good food

Posted by marne on July 20, 2009 in cook | 5 comments

I actually started this post a few weeks ago, but never got around to finishing it, so here you go, a post all about some good food I've been making and eating lately:

Cooking and gardening is about all that's been going on here lately. I need to do some sewing soon, it's been so long. In the meantime, we've been eating quite well, especially since Mr. Heylucy (not the tidiest person I've ever known, for the record), thought it was time to clean the oven. I'm not going to say how long it's been since that has happened, but we have lived in our house for seven years, so it's been less than seven years, that's not too bad, right? We ran the self-cleaning cycle, and almost had to spend the night outside it got so smokey. Oops. I think we'll do that on a more regular basis from now on.

Back to the cooking, I never mentioned that I made the Chili Pea Puffs. I highly recommend the recipe, they were delicious, and gobbled up before I took any pictures. So I suggest you make them. I used panela cheese (a Mexican fresh milk cheese) in place of the paneer, and it worked out just fine. I experimented with folding them several different ways, but I liked the simple fold-in-half-diagonally method the best. Serve with a little chutney, yum!

Last week at the farmer's market I got the biggest artichoke I had ever seen. Mr. HeyLucy is not a fan, so it was all for me. Feeling confident after my hollandaise sauce success, I decided to make a lemon garlic aioli to go along with it. That turned out to be a pretty good idea. Here's the recipe:

Lemon Garlic Aioli
1 egg (very fresh, be careful with raw eggs of course!)
1 T. grainy mustard
1-2 T. lemon juice
zest of one lemon
2-3 cloves of garlic
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 c. olive oil

Combine all the ingredients except the olive oil in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until the mixture thickens.

Speaking of sauces and dips, how about a little guacamole? I like a good guacamole with chunks of tomatoes and some creamy sour cream and all sorts of good stuff, but sometimes you don't have everything you need, and you just want some guacamole right now. Here's what I do in this kind of situation. Dice up a little bit of onion, and make sure it's nice and fine. A couple tablespoons is all you need. I prefer red onion, but yellow will do in a pinch. Put it in a bowl. Cut an avocado in half and remove the pit. Score the flesh lengthwise and cross-wise into a small dice, and scoop out with a spoon. Add to the onion, season with salt (I prefer kosher salt) and a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce. I'm partial to Cholula, but Tapatio is good too. Even Tabasco will do if there's nothing else available. Stir it all up with a fork and get yourself some good tortilla chips. There you go,guacamole in just a minute! You can squeeze a little lime if you have one, but I never bother. It's usually all gone before it has a chance to turn brown.

Saturday I went to a beekeeping class, but I made sure I had time before hand to stop for my current favorite sandwich. My current favorite Vietnamese restaurant is called Pho Superbowl, and while the pho is good, I am always looking for an excuse to go there for a banh mi sandwich.

I like the traditional pork, and here the owner recommended trying it with an egg on top. I had my doubts, but ordered it over-easy (they'll also do scrambled), and it was delicious. Underneath that egg is cilantro, fresh jalapenos, pickled, shredded carrots and daikon, and, of course, slices of pork (tenderloin, I think). The baguette for a real banh mi is made with rice flour, and it's so crisp and light and tasty. Also, they are cheap as can be, just $3.95 for a very filling sandwich.

And one last little tasty treat, also from 101 Cookbooks, and easy-peasy, Grilled Fava Beans! I happened across these at the Mexican market I shop at regularly, and this method of preparing them couldn't be easier, although they are a little bit of work to eat. It's fun work, though, and definitely worth it.

I don't read a ton of food blogs, but there are a few I visit on a regular, albeit occasional basis. Of course I love Orangette (who is finally back, by the way, yay!), and the hearty stuff the Pioneer Woman makes, and obviously I visit 101 Cookbooks. But then I was reading Design Sponge today, and happened across this post. I would really like someone to make me these, any volunteers? I'm too busy with other things to have the time to make them, but I really want to eat them. Anyway, that let me to Lottie + Doof, which is now bookmarked, and will be visited regularly. I love this little food pop-quiz he posted recently. Feel free to play along in the comments or on your own blog:

Sweet or salty?

I really like a little something sweet after dinner, and I've always had a sweet tooth, but more and more I'd say salty

Chocolate or vanilla?

Vanilla. Although I do like chocolate quite a lot.

Hot or mild?

hot hot hot!

What won’t you eat?

liver, unless it's dressed up as paté

Most memorable meal?

there are quite a few, but I loved the breakfast I had a little hotel in Gent, Belgium (home of my favorite bakeries). Bread and cheese and jam and some of the best hot chocolate ever. So simple and so perfect.

Favorite object in your kitchen?

my cheese slicer. I brought it back from the Netherlands 19 years ago, and use it not only for slicing cheese (which it does, perfectly. yum, cheese!), but it's so great for thinly slicing mushrooms, carrots, zucchini, potatoes, everything!

What are you scared of in the kitchen?

yeast. scared is perhaps a little strong, but I seldom have good luck with yeast doughs, so I don't try baking with it very often.

Do you prefer to cook alone or with others?

with others, but it's nice alone, too. very meditative, I find.

What country would you move to for the food?

Italy, no question. Even the food at the truck stop we had was good.

If you were to come back as a fruit or vegetable, what would you be?

I do love figs, but I'm not sure how that translates personality wise. I'm soft and delicate maybe? ha ha!

What’s for dinner?

I really want to try making some sorrel soup tomorrow night.