Well, I think I have to admit that this has been a failed experiment. Other than a few glorious tangos with MSPaint I never really got excited about writing these posts. I think it's time to bring the breadblog to a close yet again, so I'll wrap this up with one final recipe.
And a nice and easy one, at that. Start off by sauteing 1/3 cup of crushed walnuts in 2 T butter. Remove the casing from ~1 pound of sweet Italian (turkey) sausage, add to the walnuts, and cook until done. This would have been a good point to drain off the excess fat from the butter/cooked sausage, but I forgot to do so. Anyway, add a half-cup of delicious, delicious pesto, and a half cup of grated parmesan. (This is one of the rare instances in which this blog served its function: I was feeling lazy and wasn't going to grate any cheese, but then I thought "this will sound like it tastes better if I add in parmesan..." Which I think is true, but regardless of whether it sounds that way, it definitely tastes that way.) Ideally, serve over linguine...but all I had was a box of shells, but it's all pasta, right?
Verdict: Pesto makes everything awesome.
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p.s. My attention was just called to the following little factoid: I have successfully (as of 12/24/11) created a webpage that comes up as the #1 hit on google if you enter a one word search ("pusstabrot"). I feel like I should get a ribbon or trophy or something.
December 24, 2011
December 11, 2011
Quick steak
Curiously, for those of you keeping track, only the third non-vegetarian post of the new blog. Anyway, today I was mostly motivated by a rather large amount of hunger (having just run a few hours earlier two-thirds of a half marathon, as they say) and a relative paucity of ingredients. So, a quick and easy recipe.
Start by pan-frying a cheap cut of steak in 1 T butter, about 3-4 minutes per side. While the first side is cooking, cover the other side with some pepper and grated horseradish, then flip. When the other side is done, keep warm in a 250-degree over, and deglaze the pan a la Hunter S . Thompson. Add an extra T of butter, and throw in 1 t tarragon, 1 small chopped onion, and 1 clove garlic. Saute until the onion is soft, throw it all into some basmati rice, take the steak out of the onion, and enjoy. Easy peasy.
Start by pan-frying a cheap cut of steak in 1 T butter, about 3-4 minutes per side. While the first side is cooking, cover the other side with some pepper and grated horseradish, then flip. When the other side is done, keep warm in a 250-degree over, and deglaze the pan a la Hunter S . Thompson. Add an extra T of butter, and throw in 1 t tarragon, 1 small chopped onion, and 1 clove garlic. Saute until the onion is soft, throw it all into some basmati rice, take the steak out of the onion, and enjoy. Easy peasy.
December 5, 2011
Peanut sauce, attempt #1
On the one hand, I realize I've been pretty inconsistent about posting lately and for that let me just apologize. On the other hand, I've literally spent the last 6.5 hours (since lunch) finalizing, looking up, and formatting a set of references, so perhaps you'll forgive me if I'm not overwhelmingly excited about this post.
Nevertheless, it does deserve at least some excitement. I rank peanut sauce pretty high in the pantheon of foods that truly let us know we have evolved beyond our primate brethren; if it was socially acceptable I would probably just have white rice and peanut sauce all day. Every day. Or, that is, I would if only I could find a recipe I was truly happy with. Thus, let me present the first in what will doubtless be an intermittent series as I embark on my own little quest for the perfect peanut sauce.
Combine the following: 0.6 cups neutral vegetable oil (you can already tell I've search high and low for this recipe, right? I mean, what kind of recipe starts out with 3/5 of a cup of anything?), 1/3 cup rice wine vinegar, 1/4 soy sauce, 3 tablespoons dark sesame oil, 1 tablespoon of honey, 1 tablespoon of sesame seeds (white; toasted), 1 heaping teaspoon minced garlic, 1 teaspoon grated ginger, 1.5 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper, and 1/2 cup smooth, natural peanut butter.
Whisk it all together and serve over, e.g., soba noodles with snap peas, red bell peppers, and green onions. Makes enough peanut sauce for...a lot of food.
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Verdict: Excellent. But since I promised this would be the start of an intermittent series you probably have already guessed that I am not totally satisfied with this. It's definitely the best of all the peanut sauces I have made in the past but... there's some small amount of balance that I think the flavor lacks. Maybe I need to add a little bit of something spicy to balance it out? Maybe more ginger? I don't know. Any suggestions?
Nevertheless, it does deserve at least some excitement. I rank peanut sauce pretty high in the pantheon of foods that truly let us know we have evolved beyond our primate brethren; if it was socially acceptable I would probably just have white rice and peanut sauce all day. Every day. Or, that is, I would if only I could find a recipe I was truly happy with. Thus, let me present the first in what will doubtless be an intermittent series as I embark on my own little quest for the perfect peanut sauce.
Combine the following: 0.6 cups neutral vegetable oil (you can already tell I've search high and low for this recipe, right? I mean, what kind of recipe starts out with 3/5 of a cup of anything?), 1/3 cup rice wine vinegar, 1/4 soy sauce, 3 tablespoons dark sesame oil, 1 tablespoon of honey, 1 tablespoon of sesame seeds (white; toasted), 1 heaping teaspoon minced garlic, 1 teaspoon grated ginger, 1.5 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper, and 1/2 cup smooth, natural peanut butter.
Whisk it all together and serve over, e.g., soba noodles with snap peas, red bell peppers, and green onions. Makes enough peanut sauce for...a lot of food.
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Verdict: Excellent. But since I promised this would be the start of an intermittent series you probably have already guessed that I am not totally satisfied with this. It's definitely the best of all the peanut sauces I have made in the past but... there's some small amount of balance that I think the flavor lacks. Maybe I need to add a little bit of something spicy to balance it out? Maybe more ginger? I don't know. Any suggestions?
November 19, 2011
Pancakes
I'm an adult. So, errrr.... that means I'm allowed to have pancakes for dinner once in a while, right? Let's all say that I'm just trying to recreate the magic of brunch night.
Do I even need to write the recipe for this? Combine 1.5 cups of flour, 2 T sugar, 3 t baking powder (NOT baking soda... I made that mistake once, and you end up with pancakes that taste inexplicably like burnt pretzels), 1 t salt. Add in a liquids mixture of 1 beaten egg, 1.25 cups of milk, 3 T butter, and one capful of an ingredient that -- for "family recipe" reasons -- I'm not supposed to divulge, but is probably pretty obvious. Mix until smooth, cook in a frying pan initially coated with just a bit of melted butter.
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Speaking of tonight's dinner, here's something I stumbled upon a while back... before clicking this link ask yourself which you honestly think is flatter: Kansas or a pancake? The second-to-last sentence crowns the winner thus: "That degree of flatness might be described, mathematically, as “damn flat.”"
http://improbable.com/airchives/paperair/volume9/v9i3/kansas.html
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Verdict: pancakes are awesome; what more need I say?
Do I even need to write the recipe for this? Combine 1.5 cups of flour, 2 T sugar, 3 t baking powder (NOT baking soda... I made that mistake once, and you end up with pancakes that taste inexplicably like burnt pretzels), 1 t salt. Add in a liquids mixture of 1 beaten egg, 1.25 cups of milk, 3 T butter, and one capful of an ingredient that -- for "family recipe" reasons -- I'm not supposed to divulge, but is probably pretty obvious. Mix until smooth, cook in a frying pan initially coated with just a bit of melted butter.
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Speaking of tonight's dinner, here's something I stumbled upon a while back... before clicking this link ask yourself which you honestly think is flatter: Kansas or a pancake? The second-to-last sentence crowns the winner thus: "That degree of flatness might be described, mathematically, as “damn flat.”"
http://improbable.com/airchives/paperair/volume9/v9i3/kansas.html
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Verdict: pancakes are awesome; what more need I say?
November 7, 2011
tomato soup
Nothing fancy this week -- I've been feeling ever-so-slightly under the weather and so haven't been able to get too excited about spending time in the kitchen. Hence:
Roughly chop up ~ 2 pounds of tomatoes, 2 small onions, and 2 cloves of garlic. Saute the garlic and onions in 2 tablespoons of olive oil for a few minutes, then add the tomatoes. Turn the heat to medium, add some salt, pepper, rosemary, oregano, parsley, chili powder, and paprika (couldn't be bothered to measure anything...sorry). Cover and let simmer until the tomatoes start to break down (~20 minutes or so). Use a hand-blender to blend the soup, then simmer for a while.
While it's simmering, make some simple bread.
Rip up chunks of bread, thrown in a bowl, pour soup on top, enjoy.
Roughly chop up ~ 2 pounds of tomatoes, 2 small onions, and 2 cloves of garlic. Saute the garlic and onions in 2 tablespoons of olive oil for a few minutes, then add the tomatoes. Turn the heat to medium, add some salt, pepper, rosemary, oregano, parsley, chili powder, and paprika (couldn't be bothered to measure anything...sorry). Cover and let simmer until the tomatoes start to break down (~20 minutes or so). Use a hand-blender to blend the soup, then simmer for a while.
While it's simmering, make some simple bread.
Rip up chunks of bread, thrown in a bowl, pour soup on top, enjoy.
October 30, 2011
Tomato-pesto pizza
Ever wrestle with that terrible feeling of trying to decide whether to make your pizza base out of tomato sauce or pesto? Worry no more.
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The Dough:
We'll go with an easy, "no-knead" recipe for this one. Take 1.25 cups of water, and add 2.5 teaspoons of yeast, 2 teaspoons of salt, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and 3 cups of flour. Stir it all together, let it rise for 2 hours, and then put it in the fridge. This'll be enough for 1 pizza dinner and 1 calzone dinner. Awesome.
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The Tomato Sauce:
Finely chop 1 medium onion and 1 shallot, and saute in some olive oil until the onion/shallot is soft. Add a 28 oz can of diced tomatoes, turn the heat to medium-high, and simmer until the tomatoes start to break down. Add a bit of salt, rosemary, oregano, and ground pepper to taste. Reserve half of the sauce for some other cooking activity, keep the other half simmering.
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The Pesto:
In the world's smallest food processor, try to fit: 1 cup basil leaves, 1 teaspoon minced garlic, 1 tablespoon toasted pine nuts, a bit of salt, and 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Press the "blend" button.
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Pizza time:
Take the dough out of the fridge. Dust half of it with flour, throw that half on a wooden board, and roll it quite thin. Transfer to a pizza tin, and first lay down a layer of pesto, then a layer of tomato sauce. The focus of this is just the sauces, so top with just some grated parmesan, then bake at 400 degrees for about 11 minutes.
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Verdict: Delicious!! Also, I need a better pesto recipe.
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The Dough:
We'll go with an easy, "no-knead" recipe for this one. Take 1.25 cups of water, and add 2.5 teaspoons of yeast, 2 teaspoons of salt, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and 3 cups of flour. Stir it all together, let it rise for 2 hours, and then put it in the fridge. This'll be enough for 1 pizza dinner and 1 calzone dinner. Awesome.
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The Tomato Sauce:
Finely chop 1 medium onion and 1 shallot, and saute in some olive oil until the onion/shallot is soft. Add a 28 oz can of diced tomatoes, turn the heat to medium-high, and simmer until the tomatoes start to break down. Add a bit of salt, rosemary, oregano, and ground pepper to taste. Reserve half of the sauce for some other cooking activity, keep the other half simmering.
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The Pesto:
In the world's smallest food processor, try to fit: 1 cup basil leaves, 1 teaspoon minced garlic, 1 tablespoon toasted pine nuts, a bit of salt, and 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Press the "blend" button.
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Pizza time:
Take the dough out of the fridge. Dust half of it with flour, throw that half on a wooden board, and roll it quite thin. Transfer to a pizza tin, and first lay down a layer of pesto, then a layer of tomato sauce. The focus of this is just the sauces, so top with just some grated parmesan, then bake at 400 degrees for about 11 minutes.
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| I know, I know...I'm getting really good at drawing pizza. |
October 23, 2011
Pasta a la fondue
"...and on a mountain, all of grated Parmesan cheese, dwell folk that do nought else but make macaroni and raviuoli, and boil them in capon's broth, and then throw them down to be scrambled for; and hard by flows a rivulet of Vernaccia..." -- The Decameron, describing a place I would like to go to.
Since man first crawled from out the primordial ooze (sorry, Dean Grudin), he has struggled with the most difficult of questions: "What to do with all of those random bits of left-over cheese from other meals?" Today's simple, only slightly absurd, empty-kitchen-inspired solution: modify a fondue recipe, and serve over pasta.
So: melt a tablespoon of butter and saute 1 shallot until nice and soft. Grate the following cheeses into the smallest size your grater will allow (for easiest melting): ~ 5 oz. gorgonzola, ~5 oz fontina, and ~2 oz asiago. Add the grated cheese along with half a cup of half-and-half to the shallots, and melt over low to medium-low heat. Thrown in a few pinches of ground pepper and salt, and finally add two tablespoons of whisky (you know, to thin the sauce a bit, give it a little backbone, and contribute to the Scottish-fondue authenticity). Serve over elbow macaroni, and enjoy.
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Verdict: Nice. Nothing to write home about, but a bit less heavy than my usual pasta gorgonzola, and with a nice mix of flavors. Next time, I'll skip the salt and add a bit more pepper, but otherwise if I ever happen to have that particular combination of cheeses again I know what I'll be making.
[Update -- Leftovers from this dish: substantially less tasty than the meal itself. I mean, there's almost always at least some drop-off in quality after a few days, but more flavor seemed to leave this pasta than usual.]
Since man first crawled from out the primordial ooze (sorry, Dean Grudin), he has struggled with the most difficult of questions: "What to do with all of those random bits of left-over cheese from other meals?" Today's simple, only slightly absurd, empty-kitchen-inspired solution: modify a fondue recipe, and serve over pasta.
So: melt a tablespoon of butter and saute 1 shallot until nice and soft. Grate the following cheeses into the smallest size your grater will allow (for easiest melting): ~ 5 oz. gorgonzola, ~5 oz fontina, and ~2 oz asiago. Add the grated cheese along with half a cup of half-and-half to the shallots, and melt over low to medium-low heat. Thrown in a few pinches of ground pepper and salt, and finally add two tablespoons of whisky (you know, to thin the sauce a bit, give it a little backbone, and contribute to the Scottish-fondue authenticity). Serve over elbow macaroni, and enjoy.
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Verdict: Nice. Nothing to write home about, but a bit less heavy than my usual pasta gorgonzola, and with a nice mix of flavors. Next time, I'll skip the salt and add a bit more pepper, but otherwise if I ever happen to have that particular combination of cheeses again I know what I'll be making.
[Update -- Leftovers from this dish: substantially less tasty than the meal itself. I mean, there's almost always at least some drop-off in quality after a few days, but more flavor seemed to leave this pasta than usual.]
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