Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes make me happy. As a child, I loved sitting down to the dinner table, slicing open the brown skin, and while the steam rose, mashing a thick pat of butter into the orange pulp. Sweet potatoes; so delicious, so versatile, and yet over the years I’ve stopped cooking them. I realized this recently, and have decided that instead of being mad at myself for this serious lack of judgment, in this new decade, I am going to have sweet potatoes at least once a month. As proof of my sincerity, here is a dish I created on New Year’s Eve.

3 Sweet Potatoes (classic sweet potatoes and Japanese sweet potatoes make a nice combo)
1 medium onion, cut into chunks
½ cup golden raisins
1 shallot, thinly sliced
1/3 cup Italian parsley, coarsely chopped
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 Tablespoon sugar
Several tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Several hours before dinner, start soaking the golden raisins in enough vinegar to cover them. In another bowl, combine remaining vinegar with sugar, add shallots and set aside.

Bake potatoes at 350 degrees (prick them first with a fork so they won’t explode), 45 minutes to an hour (or until fork passes through easily). Toss chunks of onion with olive oil, place on baking sheet, and put into the oven for the last 30 minutes that the potatoes are baking. When the onions and potatoes are done baking, remove from the oven. Slice the potatoes into ¼ inch rounds. Pour a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in skillet and place skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, place the potatoes in the skillet, flipping occasionally. Meanwhile, pour vinegar off of the raisins and shallots. When the potatoes have browned and slightly caramelized, remove from skillet and toss with roasted onions, raisins, shallots, and parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.

Bouillabaisse Bust

My apartment was a wreck. Mountains of clothes were everywhere, my bookshelves, an avalanche waiting to happen, and my kitchen table so crowded with dirty glasses and unopened mail that it was easier to eat on the floor in the living room than clear a space at the table. In an attempt to exert some control over the chaos of my living space, I started cleaning out the fridge and freezer. Not exactly the most obvious place to start the de-cluttering of my life, but a small step is better than no step. In the midst of this freezer purge, I took out what I thought was chicken stock, planning to make a butternut squash soup. Turned out, I thawed lobster stock instead, so I decided to make a bouillabaisse. Things didn’t go my way. I wanted a dense, rich stew and ended up with a thin, brothy soup. Even more frustrating was that I had to throw down some serious cash for the dish because I don’t normally stock Pernod or saffron. After also buying the seafood, fresh herbs, and a fennel bulb, I had everything I needed to create the dish I craved, but instead of a meal that took me to the coast of Provence, it tasted like something more befitting a tenement in the early 1900s.

To sum up, not only did I fail in my cooking efforts, but I managed to bring yet another item into my apartment. Pernod, anyone?

Pie Crust

I’ve avoided putting a recipe up for pie crust, because I KNEW it wasn’t going to be easy. It is difficult to explain how to make a pie crust, because so much of it involves tactile senses (I wanted to say “finger feel,” but that seems kind of vulgar). However, my friend Kate kept saying that it wasn’t fair of me to post recipes that involve pie crust and not include the pie crust recipe. Fine. This one’s for you, Kate.



Pie Crust

2 sticks of chilled butter
2 2/3 cups of flour
½ cup of chilled water
½ teaspoon of salt
pinch of sugar (optional)

Combine flour and salt in a large mixing bowl. Slice the chilled butter into the flour bowl, and using a pastry cutter, or your fingers, cut the butter into the flour, leaving some pea sized butter bits. When the butter and flour are incorporated, drizzle the water over the flour, tossing the ingredients together with a fork. Once you can form the dough into a ball, stop adding water. If the dough sticks to your fingers, and seems gummy, add a little bit of flour to the dough until it holds its form without being gooey. Once the dough is the right texture, divide it into two balls and flatten them into a disk about an inch and a half thick. Hopefully, there will still be bits of butter visible because these make the pastry flakey. If you are not in a rush, wrap the two disks in wax paper and refrigerate them for at least thirty minutes. Otherwise, sprinkle the rolling surface and the top of the pastry dough with a light layer of flour. Starting at the center of the disk working outwards, begin to roll out the dough. Continue rolling out the dough until it is about 1/8 of an inch thick, and then very carefully lay the crust in the pie plate. Cut away the excess dough on the sides, leaving only a ¾ inch overhang. If making a pre-baked crust, tuck the overhang under itself, and crimp the edges using a fork or thumb and forefinger. Poke the bottom and sides of the crust with a fork, place pie weights in the bottom of the plate, and bake the crust at 400f for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown. If making a pie with a top layer, do not tuck the overhanging dough yet. Instead, roll out the second disk of dough to the same thickness. Place pie filling into the plate, then very carefully put the top layer of crust onto the filling. Cut off excess crust, again leaving ¾ inch overhang. Fold the two overhangs together, tucking them as neatly as possible, and then crimp the edges. Using a sharp knife, cut vents into the top layer, to allow the steam to escape while cooking. Follow your pie baking instructions.

Makes two pre-baked shells, or one double crusted pie.

Rustic Love

Jamie broke her ankle while crossing an uneven street in lower Manhattan. She wasn’t wearing heels, either. The street just jumped up and got her. She fell into the middle of the crosswalk and no one helped her up.

“No one helped her up.” Those words and the images they evoked wouldn’t get out of my head. Angry at all the people who had passed her by, and wanting to comfort her in some way, I offered to bring her dinner. With righteous indignation as my guide, I set out to make a comforting dish that would let her know, “you are loved.”

I made a rustic tart. Leafy green vegetables, potatoes, and cheese enveloped in a flakey crust, the tart strikes a balance between health and richness. It is perfect with a simple green salad.



Rustic Tart
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 Bunch of Swiss Chard, chopped
1 Whole onion, diced
½ Bunch of broccoli rabe, chopped
2 Cloves garlic
2 Boiled eggs, diced
1 Egg, beaten
½ Cup Chicken Stock
½ Cup Feta
1 Potato cut into ½ inch cubes

Saute onion until transparent, add chard and sauté until the greens are wilted. Remove from pan. Saute garlic until it starts to turn brown and add broccoli rabe. Cook until the leaves start to wilt. In a large bowl, combine Swiss chard, broccoli rabe, diced egg, potatoes, and feta. In a smaller bowl, mix chicken stock and beaten egg, then pour over the vegetable mixture, stirring well. Pour the mixture into an uncooked pie shell, then fold the edges of the pie crust over the vegetables. Bake at 400 degrees for 50 minutes or until the filling starts to bubble and the crust is golden.

Chocolate Cure-All

I had been feeling a bit down. Not the stay-on-the-couch-all-day kind of down, but a mild funk. A funk brought on by the end of the summer? A breakup with a friend? The discovery that certain pants don’t fit the way they did last fall? A combination of all three? Who knows. I just hoped it was the type of gloominess that could be cured with a chocolate pie, a chocolate pudding pie with cream on top.

I wanted my mother’s recipe, but she was out of reach for the weekend, so I called my sister Emily. No, she did not have mom’s recipe. She had an even better one, she claimed. And that’s how I wound up making a punch-you-in-the-face-with-chocolate pie. Unlike my mother’s recipe that calls for 3 oz of chocolate, Emily’s demanded 6 oz. The result was one of dense, creamy darkness that had me clutching my stomach in defeat long before I finished the slice on my plate. It was delicious, but a powerful weapon that should only be brought out in the direst of circumstances. Did it cure my funk? Absolutely. Will I make it again? Hell yes, and then I’ll serve it to those who need some powerful healing.



6 Tbls cornstarch

1 Cup sugar

1/8 tsp salt

3 Cups whole milk

6 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped

1 baked pie shell


Combine cornstarch, sugar, and salt in a double boiler over medium heat. Slowly whisk in milk, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl to incorporate all the dry ingredients. Stir continually for 15-20 mins, and once the mixture coats the spoon, add the chocolate. Stir 2-4 mins until the pudding is smooth and thick. Remove from heat and pour into the pie shell.

Guest Appearance

My friend Kara asked me to make a guest apprearance on her blog, so for my thoughts on panzanella, head to http://anhourinthekitchen.com/.

Summer Salads

The summer's humidity has arrived. It took its time, but after weeks of autumn-like weather, the damp, sweat inducing days are here. No more turning on the oven for me. Until things cool down, I'll be having salads, cold pastas, and sandwiches. Here are two salads that are guaranteed to refresh.


Cantaloupe Salad*

1 cantaloupe
cilantro
half a red onion
feta
lime juice
salt and pepper


Peel and cube the cantaloupe, chop the cilantro and red onion, crumble the feta, and combine all in a bowl. Squeeze a fresh lime over the salad, add a dash of salt and pepper. Done.


Cucumber Salad*

2 cucumbers
1 clove of garlic
2 spring onions
plain yogurt
olive oil
salt and pepper
cumin
lemon juice

Chop the cucumber into one inch chunks. Mince the garlic and thinly slice the spring onion. Stir the yogurt and olive oil together in a salad bowl. Add salt, pepper, and cumin to taste. Once the yogurt sauce is to your liking, throw in the cucumber, garlic, and onion. Squeeze lemon juice over everything, stir to integrate the ingredients, and serve immediately.


*Don't let these salads sit too long, because the cantaloupe and the cucumbers start to get soggy.