Locomotives and Roasted Beets with Chiles, Ginger, Yogurt and Indian Spices

Eight months ago I didn't have a clue who Thomas the Tank Engine was. Well, that's not true.  We got a fabulous Thomas Starter Set when our first son was born, but we hadn't used it yet.  I didn't realize the mania surrounding the little blue engine who adorns hundreds of books and DVD covers.  Now I hear about Thomas all the time.  Our eldest son (Otis) is Thomas obsessed.  

That's not necessarily a bad thing.  He has a few Thomas-themed items and I think they have had a very positive impact on his daily activities.  Otis can assemble semi-sophisticated train tracks with a quickness and he's learned many letters of the alphabet thanks, in part, to one of his Thomas books.  We decided it was time to go to the Colorado Railroad Museum in Golden so he could see some real engines. We saw all sorts of engines that were part of the state's railroad history, spanning many decades.  There were also tender cars, box cars, gondola cars and hopper cars.  I think you get the picture...While Otis spent his first year and a half of life riding the NYC subway, since our move West he hasn't been on any trains.  You can imagine then, how unbelievably excited he was to learn that we were going to be riding the Georgetown Loop Railroad in historic Georgetown, Colorado during Big Horn Sheep Festival.  The train ride, which was just over an hour in duration, took us up the rail line that used to transport silver from the local mining towns.  We were given a good deal of historic information on the ride, but Otis was oblivious.  He couldn't stop staring out the window and waiting for the sound of the train whistle to blow.  "Chew-chewy," he would say. Here are a few shots taken from the window of the train car... (and yes, that is Otis's favorite Thomas book in hand.) As for Baby Theodore?  He slept through the whole ride.  

* * * 

And now for roasted beets...

I've often salivated while reading Melissa Clark's recipes in The New York Times.  I've heard her talk on the radio about food, cooking and baking.  She's my kinda girl.  She cooks food that really appeals to me and I like what she has to say about time spent in the kitchen.  Other people like what she has to say too-- she has published several books and has a regular feature (A Good Appetite) in the paper.  How is it then that I've never actually made any of her dishes?  I'm not sure.
Anyway, this is the first recipe of hers that I've actually made.  It has some unusual combinations and I like the texture of the pomegranates here, which are 'optional' and really shouldn't be. I thought the use of jalapeno was nice too.  Usually I tend to pair beets with flavors that are more mild.  It's nice to change things up a bit! 
One caveat:  it took me A LOT longer than 30 minutes to roast the beets.  It was more like 1 hour.  And the beets really need to be quite tender for this dish to be successful.   
This vibrant, colorful, spicy little beet salad is a great addition to any meal.  
Roasted Beets With Chiles, Ginger, Yogurt and Indian Spices (Courtesy of Melissa Clark, New York Times)
Yields 2-3 servings
Ingredients

1 3/4 pounds beets; a mix of red, yellow and chiogga is nice
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
Pepper, to taste
1/2 teaspoon black mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 fat garlic clove, finely chopped
1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/2 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon lime juice, more to taste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Pomegranate seeds for garnish, optional.
Directions
1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Peel the beets and cut into 1-inch chunks. Toss with the oil and season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Roast for 30 minutes, (took me over an hour) tossing occasionally, then sprinkle with mustard seeds, coriander and cumin and roast until the beets are tender, about 15 minutes more.
2. While the beets roast, prepare the dressing: using the side of a knife or mortar and pestle, mash the garlic with a pinch of salt until it forms a paste. Place yogurt in a bowl; whisk in garlic paste, jalapeño, ginger, 1/4 teaspoon salt and lime juice. Whisk in the cilantro.
3. Scrape the warm beets into a large bowl. Stir in the dressing and pomegranate seeds, if using. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.

Tarry Lodge Inspired Pizza: Goat Cheese, Pistachio and Truffled Honey

Most of the time I follow the recipes from my favorite cookbooks or food blogs.  On occasion I adapt them to better suit my taste preferences (or those of the more discerning Señor Otis).  Here, however, I tried to recreate the pizza I ate a few months back at Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich's (yes, son of Lidia) Port Chester eatery, Tarry Lodge.  
The pie is pretty much adaptable once you have the following ingredients: good quality pizza dough (home made or store bought), olive oil, red onion, chopped pistachio nuts, goat cheese, salt, and honey (admittedly truffled honey is the way to go, but I used the store-bought kind...you know, the one in the little plastic bear with yellow top).  
I pre-heated the oven to 475 degrees and put the pizza stone in the oven.  It took about 1/2 hour for the stone to get hot.  Then I divided the dough so that I had enough dough for 2 small pies (each the size of a traditional pizza stone) and sprinkled it with a generous amount of flour.  After flattening the dough and stretching it onto an oiled mesh disk, I drizzled it with olive oil and honey.  I brushed the edges of the pie with additional olive oil. 
Then I put the red onion (very thinly sliced) and pistachios on the pie and sprinkled it with some salt.  
Into the oven it went on my pizza stone...
After about 7 minutes, I took it out of the oven and drizzled it with a bit more olive oil and honey.  Then I put the goat cheese on top of the pie.  I cooked it for about 3-4 more minutes and then dinner was served. (Pie should be slightly golden.)
Thanks for the inspiration, Tarry Lodge!

Ottolenghi's Chard and Saffron Omelette

Anyone who reads this blog knows that I have a wee-little-celebrity-chef crush on Yotam Ottolenghi.  I love his Guardian column, his blog, cookbook(s) and the next time I'm in London I hope to dine in at least one of his four restaurants.  I was really happy when Plenty: Vibrant Recipes from London's Ottolenghi was published for an American audience.  This meant that I no longer had to tinker with British cooking conversions.  And for that I was thankful 
While Yotam is a devout omnivore, he has seemingly become the voice of vegetarian cooking across the pond.  His recipes use imaginative combinations, pull from a nice range of cultural influences and they are super tasty too!  Okay, love fest over.
I've posted his garlic soup with harissa and cauliflower-cumin fritters with lime yogurt.  This recipe for a chard and saffron omelette is delicious.  It takes a bit more time to make than say, scrambling an egg.  But it's worth it. 
The key to making this dish successful is to mind the flame (making the heat too high will burn the eggs which have an almost crepe-like quality) and be generous with salt and pepper.  Ottolenghi presents the omelette in a fan shape by folding it two times, but when I did this it caused some of the filling to fall out.  So either fan-it or serve it in a traditional omelette shape.  
I also removed the chard from the stalk, opting not to use it.  The original recipe uses the stalk because this particular dish cooks for a while, letting the tough stalk cook through.  I guess both ways work.  Other than that, I just followed the recipe as is.
Okay, my appetite is sated and now I'm off to ride the Georgetown Loop Railroad in the historic (former) mining town.  I love Historic Colorado!
{Note: I do my grocery shopping by making recipes that use overlapping ingredients.  This way it's not too expensive because nothing goes to waste and every ingredient purchased is used in multiple dishes.  So, for example, the left-over creme fraîche will be used in a carrot-fennel soup this week. The left-over parsley and dill will go into an Ina Garten French Potato Salad.  I try to do this every time I shop to keep costs down.} 

Chard and Saffron Omelette (Courtesy of Yotam Ottolenghi, Plenty: Vibrant Vegetable Recipes from London's Ottolenghi) 

Serves 4 (or 2 hungry people) 

Ingredients

1/2 lb (1 medium) waxy potato, peeled and cut into 3/8 inch dice

1 cup water

pinch of saffron threads

3/4 lb Swiss Chard stalks and leaves (I omitted the stalks), shredded

salt and pepper to taste (season this dish well)

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 garlic clove, crushed

5 eggs

1/4 cup milk

2/3 cup chopped herbs (tarragon, dill, parsley)

vegetable oil

1/2 cup creme fraîche, cold

Directions

Put the potatoes, water and saffron in a large pan and bring to a boil.  Simmer for 4 minutes, then add the chard and some salt and pepper.  Continue cooking, covered, for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the potato is soft.  Drain out any excess liquid that is left in the pan.  Off heat, add the lemon juice and garlic.  Leave to cool.

Whisk together well the eggs, milk, herbs and some salt and pepper.  Pour 1 teaspoon of oil into a hot, 9-inch nonstick frying pan, then use one-quarter of the egg mixture to make a thin round omelette.  Transfer to a paper towel.  Make three more omelettes in the same way.  Leave to cool down. 

Divide the cold creme fraîche among the omelettes, spreading it over half of each.  Taste the chard mixture and adjust the seasoning, then spread generously over the creme fraîche. Fold each omelette over in half, then fold again to get a fan shape.  

Allow the chard mix to show at the open side.  Arrange the omelettes in a lightly oiled ovenproof baking sheet.  (Keep in the fridge if making ahead.) When ready to serve, preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Place the omelettes in the oven for 5-8 minutes or until hot.  Serve at once. 

Happy Cakes

I've had a sweet tooth for as long as I can remember.  I love good quality sweets.  I never really nosh on over-the-counter candy like candy corns, skittles, Twix bars or Peeps. I go for super decadent desserts like rich Italian pastries, speciality cupcakes, freshly made ice cream and chocolate molten cakes.  Lucky for me I live right in between two of Denver's best bakeries-- Happy Cakes and My Sweet Bakery.  
The other day I found myself walking down 32nd Street in Historic Highland Square.  I decided to pop into Happy Cakes and try out one of their weekly specials-- a Mexican Chocolate cupcake.  It was so fantastic that I went right home and searched (somewhat unsuccessfully) for a recipe that was similar to the cupcake I had just consumed.  The cupcake had a spicy chocolate butter cream and got great heat from the use of cayenne pepper.  It really was fantastic.
I found myself back at Happy Cakes on Friday to pick up dessert for a "Thank You" dinner party we were having for our friends Mizzy and Teo (Mizzy was instrumental in finding us our rental house.  We absolutely could not have done it without her help).  I had a full menu planned and I really wasn't sure if I'd have time to whip up my own dessert.  I *knew* that Happy Cakes would make a cupcake worthy of our dinner guests.  And they did...
I'll be back at the bakeshop this week for I've got to try their Colorado Bulldog and Chocolate Pumpkin.  Oh cupcakes, you are good to me!
{Pictured: Cherry Coke, Classic Pumpkin, Happy Together, Happy Together Too}

Country Living's Spiced Pumpkin Waffles

Last weekend I went back home to NYC for a wedding. It was beautiful. The beaming bride was gorgeous, the groom looked great (love the look of tux-n-sneakers) and the food was traditional Korean.  I ate my body weight in kimchi. (Fermented cabbage, I love you!)
In addition to the wedding, I wanted to see some Northeast fall foliage, check out Occupy Wall Street and catching up with a few friends. I made it down to the protests, I saw some family and friends, but the foliage didn't really happen. That's because the strangest weather pattern ever to hit the eastern seaboard at the end of October, made its way through the New York City-Tri-state area. Wind gusts were toppling trees, and the hail and falling snow didn't seem to stop. I should have checked the weather channel before packing my bags, because I was totally unprepared and less-than weather appropriate for the wedding (read: sleeveless dress and open toe shoes). Nevertheless, I had a fabulous time.  
Now I'm back in Colorado and Halloween preparations are in full swing. Otis will be donning a cow costume (moo) and baby Theo will be trick-or-treating as a pumpkin, hat included.  
I'm kinda going nutty for all things pumpkin these days. I've put them in pancakes, muffins, chili, soup, and cupcakes. Pumpkins are on almost every door step in my neighborhood... and while I was on a morning walk I started craving pumpkin waffles. We have a really great waffle maker and it was time to bust it out.
I did a google search for 'spiced pumpkin waffles' and a recipe post from Smitten Kitchen came up, as did another one from Country Living (which is where I think SK got at least part of her inspiration, given the similarity of the ingredients). 
I decided to go with the Country Living recipe, adapting it only slightly. It's so autumnal and so delicious. Top the waffles with a pat of butter and some good maple syrup.  Maybe even some roasted pecans or some powdered sugar? It's a great way to start off your day!  
{Note: You can refrigerate the leftover batter for use the next day.}  

Spiced Pumpkin Waffles (Adapted slightly from Country Living)

Serves 8-10
Ingredients
2 1/2 cup(s) All-Purpose Flour
1 tablespoon(s) Baking Powder
2 1/4 teaspoon(s) Cinnamon
1 teaspoon(s) Ginger
1/2 teaspoon(s) Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon(s) Salt
1/2 teaspoon(s) Fresh-Ground Nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon(s) Cloves
4 Large Eggs
2 cup(s) Buttermilk
1 cup(s) Pumpkin Purée
3/4 cup of light brown sugar
3 tablespoons of unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon(s) Pure Vanilla Extract
Directions
Preheat a waffle iron. Combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cloves in a large bowl and set aside.
Whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, pumpkin purée, sugar, butter, and vanilla in another large bowl until smooth. While whisking, add the flour mixture and blend until smooth.
Generously coat the waffle iron with vegetable oil (I used a pastry brush and lightly coated the iron) and cook the batter in the waffle iron as recommended in the manufacturer's instructions. Repeat with remaining batter.