Winter Musings, Cassoulet, and Plan B

The winter chill makes me want to make and eat stews. Every part of the process is a winter wonderland for me, from planning a stew based on winter produce and local meats at the market, to the meditative process of cutting up root vegetables and aromatics, to the deliriously sexy aromas that waft as meats brown, flavors meld in a simmering pot, and time and heat turn earlier efforts into a stew-y ambrosia.

So it's no surprise that I’ve had in mind the idea of a cassoulet. If you’re not familiar, it’s a French stew of white beans and meat. Of course there are as many variations as there are cooks and families who pass around recipes. I don’t have a handed-down recipe, but I have a trove of resources in many treasured cookbooks and memories of versions made in the past with and for friends. That little inkling in the back of my mind met perfect inspiration in my annual pilgrimage to Mr. K's Bookstore. Every Christmas, dear framily comes to Asheville, and among many traditions (light show, Chocolate Lounge, playing games into the night…), I think the most loved is breakfast at J&S Cafeteria followed by a leisurely hang out at Mr. K’s Bookstore, conveniently located next door.

Sometimes it’s just one little thing that brings a book home, and I need only see the title to know it will end up on my shelf. When I first found “Hallelujah! The Welcome Table”, by Maya Angelou, I thought it was mis-placed in the cookbook section, until I read the rest of the cover to find “A lifetime of memories with recipes” below the title. A book of stories by a master story-teller, with recipes?  Sold. And then, leafing through, I found what would be my first recipe and perhaps the real reason to buy the book: so I might attempt to make the Cassoulet that Maya Angelou made for M.F.K. Fisher (as one does).

And now, Plan B:

Making ingredient and amount notes.

Even when I plan to follow a recipe to the letter, I always seem to alter it in some way. Sometimes out of necessity, sometimes out of taste habit. I do love to try recipes as written, to see if I can get that intended/described result, but I also see most recipes (excluding pastries and those other baking recipes that require more adherence to measurements) as guidelines, and I approach them as such.

I think if I had not been planning for a lazy day off of cooking, I'd try her recipe as written, and I plan to do that another time, but I love slow roasting meats, and usually turn those leftovers into a stew, so I knew that I would be taking one major step that differed from her recipe. So while I may take a few detours, I would use her recipe as my guide to reach the same destination. I had planned to use her ingredients as my guide as well. I had a good bit of what she listed in my larder and freezer, so I really only wanted to pick up a few things. Unfortunately, I left my last minute shopping to...the last minute. And the last minute was thwarted by an unexpected sleet storm that sent me home from the studio early, but not early enough to avoid the black-ice-laden roads, so rather than create an epic adventure to the grocery that more likely have me stranded on the road instead of home planning a tasty stew, I made my way home. Slowly. And today, I'm actually getting to do something else I love, and that's 'punt'. I have my guideline recipe, I have a variety of ingredients, and I have all day to play in the kitchen. In jammies. Oh glorious day off, what a great way to start the year!

So as to my recipe -  not really providing a recipe here of my day's puttering about, as it's an accumulation of many things, and well I just forgot to take measurements and notes once I got things going (did I mention - day off?). But if you've been reading this far (Happy New Year, and thanks!), I will give you a bit of an overview on the 'parts' of what I did. I'm also taking part in the #cook90 challenge, so everything done was done with future meals in mind, as well. 

Cassoulet, the Players:

The Lamb:

Remaining lamb shank, ready to
become other dishes.

1.9# lamb shank, rubbed with olive oil, salt, pepper, ground coriander, and cinnamon and placed in a roasting pan, then sprinkled with all the remaining dried thyme from my spring garden. Roasted at 450 for 20 minutes, then (after removing a bit of excess fat), covered tightly with foil and lid and roasted at 325 for about 2 hours, with added smashed garlic. I was so distracted by the amazing sight, sound, and smell of the lamb when it came out of the oven that I forgot all about taking pictures. I used about 1/3 of the shank for my stew. Remaining meat will be something else soon, and the bone will base a new soup stock this week.

The Pork:

Aromatics sizzle with sausage.

I'm cooking this as in Maya Angelou's recipe, which is to brown cubes of boneless pork in duck fat on all sides before adding it to the bean mix, and then do the same treatment with onions, leeks, fennel bulb, celery, and sausage before adding to the beans.

The Beans:

I soaked white beans overnight, in water and salt, and in the morning I added a clove-studded onion, celery, carrot, diced bacon, a bay leaf, 2 smashed cloves of garlic, and a tea infuser filled with dried parsley and thyme. I let that boil and simmer while I prepped the other aromatics, cut up the pork & sausage, and got the lamb in the oven. By the time I was browning the pork, the beans had been simmering about an hour. I removed the bay leaf, infuser, and oversized veg, and as I browned or saute-ed the pork, veg, and sausage, I added it to the beans. After that, I poured in some crushed tomatoes and the last of a bottle of white wine from the fridge. 

I simmered all that until the lamb came out of the oven. After it sat for a few minutes, I carved off about a pound of meat, cut it into cubes, and added it to the stew. After a quick mix, the stew pot was transferred to a 325 oven for just under an hour. 

9 degrees windchill outside doesn't matter at all when you've got a steaming bowl of this stew!

And then I had a winter-warming stew that I know will only get better each time it's heated!

Sweet Potato & Leek Top Tortilla Española - 100 Days of Recipes: Day 62

If you come to Asheville (and you really should, you know!), you will find unending possibilities for good food and drink. One of my favorites, and they were even before they were a client, is Cúrate Tapas Bar, and their Tortilla Española is something I love! I also love sweet potatoes, and in fact I like them much more than white potatoes, so as soon as I had this goodness at the restaurant, I began wondering how it would taste with sweet potatoes. 

I kept wondering, and then a wonderful thing happened: chef Katie Button released her Cúrate cookbook, and included was her recipe for the Tortilla. I loved it so much the first time I made it myself, I think I made it easily five more times within as many weeks. I think it's my favorite way to eat white potatoes.

But the question remained, I wonder if I could make a version with sweets? The opportunity presented itself this week when I decided to put together some small bites to celebrate a neighbor's birthday. I was thinking of making the tortilla from the cookbook for the event, adding the blanched leek tops (see Day 59, June 26) from the freezer. Well the day did not go as planned, and I didn't get a chance to shop for the cookbook tortilla, but when I got home, I realized I had the eggs, I had some onions, I had the leek tops, and I had a good pile of sweet potatoes. Here was my chance to test out a new version!

Flipped out of the cast iron pan and onto a platter - perfect for entertaining, because
you can plate it, then get ready and it'll be at a perfect serving temperature
by the time your guests arrive!

I don't always test new recipes when I'm entertaining ... oh wait, yes I do. In fact, I think I make a point to do that, so this fit right in. In addition to the leek tops, I had some beautiful oyster mushrooms from the tailgate that just seemed to want to go in the tortilla, so in they went.

I was a bit rushed from the 'day that did not go as planned', so I didn't think to take any pictures until the plating, but I think the key to making sweet potatoes work for this is to slice them thin, and then watch them in the fry pan and turn them just as they begin to get color. The texture stays really nice in the tortilla!

The recipe below is what I made, following the original recipe out of the Cúrate Cookbook, but adapting for the ingredients I had - the result is sweeter than the original, to be sure, but if you love sweet potatoes, you'll love it. And I may add some more fresh herbs next time to offset the sweetness .. or not - this was really, really good!!

Sweet Potato, Leek Top, and Oyster Mushroom Tortilla

6 eggs, whisked well
1/3 cup blended oil (I used a little olive oil with a little veg oil)
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced (a bit less than 1/8")
1/2 large yellow onion, 1/16" slices
1 cup blanched leek tops
1 cup sliced oyster mushrooms (loose pack)

Whisk the eggs in a bowl large enough to hold all the ingredients, then set aside near the stove.

Heat the oil in a 10" cast iron or other heavy-bottom pan. Stove tops vary, but you're looking for a medium heat that's a little hotter than medium. Cook the sliced sweet potatoes in batches, turning them often so they don't burn too fast. Adjust your heat as needed. Once you have a nice, light browning on both sides, use a slotted spatula and remove them, shaking off excess oil, to the bowl of eggs, and add a nice pinch of salt. Repeat until you've done all the sweet potatoes. If you still have a lot of oil, pour off the excess and leave just enough to saute the onions. Lower the heat a bit, add the onions to the pan along with the leek tops. Stir to coat with the oil, cover and let them soften for about 3 minutes. Add in the mushrooms and a nice sprinkle of salt, stir to mix, cover and let cook another 3 minutes.

Add the onion mixture to the eggs, stir to combine thoroughly. Add 2 TBSP oil to the pan, and set the heat to medium/low. Pour in the eggs, and spread it out in an even layer. Cook until the underside is golden and the center is set - about 10 minutes.

Place a plate 'face down' on top of the pan, and using towels or oven mitts, flip the tortilla from the pan to the plate. Immediately slide the tortilla back into the pan so you can get a nice browning on the other side. That'll take another 5-6 minutes. 

Loosen the sides of the tortilla with a spatula, then you can either flip it back onto your serving platter, or get a spatula under it and lift it out of the pan and onto the platter.

*Don't cook it until it's solidly firm all the way through, or you may end up with an over-done tortilla. Let it have a little give in the center, and you'll have a nice moisture (think 'over easy' eggs in creaminess, but not as runny) inside.

This is best at room temp, so you can do it up to an hour before serving.

Swirls and layers of flavor, perfect for a small Swirl Plate!

Veggie Delight: 100 Days of Recipes, Day 56

I'd like to think that people who have my pottery are inspired to create fabulous dishes to go in and on them. Maybe it's because that's what I do, or maybe they create fabulous dishes, and then see which plate or platter or bowl is worthy of holding its fabulousness. I do that, too. Either way, if they then share that result with me, I am in turn inspired - sometimes it's to make more and/or new pieces for future fabulous dishes, and sometimes it's to make a fabulous dish of my own.

So when Chef Kajsa Alger posted this:

My ReGram of Chef Kajsa's yumminess on my platter.

I was inspired, not only because I absolutely love seeing how others use my pottery, but because once again I saw something yummy and realized "hey, I have those ingredients!", or at least some version of those ingredients.

I had just been to my favorite Asian Market to pick up some coconut creme for a special creation (sure to be chronicled here later...), so really, the main thing that popped into my head was that I had a nice package of rice noodles. Having been to the tailgate market on Saturday, I knew I also had veggies, so it was just a matter of putting them together.

Softening the onion, fennel bulb, ginger, and turmeric.

The rest of the players: shaved carrot and sweet potato, thin cuts of kale,
snap peas, broccoli stems, zucchini, and squash. Plus broccoli flowers and
oyster mushrooms. True vegetable delight!

What I love about using these thin, rice noodles is that while they soak in a bowl of warm water, I can quickly cook up the veg, and just when they are about perfect, toss in the noodles, make a hot 'dressing' and it's all done - practically a one-pot meal!

My roped platter holds the Veggie Delight beautifully, and I've got
meals and parts of meals for the rest of the week!

Veggie Delight

This makes a nice pile of noodles! Easily feeds 2-4, depending on how hungry the eaters, and if you decide to add a protein or other sides. Of course, I'm already planning for the leftovers...

1/2 cup thinly sliced onion
1/2 cup thinly sliced fennel bulb
1" piece of ginger, sliced thin and chopped
1" piece of fresh turmeric, sliced thin and chopped
8-10 leaves of lacinto kale leaves (long/flat), thinly sliced
1 small head of broccoli, about 4-5 stalks: cut at the crowns, and thinly slice the stalks
   (peel tough outer skin if necessary)
1 small (about 5") carrot, shaved into strips with a vegetable peeler
1/2 cup shaved (use the peeler) sweet potato
1 cup thinly sliced zucchini and yellow squash

About 5 oz. thin rice noodles - the kind you soak in warm water, and then add to stir-fry.

Dressing:
1 1/2 TBSP sesame oil
2 tsp pomegrante molasses
1 tsp rice wine vinegar
generous squirt sriracha
generous pinch of salt
pinch of date sugar

Place the rice noodles in a bowl large enough to cover the rice completely with warm water. Do that, and set it aside while you cook the veg.

Heat a wok or large saute pan over medium heat (or just below medium) and saute the onion, fennel bulb, ginger, and turmeric until soft and fragrant (about 5 minutes). Toss in a pinch of salt, then add the kale, carrot, sweet potato, and broccoli stems. Raise heat just a bit (to medium, or just higher than that) and continue to saute/stir for another 3-4 minutes, or until the kale is wilted. Add the broccoli crowns and squash, and continue to stir/saute for another 3-4 minutes. 

Mix the first four ingredients of the dressing together, then taste. Add some salt, taste again, then add some date sugar if it needs balance. Whisk it hard (or put it all in a jar and shake it hard!). Find your happy place by taste.

Drain the noodles, then add them in small tong fulls, folding together with the veg to get them incorporated and 'unclumped' if necessary. Drizzle the dressing on top, and lightly toss the noodles and the veg together to thoroughly incorporate and coat with dressing. Put the lid on and let the noodles steam in the veggie mix for 2-3 minutes, then remove from the heat.

Great as is for a light lunch, or add the protein of your choice to make it a bit heartier. And I already see an 'over easy scramble' with some of the leftovers in my future.

Carrot Top Gremolata: 100 Days of Recipes, DaysI l 53 & 54

Two days of recipe inspiration comes from the recent episode of the new series "Scraps" (FYI network I believe - I don't get that one, but you can watch it online after it airs). I love the show and how it features great chefs and recipes in general, but even more for how it focuses on using the bits and pieces that usually end up ... well, as scraps! In this episode,  I loved everything that Chefs Joel Gamoran and Jenn Claiborne made, but the Carrot Top gremolata really caught my attention. I love using the leaves and tops of most all vegetables, but for the most part, when I have carrot tops, they usually go into a stock pot. Not this time! I had a lovely piece of cod I wanted to cook up, and the gremolata sounded great to go with it. It didn't end there, tomorrow I will share how I used my leftovers and that same idea for a whole new meal.

I love my new garlic keeper by Hannah McGehee, and it also keeps
my fresh ginger and turmeric! Her larger version (top right) holds the onions.

Chopping up the carrot tops with some lemon peel and garlic, I had a strong smell memory of pulling carrots out of a garden when I was younger - it had a nice, fresh, earthy aroma and I could almost taste the fresh carrot. I knew then it would be a great combination for my fish.

I made a 'bed' of gremolata in my baking dish, topped it with a lightly salted
piece of cod, then more gremolata. I put it in a cold oven and brought it up to 375 degrees.

The result was delicious! Each of the flavors in the gremolata came through and the combination with a beautifully flaky cod was the perfect compliment to a fresh market salad.

It's Easy Being Green! Crazy Green glaze makes a beautiful frame, and deep, lush 
Tenmoku glaze makes a perfect canvas for Tailgate delights: baby greens, radish sprouts, 
snap peas, and kale plus some shredded carrot for a little color.

Roasted Cod with Carrot Top Gremolata

1 large handful of carrot top greens

2 large cloves of garlic, cut into thin strips

pinch of salt

3 strips of lemon peel (try to avoid too much white pith)

Smash the garlic, then sprinkle salt on top. Add the lemon peels and continue to dice finely. Add the carrot tops (I'd say I had a loose cup or so) and continue to finely chop it all together.

For my fish, I laid a bed of most of the gremolata in a handmade baking dish. After lightly salting the cod filet, I placed that on the bed of gremolata, and then sprinkled the rest on top of the fish.

The baking dish went into a cold oven (heat your handmade with the oven!), then I set the temp at 375. Cook time will vary depending on the size and thickness of your filet, but mine was perfectly flaky after about 22 minutes. If you use a more traditional baking pan that doesn't need to be heated with the oven, check it sooner!

I continued the light, fresh flavors on my very green salad, using a light sprinkle of salt and squeeze of lemon for a dressing. Baby greens, snap peas, and a few shreds of carrot have a lovely sweetness, and the radish sprouts have a light, peppery bite to compliment. All together with the cod and gremolata made for happiness in every bite!

And as often happens, I was enjoying this lovely meal and already thinking about what I wanted to do with the leftovers. Stay tuned...