B is for Boys and Brussels Sprouts

Brussels sprouts. Those little wild cabbage bulbs are everywhere this time of year and they're named after Belgium's capital. They kind of have a bad (undeservedly) reputation. I'm not sure when or why I convinced myself that I didn't like them, but that was a big mistake...

Last month we celebrated my birthday at Fruition, a great New-American eatery that focuses on local and seasonal ingredients. My entree had, among other things, Brussels sprouts. And they were delicious. 

I decided it was time to make them at home. I searched for a recipe but most of the ones that turned up contained bacon (no thanks). And then I stumbled upon this recipe from Smitten Kitchen that looked delicious and used a mustard sauce (yes please). The dish was really tasty and I almost ate a pound of sprouts in one sitting, not that that's a bad thing...Brussels sprouts are really good for you and anti-cancer properties are packed inside! 

Next I think I'll try Mollie Katzen's Braised Brussels Sprouts in Maple-Mustard Glaze, which I saw posted here. 

I have a feeling this is going to be my new go-to vegetable...at least while the season lasts. 

Dijon-Braised Brussels Sprouts (Adapted from Smitten Kitchen)

Serves 4 as a side dish
Ingredients

1 pound Brussels sprouts
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 1/4 cup vegetable cup broth
3 shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 1/2 tablespoon smooth Dijon mustard
Preparation
Trim sprouts and halve lengthwise. In a large, heavy 12-inch skillet heat butter and oil over moderate heat. Arrange halved sprouts in skillet, cut sides down, in one layer. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook sprouts, without turning until undersides are golden brown, about 5 minutes. {My Note: this step is really important because if the sprouts aren't browned on one side they tend to get mushy further along in the cooking process and the texture is compromised.}
Add the shallots and stock and bring to a simmer. Once simmering, reduce the heat to medium-low (for a gentle simmer), cover the pot with a lid (foil works too, if your skillet lacks a lid) and cook the sprouts until they are tender can be pierced easily with the tip of a paring knife, about 15 to 20 minutes.
Remove the lid, and scoop out Brussels. Add cream and simmer for two to three minutes, until slightly thickened. Whisk in mustard. Taste for seasoning, and adjust as necessary with more salt, pepper or Dijon. Pour sauce over Brussels and serve immediately.

In addition to the Brussels sprouts, I've been doing a lot of cooking. I've made carrot curry soup, guacamole grilled cheese sandwiches, millet muffins, oatmeal pancakes, Swiss-chard omelettes, leek-and-yogurt soup with dried mint, and today we made some thin-crust pizza. Initially I thought I would use Jim Lahey's (Sullivan Street Bakery) dough recipe, but I decided to buy some pre-made dough, make a homemade sauce and then assemble the pizza using olive oil, fresh mozzarella, basil, salt, pepper and red chili flakes. Simple.

I took some pictures of my sous-chef and then experimented with fading/contrast effects once I uploaded them to my computer. Not too terrible considering these came from the camera on my cell phone and the lighting wasn't great. 

In addition to cooking, I've also been trying to work on my photography skills. Over the past year and a half since I started this blogging project, I think that my pictures have gotten better. Now I'm not saying that they're 'all-that.' But I think that I've improved from where I started. Now, however, I feel like I've plateaued. I still am not able to fix photos taken in non-optimal light and that is a pretty big weakness. I also don't know any editing software and I think it's time I learn. Lucky for me I have a husband who is constantly encouraging me to get better at something I really like doing. He got me the greatest tool (read: awesome desktop computer) and he installed Lightroom...so now's the time. I've procrastinated long enough.
I'm going to implement some big changes next week. "There's a new sheriff in town"-- and that sheriff is me! Since time is precious in my life (taking care of two little boys doesn't allow for much down-time), I'm going to limit my use of social media because, well, I'm addicted and I need to stop. I'm going to use the hour of free time that I do have to improve on my favorite hobby-- picture-taking! Hopefully I'll be able to update this blog semi-regularly and post my improvements :) Until then, happy eating!

This was taken at Sweet Action, one of the nation's best ice cream parlors  and located right here in Denver! 

Broccoli Soup with Lemon and Ricotta

Before I was getting most of my recipe ideas from Pinterest, I had spent a considerable amount of time on Saveur magazine's list, "Sites We Love." I came across one that I thought had a really cute idea- pairing dishes with music. The site is called "Turntable Kitchen" and each of the recipes has a suggested musical accompaniment. This was of particular interest to me because I had just commented to a friend that I needed to expand my musical repertoire. I think somewhere around the age of 30 I noticed that I had been listening to the same artists over and over (and over again). And I wasn't really downloading anything new on my iPod. It's like, you hit a certain age, you are x number of years away from your college graduation, and you find yourself thinking "Who the hell is that?" while watching the Grammys. What I like about the aforementioned site is that you can find some inspirational ideas for the kitchen and satisfy that new-music craving too. 

Everyone in our family loved the soup, but you really have to season it well. Since there are so few ingredients, good seasoning is key to making this soup successful. 

What I like about the soup is that the real flavor of broccoli comes through...it's not hidden under a pound of cheddar cheese (though, confession: there is a cup of cream in the pot). It feels light and the fresh ricotta and lemon add nice texture and acid. I served it with a thick slice of Italian bread from the Denver Bread Company. It totally hit the spot and it was the perfect lunch.

So, get this soup going while you listen to The Shins- Chutes Too Narrow...or just come up with a pairing that you like better. Enjoy! 

Broccoli Soup with Lemon and Ricotta (Courtesy of The Turntable Kitchen, adapted from Donna Hay)

Serves 4
Ingredients
1 tablespoon of butter
1 leek, thoroughly rinsed and thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 large or 2 small heads of broccoli (florets + stems), roughly chopped
4 cups of vegetable stock
approximately 1 cup (packed) of spinach
1 cup of heavy whipping cream (Next time I think I'll use a 1/2 cup and a little bit of milk)
1 tablespoon of freshly-squeezed lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon of lemon zest
sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper (season the soup well)
1/2 cup of ricotta
Preparation
1. Add the butter to a medium soup pot and heat it over medium-high heat, until it melts. Add the leek and garlic, and cook for about five minutes (until the leek has softened). Stir occasionally to keep the leek from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
2. Next, toss in the chopped broccoli and vegetable stock. Bring to a boil, then cook over medium-high heat for another 10 or so minutes (until the broccoli is fork-tender). Toss in the spinach, cooking for another few minutes.
3. Remove the pot from the heat and use a hand blender to whiz the soup into a puree.
4. Pour in the cream and stir until it is well-incorporated. Next, add in the lemon juice and zest, and season with salt and freshly ground pepper.
5. To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and top each with a hearty spoonful of ricotta.

Cochon's Chocolate-Oatmeal Moon Pies and Musings on New Orleans

Believe me when I tell you that New Orleans is the most fascinating and interesting places in the United States. I grew up in New York City, lived in San Francisco, Tel Aviv, Denver, Portland and Cuernavaca, but there is no place that feels more like home than New Orleans. 

I moved to New Orleans when I was 23 years old and lived there for 5 1/2 years. I bought a fabulous bargeboard shotgun house that had a small front porch, a garden with banana trees and was only a few feet away from a trolley barn in Uptown. I loved the ding-ding-ding of the trolley bells and the sound of the trolley coming down the tracks. 

I moved to New Orleans for law school, which was probably a mistake academically since I wasn't the most mature 23 year old and was too enticed by the city's nightlife (and I really never wanted to be a lawyer), but I don't regret my time there. Not for one minute. 

The city of New Orleans is complex: French, Creole and Spanish influences are strongly felt in many of the city's historic neighborhoods and the vestiges of slavery, segregation and post-war Reconstruction have clearly left their mark on the city in terms of poverty, class and equality. And there is crime. But there is also a tremendous warmth in the city, a colorfulness, a rhythm, a uniqueness and an energy that really can't be matched anywhere else in the United States. 

Every year around this time I get a very intense longing for "The City That Care Forgot." I miss the beads, the music, the pageantry, the parades, the Indians, the oak trees, the drinking and the crowds. I love New Orleans. And I love New Orleans during Mardi Gras. 

I decided to post these pictures from our most recent trip to the Big Easy, just 12 hours after my husband and I got married in New York. We decided to take that trip because we love the city and it's also where we met. We walked the streets, got lost in the Marigny, sat on the porch at our Bed & Breakfast and heard some great music on the city's street corners. 

While I can't get to New Orleans this year for Mardi Gras, rest assured I will be eating some Chocolate-Oatmeal Moon Pies*, trying to find Baby Jesus in a King Cake and putting back a Sazerac...or two! Happy Mardi Gras. 

*Recipe courtesy of Cochon, a great New Orleans  restaurants that serves up one of my favorite desserts...second only to the Creole Bread Pudding with Warm Whiskey Sauce at Commander's Palace. 

 

Chocolate-Oatmeal Moon Pies (Recipe by Chef Stephen Stryjewski of Cochon in New Orleans, LA, published in Bon Appetit Magazine, February 2012)

Ingredients

Cookies

1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 1/4 cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup dried tart cherries, chopped
1 cup pecans, chopped
3/4 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (4 ounces), chopped into chocolate chip-size chunks
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups (packed) dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 7-ounce jars marshmallow creme
Chocolate Dipping Sauce
1/2 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (2 1/2 ounces), chopped
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 cup heavy cream
Preparation
Cookies:
Arrange racks in upper and lower thirds of oven; preheat to 350°. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Combine oats, cherries, pecans, and chocolate in a large bowl.
Using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar in another large bowl, occasionally scraping down sides of bowl, until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add egg and vanilla and beat to blend. Scrape down sides of bowl. With machine running at low speed, gradually add flour mixture; beat just to blend. Stir in oat mixture with a wooden spoon just to blend. 
Using a 1-oz. ice cream scoop or scooping out 2 level tablespoonfuls of dough, measure dough into 36 portions. Divide among baking sheets. 
Using your hands, gently press down on each dough ball until 1/2" thick.Bake cookies for 12 minutes. Rotate sheets front to back and top to bottom; continue baking until cookies are golden brown and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft (cookies will appear underdone and shiny in centers), 7–8 minutes longer. Do not overbake. Let cookies cool on baking sheets.
DO AHEAD: Cookies can be made 2 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.
Spread 1 Tbsp. marshmallow creme on bottom of 18 cookies. Sandwich with remaining cookies.

Chocolate Dipping Sauce: 
Place chocolate and honey in a medium bowl. Bring cream just to a boil in a small saucepan. Pour over chocolate and honey; let stand for 1 minute; stir until melted and smooth. Drizzle over cookies or serve alongside sandwich cookies for dipping.
Yields 18 pies.

Photograph by Ditte Isager

Butternut Squash Lasagna with Basil Béchamel

A friend of mine affectionately called me and my now-husband "weekend warriors." That was before we had children. We were always up to something, like trying an out-of-the-way eatery, trekking to a remote exhibit, or gathering friends to do something a little quirky. 
Well a bunch of years later. and with two boys added to the mix, we are not quite as intrepid as we used to be, but we still try to get out and do things. Recently I took the kids to the Denver Botanic Gardens for the Orchid Show, we went to Breckenridge to see the International Snow Sculpture Championship and this week we drove to Silverthorne to check out the Ice Castle. There were also trips to the Denver Art Museum, the Clyfford Still Museum, the Butterfly Pavilion and we walked through 10 historic, architecturally significant neighborhoods in town. We are always out and about. 
By the time I get back from our morning outings I'm usually quite exhausted. So I decided that this week I would make some "bulk food." I would spend one afternoon cooking non-stop and that would be it for the week, or at the very least, a few days. Not that I mind cooking. I love food and I love preparing it. But I want to start relaxing a few days a week. I'm also going to try to read a bit more while the kids are napping. I know, sounds crazy! But getting through a book is not quite as easy as it used to be. So I'm going to start with some short stories because they don't require the same time commitment as a 300 page novel. I was thinking about Nathan Englander's What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank, but I am open to suggestions.   
Back to my 'bulk food.' I'm going to make Moosewood's Spanakopita and a quiche, but I also wanted to make a pasta dish. I wasn't in the mood for anything 'red sauce.' I was feeling vegetables, but didn't want anything chunky. I did some digging through my many, many recipe printouts and found this one for Butternut Squash Lasagna with a Basil Béchamel. Perfect. I had all the ingredients on hand: basil, no-boil lasagna noodles (fresh pasta sheets would be really nice here-- but there really are only so many hours in the day), milk, cheese, and a 2 pound squash. 
This is a really nice, filling, seasonal pasta dish. It took me an afternoon to make all the food I wanted to make for the week and now I've got a whole bunch of meals that can easily be paired with a salad or simple side dish. For the next few days I can spend the kid's nap time under a blanket, curled up on the couch...reading some short stories.  

Butternut Squash Lasagna with Basil Béchamel (Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis)

Yield:8 to 10 servings
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 (2 pound) butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup water (I added another 1/4 cup as the water evaporated)
3 amaretti cookies, crumbled (I used 3 Graham crackers instead)
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 1/2 cups whole milk
Big pinch nutmeg
1 cup (lightly packed) fresh basil leaves
12 no-boil lasagna noodles or fresh pasta sheets from a specialty store
2 1/2 cups shredded whole-milk mozzarella cheese
1/3 cup grated Parmesan
Directions
Heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the squash and toss to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour the water into the skillet and then cover and simmer over medium heat until the squash is tender, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. (I added another 1/4 cup of water about half way through.) Cool slightly and then transfer the squash to a food processor. Add the amaretti (or graham) cookies and blend until smooth. Season the squash puree, to taste, with more salt and pepper.
Melt the butter in a heavy medium-size saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the milk. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, whisking often, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the nutmeg. Cool slightly. Transfer half of the sauce to a blender*. Add the basil and blend until smooth. Return the basil sauce to the sauce in the pan and stir to blend. Season the sauce with salt and pepper, to taste.
Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F.
Lightly butter a 13 by 9 by 2-inch glass baking dish. Spread 3/4 cup of the sauce over the prepared baking dish. Arrange 3 lasagna noodles on the bottom of the pan. Spread 1/3 of the squash puree over the noodles. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese. Drizzle 1/2 cup of sauce over the noodles. Repeat layering 3 more times.
Tightly cover the baking dish with foil and bake the lasagna for 40 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses over the lasagna. Continue baking uncovered until the sauce bubbles and the top is golden, 15 minutes longer. Let the lasagna stand for 15 minutes before serving.
*When blending hot liquids: Remove liquid from the heat and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes. Transfer liquid to a blender or food processor and fill it no more than halfway. If using a blender, release one corner of the lid. This prevents the vacuum effect that creates heat explosions. Place a towel over the top of the machine, pulse a few times then process on high speed until smooth.