marinated beet salad with goat cheese and pistachios

i know a lot of people who say they hated beets as a kid but as an adult they are one of their favorite foods. i don't recall ever trying them as a kid - i know we didn't have 'em at home, and i don't remember them being on the cafeteria tray at school or anything. the only place i do remember seeing beets when i was growing up was at the salad bar, either sliced and chillin' in the liquid from the can they came from, or mixed into some kind of salad with wax beans. but since there were also chunks of ham and shredded cheddar and creamy pasta salads on the salad bar, i had no reason to give beets a second glance or thought. 

now, though, i go crazy for beets and their rich, earthy flavor with a hint of sweetness, their velvety texture, and their extremely saturated bull's-blood color (or deep cadmium yellow, or peppermint stripe). i love that they grow underground like buried treasure, i love that the greens are edible (the ones above were braised with onion, garlic, sherry vinegar, a little chicken stock, red pepper flakes and a teeny amount of maple syrup), and hey - i've got mad respect for anything that can hang out in a 400 degree oven for 2 hours before giving in the slightest little bit to a squeeze. 

this salad is from edible seattle's november/december 2011 issue. the beets are roasted (if there's a better way to have beets i certainly don't know what it is) and marinate overnight in a light dressing with slices of onion. the salad is finished simply with toasted pistachios and a bit of creamy goat cheese. the result is a beautiful beet experience. this is my current favorite beet dish.

here's the recipe as it was printed in edible seattle, with the one change of using toasted pistachios rather than buying raw and roasting at home. adjust the portions based on your amount of beets.

Bietola Marinata 
recipe courtesy Tutta Bella Neapolitan Pizzeria
8 servings| start to finish: 1 day
from Edible Seattle November/December 2011

5 lbs. beets (any will do, but a mix of red, golden and Chioggia if possible)
1/4 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons sea salt
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
Juice of half of a lemon
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium red onion, julienned (i used sweet onion)

4 ounces toasted pistachios

8 ounces chevre

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Put beets in a single layer in a large roasting pan or pans, without overcrowding. drizzle with the olive oil and shake pan to cover beets with oil.  sprinkle with salt, cover pan with aluminum foil and roast 1-2 hours depending on the size of the beets, until tender. when the beets are softened enough to be squeezable, remove from oven and allow to cool until they can be handled. remove peels - they should slip right off.  cut them into 1/2” dice and place in a  bowl. toss in the julienned onions and set aside at room temperature.

for the dressing, combine the vinegar, lemon juice and sea salt in a small bowl. slowly drizzle the olive oil into the mixture, whisking as you pour. (i've gotten in the habit of putting all of my dressing ingredients in a jar with a tight fitting lid and shaking the bejeezus out of it to combine.)

drizzle the dressing over the beets and onions and toss. check the seasoning. Cover and marinate the beets and onions overnight in the refrigerator.

bring beets to room temperature in order for the olive oil to liquefy again. toss the mixture one more time, check for seasoning and divide the beets on serving plates. garnish each portion with 1/2 ounce pistachios and 1 ounce of goat cheese. serve.


sources:

beets from stoney plains farm

onion from willie green's organic farm

red cabbage braised with apples, bacon, maple, and ginger

i have a special reverence for cabbage. i'm not sure what it is, exactly, that has put cabbage on a pedestal for me, but it's certainly perched up high. it's one of the most beautiful vegetables of any season, and the density i always find surprising and impressive. plus, it just feels healthy. raw, cooked, fermented--i simply love cabbage.

the beauty above is from nash's organic farm. isn't it just so pretty? chopped and cooked for an hour with apples and a couple of strips of bacon, this cabbage was as spectacularly delicious as it was stately and gorgeous. the flavor is spicy and fruity, sweet and sour, and thoroughly perfect. i think it would be a lovely addition to a holiday meal.

chopped cabbage is almost as cool as the whole head. i'm always impressed by the intricate, wrinkled growth patterns, how the leaves nest into each other. neat!

red cabbage braised with maple and ginger
from molly stevens' all about braising

1 tsp olive oil or vegetable oil
2 slices bacon, chopped
1 1/2 Tbsp butter
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 tart apple, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 medium head red cabbage (about 1 3/4 lbs), quartered, cored, and sliced
1/4 apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp pure maple syrup

preheat oven to 300 degrees.

fry the bacon over medium heat in a large, deep, ovenproof braising pan with a tight-fitting lid until crisp, about 5 minutes. add 1 tsp oil if it seems necessary. remove bacon with slotted spoon and drain in paper towels.

add butter to the pan and stir in the sliced onion. season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring periodically, until soft, about 2 minutes. add apple and ginger and stir to combine. increase heat to medium-high and and add the cabbage, a few handfuls at a time, stirring to cook down until it all fits in the pan. cook about 6 minutes, stirring, until the cabbage begins to wilt. add the cider vinegar, syrup, and cooked bacon. stir to combine and let the liquid come to a boil.

cover the pan and put in oven. braise at a gentle simmer, stirring every 20 minutes, until the cabbage is tender, about 1 hour. serve warm or at room temperature.


sources:

bacon from skagit river ranch
cabbage from nash's organic produce
onion from willie green's organics
apple from collins family orchard

pear soup with blue cheese and bacon

it seems that one of the first things i get excited about when fall rolls around are savory fruit soups. i like the flavors, i like the blended texture, and soup feels so nourishing, especially when it's full of yummy fruit. this one is a pear soup with bacon and blue cheese. (the original recipe called for pancetta, to which i tend to say to-may-to, to-mah-to, primarily because i love the bacon of skagit river ranch so much.) 

the soup alone is delicious, but the bacon and blue cheese elevate it to a richer level. rich enough, really, that it's probably better off as a start to a meal than a main course. i'll type out the recipe as i made it, though should note that next time i'll probably add a little more stock to thin it out just a tad. 

pear soup with bacon and blue cheese

adapted from fiveandspice on food52.com

4 slices bacon, chopped into pieces

1/2 medium onion, chopped

1 small clove garlic, chopped

1/4 pound potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch cubes

1 small carrot, chopped

1/2 Tbsp maple syrup

2 bartlett pears, peeled, cored, and chopped into 1 inch chunks

1/4 tsp chopped fresh thyme

pinch of fresh grated nutmeg

1 1/2 + cups vegetable or chicken stock (i'd be hesitant to use store-bought chicken stock here--the salt level would probably overwhelm the pear)

couple of tablespoons of greek yogurt (original recipe calls for creme fraiche)

salt and pepper to taste

crumbled blue cheese

in a large soup pot, cook the bacon until crispy. remove with slotted spoon to a paper towel lined plate. 

pour off all but about a tablespoon of the bacon fat and add a little olive oil to the pot and heat to medium/medium low. add the onion and cook until softened but not browned. stir in the garlic, potato, and carrot and cook, covered, about 10 minutes. add pear, syrup, thyme, and nutmeg and cook a few minutes, stirring, to coat the vegetables in the syrup mixture. 

add broth, bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer and cook, covered, until potatoes, carrots and pears are soft, about 15 minutes. 

blend until smooth. you can blend in batches in the blender, but this is where an immersion blender comes in really handy. 

sources:
bacon from skagit river ranch
pears from...um...crap, i can't remember! someone at the u district farmers market!
potatoes from olsen farms
onion and garlic from willie green's organics
chicken stock made from stokesberry chicken

homemade bloody mary mix

spring officially arrived on march 20th, and i have yet to officially acknowledge it here. (probably because it's barely broken 50 degrees in seattle in the last 6 weeks and that's a buncha--sorry, what? me? oh no no, i'm not bitter!)

so, a month late and without further delay, my spring 2011 posts will begin the way all things should--with a big ol' bloody mary.

bloody marys, full octane or virgin, embody everything i consider wonderful. rich, red tomato awesomeness, black pepper, salty brine, spice that makes your eyelids sweat just a little--YUM. i used to keep a bottle of mix on hand for a jolt of tomato/spice in the morning or as a mid-afternoon boost, but last summer decided to try making my own.

i started by juicing pounds and pounds of tomatoes using my juiceman, and froze the juice until i could get around to my project. last week i finally thawed some and went for it. ya know, it was really, really good! the juice simmered with chopped veggies for a while, then it was all blended into essentially a drinkable, spicy tomato salad. it tastes terrific on it's own as a juice, and is a great base for customizing your own bloody mary with more horseradish, worcestershire, black pepper, lemon, preserved lemon, lime, olives, pickled veggies, bacon, seafood--and the poison of your choice. (if you're really into heat, try adding a bit of hot monkey vodka from portland's new deal distillery, but be warned--you'll wanna take baby steps adding this stuff. it is seriously fiery!)

i've looked around online and realized that i could've just cooked my tomatoes down instead of put them through the juicer. i think next year i'll definitely try this approach, since the yield using the juice is kind of low--can't remember how many tomatoes it took to get a quart + a pint of juice, but it was plenty, and the juice cooked down to a quart of bloody mary mix. anything that adds to the yield is a good thing, if you ask me!

homemade bloody mary mix
makes about 1 quart
(all measurements approximate, and mostly "to taste." experiment with your own, and leave suggestions in the comments! i'm totally giving this another go in a couple of days!)

1 quart + 1 pint juice from fresh tomatoes
1 large carrot, finely chopped
1/4 small yellow onion, finely chopped
1/4 red pepper, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped and loosely packed
some salt, some fresh cracked pepper

combine all ingredients and simmer, partially covered, about 1 hour. vegetables should be very tender, juice should be slightly reduced. allow to cool a bit and blend until pureed. (may need to blend in batches.) don't blend hot! it will blow the top off of your blender and you'll be cleaning up tomato juice for weeks.

return to pot and taste. (i simmered a bit longer with the added spices--not sure if it was necessary, but i felt fine about it. ) add the following to taste:

more fresh cracked pepper
more salt
lemon juice (i added juice from almost 1 whole lemon)
couple of splashes of sherry vinegar
1 Tbsp worcestershire sauce (make your own, it's stupid-good!)*
1 tsp prepared horseradish (put a little of the juice mixture in a bowl, whisk in the horseradish, then add the mix back to the pot for easiest integration.)
dashes of your favorite hot sauce

stir, taste, add. stir, taste, add. when ya like it, chill and enjoy as is, or wait until saturday morning and spike it up!

tomatoes and red bell pepper from last fall from alvarez farms

carrots from willie greens organics 

pint glass from one of our favorite stops in prosser, whitstran brewing!

*note: omit or use vegetarian worcestershire for a vegetarian/vegan version

moroccan chicken with green olives & preserved lemons

i don't think i've mentioned here yet that my super-sweet boyfriend surprised me on my birthday with-- wait for it-- a 3.5 quart, cherry red, enameled cast iron, le creuset dutch oven! mine. all mine. when i told my facebook friends about it, one said, without hesitation, "now go get molly steven's book, all about braising." i did as he instructed and am so impressed with this book! it's a wonderful step-by-step explanation of braising techniques and principles, and every recipe i've made has been mouth-wateringly perfect.

i recently added to my braising equipment when, through a serendipitous series of factors including a gift card (from super-sweet boyfriend two birthdays ago) and a massive after-christmas sale, i bought a 4-qt. all-clad braiser for less dough out-of-pocket than i'd spend on a couple of packages of bacon from skagit river ranch. hellz yeah.

so now, let's cook.

one of the first recipes i made was a moroccan chicken with green olives and preserved lemons. it's difficult to get a good photo of braised meat, but trust me, it was better than it looks! tangy, briny and bright, with a rich, savory sauce. all of the cooking is done on the stove top, so i used my all-clad pan, which was plenty big to accommodate a 3-lb cut-up chicken.

moroccan chicken with green olives and preserved lemons

adapted from all about braising by molly stevens

for spice mix:

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper

1/4 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

for the braise:

1/2 cup unpitted green olives

1 3 to 3 1/2 pound chicken, cut into eight pieces (save back, neck, feet, etc for making stock)

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 Tbsp butter

kosher salt

1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced

3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

3/4 cup water

1/4 cup chopped cilantro, parsley, or a mixture of both

1/2 (4 eighths) preserved lemon (the recipe calls for discarding the pulp and using only the peels, but i decided to just chop the pieces with pulp. next time i'll even add a little more because they are SO delicious. *note: molly says if you don't have preserved lemon, do not substitute regular lemon peels as they will not be the same thing at all. rather, squeeze in juice from half a lemon during the first braise step, and stir in the rest as you finish the sauce.)

the spices: in small bowl, stir the spices together. in separate bowl, cover the olives with water and let them soak.

the chicken: rinse chicken pieces with cool water and pat dry thoroughly with paper towels. season with salt and pepper. heat oil and butter in braising pan, or large saute pan, over medium-high heat. add half of chicken to pan, skin side down, and leave to brown without disturbing them, 4 minutes or so. lift with tongs to see if skin is browned and crispy, then turn and brown other side, about 4 minutes. transfer to plate and repeat with rest of chicken. remove to plate and set aside. 

the aromatics: pour off all but 1 Tbsp of fat from the pan, and lower heat to medium. add onion and garlic, stirring, and cook about 3 minutes to soften. (don't burn the garlic! if it starts to brown too fast, move on to the next steps.) add spice mix and saute about one minute more.

the braising liquid: pour water in pan to deglaze, scraping up browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan.

the braise: when water boils, return the chicken to the pan, wings, legs and thighs only, cover, reduce heat to low, and cook 10 minutes. if liquid is at a lively simmer, reduce heat so that it's a slow simmer. turn legs and thighs over with tongs and add chicken breasts, placing them skin-side up on top of the other chicken pieces. sprinkle with half of chopped herbs, cover, and braise 20 minutes more. 

the olives and lemons: drain the olives. remove pits by smashing olives with the flat side of a knife, open olives like a book, and remove the pit. (this is surprisingly fun. i thought so anyway. oh, and i have to imagine there's a reason why she calls for unpitted olives that she then tells you to pit-- maybe less salty this way? higher quality olives have pits? dunno. but i did as i was instructed.) rinse the preserved lemon pieces and chop into chunks. 

after the chicken breasts are added and the 20 minute braising time is over, add olives and preserved lemons and turn chicken pieces again. cover and braise another 10-15 minutes, making total braise time 40-45 minutes. check for doneness-- juices should run clear when pieces are pierced with a sharp knife. transfer chicken out of pan and cover to keep warm. 

the finish: increase heat under braising liquid to meduim-high and bring to a boil. simmer sauce until it thickens a bit. add the rest of the herbs and season to taste with salt and pepper. serve sauce spooned over chicken.

sources:

chicken from stokesberry sustainable farm

onion from willie greens organic farm

garlic from anselmos

delicious salad and a fruity side built from what was in the fridge

you know what it's like. you're pumping away on the exercise bike, watching an episode of "the office" on the ipad, and going over the list in your head of produce that will go bad if you don't act fast. this time, the scene lead to two successful side dishes-- the watercress and pear from the ravioli dish i never made were split up and turned into a salad using fennel leftover from the pickled fall veggies, and a zingy side of pear and roasted beets with apple-mustard vinaigrette. 

this salad is out of this world. spicy watercress and cool fennel take on a vinaigrette sweetened by dried cranberries, and are perfectly complimented by nutty, toasted pecans. absolutely delicious, quick, and special enough to serve to guests or for the holidays. 

fennel and watercress salad with cranberry vinaigrette 

adapted from allrecipes.com

1/8 cup balsamic vinegar

1/8 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup olive oil

1 bunch watercress

1 fennel bulb

1/2 cup pecan halves, toasted

mix the two vinegars in a bowl and add the cranberries. let the cranberries soak for about a half an hour, then whisk in the salt and olive oil.

shave the fennel bulb into thin slices using a mandoline. combine watercress with fennel, toss with some of the cranberry vinaigrette, and top with toasted pecans.

this pear and roasted beet combo is really nice and is a great way to sneak some fruit into your diet. (somehow, i love to buy fruit, but when i get it home the appeal vanishes. so i kinda *have* to trick myself from time to time.) the oil-free dressing using apple jelly and mustard would be wonderful on just about anything, i've decided. and, bonus, the pears turn PINK!

asian pear with roasted beets and apple jelly-mustard vinaigrette

adapted from beet and asian pear salad, gourmet, january 1995

1 bunch small beets

1 asian pear

2 Tbsp apple jelly (we used a cinnamony apple cider jelly-- sooo good)

4 tsp white balsamic vinegar

1 tsp dijon mustard

preheat oven to 400 degrees. remove the beet greens (save these to saute in olive oil or toss in a casserole or soup!), scrub the beets, and wrap them in heavy-duty aluminum foil. roast them on a cookie sheet or baking dish until they are tender. this takes FOREVER. allow more than an hour, even for small beets. when beets cooked, allow to cool and slip the skins off. slice thin using a mandoline or knife. 

peel the pear and cut into chunks.

to make the dressing, heat the jelly, balsamic, and mustard over low heat in a tiny saucepan until jelly is melted. combine with pear and beets and serve. 

sources:

pear from rockridge orchards

beets from alm hill gardens

fennel from willie greens organic farm

georgia pecans from my wildly awesome aunt jane!

quick-pickled fall veggies

due to a series of events taking us out of the house at night lately-- my birthday, huskies games at the bar, pool with friends-- i haven't really cooked anything in a couple of weeks, which feels like years. not only have we been eating out and bringing home leftovers, but after a time of having someone else prepare our meals, it's easy to get a little lazy about being in the kitchen. brent olsen from olsen farms even commented this weekend at the farmers market, "hey, good to see ya. it's been a while!" yes, brent, it's sadly true. because we've been ordering pizza. (and please don't make me admit that there's one in the fridge even now, as i type...)

but, i'm vowing to break the cycle, just as soon as we get through the tower of leftovers we collected this weekend.

anyway, pickles! the culinary world has gone pickle-mad, a fact i've only recently uncovered. seems most of the menus we see these days include some sort of pickled goodie, and it could be absolutely anything. pickled raisins, pickled shallots, pickled stem of chard...

we recently went to poppy, jerry traunfeld's restaurant, for seattle restaurant week. one of the small plates on the thali tray was a dish of pickled eggplant and cucumber, and it was one of the many, many standout tastes we had that night. enter my bible, also known as jerry's cookbook, the herbal kitchen, offering a chance to recreate his pickled glory at home. i made a few substitutions based on what i had on hand, including using about a quarter of the herbs he called for (as much as my little thyme plant could spare), and using half white wine vinegar and half champagne vinegar. his were better, for sure, but these were still amazingly good. they are crunchy, crisp, and full of flavor without being too saturated in overpowering acid. the vegetables maintain their original character, so make sure you start with high-quality produce. the fennel was my favorite, rob's was the cauliflower.

we had them alongside a grossly overcooked and under-seasoned pork chop. go me!

pickled fall vegetables
adapted from jerry traunfeld's herbed fresh vegetable pickle in the herbal kitchen

1/2 cup kosher salt
2 quarts cool water
2 quarts prepared vegetables, such as carrots cut into matchsticks, thin sliced fennel bulb, cauliflower florets, and cucumbers seeded and cut into half moons
a couple of tablespoons of chopped fennel frond
1 cup white wine vinegar
1 cup champagne vinegar
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups water
1/4 tsp hot pepper flakes
3 dry bay leaves
handful of lemon thyme sprigs

brining:
stir the salt in the cool water until it dissolves. in large ceramic or glass bowl, submerge the vegetables and chopped fennel frond in the brine and let sit for 4 to 6 hours. the veggies wanted to float, so i put a deep plate on top of the bowl to keep them submerged.

pickling:
bring the vinegars, sugar, 2 cups water, chili flakes and bay leaves to a boil in a saucepan. add the herbs, stir, and remove pan from heat. let mixture cool to room temparature.

drain the vegetables from the brine and return them to bowl. pour over pickling liquid (again, keep 'em submerged) and refrigerate overnight. that's it!

before dinner i scooped our servings out of the brine and let them mellow for about a half hour. the leftovers stored in the brine for another day, which i then drained for good, fearing that they would get more acidic and more floppy over time. don't know if that was the right thing to do, but then again, we ate them all up in 3 days anyway!


sources:
cauliflower-- growing things farm
fennel-- willie greens organic farm
cucumber-- alvarez farm

risotto with mushrooms and leeks

it's been a while since i cooked risotto. i used to make it all the time, but i never really could get the texture exactly right, and eventually i moved the dish out of the rotation in favor of other techniques that weren't so tricky. but when i finally got my hands on some leeks at the farmers market recently (they're almost always sold out by the time i arrive), i couldn't shake the idea of a leek risotto. epicurious featured a recipe from le pigeon, a celebrated portland restaurant that i sadly never made it to when we were living there... the recipe for risotto with leeks, shiitake mushrooms, and truffles sounded too good not to try. 

the recipe begins with halved and thinly-sliced leeks. click here for a handy guide on prepping and cleaning leeks.

the leeks are cooked in heavy whipping cream until the mixture is nice and thick, and the leeks are tender.

le pigeon's recipe calls for shiitake mushrooms and truffles. i, having neither on hand, substituted dried porcinis that were reconstituted by soaking in boiling water for 20 minutes, drained, and added to the roasting onions for the last 15 minutes of their 45 minute cooking time. (if i make this again, i'll try it with fresh shiitakes or creminis. the porcinis didn't quite match the dish.)

now the real work begins. arborio rice is sauted in butter, then white wine, then 4-5 cups of simmering chicken or vegetable stock are added, one ladle-full at a time. most recipes call for constant stirring during this step, but i do cover the pan and step away to do something else occasionally. don't go far, though-- the rice absorbs the stock in about 2-4 minutes, and then it's time for more. 

the rice is done when it is tender, but still a little al dente, and creamy, but not gummy. it should be a bit loose, not clumpy. 

now, the leeks and cream are stirred into the rice, along with 1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese, and a pat of butter. season with salt and pepper. top with mushroom and onion mixture, or stir it all together. 

as i said, i will save the porcinis for another dish next time. fresh shiitakes or creminis would be better in this one. between the creamy rice, and the creamy leeks, the dish was creamy creaminess, and the porcinis were too pungent and out of place. their aroma reminds me of a cross between a super sharp pecorino cheese and the ocean-- just too much for the other flavors.

it is entirely too easy to overcook risotto, and even if you yank it off the heat at just the right time, it's only a matter of minutes before the rice has continued to cook and taken your dish from "yay!" to "damn, i overcooked it again." that's why i think everyone who makes risotto at home should be willing to adjust their standards for the dish-- it still tastes good, even if tom and padma would complain. give it a try!

recipe: le pigeon's risotto with leeks, shiitake mushrooms, and truffles, bon appetit september 2007

leeks: full circle farm 

onions: willie greens organics 

dried porcinis: foraged and found edibles 

roasted celeriac soup

roots and greens, roots and greens... seems like it's the same ol' song at the farmers market these winter days. but, spring is on its way, and in the meantime, i'm really getting to know some roots and greens. 

this is celeriac, or celery root, a type of celery grown for it's root rather than the stalks and leaves. the flavor is very similar to stalk celery, though milder, sweeter, and not nearly as bitter or salty. i've been using it as a celery substitute in some of the stocks and soups i'm making this winter, since celery isn't available. i've also mashed it with potatoes as a side dish and roasted it with other roots. 

it may look like a baseball-sized wart, but it is fresh, earthy, and delicious.

i've found it's easiest to slice off the thick, knobby skin rather than try to peel. at this stage, the celery aroma really comes through. 

once inside, its pretty little tortoiseshell pattern is revealed. 

this time, the celeriac became a smooth and creamy soup that looked a lot like cream of wheat, but tasted fantastic. the little bit of sweetness in the celeriac is intensified by roasting it, and a thorough spin in the blender creates a silky texture. this is a wonderful soup, but i think it would be best served as a small starter to a meal. a big bowl of it got to be a little bit intense for me, as is the case with most blended soups, i've found. 

roasted celeriac soup

from planet green*

(serves 2-4)

2 cups celeriac, peeled and cubed

olive oil

1/2 onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced 

1 potato, peeled and cubed

2 cups chicken or vegetable stock

1 tsp fresh thyme

1/4 cup milk

salt and pepper

toss cubed celeriac with a little olive oil and roast at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

heat 1 Tbps olive oil in soup pot over to medium. add onion and saute until softened, then stir in garlic and cook for about a minute, careful not to burn the garlic.

add potato, stock, and thyme. bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, covered, 20 minutes. add roasted celeriac and simmer another 10 minutes, or until potatoes are cooked through. remove from heat and cool slightly.

add soup (in batches, if necessary) to blender and blend until very smooth. (can also use an immersion blender, but i've found the countertop blender most effective when i'm after a smooth texture.)

return to pot, stir in milk, and season with salt and pepper.

*the original recipe called for celery, leeks, fresh tarragon and parsley. as i had none of these on hand, they didn't go in the pot. however, i suspect these would all be wonderful additions, and would add a little more green to the color. 

sources:

celeriac-- full circle farm 

onion-- willie green's organics 

potato-- olsen farms 

beef burgundy and three root-vegetable mash-- amongst the top 10 things i've ever cooked. maybe top 5...

me: i need to come up with an angle for my beefy post.
rob: what kind of angle?
me: you know, an intro or an anecdote-- something besides 'i made this and it was good.'
rob: 'i made this and it was REALLY good?'

that's as good a place to start as any. i made this. and it was really. REALLY. good. it was so delicious and satisfying, in fact, that when rob forgot to take the leftovers for his lunch the next day, he came home to retrieve them. unprecedented! if i had nothing to do but cook and eat and get really fat, this would be my daily meal.

we are big fans of slow-braised meats of all kinds-- wild boar ragout, lamb bolognese, elk with pappardelle-- big fans. my list of "things to learn to cook" has included a rich braised meat since the fall, and i finally took the plunge last week. i didn't suspect it would be a difficult preparation, but was concerned that there may be a trick to getting really great flavors. if there is a trick, gourmet's boeuf bourguignon from march 2001 has it.

i followed the recipe almost to the letter, even the first step of boiling the bacon. i'm still not sure what this step accomplishes, but it did appear to boil out some of the fat, which is just fine with me. the boiled bacon goes into the stew as whole strips, which i found unusual, but worry not-- the strips melt away into pure flavoring during the 4 hour cook time.

recipe link again: boeuf bourguignon, gourmet march 2001

(forgive me for not typing it out? it's kinda long, and i've got to wrap this up so i can prep the pork chops and watch michael pollan on oprah... you understand, yes?)

a few notes:

• don't skip the deglaze with brandy-- it makes the house smell of a bacon and waffle breakfast for a few minutes.
• i didn't have celery or parsley, so simply left them out.
• i used baby shallots instead of pearl onions and didn't bother to blanch or boil first-- just gave them 30 minutes to an hour to cook in the stew.
• i used dried porcinis instead of fresh mushrooms, and since i didn't reconstitute them first, i ended up having to add about 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup homemade beef stock towards the end of the cooking time. watch it, and if it starts to get dry, add a little water or stock.
• one more thing, and this may be a controversial thing to say. i may need to eat my words one day, but... i've decided the missive "don't cook with what you wouldn't drink" is horse pucky. without hesitation i poured a $7 bottle of wine that had been open since mid-december into the pot (and not open with a wine-saver top, either!), and came back to one of the best meals i've ever made. (that said, before the bottle sat open for a month, it was something i would drink! there's still plenty of stuff i wouldn't even allow into my home, for cooking or otherwise.)

super-rich beef not your thing? maybe you'll like what i served it with, a mash of 3 winter root vegetables-- potato, carrot, and nutty sunchokes.

sunchokes, also called jerusalem artichokes , are nothing like globe artichokes that top your pizza and go into cheesy spinach dip at the bar n' grill. they look like ginger root, or extraterrestrial larvae, and are the tuber of a kind of sunflower. their texture is much like a water chestnut or crisp apple, and they have a fresh, earthy, and incredibly nutty flavor. i've read several accounts of them causing intestinal distress for certain people, but so far i've not noticed any side effects, though we are eating them in small quantities, and almost always mixed with other roots.

this mash was a flavorful alternative to pure mashed potatoes, and probably a little healthier, too.

puree of three root vegetables

from gourmet, december 1993
(serves 2)

1 carrot, peeled
1 russet potato, peeled
1/2 lb sunchokes, scrubbed clean and peeled (peeling optional-- but if you try it, just scrape off as much as you can. no need to be thorough.)
butter
salt and pepper

chop vegetables into uniform chunks. cover with cold water and cook 20-30 minutes over medium heat, covered, until they are all tender. drain, reserving some of the cooking liquid.

transfer to bowl and mash together, or use mixer or food processor and mix to desired smoothness. add reserved cooking water to thin, if it's too thick. season to taste with butter, salt, and pepper.


sources:
stew beef and potatoes from olsen farms
most delicious bacon ever from skagit river ranch
onions from willie green's organic farm
dried porcinis from foraged and found edibles
carrots from nash's organic produce
sunchokes from stoney plains organic farm
baby shallots from pipitone farm

winter greens gratin-- you should probably make this right away.

i tried and tried to get this post out yesterday, but i simply could.not.focus. i'd add a link, type three or four words i thought might eventually make it into a sentence, and wander away from the computer. i'd come rushing back thinking, "just write it! just get it done!" and then find myself in the dining room again. this continued until i gave up and did laundry.

rob theorizes my trouble came from having half of a bottle of coke rather than "a good breakfast." i'm sure he's exactly right. this morning i've had a cup of herbal tea and a shower, which is as close as i've really ever come to "breakfast" in the last 36 years, so i'm ready to go!

i've been digging around in the PCC market recipe collection and have found several dishes that will be great for the winter crops now available at the farmers market. we started sunday night with this one-- organic winter greens with caramelized leeks parisienne. basically, a scrumptious kale gratin that will almost certainly make it into the rotation!

there's not a lot to say about this dish. it's a gratin. it scratches a similar itch as would a goopey, cheesy casserole or a mac n' cheese (especially with that buttery crunch on top), yet is much lighter and packed with the some of the heartiest and most healthful greens any season will produce. 


i followed the recipe almost exactly, with these minor changes and observations:


recipe link again: organic winter greens with caramelized leeks parisienne

• i didn't have any chard, so substituted with more kale, using both purple and lacitino kale. (kale from nash's, winter spinach from willie green's organics, and leeks from full circle .)
• the kale was some of the woodiest that i've ever seen, even with the stems removed. i therefore cooked it down closer to 30 minutes than the 3-5 the recipe calls for before adding the cream mixture and baking.
• for the topping, i separated the cheese from the butter and panko, sprinkling the cheese on top of the greens, then topping with the buttered crumbs.
• because i had so much kale, the leek and spinach were completely lost. i'll add more of each next time, and cut back a little on the kale.
• the recipe calls for beecher's flagship which has become one of my favorite all-purpose cheeses of all time. use any cheese you like, anything you'd add to a casserole-- cheddar, mont jack, swiss, gruyere...
• leeks require a thorough cleaning (come to find out)! a good tutorial on leek prep here.

i served the gratin with sweet potato gnocchi from the freezer, tossed with a little butter. and it was DELIGHTFUL!