Steve Lansingh's blog

Wilted spinach salad with tomato coulis

2012-02-25T08:28:00.005-08:00

Last fall Amanda and I ate at a crepe restaurant where the star of the dish was something called "tomato coulis," which we'd never had before. I looked for it in stores, but couldn't find any pre-made, and when I looked up recipes online there were a vast array of options people were calling "coulis," from versions akin to chunky soup to versions resembling a smooth ketchup. Ours was more like a coarse pesto, which I couldn't find a duplicate for.

So after a great deal of experimentation, combining this and that technique, I have perfected my favorite version of coulis, which works equally well as a salad topping (presented here), a salsa (with chips), a sandwich spread (on patty melts), and a pasta sauce (over cheese tortellini). It's a garlicky, sweet, salty and tangy intense flavor that's great to have on hand to liven up a dish.

Salad ingredients (serves 4):
9 oz spinach
a few drizzles olive oil
4 oz feta cheese
1 avocado
1 cup (or more) tomato coulis

Coulis ingredients (makes 2 cups, so store the leftovers in a jar in the fridge):
3 oz package sun-dried tomato halves, dry packed
about 24 medium-sized leaves basil (leaves from a 1.5 oz bunch)
1/2 cup olive oil
1 cup canned diced tomato, salted (otherwise add 1/2 tsp salt)
1/4 cup minced sweet onion
2 garlic cloves
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

Instructions:
1) Layer the ingredients in a food processor, then pulse until the sun-dried tomatoes are chopped well, and the mixture is about the consistency of pesto. (These pictures are of a quarter batch, when I was testing; you'll have much more than this in your bowl.)

2) Let sit in refrigerator for two hours to let the flavors absorb. (Note that my recipe is rather garlicky and spicy. If you prefer a milder flavor, use 1 garlic clove and 1/4 tsp crushed pepper.)

3) To make the salad, separate spinach into two stainless steel pans (or you could use two shallow baking sheets, or whatever you have on hand), drizzle with a little olive oil and toss. Add feta, and broil in the oven for 8-10 minutes or so until spinach wilts and feta is warmed.

4) Plate the spinach/feta mixture, top with 1/4 avocado each, and add a generous amount of coulis. (If serving as a main course, you can add protein by cooking four hamburgers, slicing each one into strips, and plating one underneath each salad.) Serve and enjoy!

Roasted parsnips and carrots

2012-02-18T13:32:00.000-08:00

I love parsnips and this is one of my favorite ways to eat them. Delicious!

Ingredients:
2 large parsnips
2 large carrots
1.5 oz salami (1/4 of the stick shown in picture)
1/2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp honey
a few pinches kosher salt
2-3 tsp coarse dijon mustard

Instructions:
1) Peel parsnips and carrots, then cut into long strips. Cut salami into long strips as well.

2) Rub butter on the bottom of a 9x13 glass pan. Add the parsnips and carrots, then drizzle honey over it. Top with salami strips.

3) Bake at 425º for 16-18 minutes, until tips of the vegetables on top are just a bit browned/blackened.

4) Rub 1 tsp mustard onto each plate (this recipes serves a full plate for 2-3 people, depending on the size of the vegetables), then use tongs to add the hot food on top. Sprinkle a pinch or two of salt. Serve and enjoy.

Little chef

2012-02-13T18:25:00.000-08:00

"Apa, could you not make your delicious thing? Because Mama likes my recipe better."

—Corin, after topping a plate of carrot and parsnip peelings with pastel candy sprinkles, and delivering it upstairs to Amanda

Pepperoni-crunch pizza

2012-02-11T09:37:00.000-08:00

One of our favorite pizzas in recent years is the "Tom's Special" at Pegasus Pizza on Alki, and what makes it utterly unique is the strips of pepperoni on top that curl a bit and get very crunchy. Who knew that the old staple pepperoni pizza could be a completely different experience? The other special ingredient is sunflower seeds, which add to the crunch. The way these ingredients stay crunchy is by being lifted up off the base of the pizza by a bevy of diced vegetables and toppings.

For some reason, it's taken me several years to realize that I could duplicate the taste at home rather easily, making it much more affordable to have it often. Here's the relatively simple quick fix to an ordinary take-home pizza:

Ingredients:
1 medium-sized unfrozen take-and-bake pepperoni pizza
1/3 of a green pepper
1/2 of a roma tomato
1 medium mushroom
1/8 of a sweet onion
1/3 cup sunflower seeds

Instructions:
1) Preheat the oven to the temperature recommended on the pizza instructions. Remove pepperoni and most of the cheese and set aside.

2. Dice the vegetables and cut the pepperoni into strips.

3. Layer the vegetables first, then the cheese, then the sunflower seeds, and finally the pepperoni.

4. Place in oven (on a pizza stone, if you have it) and bake for one minute less than the instructions recommend. Then turn on the broiler for 1-2 minutes to get the pepperoni extra crispy (but don't burst the crust). Serve and enjoy!

Crepes, crepes, & more crepes

2012-02-04T00:45:00.000-08:00

Crepes were one of our family traditions when I was growing up, on the table for New Year's Day, birthdays, report cards, and other special occasions. My mom has a dedicated crepe pan for the job, and because of that, perhaps, it took me many years to make crepes part of my routine as an adult, because they just didn't taste the same without the four-decades-old plug-in round skillet. (I'd bought one that was similar, but unfortunately not temperature-adjustable, and it was merely adequate.)

Corin changed that in a hurry, because he loves him some crepes. I had much more opportunity to test different methods of cooking and finally found the perfect alchemy after I inadvertently adjusted the original recipe. (It had never crossed my mind that they were coming out too doughy and thick because I have only whole milk in the house, not skim — until one time by accident I started making crepes and had only 3/4 cup of milk available, and attempted to make up the rest with water and some powdered sugar to compensate for the lactose. It was better than any batch I'd previously made.)

Here's my recipe if you wish to attempt:

Ingredients for 16-18 crepes (can be easily doubled if necessary):
2 eggs
3/4 cup whole milk
3/4 cup cold water
1/8 tsp kosher salt
1 cup unbleached flour
1/8 cup powdered sugar
1/8 cup melted butter

Instructions:
1) Mix all ingredients in the order given. Let sit 15 minutes.

2) Heat a nonstick, sloped-sided 8-inch pan at just past medium heat on the stove. (I use setting #6 on my electric stove for the first two or three crepes, then turn it down to #5, exactly medium, thereafter. I have no idea what that temperature is, though, so you'd have to experiment.)

3) Using a 1/4 cup measuring scoop, get it about 3/4 full, and pour into hot pan toward one side. With the other hand, immediately begin tipping/swirling/shaking the pan to let the batter coat the bottom of the pan. Make sure the batter gets up the sloped sides to get crispy edges. (This is a hallmark of the family crepes that at was at last able to duplicate with the right pan.)

4) Once the edges are crispy (1-2 minutes), flip crepe over and cook another 30 seconds or so. Either serve immediately to a table full of hungry family members at a table stocked with breakfast fillings, one crepe at a time, or you can set crepes in a stack to keep warm as you make a dinner filling on the stove and then served the wrapped crepes to your family.

Here are just a few ideas for fillings that we enjoy:

• Corin's current favorite is just powdered sugar in the middle and rolled up.

• Amanda's favorite is Nutella spread inside. (My family decided that Nutella combined with fresh fruit, like strawberries or blueberries, was a new top choice.)

• Our family favorite growing up was Lingonberry preserves (once a rarity we had to stock up on on our biannual trip to Maine, now available at IKEA and our local supermarket).

• Bananas with maple syrup. Most fruits and most syrups will work in some combination.

• I'm weird and sometimes like them folded into triangles with crumbled bacon inside. I like the soft/crispy contrast.

• On the dinner side of things, asparagus cooked in béarnaise sauce is simple and delicious.

• This past year we had Thanksgiving dinner wrapped in crepes — turkey and rice casserole with added green beans, mushrooms, and crispy onions, topped with cranberry sauce.

• Mushrooms with cheese is also quite easy and gourmet.

• Avocado, tomato, chicken and pesto makes a nice treat.

• Use your imagination and run wild — crepes pair with so much!

Pork ribs dry rub

2012-01-28T12:00:00.000-08:00

I'd never had pork ribs until this past year (partly due to a suspected pork allergy when I was growing up, and partly due to its high price, considering how much of what you're buying is bone), but I fell in love quickly and hard for the meaty morsels. After eating them twice in an authentic fashion, I thought I'd try making my own at home for cheaper, even though I don't have a proper barbecue pit and would have to settle for oven-roasted.

What I found was a version of ribs that I like nearly as much, one heavy on texture and spice. I'd happened upon a dry rub recipe to which you add sticky sauce at the end, and despite it not being the same as what you get at restaurants, I'm just as addicted. Here's my recipe, adjusted/improved from the original:

Rub ingredients:
1/2 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tbsp celery seed (extremely important for texture)

1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp allspice

1/4 tsp cloves (this and allspice are the non-traditional of my add-ins)
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder

3 lbs pork rib meat, cut into pieces approximately 4 inches x 1 x 1
(works well with both ribs on the bone and boneless)

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

2. Stir together all dry ingredients. (You can easily double this recipe and keep the rib rub in a plastic baggie for future uses, as shown.)

3. Save out 2 tsp rib rub for each 1/2 cup of BBQ sauce you intend to make.

4. Roll each rib in the rub until well coated.

5. Place ribs in 2 separate 9x13 glass pans with a little space between them.

6. Roast in oven 75-90 minutes, testing for doneness on the thickest parts.

7. While the ribs are cooking, create your BBQ sauce. If you have a favorite, you can just warm up a 1/2 cup or so. I personally like my sauce a little spicier, a little more textured, and a little less sweet than the traditional options at the grocery store. We usually have BullsEye on hand, so here's my bumped up version:

1/8 cup fresh minced sweet onion
1 tsp dried minced garlic or 1 1/2 tsp fresh
2 tbsp water

1/2 cup BullsEye BBQ sauce

2 tsp rib rub

1 tsp chipotle Tabasco
1 tsp ketchup
1 tsp coarse ground dijon mustard

Simmer onion and garlic in water until both are soft. Add remaining ingredients and simmer until slightly sticky.

8. Once ribs are cooked all the way through, plate them on top of a small pool of sauce, dry side up. You end up with a dual-textured treat — moist and sticky on half, and sweet and rough on the other. Serves 4-8. (It makes approximately 24 pieces, so it depends on whether it's a main dish or a full meal.) Enjoy!

Alternative marketing

2012-01-20T21:41:00.000-08:00

Corin's two favorite things to do with the dollhouse we got him for Christmas, to go with his Playmobil vacation family and rescue workers: 1) set various room on "fire" to put out (OK, that goes with firefighter and police officer figures) and 2) make the dad get in the bathtub, then ring the doorbell and run out of the room while I make him run down the stairs to answer the door. These scenes have never appeared on the packaging to a dollhouse in the history of the world (although I have fun imagining such a box).

@Spuds

2011-12-06T15:44:00.000-08:00

"Mmm... I like shir'mp! Shir'mp is the best thing in the whole world!"
--Corin, on first trying shrimp

Bob Loblaw

2011-12-04T11:20:00.000-08:00

Alistair has started getting his tongue into his noisemaking, so his "aaaaaah"s are turning into "blah blah blah"s. Fun!

Solid career

2011-10-21T08:34:00.000-07:00

Starting to read "The Snowy Day" to Corin: "One winter morning Peter woke up..."

"What does he do?"

"You mean him?" (pointing to Peter, the child)

"The guy."

"Peter? He's a kid like you. He doesn't really have a job..."

"Well, I play with toys and make a 'latest invention'!"

Sibling smiles

2011-09-17T01:33:00.001-07:00

Age 1, 2, 3 & 4

2011-06-23T23:59:00.000-07:00

Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer

2011-06-05T02:07:00.000-07:00

Corin beside the same tree out back, through four seasons:

Now a family of four

2011-05-22T18:19:00.000-07:00

Introducing Alistair

Alistair's first day

Hey, lookit that

2011-05-13T11:40:00.000-07:00

New entryway/kitchen floor.

Getting close

2011-04-24T22:52:00.000-07:00

"i got the blues," a poem

2011-04-23T13:09:00.000-07:00

Written 9/20/96 for Amanda, found yesterday in a box I was sorting. Happy Birthday, sweets!

i got the blues
blue is the color of the tv rays that shine on your face in a dark room, tracing the contours of your face
blue is the color of my toenails (still) because I thought it would be cool if we matched
blue is the color of our jeans, pressing together as we sit close and watch Seinfeld on the couch
blue is the color of the sky, all around us as we're lifted high by the ferris wheel
blue is the color of my shower curtain
it's of no particular relevance, but it's blue
i got the blues
i like the blues

Meaningless lyrics

2011-04-16T13:05:00.000-07:00

I was cutting the crusts of of Corin's banana bread, despite having told him that this kind of crust tastes the same as the bread, and midway through he started singing:

"Leave the crusts alone, leave the crusts alone, leave the crusts alone..."

I stopped, thinking my point had sunk in. "You do want me to leave the crusts on?"

"No, Apa," he said, laughing. "I was just singing."

Signature moment

2011-04-11T23:19:00.000-07:00

Corin's been showing interest in writing letters for a while now, but had never quite managed to write all five letters of his name sequentially without any assistance from us until, suddenly, today.

He then proceeded to knock out "Mama" and "Apa," with only the first line of "Mama" done for him. (He can also do T, E, L, and H pretty legibly, and likes to do Q, B, X, Y, and Z, but is still getting the elements lined up right.)

Doodles

2011-03-12T22:39:00.000-08:00

Corin's usual drawing style thus far has been to fill most of the entire sheet of paper with bold scribbling; it's more about color and feel than representation. But recently he's been asking Amanda how to make numbers and letters, and I suggested he could draw some animals and vehicles too if he wanted. I like his results:

Bus

Horse

Ladder

Elephant

(The ones on the left are mine, incidentally.)

I'll raise you one

2011-02-22T14:14:00.000-08:00

"Slow down. I tell you what you need: hat, jacket, boots, hat..."

"Two hats?"

"No! {beat} Three hats!"

Market this

2011-02-18T11:00:00.000-08:00

Corin was asking for cereal this morning, and he wanted "the crunchy kind with salt on it."

At first we thought he might be talking about pretzels, or Ritz, but eventually we figured out he meant Frosted Flakes.

"Yeah, Salty Flakes!"

[Shudder]

Who said that?

2011-02-07T22:04:00.000-08:00

"I just told you. I just said it with my speaker-mouth."

The missing engine

2011-02-01T19:01:00.000-08:00

"Why don't Grandma and Granddad have an engine?"

"You mean like a train engine?"

"Yeah."

"Did they have a train engine when we were there?"

"No, they didn't."

{beat}

"Maybe it's like a mystery."

{beat}

"Maybe someone took it."

{beat}

"That's good thinking."

A first

2011-01-29T10:33:00.000-08:00

Every since Corin cut back to one nap a day, and then to no naps, he's only ever fallen asleep in the carseat or by being nursed. Last night (after bouts of bouncing back and forth between Amanda and me, drinks of water, back rubs, head rubs, humming, and anything else we could think of), he snuggled up next to me, put his hand in mine, and finally went to sleep. I like it.