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Decadent Asparagus

The asparagus patch is still producing at a prolific rate, and we’re only getting a tiny bit tired of it. I decided to fancy up our usual simmered with butter fare with some aioli and a nice roast in the oven. It’s indulgent, but delicious. You’ll want to serve it with something simple, like a grilled steak.

Decadent Asparagus

1/4 cup mayo (full fat)
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 small clove garlic, crushed
juice from 1/3 lemon
salt and pepper to taste
1 lb asparagus

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Snap and wash asparagus.

2) Whisk together mayo, mustard, garlic, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.

3) Lay asparagus in single layer in baking dish. Brush on aioli thickly. You will have leftover aioli — enjoy it on a ham sandwich.

4) Roast in oven for 10-15 minutes (depending upon the thickness of your stalks) until tender, but not mushy. Broil on high for 2-3 minutes to give the dish some color. Squeeze on a bit more lemon juice.

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Posted 27 May 2010 | asparagus   seasonal   Vegetables   vegetarian | Comments (2) Tagged: ,

Pulled Pork Tamale Pie

Truth be told, my husband was slightly scandalized that I would take our pulled pork leftovers and do ANYTHING to them. He could eat pulled pork sandwiches all week, perhaps all month – however, we had house guests, so I felt compelled to dress it up a little. A better compromise probably would have been to make more pulled pork to begin with…

This recipe is adapted from an article on one dish dinners in the March 2010 issue of Bon Appetite. It turned out great, and you can make parts of it ahead of time. My only suggestion is that if you make the filling the day before (like I did), it’s probably worth heating it up before you add the cornbread topping and bake. It’s always a little difficult to get the bottom of a biscuit-topping to cook thoroughly, but starting with cold filling makes it more challenging.

Pulled Pork Tamale Pie, adapted from March 2010 Bon Appetite

Pie Filling
3 large poblano chiles
1 green pepper
2 cups diced onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 minced jalepeno
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1 T oregano
salt to taste
vegetable oil for sauteeing
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup roasted tomatillos or jarred tomatillo salsa
leftover pulled pork – I had about 1 lb leftover
10 oz package of frozen corn, thawed and pureed in food processor

Cornbread Topping

3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup cornmeal
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp chile powder
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 egg
2 T honey
1 1/4 cup grated sharp cheddar, divided

1) Broil poblanos and green pepper on high heat to char skin, turning every few minutes to blacken all sides. Remove from oven, cover and let sit for 10 minutes. Peel, seed, and chop.

2) Add oil to skillet, and saute onions until beginning to soften. Add garlic, jalepeno, and spices. Stir and heat until vegetables are tender.

3) Add chicken broth, tomatillo salsa, and pork to skillet. Stir, scraping bottom, until heated through. Remove from heat and stir in half of corn puree and chopped peppers.

4) Heat oven to 400 degrees. For cornbread topping: whisk together dry ingredients (flour through chile powder), and in separate bowl whisk together wet ingredients (milk through honey.) Combine, and stir in half of cheese.

5) If you cooked filling in an oven-proof skillet, you can bake it in that. Otherwise, put it in a 8×11 baking dish, or other similarly sized dish. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top of filling. Dollop corn bread batter on filling and spread evenly.

6) Bake for 30-40 minutes until cornbread is cooked through and golden brown.Cover with foil if getting too brown.

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Posted 23 May 2010 | meat   one dish dinner | Comments Off on Pulled Pork Tamale Pie Tagged: ,

It all leads to a pulled pork sandwich…

Stay with me – I have a few things to tell you about, and it all leads to a pulled pork sandwich.

Several weeks ago, I splurged on a little morning ‘me’ time. I attended a fundraiser for REAP‘s Farm to School Program. REAP (Research, Education, Action and Policy on Food Group) is a local non-profit that seeks to create a regional food system that is healthful, just, and environmentally and economically sustainable. They have some amazing programs and events, and one of my favorite programs is the Farm to School initiative, which aims to introduce children to fresh, nutritious, locally grown food.

They had a great event at a local southwestern restaurant, Eldorado Grill. It was a delicious five-course menu, and Rick Bayless of PBS and Chicago restaurant fame attended. You can read more about the delicious meal I enjoyed here.

The event started out a little sadly – I didn’t get to chat up Rick Bayless, and for awhile, it looked like I was going to have to sit at a table BY MYSELF. Yes, a 9-month pregnant woman, drinking Mexican mocktails and enjoying a five-course brunch at a table alone is something to pity. However, at the last minute I was saved with two fabulous guests at my table.

I was joined by the proprietors of Willow Creek Farm, Tony and Sue Renger. They were kind and talkative, happily told me all about their fascinating operation, and patiently answered all of my questions. What an education! Did you know that its all about vertical integration? And did you know that successful farmers lead quite the glamorous life? Despite working REALLY hard, they get invited to some pretty swanky places, including Slow Food events in Italy, and James Beard Awards Dinners in New York City (when our own Tory Miller from L’Etoile was invited to cook, he brought along his favorite pork producers.)

The Rengers raise pasture-grazed Berkshire pork for some of the fanciest restaurants in Madison. Luckily, everyone else can enjoy their products either by purchasing directly from them (consider getting a quarter hog) at their farm or at the Dane County Farmer’s Market. Or you can find their meat at the Willy Street Coop.

Not only do they raise some gorgeous and delicious hogs (their pork shoulder was a main course at the fundraiser), but they also have their own processing plant, AND make custom smokers (this is the vertical integration I was talking about). They are busy folks, but some of the nicest people I’ve had lunch with in awhile. I encourage you to check out their web site, and seek out some of their delicious meat. They have some great recipes on their site, including Odessa Piper’s pork chops (original chef at L’Etoile.)

And here is a dead simple recipe to make use of one of the most delicious and easy to prepare cuts of pork, the shoulder. Pulled pork takes almost no hands on time, and just a few hours cooking low and slow to produce a tender and flavorful sandwich that would impress any meat-lover.

Pulled Pork

3 T brown sugar
2 T sweet paprika
1 T dry mustard
1 T kosher salt
2 tsp oregano
liberal sprinkle of freshly ground black pepper
3-5 lbs pork shoulder

1) Mix spices, and rub into pork shoulder. Let sit a few hours, or preferably overnight. I rub it and put it in the slow cooker container, and put that in the fridge until I’m ready to cook.

2) Cook shoulder in slow cooker on low heat, 5-8 hours, until meat is very tender and falls apart easily.

3) Remove meat from slow cooker, and shred with two forks.

4) Serve on rolls with favorite barbecue sauce, oven-baked fries, some slaw, and a beer or root beer on the side. Perfection.

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Posted 19 May 2010 | comfort food   meat   simple dinners | Comments (3) Tagged: , , , ,

Simple Asparagus

The asparagus patch is in full production, and we get a good sized bunch about every other day – sometimes everyday if we’ve had rain and then some warm temperatures.

In the past, I’ve always sauteed or steamed my asparagus. Steaming is nice, but unless you have one of those tall, narrow pots just for steaming asparagus (which I don’t), it is difficult to get the entire spear done at the same degree of tenderness. Sauteeing is ok, but I don’t like to cook it this way everytime – it’s a little heavy.

So, enter Vegetable Goddess Deborah Madison – author of Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. I’ve praised this book before, primarily because it has a small section for almost every vegetable you might feel the need to cook.

Her recommended method is simple, and if well-timed, yields perfect asparagus in its simplest cooked form. Here are the directions: Bring a few inches of water in a large skillet to a low boil. Put in similarly sized asparagus, with the tips all pointing the same direction. Boil for 6-10 minutes, depending upon thickness. Remove from water, pat dry, and dress however you’d like.

The only way to mess this up is to let it cook too long. You want to be able to pierce the asparagus with a fork, but you don’t want it to be soft and floppy. Typically, its ready shortly after it turns bright green.

I like to just use a bit of butter and salt on it, but lemon juice is nice too, or a little vinaigrette, or some garlic-spiked mayonnaise for dipping.

Other asparagus tips: if you’re not getting it from your garden, or a nice friend’s garden, get it from a farmer’s market. Asparagus is best used shortly after being picked. Thick stalks are not older or woodier than thin stalks – in fact, some folks think they have more flavor. Store them upright in a glass with some water in the fridge (like flowers in a vase) until ready to use. Snap them by hand before using – they will naturally snap in the right place, allowing you to discard the more fibrous end.

Enjoy – the season is short!

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Posted 13 May 2010 | asparagus   seasonal   Vegetables   vegetarian | Comments Off on Simple Asparagus Tagged: ,

Chocolate Rhubarb Cookies

I’m pretty excited about these cookies – I hope you are too! Rhubarb in a chocolate cookie may sound a wee bit strange, but just think how good chocolate and tart cherries are. Since we are months away from tart cherries coming into season, I figured rhubarb would be an excellent substitute.

My only concern was whether the rhubarb would get cooked through during the baking time. To ensure that it would be soft (and not fibrous) I peeled my rhubarb stalks, and diced them small (about a 1/4 inch.)

The brownie-like cookies, studded with bits of sour rhubarb, went over big at this house – I hope you make them soon! Best enjoyed slightly warm, with a cold glass of milk.

Chocolate Rhubarb Cookies

8 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
3 T unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 cup flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup rhubarb, peeled and diced small

1) Melt butter and 8 oz chocolate chips over low heat in heavy sauce pan, or in a double boiler. Stir until smooth. Let cool.

2) Whisk together sugar and eggs, and stir in cooled chocolate, flour, baking powder and salt. Stir in chocolate chips and rhubarb.

3) Chill in fridge for about an hour.

4) Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto greased or lined baking sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until cookies just begin to crack. (Like brownies, you don’t want to overbake these.)

5) Cool for a few minutes, then transfer to cooking rack.

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Posted 08 May 2010 | baked goods   cookies   rhubarb   seasonal   vegetarian | Comments (7) Tagged: , ,