Like a good all-American sports fan, I fired up some chicken wings last night. And by “some” I mean “a lot” of wings, a lot of spicy, flavorful wings, a “what was I thinking?” amount. Let’s put it this way: you know you’ve made a lot of wings when there are some left over. (I used the Baked BBQ Chicken Wings recipe from last week’s Super Bowl newsletter…my favorite part about writing the newsletter is using it as a great excuse to dive into Cookstr at a different angle week after week, finding new recipes, re-discovering old favorites.)
One of many platters of wings...
Anyway, since it is hard in good conscience to serve your family two dinners with chicken wings as the centerpiece in one week, it occurred to me that the most common culinary fate of chicken wings — when they are NOT being made into sports viewing and bar snacks — is stock. So, into a pot they went, with cold water to cover. The lid was slapped on, it simmered for an hour, and now in the fridge sits a small vat of extremely rich, beautifully flavored, and unusual chicken stock.
Not just any chicken broth...Super Bowl chicken broth.
The principal seasonings on the wings were oregano, hot sauce, a bit of tomato paste, garlic and shallot…it would be a good start for a Mexican-inspired dish like maybe Mexican-Style Chicken Noodle Soup with Garlic Sauce or Chicken Chilaquiles con Salsa or Quick Cooked Tomatillo Chili Sauce.
Repurposing leftovers has always been my favorite sport.
If you are a football fan, then this is one of the best Sundays of the year. If you aren’t such a huge fan, then this is the Sunday when you get to snack your way through the day with impunity while a bunch of your friends yell at the television. Either way, you’re a winner.
Victoria Blashford-Snell and Brigitte Hafner's Baked BBQ Wings with Blue Cheese Dip
We love discovering new flavors and cooking out of the box…but not on Super Bowl Sunday. The food on Sunday should be good–no, the food should be GREAT–and the very definition of crowd-pleasing. There are certain foods that you want to see on Super Bowl Sunday, and, let’s face it, sea urchin ain’t one of them…but chicken wings are. Here are 10 recipes that will get the “yeah, baby” reaction you’re looking for.
There are 365 days in the year–we’ll make profiteroles another time.
And if you’re not receiving The Cookstr 10 every week, be sure to click the link “Sign up for The Cookstr 10” at the top right of this page to start getting ten great, handpicked recipes delivered to your inbox every single Thursday.
Macaroni & cheese is one of my all-time favorite dishes to make and to serve. Everyone loves it; kids love it, adults, jaded foodies who like to discuss whether or not fatty toro is in season. I have one friend who regularly eats out at fabulous restaurant after fabulous restaurant and whenever she comes to my house, she prays that macaroni & cheese is on the menu (and when I know she’s coming, it usually is).
One reason grown-ups like it so much is because it is often considered a kind of old-fashioned, maybe even corny dish – many people haven’t had homemade macaroni & cheese in a long, long time. These are the people who tend to sigh with pleasure when the casserole is deposited on the table.
And so I was tickled pink when the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board offered me the opportunity to concoct a new recipe and choose a cheese from their generous list of indigenous cheeses. Seriously, in my world, this is a pinch-me moment. They said, “Pick a cheese!” I said, “Can I have three?” They said, “Sure!” (From left to right they are Parmesan, Gruyere and Asiago).
I often add a couple of tablespoons of Dijon mustard to the mix, but for a while now have been having a tiny love affair with chipotles in adobo sauce, and wondering how to incorporate them into…um, everything? If you puree up a little 7-ounce can of the stuff, you can keep it in the fridge for weeks on end and add a teaspoon or two to all kind of savory recipes whenever you want a little heat and a little smokiness. And you’ll want to make sure you taste for salt, since the pasta and sauce needs the lift and you don’t want to skimp.
I used rotini, because the spirals make me happy. Click here for the recipe, and to see what 29 other food bloggers came up with with their Wisconsin cheeses.
If all of the casseroles could elect their king, it would undoubtedly be the lasagna. Layers upon layers of savory fillings interspersed with noodles (or, in one instance, tortillas…see number 9).
Here are some of the things we love about lasagna:
1) You serve it right in the pan you cook it in–love the no muss, no fuss quality of that.
2) Not only can you make it ahead of time, you SHOULD make it ahead of time — lasagna is one of those dishes that tastes better the next day (or the day after; best leftovers on the planet).
3) Kids love it. If your kid doesn’t like it, do a screening of one of the Garfield movies, and watch how they change their tune.
4) Whether you are a die-hard carnivore or an emphatic vegetarian or something in between, there are lots of lasagnas for everyone.
Judith Finlayson's Mushroom and Artichoke Lasagna
Lasagna (or lasagne if you hail from within Italia itself…which is also the spelling of the noodle) is essentially an oven-baked casserole made from alternating layers of pasta, cheese, and sauce, sometimes with other add-ins. Lasagna originated in Italy, and from north to south there are many variations. In general, the lasagnas to the north are more delicate, often made with fresh noodles; the lasagnas from the south are more rustic, usually incorporating dried pasta. But these days chefs and authors might take the concept of layering foods within a casserole a bit off the beaten path, and give lasagna their own twist.
One tip that applies to most lasagnas, especially the thicker, saucier versions: let it sit for at least 15-20 minutes before slicing so the pieces hold together better. read more…
My husband is standing by with a fork, waiting for me to finish shooting this piece of lasagna.
“Oh, come on over, I’ll just throw together a quick lasagna.”
Uh, yeah…famous last words.
Lasagna is one of the greatest foods on the planet. People love lasagna. My husband says that when he eats a really good lasagna it tickles the back of his throat (that’s when I smile and nod, he’s a very nice man). But it’s a fact that a dish that (in general) seems so basic, so rustic and homey, always TAKES MUCH MORE TIME THAN I THOUGHT IT WOULD.
But here’s the thing: it’s worth it. I am not trying to talk you out of it — just the opposite. I just want to acknowledge the reality. Every layered, savory, flavor-melded bite is so good you forget that you were up until midnight the night before muttering to yourself. If you possibly can, make it in stages. The next time you’re making a homemade tomato sauce, double that recipe, and freeze half. Boil up those noodles the night before, toss them in a little oil, and tuck them into the fridge. Saute any veggies, grate the cheese and make the béchamel ahead of time (oh, and P.S. maybe even buy grated cheese).
Is making lasagna a lot of work? Yeah, it is. But it’s quite similar to childbirth: the lasagna is so delicious and charming that you forgot all about the pain you subjected yourself to bringing it into the world.
You might even make another. Maybe even two.
So, this year I got a slow cooker, and I am very excited to see what all the hoopla is about. Essentially what a slow cooker does is braise things, very slowly, using moist heat. Because the pot stays closed and there is liquid inside, the temperature stays low (but safely low), and that means you get to toss everything in in the morning, and forget about it all day. The idea of a hot meal waiting to be be spooned out is a gift at the end of some days (and we all have some days).
Beans getting herbed up
What’s a slow cooker good for? Anything that benefits from long slow cooking does extremely well: stews, roasts, tough pieces of meat. But these days smart cookbook authors, and home cooks, are developing recipes for all kinds of surprising things that can be made in the slow cooker, like blondies, lasagna, and duck confit (which, when you think about it, isn’t that surprising, but it sure is cool).
But while the slow cooker is coming into its own in all sorts of way, one of the all-time greatest uses for this appliance is cooking beans. The humble, lowly, and amazingly versatile bean. The incredible, edible bean (I know, that’s not how it really goes).
Beth Hensperger is an author who knows her way around a slow cooker (amongst many other topics). She has written 18 cookbooks, including the Not Your Mother’s ____ series, and several of those books focused on the slow cooker. So, when I needed some advice on cooking beans in my new slow cooker, I was awfully glad to find her chart. This is from Not Your Mother’s Slow Cooker Cookbook, and I’m keeping it close at hand.
White bean crostini, with fresh herbs
I just made a white bean crostini, with simply cooked cannelini beans, olive oil, some minced shallot, fresh mint and parsley, and truffle salt (what???), and those beans from the slow cooker were what beans oughta be.
For me, one of the keys to embracing a new appliance is to leave it on my counter, since I am definitely an “out of sight, out of mind” kind of person. But this year I really want to see what the fans are raving about. What are you favorite things to cook in your slow cooker? read more…
A little while back we asked ya’ll what topics you’d like to see featured in The Cookstr 10. Vegetarian was a big consensus, and so here, for your cooking pleasure, are ten veggie recipes that will hopefully make the apex of winter (or the nadir, depending on how you look at it) taste delicious. (There was actually another vegetarian Cookstr 10, way back in February 2009–you might want to check that one out, too).
Vegetable Moussaka by Victoria Blashford-Snell and Brigitte Hafner
Clearly, people come to vegetarianism for all kinds of reasons: some as a way of life, some just looking to lighten up their diets by introducing more meat-free meals. And thanks to the rise in vegetarianism, there are so many more cool products on the market, and the availability of things like tofu, gorgeous beans, and various grains, not to mention interesting fresh produce, makes eating vegetarian much easier than it was even a few years ago. So many cultures have vegetable and vegetarian dishes at the heart of their cooking (and again, those ethnic ingredients are so much more readily available these days), that jumping into vegetarian cooking is a great way to explore new cuisines. Any way you mince it, vegetarian cooking is good eating. read more…
Even though I’ve never led a meat-free existence, I remember vividly the moment The Moosewood Cookbook came into my life. “Moosewood?” I asked my mom, picking up this oddly titled book that was sitting on our kitchen counter. “What’s a Moosewood?” Moosewood was, of course, a small, humble vegetarian restaurant that had quietly existed in Ithaca, NY, owned and operated by a collective of participants. I opened the cookbook, and fell in love. Cream of Broccoli Soup, Spinach Cheese Calzones, Szechwan Eggplant and Tofu, Zucchini Feta Pancakes, Cottage Cheese and Apple Pancakes. They all sounded so appealing, and so, well, kind-of holier-than-thou in a GOOD way, and so do-able. And I was entranced by the whole handwritten, crunchy-granola feel of the writing, the doodley sketches, the ultra-homey feel of the book. It felt like a cool club to be part of, and I wanted in — not the vegetarian part, just the Moosewood part.
The cookbook that launched 1,000 vegetarians.
The book, and those that followed, became mainstays of my young cooking years. And when I was 20, for the holidays, my then-boyfriend gave me my very own copy of Moosewood, The Enchanted Broccoli Forest, and Still Life with Menu, the other two (wonderfully titled) original books in the Moosewood trilogy. The skies parted, doves sang, I felt like I had reached some sort of grown-up landmark.
The fact that the books were vegetarian added to their intrigue, but I don’t remember feeling any sort of pressure about it all. Shortly after, I also become addicted to Deborah Madison’s books as well. And actually, the original Moosewood books’ author, Mollie Katzen, has now gone on to write books that include non-vegetarian dishes, as has the Moosewood collective, who continued to create their own cookbooks. As has Deborah Madison. So go figure.
One of the great things about being at Cookstr is the ying yang of seeing all the newest books as they launch themselves into our culinary consciousness, and rediscovering (and in some cases discovering) the classics of past decades. Some recipes certainly can feel dated, but the vast majority of them still sound great to me.
We had a slew of people over on Sunday morning, and after mulling over a variety of slightly more fancy-pants brunch options, I went for the #1 sure-fire crowd-pleaser of all breakfasts: homemade pancakes. I will readily confess that I have a box of Bisquick in my pantry, and that there have been many a morn where pancakes would not have appeared on the table had it not been for that box. But in fact, pancakes are one of those dishes that take really only about 5 more minutes to make from scratch than from a mix. Cornbread is another, and so are biscuits. (Chicken stock is not).
So, even before I typed in the word “pancakes” into the Cookstr search bar, I knew one author would for certain show up in the search results (yes, I know, I picked the recipes, so this isn’t like The Amazing Kreskin or anything): Marion Cunningham. And I knew for sure I’d be clicking to check out her pancakes.
Those of us who have spent a couple of decades cultivating a love affair with cookbooks have certain authors that immediately conjure up associations. Sometimes they are specific, like a particular cake recipe that you make every year for your Dad’s birthday. Sometimes they are more general. In this case, for me, Marion Cunningham stands for all that is decent homey and straightforward in the world of classic, comforting foods and baking. I mean, the woman revised the entire Fannie Farmer Cookbook in 1979, and followed that up with The Fannie Farmer Baking Book (the flap copy of which, by the way, describes the Ms. Cunningham as “a forthright and dependable guide.” I’ll say.). Anyway, the obvious point is, is this a woman to trust for a good pancake recipe, or what?
You know the pancakes are ready to flip when little bubbles appear on the surface.
Don't overbeat the batter or the pancakes will be tough; leave the batter lumpy for lighter, fluffier pancakes.
So, in my sleepy haze I skipped right past the pleasurable act of browsing through the other pancake recipes, and brought out the mixing bowl. Minutes later I was happily watching little bubbles form around the edges of a skillet full of pancakes, and minutes after that our crew was passing the syrup.
Have you ever seen a photo of Marion Cunningham? Don’t you want to be her friend? Me, too.
Now that it’s officially January, we’re facing the fact that we are going to have a bit of work to do to compensate for this past month of indulging. Years past should have taught us that December would be filled with cocktail parties, cookies in the office kitchen, and leftover pie beckoning to us for breakfast…and that the darn dry cleaner would once again manage to shrink our favorite pants. But fool us once, fool us a dozen times, we just can’t help ourselves during the holidays.
Jamie Oliver's Lemon Linguine (photo by David Loftus)
Which of course is why we will be seeking out foods that are clean and simple and that launch us into 2010 with a spring in our step. We won’t go so far as to call this a resolution (that’s asking for trouble), but it will feel good to cook and eat a little more lightly for a moment. And not surprisingly, there are a lot of Asian-inspired dishes in this newsletter. Now where did we put that steamer…
Katie Workman, Editor-in-Chief
