d Constitutional Cooking: April 2007

Sunday, April 29, 2007

Herb Garden & Pasta







Long time no anything on here! A missing attach-camera-to-the-computer cord has just been found so things are back on track. The weather's gotten beautiful here lately and I wanted to share my most recent work-in-progress. . . . In the pot, from left to right, is cilantro, parsley, and basil. They have a lovely view of the Capitol!Turns out herb gardens should be watered daily. Or they will wilt. But they're tough. I know I'm going to have to thin the plants more, but it just makes me so sad to kill the little baby plants. After I thinned the cilantro the first time, I stuck the extra ones into a vase with water and they're growing quite nicely.

In the meantime, an easy recipe to share: Martha's Spicy Shrimp and Tomato Pasta. Basically, a super-easy Fra Diablo. I only made it w/ 2 cans of tomatos, rather than 3, and so cut down on the red pepper and capers. I think you could add red wine to this recipe as well. Tip: I peeled the shrimp while waiting for the water to boil for the pasta.

It was 1) yummy, 2) a couple of meals worth, 3) the other eater-person seemed to enjoy it as well, and 4) it took no time to make. Under the totality of circumstances test, it was very good. And as I have plenty of evidence to back up that decision, my opinion is neither arbitrary or capricious. Long week? Yes. I'm off to play outside.

I'm itching to try ATP's scone recipe sometime this week! Sounds delicious!

posted by mg at 12:44 PM 0 comments

Saturday, April 21, 2007

Baking Away the Boredom

For the first time in ages, I've got the weekend all to myself here in the Eastern District of Tennessee, which meant that around 2pm this afternoon, I got really bored. So, I decided to try a new recipe, which wound up being Whole Wheat Cherry Scones I found in one of my cookbooks. About halfway through the admittedly short cooking process, though, I thought about the fact that I don't even like scones - so why in the world was I making them? I discussed it briefly with my manfriend RJM, who made a good point - the scones we tend to eat are over processed, dry-as-a-chip ones from Starbucks and the like, so of course we think we don't like them.

So, armed with confidence from my love that my efforts would likely not be in vain, I persevered. And I am happy to report that the scones are DELICIOUS - the dried cherries are a much better addition than the typical blah raisin, the whole wheat flour gives them a nice heartiness, and they aren't dry in the least. Not only that, but they are actually good for you and really easy to throw together. By the power vested in me as a law clerk, I command you to try these scones!

Whole Wheat Cherry Scones - Makes 12 scones
  • 3/4 cup dried cherries, very roughly chopped
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1/4 sugar
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup milk (I used skim), plus additional for brushing
  1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment. Place the cherries in a sieve and pour boiling water over them. Transfer the cherries to a bowl and let cool.
  2. In a large bowl, combine the flours, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
  3. Add the butter and, using a pastry cutter or a fork (or your hands, like I did), cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in the cherries.
  4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk. Pour the liquid into the dry ingredients. Stir until the mixture just comes together - there should be no dry patches, but don't overmix.
  5. Divide the dough into three equal balls. With the palm of your hand, flatten each ball into a 5-inch rectangle. Using a knife, slice each disk into quarters. Transfer the scones to the prepared baking sheet, 1 to 2 inches apart. Brush each scone with additional milk.
  6. Bake until the scones are golden on top but not dry, 10 to 15 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

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posted by ATP at 8:56 PM 0 comments

Wednesday, April 04, 2007

thickfreakness

I'm not sure what it was about today - it could have been the fact that I hate attorneys and have for the past two weeks (not all, but many). Could have been that I have two TOTALLY unwarranted, baseless, and - dare I say it - possibly unconstitutional parking tickets that I will likely have to pay anyway. Could have been the information that, this week, my love is taking the first practical and tangible step to move far, far away from me for the next two years. All of the above, perhaps? Regardless, tonight was the night that I decided it was time to make Molten Chocolate Lava Cakes.

You know them. They are a staple on the dessert menus of finer dining establishments, often served with vanilla ice cream and a berry glaze. They are so rich and delicious, yet surprisingly easy to make. Thank you to MSK (aka Pistorius to his Latin-speaking colleagues) for the recipe. M has been a pastry chef of note since our college days when his bread machine would crank out goodness every Sunday night for a snack while we all watched X-Files. Clearly, those were the days before carb-conscious eating.

Here's the recipe:
1/4 C unsalted butter
12 oz bittersweet chocolate
1/2 C sugar
4 eggs beaten with a pinch of salt
1 t vanilla
1/3 C flour

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Melt the butter over low heat; add the chocolate. When both are melted together, add the sugar and blend well. Add the eggs/salt, blend them too. Add the vanilla and flour, stir it up real good.



I licked this later.




Ready for the goodness.



Dish out the batter into your custard cups. I spritzed mine with cooking spray to go for a non-stick exit. Cooking time will vary with the depth of your ramekin. 10 mins was too short for this depth in my oven. 15 minutes just about did it. Here's what happened when I took one out at 10 mins:

Moltenness achieved, but cake . . . not so much

After 15 mins:


That's what I'm talkin' 'bout.

I could only eat half of one. I'm not kidding.

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posted by ek at 8:09 PM 0 comments

Tuesday, April 03, 2007

Squash and Corn Enchiladas

Delicious, even for breakfast. Of course, here in Central Pa., I could only find one - ONE! - bottle of green salsa. Should have just made it myself...

• 1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin puree
• 10 ounces frozen corn kernels (may substitute fresh corn kernels)
• 1/2 cup finely diced yellow onion
• 1/2 cup pecan pieces
• 1 tablespoon medium clove garlic, finely minced
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika or chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 8 6-inch corn tortillas
• 1 ounce baby spinach leaves, washed and patted dry (optional)
• 1 3/4 cups (16 ounces) salsa verde, store-bought or homemade
• 1 1/2 cups grated or shredded Monterey jack or pepper jack cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9-by-12-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking oil spray. In a medium bowl, combine the pumpkin, corn, onion, pecans, garlic, cumin, paprika or chili powder, salt and cinnamon. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.
Separate the 8 corn tortillas and lay them on a work surface. Spoon equal amounts of the pumpkin mixture down the center of each tortilla. Lay a few baby spinach leaves on top of the mixture, if desired, and roll to close. Place seam side down in the baking dish. Top the enchiladas with the salsa, spreading it to cover, and sprinkle the cheese on top. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the cheese has browned and the filling is hot. Place 2 enchiladas on each plate; serve immediately.

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posted by ek at 9:05 AM 0 comments