Culinarian

Easy chocolate chocolate chip cookies

2006-08-18T06:22:00.000-07:00

I am not as masterful a baker or a cook as the other Culinarian-ites, but I do pride myself on being able to make myself a yummy sweet when I want to using whatever ingredients I already have around the house. In fact, one night several years ago Lo sighed and said she wished we had brownies. I told her I'd make some. She protested, "But we don't have any brownie mix." Ha ha ha ... (She was really far too impressed when I raided our cabinets and concocted some brownie mix from scratch. But I enjoyed my little Betty Crocker moment nonentheless.)

Anyway, my desire to make what I want using what I have readily available in the apartment (and my desire to avoid going to the store) is how I happened upon this recipe for chocolate chocolate chip cookies at Allrecipes.com. I had chocolate chips and I had cocoa, but I had no other chocolate in the house. So, I found this recipe. (Credit goes to Kathy Brandt.) Here it is mostly as it appears at the link but with a few other notes.

Ingredients
1 c butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 c all-purpose flour
2/3 cup cocoa powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 bag chocolate chips
(1/2 cup chopped walnuts are optional--I rarely add nuts or raisins to my cookies because I aim to please the masses and quite a large percentage of the masses will not taste a cookie if it has nuts or raisins in it... but obviously, to your tastes.)

1. In large bowl, beat together butter, eggs and vanilla iuntil light and fluffy.
2. In smaller bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt.
3. Gradually stir the flour mixture into the large bowl until well blended. Then mix in the chocolate chips (and walnuts if you wanna).
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees C). Use a teaspoon to shape the cookies and drop them onto an ungreased cookie sheet.
5. Recipe says to bake them for 8-10 minutes, but mine took longer, especially the first batch. Check them often so they don't burn, but in my oven, it was about 15 minutes per batch.
6. When done, cool briefly on cookie sheets and then remove them to cool on wire racks. (Optional if you don't have wire racks, of course. I've made cookies for over a decade and only got the wire racks 7 years ago.)

This recipe yields a chewy and very rich cookie. So, Cali, here's another "death by chocolate" suggestion for ya.

Give me chocolate….

2006-08-09T12:06:00.000-07:00

Prompted by a request from Cali, here’s a choc cake recipe (which I’m still hoping that you will be using to celebrate rather than to muffle your sorrows). Anyway, I’ve eaten a good-sized slice to wish you luck!
And yes, I for one have slipped into a food coma in the last few weeks, as pregnancy-induced food aversions will do that to a gal. Today however, chocolate cake had massive appeal, so hopefully it will satisfy your cravings too.

Chocolate cake with soured cream icing

6oz/175g/1 ¼ cups all purpose flour
1 ½ oz/40g/ 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp good quality cocoa
pinch salt
1 tsp baking powder
6oz/175g/1 packed cup light muscovado (brown) sugar
175g/6oz/1 ½ sticks soft unsalted butter
4 fl oz/120ml/½ cup low fat natural yogurt
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 tbsp ground fresh coffee (optional)
a little milk

Preheat the oven to Gas 4/180C/350F. Grease and line an 8-in/20cm diameter loose-based deep cake tin.
Sift the flour, cocoa, salt and baking powder into a large mixing bowl and stir in the sugar. Add the butter, yogurt, vanilla and eggs, plus coffee if using, then beat with an electric mixer for about 2 mins until smooth and fluffy. Add a couple of tablespoons milk if needed to get a mixture that drops easily from the spoon. Scoop into the cake tin, level the surface and bake for about 40 minutes. The cake should be firm in the centre, but not dry – just beginning to come away from the edges of the tin. Cover the cake part way through cooking if it is darkening too quickly.
Cool in the tin for 10 minutes before carefully removing from the tin and transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.

For the icing:
4 fl oz/120ml/1/2 cup soured cream or crème fraiche
4oz/110g dark chocolate (preferably around 70% cocoa solids, but at least 50%), chopped

Place the soured cream and chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl, set over a pan of gently simmering water (don’t let the base of the bowl touch the water). Leave to melt for about 5 mins, then stir together until smooth. Spread the icing over the cooled cake, and scatter with chopped nuts if you wish (I used slivered pistachios).

It's Too Hot to Eat: Summer Salad #1

2006-06-29T05:51:00.000-07:00

Adriana at What I Made for Dinner has recently started reciting her summer mantra, "It's too hot to cook." My summer mantra is a little different. I am willing to devote a short amount of time to toiling over a hot stove, but when then? "It's too hot to eat."

So, last summer I announced that I would learn to make salads. Not just any salads. Salads that could be an entire summer meal. Lo obliged with two wonderful cookbooks for my birthday, my favorite of which is called Salad Suppers by Andrea Chesman. This recipe is my favorite recipe from that book.

The recipe is for Grilled Chicken with Smoky Corn and Pepper Salad. My version of it is shown above. This is also my first attempt at amateur food blogger photography. I cheated a little because this just happens to be the same dish that is on the cover of the cookbook I have, so my photo looks a lot like that one, but still. I'm pleased with my first attempt.

I say "my version" because, um, I don't have a grill. I live in a cramped, small urban apartment with no roof or yard access. So, I improvise with a stove-top grill pan and my broiler.

Anyway, the recipe calls for 6 ears of fresh corn, which you would need to soak for at least an hour before grilling. I use frozen kernels because I never have the time and I never have the grill (one 10 oz box works well). With my frozen corn method (which Andrea Chesman actually suggests as an option, although she says you need to add 1 TB sugar to the corn if you're using frozen--but you SO DON'T), you don't have to worry about soaking. You just heat up your little stovetop grill pan and pour on the frozen kernels and grill 'em. It works just fine, as long as you're diligent about moving them around a lot so they don't burn. Once they're all cooked (some will get quite toasty and others less so--but they all taste good), I just put them aside in a bowl.

While toasting the corn, you also marinate the chicken briefly. Combine 2 TB lime juice, 1 tsp cumin, and salt and pepper to taste in a small bowl, and coat about 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves in it. Let them sit until you need them. Vegetarians could easily substitute here--tofu steaks, or just marinated tofu, or whatever you like really. The chicken and its marinade are not the crucial tasty part of this salad anyway. I'd happily eat just the salad part any day.

Next, take 1 red bell pepper and 1 green bell pepper, both halved with seeds removed, and spray them with cooking spray. They're supposed to be grilled as well, but I just put them on the broiler and broil each side until the skin side is nicely singed. Then, I put them aside in a plastic bag so the skins will be easier to remove later. Essentially, I make roasted peppers instead of grilled peppers for my version, but it's still tasty.

Next, you're supposed to grill the marinated chicken, but I broil it instead. When it's done, slice it and set it aside.

After that, put the toasty corn kernels into a bowl. Then add 1 diced tomato, 1/4 cup red onion, 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (or basil for those of you with the cilantro allergy), and 1/4 cup fresh parsley. (When I don't have fresh on hand--which is often--I just use what's in my space rack and add a lot less. I know that makes me lame, but I don't care.) Finally, peel the skin off the peppers, dice them, add them to the bowl and mix it all up.

Make the dressing for the corn and pepper salad. Mix 1 TB olive oil, 2 TB lime juice, 1 tsp honey, and 1 tsp chipotles en adobo (which I buy canned). Add some salt and pepper and then pour it over the corn and pepper salad and mix. The chipotles en adobo really give this dish its kick. I love them.

Anyway, then take mixed greens (or whatever greens you want to use) and put them on a plate. Spoon a bunch of the corn and pepper salad on top. Then add the chicken.

There are a lot of steps in this recipe, but it's not all that time-consuming especially since a lot of the chopping, making dressing and such can be done while stuff is grilling/broiling if you can multi-task. And it's a full meal, so you don't need to make anything else. Anyway, this is one of my favorite dishes to make when it's too hot to eat.

A "crackle crusted loaf" - for Cali

2006-05-22T10:50:00.000-07:00

This gorgeous rustic loaf looks like those found in an artisanal boulangerie in the depths of France, and is the perfect accompaniment to a great terrine or farmhouse cheeses.

Although it sounds contradictory, to create a really crisp crust on a loaf it is necessary to introduce steam to the oven; this softens the dough in the first minutes of cooking, allowing it to rise, forming a thinner, crisper crust.

I know that you have different forms of flour in the US; UK bread-making/strong flour has a higher gluten content than all-purpose flour, to allow the stretchiness of the dough to develop, if that helps you in knowing which flour to use. The yeast I use is the type that doesn't need re-activating in water before use.

Rye and Potato Bread

8oz maincrop potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
12oz strong white bread-making flour
4oz rye flour or wholewheat flour, plus extra for dusting
1 teaspoon active dried yeast
2 level teaspoons salt

Cook the potatoes in lightly salted water for 15-20 mins until tender. Drain, reserving the cooking water, then mash the potatoes and leave to cool slightly.
Rub the mashed potato into the mixed flours, as if making pastry. Stir in the yeast and salt, make a well in the centre and gradually add enough potato water to give a soft but not sticky dough. Don’t add too much too quickly as this dough absorbs water more slowly than normal – you will probably need around a cup of the cooking water.
Knead the dough on a floured surface, adding a little more flour if you need it, but the dough should be slightly sticky, as if it is too dry the end result will be a heavy, overly dense loaf.
Cover and leave to rise until doubled in size (1-1 ½ hours). Punch the dough down; it will be very soft, springy and slightly sticky, so you may need to add a little more flour to make it manageable. Shape into a round loaf about 9 inches in diameter and place on a floured baking sheet, cover and leave to rise again for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 200°C, 400°F, gas mark 6.
When ready to bake, place a roasting tin full of boiling water in the bottom of the oven to create a steamy atmosphere, dust the loaf with flour and lightly slash a diamond pattern on top of the loaf. Place in the upper part of the oven, but allow the loaf plenty of room to rise, and bake for 30-35 minutes. Spray with water from a clean water spray every 10 minutes – this helps to develop the crust. It is ready when the crust is very crisp and the loaf sounds hollow when the underside is rapped. Cool the loaf completely before slicing – it will keep for at least a couple of days, and toasts really well.

Grandmom's Tomato Sauce

2006-05-21T14:39:00.000-07:00

Apologies for the silence. I've been crazy busy and have been sadly neglecting both my lesbian cooking in real time and my blogging about it.

And I am also sorry that I have no asparagus recipe for you. I must admit... I've NEVER made asparagus in my life, and the crazy past few weeks were not the time to learn something new.

So, I present something old--my Grandmom's tomato sauce recipe. I know a lot of people like storebought sauce, but as Lo can attest, one you've had Grandmom's sauce, sauce in a jar will just never taste the same.

My recipe is for a meatless tomato sauce. But it's not a recipe for marinara sauce. My grandmom once explained to me that a marinara sauce is a "quick sauce," but the way she made sauce was not quick. (Sorry. I know I promised meals on the quick, but this one is worth a little time and yields many quick meals later on with the leftover sauce.) My grandmom explained that she made her tomato sauce the same way she made her meat sauce, just without the meat, and that cooking it for so long is what made it so thick and flavorful.

The trick to a really good homemade sauce, she once told me, is getting a good base. To do that, I saute a chopped onion in olive oil until translucent, then I add 1 chopped green pepper, 1 TB Italian seasoning, 1 tsp basil, 1/2 tsp rosemary, 1/2 tsp oregano, and a little pepper. (And yes, I do know that there is oregano, basil and rosemary already in the Italian seasoning, but I like to add more.) Lastly, I add 3-4 cloves of finely chopped garlic. I like to add the garlic at the end because it burns so easily. You can add more or less of the spices to your taste. My grandmom didn't add this much spice to her sauces (just lots of basil and garlic, which is excellent, too), but this is how I make it.

So, all of this serves as the base of the sauce. Then, I add 2 cans of tomato puree and 2 cans of crushed tomatoes and throw in between 1 and 2 canfuls of water as well and a little red wine (or red wine vinegar if I have no red wine in the house) and simmer until it thickens.

I turn the heat down once it starts to bubble. The sauce then takes at least 1.5 hours to simmer and then I just take it off the burner and boil water for whatever pasta I'm serving. Our current fave is whole-wheat angel hair.

This sauce takes time, but it yields a lot of sauce... much more than Lo and I couold eat in an evening. It's great if I have company over. It also freezes and defrosts well. So, usually, I end up freezing 2 containers of sauce, which I can then defrost later on to make some meals on the quick when I have less time to cook.

Introducing Tamsin

2006-05-07T15:34:00.000-07:00

I'm a complete blogging virgin so it's taken me a while to work out how to do this, but here is my self-introduction at last...

What brought me to cooking? Well, I believe it’s in my genes – my whole family loves to cook, and food is a major part of our social gatherings, both the preparing and eating of it, and as a topic of conversation. I first learnt to cook from my mother, who is a very good home cook (although bizarrely she always defers to me now and gets flustered cooking when I’m around!). Moving on from the usual childhood baking experiments, as I entered my teens I started to cook whole meals for the family, mainly to support my mother who I could see was frustrated with her life. To cut a very long story short, for me, cooking for people is a way of showing them that I love them.

I’ve been lucky enough to be able to make a career from my love for food; I divide my working time between freelance food styling (preparing food for photography), and recipe writing, mainly for magazines, although I’m currently working on my fourth cookery book. One of my areas of special interest is healthy eating, as I’m passionate about showing how easy it is to prepare low fat meals that taste so good that you don’t feel as if you are depriving yourself.

Secret passion? I’m another sucker for baking, especially breads as it always seems magical how a simple mixture of flour, yeast, salt and water can be transformed into a sweet-smelling, crackle-crusted loaf.

My values as a cook? Local ingredients take precedence over organic for me (although if the two can be combined, that’s the perfect scenario). Food made with love above all.

Inspirations? My mother in the first instance, then Delia Smith whose books were my cookery bibles in my early days (and still are much used now). You may never have heard of Delia, but her closest equivalent in the US is Martha – but minus the huge business empire and jail time! Since then, cookery writers such as Elizabeth David, Claudia Roden and Nigel Slater.

Balsamic asparagus

2006-05-04T13:38:00.000-07:00

Ok. This is the best way to eat asparagus. Ever.
Ever in the whole world.

I'M NOT KIDDING

Preheat oven to 450.

Toss said vegetable, about a pound, in olive oil (enough to coat - about 1 TBSP)

Shave or cut large flat curls of Parmesan cheese**

Place curls over asparagus and bake for 12-15 minutes until is just tender and cheese is melted

Transfer with a spatula to warm plates and drizzle a nice balsamic vinegar over the top (or allow guests to sprinkle vinegar on, to taste)

I can barely write that last part without wanting to eat the keyboard. OMG I must have it right now. This is from The Balsamic Vinegar Cookbook. Please try this and tell me if you think it is the best friggin' asparagus you have ever had.

**or shredded BUT NO NASTY Kraft shit that gets sprinkled on pizza. We are talking about REAL Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. From a nice supermarket. Don't even get me started on American Parmesan cheese, I don't hat it per say (it is lovely on a greasy pizza slice) but it should not have a similar namesake to the real stuff. Ok I got started, but now I will end.

Additionally...
I cannot not mention the phalic nature of this vegetable. Have any of you seen it growing in a garden? Holy.
And the white asparagus? Enough said.

Tuesday's Cookie

2006-05-02T13:17:00.000-07:00

Tuesday's cookie is actually a cake today. An apple cake. In a bundt pan. After my horrid experience with a silicone bundt pan (see picture, I've nicknamed it Lump) I went and bought a nice metal one and am trying again.

What's different about this one? Good quality DARK brown sugar. Cardamom. Freshly grated nutmeg. Melted butter (again!) as well as oil. It's glazed with an spice apple juice and honey glaze.

My own changes? As always, I subbed half the flour with whole wheat. That's all.

Hint for the day? Sift all your dry ingredients onto wax paper. It will save you a bowl.

Dinner?

I've been working on cutting out dairy from my diet. Last week I made my usual veggie enchilada recipe but for the FIRST TIME without cheese. I shuddered to think how it would turn out. It was really good. Here it is:

Four zuchs (you can use any squash you want to here...I actually love the yellow sundial squash but they're not in season at the moment)
One yellow or orange bell pepper
One onion
1.5 cup or so of corn (I use frozen all the time for this)
Salt
One or two jalepenos, minced
Chipotle powder, to taste
Oil for frying
Tortillas (I use whole wheat and they work nicely)
1 jar green salsa from Trader Joe's (or any salsa you like, I'm to lazy to make my own).

Preheat over to 375.

Dice all veggies to about 1/4 inch.

Heat a oil in a large skillet. Add onion and saute over med-high heat until nice and soft (I like my onion well cooked). Add squash, corn and bell pepper and saute until all are soft. It's nice to have them a little browned in areas. Remove veggies, stir in salt, let cool a little then stir in chiles and chipotle powder (I use a heaping 1/4 tsp because it's hot stuff).

Heat approx 1 cup of oil in a skillet (I use high heat canola for this) until it sizzles a drop of water. Place a paper towel over the sports section of the newspaper (he he). Fry tortillas for four seconds on each side and move to paper towel to drain.

Place enough filling on tortilla to fill it (I like to really stuff mine), fold bottom of tortilla over filling and roll. Place in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Continue until pan is filled. Pour jar of salsa over.

Bake for 20 minutes in preheated over.

Food of the Week: Asparagus

2006-05-02T07:52:00.000-07:00

The oft misunderstood asparagus is our food of the week.

It's just the end of asparagus season and the pencil thin tender new asparagus are being replaced by their old siblings with their thick stalks and tough outer skins. No matter, asparagus can be a sublime vegetable.

I found many resources for asparagus. There's even a band called Wild Asparagus. It's hard to imagine asparagus being wild. Asparagus have many advocates across the states. They have their own advisory council in Michigan and their own festival in Stockton, CA. They're even international with a council in Australia.

My favorite way to chomp on asparagus? Steamed and slathered in a lemon dijon viniagrette.

Look for more on asparagus this week!

Wikipeida: Asparagus
Stockton Asparagus Festival
California Asparagus Commission
Michigan Asparagus Advisory Board
Washington Asparagus Commission
Australian Asparagus Council

Welcome to a New Member!

2006-05-02T07:22:00.000-07:00

Culinarian is going international. Tamsin, in Great Britain, is joining the team. Look for her posts soon!

Charlotte here

2006-04-25T17:42:00.000-07:00

Topic of the day: White flour

I love starch. An ode to starch. Pasta. Bread. Cake.

But really I found a wheat pasta I super like, and it is better than white, I think.
Brand: Gia Russa.

Tip of the day: Cast Iron

I help along the seasoning of my cast iron pan by keeping some olive oil in it, and placing it on top of the toaster oven. Every time we toast something (which is multiple times per day) the pan heats and the oil helps it season. I'm friggin brilliant.

Recipe of the day: Veggie Fajitas

Onion and peppers (yellow or red are sweetest): Saute some with some fajita spices (make your own or use "Simply Organic: Fajita Seasoning" and add some extra cumin.) After 5 mins add some: chicken, or fake meat. I used "Quorn" Strips (which is a yummy meat alternative that has no yucky aftertaste or texture). Add more seasoning and a bit of water to help steam everything and bind the spices to the veggie and meat product. Also you can add some zucchini or squash.

Heat some tortillas** (amateurs only do 1-2 at a time), flip a lot with tongs over your (please tell me you don't have an electric stove) gas burner. Put some random stuff from your pantry and fridge (beans, chili, grated cheese, cilantro, chopped onion, strawberries (yum!), shredded lettuce, lime juice, whatever) on the tortilla with the fajita fixins.

But really you must make some excellent guacamole:

Ripe Avocado (2?)
Onion, finely chopped 2 TBSP or more to taste
Cilantro, finely chopped 1 TBSP or more to taste
Ripe tomato, (2?) chopped
Lime juice NOT lemon, fresh - USE A LOT like 2 limes at least
Salt - salt the avo and tomato while you are prepping the other ingredients
Pepper - freshly ground, or course

Mash it, but not to an entirely smooth consistency. I dig it chunky. Leave out anything you don't like (cilantro, tomato). The proportions of ingredients are really up to each person's taste, but this should be tangy. If you are not sure what to do add more lime.

**Oh, I love the habanero/sundried tortillas from Trader Joes, they are not spicy, but have great flavor and get all nice and charcoaly over the gas burner.

Co: Escarole Soup with Tiny Meatballs

2006-04-25T17:05:00.000-07:00

So, Sacha has come up with an idea of having a "food of the week." This week's food is escarole. I realize this might not be a popular green with many people, but for a lesbian cook like me, raised by an Italian grandmother, it's my kind of food!

This dish I've made twice--once for just me and Lo and a second time when my mother-in-law and Lo's cousin Deana were over. This is a nice comforting soup for winter time (apologies! I know it's technically spring, but for some of us, it still doesn't feel like it) and I love escarole (pronounced schke-dahl the way Grandmom used to say it)! In fact, I love all bitter greens! Gimme escarole! Gimme kale!

Anyway, I got this recipe from The Brooklyn Cookbook, which I bought used at a bookstore. My copy is a little moldier than I would like as a result, but it's a fabulous book. It has recipes broken down by both Brooklyn neighborhood and nationality. This particular recipe is credited to the Gaimaros, and appears in the Italian section of the cookbook.

To make the soup, beat 3 eggs together with 1/2 cup grated cheese (a mixture of 1/4 cup parmesan and 1/4 cup romano). Then, chop a full head of escarole (or almost a full head) and set aside. Make the tiny meatballs by mixing together about 1/2 pound of ground chuck, 1 TB breadcrumbs, 2 tsp minced parsley, 1 clove minced garlic, and 1 TB of the egg/cheese mixture. Mix it up really good with your hands. Then roll into meatballs, each about the size of a large marble.

Heat 6 cups of chicken broth on the stove. When it simmers, add the chopped escarole and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then, add the meatballs and cook for another 5 minutes. Finally, add what is left of the egg/cheese mixture and stir. The egg/cheese mixture forms cheesy little egg drops and then you're done.

See? Except for the chopping and meatball molding, this is definitely a meal on the quick. And honestly, the chopping and molding doesn't take very long either.

Lo has bought bread both times I've made this soup. I think we've tried sourdough bread, Italian bread, and sodabread with this and, all worked really well for dipping into the soup. In addition to the bread, I have served this with mixed vegetables and salad.

All in all, a fairly simple but really comforting and filling meal, especially for a soup.

Tuesday's Cookie

2006-04-25T14:48:00.000-07:00

Every Tuesday I treat myself by baking. Sometimes it's gingerbread, or zuchinni bread, or cake. Usually it's cookies. Then I take them to work on Wednesday so my coworkers can curse my name and not my wife.

I've discovered there are only so many chip cookies a person can make. So I've been trying to branch out and try new things. Last week I made a spectacular dried apricot, cranberry and cherry oatmeal cookie with coconut. It was well received.

I'm also working my way through Baking By Flavor. Some of the recipes are above my skill level, but I like a challenge.

This week's cookie? The chip cookie rears its ugly head in the form of chocolate chip with coconut. This was mainly because I still have coconut left over from last week. What's different about this recipe? Well, it called for half of the butter MELTED and 1/3 cup of oats cut down in the food processor. My first batch is in the oven, so we'll see.

To make this post useful, here are a few of my baking essentials:

Parchment Paper. I don't have silpats so parchment paper is an essential. I spent too many years chipping cookies off my cookie sheets before I discovered how fabulous this stuff is.
A cookie scoop. My friend Bob (the baker) is as crazy about baking as I am and he swears by the cookie scoop. Me too! It makes getting the dough from bowl to sheet SO much easier.
Leveling spatula. I spent years looking for one that would work. It's basically a metal icing spatula but I use it to level off my measured dry goods.

The Dearth of Winter

2006-04-21T09:59:00.000-07:00

We're in the inbetween stages, the hinterland of seasons. Even my staple, greens, is not in season at the moment.

Imagine a time when we didn't have international travel and access to anything we want. You live on what's available and right now, nothing is available except salted meat and potatoes. Imagine that moment when the first vegetables of spring became harvestable, you bite into a tender leaf of spinach or a spicy radish and you know that the bounty is coming. It's only weeks away but still too far.

My mind is moving from the comfort of stews and casseroles and lingering on the crisp fresh lettuce and juicy tomato, salads made with summer corn and beans, tossed in a snappy viniagrette. Grilled vegetables. Not much longer and summer eating will be upon us.

In the meantime, greens are back in May, and spinach, and radishes and maybe even the errant artichoke. My favorite, simple, way to eat greens:

Prepare one or two bunches of greens by washing and cutting leafs off stems. My favorite is kale but chard works well too, or even collards.
Steam until tender.
Saute greens in a pan with a little olive oil and a pinch or two of red pepper flakes.
Toss with a good balsamic vinegar

Suggestion? Make a batch of cornbread, cook a pot of black eyed peas with spices (onion, bay leaf, parsley, some red pepper flakes) and serve over rice. Put the greens on the side. You have a healthy, southern style meal.

Intro: Co the Cook

2006-04-18T15:34:00.000-07:00

So, I don't need to participate in another blog. But I really, really like cooking and I really, really liked the idea of teaming up with some fabulous other women to create a food blog.

My posts will be devoted to what I like to call, *lesbian cooking.*

So, what is *lesbian cooking* and how does it differ from *cooking* in general? It doesn't. It just makes what I do in the kitchen sound more interesting.

Is my cooking really *lesbian cooking* then? Well, yes, because I am a self-proclaimed lesbian and I cook for my wife, Lo.

(Now, on to Sacha's and Charlotte's questions...)

What are my values as a *lesbian* cook? Well, as many of us know, statistics show us that women in general make less than men, so chances are, in the modern lesbian family, both women must work. Single women, too, face similar financial and time constraints. So, my key values include: tasty but inexpensive, yet quick and simple enough for the working woman to make on a weeknight.

I also value the much maligned skill of measuring. I know a lot of cooks who pride themselves on never measuring. I am not one of them. I treat lesbian cooking as a science. I measure carefully and am continually experimenting and manipulating variables to improve on my recipes.

What is my secret passion? Cake decorating. My mother took cake decorating classes when I was but a wee girl, and it was the best. Every week, her project became my dessert. I am not as skilled as my mother was, but I still love to try.

Inspirations? My grandmother, who taught me the wonders of making Napolitan food and homemade tomato sauce. My mother, who baked cakes and cookies with me as a child. My friend Adriana, whose What I Made for Dinner blog provides me with many great food ideas. My Uncle Vince who can make the best stuffed mushrooms on the planet. And of course, Lo, my wife, who encourages me by eating whatever I put in front of her and saying, "Wow! It's like living in a [insert ethnic cuisine here] restaurant!"

What do I bring to Culinarian? An eclectic blend of food ideas, recipes that can be made on the quick, and an answer to the eternal question... what happens when lesbians cook?

Charlotte Here

2006-04-18T14:11:00.000-07:00

I love to cook. My grandmother taught me to cook. When I was twelve I asked for a mixer for my birthday. I was a baker. Today I use my Grandmother's Avocado Green KitchenAid. It is 30 years old.

In my adult life when I experienced the cooking skills (I use that term loosely) of my wife, S, I realized what a gift it was to learn to cook whilst young.

I have an intuition about doneness, where to spend my time, how important a clean bowl is when beating eggwhites. S, on the other hand, spends 10 minutes chopping a carrot, and wants to dip everything in catsup. She doesn't understand how I unconsciously note all the food likes and dislikes of my friends. I know exactly how S likes her toast, exactly how melty she likes her cheese, I sprinkle cilantro on the edge of her plate, next to her catsup.

I am thoughtful about food.

Ok, so here comes the chink in the previous sentiments. I am also now a mom. I have become impatient. I have lost my culinary way. I am lazy and irritable in the kitchen now. I want the food to make itself. I do not relish in the smell of my organic produce anymore. I have forgotten recipes I knew by heart.

I hope this blog helps me find my way. I baked some cakes for my son's 1st birthday 6 months ago (I will post about this later) and remembered how sensual food is. Dusting a pan with cocoa powder, the smell of butter and sugar being whipping, sauces, bleu cheese bubbling on my homemade pizza. YUM!

But folks, I am a busy mom and in search of cooking simple. I am not adverse to using some easy frozen (but still lovely and organic) ingredients, or finding the occasional mac and cheese recipe. And I love mexican food. Real Mexcian food.

My motto is :Simple every day and complicated and fabulous once in a while. And the complicated recipes better be friggin worth it...

(I'm stealing these questions from Sacha)

What are my values as a cook? Simple. Organic. Colorful.
What is my secret passion? Super fancy cakes. Authentic Mexican/Precolumbian food.
Inspirations? This blog. My Grandmother.
What do I bring to Culinarian? Honesty. Toddler recipes.

Intro: Sacha

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I've braised, deglazed, roasted, sauteed, steamed, poached and broiled my way through life. I've cooked huge hunks of meat, carefully placed goat cheese on figs and frantically put the finishing touches on that final Thanksgiving dinner dish. I've poured through worn and stained cookbooks, coveted cast iron pots, spent years searching for that perfect icing spatula.

Today I can say that a core part of my being is my ability to feed people, and feed them well.

What are my values as a cook? Seasonal. Fresh. Local. Organic.

There's not a happier place for me than the produce section at our local natural foods market or an afternoon spent walking through one of our neighborhood farmers' markets. I am grateful every day that I live in an area that allows me access to fresh, local foods grown without pesticides.

What is my secret passion? I long to bake, to be the alchemist who mixes egg and flour and watches her creation rise to new heights. I love the smell of yeast, the tiny bubbles in cake batter, the whip of the meringue and the way it holds a peak. I glory in having a pound of butter in my 'fridge and a day off to play with it.

Inspirations? My mother. She's a fabulous cook. Mark Bittman, who taught me about fresh and simple. Deborah Madison, who inspired me to start cooking vegetarian and decreased my fear of recipes that require a lot of chopping.

What do I bring to Culinarian? The politics of food. Love shown in a delicious dinner, a tasty muffin. A respect for all things whole grain.

The Rebirth of Culinarian

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Welcome to the rebirth of Culinarian.

We have a team now, a group dedicated to all things culinary. Watch for intros soon.

What can you expect at Culinarian? All things gustatory. Thoughts on food. Recipes. Reviews of restaurants we like. Musings on a trip to the farmer's markets. Regional foods. And more....

Stay tuned.