Archive for the ‘Cooking tips’ Category
Perfect Scrambled Eggs
I just learned how to make scrambled eggs after 15 years of cooking. I love eggs, an over easy/soft-boiled egg may be my most favorite food over anything else.Want to know the trick? It’s all about the double-boiler. Back in May, at the International Food Bloggers’ Conference, Chef Keith Luce of the Herbfarm made the most incredible scrambled eggs as part of his elaborate lunch offering. They were from free-range, organically fed hens but there was nothing more added to the beaten eggs, except maybe a touch of butter; it was all technique.
At the IFBC, Chef Luce slowly stirred the beaten eggs with a whisk in a medium-sized mixing bowl over a pan of simmering water, otherwise known as a double boiler. I don’t remember how quickly the eggs were stirred or what angle Chef Luce was tilting the pan, all I know is those eggs convinced me that I hadn’t had really good scrambled eggs before that.
Sheri came into the office recently raving about scrambled eggs, her and Barnaby had made over the weekend using farmer market eggs and the double boiler trick. “I didn’t even use butter, and they were amazing!” she said. My mom had given me a dozen eggs from her chickens and so I decided to give it a go. So simple. I used a teaspoon of butter and let it melt in the mixing bowl over a pan of simmering water. I poured in the beaten eggs and stirred slowly.
To learn how to scramble eggs after cooking scrambled eggs one way for 15 years seems somewhat unreal, like reinventing the wheel. I focused on the beaten eggs as if I had never cooked them before in my life. After a couple minutes they were done. Not fluffy or airy, like a French style omelette, nor wet or dense, these scrambled eggs were a combination of fluffy and creamy. Fluffy isn’t even the right word- custard-like? I gave some to my husband and said, I scrambled these a bit different, what do you think?
He said, “what kind of cheese did you put in this?” I said none. Then he asked, “Okay then, how much butter is in this?” Not much! Isn’t it cool! I squealed, there is about a teaspoon of butter and just really fresh eggs- that’s it.
Looking for more scrambled egg techniques? Here are a couple more to try:
Above photo by NickWheeleron holiday
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| Categories: | Chefs • Cooking tips • Technique • Uncategorized • breakfast • eggs • kitchen equipment • quick and easy | 6 Comments |
| Tags: | Chef Keith Luce • double boiler scrambled eggs |
Moorish Badenjan Dip
It’s funny how our tastebuds change as we age. Not too long ago, eggplant was on my shortlist of foods I didn’t like, now it seems I can’t get enough of it. One day I looked at the plate of baba ganoush my friend had ordered and it just clicked, “I’m going to like eggplant now!” The same thing happened with onions, black licorice, and avocados. One minute I hated it, the next I suddenly can’t get enough of it. There’s no gray area either, I don’t ease these new ‘likes’ into my diet, I go whole hog. The first time I ate raw onions I didn’t just squirrel them into a salad, no, I made an onion sandwich! Crazy, I know.
Now that eggplant is on my radar I find that I’m consistently searching for new, unique ways to prepare and satiate my addiction. I recently discovered this delicious Moorish dish, Badenjan – a creamy smokey dip with deep notes of saffron balanced by fresh mint – and in two weeks I’ve made it twice. Both times I’ve prepared it as a condiment of sorts to our main dish. The first time, to accompany aromatic lamb meatballs (filled with garlic, onions and mint), the second time an addition to a Moroccan-style grilled chicken. The perfect addition to both meals. I’m telling you, this is some serious eggplant goodness.
Click below for the recipe:
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| Categories: | Cooking tips • North African • Vegetarian • Veggies | Leave a Comment |
| Tags: | appetizer • condiment • dip • eggplant • moorish • north afri • side dish |
Celebrating Chanterelles
Here in the Northwest we are blessed with a variety of wild fungi. It only takes a little bit of rain after the summer heat to suddenly ignite the growth of one of my favorite wild mushrooms; the delicious, velvety chanterelle. Every fall I say to myself, “this year I am going to forage for my own mushrooms!” and then I walk to the farmer’s market and I see overflowing baskets of porcini, lobster and golden chanterelle mushrooms and I instantly cave.
The idyllic vision of seeing myself with tall rain boots, scrunched up hiking pants and a thick rain jacket while tromping in the woods and seeking out chanterelles suddenly fades once I’m at the market. Now all I see are images of me tossing fettucini with chanterelles, cooking roast chicken and chanterelles or dipping my fork in to rich, gooey soft boiled eggs with sauteed chanterelles and toast. Getting hungry? Me too! Since we are celebrating national mushroom day, I suppose it’s only appropriate to inspire you with some earthy, umami recipes. Here is a recipe for a decadent Rib-eye with Chanterelle Mushrooms a frothy, vegan Mushroom Cappucino soup, Salmon with Chanterelles and Slow Cooked Tomatoes or Lobster Mushroom Penne.
Need More Shroom Recipes!?
Christina Choi’s Porcini with Bay Leaves
Adventures in Shaw’s Mushroom Pizza
Too Many Chefs’ Creamy Polenta with Mushrooms
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| Categories: | Cooking tips • Fish & Seafood • Vegetarian | Leave a Comment |
| Tags: | chanterelles • mushrooms • national mushroom day • salmon recipe |
Remedies for Your Butternut Squash Addiction
When it comes to seasonal fall and winter squash, there is always one that seems to take center stage on restaurant menus, glossy food magazines and in premade food products. That would be the ever-popular butternut squash. Yes, as much as I love this creamy, sweet and mild squash, I feel that it has been over used in ravioli and in pureed soups. I think it’s time to stir things up! By no means am I suggesting you set aside your beloved butternut, in fact, I think you should fall in love with it all over again and try it in something new. Think of it as butternut therapy for your butternut addiction. To get you started, here are a couple recipes that might make you look differently at your favorite gourd. Before I forget, you can substitute kabocha squash, acorn squash or sugar pumpkin and really try something different.
This recipe for marinated butternut squash is a tangy twist on sauteed butternut squash that is usually tossed with olive oil and fresh herbs.
Butternut and parsnip quesadillas! And, for the salsa lover who wants to eat seasonally, you can get inspired with this beet salsa that not only tastes sweet, fresh and tangy- it looks like a bowl of ruby jewels just waiting to be sprinkled on a salad or scooped up with chips.
Another dynamic duo- risotto and butternut together! This creamy risotto with sweet butternut squash could be eaten as a side dish or eaten as a main course. This dish is like putting a warm sweater around your stomach.
Don’t forget dessert! Here is a twist on the old apple crisp classic: Butternut Apple Crisp!
Need more delicious inspiration? Here are three more delicious ideas:
Above photo by lumierefl
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| Categories: | Baked Goods • Cooking tips • Technique • Uncategorized • desserts • quick and easy | 4 Comments |
| Tags: | autumn • butternut squash • fall • winter squash |
Fabulous Flu Fighting Foods
‘Tis the season for flu. And, as we all know, we’re getting a double whammy this year with the ole regular kind plus her bad ass new gal-pal H1N1, also known as Swine Flu. (Which you actually cannot get from swines. So what gives with the name, Piggy?).
We thought it apropos to share with you some fabulous flu fighting foods (say that ten times fast), as well as tips to staying healthy in general. We all know these things – our mothers drilled most of it into our heads from an early age – but we get busy and stressed, especially this time of year, and many of us tend to neglect the one thing that matters most….
Yourself.
So make some simple lifestyle changes before you get sick, you’ll thank yourself for it:
- Get plenty of rest
- Drink lots of fluids (this does not include 8 cups of coffee a day, we mean healthy liquids like water, juice, tea, even a glass of red wine has vitamin C!)
- Don’t skip meals and stay away from high-sugar foods
- Wash your hands more frequently
- Try not to touch your face or eyes
- Get some exercise
- Cough into the crook of your arm, not into your hand (yes, us old dogs need to learn new tricks)
Now for the stuff we love – FOOD! Add some (heck, try adding ‘em all!) of these flu fighting foods to your diet and stay healthy this season.
Honey has natural antibacterial properties. Combine it with green tea or drizzle on plain yogurt to pack an even more powerful flu-fighting punch. One of my favorites, sick or not, is a “hot toddy” of hot water, honey, and lemon juice or apple cider vinegar. (Okay, I admit it, I sometimes add whiskey).
Kefir, and other cultured milk products such as yogurt, line our intestines with good bacteria and help fight off germs. If you can’t find kefir look for yogurt drinks or yogurt (plain is best) marked “Live and active cultures.”
Chicken soup! It’s not an old wives tale, research actually shows that a nice bowl of Mom’s chickeny brew has mild anti-inflammatory properties, can decrease mucus production, and help soothe throat irritation and swelling. My favorite is Jewish Penicillin (matzah ball soup).
Red Bell Peppers actually contain twice the vitamin C as an orange! And we all know that vitamin C is a must-have weapon in our flu-fighting arsenal. In addition to citrus fruits, broccoli, cayenne pepper, tomatoes and kiwi fruit are also excellent sources of C. Try this yummy Hearty Red Pepper Soup recipe.
Green tea contains a powerful immune-boosting antioxidant called epigallocatechin gallate. (Phew, that’s a mouthful! Just call it EGCG). Brew your tea for about 4 minutes to get the full benefit and strive to drink at least 3 cups a day. I like to add a bit of honey to my tea or sometimes a disc of fresh ginger.
Sweet potatoes are full of beta carotene – the vitamin that gives them their lovely orange color. Our bodies convert beta carotene to vitamin A, which research has shown to help treat respiratory infections. Feeling lazy after work? Simply crank up the oven to about 400 degrees F and throw the sweet potatoes in skin and all. After 40 minutes or so pull them out and remove the flesh. Top with a little sweet butter, salt and pepper and you’ve got yourself a meal – and an easy home remedy!
Ginger contains a natural plant compound called gingerol, which not only helps fight off infection but helps settle your tummy when you’re feeling pukey. While you’re well, try this delicious Ginger Broccoli recipe with brown rice, quinoa, red wheat berries, or the like. If you’re already sick, stick with ginger in your tea.
Oysters contain more zinc than any other food! Zinc is an important mineral that helps keep our immune system strong. If you can’t imagine sucking them down raw, try Oysters Rockefeller or go all out with this Oyster Stew With Andouille Mashed Potatoes recipe. Still can’t stand the thought of slurping down these bivalves? Eat pumpkin seeds, they’re full of zinc too.
Garlic not only wards off vampires but germs, so it’s a win-win! In fact, the sulfur compounds in garlic make us two and a half times less likely to get sick. Simply add a clove of minced garlic to your vinaigrette and toss on your salad. Or, here’s a tasty Tuscan Garlic Chicken recipe – you can even kick up a notch or two and add more garlic!
Kale, and other dark green leafy vegetables such as spinach and seaweed, is packed with immune-boosting vitamin D, something many of us are already deficient in. Kale is in season now! Try some Garlicky Kale, a hearty Kale Colcannon, or my favorite snack: Kale Chips.
Here’s to a healthy season!
Photo by: BitchBuzz
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| Categories: | Cooking tips • Uncategorized | 4 Comments |
| Tags: | fight the flu • flu • flu fighting food • healthy foods • immune boosters • influenza |
Porcini Ravioli With Sage Brown Butter
It’s Columbus Day and we’re celebrating by dishing up one of our favorite seasonal paste (that’s plural for pasta, lo sai) - Porcini Ravioli With Sage Brown Butter. Porcini mushrooms are now in season, so we went to our favorite forager at the farmers market yesterday and picked up some of these forest beauties.
If you’ve never had porcini mushrooms (also known as King Boletes) they are large, but exceptionally tender and flavorful fungi. When cooked up they are so silky smooth and delicate that I refer to them as vegan foie gras. They truly are a delicacy.
Porcini are wonderful on their own – sauteed in a little olive oil with a sprinkle of a good quality salt (such as Murray River, sel gris or fleur de sel) – but they are also divine in ravioli with a simple sage brown butter sauce.
If using pre-made sheets of pasta this dish is surprisingly easy to make. Don’t be discouraged! It only requires a little sauteing, a bit of patience in forming even little mounds, then cutting around those mounds. Easy! Not even close to navigating oceans and discovering new worlds like our old Italian friend did.
Other great pasta recipes to mangiare:
Mark Bittman’s Pasta With Fast Sausage Ragú
Carbonara Sauce With Fettuccine from Cooking during Stolen Moments
Pasta e Fagioli from Full of Beans
Homemade pappardelle con porcini from Paul’s Cooking…
Baked rigatoni with spinach, ricotta, and fontina from Evil Chef Mom
Photo by mastermaq
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| Categories: | Cooking tips • Italian • Pasta & Grains | Leave a Comment |
| Tags: |
5 Ways to Get Out of a Food Rut
Lets face it, we all get stuck in food ruts. Seared salmon on top of mixed greens has been my fast and healthy go-to dinner for far too long. Time to shake things up! Of course like anyone, saying one thing and doing another can be challenging when you work full time, have a family or planning within a budget.
1. Make it Easy on Yourself
You don’t have to get all Martha on everyone and make every single meal from scratch, complete with hand-sewn napkins. Obviously, that would be pretty cool, but maybe you should work up to that. You can still buy a pre-made roasted chicken at the store on the way home, but instead of serving rotisserie chicken as is, cut off the meat and put it in a panini or toss it with a vegetable-packed salad.
2. But I Love Spaghetti Every Night…
Really? Okay, no one is going to blame you, but you might want to mix it up a little bit- what about adding some sauteed peppers or throw in some olive and capers for a little puttanesca inspiration? Try a different sauce or put that irresistable tomato sauce on a grilled chicken breast or roasted eggplant.
3. Plan Ahead
Doesn’t someone telling you to plan ahead sound super bossy and for some of us, unrealistic? I get that. Honestly though, doing one thing like throwing flank steak into a quick marinade the night before or prepping one thing for tomorrow’s dinner while you are throwing tonight’s dinner together doesn’t add up the hours, 15 minutes maybe. Have an office refrigerator? Cooler in your car? If you get a long lunch break, you can save a trip to the grocery store after work, by going on your lunch break.
4. Buy a New Kitchen Tool to Experiment and Force Yourself to Try Something New
Nothing makes you think outside the box more than purchasing a fun new kitchen tool. You don’t even need to splurge on a Vitamix to stir things up. Even buying something as cheap as a potato peeler that has fun ridges on the sides or even purchasing a panini press from the Goodwill will help inspire you to write up a different shopping list.
5. Use Resources Right Around You
If you are grabbing lunch at a restaurant, don’t just read the menu for what you are eating now, see what else looks appetizing and try and replicate it yourself for dinner later on in the week. Ask all your friends, your mom and your co-workers what they are making for dinner, sometimes the simplest ideas are buried underneath all your creative brainstorming. And lastly, nothing is more inspiring for getting you out of your food rut by reading food blogs. They are overflowing with ideas and they are all cooked by real people who are not trying to sell you something!
Here are a just a couple of food blogs to check out:
Steamy Kitchen
Roots and Grubs
Cooking with Amy
Above Photo by: Gudlyf
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| Categories: | Cooking tips • Salads • Technique • Uncategorized • kitchen equipment • quick and easy • tools | 6 Comments |
| Tags: | cooking inspiration • food blog • food rut • quick and easy |
Eating Local in the Northwest
Open your fridge. Can you tell the exact history of where one item came from? Eating local doesn’t seem like a hard challenge until you start thinking about it. Last Sunday night, a group of us got together and cooked a meal that was made almost entirely with local ingredients. The best part of it all was that we didn’t intentionally mean to have a dinner made completely of locally sourced ingredients, but once we realized we had the beginnings of one, we made it our goal to get as a close as we could to a completely local dinner.
When you start learning where your food really comes from, you learn how much labor, transportation and energy and resources go into everything you eat. Eating local doesn’t just mean you help out the farmers, gardeners and butchers in your area, you are also saving other costs that add up, including energy, gas, storage and other hidden resources used to get those items off a truck and onto a shiny display. Challenge yourself to make it a personal goal to eat one thing at one meal a day that is sourced locally, not only will you feel good, believe me, it will taste better!
The Menu
Locally Caught Salmon with Lemon, Herb Butter: The salmon was caught locally by my friend Neil. Oregano, thyme and dill all from Washington state. Our splurge was the lemon, salt and pepper and olive oil, purchased from the grocery store.
All Blue Potato Salad with Fresh Dill: The all blue potatoes came from a farm that I was apprenticing at, about 20 miles away. Fresh dill and a sweet onion came from the Ballard Farmer’s market that morning. Our splurge was purchased Dijon mustard, mayonnaise and salt and pepper.
Summer Corn and Tomato Salad: The corn, basil and sweet onion came from the farmers market. The tomatoes were grown in my garden. Our splurge was olive oil, red onion and salt and pepper.
Winter Greens with Garlic and Lemon: The Swiss chard, kale and collard greens were all from the Ballard farmer’s market, our splurge was olive oil, lemon, garlic- (although it should have been bought at the farmer’s market), and Parmesan Reggiano.
Katy’s Blackberry Pie with Lemon Verbena Infused Fresh Whip Cream: The blackberries were purchased at the farmer’s market, the whip cream was from a Washington state organic creamery and the lemon verbena was from my friend Katy’s lemon verbena plant. Our splurge: organic pie crust from PCC, lemon juice, purchased spices.
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| Categories: | American • Baked Goods • Cooking tips • Fish & Seafood • Organic • Salads • Uncategorized • Vegetarian • Veggies • desserts | 5 Comments |
| Tags: | all blue potatoes • blackberry pie • corn salad • eating local • eating local in the northwest • salmon • winter greens |
Friday Fun Links
Above Photo by Summerrunner2009
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| Tags: | 100 mile diet • Ben and Jerrys • Friday Fun links • michael pollan |
Pork Belly with Wild Huckleberry Sauce
This weekend I had the epitome of a “staycation.” No plans except to sleep in, cook good food and watch the second season of Mad Men with Mark. On Sunday night we decided to open up a great bottle of syrah and slow cook a pork belly with a homemade huckleberry sauce. We had gone to the Sunday farmers market earlier in the morning and purchased a pint of foraged huckleberries from Christina Choi at Foraged and Found Edibles. The berries were plump and glistening, looking like violet caviar, simply perfect for a thick piece of pork belly.
We roasted some golden beets and Ozette potatoes we had purchased from another vendor to add to our pork belly. After searing the pork belly on all sides, I removed it from the heat and set it aside. Next I added 1/4 cup of finely chopped shallots and sauteed them over medium-high heat with a good pinch of salt and pepper. I deglazed with some balsamic vinegar and syrah wine. Next I added 1 cup of wild huckleberries, 1/2 sprig of fresh rosemary, two fresh sage leaves, a fresh oregano sprig, two garlic cloves that were smashed only slightly and a sprinkling of brown sugar.
I brought the pan to a simmer and let the sauce work it’s magic for a couple minutes. Next I added the seared pork belly back to the sauce, covered it and let it cook at 300 F for almost two hours, turning the meat half way through cooking. Once the meat was more than fork-tender, I removed the pan from the oven and onto a plate. I covered the pork in the sauce and sprinkled on another handful of the uncooked huckleberries for color and a nice tang to balance flavors.
The result was rich, juicy and over the top indulgent; absolutely perfect for a weekend all to ourselves.
For the whole recipe for Pork Belly with Wild Huckleberry Sauce go here:
Can’t get enough of pork belly, check out these other recipes:
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| Categories: | American • Cooking tips • Entertaining • Meat & Poultry • Sauces • condiments • wine | 2 Comments |
| Tags: | huckleberries • pork • pork belly • staycation • syrah |
