new year, new me?

OK, we can now jump forward to 2010. It's resolution time, which I have to admit, I've almost never been able to fully stick with for the entire year. I'm not alone, and thankfully as a result, don't feel as bad about it.

Notice I said almost never stick with it -- last year was that exception :) And probably one of the most important resolutions I've ever made, helping me be much healthier and happier - but not in terms of calorie counts and logged time at the gym.

This year, I decided to jump on the bandwagon and focus on the more traditional notion of being healthier -- changing eating habits, detoxing, and exercising more. A group of friends and I have signed up for the annual MIT getfit challenge, and I'm trying my damndest to swap in some healthier subs for old routines.

And I have to say, it hasn't been so terrible. Here's a few highlights from the first few weeks.

First things first, I have a new favorite snack ... Kale chips.



They're incredibly easy to make, a superfood, and honest-to-god a super sneaky way to eat an entire plate of big, leafy greens without really knowing. Think of these more as a vehicle for getting seasoning into your system.

I first saw these over at Steamy Kitchen, where Jaden recommends washing, making sure they are dry dry (otherwise they'll steam), drizzling a little bit of olive oil on and baking at 350 until they're shatteringly crisp. Note -- do NOT add seasoning until after they bake. Once they're crisp like chips, take out, sprinkle with salt and some red pepper flakes. And enjoy. :) They're irresistible, really, and kale remains one of THE cheapest things in the produce department. I dare you to find me something that's as cheap by volume. Yes, that's a challenge.

Then there was the homemade granola experiment, finally utilizing all of the half used packs of oats in my cupboard and the Kossen farm honey, which is just divine. I added pecans, some leftover walnuts and pistachios, wheat germ, flax seed, dried cranberries, and some candied ginger, pouring the honey, brown sugar and butter mixture over the dry mix and baking. Ever so delicious with some greek yogurt and fresh berry sauce as a parfait ...





And then on to roasted cauliflower with blue cheese vinaigrette. Sounds like a strange combo, but really, it's ever so tasty, and nice on the hips (making room for things like, operation homemade pasta, coming soon on TTK). The nuttiness of the cauliflower is wonderful in this dish. And it's a quick side / lunch.

a very new england thanksgiving

Yes, I know ... it's almost February. Let's just say the last few months have been a bit zany in TTK, from mega tests that leave me wanting an entire bottle of scotch, travel, more holidays, work, etc ... To be honest, it was a blur of friends, boxes, suitcases, and modes of transportation.

So entertain me while I flip the calendar back to Nov. 2009 for a minute. You still there? Great. Glad you stayed.

This past Thanksgiving I offered to host - and cook - the beast of a Thanksgiving feast here in my Boston apartment for my family. Quite an undertaking, but all in all, what I love to do. My parents and older brother made the trek from Chicago and Rochester, and I spent the week prepping for the feast. The week started off with pork rillettes (part 1, part 2, part 3) - my special appetizer for the family, and lots of trips to various grocery stores and food markets. Needless to say, grocery shopping in a city without a car forces you to get creative, and accept that it may take a taxi or muscle man Randy Savage to get your ingredients to your apartment and into a 4th floor walk up.

Anywho, on to the good stuff -- the food.

Here's the big meals menu // cue drumroll, please.

- Pork rillettes - appetizer
- Green beans with a lemon vinaigrette and toasted walnuts
- my famous bacon braised brussel sprouts for the non-believers
- Sausage, butternut squash and kale stuffing
- Sour cream and rosemary mashed potatoes
- 19.5 lb turkey - brined with allspice berries, candied ginger, stock, and apple cider
- Cider sage gravy, with fresh giblet stock
- Homemade cranberry sauce with rum ;)
- Apple pie with cheddar crust
- Pumpkin cobbler with candied pecans

Outside of a minor hiccup involving a sharp knife and my left pointer finger, the meal all hit the table at the same time, stress was easily washed down with wine and gravy, and the feat was over. Next time, maybe not so ambitious ... or perhaps a larger house. :)

Here are some photos from the delicious day ... and I do mean, delicious. I'll gladly pat myself on the back for that. And as always, nothing beats being surrounded with family, even if that's a bit hair brained. It's what they're there for, and I'll eternally be thankful for them.

First there was the pie, adapted from the Gourmet recipe...




Which makes the most beautiful crust ... and reminds me of my Grandfather, who always had a slice of sharp white cheddar with his apple pie. Grandpa, this one's for you ...



Then Tom the turkey, which Michael so nicely carved after his lessons from the Food Network ...



The stuffing, made by browning sausage, then adding butternut squash, leeks, kale and some stock, and a mix of foccacia and pumpernickle bread. Put into a pan, drizzle with some stock, and top with some fresh Pecorino / sharp cheese, and bake. This ... was straight aces. And ... it's absolutely beautiful. So I like colorful food, that's not a crime. ;)



On to the brussel sprouts ... which oddly enough are requested in our family. With this preparation, they will soon be in your household too. First, render the fat from a few pieces of bacon, remove when crispy - you'll be using it later. Halve the sprouts and sear cut side down in the pan, making sure they have a good color to bring out the nutty flavor. Once they have a good color, add stock to the pan, cover and cook until the sprouts are practically falling apart. Remove from stock, serve with crumbled bacon on top. WIN. (no really, WIN.)



And then there was the cobbler, recipe compliments of my friend Abe. I could eat this every day and live a very happy, very overweight life. My mother pretty vehemently dislikes pumpkin pie, yet she loved this. Take that. High five! :) Based off of this recipe, though I highly recommend using about 2 cups of pecan goodness. You can thank me later.

Soup, continued

My endeavor earlier this week, and the subject of the last post here, left me with a Costco amount of homemade poultry stock (turkey + chicken).

Recipe #1 was inspired again by Elise's Mom's Turkey Soup, so I started to shred some turkey, chop up onions, carrots, celery and some tomatoes and let them become friends again.

The second soup I first made last year when I was living in the Back Bay, and just realized I may have inadvertently made it one year to the day that I first tried it. Either way, there's no reason we can't revisit favorites, and now we can add the photo (from last year, so apologies for the photo quality. I had yet to get my EOS xTI).



Last year, I used leftover frozen tom yum soup broth so it had a wonderful lemongrass undertone but also quite a kick from the Thai chiles Sam and I used. I really liked the spice, and replicated this time (sans chiles) with a few dashes of Sriracha.

Ten Minute Couscous Soup with a kick
Adaapted from Heidi @ 101Cookbooks

(KT note ... looks like I first made this soup the exact day Heidi posted it, then again this year, also on the 26th. Bizarre. Hm. :) )

7 cups great-tasting broth - in my case turkey/chicken (can eyeball this)
2 or 3 pinches crushed red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup regular couscous
1 1/2 cups broccoli florets, cut into tiny pieces smaller than your thumb
1 1/2 cups cauliflower florets, cut into tiny pieces smaller than your thumb

Bring the stock to a boil with a few dashes of oil and the hot pepper flakes. When it comes to a boil, remove from heat and add the couscous. Wait two minutes, then add the broccoli and cauliflower. Wait another 2-3 minutes until the vegetables lose their raw edge and you're done! I added a few shots of Sriracha, but you can leave as is, add some sundried tomatoes and goat cheese or any other sort of topping you'd like. The soup is very forgiving, so have fun and play.

Operation cleanout, moving, dusting off the cobwebs

Apologies for the long silence here on Tales of a Test Kitchen. In the last month, I've packed up my little Back Bay kitchen, moved across the line just barely into Brookline, and been traveling like a mad woman ever since.

Excuses, excuses, I know, but it's tough to really get back into the swing of cooking - and enjoying it - when the kitchen still has boxes in it, is missing appliances and what not. Slowly but surely, this will be remedied, I assure you. I've promised a few people updates on here, so lets kick the tires. I'm at home with a nasty head cold from my latest travels, and maybe this will get my brain moving.

This post is about a month old, but good nevertheless. Pre- my move, I was in the midst of cooking to clean out my fridge and pantry, part of Operation Cleanout. Day 3 of this process brought us a delicious vegetarian pasta with chard, lemon cream sauce and toasted pine nuts, as well as a lemony asparagus soup that's to die for.

The pasta was an interesting endeavor, to say the least. I had half a container of sour cream to use, lemons, spring onions, chard, whole wheat pasta and a number of other miscellaneous ingredients. The sauce was a mix of the sour cream, sauteed garlic, some chili flakes, lemon zest and lemon juice. I had toasted some pine nuts and sauteed some chard separately. Once all of the components were complete, just tossed them all with the sauce and voila. Topped with some chopped spring onions. This was just aces after a long day of work, and kicked any alfredo sauce or pasta roni kit you can get at the store.



The Lemony Asparagus soup that joined the night's menu was spotted on Dishing Up Delights, and was not only supremely easy, but light and delicious.

And even better, I had a few burners left on my stove to make it, while still tending to the pasta mentioned above.



Lemony Asparagus Soup
From Dishing Up Delights, adapted from Food and Wine

1 bunch of asparagus, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 white onion, thinly sliced
2 cups chicken stock (could also use veggie)
one 1-inch wide strip of lemon zest, plus 1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest for garnish
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
salt and freshly ground pepper

Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil, and cook the asparagus for about 2-3 minutes. Transfer to an ice bath to stop the cooking process. Drain and set aside.

In a clean saucepan, add oil and cook the onion until soft, about 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper. Add chicken stock and lemon zest strip. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 5 minutes or so. Add asparagus and cook for another 5 minutes until tender. Discard lemon zest and use an immersion blender to puree.

When all else fails, use Kale

Kale was the featured ingredient of last week, something I was first introduced to in my young days of working as a waitress at Pizzeria Uno. Hey, I needed the money, don't judge me. Mandatory for all new Uno's employees was 15 hours of "pizza school" - kid you not - on top of on the floor training that most food services people are used to. As I was running my usual expo shift at the food window, the following phrase was ingrained in my mind ... so much that it's the title of this post -- "When all else fails, use kale." The trainer had a slightly annoying southern twang as this phrase rolled off her tongue, then followed by me non-chalantly rolling my eyes and counting the hours down until I could have a stiff drink. Not my proudest days, but hell, it was money.

Regardless, kale is often only known of as that annoying ruffage on your plate, under an orange slice or some other garnish. To counter that, I looked for a few recipes for last week featuring leafy greens, so here goes. Both were delicious, and let me tell you ... kale is cheeeeeeap at the grocery store, so if you're looking for a way to save some dough, go kale. Woo! Like, less than two dollars for over 2 lbs kind of cheap. Won a spot in my heart RIGHT THERE.

Ahem. Onwards.

On the menu for the week:
- Giant Chipotle White Beans with Kale and Chard, from Heidi at 101Cookbooks
- Winter Greens Lasagna, compliments of Chowhound

Both were insanely good, and not only fed me but also a number of co-workers, with some still to freeze. Can't wait for that night of no-cooking when I pull out a serving of this lasagna and bring it back to life. Nothing beats a good meal without the effort during the week.

So, starting with the lasagna ... which, I justify as being healthy due to all the kale and chard. Trust me, I can justify anything in this little head of mine ;)

Winter Greens Lasagna
From Chowhound

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium white onion
3 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 cups heavy cream
1 pound kale, washed, tough stems removed, and coarsely chopped
1 pound Swiss chard, coarsely chopped

(KT: After making this, I'd even use a bit more greens ... hard to believe, but it really cooks down ... And I love chard stems, so I include ... but up to you )

1 1/2 cups crème fraîche

(KT: I had to use sour cream due to lack of creme fraiche at the store ... it works, but go for the real deal if you can find)

1 (9-ounce) box no-boil lasagna noodles
1 pound fresh ricotta
2 cups finely grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 400. Meanwhile, in a heavy bottom pot, heat up some oil, and cook the garlic and onions, seasoning with salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes. Then, add the cream and start slowly adding the kale / chard. It takes a while to tame ... be patient. Season with salt and pepper for each layer you add as it wilts. Cook down until all greens are in the pot, about 10 minutes. Take off the heat.



Meanwhile, spread a cup of the creme fraiche / sour cream on the bottom of the pan.



Layer with noodles, then greens mixture (without added liquid), then top with ricotta and parmesan. I mixed the ricotta and parm together to kill two birds with one stone, but can do separate if desired. Keep layering, noodles, greens, ricotta + Parm until you run out of greens.



Pour the remaining creme mix over the top of the noodles. Then mix remaining sour cream / creme fraiche + Parm together and spread over the top. It's a messy process. Have fun with it.

Cover with foil and cook for 45 minutes until browned and bubbly. Yum.

Potlucking, part II

The second dish I made for the potluck last weekend is one of my all-time favorites -- a baked macaroni and cheese with a tomato bechamel-esque sauce, courtesy of Jamie Oliver. I have a bit of a starcrush on Mr. Oliver, despite his inavailability, beautiful children, etc etc. Let a girl dream. (Jamie ... call me. ;) )

Annnnnnnyways, ahem, I first made the mac'n'cheese, out of his cookbook "jamie's dinners", for a girls dinner on my deck last June. It's the ultimate comfort food, and pairs really well with the pesto pea salad mentioned in the last post. It's creamy with a thyme and breadcrumb crust ... divine. When I have some more time, I'm going to give another Jamie recipe a whirl and break out my new pasta machine ... stay tuned for that.

On to the goods ... I made a few changes from Jamie's original, just for the sake of time / availability.

Tomato Macaroni and Cheese
Adapted from "jamie's dinners" by Jamie Oliver

12 oz macaroni (I use campanelle)
hefty amount of breadcrumbs (or 6-7 slices of stale bread)
25 oz (large can, then half a regular sized can) of whole tomatoes, reserve the juice
2 cloves of garlic, peeled
2 large handfuls of fresh basil
2 oz. sundried tomatoes
2 anchovies (I've left these out in the past at vegetarian friends' request)
sea salt, fresh ground pepper
3 hefty handfuls of Parmesan cheese
2.5 cups light cream
1 TB red wine vinegar
1/2 a nutmeg, grated
14 oz cow's milk mozzarella
handful of fresh thyme
extra virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. While that's heating up, get a pot of salted water going and cook the pasta.

Meanwhile, it's time for a little food processor fun. Blend up the whole tomatoes (without juice), garlic, basil, sun-dried tomatoes, anchovies, and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Once that's whizzed up a bit, add 2 handfuls of Parm (love that measurement), cream, vinegar and nutmeg. I then add a bit of the tomato juice. The pasta really absorbs a lot of the sauce, and can get dry if there's not enough liquid, so dont be shy. This time when I made it, I used almost all of the reserved juice. Don't be shy. Jamie uses some of the pasta water, but I like the tomatoey taste more.



Drain your pasta, toss into casserole dish. Pour the tomatoey saucey goodness over the pasta and then break up the mozzarella over the dish. Mix the last handful of Parm with the breadcrumbs and liberally spread over the dish. Sprinkle the fresh thyme over the top, and drizzle generously with olive oil. It'll help get that crunchy crust you're looking for :)

Place in the oven for about 15 minutes - until the dish is bubbly and the crust has a nice golden color. (**New camera is in the mail ... apologies for the dimly lit photos.)



By the way, this is supposed to serve 4 (says Jamie) ... I don't know about the people he's feeding (FEED ME, jamie. seriously, call me ;) ) butttt this definitely served 10 potluck style with some leftovers. Or at least 6-8 portions otherwise.

Split Pea Soup

I actually made up a pot of this while I was getting ready this morning. Unbelievably simple, healthy, and perfect for a bitter cold day like this one was. My friend had told me about this incredibly painless and fast way to make split pea soup, so I gave it a whirl - this version without a ham bone or meat for flavoring purposes.

Note - not everyone is a fan of split pea soup. Some, it reminds them too much of the first time they saw Linda Blair's head spin in the Exorcist, others just never developed a taste for it.

Me? First off ... Exorcist is one of my favorite movies as a child ... and think this soup is delightful. So THERE. :) Onwards ...

Split Pea Soup
Adapted from Miss Sab's kitchen

Ingredients:
1 medium onion (I used a red onion, since it was what I had)
1 potato
bag of split peas
3 peeled and chopped carrots
3 smashed garlic cloves
water
s & p (plus other seasonings to taste)

Rough chop the potato and carrots and put in a pot. Cut one end off the onion, leave the other on and cut down into sections - but not all the way through. Think onion bloom. This helps you avoid fishing out pieces later, and hell ... it looks pretty :) Can chop if you want. Pour the bag of split peas in, as well, and the smashed garlic cloves.



Fill the pot with water to cover all the elements. Can use stock, if you'd like. Add salt and pepper.



Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes, until peas and other veggies are beyond fork tender.

You can cook this down until it starts to become mush (as Sab prefers), or use an immersion blender to puree it down. I left mine slightly chunky but pureed down the big chunks. I like the added texture. Then, add any remaining seasonings it may need to taste. And voila. Early morning soup.

Veggie Curry - jtw style

This one comes compliments of my colleague jtw, and is a simple and affordable recipe. And to boot, it will feed you for a week - if not providing you with some to freeze. Yum.

I made a pot of this for last week, as well as some chicken tikka masala. I had some flatbread and naan on hand, and some mango ginger chutney in the fridge. Put together for an easy, delicious indian feast. :)

jtw's Veggie Curry
Jar of garam masala (curry paste comes in diff heat levels. i usually use hot, but keep medium on hand, just in case i need to bring it back a few heat notches.)
olive oil or canola oil
head of cauliflower, cut into florets
6 cloves of garlic, smashed
1 medium onion, rough chopped
3 or 4 potatoes
chicken stock (or veggie, doesn't matter ... i've even used water before)
three handfuls of green beans
2 medium heads of broccoli, cut into florets
can of garbanzo beans (* optional, but i add for protein)

Muddle a heaping amount of the curry paste / garam masala with a good amount of olive oil in the bottom of a heavy, deep pot until the oil renders. You're going to be frying the cauliflower in this, so make sure there's enough muddled paste with oil to keep the veggies from sticking to the bottom or burning. Remember, you're building the dish from this, so it will seem fiery hot at the cauliflower stage ... but it will mellow a bit.

Add the cauliflower and fry in the paste / oil until soft.

Add the smashed garlic and the onion. Cook until the onion is limp.



Remove from heat, and chop in the potatoes until halfway up the pot. I use a deep deep pasta pot, so this takes a while :) also feeds an army ... Cover with water / chicken stock / can use bouillon until 1/2 inch above the veggies.



Continue to stir and cook down until the potatoes are fork tender and it turns into mush. Don't be afraid to even mash a few large pieces of veggies ... it's OK and frankly, kind of the point of the dish.

Meanwhile, stir fry the green beans and broccoli in a separate pan. Once the curry starts to take on a mush consistency (attractive, I know ... but this is absolutely delicious), add the broccoli and green beans. You can also blanch the beans and broccoli - whatever you prefer.



Add the can of garbanzo beans, stir and serve. Your house will have a wonderful spicy aroma ... one I really enjoy.

a little gourmet picnic

i've always wanted to go on a picnic, sit down by the harbor or on the banks of the charles and nosh with a friend / loved one. so i finally put my money where my mouth is, and put together a little gourmet picnic (aka not your average pb&j sandwiches and soda) for my special someone for tonight.

before i forget and lose the links, here's what's on the docket for tonight. all he knows is that i'm cooking and that we're not eating at the house. let's hope he enjoys it!

menu:
to start, a sampling of two sandwiches, one sweet, one savory --
... the sweet: a grilled goat cheese, fig and honey sandwich on cinammon raisin bread, dusted with confectioner's sugar.
... the savory: grilled flank steak, sauteed onions and a blue cheese sauce on grilled ciabatta loaf. the steak, marinated in soy sauce, dijon mustard, and a bit of lemon juice. the onions, mixed with a dash of red wine vinegar after sweating, and the blue cheese sauce made with blue cheese crumbles, lemon juice and greek yogurt.

next, a take on horta, with poached green swiss chard, dressed with lemon juice, olive oil and s & p.

followed, possibly, by a dry nutty cheddar.

with the last item being homemade baked apple dumplings with vanilla icing, made with puff pastry. mine slightly opened, so they look more like apple turnovers, but delicious nevertheless.

recipes:
grilled goat cheese, fig and honey sandwiches

grilled flank steak, onions and blue cheese sandwiches

baked apple dumplings

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drink wise, i'm bringing a bottle of sparkling water and a nice bottle of red from the wine rack ... not sure just which one yet. here goes nothing!