My baby started solids a few weeks ago on her 5 month birthday. Because rice cereal is so blah, we went for some super ripe banana. She appreciated the freshly mashed version on a spoon, but much prefers to grab it and gnaw on it like a big kid. She's also a huge fan of baby Mum Mums and screams when they break or when they're gone. So far we've attempted lots of fruits because no one sells stage 1 vegetables and I ain't pureeing and straining anything that much. Once she gets to chunkier textures, we'll break out the Annabel Karmel recipes that I made for her brother. It's only fair since he got quite the gourmet baby food.
Gerber Organic and Earth's Best are our Stage 1 staples but they are a bit limited in their selection. Sprout Organics (by my fav Tyler Florence) look and taste delicious but the quantity is too big for her right now. We'll be living off of them in MN next week though since they're easily portable and not in glass jars.
A side note: Big brother ate some raw carrots wrapped in ham and dipped in honey mustard. He's been a tad picky about vegetables lately (beans being the only ones he'll eat) so I was so psyched that he liked raw carrots. Thank you to Piper from school who has been eating them for a year and who he always talks about.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Wasabi Pea Crusted Tuna Steaks
This is a fast and pretty dish. The wasabi part is mostly about color and crunch so I'm still working on a way to make the flavor come through a bit more.
Tuna Steaks
2 tuna steaks 1"+ thick (if you use one big one, don't cut it before cooking)
1/4 C wasabi peas
2 tbsp black sesame seeds
2 tbsb sesame seeds
2-3 tbsp panko bread crumbs (if you don't have panko, just skip the bread crumbs and use more sesame seeds)
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
s+p
Special sauce (below)
Leave tuna in fridge until you have everything else ready. If it comes to room temp, you'll risk overcooking it which is like eating a $30 can of tuna.
Crush peas in Cuisinart or gently in a Ziploc. They'll tear the bag easily so use a heavy skillet instead of a mallet to crush them.
Make special sauce.
Combine crushed peas with both sesame seeds and panko on a plate. S+P the tuna steaks on both sides. Press into crust mixture, making sure to get the edges.
Heat oil in a 12" nonstick skillet on med high for several minutes to ensure a good sear when the tuna hits the pan. Add tuna and cook on each side 1-2 minutes. Set a timer! when they're done, remove immediately from pan to stop cooking.
Special Sauce
1/2 C brown sugar
1/2 C soy sauce
juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp grated fresh ginger (optional)
Put all ingredients in small sauce pan and simmer for 10 minutes or until desired thickness. So easy and goes well on everything.
Tuna Steaks
2 tuna steaks 1"+ thick (if you use one big one, don't cut it before cooking)
1/4 C wasabi peas
2 tbsp black sesame seeds
2 tbsb sesame seeds
2-3 tbsp panko bread crumbs (if you don't have panko, just skip the bread crumbs and use more sesame seeds)
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
s+p
Special sauce (below)
Leave tuna in fridge until you have everything else ready. If it comes to room temp, you'll risk overcooking it which is like eating a $30 can of tuna.
Crush peas in Cuisinart or gently in a Ziploc. They'll tear the bag easily so use a heavy skillet instead of a mallet to crush them.
Make special sauce.
Combine crushed peas with both sesame seeds and panko on a plate. S+P the tuna steaks on both sides. Press into crust mixture, making sure to get the edges.
Heat oil in a 12" nonstick skillet on med high for several minutes to ensure a good sear when the tuna hits the pan. Add tuna and cook on each side 1-2 minutes. Set a timer! when they're done, remove immediately from pan to stop cooking.
Special Sauce
1/2 C brown sugar
1/2 C soy sauce
juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp grated fresh ginger (optional)
Put all ingredients in small sauce pan and simmer for 10 minutes or until desired thickness. So easy and goes well on everything.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Mole Enchiladas
Mole is not simple. Mole is not easy. It is two days of gathering ingredients and cooking during naps. This really counts as slow food. I wasn't really even a fan of mole until I cooked it for the first time. There are so many unexpected ingredients and techniques that you realize how complex and artful Mexican cooking really is. I couldn't trust anyone but Rick Bayless to show me with love and affection the intricacies of this dish. I combined a version of his mole sauce with the Cooks Illustrated Carnitas recipe to make some dandy enchiladas.
Back to Mole: 20+ ingredients, all fried up in one skillet in a special order. I can't even begin to recount the Bayless method of Mole but I'll give you an idea of the ingredients. The reason it's special and different than other sauces is that it's thickened with nuts and breads. No other method or cuisine uses this idea as far as I know.
Mole Sauce
lots of dried chiles: mulatos (CM never has these), anchos, pasillas, and canned chipotles
sesame seeds
coriander
almonds
onion
garlic
corn tortilla
stale white bread
tomato
chocolate/cocoa powder
pepper
cloves
aniseed (I skip this every time because I never have it)
cinamon
Carnitas
While the mole is the highlight, it should also be noted that the carnitas are fantastic in many ways. It's the easiest recipe for pulled pork that I've tried and the flavors are so delicate that they go with everything. For example, I put some in the collards and black-eyed peas to make a hearty soup the night before the mole magic.
For the enchiladas, I tried white corn tortillas for the first time. They were very tender and easy to roll without warming them. But, they did not hold up in cooking. This could be because I didn't spray them with pam as I usually do to make them roll easier or because they're just generally softer.
To complete the meal,
Monterrey Jack
Queso Fresco
Jasmati Rice
Black beans with Lizano (Costa Rican Ketchup)
Clearly I was wiped out after this effort because I forgot to take a picture of my beautiful work. Also drank this with an amazing Robert Sinskey Pinot Noir that went well with the slow heat of the sauce.
Back to Mole: 20+ ingredients, all fried up in one skillet in a special order. I can't even begin to recount the Bayless method of Mole but I'll give you an idea of the ingredients. The reason it's special and different than other sauces is that it's thickened with nuts and breads. No other method or cuisine uses this idea as far as I know.
Mole Sauce
lots of dried chiles: mulatos (CM never has these), anchos, pasillas, and canned chipotles
sesame seeds
coriander
almonds
onion
garlic
corn tortilla
stale white bread
tomato
chocolate/cocoa powder
pepper
cloves
aniseed (I skip this every time because I never have it)
cinamon
Carnitas
While the mole is the highlight, it should also be noted that the carnitas are fantastic in many ways. It's the easiest recipe for pulled pork that I've tried and the flavors are so delicate that they go with everything. For example, I put some in the collards and black-eyed peas to make a hearty soup the night before the mole magic.
| Pork | |
| 1 | (3 1/2-to 4-pound) boneless pork butt , fat cap trimmed to 1/8 inch thick, cut into 2-inch chunks |
| Table salt and ground black pepper | |
| 1 | teaspoon ground cumin |
| 1 | small onion , peeled and halved |
| 2 | bay leaves |
| 1 | teaspoon dried oregano |
| 2 | tablespoons juice from 1 lime |
| 2 | cups water |
| 1 | medium orange , halved |
Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Combine pork, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, cumin, onion, bay leaves, oregano, lime juice, and water in large Dutch oven (liquid should just barely cover meat). Juice orange into medium bowl and remove any seeds (you should have about 1/3 cup juice). Add juice and spent orange halves to pot. Bring mixture to simmer over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Cover pot and transfer to oven; cook until meat is soft and falls apart when prodded with fork, about 2 hours, flipping pieces of meat once during cooking.
2. Remove pot from oven and turn oven to broil. Using slotted spoon, transfer pork to bowl; remove orange halves, onion, and bay leaves from cooking liquid and discard (do not skim fat from liquid). Place pot over high heat (use caution, as handles will be very hot) and simmer liquid, stirring frequently, until thick and syrupy (heatsafe spatula should leave wide trail when dragged through glaze), 8 to 12 minutes. You should have about 1 cup reduced liquid.
For the enchiladas, I tried white corn tortillas for the first time. They were very tender and easy to roll without warming them. But, they did not hold up in cooking. This could be because I didn't spray them with pam as I usually do to make them roll easier or because they're just generally softer.
To complete the meal,
Monterrey Jack
Queso Fresco
Jasmati Rice
Black beans with Lizano (Costa Rican Ketchup)
Clearly I was wiped out after this effort because I forgot to take a picture of my beautiful work. Also drank this with an amazing Robert Sinskey Pinot Noir that went well with the slow heat of the sauce.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
BBQ chick and Collards
Since the Indoor Root Beer BBQ (see post) was such a hit with E as leftovers, we decided it would be a good choice for our newly instated Sunday family dinner. So with baby in the bumbo on top of the dining table eating a teething ring and E in the booster 20 minutes before anything was out of the oven, we have hopefully started a tradition.
Apparently you can't mess the stuff up either. In my haste to grocery shop during naps today, I forgot that I even needed to make the BBQ sauce. So, I substituted the juice of 2 limes for both the orange and lemon juices and skipped the zest altogether. It wasn't as sweet as the previous version, but tasted very similar otherwise.
For the chicken, it seems that once you brine the chicken, it's impossible to overcook or mess up. I subbed canola oil for the melted butter and it worked the same. I am very glad that I started making my notes on the blog though because I would not have remembered the cooking temp or the cooking time.
The side for this meal was collards with black-eyed peas. The BEP's were suggested because of the toddler's love of anything in the bean family and because we had a leftover pork rib and chop from Perry's on Friday night. I make this with any type of leftover pork and it's so good. You can also alter the ratio of bep's to collards if you like one or the other better.
Black-eyed Peas and Collards
1 can black-eyed peas
1 bunch Collards
1 smoked ham hock
1-3 sliced of bacon, cut into 1" pieces
1 chopped onion (optional)
Wash collard greens and remove tough spine. Cut into 1" strips.
Throw all the pork-type ingredients in a large pot to brown. Add onion and sweat for 5 minutes (if using). Add 4 cups water to pot and bring to a boil. If you have time, this makes a great pork stock so it can simmer for an hour or so. Add collards and cover. Braise for at least 1 1/2 hours until greens are tender.
Drain BEP's and add to pot. Warm for 5 min and serve as a soup or as a side.
Apparently you can't mess the stuff up either. In my haste to grocery shop during naps today, I forgot that I even needed to make the BBQ sauce. So, I substituted the juice of 2 limes for both the orange and lemon juices and skipped the zest altogether. It wasn't as sweet as the previous version, but tasted very similar otherwise.
For the chicken, it seems that once you brine the chicken, it's impossible to overcook or mess up. I subbed canola oil for the melted butter and it worked the same. I am very glad that I started making my notes on the blog though because I would not have remembered the cooking temp or the cooking time.
The side for this meal was collards with black-eyed peas. The BEP's were suggested because of the toddler's love of anything in the bean family and because we had a leftover pork rib and chop from Perry's on Friday night. I make this with any type of leftover pork and it's so good. You can also alter the ratio of bep's to collards if you like one or the other better.
Black-eyed Peas and Collards
1 can black-eyed peas
1 bunch Collards
1 smoked ham hock
1-3 sliced of bacon, cut into 1" pieces
1 chopped onion (optional)
Wash collard greens and remove tough spine. Cut into 1" strips.
Throw all the pork-type ingredients in a large pot to brown. Add onion and sweat for 5 minutes (if using). Add 4 cups water to pot and bring to a boil. If you have time, this makes a great pork stock so it can simmer for an hour or so. Add collards and cover. Braise for at least 1 1/2 hours until greens are tender.
Drain BEP's and add to pot. Warm for 5 min and serve as a soup or as a side.
Fajita Salad
It's no secret that we have fajita salad about once a week. There are exactly 2 ingredients that make this salad amazing and without them, you should probably just order pizza. They are: HEB pre-marinated fajita meat (beef or chicken, both excellent) and caramelized onions. We started adding the onions last year in an effort to make our "fat girl salad" more healthy. The key ingredient used to be Tostitos Hint of Lime chips (and lots of them). So you can see how the healthiness of the salad quickly went south by adding tons and tons of tortilla chips.
Fajita Salad
HEB pre-marinated fajita meat
Salad bag (Romain or other crunchy lettuce, not baby lettuces)
1 recipe Caramelized Onions (below)
1 avocado
1 tomato
Mexi Cheese blend or Cotija if you're being fancy
1/2 c Pace salsa
1/4-1/2 c Ranch dressing
Everything is self-explanatory except the onions which are super important. So I'll add some additional notes on them.
Caramelized onions
1 tbsp canola oil (not EVO, it's too smoky)
1-2 onions, sliced thin
2 tsp granulated sugar
Heat oil on med high heat in a 10-12" skillet. Add onions and toss in oil to coat. Leave them alone for at least 5 minutes. The trick is to disturb them as little as possible so they get nice and brown rather than stir fried. When you start, they'll look like this:
Fajita Salad
HEB pre-marinated fajita meat
Salad bag (Romain or other crunchy lettuce, not baby lettuces)
1 recipe Caramelized Onions (below)
1 avocado
1 tomato
Mexi Cheese blend or Cotija if you're being fancy
1/2 c Pace salsa
1/4-1/2 c Ranch dressing
Everything is self-explanatory except the onions which are super important. So I'll add some additional notes on them.
Caramelized onions
1 tbsp canola oil (not EVO, it's too smoky)
1-2 onions, sliced thin
2 tsp granulated sugar
Heat oil on med high heat in a 10-12" skillet. Add onions and toss in oil to coat. Leave them alone for at least 5 minutes. The trick is to disturb them as little as possible so they get nice and brown rather than stir fried. When you start, they'll look like this:
Friday, July 31, 2009
Raspberry Coffee Cake
Some days, breakfast just isn't worth having without coffee cake. When E was born, I perfected this recipe so I would have something yummy to look forward to when I woke up with him before dawn. Of late I have been subsisting on Entenman's raspberry danish twist. Which is great, but not always so fresh and not always available at my Randall's. So last night, when Nana invited us all over for an early dinner after she watched E all day, I took the opportunity to make my beloved coffee cake. (Big shout out to Nana for all the help she gives on Thursdays!!)
Note: I've tried this with blueberry jam, dried blueberries, hazelnuts, almonds, pecans, and now pine nuts. Blueberries are out. The flavor of the jam gets totally lost and the dried blueberries are too heavy so it' s hard to get enough of them on there without killing the cake. Hazelnuts are wonderfully crunchy, but must be toasted and peeled (not the quickest method). Pecans are a good standby because I almost always have them in the pantry. Almonds are great and you can sub in almond extract to bring out their flavor.
This version contains pine nuts. I'd say that they add a similar texture to pecans but with less flavor. They certainly make it unique and add a fun Italian twist. So, if you have tons of pine nuts on hand, they'll do in a pinch.
Don't use a mixer or the cake will come out dense and brown. If you're like me and forget to soften the butter ahead of time, zap it in the microwave for 45 seconds on 10% power. It's better for the butter to be too hard than too soft or you'll end up with over browned cake.
Note: I've tried this with blueberry jam, dried blueberries, hazelnuts, almonds, pecans, and now pine nuts. Blueberries are out. The flavor of the jam gets totally lost and the dried blueberries are too heavy so it' s hard to get enough of them on there without killing the cake. Hazelnuts are wonderfully crunchy, but must be toasted and peeled (not the quickest method). Pecans are a good standby because I almost always have them in the pantry. Almonds are great and you can sub in almond extract to bring out their flavor.
This version contains pine nuts. I'd say that they add a similar texture to pecans but with less flavor. They certainly make it unique and add a fun Italian twist. So, if you have tons of pine nuts on hand, they'll do in a pinch.
Don't use a mixer or the cake will come out dense and brown. If you're like me and forget to soften the butter ahead of time, zap it in the microwave for 45 seconds on 10% power. It's better for the butter to be too hard than too soft or you'll end up with over browned cake.
| 2 | cups unbleached all-purpose flour |
| 1 | cup granulated sugar |
| 1 | teaspoon table salt |
| 10 | tablespoons unsalted butter ( 1 1/4 sticks), softened |
| 1 | teaspoon baking powder |
| 1/2 | teaspoon baking soda |
| 3/4 | cup buttermilk (or low-fat plain yogurt) |
| 1 | large egg |
| 1 | teaspoon vanilla extract |
| 3/4 | cup nuts |
| 1/2 | cup packed dark brown sugar |
| 1/4 | c raspberry jam |
Instructions
1. Adjust oven rack to center position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease bottom and lightly grease sides of 10-inch pan.
2. Whisk flour, sugar, and salt in large mixing bowl until blended. Add butter and cut with pastry cutter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Remove 1 cup of crumbs to separate bowl.
3. Whisk baking powder and soda into mixture remaining in large mixing bowl. Add buttermilk or yogurt, egg, and vanilla; whisk vigorously by hand until batter is thick, smooth, fluffy, and frostinglike, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Scrape batter into prepared pan and smooth top.
- Beat raspberry jam until smooth. Pour over batter and spread with a spoon
4. Add nuts, brown sugar and 1 tsp vanilla or almond extract to reserved crumbs; toss with a fork or your hands until blended. Sprinkle crumbs over batter, pressing lightly so that mixture adheres. Bake cake until center is firm and cake tester comes out clean, 40 minutes. Transfer cake to rack; Let cool before serving.
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