And the first ‘best recipe’ of 2012 is…

…Thai Curry Stew with Turkey and Zucchini!

I’d yanked this recipe out of November’s CL (I took A LOT of recipes from that one… Must have been all that Thanksgiving yumminess) since it looked like something Andrew would like. It was one of two ‘how to use turkey leftovers’ recipes from famed NYT columnist Mark Bittman, so I knew it would be good.

Despite zucchini being terribly out of season, I thought I’d give it a whirl anyway. I was lucky enough to take home some of our leftover turkey from grandma’s and after measuring out the 3 cups I’d need, threw it promptly in the freezer until I had time to make the soup.

It’s fantastic! It’s a bit hot; I used 1.5 of the 1 to 2 dried Thai chiles called for. I don’t know that I’d use fewer chiles next time; I think my palate is becoming more and more tolerant of heat these days (must be eating too many wings…). It’s also a little hands-on; you basically grind up your spices, chiles, coconut milk, garlic and cilantro in a food processor before adding them to your cooking onions and carrots. Once you’ve done that, though, you’re pretty much done. Throw in some of the zucchini, simmer for 45 minutes, blend (optional), then add the rest of the zucchini and the turkey. It’s served over brown rice, but you could just have it as soup, too.

As I was getting everything ready, I realized it would be a fantastic time to try out another recipe I’d been hanging onto for awhile now: Carrot-Ginger Salad Dressing. You know that dressing that comes on salads when you go to a Hibachi/Japanese Steakhouse? THAT’S what I’m talking about. I adore it and always try to savor the flavors in my mouth in hopes of recreating at home. Real Simple featured a recipe and I yanked it as well, and have been holding onto it ever since.

Since I was making this on a whim, I had to look up a sub for miso (white soybean paste that adds a salty flavor) and I had a couple from which to choose: tahini (fresh out–darn), soy sauce (didn’t seem like it would really work since the textures are so different) and anchovy paste. Of all the things to have on-hand, ANCHOVY PASTE was the winner! Thank you, Heather, for your generous donation of tubed anchovy paste to my fridge during your move this summer. It was a lifesaver!

It came out a bit intense on the salt/vinegar side, so I added a dash of lime juice to brighten it up. All in all, I think it’s a great recipe, but it was pretty vinegar-y, so I made some notes to myself for next time. Less vinegar/salt and add orange juice. A friend told me she’d looked into the recipe and that OJ was an ingredient, which I think would add a bit of brightness and sweetness without adding to the tart/vinegar flavor it already has.

If you’re at all into Thai and/or curry flavors, the stew would be right up your alley. I know I’ll be making this again–it’s the perfect ‘post’ post-Thanksgiving meal… You know, after you’ve had a day or so to eat the actual Thanksgiving leftovers just like you did for the big day.

it was a german kind of night (a few nights ago…)

OK, so school has really taken a toll on blogging, among other things… Admittedly, blogging (here and for the c0-op) is potentially the ONE area of my life that really can drop off a bit, so I had to let it. Oh, it’s been hard. There has been guilt. There has been worry. There have been myriad un-published posts swirling around in my head since September. But drop it did. Thankfully, with my new iPhone, blogging hasn’t completely disappeared; the short posts it allows me to upload have been my saving grace this semester. I’m even toying with the idea of blogging with it primarily, instead of trying to make it to the computer all the time…

Anyway, here’s yet another post that was written long ago and is just now being finished and uploaded…(sigh).

I made sauerbraten and spaetzle Friday night. Andrew and I traveled around Germany a year or so after we got married and have lots of happy memories of the country, the trip and the food. We’re BIG foodies; WHERE we eat on trips is potentially the biggest part, at least for me.

Anyway, I saw a recipe for sauerbraten and homemade spaetzle in a Food Network magazine forever ago and ripped it out, knowing I would make it someday. Well, that day came Friday. Actually, it started Tuesday by marinating the roast in a mix of red wine, beef broth, red wine vinegar and onions with all sorts of spices, to include juniper berries. Thank goodness Wegmans has juniper berries! I’ve been known to go on wild-goose chases for ingredients, and I don’t have that kind of time right now.

Basically, sauerbraten is a roast with a bit of a vinegar-y flavor. We both really like it. It cooks in a similar way as well, so when I got home from school Friday, I took it out of the fridge and after a short “decompressing period” (not for the meat, for me) I started cooking.

The sauerbraten was PHENOMENAL. Andrew announced it as a “top 10” and couldn’t get enough. The sauce was rich and thick with just the right “bite” to it.

I served it with the homemade spaetzle; the recipe for which was featured on the opposite side of the page. I love doing that–making a whole ‘meal’ I find in a magazine, or making each component from scratch–it just feels better that way.

However… Spaetzle, I have learned, is not for the weak. And I’m not weak, so I’m not sure who it’s for. Either that, or a spaetzle press is a mandatory accessory. Basically, you make an egg-y dough and force it through the large holes of a colander, while holding it over boiling water. Sounds OK, right? WRONG. The dough was so thick and springy that it was terribly difficult to get it through the holes, not to mention the awkward position of having to hold it over the stove. It took about 45 minutes and I thought my forearms were going to fall off my body. Never gain. Next time, I’ll look for it at Wegmans.

I also made a “sweet hot” cabbage recipe Andrew loves. It’s another Food Network magazine find and since he won’t eat sauerkraut, it’s my go-to cabbage dish for meals with pork and apples or sausages or something. And anytime I make coleslaw I have to bring out all the cabbage recipes I can find; I refuse to buy pre-cut coleslaw mix, and cutting up those heads of cabbage yield SO MUCH. After making some coleslaw and this recipe, I still have a ton left, so I’m trying a sauteed cabbage recipe in a couple nights. Thankfully, other than drying out a bit, cabbage keeps for awhile in the fridge.

What a mess! (Andrew did the dishes–hence the photo–what a sweetie!)

Streudel is such a German dish and Andrew loves it, so I thought I’d whip up an apple crostata with a pie dough I had in the freezer. Well, things never go as planned for me (go figure…) and dinner was later than I had thought, so I actually ended up making this a couple nights later when Carolyn and Ben came over for a movie. It actually worked out well; more people means fewer leftovers to tempt me!

Today is my day “off,” which I hope will be filled with chemistry and present-wrapping!

“homemade” homemade hummus

(This one has been sitting in my “drafts” queue for awhile now; it’s high-time I got it out! I actually still have some of the hummus left in the fridge…not sure how long it lasts, but it seems fine!)

How does ‘homemade’ hummus get even more ‘homemade?’

You start with dry beans, of course!

I did just that, for the first time, and I have to admit–I think I like the canned variety better! Well, I take that back. I think what I didn’t like was the flavor imparted by the vegetable broth and herbs I used to cook the beans; it gave the hummus a subtle ‘herby’ flavor I wasn’t used to. I think next time I’ll start with dry beans and use just water.

The recipe I’ve been using is from Patricia Wells’ Salad as a Meal book. Get the recipe here. I LOVE the recipe–it’s light and bright and fresh–featuring lemon juice, garlic and cilantro.

After soaking and boiling the chickpeas with onion, parsley and bay leaves, I dumped it all into the blender.

Add the olive oil, tahini, lemon juice, garlic and cilantro. You whir it around until it’s smooth and creamy, adding water (or some of the broth, if you saved it) as needed. I think it’s the blender (my food processor is in storage…), but I have to add a lot of water to get it to the consistency it should be.

Half the recipe for the dried beans made double what 1 can typically makes, so I’ll have to keep that in mind for next time. Since Andrew doesn’t eat it, I can’t make too much at once.

After blending, top with paprika and drizzle with olive oil. Enjoy!