Month: March 2012

lynley the lunch lady

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it was probably too much whiskey but i believe the shear romantic appeal of it was just to strong, yet when i was plotting my move back to springfield a job that i applied for was to be a lunch lady.  more specifically the technical term is nutrition services representative, boooyhah!  did you know that this field is actually having a hiring crisis thanks to mrs obama and jamie olivier who are demanding kids actually know what the hell an apple is.

i dreamed of partaking in this food revolution in the classroom, bonding with the grandmas in the kitchen and living one of my passions…feeding people.  springfield has suddenly gone gun-ho.  by the end of this school year all elementary and middle school students will be offered a free breakfast delivered to them in the classroom and elementary schools get 2 snacks of fruits or veggies a day.  i proudly claimed my 2 hairnets and was ready for the challenge.  yes i knew i would probably be repulsed by what is deemed food in the government subsidized world “if you pick low-fat Doritos, they count as your vegetable! (made of corn)”, but what i was not expecting to feel is absolutely defeated.

i am a girl who declares “bring it on!” i will climb shelves, rather than ask for help for getting a high item, i specifically bought a pink helmet so when i pass boys on my fixed gear bike they know its a girl who just sped by, and one of my proudest moments in a professional kitchen was being called an “arrogant bitch.” so what is so defeating about being a lunch lady?

the logistic impossibility of assembling 645 breakfasts in 30 minutes, delivering 100 catering chests in 5 minutes to 3 floors without the use of an elevator, hauling catering racks through parking lots in rain, wind, etc. and having them overturn on the uneven terrain, returning 15 minutes later to pick up all leftover food and then dumping 60% of your work into the trash, whole classrooms won’t have a single kid eat a breakfast, and then  starting the process all over again for the next day.  i’m the youngest in the kitchen, the majority of the women are at least 30-40 years older.  everyday one of them looks at me and says “this is going to kill me”  and what i hate to admit back to them is that some days i feel the exact same way.  although this is the most physical and emotionally challenging thing i have ever done, i am trying damn hard to figure out how to make it my bitch.

Sunday Night Dinner: Let’s eat British all Month! Will and Kate Beer and Barley Pie

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A photo from Jamie Oliver's Great Britain

So my good friend Kendra gave me Jamie Oliver’s new cookbook, Great Britain. This was a very kind and generous gift because 1) I love British food 2) I love Jamie Oliver’s recipes and 3) I can’t get this cookbook in the US.

This means that, yes, I have to do metric conversions in order to use the cookbook, BUT that’s what APP’s, the internet and good old-fashioned guesstimation is good for, right?

So far I’ve made Crumbliest Scones, Breakfast Buttys (veg of course) and Will and Kate’s Beef and Beer Pie (substituting a few things to fill in for the beef). I’ve decided that March is “eat British” food month at our house, so get ready for a few United Kingdom inspired meals. This will be no surprise to any of my family members as I have been an anglophone since I was thirteen.

Something I love about the Brits is that when they make a savory “pie” it’s pretty much straight up one filling. Where we Americans will throw in carrots, celery, peas, and other things with our chicken, pork and beef pies, they stick to the base ingredient and add just a little something extra.

Mr. Oliver spiced his up a bit with the gravy ingredients which helped for my vegetarian version. I have to admit that I was really nervous about making pie dough using the conversion calculator. Pastry dough is tricky, finicky and pretty much by the book cooking. So if anything was going to go wrong, the pastry dough stood a strong chance of going awry. It didn’t, thank the cooking gods, so John got to have dinner and no kitchen meltdowns occurred.

Here’s how I made a vegetarian version of  Will and Kate (and yes that stands for THE Will and Kate) Beer and Barley Pie.

First, I substituted shiitake mushroom based Field Roast for beef. I used one quarter loaf and sautéed it crispy then set it aside.

I halved the filling on Jamie’s recipe (so I actually converted then halved it– I’m a crazy person). This worked out well for the 9-inch pie pan I was using. I mixed chopped 1 chopped red onion, 1 cup of portabella mushrooms, and a tablespoon of thyme, a tablespoon of rosemary and 1 bay leaf. With a dash of salt and pepper, I sautéed them for 10 minutes in 2 tablespoons of olive oil.

After the 10 minutes were up and the vegetables were nice and soft, I added the stout beer. I, of course, went with Guinness. One of my most favorite beers ever was a Guinness I had before I saw Romeo and Juliet at the Globe in London. After converting about 3/4 of a cup seemed right. I also added 1 tablespoon of tomato puree or diced tomatoes, 1 heaping tablespoon of flour, and 3 cup of vegetable broth. It looked like this after I stirred it all together.

You let it simmer on low (with the lid on) for 30 minutes. While it was cooking, I made the pie dough. Because the Will and Kate pie called for Suet (beef fat lard) and there wasn’t a sure-fire way around it, I choose to use another of Jamie’s pie savory pie dough recipes. This one was butter based and I’ve made a couple butter based pie doughs before so I felt a little more confidant about it.

This called for 2  1/4 cups-ish of flour, 2 sticks of butter, pinch of sea salt. Being the old-fashioned girl that I am I tend to do everything by hand, so I pinched my salt, flour and butter together, but you can, as Jamie suggests, just zap it in the food processor until the mixture looks like cornmeal. Then dump the loose mixture out on the a clean surface and make a pile, then a well in the middle of the pile. I added around 6 to 8 tablespoons of ice-cold water to the well. Carefully mix it together using your fingers until the dough comes together into a rough ball. Don’t get it too wet, dry is better! Then place in a floured bowl, cover with plastic wrap and “pop” it into the fridge for at least 30 minutes or until ready for use. The plastic wrap and the cold will help it come together in the end.

Scruffy ball of dough

Once my vegetable and beer mixture had cooked for 30 minutes, it was time to add a 1/4 of a cup of pearl barley. Stir it in (the mixture should be thickening) and put the lid back on for 30 more minutes on low.

When the 30 minutes are up, take the lid off and cook for 15 minutes more. Things should be really thick by now.

When the 15 minutes are up, add 2 tablespoons of tamari or Worcestershire sauce, 2 teaspoons of a mustard with some kick to it, and 1/4 of a cup of shredded cheddar cheese. Stir and remove from heat then mix in your cooked Field Roast (don’t forget it!)

Now it’s time to see if your pastry came together in the fridge. I will admit my dough needed a little more help, so I added 2 more tablespoons of water to moisten it. Cut your dough in half and roll it a 1/2 inch thick on a floured surface. I say 1/2 inch, but butter based dough isn’t stretchy in a rolling-pin kind of way, so close enough is good enough. Then cut to fit your pie pan.

Two hearts for two royal sweethearts

Add your filling.

I dotted mine with butter to help make up for the loss of the beef fat.

Now it’s time for the top crust! Same as before, but make sure to seal the edges to your bottom crust. Again, butter based dough makes this a little harder to do, but close is good. Use one egg and paint a light egg wash on the top crust then bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes or until slightly golden brown.

Yes, I’m going to say it, this pie is truly fit for a future king or Mr. Young the King of my heart…I’m glad  the most important one of them got to enjoy it!

I did finish off the stout and made a scrappy version of the English classic mushy peas along with sides of carrots and boiled potatoes! Jolly good if I do say so myself.

sunday night dinner: march 4, 2012 — the heritage

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ah the heritage cafeteria a landmark of springfield.  you are a true springfieldian if you remember how there used to be a grand total of 3 locations.  seems like each time i go i aim to get one thing and at the last minute, when seeing that line of food, switch to something else.  steph and i were just talking about our “3 vegetable plate” we used to get all the time, mac & cheese, mashed potatoes and green beans.  some things we love because they are sssooo good, other things like the heritage we love because it never changes.

look at that gravy

meatless monday —- salad remix

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there is nothing like leftovers.  i must admit i really like it in the “incredibles” movie how they have a leftover night, its kind of like an at home potluck.  mmmmmmm…….potluck.  so i did a little leftover magic something i’m calling salad remix, aka take leftover salad from sunday night dinner and add some WHAM!!  my WHAM!  included craisins, feta cheese, and some vegetarian chicken chunks.  along with it some pasta with paul newman’s.  i have come to realize this is my ultimate lazy junk dinner, a big bowl of pasta with basil and tomato sauce and enough kraft parm to make it look like it snowed 2 inches on top.

 

Vegetarian Sukiyaki!

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Two years ago I learned how to cook sukiyaki from my friend Jennifer. I made it for a Sunday Night Dinner and since the whole fam lived here, we all got to experience it for the first time together (you can check it out at http://thepiesthatbind.wordpress.com/2010/12/12/jennifer-gathering-round/)

Now that I’m vegetarian I wanted to make sukiyaki again, but do some substitutes for the chicken and shrimp I used last time.
After researching on line I decided to add eggs, more greens and some vegetarian wontons I found at Whole Foods.
Here’s the recipe and how it went…

1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup tamari
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup mirin
2 cups dashi (Japanese stock- I used veggie stock but created a soy sauce, mushroom base in the pot first then added my broth to that)
Cooking oil
1 small Bok choi
1/2 cup of green onions chopped
1 can bamboo shoots (drained and sliced)
4 cups spinach
2 cups Renkon or white sweet potato
1 block medium tofu pressed and cut into chunks
1 package of rice noodles or chewier undon noodles.
1 egg
4 white mushrooms, sliced
Frozen vegetarian wontons ( not necessary but fun! I found mine at Whole Foods)

How-to:
In a separate frying pan sauté tofu in a tablespoon or two of cooking oil. Cook until crispy and golden. Add shiitake mushrooms, sauté for one minute. Add egg and scramble until tofu and mushrooms are coated and the egg is cooked.

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Set the tofu mix aside- it’s ok if it cools.

In the soup pot add 2 more tablespoons of oil. Sauté white mushrooms for 3 minutes on medium heat. Add soy sauce and tamari and simmer for 3-5 minutes. This will make a base for your broth.

Add a cup of broth and boil for 10 minutes. Add the rest of the broth and a 1/2 cup of water, the sugar, and the mirin.

Bring to a boil.

Add the rest of the sukiyaki ingredients one at a time letting each one cook for a couple of minutes before adding the next ingredient.

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While this is cooking prepare your noodles according to package direction. I cooked mine in another pot.

Add the tofu, shiitake, egg mixture, and the cooked noodles last!

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Springfield Style Cashew Chicken recipe! (and a veggie version recipe too!)

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Here’s the recipe that Lyn and I use to make Springfield Style at home. It’s straight from the Junior League of Springfield’s Sassafras Cookbook. Now I will say this– I use my grandmother’s fried chicken recipe to make the chicken. This involves soaking the cut chunks of chicken in buttermilk for a half hour before dipping and dredging through egg and flour. It’s just how we fry chicken, so you can add that extra step if you like!

Recipe as the cookbook says, “A Springfield Tradition!”

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1/2 cup milk or buttermilk

2 tablespoons water

2 eggs, well beaten

(cup of flour if you frying the chicken like grandma!)

salt

4 large chicken breasts halves cut into bite-size pieces (or tofu – see note)

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 1/2 cups of chicken broth

2 tablespoons oyster sauce

1 teaspoon sugar

pepper to taste

1 cup flour

Vegetable oil for frying

1 cup of cashew nuts

1/2 cup of chopped green onions

Soy Sauce and cooked rice

Making the brown sauce….

This is the most crucial part of the recipe and I tend to make it first before I fry the chicken (or tofu) and cook the rice.

In a saucepan, dissolve cornstarch in a small amount of broth; add remaining broth gradually to make a paste. Now this is serious people– if you add all the liquid or grow impatient (like me) and pour all the liquid in, you will regret it. Your paste will take 3 times as long to form, so just give it little drinks of broth! I do this “paste” step on the stove top using very low heat.

Blend in oyster sauce, sugar, and pepper. Stir over medium high heat until sauce boils and begins to thicken. This can take longer than you would expect, so just keep stirring. You’re looking for a pudding like thickness.

Set aside on a cool burner when thickened.

The chicken prep…

How the chicken is prepared is where me and this recipe part ways. I’ve never tried it the recipe way, so I’ll give you my version and their version.

My version: Get out 3 bowls. Pour buttermilk into one large bowl, crack and beat eggs into another medium bowl and put flour into another large bowl (salt and pepper it a few shakes).

Place chicken chunks in the large buttermilk bowl and let the soak for 30 minutes in the fridge. When time is up, take them out and dip them in the egg bowl, then dredge them in the flour bowl. I tend to leave them in the flour bowl.

Their version: Marinate chicken in milk (they use regular milk), 2 tablespoons of water, the beaten eggs, and a sprinkle of salt for 20 minutes. Dredge chicken in flour.

Frying it up!

This works for either prep method! Fry chicken in oil in a heavy skillet until crisp and golden. To prevent chicken pieces from sticking together, drop into hot oil one piece at a time. Drain on paper towels.

Get ready to be Springfield Styled!

Reheat brown sauce. Put a serving of rice on the each plate. The chicken on top of the rice and the pour the brown sauce over the chicken. Sprinkle with chopped green onions and cashews! Serve with soy sauce (but not necessary in my book!)

 

**Please note that due to my recent vegetarianism I do make Springfield Style with crispy tofu and veggie broth (the oyster sauce can’t be modified!)

It’s just as good. Here’s the crispy tofu recipe.

Ingredients:

  • 1 block firm or extra firm tofu – I often freeze my tofu the day before, then thaw it for 30 minutes in hot water before I’m going to cook with it. The freezing gives it a more hearty texture.
  • 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 2 tbsp flour
  • 2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
Slice the tofu into 1/2 inch cubes.In a small bowl, combine the tofu with the remaining ingredients, except the oil, and toss gently to coat the tofu well. Or, place all ingredients in a zip-lock bag or covered container and shake well.

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat and add the tofu. Cook for 4 to 6 minutes, turning occasionally, until golden brown and lightly crispy.