Spiced-up Brownies & Split Pea Soup

Weird, right? Putting a chili next to a gooey brownie? Chocolate is good at any time, in any shape or form but.....chili. Let me tell you, it is the most delicious combination ever. The savory spice of chili powder and cayenne pepper balance with the rich and sweet flavor of an otherwise very traditional brownie to deliver a big kick to your taste buds. And really, the idea of sweet and savory isn't that new. It's like bacon with maple syrup and pancakes....or melted cheddar cheese on apple pie. Or am I the only one who does that? Alright, bad example. But if you still trust me, try these spicy brownies.

Brownies are impossible to mess up. No matter what you do, there is always some butter, chocolate and brown sugar to carry you through.

And that's a convenient fact of life for me because I had a little bit of trouble getting these baked all the way through. They passed the toothpick test at first, but when I cut into them, they were still completely raw. Had to heat up the oven again and put them back in a couple times until I finally got it right. But what do you think, did I mess them up?

There's a reason why I led with the brownies. This next recipe for split pea soup isn't exactly the most attractive. Some, like my roommate, would even go so far as to call it "swamp in a bowl". But before you turn green like this soup (haha) just hear me out. Split pea soup with ham is a classic home-made dish that's perfect for cuddling up on the couch with a crusty piece of bread, watching tv because it's too cold and rainy outside to put on anything but pj's. That's not just my imagination at work, it's actually what I'm doing. Like, right now while balancing my laptop on a pillow. The only thing better than eating this soup is writing about it so that everyone else can enjoy it too.

I really do love this soup. My German grandma used to make it all the time in the winter. There wasn't much food available in WWII Europe except cabbage for sauerkraut, potatoes and lentils. So that's what they ate, soups like this one that could take very basic ingredients and make them into something filling and warm. The Latvian army apparently specialized in making huge batches of this stuff for their soldiers and for some reason my grandpa loved it, so he always insisted on having us make it for dinner. Of course, we can put some other good stuff like ham into the pot now.

But there's one thing that I will never change about split pea soup, and that's Maggi. Call it the German equivalent of soy sauce, it's salty and mushroom-y made from fermented wheat (or something like that). It's not difficult to find in any grocery store and I would never eat split pea soup without it.

Spiced-up Brownies
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen
Yield: 16

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour 
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp dark unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 3/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp cardamom
• 11 oz dark chocolate
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 1 tsp instant espresso powder
• 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 5 large eggs, at room temp
• 2 tsp vanilla extract 

 Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Whisk flour, salt, cocoa powder, spices in a medium bowl
3. Coarsely chop chocolate and butter into 1 inch cubes. Put in medium glass bowl along with espresso powder over a small saucepan of simmering water over medium-low heat. Stir occasionally until chocolate and butter are completely melted and smooth. It is important that you use this double-boiler technique (don't put it directly into a saucepan) to keep the chocolate from burning. If you don't have a glass bowl, you can melt the mixture in the microwave.
4. Remove chocolate mixture from heat and let it cool to room temperature. Transfer to a large mixing bowl
5. Add 3 eggs to the chocolate mixture and whisk by hand until combined. Whisk in the remaining eggs and vanilla. Be careful not to overmix or your brownies will turn out cakey.
6. Slowly fold the flour into your chocolate mixture using a spatula. Don't worry if you can still see a little bit of the flour. You don't want to overmix the batter.
7. Pour batter into a 9x13 baking pan that has been greased with butter or cooking spray. Bake for 30-45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean with just a few crumbs sticking to it. Sorry to give you such a wide range of cooking times, but like I said, this one caused a little bit of trouble for me.

Split Pea Soup
Grandma's Recipe
Serves 6

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pounds smoked ham, sliced
• 1 large onion
• 1 stalk celery
• 1 large carrot
• 1 medium potato
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 tbsp chopped parsley
• 1 lb dried green split peas
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 8 cups water

Directions:

1. Peel and dice onion, celery, carrot, potato. You want the pieces to be large enough to be considered "chunky" but not too big that they won't be able to be scooped up by a spoon. Finely chop parsley and garlic, then roughly chop ham into bite-sized pieces.
2. In a large pot, saute onion and garlic in oil until translucent. Add water and scrape the bottom of the pot with a cooking spoon
3. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir to combine.
4. Bring to a boil, covered, over medium heat.
5. Reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes, occasionally stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot
6. Salt and pepper (or Maggi!) to taste.

Thai "Pumpkin" Curry & Chicken Meatballs

You know what I've realized? Say I'm walking down the street, trying to figure out which to-go place to hit up for dinner. Start to think about what I'm in the mood for - definitely not something I could make myself....Naan n Curry, or Thai Basil, maybe Le Cheval or....I hear that Mandarin House has a special combo on Thursdays...  Much deliberation and I finally settle on a place. I order, wait 20 minutes, grab my plastic box of Dinner #5, an extra plastic fork (or chopsticks, depending) and go on my way. In that process, somehow $10 has disappeared from my wallet and ughh......should have gone with #6. Why do we do this to ourselves? Why is it a choice between same-old at home or expensive ethnic food that isn't even that great from a take-out place down the street? Can anyone stop us from making tasty ethnic food in our own kitchens? (imagine me saying this with an unreasonable amount of passion for the issue): NO!! ....So let's start with the Thai curry.

Ok, I agree, how difficult it is to make good ethnic food depends a lot on the availability of certain less common ingredients. I have a car, so it is easy for me to drive to the Asian grocery store across town and pick up things like coconut milk, curry paste and satay sauce. But don't be too hard on the local Safeway or Trader Joes - they stock these items too. You may have to reach behind a 20 pack of mac n cheese (jk I love that stuff), but you'll find the curry paste. I promise.

Oh, and for the record, I put "pumpkin" curry in italics because, well, that isn't a pumpkin. It's a Kabocha squash used in Thailand to make curries. We make the real deal around here.

Oops, did I just do that? Must have thought it was a pumpkin for a sec. I can never get too serious about my cooking.

Maybe I should come clean, the reason why I chose to make Thai pumpkin curry is......very personal. I have an obsession for the stuff that comes from a tiny, grungy Thai place near campus. But, I just know that my love is not reciprocated. It's not the 20 minute wait, it's not the obvious lack of sanitation....It's that whenever I order my curry to go, I get the dirtiest look from the Thai woman at the counter who says (every time!) "pumpkin curry doesn't DO TO-GO." (I'm sorry, I'm sorry!! Um...extra chopsticks?) I finally decided that it was time to move on with my life and just break-up with "to-go".

..............................And then there were...Chicken meatballs!

This recipe has absolutely nothing to do with my break-up with ethnic food to-go. Seriously? I just really love meatballs. And especially these chicken ones; they don't mess around!

Here we go - I know how to relate these two recipes. The first? Different, unexpected coming from your home kitchen and with unusual ingredients. This one? Surprisingly simple and using things you probably have in your pantry right now. There we go, mission accomplished.

Next step? Mix all of those common, easy to find ingredients together in a bowl. This was the really fun part for me - getting in there and smooshing around that ground chicken. The physical parts of cooking - like getting your hands into the bowl, kneading bread dough or taking a butcher knife to a pumpkin - really work out all of your frustrations about the day. And that's why we do it, right? Cook because it's relaxing, because we enjoy it, and because at the end of it all, we're rewarded with something truly yummy.

Bye bye to-go, hello left-overs!

Try something different, or maybe just see an old favorite in a new light. Whatever you do, keep cooking....



Thai "Pumpkin" Curry
Own Recipe
Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 1/2 of one Kabocha squash or 1 small pumpkin (can also substitute with a couple cans of pumpkin cubes)
• 1 medium red onion
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 medium carrot
• 2 small Thai chilies (or other chili of your choice)
• 4 tbsp Thai red curry paste
• 3 tbsp satay sauce
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp oil (canola works fine)
• 1 (14 oz) can coconut milk
• 8 fl oz water
• 1 small lime
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• Basil for garnishing

Directions:

1. Thinly slice onion into rings. Heat oil in large pot over medium, add onions and fry until soft (3-4 min)
2. Add the curry paste, satay sauce, cumin and cinnamon. Stir to coat onions and allow to fry for another minute or so until spices become fragrant
3. Zest lime into pot with coconut milk, fish sauce and water. Finely dice chilies and add to pot. Stir together and bring to a boil over medium heat. Once boiling, reduce heat and cover with lid. Cook for another 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Dice squash/pumpkin into 1 inch cubes, coarsely chop carrot and bell pepper. Add squash/pumpkin and carrot to pot after curry has cooked for 40 minutes. After 5 minutes, add bell pepper. Leave lid off and cook for another 5 minutes, until squash/pumpkin is tender and sauce has begun to thicken.
5. Serve with rice, squeeze juice from lime on top and garnish with chopped basil

Chicken Meatballs
Adapted from Gourmet
Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 3 slices Italian bread (about 1 cup when torn into pieces)
•  1/2 cup milk
• (optional: 3 oz bacon)
• 1 small onion
• 1 medium celery stick
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 lb chicken
• 5tbsp tomato sauce
• 3 tbsp parsley
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
2. Tear bread into small pieces, soak in milk for 5 minutes
3. Finely chop onion, celery and garlic. Cook bacon (if using) in large skillet over medium heat to render out fat, then add onion, celery and garlic. If not using bacon, just cook the vegetables in 1 tbsp oil. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until onion has softened, about 5 min. Set aside to cool.
4. Squeeze bread to remove excess milk, then discard milk. Finely chop bread.
5. Whisk egg. Combine chicken, 2 tbsp tomato sauce, bacon/onion/garlic/celery mixture, bread, parsley, cumin, cayenne pepper and egg. Get in there and mix it with your hands.
6. Form into meatballs. These can be of any size, depending on how you foresee eating them. Making smaller, 2 inch diameter meatballs would be good for spaghetti and meatballs. Larger 3 inch meatballs would be nice by themselves with a side of veggies. It depends on what you want! Arrange meatballs on pan (not a cookie sheet- you need something that will catch the juices as these things cook) sprayed with cooking oil. Brush with remaining 3 tbsp tomato sauce.
7. Cook until meatballs cooked through, about 20 minutes. A good way to tell when they are cooked through? When the internal temp reaches a safe 165 degrees

Good to have a thermometer like this one lying around. (I actually got it for free!)

 

Peach and Berry Cobbler

Ages ago when I posted my last two recipes, chicken chili and cauliflower gratin, I mentioned ordering a brand new mini tripod for my digital camera that would enable me to take glowing, jump off the blog pictures to rival National Geographic. That little tripod did come in the mail and I opened it, attached it to my camera and adjusted its flexible little legs so the picture would turn out straight, stood back proudly looking at my creation and.......realized that I had no idea what to do next. The whole point, which I obviously skipped over in my excitement, was to use the tripod so that I could set the camera for a longer exposure. Of course I promptly lost the camera manual as soon as I got the thing for Christmas (I mean, who do you take me for anyway?) so I had no idea how to do that. Ok, long story short, I'm still a noobie at photography, but well...hey. This is a cooking blog. And I made peach and berry cobbler, so life is good (or was, because we just ran out of leftovers).

Cobbler.......its is one of those things that can be as sophisticated as you want it to be. On the one hand, there's that gooey apple stuff that got spooned onto your tray with an ice cream scooper in elementary school. Mixed in with the equally interesting turkey cubes and washed down with a bag (remember those??) of strawberry milk, it didn't seem half bad at the time. But hopefully our tastes have evolved since the 4th grade and we have come to expect a little more pizazz from our cobblers. I certainly do (says the cobbler snob, omg). A little spiced rum mixed into the fruit before cooking really does deepen the flavors, and who could say no to homemade whipped cream drizzled with a balsamic reduction? But while I was trying to be serious and make all of that........this happened:

I blame it all on Zita! That girl came over to help cook and seriously, nothing good happens while she's around. I put it in writing and I'm not taking it back. One minute I was walking into the kitchen with recipe in hand, next I was peer-pressured into showing her my bear-shaped cookie cutter. When she went for the chocolate chips, I just gave in....

 Kings of Leon was playing on Pandora, at one point I think she started rapping Kid Cudi lyrics, and it was just madness.....sheer madness. DO NOT try this at home or someone WILL get hurt. See?

Actually, he was probably the yummiest of them all. The cobbler bubbled over a little while it was baking, dripping onto our left-over dough creations below, so good. And as for the real-deal, the point of this post, that peach and berry cobbler? We spooned out piping hot portions into our grown-up glass bowls, topped them with liberal amounts of homemade whipped cream and drizzled teaspoons full of aged balsamic reduction all around. With mugs of hot tea, we reflected upon the destruction around us and decided that the peach and berry cobbler was pretty delish (yes, delish, because we're classy like that).

Peach and Berry Cobbler
Adapted from Michael Chiarello
Serves about 6

Ingredients:

•   Dough:
• 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 6 tbsp unsalted butter, frozen
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 4 tbsp brown sugar (light or dark)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp baking powder
•  Fruit Mixture:
  
• 6 large ripe peaches
• 1 1/2 cup berries (blackberries, boysenberries, or raspberries)
• 3 oz spiced rum
• 3 tbsp quick-cooking tapioca
• 5 tbsp white sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
•  Toppings:
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

Directions:

Dough:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Combine flour, salt, 3 tbsp brown sugar, and baking powder in large mixing bowl.
3. Chop frozen butter into 1/4 inch cubes and work into flour mixture with your hands or a pastry cutter until mixture forms large pea sized lumps. Don't worry if the mixture looks dry with small lumps of butter scattered in it - you want this!
4. Slowly pour in heavy cream and mix with your hands until just combined.
5. Mold the dough into a ball put the bowl in the fridge while you prepare the fruit mixture....

Fruit:

1. Cut peaches into 1/4 inch slices and put into large bowl
2. Toss peach slices gently to coat with tapioca, sugar and salt
3. Layer peaches in a medium sized baking dish that is at least 2 inches deep, leaving a lot of room for all the juices that will come out of the fruit during cooking
4. Arrange berries on top of the peach slices, then pour rum equally over the fruit before setting aside.....

Dough again:

1. Take dough out of the fridge and knead gently on a lightly floured board until holds together.
2. Roll dough out to 1/2 inch thickness between two large sheets of wax paper. If you don't have wax paper, you can just roll it onto a well floured board, making sure to put flour on the top of the dough and your rolling pin to ensure that they won't stick
3. Cut the dough into whatever shapes you want, we won't judge
4. Arrange on top of the peaches and berries.....

Finale:

1. Brush pastry with a little melted butter or spray with cooking oil, just to ensure a nice browned top. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tbsp brown sugar and bake at 350 degrees F until fruit is bubbling and pastry is golden brown, about 35 minutes
2. Whipped cream: beat heavy cream with an electric mixer on high (do not try this by hand!) Gradually add white sugar and continue beating until holds soft peaks. Add vanilla and mix to combine. Chill, covered, in fridge until ready to serve
3. Balsamic reduction (actually really, really good): simmer balsamic over medium-high heat in a small saucepan until it has reduced by half. This will only take about 5 minutes and you will notice that the vinegar has turned into a thick sauce. Remove immediately from heat and pour into a small dish. Drizzle lightly over cobbler for a slightly savory taste that goes well with the peaches.

Chicken Chili & Cauliflower Gratin

First up to bat has to be the chicken chili. Unpretentious, pure soul-food chili. It's so good to have a few recipes like this one on hand that can bring you back down when life gets too complicated. Chili, sauerkraut and German sausage, quiche, scalloped potatoes... those are just a few of the hand-me-down family recipes that I love to make. Common themes between all of those foods? Gooey, cheesy, warm from the inside out... The definition of soul food and definitely the key to my heart. What's really surprising about this chili recipe is that it's actually....healthy. I know! You usually associate soul food with sin, right? But really, no Judgement on this one (pun intended). And even better? It takes absolutely no effort on your part to make. Put everything in a slow-cooker on low and just walk away. Go to work, go to class and know that when you come home, that fantastic chili aroma will be waiting.

How to describe the magic that chili creates......imagine a crowd of competing ingredients. The chili brings everyone together under one roof and talks them into sticking around, for just a little while. Slowly, it breaks down each one's resistance and works to mix flavors with textures. Then it takes control with a last ending note of intense heat, just to remind you who's boss. What other dish can be described that way? Ok, that was probably a bad question to ask since I could probably go on and on about several of my favorite foods. Don't look, but I think I created an entire blog about them all....



Sorry, what was next again? My love affair with chili almost made me forget the cauliflower gratin.....

,,,,a dish with a very under-appreciated main character that will hopefully change your mind about using the less common produce. But even if you don't want to use cauliflower, this recipe is useful. Gratins are like galettes (see previous post about one filled with mushrooms and sauteed onions) in their versatility. Gratins use the basic idea that anything takes fantastic when baked with a rich cream sauce and topped with crunchy bread crumbs. You can serve them as a side dish or entree, with potatoes and ham, zucchini, regular broccoli or macaroni. Substitute cheese and flour for sour cream, breadcrumbs for brown sugar and granola, and you could even make a sweet gratin with fruits in season. But, personally, I went with cauliflower because I just couldn't resist these two brightly ones at the farmers' markets on Sunday.

So close to being Cal colors, right? Football season just started and, Go Bears, I even want my vegetables to show some pride.

Stop. That's about where the healthy part ends. At this point, a whole block of Gruyere and a pretty big wedge of Parmesan went missing. There was some milk thickened with butter and flour and things got a little carried away as that cauliflower turned into something sinfully delicious. Funny how the vegetables turned out to be the bad influence.

Sometimes, you just have to stop for temptation.


Chicken Chili
From Own Recipe
With Food Network guidance
Serves 12 (or lunch for a week)

Ingredients

• 1.5 - 2 pounds ground chicken
• 15 oz can kidney beans
• 15 oz can white beans
• 28 oz (2 cans) diced tomatoes
• 15 oz can chicken broth
• 1-2 individual chipotle chilies with adobo sauce
• 1 medium sweet potato
• 1 medium onion
• 1 medium carrot
• 1 stalk celery
• 3 cloves garlic
• 3 tbsp, plus 2 tsp chili powder
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
• Optional: 3/4 cup lager-style beer
• For toppings: sour cream, shredded cheddar or jack cheese, diced scallions or jalapenos, or finely chopped parsley

Directions

1. Coarsely peel and dice onion, garlic, carrots, sweet potato, celery and chipotle chilies.
2. Put into large slow-cooker (Crock Pot) or pot on the stove along with all of the other ingredients EXCEPT: 2 tsp chili powder, beer (optional) and toppings.
3. If using a slow-cooker: set on low heat and let cook for 3-6 hours. If using a regular stove pot, set on low heat and cook for 1-3 hours, making sure to stir occasionally to ensure that chili is not burning on the bottom.
4. Optional: 1/2 hour before taking chili off of the heat, pour in beer.
5. Once chili has thickened and all of the vegetables are cooked through (the longer you allow the chili to do its thing, the better it will be), take off of heat and stir in the remaining 2 tsp of chili powder to brighten up the chili. Serve with various toppings.

Cauliflower Gratin
Adapted from Ina Garten
Serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 head cauliflower
• 2 tbsp (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 2 cups milk (full fat is better, although skim will work)
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 3/4 cup grated Gruyere
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• Note: Don't go with the pre-grated Parmesan in a package. If you can't get a fresh wedge of Parmesan, substitute with mozzarella
• 1/2 cup fresh or Panko bread crumbs

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
2. Cut cauliflower into 1'' diameter florets. Place in a pot of boiling water and cook for 5-6 minutes until al dente tender. If you are using colorful cauliflower like I did, add a splash of vinegar and some salt to the boiling water in order to limit the amount of color that the cauliflower lose during the cooking process. Drain cooked cauliflower and set aside.
3. Grate cheeses and set aside.
4. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Add flour and stir constantly with a wooden spoon for 2 minutes. Meanwhile, heat milk in the microwave. Add hot milk to the butter-flour mixture and raise temperature to medium-low. Whisk occasionally as milk comes to a boil. Once boiling, whisk constantly for 1 additional minute while the mixture thickens.
5. Take mixture off of the heat and stir in salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, nutmeg, 1/2 cup grated Gruyere, and Parmesan.
6. Pour 1/3 of sauce on bottom of an 8x11 baking dish. Arrange cauliflower on top and pour the rest of the sauce evenly on top of the cauliflower. Sprinkle remaining Gruyere and breadcrumbs over the gratin. Spray breadcrumbs with cooking oil, or drizzle with 1 tbsp additional melted butter, in order to ensure that top will be nicely browned in oven.
7. Bake for 25-30 minutes until top is golden brown and sauce is bubbling in the pan. Serve hot with a salad, bread, as a side dish or entree.

Note: I just ordered the cutest mini camera tripod from Amazon. I'm told that using it with a longer exposure will make my photos infinitely more professional looking. We'll see when it comes in the mail!

Farmers' Markets

I was so excited when my friend Zita invited me to check out a local farmers' market with her this weekend. We share the same foodie obsessions....and their consequences. Always lured into pretentious restaurants way above our means, emotionally attached to the quality of our cooking (still can't get over last week's disastrous caramel cheesecake recipe that just did NOT make sense!) and dying inside with every buttery/sugary bite of the latest craving. Who else but us would wake up at 8:30 in the morning to drive to a farmers' market across town, just to get first pick of veggies?

The first market we tried, at Jack London Square in Downtown Oakland, was disappointingly touristy. But thank goodness for my terrible sense of direction because, on the way back, I took a wrong turn after the freeway exit and we wound up passing right by another, even better looking, farmers' market (at Claremont and Cavour, next to the DMV). Definitely called for an immediate and illegal U-turn. This market was everything that had been missing at the touristy Jack London Square. It was in the parking lot of a random building, next to an adorable stream that cut through the neighboring houses and the produce looked real. Even though the samples of fruit and savory spreads were generous, we wound up eating a lunch of buckwheat crepes filled brie, pesto and tomatoes at a plastic table between the stream and the "dog parking lot" where people could drop off their pets before walking around. As usual, we ended up with far too much produce for just ourselves....and it was a fantastic way to spend a Sunday morning.

Look out! I will be posting recipes using produce from the farmers' markets very soon.