Butter + leeks = delicious: Scallops with Melted Leeks and Egg Noodles

A recent dinner out brought home a new cooking technique for us—“melting” leeks by cooking them slowly in butter. They’re a sweet complement to sautéed scallops and pasta. Recipe below.

We’ve used leeks any number of ways here. Sautéed, puréed in soups, braised with duck legs, baked into tarts and quiches, even cooked almost whole as a side dish. But melted?

That’s how they were served with a nicely cooked piece of halibut when we ate at Frontier in Chicago’s West Town neighborhood recently. As delicious as the fish was on its own, the melted leeks took it to a whole new place. We knew we’d be trying something with them here soon. Continue reading “Butter + leeks = delicious: Scallops with Melted Leeks and Egg Noodles” →

Cookware test drive: Pan Seared Lamb Chops with Lemon Caper Sage Butter

Quick, elegant and springlike—pan seared lamb chops are topped with a bright, buttery sauce with capers, sage and lemon zest. Recipe below.

The mishmash of pots and pans in our kitchen reflects our eclectic approach to cooking. It’s a mix of old and new, cool and utilitarian, from our cherished and recently retinned French copper pots to our Staub enameled cast iron La Cocotte (also French, also cherished), a workhorse of a lidded sauté pan that sees almost daily use and a rotating supply of cheap nonstick skillets that we replace every couple of years as they wear out. Continue reading “Cookware test drive: Pan Seared Lamb Chops with Lemon Caper Sage Butter” →

Small Bites: Growing new farmers and the Beard Foundation celebrates the “Best of the Best”

Stone Barns Center’s efforts to mentor young farmers and a new cookbook celebrating winners of the James Beard Foundation’s annual Outstanding Chef Award are the subjects of recent USA Character Approved Blog posts.

How you gonna keep them down on the farm? As America’s population of farmers ages, this question is keeping some food producers—and consumers—awake nights. The average age of American farmers is now 57. In Medium Raw, Anthony Bourdain makes the point that even if we “bring monstrously evil agribusinesses” to their knees and free up “vast tracts of arable land for small, seasonal, sustainable farming,” we don’t have enough people actually willing to farm. The Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture is working to change that. Continue reading “Small Bites: Growing new farmers and the Beard Foundation celebrates the “Best of the Best”” →

Quick comfort: Meat and potatoes (and kale)

Nutrient-rich kale and turkey sausage give Braised Kale with Potatoes and Sausage a lighter, healthier touch while keeping it totally in the comfort food category. Recipe below.

Looking back over recent posts, I noticed a distinct lack of meat-and-potatoes, stick-to-your-ribs food. In fact, the entire month of March had somehow been, if not meat-free, then certainly meat light. So a return of seasonably chilly, windy weather had me thinking meat-and-potatoes comfort food. Happily, a big bunch of kale in the fridge gave me an idea for taking it in a healthy direction too.

Kale is a nutritional powerhouse. The winter vegetable is excellent source of cancer-fighting antioxidant vitamins A, C and K. Kale is also rich in lutein and zeaxanthin compounds, both good for eye health, and a good source of minerals. It’s high in fiber too and can help lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease. Continue reading “Quick comfort: Meat and potatoes (and kale)” →

East meets Eastern Europe: Pierogi made with wonton wrappers

Purchased wonton wrappers make these Pork and Sweet Potato Pierogi (left) and Apple and Goat Cheese Pierogi quicker to assemble and deliciously light and crispy. Recipes below.

Marion grew up eating pierogi. I had never heard of them until we met. So this week, I’m turning the kitchen over to her, so she can share her modern take on these delicious dumplings.

What culture does not approve of a stuffed dumpling? Shiu mai, won ton, mandu, maultaschen, pelmeni, gyoza. Buuz. Apple dumplings. Ravioli. As Alan Davidson says, “A dumpling is a food with few, indeed no, social pretensions, and of such simplicity that it may plausibly be supposed to have evolved independently in the peasant cuisines of various parts of Europe and probably in other parts of the world too.”

For me, the heart of the matter is pierogi. My mother’s pierogi were wonderful—the dough just right, light and thin and not too gluey or grossly thick, and always filled with the classics: Plain mashed potato; cooked, drained ground beef; and, in summer, blueberries. She served them with a little melted butter and a spoonful of sour cream, and it was heaven. I never had that great Polish-American variation, the pierog with potato and cheddar filling, until I moved to Chicago, but I think my mother would have approved. Continue reading “East meets Eastern Europe: Pierogi made with wonton wrappers” →

Small Bites: Fight climate change in the dark and alternative spring breaks

Turn out the lights this Saturday night for Earth Hour. And students spending their spring breaks fighting hunger and supporting sustainable food are the subject of my latest USA Character Approved Blog post.

In 2007, 2.2 million people and more than 2,000 businesses in Sydney, Australia turned off their lights for one hour, marking the first Earth Hour. Last year, more than 5,200 cities and towns in 135 countries worldwide switched off their lights, sending a powerful message for action on climate change. It also marked the start of something new—going Beyond the Hour to commit to lasting action on climate change.

Earth Hour is organized by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), one of the world’s largest and most respected independent conservation organizations. WWF’s mission is to stop the degradation of the Earth’s natural environment and encourage people to live in harmony with nature. Continue reading “Small Bites: Fight climate change in the dark and alternative spring breaks” →

A delicate balance of New England shellfish, world flavors: Curried Mussels with Cilantro

Curry powder, garlic, shallots, coconut milk, wine and cilantro blend into a surprisingly delicate broth for steamed mussels. Recipe below.

One of the things I love about cooking is the prep work, getting everything chopped, minced, measured and ready to go. I still remember the first time, years ago, that I did a proper mise en place, organizing everything I would need before turning on the flame under the pan. Seeing the five or six little bowls of ingredients lined up on the counter, I could tell I had taken a step forward in my cooking.

An added bonus of doing the prep work, certainly with this dish, is all the wonderful aromas that take over. Garlic, shallot, cilantro, the lemongrass as you smash it with the side of the knife, the curry powder as you spoon it into a waiting ramekin… Their fragrances come in waves as you work, layering together and hinting at the flavors you’ll soon be enjoying. Continue reading “A delicate balance of New England shellfish, world flavors: Curried Mussels with Cilantro” →

Small Bites: Pressure cookers rehabilitated and a fruitful life in food

Modern, non-exploding (and even programmable) pressure cookers and celebrating Women’s History Month with the woman who launched Julia Child’s career are the subjects of recent USA Character Approved Blog posts.

My mom had a pressure cooker. She loved it. But for the rest of us, it was kind of like having Mt. Vesuvius in your kitchen. You didn’t know when it was going to blow, but you knew it would be bad. More than once, I remember my mom cleaning stew or pot roast or something off the kitchen ceiling. She took it in stride. Mom took lots of stuff in stride, as I recall.

Still, I have to think she’d love the new generation of pressure cookers. They’re just as efficient at cooking foods up to 70 percent faster and don’t involve as much potential drama. Find out more about these classic timesavers made safe in my latest post on the USA Character Approved Blog. Continue reading “Small Bites: Pressure cookers rehabilitated and a fruitful life in food” →

Simply impressive starter: Sautéed Belgian Endive with Bacon and Goat Cheese

Elegant looks and sophisticated flavors make this surprisingly simple first course a fun way to kick off dinner. Recipe below.

I often say that inspiration for a recipe can come from just about anywhere. But two ideas from a single source is a rare piece of luck. The same informal dinner party that sparked last week’s dessert of sautéed pears with thyme and ice cream was also responsible for this easy, elegant starter.

That meal had started with my never fail endive salad with blue cheese and pecans. As many times as I’ve served this shared dish, no one has ever just taken a single polite bite and then leaned back to let others finish it. To a person, every diner has remained, shall we say, engaged until the plate was clean. Finally, I decided it was time to find another way to use Belgian endive. Continue reading “Simply impressive starter: Sautéed Belgian Endive with Bacon and Goat Cheese” →

Fruit as the dessert course: Sautéed Pears with Thyme and Ice Cream

Pear slices sautéed with butter and fresh thyme and topped with ice cream and lemon zest create a fresh, decadent dessert. Recipe below.

Sometimes, dinner parties can be all glossy and elaborate, with candlelight, multiple extravagant courses and multiple opportunities to overindulge. And while this dessert would hold its own in that setting, it came out of the other kind of dinner party. The over-the-top informal kind that can only be shared with really old friends—and that is every bit as much fun.

We spent Sunday afternoon wandering around the Art Institute of Chicago’s Modern Wing with our friend Casey. We’ve known her longer than we’ve known our own daughters, so when we got back to our apartment, we were totally comfortable convening in the kitchen to throw together a simple dinner. Continue reading “Fruit as the dessert course: Sautéed Pears with Thyme and Ice Cream” →