Kitchen Wench

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).

So, this is a fun little game, courtesy of the Very Good Taste blog. This is a (subjective) list of 100 foods that every good omnivore should try. Copy the list to your blog and then bold the items you’ve eaten. You can also cross out anything that you would never consider eating. I didn’t cross anything out because I figure, I’ll try anything at least once (though I am not exactly running out to get carob chips, nettle tea, or a Hostess fruit pie).

I’ve eaten about 60% of this list, which I think is pretty good considering that I’m only 24. I’ve also realized that I haven’t eaten some pretty pedestrian things, like a hot dog from a street cart or a bagel with lox. (I’ve eaten bagels and I’ve eaten lox, but strangely never together.) I’ve also eaten some weird stuff that didn’t make this list (various sorts of pig, sheep, and cow offal, octopus, chicken feet). Regardless, it’s a fun little exercise and gets you thinking about what you’ve eaten and what you want to try next. Maybe I’ll make my own list one of these days. (Mine will definitely include chicken feet.) What would you put yours?

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. PoutineCarob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

Despite having lived in DC for two years, I hadn’t taken the requisite weekend trip to New York, until now.  For Labor Day weekend, I went to visit some friends who had recently relocated.  It was the perfect vacation, because all we did was eat, drink, shop, and walk around.  Here are some tasty highlights:

Ramen from Rai Rai Ken
Nestled on a quiet street in the East Village,  Rai Rai Ken is a little shoe box of a restaurant. There is an L-shaped bar that seats maybe 12 people, and chefs lowers steaming bowls of ramen over the edge of the counter.  Rai Rai Ken serves miso, shoyu, and curry ramen, along with a handful of other seasonal noodle dishes, appetizers, and yakitori.  This place kind of reminds me of the movie Tampopo and the protagonists’ quest for the perfect broth.  Rai Rai Ken’s is rich and multi-layered, and the egg noodles are fresh and wonderfully chewy.

Rai Rai Ken Japanese Restaurant
214 East 10th St, New York, NY 10003
(212) 477-7030

Chocolate Covered Bacon from Roni-Sue’s
Bacon + Chocolate?  How could we go wrong?  My friends and I saw this on Serious Eats and thought we’d make a stop at the Essex Street Market to give it a try. The first bite is all creamy chocolate, but then as you chew, all the salty, porky, bacon-ness starts to come out.  It’s very strange, fatty, and delicious.  Roni-Sue also make some great truffles.  Big ups on the coconut, pineapple, and toffee flavors.

Roni-Sue’s Chocolates
Essex Street Market #24, 20 Essex Street, New York NY 10002
(212) 260-0421

Read the rest of this entry �

Sorry for the hiatus, folks. I’ve been super busy this month, between visiting Ithaca for a wedding and eating myself retarded during Restaurant Week. I’ve also started writing for DCist (squee!), so you can read a number of my Restaurant Week reviews there (PS7′s, Oyamel, Vidalia).

I didn’t review my last two meals, Rasika and DC Coast. I’ve eaten at Rasika three times and it has yet to disappoint. However, you might as well go whenever and order off the full menu, because the cost is roughly the same as ordering during Restaurant Week. DC Coast had the full menu for entrees only. My tower of crab (crab cake, soft shell crab, and sweet corn succotash) was lovely; the appetizers and desserts were just okay.

There, I just did it. I wrote a really boring, crappy recap of my meal. This is about on par with a Yelp review. I will just have to satisfy myself with the fact that I can do better (even if I’m not right now). Plus, I really need to lose my Restaurant Week pudge before I start eating out again.

Photo by casey.a.lee

Last year, I knew my rapidly gentrifying neighborhood (Columbia Heights) had truly arrived with the opening of its first chain restaurant, Ruby Tuesday. Ruby Tuesday is aggressively trying to make over its image, but I still think of it as mediocre suburban strip mall food, about on par with Applebee’s or Chili’s. If I wanted to eat at Ruby Tuesday, I certainly would not be living in the city. So it is with a sort of sick glee that I relish this latest futile attempt to refashion the chain into a legitimate dining destination: Ruby Tuesday will be blowing up a restaurant live, online, tomorrow afternoon at 3 pm EST. And a new Ruby Tuesday will be born out of the ashes!!! Riiiiight. I smell desperation, or is that just the scent of the recently shuttered Bennigans? Whatever, I just want to watch the Tiffany lamps exploding.

Photo by umami

This weekend, I ate dinner at Nam Viet in Cleveland Park. Nam Viet is not the best Vietnamese restaurant in the area (Eden Center is where it’s at), but it’s pretty good and close to my house. It does brisk business, but I think the authenticity of the food suffers from its clientèle: Cleveland Park is bursting at the seams with white people.

As a general rule, I have found that I get better ethnic food at the restaurants that cater to diners of that ethnic group. However, not all ethnic restaurants have that luxery and the food can get watered down to suit American tastes. Growing up in the Midwest, this was a huge problem. Things are a lot better in DC, to the point where I sometimes forget just how clueless many people still are when it comes to eating Asian food. And so, I give you, the Cleveland Park Rice Incident:

I am waiting to order and can’t help but overhear the woman at the next table. She is a middle-aged white woman dining by herself. She keeps asking the waitress the same question over and over again.

“Can they grill it?”

The waitress shakes her head and explains the preparation of the dish, which does not involve grilling.

The woman is unmoved. “But, can’t they just grill it?”

The waitress shakes her head again. “No, that’s the only way they make it.”

“Okay… well… I don’t eat flour. Can you tell them to go light on the flour?”

The waitress complies, writes down the order, and leaves. I figure this lady is one of those annoying Difficult Diner types that are always trying to change the menu or ask for something special. For some reason, women of a certain age are especially prone to this behavior. If you have a legitimate food allergy, that’s one thing. But if you want your food fixed special just because you refuse to eat it any other way, then you’re just being rude. The restaurant chef is not your personal chef.

A short time later, the woman’s food arrives. It is softshell crab with vegetables and a bowl of rice. The woman flags the waitress down and asks if she can get some butter for her rice. Read the rest of this entry �

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.