Pantry Cleanout

With all the Thanksgiving and Halloween and fall themes going on at every store around, there's a general pumpkin tinge to the air these days. And hey, I can't complain...there is practically no baked good that doesn't taste better with a little pumpkin.

So when Nate announced that he was craving something pumpkin, I took the opportunity to appease his rare craving and use up some pantry staples at the same time. There's a can of pumpkin puree that's been sitting in there for, oh, a YEAR, and I've just never gotten around to cracking it open.

And yes, I'm still working on that bag of whole wheat pastry flour, which found its way in to today's project.

And our house smells So. Good.

Pumpkin-Corn Muffins
makes 12 regular muffins



1/2 c white flour
1/2 c whole wheat pastry flour
1 c yellow cornmeal
1/2 c brown sugar, packed
1 T baking powder
1 heaping tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
3 T butter, melted
1/2 c whole milk
2 eggs
1 c canned pumpkin puree

1. Preheat the oven to 400F. Spray the cups of a muffin pan with cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the butter and eggs until golden. Slowly whisk in the pumpkin and milk until smooth.
4. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined.
5. Divide the batter evenly amongst the muffin cups and bake for 20 minutes or until a knife inserted into the muffin comes out clean.
6. Serve plain, with butter, honey, apple butter, or pumpkin butter. Best served warm.

The Great American Pastime

Game 3 of the World Series, and obviously, the dinner of choice is Cioppino!



No, just kidding, I really was just craving tomato-y seafood-y salty food tonight, so made a quick detour to Whole Foods on my way home from work to score some misto de mare. I pretty much just made this up as I went along, because basically cioppino is just mixed seafood braised in a tomato/garlic/wine broth. Easy peasy. This is usually served over or with pasta or garlic bread. We served it over steamed spinach.

Cioppino with Steamed Spinach
serves 2-3



1 tsp olive oil
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 T tomato paste
3 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
3 large tomatoes, diced
2 T parsley, minced
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 c dry red wine
1 6-oz can chopped clams with their broth
1/4 lb raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 lb raw bay scallops
1 small tilapia filet, cubed
1 small calamari steak, sliced into thin strips
1/4 c fresh basil, julienned
salt and pepper to taste

1 lb baby spinach

Parmesan cheese

1. In a large skillet over medium heat, saute the garlic and red pepper in olive oil. Stir in the tomato paste, tomatoes, parsley, oregano, wine, and clams and broth. Bring to a boil, lower heat to low, and simmer for 10 minutes.
2. Add the remaining seafood and simmer for 5 minutes or until cooked. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
3. Heat cooking spray in a large pan and had the spinach with a few spoonfuls of water. Cover and steam for 5 minutes or until spinach is wilted.
4. Divide the spinach between shallow bowls and spoon the seafood and tomato sauce over the top. Shave parmesan cheese over each serving.

Nutritional Yeast Looks Like Fish Food.

I was intrigued by a recent article about meatloaf in the Arizona Republic. It featured a vegetarian recipe by some fancy chef from here in the Valley, and I thought I'd give it a try. It was definitely tasty, but meatloaf it was not. Don't kid yourself. It's a yummy veggie burger in loaf form that would be a nice option for a vegetarian guest, but I wouldn't go to the trouble again just to make it for the two of us. To Nate's credit, he did eat a whole serving and pronounced it passable. (Oh hey, even as I type this he's going for seconds...)



I made a few changes out of necessity, but pretty much followed the recipe, even down to the nutritional yeast. Which brings me to the question, why do people eat that stuff? Aren't you getting enough B vitamins from the rest of your food without having to resort to fish food? I am puzzled by this ingredient, as it doesn't add anything to the final dish, as far as I can tell. So now I can add nutritional yeast to my list of bottomless ingredients that I will have to find a use for.

Nutritional yeast and whole wheat pastry flour waffles, anyone??

Menu:
Tempeh "Cheat" Meatloaf
Sauteed Greens
Roasted Sweet Potato

Tempeh "Cheat" Meatloaf
submitted to the AZ Republic on 10/20/10 by Chef Damon Brasch of Green restaurant



serves 6

1 T red miso paste
3 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 can (6 oz) tomato sauce
1/2 c water or vegetable stock
3 T brown sugar
2 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
1/4 c olive oil (I omitted this)
3/4 cup diced onion
1/2 cup diced roasted green chiles
3/4 cup diced carrots
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 pound organic tempeh, pulsed to a crumble in a food processor
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon Phillips Blackening Seasoning (I omitted this)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup tapioca starch for binder (I used rolled oats)
Barbecue sauce for basting (I omitted this)

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a small bowl, combine miso paste, soy sauce, tomato sauce, water or vegetable stock, brown sugar and Worcestershire sauce.

3.Heat a saute pan on medium high. When hot, add olive oil (or cooking spray). When oil is hot, lightly saute onions, green chiles, carrots and garlic for about 5-8 minutes.

4. In a large bowl, combine tempeh, bread crumbs, yeast, chili powder, pepper flakes, thyme, onion powder, black pepper, blackening seasoning, salt and tapioca starch. Add sauteed vegetables and three-quarters of the wet tomato mixture.

5. Use your hands to form into loaf. Lightly oil a shallow 7- by 10-inch pan or bread-loaf tin, and place loaf on top of oil. Pour remaining wet tomato mixture over meatloaf to coat. Bake for 1 hour, basting occasionally with a favorite barbecue sauce.

Nate says everything tastes better with ketchup. Lots and lots of ketchup.

Sunday Brunch at the Flower Street Cafe

I love Sunday brunch. It's pretty much my favorite meal. And while there are many wonderful brunch options available in Central Phoenix, they all cost money, and really, I can make almost everything they can make right here in my own kitchen. AND watch football in my own living room. For cheap.

Menu:

German Apple Pancake
Bacon
Fruit Salad
Chai Latte

German Apple Pancake
adapted from www.eatingwell.com



Let's get one thing straight: this is not a pancake. Some of you might have known that already, but I've never had a German pancake before, so I didn't know quite what to expect. Perhaps the distinctly high egg:flour ratio should have tipped me off? Regardless, what this IS, is a mighty tasty, eggy, apple-y, creamy, half-custard-half-apple-pie concoction that far surpassed my pancake expectations anyway. I found the original recipe on the Eating Well website; I've written it with my changes.

serves 2-4

2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
1 tsp butter
1 tsp olive oil
1 1/2 T brown sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/2 c spiced apple cider (note: this was all I could find at the store; the recipe calls for regular cider. I don't think it matters.)

2 eggs
2 egg whites
2 T flour
2 T whole wheat pastry flour
2 tsp sugar
1/2 c skim milk
1/2 c whole milk
1/4 tsp salt
cooking spray
confectioner's sugar for dusting

1. To prepare the apple topping, melt the butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the apples and brown sugar and saute over medium-low heat until the apples are soft and golden, about 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat the cider in a small saucepan to boiling. Boil until reduced by half, about 15 minutes. Stir into the softened apples. Stir in the vanilla and cinnamon and set aside.
3. Preheat the oven to 400. Place a 12-inch cast-iron skillet in the oven to heat.
4. Prepare the pancake batter: whisk the eggs, egg whites, sugar, and both flours in a medium bowl. Slowly whisk in the milk.
5. Using oven mitts, remove the skillet from the oven and spray with cooking spray. Pour the batter into the skillet.
6. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 and bake for 15 minutes more until golden.
7. Meanwhile, gently reheat the apple topping.
8. Remove the pancake from the oven. It will deflate quickly. Dust with confectioner's sugar and cut into 4 wedges. Serve immediately, topped with apples.

Picnic Under the Stars

We don't have many traditions here in Le Casa de Fleur; we don't want to sacrifice new experiences in the name of nostalgia. We also, truth be told, don't get out much. That being said, one thing we do try to do on a regular basis is attend Movies in the Park* hosted by our local fancy mall, Biltmore Fashion Park.

Every fall and spring on Friday nights they play movies (for free!) on a big screen in the central grassy quad in front of Saks 5th Ave (one of the many perks of living in the desert is that you can have outdoor venues like this). The movies run the gamut from classics to more recent cult favorites. It's usually wildly well-attended, and if you want a good spot on the lawn, you have to get there before 6pm for the 7:30 show. People bring lawnchairs and blankets and picnics and wine...it's fun and I'm happy to make a tradition-exception for it.

*Also known as of late, in our house, anyway, as Movies in the Parp, an homage to this hilarious blog post.

Usually I am racing to get there after work, but this weekend I was actually off and we were able to go snag seats together. Natch, this seemed like the perfect opportunity to pack a real-style picnic, as opposed to our usual take-out option.

The movie was Chinatown...the menu was totally unrelated.

Menu:

Oven-Fried Chicken
Corny Corn Bread
Twice-Baked Potatoes
Fruit Salad

Oven-Fried Chicken

There are a zillion recipes out there for oven-fried chicken; here is my version. It was good, but suffered from being refrigerated in that the lovely crispy coating became pretty soggy, but it tasted good and made yummy leftovers the next day. It could also use more salt, if you're looking for more of a KFC-type chicken.



serves 2-3

2 skinless chicken drumsticks
2 skinless, bone-in chicken thighs
1 skinless, bone-in chicken breast
2 c lowfat buttermilk
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp Tabasco
1/2 c flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tsp sesame seeds
dash cayenne pepper
2 c corn flakes, crushed
cooking spray

1. Combine the buttermilk, garlic powder, and tabasco in a large bowl. Add the chicken and marinate for 2 hours or overnight.
2. Heat the oven to 400.
3. Set up your dredging stations: mix the flour, salt, pepper, sesame seeds, and cayenne in one shallow dish. Spread the corn flake crumbs in a second shallow dish.
4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
5. Using your right hand, take one piece of chicken out of the buttermilk, let the excess drip off, and dredge in the flour mixture until coated. Use your left hand to sprinkle flour over the bare spots if needed.
6. Using your right hand, dip the flour-coated chicken back in the buttermilk.
7. Dredge the chicken in the corn flake crumbs.
8. Place on the parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.
9. Repeat with the remaining chicken.
10. Bake at 400 until cooked through, about 25-30 minutes.



Corny Corn Bread

I made my previously-posted Corn Bread recipe, making the following changes: I increased the buttermilk to 1 1/4 c and added 1/2 c frozen corn kernels to the batter. I thought the result made the cornbread moister...Nate thought it was drier than last time. Huh. I don't know what to tell you.

Twice-Baked Potatoes

A lightened version of the standard. These were very tasty, even without loads of sour cream and bacon.



serves 2

1 large Russet baking potato
2 T Neufchatel cream cheese
1 oz cheddar cheese, shredded
splash skim milk
salt and pepper to taste
1 c broccoli, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. Prick the potato with a fork and bake at 400 for 1 hour or until soft.
3. Cut the potato lengthwise and gently scoop out the flesh into a bowl.
4. Mix the Neufchatel, cheddar, salt, pepper, and broccoli with the potato, adding just enough milk to make it easy to mix.
5. Divide the filling between the two potato skins. Place on a baking pan and bake again at 400 for 15-20 minutes until heated through.

I don't know; just buy some fish and we'll figure something out.

This is frequently my answer when Nate calls me from the store to ask if I have any plans for dinner. Now, sometimes I do have plans, and I am ready with a list, but some much more often I am totally distracted at work or have worn myself out mowing our postage-stamp of a lawn in the 117 degree sun...and I just can't get motivated to plan something. Happily, some of our best dinners are borne of this menu apathy, and tonight was one of those nights.

I will admit to having a pretty well-stocked kitchen, so I realize that the throwing together of this meal might require a trip to the store for many people. But hey, I like to eat, there you have it.

Menu:
Fish Tacos with Grilled Pineapple and Chili-Honey Butter
Kitchen Sink Beans


Fish Tacos with Grilled Pineapple and Chili-Honey Butter

Fish tacos. So easy. Infinite variations. You basically cook some fish/shrimp, put it in a corn/flour tortilla, and top it with something crunchy (cabbage, lettuce, zucchini, shredded cucumber, shredded carrot) and something sweet (pineapple, mango, mango salsa, peach, etc) and something creamy/cheesy (avocado, cheese, sour cream...). Enjoy. Maybe if you're feeling particularly fancy, you'll marinate the fish in lime juice or sprinkle some chili seasoning on before you grill.



serves 2

1/2 lb cod or other firm white fish, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 medium zucchini
1 c pineapple, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 lime, cut in half
2 T chili-honey butter
6 corn tortillas
shredded green cabbage
sour cream
salsa

1. Thread two skewers with the pineapple chunks.
2. Cut the zucchini in half. Using a vegetable peeler, mandoline, or really sharp knife, shave the zucchini lengthwise into very thin, flexible strips. If you use a knife, you might not be able to get the strips thin enough to fold; if that happens, they'll be more flexible if you blanch them in boiling water for a minute or so.
3. Thread the fish and the zucchini onto skewers, folding the zucchini like an accordion and squishing it between fish pieces.
4. Melt the chili-honey butter in the microwave for about 15 seconds. Squeeze the juice from half of the lime into the butter.
5. Heat the grill to medium and grill the skewered fish and pineapple for 2-3 minutes per side or until done. Baste all of the skewers with the chili-honey butter as they cook.
6. When you are ready to fill the tacos, warm the tortillas in the microwave for 20 seconds; cold corn tortillas are stiff and will break if you try to fold them.
7. Divide the fish, zucchini, and pineapple among the tortillas, squeeze the remaining lime juice over them, and top with the cabbage, sour cream, and salsa.




Kitchen Sink Beans

So, Trader Joes makes canned Cuban-style black beans that are really good. This was my last-minute attempt to replicate them after I realized that we didn't have any in the pantry (so perhaps I am not that well-stocked...)

serves 2-3

1 15-oz can black beans (or pinto, or whatever, really)
bits and dregs of almost-empty jars of salsa from the back of the fridge
salt
chili powder/adobo seasoning/taco seasoning...or whatever seasoning tastes good

1. Heat the beans in the microwave for about a minute.
2. Stir in as much salsa, salt, and seasoning as you need until it tastes good.
3. Serve inside or alongside the tacos.

Nyuk nyuk nyukki.

For some reason, I've been thinking about gnocchi for the past several days. Not sure why. Who am I to question?? So today's another day off waiting for floor progress to be made (finally! it's actually being installed as I type!!) and what else can I do around the house but cook and clean?

Well, I cooked, anyway.

Today's adventure in the kitchen was brought to you by both Padma Lakshmi and Lidia Bastianich; unlikely companions, I know, but their books are good and I wanted to eat the food they write about.

I have made gnocchi once before and it was a dismal failure. I tried making a recipe for beet gnocchi several years ago, and the dough was too soft and the whole mess ended up looking like a pile of slimy pink brains on my plate. It was disgusting. So naturally, I thought I'd try it again! Only this time I made it with sweet potatoes, so at least I would avoid the whole zombie aspect of my last attempt. I'm proud to say that it was a success this time around.



I also took the liberty of doing a little experiment just for you, Elaine...and also to try to use up, yep, more whole wheat pastry flour. That bag, I swear, has become my own little modern-day Miracle of Hanukkah. It's bottomless! I made one batch of gnocchi with white flour and one with whole wheat. The white flour version is a touch firmer, but the taste is virtually the same and the whole wheat version is a little better for you. I'd do it again with wheat.

But not brains.

Offerings:
Chai Latte
Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Chili Honey Butter
Sauteed Spinach with Garlic

Chai Latte
from Tangy Tart Hot & Sweet by Padma Lakshmi

I am not a big chai latte lover at coffee places. They're always too, I don't know, cloying or something. So don't ask me why I thought I'd try it at home...but there was something about the ingredient list that jumped out at me, so I forged ahead. Plus I thought it would be nice to have a chai-smelling kitchen for the morning. Padma has not steered me off course yet, and this was no exception. I am now a convert, but I'll continue making my own, thanks.

makes 4 1-cup servings

4 cups water
1 tsp minced fresh ginger
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1/4 tsp ground cloves
3 tsp loose black tea
2 tsp honey
3 tsp brown sugar
1 cup while milk (I used skim, but whole would be downright dessert-y; definitely splurge if you're making this at Christmas)

1. Bring the water, ginger, cardamom, and cloves to a boil in a medium saucepan.
2. Reduce heat to a simmer and stir in the tea, milk, sugar, and honey. Steep and stir for 2-3 minutes.
3. Strain into 4 mugs. Serve with whipped cream if you've been particularly well-behaved. Or even if you haven't!


Chili Honey Butter
from Tangy Tart Hot & Sweet by Padma Lakshmi

Seriously, if you don't absolutely want to lick out the bowl after you've made this, there's something wrong with you.

1 stick unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 1/2 T honey
1 tsp cayenne pepper (I used ground chipotle)
salt

1. Stir all the ingredients together and add salt to taste. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.
2. Spend the rest of the day wondering why, oh WHY, is butter so bad for you? Gah.


Sweet Potato Gnocchi
adapted from Lidia's Italian-America Kitchen by Lidia Bastianich



I made several changes to Lidia's original potato gnocchi recipe, and I've written it as I made it. The instructions look long and daunting, but really you're just making a soft dough and then rolling it into ropes to cut into gnocchi. Don't wear fancy jewelery for this.

makes approximately 6 3/4c servings

1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes
2 large eggs
3/4 tsp salt
dash pepper
2 3/4 cup white flour or whole wheat pastry flour, plus more as needed

1. Preheat the oven to 450. Pierce the potatoes with a fork, arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and bake for about an hour or until soft.
2. Let cool until you can safely peel the skin off (it will just slip off).
3. Put the potatoes through a ricer (or mash them really well; don't try to make ghetto potatoes by smushing them through the holes in your colander, it's just not worth the mess.)

Theoretically this should work...


Ugh. Ick. Glop. Emergency trip to Bed Bath and Beyond for a ricer.

4. Spread the potatoes out in a thin layer to allow as much moisture escape as possible.
5. When the potatoes are cool, whisk the eggs, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Add a little bit of flour to the eggs and stir to make the eggs thick an un-runny.
6. Pile the potatoes on a floured board and make a well in the center. Pour the egg mixture into the well and knead with your hands to incorporate. This is going to be messy!
7. Add flour, a 1/2 at a time, and knead until you have a soft, slightly sticky dough. Lidia says not to knead for longer than 10 minutes and to add just enough flour so it's not terribly sticky. The more you knead, the stickier it'll get, and the more flour you'll have to add.
8. Divide the dough into 6 portions.
9. Using floured hands, roll each portion out into a 1/2" diameter rope. Cut the rope into 1-inch pieces.
10. Roll each piece into a ball. Using your thumb, press each ball gently onto the tines of a fork to make little indents (like peanut butter cookies). Use flour as needed to keep the gnocchi from sticking to your thumb and the fork.
11. Cook them immediately in boiling water for 5 minutes, or freeze them in a single layer and store in a plastic bag for later use. Serve with Chili Honey Butter, parmesan cheese, sage butter, or any other delectable topping.


Getting ready for the freezer.