[TRY} Tuesday Tryzzies: Roasted Butternut Squash

I made this last night and decided it needed to be shared.  It's hard to find vegetarian recipes that are filling, full of flavor and satisfy my meat-and-potatoes-man, so when I do, it's worthy of a share. Give it a tryzzie. 

[recipe] Roasted Butternut Squash with Kale and Almond Pecan Parmesan, from Oh She Glows

1 medium sized butternut squash
2 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 Tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley (I keep in the freezer so I always have on hand!)
1/2 Tbsp EVOO
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 cup de-stemmed and roughly chopped Lacinato kale

Almond Pecan Parmesan "cheese" 
1/4 cup almonds
1/4 cup pecans (or walnuts, whatever you have on hand)
1 Tbsp nutritional yeast (if you don't have, use Parmesan)
1/8 tsp sea salt
1 tsp EVOO

Preheat oven to 400F and lightly grease a casserole dish with cooking spray. 

Peel the squash, cut lengthwise, remove the seeds and guts and chop two halves into 1-inch chunks and place into casserole dish. Note: it's fairly time consuming to peel and chop a raw butternut squash, look for it in the grocery store already peeled and chopped. Add garlic, parsley, oil and salt into casserole dish, stir until well combined with the squash. Bake at 400F for about 45 minutes, or until squash is tender. 

Meanwhile, process the Parmesan ingredients together until chunky - keep chunky for texture.  I used a emulsion blender for minimal clean up and it worked great. 

After about 45 mins, remove squash from the oven.  Stir in the kale ad Parmesan mixture with the squash.  Season to taste.  Bake for another 5-8 minutes, until kale crisps and nuts toast.  Remove and serve. 

Great left over and with your hot sauce of choice - or try my homemade Sriracha.

{TRY} Homemade Srira-chooo!

Hi. My name is Laura and I have a problem. I need hot sauce. I want sauce. I don't enjoy breakfast anymore without it. I design dinners around it's ability to be slathered with it. I push it on dinner guests and worry going to friends homes for fear they won't have any. How could I ever, possibly eat those roasted sweet potatoes or fish tacos or [insert nearly any food item that I probably think is tasteless sans hot sauce] without some of that fiery, sometimes sweet sauce?! I have a serious addiction...that I'm completely content with.

When I came across the Sriracha recipe on Nom Nom Paleo I immediately emailed my friend Andrew who grows his own ghost chilis --you know voted by Guinness Book of World Records as hottest chili in the world?! He's crazy and every time he uses them in food (I believe stubbornly) he nearly has to fumigate his apartment. So I knew he'd be into this experiment. Mere red jalapeños, pssshaaah.

We all recognize Sriracha by the clear bottle and green cap filled with bright red sauce. Originally a thai-born hot sauce, Huy Fong Foods popularized the rooster sauce in the U.S and it's been having a good past few years. You can't walk into a pho, thai or really any Asian restaurant without it prominently positioned center of table. What I love about the life-line, I mean condiment, is the subtle tangy and sweet.

After finding a recipe that included a bit of sweet, we came up with our own version, adapted from the Nom Nom Paleo recipe.

{recipe} Hot&Sweet Rooster Sauce
1 1/2 pounds fresh red jalapeño peppers, stemmed and seeded
8 garlic cloves, peeled and mashed
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons tomato paste
3 tablespoons agave (add more to taste)
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

Task one: Find red jalapeño peppers.  Lucky for me I live in a neighborhood strongly populated by Latins so we found them at a Latin market, however most standard grocery stores do not have them.

Once you find them, wash, cut off the stems and seed them.  Be careful not to touch your eyes or nose when handeling these peppers!

Mash the garlic and be generous depending on your love for garlic. Put everything into a food processor.  Depending on how chunky or smooth you want the sauce, puree it longer/shorter.  Do not attempt to use an emulsion blender as a short cut.  We did and the result was a pathetic blend and potent, stingy fumes.  Ah-choo!

Pour the puree into a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. 

As soon as it boils, reduce to low to medium heat to simmer for 5-10 minutes, until the foam subsides.  Stir occasionally and taste.  At this point I did a side-by-side comparison to Sriracha out of the bottle and decided I wanted a little more sweet, so we added a bit more agave. 

We used a food processor so the result was a bit chunkier than traditional Sriracha.  If you prefer a smoother sauce, use a juicer.

{SEE} Tom Colicchio tweeted at me. That's all.

@girlsgottaeatdc see you there

— Tom Colicchio (@tomcolicchio) February 14, 2013

{EAT} Cashion's Eat Place: Comfort food for the adventurous

For me a good restaurant starts with food and ends with hospitality.  What got me in the door 7 years ago to the Adam's Morgan anchor, Cashion's Eat Place, was the food.  Since, the knowledgable staff, chef's focus on good, local product and Cheer's-like atmosphere has kept me coming back. So naturally, I spent Valentine's Day at my neighborhood restaurant.  Three, count them three, of the items I ordered were heart shaped! Overkill? I think not.  

The blini with Skuna Bay dill-cured salmon accompanied the 4 Blue Point oysters I quickly slurped down to start.  The "Hearts of Hearts" as chef called it moo'ed across from me as my boyfriend picked away at the spicy beef tartar.  If you look close enough you'll notice the heart-shaped crispy potatoes. Nbd. And to top it off, two heart-shaped espresso-hazelnut pralines flanked a chocolate mousse that we ended with.  

 I ordered the Ecofriendly Foods (organic, pasture raised, hormone-free) pork loin which sat on top of red sauerkraut.  The pork was cook medium and moist.  The sauerkraut didn't stand up to the pork lacking robust flavors.  It didn't matter much since the sweet potato puree paired well. There aren't many restaurants in D.C. that are serving such fresh, organic pork.

While I enjoyed the pork, the veal osso buco was the clear winner of the night. Chef Manolatos' speciality is mediterranean flavors, which explains why this dish really sang.  The veal shredded off the bone to nearly melt in our mouths.  The creamy saffron risotto, also Milanese-style, maintained its structure served alongside the veal. 

There's no doubt I will go back again and again to Cashion's.  Beyond the fact that years of patronage has gotten me to the point where everybody knows my name, the food never fails to be comforting yet adventurous.  The menu changes daily and with the season: I'll be on the lookout for the veal osso buco. 

{TRY} One Very Lucky Hubbie

My friend John shared a photo this morning of what wifey surprised him with for Valentine's Day. How adorbs is that sugar bowl?!

BTW, as soon as I get my hands on the the recipe for the pumpkin-cran bread, I will share.
And the best wife award goes to...

{EAT} {TRY} A Brisket, A Basket

My friends Josh and Lauren Silversteinberg invited us over Friday night for shabbat dinner (read: excuse to make brisket and eat challah).  Every time I say the word brisket, in my head I start singing A Brisket, A Basket to the tune of Ella Fitgerald's A Tisket, A Tasket.  Now I am not one to say no to brisket nor the chance to butcher the first 10 words of the Sheva Brachot blessing that I memorized in 5th grade, so I happily accepted the invitation with a promise to bring good wine. We decided to share a bottle from our Napa 2012 Fall trip: an Alpha Omega 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon.

Lauren is a designer, so whenever she throws dinner parties, her table is impeccably dressed.  I just love these place mats- such a pop of color in the dead of winter!

The brisket was tender, the caramelized onions shined and the celery added great crunch. The brussels sprout salad was the clear winner for me though. Since brussels are a trending food, I'm always looking for a new take.  This Food & Wine slaw combines toasted hazelnuts, pomegranut seeds and raw brussels to make a light, textured, savory salad.  Lauren actually roasted half of the brussels to take away some of the bitter.

[recipe] Brussels Sprout Slaw with Hazelnuts & Pomegranate

1 cup hazelnuts
2 Tbsp. hazelnut oil
2 Tbsp. EVOO
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
2 tsp. dijon mustard
1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
1 pound brussels sprouts, finely shredded
Seeds from one small pomegranate
1 cup shaved Parmigiano cheese

Preheat the over to 350.  In a pie plate, toast hazelnuts until the skins blister, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a kitchen towel to let cool, then rub to remove the skins. Coarsely chop the nuts. 

In a bowl, whisk the hazelnut oil with the EVOO, vinegar, mustard, lemon zest and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Add the shredded brussels sprouts, pomegranate seeds and shaved cheese and toss well.  Serve immediately. ~

Chunky mashed potatoes were served along with challah.  You will soon learn I'm a lonely planet in terms of potatoes - meaning I can do without them (I know).  The challah was from Great Harvest Bread Co. in Rockville. Their menu changes monthly, but challah is a house staple, made fresh daily. It was airy yet dense, with a touch of sweet crust.  One can only assume they made challah french toast with the leftovers.

A-brisket, a-basket
She took my tender brisket
And if she doesn't bring it back
I think that I shall die. 

{EAT} Taco Rodeo: From "fine" to "Solful"

A few friends and I have been tossing around Taco Tuesday for quite sometime as a way to try out the areas best taco spots.  To be certain, I checked back in my email.  

Date: 11/28/2009
Subject: Tacos
Body: Link to a City Paper article about tacos in DC, followed by "New Years Resolution, try every taco place on the list" 

4 years later and several subject lines of "taco spot", "should we try", "taco tuesday", etc.  and not one taco consumed together, we finally gave it a try at a Taco Rodeo at the American History Museum.  For reference, Websters defines rodeo as "a public performance featuring bronco riding, calf roping, steer wrestling, and Brahma bull riding", none of which occurred, however there was a roundup of three (yes, only 3) taco trucks in one place- District Taco, Sol Mexican Grill and Rito Loco.  From best to worst, here's the roundup, sans bull ride. 

Solful Carnitas

The carnitas taco was a group favorite, stuffed with tender, slow-roasted pork accented with achiote paste and orange juice. The clear advantage here was the simplicity and flavor of the taco.  The tortilla, compared to the other 3, stood out with as warm and slightly charred.  The combination resulted in the most authentic mexican taco of the contenders. $7/3 tacos with unlimited toppings. 

Loco Ribs 

While Rito Loco seems to push burritos, we were on the taco hunt, so we opted for the "Ribrito", in-house recipe of pulled baby-back rib meat.  Their signature component is the tortilla which undergoes a flat press just before serving.  While the rib meat with delicious on it's own, the taco lacked texture and each bite too consistent.  The flat press tortilla was a bonus, but maybe next time I'd try the Mojito Rito (citrus infused pulled chicken with fresh mint). 

District-it-was-fine-Taco

I'm sorry to say, that I've decided to describe the carnitas taco at District Taco with one word: Fine. No one wants to be described as fine, not even a taco. Unless of course in the phrase, "Damn, she's fa-iiiine"

Bonus taco: Breakfast taco at District Taco

Stuffed with a mild chorizo, and topped with scrambled eggs, roasted potatoes and fresh pico de gallo in a flour tortilla, this was a group favorite.  It's served all day long so why not give it a try. 

All of these trucks can be found at http://foodtruckfiesta.com/, where their daily location is updated. 

{SEE} A view into Julia Child

What began as a trip to the National History Museum for the Taco Rodeo, surprised me with a glimpse into Julia Child's kitchen. Check how many cast-irons skillets she had! Do you think her kitchen smelled of fish skin?!

{EAT} Top 5 Winter Cozy Spots

I like a cozy, dark bar in the dead of February to warm my spirits.  Dark enough that you forget if you're on the 3rd or 4th glass of wine.  Cozy enough that you throw out your healthy new year's resolution for warm, comfort food. In no particular order, here are my top 5 winter cozy spot recommendations:

1905...because they got a new chef, Joel Hatton and I love their cow-hide bar stools.

Brixton...because even in the dead of winter, their heated roof top is slammed, not to mention the fire places on the second floor.

Tabard Inn...because of their fresh fried doughnuts and bloody's during brunch.

Maple...because 11th Street NW is the new 14th Street and Maple feels like a cozy, west village corner restaurant.

Taan Noodles...because for $14 you can get a big hot bowl of flavorful ramen noodles topped with pickled cucumbers, duck confit, and hanjuku tamago (the japanese way of boiled eggs w/runny yolks).  Start drooling now.

{SEE} Love People. Cook them tasty food.

Thanks for sharing Katherine.  I just love this bumper sticker found in Adams Morgan.

{TRY} DIY Pickling

Inspired by my recent run in with the ladies of Gordy's pickles and annoyed by the putrid saltiness of store bought, mass-produced pickles, I have decided to give pickling a try. Now, I've always loved anything pickled - cucumbers, okra, asparagus, carrots and the list goes on, but in searching for a recipe, I decided to start classic and basic with cucumbers. Using Bobby Flay's pickle recipe as the basis, I started off with English cucumbers.

Of course I didn't have the spices in seed form so I went to a local market that sells bulk spices. Just so much cheaper than buying an entire jar of a spice I rarely use. I like my food with a kick, so I added extra crushed red peppers as well as a whole dried hot pepper per mason jar. Bobby Flay's recipe called for 4 cups of vinegar, but after 24 hours realized the vinegar was too strong, so I tried half vinegar, half water. Much better!

They aren't Gordy's pickles, but for my first rodeo, I'd give them a 7 out of 10.