Recipe: Plantain Nachos

So here's where I see the state of the country right now:

1. If you live on the East Coast, Midwest, or South, then I'm sure you've had it up to HERE with this soul-crushing winter weather we've had.
2. If you have any family or friends in those regions, I'm sure you're sick of reading their Facebook status messages about the awful winter they're enduring.
3. If you're in California, you desperately need some of the bad storms everyone else has been having and you kinda want them to quit their whining.

Right?

Our family is solidly in the first category.  But we have ways of coping.  One way is by declaring an evening "St. Martin Night."  Why St. Martin?  Because we've fallen in love with the island (I'll be making my third trip there next month), and we spend a good portion of the time we're not there wishing that we were.

What does one do on St. Martin Night?  We crank up the heat A LOT (one of the joys of radiator heat - it doesn't cost us an arm and leg in electric bills) and put on our vacation outfits.  We listen to lots of Marley and Gipsy Kings while making lip-smacking rum drinks (El Diablos and Dark and Stormys are both favorites).  Then we usually watch a beach-themed movie as a family, like Mamma Mia, Weekend at Bernie's, or...Dirty Dancing 2: Havana Nights.

This last weekend, we were in desperate need of a pseudo beach getaway.  So we made an imitation of the Plantain Nachos that we created while in St. Martin last November.  Sadly, we did have to substitute bagged plantain chips for the fresh plantains we fried on the island, but we refused to be deterred.  And, er, I did buy pre-made guacamole, albeit freshly made.  The bacon in the recipe?   A little odd, true, but I had some left over in the fridge and thought I might as well add it.  Who cares, though?  Island fever was the goal and we achieved it.

PLANTAIN NACHOS
Serves 3
4 c. plantain chips, approximately
1 c. grated oaxaca cheese (or queso blanco)
1 15-oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
6 slices of bacon, cut into 3/4-inch slices
1 clove garlic, sliced thin
1/2 tsp. chili powder, or to taste
1/2 tsp. cumin, or to taste
2 tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tbsp. cilantro, roughly chopped, or to taste
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
Guacamole, to taste
Salsa, freshly made or store-bought, to taste
Sour cream, to taste
Lime wedges or slices, for garnish

1. Sauté bacon in a medium-high pan until just crispy.  Remove bacon with a slotted spoon on to a paper towel-lined plate.  Pour out all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat.  Add garlic over medium heat and sauté until soft, about 2 minutes.  Add black beans and lime juice.  Stir until warmed through.  Remove from heat and add bacon, chili powder, cumin, cilantro, salt, and pepper.  Taste to make sure the seasonings suit you.

1. Assemble desired amount of plantain chips on plate.  Spoon desired amount of black bean-bacon mixture over the chips.  Sprinkle cheese over the dish.  Add desired amount of guacamole, salsa, and sour cream.  Garnish with lime slices.

SIDE DISH SUGGESTION: As a side dish, grilled fresh pineapple makes a great sunny weather addition.  Core and peel a fresh pineapple, then cut into large slices.  Brush with olive oil and grill until grill marks show and pineapple softens a bit.  Remove from heat and sprinkle with sea salt.  Enjoy!

Is it the same as laying on a white sandy beach?  Hardly.  But we got to feel super warm while wearing swimsuits and sarongs, and it made us forget about winter, if just for one evening.

Eat, drink, and make the most of it.

Recipe: Barley Soup with Scotch...

...otherwise known as my New Favorite Recipe.

This recipe appeared in an October 2011 issue of Food & Wine and I'm horrified that I kept it this long without trying it.  That means I've lived TWO YEARS without this in my life.  It's the culinary equivalent of curling up under a warm blanket on the couch...or soft cashmere mittens on a chilly day...or warm mulled wine shared with a friend.

In my version below, I substituted chopped parsley for the celery leaves, adding them to the soup fresh at the last minute.  F&W's recipe also doesn't specify which Scotch to use.  Adam's a peat-y guy - he loves himself some Laphroaig - but I love my Scotch more toasty and woody so I used one of my personal favorites: Balvenie 12-Year Doublewood.

Barley Soup with Scotch
Adapted from Food & Wine
Serves 4

6 cups vegetable broth
1 cup barley grits (I found pearled barley on Fresh Direct)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion, finely diced
1 tablespoon Scotch whisky
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 oz. dry salami, sliced paper-thin (about 20 slices)
Crème fraîche, for serving

1. In a medium saucepan, bring the broth to a boil.  Keep hot over low heat.  In a large skillet, cook the barley over moderately high heat, tossing, until lightly browned, about 2 minutes.  Transfer to a plate to cool.
2. Add vegetable oil to the skillet and add the onion.  Cook over moderate heat, stirring a few times, until softened, about 10 minutes.  Add the barley and stir well.  Add 1 cup of the hot broth and cook over moderate heat, stirring often, until most of the broth has been absorbed.  Continue adding more broth, 1 cup at a time (yes, just like risotto), and stirring often between additions.  The soup is finished when all of the broth has been added and the barley is just tender, about 25 minutes.  Add the Scotch and then stir in the butter.  Season with salt and pepper (make sure to taste it!).
3. Ladle the soup into shallow bowls.  Top with the salami and dollop of crème fraîche.  Garnish with the parsley and serve hot.

Can you believe it?  That's it.  And I really don't think you lose a lot if you leave out the salami and make it vegetarian.  I do insist, however, that you keep that dollop of crème fraîche - it's the divine richness that just makes the entire dish.

And, yes, Isabell ate this.  I just "forgot" to mention the Scotch.  Seriously, guys, she would have gone on about how she's "too young to get drunk" and it would've been a big dramatic thing.  But at a single tablespoon for the whole dish, I hardly think she was in danger of getting sloshed under the dining room table.  (And I diced the onion so fine that there was no way she could even detect they were there.)

Make this dish ASAP while we're all still mildly entertained by winter's charms.  I can guarantee that you'll be flipping off recipes like this one come March...and then you'll have to wait until NEXT YEAR to try this amazing soup!

Eat, drink, and ACT NOW.

Cheers,
Laura

Linguine with Creamy Red Cabbage and Corn

I can hardly complain about this winter so far; other than a freezing cold that has gripped the Northeast, New York has had little snow or rain to mention.  Nevertheless, I feel like I would give damn-near anything for a peach straight from the farm right now.  Don't we all feel that way this time of year?

So, as you can imagine, I struggle with my menu in February.  No more potatoes!  No more soups!  No more root vegetables at all!  Even...dare I say it?...no more Brussels sprouts!!!!  But how do I freshen up my dishes without buying, say, asparagus that's completely out of season?

When I saw a recipe for Egg Noodles with Creamy Red Cabbage and Sweet Corn in my Edible Brooklyn: The Cookbook (from the Edible Brooklyn magazine folks), I thought it would be perfect.  And what an interesting combination with pasta, right?  Actually, this whole cookbook is amazing; it's quickly becoming one of my go-to books.  Anyway, it's obviously not corn season in New York right now but I have no problem substituting with frozen corn in the winter months - frozen in the off-season is much better than fresh in the off-season, to my mind.

This recipe is, in a word, fantastic.  It mixes the sweet with the salty, and the red wine vinegar rounds it all out with a tart acidity.  The pasta gives the dish a heartiness you want in winter, but the corn is such a welcome change from the usual cold-weather fare.  To quote Adam, "this recipe's a keeper."

LINGUINE WITH CREAMY RED CABBAGE AND CORN

Adapted only slightly from Edible Brooklyn: The Cookbook, edited by Rachel Wharton

Serves 4-6

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 medium head red cabbage, cored and sliced into 1/2-inch strips
1 tbsp salt
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels
1 lb fresh linguine
1 cup crème fraîche (or sour cream)
Freshly ground black pepper

1. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add the onion and garlic, and cook for a few minutes until the onion is softened but the garlic is not yet golden.

2. Add the cabbage and salt, and cook for 3-4 minutes; do not let the vegetables brown.  Add the vinegar and sugar, cover the pot, reduce to a gentle simmer, and cook for 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Taste the cabbage - it should be tender but not mushy.  Adjust the salt, vinegar, and sugar to taste if needed, and set the cabbage aside.

3. In a large skillet, melt the butter and sauté the corn over high heat until it begins to caramelize.  Remove from heat and set aside.

4. Cook the pasta according to package directions (about 3 minutes for fresh pasta), reserve 1 cup of the pasta water, and drain.  In a large bowl, combine the pasta, corn, red cabbage, and crème fraîche.  Thin sauce with pasta water, if needed.  Let sit for 3-5 mintues to allow the pasta to soak up the sauce.  Serve in warmed bowls.  Top with pepper to taste.

KID-FRIENDLINESS NOTE: This dish is fairly adaptable for kids.  I reserved some corn and pasta in a bowl, tossed them with some crème fraîche, and Bug was perfectly happy to eat it.  She probably would have gone for the cabbage as well but, with the onions in there, she would have been scared off so I left those out of her bowl.

NOTE: The cookbook was given to me by the publisher.

This will absolutely be a recurring dish in our house.  In addition, to the unique mix of flavors, the colors are simple gorgeous - a sure way to cheer you up on a dreary winter evening.

Orange Peel Wine

With the exception of the occasional mulled wine, I have not been a fan of altering wine in any way to make some sort of wine cocktail.  I'm not even a huge fan of Kir Royale - Champagne (or Prosecco) is so lovely on its own and why mess with a good thing?

But lately...well...I've been altering wine like crazy.  I have several cookbooks that have recipes for wine-based drinks, and I've been finding myself intrigued.  For instance, one recipe was for a winter-inspired rosé recipe - you add lemon and sage to it (spoiler alert: it did not taste great).  Likewise, I have several different mulled wine recipes.

There is one recipe that stood out, though: Orange Peel Wine.  Which, not surprisingly, is from one of my favorite cookbooks, French Food at Home by Laura Calder.  The coriander gives the wine a bit of bite and the sugar gives it a roundness that you really want out of a white wine in winter.  Calder recommends a Muscadet, and I concur - I use a rather inexpensive bottle that I get from Fresh Direct.  The major thing to remember is that you need to make sure there is no white on the orange peel; believe me, it'll make the wine super bitter and yucky.  Other than that, this is a cinch to make.  Drink it as an apéritif or digestif.

ORANGE PEEL WINE
from French Food at Home by Laura Calder

One 750-ml bottle dry white wine
1 medium orange
1/3 cup/65g sugar
8 coriander seeds

Open the wine.  Pour out about half a cup so that the bottle doesn't overflow when you add the other ingredients; of course, enjoy the wine while you finish the recipe.

Shave the zest from the orange with a vegetable peeler.  Remove every trace of the bitter white pith from the back with a sharp knife.  Poke the orange zest into the bottle of wine (if you have any trouble, I found that using the handle of a wooden spoon will get the zest into the bottle).  Funnel in the sugar.  Drop in the coriander seeds.  Recork the bottle Turn it upside down and right side up a few times until the sugar has dissolved.  Refrigerate 1 week, giving the wine a shake once a day.

Strain into a carafe and serve well chilled.


I have three bottles marinating in my fridge right now.  What will I do with all that wine?  Well, I bought carafe type bottles at Fishs Eddy the other day, and I plan on giving out small carafes of this to some friends this holiday season.  More on that soon!

This was a good lesson for me.  Rather than sniffing my nose haughtily about how I don't drink "wine cocktails," I needed to expand my mind a bit and embrace the possibility that wine and coriander, together, might just be delicious.

Eat, drink, and stay open-minded.


Other recipes I've posted from Laura Calder's French Food at Home:
Pear Pork
Bacon and Hazelnut Leeks

Garlic and Wine Soup

I had the loveliest morning today.  I stopped at Joe: The Art of Coffee for an Americano and a coconut cream doughnut.  Instead of walking down the street, munching, I stopped in Union Square to sit on a bench and enjoy my impromptu breakfast.  Small, but bold, birds hopped within a foot of my hand and the morning sun came through the yellow and green leaves.  I thought about autumn.  This season makes me feel contemplative, relaxed, and sleepy (in a good way) - it's, hands-down, my absolute favorite season.  At the risk of sounding corny, my heart just felt so full, sitting there, and I couldn't believe my good fortune in being able to sit in the park and enjoy the morning.  It was, in every way, perfect.

The changing of the seasons is always the best time for food and drink, I think.  By the end of summer, I'm rather grumpy about the heat, declaring that I won't make a single thing for dinner that requires heat and pining for the day when I can roast and braise and fry.  Not to mention exchanging my Vinho Verde and Hefeweizen for Pinot Noir and porter.  Well, the day has come.

It began with the Cauliflower Macaroni and was followed by Garlic and Wine Soup.  Jonny and Amy over at We Are Never Full posted the recipe for this soup ages ago; I bookmarked it back in November 2009 and I've only now gotten around to making it.  And, goodness, I wish I had made it sooner!  It is the perfect way to herald in the new season with its creamy richness and earthiness.

Amy and Jonny, in their blog post, recommend pairing this with a rustic red wine, which I think would be lovely and much welcome in the winter.  However, I went with WHAT TO DRINK WITH WHAT YOU EAT and drank a Sauvignon Blanc with dinner (the same one I used in the recipe...which is why you should always cook with a wine good enough to drink on its own).  I found the bright citrus notes very refreshing with this soup - it cut right through the richness.

This soup truly celebrates a new season.  And don't be afraid of all the garlic; when simmered for a long period of time, it turns sweet, mellow, and fragrant.  My last piece of advice is that you avoid the mistake I made: don't wait for two years to make this soup.  Make it this week.

Eat, drink, and don't worry about your breath.


SOUPE A L'AIL ET AU VIN (Garlic and Wine Soup)
Adapted - only slightly - from We Are Never Full
Serves 2

4-5 heads garlic (50-60 cloves)
4 oz pancetta, cubed
3 tablespoons plain flour
5 cups warm low-sodium beef stock
1/2 cup dry white wine
3 egg yolks
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/4 c. chopped parsley
1 cup Cantal cheese (Gruyere or Emmentaler would work too), grated
4-6 slices toasted country bread

1. Separate each clove of garlic from the head and crush lightly with the side of a knife.  Do not remove the skin.

2. Reserve one clove.  Peel it and chop it finely.  Keep for later use.

3. Gently render the cubed pancetta over medium heat in a large stockpot, until pieces are golden brown.

4. Add flour and stir into the fat.  Cook for 3-5 minutes.

5. Gradually add warm stock to the roux, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon.

6. Bring to a boil and add the garlic.  Simmer uncovered for 45 minutes.

7. Meanwhile, mix the white wine with the egg yolks in a 1-quart measuring jug (or a large bowl).  Also, place bread on a baking sheet and toast under the broiler for about 3 minutes.  Add grated cheese and broil for an additional 2 minutes.  Keep a close eye on it so it doesn't burn.

8. After 45 minutes, strain soup through a sieve to remove garlic, skins, and pancetta.  Return soup to pot.

9. Add several ladle-fulls of the simmering liquid to the eggs and wine to gently heat (temper) the yolks.

10. Then, add the egg yolk mixture back to the stock post and stir well.

11. Reheat soup until it shows a few bubbles.  Do not allow to boil.

12. Taste and add salt and pepper, if needed.

13. Mash the reserved garlic clove with chopped parsley (make a persillade).

14. Ladle soup into bowls.  Add bread slice on top, ladle soup over the bread, and sprinkle the whole thing with the persillade.  Enjoy!


NOTE: I actually forgot the parsley on my grocery list.  Which is why you see no persillade in my photo. It worked okay but I'd recommend the persillade, if not for flavor then at least for looks.

A NOTE ON KID-FRIENDLINESS: Who are we kidding?  Bug wouldn't touch this with a 10-foot pole.  She had "Kid Dinner" and then we enjoyed this for "Adult Dinner" after she had gone to bed.

Come ON already!

Like most Northeasterners, I have HAD IT with all this snow and cold and gray and gloom. I want peaches, I want asparagus, I want a picnic, I want VITAMIN D! So in an homage to all things sun-related, I give you some hope for brighter things to come:

Eat, drink, and hang in there a little bit longer!

Note: The burrito/taco thing is my own creation - seared tuna, sour cream, cilantro, raw red peppers, cabbage, mashed avocado, and lime juice.

Chicken Noodle Soup

I know I've been posting a lot of food lately and thanks to all my bookish friends for being patient. I've actually written three posts in the last two weeks about work and books and life...but I couldn't quite write them in a way that was...uncontroversial. So until I figure it out, I'll talk about food.

Last weekend was glutinous. On Saturday night, thanks to Eatery Row: Forest Hills, we discovered the local joy which is Manor Oktoberfest. I ate every bite of an enormous bratwurst and drank a whole pint of my new favorite lager, Kostritzer. Sunday morning started with poached eggs and potatoes fried in duck fat for breakfast. Sunday night ended with Boeuf Bourguignon. It was worth it but, by Sunday night, we were drinking lemon ginger tea to help our digestion and popping Tums.

So this was a cleansing week. On Tuesday night, I made Chicken Noodle Soup from my new cookbook, Simple Chinese Cooking by Kylie Kwong (a Christmas present from MC [mother-in-law] and her husband). I had to make some minor alterations but here is how it turned out:

Chicken Noodle Soup

(a variation on the recipe from Kylie Kwong)

1/2 bunch bok choy

9 oz. package fresh linguine noodles (Buitoni brand is available in most grocery stores)

6 cups low-sodium chicken stock

2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce

1 tbsp ginger julienne

2 tsp oyster sauce

1 tsp white sugar

13 oz free-range chicken breasts, cut widthways into 1/2 in. slices

1 tsp sesame oil

1/2 scallion julienne

1 red jalapeno, finely sliced on the diagonal

Remove cores from bok choy, cut crossways into 4, then wash thoroughly and drain.

Place noodles in a colander and rinse well under hot running water, then drain.

Bring stock to a boil in a large heavy-based pot. Add soy sauce, ginger, oyster sauce, and sugar and stir to combine. Reduce heat, add drained noodles and simmer gently for 30 seconds. Add bok choy and chicken (yes, raw) and simmer for a further 2 minutes or until chicken is just cooked through (took about 5 minutes with my soup). Stir in sesame oil, then remove pot from stove.

Ladle soup into large bowls. Place scallion and pepper in a separate bowl alongside the soup or do as I did and just sprinkle over soup as garnish.

This also turned out to be a super kid-friendly meal since I just gave Bug the broth and noodles. You could also make it vegetarian by omitting the chicken and use vegetable broth instead. The soup had a bright flavor and it was so cleansing and fresh after all the heavy winter food I had been eating!

Eat, drink, and don't prescribe to the idea that winter only means heavy foods!

Julia Child's Boeuf Bourguignon

Can you believe this is the very first Julia Child recipe I've made? It's fitting that it should be the first, don't you think? Though, I have to confess, that I felt like such a cliche when I said to the guy at Chelsea Wine Vault, "I need two bottles of Chianti to make Julia Child's Boeuf Bourguignon." Yeah, yeah, isn't everyone making it?

Off the bat, I had a problem: I don't own Mastering the Art of French Cooking. But that is what the interwebs are for. So this is the recipe I used. But there just seemed to be details missing. First, "sliced" carrots and onions. Thin? Fat? What? And what about the "mashed" garlic? Mashed, as in slammed under my chef's knife? Or mashed, as in rubbed with salt and made into a paste? I put in 4 cloves (only 2? Puh-leeze) and just smashed 'em under my knife. And "small white onions"? Like pearl onions? Or just small white onions - I found some non-pearl ones at Union Square that were about the size of large shallots. Overall, I was not happy about the lack of detail. Those of you who own MtAoFC, can you confirm that Julia includes more detail? Wasn't she known for detail? Ack!

That said, it all turned out okay. While the recipe took forever, it still wasn't incredibly difficult. Don't confuse lots of steps with being very difficult. Because this was nearly a one-pot meal, it didn't take a lot of coordination and, while it sat in the oven for 3 hours, I played Guitar Hero and watched the Jets lose to the Colts. Does that sound like a woman who slaved away in the kitchen?

Behold, the photos:

Some notes:

• I got my bacon at Dickson's Farmstand Meats and they didn't have any rind left so I made it without. I didn't miss it.
• As I mentioned, I used 4 cloves of garlic instead of 2. Perfect.
• The recipe just said "fresh mushrooms" - I used cremini.
• I used grass-fed beef which doesn't brown nearly as well as corn-fed or -finished. This recipe says to sear over medium heat - I had to use high heat to get any color. Even then, I got very little. Be careful - if you leave the grass-fed on too long it'll get tough!
• I can't emphasize this enough: taste for seasoning! Before you put it on the table, make sure it doesn't need more salt and pepper!
• I didn't put this over rice, noodles, or anything else. Not my style. I served it as a straight-up stew with some sliced baguette on the side to soak up the juices.

It was worth every minute. It tasted like earth and herbs and winter and mud. In the best way possible.

But that doesn't mean Julia is going to get me to try those nasty aspics.

Eat, drink, and hurry up before spring gets here!

Gorgeous Slow-Cooked Duck Pasta

That recipe name is Jamie Oliver's - not mine. Only someone like Jamie can call his own dish "gorgeous". Especially with that "gorgeous" British accent.

I won't lie: this dish wasn't a slam dunk. It was "easy" in that it didn't take great culinary skill, but it was wicked time-consuming. I was in the kitchen for no less than three hours, only taking about a 5-minute break to have a glass of Prosecco in the white chairs*. That said, it was worth every single millisecond. This meal was winter personified: eating it made you feel warm, safe, comforted. I knew for certain that I was packing on the fat to keep me warm in winter. Indeed, that's what my zipper told me this morning too. And, again, it was worth it.

Because I'm lazy as all get-out, I'll link to the recipe as posted at Jerry's Thoughts, Musings, and Rants!

Here is how it turned out:

Should you decide to give it a go, here are some notes I made:

• Jamie calls for sultanas and pine nuts. Don't bother. The flavors without them are still intense, rich, and complicated. Adding the sultanas (raisins) and pine nuts would muddy it up. There is a lot to be said for simplicity and subtlety, Jamie.
• I used a half-bottle of Pio Cesare Barbera d'Alba for the recipe and drank the other half with the meal. Heaven. But should you want to pair beer with it, Adam's Brooklyn Brewery Brown Ale gave my Barbera a run for its money. Just make sure your ale isn't too cold - just above room temp is ideal.
• Jamie being Jamie, he didn't give a size for the duck. The recipe just says "a duck". For god's sake. For the record, I had a 5-pounder.
• My duck skin didn't get "thin and crisp" like Jamie said. So I took off the skin first and set it aside. I took all the duck off the bone and tossed it in the sauce, per the recipe. While the sauce was "blip"-ing for another half-hour, I put the skin on a cookie sheet and kept it in a 350-degree oven for that half-hour. Blissfully crispy skin was the result. I salted and peppered it and set it on the table (you can see it in the photos). It was good both as a snack with dinner and a topping to the pasta.
• There are lots of variations on this pasta. I probably won't use pasta next time. I'll put it over mashed potatoes, as Jamie suggests. Or better yet, I'm going to eat it as a stew with no pasta or starches. Maybe some crusty bread for soaking up the juices at the bottom of the bowl. Aaaaahhhhh...
• This was a stupid amount of pasta for only 2 people. There's enough for Adam and I to eat the whole week. Next time, I'll halve it. With the other half of the duck meat, I'll make something different later in the week, like Ina Garten's Warm Duck Salad. On the upside, here is what I'm eating for lunch on a Sunday, at this moment as I type this:

Oh, and in further I-Don't-Hate-Winter news, here is what we had for a nightcap:

Eat, drink, and embrace the cold.

* Many of my regular readers have been to my apartment before...thus they know the white chairs. If you don't know the white chairs, then you need to invite yourself over!

Note: I know I gave lots of notes. This is the rub with Jamie: he leaves lots of room for interpretation...but for those who need/want lots of guidance, he is not your guy. So consider yourself warned.