.  Right now there’s a dearth of local food, except for my monthly Triple S Farms meat delivery.  So I opted for a whole chicken, thawed it in the fridge (2 days!), and made my husband cut it up.  I hate handling chicken, so slippery and surprisingly bloody (and he, strangely, seems to enjoy it somehow).  I brown the meat in a bit of sunflower oil in my cast iron “cauldron” and take it out, then add lots of chopped organic veggies:  onions, garlic, bell peppers (red and yellow this time), freshly grated ginger, and three chopped and peeled pink lady apples.  They’re supposed to be Granny Smith, but I use what I have on hand, and—more importantly—what I can buy organic at this time of year.  There are also supposed to be raisins added in later, but my son ate them all as his afternoon snack.  After a few minutes in the cauldron, I add three tablespoons of garam masala (my favorite and most versatile curry) and a pinch of cumin, and make sure it’s well blended.  Curry seems to best flavor a dish when heated up with the base vegetables first.  I add a huge can of diced tomatoes and three cups of chicken stock.  After it comes to a boil, I add a cup of long-grain rice and the chicken back in.  I cover the pot and put it in a 375 degree oven for 50 minutes.

The Captain and his Country Chicken seem to have originated in the south when curry, rice and ginger were quite a novelty, and brought by ship to the southern ports.  Tomatoes and apples are clearly a North American addition, but marry surprisingly well with the curry and ginger.  I found this dish quite a few years ago in an internet search for a chicken stew with some pizzazz (and, no, I did not use the word “pizzazz” in the search).  It would also probably do very nicely in the slow cooker.  Hopefully it will also chase away the mid-February blahs.

Breakfast for Dinner

If there’s one trick a daily cook has up his or her sleeve after countless days and evenings of meal planning and preparation, it’s making breakfast for dinner.  On the days when many people would just give up and go through a drive-through, I use my trump.  Breakfast is by far my favorite meal, and there are several options to choose from.  If I’m feeling really lazy, it’s granola, yogurt and fruit.  Oatmeal with nuts and raisins fit the bill for lighter fare.  If we haven’t already had our allotment of eggs, I make an omelet or frittata.  Tonight, however, pancakes and bacon called to me.

Last fall we went to a local orchard to get apples.  We asked the owner which apples kept the longest, and how we should store them.  He showed us several varieties that would last until December or January, and we dutifully put them in bags and stored them in the bottom of our spare refrigerator.  The last two big boys had been slightly ignored long past their expected shelf life, but this evening in mid-February remained without blemish, perfect still for cooking.  As there were only two, I decided to supplement with a quart bag of frozen cut-up peaches from last summer’s farmer’s market.  I peeled and sliced the apples, then added them with the frozen fruit to a saucepan; I sprinkled two tablespoons of demerara sugar and a teaspoon of ground ginger over the top, then added a ½ cup of water.  After the mixture came to a boil, I simmered it, uncovered, until the mixture was thickened to the consistency of applesauce.

While the compote was cooking, I defrosted some Triple S thick-cut nitrate-free bacon and put it into the oven at 350 degrees.  I usually use my giant cast iron skillet for this task, but I would need it for the pancakes…..OK, confession:  I actually forgot this, started out my bacon in the skillet, then moved the bacon into a 9 x 13 pan for the oven.  I thought the bacon grease would be great for the pancakes, but that was a serious error….

Meanwhile, I mixed up the pancake batter.  For this I “cheat”, since I’ve never found a baking mix better than the Trader Joe’s multigrain pancake mix.  (Please send me recipes if you find one!)  The first four pancakes got stuck to the bottom of my skillet.  The second four, after much wiping of bacon bits and spraying of canola oil, then coconut oil, didn’t turn out much better.  At the same time I was dancing around my boys, who had chosen this inopportune moment to empty the dishwasher.  By this time there were bits of pancake, oil, bacon and fruit syrup all over the stove.  It took quite a bit of effort to apologize profusely to the person on dish/kitchen-cleaning duty (tonight, my husband) while simultaneously trying to salvage the bacon-bit pancakes.

But whatever they were lacking in appearance, they made up for in flavor.  Topped by a warm, flavorful apple-peach-ginger compote with a side of perfectly cooked bacon, they were just what I’d been craving on the drive home…that is, when I had given up trying to come up with a “real” meal plan.

The stove and skillet were returned to their former glory...

Cervus Canadensis Stew

Did you know that the elk is one of the largest land mammals in the northern hemisphere?  

Of course, this is not what was running through my mind when scavenging through my freezer, trying to come up with a fantastically creative dinner—or really, just something to eat—on a Monday night.  But I had bought some elk meat from a local farm at the co-op, and it seemed like just the right thing for stew.

Thank goodness for microwave defrosting!  After I started cleaning and halving some small potatoes from the Moore’s farm (leaving the fiber-rich skin on), my son joined in the act to peel and slice some of those ridiculously sweet Blue Moon carrots.  I lassoed in my husband to mince three cloves of garlic while I chopped a couple of onions.  The potatoes and carrots went into boiling water, and the garlic, onions and defrosted ground meat went into my favorite cast iron pot (“the cauldron,” as I call it).  I browned the meat and added a half a cup of flour and made sure all the meat was coated; in went two cups of heated beef broth, two cups of hot vegetable broth, and a half a cup of wine.  After the carrots and potatoes were mostly done, I drained them and added them in.  A touch of salt, pepper, and a teaspoon of my favorite herb, thyme, completed this simple stew.  I simmered the stew for another 20 minutes or so, stirring often.  The elk meat wasn’t gamey, but added a deeper, richer flavor than beef.  Complemented by a slice of my favorite sourdough bread, a chunk of Pont-L’Evèque cheese, and a glass of a modest Côtes du Rhône, it was the perfect dinner for a snowy night.

Kale and Shrimp...with a Side of Guilt

I have to admit, fresh fruits and vegetables seduce me every time I go to a supermarket, even more so when I go to our local co-op.  The smallish fresh case is fairly bursting with deep green spinach, cheery red peppers, brilliant orange carrots…and rainbow chard.  I cannot resist.  My animal brain is attracted to the bright colors and vivid textures.  I go in with a list of four simple items (“bulk oregano, milk, yogurt, granola”), and come out with a huge reusable bag or two filled to the brim with kale, chard, carrots, potatoes, onions, shallots, garlic, salad mix, herbs….and the list goes on.  I cannot possibly use all this before it spoils, I tell myself.  I’ve got loads of frozen vegetables and fruits from last summer, I add.  The kids are never going to eat this, I argue.  All to no avail, they’re just too tempting.

This week was no exception.  I’ve been told kale is the one of the most nutritious of the leafy greens, and is one of the few vegetables that are actually considered in season in winter.  Eating vegetables in season is important, as you are eating the food at the peak of its nutritional offering; this kale has the added advantage of being local (from Blue Moon Farm, http://www.bluemoonfarm.biz/), so it doesn’t travel very far, and I can get it in its freshest time.  What to make?  Kale chips are a possibility, but the last time I made them too salty, and they get a little soggy if you don’t eat them right away.  Sautéed kale and pork chops sounded good, but if I know my son, he just won’t dig into a pile of greens.  Better to camouflage it somehow…hmm…..

Shrimp is not local.  But I know it’s a good source of nutrients only found in fish and seafood: Omega-3s, vitamin B12, and some of those harder-to-find nutrients like selenium.  (You can find a complete list of nutrition values for shrimp here: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=107)

Shrimp is also not “organic”.  When talking about fish and seafood, one must weigh the environmental effects with the nutrition.  Wild caught fish and seafood are better for us, of course, but our seas are seriously over-fished. (I’ve read one article claiming there will be no more wild-caught salmon by 2050).  Fish and seafood farming have an environmental impact, and the product tends to have the same problems as farming confined animals on land:  disease, poor diet, and higher levels of toxic chemicals.  I tried to find information about environmentally responsible shrimp, and found a great blog entry here: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/07/01/748999/-Marine-Life-Series,-DK-GreenRoots:-Responsible-Shrimp-Buying.  The bottom line, you ask?  According to the author, “The bottom line is if the shrimp is caught or farmed in temperate zones, there may be problems associated with harvesting the species, but they can still be considered an acceptable seafood choice, especially if used sparingly (like saving your shrimp meals for holidays and special occasions).  On the other hand, any tropical species of shrimp, whether wild caught or farm-raised, should be considered off limits. The human and ecological costs of harvesting these species of shrimp [are] unsustainable and frighteningly destructive to the marine and coastal environments.”

Unfortunately, I hadn’t read the article before buying the two-pound bag of shelled and deveined, tail-on, jumbo, farm-raised shrimp from Thailand.

So, it is with a mixture of guilt for the environmental impact and happiness for getting some much-needed nutrients into my growing people that I share my simple recipe.  I started with heating water to cook a package of whole-wheat penne pasta from the Amish bulk food store.  I separated the kale—2 bunches—from the stem, tore into smaller pieces, and put into my salad spinner to wash and remove some moisture.  I chopped a giant shallot and five cloves of garlic (this seems to be my “magic number” of garlic cloves for most recipes; you can use more or less to taste, of course).  I thawed and drained the shrimp according to package directions.  First, while the pasta was boiling, I threw the shallot and some olive oil into a deep skillet.  After a minute of sautéing, I added in the kale leaves and mixed in with the shallots for a minute.  I had some leftover chicken stock in the fridge, so I added about a cup of that and some salt.  This is braising, and basically just wilts the kale so it will be tender.  It only needs to cook without the lid for about three or four minutes.

Then I brought out my giant cast-iron skillet and added some high-heat sunflower oil.  I put the flame on high, threw in the garlic to warm, then I dried the shrimp on a towel and added them to the skillet.  To note:  this is a pretty quick dinner, so timing is important; the shrimp always get done more quickly than I think they will, and it’s important to not overcook them.  When they’re totally pink with no grey parts, turn off the heat; otherwise they’ll be rubbery and fishy tasting.  Just before finishing, I spritzed half a lemon on the shrimp; next time I’ll add some zest as well.  When everything was done, I drained the pasta and returned it to the pot, then added the kale (with the liquid) and shrimp, and mixed thoroughly.  My hungry crew dished it into pasta bowls and added liberal amounts of fresh grated parmesan (worth every penny over the green canister variety).  I’m sure that lots of different greens could be sneaked into this recipe, and my family assumed the kale was spinach until I corrected them.  Also, one could add some diced tomatoes and some heavy cream to the shrimp to make a heartier dish.

If you want to make this dish, and make sure it’s more environmentally responsible than my version, make sure to buy shrimp caught or farmed in temperate climates.  The shrimp may be smaller, or taste slightly different, but you will feel better about your choice.  I know I will.

Successful Leftovers

My family is not terribly fond of leftovers; tonight, however, was an exception.  Last night's black bean soup got reheated and beans smashed to thicken.  I microwaved the rice and set out separate bowls of shredded Mexican cheese, chopped green onions, jalapeños, salsa and sour cream.  I admit, not all ingredients were organic, but I always read my labels carefully when purchasing non-organic items.  The fewer the ingredients, the better; no MSG, no high fructose corn syrup, nothing I couldn't spell in a spelling bee.  I'm strictly organic on dairy. The tortillas were whole wheat.  Each family member could construct his or her own burrito.  As a result, the leftovers were successfully cleared away, everyone was making yum-yum noises, and no one had to go through a Taco Bell drive-through.  I consider that a success.

A Lovely Surprise

Everybody makes mistakes, and sometimes a lovely surprise ensues.  As I’ve mentioned, we get all our meat from local sources, and I’m a member of a buying club from Triple S farms, a family owned and run operation specializing in pastured, grass-fed, organic meats.  (See their site at www.triplesfarms.com)  I order the meat online once a month, and it’s delivered to an Urbana parking lot on the following Saturday morning.  This time was a big order, since I wasn’t in town for pickup the previous month.  I arrived, and as usual, they handed me a cooler bag full of meat and a receipt, I handed them the cooler bag from last time, and a check for the amount.  When I arrived home I discovered that one of my smoked sausages was a Jamaican smoked sausage instead of the plain one I’d ordered.  I could either complain and get a refund, or discover something new.  I opted for the second, considering it a new challenge.

So, today was another slow cooker enterprise.  I’d soaked black beans last night, but got up too late to do anything with them.  Unfortunately for him, but fortunately for me, my husband was staying home sick with a nasty cold; I wrote explicit instructions for him to add a minced onion (again, the potent ones from Greg; I figured with his cold, it might actually help him to cry a little), five minced cloves of garlic from the co-op (I called later to make sure he didn’t confuse cloves of garlic with heads of garlic), a couple of bay leaves (“those dry, crumbly leaves in a jar?!”), ¼ teaspoon of allspice (which I always associate with Jamaican food), a carton (4 cups) of organic chicken stock, 2 cups of water, and the Jamaican smoked sausage cut into 2-inch pieces.  I added some salt later.  I had him cook on high for 4 hours, then I reduced the heat to low when I came home for lunch, to cook for another 4 hours.

Jasmine rice, coconut milk, and pineapple are hardly local, but, hey, I had a theme going!  And I bought them all at our co-op.  When I got home, I made some brown jasmine rice, adding ½ cup of organic coconut milk to the rice with the water, which added a rich flavor and creamy texture.  I was glad to have rice on one side of the bowl, as the black bean soup had quite a kick!  With some pineapple and some red bell peppers on the side, we had a meal that would chase away any cold virus for sure.