A Hungry Bear

mo’s sticky ribs

This is the best tribute recipe I can think of for my dearest friend Mo. She just surprised me with one of the most thoughtful gifts - a meat grinder!  She’s one of those rare people who remembers the things you think you’re saying only in passing, and will ask about them later (or in this case, have a meat grinder shipped to my house after hearing me say my next goal in “slow cooking” would be to grind my own hamburgers!). Although I used my new toy last night, I don’t have a new recipe featuring it just yet. Instead, let me tell you about Mo’s sticky ribs: sweet, tangy, caramelized and crunchy, thanks to the secret ingredient, peach jam. Although their namesake is Mogridder’s restaurant, I’ll pretend they’re named after Mo, at least until I can come up with a new Mo-burger recipe!

Recipe adapted from Food & Wine magazine.

Ingredients: 1 rack (about 2 pounds) baby back ribs, granulated garlic, olive oil, 1 tablespoon whole cloves, 1 bottle lager, 1 cup ketchup, 1 cup peach jam, juice of 1 lemon, salt, pepper. (more…)

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jamie oliver’s spaghetti tetrazzini

When I first purchased Jamie Oliver’s cookbook, Jamie’s Italy, I seriously considered making every recipe in the book. I’m not sure why I slowed down with that quest, since I picked it back up again the other day and found another 10 things I want to cook right away. This particular recipe is a great way to use up some leftover roast chicken (the original starts with uncooked chicken thighs) - almost everything else is from the pantry.

Adapted from Jamie’s Italy.

Ingredients: 1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms, 1 pound chicken (2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken, or 4 boneless skinless chicken thighs), 1 tablespoon butter, 2 cloves garlic, 4-6 ounces fresh crimini mushrooms, 3/4 cup white wine, 1/2 pound dried spaghetti, 1 1/2 cups heavy cream, 1 cup grated parmesan cheese (plus more for serving), 1 sprig fresh basil leaves, olive oil, salt, pepper. (more…)

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green bean salad with prosciutto and radishes

This is a great way to mix up your standard green bean side dish - toss with a red wine vinaigrette and thin slices of prosciuotto, radishes and shaved Parmesan. The green beans are cooked in boiling water first, so the salad can be served warm.

Adapted from June 2009 Bon Appetit.

Ingredients: one pound of fresh green beans, 3 radishes, 2-3 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, a hunk of Parmesan (you’ll shave off about 1-2 ounces), 1 teaspoon dijon mustard, 2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar, 1/4 cup olive oil, 5-6 fresh basil leaves. (more…)

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martha stewart’s perfect mac and cheese

It’s been too long since I tried a new mac and cheese recipe. The good news is that, in this very post, I’m going to share the best recipe I’ve ever tried. The bad news? That it could possibly be the last, since I don’t know if I’ll ever want to cook another version. The description in Bitten, NY Times’ food blog, calls this addictive, and they aren’t kidding - I was eating it straight out of the dish (even before I baked it).

Adapted from Martha Stewart’s recipe published on the NY Times blog, to adjust for smaller portions (and removing the original breadcrumb crust).

Ingredients (serves 6-8): 5 tablespoons butter, 4 cups whole milk, 4 tablespoons flour, 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/8 teaspoon cayenne, 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, 2 teaspoons kosher salt, 3 cups grated sharp cheddar (about 14 ounces), 1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) grated Gruyere or 1 cup grated parmesan (or, use a combination of both gruyere and parmesan), 3/4 pound dried pasta (elbow, penne or other small shape). (more…)

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eggplant, olive and sopressata pizza

Eggplant, when grilled or roasted, can be smoky, meaty and garlicky. When you combine it with salty sopressata, gooey provolone cheese, and briny green olives, you have a really great pizza. I adapted this from the original in August 2009 Gourmet - they provide instructions for how to grill the pizza outdoors if you don’t want to heat up the kitchen.

And if you’re still not sold on the idea of eggplant on pizza, let’s have another shot of the whole pie:

Even A, who has to be one of the most voracious carnivores I’ve ever met, ate 4 slices in one sitting.

Ingredients: 3 garlic cloves, 1/3 cup olive oil, 6 small Japanese eggplants (about one pound), 3-4 ounce hunk of sopressata, 5-6 ounces provolone cheese, 12 large green olives, 1/4 cup chopped parsley, 1 pound prepared pizza dough. (more…)

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white russian

It’s been a while since I posted a Friday happy hour drink hasn’t it? Let’s stick to something simple, to ease ourselves back into the boozing. This one was a special request from A, which really surprised me since he almost always sticks to single malt scotch.

Ingredients: vodka, kahlua, whole milk. (more…)

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grilled okra

The farmer who delivers our CSA share has his own blog, and every week they post a recipe grid with ideas for cooking almost everything in the box. This one is deceptively simple - with so few ingredients, you might not realize that this is the perfect way to cook okra.

Ingredients: okra, olive oil, salt, pepper, cayenne, and a lemon. (more…)

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provencal chicken with bearnaise

I haven’t seen the Julia Child movie, but I’ve been hit with the fever all the same - looking for dinner ideas in Mastering the Art of French Cooking. This is probably one of the easiest and most iconic of the JC recipes - chicken sauteed in herbs de provence, with a simple bearnaise sauce over top. It turned out great even though I bastardized the recipe by using boneless skinless chicken breast instead of whole chicken pieces. With some simple oven-roasted potatoes and baby tomatoes on the side, it was a perfect mostly-french-inspired meal.

Adapted from Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking, “Poulet Saute aux Herbes de Provence.”

Ingredients: 1/2 stick butter, 1.5 pounds chicken, 1 teaspoon each thyme & basil, 1/4 tsp ground fennel seeds, 3 garlic cloves (unpeeled), 1/2 cup + 1 Tablespoon white wine, 2 egg yolks, 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice; plus one pound small round potatoes and 1 pint baby heirloom tomatoes. (more…)

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pastitsio: greek pasta & lamb casserole

I’ve been saving this recipe in my binder since late last year, when I saw it in the December 2008 issue of Gourmet. As I’ve mentioned before, my mom is a little obsessed with Greek food (her name is Yia-Yia, not grandma!), so whenever I see an interesting Greek dish I want to make it for her. I kept waiting for the right time to make this when I was visiting her, but the need for a make-ahead pasta this week finally meant I was making it, whether she was here to enjoy it or not. I love the sweet cinnamon, clove and allspice flavors used in this dish; it’s an unexpected but interesting contrast to the meat and cheese.

Adapted from December 2008 Gourmet.

Ingredients: (meat sauce) 1.5 pounds ground lamb, 1 onion, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 2 garlic cloves, 1 28-ounce can chopped tomatoes, 4 thyme springs, 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 3/4 teaspoon ground allspice, 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice, 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves; (bechamel sauce) 4 tablespoons butter, 3 tablespoons flour, 4 cups whole milk, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, 1 cup grated kefalotyri cheese (or substitute parmesan), 3 egg yolks; (for the pasta) 1 pound penne pasta, 1 cup bread crumbs, 1/4 cup grated kefalotyri cheese (or parmesan). (more…)

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new vieux cocktail

I know, I know, another whiskey drink… But these days, when I’m browsing for new cocktails to try, more often than not it’s the smoky, edgy whiskey drink that’s going to grab my attention. This one mixes a liqueur I’ve never heard of before, Benedictine - first made by monks in the 1500’s, with 27 different herbs (thanks wikipedia!). It’s a very simple drink to make, but it has so many interesting layers of flavor.

New Vieux cocktail, adapted from Food & Wine.

Ingredients: 2 ounces whiskey (the original calls for rye whiskey, but I used Maker’s Mark), 2/3 ounce apricot brandy, 3/4 ounce Benedictine liqueur, 3 dashes Angostura bitters. (more…)

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