Madison&Mayberry

If You Can't Stand the Heat...

After leasing an apartment, there are questions you realize you should have asked before moving in:

1) When things like electrical circuit malfunctions happen, how long do I have to go without electricity before it's fixed?

2) Same goes for a broken dishwasher.

3) And the one-and-only broken clothes dryer that held my wet (but clean!) clothes hostage.

4) And the constant ants. (Which I managed to control with baby powder. Who knew??)

5) Oh -- and is there air conditioning?

Yeah, yeah -- I'm from the South. I should be used to the hot, humid weather and be able to live without air conditioning. That's what everyone thinks. But have you been to the South?? We go from our highly air-conditioned cars to our highly air-conditioned work places to our highly air-conditioned homes. We're not exactly outside creatures in the summer, hibernating in our cranked-up cold buildings.

I need my air conditioning. And it's only worse when I have the oven and burners  on. Why oh why?? So leave it to me until the start of a summer in an apartment with no air conditioning to find the most perfect way to cook green beans, while streaming heat through the kitchen. Oh, you roast them in a 450 degree oven. Yes, indeed. But, guess what? The results are so good that I shall deal with the heat! I can't help it.

It never occurred to me to roast green beans. What would they look like? How would they taste? Would it even work? But I was late making dinner one night. Not having time to blanch and saute the beans, I considered roasting. I vaguely remembered a recipe from Cook's Illustrated on the subject that I hunted down. 

The green beans shrivel up nicely and are unlike any way I've had a green bean--chewy and slightly sweet. Long after dinner, I find myself creeping into the kitchen for some more bites. Green  beans replacing chocolate cravings at night? Yes, indeed. This will be new way of cooking all green beans, as long as I can live through the heat wave that follows.

Roasted Green Beans, Nov/Dec 2005 Cook's Illustrated

(Note: This recipe says 20 minutes or so. Mine took longer. It was the non air-conditioning gods out to punish me. )

--Foil liner prevents burning on dark nonstick baking sheets.

1 lb green beans, stem ends snapped off
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper

Adjust oven rack to middle positron; heat oven to 450 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet with foil; spread beans on baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil; using hands, toss to coat evenly. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast 10 minutes.

Remove baking sheet from oven. Using tongs, redistribute beans. Continue roasting until beans are dark golden brown in spots and have started to shrivel, 10 to 12 minutes longer.

Adjust seasonings, transfer to bowl and serve.

Variations:

Roasted Sesame Green Beans -- 1 tablespoon garlic minced, 1 teaspoon minced ginger, 2 teaspoons honey, 1/2 tsp toasted sesame seeds, 1/4 tsp hot red pepper flakes
Mix together. Coat beans with sauce when redistributing the beans between first and second stint in oven.

Roasted Green Beans with Red Onion and Walnuts
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, 1 tsp honey, 1 tsp minced fresh thyme, 2 medium thin-sliced garlic cloves.  Roast 1/2 red onion with green beans. Mix ingredients. Coat beans with sauce when redistributing the beans between first and second stint in oven. When the green beans come out of the oven, sprinkle with 1/3 cup toasted walnuts.

Gelato at Grom-- Worth the Price?

All in the same week, the NY Times, Time Out NY and New York mag profiled the same restaurant --Grom. (And these were only the publications I read. Who knows how many others there were.) The story was too good indeed -- the most popular, most scrumptious gelato in Italy was opening up in NY. A homegrown business plan from two Italian guys just looking to make the best gelato from the freshest ingredients.. What more could we ask for in a story?

Of course, it deserved a visit. First of all, there was a line out the door -- as to be expected with all the public relations hype. Ryan arrived early while my friend Destiny and I were still walking there. Our timing was impeccable as he was in the front of the line when we got there (although I did feel kinda bad for all the people I was jumping ahead of. But not bad enough to start at the end of the line.)

The flavors were limitless, making it a hard choice for an indecisive person such as myself. Between the three of us, we got tiramisu, ruby red grapefruit, luna rossa (strawberries and cream) and cappuccino. It's damn good gelato. Maybe even the best I've had (the ruby red grapefruit was bursting with flavor-- almost more flavor than you get in the actual fruit, in fact). Yet I was almost too outraged by the price to concentrate on the taste. It was almost $6 for a medium. And let me tell you, the medium was only a tablespoon or so larger than the small container Destiny ordered. And the small was a baby portion to begin with.  

So I pay about that much (or more) at Pinkberry. But Ryan and I can SPLIT a medium and  be satisfied. The Gromm gelato is good. But when I got to the end of the cup, I was just outraged I had paid so much for so little. I would've been more satisfied at Grom just getting samples off the spoons for free. But that's just me..

The Cook Versus the Recipe

With every fiber of her being, my mom believes a great recipe turns a good cook into greatness. I've been sworn to secrecy over any recipe I've gotten from her. Even recipes we've gotten together, she warns me to never share-- like our recipe for chicken liver pate that makes me swoon. Every time I mention it, she repeats not to share the recipe. But WE took it from Gourmet!! All of this begs the question -- does a great recipe lead to an astonishing meal or can a good cook work with anything given?

A few weeks ago, Kristen talked about sloppy joes, which made my mouth water for my mom's recipe. It's a blend of sweetness, tartness and just the most amazing comfort food I can put in my mouth (not to mention quick to make). I would ask for it as my birthday meal until age 18 (and maybe even after). I couldn't get enough.

I finally got the chance to make the recipe tonight. While I was cooking, I was debating whether I should blog about the recipe. Is it fair to write (and positively gloat) about a recipe that I can not share? But if I share it, I risk never getting a hold of one of mom's recipes again. That's not even an option.

By the time my sloppy joe mixture was finished cooking, I went in for a taste. This wasn't the same flavor that I had grown up with. I played around with the ingredients further, trying to recreate the sloppy joes of my childhood. Still not quite right. Not sweet enough? But then it wasn't tangy enough. How does my mom always get it so right?

That's when I decided. It didn't matter if I gave the recipe or not. The recipe is only magic in my mother's hands for no one can make it like her.

Crispy Fruit??

Crispy and fruit aren't exactly two words that go together, which is why I stopped mid-aisle of the grocery store to take a closer look. Crispy Green Crispy Fruits came in an assortment of flavors and were kind of on sale (2 for $3). So why not? I tossed the pineapple and apricot into my cart.

It's all fruit -- nothing added but it's like eating fruit candy. Or, more appropriately, space fruit. It's similar to astronaut ice cream -- Crunchy, airy and sweet, except this is bursting with fruit flavor.

How is this possible? According to their website, the fruit undergoes a "sophisticated freeze-drying process... leaving behind the true essence of the fruit in a light and crispy texture." The website also boasts the product was listed as one of the "100 Tastes You Must Try in 2007" by Food & Wine mag.

Are you sold yet?? Because now that I've reeled you in, I'm going to dispense the bad news. The fruit comes in the smallest package I've ever seen. And when all's said and done, those little packages only produce maybe half a handful of these treats. $1.50 (on sale, mind you) for that?? This must be one mighty expensive dry-freezing process..

Then I read more from the website ---it takes about more than 10 pounds of fresh fruit to produce 1 pound of freeze-dried fruit because water makes up 80-90% of fruit weight. Ahhhh.. There we go..

The crispy fruit is a lovely notion but I may have to wait until the price is lowered until I allow myself to be addicted to it.

Cajun Red Beans and Rice

This recipe is so deliriously easy, there's no excuse not to put it on your recipe wish list. I poached it from my friend Tamara, who grew up near New Orleans, rendering her an expert on all things Cajun.
The red beans cook in the crock pot all day so when you come home, everything's practically done. I've never thought to make beans via crockpot before, rather letting it simmer on the stove for some time. That has all changed.. I may cook all my beans like this. It's practically as easy as opening a can of beans (which can be quite difficult for me, in fact. I have the worst can opener and just end up stabbing the top until I have a large enough hole to pour out of.)
If I had thought ahead, a ham bone would have done nicely simmering with the beans all day.

Tamara's Cajun Red Beans and Rice   
1 lb. red kidney beans, washed and soaked overnight
2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 lb (or more) smoked sausage, cut into pieces
Cajun seasoning, to taste**
salt, pepper
rice

Place soaked beans in crock pot. Cover with water -- about an inch over the beans. Add  crushed garlic and Cajun seasoning, salt and pepper. Cook on high for the day.
When you come home, taste the beans and adjust seasonings. Mash beans (about 1/3 of them). Add smoked sausage. To serve, put beans in bowl with hot rice.

**Cajun Seasoning (from foodtv.com): 
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
Mix all ingredients together and store in an airtight container.

Tackling the Mighty Artichoke

 

Artichokes scare me. What do you do with that prickly outer shell? And is it worth the price of getting inside?

Back when I was addicted to the Food Network, I watched Mario Batali make a pasta with mint, garlic and baby artichokes. I set out to replicate it, only on that particular day baby artichokes were out of sight at the grocery store. (They had been there every other day when I hadn't planned a menu around them, I swear!) I substituted marinated 'chokes. Didn't work so well as the pasta tasted like the artichoke pickling juice.

So yesterday when I was wandering through the produce section, what should I see but some baby artichokes. The pasta is worth repeating the way Batali had intended. I was still a bit anxious about the fate of the artichokes, although baby ones are a good way to start.  But apparently, it's not so complicated. What makes baby artichokes differ in preparation from their adult counterparts is the lack of "choke" to remove. So the drill remains fairly easy, as I found:

-- Trim the stem (Batali's instructions said only to "leave the stem intact" but everyone else was telling me to cut off the stem. I struck a compromise here and trimmed it.)

-- Peel outer layers until the light green/ yellow leaves are revealed. Be careful because some leaves get prickly.

- Then trim half an inch off the top. Depending on the size of the  baby artichoke, leave it as is or cut in half.

-- Drop into water with lemon juice to keep until ready to cook.

Now although the baby artichokes don't have a choke, they do have the feathery starts of one. I worried this would be an issue in the pasta but no instructions told me to remove it. And, in fact, it was fine. Couldn't even tell a difference. I think I'm almost ready to tackle an adult artichoke now. So give the baby artichokes a chance and while you're at it, save some for the Batali's pasta (the mint-artichoke combo works so well).

Spaghetti with Artichokes, Mint and Garlic by Mario Batali

20 baby artichokes
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
12 cloves garlic, peeled
6 ounces Frascati or other dry white wine
1 tablespoon red chile flakes
1/2-cup mint leaves
1 pound dry spaghettini

Peel and trim the artichokes, leaving the stems intact. Place in acidulated water.

Place the olive oil and garlic cloves in a 12 to 14-inch pan and place over medium high heat. Cook until the garlic is light golden brown. Drain the artichokes and place in a pan with the garlic and cook until tender (occasionally spritzing with wine, when necessary, to slow the cooking), about 10 minutes. Add the chili flakes and mint, stir through, season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Bring 6 quarts of water to a boil and add 2 tablespoons salt.

Cook the spaghettini according to the package directions, until tender yet al dente. Drain the spaghettini and toss into the pan with the artichokes. Toss all over high heat 1 minute, then divide evenly among four warmed pasta bowls and serve immediately.