Pasta with Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Tomatoes

Of all the foods commonly eaten in the U.S., none have a more unjust reputation than the  Brussels  sprout. All across children's media in particular,  Brussels sprouts are lazy shorthand for "gross vegetable," just as the also unfairly maligned anchovy is for "gross fish." In fact, Brussels sprouts are both healthful and seriously delicious, with a deep flavor that's downright rich for a vegetable, and, if properly cooked, an immensely satisfying tender texture. Properly cooked is the rub, though—part of the root of their unfair reputation is that steaming or boiling your sprouts for too long not only makes them mushy, but releases glucosinolate sinigrin, a sulfurous compound that both tastes and smells quite unpleasant. Being more delicate with your steaming will fix that problem, but if you want to bring out the best in the Brussels sprout, the way to go is roasting (high, dry heat denatures the compound altogether, so such problems are entirely avoided.)

This dish was thoroughly an improv dinner for me tonight, but I really like how it turned out, and it has the advantage of being versatile for a wide variety of eaters: leave out the cheese and it's vegan (and will be very nearly as good), take out the hot stuff if you don't go for it, or, if you want to keep away from carbs, leave the pasta out entirely—I think the sprouts and tomatoes alone could serve two quite comfortably and happily, especially if paired with a green salad. Of course, on the other extreme, I'm sure this would go very nicely with some bacon if you felt like throwing caution to the wind. 

Spiced Pork and Caramelized Onion Pie

Despite our common language, linked intellectual and cultural traditions, and crossover hit TV shows, some things really do change when you go from the U.S. to the U.K. Certain words even have different assumed meanings: football, pants, and, most importantly for these purposes, pie.  

While here (with chicken pot pie the only real exception) they're assumed to contain fruit, cream, candied nuts, and other such sweet ingredients, in Britain, pies typically contain steak, mutton, seafood, or, in this case, pork. They also don't necessarily need to be baked in ordinary pie crusts—ones with either shortcrust or puff pastry crusts, baked without a tin are also quite popular. 

This take isn't exactly traditional, although the inclusion of apples and the cherry liqueur both come from different English variants on the traditional pork pie, and the use of spices that here would not be out of place in pumpkin pie likewise call on very old British ground meat recipes. One definitely non-traditional idea is the addition of an avocado garlic purée as a complement—it's strictly optional, but I think you'll find it balances the slightly sweet richness of the pie really well. In any case, it's a not-too-difficult take on a savory pie that makes a nice winter dinner—and until my cousins in Wales help me get the Great Transcontinental Pie Exchange going, the best way to get your hands on a tasty savory pie is to make it yourself. 

Pie:

2/3 pound ground pork (you can cook the whole pound and have extra to put on pasta or sandwiches)

2 large or 4 small yellow onions, medium dice

1 apple, cored and quartered. 

1 package frozen puff pastry

4 anchovy filets

~1/2 cup dark beer

1 oz cherry liqueur e.g. Maraschino (optional) 

1 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1 bay leaf 

Dash of celery seed

Dash of paprika

Dash of mustard powder

Salt and fresh-ground pepper to taste

Olive oil

Avocado Garlic Purée:

1 avocado

2-3 oz canned chopped green chiles (opt)

1 tbsp mayonnaise

3 cloves garlic, peeled

Red wine vinegar, to taste

Generous squirt sriracha or other hot sauce. 

1 tbsp Parmesan or feta cheese (opt)

1. Place onions in a dry medium sauté pan and cook covered over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes. 

2. Quarter apple and grate with a box grater on the small, flat holed side. 

3. Remove lid from onions, reduce heat to medium low, and add sufficient olive oil to coat. Continue to cook at this temperature, stirring occasionally, until it is time to fill the pies—at least 25 minutes.  

4. Remove puff pastry from freezer and set out to defrost. When it is sufficiently defrosted, unfold it. Preheat oven to 400. 

5. In a saucepan or sautée pan, coat the bottom well with oil and heat over medium—high heat. Add the ground pork, break up well, and cook until browned through.

6. Add beer, bay leaf, grated apple, and anchovy filets. Let liquid begin to simmer and then reduce heat to medium low. Cook for approximately five minutes, then add spices and cherry liqueur. Continue to cook for a few minutes until flavors are blended, the volume of liquid has noticeably fallen, and pork is thoroughly cooked but not dry. 

7. Move pork with slotted spoon to onion pan, stir thoroughly, and turn off heat. Check pastry—if it is becoming sticky, return to freezer for 5 minutes. 

8. Melt 2 tbsp butter in microwave (~20 seconds). Dip a brush in the butter and use it to coat a large baking sheet. 

9. Slightly roll out one sheet of pastry and lay on baking sheet. Spoon filling into center of pastry and spread out, leaving 1 inch margin around edges (if pastry is in four sheets, divide filling in half). Do not overfill- pile of filling should not be more than an inch high. Leftover filling is ok. 

10. Brush margins of first sheet with butter.  Slightly roll out second sheet, and drape on top of first. Crimp edges down with fork and puncture top with fork at least five times. Brush top with butter.

11. If pastry is in four pieces, repeat steps 9 and 10. Place baking sheet into oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, until tops are golden brown. 

12. Place purée ingredients in food processor and blend until smooth. Chill.

13. When pies are ready, remove from oven, let stand 5 minutes, and slice. On each plate, spoon a long blob of the purée and place slice on top. If desired, garnish with parsley. Serve with a green salad with a vinaigrette or citrus dressing and white wine. 

Advancements in Thanksgiving Sandwich Engineering

We had a fantastic Thanksgiving, and a post on that will be forthcoming, but for now I turn my attention to a subject gripping minds across the nation this time of year: the proper engineering of a Thanksgiving  Sandwich. It's an understandable thing to fixate on: our fridges are swollen with stacked containers of leftovers, and this venerable sandwich represents the easiest means of doing someone new with them— and, done correctly, it's undeniably delicious.

How to construct such a sandwich, however, is a matter of some controversy- specifically, a tradeoff between indulgence and structure.  To quote Deadspin's Albert Burneko, one of the Internet's funniest and most irreverent food writers, "There's some disagreement here. Some people like to pile a portion of each of the various delicious Thanksgiving victuals between two pieces of bread, in what invariably turns into a saggy, dissolving, unmanageable wreck, renouncing any rightful claim to the "sandwich" title within moments of its birth. Other folks prefer to stick to the holiday's saner-seeming sandwich fillings like sliced turkey and cranberry relish and salad, think there's something weird and redundant and brazenly gluttonous about putting stuffing (which is essentially pre-chewed bread) between two slices of bread, and are vampires." 

However, I was inclined to wonder whether this dichotomy was surmountable. Can a sandwich be constructed which both meets the indulgent, gluttonous standards of Thanksgiving and holds together as a sandwich, so,etching that you can pick up and eat without it falling apart? Tongue planted firmly in my cheek ( the better to taste the cranberry sauce), I set out to make sandwich history. Below is my formula. 

1. Toast.

If you want to slop soggy, buttery food onto bread and have it hang together, the obvious first step is to reinforce your bread. A nice toasting firms if up and improves its absorption capabilities nicely. Also, using larger slices is better- adding ingredients horizontally instead of vertically gives you a more manageable product. 

2. Foundations. 

A sandwich is more than a pile between bread- it's a formed whole, with everything serving a larger purpose. If you want a Thanksgiving sandwich that holds together, you're going to need something to keep the ingredients in place. Fortunately, the standard thanksgiving menu contains several efficient and delicious adhesives. We were fortunate to have Bernie's delicious puréed parsnips on hand, which worked especially well for this purpose, but creamy mashed potatoes should work well for you- if they're too dry or chunky, add some gravy and mix up with a fork (also, heat them up please.) Spread a layer of moderate thickness along one piece of bread, which will go on the bottom. For your top slice, apply some cooked cranberry sauce, applying pressure with the knife to get any remaining whole berries to pop and stick to the bread. 

3.  Major Fillings

Presuming you have it (and if you don't, what kind of thanksgiving are you playing at?), the next logical ingredient is stuffing: not only is it indisputably the greatest of all thanksgiving foods, but it provides a soft but textured surface to hold the turkey in place. The bird goes on next- find yourself larger prices and arrange for best possible coverage. 

4. Greenery 

So far, we've dwelled exclusively on the rich, indulgent elements of the thanksgiving meal, as is proper for a sandwich like this. However, if you've got a good vegetable dish on hand you'll want it, both to get something in the sandwich that isn't awful for you and to provide welcome contrast in flavor and texture. Here I chose to go with a terrific kale dish with pine nuts and golden raisins that Janie brought. Whatever you choose, arrange it carefully: in moderate quantities, and away from the edges. 

5. Top and Eat

Invert the cranberried slice on top of the sandwich, press down, and consume. You should have a thoroughly pleasant balance of flavors and textures: smooth, rich starch, soft, savory stuffing, tender,meaty turkey, toothsome, deep vegetables, and snappy, chunky cranberry sauce. And all of this with no fork necessary. If you're at all like me, you'll soon be wishing you had more leftovers to use. 

Colin Skink (haddock, potato, and cauliflower stew)

At least here in New England, its getting cold out there. The wind is howling, and the heavy coats are being taken down. We've still got a month or two before we can't leave the house, but when you do you return red-faced and shivering. This, then, is the time for hot, hearty food, when things that seem unimaginably rich as even a side dish in summer are precisely what your brain calls out for. This is my contribution- it's rich, but not overpowering (thanks largely to the caulifower) and has a very nuanced flavor for such a carb heavy dish. The final texture should be somewhere between mashed potatoes and a thick stew.

I used this recipe as a starting point, but I've heavily modified it,  to add more flavor and better texture, and because as constituted that one has way too much liquid. The name is a silly nod to Cullen Skink, the Scottish smoked haddock and potato soup. Sadly you can't get smoked haddock in this country, so the smoky flavor instead comes from smoked Gouda. You'll want something green and vibrant to balance it- we had an arugula salad with a lemon vinaigrette (just lemon juice, olive oil, mustard powder, and a little sugar whisked together), which wound up being quite nice. 

Colin Skink

Serves 6

3 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed

Half a head of cauliflower, cut into florets

1.5 pounds haddock filets, skinned and deboned if possible. 

Six cloves garlic, peeled 

1.5 cups milk

2 ounces smoked Gouda cheese, grated 

1/2 ounce  Parmesan, grated

1/2 ounce bleu cheese, grated 

1 cup creme fraiche 

1 bunch green onions, chopped

1/2 cup chopped parsley and/or chives 

2 bay leaves

Curry powder

Paprika

Thyme

Pepper flakes

Mustard powder

Nutmeg

Cumin

Salt

Pepper

Olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 425.

2. In a  bowl, sprinkle cauliflower and 3 of the garlic cloves with olive oil and season well with paprika, curry powder, pepper flakes, thyme, pepper and salt. Transfer to baking sheet and roast in oven 20-25 mins until tender. If they fail to soften enough, you can microwave them for 3 minutes after roasting. Do not turn off the oven when they are done. 

3. Boil potatoes until tender and drain well.

4. Simultaneously, in a large saucepan cover the haddock filets with the milk, and add the green onions, bay leaves, the remaining 3 garlic cloves quartered, and a couple good shakes each of nutmeg, mustard powder, and cumin. Bring to a boil covered over medium heat, then reduce to low and cook until fish flakes easily. 

5. Remove the fish and set aside. Pour the milk through a mesh strainer into a measuring cup. Discard the bay leaves, reserve the garlic and green onions. 

6. In a large bowl or the pot from the potatoes, combine the potatoes, cauliflower/ roasted garlic, creme fraiche, Gouda, bleu cheese, half the Parmesan, the garlic and green onions from the milk, and 1/2 cup of the milk (discard the rest). Mash well, then add the flaked haddock and stir to combine.

7. Transfer the entire mix to a lightly oiled baking vessel (shallower is likely better) and top with the remaining Parmesan. Increase oven heat to 450 and bake for an initial 20 minutes. If mixture is still soupy, cook for another 10. 

8. Turn off oven and let sit in the oven for another 5 minutes. If you're having bread with this, put it in the oven to warm at this point. Remove, top with parsley and/or chives, and serve. 

Spiced Sautéed Carrots

And for now, back to food. 

I'm writing things up in a different order than I actually cooked them, but it's Thanskgiving tomorrow and I figure some of you are either hosting dinners or are headed to other people's, and are trying trying to come up with a vegetable dish that's seasonal but doesn't contain either marshmallows or canned cream of mushroom soup. Here's my contribution: it's easy, it's quick, and it's seasonal and satisfying without being heavy. Don't go out and buy a ton of spices for this: if you've got any selection at all you can probably use what you have- just try to balance the "sweet" spices with savory ones like black pepper and rosemary.

Spiced Sautéed Carrots

Serves 6 as a primary side 

1 pound carrots, cut into coins 

2 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup sherry or brandy

1 teaspoon sugar 

Zest and ~2 tablespoons juice from an orange

Curry powder

Nutmeg

Cumin

Rosemary

Salt 

Pepper

1. Melt butter in a large sautée pan over medium-low heat. 

2. Add carrots, stir well to coat. Let cook 2-3 minutes.

3. Add orange zest and seasonings. Use plenty of pepper, enough curry powder to dust all the carrots, a good dash or two of nutmeg, and a pinch each of the cumin,  rosemary, and salt

4. Cook 2-3 more minutes, then add orange juice and sugar. Continue coking until all liquid is mostly absorbed and carrots are mostly softened, approx. 5 minutes.

5. Add the sherry and stir vigorously. When all the liquid is absorbed, check for tenderness and serve. 

She Still Takes Care of Us

A few weeks ago, Anne made me dinner.

For some of you—my friends who knew her only through this blog, or those few lovely people who discovered this site on your own—this will seem entirely mundane. This blog testifies to the fact that she loved even mundane weekday cooking, and in the first few months after I moved here she invited me over for dinner quite a few times: tastes of home, in the difficult first few months of adjusting to a new city, and a new post-college life.

The rest of you are probably wondering what the hell I meant by that first sentence.

When we started this blog, Anne had already been diagnosed with cancer. Writing it was her idea; something we could do together, a reason to talk more and to enjoy more time together. It was early days then, and I was younger and less well informed, but I think even then I knew in the back of my mind that that statement came with a clause that neither of us wanted to vocalize. "While we have time," written in invisible ink.

Halibut with Tomatoes, Kale, and Caremelized Onions.

It's easy to fall into patterns when cooking. I really enjoy the act of cooking, but it's often hard to be creative when you're coming home late after work and already hungry. So much of the time, as I've written about here before, I wind up doing some spin on "throw some sauteed vegetables on pasta." There's nothing wrong with that of course, but it's a fairly small facet of cooking, and doesn't always feel like preparing a meal. So last week, I made a conscious effort to branch out and make something that would be a little more elaborate and more fulfilling, but was still pretty quick and easy.  I had some nice tomatoes and kale from the farmer's market, and this dish turns them into something between a sauce and a garnish for some nice, flavorful fish.



1 lb Halibut (or similar white fish) filets, either skinless or skin-on
1 red onion, finely chopped.
2 medium-sized tomatoes (I used Romas),  coarsely chopped.
5-8 stalks kale, coarsely chopped.
3 cloves garlic, minced.
1/2 cup stock (fish stock would be great, but chicken or vegetable stock work just fine.)
1/2 cup white wine (optional)

Flour
Paprika
White pepper
Oregano
Chili powder (opt)
Turmeric (opt)

Coarsely chopped parsley, for garnish.

1. On a plate, pour enough flour to lightly cover your fish, add several healthy dashes of paprika and white pepper, and a pinch of each of the other spices, to taste. (If you like, you can also add a bit of grated Parmesan or Romano cheese). Mix thoroughly, then lightly dredge the filets in this mixture, tapping off the excess.

2. Coat the bottom of a large pan (cast iron is best, but I imagine nonstick will work fine too) with olive oil and turn to medium-high.

3.  When the oil is hot, place the fish in the pan. On one side, add the garlic and onions. Wait approximately 2 minutes, until the onions begin to become translucent, and then add the kale, leaving room to turn the fish. (If the pan is too small to accommodate both, you can cook the onions, kale, and garlic in a separate pan).

4. After 5-8 minutes, once the fish has formed a golden crust on the seared side, flip it to the other side and cook for an additional 2-4 minutes. If the kale seems thoroughly cooked, remove it from the pan.

5. Remove the fish from the pan. If the onions have browned, taste them to be sure they have the flavor you want and then remove them as well.

6. Once the onions are out of the pan, turn the heat up to high and add the stock. Scrape the pan vigorously with a wooden spoon to deglaze, and let the stock come to a boil and cook down.  Once it is boiling and appears mostly reduced, add the tomatoes to the pan and stir vigorously. Continue to cook for 2-3 minutes.

7.  Turn the pan down to medium-low and add the fish, kale, and onions back to the pan. Cook ~1 minute, just until combined, and then turn off the heat. Garnish with parsley and serve. Rice makes a good accompaniment--for added flavor, replace half the water with stock and add some minced garlic and chopped sun-dried tomatoes.


e-mail us: you can send your comments, recipes, or a personal message to Anne and Colin at: everything-tasty@annedesigns.com

Potato, Crab, and Leek Gratin

The Somerville winter farmers market is now up and running at the Armory, and I went down this weekend to check it out. The selection is terrific, and, as I had arrived without a plan, wandered around and bought whatever looked good--in this case some crab, potatoes, leeks, and smoked Gouda. Ordinarily, this kind of aimless shopping is not such a good idea, but in this case I think my after-the fact winging it produced pretty good results. I had this as an entree tonight, but I think it would go especially well as a side at one of this season's numerous potlucks.

Potato, Crab, and Leek Gratin
~2 pounds cooked skin-on red or purple potatoes, sliced medium-thin
8 oz cooked crab meat
6 leeks, coarsely chopped.
1 medium yellow onion
1.5 cups red cabbage
 3 cloves garlic, minced
~2 tablespoons lime juice. 
 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated, or powdered ginger to taste

2.5 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
2 cups smoked Gouda, shredded.
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
Pinch ground nutmeg and/or paprika
Pinch Mexican-style chili powder

Dash curry powder
Red wine vinegar
Rosemary (opt)

Old bay seasoning, to taste
or
Small dash of each of as many of the following as you have on hand:
Onion powder, garlic powder, mustard powder, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, allspice, chili powder.

Panko bread crumbs, toasted.
Fresh-ground black pepper
Salt

1. Toss potatoes in olive oil, salt, pepper, and rosemary.
2. Saute red cabbage until soft, season with salt, pepper and a splash of  red wine vinegar.  Set aside
3. Saute onions, garlic, and leeks until all are soft, onions are translucent, and  some leeks are slightly blackened. Reduce heat to medium-low and add crab meat. Stir to combine, season with old bay (or analogue), curry powder, ginger, and lime juice, and cook for 2-3 minutes to let flavors meld.
4. Preheat oven to 350. In a glass or enamel baking dish, cover the bottom of the pan with a layer of the potatoes, then half of the cabbage, then a layer of the crab mixture. Repeat until dish is full. Be sure to pack layers loosely, so that sauce can penetrate.
5. Melt butter in small saucepan over medium-high heat, whisk in flour a little at a time to make a roux. Let cook 1 minute until very slightly brown. Slowly add milk, whisking constantly. Allow to come to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and gradually stir in cheese, then add mustard, nutmeg, paprika, and chili powder. If it becomes too thick, add more milk.
6. Pour sauce into dish, and spread with spatula until even. Top with panko.
7. Cover pan with aluminum foil and cook for 15 minutes.  Uncover and either cook for 10-15 more minutes or place under broiler for 2-4 minutes or until browned. Serve immediately.

The gratin in progress.

e-mail us: you can send your comments, recipes, or a personal message to Anne and Colin at: everything-tasty@annedesigns.com

Tasty on a Budget: Fun with Pasta (Beet Greens Carbonara, Penne with Parmesan Sauce)

Alright, let's be honest. I may have talked last post about my desire to get away from pasta sometimes--and not without good reason--but all a week without it did is sharpen my desire to have it again. And in any event, the cause of  Pasta Monotony lies not so much with pasta, but with that red menace, jarred tomato sauce. It can be a lifesaver of course--it's a quick easy way to make 50 cents worth of pasta and 50 cents worth of vegetables and/or meat taste pretty good, and so long as the other stuff you toss in is tasty enough and you don't do it too often, there's no reason for it not be a pantry staple. But I've found, at least for myself, that if I try to eat pasta and red sauce too often,  especially for multiple days in a row the flavor quickly becomes oppressively same-y and dull.  (Homemade red sauce is, of course, an entirely different and far more wondrous beast, but it's anything but quick and easy). Pesto, especially when it's homemade, is significantly less prone to this, but I've even got sick of it too sometimes. But these are by no means the only two things you can do with a pot of pasta, and there are multiple other fun approaches that you can take that can produce seriously exciting dinners with no less speed and hardly any more expense.

Tasty on a Budget: Cooking Ahead. (Warm Roasted Beet, Potato, and Fennel Salad)

Hello all,

So, I've got a big post on my experiences so far cooking for myself regularly (and on a small budget) coming, but I wanted to post this recipe before I forgot it, especially since I just polished it off and, after eating it for three and a half consecutive meals, the only thing I wish is that there were more of it.

As I think I mentioned in one of my posts from South Africa last summer, I can't really cook a one-person, one-meal sized portion of most things. My brain doesn't work that way, and the proportions come out funny. Additionally, I think the reality is that while I do quite like cooking, I don't have the energy to do it daily after getting home from work.