another easy dinner

Somehow when I'm menu planning, I can manage to fill one week with incredibly painstaking recipes and the next with very simple meals. I typically don't notice this trend until the groceries have been purchased and it's time to cook. It seems his week has been on the easy side. Here's a sandwich recipe that took us less than 20 minutes to whip up tonight.

These sandwiches are a more modest version of the super-sweet Monte Cristo which is typically topped with powdered sugar and raspberry jam (sometimes Matt fixes his that way still!). What makes these Monte Cristos is a french toast-style bread filled with some kind of meat and cheese.

Turkey Monte Cristos
adapted from Family Circle
Makes 4 sandwiches

8 slices sourdough bread (the crustier the better!)
sliced turkey breast
4 slices muenster cheese
Dijon mustard
tomatoes (optional--we just happened to have some around)
arugula, basil, or spinach leaves
3 eggs
1 tbsp milk
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tbsp butter

Assemble the sandwiches with the mustard, turkey, tomatoes (if using), muenster, and greens. Beat the eggs in a bowl with the milk, nutmeg, and cayenne.

Heat 1 tbsp of the butter in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until bubbly. Quickly dip each side of the assembled sandwich in the egg mixture. Fry two sandwiches for a few minutes on each side, until brown and the egg is cooked and the cheese is beginning to melt. Transfer the sandwiches to a warm oven and turn the skillet down to medium heat. Cook the other two sandwiches. Serve with your favorite kettle chips. Easy!

*Note: If you'd like to make a more traditional Monte Cristo, leave off the mustard, add ham, dust with powdered sugar at the end, and serve with raspberry jam.

milwaukee in pictures (mostly food)

Lake Michigan & Milwaukee skyline

"Brew City Hot Brown" open-faced turkey sandwich with mashed potatoes, beer gravy, bacon, Swiss, and tomatoes
Comet Cafe

"Leghorn Sandwich" with chicken, cream cheese, and peach jelly
Comet Cafe

shu mai pork dumplings
EE Sane Thai/Laotian Restaurant

pad Thai
EE Sane Thai/Laotian Restaurant

my favorite bike
Rockerbox Motorcycle Street Party

Matt's favorite bike (+ my shadow)
Rockerbox Motorcycle Street Party

ginger pork stir fry by our host

"Scran the Eliminator" egg scramble with sausage, hot peppers, and colby-jack cheese
Comet Cafe

breakfast burrito
Comet Cafe

thanksgiving

Somehow I've made it more than a month without posting a thing. And I've started the last few posts with apologies like this one. I hope to get back on track!


Anyway, I hosted Thanksgiving at my house this year for the first time. It was truly a team effort with my parents, husband, and brother each helping with an aspect of the meal. My mom made the turkey and several of the sides. My mother-in-law contributed stuffing to our meal as well, even though she was hosting her own dinner at her house.

apple, onion, and celery stuffed turkey

gruyere beer bread

butternut squash coleslaw & sage sausage stuffing

cream cheese filled pumpkin cupcakes

nostrano/madison

Wow.  It's been ages since I last blogged here.  This semester I discovered that I can only maintain one blog at a time.  My grad class blog had a grade attached to it, so of course it took precedent.  I probably wouldn't bother reading it unless you too are a library grad student.  I have months of recipe photos backlogged, but the summer and fall ingredients I used in those are no longer available, so they can wait!

Dinner from last weekend is fresh on my mind, so here goes!  We like to have excuses to try pricier restaurants and my birthday's as good a reason as any.  Matt and I went to Nostrano on Saturday night, a brand new restaurant on the Capital Square.  I would call it loosely Italian, with several pasta dishes and house-made Italian-style meats.  The atmosphere is great in there, with old architectural pieces and pretty bottles giving the place a modern yet comfortable feel.

charcuterie plate: (clockwise from top) grilled focaccia, salsiccia, caponata, piparras, turkey liver mousse, pate campagnola, salame nostrano, fingerling potato salad

 We had read that their charcuterie plate was excellent, and unsure as we were about liver-based snacks, we gave it a try.  I knew I would like the salsiccia, pickled peppers, and smoked shallots.  What surprised me was how much I liked the pate with smoked pork (bottom left) and turkey liver mousse (bottom right, my favorite!).  If you are a connoisseur of fine meat platters, please don't read my amateurish exposition too carefully.  But if you are a newcomer to charcuterie (like I was) and iffy on the merits of chopped and formed liver (as was I), let me assure you that both the pate and mousse were delicious.  The mousse we've decided must be something like a turkey liverwurst and tastes like a soft, smooth, smoky summer sausage.  The pate is harder to compare, but both items were pleasantly meaty and fatty.  I am very glad we tried everything.

crispy chicken thighs & boudin blanc, bacon, pickled honeycrisp apples, arugula, fennel puree

Our entrees were just as good as the starter.  Matt had the chicken thighs, which had some of the best-cooked chicken skin I've ever tasted, on top of juicy and moist meat.  The boudin blanc was a vaguely anise-flavored house-made chicken sausage with a very fine texture.  To my husband's relief, the fennel puree did not taste like fennel.  This is a benefit to the licorice-flavor-averse, but would disappoint those looking for the fennel flavor as advertised.  The lightly-dressed arugula salad made for a well-balanced plate. 

 

braised beef short ribs with gnocchi, cipollini, ceylon cinnamon, swiss chard, and microgreens

I think balance is one of Nostrano's strengths.  A bite of tender short rib, pillowy gnocchi, and smoked cipollini was heavenly.  Then the swiss chard with what tasted like a bit of citrus offered a nice break from the heaviness of the meat and potatoes.  Again, one of the flavors advertised was not pronounced--the cinnamon.  I'm not sure whether it is to the chef's credit that the cinnamon was not overpowering or whether I should have expected more of a punch of flavor.  In any case, the dish was very satisfying (sorry the picture is fuzzy--it was pretty dark in there).

 

finanziera: brown butter cake, roasted pears, hickory nuts, maple gelato, pomegranate sauce

Dessert was interesting.  My dessert, the finanziera,  was ultimately what drew us into Nostrano, and it did not disappoint.  It's hard to go wrong for me with maple, pears, and butter.  Matt, however, did not find any dessert that really suited his preferences.  He went for the crema, which was more of an "interesting experience" than a lick-your-plate bonanza like mine was.  Matt's verdict was "not bad" but not something he'd order again. 

crema: milk chocolate cream, pumpkin sponge, olive oil gelato, px sherry, roasted pumpkin and cranberries

Matt and I agreed that for a restaurant in the first few months of its life, Nostrano is on the right track.  We've recently tried two other new restaurants on the square, Graze and Cooper's Tavern, and Nostrano is my favorite (though comparing them is really comparing apples and oranges--more about Graze later).  If they lent difficult winter ingredients such appeal, I will be happy to return to Nostrano to see what they do with bright, fresh summer ingredients.  Anniversary dinner, here we come!  

delicious

chipotle pork cheeseburger with tomatillo, cilantro, and avocado
marinated grilled spring onions

I made this recipe from Epicurious last week and stayed pretty true to the original recipe. I did make a couple of changes, including using pepper Havarti from our farmer's market instead of Muenster. I also just mashed the avocado so it would stay on the bun better.

My only complaints are that it could have used a heartier bun and you need to grill this quite a bit longer than it claims. This could definitely be made with ground turkey or bison as well. Or if you're feeling adventurous, you could try using veggie crumbles. All in all, a highly recommended recipe.

foodfoodfood pt. 2

Man, I've been slow to post lately. I made it through an overnight trip to an educational conference and 2 nights/1 day of parent/teacher conferences, so I think I'm ready to rejoin the rest of the world now.

Way back on Valentine's Day weekend, my parents visited and we ate at yet another restaurant that's part of the Food Fight group: Bluephies. Their menu is pretty extensive, so it was hard to decide, but here's what we settled on:

Sun-dried Tomato Pasta: curly fettuccine with white wine basil cream sauce, chicken, leeks, and sun-dried tomatoes

The Bluephie: roasted turkey with caramelized onions, roasted red pepper, Dijon aioli, and mozzarella

Black Bean & Smoked Chicken Enchiladas

Dessert Sushi Sampler: Butterfinger Wontons, Dark Chocolate Truffle (by Gail Ambrosius), Vanilla Custard

Dessert Sushi Sampler: Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Eggroll

I really liked my pasta and Matt enjoyed his sandwich. The enchiladas, which my mom and dad split, were nice, but I prefer the enchiladas at Tex Tubb's Taco Palace (yet another Food Fight place). We had fun trying the unusual (and very rich) desserts, but probably wouldn't get them again. All in all, everything was quite good, and we'd like to go another time. There many more pastas and sandwiches to try, as well as an entire page of desserts to conquer--like the huge slice of red velvet cake that was tempting us last time.

more leftovers

turkey blt soup

I used up some of our bountiful turkey supply and some leftover potatoes to make this tasty soup. Enjoy!

olive oil for drizzling
6 slices bacon, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
3 small celery ribs finely chopped
2 small to medium carrots, chopped
1 bay leaf
salt & pepper
3 medium starchy potatoes
2 quarts chicken stock
1 14-oz. can diced tomatoes or 1 pt. grape tomatoes, halved
handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1-2 cups shredded turkey (optional)

Heat a medium soup pot or deep-sided skillet over medium heat. To the hot pan add a drizzle of olive oil and the bacon. Cook the bacon until brown and reserve. Drain off all but 2 tbsp. of the remaining fat and add the chopped celery and carrots. Cut the leeks lengthwise and then into 1/2-inch half moons. Place the sliced in a colander and run them under cold water, separating the layers to wash away all the trapped grit. When the leeks are clean, shake off the water and add to the celery and carrots. Stir the veggies together, add the bay leaf, and season with salt and pepper. While the leeks cook until wilted, 3-4 minutes, slice the potatoes.

Cut each potato into thirds crosswise. Stand each third upright and slice it thinly. The pieces will look like raw potato chips.

Add stock to the vegetables and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and add the potatoes, tomatoes, and turkey (if using). Cook for 8-10 minutes or until the potatoes are tender and starting to break up a bit. Add the reserved bacon and parsley and stir adjust the seasonings.

adapted from Rachel Ray's Express Lane Meals

1 chicken 4 ways: numbers 2 and 3

In the last several years, I have endeavored to make a few meals a week meatless and to make the most of our meat. Think Michael Pollan's mantra: eat meat, not too much, mostly plants. When I buy a piece or package of meat, I want it to make several meals, complementing the vegetables and starches, but not dominating the meal. It has also been important to me that the meat we do eat comes from local and humane sources. I've been heading out to a nearby butcher to get pork and whole fresh chickens. That's where I got the meat for our beer-can chicken.

A few days later, the rest of the chicken became a lunch and a dinner. Sorry about the dark photos. We've been eating really late for the last few weeks, so my natural lighting for photos has been nearly gone.


Curry Yogurt Salad
from Serious Eats

2 to 3 ounces of boneless, skinless shredded turkey or chicken or 1 shredded Quorn Naked Chik’n Cutlet
1 squeeze of lemon juice
1 pinch of salt
1 pinch of pepper
1 to 2 teaspoons of curry powder
7 ounce container of single-serve Fage 2% yogurt, or other Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons of cashews
2 tablespoons of golden raisins (sultanas)
1 pinch of nutmeg (optional)

Mix the curry powder into the Fage, add a pinch of salt or pepper to taste. Add the raisins and cashews. Add a pinch of nutmeg if desired. Squeeze lemon on the cooked, shredded Quorn or poultry. Stir into the yogurt mixture. Add more curry powder, salt, pepper, or lemon to taste. Serve on shredded lettuce or on a slice of warm cinnamon raisin bread, whole wheat bread, or Naan bread.

Minced Chicken in Lettuce Cups
from Serious Eats

I had less chicken and more mushrooms than were called for, but everything still balanced well.

2 pounds chicken, skin removed and bones removed (in my case, precooked chicken)
1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
1 tablespoon ginger, minced
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1/2 cup water chestnuts, drained and finely chopped
2 scallions, white part diced and green part chopped
1 cup cremini mushroom, chopped
8 leaves Boston, bibb, or iceberg lettuce
Salt and pepper

Finely dice the chicken. Pour the oil into a work or large iron skillet set over high heat. Add the ginger and scallion whites and stir-fry until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Dump in the chicken and mushrooms. Continue stirring, breaking up the chicken pieces, and cook for about a minute, or until the chicken is white and no longer raw (if using precooked chicken, just stir-fry until the chicken is warmed). Pour in the oyster sauce and cook for 2 more minutes, stirring frequently.

Remove from the heat and add the scallion greens and chopped water chestnuts. Stir until everything is combined. Season with salt if necessary. Fill each lettuce cup with a little bit of the mixture and serve.

I felt like this could have used some kind of soy-based sauce to top the lettuce cups. I liked a bit of okonomiyaki sauce and Matt used some Sichuan black bean paste. I thought something like a ponzu might be nice too. Any ideas?

a brush with greatness

One day recently Matt brought home Tom Colicchio's cookbook from his sandwich joint, 'wichcraft. Seeing as we are both sandwich fans and Top Chef fans, it was a match made in heaven. And I feel like some of his incredible food knowledge may rub off on me if I make some of his recipes!

This past week I made two of the sandwiches and both were knock-outs. On the first, a roasted turkey sandwich, I cut corners a bit by using sliced deli turkey instead of roasting my own turkey breast. Can you believe that the grocery store was all out of whole turkey breasts? Next time (and there will be a next time) I will try to roast my own meat. Anyway, it was still delicious, so if you wanted a quicker meal, I would wholeheartedly recommend using some good-quality deli turkey.

The onion marmalade is delicious, similar to a caramelized onion jam I made to go with Thanksgiving leftovers, but with that great balsamic flavor. A few days after I made the onions, I found another use for the marmalade, Brunch Burgers from the Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy blog. Definitely on my "to make" list.


Roasted Turkey with Avocado, Bacon, Balsamic Onion Marmalade, and Mayonnaise

from 'wichcraft by Tom Colicchio

6 sage leaves
1 (3- to 4- pound) boneless turkey breast
2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
12 slices bacon
4 ciabatta rolls (I used slices of a country French sourdough loaf)
1/2 cup Balsamic Onion Marmalade (below)
1 ripe avocado, pitted, peeled, and sliced
4 tbsp mayonnaise

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Slide the sage leaves under the skin of the turkey breast and place the turkey on a sheet pan. Rub the skin with butter and season generously with salt and pepper. Roast the turkey with 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Baste the meat with its juices throughout. (Keep in mind that the meat will continue to cook even after it's removed from the oven, so be careful not to cook it too long.) Allow the meat to rest before slicing, or cool completely.

In a heavy skillet over medium-high heat, cook the bacon until golden brown and crisp on both sides. Transfer to paper towels to drain.

Slice the ciabatta rolls in half. Place the turkey slices on the bottom halves and top with the marmalade. Place the bottom and top halves of the rolls in the 350 degree oven and remove once the marmalade is heated through and the bread is toasted. Top the marmalade with the bacon, followed by the avocado. Evenly spread the mayonnaise on the top halves of the rolls. Close the sandwiches, cut into halves, and serve.

Balsamic Onion Marmalade

1 tbsp vegetable oil
4 medium onions, thinly sliced (about 8 cups)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup balsamic vinegar

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat until it slides easily across the pan. Add the onions, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes, until the onions are soft.

Add the sugar and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes, until the onions appear dry.

Add the vinegar and reduce the heat to low. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, for about 1 hour, until the onions are soft and dry.

Serve warm or at room temperature. Store the marmalade in the refrigerator. It will keep for several weeks.