The Adventurous Eater

Big News: We Are Engaged!

It's been a little while since my last post. I've been swamped at work until just a few weeks ago and, well, there hadn't been much to report in the food department. I've made some winners and some losers. We've eaten out a fair bit.

But now. Now there is news. And yes, I'm (ahem....we're!) excited.

I'm not allowed to "blow up" facebook with my news. Yet. But nothing says I can't blog about it.

On Sunday, June 28, just 4 days shy of our 6 and one half year anniversary, Jedd proposed. And I said yes.

There's no dramatic story other than it was a sunny day of perfect "us-ness" and perfect "New York-ness" and in my head I was even thinking to myself..."I wish I were the proposer instead of the proposee, because today would be the day, if any day, when I would do it."

And then he opened his arms wide, and did.

We've slowly been sharing the news with family and friends. We waited 5 WHOLE DAYS (a virtual eternity) before revealing the special secret to his parents upon arrival in VA for the long 4th of July weekend. My father and stepmom even drove up to meet us for a quick beach visit and dinner with Jedd's parents. The picture above is of a delicious grilled angel food cake with berries and cream made by Mike Farrell and co. at STILL in Portsmouth, VA. Fun was had by all. We're savoring the moment.

Upstate Weekend: Prosciutto and Basil Wrapped Peaches

This past weekend Jedd and I traveled a few hours north of NYC to the house of friends for a weekend getaway. Three couples, 24 hours, in the middle of the woods with a grill, lots of food, and beer. Not too shabby.

If I had taken a picture of everything everyone made I wouldn't have had time to enjoy any of it. There was really just so much goodness. From Barbara's Korean BBQ tacos and kimchi quesadillas to Nonie's delicious-like-a-brownie-top chocolate cookies, amazing rhubarb pie, homemade orange and star anise biscotti and breakfast tacos there was more than enough to fill the belly and summon a smile. But wait, there was more. We ordered BBQ takeout, grilled chicken legs on the grill, and made prosciutto & basil wrapped peaches.

At least I got a snapshot of the peaches. And the recipe is simple.  

Slice fresh peaches (white ones are nice and firm if you can find them). Wrap with a leaf of fresh basil and a slice of prosciutto. Skewer on a pre-soaked wooden skewer. Grill your peaches for a few minutes on each side. The prosciutto will start to look like bacon -- you'll know when to turn it. Grill on the other side for the same amount of time. Carefully remove from the grill and then from the skewers into a serving bowl.

Be careful to warn your friends so that they don't try to eat them straight away. It will be tempting. But you will burn your tongue. (Barbara.)

Lemon-Mint Granita

I'm not ashamed to admit it, sometimes I just straight up copy recipes that seem fun to try from some of my favorite blogs. (I hope you are getting my sarcasm...these days if you don't at least attempt to "make it your own" there's CLEARLY something wrong with you...again...sarcasm. Ha.)

So here it is, my straight up and tweaked only by necessity approach to Smitten Kitchen's Lemon-Mint Granita. Tart, cold, great for a hot day.

4 lemons
4 cups water
Sugar, to taste (she used 3 tablespoons, like a tart lemonade; I used 5 tablespoons of confectioners sugar...I'd recommend sticking with her version!)
Handful of fresh mint leaves

Clean and wash the lemons. Cut off the top quarter of the lemons and slice a thin bevel off the bottom, so they can stand up straight. (You can skip this step if you don’t want to serve them in frozen lemon cups. I skipped this step :) ) Using a grapefruit knife, carefully remove all of the lemon flesh and juice (working over a bowl ensures you won’t lose any), being careful not to cut through the bottom. Stand the lemon shells on a plate or cookie sheet and freeze until solid.

Using a food processor (a blender will work as well), toss a handful of washed and dried fresh mint leaves into the work bowl. (I used about 25 to 30 leaves from 6 to 9 sprigs.) Add the scooped out lemon flesh and juice, and pulse until mostly pureed. Let mixture stand for 15 minutes, so the mint releases its flavor, then press the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer. You’ll end up with approximately one cup of lemon-mint juice.

Stir in the water, then sugar, one tablespoon at a time until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is to your desire level of sweetness. Pour the mixture into a large roasting pan or baking dish, large enough that the liquid isn’t more than one-inch deep. (Otherwise it takes forever to freeze, trust me. A 9×13-inch pan worked great here.)

Freeze for one hour, then remove the mixture and scrape with two forks to break up the ice. (Your freezing time will vary, depending on the temperature and muscle of your freezer.) Return to the freezer and freeze until solid, about 2 to 3 hours, scraping it again with forks every hour or so.

When the granita is frozen, rake until glittery. Scoop into frozen lemon shells (or, you know, plain old dishes) and serve.

Zucchini stuffed with Quinoa, Kalamatas, Tomatoes, Capers, Onions & Cashews

I must say, going grocery shopping right after a decent workout leaves you walking out of the store with a much different set of ingredients than walking in when you are hungry at the end of a long day. The rational brain seems to take over. For me, anyway. I walked out yesterday with no less than a bunch of broccoli, 2 lemons, 1 baby eggplant, 2 portobello caps, 1 red bell pepper, 1 cucumber, 3 bananas, 1 carton of coconut water, 1 bunch of celery, and 1 head of fennel. I'm going to be eating greens for a long time.

But that said, I'm also trying to be better about using up the goodies I've already got to make more interesting (and cost efficient) meals.  My idea for roasting the zucchini just sort of happened, as I knew I wanted to use some of the cherry tomatoes I had bought a few days prior, some of the olives and capers that I had on hand, and put them in something. And adding a little whole grain into the mix always helps me with the "substance" factor that I often miss when eating fully veg.

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

Slice a zucchini in half and scoop out the centers. Begin to boil a medium sized pot of salted water for your quinoa. In a separate skillet with some olive oil/canola oil saute some diced onion, cherry tomatoes (I halved mine), pitted kalamata olives, capers, a little white wine vinegar, salt and whatever other herbs sound good to you. I used a pre-made mixture of dried shallots, dill, parsley, etc.  When the water boils, add your 1/2 cup or so of quinoa (it makes about 1.5 cups) and boil about 8-10 minutes or until tender; drain. Combine with your sauteed veg mixture and add in a small handful of raw cashews. Your zucchini are probably also ready around now so remove them from the oven, transfer to a plate, and scoop in your 'stuffing' to your heart's content. And don't be afraid to eat the leftovers as a second helping.

Sometimes You Just Want to Drink Your Veggies

A friend of mine recently asked about juicers via her status update on Facebook. I, of course, chimed in that I had one and loved it... But that was such a long time ago. I remember being thrilled to put it to work, and in fact made many a juice for any time of day alongside healthy raw food recipes (another trend in my life that has gone by the wayside).

It eventually just took up space on my kitchen cart, which in a tiny NYC kitchenette is valuable real estate for an unused appliance to occupy. Alas, I moved it up to the top shelf (a virtual no-man's land of unused "fantasy" food-making items). It was handily replaced by my KitchenAid stand mixer. Which I feel much better about because it gets MUCH more use. Well, more anyway.

But then. My friend updated her status with this question and I retrieved my poor juicer from the point of no return. I'm not sure it warrants a permanent space on my sink ledge, taking up even more space now that I have two large appliances in hand's reach. We'll see who wins this battle. Maybe for summer, the juicer stays.

The timing couldn't have been more perfect since I also started running again this past weekend. I've been such a slug for the last 6 months (and I'll blame it on winter) but have recently been inspired to become "un-fat" and "mo' healthy". Not temporarily, but more permanently. And Barbara, if you are reading this, thank you for being such a work-out nut that one can't help but be inspired by your raving over this class and that. I'll join. Soon. I just need to work up to it in solitude for a minute.

Ok so back to the juice. Simple. And quite beautiful, I might add.

This glass was processed in my rekindled, beloved Omega juicer using (washed):

3 medium carrots, root ends removed
2 stalks celery
1/4 fresh zucchini
2 slices yellow squash
1/4 red bell pepper, seeds removed
3 radishes, root ends removed

2 days later I made another version that simply consisted of:

3 medium carrots, root ends removed
2 gala apples, cut into chunks, core removed

Also quite tasty and refreshing.

For fear of turning orange I'm going to diversify my juicing habits, but this was a nice start.

My First Lemon Yogurt Cake

I haven't spent much time baking lately. None much at all really. I forget that just two years ago, just around this time, I was feverishly engrossed in the world of French pastry, falling in love with all that I didn't know I didn't know about the simple pleasures of sweets. It's amazing that in the time since then I still haven't attempted a simple, French staple: the lemon yogurt cake. As I understand it, no upstanding kitchenette should go too long without one. Neither too sweet nor too tart but somewhere easily settled in between, it's spongy texture waits for you whether you want a nibble in the morning, noon, or night. And let's just say it won't last long. I sliced up a piece for Jedd and before I could return to join him, it was gone!

Since it was my first time, I borrowed a recipe I knew I could trust from Molly over at Orangette including her explanation of the measurements as they should be:

Gâteau au Citron,
or, French-Style Yogurt Cake with Lemon
Adapted from Gâteaux de Mamie



Traditionally, the ingredients are measured in a yogurt jar, a small glass cylinder that holds about 125 ml. Because most American yogurts don't come in such smart packaging, you'll want to know that 1 jar equals about 1/2 cup.

For the cake:
1 jar plain yogurt
2 jars granulated sugar
3 large eggs
3 jars unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. grated lemon zest
1 jar canola oil

For the glaze:
Juice from 2 lemons
1/2 jar powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a large bowl, combine the yogurt, sugar, and eggs, stirring until well blended. Add the flour, baking powder, and zest, mixing to just combine. Add the oil and stir to incorporate. At first, it will look like a horrible, oily mess, but keep stirring, and it will come together into a smooth batter. Pour and scrape the batter into a buttered 9-inch round cake pan (after buttering, I sometimes line the bottom with a round of wax or parchment paper, and then I butter that too).

Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the cake feels springy to the touch and a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Do not overbake.

Cool cake on a rack for about 20 minutes; then turn it out of the pan to cool completely.

When the cake is thoroughly cooled, combine the lemon juice and powdered sugar in a small bowl and spoon it gently over the cake. The glaze will be thin and will soak in like a syrup.
Serve.


Variations: This type of yogurt-based cake is a terrific base for many improvisations. For a basic yogurt cake, simply leave out the lemon zest, and do not use the lemon juice glaze. For an almond version, try replacing 1 jar of flour with 1 jar of finely ground almonds. You can also play with adding various fruits (if frozen, do NOT thaw before adding) or nuts, if you like. When I add fruit, I generally pour half the cake batter into the prepared pan, top it with a layer of fruit, and then pour in the other half of the batter, sometimes adding more fruit on the very top.

A variation I plan to try is an "orange yogurt cake" in which I substitute some orange blossom water and orange zest in place of everything lemon.

Chinese Tea Eggs

My dad and I tend to chat a bit about food. We trade the recipes we've been trying out. We spout off the litany of good eats over the course of a weekend and the next meal that's in store. And sometimes we completely surprise each other. This was the case last Sunday, when he said "have you ever made Chinese tea eggs?" and proceeded to recite the intricate science of egg infusion. And of course, no good "surprise" conversation ends without a guarantee that I'll give it a try.

I'd seen these lovely crackle-stained eggs many times, but never adventured to try them for myself. But I sure am glad I did. They make a welcome snack at the end of a long day, or a bite for breakfast that's quite off the beaten path (yet still a bit familiar).

Recipe modified from allrecipes.com.

Ingredients

8 eggs
1 tsp salt

3 cups water
2 TBSP premium soy sauce
1/4 tsp salt
2 TBSP black tea leaves (or 2 black tea bag contents)
2 pods star anise
1 (2 inch) piece cinnamon stick
1 TBSP tangerine zest

Directions
1. In a large saucepan, combine eggs and 1 teaspoon salt; cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, reduce hear, and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat, drain, and cool. When cool, tap eggs with the back of a spoon to crack shells (do not remove shells).
2. In a large saucepan, combine 3 cups water, soy sauce, salt, tea leaves, star anise, cinnamon stick, and tangerine zest. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 3 hours. Remove from heat, add eggs, and let steep for at least 8 hours.

Footnote
Eggs can steep up to 1.5 days for richer flavor (I stored my eggs in the liquid in a glass bowl overnight and removed/remove shells in the morning). Store eggs unpeeled and tightly sealed in refrigerator. They will keep 4 to 5 days.

Wheat Berry Salad with Spring Vegetables

This morning began day 2 of the 80+ degree weather in NYC. I woke up and headed out to meet my sister at Central Park for a walk. We met near Columbus Circle and walked up through the park past the runners and joggers of the day's race, meandering here and there, all the way up to the reservoir. Though slightly daunting we decided to walk the whole way round that as well before calling it quits.

Thirst was sated but hunger loomed. We were both thinking about something healthy, fresh, cold. I remembered that I had just stocked up on various grains and vegetables, so I invited Sarah back to my place for lunch of wheat berry salad with fresh, thinly sliced radishes, celery, asparagus, ramp leaves, and mango in a light vinaigrette. Because the wheat berries can take up to an hour to become tender enough to eat, we each snacked on a small bowl of greek yogurt with honey and crushed almonds while we waited.

Boil 2 cups wheat berries in at least 6 cups salted water; simmer until tender, about 1 hour. Test periodically for doneness, they should be al dente.

I used my trusty mandoline to slice up a few radishes, a few stalks of asparagus, and two celery stalks. I took two ramp leaves and sliced them into strips.

Really you could do with just a bit of salt, pepper, and olive oil. Maybe a squeeze of lemon juice. Maybe a shave of parmesan. Because wheat berries are fairly sturdy and hearty grains they stand up well to bold flavors so I added a vinaigrette of 1 part balsamic, 3 parts olive oil, 1 TBSP dijon mustard, 1 TBSP honey, pinch sea salt.

When the wheat berries are ready, drain them and rinse thoroughly with cold water. Then toss with the rest of the ingredients and serve. Worth the wait!

I should note that I only tossed about 1/2 the wheat berries with my vegetable and dressing mixture; the other half I saved for another time, another creation.

Spring's Gift: Ramps

Ramps have been on the "hot-list" for a couple of years now. The special part about ramps is that they are the gift that keeps on giving, but they exist in limited quantities for a short period of time each year.

Today was the first 80+ degree day in NYC. I dragged Jedd through Madison Square Park and down to the Union Square greenmarket (with a promise to go with him to the closing sale at Virgin Megastore). Wading through the throngs of tourists and sun-seekers was worth it as I spied a table of the special greens. I bought two small bunches, enough for my first time playing with them, but also enough to do some real good.

I decided to preserve the tender ends by pickling them in an adapted version of various pickling recipes I'd found online.

Pickled ramps:

1 cup kosher salt
2 bunches ramps, cut from the main leaves, peeled and rinsed
2 cups lavender tarragon vinegar
1.5 cups sugar
1 cup water
1 star anise
2 whole cloves
8 peppercorns
2 bay leaves

Bring a pot of water to a boil with the cup of kosher salt -- should taste like salt water. Once it comes to a boil, blanch the ramp ends for about 60 seconds and drain. Preserve the water for use with pasta or quinoa or something else you might want to make.

In a sauce pot combine the vinegar, sugar, water and spices. Bring to a boil then simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Put drained ramps in a glass or stainless steel bowl, pour pickling liquid over top and let cool. Use as needed or store in an airtight container, refrigerated.

In addition, I washed a few of the leaves and dried them to use with my quinoa for dinner. Quinoa with ramp leaves, parmesan, some olive oil, a squeeze of lemon and some black pepper makes for a delightfully delicious meal, lunch or dinner.

Roasted Asparagus and Portobello with a Sunny Up Egg

Tonight's just one of those nights. Everything is so complicated lately. Work is complicated. Grey's Anatomy is complicated. Scheduling summer vacation is complicated. Tonight, I need simplicity. Some good wine and a good, simple, delicious dinner. I deserve it. Unfortunately, I also have to make it.

The menu: roasted asparagus, a portobello mushroom cap and a sunny side up egg.

Simply put, one of the most delicious and simple meals for one that you could think of.

Preheat your oven to 425 F.

Create a marinade of 1 part cider vinegar and 3 parts olive oil, whisk in 1 TBSP dijon mustard. Coat your cleaned, stem-removed portobello mushroom cap with the marinade and let sit for about 30 minutes.

In a half sheet pan line up your rinsed and trimmed asparagus stalks and brush with a light coat of olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and roast for about 15-20 minutes.

Saute the portobello for about 3-4 mins per side, then cover and "steam" for another 5 minutes.

In a separate teflon pan, cook one egg sunny side up. (Medium-low heat until the white is fully set).

Lay down your asparagus, then your mushroom cap, grate some parmesan over it all, then gently place the egg over top and sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper. You'll do it again soon, promise.