Saladu Ñebbe: Black-Eyed Pea Salad

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My imaginary best friends at The Bitten Word, Clay and Zach, posted this recipe today, and I knew I had to try it. The selling point to me was the Scotch Bonnet chile pepper; I have socked away many from last year’s crop — probably enough to blow up a small country. These babies are H-O-T hot and need to be handled with extreme care. However, don’t let that scare you. The dish itself really isn’t all that powerfully hot. Spread throughout five cups of black-eyed peas and lots of fresh onions, peppers, tomatoes and cucumbers, the pepper’s heat is diffused down to the level of a pleasant little kick.

I did make a couple of modifications shown in parentheses below. For starters, I could not abide by one whole cup of oil. I realize you serve this with a slotted spoon and all of the oil isn’t consumed, but — competitive dieting or not — I just couldn’t use that much oil. Will I eat six pieces of bacon? Yes. Will I make a recipe using one whole cup of oil? Never. Don’t try to figure me out.

The subject of canola oil is one of hot debate. I considered posting a couple links, but it’s probably better for you to do your own research. Besides, I’m not looking to fight with the powerful canola lobby. I used olive oil because it just felt like the right thing to do. I won’t judge you if you choose to use one whole cup of canola oil, though.

This is a dish from Senegal, which gives it lots of exotic food cred. “Oh, sure, I’ll just bring my Senegalese bean salad to your picnic. It’s fabulous! Senegalese food is my favorite.”

Saladu Ñebbe, (Black-Eyed Pea Salad), Saveur, May 2012, Original Recipe here

INGREDIENTS

¼ cup fresh lime juice
1 cup roughly chopped parsley
1 cup canola oil (or 1/2 cup olive oil)
5 cups cooked black-eyed peas (about 3 cans)
10 scallions, roughly chopped
1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped
1 medium tomato, cored, seeded, and finely chopped (8 – 10 cherry tomatoes, quartered)
1 medium cucumber, seeded and finely chopped
1 habanero or Scotch bonnet chile, stemmed, seeded, and minced (I kept the seeds)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the lime juice and parsley. While whisking, drizzle in the canola oil to make a smooth dressing.

2. Add the black-eyed peas, scallions, bell pepper, tomato, cucumber, and chile to the dressing. Season the mixture with salt and pepper. Set aside at room temperature for at least 1 hour, or refrigerate up to overnight to marinate and meld the flavors. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Wondering if any astute readers can catch what’s wrong with this picture?

Part of my hot pepper arsenal

Bean Salad + Senegal = Awesome

Let Them Eat Cake

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Yesterday, my middle son Nate, affectionately known around here as the pickle in the middle, turned eleven. I don’t know what conventional birth-order wisdom says, but of my three kids, I think of him the most as my baby. The true baby, Andrew, has spent his entire life trying to keep up with his two older brothers, so he always seemed older than his years to me. But my Nate embodies real old school childhood — he is still filled with unabashed little boy enthusiasm over bubbles, balloons, puppies and whoopie cushions. He doesn’t try to pretend he’s too cool for anything, and he loves with his whole heart. Nate is such a joy and has taught everyone in our family so much about what’s important in life. I am so lucky to be his mom.

Our traditional family birthday cake is this one. Nothing fancy, but a very decent chocolate cake suitable for birthdays. I do, however, try to mix things up with the frosting. This year Nate requested chocolate frosting, and I was excited to find one which seemed slightly higher quality with more complex chocolate flavor, yet ridiculously easy. The most exciting part is that it’s made in the…are you sitting down?…FOOD PROCESSOR! What a genius idea. I know I don’t get out much, but this blew my mind.

This frosting requires a decent quality unsweetened chocolate with the highest percentage of cacao you can find. I used Scharffen Berger dark chocolate with 99% cacao.

When you are using chocolate of this caliber, I suggest you melt it slowly in a double boiler rather than a microwave. You don’t need any fancy equipment to fashion a double boiler, just a small pot placed in a larger pot. This link explains the technique in case you’re unfamiliar or intimidated. Don’t be! It’s worth the ten minutes of extra effort.

This frosting had an incredibly smooth, spreadable quality and rich, complex flavor. I have more than enough to frost a double layer cake (three sticks of butter, yo) and I did wind up throwing quite a bit of it out, unfortunately. Damn diet. Another trick I learned is to put aside 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the frosting BEFORE you incorporate the chocolate, and that way you can tint it or leave it white for decorating, and you’re not stuck using that icky toothpastey stuff to decorate with.

Nate’s Birthday Fudge Frosting

6 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
4 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
6 tablespoons half-and-half or whole milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Place all of the ingredients except for chocolate in a food processor and pulse to mix, then process until the frosting is smooth. Set aside a small amount of white frosting if you are using any to decorate. Add cooled chocolate and process until well incorporated, scraping occasionally if necessary. Frost your cooled cake with reckless abandon, and give your birthday boy or girl a big kiss!

Diet: Week 2, or Stone Cold Sober Book Club

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I survived week one of my competitive diet, although I have the sad distinction of earning the lowest number of points on my team, and my team has the sad distinction of being in last place — probably entirely due to me. Sorry, Team 3! Not sure if I mentioned this before or not, but I HATE LOSING. The really sad part is I was quite pleased with my performance until I saw the scores. I didn’t realize I’d be competing with perfect people who earned perfect scores. The poor sport in me wants to call them all liars with dicey accounting practices, but the lady in me just says, “Nice work!”

In any event, I need to up my game. As we’ve established, alcohol is only permitted one day a week, and this week, I’ve decided to choose alcohol on Saturday for a variety of reasons not just because my mother is visiting for a few days. That meant that last night I got to experience book club in a new and exciting way for the first time ever. I believe the word I’m looking for is “sobriety.” It was so weird, like I was in another country and couldn’t quite grasp the nuances of the foreign language they were speaking. I could understand everyone, but I couldn’t really understand everyone, if you know what I’m saying. But fortunately for me, my book club is comprised of smart, funny, interesting women who don’t require the consumption of alcohol in order to be appreciated…although I won’t lie — everything is more fun after a few glasses of wine.

I did, however, use my weekly allotted “meal off” so I could enjoy all the fabulous food. And enjoy it I did! My friend Amy always goes above and beyond in providing book club goodies, and there was NO WAY I was going to miss out on that. I was so excited that she made our friend Lauren’s famous spinach and artichoke dip. I secretly suspect that Lauren is a Helllmann’s mayonnaise heiress, because whenever you ask her about her recipes, she insists that you only make it with real Hellmann’s mayonnaise. The only change I made was using fresh baby spinach instead of frozen spinach (too mushy and too hard to fully drain, in my opinion) because I think that works out better. Yes, I realize artichoke dips are a dime a dozen, especially at book clubs, but this the best one I ever had.

Lauren’s Famous Artichoke Dip

1 tsp garlic salt
2 tsp Tabasco
2 cups grated parmesan cheese
2 cups Hellmann’s mayo
1/2 bag of baby spinach, chopped
1 can artichoke drained and “mushed”

Mix. Bake at 350 for 45 min

Resentment Smoothie

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I have a confession to make. Last week, I joined a competitive dieting team. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but now I am wondering what possessed me. Of course, all it takes is me walking into my closet to recall the answer. One good thing I will say about myself, however, is that when I make a commitment to other people, I always follow through, come hell or high water. It is only a four week program and week one ends tomorrow.

This is not a Biggest Loser style free for all. There are rules here — many, many, many rules, and lots of points to add and subtract. And spreadsheets. I would explain it, but if you’re truly interested, it’s probably easier to read the book: The Game On Diet by Krista Vernoff and Az Ferguson. At its heart, it’s a very sensible eating program. Very balanced, very reasonable, but a lot of thinking about food and careful planning of FIVE perfectly balanced meals a day is involved. Oh, and 3 liters of water a day. And alcohol only one day a week. Aren’t you all dying to try it now?

Not thinking about food is what got me here in the first place, so I am hoping four weeks of hyper vigilance helps me adopt some good lifelong habits. I definitely feel better, even if the scale isn’t exactly moving as enthusiastically as I’d have hoped. But I do have that virtuous self righteousness that comes from eating enough vegetables, and that has to count for something. I also have one full day off a week and one full meal off a week, so no worries, I will still be cooking and sharing some old and new favorites. Having a food blog and dieting are somewhat incompatible, so I apologize in advance if the next few weeks here are boring/grumpy/uninspired.

My loyal readers will know that I had high hopes for my Vita-Mix blender. Sadly, it has been in hibernation for quite a while, but this game has given me a new appreciation for my Rolls Royce of blenders. I have yet to get to a point where smoothies taste like anything other than slightly pleasant flavored medicine to me, but I am all for the efficiency of cramming all of my dietary requirements into one puke green colored concoction and drinking it down like a good little soldier.

If any of you have any favorite smoothie recipes which are low in fat, low in sugar, high in fiber, high in protein, and contain at least one serving of vegetables (preferably leafy greens), I hope you will share them with me. I’ve never come across one that I can declare anything other than “healthy” or “edible,” but I am ever the optimist.

Orzo and Roasted Vegetable Salad

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This is one of my all-time favorite pasta salads which was introduced to me by one of my favorite hostesses. It’s so simple, healthy, and — dare I say — elegant for a pasta salad. It is also open to improvisation, so feel free to add or subtract vegetables to your liking.

While you can certainly use a store bought basting oil to roast your veggies, I prefer to use my own concoction. Just add one clove of minced garlic and some fresh herbs such as thyme and parsley to about half a cup of olive oil, stir well, and let it sit for about 30 minutes. Plain old olive oil works just fine, too.

Tiffany’s Orzo and Roasted Vegetable Salad

Ingredients:

1 box orzo

asparagus (but I used broccoli rabe because: 1) it’s awesome and 2) no asparagus in the house)

red, yellow, orange peppers

zucchini

red onion

eggplant (I used three different colors since I’m so fancy and kind of a showoff)

olive oil

kosher salt

fresh herbs such as basil, parsley and thyme (dried if you’re lame like me)

feta cheese

black olives

Mix veggies in olive oil, salt and pepper, and roast at 425 degrees for about 20 minutes or until brown. I like to do the eggplant in one batch and everything else in a second batch. Cool veggies.

Cook orzo according to package directions. Cool orzo.

Mix orzo with veggies, olive oil, salt and pepper, and add feta cheese, fresh basil, sliced cherry or grape tomatoes, and juice from 1/2 a lemon.

Three kinds of eggplant to impress one’s guests.

Veggies awaiting their orzo mating

Ready to party!

Review: Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James

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Hello, I am the only 40-something woman in America who doesn’t think this book is impossible to put down. In fact, I’ve had it on my Kindle for a month and stopped reading at about 80%. “What is Fifty Shades of Grey?” you ask. Mom porn. It hurts me to type those words, as they are two words which really should never be used together, ever. Seriously, sorry.

I realize that people aren’t reading this book for its fine literary merit. And while it’s true I am an avid reader, I am also a regular gal, so I won’t pretend I haven’t read my share of smut over the years. What surprises me is why this particular series of smut has taken off to the degree which it has, and I can only conclude that there are a vast amount of women out there who either never knew such naughtiness existed or never picked up a book past high school. And for some reason, this upsets me. It upsets me that women I like and respect are calling this drivel “good” and turning this ding dong author into a millionaire with movie deal. It’s kind of like witnessing people who’ve never eaten ice cream in their life suddenly discover McDonald’s soft serve and they think it’s the best ice cream in the world and all they keep talking about is, “OMG, have you TRIED this amazing ‘ice cream’ from McDonald’s? It is SO GOOD! I can’t believe how amazing this ice cream tastes!” Painful, right? What can you even say to that?

His voice is warm and husky like dark melted chocolate fudge caramel… or something. — Fifty Shades of Grey

When it comes to saucy books, I lean more towards the classics: Sidney Sheldon, Judith Krantz and Jackie Collins being the unholy trinity. Or, if you prefer, check out some of the more respected romance writers. Anne Rice writes under the pen name A.N. Roquelaure for her Beauty trilogy, which I haven’t read myself but hear is quite good. At least you get a legitimately interesting story woven in with your sex. Heck, even picking up a Harlequin Romance at an airport newsstand has to be better than this. So, you see, I am trying to establish some street cred here, homies. I sometimes read trash, too. I don’t think I’m better than you are for reading trash. But let’s be clear: my trash is higher brow than Fifty Shades of Grey, which is so trite, one dimensional, sloppy and cliche-ridden it makes the plot of any Lifetime movie seem like Anna Karenina.

It is the justice-seeking part of my brain which is the most offended. I am not a real writer and don’t pretend to be, but I am a real reader. And I know there are some truly talented authors in this genre who have been toiling away for years, and those people deserve your dollars and appreciation. So to see such sloppy, overwrought Twilight fan fiction making my otherwise smart and sensible friends go gaga? Fifty shades of grey matter from my head exploding.

Time It Was, and What a Time It Was, It Was…

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Forgive me for getting overly sappy and nostalgic, as I’m wont to do around here. We’ve recently converted some old camcorder tapes to DVDs, and yesterday I watched one for the first time in years. We just chose one at random, cleverly entitled Logan VI, from 1999, when my sixteen year old son was only three and my other two children were not yet born.

It is a funny sensation, going back in time and spying on yourself for a day. The things you notice on the recording are probably not the things you think will have any impact while you’re recording the event: the clothes, the hairstyles, your weight, the cars, the decor, any (now deceased) pets lingering in the background, the size of the trees…all of those little markers of time are key supporting actors in the film. I guess that’s why there are Oscars for set design and costumes — they add significant value to the feeling of the piece. And they are all whispering the same thing in my ear, “Everything changes.”

I am not a big fan of change. Eventually, I always make my peace with it, but I tend to fight it hard along the way, kicking and screaming. It is not one of my more charming qualities. Seeing this video yesterday was helpful therapy, though. As much as I longed to climb back into that day with my cuddly, precocious, super cute three year old who loved his mommy more than anyone, I realized that there were still two very important people missing: Nate and Andrew. Change isn’t always bad. It is always hard for me, but I am usually better off for it.

I can’t imagine a better time than right now. I find myself holding on tight to these days, as change is on the horizon. Logan will be driving soon. Nate will be starting middle school. Andrew is getting more and more involved with sports. The peaceful rhythm of our current life will soon be very, very different — not necessarily worse, but definitely different, and I DON’T WANT IT TO BE DIFFERENT. It’s perfect just the way it is right now. See my dilemma?

Another thing the DVD from yesterday showed me is that I’ve forgotten a lot of things. So many crucial details of those early days as a family have been erased from the front of my mind: the way Logan talked, his special blanket and bunny he dragged around everywhere a la Linus, how sweetly gentle and obedient our Golden Retriever was, how our cat Lulu weaseled her way into almost every frame…I had forgotten all of it until I was reminded yesterday, and then it seemed so normal and familiar again. It almost made me want to record every day of my life right now, so I can spend my days in the nursing home watching random Tuesdays from 2012. Pathetic or genius?

There is one picture of the three on them sitting in the grass on a quilt in the shadow of the swing set on a summer day, ages 6, 4, and 1. And I wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about, and how they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night. I wish I had not been in a hurry to get on to the next things: dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less. — Anna Quindlen

 

Yeah, I Served My Family Green Kohlrabi and They Ate It, No Big Deal

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We’ve already established with romanesco that I have a thing for unusual vegetables. Lucky for me, I shop at Wegmans, where they are always stocking the latest and greatest of whatever is in season. I love trying new foods, and for a know-it-all like me, it’s always a great thrill to stumble across something I’ve never eaten before.

Green kohlrabi looks a bit like an alien spaceship (if you use your imagination, or perhaps if you have an eight year old living in your house). Essentially, it’s a little cabbage with green sprouty things sticking out of its head, and presumably you can eat those, too. Green kohlrabi is German for “cabbage turnip,” but don’t let that put you off. It’s a little less in-your-face than in sounds, and it kind of reminded me in flavor of a more subdued daikon radish. The texture was similar to an apple.

I cubed it and then tossed it with olive oil, salt and pepper and roasted it at 400 degrees for about an hour. Halfway through, I gave it a good stir, then returned it to the oven.

I also decided also to grate some to put on my salad today, and I only wish I would have squirreled away more. While it was very good cooked, I think I prefer it raw. This is a great addition to a salad or a cole slaw, plus the added cool factor of being able to toss “green kohlrabi” into a sentence.

Life is a Baseball Season

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I was inspired to share my family sports story when I learned about the “Family Fanatics” challenge, asking bloggers to share their experiences with sports and how it has impacted their family. Fanatics is a leading retailer of sports memorabilia and apparel, with one of the largest selections of baseball hats and jerseys you can find on the web. And if you, like me, prefer one-stop online shopping, this is the spot to fulfill the wishes of every sports fan in your family. I was truly impressed with the range of teams and products offered, and I hope you’ll check them out.

Initially, my cynical thought was that sports impact my family by requiring me to often be two or more places at once. How’s that for an answer? But then I remembered the good part of sports, for all the grumbling that I do, and I’m glad I recorded the story below. When I look back on my life, I know I will wish we made the time for more baseball games.

Last night we took the family to a Phillies game, the first one ever for Nate and Andrew. At age eight, Andrew is the only legitimate sports fan in this family. The rest of us are just social sports fans who really don’t care all that much. Andrew cares. He cares so much. In a family of, “Eh, good enough,” I find it both admirable and beguiling.

Yesterday was also the first day our lawn service came, and despite my constant nagging of, “Pick up your toys! The mowers are coming!” Andrew’s beloved baseball glove somehow got left outside and shredded beyond repair. For a baseball player, losing your only glove before the first game of the season is kind of a big deal. And for Andrew, it was a very big deal. My friends, as usual, came to my rescue, and we were able to embark on our Phillies adventure knowing that Andrew had some viable spare glove options for today’s game.

I am always happy to get the kids out of their sanitized Chester County bubble. Just the very act of driving to the city is almost entertainment enough. Unfortunately, the notorious Philadelphia traffic was extra challenging, and after a stressful work week and more traffic heading home only to turn around again, Ed was not his usual chipper self. Between the shredded glove and the stressed husband, I was ready to call the whole thing off before we even started. However, we are not quitters. Okay, maybe I’m kind of a quitter, but I was significantly outnumbered, so on we pressed. As we approached the park and heard a street performer play, “Take Me Out to the Ballgame,” I knew we made the right decision.

Back when I worked during the glory days of the financial services industry, I viewed every Philadelphia sports team from the finest seats available. Let’s just say our cheap seats last night were a far cry from my seats with the premium view and the lovely man who kept bringing me shrimp and vodka tonics while I returned from my own private bathroom. But I am a woman of the people now.

Even with the cheapest seats, the game still cost a bundle. For dinner, we got five cheese steaks, five drinks, and a couple pretzels for $72. That’s like taking your family to McDonald’s for $72 and not even getting french fries for everyone. Water was $4.25 a bottle. Parking was $20. And the obnoxious Mets fans throwing their half-opened mustard packages on the ground dangerously close to my purse were a free bonus.

I will admit, baseball used to be my least favorite sport to watch before my child started playing it. I grew up listening to Harry Kalas’s melodic voice calling the game, and more often than not, I fell asleep listening to that voice. The Phillies are a part of me, undeniably so, but I really didn’t fall in love with the sport of baseball until much later in life. It just seemed so long, so slow. (I believe “watching paint dry” was the phrase I often used.) Ironically, it is precisely that long, slow pace which I now find so appealing. I still don’t know enough about baseball to comment on it intelligently, but at least now I like it.

The Phillies did not win, much to Andrew’s dismay. He held on to hope the entire game, reciting every prior come-from-behind Phillies win in his young memory. His enthusiasm and hopefulness warm my jaded little heart. Despite the numerous obstacles and hefty price tag, I am so glad we went. It was the perfect way to kick off the beginning of Andrew’s baseball season today.

Life is not a spelling bee, where no matter how many words you have gotten right, if you make one mistake you are disqualified. Life is more like a baseball season, where even the best team loses one-third of its games and even the worst team has its days of brilliance. Our goal is not to go all year without ever losing a game. Our goal is to win more than we lose, and if we can do that consistently enough, then when the end comes, we will have won it all. — Harold Kushner

Play ball!

Photograph by the very talented Kerry McShane-Kay.

Pancake Soufflé Muffins with Strawberry-Maple Syrup

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These muffins are perfect for a special Sunday brunch, whether for Easter (like today) or any other “impress your guests” type of occasion. At first I was put off by the confusing aspect of how to eat them (muffin says hands, syrup says fork) but then I realized that essentially it’s a fluffy yet substantial pancake, so of course a fork is the right (only) choice. These had a really lovely texture and paired perfectly with the strawberry-maple syrup.

This is what the batter looked like shortly before scooping it into the muffin pans:

You don’t hear all of the “Oh no! My souffle is falling!” jokes these days like in my childhood (and happy that comedy has progressed beyond failed souffles and the old pie-in-the-face), although I did have a bit of a panic that my souffle muffins would fall/fail. But behold! They are risen! I won’t quite call it a miracle as much as a meticulous following of directions, though.

Aren’t they pretty?

 

Pancake Soufflé Muffins with Strawberry-Maple Syrup by Bill Telepan, Fine Cooking, March 2011, Original Recipe Here

Serves 12, Yields 24 muffins

For the muffins
Nonstick cooking spray
10-1/2 oz. (2-1/3 cups) all-purpose flour
4-1/2 oz. (1 cup plus 2 Tbs.) cake flour
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. kosher salt
6 large eggs, separated and at room temperature
3/4 tsp. cream of tartar
3 oz. (6 Tbs.) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
6 T bs. granulated sugar
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
3-1/3 cups buttermilk, at room temperature
Confectioners’ sugar, for sprinkling

For the strawberry syrup
1 cup pure maple syrup
1 cup quartered, hulled ripe strawberries

Make the MuffinsPosition a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 400°F. Liberally spray two 12-cup muffin pans with the cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, mix the all-purpose flour, cake flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

In a large, clean mixing bowl, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar with an electric hand mixer on medium-high speed to firm (but not dry) peaks, 2 to 3 minutes. Set aside.

In another large bowl, beat the egg yolks with the mixer on medium-high speed until thick, ribbony, and lemon-yellow, about 6 minutes. Add the melted butter, sugar, and vanilla; mix on medium-low speed until combined, about 30 seconds. Add one-third of the dry ingredients and mix on low speed. Add one-third of the buttermilk and mix to combine. Alternate adding the remaining dry ingredients and buttermilk, ending with the buttermilk and mixing until just combined.

With a large rubber spatula, gently fold the whites into the batter, leaving some streaks.

Scoop about 1/2 cup of the batter into each muffin cup—you can fill the cups to the rims. Bake, rotating the pans after 10 minutes, until browned on top and puffed, and a toothpick inserted in the centers comes out dry, 20 to 25 minutes total.

Make the syrup While the muffins are baking, bring the maple syrup to a boil in a small pot over medium-high heat. Put the strawberries in a medium serving bowl. Pour the syrup over the berries and set aside in a warm spot.
Serve With an offset spatula, pop the muffins out of the cups and arrange on a platter. Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar and serve with the syrup.

Make Ahead Tips

You can make the batter up to 2 hours ahead through the step of folding in the beaten egg whites. Refrigerate it, covered, in its bowl. Do not portion it into muffin tins until you’re ready to bake.