Author Archives: kbecker57

Fish en papillote

I have been experimenting with fish en papillote (aka, wrapped in parchment paper)…they have been pretty tasty experiments! I first tried halibut (getting recipe inspiration from Food Network and Food & Wine) with some fennel, carrots, and onion. I left the skin on the halibut and included the fennel fronds and a slice of lemon in the packets, which ended up making things a bit messy and unnecessary. 

Halibut pre-wrapping

Next up was salmon, inspired by Julia’s salmon en papillote with shallots and tomato…and by inspired, I mostly used her recipe for the cooking temperature and times. I found it here, but looks like it was published in “Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home“. I learned my lesson from the halibut and asked the fish guy at Whole Foods to remove the skin, and just used lemon juice instead of a lemon slice. I forgot to take photos of the salmon, even though I liked it better than the halibut!

Salmon en papillote
Serves: 2-3

Halibut packages

Source: adapted from Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home

Ingredients
1/2 Tablespoon olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 medium carrot, thinly sliced crosswise
1 leek, thinly sliced
1 pound skinless salmon fillets, cut into 2-3 portions
Salt and pepper to taste
Lemon juice (from about 1/2 lemon)
Butter, 2-3 small pats

Directions

Halibut, ready to eat

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Cut a sheet of parchment paper, about 20″ x 15″, for each piece of salmon that you plan to cook.

2. In a medium saute pan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic, carrots, and leeks, and cook 3-5 minutes until slightly soft. Remove from heat.

3. Place each piece of salmon on a piece of parchment paper. Season salmon with salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Top each piece of salmon with some of the carrot and leek mixture, then top with a pat of butter.

3. Fold each packet in half, then crimp the edges to seal the package completely. Set the packages on a cookie sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes (8 minutes if fillet is less than 1″ thick, 10 minutes if fillet is 1-1 1/4″ thick.

4. To serve, carefully open the parchment packages and transfer the fish (along with all of the juices) to a plate.

October RC – Sycamore

Happy Halloween…no tricks here, just a sweet treat, this month’s RC post by guest blogger Claire Santarelli! And congratulations to sycamore. for earning the #25 spot on Boston magazine’s 50 best restaurants list (much more on that to come later).

Not-as-good-as-the-Haven Scotch egg
October RC, aka “was it salty???”

This month, RC hit the burbs to check out Sycamore, “newton centre’s neighborhood bistro.”  It’s a tiny restaurant so they couldn’t seat our large party until 8:30 pm, which meant our large party turned into a small party. Hey – RCers need sleep, too!  Curiously, a couple of us showed up at 7:30 for an aperitif, and the table was set and ready. Insert sad clown music here.

Roasted heirloom carrots and spicy whipped feta
Creative cocktails got enthusiastic thumbs up all around but the clear winner was the “Ghost of Mary” – citron vodka, spicy tomato water, and a housemade dilly bean (holla at HLHW!).  “It’s like a bloody mary without the chunks” and we had quite a few of them among the 5 of us.

For apps we tried Scotch eggs (tasty but not as good as the Haven), roasted heirloom carrots with a walnut-miso puree (tasty but not the best thing on the table), and the spicy whipped feta. As Spanos said, she’s never met a feta she didn’t like.


Root vegetable pot pie
Well-fed chicken

We ordered a good range of entrées among the 5 of us: whole wheat pappardelle with wild boar ragù (a tasty choice by RC Newbie Gina Colombo – welcome!), root vegetable pot pie, bavette steak with hand-cut fries, and Moroccan-spiced green circle chicken.  I ordered poorly – my steak was my least fave of the night.  The chicken was a table favorite, and apparently the chickens eat better than we do! They are fed a diet of 100% vegetable scraps from some of the top restaurants in NYC. It’s possible their high roughage diet had some unintended side effects, since Kim thought the restaurant smelled like flatus after the chicken arrived.  The seasoning seemed off on some of the dishes. My guess is they are using large flake sea salt, and the result is some bites were almost inedibly salty, and some bites were underseasoned. Turns out, it’s not just Chinese delicacies that beg the question, “Was it salty???”  We also ordered a side of forest mushrooms and farro risotto to share for the table. I didn’t try the mushrooms but the farro was perfectly seasoned and a nice bonus to my sub-par steak.

PB&J beignets

For dessert we split an order of beignets with concord grape jelly and peanut butter caramel. Our waiter generously brought 2 replacements when Julie’s beignet was missing its jelly. Nobody wants a dry donut. We were seated by the glass windows that look into the kitchen so we were able to thank the chefs “in person” and they waved in return. Even the radicchio rabbit-ear lady!

All in all, a successful RC filled with good food, good company, good conversation, and lots of laughs. What could be better than that?

The damage
$80 per person

The rundown
sycamore.
755 Beacon Street, Newton
@Sycamore_Newton

Potato and collard green hash

Mise en place

This is what I made after getting home from a midterm that I didn’t feel that great about. By the time I finished cooking, I had gotten over it (the midterm, not the dish). The dish turned out warm and hearty, and would be perfect as a side with brunch or dinner. For me, it just ended up being my post-exam 10 PM dinner. And as a bonus, I finally figured out how to cook collards in a way that I enjoy them…cook them for a loooong time. 

This could be made vegetarian by using vegetable broth and omitting the bacon.

Potato and collard green hash
Serves 2-4
Source: adapted from New York Times Health

Hash

Ingredients
1/2 large bunch collard greens, stemmed and washed
Salt to taste
1 1/2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion (or 2 small), sliced thinly in half-moons
2 garlic cloves, sliced thinly
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
About 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
4 small to medium Yukon gold potatoes, scrubbed and cut in half
2 Tablespoons crumbled bacon

Directions
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Fill another bowl with ice water. When the water comes to a boil, salt generously and add the collard greens. Blanch for 4 minutes, then transfer to the ice water with a slotted spoon. Drain and squeeze out extra water and chop coarsely. Set aside the cooking water.

2. Heat 1 Tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat in a wide, lidded skillet or Dutch oven, and add the onion. Cook, stirring often, until it begins to soften, about 3 minutes. Add a generous pinch of salt, the garlic, and crushed red pepper flakes. Continue to cook, stirring often, until the onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the collard greens. Mix together for a few minutes, then add about 1/2 cup of the broth. Bring to a simmer, cover partially, and simmer over low heat for 45 minutes to 1 hour, stirring often and adding more broth occasionally, so that the greens are always simmering in a small amount of liquid.

3. While the greens are cooking, add the potatoes to the pot with the cooking water. Bring back to a boil, and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 25 minutes. Drain the potatoes, allow to cool slightly, and cut into large chunks.

4. Uncover the greens, and add the potatoes. Using a fork or the back of a wooden spoon, crush the potatoes and mix with the greens. Add 1/2 Tablespoon olive oil, crumbled bacon, and salt and pepper to taste, and stir over lower heat until the greens and potatoes are well combined. The potatoes should not be like mashed potatoes, just crushed and intermingled with the greens, like hash.

Fall potluck

Apples with caramel dip

It had been too long since we had gotten together for a good old fashioned potluck…so we fixed that over Columbus Day weekend. Sunday was a beautiful day for a half marathon (completed the BAA half), a potluck, and some QT with good friends and the adorable Miss Vivi Bea.

My farro experiment turned out to be pretty tasty, in the form of a warm farro salad, and great for sharing. The rest of the meal came together super well, with “Holy yum chicken,” warm French lentils, pizza (with apples, bacon, and goat cheese), and apples with caramel dip. I do heart potluck…must plan another one soon.

Holy yum chicken with contraband rosemary

Holy yum chicken
Serves: 2-4
Source: Kendrin via Table for Two

Ingredients
1 1/2 – 2 pounds chicken tenders
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 Tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons fresh rosemary for garnish

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. 

2. In a small bowl, whisk together Dijon mustard, maple syrup, rice wine vinegar, salt, and pepper.

3. Place the chicken tenders in a baking dish, then pour the mustard mixture on top of it. Gently mix together so sauce gets distributed evenly.

4. Bake, uncovered, for 40 minutes.

5. Remove from oven and let chicken sit for 5 minutes, then transfer to a plate. Do not 
discard the liquid.

6. Immediately after plating the chicken, whisk the cornstarch into the liquid in the baking pan to thicken the sauce. Drizzle sauce over chicken and sprinkle rosemary on top before serving. 

Warm French lentils

Yummy lentils

Serves:
Source: Vanessa, adapted from Barefoot Contessa

Ingredients
2 Tablespoons plus 1/4 cup good olive oil
2 leeks, white and light green parts, sliced 1/4-inch thick
4 carrots, scrubbed and diced into 1/2-inch pieces (or 2 carrots and 2 parsnips)
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 cup French green Le Puy lentils
1 whole onion, peeled
1 white turnip, cut in half
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon unsalted butter
4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 Tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions
1. Heat the 2 Tablespoons of olive oil in a medium saute pan. Add the leeks and carrots, and cook over medium heat for 5-7 minutes, until slightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute, then set aside.

2. Place the lentils, 4 cups of water, the onion, turnip, and ground cloves in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes, or until the lentils are almost tender. Remove and discard the onion and turnip and drain the lentils. Place them in a medium bowl with the leek and carrots, and add the butter.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together the 1/4 cup of olive oil, mustard, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Add to the lentils to cool until just warm, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.

Warm farro salad

I decided that I wanted my buttercup squash to make friends with some farro. Then I added kale and a delicata squash to the party. I’ve never cooked farro before, but I think the inspiration came from a farro salad I had last week at the Fireplace in Brookline (which is not closing, btw).

I thought I’d be able to find farro in the bulk bins at the Harvest Co-op in Central Square, and I did, except the bin was empty. My next stop was Whole Foods and again had no luck at the bulk bins, but I did find a 1.1 pound package on the shelf with the other packaged grains (quinoa, Israeli couscous, etc). I followed the package directions and soaked it in water for 25 minutes, then cooked it in 2 quarts of chicken broth (use water or vegetable broth to make it vegetarian). Bring the farro and cooking liquid of your choice to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 25 minutes, then drain and set aside in a large bowl to cool. I made the whole package…a pound of farro is a whole lotta whole grains! 

Making friends

The roasting and sauteeing make this a bit labor intensive, but worth the effort in my opinion. I also used one of my favorite salt blends from La Boite (a spice shop in NYC) for seasoning: Cancale N. 11, which contains fleur de sel, orange, fennel, and spices.

Warm farro salad
Serves: 6-8

Ingredients
4 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 winter squash, seeded and cubed
1 bunch kale, torn into small pieces
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound whole farro, cooked according to package directions
2 Tablespoons cider vinegar

Rinsing farro

1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup goat cheese crumbles
Salt and pepper

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a medium bowl, toss squash cubes with 1 Tablespoon of the olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Spread on a baking sheet lined with nonstick foil and roast for 20-30 minutes, turning once. The cooking time will depend on the variety of squash you use and the size of your pieces. Remove from oven and set pan aside to cool.

Ready for potluck!


2. While the squash is cooking, heat 1 Tablespoon of the olive oil in a large pan on the stove, over medium-high heat. Add garlic, and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Add kale and cook, stirring frequently, until kale is wilted, about 5 minutes. Remove from stovetop and set aside to cool.

3. In a large bowl, combine farro, squash, and kale. Just before serving, stir in remaining 2 Tablespoons of olive oil, cider vinegar, dried cranberries, and goat cheese crumbles. Season with salt and pepper. Serve warm.




Red lentil and squash soup

This recipe caught my eye on Pinterest for a couple of reasons. One, I love to make soup (which I’m sure I’ve mentioned before) and this time of year is perfect soup-making weather. Two, I could do some freezer cleanout since I had some butternut squash that I froze last season, and earlier this season I froze some chopped carrots and celery (a mirepoix starter). Since I had cooked the start of my mirepoix with some olive oil before freezing it, I decreased the olive oil to 2 Tablespoons. I also decreased the broth to 5 cups since I was using frozen butternut squash, which btw cooked much quicker than fresh squash. I used a leek instead of the white onion and omitted the parsley (didn’t have any).

The results were pretty tasty, and you don’t just have to take my word for it…a friend played the role of guinea pig. Despite being quite skeptical (and telling me it looked like hummus), he gave it an 8 out of 10. So there you have it, an N of 2 who give it 1.75 thumbs up. I don’t think my photo does it justice at all…soup photos are hard.

This can be made vegan by substituting vegetable broth for the chicken stock.

I am not hummus

Shorabit Jarjir (Red Lentil and Squash Soup)
Serves: 6
Source: Saveur via Pinterest

Ingredients
4 Tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 medium carrots, finely chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
1 medium white onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon crushed red chile flakes
1/2 small butternut squash (about 1 pound) peeled, seeded, and finely chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
6 cups chicken stock
1 cup red lentils
Finely chopped parsley, for garnish
Paprika for garnish
Flatbread and lemon wedges, for serving

Directions
1. Heat oil in a 6-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Add garlic, carrots, celery, and onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly caramelized, 12-14 minutes.

2. Stir in cumin, chile flakes, squash, salt, and pepper; cook until squash is soft, about 15 minutes.

3. Add stock and lentils and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, slightly covered, until lentils are very tender, about 20 minutes.

4. Let soup cool slightly, then, working in batches, puree soup until smooth. Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with parsley and paprika. Serve with flatbread and lemon wedges on the side.

Spaghetti squash with greens and cannellini beans

I feel lucky that my “fails” are way less frequent than my successes…and even if I wouldn’t consider it a total success, it’s usually edible. Unfortunately this was a total fail that ended up in the compost.

I think the fatal flaw was that I pre-cooked the spaghetti squash to save some time. After
spaghetti-ing (shredding?) it and storing it in the fridge for a couple of days, it got a bit watery. I tried to cook off the excess liquid, but that took too long and resulted in a mushy mess. And even though I always say that cheese makes everything better, cheese (in the form of Pecorino Romano) could not save this recipe. Garlic also makes many things better, but since I didn’t have any on hand, I used some garlic powder. Not the same.

Next time I think I’ll look for an actual spaghetti squash recipe instead of trying to wing it. I only wrote the recipe down so that I will remember what NOT to do next time.

Looks better than it tasted…

Spaghetti squash with greens and cannellini beans
Serves: 4-6

Ingredients
1 spaghetti squash, cooked and shredded with fork
1 Tablespoon olive oil, divided
1 clove garlic, minced
Pinch of red pepper flakes
6 ounces of your favorite greens (such as spinach, kale, or collards)
1 can (15 ounces) cannellini beans
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup shredded Pecorino Romano
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1. In a large skillet, heat 1/2 Tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add garlic, red pepper flakes, and greens and cook until wilted or soft (time depends on the greens you choose to use).

2. Stir in the other 1/2 Tablespoon of olive oil, then add spaghetti squash, beans, and tomatoes and cook until heated through.

3. Remove from heat and stir in cheese. Season with salt and pepper.

September RC – Loretta’s Last Call

Loretta’s

When Jerel picked this month’s RC, I had never heard of it! I knew it was near Fenway, but couldn’t place it…turns out it is where La Verdad used to be. And it looks totally different – bye bye awkwardly shaped tiki bar! 

Pimento and bacon grilled cheese

We had a couple of RC firsts this month…all of our appetizers were comp’d, and the chef gave us a free dessert (gluten-free chocolate cake). Also, we accidentally shorted the bill. We worked so hard to try to calculate the tip based on what the bill should have been that we forgot to cover Jimmy’s portion (he was on call and had to leave early). We realized what we did after we were all home, so we called the restaurant to apologize and explain and I dropped off the money we owed a couple of days later. We felt REALLY BAD.

As for those free appetizers, we ordered a bunch! The pimento and bacon grilled cheese bites were probably my favorite…described by someone at the table as “Oh shit. This is delicious.” I also loved the honey bourbon butter that came with the hush puppies, and the collards that came with the lobster grit cakes. We also tried the fried pickles and jalapenos and the Frito nachos….because if there are Frito nachos on the menu, you just have to try them.

Buttermilk fried chicken
Chicken and waffles

When you go, ask for Lauren – she was super awesome and spot-on with her recommendations. She described the differences between the different fried chickens on the menu. Loretta’s classic southern is standard fried chicken. Erica’s buttermilk is first marinated in buttermilk, then dipped in herbs before frying. The Hot chicken is first rubbed with cayenne pepper. Lauren’s personal favorite is the chicken and waffles (which is boneless chicken!). I got the buttermilk fried chicken and a side of loaded mash…fantastic. The loaded mash is “loaded in the right way”, with bacon, cheddar, scallions, and caramelized onions. Aka crack in a cup. Unfortunately I was already pretty full from all of the appetizers, but I don’t say no to leftovers (and everything reheated pretty well). 

Jerel was the winner winner chicken (waffle) dinner…I think the boneless fried chicken gave it the edge over the others. A couple of people managed to resist the lure of the fried chicken, and one tried the housemade andouille sausage and one tried the brisket plate. We also got some biscuits and gravy and collard greens for the table. I wish I could learn how to cook collards like that!

The damage
$40 each (but ALL of our appetizers were comp’d)

The rundown
Loretta’s Last Call
1 Lansdowne Street, Boston
@LorettasTweetin

Eggplant involtini

I’ve been reading Cook’s Illustrated for almost a year (thanks to the Lawson family for my subscription!) and this is the first time I’ve attempted one of the recipes. It spoke to me because it was something different to try with eggplant. It was a success in that I managed not to reburn my hand with the oven-to-broiler part of the recipe.

Since I only had one eggplant, I halved that part of the recipe. And as usual, I reduced and omitted some of the salt (there was salt everywhere – on the eggplant, in the sauce, and in the ricotta mixture). I also ended up having to substitute a bunch of things because I didn’t have some of the ingredients. 
No garlic? I used 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder.
No fresh basil? I substituted 1/2 Tablespoon dried basil, in the ricotta mixture only.
No white bread? I used a whole wheat bread end and pulsed it in my single serve Ninja container.

Eggplant slices

Eggplant involtini
Serves: 2
Source: Cook’s Illustrated, July/August 2014

Ingredients
1 eggplant (1 1/2 pounds)
2 Tablespoons olive oil, divided

Getting ready to roll

Salt and pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
Pinch red pepper flakes
1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, drained with juice reserved, chopped coarse
1 slice hearty white sandwich bread, torn into 1-inch pieces
1/2 cup part skim ricotta cheese
3/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
1/4 cup plus 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1/2 Tablespoon lemon juice

Directions
1. Slice eggplant lengthwise into 1/2-inch pieces. Trim rounded surface from each end piece so it lies flat.

Rolled up and ready to broil

2. Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with nonstick foil or parchment paper and spray generously with vegetable oil spray. Arrange eggplant slices in a single layer on baking sheet. Brush eggplant slices with 1/2 Tablespoon olive oil and season with freshly ground pepper and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Flip eggplant slices and brush with 1/2 Tablespoon olive oil and season with freshly ground pepper and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Bake until tender and lightly browned, about 25-30 minutes. Remove from oven and flip each eggplant slice over using thin spatula. Heat broiler.

Eggplant involtini and a side of sauce

3. While eggplant cooks, heat remaining 1 Tablespoon of olive oil in a 12-inch broiler-safe skillet over medium-low heat just until shimmering. Add garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes, and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes and their juice. Increase heat to high and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until thickened, about 15 minutes. Cover and set aside.

4. Pulse bread in food processor until finely ground, about 10-15 seconds. Combine bread crumbs, ricotta, 1/2 cup Pecorino, 1/4 cup basil, and lemon juice in a medium bowl.

5. Evenly distribute ricotta mixture on widest ends of eggplant slices (bottom third of each slice). Gently roll up each eggplant slice and place seam side down in tomato sauce.

6. Bring sauce to simmer over medium heat. Simmer for 5 minutes. Transfer skillet to oven and broil until eggplant is well browned and cheese is heated through, 5-10 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup Pecorino and let stand for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining 1 Tablespoon basil and serve.

Tomato puree

Beautiful tomatoes!

Tomato puree – what a great way to deal with my tomato overload problem last week! Plus it forced me to pull the food mill out of the box (it was a Christmas gift last year). The food mill was much more intuitive to figure out than the mandolin was!


Simmer action

I used Martha’s recipe for the blanching and peeling of the tomatoes, and then attempted to make a chunky marinara with peppers, onions, and chicken sausage. The tomato puree was great (and pretty easy), but the marinara was a bit of a fail because I added too much red wine for the amount of tomatoes I had (1/2 cup wine) and I added it to the pepper, onion, sausage mixture thinking it could simmer and reduce. Unfortunately this turned the sausage into a wine color…so the ultimate product did not taste bad but it certainly wouldn’t win any points for appearance.


Tomato puree
Makes: about 3 cups

Ingredients
Food mill

2 1/2 pounds fresh tomatoes, a mixture of plum and beefsteak

1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 large cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of red pepper flakes

Directions
Puree!

1. Fill a medium pot with water and bring to a boil. Prepare a separate bowl of ice water. Remove core and slice an X into the bottom of each tomato with a paring knife. Lower tomatoes (a few at a time) into the boiling water and blanch for 15-30 seconds. Use a slotted spoon to remove the tomatoes from the pot and immediately plunge into the ice-water bath until cool enough to handle. Pull off each peel, using the paring knife. Tear beefsteak tomatoes into pieces.


2. Heat 1 Tablespoon of olive oil and garlic in a large skillet over medium heat, until fragrant and sizzling, but not brown. Add tomatoes and season with salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a rapid simmer and cook until tomatoes are falling apart and are reduced slightly, about 15 minutes.

3. Pass the tomatoes through a food mill fitted with the fine disk into a bowl (or puree in a food processor and strain out seeds). If not using immediately, let cool completely and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or the freezer for 3 months.