madcity girl

I recently made another great recipe from the March 2010 edition of Real Simple magazine—Pasta with Bacon and Cauliflower. The recipe is specifically designed for people who do not like to shop—hence it’s limited to only five ingredients. Meaning that you can get in and out of the grocery store in a flash. So if you don’t enjoy navigating endless aisles while battling impatient cart pushers, this recipe is for you. Preparation is straightforward. Again, only five steps. It’s a great option for a week night meal—easy, fast, and flavorful. Simple gourmet that leaves you satisfied…with plenty of time to spare. And you know how much I like me some bacon.

Pasta with Bacon and Cauliflower
Real Simple, March 2010

12 ounces spaghetti (3/4 box)
6 slices bacon
1/3 cup fresh sage leaves
1 small head cauliflower (about 1 1/2 pounds), cut into small florets
kosher salt and black pepper
3/4 cup grated pecorino (3 ounces)

1. Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Reserve ¾ cup of the cooking water. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot.

2. Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until crisp, 6 to 8 minutes; transfer to a paper towel–lined plate. Crumble.

3. Add the sage to the bacon drippings in the skillet and cook over medium heat, turning once, until crisp, 1 to 2 minutes; transfer to the paper towel–lined plate.

4. Add the cauliflower, ¼ cup water, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper to the bacon drippings in the skillet and cook, covered, for 2 minutes. Uncover and cook, tossing frequently, until golden and tender, 3 to 4 minutes more.

5. Add the reserved pasta water and ½ cup of the pecorino to the pasta and toss until creamy. Add the cauliflower, sage, and bacon and toss. Sprinkle with the remaining ¼ cup of pecorino. Serves 4.

Sometimes you stumble upon a great recipe when you least expect it. This was one of those times. A few weeks ago, I came across a recipe for Heath Bits Peanut Butter Cookies on the back of an 8 oz. bag of Heath English Toffee Bits. At the time, I was making Chocolate Fudge Cookies with Toffee and Dried Cherries (which sadly, didn’t turn out all that well.) But luckily something good came out of the situation, because it essentially connected me to a much better cookie recipe. Imagine an extra chewy peanut butter cookie with a magical dusting of Heath English Toffee Bits. Peanut butter and chocolate—always a match made in heaven.

1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup Reese’s creamy peanut butter (I used natural)
1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
3 tbsp. milk
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
1 egg
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
1 1/3 cups (8 oz. pkg.) Heath milk chocolate toffee bits, divided

Heat oven to 375 degrees F.

Beat shortening, peanut butter, brown sugar, milk, and vanilla in a large bowl until well blended. Add egg; beat just until blended. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt; gradually beat into peanut butter mixture. Stir in 1 cup toffee bits; reserve remainder for topping.

Drop by heaping teaspoons about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet; top each with reserved toffee bits. Bake 7 to 8 minutes or until set. Do not overbake. Cool 2 minutes. Remove to wire rack. Cool completely. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

I’m always a big fan of the recipes featured in the Real Simple magazine. They’re great for the perfect mid-week dinner—quick and easy, but still unique and tasty. I just received the March issue in the mail last week and particularly enjoyed the feature entitled “Put Down the Knife: save time on shopping, chopping, and cleanup with these no-hassle meals.”

I was instantly drawn to the recipe for Asian Dumpling Soup with Shiitakes and Edamame. Nothing beats a great, hearty soup  in the dead of winter. The recipe was featured as a “If you don’t like cleaning up…try a one-pot recipe.” Which is perfect, actually. I love to cook, but I hate cleaning up! This one’s definitely a keeper in my kitchen. So good.

Asian dumpling soup with shiitakes and edamame
Real Simple, March 2010

2 32-oz. containers low-sodium chicken broth
1 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
1 16-oz. package frozen pot sticker dumplings or Japanese gyoza
2 medium carrots, halved lengthwise and sliced
4 oz. shiitake or white mushrooms, stems discarded and caps thinly sliced
2 cups frozen shelled edamame
1 bunch watercress, thick stems removed (about 3 cups)
1 tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce
Kosher salt
4 scallions, sliced

In a large saucepan, bring the broth and ginger to a boil. Add the pot stickers and carrots and simmer until just tender, 8 to 10 minutes.

Add the mushrooms and edamame and simmer until heated through, about 2 minutes.

Stir in the watercress, soy sauce, and 1/2 tsp. salt. Sprinkle with the scallions before serving.

The addition of toffee and dried cherries in this recipe for chocolate cookies is what initially drew me in. I found this one in a cookbook my brother gave me for Christmas—In the Sweet Kitchen: The Definitive Baker’s Companion, by Regan Daley. Ever since I baked up a batch of Thick and Chewy Double Chocolate Cookies earlier this month, chocolate cookies have been top of mind. Those may have been the best cookies I’ve made yet—so chocolaty and uniquely chewy and brownie-like. But perhaps I just needed to try another recipe to confirm their perfection.

I had high hopes for the Chocolate Cookies with Toffee and Dried Cherries. And they were pretty tasty straight out of the oven. But disappointingly, by the next day they had hardened quite a bit and were anything but soft and chewy. And the toffee and dried cherries didn’t add much—in fact, they only seemed to overwhelm the cookie. So my advice? if you’re going to make chocolate cookies, stick with the best.

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened dutch-process cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup tightly packed dark brown sugar
3/4 granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup plump, moist, dried sour cherries
8 oz. bitter or semisweet chocolate chopped into chunks about the size of the cherries
1 cup English toffee pieces for baking such as Skor Bits

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two heavy baking sheets, not non-stick, with parchment paper and set aside. Sift the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt together into a bowl and set aside. In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of an electric or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and both sugars until light in color and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl. Beat in the vanilla. Stir in the flour-mixture in 3 additions, blending just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in the chunky ingredients and mix until they seem evenly distributed.

2. Drop the batter by heaping tablespoons onto the prepared baking sheets and place them in the center of the oven. Bake the cookies for 15-18 minutes, or until barely set in the center and just firm around the edges. Rotate the sheets once or twice. Cool the cookies on the tray for 3-5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely before storing. Store the cookies in airtight containers, layered between sheets of parchment or waxed paper for up to 5 days.

Valentine’s Day is always a great day to bake—there are so many festive options. This year, I decided to make sugar heart cut-out cookies with raspberry jam filling. I tried a recipe for sugar cookies from my favorite cookbook: Baked: New Frontiers in Baking. According to authors Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito, “the humble sugar cookie doesn’t often get its due. Too often it’s coated in bright garish icing and is inedibly sweet. Our recipe delivers a simple, chewy cookie that’s the perfect canvas for our favorite minimal, almost stark, decoration.” It’s these little humorous recipe previews that I like most about the cookbook—well, that in addition to the fact that not one recipe has let me down yet.

After chilling the dough in the refrigerator for several hours, I rolled it out and cut out heart shapes using two different sizes of heart-shaped cookie cutters. I then baked and cooled the cookies, after which I assembled each “sugar cookie sandwich” and spread a thin layer of rasberry jam in between. In hindsight, it would have been a nice touch to sprinkle a dusting of powdered sugar on the cookies. Nonetheless, I think they looked lovely and tasted terrific. Hope you had a happy valentine’s day!

Classic Sugar Cookies
Baked: New Frontiers in Baking
Yield: 15-18 2 1/2″ cookies

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cups (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons cold vegetable shortening
2/3 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat the butter, shortening, and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until just combined. Add the flour mixture and mix until incorporated. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Dust a work surface with a sprinkling of flour. Unwrap the chilled dough, and put it directly on the work surface. Roll the dough to 1/4″ thick. Use your favorite cookie cutter to cut shapes in the dough, and transfer the cookies to the prepared baking sheets.

Bake the cookies for 12 minutes, until they are set but not browned. Remove from the oven and place the baking sheet on a cooling rack for 5 minutes. Use a spatula to transfer the cookies to a rack to cool completely.

As I mentioned previously, one of my contributions to this month’s Iron Chef dinner was Peanut Bacon Brittle. Inspired by the recent Milwaukee Journal Bacon Bake-Off, I decided to use one of the winning recipes that incorporates both peanuts and bacon (bonus!). Interestingly, the brittle was a big hit with the guys at the party. They were digging into “dessert” before dinner even began. I’m not sure if it was the bacon, or the combination of sweet and savory, but nearly the whole batch was finished before I left the party. Although the brittle was a little chewy for my tastes, the bacon added a nice flavor punch. Guaranteed to be the hit of your next dinner party!

1 pound bacon
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp. unsalted butter
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup chopped peanuts

Grease or butter a large nonstick cookie sheet.

In a skillet, fry bacon until crisp and crumble into small bits.

In medium saucepan, combine brown sugar, corn syrup, and water over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until sugar dissolves and syrup comes to a boil. Make sure to heat and stir until lumps dissolve.

Using a candy thermometer, increase heat to high, and cook without stirring until mixture reaches 290 degrees.

Remove from heat. Stir in butter, vanilla, baking soda, salt, peanuts, and bacon bits. Mixture may foam up. When it stops foaming, pour the hot mixture onto prepared baking sheet as thinly as possible. Use a silicone spatula or a buttered spatula to spread.

Allow to cool at least 10 minutes. Break into chunks. Keep refrigerated.

Note: if using salted peanuts, omit the 1/2 teaspoon salt. Makes 1 pound.

I always like to pick up a copy of the Whole Foods Market magazine whenever I find myself at the store (which is pretty often, actually—Whole Foods excursions have become my last ditch effort at finding ingredients I’ve been unable to locate elsewhere…and it seems like many of my recipes require some sort of a wild goose chase).

The recipes in the magazine are always very health-conscious and include ingredients that are fresh and natural. Some of the recipes are designed to be quick and easy weekday meals and others are intended for a more elaborate gourmet feast. Either way, I love the inspiration the magazine provides. In the January/February issue, I found a great recipe for Quinoa-Stuffed Peppers, which, accordingly to my research, seems to have been originally featured in the magazine Vegetarian Times, last February.

This was actually the first time I’d ever cooked with quinoa. Apparently the edible seeds originated in the Andean region of South America. The Incas referred to the grain as “chisaya mama” or the “mother of all grains.” This because of it’s great nutritional importance—the seeds are a complete protein source (12-18%). Additionally, they’re a great source of dietary fiber, phosphorous, magnesium, iron, and are gluten-free. Perhaps all of this explains it’s high price tag—more than $10 for a 26 oz. bag.

Great meal. Would definitely make these again. Very healthy and hearty. And I like to think they balanced out last week’s chocolate cookies quite well!

1 medium onion, finely chopped (1 cup)
2 Tbs. olive oil2 ribs celery, finely chopped (1/2 cup)
1 Tbs. ground cumin
2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)
1 10-oz. pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
2 15-oz. cans diced tomatoes, drained, liquid reserved
1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
3/4 cup quinoa
3 large carrots, grated (1 1/2 cups)
11/2 cups grated reduced-fat pepper Jack cheese, divided
4 large red bell peppers, halved lengthwise, ribs removed

1. Heat oil in saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and celery, and cook 5 minutes, or until soft. Add cumin and garlic, and sauté 1 minute. Stir in spinach and drained tomatoes. Cook 5 minutes, or until most of liquid has evaporated.

2. Stir in black beans, quinoa, carrots, and 2 cups water. Cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 20 minutes, or until quinoa is tender. Stir in 1 cup cheese. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

3. Preheat oven to 350°F. Pour liquid from tomatoes in bottom of baking dish.

4. Fill each bell pepper half with heaping 3/4-cup quinoa mixture, and place in baking dish. Cover with foil, and bake 1 hour. Uncover, and sprinkle each pepper with 1 Tbs. remaining cheese. Bake 15 minutes more, or until tops of stuffed peppers are browned. Let stand 5 minutes. Transfer stuffed peppers to serving plates, and drizzle each with pan juices before serving. This dish freezes well for future meals. Quinoa provides whole-grain goodness and a serving of protein. Serves 8.

I may have mentioned that my parents gave me a subscription to Cooks Illustrated Magazine for Christmas. I love it. The first recipe I decided to try was for Chicago-Style Deep Dish Pizza from the December/January issue. Growing up about an hour outside of Chicago, I’ve definitely tasted the real thing. An attempt to re-create the “distinctively rich, flaky, biscuit-like crust” masterpiece is no easy task. In fact, I didn’t think it was possible. But luckily the crew at America’s Test Kitchen was up for the challenge. And after more than 100 attempts, I think they got it just right.

I would definitely make this recipe again. It think it’s a great choice for entertaining, too. It takes some time and patience, but is totally worth it. I only wish I could have invited my friend Katy (who now lives in California) over for dinner on Sunday night. I don’t know anyone who loves Chicago-style deep dish pizza more than her! Maybe next time.

DOUGH
3 1/4 cups (16 1/4 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour 
1/2 cup (2 3/4 ounces) yellow cornmeal 
1 1/2 teaspoons table salt 
2 teaspoons sugar 
2 1/4 teaspoons instant or rapid-rise yeast 
1 1/4 cups water (10 ounces), room temperature
3 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted, plus 4 tablespoons, softened
1 teaspoon plus 4 tablespoons olive oil 

SAUCE
2 tablespoons unsalted butter 
1/4 cup grated onion , from 1 medium onion
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano 
 Table salt 
2 medium garlic cloves , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 tsp.)
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1/4 teaspoon sugar 
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh basil leaves 
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 
 Ground black pepper 

TOPPINGS
1 pound mozzarella cheese , shredded (about 4 cups)
1/2 ounce grated Parmesan cheese (about 1/4 cup)

1. FOR THE DOUGH: Mix flour, cornmeal, salt, sugar, and yeast in bowl of stand mixer fitted with dough hook on low speed until incorporated, about 1 minute. Add water and melted butter and mix on low speed until fully combined, 1 to 2 minutes, scraping sides and bottom of bowl occasionally. Increase speed to medium and knead until dough is glossy and smooth and pulls away from sides of bowl, 4 to 5 minutes. (Dough will only pull away from sides while mixer is on. When mixer is off, dough will fall back to sides.)

2. Using fingers, coat large bowl with 1 teaspoon olive oil, rubbing excess oil from fingers onto blade of rubber spatula. Using oiled spatula, transfer dough to bowl, turning once to oil top; cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let rise at room temperature until nearly doubled in volume, 45 to 60 minutes.

3. FOR THE SAUCE: While dough rises, heat butter in medium saucepan over medium heat until melted. Add onion, oregano, and 1/2 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid has evaporated and onion is golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomatoes and sugar, increase heat to high, and bring to simmer. Lower heat to medium-low and simmer until reduced to 2 1/2 cups, 25 to 30 minutes. Off heat, stir in basil and oil, then season with salt and pepper.

4. TO LAMINATE THE DOUGH: Adjust oven rack to lower position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Using rubber spatula, turn dough out onto dry work surface and roll into 15- by 12-inch rec-tangle. Using offset spatula, spread softened butter over surface of dough, leaving 1/2-inch border along edges. Starting at short end, roll dough into tight cylinder. With seam side down, flatten cylinder into 18- by 4-inch rectangle. Cut rectangle in half crosswise. Working with 1 half, fold into thirds like business letter; pinch seams together to form ball. Repeat with remaining half. Return balls to oiled bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and let rise in refrigerator until nearly doubled in volume, 40 to 50 minutes.

5. Coat two 9-inch round cake pans with 2 tablespoons olive oil each. Transfer 1 dough ball to dry work surface and roll out into 13-inch disk about 1/4 inch thick. Transfer dough to pan by rolling dough loosely around rolling pin and unrolling into pan. Lightly press dough into pan, working into corners and 1 inch up sides. If dough resists stretching, let it relax 5 minutes before trying again. Repeat with remaining dough ball.

6. For each pizza, sprinkle 2 cups mozzarella evenly over surface of dough. Spread 1 1/4 cups tomato sauce over cheese and sprinkle 2 tablespoons Parmesan over sauce. Bake until crust is golden brown, 20 to 30 minutes. Remove pizza from oven and let rest 10 minutes before slicing and serving. Makes two 9-inch pizzas, serving 4 to 6.

My friend Emily recently gave me a copy of a recipe from Cooks Illustrated for Thick and Chewy Double Chocolate Cookies. I guess she knows a chocoholic when she sees one. The recipe was actually from her dad, who had hand- written “added chocolate chips and white chocolate chips” at the bottom of the recipe. That’s my kind of guy!

As if these cookies needed more chocolate. But I’m not one to argue with the notes of an accomplished baker, so I threw ‘em in. What I love about recipes from Cooks Illustrated is that every recipe is tested, sometimes hundreds of times, in “America’s Test Kitchen.” Every possible variation of ingredients, methodology, cooking time, equipment, etc. is considered until the very best recipe emerges. That’s so scientific! The accompanying recipe notes detailed that the goal of this particular test kitchen experiment was to find an “an exceptionally rich chocolate cookie that we would sink our teeth into-without having it fall apart.”

Mission definitely accomplished. In fact, they are the best chocolate cookies I’ve ever tasted. Hands down. I described them to my friends as “quadruple chocolate” cookies—because they contain cocoa powder, melted chocolate, and both white chocolate and semi-chocolate chips. They are like a cookie and brownie in one—rich, chocolaty, chewy, and soft in the middle. And you certainly can’t go wrong with a combination like that!

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon table salt
16 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons instant coffee or espresso powder
10 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/4 sticks), softened but still firm
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar

1. Sift together flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl; set aside. Melt chocolate in medium heatproof bowl set over pan of almost-simmering water, stirring once or twice, until smooth; remove from heat. Beat eggs and vanilla lightly with fork, sprinkle coffee powder over to dissolve, and set aside.

2. In bowl of standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment (or with hand mixer), beat butter at medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 5 seconds (15 seconds with hand mixer). Beat in sugars until combined, about 45 seconds (1 1/2 minutes with hand mixer); mixture will look granular. Reduce speed to low and gradually beat in egg mixture until incorporated, about 45 seconds (1 1/2 minutes with hand mixer). Add chocolate in steady stream and beat until combined, about 40 seconds (1 minute with hand mixer). Scrape bottom and sides of bowl with rubber spatula. With mixer at low speed, add flour mixture and mix until combined, about 40 seconds (1 minute with hand mixer). Do not overbeat. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature until consistency is scoopable and fudgelike, about 30 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, adjust oven racks to upper- and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Leaving about 1 1/2-inches between each ball, scoop dough onto parchment-lined cookie sheets with 1 3/4-inch diameter ice cream scoop.

4. Bake cookies until edges have just begun to set but centers are still very soft, about 10 minutes, turning cookie sheets from front to back and switching from top to bottom racks halfway through baking.

5. Cool cookies on sheets about 10 minutes, slide parchment with cookies onto wire rack and cool to room temperature; remove with wide metal spatula. Makes 3 1/2 dozen cookies.

There are few things I like more than freshly baked banana bread. I love to cut myself a slice when the bread is piping hot, straight from the oven. But maybe even more, I like a slice of bread a day or two later, once the flavors have had the chance to age and meld. There’s just never really a bad time to enjoy a slice of banana bread.

I’m prepared to make a loaf of banana bread at all times. I always keep a stash of over-ripe bananas in my freezer. It’s all about strategy, really. Essentially, whenever I buy bananas, I let one or two over-ripen (to the point of being completely brown and soft). I then place the bananas in a plastic bag and throw them into the freezer until I’m ready to bake a loaf of bread. That way I’m always armed and ready.

This time I was inspired by a simple recipe for banana bread featured on Design*Sponge earlier this week. The recipe is from Heather Moore, an illustrator and designer from Cape Town, South Africa. The recipe has apparently been in her family for a log time, and originated with her Aunt Betty. I was instantly smitten by the photographs of the bread, and decided that I needed to bake a loaf immediately. The recipe is very simple. I think it produced a great loaf of bread—nice and golden brown on the outside, with great banana flavor on the inside. Enjoy!

1 stick + 1 tbsp. butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
4-5 ripe bananas
1 tsp. vanilla
Salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9×5x3 or 8×4x4 loaf pan with parchment paper.

Beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs. Add dry ingredients. Add mushed bananas and vanilla.

Bake at 350 degrees F for one hour.