E.A.T.

Giveaway: The Newlywed Cookbook

2012-02-13T08:29:00.000-05:00

Cover photo by Sara Remington

You may recall from my skillet steak post last week, Chronicle Books has generously provided a copy of The Newlywed Cookbook for me to give away to one lucky E.A.T. reader. Full details below the dotted line (if you want to skip ahead).

This new cookbook by Sarah Copeland is filled with many recipes to cook for and share with your loved ones — for many years to come, whether you're engaged (like I), newlyweds, or celebrating your golden anniversary.

Quite honestly the steak above is one of the best steaks I have ever tasted and its recipe is included in the cookbook (Iron-Skillet Steak with Thyme Butter) amongst the other tasty creations, all by Sarah.

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Now down to business:
To enter, simply visit Sarah's preview of The Newlywed Cookbook and come back to comment here, letting me know which recipe you look forward to trying the most if you win the book.

Each of the following will earn you an additional entry:
    •    Follow this blog by clicking the "join this site" button in the right sidebar and leave a new comment on this post letting me know.
    •    "Like" E.A.T on Facebook, and/or follow me on Twitter — then leave 2 separate comments on this post for each letting me know you've done so.
    •    Share this post by clicking the Facebook Like button at the top of the post and leave a new comment on this post letting me know you've done so.
    •    Tweet about the giveaway including the following: "@TimVidraEats is giving away a copy of The Newlywed Cookbook by @edibleliving: http://tinyurl.com/6mhxq8d" with anything else you'd like to include - then leave a new comment on this post letting me know you've done so.

The giveaway will end Saturday, February 18th, 2012 at 11:59 PM EST; the winner will be auto-generated using Random.org and updated in this post shortly thereafter.   Be sure to come visit to find out the winner and good luck and Happy Valentine's Day!

Homemade Rustic Bread

2012-02-10T09:14:00.000-05:00

For those that have known my cooking repertoire, I rarely bake. I don't know why — maybe it's just something about baking — I mean, you have to be so exact with measurements and I just cannot cook like that. When I post my recipes or "cook" of course I say a 2T of this or that but that is really just a recommendation. If you like more raisins in you Guinness beef stew then heck, put more raisins in it. Not necessarily true when you are baking though.

That is — until I came across this recipe on A Sweet Spoonful for rustic whole wheat bread.

Ingredients:
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup bread flour
1 1/t table salt
1/2t instant or dry active yeast
1 1/3 cups cool water
Additional flour for dusting

Preparation (compliments of A Sweet Spoonfull):
In a medium bowl, stir together the flours, salt, and yeast. Add the water and, using your hands or a wooden spoon, mix until you have a sticky, wet dough — about 30 seconds. Cover the bowl and let sit at room temperature until the surface is doted with bubbles and the dough is more than doubled in size, 14-18 hours.

When the first rise is finished, generously dust a work surface with flour. Use a rubber spatula or bowl scraper to scrape the dough out of the bowl in one piece. Using lightly floured hands or a spatula, lift the edges of the dough in towards the center. Tuck in the edges to make it round.

Place a tea towel on your work surface and generously dust with flour. Place dough on towel, seam down and dust top lightly with flour. Fold ends of towel loosely over dough and place in a warm, draft-free spot to rise for 2-3 hours. The dough is ready when it is almost doubled. If you gently poke it with your ginger, it should hold the impression. If it springs back, let it rise for another 20 minutes.

Half an hour before the end of the second rise, preheat the oven to 475 F with a rack positioned in the lower third, and place a covered 4 1/2 – 5 1/2 quart heavy pot in center of rack. Using pot holders, remove the preheated pot from the oven and uncover it.

Unfold the tea towel quickly but gently, invert the dough into the pot, seam side up. Be careful — the pot is hot! Cover the pot and bake for 30 minutes.

Remove the lid and continue baking until the bread is a deep chestnut color but not burnt, 15-30 minutes further. Use a heat-proof spatula to carefully lift out of pot and place on rack to cool completely.

So I was precise and did bake — but the hardest part for me was timing. 14-18 hours for the first rise was painfully long to wait as I peeked ever so quietly on several occasions. Not sure why I was so quiet but I do remember my grandmother saying "don't run in the hall or the bread will fall" — being why I sneaked up on it rising. Though, I believe I could have danced and this recipe would not have failed.

Fresh bread makes the house smell so good on a winter day. I'm hearing in RVA we might have a little winter temperatures this weekend. You have the ingredients in your pantry — just start it Friday night so you can E.A.T. fresh bread on Saturday!

E.A.T. local E.A.T. well

Iron-Skillet Steak with Thyme Butter

2012-02-07T08:22:00.001-05:00

I have been eager to share a special recipe just in time for Valentine's Day that has special meaning in more ways than one. After receiving the opportunity to preview the recipes in Sarah Copeland's new cookbook, The Newlywed Cookbook, I knew her version of skillet steak must have been written for me. Having gotten engaged recently over the holidays myself — it was the perfect opportunity to share this recipe.

Of course after 7 years of dating, and Mary eating my cooking, she always knows I will pull some surprises out of my sleeve when preparing a meal. This prompted me to ask if she would like to take an afternoon stroll to Belmont Butchery, our neighborhood butcher shop, owned and run by Swiss-Trained chef Tanya Cauthen. I just couldn't think of anything more romantic than taking a nice winter stroll through the fan to pick up a 1 1/2 pound hunk of t-bone goodness for this iron-skillet steak with thyme butter — am I right, guys?

Because this was quite literally one of the best steaks I've ever tasted, I couldn't wait to share the recipe pulled from the pages of The Newlywed Cookbook below.

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Iron-Skillet Steak with Thyme Butter
From The Newlywed Cookbook, Reprinted with permission from Sarah Copeland and Chronicle Books.

Image by Sara Remington

"My baby brother loves his steak almost as much as he loves his girl. And he loves to spoil his girl too. One year for Christmas I gave him a well-seasoned cast-iron skillet along with all of the goodies he would need to pull off “Steak Night for Your Girl,” including an elegant set of steak knives, linen napkins, and a James Brown CD. The crux of the whole meal is the steak itself, so of course I included a hand-written card with my recipe and tips for the ultimate steak. Here it is.

Guys, here’s your chance to splurge on your lady, and spoil yourself in the process {you know you’ve been eyeing that T-bone!}. Serve with Oven-Roasted Tomatoes.

Sip: A rich Aussie shiraz, a classic French Bordeaux or Spanish Ribera del Duero.

Ingredients (for 2):

    •    1 1/2 lb/680 g Porterhouse or T-Bone steak, preferably grass-fed or organic
    •    Kosher salt
    •    Freshly ground black pepper
    •    4 tbsp/55 g unsalted butter
    •    2 sprigs of thyme

Remove your steak from the fridge about 30 minutes before you begin cooking. Preheat the oven to 425˚F/220°C/gas 7.

Season the steak generously on both sides with salt and lots of pepper. Heat a well-seasoned cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until almost smoking. Add 2 tablespoons of the butter to the pan. When the butter foams, lay the steak in the pan and watch it sizzle. Let the steak cook, without touching it, about 4 minutes. The steak will contract and should come away from the pan easily. Flip the steak {admiring your deep golden sear as you do}, and continue cooking on the other side, 4 minutes more.

Add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and thyme to the pan and heat until the butter melts and sizzles. Tilt the pan so that the butter pools near the edge of the pan, and, using a large metal spoon, scoop the flavored butter and pour over the steak, repeating to baste the steak it with flavor. Transfer the pan and steak to the oven to finish cooking, about 4 minutes for medium-rare, or 6 minutes for medium.

Remove steak from the heat and transfer to a cutting board to rest for 10 minutes. Slice the steak against the grain and drizzle over with the warm thyme butter."

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Why not change up the pace and stay at home this Valentine's Day — take the time to cook for your significant other. This simple 5 ingredient dish is sure to create memorable moments for weeks and months to come.

A big thanks goes out to Sarah Copeland and Chronicle Books for a first hand chance to try this recipe. Find more stories of love, just in time for Valentine's Day, along with more recipes throughout Sarah's Valentine's Blog Tour for The Newlywed Cookbook.

Chronicle Books has generously provided a copy of The Newlywed Cookbook which I'll be giving away to one lucky E.A.T. reader. Stay tuned for the giveaway post coming this Monday, February 13th.

Book cover, and skillet-steak photos to the left by photographer, Sara Remington.

I mentioned in the beginning of this post that this recipe and book has special meaning in more ways than one. When you get a chance to page through the deliciously amazing recipes and photos in The Newlywed Cookbook on your own, look out for a few key vintage pieces sourced right here from the E.A.T. kitchen, namely BehindTheScreenDoor.

E.A.T. local E.A.T. well

Green Flageolet Beans

2012-02-06T08:22:00.000-05:00

I have to admit I had never cooked or heard of green flageolet beans and these guys had been sitting in the pantry way too long. Now that I've made this hummus like dip, I'm kicking myself for not pulling these out earlier. I will, going forward incorporate this bean as a side dish and make this particular appetizer again.

Ingredients:

12 ounces Green Flageolet Beans
2t ground cumin
2t coriander
2t turmeric
1 garlic clove, minced
1/3 cup lemon juice
3T olive oil
Salt & Pepper to taste

Preparation:

Cover beans with water in pot so that there is 2 inches of water above the beans — soak overnight. Simmer beans in water the next morning for 2 - 2 1/2 hours. Drain, reserving a cup off the liquid. Combine beans, garlic and spices in a food processor and blend until you have a thick creamy mixture (like hummus). Add some of the reserved cooking liquid as you blend, too your liking. Drizzle the olive oil in to thin and mix into a creamy consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with crackers, pita, or fresh vegetables. What an amazing spice combination to be served warm or chilled — not to mention a healthy vegetarian/vegan option.

Next Tuesday is Valentine's day and I have a special post coming for you tomorrow in preparation — a special meal to share from Sarah Copeland, the author of Edible Living and the newly released book, The Newlywed Cookbook.

E.A.T. local E.A.T. well

Oh Hello, Relay Foods

2012-02-03T08:00:00.000-05:00

A big thank you to Relay Foods who featured a few of my Super Bowl recipes in their Relay Living newsletter. If you're new to E.A.T. and here from Relay Foods — welcome! Find a few more recipes from the series perfect for your Super Bowl spread including spicy thai chicken wings and sloppy Joe's. It's been a lot of fun putting these together just in time for the big game.

I would love to hear if you take on one or all for the big game and what the response was from your hungry crowd.

E.A.T. local E.A.T. well

Easy Super Bowl Appetizers: Sloppy Joes

2012-02-01T08:22:00.000-05:00

In continuing with the "meaty" portion of my Easy Super Bowl Appetizers, I bring you yet another classic — the Sloppy Joe. Yes, yes I did.

Who didn't grow up with this staple? Of course, those of you familiar with the Sloppy Joe most likely had versions prepared from a can that began with an "M" — well this recipe, my friends, is not brought to you by the letter "M".

This is one of those go-to recipes you can kind of clean out the fridge by making use of spices and veggies you may not have used in a while. The following is what transpired from what I had on hand...

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds ground beef, chuck or sirloin (I prefer organic, grass fed)
1 cup onions
2 cloves garlic
3/4 cup carrots, red pepper (sweet or spicy) and celery
2T butter
1T chili powder
1T cumin
Splash of red wine
1 26 ounce box of Pomi tomatoes (I would always recommend fresh but not the season for tomatoes)
Salt and pepper to taste
Soft wheat rolls (softness is key I tell you)

Preparation:
Melt butter in skillet — add onions, garlic, sauteing until soft. Add the carrots, peppers and celery (it is key to add after the onions as these provide a little crunch in the sandwich). Add ground beef and brown, mixing well with vegetables. Add chili powder, cumin, tomatoes and splash of wine — simmering until sauce thickens. Taste and add salt and pepper to your liking.

Tip: Serve on full size rolls or smaller dinner rolls (for that Sloppy Joe slider effect). I always add hot sauce for that extra point (kick).

Of course in the blogging world I just, "URP", ate this — so who knows what I am making for Super Bowl. I promise to at least let you know what goes down on Sunday.

Always hoping for a good game and please let me know if you did indeed try any of the gameday appetizer recipes — I hope they were all game pleasers.

E.A.T. local E.A.T. well

Easy Super Bowl Appetizers: Spicy Thai Chicken Wings

2012-01-30T08:22:00.000-05:00

We are less than 7 days away from the Super Bowl — who else is counting down? In keeping with my Easy Super Bowl Appetizers of late, I present: Spicy Thai Chicken Wings.

I of course had chicken wings in mind for one of this week's posts and was excited to get an email from Epicurious highlighting several recipes for wings. I chose the following variation based on it's simple preparation and powerful punch of flavor.

Ingredients:

12-24 whole chicken wings.

Marinade:

1/3 to 1/2 cup of honey
5T soy sauce
3T fish sauce
Juice of 1 lime
1T chili powder
1 inch piece of ginger grated
1 lime grated (grate the lime before you cut it in half to use the juice)
3 red chilis
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2t ground coriander

Preparation:
To create "chicken wings," cut off wing tips and discard; then cut remaining wings in half to achieve the minier versions of drumsticks and wings. For marinade, combine remaining ingredients in large bowl and wisk well.

It really is best to coat these wings and let them marinate overnight. Turn the wings in the sauce several times while they are marinating.

You can certainly grill these outdoors over hot coals, turning frequently until done —15 - 20 minutes or until the juices run clear. I baked mine in the oven for 20 minutes at 400 degrees. I then moved the rack up and broiled them on low, keeping an eye on them and turning once in 10 minutes. No additional sauce required for these wings but you will need a stack of napkins close by!

It just wouldn't be a Super Bowl without wings — this year, skip the takeout versions and make these easy, tasty, and different take on the classic. Coming Wednesday you are going to have to roll your sleeves up to eat the sandwiches I have coming your way.

What is your go to app for the big game?

E.A.T. local E.A.T. well

Bean Soup with a Country Ham Bone

2012-01-27T08:22:00.000-05:00

In case you missed my guest post over on Hills and Heights, it really is supposed to be soup season here in RVA — even with this beautiful 60 degree weather. If you saved your ham bone from Christmas this Bean Soup with Country Ham and Okra recipe is just for you.

Stay tuned next week as my Super Bowl Appetizers will kick back up on Monday.

Did you save your ham bone from Christmas?

E.A.T. local E.A.T. well

Easy Super Bowl Appetizers: Roasted Cauliflower and Caper Aioli

2012-01-25T08:22:00.001-05:00

Who shows up at a Super Bowl party with cauliflower? I do and you should also — this is a perfect dish to make as you can prepare the caper aioli before you show up and then when you arrive roast the cauliflower!

Ingredients:

1 head of cauliflower, cut
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2t salt
1/4t red pepper flakes
Caper aioli, ingredients to follow

Cauliflower preparation:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine the cauliflower, olive oil, salt, and red pepper flakes in a mixing bowl. Mix well to coat and spread on a roasting pan. Place in the oven and roast until cauliflower is tender and slightly browned, about 30-40 minutes.

Aioli Ingredients:

1 cup mayonnaise
1/2t salt
1T extra virgin olive oil
3T chopped parsley leaves
1t caper brine
1 garlic clove

Rub the inside of your go-to party bowl with a garlic clove. Combine mayonnaise, salt, olive oil, capers, and caper brine in a mixing bowl — mix well and you are all set. I told you this was easy.

The warm cauliflower dipped in the salty caper ailoi will be a hit at any party you attend or host!

So, we've covered veggies and dips — we now need something a little meaty and heaveier to satisfy those Super Bowl appetites through the game, no? I mean these are great, but generally gone by the first quarter.

It's decided the New England Patriots vs. the New York Giants. Who's it going to be the Pats or the G-Men?

E.A.T. local E.A.T. well

Easy Super Bowl Appetizers: Spicy Molton Blue Cheese Dip

2012-01-23T08:22:00.000-05:00

I will be doing a couple of posts this week dubbed "Easy Super Bowl Appetizers" because I want to make you the hit of the party with a couple simple tips! Easy, simple, and flavorful is what I am going for here — with the majority of ingredients you most likely already have stocked in your kitchen and pantry.

The first of these simple but impressive snacks is a blue cheese dip like no other I've had. This dip recipe originally published in the New York Times in January 2010 — almost 2 years ago to the day.

Ingredients:

1 8-ounce package cream cheese

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 pinch kosher salt

1/4 cup heavy cream or half and half

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon hot sauce, more for serving if desired

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

4 ounces blue cheese (about 1 cup, crumbled)*

2 tablespoons chopped chives

Celery sticks, chips or chicken wings, for serving.

* I used a Salemville Amish Blue Cheese

Preparation for 6 to 8 servings:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2. Pulse cream cheese in food processor to soften.

3. Using a mortar and pestle or flat part of a knife, mash garlic and salt together until it forms a paste. Place paste in food processor along with heavy cream, mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce and pepper — run motor until mixture is smooth. Add blue cheese and chives — pulse just to combine.

4. Scrape mixture into a small (1-quart or smaller) gratin dish or baking pan, and bake until dip is melted and bubbling, 30 to 40 minutes. Sprinkle extra hot sauce on top, if desired, and serve hot or warm, with celery sticks and chips or chicken wings if you like.

As you can see, the top of the dip takes on a whole new look once it has been heated. What comes out of the oven is a warm creamy dip with really just a hint of the blue cheese coming through. This recipe satisfies both blue lovers and those who may not like the strong flavor a blue may bring.

Needless to say, the dip didn't last long here in the E.A.T. household. Like I said in the beginning, it's dip sure to impress, but your secret of how easy it is to make will be safe with me.

E.AT. local E.A.T. well

Style Weekly Guest Check: Six Suggestions for Eating in Richmond

2012-01-20T08:22:00.000-05:00

Robey Martin sums it up well for eating suggestions this new year — read your local food writers along with 5 other great tips! E.A.T. is very happy to be included among such great company with Kendra Bailey Morris of fatbackandfoiegras.com and Matt Sadler kicking it on Tumblr! No matter where you are visiting, checking up on the local food writers really does shed light on what might be happening with eats in town.

If you find yourself in Richmond, all 6 suggestions above are sure to make for an inviting and personalized visit.

E.A.T. local E.A.T. well

Roasted Cabbage with Caraway Seeds and Bacon

2012-01-18T08:22:00.000-05:00

It's funny how Pinterest has really seemed to catch fire of late. I don't even really remember when I joined – I just remember coming home and asking Mary, have you heard of Pinterest? Of course her response was: yes I have an account and you should follow me. I am always a day late with her but I do feel I stumbled across a very useful site that I now use daily! For those of you unfamiliar with Pinterest, it's a sort of bookmarking site that allows you to gather and "pin" all the things you want to remember — then categorize them into different board or categories. As you could probably guess, I primarily use the site to bookmark ideas for food, recipes, and projects I'm working on or would like to take on.

Well this post was born from Pinterest since I came across a version of today's roasted cabbage recipe which originally came from a recipe on Martha Stewart – hence the value of Pinterest as Martha Stewart is not a site I frequent (sorry Martha).

Knowing me, I of course couldn't just follow her recipe — I had to let a little of my Hungarian side take over and make this dish one of my own. I am sure my grandmother is smiling down proud!

After slicing the cabbage into rounds, oiling a baking sheet, drizzling the slices with olive oil and sprinkling with caraway seeds, sea salt, and fresh pepper — the carnivore in me took over...

Carefully adding a slice of bacon to each round, I then roasted these guys in the oven at 400 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until bacon was crisp and the edges of the cabbage became roasted.

Removing carefully from the oven I then added a dollop of sour cream and sprinkled them with Hungarian paprika.

Let me set the stage up for the photo above: It's Valentine's Day and your fixing dinner. How about serving this dish as a side to beef or pork with a heart shaped piece of good old smoked bacon? An elegant rustic twist sure to impress and exploding with flavor!

E.A.T. Tip: You can certainly stay the vegetarian route with this dish and omit the bacon!

Have you joined or checked out Pinterest yet? If so, feel free to follow my boards here. So Martha, how is that for a twist on your version?

E.A.T. local E.A.T well

Oven Roasted Beets with a Horseradish Cream Sauce

2012-01-16T08:22:00.000-05:00

I grew up with beets fixed several ways. My least favorite was cold and out of the can — but warm them and slather some butter on them and that was a different story. One thing I do not remember is eating the leaves of the beet. I can say though, for the past 8-10 years, beets and their leaves have been prepared the following way in the E.A.T kitchen...

Wash the beets then trim off the stalks and bottom root. Leaves can be cut with stems from beet top and washed. The best way to wash greens is to just cover with water in a bowl, swirl leaves, and change the water. Repeat this process several times or until the water you drain looks clean. Using two pieces of aluminum foil wrap each beet (un-peeled) individually and place in a 400 degree oven to roast for 50-60 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly.

While still warm, unwrap the beets and pinch the skin — which should slide off of the beet with ease.

E.A.T. tip: Latex gloves have several uses in the kitchen. To keep the beets from staining your hands I wear latex gloves — once you are finished peeling the beets just take the gloves off and discard. I also use gloves when slicing or dicing a lot of jalapenos.

Greens are sauteed in a pan with olive oil, sea salt, and fresh pepper. The greens should be heated to maintain a crunch and just before they wilt.

Serve the greens warm with sliced beets. I like passing a sour cream horseradish sauce around to accompany the beets and greens which is simply a mixture of sour cream with a dollop of horseradish to your preference.

So my question is, Beets cold or warm? What is your favorite way to eat this nutritious root vegetable?

E.A.T. local E.A.T. well

Good Morning, It's Time For Breakfast

2012-01-14T09:53:00.001-05:00

This breakfast is brought to you by Ellwood Thompson's — for a couple of reasons. First, all ingredients were purchased there including Billy Bread, The Happy Hen organic eggs, and Applegate Naturals bacon. The real reason for this post is the Widmer 4 year old cheddar.

You see, Ellwood's does this really ingenious thing by having a little basket filled with "nubs" of cheese (for lack of a better word). These nubs are generally smaller pieces they package from larger pieces that may have been used in cooking, tastings, or from samples. The smaller packaging allows you to try a sampling of cheeses for a fraction of the price and allows Ellwood's to probably waste less. This 0.12 pound of cheese not only allotted the perfect amount of cheese for the sandwich above but left just enough for another tomorrow. In addition to the cheddar, I picked up a .11 pound of Piave Vecchio and a Carr Valley cranberry Chipotle Cheddar to sample throughout the weekend.

OK the secret is out — so wander through early as these little nubs of cheese dissapear quickly.

E.A.T. local E.A.T. well

From Scratch: Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

2012-01-11T08:22:00.000-05:00

As I write this I still have a cold from 2011 lingering and I just want it to go away. I mean it's January 11th already — I just want to create beautiful meals in our new kitchen. This past weekend called for and prompted me to cut up a chicken and make some chicken noodle soup!

I leave you with less words and more pictures only to say if it is chicken soup you desire, make it yourself. Really, it's not that hard and you can make the whole thing even easier by purchasing a bird that's already been cut up (but you pay a little more). I dove right in on my whole bird — it definitely doesn't have to look perfect.

My version of this classic winter staple was adapted from this Old-Fashioned Chicken Noodle Soup recipe at Epicurious. The minimal changes made were in using Colavita bow tie pasta and 9 pieces of chicken (not the 8 called for). I grew up with the back of the chicken being used whether or not you are barbecuing, frying, or making chicken noodle soup — we didn't waste anything!

Making chicken noodle soup can come from a can or you can spend an hour and half cutting your veggies, chicken, adding stock to that pot o' simmering goodness, and finally your choice of noodles. That's what I'm taking about.

Here's to good health and good soup.

E.A.T. local E.A.T. well

New Year's Day Traditional Eats

2012-01-02T14:55:00.000-05:00

Every year I tell myself I am not waiting until New Year's to make my black eyed pea dish. Well I said the same thing yesterday. This is a simple dish packed with flavor and as with tradition — is supposed to make for a prosperous New Year.

Simply: Brown 1 pound of spicy sausage in a pan, add 1 cup of onions and green peppers. Once softened, stir in 2 cans of black eyed peas. Serve heated with sour cream, cheese, and stewed tomatoes. ** Do not wait for New Years to make this.

Pork with sauerkraut and kielbasa is another simple recipe that is made in the E.A.T. household on New Year's day:

Unlike black eyed peas which is a southern tradition, pork and kraut is really a German immigrant tradition brought to Northeast Ohio. Well loving pork and sauerkraut I've also adopted this tradition.

Simply: Add sauerkraut with juice** (I used two jars here) to a roasting pan, sprinkle with caraway seeds, pork that has been salted and peppered (I used a boneless pork loin 2.5 pounds) to the top of the sauerkraut. Bake on low 270 degrees for 2 1/2 - 3 hours.

I used Bubbies sauerkraut because the ingredients were cabbage, artesian well water, and salt. Simple with 3 ingredients is what I like.

Add kielbasa on top of the sauerkraut and continue cooking until sausage is firm. If the dish starts to dry out just add chicken or vegetable stock to moisten. Remove from oven and serve with a stone ground mustard.

That was simply New Year's in the E.A.T. kitchen.

What New Year's traditions do you carry out every year that you could incorporate at anytime during the year? I promise at this time next year I am making my black eyed pea dish!

E.A.T. local E.A.T. well

Country Ham Salad

2011-12-28T14:46:00.004-05:00

I get to pull out my meat grinder a couple of times a year. Between Christmas and New Year's is always one of those times for me and my family. I love ham. I like a spiral sweet ham but my preference is a good salty country ham. I support buying local and I know I live fairly close to the capital of country hams but my ham comes from Kentucky — specifically Broadbent's of Kuttawa County Kentucky. I have been purchasing this brand of ham for the table for years and it ships directly to my parents house as an annual gift. Every year dad always comments on how clean the ham is right out of the bag. The flavor of this award winning ham is unmatched in my book.

If you do not own a meat grinder shame on you. If you need a meat grinder you can find plenty on Etsy or you can go straight to BehindTheScreenDoor and purchase the last one I have in my shop.

Ingredients:

Broadbent's country ham chunks through a meat grinder to make two cups.
Duke's mayonnaise (to taste)
Sweet pickle (to taste)

Directions:

Combine all ingredients into a bowl mixing until moist. Ham salad can be served as a sandwich, on crackers, or eaten right out of the bowl.

You may remember my pimento cheese post where I stated I grew up on that southern staple. Ham salad is another southern staple I always remember having within a week after Christmas. So clean off that ham bone, make ham salad and freeze the bone for a split pea or bean soup in January. Can you see where I am going with this?

What leftovers do you remember and continue as traditions in your household?

E.A.T. local E.A.T. well

Happy Holidays from the E.A.T. Kitchen

2011-12-25T08:30:00.000-05:00

Hoping your holidays are filled with family, friends, and good E.A.T.'s! I am looking forward to continuing to share food ideas and recipes in 2012! My 200th post will be January 1st, 2012!

E.A.T. local E.A.T. well

Cooking with Gas

2011-12-24T08:36:00.000-05:00

It's really been busy in the E.A.T. kitchen this holiday season. The only problem has been that I have not been cooking anything. The above photo is a quick sneak peek of the new E.A.T. kitchen. Mary and I have picked up and moved to the fan where I will be "cooking with gas"! I have always wanted to have an industrial gas stove for my creations and my dream is slowly coming true.

So the rest of the week will be spent with family, friends, and a continued move into the new kitchen. I hope to have some first cooking content from the new space beginning next weekend. For now, enjoy the view above that we now have (this was our first trip over to the house where we dropped a bunch of random things off). Just insert me shuffling back and forth between the island and stove in the kitchen above!

Any tips on cooking with gas are appreciated.

E.A.T. local E.A.T. well

Hope Church Summer of Arts Cooking Class 2011

2011-12-19T08:27:00.000-05:00

Baked salmon with bok choy and a coconut thai chili drizzle

Over the summer I had the pleasure of teaching a cooking class at Hope Church in Richmond. It was a four week course that had a limit of 14 students. When all was said and done, we'd snuck in a few more, making the final count 17.

Big thanks goes out to gary garbett art + photography for sending over the finals of these amazing images — they were like opening an early Christmas present over here at E.A.T.!

Antipasta plate (cheeses, grapes, almonds, honey, prosciutto)

The theme of the class was of course seasonal and local ingredients as best as could be provided. Lots of mid summer tomatoes, squash and zucchini, collards, cabbage, spinach, eggplant, lamb, and the list goes on.

Bruschetta with fresh roasted roma tomatoes from the E.A.T. garden

Shrimp and Spinach Risotto with Basil

I could not have asked for a more fun engaging group to cook with. There were many different levels of expertise and I even had one of the students bring in some homemade hollandaise a sauce I have on my own list to master from scratch. I had folks in the class who said they did not like certain dishes or ingredients and they left learning they do indeed like these foods — knowing it may just not have been prepared to their liking in the past. As I've always told people who say they do not like this or that, "You just haven't had it prepared correctly."

I have full menus from the entire class including a few Hungarian family recipes and this vegetable tart which I am missing as we settle into winter. If you'd like a copy drop me a note and I would be happy to email you the recipes.

E.A.T. local E.A.T. well

Salsify Recipe

2011-12-12T08:22:00.006-05:00

Salsify — heard of it? I hadn't and as I type this, my computer is highlighting the word as being spelled wrong, offering up suggestions as if I meant falsify, falsity? No, I mean salsify, the vegetable — root vegetable to be exact. Well, I had to do my research after Suzi Lilly from Farm to family called and let me know she'd come across a great crop and had it available at the market. Many shoppers had been inquiring about what on the outside appears to be an ugly vegetable, and ask how it tastes and how to prepare it?

Her challenge to me was to not only educate myself but also educate the readers of E.A.T.. What a worthy education as it was especially a tasty veggie on the palate.

First lets address the nutritional value and as it states this food is low in Sodium, and very low in Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin C, Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Potassium and Manganese. In my research most were stating it is fibrous and to steam the vegetable before roasting (the method I chose).

Recipe: (adapted from notes on the menu)

1 lb of salsify (Farm to family has these in stock now)
3 inch piece of fresh ginger shaved
2-3T honey (Bearer farms honey was used here)
2T butter

Peel salsify with a vegetable peeler. Turn back the brown stalks until the green stalks are exposed. Trim these as desired. If you are not going to use the stalks immediately after peeling place in a lemon water bath as to avoid discoloration. Stem the stalks for 10 minutes. Place in a roasting pan and sprinkle with lemon zest and ginger. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes.

Remove from oven spread butter and drizzle with honey. Turning the heat up to 400 degrees roast uncovered for about 10 minutes. Serve immediately.

There are other recipes like grating salsify and mixing with potatoes to create pancakes or dicing and roasting with other root vegetables. No matter what you choose I would highly recommend adding this vegetable to the rotation and impress your guests with a vegetable they may very well have never have heard of.

So have you or do you salsify?

E.A.T. local E.A.T. well

E.A.T. Giveaway: Vintage Wagner Ware Cast Iron Pan

2011-12-06T18:30:00.004-05:00

***Update: This giveaway has ended, find the lucky winner at the bottom of the post. Stay tuned for future giveaways right here at E.A.T.! ***

I am giving away one of my more popular vintage Wagner Ware cast iron pans just in time for the holidays! Full details below the dotted line (if you want to skip ahead).

To welcome the holiday season and to thank each of my readers, I am giving away one of my vintage Wagner Ware cast iron skillet pans. I have been selling these vintage cast iron pans in my BehindTheScreenDoor Etsy shop for 2 years now and they are among customer favorites without fail every time I find a new one. I forage all over for vintage, made in the U.S.A., cast iron pans. I season each pan myself and bring it back to life before it arrives at a new doorstep so they can go from box to oven, stove, or open flame.

This particular pan measures 6.5 inch, is considered a #3, and is a $42.00 value from my shop.

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Now down to business:
To enter, simply leave a comment on this post and tell me your favorite thing to fix in a cast iron pan. Simple lamb chops with rosemary, garlic, sea salt, and fresh ground pepper is my favorite dish in these types of pans.

Each of the following will earn you an additional entry:

Follow this blog by clicking the "join this site" button in the right sidebar and leave a new comment on this post letting me know.
"Like" E.A.T on Facebook , and or follow me on Twitter — then leave 2 separate comments on this post for each letting me know you've done so.
Share this post by clicking the Facebook Like button at the top of the post and leave a new comment on this post letting me know you've done so.
Tweet about the giveaway including the following: "@TimVidraEats is giving away this vintage cast iron pan: http://tinyurl.com/7qng86q" with anything else you'd like to include - then leave a new comment on this post letting me know you've done so.

The giveaway will end Saturday, December 17th, 2011 at 11:59 PM EST; the winner will be auto-generated using Random.org and updated in this post shortly thereafter. Note: while I cannot guarantee delivery in time for the holidays, I will try my best!

Be sure to come visit to find out the winner and good luck!

***Update: This giveaway has ended, the lucky winner is commenter #198, jenzen69, who says she likes cooking hash browns in a skillet! Thanks to all that participated and stay tuned for future giveaways right here at E.A.T.! ***

Sunday Supper: Hungarian Goulash (Gulyás)

2011-12-05T08:22:00.020-05:00

Being half Hungarian from my dad's side and having my grandparents close by, I grew up on plenty of stick to your bones meat and potato Eastern European food. I am thankful for that in many ways.

Being fortunate enough to visit Hungary on two separate occasions and both times having goulash a part of that trip — I knew this was one dish I must learn. On the open flame outdoors with the preparation in the morning taking a couple of hours and the actual cooking time taking up most of the afternoon, I always know the season has turned cooler when we prepare to make this dish stateside.

Borrowing the historical information from another Hungarian (The Hungarian Girl), Goulash has a very fascinating story dating back as far as 896 A.D.

In Hungary, the dish is called “gulyás” meaning cattle stockman or herdsman. It got this name because the herdsman of Hungary often traveled far from home on horseback with their flock of sheep or steers to find better pastures on the Hungarian plains. At nightfall the herdsman’s would build a bonfire, slaughter an animal and then cook it in a large pot hanging over the fire known as a bográc.

Our version of this dish, as with most, is quite simple and contains lard (this greases the bográc), 7-8 pounds of beef, 3-4 large yellow onions, generous amounts of paprika, tomato paste, black pepper and traditional Hungarian spices (or Mrs. Dash) — all layered in a process over and over again until the pot is full.

The tomato and Hungarian banana pepper tops everything off really just for decoration as the bográc is placed over an open flame.

As you can see from the video above the lard comes into play as the pan heats up. You want to be able to gently twist the pan which causes the pan to spin freely. This is especially important as to not let the bottom layer of onions burn. Then you wait - 2 1/2 to 3 hours, gently twisting the pot and adjusting the chain. You really want just a slight simmer.

Note there was never any liquid added to the dish. Between the onions, meat and the slow cooking — it creates its own broth. So much so, you may have to strain some off during the cooking process as seen above. The orange hue from the paprika creates a flavor you will not soon forget.

For this amount of beef (7-8 pounds) it took about 4-4 1/2 hours to go from the raw beef to the goulash consistency above.

The cooked meat is then served over Hungarian nokedli (similar to dumplings or pasta) which my grandmother always made from scratch. As opposed to using a metal grater or spatzel tool she would used two spoons to pinch the dough and drop it immediately into boiling water. Spoon the goulash over top of the noodles and you can always dollop with sour cream.

This one family dish I am thankful I have documented as I want to keep this tradition going forward and passing it down to my children and grandchildren.

What dishes are traditional in your household? Have you sat down with your parents and helped create the dish so you can carry on the tradition?

E.A.T. local E.A.T. well

Garden Broccoli

2011-11-30T08:00:00.000-05:00

Though my recent posts using broccoli in recipes did not contain any actual broccoli from the E.A.T. garden I wanted to just give a quick update on what we've got growing — five heads are coming in nicely. I guess you will have to live with a few more recipes using this ingredient as the star to the dish.

In other news, you remember my fresh ginger from the farmers market? Well I just came across this recipe for pickled ginger — it is a must do in the kitchen this weekend.

Do you have any must-try broccoli dishes I may be missing? The wok will definitely will be coming out if hiding in the next couple of weeks.

E.A.T. local E.A.T. well

Black Walnuts: Part II

2011-11-28T08:22:00.005-05:00

You may remember from my Black Walnuts: Part I post, we learned how to get the hull off the outside of the walnut, rinse and dry them. I mentioned I thought that was a tough job all in itself. Once the nuts had dried (about 2 weeks) they took on the black walnut look and texture. Using a hammer and smacking the nut on the driveway several times generally caused the nut to shatter into several pieces. Not all were as clean as the one below:

Utilizing a pair diagonal pliers I then snipped the thick walled channels inside the cracked shells to release the nut meat.

Out of the 20-25 nuts I opened I was able to salvage a little more than half a cup of nuts. These pieces will be cherished and eaten sparingly. As I continue to mention, this is one tough nut! I can only imagine the process the first person took to get into these. I am even more curious as to how a current day nut plant gets into these using machinery. No matter how it's done — I now know why these nuts come with a hefty price tag.

Have you ever had experience with cracking open black walnuts? If so what is your method for getting to the meat?