In my family, the three day period from October 14 to October 16 is always important because my sister’s and dad’s birthdays are the 14th and 16th respectively. Whenever this three day period rolls around, meals get planned, cooked, and devoured. Seeing as my sister now lives in DC (and she is a vegetarian who may be coming back to the light side?), my dad had full say in what I was going to cook for the weekend meal (a meat item, perhaps!!). 

Because it was freezing this past weekend, we decided on some belly-warming dishes. 

The menu:

Arugula, pomegranate, balsamic

Potato leek soup, parmesan “shard”

Melted onion tart, pistachio, chevre, honey

Poussin roti, fall roots

Chocolate cake, assorted ice creams

Although this menu may appear daunting, it really wasn’t, as most things could either sit and simmer, or roast away in the oven. 

Melted onion tart:

I started the day by making the tart dough (I am using the word “tart”, but I really just made pizza dough). This is discussed in several earlier posts, so I won’t get into it here, but it is very easy. 

Topping the tart: I caramelized some onions in olive oil (sautee at low heat, stirring every once in a while for about an hour), and then topped each tart with the cooked down onions, pistachio nuts, and goat cheese and baked in the oven on a pizza stone at 500 F for about 1 minute. Once out of the oven, each tart was topped with a drizzle of honey. 

Potato leek soup:

I made a version of this soup with no cream (I added some skim milk towards the end to thin it out), although I can imagine adding some cream would be totally worth it (again, trying to be healthier these days). 

We were fortunate enough to have leeks left in the garden (about 8 small ones or so), but I supplemented those with a few from the store. Once chopped and washed, I sauteed the leeks in some olive oil until soft. 

Into the pot they go…

As the leeks were sauteeing, I peeled and chopped 6 large russet (baking) potatoes. 

Once chopped and cleaned, I put the potatoes in a bowl and set them aside. 

To the leeks I added 1 quart of chicken stock, and 1 quart of water, and a bouquet garni (bay leaf, thyme, and peppercorns wrapped in cheese cloth tied up with string). I brought this mixture to a boil, and then reduced the heat to a simmer for about 20 minutes. 

About to add…

Once the leeks had simmered in the broth for 20 minutes or so, I added the potatoes and 1/2 cup of white wine, and cooked them until the potatoes were fork tender (about 45 mins). 

At this point, the soup is ready to blend. My recommendation is to let it cool off a little bit before blending. In about 4 batches, I transferred the soup to a cuisninart and blended the soup. After each blending, I reserved the soup in a bowl. Once I had completed all 4 batches, I passed the blended soup through a food mill back to the original pot, in order to remove any lumps. 

Once all the soup was strained, I left it in the pot on the lowest heat to keep warm until serving. 

In the meanwhile, to make the parmesan “shards” grate some parmesan onto a silpat (the soft silicon baking sheet…if you don’t have one of these you can cover a baking sheet with wax paper), and bake at 400 for a few minutes, or until golden. 

When ready to serve, ladle some soup into a bowl, and top with the parmesan. 

For the chickens:

Chop the vegetables that you’re going to use (I used carrot, turnip, brussels sprouts, onion, garlic, and potato), put them in a bowl with olive oil, salt and pepper, and toss to coat. 

Take the chicken out of its packaging and remove everything from the cavity. Truss the chicken (http://www.chow.com/food-news/53715/how-to-truss-a-chicken/), then cover with olive oil, salt and pepper. Arrange the vegetables on the bottom of a large baking pan, and nest the bird(s) in the veggies. 

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Once preheated, put the birds in and roast for 1.5-2 hours. 

Once the chickens are done, let rest for a few minutes before carving.

Right before serving, make the salad. Clean some arugula, add some pomegranate seeds and a little parmesan, and then top with balsamic and olive oil. Mix well. 

For dessert:

I didn’t do much in the way of making dessert, but my mom made a pretty tasty chocolate cake. 

The meal:

The soup was served first:

Followed by the chicken, salad, veggies, and tart:

And finally: the chocolate cake with strawberry ice cream:

This dish was made for the fall and winter. A sweet and spicy broth overflowing with veggies served with tangy and savory rice that makes for a healthy and hearty meal…hard to go wrong here, especially at this time of year. 

My friend Cole and I needed something healthy (I’m really trying, I promise), and something that could sit on the stove so we could do other things while dinner was cooking itself. Curry was a great solution, and I am happy to say it turned out well. 

What you need:

2 cans coconut milk

2 cups chicken (or veggie) stock

3 tablespoons fresh ginger, chopped

1 large onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 lemongrass stalk

Fresh basil

Juice of 1 lime

1/2 can (or jar) Thai red curry paste (or you can make your own, if you have time)

Salt and pepper

Whatever veggies/meats you want. We used: peppers, brussels sprouts, broccoli, bok choy, and carrot. And topped the curry with fresh avocado. 

Prep time. 

What a savage!

In a deep pot, add some oil, and then toss in the onion, garlic, and ginger. Sautee for 5-8 minutes over medium heat, or until everything is soft. Add the vegetables (chopped how you prefer), and cook for a few minutes until everything begins to soften. Add the curry paste, and cook for a few more minutes, or until everything is coated. Add the coconut milk, lime juice, and stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, and simmer until the veggies are fork tender. Add the basil and bok choy leaves. 

While the curry is simmering on the stove…

Add some butter to a smaller pot, and sautee some shallots and garlic. Once soft, add the rice and water, and cook until the rice is fluffy (follow the directions on the box/bag). Add lime juice. 

Once the rice is done, spoon some into a bowl and ladle the curry on top. Serve with avocado and a lime wedge. 

I don’t really know what to classify this dish as, but if I had to describe I would say that it’s like a side that can act as a condiment, that can also be eaten as a main dish. Mysterious? Yes. Confusing? Maybe. Tasty? Absolutely. 

I will freely admit that I am not an enormous fan of eggplant. I find it bland (like tofu), but when paired with a delicious sauce or other great ingredients, it can be quite good. 

What you need:

1/2 cup olive oil

1 large spanish onion (finely diced)

3 tablespoons pine nuts

3 tablespoons golden raisins (currants or regular raisins are fine)

1-2 tablespoons chili flakes

1 large or 2 medium eggplants, diced

2-3 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 teaspoons cocoa powder

2 teaspoons fresh thyme (1 if dried)

1/4 cup tomato sauce

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

This dish only requires one pot, and all you need to do is add ingredients in a progressive manner. Heat the oil and add the pine nuts, chili flake, raisins, and onion, and sautee until the onions are soft. Add the eggplant, cinnamon, cocoa, and sugar, and cook for a few more minutes (until the eggplant is coated, and beginning to soften). Add the tomato sauce, thyme, and balsamic, and crank the heat up for a few minutes. Lower the heat and simmer until the eggplant is soft, but still has some chew. I like to serve it room temp (I think it is more flavorful), so I put the mixture in a bowl off to the side until ready to serve. 

Clearly, that is not the most appealing picture, but that is sort of what it should look like when done. It is great on toasted bread with goat cheese, served with roasted chicken, or mixed in with pasta (or just eaten with a spoon). 

Cacio e Pepe: Basically Italian macaroni and cheese. A crazy simple pasta dish that is just spaghetti, parmesan cheese, butter, salt, and pepper. 

Boil some water in a pot, and add some salt. Once at a rolling boil, add as much spaghetti as you want, and cook until al dente (the box will have the approx time for this). Once the pasta is cooked to your liking, strain the water (saving a little of the pasta water), and add the pasta (and about 1/3 cup of pasta water) into a pan. Heat the pan, add butter, salt and lots of black pepper. Finally, add a lot of shredded parmesan cheese. The cheese and pasta water will make a “cheese sauce” that will stick to the pasta and grab up all the pepper. Top with some more cheese. 

Linguini with Shrimp: Another really quick and simple pasta, that tastes way more impressive than one may think it should. Need: Linguini, fresh shrimp, olive oil, butter, lemon juice, white wine, shallot, garlic, chili flakes, salt, pepper.

Boil some water, add some salt, and add the pasta. Cook until al dente, and set aside (toss in a little olive oil to keep the pasta from sticking). 

Start off by adding some butter and olive oil in a pan, along with chili flakes, chopped garlic, and chopped shallots. Cook for 2-3 minutes, and then add some shrimp (cook further for about 2 mins on each side). 

Once the shrimp are opaque, remove them and drain them. Keep warm. In the same pan, add the shrimp shells (optional—for extra flavor), some white wine, and some lemon juice. Cook until reduced by half. remove the shrimp shells, add some more butter and olive oil, and add the cooked pasta and shrimp back to the pan. Toss together, and serve. 

So I realize that this is a horrible picture, mostly because I was so hungry that I couldn’t wait to get a photo before I started eating, but you get the idea. 

Both of these dishes should take less than 15 mins to make!

Sometimes great meals come together completely by surprise, which makes the experience of cooking and eating that much more enjoyable. Recently, my uncle Jamer passed along a smoked duck breast from his friend “John-boy” to my dad, who in turn passed it along to me to cook. When the duck finally made its way to me, I knew I was in for a huge treat, and immediately decided to build a meal around it. 

Traditional preparations of duck breast usually involve crisping the skin (which I am a fan of), and serving it with some type of reduced fruit sauce (which I am not really a fan of), so I decided to compromise. I am a believer in the idea that gratin potatoes go well with everything (and the house had potatoes, milk, and gruyere), so I added that to the menu. Just duck and potatoes definitely had a hint of “food coma” on it, so I added decided to make a roasted grape and cauliflower salad to “balance out” the richness of the rest of the meal. The idea for the grape and cauliflower salad came from a night where I made sausage and grapes over polenta a long while back. My sister was home from school at the time, and with her being a vegetarian I made a side portion of grape and cauliflower over polenta for her. It turned out well, so here we are. 

For the duck: I scored the skin with a sharp knife, put the duck skin side down in a deep pan, and cooked it on medium heat until the skin was crispy and much of the fat had rendered out. You don’t want to scorch it, medium heat should do fine. Because the breast was smoked, it was already cooked, so I didn’t need to put it in the oven after crisping the skin. I just flipped it to get a little color on the other side, and then removed it from the heat to let it rest (duck can be served medium, unlike chicken). 

For the potatoes: Heat the oven to 375, and get an aspirin ready for the left arm pains the morning after eating this. 

12 oz heavy cream

Fresh thyme

2 cloves garlic, chopped

pinch nutmeg

Small amount of butter

2 lbs potatoes, peeled, and sliced very thin

Salt and pepper

Gruyere and Parmesan cheeses

Butter a 9x12 pyrex baking dish, and lay an overlapping layer of potato slices down. In a small saucepan, heat the cream, garlic, thyme, and nutmeg until simmering, and let steep for 5-10 mins. Salt and pepper the potatoes, then pour a small amount of the cream over the slices (I added a little parm and gruyere here too). Add two more layers, and top with shredded gruyere. Bake at 375, uncovered, for about 45 mins. In the final few minutes, turn the oven off and the broiler on, and broil until the top is golden brown. Let cool for a few mins before serving. 

For the grape and cauliflower salad: Put some olive oil into a pan, and get it nice and hot. Add chili flakes, shallot, garlic, and pine nuts, and cook for a minute. Add the cauliflower, some coriander, salt and pepper, and sautee until the cauliflower is turning golden. At this point, reduce the heat, add the grapes (I used green), and cook until the grapes begin to give. At the very end, I added a few spoonfuls of the rendered duck fat for flavor. 

Check the seasoning, and then set aside. Carve the duck, and serve all three together. 

I know that there are so many other flavors of ice cream that most people would be inclined to eat (especially considering that banana flavored anything is usually quarantined ), but one of my favorite ice creams growing up was Ben and Jerrys’ Chunky Monkey, so I thought it would be fun to try to replicate the banana flavor. 

Before beginning, it is important to note that you need an ice cream maker (doesn’t need to be electrical, but there is a component that gets well below freezing that allows for rapid crystallization and therefore less grainy ice cream) with the freezer cylinder having been in the freezer for at least 24 hours. 

To make the ice cream:I usually make a custard (heart attack city) because I like the consistency, but you don’t have to do it that way. 

6 large bananas, peeled

2 cups cream

2 cups milk

1 cup sugar (I used 3/4 cup of brown sugar, for color and a richer flavor)

1/2 vanilla bean, split

10 large egg yolks

pinch of salt

Place the bananas, cream, milk, vanilla, and half the sugar into a sauce pan and heat very slowly. After about 15 mins (make sure to not simmer), strain the liquid out and set aside (should be about 4 cups). Remove the vanilla bean and discard. Mash the bananas and strain the mix into the liquid. Pour the strained liquid back into a saucepan, and bring to a simmer. In the meanwhile, whisk the 10 egg yolks, the rest of the sugar, and the pinch of salt in a bowl. Add a small amount of the cream to the eggs and whisk to temper the eggs. Once tempered, add the yolk mix to the simmering liquid. Cook on low heat until the custard is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Once thick enough, pour the custard into a bowl sitting in a larger bowl filled with ice water (bain marie), and stir to cool. Once cooled, strain the custard, and place in the fridge for 1-2 hours. When ready to make the ice cream, add the cooled custard to the frozen ice cream maker, and crank occasionally, until completely frozen. 

Gnocchi is hands down my favorite type of pasta. I feel like there is a common misconception that gnocchi is supposed to be dense and heavy because of the potato and flour mixture, but that could not be farther from the truth. Well made gnocchi should be light and airy, but still have the same satisfying heft that one would get from eating a traditional bowl of pasta. Making pasta is something that my dad and I have always done together, and for some reason I always liked making gnocchi the best. One important thing to note while making gnocchi, is that the ratio of potato and flour must be exactly right or else the pasta will either disintegrate or become rock hard. 

For the pasta:

2 and 1/4 steamed and peeled russet potatoes

1 and 3/4 cups flour

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon salt

Cut the potatoes into chunks, and steam until tender (steaming is preferred to boiling because it leads to lighter pasta), about 25 mins. Put the potatoes through a food mill (to minimize lumpiness), and then let cool a bit. Add the flour, egg, and salt, and mix well until a soft elastic dough has formed. 

Roll the dough into long thin columns (maybe 1/2 inch in diameter), and cut pieces to the desired size. I make sure to have several floured baking sheets out to place the uncooked pasta into so the pieces don’t stick together. 

To cook the pasta: fill a large pot halfway with water, add some salt, and bring to a boil. I always test a few of the pieces to make sure the pasta is ok (neither too hard, or too soft), so I don’t cook all of it and realize there is a problem (this batch was ok). 

Toss the pieces in the water (maybe 30 at a time), and they are cooked when they rise to the top of the water (30 seconds). 

For the sauce: I think the Scarpetta tomato sauce is delicious, and its relatively simple and quick to make. Whenever I make my own sauce, this is the recipe that I use. 

16 Roma tomatoes, peeled and seeded (or 2 cans of whole peeled tomatoes—unsalted, its always better to add your own salt). 

1/2 cup olive oil

Fresh basil

2 cloves chopped garlic

1 teaspoon chili flakes

Once the tomatoes have been peeled and seeded, put in a deep pot with olive oil, and cook down for about 45 mins, stirring occasionally, and adding water if it looks too dry. 

In a separate pan, add the olive oil, chili flakes, garlic, and basil, and cook over medium heat for a minute (don’t let anything burn). 

Once the tomatoes have cooked down into a sauce, strain the oil, and add it to the pot. Stir together, and pour into a bowl. 

As each order of gnocchi comes out of the water (30 at a time), toss them with a small amount of butter (always use butter on fresh pasta, olive oil on dried pasta), tomato sauce, and top with parmesan cheese. 

If I had to associate summer with one food, it would be the tomato. Tomatoes in the summertime are perfect sliced and served with salt and pepper, but if you are in the mood for something a little heartier (but still light), a tomato tart is very satisfying. I don’t think the tart needed pesto, or the jam, but each was a nice accompaniment (and the onions and pesto were both from the garden, as well as all the tomatoes). 

To start: Make the pie crust. 

Combine 2.5 cups of flour and a teaspoon of salt in a cuisinart. Add two VERY COLD sticks of butter that are cubed to the cuisinart, and pulse the ingredients 12 times. Make 1/3 cup of ice water, and as the flour/salt/butter mixture is mixing, add the water slowly (until the dough is formed). Take the dough out, and split into two equal mounds. Flatten into discs, and store in the fridge for 2 hours before use. 

For the onion jam:

Chop 2 large red onions, and add them to a pan with hot olive oil. Sautee the onions for about 8 minutes, or until soft. Add 1 cup of dry red wine, 1/3 cup of brown sugar, 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, and some salt. Allow the mixture to cook down on low heat until syrupy, should be about an hour. Stir occasionally. 

When ready to make the tart, roll out one of the cold pie crusts that you made earlier (store bought is fine too)! Drape the crust into a pie pan, and press the crust down into the edges. Make a few small holes with a fork, and then bake at 400 for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove the crust. Once cooled, add the tomatoes (I also added gruyere, squash, and eggplant too), in an overlapping pattern. I then topped the tart with sharp cheddar. Bake at 400 until the cheese is just melted on top. 

For the pesto: Combine basil, pine nuts, parmesan cheese, a small amount of olive oil and, salt and pepper in a blender. Begin to blend, and slowly drip olive oil into the blending pesto. Once liquified enough to your liking, pour the pesto into a bowl. 

The finished tart:

One of my favorite food websites, seriouseats.com, has an occasional column called “The Hangover Helper”, where they usually highlight a messy, greasy, salty dish that is probably best consumed on Sunday mornings. The patty melt would be my submission to that column (if I was ever lucky enough to be asked). 

The typical patty melt is basically a grilled cheese on rye with caramelized onions and a burger crammed in the middle. No frills, just ultra artery-clogging goodness. 

To start: Make some caramelized onions, and then set aside (directions in several previous posts).

Next: Heat some butter in a pan until bubbling. Add two pieces of the rye bread and toast until golden on one side. Flip and repeat on the other side. 

Once the bread has been toasted on either side, set aside (try to keep it upright, so moisture doesn’t bead up underneath and make the bread soggy)!

Cook the burger to your liking (I like medium rare), and then set aside for a few minutes to rest.

Add a slice of cheese and some onions to each side of the bread, add the burger, and close the sandwich. Put back in a buttered pan (I know, I know, my blood pressure is high just writing this), and toast until the cheese is melted. 

There are zero healthy aspects to this sandwich, but it is damn good. A good idea would be to not use all American cheese, but sub in some sharp cheddar or even some gruyere for a little more tang. 

So I realize that I have taken a substantial hiatus from working on this site, but with good reason. Unfortunately cooking was not able to be a part of the past month or two of my life, but the MCAT’s are over, work has started, and my life is (somewhat) back to normal. The next few posts will be a few things that I cooked towards the end of the summer, but there will be a lot to come in the future, I promise! So kick back with your favorite cocktail and enjoy.