Fresh Tart

My son Nathan and I have been enjoying the privilege of volunteering at Perspectives Kids Cafe on Friday evenings. Founded by Sue Zelickson in 1998, Kids Cafe is a nutrition and self-esteem program for high risk and homeless youth living in St. Louis Park. Under the leadership of "Chef Dan" Tobias-Kotyk, the cafe is humming five days a week, serving more than 55 elementary aged children each day. Chef Dan, along with volunteers like Nathan and me, work with the children as they prepare, serve, and clean up a nightly dinner. The food is deliciously cooked from scratch, from Chef Dan's time-tested and popular menus and recipes, with fun twists and education about nutrition and what makes fresh food taste good.

The whole crew sits down to dinner together. The kids talk about what they like - and don't like - as well as howl with laughter at how much taller my son is than I am. The little boy sitting next to me last Friday lost a tooth during dinner, while the other kids debated the merits of cinnamon rolls with butter or without (breakfast for dinner is a favorite, as is Chef Dan's famous Chicago-style, deep-dish pizza, yes).

The magic of Kids Cafe isn't just the food, though. It's the calm, funny presence of Chef Dan, who is an educator by training and a chef by accident. After graduating from college, he substitute taught while cooking at the Ukrainian American Community Center to pay the bills. When Perspectives was hiring a kitchen manager with teaching experience for their new Kids Cafe, it turned out that the cooking teacher was their man. Fifteen years later, Chef Dan says  his favorite part of the job is working with the kids in the kitchen, seeing the children try new foods, and having the children develop favorite meals to cook for the whole group. 

He cooks at home too, making up and adapting recipes for his wife and daughters' soy, dairy, and gluten allergies. When I told him I couldn't eat gluten, he said he had a recipe for Mexican-style meatballs that I might like. We made them with the kids a couple of weeks ago and...ding ding ding! Huge win, absolutely fantastic. Nathan asked me to make them at home, I asked if I could share the recipe with you, and luckily Chef Dan said...yes. So here you go! The meatballs are made with crushed tortilla chips, in a spicy tomato-chile sauce, to serve over rice. It's worth mentioning that I've also eaten them wrapped in a warmed corn tortilla, and Nathan pointed out they'd make an incredible meatball sandwich, so make the whole batch and try them as many ways as you can think of.

Note that the meatballs aren't browned before adding to the sauce. They emerge so tender and flavorful, I may never brown another meatball again. Great technique.

Chef Dan Tobias-Kotyk's recipe for Meatballs in Tomato-Serrano Chile Sauce at TC Taste/Minnesota Monthly Magazine.

Is there anything more fun than conjuring something delicious from nothing but your imagination and leftovers? Don't answer that, but instead consider the primal satisfaction that comes from being both resourceful and frugal. I may have read a few too many Laura Ingalls Wilder stories as a young girl, but preparing meals from a perfect recipe with perfect ingredients is neither as fun nor as tasty as making things up as I go from whatever I have on hand. Urban pioneering. Or something.

Anyhow, that's all a long explanation for how I arrived at making this harissa, the of-the-moment condiment that is making its way into every meal at our house. Not only was the harissa itself arrived at in my attempt to not waste lovely ingredients leftover from other recipes, but in turn I'm using the harissa to make up an endless number of flavorful dishes on the fly.

I'm calling this harissa although it's really a deliciously ubiquitous chile-tomato paste, relevant to put a Middle Eastern spin on a dish, but also at home in Tex-Mex and Asian dishes as well. The depth of flavor comes from toasting the chiles and spices as well as roasting the tomatoes. I lean on the grocery-store versions of harissa and chile pastes as much as the next person, but you really can't beat the intensity and freshness of flavor achieved by making harissa yourself. Harissa typically doesn't include tomatoes, but I do love how the tomatoes temper the paste's heat, and add a level of acidity, that I think widens harissa's horizons. Scrape the finished, cooled paste into a jar and enjoy for several weeks, in any way you can think of.

A few ideas to get you started:

Spoon over leftover steak, pork, chicken, tofu, or any number of vegetables and roll into warm corn tortillas.
Smear on grilled flatbread and top with an egg fried in olive oil.
Stir into broth for cooking couscous or rice. Serve the cooked grains with a dollop of yogurt or sour cream, olives, fresh herbs, a crumble of cheese, and toasted nuts. Top with a poached egg to gild the lily.
Swirl into a bowl of pretty much any soup to take it from just fine to truly incredible. Think Asian noodle soups, Italian-style broth soups, Mexican-style tortilla soups.
Whisk into vinaigrettes.
Add to pasta sauces, creamy or tomato, for lovely color and depth of flavor.
Mix into and onto meatloaf or meatballs.
Brush onto grilling or roasting chicken.
Spread on generously buttered bread before making your best grilled cheese sandwich ever. Ditto quesadillas.

Do not be surprised if you consider rubbing it into sore muscles!

Recipe for Chile-Tomato "Harissa" at TC Taste/Minnesota Monthly Magazine.

Make-ahead sandwiches are a terrific way to feed a crowd and muffuletta sandwiches are the best way of all. First of all, the fresh-spicy giardiniera relish is ridiculously addictive - in fact, make a double batch, put half the vegetables in a jar to enjoy on as pickles, puree the other half to smear on the sandwiches. And what meat eater doesn't love a pile of salami, ham, AND mortadella smothered in melty provolone cheese? (Even if you don't eat meat, a grilled cheese with giardineira relish is a mighty fine thing...perhaps add a fried egg...you know the drill.)

The trick is to choose crusty bread that isn't impossible to bite through. The traditional New Orleans-style muffuletta bread isn't easy to lay your hands on here in the Midwest, but choose your favorite fresh, hearty bread or rolls and your sandwich will be fantastic. This baby actually improves with sitting for a bit - the relish really soaks into the bread, mmm - so absolutely make sandwiches a day ahead, wrap them in foil, then heat them to eat them the next day or even two days later.

Wash down the loveliness with this recommendation from my beer-fiend friend Mark Dewes: Choose a rich, malty brew to stand up to all that glorious meat, cheese, and relish, such as local craft brew Boom Island Belgian Dubbel, or NOLA’s Abita Mardi Gras Boch. Cheers!

Recipe for Muffuletta Sandwiches at TC Taste/Minnesota Monthly Magazine.

You don't have to eat chocolate on Valentine's Day. It's true! In fact, these bittersweet Pavlova meringues might better represent your romantic status. And even if not, even if you're blissfully, nauseatingly in love, the contrast of chewy-crisp meringue with fluffy whipped cream and crunchy, salty almonds will delight you.

For such a simple dessert, these have a lot of love going on.

If you haven't yet given them a go, Pavlova meringues are a worthy addition to your dessert repertoire. They're cheap, impressive, easy, beautiful, light on calories, adaptable, and...delicious! Of course they must be delicious. Fill them with whipped cream, or ice cream and chocolate sauce, or citrus curd and berries. Bake the meringue as one big torte, or make individual-sized shells. The basic egg-white-and-sugar mixture can be enhanced with various extracts or in this case, instant coffee. Consider them the pot pie of desserts, ready to be filled with whatever you have on hand.

And if you really, really need to...drizzle them with warm chocolate sauce, it's OK. Happy Valentine's Day!

Recipe for Coffee Pavlovas with Almond Whipped Cream at TC Taste/Minnesota Monthly Magazine.

After a snackful weekend loaded with the usual Super Bowl suspects - raise your hand if you too had con queso with tortilla chips - today I was ready for a pile of fresh, tender-crisp vegetables. This is my go-to stir-fry, flavorful, light, and adaptable in every which way. Feel free to substitute or add pea pods, peppers, mushrooms, eggplant, summer squash...basically any tender vegetable that loves a quick saute.

Ditto the protein, by the way. I love beef with broccoli, but chicken breast, pork, or tofu are all stir-fry classics. The trick for tender meat is to "velvet" it in a slurry of egg white, cornstarch, and wine while you chop vegetables. I add a generous pinch of Chinese five-spice powder to the mix because I crave the stuff. Typically a heady mixture of cloves, star anise, cinnamon, pepper, and fennel (variations abound, found in most grocery stores), it's an easy way to add a big punch of flavor to a quick stir-fry.

This is not a saucy dish, but there are definitely enough pan juices to enjoy spooned over rice or noodles. If you choose noodles, cook and drain them, then dump them into the wok with the meat and vegetables and toss. Lightly crushed peanuts or toasted almonds are a delicious garnish on pretty much anything, but particularly vegetables alongside a soft, chewy starch. Go for layers of flavor! Go for layers of texture! Go!

Recipe for Beef & Broccoli Stir-Fry at TC Taste/Minnesota Monthly Magazine.

As I put together this post, I took a quick little poll on Facebook, asking for my friends' top three favorite foods. I was assuming that crispy potatoes in their various forms would solidly make the list. I can't be alone in my obsession with salty french fries, roasted potatoes, or potato chips...right?

Not right! Apparently I stand alone, like cheese (which did make the cut, big time, along with avocados, peanut butter, and bacon). Did no one else grow up pining for Taco John's potato oles (with extra seasoning)? Ah well. I'll share my hash browns recipe anyhow, for the days when a grilled cheese with avocado, peanut butter, and bacon just won't cut it.

Thanks to my Grandma Meyer, I set off for college with the ability to deliver a panful of these golden, buttery beauties to starving, post-party roommates. And boys. Perhaps not what she intended when she taught me to make them, but really, these are cheap eats of the highest order, face-stuffable on their own, or even rather elegant topped with sauteed vegetables and a poached egg.

The trick for crispy potatoes of any variety is an adequate amount of hot fat. Once you accept that, and don't stress out about it, because you're not going to eat them every day, you're all good. I most often use a combination of high heat vegetable oil (safflower or sunflower) with butter. But if I have beef fat, or chicken fat, or bacon drippings, or duck fat, you can bet it goes into the pan. The hash browns in the photo are kissed by beef fat, because I'd just made stock with beef short ribs, and saved the fat I skimmed from the stock. (Always do that! Wrap it up and freeze it and there it is, a little present to yourself when you're craving crispy potatoes.)

Recipe for Hash Browns at TC Taste/Minnesota Monthly Magazine.

PS If you, like I, love Taco John's potato oles, but can't eat gluten (they're coated in flour before frying), keep in mind that it's easy to whip up your own seasoned salt to sprinkle over hash browns. Combine sea salt, good chile powder, cumin, and garlic powder to taste in a coffee grinder, whir briefly to create a finely ground seasoning.

I have the delightful privilege of running around town with a pack of broads who know a thing or two about cocktails. Like girlfriends everywhere, we meet up to celebrate victories and soothe defeats, although we have the bonus of calling our cackling "work." We thoroughly enjoyed a recent laugh (or three) at the sparkly new Borough/Parlour, the most recent iteration of the Minneapolis upstairs/downstairs restaurant/bar trend.

To date I've shared just small plates at Borough's bar, with large groups of snackers, which is rather perfect in my book because that's how I like to eat. The Scotch egg with a runny yolk is not to be missed, if you're a pork-n-eggs sort of girl, which I most certainly am. In fact everything that flashed by and made its way onto my fork was nicely done: bites of bison tartare, crispy fries with fried eggs, a rosy-pink burger, and roasted Brussels sprouts were all highlights. But chefs Nick O'Leary and Tyler Shipton are sending out more than just small plates; in fact they've organized the menu around seasonal small, medium, and large offerings, and I will most certainly be back to taste my way through it.

Owners Brent Frederick and Jacob Toledo have seen Borough's interior done right, in essence a North Loop-loft chic enough to match the hand-crafted cocktails, with homey touches like box grater-sconced lights and a burnished nickel bar to keep the flannel-clad among us feeling fine.

As lovely as Borough is, I can tell that the real hang is going to be downstairs at Parlour. Not that the drinks upstairs aren't fabulous, because they are. It's more the giddiness, I think, of cradling Jesse Held-designed cocktails while nibbling on something other than Cheetos. It blew my mind a little bit, or a lesser bit, given actual food in my stomach to soften the kablam of Parlour's killericious sips. But even more than the snacks, I fell hard for the luscious seating, sexy lighting, polished concrete floors, and of course those superstar cocktails. Held, president of the North Star Bartenders' Guild, is The Man behind Parlour, which is a very good thing given he's been making and serving all of our favorite drinks all over town for years. Despite the soft light, this is his moment to shine.

Here's what we all love about great bartenders: they remember what we like. The first drink I ever requested from Held was back when he was at The Inn, and I distinctly remember saying, "I love none-too-sweet gin sippiness, mister." Perhaps not the most exact request, but enough to inspire a gorgeous gin something, whatever the heck it was. I was not one bit surprised that when I asked him for a cool cocktail recipe to share with you all, he whipped up an Aviation, a bracingly fresh blast of gin, with just a hint of floral sweetness, to chase away a frigid Minnesota eve. Pair this cocktail with bites of salty ham atop crusty bread and be very glad.

Jesse Held's recipe for The Aviation at TC Taste/Minnesota Monthly Magazine.

I'll confess, I meant to get this recipe to you before New Year's Eve. But in the crush of the holidays, and illness, it did not happen and...well, Happy New Year? The good news is that New Year's Eve is not the only winter night to invite friends for dinner, and this easy appetizer is meant to share with friends.

This is a pretty old school recipe at this point, given roasted garlic's heyday (perhaps even Kardashian-level overexposure?) around the turn of this century. I think it's fair to say that we all know that garlic becomes gorgeously sweet and spreadable when roasted; but add fresh herbs, tangy cheese, and a splash of broth and you create a rich swiping sauce that elevates the whole to party food that stands the test of time.

I first copied this recipe from Bon Appetit magazine, onto a recipe card, as a newlywed party thrower and it quickly became a much-passed-around favorite. Forgive me the nostalgia of feeling like my mom, circa 1972, sharing her recipe for her creamy dried beef dip. Except that my mom had way cool hostess kimonos and I tend to entertain in jeans. (I definitely need a hostess kimono...)

You can roast the garlic ahead by a couple of hours and hold it at room temperature. Then, when your guests threaten imminent arrival, crumble on the cheese and set it in the oven to melt. You'll want to serve this warm, with good bread, and a glass of bubbles.

Recipe for Baked Garlic with Rosemary & Blue Cheese at TC Taste/Minnesota Monthly Magazine.

I've written before about the beauty of braising a pork shoulder one day, then crafting several meals from it as the week wears on. This version is more basic than the Pork Braised with Chiles & Cinnamon, which means you can eat it even more ways. Seasoned with onions, garlic, salt, and pepper, the finished roast can be eaten as is with its rich pan juices. (Mmmashed potatoes would be a perfect accompaniment.)

Then the next day you can warm some of the pork with hoisin sauce and roll it in lettuce leaves with rice, scallions, pickled vegetables or kimchi, and a dab of chile sauce. Or ginger scallion sauce. Oh my goodness YES.

Then the next day you can warm some of the pork with barbecue sauce, and spoon it into a crusty roll with a caraway-seed studded coleslaw. You could slather ginger scallion sauce on this too, because seriously, that stuff belongs on everything.

Then for the last batch, you can fry the pork into a gloriously crispy hash along with potatoes, peppers, and onions, moistening it with pan juices as you go, topping it with a poached egg, but of course.

What are your ideas?

Basic Braised Pork Shoulder

1 boneless or bone-in pork shoulder (sizes can vary greatly)
Kosher salt
2 Tbsp. high heat vegetable oil or bacon fat
1 yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, smashed & peeled
1 1/2 c. chicken broth or water
freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.

Sprinkle pork shoulder on all sides with Kosher salt, rubbing it in a bit. Heat a Dutch oven (that can snugly hold the roast and has a fitted lid) over medium high heat. When the oil is hot, add the roast and brown thoroughly - to a deep golden brown - on that side. Flip the roast and brown thoroughly on the next side, continuing until all sides (including the ends) of the roast are evenly browned. Remove the roast to a plate and set aside.

With the pan still over heat, add the onions and garlic to the pan. Stir around for about 7-8 minutes, until vegetables are beginning to soften and look glassy. Add the chicken broth or water to the pan and top with the roast. Add a few turns of black pepper to the pan and bring liquid to a simmer. Cover pan and transfer to oven.

Bake for 3 hours, perhaps more, depending on the size of your shoulder. The pork is done when the meat is very, very tender and is easy to pull apart with a fork.

Transfer roast to a cutting board and let rest. Meanwhile, spoon fat from pan juices. Puree defatted pan juices with an immersion blender or by transferring to a stand-up blender (be careful when blending hot liquid). Return pan juices to the pan and season to taste.

Pull roast apart into bite-sized pieces, discarding any large pieces of fat, and stir into the pan juices. Serve immediately or cool to room temperature, cover and chill.

Happy New Year! It's time for vegetables! I know that I don't really need to explain why, given universal post-holiday puffiness and such. For me, all sorts of high-carbohydrate, gluten-free grainy flours made their way into my diet and while festive, I certainly noticed how 1) tired, and 2) starving it all made me feel.  Sometimes it takes little reminders that what works best - and for me that's not just gluten-free, but primarily grain-free eating - is exactly what works best. Hey.

As a bonus, all of the foods that make me feel and look like myself - high quality meats, fish, vegetables, eggs, nuts, fats, and small amounts of dairy and fruit - are all of my favorite foods anyhow.

So 2013, let's lead off with soup! I'll confess I didn't plan this one out, it sort of made itself out of the fridge. I'm quite sure that you could use vegetable broth, and skip the chicken, and enjoy this as a vegetarian treat. Dried porcini mushrooms make the broth - and everything - delectably meaty, for very little effort. When you're making up a soup, keep in mind that the most satisfying soups are texturally layered - this version is brimming with tender chicken, chewy mushrooms, crisp broccoli, with crunchy nuts to finish. That's how I like it! Kablam!

I hope you all enjoyed holiday time with family and friends. We hosted Christmas Eve here with my mom and sister Stacey. Escargot, beef stroganoff, braised cabbage with caraway seeds, and baked lemon pudding made up our holiday feast and uff da, it was indeed a feast.

Christmas Day we made our annual trip out to my aunt Mary & uncle Bruce's lovely farm west of Willmar. More beef - rib roast, yes! - snuggled up against mashed potatoes, beets, Brussels sprouts salad, topped off with my aunt Marge's famous cheesecake for dessert. More uff da. So worth it. So much sparkly, cozy fun!

I'd say the tree is put away and everything is back in its usual place, but...hell no. We also hosted a New Year's Eve party, and my birthday is tomorrow, so sometime this coming week will have to do. In the meantime, here's to a delicious and healthy 2013! Fresh Tart turns 7 years old tomorrow, pretty crazy, thank you so much for reading along with me for all these years!

xo Stephanie

Mushroom Soup with Chicken, Broccoli & Pumpkin Seeds
Serves 4

I'll confess that I gilded the lily by adding fried sage leaves as a garnish along with the pumpkin seeds and mushrooms. Totally not necessary, but if you're as crazy about fried sage as I am, fry it in the butter you toast the pumpkin seeds in (sage leaves first, remove them, add the pumpkin seeds, toast away) until a little bit browned. Killer.

1 c. + 1 quart chicken broth
1-6 oz. package dried porcini mushrooms
5 Tbsp. butter, divided
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 large carrot, peeled & chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp. dried thyme
sea salt
1/2 c. heavy cream (optional)
handful arugula leaves (optional)
1 c. broccoli florets
1 c. bite-size chicken pieces (I pulled apart a rotisserie chicken)
1/2 c. raw pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
freshly ground black pepper

In a small saucepan, heat 1 c. chicken broth until steaming. Remove from heat and stir in porcini mushrooms. Soak for 30 minutes until mushrooms are soft. Scoop mushrooms from broth with your hands, squeezing liquid back into the pan. Chop mushrooms and set aside. Strain broth through a coffee filter into a small bowl and reserve.

In a large saucepan, heat 2 Tbsp. of the butter over medium heat until melted and foaming. Str in onion, carrot, celery, garlic, dried thyme, and a pinch of salt. Stirring occasionally, saute vegetables until beginning to soften, 8-10 minutes. Stir in the reserved mushroom soaking liquid and quart of chicken broth. Simmer broth and vegetables until vegetables are tender, 10-15 minutes.

While soup simmers, in a small skillet, heat 1 Tbsp. butter over medium heat until melted and foaming. Stir in pumpkin seeds and toast seeds, stirring frequently, until seeds are golden brown. Transfer seeds to a paper towel-lined plate and sprinkle lightly with salt. Set aside.

Add remaining 2 Tbsp. butter to skillet and return to medium heat. Add the chopped porcini mushrooms and a pinch of salt and saute until starting to crisp, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a blender, puree vegetables and stock in batches with arugula leaves (if using), returning pureed soup to the saucepan.

Heat the pureed soup over medium heat until simmering. Add broccoli and cook for 5 minutes, until broccoli is tender-crisp. Stir in cream (if using) and chicken and heat for a couple of minutes. Season to taste with salt. Serve hot with toasted pumpkin seeds and sauteed porcini mushrooms, topped with several grinds of black pepper.