MORE ON CABBAGE-KALE

Not to beat a dead cabbage but--this variety of cabbage which behaves like kale is kind of insane as pointed out on yesterdays MH FB page post by Kempe Minifie (former executive food editor Gourmet magazine) http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mad-Hungry/105147526028?ref=ts. Should you have a garden, I recommend getting these seeds. Unlike most other cabbages, there is so little water contained within that when it's cooked it has practically the same volume as raw which you can see from the pics here. Therefore, it feeds many more mouths than your average head of cabbage. It fed last nights dinner and this mornings breakfast too. Put fried eggs on just about any leftover for breakfast and they eat it.

In this family, we love cabbage--all of us. (Last night while fending off one stalking boy awaiting the roast chicken, a preview bowl of cabbage actually did the trick.) We make it at least once a week and they have been trained to love it. As I say in MH--this does not happen over night, rather I've been cooking it for the kids ever since they started eating solid food (vegetable eaters are made not born). And, because it is an absolute nutritional powerhouse (like sweet potatoes too) it packs a little something for everyone. It's loaded with phytochemicals called indoles which burns up excess estrogen (uhhmm, ladies?), has proven anti-cancer enzymes, and is loaded with Vitamin C and many B's too. And it's got to be one of the greatest $$ value veggies out there. To cook it here I got a large pan very hot, added olive oil, 4 clove sliced garlic, half teaspoon hot pepper flakes, saute 30 seconds (don't burn) added the cabbage and stir-sauteed for about 10 minutes till just tender but still a bit crunchy and slightly caramelized too.

If I haven't lost you yet, and have peaked your cabbage interest then check out more from this fantastic story (and breathtaking pics) in the January issue of Martha Stewart Living

http://www.marthastewart.com/article/cabbage-101.

A note re this blog. Here, I am a cook who photographs the best I can. While I adore beautiful food pics (and randomly make one now and then)--in this venue--I'm more interested in the moment, the meaning, and the process of the food. This explains why there is often a yucky yellow cast over some pics (and other probs too). It's often night, I'm cooking, the light sucks, the household is crazy--whatever. There are many gorgeous food blogs and maybe one day this will be too.

But, the so-beautiful-I have-t0-eat-it-right-now pics, I get to make on my day job at Martha Stewart--working with the best photographers and an incredible group of colleagues who style, art direct and edit. For the best food pics ever----go there too and support this beautiful magazine: https://martha.zt01.net/MSL/1/msl_july_google/landing/msl_google.php?utm_source=Google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=martha_stewart_living_magazine&utm_campaign=Martha_Stewart_Living&utm_content=Rollout_-_New_creative,_$15_+$4.95_w/reply_date&gclid=CI7lk6fA4J8CFag65QodcWU5GQ

Ok--think I'll take a break from eggs, cabbage and chicken for a while.

SATURDAY SPOILS

Dead of winter farmers market booty. Dinner thoughts are Chicken roast with cipolini onions and fingerling potatoes, sauted kale-cabbage, apple pie. But, first will pilfer a few dinner fingerlings for a breakfast dish inspired by the folks at Momofuko noodle bar. Crispy bacon, scallions and a slow poached egg.

MH CHILI FROM SERIOUSEATS.COM

Another great super bowl option from seriouseats.com Try to make the chili ahead by a day or two and it's even better

Cook the Book: Chili

Posted by Caroline Russock, February 3, 2010 at 1:00 PM

"All along I had been searching for a chili that tasted like chiles, and this one was it."

[Photograph: Caroline Russock]

Recently I have been craving nothing but spicy food—really spicy food. Not just hot sauce spicy but tingling, lip-burning, spicy food that you know is a bad idea even when you are eating it. I've been seeking out the hottest Sichuan, the most chile-laden Mexican, and snapping up everything pepper-related in the market. My theory is it's a subconscious reaction to the frigid February weather but that doesn't make all that much sense because as far as I know, spicy food doesn't keep you any warmer.

Regardless, my craving for all things that rank on the Scoville scale goes on and all of the chiles that go into this recipe for Chili from Lucinda Scala Quinn's Mad Hungrycaught my eye.

The recipe starts with toasting and grinding dried chiles into a deep red paste in lieu of the more common chili powder (a milder mix of dried chiles with many other aromatic but decidedly not very spicy spices). The other hot factors are pickled jalapeños, red chili flakes, and cayenne.

I've made countless batches of chili in my life. Many have been richly flavored, beefy, and smokey but none have been really hot. I was hoping that Quinn's version would be that chili.

To amp up the heat, I left most of the seeds of the dried peppers intact and added the jalapeños and red chili flakes with a heavy hand. I was a bit worried about killing the flavor with too much spice but the finished chili had a wonderful balance of dark, beefy chili flavor and a kick that was right where I wanted it.

aking a batch of chili without using chili powder was a real eye-opener.

Making a batch of chili without using chili powder was a real eye-opener. I've always found that jarred chili powder has a staleness to it, even a vaguely chalky character, but this powderless chili had none of that. The ground chile paste had an amazing depth and the pickled jalapeños provided an acidity that I've never encountered in chili before. All along I had been searching for a chili that tasted like chiles, and this one was it.

This chili was a big crowd-pleaser at my house, and easy enough to double or even triple for a game day crowd. If you have any hungry chili aficionados joining you for Sunday's game, Quinn's dried chile accented chili would make a wonderful centerpiece.

Win Mad Hungry

As always with our Cook the Book feature, we have five (5) copies of Mad Hungry to give away this week. Enter to win here »

Chili

- serves 6 -

Adapted from Mad Hungry by Lucinda Scala QuinnLucinda Scala Quinn.

Ingredients

5 dried red chilies (Mexican ancho, New Mexican Hatch, or Anaheim)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, minced (1 tablespoon)
2 pounds ground beef
1 tablespoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or pinch cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup pickled jalapeños, chopped (optional)
1 28-ounce can tomatoes, broken up, with juice
12 ounces beer
1 15-ounce can beans (pinto, kidney, black, or a combination), drained

Procedure

1. In a dry large skillet over high heat, lightly toast both sides of the chilies for a few minutes. After roasting, remove from pan to slice open, then remove and discard the stem and seeds. Cover the chilies in boiling water and let soften for 5 minutes. In a blender or food processor, puree the chiles with enough soaking liquid to form a thick paste.

2. Heat the skillet again over medium-high heat, then add the olive oil. Saute the onion and garlic until translucent, about 3 minutes. Increase the heat and add the beef, stirring occasionally to pick up browned bits on the bottom of the pan as the moisture evaporates, about 15 minutes. If the meat is excessively fatty (your judgement call), spoon off some of the fat, but leave some for flavor.

3. Stir in the cumin and cook for 30 seconds. Add the chile paste, red pepper flakes, oregano, bay leaf, jalapeños, and the remaining teaspoon of salt. Stir to combine well.

4. Add the tomatoes and beer and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the beans and cook for an additional 20 minutes. Add water if needed for consistency. Serve with preferred condiments.

FIFTEEN

We're down one soccer player and dog walker but up a french toast maker (first time, not bad).

He actually followed the sub recipe in the MH stuffed french toast recipe. It took two hours to make and his version of clean-up doesn't exactly match mine but---baby steps folks, baby steps (in more ways than one!).

BOYZ

they eat always and cook sometimes

A FEW THOUGHTS ON SUPER BOWL EATS

Confession: American football is not my favorite sport although I do love football (as in soccer). Both kinds of football dominate our house. And no fall weekend is devoid of either. Usually, I take the time to see a movie, shop, chill with a friend or just do about any other activity other than football. And I don't love the idea of cooking to feed the guys yelling at the guys on television. However I do get in the spirit some years and agree to the cooking like I have this year. Something about the New Orleans angle inspired me to agree to being the superbowl cook so here are my thoughts. First of all, I was happy to see one of my favorite food blogs Serious Eats highlight MH in Cook The Book and, duh--never thought of the Red Beans and Rice as SB fare and it's a dam good idea--cheap, tasty, make-ahead--all the hallmarks of good sports food. http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2010/02/new-orleans-style-red-beans-recipe.html. I am making MH chili on Thursday (meaning the flavor will be mad deep by Sunday) and heaps of these chicken wings here which was a request. One last thing I'm considering is the Seven Layer Bean Dip first published in the Easy Entertaining column in Martha Stewart last year (along with another yum wing recipe) http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/seven-layer-bean-dip. Cold beer and root beer will be in full supply.

Recipe: Crunchy Sesame Chicken Wings from "Mad Hungry"

By Heather Hoch in Recipes

Courtesy of Mad Hungry

​When we asked Lucinda Scala Quinn what recipes she absolutely loves in her book, Mad Hungry, the crunchy sesame chicken wings were at the top of the list. She described the recipe as "super simple" and the results "dynamite."

According to Scala Quinn, the wing recipe came from the constant dinner table battle for the wings off the chicken. So forget the rest of the bird, and grab a big pile of spicy wings. That way everyone's happy.

The Bird: 20 chicken wings

Crack 3 eggs in a bowl and beat. Toss and coat each wing in the eggs.

The Sesame Coating:
½ cup of sesame seeds
½ cup of flour
2 teaspoons of coarse salt
¼ teaspoon of cayenne pepper
½ cup of fresh bread crumbs
2 to 3 garlic cloves, minced

Combine all ingredients together in a small bowl. Dip each egg-covered wing in the mixture until fully coated. Place wings on a baking sheet, either coated with oil or parchment paper, and bake for 30 minutes in the oven at 375 degrees. Raise the temperature to 400 degrees and cook until the wings are golden brown and sizzling, about 20 to 30 minutes. Immediately remove from baking sheet once the wings have finished cooking.

The Plate:
Pile the hot and spicy wings on a serving plate. Make sure there's plenty of hot sauce to go around on the table.

VINEGAR GLOSSED CHICKEN PLUS

On the music front from yesterday opera didn't win the airwaves after all but we did compromise starting with Jay Z and Alicia Keys New classic NYC anthem Empire State of Mind http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bm61weFrK4c.

Jay Z was the musical olive branch and I love this version better than solo Alicia anyway. BUT--she so rules overall in every way (and we all agree) that as a total its her recent release that won out, The Element of Freedom that

http://www.sonymusicdigital.com/alicia-keys/pages/5077316/?utm_medium=rca-house-banner&utm_source=aliciakeys&utm_campaign=rca-house-banner-leader%7Caliciakeys%7Ctheelementoffreedom

AND therefore, it is MH music pick of the week.

Meanwhile, back to the chicken. The beauty of this dish

http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/vinegar-glossed-chicken

(amongst other things) is that the flavor improves if made ahead. Prepared mid day while I still had energy and reheated before dinner deepens that rosemary-garlic-vinegary glaze. Sides were chosen based on what I could scrounge from the fridge and cupboard: carrots, peppers and potatoes (carrots agrodolce with mint and roasted peppers) recipes from: http://www.amazon.com/Lucindas-Rustic-Italian-Kitchen-Lucinda/dp/0471793817

And, since there was only one chicken in there stretching was the name of the game. First technique was to hack the chicken (back bone, wing tips and all) into small pieces before cooking which gives the illusion of more food. And, if you love bones it's a boon for you (I do).

Multiple sides which edge into that aforementioned sauce means enough abundant platefuls to sate the five ravenous appetites around here. This morning, the few leftovers had been scarfed post midnight as evidenced from the plates left in the sink (this is an ongoing battle I haven't given up on, btw). So, I can't say it enough--shopping is half the battle for home cooking. All ingredients for this meal where purchased on the weekly shopping ship.

SATURDAY MORNING MOMENTS

Rarely has Saturday morning been such a relief--the random inconsequential moments so appreciated. A surprise flower gift has absolutely flooded our home with an amazing feminine-ish scent replacing the usual frat-house ones the vie daily to overwhelm me. And, on the coldest day of the year--my doggies couldn't get enough outside this am and I swear my face practically had frost bite by the time I returned. Leftover baked ziti had already been pulled out and three quarters consumed for one guys breakfast by the time of my 10:00 am return and preparing tuna for another boys forthcoming lunch--I just decided to skip my dreamed of (while freezing in the park) pancake breakfast and hold back some tuna for a breakfast tuna melt of my own. Before the next onslaught, am preparing the households FAVORITE Vinegar Glossed Chicken--excerpted with recipe here:(http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/vinegar-glossed-chicken.

This recipe has turned up on many blogs and seems to have hit a chord with folks--like this one

http://thebittenword.typepad.com/thebittenword/2010/01/vinegar-glossed-chicken-glazed-oven-roasted-vegetables.html which is really satisfying. When my boys are asked their favorite recipes from MH--this one is amongst all their top favs. Music streaming through the kitchen right now is Va Pensiero form Guiseppe Verdi's Nabucco--conducted by Ricardo Muti. It rocks my world every time I hear it. Might be on an opera jag this weekend if domination by boy rap doesn't overrun me. Sometimes, if I can't beat them I join them.

JUST CHILLIN TONIGHT

NO KNEAD PIZZA

From my postings here and on FB about my bread baking activities, I think it's fair to say that Sullivan Street bakery's Jim Laheys new book,

http://www.amazon.com/My-Bread-Revolutionary-No-Work-No-Knead/dp/0393066304

is the book I've most been working from in the last couple months because yeast is my new learning curve. I have had almost instant and undeserving success with his no-knead bread (which is what makes it so amazing for us dough mortals). So, pictured here is Jim's pizza recipe.

At his pizza restaurant Company http://www.co-pane.com/, one is assured top quality pies as only an imported Italian bread oven can give you. His "Popeye" pizza--tomato pie piled high with fresh spinach and baked feels almost virtuous but--the "fat pizza" (as we like to call it)--bacon, onion, cheese and cream (I think) is practically impossible to eat only one slice of. So, back home where my simple oven can't compare and my dough seemed a little stiff, we still managed to eat a few good homemade pies.

The first is quite innovative for a pizza--thin sliced cauliflower is tossed with olive oil, minced olives, garlic, grated Parmesan, hot pepper flakes, s&p. The whole shebang is piled on the dough (thickest pile around the edges which cook first and hottest-thinnest in the middle to avoid sogginess) and it bakes at 500 for 25 minutes. The tomato, meant to be unadorned had slabs of fresh mozz before cooking and a meadow of chiffonade arugula added after. Either I was off, the weather was off or the recipe was but the dough was a bit to crispy, not salty enough and overall a less friendly than my bread dough to work with. But, Jim's recipes are written with style and voice--adding in a few odd words that make all the difference for understanding what he means. I will push on next with the focaccia