Hot!!! Buns!!!

In San Diego, it's surprisingly warm. There's so much sun that I got a tan at the dog park yesterday (or so I'd like to think). But by dinnertime, a chill creeps up through the canyon and into my kitchen, and a heavy fog blankets Robinson Ave. Even though I crave a fresh salad all day, I just want something hot from the oven once the sun sets.

Thanks to the latest Gourmet magazine (Feb 2009), hot rolls have been on my mind. (Though, I admit, not much else has been on my mind despite a rather tumultuous last few weeks.) And last night, I thought I'd have my cake and eat it too...well, sort of.


Parmesan Pull-Aparts + Pan-Seared Tilapia + Spring Salad (string beans, pears, cucumber, green onions, avocado and Trader Joe's yummy Champagne Pear Vinaigrette). Yes, it was perfect. Absolutely perfect. Warm and fresh. The bite from the parmesan is perfect with a light, flaky fish seasoned with salt, garlic and lemon. And the slight sweetness of the salad is the nicest spring balance. AAaaahhhhhh...I really want to relive that meal right now...aaahhhh....

Okay, now for the recipe...

PARMESAN PULL-APARTS
Makes 1 dozen rolls

2 tsp active dry yeast (one 1/4-oz package)
1 tsp honey
2/3 cup warm milk
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour + 2 Tbsp for sprinkling (and then some more for your work surface)
1 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp salt
3 large eggs
5 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into Tbsp pieces and softened a bit
1 Tbsp water
Also! You'll need a standing mixer with a paddle/dough attachment

1. Stir together yeast, honey, and 1/3 cup warm milk in mixer bowl and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. (If it doesn't get foamy, start over with new yeast.)
2. Whisk together flour (the 2 1/2 cups), cheese, and salt, and then mix into yeast mixture along with remaining 1/3 cup warm milk at low speed. Increase speed to medium and beat 2 eggs, one at a time. Make sure to scrape down sides of the bowl, and continue to mix until a very soft dough forms, about 3 minutes.
3. Beat in butter, 1 Tbsp at a time, until dough is elastic, about 2 minutes.
4. Scrape dough into the center of the bowl and sprinkle with remaining 2 Tbsp flour. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and kitchen towel and let it rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
5. Punch down dough (don't knead) and turn out onto a floured surface. Cut dough into 12 equal pieces and roll each in a ball by cupping your hand and pushing it against the work surface.
6. Arrange rolls 1 inch apart in a buttered 9- by 2-inch round cake pan and cover with a kitchen towel (not terry cloth). Let dough rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled and dough fills pan, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
7. Preheat oven to 375 degrees with rack in the middle.
8. Whisk together remaining egg with water and brush on tops of rolls. (There will be leftover egg wash.) Bake until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes.
9. Loosen edges of rolls from pan with a knife and invert rolls onto a rack, and then reinvert and cool 20 minutes. Serve with butter!!

Overall, this takes about 4 1/2 hours but only requires 35 minutes of actual active time. It's a good thing to make when you're just hanging around the house, kinda doing stuff but not really. You know those days.

Note: With over 12 buns in the pan, you can easily save the leftovers for another chilly, I-<3-being-at-home kinda night by putting a few (maybe 2-4) in a ziplock bag, freeze them, and then defrost/warm them up at 350 for, like, 5 minutes or so. They can be in your freezer for about a month.

Friday Night = Roasted Tomato Pasta Sauce

On a Friday night, I want something special. I mean, after 50-plus hours of work, we all need a little celebration. But with this economy and blah blah blah, going out to eat every Friday is just not a possibility. If I'm going to cook at home...well, it's gotta stand up to any great meal out on the town. Otherwise, I'm stuck eating the same ol' veggies and chicken and rice, and feeling like it's just any other day. In other words, the worst way start the weekend. So what to have, what to have?

An old issue of Cook's Illustrated (March, April 2007) features a simple tomato sauce that uses a short list of ingredients, stuff that could even already be in your kitchen, that packs a different flavor...roasted tomatoes! They're smoky and rich, and just the most delightful taste on some angel hair pasta. The simplicity of dropping a pan full of ingredients into the oven, sitting back to enjoy the slowly-getting-later sunset, and then the great finale with the ol' Cuisinart...well, that's my kind of Friday night. From start to finish, it took an hour; less than half that time was actually spent cooking. Serve the sauce + pasta with some grilled chicken or shrimp, or keep it veg with some roasted or steamed vegetables on top.

What's for next Friday? Well, maybe Cook's alternate recipe - Roasted Tomato Sauce with Fennel. Add 1/2 tsp fennel seed to the tomato paste mixture and sub onion for a sliced fennel bulb...an unexpected savory delight for a pseudo springtime meal.

Roasted Tomato Sauce
Makes 3-3 1/2 cups (for about 1 pound of pasta)

2 Tbs tomato paste
2 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
2 tsp minced fresh thyme leaves
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
Table salt and ground black pepper
3 lbs vine-ripened tomatoes (9 to 12 medium), cored and halved pole to pole
*you can use roma tomatoes, but sometimes the sauce comes out too mealy
6 medium garlic cloves, peeled
1 small onion, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch rounds
1 tsp red wine vinegar
Granulated sugar to taste
2 Tbs chopped fresh basil leaves

1. Heat the oven to 475 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and then place a cooling rack on top (hopefully it's about the same size as the baking sheet). In the middle, place a 4-inch square of foil. This little setup will prevent the tomatoes from burning and sticking to the pan (don't reference the photo above...that setup will cause sticky tomatoes; only put them straight on the foiled-lined pan if that's your last resort).
2. Combine tomato paste, 1 Tbs oil, thyme, pepper flakes, 3/4 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper in a large bowl.
3. Toss the tomatoes, garlic, and onion in the tomato paste mixture until evenly coated.
4. Place the tomatoes (cut-side down) on the wire rack, and then place the onions and garlic on the little foil square in the middle.
5. Roast until vegetables are soft and tomato skins are well charred, 35-50 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let it cool 5 minutes.
6. Transfer garlic and onion to food processor; pulse until finely chopped, about five 1-second pulses.
7. Add tomatoes, vinegar, and remaining tablespoon oil to food processor. Pulse until broken down but still chunky, about five 1-second pulses.
8. Scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula; season with salt, pepper, and sugar to taste. Continue to process until slighly chunky, about five 1-second pulses. Stir in basil, then serve.

Herbed Cornbread

It's Saturday night. A cold and stormy one, in fact, where the only thing I want to do is make a really simple meal that can warm up the house. How about some cornbread? Mixed with an abandoned can of beans and some roasted brussell sprouts (who have stayed perfectly fresh even though I've been out of town for a few weeks), it's a cozy meal for a quiet night. The best part is the unique flavor in the cornbread - a savory mix of some holiday herbs. So so yummy and my house smells good too!


For this recipe, I started with a recipe from Bon Appetit called Buttery Cornbread and added the extra flava. Enjoy!

Herbed Cornbread
Makes 1 loaf

1 1/3 cups coarse yellow cornmeal
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar (or if you want it sweeter, 1/2 cup)
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp kosher salt
1 cup + 2 Tbs buttermilk (or, instead of buying buttermilk substitute it with this)
9 Tbs (or 1 stick + 1 Tbs) unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg + 1 egg yolk, beaten
2 green onions, diced
2 Tbs fresh thyme, minced
1 Tbs fresh sage, minced
2 Tbs fresh rosemary, minced

1. Butter a loaf pan, about 9x5x3 inches.

2. Mix together all the dry ingredients - cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

3. Mix in the remaining ingredients and let it sit for 30 minutes so all the moisture can soak in. Heat the oven to 375.

4. Put the mixture in the loaf pan, drop it in the oven for 40 minutes, and then take it out to rest. After 5 minutes, cool it outside the pan and then serve at room temperature.

The loaf lasts about 2 days. If you want to make the best stuffing, call me; I have the best recipe that involves fruit, white wine, a ton of shallots, basmati rice, and some pinenuts. Ugh, it's to die for.

Mac and Cheese

Okay, okay, okay. Super fattening, I know. But there's something about being in a blizzard that makes you want pasta and cheese and a warm oven. This Christmas, my family (well, me and my parents) cooked a mean mac and cheese. A very anti-Southern California holiday feast of swordfish, corn souffle, and steamed broccoli (which happened to be the delight for this Christmas eve), mac and cheese = joy. So why not on Christmas?

While waiting for my dad to shovel the way to the cabin door, I looked up some recipes. The one from Gourmet magazine looked simple and relatively fast, without a ton of ingredients (which gave it 20 extra points considering I'd have to lug it up the icy driveway later that night). We ended up eating it at 9:30 and immediately fell asleep. It was a cheese coma.

So here's the recipe. It has a great crust on top that's light and buttery, with just the right blend of parmesan and cheddar. And just so you know...it doesn't really serve 20. We finished it off after 8 servings. Ha!

Macaroni and Cheese
From Gourmet Magazine
serves "20", depending on how much you eat

For topping
1/2 stick of unsalted butter
2 cups panko (coarse Japanese bread crumbs) or 3 cups coarse fresh bread crumbs (from 6 slices firm white sandwich bread)
1/4 lb coarsely grated extra-sharp Cheddar (1 1/2 cups)
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

For macaroni and sauce
1 stick unsalted butter
6 Tb all-purpose flour
5 cups whole milk
1 lb coarsely grated extra-sharp cheddar (about 6 cups)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 lb elbow macaroni

Making the topping:
1. Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle.
2. Melt butter, then stir together with the bread crumbs and topping cheeses in a bowl until combined.

Making the sauce:
1. Melt butter in a heavy medium saucepan over medium-low heat and stir in flour.
2. Cook and stir for 3 minutes, then whisk in milk.
3. Bring sauce to a boil, whisking constantly, then simmer, whisking occasionally, 3 minutes.
4. Stir in cheeses, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper until smooth.
5. Remove from heat and cover surface of sauce with wax paper.

Making Macaroni:
1. Cook pasta in a pot of boiling water until al dente. (You can reserve 1 cup cooking water when you drain the macaroni, but I didn't need it. If you want it, feel free to stir it in during the next step.)
2. Stir together macaroni and sauce in a large bowl or one of the pots you've been using. Transfer to 2 buttered 2-quart shallow baking dishes. Keep in mind that this will bubble in the oven, so make sure the dish has at least 1/2" or more at the top.
3. Sprinkle the topping evenly over macaroni and bake until golden and bubbling, 20 to 25 minutes.

So Easy! Tortilla Soup

It's pretty cold up at the family cabin, and with a mom that twisted her knee while sledding tonight is about simple eating. So...the famous tortilla soup from our good friend Carmen. In total, it takes about 2 hours to make but probably only 20 minutes worth of work. Niiice.

Tortilla Soup
serves 6

3 chicken breasts with bones
1/2 onion, chopped
water
1 can corn
1 small can of chipotle peppers in juice
handful of rice (optional)
3 chopped zucchini (optional)
salt and pepper
corn tortillas - approx. 1 tortilla per person, cut into 1/2" wide strips
olive or vegetable oil
cilantro, chopped
sour cream
avocado

1. In a large Dutch oven, cover the chicken and onion with water (possibly half an inch about the top breast). Cook over high heat until boiling, cover and simmer for about 45 minutes.
2. Remove cooked chicken and shred the meat (easiest way to do it: take two forks and use the one on the right to shred/pull at the meat while the left hand keeps the bird in place).
3. Stir in 3+ teaspoons of the chipotle juice. (Feel free to add more if you like some spice.) Add corn and rice and zucchini and whatever you like in your soup. Keep it simple.
4. Put the shredded chicken back in the pot and simmer for 30 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.
5. With about 5 minutes until the soup is ready to serve, heat a large skillet with about a tablespoon of oil and put the tortilla strips in. Flip once they are golden brown, about 2 minutes. Cook on the other side until crispy. Place on a paper towel to drain off the extra oil.
6. Serve up the soup with a dollop of sour cream, a sprinkle of cilantro, and a good amount of sliced avocado. Throw a handful of tortilla strips on top and enjoy.

What To Do with Lots of Fresh Stuff: Pesto

So with all these posts about recipes and whatnot, I don't know if I've had the chance to communicate how much I love fresh fruits and vegetables. Forget all the other stuff that's here; just eat a tomato and enjoy the extra time on your hands. Seriously, that's the best cooking advice I have - don't cook if you don't need to.

And right now's the time that no one should cook. Everything's too fresh and perfect as is.

This morning's jaunt to the farmer's market was a wonderful disaster. I came home with more stuff than any Mormon-sized family could handle...and it's just me and Mariana. But how can you resist buying three baskets full of fruit, instead of one, when the opportunity of saving $3 is being yelled at you by the farmer's beautifully broken English? Yes, I want to support you, sir, and I will buy this entire table of fruit from you. May God bless your crops forever.

But once you've got all 3 feet of your counters covered in fresh food, it's time to think about how to go about eating it all - and fast.

Over the next week I'll post a few different ways to make it all taste super summery and good.

Today: Pesto

3 large garlic cloves
1/2 cup pine nuts
2 oz Parmigiano-Reggiano, coursely grated (2/3 cup)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
3 cups loosely packed basil leaves
1/2 - 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

1. With food processor (or blender), drop in garlic and finely chop.
2. Stop motor and add nuts, cheese, salt, pepper and basil and finely chop.
3. Then, with motor running, add oil until it's all combined (err on the side of less oil if you want)

**Keeps for 3-4 days, refrigerated.


In the end, you'll end up with a lot of pesto.

Now, what to do with the pesto....

1. Cook some pasta and add a few tablespoons to it, mixing completely. Serve with fresh vegetables on top like tomatoes, cucumbers, raw or cooked zucchini/broccoli/string beans, red onion, whatever you want. Garnish with a little more basil, add salt if you need it, and it's a summer salad.

2. Make a veggie sandwich with pesto on the bread instead of mayo/mustard. You can put swiss cheese, tomato, red onion, sprouts, lotsa lettuce, cucumber, avocado, the works on it.

3. Make pesto potato salad with string beans

4 lbs small yukon gold/red potatoes, halved lengthwise
1 lb string beans, cut into 1 inch pieces (and snap off the hard end that was attached to the vine)
1 cup pesto
1/4 cup chopped green onions
4 tbs white balsamic/white wine vinegar

1. Cook potatoes in boiling water for 10 minutes, just until tender.
2. Add beans, cook 3-4 minutes longer.
3. Drain and transfer to a large bowl and cool slightly, 10 minutes.
4. Mix in pesto and green onions and coat well.
5. Cool for 30 minutes to 2 hours more.
6. Add vinegar right before you serve it.
(this makes enough for about 10 people)

Banana Bread - "John" is Better than Bon Appetit

I've come to realize the importance of eating everything you buy, including old bananas. With a salary that rivals a minimum-wage kid at Wal-Mart, I know that I can't just throw away bananas that are less than perfect. Whoever created banana bread was a smart cookie. Though it's not the same as peeling a nice banana, banana bread packs its punch (and a healthy dose of potassium and protein. Check out these people that make them for the troops: Banana Bread for the Troops).

So, a few weeks ago, I realized that it was high time to use up those black things sitting by the microwave. But what's a good recipe? I'm sure everyone has one, but I didn't really feel like putting more than a few ingredients in it. Epicurious had a few that sounded ritzy. In fact, people were totally slamming this one Bon Appetit recipe for this other guy's, John. The message board has become a place to put this guy, John, on the map.

Wait...who is this guy?

Well, ends up John = Kona Inn Banana Bread, a classic recipe from back during WWII. Simple and quick, it was a good solution for old bananas while using stuff that's usually on hand. Ends up, all those reviews were right - this bread's amazing.

Kona Inn Banana Bread

1 c sugar
1/2 c butter
3 ripe bananas, peeled and mashed
2 eggs, well beaten
1 1/4 c flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
Optional: walnuts, pecans, chocolate chips (I like bittersweet)

1. Cream together butter and sugar.
2. Add bananas and eggs.
3. In a separate bowl, sift dry ingredients.
4. Stir in dry ingredients and any optional additions, but don't overmix.
5. Bake in a 20-oz loaf pan for 45 minutes at 350.