Marie Rama's Blog, page 12
June 30, 2013
Easy Recipe-Free Roasted Cauliflower
When many good cooks get into the kitchen, they like to “fly without a net," or to improvise without relying on any specific recipe. The more you cook, the more you flex your improvising “muscles."This Roasted Cauliflower with Yellow Peppers and Bacon is a good place to start recipe-free cooking. You can master it in one try and tuck it away in your file of “delicious dishes to make that won’t stress me out."
With its complex flavors of salt, umami, sugar and smoke, bacon adds a little bit of delicious meatiness to a recipe that is otherwise all vegetables. I like to toss the finished dish into a bowl of steaming pasta or spoon it over a bowl of brown rice or serve as a side to a simply roasted chicken.
Check out the variations that follow the “recipe" and use your own imagination to alter this one approach. Once you master roasting the cauliflower, the healthy possibilities are unlimited.
1.) Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly coat a large, shallow roasting pan with olive oil.
2.) Cut one medium to small head of cauliflower into 2-inch florets and place the florets on the roasting pan. Cut one large yellow, orange or red pepper into 1/2-inch pieces and sprinkle over the cauliflower. Chop one small onion and distribute it over the peppers and cauliflower. Drizzle 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil over the vegetables and use a large spoon to toss them in the oil to coat.
3.) Coarsely chop 3 slices of thick-cut bacon and 2 teaspoons of coarsely peeled, chopped fresh ginger; scatter over the cauliflower. Sprinkle the mixture with 1 teaspoon hot curry power (or more according to taste), and salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Set the roasting pan in the oven and bake 25 to 30 minutes or until the cauliflower is tender, but still firm, stirring it once after about 15 minutes.
Makes 4 servings
*Variations: You can substitute red onion for yellow, or add a couple of cloves of minced garlic, or sprinkle a little fresh chopped thyme in addition to or instead of the curry. You can add thin slices of white or sweet potato, or very thinly sliced carrots, or some cherry tomatoes — but only for the last 15 to 20 minutes of roasting as they need less time to cook. A few minutes before taking the pan from the oven, you can sprinkle the ingredients with toasted bread crumbs or Parmesan cheese.
Roasting, rather than boiling or steaming, releases cauliflower’s natural nuttiness and keeps the vegetable pleasantly firm and chewy.
June 25, 2013
ABC's The Chew Makes our Bacon Coffee Cake with Bourbon-Pecan Glaze
Hosts of The Chew today made our Bacon Nation Coffee Cake! Go here to watch the segment!
June 24, 2013
What a Surprise!
Frankly, I was dreading the idea of giving up one of my Sundays in June to drive 70 miles to Clinton, New Jersey where my book publicist had arranged for me to appear at the Clinton Farmers market to sign and sell Bacon Nation. “Really,” I protested. ”Is this going to be worth it?” Courtney reasonably argued that the owners of the Clinton Book Shop, Harvey Finkel and Rob Dougherty, had promoted our book with a huge poster in the window and already pre-sold ten copies, an impressive number for a small independent book store.
Bacon Swizzle Sticks dipped in dark chocolate prepared the night before my visit to the Clinton Farmer’s Market.
So like a good soldier, I embraced my marching orders, made a batch of Chocolate-Peanut-Bacon Toffee, a bunch of swizzle sticks (some dipped in dark chocolate as shown above), and a pan of Bacon-Rosemary shortbread and hit the road early Sunday morning for the wilds of Clinton, New Jersey.
My husband has a self-proclaimed rule: the more you dread a future plan or experience, the better it will actually be, and my time in Clinton proved him right. The Clinton Book Shop is a wonderful store, set in the lovely, bustling village of Clinton where tenderly cared for majestic Victorians are homes to both residential and business occupants.
The Clinton Book Shop, owned and operated by Harvey Finkel and Rob Dougherty, just celebrated its tenth anniversary.
I was a happy tourist, wandering from one interesting shop to the next, buying fresh bread and coffee on a sunny Sunday morning. At the farmers market, located just down the street from the book shop, I met and chatted with so many lovely, interesting people about my book, cooking, and bacon. The farmers sold a variety of locally grown Jersey produce, and I bought some perfectly ripened strawberries, a beautiful Jersey tomato, a bunch of asparagus, which I was assured had been harvested just a few days before, and a very healthy-looking pot of basil that overwhelmed me with its heavenly scent. Harvey had arranged for some of the bakery vendors to prepare bacon cupcakes and bacon-laced cookies as a general theme for the day, and these sold very well. A local smoker sold out his bacon before I (darn it!) had had the chance to procure any.
At the end of my two-hour visit, about two dozen copies of Bacon Nation had been signed and sold. A pretty good day for The Clinton Book Shop and a chance for me to have discovered the beautiful and friendly small American town of Clinton, New Jersey. Thank you Harvey and Rob for hosting me!
Dinner that night was stir-fired asparagus with red onion and bacon, served over brown rice. Delicious, quick, easy, and straight from the New Jersey farmers’ market.
Saute the 2-inch pieces of asparagus in a large skillet with 3 to 4 slices of chopped bacon and about 2/3 cup of sliced red onion. Drizzle over a little olive oil and cook, stirring often, until the asparagus is crisp-tender and the bacon is cooked, about 10 minutes.
Serve over brown rice, for a satisfying meal.
June 18, 2013
Broccoli Rabe and Bacon Pastry Bites
In these triangular pastry pockets, flaky layers of phyllo enclose a savory filling of bacon, broccoli rabe, fresh rosemary, garlic, and onion. They make great party appetizers and can be made in advance, stored in a freezer bag for up to 2 months, and then baked as the recipe instructs.
A filling of spinach and feta cheese is traditional, but I wanted to substitute bacon for the feta cheese and use a different green. I turned to kale, but it disappointed me. A second test, with broccoli rabe, gave each bite a wonderful pepperiness that the kale lacked. If you haven’t worked before with phyllo pastry, be sure to read all my kitchen notes. Once phyllo sheets are exposed to air, they dry out quickly, making separating the tissue thin sheets without tearing them very difficult. And practice mise en place, prepping all your ingredients before you are ready to stuff and roll the phyllo sheets.
These are a little fussy to make, but if like me you enjoy the craft of cooking, you’ll enjoy the process of cutting the dough, filling it, and rolling it up like a flag to shape these tasty packets.
Half a medium bunch broccoli rabe (about 9 ounces), rinsed
5 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into ¼-inch pieces
2/3 cup onion, chopped
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 large clove garlic, minced
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce, or to taste
1 stick unsalted butter
10 phyllo sheets, thawed if frozen
1.) Cut off and discard the bottom 3 inches of the thick broccoli rabe stems.
2.) Chop the remaining broccoli rabe coarsely into 1 to 2-inch pieces. (You should have about 5 packed cups of trimmed, chopped broccoli rabe.)
3.) Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the broccoli rabe and cook about 4 minutes or until nearly tender but still a dark green.
4.) Transfer the broccoli rabe to a colander and set it aside to drain.
5.) Using paper towels, wipe the saucepan dry. Add the bacon and cook over medium heat about 3 minutes until some of the fat is rendered, and the bacon is very lightly browned, stirring occasionally and adjusting the heat as necessary to keep the bacon sizzling in the pan. Add the onion and cook 2 minutes, or until the onion is slightly softened, stirring occasionally. Add the rosemary and the garlic, and cook about 30 seconds more or until fragrant, stirring and scarping up any browned bits at the bottom of the saucepan. Remove the saucepan from the heat, stir in the drained broccoli rabe, and mix well to combine. Taste and season with black pepper. (There’s no need for extra salt; the bacon adds plenty.) Set the mixture aside to cool for about 10 minutes.
6.) Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. (Take care not to let the butter brown or burn.) Stir the hot pepper sauce into the butter and set aside.
Kitchen Tip: The phyllo sheets are brushed with melted butter to keep them from drying out, and I’ve added a little hot sauce to perk up the flavor of the phyllo dough. If the butter-hot sauce mixture solidifies before you’re finished making all the pastries, simply reheat it again over very low heat a few seconds.
7.) Position two racks in the middle of the oven, and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
8.) Remove the thawed phyllo from its box and cover the stack of phyllo sheets with 2 overlapping sheets of plastic wrap and then a dampened kitchen towel.
Kitchen Tip: It’s essential to keep the phyllo sheets under this cover of plastic wrap and a damp towel as you work. Otherwise, the sheets will quickly dry out and you’ll find it impossible to remove single sheets from the stack without tearing them. If a sheet does tear so that it’s no longer usable, just discard it and peel off another. About halfway through the stuffing and rolling process, I gently turn the entire stack of sheets over to start using sheets from the bottom of the pile that are more moist than those on top.
9.) Remove one phyllo sheet carefully from the stack and place it on a work surface with the long edge facing you. ( Be sure to cover the phyllo stack with the plastic wrap and damp towel!) Gently brush the sheet all over with the melted butter-hot sauce mixture, especially brushing the edges to keep them from cracking.
10.) Cover with another phyllo sheet and brush again with the butter mixture.
11.) Using a pastry wheel, cut the buttered phyllo sheets into 6 strips, each about 12 inches long by 2-3/4 inches wide. It helps me to first cut the phyllo sheets in half crosswise and then “eye-ball it” so to speak, cutting each half into 3 equally-wide strips that are about 2-3/4-inches wide.
12.) Place a heaping teaspoon of filling into the corner of a pastry strip closest to you. (It’s really more like 2 teaspoons of filling!)
13.) Then starting at the corner, fold like you would a flag to enclose the filling and to form a triangle-shape pastry.
Keep folding until you have reached the end of the phyllo strip.
15.) When you’ve reached the end, place the pastry seam-side down, on a large ungreased baking sheet. Repeat the process to make 24 pastries, 12 to a baking sheet. Brush the tops of each pastry with the melted butter mixture.
16.) Bake the pastries in the preheated oven for 14 to 15 minutes or until they are golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool about 5 minutes before serving warm.
Makes 24 to 26 pastries.
Kitchen Tip: Unused phyllo sheets can be rerolled, wrapped up and refrozen for up to 2 months.
June 17, 2013
Meet Steve Burnett, former Mad Ave man, now organic farmer in...
Meet Steve Burnett, former Mad Ave man, now organic farmer in Bovina New York. Steve’s passon for farming is a call to action for bright, hardworking young people who are looking for a career with alternative lifestyle benefits and blessings.
June 14, 2013
Great Father's Day Gifts
The Journal News Father’s Day gift list includes Bacon Nation, of course! http://food.lohudblogs.com/2013/06/06/fathers-day-gift-guide/.
June 10, 2013
Give Dad What He Really Wants for Father's Day
For Father’s Day wrap ribbon around Bacon Nation or put it in a basket surrounded by his favorite treats. He’ll love you all the more for it.
Your dad or husband will love an assortment of gifts in a basket tailored to his very own whims and wishes. A few ideas are an instant read thermometer — perfect for the grilling season — a bottle of champagne, a pepper mill, a whisk for those Sunday family breakfasts he’s so good at making, and a copy of Bacon Nation — the one cookbook every dad, son, (or husband) would love to have.
More ideas:
Tickets to a ball game, jazz, or rock concert
A day-off from doing house chores note
Promise of a night out to a favorite restaurant
His favorite home-cooked meal served on Father’s Day
Framed Family Pictures
A Bottle of Single Malt Scotch
A Golf Lesson
A Book of Car Wash Tickets
A Case of Assorted Locally Brewed Beers
A Bird House or Feeder
Happy Father’s Day to all the great dads and husband’s out there!
June 7, 2013
Food Blogger Loves Bacon Nation
Thanks, Laura, for liking and blogging about Bacon Nation!
Hold Onto Those Bacon Drippings!
Bacon Nation thanks Buzzfeed for sharing our 15 things to cook with bacon drippings! http://www.buzzfeed.com/emofly/how-to-make-everything-taste-like-bacon
June 4, 2013
To BLT or Not to BLT?
A great BLT is the most satisfying of summer sandwiches. It’s mastery requires very few cooking skills. In fact, except for browning up some bacon, you don’t need to know how to cook, just how to shop; the ingredients — bacon, tomatoes, lettuce, bread, mayonnaise — must be the best you can find. In Bacon Nation, we skip the mayo and use a lower-calorie, flavor-packed dressing of mashed avocado and lemon juice. Here’s a list of our preferences to get your sandwich imagination going. But don’t spend too much time thinking about whether to BLT or not to BLT. Just make and eat one!
The Bacon — We like it to be thick cut, not too crisply cooked, seasoned with pepper, and applewood or cherrywood smoked.
The Tomato — must be a vine-ripened local summer tomato, sliced about a quarter to half-inch thick.
The Lettuce — Iceberg is standard and fine, but dark Romaine leaves are also deliciously crunchy.
The Dressing — Mayo is classic, but some like Russian Dressing. Our choice is mashed avocado with a healthy squeeze of lemon juice, salt and pepper.
The Bread — A multi-grain, neither too thick, nor too thinly sliced and definitely toasted.
