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Ever since I made a baked polenta recipe, the result of an expedition to the way-back of my fridge, I've been thinking that I had better do something with the remaining corn meal before it germinates. What else does one use corn meal for but for corn bread? Obvs!
There is a simple recipe for corn bread in The Ski House Cookbook, but it's meant as a savory side and I wanted something sweet for breakfast. So...I just increased the amount of sugar and poured the batter into a muffin tin. Voilà! I definitely recommend eating them while they are still warm, slathered with butter. Mmmm...butter. And then I would suggest a trip to the gym.
Corn Muffins
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1/3 cup sugar
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus additional for serving
1. Preheat the oven to 425° F. Butter a jumbo muffin pan and set aside.
2. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a medium bowl whisk together the egg, buttermilk, sugar, and butter. Pour the buttermilk mixture into the cornmeal mixture and stir just to combine.
3. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 15 - 20 minutes, until lightly golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly before serving. Makes 6 jumbo muffins (or about 9 regular sized muffins). Serve warm with butter, honey, or jam.
I can't tell if I've been busy or lazy. Or maybe both. My cooking seems to have gone down the tubes, but occasionally I'm still able to throw together a meal. Lately I've been into cooking (when I actually cook) super fast dishes that take little to no prep time. As long as I have onions and garlic, I feel like I can come up with something.
Fortunately I found shrimp in the freezer and tomatoes in the cupboard so all I needed was some feta and dill to finish this recipe off. I've often come across versions of this recipe in Greek restaurants and happily discovered that it's quite simple to assemble. In fact, the most difficult hurdle for me was figuring out how to cook my fancy Israeli couscous that had no cooking directions on the package. I guess the message here is that if you're paying top dollar for an imported product, you should know what you're doing. Who knew that grocery items could be pretentious?
Shrimp With Tomatoes and Feta
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (14.5-ounce) can of diced tomatoes, with juices
2 tablespoons finely minced fresh dill
1/2 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
Cooked couscous, orzo, or rice, optional
1. Preheat the oven to 425˚ F. Heat the oil in an oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
2. Add the tomatoes and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for about 5 minutes, until the tomato juices thicken slightly.
3. Remove the skillet from the heat. Stir in the dill and shrimp and season with the salt and pepper. Sprinkle the feta over the top. Bake until the shrimp are cooked through and the cheese is melted, about 12 minutes. Serve over couscous (or orzo or rice), if desired. Serves 2.
Here's a quick pantry meal if, like me, you haven't been shopping and have no fresh vegetables or meat or eggs so just keep going out for dinner or eat cereal on the couch. (Oh, just me?) And yes, I recognize that it's probably just me that has basmati rice and red lentils in "my pantry." But you could use regular lentils and plain white rice...or just order it in from your local Indian restaurant. And maybe throw in a few samosas and alu paratha and...
Red Lentil Dal
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups water
1 cup dried red lentils
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup basmati rice, cooked according to package directions
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
1 jalapeño chili, seeded, chopped (optional)
1. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.
2. Stir in the garlic, turmeric, cumin, and ginger and cook for 2 minutes. Add the water and lentils and bring to boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer until the lentils are tender, about 15 minutes.
3. Puree the dal partially with an immersion blender with a few quick pulses, if desired. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with rice and top with cilantro and chili, if desired.
I made mussels the other night to satisfy a craving that I had (which was probably more for the fries that I always have with mussels, but refuse to make). I considered a Thai-Curry-Lemongrass extravaganza but worried that mine would never live up to the versions I've had in restaurants. I mean, it's kind of a waste if the sauce doesn't turn out. Then what would I do with a lone, 2-foot baguette?
Instead of simply relying on my old standby of mussels steamed in white wine, I added...heavy cream! And more garlic! You know. To make them...different.
Typically "they" say that you should cook with a wine that you would drink, so why not one that you would drink with your meal? Muscadet, a white wine (and region) from the far western reaches of the Loire Valley, is a classic pairing with oysters, so I figured that it would work just as well with mussels. The light, crisp acidity also helps to balance and cut through the richness of the cream sauce. You'll see from the label that this particular Muscadet is from Muscadet-Sèvre et Maine, a sub-appellation which is the highest producing in all of the Muscadet region. The bold, "Sur Lie" indicates that the wine has been in contact with the dead yeast cells left over after fermentation ("on the lees") during the aging process in order to enhance the flavor and complexity of the wine. (The French have recently - in the last 15 years - regulated the inclusion of the term sur lie on labels to wines that comply with set guidelines.) Now you know everything.
Mussels in White Wine and Garlic Cream Sauce
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 cup dry white wine
2 pounds mussels, washed and scrubbed, beards removed (discard any open or broken shells)
1/2 cup heavy cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Rustic, crusty bread
1. Place a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add the butter and garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 - 2 minutes. Add the wine and bring to a simmer. Add the mussels, cover, and cook for 6 - 8 minutes, until the mussels have opened. (Discard any unopened mussels.)
2. Remove the mussels to a serving bowl, leaving the broth in the pot. Add the heavy cream to the broth and increase the heat to bring to a boil. Once at a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 2 minutes to thicken slightly. Season to taste with salt and pepper and then stir in the parsley. Pour the broth over the mussels, allowing any sediment (but not garlic!) to remain in the bottom of the pot. Serve with crusty bread if desired. Serves two.
*NOTE: Save any leftover garlic cream sauce and mussels (removed from their shells) to toss with a pasta like fettuccine or cappellini. (I'd show my photo of the pasta, but since I had removed their shells, the mussels just aren't as cute on their own, ya know?) So here's a mess of garlic instead.
Granola is one of those "health foods" that isn't necessarily healthy, unless you make it yourself. Even then it's questionable. (The amount of fat and calories significantly limits portions.) I usually make it with butter because I like the flavor better than a neutral oil, but then I remembered reading about Melissa Clark's version with olive oil. At least it's a "good fat."
The olive oil is a really subtle flavor in this recipe (so subtle that I don't think I can even taste it) so don't worry that this is going to taste "weird." I mean, there's olive oil cake and olive oil gelato and those taste pretty fabulous so how bad could this be? This recipe, like all granola recipes, is really simple to throw together and makes probably three times the amount for the same price of a packaged bag from the store. And you only have to include the components that you like. I hate dates and raisins so you'll never see them in my version. I also thought Melissa's version was a little sweet for my taste so I decreased the sugar. Tweak the recipe to your specific tastes and enjoy a "healthy" breakfast. Just not all in one sitting.
Olive Oil Granola
(Adapted from Melissa Clark)
3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
3/4 cups raw pistachios, hulled
3/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds, hulled
1 cup sliced almonds
1 cup unsweetened shredded or flaked coconut
2/3 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup chopped dried cherries or dried cranberries (optional)
Yogurt, for serving (optional)
Fresh berries, for serving (optional)
1. Preheat the oven to 300˚F. In a large bowl combine the oats, pistachios, pumpkin seeds, almonds, coconut, maple syrup, olive oil, brown sugar, and salt. Spread the mixture on a rimmed baking sheet in an even layer and bake for 45 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until golden brown.
2. Transfer the granola to a large bowl and add the dried fruit, if using, tossing to combine. Serve with yogurt and fruit, if desired. Makes about 9 cups.
Turns out that I had a spare 6 hours to make a classic Bolognese meat sauce this weekend, or, Ragù as it is called in Bologna. (I worked it in while also taking photos of manicures...) I don't know why I thought this was a great idea. I never even had this classic when I was actually in Bologna, so it's not like I have some weird sensory memory that I'm clinging to. But...I grabbed Marcella Hazan's Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking cookbook and got to work.
Here's the thing about Marcella. She is a marvelous cook and I love her books, but she doesn't always offer suggested times for the various steps in her recipes...well...at least not for this recipe. (I rely on them to help me gauge how long each step should take!) Sooo...when I first glanced at this recipe I figured it would be about 20 minutes of hands on cooking, and then 3 - 4 hours of more or less unattended cooking. Wrong! It was more like TWO HOURS of hands on cooking time. Don't ask me why I thought it would take, like, 8 minutes to simmer (not boil!) an entire cup of wine until it disappeared, but I did. Ummm...it takes, like, 58 minutes to do that! Maybe my heat was too low, but Marcella said medium heat. Maybe my pot was too small so there was less surface area to encourage evaporation. Whatever. I somehow screwed it up and ended up standing at the stove for much longer than I had anticipated.
In the end, the Ragù was delicious (even the next day when I finally took the photos), but I think I would prefer just a little less wine than called for, so I've adjusted the recipe below. It's the most noticeable flavor to me and I would prefer just a bit less of it in the sauce, more in my glass. (Incidentally I used a Gavi, a classic Italian white from Piedmont.) I also substituted fettuccine for the traditional homemade tagliatelle for obvious reasons. (Not obvious? I don't have a pasta maker.) Now I'm ready for a marathon. Of Jersey Shore.
Pasta Bolognese
(Adapted from Marcella Hazan)
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
2/3 cup chopped celery
2/3 cup chopped carrot
3/4 pound ground beef chuck (or 1/2 pound ground beef and 1/4 pound ground pork)
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup whole milk
3/4 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 cups whole Italian plum tomatoes, cut up with their juices
1 1/2 pounds pasta (fresh tagliatelle or dried fettuccine or rigatoni)
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1. Place a large, heavy bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the oil, butter, and chopped onion and cook until the onion is translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the chopped celery and carrot and cook, stirring to coat, about 3 minutes.
2. Add the beef, and pork if using, about 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and a pinch of black pepper. Cook, stirring to crumble the meat, until it is cooked through and no longer pink, about 7 minutes.
3. Add the milk and let it simmer gently, stirring frequently, until it has cooked off completely (can be up to 20 minutes).
4. Add the wine and allow it to simmer until it has completely evaporated (can be up to 30 minutes). Add the tomatoes and stir to combine. Bring the sauce to a rolling simmer and then reduce the heat so that it cooks at the lowest simmer possible, with just an occasional bubble breaking the surface. Continue to cook, uncovered, for 3 (or up to 4) hours, stirring occasionally. If the sauce begins to dry out and sticks to the bottom of the pan, add a 1/2 cup water. At the end of the cooking time there should no longer be any excess liquid. Taste and adjust seasoning.
5. Toss the sauce with the cooked drained pasta and serve with Parmesan on the side. Serves 6.
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