New Recipes

Alright, so I have two new recipes to share with you this Independence Day. The first recipe comes straight from Martha Stewart Living Cookbook: The Original Classics (though I have changed a few ingredients to fit my taste/pantry). This is a must try:

Spaghetti and Tomato Sauce 101
I made this to feed two people, but you can definitely stretch it to three.
Ingredients:
6 vine-ripened tomatoes (you know, those tomatoes you see still on the vine at the store)
1 box of spaghetti (will give you leftover plain spaghetti, gauge for amount of people)
2 garlic cloves
1/2 yellow or white onion
crushed red-pepper flakes
1/4 cup of fresh basil leaves, torn to small pieces
Salt

Start boiling water for pasta:
You know how to do that.

Prepare the tomatoes:
You have to skin these. Here is how you do it (by blanching them)
Bring a saucepan of water to boil. Score a small X on the non-stem side of each tomato. Drop them into the boiling water for 20-40 seconds or until you see the skin peeling. Then drop them into bowl of ice water. Remove from cold water; the skin should peel off very very easily. Cut across the equator and squeeze the juicy, seedy center into a bowl (like you would a lemon, only softer). Cut the meat of the tomato into thin strips. Push the seedy, pulpy stuff through a strainer (or improvise, I used a spoon with little holes, or if you must, throw it away, whatever).

Put pasta into boiling water, if the water is indeed boiling:
OK?

Prepare a saute base:
Cut the onion into strips or dice it according to your taste. Finely chop garlic. Warm olive oil in a frypan set over medium heat. Add garlic. Let garlic lightly brown for 30 second to 1 minute. Add salt and red pepper flakes. Continue to brown garlic for 30 second to 1 minute more. Add onion and cook until onion is becoming translucent. Add the tomato strips and pulp. Turn the heat up high to breakdown the tomato meat.

If the pasta is done, remove from heat and strain:
Reserve about a cup or so of the cooking water for later (you'll see).

Mix it all together and what do you get:
Let the tomato meat break down a little bit. Slide the strained pasta into the hot tomato sauce. Toss lightly and let the pasta absorb all the flavor. If the misture gets too dry (the pasta will absorb moisture) add some of the reserved cooking water. Add the basil pieces and cook for a minute or two more.

Plate and garnish with grated Parmesan cheese (fresh, now, yahurd) and sprig of fresh basil.

IT IS SO GOOD. The basil is pungent, and the red pepper flakes leave a tingle in your mouth. It tastes fresh and light. Definitely a repeat recipe.



The second recipe comes from Trisha Yearwood's book Georgia Cooking in an Oklahoma Kitchen. It is Warm Feta Dip with Artichokes. Pretty good for a party:

1 14-ounce can of artichoke heart (or like 6-8 hearts, I think), finely chopped.
5-ounce package of feta cheese, crumbled up
3/4 cup of mayo (gross, I know)
1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese.
1 2-ounce jar of pimientos, diced or finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped.

Mix all ingredients thoroughly together. Spread into a shallow baking dish or pie plate or whatever. Bake at 350 for 25ish minutes or until golden brown and bubbling.

Use Melba toast or crackers or pita chips or corn chips to eat the dip.

I think this this is good for a party, but not good if only two people are eating it (trust me; it is strong stuff).

Hope y'all enjoy.

New Blog

It's time to start something new.

It's time get excited.

It's time to blast something out of your car doors.

It's time to have a party.

It's time to GET UP OFFA THAT THING

and blog 'til I feel better.

News Flash: Artichokes Are Disappointing

Artichokes are the most unsatisfying vegetables in the world. I decided to try steaming them today, and it took up all my energy and patience and all without a single satisfying bite.

The recipe called for a homemade lemon mayonnaise, which itself almost caused a breakdown as I had to visit the store a second time to buy more eggs.
*Blend one large egg (at room temperature) with salt and a squeeze of a lemon half in a food processor.
*When the egg is foamy and light, add 1/4 cup of canola oil and 1/2 cup of olive oil one drop at a time and then in thin streams (OH MY GOD!) until stiff.
*Season with salt and add more lemon juice to taste.
NOTE: using just the egg yolk makes a stiffer, more traditional mayo. Add a spoonful of Dijon mustard for real kick.

It wasn't until I was preparing the actual artichokes that I realized that I must document how horrible artichokes are.
Remove the stiff outer leaves and rub the exposed flesh with a lemon half to reduce browning.With a very sharp knife, cut the top third of the artichoke off. If any sharp points remain, trim them with kitchen shears.Chop off the stem and with a paring knife neatly carve the base of the artichoke flat. Rub with lemon to prevent browning.Carefully spread open the flowerhead (sharp points) to reveal the choke. I was scared that something was going to snap my fingers off at this point, but I think you'll probably be okay. With a melon baller (god, I wish I had a melon baller) scoop out the thistle of the choke. Really dig in there firmly and scoop out everything. This is the most disheartening part of the job because you have basically removed most of what you bought. Seriously dig in there until no fuzzy hair can be seen. Squeeze a lemon into the center all over the heart.Now soak in an acidulated bath of lemon juice and ice water until you are ready to cook.Place artichokes in stem-side up in two inches of boiling water in a big pot. Put crushed cloves of garlic, a pinch of salt, a scattering of peppercorns, a sprig of thyme, the juice of one lemon, and the juiced lemon rind into the pot. Cook for 25 minutes or so. A knife should easily pierce the base when finished. Cool artichokes and serve with homemade mayo. You may notice that I have not included a photo of the finished dish. That is because it sucked and was unimpressive. What was impressive was the waste create by the artichokes. This is for a single artichoke.

Lessons learned today:
1. I don't like mayonnaise enough to make it myself.
2. Artichokes are stupid and far too wasteful for our suddenly waste-conscious society.
3. Split-pea soup (the real dinner I had quietly simmering behind all this artochoke chaos) is really simple to make and tastes good.

April Showers Bring May Showers

May flew right past me. Just a brief summation of April and May:

• Finished my copyediting class


• Finished teaching Kaplan


• The weather has improved a bit!


• I went to Boston for the first time to visit my cousin


• My parents came to visit and spent a wonderful week with us


• Went to Coney Island last weekend and had a wonderful time


• Got a sunburn

At the moment I am gearing up for Summer, trying to plan a trip to Athens, and thinking about what to do next. One thing coming up is my new blog. More details to come.

Hope everyone is doing well. I'll try to give you a call sometime this month. I changed my cell phone numbers, and I don't think that everyone has it yet.

Happy Pasover!!!

I'm still trying to restructure this blog and have come across a few obstacle: 1) I read slowly 2) I don't buy new music every week 3) I'm lazy. I feel that in general my posts are reliant on my consumption of something: a song, a book, a news story, a meat loaf (see below), etc. Only through consumption can I produce a post. Well, here are some ramblings to get me started, anyway:

I made the best meatloaf that I have ever tasted. Here is the recipe:
1. Put three slices of fresh white bread (crusts removed) in the food processor and blend until all is crumbs. Put aside in bowl.
2. Put one carrot (roughly chopped), one celery stalk (strings removed, roughly chopped), one-half yellow onion (roughly chopped), two crushed garlic cloves, and one-half cup fresh chopped parsley. Blend until finely minced. Place in bowl with crumbs.
3. Add to the bowl 1/2 lb of veal, 1/2 lb of beef, 1/2 pork, 1/2 cup ketchup, salt, pepper, 2 eggs, and several teaspoons of dry mustard. Blend with hands for one minute until mixed.
4. Form a free-standing loaf on a cookie sheet (or wire rack, covered with foil or parchment, above cookie sheet).
5. Brush a glaze of brown sugar, dry mustard, and ketchup over the loaf, thinly covering.
6. Saute a sliced red onion in a little olive oil until soft. Drape onion rings on loaf.
7. Bake loaf at 400 F for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with fresh rosemary twigs, bake for 25 more minutes. Remove from oven and let sit for 15 minutes.
8. Enjoy!

It was so good. Every bite is so full of flavor that you can feel it tingle for minutes afterward. I'm definitely going to make this again when a group comes over for dinner. No photos, unfortunately.

I've started to work out regularly:
I can't wait to finish my classes so that I can go to the gym on a regular basis. I would love to go 3-4 times a week, but I usually end up going 2-3. I bought a heart rate monitor that transmits my heart rate to all the machines at the gym and also to a watch on my wrist. In the past I've always had trouble burning out too quickly while running, but now I can keep myself in a healthy range and run longer. I also love taking a shower after running and emerging onto the streets of New York after a long day of work feeling completely refreshed and pleased with myself. Even now, after I've undone my work with hot dogs for dinner, my body feels better.

I've realized another long-term goal:
I would really love to start and own my own business. I know that this is a romantic idea, and that in reality owning a business is a risky and stressful endeavor that often fails, but I'm so enamored of the image of myself orchestrating a machine that works, that makes something valuable and engages the talents of a staff. It is too bad that publishing isn't quite conducive to the small-business model.

I'll keep thinking it over.

John David just made us dinner and is now washing our clothes in the bathtub (long story). I'm lying in bed, thinking about this weekend and about the day I had.

Here's another review to get this blog kicking:

Title: Identical Strangers
Authors: Elyse Schein and Paula Bernstein
Imprint: Random House
Pub Date: Fall 2007
Rating: 5 of 10

Elyse and Paula were adopted separately, grew up in separate loving families, went to separate colleges, and traveled the world on separate trips. Then in their mid 30s they met each other, and "separate" went away. They had the same full, dark hair, the same smile, the same mannerisms, and the same DNA. They were twins.

The book begins at their discovery and follows their paths as they criss-cross, collide, swerve, and steady, trying to make room for each other and their now inseparable baggage. Each woman takes a turn in the narration, presenting an anecdote or key point in the plot and then letting her twin take over. Well done, I felt, and worth a read if you like this sort of human interest story. I also liked that neither strayed too far from the their shared story. There was a balance of voices that worked well, that built a worthwhile story; they maintained an even tone despite their emotional voyage and allowed each other to speak and address their issues with an honored space. In a way, their narrative voices paralleled their developing relationship. At first speaking almost at cross purposes, the two voices later align as the book closes (while still maintaining their distinct character). Though the end isn't set off with fireworks (and thank god), I left the book satisfied and settled. In general, a solid read.