tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84949272012-02-12T06:28:48.147+01:00greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.comBlogger16371100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-9181341470461281392012-02-12T06:28:00.004+01:002012-02-12T06:28:48.161+01:00

The head of savoy cabbage in the fridge led both of us to the idea of doing rouladen. I deviated from the usual ground beef preparation since it was the weekend and I felt like playing around a bit. Brown some pieces of pork stew meat well in olive oil in the pressure cooker. Add chopped onion and garlic along with some diced carrot and a bit of diced celery root. Cook about five minutes longer

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-60940404125207395712012-02-11T08:25:00.003+01:002012-02-11T08:25:56.199+01:00

A variant on the standard potato-leek soup. Cook some sliced leek with a pinch of salt in peanut oil until it starts to soften. Add diced carrot and celery root and let cook another 5 minutes or so. Add diced potato and water and let simmer until the potato is soft. Puree. Season with Old Bay, cardamon, curry powder, black pepper, and piment d'espelette.

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-76907690633948266222012-02-10T08:23:00.000+01:002012-02-11T08:23:35.354+01:00

A soup that kind of just kept on evolving as I was making it: Cook sliced leek with a good pinch of salt in peanut oil until it starts to soften. Add diced carrots and let cook until the carrots have softened some and the leeks are starting to color. Add diced potato, roasted butternut squash, bay leaf, herbes de Provence, and chicken stock. Bring to a simmer and let cook until the vegetables

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-64702576020618818952012-02-06T05:41:00.004+01:002012-02-06T05:42:49.683+01:00

This started off as pork and beans, but somewhere along the way I realized that some greens would go nicely. Soak soisson beans overnight. Drain and transfer to the slow cooker with water to cover by 1-2cm. Add diced carrot and celery root, sliced leek, bay leaf, and cloves. Cover and turn the heat on the slow cooker to "high". Cut some pork shoulder into 2cm dice. Brown that well and add to the

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-60613866373235337272012-02-05T05:30:00.000+01:002012-02-06T05:34:03.427+01:00

A nice side: Sweat some diced onion and garlic with a good pinch of salt in olive oil until the onions are nicely translucent. Add diced carrot and cook another five or so minutes until the carrots start to soften. Add coarsely chopped radicchio and some herbes de provence and cover. Let cook, stirring occasionally, until the radicchio softens.

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-70752682747261617952012-01-30T04:54:00.001+01:002012-01-30T04:54:18.767+01:00

At some point the beets in the fridge prompted the idea of borscht. We had all the ingredients (aside from the beef, dill, and sour cream) to do the recipe in Hesser, and that recipe sounded awfully good. So... that's what I did. I followed the recipe pretty much verbatim and we ended up with something very, very good. It takes a long time to make, but wow is this great stuff.

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-24902285835375794022012-01-29T04:38:00.000+01:002012-01-30T04:45:16.415+01:00

I got back from a long trip craving vegetables, this is where that led. Sweat a coarsely chopped leek in olive oil with some minced garlic. Add grated parsnip, carrot, and celery root, along with a good pinch of salt, and let cook 5-7 minutes. Add chopped spitzkohl (a fine white cabbage) and cook another 5 minutes or so. Stir in a splash of white balsamico, a grind of black pepper, and a

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-78907716778788339142012-01-10T06:45:00.000+01:002012-01-10T06:45:33.344+01:00

We both had a craving for Mexican, so that's what I did. For the sauce: roast, peel, and chop some red peppers. Sweat chopped leek together with garlic and a pinch of salt until it starts to take on some color. Add sliced chiles and cook another few minutes. Add the chopped red peppers, some crushed tomatoes, and enough water to loosen it up a bit. Simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. Puree with a

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-8975494430724527552012-01-08T07:37:00.000+01:002012-01-08T07:37:11.581+01:00

One of my rare roasted chickens (last one was in 2010). I used the method from Ruhlman20 to roast the bird and made a pan sauce after it finished. To accompany I did a batch of sauteed vegetables: carrot, leek, celery root, potato, garlic, herbs de provence, salt, black pepper, and olive oil. I elaborated the sauce more than was necessary, but the end result was still quite good.

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-39550990947277319552012-01-06T04:48:00.000+01:002012-01-07T04:54:12.770+01:00

When a nice head of escarole shows up in the biokiste, it's really hard not to just make beans and greens with it... This time it was a pretty minimal variant: sweat the onions in olive oil with garlic, piri piri chiles, and some diced bacon until nicely transparent. Add the coarsely-chopped escarole, a splash of white wine, and some salt and cook until the escarole is about ready to go. Add

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-17688591215038579362012-01-05T08:23:00.000+01:002012-01-05T08:23:24.819+01:00

Another iBittmanVeg recipe followed incompletely. I should add a "substantial_deviation_from_published_recipe" tag or something. ;-) Cut some potatoes into wedges and toss them into a pot of water with a thickly sliced onion. Salt and bring to a boil. Add quinoa. Cook for another five minutes, then drain. Add to a baking dish with some olive oil. Salt and pepper and mix well. Bake at 210C for 15

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-29922883845993700352012-01-04T05:29:00.000+01:002012-01-04T05:39:28.585+01:00

Derived from a recipe in iBittmanVeg Cook a cup and half of brown rice together with a half cup of small green lentils in boiling salted water for 15 minutes. Drain. Meanwhile cook a sliced leek in butter with a good pinch of salt over medium-high heat until it starts to take on some color. Add some pine nuts and a pinch of saffron and let cook until the leeks are nicely caramelized. Toss the

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-34082957517332644612012-01-03T05:14:00.000+01:002012-01-04T05:40:20.234+01:00

Some simple comfort food to help recover from the holidays: Sweat diced onion together with diced carrot and bacon in a bit of neutral oil in the pressure cooker until the onion is glassy (5-10 minutes). Add washed yellow split peas, a good pinch of salt, black pepper, herbs de provence, white wine, and water, put on the lid, and bring up to pressure over high heat. Drop the heat to medium-low

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-72935119591566056922012-01-02T05:27:00.000+01:002012-01-04T05:30:33.827+01:00

Things from the holidays: I picked up a copy of the "How to Cook Everything Vegetarian" iPad app. What a nice piece of software. I'm dubbing it "iBittmanVeg". I got a copy of Ruhlman's Twenty as a gift. Unsurprisingly, it's a nice cookbook.

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-1096894166539142892012-01-02T04:50:00.000+01:002012-01-04T05:29:59.628+01:00

Going to make a conscious effort to start posting again.

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-13606429346700804412012-01-01T07:37:00.000+01:002012-01-08T07:45:47.029+01:00

We did this last year too. This year's contents: beef filet, pork belly, pork loin, chicken breast, yellow peppers, scallions, carrots, mushrooms, broccoli, zucchini. Dipping sauces: ketjap manis and garlic; ketjap manis and ginger; soy sauce, chile oil, and ginger; chile oil. It's great food and makes for great pictures. The spread In progress

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-45570962540865840602011-11-09T05:28:00.000+01:002011-11-09T05:28:14.384+01:00

Aside: I'm just going to quietly ignore the multi-month silence and try to get back into keeping this up-to-date again. Over the weekend I adapted a recipe from food52 where fennel is braised in light cream and then tossed in the oven to take on some color (nice stuff, by the way). This left me with a couple cups of light cream with distinct, but not overwhelming, fennel taste, an ingredient

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-8199538836839049632011-09-04T07:08:00.001+02:002011-09-04T07:08:18.955+02:00

A lunch designed to use up some of the large quantity of potatoes we have left:Steam some sliced potatoes. While they're cooking combine finely chopped onion with vegetable bouillon, cider vinegar, peanut oil, and sliced wienerli. When the potatoes are done, stir them in with black pepper and piment d'espelette. Steam some green beans. When they are done, stir them in to the salad. Add salt if

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-70183376916199719392011-09-04T07:03:00.001+02:002011-09-04T07:03:50.332+02:00

We're leaving today for a backpacking trip, so yesterday I did some prep work: A batch of energy bars. A batch of dumplings. Dried porcinis, chopped into small bits/powder in the minichop Dried chipotles and ancho chilis chopped into small bits in the minichop

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-34002539867120468732011-09-03T06:58:00.000+02:002011-09-04T06:58:53.155+02:00

After getting back from a work trip there was a bunch of fennel that needed to be used up; this was the response. Cook finely diced onion, carrot, and fennel together with some minced garlic in olive oil until the vegetables soften. Add rice and cook a few minutes. Add lemon zest and dried dill along with the first bit of chicken bouillon and start the mixing. Keep adding the bouillon in

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-84313016146972393572011-08-24T05:03:00.002+02:002011-09-04T07:10:13.664+02:00

More simple stuff for the hot weather: A cold soup from peeled tomatoes, zucchini, onion, garlic, bread, tabasco, olive oil, Maggi (the tomatoes were lacking umami), salt, and pepper Orrecchiette tossed with steamed broccoli, olive oil, parmesan, basil, chopped pistachios, and black pepper

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-77831208983306138442011-08-23T04:59:00.002+02:002011-08-24T05:03:05.331+02:00

It's too hot for warm food, so I did salads.Shredded carrots, olive oil, white balsamico, freshly ground cumin, piment d'espelette, salt, white pepperSiedfleisch, thinly sliced red onion, horseradish, cider vinegar (let the onions marinate a bit in the horseradish and vinegar first)Cottage cheese with chopped dill, parsley, and chivesFresh corn cut off the cob and steamed, then combined with

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-88455912089898965912011-08-22T04:56:00.002+02:002011-09-04T07:09:58.676+02:00

I won't call this one gazpacho... Puree peeled tomatoes, zucchini, onion, garlic, parsley, olive oil. Add salt and black pepper, dry sherry, tabasco, and minced smoked ham. Together with a green salad this was a good quick meal for a hot day.

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-3376516234144754592011-08-18T06:29:00.002+02:002011-09-04T07:10:37.340+02:00

I don't think I can get tired of gazpacho. This one had fresh tomatoes (peeled, of course), cucumber, onion, garlic, olive oil, basil, parsley, salt, pepper, water, and sherry vinegar. To go with it we did a big salad: shredded iceberg lettuce, carrots, cheese, tuna, flageolets, cherry tomatoes, and a dill-chive-caper-anchovy vinaigrette.

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-79363651709239120482011-08-17T06:24:00.000+02:002011-08-18T06:29:54.475+02:00

A variation on a Ligurian dish driven by the contents of the cupboards. Cut some peeled potatoes into 1cm dice. Steam them until cooked. Cut some green beans until they are about the same length as the penne. Steam until crisp-tender. Combine basil, pasted garlic, parmesan, olive oil and olive oil in the mini-chop and grind to a pesto-like texture. Toss this with the potatoes and green beans. Add

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-46330597076735957522011-08-16T06:21:00.003+02:002011-08-18T06:24:31.709+02:00

A no-brainer meal for using up vegetables: onion, garlic, eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, tomato, smoked ham, olive oil, salt, pepper, and fennel seeds. We also had some chard (thinner stems that normal) that I steamed in the microwave, coarsely chopped, and then combined with butter and sour cream. Nothing complicated, everything good. :-)

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-73906712912095649022011-08-13T05:52:00.000+02:002011-08-15T05:55:35.658+02:00

To go with the leftover Ensalada Rusa I made some frikadellen:Combine ground beef and pork with minced onion, minced garlic, minced pickles, salt, pepper, and an egg. Mix well and form small patties. Cook over medium-high heat and then set aside and make a pan sauce with tomato paste, ketchup, mustard, tabasco, and water. Before serving, put the frikadellen in the sauce and flip a couple of times

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-81206857789523233872011-08-11T05:45:00.002+02:002011-08-15T05:52:11.235+02:00

I needed to come back to the Ensalada Rusa recipe from Wiener since we had a lot of potatoes and it was so good last time. The stuffed squash idea used some small round hard-skinned squash from the biokiste (no idea what they are): Remove the tops of the squash and scoop out the seeds. Add a bit of water, cover, and microwave until about cooked inside (4 minutes for us). Make the filling by

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-6581868928433703172011-08-07T07:07:00.002+02:002011-08-07T07:16:44.940+02:00

Not sure where the idea came from, but once it appeared it definitely grabbed hold and wouldn't let go. :-)For the chicken:Brown some chicken leg quarters well. Add chopped onions and garlic and cook 4-5 minutes. Add coarsely ground coriander and some cumin seeds and let cook another couple minutes. Add sweet paprika, oregano, minced chipotles with adobo, a pinch each of ground cloves and

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-67002729539883572192011-08-06T06:48:00.002+02:002011-08-07T07:00:32.905+02:00

It was impossible to resist doing a succotash given the contents of the fridge.Cut some bacon into 1/2cm dice and brown it nicely with a bit of neutral oil. Add onions and garlic and sweat a bit. Add chunks of zucchini and pepper (we had long peppers in the box) and a good pinch of salt, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the zucchini are about soft. Add sweet corn (freshly cut off the

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-67353312656090663482011-08-05T07:00:00.002+02:002011-08-07T07:07:35.820+02:00

We had plenty of basil and some almost-overripe tomatoes in the biokiste this week... this was one of the obvious things to do with that.The pesto was standard : basil, garlic paste, toasted pine nuts, parmesan, olive oil.For the tomato salad I made a vinaigrette with garlic paste, microplane-grated ginger, white balsamico, mustard, and peanut oil. I used more vinegar than normal. We tossed this

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-21484202360368335752011-08-04T17:53:00.002+02:002011-08-04T18:02:03.024+02:00

We had some leftovers from Tuesday's lovely Indian food, but not enough for a full meal, so I came up with something.For the leftover lamb paratha filling: saute some minced garlic, ginger, chile, and onion in clarified butter. Add ajwain and fennel seed and cook 30 seconds or so. Add steamed potato chunks and salt, mix well, and let cook 3-5 minutes. Stir in the leftover lamb and some chopped

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-18682491295942362322011-08-03T17:47:00.002+02:002011-08-04T17:53:43.424+02:00

I was wondering out loud what to do with the mint in last week's biokiste when Andrea piped up with two suggestions: lamb, and some kind of raita. That got the ideas flowing, and here's what I ended up doing:Lamb paratha (from BittmanWorld)Saag paneer with tofu in place of the cheese (from BittmanWorld)Mint raita : yogurt, salt, chopped peppermintThe paratha were a bit fiddly (I think the

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-45088467294046606282011-08-02T06:39:00.000+02:002011-08-04T17:54:41.911+02:00

Some things we've eaten lately that I haven't gotten around to recording;Mezze night with hummus, baba ghanouj, and tabboulehChicken salad with skordalia made with a roasted chicken from the Coop. Recipe from Bittman, and it's a good one.Pasta with a raw tomato/anchovy sauce. Idea from the JP "More Fast Food My Way" videos.Roasted peppers diced and tossed with finely diced alp cheese, fresh

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-68499915890902667362011-07-24T05:41:00.002+02:002011-07-24T06:00:57.738+02:00

I'm going through a difficult phase with the the chard from the biokiste, so I dug around a bit to find something new to do with it. The recipe I found, in the Le Menu archive, was for a tart with chard, gorgonzola (the recipe called for "couronzola", which I guess is just a Swiss variant of this), and creme fraiche. Sounds pretty good!In this case following the recipe was a mistake. Normally the

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-56349968986437805562011-07-23T05:36:00.000+02:002011-07-24T05:41:04.134+02:00

We still had some lamb that needed to be finished and this seemed like a good way.Slice some potatoes and layer them in a hot pan with some clarfied butter. Cover and let cook over medium-high heat until the bottom starts to crisp. Toss to rearrange the potatoes and cook a while longer. Repeat this a few times until the potatoes are nicely colored. Cut the lamb into bite-sized pieces and add to

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-66715034293314181532011-07-21T05:26:00.001+02:002011-07-24T05:36:17.844+02:00

Andrea wanted Asian, so that's what we did.For the green beans: cut some smoked bacon into thick lardons and stirfry in a bit of peanut oil until they take on some color. Add chili-bean paste and some chopped ginger and cook a couple more minutes. Add green beans and some black vinegar, toss well, and cover. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the beans are ready to eat.The chicken is from an old

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-76867091591175671752011-07-20T04:40:00.003+02:002011-07-20T04:44:41.281+02:00

I did the usual (Jamie Oliver) recipe for the sauce. Oranges are crap at this time of year, so to serve it I used a mixture of grated lemon zest, rosemary, parsley, and a bit of crushed garlic.There was no sadness in the house about having to eat this. :-)

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-49217397227432802682011-07-18T05:14:00.003+02:002011-07-18T05:18:14.818+02:00

I'm not 100% sure where the idea came from, but there it was: tomatoes filled with lentils.Peel some good sized tomatoes. Carefully core them and remove their seeds and juice. Fill with room temperature lentils and a sauce made from the lentil cooking liquid, lemon juice, mustard, salt, pepper, and good olive oil. Heat in the microwave for 30s or so. Drizzle with a bit more of the sauce and serve

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-50473670776984626342011-07-18T05:03:00.002+02:002011-07-18T05:14:14.506+02:00

This was a random thing inspired by the frozen leg of lamb in the freezer.Fill the cavity in a boneless leg of lamb with some fresh rosemary and thyme, then tie the roast so it's a regular shape. Brown well on all sides, then cover with a paste made from minced onion and garlic, chopped rosemary, thyme, and parsley, mustard, salt, black pepper, and olive oil. Insert a meat thermometer in the

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-45230248738093426462011-07-17T18:54:00.002+02:002011-07-17T18:57:26.471+02:00

We were pretty tired from the day's hiking, and had grabbed a panini while waiting for our transfer in Luzern, so it was a simple dinner: salad and lentils.I cooked the lentils with onion, carrot, garlic, olive oil, bay leaf, a clove, and vegetable bouillon. We ate them topped with a bit of lemon juice and fresh olive oil.

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-85557620229299836242011-07-15T18:43:00.002+02:002011-07-17T18:46:50.784+02:00

Inspired by from Food52, I did chicken under a brick. I left out the pickled peppers and just used rosemary.To go with the chicken I sauteed diced zucchini in butter with fresh herbs (thyme, parsley, chives) and roasted some potato wedges tossed with salt, pepper, and more fresh herbs (rosemary, thyme, parsley, marjoram).Excellent food.

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-72150000909605362082011-07-14T18:46:00.003+02:002011-07-17T18:53:08.198+02:00

Plenty of salad eating again this week:Shrimp salad: broiled shrimp cut into small pieces then dressed with a mayo, sriracha, lime mixturemore guacamole (as long as they keep having decent avocados at the store...)potato salad: potatoes, minced onion, mustard, olive oil, white balsamico

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-78606319224976778312011-07-13T18:53:00.000+02:002011-07-17T18:54:44.734+02:00

A random idea to use up the polenta that didn't get made into dumplings.Form cooked polenta into disks on a well-oiled baking sheet. Top with sliced tomatoes, strips of dried ham, and gruyere. Bake until crispy on the bottom and browned up top.

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-43575767525347100092011-07-11T06:34:00.002+02:002011-07-12T06:41:48.839+02:00

The polenta dumpling recipe came from this month's Le Menu. The original recipe called for it to be served on a bed of zucchini, but we had cauliflower instead, so I used that. :-) I did a bit of monkeying around with the seasonings of the dumplings but otherwise stuck more or less to the recipe.Bring a mixture of 4dl milk and 4dl water slowly to a boil with a couple of bay leaves. Remove the bay

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-26183204486912095452011-07-10T17:27:00.005+02:002011-07-10T17:39:58.118+02:00

[Still shockingly behind]Last week's cooking:Fish steamed on lettuce: inspired by the old Bittman recipe. I used cod and steamed it on lettuce together with some frozen peasEnsalada rusa: recipe from Wiener. This is great stuff and I'll have to make it again and again.Beans and greans: white beans and bacon done in the pressure cooker with yellow carrots, garlic, onion, chicken bouillon, bay leaf

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-88528907252487465282011-07-03T17:19:00.003+02:002011-07-10T17:27:28.051+02:00

[Shockingly behind again...]It was hot, we had lots of vegetables to use up, so I made salads, salads, and more salads. And a soup or two.Green beans steamed until crisp-tender then tossed with minced onion, white balsamico, olive oil, and sliced wienerliMange tous steamed until crisp-tender then tossed with soy, sesame oil, shiso, and that japanese hot pepper shake stuffBeef sirloin seared,

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-51496414097093302912011-06-23T04:56:00.001+02:002011-06-24T05:01:52.315+02:00

The priority was to come up with a use of zucchini, eggplant, and tomatoes to help clear the fridge for Thursday's new biokiste. That wasn't hard to do at all... :-)Sweat a couple crushed garlic cloves together with a diced onion and some piri piri chilis in olive oil. Add zucchini and eggplant, each diced small, and salt and saute another few minutes. Add chopped tomatoes, bay leaves, lemon zest

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-67017734794955295062011-06-22T04:51:00.001+02:002011-06-24T04:56:08.523+02:00

To go along with the leftover dirty rice, I tried the recipe for wilted chard with pickled onions from Hesser. Any new chard recipe is welcome, and this one is definitely good enough to become a regular part of the repertoire... an added bonus: the vinegar used to kill the onions is great for salad dressings.

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-64845305878917348392011-06-20T05:18:00.003+02:002011-06-20T05:40:30.128+02:00

Whenever I see a falafel recipe I think: "mmmm, falafel... I should give that a try." but somehow never have. I'm not sure why, but this recipe from food52 pushed me over the activation barrier.I stuck pretty closely to the recipe (though I only made a half recipe), the only real variation was that I used parsley instead of cilantro (somehow it didn't seem right to use 'tro) and fried them in a

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-24271673009990346162011-06-19T08:43:00.003+02:002011-06-20T05:41:17.440+02:00

We're really enjoying the strawberries... This was another experiment using a recipe from food52.I pretty much followed the recipe except for using jacutinga sugar and increasing the amount of balsamico to a good tsp or two (the 1/2 tsp called for in the recipe struck me as silly).The results were quite nice. One tweak: I think the sugar was excessively strong; next time either standard sugar or

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-73203096943488900212011-06-19T08:38:00.003+02:002011-06-19T08:43:50.408+02:00

I'm not quite sure where the idea for dirty rice came from, but once it arrived there was no alternative...Rinse some blackeyed peas and soak them a few hours. Dump the soaking water and add sufficient new water just cover by 1cm, add a couple bay leaves, a clove, chopped onion, and black pepper. Bring to a simmer and let cook until the beans are about soft. Add a chicken bouillon cube and let

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-77700217696143266572011-06-18T11:34:00.002+02:002011-06-19T11:40:58.938+02:00

An improv gazpacho to celebrate (and start using) the tomatoes in the double box.Mince an onion and some garlic, combine with salt and sherry vinegar in a bowl and let stand.Peel some tomatoes, cut into chunks, and add to the bowl. Add roasted green pepper, chopped parsley, chopped cucumber, and olive oil. Add enough water to allow the stick blender to work and then blend well. Add more water to

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-24310537324825403852011-06-17T11:52:00.000+02:002011-06-20T05:18:02.341+02:00

Keep it simple: season some lamb chops with salt and pepper and sear them well.Make a batch of oven potatoes seasoned with cumin, paprika, salt, and black pepper.Serve the lamb and potatoes with salsa brava.As a vegetable side I sauteed some mangetout with thinly sliced garlic and olive oil.Add a green salad and be happy.

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-61754334380957933522011-06-15T11:43:00.002+02:002011-06-19T11:52:49.976+02:00

South-Indian inspired...In a bit of neutral oil, toast a spice mixture made from fenugreek, cumin, green cardamom (all freshly ground), and some coconut. Add diced eggplant, zucchini, and fennel along with some turmeric and let cook until the vegetables are about ready to go. Add a small amount of crushed tomatoes, a squeeze of lemon juice, and adjust seasonings.Meanwhile make the popu: toast

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-28450031510889780482011-06-13T08:55:00.002+02:002011-06-13T09:01:04.547+02:00

We can't get enough tapas, so we did some more yesterday: tortilla de Espana, fried chicken wings with salsa brava, a tomato salad (tomatoes, flageolets, minced onion, garlic paste, salt, pepper, sherry vinegar, olive oil, parsley), and a big green salad.The tortilla and chicken wings are recipes from Casas' Tapas book. I made these pretty much according to the recipes (substituting chipotle

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-66448309204473112742011-06-12T08:19:00.001+02:002011-06-13T08:28:38.169+02:00

Driven by the massive quantity of vegetables in this week's double box.Start by making the sauce: emulsify crushed tomatoes with olive oil, garlic paste, salt and pepper.Layer the sauce with thinly sliced zucchini, eggplant, and fennel and very thinly sliced carrots and onions. Cover with foil and bake at 160. We didn't have either bread or breadcrumbs, so I improv'ed a topping: cook some millet

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-80711179246166902862011-06-11T08:33:00.002+02:002011-06-13T08:38:25.943+02:00

We're getting tomatoes in the biokiste now... this week we got a double box, so there are a lot of tomatoes to use up.Coarsely dice tomatoes, combine with finely diced fennel, minced shallot, finely chopped basil and parsley, olive oil, and black pepper. Just before serving add some cooking water from the pasta and adjust salt.Serve with spaghetti and a bit more olive oil.

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-25398378120476632612011-06-08T08:51:00.000+02:002011-06-13T08:55:55.546+02:00

Kind of a random idea... those happen sometimes:Cook some brown rice in a copious amount of chicken stock, then drain it.Meanwhile cut some merguez into chunks and brown it nicely. Add diced carrot, onion, and chopped garlic and let cook until the onion softens. Add crushed tomatoes, sweet paprika, rosemary, lemon balm, and thyme and let simmer 10-15 minutes. Serve over the rice.

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-55563728997138265892011-05-28T13:42:00.004+02:002011-05-28T13:53:56.396+02:00

Andrea and I independently ran across nice-smelling strawberries at the Coop and bought a box, so we had "too many". Fortunately for us (who knows what we would have done otherwise!) there was rhubarb in the fridge and I had just seen a really nice sounding recipe for strawberry rhubarb compote on Food52.I was going to say that I stuck more or less with the recipe, but I guess I didn't: I

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-38651625242101362682011-05-28T07:02:00.003+02:002011-05-28T07:27:14.598+02:00

It's not all that often that we do steak and potatoes, but that's what needed to be eaten, so we forced ourselves to eat it. ;-)For the potatoes: peel and slice (1/2cm) some potatoes. Cook with a bit of salt in clarified butter over medium-high heat until nicely browned.For the tomato sauce: cook finely chopped shallot in neutral oil until it softens. Add crushed tomatoes, minced chipotles,

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-33911509125270394922011-05-25T07:08:00.002+02:002011-05-28T07:14:19.087+02:00

There was plenty of broccoli in the biokiste, pairing it with beef seemed almost too obvious.Cut some thin steaks into bite-sized pieces. Sear them in neutral oil and then set aside.Stir fry onion, broccoli, and diced kohrabi (it was in the fridge). Set aside.Stir fry garlic, ginger, garlic-bean paste, and black beans (soaked in sherry and then drained) until aromatic. Add the vegetables and

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-83658396968396733222011-05-24T07:14:00.003+02:002011-05-28T07:21:44.108+02:00

We grabbed a pre-made asian noodle salad for our hiking trip on Saturday and that gave me a powerful craving for a self-made one. :-)Soak rice vermicelli in warm water until soft.Combine chopped scallions, garlic, minced ginger, minced lemongrass, minced chili, chopped cilantro, lime juice, sesame oil, fish sauce, soy sauce, sugar, a bit of black vinegar, and black pepper.Cut a kohlrabi and a

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-28064855519240805402011-05-23T07:30:00.000+02:002011-05-28T13:41:59.683+02:00

To use up the chard in the fridge, I used a recipe from food52 that sounded pretty good. To go with it I broiled some chicken leg quarters (seasoned with salt, pepper, and piment d'espelette).The chard was ok, but it somehow didn't really come together. I guess I prefer the version that's stewed with crushed tomatoes and lemon zest.

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-32968785583296117072011-05-22T07:21:00.002+02:002011-05-28T07:26:34.824+02:00

Idea and recipe outline from the JPFF2 episode (don't have the book, but I watched the episode).Slice fennel and onion with the ceramic slicer. Cook over medium-high heat with some water for a few minutes. Add sliced mushrooms, crushed tomatoes, salt, and pepper. Cook another 5 minutes or so. Cut boneless lamb into 2cm pieces. Season well and cook in a mixture of olive oil and butter over high

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-42903915351031624212011-05-20T06:22:00.003+02:002011-05-20T06:25:51.028+02:00

I found some nice-looking scallops on sale and did them really simply:fry some bacon in a heavy pan and then set aside. Add a bit of butter and the seasoned scallops. Brown well on both sides and serve topped with crumbled bacon and some coarsely chopped pistachios.We ate these together with oven-roasted new potatoes and a big green salad and were not unhappy about it at all.

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-73238492477696651142011-05-19T06:25:00.002+02:002011-05-20T06:32:00.431+02:00

What to do with the celery roots in the fridge? What to do? Ah! got it!Peel a celery root and slice it into 1/2 cm slices. Steam those until almost tender. Layer the seasoned slices with some good smoked ham. Top the towers with Gruyere and piment d'espelette. Bake at 175C until the cheese is brown and bubbly.Very simple, but a really good combination of flavors.

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-54515838427409265092011-05-16T06:16:00.002+02:002011-05-20T06:22:13.762+02:00

We got the first eggplant of the year in the biokiste and I ran across a recipe in Le Menu that looked like a good way to use it: Krapfen with a quark-heavy dough filled with eggplant, tomatoes, cheese, and fresh herbs. I added leeks to the filling and used a hard cheese instead of goat cheese, but otherwise I didn't monkey too much with the recipe.Since the eggplant was small, I did a second

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-7908250215222176092011-05-15T06:05:00.002+02:002011-05-15T06:13:55.893+02:00

An idea from Le Menu to use up kohlrabi: Cook some small lentils in boiling water until they're ready to eat (~30 minutes), halfway through add some vegetable bouillon. Combine finely chopped lemon balm and chervil, chopped garlic, light cream, and salt and let simmer gently for a while. Peel some kohlrabi and slice 5-7mm thick. Saute these in butter until cooked through and lightly colored on

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-57671106472197995462011-05-15T06:02:00.002+02:002011-05-15T06:05:21.058+02:00

A quick one at the end of a warm day: a bed of dressed lettuce surrounded by diced cheese, olives, broad beans, strips of siedfleisch, thinly sliced speck pieces, grated carrots dressed with lemon vinaigrette, and steamed kohlrabi sticks. Served with good bread.

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-2420654403821318342011-05-10T06:21:00.002+02:002011-05-10T06:24:42.084+02:00

Another breakfast idea from Food52 that had to be tried: salt and pepper french toast.In addition to the sriracha ketchup, we also tried these with raclette spices and Old Bay. Both worked well.

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-91850370620018880662011-05-09T06:17:00.002+02:002011-05-10T06:21:16.266+02:00

A variety of salads to go along with the hot weather and use up leftovers from grilling.Grilled peppers and green onions, macaroni, lemon vinaigrette.Potatoes from the hobo pack served at room temp tossed with the remaining baerlauch pesto and some additional olive oilSalt cod, broad beans, tomatoes, olives, red onion, parsley, red wine vinegar, olive oil (recipe from La Cucina de Mama)A standard

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-57811738814962075862011-05-08T08:03:00.002+02:002011-05-08T08:08:06.736+02:00

Last night's grilling:Grilled peppers tossed with grilled spring onions. Served with a lemon vinaigretteGrill-roasted asparagus also served with the lemon vinaigretteHobo pack with potatoes, onions, garlic, piment d'espelette, salt, and pepperA ribeye on the bone, seasoned with salt, pepper, and coriander. Served with a "pesto" made from baerlauch, toasted almonds, and olive oil.

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-14014079993951762882011-05-08T08:01:00.002+02:002011-05-08T08:03:38.833+02:00

I found this intriguing pancake recipe a week or so ago (just the picture is enough to make me want to make it!). Yesterday I got around to trying it.My mods to the recipe were to use less butter and add a pinch of salt to the batter. Since lumps in pancakes drive me nuts, I ran the batter through a strainer.This definitely won't be the last time we have this for breakfast. mmmmmmm

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-65657252281867286642011-05-05T08:08:00.003+02:002011-05-08T08:22:15.048+02:00

Another simple one:Sautee chopped leek in olive oil. When it softens, add young spinach and a good pinch of salt. When the spinach shrinks a bit, add a couple good pinches of ras al hanout. A couple of minutes before serving, add some coarsely chopped lemon balm.Meanwhile cook some basmati rice and, when it's almost done, top with some frozen peas.Serve the spinach with the rice.

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-84062938947200522172011-05-02T05:37:00.004+02:002011-05-02T06:35:25.019+02:00

[trying to get back into the rhythm of posting regularly]This is another one of those recipes driven to use up whatever is in the fridge.Dice some bacon and get it browning in olive oil. Add whole cumin seeds and toast a couple minutes. Add 1.5 cups of short-grain rice, stir to coat, and cook a few minutes. Add grated yellow carrot, grated parsnip, chopped garlic, chopped spring onions that have

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-4443691030677707122011-05-01T12:52:00.002+02:002011-05-01T13:03:26.214+02:00

For this one I did a collection of recipes from Let the Flames Begin. I haven't used that so much in the past, so it was a lot of fun to go through and pick out new recipes and ideas.The doings:Chicken wings southeast asian style: coated with coriander, salt, and pepper; grilled; tossed with chile-bean paste, sriracha, lime, cilantro, mint, basil, sesame oil; served with a peanut-ginger-soy

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-86833625094239395042011-04-03T05:37:00.003+02:002011-04-03T05:46:21.942+02:00

A couple friends came over to celebrate the summer-like weather. Here's what I did:Shrimp : shell-on shrimp marinated with lime, coriander, cumin, and Old Bay, grilled on skewers, then tossed in a bowl with some more lime juice and another shake of Old Bay.Pork: a faux filet marinated with lemon, minced garlic, and olive oil, grilled whole, and then sliced and tossed with a bit more olive oil and

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-35074196212050879062011-03-09T05:29:00.002+01:002011-03-09T05:32:27.477+01:00

There's still basil in olive oil in the freezer from last summer; that's an easy one to use: pesto!To go with it I did a beet salad by tossing steamed diced beets with olive oil, feta cheese, white pepper, and piment d'espelette.We also had thick slices of smoked ham that I quickly pan fried.

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-28742762120820521652011-03-05T05:25:00.002+01:002011-03-09T05:29:35.061+01:00

The usual "let's use up tons of root vegetables" gratin:thinly sliced celery root, potato, leek, bodenkohlrabi (at least that's what we think it is) and smoked ham with a sauce made from cream, milk, garlic, bay leaf, clove, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and a bit of cayenne. Topped with gruyere and then baked 40 minutes covered and 20 minutes open.good stuff.

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-58746621735031392382011-02-28T05:28:00.002+01:002011-02-28T05:36:30.972+01:00

On Saturday we picked some corn tortillas up in Zurich, so tacos were a high priority.The filling: brown some seasoned beef stew meat then set it aside and pour out most of the fat. Add diced onion and mashed garlic, freshly ground cumin and coriander, and some ripped up dried guajillo chiles; cook a few minutes until the onion softens. Add about a Tbs each of ketchup and tomato paste and cook

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-29460328164799295292011-02-27T05:36:00.002+01:002011-02-28T05:39:23.625+01:00

Toss some dried white beans, onion, garlic, bay leaf, clove, chicken bouillon, sweet and hot paprikas, black pepper, diced smoked ham, and water in the pressure cooker. Bring to pressure and cook 15 minutes. Serve topped with good olive oil, chives, and parsley.

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-24402499628474262942011-02-24T05:39:00.003+01:002011-02-28T05:47:30.706+01:00

It's great to have the pressure cooker and be able to do pea soup on a weeknight.This was the usual: combine peas, onion, diced carrot, bay leaf, chicken bouillon, diced bacon, and herbes de provence in the pressure cooker, bring up to pressure, and cook for 12 minutes. Open the pot, add some wienerli, and cook another couple minutes until the sausage is heated through.Serve with good bread and

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-58139816893279505322011-02-22T05:41:00.002+01:002011-02-28T05:47:03.768+01:00

Definitely a garbage soup.Cook diced onion, leek, celery root, carrot (yellow and orange), potato, and steckrueben in some neutral oil with salt for 10-12 minutes, until the vegetable soften. Add cooked rice, ras al hanout, and sufficient water, bring to a simmer, cover, and let simmer until everything is cooked through. Puree and adjust seasonings.

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-39532907460757867142011-02-20T08:44:00.003+01:002011-02-20T08:46:19.303+01:00

Not the first time we've done this one:Combine sauerkraut with small-diced bacon, medium diced smoked pork shoulder, and white wine and bake until it's ready.Serve with steamed potatoes, grainy mustard, cornichons, and a big green salad.

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-82703999238307325522011-02-20T08:40:00.002+01:002011-02-20T08:44:40.435+01:00

The burgers were totally basic: beef, salt, minced onion, black pepper.The rice was derived from the baked rice recipe in La Cocina de Mama; my variation this time was to use ras al hanout.To go with this we had a salad made from steamed diced beets tossed with sherry vinegar, olive oil, salt, and white pepper.

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-70773714583710431122011-02-18T08:35:00.001+01:002011-02-20T08:40:17.311+01:00

A bit of a random one driven by the boskoop apples in the house along with leftover fondue.Make the apple sauce: core the apples and slice them (could also peel them, but it's pretty easy to pick the peels out later if you don't mind a "rustic" dish) then toss them in a pot with a bit of butter, cover, and cook over low heat until it turns to apple sauce.For the pork: season some pork steaks well

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-69048689197940902762011-02-17T08:32:00.000+01:002011-02-20T08:36:31.043+01:00

It's been a while since we did a fondue...Once again I did a standard recipe (no need to vary when we do this so rarely): cheese mixture from the place around the corner, garlic, corn starch, white wine, kirsch, black pepper, and nutmeg.mmmm.

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-38177787199077295442011-02-15T06:30:00.002+01:002011-02-15T06:34:06.432+01:00

Been bad about posting lately and I'm never going to catch up, so just some highlights from the past month so I can get started posting againHad dinner at the East Coast Grill in Cambridge... mmm, East Coast GrillSavory bread pudding with bacon and loads of paprikaA salad of sliced belgian endive with a creamy, lightly spicy, dressing topped with mandarin segments and peanutscurried vegetable

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-68550224211527873382011-01-10T06:45:00.002+01:002011-01-11T07:18:53.225+01:00

I had a craving for biscuits and a stew seemed like a good accompaniment.For the biscuits I used the usual recipe from Bittman.For the stew I used pork shoulder, smoked bacon, some turkey (remainders from the pot pie makings), leek, yellow carrots, parsnips, fennel, white wine, tomato paste, fennel seed, yellow mustard seed, and some beef bouillon.To go with the rest of the goodness I did a

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-35712710449389320942011-01-09T06:02:00.002+01:002011-01-11T06:45:01.255+01:00

A recipe from Alles Klar that needed to be made: beef filet in red curry with lemon-basmati rice. I pretty much followed the recipe aside from the cooking in jars part... I cooked everything normally. :-)To accompany I made a salad of chopped napa cabbage, fresh mint, lime juice, fish sauce, and sesame oil.Really nice food; moving the sour elements from the curry to the rice is an interesting

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-16967929699278669662011-01-08T09:17:00.002+01:002011-01-08T09:23:24.701+01:00

A simple pot pie:Brown some diced turkey breast in neutral oil, set aside. Saute sliced leek, chopped onion, diced carrot, celery, potato, and parsnip, and minced garlic in the same pan. After a few minutes add white wine, some chicken bouillon, pepper, rosemary, sage, a bit of oregano, mustard, carrot juice (leftover from last week), and some water. Bring to a simmer and then add corn starch to

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-7475887105586328422011-01-07T09:13:00.003+01:002011-01-08T09:17:33.987+01:00

There were a bunch of small potatoes from the biokiste that needed to be used...Cut some new potatoes in half lengthwise and put them in a single layer in a hot pan with some olive oil. Cook ~5 minutes. Add a good quantity of sherry, salt, cumin, chopped garlic, chopped red onion, cover, and let simmer until the potatoes are done. Serve topped with parsley and chives.For the pork: season pork

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-33472946834802083952011-01-05T09:02:00.001+01:002011-01-08T09:24:02.455+01:00

I'm not really sure where this idea to use up the beef that didn't end up in the hotpot came from, but I'm definitely glad it came.Make a vinaigrette from sherry vinegar, olive oil, salt, ras al hanout, black pepper, a bit of mashed garlic, and a pinch of of brown sugar.For the beef: cut some steak into 2-4mm slices, sear the slices in a very hot pan, toss them with some vinaigrette and set

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-14263767103721898572011-01-02T05:38:00.002+01:002011-01-02T05:46:05.161+01:00

When I was growing up we always used to do black-eyed peas on New Years day. I don't always succeed, but I do try to keep doing this.This year's version was really simple: into the pressure cooker went black-eyed peas, diced onion, diced bacon, chicken bouillon, bay leaf, clove, thyme. After 15 minutes at pressure I served the soup with thinly sliced red onions that I killed with red-wine vinegar

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-50548099368704616242011-01-01T05:32:00.001+01:002011-01-02T05:38:53.241+01:00

This seemed like a good one for New Years Eve. As with last time, I stuck reasonably close to the stock recipe in Land of Plenty. This time I strained the stock before putting it on the table - definitely a nice refinement.Things we had on the table to toss in the hot pot: thinly sliced beef, smoked bacon, strips of chicken breast, spring onions, sliced mushroom, broccoli, carrots.For dipping

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-29493995763720438452010-12-31T05:52:00.001+01:002011-01-01T05:56:40.761+01:00

The veal breast that I used to make stock on Wednesday couldn't just be tossed out, so I used it to make a quick hash.Dice some potatoes and cook them over medium-high heat in some peanut oil until they start to get a bit crispy. Add sliced leek, diced red onion, garlic, ground cumin, ground coriander, and both sweet and hot paprika, reduce the heat, cover, and cook until the onion is soft.

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-47846360595352118172010-12-30T06:03:00.002+01:002010-12-30T06:33:03.563+01:00

[well, comparatively big at least...]I started the day by making a big pot of veal stock for later use and then, for dinner, moved on to two recipes from Alles Klar, neither served in glass, but that's just eye candy. :-)The orange-fennel-avocado salad:Slice a small red onion very thinly. Filet a couple of oranges. "Kill" the onions in the juice collected from orange prep along with a bit of

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-22494780478178081852010-12-29T05:57:00.000+01:002010-12-30T06:03:14.696+01:00

One smiley face; we'd consider going back for drinks and apps, but not a meal.Food: A few of the apps (served in glass jars) were quite good, but the main dishes were disappointing, particularly at the price level.Service: GoodAtmosphere: Modern, but somehow pretentious.

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8494927.post-62279122162351086012010-12-28T18:15:00.003+01:002010-12-28T18:25:30.038+01:00

A good one for a cold day!For the meatballs:Coarsely grind 350g pork shoulder with 80g smoked bacon, add 2tsp salt (note, this is too much, see below) and a couple good grinds of pepper, mix well, and let everything sit in the fridge for a couple hours before forming small meatballs.These were originally intended to be done as a sausage and in bigger pieces, but they are way too salty for

greg landrumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10263150365422242369noreply@blogger.com0