Lettuce bring back memories

It's hard not to think of lettuce but as a backdrop for salad, a prop for "the goodies" such as tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes, etc. And the lettuce that is picked elsewhere and shipped to where we are shouldn't be expected to be much more than that; the most you can ask of it is to be crisp and bright.

A trip to Provence opened my eyes - yes, even my jaded, Californian I-only-eat-mixed-baby-lettuces eyes - to what a difference it makes when the lettuce comes fresh from the garden only minutes before. We were day hiking near Mount Ventoux and our guides led us up a terraced hill to a stone farmhouse past a corral of goats. As we entered the quaint structure, a peaceful farm woman greeted us and bid us to sit at one of four long, sturdy wooden tables in the great room. She then went into the kitchen and returned bearing only three things: a platter of goat cheeses, from hours old, to aged 3 months; a platter of thinly sliced, salty jambon (ham) and a large shallow wooden bowl of romaine leaves, dressed only with olive oil and a sprinkling of herbs and salt. It was one of my best lunches ever.

The part I remembered most was that the lettuce tasted so ALIVE, that it didn't need a splash of balsamic vinegar to perk it up. The advantage to not using vinegar to dress the salad was that the acid in the vinegar would not ruin the tongue for the light wines we had with lunch. (That is also the reason that many French people serve the salad after the main course, to more fully enjoy the wine with the meal.)

So while the weather is reasonably cool, I grow lettuce in my flower boxes (the photo was taken this morning) where the bunnies can't get to it. I've been just clipping the leaf lettuces as needed for salads, and tearing off a few leafs of romaine for sandwiches and tacos. I'll harvest all of it before I take off for California over Memorial Day, and then plant again the week before Labor Day for the fall crop.

Lori K's mac'n'cheese

OK, so that wasn't much of a hiatus. I realized after bringing a dish of what I consider the best macaroni and cheese I've ever had to a party last night that I've never published a copy of it on this blog. So here it is. It's based on the recipe from marthastewart.com, the one my friend Lisa calls "crack'n'cheese" because no one can pass up seconds. My version is a little easier because, well, I'm lazier than Martha Stewart. It may also have fewer calories, but not by much.

Lori K's Mac'N'Cheese
Serves 12

Ingredients
Olive oil in spray can
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs (you have bread ends? Use those. Pulse in food processor until fine)
1 stick (4 ounces) butter, divided
2 ounces grated Parmesan cheese
5-1/2 cups 1 percent milk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (use a pinch if making this for very young or old people)
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 1/2 cups of sharp, melting cheese (extra-sharp cheddar gives the dish a good color)
6 ounces grated Gruyere or Gouda
1 pound elbow macaroni, cooked until almost done, drained, cooled and separated

Instructions
Spray a 9x13 pan with olive oil and set aside.
Put crumbs in a small bowl. Melt butter and put 2 tablespoons in bowl with crumbs. Toss until well coated and set aside to cool. When cool, mix thoroughly with the Parmesan.
Heat the milk in a saucepan.
Put the rest of the melted butter in a large, deep pot that can hold the volume of the milk plus the macaroni. Bring the butter to bubbling over medium heat and add the flour. Cook 1 minute then add the hot milk slowly, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick. Remove pot from heat.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Add the salt and spices to the milk-flour mixture. Whisk until well-blended, then add 3 cups of the cheddar and the Gruyere or Gouda. Stir well until the cheese melts. Add the macaroni to the sauce and stir well.
Pour the mixture into the oiled pan.
Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top, then the breadcrumbs.
Bake until brown on top, about 30 minutes. Cool on wire rack for 5 minutes, then serve.

Hello, hiatus

I really hate to admit this, but I've got a serious case of cooking burnout and writer's block. So considering we're taking off for California soon, I'm going to sign off on this blog until at least the first of June. If it looks like the change of scenery is inspiring, I'll start up the blog again while I'm out West; but I may just take a total break and start anew when I return to Charlottesville in July.

BTW, this is my 400th post, and the blog has had almost 11,000 hits since I started it up. It's been a lot of fun, and in some ways, it's been the most satisfying writing I've done, especially when people tell me what has worked for them or not.

If you don't want to keep checking and finding this same depressing post, sign up for the RSS feed, so you'll be alerted when a new post finally comes. Thanks for reading, and keep cooking and enjoying your food!

- Lori K

A roast of a French toast

I really would like to add a good comic strip to this blog now and then, but Cheap Thrills Cuisine, which sounds like a really good idea, may not be it. I mean, adding pepper, a LOT of pepper to a sweet breakfast dish? I'm not in favor of adding that much pepper to a savory dish for one or even two people.

By the way, I got some feedback on the baked French toast recipe I published in March. My friend said her slices may have been too thick because they didn't cook all the way through. To check on this, stick a toothpick in the middle of the slice like you would a cake; if it comes out shiny, cook for a few more minutes. She did say it was tasty, though!

Chuck steak surprise

Next time you see bone-in chuck steak for sale, look at the cuts carefully before picking out the ones to buy. Hidden many of them is a rib-eye ready to be carved out, at about half the price of cuts packaged as rib-eyes. And you can grind up the rest for a certified E.coli-free burger or chop it up for stew or a hearty soup, stretching your dollar even further.

This illustration isn't the best, because the cut featured has too much of the 7-bone (between numbers 2 and 3) and not enough of the complexus muscle (the bottom muscle, marked with the number 7). The best chuck to get has little of the 7-bone, a small rib bone, and a clearly defined curve, containing the complexus and some Longissimus dorsi muscle as well.

Time out

Sorry I haven't been posting lately; I've been involved with a couple of large projects and haven't done much more than basic cooking: a testament to what a well-stocked pantry and a few choice freezer items can do for you when you don't have time to shop.

What are some of those items? For one thing, I always keep a package of boneless, skinless chicken breasts and tenders in the freezer. Breasts usually look better on the plate, but often they are so large that I cut them in half before cooking. I like the texture of tenders better, and they thread well on bamboo skewers.

Proscuitto lasts a long time, and can be cut in threads to garnish salads or vegetables, or wrapped around asparagus spears or melon.

Parmesan can punch up a salad or soups, or made into crisps. Fresh herbs lend a special note as well.

Canned beans are a time saver, although I've not found a can of pinto beans that tastes as good as those I make from scratch. I keep several cans of diced tomatoes on hand at all times.

Of course, there's always dried pasta; although I enjoy making my own, the boxed varieties are indispensable for fast meals. To go with them, I also have a jar or two of spaghetti sauce. And I keep a couple of different rices on hand, and good instant mashed potatoes.

I try never to be without frozen broth, but I also keep a couple of boxes of vegetable and chicken broth in the pantry as well. Sometimes, even thawing broth takes too many precious minutes.

There's more, but I think you get some idea. I'd love to hear what you keep in your pantry. I'm always open to new ideas.

More on mash

Broccoli will never provide the mouthfeel of say, a good baked potato or even a roasted carrot, nor the pleasant crunch of fresh green bean or French breakfast radish, nor the heavenly aroma of sautéed shallots and mushrooms. But I don't have to choke it and its cousin, cauliflower, down if they are combined in some manner with cheese.

Originally, I looked for a bright orange topping, indicating a cheese sauce, over the florets. I thought that was the best I could hope for in consuming these vegetables, which I very much wanted to do, since they are packed with nutrition and cancer-fighting compounds. (See chart to right, courtesy of World's Healthiest Foods, whfoods.com.)

Then I discovered the mash. (Click on the word "mash" to go to a previous post and recipe.)

Last night, since the other two item planned for dinner were of the orange persuasion, I decided to highlight the broccoli by mixing it with feta cheese instead of cheddar. It was delightful, with a refreshing tang, and because the Greek feta was so salty, it needed no extra. I took a photo of it; it doesn't look like much on the plate, not pretty, but it's tasty. A pound of broccoli and 4 ounces of feta should make enough for 4 people, at about 70 calories per serving.