Nana turns 90

Only a few days after Christmas, my grandmother celebrated her 90th birthday.  It was lovely having her for the holidays and for her special day.  You would never ever guess she is 90; she spent the visit watching and playing with the little one and hopefully, eating well.

My mother was kind enough to cook the main course, steak, since I have such limited experience with it.  I'm pretty sure we had mashed potatoes (there you go, it's been less than a month and already I have no memory) with it.  And I provided the brussels sprouts.

BRUSSELS SPROUTS
altered only slightly from the amazing Balaboosta cookbook - I can't wait to use more recipes from it!

INGREDIENTS:
1 lb Brussels sprouts
1/4 C honey
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 gala apple, peeled cored and grated
2 T olive oil
sprinkle of kosher salt

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat your oven to 425.  The original recipe calls for 400 but my oven needed to be hotter.
Cut the bottoms off the brussels sprouts and then peel off the outer leaves.  This takes a reasonable amount of time and also reduces the amount of brussels sprouts you have by a lot.  I gave them a good rinse too.  Then I patted them dry, laid them on a sheet pan and tossed with the garlic, honey, olive oil and then sprinkled them with salt.  I added the apple last because you really don't want the fruit on the pan, if you do it that way, it will just burn on the pan.  If it's on the sprouts, it drips down its juices which is much better.

Pop the tray in the oven and roast until tender.  The outside will get a nice crisp on it, but they shouldn't be super crunchy throughout.  I tossed them a few times to get more of a crisp on the outside and to make sure the apple-y parts were okay.  The recipe called for a shorter cooking time than I used. Mine needed at least 40-45 minutes to be finished, so watch yours and taste test frequently.

In Which a Miracle Occurs

I had a spectacular weekend.  My uncle and cousin came to visit, drawn in by the siren lure of an adorable baby.  I swear, if I'd known how much more often people would visit me, I would have had one years ago!  Ever the gracious hostess, I planned to take my guests out to dinner on Saturday and for Friday night, I expected them to cook for me.  Well, I expected my uncle to cook for me anyway.  He made an absolutely delicious roast chicken which I will try to replicate at some point, some lemony roast broccoli, but most miraculously, he made delicious eggplant.

My friends, there are exactly two vegetables I do not eat: zucchini and eggplant.  Zucchini is pretty much the food of the devil, but eggplant and I have a very touchy relationship.  I want to like it.  I really do.  I've never really minded the flavor, but for whatever reason, eggplant has always made me gag.  I've had it made in the Parmigiana style.  Nope, didn't work.  I've pureed it in pasta sauce, alas, a deep and thorough failure.  But the way my Uncle John made it was so tasty, I went back for a second piece.  That's right, I took seconds of my second most loathed vegetable.

Does that tell you everything you need to know about my uncle's cooking?  No?  You want the recipe too?  Okay!  I got it!  (Totally selfless I am, always thinking of you).

UNCLE JOHN'S EGGPLANT

INGREDIENTS:
2 eggplants
3/4 C extra virgin olive oil plus more for brushing
2 T red wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 T of capers with juice
1/4 of a small red onion (optional - Uncle John was not pleased with how it turned out using the red onion, I think I liked it, but will try it without next time)

DIRECTIONS:
Slice your two eggplants into 1/2" thick slices.  Set your oven to broil.  Lay out the eggplant slices on a cookie sheet and brush them with olive oil.  Flip them and brush the other side with olive oil.  Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. Put in the oven to broil for 10 minutes.  Flip them and let them broil for 10 minutes on the other side.  Whilst they are broiling, find yourself a large serving dish with sides.  We used my lasagna pan.  Mix together your olive oil and red wine vinegar.   In the bottom of the pan, pour about 1/4 C of olive oil and the red wine vinegar  and sort of swish it about so it's evenly distributed.  When the eggplant is done, lay it out in the dish.  Add the garlic, capers and onion (if you use it) to the remaining oil and vinegar.  Drizzle this over the eggplant layer.  Add another layer of eggplant and pour over more of the good stuff.  Continue until eggplant is used up and all topping has been poured out.

Let marinate at room temperature for 6 hours.  Ours only sat for 4 hours and was delicious, but don't try to cut it any closer than that.  Uncle John says it's great for dinner parties, because you can make it in advance, but also it takes up no room in your fridge!

Cafe Constant

One of my favorite restaurants in Paris is Cafe Constant, a tiny place mere steps from the Eiffel Tower (take a moment to get over just how snooty I sound name dropping my favorite Parisian restaurant).  We've been there twice now and it was wonderful both times.  Our first trip there, I noticed that not only did the chef have a cookbook, but it was in English called Everyday French Cooking.  I mean this is nothing short of miraculous in Paris.  But in a moment of frugality, I decided I didn't need it.  Which of course meant that I promptly spent several years wishing that I had bought it.  Finally Santa took mercy on me and delivered it.

It is (unsurprisingly) full of French recipes, many quite traditional, and many involving fois gras or duck liver.  This weekend I whipped up a Cauliflower and Broccoli Gratin.  Not quite as intended in the book, I made quite a few adjustments due to my usual issue: sheer laziness.  But the result was delicious nonetheless.  (You should probably also know that the original recipe called for a pound (a POUND!) each of broccoli and cauliflower, as well as slices of baked ham, so it would be a whole dinner, for certain, or one of the most elaborate, substantial sides known to man).

Verdict:  I need to use this cookbook more.  Why don't I use this cookbook more?

BROCCOLI AND CAULIFLOWER GRATIN

INGREDIENTS:
2 C broccoli
2 C cauliflower
2 T butter
2 T plus 2 t flour
1 1/3 C milk
2 egg yolks
2/3 C cheese (the recipe called for gruyere, I used 1/3 C cheddar, 1/3 C parm) PLUS extra for sprinkling
about 1/4 C bread crumbs
salt and pepper
sprinkle of nutmeg

DIRECTIONS:
Set a large pot of water to boil (add a sprinkle of salt).  Cut your broccoli and cauliflower into florets. When the water boils, drop the broccoli and cauliflower in and blanche for 1 minute (blanche just means let it cook in the boiling water).  Then quickly remove it.  You might even want to shock it by quickly putting it in ice water.  Set it aside.  It might be easiest to just put them in the baking dish you've already prepared by greasing with butter.

Preheat your oven to 400 F.  In another pot (or you know, the same one if you washed it first), melt the butter.  Add the flour and stir (or whisk) until the flour is all sludgy and golden (you know, make a roux).  Very slowly add the milk, whisking constantly.  If you add the milk quickly, you will have lots of lumps, so go very slowly.

Remove the pan from the heat and add your egg yolks one at a time, again, whisking constantly (this time to avoid making scrambled eggs.)  Add the cheese and keep stirring!  Add salt and pepper to taste. You really do have to taste because how much salt you need really depends on how salty your cheese was.  Add the sprinkle of nutmeg and you're set!

Pour your sauce evenly all over the broccoli and cauliflower.  Then top that with your breadcrumbs mixed with the extra sprinkling cheese.  Bake for 25-30 minutes or until thoroughly warm, golden and bubbly.  I made mine in the toaster oven.

Little Bites of Heaven

Now that I live country-adjacent (the directions to get to my apartment include the words: turn at the corn) and am no longer a city mouse, I have to say that my access to ridiculously amazing produce has increased. Just the other day I stopped by a farm stand and picked up a pair of beautiful heirloom tomatoes. Best thing ever? The stand had a tray of tasting bites each labeled with the tomato name. I picked out a Purple Cherokee and a Persimmon. Really, my restraint is admirable, because I did not just eat them in the car on the way home. While you can dress up tomatoes any which way, heirlooms deserve better. They should not be buried in a sandwich or blended into gazpacho. They should be the star. Ryan complained that I even did anything to these, but I think they were delicious with the trimmings, and so easy to make!

HEIRLOOM TOMATO AND RICOTTA BITES

INGREDIENTS:
1 (or more) heirloom tomatoes
ricotta cheese
baguette
salt
extra virgin olive oil

DIRECTIONS:
Slice your tomato into thinnish pieces, don't make them too thin, but don't do huge chunks either. Then cut the largest pieces in half. Count how many you have. Then slice a corresponding number of rounds from your baguette. Make these pretty thin, because you don't want the bread to overpower the tomato. Toast them lightly (I do mine in the toaster oven, but you'd be better off with a real oven than with a toaster-toaster). Smear a bit of ricotta (maybe a tablespoon) on each toast. Gently place a tomato slice on top. Continue until all bites are constructed. Arrange on a plate, sprinkle with salt, drizzle with olive oil, enjoy!

All right, already!!

Last night at 10:54pm my mother received an e-mail from a friend asking for this recipe. It's my fault really. Last weekend Ryan and I went to my parents' house and had dinner with them and their friends. The pot roast was heaven, but the big winner of the night was this roast vegetable dish. I waited a whole two days before I made it again for us. And I had promised to blog it, but then the time just got away from me. So in order to stave off any other Christmas crises, here's the recipe.

ROAST CARROTS, TURNIPS AND FENNEL
from my mom
Serves 4 as a side dish
Cooking time: 1 hr

INGREDIENTS:
1/8 C olive oil
1 t salt
pepper
5 carrots
3 tennis ball sized turnips
1 smallish bulb fennel

DIRECTIONS:

Get out a small roasting pan, and preheat your oven to 425F. Peel the carrots and cut off the tips (top and bottom). Cut the bottom half off your carrots and cut that in halves lengthwise. Then cut the tops in half lengthwise and then again lengthwise. Next cut the fennel. Take off the furry fronds and the end of the bottom. Then chop into half inch strips. Put the carrots and the fennel in the roasting pan together. Finally, peel your turnips and cut off any icky ends. Chop them in half and then in pieces that are of uniform size, and about the same size as your carrot sticks. Add the 1/8 C of olive oil and salt and pepper. Toss well until everything is coated. Put the pan in the oven and roast for 30 minutes. Then toss gently to give everything a chance to be in the best roasting spots. Cook for another 30 minutes, but check every 10 minutes or so to make sure things aren't burning. The fennel especially can burn if it you cut it too small. The carrots cooked the most slowly for me. If they're really not cooking at an even pace, you can always pull out the fennel pieces and put them back in for the last few to heat up again. You shouldn't need to do this, just giving advice should things go very wrong. If you cut things in pieces of the same size to start you really should be okay. At the end, taste for salt and pepper, add more as needed. Serve and wait a few days. See if you get demanding late night e-mails looking for the recipe. Breathe easily and send them a link here, I'm already on it.

Tomato, Tomahto

I'm continuing farm fresh week here at the hungry hippo. It all started with a trip to the Trenton Farmer's Market, which you can learn more about at Half a Yard. Today - you say tomato, I say tomahto - why Jersey tomatoes are pure bliss.

I hate to break this to you, but what you've been eating is NOT a tomato. In fact, this time of year I'm reminded that what I've been eating is not a tomato. Or what I've been avoiding is not a tomato. Those limp pinkish things that they put on sandwiches? The mushy wedges lurking in your salad greens? NOT TOMATOES. I promise. Because tomatoes are an amazing, amazing thing. When the summer gets nice and hot, Jersey works its magic and somehow, these perfect red globes appear to remind you of everything a tomato could and should be.

A true Jersey tomato is heaven sliced with just a sprinkle of salt. If you must, slice some fresh mozzarella to place on top of the slices and drizzle with a smidge of extra virgin olive oil (yes, it must be extra virgin - this is about the best ingredients, nothing less). You can then top with a beautiful confetti of fresh basil (unless your husband gets violently ill from basil like mine does).


If you've acquired enough of them, you might find yourself willing slice them up to become the star of a BLT.

But if you have a true bounty of them, it is time for gazpacho.

I know. Shut up. Just add a set of googly eyes and it looks like a muppet head. I'm still working on the food photography thing.

Muppets aside, I'm serious about the cold soup. I'm so serious that it's been about three years since I've had gazpacho and I'm still hung up on it. There's no way I could hope to touch the perfection of what I had, but ever since I tasted the gazpacho at Chez Les Anges, I cannot get the thought out of my head. Gazpacho with avocado. Why don't more people do this? The silky creamy avocado is the perfect balance to the sharp fresh spicy tomato. They were M.F.E.O. (made for each other - those of you who have also seen Sleepless in Seattle too many times know this).

GAZPACHO
inspired by Chez Les Anges

INGREDIENTS:
1 whole avocado (per 2 people - save until the end)
1 medium cucumber, peeled, chopped (seeded too if you have a crappy blender) if you seed them, add another third of a cucumber
3 1/2 baseball sized ripe tomatoes, chopped(bonus if they're farm fresh)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
3 slices slightly stale good bread, torn into pieces
2 T red wine vinegar (I used cider vinegar because that's all I've got, but I would have preferred red wine)
1 T hot sauce
1 1/4 C water (or more if you like it thinner)
1/4 C olive oil
1 pinch cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:
If you have a real blender for heaven's sake use it. I only have an immersion blender and it was messier than I care to discuss and did not get the soup as smooth as I would have liked.

If you have a real blender, combine everything but salt and pepper and process until smooth. Then add salt and pepper to taste.  If you own a real blender maybe you don't need to chop everything?  If you're stuck with an immersion blender, you have to chop your solid ingredients. HAVE TO.

If you only have an immersion blender, put all liquid ingredients (hot sauce, water, vinegar, oil) in a pot and then add the garlic, cucumber and tomato. Get it as smooth as you can, then add the bread. Let it soak a bit to soften up. Then try your best to keep the blender actually immersed as you continue to blend. Then add salt and pepper to taste.

Chill in the refrigerator. When you are ready to serve, peel and pit the avocado. Place half and an avocado in each bowl. We had them served all in one piece, but certainly slice if that strikes your fancy. That would probably avoid the muppet face problem. Although, if you're trying to feed this to kids, you may want to look into googly eyes, hard boiled eggs perhaps? With olives?

Cauliflower Gratin

I've been besieged by cheese cravings lately. I may be using the word cheese a little bit loosely, because these cravings unequivocally include a desperate desire for Cheetos (the cheese that goes crunch), but oh, how I love anything cheesy. It's possible this cauliflower gratin may have triggered my recent sufferings. When I opened the oven door the air filled with the most delicious, mouthwatering, buttery cheesy aroma; I was struck by a strong desire to shout "MINE" and push Ryan from the room. Somehow I managed to regain control and actually serve it for dinner. But as I mentioned, I'm still harboring loving thoughts about cheese.

CHEESY CAULIFLOWER GRATIN
from Ina Garten
Reader: Hey, doesn't gratin mean all cheesy and browned and yummy? Why do you have call it a Cheesy Gratin?
Me: It's just that it's so full of cheesy goodness. I love cheesy goodness. Who asked you anyway?

INGREDIENTS:
1 head cauliflower
salt and pepper
4 T butter (2 for sauce, 2 for drizzling over the top)
3 T flour
2 C milk
pinch nutmeg
1 to 1 1/4 C cheddar cheese grated
1/2 C parmesan cheese grated
1/4 C bread crumbs

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat your oven to 375 F.
Cut the cauliflower into florets, if you like the stem, you can chop that up into smaller bits to. Fill a large pot with water, salt liberally and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add the cauliflower and cook 5-6 minutes until tender enough, but not mushy at all. Remove from heat and drain.
Warm the milk in a small saucepan. In another pan, melt two tablespoons of butter. Add the flour and stir continuously until completely incorporated. Slowly add the warm milk and whisk to keep the sauce nice and smooth. Once the milk is all added, you can add all the cheese bit by bit, holding back 1/4 C of the cheddar for the topping. Stir as you go so the sauce stays smooth. Add the nutmeg, then add salt and pepper the sauce to taste. Get a large baking dish (like a 9x11) and put down a layer of the sauce (use about a third of the sauce). Add your cauliflower to the baking dish. Top with the rest of the sauce. Mix the remaining 1//4 C of cheddar with the breadcrumbs. Sprinkle this mixture over the top of your cauliflower, cover well. Then melt the remaining 2 T of butter (I used the microwave) and drizzle that over the top. Pop in the oven and bake 25-30 minutes.

Cauliflower Crack Crisps

These little crisps may not look like much, but they certainly are the fastest, tastiest, most addictive thing you can do with a head of cauliflower. We only made half a head due to space restrictions (you may need two sheet pans for a whole cauliflower) and I must say we regretted our choice for much of the evening. Luckily for us, our regret need not be permanent, as now we can be excited that there's still half a cauliflower left to be crisped. Yum.

CAULIFLOWER CRISPS
recipe courtesy of my mom's dear friend Joanne who is a lovely woman and an amazing cook

INGREDIENTS:
1 head of cauliflower
olive oil
salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS:
1. Take one head of cauliflower and wash.
2. Cut out the core. Slice the cauliflower into "fans" about 1/4" thick, cutting from the crown downward to the core. The thickness determines the crunchiness and the speed of cooking. If the fan has too much of the spine, cut the spine out. This frequently results in little random bits of cauliflower florets. Don't despair. Just throw them on the cookie sheet.
3. Line a cookie sheet with foil. Spray with olive oil spray or wipe with a little olive oil, enough for a light coating.
4. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
5. Toss the cauliflower fans onto the sheet and drizzle olive oil over the top. Toss gently. Really gently. Otherwise the florets all just break into crumbles.
6. Cook 20 minutes on one side. Toss the cauliflower onto the other side for another 20 minutes.
7. Keep an eye on things because sometimes if the slices are too thin or thick or the oven is too hot, the timing can be random. The veggies should be crisp and browned.
8. Before serving, toss on some kosher salt and fresh pepper.

Garlicky Roast Beans

When I was a little girl, my father used to travel for business. Not all the time, but sometimes. When he went away, my mother would not cook. I don't blame her. She cooked amazing meals whenever he was home, she deserved the break. At night, Daddy would call to check in on us and he'd always ask me if we ate our vegetables. My mother would be standing across from me nodding yes, regardless of what we'd had for dinner. When we hung up, she'd say "tomato sauce is a vegetable" or "the broccoli in the chicken with broccoli counts." I grew up just like my mother. I eat my vegetables. I do. But my husband is the one always checking, always asking, always making sure that I eat them.

All this to say, oh my god, I would eat these beans EVERY night. Without someone checking up on me. I'm also pretty sure that this treatment can be applied to other vegetables and I intend to find out. They are salty and crispy and garlicky, just delicious. I made them with these beans, called romano beans, that I found at the farmer's market. In theory they're available through the end of September, which is good, because as soon as Ryan had tasted one, his main concern was where our next beans were coming from. I'm not exactly sure myself, but we'll find them, oh yes, we'll find them.


GARLICKY ROMANO BEANS
from The Boston Globe

Ingredients:
1 lb romano beans
3 cloves garlic, smashed
3 springs thyme halved
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450. I did mine in the toaster oven and only had it at about 425. Toss the beans with the garlic, salt, pepper and olive oil on a large sheet pan. Spread out in a single layer. Cook for 15-20 minutes, until browned, turn them over about halfway through.

Farewell Summer

For most people, Labor Day weekend marks the end of summer. For me, it has the added bonus of marking the end of relaxing, reading, cooking and traveling, and the start of work and drudgery. But it's not September 2nd yet, and yesterday Ryan and I walked through the lovely farmer's market tents that line the square. I get giddy looking at all of the beautiful colors of vegetables. Maybe even a little light headed, because I start suggesting that we bring home eggplants and peppers (neither of which I particularly like or eat) just because they are so pretty. But my husband is amazingly immune to the temptations of organic farm fresh produce. At least he was until yesterday when some little tomatoes turned his head. One stand had an array of red, purple and yellow tomatoes and he became positively entranced. He even managed to sweet talk the seller into letting us mix all three colors in one little pint container so he could try all three kinds together. Of course, I had to find a recipe that showcased the tomatoes, and this is it. The perfect farewell summer salad. For the record, my favorites were the purples and Ryan's were the yellow.

GREEN BEAN AND TOMATO SALAD
from the SmittenKitchen

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups multicolored gorgeous cherry tomatoes, halved
2 cups green beans, trimmed washed and cut into edible size pieces
1/2 a large shallot minced
1 T red wine vinegar
4 T extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS:
Add enough water in a small pot to cook the green beans in. Allow to come to a boil, add the beans and cook for about 4 minutes. While the green beans are cooking, assemble the rest. Halve the cherry tomatoes and put in a large bowl. Mix the dressing by combining the shallot, red wine vinegar and streaming in the olive oil while whisking, add salt and pepper to taste. Pour the dressing over the tomatoes. When ready to serve add the cooked, drained green beans. You can allow the tomatoes and dressing to sit together in advance of serving, but don't add the green beans too early or they will discolor.