Eat your Brussels sprouts. Fine, I'll eat them.

I can understand why most people don't enjoy the noble Brussel sprout. The miniature cabbage-like little brains freaked me out too until a couple of years ago. They're small, and people are wary of small vegetables, I find. Americans especially dislike anything remotely small. Tragically we were all mistaken, and before we learned the truth the Brussels sprout got a bad rap (thank the 1950's housewife for this). So if you think you hate them, think again and realize that you just have no idea how to cook, that you're now in the minority. The BS is back to take over your table and you won't be unhappy.

Like other rich leafy greens from this vegetable family, BS (no bull) contain cancer-fighting properties, so you'll save your life (theoretically) by consuming more of them. What's not to love about that?! Since they are growing in popularity in recent years, the BS is being seen quite consistently in stores. You can find them by the bulk, frozen, trimmed and pre-bagged to name a few. ... Actually that might be it. BUT it's a good variety. There are, in response, a number of ways to cook these tasty gems.

Our favorite is roasting...with bacon... Seriously it's so easy and so good, and not just because of the added pork element. When you buy the b. sprouts, get fresh ones either bagged or in bulk. Grab 8oz-1lb, trim the bottoms and any yucky spots, then half or quarter them depending on the size, the bigger ones you might want to quarter. What they hay, quarter them all! Toss them with salt pepper and a little olive oil, or other oil (the oil is just for crisp factor and no stick), as well as 2-4 pieces of bacon raw and chopped. You could also use pancetta...yum.

Put in an oven safe dish into an oven which you have heated to 375 degrees for 10 min, then give them a toss... not with your hands because they will be hot. Silly, use a spoon, we've been over this. Let 'em cook for another 10-15 min, and don't worry about the little leaves that fall off, those get crunchy and gorgeous and you will eat them all before your guests even see the serving bowl. If they need a little more time to get crispy let'em have it. You want the crisp factor. Try also subbing the bacon, and sprinkling with a little lemon zest, or Parmesan cheese, or garlic breadcrumbs. Or sauté till crispy with similar ingredients. IF you steam them, don't do it for longer than 5-6 minutes. You will be sorry.

Here's the real secret to cooking Brussels sprouts... don't boil or steam them to death. Just don't kill them, and they will thank you, and you will thank you, and everyone on the face of the culinary planet will thank you. I mean, who wants to eat mush? Except babies, and mainly because they don't have a whole lot of choices in the matter. Water means less flavor and less vitamin content, which means not only will you have a flavorless meal, but you'll likely suffer an early demise. That's right.

When I'm on the road, b.sprouts are a good quick vegetable that make me feel as if I'm not eating out of a hotel room kitchen. They are classy and tasty. And well worth getting over the crap that your dad said about them when you were a kid. I mean, really, how often do you agree with him anyway?

Sardines (POST Eating)

So we didn't die. I marinated the little headless-wonders in garlic and fresh herbs with a little lemon zest and olive oil. Grilled to bronzed perfection they were quite nice! The Husband was perturbed by the bones (as quite honestly so was I) and kept saying, "I might get punctured."

The bones, I was told, were supposed to be cooked out... they weren't. And one can only assume that I have more calcium than I did this time yesterday. But the fish were crispy skinned and yummy.

I paired them with an eggplant pesto pasta, which in retrospect was not that right flavor combo for the same plate. We made the eggplant pesto by roasting a whole eggplant with an onion some garlic cloves and cherry tomatoes. The pureeing it in the processor adding some olive oil, a little red wine vinegar. I made it a couple of hours ahead, then when the pasta was almost done I spooned the right amount of eggplant mixture into a sauté pan and added a little ricotta and some Romano cheese, a little pasta water and heated it through. Then I poured in the orecchiette (because I first had this dish in Bari), turned off the heat and tossed in a little chopped basil. It was great! but not exactly right. If anyone has a recipe like this I'd love to know it. We had it originally at La Cecchina restaurant in Bari and it's one of the great food memories.

So that's that. Next up: squid.... They are frozen in the freezer right now... and I have to pull out their eyes and stuff.

Sardines (Pre-cooking)

Okay, so I haven't cooked them yet but I need some therapy. I just beheaded and gutted my very first fish. All those fish previous to this have already been done for me, in the sense that I didn't have to do any of the actual work apart from cooking them... But then came Sardines.

There's been a lot of hoopla about sardines in recent years. Probably for a number of reasons not excluding that sardines are high in Omega3s, a renewable-fish-resource, they're yummy... Apparently the best in the US come from California. I got mine from a fish guy on Howard who I'm not sure I trust, and therefore not sure that I trust the fish, but they were frozen and looked alright for the most part.

Here might be my first mistake... Find a fish guy you trust, especially living in the midwest. I mean, most seafood that we eat today has been previously flash frozen on the boat from which it was caught. SO really ALL seafood you see at Whole-Paycheck is from a frozen status. That's right. FROZEN. The only place you can get real fresh seafood is on the coast...and sometimes not even then, so swallow your pride and just get the frozen stuff.

So we're going to assume I have confidence in my neighbor fish guy. These puppies actually look okay! I took them out of their bag and thawed them in the sink under cool water. I think I've mentioned before that I have no patience for letting things thaw slowly... probably yet another mistake. Whatever. So the fish are in the sink and they are looking at me. This is not fun. I have to behead them and remove their entrails. YUCK.

And so I took one and chopped off it's head.... and I screamed.

So basically no one told me how much gunk there is inside a fish. I mean I knew they had to have working bits inside... All the red stuff though. ugh. One site told me I had to use my fingers to get the entrails out. No. No no no. No way. I used a knife. If you ever want to eat fish again do not use your fingers. It's gross. I used a knife and then pulled out what I could, sliced them down the belly to scrape the rest and now...

They actually look quite pretty. I'm quite pleased. Oh yeah, so we're grilling them tonight. I'll send word how they are. If this is my last posting, you'll know I have died from something fish related. Go find the fish guy on Howard and chew him out please.

We got crabs.

On a job in rural Virginia with Lorin Maazel. Sometimes we need to escape the farm, and what better way to do this than to get us some crabs. Not necessarily the kind your health care professional thinks about but the tasty critters from the sea.

Being so close to Maryland the home of crab cakes, it's only natural to find the critters not only in cake form but in the natural steamed state. As in still within the shell and the guts there enclosed. These little guys, Blue Crabs by the common name, are plentiful around here as well as in the gulf of Mexico. And while they are fun to play with ala puppeteering post steam, they are equally exciting to eat.

The night we went to Blue Ridge Seafood outside Gainesville, VA several of us opted for the steamed crabs by the dozen. Saturated in Old Bay seasoning, clarified butter on the side. Then you get into the cleaning, or the "picking" as some define it. You pull off the male defining appendage with the assistance of a knife, then separate the top shell from the bottom meat and cartilage. Scoop out the guts and pick out the lungs which look like pointy sponges then you're left with two sides of body cartilage and legs, and the meat there in. Then get it out using any means you like. My favorite trick on the legs is rolling the cracker from small end to big like a steam roller to get out all the yummy crabby leg-ness. It will be messy, you will get butter all over your clothes, you will be dirty when you are finished. But you will be full and have eaten with such purpose and accomplishment, the satisfaction will be two-fold.

We also had a kickin' Lobster Bisque. In reality (or maybe my false reality) I could have eaten a gallon of that concoction. You definitely have to try it.

Rice is nice

Risotto is the Italian word for “little rice,” coming from a country prevalent in pasta, holds its own as some pretty substantial stuff. The dish comes primarily from the north of Italy, where rice patties can grow without the harsher sun of the southern regions, it is perfect Italian-alternate for people with wheat-gluten allergies and even follows ye olde cliché, “It’s not the size that counts, it’s how you use it.” Having just made a batch a couple of days ago, I feel compelled to share…

Basics. When making risotto you MUST use a short grain rice, such as Arborio (probably the most commonly used in the US). Uncle Ben is not welcome, so please don’t invite him. If he comes everyone will feel awkward, and you don’t want that do you? Long-grain Ben doesn’t have enough of the right starches to create that oh so creamy texture. The simplest risotto has broth and some kid of grated cheese like parm or romano. But here’s the way I like to do it…

FRIST: get a tall cool drink of any sort and be prepared to stand at the stove for the entire cooking process. It will make you happier to have a friend to talk with, or if you have no one (aka alone) consider good music or a podcast. You may NOT leave the stove once you have started. Don’t forget to use the restroom first too…

This recipe is for 1 cup of dry risotto, serves maybe 4 people. To start, finely chop (dare I say mince) a shallot. While you, or your beloved, are handling the knifery, gently heat one tablespoon each of butter and olive oil in a large-ish sauté pan. I think ours is about 12 inches, but I really have no idea. If you are British and don’t know what a tablespoon is, just melt what you think looks good, you cannot go wrong with too much butter. Toss in the dry rice and gently toast till it starts to have a little color. (People say that it should smell nutty, but what does that mean? Nuts? It’s rice, it smells like toasted rice.) About half way through the toasting, maybe 3 min in, add in the chopped shallot. You can also throw in some whole fresh herbs at this point, we use thyme.

Add one cup of white wine and stir. Now here’s the thing. From this point on you can’t stop stirring. You have begun to incorporate the liquid and magical things are happening, if you let the mixture sit…well I have to say I have no idea what happens because I don’t like to waste food that way. But feel free to experiment, and waste your money. After the cup of wine has reduced a little begin to add hot chicken broth or stock one half cup at a time and reduce. Have ready at least 4 cups, it varies how much you will need. Keep stirring, are you stirring? Once you get down to about one cup of liquid left, give a taste test, is the rice still crunchy? Is it bland? If you don’t know how to fix these problems you are a silly duck. Add more broth or salt if needed. Watch the salt content though, we’re gonna add some cheese at the end and cheese’s salty too! Once the rice is perfectly al-dente fish out the herbage, and such. Stir in maybe ¼ cup of Parm, or more. Like butter, cheese is to taste.

Variations, like mushroom risotto, are always fun. With mushrooms though, brown them in the pan first before toasting the rice. Remove them, then add them back in with the liquid. Other veggies, you can add in the last 5 min of cooking, such as peas, diced zucchini, tomatoes, asparagus…sky’s the limit. Or add grilled chicken shredded, or scallops… Try subbing the white for red wine and use beef stock… be daring! And the next time you order risotto while out at dinner, remember the slaving over the stove that had to happen for those little grains of rice.

Oatmeal, eh?

Simple, some say boring, sold in bulk, instant-fied, fortified, hearty, oaty, oatmeal. We have been eating different forms of oats since childhood, in granola, cookies, and the bowl. Lately I have been told at least once a week by my mother to eat them, I've told the husband to eat them, and my colleague down the hall has bought them in bulk and eats them probably daily. Why? Probably because these notey-oaty gems are packed with good stuff, and they are a cheap quick way to begin YOUR DAY! (insert commercialized muzak here)

I have never been an oatmeal person until recently. Sure I'd eat the odd packet at a desk job, we have a giant container at home sporting the giant white haired man in our upper cabinet in the kitchen, but I've never been a fan until Irish Steel Cut Oatmeal. I capitalize it because it's important. And it's the best.

The difference is that while rolled oats oatmeal can be mushy and have a mouth feel of baby food, Irish steel cut versions are like more yummy version of grape nuts, because, well, they're not grape-nuts. Kind of like if grape-nuts and regular oatmeal had a baby. They have a lightly al dente texture, with all the oatmeal creaminess. A perfect warming breakfast. Trader Joe's has a version, but my favorite is McCann's. These brands are instant, and usually take around 5 minutes to make. Honestly, there's no real health benefit to eating one type over the other, the rolled oats are flattened versions of the steel cut. But for me the texture is a huge plus.

Lately I've been having them with sliced strawberries, cream and brown sugar. Decadent and healthy... except for the cream part... feel free to leave that out. The real message is if you hate eating oatmeal because of the boring texture try these. You might want to eat oatmeal over an entire pack of bacon.

Chilam Balam!

As my final dinner "at-home", in Chicago in anycase, the husband and I went to Chilam Balam last night on Broadway in Lakeview. If you have not had a chance to go here, you should. The weekends are bustling and very busy. I'd reccomend, as did a staff member, coming on a Monday if you want immediate seating. We arrived at 6 and were granted a 45minute wait which we spent at the bar next door.

There isn't a whole lot of room to move around in Chilam Balam, the tables in close quarters in the small-ish basement establishment. And a passer by might even completely miss the signage out front. But once you do sit down and taste the food, small and larger plates, all the searching and waiting will not be in vain. Bring your favorite great wine, no corkage fee, and if you bring a cheap one they even have a sangria mix ready to go for you to pour your awful vintage into to try and make it better. From the amazing fresh look of the fruit and juice mix, I'd almost just drink it sans vin.

We ordered several small plates including the ceviche which was a whole mess of fun - without the mess, served with freshly made chips and lime on the side. Unlike some places, which serve it saturated with juices in a liquidy slosh, it was perfectly cured and cleanly presented from a ring mold. You could also taste every veggie that accompanied - especially the cucumbers which were extra yummy.

Another great dish was the duck tamale, topped with a mole negro. The corn taste in the masa was incredible and the shredded duck was tasty tasty. Topped with a refreshing celery root slaw and crunchy nuts it was a perfect combination of bitter and sweet, comforting flavors.

We also decided to get a larger plate and chose the "airline" chicken, which was so far from something you get on an airline. The dish drew us into it's smoky and sweet medly. The butternut squash mole was a perfect compliment, making a lighter statement than one would think. But my favorite part of this plate was the braised greens, which were bitter and wonderful. Honestly, how many times do you order a chicken dish when you're out?? This one should not be missed!

For dessert we had to get the Hibiscus flan, and while it was a bit thicker than you traditionally think of flan being, it made a nice close to the meal, and they comped us their GREAT Oaxacan hot chocolate, which the husband couldn't put down. I'd recommend reservations and it's not great for really large groups, but you have to get to this place. The chef, while on 23, is a cool cat and really knows what he's doing!

Cassoulet Day 3 - the Conclusion!

We shopped, we cooked we conquered.

Honestly the best thing about cassoulet is that on the last day, all you do is bake it to reheat it and form the top crust. That being said, Bourdain's Cassoulet is a little untraditional, actually since, it has no breadcrumb top, and the overwhelming presence of the beans - too many in my opinion. But the meat was amazing and tender and tasty.

We had a few friends over to sample the goods, and the wine did floweth! We started the night with little cucumber canapés with a lemon creme fraiche and black roe topping with a prosecco. Then we started the dinner portion with a roasted beet salad over frisee with an orange vinnegrette and feta, paired with a Côtes du Rhône rose. Following that we had the cassoulet, heaping plates for all - a really dry red is perfect, and we chose a nice Bordeaux. Dessert was the husband's amazing lemon tart also from Bourdain's book with a great muscato.

Though it was a fun evening, it will be a while till we make it again. Cassoulet is more work than you think (especially if you confit the duck yourself!), and it takes a lot of funds to make this meal. Everyone should try to make something like this, especially if you don’t have to be the head chef!

Cassoulet Days 1 and 2

I have been pushed from the kitchen. The husband has forbade me to have a primary hand in one of the greatest dishes ever. Cassoulet. He is he master of this creation and not I. And it might be slowly festering inside me, but I am making do as the prep and sous chef - even though he has taken away my cleaning duties as well...

If you'd like to follow along, we're making Bourdain's recipe from the Les Halles book. It's full of meat and wonderment. If you have never eaten cassoulet, or seen it, or heard of the thing, it is a one pot deal featuring as much meat as possible. Basically, it's white beans cooked in a dish lined with pork skin, with alternating layers of pork belly, duck confit, and pork sausage. That being said you can add whatever kind of meat you'd like, though this is traditional. The porkier the better. And the white beans make it healthy!

We began this dish with a three day plan, day one (Friday) was pretty simple, all we had to do was soak the beans over night and then salt the duck legs which were to be confit in the morning. We spent the time before starting the festivities with shopping. Off to Gene's in Lincoln Square for the ordering of the belly and skin to be picked up in the morning, as well as the duck legs.

We ended up soaking about 1/3 as many beans as we needed and awoke to them pouring out onto the kitchen counter. Then it was off to Paulina Market for the duck fat and the rest of the ingredients for our Sunday feast!

When we got home, the husband covered the duck in the liquid fat, along with rosemary, thyme and some garlic, and cooked it in the over at 375 for two hours (longer than the recipe asked, since our legs are actually quarters), the cooled it in the fridge. He then simmered the beans with pieces of the skin and fat as well as the belly, cooking the beans and creating a luscious broth. While that was cooking he fried the pork sausage in some of the reserved duck fat, and after used the remaining to brown onions and a few pieces of remaining fat from the belly which were pureed following the browning.

Once all the parts were sliced and diced and simmered, then came the layering. In the bottom of a large oven safe pot or dutch oven went skin first, then beans, the sausages, beans, pork belly, beans, duck confit, and more beans along with a dollop of the onion puree in each layer. Presently they are in the oven, and have to cook another hour. After they will sit over night in the fridge and have another session of cooking tomorrow!!!

As the sous chef, I don't see why I have to stay up and wait for them to finish their time in the oven tonight. Technically, I'm on vacation for another few days, so I'm heading to bed.