Back by Popular Demand*

More pictures of Mycroft!

Here he is informing Mark that loving the cat is more important than work!



Since Mark decided that graduating and money are things we might want, Mycroft has agreed that Mark may proceed with feline assistance!



Now he is killing things!



Now he is becoming acquainted with his new jungle!**



Here he is conquering his new domain!



In other news, the cat smells rather savory.***






*Ok, so maybe just my mom.

**Ah, the joys of the first really-real frost warning of the year. They are indoor plants now. Time to get out the grow light 'cause we won't see real sun again until June.

***And also like farts. If anyone knows what to feed a kitten so that they do not stank up the joint, please share. He is currently eating Science Diet Kitten, and I don't think it agrees with him. Judging from the smell, he is rotting on the inside.

Pasta with Corn, Pancetta, Butter & Sage - or - Happy Puppy Dance in the Kitchen

My uncle, the Harry the Foodie, sent me a lovely gift after my last visit: The Zuni Cafe Cookbook by Judy Rogers. This book is, as Harry told me, a philosophy of cooking. In sum: 1) observe everything at every stage with all relevant senses; 2) keep track of these observations; 3) keep adjusting until you find yourself doing the Happy Puppy Dance in front of the stove. In kind, my thank-you note is waiting for slightly colder weather so that I can send it happily bundled with with pork products. (I'm trying to find the good in frost warnings. It's a green tomato party, not "Crap, my plants are frozen" Day.)

I have been studying this book in what spare time I have, and beginning to apply the principles to my cooking adventures. As I was looking up approximate quantities for bird-salting, I came across the creatively titled Pasta with Corn, Pancetta, Butter & Sage. Seeing as I had everything but the corn on hand, and the grocery store is a 10 minute walk, I went for it. I halved the recipe seeing as there are only the two of us (plus the cat, but he is very small and does not need pasta - he did get some pancetta, though). There were still leftovers (about 2 full cups) that I think will be quite excellent. The bright side of the rather vast quantity of fat in this recipe (other than it tastes awesome) is that that it is very satisfying. You know your appetite better than I do. Scale accordingly.

Be forewarned: this recipe is an excuse to use butter. Go with it. Be kind to your arteries on another night, but this one...we'll just call it a sometimes food. And don't forget to do the Happy Puppy Dance. That is the best part.

You will need (for a half-recipe):

1.5 oz pancetta, minced (please see pork products, above)
~a stick of butter (we're getting all Paula up in here)
Some water
4 big and healthy sage leaves, roughly chopped (I remove the biggest stem from mine)
Freshly cracked black pepper
8 oz pasta of your choice (I used a small rigatoni, but the original calls for something fettucini-ish)
Salt
the kernels sliced off of 2 ears of the best sweet corn you can find (I'm sure this would be better in June, but it was still great in September)

Get your pasta water started. Salt approximately 1 t of salt per 1 quart of water.

Melt 1-2 T of butter in your favorite skillet (I used a 10" cast iron) over medium-low heat. Throw in the pancetta and stir/scrape until it has browned very slightly on the edges and it begins to sizzle in the fat. Kill the heat and drop in a tiny bit (seriously, tiny bit) of water to cool the pan. Add another 2-3 T butter and then dump in the sage and black pepper to taste. Swirl the pan so the sage and pepper can infuse the butter.

Your water should be boiling now. Throw in your pasta and cook it until it is al dente (did I mention that cooking is the ONE thing in life that I can successfully multitask?).

When your pasta is a couple minutes out, put the skillet back on on a medium heat. Dump in the rest of the butter and swirl until the butter is melted. Throw in the corn and stir. Cook this just until the corn is heated all the way through. (If your corn is dry, she says to add a dribble of pasta water. I didn't have this problem, so I didn't do it.) Adjust your saltiness at this point. Reduce the heat to low to just keep the corn/savories warm.

Drain your perfectly al dente pasta and toss with the sauce. Adjust your saltiness again. You should be doing the Happy Puppy Dance by this point.

She also says to serve with freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. This is the only part of the recipe that I didn't think was necessary.

Public Service

It has occurred to me that the internet has insufficient pictures of kittens. Please allow me to do my part to remedy this tragedy. This is Mycroft:

This is pretty much how he spent is his first day home. Mark and I got him from the Ozaukee Humane Society yesterday (after I spent the previous 24 hours cyber-stalking a kitten, hoping that no one else would steal him from me). He is 11 weeks old and was found as a stray two weeks ago. He is a bit skittish, but very affectionate. I think he'll grow out of the former and more into the latter.

As of today, he is willing to be out from under the bookshelf while Mark and I are in the room, but he still does not like when we are standing up or walking. I think we are too big for him.

He's starting to take the high ground, and I think in a few days he will be ready to venture from the office into the rest of the house. We've got a bit of work to do to get ready for him.

Shephardish Pie

I'm having one of those days where I leave my USB drive in the lab that I don't have a key to, my code won't compile for me (but for my friend), I get distracted by shiny things, and look at kittens on the internet (I will cut someone if they adopt my kitty before I get to him). Let's hark back to times of much, much greater success.





This recipe is the result of a fridge cleaning expedition gone right. Mark and I were going to make pizza, then we didn't. Then I decided that I wanted to make pasties. Then I was too lazy to make crusts. Then I decided to make a shepherd's pie. Then I remembered that I don't like shepherd's pie. Then I threw stuff in a pan. It was awesome.

You will need:
3 small leeks, quartered lengthwise and diced
12 oz mushrooms, sliced
1 lb cooked mild Italian sausage, cooked
~1/4 c. roughly chopped sage
~1/2 c. apple cider
3 T butter
salt
pepper
1-2 potatoes, sliced

Heat the oven to ~350 deg. F (or somewhere there about)

Saute the leeks in 2T butter in a pan/skillet until they start smelling really, really good. Throw in the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms have given off their liquids and are starting to caramelize. Now add the Italian sausage, sage, and apple cider. Salt and pepper to taste.

Transfer all of this into some sort of casserole/oven-proof dish. Arrange the potato slices so that they cover the filling completely. dot with the remaining 1 T of butter. Bake for ~20 minutes and then move to top rack and broil until the potatoes are starting to brown and crisp up.

This doesn't really bind to itself, so it makes a pile of food on the plate, but it makes up for relatively poor presentation by having a great personality.

{this moment}

lifted from my sister, who lifted it from SouleMama. In the words of its creator: A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Chicken Tikka Masala

If you've ever forayed into the making of Indian food, you've realized that, on the whole, Indians aren't exactly shy with the spices. It's not a "add 1/2 teaspoon of oregano and 1/2 teaspoon of thyme" sort of thing, it's a "this is why spices are sold in bulk" sort of thing. This recipe calls for well over 1/2 cup of spices when all is said and done. I would definitely recommend keeping all of the non-pepper spicing, regardless of whether or not you think you like "spicy" food. If you don't like it hot, I would cut the peppers in the marinade in 1/2 (if that still seems like a lot to you, keep in mind that the yogurt cuts the hotness significantly) and start with 1/4 t. of cayenne in the sauce and work your way up from there, tasting as you go. This is why we have spoons. And also why the cook is not hungry by the time dinner is served (or is that just me?).

A note on hotness: I was using extra hot cayenne powder and this came out around a 7 on Maria's Scale of Hotness. Apparently my 7 kills the average Midwesterner (or so I have been led to believe). I thought that this was a bit much as when you get past a 6 or so, the hot begins to overwhelm the spicy. Next time I make this, I will likely keep the amounts the same and use a regular cayenne powder, which puts it around a 5 on Maria's Scale of Hotness. That is precisely where Maria prefers her Tikka Masala to be: hot enough to make your lips tingle a little bit, but balanced enough that you can still taste everything else in the pot.

A note on sauce: If you plan to use your blender/immersion blender/food processor, you can be a little bit lazy when cutting up the veg. If you don't want to do that step, get everything down as close to a proper mince as possible. You'll thank yourself later.

Day 1 (or the morning of):

Cut 1 1/2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken cut into 1" cubes

Marinade:

1 T cumin
1 T red pepper flakes
1 T black pepper
1 t salt
1/2 T cinnamon
1 T paprika (I generally use 1/2 sweet paprika and 1/2 hot paprika)
1 t turmeric
1" ginger, grated or minced
1/2 lemon, juiced and zested
1 c. plain yogurt

Grind up any spices that haven't been ground already, and mix everything together in a big tupperware or plastic bag (whatever you like to marinate in). Add the chicken and stir/squish about to coat the chicken thoroughly. Throw this in the fridge and try to remember it in the next few days.

Now let's get cooking:

For the sauce you will need:

(I like a saucy curry, so I make a lot. You can halve this if you prefer your curries dryer.)

3 T butter
1 c chopped onion
2" ginger, grated or minced
10 cloves garlic, minced (just trust me on this one)
2 T cumin
1 1/2 T. sweet paprika
1/2 t. cinnamon
2 t. cayenne powder (Note to self: halve this if using super hot cayenne)
1/2 t. turmeric
~1 T. salt (start with 1/2 this and then taste as you add more. It seems like a lot, but it actually works out well)
2 c. tomato sauce (I generally use canned)
1 c. cream

Start by pulling the chicken out of the fridge so it can warm up enough that you don't freeze your hands and end up with claws when making the kebabs later. Trust me on this one. And turn on the broiler while you're at it.

Heat the butter in a ~3 qt. heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat and grind any spices that aren't already. Once the butter is melted, add the onion and stir. cook until onion is softened. Add the garlic and ginger and continue cooking for a few more minutes. Next add all of the spices, stir, and marvel at the colors. Cook, stirring frequently for a couple more minutes and add the tomato sauce, stir, cover and turn the heat down to low, stirring occasionally.

Spray a cookie sheet with high-heat nonstick spray and assemble chicken kebabs, placing them on the cookie sheet as they are completed. Broil for ~5 minutes, turn and broil for another ~5 minutes or until the kebabs are fully cooked. Remove kebabs from oven and set aside.

Back at the stove: add cream to sauce and puree.

Remove chicken from kebabs and add to sauce, stirring to coat.

Serve with cumin rice and naan.

Edited to add: Holy crap! This stuff is even better a couple of days in. The hot spices mellow a bit and step back from center stage and the curry spices make friends with one another and become even more delicious than they were fresh. Yum. Tragically, I think I'm going to run out of naan before I run out of curry, and I don't see cooking time before Friday...

Cumin Rice

This one's a teaser, and there will be no pictures for the foreseeable future due to time/give a damn constraints.

Cumin Rice (Goes with curry...yes, this is foreshadowing)
1 c. Basmati rice (I use brown basmati)
2 c. Water
1/2 T. Cumin (whole seeds)
1-2 T. Butter

Combine ingredients in a pan. Heat on high until boiling. Reduce heat to a simmer on low and cover. Let it cook for ~20-30 minutes, until all liquid is absorbed.

Or you can use a rice cooker, if that's your thing. We don't have them-thar fancy small appliances around these parts, so I stick with a pan.