Ostrich: The perfect diet food

I have the incredible fortune of working right by the Union Square Greenmarket. Besides going out for awesome lunches, fresh veggies, wine tasting, and buying   beautiful flowers, they sometimes have some rareties.  It was here that we secured our bison meat as well as the ramps (and miscellaneous other goodies!).  As I was searching for lunch, there was a vender cooking up some ostrich meat and singing it’s praises. 

What is so good about ostrich? Glad you asked! It is high in protein and very low in fat (even less than turkey and less than half of chicken!) It’s low in calories and high in iron (the meat is almost as red as steak).  Oh… and it’s delicious!  The vendor was giving samples and good thing as it convinced me to buy them (even though they were quite expensive at $20 for this steak for 2).

We paired it with delicious roasted cauliflower.

It was a FANTASTIC portion and my whole plate came to just 8 points.

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RECIPE
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Ingredients:

• 4-4oz Ostrich Steaks (no thicker than 3/4”)
• 1/4 tsp. Garlic Powder
• 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 tsp. Salt

Directions:

1. Marinate ostrich steaks in wocester sauce, garlic powder, and salt for about 30 minutes to an hour 
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
3. Roast for about 15 minutes per pound (internal temp should be about 155 degrees)
4. Remove from oven and slice

Scallops Lime and Vine

I have been a fan of Food52.com for a few months now.  Basically they are crowd-sourcing recipes from their users and will make a published cookbook out of it after a year of subsmissions (52 weeks… ya know).  They have 2 specific categories each week that they request submissions for.  I haven’t really had a great recipe to submit, but when “Your Best Scallops Recipe” came up, I realized that not only was this one of my favorite foods, but I also had some in my fridge at that moment.  I spent the next few hours contemplating exactly what was submission worthy and I decided to go out on a limb.

I had a drink at a local restaurant a few days earlier that combined grapes and lime.  The combination was PERFECT and I thought it would be a great citris to cut through the butteriness of the scallop.  It was like a twist on sweet and sour.  So I set to making up something that was simple yet different.

First, I cooked down some grapes with sugar.

Then I mashed it all up and squeezed out the delicious juices and added lime and ginger.

I then let this cook down until it was reduced to a thick sauce.

As it was reducing, I browned up some scallops.

I also tried my hand at some food styling and photography… I’m not pleased with the results, but this blog includes my less than stellar accomplishments as well, so here ya go:

We made some delicious rainbow swiss chard to go with the main dish.

So did I win?  Not even close! I wasn’t even selected as a runner up.  Poo!  My submission is here: http://www.food52.com/recipes/4067_scallops_lime_and_vine

I think it deserved an honorable mention at least, but I guess I’m biased.  I recommend this recipe highly, however, and definitely at least make the sauce! You can put it over chicken, pork, duck or it would even be great over ice cream!

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RECIPE
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Ingredients:

• 2 cups Grapes- Seedless, Red or Black
• 2 tablespoons Sugar
• 1 Lime, Juiced
• 1/4 teaspoon Ground Ginger
• 1 pound Dry Sea Scallops
• 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1 tablespoon Butter
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Put grapes and sugar in a sauce pan and heat over a medium flame
2. Allow to cook until grapes are softened and juice begins to seep out (About 10 minutes)
3. Use a potato masher to smush grapes in pot
4. Add the lime juice and ginger, stir to combine
5. Allow to continue cooking for about 10 more minutes until juices have reduced
6. While the sauce reduces, in the last 5 minutes, sear scallops by heating olive oil and butter in a pan until the butter stops bubbling. Place scallops in hot pan and sear for about 2 minutes on each side until golden brown (be sure to space scallops out so they sear and don’t steam). Remove from heat
7. Salt and pepper grape and lime sauce to taste
8. Drizzle sauce over scallops and serve immediately

Jewish “Soul” Food

The first time I ever cooked something (baking doesn’t count) that made someone say “Wow! This is good! What on earth is this and how do you make it?” was when I made Kasha Varnishkas for my roommate, Kim, in college.  Now I think I managed to screw that one up by adding about 6 cloves are garlic (I learned), but I think Kim saw the hope.  She has since begun cooking this dish for herself (and her husband) and it makes me proud to hear.  I have actually been trying to make it lately, however, the grocery store near my apartment doesn’t carry Kasha (boo!)  When Kim heard of this problem, she sent me a surprise package of Kasha all the way from the Pittsburgh suburbs.  Thanks Kim!  It arrived on Monday morning and I cooked it Monday night.

Now I don’t make kasha in the way that Jewish delis make kasha.  This was the first recipe I ever really experimented with.  Rather than follow the directions on the box, I decided first to add garlic.  Then the next round I added onions.  Then next time it was mushrooms.  It was slowly getting there.  Then I did an experiment that revolutionized kasha (to me and the family anyway).  I added cream of mushroom soup.  V’oila!  Sara’s Kasha was born.

The pictures look pretty bland, but it’s delicious.  I like it alone as a meal, but some people would probably prefer it as a side dish.  Added benefit: Kasha is pretty healthy! It’s a whole grain (buckwheat), low in fat, and gluten free.  You can add other veggies into the browning process or grilled chicken, but I like it pretty basic.  Maybe it’s nostalgia…

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Recipe:
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Kasha Varnishkas:

Ingredients:

• Varnishkas, I believe, is just bow-tie pasta.  So buy a box and cook it up!
• Kasha (Wolf’s brand is good and the only kind I’ve ever seen in normal grocery stores, and I prefer the large grain, though fine is good too)
• Egg (check recipe on the box… some require egg and some don’t)
• Butter
• Salt and Pepper
• 1 medium onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• Olive Oil
• 1/2 cup of fresh mushrooms or 1 small can of mushrooms
• 1 can of 98% Fat Free Cream of Mushroom Condensed Soup

Directions:

1. Cook Kasha per the recipe on the box (about 10 minutes)
2. Cook Pasta per recipe on the box (start pasta pending how long it takes to cook)
3. While the Kasha is cooking, brown onion and garlic in a bit of olive oil. 
4. Toss in mushrooms and cream of mushroom soup into the onion and garlic towards end of cooking time for Kasha, just to warm
5. When kasha is done, fold in soup mixture
6. Toss with pasta and serve (I recommend with salt)

An excuse to use adorable poachers

So upon a shopping spree at Broadway Panhandler (thank you Lori for turning me onto this store!) I found these adorable egg poachers.  They’re cracked egg shaped silicone bowls that you float in boiling water to perfectly poach an egg.  I was looking for a good excuse to use them, so a night without dinner plans proved perfect. 

I heated up soba (buckwheat) noodles and some frozen veggie assortment that had sat in the freezer since who knows when.  Added some Purdue Italian Marinated Chicken “Short Cuts” (they are fabulous and easy!) and topped with the poached egg and a splash of basil olive oil. 

The meal was good but not great.  Would have been much better with fresh veggies, this brand of soba noodles were bland, and I slightly over poached the egg. Will know for next time!

Rack of Lamb and Creamed Spinach Gratin

A lovely sale at Fresh Direct on Frenched Australian Rack of Lamb inspired Mike and I to cook another thing we had never cooked before.  I searched for recipes and found one that sounded tasty.  Mike suggested we make a creamed spinach, and I found one that sounded a little fancy and delicious. 

The meal turned out ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC.  One of the best in our cooking history if I do say so myself.

The leftover spinach made for a FABULOUS brunch the next day when paired with an omelet and bacon.  The whole meal was easy every step along the way.

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Rack of Lamb for Two

2 tablespoons coarsely ground cornmeal1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary leaves1 clove garlic, minced1/2 teaspoon coarse (kosher) saltFreshly ground black pepper, to taste1 rack of lamb for two (8 or 9 chops), cut in half1 to 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard


1.Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2.Combine the cornmeal, rosemary, garlic, coarse salt, and pepper in a small bowl, and mix well.
3.Lightly brush the fat side of the racks with the mustard. Then coat the mustard with the cornmeal mixture.
4.Arrange the racks on a baking sheet, and cook 25 minutes for medium-rare. Slice the chops apart and serve immediately.
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Creamed Spinach Gratin

From “Real Simple Magazine” Hands-on time: 25 minutes
Total time: 1 hour

Serves 6 to 8

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for the dish1 clove garlic, halved5 shallots, thinly sliced crosswise 5 10-ounce boxes frozen spinach, thawed (it’s a whole lotta spinach, be prepared)8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature 1 cup heavy cream 1 cup whole milk1 cup grated Gruyère or Swiss cheese 1 teaspoon kosher salt1/2 teaspoon black pepper 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg


Heat oven to 375°F. Rub the sides and bottom of a buttered 8-inch baking dish with the garlic; discard garlic. In a skillet, over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the shallots and cook until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat; set aside. Squeeze the spinach to remove any excess liquid. In a large bowl, combine the spinach, cream cheese, heavy cream, milk, Gruyère or Swiss cheese, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and shallots. Transfer to dish. Bake, uncovered, until bubbling and lightly golden, about 25 minutes.
Tip: To make the gratin ahead of time, assemble it but do not bake it. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Heat as directed, allowing an extra 30 minutes of baking time.
NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 362(76% from fat); FAT 31g (sat 19g); PROTEIN 15mg; CHOLESTEROL 97mg; SODIUM 425mg; FIBER 6g; CARBOHYDRATE 12g

Simple Pleasures

Sometimes I just want feel-good food.  On Wednesday, that consisted of Gruyere Macaroni and Cheese.  Mike added yummy chicken dumplings to the mix from Trader Joes, poured a bottle of wine, and we had ourselves a carb loaded feast!

The Mac and Chee was pretty good, but it was missing the bite I wanted from the gruyere.  Perhaps next time I’ll eliminate the cheddar altogether and just go hog wild with the gruyere.

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Gruyere Macaroni and Cheese (thank you to Ina Gardner at Food Network)

Ingredients 

• Kosher salt
• Vegetable oil
• 1 pound elbow macaroni or cavatappi
• 1 quart milk
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, divided
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 12 ounces Gruyere, grated (4 cups)
• 8 ounces extra-sharp Cheddar, grated (2 cups)
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3/4 pound fresh tomatoes (4 small) - We went sans tomatoes
• 1 1/2 cups fresh white bread crumbs (5 slices, crusts removed) - We used regular bread crumbs from the store
  

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Drizzle oil into a large pot of boiling salted water. Add the macaroni and cook according to the directions on the package, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain well.
3. Meanwhile, heat the milk in a small saucepan, but don’t boil it.
4. Melt 6 tablespoons of butter in a large (4-quart) pot and add the flour. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring with a whisk.
5. While whisking, add the hot milk and cook for a minute or two more, until thickened and smooth.
6. Off the heat, add the Gruyere, Cheddar, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Add the cooked macaroni and stir well. Pour into a 3-quart baking dish.
7. Optional: Slice the tomatoes and arrange on top.
8. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, combine them with the fresh bread crumbs, and sprinkle on the top.
9. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the macaroni is browned on the top.

An easy and delicious evening meal

Mike and I decided to cook last Friday night.  Originally I intended to make my famous Kasha Varnishkas, however, the grocery store near me didn’t have any Kasha, so we had to make new plans. 

We opted for a menu of “Awesome Honey Glazed Pork Chops” (recipe courtesy of allrecipes.com), roasted butternut squash with chestnuts, and a simple, yet delicious Rice-A-Roni Long Grain & Wild Rice.  The entire meal took about 15 minutes to prep, however, the roasting of the squash and the cooking of the Rice-A-Roni made the entire meal cookable in a little over an hour.  If you need a good meal and don’t want to put too much effort into it, I highly recommend this combination! 

The hardest part was the squash, which had to be cut up into little pieces.  Thankfully my brandy new pealer took the skin off the squash with ease.  The problem, however, became cutting the slippery squash! 

It all worked out in the end, however:

The leftover squash and chestnuts with the honey pecan sauce were absolutely incredible the next day.

Without further ado, here are the recipes:

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Awesome Honey Pecan Pork Chops (check the link to see it and the comments on allrecipes.com)

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)

• 1 1/4 pounds boneless pork loin, pounded thin (we used thin cut pork chops)
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour for coating
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans (we doubled this to 1/2 cup since it didn’t look like enough)

DIRECTIONS

1. In a shallow dish, mix together flour, salt and pepper. Dredge pork cutlets in the flour mixture.
2. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add chops, and brown both sides. Transfer to a warm plate.
3. Mix honey and pecans into the pan drippings. Heat through, stirring constantly. Pour sauce over cutlets.

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Roasted Butternut Squash and Chestnuts
(This was originally a recipe for Sweet Potatoes that I revised slightly. Thanks to Aunt Linda for the inspiring original recipe)

Ingredients:
Squash or Sweet Potatoes
Steamed/cooked Chestnuts (I buy them in a box from Trader Joes and Asian Markets usually sell them)
Salt & Pepper
Olive Oil

Directions:

NOTE:  Start them in a cold oven, it has something to do with getting them warm, but not too quickly
 
Cover a cookie sheet with foil.  Spray with Pam.
 
For squash: Peal it.  For sweet potatoes: Scrub potatoes well.  Dry with a paper towel. Cut off skinny ends.

Slice into pieces about ½ inch thick.
 
Dump into bowl and add some salt and pepper.  Not too much.  Then pour about 1 ½ tsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil into you hands and rub both sides of each round. (I stirred them all in a bowl and made sure it was evenly coated… it turned out fine)
 
Place in single layer on the cookie sheet.  Cover tightly with foil.  Put into cold oven.    Turn oven to 425.  Bake for 30 mins.
 
Remove from oven and remove the top layer of foil.   Return to oven for another 15-25 mins, until the bottom edges of the rounds are golden brown.
 
Remove from oven and flip over each round.  Return to oven for another 15-18 mins.

Throw the chestnuts in with the squash and roast another 3-5 minutes until bottoms of the squash are golden brown and chestnuts are warmed.
 
Try not to eat them all before sitting down to dinner.

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Rice-A-Roni

Buy.
Read.
Follow directions.
Eat.

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Happy Nomming!

Valentine’s Day Surf and Turf

This year for Valentine’s Day, Mike and I decided we would cook together (one of our favorite activities).  We decided on Surf and Turf and went to Chelsea Market, one of my favorite places in NYC. 

Chelsea Market was the old Nabisco Factory. Now it is home to multiple bakeries, food stores, wine merchants, and restaurants as well as the home of a few marketing companies and Food Network TV studios. 

(<— LOOK! DEATH!)

I love the look of the building.  It’s industrial and artsy at the same time.  They left certain pieces from what it was and made it into something completely reimagined. 

There are many performers that entertain there as well.

While walking around the market, we spotted Whitney Port (from “The Hills”/”The City” on MTV).  She had the longest, thinnest legs I’ve ever seen.

Mike and I went specifically for The Lobster Place.  They specialize in wholesale to some of the best restaurants in Manhattan, but they also sell to commoners like me.  After a lap around the store (and our comments in stereo: Sara- “It smells like Maine” and Mike- “It smells like Boston”), we decided on a half pound of jumbo scallops and a 1.5 pound lobster (live).  We proceeded to name the lobster “Whitney Port” in honor of our celebrity spotting.

On the way home, Mike and I stopped at a Meat Market and bought a very large flank steak and some pancetta.  As soon as we got home, we set the steak to marinate in soy sauce, ginger, garlic, honey, vinegar, and oil.  A few hours later, we whipped up the scallops in butter, garlic, and shallots.  It was tasty! So tasty, in fact, that I forgot to take pictures.  But we did pop the wine that we went on an adventure to find. This is a wine from 1990 and it is just very, very good.

Next up we started boiling the big pot of water for Whitney and then browned the pancetta for the brussel sprouts.  We originally fell in love with a similar recipe that we ate at Babbo, and then saw Guy Fieri cook a similar version on The Food Network.  We altered it slightly, however, and loved it so much last time we made it that we added it to the Valentine’s Day meal. 

While the Brussel Sprouts were baking, we started the steak on the grill.  We proceeded to set the fire alarm off, almost burn the steak, then threw WAY too much oil on the grill top (my fault) to prevent the other side from burning.  WHOOPS! It unfortunately turned out a bit tough, but delicious. (And even better the next day when the meat had time to absorb more of the marinade and garlic!)

Of course, we set Whitney to boil as soon as we could, and then I hacked her to pieces.

The completed meal was absolutely delicious!  Yet again, somehow, the brussel sprouts still prevailed as the highlight.  Go figure!

After dinner we went to see Guys and Dolls on Broadway (good, but not great… though definitely a classic).  Our plan was to go to Marseilles on 44th Street and 9th Avenue for dessert.  We went in around 10:30pm and there were at least a dozen empty tables with no one waiting.  The hostess proceeded to inform us, however, that they were booked solid for the next hour and we were welcome to take a seat at the bar (the seats were a single on either side).  I asked her if she was kidding and she regretted to inform me she was not.  We incredulously left and decided we’d be better off with dessert on the couch.  We picked up 2 pints of Ben & Jerry’s and I have decided that their Pumpkin Cheesecake may just be my favorite ice cream ever.  It’s on Limited Batch right now, however, so I will shed a tear when it is gone.

All-in-all, it was a fabulous Valentine’s Day!

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Here are the recipes from the evening:

Steak Marinade:

1/4 cup soy sauce

3 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 1/2 pounds flank steak

Blend, Spear steak with fork, Marinate for many hours (we did 4, but I think it would benefit from at least 8), and Grill.

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Brussel Sprouts

Ingredients

• 6 ounces pancetta, big dice
• 1-2 pints Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup pine nuts

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium pan over medium heat cook the pancetta. Remove from pan, reserving a little of the pancetta fat in the pan. Add the Brussels sprouts to the pan and cook over medium heat to begin to brown. Dress with balsamic and olive oil, a little salt (pancetta are salty) and pepper. Place into the oven and roast, tossing a couple of times, until nicely caramelized, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Put the pine nuts in a small, dry, saute pan and toast over a low flame, tossing a couple of times, just until lightly browned, 3 or 4 minutes. (we used some oil to prevent burning, but it probably wasn’t necessary)

Once the sprouts are ready, remove them from the oven and put into a big serving bowl. Add the pancetta and pine nuts. Toss and check for seasoning. Serve.

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Lobster

Boil water with salt
Put lobster in head first for about 8-10 minutes per pound
Remove and hack (or if you have nut crackers, skip the hacking)