Flor de Calabaza (Squash blossoms): Try them...but in a kitchen.

The inspiration for most of my cooking comes from traveling. I see something, and more importantly eat something, and then decide that I need to recreate it at home. Years ago I had a quesadilla with squash flowers and cheese in Oaxaca and vowed to figure out how to make it at home. Since then, I have occasionally seen squash flowers in farmers markets but they always seem too impractical to actually purchase. I mean they are flowers!

Last Sunday, Sam, Ryan and I visited the farmer's market in La Jolla and the flor de calabaza blossoms were too gorgeous to pass up. We bought a pound and when the farmer told us we had to make them that very same day as they were extrememly perishable, we vowed to incorporate them into that night's dinner. The catch was we were staying in a hotel with a kitchenette. We kept it simple and stuffed them with grated mozzarella (a close relative to the Oaxacan cheese we had first eaten them with) and sauteed them with a bit of olive oil. We served them with some black beans and the tiny squash that were attached to the flowers.

They soaked up a bit too much of the oil and it was hard to get a sense of the cooking time on the hot plate. Next time I think I would cut down the cooking time, use a bit less oil and maybe mix in some tomatoes with the cheese. And maybe I'll give them a shot in an actual kitchen.

Rhubarb Crumb Coffee Cake

This was Ryan’s first father’s day so I had grand expectations of rising early (umm, not that I have a choice) and whipping up a fantastic coffee cake that would be warm when he and Peter woke up. Xavier chose that morning to sleep in so instead we had coffee cake for dessert after my mom’s egg, cheese, bacon and buttered toast breakfast. Talk about indulgent.

I had always wondered what that delicious brown sugar crumble on top of good coffee cakes was made of? Butter. And why coffee cake was always so moist? Butter and sour cream. And how do you get really tart rhubarb to be edible? Sugar.

I followed this recipe almost exactly but I just mixed the cake all at once instead of following the directions of adding ingredients bit by bit. Like I said, Xavier had slept in. I also don’t think you need all that crumble on top so next time I would probably even half it. There is always the rest of the day to get your fill of butter.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/06/dining/061arex.html

Chicken Parmesan: It’s not too hot for comfort food yet

Everybody has their favorite comfort food. The predictable beef stew over mashed potatoes, Reuben sandwiches and white rice with soy sauce (maybe less predictable!) are on my list. However, chicken parmesan is hands down my go to meal when I’m craving a hot, steaming plate of pure comfort. The problem with comfort food is that usually I’m craving it because I’m exhausted, tired, grumpy, or hung over. When I’m in that state, the last thing I want to do is cook.

Luckily chicken parmesan has been Ryan’s territory ever since he whipped it up one evening as I lay comatose on the couch after my 16th nursing session of the day. Xavier was just a few weeks old and I was having a hard time finding time to heat up food, let alone eat. I remember opening my eyes groggily and seeing crispy chicken covered in mozzarella and tomatoes over a heaping pile of pasta. You know when you are eating a meal and each bite feels like it’s literally putting life back into your system? There is no better meal for that task than chicken parmesan.

Make it one more time before summer gets too hot. There are a million ways to cook it but I find the simplest to be the following:

1) Drench chicken breasts in egg and then bread crumbs flavored with oregano, salt and pepper.
2) Sear in a cast iron skillet and then transfer to an oven with a chunky tomato sauce (made ahead or store bought) and mozzarella.
3) Serve with parmesan and pasta. I like bucatini the best.

Split Pea Soup sans Ham Hock

Split pea soup is predictable. Onions, carrots and some sort of ham product usually dominate. While I still want to buy a ham hock one day as a right of passage, the traditional spin on the age-old favorite didn’t appeal to me last week. However, I was determined to use up the split peas hogging my precious cabinet space despite the muggy heat.

Heidi Swanson has a great twist on the usual comfort food in her new cookbook Super Natural Every Day. She calls it “Split Pea Soup with Brown Butter, Coconut & Chives” but I simplified it a bit to avoid venturing out to the grocery store for chives and to cut down on the butter a bit. It was fanstastic.
Combine 2 tablespoons butter, 1 chopped onion, 3 crushed garlic cloves and 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes in a large soup pot over medium heat. Cook until onions are soft. Add 5 ½ cups of broth and 1½ cups split peas. Cover and simmer until lentils are tender (30-50 minutes...keep checking). When the lentils are done, remove from heat and add ½ cup of coconut milk or a bit more depending on your preference and 1 tablespoon curry powder. Puree.

Breakfast before Brunch

Babies don’t sleep late on weekends. If I had to wait for my friends to wake up for brunch before I ate on Saturday mornings, I would be one grumpy, hungry girl. To solve the ‘problem,’ Ryan and I have gotten into the habit of making breakfast first thing in the morning as an appetizer of sorts to a later brunch with friends. Usually it’s Trader Joes pancake batter that does the trick, but occasionally I feel guilty and try to make a healthier version (See earlier post on pumpkin pancakes.)

A few weeks ago I opted for whole-wheat oatmeal pancakes. It’s a bit of extra work but if you start at 6 a.m., you’ll have plenty of time!

Soak ¾ cup quick-cooking oats in ¾ cup buttermilk while you prepare everything else (about 10 minutes). Whisk together ¾ cup whole-wheat flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, ¾ teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and a pinch of nutmeg and salt in a large bowl. Stir in a lightly beaten egg, 2 tablespoons melted butter, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, a little over ¾ cup buttermilk and the now soggy oat mixture. Cook like you would regular pancakes. Eat. And wait another 6 hours for brunch.

Best Chicken Ever

I have been making this recipe for years and I never get sick of it nor fail to be amazed at how quick, easy and healthy it is. Most of my friends – at least those who eat our feathered friends – have had this dish at one point or another at my house. I experiment with other chicken recipes all the time but always come back to this one.

I follow the recipe below pretty religiously but as always, I double the spices. I also use boneless chicken breasts so watch the cooking time more closely. All you have to do is mix together the olive oil, pressed garlic, paprika, cumin and red pepper and then stir a bit of it into Greek yogurt and set aside. Toss the rest of the spiced-oil mixture with cilantro, cherry tomatoes and garbanzo beans. Pour it over the chicken and throw it in the oven. Serve over rice with the yogurt mixture.

http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/quick-recipes/2008/05/roast_chicken_breasts_with_garbanzo_beans_tomatoes_and_paprika

Short Changed by Short Ribs

The short ribs at Tra Vigne Restaurant in St. Helena, California are worth the trip to the West Coast. However, despite the wildly publicized recipe, it’s not worth recreating these ribs at home on the east coast. A few weeks ago, however, I tried.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/member/views/TRA-VIGNE-RESTAURANT-BRAISED-BEEF-SHORT-RIBS-50013778

Ryan and I set out early in the morning one Saturday to buy four pounds of meat so we would have time to brine the ribs all day long. About $45 later, the short ribs were out on our fire escape swimming in brown sugar, salt, water and juniper berries. Later that afternoon we browned the ribs and then added the red wine, sherry vinegar and vegetables. We tucked the covered pot deep into the oven so the ribs could simmer slowly, melting off the layers of fat and leaving only the tender meat. About 4 hours later we pulled them out and served them with polenta and green beans. Simple enough.

Up until this point, I was excited about the recipe. However, when I looked down at the meat left on the ribs after hours of slow cooking and then looked up at Ryan, Theo and a very hungry post-bike ride Alberto, I quickly realized we would all be sucking on the bare bones in no time.

The ribs were great…tender, flavorful and gorgeous to look at. But they were tiny, expensive and took hours of preparation. I suppose doubling the recipe wouldn’t have added any preparation or cooking time, but it would have really emptied my wallet. If I want my wallet emptied, I think I’ll just fly to California and order the short ribs at Tra Vigne.