by rivka
on April 26, 2010
NDP was out of pocket this weekend. After a few very long weeks at work and some serious head-down time, we packed out bags and headed for the lake with some of our all-time favorite people. The goal of the weekend? Simple. Relax.
And relax we did. PJs and yoga pants were worn, and slippers, too. Beds were warmed, eyes were closed, sleep was had. Movies were watched. Games were played (Taboo and Settlers of Catan, our two favorites).
And of course, stomachs were very, very full.
We’re back now, and recharged for the week to come.
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by rivka
on April 21, 2010
The Dupont Circle farmers’ market has a bread stand. They make all sorts of bread, from tangy sourdough to crusty boule to grainy raisin walnut and beyond. The line to buy bread at the market starts forming around 8:30, and by 9am, it’s pretty darn long. People spend 30 minutes just waiting in that line. I think it’s kind of crazy.
Don’t get me wrong, the bread is good. And in summer, when our apartment is about 100 degrees hotter than the temperature outdoors, I want my oven blasting on 450 for a couple hours about as much as I’d like to climb inside and sit for a while. But pretty much every week of fall, winter, and spring, I make my own bread. I really don’t understand why, when there’s perfectly good flour in my pantry and fine water flowing from the tap, I’d give up the pleasure of making my own bread dough. It’s tacky, stretchy, sticky, and smells alive. I love dough.
Take, for instance, this struan, a seemingly modest loaf that’s got as much other stuff (cornmeal, oats, yogurt, molasses) as it’s got flour and water. Struan is happy bread. It somehow manages to be rich and still wholesome. And it makes what quite simply is the best piece of toast I’ve ever had.
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by rivka
on April 16, 2010
I’ve been going on about spring now for a couple weeks. While I could do without the watery eyes and runny nose, I think these months are my favorite of the whole year. The earth is waking up from its nap; everything’s in bloom, the produce is killer, and the markets are (my oh my!) very, very crowded.
It only makes sense, given my nonstop chatter about the end of winter, that I’d get a sudden and powerful molasses craving in the middle of April. It was undeniable: peas and asparagus be damned, this lady wanted ginger snaps.
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by rivka
on April 13, 2010
Here’s a little something about me: I work in healthcare. Food is my hobby, my one love, but it’s not, eh, my bread and butter. What actually pays the bills is doing research about healthcare reform. So you can imagine that with the passage of the new law, my professional life has jolted into high gear, and I’ve been workin’ my little tuchus off like never before. Truthfully, work has been amazing lately. It’s invigorating and empowering to work on something so relevant, so current, and so important. But it’s definitely meant less time for the things and people I love. While I’ve tried to keep afloat posting new recipes, I probably haven’t been as frequent a visitor to this space as I wish I could. I hope my posts haven’t been too sparse; hopefully, things will calm down around mid-May, and I’ll be back in the kitchen like it’s my (dream-)job.
Meanwhile, let’s talk about these awesome scones I made this weekend. I’ll even share my foolproof trick for making scone dough, because I like y’all so much. That and more, after the jump.
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by rivka
on April 10, 2010
At this point, my quest to find the perfect oatmeal cookie has spanned several years. I’ve tried crisp, lacy varieties, which I find too unsubstantial. I’ve made those big, hunky ones — the kind where two sticks of butter get you a mere six uber-bad-for-you cookies — but they’re so big, they’re practically the blondies of oatmeal cookies: not what I’m looking for. I’ve tried raisins and chocolate chips, dried cranberries and dried cherries, even added pumpkin for a seasonal take on the classic. None has hit the spot.
My perfect oatmeal cookies are full of oats and studded with raisins. They’re mighty crisp on the edges, but the middles have some height and a lot of chew. The batter has plenty of vanilla and a whiff of cinnamon. When you bite in, there’s plenty of cookie to sink those teeth into.
I’ll spoil the end of the story now, and say unabashedly that the search continues. What I’m posting here is not the ideal oatmeal cookie. But you know what? It’s okay. As oatmeal cookies they may score average, but as cookies, they’re just wonderful. They achieve that perfect balance of softness and chew, the sugars practically caramelized from an unusually long mixing period and an extended stay in the oven. The oats — more sparse than in traditional oatmeal cookies, but in just the right proportion here — add heft and home-iness. The tart cranberries and sweet, bitter chocolate cut through the rich butter and caramelized sugar, both of which are present in great proportions. I’ll say it: these cookies are kinda awesome.
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by rivka
on April 1, 2010
Among the oft-neglected cookbooks on my shelf is a big, light green volume called Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking. It’s by Marcella Hazan, the justly venerated Italian cookbook writer notorious for her particularity, her precision, and her deep understanding of proper Italian cuisine. While the recipes reflect that precision (you can practically hear her preemptively chiding you for matching pasta with the wrong sauce), some of them are really quite simple. Case in point: smothered cabbage. A whole head of cabbage is shredded thinly, then braised low and slow with olive oil, onion and garlic, salt and pepper, and a shake of red wine vinegar. To say it’s simple is to understate it a bit.
If you have extra cabbage (though really, why would you? I made a double recipe so I wouldn’t be forced to choose), Hazan offers a modest recipe for Rice and Smothered Cabbage Soup. It’s basically chicken broth, rice, the cabbage, and a dusting of permigiano reggiano cheese. A one-pot wonder.
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by rivka
on March 31, 2010
Hi Everyone!
Just thought you’d all like to know that the bakesale for Haiti last weekend was a smashing success. In about two hours of selling, we managed to raise $950 for Doctors Without Borders!
Check out Joe and Luke’s fantastic write-up of the sale here at their blog, The Passion Fruits: http://thepassionfruits.com/?p=1808
Stay tuned for more recipes…
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by rivka
on March 29, 2010
In this age of micro greens and heirloom radishes, homegrown basil and truffle vinaigrette, is there anything more retro than caesar salad? It’s an all-romaine salad — no baby spinach! — with croutons, anchovies, and a thick, eggy, garlicky yellow dressing coating the leaves all but delicately. You may as well be sitting at Listrani’s an old-school red tablecloth Italian joint that’s been around at least since I was a kid. The waiter always says “Bongiorno!” and then carries on the rest of the conversation in English. You order spaghetti with red sauce or eggplant parmesan — the two lunch specials — and start, of course, with the house caesar. It’s mighty retro.
I’m normally one for ultra-green salads dressed with a very light hand. But lately, I’ve had an inexplicable craving for good old Caesar salad. Tomatoes haven’t yet come back to the market yet, and the cucumbers aren’t quite crisp, so it’s nice to have a salad whose ingredients are all available right now, that requires little improvisation or substitution, and whose main ingredient isn’t fennel. (Not that I don’t love fennel.)
Let’s face it: when spring vegetables return to the market, we’ll probably all forget about Caesar. That’s why now is the perfect time to make this standby.
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