Foodie: +/- snob.

Food admiration takes people down many paths. Some love all food, regardless of origin, and end up with flabby memories of their love. Some take the Anton Ego "I only swallow food if my overly refined palatte accepts it as gourmet" route. Still others bury themselves waste deep in manure to grow their own produce. Then, there's the "foodie".

Foodies are a rare yet easily distinguishable breed. They are easily spotted traveling in droves to the latest molecular gastronomy eatery. They speak of big abstract food ideas, like land conservation and anything Michael Pollan has written about, but generally never recycle or implement any of their ideas unless convenient. No matter what you say, they will always one up you. Say you bought some Oregon white Truffles, they will tell you about their trip to Abruzzo to forage for truffles with a local hunter. Say you got some jamon iberico, they will detail the specs of the new meat curing locker they've specially ordered to make their own cured meats. It pains me to talk to people who label themselves "foodies". Friends often stick me with this label - I hate it. I appreciate food. I love learning about food and all its aspects. However, I HATE the food snobbery that so often accompanies food appreciation. My whole life, i.e. law school, is built around competition. Cooking and food are my hobbies - for christ's sake don't make them a competition too.

Just a little quibble I have. Food should be about happiness and community, not exclusiveness. It's not that I don't enjoy the finer things in life - I indulge a bit too often actually - but I want food to be a positive aspect of people's lives. Ya shouldn't feel uneasy about food.

Speaking of food, I've made quite a lot since my last post. My schedule's a little nuts though so all I have are pictures for you. Recipes maybe possibly hopefully coming soon...

Remember that delicious Lamb Shank? Here's its reincarnation - shred up the meat and heat with the braising liquid, boil some pappardelle to just under al dente, cook the pasta until al dente in the lamb/sauce, grate over pecorino and sprinkle with herbs (parsley or fresh mint)

 I love poppy seeds. Hopefully none of my job prospects give me a pee test because they will think I am a serious heroin addict. I ate this entire batch (12) of lemon poppy seed muffins in 4 days. I'm a winner.

I'm always straining to make tasty, quick breakfasts for myself. Most mornings I'm too clumsy and late to make anything worthwhile so I tend to make lots of meals on the weekend. These mini vegetable fritattas keep very well in the fridge. Eat them cold, hot, or wrapped up in a tortilla with salsa.

While making said fritattas I was truly disturbed by my carton of eggs. Each and every egg of the dozen had double yolks. The fritattas were extra rich and every bite made me uneasy and suspicious of whatever hormones I was ingesting (hormone free, free range my ass).

 Vietnamese Chicken Salad - Chargrilled lemon grass marinated chicken thighs with nuc mam sauce

Chickpeas

Who’s shucked a fresh chickpea? Who’s eaten one? I’d venture to guess no one, and I’m kind of baffled as to why; they’re delicious! Someone from the chickpea marketing team really slipped up in not promoting them as a fresh vegetable. I just had my first (of many, hopefully) fresh chickpea experiences this past weekend. They come in a little green jacket, like an English Pea, which is peeled away to reveal one (sometimes two, if you’re lucky) bright green chickpeas.

Apparently they come in both a green and white varietal, but the green is the easiest to find fresh. Though they look like peas, it is in fact a legume. In their fresh state chickpeas don’t take much in the way of preparation and actually don’t taste half bad raw. Lightly steam them and drizzle with a touch of sea salt and super fruity olive oil and you’ve got an interesting and easy side dish.

My Grade: A
Recipe Grade: A, it's not even a recipe really.
Diagnosis: MUST try.

Christine had a little lamb...

I have a slight obsession with lamb. Whenever there’s an occasion to celebrate or some excuse for an ornate meal, I turn to lamb. Whether it’s shanks, rack, loin, shoulder, leg… I love it all! I think my love of lamb has stunted my culinary growth a bit though. When faced with the choice of the choicest meats, I can’t help myself. Why would I make a three-bone prime rib roast for $100 when I can make rack of lamb for 8 for $60? Serving lamb reaps a level of impressiveness that plain ol’ filet mignon will never attain.  Plus, it objectively tastes better. Because my taste is the true measure of good taste, obviously.

Pomegranate Braised Lamb Shanks

So here is my latest rendition of braised lamb shanks. I think I’ve made braised lamb shanks more than any other meat dish. In Ad Hoc, Thomas Keller expounds on the virtues of perfecting a recipe through repetition. If you make a dish over and over, you know the ins and outs of the ingredients and can actually tweek it rather than wholly categorizing the recipe as good or bad then moving on. I have to say, this is one of the first complex recipes I've ever developed by repetition. Diners always rave about it, even my ex-roomie who is generally a vegetarian will eat it. Though it takes 3 hours, it’s not a difficult dish to make. If you have a big pot and some time, you can do it.

3-4 large lamb shanks
2 stalks of celery
2 carrots
1 small onion
3 cloves of garlic confit (regular fresh garlic would be okay, but maybe just 2 cloves)
S & P
1 bay leaf
3 T flour
2 T olive oil
½ bottle of dry red wine
2 T Pomegranate Molasses
3 c chicken broth
1 small can of tomatoes (San Marzano, please)

Season and sear the shanks on all sides in a large heavy pot (like a le Creuset). It will take at least 5 minutes on each side on medium heat to appropriately brown each side. Meanwhile, clean all vegetables and cut into roughly 3” pieces (just to make it easier to blend). Process in a food processor with the flour until finely minced (almost to the point of baby food, but still confetti like).

 

Remove the shanks from the pot and sauté the processed flour and vegetables until lightly browned. Deglaze with the wine, add the stock, bay leaf, tomatoes, pomegranate molasses, and seared shanks. Season with salt and pepper (but not too too much because the sauce will reduce down). Bring to a simmer, cover, and stash in your oven at 225F for three (3!) hours, turning and basting it at least every hour.

At the end of the cook time, either remove the shanks from the pot if you dare (because they will crumble into a tender mass of meaty perfection at the slightest touch of your tongs) or take the lid off and simmer on the stove until the liquid has reduced by half. You may want to baste the shanks often to ensure maximum moistness.

Serve with only a fork and you will be very happy. Serve with baba ghanoush and fresh chickpeas doused in your finest olive oil, and you will be unnaturally happy – the kind of happy that usually only comes in pill form.

Recipe Grade: A
My Grade: A+ (my first!)
Diagnosis: Good for special occasions.

Baba Ghanoush

For some reason, Baba Ghanoush is often overlooked and hummus reigns supreme in Western refrigerators. Baba Ghanoush is a smoky, savory mix of eggplant and tahini that I generally prefer over hummus. Most hummus you get in America is a) cold b) flavorless and c) from a hermetically sealed package. If the hummus has just been made (i.e. hot because you actually boiled the chickpeas yourself) with good tahina (I “imported” mine while on a trip to Israel) and extremely smooth, then I love the stuff. Otherwise, save yourself a night of soaking chickpeas, an hour of boiling the beans, and 10 minutes of your poor food processor’s motor, and instead make Baba Ghanoush. You can make it in a bowl with a fork/masher if you want to, or you can be lazy and put it in the food processor.

Baba Ghanoush

1 medium/large eggplant
2T tahina
½ large lemon
1T parsley
1T olive oil

Prick the eggplant with a fork all over its exterior. If you have a gas stove, turn it on to medium high heat and roast the eggplant over the flame for 3-5 minutes. I roast it for longer, but I like really smoky things which most people do not. If you don’t have a gas stove, put the eggplant under your broiler and turn it occasionally. Afterward, put the charred eggplant on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 40-50 minutes at 400F. Do not (NOT!) cut the eggplant’s stem off at any point before or during the baking process. After the eggplant is completely soft, remove its stem and skin and process it with the other ingredients. Some people like it to be really smooth, some like it chunkier. I personally like it fairly smooth, but still with some mouth feel.

My Grade: B, I really like the smokiness but 10 minutes on an open flame is too much for most people
Recipe grade: A-, it's too simple to mess up
Diagnosis: if you like hummus but are a little bored by it, try baba ghanoush.