Toast Hawai'i

So this was a popular German appetizer in the 1970s: Toast Hawai'i. You butter toast (challah or brioche offer an upgrade), top it with 1. a slice of ham, 2. a slice of pineapple (upgrade: fresh pineapple), 3. a cherry, and 4. a slice of cheese (upgrade: don't use Kraft singles). Comfort food with a touch of the Pacific. Try it, it's really not bad.

Taking a break

I had to take a break from cooking because the last time I attempted it (another potato gratin version), I stupidly mandolined off a slice of my right thumb (I didn't use the protective cover). My thumb looked like sashimi for a while and 7 weeks later I still have to keep it bandaged.

Those 7 weeks also happened to be the hottest weeks in decades, which didn't exactly make anyone scream for potato gratin. Anyway, tonight's the night I return to cooking, but it won't be anything new -- and it won't be anything that requires slicing anything (roasted potatoes).

Week 20: Reprise

My first reprise: Roasted potatoes (this time without spinach) -- fantastic with a fried egg, easy over.

Week 19: Arugula with Balsamic Strawberries and Goat Cheese

Vegetable ingredients: strawberries (well, sort of), salad

Busy week! So I tried a salad. The recipe is from this book (which I don't love half as much as the tomb "How to cook everything").

Ingredients:

a pint of strawberries
2 TS balsamic vinegar
black pepper
arugula (I replace it with spring salad)
crumbled goat cheese (creamy)
salt
drizzle of olive oil

Preparation:

Hull and slice strawberries, put in bowl
toss with vinegar and pepper, let sit for 5 mins
add salad and crumbled goat cheese, sprinkle of salt
drizzle with olive oil, toss, serve (I topped it with walnuts and served it with pretzel bread).

Verdict: Surprisingly good! 8/10

Week 18: Roasted potatoes with spinach

Vegetable ingredient: Potatoes, spinach


Another potato recipe! It was Memorial Day weekend and my brief was to make something that would go well with steak and brats (very appropriate, since "The World's Greatest Brat Fest" is held annually on that weekend). Nothing easier than that! Let me make my signature dish: Roasted potatoes, this time with Spinach. This is the recipe I followed this time, well, sort of. I'm getting adventurous!

Ingredients: 

• 6 small red potatoes, quartered (I used a 1.5 lbs bag from Trader Joe's)

• 2 tablespoons butter (I used olive oil instead)

• 2 cloves garlic, minced (I used one cube of Dorot's frozen garlic -- the whole kitchen smelled of garlic, the food -- not so much)

• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped (I used dried rosmarin)

• sea salt and ground black pepper to taste

• 1 cup fresh spinach leaves (I used 2.5 cups and sprinkled some grated cheese on top)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Place the potatoes in a single layer in a ceramic casserole dish. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, and cook until golden. Stir in the rosemary, and cook just until fragrant. Pour over the potatoes in the dish. Season with sea salt and pepper. Roast uncovered for about 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until the potatoes are fork tender. Remove from the oven, and toss with the spinach leaves. Return to the oven for 1 to 2 minutes, until the spinach has wilted.

The result was reliably great. Crisp, aromatic potatoes and some greens as well.

Verdict: 9/10. Any time again. 

Week 17: German potato salad

Vegetable ingredients: Potatoes and pea shoots


More potatoes! This time, a potato salad. Not with mayonnaise-based dressing, but warm and with a vinaigrette, German style.

Ingredients:
2 lbs potatoes
1 cup broth
4 TS vinegar
1 ts mustard
pepper
1 onion
chives (replaced with pea shoots)
3-4 TS canola oil or similar

Preparation:
wash potatoes, add salt, boil for 15-20 mins (I did not peel them)
heat broth, add vinegar, mustard, salt, pepper, onion
slice potatoes
pour dressing over potatoes, add oil, onion, chives

 

Since this is really only a side dish, I decided to add store-bought meatballs and "meatless meatballs" from Trader Joe's.

Verdict: 8/10 (for the salad)

Week 16: Roast cod with potatoes

Happy Mother's Day!

I had a request for another potato dish, so potatoes it was again. Another recipe from Mark Bittman: Roast cod white fillets with potatoes. It couldn't get any easier!



Ingredients:

5 table spoons olive oil
2 lbs potatoes (5 medium-sized potatoes)
cod fillets [fresh fillets were sold out at Whole Foods, so I used frozen fillets, 340g for two]

salt, pepper, chives

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 F. Place 4 table spoons of olive oil in a large baking dish (I'm not a fan of Rachel Ray's shows, but I love her orange baking dishes). Place dish in the oven while it preheats. Peel the potatoes (I use my Roesle swivel peeler) and slice them about 1/8 to 1/4 inch. This is when my new Progressive mandoline, a mother's day gift, came in handy! Remove pan from oven, stir potatoes into oil, sprinkle liberally with sald and pepper. Return dish to oven. After 15 minuts, turn potatoes gently with a spatula. Put in the oven for another 15 minutes, turn again. Once potatoes look browned (after 30+ minutes), place the cod on top,  sprinkle with olive oil. Roast for another 10 minutes, depending on thickness of fillets. Sprinkle in chives. Done. I served the dish with buttered peas.

 

 

Verdict: 7.5/10

The potatoes were great, the fish was a bit dry on top. Overall, however, a satisfying dish, especially the potatoes, and so easy to make! The little person ate exactly one potato slice (because it looked like a potato chip). She said it was better than she had thought. I guess that qualifies as a compliment.