Thursday, August 12, 2010

Escalivada


One of my favorite things to do with a mix of summer vegetables is to slow-roast them, drizzle with olive oil and eat with slices of toasted bread. A Spanish restaurant I used to go to had a similar dish called "Escalavida," which they sadly took off the menu. I used bell peppers, zucchini, tomatoes and onions, but eggplant is also a great addition. I did each vegetable under the broiler separately, but a grill is even better if you have one!

Bell Peppers: Arrange peppers on a foil-lined baking sheet. Adjust oven rack so the peppers can sit as close to the broiler heating element as possible without touching it. Preheat broiler and put in peppers. Watch and turn when the skin facing the broiler turns black (you'll begin to smell at about the same time). Turn until most of the skin is black and peeling (they don't have to be totally black...about 75%). Cool in a Ziploc bag or a bowl, until they're cool enough to handle.

The skin should then fall off pretty easily. Resist the urge to rinse them- it will be faster and you'll get rid of all the black but they won't have that wonderful roasted, caramelized, smokey taste.

Eggplant: Position rack so that eggplant will be a few inches from the broiler. Rotate the eggplant periodically so the skin is charred and pulls away. Let the eggplant rest until cool enough to handle. Cut open and pull out the inside in strips. Taste some- if it's still a bit chewy, throw it back in for a few more minutes.

Tomatoes: Cut tomatoes in half on the equator and seed. If they're large, cut into quarters. Let them drain for a few minutes on paper towels. Arrange on a rimmed baking sheet (not too crowded- an inch or so between pieces) and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Roast a few inches under the broiler for about 5-10 minutes to cook out some of the water and just begin to brown the edges. (These aren't so well-suited to the grill as the other veggies)

Onions: Cut onions in half, and then into wedges about 1 inch thick. Toss with olive oil and salt and arrange on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast a few inches from the broiler, stirring when the edges start to brown. Take them out when the onions are translucent and browned on the edges. (On the grill- Cut the onions in slices like you would for onion rings. Use a toothpick to hold all of the rings together. Grill on medium-high heat. These make burgers amazing.)

Zucchini and Summer Squash: Cut lengthwise into quarters or smaller. Toss with olive oil and salt and roast several inches under the broiler, turning periodically so no sides get too brown.

Arrange on a dish and drizzle with a good olive oil. Slice bread, brush with olive oil and arrange on baking sheet. Put the sheet in the still-warm oven (broiler turned off) to lightly toast.

Sunday, June 6, 2010

In which I take some very un-sexy pictures of the food in my fridge

So, I forgot to cook for about two weeks, and I've been prepared shit for lunch at work, which makes me feel like a terrible person. I've brought prepared microwavable stuff from home, or I've gone to Salad Creations, or gotten a greasy as all hell cheeseburger with other people from work... I used to bring lovely healthy lunches. So this afternoon I made some stuff lunch -appropriate things. Also things that are very appealing when it's approaching 90 outside.



The first is cucumber salad. My mom used to make this when we went to the beach. Recently she told me that the only reason she made this is because my dad's mother used to make it when they went to the beach, so he wanted it, and so she made it. I always really loved this dish. And it's not that I associate it with the beach and that's why I love it. As much as I love sun, bikinis, and drinking during the day, I am not a big beach person. I'll go to a pool in someone's backyard or country club, or I'll go swim in the river, but the beach has never had a lot of appeal for me. The sun is unrelenting, the water is always too cold. and that fucking sand! gets all over everything. But anyway, we would stay at the same hotel all the time, and we'd buy fried fish somewhere, and cucumer salad was a perfect counterpoint. It's effectively like cole slaw. To make mine, I used two English cucumers (from Costco, therefore, huge... like 2 feet.) and I scored the skin with a fork (so no one would have strips of though skin... probably not necessary with these thin-skinned cukes, but whatever) and I spooned out the seeds and sliced them on the bias, about 1/8 of an inch, maybe less. I tossed that with a lot of salt (maybe 4 tablespoons? I don't know, I just piled it on) and let sit for 2 hours before I squeezed it out in towel. After this, the cucumber slices have this wholly different texture. They're limp and flexible but still pleasently crunch when you bite into them, almost like the vegetable equivalent of al dente pasta. I stirred them up with a very small amount of mayonnaise a whole lot of black pepper. This will be great with some sort of chicken, with a spicy rich sauce...



I also got these gorgeous beans at the farmer's market yesterday. They had those super-cool dark purple ones, so I bought some green and some purple, thinking they'd look so beautiful together. I blanched them in some boiling water, and those little bastards turned green! I bought them because they looked so sophisticated and urbane, alll dark purple and skinny, showing up their sad little green buddies next to them. And after I cook them, they're all the same color. Serves me right. I tossed them, still hot, with sliced Vidalia onion, diced yellow bell pepper, cannellini beans and a lemon-basil vinaigrette . I think it will make a really nice lunch.



I also made a black bean salad that I think I should have eaten more of in college. It's very nutrient- dense, very health, and cheap-as-free. Black beans + corn (frozen it cool) + cherry tomatoes +jalepeno + lime juice + cilantro + onion. It looks really beautiful, and you can toss it with lettuce, or have it with grilled whatever meat you're into, or have it in a quesadilla.... it occurs to me this is the only thing I made when I was still living in the dorms that I still make now. That and popcorn. This time, I put in baby shrimp. My parents used to get my a cup of these wee little shrimp when I was like, 4, I I loved them I haven't seen them in a while but they had them at my grocery store, frozen, for $1. I know I need to eat more protein, and this recipe was originally supposed to be a side dish for grilled shrimp, so I think it should work. Another good work lunch.

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Mad Men theme party


As a housewarming party, I wanted to have a Mad Men theme party, because I like cocktails, and chip and dips, and skinny ties. So, early 60's food kind of sucks by definition. They were all about some TV dinners and frozen food and they weren't super good at it yet. So, what would Betty Draper do?

So, I obviously need both chips, and a dip. Obviously we needed Utz. Instead of the classic sour cream and onion dip from a mix, I made an onion dip with caramelized onions, fresh thyme, sour cream and cream cheese. I had pigs in a blanket made with smoked sausage and puff pastry, and meatballs (on toothpicks of course). Deviled eggs seemed appropriate as well. The best thing I've seen anyone eat on Mad Men is the iceberg wedge with blue cheese. To make that an hors d'oeuvre, I used Belgain endive, spooned on some blue cheese dressing, crumbled blue cheese, diced tomato, and more bacon than is necessary. It was really freaking good.

It seemed that jello shots were necessary for a Mad Men Party. I found mini (2 oz) plastic martini glasses I filled with jello and fruit, and stacked them to maximize the tackiness. Betty Draper is totally jealous.

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

nicoise salad

I had leftover green beans, some little tomatoes, new potatoes, and Italian tuna... and I really wanted a Nicoise salad. I made a dressing with kalamata olives, red onion, lemon juice, sherry vinegar and olive oil. That alone is pretty stellar. I might eat it on pasta tomorrow. I tossed that with mixed greens, and topped that with roasted new potatoes, green beans, tomatoes, and the tuna. Possibly the greatest spring dinner possible. And shockingly effortless.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Asparagus and Salmon

I made a very simple, so tasty spring dinner with my bulk purchases of asparagus and salmon as Costco this weekend. I roasted both the asparagus and the salmon on the same baking sheet- the asparagus (they were really thick) for about 20 minutes in a 475 oven, and then did the salmon in a 425 oven for 15 minutes. I did 6 salmon filets (to eat throughout the week), and about a pound of asparagus. I ate all the asparagus. But look how gorgeous they are:

Sunday, April 11, 2010

New Apartment


I've finally moved into my lovely apartment, and it took me a whole week to even use the kitchen. I couldn't quite get my enthusiasm up for it when I had moving and repairs and an empty kitchen. It's a pretty nice kitchen, in fact. Lots of storage, new appliances, and a little breakfast bar. I've been slowly stocking up the kitchen. It's so beautiful and warm out, I'm dying to make some spring-type thing. I'm also very fixated on dishes that would make good work lunches, and I found a potato and spring vegetable salad on Fine Cooking that sounded like exactly what I wanted.

The green beans looked shady, so I went with snow peas instead, and I couldn't find watercress so I used baby arugula. The salad is gorgeous, and it's just the right proportion of potato, shrimp and vegetable, and the dressing is amazing.