Tainted?

A little knowledge goes a long way. I have been increasingly concerned with the types of foods that I am eating. I want them to be free of chemicals, additives (whatever those are), and fillers. In short, when I buy cheese, I actually want it to be cheese. As such, I have started reading food labels.

A couple of weeks ago I noticed some fine print on the front of the sausage I was buying. "BHT and BHA added to preserve flavor" it said. I paused for a few moments, looked briefly at the other sausage choices that were available and added it to my cart. I filed those six little letters away to research at a later time. I figured, I had been eating that sausage brand forever and it probably wasnt a new ingredient, just a new label.

Regardless of the reason that I noticed the BHT and BHA abbreviations on my food, I finally got around to researching them (after purchasing several more sausage type foods all with the similar warnings). BHT stands for butylated hydroxytoluene and BHA stands for butylated hydroxyanisole. Basically they are fat preservatives added so that the sausage I purchased stays fresh longer. The general consensus on the multiple websites I consulted regarding these preserving agents was that they may affect your health. Apparently they arent real sure what it can do to you (one site said that while it cured some kinds of cancer, it promoted others) but I really dont want to stick around and find out.

I do not feel good about having something added to my food to make it last longer on the shelf. I dont want the food I buy to be too old, even if it still tastes good. Most of the time after I grocery shop the food sits in my fridge for a week or more anyways. While I hate when my food goes bad before I get to it (which doesnt happen to me much any more), I certainly dont want it full of preservatives that will pickle me from the inside.

I suppose I am glad that they have the labels on the packages so now I can determine if this preserving agent is in other foods I also eat. As for my sausage, Purdue has a butcher shop that sells pork sausage and my mom got me a meat grinder attachment for my kitchen aid so I am sure to be making my own sausage soon.

I did end up using the sausage in this great looking pasta. The first couple bites tasted funny to me but it was all in my head since the BHT warnings were fresh on my mind. I recommend making this dish with some additive-free sausage; it really was delish. The hot italian sausage, once I got over the fact that it was tainted, and the spicy arugula compliment the earthy bell peppers well.


Bell Pepper, Sausage, and Arugula Orecchiette*

1/2 red bell pepper
1/2 yellow bell pepper
1/2 large red onion
1/2 lb. spicy italian sausage
1/3 c. chopped flatleaf parsley
1 bunch arugula
1/2 lb. orecchiette cooked
1 c. pasta water

Brown the sausage with a bit of olive oil.

Meanwhile slice the bell pepper and onion into strips.

Add the bell pepper to the pan when the meat is half way cooked. When the meat with fully cooked add the onions. Delaying adding the onions allows some of their color to remain once the dish is served.

Saute the veggies in the sausage fat until just tender.

Add the chopped parsley.

Add the cup of pasta water to the sauce. Combine the cooked pasta with the sauce.

Toss loosely chopped arugula with the pasta and serve.

Top with parm for a little salty kick.


*Though the above recipe is my own, it was inspired by a similar one in the Everyday Foods Cookbook I posted about previously.

Quick and Easy Taco Salad

For my birthday my mother gifted me a new camera. Sometime in the last year I had become a food blogger and though the camera I had was wonderful for taking macros within my own apartment, it was a tad bulky to be carting to restaurants. I am not one to tote a tote big enough to fit all the furniture in my livingroom like I see some women do. I just dont have the back strength for it. Needless to say the Nikon Coolpix 5700 was not fitting into my clutch.

All of this is to say that I now also have a Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-S40. I downloaded photos I took on the new camera onto my computer for the first time today (even though I received it in November). I am extremely pleased with the results. I havent fiddled with the camera's settings and it appears I need to set the light mode to indoor lighting since few restaurants (come to think of it, no restaurants) in Lafayette have outdoor seating allowing for natural light. Here are two photos taken of the same meal: one taken with my Nikon and the other taken with my Sony. Keep in mind my Nikon has 11X zoom while the Sony only has 3X. Let me know what you think of the difference.

Specimen 1: Nikon


Specimen 2: Sony


Quick and Easy Taco Salad

1/2 lb ground turkey
1 4oz can crushed tomatoes
1/2 packet of taco seasoning (cheating, I know)
1/4 c. chicken broth
1 c. roasted corn (frozen)
1 can diced green chilies
1/2 lime
1/2 c. cilantro, chopped
1/2 red onion chopped
1 can black beans, drained
1 handful cherry tomatoes
grated cheese
sour cream (lite, if you must)
1 c. chopped butter-leaf lettuce

Brown the ground turkey. When it is cooked halfway through add the seasoning, crushed tomatoes, chicken broth, and black beans.

In a separate pan, heat the corn with the green chilies and add half the cilantro. Squeeze the lime half over the corn and stir to combine.

Put the lettuce into a bowl. Top with the ground turkey mixture, green chili corn salsa, cheese, red onion, cilantro, and cherry tomatoes.

I figure that if you dont have this over rice or wrap it up in a tortilla, you can justify real sour cream. I dont tend to scrimp on my dairy products!

Gorgonzola and Pear Quiche

My relationship with dairy is such that should I ever become lactose intolerant I would seriously question the point of living, seriously.

Just as the weather had spurred me to make custardy tapioca, the weather had also been my inspiration behind my gorgonzola purchase. Somehow the pungent cheese makes me think of being warm inside on a cold winter day which is quite odd considering I grew up in Los Angeles where it rarely gets below 65, but then, I guess its all relative.

Well on my way to a paved road to hell, I had bought some pears in an attempt to be healthier. Lucky for me they werent already moldy, but they had gotten too soft for me to enjoy eating raw. I figured that I had always heard good things about blue cheese and pear combinations and decided to have a go at it myself.




Gorgonzola and Pear Quiche

2 medium pears
1 shallot
hunk of gorgonzola
3 eggs
1/4 cup cream
frozen pie crust
salt
pepper
9 inch pie tin




Preheat the oven to 350.
Defrost the pie crust and roll into the pie tin (you could frou it up by making it from scratch if you really wanted).
Peel and halve the pears, removing the core.
Slice the pears almost all the way through. Arrange the pears neatly in the pie crust.
Chop or crumble the gorgonzola into the spaces around the pears.
Sprinkle the diced shallot over the pie and season with salt and pepper.
Whisk together eggs and cream. Pour the eggs into the pie.
Bake for 25 minutes or until the eggs solidify.
Allow the pie to cool. Serve and swoon!
(I think the eggs are so yellow because I bought them at the farmers market this last week instead of the grocery store - very yellow yolks)


This is not only the prettiest food item I have ever made, but it may also be the best tasting flavor combination that I have made in a while. I happen to like all the food I cook myself, but there was something special about this. Maybe it was the fact that I dont often splurge on fancy cheese. Maybe everything was just going right on that particular morning, who knows, but it was such a regal taste. I had leftovers for breakfast several mornings, and though it wasnt as pretty as the first day (the pears continued to get brown), it still tasted very good.

My aunts and my mom and I are getting together the Saturday after Thanksgiving for an all day event of christmas cookie and candy baking. I have heard that we will be doing breakfast together; maybe I should suggest this?!

Butter Sauce is Too Oily for Me

Inspired by several postings on tastespotting, I used the frozen sweet potato gnocchi that I had made several weeks ago and whipped up some browned butter sauce. While the sauce was very gourmet and full of frou ingredients. I think I did everything correctly in making the sauce, but it ended up being too oily for me and I would have rather just put all the same ingredients in a quick cream sauce. I guess its just a matter of personal taste. You can let me know if there is something I should have done...

Browned Butter Sauce
10 fresh, small sage leaves
1/4 cup crushed walnuts
1/2 lemon of zest
2 T. cream
4 T. butter
2 hand fulls of fresh spinach

Add the butter to a warm pan and let brown without stirring. Once browned reduce the heat (so the cream doesnt curdle) and add the sage, walnuts, and zest. Once the heat had reduced a bit add the cream. Quickly add the spinach and stir into the sauce. Top with pasta of your choice and some fresh parm.


It tasted pretty good but left an oily feeling in my mouth that really just made me feel like I needed a shower. Maybe reduce the butter? There wasnt a whole lot of sauce remaining the dish when I was through. ::shrug::

Variations on a Gnocchi

The problem with frozen meals is that they are rarely the right size for me. The frozen meals I am specifically refering to are those that come in a bag, not the budget gourmet type meals in the subdivided plates. Those kind dont set box in my freezer. Most of the ones I have are from Trader Joes and consist of bell pepper farfalle, chimichurri rice, thai carrots, or the subject of this post - Gnocchi alla Sorrentina. I do apologize for the blurry shot, but all the others were worse (yes, its possible!).







So, instead of finishing the entire package of food as I have in the past, I am making a conscious effort to make it into two meals. This is somewhat difficult for me since I get bored with food easily and dont like to eat the same thing twice in a row. I have managed to find a way around my little problem, at least with the TJs Gnocchi.













First, I defrost and cook the gnocchi via package directions and eat about half of whats in the pan. Then, as any grad student is want to do, I leave it in the pan until dinner time at which point I magically revive the sad little gnocchis with some Tomato and Roasted Bell Pepper soup. The pasta sauce for the gnocchis adds a little pizazz to the soup and makes for a wonderfully delicious and easy dinner meal.

Three Cheers for Frozen Puff Pastry!

Whomever invented frozen puff pastry should be given 1) a big kiss and 2) a portion of the proceeds from each sale. Really though, they have made the act of creating a delectable appetizer as easy as snapping your fingers...well, just about!

Sadly, this appetizer doesnt photograph as well as I had hoped because the caramelized onions end up resembling worms after a brief rain. Sigh...alas, it is delicious.

Goat Cheese and Caramelized Onion Tart

4 oz goat cheese
1/4 c. cream
1/4 c. fresh thyme
2 onions
1 T. butter
1/4 c. white wine
2 puff pastry sheets
salt and pepper

Start defrosting the puff pastry and preheat the oven to the temp mentioned on the box.
Combine the cheese and the cream to make a spreadable texture.
Slice the onions thinly and brown in a pan with melted butter.
Once the onions are transparent and slightly yellow add the wine to deglaze the pan.
Lay the pastry sheets flat and spread the cheese evenly leaving a clear boarder.
Once the onions are caramelized turn off the heat and toss with the thyme.
Top the cheese lined portion of the puff pastry with the onions.
Stick the whole thing in the oven for the time mentioned on the box.
Be sure that the middle of the pastry sheets are fully cooked before you remove the tarts from the oven. Its not so fun to have droopy pastry bits!


I simply served the tarts cut into thin strips instead of leaving them whole. People are really intimidated by or too lazy to cut up someone else's dish.

Homemade Gnocchi and Sauce in 30 Minutes or Less

Really, its true. It can be done. You can make gnocchi from scratch along with pasta sauce in under 30 minutes. I did it, but I doubt Rachel Ray could.

Where everyone I seems to go wrong is that they dont microwave the potatoes. This is a step that takes about 7 minutes or so a potato and cuts down on prep time and dirty dishes. Boiling or steaming the potato doesnt impart any special flavor, so you should just skip that step and nuke them instead. Brilliant, I know!

Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Roasted Garlic Cream Sauce

2 sweet potatoes
1 egg yolk
salt
pepper
1/3 t. nutmeg
flour

3/4 c. cream
1/4 white wine
3 roasted garlic cloves
handful of roasted tomatoes
spinach
salt
pepper

Nuke the potatoes. The ones the grocery store sells individually wrapped are perfect for this meal. Generally the potatoes take about 7 minutes but if you are microwaving a few at once you may need to increase the time.

Scoop the innards of the potato out and mash it with the back of a fork. You do NOT need a potato ricer to make gnocchi. Add the egg yolk, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Mush to combine.


Start by adding a cup of flour. Once that is combined slowly add more until the dough forms a ball and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Some people use electric mixers with success but I dont have one so I do this all by hand. I think I ended up adding a total of 1 and 3/4 cup of flour to my potatoes. The amount of flour varies based upon how moistness of your potatoes.

Start heating your water to boil.

On a floured cutting board, separate the dough into several workable balls. With your hands, roll each of the balls out into a dough dowel. Cut the tubular dough into little pillows less than 1 inch in size. Initially the 1 inch size will seem exceedingly tiny, but once you try and bite the little suckers you will find they are the perfect size.

Heat a skillet to make your sauce in.

Once you get through cutting up the first tube of dough throw the gnocchi in the pot of boiling water. Wait about 3-5 minutes until they float to the top of the water. Once they float you will need to remove them with a slotted spoon. Repeat the rolling, cutting, and boiling stage until all your gnocchi are cooked.

During the boiling of the gnocchi, add butter to the sauce skillet and brown it. Once browned, add the wine and a few minutes later, once its reduced, add the cream. Stir in the roasted garlic. *Dont forget to scoop out the gnocchi.*

Line your plate or bowl with fresh spinach (it will wilt with the heat of the gnocchi and sauce).

Place a fair number of gnocchi on the spinach. Remember, they are more filling than they first appear.

Douse the gnocchi with a liberal amount of sauce and top the entire dish with roasted tomatoes.


The particular bit I like about this dish is that all the fall colors make the food seem special. Even though I made this meal for myself in yet another attempt to destress, it turned out to be presentation quality. It looks and tastes like a million bucks but only took a few minutes to throw together...appearances and reality at work yet again!

BTW, after I took the pretty little photo for y'all, I combined all the ingredients and took a picture of it the way I would typically eat it. Apparently I am not fancy enough for my own food!

End of Summer Berries!

In the spirit of everyone else's blogs, I too will comment on the end of summer produce...especially apt since it is now fall. :( I will greatly miss my cherry tomatoes from the farmers market and my massive bunches of fresh basil. I will also miss the cheap berries. I know I will still be able to get all of these items, its just that I will have to surrender more of my grad student budget to the produce section of the local grocery store. ::shudder::


Here is just a little idea of how I treated myself this morning. Granted, I was still working, hence the article as backdrop, but I decided I deserved some berries and cream. As I write this, I am eating pasta with cream sauce and I wonder how it is that I am not big as a house! I digress. These berries were probably the best looking ones that I had all summer. They were large, plump, and sweet without being over-ripe. Most of my summer berries end up too mushy for a good photoshoot. Anyways, the heavy cream was just the dressing they needed.

To Roast or Not to Roast?

The following recipes and pictures are for the same pasta dish; the difference is in the technique. To roast or not to roast that is the question.









Grape Tomato Pasta with Goat Cheese, Basil, and Garlic

1 pint Grape Tomatoes
Garlic cloves
1/3 Basil
Olive Oil
Fennel Seeds
Salt
Pepper
*Ok, so i threw some broccoli in there too once...

The Roasted Version:
Obviously roasting brings out a smoky favor in the tomatoes and caramelizes the sugars. Roasting also cuts the acidity and sharpness of garlic, making the flavor more mellow.



The Sauted Version:
On the other hand, if you were to saute the tomatoes the sugars in the tomatoes are heightened without sacrificing the fresh flavor, plus you still get that burst of juice when the tomato pops in your mouth. The pasta ends up tasting more like salsa I think.

A Two Course Meal - Bison Bones and Inka Imperialism

Although I was ultra-busy this week, I still managed to eat well (so I am not certain why it is that I am getting sick). The highlight of the week was most likely the Thai Basil Chicken with Coconut Rice and the Dofu topped with Tropical Fruit.

I am still obsessed with the coconut rice and will probably continue to be until I am big as a house. :) I also love the fact that I can make something that is so full of flavor and that literally takes 15 minutes total.

Thai Basil Chicken with Coconut Rice
(Yes, strangely this seems very similar to the Thai Mint Pork...its all in the technique.)


1/2 lb ground chicken
2 T. fish sauce
2 T. rice vinegar
2 T. brown sugar
3 green onions - sliced
2 gloves of garlic
1/3 c. of basil leaves
bamboo shoots
chili pepper oil to taste

1 c. rice
1 c. coconut milk
1/2 c. water





Add the rice, coconut milk, and water to the rice cooker and turn it to cook.

Quickly saute the green onions and garlic in about 1 T of oil.
Add the brown sugar, fish sauce, and rice vinegar, and chili. Stir to combine.
Add the chicken. When mostly cooked through add the bamboo shoots.
Turn off the heat and stir in the basil.
Serve the chicken and sauce over the coconut rice.




The Dofu is really just from a package that I found at the local asian store. Dpfu is the almond flavored gelatin desert you get at some Chinese restaurants. Typically it is topped with cheap fruit cocktail. I decided to up the anti and put the tropical fruit cocktail on instead. It wasnt as sweet because the fruit wasnt sitting in heavy syrup, but passion fruit juice. It also turned out a lot prettier than some tired grapes and peach bits.

I wont insult you with including instructions here since you should follow whatever your box says, just remember to try topping it with something refreshing and beautiful. I am sure you could make your own fruit topping that would work even better.

The Great Mint Event - Part 2

As I wasnt about to skimp on the mint I had purchased upon finding a suitable supply, I just about bought out the store! I had read about a mint and feta quiche on one of the many fantastic and enlightening blogs on my daily list. Actually I think the mint and feta idea had been thrown around by a number of bloggers due to the great combination of fresh summery flavors. Not familiar with making quiche, I set out to make my first. The results were staggering! It turns out I am quite the quiche maker. ;)

Mint and Feta Quiche with Grape Tomatoes













1 sheet pastry dough
20-30 grape tomatoes
6 eggs
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup mint diced
1/4 cup basil diced
1 shallot sliced to your liking
black pepper to taste*
1/2 a package of crumbled feta


*warning: do not add salt to the eggs since the feta is typically sufficiently salty.

Coat your dish with oil or butter and line it with the pastry dough. Lay out the grape tomatoes in a pretty pattern. Combine the eggs and cream and beat lightly. Add the mint, basil, shallots, and pepper. Pour into the pastry dough. Sprinkle the top with a hearty amount of feta cheese.

Pop the whole thing in the over at 350 for 20-40 minutes depending on the depth of your eggs.














The tomatoes are nice little packages of favor and keep the quiche extremely moist. I will definitely be doing this again and since it turns out so pretty its perfect for brunch company.