"for all the cows" or "My life is all about balance?"

I'm singling out my sister-in-law on this one.  She has commented before that there are not enough veggie treats on here so, Erin, here you go.  no, I'm not talking about the two pictures of steak (HA!), I'm talking about the face melting bean and potato tacos photo.  I had kind of spaced off lunch and had to make this dish on the fly, but sometimes that is when you really shine.  Taco recipe to follow, sista (because I know you will want to make this one).

Ok, other pics:  Maximum Beefage.  Somehow we (wifeshow and her opening act "the husband experience) managed to score an unbelievable ribeye at the grocery.  I'm telling you it was marbled to the deeps up in that business!  I think it somehow managed to slip by whoever was grading it.  Anyway, true to form, all of the fat melted into the meat creating an amazingly tender steak.  Accompanied with a potato and onion Rosti and a microgreen salad, it was pretty hard to beat.   I know that a lot of grilling advocates will argue that I ruin my steaks by the saute and oven method, but I don't care.  don't get me wrong, I can appreciate a nicely grilled steak, but for me, this method prevails.  You lose all of your "fond" when you grill and you don't get that great opportunity to make a sauce with the pan  "leftovers."  

Anyway,  I've said it a million times, but please, give this method a try.  click here for the method. (scroll down to bottom)

Other sort of newsworthy snippets:  I've lost about 10 pounds. I didn't want to lose ten pounds.  Wife says that it is because of the yoga, but, at first I had a hard time believing her.  can yoga really do that to a person's body?  I think that I underestimated it. well, actually I know that I underestimated it.  It really is more of a workout than just stretching and bending.  I have been doing yoga on the days that I don't lift for about a two months now.  I can't really say that my results are typical or not, I really have no reference here, it was just something that I thought that I would start doing to be more flexible.  To be honest, I look forward to it just as much or more than lifting.  the dish gives it two spoons up.

DISH recommends:

A good set of tongs.  trivial, you might think, but having a sturdy set of tongs in your kitchen is like having an extra set of hands; a set of hands that you can dip in the fiery belly of a medieval dragon (depending on the make and model, of course:).  I got mine at Sam's Club (when I had a membership) they're sturdy and decently gauged.  I think they were under 20 bucks.  

Potato and bean tacos:

1 decent sized potato

1 can  pintos

1 tomato (or a big handful of cherry tomatoes)

1/4 of an onion

1/2 poblano pepper

1 clove garlic

fresh cilantro

salt and peps

cumin 

coriander

chile powder

veg. stock

 corn tortillas

feta cheese

in a small pot, parboil your potato (you cut it into small dice right? Of course you did!).  While that's going, saute the onion, pepper, garlic, tomato, a good dose of cilantro, and the spices.  Add some stock here and there as the mixture begins to thicken.  after about 5 min., the veg will start to soften and you can add the (rinsed) can of pintos to the mixture.  Using a potato masher, smash them up to desired consistency (I like mine smooth/chunky, also my nickname in highscool!) add a bit more stock and turn to low, stirring occasionally. onto the tates!  Your potatoes should be parboiled by now (a knife should insert with minimal force, but they shouldn't be "mashed potato" soft.  Drain these well, and then toss them into a hot skillet with olive oil.  Let them brown on all sides (5-6 minutes total).  remove and drain on paper towels.  With your oil still hot, add your tortillas and lightly fry on each side, I said LIGHTLY! you still want to be able to fold these:)  Now you are ready to eat!  Top the tortilla with a generous helping of beans, potatoes, more fresh cilantro and some feta cheese.  You can also add salsa and anything else you like, except tinfoil or pipecleaners, I don't think those would be very good.  Enjoy!

Don't you think it's weird that they call them "push-ups?" I mean, you have to come down sometime...

Up until last night, I had never had (or made) bubble and squeek.  Traditionally, it's made from leftover winter veg (usually root vegetables that were roasted).  The idea here is just to smash them all up and fry them in butter and olive oil.  How can that be bad, right?  I'm really surprised it's taken me this long to try it.  The results were pretty good and surprisingly sweet.  I used leftover veg from my braised chicken (baby yukons, carrots, parsnips, turnips, garlic, and I think some mushrooms made it in there too).  Pretty tasty.  It made me wonder what other leftovers you can smash up and fry in butter, but, alas, that is another post entirely.

As I mentioned, I made a braised chicken the other night.  I have been using chickens from plum creek farms.  I would definitely recommend them. very good flavor and I know that they are treated humanely. I feel better about eating happy things, well, better than they feel.

I also made a small batch of pork chili the other day.  It was actually from a pork shoulder that we had at work and it was just hanging out in the walk in, so I figured I might as well make something out of it.  Sometimes I think that I am strange like that.  I find myself looking forward to making things out of leftovers just as much as making the original thing.  Maybe I'm just thrifty, or maybe I was a scavenger in another life.

Other newsy newsthingys:  Martha was telling me about Bruce lee the other day.  Apparently, he never used any weights to work out, just his own body ( and a pull-up bar, but I don't think that counts) and the guy was super ripped.  It kind of made me start to re-think the way I work out.  Is it more useful to bench press 240 pounds or to be able to do pushups with just your thumb and forefinger?  I'll bet the meathead that can bench the big pounds can't even come close to the bruce lee pushups.  Just a thought.  So, yeah, I am going to try and do more resistance exercises using my own body.  

on a sidenote, I am going to the boiler room for dinner tomorrow night.  Super excited.  I'll try to snag some pics if wife will let me (my guess is no, but maybe I can sneek the tiny digicam in) and give you all an unbiased review of the place.  From what I can tell, it looks pretty cool, and at least I know the bread is good.  (check it out here)

DISH recommends:

Cuisinart Green Gourmet pan, 8 " non-stick. Used this on the squeeky stuff.  super non-stick, and won't release toxic fumes (like teflon) and kill your pet birdies or harm your frank and beans. (I'm not making this stuff up).

Cool as a cucumber? more like Hot as a kitty in the sun...a kitty made of foil...

For the most part, I like to think that I am a reasonably calm person.  I tend to take most things in stride and can usually see the brighter side of situations.  Lately, however, I have had an escalating fear that has (with accelerating speed) crept into the foreground of my mind.  What could this be, you ask?  Alien invasion?  rabid, bloodthirsty rabbits?  Killer bees?  No. no. and also no.  I'm afraid of the upcoming farmer's market season.  You might think that it's silly, but I am honestly already scared.  I will be the first one "in" this year to start things out on friday night and have already imagined many possible catastrophes (some have to do with tripping and falling into a running mixer!).  Luckily, We have a new guy to help out and the seasoned Marthy Marth to make sure things run smoothly.  Maybe I just have the jitters.  I think that I am kind of freaking myself out.  So, to combat this impending doom, I have upped my working out and have been trying to eat healthier and do things of that sort.  for those of you who might think I am being silly, let me just say that market season is pretty brutal.  Way less sleep, lots more work, and lots more work.  hopefully we can all take it in stride and bake some tasty bread treats; and if you live in lincoln or Omaha, you had better go check us out!  

ok, food:  I made some beef stir fry with peanut sauce the other night.  It is an adaptation from one of Martha's recipes.  I really like this stuff, it's pretty tastified, and has lots of room for improv.  Not much else went on over the weekend.  I went to watchmen, so that pretty much took up a whole day, man that movie was looooong.  It was pretty good though.  I had read the book previously, and they did a pretty good job sticking to the story (until the end).  The picture of the cucumbers is from the weekly "sunday night veggie-bag ensemble."  That's right, we make bags o' veggies every sunday night and then we have snacks for the rest of the week.  lately, it's been celery, carrots, cucumbers, and then we try to throw in whatever is in season.  We have some snow peas in there now.  You'd be surprised what substituting these for chips or candy will do for you and how much better you will feel.  so, come on, give it a try!

DISH recommends:

Listening to Earlimart.  the album I like best is "hymn and her".  Particularly like the track "time for yourself."  give it a listen.

In a previous life, I was a plumber... or...super obscure dry joke time!

I used to really like spaghetti and meatballs.  what kid doesn't, right?  well, over the years, as my tastes changed and I sought out more flavorful and interesting dishes, this one seemed to go by the wayside.  I would always think about making it, but for some reason would change my mind or make something that I thought more interesting.  It wasn't until earlier this week when I told wife that I was going to make pasta and she requested meat sauce (we usually have veggie tom. sauce) that I really wanted to try and make a stellar version, with tiny meatballs instead of a meat sauce.  The problem I had run into before, was the meatball.  I had tried browning them in olive oil and then finishing them off in the sauce, but this proved to be really greasy and they would break apart if left in long enough to flavor the sauce well.  I had also tried to put them straight in the sauce from a raw state, but that was an even bigger flop.  So, this time I put the meatballs on a sheet pan and broiled them until done, then into the sauce.  I think that this was the clear winner.  they held together really well, and flavored the sauce well, without breaking up at all.  wow, sorry that was really wordy, anyway...

I have this theory about curries:  You should not hurry a curry, that's when things get furry.  no, seriously.  It seems that curries are the sort of thing that are better the less you pay attention to them (like kitties!).  I have tried to speed them up in the past, but they never get those rich layers of flavor that you expect from a curry.  My advice:  whack everything into a big pot, bring to a simmer, and then cover it and turn to low, then walk away...just walk away.  come back in an hour or so. it'll be worth it.

Lastly, I made some potato leek soup last night.  It was pretty delicious.  I wasn't expecting it to taste so rich and creamy with hardly any cream (just a splash) in it.  This was another slow dish. there are under ten ingredients in this soup.  I like that.  It's comforting to know that you can get a lot out of so little.  pieces.

DISH recommends:

Cuisinart stick blender:  very handy for making blended soups and/or sauces.  I really like that you can just jam this baby into the pot and blend it up right there, because who wants to ladle a pot's worth of something into a regular blender and blend it in batches?  not you?  not me either.

Potato leek soup:

3 leeks

2 pieces bacon

1/2 onion

4 medium yukon Gold potatoes

salt and peps

2 tbs butter

olive oil chick broth

fry bacon until crisp, set aside.  Drain all but 1 tbs of rendered fat.  add onion and cook for 2-3 minutes, then add leeks, butter, and a drizz of olive oil, cook for about 5 minutes more, do not brown (this will make your soup darker then you want it to), this is called "sweating" your aromatics.  don't fret, there's little worrying or exercise involved (that's another recipe).  Add potatoes, broth, salt and pepper.  cook until potatoes are really tender and have no resistance when pierced with a knife.  mash the solids in the soup with a potato masher, then blend.  add a a splash or two of cream. stir.  garnish with crispy bacon bits and the tiniest drizzles of cream.  make squigglies with a toothpick, feel awesome.  Serve with a crusty bread like, pain de campagne.

Hyperlinkonlogs

BRRRRR!! It has been brutally cold all weekend.  Maybe wife and I should think about getting some of those "snuggies." (although, they do kind of look like standard issue religious cult uniforms..."Why, yes, I would like a glass of kool-aid!").  ok, anyway...food.  I picked up some super sweet lambchops the other day, center cut (look like tiny t-bone steaks), not shoulder.  Not that I mind the shoulder cut for certain things (braising, roasting, etc), but the center cut is just more suitable for broiling and saute, which is what I was doing.  Served it with some couscous that had toasted pine nuts, dried cranberries, spinach, and a healthy glug of olive oil, and also some asparagus.  When I saute meat I usually finish it off in the oven.  I like to toss in a little wine or stock, etc. right before to help me out when I make a pan sauce (I also threw in some tomatoes, it's for fun!).  After the meat is done I take it out and let it rest, put the hot pan on the burner (remember, the pan's handle is wicked hot!), give it another shot of wine/stock, and then let it reduce.  At this point, I added a little cream.  I was using vermouth for the main liquid.  In a couple of minutes, you have a pretty good sauce for your meat treats.  There are a thousand variations on this method, and to many of you it will seem old hat, but I think it's pretty useful stuff, basic or not.

I made some risotto milanese last night.  I like to eat risotto, particularly when it's frigid briskies outside.  It's something that takes a little more work then rice, but it's really worth it.  Plus, I had some saffron on hand that I was itching to use.  I tried my hand at making little pyramids with the risotto (using an offset spatula), kind of felt like richard dreyfuss. don't worry, wasn't abducted...

the last pic is my breakfast today.  I made a frittata with bacon, spinach, onion, and cheddar.  Pretty tasty.  had it with the bombtastic multigrain bread we make at the bakery.  get some.

other newsy newsbites: I'm still trying to motivate myself to write the cookbook, I'm shooting for the end of the year. Also, really getting excited about the upcoming gardening season.  hopefully I can get some really cool stuff, or talk people into giving me really cool stuff, that actually sounds better.

DISH recommends:

picking up some ramekins:  this set from Le Creuset is around 24 bucks.  This is what i used to mold the couscous in the lambchop picture.  you can use it for all sorts of plating stuff.  Sometimes I use it for risotto or mashed tates.  oh, and you can also actually make tasty desserts with it too, the possibilities are endless!

 Dish's Saute method (ex. beef tenderloin)

get a saute pan nice and hot

add some canola oil

add your seasoned meat (seasoned however you like) to the pan, browning on both sides (about 2-3 minutes)

go around the pan once with a splash of red wine (or beef stock), you can also throw in some shrooms or whatever

place into a 400 F oven 

cook until desired doneness (3-4 min for med rare, 6 for med, 8 for shoe leather)

take pan out, let meat rest on cutting board

place pan on hot burner, add more liquid (wine, stock, heavy cream, whatever...)

let reduce (sauce should coat back of a spoon and you should be able to run your finger across the spoon and the line it makes should hold.) see video here  (spoon ex. at about the 2 minute mark.) 

plate meat, pour tasty sauce over your meat.  

eat