Yesterday I went to the farmer’s market here in Stone Harbor, NJ. I love farmer’s markets and possibility of all the good things to eat.  I want it all – fresh vegetables, loaves of crusty bread, and juicy rich fruit that I can bring to the beach. Summer produce is one of my favorite things  – and today’s recipe for garlic scape pesto pasta salad has lots of summer veg. I admit, some of the ingredients are more spring vegetables (asparagus, peas, garlic scapes) and so slightly out of season. However, this recipe is worth sharing anyway. 

If you’ve stuck with me beyond gushing about vegetables, let me tell you why I really love this recipe. It’s the mozzarella. Mozzarella might be my favorite food. For real.

I believe that when people go to the grocery store they sometimes buy themselves a treat. Maybe it’s a soda, a candy bar, or a trashy magazine. For me, it’s a ball of mozzarella. I buy it for myself when I’ve had a great day. And I buy it for myself when I’ve had a bad day. Sometimes I take that ball and eat it like an apple. Or perhaps, I’ll slice it and eat pieces little by little. If I’m feeling really fancy, I’ll make a caprese salad and sprinkle flaky salt on top. I love mozzarella.

And the small globes of soft, creamy, milky mozzarella make this garlic scape pesto pasta salad really special. Yes, fresh seasonal vegetables are delicious and good for you. Sure, pasta is delicious and filling. And duh, pasta salad is a staple of summer time cook-outs and parties. But add balls of cheese and you’re truly stepping up your game. Have I talked enough about cheese? I think so. Let’s move on and talk about garlic scape pesto.

I like this pasta salad also because it’s not coated in mayonnaise. “Salads” that are basically sloshing around in a mayo soup skeeve me out. Instead, this recipe retains moisture through garlic scape pesto. It’s just like regular pesto, but instead of basil you use garlic scapes.

What are garlic scapes? They’re the flower bud of the garlic plant and they’ve got a lovely garlic flavor without being as bitter as raw garlic. Although the Nickelodeon green slime color of garlic scape pesto might not be so appetizing it’s really delicious. And besides, you’ll feel good for eating some veggies. Make a big batch for this recipe and then use any leftover to coat cauliflower florets and then roast them. SO GOOD.

Ok so get to it. Make this for your next summer party and people will thank you for stepping it up with something so delicious and perfectly straddling the line between feeling healthy and indulgent.

Adapted from Epicurious and Five Heart Home.

Messy level: I hate calling this a four spoon recipe because I feel like that could put people off. The method is really simple, so please consider making this! But unfortunately, you’ll need a few pots, pans, and a food processor. That’s a lot of dishes. Sorry folks.

Garlic Scape Pesto Pasta Salad

 

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Prep time

25 mins

Cook time

12 mins

Total time

37 mins

 

Author: Cooking is Messy

Serves: 6

Ingredients

Garlic Scape Pesto

• 10-12 large garlic scapes, roughly chopped
• ⅓ cup/ 45 grams pine nuts
• ⅓ cup/ 35 grams finely shredded Parmesan cheese
• ⅓ cup/ 78 milliliters olive oil
• salt and pepper

Pasta salad

• 1 pound/ 454 grams orecchiette
• 8 ounces/ 230 grams pancetta, cut into small bite sized pieces (I bought the pre-cut package from the deli counter)
• 1 pound/454 grams asparagus spears, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1½ cups/ 225 grams frozen peas
• 8 ounces/ 230 grams small mozzarella balls
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Put the garlic scapes, pine nuts, and Parmesan in the food processor. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Turn it on and let it go until you have a chunky puree.
2. With the processor running, slowly pour in the olive oil. Let it go until it all comes together in a thick sauce. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if need be.
3. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt the water. Then add the orecchiette. Cook until al dente, according to package instructions.
4. While the pasta is cooking, heat a skillet over medium heat. Cook the panchetta until crispy, about 5-7 minutes. Drain on a paper towel.
5. Four minutes before the pasta is done throw the asparagus into the pasta pot and give it a stir.
6. One to two minutes before the pasta is done throw the peas into the pasta pot and give it a stir.
7. When the pasta is done, drain it in a colander. Then put the pasta, asparagus, and peas into a large bowl.
8. Add the mozzarella and pancetta to the large bowl.
9. Put one cup of the garlic scape pesto into a small bowl. Then stir in the red wine vinegar and the olive oil. Stir until smooth.
10. Mix the pesto in with the pasta. Add more pesto if you think it looks too dry.
11. Serve as a main or a side dish.

3.5.3226

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It has been unbelievably hot in DC. So hot, that I shouldn’t walk to work anymore. Even though I’m going to since I just took up Pokemon Go (embarrassing I know). So hot, that a friend of mine remarked it’s hotter outside than inside our bodies. And so hot, that I barely want to cook. However, I can’t stay out of the kitchen. I still want to make food so I need oven-free recipes. Like this one, for pickled radishes. I’ve somewhat got tunnel vision on radishes right now. They are so pretty! The rich jewel toned purples and magentas have been calling to me at the farmer’s market. Besides eating them in salads I don’t really know what to do with them. I’ve seen gorgeous photos of roasted radishes, but it’s summer and I’m not doing that. And then I remembered pickled radishes.

I love pickled radishes. There’s a restaurant in the area (and other locations too) called Bonchon that does Korean fried chicken. It’s so good. It was one of the places I badly missed when I was in London. The chicken is so flavorful and the skin is impossibly crispy – and every portion is served with a small side of pickled radishes. It’s such a tiny thing, but I love the cool, sharp flavor of the radishes. Every time I get take out I make sure I get some radishes too.

Now, I can make them at home. At the restaurant I think they use daikon radishes (larger than regular radishes). If you have access to them go ahead, but I found success with plain old radishes. Simply peel the radishes, cut them in cubes as best as you can, and submerge them in the pickling liquid. In a restaurant the cubes are perfect, for yourself at home, it’s not so serious.

Overall, it’s so easy and in less than a day you have a tasty (albeit bad breath inducing), cooling snack to help beat the heat.

Adapted from It’s My Dish.

Messy level: Not messy, but peeling radishes is a pain. I just took my knife and cut the sides off so each radish sphere became a radish cube. Yeah, you lose some radish with this method but it’s way less tedious. Everything else is really easy.

Pickled Radishes

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

8 hours

Total time

8 hours 10 mins

 

Author: Cooking is Messy adapted from It's My Dish

Serves: 1-2 servings

Ingredients

• 1½ cups radishes (about 1-2 bunches of radishes)
• 2 tablespoons/ 30 ml white vinegar
• 2 tablespoons/ 28 grams sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. Peel the radishes and cut into bite-sized cubes
2. In a small bowl mix together the vinegar, sugar, and salt.
3. Put the radishes in a flat bottomed dish (like a food storage container) or in a plastic bag. Pour the vinegar mixture over the radishes. Make sure all the radishes are touching the liquid. Cover the container, or close the bag.
4. Put the radishes in the refrigerator for 8 hours, or overnight. If using a plastic bag, put it flat in the fridge.
5. Serve chilled.
6. Store in the fridge for up to a week.

3.5.3208

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Happy Friday! The weekend is here and I’ve been having dreams of grilling and going to the pool. And yet… it’s supposed to rain. In fact, it poured down on me during my walk home. Sigh. Perhaps instead I’ll have to remember back to last weekend when it was hot and beautiful. Last weekend Ryan and I made burgers and hot dogs and a delicious fruit salad in a watermelon pig. Yeah, that’s right. I made a watermelon into a pig. Why have regular fruit salad slopped on your plate when you could lovingly scoop it out of a pretty pig container?!

Ok, but for real, why did I make a watermelon pig? Because I love pigs. They have been my favorite animal since I was a little girl. And ever since I have collected all things pigs – toys, figurines, slippers, socks, kitchen utensils. It’s the kind of thing that when my friends and family see something with a pig on it, they buy it for me. And when I was a kid, I told my parents I wasn’t going to eat pork anymore and I largely kept to that for nearly two decades. I even once made up a joke about pigs. Let me preface and set the scene by saying I was about four and I only half remember this joke. The rest is reconstructed from my mom’s memory. Anyway, I told the joke to my mom, who called me while I was home with the babysitter.

Mom: Hi ladybug [yes she calls me ladybug]

Me: Hi Mom. Wanna hear a dirty joke?

Mom: Terrified pause… Ok.

Me: Once upon a time, a pig fell in the mud!

What follows is awkward and relieved laughter from my mom. Hysterical laughter from me because apparently the idea of a big fat pig falling in mud and it splashing everywhere is super funny to four-year-old me. And get it, it’s a dirty joke because the pig is in the mud?! So clever, I know. I’m still this funny today.

All of that to say if it’s pig related I’m into it.

But also, it’s summer and all the delicious fruit is available. I literally impulse bought fruit at Harris Teeter. I bought strawberries because they are my favorite (and I’ve been into making homemade whipped cream recently). I had a grapefruit in the fridge, plus of course the watermelon insides. The impulse buying part came from the kiwis and golden raspberries. I just love the green color of kiwis and the starburst of black seeds in the middle. And the golden raspberries are so pretty! They were too interesting not to buy. I didn’t notice a huge difference in taste, but I liked how their color appears simultaneously showing and understated.

The best part though is that this is super easy to make and looks really cute. All you really have to do is hollow out the watermelon, use the top to make the ears, nose, and legs, and then fill with fruit. It’s an adorable centerpiece for your summer barbecue, pool party, or weekend fun. Plus you know, it’s healthy and refreshing and that’s good too.

Inspired by a photo I saw on Instagram, but I don’t remember whose. So sorry I can’t give credit!

Messy level: For someone like me who is a super mess in the kitchen, and not good at detail work, this is really pretty easy and neat. When I was scooping out the watermelon I did get juice all over the counter and that made it sticky. Still, that’s easy to clean and not a bother.

Watermelon Pig Fruit Salad

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Total time

15 mins

 

Fruit salad in a watermelon pig. To fill a small watermelon I used 3 kiwis, half a carton of strawberries, one carton of raspberries, one grapefruit, and ¾ of the watermelon.

Author: Cooking is Messy

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 1 watermelon
• 2 chocolate chips (or 2 blueberries)
• toothpicks
• variety of fruit cut in bite sized pieces, enough to fill a watermelon

Instructions

1. Use a sharp knife, and holding it so the blade pierces the watermelon at about a 45° angle, cut out a lid from the top of the watermelon. You want the lid to be about 1-2 inches down the watermelon. If you've ever carved a pumpkin, think about what it's like to cut a lid there, and do the same thing here.
2. Save the lid to make the pig's features. First cut out a large oval for the pig's nose. Then cut two triangles for ears and four rough rectangle-like shapes for legs. You can also cut a piece for the tail if you'd like.
3. Take a spoon and scoop out the insides of the watermelon. Put the watermelon flesh in a large bowl and pour out any watermelon juice that is accumulating in the bottom of your watermelon shell. [Note, you can scrape the watermelon pretty clean or you can leave some on the edges if you want to]
4. Using a toothpicks, connect the nose on one end of the watermelon. Then use more toothpicks to connect the ears at the top near the edge of the opening and the four legs around the bottom. The watermelon is not being held up by the legs so the legs don't have to be perfect. Just place the legs so it looks like the pig is standing.
5. Use your knife to carve out two small eye holes above the nose. Wedge in the pointy end of chocolate chips into these holes - now you have eyes. [Alternatively you can use toothpicks and blueberries to make eyes.]
6. Take the reserved watermelon flesh and cut it into bite sized pieces. Cut any other large fruits you're using into bite sized pieces (bananas, strawberries, apples, melon, kiwi, etc.).
7. Throw in any other fruit you have that doesn't need to be cut (grapes, raspberries, blueberries, etc).
8. Mix all the fruit together and then pour it into your watermelon pig.
9. Place on your table and serve.

3.5.3208

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My friend Charlotte and I took a big step in our friendship. We went halfsies on a kitchen appliance – specifically a spiralizer. Now, I know this might raise a lot of questions. Such as, why are we splitting a spiralizer which costs just $30? And how do two people share custody of a kitchen appliance? Aren’t we risking our friendship since one of us could potentially hold the spiralizer hostage for too long?! Yes, it’s a weird thing to do. But we did it. And to celebrate she and I got together and made a sweet potato and beet salad. It was delicious!!

We decided to split the spiralizer because neither of us felt ready to commit wholeheartedly to a spiralizer. It seemed like such a silly, trendy, single-use appliance. Would we really use it that often? Would we even like it? In fact, I think we might love it. Already we’ve both had possession of it more than once. It’s also really fun to use! I find great amusement in turning a crank and transforming a round vegetable into a pile of gorgeous ringlets. And also the end result is so pretty. I know food doesn’t have to be pretty, but it does make it a little bit better though right? And in fact Charlotte and I also made a spiralized pear and apple dessert that cooked down to what Ryan called “fruit slop,” so I think food appearance can matter.

I would also feel remiss if I didn’t mention what Charlotte calls “nubbins.” She was delightfully giggly over the left over bits of sweet potato and beets. Basically when you spiralize a vegetable you push it through a corer and as the vegetable turns it creates spirals. But, the part pushed through the corer makes a cylinder attached to a base of vegetable that’s too thin to spiralize. It’s perfectly edible vegetable, but more hilarious looking than normal. I begrudgingly took a photo of them. But now I think maybe you’ll enjoy the behind the scenes world of spiralizing. Anyway, we roasted our nubbins along with the our veggie noodles.

We decided to roast our noodles, but you can also boil or saute them. What we liked about roasting is that some of the ends and skinnier pieces got crispy and crunchy and really wonderfully delicious.

I’ll be honest, while I’m someone who believes in tricking myself to eat vegetables, I wasn’t sure I’d buy into vegetable noodles. I mean real pasta is pure joy. How could veggie noodles compare?! Wheat pasta will always have a place. Always. But I here’s my discovery: I love vegetable noodles. I have bought in. I get the same pleasure from twirling the colorful strands around my fork and slurping them up, just like I do from regular pasta.

Spaghetti is my favorite meal, and it always has been. So the connection that this meal had to that nostalgic sense memory is pretty powerful. Plus, sweet potatoes and beets have really lovely flavors. Along with the spirals, I threw in some goat cheese (because it’s creamy goodness), I made a balsamic dressing (yum!), and also tossed in some kale (because I’m trying to finish this giant bag – will it ever end?!).

In summation, I wholeheartedly recommend spiralizing. I recommend it so much that I think you should consider going out and buying a spiralizer that’s all yours. Yeah, you don’t even have to share. But I do think sharing is nice as I don’t have to store it all the time. Plus, it’s sort of fun taking this very serious friendship step with Charlotte. So go ahead, find a friend to share a spiralizer with.

Messy level: This is a hard one to judge because beets are inherently messy and they stain everything. However, the cooking part of this is pretty clean. Sprialize you vegetables, roast them in the oven, and then toss a few other ingredients in. Easy peasy friends.

Sweet Potato and Beet Spiral Salad

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

30 mins

 

Author: Cooking is Messy

Cuisine: Vegetarian

Serves: 2-3 servings

Ingredients

Salad

• 1 medium sweet potato, washed and peeled
• 3-4 medium beets, washed and peeled
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• salt
• pepper
• 2 oz goat cheese (more or less to your taste)
• 1 cup kale, leaves washed, torn, and massaged

Dressing

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• pinch red pepper flakes
• ½ teaspoon dijon mustard.

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F/200°C
2. Depending on your thickness preference, choose the spiralizer blade that will give you either the thin noodles or slightly thicker noodles. Don't use the blade that cuts ribbons. Once you've chosen your blade set up your spiralizer with a baking sheet placed next to it so it can catch the vegetables.
3. Spiralize the sweet potato and arrange it on the baking sheet. I recommend doing the potato first because it will make a lot.
4. Next spiralize the beets. Spiralize as many beets as you need to get an even ratio with sweet potato. Arrange the beet spirals on the cookie sheet.
5. With a knife or kitchen scissors cut the super long spirals into edible lengths.
6. Toss the spirals with the 1 tablespoon olive oil
7. Season the spirals with salt and pepper (about ¼-1/2 teaspoon of each should do it)
8. Roast in the oven for about 15 minutes. When the timer is done test a piece to make sure it's cooked to your desired level. If it's still too crunch cook the spirals further, at 5 minute intervals, until it's to your liking.
9. While the spirals are roasting, make the dressing. In a jar with a lid, or in a bowl, mix together all ingredients for the dressing. Shake the jar (or stir vigorously) until you have an emulsion and all the ingredients are mixed together.
10. When the spirals are done put them in a large bowl. Toss in the kale leaves, goat cheese, and dressing. Mix until everything is coated.
11. Serve in individual bowls with forks.

3.5.3208

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This past weekend Ryan and I had a cabin weekend reunion with a bunch of our friends. After a two-year drought on getting together, it was wonderful to be in the same house for a weekend! The weekend was filled with meat, s’mores (yum!), and beer. Copious amounts of all three, which was delicious, but not a good decision for the day to day. Now it’s time to get back to the work week grind – meaning I gotta stuff my lunchbox full of vegetables to make up for the weekend partying. So, to get on track I’ve got a new lunch box (it’s called Freshy Bag and I’ll tell you all about it) and it’s going to be packed full of kale Greek salad this week. 

Greek salad is my absolute favorite salad. I’ve made it once before on the blog here but with bulgur. Why with kale this time? Because Harris Teeter only sold a gargantuan bag of kale and so now I have to put kale on, or in, absolutely everything I make. Oh and also, kale is like…trendy… or a super food… or something. Most importantly, don’t forget to massage the kale. It makes a difference. It sounds like I’m joking but I promise I’m not.

But anyway, I loooooove Greek salad. I love the watery freshness of tomatoes and cucumber, the salty-fatness of olives and cheese, and the bite of raw onions. And the kale gives an added crunch and heartiness too it. It really is my favorite and it’s a meal that’s going to make me feel good about myself and keep me going during the week. No sad desk lunch for this chick.

Ok, in fairness sometimes I do have sad desk lunches. Or sad lunch on a school bus, or in the car in the parking lot, or scarfed down at museums and sites across DC. I go all over for work, often I’m out of the office all day, so I eat on the run. I try to bring my lunch along with me, shoveling down bites when I can. You know because I love food and eating. And also, so I don’t get hangry with my students and colleagues.

Recently I started carrying my lunch in the Freshy Bag and it’s really upped my lunch game. Sad desk lunches no more! First, it’s got sturdy black fabric that’s durable as I throw it around in my travels. But, it’s also pretty smashable (that’s a word right?) so it fits into my backpack with all the other things I need to carry. I also like that it’s got a simple look that’s nice but not so flashy.

However the absolute best thing about it is how it keeps things cool and fresh. I put a string cheese in my Freshy Bag and left it un-refrigerated for 3 hours. When I took it out it was still slightly cool! It wasn’t as cool as it was when I put it in the bag, but it was pretty dang fresh. In the name of science I tried this with a string cheese outside of the Freshy Bag and that cheese was… sweaty. Gross right?! I love cheese, so the fact that Freshy Bag keeps cheese tasty is a win in my book. This week as I carry around salad I know my veggies will be crisp, my cheese intact, and my food generally unwilted.

My only gripe with the Freshy Bag is that a few of my friends said that the logo kinda looks like it says fleshy bag. I know it doesn’t say that, but they put the idea in my head and now I can’t get it out. And now I’ve put the idea in your head. I’m sorry.

I think the main top pocket being a side zip instead of a top zip is unusual. At first I didn’t like it, for no particular reason. But now I’m into it. I still think it’s an unusual design, but I think it makes putting things in and taking things out much easier and neater. We all know I’m a big spiller, so anything to keep me from accidentally empty my salad down into my lunch bag is a win. I also like that there is a bottom layer of storage that’s large and easily accessible. I don’t know the reason why there are two compartments – maybe to separate hot and cold foods – all I know is that I find it pleasing. If you’re interested in a Freshy Bag of your own, you can find them on Amazon for about $20.

And if you’re interested in upping your vegetable intake this week, definitely whip up this kale Greek salad. For me, it ticks a lot of boxes. It’s got vegetables, a bit of protein, and lovely creamy cheese. Did I mention already that I love cheese?

This recipe is good for about 4 servings at lunch (with some other snacks of course) or about 2 giant servings if you were going to have it as your whole meal.

This is a salad I definitely get excited for. And I assure you, I’ll be eager to dive in at lunch time however… all this talk of vegetables kind of makes me want to eat chocolate. Is that wrong?!

Messy level: Salad is probably one of the cleanest meals you’ll ever make. Clean, chop, and mix all the ingredients and that’s it. Don’t splash around too much as you dress the salad and you literally won’t make a mess. Boom.

Kale Greek Salad

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Total time

10 mins

 

Author: Cooking is Messy

Recipe type: Salad

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 4 cups kale, leaves washed and torn
• 1 large cucumber, chopped
• 1 cup grape tomatoes, cut in half
• ½ cup Kalamata olives, cut in half
• 1 cup chickpeas, drained from a can
• ½ large onion, chopped
• ½ cup feta crumbles, or more to taste

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Mix so everything is evenly distributed throughout.
3. Give the salad a look over, anything you'd like more of? Then add more of that ingredient!
4. Dress with your favorite salad dressing. I prefer making a mix of olive oil, balsamic, salt, pepper, and dijon mustard.
5. Serve and enjoy!

3.5.3208

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I’ve been really enjoying spring. The nice weather, baseball – what’s not to like?! I also love spring because it means that soon the farmer’s markets will be back and there will be a bigger variety of fresh produce. Yes, it’s the modern age and I can get whatever I wanted, whenever I want, shipped from who knows where – but a tomato in winter tastes like nothing. I am thankful for spring! And partially it’s because I’m in a vegetable rut. All I ever make is roasted broccoli and spring is reminding me to think of something new, different, and perhaps more colorful. Enter: Jack Daniel’s glazed carrots. 

I’ve been thinking about carrots a bit recently first because they are delicious and a friendly non-scary tasting vegetable. Also because recently my friend Emily told me she and her husband Matt planted some carrots, and when she said “some” she meant like two. So I really enjoy the mental picture of her excitedly harvesting two small carrots and dipping them into the smallest container of hummus. Recently I also bought some seedlings of my own to start a garden on my balcony. We’ll see how that goes!

But, I’m getting off topic. Let me talk about these carrots. I feel like these carrots are a good spring side because they are bright and happy like spring. But this recipe adds a rich and slightly bitter flavor, which matches the random cold fronts and dreary weather that also goes along with this season. The other thing that ties these to spring is that you make them on the stove. I’m not trying to turn on the oven during warm weather so give me recipes for the stove top!. Even better, perhaps the best thing, is that this recipe takes about 20 minutes total time. Everybody’s got time for that after work!

And actually, I’ve lied to you. The best part of this recipe is the Jack Daniel’s. Some might call this “too boozy,” and to them I say “you’re wrong.” After a rough Monday at work, who doesn’t want a little boozy sauce with their vegetables!? It’ll make you feel healthy and naughty all at once. I’ve written the recipe below using ranges for each ingredient. That way you can booze it up, butter it up, or sugar it up to your palate’s content. I’ve included where in the recipe you can adjust the flavors too, so no worries friends.

Lastly, use any whiskey you like. I just prefer Jack Daniel’s because one time I went to the distillery and it was awesome. Hope you enjoy the recipe, I think it’s a pretty indulgent way to enjoy your vegetables.

Adapted from the Pioneer Woman.

Messy level: It’s only messy if you’re wild and crazy when it comes to stirring. I am, so every time I’ve made this I’ve splattered myself with buttery Jack Daniel’s glaze. Wear an apron and you’ll be fine.

Jack Daniel's Glazed Carrots

 

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Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

20 mins

 

Author: Cooking is Messy

Recipe type: side dish

Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 1½ - 2 pounds/ ¾-1 kilogram carrots
• 6-8 tablespoons butter/113 grams divided
• ⅓- 1/2 cup/ 80-120 ml Jack Daniel's (or whatever whiskey you like)
• 3 tablespoons/ 42 grams brown sugar (or more to taste)
• salt
• pepper

Instructions

1. Peel the carrots and cut into sticks that are about ½" wide and 4" long. (Don't worry if it's not perfect you don't have to really measure it).
2. Melt 1 tablespoon (14 grams) of butter in a large skillet over high heat. Add half of the carrots and cook for 1-2 minutes. Toss the carrots around so they are all coated in butter. Remove these carrots, set them aside. Add the second half of the carrots, cook for 1-2 minutes, then remove them from the skillet.
3. Pour in ⅓ cup of whiskey (1/2 a cup if you like it boozy) to your skillet. Let it cook for 30-60 seconds so some of the alcohol can cook off.
4. Lower the heat to medium and add 4 tablespoons (56 grams) of butter.
5. Once the butter has melted stir in the brown sugar. Stir until smooth.
6. Now spoon out a little of this glaze and taste. If you started with ⅓ cup whiskey and want it boozier, add a little bit more. Do you want it to taste richer and less bitter, then add 2-3 more tablespoons of butter. And if you want it sweeter add in a bit more brown sugar. If you are adding more to the glaze, stir it into the skillet, let it cook together for a minute or two before moving on to the next step.
7. When you're happy with your glaze add all the carrots to the skillet. Using some tongs, toss the carrots in the glaze so that everything is covered. Your skillet is probably pretty full, so you want to make sure all the carrots are coated!
8. Cover the skillet and let the carrots cook for 5 minutes.
9. Open the lid and season generously with salt and pepper. Use your tongs to toss the carrots around in the glaze again.
10. Cover the skillet and let cook for a further 5-7 minutes, or until the carrots are cooked to your liking and the glaze has thickened slightly.

3.5.3208

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Let me be honest with you for a minute, I’ve been a terrible blogger recently. I’ve hardly posted in the New Year!  Now, I could say the reason I’ve been bad about posting is because of the move. Had to pack, clean, fly, unpack, and then for awhile didn’t have internet or anything in my kitchen. So those are excuses, but the real reason is that I’ve spent the last couple weeks playing with my friends. In London I had lots of dinners, drinks, game nights, walks in the park, and blow outs with my friends, And then back in DC I’ve had lunches, and shopping trips, and take out with my friends here. In short, I’ve been having a lot of fun and not really cooking. 

Also, it’s worth saying I did a terrible job with British recipes in January. But I do have two more for you, starting with today’s recipe for Yorkshire pudding. Pronounced more like york-sure than york-shire (like shire in Lord of the Rings), this is served along side Sunday roasts and goes perfectly with last month’s recipe for roast beef and homemade gravy. Yorkshire pudding is made from a batter and is kind of bready and is used to sop up gravy. Overall, pretty great.

I first made this recipe to add a slightly British flair to our Christmas menu. I was sort of nervous, but my friend said just make sure not to open the oven during baking and everything should rise and cook perfectly. The batter for this recipe is impossibly wet, truly pourable and I had no idea how it would turn into airy bread! But it does, heat the oil first, then trust the oven and it will rise and bake and work out. Your finished product will have a mild flavor, be airy, and have crispy edges and be sort of soft and squishy in the middle. So easy you can make it all the time.

With this terribly cold weather we’re having here in DC, a comforting Sunday roast sounds like the perfect warming meal. It’s so cold, I need everything to be hearty! You can make your own Sunday roast with these recipes for roast beef or chicken, roasted potatoes, vegetables, lots of gravy, and of course Yorkshire puddings. Enjoy and stay warm!

Oh, one last thing. Anyone know why this is called a pudding when it’s not a dessert?

Adapted from BBC Good Food.

Messy level: Incredibly clean cooking! Mix everything in one bowl then pour into muffin tins. That’s it. To be extra precise (although it makes one more dish), it’s good to transfer the batter from the mixing bowl to a large glass measuring cup. This helps you make sure each Yorkshire pudding is the same size – but you can also just eyeball it if you want.

Yorkshire Pudding

 

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Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

25 mins

Total time

30 mins

 

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1 cup/140 grams all-purpose flour
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup minus 2 tablespoons/200ml milk
• sunflower oil or vegetable oil, for coating the muffin tin.

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 440°F/230­°C.
2. Drizzle some oil in the bottom of 4 holes in your muffin tin. Put the muffin tin in the oven to heat the oil.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and eggs. Mix until smooth.
4. Slowly pour in the milk, whisking the entire time to prevent lumps. Stir until you have a completely smooth batter.
5. Transfer the batter to a pitcher, or use a large spoon as a ladle for the batter.
6. Take the muffin tin out of the oven (or just be careful and open the oven and slide the rack out enough so you can pour). Carefully and evenly pour the batter over the hot oil.
7. Put the muffin tin back in the oven and close the door. Cook for 20-25 minutes. Don't open the door! The puddings are done when they are puffed and the edges are browned and crisped.
8. Best served immediately and when a little warm.

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Ok, so this month is all about British food. I said it and I meant it. But, I also know that no one group can really own gravy – still I’m posting this recipe this month because it’s an important staple for British foods. For example, gravy goes with Sunday roasts, savory pies, and with Yorkshire pudding. Plus, this week’s beef gravy goes perfectly with the earlier post on roast beef. 

I’ll be honest with you, I was sort of intimated by making gravy. I’m not exactly sure why, but I think it’s because some people smother gravy over everything and if the gravy is bad, then everything is either ruined or left dry. For Thanksgiving this past year, I made everything from scratch except for the gravy. Gasp. So, I promised myself for next year I’d learn how to make gravy.

Truth is, it’s not all that hard. You use the pan drippings from roasting meat, and most of the flavoring is in there already. Then you need to add some flour to thicken and some further liquid (like wine and/or stock) to stretch it farther. I put a lot of wine in my gravy so it came out super dark. You can go with more (or all) stock if you prefer that flavor.

Let me also say, this method works just the same for chicken gravy. Roast your chicken, use the pan drippings, add flour, and add chicken stock or white wine. Cook until it’s the thickness you desire. Don’t be afraid of gravy. Maybe you never were afraid of gravy, maybe it was just me. But still, you can do it.

Adapted from Delicious Magazine.

Messy level: If you’re organized, really not that messy. You’re just adding things to an existing pot and stirring it around until done. Clean and easy!

Beef Gravy with Red Wine

 

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2 teaspoons of flour thickens about 300ml or 1¼ cup of liquid. Keep up that ratio if you want to double or triple the recipe.

Ingredients

• juices from cooked roast beef, left in roasting pan
• 2 teaspoons flour (2 teaspoons per 1¼ cup/300 ml of liquid you intend to add)
• ¼ cup/ 60 ml red wine
• 1 cup/ 240 ml beef stock

Instructions

1. When your roast beef joint is cooked remove it from the pan and set it aside to rest.
2. If the meat juices have a lot of fat, spoon off the excess. You can leave like a tablespoon or two.
3. Take the pan you cooked the meat in and put it on top of a larger burner on the stove. Heat the juices over low to medium heat.
4. Once it starts to simmer a bit, add the flour. Stir it into the meat juices and scrape up any bits that have stuck to the pan. Cook for a minute or two until the flour turns golden brown and thickens.
5. Now slowly pour in the wine and beef stock. Stir until you have an even smooth consistency.
6. Bring the liquid to a boil and let it bubble until it reaches the consistency you like. The longer you leave it the thicker it will be.
7. Once the gravy is to your liking, strain the solids out using a fine mesh sieve.
8. Put the gravy in a dish or gravy boat and serve.

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This year is my third time hosting Thanksgiving. So far I really enjoy it. I like the planning, the preparation, and the cooking. But last year I made something I thought I was going to hate: mushroom and leek stuffing. The thing is, Thanksgiving isn’t about me. It’s about the people around the table and I want to make sure everyone gets something they like. Last year my guests requested stuffing, but I made it, because as my mother taught me – hosting is about making your guests happy and comfortable. I decided since I was making something I didn’t like I would go all out and add mushrooms, which I hate and Ryan loves. So, mushroom and leek stuffing was on the table. Here’s the thing though: it was flipping delicious. 

In general, I am still not a convert to mushrooms or to stuffing, but this recipe is a game changer. All the flavors and textures combine to make something I can eat straight from the pan by the spoonful. You get all the lovely umami flavor from the mushrooms without much of the chewy texture I dislike. You get the perfect mix of crunchy and soft bread bits. Look at that photo above! That crusty bread/leek/mushroom bite is making my mouth water as I write this. Also leeks just have a great flavor.

Once you have you Thanksgiving menu settled, and everyone’s favorites are included, I think the next thing to organize is timing. How will you get everything cooked in time? This is especially important if, like me, you only have one oven. This recipe can be made most of the way through a day or two before, which is super helpful. Then on the day you stir an egg mixture then bake. You can do that in the morning before the turkey gets going or you can do it when the turkey is out of the oven and resting. How sweet is that?

Seriously, for a non-mushroom lover like me this recipe is amazing. I think you might enjoy it too. Plus, it can easily be made vegetarian. I used chicken stock but feel free to use vegetable stock instead. With just one week to go, what will you be eating on turkey day?

Adapted from Martha Stewart.

Messy level: Not very messy, although slightly labor intensive, which can lead to mess. You’ll have to cook the mushrooms in batches which can lead to spills. Also you need to do a lot of chopping, cleaning, and mixing. For me, that means sometimes things fly out of the bowl. It’s not hard to do, just takes a little planning.

Mushroom and Leek Stuffing

 

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Prep time

45 mins

Cook time

60 mins

Total time

1 hour 45 mins

 

Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 1 stick/ 113 grams butter, divided - plus a little more for greasing
• 1 white onion finely chopped
• 1 leek (white & pale green part only) halved lengthwise then thinly slices [be sure to clean leek thoroughly]
• 1½ teaspoons salt, divided
• pepper
• leaves from 8 sprigs of fresh thyme
• 1½ pounds/ 680 grams mixed mushrooms cleaned and thinly sliced [I used a mix of button, chestnut and shiitake mushrooms]
• ½ cup dry white wine
• 2½ cups / 590 ml chicken stock or vegetable stock
• 1 pound/ 450 grams of rustic bread cut into 1" cubes (makes about 8 cups)
• ½ cup chopped pecans
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten

Instructions

1. Before getting started clean and chop your leeks and mushrooms and chop your bread. This is the most time consuming part! Please do it before you get started.
2. If you're going to bake this right away preheat oven to 375°F/190°C and grease a 10x14" casserole dish (or at least one that can hold 2½ quarts) with butter.
3. In a large skillet on medium heat melt 2 tablespoons (28 grams) of butter.
4. Once the butter is melted add the onion, leak, and ½ teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally until everything is softened - about 8 minutes. Stir in thyme leaves and then remove from the pan and set aside.
5. Return pan to the burner and raise the heat to medium-high. Melt 2 more tablespoons (28 grams) of butter.
6. Add half the mushrooms and ½ teaspoon of salt to the pan. Saute for 4 minutes or until slightly softened. Drain off any excess liquid and then add the cooked mushrooms to the set aside onions and leeks.
7. Add 2 more tablespoons (28 grams) butter, and remaining mushrooms and remaining ½ teaspoon of salt to the pan. Cook in the same way, for 4 minutes or until softened. Once done drain off excess liquid and transfer mushrooms to that set aside plate.
8. Return the pan to the burner on medium-high heat and pour in the wine. Bring to a boil and let it bubble until reduced by half.
9. Add in the broth, stir and bring to a simmer.
10. Meanwhile, put your bread cubes in a large heat-safe bowl.
11. Pour the broth mixture over the bread. Mix until evenly absorbed.
12. If you are cooking it now, gently fold in the mushroom mixture, pecans, and beaten eggs. [If you are making this ahead of time and aren't cooking it right away then follow the recipe to this point but DO NOT ADD the eggs. Then, cover the bowl and put in the fridge. When ready to cook, take the bowl out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature. Stir in the eggs right before you're ready to bake.]
13. Season with a little pepper.
14. Pour the whole thing into your prepared pan.
15. Cover with aluminium foil and bake for 30 minutes.
16. Uncover the dish and dot with remaining 2 tablespoons of butter (28 grams). Bake for an additional 30 minutes or until the top is golden and crisp.
17. Let cool slightly before serving

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Up until a few weeks ago I had been living under the impression that making your own pumpkin puree was hard. Like, so wildly hard that there was no reason to ever attempt it. Have you ever made pumpkin puree from scratch? I just didn’t see the reason to do it, and this coming from someone who has made her own butter. And then I was talking to one of my colleagues from work and everything changed.

We were talking about what we were going to make for the upcoming cake sale (where I made pumpkin butterscotch cookies), and we got to talking about cooking with pumpkin. She said she’d made a pumpkin pie once and that she had made her own puree. I was gobsmacked. And then we had a conversation that went something like this:

Me: What?! You made the pumpkin puree?!

Her: Yeah, how else do you do it?

Me: Get it from a can!

And then we both looked at each other slightly confused. At least, that’s how I remember it.

Needless to say, after this conversation I felt a little silly. Why was I so dependent on a can? Where had I learned that making my own pumpkin puree would be so hard? Now I was determined to try it out for myself.

What I learned is, the hardest part of making your own pumpkin puree is ensuring that you don’t get attached to your pumpkin. I went to Waitrose with my friend Sarah and picked out what I thought was fine pumpkin. She pointed out it was ugly looking on one side. I said, “It’s fine, we’re going to eat it.” And then I got home and told Ryan I bought a pumpkin. He got excited and asked if we were going to carve it. “No,” I said, “we’re going to eat it.” A word of advice to you my friend: don’t name it, don’t carve it, don’t get attached to your pumpkin!

Even though I wasn’t carving the pumpkin, preparing the pumpkin for cooking starts much the same way. You slice off the top and then scoop out the insides. I cut the pumpkin in half before scooping out the insides. Save the seeds if you’re into that. Then cut your pumpkin in quarters and put on a roasting pan to then cook the slices in the oven. Put the slices in the oven plain – no seasoning or oil. This is so you have the purest pumpkin puree, which I think is really the reason to make this yourself. Sure, opening a can is easier but by making this yourself you’re getting the freshest ingredients with no unknown or unnecessary additives.

When choosing a pumpkin buy one on the smaller side. Save that big impressive gigantic pumpkin for carving. My research said that big pumpkins result in less flavor and a less pleasant texture. This guy here weighed 1.2 kg (2.64 pounds) and resulted in 393 grams (about 1 3/4 cups) of puree. This is probably just slightly less than what you’d get in a can from the super market. The end result was really tasty (because yes, I ate some plain with a spoon). It’s smooth, but less perfectly smooth than a can. I credit that with magical additives used in the canning factory plus also my food processor is mediocre.

What I like best about making my own pumpkin puree is how excited I am to use it. I am itching to make a pumpkin pie and I think I’ll be especially proud when the finish product is extra homemade.

Adapted from the Pioneer Woman.

Messy level: I am giving this four spoons only because I hate, hate, hate cleaning the food processor. It’s so many pieces and such a pain! Also, it’s a little messy in peeling the pumpkin. Some pieces of skin just peeled off, and some fought back a little. It was annoying, but it was a good excuse to taste test what was stuck to my hands.

How to Make Pumpkin Puree

 

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Prep time

25 mins

Cook time

45 mins

Total time

1 hour 10 mins

 

Serves: 1¾ cup

Ingredients

• 1 smallish pumpkin (or more depending on desired final amount)
• water, optional

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C.
2. Cut the top of the pumpkin off near the stem. About 1" of the top cut off is fine.
3. Cut the pumpkin in half.
4. Use a spoon to scoop out all the seeds and inner gunk. You can throw this away or set the seeds aside to roast if you like that.
5. Cut the cleaned pumpkin in half again so you have 4 pumpkin quarters.
6. Put the pumpkin quarters on to a roasting pan.
7. Roast the pumpkin for 45 minutes or until you can easily stick a fork into the flesh.
8. Remove the pumpkin from the oven and let cool until you can safely handle them.
9. Use a knife, a peeler, or your hands to remove the pumpkin skin. It will mostly come off easily, and where it's difficult just use a peeler.
10. Put the pumpkin flesh into a food processor and blend until smooth. If you notice your pumpkin is too dry then you can add 1 tablespoon of water at a time until you have your desired consistency. (I added 2 tablespoons of water) If you're finding your pumpkin is too wet you can strain off some of that liquid after you're done with the food processor.
11. Transfer your pumpkin puree to a bowl if you're going to use immediately or store in an air tight container in the refrigerator if you'll be using it later.

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