The Food Nanny
December 29 & 30, 2008
Meal 1: Gnocchi with Roasted Root Veggies, Wilted Escarole Salad, and Rustic Multi-Grain Rolls
· Heat the salad rapidly in a medium hot sauté pan with a little olive oil, or perhaps in a microwave. Reserve to a serving plate.
· Heat 2-3 T of butter in the sauté pan. Add1-2 T of olive oil. Be liberal but not wild with the fat. As you sauté them your gnocchi should be dressed with the hot oil/butter, but not swimming in it. Allow them to cook over medium high heat until they begin to caramelize, stir or toss them to cook them evenly all around. When nearly done, ( well colored, hot, and tender) add the roasted veggies and allow to cook together until everything is hot through, season, and serve immediately.
· Enjoy with the warmed rolls.
Meal 2: Coconut Milk Soup with Tofu or Meatballs & Sweet Sticky Rice
· Arrange the vegetables, noodles, protein, and cilantro into large soup bowls.
· Heat the soup to boiling and ladle it over the fillings. Allow it to steep a few minutes and then enjoy with a spoon and fork or chopsticks.
· Enjoy the rice for dessert at room temp.
Monday, December 29, 2008
Monday, December 22, 2008
Chicken Tamales & Roast Garlic Penne
The Food Nanny
December 22 & 23, 2008
Meal 1: Chicken Molé Tamales, Black Eyed Pea Succotash, & Winter Salad with Citrus
· To heat the tamales, either microwave them or place in a steamer basket in a sauce pot and steam for about 15 minutes. If you do not have a steamer basket simply place a small bowl in the bottom of a sauce pot. Add about a 1/2” of water. Place a plate atop the bowl inside the pot so it is above the water. Place the tamales upon the plate and proceed to steam them with the pot lid on.
· Heat the succotash in a sauté pan with a pat of butter.
· Remove the salad to a serving bowl and place the citrus segments upon it. Use the juice in bottom of the container to make a dressing by adding some salt, pepper, olive oil and perhaps a splash of good vinegar .
Meal 2: Roasted Garlic Penne with Blue Moon Spinach and Chevre, Roasted Carrots, and Ciabatta Rolls
· Warm the pasta gently in the oven at 325° for 15 or more minutes until warm, but not too hot. You do not want to over-cook the spinach.
· Heat the carrots as above or in a sauté pan with some butter.
· Warm the rolls and enjoy.
Home For the Holidays
We took some liberties this week since those not out of town are all omnivorous. We prepared a chicken rather than bean mole for the tamales. This is done ( by me at least) by poaching a chicken and using the stock to make a mole in which the shredded chicken meat is then stewed. The mole itself is composed of onions, garlic, dried chiles,spices and pumpkin or sunflower or sesame seeds. These are added, in the order given, to a sauce pan and roasted in oil until delicious in fragrance and appearance, whereupon they are flooded with the rich stock to a height 3-4 times their volume alone. This is simmered until it reduced by half and then ground in a lava stone mortar and pestle under a full moon wearing a macaw feather mask.
Kidding on that last part.
Grind the mole ( mole means 'ground' or 'crushed') in a blender or even a cuise. The resulting sauce should be thick, but certainly liquid. It keeps surprising well and is readily frozen.
And what about the sweet corn! How's that seasonal ?
Well, it's seasonal if you obtain it in season and put it up for winter eating. We purchased at the market, and froze, about 2-3 bushels of corn this summer. Aside from the work involved, it couldn't be easier. Just buy fresh corn, cut it off the cob that day and freeze the kernels in gallon ziplock bags packed to lay flay. We have learned to not underestimate the ammount of this product you may consume in the winter nor to underestimate its power to enhance a winter meal. Our method is easy and unendorsed by the powers that like to cook the life out of foods, but it delivers a product to me that easily surpasses in flavor and economy anything I could purchase. So, try it yourself this summer. If you can, go out to Pontius Farm in White Heath and pick the corn yourself and eat some raw, from the cob, standing in the dewy corn jungle, and empathizing with raccoons. An Iowan taught me that.
December 22 & 23, 2008
Meal 1: Chicken Molé Tamales, Black Eyed Pea Succotash, & Winter Salad with Citrus
· To heat the tamales, either microwave them or place in a steamer basket in a sauce pot and steam for about 15 minutes. If you do not have a steamer basket simply place a small bowl in the bottom of a sauce pot. Add about a 1/2” of water. Place a plate atop the bowl inside the pot so it is above the water. Place the tamales upon the plate and proceed to steam them with the pot lid on.
· Heat the succotash in a sauté pan with a pat of butter.
· Remove the salad to a serving bowl and place the citrus segments upon it. Use the juice in bottom of the container to make a dressing by adding some salt, pepper, olive oil and perhaps a splash of good vinegar .
Meal 2: Roasted Garlic Penne with Blue Moon Spinach and Chevre, Roasted Carrots, and Ciabatta Rolls
· Warm the pasta gently in the oven at 325° for 15 or more minutes until warm, but not too hot. You do not want to over-cook the spinach.
· Heat the carrots as above or in a sauté pan with some butter.
· Warm the rolls and enjoy.
Home For the Holidays
We took some liberties this week since those not out of town are all omnivorous. We prepared a chicken rather than bean mole for the tamales. This is done ( by me at least) by poaching a chicken and using the stock to make a mole in which the shredded chicken meat is then stewed. The mole itself is composed of onions, garlic, dried chiles,spices and pumpkin or sunflower or sesame seeds. These are added, in the order given, to a sauce pan and roasted in oil until delicious in fragrance and appearance, whereupon they are flooded with the rich stock to a height 3-4 times their volume alone. This is simmered until it reduced by half and then ground in a lava stone mortar and pestle under a full moon wearing a macaw feather mask.
Kidding on that last part.
Grind the mole ( mole means 'ground' or 'crushed') in a blender or even a cuise. The resulting sauce should be thick, but certainly liquid. It keeps surprising well and is readily frozen.
And what about the sweet corn! How's that seasonal ?
Well, it's seasonal if you obtain it in season and put it up for winter eating. We purchased at the market, and froze, about 2-3 bushels of corn this summer. Aside from the work involved, it couldn't be easier. Just buy fresh corn, cut it off the cob that day and freeze the kernels in gallon ziplock bags packed to lay flay. We have learned to not underestimate the ammount of this product you may consume in the winter nor to underestimate its power to enhance a winter meal. Our method is easy and unendorsed by the powers that like to cook the life out of foods, but it delivers a product to me that easily surpasses in flavor and economy anything I could purchase. So, try it yourself this summer. If you can, go out to Pontius Farm in White Heath and pick the corn yourself and eat some raw, from the cob, standing in the dewy corn jungle, and empathizing with raccoons. An Iowan taught me that.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Potato Latkes & Satay
The Food Nanny
December 16 & 17, 2008
Meal 1: Potato Latkes, Roasted Pear Sauce and Carrot Ginger Soup
· Warm soup through to desired temperature on the stove or in microwave.
· Heat a very generous amount of oil in a pan or electric skillet. When the oil is shimmering hot add large dollopfulls (about ¼ cup) of the latke mix to the pan and pat them down into flat cakes. Be Careful! When the underside has browned well, about 3 minutes, flip the latkes and cook through. Add more oil if necessary to prevent frying one side and toasting the other. Remove to a plate with some paper towel to drain and keep in a warm oven while the other latkes cook, or serve immediately. Latkes are best piping hot.
· Serve with roasted pear sauce, and any other topping you like.
Meal 2: Tempeh or Grassfed Turkey Satay, Savory Sticky Rice and “Winter” Rolls
· Heat the satay under a broiler or in a hot (400°) oven until hot through and sizzling lightly. Be careful to not ignite the skewers. They can be removed or covered with foil for heating.
· Heat the Sticky Rice in the microwave with a little water or in a sauté pan with a little water until it has steamed through.
· Serve the cabbage rolls at room temperature.
December 16 & 17, 2008
Meal 1: Potato Latkes, Roasted Pear Sauce and Carrot Ginger Soup
· Warm soup through to desired temperature on the stove or in microwave.
· Heat a very generous amount of oil in a pan or electric skillet. When the oil is shimmering hot add large dollopfulls (about ¼ cup) of the latke mix to the pan and pat them down into flat cakes. Be Careful! When the underside has browned well, about 3 minutes, flip the latkes and cook through. Add more oil if necessary to prevent frying one side and toasting the other. Remove to a plate with some paper towel to drain and keep in a warm oven while the other latkes cook, or serve immediately. Latkes are best piping hot.
· Serve with roasted pear sauce, and any other topping you like.
Meal 2: Tempeh or Grassfed Turkey Satay, Savory Sticky Rice and “Winter” Rolls
· Heat the satay under a broiler or in a hot (400°) oven until hot through and sizzling lightly. Be careful to not ignite the skewers. They can be removed or covered with foil for heating.
· Heat the Sticky Rice in the microwave with a little water or in a sauté pan with a little water until it has steamed through.
· Serve the cabbage rolls at room temperature.
Latkes
Hope no one is opposed to child labor!
There are a few things that make really good latkes. Primarily, yet seemingly contradictorily, is the onion. The onion is the structure upon which the fried potato flavor comes out, so never skimp on the onions in latkes. If it seems like too much, its just right. Perhaps more importantly the onion, along with oil as an ingredient inhibits the oxidization of the potatoes, by which they become an unseemly grey/ black. So, grate the onions alternately with every few potatoes to ensure an even coverage. Salt is crucial to a good latke. Make sure you use enough to scare yourself a little. Taste for it by frying up a small tester, like with forcemeats and adjust as necessary. Finally, the best thing for a good latke is to fry it in fearsome ammounts of oil. It is the liberal application of lipids that qualifies the latke as an icon of Hanukkah in the first place remember ? So don't skimp here. The oil should ride halfway up the latke in the pan and add more as necessary to ensure both sides and all rounds get crisped and not toasted.
The latke does not reheat to a shadow of its former self. This is why I sent latke batter to your homes and not latkes. They should be eaten piping hot and in rounds. Fry 'em then eat 'em - repeat till you are overfull of rich potato flavor and yu can barely see through the haze of suspended oil in the air. If you make them for a party either get everyone in to your kitchen, or use an electric skillet so you can get your 'kitchen' into everyone. The excitement of the fry-up seems to electrify the observing crowd while oven held latkes passed around to a seated crowd are just a dud.
A note on condiments. I recommend apple sauce, but I can certainly empathize with the sour cream crowd. Pomes tend to enhance the potato and salt flavor while the cream is simply another layer of richness. We have sent oven roasted pear sauce just to be cute, but thanks to Mark and Lori who hipped us to how fantastic pear preserve is with latkes.
Eat Well.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Pirogies and Chilli
The Food Nanny
December 9&10, 2008
First Delivery from Our New Kitchen !
Meal 1: Rutabaga Pirogies, Winter Greens and Onions, Sweet Noodle Kugel
· Heat the noodle kugel in the oven at 350 until warm through.
· Heat a generous portion of oil in a sauté pan. Once hot, place the pirogies in the pan, giving them a stir so they don’t stick. Allow to brown on one side and then flip. Cook until brown and crisp looking. Remove from pan onto plate and return pan to stove.
· Add a little more oil to pan, add greens and sauté until done. Serve with Pirogies. If you like sauté up some onions to serve as well (do these before the greens as they take 5-10 minutes). Serve the whole thing with some sour cream.
Meal 2: Three Bean Chilli, Corn Bread Squares, Carrot Salad
· Heat the Chilli in a saucepan until hot through, you may need to add a little bit of water.
· Serve Cornbread at room temperature or heat in the oven at 350.
· Serve Carrot Salad as is.
This is the first Food Nanny delivery from our own kitchen since October 14 of this year.
We cash rented a kitchen for four weeks and have Tim Gibbs (again)to thank for allowing us to impose upon his home for a week or two. Tim also is the builder of our kitchen and you should introduce yourself to him at the open-house.
Please bring a guest if you like, by the way. I forgot to include that on the invite, my apologies. Also, if you know us, read this, and did not recieve an e-vite please consider yourself emminently welcome to drop in Saturday from 2-5pm.
Food This Week
Introducing your best, least known vegetable: The Rutabega.
My mentor Max Hansen had a cat by that very name - a good one too.
The rutabegas in the filling of your perogies are organic commercial produce, and sadly, sub par. They needed to be spruced up with some seasonings. Good ruts are sublime. They transcend the potoetially bitter flavor of turnips with starchy texture and sugar to rival carrots.
For use in a filling use some potato even with good rutabegas to lend body to the mixture.
What do you get when you cross winter eating with a sound knowledge of root crops?
The perogie.
No wonder it hails from Eastern Europe. Think borscht, latkes, kugels, potato bread...
Similiar to hummous, and perhaps babaghanujg, the perogie benefits from allowing as much diversity as possible in its spelling and pronunciation.
Perogie,pirogie, piroshki, pirishky, phiroshky, pirijgzky... get your whole throat and upper chest into it.
Anyway, I urge you to seek out good rutabegas and cook them for yourselves. We did recieve some delicious ones from my parents who were befuddled by them in their CSA share. Also, the Moore's grew the best I've seen or eaten a few years back but they have since to reappear upon their market table. They are indespensable in stew, or casseroles, fabulous as part of a roast, and lend a subtle character to plebian things like mashed potato. So go! Buy some! Ask Jim and Diane if they have any rutabegas this year or if they will next year! Help create a viable market for this winter workhorse vegetable!
December 9&10, 2008
First Delivery from Our New Kitchen !
Meal 1: Rutabaga Pirogies, Winter Greens and Onions, Sweet Noodle Kugel
· Heat the noodle kugel in the oven at 350 until warm through.
· Heat a generous portion of oil in a sauté pan. Once hot, place the pirogies in the pan, giving them a stir so they don’t stick. Allow to brown on one side and then flip. Cook until brown and crisp looking. Remove from pan onto plate and return pan to stove.
· Add a little more oil to pan, add greens and sauté until done. Serve with Pirogies. If you like sauté up some onions to serve as well (do these before the greens as they take 5-10 minutes). Serve the whole thing with some sour cream.
Meal 2: Three Bean Chilli, Corn Bread Squares, Carrot Salad
· Heat the Chilli in a saucepan until hot through, you may need to add a little bit of water.
· Serve Cornbread at room temperature or heat in the oven at 350.
· Serve Carrot Salad as is.
This is the first Food Nanny delivery from our own kitchen since October 14 of this year.
We cash rented a kitchen for four weeks and have Tim Gibbs (again)to thank for allowing us to impose upon his home for a week or two. Tim also is the builder of our kitchen and you should introduce yourself to him at the open-house.
Please bring a guest if you like, by the way. I forgot to include that on the invite, my apologies. Also, if you know us, read this, and did not recieve an e-vite please consider yourself emminently welcome to drop in Saturday from 2-5pm.
Food This Week
Introducing your best, least known vegetable: The Rutabega.
My mentor Max Hansen had a cat by that very name - a good one too.
The rutabegas in the filling of your perogies are organic commercial produce, and sadly, sub par. They needed to be spruced up with some seasonings. Good ruts are sublime. They transcend the potoetially bitter flavor of turnips with starchy texture and sugar to rival carrots.
For use in a filling use some potato even with good rutabegas to lend body to the mixture.
What do you get when you cross winter eating with a sound knowledge of root crops?
The perogie.
No wonder it hails from Eastern Europe. Think borscht, latkes, kugels, potato bread...
Similiar to hummous, and perhaps babaghanujg, the perogie benefits from allowing as much diversity as possible in its spelling and pronunciation.
Perogie,pirogie, piroshki, pirishky, phiroshky, pirijgzky... get your whole throat and upper chest into it.
Anyway, I urge you to seek out good rutabegas and cook them for yourselves. We did recieve some delicious ones from my parents who were befuddled by them in their CSA share. Also, the Moore's grew the best I've seen or eaten a few years back but they have since to reappear upon their market table. They are indespensable in stew, or casseroles, fabulous as part of a roast, and lend a subtle character to plebian things like mashed potato. So go! Buy some! Ask Jim and Diane if they have any rutabegas this year or if they will next year! Help create a viable market for this winter workhorse vegetable!
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Veggie Burgers and Pasta Bake
The Food Nanny
December 4/5, 2008
December 4/5, 2008
Meal 1: Veggie Burgers and Sweet Potato Oven Fries, Cole Slaw
· If the patties are stacked in your container, remove them to a baking sheet. Bake the burger patties and fries in the oven at 350° until hot 10 – 15 minutes – watch the fries, they may need less time than the burgers.
· Season the slaw with salt and serve alongside the hot items.
Meal 2: Baked Penne With Ricotta, Roasted Red Peppers, and Red Onions, White Bean and Escarole Salad, Whole Wheat Bread Braids
· Heat the oven to 350° and bake the pasta until hot and bubbly and the cheese has begun to brown – about 12-15 minutes.
· Serve the bean salad at room temp or heat briefly in a sauté pan with some olive oil and a dash of water.
· Warm the braids and serve