baba ganoush

When I was a kid, I used to HATE eggplant. I am not sure if this was me being rebellious or if my taste buds were transitioning, but I just could not/would not eat it. Over the years, I have developed a liking to the vegetable. While I would not call it my favorite food to eat, I would not kick it off my dinner plate.

In the past I have prepared grilled eggplant and eggplant parmesan (breaded with a red sauce). This is my first attempt at making baba ganoush. It is actually quite simple....and delicious. Below is a pretty simple recipe I got from the Joy of Cooking (a classic and very versatile cookbook for anybody wanting to learn more about food - it should be a staple in any cook's kitchen).

• 3 eggplants
• 2-3 tablespoons tahini (less if you are my dad, more if you are Rachael)
• 1-3 tablespoons of olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 10-12 sliced black olives
• the juice of 1-2 lemons
• 1-2 cloves of garlic (be careful, it is raw and can be overpowering)
• 1-2 tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley

You can either roast the eggplants over an open flame for a few minutes to get the smokey flavor and then put them in the oven at 400 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour or put them directly in the oven for the full time.

I just put them in the oven for the full time (I may try cooking them over an open flame next time). I left the eggplants in the oven for an hour -- I wanted to make sure that they cooked all the way through.

Next, let the eggplants cool and then slice them down the middle. With a spoon, scoop out the insides onto either a dish or a colander. This is important -- with paper towels, dry the insides (othewise you will have wet and mushy baba ganoush -- nobody wants that).

Place the garlic in the food processor and turn it on until it is minced. Transfer the eggplant to the food processor and pulse the eggplant 8-10 times. Add the lemon juice, tahini, and salt and pepper. Pulse until the mixture is smooth. Taste to make sure that there is sufficient lemon juice, salt, and pepper (tasting the food during the preparation process is they key to making sure that it is well seasoned -- unless you are cooking with raw meat or eggs, you should always taste during the cooking process)

Remove the mixture from the food processor and place it in a bowl. Garnish with the parsley and sliced black olives. Drizzle the olive oil on top and serve!

Enjoy!

Pineapple

Pineapples have always been intimidating to me. Recently I picked one up at the store and decided to learn how to prepare it...it's easier than you'd think.

Let's start by first discussing how you can tell whether a pineapple is ripe. Pull one of the leaves from the top. If it comes out easily, it is ripe and ready to go!

Before you are ready to cut the pineapple, turn it upside down and put it in the refrigerator for about a half an hour. This redistributes the natural sugar throughout the fruit (when the pineapple sits, the sugar tends to settle on the bottom).

Next, twist off the top leaves (or cut them off). Then, cut off both the top and the bottom of the pineapple. Now comes the trickiest part. Take a knife and trim the outer edges of the pineapple only taking off the outer shell. You want to trim along with the shape of the fruit to minimize the amount of insides lost.

Lay the pineapple on its side and cut about 1 inch segments. Use your knife to cut around the center to remove the core (it is tough and not as sweet as the rest). Now cut the pineapple slices into pieces as you would a pizza.

That's it! It is a little laborious, but it is cheaper than buying pre-cut pineapples (and more rewarding)...

Top Chef - Week 2

With each passing year, the pool of Top Chef contestants becomes better. It is really inspiring seeing what each can do...

The Quickfire Challenge this week was to create the best sandwich. It was judged by the White House chef. The contestants drew knives and split into pairs and were forced to make their dish in thirty minutes....while wearing a single apron.

Tracey and Angelo won the challenge with a flounder sandwich with a siracha mayo. I told you siracha mayo is good!

For the main challenge this week, the contestants had to cook school lunch for school children for $130. The budgetary restriction was the biggest obstacle. The chefs were split into groups of four.

Kenny and Angelo (#1 and #2 in last week's power rankings) were on the same team. You would think that this would work out well, but their team was on the bottom! Their menu was a train wreck. It consisted of a chicken burger, peanut butter and celery crudites, a sweet potato puree with cinnamon and an apple bread pudding. The dishes looked wholly unappetizing. It was so bad that the judges basically asked Angelo whether he intentionally threw the challenge (because his team won the Quickfire challenge, he had immunity). He was caught on camera admitting that he does not like Kenny. In that, I figured out why I cannot root for the guy. I will be happy if and when he is eliminated.

The team with Lynne, Kelly, Arnold, Tiffanie won the challenge (the overall winner of the challenge was Kelly). Their menu looked great (especially considering the money limitation). They served a black bean cake & crispy sweet potatoes, braised pork carintas taco with pickled onions and cilantro, roasted corn salad and a caramelized sweet potato salad. Unlike the aforementioned menu, this menu had a lot of color. They did a great job.

The judges kicked Jacqueline off. She was an easy scapegoat because she actually admitted to adding 2 pounds of sugar in a challenge centered around healthy eating in schools. It is too bad because she seems very sweet, but it is too early in the competition for me to feel any connection to her.

Week 2 Power Rankings

1. Kenny -- this was not his finest week, but he did not do so poorly that he deserved to be dropped. I believe he was dealt a bad hand when he got stuck with Angelo on his team (maybe this is wishful thinking).
2. Angelo -- begrudgingly. I am not thrilled that he remains ranked. He did not perform well this week (nor with honor), but I believe it was intentional.
   
3. Lynne -- her black bean cake looked incredible.
   

Healthy Alternatives: Pop Chips

Generally I tend to crave savory food rather than sweets. Give me a potato chip over a piece of chocolate any day! Both sweet or savory food can be bad for you. Many healthy options sacrifice taste and flavor to save on calories.

One healthy alternative that nails both the taste and the health is pop chips. One small bag has 100 calories as compared to 250-300 calories for the traditional fried alternatives. Although the texture is a bit different, the taste is fantastic. My personal favorite is the BBQ flavor (but the original flavor and salt and vinegar both taste great also).

So, next time you want a guilt free snack, pick up a bag. I think you'll enjoy it!

Top Chef: Washington D.C.

Let me first apologize for the lack of posts last week. I won't let it happen again!

The new season of Top Chef started this week. For those of you who might not know, it is a Bravo cooking show in which a group of chefs compete with one another for the chance to become the top chef (not just a clever name). In previous seasons, Top Chef has been filmed in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York. This year it is in our nation's capital, and I am very excited to watch!

Rather than write about each episode in depth every week, I decided instead to create Power Rankings for my top three favorites to win the competition.

1. Kenny (the favorite) - Kenny first caught my eye with his knife skills. He is incredibly fast at prepping food and his dishes look incredible.
2. Angelo - He is probably not the favorite because of his personality. For some reason, I cannot get behind him. That being said, he seems like a very talented chef. He'll be around for a while in this competition.
3. Timothy - The third spot is up in the air right now. Tentatively, I have Timothy as #3, but perhaps that is only because I like his personality.

Miso Shrimp with Couscus

Last week at the impulse section of the grocery store I picked up Food & Wine Magazine. I have casually read the magazine before, but never with an intent to attempt to recreate dishes or expand my culinary horizons.

The first recipe I tried from the magazine was Miso Shrimp. I chose this recipe because I still have a tub of miso from my miso soup craving. The other ingredients include vegetable oil, graded ginger, minced garlic, lime juice, and brown sugar. Use 2-3 tablespoons of each ingredient. Whisk these ingredients together and marinate the shrimp for a few minutes (no longer, because the acidity from the lime juice will cook the shrimp (similar to a ceviche).

The recipe also called for a dipping sauce using mayonnaise and an ingredient called sambal oelek. I believe sambal oelek is a chili paste, so I substituted it for always reliable siracha sauce.

I served it over couscus with a baked potato. I was really impressed by the combination of flavors. I have never used miso in this manner, and I intend to look into ways to incorporate the ingredient in other dishes.

This dish was delicious and easy to prepare. Try it out!

Aioli

Instead of straight up mayonnaise, restaurants often serve aioli. It is one condiment that really distinguishes eating out from cooking at home. However, home cooks can make an aioli to spruce up homemade sandwiches as well.

A traditional aioli includes egg yolk, mayonnaise, olive oil, garlic and lemon juice. However, often you will find it without the egg yolk (which is how I make it).

In a bowl, mix 1 cup of mayonnaise, the zest of 1 lemon, the juice of half a lemon, 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 minced garlic clove. The amount of each ingredient is to taste, but be careful with the garlic because it is raw and rather potent. That's it!

You can vary this recipe by substituting other ingredients for the lemon. Sun dried tomatoes work really well as do roasted red peppers. Some people also add sour cream in addition to the mayonnaise for a creamier taste.

Next time you make a sandwich at home, try this out - it really adds a lot of flavor to your meal!

Grilled Corn

Whether it is a side dish for hamburgers or part of a salsa, grilled corn is the essence of summertime. Here are a few grilling tips that will make your corn delicious:

- First soak the corn in salt water for 15 minutes. The ensures that the corn will not burn when it is on the grill.

- Remove the inner husks and silk linings. Peal the outer husks back like a banana and remove the inner linings. Refold the outer husks over the corn and twist the top. This allows for the corn to steam within the husk.

- Grill the corn on a medium/medium-low heat for 20-25 minutes. If you grill it at too high of a temperature, you will sear the corn.

- When you take the corn off the grill, season it with salt and butter. You don't have to douse the corn in butter to get the great taste. Just brush it!

Grilled Chicken

There is a fine line between well cooked chicken and over cooked chicken. The fear of undercooked poultry has led to chicken dishes often being dry and tasteless. Here are a couple of tips on grilling chicken properly:

1. Lightly pound the chicken prior to placing it on the grill. Be careful not to pound it too much. You are trying to create an even cooking surface for the meat. Obviously, if only a portion of the chicken is touching the surface of the grill, it will not cook evenly.
2. The internal temperature for the chicken should be around 165 degrees. You can tell whether the meat is cooked by touching it. If it is spongy, the chicken has not fully cooked.
3. Be liberal with the salt and pepper. Too often people under season meat on the grill. The salt and pepper season the entire piece of meat, not just the outer surface.
4. Let the meat rest! 10 minutes is a good rule of thumb. If you cut into the meat too early, you will lose all of those juices that keep it moist and delicious.
5. Sear the outside on a higher grill temperature and then cook the rest on a lower grill temperature. You want to create a nice crust for the chicken, but continuing to cook the chicken on such a high temperature will dry it out.
   

Angel Food Cake

Angel food cake is a simple dessert that is light and fluffy. It can be made fairly quickly.

This was my first attempt making the dish, and I thought it turned out pretty well. I used Alton Brown's recipe which calls for: sugar, salt, cake flour (I used all purpose flour), orange extract (I used vanilla extract), egg whites, salt, and cream of tartar.

First you combine a little water, tartar, vanilla extract, and egg whites in a bowl and whisk by hand for a few minutes. Next, move this to a mixer (set it to a very high speed). Slowly pour in half of the flour and sugar and mix until the mixture looks like sand dunes (around 7-8 minutes).

Once, as Alton Brown says, the mixture reaches medium peaks, remove it from the mixer and gently fold in the rest of the flour and sugar. Spoon the mixture into an angel food cake pan and let it cook for 30-35 minutes.

Let it cool upside down for an hour before removing it from the pan.

Serve it with sliced strawberries and whipped cream (which can be made easily from scratch by mixing heavy whipping cream and a little salt in the mixer for 5 minutes).

Enjoy!

BBQ Ribs

There are few things Southerners take more seriously than ribs. Being from the South, this is a dish I have long wanted to perfect. These ribs are my second attempt. My first try tasted okay, but were "slightly" blackened. Let's just say the first were not "blog" worthy.

The most traditional way to prepare ribs is to use a smoker. If you do not have one, you can either use a grill, your oven, or a combination of the two (which is what I do).

Ribs usually start with a dry rub (a mixture of ingredients combined in a bowl). You can be creative in making a dry rub or follow a recipe - I used Alton Brown's recipe for these ribs. It contained brown sugar, salt, chili powder (I used ancho chili powder), black pepper, cayenne pepper, jalapeno seasoning (I did not use this ingredient), Old Bay seasoning, thyme, and onion powder (I used garlic salt).

With many of these recipes, you don't have to follow ingredient list to the "T." Any recipe is open to interpretation.

Rub the dry rub thoroughly on both sides of the ribs (don't be afraid to use too much, the ribs will absorb the spices). Let the ribs rest in the refrigerator for an hour.

After the ribs have rested, put them in the oven at 275 degrees for 2.5 hours.

This recipe called for a braising liquid containing white wine, white wine vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, honey and garlic cloves. Thicken the ingredients by simmering in a sauce pan. About 1 hour and 15 minutes after the ribs have cooked, pour half the liquid on the ribs. When the ribs are ready to take out of the oven, pour the rest of the braising liquid on top.

At this point, transfer the ribs to the grill for the final 20-30 minutes of cooking. The key for this is that you do not want to cook the ribs at too high a temperature. You will want to either create a hot zone and a cool zone on the grill (by arranging most of the coals on one side and just a few on the other) or using only a few coals on the grill.

Turn the ribs in 15 minutes. When it reaches the rich brown color that we associate with ribs, their done. Enjoy!