Braised Cucumbers: Take 1

So I had read about FeistyFoodie’s love of braised cucumbers and fondly remembered this from the Julie & Julia movie, so when I finally saw cucumbers go on sale on Fresh Direct, I jumped at the chance to try it.  The cucumber I got was one of those “this is way too big to not make a crude joke about” types and I think I may have let it sit for too long… because my braised cucumbers were just an epic fail. (sad face)

They tasted like they were just soggy, old cucumbers.  GROSS!  Though I am blaming my veggie selection rather than just the recipe… for now.  I also failed to remove the seeds as I didn’t think this would have too much of an impact on the final result, but perhaps I was wrong.

I will try again!

Make it a Meal

Last minute one weekday night, mom decided she would stop by my apartment with her boyfriend, Rich, for a meal and to take my key so she could cat sit (thanks again mom!)  Luckily, I had enough in the fridge to make a meal for four.

I knew I had to make the Krispy Krack Kale since I’d been raving about it (I even had an extra bushel to send home with her to make her own!)  I also used the squash recipe that turned out so well last time.  We also heated up some pappardelle and put a butter/wine/shallot sauce on top.  I also had a smallish lemon herb roasted chicken in the fridge from Fresh Direct.

It was certainly a cobbled together meal, but it turned out delicious!  And I managed to have it all on the table in under an hour.  It’s nice to know that I can actually cook for more than two people!

More Grand Central Market and Fresh Direct Goodies

I’ve already written about the Veal Bratwurst from the Market in Grand Central Station twice.  I really like them.  They’re sweet and flavorful without being over powering.  We picked up some more on our last adventure home from Westchester and decided it was time to spice them up a bit… so we cooked them in beer and onions and then grilled them on our stove grill top.

It was very easy to do.

Next up I had some miniature sweet potatoes from a recent Fresh Direct order.  I love fingerling potatoes, and I love sweet potatoes, so I was hoping the merger would work in my favor.

I decided to roast them the way I did the purple potatoes last time that went so well with the brats.

To complete the meal, Mike suggested we make a cold bean salad in a vinegar dressing.  I was game and we picked up green beans and wax beans from a stand at the Grand Central Market.

We blanched them for just about 3-4 minutes and then stuck them in a bowl of ice water.

Then we dressed them up with shallots, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil.

The completed plates were quire pretty.

As it turns out, I much prefer these brats just cooked on their own.  The beer and onions gave it a flavor that I thought I SHOULD have liked,but just didn’t.  It took away from the naturally good flavor of the brat itself.  Oh well!

The sweet potatoes were also good but not as good as those purple potatoes.  I also can’t seem to get them browned in the same way.  That first time was definitely the best and I haven’t been able to repeat it since.

The best part of the meal was definitely the bean salad.  Props to Mike for the idea and execution.  Nom Nom Nommy.

Fresh Flavors of Fall

Our new apartment is absolutely amazing (have I mentioned I have a pantry, dish washer, 5 burner stove, convection oven, touch screen microwave, and french door fridge?  Yeah… AMAZING!  I still can’t believe we got this place!) however, the one thing really missing in the neighborhood is a grocery store.  I spent the first 2.5 of 3 years of my last apartment in the same predicament.  FreshDirect became a very good friend.  I don’t find it more expensive than grocery stores on most things, and on some things I’m pretty sure I actually save money.  Delivery is only about $6 and I usually find a deal on a DeliveryPass anyway so it’s around $50 for the year.  It sucks that we can’t run out for a dozen eggs or a slab of butter when I realize we’ve run out, but I’m glad to have the FreshDirect solution for most things.

This past order they had acorn squash on sale.  I usually would just roast it and throw on some butter and brown sugar,  however, with my super-duper new kitchen I wanted to do something a bit more special.  FreshDirect had a recipe suggestion of acorn squash with fresh cranberries and baked apples.  Done.  I went to the handy shopping list and got all the ingredients I needed.  My only regret is that I just got one squash and not more! (Oh and if anyone has any great ideas for what to do with the remaining huge bag of fresh cranberries other than making sauce, I’m all ears!)

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RECIPE
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(Since I only had one squash, I cut most of the recipe in about 1/4)

Ingredients:

• ·      4 small acorn squash
• ·      2 medium apples, unpeeled, chopped
• ·      1/2 cup fresh cranberries
• ·      1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
• ·      2 tablespoons sliced almonds
• ·      1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
• ·      1 tablespoon butter, melted

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Cut squash lengthwise into halves and discard seed. Arrange squash cut side down in a baking dish and add 1/2-inch water. Bake for 40 minutes.
3. Combine apples, cranberries, brown sugar, almonds, orange juice, and margarine in a bowl and mix well. Turn squash cut side up and spoon apple mixture into squash cavities. Bake for 30 minutes.

My first attempt at Osso Buco

I have an affinity for Osso Buco that goes beyond normal.  I try not to think about it too much, as the extra layer under my chin doesn’t need any more fatty goodness and marrow, however, when FreshDirect had it on sale, I couldn’t resist.  I really wasn’t sure how to make it, so I found a recipe with a picture that reminded me of the ones I have preferred (most notably at Montenapo and Becco, as well as the lamb one at Charles).

The recipe wound up being very simple and basic, actually.  The only thing it really requires is time.  2.5 hours of braising made it clearly a Sunday meal.

I paired it with a quick prepare, microwavable side from Fresh Direct (“Sides in a Snap” Mascarpone and Mushroom Risotto with Chives) and a steamed artichoke dipped in Roasted Garlic Butter. Adding roasted garlic to butter for dipping is my new favorite way to eat artichokes.  There are few things I find more easily delightful to make than roasted garlic.

The final meal was a great combination, and the Osso Buco was good, but it just wasn’t great.  I guess I really shouldn’t compare my first attempt with restaurants that are known for making it great… but I still wanted more.  It was perfectly tender but the meat itself just didn’t have the same flavor.  I’m not sure if this was the fault of the cut or my preparation.  But I will try again and work to improve it to <3 caliber.

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RECIPE
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Osso Buco

Ingredients: