Maternity Leave + Paternity Leave = Gourmet Cooking!

I heart paternity leave. Big time. You heard me. Paternity leave. Having Dave around for the past four weeks has been wonderful. As much as I love him, I can't imagine being at home alone with Ben at this stage when he's so small and we're just trying to figure him out.

Dave is bonding with the baby and me in ways that he wouldn't be able to if he were at the office - he has had the time he needs to get to know Ben, to get comfortable consoling him, figuring out what will put him to sleep, or pique his attention. The benefits of having Dave home are many, not the least of which is the extra set of hands. Hands to bring me water when I am nursing, bottles when I am pumping, to take the baby when he's inconsolable and I have tried everything, to play with him, and watch over him when I am busy. Rather than being exhausted (okay - we are both still a bit tired) and overwhelmed, we are happy and doing well.

Dave and I have always loved food and cooking, but one of the best parts of having family leave together has been that we are able to cook dinner together and we have an excuse to stay in! Since Ben's birth we have made a point of experimenting with new recipes, and made a ritual of setting the table, lighting a candle. Here is what we have experimented with and loved:

Delicious salmon with garlic, lemon and dill.
Fennel, quinoa and pomegranate salad (top image).
The best herb roasted lamb chops I have ever tasted.
Pan roasted chicken with harissa chickpeas (image above).
The Plumpjack Balboa burger with pickled onions.
Sausage and broccoli rabe fritatta.
Baked cod wrapped in bacon.
This pasta sauce that we saw on a chalk board at Brooklyn Larder: 1 tin of Matiz sardines, 2 cans of peeled tomatoes, chili de arbol, and some garlic (this was our own addition) over fresh pasta.

PS: We're making an effort to eat more responsibly these days, so all of the meat we have cooked has been local and free range / organic.
PPS: If you are looking at these recipes and worrying about our arteries, here are our philosophies on food:





PPPS: First two images (and most recipes!) from Bon Appetit. Image above from the Print Shop by Alexandra's Kitchen.

Spaghetti with Roasted Tomatoes

This is a great recipe that I turn to whenever I have extra tomatoes kicking around, but it's good enough to go out an buy fresh tomatoes for. Its not so much a recipe as a list of things that go well together, and it's really easy to adapt. Things like capers and roasted or sauteed onions also make great additions.

Ingredients

Spaghetti fresh is best but use what you have around.

Tomatoes - I think cherry or small tomatoes are best for this, but if you have some larger tomatoes that you need to get rid of, go for it, but I would probably cut them into quarters thick slices

As much as garlic as you like – thinly sliced, I would probably use 6 cloves for 1 box of pasta. Some people prefer it smashed or grated.

3 tablespoons nice extra virgin olive oil, plus more for serving

Salt and fresh ground black pepper

Whatever fresh herbs you have like basil or chives (or both!)

Shaved Parmesan, for serving (if you don't have Parmesan, feta is also great)

Directions

Heat oven to ~400° F.
Start cooking your pasta.

Toss the tomatoes and garlic in some olive oil (enough to cover) and salt and pepper on a rimmed baking sheet.

Roast the tomatoes, tossing once, until they begin to burst, 20 to 25 minutes. If you are cooking larger tomatoes wait until they are shriveled, oozing juice and starting to turn gold / brown.

Toss the pasta with the tomatoes and herbs, adding enough oil to make the mixture moist

Serve with Parmesan and salt and pepper to taste 

Image from the Rainy Kitchen

Open Faced Tomato Sandwich on a Montreal Bagel

If I had to eat one meal every single day for the rest of my life, this would be it. While some prefer this in regular sandwich form, I like to maximize tomato intake by eating it open faced.

Here are the basic ingredients:
-  The best, freshest tomatoes that you can find.  In the summer there are many to choose from at your local farmer's market, in the off season cherry tomatoes or Kumato tomatoes will have the best flavor.
- Hellman's regular mayonnaise, seriously, it has to be Hellman's, full-fat, no-frills mayo.
-The best bread you can find, toasted. Some prefer country bread or white bread, but for me nothing will ever beat a fresh Montreal bagel.
-Fresh ground pepper
-Salt

Instructions: toast your bagel, spread mayo, add sliced tomatoes, season with salt and pepper.  Enjoy!

Here is another tasty tomato sandwich that Dave and I made this morning with an avocado that needed to be eaten: we took our toasted Montreal bagel and drizzled olive oil over it. In a separate bowl we took one avocado, mashed it with a fork, added fresh lime juice, chili flakes, and salt and pepper to taste. We then spread the avocado over the bagels, added our fresh tomatoes just like the recipe above, and added more salt and pepper to taste. One avocado made for two Montreal bagels worth of spread but could potentially be spread out to cover three...

Going Tomatotarian

Guys. I love tomatoes. A lot.

This time of year I basically boycott any meal that does not include tomatoes. So I am going to indulge myself and write a series of blog posts purely about tomatoes. I will start with one of my favorite tomato recipe (if you can call it a recipe) and how to treat your tomatoes with the respect that they deserve.

How to keep tomatoes

My heart breaks a little every time I see a beautiful tomato in the refrigerator.  Here's the deal: according to the USDA's agricultural research service, keeping tomatoes at a temperature lower than 55 degrees Fahrenheit (the average fridge is about 35 degrees)  results in measurably lower aroma volatiles.  These aroma volatiles are primarily responsible for our sense of taste, so when we refrigerate tomatoes we are inadvertently making them lose flavor.

Refrigerating tomatoes also damages the cell membranes, which leads to the tomatoes having a mealy texture, similar to what we see in tomatoes at the grocery store in January.

When it is okay to refrigerate tomatoes

I won't lie: sometimes I get a little overzealous with my tomato purchases. If I am not able to eat tomatoes while they are ripe, I do refrigerate them, but the key is that after that point I won't eat them fresh.  Later this week I will post a delicious recipe for spaghetti with roasted tomatoes that is my go to whenever I want to use refrigerated tomatoes.

The simplest, easiest and most delicious tomato 'salad'

Can you really call something a recipe when its only ingredients are tomatoes, olive oil, salt and pepper? That is all that is required here. Just take some fresh tomatoes - local are usually best and freshest - heirlooms from your local farmers market, Jersey tomatoes or delicious pink Quebec tomatoes.  Slice them (see above), drizzle with a nice olive oil, and add ground pepper and coarse salt.  This takes about 2 minutes to make and is a perfect side dish for any summer meal. Of course you can always add basil or chopped red onion or fresh mozzarella cheese, all of which will be tasty, but you don't need to.

Coming up soon:

The best tomato sandwich
Spaghetti with roasted tomatoes
Tomato and grilled corn salad
...

Portobello Mushroom Burgers

I'm going to be honest: I am kind of on a roll with cooking these last couple of days.  CSAs are not for the faint of heart. We are learning very quickly that the food you get is a mixed bag, and despite us thinking ourselves creative cooks, we get a lot of veggies that we don't really know what to do with.  In order to use all of them, we have to come up with a lot of new recipes.  Luckily I had an old recipe from my vegan days and knew exactly what do do with portobello mushrooms: burgers!  This recipe is easy and really tasty. The burgers turn out nice and juicy - I would even go so far as to say that they are even tastier than home made beef burgers, and surprisingly, Dave agrees.

Ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

3 garlic cloves, minced

Coarse salt and ground pepper

1 red bell pepper (ribs and seeds removed), cut into 4 equal pieces

4-8 portobello mushrooms (depending on how big you like your burger - we just used 1 mushroom per bun and it was fine), stems removed

4 hamburger buns

Optional:

Cheese (we used gruyere last night and it was perfect)

Lettuce

Caramelized onions (watch this video to see how)
Anything else you might like on a burger

In a shallow dish, whisk together oil, vinegar, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add bell pepper and mushrooms; toss gently to coat. Marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes (or refrigerate, up to overnight). I like to use a Ziploc bag instead of a bowl – it’s great for marinating and helps get the juices all over whatever you are marinating.

Heat grill to medium; lightly oil grates. Grill bell pepper, skin side down, until blackened, about 10 minutes; remove from grill. When cool enough to handle, remove and discard skin (only if you want - they are fine with skins on); set bell pepper aside. Grill mushrooms, covered, until lightly charred and tender, 3 to 4 minutes per side. If you are using cheese, grill the top of the mushroom first.  When you flip them to grill the bottom, put the cheese slices on the mushroom tops.  When the mushrooms are done they are ready to be served.

Jerusalem Artichokes

We got Jerusalem artichokes (sunchokes) in our farm share last week. I had no idea what to do with them, so I googled ‘the best way to eat Jerusalem artichokes’. Lo and behold, the Globe and Mail had a little blurb by almost the same name.

This recipe is delicious.  I wanted to use someone else's pictures because there is just no way anyone other than a professional photographer can make this food look good, but I couldn't find any!  You'll just have to trust me, the recipe is fast and tasty.  I must admit though, it really does make sunchokes delicious by turning them into a vessel for garlicky mayonnaise, which might be cheating a little.  My quest for good sunchoke recipes will continue, but you should give this one a shot.

From Karen Barnaby, executive chef at Vancouver’s Fish House in Stanley Park speaking to the Globe and Mail:

"To cook them, don’t peel them, but scrub them well. Then steam them whole for about 15 minutes and refresh in cold water. They are best eaten at room temperature, and I'd serve them with a garlic mayonnaise. Take a half cup of mayonnaise, stir in a clove of minced garlic, about 2 teaspoons of honey and 2 teaspoons of whole capers. Cut the cooked Jerusalem artichokes in half-inch slices and serve them with a nice piece of roasted Pacific halibut, with the mayonnaise on the side.”

Rutabaga-ing

Last week, we received our first delivery from out CSA / farm share.  We received so many rutabagas and carrots that we didn't know what to do with them.  Last night I decided to experiment with two soup recipes: one vegan and healthy, one creamy, buttery bacony. Both were really easy to make and delicious.

Rutabaga Soup with Bacon and Sage

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 medium-large onion, diced

Salt

1 medium-large rutabaga, 6 to 7 ounces, peeled and diced

2 cloves garlic, sliced

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup whole milk

3 1/2 cups vegetable stock

White pepper

3 tablespoons maple syrup

4 ounces smoked slab bacon, diced fine

20 fresh sage leaves

PREPARATION

1. Melt butter in a large saucepan on low. Add onion, sprinkle with salt, cover and cook until onion is soft but not brown. Add rutabaga and garlic and cook, covered, about 20 minutes, until rutabaga can be pierced with a knife. Meanwhile, in a 3-quart saucepan, bring cream, milk and stock to a simmer.

2. Season rutabaga with pepper and stir in maple syrup. Cook for a few minutes, then add to cream mixture. Simmer uncovered until rutabaga is soft, another 15 minutes or so. Purée with a hand blender, and turn heat all the way down. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Cook bacon in a small skillet until lightly browned. Remove to a couple of sheets of paper towel. Add sage leaves to bacon fat and cook on high heat a minute or so, until crisp. Drain on paper towel.

4. Serve soup with bacon and fried sage scattered on top.

YIELD 6 to 8 servings

Ugh. I look tired.  Also: I really won't miss that back splash.

Rutabaga, Carrot and Turnip soup:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 1/2 cups chopped leek (white and pale green parts only)

1/2 cup chopped celery

1 garlic clove, minced

2 cups 1/2-inch pieces peeled turnips

2 cups 1/2-inch pieces peeled rutabagas

2 cups 1/2-inch pieces peeled russet potatoes

2 cups sliced carrots

1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice

~ 58 ounces of vegetable broth (chicken is ok too, but then it won't be vegan)

PREPARATION

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-low heat. Add leek, celery and garlic and sauté until vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add turnips, rutabagas, potatoes, carrots, tomatoes with juices and 2 cans broth. Bring to boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until vegetables are very tender, about 45 minutes.

Transfer 4 cups soup to processor. Puree until almost smooth. Return puree to pot. Add remaining 2 cans broth; bring to simmer. Season with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into bowls and serve.

YIELD 6

101 Best Sandwiches in NYC (according to New York Magazine)

I love NYC...

I love New York Magazine...

And I love sandwiches.

I bring you some of my favorite things brought together.

101 Best Sandwiches according to New York Magazine.

Paula and Emily

Paula and Emily dropped by New York for a 36 hour mini vacation this weekend.  It was so great to see them. We squeezed in a brunch at the Spotted Pig this morning before they hit the road home.

Welfare Pudding

With American Thanksgiving coming up - I thought I'd share the desert recipe and pictures from Canadian Thanksgiving this past October.  Below are the pictures of Andrée and Jen's beautifully decorated house in Verdun. 

Pudding Chômeur (translates literally to unemployed person's pudding) is a Québecois dessert, believed to have been first made during the depression.  It's normally cooked in a square baking dish. This creamed and buttered up version is baked in 5 oz ramekins. The recipe is from Au Pied de Cochon restaurant in Montreal, and is delicious.

3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 cup maple syrup

1 cup whipping cream (35%)

pinch of salt

vanilla ice cream to serve 

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl, combine butter and sugars, and blend until smooth. Add eggs and vanilla, and beat until completely incorporated. Add flour and baking powder, and stir until dough is well mixed. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

2. In a saucepan, bring syrup and cream to a boil, stirring often. As soon as it reaches the boiling point, remove from heat, add salt and let cool until tepid, then refrigerate for 1 hour.

3. Preheat oven to 450F. Place 6 oven safe, 5 oz. ramekins on a foil-lined baking sheet and spoon a couple tablespoons of maple mixture into the bottom of each. Divide dough evenly among ramekins by loosely packed tablespoons. Slowly pour remaining maple mixture over dough (it will sink into the holes), then bake 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool several minutes, then serve with ice cream.

The Great Bagel Debate

NYer's are rarely able to admit that something from NY is not the best; however, with Montreal deli's like  Mile End popping up, they are beginning to recognize there may be a worthy challenger out there.  So the debate is on.

For those of you who are not familiar with the debate or the difference between NY and Montreal style bagels, here is a little primer:

The New York bagel contains salt and malt and is boiled in water prior to baking in a standard oven. The resulting New York bagel is puffy with a moist crust, while the Montreal bagel is smaller (though with a larger hole), crunchier, and sweeter.

The Montreal bagel contains malt and sugar with no salt; it is boiled in honey-sweetened water before baking in a wood-fired oven; and it is predominantly either of the poppy "black" or sesame "white" seeds variety.

Below you will find some of NY's best bagels and a few places to grab a Montreal style bagel.  You be the judge - but to be fair you need to go to Montreal and have a fresh St. Viateur bagel before you make your final judgement.

Picture from St. Viateur

Kossar's Bialys

Kossar's Bialys is located on Grand Street in the heart of the Jewish portion of the Lower East Side.  I think Kossar's makes the best bagels in NYC.  Kossar's bagels are crispy on the outside, doughy on the inside.  Kosar's is best known for the bialy's and have a number of other great baked goods.

Ess-a-Bagel

Going to Ess-a-Bagel is a real New York experience.  The people who work at Ess-a-Bagel are not the friendliest people and will greet your request to toast your bagel with a grunt and a mumble about how they don't toast bagels.  That being said a fresh Ess-a-Bagel doesn't need toasting.  For people who are used to Montreal bagels, these bagels will be a lot of bagel for you -they are VERY thick. 

H&H Bagels

This is the bagel I grew up on.  I used to go to H&H as a teenager at midnight and get a warm bagel for half price because they couldn't sell day old bagels even though these bagels were a couple of hours old.  H&H also doesn't toast or put cream cheese on bagels, so you'll have to buy some bagels and cream cheese and bring them home or to the park and make them yourself.  Stop at Zabars one block away or Fairway and pick up some lox while you are at it.

Murray's Bagels

Murray's has a number of locations throughout the city.  Murray's makes a solid bagel and offers a great assortment of spreads and smoked fish.

Court Street Bagels

Court Street Bagels is probably not mentioned too often by NYers as a place to get the best bagels in the city, but its I would say they are up there... and they are within walking distance of my house.  So, for those of you who are staying the Carroll Garden's area for the wedding, they make a good bagel - trust me.

Shelsky's Smoked Fish

Shelsky's get's their bagels from Kossar's... but I put it on the list because they were ranked the best smoked fish store in NYC by the NY Post (which isn't the NY Times, but its something).  Come to Shelsky's and get a tasty bagel sandwich - my favorite is the Peter Shelsky (Gaspe Nova, Sable, Pickled Herring with Cream Sauce and Onion, Scallion Cream Cheese Served on Bagel or Bialy).  

I also love this place because it is a stereo-type of Brooklyn.  A couple of months ago I was in Shelsky's ordering a couple of bagel sandwiches when Peter Shelsky, the Jewish, hipster owner, announces to everyone in the store that he is turning on NPR's Car Talk and that he will be on the show today.  What advice is he looking for from Click and Clack?  He had fried a turkey for Thanksgiving at his families home and had put the canister of frying oil in his Jetta and while driving home it had tipped over, so he was looking for advice on how to clean out the car... only in Brooklyn... or Portland.

Anyway... go to Shelsky's.

Russ & Daughter's

Russ & Daughter's is a New York City institution.  They are widely known as the place to get smoked fish in NYC.  Their bagels on the other hand are not made in house and are a bit chewy for me - still very good though - but because of the fish, I'd say they are one of the best bagel sandwiches in the city.  So, worth going, but don't judge NYC's bagels by Russ & Daughter's bagels.

Where to get a Montreal Style Bagel in New York:

Mile End

Mile End ships their bagels in directly from St. Viateurs bagels in Montreal (though there are rumors that they may start producing their own).  When they got started that had staff and volunteers bring trunk loads of Montreal's finest to Brooklyn.  You can order a dozen for $20 or you can get your bagel schmear (which includes tomato, onion and cream cheese) or you can get the Beauty (which includes lox, capers, tomato, onion and cream cheese). 

St. Viateur's make the best bagels in Montreal, but you have to remember when you get bagels at Mile End, they are somewhere between 1-3 days old.

B&B Empire

B&B Empire makes Montreal style bagels on site.  Not quiet as good as St. Viateurs and B&B's bagels are a bit bigger than the typical Montreal bagel - probably to appease the American belief that bigger is better - and its missing a little something... but B&B bagels fulfill the bagel needs of Montrealers seeking a bagel from home. 

Additional reading on the on the the bagel debate.

The Great Bagel Debate (The Daily Beast)

New York Bagels vs Montreal Bagels: Friends or Foes (Honest Cooking)

Montreal Bagels Square off Against New York's (NYT)

Montreal Bagel's, Now South of the Border (NYT)

NYC Bagel Snobs REACT To Montreal Bagels' Brooklyn Debut (Gothamist)

*This is a repost from our wedding blog uniononunion.tumblr.com