kohlrabi puree

White light, White light goin’ messin’ up my mind

White light, and don’t you know its gonna make me go blind

White heat, aww white heat it tickle me down to my toes

White light, Ooo have mercy while I’ll have it goodness knows

“White Light/White Heat” by The Velvet Underground

I think this approach would work with most root vegetables like parsnips, turnips, etc. Anyone else have any good ideas for kohlrabi? If not, try this!

Serves four

6 kohlrabi bulbs, cut root into ½ inch cubes, discard leaves
4 tablespoons of butter
½ cup parmesan, grated
Salt and pepper, to taste

1.    In a medium saucepan, bring salted water to a boil
2.    Add cubed kohlrabi, cook until tender, about 15 minutes
3.    Drain kohlrabi in a colander and add to the food processor
4.    Add butter and parmesan, puree until smooth
5.    Add salt and pepper to taste

at the farmers market: kohlrabi

Let me in here, I know I’ve been here

Let me into your heart

Let me know you, let me show you

Let me roll it to you

All I have is yours

All you see is mine

And I’m glad to hold you in my arms

I’d have you anytime

“I’d Have You Anytime” by George Harrison

I happen to attend the same farmers market as the infamous Single Guy blogger, I also happen to have picked up some purple kohlrabi a couple of weeks back. Honestly, the only reason I bought the kohlrabi is because I thought I could probably get some good photos of it.  I was pleasantly surprised with my recipe, which will be posted in a few days.

A good article on Kohlrabi.

spanish tortilla

Well I never been to Spain

But I kinda like the music

Say the ladies are insane there

And they sure know how to use it

They don’t abuse it

Never gonna lose it

I can’t refuse it

“Never Been to Spain” by Hoyt Axton

This is an ode to my friend Arjun’s recent trip to Spain, call it a frittata (Italy), tortilla (Spain), or egg pie (me), I don’t care. Whatever you call it, I threw in some of my my favorite Spanish foodstuffs to make some awesome breakfast.  Like most recipes, use the temperature and base ingredients (olive oil, eggs, cream) and add or subtract to make your own egg masterpiece.

Serves 6

Ingredients:

9 Eggs
3 tablespoons heavy cream
¼ cup olive oil
½ onion, sliced
6 small potatoes (like Baby Dutch), cooked in microwave for 4 minutes, then sliced in discs, seasoned with salt and pepper
2 oz. Spanish chorizo, sliced into discs
1 cup manchego cheese, shredded
¼ cilantro leaves (no stems)
Salt and pepper for seasoning

Directions:

1.    Preheat oven to 400° F
2.    Whisk eggs and cream until well combined
3.    Heat oil in a medium oven-proof skillet over medium heat
4.    Add onion, season with salt and pepper, cook until soft
5.    Add chorizo, cook until oils begin to release (onions will turn red)
6.    Add eggs and slowly push around with a spatula to help coagulate
7.    While the eggs are still wet, gently fold in the potatoes
8.    Cover with cheese and cilantro
9.    Put in oven and cook until well set, about 12 minutes

swiss chard with pancetta

I sailed a wild, wild sea

Climbed up a tall, tall mountain

I met a old, old man

Beneath a weeping willow tree

He said now if you got some questions

Go and lay them at my feet

But my time here is brief

So you’ll have to pick just three

“Chinese Translation” by M. Ward

I am pretty proud of my first attempt at Swiss chard, I did have butter and pork on my team though.  You could easily replace the pancetta with bacon or any other tasty pork product.

Ingredients:

One large bunch Swiss chard
1 tablespoons olive oil
2 oz. pancetta, diced
1/8 teaspoon of crushed red pepper
1 clove of garlic, thinly sliced
¼ cup parmesan, grated
1 tablespoon of butter
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1.    Remove the stalk of the chard and cut the leaves into 1 inch strips
2.    In a large saucepan on medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil
3.    Once oil comes to temperature, add pancetta, cook until crispy
4.    Remove pancetta, and reserve
5.    Drain off enough fat to have to tablespoons left in the pan
6.    Add garlic and crushed red pepper, cook until fragrant, less than 1 minute
7.    Add chard leaves and cover
8.    After 5 minutes, stir the leaves, cover and cook another 5 minutes
9.    Add parmesan, cooked pancetta, and butter
10.    Season with salt and pepper

at the farmers market: swiss chard

One day her papa say

Someday we’ll go down to the village in the valley

There you’ll meet a nice young man

He’ll ask for your hand

Then you’ll be happy

But every day she grew unhappier

On the mountain in Switzerland

“Swiss Maid” by Roger Miller

Lets try this “at the farmers market” business again. I found some great links on this leafy wonder:

Your basic wikipedia post

News straight from the source, the Vegetarian Times

Grow your own Swiss Chard!

at the farmers market: kumquats

Speeding motorcycle, the road is ours

Speeding motorcycle, let’s speed some more

‘Cause we don’t need reason and we don’t need logic

We’ve got feeling and we’re dang proud of it

Speeding motorcycle, there’s nothing you can’t do

Speeding motorcycle, I love you

Speeding motorcycle, let’s just go

“Speeding Motorcycle” by Daniel Johnston

This will be my attempt at fresh and local. I will highlight an ingredient with a breathtaking photo early in the week and follow it up with an outstanding recipe later in the week. Various reasons this post is contradictory and confusing:

1. I forgot to take a picture of the kumquats in their whole state

2. It is not early in the week

3. I didn’t get these kumquats from the farmer’s market (I got them from a co-worker who I think bought them at Trader Joes)

This kind of screws up my concept for the “at the farmers market” series. Next time I will have a locally acquired ingredient and the recipe, I promise. Ah well…when life gives you kumquats make kumquat marmalade.

A little kumquat info.

Ingredients:

3 cups chopped kumquats, seeds removed and coarsely chopped in food processor
1 cup water
6 cups sugar
1 package Sure Jell

Directions:

1.  Combine kumquats, water, sugar and Sure Jell
2.  Bring to a boil and continue to boil for one minute. Pour into sterile jars and seal.

the ubiquitous st. patrick’s day post: mchemauer’s reuben

I met my love by the gas works wall

Dreamed a dream by the old canal

I Kissed my girl by the factory wall

Dirty old town

Dirty old town

Clouds are drifting across the moon

Cats are prowling on their beat

Spring’s a girl from the streets at night

Dirty old town

Dirty old town

“Dirty Old Town” by Ewan MacColl (surprisingly not an Irish song)

Happy St. Patrick’s day! Go drink some green beer or something you crazy kids…

McHemauer’s Reuben

Ingredients:

Butter
Sourdough
Beer-braised corned beef, sliced (see recipe below)
Swiss Cheese, sliced
999 Island Dressing (see recipe below)
Homemade Sauerkraut (to be featured in a latter post)

Directions:

1.    Butter the outsides of the bread
2.    Place 999 island dressing on the inside of one slice bread
3.    Place cheese on the inside of the other slice of bread
4.    Pile sauerkraut and corned beef
5.    Heat skillet and brown both sides
6.    Cut on diagonal and serve

Beer-braised corned beef

Ingredients:

One 3 pound corned beef
Pickling spices
5 cheap beers

Directions:

1. Bring beer and beef to a boil then add spices
2. Cover pot and simmer for 2½ -3 hours or until fork tender

999 Island Dressing

Ingredients:

1 cup mayonnaise
½ cup ketchup
2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
3 tablespoons prepared horseradish
1 dill pickle spear, diced

Directions:

1. Combine ingredients

raspberry sorbet

She wore a raspberry beret

The kind you find in a second hand store

Raspberry beret

And if it was warm she wouldn’t wear much more

Raspberry beret

I think I love her

“Raspberry Beret” by Prince

Sorbet’s are a nice treat, free of fat.  I especially like raspberry.  If I have not inspired everyone to run out and buy an ice cream maker, I think this post will put you over the edge. Will this completely stop my craving for Fenton’s or Ben and Jerry’s? Hardly, but it is easy to make and extremely rewarding to open up the freezer and see your own delicious creation.

Ingredients:

2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup water
6 cups or 2 12 oz packages frozen raspberries
Juice of half of a lemon
¼ cup Cointreau

Directions:

1. Heat a small saucepan over high heat, combine sugar and water, and bring to a boil, stir until dissolved
2. Set syrup aside to cool
3. Purée raspberries in a food processor or blender until smooth
4. Put puree through a strainer
5. Combine strained puree, simple syrup, lemon juice and Cointreau
6. Cover mixture and place in refrigerator until chilled through
7. Put cooled mixture in ice cream maker
8. Freeze sorbet until firm, about 4 hours

red wine braised oxtail with cheesy polenta

The Shankhill butchers ride tonight

You better shut your windows tight

They’re sharpening their cleavers and their knives

And taking all their whisky by the pint

Cuz everybody knows

If you don’t mind your mother’s words

A wicked wind will blow

Your ribbons from your curls

Everybody moan everybody shake

The Shankhill butchers wanna catch you

“Shankhill Butchers” by The Decemberists

I was strolling through aisles of CostCo and I ran across some oxtails, I said “ah…what the hell”.  This recipe might appear to have many steps but it is really simple.  Although it looks like a big turd, it didn’t taste like poo (insert your favorite Mark eats poop joke here). If the oxtail intimidates you, you should at least do yourself a favor and make the cheesy polenta. Some call it grits, some call it polenta, I call it mighty tasty.

Serves four

Red wine braised oxtail

Ingredients:

1 bottle of dry red wine
3 lbs. oxtail (about six 2 inch thick pieces)
Salt and pepper for seasoning
4 tablespoons of butter, divided
½ medium onion, rough chop
2 shallots, rough chop
1 carrot, rough chop
1 celery stalk, rough chop
1 leek, white part only, rough chop
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
2-3 cups of beef broth
5 sprigs of thyme
2 bay leaves
1 bunch of parsley stems

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325°F
2. Boil wine in a medium sauce pan until reduced in half
3. Trim oxtails of excess fat, season with salt and pepper
4. In a large oven proof pot, heat 1 tablespoon of butter over high heat
5. Place half of the oxtails in the pot and brown on all sides, remove
6. Place another tablespoon of butter in the pot and brown the second half of oxtails, remove
7. Reduce heat to medium, add one tablespoon of butter, add all of the vegetables, cook until just soft, about 5 minutes
9. Place oxtails, thyme, bay leaves, and parsley stems on top of vegetables
11. Add reduced wine and enough beef broth to cover the oxtails, bring to a boil
12. Cover and place in the oven for 3 to 3 ½ hours or until meat is tender but not falling off the bone.
13. Place the oxtails in a bowl and strain the liquid in a strainer into a medium saucepan 14. Boil liquid until thick and shiny, whisk in remaining 1 tablespoon of butter
15. Serve over cheesy polenta (see recipe below)

Adapted from: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Red-Wine-Braised-Oxtails-14520

Cheesy Polenta

Ingredients:

4 cups of water
1 cup of polenta
2 teaspoons of salt
4 tablespoons of butter
1 cup parmesan, grated with microplane

Directions:

1.    Add salt in the water and bring to a boil in a medium saucepan
2.    Add the polenta and stir constantly for 25 minutes or until thickened
3.    Add butter and cheese and stir in until creamy, season with salt and pepper

shrimp po’boy

I am just a poor boy and my story’s seldom told

I’ve squandered my resistance for a pocketful of mumbles, such are promises

All lies and jest, still the man hears what he wants to hear

And disregards the rest, hmmmm

“The Boxer” by Simon and Garfunkel

Po’boy’s are good, need I say more? This is a belated celebration of Fat Tuesday. Make sure not to overcook the shrimp, they tend to easily turn into rubber.  Even if you do, I guarantee you will still love this recipe.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

Good bread or buns, must be soft enough so the shrimp don’t pop out when you eat the sandwich
Mayonnaise
Spicy brown mustard (I prefer French’s)
Lettuce, shredded
Tomatoes, sliced
Pickles, sliced
3 tablespoons Frank’s Red Hot Sauce
1/2 lb. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
4 tablespoons Cajun seasoning
½ cup corn meal
½ cup masa corn flour
1 cup flour
2 eggs
Salt for seasoning

Directions:

1. Marinate shrimp in hot sauce
2. Mix corn meal, corn flour and 2 tablespoons of seasoning, place on a plate
3. Mix flour and 2 tablespoons of seasoning, place on another plate
4. In a small bowl, whisk eggs with 4 tablespoons of water
5. Heat oil to 360 degrees
6. Dredge shrimp in flour, then dip in egg, then dredge in corn meal mix
7. Fry coated shrimp in oil for about 3-4 minutes or until golden brown
8. Season the shrimp with salt
9. Split bun or bread open, leaving a hinge
10. Place mustard on one of the inside walls of the bun and mayo on the other
11. Place lettuce, tomato, and pickles in sandwich
12. Place shrimp on top of veggies, season with hot sauce