"Cleaving"

A few years ago, when I picked up Julie Powell's "Julie and Julia", I was shaken a bit to the core. I thoroughly enjoyed the journey of the book and put it down feeling inspired. It planted a tiny seed in my brain that is, in part at least, responsible for my transformation and for my current career path through life. Yes, it's just a book, but something in Julie Powell's words spoke to me in a way that was necessary at that point in time. So you can imagine how excited I was when her newest book, Cleaving, hit bookshelves.

In Cleaving Julie is once again on a culinary mission, albeit a slightly different one than her previously impossible task of cooking through the massive tome of MTAOFC. This time around she has set out to understand the ins and outs of an art that had all but disappeared, but luckily for her (and for all of us, really) seems to be slowly eeking back into existence: butchery.

Again Julie Powell had me laughing out loud--her candor and honesty can be shocking but is definitely funny. But there are also moments that she seems to punch you in the gut and take the wind out of you with her words. However, a lot of times I felt the story to be choppy and a little hard to follow. Some of the metaphors were so weak they had me literally rolling my eyes in frustration. The way the story unfolded frustrated me, but it does seem like that is just exactly the way Julie P. would tell the story to you in person--tumbling out in bursts until the end. I don't want to give too much away, but I think it is no secret that a large part of this book is about her struggles within her marriage. As much as I realize that this is the way real life is, part of me took this really personally and it made me sad (why I take such personal offense to strangers' love lives breaking down is a mystery--rather ridiculous, I admit, but there you go...). I think there's that small part in a lot of us that just wants real life to be a little closer to a fairy tale and it never really is.

Overall, though, I enjoyed reading as Julie learned and grew in this new world for her. I also love the recipes interspersed throughout the book--I feel like more memoirs (even ones not about food) should have recipes included. They give me a better understanding of a person and a memory that the author is trying to convey. These also made me ready to run out to my nearest butcher and order enough meat for every meal for the next couple of weeks--no vegetables or starches necessary. I've spent the time since finishing the book envious of all those cuts of meat Julie went home with. I've also once again stepped back to review where I am along my personal path. I feel pretty damn good about where I am these days. I'm not sure what exactly it is about Julie Powell's words that brings that out in me but I'm appreciative of it just the same.
(And yes, you are allowed to leave me comments telling me how corny that all sounds.)

Rainy Day Beef and Mushroom Stew

Sometimes I love when it rains on my day off.

I know I am probably in the minority there, but the rain is the perfect excuse for a lazy day. If it is nice outside, I feel like I should be out taking advantage of it. But on a rainy day I can curl up under a blanket with Joe on the couch with a drink in hand while something slowly simmers away in the oven. Something hearty and filling. Like this beef and mushroom stew.

One of the great things about this dish is that it is completely versatile. If you don't have an ingredient you can usually leave it out or substitute it with something else. You can also toss in anything extra that you may be craving that day. This particular version is especially rich thanks to the dried mushrooms: you soak them in water and add them to the vegetables and then use the soaking water as part of the stock. And the couple of cups of red wine in the base don't hurt, either.

So the next time the weather isn't so hot on your day off, look at it as a blessing. Put on a pot of this stew and curl up with a glass bottle of wine and someone you love, and relax.

Beef and Mushroom Stew

1/2 c. dried chanterelles

3/4 c. hot water

1 lb. beef chuck, cut into 1 1/2" cubes

flour

salt and pepper

4 TB olive oil, divided

3 carrots, peeled and chopped

3 stalks of celery, chopped

1/2 an onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, sliced

2 TB fresh herbs, such as rosemary and thyme

2 c. red wine

1 c. beef stock

3 TB tomato sauce (or 1 TB tomato paste)

1 bay leaf

1 parmesan rind*

Remove the beef from the fridge and allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Place the dried chanterelles into a bowl and pour the hot water over them and allow to soak for 30 minutes while chopping and preparing the remaining ingredients. Once ready to use, drain the mushrooms, reserving the liquid.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Toss the beef cubes with flour to coat. Heat 2 TB olive oil in a dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sear the beef on all sides, working in batches so as to not overcrowd the pan and then remove to a plate.

Add remaining oil to pan and toss in carrots, celery, onion, garlic and herbs. Allow to cook until they become tender, about 6 minutes. Add the drainied mushrooms and cook another 2 minutes. Add red wine, beef stock, tomato sauce and reserved mushroom soaking liquid to the pan and bring to a boil. Stir in the bay leaf and parmesan rind, cover and transfer to the oven. Cook until the meat is tender, about 2-2 1/2 hours, checking and stirring the stew after about 1 1/2 hours.

Remove the stew from the oven, remove the bay leaf and parmesan rind and serve. Especially good served over egg noodles, mashed potatoes or sopped up with crusty bread.

*When you have a good hunk of Parmesan cheese and you get down to the rind where you can't grate it anymore, hang on to this piece. It can be thrown into stocks and soups to add extra flavor and depth. Remove it at the end of cooking--it will look like a soggy sponge, so not pretty, but the flavor is worth it!

Celeriac Soup with Scallops

I miss blogging.
Honestly though, the break has been nice. Being able to just make dinner and not have to worry about writing down every ingredient's measurements and not worrying about trying to take photos. Just cooking, pouring a glass of wine and sitting down to savor the meal with my husband. I've enjoyed it.

It's also been great to step back and take a look at what I'm doing here on the blog. Is it something that I want to continue with? What purpose does it serve? Does anyone even read it? (and even if they don't, do I care?)

I haven't come to any grand conclusions but I know that this blog serves a purpose, even if it is just for me. It makes me put thought into what I'm cooking and inspires me to try new things. And by putting down recipes I have a record for when I want to try them again, which I love. In the past I would just try to remember and guess what went into my recipes and the results weren't always stellar! And, perhaps, someone else out there will find something useful among the mess. Really, isn't the best part of cooking and food is how it can bring people together? The joy of sharing it with one another? Learning from one another? So I will plod on. The posts may stay few and far between for a bit, but I will continue to return because food and its community are my passion.

This celeriac soup is basic and straightforward yet completely satisfying. It reminds one that with great ingredients, simplicity in cooking is rewarded. Joe and I had this dish at Eleven Madison Park for our anniversary dinner and it was so beautiful there that I had to try to recreate it at home. It may not have lived up quite to the restaurant's standards, but was delicious nonetheless. The addition of scallops is unnecessary, but lends a luxurious touch and makes the dish hearty enough to be an entree. Next time I prepare this I will add sauteed shallots and garlic for extra flavor, but for a simpler approach it is not necessary.

Celeriac Soup with Scallops

(serves 5-6)

3 small bulbs celeriac, peeled and chopped

2-3 c. chicken stock

1-2 c. water

salt and pepper

1 t. celery salt

1 t. season salt

1 c. heavy cream

2 TB butter

Extra Virgin Olive Oil, for drizzling

6 large diver scallops, cooked

2 TB Olive oil

Place the celeriac, stock, and water in a large pot. You want enough liquid to cover the celeriac. Bring to a boil and simmer until celeriac is tender, about 25-30 minutes. Remove from heat. Push the celeriac through a ricer back into the stock and water or use an immersion blender to blend all of the ingredients together. If the soup is very thick, add water to bring to consistency of your liking (remembering that you will be adding cream as well). Add celery salt, season salt, and pepper. Return the pot to the stove and bring to a simmer. Stir in the heavy cream. Taste, and add more salt and pepper if necessary. Stir in the butter and serve over the cooked scallops with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

What I ate today...(and Baked Clams)

...at the internship:

Peanut butter cookies
6 different types of cheese
Meat Pies
Potica
Homemade Oreos
(plus some snacks I brought from home)
I also brought home some Indian seasoning packets, Cajun seasoning, hickory oil, and a garlic grating plate.

How I'm still hungry now, I'll never guess. This new job rocks. I am, however, going to turn into a rolly-polly. I always feel like I'm going to miss out if I don't try one of the samples/test kitchen trials that come in. I better learn some self-restraint.

Last night I made the most amazing baked clams. So good, in fact, that Joe and I decided we wanted to eat them every day for the next two weeks. There are no photos because I'm lazy, but I guarantee you that you will love these (and they are pretty when they are all toasted up!). Please, please use fresh breadcrumbs! I know that I have always ignored this note myself, but I promise it makes a huge difference in the flavor of these guys.

Baked Clams

3 dozen clams

1 1/2 c. FRESH breadcrumbs

1/4 c. chopped parsley

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 c. finely grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. pepper

6 TB butter

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Clean the clams thoroughly. Open the clams and leave the meat on one shell, discarding the other. (NOTE: It is difficult to open the clams this way. If you prefer, steam them just until they open--no longer--and then discard the top shell. Cook the clams as little as possible when doing this because they get another chance to cook in the oven).

Mix together the breadcrumbs, parsley, garlic, salt, pepper and Parmesan. Melt the butter and stir into the breadcrumb mixture, it should just be barely damp. Top each clam with about a teaspoon or two of the breadcrumb mixture and press into the clam shell. Place in a baking dish and continue with each clam.

Bake the clams for about 5 minutes, then turn on the broil and cook until the breadcrumb mixture begins to darken and brown. Serve immediately.

Where Have I Been?

It has been a while. I don't think I've ever gone this long without updating my blog. So what gives? A few things have kept me away:

1. At the beginning of August a friend and I planned a 6 course, 3 cocktail brunch for 25 people. We were so busy planning and preparing and I was waiting until it was all said and done to post about it (that post is still forthcoming--it was too much fun for me to pass over even though it happened a month and a half ago).

2. Lots of visitors to our fair city. Been hanging out with friends as they passed through and often they are staying with us so that took first priority.

3. I am training for the NYC Marathon that is fast approaching and training takes a lot of time.

4. Last, but certainly not least, I started a new internship at a magazine you may recognize. I'm still waiting tables as well, but I get to go in three days a week and do some work for the website, read food blogs, research food and smell the amazing scents coming out of the test kitchen (and sometimes even get to eat some of those products that are being prepared). Awesome. It's been a remarkable experience and I'm hoping that I can keep traveling down this career path because I love it.

So I will be back. I miss my blog and I miss sharing the recipes I come up with. It just may take a little more time to settle in to this busy schedule before I can find the time for photographing and writing out posts again. And so you know, I still am reading your blogs (it's part of my job! Really!) but I haven't had the time to comment, so don't think I've left you behind. :) I'll see you again soon. Don't forget me while I'm gone!

"Julie and Julia"

"I didn't learn to cook until I was 32. Until then, I just ate."

Julia Child

Monday night I got the opportunity to see a pre-screening of "Julie and Julia" (thanks so much to Cathy over at Not Eating Out in New York). To anyone who knows me (or who has read this blog for a while) it's no surprise that I love the books "Julie and Julia", "My Life in France", and that I love Julia Child. I also love Meryl Streep (but who doesn't?) and Amy Adams. Needless to say, I was pretty stoked for the film.

Since the movie hasn't hit wide release as of yet, I'm not going to do a big review. I will just say that I loved it. And that Meryl Streep knocked it out of the ballpark kitchen. And that I left the theater filled with hope and inspiration. Especially as an inching-towards-30, married actress waitress, living in the big city feeling a little like I'm drowning while trying to find myself. I may not know what my future holds, but I do know that it is not too late to find my calling and lead my version of a successful life. Plus, like Julie and Julia, I have a remarkable husband standing beside me giving me his faith and eternal support. Pretty damn lucky, I am.

And, until I find my path, I can just keep eating.

Couscous Stuffed Peppers and Lemon Cucumber and Sugar Plum Salad

Sometimes there are ingredients that evoke the image of only one recipe and seem to stifle my creativity. Green peppers are one of those ingredients. I know there are so ways to use them but I always think about them in Asian or Mexican inspired dishes--sauteed for a stir fry or to use on tacos. Every once in a while I'll think of stuffing them, but again it's always in a Mexican style. This time around I really wanted to do something different with these peppers. I stuffed them with couscous, corn, and ground turkey and a little bit of parmesan cheese. Simple flavors, easy preparation, and a little different take on the classic. Paired up with the basic cucumber salad it makes a great weeknight dinner.

Couscous Stuffed Peppers

5 green peppers

1 box couscous

1 lb ground turkey

2 ears corn

3/4 c. shredded parmesan cheese, divided

1/4 c. bread crumbs

To begin, cook the couscous as per the box's instructions. Saute the ground turkey with a little salt and pepper and drain.

Preheat the oven to 350. Cut off the top of each of the green peppers and clean out the seeds and white parts inside. Cut off the kernels from the ears of corn.

In a large bowl mix together the cooked couscous and turkey, the corn, and 1/2 c. parmesan cheese. Stuff the mixture into the green peppers and place them into a baking dish.

In a small bowl mix together 1/4 c. parmesan cheese and the bread crumbs. Spread the mixture on top of each of the peppers. Bake for 40 minutes or until the peppers are tender and the topping is lightly browned.

Lemon Cucumber and Sugar Plum Salad

8 lemon cucumbers, peeled and sliced

6 sugar plums, chopped

3/4 c. white wine vinegar

1/4 c. olive oil

2 TB sugar

1 t. salt

1/2 t. pepper

Mix together the vinegar, oil, sugar, salt and pepper in a bowl. Add in the cucumbers and sugar plums and toss together. Chill in the refrigerator for an hour before serving.