Like starting from scratch: a journey to vegetarian cooking

By Greg Turner | Published: March 29, 2009

like starting from scratch

We’ve gone to a mostly vegetarian diet since my daughter declared her new status this past Christmas. It’s been easy in some respects. I put food on the table, we eat it. Not a big deal. But in many ways it’s like starting from scratch. I’m uncertain, don’t know a thing about ingredients or spices, don’t have the confidence in the kitchen I did when cooking with meat. I began to question myself as a cook.

I understand meat. I know what happens to connective tissue when a roast is braised; I know the flavor bacon fat gives to green beans. I can roast a chicken. I even understand some vegetables. I can roast broccoli now without a second thought. Fresh green beans without bacon fat are delicious when boiled fast in salted water. But the rest of this stuff escapes me. I’m in unfamiliar territory.

So now I guess I need to practice. It’s what a person does when he doesn’t know something. It’s what I do, at least. And I’m telling you this because I’d appreciate it if you bear with me. If you want to learn how to cook vegetarian meals, great. Maybe we can stumble through together. If you’re a seasoned pro, even better. Maybe you can leave me some tips in the comments. I think I’ve been stalled (and stalling) on this blog because I felt like I need to be an expert, but really all I need is time in the kitchen.

Tomato Basil Salad with Tuscan Bread (for two)
1 giant heirloom tomato, locally grown
1/2 loaf of excellent, hearty bread cut into thick slices, at least two per person (the garlic in the bread I used imparted wonderful flavor to the meal)
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (the better the olive oil, the better the dressing)
2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar (again, the better, the better)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil (or less, to taste)
4 tablespoons shaved Parmesan cheese
Fresh ground pepper, to taste

I’d like to be able to say I make my own bread. Some day that might become a reality, but at this point, I still buy my bread at the local supermarket. This weekend I bought a great Tuscan bread infused with olive oil and garlic. We used half the loaf for garlic bread last night, served next to stuffed shells (I just followed the recipe on the back of the pasta box. For the shells, I mean. For the bread I toasted thick slices and slathered them with butter I melted in the microwave.)

The second half I used for lunch:

First, make the dressing. Combine the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, and basil in a container and shake vigorously. Then slice and toast the bread. While the bread toasts, chop the tomato into bite-sized pieces. On a plate, lay out two thick slices of bread for each person, and liberally scatter with the chopped tomato. Shake the dressing again, and drench each plate. Finally top the tomatoes and bread with shaved Parmesan cheese. It’s really that simple.

The key to this dish is fresh, high-quality ingredients. Here in Florida, spring has arrived in full splendor and glory, so we can get things like heirloom tomatoes. And don’t even ask if the extra expense is worth it. It totally is, as is the inconvenience of having to wait for local tomatoes to come into season. The difference is night and day.

So that’s my first step. That’s the commitment I’m making to vegetarian cooking and to this blog. It’s not going to be fancy, not for a while at least, but the ingredients will be as good as I can get given the time I have, and I’ll strive to make them seasonal.

I swear, it’s just like starting over.

Posted in Ingredient, balsamic vinegar, basil, chop, parmesan cheese, salt, shave, tomato | 2 Comments

The joy of breakfast: western style omelet

By Greg Turner | Published: March 9, 2009

I relish the weekend’s slow time, morning minutes spent dicing vegetables, rendering fat and crisping bacon.  The luxury to dawdle in the kitchen, allowing eggs to come to temperature, to linger moments over a sizzling pan and get a bearing on the day.  And I love the decadence of a perfect omelet.

This past Saturday afforded me such luxury, and I took a few selfish minutes to cook up a four-egg omelet for one.  I had a busy day ahead and needed my strength (plus, grilled onions, bacon, and cheddar cheese–I get selfish when faced with pure deliciousness).

western style omelet 02

Ingredients (serves one, two, if you have a side item)
2 strips of bacon, diced
1/4 medium onion, diced
1/4 red bell pepper, diced
4 eggs, beaten
grated cheddar cheese (to taste, but you’re probably going to want a quarter-cup)
kosher salt
ground black pepper

Note: you’ll also want a good non-stick pan (trust me on this one.  Non-stick pans are perfect for cooking eggs, and this is no exception)

Technique
dice

Method
low heat

First, set out four eggs. Let them warm a bit. Eggs closer to room temperature cook more evenly and more predictably than cold ones. So set out the eggs and brew your coffee. Then place the bacon in a cold skillet and set the skillet on a burner, medium heat.  Let the pan come to temperature.  When the bacon begins to sizzle, let it go for about a minute, then add the diced onion.  Stir occasionally for three minutes or so, then add the bell pepper.  Stir occasionally for another five minutes. You can also use this time to beat the eggs. Once the onion has gone translucent and browned a bit, the bacon has crisped some and the peppers are soft, remove all the ingredients to a bowl.

Place the pan back on the heat and add the eggs.  Leave them be.  If you need to, swirl the pan gently so the eggs cover the bottom completely, then let them cook a while, approximately four minutes.

What to look for: the gentle heat should prevent the bottom from burning.  The omelet will be ready to fill and fold when the eggs on the top achieve a jelly-like consistency in just a thin layer above a pale, custardy layer.  Now it’s time to fill the omelet.

Place 1/3 the filling ingredients near the center of the omelet, but slightly off center and top with half the cheese.  With a rubber spatula, fold over the right third of the omelet, then the left third (or vice-versa, depending).  Working quickly, slide the omelet to a plate and top with the remaining bacon, onion, pepper and cheese.  If you let it stand for another 30 seconds, the eggs inside will heat through and firm up, and you’ll be able to enjoy your perfect omelet with the sun streaming in through the living room windows and the sounds of a house waking into itself around you.

Posted in bacon, bell pepper, cheddar cheese, dice, egg, onion, salt, tomato | 5 Comments

Support your local bakery

By Greg Turner | Published: March 2, 2009

This morning I put my son in the stroller and took him for a walk. The air was a little chill (for Florida), but we walked anyway, up our street, a right at the corner, then wandered the bumpy asphalt sidewalk through our neighborhood.

My intent was to snap a few photographs, get Aiden out of the house for a while and let him see the outside world. He’s four months old. It’s important to understand there’s an outside, a world beyond the four walls of our living room. And it’s important for everyone, not just four-month olds.

And so we walked. We said hello to joggers, watched motorcycles rumble past. We heard dogs bark behind slat-wood fences, and I took a photograph of the Texaco star at the station up the street.

Sometimes, life is perfect.  In those slim moments, a singular action transports you to a time and place that’s just right, that becomes exactly what you need.  So we found Northwood Bakery, stickers on the door showing credit cards accepted and a neon sign in the window: OPEN. I could smell the donuts from across the parking lot.

northwood donut 03

Long ago one of my New Year’s resolutions had been to buy local when possible, to eschew large chain stores in favor of local businesses. It’s been easy when eating out. Pick a local burger place like Louis’ over one of the fast-food giants, pick pizza from Satchel’s over any other kind. Lunch at Buddha Belly, dinner at Mildred’s Big City Food.

Other things are harder, though. Polaroid film, a non-stick skillet–these things come from large stores. And until this morning, donuts came from one of two places: Dunkin’ Donuts or Krispy Kreme.

No longer. I bought half a dozen donuts, placed the box in the low-slung cargo area of the stroller and walked them back home. They were still slightly warm when I opened the box on the counter, and their sugary aroma wafted through the kitchen. My wife and daughter and I each had two, light and airy and sweet.

Northwood Bakery
4917 NW 34th Street
Gainesville, FL
32605
(352) 376-5599

Posted in Memoir, Memory, essay | 1 Comment

It’s not a failure if you end on a good note

By Greg Turner | Published: February 23, 2009

Let’s get it out of the way: I’m sorry.  I feel like such an irresponsible blogger, especially since I started with such promise, such lofty goals.  Teach myself how to really cook, I said.  Learn about food fundamentals through study, practice, and writing about it, the very act of articulation enough to instill in myself those skills most necessary in the kitchen.  Writing to discover flavor profiles and what works, one dish to the next.

051/365 2.0

What the hell happened?

I’m not entirely sure.  I’ve been cooking and mostly loving my time in the kitchen, but I haven’t had the luxury of time to write it all down.  Part of it is a new photography project I’m working on.  Sorting and processing photos is surprisingly time-intensive, but relaxing and not as mentally strenuous as writing.  Writing’s hard work, and I just don’t have the energy for more than a few scrawled notes in the evening.  And I don’t have time in the mornings.

My son’s been waking early.  The time I normally devoted to writing up blog posts, from 5:30 to 6:00, is now spent laughing and bouncing and tickling and reading.  And given that choice, the blog’s going to lose every time.  Sorry, but it’s true.

So that’s that?  Well, not entirely.  As I adjust to the new time schedules, I’ll fit the blog posts in when I can, and I’ll try to get back in the habit of writing on Sunday afternoons or something.  Rather, cooking Saturday and spending a couple hours Sunday morning to capture it, keyboard to screen.  Until then, maybe we can talk about last week’s dinners, the failures and successes.  The surprise winner of the week? Arugula. Seriously.

Sunday- I have no idea what I made for dinner a week ago.  I would have to find my menu plan and shopping list, and I can’t right now.  They might have ended up in the recycling.

Monday-I teach Monday nights and my wife and daughter are left to fend for themselves like some kind of woeful pioneer family. I think they had a California style pizza that was delicious.

Tuesday-Lentil soup with spinach, then Parmesan orzo with garlic bread

An utter tragedy.  Not that anything tasted bad.  The lentils were made with three cups of water and a generous sprinkle of kosher salt.  I added the spinach at 20 minutes and allowed it to wilt down a bit before serving.  The orzo I made with arborio rice, white wine, kosher salt, water and Parmesan cheese, and it cooked up delicious and creamy.  But I managed my time poorly, and I took two times longer than expected to cook dinner.

Wednesday-Frozen pizzas: roasted vegetable and margarita.

I love my wife. After Tuesday’s fiasco she figured I could use a break from the kitchen.  It had been a hectic week and it was only Wednesday.  So she stuck some pizzas in the oven, they were ready when I walked in the door and it was the best mid-week present ever.

Thursday-tofu pad thai noodles and something forgettable

Average. Completely.

Friday-Flat iron steak with a simple arugula salad (so good!) and a top-notch Spanish wine I’d been saving since Christmas

Since my daughter went vegetarian we haven’t been eating a lot of meat.  I will sometimes roast a chicken and make my daughter a helping of tofu for her meal’s protein, but for the most part we’ve gone vegetarian too.  Friday my wife and I ate alone, and it was great.

Salad dressing on the arugula? Two parts extra virgin olive oil to one part lemon juice; a sprinkling of salt; toss.  The peppery taste of the arugula was the perfect compliment for the steak and the dressing provided just enough salt and acidity.

The wine was amazing.

Saturday- broccoli and cheddar soup

Good, but it was decided the potato leek soup is the best and this comes in second.  In my defense, the potato leek soup was seasoned perfectly and this batch of broccoli soup was not.

Sunday- black bean burritos with white cheese sauce

Given the choice I think we might eat this every night.

Begin with the rice

  • Boil 2 cups of water, add 1 cup rice and lower heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
  • While the rice cooks, saute diced onions and minced garlic
  • Add cooked, drained black beans and heat them through over medium heat
  • Add a couple sprinkles of kosher salt to taste, a dash of red pepper flakes
  • And then cumin.  Sprinkle, taste, sprinkle and taste until you have the proper amount
  • Finish off with a squirt of lime juice, if that’s your thing.  Then reduce heat to low
  • In a sauce pan, heat 1 cup half and half over medium heat, then slowly stir in two combined cups of grated monterey jack and cheddar cheeses

When the rice is done, combine a couple large spoonfuls of rice and beans in a tortilla, wrap, plate and drench in cheese sauce.  If you want, you can top with salsa, taco or hot sauce (or any combination).  Just an amazing, simple meal that comes together in about 20 minutes.

Posted in Memoir, black beans, cheddar cheese, essay, flour tortillas, garlic, monterey jack cheese, onion, salt | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Weekend pause (mid-day)

By Greg Turner | Published: February 10, 2009

Weekends are tough. Not for dinner. There’s time for dinner. And certainly time for breakfast. Weekend mornings are great for breakfast. A slow prep in a well-lighted kitchen, the house waking into itself. We enjoy the scent of freshly brewed coffee and have time enough to pause and enjoy it. Eggs or oatmeal, French toast or fruit. Lunches, however, are another matter.

In my house we sit down together for dinner nearly every evening, even weekends. In fact, Sunday dinners are one of my favorites; I have time enough in the kitchen to really cook. But lunch is often a solitary affair, each of us cobbling together nourishment from a hodge-podge of ingredients and scarfing it down between morning laundry and afternoon errands.

I think it might be time to stop the rush, to pause a moment and enjoy the mid-day meal. To make something worth eating. Worth enjoying. It doesn’t have to be complicated or fancy, and it doesn’t have to take forever. Indeed, it can’t. It just has to be good. Sunday’s lunch fit the bill nicely, based on a Rocco recipe (I know, right?).

Roasted Red Pepper Sandwich

Grilled cheese and roasted red pepper sandwich with fennel salad

Ingredients (serves 4):
8 slices of delicious bread
2 red peppers, roasted and peeled
Provolone cheese, sliced thin

2 medium fennel bulbs, shaved
Fennel greens, plucked and sorted
2.5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
kosher salt
ground black pepper

Techniques
shave
slice

Method
grill

Begin by placing a pan over medium heat. While the pan heats, cut the fennel. Halve the bulbs, remove the stalks. From the stalks, pick the tender greens. They look like dill. Use a mandolin to shave the fennel bulbs, then mix in the greens.

Make sandwiches using a half a pepper and two slices of provolone for each one. Swirl a pat of butter in the heated pan and lay in the sandwich, cheese side down. Let it grill for about three minutes, flip, then three minutes more.

During the final three minutes, toss the fennel and greens with the olive oil and vinegar. Add a couple pinches of salt and a dash of the black pepper.

The mid-day break was fantastic. Home from grocery shopping I sat in the living room with my son perched in his bouncy chair on the coffee table. He watched me eat and drink and I watched him laugh and play with a plastic bee. Would that all weekends could contain such pause.

Posted in bell pepper, fennel, grill, provolone cheese, shave, slice | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

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