our daily bread

Homemade Gnocchi

This is my new favorite dish to make.  It's so simple, fun to make and it's waaaay better than the store bought version.  Like a thousand times better.  And it's versatile.  I've topped it with pasta sauce, mushroom gravy, a mix of shallots, mushrooms and pancetta (recipe below) and replaced the noodles with it in chicken noodle soup.  Try it out some night when you have a little bit of time, it probably takes about an hour or so from start to finish but 30 minutes of that is for the potatoes to boil.  This recipe serves four people generously.     

You start by boiling 3 or 4 russet potatoes (1 1/2 lbs) until they're tender, about a half hour.  Let them cool a bit, then peel them.  Then mash them up with a pinch of nutmeg, some salt and a couple tablespoons of parmesan (optional).  When they're sufficiently mashed, add one egg (whisk it up beforehand) and a cup of flour.  Knead the dough, add more flour if it's too sticky.  You want the dough to be slightly sticky but not too much because that will make the gnocchi a little too soft when they're cooked.  Let the dough rest for 5 minutes.  Then cut it into 6 pieces and on a floured surface roll each piece out like a snake, about 3/4 of an inch thick.  Cut the pieces about 1 inch thick and then roll them down the back of a fork to get some grooves on it, this helps the sauce stick to it.  In the meantime boil some salted water, when the pieces are ready to go put them in the water (I did it in 2 batches) and in about 3 minutes they'll float to the surface.  When they do, scoop them out with a slotted spoon and put them on a plate to cool.  Before you add your sauce, saute the gnocchi in a little bit of butter for about 5 minutes, until they're heated through.

If you want to take this meal a step further and indulge a little bit, try this recipe.  I originally made it with green beans for Thanksgiving, which was incredibly delicious, but it is also great with gnocchi.  

Gnocchi (or green beans) with Crispy Pancetta, Mushrooms and Shallots

Kosher Salt

2 1/2 oz thinly sliced pancetta

3 Tbsp olive oil

6 medium cremini mushrooms, trimmed, and very thinly sliced

2 medium-large shallots, halved lengthwise and very thinly sliced

1/4 c very thinly sliced fresh sage leaves

1 Tbsp sherry vinegar

1/2 tsp dijon mustard

1. Put the pancetta in a non-stick skillet and cook over medium low heat until crisp and browned, about 10 to 12 minutes.  Transfer to a paper towel lined plate and coarsely crumble.  Remove the pan from the heat and let it cool slightly.  

2.  Add 2 Tbsp olive oil to the pan and return it to medium-high heat.  Add the mushrooms, shallots and 1/4 tsp salt and cook, stirring frequently, until both are nicely browned and shrunken, about 5 minutes.  Add the sage and cook, stirring until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Take the pan off the heat and add the vinegar and mustard and the remaining 1 Tbsp of oil.  

3.  Add the gnocchi or green beans (blanch the green beans beforehand) and mix it all together until warm and top with the pancetta.  If you're using gnocchi you might want to add a little bit of water to make it a bit more liquidy, like a gravy.  Either way it's delicious though.

4. Enjoy!

Farewell Kimberly & Ryan

Last weekend we drove down to Portland for probably the last time until spring.  Kim & Ryan are leaving on Tuesday to go to Europe where they'll spend 6 weeks with friends & then from there head to Thailand to travel around until April or May.  I will miss them, of course, but I am so excited for their adventure!  It has been so great to move here & be able to hang out while we settle in.  But now we will go on our separate adventures, theirs international & ours in our new city, and come back together in the spring rejuvenated!  And it's only 6 months, until a few months ago none of us had seen each other since our wedding 3 years earlier.  I honestly don't know how I made it that long without face-to-face contact.  They are family.  Next on the list is for Amber & Simon to make it out this way & then the reunion will be complete.  

So on Saturday we had a going away party complete with my best rendition of Asian-inspired cuisine, with lots of assistance from anyone who happened to be hanging around the kitchen.  As delicious as the food was, I think the real thing might be a teensy bit better, at least the dumplings for sure.  I was a bit surprised by how much they didn't look at all like the picture in the cookbook.  But I've read about how food stylists blow torch raw turkeys to make them look perfectly brown or make ice cream out of mashed potatoes so it doesn't look melted in the picture, so I'm going with the idea that maybe the dumplings in the picture were made out of plastic.  They just looked so damn perfect.  But alas, this was my first time making them so perhaps I just need more practice.  But they tasted amazing & that's really all that matters in the end.  

Part of the idea of making the party Asian-themed, aside from the obvious, was that the food is so cheap to make, especially when you shop at the Asian market.  Kim had never been before so it was quite exciting to introduce her to the world of technicolor grocery shopping.  Bright lights, Asian dance music blaring out of the speakers, packages of food decorated with every color of the rainbow, Hello Kitty paraphernalia lining the shelves, desserts in colors not found in nature, etc.  The key is to go in there without a list because if you're looking for something specific you'll just make yourself crazy, as we discovered with trying to find bonito flakes.  

We bought everything we needed for spring rolls & dumplings & lots of different types of desserts & snacks & the total was 45 bucks, enough food for probably 30 people or so.  That's what I love about shopping there, it's actually really hard to spend a lot of money, even when you're throwing random stuff into your cart just because the package looks kind of cool & weird.  

So I bid you farewell Kimberly & Ryan!  I hope you have the greatest of adventures, as I know you will.  I look forward to hearing your stories & the things you learn along the way.  Be sure to eat delicious food & lots of it, try at least one fried bug of some sort on a skewer -- you never know, maybe they all taste like chicken, -- and have sooo much fun stepping into the unknown.  It will be grand.  Love to you both....  xo

 

...spring rolls with rice noodles, lettuce, carrot, cucumber, tofu, cilantro & mint.

 

...fried tofu with cilantro yogurt dipping sauce.  

 

...soy ginger dipping sauce for the dumplings & spring rolls.

 

...dumplings filled with a mixture of napa cabbage & shitake mushrooms.

...wasabi peas.

Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup

On Thursday, Drew & I went camping at Deception Pass State Park, less than 2 hours northwest of Seattle.  We got into our car a little before 11am and were setting up our tent by 1pm.  The campground was deserted other than an RV about a half mile away, the air was cool, the ground a bit damp.  Perfect weather for tomato soup & grilled cheese, we decided.  We weren't even planning on eating that for dinner but when we went to the gas station to buy firewood, there it was sitting alone on the shelf, a can of Campbell's Tomato Soup.  

The last time I can remember eating Campbell's Tomato Soup was my freshman year of college when they'd serve it in the cafeteria at my dorm, alongside a grilled cheese sandwich & I'd sit alone at a table sipping my soup watching the chaos of a room full of 200 hungry 18 year olds unfold around me & I'd feel like it actually might all to be okay. At least that's my memory of it now, looking back.  In real time I was probably stressed about my 17 credits, those 20 page papers looming over me like a black cloud, the fact that I was on my own for the first time at a school with 45,000 other people and, oh, that pesky little question that always plagued me, like a thorn in my side, "what was I going to do with my life?"  But I still remember feeling comforted when I'd see Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup on the sign entering the cafeteria.  

So that's what we had for dinner, cooked over the fire, sitting in our crazy creeks, talking about how much we don't miss being 18 anymore.  Being 30 is way better.  

 

You Should Make This Meal

You really should.  If you happen to own Suvir Saran's American Masala, then turn to page 100 & there you have it, Mushroom & Rice Biriyani Casserole.  It's comfort food, what I think of as the Indian equivalent of Macaroni & Cheese, but without the overstuffed feeling of eating 4 cups of cheese.  We added chickpeas to the mix to make it a bit heartier which worked perfectly alongside the mushrooms.  Then we topped it with Raita, a combination of yogurt, cilantro, onion & spices & that pretty much brought it up to the next level.  So here's the recipe, the ingredient list may look daunting but it's mostly spices.  And it serves 6 -8 but we halved it & had enough for Drew to have 2 helpings at dinner & lunch for both of us the next day.  Enjoy!

  

Mushroom & Rice Biriyani Casserole

Serves 6 - 8

For the Rice:

10 c water

6 whole black peppercorns

4 whole cloves

4 green cardamom pods

2 bay leaves

A 1 inch piece of cinnamon stick

2 cups basmati rice

For the Casserole:

1/4 cup canola oil

6 whole black peppercorns

6 green cardamom pods

3 whole cloves

1 Tbsp mustard seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp ground coriander

2 lbs white button mushrooms, trimmed & thickly sliced

1 Tbsp kosher salt

1 c buttermilk (we used soy milk so I think any milk would work)

3/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/2 cup water

1.  Bring water to a boil with all the spices.  Stir in rice, reduce heat to a simmer.  Cook, partially covered for 6 minutes.  Drain & set aside.

2.  Preheat oven to 350.  To make the casserole, heat the oil, whole peppercorns, cardamom, cloves, mustard seeds & cumin seeds in a large skillet over medium high heat, cooking until cumin is browned & the mustard seeds start to pop, 1-2 minutes.  Add the turmeric & cook, stirring often for 1 minute.  Reduce heat to low, add the coriander & cook for another minute.  Add the mushrooms & salt to the skillet & increase heat to medium high.  Cook, stirring often, until the mushrooms release their liquid and the total volume is reduced by half, about 4-5 minutes.  Stir in the milk, bring to a simmer & cook until the liquid is reduced by half & slightly thick, 8 - 12 minutes. (this is where we added a can of chickpeas).  

3.  Grease a 10 cup casserole dish with butter.  Add 2 cups of the cooked rice, spreading evenly over bottom of the dish.  Cover with half the mushroom mixture & sprinkle with a third of the cilantro.  Evenly spread 1 1/2 cups of rice over the cilantro & cover with remaining mushrooms and half the remaining cilantro.  Evenly spread the remaining rice on top & pour the water around the edges of the dish.  Cover tightly with aluminum foil & bake for 35 minutes.  Remove from oven & let stand covered for 10 minutes.  Uncover, sprinkle with remaining cilantro, a dollop of Raita (recipe below) & serve.  

Raita

Makes about 5 cups (we quartered this recipe & it was more than enough)

1 (32oz) container of plain yogurt

1 medium tomato, finely chopped

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro

1/2 jalapeno, finely chopped

2 tsp toasted cumin (we used regular cumin & it was great)

2 tsp sugar

1 1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp ground peppercorns

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

1.  Mix it all up & you're good to go.  

Lentil Soup

We made lentil soup for dinner tonite.  Not usually the most exciting meal but this time I used chicken broth.  I was a vegetarian for almost 7 years & have recently discovered the wonderful world of meat.  It's been almost a year now going to fish then chicken & turkey & finally, lamb & steak & meats I never knew existed.  Its a great journey.  We just discovered the seasoned whole roasted chicken at the local grocery store a week ago & it's been so fun to figure out what to do with a whole chicken.  This week we made Chicken Pozole soup, had sandwiches for two days & then tonite used the rest of the broth to make lentil soup.  The recipe I used had me cook the soup with a whole sliced up lemon.  When I tasted it it reminded me of my most favorite lentil soups from lebanese delis where the lemon is very apparent.  I didn't have the chopped up spinach that it called for at the very end, but I'm sure it would've been great with that too, although it was quite tasty without.  

 

Hidden Gems & Pesto

So today marks our two week anniversary of rolling up to our new apartment in Seattle, our car packed to the brim, a roof bag on top stuffed with clothes & camping equipment, a couple bikes hanging off the trunk & a cat on each of our laps.  

When I saw all the stuff strewn about on the floor of our apartment that first night I was actually quite surprised by just how much we were able to cram into a two door Acura.  It was an impressive sight to say the least.  But we also got rid of A LOT of stuff in order to fit those few prized possessions into our car.  We pretty much just placed our whole apartment on our lawn in Minneapolis, put some price tags on it & watched our belongings be shlepped away by strangers.  It was an oddly wonderful experience to part with so many things I thought I was attached to.  And now we get to start over.  

Which means I get to start over with my kitchen which is quite exciting.  Even more exciting was the Value Village we discovered 6 blocks from our place with an enormous kitchen section full of hidden gems.  These glasses were two of those gems.  I love them.  They remind me of something my grandma might have had in her cupboard.  This wine accompanied our dinner of homemade pesto.  

 

And this dish for my garlic I found at a garage sale in Portland with Kim.  It fits about two heads perfectly.  I love it, along with the view out my kitchen window that you can see faintly in the background.  To the right of this is a postcard view of the space needle.  My kitchen is better than I could've imagined it to be, as is Seattle.

  

 

grilling clams

fish tacos

...mussels as an appetizer, fish tacos for dinner.  yesterday was a good day for food!  

we marinated some tilapia in a little cumin & chili powder for about 30 minutes.  then we cooked it up with some peppers from our garden, topped with homemade salsa & guacamole & enjoyed.  another great meal at the manney mcdaniel house.  

mussels

...this was my first time cooking mussels...and they were amazing!  i used to hate mussels when i was younger, we'd eat them on the jersey shore dipped in melted butter but i could never get used to the texture.  now i love them.  they are truly delicious. 

i used a recipe in one of my cookbooks. although i had to substitute a few ingredients, they still turned out great.  

Mussels with Saffron & Basil

2 Tbsp unsalted butter

2 Tbsp olive oil

4 cloves of garlic, minced

red pepper flakes

2lb large black mussels, scrubbed and debearded if necessary

1tsp fennel seeds, toasted ( I didn't have fennel so i omitted this)

pinch of saffron threads, toasted, ground & dissolved in 1 Tbsp hot water (I didn't have saffron so I substituted turmeric instead & it seemed to work quite well)

1/2 c dry white wine

1/2 c julienned fresh basil leaves

sea salt

preheat oven to 400 degrees.  in a large cast iron or ovenproof saute pan over medium heat, melt the butter with oil until butter foams.  add garlic, red pepper flakes & saute until fragrant, about 1 minute.  add the mussels, fennel, saffron & vermouth.  raise the heat to high and saute for about 30 seconds.  transfer the fan to the oven and roast until the mussels open, 4 - 6 minutes.

remove the pan and discard any mussels that failed to open.  sprinkle mussels with basil and salt to taste.  serve at once, in the pan.  

accompany with think slices of bread for sopping up the juices.  

enjoy.

coconut curry stew

...this was one of those 'throw together whatever is in the fridge type dinners'.  plus we have about 100 potatoes from our nine potato plants so we've been trying to use those up.  the stew consists of onions, peas, spinach, chickpeas, potatoes, tomatoes & cilantro simmered in coconut milk, green curry paste & fish sauce.  it was delicious!