Simple Granola
Good morning. My standpoint on mornings falls somewhere between these two quotes:
“Mine was the twilight and the morning. Mine was a world of rooftops and love songs.” ―Roman Payne
“The morning always has a way of creeping up on me and peeking in my bedroom windows. The sunrise is such a pervert.”
―Jarod Kintz
Wherever you may land, enjoy this simple granola. 
Simple Granola
Adapted slightly from Cook’s Illustrated
Makes 9 cups and costs about $8
1/3 cup local maple syrup or honey
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons almond extract
Few dashes of salt
1/2 cup olive oil
5 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
2 cups raw almonds, coarsely chopped (use an apple corer)
2-3 cups of dried fruit, like cranberries
Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and preheat to 325 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
Whisk syrup or honey, brown sugar, vanilla, almond extract, and salt in large bowl. Whisk in oil. Add oats and almonds and mix well.
Transfer mixture to baking sheet and spread into thin layer, and compress with back of spatula. Bake 20 minutes, rotate pan and bake 20 minutes more. Remove from oven, cool, and break into pieces. Stir in dried fruit.
Use apple corer to crush almonds.
Snooze.
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Muffin Pan Mac & Cheese
Sometimes there’s a cool spring evening. With crumbly rain. And allergies. Sweatpants and single malt scotch. Season six of Weeds. Macaroni and cheese in muffin pans.
Muffin Pan Mac & Cheese
Adapted from Food & Wine
Serves 4 and costs about $8
1/2 pound of whole wheat elbow macaroni
1 1/2 tablespoons of butter
2 tablespoons of whole wheat flour
3/4 cup of milk
4 ounces of local cheddar cheese
4 ounces of local muenster cheese
1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese
1 bright orange egg yolk
Dash of paprika and pepper
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cook macaroni in boiling water for 5 minutes and drain. Spray muffins pans with oil or grease with butter. Melt butter in large saucepan. Whisk in the flour for about two minutes, then add milk and whisk until boiling. Add cheeses and whisk until melted. Remove from heat and whisk in egg yolk and paprika. Folk in macaroni. Spoon mixture into muffin cups and sprinkle with a bit more Parmesan cheese if you’d like. Bake for 10 minutes.
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Last Chance Brussels Sprouts & Apple Salad
If you are really lucky, you may still see Brussels sprouts at your farmers market. Here’s a crisp salad for a crisp spring day.
Roasted Brussels Sprouts & Apple Salad
Adapted from Bon Appetit
Serves 4 and costs about $10
3 cups of Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
2 tablespoons of olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 apple, cored and thinly sliced
4 ounces of feta, crumbled
1 tablespoon of capers
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place sprouts in bowl and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove and cool.
Combine cooled sprouts, remaining oil, apple, feta, capers, and lemon juice. Chill for a few minutes and serve.
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posted 24 March, 2012
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Molasses Cookies at Midnight
There’s a certain something about baking in the dark of the evening. Time seems to carefully mark each second. The ignition click of the gas burner utters a plucky rhythm. The blue flame is vivid and lusty.
It’s not easy to use local ingredients in baking. I doubt that the molasses centerpiece of this recipe is produced near New York. I have, however, used whole wheat flour cultivated close to the city, and eggs, milk, and butter from an upstate farmer.
Molasses Cookies
Adapted from Saveur
Makes about 20 cookies and costs about $4
8 tablespoons of melted butter
1 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of molasses
1 egg
3/4 cup of milk
2 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon of cloves
1/4 teaspoon of ginger
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon of sea salt
1 3/4 teaspoon of baking soda
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine butter, sugar, molasses, egg, and milk and blend. Sift flour, cloves, ginger, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda. Carefully combine wet and dry ingredients and blend until well mixed. Drop tablespoon-sized mounds onto a greased cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Cool and serve.
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Apple Cinnamon Butter
7:45am is one of my favorite times of the day. There is a quiet in my apartment that is palpable. The sun glows over the buildings on Broadway, and I can hear the whispered hum of my refrigerator. In only an hour, I’ll be on the subway headed for the tangled wilderness of midtown Manhattan, but for now I have the world to myself.
Apple Cinnamon Butter
Makes 12 4-once jars
6-7 apples, cored and peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
5 cups of water
1 1/2 cups of sugar
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon of ground cloves
Place apples in large pan, add water and bring to boil over high heat. Boil until apples break down, upwards of 30 minutes. Mash in pan or puree apples in blender.
Return apples to pan, and add sugar and spices. Bring to a boil and then simmer for a few hours, until the sauce reaches your desired consistency.
Freeze, or process in water bath for 10 minutes.
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Mushroom and Herb Polenta
Another winner from the cookbook Plenty. I modified the herbs to fit what I had, used the cheese I had left in the refrigerator, and added a handful of peppery arugula.
Mushroom and Herb Polenta
Modified from Plenty
Serves two as main course, and costs about $7
4 tablespoons of olive oil
4 cups of mixed mushrooms, halved
3 minced garlic cloves
Few tablespoons of favorite herbs (I used rosemary, oregano, thyme)
2 1/2 cups of vegetable stock
1/2 cup of polenta
3-4 ounces of grated Parmesan
2 1/2 tablespoons of butter
4-5 ounces of cheese (recipe called for Taleggio)
Handful of arugula
Heat half of the olive oil in pan and saute half of the mushrooms for a few minutes. Remove mushrooms, add remaining oil and mushrooms and saute. Turn heat down to low and add garlic and herbs.
Bring stock to a boil and stir in polenta. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring constantly for about 5 minutes. Stir in butter and season with salt and pepper.
Spread polenta over heatproof dish and top with cheese. Place under broiler and cook until cheese bubbles. Remove, top with mushrooms and arugula and return to broiler for 2-3 minutes. Enjoy!
Rainy Day Curried Lentils
Rainy Leap Day evenings should be spent on the couch, finally catching up on The United States of Tara. As we head into March, all I can think about is asparagus. Meanwhile, red lentils will have to do the trick.
Like coffee and wine, with spices I start with what’s grown close to me, but quickly venture off in the sweet and savory name of globalization. In this case, a favorite blend of curry adds layers to a dish that would otherwise taste like, well…lentils.
Curried Lentils with Spinach
Adapted slightly from Chez Us
Serves 2-4 and costs about $6
2 shallots, minced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 cup red lentils
2 teaspoons of your favorite curry
3 cups of vegetable stock (see my recipe below)
1/2 cup of crushed or diced tomatoes, preserved from summer
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups spinach, chopped
¼ cup sour cream
Heat oil over medium heat in soup kettle or Dutch oven. Add shallot and cook for a few minutes. Then add garlic, lentils and half of curry, and cook for a few minutes more. Add stock, tomatoes, cover with a slightly tilted lid, and cook for 25-40 minutes. While lentils cook, mix remaining curry and sour cream. Remove lentils from heat, stir in spinach, and add a spoonful of sour cream. 
Vegetable Stock
Grab your favorite seasonal vegetables. In this case, I had a potato, parsnip, two onions, two carrots, two garlic cloves, broccoli stem, and some cloves. Wash if dirty, cut into 2-in pieces, then put in a large soup kettle filled with water and salt. Bring to boil, then simmer—slightly covered—for a few hours. Strain through a cheesecloth, and freeze in 2-cup containers.
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Umbrella photo by Unlimited
Fort Tryon Tatin
A couple weeks ago, I received a tweet from Chez Us proclaiming that I’d won their cookbook giveaway. A couple days ago, Plenty arrived in the mail, and I’m enthralled.
Of the many vibrant recipes coloring the book, the Surprise Tatin was my immediate favorite. The tatin in the photograph seemed almost unreal, impossible. I never saw anything like it. 
I prepared the tatin for a dinner with friends on Sunday, and the dish came together in less than thirty minutes. With a few hours before our guest would arrive, I slid the tart in the refrigerator and went for a run through Fort Tryon Park. Nestled high on a ridge near the northern tip of Manhattan, the 65-acre park once sustained the colossal estates of some of the wealthiest New Yorkers. A lifetime later, the quiet archways still stand, and rusty succulents stretch up the rocky edifices. 
The colors and shapes of the park followed me home, and it seemed only fitting to name my version of the dish the Fort Tryon Tatin.
Fort Tryon Tatin
Slightly modified from Plenty.
Serves 2-4 and costs about $12
1 cup of sun-dried tomatoes (I used tomatoes dehydrated and frozen from last summer)
1 1/2 tablespoons of butter
1 pound new potatoes or the smallest red potatoes
1 medium diced onion
3 tablespoons of sugar
Salt, pepper, oregano, rosemary, and thyme seasonings
4-5 ounces of goat or feta cheese
1 puff pastry sheet
Cook the potatoes in boiling salted water for 20-25 minutes. Carefully drain and cool. Trim off the tops and bottoms of each potato, and then slice into 1-inch discs. Saute the onion in 1 tablespoon of butter and a pinch of salt for about 10 minutes.
Grease a 9-inch cake or pie pan and line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper. Using a small pan, cook the remaining butter and sugar until caramelized. Quickly pour the caramel into the cake pan and spread to cover bottom. (Don’t burn yourself..) Scatter seasonings around the parchment paper.
Lay the potato slices close together, cut-side down, into the pan. Press onion and sun-dried tomatoes into the gaps between pieces and use any leftover to cover the rest of the tart. Slice and layer the goat or feta cheese evenly over the potatoes. Cover the potatoes with the pastry, and tuck the edges down around the potatoes. Trim away any excess. At this point, the pastry can be chilled for up to 24 hours.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees and bake for 25 minutes. Reduce to 350 degrees and cook 15-20 minutes more. Remove from oven, gently slide a knife around the rim of the pan. Hold an inverted plate or service dish firmly on top of the pan and carefully/quickly flip. Peel off parchment paper and serve. Pairs well with sauteed winter greens.
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What’s in Season: February
We’re way beyond the extended season, and hitting up a farmers’ market in February can be a bit discouraging. However, all hope is not lost. Below is a list of food you are likely to see this time of year, as well as tips on how to choose, store, and prepare it. 
Apples and Pears
Store apples in your refrigerator crisper, and pears in a brown paper bag on your counter. Add an apple to the pear bag if you’d like to speed up the ripening process.
Cranberry Apple Chutney
Moroccan-Spiced Roasted Apples and Pears
Pear Bread
Apple Pancake
Beets and Celeriac
Choose vegetables that have weighty, firm skins, and are not too damp. Place unwashed beets and celeriac in a deep plastic container. Cover them with a damp cloth and refrigerate.
Roasted Beets, Sweet or Savory
Brussels Sprouts
If possible, buy Brussels sprouts still on stalk. Like beets, store unwashed in a deep plastic container covered with a damp cloth.
Roasted Sprouts and Golden Beets
Cabbage, Carrots, Cauliflower, and Kohlrabi
Look for vegetables with bases that have the least discoloring. Store directly in your crisper or wrapped loosely in plastic bag.
Savory Carrot Soup
Kale and Winter Greens
Store greens in damp air-tight container or crisper to keep them from drying out.
Kale and White Bean Ragout
Sweet Potato Pizza with Winter Greens
Onion and Leeks
Leeks can go in crisper. Keep onion in cool, dark place.
Potato and Leek Soup
Parsnips, Rutabagas, and Turnips
Look for firm skins with just a little give to them. Store in crisper.
Skillet Roasted Potatoes with Turnips
Potatoes and Sunchokes
Go for color. Store in a cool, dark place.
Mustard Roasted Potatoes
Paprika Potatoes
Apple, Beet & Sunchoke Salad
Sweet Potatoes
Store just like potatoes.
Sweet Potato Cupcakes
Sweet Potato Enchiladas
Winter Squash
Same deal. Cool, dark place.
Buttercup Squash Soup
Butternut Squash and Pear Preserves
Butternut Squash Lasagna Rolls
Rustic Butternut Squash Tart
Skillet Roasted Potatoes
Oh, hey February. For being so short, you often feel like the longest month ever. It wouldn’t be so bad, but here’s the point where eating locally starts to get boring. What’s that? More squash? Okay. 
I’m doing what I can to keep it interesting, and I’ve found that color can make a big difference. The sharp green of arugula. The redwood crown of rutabaga. In this case, it’s all about the purple potato palette.
Skillet Roasted Potatoes
Serves 4 and costs about $5
Inspired by Cook This Now
1 Yukon potato, washed and cut into cubes
1 blue Adirondack potato, washed and cut into cubes
3 turnips, peeled and cut into cubes
3 garlic cloves, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons of oil
Salt, pepper, and seasonings to taste
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Add all ingredients to an oven-safe skillet and toss well. Slide skillet into the oven and cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour. This seems like forever, but it’s so worth it. Pour a glass of Pinot noir and listen to some music. 
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