Freeze! This is a ribbery!

Our new spices have inspired us to try out new recipes and even get creative and come up with some of our own. We made one of the most delicious chili's I have ever had with a bottle of beer (GF) and a ton of smoked paprika. Dustin mixed up a spice rub (chili, cumin, red pepper, paprika, lots of other good stuff) and cooked up some fall-apart-tender baby back ribs. I took on the challenge of braising up short ribs for the first time for Valentine's Day and came up with my own recipe by pulling together ideas from various foodie websites. And damn, they were rich and delicious. See the recipe below.

Frenchie's Tall Order Short Ribs
serves 2 people

1 lb short ribs (bone-in)

2 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper
1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1 onion, minced
2 carrots, minced
1 celery stalk, minced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1-2 bay leaves
2 tbsp tomato paste
few shakes Worcestershire sauce
2 cups chicken broth (preferably home made)
1/2 bottle good red wine

1. Dry off meat well with paper towel, salt and pepper. Brown meat very well on all sides in medium-large dutch oven on medium-high heat. I used a little canola oil here but you don't need much. This step is imperative as you need to render off much of the fat so your ribs are gristly and fatty at the end. Really brown the heck out of them. Remove meat to the side. Pour off much of the fat, leaving about 2 tbsp.

2. Turn down heat to medium. Add aromatic veggies (carrots, onion, celery, garlic). Saute in leftover oil, make sure garlic does not brown. Add spices (garlic, paprika, bay leaf).

3. Return meat to pan when veggies have softened. Add tomato paste, worcestershire sauce, wine and broth. **You may need to modify your liquid amount here depending on how many ribs you have and how big your pot is. The liquid should reach up to about 1/2 up the side of the meat. Put cover on dutch oven.

4. Put dutch oven in COLD oven turned to 200 degrees for 2 hours.

5. After 2 hours, increase the heat to 300 and cook for another 2 hours. Check periodically to see if the braising liquid is too low, if needed, at some extra stock or wine. (I didn't have to do this).

6. Meat should be pull apart-fork tender when done cooking. This is a low and slow recipe so don't even attempt to speed this one up! You will just end up with some gross, rubbery meat.

7. Remove from oven. Check and season sauce with salt and pepper accordingly. You can choose to reduce the sauce a little bit if it is too loose for your liking. (Make sure to spoon some sauce over the meat.) Serve over soft polenta, mashed potatoes or this white bean and garlic puree (which I did and was delicious!).

The Next Spice Girl!

I am back from a long hiatus. No good reason really, just haven't felt totally inspired to post. But I did get some recent motivation after receiving a really awesome present from my husband for my birthday. After hearing me complain about the lack of cupboard space for our spices every time I reached for the cumin, he decided to do something about it. I received 27 magnetic spice tins to put on our fridge and also had the pleasure of picking out some fresh spices at different stores in NYC (i.e. Penzey's, Kalustyan's). Holy cow, these high end spices make the ones you buy at the super market seem like dirt. Seriously, they are completely worth the extra money and add such punch to every dish, you will never go back to Ms. Dash.

Dustin added his creative touch and made labels on the computer. They look like art on our fridge.

Along with this exciting addition to the kitchen, I had the honor of being a call on my cooking idol, Lynne Rossetto Kasper's radio show, Splendid Table. I spoke to Lynne to get some ideas about some unusual must-have spices, how to store them, and how to use them in various dishes. Although I was very nervous (I said okay about 345 times!), I consider this my 5 minutes of fame and loved speaking to Lynne.

Listen to my conversation with Lynne below. Just fast forward to 41:42.

As of June 2008, all recipes on this blog are gluten free. There will no longer be a separate index for GF recipes, as it will be assumed that recipes after this date are safe for those on this diet.

Lunch box Take #3

This is another good lunch box option. It is modified from a Cooking Light recipe which uses bulger instead of quinoa. It keeps well throughout the week and has lots of protein to full you up!

Moroccan spiced quinoa and chickpea salad

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups boiling water
• 1 cup quinoa
  
• 1/2 cup matchstick-cut carrots
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries
• 3 tablespoons slivered almonds, toasted
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh mint
• 1 (15 1/2-ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained

1. Cook quinoa according to directions. I use a rice cooker to make this easier.

2. Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk; set aside. Add quinoa when it has cooled a little. Add carrots, cranberries, almonds, mint, chickpeas to bowl. Stir gently until all is combined. Cover and chill.

Birthday Cupcakes of Champs

I made these cupcakes for my 31st birthday party. They were a big hit....but I was happy to say that there were a few left over that we could enjoy all week. Man, we had our last one last night and I am ready to whip up another batch. They are moist, chocolaty with a subtle hint of coconut. Make a double batch and stick some in the freezer--you will be glad you did.

I had to convert the flour mix down to a smaller amount. I didn't want to have extra flour mix left with nothing to do with it. I rounded out the numbers as well as I could but that is why they may look a little strange.

Chocolate Coconut Cupcakes with Ginger Cream Frosting
from delight magazine

For cake batter:
10 ounces brown rice flour
4 ounces cornstarch
3 1/2 teaspoons tapioca flour
2 1/4 teaspoons xanthan gum
2 cups of sugar
3/4 cup cocoa
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups coconut milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup boiling water

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. In large bowl, combine sugar, flour/starches/gum, cocoa, baking powder/soda, salt. Mix well with a stand mixer or hand mixer.

3. Slowly add eggs, coconut milk, oil and vanilla. Mix on medium for 2-3 minutes. Add in boiling water slowly and mix another minute.

4. Pour into greased (or papered) muffin tins. Bake for 25-30 minutes--(test with a toothpick). Cool on rack.

For Frosting:

1 stick butter, softened
2/3 cup cocoa (I actually left this out and made just vanilla, which was terrific)
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup coconut milk (or the rest left in that can you used for the batter)
1 tbsp freshly grated ginger
shredded coconut

1. Combine all ingredients using hand mixer until creamy. Frost cupcakes and dip into bowl with coconut.

Kiss Fall Goodbye

This fall, my husband and I took a trip up to upstate nyc during the fall for some hiking and relaxation. We stopped off at a local farm stand and bought some delicious local produce, including a small sugar pumpkin. We used it as decor but my intent was to make something tasty with it at some point. But there it sat. And sat. And sat some more. Until I decided that my cut off was December and I had to use it before then.

I followed this recipe from Dorie Greenspan. I have to say, it completely blew my expectations and tasted amazing. Now I wish I had a few more pumpkins hiding somewhere so I could make it weekly! You could have this as a side dish (serves 4) or a main course (serves 2). We had ours with the rest of our Thanksgiving dinner, which paired perfectly. It also would be good with a nice simple green salad on the side.

Savory Stuffed Pumpkin

1 pumpkin, about 2 1/2 to 3 pounds

4 ounces stale bread, sliced thin, then cut into 1/2-inch chunks (**I used GF bread)

4 ounces cheese, (She recommends Gruyere, Swiss, Blue, or Cheddar; I used a combo of monteray jack and gouda which was excellent) cut into 1/2-inch chunks

2-4 cloves garlic (to taste), peeled, germ removed and coarsely chopped

About 1/3 cup heavy cream

Freshly grated nutmeg

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. I used a Dutch oven to bake the pumpkin in. Just add a little vegetable oil to the bottom of it so it doesn't stick too much. Try to use a nice looking one because then you can bring it all right to the table. You could also use a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone baking mat.

2. Using your pumpkin carving skills, cut a cap off the top of the pumpkin. (You know, just like how you carve a jack-o-lantern.) Clear away any seeds and strings from the cap and hold it aside while you scoop out the seeds and filaments inside the pumpkin. I saved the seeds and roasted them. Season the inside of the pumpkin with salt and pepper and put it on the sheet or in the Dutch oven.

3. In a separate bowl, toss the bread, cheese, garlic, salt, pepper and nutmeg together then add it to the pumpkin. The filling should come to near the top of the pumpkin (you can add more or less filling as needed.) Add the cream right to the pumpkin; it should come about 1/4 or 1/3 of the way up--no more than that. You don't want the ingredients to swim in cream, but you do want to get a feeling that they're moistened.

4. Put the cap back in place and bake the pumpkin for about 2 hours. Take the cap off the pumpkin the last 30 minutes so it gets nice and brown on top. The flesh should be tender and you should hear the insides bubbling away.

5. I brought the crock pot right to the table, used a sharp knife to cut the pumpkin into wedges. I think next time I will add a little precooked bacon and some sage. The garlic gets nice and mellow and wonderful.

Guest Post: A Brisket, a Tasket

Guest chef Dusty here with a recipe for mouthwatering brisket that will make you cry.

Braised Brisket With 36 Cloves of Garlic
from Epicurious

Ingredients:

About 36 fat unpeeled garlic cloves (1 2/3 to 2 cups) or an equivalent amount of smaller cloves, plus 1 teaspoon minced garlic
3 tablespoons olive oil
A first-or second-cut beef brisket (about 5 pounds), trimmed of excess fat, wiped with a damp paper towel, and patted dry
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 cups chicken broth, preferably homemade or good-quality low-sodium purchased
3 or 4 fresh thyme sprigs, or 2 teaspoons dried leaves
2 fresh rosemary sprigs, plus 1 teaspoon chopped leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

Preheat the oven to 325.

Peel all that garlic. You can boil it for 30 seconds and that makes it easier.

Heat the olive oil in a large roasting pan, then add the brisket and brown on both sides. Don't overdo it though, because you don't want it to develop a crust. Transfer the brisket to a platter and set aside.

Pour out all but about 1 tablespoon of the fat left in the pan. Add the garlic and cook over medium heat until the little suckers are tinged gold. Then add the vinegar and scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom with a wooden spoon. Add the stick, thyme, and rosemary, and reduce heat to a simmer.

Salt and pepper the brisket on both sides, then put it in the pan, fat side up. Spoon the garlic cloves over the meat.

Place the brisket in the oven, cover with a lid or foil, and cook until the meat is tender, about 3 hours. Baste that meat every half hour, and if the liquid is boiling, lower the oven to 300.

This isn't necessary, but if you can leave the house for like, 20 minutes, then come back, you will realize how amazing your place smells with this dish in the oven.

Once the brisket is done, take it out and let it rest. It's very tired from becoming delicious. While it's resting, scrape the fat off the top (without waking it, if possible).

To make the gravy, pour the braising mixture through a strainer. Save the garlic, toss the herbs. Skim as much fat off the liquid as possible, then puree 1 cup of it along with half of the cooked garlic (you can toss in all the garlic if you want it really smooth). Pour the pureed mixture into a skillet, add the rest of the braising liquid and garlic, along with some freshly chopped rosemary and lemon zest. The recipe says to add more minced garlic but I was like, really? More garlic? So that's up to you. Boil this down over high heat.

Slice the brisket then rewarm it.

Place it on a platter, pour gravy all over it, then eat it while moaning in ecstacy.