Garlic Scape Pesto

Garlic Scape Pesto, originally uploaded by essgee51.

Loosely based on this recipe by Dorie Greenspan, this has been dubbed, alternately, "the devil's pesto" or "dragonbreath pesto." It's certainly tangy and garlicky, and it does linger. I love it, but just have to remember not to schedule meetings right after lunch.

• 10-14 garlic scapes, chopped (I also used a couple of the white blooms, which may have contributed to the intense garlic flavor)
• 1/3 c walnuts, chopped
• 1/3 c Parmesan cheese, grated
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 c extra virgin olive oil, more if you like

Put the scapes, walnuts, half of the cheese, a pinch of salt and half the olive oil in a food processer. Whir till blended, and until desired consistency is reached. Add more oil or cheese as necessary.

Meatloaf for Dinner!

Meatloaf for Dinner!, originally uploaded by essgee51.

We returned from Eastern Market with a bounty, including the makings of this dinner. The meatloaf recipe is based on Bittman's basic one, with changes (particularly more cheese, garlic and parsley) outlined below. It turned out to be delicious - tasty, juicy and perfect for a warm but still wintery evening. Note: Creates lots of drippings, which I'm sure we can figure out lots of delicious uses for.

• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs (used panko)
• 1 cup milk
• 2 lbs. meatloaf mix (they were out of pork, so equal parts veal and beef)
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/3 cup parsley, chopped
• 1 small carrot, minced
• 1 small onion, minced
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 lb. bacon (six slices - three in the original)

Preheat oven to 350.

Soak breadcrumbs in milk till liquid is absorbed, around 5 minutes.

Mix together all ingredients except the bacon. Shape meat into a loaf in a baking pan (we used John's cast-iron skillet), then drape the bacon over the loaf. Bake for 45-60 minutes, basting occasionally with the pan juices, till the meatloaf is firm, lightly browned and 160F.

Optional: put under the broiler for a minute or two to get a browner crust.

Chicken and Potato Pesto Salad

I'm ashamed to admit that this was our first Nats game of the season, but hey - they blew out the Mets (Espinosa even hit a grand slam, I think the first I've seen in this park) and we had a delicious picnic lunch. Pesto recipe modified from der Bittman's. I've included the chicken cooking here, though ideally this would be made with leftovers.

• 1.5 lbs. chicken thighs
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1/2 small onion
• 1 tsp. black peppercorns
• salt to taste

• 6 small potatoes, brushed (and peeled if you're so inclined) and cut into quarters

• 2 cups basil leaves, loosely packed
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tbsp. - will use more next time though)
• 2 tbsp. chopped walnuts (will try more next time)
• about 1/4 + 1/8 cup olive oil
• salt to taste (I ended up using about a heaping 1/4 tsp.)
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

If you aren't using leftover chicken, cook the thighs in water to cover with  garlic, onion, peppercorns and salt. When done(30-40 mins.), put the chicken in a bowl to cool; remove skin and shred chicken. Reserve chicken broth.

Cut potatoes into chunks and cook in the broth till done but still firm (8-12 minutes).

Combine basil, garlic, walnuts, 1/4 cup olive oil and salt in food processor. Pulse till saucy. Add more oil as necessary (I ended up using just another 2 tbsp. or so). Add cheese.

Toss chicken, potatoes and pesto till coated evenly. Adjust seasoning, then refrigerate.

Quick and Easy: Cannellini Beans with Cheese

From today's Mr. Bento. So simple and easy, yet so good.

• about 2 tsp. olive oil
• 1 plump clove garlic (about 1 tbsp.), minced
• 1/2 small onion (about 2 heaping tbsp.), minced
• 3-4 sprigs thyme leaves (about 1/2 tsp.), pulled from stems, plus more for garnish
• 1 15.5 oz. can cannellini beans
• Parmesan cheese to taste, grated (used about 2-3 tbsp.)
• salt and pepper to taste

Drain the beans and rinse them.

Put the olive oil in a small pan over medium heat. Saute garlic and onions till onions are soft and translucent, 3-5 minutes. Add thyme and stir around.

Add beans and cook till they're hot, about 5 minutes. Turn heat to medium-low, then grate cheese into the pot. Stir and cook for a few minutes more, then turn off heat and cover.

Garnish with thyme and serve (in my case, I had it for lunch the next day over rice).

Pasta and Pictures

I've got a miniature secret camera - well, more like a Canon Elph. Thanks, Tita Tessie and Uncle Dave! Now this blog will also be subject to my occasional clumsy attempts to learn how to photograph my food. While I obviously won't have a setup as fancy as Michael Ruhlman's, digital cameras are wonderfully forgiving, and it will be fun - for me, at least.

And now to the food. Last night I made a riff on this pasta with leek sauce recipe - olive oil instead of butter, added a minced anchovy and about 1/3 tsp. red pepper flakes with the garlic, skipped the cream and served with grated Parmesan. Below, an action shot!

The pasta was good, if a tad dry - John's mustardy carrots (not pictured) on the side helped, but in retrospect I should have used some of the pasta water and perhaps a bit more cheese. This morning, for breakfast, I fried some thin slices of Spam, reheated some pasta in the resulting oil, diced the meat and added it to the dish. Breakfast of - well, if not champions, stay-cationers, at least. It was more nutritious than my usual morning convenience fare: instant ramen, one of my longest-reigning comfort foods and guilty pleasures.

(Yes, I had some of it before remembering to take the picture.) Note that I least tried to health it up with a handful of greens, in addition to the usual scallions.

Linguini with Spinach, Butter and Cream

I had yet another 10 oz. bag of spinach to use up, so I decided to try this recipe (only in the first edition of Bittman). Came out pretty well, but why am I so resistant to learning that 1 lb. of pasta is a TON (figuratively, for sure) of food? Next time, I'll probably add more spinach or decrease the amount of pasta - just as I said I would in the last similar recipe I posted. Ah well.

• 10 oz. fresh spinach, washed, trimmed and roughly chopped
• 4 tbsp. butter
• salt and freshly-ground pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup heavy cream, light cream or half-and-half (used the latter)
• 1 lb. linguini (Bittman also recommends fettucini or spaghetti; I used whole wheat, though he didn't specify one way or another)
• 2-3 tbsp. pasta cooking water, reserved
• 1 cup freshly-grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for passing around (Bittman sticks with 1 cup total)
  

In a pasta pot-type piece of cookware, salt water and bring it to a boil. Add the pasta and cook till it's tender but firm.

Meanwhile, melt 2 tbsp. of the butter in a large skillet that can be covered. Add the spinach, along with salt and pepper to taste. Cover, reduce the heat and cook, stirring occasionally, till the spinach is very tender - about 10 min. Uncover, add the cream and cook gently for 5 minutes.

When the pasta's just about done, put the remaining 2 tbsp. of butter in a large, warm bowl. Add a couple of tbsp. of the cooking water. Drain the pasta and toss it with the butter and half the cheese.

Add the spinach sauce (After the step above, I tossed the pasta in the pan with the other half of the cheese - Bittman prefers reserving the extra 1/2 cup to pass at the table) and serve, passing around even more grated cheese.

Cheesy Catfish Chowder

So catfish was on sale at Peapod again. While I typically make catfish sinegang or Bittman's "Catfish Poached with Ginger and Soy Sauce," it was time to branch out. To the internet! And behold - this recipe (via Allrecipes.com) came to light. Did I have everything? Close enough. A search through the fridge produced a few stalks of limp celery and a half-bag of forlorn, drying carrots; an IM sent across the hall revealed both a baking potato and a large container of cow juice that I could borrow. Thus came about my first attempt at a milk-based soup - the version below incorporates my modifications.

• 2 tbsp. butter
• 1 medium onion, diced (about 1 cup; more is fine)
  
• 1/2 cup diced celery
• 1 cup diced carrots
  
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 large baking potato, cut into 1/2-3/4 in. cubes
  
• 3 cups whole milk, divided
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1 tsp. celery salt
• 1 tsp. salt + more to taste (used maybe 1-1/4 tsp. total)
  
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
  
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper + more to taste (used maybe 3/4 tsp. total)
  
• 1 bay leaf
  
• 1- 1/2 lbs. catfish fillets, cut into 1 inch pieces
• about 1 cup grated cheese (this time I used a mix of Parmesan and Parmigiano-Reggiano)
  

In a Dutch oven over medium heat, melt butter and saute onions, carrots and celery for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, till the vegetables soften a bit.

Add potatoes. Cook 10 or so minutes, so vegetables are soft but still firm.

In a small bowl, whisk the flour into 1-1/2 cups of milk. Add to Dutch oven and mix.

Add the rest of the milk, the salt, celery salt, pepper and cayenne pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture thickens - maybe 5-7 minutes. Taste and correct seasoning.

Add catfish. Cook another 5 or so minutes till fish flakes easily on a fork but isn't overdone.

Stir in cheese; cook another minute or so, then turn off heat. Serve with more grated cheese, if you like.

NOTE: This came out wonderfully - vegetables were cooked through but not mushy; the catfish was moist and soft and chewy. A bowl apiece is more than enough dinner for myself, John and Bradley; the rest is currently cooling on my counter.