I Ate a Heart in San Francisco

San Francisco's Black Sweet Heart

Okay.

So it's been a while.

Lots to catch up on.  The short version:  Heading towards mid-life crisis, loved ones dying, and Oprah was going off the air.  I needed a change.  Not a maudlin change, just an "It's Now of Never" sort of moment that makes one temporarily insane and utterly convinced one has achieved a nearly euphoric state of clarity, vision, and purpose. So I gave my notice, squashed the hearts of some very amazing young Thespians, and currently find myself a free agent in need of a job.

Make that a free agent in need of a job who now finds himself in San Francisco.  For now.

From the moment we landed, J and I had a singular vision...to eat our way through the city.  After hoofing it across most of Everybody's Favorite City, we landed at J's favorite spot in the world for Thai food - Suriya.

You would have to travel to Siam in order to find more authentic and delicious Thai cuisine.  The menu is fresh and seasonal featuring tasty delights for the carnivore as well as the veggiesaur. We enjoyed 13 Spice Lamb chops with spiced potatoes and a curiously, fiery little dish known as Crazy Jungle curry...or Kooky Pants Psycho Jungle curry...or some kind of name suggesting that there is a madman loose in the jungle and he is preparing really spicy, pumpkiny goodness.

The highlights, however, were at the beginning and end of the meal.  To start, we had the most divine stuffed eggplant, a simple dish featuring those little aubergines crammed full with a chicken and shrimp combo (think almost sausage-like) accompanied by the loveliest,  most verdant, herbaceous sauce I have ever tasted.  Spinach, oyster sauce, basil, cilantro, and a host of other ingredients dancing around the plate highlighting the unctuous flavor of the eggplant and the sweetly savory quality of the meat. J had to forcefully prevent me from licking the plate.  Fortunately, we got the skinny from our server, and I will be playing around with creating my own version (stay tuned for that one).

The real kicker came for dessert:  sweet, sticky black rice with mango.  I know.  Sounds odd.  But the rice had been combined with what tasted like a combination of coconut and condensed milks then placed in the center of slices of fresh mango arranged into the shape of a heart.  Cheesy?  Yes.  Delicious?  Absolutely.  So get yo' @$$ on over to the Bay City and eat yo' heart out.

What's your favorite "crazy" dessert?

Mama's Comin'...

and I can't bake.

Damn.

She does have a taste for ice cream, though.

What if I combined Punk'n Pie with ice cream...

hmmmmm....

Vi-Oh-Lay!

Punk'n Pie Ice Cream


2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 15 oz can pumpkin
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cloves
2 Tbl maple syrup

Combine ingredients in a bowl and mix reeeeeeaallly well.  I recommend using a food processor or an immersion blender.  Pour mixture into ice cream maker and mix that goodness up for 25 minutes (or according to the manufacturers instructions).  Spoon into a separate container and freeze for at least 30 minutes.

Serve with ginger snaps.

Aneeda Baker

I am very susceptible to suggestion.

Once I see something, I have a tendency to glom onto it and not let go until I have either obtained, mastered, or exhausted it.  For two solid weeks I have been whipping my hair back and forth thanks to Willow Smith.  When I saw Iron Man, I flew around the hallways at school "shooting" students with imaginary blasters.

And anything Ina Garten makes, I must make as soon as possible.

I can roast a chicken with the volume turned up.  I can whip up a fabulous pavlova.  I can even make an elegantly simple floral arrangement grouping like colored flowers of varying sizes suitable for the entire gay population of the Hamptons.

But for some reason, I cannot bake.

I have tried to make Ina's friggin Gingerbread Cupcakes with Orange Frosting, and each time they turned out like delicious little undigestible hockey pucks guaranteed to stove you up for at least a three days.   I have used the paddle attachment as the Ina has instructed.  I have used an electric mixer. I have even mixed the entire concoction by hand to ensure I don't over mix the damn things.  And still, tiny little ginger scented doorstops.

Gastroterrorism in cupcake form.

I have decided that the improviser in me refuses to bow to the rigid constraints of the baker's regime and have abandoned all hope of ever winning the dessert round on Chopped.

If you have any tips on how to make these things edible, I would love to hear 'em.

Please note that I would never besmirch the name of Ina Garten and take full responsibility for my failure.  I am not worthy.


But I would love to live in her barn.

Back to life

So.

Earlier I stated that in my "other life" I am a high school theatre teacher.  Given my two month absence from my haven of cooking on the interweb, it has become painfully clear that my other life has taken over my other, other life.

Tonight, I walked in from work, journals to grade, scenes to evaluate, end of term comments to write, a (gulp) middle school play to cast, and said, "Screw it."

And I decided to cook.

So I made a bee line for my Gourmet Today cookbook to find my fave fall recipe, Chicken with Black Pepper-Maple Sauce (p. 409), and I dove right in to spatchcoking the $#!* out of that chicken.  Shoulders fell as autumn aromas filled my tiny kitchen.  Anxiety left as I roasted potatoes with fresh rosemary, garlic and lemon wedges.  And, spirits lifted as I finally perfected a squash soup recipe (all previous attempts looking like something akin to gravy).

And I remembered that my soul is always brighter when I'm dancing around a soup pot.

Curried Acorn Squash Soup

This soup is a fantastic combo of sweet and savory.  If you've got it, top off each bowl with a bit of black salt. It cuts through the sweetness of the apples and makes it look real purty like.

2 cups onion, chopped
1 carrot
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium acorn squash, peeled and chopped into cubes
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and chopped
3 Tbl olive oil
2 Tbl curry powder
1 tsp galangal
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp groung corriander
4 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup apple cider
salt 'n pepper

In a large stock pot, heat oil and curry powder for about 1 minute.  Add onions, sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper, and stir until coated.  Cook for about 5 minutes.  Add carrots,garlic, and remaining spices, and cook for an additional 5 minutes.  Stir in squash and apples, cover, and cook for 5 - 7 minutes, until squash begins to become tender.  Add stock and bring to boil.  Reduce heat, add cider, and simmer for ten minutes.  Off the heat, puree soup with an immersion blender until smooth.

My Life with Snow White

Oh my God!  You cook like one of the seven dwarfs!

This is what my Valentine exclaimed as he entered the kitchen.

Naturally, this made me Happy.  Clearly J understands how joyous my time dancing around a soup pot makes me.  However, I quickly felt Dopey when I realized he was talking about the disastrous state in which I had left the kitchen.  I became a little Grumpy for surely he knows that I am never Bashful when I am concocting culinary delights for us.  I may be a little Sneezy from being heavy handed on the pepper.  Maybe I should see a Doc and get my head looked at.

Whatever.

You can whistle while you clean up the kitchen, Snow White, Sleepy's going to bed.

Note
J exclaimed this with a loving smile in his voice.  He has also described me as a crafty whirling dervish who scurries about gathering up everything I see and throws it all up in the air expecting fireworks.  When I get fireworks, it's sublime.  When no fireworks occur, I harrumph and start all over again in hopes of making an even bigger light display...which I think is pretty swell.


Beet and Caramelized Onion Tarts


2 beets
1 yellow onion, sliced
4 Tbl butter
2 Tbl chili oil
3 sprigs rosemary
1 tsp ground sage
1 1/2 cups water
2/3 cup sugar
salt n' pepper
1 sheet puff pastry
Shaved pecorino (or crumbled bleu or goat cheese)

For the onions
In a small sauce pan, heat butter and oil over low heat until butter melts.  Stir in sage and add rosemary sprigs.  Add sliced onions and stir to coat.  Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.  Cook over low heat, stirring about every five minutes until onions are nice and caramelized (about 30 minutes).  Remove rosemary stems and discard.

For the beets
In a small sauce pan, bring water, sugar, 1 1/2 Tbl salt, and 1 Tbl freshly ground pepper to a boil.  Wash and peel the beets.  Using a mandolin, slice beets into thin disks.  Add beets to the pot and cook for 3 minutes.  Turn off heat and allow beats to remain in the hot liquid for an additional 2 minutes.  Strain beets and separate them to dry completely.

For the tarts
Preheat oven to 400. Defrost puff pastry according to directions.  On a lightly floured board, cut pastry into four rectangles and roll out into approximately 5" by 4" tarts.  Using a knife, create a 1/2" border around the edge being careful not to  slice all the way through.  Inside the border, prick a gazillion holes with a fork to prevent pastry from rising.  Place on baking sheet

Layer beets into pastry, slightly overlapping.  Each tarts uses about 6 to 8 slices.  Using a spoon, spread a thin layer of the onions on top. Throw those suckers in the oven for about 20 minutes.  Take tarts out of oven and top with your choice of cheese.  Return to oven for an additional five minutes until cheese has melted.  Drizzle with a SMALL amount of balsamic.  Serve with wilted spinach and beet greens or a simple arugula salad.

An EndSummer Night's Panic

Last week, in response to the "official" end of summer that is Labor Day, I went into a full on panic.

I was mourning the loss of free time, a dip in finances, and solemnly lamenting the transformation into "Mr. Duff" and bid "Scott" a fond farewell for the next nine months.

My response:  to cook up a storm.

I made pesto and green goddess dressing.  I made minted grilled eggplant to incorporate into couscous and paprika covered roasted chicken.  There were fennel and caramelized onion turkey burgers, sweet potato fries with curried mayonnaise, and mango and strawberry fro yo with basil.  And J was in Mississippi celebrating his parent's 50th wedding anniversary.

It was nothing less than manic.

When J returned to Memphis, two days later, I had wanted to make something special for him.  His request:  pasta.

Pasta?

Well...I had some ground turkey still on hand, some spinach penne, tomatoes, and the bounty of the past few days in the fridge.

Here is what I made.

Okay, so this is with chicken and not turkey balls,
but it's still tasty.

Spinach Penne with Sauteed Tomatoes and Turkey Meatballs


1 lb spinach penne
1 lb cherry tomatoes
2 Tbl chili oil
3 cloves garlic
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/3 cup pesto
5 oz fresh spinach
Turkey Meatballs (recipe follows)

Get that water boiling for the pasta.  Once it comes to a rolling boil, add a bunch of salt (do you like the exact measurements?) and let that penne cook.  Roughly 13 minutes.  After six minutes, in a large preheated saute pan, throw in the 'maters. Do that fancy chef tossy thing and let those bad lads release their juices.  After four minutes, add garlic.  Cook for an additional two minutes.  Throw in parsley.

Before draining pasta, reserve about 1/2 cup of pasta water.  Drain pasta and return to the pot.  Add pesto and tomatoes and toss to coat.  Add spinach and hot pasta water to help wilt.  Spoon into a bowl and top with Turkey Meatballs.


Turkey Meatballs

Taking the time to caramelize onions and fennel not only give the meatballs tremendous flavor but adds the necessary fat to prevent them from drying out.  'Cuz no one likes dry turkey balls.

1 lb ground turkey
1/2 large Vidalia onion, sliced
1/2 funnel bulb, sliced
1/2 stick butter
1 tsp olive oil
1 large egg, beaten
1/4 cup Parmesan
1/4 cup bread crumbs

In a small sauce pan, heat butter and oil over low heat until butter has melted.  Add onions and fennel and season with salt and pepper.  Cover with a lid to speed up the caramelizing process.  That's right...we're caramelizing these suckers.  Stir occasionally and be patient.  This takes about 30 minutes.  Once they have turned a lovely golden color, transfer mixture to food processor and puree until a smooth consistency.

Preheat oven to 400.  In a large mixing bowl, combine turkey, egg, cheese, bread crumbs, and onion/fennel mixture with your hands, until all ingredients are incorporated.  Using a small ice cream scoop to portion, roll turkey into meatballs and place on parchment lined baking sheets.  Bake for 25-30 minutes.

Annoyingly Annoyed

I know I have to be the most annoying person in the world right now.

"Why," you may ask?

Because I am filled with the smug, self-satisfaction of not only being visited by Genius who enabled me to figure out which play my students will take to the American High School Theatre Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland, but, through my diligent work ethic and proper preparation, I have simultaneously created a brilliant dinner AND lunch for tomorrow.

And my camera...died.

No photos for you.  But use that little movie camera inside your noggin and live the fantasy.

Dinner:  


Rosemary and Thyme roasted New Potatoes
Oven Roasted Trout with lemon and dill
Sauteed Spinach

Lunch:


A delightful salad of the Perfect Chicken breast, Minted Grilled Eggplant, peas, and baby spinach soon to be tossed in homemade pesto.

I know.  Even I want to slap myself.


Oven Roasted Trout with Lemon and Dill


1 dressed Rainbow Trout (with head on...to keep it interesting)
1 lemon, sliced into rounds
4-5 sprigs of dill
a healthy drizzle of Chili Oil
a liberal salt 'n peppering

Preheat oven to 400 (perhaps you are roasting potatoes already).  Place trout on baking sheet and oil that bad lad inside and out.  Season the cavity with salt and pepper.  Layer lemon and dill inside cavity.  Add any extra slices on top.  Pop that baby in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until cooked through.

Delish!