Last Night’s Dinner

Our weekend in photos:

I was inspired by Lydia at The Perfect Pantry to pull out the bag of Fregula Sarda I bought recently and have another go at recreating a dish we had at Marlow and Sons last year. This time around, I made my meatballs using only veal rather than a mixture of meats, I used shallot in place of onion, I upped the proportion of breadcrumbs and I made the meatballs a little smaller. I placed a big spoonful of cooked Fregula in our bowls, added a few meatballs, and ladled over some hot chicken stock to which I had added an abundant amount of fresh herbs just at the last minute. I finished each serving with a grating of Ricotta Salata.

Though we are really trying to work through as much of the stuff in our freezer as possible leading up to our move, we did hit the Greenmarket in Union Square on Saturday morning, where we brought home a lovely guinea hen from Violet Hill. Mike took the bird apart and I later braised it in a mixture of red wine, balsamic vinegar and aromatics.

Sunday was crummy and we both felt like hibernating so a comfort food breakfast was in order: Anson Mills grits with cheddar and parm, fried egg and Tamarack Hollow bacon.

After breakfast, I sat down with our freezer inventory, a stack of cookbooks and my little red meal planner, while Mike did some work on his post for the latest Mixology Monday. He mixed up a round so I could take advantage of the late afternoon light for taking photos, and of course we couldn’t let the drinks go to waste.

I served them with a little cheese and baguette to help counteract the cocktail’s high octane level.

Finally, dinner. We had also brought home a package of grass-fed Angus short ribs from Elk Trails on Saturday, so we thawed them overnight and Mike braised them, using recipes from John Besh, Mario Batali and Suzanne Goin as inspiration. We had four flanken-style ribs which came in at just under 2.5 pounds, and after he browned them, he softened chopped onion, carrots and celery in the remaining fat in the Le Creuset, caramelized a blob of tomato paste, then added a cup of veal stock, 1.5 cups of red wine, one smashed garlic clove, some thyme, a bay leaf, and about a cup and a half of chopped tomatoes. The ribs went back into the pot, he sealed it up and chucked it into the oven for about 3 hours. When the ribs were tender, he stirred in some chopped chard until it was just wilted, and we served it with my sides: creamy mashed potatoes and a horseradish-spiked crème fraiche.

Last week I finally bought a copy of Nigel Slater’s “Real Fast Food,” and I have to say I fell immediately in love with it. I love the fact that it’s compact enough to fit in my (admittedly large) purse so I can peruse it on the subway, and I love the fact that it’s less a collection of “recipes” and more a collection of really fantastic ideas on how to put together ingredients to get something quick and delicious on the table. Life has been hectic lately, and I’ve begun to feel like I’ve fallen into a bit of a rut, but reading this book has been rejuvenating.

Mike, too, has become a big fan of this book, and when he spotted this recipe for Kidneys Cooked with Sherry, he asked me to work it into our meal plan sooner rather than later. I put some fingerlings on to boil when I got home from work last night and then left the kitchen to my husband. As promised, the dish came together quickly and with a minimal amount of fuss, and it was just delicious. Now, if you’re not a fan of organ meats, the texture and rich flavor of the kidneys might be a bit of a challenge, but I found them to be much more mellow than, say, chicken livers, and the sweetness of the onions and sherry provided a lovely contrast.

Kidneys Cooked with Sherry
(for 2, with mashed potatoes)
From Real Fast Food by Nigel Slater

8 lamb kidneys, halved and cores removed*
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon flour
1 wineglass of dry sherry (about 1/2 cup)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Drop the kidneys into the lemon juice and mix well. Leave for at least 10 minutes.

Heat the olive oil in a shallow pan and cook the onion until soft and translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook briefly over a medium heat. Turn the heat up to boil away any liquid. Drain the kidneys, dry them on a paper towel, and add them to the pan. Brown the kidneys on all sides, then stir in the flour and add the sherry with an equal amount of water. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the parsley, taste, and season with salt and pepper.

*The package of kidneys we picked up over the weekend was a little over half a pound and contained 4 kidneys. We felt like we had enough to satisfy us, but we would have liked more so next time around we’ll be sure to buy two packages.

I wish I could say that I was responsible for the contents of this beautiful plate, but the only thing I did was take pictures and dig in.

Not only did my awesome husband bring home a delightful surprise for me last night, but he didn’t let me lift a finger in the kitchen. He cooked up these gorgeous Flying Pigs chops with pan gravy, smashed sour cream-spiked potatoes, and garlicky Red Russian kale while I relaxed on the sofa with a cocktail and we chatted about our day. It was heavenly.

Have I mentioned lately what a lucky girl I am?

Sometimes I feel like I’m in a bit of a rut as far as our meatless dinners go. It’s so easy to fall back on pastas or my beloved risottos, and while soups are wonderful I just wanted something different yesterday. We had a bunch of kale in the crisper drawer that I wanted to use up, and a can of black eyed peas in the cupboard that I’ve had my eye on for a while, but I still wasn’t quite sure how I wanted to put the two together.

Inspiration came (as it often does) from the pages of the current issue of Diner Journal. As I flipped through, I discovered a recipe for a kale and black eyed pea dish topped with a poached egg, and while I didn’t end up using that specific recipe, it was nice to know that I was on the right track as far as the combination of ingredients goes.

I drained and rinsed my peas, washed and chopped my kale into about 1 inch pieces, and set them both aside. I warmed some olive oil in a pan and added half a red onion, chopped, and a bit of salt. I had a few small potatoes left from last week, so I cut them into small cubes and added them to the pan to brown, seasoning them with salt and pepper. Next came three fat garlic cloves, peeled, smashed and roughly chopped, which I sautéed until fragrant. I added a splash of white vermouth next, along with a teaspoon or so of smoked paprika and a splash of sherry vinegar, and then added the black eyed peas and kale. The whole thing got another pinch of salt and a good stir, then I lidded the pan up and let it cook until the kale wilted, about 15-20 minutes.

When the kale and pea mixture was nearly finished cooking I poached my eggs, cracking each one into a ladle before lowering them into simmering water spiked with a bit of vinegar. I spooned my veggies into shallow bowls, placed an egg on top, and drizzled a little olive oil over them. They got a final topping of freshly ground black pepper, and I nestled a couple of little garlicky toasts into the bowls before serving.

Once again, I ended up with a dish that was a bit lacking in the beauty department, but which had loads of flavor. It was hearty and satisfying, the smoky paprika lending depth, that hit of vinegar brightening the earthy veggies, and the golden yolk of the poached egg enrobing it all in richness

The next couple of weeks are going to be all about frugality at Chez Dietschyblossom. We have a short trip ahead, and we want to save up so we can splurge a bit while we’re away. As others have pointed out, one great method of doing this is to prepare one big piece of protein and give it new life in a variety of ways, so that’s just what I’ve planned to do for many of our meals this week.

The protein we started with for this round of dinners was a beautiful bone-in pork shoulder from Flying Pigs Farm. I braised it for several hours on Sunday, and served some of the meat with a pan reduction that night for the first meal of the cycle. The pork shoulder was just shy of 4 lbs. at the start, so we had quite a bit of meat left over to use in other ways.

For our meal last night, I decided to make a pork ragu to serve with strozzapreti pasta. I started with a couple of diced shallots, seasoned with salt and sautéed in olive oil, and then I added about 2 cups of diced pork to the pan. I added a tablespoon of tomato paste and allowed it to caramelize a bit before stirring it through. I had softened about a 1/4 cup of dried porcinis in hot water, so the coarsely chopped, softened mushrooms went into the pan next along with the strained porcini liquid and some dried marjoram. I added a splash of red wine and a cup of my homemade basic tomato sauce, and then let it all simmer, uncovered, while the pasta water boiled.

When the ragu was reduced to the consistency I wanted (the meat soft and shredding apart, the sauce juicy but not soupy), I spooned about half of it into a separate bowl – I ended up with a lot more ragu than I had expected, so I decided rather than make a huge amount of dressed pasta, I’d freeze half of the par-cooked pasta and half of the sauce separately, and combine them later for another meal. I finished cooking the remaining half pound of my strozzapreti in the ragu with a splash or two of the pasta water as I usually do, added some finely grated Parmagiano Reggiano cheese off the heat, and spooned it into our bowls.

We ended up with four good-sized servings of pasta (one of which Mike is having for lunch today), and if you didn’t know any better, you’d have no idea this was a meal based on leftovers.

I know what you must be thinking: risotto again, Jen? Well, yes. You know I love the stuff, and I guess since the whole bacon & egg risotto thing reverberated around the internet, I’ve been a little risotto-obsessed. It’s such a wonderful carrier of flavors, and you can dress it up or down in a multitude of ways. I guess you could say it’s the food version of the little black dress, and I’m always eager to find new ways to accessorize.

Abby’s sweet potato risotto got me thinking about doing a version with roasted squash, and I can think of little that pairs better with roasted squash than fresh sage. I used leeks as the onion-y component of my basic risotto recipe, and added a cup of mashed roasted squash (the sign at the greenmarket said it was Calabaza) to the pan after I added the vermouth and before I began to add my chicken stock.

I fried a handful of large sage leaves in butter until they were crisp and added the sage-infused butter to the cooked risotto off the heat, just before finishing it with grated Parmagiano Reggiano and a splash of heavy cream. I grated a bit more cheese on top and crowned each serving with a couple of the crispy fried sage leaves. The resulting dish was like autumn in a bowl, the squash slightly sweet, the risotto creamy and comforting, and the fried sage providing a nice contrast in texture as well as a wonderful woodsy aroma and flavor.

We usually have wine with dinner, and when I’m planning out the pairings, the food usually comes first. But as I was putting together a grocery order last week and browsing the bottles available through Best Cellars, I was surprised to see a white wine listed among their “Big” selections. The bottle in question was a 2004 Oriel “Dylan” Russian River Valley Chardonnay, and while I’m not usually a fan of big Chardonnays, and the bottle was a bit more spendy than we usually go for weeknight dinners, the description of the wine had me intrigued. I added it to our cart and began thinking about building a meal around it.

I like pairing scallops with Chardonnay, so I decided on that as my protein – simply seared, with a little vermouth-enriched brown butter. The side was a bit more challenging; since scallops are so mild, I tend to match them with something more aggressively flavored or seasoned, but I didn’t want to make anything overpowering. As luck or serendipity would have it, I happened upon a few recipes for celery root remoulade over the weekend, and decided to go with a variation on that theme. I added fennel and apple to the mix, and ended up with a wonderful combination of crunchy, creamy, tart, sweet and tangy – a great foil for both the scallops and our delicious bottle of wine.

Celeriac, Fennel and Apple Remoulade

1 teaspoon kosher salt
Juice of one lemon
1 teaspoon extra-hot Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
4 oz. crème fraiche
2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon
1 not-too-tart green apple
1 small bulb fennel
1 small celery root (celeriac)

Place kosher salt in a bowl, add lemon juice and whisk until salt is dissolved. Add mustard, mayo, crème fraiche and tarragon, and whisk again until well combined.

Core the apple, slice into matchsticks and add to dressing. Core the fennel bulb and slice as thinly as possible. Peel celery root and slice into matchsticks. Blanch the fennel and celery root briefly in unsalted water. Remove the vegetables using a spider or slotted spoon and shock them in an ice bath. Drain them well, pat dry, and add to the dressing. Toss until the mixture is well-combined, cover, and chill before serving.

I love all types of beans, but there’s something about cranberry beans that really sends me. I’m probably in the minority here, but I find the process of shelling them incredibly satisfying – pulling their mottled rose-colored pods open to reveal the deep red swirls on the beans themselves makes me smile every time. While they lose their color in cooking, their nutty flavor and creamy texture make up for it. They’re more than just a pretty face.

My original plan was to use the beans in a hearty soup in the style of a minestrone, but when the forecast called for temperatures in the 80s, I changed things up a bit. I thought a smooth soup would feel a little lighter, and since the basil in our garden is still going strong, I decided to make a basil-walnut pesto to dress it up a bit. With crusty rolls and some sliced garden tomatoes on the side, this meal was a nice celebration of the changing seasons.

Fresh Cranberry Bean Soup

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup diced red onion
1 cup diced carrot
1 cup diced celery
Kosher salt
1-2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
1 pound fresh cranberry beans, shelled (about 2 cups)
3 cups stock (I used some of the homemade chicken stock I made over the weekend, but you can use veggie stock or even water)
Several sprigs fresh thyme
One parmesan rind*
Optional: 1/4 cup crème fraiche or heavy cream
Basil-walnut pesto (recipe below)

*When I get to the end of a wedge of Parmagiano Reggiano or similar grating cheese, I always save the rind. Toss them into a zip top bag and store them in the freezer – they’ll stay good for a long time, and they add great flavor to soups

Heat the oil in a large, heavy bottomed pot, and add the onion, carrot, celery and salt. Allow the vegetables to cook for a few minutes until they begin to soften, and then add the garlic and stir. Cook for an additional minute or two until the garlic is fragrant, and then add the cranberry beans, stock, thyme and parmesan rind. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and cook 30 minutes, until the beans are tender.

Turn off the heat, remove the parmesan rind and thyme sprigs, taste and add more salt if needed. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until smooth. Whisk in the crème fraiche or heavy cream if using. Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with a spoonful of the pesto.

Basil-Walnut Pesto

2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup shelled walnut halves
1 cup fresh basil leaves
Extra virgin olive oil

Place garlic, salt and walnuts into a food processor or mini chopper and pulse. Add the basil and pulse again until you have a coarse, chunky mixture. With the blade moving, slowly add olive oil until the pesto is at the consistency you want (some people like a looser, more fluid pesto; I like mine a little tighter).

Fall has arrived, but there’s still plenty of late-summer produce to be had. In addition to the potatoes, kale and chard I picked up last weekend, I grabbed a few pounds of San Marzano tomatoes, some small eggplant and squash, and a couple of petite bell peppers. I don’t know what I was doing when the great ratatouille craze of 2007 struck, but somehow I missed it and this felt like my last chance to prepare it this season.

My plan was to make crepes and fill them with ratatouille and egg, so while I wanted some texture, I didn’t want an overly-chunky stew. I diced all of my vegetables (1/2 a red onion, one Japanese eggplant, one small green squash and two small bell peppers – one red and one orange) into 1/2 inch dice and set them aside. I heated a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet and added the onion and some salt, allowing it to soften before adding a smashed garlic clove and the remaining vegetables. I added a bit more salt and let them cook about five minutes, and then I added a tablespoon of tomato paste, about 6 fresh San Marzanos, cored and chopped, a splash of white vermouth and a tablespoon or so of Herbes de Provence. I covered the pan and let it cook over medium-low heat for about an hour, stirring it occasionally.

I had put together my crepe batter (Alton Brown’s recipe, but with a pinch of Kosher salt and olive oil replacing the butter) before getting started on the ratatouille so it would be ready to go when the ratatouille was finished cooking. I ended up with 5 big crepes, which I set aside while I cooked a couple of eggs sunny side up in the same pan I had used for the crepes. When my eggs were cooked I laid a crepe on each of two dinner plates, spread some of the ratatouille over each, laid an egg on top and folded them up, serving them with some simply dressed red oak lettuce on the side and a nice, bright Sauvignon Blanc.

This was a light but satisfying meal, and though it takes a bit over an hour from start to finish, it’s easy enough for a weeknight dinner. It also lends itself well to adaptation – while we loved the richness of the runny egg yolk as it blended with the ratatouille, this would be just as good with a little feta or goat cheese instead.

This dish was supposed to happen earlier in the week, but I got sidetracked by sardines, so I put it off for a couple of days. Luckily, the gorgeous poblano peppers I picked up at the Greenmarket on Saturday were still good, so I was able to make chiles rellenos last night.

Chiles rellenos are basically just stuffed peppers, dipped in a light batter and fried until golden, then served on a bed of light tomato broth. The traditional stuffing is picadillo, but it seems the version that appears most often in restaurants in the U.S. is the cheese-stuffed version. I actually prefer the cheesy version, but what I don’t like is ordering rellenos in a restaurant and getting peppers that are encased in such a thick batter that they sit in your stomach like a rock. Making them at home requires a little bit of work, but the result is totally worth it.

To prepare the chiles, place them under the broiler or on a hot grill or burner until the skin is charred and blistered on all sides. Set them aside until they are cool enough to handle, and then carefully peel the skin off. Cut a slit in one side and gently remove any seeds or membranes inside. Stuff each chile with shredded cheese – Monterey Jack, Oaxaca or Queso Quesadilla – and close up the slit with a toothpick. Set the chiles in the fridge for about 20 minutes so they firm up.

For the sauce, I combined a cup of our homemade chicken stock, a cup of crushed tomato, about a teaspoon each of ground cumin and chipotle powder, and a bit of salt in a small saucepan and warmed it over low heat while I got to work on the batter for the chiles. It’s basically Diana Kennedy’s version, though I downsized it just a bit (and still had plenty left over): separate three eggs, add a pinch of salt to the yolks, beat the whites until stiff but not dry, then beat in the yolks one at a time until you have a frothy, pale yellow mixture.

I heated about an inch of oil in a skillet, dusted the stuffed chiles in a bit of flour, dunked them in the batter to coat them, then placed them directly into the hot oil, gently turning them as each side browned. When the chiles were done cooking, I set them on a paper towel to absorb any excess oil and spooned some of the tomato broth onto our plates. I mounded some cumin and lime spiked black beans on top of that, then set the chiles on top.

Wine Pairing: Earlier this week I found a link to pairing wines with typical Mexican ingredients on Rick Bayless’ website, and I was eager to try one of the wines he suggested with our poblanos. Mike picked up this Gruner Veltliner at Union Square Wines, and it was just perfect with our meal, the crispness cutting right through the heat of the chiles.