MITCH IN THE KITCHEN

modified salade lyonnaise

This elegant salad hails from Lyon, France, and I’m a little surprised you don’t find it in more restaurants here on this continent. It’s a salad, but come on, it has bacon AND an egg in it. If this can’t get Americans to eat their vegetables, I’m giving up hope. (Please note that I am not actually advocating eating bacon and eggs with every serving of vegetables. Also I’m not actually giving up hope.) The traditional version uses frisée, which is a frizzy bitter green from the chicory genus that you’ve probably seen somewhere in a mesclun salad mix. But you could use any kind of bitter salad green, including escarole and arugula, as Mark Bittman advises. Lardons (little French cross-section batons of thick-sliced bacon) are also traditionally used, but I went with pancetta since there was some sitting around in the freezer. Finally, I find poaching eggs to be an unnecessarily fussy way to spend my time, so I went with sunny-side-up and only used one frying pan for everything.

To make the dressing, combine a little bit of Dijon mustard with a little bit of sherry vinegar, salt, pepper, and oil. Fry bacon pieces in a pan until crisp. Remove. To make croutons, add a clove or two of chopped garlic to the bacon fat and push it around to infuse the grease. Remove garlic from the pan. Add stale bread cubes (I had some leftover from Thanksgiving stuffing-making) and cook, tossing occasionally, until crisp and golden. Season with a little bit of salt and pepper. Wipe crumbs from the pan and add a little butter or oil. Cook an egg in it, but not too much because you want to smother this whole salad in hot runny yolk. Of course, you can also just go ahead and poach the egg like you’re supposed to. Toss dressing with frisée, bacon pieces, and croutons. Top with egg. Devour.

roasted squash with chard and hazelnuts

This happens every fall: we start a collection of winter squash of all colors, shapes, and sizes. I try not to discriminate, but I am particularly fond of delicata squash because they’re easy to work with. They have a thin and edible skin, so peeling isn’t necessary. Just cut in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds, cut into 1/2-inch pieces, toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, and herbs (I had sage, thyme, and savory), and roast in a 425-degree oven for 20 minutes or so. While that was happening, I sauteed some chard with garlic. In went the roasted squash with some hazelnuts and a tiny drizzle of apple cider vinegar. Tasty and really good for you.

polenta with greens and eggs

This is one of our favorite go-to dinners here in the T-L household. John gets the (“corn grits also known as”) polenta going with his patient stirring (or handy shortcut methods) while I cobble together whatever chard, cabbage, spinach, kale, collard greens, bok choy, etc. we have with some onions, garlic, and whatever leftover meat and/or beans (or even seitan) we have. Sausages, bacon, ham, etc. are good in this too. We brown the meat in a big pan, then add the vegetables and simmer the mixture with some tomato paste, red chile flakes, and broth. At the end of it, I make little wells and crack eggs into them. Delicious. Sometimes John gets crazy with butter and cheese in the polenta, but the important thing is to make sure there’s enough salt in it. The congealed leftovers are good sliced and fried (though I have never done this successfully) or grilled, or baked with sauce and cheese and an egg on top.

potato and arugula salad with blue cheese and yogurt

Last weekend I said goodbye to a grandfather who I will miss more than I ever imagined. Yesterday I took my last final of a semester that I should’ve earned higher grades in. Last night I had nachos and beers for dinner (Pavla would be proud). Today I’m playing frantic catch-up at work. Tomorrow my apartment will look cleaner and better than it does today, after we haul everything from one room into another. Next month I’m getting married (holy shit) to this dude I’ve been outrageously in love with for the past six years.

And all I really wanted for lunch today was this salad that I threw together while letting all of the above sink in.

a couple tablespoons of chopped red onion
a couple tablespoons of yogurt
salt and pepper
a dash of Worcestershire sauce
a drizzle of milk and/or olive oil
crumbled blue cheese

2 strips bacon
1 medium waxy red, yellow, or white potato, diced
handful of grape or cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
several handfuls of baby arugula, spinach, or other salad greens

Combine first 6 ingredients to make dressing. Set aside (I like to make it in the same big bowl that the whole salad will end up in).

Fry bacon in a pan over medium heat until crisp, turning frequently. Drain on a paper towel and set aside. Get rid of most of the rendered bacon fat, leaving just enough to coat the pan.

Add potatoes to pan and season with salt and pepper. Cook until potatoes are soft and slightly golden.

Crumble or chop bacon. Combine with potatoes, tomatoes, and dressing. Mix in greens.

arugula salad with hazelnuts and goat cheese

Full disclosure: I had a brownie and a glass of milk for dinner tonight, around 8pm. I’ve gone mad, I know. Thankfully, I also had a salad and some leftover rice and beans for dessert.

To make the salad the way I make my salad: Put baby arugula and thinly sliced shallot in a mixing bowl. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Add a drizzle of pomegranate molasses (or a mixture of vinegar and honey? I just thought of that) and a drizzle of olive oil. Toss gently with your hand. This is my favorite way to mix baby greens. Add chopped hazelnuts and crumbles of fresh goat cheese.

lentil and kale stew/soup

This is one of those simple, healthy, satisfying meals I make when I remember that there are lentils in the pantry. You can add pretty much whatever vegetables you want, and substitute other leafy greens for the kale. I made a meatless version, but this stuff is also very, very tasty with bacon, ham, Spanish chorizo, kielbasa, or other things made from cured smoked pork. Worcestershire sauce and Maggi seasoning sauce add that much-touted flavor element known as umami. (Whether I’m browsing Serious Eats or studying the physiology of gustation, I cannot escape umami.) Tomatoes and vinegar get added toward the end of cooking because acid slows down the cooking process for legumes.

olive oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 small carrot, chopped
1-2 celery ribs, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small potato, diced
1/2 small bunch kale, chopped
1 cup lentils, rinsed and picked over
about 4 cups (more to make it soupier) broth (vegetable, chicken, ham… whatever you feel like)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
15-ounce can of whole or diced tomatoes with juice
salt, pepper, red chili flakes
a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce (optional; feel free to leave it out if you’re a strict vegetarian)
a few dashes of Maggi seasoning sauce
about 1/2 teaspoon vinegar (any kind)

Heat a bit of olive oil in a large pot. Add onions, carrots, and celery. Season with salt, pepper, and chili flakes. Cook over medium heat until onions are translucent. Add garlic, potatoes, kale, lentils, and broth. Cover partially and bring to a simmer. Lower heat and cook about 25 minutes, or until lentils are soft but still have some bite to them. Add tomato paste and tomatoes. Bring back to a simmer and add Worcestershire sauce, Maggi, and vinegar.

broccoli rabe with pressed tofu and oyster sauce

I really like the way bitter greens taste with oyster sauce. The steamed greens you order at sit-down Chinese restaurants usually come lightly doused with this slightly glossy viscous brown condiment and nothing more.

I threw leftover broccoli rabe from pasta night together with leftover tofu from my zha jiang mian dinner into a hot pan with garlic, ginger, oyster sauce, and sesame oil to make a quick and easy single-serving dish to go with some rice. That dark blob on top is Yank Sing chili sauce, which also happens to be my favorite condiment for dumplings.

midnight’s pasta

(photos by the lovely Jocelyn Voo)

I finally got to make pasta with Ashwin again, this time with the very talented Mr. Rajen (who was visiting). Our follow-up to Spaghetti Made by Drunk People was (to borrow more than just photos from Jocelyn) something that made everyone go “aw yeah.” We cleared off as much counter space as we could, cracked open a few bottles of wine, and broke in the pasta machine that Jocelyn found in her office and gave me (yes, she is all over this post, because it wouldn’t have been possible without her).

It took a few tries to get the hang of the machine, but we ended up with fresh fettuccine that we tossed with a cream sauce and some greens. Very few things make me happier than a night with good food and good friends, no matter what time we end up eating.

Here’s how we made the pasta:
We loosely followed the recipe on a package of semolina. Combine equal parts unbleached all-purpose flour and semolina (made from durum wheat, a hard species of wheat) with olive oil, salt, and a few eggs. Knead until elastic. Add more flour if the dough is too sticky. Let rest for about 20 minutes. Roll out dough in the pasta machine  (photo tutorial here), then use the noodle cutting attachment. Boil noodles in salted water for a few minutes, until tender but not falling apart.

Mushroom and Leek Cream Sauce
Melt a pat of butter in a heated pan, over medium heat. Add sliced leeks (just the white and light green parts). Cook for a few minutes, until leeks are soft. Add minced garlic and sliced mushrooms (we used crimini mushrooms). Season with salt, pepper, and thyme. When mushrooms are cooked, add heavy cream. Lower heat to low and let the cream sauce thicken. If it starts getting too thick, add a little more cream. Add cooked pasta to the pan and toss to coat. Top with grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.

Broccoli Rabe with Garlic and Crushed Red Pepper
Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add chopped broccoli rabe, minced garlic, and a lot of crushed red pepper flakes. Saute until broccoli rabe stems are tender and leaves are wilted. Add chopped olives (chopped anchovies could also be good). Season with salt and black pepper. Toss with cooked pasta and extra virgin olive oil. Top with fresh bread crumbs.

kale and bacon pizza

Between November and—oh, I dunno—April, I eat a lot of kale. It’s a fall/winter vegetable that is readily available, that isn’t a potato. I put kale in fried rice, in soups, tossed with pasta, mixed into mashed potatoes, and I’ve even tried my hand at making kale chips. But the pizza, my friends, was a first. As much as I love bacon, this thick-cut kind I picked up rendered a LOT of fat, which became a little overwhelming for me and John. You can’t really tell by looking at the photo above (or even the actual pizza), but I turned what was meant to be a healthy dinner into a sneaky lard bomb. If I could do it all over again (and I probably will), I would either use less bacon, thinner sliced bacon, a less fatty cured pork product (ham? prosciutto?), or something salty that isn’t made from pigs (anchovies? olives?).

pizza dough

5 or 6 medium kale leaves, stems removed, then chopped
6 oz provolone cheese, sliced 1/8-inch thick or shredded
little bit of thinly sliced red onion
4 or 5 sundried tomato halves, cut into thin strips
3 slices bacon, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch wide pieces
a few tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a half sheet pan (about 18 by 13 inches) with parchment paper.

Sprinkle some corn meal on the baking sheet. Place the dough on the baking sheet and drizzle a little olive oil on top. Shape dough to fit pan. If it won’t stretch, let it rest a bit before handling it.

Heat a bit of olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add kale (in batches if necessary) and saute until it begins to soften and turn bright green. Season with salt and pepper, and a little bit of crushed red pepper if you’re into that sort of thing. Add a splash of water and cook until kale is completely softened. Set aside.

Spread provolone evenly over pizza dough. Top with sauteed kale, then onions, sundried tomatoes, and uncooked bacon pieces. Top with additional Parmesan cheese. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until crust is golden and bacon is slightly crisp, rotating halfway through.

baked mac and cheese

It got cold outside and I have assloads of work to do, making this a perfect time to hole up in my apartment, wrap myself in a blanket, and eat a lot of hot, baked foods in front of the TV. Comfort through food. Comforting food. Comfort food?

Ashwin has asked me what I think of the idea of “comfort food” (incidentally, Ashwin is one of my favorite people to talk to when it comes to just about anything). Like him, I associate the concept with more than just fried food and buttery hot things like mashed potatoes and macaroni smothered in cheese. Those were never the home-cooked meals of our childhoods. Personally, I put rice porridge and almost any kind of Chinese or Southeast Asian noodles in hot broth on my list of comfort foods.

That said, I do love baked pasta smothered in cheese, with some greens and beans on the side. I saute whatever cooking greens are around (kale, collards, turnip greens, spinach, chard) with garlic, red pepper flakes, and a little apple cider vinegar, then add some beans to the mix (black-eyed peas in the photo, but I like navy beans too). A very rough mac and cheese recipe is below.

5 to 6 oz pasta (I like penne, macaroni, or other small tubular pasta for this)
about 1 tablespoon butter
about 1 tablespoon flour
about 1 cup milk
salt and black pepper
dash of cayenne pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
about 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard (not the seedy kind)
a lot of shredded cheese, as much as you can handle (I like to blend cheddar, gruyere, and parmesan)
panko (Japanese bread crumbs)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Cook pasta in boiling salted water for about half of the cooking time recommended on the package. It will finish cooking in the oven.

Heat a small saucepan over medium low heat. Add butter and flour. Cook briefly to make a light roux. Add salt and peppers. Whisk in milk, garlic, and mustard. Cook sauce until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally to keep a skin from forming on the surface. Add about half of your shredded cheese, then turn off the heat.

Combine pasta and sauce in a baking dish. Top with remaining cheese and panko. Bake in oven until top is golden brown (I never really keep track, but I think this takes about 20 minutes or so). Let it sit for about 10 minutes before serving and eating.