Rosemary & Mustard Pork Roast with Vermouth Jus

Before we launch into this post, I just want to make sure we are all on the same page re: Christmas dinner.  I’m not sure whether I’ve mentioned this before, but it is NEVER too early to start planning Christmas dinner.  Never.  Christmas dinner ends, and my family starts talking about menu ideas for next year.  Why?  Because I love big dinners.  I love everything about them: planning, making a master grocery list, prepping the ingredients, having a big glass of wine while cooking and chatting with everyone and, of course, sitting down to eat and laugh for hours. 

Back in my college days, I did not get many opportunities to make big dinners.  So I jumped at the yearly opportunity that Christmas presented to test out my budding obsession with cooking.  Unfortunately, I might have run roughshod over any input from other members of my family (read: angry little sister), but I think I have since calmed a bit.  Right Erin?  Planning for Christmas dinner is more of a collaboration now.  Which leads me to this recipe.  Last night mom and I were chatting on the phone and I told her my plan to try out this pork roast.  Her immediate reaction was Christmas dinner!  Hadn’t thought of it, but she has a very good point!  This meal has all the trappings of a fabulous big dinner: easy to prep ahead of time (and clean mess before guests arrive) + smells amazing while it cooks.  Oh and it is really delicious. 

Added bonus: the heat in my apartment has been a little skittish lately, so having the oven on for 1.5 hours really helped my overall level of warmth and happiness. 

ROSEMARY & MUSTARD PORK ROAST WITH ROASTED ROOT VEGETABLES & VERMOUTH JUS
adapted from Bon Appétit
Click here to print
serves 4-6

1 3-pound boneless pork loin
6 garlic cloves, peeled
2 teaspoons lemon zest (from about one lemon)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary, separated
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground pepper
3 tablespoons whole grain Dijon mustard
Vegetable oil
Assorted vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, shallots, rutabaga (the unsung hero of the root vegetable world in my mind)
Olive oil

Combine garlic, lemon zest, 1 tablespoon rosemary, salt, and pepper in a mini-food processor or blender.  Grind until paste forms.  Add mustard; mix until blended.  (Do Ahead: the mustard paste can be made a day in advance). 

Coat a large roasting pan with nonstick spray or a light coating of vegetable oil.  Place pork, fat side up, in pan.  Rub mustard paste over the top and sides of pork.  Let marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes.  Meanwhile, toss the vegetables with a little olive oil, sea salt, and rosemary; then put them on a baking sheet. 

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Place the vegetables and pork in the oven and roast for 20 minutes, until a crust begins to form on the pork.  Reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue to cook for an additional 45 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted into the center of the roast reads 145 degrees and the vegetables are tender (this may not take the same amount of time- pork came out earlier than veggies for me).  Transfer pork to a large cutting board, tent with foil and let rest for at least 20 minutes before carving.  Don’t touch it before then or you will lose all of the precious juices and completely ruin dinner.

Place the pork’s roasting pan on the stove over medium-high heat.  Add vermouth and bring to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits with a wooden spoon.  Simmer until reduced to ¼ cup, about 3 minutes.  Add the chicken stock and continue to simmer until reduced to 1/3 cup jus, about 10 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.

Cut pork in ¾-inch slices and serve with the roasted vegetables and jus.

Grandma's Macaroni & Cheese

 My Grandma passed away two weeks ago and today is her birthday.  She was my most loyal blog reader, and I know she loved being mentioned when I wrote about her Company Chicken recipe last year.  I had to share this recipe as well, because it is by far my very favorite of all the things she cooked for us over the years.

Grandparents are of course supposed to spoil their grandchildren.  And Grandma was the best at spoiling us with food.  I have so many memories of sitting at her kitchen table eating fishy crackers (our term for Goldfish crackers), circus cookies, and nuts and bolts.  Whenever Erin and I spent the night she made this amazing cinnamon toast for breakfast that always tasted so much better than mom’s.  Erin and I finally figured out that reason Grandma’s tasted so much better had something to do with the inch of sugar she piled on top of the toast.  We shared this valuable information with mom but she did not adjust her sugar ratio.

This macaroni and cheese recipe represents the pinnacle of just how much Grandma spoiled us.  I know this is probably going to shock quite a few of you given my love of food, but I was kind of a picky kid.  I never reached Erin’s level of extreme, debilitating pickiness, but I admit I was a little high maintenance.  Bananas are really the only modern hold-over from my long list of dislikes.  But I never had to worry about family gatherings at Grandma’s because without fail, no matter what other meal she had prepared for the masses, I could always expect a glorious pan of her homemade macaroni and cheese on the table for me. 

To be clear- this tradition is not just something that I remember fondly from my childhood.   Right before Christmas this year, my whole family gathered at Grandma and Grandpa’s to watch the Seahawks game.  I was really not expecting to have macaroni and cheese, since I knew we were having lasagna for dinner and some people might think lasagna with a side of mac n’ cheese is too much pasta.  But I was foolish to doubt her, because of course there was a huge pan full of melted cheesy goodness on the table when I walked in.  I am 27 years old, and I still got my special dinner.

While I was home two weekends ago, we had a big family gathering to celebrate Grandma’s life.  We spent hours around the table eating her favorite foods and drinking gimlets while we remembered all of the incredible times our family has had together.  Erin made this recipe and everyone said it tasted just like Grandma’s.  Even though we were all missing Grandma, this dinner reminded me of just how wonderful family dinners can be.  My love of cooking is about a whole lot more than the food that I make.  And I know I have my Grandma and the rest of my family to thank for that.

Here is the recipe.  I've provided a translation below since I realize that not all of you have my extensive experience in deciphering Grandma's handwriting.

 

GRANDMA’S MACARONI & CHEESE
serves 12 

1 pound elbow macaroni
3 cups milk
3 cups cut up cheese (half mild and half sharp cheddar)
1 cup soda cracker crumbs
½ cup grated sharp cheddar cheese


Cook macaroni and put in greased 13-9 glass baking dish.  Heat milk and cheese together until the cheese is melted.  Pour mixture over the macaroni- add salt and pepper.  Sprinkle with grated cheese.  Add cracker crumbs.  Bake at 325 degrees 1 hour.

Braised Beef Stew with Red Wine

Happy New Year everyone!  I hope you all had fabulous food-filled holidays.  I made it through the end of my epic finals schedule and had wonderful family time in Seattle.  I did quite a bit of cooking over break, and I will share some of those recipes soon. 

I also enjoyed eating many meals cooked by OTHER people- including my Dad’s Beef Bourguignon, which he made for our annual family cookie decorating party.  This is not his recipe, but I have been craving comfort food since getting back to snowy Boston, and this seemed like an interesting take on the classic French stew.  Plus, my second-semester-3L schedule gives me ample time for long braising projects.  So I bought some beef and stuck it in the oven with wine, and my apartment smelled incredible all afternoon! 

This is a Jacques Pépin recipe from Food & Wine, which at first gave me pause.  The beauty of braising is that it’s easy: effortless, one-pot, less-dishes-to-wash, simplicity.  This is especially important for a person like me who is sans-dishwasher!  The problem with gourmet chefs (like Jacques Pépin) is that they tend to complicate the ease of braising by inserting additional steps to the recipe, which inevitably involves more dishes and more stress. 

For example, when I see a braising dish that requires STRAINING of any kind, that is a huge red flag.  Pouring hot liquid through a tiny colander?  This presents far too many opportunities for me to make a huge mess and scald my arm, plus what am I pouring the braising liquid into?  A new dish.  Which equals more dirty dishes.

This recipe does require the dirtying of one extra pan to make the garnishes, but I promise the result is worth it.  Sooooo so worth it.  And the complication of the additional pan is offset by the simplicity of the rest of the recipe.  No stock or demi-glace required!  Just throw in a whole bottle of wine and you will end up with a broth so delicious you will probably consider licking the bowl.

BRAISED BEEF STEW WITH RED WINE
serves 4
adapted from Food & Wine
click here to print

2 lbs lean beef chuck, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
Sea salt
Pepper
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
1 tablespoon flour
1 bottle red wine (any dry red will do, I used Pinot Noir)
2 bay leaves (I left this out and it was still yummy)
2 sprigs fresh thyme
15 pearl onions, peeled
15 cremini mushrooms, larger ones cut in half (you want all pieces to be roughly the same size)
4 carrots, cut into pieces that are roughly the same size as the mushrooms and onions
5-ounce piece of pancetta (or you can sub bacon), cut into ½ inch dice
½ cup water
Dash of sugar
Chopped fresh chives

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Heat the butter and olive oil in a large, oven-safe pot.  Add the beef in a single layer, season with salt and pepper.  Cook over high heat for about 8 minutes, browning the meat on all sides. 

Add one cup of finely chopped onion and one tablespoon of finely chopped garlic.  Cook over moderate heat for an additional five minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add one tablespoon of flour.  Mix in well so that the flour doesn’t form lumps.  Stir in one bottle of red wine.  Add the bay leaves and thyme, bring to a boil and cover.  Stir well and place the pot in the oven for 1 ½ - 2 hours.  The meat should become tender, and the sauce will reduce.  The recipe can be prepared up to this point a day ahead. 

For the garnishes, add the pancetta to a skillet and cook over medium heat until it has browned and rendered its fat, about 5 minutes.  Add the onions, carrots, and mushrooms, along with ½ cup of water and a generous dash of sugar, salt, and pepper.  Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer, covered, for about 15 minutes; at this point there should be practically no water left.  Uncover and cook over high heat until nicely browned on all sides, about four minutes. 

To serve, mix in some of the vegetables to the stew.  Sprinkle the rest as a garnish along with the chopped chives.

Oven Roasted Cod with Bok Choy, Cilantro & Lime

I wasn’t planning on blogging again so soon (it being finals and all)- but my current procrastination is a testament to how amazing this is.  You should probably make it for dinner right now.  The recipe is from the latest Bon Appétit, but I’ve made a few minor changes: I added mushrooms and onions and I omitted the sake (didn’t want to make an extra stop at the liquor store- stupid Massachusetts laws).  But I think the sake would be very delicious- will try next time.

This is actually an ideal dinner for finals because it is very quick!  Minimal prep, and then the fish cooks very quickly.  The sauce forms a sort of vinaigrette.  I’m thinking it would probably also be yummy spooned over grilled fish. 

OVEN ROASTED COD WITH BOK CHOY, CILANTRO & LIME
serves 4
Click here to print
Serve with steamed brown or white rice

1 scallion, thinly sliced
¼ cup coarsely chopped cilantro
¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice (I used two limes)
3 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 teaspoons minced peeled ginger
3 ½ tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
1 cup sliced assorted mushrooms
1 lb baby bok choy, cut in half lengthwise
½ cup sake (I subbed 3 tablespoons mirin)
4 4-ounce fillets of cod, flounder, or other delicate white fish

Arrange a rack in upper third of oven; preheat to 400 degrees.  Combine scallions, cilantro and next 4 ingredients in a small bowl.  Whisk in 1 ½ tablespoon oil.  Set aside.

Heat remaining oil in an oven-proof skillet until shimmering.  Throw in mushrooms and cook for roughly one minute, until browned.  Move mushrooms to side of pan, then add bok choy, cut side down, and sear until golden brown, 2-4 minutes.  Turn bok choy cut side up and remove pan from heat.  Add sake (or mirin).  Arrange the fish over the bok choy and sprinkle with yellow onion.  Roast in oven until fish is just cooked through, 10-12 minutes.

Serve fish with bok choy and mushrooms over the rice.  Spoon some cilantro-lime sauce over the fish, serve with additional sauce for drizzling. 

I'm BACK!

Hello friends.  I’ve returned from my blog sabbatical [not a real thing].  I have missed you all!  Reasons for my absence?  Well, I had some camera problems…all fixed now thanks to Dad’s technical genius.  I also just needed a little break from taking pictures of everything that I cooked.  Things tend to get cold during my photo shoots.  But now I am back and I have so much to tell you!  Plus…finals are here! My favorite season to procrastinate. 

For my first return post, I need some redemption.  Let me tell you a little story about the time last week when we cooked the turkey for two and a half hours on the grill but then discovered it was still completely raw.  Don’t worry- Thanksgiving was not ruined!  We carved off the turkey sashimi and roasted it in the oven for another hour, which gave me lots of time to relax [i.e. drink three glasses of wine].  But the saddest part was that I had been diligently basting the turkey with this rosemary soy glaze every 20 minutes while it was on the grill but glazing ended when it went in the oven.  We didn’t want to risk opening the oven door and losing heat…plus I was mostly focused on my wine…but the glaze smelled so delicious and was so incredibly easy that I just had to try it again.  I went with chicken this time.  It was too soon to dredge up the painful memories by cooking turkey again.  Give me a year and I’ll get over it. 

ROAST CHICKEN WITH ROSEMARY SOY GLAZE 
Click here to print
serves 4-6
6 tablespoons butter (don’t question it- butter makes things taste good)
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon mirin
2 sprigs rosemary
1 whole chicken
Half of an onion
Kitchen twine
Basting brush (or use an extra rosemary sprig if you don’t have one)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Remove chicken from refrigerator 45 minutes before cooking so that it can come to room temperature.  This allows the meat to cook more evenly.
To make the glaze: combine butter, soy sauce, mirin in a small saucepan over medium heat until melted and smooth.  Add rosemary.  Cover and keep warm over lowest heat. 
Set chicken on roasting rack in a roasting pan and pat dry with paper towels.  Pour 1 cup of water in the bottom of the pan.  Put the onion in the cavity and tie legs with kitchen twine.  Brush with glaze.
Roast chicken for 60-70 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers at 165 degrees.  Brush with glaze every 15 minutes while roasting.  Remove from oven, let rest for 20 minutes.  Carve and serve! 

Dungeness Crab and Shrimp Salad with Avocado

Ohh helloooo.  Where have I been??  I promised you posts as soon as finals ended.  And finals ended six weeks ago!  Terribly sorry.  In that time, I moved from Boston to Seattle (just for the summer- stay posted for permanent relocation), got my wisdom teeth out, and started my summer job.  I have been doing plenty of cooking, we’ve just been missing that integral step of actually posting.  But I am jumping back on the bandwagon (I hope). 

One of the benefits of moving to Seattle for the summer is that I moved from my tiny studio apartment kitchen to my parents’ GIANT kitchen.  And their giant beautiful grill.  Did I mention that it is a gas grill?  You just turn on the knobs and it magically heats up.  This eliminates the chance that I will have a repeat of the drama/tragedy I experienced with my charcoal grill last summer.  Plus it has a super-hot burner for searing meat AND a rotisserie attachment.  Endless possibilities.

But tonight’s dinner involved zero cooking.  Another benefit of moving to Seattle for the summer is that mom and I can eat salads for dinner!  If I tried to make this for Addison, he would inhale it and then ask me what I made for the main course.  It would also be a pretty pricey meal because the fresh Dungeness crab that we bought was $38 a pound!  I made this a bit more affordable by incorporating [cheaper] shrimp as well.  Mom and I got a half pound of each and it was more than enough.  Our fishmonger advised us that some duplicitous fish markets will try to sell you Dungeness crab meat that has been pulled from previously frozen legs.  Do not settle for this!  It would break our fishmonger’s heart.  Fresh/never frozen meat is the only way to go.

If you are looking for a wine to accompany this (or any other) summer meal, might I suggest a vihno verde?  I think I’ve mentioned it before- it was my drink of choice at Jazz in the Sculpture Garden in my DC days.  It is a Portuguese white wine that is dry and zingy.  Delicious. 

Mom's lettuce garden

DUNGENESS CRAB AND SHRIMP SALAD WITH AVOCADO
serves 2
Click here to print
½ lb fresh Dungeness crab meat, cooked
½ lb bay shrimp, cooked
1 avocado
1 head red leaf lettuce, washed and torn
1 head butter lettuce, washed and torn
¼ cup scallions, chopped
1 lemon, quartered
Basil vinaigrette (see below)
Creamy Louis dressing (see below)
Black pepper

In a large bowl, toss the greens with some of the basil vinaigrette.  Arrange the lettuce on plates and top with crab, shrimp, avocado, and scallions.  Serve with the creamy Louis dressing, lemon wedges, and freshly ground black pepper.


BASIL VINAIGRETTE
This makes enough dressing for about 6 salads.  Leftovers are delicious on grilled meats, pasta, etc.
1 shallot, roughly chopped
¾ cup tightly packed basil leaves
1 clove garlic
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
½ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons champagne or white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender and mix until smooth.  Taste and adjust seasoning accordingly.

CREAMY LOUIS DRESSING
¼ cup mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon ketchup
1 teaspoon lemon
¼ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
Add ingredients to a small bowl and stir to combine. 

Broiled Salmon with Ginger Scallion Soba

What if I blog about a recipe that doesn’t completely revolve around carbs and Italian cuisine? (read: my last four posts...)  I guess my finals comfort food habits have taken over.  At least I’m not relying solely on take-out like I do at the end of most semesters.  Instead I am making brain healthy food to supplement my amazing study habits (read: finding new ways to procrastinate productively).  So let’s have some omega-3s and proteins that stimulate brain activity.  Even if you are not in finals mode, you have plenty of reasons to eat salmon.  According to a recent email from Mom (she likes to send health reminders every so often), salmon is particularly good for your skin (in addition to kale, sweet potatoes, and tomatoes) and will help you keep from aging!   Side note- make sure you get wild salmon- farmed doesn’t contain nearly as many nutrients and it has harmful environmental effects. 

In other news, have you thought ahead to Cinco de Mayo plans??  I had an idea to make churros this year but Addison received it with less than stellar excitement.  I will therefore reserve for another time when I can find people who will exhibit the appropriate level of enthusiasm when faced with deep fried dough rolled in cinnamon and sugar.  I have some other yummy recipes I’m hoping to post before the weekend, but in the meantime, might I suggests some of these options?

BROILED SALMON WITH GINGER SCALLION SOBA
serves 2
Click here to print

1 ½ cups thinly sliced scallions
1 tablespoon minced ginger
¼ cup chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 teaspoons sriracha
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons mirin (rice wine vinegar)
2 tablespoons honey
2 Wild Salmon Filets
1 package soba noodles
2 tablespoons sesame seeds, lightly toasted

Preheat the broiler and cover a baking sheet with foil.  Combine first 8 ingredients and stir together.  Place the salmon filets on the baking sheet and spoon some of the ginger scallion sauce over them.  Broil for 10-12 minutes (depending on salmon thickness) until opaque. 

Meanwhile, cook the soba noodles in a large pot of boiling water, drain and rinse with cold water.  Return to the pot and combine with the remaining ginger scallion sauce.  Serve the salmon over the noodles and top with toasted sesame seeds!