Author: Josh

Bread, Potato and Arugula Soup (Zuppa di Patate, Rucola, e Pane)

Soups & Stews, Vegetarian

The ideal arugula to use for this soup is the tougher, wilder kind; the fragile hydroponic type is too delicate for this dish. Serves: 8

Ingredients

  • ¾ pound medium-size potatoes (about 2 potatoes), peeled and cut into ½-inch-thick slices
  • 1 pound arugula (2 to 3 large bunches), preferably not hydroponic or “baby”
  • ½ cup dices (½-inch) day-old Italian bread with crusts removed
  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 6 cloves of garlic, crushed
  • ½ cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese
  • 1 whole peperoncino (dried hot red pepper) or ½ teaspoon peperoncino (crushed red pepper)
  • 7 cups water
  • Salt

Directions

  1. In a deep, heavy 4- to 5-quart pot, combine the potatoes and water. Salt the water lightly and bring to a boil. Adjust the level of heat to medium-high and cook the potatoes, covered until they are tender but still hold their shape, about 18 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, cut off the thick stems from the arugula and wash the leaves in cool water to remove all sand and grit, changing the water if necessary. Drain the arugula well and cut into 2-inch lengths.
  3. Stir the arugula and bread into the pot and let boil for another 10 minutes.
  4. Meanwhile, in a small skillet, heat the olive oil over low heat. Add the garlic and peperoncino and cook, stirring, until the garlic is golden, about 3 minutes.
  5. Scrape the contents of the skillet into the soup pot and stir well. If using a dried whole pepper, remove it. Season the soup to taste wand serve in warm bowls, sprinkled with grated cheese and drizzled with more extra virgin olive oil.

Photo by Sharon K via Flickr used with CC Attribution, Non Commercial, Share Alike license

Neiman-Marcus Cookies

Desserts

Makes 55 cookies

Ingredients

  • 1 cup butter
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 cup flour
  • 2 1/2 cups ground oatmeal
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 1/2 cup chopped nuts
  • 12 oz chocolate chips
  • 8 oz grated chocolate bar

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 375°
  2. Cream butter and sugars
  3. Add eggs and vanilla
  4. Mix together all remaining dry ingredients except chocolate & nuts
  5. Add dry mixture to eggs and sugar
  6. Mix in chips, nuts & grated chocolate
  7. Roll into balls and place 2″ apart on cookie sheet
  8. Bake for 10 min at 375°

Photo by Love from the Oven via Flickr used with CC Attribution, Non Commercial, No Derivatives license

 

Ten in 30 Workout

Mixes

Tracklist

  1. Follow My Liebe – Audiofly
  2. Crockett’s Theme – FPU
  3. Peace of Mind feat. Chopstick – Zander VT
  4. Naked (Eddie C mix) – Sleazey McQueen
  5. Raindance – Anthony Mansfield & Tal M. Klein
  6. Once Upon a Rythm feat. Jemeni (Jozif remix) – TJ Kong & Nuno Dos Santos
  7. Jus You – Jozif
  8. Fighting Is Futile (Benoit & Sergio remix) – Matthew Dear
  9. Crushed Ice – MAM
  10. Paddlin’ – Tornado Wallace

Photo by Victoria Pickering via Flickr used with CC Attribution, Non Commercial, No Derivatives license

Green Juice

Drinks

Ingredients

  • 7 Cucumbers
  • 2 Bunches of Celery
  • 3 Green Apples
  • 3 Pears
  • 5–6 Limes (to taste)
  • 1 bunch of Kale (optional)

Directions

  1. Remove any greens from the celery and wash all fruits and vegetables thoroughly
  2. Juice all ingredients whole except lime
  3. Squeeze lime into mixture to taste

Variations

Use as a cocktail mixer with Vodka and Seltzer

Photo by Tracy Benjamin via Flickr used with CC Attribution, Non Commercial, No Derivatives license

Sourdough Bread

Breads

Makes two large boules

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 14 oz of unfed white sourdough starter (1:1 ratio water:flour by weight)
  • 34 oz of unbleached all-purpose flour (preferably King Arthur)
  • 18 oz of room temperature, rested tap water (let it sit uncovered for 24 hours to evaporate the chlorine which interferes with the yeast reproduction)
  • 4½ tsp un-iodized kosher salt (iodine interferes with yeast reproduction)
  • 1 tsp. olive oil (for first rise bowls)
  • ¾ tsp sour salt / citric acid (optional: will yield a more commercial sourdough flavor)

Instructions

  1. Mix unfed starter, flour, and water by weight and knead for a couple minutes by hand or in stand mixer
  2. Cover dough with plastic wrap and let rest (autolyse) for 20 minutes
  3. Knead dough by hand for 10 minutes and incorporate kosher salt and optional sour salt while kneading until dough reaches 72°F
  4. Place in a large lightly oiled bowl and let rise for 3–4 hours
  5. Turn out dough from bowl and deflate (drop dough on counter from 1-2 feet a few times) to pop the big air bubbles
  6. Divide in half by eye or by weight, and loosely shape into two mounds
  7. Let rest for 20 minutes
  8. Shape each dough by turning it inside out on the bottom, as if you’re tucking the bell of a jellyfish into itself a few times, to pop the larger bubbles
  9. Place each dough in floured banneton, proofing basket, or lightly oiled bowl good-side-down
  10. Let proof for 1 hour
  11. Retard dough in refrigerator for 8–18 hours
  12. Remove from refrigeration and let rest for 3-5 hours
  13. At 2 hours of proofing preheat oven with dutch oven inside to 500°F
  14. At 3 hours of proofing test the dough by poking it. If the indent bounces back immediately its too soon to bake, it should return slowly. If the indent deflates or doesn’t return you have over proofed the dough. When ready to bake the dough should be about 62°F.
  15. When dough is ready remove dutch oven and turn out dough good-side-up into pot, quickly dock (slash the top with a razor), replace lid, and replace into 500°F oven
  16. Bake with the lid on for 30 minutes
  17. Remove the lid of the dutch oven and bake at 450° for another 15-20 minutes until crust is golden and internal temperature of bread is about 210°F
  18. Remove bread from oven and place on a cooling rack for at least one hour before slicing

Jamaican Oxtail Stew

Meat, Soups & Stews

Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 3 pounds oxtails, cut into segments by a butcher
  • 1 cup butter beans, or a 10.5-ounce can butter beans, rinsed and drained
  • 2 Spanish onions, peeled and chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
  • 3 tablespoons fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
  • 1 Scotch bonnet pepper, whole
  • 3 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 12 allspice berries
  • 1 bunch scallions, trimmed and chopped
  • 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons white sugar
  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • 3 tablespoons tomato ketchup
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions

  1. Season oxtails aggressively with salt and pepper. Heat a large Dutch oven or a heavy-bottomed pot over high heat. Add brown sugar to pot and melt, stirring with a wooden spoon, until it darkens and starts to smoke — about six minutes. When sugar is nearly black, add 2 tablespoons boiling water. (It will splatter.) Stir to mix.
  2. Add the oxtails to the pot, working in batches, stirring each time to cover them with blackened sugar, then allowing them to cook, turning occasionally, until they are well browned. Remove oxtails to a bowl and keep warm.
  3. Add half of the onions, garlic and ginger to the pot, along with the pepper, the thyme, the allspice and a third of the scallions, and stir to combine. Allow to cook until softened, approximately 5 minutes.
  4. Return the oxtails to the pot along with any accumulated juices and put water into the pot so that the oxtails are almost submerged. Bring to a simmer and then cook, covered, approximately 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
  5. Add remaining onions, garlic and ginger to the pot, along with another third of the scallions. Add sugar, soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Stir to combine and continue to cook until the meat is yielding and loose on the bone, approximately one hour longer. Remove approximately one cup of liquid from pot and place in a small bowl. Add flour to this liquid and stir to combine, working out any lumps with the back of a spoon. Add this slurry to the pot along with ketchup, then stir to combine and allow to cook a further 15 minutes or so. Remove Scotch bonnet pepper and thyme stems. Fold butter beans into the stew and allow these to heat through. Scatter remaining scallions over the top. Serve with white rice or rice and peas.

From NY Times Recipe, adapted from Golden Krust Caribbean Bakery and Grill. Photo by Kirk K via Flickr used with CC Attribution, Non Commercial, No Derivatives license

January 2011 Chart

Charts

[table]
# Artist Song Label
1 Maximilian Skiba One To Pray To feat. Snax (Beg to Differ remix) Under The Shade
2 Erdbeerschnitzel Ultimate Margot 4Lux Black
3 Michael J Collins Nothing Wrong with Holding On (Soul Clap remix) A Personal Music
4 Nicolas Jaar Wouh Clown and Sunset
5 Death on the Balcony Cruel Banana Soul Clap FreE.P
6 Greg Palus, Guti, Ryan Crosson Time for a Change Supplement Facts
7 Erdbeerschnitzel In Their Eyes 4Lux Black
8 Marbert Rocel Mischa (Mathias Kaden Mischa Goes Deep remix) Compost
9 Shonky Le Velour Real Tone Records
10 Peter Funk & Kevin Yost Trust (Yost & Funk MOFDAU rework) I Records
[/table]

Mural by Dasic Fernandez

Kartoffelsuppe mit Wurst (Potato Soup with Sausage)

Soups & Stews

Eating this dish we’re instantly transported back to Berlin and all those great memories. We set out to recreate this soup and our version is ironically adapted from “Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone” by Deborah Madison. Leave out the sausage if you don’t eat animals, substitute olive oil for butter if you’re vegan.

Ingredients

  • 3 large or 6 medium leeks, finely chopped, white parts only
  • 1½ pounds Yellow Finn or Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed well
  • 2 tablespoons of butter
  • 1 medium fresh pre-cooked smoked sausage (Frankfurter Würstel / Wiener) sliced in ½” pieces
  • Water and a little (optional) milk
  • Fresh croutons (toast some baguette slices with olive oil)
  • Fresh chives chopped finely for garnish
  • 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil for garnish
  • Salt & black pepper

Directions

  1. Chop the leeks in half and cut into small half moons then set in water to soak
  2. Quarter the potatoes length-wise then slice them thinly
  3. Melt the butter in a wide soup pot or dutch oven, add the leeks and potatoes and cook over low heat covered for 10 minutes
  4. Add 7 cups of water or a 50:50 mixture of water and fresh vegetable stock and 1½ teaspoons of salt, bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer partially covered for about 35 minutes (until the potatoes are soft and falling apart)
  5. Blend thoroughly, taste and season for salt and pepper. Add a little milk or cream just to add a bit of richness and body and add more water if the soup is too thick.
  6. Serve with crouton, chopped chive, sausage, and a drizzle of very good olive oil.

Squid & Zucchini Stir-Fry

Fish & Seafood

Yield: 4 appetizer servings

Ingredients

  • ½ pound cleaned squid, in thin rings, with tentacles
  • 12 ounces zucchini (about 2 medium), sliced thin
  • 4 ounces watercress (about ½ bunch), heavy stems removed
  • 1 tablespoon Asian fish sauce
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons peanut oil
  • ½ teaspoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Directions

  1. Toss the squid in a bowl with ½ teaspoon salt. Toss the zucchini in another bowl with remaining salt. Set both aside 30 minutes, then rinse and pat dry.
  2. Pour oil in a wok or skillet over high heat. Add the zucchini and stir-fry about one minute, until just starting to look wilted and translucent. Remove, draining any liquid back into the pan. Add the squid and stir-fry until just starting to firm up. Add the fish sauce. Return the zucchini to the skillet. Add the sugar. Stir-fry a few seconds to combine. Add the soy sauce and watercress, and stir-fry until the watercress just starts to wilt.
  3. Transfer to a serving dish with a slotted spoon, draining well. Cook liquid in pan until it reduces a little and pour over vegetables and squid. Serve hot or just warm.

Adapted from NY Times; May 3, 2010. Photo by The MacKay Way via Flickr used with CC Attribution, Non Commercial, No Derivatives license