Foodmomiac

Trader Joe's Lentils

First of all, thank you all so much for your great suggestions for my weeknight dinner dilemma. Most of your suggestions were terrific, and I plan on trying most of them as I make my way through this new world of working long hours outside of the home.

The solution I tried tonight worked out very well. We left work early! Michael and I drive home together, and we were both ready to leave at 4:50, which is rare. Leaving just before 5pm makes a world of difference in terms of traffic. We were home before 5:15, and I think most of the time was spent traveling down in the elevator from the 64th floor!

I also left a note for our nanny on our white board. As soon as I started this job, I hung a giant white board in my kitchen. This is information central. I write down Dylan's daily activity (swimming, stage, dance), tell her about any errands that need to be done, etc. This morning I wrote, "I am making dinner tonight! Please try to hold the kids off with snacks (especially Dylan). Thanks!" Everything worked beautifully. We were home early, dinner came together in minutes, and we were eating dinner as a family before 6pm. I even managed to give both kids a bath before bed.

It should come as no surprise that I relied on Trader Joe's for my dinner. This place was custom-built for the working mom. The star of tonight's meal was their steamed lentils. Made by Melissa's, these are little French lentils, and they are pre-cooked and vacuum sealed. You just cut open the package with a pair of scissors and you are good to go!

Lentils and Greens

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium sweet onion, diced
1 small package diced Pancetta (from Trader Joe's)
1 package Greens with Envy (a frozen mix of spinach, broccoli, asparagus, green beans and edamame from Trader Joe's), defrosted
1 package steamed lentils

Heat a large saute pan over medium high heat. Add olive oil. Add onion and saute until translucent. Add the Pancetta and cook until it starts to render and brown. Put greens in the pan and cook until heated through. Add lentils. Cover pan and turn heat to low. Cook for another five minutes or so.

We served this over white rice and topped with a splash of soy sauce and some Sriracha.

Stuffed Cabbage

Click to Play

Another cooking video for your viewing pleasure. This week, I made stuffed cabbage a la Michael’s Aunt Pat. Actually, she and his grandmother refer to this dish as Pigs in a Blanket, but to me, that’s something else altogether. ANYWAY, this was a very easy dish, and I made it in the crockpot, as part of my ongoing effort to tame the slow cooker beast. You could prepare the entire dish the night before and just throw it in the fridge overnight so that in the morning, you just need to turn on the crockpot and go. Incidentally, Dylan LOVED this. She kept expounding on how delicious it was, and how I did such a great job flavoring it. She ate it twice; once with me, and then again an hour later, when Michael had his serving (halftime of the Pats/Colts game). Max also had two servings. I added a touch of sour cream to my plate to mellow the flavors. I thought it was a nice touch, but it is fine without it. Enjoy!

Careers and Crockpots and Carnitas, Oh My!

  Carnitas 
  Originally uploaded by Foodmomiac.

I get a lot of Dear Foodmomiac questions about crockpot cooking. And, much like the question I answered last week, I tend to ignore them. I do have two crockpots, and I use them occasionally, but I don't have any real philosophy on the matter. I love them in principle. But... much of the food that comes out of them seems to taste the same. There are some exceptions. I can make a mean crock pot chili. OK, that's the only exception I can think of right now. BUT! My life is about to get REALLY interesting (a.k.a. crazy busy), so I have decided to embrace the crockpot. I will make the crockpot my beyotch, people. The crockpot is going to BEND to my will.

Well, then.

First, my life. I have accepted a fulltime job as VP at the same company Michael works at. His office will be very close to mine, but we have decided to ignore each other completely while working. (kind of kidding. a bit.) We work for different, yet synergistic (corporate speak - I'm good, aren't I?) departments, so truly, we won't have to interact too much. I'm hoping that he gives me a ride home occasionally, though.

Next, the crockpot questions. As I said, I'm going to be doing a lot more crockpot cooking. I will be working quite a bit, but I still want to cook, and I still want to have nutritious and delicious meals for my family.

Last week, in my de-lurking post, I asked for questions, and I got a great one from Shelia. She wanted to know if I had a recipe for Carnitas. Well, no, I have no recipe for Carnitas, but, I just read one that sounded promising on another blog. And, believe it or not, when I read that recipe, I thought to myself that it sounded like an ideal candidate for the crockpot. And, so, the foodmomiac Carnitas recipe was born. And, it was good! Michael and I got home at 6:05. We were sitting at the table eating by 6:30.

Carnitas
Inspired by Elise Bauer of Simply Recipes

4 lb. boneless pork shoulder, trimmed of fat and cut into 1-2 inch chunks
1 16 oz. jar salsa
1 can beef broth

Place pork into a crockpot with the salsa and broth. Add some water if the meat is not covered. Cook on low for 8 hours (ish).

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Pull the meat out of the liquid with tongs and place it on a baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes. Serve with warm corn tortillas and your choice of toppings. We had avocado, fresh salsa, grated cheese and sour cream.

Cajun Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya

  Cajun Jambalaya 
  Originally uploaded by Foodmomiac.

Last week, Michael and I were up late watching TV, and we caught an episode of Bobby Flay's Throwdown on the Food Network. Have you seen this show? Flay is, admittedly, a bit irritating, but it's a fun concept. He travels around to different areas of the country and challenges a local food expert on their native specialty.

As you can probably guess by now, we caught the episode in which he traveled to New Orleans and challenged Jambalaya expert Emile Stieffel. There was no contest. Stieffel's Jambalaya was preferred by everyone who tasted it, and after watching the show, Michael and I decided that we needed to try it for ourselves. It looked amazing.

I found the recipe online. It had been scaled down from a (very) bulk recipe that was meant to serve hordes of hungry cajuns, so some of the measurements were a bit odd. However, after a little visit to our beloved Paulina Meat Market and a few adjustments, we ended up with an extraordinarily delicious and extraordinarily easy weekend meal. I used andouille, though Stieffel recommends just a mild smoked sausage, so our version was SPICY. Dylie was sick so she didn't have any, but Max did us proud and ate away. He's a tough little dude.

Jambalaya

1 pound andouille sausage
1-1/4 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-2 inch chunks
3 onions, diced
3 large cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 pound tasso, cubed (this is a very highly spiced cajun ham - if you can't find it, you can use regular ham, but you might need to add some extra hot sauce after the dish is complete)
1 tsp. herbes de provence (or, 1/2 teaspoon each thyme and basil)
lots of freshly ground black pepper
26 oz. chicken stock
5/8 pound long-grain rice

Heat a large, heavy pot (I used my giant Le Creuset dutch oven) over high heat. Add the sausage. Move it around frequently with a metal spatula so that the meat doesn't burn. Once the sausage is browned up a bit, add the chicken. Brown it on all sides.

Lower the heat to medium and add the onions and garlic. Cook for about 10 minutes or so. You want the onion to turn translucent. Continue to move everything around a lot, scraping the bottom of the pot to get up all the good bits.

Add the tasso, the herbs, and the black pepper. Simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. This should start to smell really good.

At this point, you can cool this mixture to room temperature and then put it in the fridge. This will concentrate the flavors, and will allow you to make this in advance.

When you are ready to finish the jambalaya, put it back in the pot, add the stock and bring it to a boil. Add the rice and reduce the heat to medium. Make sure none of the rice is sticking to the bottom of the pot. Once the stock returns to a boil, reduce the heat to simmer, cover the pot, and DO NOT TOUCH A THING FOR 25 MINUTES.

Voila!

Sunday Night Dinner - Rack of Lamb

  Rack of Lamb with Parsley and Garlic  Crust 
  Originally uploaded by Foodmomiac.

Michael went shopping at Costco yesterday morning, and he came back with a beautiful Austrailian rack of lamb. I had never made one before, so I spent some time looking for a recipe, both in my cookbooks and online. I settled on the first one on this page. I liked the fact it had a crust, and it seemed like an easy preparation. It truly was. However, it was definitely not done after 20 minutes in the oven and reaching a temperature of 120. We ended up throwing it under the broiler for an additional eight minutes. This yielded a perfectly medium rare rack of lamb. Dylan loved it too.

Served alongside the lamb was broccoli and mashed potato and celery root. To prepare the broccoli, I cut it into skinny stalks and then steamed it until tender. I then sauteed it in butter and garlic (using the same pan that I used for the lamb - less cleaning!). For the potatoes, I peeled and cut five yukon gold potatoes along with a large celery root. These were boiled in salted water until tender. I then mashed them with two tablespoons of butter and a healthy glug of whole milk. (This is a really good way to sneak some vegetables into your child's diet, if you have a child who doesn't like vegetables.)

Michael's Oxtail Vegetable Soup

  Michael's Oxtail Vegetable Soup 
  Originally uploaded by Foodmomiac.

OK, this recipe is VERY loosey-goosey, and you can riff on it as you like. Here is what we did:

Oxtail Soup
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped
6 pieces of oxtail
1 yellow onion, sliced thinly
1 cup beef broth
1/2 cup sweet vermouth (or any wine)
1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1 4 oz. can tomato paste
4 (or more) cups of water
1-2 cup lima beans (we used the fresh, refrigerated kind - frozen would be fine as well)
4 carrots, chopped
1/2 head cauliflower, chopped
1-2 cups fresh green beans, chopped
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1 yellow squash, chopped
1 cup leftover bordelaise or gravy (optional)
1 can baby peas (frozen is fine too)
1 cup pearl barley
tabasco, salt and pepper to taste
Parmigiano Reggiano

Heat olive oil in a large, heavy Dutch oven. Add garlic and quickly saute. Do not let it brown. Add the oxtail and brown on all sides. Be careful not to scorch the garlic. Add the sliced yellow onion, broth and wine. Scrape the bottom of the pot to deglaze. Add crushed tomatoes, tomato paste and water. You can add more water as needed throughout.

Let simmer for 2-3 hours.

Add lima beans, carrots, cauliflower, corn, green beans and squash.

Let cook another hour or two.

Add leftover gravy or Bordelaise if using. At this point, you can refrigerate the soup overnight.

About an hour before serving, heat the soup and add a can of peas and a cup of pearl barley. Add more water if the soup is too thick. Season to taste with salt, pepper and Tabasco.

Serve with freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano.

Grilled Ribeye (a guest post by Michael)

  Grilled Ribeye with Bordelaise, Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Roasted Cauliflower 
  Originally uploaded by Foodmomiac.

Yesterday, we visited our favorite butcher shop in Chicago, the Paulina Meat Market. Our visit was impromptu and mainly out of necessity; after returning from our trip to New Orleans we had nothing in the house to eat for lunch. We needed some good lunch meat. Upon entering the market, Danielle and I glanced at each other as we took in the wonderful smell of smoked meat and spices. No words needed. I'm notorious for shopping on an empty stomach, returning home with a variety of obscure treats that get tossed into their various storage spaces, only to remain there until they fossilize. This excursion could easily fit the pattern.

Thankfully, this time Danielle was with me. Still, for the most part, I was undaunted. Usually, when I enter PMM, there is quite a wait which gives me plenty of time to formulate my strategy (and sample some of the goodies they've set out for customers). Unfortunately, just as I was pulling a "31" from the little pig dispenser, they announced "28." Oh shit, I thought. I quickly started scanning the meat case. Pork, Lamb, Beef, Chicken, sausages (at least 10 varities), smoked meats, lunch meats, in that order. I knew that once we got to the lunch meats we'd have plenty of time to think (because of all the slicing that takes place), so my immediate focus became large items suitable for grilling. Then I heard someone yell "31." The moment of truth. Why do I create pressure out of nonsense? Should I buy the rack of lamb? The beautiful porterhouse with the full filet? No, no, look at that standing rib roast. Wow, that looks fantastic.

I asked the butcher to slice me two steaks both about 1.75-2.0 inches thick. I failed to tell him to leave the bone-in, which resulted in another moment of panic when I thought he removed the bone. Thank god he didn't. Unfortunately, most Americans only experience rib-eyes in their boneless variety, which is a real travesty. The only way to eat this steak is with the bone-in.

After purchasing the steaks, of course we proceeded to fill our basket with ox-tail for soup, various lunch meats, bacon, and, oh yeah, a fresh duck.

When we got back home, I unwrapped the steaks . These things had more marble than the Louvre. I decided to make steak au poivre. First I applied coarse salt on both sides. Then I minced three cloves of garlic and rubbed it on. I also crushed a small handful of tellicherrry peppercorns and sprinkled them on both sides of the steaks. I didn't completely coat the steaks with pepper, like they do at Les Halles in New York but I was still pretty liberal. Finally, I drizzled olive oil on the steaks and let them sit for a few hours at room temperature.

Since we're now in the throes of global warming, it was a perfect December night for grillin' and chillin'. I poured a stiff Manhattan and headed outdoors. I set all three burners to high and let the grill preheat. Once it was an extremely hot 550+ degrees, I threw the steaks on, reduced the heat to medium-high and closed the lid. I let the steaks cook unabated for about 6 minutes. Even with the lid closed the steaks were getting charred, just how we like them. I then flipped the steaks and let them go for another 5 minutes or so, on  direct heat. Then, I cranked the heat back to high and placed them on an elevated rack, with the lid closed for another 7 minutes or so.

With all the marbelization, these steaks tend to generate significant flames. This is good. When these cuts are cooked at moderate heat, they arrive on a plate with significant helpings of gelatinous fat a la prime rib. I think this is kind of gross. Extreme heat melts and burns off much of the fat. Also, whereas, I prefer most steaks Pittsburgh-style (charred but rare), over the years I've learned that these steaks are actually delicious when done medium-well. Because of the marbelization, the meat is still incredibly moist and tender even though it is thoroughly cooked.

Note from Danielle:

Michael asked me to make a Bordelaise sauce for the steaks. That's our favorite accompaniment at Mancy's, the best steakhouse in Toledo. I found a recipe in the New York Times cookbook, made a few adjustments (due to lack of ingredients in the house), and ended up with a damn good sauce (that photographs HORRIBLY, please ignore the shiny pink sauce). I also made roasted garlic mashed potatoes and roasted cauliflower. Oh, and a salad.

Bordelaise Sauce

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons finely minced shallots (I used dehydrated onion, b/c I was lazy)
3/4 cup dry red wine
1-1/2 cups brown sauce or canned beef gravy (I quickly made some beef gravy using beef broth and a roux)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons minced parsley (I omitted)
salt and cayenne pepper to taste (I used black pepper instead)
3/4 cup sliced mushrooms, cooked in a little butter (optional, and I left them out)

Melt the butter in a small pot and cook shallots until transparent. Add the wine and simmer until it is reduced by half. Add the remaining ingredients and cook on very low heat until it is the desired thickness. (We cooked it for over an hour because we had the time available and because we wanted it very thick. If you want a thick sauce but do not have an hour to spare, you can easily thicken it with roux.)

Pot Roast Bolognese

  Pot Roast Bolognese 
  Originally uploaded by Foodmomiac.

I made this and blogged about it over a year ago, but it's worth re-visiting.  This is my favorite way to use up leftover brisket or pot roast. One of the best things about the recipe is how easy it is to riff on it. It's pretty hard to screw this one up. The recipe calls for white wine. I used red. It calls for leftover gravy or reduced beef stock (so fussy!). I used canned vegetable stock. Just play around. This stuff is good.

EDIT TO ADD LINK TO RECIPE: Click!

I served it with a fun little salad made of butter lettuce, avocado, pink grapefruit and marcona almonds.

For dessert, Dylan and I had a blast with the Hanukkah gift she opened tonight. It was a cookbook from my aunt and uncle called the Pink Princess Cookbook. What a cute idea. If you click through to the photo set, you'll see that Dylie was decked out in some stylish hot pink chefwear (another Hanukkah gift from my aunt and uncle). We had a great time. I can't believe how many projects we've already undertaken, and her winter break is only 10 hours old. It is going to be a LOOOOOOONG couple of weeks.

Oh, and one more click, if you want a laugh. Max got himself in quite a pickle earlier this evening. Check it out.

Brisket and Latkes

  Brisket and Latkes 
  Originally uploaded by Foodmomiac.

This was an awesome dinner. The only problem with it was the sheer volume of food I prepared. The brisket can be re-purposed (bolognese tomorrow night), but the leftover latkes are a lost cause. I don't know what inspired me to make five pounds of potatoes for four people, but I just couldn't stop myself. So ridiculous.

But ANYWAY. When making brisket, please use this recipe. Make it a day or two before you plan to serve it. After it cools, slice it, and then let it hang out in the fridge, just soaking up the juices. You will be blown away by the tenderness and the flavor. This is a fabulous dish to make for guests, because you can do all of the work ahead of time.

And latkes? You need to follow Jason Perlow's lead. I didn't go as far as using schmaltz, but the addition of carmelized onions and the sheer volume of onions (I used a total of 10 - 6 carmelized and 4 raw) was mind-opening. (We didn't use any green onion - just some nice, stinky, organic yellow guys.)

Fending and Giving

Fending
Tonight was a "fend for yourself" night. The original plan was to get a rotisserie chicken, but when it was time to go out and get it, I realized that I was just not in the mood. Dylan agreed, and said that she'd prefer leftover bratwurst. So... that's what she ate. Max had leftover spaghetti with the tomato butter sauce, and I had leftover spaghetti tossed with a little chunk of REALLY ripe domestic camembert and lots of freshly ground black pepper.

Giving
I've got three things to share here. First, please be sure to click the "The Find" ad over to your left. Once you get to the site, search for something red. Doesn't matter what it is; red ipod, red shoes, red bracelet... you get the point. For each red search, The Find will donate $1 to Doctors without Borders, up to a maximunm of $10,000. Cool, right?

Second, want some great food-related goodies? Check out Menu for Hope III. This year, Menu for Hope III raises funds to support the UN World Food Programme, which provides hunger relief for needy people worldwide. Here's how it works. First, go to Chez Pim to see the entire round-up of prizes. Then, go to the donation page and make a donation. Each $10 will give you one raffle ticket toward a prize of your choice.  Please specify which prize or prizes you'd like in the 'Personal Message' section in the donation form when confirming your donation.  Do tell us how many tickets per prize, and please use the prize code -for example, a donation of $50 can be 2 tickets for UW01 and 3 for UW02. If your company matches your charity donation, please remember to check the box and fill in the information so we could claim the corporate match. Please also check the box to allow us to see your email address so that we could contact you in case you win.  Your email address will not be shared with anyone. Check back on Chez Pim on January 15 when we announce the result of the raffle. I meant to donate something myself, but time got away from me. As a result, here is what I'm going to do. If you make a donation, please forward me your confirmation email. I will select one of the emails at random to win your choice of prizes (a tin of homemade cookies or dinner with me at a classic Chicago ethnic restaurant during BlogHer 2007).

Third, our good friend Jeff from Toledo needs some help. Ever since the 2004 election, he has had a group of four signs in front of his home. Three of them count casualties of the war in Iraq. One expresses his opinions about the war. He has tirelessly maintained these signs (which he made by hand, by the way). He has replaced them when they have been vandalized. He is doing nothing violent, nothing aggressive. He is merely staging a quiet and peaceful protest. A neighbor recently filed a complaint, however, and now the city has stepped in, asking Jeff to remove his signs, as they violate a city ordinance. The ACLU has taken up the cause, but if you have a moment, please consider sending an email in his support to Dennis Johnson in the City of Toledo Building Inspection Office. Jeff has asked that all emails be respectful and polite. Dennis is a nice guy who is just doing his job, but it is my opinion that Jeff should be able to keep his signs. Here is an article about Jeff and his signs from today's Toledo Blade. And, if you want to get depressed, here is a link to some pictures of Jeff's signs that I took back in 2002. The difference in the number of casualties is horrifying, to say the least (Note: most of the signs in the latter link are no longer up. He removed all election-specific signs following the election.)

OK, sorry for the brief political interlude. Carry on.