macaroni and cheese

• 1 lb. (maybe? it’s a block of cheese) of sharp white cheddar
• 1 can evaporated milk
• 1 spoonful Dijon mustard
• generous sprinkles of nutmeg, salt, and paprika
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 package of fusilli pasta
• Fresh breadcrumbs with olive oil stirred in
• Ground almonds (TJ’s almond meal)

Shred up the cheese and garlic in a food processor fitted with the grating blade. Mix in the eggs, mustard, and spices. Cook the fusilli according to package directions. Mix with the cheese mixture, top with breadcrumbs and ground almonds. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, until top is brown and crispy.

I also made

Vegetable pesto casserole

Lightly oil a cast-iron pan and layer in it, in this order:

Peeled, sliced Yukon Gold potatoes

Sliced sweet onion

Halved cubes of pesto, scattered evenly over the surface

Chopped kale

Sliced potatoes

Peeled, sliced celeriac

Grated Yukon Gold potato

Grated carrot

Bake in 400 degree oven for 45 minutes, or until all layers of veggies are soft.

Here are the two desserts I made and brought to Josh and Kelly’s house when we went over for dinner last night, both from Nigella Lawson’s How to Eat:

Clementine Cake, p. 66

I made this with 1 lb. lemons instead of 1 lb. clementines. I suspect the clementines would have gone better–Rahul complained bitterly about the bitterness.

4-5 clementines (about 1 lb)–I subbed 1 lb. Eureka lemons

6 eggs

1 cup plus 2 Tbsp sugar–I subbed 1 1/4 cup sugar

2 1/3 cups ground almonds (almond meal from Trader Joe’s)

1 heaping teaspoon baking powder

Put the citrus in a pot with cold water to cover. Bring to the boil and simmer for 2 hrs. Drain, and when cool, cut the citrus in half, remove the seeds, and chop everything (skins, pith, fruit) finely in the food processor.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line an 8-inch springform pan with parchment paper. (I used a 9-inch pan and this seemed like the right amount)

Beat the eggs. Add the sugar, almonds, baking powder, and citrus, and mix well.

Pour into the springform pan and bake for 1 hr, when a skewer comes out clean. You may need to cover the cake after 40 mins to stop it from burning. (We only baked it for about 45 minutes total)

Let it cool and remove from the springform pan.

Glaze, if desired, with a light icing made of powdered sugar, lemon juice, and water. I didn’t have powdered sugar and instead blitzed up regular white sugar and cornstarch.

Translucent Apple Tart, p. 277

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a 9-inch pie pan with pastry (does not need to be blind baked). Melt 1/2 stick (4 Tbsp) butter and 1/2 cup sugar together over very low heat–let cool a little if necessary. Remove from heat and beat in 1 egg and a bit of vanilla extract. Peel and grate 2 Granny Smith apples and stir into the butter mixture.  (Her recipe calls for one but I used two, after reading some complaints that the recipe doesn’t make enough filling).

Pour the filling mixture into the prepared pan and bake for about 15 mins, until golden brown (this was more like 30 mins for me). Lower the heat to 350 degrees and bake for another 15-20 mins, until nicely colored. Good warm, hot, or cold.

I made a batch of NYT no-knead bread (the original recipe) with a few Tbsp of olive oil stirred in, and let it sit around for about 3 days before getting around to using it.

The oil had pooled up on top. I stirred it back in and kneaded in extra flour till it was thick enough to work with (though still pretty floppy). I figured the oil would help keep the bread from staling too soon.

Made filling from a saute/braise of the following, seasoned with sugar, soy sauce, salt, and pepper:

• 2 ground beef patties, cooked in a bit of water and mashed up
• 1/2 bunch kale, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• some fresh parsley, chopped
• 3 carrots, diced
• 1/2 celeriac, diced
• 1 large Yukon Gold potato, diced

I stretched out pieces of dough on a floured dinner plate one at a time, and filled them: put a bunch of filling on one half, folded it over and sealed it shut, put it on a Silpat.

Baked at 350 degrees for about an hour, until crust is browned and crisp.

Cooked up the 2nd pom pom blanc/lion’s mane mushroom. It was DELICIOUS.

Sliced a small onion into half-moons.

Cooked it in butter in a small saucepan until starting to turn translucent.

Added shredded pom pom mushroom and frozen peas and cooked till everything seemed cooked through.

Added lemon juice, chopped flat leaf parsley, a little grapeseed oil, salt, and a few big spoonfuls of Fage yogurt.

Tossed everything together with pappardelle pasta.

It was really, really good. Savory, chewy, maybe a little seafoody and tangy.

Cooked up a storm today:

Grape pie!

Pie crust out of Joy of Cooking. I bought about 1.5 lbs Concord grapes at the farmer’s market, peeled them (squeezed them out of their skins), cooked the pulp for about 5 minutes, sieved the pulp to strain out the seeds, pureed the skins in the Magic Bullet, mixed skin and pulp, a bit of lemon juice and about 10 large spoonfuls of sugar, a bit of cornstarch mixed with cold water, and poured it into the blind-baked bottom crust of the pie; baked for about an hour at 400 degrees with top crust applied. I had a lot of leftover filling and made an extra 1/2 recipe of pie crust to cook a second pie in the 8″ cast-iron skillet.

Roasted broccoli

this was intended to be according to the Cook’s Illustrated recipe but it came out as charcoal.

Chicken soup

1.5 lbs chicken drumsticks

about 5 ribs celery, chopped

several carrots, chopped (about the same amount as the celery)

1 onion

1 bay leaf

Put everything together and cover with lots of cold water. Heat on high and then turn the heat down to a simmer for an hour or so.

At appropriate times during the cooking time, add wild rice, 2 peeled and diced Yukon gold potatoes, and 1 package crimini mushrooms, sliced. Remove the drumsticks, discard the skin, pull the cooked meat off the bones and add back to the soup. Discard the bones and the bay leaf. Add salt to taste.

Mashed potatoes

Cut up 3 Yukon Gold potatoes, cover with water, simmer till tender (about 25 minutes)–add a couple spoonfuls of creme fraiche, mash.

Sauce

My usual tomato sauce recipe with about 4-5 lbs. of tomatoes (Sungold cherry tomatoes, Roma, regular red, yellow); started with a few slices of applewood-smoked bacon pan-fried with fat used to brown the onion, celery, carrot, and garlic; deglazed with soy sauce and dry sherry; add tomatoes and a squeeze of anchovy paste, simmer. Seasoned with bay leaf and oregano.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cut up and toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper:

1 medium head cauliflower

1 red bell pepper

1 large sweet onion

1 small Russet potato, peeled

Spread out on a Silpat-lined roasting pan and let roast while you prepare the pasta. Put a couple of Tbsp pine nuts in a cast-iron pan in the oven at the same time and toast them until golden brown, then remove while the vegetables finish roasting.

Pasta:

Cook 1 package TJ’s egg fettucine according to package directions. Drain and toss with:

A drizzle of olive oil

Two generous spoonfuls of creme fraiche

Red pepper flakes

2 cloves fresh minced garlic

Black pepper

Salt

Soy sauce

Zest and juice of one lemon

Once the vegetables are done roasting, toss everything together.

Beet and wheatberry salad

ooh, maybe I should submit this to the Monroe St. Trader Joe’s recipe contest…

1 pkg pre-cooked TJ’s baby beets, chopped into chunks

1 pkg TJ’s Greenwheat Freekeh

About 2 Tbsp pine nuts, toasted

About 2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

About 1 tsp capers, chopped

Dressing:

lemon juice

EVOO

salt

pepper

tarragon

Dijon mustard

Mix everything together. Serve cold.

Cauliflower cheese

Cut up 1 head cauliflower and roast in a cast-iron pan in 400-degree oven with a little oil until browned.

In the meantime, make sauce:

Cut up 1 white onion

Saute until onions are translucent: onion, 1 Tbsp butter, 1 Tbsp flour

Add about 1 cup milk and mix to make a bechamel

Season with nutmeg, paprika, black pepper

Stir in about 3/4 package crumbled blue cheese and mix till melted

Mix in chopped fresh parsley

Pour over the cauliflower and mix a little; sprinkle the top with breadcrumbs and put it back in the oven for about 15 mins.

Scallops with orange-maple-soy sauce

Defrost about 4 scallops per person

Pat dry and dredge in cornstarch

Melt some butter with 2 cloves minced garlic in cast-iron skillet until foaming; put scallops in pan and cook, undisturbed, until a brown crust has formed. Turn over and cook till other side is brown. Remove scallops.

Pour some soy sauce, orange juice, and maple syrup into pan, and deglaze. Simmer until sauce is thickened. Pour over scallops.

Serve with couscous/quinoa/baby garbanzo grain mix from TJ’s

Long beans with tomato

Cut up a bunch of long beans till they’re about the length of normal green beans.

Mince a few cloves of garlic. Add beans and garlic to pan with a little grapeseed oil and cook, stirring. Peel and cut up a large tomato and add to the pan. Cook until the tomato has basically collapsed into a sauce.

Inspired by a visit to a meatloaf cupcake store in Chicago.

Meatloaf Cupcakes

1 lb.  ground beef (I used 90/10 grass-fed Black Earth beef)

About 4 or 5 slices of whole wheat bread (2 slices of leftover toast from a restaurant + 2-3 slices of leftover dried-up bread from the back of the fridge)

1.5 onions, chopped

1 cup carrots, chopped (I used baby carrots, so I’m not sure on the exact quantity)

About 4 ribs celery, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

About 1/2 cup pine nuts

2 eggs

Salt

Pepper

Soy sauce

Dried sage

Dried thyme

Fresh parsley

1/4 cup ketchup

For the frosting:

Instant mashed potatoes

Butter

Salt

Optional:

Paprika

Green onions

Saute the vegetables and pine nuts in some grapeseed oil in a skillet until cooked through and beginning to brown.

In the meantime, process the bread to crumbs in a food processor.

Mix the cooked veggie/pine nut mixture, raw meat, eggs, and seasonings together in a large bowl.

Fill muffin cups with the mixture (the silicone muffin cup liners worked best, then the paper ones; the ones made directly in the greased tin tended to disintegrate).

Make the mashed potatoes for the frosting, keeping them on the somewhat thick side.

Garnish with a sprinkle of paprika and chopped green onions.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 mins or until thermometer inserted into the middle of the cupcakes reads 185 degrees.

If desired, broil a bit until the mashed potatoes get crusty.

Yummy.

I also made cornbread stuffing from the leftover cornbread muffins (cut into cubes, moisten, mix with tomatoes, onions, basil, sage, and cook in cast-iron skillet) but haven’t tried it yet.

more recipes from Rahul’s mom

Chicken Curry
2 chopped onions

1 small can of tomato paste (6 oz)

2 tsp ginger-garlic paste (or 1 tsp garlic and 1 tsp ginger minced)

2 tbsp coriander seeds

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 tsp whole peppercorns

1 stick cinnamon

4 cloves

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp fennel seeds

2 tbsp butter or oil

small can of coconut milk (4 oz? 6 oz?)

salt

Powder all the spices in a blender. Fry onions in butter or oil until brown. Add ginger-garlic paste. Add tomato paste. Cook on low heat until tomato paste is very well fried (at least 5 minutes). Add powdered spices, fry some more (5 minutes). Add chicken and salt to taste. And cook on low heat until tender (may take about 30 minutes). After chicken is almost done, add coconut milk. Heat for 5 more minutes.

Potato Bhaji
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp urad dal (optional)
~10 curry leaves (optional)
2 chopped onions lengthwise
4 green chilis
4 red potatoes, boiled, peeled, and quartered
lemon juice
cilantro

heat oil and add mustard seeds. after spattering, add everything except potatoes. Cook until onions are translucent. Add potatoes. Add salt to taste until cooked (about 10 minutes). Add some lemon juice to taste. Add chopped cilantro.

Masala Dosa
1/2 cup urad dal
1 1/4 cup white long-grain rice
1/4 cup brown rice
1 tsp fenugreek seed
salt

Soak everything for 2 hours, blend into batter. Keep overnight. Salt to taste.

Chutney
1 cup dessicated coconut
4 green chilis fried in oil
3 whole red chilis fried in oil
some asaeofetida
salt to taste
mustard seeds
curry leaves

blend in blender. season with mustard seeds and curry leaves.

this looks fantastic–must try it

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/05/baked-lemon-pasta/

Here are recipes for two salads I served at a little party we had on Saturday–was supposed to be a BBQ, but weather didn’t permit, so we grilled emu and grass-fed beef indoors.

Also on the menu:

• drinks: home-brewed German summer ale, Belgian Red cherry lambic-esque beer from New Glarus brewery, whiskey and coke
• amazing cheese platter that Liz brought with gluten-full and gluten-free crackers: 3 soft sheep cheeses (tomato basil was my favorite; also there were plain and garlic herb) and one semi-aged one
• Mary’s saag with spinach, mustard greens, and broccoli rabe; served with yogurt and rice.
• Liz’s black-eyed pea and bell pepper salad
• Kelly’s Key lime pie. I love Key lime pie to a ridiculous degree and piggishly had two slices.
• a rhubarb pie I made to use up week-old rhubarb–Joy of Cooking pie crust with about 2/3 whole wheat, 1/3 white flour, 100% butter, 1/2 vodka and 1/2 water to moisten; 1 lb. rhubarb and 1 cup turbinado sugar, with a sprinkle of salt, lemon zest, and vanilla
• Bananagrams!

Rice salad

White rice (I used medium-grain Jasmine rice; Molly’s recipe called for long-grain, and Italian recipes use Arborio/superfino)

Bacon

Celery

Flat leaf parsley

Fresh lemon juice

Olive oil

Grapeseed oil

Salt

Pepper

Boil the rice in plenty of water (like making pasta, rather than steamed rice). As it’s cooking, make a vinaigrette from the lemon juice, oils, salt, and pepper.

When the rice is cooked, drain it in a colander and rinse with plenty of cool water to get the excess starch off. Dress it immediately so the vinaigrette can soak into the warm rice.

Fry the bacon until crisp, and crumble it into pieces. Dice the celery and chop the flat-leaf parsley. Mix these into the salad, let sit for a while, and serve at room temperature.

Molly’s recipe calls for capers instead of bacon, but I didn’t have any capers, so substituted another source of umami, salty goodness.

Watermelon feta salad

Watermelon, cubed

Lemon juice

Olive oil

Salt

Pepper

Cilantro, chopped

Flat leaf parsley, chopped

Feta cheese, crumbled

Red onion

Slice the red onion into thin half-moons and marinate in lemon juice for a couple of hours.

Make a vinaigrette from the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Just before serving, gently mix the watermelon, feta, herbs, onion, and dressing together. Let sit for a minute or two and drain as much liquid out as possible. (The salad will continue to accumulate liquid, unfortunately.)