Γαρίδες Γιουβέτσι (Garides Giouvetsi -- Shrimp Orzo)

As anyone who's ever lived within earshot of me knows, I am an avid listener and frequent singer of Greek music. You give me a track that's heavy on bouzouki and features a mellifluous, Greek voice drenched in emotion, and I guarantee I'll be singing along in minutes, even if I'm not quite sure what's being said. Maybe it's the way the vowels, the r's and the d's sound so much like those in Spanish, or maybe it's the way music absolutely has a way of transcending national borders. Whatever the reason, the way I see it, if you want to know about passion (in terms of both pleasure and pain) just listen to the likes of Giorgos Dalaras and Glykeria for a lasting dose. If they don't set your soul ablaze, your heart may just be made of stone.

I'm just saying... you might want to get yourself checked out* ;)

Enter my love of Greek cuisine. I'll save my verbal musings for another day, but for now, let it suffice to say that I was literally jumping for joy on my last birthday when 'Chefski surprised me with the most mouth-watering feast from a Greek deli whose food I'd been dying to taste. 

That meal inspired this culinary adventure. From what I've researched, Γιουβέτσι, a.k.a. Giouvetsi (pronounced yoo-VET-see), is a classic Greek casserole that involves tomato sauce, orzo, and whatever protein you like. This one stars shrimp, though I definitely want to try chicken and lamb versions down the line :)

*My eternal thanks go to my dear  Dr./Dr.-in-training SZ for showing me the light. 

Γαρίδες Γιουβέτσι ~ Shrimp Casserole

Adapted from a recipe on this cool Greek-cuisine website Kalofagas  

Serves: 4

Ingredients

2 cups of shrimp raw shrimp with shells (preferably deveined, but if not you can do that pretty easily)

4 cups water

1/8-1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil (I used closer to 1/8 and that was enough)

1 small red onion, thinly sliced (original recipe calls for 6 scallions, which I'll consider using next time)

1/2 green bell pepper, diced
(and if you have them: 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, 1/4 cup grated carrot, 1/4 red bell pepper)
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 Tablespoon tomato paste

1 cup orzo

pinch of red pepper flakes

pinch of oregano

dash of dill

salt and pepper to taste 

Directions

1. Peel the shells off your shrimp and collect in a bowl. Why? You're gonna make shrimp stock for your orzo! This is also the point at which I take the tails off the shrimp, because for me there's little worse than being bothered with shrimp-tails when I'm just trying to eat.

2. If your shrimp aren't deveined, make sure to do so now. Check out this video for tips on how. Rinse and drain your shell-free shrimp, place in a separate bowl and keep in the fridge til it's time to cook them.

3. Place the shells and a pinch of salt in a pot with 4 cups of water and bring to a boil. Let simmer for about 20 minutes. Your liquid will reduce by about 1/4. 

4. In a large skillet (I used my favorite stainless steel casserole pan), heat your olive oil over medium heat and saute your diced pepper, garlic, and sliced onions for about 5 minutes, adding a pinch of salt to help the vegetables sweat. 

5. Add the tomato paste to the vegetables and stir a bit to coat them well.

6. Add the dry orzo. Toss around to toast the pasta a bit and coat with the tomato paste.

7. Strain your shrimp stock and discard the shells. Add the stock to your orzo, bring to a boil, and continue to stir occasionally. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 F.

8. Adjust seasoning by adding salt and pepper and the pinch of red pepper flakes. 

9. Since I've used this casserole pan both on stove-top and in the oven before, I felt comfortable placing it directly in the oven for this step. However, you can also place the orzo in any oven-safe dish at this point. You should have about an inch of liquid above the orzo, and if not, just add some water and adjust the seasoning. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, and while this is going on, take your shrimp out of the fridge and allow to come to room temperature. 

10. After 30 minutes have elapsed, add the oregano and dill, stir, then place your shrimp atop the bed of orzo, and bake for an additional 5 minutes, until the shrimp are orange and have formed a C-shape (this is a tip courtesy of Kalofagas... apparently, if your shrimp have formed an O-shape, you've overcooked them). Enjoy the fruits of your labor (and these fruits de mer, fruits of the sea).

Chicken a la Carolyn

This quick-and-photography-free post goes out to my dearest Ania, who made a special request for chicken made the way I used to senior year and the plantains and fried cheese to go with it :)

Part 1: Chicken a la Carolyn

Ingredients
2 Italian-style chicken breasts (they're boneless, skinless and flattened out all thin-like)
2 Tablespoons or so of ketchup
1 Tablespoon garlic powder
cooking spray or oil
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions
1. Place chicken breasts on a large plate. Season with a bit of salt and pepper.
2. Dust the garlic powder over each side of the chicken, making sure you get an even coating throughout.
3. Cover each side of the chicken with the ketchup (Antoinette taught me this, it's good), using a spoon to spread evenly. (I promise you, the end result will not taste like ketchup at all!) Place back in fridge and let marinate for about 15 minutes.
4.  When you're ready to cook, heat a large grill pan or skillet on medium heat. Coat with spray or oil to prevent the chicken from sticking. Cook chicken on the heated pan for about 5 minutes per side -- Since these are thin cuts of chicken, you'll know when you're ready to flip once you can sort of see the top side cooking through. I used to love cooking this cut when I had friends over for dinner in college because I wouldn't have to worry about under-cooking it/ poisoning my guests.You should have a nice browning happen as well, due to the ketchup (which seems to keep the chicken pretty moist as well).
5. Devour alongside Dominican Rice and beans.

Coming Soon: How to fry plantains and cheese

To Be Continued...

What of Pomegranate Molasses?

 Tangy and tart. This stuff'll make your mouth pucker. 

I've only been at this food-blogging thing for a month or two, and so I've been pretty slow to spread the word about my silly little recipes and accompanying musings. I figured I should have something substantial before announcing "Hey! Look! I have a blog!" So when I finally shared this stuff with my dear friend and old roommate Ant, the one great, nay, brilliant question she had for me was:

"What of pomegranate molasses?"

What of pomegranate molasses, indeed? 

You see, Ant had the opportunity to observe my cooking habits for some time, so she knows this item is one of my favorites. This tart-n-tangy-yet-somehow-still-sweet syrup has become an absolute staple in my cupboard. The funny thing is that I only learned about it a year or so ago. Allow me, thus, to tell you the story of how I discovered what 'Chefski and I affectionally call pomegranate molass:

The first time I ever visited DC, 'Chefski took a few of our friends and me to dine at a restaurant in the heart of the illustrious Petworth neighborhood, a short walk from Georgia Ave, and past the peopled porches of those sitting out to enjoy the warm summer evening air. Some in our party were a bit skeptical of where poor 'Chefski was taking us (and said so), but I knew it would be good. And it was!

 

Furnished with mismatched couches and coffee tables, illuminated by a faux-crystal chandelier and christmas lights, W Domku is an incredibly inviting, cozy little place that I felt at home in within a matter of seconds. That first time, after a delicious meal of pierogi, kielbasa, and other decidedly Slavic delicacies, I encountered one of the oddest yet tastiest desserts I've ever had: beet cake.

Now, hold on, hear me out. This stuff is amazing. Sweet and dense, beet cake could be a close cousin to carrot cake (I mean, they're both made of root veggies). In truth, it has more of a brownie-like consistency, except the flavor is sweet and fruity (which, in my book, makes it infinitely better than a brownie)."Them's fightin' words," you may say. I say, try the cake!

Anyway, the first chance I got I looked up the recipe to make it myself, and one of the key ingredients (according to Tyler Florence anyway) is (you guessed it)"pomegranate molasses." 

At that moment I was overwhelmed with questions: What is it? Where does it come from? What's it even for? After a successful mission to Whole Food I finally got my hands on the stuff, but one thing led to another, and I have yet to make this cake, so I honestly can't even say that's one of the uses. But I did learn this:

By no means a one trick pony, this special molass is featured quite regularly in Middle Eastern cuisine as a marinade. I've made chicken and pork soaked in just a couple of spoonfuls of it, and the result is always a super moist, sweet-n-sour, powerfully-flavored main dish. I highly recommend it.

You could also:

• Toss it into tempeh (recipe coming soon)
• Swirl some into your morning oatmeal, farina, or grits (with plenty of splenda, if you want to offset the tartness)
• Drizzle it onto yogurt

Whatever you do with it, as long as you have a taste for Sweet Tarts, I think you'll like this too. 

Oh, and when I finally make that beet cake I spent most of this post talking about, I'll let you know ;) 

  Pom Molass; Just as crucial as the sugar cane kind.

Rice-ipe

 Rice. 

White Rice. 

As simple as this side dish may seem, over the years I've learned that there are several variations on this theme: you've got sticky rice for sushi, plain white rice with your "Chinese" take-out, and that dry stuff we had in the dining halls... but none compares to my mother's. It's got that magical ratio of rice:oil:salt that any Dominican (or Caribbean person for that matter) will tell you just hits the spot. 

It's so good that whenever I visit my Ma I can easily eat a whole plate of this with nothing else. Maybe with some fried plantains. Just one the side, you know? 

But I stop myself. Cuz I know better. And now I eat more wild rice than white. Still, this one will always have a special place in my heart (and, occasionally, on my plate).  

Dominican-Style Rice

For every cup of Rice you cook, use two cups of water. The following will assume 1 cup of uncooked Rice. Keep in mind that Rice basically doubles in volume when cooked, so 1 cup is usually enough for two people. Adjust accordingly. (Why is Rice capitalized? As the staple of so many nations.... need I say more?)

1. Pour 2 cups of water into a pot. In said pot, pour in a splash of oil (about a capful) and a tablespoon of salt.

2. Immediately add 1 cup of rice, and stir. If there is more than a thin layer of water over the rice, feel free to ladel some of it out.

3. Use medium-high heat to bring to a boil (this could take 15 minutes or less... this part is key, you need to keep an eye on it). When there is no water over the rice (it should look damp and bubbly, but the water has been absorbed into the rice), turn the heat way down to low, stir the pot to unstick any rice from the bottom, then cover.

4. Leave the rice over the heat for another 10 minutes (don't even peek under the lid!), and then after 10 minutes, uncover, stir the pot, and if the rice is dry enough, then you're done! If it's still too soggy, never fear! Just stir the pot, cover again, and wait a few more minutes. Warning: don't wait too long... if you burn the rice, the smoky smell and flavor will spoil the whole thing!

5. Once the rice is dry enough, take the pot away from the heat source, leave the lid on, and wait another 5 minutes. The steam action will ensure that no (or very little) rice sticks to the pot, which will make clean up a breeze!

6. Enjoy!

Pesto Pasta

After making (and tasting!) that pizza a few weeks ago I've gotten to thinking about what other toppings I could use, including a different sauce. Green so happens to be my favorite color, so I immediately though "Pesto!"

Now, you'd think you could find a straight-forward pesto recipe online, but there are so many small variations that I decided to maintain this spirit of experimenting and kind of combined two recipes I saw online. The only thing I'd change for next time is maybe use a little less EVOO, though the outcome was more delicious than I expected anyway.

** Pine Nut Warning: It turns out sometimes consumption of pine nuts can result in a bitter/metallic aftertaste that can last for several days after the fact. Some say this can happen if the pine nuts have gone bad, others only if the pine nuts are raw... either way 'Chefski had to deal with these consequences after enjoying a hefty handful. He still insists that the pesto was delicious, though next time we'll use walnuts instead.

Pesto Pasta

Adapted from Annie's Eats, and Brown Eyed Baker

Ingredients

1/4 cup pine nuts

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 cup fresh basil

1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Heat a small skillet over medium heat and toast pine nuts for a few minutes until golden, maybe 2-4 minutes. Toss them in the blender to wait for the rest of their pesto-mates.

2. Using a little oil or non-stick spray, sautee the garlic for a few minutes until fragrant. When you've cooked them about 1-2 minutes, toss those in the blender too.

3. Add basil, olive oil, salt, and grated Parmesan cheese and blend! 

4. If you've made some pasta, just pour the pesto atop it and mix well to incorporate. If you want to save pesto for later, you can freeze it in an ice cube tray, then transfer the pesto cubes to a plastic bag and just grab one or two as you need them, when you need them.

A Perfectly Good Excuse to Bake a Cake

This week a dear friend paid us a visit, giving me a perfectly good excuse to bake a cake!

Did I mention his 24th birthday is just around the corner?

Did I also mention 'Chefski's a master cake decorator?

Hershey's Special Dark Chocolate Cake

Adapted from the back of Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa Powder, plus a great hot coffee tip from Celeste's Sugar and Spice

Ingredients
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cups Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup hot coffee (use this instead of the 1 cup boiling water the cocoa box suggests!)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  
2. Prepare your pans (or pan, singular, in my case) by spraying it with cooking spray, or by smearing it with some butter/ vegetable oil. Make sure to cover anywhere the cake may touch. Now dust the pan(s) with some flour. Cool trick: pour a spoonful of flour into the pan, then cover with a large plate. Shake, shake, shake!
3. In a large bowl, combine flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. 
4. Add eggs, milk, vegetable oil, and vanilla, and mix on medium-high with a hand mixer for about 2 minutes. 
5. Stir in hot coffee. 
6. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until a knife inserted comes out clean. 
7. BIG! Once you take out your pans, it's really important you let the whole thing cool for at least 10 minutes before you flip the pan. I forgot to do so for my first layer and it definitely tore! Argh! Check it out:

Oops. This is what happens if you don't let your cake cool before flipping it. 

It tore, leaving some delicious crumbs in the pan...

 ...guess I'll just have to eat some o' that torn cake right now... 

8. After 10 minutes have elapsed and you've flipped out your cakes, allow them to cool completely before icing. 

 ::sigh of relief::

Now that's more like it!

Lesson: Wait 10 minutes before flipping :) 

Keep reading for the icing/filling I used....

Raspberry Filling

Adapted from the one Deb's Smitten Kitchen used in this cake
 

Ingredients

1 10-ounce bag frozen raspberries, thawed

1/4 cup sugar

1 Tablespoon cornstarch

Directions

1. After thawing raspberries in the microwave for 2 minutes, puree in a blender. 

2. Press your puree through a fine-mesh strainer, into a small pot. We only have a lil tea-strainer thing, so this step took a little longer (scratch that; a LOT longer) than you would expect. My guess is that the larger the diameter of your strainer, the better. This step is key, though... cuz who likes raspberry seeds?   

3. Add the sugar and cornstarch to your puree (in the pot), and heat it over medium-low heat. As the mix begins to boil, it will also thicken. 

4. Allow to cool completely before layering onto your cake. 

Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa Frosting
Adapted from the Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa Package 

Ingredients
1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), melted
1/2 cup Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk

Directions  

1. In a medium bowl stir together melted butter and cocoa

2. Alternately add milk and powdered sugar, mixing with a hand mixer to create a smooth, spreadable consistency. Feel free to add a little milk if necessary.

3. Thickly schmear it all over the cake, and lick it clean from the bowl. Let the sugar rush begin.

Polenta

As you probably already know, I love to cook. What you may not know is that one reason I love to cook (and bake) is that it provides me with a productive form of procrastination, a delicious project with a definite beginning and end, and a rare opportunity to work with my hands (writing and typing don't count!). Given this, I find myself looking through food blogs on a daily basis, constantly bookmarking recipes I want to try. I'm always open to new ideas and ingredients, but only so long as they can serve more than one purpose. As one blogger I read recently said, I'm not so much into the "one trick pony" -- you know, that rare, expensive ingredient that's not really versatile enough for someone living on a grad student budget. I'm all for food, but not when it means going too far out of my way or budget. This is supposed to be fun!

Enter my desire to make polenta. We'd gotten cornmeal for pizza (and then bagels) a few weeks ago, and I figured, why not get more bang for your buck by finding a way to use it for more than just dusting a pan? I'd vaguely heard murmurings over the years about how "difficult" polenta is to make, how much stirring and constantly watching the pot is involved... all utterly false! I promise! It's easy! Food myth busted :)

Thanks to Mark Bittman, of whose NYTimes.com column "The Minimalist" I am a big fan, I conquered this all-too-easy replacement for rice/pasta, and found a real use for cornmeal. And now, what was once a "new" ingredient has become a staple! I love when that happens!

Polenta

Adapted from Bittman's column in The New York Times*

* I found watching the video in the above-linked article  especially helpful at reassuring me that anyone can make polenta.

Ingredients

1 cup coarse yellow cornmeal

1/2 cup Parmasan cheese

4 cups of water

salt and pepper to taste

(yes. that's it)

Directions

1. In a medium pot, combine cornmeal and 1 cup of water. Whisk together to eliminate all lumps.

2. Place over medium heat and bring mixture to a boil. Now, you don't have to stand over it obsessively, but you can be nearby in the kitchen reading and eyeing the pot every now and then.

3. When it's boiling, your mixture will begin to thicken. Go ahead and whisk it some, and add another cup of water. The mix will become watery, whisk it, and let it simmer.

4. Repeat step 3 twice more. The reason is, although the polenta will look cooked, the grains themselves will be raw to the taste. 

5. After you've added cup #4 of water, whisked, and let your mix thicken, you're done! Turn off the heat, whisk in the cheese, salt and pepper, and that's it! I happened to have some leftover heavy cream from biscuits, so I threw in 1/4 cup of that as well, but I've also made it without. We topped ours with some sliced-up-n-cooked sausage and some steamed broccoli on the side, but I really think you can put anything on it (or eat it alone).