RECIPE: Honey Mustard Brussel Sprouts

I ate delicious roasted brussel sprouts in a hotel in San Antonio a couple of weekends ago. The roasting really took care of the bitterness. I tried something similar here, but cooking the sprouts stove-top and pairing with caramelized onions and a honey-mustard vinaigrette.

Honey Mustard Brussel Sprouts
10 minutes; for two

This variation added sliced carrots with the brussel sprouts,
but I think I might like them better alone with just onion.

10-15 brussel sprouts

honey

olive oil

dijon mustard

balsamic vinegar

1/5 a white onion

1. Wash the brussel sprouts and chop off the stems. Slice in half along the line-symmetry axis. Chop onions into long, thin pieces.
2. Lower heat to medium-low and in a generous olive oil place brussel sprouts cut side down. Cover and cook until barely browned at stems. Uncover, add onions, and turn heat on high for about 2 minutes. Taste-test a brussel sprout to see if fully cooked.
3. In a medium bowl, mix a teaspoon of dijon mustard, a teaspoon of honey, and 2 teaspoons of vinegar. Arrange onions and brussel sprouts on plate. Drizzle with vinaigrette.

Boston Restaurant Week Kill(ed) List

Mistral
(Dinner, Aug 21)

Not exactly a hole-in-the-wall establishment the way I naively expected. I'm more used to the NYC dining scene, I guess, but Mistral is a large, clean-cut classy establishment that unfortunately reminded me a little of the Cheesecake Factory near my house when I walked in (except better dressed). Someone I was with commented on the throw pillows. Unlike the Cheesecake Factory, however, it's not a place I can afford outside of Restaurant Week and I am somewhat disappointed about that:

• Chilled Summer Corn Soup with Avocado and Jumbo Lump Crab, Jalapeno Oil
• Grilled Scottish Salmon "Nicoise", Haricot Verts & Ward's Farm Tiny Tomatoes
• Chocolate Devil's Food Cake with Pistachio Gelato & Penuche Glaze, Amanera Cherries

The corn soup was probably the highlight; it definitely outshone any of the overly-creamy, canned corn varieties I've had before. The salmon was really nicely cooked with a deliciously rare center.

No. 9 Park
(Dinner, Aug 28)

Ah, the atmosphere was so much more my taste than Mistral. Despite an additional 15 minute wait past our reservation, I can still say that this was my best Boston dining experience in memory. The food was extremely elegantly prepared, with extensive creative flair and a lot of extra bells and whistles that were for the most part kept from outshining the central tastes.

• Scottish Salmon Tartare with almond soubise, shaved vegetables, dill
• Native Hake with Beluga lentils, herbed brandade, kohlrabi
• Duet of Artisinal Cheeses

The Hake was beautifully done, with a soft and pure pan-seared fillet on top of the brandade cake. I loved having the same fish served two different ways on the same plate. The sauce was creamy, and the lentils salty, but the preparation of the fish stood the test. The cheese plate was definitely worth it. I can't remember the names, but I had a creamy cheese with a really strong-tasting spiced rind and a nutty hard goat-cheese, along with tomato jam, homemade crackers, currants, grapes, and roasted hazelnuts. I would love to eat at No. 9 Park again!

Toro

(Dinner, Aug 29)

This is a place that you feel really comfortable in, even when stuck at the end of tall bar table next to people you don't know. I plan to eat here again very soon once family comes into town.

• Queso Mahon
• Tuna Conserva
• Aceitunas
• Escalivada Catalana
• Atun Tartare
• Maiz Asado con Alioli y Queso Cotija
• Patatas Bravas
• Gambas al Ajillo
• Pimientos del Padron
• Hamburguesas
• a cauliflower dish I can't find the name of
• Churros con Chocolate

There are too many dishes to talk about! The Atun Tartare was better than my Salmon Tartare the night before, but the tuna belly tasted rather like canned tuna. The corn was legendary. The churros were somewhere in between the state-fair American kind that is just sugar and cinnamon and real Spanish churros. That is one (rare) Spanish dish that I enjoy the authentic version of much more.

Tangierino
(Dinner, Aug 31)

I wouldn't make the trip out here again even although it was the most mid-range place of these, but it was fun as an exotic dinner with friends. The belly-dancers were over-the-top.

• Harira Soup: plum tomatoes, chickpeas, lentils, celery, cilantro
• Moroccan Eggplant: a tower of breaded crispy eggplant and cheese, Turkish figs and oyster mushrooms, Charmoula sauce
• Chocolate fondant: layers or rich chocolate and strawberry

Portions were small for the appetizer and main course (the "tower" was more like a small tasty pile), but the huge, wonderful chocolate cake still left me quite full. 

TOTAL CASUALTIES: $33.12*4 = $132.48, not including tax & tip

RECIPE: White Wine Mussels

Mussels? That's seafood that doesn't come from a can!?

It's a big day in my life when seafood comes into the kitchen and needs ice. I feel like I've come out superior in a Darwinian struggle (making it back from the supermarket without a backpack that smells like fish), and I feel like a slightly more legitimate cook when I actually need the fire to make my food edible, not just palatable.

Contenders for best thing about this recipe:

• People will think you're a grown-up if you mention that you made steamed mussels for dinner last night.
• Takes 25 minutes, tops.
• Mussels are cheap. Even at Whole Foods, where I got my bag for $5.99.
• Farmed mussels are one of the most sustainable ways to eat seafood in the US. They're grown on ropes and (being filter feeders), can actually improve water quality. Depending on your opinion, the only downside might be that you're eating the filter.

White Wine Mussels
25 minutes, serves 2-4 depending on predilections 

shown here with a pecan, corn salsa, balsamic vinegar romaine salad
photo by Liv

2 cloves garlic

1/4 a white onion

2 stalks celery

2 carrots

2 tbsp olive oil

1.5 cups white wine

breadcrumbs (over-toast 1 slice of bread and crunch)

2 lbs mussels

some would call you frivolous, I would not
2 bay leaves
1/2 a lime
fresh or dried rosemary

1. Mussels should be eaten the day they're bought! Store them in cold, salty water or on ice.
2. Get finely chopped garlic and diced onions going in olive oil on medium-low heat in a large saucepan (large enough to fit all those mussels!)
3. When fragrant, add diced celery, carrots, and the bay leaves. Season with salt, pepper, and any other additional herbs or spices. Allow to saute on medium heat for 5-8 minutes.
4. In a large bowl, clean the mussels under running water. Remove any that are open and stay open (ie dead). Clean by vigorously rubbing off anything on the shells with your hands.
5. Add the mussels into the saucepan and let cook for just 1 minute. Then add wine, increase heat, and let steam until all mussels open, around 3 minutes. If the mussles start turning orange they've cooked too much!
6. Sprinkle with bread crumbs and serve with the juices from the pan. Squeeze lime juice on top to taste. 

RECIPE: Veggie Chili

I made this with my roommate Liv last week (the photo below is hers). It's an adaptation of my dad's chili recipe using Trader Joe's soy chorizo. Liv commented favorably on the unexpected crunch of the celery.

Veggie Chili 

30 minutes, serves 3 hungries, I assume 4 normal people

shown here with an arugula, corn salsa, and artichoke heart salad
with balsamic vinegar dressing

1/2 a white onion

2 cloves garlic

2 tomatoes (2 beefsteak tomatoes, 1 can whole tomatoes, or 1 can diced tomatoes work)

1 can beans (black or kidney)

salt & pepper

1.5 peppers

helps to have:
1-3 tbsp tomato sauce
paprika
cumin
2 inches soy chorizo (ground pork or sausage at your own risk)

optional:
chili pepper
1 stalk celery

1. Dice all veggies. Crush or finely chop garlic.
2. Saute garlic and onion in olive oil in a saucepan on medium-low heat. Once the onions start to change color, add the peppers, celery, any other veggies, and tomatoes. Add salt, pepper, paprika, and cumin to taste. Keep on slightly lower heat for about 10 minutes to let the vegetables cook. Make sure nothing’s burning.
3. If your tomatoes are not canned or just not juicy even after cooking, add some tomato sauce. Add soy chorizo and let cook, stirring regularly. When the chili appears about done, add beans and keep on heat until beans are fully warmed.

Why does "eat" rhyme so well with "meat"?

So, what does an "environmentalist glutton" eat? What about one who cares a lot about six-packs? Probably not everything they would think tastes good. I've been going back and forth in the extended test of willpower that has been restricting my diet to responsible foods.

In July, I sent this amusing message to some of my friends and family. The affected tone is intended. Really.

Dear all,

After contemplation, discussions with some of you, and a New England lobster, I have decided to identify myself henceforth as not a vegetarian, but rather as a "discerning pescetarian." I still believe that my dietary choices are my way of supporting and adhering to beliefs about more environmentally responsible living. However, a distinction between vegetarian, pescetarian, or even omnivorous backed by this belief system is inherently misconstrued. Referring to the cheeky NYT contest-winning essay on moral justifications for eating meat, being an omnivore under certain conditions can be more socially responsible than subsisting solely on tofu dogs. With this in mind, and because I have found the joys of adhering to my strict principles to be less than those of downing a bowl of white-wine mussels, I have decided to use seafood as a way of eating a more balanced and hopefully even more responsible diet. 

Love,
Shelby

I still crave a cheeseburger after a really long workout. This fantasy features a thick burger under a slice of American cheese with a pink center that sweats out oily juice when I squeeze the sesame seed white buns so nothing falls all out as I lift it towards my mouth. Problematic.

RECIPE: Carrot Cake

I made this cake with a couple of my friends last month because I have always been fascinated that carrots could go into a cake. I won't lie and say it's particularly healthy, but you can always pretend I did. I call it the pantry carrot cake because if you're really lucky you can throw it together with what you have in the baking pantry and the fridge. All we needed to get was a bushel of carrots and some cream cheese.

Carrot Cake

(modified from Autumn/Fall's Carrot Cake Recipe on Allrecipes.com and this frosting recipe at recipetips.com)

1.5 cups sugar

2 cups flour

1 tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon 

1 tsp baking soda

1.5 cups vegetable oil

4 eggs

1 lb bag of carrots

1 cup pecans, plus more for sprinkling on top

3 ounces cream cheese

.5 stick butter

2 cups powdered sugar

2 tsp vanilla 

1. Preheat over to 350 F. Use some butter on a paper towel to grease a bundt pan. (I call it a butt-pan, but you probably didn't need to know that.)
2. Have some poor sucker grate the carrots. You should get about 3 cups. Crush the pecans.
3. Combine the first five ingredients in a large bowl (sugar, flour, salt, cinnamon, baking soda, oil). Beat eggs in one at a time. Stir in the carrots and pecans.
4. Pour into pan and bake at 350 F for at least an hour, potentially up to an hour and a half. Check if it's ready by seeing if a toothpick comes out clean. As hard as it is, let it cool (or cheat and stick it in the fridge) before frosting!
5. Make frosting by blending the cream cheese and butter well, adding the sugar and vanilla, and mixing vigorously until it gets the nice whipped texture.

The final steps, of course, are frosting the cake, licking the frosting bowl clean, then eating carrot cake until you feel a little sick.

One should always begin with cake.

"One should always begin with cake," a wise woman once said, if twenty years and (by my computer's quick calculations) 22155 meals at an average of three meals a day can bring me into the categories of woman and wise.

It's a little like the sage proverb, "second kiwi, not as good," but we will get to that one some other time. Even before cake, I would like to explain why I am even entering the blogosphere with my simple and only-sometimes-novel recipes.

1. I am obsessed with food. (Is evidence against the accused necessary? If so, consider the following: conducted applied mathematics research on brownies and cookies last year; wrote a 14 page final paper in a course on Japanese history on changes to the cuisine after the introduction of Western ingredients and culture; plans dinners two or three nights in advance; inspired a running joke of a "Shelby Eats" television drama; has a secret desire to be a housewife despite being a highly-educated modern woman who hates cleaning.)
2. Perhaps there are others who to some degree deal with a desire to eat in a healthful and environmentally-conscious manner that usually loses to an orgasmic reaction to handmade flour tortillas, warm egg tarts, Raisinets, or the like. I will try and stay healthy(ish) here.
3. I'm generally eating off my own earnings, so I can be pretty cheap. Creative ingredient substitutions will be chronicled and reviewed here, to the added knowledge of the poor bachelor/bachelorette universe. A little hint: you can go baking powder -> baking soda but not always the other way around.
4. I'll lose the collection of recipes on random Google-Docs, scribbled in a marble notebook, or thrown into the dark hole of my email inbox if I don't organize them somewhat.

I hope you find my gastronomic journeys or strange personality satiating, but that you are never, ever satiated.