American Fare Remix

I spend copious amounts of time perusing recipes on the Internet.  Perhaps I should say I spend copious amounts of times “cruising” recipes on the web because there is a certain lustfulness to it.  The indefiniteness of web-based recipes… it makes my heart race a little.  I can never get bored of it.  And my own relentlessness combined with the infinite abyss of the Internet lead me to the Juicy Lucy.

The Juicy Lucy is a burger stuffed with cheese.  As I am in the midst of romancing my new grill, the Juicy Lucy was an obvious next step in our courtship.  It’s actually rather simple:  two very wide, thin burger patties are joined together with a core of sliced cheese, and grilled.  Brilliant.  If you are very lucky, rivulets of cheese will peak through the patty as it is being cooked, hinting at the molten cheese just beneath the surface.  Use American cheese, a good quality, deli-sliced American cheese.  It’s excellent on burgers, and it melts and oozes beautifully.

The Juicy Lucy was fabulous.  As you can see, I had a minor problem with the meat sticking to the grill.  However, problems are relative; once I saw the molten cheese peaking out of the edges, my dismay melted away.

I was also, oddly, craving potato salad.  And thus, I whipped some up in 98-degree heat.  I felt the need to boil a huge pot of potatoes in my AC-absent apartment.  It had better be good.  What I produced, I am calling “dressed-up American potato salad.”  It contains mayonnaise for the requisite American richness, as well as coarsely chopped hardboiled eggs, but its flavor and texture are augmented by vinaigrette-like ingredients: fresh lemon juice, white wine vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, fresh herbs.  Delicious.  Capers would also be excellent in this.

The potato salad, the burger, and a random avocado lingering in my refrigerator apparently had a meeting with destiny.  On my burger, you will notice a green, creamy substance on the bottom bun.  Smashed avocado?  Yes, but it’s even better.  It’s smashed avocado spritzed with lemon juice and mixed with about a tablespoon of the dressing for the potato salad: mayonnaise, olive oil, Dijon, lemon, white wine vinegar, and copious amounts of salt and pepper.  I’d call that a perfect storm, and it made my burger compliment the potato salad oh-so-nicely.  The Juicy Lucy would also be fabulous simply adorned with pickles.

Juicy Lucy (based on the recipe from chow.com) 

For each burger:

1/4-1/3 lb. ground beef (85% lean)

1 sliced American cheese

Lawry’s seasoned salt

Sesame seed hamburger bun

Sliced pickles or avocado spread for garnish

-       Break the slice of cheese into 4 equal pieces by folding it in half, then folding it in half again.  Set aside

-       For each burger, divide the meat in half.  Use a broad plate (lightly oiled, if desired) to carefully press the meat into two flat, wide circles, approximately one inch in diameter wider than your hamburger bun.

-       Place cheese in the middle of one patty and carefully lay the other one on top.  Mold the edges together, and roll the edge of the jumbo, cheese stuffed patty against the palm of your hand to help to come together and have a circular shape.

-       Preheat a grill to medium and cook on each side for 3-4 minutes, flipping once.  Allow burgers to rest for 5 minutes to all juices and cheese to evenly distribute; add desired toppings and enjoy.

Potato Salad

For the dressing:

2-3 tablespoons white wine vinegar

Juice from half a lemon

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1/4-1/3 cup mayonnaise (I like the kind made with olive oil)

1/4-1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

-       Whisk together all ingredients to taste.  You should have about 1 cup of dressing when you’re done.  I made it in a large measuring cup to make my life easier.

For the Salad: 

3 scallions, minced

2-3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

3 rib of celery, diced finely

2 hard boiled eggs, coarsely chopped

2 1/2 lbs. Yukon gold potatoes, skin left on, chopped in 11/2 inch chunks.

Kosher salt and pepper

-       Add potatoes to a large pot and cover with cold water.

-       Place on high heat and add 1-2 tablespoons of salt to the water.

-       Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, then reduce heat to a simmer.  Simmer for 15-20 minutes until potatoes are fork tender but not mushy.

-       Drain in a large colander, and then cover with a clean dish towel for 10 minutes to allow potatoes to finish cooking in their own steam.  This will allow for even cooking without over cooking.

-       Transfer potatoes to a large bowl and add dressing and other ingredients until you achieve your desired consistency.  Eat warm or refrigerate.  Reserve any leftover dressing because the consistency/seasoning may be different once the potato salad is cold.

Thanksgiving

It probably won’t come as a surprise that Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.  It is a beautiful affair: a day devoted purely to the enjoyment of food, with no religious connotations.  It excludes no one.  Come one, come all, and, please, stuff your face.  And then have another plate.

I am proud to say that when I lived in Philadelphia I produced not one, but two Thanksgiving feasts all by myself in my two years there.  These meals were only for a party of two, but they consisted of all major components: turkey, gravy, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and some sort of vegetable.  I never made pie for the occasion, but rather my single baking accomplishment: chocolate chip cookies.  I make great chocolate chip cookies, but nothing else in the line of baked goods (I intend to tackle baking bread soon; stay tuned).  Despite my proficiency in the Thanksgiving staples, I must admit that my role in this year’s Detroit Thanksgiving was supporting, at best.  There is something about Detroit that brings out the laziest side of me.  I lived there for a year before I moved to Colorado, and I didn’t leave the house unless it was absolutely mandatory (i.e. school, work, the library… sad, but true).  After this trip, I can attest that my old habits persist.  As far as the cooking was concerned, I did make somewhat of a contribution helping my mom, but it was probably not what you would expect from a self-proclaimed psycho cooker. 

As happy as I was to be home for Thanksgiving with my family, there was one drawback.  My immediate family was missing some essentials: my oldest brother, his wife, and their smiley baby girl.  We made a feeble attempt to compensate for the absence: we had a brisket in addition to the turkey.  No, food is not a sufficient substitute for the beautiful baby, but it helped to ease our pain. 

We had six people for Thanksgiving, but could have easily fed twelve.  While planning, my mom and I kept insisting that we didn’t want to make too much food, but somehow the menu kept growing.  Initially, we planned on sticking to the basics, not a far cry from the Thanksgiving dinners I have prepared myself.  Then the brisket was added on to the menu.  My adorable grandmother wanted to make the brisket, and this somehow justified its presence.  In turn, this necessitated two gravies.  We knew that we would make a vegetable, but in the dwindling grocery shopping hours, we were unsure if we had decided on roasted Brussels sprouts or green bean casserole.  The only reasonable solution was to prepare both.  My mom makes a pretty traditional green bean casserole, except she uses frozen French haricot verts from Trader Joe’s, which really seem to make a difference.  The Brussels sprouts were roasted with olive oil and finished with a touch of fresh lemon juice and honey.  Then somehow a Caprese salad was added to the mix:  just some bocconcini mozzarella and grape tomatoes drizzled tossed with olive oil, and served over a bed of arugula.  You may be asking yourself: Why we would do such a thing?  Doesn’t it seem unnecessary with all of that food?  Isn’t it a little contextually inappropriate?  These are reasonable questions to which I cannot supply reasonable answers.  I will tell you that it was rather lovely, and a nice change of pace to all of that rich, oven-roasted food.  You know a meal is rich when a salad composed primarily cheese lightens it up.  And of course, we had stuffing and our famous twice baked potato casserole (see Rosh Hashanah post for details).  For dessert, we had an apple pie and a blueberry pie.  Again, ridiculously decadent for six people, but isn’t that what Thanksgiving is all about? 

Not to brag, but it seemed like all the food came out pretty close to perfect this year.  These are pretty standard recipes*, but everything was somehow better than advertised.   Perhaps this was the culinary gods trying to clue me in to how thankful I really should be.  Ultimately, my priority for Thanksgiving is a good meal, but an extra opportunity to appreciate your life and your family should not be overlooked.  And luckily for me, the food was so good that it served as an additional reminder to be thankful for everything I have.  Now that I have gotten the sappiness out of the way, I would like to take this opportunity to tell you that the featured plate is my brother, Ben’s.  We agreed that it was a perfectly lavish Thanksgiving specimen, and we do not agree on a lot.  The other photos are the “before” and “after” shots of our feast.  It honestly makes me a little ill to see the amount of potatoes that were consumed, but it is that exact reaction that indicates that we not only did a great job cooking, but eating, as well.

*I did not include the recipes because there were so many, but feel free to contact me for them.

Blue Plate Special

In case you missed it on the national news, we had a veritable blizzard this week in Boulder.  In snowed for almost 48 hours without stopping.  I kept a close eye on what was going on outside from my balcony, and my total snow fall estimate is close to three feet, and I’m pretty sure the media agrees with me.  Somehow, by the grace of the gods, this resulted in an actual snow day.  I figured that, at 25 years old, I had already exceeded my snow day quota, but I was wrong.  Comfort food cooking was in order to keep myself warm and cozy.  Plus, my unexpected day off necessitated a celebration.  Of course, my first inclination was some sort of creamy pasta, but I make pasta all the time, and I felt that a blizzard deserved something a little less pedestrian.  Well, I mean pedestrian in terms of what frequents my kitchen, because what I chose happens to be one of the most common American dishes of all: meatloaf.  I decided to prepare a genuine blue plate special: meat, potatoes, and a vegetable.  If only I had one of those plates with dividers… 

Turkey Meatloaf

1-tablespoon olive oil, plus a drizzle for the bottom of the baking dish

½ onion, diced finely

½ red bell pepper, diced finely

¼ cup chopped flat leaf parsley

½ cup Italian style breadcrumbs

2 eggs, lightly beaten

2 tablespoons milk

¼ finely grated Parmesan cheese

1 lb. ground turkey (I used dark meat, more fat=more flavor)

3 big pinches kosher salt

About 25 grinds of black pepper

8 oz. can of tomato sauce

§  Preheat oven to 400 degrees (probably 375 would do if you’re at sea level).

§  Sauté onion and red pepper in the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, until the vegetables start to soften.  Set aside to cool

§  Mix together parsley, breadcrumbs, cheese, eggs, milk, salt, pepper, and cooled vegetables.  Add turkey and mix gently, so all the ingredients are evenly distributed, but without over-working the meat.

§  Transfer to an oiled baking sheet or casserole dish and shape into an oval loaf.  Pour tomato sauce over the top.  Bake in the oven for an hour (or an hour and 15 minutes if you have salmonella paranoia like me.  If you have an instant read thermometer, the temperature should be 165 degrees in the center.  Otherwise cut into it to make sure it’s not pink).

Comments:  I went with turkey meatloaf, and gave it an Italian flare.  It tasted like a giant oven-roasted meatball (yum!) with a tomato sauce glaze.  I'm not sure if the milk was necessary.  It most likely would have been moist enough without it, but the milk was definitely not detrimental.  For potatoes, I made my family’s favorite twice-bake potato casserole, which I wrote about in my Rosh Hashanah post.  It is made with the flesh of baked potatoes (leaving me with a potato skin snack) mixed with sour cream, butter, garlic salt, Lawry’s seasoning salt, and parmesan, and then baked again.  It’s not exactly the culinary masterpiece I would want to serve James Beard, for example (assuming time travel is possible), but it is exactly what I wanted to eat while watching the wooden fence surrounding my apartment building shrink as the snow piled up.  On second thought, James would probably love those potatoes, and so would you.  Steamed broccoli rounded out this decadent meal.  Dinner is healthy when there’s something green on the plate, right?

If you make extra broccoli, the next day (or later that night if you get hungry), you can stuff it into the leftover potato skins.  Reheat them in the microwave, and top them with a little cheese.  Assuming you don’t go overboard with the cheese (and I promise I didn’t), this actually is healthy.  Speaking of leftovers, you haven’t truly lived until you’ve eaten a meatloaf sandwich.  You can brown up a slice in a pan or just have a sandwich cold; it’s wonderful either way.  It’s a lunchtime decision you won’t soon regret.

Breakfast for Dinner: Vegetable and Potato Hash

There is something immensely comforting about having breakfast for dinner.  I am unable to accurately verbalize why this is, and frankly, I want to keep it that way.  In fact, I refrain from having breakfast for dinner too regularly in order to preserve this enigma.  Last week, I had my first big exam of grad school, and the night before seemed like an appropriate occasion to indulge in my secret weapon of comfort foods. 

Simply eating your usual breakfast food does not qualify as “breakfast for dinner.”  To go by this title, it must be something special, like vegetable and potato hash.  I like to sauté whatever I am in the mood for (or whatever I have on hand) until it is crisp and browned on the edges.  I proceed to melt cheese over it, and top it with an over-medium egg, so the golden glory of the yolk makes it rich and luscious.  Below is a description of my most current rendition, however it represents a method, more than an exact recipe.

Vegetable and Potato Hash

§  Sauté about half of an onion and half of a bell pepper, both chopped, in olive oil for about 5-8 minutes, or until they start to soften.

§  Then add one chopped zucchini.  Season with Lawry’s seasoning salt, pepper, and a pinch of red pepper flakes and sauté for a couple of minutes.

§  Add 3 small red bliss potatoes that have been cooked (I microwaved mine) and chopped.  Re-season and sauté until potatoes are heated through and the hash starts to become brown and crispy (5-10 minutes).  When the hash is close to done, toss with chopped parsley and scallions. 

§  Top with shredded cheese (I used Monterey jack) and allow to melt.  Meanwhile cook an egg (any style will do, but I personally feel that a runny yolk is mandatory), and when the cheese is melted, top with the egg and enjoy.  Hot sauce and additional seasoning are optional. 

I have made this has a number of ways in the past, but this was the first time I added zucchini.  It was an attempt to increase the vegetable content in order to justify to the blanket of cheese covering the hash.  I love zucchini, but I was anxious about using it in the context.  Fortunately, my fears did not become realized, and zucchini will definitely play a part in future hash episodes. The scallions were also a new addition as well.  I happened to have some in the fridge, and they added a mild oniony flare.  In fact, next time I would be more generous with them (I only added two).  If I am making any sort of hash brown potato, Lawry’s seasoning salt is mandatory.  It reminds me of my oldest brother, Joe, making hash browns from left over baked potatoes on Saturday mornings. 

My brother, king of potatoes, also plays into the reason I used pre-cooked potatoes.  Growing up, precooked potatoes (usually leftover bakers) were the only potatoes used for hash browns by Joe.  Additionally, this will usually give the best results when the potatoes share the stage with other vegetables since raw potatoes have significantly longer cooking times than most vegetables.  Also, I abhor undercooked potatoes, so precooking them eliminates the risk of this tragedy.  As usual, the parsley is by no means a necessity, but in case you haven’t noticed, I cannot get enough of it.  Before eating, I added a drizzle of Sriracha* and some fresh pepper, not only for added taste, but to dress it up a little; a splash of red makes anything more appealing.   

*See glossary for definitions.

My First Curry

Indian food seems to be one of my culinary blind spots.  Between my parents’ love of food, my cooking pursuits, and my years of waitressing, I have been exposed to a lot in the world of food.  Somehow, Indian cuisine has not been a part of that.  My brother took me to an “all you can eat” Indian buffet for lunch once; maybe that turned me off.  Nonetheless, this entire cuisine is a mystery to me, and lately this lack of knowledge has been nagging at me. 

I started doing a little research on curry.  It seemed like a good place to start.  After evaluating Mark Bittman’s* recipe for all-purpose curry powder, I realized that the flavor isn’t as unfamiliar to me as I originally thought.  Peppercorns, cumin, coriander, ginger, and turmeric: what could be bad?  While I wasn’t quite ready to embark on constructing my own curry powder, it seemed time to tackle cooking a curry. 

Within a week or so of being in Boulder, I stumbled across some curry powder on sale, and it seemed like fate.  The purchase of the curry powder occurred about a month ago, and every weekend I say I’m going to make a curry, yet it doesn’t come to pass.  Whenever I open my pantry, the yellow curry powder seems to glow brighter, staring me down out of resentment and neglect.  Finally, last weekend, I took the leap.  I combined my own instincts with another Mark Bittman recipe and a Martha Stuart recipe to create the concoction mapped out below (forgive my recipe-writing skills, I’m a novice). 

Recipe:

·     In a large, deep skillet, brown 1 ½ pounds of boneless skinless chicken thighs in about 2 teaspoons of olive oil over medium-high heat.  When browned (after a couple of minutes), but not cooked through, remove from the pan, and set aside. 

·     Remove oil from the pan until a tablespoon or so remains.  Lower the heat to medium and sauté one medium onion, chopped with 2 cloves of minced garlic and a couple of teaspoons of grated ginger.  Season with salt and pepper. 

·     When the onion has softened, add about a tablespoon of curry powder.  Sauté for one minute.  Add about ½ pound of coarsely chopped red bliss potatoes and 1 cup of water.  Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes, until potatoes start to become tender, but are not cooked through. 

·    Add ½ pound chopped cauliflower, 1-14 oz. can diced tomatoes, and chicken thighs.  Stir, cover, and simmer for about 15 minutes until chicken and vegetables are cooked through. 

·    Add about ½ cup of frozen peas.  Allow to heat through, and serve over rice, rice pilaf, or couscous. 

If there is an excess of sauce, increase the heat and let it reduce for a few minutes.  The beauty of the chicken thighs is it won’t dry out.  I like to buy them at Whole Foods.  Because it’s dark meat, they are still reasonably priced, and all you need to do is eat them once to see the difference in quality (texture, flavor, and color) of a Whole Foods chicken thigh compared to a regular supermarket chicken thigh. 

The Outcome:

At first, I was disappointed.  I was under the impression that curry was spicy, and this was not even in the neighborhood of spicy.  So I did something that is no doubt sacrilegious to anyone in the know regarding Indian cooking:  I doused it with Sriracha* and soy sauce, and I dug in.  After my little makeover, I loved it.  Next time, I will add some cayenne pepper with the curry powder and be a little more liberal with the salt.  Overall, I ended up really enjoying this dish.  The flavor continued to improve, and it made a huge quantity, so it kept me happily fed for a few days.  But I must admit, I continued the use of my contextually inappropriate condiments. 

*See glossary