Happy (Late) Day of Celebrating our Country's Independence

Oh happy late day of freedom, and nothing speaks freedom quite so much as parades, protest marches, and berry saturated French toast. Becoming our Fourth of July tradition, this year I made our patriotic French toast using Italian bread. This was truly the "melting pot of the world" breakfast I had planned -- ripe and fresh from the farmers' market blueberries and raspberries sprinkled over thick slices of custardy ciabatta bread and drizzled (or doused as Shane's) in a maple crème fraîche.

Late as a brunch and hearty enough to satisfy us until my planned dinner of risotto cakes with roasted beet, walnuts and blue cheese (red, white and blue cheese, if you will), Shane and I walked to the grocery store to pick up a few necessities (cottage cheese, eggs, eight bottles of wine . . .) and happened upon the hot dog sample stand. Actually, the samples were less sample and more meal-like as we each tried half a natural, all beef hot dog, fresh off the indoor grill and into a freshly grilled bun.

"Want to skip the risotto cakes and have hot dogs instead?" I half-joked with Shane.

"Is that okay?"

You know, it was more than okay. We just added a bag of chips, buns, and hot dog mustard to the necessity list, as I found what is now my new favorite hot dog mustard -- Woeber's Mustard Relish. Hot dogs, squishy buns, mustard with built-in pickles, well, let's just say this sausage, gourmet grainy mustard, and fancy-pants beer girl was as giddy as an eleven-year-old boy at the last minute of the last hour on the last day of school.

Risotto cakes an wait until Monday.

From Soothing Scallop Chowder to Creamy Cassoulet

Admittedly, I was searching IFagioli for my cassoulet recipe – which is apparently a myth as I cannot find it on my site – when I noticed, with several ounces of horror, that I have not updated my blog in over a month. Perhaps my faithful readers (I see you all number in the double digits now) think I never stepped foot into my small yet resourceful kitchen at all in the month of June. Ah, quite the contrary. Between my subscription to a local CSA and the farmers’ market, I have been experimenting with dishes from Arugula, Mushroom and Goat Cheese Pizza with Walnuts to Soothing Scallop Chowder which hit the spot on a chilly, rainy June evening after Shane and I were soaked from the afternoon rain.

Alas, pastas with greens and bread crumbs; pastas with herbs, softly cooked eggs and bread crumbs; a delicious herb and mushroom salad; countless varieties of panini with asparagus; all went un-photographed and un-documented. Even my beloved traditional jars of strawberry jam and a perfected strawberry rhubarb cobbler with cornmeal biscuit crust went unnoticed.

Back into the kitchen tonight, unexpectedly as Shane and I thought his physical therapy would run late enough to give me an evening off, I have planned the cassoulet I have obviously not posted on IFagioli, and I am looking forward to giving everyone a taste with their eyes. I have next to me my farmers’ market fresh fennel, parsley and thyme, each eagerly awaits their turn to flavor my latest Rancho Gordo bean buy, Alubia Criollo (White Runner) Beans. A little garlic, onion, some chopped carrots and a smidgen of summer savory should round out the flavors nicely. Perhaps a lamb chop or two? To finish, a garlicky bread crumb topping will turn chilly and glum July evening into a cozy entrance for our long, lazy, Independence Day weekend.

P.S. Stay tuned – I have my now annual raspberries and blueberries ready for our red, white and blue French toast; plus, I have a special red, white and blue dinner planned for late Saturday afternoon, before our walk down to Montrose Pier to view fireworks from around the city.


White Runner Bean and Lamb Cassoulet

Serves two quite nicely

Now I somewhat winged this cassoulet, but as long as the underlying flavors are present, I think a pinch of this, a dash of that will work for anyone. I did use already cooked runner beans. If cooking beans is neither your time nor your place, substitute good quality canned runner or cannellini beans. Just rinse the beans and use chicken broth in place of the bean cooking liquid (or just use the liquid in the can, no one is looking, especially not me).

2 lamb rib chops, about 3-4 ounces each
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon of olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 medium carrot, chopped
1 medium fennel bulb, sliced, a few fronds saved aside for garnish
5 garlic cloves, chopped, saving a tablespoon for the bread crumb garnish
1/4 cup dry-ish white wine
2 small tomatoes, cut into quarters or 6 baby tomatoes, halved
1 1/2 cups cooked white runner beans plush their cooking liquid (about 1/2 cups or so) or
1 15 ounce can of white runner or cannellini beans
A combination of a few or all of the following: thyme, summer savory, sage, rosemary, chopped
Parsley and saved fennel fronds, sliced (hey, at least I didn't say "chopped.")
About 1/4 cup coarse bread crumbs
Salt and pepper

In a medium stock pot, brown the chops on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. Remove from pot and let cool until easy to handle. Remove the meat from the rib bone, and set both aside for the moment. *Keep in mind the lamb will still be very, very rare in the middle -- proceed with raw meat percaution.

In the oil, sauté onion, carrots and fennel until softened. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant. Add the wine and scrape up any pieces left from the lamb. Let mixture come to a boil and then simmer for a few minutes before adding to the pot the tomatoes, beans with the 1 1/2 cups of liquid, rib bones, and thyme, summer savory, sage and/or rosemary. Let mixture come to a boil, lower heat, and simmer until thickened and the tomatoes start breaking down, about 30 minutes. If too much liquid is evaporating, turn down the heat a smidgen and put a lid on the pot.

While the cassoulet is simmering, heat oven to 375 degrees. Toss bread crumbs with 1 teaspoon of olive oil and the tablespoon of garlic. Spread on a foil-lined cookie sheet and bake until toasted, 7-10 minutes. Check and stir after 5 minutes or so. After crumbs are nicely browned, remove from oven and set aside

When the beans and tomatoes start breaking down, remove the rib bones (sucking any meat left on the bone as that is cook's privilege), squish a few of the beans against the side of the pot just to thicken the cassoulet a bit. Taste for seasoning, and add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the parsley and fennel fronds, let cassoulet come to a simmer, and add the meat to the pot. Cover and let the meat cook to desired degree (you know me, I am a rare girl myself), roughly 3-4 minutes for rare to medium rare. Ladle meat and beans into a shallow bowl (or a deep plate), garnish with toasted bread crumbs, and serve with a fork and spoon. Dig in.

P.P.S. I'm finishing this post while fighting a migraine aura. It is indeed hard to type around the dancing worms floating in my eyes. Please let me know if there is a glaring error (or not-so-glaring error) I need to correct. Don't be shy now. Oh yes, and I will, on a later date, post the scallop chowder recipe. For now, I will just tantalize with a photograph.

Tasty Little Risotto Cakes

Normally I would pack any leftover orzo risotto into a container for a weekday lunch, especially leftover garlic and sweet pea risotto. However, after Saturday evening’s Scarf-Fest 2009, there was nary a pea or slice of garlic to be found. Okay, so I am exaggerating a tad, there was a scoop or two clinging to the sides of the Gladware container, but not enough to be a satisfactory mid-day, mid-week meal when I need more energy and fewer white carbohydrates.

And so, Saturday’s Scarf-Fest 2009 was followed by Sunday afternoon’s Lox-and-Bagel-Palooza, and with a combined effort both caused complete fullness for Shane and me until about 8:00 that same evening. Faced with going to bed without supper (how un-American) to the fear of awakening the next morning famished, I agreed to fix us a super-light supper of fried pasta. What is that you say? Light and fried are contradictory? Would it help if I promise the only part of the pasta that was fried was the outside of these extraordinary little cakes that I served atop a scattering of fresh lettuce leaves tossed in a lemon and garlic vinaigrette? No? I used olive oil. No? I used a maximum of two tablespoons of olive oil in the pan. Still not convinced? Well, I have many times before stuffed myself silly with a healthy chicken breast more so than I did Sunday evening with my tasty little risotto cake. Throw a little caution to the wind and treat oneself to a bit of fried pasta now-and-then. Shane and I agreed they were worth every bite, especially the bite I wrapped in a lettuce leaf -- now that’s what makes the fried virtuous!

P.S. If you still cannot bring yourself to try this recipe even as you are about to dump the remainder of your risotto (orzo or otherwise) into the trash because you are not a leftover person, or, much like my situation, there is not enough left for another meal, I urge you to give risotto cakes a try. We’ll not call it fried pasta anymore -- sautéed pasta, that’s it! Yes! Tonight we are having leftover orzo risotto cakes that are sautéed in olive oil! And you can sauté your leftover risotto made from Arborio rice or even barley. Sautéed cakes of whole grain -- crispy on the outside, creamy on the inside, and fibrous from crunch to creamy to crunch.

I am still working on making these little cakes stay together, but I used the following recipe as my jumping-off point. Use any leftover risotto hanging around from orzo to Arborio rice to barley. Even if they do not look perfect . . . yum!

Tasty Little Risotto Cakes

2 cups cold leftover risotto
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons fine bread crumbs, divided
1 egg, separated
1 whole egg
olive oil for pan-frying

Combine the risotto with two tablespoons of bread crumbs and the egg yolk. Mix thoroughly with a fork or with your hands. Shape mixture into four equal balls and flatten into cakes about 3/4 inch high. Mix together the egg white and the whole egg. Have ready the remaining ¼ cup of bread crumbs. Heat a pan with a 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat heat. Dredge each cake into the egg* before coating each side in bread crumbs. Cook the cakes, flipping once, until both sides are a deep golden brown. Serve at once.

*My cakes did not want to stay together when I plunked them into the egg mixture. I wound up somewhat squashing the outer egg mixture and breadcrumbs into the cake, but all the same they sautéed nicely and held together enough for Shane and me to enjoy every last morsel.

Dear Matt's Cookies:

I am your closest competition on the corner of Cullom and Wolcott Avenues. For friendly thank you gesture for a friendly computer guru who fixed our lap top, over the weekend I baked chocolate chip cookies galore, each loaded with milk chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate chips, gobs of butter, a hint of saltiness, baked to a chewy/crisp finale.

Yes Matt, or so you call yourself, I even snuggled the still-warm cookies into tight containers so they would retain their chew the next day, as that was the first I could see my computer guru friend.

And finally Matt (if that is your true name), yes I did give away all my cookies all the time hinting to Shane that if he wanted me to make him some chocolate chip cookies (with pecans no less!) instead of my buying him your cookies Matt (as I do on a twice-weekly basis), well, frankly, I was snubbed.

“It’s no bother,” I said to Shane. “I enjoy baking you cookies. I’ll even put pecans in them, such as Matt’s.”

“No honey, you rest. Besides, only Matt can make chocolate chip cookies with pecans. Don’t try to duplicate Matt’s.”

Fine – I’ll just go read.

Sincerely,

Emilie K. Tytenicz

P.S. I tried Matt's oatmeal raisin cookies for the first time last night. This is cookie madness. Even Shane-who-does-not-like-raisins did not and could not stop at one cookie.

My Chocolate Chip Cookies (Sans the Pecans)

Based on and Adapted from Jacques Torres - New York Times - Published: July 9, 2008 (they, that was 2 days before my 30th birthday!)

Okay, these are really Jacques’ Cookies and my additions are italicized in parenthesis.

2 cups minus 2 tablespoons cake flour
1 2/3 cups all purpose or bread flour (Jacques says bread flour, I say either or – I used all purpose as the protein count is not much different than bread flour's protein count)
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt (I used 1 ¼ teaspoons fine sea salt)
2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups light brown sugar (I used dark brown sugar)
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8 ounces) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract (I left out the vanilla)
1 1/4 pounds bittersweet chocolate disks or fèves, at least 60 percent cacao content (I used about 10 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate chips and about 10 ounces of milk chocolate chips)
Sea salt. (I did not sprinkle with sea salt, although I would have if these cookies were for strictly for me)

Back to Jacques --

1. Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Set aside.

2. Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars together until very light, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Reduce speed to low, add dry ingredients and mix until just combined, 5 to 10 seconds. Drop chocolate pieces in and incorporate them without breaking them. Press plastic wrap against dough and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours. Dough may be used in batches, and can be refrigerated for up to 72 hours.

3. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat. Set aside.

4. Scoop 6 3 1/2-ounce mounds of dough (the size of generous golf balls) onto baking sheet, making sure to turn horizontally any chocolate pieces that are poking up; it will make for a more attractive cookie. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and bake until golden brown but still soft, 18 to 20 minutes. Transfer sheet to a wire rack for 10 minutes, then slip cookies onto another rack to cool a bit more. Repeat with remaining dough, or reserve dough, refrigerated, for baking remaining batches the next day. Eat warm, with a big napkin. (Or transfer straightaway to a container after the 10 minute cool-off time.)

Yield: 1 1/2 dozen 5-inch cookies. (I made more like 3-inch cookies yielding a good 2 dozen cookies, and this was after Shane ate about 1/6 of my dough – I am sure I could have gotten an even 30 out of the deal.)

Oh Happy Day Part II

Woo woo! The farmers’ market opened this week, and yesterday I took advantage of the sunshine, gorgeous outside temperature, and my two good legs (no offence Shane). Way too excited to wait until a later lunch hour, I left at 10:30 in the morning, walked over to the Daley Plaza, hit all the stalls sporting lots of produce (flowers, baked goods and cheese stalls ignored – I was on a mission), and made it back to work in 33 minutes flat.

And here is what is what landed in my goody bag:

Two bunches of Asparagus
Three bunches of Rhubarb
One large bag of Spinach
One bunch of Watercress
Green Garlic
Leeks
Dried Michigan Cherries
Morels
Shiitake Mushrooms
Cremini Mushrooms

One Hazelnut Chocolate Truffle for Shane
One Chocolate Walnut Caramel for Emilie

And the menu for the upcoming week:

Asparagus and Morel Orzo Risotto
Potato Leek Soup
Watercress Pesto over Linguine
Fontina, Caramelized Onions and Mushroom Pizza
Green Garlic and Spinach Soup
Chicken Salad Sandwich

Okay, the chicken salad sandwich has nothing really to do with my farmers’ market finds. Shane just requested to have some in the refrigerator for a quick snack. However, I may try to find a way to sneak the dried Michigan cherries into the salad as a replacement for the grapes or raisins I normally use.

The chocolate walnut caramel is long gone. In fact, it barely survived through lunchtime. Somehow a hybrid of fudge, a fudge-like brownie and a fudge-like caramel wrapped into one intense package, I have a feeling this will be my $0.75 weekly Thursday treat.

Oh Happy Day

I am happy, happy, and happy today despite the sleepy, rainy, dreary weather (and despite the attorney –ahemJocelynahem - who insisted on coming into work after having been up all night revisiting everything she had eaten within a 24 hour period). Why am I so happy, happy, happy? Pretend as if you asked instead of my just wanting to share. In my hurry to get Shane and me out the door so we would not miss the train, I left my afternoon snack in my refrigerator at home. I do not necessarily need an afternoon snack, but sometimes I go from satisfied to ravenous and the deconstructed path I make is not a beauty.

Today, however, was an exception. Firstly, I did not eat lunch until 1:00 in the afternoon. I do enjoy eating a later lunch as eating lunch at 11:30 in the morning has me staring at the 3:18 PM on my computer screen and counting down the hours until suppertime. Lately, suppertime has not occurred before 7:00 due to physical therapy and Shane’s and my taking a later evening train home.

However, I did need a little something sweet, and the 2 plump Turkish figs would have fit that bill had I not been in such a hurry this morning, as would the citrus-infused, locally made, artisan dark chocolate truffle I had already devoured at 10:30 this morning with the last of my iced coffee. Citrus infused – does that count as a serving of fruit?

Never mind the fruit-infused chocolate truffle versus the apple or banana I should have eaten instead (oh wait, I did eat that banana before I ripped into creamy, dark chocolate goodness); I now am happy, happy, and happy because a sweet co-worker offered me part of her tangy, juicy, just-sweet-enough grapefruit that fulfilled the “gotta-have-something sweet-after-lunch” bill.

Thank you Sandy.

And many thanks to you Jocelyn for going home for the rest of my day and for not touching my stapler as Steve invariably does every time he comes into the office with a head cold. (And shall I mention the time he did get sick in the men’s room, only to walk over to my desk afterwards to tell me the gory details all the while picking up my stapler, stapling papers he had printed before getting sick, and then breathing into my space. That is an Emilie no-no.)

3:57 PM and I am still satisfied. I can make it until the 7:30 chicken tortilla soup mark. I am most happy, happy, and happy for leftover Sunday soup.

This is One Ramp That Will Not Hold Shane's Wheelchair

Last Wednesday night after his physical therapy session, Shane took me for steak, fries, wine and ambiance, which was just what this tofu and salad gal needed on a chilly and rainy evening. Mmmm… steak frites and a healthy dose of merlot before I was dropped back into cooking reality the next evening. Meals around the Chicago chapter of the Tytenicz household have of lately been fast and more furious than any lame attempt of a summer blockbuster film, and the following evening was no exception.

I came across a display of locally grown ramps in my locally constructed Whole Foods, and I, being the fascinated child I am with unfamiliar ingredients, bought a bunch without even knowing how to use the green onion-looking bulbs each sporting a house plant-like leaf – edible as well. After a few searches via Google, I soon learned one of the most popular way to fix ramps was in a simple scrambled egg dish.

What a peasantry trend.

Being raised on scrambled eggs as a Saturday morning breakfast, sometimes paired with pancakes sporting little hearts or happy faces or even my initials of ER (Emilie Roop you silly people); and sometimes paired with square waffles with crispy edges and shallow pockets that caught just enough Country Crock without being overwhelmed with the freshly churned taste; and sometimes simply with a few pieces of bacon or breakfast sausage and heavily buttered and toasted Wonder Bread (buttered first and then toasted – that’s an art).

As an adult, scrambled eggs have not been my first choice as I enjoy the thick, runny yolk of good poached, fried or soft boiled eggs as an accompaniment to thick slices of home made and buttery sourdough bread (bread toasted and then buttered – it’s a statement). I do enjoy food that comes with its own sauce.

Here lately I have re-discovered the scrambled egg, lightly stirred, just barely set, and chased around my plate by slices of crusty bread. A few mushrooms or newly discovered ramps, sliced and sautéed before adding the eggs, turns an old Saturday routine into an elegant last minute meal.

And what an easy meal to throw together after an evening of Shane’s physical therapy –

Scrambled Eggs with Ramps with a side of home fries.

For 2 servings

6 large eggs
2 tablespoons cream, half-and-half or milk
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil or butter (or a combination of both)
1 good sized bunch of ramps, about 6 or 7 ramps

Beat eggs with cream (or whichever milk product is preferred) and salt and pepper to your delight. Set aside.

Clean ramps thoroughly, peeling off the outer skin if necessary. Chop the bulbs and the leaves separately, and set aside. Over medium heat, warm 1 tablespoon of butter and/or oil in a medium skillet. Add the ramp bulbs and sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the ramp leaves, sauté until wilted, about a minute or two. Add the remaining tablespoon of butter and/or olive oil to the skillet. Add the eggs to the skillet, and let them sit for a minute or so before gently stirring them until they are just set (I like mine still wobbly). Serve immediately with home fries or buttered toast.

Home Fries

For 2 servings

2 medium Yukon Gold or other roasting potatoes
2 teaspoons olive oil
Salt and pepper

Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees and line a baking sheet with foil (grease foil with a bit of oil). Slice potatoes into quarters or eighths – the smaller the wedges the faster they will roast. In a medium bowl toss together the potato wedges and olive oil, and salt and pepper the potatoes. Roast potatoes in a single layer on the baking sheet for 20 to 40 minutes depending on the size of the potatoes wedges. Check frequently to ensure the potatoes are not burning. Serve with an optional side of ketchup (generously peppered in our household).