A Bitter Spritzer

A while back a friend and I were lamenting a crappy Manhattan. I believe my rant was something along the lines of how there was too much Vermouth and not enough bitters, and she came up with the brilliant idea of carrying a small bottle of Angostura in her purse for emergencies. While I haven't gone quite that far (and I'm half sure she was joking), I do think the bitters family needs more attention in the home cocktail arena.



For example: celery bitters by Scrappy's. Excellent with gin or in a Bloody Mary or just about anything in the warmer months. Kind of expensive, but worth it. If you buy it at The Boston Shaker in Davis Square, they'll probably let you try the chocolate flavor, too.



Then there's Regan's Orange, concocted by Gary Regan in the 90s since he couldn't find an orange bitters he liked. Not as expensive as Scrappy's, and more widely available, too. It's great in the aforementioned Manhattan or anything with whiskey, really. But most bitters are good in a way you might not expect.



Chez moi (sorry, we started Classical French cuisine in school today) we like a drop or two of bitters over ice, topped with seltzer. It's tasty and a little special, you know? Plus the seltzer bottle makes such a satisfying FWoooooSHHHH! when you screw in the CO2 cartridge.

Celery and Potato Soup with Tarragon Yogurt Swirl

Did you see Grey's Anatomy last week? One character is cooking for another and she says she's adding tarragon, even though she has no idea what tarragon tastes like, but that adding tarragon makes you sound like you know what you're doing.

[Aside: Yes, I still watch Grey's, and don't you judge me. Did you know that there are people out there writing Grey's fan fiction? I didn't know until I googled the tarragon quote.]

And that's the thing about tarragon; it's sort of a tricky herb to use. If you can figure it out, you will definitely look like you know what you're doing. It tastes a little licorice-y, like fennel, but not nearly as strong as a black jellybean. Floral, fragrant, interesting. Goes very well in chicken salad, and in this soup, specifically in that it makes potatoes and celery (cheap-o pantry staple type vegetables) taste like a million bucks.

Celery and Potato Soup with Tarragon Yogurt Swirl
Adapted from Bon Appetit
serves 4-6

6 green onions or scallions, chopped
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons olive oil
1 lb celery, chopped, including leaves
1 lb white skinned potatoes, peeled, cut into 1 inch chunks
1/4 teaspoon celery seeds
1 - 2 teaspoons salt
1/8 teaspoon white or black pepper
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 tablespoon lemon juice (you may only need a few drops, really)
1 cup cubed bread (sourdough or baguette or whatever you have)
2 tablespoons plain yogurt
1 teaspoon fresh tarragon, chopped as fine as you can

Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a pot and saute the green onions over medium-high heat for a couple of minutes until they start to soften. Add the celery and celery leaves, potatoes and celery seeds, saute another minute, then add the chicken or vegetable broth. Bring soup to a boil then reduce heat to medium and simmer until all the veg is soft, 15 to 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the tarragon swirl: mix the yogurt and fresh tarragon in a small bowl, set aside. Toss the bread cubes with a teaspoon or two of olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a little fresh black pepper, then toast the cubes in a low (300 degree) oven or toaster oven until crispy, set aside.

When the potatoes and celery are tender, shut off the heat and puree the soup in the pot using an immersion blender, or puree it in batches in a traditional blender. Put it back on the heat to warm up if it's cooled down, and season with salt and pepper and a few drops of lemon juice. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve topped with tarragon cream and croutons.

Tagliatelle with Brussels Sprouts, Walnuts and Gorgonzola

This is not the pasta I ate tonight. Today I practiced making tortellini for my upcoming midterm and made a big batch of marinara. But what if, say, you're watching your team fumble themselves out of the playoffs and you just don't have time for homemade pasta? Or you have a bunch of brussels sprouts and you're sick of roasting them? Then this is the pasta for you, my friends.

This is not a subtle dish to be sure. Brussels sprouts can be bitter if overcooked so make sure you don't cover the pan when they're cooking, and don't stir too often! You want to make sure they get some nice golden brown bits on them. Gorgonzola is a good strong blue, but I think cambozola (a triple cream blue) would be a nice choice here as well.

Tagliatelle with Brussels Sprouts, Walnuts and Gorgonzola
serves 2-4

1 1/2 lbs brussels sprouts, trimmed and roughly chopped
1 onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (or more)
2 ounces (ish) gorgonzola or other blue cheese
tagliatelle or fettucine
olive oil
salt and pepper

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in large skillet. Saute the onion until translucent, then add the chopped brussels sprouts. Cook over medium heat until the sprouts are tender and starting to turn golden. Season with salt and pepper to taste (be generous, you're about to add a bunch of pasta).  Toast the walnuts in a dry skillet or a 350 degree oven (I use the toaster oven) for a few minutes until they smell extra nutty. Be careful not to leave toasting nuts unattended, they go from toasted to burnt in an instant.

Meanwhile bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta. Cook the pasta until al dente; note that if you're using fresh pasta this will only take a couple of minutes, otherwise the timing will depend on the type of dry pasta you choose. If you forget to start the pasta until the sprouts are ready, just turn down the heat on the sprouts and let them hang out over a super low flame for a while, it'll be ok.

When the pasta is al dente and the brussels sprouts are done to your liking, use tongs to transfer the pasta from the cooking water into the saute pan. A little water clinging to the noodles is a good thing, it'll keep everything moist. Add the toasted walnuts and toss the pasta and sprouts together long enough to heat the sprouts back up if they've been resting. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary (mine needed more salt and pepper). Dish the pasta out into serving bowls and top with blue cheese and a little drizzle of olive oil.

Sesame Bok Choy

Hello again, friends. How were your holidays? Things got a little crazy for me (ahem, hence my long absence), working most days I wasn't at school and traveling a lot. We spent Thanksgiving with my parents in Maine and the week of Christmas in Oklahoma with Adam's family (including our adorable nephew Eliot, squee!).

This bok choy isn't much like what I've been cooking lately. My midterm practical exam was supposed to be yesterday but, uh, it got snowed out. Anyway, I did a bunch of practicing this past week: lemon souffles, braised beef in red wine, puff pastry to hold the beef, poached salmon with beurre blanc, roasted chicken and veloute to go with it, creme brulee, mayonaisse, hollandaise, cheese danish for New Year's Day brunch, and the list goes on. Please note how much butter and cream and wine goes in all of these things. Oof.

Even though I still have to take the exam (it's been rescheduled to next week), this afternoon I just could not take it anymore. I wanted something simple and a little spicy, so I sauteed some greens with garlic and red pepper flakes and called it lunch.

Sesame Bok Choy
serves 2 as a side dish or 1 as a light lunch

If I had any rice in the fridge I would have put this bok choy on top of it, but I didn't. So I just ate it plain, on the couch, watchng Desperate Housewives on Netflix. And now you know how I unwind after spending the morning studying for the written exam, which is on Saturday. Heh. I found this pleasantly spicy but if you're looking for more heat, increase the red pepper flakes. The other good thing about this is that it took me all of ten minutes from getting the bok choy out of the fridge to eating. Yay! 

1 head bok choy, sliced crosswise into half inch wide strips, separated into rib pieces and leaf pieces
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 large pinch red pepper flakes
several dashes soy sauce
a few drops of toasted sesame oil
sesame seeds for garnish

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat until hot but not smoking and add the garlic and red pepper flakes. Saute, moving everything around the pan so it doesn't burn, until the garlic just begins to take on color.

Add the stem pieces of the bok choy - they take longer to cook, so adding them to the pan first ensures everything will cook evenly. Give them a minute or so until they just start to soften, then add the leaf pieces of the bok choy and continue to cook over medium high heat until the leaves wilt, just a few minutes.

Turn off the heat. Add a few dashes of soy sauce and a couple drops of sesame oil and stir it all around. Take a bite. It might need more soy sauce. Remove to a plate, garnish with sesame seeds, and enjoy.

Momofuku's Soy Pickled Shiitakes

I pickled these mushrooms to go with a feast of sorts we had on Sunday. I needed a big project to kick myself off the couch and back into the kitchen, and since it was decidedly soup weather, it seemed as good a time as any to tackle pho. I used a mash up of Andrea Nguyen's recipe, and the interpretation of it over at Steamy Kitchen. (Aside: any Boston area readers know where I can find yellow rock sugar? I couldn't track it down at the Reliance Market in Union Square.)

The pho broth simmered for a few hours while I pleated dumplings and Adam put the leaf in the table. I whizzed raw shrimp in the food processor - not very pretty, but the shrimp toasts were delicate and crunchy, so it was worth the cleaning (ahem, Adam does the dishes). And then I pickled these mushrooms. They practically sing in your mouth, they are so flavorful and vibrant. I've been eating the leftovers out of the fridge every time I walk by, and I bet they'd be fantastic in a cold noodle salad.

Soy Pickled Shiitakes
Adapted, just barely, from Momofuku

Dried mushrooms at the regular grocery store can be pricey, but if you head to an Asian market you can get a one ounce bag for ninety-nine cents. Just be warned, once you start exploring the aisles you may not be able to stop at just mushrooms. 

4 cups (loosely packed) dried shiitake mushrooms - about 3 ounces by weight
1 cup sugar
1 cup soy sauce
1 cup white wine vinegar (or sherry vinegar if you can find it, I couldn't)
1 thumb-sized knobs of ginger, peeled

Re-hydrate the mushrooms in hot water (doesn't have to boil, just really hot) for 15 minutes or so or until the mushrooms are softened. Once the mushrooms are soft, lift them out of the soaking liquid; strain the liquid through cheesecloth or a fine mesh strainer to remove any sand or debris and reserve the liquid. Remove the stems from the mushroom caps and discard. Slice the caps into 1/4 inch wide slices.

Combine the mushrooms with 2 cups of the reserved soaking liquid, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar and ginger in a sauce pan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then reduce heat and simmer (gently, please) for 30 minutes. Allow the mushrooms to cool in the liquid.

Pack the pickled mushroom slices into a quart size container and add enough of the cooking liquid to cover. They'll keep in the fridge for a month or more, but they're ready to eat now, hooray!

Stone Soup Farm CSA: Weeks Eighteen and Twenty

Ok, yes, I am writing this post because I feel guilty. Guilty because we pick up our first winter share tomorrow, and I never told you about our last two shares of the regular season! First, week Eighteen: onions, garlic, potatoes, tatsoi, leeks, cilantro and salad greens. As I recall, we let the tatsoi rot in the crisper drawer while we were on our honeymoon.

Week Nineteen: Finn and Heather picked up our share while we were on our honeymoon. Thanks for giving it a good home, guys!

Week Twenty, aka the last week of the regular season, BOO. A couple of green peppers, garlic, potatoes, onions, butternuts, kale, popcorn (hidden in the kale there), cilantro and a couple of ornamental gourds that are still sitting pretty on our coffee table. In fact, I took a very dramatic picture of them the other day.

I don't have a recipe for you today, I'm sorry, dudes. Here's the thing about cooking school: it doesn't leave a ton of time for actual home cooking. We've been surviving on quesadillas and slow-cooker beans and breakfast-for-dinner type situations. Last week I used leftover brioche dough from class to make a deep dish pizza of sorts. Yesterday we had popcorn for dinner. Sigh.

Anyway, our first winter share pickup is tomorrow, so there will be a big pile of tasty things waiting to be cooked, and I'll be back with a right and proper meal type item. 

Lamb Burgers with Walnut Sauce

I read a lot of blogs. And I buy a lot of cookbooks. Sometimes the two collide, and I read cook-through blogs like Alinea at Home or Momofuku for 2, or, more pertinent to this post, Melissa Cooks Gourmet. These brave souls are channeling Julie Powell and cooking all the way through a cookbook. Melissa started out with the original yellow-bound Gourmet cookbook, but since Gourmet Today came out last winter she has also featured a few recipes from the new edition. 


Which brings us to these lamb burgers. I actually own Gourmet Today, but I tend to be a little guilty of ignoring my cookbooks, so when Melissa mentioned this recipe that is right there on page 486 I got up out of my chair and grabbed the book off my shelf. I actually got up, that is how moved I was by the idea of a lamb burger. 


And allspice! Seriously, why didn't anybody ever tell me about allspice before? There's actually only a quarter teaspoon in these burgers, but it goes so well with lamb that's really all you need. It's such a strong flavor though; don't be tempted to throw in any extra or you risk it overpowering the savory-ness and making your burgers taste like Christmas cookies.


A few notes about construction: I skipped the food processor. I just chopped my onion and herbs into really small pieces, and I swear I had the best of intentions - I wanted to practice my brunoise cut (1/8th inch cubes) on onions, which I still have trouble with. In hindsight, there may be a reason for you to pulse the mixture in a food processor. It would be more cohesive and less likely to fall apart when you try to flip it. I tried to flip one but it didn't work, so I just left them on the original side until they cooked through, which took more like fifteen minutes than "five to seven," but my oven is... persnickety. 


Oh, and if you're feeling ambitious, this white whole wheat pita recipe from King Arthur is very good. Oh again, and the salad is just white beans, cherry tomatoes, black olives and green peppers with a little olive oil and red wine vinegar and a little blue cheese from Sugarbush Farm. 


Lamb Burgers with Walnut Sauce
adapted from Gourmet

makes 4 burgers

Per my notes above, you could easily make the burgers in a food processor as the original recipe suggests, I'd just chop the onion into big chunks instead of chopping it very fine and zap the onion and bulgur together a bit before adding the rest of the ingredients.

For the walnut sauce:
1 small clove garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
2 teaspoons lemon juice (or to taste)
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 cup water

Mash the garlic clove into a paste with the salt using the flat edge of a knife, then mix it with the rest of the ingredients in a food processor until well blended. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary, mine needed more salt and more lemon juice.

For the burgers:
1 cup boiling hot water
1/3 cup bulgur wheat
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 small onion, diced as fine as you can get it
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 lb ground lamb
4 small (4 inch) pita breads for serving, plus lettuce if you're going the sandwich route

Put the bulgur and salt in a bowl, and pour the boiling hot water on top of it. Let it sit for fifteen minutes or so until the bulgur plumps up. Drain it thoroughly in a strainer.

Mix the drained bulgur with the rest of the ingredients in a bowl, being careful not to over-mix. Form the mixture into four patties. At this point you can refrigerate the burgers, loosely covered in plastic wrap, for a couple of hours if you need to, or for ten minutes while you pre-heat the broiler.

Cook the burgers under the broiler until they are cooked through, turning once if you can. The recipe suggests 5-7 minutes, but mine took more like twelve minutes.

Serve the burgers topped with the walnut sauce, in or on warm pita bread. We stuck a little lettuce in ours for crunch, too. Enjoy!