Mama Mia Pizza

Tonight's dinner menu consists of homemade pizza! Madison finally received its first snow dump last night so what better way to spend a Saturday night than warm dough with cheese and a movie?  I am preparing a pizza recipe from the Joy of Cooking but substituting pre-made crust for some real Italian-style handmade yeast pizza dough.  You know its a real recipe for authentic dough when it lists flour amounts in grams. I had to google the conversion to cups. Here is what I did:


Italian Pizza Crust
The Essential Mediterranean Cookbook


Mix the following in a large bowl:
1.6 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
7 g (1 packet) yeast
Mix the following in a separate bowl:
1/3 cup milk
3/8 cup warm water
1 tablespoon olive oil


Add the wet mixture to the dry 
Stir with a wooden spoon. Knead for 5 minutes on floured surface. Place in a lightly oiled bowl and let rise in warm place (about 1 hour or double in size).
Punch down and knead another 5 minutes
Place on a lightly greased baking sheet with sprinkling of polenta. Bake 415 degrees 10 minutes*

Pizza pie perfection step #1: Put in the extra effort!

*The recipe bakes it along with pizza toppings for 15-20 minutes so I reduced the time to get the crust to stiffen (raw enough to bake again with my pizza toppings)! I also brushed the crust with olive oil. Kneading dough for 5 minutes is difficult from what I discovered by this recipe. I guess-timated that I would need to knead for the length of two songs playing from my itunes. The Black Keys was great to knead with a rhythm! The most remarkable experience making this recipe was that the dough behaved so well! I have had many bad experiences making yeast breads. My dough never turns out right. THIS pizza dough, however, was as dream come true! I couldn't stop remarking that it was truly remarkable the whole time...stretchy, tender, and smooth. And it even rose nicely in the oven into the golden crusty dream that I was wishing for. I am flagging this recipe with a post-it note for easy future reference and recommending it to everyone! (Note: I got so enthusiastic about this dough that I tried to toss and spin it it in my hands instead of rolling out with a roller. This was not elegant to watch).


Roasted Garlic and Pepper Pizza
Joy of Cooking


1 garlic bulb
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 large sweet red peppers
1/2 cup sliced pimiento-stuffed olives
2 tablespoons  red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
1 (10 oz) prebaked thin Italian bread shell 
3/4 cup sweet onion slices
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese


As the name implies, this recipe requires oven roasting of a bulb of garlic as well as fresh bell peppers. I only had frozen green, yellow, and red peppers so I slapped those on a baking sheet and placed in the oven as it pre-heated for the garlic. I let cook for about 20 minutes and was surprised to see them so burned around the edges! The sugars seemed to seep out of the skins and onto the baking sheet making them very difficult to take off, as well as clean the sheet for the dough. I think I will use fresh next time. Slight variations in the toppings were also used: I also didn't have onions so a few dashes of onion powder was put into the topping mixture and pepperoni slices were added to half the pizza for fun! The garlic created a wonderful aroma in my apartment. The whole bulb seemed like a lot for a small pizza but  I followed the recipe and added it all anyways. Doubtful that there will be any complaining since both Joe and I will have garlic breath.


Almost 8:00 PM and pizza is done!! Its beautiful and colorful and smells dangerously delicious! I'm serving with side salad topped with tahini lemon dressing. Voila!

The colors shout "delicioso!!"

Final critiques: Do not bake raw crust separate from toppings. I solved the extra-crispy problem by serving with a balsamic vinegar and olive oil emulsion. Joe loved it regardless and had thirds. Will try again in the near future using the same crust but creative combinations of toppings.

Something Fishy

Tonight I am preparing Portuguese Fisherman's Stew. I cut it off of a White Northern Beans package years ago and kept it tacked on my refrigerator as a reminder to make. Well... that day has finally come! I am preparing it to be eaten tomorrow to give it a night of "rest" to allow the flavors to mingle and mature.


Portuguese Fisherman's Stew
Serves 4-6


2 cups Great Northern Beans, pre-cooked
1 lb. filleted firm white fish
1/4 cups lemon juice
2 quarts water
2 tbsp. margarine
3 small onions, sliced
1/8 cup minced garlic (fresh)
2 bay leaves

1 can (16 oz) chicken broth
 1 can (14.5 oz) stewed tomatoes
 1 1/2 tsp. thyme
 Salt and pepper to taste

In large pot brown onions and garlic in margarine. Add cooked  beans, water, bay leaves, broth, stewed tomatoes, and thyme and  simmer for 45 minutes. In separate skillet add lemon juice, fish and 1/2 cup water. Simmer slowly until fish flakes with a fork. Drain liquid and add fish to stew. Season to taste with salt pepper. 

 

A peek from start to finish.

I made a few modifications to this recipe. For one, I used a olive oil and butter combo instead of margarine for cooking the onions and garlic. I also used concentrated natural chicken bouillon paste instead of broth. For the tomatoes, all I had on hand was the canned, diced variety so I used those instead of stewed. I'm not sure if there is a real difference if adding to soup or stew but I increased the simmer time anyways. The butcher at Copps helped me pick out a nice "firm white fish" to use. We decided on Flounder. He said it was more fishy than Tilapia or Roughy. I thought fishy would be good flavor for a rich broth (and it also happened to be a cheaper choice). Let me tell you something though, it really smells fishy too! My apartment is going to stink like fish for days...


I seem to be on the roll with fishy things since I just finished off some homemade pasta sauce that included canned sardines. It was one of those nights where you are scavenging your bare refrigerator shelves after a long weekend away trying to find something dinner-worthy. My choice ended up producing very potent breath that lingers until morning (even after brushing and Listerine-ing). It's funny how something so terribly smelly can taste so good!


So the stew is now finished and sitting on my counter to cool before putting it into the refrigerator for the night. I just realized I forgot to drain the cooked fish before adding. I think I will serve with some of my sauteed sourdough bread, that I talked about in a previous blog, and perhaps some white wine.

Winter Root Vegetables

After returning home from a Baltimore Thanksgiving gathering with Joe's family friends yesterday evening I was astonished to find a lonely rutabaga in the crisper drawer of my refrigerator. I had purchased it a few weeks ago after growing curious of the larger purple-blushed bulbs propped up next to the carrots in the produce section of my grocery store. Knowing I needed to cook this ASAP and also wanting something relatively healthy after the past week of feasting, I found the following recipe, but made a few manipulations including adding leeks, excluding potatoes, and doubling the olive oil.


Roasted Root Vegetables with Mustard


3 tbsp. Dijon mustard, coarse
6 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. dried thyme
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. cayenne
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper, fresh ground
4 carrots, sliced 1-in lengths
2 parsnips, sliced 1-in lengths
1 rutabaga, 1-in cubes
1/2 large yellow onion, 1/2-in wedges
3 leeks, sliced 1-in rings

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Whisk together mustard, oil, and spices in a large bowl. Prepare vegetables and mix with the mustard sauce until well coated. Let vegetables marinate for 10 minutes and then place on baking sheet. Bake for 45-50 minutes turning every 15 minutes. Season to taste with more salt and pepper.

This recipe rocks. It is a wonderful way to experiment with winter root vegetables and I have to admit this was a first-time experience with rutabaga, leeks, and parsnips! Fantastic! The mustard flavor was more muted than I would have preferred but I think it is because I didn't use coarse Dijon like the original recipe calls for. I ended up drizzling some homemade mustard dressing on top (olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper shaken in an almost empty mustard bottle) and ketchup. The ketchup wasn't the most elegant side to pair with this but I had a craving for it tonight. Next time I won't because it disguises the simples spices of this dish.

Grilled leek greens and mustard veggies.

There were so many leek greens to discard that I googled "eating leek greens" and I discovered you can eat them! I opted for grilling them on my George Forman grill brushed with olive oil (pictured above). The leaves are quite fibrous and resemble giant green onions in my opinion.  I think they might be nice drizzled with some soy sauce and sesame seeds.


I also had some dried pumpkin seeds that I pan toasted using hot light olive oil and sprinkled with cinnamon and salt. During this heating process, a very pleasant cinnamon fragrance drifted from the pan which I found to stir up feelings of comfort.  I was also surprised to find that the seeds began to jump out of the pan like popcorn in the last few minutes of heating from steam bursting from the seed coat!

Sweet-n-savory pumpkin seeds.

In addition to these experiments, I whipped up some tahini based scones while the vegetables were roasting so that I could just slide them into the already-pre-heated oven when they finished. The recipe can be found on food.com as well from this link.  I used a glass drinking glass to cut the scones into round shapes after rolling out with a rolling pin. Also they received overwhelming positive feedback, I have to disagree. I would have to suggest from my experiences to hand shape into an inch high small circle for better rising, adding a 1/4 cup of honey to the dough to sweeten up a bit, and dipping the top of the scones in sunflower seeds to make them stick better (or drizzle some honey on top as a glue).

Rustic scones.

Tastes Around Town

I feel as though recently I've had such a marvelous time flirting with the Madison food scene!


Last weekend Joe and I went to a well-known "oldie-but-goodie" Madison restaurant, called, Osteria Papavero, located next to the former Restaurant Magnus off the Capital Square. It was a very chilly evening and I have to say we felt warmed immediately after stepping into its doors, and for more reasons than to meet some of Joe's friends from school.  The walls were painted a warm golden wheat color. There was a bar extending the whole back side of the restaurant and a chalk board on the north wall full of daily specials. The wine menu listed names encrypted for a true wino to decipher. I couldn't even tell whites from reds!  I ended up settling for Capitol Octoberfest to go with my fine Italian dining. The "Polenta, Funghi, e Lamache" dish, described as a fall ragout of wild mushrooms and snails with fried polenta. I had spent that week playing with a traditional Zambian corn dish (which I will write about later in its own entry), so I really wanted to try traditional Italian corn! I'm ashamed to say I'd never tried polenta before... or snails for that matter. Other things on the menu included boar, crepes, sausage and lentils. There was a bottomless assorted bread basket that included salty fried dough. It is interesting how good bread can make a lasting impression on me. Unfortunately so did the snails. They were a bit grimy. I could feel a sandy grit with each bite. The polenta tasted bland, like the Zambian corn dish. I think I will go for the boar next time!

Cuisine focuses on the rustic
food of both the Emilia Romagna and Toscana regions of Italy. Website.

I've also gotten to try a brand-spanken-new restaurant, named Nostano, located in the building that was formerly Peppino's on a corner street of the Capital Square. The occasion was Joe and my 5-year anniversary and 1-year engagement anniversary! It was my year to plan the evening so I decided to surprise him with somewhere he would probably never guess because it just opened its doors mid-October and word is slow to get around. Much like Osteria Papavero the interior is small and intimate. The walls were painted a cool blue color covered with a playful collage of antique window panes. There was very little light, creating a blanket of privacy despite the crowded seating arrangements (there were probably only a dozen tables total)!  Despite an elaborate drink menu, Joe and I paired our entrees with some wine with the help of our lovely server. Below is what we ordered, Joe with the Sturgeon and I with the rabbit.  We order the last item (an appetizer) for dessert, hehe.

Nostrano is operated by a husband and wife chef team,
Timothy and Elizabeth Dahl.

GRILLED STURGEON: CHICKPEA AIOLI | ROASTED ARTICHOKE | NOCELLARA OLIVES | SALSA VERDE

QUINTA DO FEITAL "AURATUS": Minho, portugal i alvarinho, trajaura

Rabbit confit: RYE TAGLIOLINI | HEN OF THE WOODS | MADEIRA | SCARLET CARROT

CONDE DE VALDEMAR: RIOJA, SPAIN I TEMPRANILLO

 CHARCUTERIE PLATE: PÂTÉ CAMPAGNOLA | SALSICCIA | PORK LIVER MOUSSE | SALAME NOSTRANO | BALSAMIC SHALLOTS | CAPONATA | PIPARRAS | FINGERLING POTATOES

The food was nothing short of fabulous. Although the entree portions were small, the ingredients were top notch! The chefs source locally as much as possible and their food is presented very thoughtfully on the plate without being overdone. Unlike the snails, my curiosity in rabbit was a good choice (better than what I had in Mexico)! The meat had been shredded, balled into a patty, battered in bread crumbs and pan fried to a crispy-on-the-outside-tender-on-the-inside treat! The salami was impressionable too! They make all of their meats in-house except for one, ironically called "salame nostrano".  The idea, from what I gathered, is to come to Nostrano to share a few appetizers and follow up with a modest entree while enjoying a leisurely evening with good company. It was the perfect date place for an anniversary, but I would go back with girlfriends or family. This comfortable versitality must have been a pre-meditated idea because Nostrano means "Home-grown, local" or even "ours" in Italian.

"I like pie" -Mystery Science Theater

The many flavors to choose from!
Website here. 

The last place I will blab about is Hubbard Avenue Diner in Middleton (just 10 minutes west of town). I have been salivating for a piece of their locally renowned pie ever since my birthday back in September. Joe and I decided a cold, windy, overcast Sunday morning this past weekend was the time to finally make the trip. The place was packed to the gills with hungry people anxious to get their slice of heaven. You can tell you've chosen a good place to eat when you realize the people around you are returning customers. It also seems the crowds here are recurring because they have found something for people to do while waiting... drink free piping hot coffee (well you can bet that I was pumped) and admire all the beautiful pies in their glass displays. By the time we got our table we were so excited by the sights and smells we ordered up some eggs, bacon, hash browns and biscuits to go with our coffee and pie. I got to pick the pie flavor, which was a seasonal "Sweet Potato Pecan". It may seem silly to spend $5 on something that disappears in two short seconds but it was worth it! Hubbard Avenue really does know pie (and well, breakfast for that matter)!

Stay tuned for more dining adventures!  Next up: the Underground Kitchen this Thursday followed by the Sugar Distillery on Friday.

"Better Than Chocolate" Chocolate Frosting

Occasionally I have these intense cravings for baked, sweet things and usually they must contain chocolate.   One of my go-tos for an easy fix is to whip up some chocolate cake in cupcake tins using the Hershey's Cocoa recipe that is printed on their cocoa powder packaging. I made them this past week but somehow I managed to botch the frosting. The original chocolate frosting recipe is as follows:

"Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Frosting

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
2/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
3 cups powdered sugar1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency. Add small amount additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla. About 2 cups frosting.

Picture from Hersey's website.

Instead of the warm, creamy chocolate lava that I was expecting (and have made before just fine thank you very much!) I ended up with chunky chocolate siting in butter oil. After separation and I couldn't get it to homogenize! Sometimes I wonder in puzzlement what I do wrong to mess up recipes. Did I heat my butter too hot creating a separation with the caseins and fat? Did I not heat enough? Was it because I added the vanilla to the mixture before the sugar and milk?

What ever the problem, I was determined not to let such fundamentally amazing ingredients like chocolate and butter be tossed down the sink. I was convinced I could use them somehow. In fact I started by shoving it into the center of some cupcakes as sort of a filling but the cupcakes didn't really look appetizing after gorging them with a mysterious brown pudding. 

My ultimate solution: Beat with 8 oz. cream cheese. 

One block of Neufchatel (1/3 less fat cream cheese) created a beautiful, dark chocolate cream that was smooth and spreadable. I received rave reviews from everyone at work; even so much to say "can I have one with extra frosting please?" I even admit I spread it onto my bagel as a sweet and savory cream cheese topping.  Big win for this curious chef's baking adventures.  I think the moral of this story is to whip all baking mishaps with some cream cheese to turn it into something Martha Stewart would be proud of. There is only one problem with making sweet cream cheese spreads... you end up licking, spooning, and finger dipping until your stuck with a generous sugar hangover! 

Queso Besos

My mentor has recently flown me and one of my Zambian companions, Kara, to the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT for short) in Texcoco, Mexico! Our 10-day trip has been a crash coarse in maize breeding research. Since maize is the overriding theme of my thesis work, I am enjoying this trip because it allows me to get to know maize on a more intimate level. I've walked the neat rows of stalks ready for harvest with the hot sun on the back of my neck, breathing the dusty air from the dry clay from which it grew. Kara and I have learned how to score the maize cobs for color, texture and "sexiness".  Although the maize here is selectively bred, or biofortified, with various nutrients (such as provitamin A that turns the cobs bright orange) for future dissemination into other parts of the world, maize is extremely important to Mexico. In fact, it originated from here! There are corn tortillas, chips, tamales and even novel corn-based cereal flavors like Coco Zucaritas (chocolate corn flakes staring Tigre Tono).  

Sexy, orange CIMMYT maize.
Celaya, Mexico.

Farm-to-table food.
Tortillas prepared from orange maize.

The pictures above are an example of some of the maize that we harvested, as well as the final edible product. A trademark of many Mexican corn products is nixtamilization, aka treatment with lime. So for our "End-of-Harvest Fiesta", the workers nixtamilized some of our orange corn and prepared traditional corn tortillas for the meal. I was so impressed by the vibrant color of the cooked product. Maize is a-maize-ing!

But of course maize isn't the only food that Mexico has to offer. There are peppers, tequila, cactus, tomatillos, and carnitas. I had a diverse tour of Mexico cuisine, trying my best to taste the most exotic things. Below you will see a photographic description of my food adventures. And for the record, no food illness yet (knock on wood).  I think Andrew Zimmerman would be pretty proud of this Midwestern girl!  When I get back to my Madison kitchen I will set out to find the perfect homemade Salsa verde and Margarita recipes.

Rabbit cooked in cactus skin.
Tlaltizapan, Mexico. 

Beef (tongue, intestines, stomach, and ears), goat, salsa verde, tortillas.
Harvest Fiesta in Celaya, Mexico.

Cactus fruit (tuna).
"One too many will plug you up."
Celaya, Mexico.

Kara and Magic fruit.
Sherbet-like flesh with large brown seeds.
Celaya, Mexico.

Pan-fried Caterpillers
Tlaltizapan, Mexico

Mystery fruits. Very bitter!
Celaya, Mexico.

Final words: "Los besos saben con quesos"
This is an expression taught to me by a local here. It literally translates to "kisses taste like cheese."  It is a funny rhyme, really, but I think I'll always remember my experience here as one big cheesy kiss. Seductive. Exciting. Flavorful. Mexico. 

Monkey Business

A kitchen appliance that I have loathed since purchasing is the Magin Bullet. It does not grind coffee without smelling like burning rubber, it gets stuck on ice cubes, and the seal in the lid never seems to do its job. However, I have recently redeemed my affection for the darn thing thanks to its help in creating the best elixir for the dreaded mid-day slump:

The No-Chunky Monkey Smoothie
Makes 1 serving

1 cup whole milk
1 ripe banana, peeled and cubed
1 heaping spoonful almond butter
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/2 tablespoon wheat germ
Pinch of salt

Combine all ingredients (milk first so the almond butter doesn't stick) and blend until smooth and frothy! Add more milk if necessary. 

Stepping on my nutritional soapbox for a second, this smoothie keeps you full and energized because its loaded in protein, fiber, and healthy fats. The sweetness from the banana brings out the chocolate so there is no need for sugar. Lots of flavor without the "chunky"! I'm documenting it here for safe keeping. 

Ice Wine at Wollersheim

Yesterday afternoon, three curious ladies drove north of town to the quaint vineyards of Wollersheim to taste a reserved wine known as "ice wine".

Happy Winers
Emily, Emily and Andrea

With a complementary tasting ticket we got to wander upstairs to a small room filled with rosy cheeks, harp music, and small plastic cups containing the curious liquid. After a few small sips we concluded that ice wine resembles a sweet cough syrup. Ew. This was so disappointing given how labor intensive it is to prepare! The grapes need to remain on the vines until frozen at 5-10 degrees. Harvest usually occurs mid-December in snowy conditions. The grapes must be picked frozen and pressed frozen according to ice wine protocol. I really like the idea and the unique tradition behind making this wine. Perhaps it requires more than a few quick sips to get to know this sweet, thick drink, or a thoughtful food pairing to balance the flavors. I can imagine it might be quite good as a dessert wine paired with dry cheeses and fruit spreads.

I bought a bottle of cranberry wine, recommended by Andrea, and the three of us sat in the grass and watched the crisp, golden sun slowly dip behind the beautiful Wisconsin country side. Just a blink and we were in Tuscany (minus the creepy Italian tress)!

Wollersheim Vineyards.
Future harvests.

Madison Graze-ing

There is a new restaurant on the Capital Square and my parents, Joe and I made a first-time visit this past Saturday. It's called "Graze" and it is the second gastropub to open its doors on the Square this year (the other being Coopers Tavern). I wish I had my camera to take pictures of the food but instead I will attempt to describe our experience. In a nut shell, it was fantastic!

Before I begin talking about Graze I really must back up because this wonderful evening truly began at the Memorial Union Terrace. Dad, Mom and I scouted a great table to the left of the bandstand with a great view of Lake Mendota. We celebrated the Badger's defeat and continued possession of Paul Bunyan's axe (or I did seeing lack of Badger spirit from them seen in this picture... ahem!) and another great family get-together  with a few pitchers of Octoberfest. Joe was able to escape for the night from his medical school rotations in La Crosse and join us for the evening. He met up with us here and after a long happy hour we strolled up to the Capital.

Papa and Mama Nuss
Union Terrace

Graze was opened late summer and is a sister restaurant of the Madison-famous, L'Etoile. According to one of my friends who got to speak to the owners, L'Etoile wanted to extend their farm-to-table enthusiasm to the general public through a more casual and affordable menu. With Chef Tori Miller as the star of the kitchen and sister/co-owner Traci Miller as the brains, the US-Bank building resembling clear legos (and frankly very ugly) was transformed into a locavore hub that houses both L'Etoile and Graze.

Our party of four arrived a little after 8:00pm and we hung out at the bar for almost another hour sipping St. German margaritas and Tyranena "Bitter Woman IPA", grappling over which appetizers to order until our table was ready. The atmosphere was unique in that the glow of the room came mostly from stray light reflecting off the Capital building across the street. There are so few places where history and dining mingle so intimately.

Onto THE GRAZING! We ended up deciding on three appetizers: Fried Sassy Cow Cheese Curds, Pork Buns, and Potato Fondu. The cheese curds were out of this world! Large cheddar curds were dipped into vodka batter, deep-fried to crispy perfection, and served with homemade ranch. The Pork Buns were a bit small and the bread was soggy in my opinion, but tasty. The Potato Fondu were croquettes, which to me tasted like fried mashed potato balls, and served with goat cheese dipping sauce. Between the curds and fondu I could have gone home happy right then and there! 

Dinner came and I ordered the Artesian Rainbow Trout served with butternut squash cubes, lemon butter and fried capers. I saw it reviewed in the Isthmus magazine and decided to give it a whirl myself. There was a balsamic vinegar reduction that encircled the trout and made for an excellent matrimony of flavors as a whole. Joe ordered the Pub Burger, which I have to admit I will probably order next time we visit. It was served on a english muffin with a hearty side of frites and aioli. We talked later and as it turns out he was eyeing my dinner the whole night. I guess we could have swapped! Mom ordered the steamed mussels that came in a large white bowl that collected butter broth at the bottom. She said it was so good she wish they would have served it with a spoon. I dared her to drink it out of the bowl because the bowl did have handles! What my Dad ordered has escaped me! It was a meet and cheese sandwich fixed with frites but I can't match it to anything on the menu. I need to remember to ask him next time we chat but I'm guessing it was the Pork Charcurterie. 

We are grazing, and grazing, and well by this point in the evening we are just pigging out! Just when we finishing our meals and stuffed to the brim, the waitress offers the dessert options. What do we do? We accept! A round of hazelnut pie a la mode and "sea-spray" flavored snow cone. 

Final grading of Graze: "A"

I plan on visiting again for the Mac 'N Cheese and drinks out on the patio some crisp autumn afternoon to come. They also serve Brunch and Lunch.  

Visit their website here.

Homecoming Eve

Its Friday night and I've filled my apartment with the smell of browned beef and onions. Next to fresh bread in the oven, this is one of my favorite scents (food-nerd alert)! Tomorrow morning when I wake up it will be a nice reminder of the wonderful chili to come. My parents, Tony and Connie, are driving down for a visit and will be arriving around noon, aka the middle of Badger football! It also just so happens to be the homecoming game versus Minnesota. I told my dad that if he chooses to wear his Gopher sweatshirt I won't be speaking to him for the entirety of the weekend. Actually I think the heckling he would get from the swarms of Badgers on campus would wear down any opponent's pride, driving anyone to switch into red camouflage! I've seen it happen.

But what better way to enjoy football festivities than hot chili and cold beer? My fridge is currently stocked with Capital Brewery Octoberfest, New Glarus Moon Man, O'so Brewery Hopdinger (new from Milwaukee), and a few cans of Hamm's for nostalgia. In the morning I will turn on my trusty crock pot and let the chili simmer during the time my parents are traveling. I think I will also toast up some sourdough bread and shred some swiss cheese for garnishing (why swiss? its all I have at the moment next to processed orange-something but I think it might work out nicely). And the best part, we don't have to worry about paying out the nose for a parking spot downtown.  The worst part, however, is that the game isn't available on my basic cable package and the weather is forecasted to be in the upper 70's! I think I'll just make sure the beer is extra cold and may even turn on my air conditioning. Chili is only good with a side of chill! It is probably how it got its name (and partly due to the capsicum plant). 

The recipe I used is called "Spicy Chili" out of the Joy of Cooking cookbook. The beef that I had on hand was so lean I added some olive oil. I also misread the recipe last night and scribbled down on my grocery list only half of what was needed for tomato products (sauce and stewed tomatoes) so I compensated by adding a can of tomato paste and extra water. I may add some beef bouillon at some point tomorrow. The amount of spices the recipe called for was a bit much, in my opinion, of the wrong flavors. It asked for heavy helpings of Italian seasoning, basil, and oregano. Although it called for chili spices, I added some dried chili pepper flakes, cumin, and molasses instead of brown sugar.  I feel like a chili should be less like an Italian tomato sauce and more like a hardy, spicy stew. Next time I would like to try using cubed steak and real minced peppers (serrano or chili piquin perhaps).  

Go Red! 

First Fall Feast

Saturday
10:00 AM 

It was the first day of autumn last Thursday and I have decided that this season is the best season for food. Coffee tastes that much better, opening the windows invites fresh, crisp air into my apartment, and a warm meal sounds like the perfect celebration to the day. Joe, my fiance, is on the road back to Madison from Dallas and is currently 3 hours from arrival. He's been living on Taco Bell grande burritos and McDonald's meal deals so I've decided to prepare a feast for tonight. On the menu... French cuisine!  

Sauteed Sourdough Bread

Fresh Beetroot and Goat's Cheese Salad

Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic

When I prepare a regionally-themed meal like this I enjoy pretending that I'm actually there. In this case, I'm taking Joe to France with me. I just went to the outdoor markets in the Southern Provence and picked up some fresh beets, bread and cheese and now I'm in my small apartment overlooking the bustling cobble stone streets of city with the smell of pastries and street violin notes wafting in through the window! Oh, and I'm the beautiful French cook of course... olive skin, bright lipstick, and a red floral apron. Although the bread recipe is my own creation, the salad and main course come from one of my favorite cookbooks called, "The Essential Mediterranean Cookbook." It is loaded with colorful pictures and takes you to flavors of Greece, Turkey, Italy, France, Spain, North Africa, and the Middle East. This summer I thought it would be fun to "tour" France and cook myself through that section. Needless to say I'm still there, but there are worse places to get stuck. It requires quality ingredients and found myself buying a bottle of Brandy just to splash a TB into some olive tapenade. The upfront cost is always worth the culinary lessons, however, except now instead of money being the limiting factor, it is stomach capacity.  Joe has been busy rotating around Wisconsin (and TX) so I've found myself cooking less because I've found I like sharing the end product (and leftovers!) with someone. I get lonely in France all by myself. 

Garlic Galore! 

SO! I have prepared the greens of the beet salad and am waiting for the beets to cool. When draining the juices from boiling the beets I was acting as if it were a biohazard... anything that touched the beet juice needed to be cleaned so that traces of red don't show up later. I still managed to stain our hand towel!  I'm also starting to prep the chicken recipe. Forty cloves of garlic. For future reference its about 2 1/2 garlic bulbs. I bought six thinking it wasn't going to be enough! I don't have a casserole dish with a fitted lid (as the recipe requires) so I'm going to try using my crock-pot pot. It is glass with a lid but its deep bowl shape has me wondering if I'm making a mistake. I will brown the chicken first in a pan on the stove and then transfer it to the crock-pot pot to finish off in the oven. We will see... 

11:30 AM

Fingers stained pink and new pink freckles on my lower arms from slicing beets. I think its unavoidable. 

12:15 PM 

All ingredients are measured out for easy assembly for the chicken recipe. As much as I like to spend an afternoon in the kitchen, I like seeing Joe more. Early prep allows for more maximum time together this afternoon. And evening. 

7:30 PM

Chicken nearing its last minute in the oven. I ended up using a large cooking pot instead of my crock pot for the chicken. 

Later that evening
Dinner turned out well. The garlic was creamy as the recipe promised and the salad was fantastic! I think we will have great leftovers for tomorrow as well, but for now we must rest and digest. A great feast to kick off fall weather and great company.

Finished Product
Ready for eating!

Introductions

Hello fellow reader! 

Curious Cook
In the beginning...

I am the Curious Cook and welcome to my kitchen adventures! I picked this name because I do not, by any means, consider myself to have any raw talent when it comes to preparing food. Instead, I am simply fascinated by food and desire to deepen my relationship with it. As it stands, grocery stores seem to be operating in a time warp as for I get lost in the parade of colorful produce and shapes of pasta noodles. I find myself reading the pages of cook books as if it were a novel from Oprah's book club. Certain smells or social gatherings instantly trigger food-laced memories; the smell of charcoal in particular stirs up thoughts of corn on the cob that is so delightful you sacrifice clean hands and kernel-free teeth to experience the cocktail of warm, sweet juices and melted butter... and tender pork chops with... oh geez, where was I?  Oh yes, my love for food... I believe that food is of paramount importance beyond serving the purpose as basic sustenance. Food engenders childhood memories, cultural traditions, religious events, and emotions. It is a daily parallel that all humans have in common, creating conversational foundations for strangers to become better aquatinted and reasons for old friends to congregate. For me, cooking is a way for me to expand the limits of my palate, knowledge, and imagination. With a background in food and nutritional sciences, I am fascinated by a food's origin and journey into global cuisine. My kitchen (cramped and under-equipped being that I'm still a full-time student), is my three dimensional canvas where I can mix, puree, caramelize, and scramble up curious combinations of raw  ingredients into tasty edibles. This blog is intended to record and reflect (in no particular chronological or ingredient pattern) my culinary experiences of my journey to becoming a curious chef! 

Dedicated to Joe

The love of my life and guinea pig for my culinary concoctions. Thank you for your consistent support in letting me "indulge" in my wildest aspirations.