NOLA Red Beans + Rice

People come flocking to my home when I mention that I'm making red beans and rice. I have to admit, this is not because I am some expert in the way of the kidney bean... but because I have discovered, by way of Benjamin's mother, that the world's best red beans come from a can. Sadly these cans are only sold in-store in the South, but with the amazeballs technology that is the InterTubes, I get them delivered to my door on a semi-regular basis for about $2 per can, shipping included. This month's haul came from WalMart.com, but I typically order from (and prefer to support) smaller online grocers such as NewOrleansShowcase.com and CajunGrocer.com.

You could, of course, pop open a can, microwave the contents and stick a fork in it. But let's be civilized. And pretentious. We have to do something to make this dish gourmet. And, really, I believe that you have to add your personal flare to any recipe in order to really own it. So below you will find my slight adaptation of the Moise-family recipe for the easiest and best NOLA red beans you'll ever have. Everything in this recipe—save the rice—is pre-cooked so it's mostly a matter of heating and mixing, and you don't have much to worry about in the way of food-borne illness, at least not from anything raw. But please do wash your hands before you begin... I assure you there will be some finger-licking in the process!

Before I release the kraken, I want to share a story on how the 'dollop of mayo' suggestion at the end of the recipe came about. I know it sounds really weird, and probably kinda gross to many of you, but I assure you it's awesome. And here's how I found that out: I was visiting the Moises at their lovely home in Metairie, Louisiana (suburb of New Orleans, essentially) fairly early on in my relationship with Benjamin. I was still meek and polite back then (oh how times have changed!). So when the ever-intimidating Mr. Moise, or Clay, bellowed from the kitchen that dinner was ready, we promptly got up and served ourselves. I think I made Benjamin fill my bowl, having no idea of the proper ratio of rice-to-beans. As I trotted back into the living room, Clay bellowed again from the kitchen, "Sara. Come here. Bring your bowl." Back then I unquestioningly did as I was told. So with a panicked, fear-stricken glance to Benjamin over my shoulder, I scurried back into the kitchen, my bowl held out in front of me. The moment I walked in, without saying a word, Clay plopped a tablespoon-full of mayonnaise into my bowl. All he said was, "That makes it better." He was absolutely right, and to this day I add a healthy portion of mayo atop each bowl of red beans.

Enjoy!

Easiest and Best Authentic New Orleans Red Beans + Rice
Serves 3-4 ...unless your eating with Ben, in which case it serves 2

Ingredients

• 1 cup uncooked white rice (or 3 cups cooked)
• 3 cans (16 oz. each) of Blue Runner Creole Cream Style Red Beans
• 1 Polska Kielbasa sausage (typically I use Hillshire Farms)
• Tony Chachere's Original Creole Seasoning, to taste
• Crystal Hot Sauce, to taste
• Mayonnaise, to taste (optional)

Directions

1. Cook white rice according to package directions (do this first as it will take longer than the beans). If cooking rice on the stove, give it 10-15 minutes before starting on the beans. If using a rice cooker, begin immediately (rice cooker will probably finish before you are done with the beans, but the device should keep your rice warm throughout)
2. Cut kielbasa long ways, then thinly slice into half-circles
3. Put cut sausage into large skillet over medium-high heat
4. Sprinkle sausage with a healthy helping of Tony Chachere's
5. Cook until slightly browned (sausage is usually pre-cooked so this is mostly for heating and crisping)
6. Add all 3 cans of red beans to skillet, reduce heat to medium and stir regularly
7. Should you prefer a thinner consistency, you can add some water now (I typically do not add any water)
8. When beans begin to bubble slightly, turn off heat
9. Serve over white rice (approximately 1/3 white rice to 2/3 beans) and top with Crystal Hot Sauce to taste
10. Consider trying a dollop of mayo on top, too... it's really creamy and delish!
11. Eat, enjoy, go get seconds, repeat 'til you're stuffed!

Brussels and Bacon Stir Fry and Curried Sweet Potatoes

Until tonight, I didn't realize what a cooking rut I've been in. I used to make up weird shit for dinner all the time, but as of late my inspiration has been waning.   Last week, I pulled off a version of Eat.Live.Run's Brussels Sprouts; this took less than 10 minutes, and I actually prefer their texture when cut into a kind of chiffonade.    How had I never thought to slice up brussels sprouts?  Shahab, whose childhood was robbed of a proper vegetal nemesis, didn't try them until he was like 25, and now brussels are his favorite vegetable.  But who has time to roast brussels sprouts for an hour after getting home? Because of the commitment necessary to make them edible, we don't eat them very often.  Enter this meal: a kind of douchey, but delicious, fusion version of sprouts and finally feel like I am out of my culinary rut.   

While Eat.Live.Run countered the bitterness of them with the sweetness of brown sugar and caramelized pecans, the three baked sweet potatoes in the fridge somehow inspired me to try a Southeast Asian version using turkey bacon and light coconut milk to add faux richness to the conspicuously healthy sprouts.  Overlooked as an Asian ingredient, sweet potatoes seem to be invented to be eaten with things like coconut, ginger, and curry rather than brown sugar and marshmallows.  So I decided to take a Thanksgiving staple and turn it Asian.  The caramelized bacon, garlic and sprouts set off the super luscious and rich potatoes, and the sesame adds a nice nutty flavor.  In all, it took less than a half hour, and that's partly because peeling baked sweet potatoes is tedious and sloppy.  I didn't actually measure the spices, but I estimated in the recipe below.    

Ignore the onion, and pretend like you see sesame and curry

Ingredients:

Brussels-Bacon Stir Fry

15-20 Brussels

3-4 cloves of garlic

6-8 slices of turkey bacon (we keep a pork free house)

1 tsp Smoked Paprika

2 tsp soy sauce

2 tsp sesame seeds                                                                                                                

Coconut Curry Mashed Sweet Potatoes   

3 sweet potatoes
3/4 cup light coconut milk

2 tsp curry powder 

1 tsp salt  
                                                                                 

If you are starting from raw sweet potatoes, you should start by boiling or baking them.  Since Shahab baked up a ton of potatoes on Sunday, I got to skip this step.  

While the bacon is going, Slice the brussels into very thin slices, being careful not to go too close to the base, as it gets more bitter.  Don't worry if it stays in circles; as it sautes, it will break up.  Then, mince the garlic and set aside in a bowl. 

Now that I see the picture, maybe real bacon is better. 

Take the bacon off the heat, and when cool enough, slice up and put in the bowl with the sprouts.

Put the cooked sweet potato in a medium pot with the 3/4 cup coconut milk, curry powder and salt.  Heat and mash and you know. 

As the sweet potato heats, dump the garlic, then the sprouts and the bacon to the same saute pan in which you cooked the bacon.  Add smoked paprika and sesame seeds.  Saute for 5 minutes or so, then add as much soy sauce as you like, and saute for another 2-4 minutes, or until it is bright and tender.  

                 Top with another sprinkle of sesame seeds and sriracha.  This made 3 or 4 servings for us. 

Weekend Brunching: Pop-up Brunch at KTCHN 105

There was a time when catching up with friends meant long drawn out dinners over many many bottles of wine, or hanging purses on tiny hooks below the bar and mingling and reminiscing till the wee hours of the morning. It was a time when weeknight fun and early mornings were of no consequence to us, and bed times and hem lines were blurred along with our visions. The greasy diner breakfasts, which were eventually consumed after these nights, more out of necessity than any epicurean delights. Now, I am in no way saying our carefree days are over, I'm still in my 20's for god-sake, what I am alluding to is the fact that nights like this are becoming fewer and far between. I am also not saying this is necessarily a bad thing, for as I mourn the loss of my early 20's rablerousing, I find myself comfortably nestled in my new station in life as a late (well later) 20's weekend brunch-er.

This past weekend, after having gone far too long without a good catchup gab session, my dear friend Molly and I decided to meet for brunch. I did a quick yelp search for restaurants downtown and was intrigued by the reviews for a brunch spot I had never heard of. KTCHN 105. The concept of a roaming pop up brunch sounded intriguing but the photos of previous brunch fare really sealed the deal for me. Waffle BLT with pears? Yes. Yes please. After finding out that their pop-up loft location was up and running every weekend in November I promptly made a reservation.

After hugs and greetings early (ish) Saturday morning we sat down to eat. The space, located in a loft apartment near the produce section of Downtown LA, is cute and homey. My eyes were immediately drawn to a Bloody Mary bar with jars or fresh celery, pickles, olives and peppers. I of course couldn't resist the appeal and ordered their house Bloody Mary (they also serve a Bloody Maria made with, you guessed it, tequila) Molly ordered a Mimosa made with fresh OJ. Menus were opened. The rotating menu meant none of the dishes I had read about on the yelps were available, but you know what? It all ended up just fine.

Ok foodies, here is where this story gets interesting.

The drinks came, and I don't want to oversell or simplify this but, hot damn! It was a good Bloody Mary. Not just a good BM (hehe) but It was without a doubt the best Bloody Mary I've ever had. Simple, spicy, refreshing and strong. I was warned to NOT bite into the habanero pepper that was rustically speared and placed inside my drink, which I obliged. I quickly noticed however, that not only was the pepper a lovely accoutrement, sandwiched between two pimientos, it also was functional in that it helped me gage the spice level and let me pull out when the heat got too intense (please feel free to expound your own sexual innuendos here).

Ok Ok FOOD. Molly dear ordered the egg sandwich, 2 eggs, baguette, potatoes. Pretty straight forward, but sounded great. After some indecisiveness I ordered, or rather was persuaded by the delightful waitress to order the beat hash. Along with our mains, we ordered the fruit trio as an appetizer.

As we were eagerly chatting and catching up, the fruit plate was dropped in front of us and looked absolutely beautiful. This is the point in the story in which I must apologies, as I haven't really given into the whole taking pictures of your food at restaurants craze, but since I am part of a food blog, I should maybe think about getting over myself and changing my ways. That being said, imagination will be key for this bit; the fruit trio consisted of minted melons atop a creamy yogurt sauce, homemade granola in a creamy sweet coconut milk, and sweet grits with berry fruit preserves. All of it was amazing and the flavors all very layered and delicious. We both agreed the highlight of the plate were the amazing sweet grits that almost tasted like a rice or tapioca pudding.

After more chatting and communing, brunch arrived. Again, apologies for the lack of pictures, but please take my word for it, the plates were dressed beautifully. Mine, a huge mound of roasted beets, crispy homestyle potatoes, soft scrambled eggs with goat cheese, horseradish creme and wilted dressed spinach. A lovely brioche roll with homemade lemon clotted cream and preserves accompanied. Molly's, looked equally delicious, two beautifully baked eggs on a crispy bread with a beautiful mound of those perfectly done and seasoned potatoes.

As we dug in the chatter stopped momentarily to let the flavor wash over us. Delicious. Transcendent, even. All the components of my dish worked together and built off each other. A party in my mouth, if you will. It was evident that a lot of thought and many steps and labor were involved in constructing each of our dishes and the results were much appreciated by both myself and my fellow bruncher. As the drinks were finished off and the bill (given to us with two fresh cookies) handled, I couldn't help but feel completely fulfilled by my morning, it was truly, lovely. As I got in my car refreshed and nourished by both my meal and my interaction with my friend, I thought to myself, 'If this is growing up, I think I like it.'

KTCHN 105 will be serving brunch through November 27th at;

1250 Long Beach Ave.

Los Angeles, CA 90021

Also please check out the website as they also do cocktail and cooking classes.

*Picture taken off of Yelp.

Autumn Walnut Apple Pie

This healthy variation of an apple pie puts the fruit front and center and the ginger adds so much flavor that you won't even care that there is a granny shower cap where your lattice top should be.

Heres what you need:

3 Apples- (I used Pippin since they came in my CSA) Slice them thin so they get coated and cook well

Ginger- just a pinch

Cinnamon- about 1 tsp

Nutmeg- 2 pinches ;)

Whole Wheat Flour- 1 TBSP

BrownSugar- To your liking... I added about 1.5 TBSP but more or less according to your sweet tooth and the apples used.

Walnuts- 1/3 cup chopped

Pie Crust- If you're savvy make it from scratch. I got this pre-made and rolled crust from Whole foods... it came with two so stay tuned for pie experiment #2.

Pre heat the oven to 400 degrees!!!!

Once you're all chopped and measured, mix all ingredients minus the crust of course and coat the apples thoroughly. Lay pie crust into round baking pan and leave edges hanging over. Arrange apples in as fancy of a spiral and you can concoct. My patience and hunger failed me on this step. sprinkle the heavenly remaining mixture of sugar, spice and everything walnut atop your delicate lil design and fold over edges. Get creative or go for the shower cap as I have done. Pop that little gem in the furnace (bottom rack) for 30-35 min until apples are tender and crust is golden.

Let cool...If you can and nosh away! After all... It's only 180 Cals per slice (roughly 1/8th of the pie)

Credit: Self Magazine November 2011 "Best of the Worst"

Eggplant Rollatini

Eggplant rollatini is damn good, and this recipe (I haven't really had any others) is actually pretty good for you. It has a lot of steps, and takes a little over an hour but it's awesome when you want a light dinner thats actually allows you feel like you're eating a bunch of cheese... something I. am. about.

There are a lot of different components, please see picture on the left, that you have to get together to well... put it all together. But I think it's pretty worth it. The recipe is adapted, very slightly, from the WW website, mostly I use olive oil instead of cooking spray... cause it just tastes soooo much better.

Eggplant Rollatini, adapted ever so slightly from this:
http://www.weightwatchers.com/util/prt/recipe.aspx?Type=1&RecipeID=115741

a little bit of olive oil
2 medium raw eggplant, tops and bottoms removed, sliced lengthwise into 1/4" thick slices
2 Garlic cloves sliced thinly (or more)
2 cups canned crushed tomatoes
2 tbsp fresh basil torn

1/4 cup(s) minced onion

1 small zucchini, diced

1 garlic clove, chopped

1/2 cup part skim ricotta

2 tbsp fresh basil chopped

about 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan

1 large egg

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees and coat a cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray

Lay eggplant in a single layer on prepared baking sheet and lightly coat tops with cooking spray. Bake, flipping once, until golden brown, about 10 minutes per side. Remove from oven and set aside.


To make sauce, place oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add sliced garlic; sauté until it begins to brown, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes; stir to combine and reduce heat to low. Add torn basil, stir to combine and  simmer for 10 minutes. Cover, remove from heat and set aside.

To make filling, coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium-high heat. Add onion and zucchini; sauté until onion starts to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in chopped garlic and cook 1 minute more; spoon onion mixture into a small bowl to cool. In another small bowl, combine ricotta, chopped basil, and 2 tablespoons of Parmesan; stir to combine. Add cooled onion mixture; stir to combine. Add egg, salt and pepper; stir to combine.

To make rollatini, reduce oven to 400ºF. Spoon 3 tablespoons of sauce in bottom of an 8- X 8-inch glass or nonstick metal baking dish and swirl to coat bottom with sauce. On a clean cutting board, place 1 slice of eggplant. Place 2 tablespoons of filling at the narrow end of eggplant and roll up; place in prepared baking dish, seam side-down. Repeat with remaining eggplant slices; arrange in a single layer in dish. Spoon remaining 1/2 cup of sauce and rest of Parmesan over eggplant. Bake until sauce bubbles, about 10 to 15 minutes. Yields about 2 pieces of rollatini per serving.

I had much smaller eggplant, which is why there are waayyy more rollatini's than there should be, but meh, it still tastes the same. 

Carbs and Tomatoes

Carbs and tomatoes are two of my favorite things, meaning a plate of well cooked pasta and simple tomato sauce in this case. 101 cookbooks "5 minute tomato sauce" is something I make fairly often, it really only takes a few minutes and is so delicious. I've really only tried it on pasta but if you're a fan of lemony sauce it could be used for pizza, lasagna, chicken, etc. The red pepper flakes can be a bit much depending on where they are from, and how spicy they are / how spicy you like your sauce. And the recipe specifies san marzano tomatoes (don't they all) which are very tasty, but if you have a can of say hunts tomatoes, they will do the trick too. (although the san marzanos are on sale at Gelsons this week, fyi)

http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/five-minute-tomato-sauce-recipe.html

Recipe from 101 cookbooks

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
3 medium cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 28-ounce can crushed red tomatoes
zest of one lemon

Combine the olive oil, red pepper flakes, sea salt, and garlic in a cold saucepan. Stir while you heat the saucepan over medium-high heat, saute just 45 seconds or so until everything is fragrant - you don't want the garlic to brown. Stir in the tomatoes and heat to a gentle simmer, this takes just a couple minutes. Remove from heat and carefully take a taste (you don't want to burn your tongue)...If the sauce needs more salt add it now. Stir in the lemon zest reserving a bit to sprinkle on top of your pasta.

Makes about a quart of tomato sauce.

Soup is Good Food

Potato Leek Soup

I. Love. Soup. I'm not sure if this is a weird thing. I grew up with a lot of soup, my parents are all about it, if you go out to a meal with them they almost always order the soup. It's no secret, Flahertys are all about soup. (at least my little branch of them)

 

I actually had no idea that the saying "soup is

good food" had been put in my head by the

campbells soup people from an early age. Growing up my sister and I had these bowls that we would always eat soup from that said "at the bottom of the bowl, soup is good food" and that soup was mostly campbells if my dad made it, home-made if my mom did. Home made soup is awesome, but campbells is not bad either, if you've lived with me you know that I will never hesitate to just have a can (most likely tomato) of soup for dinner, annnnddd I totally just spent at least 1/2 an hour looking for that bowl online,and totally found it on ebay. Yeeeaaaa!

Annnyyywaaayyyss, potato leek soup is healthy and tasty and this is a soup Max and I make pretty often. It's great for a chilly night, but also makes really good leftovers. It's a recipe modified from an old weight watchers cookbook, and is great even if it does look a little bit like baby food. 

Potato Leek Soup

4 Large Leeks, white and green parts only, cleaned and chopped

4 Yukon Gold Potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces (I used russets this time, it was still good, but the yukon golds definitely add more richness so I would recommend those)

1 large onion, chopped

5 cups (at least) veggie or chicken broth

3 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped

olive oil or butter

red pepper flakes

salt and pepper to taste

Heat about a TBSP of olive oil or butter (or both) in a large pot, add onions and leeks and red pepper, if using. Saute until leeks look a little wilted and onions are a bit translucent (about 7-8 minutes). 

Add the potatoes and saute for a few minutes, add garlic and cook til fragrant.

Add broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until veggies are tender, 25-30 minutes. Remove from heat and cool for 10 minutes.

Your goal now is to puree the mixture, do that with your favorite puree tool, whether it be an immersion blender, food processor or regular blender.I normally put it back in a the soup pot and check for seasonings or add extra broth if it ends up too thick.

Serve with some sort of crispy onions on top (like Ina's fried shallots) and bread or a big salad. Noms