Basic Behavior

Pumpkin has gotten a bad rep over the past several months as an epidemic of basic has smothered the 18-30 year old female demographic.   Pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin baked goods, and afternoons spent instagramming pictures of pumpkin patches are some of the most recognizable symptoms of the basic disease.  Once just something that got carved a few nights before Halloween and left for raccoons to ravage after, pumpkin has taken center stage this fall as the gateway drug to basic.

This should not come as a surprise. Each fall, gourds get their 5 annual minutes of fame, and as social media has evolved, gourds have been bestowed with layer upon layer of photo filters and #fall #autumn #happy #warm hash tags.   As a cousin to pumpkin, butternut squash can also be a symptom of the basic disease, and what basic bitch doesn’t love a bowl of butternut squash soup with half smoked gouda grilled cheese? (on multigrain, of course)

I know Ebola is all anyone can talk about these days, but my recent trip abroad brought to light just how far the basic monster has spread it’s claws. In Stockholm and Copenhagen, not only did I see multiple gourd displays, but also I had to stop and take a breather when I almost caught myself taking a picture of some young Swedes taking a picture of a gourd display. The opportunity to take an insta of and insta abroad was so enticing, visions of a viral insta and brilliant caption flashed through my mind, but I caught myself in the act, and calmed myself with two small sips of my $8 cappuccino.

mis en place

Despite it's basicness butternut squash soup is very good --- but I really had no desire to get a blender dirty . On my one day of unemployment before my new job started, and as I recovered from jet lag, my goal was to do as little as possible but also be able to tweet that I had a productive day off.  Also, the refrigerator I returned to contained six kinds of mustard, 4 eggs, an avocado, and smoked salmon, so I knew I had to go to Whole Foods, and I also recognized I needed to give thought to what I was going to eat for the week.

I settled on a root vegetable curry.  Post consuming multiple pastries a day on vacation, things needed to be turn around diet wise but I wanted something that was actually going to be filling and warm because it’s just that time of year. 

soft and golden and spiced

I bought the butternut squash already peeled and chopped up because it seemed like the right thing to do on a day like today, and it really was not expensive. This recipe used one cutting board and one pot, except I toasted my spices so that got a small frying pan slightly dirty, as well as a mortar and pestle. I topped the stew with toasted cashews and served it with a seed bread I got at Meyer’s Bageri in Copenhagen. It would also be good with Naan, or topped with yogurt. I made this up as I went along.

Basic Root Vegetable Curry

3 gloves of garlic, chopped

2 tbs of fresh ginger, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

3 ribs celery, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

½ large head of cauliflower, chopped

1 potato, cut into one 1 inch pieces

3 cups butternut squash, cut into 1 inch pieces

4 cups stock (chicken or veg)

2 tbs tomato paste

2 tbs curry powder (pick your favorite)

1 ½ tsp ground coriander

1 ½ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp ground cloves

1 ½ tsp ground cumin

1 tsp celery seed

1 tsp red pepper flakes

2 bay leaves

½ cup half and half

Toasted cashew pieces for topping

Note about the spices -  I like a lot of spice. I always add more than what recipes call for.   If you are not so into the spice, maybe cut each of these back and taste the curry while it simmers to perhaps add more. I probably used a bit more than what is listed above, but I was not measuring. Also, I used whole coriander, cloves and cumin and toasted all the spices together for a few minutes in a fry pan before grinding them all together with a mortar and pestle. Using ground is fine, too.

In a couple tbs of butter and oil, sauté the onion, garlic, ginger, carrot, and celery for 10-15 minutes until softened and golden.  Remember to season with salt and pepper at this point, too. While this is happening, measure out all your spices into a small bowl to combine. Add the tomato paste, spices, bayleaf, and sauté for a few minutes. Add the stock, and scrape up the bottom of the pan. Add all the chopped vegetable and bring back to a simmer over med-high heat.   Once simmer is reached, turn the heat down, and let curry go at a lower simmer for about 30 minutes, until vegetables are cooked through. If you chop the vegetables in larger pieces, they may need to cook longer. Remove bay leaves. Add half and half, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Top with toasted cashew pieces. 

Basic product

Keep it Simple, Stupid.

“Sometimes simple is better.” That’s what my mother texted me when I told her the Velveeta dip I put out for my friends for our first night at the beach last week was a hit (I sent her a pic of the empty bowl).

I think she is right, and historically, my mother has proven herself as the queen of simple, elegant food. No laundry lists of ingredients, no fussy cooking instructions; just good food. Of course, one’s ability to do this happens over time, and there are extensive periods of trial and error and major cock ups along the way, but eventually you just know what do and when in the kitchen and you can put together a whole lot without a lot.

Over the past couple months as work hours have increased and many weekends have been spent out of town, I have been veering towards simple---one could even say beyond simple.

 I always bring something to get together. I cannot bare showing up empty handed. More bottles of wine have been purchase en route to soirees than I would like to admit lately, but I refuse to show up empty handed.

In high school, we had an out of bounds play when the ball was under the basket called K.I.S.S. (keep it simple, stupid). As complex as series of screens can get, this was a run across the paint, set a screen, and then open up and show your hands. Someone always got the ball, and 90% of the time, that someone scored.

Here are some of my favorite K.I.S.S items to bring to a party, that I have also brought to parties over the past couple months:

Roasted Shrimp Cocktail – Cook shrimp tossed in olive oil, salt and pepper in an oven at 400 degrees for 7- 10 min (depends on size of shrimp). Serve with cocktail sauce (prepared horseradish and ketchup).

Chocolate Chip Cookies – always a hit. Get fancy and put some ice cream between them. My favorite recipe is here : http://www.nytimes.com/recipes/1014826/quintessential-chocolate-chip-cookies.html

*Tip: Milk chocolate chips. I prefer dark chocolate, in general, but the crowd goes wild over milk whether they are secure enough to admit it or not. Be bougis. 

Pimento Cheese Dip – block of cheddar, block of monterey jack, jar of pimentos (drained), couple tbs mayo, a pickle (chop it up first so you don’t end up with huge chunks) tbs Dijon mustard, tsp hot sauce, salt, pepper. Blend cheese, mayo, mustard and hot sauce to desired consistency in a food processor. Add pickle and pimentos and pulse a few times. Season to taste.

*Tip: Serve with a STURDY cracker, or, spread on pieces of cheap white bread, cut off crusts, and slice diagonally for a tea sandwich. Does not take long, but do this before putting in fridge or it will be very difficult to spread on flimsy bread. 

Oh, and let’s not forget – Velveeta Dip.

1 block of velveeta, cut into chunks. Add cheese to sauce pan over medium heat. Melt down, add  just over 1 cup (or more) of salsa (or can of Rotele), and hot sauce as you wish. Stir and continue to melt to desired consistency over medium heat. 

French Toast Casserole

Saturday and Sunday mornings are ripe with executive function for metropolitan young women. Wake up to the alarm or not? Spinning or a “walk” on the river trail? Yoga pants from off the floor or wait, whose essential chinos are these?

No matter what decisions one has to make on a weekend, the most stressful has to be brunch. Sweet or savory? Forget regretting that last round post quick debit card statement review and bone dry Brita pitcher on the counter, when your brunch entrée arrives and all you can do is oogle  your dining partner’s omelette next to your stuffed French toast,  you finally know the feeling of true devastation.  

Sure, one can always order a savory brunch app pre-banana pancakes, or maybe even put a sticky bun in a to-go container post shrimp grits, but what we all really want is the best of both worlds---at all times. That side of bacon is great, but god knows it never comes on time, and if often forgotten altogether by a harried server, indifferent to the critical nature of the sweet or savory conundrum (after all, everything is cooked on the same flat top).

I find the most successful weekend brunches are often at home and not in a restaurant. Endless mimosas and prix-fixe are great to cure the hungover bottomless pit, and hey, who doesn't like waiting in line for an hour dehydrated and famished from the previous evening’s festivities, but brunch is a prime opportunity for easy home entertaining.  It’s so easy to go continental—no oven, no pots, no pans---anyone can unfold the brown paper of a bagel bag and put a knife next to a tub of schmear (although the cryovac packs of lox can be tricky). There are also a number of dishes that can be prepared the night before and just have to go in the oven in the am.

I trend towards sweet at brunch, but I definitely need a few bites of savory. My mother passed on this recipe for French toast casserole and served with some sort of breakfast meat. To me---c'est parfait!

overlap is fine and I think it makes the best chewy,moist bits.

It seems like a lot of liquid....

This needs to be put together the night before and sit overnight.  I’ve made it twice recently --- once on a ski weekend and another for a pre-day drinking brunch with some g/fs. It was very well-received both times and my bestie’s husband went so far to say it was the best brunch he has ever had (until K makes it for him herself :) ).

I’m sure you could add things to this--- slices of banana, nuts, chocolate chips, and raisins--- all come to mind. I like it just the way it is, though, with a side of sausage (breakfast sausage).

...but it all soaks up overnight!

French Toast Casserole

1 loaf of Challah bread, cut diagonally into 1 inch thick slices

8 eggs, lightly beaten

2 cups milk

1 ½ cups half and half

2 tsps of vanilla extract

¼ tsp ground cinnamon (I like nutmeg, as well)

¾ cup butter

1 1/3 cups butter

Pinch of salt

3 tbs light corn syrup

Grease a 9x13 baking dish. Arrange the slices of Challah in the bottom of the pan, they will likely overlap, this is fine.

Mix the eggs, milk, half and half, vanilla, salt and cinnamon together. Pour over the Challah bread, cover the pan, and let chill overnight.

The next morning, preheat the oven to 350. Heat the butter, corn syrup, and brown sugar in a sauce pan over medium heat just until it starts to bubble. Pour evenly over the bread before putting the casserole in the oven.

Bake uncovered for 35-40 minutes. Serve hot.

Cheese Boards

I have possessed an affinity towards cheese and crackers for a long time. One of my favorite snacks as a kid was Cracker Barrel extra sharp cheddar and Ritz crackers. Carr’s water crackers with cracked pepper spread with cream cheese was also a go-to.  Auntie C always had port wine cheese spread, which is delicious on most anything (especially Snyder’s hard pretzels).

I don’t know at what point my taste in cheese went beyond the kind that has manufacturer’s coupons and is often the subject of a 2 for $3 sale.  My Dad loves some stinky cheese, and there was often the odd piece left on a cutting board post late night-snack or pre-leaving for a restaurant on a Saturday. At some point I discovered the wonders of brie, goat cheese, Port Salut, and Taleggio, and seeded whole wheat flat breads, rye crisp breads, and brioche toasts became the preferred mode of cheese transport to mouth.

Our generation is lucky that good cheese is so readily available. Walk into any local grocery store and there is bound to be a “gourmet cheese” case, and even the corner store (albeit in my yuppy neighborhood) carries DiBruno. Fine foods hubs like Eataly and Dibruno turn shopping for cheese into a Disney-like experience, rich with samples and animated employees eager to turn you into a $24.99/lb fromage addict. 

I love putting together cheese boards, both large and small. When I host, if I am cooking the main and the dessert, I tend to pick one kind of cheese and put it out with some crackers and prepare crudités.    If I am a guest, however, and elect to bring a cheese board, despite my anxiety about making sure I appear on time for appetizers to be set out, I am thrilled with the prospect of heading to the cheese case and putting something together.

A really good cheese board can be put together for $15 - $20. A really good cheese board can also be put together for $40-$50. I tend to hover around $30, although lately I’ve started to feel that is sometimes slightly too much to spend and that I should put more of an effort into pulling that number down to the $20 range. 

To me, a good cheese board has at least 3 kind of cheese, a hard cheese (ie. cheddar), a semi-soft/semi-hard cheese (gouda or havarti), and a soft (ie brie). There are also at least two kind of crackers.  I always have one plain, light cracker, like a water cracker, then maybe something slightly jazzier, like a mini-toast or something seeded.  I also tend to add “something else”, like olives, charcuterie, a fruit spread, or nuts.

Here is a more extensive list of cheeses, by firmness:

Soft – Brie, Camembert, Saint Andre, La Tur, Delice de Bourgogne, Boursin, D’Affinois

• My favorites: La Tur ($11-$13 each), D’Affinois ($7-$9 per decent hunk)
• On a budget? Brie – Trader Joe’s Unripened Semi-Soft is $2.99 this month for a 4 oz piece, President Brie is always ~$4 at Target                 

Semi-soft or Semi-hard – Havarti, Goat Cheese, Fontina, Stilton, Taleggio, Mozzarella, Port Salut, Armenian string cheese, Morbier, Cotswold

• My favorites: Armenian string cheese ($6 each), Drunken Goat ($7-$9 per decent hunk), Costwold ($4-$6 per decent hunk)
• On a budget? Goat Cheese at TJ’s $2.50 for 4 oz, or $4.50 for 8 oz, Dill Havarti ~$3-$4 piece at Target

Hard – Cheddar, Asiago, Edam, Colby, Feta, Provolone, Gruyere, Manchego, Comte

• My Favorites- Feta ($7-$8 for the big piece of good quality), Manchego ($7-$8 per decent hunk)
• On a budget? CHEDDAR Whole Foods Foods Seaside is $5 for a big hunk and pretty much everyone likes cheddar, Cabot is in most grocery stores and is about $3 a block

Remember, a lot of things can go on a cheese board besides cheese and crackers!

• Fruit spread - anything from the same cherry preserves you spread on your toast, to a homemade compote can add color and variety. 
• Fresh fruit - grapes are probably most common, but why not some fresh cherries in season, or slices of crispy apple, or pear?
• Mixed Nuts - just a small bowl will do. A lot of cheeses have a "nutty" flavor, and the nuts will only enhance that between bites.
• Olives - sort of a no brainer. don't forget to put a little bowl out for pits.
• Pate/Cornichons/Mustard - quite the trifecta of deliciousness. 
• Charcuterie - slice up some chorizo medallions, or even just tear up some pieces of a good deli ham or salami.

Also important --- know your audience. If your guests aren't really into strong flavors, save the stinky stuff for later, and stick with safe bets like cheddar, mozzarella, and goat cheese.  If your guests are really into food, maybe treat them to something special, like La Tur, or a higher end goat cheese with dalmatia fig spread a unique cracker. Having a huge meal? Maybe only put one kind of cheese out, and focus on lighter apps like crudite and dip, or just small bowls of mixed nuts and olives.

Finally, there really are no rules. My sister and and brother in law served a platter of pate, cornichons, mustard and a special spreadable Latvian cheese for their friends before an afternoon of watching football, Budweiser, chili, and wings.  I like putting together a very french cheese platter even when I'm serving a very Italian meal. It's up to you, your budget, and who you are with. 

If you are at a grocery store with someone behind the cheese counter, don't be afraid to ask for a substitute within you budget. There is a brie and cheddar at every price point, and if you like something that is a little beyond your wallet, figure out what the next best thing is--- the best way to do this is to ask. Never hesitate to ask for a sample, either! If there is a cheese on sale that sounds interesting but you have never tried it, never a better time to try it than before you plunk down $10 for a medium size piece.

I understand B Franklin said beer is proof God loves us, but I am pretty sure cheese is in the evidence bag as well. 

Chicken Parm

As diverse and progressive as some parts of the community I grew up in are, there are a few sects I did not gain great culinary exposure to. A classmate's dad came in 2nd grade to explain Hannukah and make latkes, an Afghani restaurant popped up between visits home from college, Lotte Plaza served a large Korean population--yet oddly enough, and despite a fair share of peers with Italian last names and heritage, I never experienced a true Italian Grandmother style meal until I got to Philadelphia.

Growing up, when we had pasta for dinner, my mother nearly always made her own sauce, some garlic and oil in a pan, can of tomatoes, salt and pepper and a bit of sugar, served over Barilla (we always wanted angel hair). There was usually a piece of Italian sausage on the side.  I always felt my Mom's sauce was the best, and when I first made that assertion to some college classmate with first and last names littered with vowels, I was subsequently laughed out of the room.  Every once in a while on a busy weeknight we had a Prego vegetarian lasagne (don't knock it until you've tried it).  There were lots of Italian "subs" from Ledo's on Friday nights, but nowhere near the per capita "hoagie" consumption I've witnessed in Philly. Come to think of it, I ate it, and loved it, but if you had said, "capicola, prosciutto, mortadella, salami" to me then, I would have only recognized one of the four, and maybe put the sandwich down before I got more clarification on the other three. Oh, and pasta parties the night before big HS sports games were weekly, but there was a lot of professional catering, jarred sauce, and frozen meatballs being passed around.

My nieces and nephews will be a 1/4 Italian, so I know my love for all things Italian-American will only continue to grow. I still don't understand what exactly "gravy" is, I stand by it being something that belongs on turkey, but I do know what a "cutlet" is, and what "Sugo Sunday" looks like (although I'm not always entirely sure what's in the pot). I've learned that is OK to occasionally eat more than one sausage, as well as a meatball, and a short rib in one sitting, and you don't really have to skip the bread basket if you want to indulge in dessert.

I have a go-to meatball recipe, sausage and peppers are regularly put in a big fry pan when I'm at a loss for how to feed a large group, and I've cranked out several batches of homemade pasta in the past couple months.  Recently, I tried my luck at chicken parm, homemade start to finish (minus a jar of sauce, a real Italian might of had some in the fridge/freezer on standby). I had plans to run 13.1 miles the next morning, so I figured no better time to carb load.

There was a lot that needed to be prepped ahead for this meal-- sauce, the breaded and fried chicken, the fresh pasta--so I formed a plan of attack. I bet a real Italian Grandmother could whip up chicken parm with her eyes closed and one hand tied behind her back in a kitchen that wasn't her own, but I wanted to be organized and not kill the zen I was building up for the next day's activities.

I started with the pasta. A scant cup of flour and an egg per person, with tsps of water as needed to get the dough to form. Once I had the dough ready, I covered it to let it rest for a bit while I worked on the chicken. I had two large breasts (wishful thinking), so I sliced them in half into four cutlets, and stamped them out with the tenderizer a bit. I set up three bowls in a line, in this order, flour with salt and pepper, a couple eggs lightly beaten, and Italian breadcrumbs, and got all the cutlets breaded and ready for the hot tub. I cleaned up the mess, washed my hands, and returned my attention to the pasta. The dough had time to rest, so it was nice and elastic. I rolled it through the pasta machine, set it aside.  At that point, I was ready to get rolling.

Let the dough rest after kneading for a few min so it gets its elasticity back 

I added a little extra flour once it was cut to prevent it from sticking together

I set a pot of water to boil on a back burner, and began heating up oil on a front burner. I made the mistake of just resting the chicken cutlets fried of a plate with a paper towel, which made the bottom sort of soggy, so I would suggest setting up a jelly roll pan with a wire cooling rack over it at this point instead. I also turned the oven on at this point so I could roast some broccoli.

could do this a few hours ahead

crunchy crust is key to hold up against sauce and chz

I fried the chicken cutlets for a few minutes on each side--probably about three minutes per. They were pretty thin, and there is nothing worse than overcooked chicken, but I wanted to get the breadcrumbs nice and brown and crispy. Don't leave them in the oil too long, because you will overcook the chicken as it still needs to go under the broiler to melt the cheese on top. I didn't use that large of a pan, so I did the cutlets in two batches. 

Once the chicken is fried, let it rest for a few seconds on the cooling rack you placed over the jelly roll pan so the coating can crisp up. At this point, you also want to heat up your sauce (but not all of it, leave some cold for putting on top of the chicken before it goes in the oven). I used cold sauce to top the chicken cutlets because when it's hot, it tends to run all over the place.  I put about 1/3 cup of sauce on each cutlet, then topped with lots of shredded mozzarella.  I used the shredded stuff out of the bag because I had it, but slices of fresh would also be lovely. Turn on the broiler and once the broiler heats up, drop that pasta in the water, which should be boiling at this point. After you drop the pasta in, get the chicken with the sauce and cheese under the broiler. The pasta will barely take 2 minutes, so be ready to pull that and drain it, and the chicken probably took 3-4 minutes to melt the cheese on top. Everything came together REALLY fast for me at this point, but I was cooking for myself, so I was able to persevere through several minutes of madness without anyone asking if they should dial 911.

nom nom nom nom nom

I roasted some broccoli tossed with olive oil, chopped garlic and red pepper flakes as a side and it all came together to be an excellent meal. I left two of the cutlets without sauce and cheese and stuck them in the freezer, and made two portions of the chicken parm, one for that night before the race and one for the night after. 

Although there is no way to avoid last minute cooking, a lot of this could be done ahead of time. A favorite jarred sauce (I like Lidia Bastianich's)  is perfectly acceptable, as well as a box of dried pasta. The chicken cutlets could be breaded and fried a couple days in advance and stuck in the freezer, or done before guests arrive, so once they are there, they just need toppings and the broiler. It could be made very kid friendly using chicken tenders, or chopping the cutlets up into smaller pieces to resemble nuggets. Also, as heavy the meal seems, I left the table feeling full, but not sick. I think portion control is the key. At a restaurant, you would likely get 1/2 lb of pasta and a couple cutlets--- but you really don't need that much if you factor in a salad or hearty veggie side. 

I did the broccoli ahead of time and served it at room temp with the meal

I am looking forward to making this again, and for a larger group. Mangia! 

Thanksgiving

As much as Thanksgiving revolves around old traditions, it is an exquisite opportunity for making new traditions. Growing up, I loved my family’s Thanksgiving traditions---Margarette Ave, two large dining tables, a walk down to Loch Raven Reservoir, Auntie C’s sweet potatoes, A’s scones, Grandma’s stuffing, and Top Gun blaring in the background (don’t ask). Thanksgiving wouldn’t have felt like Thanksgiving without all these things. As life and stages of life started to change, the traditions suddenly did not seem as important. The first year we missed Thanksgiving was to visit my sister who was studying abroad in Galway (wasn’t going to turn that down for turkey). The next year, I missed it because I was studying abroad in Galway (and managed to put together a celebration courtesy of Marks and Sparks). The next year, I was a vegetarian (and also someone that doesn’t particularly care for mashed potatoes). The next year, I was working in the UK (although I did manage to enjoy three expat turkey day celebrations). 

The year I returned from abroad, Thanksgiving was still on Margarette Ave, complete with seating for over twenty, Kenny Loggins booming, and all the familiar foods, but my Grandmother was gone.  We still held the celebration in her house as it was being prepared to be sold, but it was the beginning of the end of Thanksgiving traditions as I had known them all my life.  In the past couple years, the large ranch house on Margarette Ave was sold, “the children” have become married adults with in-laws, and cousins redistributed themselves on both coasts.  It’s been back to the drawing board as we have all had to rethink our fourth Thursday of November game plan.

This year, my sister and her husband offered to host in Philadelphia.  Thanksgivings of the past were a mix of up to forty family, friends, and the occasional strays, eating done in shifts. Our celebration this year was six people seated at the dining table all at once. We did all the cooking day of.  We started the day with breakfast sandwiches and fresh squeezed blood orange mimosas (perks of living within walking distance to Whole Foods) instead of a trip to the Columbia gym.  T smoked a turkey and made a fresh herb rub.  There was no celery in the stuffing. The mashed potatoes were homemade (talk to A about that one). Buzz made pecan bars.

Cheers to new traditions!

I think one of the best parts of being able to form new traditions, besides the introduction of a family member that is capable of smoking a turkey and my brother taking an interest in baking, is the opportunity to try new recipes. I first made these green beans for the “Second Thanksgiving” my family would hold at our house so we could actually have leftovers.   It was one of those straight from the couch watching Food Network to going to the grocery store for ingredients kind of moments. We never had green beans, or green bean casserole at our traditional Thanksgiving (nor did we have marshmallows on our sweet potatoes), but I was confident this recipe would pass muster with my family. After all, it had fried shallots of top! What could be classier than fried shallots?

This year, after a couple years of following Alex Guarnaschelli’s instructions more or less to a T, I found myself missing ingredients and without any motivation to make a run to the grocery store. I had purchased the green beans, mushrooms, and shallots (the main bits) a few days before, but I failed to double check for sour cream or Dijon mustard.  I had just been in Whole Foods that morning picking up breakfast supplies, and despite the signs all over  the store reminding shoppers, “don't forget the cream!” or asking, "do you need rolls?”, the previous evening’s hangover and crippling anxiety over choosing a variety of organic breakfast meat prevented thorough thinking.  

Fuel for the day

Here is the original recipe:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alexandra-guarnaschelli/stovetop-green-bean-casserole-recipe/index.html

Post hot tub

Not your momma's green bean casserole

You should try the original recipe, but if you happen to be lacking sour cream, or Dijon mustard, here is my solution.  I ended up using mayonnaise instead of sour cream and the last scrapes of a jar of Dijon plus some hot and sweet mustard.  Also, instead of cayenne, red pepper flakes.  I used more green beans than the recipe calls for, because I believe there is too much sauce for just one pound of green beans.

Non-Traditional Stove Top Green Bean Casserole

1 ¼ - 1 ½ lbs Green beans, trimmed

1 lb white mushrooms, cleaned and sliced into ½ in slices

2 tbs mustard – any kind except yellow mustard which simply won’t cut it

2 cloves garlic, 3 if you like

1 tsp red pepper flakes

3 tbs flour

1 cup chicken stock

¾ cups heavy cream

2/3 cup mayonnaise

3 medium shallots, thinly sliced

Another ¼ cup flour

2-4 cups oil

Salt and pepper

Set up a bowl of ice water with a strainer in it.  Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and blanch the green beans for 3-4 minutes.   Once the beans are blanched, transfer them to the bowl of ice water so they stop cooking. Allow to cool, then remove from ice water (using the strainer will make this easier, but you can also just add straight into a bowl of ice water and use a slotted spoon to remove them directly from a bowl of ice water) Set aside.

Whisk the mayonnaise, mustard, and heavy cream together in a bowl and set aside. Melt a couple tbs of butter in a pan and add the slice mushrooms. Season the mushrooms with salt and pepper, and sauté for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and the red pepper flakes and sauté for a couple more minutes. Add the flour, and fully incorporate. Add the stock, stir to mix in with flour and mushrooms, and bring to a simmer for about 2 minutes. Stir in the mayo, mustard, and heavy cream mixture and bring back to a simmer, and let it simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring regularly. Season to taste. Keep warm over low heat while you prepare the shallots.

While the sauce is simmering, heat up oil to fry the shallots. Toss the slice shallots with flour, salt, and pepper. Once the oil is hot enough for frying (test it with a shallot, it should bubble and pop), add the shallots. Make sure to shake off the excess flour as you put the shallots in, and try to break them up and separate them before adding to the pan, and monitor the heat of the oil (might want to turn down to medium). When they turn golden/medium brown, remove from oil with a slotted pan and place on a plate covered with a paper towel.

Add the green beans to the sauce, stir, and heat over low heat until heated through.  Serve topped with the fried shallots.

Cooking with My Mother

I could write a book about cooking with my mother, but I’m not going to. I’m going to stick with a blog post as The Kitchen of A. Darr tell-all memoir would likely take years and all I have is the dwindling hours of the work week.

I enjoy cooking with my mother for several reasons. One, we often cook together in our kitchen at my childhood home, which is by no means the granite countertop and stainless steel fortress so often ooo-ed and ahhh-ed over on HGTV, but entirely functional, and with more counter space than any apartment kitchen I cook in day in and day out.  Second, her kitchen is always stocked. Fancy sprinkles for roll-out cookies? Check! Flank steak and lamb chops in the freezer? Mais oui! Cheese and charcuterie from every Western European country? Boom. Third, the woman knows her stuff. I still call her on the reg, even if I’m at my laptop, finger strokes away from a Google search, to get her opinion of cook times, methods, and ingredient substitutes.

AD does not care what website she gets her recipes from, or if her plate looks exactly like the picture.  AD stocks up on expensive ingredients, like olive oil and vinegars, and the fancy cake mixes, at William Sonoma seasonal sales to use in both the everyday as well as stuff Christmas stockings. A.D. keeps it simple and doesn’t fuss over technique or elaborate table settings.  Basically, my mother is a kitchen honey badger. 

I was home a few weeks ago and we cooked together. It’s take a few years for us to be able to do this without one of us peacing out and retiring to the living room couch in exasperation, but we can do it now. We mulled over restaurant options, but after a quick pantry survey that yielded lamb chops, brussel sprouts, and those delicious store-bought mashed potatoes (don’t hate), we decided to cook at home.

True to form, A.D. Googled a recipe and came up with crusted lamb chops with a pan sauce. I let her take the protein duties, as well being responsible for heating the mash up in the microwave, and I took hold of the brussel sprouts. I considered just roasting the sprouts, but I had also had a large martini before we started cooking, so I was feeling slightly more adventurous.

baa baa black sheep

I started by trimming the sprouts, cut off the stems and pulled off some of the outer leaves, and then chopped them in half. I got some garlic and red pepper flakes sautéing in the pan and threw the sprouts in. While they browned, I considered my next steps. I decided to speed up the cook time. I poured some white wine (always within reach in A.D.’s kitchen) and poured some in the sauté pan. After I let the alcohol cook off, I then threw a lid on it---steamed sprouts! Took the lid off and tasted one, and realized they weren’t quite right. Oooo, what makes everything better? Grated parm! Ah, and the oven was on from the lamb chops! Put some grated parm on top and stuck the pan in the oven. This browned the cheese and finished cooking the sprouts. Perfect!

Gettin crusted

We had a fantastic meal. My Dad even broke out a nice bottle of red--- classy guy!

Excellence is hereditary

Brussel Sprouts Cooked Three Ways

1 clove garlic, minced

½ tsp red pepper flakes

Brussel Sprouts, trimmed and cut in half

½ cup white wine

Grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Over medium high heat, heat a couple tbs of olive oil in a pan and cook garlic and red pepper flakes for about 30 seconds. Add the brussel sprouts and sauté for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour wine in pan and let the alcohol cook off, about 30 seconds. Place lid over sprouts and turn heat down. Allow to simmer for 2-3 minutes. Remove lid and sprinkle parmesan cheese over sprouts, then stick pan in over for about 3 minutes, or under the broiler for just under a minute (watch it!). Enjoy!

Sproutz!