Celeriac Soup with Scallops

I miss blogging.
Honestly though, the break has been nice. Being able to just make dinner and not have to worry about writing down every ingredient's measurements and not worrying about trying to take photos. Just cooking, pouring a glass of wine and sitting down to savor the meal with my husband. I've enjoyed it.

It's also been great to step back and take a look at what I'm doing here on the blog. Is it something that I want to continue with? What purpose does it serve? Does anyone even read it? (and even if they don't, do I care?)

I haven't come to any grand conclusions but I know that this blog serves a purpose, even if it is just for me. It makes me put thought into what I'm cooking and inspires me to try new things. And by putting down recipes I have a record for when I want to try them again, which I love. In the past I would just try to remember and guess what went into my recipes and the results weren't always stellar! And, perhaps, someone else out there will find something useful among the mess. Really, isn't the best part of cooking and food is how it can bring people together? The joy of sharing it with one another? Learning from one another? So I will plod on. The posts may stay few and far between for a bit, but I will continue to return because food and its community are my passion.

This celeriac soup is basic and straightforward yet completely satisfying. It reminds one that with great ingredients, simplicity in cooking is rewarded. Joe and I had this dish at Eleven Madison Park for our anniversary dinner and it was so beautiful there that I had to try to recreate it at home. It may not have lived up quite to the restaurant's standards, but was delicious nonetheless. The addition of scallops is unnecessary, but lends a luxurious touch and makes the dish hearty enough to be an entree. Next time I prepare this I will add sauteed shallots and garlic for extra flavor, but for a simpler approach it is not necessary.

Celeriac Soup with Scallops

(serves 5-6)

3 small bulbs celeriac, peeled and chopped

2-3 c. chicken stock

1-2 c. water

salt and pepper

1 t. celery salt

1 t. season salt

1 c. heavy cream

2 TB butter

Extra Virgin Olive Oil, for drizzling

6 large diver scallops, cooked

2 TB Olive oil

Place the celeriac, stock, and water in a large pot. You want enough liquid to cover the celeriac. Bring to a boil and simmer until celeriac is tender, about 25-30 minutes. Remove from heat. Push the celeriac through a ricer back into the stock and water or use an immersion blender to blend all of the ingredients together. If the soup is very thick, add water to bring to consistency of your liking (remembering that you will be adding cream as well). Add celery salt, season salt, and pepper. Return the pot to the stove and bring to a simmer. Stir in the heavy cream. Taste, and add more salt and pepper if necessary. Stir in the butter and serve over the cooked scallops with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

What I ate today...(and Baked Clams)

...at the internship:

Peanut butter cookies
6 different types of cheese
Meat Pies
Potica
Homemade Oreos
(plus some snacks I brought from home)
I also brought home some Indian seasoning packets, Cajun seasoning, hickory oil, and a garlic grating plate.

How I'm still hungry now, I'll never guess. This new job rocks. I am, however, going to turn into a rolly-polly. I always feel like I'm going to miss out if I don't try one of the samples/test kitchen trials that come in. I better learn some self-restraint.

Last night I made the most amazing baked clams. So good, in fact, that Joe and I decided we wanted to eat them every day for the next two weeks. There are no photos because I'm lazy, but I guarantee you that you will love these (and they are pretty when they are all toasted up!). Please, please use fresh breadcrumbs! I know that I have always ignored this note myself, but I promise it makes a huge difference in the flavor of these guys.

Baked Clams

3 dozen clams

1 1/2 c. FRESH breadcrumbs

1/4 c. chopped parsley

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 c. finely grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. pepper

6 TB butter

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Clean the clams thoroughly. Open the clams and leave the meat on one shell, discarding the other. (NOTE: It is difficult to open the clams this way. If you prefer, steam them just until they open--no longer--and then discard the top shell. Cook the clams as little as possible when doing this because they get another chance to cook in the oven).

Mix together the breadcrumbs, parsley, garlic, salt, pepper and Parmesan. Melt the butter and stir into the breadcrumb mixture, it should just be barely damp. Top each clam with about a teaspoon or two of the breadcrumb mixture and press into the clam shell. Place in a baking dish and continue with each clam.

Bake the clams for about 5 minutes, then turn on the broil and cook until the breadcrumb mixture begins to darken and brown. Serve immediately.

Where Have I Been?

It has been a while. I don't think I've ever gone this long without updating my blog. So what gives? A few things have kept me away:

1. At the beginning of August a friend and I planned a 6 course, 3 cocktail brunch for 25 people. We were so busy planning and preparing and I was waiting until it was all said and done to post about it (that post is still forthcoming--it was too much fun for me to pass over even though it happened a month and a half ago).

2. Lots of visitors to our fair city. Been hanging out with friends as they passed through and often they are staying with us so that took first priority.

3. I am training for the NYC Marathon that is fast approaching and training takes a lot of time.

4. Last, but certainly not least, I started a new internship at a magazine you may recognize. I'm still waiting tables as well, but I get to go in three days a week and do some work for the website, read food blogs, research food and smell the amazing scents coming out of the test kitchen (and sometimes even get to eat some of those products that are being prepared). Awesome. It's been a remarkable experience and I'm hoping that I can keep traveling down this career path because I love it.

So I will be back. I miss my blog and I miss sharing the recipes I come up with. It just may take a little more time to settle in to this busy schedule before I can find the time for photographing and writing out posts again. And so you know, I still am reading your blogs (it's part of my job! Really!) but I haven't had the time to comment, so don't think I've left you behind. :) I'll see you again soon. Don't forget me while I'm gone!

"Julie and Julia"

"I didn't learn to cook until I was 32. Until then, I just ate."

Julia Child

Monday night I got the opportunity to see a pre-screening of "Julie and Julia" (thanks so much to Cathy over at Not Eating Out in New York). To anyone who knows me (or who has read this blog for a while) it's no surprise that I love the books "Julie and Julia", "My Life in France", and that I love Julia Child. I also love Meryl Streep (but who doesn't?) and Amy Adams. Needless to say, I was pretty stoked for the film.

Since the movie hasn't hit wide release as of yet, I'm not going to do a big review. I will just say that I loved it. And that Meryl Streep knocked it out of the ballpark kitchen. And that I left the theater filled with hope and inspiration. Especially as an inching-towards-30, married actress waitress, living in the big city feeling a little like I'm drowning while trying to find myself. I may not know what my future holds, but I do know that it is not too late to find my calling and lead my version of a successful life. Plus, like Julie and Julia, I have a remarkable husband standing beside me giving me his faith and eternal support. Pretty damn lucky, I am.

And, until I find my path, I can just keep eating.

Couscous Stuffed Peppers and Lemon Cucumber and Sugar Plum Salad

Sometimes there are ingredients that evoke the image of only one recipe and seem to stifle my creativity. Green peppers are one of those ingredients. I know there are so ways to use them but I always think about them in Asian or Mexican inspired dishes--sauteed for a stir fry or to use on tacos. Every once in a while I'll think of stuffing them, but again it's always in a Mexican style. This time around I really wanted to do something different with these peppers. I stuffed them with couscous, corn, and ground turkey and a little bit of parmesan cheese. Simple flavors, easy preparation, and a little different take on the classic. Paired up with the basic cucumber salad it makes a great weeknight dinner.

Couscous Stuffed Peppers

5 green peppers

1 box couscous

1 lb ground turkey

2 ears corn

3/4 c. shredded parmesan cheese, divided

1/4 c. bread crumbs

To begin, cook the couscous as per the box's instructions. Saute the ground turkey with a little salt and pepper and drain.

Preheat the oven to 350. Cut off the top of each of the green peppers and clean out the seeds and white parts inside. Cut off the kernels from the ears of corn.

In a large bowl mix together the cooked couscous and turkey, the corn, and 1/2 c. parmesan cheese. Stuff the mixture into the green peppers and place them into a baking dish.

In a small bowl mix together 1/4 c. parmesan cheese and the bread crumbs. Spread the mixture on top of each of the peppers. Bake for 40 minutes or until the peppers are tender and the topping is lightly browned.

Lemon Cucumber and Sugar Plum Salad

8 lemon cucumbers, peeled and sliced

6 sugar plums, chopped

3/4 c. white wine vinegar

1/4 c. olive oil

2 TB sugar

1 t. salt

1/2 t. pepper

Mix together the vinegar, oil, sugar, salt and pepper in a bowl. Add in the cucumbers and sugar plums and toss together. Chill in the refrigerator for an hour before serving.

Zucchini and Shitake Pot stickers

Do you find blog posts just piling up in the summertime? I know I do. I am struck by inspiration at every turn in the greenmarket so I'm constantly making new dishes but then I get so caught up enjoying the summer activities that I fall behind in my posting. Then I get really frustrated with myself when I've posted something after it's season has passed.

Thankfully these zucchini are still all over the place at the markets. Paired up with earthy shitake mushrooms and tart sherry vinegar they make an uncomplicated tasty dumpling.

Zucchini and Shitake Pot stickers

1 large summer squash chopped into small pieces

1/2 c. shitake mushrooms, stems removed and chopped

2 TB butter

1/8 c. sherry vinegar

1/4 c. soy sauce

1/8 c. chopped cilantro

20 wonton wrappers

2 TB oil

In a saute pan heat the butter over medium high heat. Add the zucchini and shitake mushrooms and cook for about 4-5 minutes or until tender. Add the sherry vinegar and soy sauce and cook another 2 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool to about room temperature. Mix in the cilantro.

Take the mixture and fill a little dollop in each wonton wrapper. Use a little bit of water to close up the wrapper in your preferred method (I like to make them into triangles in the first fold and then pull together the triangle edges to make little "bags").

Heat the oil over medium high heat in a large saute pan. Once very hot add a single layer of the dumplings. Cook until the bottoms are brown and crispy, about 4 minutes. Then pour in 1/2-3/4 c. of water and cover the pan to steam the dumplings, about 7-8 minutes. Remove the dumplings from the pan and serve.

BBQ Beef Brisket, Bok Choy Cole Slaw, Lime-Basil Potato Salad

It really is finally starting to feel like summer around the city. The endless rain stopped and we've had some beautiful weather. Great weather to spend outdoors enjoying the parks and barbecuing. If I only had a grill.

We do take picnics to the park often, though. Some coffee and pastries or sandwiches. Then we'll lounge around and enjoy the clouds, smell of the grass and the breeze. Some days in Prospect Park, you can almost forget that you are in the big city.

The coming of summer has brought about that craving for BBQ. As Kansas City-ans, it's hard to find BBQ that lives up to our standards, but this meal was a pretty good substitute with a couple of new takes on old themes. I'm especially in love with the Bok Choy Cole slaw and have been devouring the leftovers like mad.

I want to send a quick shout-out to the new Franklin Ave. flea market open on Saturdays this summer. If you live in my neck of the woods, check it out! It's where I found the BBQ sauce for the brisket, courtesy of the Pour Gourmet.

BBQ Beef Brisket

1 1.75lb beef brisket

salt and pepper

2 TB cooking oil

1/2 c. chopped carrots

1/2 c. chopped celery

3/4 c. chopped onions

2 bottles lager

1 1/2 c. BBQ sauce

Preheat the oven to 325.

Salt and pepper all sides of the brisket well. Heat the cooking oil in a dutch oven over medium high heat and when hot brown the brisket on all sides (about 3-4 minutes each). Remove the meat from the pan and add the carrots, celery and onions to the hot oil. Cook until tender, about 6-8 minutes. Return the brisket to the pan and add the 2 bottles of lager. Bring the liquid to a boil, then cover then pan tightly and transfer to the oven. Cook for 1 hour, then flip the brisket over and return to the oven. Cook until fork tender, about another hour to hour and a half. Allow to sit for a few minutes, then remove the meat to a platter and shred. Place shredded meat into a large saute pan and add the BBQ sauce. Cook over medium heat until heated through. Serve over toasted country bread.

Bok Choy Cole Slaw

3 small heads of bok choy

3 carrots, shredded

1/2 c. finely minced onions

6 garlic scapes, chopped

1/4 c. red wine vinegar

1/4 c. apple cider vinegar

1/4 t. celery salt

1/2 t. ground mustard

1 t. sesame oil

1 TB sugar

1/4 t. pepper

Chop the bok choy into thin shreds. Toss with the carrots, onions and garlic scapes. In a separate bowl mix together the vinegars, celery salt, ground mustard, sesame oil, sugar and pepper. Combine the dressing and the vegetables and then cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

Lime Basil Potato Salad

3 c. small red potatoes

1/2 c. olive oil

1/3 c. lime basil

1 t. salt

1/2 t. pepper

Scrub the small potatoes and cut into large bite size pieces. Place in a large pan of boiling salted water and cook until tender, about 12-14 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water.

While the potatoes are cooking, blend together the olive oil, lime basil, salt and pepper in a food processor. Toss this oil with the potatoes to serve.