Curry Roasted Cauliflower with Crispy Chickpeas

I started messing around with different cauliflower recipes a couple of years ago, but the two I continue to go back two are either mashed (a favorite in Kyle’s family) or roasted. Roasted cauliflower is so simple and is ready quickly, which makes it perfect for any weeknight or a quick snack. Normally I just break apart a head a cauliflower, toss with a little salt, pepper and olive oil and roast off in the oven for half an hour or so. I love the way it gets crispy, but retains most of its shape, and is great for dipping. I’ve been on a curry kick for the past year or so, and I’ll usually make a quick curry dipping sauce (as in spicy curry powder and mayo or sour cream) to go alongside.

While tooling around on Epicurious I stumbled over a recipe for Spice-Roasted Chickpeas that really spoke to me. I am a huge fan of chickpeas in almost any application. My one grievance is on occasion they tend to get really soggy if out on a salad bar. I love the creamy texture of hummus, and the crunch of roasted wasabi peas, and spice roasted garbanzos sounded like the perfect middleman.

I started thinking about ways to roast the chickpeas and cauliflower together, and the end result was a mutant dish with so much flavor, I had to restrain myself from not eating it all in one sitting. Mixing the curry powder in with the oil gave the dish a lovely bright color, and helped spread the seasoning evenly over all components. The pine nuts were a last minute gamble, and I loved the secondary crunch they brought in addition to the chickpeas.

I ended up serving this alongside some outstanding striped bass Ky provided for dinner with a friend, and the combination was a knockout. Kyle had originally told me we had might have a last minute addition to dinner, and concerned that we wouldn’t have enough of the side, I par boiled off a couple of red potatoes and tossed in with the cauliflower-chickpea mixture (I had roasted it off the night before with plans to heat before dinner), and it was a great addition and budget friendly way to stretch the dish. I will for sure be making this on a pretty regular basis- no lie, I have the fixins in the apartment now, and plan on whipping it up over the weekend. My only point of caution would be to make sure that your chickpeas are as dry as humanly possible- drained in a colander after rinsing and pressed between two kitchen towels seemed to do the trick. Just make sure you have a good size batch made up, as it will develop legs quickly!

Curry Roasted Cauliflower with Crispy Chickpeas (morphed from here and here on Epicurious)

- 2 lbs. Cauliflower, stemmed & broken into florets
- 15oz. can Chickpeas, rinsed, drained & well dried
- ¼ - ½ Cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tspn. Cayenne pepper
- 2 Cloves garlic, well minced
- 4 tbspn. Pine nuts
- 3(ish) tbspns. Spicy curry powder
- 2 tspn. Hungarian hot paprika (optional)
- Sea salt & fresh cracked pepper to taste
- Handful fresh cilantro, chopped

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a large bowl, mix olive oil, pine nuts, garlic & all spices until well combined. Toss cauliflower & chickpeas with oil to coat and season with salt & pepper to taste. Spread evenly onto high lipped sheet pan in one layer. Roast off in oven for 35-25 minutes, until cauliflower is well browned & chickpeas are crispy. Stir occasionally throughout roasting time. Remove from oven, let cool for a few minutes & transfer to a large serving bowl. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro and serve warm or at room temperature. Great as a side, over greens or as a snack.

Portuguese Kale Soup

In line with my recent ode to fall over on The Humble Home, I was really looking forward to making soup last Sunday. Due to circumstances unforeseen (ahem, having way too much fun hanging out with friends in Boston drinking margaritas & watching stand-up), it was pushed back to Monday, which worked out well since my beloved Patriots were on MNF, and I had plenty of time to prep my soup so I could enjoy it while watching the lads “Squish the Fish”- which they did a hell of a job with in the second half!

Soup is an all time favorite food, a tradition that started with my childhood and continues through today. Kyle and I are big soup fans, and it is a great way to stretch ingredients to get more bang for your buck. Traditionally, most of the soups that I make have pretty humble roots- fish chowders, Hungarian mushroom, beef barley, and the likes all started as ways to feed a crowd on the cheap with whatever was on hand. I’ve always enjoyed sampling the local foods when living in different parts of the country, and the local soups are usually a pretty good example of the flavors and culture of a region. Most of the recipes I’ve picked up along the way come from working in kitchens and restaurants- while working as a lunch chef in the Virgin Islands, I picked up a great recipe for Caribbean Black Bean soup, my chowder recipe stems from my days in the kitchen at The Chowder House, Maryland Cream of Crab came from friends on the Eastern Shore, and while serving at a sushi bar in Colorado, I picked up a fantastic recipe for Mexican Tortilla soup from the immigrant workers in the kitchen.

Living in Rhode Island, I’ve started to pick up on the flavors that dominate the area around here, primarily influenced by the Portuguese culture. While I concede to not having a lot of knowledge about Portugal and the culture, I am really digging their food! Fried calamari is served with banana pepper rings, seafood chowders gain a little spice and a lovely pink tone from chorizo and fresh meats are slow simmered in wine and spices. One item I keep seeing pop up on local menus is Portuguese Kale Soup. I’ve tried it at a couple of places, and the flavors are wonderful and comforting- stewed kale, soft potatoes and onions and a little kick from the spicy sausage- all the makings for an ideal fall soup.

I started my quest for an authentic kale soup recipe online and found a lot of variations, each with their appeals. Most of the reviews offered up variations, as with many cultural foods, everyone’s mother or grandmother has their own spin on the ingredients. Building off of one recipe that seemed to have the basics down, I asked a couple of the Portuguese guys I worked with for their take. Much like the online comments, each had their own spin. With recommendations and a basic recipe in hand, I stopped by the store, picked up the components and a loaf of take & bake bread and headed home to get to work.

The end result was a wonderfully satisfying soup that wasn’t overly heavy, but can keep you full all evening or afternoon. Up until recently, kale has been a relatively underutilized green, and I am happy to see it making a resurgence in the food blogging and restaurant communities. It holds up well to the slightly spicy nature of the sausage, and doesn’t fall apart even after a couple of days in the stock. I made a huge batch, but have halved it so as to be a little more manageable. This soup will most certainly be in heavy rotation on my list, and is a welcome departure for the standard chicken noodle as a quick go-to one pot dinner.

PORTUGUESE KALE SOUP (adapted from cooks.com)

- 1lb. Fresh kale, well washed, stems removed, torn into pieces
-1 Large Vidalia onion, Frenched or julienned
-4 Large red skinned potatoes, diced large
-1 lb. Linguica loose or diced if in links (Chorizo works well)
-6-8 Cups chicken or pork broth (more or less, depending on how “soupy” you want the finished product to be)
- 4 tblspns. Olive oil
-3 large garlic cloves, minced
-1 Can Cannelloni beans, rinsed & drained
-1-2 Bay leaves
-1 hot pepper, seeded (I used a good sized Fresno)
-1 tspn. Smoked paprika
-Sea salt & fresh cracked pepper

In a large soup or stock pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add in onions and linguica and cook, stirring occasional for 10 minutes or until onions turn translucent and sausage begins to breakdown. Add minced onion & continue to cook for an additional 5 minutes. Add in potatoes, hot pepper, bay leaves, paprika, a little salt & pepper, stir well to combine, continue cooking for another 10 or so minutes until potatoes soften slightly (see note). Add in broth and turn heat to medium-high, and continue cooking until at a low boil. Add in torn kale a handful at a time, stirring in to wilt. Once all kale has been incorporated, simmer additional 10 minutes. Add in Cannelloni beans, season with salt & pepper to taste, and simmer for 5 more minutes. Serve hot with crusty bread.

Note: A great trick I picked up from making industrial batches of chowder while working at The Chowder House- when building your soup base, allow potatoes, onions and other components to hang out together for a couple of minutes before introducing liquids. Doing this will coat your potatoes and onions with the spices being used (as well as the delicious flavored fat from the sausage), which in the long run will infuse the veggies with more flavor, and make for a more cohesive finished soup.

German Potato Salad

(yep, camera still out of comission- thanks again Crackberry)

Some days, you just need a little bacon grease.

On the whole, I pride myself on doing my best to eat well and keep my desire to indulge in check. I actually enjoy a good workout, run or long walk with Kyle. But some days you just have to tell the health nut on your shoulder to take a hike.

Due to the offshore effects of one of the recent tropical storms, Ky’s ship ended up back at the docks for a few days last week while they waited for a better weather window. I was happy to have a couple of extra days with him, as we are on the cusp of deciding where to request for his next assignment. It is a big deal not only for his career, but the future of mine as well (more to come on that later). It’s a pretty big topic to take on, deciding where you want to spend the next three years of your life, and such big choices need big, comforting flavors. Our go-to on a cold night has always been German food. Very early on in my kitchen adventures, I used to make a casserole similar to this dish, and the potato salad recipe has been evolving over the past 20 years or so as a result.

Growing up, Kyle spent many hours helping out at a close family friend’s restaurant in downtown Brunswick, Richard’s. Richard himself is from Germany, and his dishes are beyond comforting. While helping out, the boys were always given a bite to eat, which commonly came in the form of stewed red cabbage, since there were at least a couple of them underfoot, and cabbage was inexpensive. From this, Ky has a wonderful stewed red cabbage recipe that I absolutely love, and am still working on convincing him to write down so I can post it. It’s such a perfect cold night dish, and it only gets better if left to come together overnight.

When we lived in Annapolis, there was a wonderful German restaurant we would sneak away to down in Edgewater called The Old Stein Inn. The beers were cold, the food thoughtfully made, and if you caught it on a warm summer night, there would be a live accordion player strolling through the beer garden out back (and you would gladly shell out $10 for her CD after a couple of pints!). Through all of these various experiences with some of our favorite German haunts, we’ve thrown together our own little routine for our German night- both of us standing over our respective bubbling pots, sautéing onions, having a beer or two while we talk and cook, the whole apartment smelling like apple cider vinegar and bacon- pure heaven.

It goes without saying that this is probably not a menu that you would want to eat everyday while trying to be health-conscious. But that’s what makes it all the more special- a compilation of dishes that are not only delicious, but spark memories of past dining experiences, and bring a little comfort at exactly the time when you need it.

(Footnote: the discussion was awesome, we are a united front on our hopeful next destination, and updates soon to follow when we get confirmation!)

Hot German Potato Salad

-6-8 Large red skinned potatoes (I used Irish Reds), cleaned, halved and sliced into even ½ circles
- 4-5 Slices thick cut bacon, diced
- ¼ Sweet Vidalia onion, diced
- ¼ +/- Cup all purpose flour
- ¼ +/- Cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ (ish) Cup water
- Sea salt & fresh cracked pepper
-Handful flat leaf parsley, chopped

In a large Dutch oven, heat salted water & cook potatoes until just fork tender, about 10-15 minutes, depending on thickness of slices. Drain in colander & set aside. Wipe out Dutch oven and heat over medium heat. Once to temp, add in diced bacon and cook, stirring frequently, until crisp. Remove with slotted spoon & drain on paper towels. Turn heat down to medium-low and add onions to bacon grease, cooking until translucent, about 10 minutes. Season onions lightly with salt & pepper. Add in enough flour to make a moderately thick roux (about the consistency of heavy cake batter), and continue cooking another 5-7 minutes, until flour has cooked out, turned golden brown and thickened a bit more. Add in cider vinegar a little at a time to loosen the roux, use a little more or less than called for, depending on consistency, and use water to thin to consistency of hollandaise sauce (overuse of vinegar can overpower the salad). Stir in potatoes, parsley & reserved bacon until potatoes are well coated. Serve while still warm. Salad can be made up to an hour or two in advance and be kept covered in a low set oven. Stir well before serving, and add bacon just before serving to keep crisp. This salad is best friends with a couple of good quality brauts, a little whole grain mustard, a pile of kraut and a pile of buttered spaetzle, and good friends should never be separated...

A Provencial Evening

A few weeks back, Kyle’s mom and stepfather came to visit our new digs for the first time while on their way down to New Jersey. It was awesome to finally be able to show them our little treehouse, and I was excited to cook them a family meal. Kyle’s stepfather Don had is recently on the backside of heart surgery, so and I wanted to take a classic dish I had done a few times before and give it a more healthy, heart friendly spin. I made a Coq Au Vin, which I had started the night before, and it turned out beautifully. Due to the way my memory works, I’m providing my standard instructions for the dish, but for a more heart-healthy version I used 50% boneless, skinless chicken breasts and 50% bone-in chicken thighs (trimming out all of the fat and leaving just a little skin on for flavor), reduced sodium/low fat chicken stock, whole wheat flour, natural sea salt, minimal olive oil, and a small amount of turkey bacon. Instead of serving it over buttered mashed potatoes (as I am usually inclined to do) or wide egg noodles, I served the chicken over yolk-free whole wheat noodles for an added boost of good grains. The noodles were a great accompaniment, and starting the Coq t he night before made all the difference in making a very rich dish that tasted more guilty than it was, and was enjoyed a by all.
This recipe has been drawn out of a couple of collaborators (namely Bon Appetite, The Silver Palate and my mother), and once again covers all of my bases for great entertaining: wonderful rustic flavors, easily made before hand and can be done all in one pot. I had good intentions of taking photos before we ate, but we were so wrapped up in catching up and having a great evening (not to mention enjoying a pitcher of my husband’s renowned Margaritas!), that I didn’t get around to it until the next day while enjoying leftovers, which I am happy to report were just as good the first time around!

Coq Au Vin

-1 4lb. Whole chicken, cut into 6-8 pieces, excess fat removed (leave some for flavor!)
-4-5 Slices of thick sliced bacon chopped (the fresh sliced found at most deli counters is best)
-20 Baby carrots, sliced in half, or 4 large carrots cut into similar sized pieces
-2 Cloves of garlic, minced
-1 Shallot, minced
- 1 ½ -2 cups pearl onion (see note on peeling technique below)
-12-14 Crimini mushrooms, wiped clean & quartered
-3/4- 1 cup good chicken stock
-1 Bottle French red wine (if you like your sauce a bit sweeter, you can also add in some Congac)
-1 ½ cups flour
-2 Bay leaves
-2-3 Sprigs fresh thyme
- ½ tblspn poultry seasoning
-Olive oil
-Fresh cracked pepper & sea salt
-Chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

As mentioned before, this dish is best when it is started the night before, so that the flavors can really come together. As an added bonus, you won’t be busy cooking the whole time guests are there- just simply re-heat and you are ready!

Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in the bottom of a large pot or Dutch oven (large enough to hold all ingredients) over medium heat. Once to temp, add in bacon and cook until crisp, stirring occasionally so as not to burn. While cooking bacon, toss flour into a large paper bag and season salt & pepper and poultry season, and shake to mix. Add in chicken pieces, close tightly and shake well to coat chicken. When bacon is cooked, remove from pot with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel. Increase heat slightly to medium-high. Brown chicken in batches in reserved bacon fat/olive oil on each side for 5-6 minutes- be sure not to overcrowd pieces or proper browning won’t be achieved. Remove cooked pieces from the pot and set aside on a plate. Continue process until all chicken is cooked, and be careful to watch your temperature control- you don’t want to burn the exterior of the chicken, or the pieces of flour and fat in the bottom of the pan- that’s where a lot of the flavor for your sauce resides. You may have to mess with your temp settings a bit, depending on your range to maintain an even heat, as well as adding a bit more oil to keep chicken from sticking and burning- use your best judgment.

Return heat to medium, and add in mushrooms, carrots and onions. Sautee vegetables until they begin to soften, about 7 minutes. Add in garlic, shallots, bay leaves and thyme sprigs and continue cooking for 2-3 more minutes until the mixture becomes aromatic and season with salt & pepper. Sprinkle 1-2 tablespoons of flour over vegetables and stir to coat well, cooking for a few more minutes to cook out any “raw” flour flavor. Pour in 1/3 of the wine, increase heat a bit and stir to deglaze the bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook mixture for 10-15 minutes or so stirring occasionally until sauce begins to thicken a bit. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Add in reserved chicken, bacon, and wine- stir to coat chicken. Add in chicken stock to your discretion to achieve a proper consistency (shouldn’t be as heavy as a gravy, but sauce should have some good body). Bring pot to a full boil, stirring for about 10 minutes. Cover pot and transfer to heated oven and let sit for as long as possible (I would recommend 1 ½ to 2 hours) to meld flavors. Remove from oven, let cool completely, check and adjust salt & pepper seasoning and transfer entire pot to refrigerator overnight. About an hour or two before serving, reheat either on stove top over medium heat or in 350 degree oven until heated all the way though. Once re-heated, the dish can stay in a low oven or on a low burner setting until ready to serve. Serve over simple mashed potatoes and garnish with fresh chopped parsley.

*A note on peeling pearl onions- Anyone who has been saddled with the chore of peeling pearl onions knows that it can be a royal pain, often resulting in eye strain, frustration and the assistance of a stiff martini. I don’t remember exactly where I picked up this tip, but it is the easiest way to get the little stinkers out of their jackets without resorting to the frozen bagged variety. In a tea kettle or pot, bring 4 cups of water to a rolling boil. While water is boiling, you can take the tops off of the onions if you wish, or leave them intact for later removal, and place onions in a heat proof dish and pour boiling water over. Let sit in water for about 1 minute. Drain onions quickly and plunge into an ice bath to shock. Once cooled, the onion skins should slide right off, and they will still retain their integrity, and you won’t be chasing tiny onion skins around your kitchen floor for days to come.

Chicken Thigh

A Rainy Night in Newport...

I admit that I have been a bit lax on posting as of recent- it has been crazy busy in my little world. Between hectic office hours, trying to get my fitness routine back on track and house weekend house guest fun, I have fallen behind in my updates. I’m hoping to get back on track this week and get some of the back logged articles and recipes up, so bear with me as I get back in the swing (thanks for the gentle reminder, Carolyn!).

This past weekend, Kyle’s brother Brandon and his wife Ugne came for a visit from Boston. It was wonderful to host family, and we always seem to have a great time when we get together. The weather was pretty unfriendly, and this combined with the fact that it was Newport’s St. Patrick’s Day celebration, we were all easily convinced to stay in, eat, drink and be merry. Not that I don’t love celebrating the High Holy Day of Obligation, but something about the combination of wet, cold, drunk hooligans was not particularly appealing.

Drinks and an Antipasti platter before dinner, even Ninja Kitties had a good time!

I had been working on the boatbuilding text at the library in the afternoon before Kyle, Brandon & Ugne came down to pick me up and we settled in for the night. Wine was poured, snacks were laid out and after a little relaxing, I got to work in the kitchen. Kyle and I had recently gone to Norey’s, a fabulous beer & wine bar just down the street on Broadway, and I had their AMAZING mussels, so I did my best to re-create the flavors with a couple of my own touches. There is an outstanding seafood market here in town- Anthony’s (http://www.anthonysseafood.net/), and we swung by in the morning to pick up some fresh treats. I went with a selection of PEI mussels, local littleneck clams and fresh monkfish and the combination was beautiful. Kyle also picked out four of the regional treats known as “Stuffies” (Quahog shells stuffed with seafood stuffing and a little spice kick) and they were an ideal and easy starter.

The meal was outstanding, the company engaging and the wine flowed freely. It was a wonderful weekend, and the perfect meal for a night spent in with family and storytelling on a cold March night. The recipe easily serves four very hungry diners, and can be adjusted depending on the size of your crowd. It is similar to the Frogmore Stew recipe, but is a bit more elegant in its ingredients, and a much different flavor profile. Thanks to Brandon and Ugne for the photos!

Mussels, Littlenecks and Monkfish in Tomato-Basil Broth

- 2 lbs. fresh mussels, scrubbed & debearded
- 2 lbs. fresh littleneck clams, scrubbed
- 1 lb. fresh monkfish filets, cut into chunks
- 1 lb. smoked (or Italian) sausage, cut into chunks
- 1 shallot, minced
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 pint heirloom cherry tomatoes, quartered
- 7-9 crimini mushrooms, sliced
- 1 bottle good Belgian style beer (Sam Adams Noble Pils!)
- 1 ½ cups Sauvignon Blanc, or other dry white wine
- 16 oz. crushed tomatoes
- ¾ cup light cream
- 6-7 fresh basil leaves, cut into ribbons
- ¾ cup of fresh shaved parmesan
- Sea salt & fresh cracked pepper
- Olive oil
- Crusty bread (cibatta or boule) for dipping

In a large, wide stock pot, heat 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add in shallots and garlic to sweat and soften for a few minutes. Add in sausage and sauté until it begins to brown. After a few minutes, add in tomatoes, mushrooms, salt and pepper, and continue to cook for about 5-7 minutes, or until all components begin to soften and meld flavors. Turn heat up to high, and add in the wine, beer and half of basil ribbons, cover and bring to a rolling boil (depending on how much seafood you have, you may need to add a little water as well- approx ½ to ¾ cup). Add in the mussels and clams (hold off on monkfish), and give the whole pot a good stir with a hearty slotted spoon to mix all ingredients together. Cover and keep a watchful eye. Every couple of minute, give the pot a good shake and stir the shellfish up- this will keep cooking time relatively even. After approx 10 -12 minutes, shells should begin to open. Using a large slotted spoon, remove shellfish from the pot (no worries if you remove other ingredients with the shellfish) and transfer to a large serving dish and place in a warm (not hot!) oven. Take stovetop temp down to medium and add in tomato puree. Once hot, add in monkfish chunks and cook through, about 5 minutes. Stir in cream and let heat through. Pour broth and cooked monkfish over mussels and clams, top with second half of basil and parmesan, and serve immediately with lemon wedges, a fresh green herb salad and lots of crusty bread for sopping up the broth- or in our case lots of big spoons as well!

Mussel

Frogmore Stew

For those of you that are fans of the 90's sketch show The State, no, this does not have anything to do with Froggy Jamboree in a kiddie pool (and for those of you that have no idea what I'm talking about, never mind). In any event, this is one of my favorite simple meals. It's easy (one pot!), it's relaxed, and there's not a whole lot of technical work to prep it. It is definitely the kind of supper made for flannel shirts, old jeans and flip flops, and usually a good amount of story telling and beer, two of my favorite activities during meal time. Throw on some good classic soul music, and you've got a perfect night!

This is very similar to a low country boil which is popular in South Carolina and Georgia, with some slight alterations. It's a great dish to serve for a casual dinner party- I line the table w/ newspaper, put out a big roll of paper towels, a bunch of seafood picks, shell bowls and lots of cold good beer. Especially awesome if it's a warm enough night to eat outside!

Frogmore Stew

-2lbs. any combination of shrimp, clams*, mussels*, haddock, crab claws, or any firm fish that is fresh
-1lb. spicy cased sausage such as andouille, chorizo or linguisa cut into 2" pieces
-1/2 to 3/4lbs. small red potatoes halved
-2-3 sweet onions, quartered
-3 cloves of garlic, minced
-3-4 ears of corn, broken in half
-6-8oz. of decent beer (Newcastle, or Shipyard Export if you can get your hands on it!)
-Old Bay (lots, maybe 1/2 a cup or so? Adjust to your taste)
-Couple of shakes of hot sauce, to your taste
-Crusty loaf of french bread, toasted

Clean seafood accordingly (mussels/clams scrubbed and de-bearded and any with broken shells discarded, fish cut into 2" chunks, shrimp de-veined, etc.). In a large, wide pot lightly sautee garlic & sausage in a little olive oil (1 tbspn or so) until fat starts to render out of sausage and garlic is lightly colored. Add a large amount of water (enough to cover all ingredients once added, but not drown!), beer, hot sauce and Old Bay and bring to a boil. Toss in potatoes and cook for about 10 minutes. Add onion, cook another 10. Throw in corn and cook for 5 more minutes. Give the pot a stir and add in seafood, and keep a weather eye on it. If cooking a mixture of seafood, start with shellfish, add in whitefish and finish off with shrimp, with a few minutes in between each add in. When cooked clams & mussels will open naturally (discard any that do not open), fish will be opaque and shrimp will be curled and pink (about 6-12 minutes depending on what fish you use). Be careful not to overcook, otherwise seafood will turn rubbery. Serve family style out of the pot in the middle of the table with lots of bread for dipping.

-I also usually serve mine with a mustard-mayo dipping sauce with minced garlic & fresh parsley and lemon wedges, other great options are drawn butter or cocktail sauce.

*A note on selecting shellfish: When choosing fresh shellfish, have a chat w/ your fish monger to see what is fresh. Whenever possible, select those that are loose, not pre-bagged, as they are usually more fresh. To make sure that they are still alive and edible, tap the outside of the shell. If shellfish reacts & closes its shell, you're good to go.