Kitchen Wench

Photo by Flickr user IRRI Images

Anyone from the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area will be familiar with my  favorite childhood grocery store chain, Byerly’s.  Growing up, I loved to eat this soup more than… well, any other soup. But I can’t get anything like it in DC, so I’ve tried to recreate it myself.  Of course, I did all this before Byerly’s so kindly posted their recipe on the internet, so it’s not exactly right, but I came awfully close.  Either way, it’s pretty delicious.

Byerly’s Wild Rice Soup

Wild rice almost an hour to cook, so I buy fully cooked vacuum packs of wild rice from Trader Joe’s.  I don’t taste a difference in flavor or texture; it’s perfectly cooked out of the bag.

If  you can’t get your hands on a aged white cheddar, omit the cheese.  I used an English cheddar aged 2 years and it has a rich, nutty flavor that adds a nice depth to the soup.  Regular supermarket cheddar tastes radically different and won’t work.

• 6 tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup flour
• 5 cups chicken stock
• 1 cup milk
• 4 cups cooked wild rice
• 1 cup carrots, chopped into 1″ pieces
• 1 1/2 cups celery, chopped into 1″ pieces
• 1 8 oz ham steak, cut into 1″ cubes
• 1 cup grated aged white cheddar
• 1 cup sliced almonds
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp sage
• 1/2 tsp herbs de provence
• Salt and pepper to taste

1.  In a large pot or dutch oven, melt butter over low heat.  Once the bubbles have subsided, sprinkle in flour and whisk to make a roux.  Continue whisking until roux is golden brown.  Slowly add the chicken stock and continue whisking to get out any lumps.  Bring mixture to a boil, stirring constantly.

2.  Lower the heat and bring soup to a simmer.  Add milk, carrots, celery, ham, rice, and herbs.  Simmer 10-15 minutes, until the carrots and celery are tender.  Turn off the heat and stir in the cheese.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  (The cheese and ham are pretty salty, so you may not need any additional sodium.)

3.  Remove bay leaf and serve with a sprinkling of sliced almonds.  This soup also reheats and freezes well.

Makes about 6 generous servings.

As I’ve mentioned on more than one occasion, I hate the Columbia Heights Giant.  In fact, every time I go in there, I leave either in a state of total rage, utter dejection, or both.  But I can’t seem to stop shopping there because it’s a few blocks from my apartment, right on my walk home from the Metro.

Giant has a section in the meat aisle called “SOMETHING SPECIAL”, which usually amounts to a few packages of free range chicken breasts and some sad-looking organic steaks.  However, last week I actually did find something special: duck legs!  They’re imported from Canada and what really blew my mind was that they cost less than $3 a piece.  I’d never cooked duck before, but for $2.70, I figured I could afford to screw it up.

As it turns out, roasting a duck leg is pretty much idiot-proof, and it’s delicious.  Roasting is also great because it’s easy, it renders out most of the fat, and the meat is falling-off-the-bone tender.  Lee and I actually split one leg along with a salad, butternut squash, and roasted onions.  For a heartier meal, use two legs.

Five Spice Roast Duck Leg

• 1-2 duck legs
• seeds from half a pomegranate (you could also substitute pomegranate juice for some of the wine)
• 1 onion, quartered
• 4 cloves of garlic, peeled
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 star anise pods
• dry red wine
• Chinese five spice powder
• salt, pepper, sugar

1.  Score the skin side of the duck legs with a knife.  Rub a pinch each of salt, pepper, sugar, and five spice powder onto the skin.  Be a little generous with the salt.

2.  Place duck in a baking dish along with the onions, garlic, anise, bay leaf, and pomegranate seeds.  [Tip: The best way to seed a pomegranate is in a bowl of water. Here's a video that shows you how to do it.]

3.  Pour enough red wine into the pan to come about half way up the side.  Cover the dish tightly with foil and roast at 375 for 1 hour.

4.  Remove foil from dish and continue roasting for another 30 minutes until the skin is crispy.  Alternatively, you can crisp the skin under the broiler.

5.  When the duck is finished, pour the excess fat out of the pan and reserve from later use.  (I hear it does wonders for potatoes.)  Serve the duck with pan sauce and roasted vegetables.

Serves 2.

One of my guilty pleasures is buying the occasional issue of Martha Stewart Living. Really, I’m just embracing my future middle-aged woman self… Anyway, the October issue had this big spread about heirloom pumpkins, which come in a rainbow of colors and textures. But I assumed that I wouldn’t be able to find any of these pumpkins because I don’t live in Martha’s Magical Universe, which is populated by heirloom plants, monogrammed towels, antique glassware, and giant Chow Chow dogs.

As it turns out, you can get heirloom pumpkins in D.C.  I found several varieties at the Penn Quarter and Dupont farmers’ markets, including Long Island Cheese pumpkins. I bought a Long Island Cheese because the color and shape was so pretty.  They also happen to be good eating pumpkins, and now that Halloween is over, I decided to cook it.

Thai-spiced Pumpkin Soup

This recipe is modified from Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid’s Silky Coconut Pumpkin Soup from their book Hot Sour Salty Sweet.

I used a Long Island Cheese pumpkin that was about 14″ in diameter (probably 5-6 lbs).  To prepare the pumpkin flesh, I cut it into 6 hunks, removed the seeds, and then roasted the slices with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper for about an hour in a 375 degree oven. I then scraped out the flesh and mashed it roughly with a fork.  You can prepare this several days ahead.

• 4 cups mashed pumpkin
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 2 (13.5 oz) cans light coconut milk
• 4 slices of high-quality bacon
• 1 small Vidalia onion, chopped
• 5 shallots, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 2 tbsp Thai fish sauce
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 3/4 tsp sweet curry powder
• 1/2 tsp Thai curry powder
• 1/4 tsp ground tumeric
• 1/4 tsp Thai chili powder (or cayenne powder)
• a couple tsps salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

1.  In a dutch oven or other large pot, cook bacon on low heat until very crispy.  Place cooked bacon on paper towels to drain.  Pour off excess fat, leaving about 3 tablespoons in the pot.

2.  Add onions and shallots.  Cook on medium heat until translucent and softened.  Add garlic and cook another minute or two more.  Stir in mashed pumpkin and cook until pumpkin is heated through.

3.  Add coconut milk, chicken broth, and parsley.  Bring up to a gentle simmer.

4.  Puree soup.   If you have an immersion blender, you can do this right inside the pot.  If you don’t, you should get one, because it will change your life.  Barring that, you can puree the soup in a regular blender.

5.  Add spices, fish sauce, sugar, salt, and pepper.  Gently simmer for 15 minutes or so to allow flavors to meld.  Taste and re-season if needed.   Serve soup with pieces of crumbled bacon on top.

Makes about 4 quarts.

Well, maybe not ever, but it’s definitely the best chili I’ve ever made. This chili is more of a Mexican mole-inspired flavor. It also contains some of the best things in life–bacon, beer, coffee, and chocolate–and you can taste all of them in the final product. There is a little heat, but not so much that its overpowering. This is a bit different from traditional chili, but I think it’s delicious and well worth the effort.

Buffalo Three Bean Chili

I adapted my version from this recipe and this recipe.

• 4 Vidalia or yellow onions, diced
• 8 cloves of garlic, minced
• 4 strips of bacon, sliced into 1″ pieces
• 3 lbs ground buffalo
• 2 1/2 lbs sirloin, cut into 1″ cubes
• 3 (14.5 oz) cans of diced tomatoes
• 2 (6 oz) cans of tomato paste
• 3 (12 oz) bottles of dark beer (I used 1 Porter and 2 Dopplebock)
• 2 cups strong coffee
• 4 1/2 cups of low sodium beef stock or broth
• 4 tsp fish sauce
• 1/2 cup + 3 tbsp dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup + 3 tbsp Penzy’s regular chili powder
• 2 tbsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 2 tsp ground cayenne pepper
• 2 tsp dried toasted onion
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 2 tsp salt
• 4 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
• 4 tsp hot sauce, such as Cajun Sunshine or Tabasco
• 6 canned chipotle chilies in Adobo sauce, 4 seeded, 2 with seeds,  diced
• 3 fresh jalapeno chilies, seeded and diced
• 3 dried California chiles (aka dried Anaheim chiles), pureed
• 2 (15 oz) cans kidney beans
• 2 (15 oz) cans red beans
• 2 (15 oz) cans pinto beans

This recipe makes about 10 quarts of chili, so you will either need a really big pot or you can split the recipe between two pots.

1. Prepare the California chile puree.  Remove stems and seeds.  Cut or tear chilies into 1″ pieces and soak in boiling water until soft.  Puree chilies using a food processor or stick blender.  Strain puree through a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth to remove any tough pieces of skin.

2. Cook bacon on medium-low heat until the meat is crisp and fat has been rendered.  Remove bacon from pan and allow to drain on paper towels.  Add onions and cook until softened, 10 to 12 minutes.  Add garlic and cook for a few minutes more, until garlic is soft but not browned.

3. If your pot is big enough, add the buffalo and sirloin to the onion mixture.  You may need to add some  vegetable oil to the pan.  If your pot is too small, remove the onions and garlic and then brown the meat in small batches. Once all the meat is browned, add the onions and garlic back to the pan.

4. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, coffee, beer, and beef broth.  Bring up to a simmer then add the spices, sugar, salt, chocolate, and chiles.  Reduce heat to low and add the beans and bacon.  Very gently simmer the chili for 2-4 hours.  For optimum flavor, let chili cool overnight and serve the next day.  If chili becomes too thick, you can thin it with some additional broth or water.

I have to confess that I don’t usually make my own pasta sauce. It’s actually not that hard, but the jarred stuff is so convenient. Also, there are so many more brands of tomato sauce being stocked in the grocery store these days, and many of them are worlds away from that Ragu or Prego crap. (I like Rao’s a lot, though it is on the expensive side). However, the DC farmers’ markets are still flooded with heirloom tomatoes, so I thought it would be good to take advantage of ever-shrinking season.

The ingredients for this sauce are very simple, though the process of roasting does add some time. However, I think the result was well worth the effort. I plan to make a huge batch next weekend to freeze for later. This stuff is definitely just as good as the most expensive gourmet jarred sauce, if not better. Plus, it’s going to taste amazing with some meatballs.

Roasted Tomato Sauce

• 2 lbs fresh, ripe tomatoes, cut into quarters
• 1 280 oz can of whole plum tomatoes
• 1 head of garlic
• 1 tbsp fresh basil, cut into ribbons
• 2 tsp dried basil
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tbsp fish sauce (The Romans used it and chefs do too)
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp sugar (or to taste)
• 1 tsp sea salt (or to taste)
• 1 tsp ground pepper (or to taste)
• olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lay fresh tomatoes cut side up on a cookie sheet. Lay the whole canned tomatoes on a second cookie sheet. Save the juice from the can for later. Cut off the top of a head of garlic and place it on the same sheet as the canned tomatoes. Drizzle with some olive oil and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. I found that the fresh tomatoes took longer to cook, so it is advisable to use two separate pans. Roast until tomatoes begin to brown on the edges and the garlic is very soft, about 30 minutes for the canned tomatoes and garlic and 50 minutes for the fresh tomatoes.

2. Place the roasted tomatoes in a large pot. Peel the skin off the garlic and add the softened cloves to the tomatoes. Add the reserved tomato juice from the can. Using a stick blender, pulse the tomatoes and garlic until the sauce achieves your desired consistency. (I like mine a little chunky.) If you don’t have a stick blender, you can do this step in a food processor or a regular blender.

3. Place the pot of sauce on the stove over medium-low heat. Bring sauce to a gentle simmer and add fish sauce, balsamic vinegar, salt, sugar, pepper, and dried herbs. Reduce heat to low and allow it to barely simmer for about an hour or more. If the sauce starts to get too thick, add some water and lower the heat. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning as necessary. The flavors will meld and intensify over time. A few minutes before serving, stir in the fresh basil.

Makes enough sauce for 6-8 servings of pasta.

These were inspired by the sweet potatoes from Teaism, which they serve with a miso dressing. However, these are much better, if I may say so myself. Teaism serves their sweet potatoes cold, and the texture gets rather mushy and gloppy. Roasting crisps the potatoes on the outside, but the inside is still soft and creamy. Mixing the dressing in right after they come out of the oven creates a glossy, sticky glaze.

Miso-glazed Sweet Potatoes

• 2 large sweet potatoes, cut into 2″ cubes
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 4 tablespoons of miso dressing from 101 Cookbooks

Miso Dressing from 101 Cookbooks

• 2 tablespoons miso
• 1/2 teaspoon powdered mustard (or a bit of whatever mustard you have around)
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar (or honey or agave)
• 1/4 cup (brown) rice vinegar
• 1/3 cup mild flavored extra-virgin olive oil (I substituted vegetable oil)
• 1 teaspoon pure toasted sesame oil (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Toss sweet potato cubes in vegetable oil.  Pour into shallow baking dish and roast in the oven for 30 minutes or until tender.

2. Whisk together miso, mustard, brown sugar, and vinegar.  I popped the bowl in the microwave for about 20 seconds to soften up the miso paste and make it easier to blend.  Pour in a thin stream of oil while whisking vigorously to emulsify the dressing.

3.  Toss warm sweet potatoes in 4 tablespoons of dressing (or to taste).

While trying to halve the following macaroni and cheese recipe from Gourmet, I accidentally messed up the proportions of butter, flour and cheese. The resulting dish was incredibly creamy, incredibly yummy, and incredibly bad for you. Now you too can put yourself on the road to heart disease!

Mac “Heart Attack ‘n Cheese

adapted from Gourmet

• 6 tablespoons butter
• 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 medium onion, finely diced
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon fresh pepper, or to taste
• 1/2 pound elbow macaroni
• 3 cups freshly grated Swiss cheese (I used Jarlsberg)
• 2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup freshly grated extra sharp Cheddar cheese
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and butter a 2 quart casserole dish.

2. Boil a large pot of water and cook macaroni until just al dente, about 5 minutes. Drain and return to pot.

3. In a heavy saucepan, melt the butter over moderately low heat. Add flour and cook roux, whisking, 2 minutes. Add onions, continue to cook 2 minutes more. Be sure to keep whisking so the roux doesn’t burn. Add milk, whisking well to remove any lumps. Add mustard, cayenne, and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer sauce, whisking occasionally, until very thick, about 3 minutes.

4. Add the Swiss, Cheddar, and half of the Parmesan to the sauce, one handful at a time. Whisk until the cheese is fully melted into the sauce before adding the next handful.

5. Pour cheese sauce over cooked macaroni and stir to coat.

6. In a small bowl stir together bread crumbs and remaining 1/3 cup Parmesan and sprinkle evenly over macaroni. For extra beautiful browning, dot the top of the crumb coating with little pea-size bits of butter. (If you want to save a few calories, you can leave it out, but the topping will be drier.)

7. Bake macaroni in middle of oven 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden and bubbling.

Serves 4 to 6 as entrée or 6 to 8 as a side dish.

This is officially my new favorite pie flavor. I have a bit of a penchant for mixing fruits in my pies, in part because I think the result is a more complex flavor. Also, I must confess, I keep buying rather expensive fruit at the Penn Quarter and Mt. Pleasant farmers’ markets, and I get greedy and buy a pint here and a quart there of every berry they have. I initially planned to make a cherry pie, but I didn’t have enough cherries, so I frantically threw in some blueberries. It’s actually a great combination–when cooked, both fruits have a really bold flavor, but the blueberries help balance out the tartness of the cherries. Sour cherry season is short, so take advantage of it!

Sour cherry blueberry pie

For crust:

I actually tried using a sweet tart dough instead of my usual all butter crust recipe, with mixed success. The sweetness pairs well with the tart fruit, but the tart dough is very soft and difficult to roll. When I first put the pie in the oven, the temperature was too hot, and the crust started to melt off the pie plate. In the future, I will go back to my standby recipe and just double the sugar.

For filling:

• 1 quart sour cherries, pitted (Don’t have a cherry pitter? Use Smitten Kitchen’s needlenose pliers method. I like to insert the tip of the pliers into the top of the cherry–where the stem attaches–grab on to the pit, and pull straight up.)
• 2 quarts blueberries
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 4 tbsp corn starch
• 1 tsp almond extract

1. Make dough according to recipe. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 20 minutes.

2. Toss fruit with sugar, starch, and extract.

3. Roll out one half of the dough. For dough rolling tips (aka my mess-free Saran Wrap rolling method), go here. Place dough into the bottom of a 9″ pie plate and gently press into the sides. Brush the bottom with a little bit of beaten egg.

4. Pour fruit into the crust, mounding in the center. Roll out the second half of the dough. If you want, you can get fancy with lattice or some cookie cutter shapes. Or just cut a few slits with a knife to allow the steam to vent. Lay dough over the fruit. Trim any excess from the edges (a scissors is great for this) and gently seal the edges with your fingers or with the tines of a fork.

5. Brush the top of the pie with the remaining beaten egg. Sprinkle with sugar. If you are using the traditional butter crust, bake in a 375 oven for 45 minutes to an hour. If you are using the tart dough, bake at 325 for an hour and ten minutes.

Photo by ulterior epicure

I don’t know what other people do with their long 4th of July holiday weekends, but I apparently thought it would be a good idea to throw a dinner party and a brunch party.  I wish I had some photos to share with you, but if you’ve ever cooked dinner for 15 people in a 5′x7′ kitchen, you’ll understand that taking pictures was the last thing on my mind.

I made corn pudding for the first time this weekend.  I had some leftover corn on the cob from my dinner party and wanted to use it in some sort of brunch appropriate dish.  This corn pudding recipe is incredibly simple and delicious.  I’d happily eat it for breakfast (or lunch or dinner) every day.

Sweet Corn Pudding

Modified slightly from the original recipe in Bon Appetit

• 4 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels (if using frozen, thaw first)
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 cup butter, room temperature
• 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika

Process all ingredients together in a food processor (an immersion blender also works well).  Pour into a casserole dish.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes or until top is browned and center is just solid.

This is a great salad for fall or winter, though you can substitute ingredients to make it perfect for any season. I’ve adapted from this 2002 recipe in Bon Appetit. I served this at my holiday dinner party and brought it to Christmas potluck last month. This is also great with dried fruit or fresh berries.

Mixed greens with apple, pomegranate, and candied walnuts

• 2 bags of store-bought, pre-washed mixed greens
• seeds from 1 pomegranate
• 1 cup Candied Walnuts (recipe follows)
• 2 Granny Smith or other tart apples, thinly sliced
• Maple Lime Vinaigrette (recipe follows)

Layer greens and apple slices in a bowl or on a plate. Drizzle with dressing and top with nuts and pomegranate seeds.

Serves 12.

How to seed pomegranates
I think this is the easiest and cleanest way to seed your pomegranate. Fill a bowl half way full with cool water. Slice your pomegranate in half and submerge it in the water. Press your thumb into the skin-side of the fruit until it breaks in half and inverts. Flick the seeds off the skin. The seeds will sink to the bottom and all the skin and white pith will float to the top. Discard the skin and drain the clean seeds in a fine mesh strainer. The strainer will catch any tiny bits of leftover skin. By seeding underwater, you also avoid getting the dark red juice on your clothes and hands. You can store the seeds in the refrigerator for several days.

Candied Walnuts

• 1 egg white
• 1/2 tbsp water
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp all spice
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 tbsp dark honey
• 1 cup of raw nuts

1. Preheat oven to 325 F.
2. Whisk together whites and water until slightly frothy. Whisk in sugar, honey, and spices until sugar is dissolved and mixture is syrupy. Stir in nuts.
3. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spread nut mixture onto pan. Bake for 10-15 minutes (sugar can burn easily, so time depends on your oven), stirring halfway through cooking. Mixture should be golden brown, tacky, and a little foamy when finished.
4. Allow nuts to cook for half an hour on the baking sheet, then break apart. Nuts will keep in an airtight tupperware for at least a week, though everyone around here eats them up in a few days.

Maple Lime Vinaigrette

• 1/2 cup of mayo
• 1/2 cup real maple syrup (B or C grade)
• juice of 2 limes
• 6 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 4 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 cup vegetable oil (you could substitute walnut or another nut oil)

Whisk together mayo, syrup, juice, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper. Slowly pour oil in while whisking to emulsify dressing. Alternatively, you can make the dressing in a jar. Add all ingredients to jar, seal tightly, and shake until oil is incorporated. Dressing will keep refrigerated for 1 week.

Makes 1 3/4 cup of dressing.