veggie veggie

Dear Mom,

Well, thank God its over!  What's over, you ask?  My two week stint as a vegetarian.  Quite a stupid endeavor I'll have to admit.  Not to say that going vegetarian is stupid, its just totally dumb to do it for two weeks.  I was convinced by my husband and a documentary that he made me watch that animal protein was bad for you.  That is probably correct, but you know what?  I don't care.  I like meat and cheese and eggs and I'm proud of it!  So I tried to give up meat and eggs (not cheese, I just could not give up cheese) for two weeks, with the end goal of, "if I feel better, I might just stick with it."  Well, newsflash, two weeks is probably not enough, and lets be honest the end goal did not involve becoming a veg for the rest of my life.  So what did I learn?  Well, I learned a couple of new veggie friendly recipes and I'm going to cut back on my meat consumption.  That's about it.  Not exactly worth giving up meat for two weeks, but this is a very tasty recipe so some good did come of the attempt.

roasted red pepper and cauliflower pasta

1 head of cauliflower, chopped into bite-sized pieces

4 cloves of garlic, minced

4 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

salt & pepper

2 large shallots, sliced

1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup white wine (Pinot Grigio works great)

1 tbsp. tomato paste

1 oz. jar roasted red peppers, drained (in water, or if in oil, drain and rinse them in cold water)

chopped fresh basil

pasta, cooked and drained, reserve some pasta water (really any kind you like, I used a lemon-pepper pappardelle) 

Preheat oven to 400.  On a sheet pan toss the cauliflower, minced garlic, 4 tbsp. EVOO and salt & pepper to taste.  Spread in a single layer and roast in the oven for 25 minutes, stirring & flipping at the halfway point.  The cauliflower should be lightly browned and toasty when done.

Cook pasta according to package directions, reserve some of the pasta water.  

Meanwhile, in a saucepan or deep saute pan heat 1 tbsp. EVOO and add shallots.  Saute the shallots until they begin turning golden.  Add tomato paste and let brown a little, then add white wine and scrape up the brown bits.  Puree the roasted red peppers in a blender or food processor and add to the shallot-wine mixture.  Bring to a light simmer.

Add to the saucepan the roasted cauliflower and bits of minced garlic from the sheet pan.  Stir to combine.  Add the pasta and toss over medium-low heat, add some of the reserved pasta water if the sauce is too thick or not adhering to the pasta.

butternut squash redux

Dear Kristin,

Your bacon and squash galette looks wonderful. I've just recently started using butternut squash - I was always an acorn girl up until now. I'm learning that squash is the "Sybil" of the vegetable world - able to take on multiple personalities with the addition of just a few basic ingredients. I know you and your mate are trying to curtail the amount of animal protein in your diets - so I'm offering a side dish that you can make without any animal-related products whatsoever.

We were looking for a side dish to serve with lemon chicken and the thought of just another potato or rice dish was just not very exciting. I've been wanting to do something with quinoa for quite some time, and thought that it would do nicely as a starchy side dish. A friend recently served Wegman's recipe for squash & grain bake and I've also had quinoa with squash and craisins, and these dishes were my inspiration.

I've never made quinoa before, and when I brought it home & opened it up your dad gave me one of those "oh here we go" skeptical looks and retreated to his man-cave to await what he was sure was going to be a bland substitute for rice. Well, I've made a believer out of him with this recipe. I cooked the quinoa in a mixture of water and chicken stock to boost the flavor a bit (to make it vegetarian friendly you could use vegetable stock). I also added some red onions (because we love onions), and instead of using craisins, which tend to get lost easily, I used frozen cranberries instead. The cranberries were an inspired addition - they really add a nice tangy "pop" that makes this side dish stand out.

Just a warning - this dish makes a lot! Since it is just a side dish, I think I will cut it down to half the next time.

Red Quinoa with Squash and Cranberries

1 cup red quinoa
1 cup lower sodium chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
1 1/4 cup water
3 cups butternut squash, large dice
2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries, halved
1 medium red onion, large dice
1 clove garlic (or more to taste)
2 Tblsp. good quality maple syrup
Kosher salt
Extra virgin olive oil

Cook quinoa:

Place quinoa in large fine sieve and rinse with cold water. Drain and place in saucepan with chicken stock and water. Bring to a boil. Cover, lower heat and simmer for 17 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for 10 minutes.

Prepare vegetables:

Place squash, cranberries, onion and garlic on large baking sheet lined with non-stick foil. Drizzle with olive oil and maple syrup. Sprinkle with kosher salt. Toss mixture to coat. Spread mixture evenly in pan and roast in 400 F. oven for 20 to 30 minutes, until squash is tender.

Fluff quinoa with a fork and place in a large pre-warmed serving bowl. Add roasted vegetables and toss. Add salt to taste. Drizzle lightly with olive oil. Serve hot.

comfy's note: I imagine this would work as well with acorn squash. Stuffing a presoftened acorn squash shell with the quinoa mixture would make a nice presentation.

my little butternut

Dear Mom,

Well, Valentine's Day just flew by this year! But its still a perfect time to talk about love. The kind of love between a woman and her favorite ingredients. For me, that's butternut squash, bacon and blue cheese. Admittedly these are not my only favorites, the list truly could go on and on, but I would say these are towards the top of the list. For that matter so are caramelized onions and pie crust which are also featured in this dish. Although I'm sure those two are on a lot of people's list of favorites. My husband, on the other hand, is not a huge squash fan. If squash is to be served in my house, it better be really good, otherwise you simply can't win him over. But considering its one of my faves I must keep trying. The easiest way to win over anyone, my hubs included, is with bacon. Fortunately for me squash and bacon are a match made in heaven.

butternut squash, bacon and blue cheese galette

4 small onions sliced
1 tsp. sugar
extra virgin olive oil
2 cups sliced butternut squash (about 1/8-inch thick)
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary
salt & pepper
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tbsp. your favorite mustard (preferably a sweeter one, with out whole grain)
1 unbaked pie crust
3 slices bacon, cooked to crispy and crumbled
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese

Preheat oven to 400F.  Toss the onions, sugar, salt (to taste) and enough olive oil to lightly coat the onions in a non-stick saute pan over medium-low heat.  Allow to soften and carmelize over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for 15-20 minutes. 

In a large bowl toss the butternut squash, 2 tbsp olive oil, rosemary and salt and pepper to taste, until squash is well coated.

Unroll the pie crust on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Spread the mustard over the crust leaving a 1-inch border.  Top with the onions, covering evenly.  Starting in the center lay out the squash slices, overlapping them as you go working your way to the 1-inch border.  Working with the egg wash, gently fold the 1-inch border approximately 3-4 inches long over the squash.  Brush with egg white at one end of the fold and use that to help "glue" the next 3-4 inch fold over.  Keep working your way around until all edges are folded over.  Lightly brush all exposed crust with egg wash.

Bake in hot oven for 25 minutes, squash should start to brown lightly.  Remove from oven and top with crumble bacon and blue cheese.   Return to oven for 5-8 minutes until blue cheese is melted.

the perfect couple

Dear Kristin,

One of the surest signs that a marriage is divinely ordained is when one partner likes the drummette portion of a chicken wing, while the other partner prefers the flatter, or as you and I call them, the "two-boned" part of the wing. Your father and I are blessed with such a marriage. It also helps if you both like the same amount of "heat" in your wings - again, your father and I are born soul-mates here. We prefer our wings on the milder side, leaving at least some sensation in our lips and mouths once we've finished eating.

Born and raised in Buffalo, we were introduced to the chicken wing in its purest form. A crispy wing, coated in hot sauce and topped with a dab of blue cheese dressing is, in our humble opinion, the only true way to enjoy these little delicacies.

Unfortunately, it is extremely difficult to find a restaurant or take-out place that meets our high standards. Barbequed wings? No. Honey-dipped, parmesean encrusted, sea-salt soaked and brined, battered and butterflied? No. Just the original, please - the way they used to serve them at the original Anchor Bar in Buffalo. Sadly, I've heard from trusted sources that even the Original Anchor Bar doesn't make 'em the way they used to. The only place we've found that meets our rigorous standards now is Duff's Famous Wings with locations in suburban Buffalo.

Trips to Buffalo for a bucket of wings are not always practical. I was forced to come up with a recipe that we could make at home that would satisfy our cravings. Since we don't have a restaurant quality deep fryer, and since deep fried chicken wings are so incredibly bad for you, I decided to bake them in the oven instead. Surprisingly, the wings come out just as crispy - and it's much easier to keep an eye on them, making sure that they don't get overdone and dried out or burnt. As for the sauce - two ingredients. Butter and Frank's hot sauce. No substitutions here, please. Real butter and Frank's hot sauce are the only way to go. I know you and your hubs like things a little hotter (wasn't that a tabasco sauce-fountain at your wedding reception?), so certainly adjust the amount of hot sauce accordingly.

buffalo style chicken wings

12 chicken wing portions
Kosher salt
pepper
3 Tblsp. butter
3 Tblsp. Frank's hot sauce*, or more to taste
Blue cheese dressing
Celery

Heat oven to 400 F. Line a baking sheet with foil. (the no-stick foil works wonders here - if you can't get it, you may want to spray the foil with cooking spray). Pat chicken wings dry and place on baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 45-50 minutes, turning once half-way through the cooking time.

For the sauce: Melt butter and stir in hot sauce.

Serve wings hot out of the oven with blue cheese dressing and celery.

*comfy's note: This amount of hot sauce yields a really tame sauce, If you like 'em hotter (which I know your atomic heat-seeking hubby does), feel free to add more.

dinner for one

Dear Mom,

Well, this is one of the few times that my nagging has paid off!  I'm a quite accomplished nagger, just ask my husband.  I have learned though, in the short time that we've been married, that nagging is really not an effective tactic for getting things accomplished, especially around the house.  I've tried to dial back the nagging and I find I'm a happier person.  Nothing is worse than asking someone to do something, repeatedly, only to have your requests ignored.  I think the male brain is actually hardwired to shut off his ears after listening to the female voice ask him to do something five times.  I can only assume that the number of times may decrease over the life of the marriage. 

I've also found that its easier not to nag someone when they are not around, and unfortunately John hasn't been around to nag lately.  He has started traveling for work again, we had a nice little holiday break where he was home, but duty calls and he's on the road again.  Usually when he's away I keep my dinners pretty simple and I try for healthy.  Although, I do hate to let anything in the fridge go bad.  Especially bacon.  So the other night I decided to use up the bacon and make a quick spaghetti carbonara for myself.  This recipe is super simple and relatively quick.  I made this for "one," but I'm a pretty big eater.  This would probably be great for two, if you did salad and bread with it.  If you just want to cut straight to the chase, then double the recipe and chow down!

spaghetti carbonara

whole wheat thin spaghetti (see my note about quantity below)
1/2 cup frozen peas
4 strips bacon (preferably thick-cut, applewood smoked, but any will do)
1-2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 small onion, chopped fine
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup white wine (I like pinot grigio)
two eggs, beaten well
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

Prepare the spaghetti according to package directions, while spaghetti is boiling make the sauce.

In a large skillet, crisp the bacon.  Remove from pan and pat with paper towels and chop into bite-sized pieces.  Dump out most of the bacon fat, reserving about a tablespoon in the pan.  Return pan to medium high heat, add the EVOO, onion, and garlic.  Saute until browned.  Add the white wine, scraping up all the browned bits, and bring to a simmer.

Microwave the frozen peas, with a little water, until partially cooked (a minute or two on high should do it).

When the pasta is done, using tongs, place pasta directly into skillet with onion/garlic mixture.  Toss to combine.  Return pan to medium to medium low heat.  Slowly pour the beaten eggs, in a thin stream, into the pasta mixture tossing with tongs the entire time.  (You may not need all of the eggs, just enough to get a creamy, saucey consistency.) 

Finish by tossing in the peas, bacon and parmesan cheese.

cosmo's notes: I have absolutely no idea how to measure dry pasta.  When I made this as a single serving for myself I eyeballed maybe about a stack of pasta about an inch in diameter.  Hopefully, you've made pasta enough that you know how much you need for one to two servings.