Meat epiphany! Steak and potatoes = delicious

I know, I know! Steak and potatoes is about the oldest combination ever. But I never really made the connection that it really is the best combination ever. I also never really fully knew how incredibly easy and rewarding it is to make a steak. I saw these potatoes on a blog, somewhere, while I was following all kinds of clicks that can never be recreated, so I can't find the original post for you. But that is ok, because I don't really recommend cooking potatoes this way, they were only so-so. I think a basic bake or mash would have been way better than slicing them, stuffing them with herbs, and roasting. Although they are pretty.

Anyhow, I am really more interested in the steak. I bought a piece of sirloin, cut it into two smaller-but-still-huge steaks at home, oiled both sides of the meat, and generously salted and peppered both sides. That's it! Then I seared them on medium to hight heat, let them rest, and obtained the medium rare that I was going for.

I am by no means an expert and am just getting started with meat, but here are some tips I have to share:

- Lightly oil both sides of the meat with vegetable oil that is suitable for high heat. I like safflower.

- Salt the meat with your fingers, using salt from a bowl. I always beep a little bowl of salt by the stove and this is how I salt everything. I use the big box of Kosher salt that is red, black, and white. It is not too coarse. Sprinkle the salt evenly over the whole surface.

- Use pepper fresh ground from a pepper grounder directly onto the meat. Evenly, over the whole surface

- Get the pan almost smoking before laying the steaks on. You probably want just a dab of oil in your pan. Add the oil first to the cold pan, and swirl it around as it heats up. The oil will get less and less viscous as it heats and can coat the whole pan.

- Sear each side to a nice crusty caramel. Don't smoosh your steak down with a spatula

- Let the steak rest! Take the steak off the heat, and transfer to a plate to rest. This is really interesting and important. They steak needs to rest not only to keep cooking and evenly distribute the heat, but to allow the cells to retain moisture. If a steak gets cut right off the fire, tons of juice will squirt out. This is juice that could have been reabsorbed and make every bite juicer and more succulent. About 5 minutes should be good.

- I think the medium rare is the best thing ever.

Biscotti, really easy

I came across this recipe for biscotti randomly, about 9 years ago. It is very easy to make, and tasty to boot. You can probably find all of the ingredients in your kitchen right now. This is the perfect time of year to make a huge batch, so you have an excuse to make coffee all the time. But who needs an excuse to make coffee all the time?

The round pictured was an experimental batch. I added pepitas and dried cherries to the whole recipe, and cocoa powder to half.

I recommend adding about 7 or 8 Tbs of cocoa powder, I only added 2 or 3 and it was not nearly enough. Also, this recipe is crying out for chocolate chips, a lot of chocolate chips.

Next time I think pistachios, cocoa powder, and chocolate chips will be the way to go.

Quinoa crepes, kind of strange

I just googled "quinoa crepes" to make sure my spelling was not totally off the map. And quite a few things came up, making me realize two things:

1 - Had I done this search before making dinner, my dinner would not have been so weird and mediocre,

2 - My ideas are not original.

Anyhow, I made a ton of quinoa recently, and had a ton minus a serving or two leftover. So I mixed some cooked quinoa with a little flour, milk, eggs and salt to make a crepe batter. I think I was a little heavy on the eggs and a little light on the flour and grains. I stuffed the crepes with smashed squash with herbs.

If I do it again, I will make the filling more interesting (read: cheese) and maybe toast the cooked quinoa first, and adjust my ratios.

Or just read a recipe for quinoa crepes and follow that.

Delicious Tuna and White Bean Sandwich

Sarah (my lovely Florida friend from childhood) sent in this link for a tasty tuna sandwich with white beans. It is amazing, you have to try it.

Sarah and I both love food, and always have. We became friends in that phase of life when we were growing pre-teens and could not eat enough. In the afternoons after 7th grade classes, we used to devour an entire box of Velveeta shells and cheese with a bag of frozen broccoli mixed in with the noodles. I am happy to report this sandwich is way better than that snack.

I altered the recipe a little, and you can, too. All kinds of things would be delicious.

My changes:

More lemon juice in both parts
1 clove of minced garlic with beans, instead of 2
A shot of balsamic vinegar in with the tuna
Less salt in both parts
Tuna in water, drained, with a little extra olive oil in recipe
No olives, because I don't have any on hand

Changes I would like to make in the future:

Shredded raw beet instead of celery
Shaved fennel instead of celery
Capers instead of olives

And when I make this again I will just always double the bean part, because it is so good to keep around for snacking.

Thanks, Sarah!

Weird protein phase

I was on a protein kick for awhile. Those of you who know me will be shocked at what I was eating, and the sad fact that I was inspired by seeing Heidi Klum on E! talking about eating egg whites all day long.

Anyhow, for a couple of weeks this was my favorite thing to eat:


A sandwich with eggs whites, seared spinach, low fat jalapeño cheese, and a couple of fake sausage slices. I know it sounds gross, but it's actually really tasty. And very low in fat and high in protein.... Eat up, Heidi!

Orangette

Carla mentioned Orangette in an old comment, and I have been checking in ever since. Even though it is a classic blog with a big following, it doesn't hurt to post another pitch here! Check it out if you haven't already, I think you might like Molly (I borrowed the header image). Wonderful recipes and good stories.

Beets!

I love beets. I would happily eat them every day.

Granola season

Those of you crunchy types who went to Oberlin might remember Ket and John's famous granola. I do. I've made two batches recently based on what I can remember of their recipe, and both turned out well.

This granola is for people who like clumps, not individual oats. It can be modified infinitely to your liking. You just need two bowls, as it is important to mix the wet and dry separately. The coconut really adds a lot, and does not make the granola taste like coconut. So even if you don't like coconut you might want to give it a try. I'm sorry the quantities are so vague

Wet - safflower/sunflower/canola oil, maple syrup (2 or three times as much as the oil), splash of vanilla, a bit of warm water

Dry - a couple handfuls of flour, about 3 times as many oats, unsweetened shredded coconut, chopped raw pecans, lots of raw flax seeds, salt (more than you think, a couple spoonfuls), pinch of cinnamon

Mix both separately. Add the wet all at once to the dry and mix thoroughly. Spread in an even layer on cookie sheets, and bake at 350.

Remove once the edges start to look golden, or just very slightly toasty. The granola will firm up as it cools, and be perfect, even though the middle might seem a little too soft.

Like Carla, I recommend adding raisins or other dried fruit at the end, when you are transferring the baked granola to a storage bin.

Tuna 180

I used to really hate tuna fish. The thought of eating canned tuna seemed no different to me than sitting down to enjoy a tin of Fancy Feast, and the smell of someone else eating tuna made my stomach turn.

This has all changed.

I LOVE tuna. I think it is because I discovered it 27 years later than most people that I have such tuna enthusiasm. I have started making a tuna salad sandwich with one can of tuna (Trader Joe's brand or Genova in water), shredded beet, shredded carrot, minced celery, finely chopped red onion, s&p and a little mayo. Then I quickly expanded to tuna melts, and have been inviting my friends over to cook them tuna melts. They have been patient with my tuna love. Thanks, guys.

We ate this tuna melt with baked sweet potato fries, and a little salad with miso dressing.

Cabot factory tour

I went to a cheesy tourist attraction in Vermont, and it was actually pretty fun. First of all, I learned that butter is only made at the factory in Massachusetts. Second, I learned it is really easy to make cheese, and pretty quick. This guy is making basic cheddar with tomato basil. The curds are poured in one vat, and the whey is poured off through a pipe and saved. Then the curds are churned, and salts and flavorings are added.

Once everything is well mixed and ready, the cheese gets compressed into big blocks to get rid of any air bubbles, and these blocks are shrink wrapped. Then they go to a storage site and sit on shelves until the cheese is properly aged. Cheese testers come along and take core samples from every batch. They sniff and taste the samples to decide if the cheese is mild, sharp, extra sharp, and so on. Then the cheese is repachaged in smaller blocks and we eat it!

Then we are happy, like this:

Grape grafts

A new discovery was made in Vermont. One grape half green, half red. Interestingly enough, the same effect can be accomplished with two people:

Frittata

In addition to the apple crisp, Connie and I made a frittata with onion, green pepper, tomatoes, and some cheese. Although I just did a little reading about frittatas, and I don't really think we made a true frittata. We whisked together eggs, milk (actually I used a little yogurt and water), s&p, and the filling, and then poured this into a dish and popped it in a hot oven, and let it bake until it was set.

I read that a real fritatta is poured in a hot skillet and started on the stove top, then finished in the oven. Maybe I will try this next time.

Carla originally turned me on to frittatas. I'm not really sure if I even knew what they were until Carla started making huge vats of frittata for the hungry-hungry hippies of Oberlin.

Apple crisp

Last week my parents and I went to Vermont, and we were kind of obsessed with farm stands and farmers' markets. We bought a big bag of tart apples (4 varities) for $1.50, and last night, back in Dorchester, Connie and I turned a bunch of these apples into an apple crisp with an oat topping. We added a splash of maple syrup to the standard oat topping (oats, flour, butter, salt, sugar) to contribute to the Vermont theme.

Inedible! From the garden

I attempted growing a few vegetables in my front yard, including tomatoes, cucumbers, and wax beans. I left these wax beans on the vine too long, and they were mealy, with overly developed seed-bean parts.

Last night I had two tomatoes that tasted pretty good, but nothing like Alabama tomatoes from my grandma. Also, there are amazing tomatoes to be had in Ohio.

Vacation, east and west

I have been taking a lot of time off latley, and ate lots of food other people cooked. Like this shared breakfast of grits, egss florentine, and cinnamon roll in Arizona. I love eggs florentine, but I always forget to ask for extra spinach, the best part. Maybe I will learn how to make it at home.

Pickles

My friend Marc sent me this story that I really enjoyed. I think my favorite pickles in the Boston area are the homemade ones at the East Coast Grill. I wish I could eat them every day.

Tempeh salad

Katy was visiting last week, all the way from Oregon. I was craving tempeh, maybe because Katy and I used to live and eat in co-ops together. We made a salad with tempeh strips, apples, cucumber, arugula, and herbs. The dressing was made with a spoonfull of miso, white wine vinegar, chives, s&p.

Sweet potato and stuffed pear

I loved baked sweet potatos, just plain, or with a little butter and salt. I baked two a few night ago, and had one for dinner, and took one for lunch.

I also made baked pears, stuffed with raisins and pecans, and sprinkled with some brown sugar and grated nutmeg. It was a random experiment, but turned out well. I halved the pears, scooped out the seeds, and stuffed the core, and baked them at 350 or 375 for about 30 minutes. I recommend covering the dish with foil - my raisins were sort of burnt by the end without the foil. I poured fresh milk over one of the pears to eat with my sweet potato. It was kind of a fall dinner, but edible just the same, even in summer.

Summer dinner in Maine (guest chef Julia!)

I visited my friends in Maine recently, and these trips tend to revolve around food and bodies of water. This trip was no exception. We went swimming at a covered bridge outside of Portland, and on the way home stopped at a farm stand with local meats and produce for sale. Julia made amazing dinner with the best potato salad ever (I know it has mustard and tarragon - Julia, can you post the recipe?), a salad with lemon dressing, and steak. Definitely edible.

For dessert, Julia introduced me and Lindsay to the best combination: Fresh strawberries dipped in sour cream and brown sugar. I have told people about this, thinking it was completely novel and brand new, but I guess it is a known thing. Have you heard of it? I never had. So good!

Lemon Cuke

Terri gave me a lemon cucumber from the garden at her farm... which I immediately dropped on the floor. It split open, and Jess and I split the it on the spot. Henry-dog ate the tough rind, so all three of us crunched in unison. This is the first lemon cuke I have tasted - delicious!

Yogurt with Strawberries

I have a serious milk surplus, and I have been overdue for some yogurt making. Last night I finally got down to business. It is really easy, so there is no excuse for my recent laziness. There were some strawberries in my fridge that were not looking so hot, and I decided to makes these into a simple jam for fruit on the bottom yogurt.

I just sliced the strawberries into a pan and put a handful of vanilla-sugar over them, and turned the heat on medium. That's it, although I did occasionally give the pan a shake. The sugar and the juices formed a delicious syrup, and i turned off the heat when it looked thick and sticky.



I remember reading somewhere that yogurt should always be flavored after it is finished, not during the process, but I didn't really think a spoonful of the strawberries on the bottom could hurt anything. There were enough berries for half the yogurt cups, and that seemed like a good test anyhow.



This morning I popped the post-incubated yogurts in the fridge, and ate a strawberry one on my way out of the house. I think what I read was correct - the top was great, but where the yogurt was touching the strawberries, it had kind of a curds and whey gross texture. The strawberries were so delicious that I didn't really care. Next time I will add the berry jam on top at the very end.

One last interesting note - to make yogurt, the milk has to be heated up to about 180, and then cooled to 112 (then add the starter). I was skeptical of this, thinking that it was just to kill something in the milk that I didn't really care about killing. So I looked it up in trusty old Harold McGee's book, On Food and Cooking. It is actually important to heat and cool the milk because it changes the physical property of the milk, and makes it more elastic, more viscous, and less likely to separate to a curds and whey texture.

Basically, I learned from that and the jam thing that I should follow the directions and not be so skeptical. But directions make more sense with some explination!

note 11 June: Kelly had a strawberry yogurt today, she stirred it up - no gross texture! maybe it just needed to chill longer

Cold brew fever

I read this article in the NYT a couple of weeks ago. (sorry, it is only on Times Select now, but maybe you subscribe?) I immediately alerted Carla, who replied, "mine is already brewing!" So I decided to make my own finally last night. The straining method of sandwiching a coffee filter between two strainers worked really well. What did not work well was the amount of coffee I used - I needed probably about twice as much. So I just drank the coffee this morning straight up, I did not dilute it like Carla's nectar, or as the article recommends.

Also, I am missing something from my kitchen - a pitcher! I used the coffee carafe, and then strained it into a bowl and poured it back into the carafe for keeping in the fridge.

I think the second time will be the charm, but this round is totally imbibable.

Guest Chef Carla: Cold brew coffee!

From loyal reader Carla:

"Fight Global Warming, Make Cold Brewed Coffee!

As the weather and the Earth heat up it is important to stay cool while also reducing your carbon footprint. I have discovered the answer to our Global Warming problem… cold brew coffee! This coffee will cool both you and the earth down. Unplugged your coffee maker, turn off your kettle, just some cold water and ground coffee is enough to quench your summer caffeine craving and no electricity is needed! Unplugged your AC, this coffee is enough to keep you cool.

Simply combine in a pitcher or other similar container, 12 oz of ground coffee and 2.5 quarts of water. Stir it up and let it sit for at least 12 hours. Then double strain the coffee. I do this by using a strainer with a coffee filter in it and then pouring the coffee through the top of my drip coffee maker. This ensures that I get every single ground out. All of this essentially creates a coffee concentrate, so when you want to have a glass just put half of the coffee concentrate with half water and of course lots of ice. The coffee lasts more than a week in the refrigerator. (Maybe longer, I just haven't had the opportunity to test it longer than that, because I always drink it up). Also, unlike coffee you brew hot and then chill, this isn't bitter at all. "

Thanks, Carla! I copied you, but should have followed your recipe. See the next post

Edible or Inedible?

Henry isn't sure. Look at the eyes! I have created a war zone in my own house. Soon it will be a love fest, I am sure

fruits

Sorry for the lack of posts - I have been busy, but more than that my house is such chaos, I do not even really want to cook in it (explanation in next post!). This week I have had the same breakfast every day: grapes and cherries to go for the T or the car ride. For dinner I've been alternating between graham crackers with peanut butter or cereal.

Simply Breakfast

Carla told me about this blog. I just love it, don't you?

NYT comments

I really enjoyed these posts. I love to read what people love to eat, or, in this case, the really indulgent food people love to eat.

Mushrooms and broccoli

Connie came over for dinner and we had mushrooms and broccoli. The mushroom were sauteed in a bit of oil with herbs thrown in at the end. I parsed out our halves into two separate little bowls. Connie feared these mushrooms would be so edible as to necessitate an extra level of security (see the walls?), but we were able to eat as civilized folk and not stab each other with our fork tines over the fungus.

The broccoli did not require such precautions... I said something to Connie along the lines of "we should have done what we knew was right" and blanched the broccoli in small batches, or just skipped the blanching in lieu of steaming. It ended up being slightly water-logged, but tasty never the less.

more dot-luck

Here is more of the spread from this last dot-luck (the feeding frenzy). Have I explained the dot-luck? I live in Dorchester, nicknamed "The Dot" or even "Dirty Dot." So Sunday night pot lucks in The Dot = Dot-luck! Which is the same thing as dot-pot.

Anyhow, the food was awesome. As always, I encourage the people who made these dishes to leave comments with more details.

Jesse, Rachel, and Liz - awesome sangria and a spinach salad with avacado and grapefruit

Connie constructed a delightful and festivley-garnished fruit salad

Jess made a vegetable medly of sauteed mushrooms, peas, and corn (insert: "Corn!! I didn;t eat any corn!!")

Sarah brought a rice dish with nuts, cranberries, and mint.

Edible all around!