MY FIRST BLOGGING EVENT: IMBB #19

Thursday, September 29, 2005

What is a blogging event and what does IMBB stand for? Well, dear readers, I'll tell you. See, out there in the big world of the wide web, there's this whole community of people who write blogs about food and cooking. They hold events every so often where everyone writes about the same thing during the same time period. IMBB stands for Is My Blog Burning? You can read about the event's origins here. I have only read about these events until now, and for some reason, I decided it was a good time to join in (you know, because school really isn't keeping me busy enough).

For this IMBB, the 19th in the series, Sam of Becks & Posh instructed all of the participants to make a vegan meal and serve it to some unsuspecting guest. (See my unsuspecting guests above--my fellow PhD student Casey and her sister Christy). I was all excited about sharing my very first blogging event with my new friends. Casey's birthday was a few weeks ago, so I did some research and figured out how to make her a vegan birthday cake. Before I tell you about the meal I prepared, though, I might as well go ahead and confess. I tried really hard to stick to this whole vegan thing, but on inspecting my recipes later, I discovered that I was foiled. Vegans avoid animal products of any kind, and, well, apparently that's more difficult than I thought.

I had planned to make Eggplant Parmesan for Casey and Christy before I found out about IMBB. So, I thought, I'll just omit the cheese; what's so hard about that? And, I had made marinara sauce earlier in the week that was vegan--perfect for the eggplant--and some fresh pesto without the parmesan cheese to flavor the coating. I even found a way to get the coating to stick to the eggplant without using eggs. What I did not think about was whether my bread crumbs had dairy products in them, and, as it turns out, they did. And the pasta I served the eggplant and marinara on was made with egg whites.

BUT, just in case you are wondering why I posted this in the first place since I seem to have failed the challenge so miserably, I am happy to report that the cake I made was vegan, and Casey, Christy, and my husband, David, all gave it good reviews. So here's the recipe for it, along with my recipe for the eggplant, even though it's not quite vegan. Thanks for reading my very first event post!! Come again soon.

Chocolate Mocha Cake with a Kick

1 1/2 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 t. cinnamon

1/2 t. cayenne pepper

1/4 t. salt

3/4 cup strong coffee

1/2 cup margarine (100% vegetable oil)

1 T. balsamic vinegar

1 T. vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the dry ingredients together in the bowl of a mixer. Add the coffee with the mixer running on low, then add the vinegar and vanilla. Add the margarine last, turning the mixer up to high speed and beating until smooth. Pour into a greased 9x9 cake pan and bake for about 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

For the glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

1/2 cup cocoa

1/4 cup strong coffee

Whisk together until smooth and shiny. Pour over warm cake, spreading to coat the top and sides. Sprinkle with cinnamon to serve.

Eggplant Not Parmesan

1 small to medium eggplant

Kosher salt

1/2 cup flour

1 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon pesto (for vegan, I made it without the cheese, and substituted 1 t. Kosher salt)

1 cup bread crumbs

Canola oil

Slice the eggplant into thin slices, and lay in one layer inside a colander. Sprinkle with Kosher salt. If your slices won't all fit in the colander (as mine didn't), cover the first layer with paper towels and lay another layer on top. Allow to drain for about an hour.

Dry the slices and wipe off any excess salt; then dip in flour to coat on both sides. Lay on a baking sheet. Mix olive oil and pesto together in a shallow baking dish; pour the bread crumbs into another. Dip each slice in oil, then in breadcrumbs. If you have time to let the slices refrigerate for a half-hour or so, the coating will do a better job of sticking when you fry them.

Heat a half-inch of canola oil in a large skillet. Fry the slices until brown and crispy on both sides, about 6 minutes per side. Decrease the heat if they bread crumbs brown too quickly. Drain on paper towels.

Serve with angel hair pasta and marinara sauce. Make sure your pasta is egg-free if you want it to be vegan. If you don't care about making this meal vegan, you can add some fresh mozzarella slices to the top of the eggplant, and melt under the broiler before serving (this is usually how I make it).

THE OTHER NEW ORLEANS SANDWICH

Wednesday, September 28, 2005

I have lived in Louisiana for almost three months now. In the course of the last one, my new state has been hit by two hurricanes. The response from the American community on the whole has been overwhelming; so much money has been given to the Red Cross, and so many people have turned their outrage into positive energy through the act of giving. In the food blogger world, as a matter of fact, Adam of The Amateur Gourmet is hosting a cook-off of sorts to raise money for the hurricane victims. The contestants have been cooking New Orleans-style food, and it all looks fabulous (you should check out the beignets and vote for your favorite).

Although I am not an official part of the festivities, this sandwich is the one that comes to my mind when I think of New Orleans. My mother, a Louisiana native, has a particular affinity for muffalattas (I have no idea whether I'm spelling that correctly--don't tell my students!), so I think of her when I make them. You can buy olive salad in the grocery store, but I really like to mix up my own. The best muffalattas I've had are crunchy on the outside and warm and gooey on the inside, so I attempted to recreate that texture with this one.

If you haven't ever eaten in New Orleans, please put it on your list of things to do when the city is rebuilt--it is a culinary city like no other. In the meantime, perhaps you can bring a little of the Crescent City into your kitchen with these sandwiches (or with the po'boys and beignets cooked up by the contestants and their coaches on Adam's site--go William, Melissa, and Jason!).

Muffalattas and Oven Fries

1 potato per person (fries don't keep well)

Rosemary, minced

3 cloves garlic, minced

Olive oil

Kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Wash and dry the potatoes; slice them into fry-like wedges. Place them on a baking sheet and toss with oil, so that the wedges are coated on both sides. Sprinkle with rosemary and garlic. Bake for 20 minutes; then flip the potatoes and bake for 10-15 minutes more. Meanwhile, prepare the sandwiches.

1 loaf crusty French bread

Genoa salami

Ham

Provolone cheese

1 cup green olives

1/2 cup black olives

3 cloves garlic

Fresh oregano, a few sprigs

Olive oil

Combine the olives, garlic, and oregano in the food processor until very finely minced. Drizzle with a little olive oil (about a teaspoon) to bind, and pulse a few times. Carve out the top of the bread loaf, leaving the sides in tact (so that the filling doesn't spill out). Remove the top and fill with the olive mixture. Line with Provolone slices, salami, and ham, and then drizzle the inside with a little more olive oil. Replace the top of the sandwich and wrap in foil. Bake in the oven with the potatoes for about 10-12 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the outside is crunchy. Cut into sandwich portions and serve with the fries, which should be crispy on the outside by now. Sprinkle them with Kosher salt. And, if you're so inclined, this meal works nicely with Abita beer, bottled right here in Louisiana. Eat, drink, and think of New Orleans.

TOMATOES AND CARROTS AND PASTA, OH MY!

Tuesday, September 27, 2005

When the tomatoes are nice and fresh and summery, I like to serve the first version of the oven-roasted sauce (see below) right over pasta with no accoutrements at all. But now that the summer tomatoes are on their way out (even though summer appears to still be going strong--it hit 100 degrees here in Baton Rouge last week!!), I am trying different methods to make the sauce go further without sacrificing freshness or variety. I have an old, old Italian cookbook that my husband gave me eons ago when we were dating that recommends adding carrots to tomato-based sauces. So, I thought, I roast the tomatoes to enhance their flavor, why not give the carrots the same treatment? The result is a sweet, chunky, delightfully bright orangey sauce that retains traditional Italian flavors without being boring. As a bonus, the velvety texture that the carrots take on when roasted makes the sauce adhere nicely to the linguine. If you have the base sauce leftover, dinner can be on the table in about 30 minutes...and it's good for you too!

Linguine Marinara with Roasted Carrots

6-8 whole carrots, peeled and cut into thick chunks

Olive oil

Kosher salt

Cracked pepper

1 - 1 1/2 cups tomato sauce (see recipe below)

1/2 pound linguine

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss the carrots with enough olive oil to coat, and season liberally with salt and pepper. Roast for about 15-20 minutes, until beginning to shrivel. Meanwhile, cook the pasta, and heat the tomato sauce over low. When the carrots are done, place them in the bowl of a food processor and process until paste-like (think baby food texture). Add the carrot puree to the tomato sauce and stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary (it may be too sweet and need salt). Serve over linguine, and top with fresh Parmesan.

For the bread:

Hollow out a half-loaf of French bread and fill it with a mixture of chopped Roma tomatoes, garlic, basil leaves, and olive oil, all salted nicely. Wrap in foil and bake at 350 for about 10 minutes. The bread will soak up the juices from the tomatoes--yum! The filling is even better if you make it a few hours early and let it sit for a bit. Slice into rounds and serve with the pasta. This is a terrific meal to serve to your vegetarian friends!

ITALIAN WEEK

Monday, September 26, 2005

When I was making my first attempts at meal planning, I often ended up buying lots of ingredients that I used only a little of, and then I wouldn't know what to do with the rest before it went bad. This resulted in expensive grocery bills and a crowded fridge. One of the ways that I learned to compensate for such excess was to plan a week's worth of meals using similar ingredients and flavors. Planning this way also allowed me to become comfortable with one method of regional cooking by practicing on it for a whole week. Italian week was one of my earliest themed endeavors, and it has stuck around. Tomato-based sauce is so versatile, and so I make a ton of it at the beginning of the week, and use it for different dishes as the week goes on. This week's menu also serves to prove that I can, indeed, go at least one week without cooking chicken!

Here's the basic sauce recipe, and then, as the week continues, I'll tell you how I modify it:

Oven-Roasted Tomato Sauce

3-4 large tomatoes, chopped

Olive oil

Kosher salt

Cracked black pepper

1 large yellow onion, chopped

4-5 cloves garlic, chopped

1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes (I like the Contadina roasted garlic ones)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Arrange the tomatoes on foil-lined baking sheets in a single layer. Drizzle olive oil onto the sheets, and then toss with your hands to make sure all the pieces are coated with oil. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Roast for about 45 minutes, until beginning to blacken around the edges and fall apart. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large saucepan (this will hold all of the sauce, so use a big one). Add the chopped onion and garlic and cook over medium-low heat until very soft, but not brown--about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. If they soften before the tomatoes are done, turn the heat off. When the tomatoes are done, scrape them and all their juices

into the pan with the onion and garlic. Turn the heat back up to medium-low, and stir, pressing the tomatoes with the back of your spoon to crush them. Add the canned tomatoes, and simmer this mixture for about 20 minutes.

This sauce will serve as the foundation for all the other mixtures this week. For the lasagna, you will need about 1 1/2 to 2 cups of sauce:

Italian Sausage Lasagna

1 1/2 pounds Italian sausage links (I buy a package of 5 links and use 2 1/2 of them)

2 cups oven-roasted tomato sauce

9-12 uncooked lasagna noodles

1 cup ricotta cheese

1 pkg. sliced provolone (6-8 ounces)

2 cups shredded mozzarella

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Remove the sausage links from their casings, and cook in a large skillet over medium heat until brown, breaking them into small pieces as you cook. Drain off all but about a teaspoon of the grease from the sausage, and add the tomato sauce to the skillet. Cook and stir for about 5 minutes, so that the flavors are combined.

Cover the bottom of a rectangular baking dish with 1/4 of the sausage-sauce mixture. Lay 3-4 noodles directly into the sauce, pressing a bit to make sure they are nestled down nicely in the liquid. Onto each noodle, spoon a few dollops of ricotta cheese. Lay Provolone slices on top of the ricotta, pressing to flatten it. Cover the Provolone with sauce, and start the layers over again. End with the ricotta, and cover the whole dish with the shredded mozzarella. Cover tightly with foil and bake for about an hour, until the cheese is beginning to brown around the edges and bubble.

This is an easy recipe to double and either freeze or take to a neighbor or friend. If we were in Jackson, I'd take the second one to Jessie and Jerrod, but we aren't, so I took it over to my next-door neighbors who have been housing refugees from New Orleans. I usually make it in a disposable aluminum pan, cover with foil, and write the cooking directions on the foil. That way, the recipient can cook it whenever she feels like it, or freeze it for another occasion.

Reserve the rest of the sauce for the linguine marinara, calzone, and eggplant parmesan.

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