Sorry...

I know, I know- I have been really bad lately about updating. And to make it worse, I haven't even cooked that much in the past week and a half to update about! But I promise, I have a really good reason- two, actually...

I got kittens! Gus (left) and Sebastian (right). Needless to say, between adjusting to the two of them and my usual school/work loads, things have been pretty chaotic around the apartment and haven't left much time for cooking. I made a delicious pasta primavera with roasted vegetables from the original "Everyday Italian" cookbook for some friends the night before we ran the Cherry Blossom 10-Miler this Sunday, but didn't even have time or energy to take pictures! Such a bad blogger, I know... but how could you resist this?

Unfortunately, this week doesn't look to be much better in terms of chaos, but I'll try to make it work! First up is Passover on Wednesday- I'm bringing two side dishes to my friend Jill's sedar. So far, I'm thinking Ina's sauteed grape tomatoes with herbs and this recipe for braised spinach with shallots and pine nuts. Any other good suggestions for tasty and Passover-friendly vegetable sides?

Tartine Poireaux-Oeufs Brouillés: French-Style Open-Faced Sandwich with Leeks and Soft-Scrambled Eggs

My secret "escape plan" from my often monotonous days of work and law school is somewhat of a cliche, but that doesn't make it any less tempting. It's especially seductive in this crazy economy, when law students are no longer in demand, and I begin to question if there's a point to my years of studying, researching, and writing endless exams and papers on minute points of law. "If I get laid off...", I muse (often during class or a particularly mind-numbing research project at work), "I'd go to Paris and enroll in culinary school, resurrect my crappy high school French, and obtain fabulous style and joie de vivre."

Obviously, I have been reading too many books like this one- but it's a nice dream. One great aspect of living in D.C. is that I can pretend, on beautiful sunny days like this past Sunday when spring finally made an appearance, that it is a European city. To keep up this buoyant desire, I like to stroll down to the Dupont Market like it's one of the famed Parisian food marchets and buy fresh ingredients to make a delicious, sophisticated lunch.

This weekend, one of Molly's recipes (shocking, I know!) jumped out at me for this exact quality. I had never soft-scrambled eggs before, but the combination of fluffy curds and tender sauteed leeks seemed so perfectly French- flavorful, simple, yet luxurious.

I bought some leeks and farm fresh eggs at the market, reveling in the gorgeous spring weather that brought what seemed like every resident out of hibernation and into the sun. Then I went home and fixed this sandwich, and it was just bliss.

Ingredients

For the leeks:
3 small leeks
A nub of butter
1 tsp sugar
A pinch of salt
½ Tbs crème fraîche (note: I did not have crème fraîche when I made this, but I mixed my leftover leeks with a tablespoon of heavy cream the next day- it was astoundingly good. Next time, I will use the crème fraîche from the start!)

For the eggs:
2 large eggs
2 tsp water
1/8 tsp salt
A small nub of butter, melted

For serving:
Two or three bias-cut slices of baguette, or a large slice of country-style crusty bread, toasted
Salt
Freshly ground pepper

Directions

Begin by preparing the leeks: trim the root end off each leek, and slice them across their width into roughly ¼-inch-thick coins. Place the cut-up leeks in the basket insert of a salad spinner, place the basket in the bowl of the spinner, and fill the bowl with cold water. Let the leeks sit for a few minutes in the water; then use your hand to swish them around, loosening and removing any dirt that may be hidden in their layers. Remove the basket from the bowl, dump the water out of the bowl, return the basket to the bowl, and spin the leeks dry. [Alternately, if you don’t have a salad spinner, simply soak and wash the leeks in a bowl of water, and dry them with paper towels.]

In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the leeks, the sugar, and the salt, and stir to mix. Cover the skillet to allow the leeks to begin to sweat a bit, and, stirring occasionally and adjusting the heat as necessary if they begin to cook too quickly, allow the leeks to cook for about 15 minutes, until they are fragrant, soft, and almost melting. Add the crème fraîche, and cook the leeks a minute or two more, stirring in the crème fraîche as it melts. Set the skillet aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, water, salt, and melted butter. Pour this mixture into a small saucepan, and place it over low heat, whisking constantly. When the mixture begins to coagulate ever so slightly and form tiny oatmeal-like lumps, begin a little dance of removing the pot from the heat and replacing it so that the eggs don’t cook too quickly, and reach all over the corners and bottom of the pot with your whisk. The eggs are ready when they resemble loose oatmeal; the process should take between 5 and 9 minutes.


Place the slices of toasted bread on a plate, and spoon the scrambled eggs on top of them. Top the eggs with a layer of leeks. Serve immediately, with salt and pepper as needed.

Serves one, with leftover leeks.

Boat Food: Surf and Turf x 2

Last week, I was lucky enough to escape to Florida for a mini-spring break trip- it's not the worst state to be from when you get sick of northern winters! After a few great days at my best friend Mel's house in Jupiter, we drove up to Stuart to spend the weekend on my dad's boat- the infamous Cat Sass (say that slowly, and try not to laugh too hard).


But anyway, this is a food blog, so let's talk about what we ate! Friday night, my dad brought out these bad boys from the freezer- spiny Florida lobster tails he'd caught in the Keys last summer.

How to improve on perfection? Well, I guess some filets wouldn't hurt.


Dad threw the lobsters and steaks on the grill, I roasted some asparagus and made a chopped salad, and Mel overcame her seafood aversion in honor of the lobsters. It was the perfect boat meal!

(bliss)

Saturday night, Dad was eager to show off his new toy- a quesadilla maker. Uusally I'm not one for gadgets solely devoted to one thing, since my teeny D.C. condo kitchen is rather limited on storage space (although I make an exception for my ice cream maker!), but I had to admit that this was a good find. We had some leftover steak and lobster, so I sauteed some onions and peppers with the meat for the quesadilla filling.


Dad took over to show off the quesadilla maker's skills, and look how gorgeous that is- surf n' turf quesadilla!


In case you're in the market for one now, Dad stresses that you must get the model with the chili pepper on top- apparently the others are just sub-par. I'm not sure if the quesadillas would be quite as amazing as they were after a beautiful Florida day out on the water, but it's worth a shot!

Orangette in D.C.; Chana Masala

I guess it's not very "Irish" to make Indian food on St. Patrick's Day... but I'm not very Irish either, so I'm alright with it. Plus, today was a very happy "food nerd" day for me, and not in the corned beef and cabbage sense. Molly Wizenberg, the author of my very favorite food blog, Orangette, was in town to read from her (amazing) first book, "A Homemade Life"!


I absolutely adore Molly's gorgeous writing and her clean, simple recipes. I've made countless dishes from her blog- banana bread with chocolate and candied ginger, fresh mint ice cream, brown buttered corn, French leek and soft-scrambled eggs sandwiches, and of course the infamous sweet and spicy bacon- and can't think of one that disappointed. She has an especially amazing way with humble vegetables, like brussels sprouts or cauliflower, and her recipe index is a perfect resource for trying something new.

Just a quick summary of Molly's story and her fabulous blog, for those unfamiliar- after growing up in an Oklahoma food-loving family, she struggled to meld her love for cooking and food into a sustainable life and career plan (um, sounds familiar!). She sadly lost her father to cancer during her first year of graduate school- warning to those reading the book, I sobbed reading her wrenching and eloquent descriptions of her father's last weeks- and then spent time in Paris, where a friend suggested she start a "blog" about cooking as a way to write more.

A few years later, she has an award-winning and highly influential food blog, a delightful-sounding husband who she met through the blog (possibly the cutest story of all time), and a fantastic book, with hopefully more in the future.


As we waited in Borders today, I paged through the recipe pages I'd bookmarked, looking for the first dish to make from the book. I decided to start with "Brandon's chana masala", in order to accomplish one of my resolutions of cooking Indian food at home for the first time- plus, it sounded delicious and simple.

After purchasing a bottle of garam masala spice, I now have all of the requisite spices and only need canned tomatoes, chickpeas, onion, and garlic in my pantry to make this anytime. Although it's not the quickest of dishes, requiring a lot of stirring and waiting patiently for the water to absorb into the ingredients, it's certainly worth the wait.

The process is simple- browned onions mix with spices and water, then tomatoes and chickpeas join in and cook together. The end result is humble in appearance, but when you dig in, you realize the complex layers of flavor from the spices.


I mixed in some Greek yogurt to finish, and it was the perfect compliment to the cayenne pepper's heat. Molly notes that her husband's preferred serving is to omit the yogurt and squeeze a few lemon wedges over the dish, which I will have to try tomorrow (leftovers!).


So, thank you, Molly and Brandon- for your fantastic blog, your wonderful book, and now, your chana masala recipe!

Ingredients

Good-quality olive oil
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp ground coriander
¼ tsp ground ginger
1 tsp garam masala
3 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
1 tsp kosher salt, or to taste
1 Tbs cilantro leaves, roughly torn, plus more for garnish
Pinch of cayenne pepper
2 15-ounce cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
6-8 Tbs plain whole-milk yogurt, optional
A few lemon wedges, optional

Directions

Film the bottom of a large saucepan or Dutch oven—preferably not nonstick—with olive oil, and place the pan over medium heat. Add the onion, and cook, stirring frequently, until it is deeply caramelized and even charred in some spots. Be patient. The more color, the more full-flavored the final dish will be.

Reduce the heat to low. Add the garlic, stirring, and add a bit more oil if the pan seems dry. Add the cumin seeds, coriander, ginger, garam masala, and cardamom pods, and fry them, stirring constantly, until fragrant and toasty, about 30 seconds. Add ¼ cup water, and stir to scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook until the water has evaporated away completely. Pour in the juice from can of tomatoes, followed by the tomatoes themselves, using your hands to break them apart as you add them; alternatively, add them whole and crush them in the pot with a potato masher. Add the salt.

Raise the heat to medium, and bring the pot to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, add the cilantro and cayenne, and simmer the sauce gently, stirring occasionally, until it reduces a bit and begins to thicken. Taste, and adjust the seasoning as necessary. Add the chickpeas, stirring well, and cook over low heat for about five minutes. Add 2 Tbs water, and cook for another five minutes. Add another 2 Tbs water, and cook until the water is absorbed, a few minutes more. This process of adding and cooking off water helps to concentrate the sauce’s flavor and makes the chickpeas more tender and toothsome. Taste, and adjust the seasoning as necessary.

Stir in the yogurt, if you like, or garnish with lemon wedges and cilantro. Serve.

Yield: About four servings

Oriecchette with Sausage and Broccoli Rabe

I've been hesitant about posting this recipe, because honestly... I really didn't like it that much. It's rare for me to make something that completely falls short of my expectations since I know my own taste pretty well at this point, but this was sort of a bummer.

But, there's really nothing wrong with it... I think (and please, hold the "that's what she said" comments for this next statement!) that it was really just too much of a strong sausage-y dish for my taste. Hehe. Ok! Moving on...

My main motivation for trying this dish was that I have never cooked with broccoli rabe, and it seemed like a no-brainer. I love broccoli, greens, and pretty much anything remotely related to Italian cooking, so this hit the trifecta.

(that is a whole lot of broccoli rabe)

Oh- the recipe. I used Giada's recipe, but since I can't fathom using a turkey product when there could be pork involved, I used regular spicy Italian sausage.

(That's what she... no.)

First up, I washed and chopped a huge mess of the broccoli rabe, then gave it a quick bath in boiling salted water. So far, so good.

(veggie spa treatment)

Next up came the sausage, and then this recipe hit its first snag for me. Everywhere I looked, recipes for this dish asked for the sausage to be cooked with the casings "removed", and I quickly realized that this was no easy task. It's hard for me to get too grossed out cooking, but let's just say that dissecting sausage innards is not high on my favorite activities list now.

(sausage guts... yum)

I tried using this link as a reference guide, but... I wouldn't recommend it. This is not a process for the faint of heart!

Finally (or so it felt), the sausage dissection was complete and the recipe went easy enough from there. I sauteed the sausage innards (sorry, I can't stop dropping gross descriptions!) with garlic and red pepper flakes, and at the same time cooked the pasta in the broccoli rabe water. This was my first time cooking with oreiecchette- or "orecchiette", per the box, who knows- and it is a delicious, hearty pasta.

Once the sausage and pasta were done, you just get everything into the sausage skillet and mix it together with a bit of pasta water and Parmesan cheese.


So... it's a good dish, just not one that will make my "repeat over and over again" list. I think the sausage is a very strong flavor, and the equally strong, slightly bitter taste of the broccoli rabe seemed to fight with it instead of meld harmoniously like I'd envisioned. I think I'll experiment further with broccoli rabe, since that was my favorite part of the dish- any ideas would be very welcome!


Ingredients

• 2 bunches broccoli rabe, stems trimmed
• 1 pound orecchiette pasta
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pound spicy Italian-style sausage, casings removed
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• Pinch dried crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  

Directions

Cook the broccoli rabe in a large pot of boiling salted water until crisp tender, about 1 minute. Transfer the broccoli rabe to a large bowl of ice water to cool, saving the cooking water. Bring the reserved cooking water back to a boil.

Heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook, breaking it up into pieces with a spoon, until browned and juices form, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes, and saute until fragrant, about 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, when the reserved cooking water is boiling, add the orecchiette and cook until al dente, tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes.

Drain the broccoli rabe and add it to the pan with the sausage mixture and toss to coat with the juices. Add the pasta to the skillet. Stir in the Parmesan and about 1/4 cup of the pasta water, and serve immediately.

Chicken Piccata; Creamed Broccoli with Parmesan

Tonight marks my first recipe for a recent online find that I'm excited about- an Ina Garten recipe group! Since my goals for this blog are to push myself with new techniques and new recipes, I joined the Barefoot Bloggers- a collection of food bloggers who try out Barefoot Contessa recipes twice a month. I'm hoping that participating in this group will get me baking more often and trying preparations that normally wouldn't be my first choice (hello, fish!).

(I'll try to make you proud, Ina)

Ironically, the first recipe that came up since I joined is one that I've already made- Ina's Chicken Piccata. Although it's not brand-new to me, it's a great method for chicken piccata... and I can never resist a chance to make a lemon-butter sauce!

(Photo courtesy of FoodNetwork.com)

With the chicken piccata, I decided to make a recipe I'd flagged in this month's Gourmet: creamed broccoli with Parmesan. I adore creamed spinach but have never had creamed broccoli! It's a simple recipe and creates a very elegant and flavorful side dish. My only change would be to decrease the amount of cream- the recipe calls for 1 cup, but I found that this made it very watery and had to drain a lot off. The next time I make this (which will probably be very soon!), I'll just use 1/2 cup.

(Photo courtesy of Gourmet
Magazine and Epicurious.com)

Ingredients

1 bunch broccoli (1 1/4 pounds)
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
3 tablespoons grated parmesan
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Peel broccoli stems, then coarsely chop stems and florets. Cook broccoli in boiling salted water (1 1/2 teaspoons salt for 4 quarts water) until just tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Drain in a colander and run under cold water to stop cooking.

Simmer cream, garlic, nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper in a medium saucepan, uncovered, until slightly thickened and reduced to about 2/3 cup, about 5 minutes.

Add broccoli and simmer, mashing with a potato masher, until coarsely mashed and heated through, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in parmesan and lemon juice.

(So, it may look a bit like baby food,but it is DELICIOUS baby food!)

Onto the piccata! I remember from my previous try at this recipe that it is VERY lemony, something that usually works quite well for my tastes but could be too much for others. A quick browse through the recipe reviews online showed that this was a common impression (and it turns out, the amounts of lemon juice and wine are unchanged from the book version of the recipe, which serves 4 instead of 2), so I figured that the preparation wouldn't suffer if I decreased the amount of lemon juice.

Ingredients

2 split (1 whole) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 extra-large egg (*NOTE: Ina loves her extra-large eggs, but they are impossible to find- for me, at least. Since this is only for one egg, it will be fine if you use a large egg and add a smidge more water to the egg/water mixture.)
1/2 tablespoon water
3/4 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs
Good olive oil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, divided
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (1 lemon), lemon halves reserved
1/2 cup dry white wine
Sliced lemon, for serving
Chopped fresh parsley leaves, for serving

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Place each chicken breast between 2 sheets of parchment paper or plastic wrap and pound out to 1/4-inch thick. Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper.

Mix the flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper in a shallow plate. In a second plate, beat the egg and 1/2 tablespoon of water together. Place the bread crumbs on a third plate. Dip each chicken breast first in the flour, shake off the excess, and then dip in the egg and bread crumb mixtures.

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large saute pan over medium to medium-low heat. Add the chicken breasts and cook for 2 minutes on each side, until browned. Place them on the sheet pan and allow them to bake for 5 to 10 minutes while you make the sauce.

For the sauce, wipe out the saute pan with a dry paper towel. Over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter and then add the lemon juice, wine, the reserved lemon halves, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Boil over high heat until reduced in half, about 2 minutes.

Off the heat, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and swirl to combine. Discard the lemon halves and serve 1 chicken breast on each plate. Spoon on the sauce and serve with a slice of lemon and a sprinkling of fresh parsley.

Culinary Resolutions

fSo, it's a little late (2 months, oops!) but I've seen a few lists of Culinary Resolutions making the local food blog rounds and, like that inescapable Facebook "25 Things" note, I finally couldn't resist. And since LDB celebrated its one-month birthday this past Sunday (!!), what better time to set some goals for the future?

La Dolce Bacon 2009 Culinary Resolutions:

* Make Thai food at home, to make up for the thousands of carry-out green chicken curries I've brought into the office


* Try making fresh pasta, even if it's just to give me an excuse to buy the pasta roller attachment for my Kitchen-Aid

* I've already been working on this, but one overall goal I have for this year is to make and eat more "meat secondary" dishes. I've been eating vegetarian mains much more often since I read this article, and it's nice to know that I can definitely remove meat from my meals a few times a week and be just as happy.

* Cook something with the following ingredients for the first time:
* Fennel
* Rhubarb
* Star anise (since I was gifted with a bottle for Christmas- thanks, Cat!)

* Make FISH! For a Floridian, my seafood skills are sorely lacking (except for shrimp, but that shouldn't really count) and I have never made fish at home.

* Poach an egg- it sounds easy enough when I read it in recipes, but I've never actually done it!


If you have any other suggestions that I should try this year, please let me know!