October 2004 Archives

So October 24 came and went and no terrine. I had bought all the ingredients, picked out a recipe for something that was at least layered (a ragu and polenta "terrine," layered then baked and served hot). But crises at work, the arrival of my parents for a visit then Todd's, and the exhaustion of late pregnancy foiled me.

My dad made "chili soup" out of the ingredients that would spoil. I guess to a lot of people "chili" is not really a type of soup, more of a stew (which I would also considered a type of soup). The chili soup I had growing up always had onions and peppers, ground beef, kidney beans, spices and a lot of tomato juice to make it soupy. Even now my dad had to improvise and add a couple serving-size cans of V8 to the whole tomatoes in juice I had him break into the chili.

So October 24 came and went and no terrine. I had bought all the ingredients, picked out a recipe for something that was at least layered (a ragu and polenta "terrine," layered then baked and served hot). But crises at work, the arrival of my parents for a visit then Todd's, and the exhaustion of late pregnancy foiled me.

My dad made "chili soup" out of the ingredients that would spoil. I guess to a lot of people "chili" is not really a type of soup, more of a stew (which I would also considered a type of soup). The chili soup I had growing up always had onions and peppers, ground beef, kidney beans, spices and a lot of tomato juice to make it soupy. Even now my dad had to improvise and add a couple serving-size cans of V8 to the whole tomatoes in juice I had him break into the chili.

This is a challenging one for me, hosted by An Obsession with Food (click on IMBB9 in right-hand column) on October 24. I think I'm going to be bending the rules for what makes a terrine, but it's a layered dish I've been wanting to make for a long time.

This is a challenging one for me, hosted by An Obsession with Food (click on IMBB9 in right-hand column) on October 24. I think I'm going to be bending the rules for what makes a terrine, but it's a layered dish I've been wanting to make for a long time.

I think I've mentioned this one before. The package of sweet Italian turkey sausage we bought had six links, and I used three to make a sauce for polenta (took it out of the casing). Last night I used the other three to make mini meatballs for a sausage, spinach and cannellini bean soup. I just split the sausages, rolled the meat into balls and dropped them into boiling broth (sauteed onions and garlic, then added 6 cups water and a 2-cup bouillon cube) to cook.

Right before we were ready to eat I added half a box of chopped frozen spinach and a drained can of cannellini beans. Topped soup in bowls with grated Parmesan. Another quickie!

I think I've mentioned this one before. The package of sweet Italian turkey sausage we bought had six links, and I used three to make a sauce for polenta (took it out of the casing). Last night I used the other three to make mini meatballs for a sausage, spinach and cannellini bean soup. I just split the sausages, rolled the meat into balls and dropped them into boiling broth (sauteed onions and garlic, then added 6 cups water and a 2-cup bouillon cube) to cook.

Right before we were ready to eat I added half a box of chopped frozen spinach and a drained can of cannellini beans. Topped soup in bowls with grated Parmesan. Another quickie!

It's been getting cool here (I love it), so I've been cooking the kind of warming, hearty dinners that fill the apartment with smells. It's been kind of frustrating, though, because for the last two nights I've made dinner but Todd works so late that he has to eat it warmed up or the next day for lunch. And I've been making stuff I think he'll like, so I hate to waste it on when he's not around. If I'd known he wasn't going to be home, I'd make a mushroom ragout.

Monday night was polenta night, which is like an easier version of mashed potatoes to me. I added lots of Parmesan and some heavy cream to make it rich. I had intended to saute sweet Italian turkey sausage with onions and peppers for the topping, but when I pulled out my pepper it had kind of a slimey goo on it. So it was sausage with tomatoes instead.

Last night I made a pork stew from the wine issue of Food and Wine, with orange and cumin. I followed Fran's advice of not crowding the pan and ended up with a nice, rich, meaty sauce that had a fresh taste of orange.

First I sauteed about a pound of pork cubes until it was browned, then I took it out of the bowl and added a small diced onion and one minced clove of garlic. Stirred that for a few minutes, until the onion was softened, then added the juice of one orange and reduced that. Added a couple cups of water, 2 teaspoons of ground cumin and a bay leaf, brought it up to a boil, then put the pork back in. Simmered for 30 minutes, while I made some fragrant jasmine rice (my trick with the rice is to not simmer it the full amount of time, but turn the heat off for the last few minutes and let it sit to let carryover heat do the work). Then added a generous half cup of chickpeas to the stew, warmed them through, then grated in some orange rind and added a little more minced garlic.

During the simmering the sauce reduces and thickens a bit, but the rice is definitely a good soaker-upper under the stew. Todd said it smelled great when he came home (at 9:30!), but he had already eaten.

It's been getting cool here (I love it), so I've been cooking the kind of warming, hearty dinners that fill the apartment with smells. It's been kind of frustrating, though, because for the last two nights I've made dinner but Todd works so late that he has to eat it warmed up or the next day for lunch. And I've been making stuff I think he'll like, so I hate to waste it on when he's not around. If I'd known he wasn't going to be home, I'd make a mushroom ragout.

Monday night was polenta night, which is like an easier version of mashed potatoes to me. I added lots of Parmesan and some heavy cream to make it rich. I had intended to saute sweet Italian turkey sausage with onions and peppers for the topping, but when I pulled out my pepper it had kind of a slimey goo on it. So it was sausage with tomatoes instead.

Last night I made a pork stew from the wine issue of Food and Wine, with orange and cumin. I followed Fran's advice of not crowding the pan and ended up with a nice, rich, meaty sauce that had a fresh taste of orange.

First I sauteed about a pound of pork cubes until it was browned, then I took it out of the bowl and added a small diced onion and one minced clove of garlic. Stirred that for a few minutes, until the onion was softened, then added the juice of one orange and reduced that. Added a couple cups of water, 2 teaspoons of ground cumin and a bay leaf, brought it up to a boil, then put the pork back in. Simmered for 30 minutes, while I made some fragrant jasmine rice (my trick with the rice is to not simmer it the full amount of time, but turn the heat off for the last few minutes and let it sit to let carryover heat do the work). Then added a generous half cup of chickpeas to the stew, warmed them through, then grated in some orange rind and added a little more minced garlic.

During the simmering the sauce reduces and thickens a bit, but the rice is definitely a good soaker-upper under the stew. Todd said it smelled great when he came home (at 9:30!), but he had already eaten.

It's been beef stew kind of weather lately, and there was a recipe for quick beef stew in Food and Wine that gave me the idea to do it (although I did it differently). I think a long-cooked stew is better, of course, but this was good for something quick (the meat didn't break down as much as it would have had the stew cooked longer).

First I cut about a pound of stew beef into smaller cubes, then sauteed it in some olive oil until it was brown on all sides. It gave off a lot of liquid, so I poured the beef and most of the liquid (was it fat?) into a bowl, leaving a little in the pan to try to make a fond, which kind of worked after a little heat was applied. Added a diced onion and potato, and two diced carrots, and stirred that until they started to brown and picked up the brown on the bottom of the pan. Then mixed in a couple of tablespoons of flour and stirred it around to coat the vegetables and cook a little. Poured in a can of beef broth, the meat and its juices, a bay leaf and some salt and pepper. Cooked for about half an hour, until the juices had thickened and the vegetables were tender. Then I added a couple splashes of red wine vinegar (the F and W recipe used 2 cups of red wine, but I didn't want to open a bottle just for that since I wouldn't be able to finish it in my current state).

It wasn't too bad. I ate mine and ran off to a meeting, leaving the rest on the stove for Todd, who ate when he got home. Another busy night.

We have a column in the magazine called Quick Cook, and after dinner a couple of nights ago I realized that's what I've become. A 30-Minute-Meal-er. A Quick Cook. I think things are about to slow down in my life, but for the past couple of months meals have consisted of whatever I can throw together and eat in the 45-minute window I have before I need to rush off someplace.

Pork tenderloin is a great quick meal. The other night I got home about 15 minutes before I needed to leave for a doctor appointment (the doctor's right across the street), so I mixed a spice rub I had received as a gift (it had fennel, something spicy, cinnamon and lots of other things I can't remember) with a couple tablespoons of olive oil, then slathered that over the pork. Cubed up a sweet potato and tossed it with the spice mix and olive oil for me, then did the same thing with a white potato and just salt, pepper and olive oil for Todd. Arranged them all on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet, covered it with more foil then popped it in the fridge. When I got home from my appointment, I got out the pan, preheated the oven to 450 degrees, then cooked the pork and potatoes for 20 minutes, plenty of time to reach that safe-food temperature I need.

And it was still tender, despite the lack of pink in the center. Hence the name, I guess.

We have a column in the magazine called Quick Cook, and after dinner a couple of nights ago I realized that's what I've become. A 30-Minute-Meal-er. A Quick Cook. I think things are about to slow down in my life, but for the past couple of months meals have consisted of whatever I can throw together and eat in the 45-minute window I have before I need to rush off someplace.

Pork tenderloin is a great quick meal. The other night I got home about 15 minutes before I needed to leave for a doctor appointment (the doctor's right across the street), so I mixed a spice rub I had received as a gift (it had fennel, something spicy, cinnamon and lots of other things I can't remember) with a couple tablespoons of olive oil, then slathered that over the pork. Cubed up a sweet potato and tossed it with the spice mix and olive oil for me, then did the same thing with a white potato and just salt, pepper and olive oil for Todd. Arranged them all on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet, covered it with more foil then popped it in the fridge. When I got home from my appointment, I got out the pan, preheated the oven to 450 degrees, then cooked the pork and potatoes for 20 minutes, plenty of time to reach that safe-food temperature I need.

And it was still tender, despite the lack of pink in the center. Hence the name, I guess.

This chicken turned out kind of bland, but it's been a lifesaver this week in terms of the leftovers being handy for making quick dinners on these frustratingly late nights. I made chicken melts, like a tuna melt with shredded chicken, one night, and quesadillas once. Tonight I'll make chili with what's left. And the first night we ate it over couscous with mango chutney and plain yogurt on top.

I sliced an onion and put it in the bottom of the slow-cooker, then mixed a couple tablespoons of flour with turmeric, cumin, red pepper, salt, black pepper (there was not enough seasoning, though). Coated a whole chicken breast (bone-in but skinless) with the flour mixture, then placed it on top of the onion, then added about half a cup of water. Cooked on high for 6 hours, then removed all the bones from the chicken and stirred it so it shredded apart. It ends up so moist you can reheat it without it drying out, and it's an easy shred - it just falls apart. A full chicken breast (both sides) will last Todd and I for four substantial meals. I hate to eat chicken so many times in a row, but we've disguised it in a variety of ways.

This chicken turned out kind of bland, but it's been a lifesaver this week in terms of the leftovers being handy for making quick dinners on these frustratingly late nights. I made chicken melts, like a tuna melt with shredded chicken, one night, and quesadillas once. Tonight I'll make chili with what's left. And the first night we ate it over couscous with mango chutney and plain yogurt on top.

I sliced an onion and put it in the bottom of the slow-cooker, then mixed a couple tablespoons of flour with turmeric, cumin, red pepper, salt, black pepper (there was not enough seasoning, though). Coated a whole chicken breast (bone-in but skinless) with the flour mixture, then placed it on top of the onion, then added about half a cup of water. Cooked on high for 6 hours, then removed all the bones from the chicken and stirred it so it shredded apart. It ends up so moist you can reheat it without it drying out, and it's an easy shred - it just falls apart. A full chicken breast (both sides) will last Todd and I for four substantial meals. I hate to eat chicken so many times in a row, but we've disguised it in a variety of ways.