Stuff

02-28-13-stuff

 

Tonight's dinner is brought to you by Clean Out The Refrigerator.

We've been having good luck paring down the freezer and refrigerator this week, but we're now approaching the end - and that means the odds and ends of things. We still maintain the No Regrets rule. If we buy it, we eat it. It's not about saving the earth or starving children in [fill-in-the-blank]. It's about the fact that I'm just too damned cheap to throw away food.

It's been going so well, that the cabinets were looking a bit sparse. This week I bought more black lentils, lentils du puy from Bob's Red Mill, and some really excellent yellow grits from my friends down in Columbia, South Carolina. You've never had stone-ground grits as good as from Adluh Flour. They seriously are the real thing - and, to paraphrase Shakespeare, one man's grits are another man's polenta. Love 'em.

So tonight's dinner was what we fondly refer to as stuff.

Victor asks "What's for dinner?" My response is "Stuff." Stuff is whatever. It's something that doesn't have a name - or if I gave it a name, it would be too unwieldy to use. Stuff works.

Tonight's Stuff worked. It was a concoction of a chicken breast, a link of andouille sausage, a half-dozen brussels sprouts, a rapidly-wilting broccoli crown, a bell pepper, a few carrots, some celery, and some garlic.

I sauteed all of it in a bit of olive oil, and then added a cup of French lentils to the pot. Next went two cups of chicken broth, some French herbs, and a bit of salt and pepper. I covered it and let it simmer for 30 minutes.

The result was a mighty-tasty conglomeration of flavors that all worked really well together.

It's one of those meals that will never be replicated exactly, but the concept will be there the next time there are things needing to be used up.

And around here, that's fairly often.


New York, New York

02-26-13-steaks

 

Once upon a time, a strip steak was called a New York steak. It was a reference to Delmonico's in NYC - even though a "Delmonico" steak was actually a ribeye.  The eye of the ribeye, to be exact. I'm not sure how a strip steak became the New York reference, but it's always been an expensive quality cut and New York is known as an expensive quality town... The restaurants and hotels I worked in always called them New York steaks - probably to justify the expense - and I did work at some expensive places.

So tonight I grilled a couple of New York Strip Steaks. Properly rare.

And I caramelized onions to top them. Very simply, sliced onions slow-fried in butter with a bit of salt and pepper. Unbelievably good.

The accoutrements were fresh brussels sprouts sliced thin and fried in a drizzle of olive oil, salt, and pepper and twice-baked potatoes stuffed with sour cream and cheese.

It was good. Enough for dinner tonight and lunch tomorrow.

Later on... a bit of Pumpkin Cake.

Let the rain and wind begin.

 


Pumpkin Cake

02-25-13-pumpkin-cake

Today felt more like a Fall day than the dead of Winter so I thought a Pumpkin Cake was in order.

I have used up the massive amount of Fairytale Pumpkin I cooked off in September, but I still have several cans of pumpkin sitting around for when the urge strikes. It's nice to have a well-stocked larder.

I do have to admit that I love my desserts, and trust me when I say it's a bitch being able to walk into the kitchen and just bake something. I can't use the excuse that I don't have something or it's too much trouble. There's always flour, butter, and eggs in the house.

And right now, plenty of canned pumpkin.

I suppose I should just blame my mother. She was the Dessert Queen and had dessert virtually every night of her life. There was more than one night we would be watching TV and eating fudge with a spoon because no one (especially her) had the patience to let it set.

It's genetic. I absolve myself.

Tonight's cake is a pretty basic bundt. I reworked a recipe I had found some time ago. It called for some ridiculous cup and something of pumpkin. There is just not a lot one can do with a half-cup of pumpkin. More often than not, it goes into a little tupperware container, grows mold, and gets thrown out. I decided we needed to slow down on the science projects. Waste not, want not. That part is genetic, as well.

Pumpkin Cake

  • 3/4 cup butter
  • 1 1/4 cups sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda soda
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp allspice
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 15oz can pumpkin
  • 3/4 cup buttermilk
  • 1 tsp vanilla

For icing

  • 3 tbsp (about) buttermilk
  • 1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350°. Butter bundt pan and dust with flour.

Mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and spices, and set aside. Mix pumpkin, buttermilk, and vanilla in another bowl.
Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then add eggs one at a time and mix well. Add flour and pumpkin mixtures alternately in three batches, beginning and ending with flour. Mix until just smooth,

Spoon batter into pan, smoothing top, and bake 50 to 55 minutes or until skewer comes out clean. Cool cake in pan about 15 minutes, then remove from pan and cool completely.

For the icing:

While cake is cooling, whisk together buttermilk, vanilla, cinnamon, and powdered sugar until smooth. Drizzle icing over cake.

 

The cinnamon glaze is good, but you could easily just dust with powdered sugar or go crazy and make a cream cheese icing. It's a nice, moist cake and will handle any sort of topping.

 


Sunday Breakfast

02-24-13-breakfast

 

I just loves me some Sunday Morning Breakfast.

Eggs, potatoes, toast, and whatever breakfast meat is available... it's one of the easiest - and most difficult - meals to prepare. Easy, because the ingredients really are simple. Difficult, because everything cooks in different pans and at different times and temperatures, yet needs to be ready at the same time.

And then there's all the other variations on the theme... pancakes and waffles, omelettes, french toast, and any number of breakfast casseroles. Breakfast burritos. Breakfast pizza...

Donuts, muffins, danish pastries... Bagels. Hot cereal. Cold cereal. Stratas, fritattas, quiche...

Berries, yogurts, granola, and juice.

It's mind-boggling.

My idea of gastronomic heaven is an endless brunch buffet - over-the-top food selections like we did at the various Hyatts I worked for - or the really over-the-top brunch in The Garden Court of the Palace Hotel in San Francisco. That buffet is now a mere $75/per person.

But since none of those options are available out here in the sterile suburbs of Philadelphia, I'll have to settle on flipping the eggs and buttering the toast, myself. It may not be as elegant, but the price is definitely right.

And I don't have to wait for a coffee refill.

 

 


lentils

Lentils and Fennel

I love stuff on top of stuff. Layers of food are good. I've dealt with people who can't stand having their food touch other foods. I really do feel sorry for them. Mixing food is fun!

Tonight's dinner was a mixture of really simple flavors and different textures, topped with slices of grilled pork tenderloin.

The concept came from Bon Appetit. They did a dish with Italian sausage and such. I'm over Italian sausage for a few days. I thought I'd bring it up a notch.

The dish could easily be made vegetarian or vegan.  I cooked my lentils in beef broth for a bit of a flavor-boost, but mushroom or vegetable stock - or even just water - would work just fine. The original recipe calls for adding a tablespoon of red wine vinegar at the end. I used a nice sherry vinegar because I had it. Use what you have, the better the better.

I also used the last of my black lentils mixed with green lentils.

Lentils and Fennel

  • 1 cup dried lentils
  • 1 fennel bulb
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 3 carrots, cut into small dice
  • 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
  • Chopped fresh Italian parsley
  • 1 tbsp sherry vinegar (or other good-quality vinegar)
  • S&P

Cook lentils in broth, uncovered, until lentils are just tender.

While lentils simmer, cut fennel bulb into 1/4-inch dice and chop about 2 tbsp fennel fronds for the finish.

Heat a bit of olive oil in a skillet and add onion, carrot, fennel, and fennel seeds. Cook until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.

When vegetables and lentils are cooked, stir lentils into vegetables and cook until heated through. Stir in parsley, vinegar, and fennel fronds. Add S&P, as desired.

Top with sliced pork tenderloin.

 

 


Still Cleaning out the Freezer

02-22-13-stuffed-sweet-potato

It has been clean-out-the-freezer-week here at the Dineen/Martorano homestead. It's been more full than usual and a danger every time the door has been opened. Besides the usual meats that I buy in bulk, cut, portion, and freeze, there is a goodly amount of broth, chili, pasta sauce, soup... things I made in bulk and then froze. I've been subconsciously planning for Armageddon and assuming the electricity would stay on indefinitely. Armageddon has a better chance of arriving than does uninterrupted power...

Night before last was baked stuffed sweet potatoes.  The freezer item here was hot Italian sausage. There are /were at least six packages of hot Italian as well as a couple sweet Italian. I get trays of 24 sausages and repack into packs of 4. While there's always a few sausages in the freezer, I hit a couple of sales last month. Lots of sausage.

I baked a big sweet potato and then, when it had cooled, cut it in half and scooped out the innards, leaving a quarter-inch shell.

I sauteed onion and garlic in a bit of olive oil, and then added the sausage out of the casing. I let it cook and when it was done, mixed in the sweet potato and small cubes of muenster cheese. Back into the shells it all went and into a 350° oven for about 30 minutes.

Sour cream on the side...

02-22-13-chili

Last night was Chili con Carne. When Victor was in Dallas last month I made a pretty big batch of chili. More than even I could eat in a week - and I could live on chili, chili burgers, chili dogs... This was thaw, heat, and eat. Lots of raw onions on mine.

01-20-13-chili-1

As I said - a big pot of chili. I don't quite remember the exact recipe, but it was about a pound and a half of white beans soaked overnight to begin with, a couple of pounds of cubed beef, onions, garlic, cumin, chili powder, ancho chili powder, smoked paprika, chipotle powder, tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes, jalapeños, diced green chilis, salt & pepper. Simmered for a long time.

And it made a few really good chili burgers with chili fries.

01-21-13-chili-burger

With lots of onions...

Tonight was Baked Stuffed Shells with more of the aforementioned hot Italian sausage...

02-22-13-stuffed-shells

All three of these items came out of the freezer. Thaw, heat, eat, again.

If the kitchen gods are willing, I should be able to see into the freezer before my Monday shopping trek. Maybe something good will be on sale...


Leftovers

02-19-13-roast-beef-sandwiches

 

What does tonight's dinner have in common with last night's dinner?!? Just about everything. The beef, the rolls, the mashed potatoes... We had them all last night, albeit in a slightly different format.

I had cooked up a few extra potatoes that were beginning to show their age with the idea of making potato pancakes tonight. Mashed potato pancakes are really a treat from my youth. My mother made them now and again and I always liked them. Slightly crispy on the outside and light and creamy on the inside, they turn leftover mashed potatoes into a great side dish.

The basic is pretty easy - cold mashed potatoes, a bit of flour, an egg, salt, pepper, and some garlic powder. A little finely-minced onion can be added, if desired. Drop scoops onto a hot buttered pan, let cook, flip, cook some more - and eat.

And then we had roast beef sandwiches with horseradish sauce. With lettuce and tomato.

Horseradish sauce is another quick and easy - and really flavorful - accompaniment to roast beef. And another easy-to-make sauce from ingredients probably already in the house. It starts off with a bit of mayonnaise, a bit of sour cream, and a hefty amount of horseradish - the exact amount will vary depending upon how spicy you want your sauce. Next comes a bit of worcestershire sauce, a few shots of Tabasco, and salt and pepper. It's good enough for holiday prime rib and easy enough for deli roast beef.

Same main ingredients, totally different outcome. Mom would be proud.

 


Meat and Potatoes

02-18-13-beef

 

The whole reason for making the dinner rolls today was I wanted roast beef with mashed potatoes, gravy, and green beans for dinner. The menu demands dinner rolls. Dinner rolls demand roast beef with mashed potatoes, gravy, and green beans.

I started off with a petite filet roast and seasoned it with Hunter's Recipe Classic Montreal Steak seasoning. Great stuff. Great flavor.

I did a quick broil - less than 15 minutes total - and it came out perfectly medium-rare.

I french-cut the green beans and after steaming, just did a quick saute in a bit of butter, salt and pepper. The potatoes were mashed with sour cream, and the gravy was pan juices, red wine, mushrooms, and beef stock.

It was a relatively simple meal to put together, but I did manage to dirty four pots. Not a record by any means, but not bad for a Monday...

And there's cake for dessert...


Grandmother's Dinner Rolls

I wanted to make dinner rolls for tonight so I went to my mom's cook book for ideas.  There is a treasure trove of recipes there just waiting to be rediscovered. And I found the perfect one for my rolls - Grandmother's White Bread.

It is a basic white bread recipe with milk and butter - both necessary for that soft crumb.

02-18-13-bread-recipe

I made half the recipe and it made 12 good-sized dinner rolls.

After the first rise, I rolled the dough into a rope and divided it into 12 pieces. I then rolled each one into a ball and placed them on a parchment-lined sheet pan and after their second rise, baked them off for about 16 minutes in a 400° oven. I also brushed the tops with butter when they came out.

The result was a really light, buttery roll with a great crumb and great flavor.

And they took no time at all.


Coconut Macadamia Cake

02-17-13-coconut cake

It turned cold, again. Time to mentally head to Hawai'i.

Hawai'i... I think I could handle paradise for a few years... I've been a visitor enough times and even when I've been there for weeks the time has always ended too quickly... But since that isn't going to be happening this evening, some Hawai'ian flavors will havbe to suffice.

I started off with my basic Genoise. Well... Julia Child's Perfect Genoise. It's a simple recipe that always comes out... perfect. In the cake, I substituted a bit of the vanilla with a coconut emulsion and added it to the whipped cream icing, as well.

The recipe makes one 8" layer, which is perfect for splitting and filling. You can easily get three layers from one cake. Tonight, though, I just made two.

After splitting the cake, I whipped cream with a bit of sugar and flavored with vanilla and coconut. I spread it on the bottom layer and added shredded coconut. I then added the top layer, frosted the rest of the cake with the whipped cream and added chopped macadamia nuts to the side.

It did just what it was supposed to do - satisfy my sweet tooth and transport me to a comfy seat under a palm tree...

 


Sunday French Toast and Fresh-Squeezed Juice

02-17-13-juicer

I've probably mentioned a few (hundred) times that we never buy single-use appliances. I've also mentioned a few (hundred) times that there always seems to be an exception. I'm sure you will be shocked to learn there is now another exception.

Victor bought a citrus juicer.

He has become enamored with a small glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice in the morning and the 1930's green pressed-glass juicer we have used since forever just wasn't cutting it, anymore. And I hate to admit it, but I have to agree. For more than just a couple of oranges, it gets tiring at our advancing age.

I'm not a juicer-proponent, making drinkable meals from every form of produce, imaginable. I figure at some point my meals may just be in some form of liquefied state. I'm in no hurry to get there. But a glass of fresh heirloom orange juice is the perfect accompaniment to breakfast.

And fresh-squeezed orange juice deserves a great breakfast to go around it - Cinnamon French Toast and thick-sliced bacon filled the bill, this morning.

02-17-13-sunday-breakfast

Gorgeous blue skies and sun streaming into the kitchen. It's gonna be a fine day, indeed!

In fact, it has gotten us in the mood of looking into solar power for the house. I don't know if it is feasible, I have no idea what it may cost, but... wouldn't it be nice to get off the grid?!?

We'll keep ya posted.


Veal Stew

02-16-13-veal-stew

 

I'm in major-use-things-out-of-the-freezer mode. My last few shopping trips have been a bit freezer-excessive. I definitely got some good deals and all, but I've kinda lost track of what's in there - and I can't get it organized until I get more stuff out of there.

When things are going well, the first basket is meats, the second poultry, the third vegetables, and the 4th stuff. Right now, stuff is everywhere.

Last night I pulled out the first packet I saw - it was veal stew meat. I didn't have a recipe or a plan... I just needed to use something...

Stew is not something I need a recipe for, but I thought I might like to do something just a bit different, so I grabbed an old Bon Appetit year book... First recipe I saw sounded good. The fact that I didn't have half the ingredients didn't stop me. I know how to substitute!

I went to work...

Veal Stew

  • 1 pound veal stew meat
  • flour
  • garlic powder
  • paprika
  • salt & Pepper
  • olive oil
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 1 cup dry red wine
  • 4 plum tomatoes
  • 1 8oz can tomato sauce
  • 1 tsp dried sage
  • 1 bell pepper, diced
  • 1 jar roasted red peppers, chopped
  • 1 tbsp capers

Mix flour with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika. Toss veal with flour mixture. Heat oil and butter in heavy large pot. Working in batches, add veal to pot and sauté until brown, about 6 minutes per batch. Transfer veal to plate as it is cooked. Saute peppers. Add wine, tomatoes, tomato sauce, chopped peppers,and sage to pot, breaking up tomatoes. Return veal and any accumulated juices to pot; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer 1 1/2 hours. Stir in capers. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve over noodles or pasta, rice, or potatoes.

Definitely a keeper. And since the tomatoes I used were from our garden and frozen in September, I was able to clean out a bit more...