Ciabatta - Fix a starter of 1 cup flour, 2/3 cup water and a pinch of yeast and chill for 12 hours. It will become turn bubbly and spounge-ish.  To begin making Christmas dough, add 2 cups flour, 1.5 teaspoons of salt, a measure of yeast in warm milk and about half a cup of water. For points, use a food processor to blend everything together. This sounds weird but works remarkably well! The processor makes every gluteney but if you don’t have one or enjoy being traditional: kneed, quarter turn, etc, until just prior to your arms falling off. Let rise for 90 minutes-ish. If you enjoy having larger bubbles in your bread, add a tablespoon of oil to the mixture. There were Experiments last night and we discovered this.

After rising, form two long, flat loaves. It shouldn’t need to be fooled with too much but punching it down helps. I also like to throw cornmeal on the tray before I transfer the loaves. Let rise for a slight bit more, then cook at 400′ F for 20 minutes.  You should get two well rounded ciabatta with a thin, golden crust and a fluffy interior.  Did you know ciabatta means ‘slippers’? I did not!

Vinaigrette- Add freshly pressed garlic, salt, pepper, balsamic vinegar, sugar, mustard and slight amounts of olive oil together. The consistency should be thick & syrupy. The secret is more sugar and less wet ingredients compared to one you’d make for a salad. I suggest making lots of this and keeping it about the house . By about the house, I really mean Securely in the Refrigerator.

Slice a loaf in two and drizze the vinaigrette on both sides, add lots of pepper, a little bit of salt and chopped basil. If it smells good, you’re doing it right! Add prosciutto, a soft mozzarella and if you both wish to be traditional and enjoy tomatoes, which I do not, slice & add one!

You now have a sandwich! You win! There’s a particular name for the vinaigrette, mozzarella, tomato & basil combination but it eludes be just now. Carefully piling the Tomato/mozzarella/basil together without bread or prosciutto will create a simple & elegant appetizer-salad thing.

Tonight, Michael was off having fun with friends, so we took the opportunity to make something not only with vegetables, not only vegetarian, but vegan (gasp)—ratatouille. Unlike most French fare, the recipe for this rustic vegetable stew is somewhat flexible. We opted for the stovetop route, adding non-traditional yellow squash and substituting red bell peppers for the typical green, resulting in a very colorful dish (red, orange, yellow, green, and purple are all in the mix). It’s really very easy, once you assemble and chop up all the ingredients! Also: surprisingly delicious despite not having any suffering in it.

Rainbow Ratatouille

• 5-6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 6 cloves of garlic (or to taste), broken/crushed with the back of a knife and then chopped
• 1 large onion, sliced thin
• 1 large eggplant, cut roughly into 1/2 inch cubes
• 2 large zucchini, sliced into long strips and then cut into quarter-strips
• 6 small crookneck squash, cut into thin circular slices
• 1 large red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped
• 5 medium tomatoes (preferably slightly overripe), chopped roughly
• 1 tbsp each of dried thyme and oregano (or to taste)
• 1 cup shredded fresh basil
• red pepper flakes (to taste)
• kosher salt (to taste)

Sprinkle chopped eggplant and squash with salt while you start. Heat half the olive oil on medium-low, then cook the onions and garlic until onions have softened. Add the remaining oil, turn the heat up to medium; let the oil heat, but don’t let it smoke. Add the eggplant and cook until the eggplant is soft, about 8-10 minutes. Add the zucchini, crookneck squash, and bell pepper, cooking for another 10-12 minutes (stirring to prevent scorching). Finally, add the tomatoes and the seasonings, allowing everything to soak through. Let that stew for another 8-10 minutes (uncovered, as the tomatoes add a good deal of water). Serve with a baguette (and/or Rice-a-Roni if you have an entire shelf of your pantry dedicated to it because it is always on sale… *looks around shiftily*).

(Picture was taken right before the tomatoes went in.) Tomorrow: Sausage cappelini (with homemade pesto!) and bruschetta. :9

Anyhow, we got another one of those purple eggplant monsters in our CSA box last week, so we decided to try it out using a recipe from the internet. Because we also like eating MEAT we also prepared a quick chicken satay, and taking a cue from our favorite Burmese restaurant, we made coconut rice instead of the usual plain steamed rice. :9 It was all very filling, especially with Thai iced tea on the side. (After dinner I had an irresistible urge to roll around on the floor moaning “FAT FAT FAT.”)

Chicken satay

• 3 chicken breasts, cut into strips length wise and then chopped into long-ish chunks
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp cooking rice wine
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 tsp minced ginger
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 6-8 bamboo skewers, soaked briefly in water

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and marinate for at least an hour (preferably two). Set your oven to broil with a rack in the center. Skewer the marinated meat and set on a cooking sheet covered with aluminum foil. Broil for 6-12 minutes, depending on your broiler, turning the meat 2/3 of the way through. Make sure it’s done all the way through before you serve it with delicious peanut sauce.*

Thai basil eggplant

• vegetable or other neutral oil
• 1 large or 2 medium-sized eggplants, as fresh as possible
• 1 bunch (about 1 cup) thai basil leaves, stemmed**
• 1-2 tbsp sugar
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 0-4 Thai chili peppers (depending on your spice-tolerance), chopped
• 3 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp soy sauce

Chop the eggplant into 1/2 inch thick rounds and then into approximately triangular or cubic chunks. Heat oil in a wok on medium-high heat, add the peppers and garlic, and fry until garlic is fragrant and golden brown. Add the eggplant, stir, add a cup of water, and cover the wok for 5-10 minutes, or until water is evaporated and the eggplant has become translucent. If you run out of water but the eggplant has not gone translucent, add a little more water (science!). Uncover, add the sugar, fish sauce, and soy sauce, and stir. Finally, add the basil and stir quickly to heat the basil such that it retains its color. Remove from heat immediately.

Coconut rice

• 2 c (dry) long-grain rice
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 standard issue can of coconut milk
• 1 1/2 c water
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• cinnamon, to taste

Wash the rice under cold water in a sieve, removing as much of the outer starch as possible. Drain well. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan on medium-high heat. Add the rice and stir to coat, about 2 minutes, or until rice has become translucent. Add the coconut milk, water, and salt, stir, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, cover and reduce heat to low, simmering until the rice is cooked through, about 15-20 minutes. Remove it from heat, fluff it with a fork, adjust salt, and add cinnamon to taste.

Action shot! Hand courtesy Henry M. Cook, Fish Sauce courtesy Fish Sauce, esq., lack of baseboards behind oven courtesy Our Landlady.

* We used store-bought, but recipes for this abound on the internet. In a pinch you can make it by mixing peanut butter (pref. smooth, for this) together with fish sauce, soy sauce, etc. You should know what this tastes like. Also good with satay: Chopped cucumbers and red onion in vinegar.

** Thai basil is different from the other kind (which is referred to as “Italian basil” in the chaotic, swirling nexus of my mind). If you don’t know what kind you have, Thai basil is generally “more purple” than the other kind, which usually has no purple in it at all.

I had never heard of swai before, but sure enough, it was stocked right next to the tilapia and was cheaper, so I gave it a try. Apparently the proper name for it is “iridescent shark” (even though it’s a catfish, not technically a shark), which makes it even better. I don’t think I like it better than tilapia, as Gloria, did, but I certainly liked it an equal amount.

I don’t like onions, so I threw some fresh chopped garlic and dried basil (my fresh basil had gone off) and a couple tablespoons of olive oil into the pan. I added a splash of apple cider vinegar to the mix, which added a nice tang to the smell, though it didn’t taste especially strong on the fish. Then I rubbed salt and white pepper on the fish, and cooked it for about three minutes per side, following Gloria’s directions.

I sprinkled some rosemary and tarragon on the fish, and then thought, “What the heck?” and added a dash of ground cloves. Then a generous amount of white wine, since that was what I had handy.

Meanwhile, I was cooking some white rice on the back burner, and steaming some mushrooms and broccoli over the rice. When the fish was done, and the mushrooms and broccoli were starting to get there, I flipped the fish onto a plate and added the veggies to the pan I’d cooked the fish in, adding some more olive oil, wine, and spices.

Next time I think I might plan ahead a bit more about the sauce for the veggies — compared to the fish, they and the rice were a bit bland. The fish, though, turned out perfectly.

The dough:

• 1 tsp. white sugar

• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• 1 tbsp. active dry yeast
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

The directions:

1. Dissolve sugar in warm water in large bowl. Sprinkle yeast over top and let sit for 10 minutes.

2. Stir in salt and olive oil, then flour.
3. Knead. Cover with towel and let sit in warm place for an hour. Knead. Cover with towel and let sit in warm place for another hour.
4. Do other stuff.
5. Bake at 425 degrees for about 20 minutes.

1. Cut up lots of mozzarella cheese. Put on pizza.

2. Cut up a tomato. Put on pizza.
3. Tear up a lot of fresh basil. Put on pizza.

I’m not entirely happy with this dough; it’s serviceable but not flavorful. Suggestions for herbs to add that might help? Still, it works out pretty well, especially when rolled thin (in pre-rolling pin eras, I just smooshed it into a pan and it was usually too thick and chewy) and covered with enough cheese to feed an army. Or at least cover said army in cheese.

1. Eat.

Now, I don’t have any pictures of this recipe because I wasn’t sure it would turn out that well initially. However, this thrown-together sauté with frozen “basa swai” turned out even better than I expected. So here we are!

“Basa Swai” is a super cheap fish that is similar to catfish. I actually prefer it to tilapia, especially when just doing a simple pan sear. It is a bit meatier than tilapia, and has a softer texture.  Bonus: the basa swai package I got was actually  cheaper than tilapia!

So I cobbled this recipe together after reading up online on various pan searing recipes.  I don’t really have precise measurements since I was winging it, so I’ll just give estimates and leave it up to your (most excellently developed) judgement! Ingredients:

• Garlic – minced
• Onion (yellow, red, or white …up to you!) – sliced to thin strips
• Basil – chopped roughly, generous portions
• Marsala – feel free to experiment and substitute a dry white wine or something else… though the marsala was very delicious
• Olive oil
• Salt and Pepper

Defrost the fish. I normally just stick it in a plastic ziplock bag and then dump it in a bowl of hot water; it should not take very long to defrost.

As the fish defrosts, chop up your onions and basil, and then mince your garlic.

Take the fish out when it’s thoroughly defrosted. Rinse quickly, then pat it down.  Rub on some salt and pepper – I like to be very liberal with both.  This is the only flavoring going directly onto the fish, so err on the generous side!

Get out a pan – I find that ones with a heavy bottom work out better.  Heat about a couple tablespoons of olive oil on medium-high heat, and then throw in the onions.  Let the onions cook a bit until they are just starting to look a bit translucent, then throw the garlic in.  A moment later, throw in about half of the basil.  Sauté a bit more – the basil should wilt. Now, take your fish filet and place it into the pan, keeping the heat at medium-high. Let it sit there for about 3 minutes without moving it. You can, however, poke at the onions and stuff a bit to keep them from burning. While the fish is cooking on this side,  take out the marsala/wine/whatever, and then spread as evenly as you can across everything.  I usually do about two turns of the pan (two circles around the pan).  AFter the fish has cooked for about 3 minutes, turn it over and cook for about another 2 minutes.  You can check to see if it’s thoroughly cooked by seeing if it flakes easily when you stick a fork in it.  The surface of the fish should be lightly browned, looking yummy.

Ta-da!

I found that this dish goes really well with some couscous. You can buy couscous in boxes at most supermarkets – it barely takes any effort to make.  Just boil a bit of water, throw the flavoring packet in (I used a garlic flavor that worked very well), then take it off the heat, dump the couscous in, cover, and let it sit for 5 minutes.  So easy, and the perfect complement to the fish.

P.S. Ever since Jo bought us a tiny basil plant to keep on our windowsill, basil has suddenly become a household staple and I love it. It is so satisfying to not have to pay 3 bucks for a tiny case of basil at the supermarket every time I want to use it…

Take:

• some hardboiled eggs (2)
• some bacon (3 strips, but then I ate some while I was making it)
• fresh basil, chopped (or chiffonaded, if you are me and obsessed with chiffonading basil, also think that ‘to chiffonade’ is a real verb)
• a good-sized spoonful of light mayo
• more black pepper than you think you need
• also I put in a little garlic, because I am incapable of making things without it.

Mix! Consume! Rejoice!

For bonus points, I am currently enamored of le Pain Quotidien, which is like Panera for New York: fancier, more Belgian, costs 1.5x as much, once you go there all other variations lose their appeal. So New York is not particularly Belgian, but otherwise. Specifically I am a fan of the way they plate their pretentious sandwiches open-faced on three pieces of bread. Why would anyone do this?? But it’s so good.