The importance of fear

I was looking through my old quote book the other day (yep, I have several, all hand-written, collected over the past, oh, 18 years).  The saying that really stood out to me was from an interview with Sarah Jessica Parker where she said that “it’s important to be afraid of your future”.  It’s important to step outside the circle, push boundaries, walk into the unknown.

Personally, I usually get quite a thrill stepping into the unknown and the scary.

Except when it comes to cooking.

I mean, I’m pretty good. I can tackle a lot of things – demi-glace, perfectly cooked scallops, new ingredients. I’m usually a good sport, and quite successful.

Tonight I can officially tell you, as I already told my boyfriend, – we may have to order pizza.

Baking never quite agreed with me – I’ve made some very tasty things, but never felt comfortable doing it. Tonight I had this ridiculous craving for a savory pie. What I have in the oven is a leek+ground bison+feta pie.  It’s looking quite… rustic…

I’ll let you know what happens.

Heart to heart

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, so this post seemed oddly appropriate – not to mention that I promised to write about cooking heart a while ago.

I find heart to be the less-threatening of the offals: it’s all muscle, doesn’t require a whole lot of cleaning and cooks just like beef does.  It also costs $1.85/lb, is a lean meat(25g protein per 100g), and is high in iron, Riboflavin and B-12.

After browsing through several recipes and articles online, I decided to combine two methods. Soak it first, then broil it like a steak.

Here is what I’ve done:

When you buy heart in the U.S. it will be already quartered, as per federal regulations.  You will need to do some minor sinew clean-up (pretend you’re a heart surgeon, har-har).

It’s recommended that you soak the heart for a couple of hours to get rid of any gameyness in the flavor.  I soaked it in a 1/10 solution of water and apple cider vinegar.  I also forgot about it and left it in the fridge overnight.  A lot of recipes don’t call for soaking, so I imagine you can totally skip this.

Then I took it out of the fridge to bring the meat to room temperature before broiling.

I used the same spice rub that I use on steak: equal parts paprika, red cayenne pepper, black pepper, garlic powder and 1/2 part salt + a little olive oil to make it all stick better.

I let it hang out for about 20 minutes, warming up in the rub.

Then, it’s super fast:

Pre-heat the broiler. Broil the heart (I used a cast-iron pan) for about 4 minutes one side and about 3 minutes the other side for a pink medium-rare.  I served mine with horseradish. Slice thinly and enjoy!

About the taste: like any other heart, I believe, it tastes just like the animal it came from. Very concentrated beef flavor, beautiful with the steak rub.

About the texture: very, very smooth. Almost deli-meat kind of silky smooth – best when sliced very thin and served a very hot.

A word of caution: It is very easy to overcook heart, like any lean muscle – watch carefully, and don’t forget that once you take the meat from under the broiler it keeps cooking for a couple more minutes!

Time and ingredients:

With soaking – about 2.5 hours, without – about 30 min

Veal of beef heart, quartered

1tbsp apple cider vinegar + enough water to cover the meat (you can skip this step)

1tsp of each paprika, garlic powder, cayenne pepper and black pepper

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp olive oil

If it isn’t fresh…

Today I had the pleasure of hearing Roger Berkowitz, president of Legal Sea Foods, speak about Sustainability in Uncertain times.  He was the first guest speaker in the Triple Bottom Line class that I’m taking this semester.

Here is the most exciting news: LSF will be opening a new dockside (!), three-story (!!!) new location on Fish Pier in Boston.  The plan right now is to use the first floor for family-friendly dining (“lobster in the rough, but a little cleaner” – as Mr. Berkowitz put it), fancier and more celebratory 2nd floor and – my favorite – a rooftop deck on the 3rd level. Love it!

He spoke about sustainable fishing practices – how LSF won’t serve Chilean Sea bass, because 75% of the catch are caught illegally, and how the company lobbies for better dayboat fishing regulations.

Also, did you know that Legal tests their tuna and swordfish for mercury levels? And their shellfish are tested for all kinds of icky parasites? While they don’t find it “appetizing enough to put into advertisment”, I think this is great information to have out there.

Finally, here is the most important news. Between February 3rd and 28th all LSF locations will be highlighting a new dessert – Haitian Bread Pudding.  All proceeds will go towards UNICEF and Partners in Health in Haiti.   I know I’ll be heading right over on the 3rd, and I think you should, too!

Heart and Tongue, intro

You guys know I have a weakness for animal parts that are not, say, commonly cooked in American households.  Today I’m cooking tongue and heart – stay tuned for pics and recipe

I’ve always wondered where the squeamishness about offal comes from – I mean, if you’re already eating meat, why discard such delicious bits? Especially the aforementioned tongue and heart – both are very lean, high in protein, iron and B-vitamins!

PS – it’s best to buy offal at a reputable butcher and go organic. These things are mad cheap, so there is no excuse.

PPS – You should have seen the guy’s face when I told him I was “looking for some tongue.”  I recommend wording it differently.

Dinner: Broiled Cod and Grilled Asparagus with Truffle-infused Olive Oil

So, much like the rest of the planet right now, I’m trying to eat healthy and exercise - at least for the month of January, haha!

*important detail – this ENTIRE DINNER  takes less than 30 minutes.  The key is to pre-heat the oven right when you walk in with your shopping bags!*

I’ve been going to the gym like mad, and creating new healthy recipes – here is my dinner tonight!

Grilled Asparagus with Truffle-infused Olive Oil    

You will need:

1 bunch asparagus

a pinch of black pepper

cooking spray and/or olive oil (I’m using light)

a drizzle of white-truffle infused olive oil

a tiny bit of salt

Method:

Preheat the oven to 375F.

Coat a cookie sheet with cooking spray.

Trim the tough ends off the asparagus, toss it with a bit of olive oil (if you’re skipping the oil, just use the cooking spray). Sprinkle the asparagus with black pepper.

Roast the asparagus in the oven for about 10 minutes, or a little less – until the stems are bright green.

Drizzle the asparagus with the truffle oil right before serving – go easy not to overpower the delicate flavor.

Broiled Cod with Tomatoes, Lemon and Garlic

You will need:

5-6 ounces cod filet

5-6 cherry tomatoes (well, any tomatoes, really – cherry ones were on sale)

2-3 round onion slices

olive oil

one small clove of garlic

2 lemon wedges (one for serving)

1/4 tsp lemon zest

Cilantro and basil for serving

Method:

Squeeze your lemon wedge on the fish, topping it with the pepper. Let it sit and marinate for about 10-15 minutes.

Preheat the broiler.

Chop the tomatoes and garlic and mix them up with lemon zest and onion. Divide the mixture 2/3 and 1/3.

Put the fish skin-side down (even if there is no skin) on a heavy broiler pan – I use cast iron.  Broil it about 4 minutes per inch per side first.  Once you turn it over once, place the 2/3 tomato mixture on top of the fish and put it back in for about 2.5 minutes.

Important: You really have to watch the fish and stop once it flakes easily – overcooked cod is horrible.

For serving, top the fish with the remaining 1/3 (raw) tomato mix, some lively greens and a lemon wedge.

Enjoy your delicious and very healthy dinner!

Simple is Best

Eggs and Caviar

Chicken Pate Makes an Offal gift

This delicious spread keeps for up to two weeks under the butter seal, so it makes a great gift – if you like giving organ meats as gifts

You will need:

Chicken livers – about 20 oz
1 stick of unsalted butter, divided into 1/3rds
2 shallots, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
a pinch of dried thyme leaves
1 tsp coarse black pepper
A pinch of kosher salt
1 cup red wine (a nice cabernet or even port work great here – but remember, if you wouldn’t drink it, don’t cook with it!)

Method:

1. Clean the livers from a small slivers of fat connected to them;
2. Heat 1/3 butter in a heavy-bottomed pan on a medium heat;
3. Add shallots and garlic, let them simmer until shallots are almost translucent;
4. Add the livers and cook them, stirring often, on a medium heat, until they’re still pink inside;
5. Add ½ cup of wine, thyme and pepper and simmer for another 5-7 minutes;
6. Take the livers out of the pan, add 1/3 butter in the pan and deglaze the pan with the ½ of red wine;
7. Once the livers cool, blend them well in a food processer;
8. Add the butter and wine mixture to the livers, mix well
9. Clarify the last 1/3 of butter, letting the white milk solids settle on the bottom of the pan
10. Pack the pate into a ramekin or a glass, decorate with a some bay leaf or black peppercorns, pour the clarified butter on top of the pate and put it in the fridge.

You’re done! Your pate will keep for up to two weeks in the fridge under the butter seal, and one week once the seal is broken. Enjoy with thinly sliced baguette or dark rye slices!

Russian Soup for a Cold Day

Recent snow storm reminded me how great it is to have a big bowl of steaming soup in cold weather. As with many cuisines, every family in Russia has their own twist on the familiar soups.  Here is mine.

Russian Beet Borscht

For the soup base you can use either veggie stock or beef/ chicken stock.  This soup is delicious either vegetarian or non-veggie, so I’ll give you both versions.

You will need:

Stock of choice
Beets, one or two bunches, with greens
(you can also use the canned kind, I won’t tell)
1 onion, sliced
1 carrot, diced
Garlic – lots of it
Some cabbage or sauerkraut (a lot of people skip this, and will tell you that once you add cabbage it’s not, in fact a borscht.)
Green peas, frozen or fresh (can be easily skipped)
A couple of medium-sized tomatoes, cut in fourths, skinned
Sour cream and dill for serving

for a non-veggie version you will also need some bacon
Method
1. Bring stock to boil, put in the sauerkraut, reduce to simmer
2. In a separate pan, heat up oil (or bacon fat) and lightly sauté some onions and carrots. Reduce the heat and add pressed garlic and peas.  Cook on medium-low, stirring.
3. Slice the canned beets, or roast fresh ones (or you can cook them in a microwave in about 7 min with some water), and then slice them.  Chop up the beet greens.
4. Add beet greens to the stock and let simmer for a little while.
5. Add the sautéed veggies to the stock, cook for about 10 min.
6. Add the tomatoes, bring to boil, reduce the heat
7. Add the sliced beets. Let simmer on low for about 25-30 min.
IMPORTANT: Once you add the beets to the stock, do not let it boil – to preserve the nice color. If it boils, it’ll turn a rather unappetizing brown.

Serve with sour cream, and fresh dill.  You can also make some garlic puffs to go with it.
Enjoy!

Ground Beef with Spicy Tomatillo Sauce

Amazing Mexican treat can be served as tacos or with some cilantro rice – it is delectable either way

So, after the aforementioned final I decided to treat myself and Loren to something deliciously spicy and hearty. I pretty much made this up using what I had in the pantry.

You will need:

1 – 1.5 lbs lean ground beef

1 big can of whole tomatillos

3 garlic cloves

1 tsp chopped ginger

1 big onion – diced

1 medium-sized green chili – chopped, without the seeds or membranes

paprika

chili powder

red pepper

canola oil

Method:

1. First, you will need to brown the beef with the dry spices: paprika, chili powder and red pepper.  Use your taste and judgement to determine the amounts, but in general it’s about 2/3 tbs of chili and paprika and about 1/4 tbs red pepper.

After you browned the beef, take it out and let it hang out on a paper towel on a plate to drain some fat – even though it’s lean, you’ll be surprised!

2. Next, make the sauce. Add a little canola oil to cover the pan, then throw in the garlic and ginger.  After the garlic and ginger become fragrant, add the onion and the chopped chili.  Let the goodness simmer for about ten minutes on low heat

Drain the tomatillos.  Increase the heat, and start adding the veggies (or fruit?) I like adding them whole and smashing them later.

Let the sauce simmer for 15-25 minutes.

3.  Add the beef and let the whole thing cook for another 30 minutes.

Serve with cheddar cheese, cilantro and sour cream – with rice or tortillas.

Enjoy!

Finals Treat

Today I had a five-hour take-home final in HR: it’s just about as amazingly fun as it sounds. To make it easier to get through, I made some shrimp to nosh on in the process
It’s based on an Alton Brown’s recipe – that I can’t find anymore for some reason.

You will need:
- 10-12 Raw shelled shrimps, nice and plump
- Old Bay seasoning (I recommend low sodium, it tends to get a bit salty)
- 3-4 crushed garlic cloves
- A pinch of red pepper flakes
- Olive oil

Method:
Mix everything together.
Marinate for at least 40 minutes – the longer, the better.
Preheat the broiler
Broil for 3 minutes, turn over, watch carefully until they’re cooked, and crisp and oh-so-pink.

Eat.

PS. The Mormon girls on The Sing Off are my new favorite thing after the Jersey Shore.