Women Eat NYC

A Rainy Night Calls For Tortellini en Brodo

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 23:06:00 -0500

It’s 7:00 pm. I’ve just gotten off the train in Queens, and walk the 7 “short blocks” (as my real estate broker called it) to my apartment. In the rain. It’s the kind of rain that soaks your jeans so they cling cold to your legs. It’s raw. There’s a pool of backed-up drain water I awkwardly and unsuccessfully leap over. One side of my yellow umbrella feebly hangs slack due to a broken rib and sends a steady stream of water down the back of my new wool coat.

We’ve all had to endure gross weather like this. It’s the kind of weather that makes you cancel your plans to go to the gym (but let’s be real, any kind of weather is fair game for that excuse). A stormy night is perfect for staying in and making belly-warming comfort food. Today, after taking off my socks and warming my feet with my hairdryer, I pulled out some beef broth and tortellini for a quick and easy Italian soup, Tortellini en Brodo.

Tortellini en Brodo is kind of the perfect cold weather soup: rich beef broth, plump cheese-filled pasta, parmesan that melts so you have to scrape it off the bottom of the bowl. Some parsley to brighten it all up.

Maybe I was influenced by Bon Appetit’s yummy quick comfort food in the December issue (admitted: shameless plug) but it’s times like these that you need to be able to whip up a warm, filling meal when you’re unexpectedly chilled to the bone. Keeping broth and pasta on hand is always a good idea.

This soup mind-numbingly easy, so I’m not even going to give a formal recipe: Cook about a cup of dry, tiny tortellini in salted boiling water until almost tender. Then, drain all but a few tablespoons of the pasta water and return the tortellini and remaining water to the pan. Add beef stock (or chicken or veg) until there’s about a half-inch of broth over the tortellini. I added a chunk of leftover parmesan rind for an umami boost. Simmer for about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, and add freshly grated parmesan, chopped parsley, salt, pepper, and chili flakes. Then put on your pajamas, sit on your couch, turn on some Friends reruns and enjoy.

Lobstah Rolls

Sat, 03 Sep 2011 12:26:00 -0400

Labor day is only a few days away, and that means that lobster season is waning.

This summer, come the end of July, I was dying for a lobstah roll. I was on vacation in Martha’s Vineyard with my family and I had been appointed the duty of cooking dinner. I had no problem with this responsibility—ever since starting my new job, I had no real time to cook. One day, my dad and I were planning our epic annual sunset picnic on the western coast of the island, trying to think of a meal that didn’t require utensils. Then it hit us: homemade lobster rolls.

Kelsie, my sister, enjoying one of our lobster rolls and a Menemsha sunset

We left right from the beach to go to Edgartown Seafood, still in our sandy bathing suits, and ordered 2 pounds of lobster meat. I batted my lashes at the guy behind the counter, asking for more tail than claw. To our great pleasure, he proceeded to fill the bag with white, chunky pieces of tail meat, topping it off with two pieces of claw. He smiled as he handed me the bag. My dad and I both smiled back.

And then the critical question: What to drink? We stopped by the infamous Al’s Package Store to browse the selection. My beach reading this summer was Oldman’s Guide to Outsmarting Wine, so I was ready to test my new knowledge of vino pairings. (*Side note: READ THIS BOOK if you know nothing about wine and want to learn the basics and then some) I picked a white Burgundy, the “old world” French chardonnay.

I whipped up the salad in 15 minutes, threw it in some tupperware, and packed our cooler with wine, beer, hot dog rolls, and a corkscrew. We set up camp at Menemsha beach on the west side of the island just as the light was beginning to turn golden. The lobster rolls were perfect: the rich, buttery lobster was cut with a squeeze of lemon and washed down with the floral, refreshing chardonnay. The nice thing about homemade lobster rolls is that there are no fillers, just succulent lobster meat, and at a fraction of the cost. I think altogether we paid $40 for 2 lbs., which fed 6 people. You do the math.

The preparation of this lobster salad is pretty intuitive. Melted butter, mayo, celery, lemon, chives…pretty much everything you’d want in a lobster roll. My dad named it “Walshy’s lobster tail quarter pounder,” and it’s every bit as delicious as it sounds.

Walshy’s Lobster Tail Quarter Pounders serves 6

2 lbs. lobster meat
3 tbsp. melted butter
2 tbsp. mayo (or more if you’d like)
1 lg. celery stalk, diced
1 tsp. paprika
3 sprigs of chive, chopped, plus more for garnish
1/2 tbsp. lemon juice
Salt & pepper
6 hot dog buns

In a big bowl, toss the lobster meat with the melted butter until fully coated. Add all the other ingredients and gently stir to combine. Fill hot dog buns with lobster mixture, and sprinkle with chopped chive for garnish. Enjoy!

Summer Veggies, Grillin' Style

Thu, 04 Aug 2011 10:11:00 -0400

One of the most delicious way to prepare summer veggies is on the grill. Simply brush with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, skewer and grill until lightly charred. Nothing beats that smoky grill flavor on sweet squash. Serve with a squeeze of lemon and a glass of Albariño.

Consider the Eggplant: Pasta Alla Norma

Tue, 24 May 2011 02:13:30 -0400

*Note: The vintagey feel to these photos is a tribute to the endlessly hilarious Weight Watchers recipe cards. Browse these when you’re feeling like a terrible cook.

Anyway. The eggplant. A vegetable that is inedible when raw, but divinely sweet and creamy when cooked. It’s one of those rare substitutes for meat (I think eggplant parmesan is superior to the chicken or even veal variety) and when roasted, sauteed, fried or even grilled, can round out a dish. But isn’t it weird looking? Let’s gawk for a moment:

Still to this day, I have never met anyone more adept at making fried eggplant than my grandma. It’s always crunchy and breaded to perfection, and never too oily. She recently shared two of her secrets with me: 1.) She peels the eggplant so the entire piece of fried eggplant is the same texture, and 2.) She uses smaller eggplants because they don’t have as many pesky seeds as the ginormous ones. Still knowing this information, I still can’t compete with my ~~greasy and bland~~ fried eggplant, so I’m using it in a different way: In a sauce, in the rustic Italian dish Pasta alla Norma.

Can’t make this photo vintagey. That white blob on top of the pasta would be a scoop of ricotta. I know, I know, contain yourself.

My interest in this dish started when I was en route to Istanbul and had picked up a copy of Saveur (my favorite food publication) at the airport. It was the Chef’s 100 issue, and the Italian comfort food goddess Sara Jenkins of Porchetta and Porsena shared her version of Pasta Alla Norma. The gorgeous picture was enough to make even the pickiest eaters’ mouths water-the spaghetti tangled around bits of tomato and eggplant, dressed with shavings of vivid white ricotta salata. I bookmarked the page and vowed to make it upon my return to the states.

Unfortunately, I pretty much forgot about Pasta Alla Norma until one night, when I was cashing in on a Groupon I had purchased and almost forgot about at Cucina di Pesce, a romantic little Italian restaurant a block away from my apartment. Their Pasta Alla Norma was called Rigatoni Melanzane. The pasta came steaming hot with an ice cream scoop of ricotta plopped on top. Oh my God, I was in heaven. The ricotta melted into the sauce, the eggplant was velvety and sweet, and the acidity of the tomatoes cut right through it all. If I were stuck on a desert island and could only eat one thing ever again, this pasta dish would be it (especially if the island had, say, a lifetime supply of some Italian table wine like Montepulciano.)

My version is more like Cucina di Pesce’s, mostly because it’s more comforting. I thought that ziti would hold up to the thick, chunky sauce much better than spaghetti, and I have a serious weakness for rigatoni’s chewy texture. I added some sausage into the sauce because, like, why not? Finally, I painfully opted out of the ricotta salata for its much cheaper factory-made sister which gave the sauce an incredibly rich and creamy taste and texture. I’m sure ricotta salata would be out-of-this-world, but as a recent college grad, I’m going to have to save my pennies.

Another thing about Pasta Alla Norma: When all mixed together, the dish gets a little unattractive, but in that delicious all-of-this-is-going-in-my-mouth kind of way. It’s a great dinner for a chilly ~~rainy, unbearably cold, and dreary spring~~ night, and when paired with some unpretentious wine, can warm the saddest of sunlight-deprived hearts.

Pasta Alla Norma Serves 6

Pasta Alla Norma

-1 medium eggplant, cut into cubes
-1 lb. rigatoni
-1 lb. sweet or hot Italian sausage
-Whole milk ricotta (enough for six large scoops)
-2 28oz. cans of diced tomatoes (Mario Batali says San Marzano are the best!)
-6 oz. can tomato paste
-1 medium onion, diced
-4 cloves garlic, minced
-tbsp. balsamic vinegar
-Fresh basil, chopped
-1/2 tbsp. oregano
-tsp. garlic powder
-tsp. chili flakes
-Olive oil
-Parmesan cheese
-Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a baking dish, sprinkle olive oil over eggplant and toss until lightly coated. Roast eggplant for about 15-20 minutes, or until eggplant is soft and browned.

In a large sauce pan or heavy-bottomed pot, heat about a tbsp. of olive oil over medium-high heat. Remove sausage from casing, and add to the pot. Fry until browned. Then, stir in onion, garlic, and chili flakes, and sauté. When onion is translucent and garlic is fragrant, spoon in tomato paste and incorporate. Cook for about one minute, then add diced tomatoes, about three cups of water, balsamic vinegar, oregano, and garlic powder. Let simmer for one to three hours. Add eggplant about 15 minutes before serving.

Cook the rigatoni until a little firmer than al dente, strain, and add to the sauce. Let the pasta simmer in the sauce for another five minutes or so. Serve hot with grated parmesan cheese, chopped basil, and a generous scoop of ricotta.

Corned Beef and Cabbage: Five NYC Restaurants Mix it Up

Tue, 15 Mar 2011 17:20:23 -0400

My fellow intern at NYMag.com, Emily Watkins, has posted her picks for best St. Paddy’s Day drink specials, so I thought I’d share some not-so-traditional spins on the traditional corned beef and cabbage coming up in some restaurants around Manhattan. If you love lamb, BBQ, quesadillas, and pot stickers, you’ll love these interesting takes on corned beef and cabbage, all served only on St. Patrick’s Day.

Highpoint Bistro
216 7th Avenue S.
646-410-0120
The Twist: Corned Short Ribs with Braised Green Cabbage, Thumbelina Carrots, Butterball potatoes, Horseradish Creme Fraiche, Pickling Spice
Price: $19

Lyon
118 Greenwich Ave., nr. Jane St.
212-242-5966
www.lyonnyc.com
The Twist: Corned lamb with brussels sprouts and cabbage sauerkraut
Price: $25
*Will be served until Sunday, March 20th.

The Red Cat
227 10th Avenue
212)-42-1122
http://www.redcatrestaurants.com/
The Twist: Barbecue Corned Beef Sandwich on pumpernickel bread with gruyere and sautéed onions
Price: $14

Ruby Foo’s
1626 Broadway, nr. 49th St.
212-489-5600
The Twist: Corned beef and cabbage pot-stickers with chinese guinness mustard sauce
Price: $9

SouthWestNY
225 Liberty Street
212-945-0528
The Twist: Corned Beef Quesadilla, a rye tortilla filled with swiss cheese, sauerkraut and corned beef served with a chipotle Russian dressing with avocado and caraway scented crema
Price: $13.17

Mmmm, Ice Cream

Mon, 28 Feb 2011 14:35:06 -0500

Becky enjoying ice cream, prepping us all for spring. I better get myself down to Sundaes & Cones.

Vegan Noms on Fat Tuesday, 2010

Mon, 28 Feb 2011 14:12:00 -0500

Elise and Samantha lovin’ them some vegan cajun.

Which reminds me, Fat Tuesday is in a week! Maybe a recipe for Jambalaya is in order.

Pro-Eating

Mon, 28 Feb 2011 13:49:10 -0500

Photo: Nick Wolf

There’s my gal, looking beautiful while noshing on a slider at a Refinery 29 Oscars party at the W. If that’s not WENYC, I don’t know what is.

Eating in the face of fashion!

On another more terrifying note, I have discovered the likes of pro-anorexia blogs. These horrifying things do exactly the opposite of Women Eat NYC: encourage girls to NOT eat, to lose any trace of womanhood and vigor for life, and some even encourage death. Why hasn’t something so scary and so death-dealing been exposed and outraged? This is scary. It also breathes new life into this blog.

This is a call: ladies, send me some pictures of you or your wonderful friends enjoying some food. They’ll be posted immediately. Email them to dmwalsh07@gmail.com

This is a pro-eating blog.

Mushroom Ragu with Cheddar Polenta

Fri, 25 Feb 2011 15:59:00 -0500

Imagine: It’s a stormy, snowy night. No, let’s make it freezing rain. You’ve just walked fourteen blocks without an umbrella and your hip knit scarf from Urban Outfitters has become a sponge around your neck. Your water logged shoes make a sickening squishy squeak as you climb three stories up the stairs, fumbling in your pocket for your keys. As you enter your apartment, you smell the most amazing smell of mushrooms, onions, garlic, and sherry. Behold! Your amazing roommate has made you the most comforting, delicious dish she’s ever made! And it has not one ounce of meat in it.

Ok, sorry for the self-aggrandizing. But seriously, this is one of the best dishes I’ve ever made, and here’s why.

It’s vegetarian! As we all know from New York Times mini celebrity Mark Bittman, eating more veggies and less meat is the way to go. This is a great Meatless Monday dish, or whatever. It can also be vegan (and would still be JUST as delicious) if you leave out the dairy. Holler to my vegan girls.

It’s SO CHEAP. A lot of the ingredients in this recipe are pantry staples, and the rest come from the produce section. It’s elegant enough to serve at a dinner party, but cheap enough for a financially challenged college student (so guys, when I serve this at my next dinner party, you know why). It satisfies vegetarians and meat-ophiles alike.

Oh, and did I mention it’s delicious? The ragu is rich and meaty, balanced by chopped parsley. Served over the creamy, cheesy polenta, this meal is a home run. Yeah, run out to the grocery store and make this tonight. For real. Thank me later.

Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis

Mushroom Ragu Serves 4

-1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
-1 medium onion, chopped
-3 garlic cloves, minced
-2 pounds mushrooms of your choice, some sliced and some diced (for texture!)
-Salt and freshly ground black pepper
-1/2 cup Sherry
-2 cups chicken broth (I used veggie broth for my lovely friend Natalie)
-1/4 cup light cream
-A sprig of thyme
-1 tbsp. tomato paste
-1/4 cup flat-leaf Italian parsley, chopped
-1/2 to 3/4 cup grated Parmesan

Heat oil in a sauce pot over medium-low heat. Add the onions and garland stir until the onions have wilted, about 8 minutes. Add the mushrooms and the sprig of thyme and season with salt and pepper. Turn heat to high and saute until mushrooms are tender and all the liquid has evaporated. Spoon in tomato paste, and stir to coat mushrooms. Remove pan from heat and pour in Sherry. Return pan to stove and cook the alcohol out of the wine, about 3 minutes. Add chicken broth and simmer for about a half hour to thicken the sauce. Make sure it has reduced at least by half, if not more. Add cream and stir to incorporate. Turn off the heat and add the fresh herbs and cheese. Stir to combine everything, and serve over cheddar polenta (see recipe below).

Cheddar Polenta serves 4

-1 cup finely ground corn meal
-4 cups of water
-2/3 cup cheddar cheese
-Tsp. Salt

Measure water into a pan. Add cornmeal, then turn on heat to high. Stir constantly until polenta becomes thick and creamy. Slowly add cheddar and salt. When combined turn off heat and let stand for a few minutes, stir again, and pour into bowls.

Homemade Meatball Subs

Mon, 21 Feb 2011 00:40:00 -0500

Those of you who are Smitten Kitchen fans probably recognize a similar post about two weeks ago. As I was trolling the internet at work the other day, I stumbled upon this delicious recipe for homemade meatball subs and decided to make it on my day off.

Working for nymag.com has been kind of a dream internship-I’m reviewing restaurants, updating their listings database (which means I find soooo many awesome restaurants), writing short posts for Grub Street, and a slew of other lovely responsibilities. Not to mention that the peeps at NYMag are ridiculously cool. I suppose they have to be to do the job they were given: tell people what’s cool in New York.

Anyhoo, it’s been a while. I know I’ve neglected this blog a few too many times. Let’s see if I can keep posting on the regular. Now that I have a flash, I’m not limited to taking pretty pictures in the late afternoon! But back to meatball subs-this recipe, taken from Smitten Kitchen and tweaked ever so slightly, is an amazing lunch for a day off. Rather than be lazy and walk to the deli (or Brad’s for the NYU student) for a meatball sub, this robust homemade version is much more satisfying and makes a ton of servings, plus extra sauce for spaghetti.

Meatball Subs (adapted from Smitten Kitchen) Serves 4

-Baguette
-1 lb. ground pork
-1 lb. ground beef
-1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan
-3/4 tsp. salt
-1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes (more or less depending on how spicy you want them)
-2 small garlic cloves, minced
-1 tsp. garlic powder
-1 tsp. oregano
-1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
-1 large egg
-Olive oil
-Batch of tomato sauce
-2 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
-Ball of fresh mozzarella
-Basil leaves

Slice baguette into four even pieces. Slice each section in half and scoop out the fleshy bread in the center, pulsing it a few times in a food processor. Reserve in a small bowl with a tablespoon of water and a drizzle of oil. Toss to coat.

Make sure sauce is simmering. In a large bowl, combine ground meat, reserved bread crumbs, cheese, salt, red pepper flakes, garlic, garlic powder, oregano, Worcestershire sauce, and egg. Mix with hands (this is the best way to do it-if you’re squeamish about it, you can use a spatula). With hands, form one-inch meatballs (I prefer smaller meatballs, but if you like yours bigger, by all means).

Heat a tablespoon of oil in a nonstick skillet over high heat. In batches, drop meatballs into the pan, rolling them around by shaking the pan for a few seconds. Make sure at least three sides get a nice caramelized brown, and then drop the cooked meatballs into the sauce. The meatballs should cook in the simmering sauce for about 25-20 minutes.

While the meatballs cook, heat about a tablespoon of olive oil over low heat in a large skillet. Drop in onions and season with salt, stirring to coat with oil. They shouldn’t sizzle too loudly-if they do, the heat is too high. Stir every 5 minutes or so. The onions will gradually turn a golden brown. Slow cooking is the key to caramelizing. I didn’t caramelize them too much-they can get to be an incredibly deep brown, and that’s when they’re the sweetest.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

To assemble sandwiches, place bottom half of each section of the baguette on a baking sheet. Top each slice of baguette with three meatballs (more or less depending on the size of your meatballs), caramelized onions, and freshly sliced mozzarella. Place a few basil leaves on each sandwich, put the other half of the baguette on top, and throw it in the oven until the mozzarella has melted, about five minutes.

Enjoy with a pickle, chips, and sparkling water (NOT soda. It’s bad for you).

Eggnog French Toast

Sat, 11 Dec 2010 16:45:00 -0500

Here is your gratuitous shot of my breakfast. Doesn’t it look pretty? I can tell you, it definitely tasted even better than it looked.

It’s the Christmas season! Who isn’t trying to sneak eggnog and peppermint into everything? Ok, that may just be me, but here’s something you NEED to try on a Saturday morning: Eggnog French Toast. It’s decadent, it’s seasonal, it’s an excuse to have eggnog for breakfast. The eggnog meshes beautifully with the cinnamon and maple syrup, and makes the bread extra-rich. Mmmm.

One thing that delighted me while shopping for my ingredients was the scarcity of white bread. Hooray! But seriously, who likes whole wheat french toast? We can make an exception for this breakfast classic.

This recipe is your standard french toast recipe, but rather than using milk or cream, I used eggnog. Some recipes I looked at online say to dredge the bread in only eggnog, but I am not that hardcore and would probably get sick of the french toast after two bites (go for it if you think you can stomach it). Eggs make the mixture hug the bread and allows for the beautiful brown swirls, so I think I’ll keep it in the recipe, thankyouverymuch.

While I prepared our french toast, Dan and I watched Rudolf. The morning was filled with all kinds of Christmas magic!

You should make this breakfast on Christmas morning. Do it. Everyone will love you for it, and re-think that pair of socks they’re giving you as a present.

Eggnog French Toast Serves 2

-6 pieces white bread
-3 eggs
-1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
-1/4 cup eggnog
-1 teaspoon cinnamon, plus more for garnish
-1 tablespoon confectioner’s sugar (optional)
-pinch salt
-butter, for pan and for garnish

Crack eggs into a wide bowl. Pour in eggnog, vanilla extract, salt, and cinnamon and whisk to combine.

Heat enough butter to coat a large skillet on medium heat. Dip both sides of white bread into egg mixture, and place into the skillet. Cook 2 at a time, flipping when the first side is browned. When the other side is browned, transfer to a plate and top with confectioner’s sugar, butter, and maple syrup.

Madeleines!

Wed, 20 Oct 2010 16:49:00 -0400

The title of this post has an exclamation mark because baking these madeleines was just as abrupt and exciting. As we all know, I don’t bake often. I also consider myself a terrible baker. But, after last night, I think my status changed from “terrible” to “not half bad.”

A few weeks ago, Jess’s parents were in town and generously took us to a sensational dinner at DB Bistro Moderne. The meal ended with tiny freshly baked madeleines, and Ruthie, Jess and I expressed how much we love the little spongy cakes. Upon hearing this, Jess’s mom, an avid self-taught chef and food enthusiast, bought us some madeleine pans.

So it was last night, when I was finishing up an article for my freelance writing class on Captain Lawrence Brewing Company, that I impulsively decided that it was time for these lovely pans to get some use. Yes, making food is my form of procrastination. I used my google skills and found an excellent recipe that I tweaked only slightly. They came out perfectly! So fluffy and springy, and just sweet enough with a hint of almond. Trust me, if I can make these precious little bits of inspiration, you can too. I even used my KITCHEN AID!

*The recipe below, except for the almond extract part, is cut and pasted from here.

Madeleines Makes 48 mini or 24 regular madeleines

1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, melted

1 cup (130 grams) all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

3 large eggs, at room temperature

2/3 cup (133 grams) granulated white sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon pure almond extract

First, melt the butter and allow it to cool while you make the batter.

In a small bowl place the flour, baking powder and salt and whisk until well blended.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, beat the eggs and sugar at medium-high speed until the mixture has tripled in volume and forms a thick ribbon when the beaters are lifted (about 5 minutes). Add the vanilla extract and beat to combine.

Sift a small amount of flour over the egg mixture and, using a large rubber spatula, fold the flour mixture into the beaten eggs to lighten it. Sift the rest of the flour over the egg mixture and fold in being sure not to overmix or the batter will deflate.

Whisk a small amount of the egg mixture into the melted butter to lighten it. Then fold in the cooled melted butter in three additions. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or several hours, until slightly firm.

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Generously butter two 12-mold madeleine pans. Dust the molds with flour and tap out the excess. (Could spray pans with Bakers Joy instead.) (Make sure the pans are well greased or the madeleines will stick and be hard to remove.)

Drop a generous tablespoonful of the batter into the center of each prepared mold, leaving the batter mounded in the center. (This will result in the classic “humped” appearance of the madeleines.)

Bake the madeleines for 11 to 13 minutes, until the edges are golden brown and the centers spring back when lightly touched. Do not overbake these cookies or they will be dry.

Remove the pans from the oven and rap each pan sharply against a countertop to release the madeleines. Transfer the madeleines, smooth sides down, to wire racks to cool. The madeleines are best served the same day but can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 to 3 days or frozen, well wrapped, for up to 1 month.

Sweet Potato Chili and Local Craft Beer

Sat, 16 Oct 2010 22:47:00 -0400

It’s been a cold one here in New York. Autumn has kicked into full swing, and what better way to spend a weekend than venturing into the suburbs for the foliage? Dan and I went up to his hometown of Armonk in Westchester to spend some time with his parents and get away from the city.

Dan has a famous turkey chili recipe that he hasn’t been able to make since going “vegetarian” (read: eats fish and occasionally pâté). Lucky for him, I picked up an edit-only copy of The Meat Lover’s Vegetarian Cookbook, which had a recipe for sweet potato chili. The book’s recipe needed work, but it gave Dan the idea to put sweet potatoes into his divine chili in lieu of turkey.

Dan is lucky enough to live one town over from Captain Lawrence Brewing Company, a local brewery that has some of the best craft beer in the state. So before we started cooking the chili, we decided to drive over and sample some top-notch brews. We tried a pumpkin ale which we loved, and a German-style purfumey beer called Kölsch. Both were fabulous, and we left Captain Lawrence with a growler of their pumpkin ale and a little buzz.

When we got home, we started peeling and chopping. Dan’s mom just happened to have bought organic sweet potatoes which were so much more flavorful than the standard ~~football-sized~~ supermarket variety. While Dan was cooking away, we sipped glasses of pumpkin ale with cinnamon sugar around the rim.

I am telling you, this is the best chili you will ever have. Oh, and IT’S VEGAN! Dan makes guacamole as a garnish instead of sour cream and cheese. The sweet potato is tossed with olive oil, chili powder, cinnamon, salt, and pepper, roasted, sauteed with onions, jalapenos, and garlic, and then stewed with the rest of the ingredients. In other words, these sweet potatoes are deeply seasoned and incorporated into the chili. Because of the autumnal cinnamon and sweet potato flavors, the pumpkin ale pairs perfectly with the chili. It even cuts the spice!

Make a batch of this chili on a cold, rainy Sunday and the aroma will warm up your apartment. That, and you’ll be eating it for dinner for a week. Perfect for busy ~~college students~~ people.

Spicy Sweet Potato Chili with Avocado Serves 6

*Note: when Dan first made this, he was so excited that he emailed me the recipe. Below is his original email. He used dried black beans, but you can use a can of black beans.

My sweet potato chili.
This is amazing, vegan, takes an afternoon to make, and serves 6.

From the store:
1 really big sweet potato, peeled and cubed
1 medium onion, finely chopped
6 cloves garlic, 4 of which minced
1/2 lb dried black beans
1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
1 can kidney beans
2 jalapenos, finely chopped

From the kitchen cabinet:
Franks hot sauce, tabasco sauce, other hot sauce you like
Red chili flakes
Onion powder
Garlic powder
Cinnamon
Oregano
Cayenne pepper
Olive oil
Vegetable oil
Salt, pepper

Chili:
Preheat oven to 400.
Take cubed sweet potato and put in large mixing bowl. Toss with olive oil, shake of cinnamon, chili powder, chili flakes, and s+p. Lay cubes on cookie sheet, bake on middle rack for 40 minutes. Or, when they are crispy on the outsided and mushy on the inside. When thats done,

Get a big pot. Heat up some vegetable oil and olive oil. Add a lot of chili flakes. Get it hot. Then add onion and jalapeno. Stir for a couple minutes. Then add 4 minced cloves of garlic. Stir, for a minute. Then add the roasted sweet potato cubes. Stir but dont puree. Lower the heat to medium.

Then after a couple minutes add crushed tomato. Fill the empty tomato can back up w water and add that too. Stir. Then add 2 glugs of franks hot sauce, a little tabasco sauce, and any other hot sauce you like. Then add a lot of chili powder - about 3 tablespoons, along with healthy dashes of onion powder, garlic powder, oregano, one good dash of cinnamon, and a little cayenne powder. Stir that all in. Then add the kidney beans. Then add your homemade black beans. Simmer uncovered until its thick and pasty - about two hours. Dont forget to stir, but dont puree, the potatoes will break up easily.

Serve with avocado garnish. Makes for perfect leftovers.

Cinnamon Granola

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 15:13:00 -0400

I have become dissatisfied with cereal.

But what else is there for a quick breakfast? Eggs and pancakes take too long. French toast is a process. Coffee and a bagel is kind of boring. It’s just that cereal is so dry, relatively expensive (I have seen a box of Special K going for $8 in the city), and horrifically lacking in the texture department. That, and things like dehydrated strawberries freak me out.

But wait! There’s granola. Yes, the store bought stuff is pretty good…but why not make your own? It’s tastier, you can put whatever you want in it, and it makes your kitchen smell sooooooo good while it’s toasting in the oven. People in the hallway of my apartment building were asking my roommates what I was baking.

There’s also a novelty in seeing everything that is in your food right in front of you. By making your own grub, you know there are none of those freaky science-y sounding things in it (like exthoxylated glycerides) or anything that you can’t find in your own pantry.

My recipe has pecans, cinnamon, flax seeds, and coconut, but the beauty of granola is you can literally put anything that you want in it. Want sesame seeds instead of flax? Go for it! Add some crasins? Throw them in 15 minutes before the granola comes out of the oven. Don’t dig pecans? Walnuts or almonds are perfect. Cinnamon not your thing? Leave it out. Just don’t skip the oats. Eat it with Greek yogurt or milk or by itself for a good between class (or work!) snack. Add some fresh strawberries or blackberries or peaches. I eat it with 2% Fage Greek yogurt, honey, and organic wild blueberries. Add some toast and coffee, and you have yourself a breakfast.

Homemade Cinnamon Granola makes a lot of granola

3 cups regular oats
1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
1 cup chopped pecans
1/3 cup flax seed
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup canola oil
2 tsp cinnamon (more or less to your taste)
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
pinch salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, combine oats, coconut, pecans, and flax seed. In another mixing bowl, whisk together butter, honey, canola oil, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and salt. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients. With your hands, coat the dry ingredients with the wet mixture, taking handfuls and making a fist to combine.

Transfer mixture into a baking dish, making an even layer. If you want, drizzle a bit more honey on top. Bake for 45 minutes, stirring granola every 15 minutes. Let cool for an hour, and store in an airtight jar.

Book Review: French Women Don't Get Fat

Sun, 08 Aug 2010 15:22:15 -0400

Too often, American Women eat on the sly, and the result is much more guilt than pleasure. The tendency goes with an attitude that should be changed. Nothing is sinfully delicious. If you really enjoy something, as I adore chocolate, there is a place for it in your life. But we cannot allow guilt-ridden scarfing.

-Mireille Guiliano, French Women Don’t Get Fat

Don’t let the title fool you-French Women Don’t Get Fat is not a diet guide book. Nor is it a French woman holding over our American heads how the French are genetically or gastronomically superior. This book is a celebration of food and wine, of pleasure, of a woman knowing herself. Guiliano shares her story of experiencing the American way of eating as an exchange student in Massachusetts. She returns to France a hefty 25 pounds heavier. Step-by-step, she explains how she lost the weight, and how American women can modify their way of eating while feeling completely satisfied. As anyone on Weight Watchers can tell you, most of it involves portion control. However, Weight Watchers is missing a crucial element: learning how to truly savor your food. As a foodie I would like to believe that I savor food well, but even I learned a few tricks to savor from this book.

The most important distinction that Guiliano makes between French and American women’s eating ideology is simple: the difference between pleasurable eating and guilty eating. Why do American women feel guilty about eating something they enjoy? Is it the media? Is it a residual puritanical denial? Is it a lack of cultural table rituals? I believe it is a little bit of everything. However, advertistments are what fire most directly at a woman’s body image. For instance, a recent NYC ad that has caused public outrage:

*Photo from Gothamist

There really isn’t an advertisement out there that represents the American paradox so perfectly. A message that reads “you can never be too thin” that advertises snack pretzels. It represents a woman’s desire to be thin, while piquing an appetite that she must suppress. This ad essentially promotes anorexia. Yes, perhaps the Snack Factory is referring to the pretzel crisps. Yes, maybe some people are taking this ad too literally. However, the direction of the message-“YOU”-is the thing that is causing an outrage. They could have said “pretzels.” They could have said “chips”. But take away the images in this advertisement-the context-and what you have is the message that many ads convey, if only indirectly.

Anyway, back to French Women Don’t Get Fat. If there is any way to ward off the body image beast, it is best described in this book. It is a joyous celebration of food, wine, life, and being a woman. It is okay to indulge and eat pleasurably, as long as you’re smart about it. And being hungry has nothing to do with it.

Contentment…is something you make for yourself. It’s the essence of l’art de vivre (the art of living), which is how we French pursue joie de vivre (the joy of living).

-Mireille Guiliano, French Women Don’t Get Fat

Another great read about food and body issues: Unbearable Weight by Susan Bordo, the book that inspired me to start this blog.

Women Eat MV and Why You Should Eat Breakfast

Fri, 06 Aug 2010 14:18:00 -0400

Oh my my. Where to begin? My blog sabbatical was a bit too long, and so much has happened in that month an a half. That’s ok-all will be addressed with the next few posts. Didja miss me?!

Since my last post, I was in Massachusetts twice. Once was up to Boston for jury duty (which was a pain in the you-know-what) and last week to take the annual Martha’s Vineyard vacation with my lovely family. You see, I have been on the go for the past many weeks with traveling, working, applying for internships, getting the internship (Food Network Magazine, yeah!!), trying to spend time with my loved ones, cooking for them, etc. I haven’t been able to settle down and write the darn posts I have been trying to scramble together until now, as I sit on the deck of Dan’s family’s house in East Hampton, overlooking the bay. And as I do this, I realize that although I am very very busy, I am blessed to have all of these wonderful experiences and wonderful people in my life. It’s been an amazing summer.

Above: one of the most amazing of my loved ones, my sister Kelsie.

As I said, I am lucky enough to get a week of vacation with my family in Martha’s Vineyard. This year, we focused on avoiding going out for every meal and taking advantage of MV’s rich local produce for lunch and dinner. Breakfast, however, is a totally different story. My family is a breakfast family. If we’re not enjoying one of my dad’s famous egg sandwiches (which, now that I think of it, deserves a post of its own), we’re going to our favorite breakfast places for a full plate of eggs, pancakes, homefries, bacon-you name it. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I can’t stress that enough. Please eat breakfast. Even if you have to force some cereal down. It jumpstarts your metabolism and makes your eating habits more consistent. Anyway, one meal we couldn’t skip going out for on our vacation is breakfast. Martha’s Vineyard is chock full of delicious breakfast joints. Here are two that we always enjoy (after the jump)

The Black Dog Tavern Vineyard Haven

If you live in the Northeast (especially New England), you’ve probably seen this little black pup on T-shirts, coffee mugs, bumper stickers, dog collars, frisbees, and other label-able things. In fact, Dan’s grandparents have a couple of these mugs in East Hampton. Few people actually know what this Black Dog is. Is it a clothing brand? Home store? Surf store? Well, it’s a lot of things, but it originated as a tavern in Vineyard Haven. This is arguably the most famous establishment on the island. Their breakfast fare is unique with cool names:

Shaggy Attack:

Two poached eggs with avocado, tomato, and cheese topped with hollandaise sauce on two english muffins

Bozo on the Bus:

Two poached eggs over french toast

George of the Jungle:

Banana, chocolate chip, and walnut pancakes

The Black Dog also has the basics, some delicious scrambles and omelettes, and incredible coffee.

Edgartown Inn Edgartown

The Edgartown Inn has only two options for breakfast: The Full Vineyard Breakfast, which comes with fresh homemade coffee cake, juice or freshly stewed prunes, coffee or tea, homemade toast, bacon (the BEST bacon ever by the way), and eggs, pancakes, or waffles, OR the Continental breakfast, which comes with everything but bacon and eggs, pancakes, or waffles. The eggs and pancakes and waffles are good, but the big draws to this place are its homemade coffee cake and delicious homemade breads, as well as the beautiful outdoor garden seating.

This time, we had a blueberry coffee cake. We’ve had peach, strawberry, and raspberry in the past.

The homemade bread is so delicious, hearty, and filling. For me, it may actually outshine the coffee cake.

My lovely mom enjoying the blueberry coffee cake.

The inn keeps all their tableware in this lovely antique oven in the garden.

Other places to check out for breakfast that I don’t have pictured:

Espresso Love Cafe Edgartown

Artcliff Diner Vineyard Haven

Slice of Life Oak Bluffs

Again, EAT BREAKFAST! You tastebuds and belly will thank you.

Panzanella with Goat Cheese and Crispy Proscuitto

Wed, 30 Jun 2010 14:45:00 -0400

When I was in East Hampton, I was obsessing over a box of baby heirloom tomatoes at Round Swamp Farm. They were so unbelievably colorful and mini, with their funky shapes and sizes. But what would I do with them? Put them in a salad? How could I really showcase them in a dish? I left East Hampton without purchasing them, and pretty much forgot about those little guys.

Until yesterday, when I was lucky enough to be in Union Square at 9:30 AM, believing that I would have a chance to go to Trader Joe’s without having to wait in that god-awful line that is second only to Shake Shack. We were having a friend over for dinner and since it was SO UNBELIEVABLY HOT for the past few days, we decided that salad was the way to go. Since plain salad is pretty insubstantial, I decided that panzanella would be filling and interesting while also being a light meal that’s bearable in our very lightly air-conditioned apartment.

Then I saw them: a 16 oz. box of lovely baby heirloom tomatoes. Bingo. These would be sweet and hold their texture, whereas regular tomatoes are soggy, grainy, and, frankly, just not as gorgeous as these little jewels. I think these tomatoes are at Trader Joe’s for a limited time, so GO GET THEM! Even if it’s just to pop in your mouth as a refreshing snack, these tomatoes are so sweet and just so fun. Go now. No, don’t even finish reading this post.

But if you did chose to ignore my suggestion, you won’t be disappointed. The marriage of the bread with tomatoes, onions, arugula, goat cheese, and proscuitto is magnificent. It is also yet another way to use stale bread.

Also, I must say, the accidental salad dressing is a keeper. When I whisked together the white wine vinegar, the oil, garlic, dijion, salt, pepper, and oregano, something was missing. It needed sweetness. I thought sugar was a little boring, so I put a bit of honey in it. It turned out to work perfectly with the tangy goat cheese and raw onions in the salad. I also recommend it as a dressing for a side salad. Next time, I may even go with a little more honey.

This is a great salad to bring to a BBQ when your friend says “can you bring a salad?” Instead of going with the ole’ ~~heavy, fattening, and OBVIOUS~~ potato or macaroni salad, bring this and assemble it when you get to the party. You don’t have to tell her that it’s your leftover bread from last night’s meal.

Panzanella with Goat Cheese and Crispy Proscuitto Serves 3-4

-1 french baguette
-1 lb. baby heirloom tomatoes, halved
-1 red onion, diced
-4 oz. goat cheese
-1/2 bag of arugula
-4 oz. prosciutto, cut into small pieces
-Parmesan cheese
-Handful of basil leaves, cut into ribbons
-Extra virgin olive oil
-Salt and pepper
-Accidental Dressing, recipe follows

Slice the baguette in half and let it sit out for half a day. The bread needs to be stale so it doesn’t get mushy with the dressing and juice from the tomatoes.

Heat a grill pan on high and drizzle the stale baguette with olive oil. Sprinkle with parmesan and put face down on the grill pan for about 4 minutes. When lightly browned, take the bread off the heat and dice into bite-sized cubes.

Heat about 3 tbsp. of olive oil in a skillet on medium-high heat, and add prosciutto. Stir around the pan until all pieces are crisp. Remove prosciutto bits from heat and transfer to drain on a paper towel.

In a large bowl, toss together tomatoes and onions with salt and pepper. Then, add arugula and bread, leaving the bread on top. Drizzle the dressing over the bread, then toss to coat everything evenly. Serve topped with goat cheese, basil, and crispy proscuitto.

**NOTE: Many people just don’t like goat cheese. You can absolutely use mozzarella instead. But, make sure it’s a good quality mozzarella. It’s really important that the mozzarella is flavorful and the right texture. If it’s overly rubbery, it won’t work.

Accidental Dressing

-1 lg. garlic clove, finely minced
-1/4 cup white wine vinegar
-1 cup extra olive oil
-1 tbsp. dijion mustard
-1 tsp. honey
-1 tsp. oregano
-Salt and pepper

Combine all ingredients and refrigerate for 1 hour prior to dressing the panzanella.

Shells with Pesto, Peas and Sun Dried Tomatoes

Fri, 25 Jun 2010 15:42:00 -0400

Many of my friends will look at this post and be confused. “What? Danielle HATES sun dried tomatoes!” And it’s true, I do. Usually, they’re overpowering, oily, gummy, and just all-around unpleasant to me. That is, until I saw my boyfriend’s roommate, Joe, eating fettuccine with pesto, sun dried tomatoes and peas . It smelled so fragrant and looked delicious-the minty fresh basil pesto, the flecks of sweet red sun dried tomatoes and peas. I had to give it a try.

Fresh pesto is sooooo easy to make and store. It’s a great thing to have on-hand. I’m allergic to pine nuts, so this time instead of subbing in walnuts, I just went nutless. You can obviously throw in some nuts in your own pesto to give it more flavor and texture.

Instead of fettuccine, I used shells. I knew that the shells would hug the peas and sun dried tomatoes instead of getting lost at the bottom like it would with fettuccine. And peas look so cute nestled into those little pasta shells.

This is a wonderful, healthy, and light pasta dish that is great as a side, or tossed with chicken or shrimp for a main course. I could eat the whole pound of pasta myself!

Shells with Pesto, Peas and Sun Dried Tomatoes Serves 6

-1 lb. whole wheat medium pasta shells
-1 cup marinated sun dried tomatoes, chopped
-2/3 cup frozen peas, thawed in warm water
-11/2 cup pesto sauce (recipe follows)
-Salt and pepper to taste
-Parmesan for sprinkling

-When boiling water for the shells, make sure to generously salt the water. Cook pasta until al-dente. Drain and transfer shells to a large mixing bowl.

-While the pasta is still hot, add pesto, sun dried tomatoes, peas, salt, pepper, and parmesan. Serve with some fresh basil and an extra sprinkle of parmesan.

Nutless Basil Pesto (Makes more than you need for the pasta)

-2 large bunches of basil
-1 cup olive oil (add more if needed)
-1/2 cup parmesan cheese
-1 lg. clove raw garlic, roughly chopped
-Salt and pepper

Remove basil leaves and put them in a colander. Rinse and make sure to get any sand off of the leaves. Squeeze out basil in a paper towel, and add to a food processor or blender. Add oil and garlic to the basil, and blend. The mixture should look a little soupy. Add the parmesan, salt, and pepper, and blend again. Your pesto should thicken up with the cheese. Store in the fridge for a week.

Eat Food. Not Too Much. Mostly Plants.

Fri, 25 Jun 2010 13:16:18 -0400

Like, eating a little meat isn’t going to kill you, though it might be better approached as a side dish rather than as a main. And you’re better off eating whole fresh foods rather than processed food products. That’s what I mean by the recommendation to ‘eat food,’ which is not quite as simple as it sounds. For while it used to be that food was all you could eat, today there are thousands of other edible foodlike substances in the supermarket.

-Michael Pollan, In Defense of Food

Banana Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Thu, 17 Jun 2010 12:26:00 -0400

It’s time I faced my Kitchen Aid mixer.

We were never really friends. It came into my life about four months ago, and I figured I would get an attachment to make fresh pasta. But, alas, I never did. Ruthie had used it a few times to make delicious baked goods, but still, the mixer and I remained estranged.

Until now, as I sit in my apartment bored to tears and realizing that both my blog and my mixer have been terribly neglected. I’m sorry, blog. I’m sorry, Kitchen Aid. It’s time to give you both some love.

As we know, baking is NOT my forte. The Kitchen Aid to me was just another fancy gadget to add to my kitchen collection of Le Cruset pots and various fancy odds and ends rarely found in a college girl’s apartment. Really, the mixer kind of looks like a torture device to me. But hey, if I use it right, it will make some really yummy sweets.

What better way to kick off my baking career (second time’s a charm) than with cupcakes? Ruthie got this painfully adorable cupcake book for her birthday, and I thought that I would find something “nummies”—as Ruthie says—to bake. And viola! Banana cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. I envisioned making better banana cupcakes than Butter Lane, and embarked on a baking adventure.

Large amounts of sugar, flour, and butter make me uncomfortable. In cooking, a large amount of any of these three is kind of unfathomable. I made sure to use a knife to level off every ingredient, made sure my butter was room-temperature, made sure not to pack any dry ingredients in my measuring cup. I did make the mistake of not securing the bowl to the mixer and that caused a bit of a “poof,” but other than that, phase 1 went pretty well.

Above: Ruthie comes to save me when I didn’t correctly attach the bowl to the mixer.

I tried some batter. It tasted…pretty good…hmmm…wow…really good. I spooned the batter into the cups and put it in the oven. They even smelled good while baking. Could it be that I succeeded?

I took them out of the oven. They looked great! A wave of relief came over me, and I set them on the rack to cool. The frosting was easy (cream cheese, sugar, a teeny bit of vanilla). I’m storing the frosting in a piping bag and frosting them only right before somebody wants one. Don’t want that pretty frosting going stale!

So, there you have it. A success story. You can bake. Trust me, if I can bake, you can bake.

*Thanks to Ruthie for supervision.

Banana Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting From 500 Cupcakes by Fergal Connolly

Makes about 18

Cupcakes
-1 cup butter, softened to room temperature
-1 cup superfine sugar
-2 cups self-rising flour (I used regular flour, but they did come out a bit short)
-4 eggs
-1/4 tsp. nutmeg
-1 cup (about 2 large) mashed ripe bananas

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix everything BUT the bananas until combined in a mixer until smooth. Add mashed bananas to the mixture and incorporate with a wooden spoon. Line a muffin tin with baking cups and spoon the batter in until about 3/4 full (a little more if not using self-rising flour). Let cupcakes completely cool before frosting.

Frosting
-1 cup cream cheese
-1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
-1 tbsp. lemon juice
-1 tsp. vanilla extract

Start by slowly beating cream cheese until soft. Then, add sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Beat until smooth and combined. No lumps! Then, frost the cupcakes any way you like and enjoy!