blue artichoke

Sorry I don't have much to report on kosher deliciousness. I know it's been awhile and you'd think I'd have great recipes to post for you and your kosher friends, or those of you just hedging your bets against God's wrath. You'd be wrong.

I will be quite honest and say I'd love to have a chicken pot pie, but the one I make from scratch requires both meat (chicken) and dairy (cream... in the treyf cream of chicken soup). Alas, it will not be made in our household. Really craving it, though.

I did, however, make a delicious cheddar potato soup for the last throws of winter. It was very tasty, and very filling. However, it didn't make enough. Also, I like cheese, so it was extra cheesy.

A note on kosher hard cheeses:

DEFINITELY look for the hekhsher mark on cheese if it's a hard cheese (cheddar is a good example). A lot of hard cheeses use a byproduct of meat to render them into their hard shapes, and that's a no-no under Kashrut. Cabot Cheeses are certified kosher by the Orthodox Union and feature their hekhsher and are good to use.

Cheddar Potato Soup

I boiled the potatoes with a pareve beef boullion cube thrown in. It was a big sucker, too, but really gave it a bit of extra flavor that I think otherwise would have been missing. Next time I will probably use two of those cubes, because I liked it. I also didn't add any salt, because I'm just not a fan.

5 peeled and cubed red potatoes
3 tablespoons melted kosher butter
1 small onion, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
3 cups milk
2 cups shredded kosher Cheddar cheese

Using a medium sized stock pot boil potatoes and cook until tender. Drain, reserving 1 cup liquid.

In same pot, melt butter and onion, cooking until soft. Gradually stir in potatoes, reserved liquid, milk, and cheese. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring frequently.

It was quite tasty, reheated well, and really fought off winter's nasty reality check. Make sure when reheating that you only use the stove, and reheat slowly. No microwaving!

In other news, my office is moving, which is causing undue stress on my fragile psyche. I'm glad we're moving -- not that Chelsea's a bad place or anything, but I'm going to enjoy walking or riding my bike to work. For bad weather days, I'll enjoy taking the bus. I already gave up my parking space there for a bit of extra pay, so I'm forcing this onto myself. At 3.5 miles, it's not a big help in the exercise department if I ride my bike. Walking is a slightly different story. But whatever... we'll be in a nice new office with nice furniture and I am materialistic and work better in such environments.

Hooray for the company move!

Getting to Know All About You: Right about now, you're probably craving something you gave up for Lent. What is it?

Posted by Red Momo, aka the Kosher Gentile at 08:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Air travel is such a hassle, even when I don't self-sabotage. This morning, on a whim, I decided to unpack my laptop to see if I could print out my boarding pass. Lucky I did, because I discovered that my outbound flight was from Kansas City. I had booked a shuttle to the St. Louis airport. Embarrassing, but even moreso because I did the same thing last year. I had already missed the shuttle to Kansas City, most car rentals places were closed, and the one open was sold out of cars for the day. So, I drove myself, which actually turned out to be the cheapest option anyway. En route to the airport, I got a message from my mom that she was bumped from her first flight, so wouldn't make it to Cancun tonight as planned. Now, sitting in the terminal in the KC airport, I just heard an announcement that my flight is also overbooked and they're requesting people to give up their seats. I don't see anyone rushing to the podium to give up their seats. Hmmm. I hope I make it!

In other news, I ate lunch at McDonald's. I thought it would be great, because I actually like their double cheeseburger, and I've had very little fast food in the past 29 days. It was kind of gross. I ate it because it was my best option for food for several hours, but now I feel greasy and dirty, in addition to the violation I endured passing through security. On the plus side, the KC airport has wifi, so I can blog and surf for the next two hours!

Getting to Know All About You: What is your most horrible travel story?

Posted by Blue Artichoke at 01:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In the spirit of St. Patrick's Day, Wandering Gullet takes us to Ireland. Our meal was very brown: steak and onion pie with Irish soda bread. The soda bread is interesting because it relies on baking soda for leavening. No yeast means no proofing and minimal kneading. And the steak and onion pie is pretty much a steak pot pie. It's good, hearty food, perfect for a chilly day with surprise snow; not perfect for an evening busy with packing and tying up loose ends before I leave the country for two weeks. This dinner took a long time to prepare and cook.

Steak and Onion Pie

I purchased a crust for the top; I couldn’t find the roll-out or folded kind, so I got a pie shell in an aluminum tin plate and just sort of flattened it out. Also, there was way too much to fit into a 9” pan. I just left it in the Dutch oven (1 less dish to clean too!) and put the pastry crust on top of the bubbling filling. Needs lots more salt before adding the crust top. Cooks a long time, but is really good.

1 large onion, sliced
1/3 cup shortening
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1-1/2 teaspoons ground allspice
1-1/2 pounds boneless round steak, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 cups boiling water
1-1/2 cups diced peeled potatoes
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup frozen peas
Pie pastry (9 to 10 inches)

In a Dutch oven, lightly brown onion in shortening.

Meanwhile, combine flour, salt, pepper, ginger and allspice in a plastic bag. Place meat cubes in the bag, a few pieces at a time, and shake well to coat.

Remove onion and set aside. Brown beef on all sides. Add water; cover and simmer for 1 hour or until meat is tender, stirring occasionally. Add potatoes and carrots; cover and cook for 10 minutes. Stir in peas and continue cooking until all vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Spoon meat mixture into a 9-in. square baking pan.

Roll pastry out to a 10-in. square; place over meat mixture and seal edges to pan. Cut several small steam vents in crust. Bake at 450° for 25-30 minutes or until pastry is browned.

Yield: 6-8 servings.

Mummy's Brown Soda Bread

I measured the flours by weight, but had to add almost another cup of flour to make even a sticky dough. It was really messy to make, but easy once I added lots more flour. Great with butter and strawberry jam!

2 cups all-purpose flour (about 9 ounces)
2 cups whole wheat flour (about 9 1/2 ounces)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups buttermilk
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 450°.

Lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flours, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl; stir with a whisk. Make a well in center of mixture. Add buttermilk to flour mixture; stir until blended (dough will be sticky).

Turn dough out onto a generously floured surface; knead lightly 4 to 5 times. Shape dough into an 8-inch round loaf; place on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Cut a 1/4-inch-deep X in the top of the dough (called blessing the bread).

Bake at 450° for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 400° (do not remove bread from oven); bake 15 minutes or until loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Cool on a wire rack.

Yield: 1 loaf, 12 servings (serving size: 1 slice)

CALORIES 169 (10% from fat); FAT 1.9g (sat 0.9g,mono 0.1g,poly 0.2g); PROTEIN 6.2g; CHOLESTEROL 6mg; CALCIUM 10mg; SODIUM 355mg; FIBER 3g; IRON 1.7mg; CARBOHYDRATE 32.4g

Cooking Light, MARCH 2007

So, I'm leaving tomorrow for two weeks in Mexico. You probably won't hear from me, because I'll either be cowering in the villa in my bikini or too sunburned to type after falling asleep in my beach chair after downing too many Sols or pina coladas.

Maybe Red Momo will take this opportunity to wrest control of the blog and entertain you with his kosher culinary adventures, embarrassing stories about me, or anything else he feels like typing.

See you in April!

Posted by Blue Artichoke at 09:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Today is the 29th day of being a health nut! I had been hoping to lose five pounds over the course of this 29-day project, and, unless something drastic happens today, I'm two pounds shy of that goal. But I have tightened up a bit, and can see evidence of some arm muscles and back of the thigh (what's that called? hamstring?) muscle. Yesterday, while practicing shaving my legs above the knee in preparation for my trip to Cancun, I noticed that I have defined hamstring muscles, at least, they looked huge as I craned around for a better look. This isn't as great as it may seem, because now it is very clear what part of my leg is muscle, and what, well, isn't. You know, I probably shouldn't be telling you all this, for the next time you see me, you'll be wondering about my hamstrings and trying to get a better look at my haunches. Am I ready for a bikini? I doubt it, but we'll find out in the next two weeks!

The most difficult thing about the past 29 days was fitting an exercise regimen into my daily schedule. However, now it is part of my day, and if I skip it, I feel anxious, out-of-sorts and guilty. I hear that it takes about two weeks for something new to become routine. I'm going on vacation for two weeks, so I'll probably fall out of the daily exercise routine. I hope to get back into it when I return, and to keep practicing food portion control, but I'm looking forward to adding some treats back into my diet.

By the way, happy St. Patty's Day! Because I'll be approaching Mexico at dinnertime tomorrow, I'm making our Wandering Gullet dinner tonight, and it is, of course, Irish. I'll post the recipes and our review later tonight, after dinner. If I remember.

Getting to Know All About You: What one food item could you never give up?

Posted by Blue Artichoke at 03:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

I got back on the horse today, and by horse, I mean fitness program. Maybe I'll start calling the beastly elliptical "the horse," as in, "If you need me, I'll be downstairs on the horse" or "Sorry I missed your call, I was in the basement riding the horse." It doesn't sound nearly as pretentious or smug as "I was in the gym working on my fitness." Anyway, I made it my top priority, and jumped right in immediately following breakfast and my morning internet surfing. It felt good, and I actually had the energy to accomplish a lot today, without feeling nearly as frantic and frenzied as I did yesterday. Guess I worked off all the anxious energy early, and could settle in to getting things done the rest of the day. I took another stab at taxes, this time checking the tax burden if GC and I file jointly, rather than separately. You know, I've concluded that tax preparation is best done late at night with loud music blaring. A glass of wine, beer, or Granny Smith hard apple cider nearby can only help. This time around, the numbers didn't look so bad, but for a true test, GC will have to figure out his individual tax burden. Then we'll know if it's better to stand together or fall alone. My head has been too full of numbers and too empty of recipes. I think I'll go make some chocolate chip cookies. But don't fret, I won't eat any until Sunday!

Getting to Know All About You: What country do you most want to visit?
Getting to Know All About You, part 2: Who believes that I'll wait until Sunday (i.e., the day after the 29 Days of Being a Health Nut) to eat the cookies?

Posted by Blue Artichoke at 10:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

I'm a terrible health nut this week. Sunday, I was too busy to do yoga. Monday and Tuesday I did my cardio exercise, but, you know, things came up and I ran out of time or opportunity to do my weight-lifting workouts. And today, I didn't do anything physical, unless running up and down the stairs to the basement fifty times counts (it doesn't). Today is the day I set aside to do my taxes. Last year, I started my own business, so taxes this year were more complicated, and I got so convoluted with numbers, dates, and deductions that I actually ended up measuring the dimensions of my house with a tape measure to calculate home office percentages. Ugh. After spending almost five hours sorting through tax crap, I erased my return and started all over. I finished, mostly, but I don't like the way it ended up, so I might try for a better return later.

I have actually missed my workouts. I hate my weight-lifting workouts while I'm doing them. I'm pretty sure that if you watched me work out and also watched a hyperactive ADHD kid play after eating lots of candy, we'd have a lot in common. I take lots of little breaks and get sidetracked by distractions. Between reps or sets, I'll go outside to check the mail, straighten a crooked picture, play with Fat Larry, vacuum the rug, fiddle with the radio, or just lay moaning on the floor and curse the cheery instructor on the video or picture in the magazine. I also stop a lot to pull up my shirt and examine my stomach or arms for signs of emerging muscles. Sadly, no stomach muscles yet, but I can start to see a slight bit of definition in my arms if I hold them just right in light that creates a shadow just so. Progress! Last weekend I played disc golf for the first time since last autumn. Though I hadn't played in several months, I could rip a drive much further than I ever could, even when I played fairly often. I attribute that to my new arm muscles. I want to keep up with the weight training, but this week is so hectic. I'm leaving this weekend for Mexico, and there are too many loose ends I need to tie up before I go. Being a health nut should be my top priority; after all, a completed tax return won't make me look good in a bikini.

Getting to Know All About You: Do you do your taxes as soon as possible, or wait until April 14th and scramble to finish?

Posted by Blue Artichoke at 11:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Somehow GC and I started talking about this Wandering Gullet series last weekend, after having several drinks. How many countries had we wandered to? He guessed 5. I guessed 12-15, and started rattling off countries. He fell asleep by the time I got past five countries. I remembered 12, but there actually have been 14 countries, plus a few events (Rosh Hashanah, Thanksgiving). This week's Wandering Gullet is a return to Morocco. I made a Moroccan chicken tagine, after reading in Cook's Illustrated that you don't really need a tagine, a special upside-down cone-shaped pot, to cook Moroccan tagines (like "casserole," tagine is another term that refers to both the food and the cooking dish). A Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid is all you really need.

I had too many things to do yesterday, so dove right in to the recipe when I needed to start dinner. I wish I had read through the directions first. There's a spice blend that you make, which yields ~ 1/2 cup, and of that, you need only 1 t. for the recipe. I would have just added pinches of each of the seven spices; now I've got yet another spice mix in my spice drawer that I probably won't use very much. Shoot! Well, on with the recipe. The rest was easy, though I think the cooking times in this recipe are whack. Cook a can of chicken broth for 30 minutes, uncovered? It would all cook off long before that, so I omitted that step and put the pot over medium heat after I removed it from the oven to reduce the liquid a bit. That took just shy of five minutes.

And I didn't like it, not at all. I thought the chicken tasted funny, off. It must have been the spice blend, but I like all of the spices I used. There weren't any unusual ingredients to give it a funny flavor. I ate my couscous and gave my chicken tagine to GC, who really liked it. I'll give you the recipe because he liked it so much, but I want it noted that I thought it was gross.

Moroccan Chicken Tagine

I omitted the raisins because we ate them all as snacks last week. I think the dish would have been better with raisins, but I don't know that they could have saved it. Now that I'm a health nut, we eat a lot of raisins. I also used boneless, skinless chicken thighs, which were just fine. If you don't want to add a new spice blend to your spice rack, just add a pinch of each spice to the onions. I used 1 + 1/2 very large, huge, actually, onions, which might have been less than the 8 cups called for, but produced quite a lot of onion slices. I didn't think the problem with this dish was a lack of onions. Keep an eye on the time, especially when cooking the onions. If you cook them the full 25 minutes, watch the heat to make sure they don't burn. And after adding the broth, keep a close eye that all the liquid doesn't cook off and leave you with a mess of scorched and spicy onions. Or, omit this step and return the pot to the stove when you remove it from the oven, and simmer over med heat for ~5 minutes to reduce the liquid. I hope you like it more than I did.

5 teaspoons cumin seeds
5 teaspoons coriander seeds
2 1/2 teaspoons whole allspice
5 teaspoons ground nutmeg
2 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 1/4 teaspoons ground red pepper
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon olive oil
8 cups vertically sliced onion (about 2 pounds)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 (10 1/2-ounce) can low-salt chicken broth
1/4 cup raisins
4 chicken thighs (about 2 pounds), skinned
1 (15 1/2-ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained
4 cups hot cooked couscous

Place first 3 ingredients in a spice or coffee grinder; process until finely ground. Combine cumin mixture, nutmeg, ginger, red pepper, and cinnamon; set aside.

Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and salt; cover and cook 10 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon cumin mixture, sugar, and black pepper; cover and cook 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375°.

Add broth, and cook, uncovered, 30 minutes. Add raisins, chicken, and chickpeas; cover and bake chicken mixture at 375° for 30 minutes. Serve with couscous.

Note: Store remaining cumin mixture in an airtight container for up to 6 months.
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 chicken thigh, about 2/3 cup onion mixture, and 1 cup couscous)

CALORIES 543 (13% from fat); FAT 7.6g (sat 1.7g,mono 2.4g,poly 2.1g); PROTEIN 31.1g; CHOLESTEROL 58mg; CALCIUM 121mg; SODIUM 548mg; FIBER 10g; IRON 5.5mg; CARBOHYDRATE 91.6g

Cooking Light, NOVEMBER 1997

Posted by Blue Artichoke at 10:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Yesterday was an interesting day. I ran into Marvin (occasionally his real name), the neighborhood lonely old man who roams around town telling jokes ("Did you hear today's weather forecast for Mexico, MO? Chilly today, hot tamale!") and two anti-neo-Nazi rallies. Members of the National Socialist Movement held a rally/march to protest the Marxism at the University of Missouri. I'm not sure if the group was made up of locals or neo-Nazi tourists, but I suspect a little bit of both. I missed the march, but downtown was overrun with folks wearing Nazi-buster t-shirts and carrying "Not in Our Town" signs. I thought it ironic that the Nazi-busters gathered together to celebrate tolerance and diversity by shouting down and confronting people with ideas contrary to their own, but I kept those thoughts to myself and just enjoyed the festiveness and excitement. Then, as if that weren't enough to call it a worthwhile day, last night GC and I went to see TV on the Radio, one of my favorite bands. The opening band, Subtle, was pretty cool too, especially because the front man rattled off bits of trivia between songs. A night of entertainment and education is a success; a night of rum and diet Coke is a resounding success. A few of those, and I was mighty glad that I had already made breakfast for this morning.

Honey Banana Muffins

Taste of Home

These muffins are pretty good and fairly healthy. I cut down on the nutmeg, just adding a pinch, because nutmeg and I are not great friends. I also used fewer raisins, but only because I ate most of them earlier in the week as a snack with peanuts. Though the recipe says it makes 14 muffins, it actually made 12 small-to-medium-sized muffins. These certainly aren't the greatest muffins in the world, or even ones you'd gush over and bake right away to take in to the office, but if you're trying to eat healthy, these are a good way to go.

1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 to 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup mashed ripe banana (1 to 2 medium)
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
6 tablespoons honey
1/2 cup golden raisins

In a large bowl, combine the first five ingredients. Combine the eggs, banana, applesauce and honey; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in the raisins.

Coat muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray; fill two-thirds full with batter. Bake at 375° for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.

Yield: 14 muffins. (Actually, only 12).

Posted by Blue Artichoke at 09:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Week 3 of the 29 Days of Being a Health Nut is coming to a close. Are you guys as tired of this as I am? Whew! Actually, I feel good about this week, much better than stupid last week. My workouts are a bit easier as my stamina is improving. I have to work much harder to achieve the state of a shaking puddle of sweat, so I've got that going for me. I think my workout music has something to do with it. I created a new playlist, taken largely from Fitness Magazine's Top 100 Workout Songs. I had to delete some songs from my playlist -- Coldplay just doesn't get the legs pumping or the heart pounding. I tend to keep pace with the music, so when a ballad comes on the mix, I lose all momentum. My favorite song is "Fat Bitches" by 50 Cent. The background chorus of "Fat Fat!" and the encouragement for the fatty in question to go faster on the stairmaster gives me the extra oomph I need to pick up my pace, so I won't also become a fat bitch. The problem with all these club songs is that they make me throw my hands in the air and wiggle my hips, a precarious feat while perched upon a beastly elliptical. After a week or so of practice, though, I've invented a whole new fitness system -- Danciptical. It's fun to do, but probably awkward to watch. Low ceilings are especially problematic, but it's an adaptive fitness system.

Getting to Know All About You: What's your favorite workout song?

Posted by Blue Artichoke at 11:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Last weekend was True/False, our town's film festival. GC and I went to the closing movie on Sunday night, American Shopper. It hasn't been released for distribution yet, so won't be playing in a theater near you for a while, but when it does, see it. I laughed throughout the movie, several times to the point of tears. It was filmed here in Columbia, MO, and chronicles the first national championship of a new sport, aisling. Hilarious. Anyway, we were laughing into our popcorn Sunday night instead of eating some foreign delicacy, so the Wandering Gullet got pushed back a day. Then, Monday, the universe conspired against my health nut workout. I prevailed, but only at the expense of our Wandering Gullet dinner, which got pushed back another night. Finally, Tuesday night, we had Køttbullar and Risgrynskaka, otherwise known as Swedish meatballs and rice pudding. Both of these recipes came from a Norwegian cookbook, but I assume that, being neighbors and fellow Scandinavian countries, the Norwegian version of Swedish food is much more accurate than, say, the Chinese version of Mexican food. What sets Swedish meatballs apart from "regular" meatballs is the seasoning; nutmeg and allspice make it taste just like Sweden.

Some of you might raise an eyebrow at my inclusion of the rice pudding and question my commitment to being a health nut. Calm down, and listen to my justifications. Last week was difficult being a health nut because I felt so deprived of everything good, and cheated big time. This week, I'm trying something new: allowing myself a small treat at the end of the day - a chocolate truffle, a few dark-chocolate coated almonds, a small portion of rice pudding. And it works! I'm able to avoid all temptations throughout the day, knowing I have a treat waiting for me later. So, back off! Jeez.

Swedish Meatballs (Køttbullar)

Munsen, Sylvia. Cooking the Norwegian Way. Minneapolis: Lerner Publications, 1982.

I halved the recipe, for we are but two mouths and stomachs to fill. I also used homemade whole-grain whole-wheat bread (no Wonder bread for a health nut!). I served the meatballs with the gravy, egg noodles and peas. I liked the meatballs a lot. The spices, to me, are holiday spices, so this would be a great dish to be served in November or December, though it's great in March too!

4 slices white bread
¾ c. hot milk
2# ground beef
½# ground pork
2 eggs, beaten
¼ t. nutmeg
¼ t. pepper
1/8 t. allspice
½ c. chopped onion
2 t. salt
2 t. shortening

Brown meatballs in 2 t. hot shortening, ~2 minutes per side. Reduce heat to low, cover pan, and simmer 8 minutes. Remove meatballs and pour off fat, saving drippings in skillet for gravy.

Swedish gravy:
1 c. light cream
1 T. cornstarch
2 T. cold water

Add cream to drippings in the skillet.

Blend cornstarch and water. Add to skillet mixture. Stir over moderate heat until mixture comes to a boil. If necessary, season with s/p. Serve gravy with meatballs.

Serves 10.

Swedish Rice Pudding (Risgrynskaka)

Munsen, Sylvia. Cooking the Norwegian Way. Minneapolis: Lerner Publications, 1982.

I also halved this recipe; this makes large portions. I've never made rice pudding before, and haven't eaten it very often, so I don't know what it is supposed to look/taste like. We made it once at the restaurant

Posted by Blue Artichoke at 10:41 AM | Permalink