Grits ‘n Greens

Posted on April 21, 2012 by auntieangela

Hi! I’m Gourmet Mommy’s first guest poster – her sister. I guess that makes me a gourmet auntie, although I’m also a mom. My son (hereafter referred to as The Bear) is 10 months old, just a few weeks older than his cousin, Baby K.

We live in South Carolina, and I’d like to bust some stereotypes and tell you that Southern food isn’t all grits and turnip greens, but that’s exactly what we had for dinner tonight. Guess I’ll have to leave the stereotype busting to another day. This week was the first week of our CSA, or Community Supported Agriculture program. We’ve been subscribing for a couple years now, and I always miss it when it’s unavailable in the winter. One of the best things about participating in a CSA is that it encouragees you to eat in season, and forces you to cook with things you might normally not pick out at the grocery store yourself.

Some of this week's CSA delivery - turnips, greens, parsnips, and spring onions. Not pictured: strawberries and new potatoes

I was not a huge fan of greens before joining the CSA, but I’ve learned to cook them well enough to enjoy them now. You can’t go wrong with sauteeing in olive oil with a little garlic and some kind of pork product. Tonight’s meal was inspired by a recipe in Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything, one of my favorite cookbooks. He calls it Grits Gratin with Arugula and Garlic, but I improvised with what I had on hand.

I started by cooking a 1/2 cup grits according to the package directions. It should only take about 15 minutes, then pour into a flat dish or plate to cool and solidify. Then saute a link of hot Italian sausage until brown, and add about 1/2 cup diced onion. Once the onion is softened, add 2 cloves of chopped garlic. About a minute later, toss in the washed and chopped turnip greens (stems removed), and 2 tblsp. balsamic vinegar. Wilt the turnip greens – this won’t take long. Add one diced tomato toward the end, if you like.

Grits Gratin with Turnip Greens & Tomatoes

Pour the turnip green mixture into a 9 x 13 baking dish. Cut the now-solid grits into squares and arrange them on top of the greens. Pour a little bit of marinara sauce over the grit squares (we had some leftover from the other night – you could also skip the tomatoes in the greens and use a can of diced tomatoes here). Top with shredded mozzarella and/or Parmesan cheese. Cook in a 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes. Serve!

Unfortunately this wasn’t a very Bear-friendly dish. He had applesauce. But you may have noticed some parsnips in the photo above. I’ll be making a parsnip-potato puree later this week, for us all to enjoy. Possible second guest-post? Maybe…

A bowlful of heaven: Ragu Bolegnese

Posted on March 7, 2012 by gourmetmommy

I went out for a mommies night out with Linda from KidFriendlyDC* and some other cool moms from DC.

Let’s pause. I. Went. Out. Can you say, wooo hooooooo?

Outburst over. Anyway, we went to this amazing Italian restaurant* that is not at all kid friendly. No high chairs, no booster seats, no paper on the table. It was fabulous. And I haven’t even gotten to the food. Housemade charcuterie, housemade pasta, a wine list you could spend hours studying. Many things I simply can’t replicate at home.

Most Italian food though is something you can replicate at home. That’s what I love about it: so many of the most amazing dishes are made of just a couple of ingredients sitting in your fridge or garden. Just give them some love and you’re rewarded 10-fold. Not unlike your darling children that sleep through the night…I digress. bolognese

Ragu Bolegnese. A perfect example of humble ingredients turned into a mouthwatering masterpiece with just a little love. And time. And maybe a little stirring. Take ingredients that you probably already have in your fridge or freezer right now. Start cooking at naptime. Leave alone on the stove for a few hours. By dinner you have a bowlful of heaven. bolognese ingredients

I essentially use Marcella Hazan‘s recipe for Bolegnese. It’s classic, and surprisingly light just using veggies, ground beef, milk and white wine. You can mix it up a few different ways if you want though too. Use red wine instead of white for a heavier sauce. Omit the milk in the long cooking time and add a bit of cream for a really rich sauce. Add in pork or Italian sausage for some pig love. Or even use a beef or pork roast cut into chunks instead of ground meat for a shredded meat sauce.

I like to serve over fettuccine with a classic Chianti. Heaven.

*The restaurant is called Cinghiale and if you’re ever in Baltimore without young children you should check it out. And if you’re ever in DC with your kids, check out KidFriendlyDC before you come. It’s got the best tips on events happening around the region that are awesome to check out with your kids.

One Pot Wonder Challenge: Chicken Barley Stew

Posted on February 26, 2012 by gourmetmommy

If I told you that I could feed mom, dad, big kid #1, and little baby #2 for less than a buck a serving, you’d be like: awesome, right? Let’s add healthy, delicious, and fits in one pot so there’s no clean up: could it be possible? Well, I know it’s possible for many people to do, but can I do it? chicken barley stew

I really like to cook. It’s fun for me. Shopping for the best ingredients is like my own little quest. Prepping my mise en place (chopping veggies) is my personal meditation time. And at the end of all of it, I get to share my work with people I care about. And they seem to like it. So, it may have been mentioned once or twice to me that I may possibly make a bigger deal out of a meal than I need to. That’s just crazy talk though. I’m sure they didn’t mean it.

D was been bugging me to write something about a one pot meal, since he hates doing dishes. But let’s face it: a really good dinner isn’t a success unless I spend a whole paycheck on it, go to every market in town for the specialty ingredients, and use every pot and pan in the house.

But I took the challenge. A simple meal, in one pot, that doesn’t cost a fortune.

And I realized, it’s nice to get back to basics. With my Chicken Barley Stew, I use classic combinations of vegetables, make my own stock, add a hearty grain and I’ve got a comforting and healthy meal that didn’t make a huge mess, freezes great, and feeds the whole family. And cost about $10 for the whole pot of food. barley stew ingredients

Since K is eating stage 2 baby foods, I was even able to puree some up for her. Which allowed me to break out the food processor. Thank goodness, that one pot was getting awfully lonely.

Laissez les bons temps rouler: Gumbo

Posted on February 20, 2012 by gourmetmommy

Fat Tuesday is tomorrow! This is one of my favorite holidays of the year because I get to pay homage to some of my favorite food: Creole and Cajun food.

I’ve been to New Orleans twice: once in my teens with my parents and once in my twenties with Dan for Jazz Fest. Both times I ate in the most amazing restaurant I’ve ever experienced: The Gumbo Shop. It’s this tiny, rather nondescript place in the heart of the French Quarter. No celebrity chefs here, just amazing Creole food.

If you’re down there, you have to go. Unfortunately though, I don’t get down that way very often. Fortunately though, they have a cookbook! So I’ve been making a version of their gumbo every year around Mardi Gras ever since. I’ve changed a few things here and there, but at it’s heart, it’s the Gumbo Shop gumbo recipe. gumbo

Tomorrow night we’re going to get some Abita beer, make a big pot of Andouille, Chicken and Shrimp Gumbo, and turn on Kermit Ruffins and the Barbeque Swingers.

What are you doing for Fat Tuesday this year?

Anniversary Wine & Dine #2: Ridge Lytton Springs

Posted on February 11, 2012 by gourmetmommy

Sometimes, there’s just a moment you remember. No context, no recall on how that moment came to be, just that moment sticks in your brain forever.

Dan and I share one of those moments. There is a place in Washington D.C. we used to go to for special nights out, or sometimes just because. It’s called the Tabard Inn. In DC, no one really has a proper living room, so the Tabard was the place to go to sit in front of a fire, drink some amazing wine, and sometimes have some amazing food under a parachute.

So this moment was one of those evenings, sitting in front of a roaring fire on a plush sofa with Dan drinking Ridge Lytton Springs. I don’t know why we were there or where we were going later, but at that moment, nothing could be better.

On our honeymoon, in Healdsburg, CA, we were actually staying near Lytton Springs so made the journey to the motherland. It looked close on the map, so we decided to walk against the advice of our friendly bartender. It wasn’t really close, but a beautiful day in February in California made up for our sore feet.

So we sat, in the vineyards at Lytton Springs, drinking Ridge, remembering the moments that are so special to us and creating a new one at the same time. Ridge Lytton Springs

Last night I made Balsamic Marinated NY Strips, baked potatoes, and steamed asparagus for our anniversary dinner–the perfect accompaniment to a bold Zinfandel. steak and potatoes

What are the special moments that you remember?

Anniversary Dinner(s) #1: Champagne Charles de Fere

Posted on February 10, 2012 by gourmetmommy

5 years ago I married my best friend, and I couldn’t be happier. We have an amazing family, great friends, and just a wonderful life together. As I think back on all of our years together, I’m so overwhelmed at all of the wonderful memories we’ve created. wedding1

As I sat down to write a post about the great anniversary dinner we were going to make, I found that I couldn’t edit it down to just one meal, just one bottle of wine, just one event. There have been too many good times. Often involving food and wine, but mainly because they’ve involved friends and family and special moments together…which often involve food and wine. wedding3

So, instead I’m going to do a post every day for the next 5 days, each about a bottle of wine that represents something special to us. Yes, I could have done this through movies we’ve watched, places we’ve been, the seasons. Whatever. This is Gourmet Mommy: I’m remembering our special times through wine.

In time for Valentine’s day, how do you celebrate your special memories?

Wine #1: Charles de Fere champagne.

Our wedding was awesome. Seriously, the best party ever. In my totally unbiased opinion. We rented this big old mansion in the middle of winter, had all of our friends and family come, and pretended we were having the coolest dinner party ever. wedding 4

We wanted our guests for feel right at home, so as they walked through the door they were handed a glass of champagne. Which, actually, we never really do for our guests in our own home unless it’s the champagne of beers, but hey, we were pretending we lived in a mansion. So champagne.

Picking this particular champagne, Charles de Fere, was even a special memory for us. Long before children, we had some of our closest friends over to our house for New Year’s Eve and had a champagne tasting. We picked 4 bottles of champagne that were each around $10 and had a great time tasting and testing and tasting and testing. And tasting and testing.

In the end, we picked Charles de Fere. It’s a French sparkling wine that goes great with food, but is great on its own too. At $12 a bottle, we often keep a case at home so we can always celebrate those special occasions.

A perfect recipe for pairing is Cioppino. Another sentimental meal in our house, it’s what we traditionally make on Christmas Eve. But Casey at Good. Food. Stories. reminded me that it’s great anytime of year–especially now around Valentine’s Day.

So snuggle up with your honey, break out the champagne, and create some special memories together!

Gourmet Mommy

Recipes and cooking tips for foodie families.