French Onion Soup

I was out running errands, and when I came back into the apartment I was met with the sweetest, most delicious smell. Seamus was making French Onion Soup! Neither of us had ever made this soup before, but we were just talking about how we don't eat French food very often (because it is so often expensive), and when we saw it in our "Good and Cheap" cookbook, and thought we would give it a try.  I wasn't around when Seamus cut the 6 large onions for this recipe, but I have to think that the delicious smells and tastes were worth the tears!

Seamus used 6 large onions while making this recipe and served it with some stale bread and melted cheese. Perfect!

French Onion Soup

Courtesy of "Good and Cheap" by Leanne Brown

Ingredients

4lb onions, any type 
4 cloves garlic
2 tbsp butter
2 bay leaves
8 cups beef broth
1 and 1/2 cups cheddar, grated

1 tbsp vinegar, any type (optional)
3 tsp salt
6 slices bread

Directions

Chop each onion in half lengthwise, peel them, then cut them into half- moon slices. These big slices are fine since you’re cooking the onions for so long. Slice the garlic as well. Melt the butter in a large pot on medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, and bay leaves. Cover the pot with a lid and leave it for 10 minutes. When you come back, the onions should have released a lot of moisture. Give them a stir. Pour in the vinegar and put the lid back on. Cook for 1 hour, stirring every 20 minutes. When the onions at the bottom start to stick and turn dark, add a splash of water to unstick them. Don’t worry, the onions aren’t burning, just caramelizing. The water helps lift off the sticky, delicious, sweet part!

Once the onions are very dark and about a quarter the volume they once were, add all the water and a bunch of salt and pepper. Cover the pot again, turn the heat down to low, and let it simmer for another hour. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed. Ladle the soup into bowls. Now it’s time to make cheese toast! If you want classic French onion soup— with the toast directly in the soup, which makes it a bit soggy—place a piece of bread on top of each bowl of soup, sprinkle with cheese, then heat the bowls under your oven’s broiler until the cheese is bubbly.

Everyday Yellow Dal

This was not one of my most organized cooking experiences. Seamus and I have moved to an area where Trader Joe's is the nearest grocery store, so while we were shopping, I couldn't find yellow split peas. I decided to substitute with yellow lentils instead. I was flustered by this substitution at first (for some reason this small substitution made me think I need to change everything about the dish), but eventually got everything together in order to make a good dish.

For the lentil substitution, follow the directions for cooking the lentils on the package rather than following the directions as they are listed below. It turned out great, and made me wonder why I don't eat lentils more often!

Everyday Yellow Dal

Courtesy of "5 Spices, 50 Dishes" by Ruta Kahate

Ingredients
1 cup yellow split peas, soaked in cold water for 1 hour
3 cups water
1 large tomato cut into 8 wedges
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
5 large cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon coriander seeds, finely ground
3/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 cup minced cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon salt

Drain the split peas and place in a large saucepan. Add the fresh water and tomato and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until the peas are tender, 45 minutes- 1 hour. Pick out any tomato skins and whisk the dal to emulsify it. Keep warm over low heat.

Make the tadka: Heat the oil in a medium skillet over high heat. When the oil beings to smoke, add the cumin seeds, covering the pan with a lid or spatter screen. After the seeds have stopped sputtering, add the onion and garlic and saute over medium heat until most of the onion has turned dark brown, about 5 minutes. Add the coriander, turmeric, and cayenne, stir, and pour the onion mixture over the dal. Add the cilantro, butter, and salt to the dal and simmer for another 5 minutes. serve hot.

Good and Cheap Jambalaya

Well, we finally made it to Seattle! After a 4 month layover in Yankton, SD, and a harrowing drive through the mountains of Idaho, we arrived. We have a 3-month sublet near the University, and are going to use these 3 months to get settled and hopefully find jobs.

But because we don't have jobs yet, we are trying to live and eat on a budget. As such, we have been trying to be very careful about our meal planning and grocery shopping. We have also found a great resource for cheap recipes called "Good and Cheap". It is an online cookbook developed for folks who are living on a budget of $4 a day for food. This recipe comes from it, and probably many more that I post in the future will too (at least until I get a job!).

Speaking of this recipe, I loved it. I used homemade chicken stock that included a jalapeño, so it had a good kick to it. I also added some leftover roasted chicken from the night before to make it a little bit more hardy. But this recipe really works; it has that great cajun flavor I crave!

Vegetable Jambalaya

Courtesy of Good and Cheap by Leanne Brown

Ingredients
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped 3 stalks celery, chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 bay leaves
1 tsp paprika
1⁄2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce or soy sauce
3 cups vegetable broth or chicken stock
leftover meat, tofu, or beans 
1⁄2 small green chili, finely chopped 2 large tomatoes, chopped

1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper 1⁄2 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp salt
3⁄4 cup long grain rice
(I also used Tony Chachere's for that New Orleans flavor)

Directions
Start with the oil in a large high-sided saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, pepper, and celery, then cook for about 5 minutes, until they become translucent but not brown.
Add the rest of the ingredients except for the rice and broth. Let everything cook for about 1 minute to let some of the tomato juice release.
Add the rice and slowly pour in the broth. Reduce the heat to medium and let the dish cook until the rice absorbs all the liquid. It should take about 20 to 25 minutes.
If you’re using any of the additions, throw them in at about the 15-minute mark to let them warm up.

Thanksgiving Dinner in Yankton

It has been a long time since my last post, but in my defense, a LOT has been going on in my life over the past 6 months. In August I quit my job, moved back to South Dakota, and ran an (un)successful campaign for SD State House. Seamus and I are both living in Yankton now (my hometown) until we find jobs and start our next adventure.

While in Yankton we have been cooking and eating a lot of great food, but the best meal we have had by far was our Thanksgiving feast. There were only four of us in attendance (Seamus, my mom, my dad, and me), but we cooked like we were having the entire town over. Each of the recipes turned out perfectly, and together the result was a delicious, traditional, but up-scale version of the iconic Thanksgiving tastes.

This post will include the recipes we used for the Garlic Mashed Potatoes, the Sweet Potatoes, the Green Bean Casserole, the Stuffing, the Turkey, the Chocolate Pecan Bourbon Pie, and the Pumpkin Pie.  It is going to be long, but if you are looking for a great Thanksgiving meal, you have found the right place!

Carol's Orange Essence Turkey

Recipe Courtesy of my Mom, Carol

Ingredients
1 Stick of Butter
3 Cloves of Garlic
2 Oranges prepared with cloves
2 teaspoons grated orange peel
1 thawed turkey

Directions: Mix all of the ingredients together, and smear all over the turkey (inside and outside of the skin). Season the outside of the turkey with salt and pepper. Stuff the inside of the turkey with oranges and sage. Cook turkey according to directions per pound.

Easy Turkey Stuffing

My Mom, Carol's, recipe adapted from American Foods by Evan Jones pg. 324

Ingredients
2 tsp thyme
1 tsp sage
1/4 c parsley, chopped
6 cups bread cubes
10.5 ounces of chicken broth
1 bunch of celery, chopped
3 large onions, chopped
3 Tablespoons olive oil with sauteed garlic removed

Directions: Saute onion and celery, season with spices. mix with bread. Bake at 350 degrees until browned.

Sweet Potato Gratin

Recipe Courtesy of my Mom, Carol

Ingredients
8 medium sweet potatoes (3 pounds)
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon grated orange peel
2 Tablespoons butter
3/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Directions: Boil sweet potatoes until tender, about 25 minutes. Drain, slip off the skins, and slices about 3/4 of an inch thick. Arrange half of the potatoes in a buttered, shallow, 2-quart casserole.

In a medium sauce pan, mix corn starch, brown sugar and salt to remove any lumps. Add orange peel and butter. Mix in orange juice and cream. Cook, stirring, over medium heat until mixture is thickened and boiling. Spoon half the sauce over sweet potatoes. Cover with remaining sweet potatoes, then remaining sauce. Arrange walnuts around edge of potatoes.

Bake, uncovered, in a 350 degree oven until bubbling and browned, 30-40 minutes.

Julia Child's Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Courtesy of  Julia Child’sMastering the Art of French Cooking: Volume 1, adapted by Savuer Magazine at http://www.saveur.com/article/recipes/julia-childs-garlic-mashed-potatoes

INGREDIENTS

• 30 cloves garlic, unpeeled

• 8 tbsp. unsalted butter

• 2 tbsp. flour

• 1 cup whole milk

• 2½ lb. russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1" pieces

• Kosher salt and freshly ground white pepper, to taste

• ¼ cup heavy whipping cream

• ¼ cup minced parsley

INSTRUCTIONS
Boil garlic in a 1-qt. saucepan of water 2 minutes; drain and peel. Melt 4 tbsp. butter in a 4-qt. saucepan over medium. Cook garlic until soft, 15–20 minutes. Stir in flour; cook 2 minutes. Stir in milk; cook until thickened, 3–4 minutes. Transfer to a blender; purée into a smooth sauce. Cook potatoes in salted boiling water until tender, about 15 minutes; drain and pass through a potato ricer back into the pan. Stir in remaining butter, reserved sauce, the cream, parsley, salt, and pepper; cook 2 minutes more.

Green Bean Casserole with Crispy Onions

Recipe Courtesy of Deb Perlman at Smitten Kitchen Blog at http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2013/11/green-bean-casserole-with-crispy-onions/

Ingredients

Crispy Onions

2 medium yellow onions, halved and thinly sliced1/4 cup all-purpose flour2 tablespoons panko or plain breadcrumbs1/2 teaspoon table saltFreshly ground black pepperCanola, safflower, peanut or other high-heat oil, for deep-frying

Mushroom Sauce
3 tablespoons butter
12 ounces mushrooms, thinly sliced or coarsely chopped
Few gratings fresh nutmeg (optional)
Freshly ground black pepper
3/4 teaspoon table salt
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream

Assembly

Make the crispy onions: Toss onion with flour, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper. Heat a 1/2-inch or so of oil in a 12-inch cast iron skillet until a drop of water flicked into it will hiss and sputter. Add onions, just a handful at a time in something close to a single layer, and fry until a light golden brown (they’ll get more color in the oven; I overcooked mine a bit, forgetting this). Remove with a spider or large slotted spoon, let oil drip off a little, back into the skillet, then spread onions out on paper towels to drain. Repeat with remaining onions. Set aside until needed; this makes a lot.

Heat oven to 400 degrees F.

Prepare the beans: Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and boil greens for 5 minutes (for standard green beans) or 2 to 3 minutes (for haricot vert, or skinny ones). Drain beans, then plunge them into ice water to full stop them from cooking. Drain again, and set aside. (If you are adamant about only using one pot, you can boil them in your 12-inch cast iron skillet that you use for the other steps. But a saucepan can be easier.)

Make the mushroom sauce: Over medium-high heat, melt butter in the bottom of a 12-inch cast iron skillet. Add the mushrooms, salt and pepper and saute them until they start releasing their liquid, anywhere from 3 to 5 minutes, depending on how they were chopped. Add the garlic and saute one minute more. Add the flour and stir it until it fully coats the mushrooms. Add the broth, 1/4 cup at a time, stirring the whole time. Simmer mixture for 1 minute, then add cream and bring back to a simmer, cooking until the sauce thickens a bit, about 5 to 6 minutes, stirring frequently.

Assemble and bake: Add cooked greens beans to sauce and stir until they are coated. Sprinkle crispy onions over the top. Bake for 15 minutes, or until sauce is bubbling and onions are a shade darker. Eat at once.

Do ahead, a few ways: Onions can be made long in advance (up to a day) and keep at room temperature, loosely wrapped (they’d get soggy in an airtight container). Green beans can be cooked and kept in fridge until needed, at least one day. Green beans can also be combined with mushroom sauce and kept refrigerated for up to a day. Add onions and bake shortly before serving. Finally, it’s less ideal, but the entire dish can be cooked, loosely wrapped (so the crispy top doesn’t get soggy) and then rewarmed in a low oven before serving. Just keep an eye on the topping so it doesn’t get too brown while reheating.

Oil Pastry for a (Slightly) Healthier Pie Crust

Recipe Courtesy of Betty Crocker

Ingredients

1 and 3/4 Cup flour, plus additional for rolling

1  teaspoon salt

1/2 cup salad oil

3-4 Tablespoons cold water

Directions: Combine ingredients and then bake for 12-15 minutes at 475 degrees. Makes one 10 inch crust. 

Pumpkin Pie Filling

Recipe Courtesy of my Mom, Carol

Ingredients

15 oz. can of pumpkin

1 can evaporated fat free milk

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

2 large eggs

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1 unbaked pie crust

Directions: Mix dry ingredients in a small bowl. Beat eggs, stir in pumpkin and spices. Then gradually add milk. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and bake the pie for 15 minutes. Then reduce heat to 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes. 

Chocolate Pecan Bourbon Pie

Courtesy of Food and Wine Magazine at 

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/chocolate-pecan-pie-with-bourbon

CRUST

1. 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2. 2 teaspoons sugar
3. 1/4 teaspoon salt
4. 1 stick (4 ounces) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
5. 1/4 cup ice water

FILLING

1. 2 cups (about 7 ounces) pecans
2. 3 large eggs
3. 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
4. 2/3 cup light corn syrup
5. 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
6. 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
7. 3 tablespoons bourbon
8. 1/2 teaspoon salt
9. 3/4 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips

1. In a food processor, pulse the flour with the sugar and salt. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the ice water. Knead the dough 2 or 3 times on a lightly floured surface and pat into a disk. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
2. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a 12-inch round. Fit the dough into a 9-inch glass pie plate. Trim the overhang to 1/2 inch, fold the edge under itself and crimp decoratively. Refrigerate until firm.
3. Preheat the oven to 375°. On a rimmed baking sheet, toast the pecans for about 8 minutes, or until fragrant; coarsely chop. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with the brown sugar, corn syrup, vanilla, melted butter, bourbon and salt until blended. Stir in the pecans and chocolate chips until evenly distributed.
4. Pour the filling into the pie shell. Bake on the bottom shelf of the oven for about 55 minutes, or until the center of the pie is set. Tent the crust with foil halfway through the baking time if the edge is browning too quickly. Transfer the pie to a rack and let cool for at least 1 hour before serving.

Fried Cellophane Noodles with Bean Curd

When I first saw this recipe, I though, "What's bean curd?!". Turns out, it is just a fancy way of saying tofu!

This dish is a pretty straight forward preparation of vermicelli noodles that tastes close to what you might get in a Vietnamese restaurant. I was worried when making the sauce that it was too fishy and too salty, but actually when we mixed everything together it was balanced well. It definitely needed a little spice, so make sure to top it off with siracha!

Fried Cellophane Noodles with Bean Curd

Courtesy of "The Food Lover's Guide to Noodles and Rice"

Ingredients
1 cup cellophane noodles
4 Tbsp vegetable oil
10 oz bean curd (tofu) diced
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4 shallots, finely chopped
1 cup bean sprouts
4 oz. frozen string or snap beans, halved
2 scallions, chopped
2 Tbsp roasted peanuts, minced
2 Tbsp dreid shrimps, chopped
3-5 small green chilies, chopped
2 1/2 Tbsp palm or brown sugar
6 Tbsp fish sauce
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

For the Garnish
2 Tbsp crispy onion
cilantro
1 medium red chili, sliced
4 slices of lime

Directions
Soak the cellophane noodles in boiling water for 5 minutes. Rinse under cold water and drain. Heat half the oil in a wok or frying pan and fry the bean curd until golden brown. Drain on absorbent paper. Add the remaining oil to the wok, then fry the garlic and shallots for about 30 seconds. Add the bean sprouts, string or snap beans and scallions and stir well. Add the cellophane noodles, bean curd, crushed peanuts, dried shrimps and green chili and stir. Season with the sugar, fish sauce and lemon juice, stirring again. Divide the noodles onto four plates. Sprinkle with the crispy onions, cilantro, red chili, and garnish with a slice of lime.

Red Snapper with Asparagus and Chorizo

Seamus is turning into somewhat of a fish-specialty chef, as you may have noticed from this blog. He found this recipe at Food & Wine, and decided to use some leftover sausage we had from a one-night camping trip we did with our friends Marco and Jess the weekend before to make a fish dinner.

The sauce for the fish really make this dish spectacular. I think the mixture of the salty anchovies and spicy sausage makes the perfect unctuous background for the delicately pan-fried fish. The asparagus was a perfect companion and balanced out the entire thing. Another great fish dinner from Shea!

Red Snapper with Asparagus and Chorizo

Courtesy of Food and Wine Magazine at http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/red-snapper-with-asparagus-and-chorizo

1. Two 12-ounce, skin-on red snapper fillets, halved crosswise
2. Kosher salt
3. 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4. 4 ounces dry Spanish chorizo, thinly sliced (1 cup)
5. 2 tablespoons minced shallots
6. 2 pounds asparagus, trimmed and halved crosswise
7. 5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
8. 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
9. 4 anchovy fillets, minced
10. 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
11. 1/4 cup chopped parsley
12. 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1. Season the fish with salt and rub with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. In a large skillet, heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil over moderately high heat. Add the fish skin side down and cook for 4 minutes, until golden brown. Turn and cook until the fish is almost white throughout. Transfer to a large plate; keep warm.
2. Pour off the excess fat from the skillet. Add the chorizo and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until the the slices curl. Add the shallots, asparagus and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring, until the shallots are translucent, about 2 minutes. Add 1/4 cup of water and cook until the water has evaporated, 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until golden brown. Add the lemon juice and cook, stirring, until evaporated. Stir in the anchovies, lemon zest, parsley and butter. Spoon onto plates, top with the fish and serve.

Summer Avocado Salad

It has been a wild July for Shea and me. We spent our 4th of July holiday road tripping through the Northeastern states (Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, etc.), and since then have had a slew of visitors come spend time with us here in DC (Steve, Chris, Kyle, Dunya, and Dorothy). It has been TONS of fun, but as you probably could guess, we haven't been eating in the most healthy way possible.

Now that things have slowed down for us a little bit, we are back to cooking. And what better way to get back in the saddle than with a healthy and delicious salad. I don't even typically like grapefruit, but this salad is fresh, bright, and creamy. It is a definite keeper!

Summer Avocado Salad

Courtesy of "The Food Lover's Guide to Noodles and Rice"

Ingredients
2 ripe avocados
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
2 grapefruit
1 small lettuce
1/4 cucumber
1/2 cup vinaigrette dressing
1/2 cup cooked shrimp
1/4 cup long grain rice
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded
salt and pepper

Directions:
Peel the avocados. Cut them in half and remove the stones. Cut the flesh in slices and pour on the lemon juice to prevent discoloration.Using a small sharp knife, cut a slice from grapefruit exposing the flesh. Cut round in strips removing all the white pith.

When the grapefruit are peeled and showing no pith, cut into each section between the membranes of each slice. At the end you will have segments of grapefruit without skin. Squeeze the juice of the membranes by hand over the fruit. Line individual dishes with washed, drained lettuce leaves and cucumber slices.

Pour some of the vinaigrette dressing over the grapefruit. Mix the cooked shrimps with the rice and dressing.
Cut the yellow bell pepper in thin strips, Retaining some for garnishing, chop the remainder and mix with the rice and shrimps. Season well.

Arrange shrimp and rice mixture in the dishes on the cucumber and lettuce. Top with sliced avocado and grapefruit. Garnish with bell pepper rings.