Sustenance quickly

Summer vacation is sadly coming to an end very soon. This break has most certainly been my favorite aspect of being a graduate student; this is coupled by the fact that I have the greatest boss on the planet who allows me to keep a flexible schedule as I long as my ducks are in a row.

As I've mentioned in previous posts, I am lucky to have a friend who works on the South Fork of the Snake River, and he graciously takes me out in his drift boat from time to time. Lucky really isn't the appropriate word. The South Fork is a world class trout fishery where folks pay thousands to have a guide take them out and point them towards the fish. I get to go for a twelve pack of beer. Charmed seems more fitting. Yes, I've had a charmed summer.

We were greeted by this lady on the most recent float.

Tuli was very interested.

The lodge at sunset. Not a bad view.

Tonight I had great plans to make a grilled cheese sandwich. Sounds relatively simple, I know. This isn't your ordinary grilled cheese -- grilled halloumi cheese and red pepper sandwich -- thank you very much. I couldn't be bothered busting out the food processor, and I've spent most of my afternoon and evening baking a cake for a certain brother-in-law who graduates from the PA program tomorrow. HOORAY!!! I'll talk more about the surprise cake after its unveiling.

Nonetheless, I was hungry and needed some sustenance quickly before I devoured the cake batter. You'll recognize these ingredients from the bruschetta a few posts back. Easy peasy dinner. You can have this prepped, table set and ready to go by the time your pasta is cooked. Plus, when it's hot out, no one wants to spend time over a hot stove.

I am off to bed to ignore a chest cold that has decided to move in. What the hell? Who gets sick in August? I have too much fun to have to be sick before school starts. This heaviness needs to skedaddle. Buenas noches, amigos.

My window basil is thriving surprisingly.

To make the pasta: cook your favorite pasta shape according to the directions, quarter a handful of tomatoes, chop some basil, mince a clove of garlic if that fancies you, drain the pasta, toss with the tomatoes and basil (and garlic if using), 3 tbs tasty olive oil, 1.5 tbs balsamic vinegar, a good grind of black pepper, and a handful of parmesan cheese. Fifteen minute dinner. Beat that Rachel Ray.

So fresh.

And so tasty.

Easy, fresh, tasty

It is my birthday eve. I have been baking a six layer rainbow birthday cake inspired by this for the last three hours. At the moment, my cake is a hot mess. One giant, almond-flavored, rainbow-colored mess. I have eaten so many scraps of cake smothered in homemade buttercream frosting that I cannot actually imagine myself eating this monstrosity. I am ill -- sugar-induced nausea. Friends, please come eat my cake tomorrow so I don't have to. Thanks. Happy Birthday to me.

I missed the planting of 37 tomato plants this weekend at the farm. It was too damn cold to do anything but weed and plant things that live underneath the dirt, so that's exactly what we did -- planted asparagus and copious amounts of flowers: six or seven different sunflowers, hollyhocks, dahlias, nasturtiums (one more which I cannot remember -- damn sugar).

Easy, fresh, tasty.

(My mind very nearly went south there).

Who knew asparagus started like this? Not me.

Belle, my planting partner in crime.

Dig a trench, cover with three inches of dirt,

then cover again when they begin to sprout.

Irrigation boots are so in this season.

I love when my mom sneaks off with my camera.

One of my favorite people called me last week asking for an eggplant parmesan recipe, and she inspired me to make my own; I had never made it before. Eggplant was actually banned from my house as a kid because of my dad's virulent hatred for the purple aubergine -- a food poisoning incident in Morocco when he was in college still haunts him to this day.

My friend, actually named Hailey, too, was super disappointed with her eggplant parmesan. She said it was slimy and mushy -- who wants to eat anything with that description? I did some research and found that by salting eggplant it helps to leach out some of the excess water, which causes that unsavory texture. It actually worked! The eggplant had a meaty texture. A carnivorous friend of mine joined me for dinner, and he said this over his plate of eggplant parmesan: "vegetarian meals can be good -- I don't even miss the meat." Made me smile.

Hailey, I hope you try eggplant again. Dad, I think it's time you get past this, especially when we'll have eggplant coming out of ears on the farm. Just saying.

I am off to make my final round of buttercream frosting and finish the cake that has caused me to not want to eat cake ever again. I'll post pictures tomorrow. Until then, amigos.

Plain ol' eggplant.

Slice about 1/4 inch thick.

Salted in the colander.

Ricotta cheese, fresh basil, garlic salt, red pepper flakes.

My go-to breading: panko and parmesan cheese.

MMMM, cheese.

Baked eggplant parmesan

1 large eggplant, sliced into 1/4 inch slices

2 tbs basil leaves, chopped, more for garnish

2 cups panko bread crumbs (perhaps more)

1 cup flour

2 eggs, scrambled

1 cup ricotta cheese

1.5 cup parmesan cheese, shredded

1.5 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

2 tsp coarse salt

1/2 tsp garlic salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

tomato sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large colander, place the sliced eggplant and sprinkle with the salt; allow to drain 30 minutes then blot dry with a paper towel. Meanwhile, make the tomato sauce or use your favorite canned variety. Combine the ricotta cheese, shredded basil, garlic salt, and remaining black pepper.

In one bowl, place the flour and 1/4 tsp black pepper. In another bowl, scramble the eggs. In the last bowl, combine the breadcrumbs with about a tbs of the parmesan cheese. Dredge the eggplant slices in the flour first -- be sure the coat the sides -- shaking off any excess, then rolling around in the egg and then last in the breadcrumbs. Place eggplant slices on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake for about 30 minutes -- flipping halfway through -- or until the eggplant are crispy.

Increase oven temperature to 375. In a baking dish, spread about 1/3 of the sauce. Place an eggplant slice and top with a bit of the ricotta mixture, followed by a dab of parmesan and mozzarella cheeses. Repeat, slightly overlapping eggplant, until all the eggplant are used. Spread the remaining sauce on top (and more cheese if you're me). Bake eggplant, covered, for 30-45 minutes or until bubbly and irresistible. My mom always served her eggplant parmesan with pasta on the side so naturally, as do I. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Bring on the aliens

I am a chronic avoider -- dentist appointments, laundry, bills. I have a list sitting to my left of things I've needed to accomplish for weeks now. On this list includes a certain Shakespeare paper that has evaporated into oblivion. I am dreading completing this paper. I would rather go to the dentist and have my teeth drilled upon than finish this paper (those of you who know me well know that I would rather have my butt probed by aliens than go to the dentist. I LOATHE the dentist). Bring on the aliens.

Because I'm doing such a good job of avoiding said paper, I have accomplished a number of other items on my list -- I finally got my Idaho driver's license. I updated my car insurance. I also, by day's end, will have my car titled in Idaho, one step closer to my vehicle being registered in Idaho. It's exhausting moving states.

The most exciting thing I checked off of my list today: purchased my plane ticket to Ireland. The most brilliant part, my ticket came to almost exactly $1000. I'm pretty tickled with that number. Now I have more spending money for important things like drinking whiskey.

Below is the other half of the pasta feast from last week. This sauce was fantastic. Cooking the basil stems along with the tomatoes is a trick I will always remember. I purchased my beef from a butcher who scoffed at me when I asked if they have any local beef. He laughed, placed his hand under the grinder and said, "this here was a local cow." I suppose you can't get much fresher than that.

Lemon zest is rapidly becoming my favorite ingredient.

So simple: beef, salt, pepper, lemon zest,

chili flakes, garlic, cinnamon. (egg and parmesan)

Shallots, garlic, basil stems and chili flakes.

This smelled divine.

Smoosh up the tomatoes as they cook -- makes for a lovely sauce.

Best meatballs this side of the pond.

Thank you, Jaime.

Jaime Oliver's ragu of tiny meatballs

for the meatballs:

1 lb ground beef

3 cloves garlic, minced

zest from one lemon

1-2 red chilies, crushed

a pinch of cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg (I omitted)

sea salt and black pepper

1 large egg

a handful of parmesan cheese, more for serving

for the sauce:

1 28 oz can whole tomatoes

3 cloves garlic, minced

a bunch of fresh basil, leaves removed and stalks reserved

1 fresh chili (I used dried chili flakes)

olive oil

a little swig of red wine

sea salt and black pepper

(I added more lemon zest because I can't make tomato sauce without it now, and I also added a chopped shallot).

In Jaime's words: To make your meatballs, mix and scrunch together all the the meatball ingredients in your hands and shape into marble-sized balls. When rolling the meatballs, run your hands under cold water every now and then -- it will help to make the meatballs dense and hold their shape better. Place them in a pan and put in the fridge while you make your tomato sauce.

Get a pan on the heat and add a glug of olive oil to it. Gently fry the garlic, basil stalks and chile flakes (shallot), then add the tomatoes and red wine. Season with salt and pepper then gently simmer for half and hour.

(I used the same pan for frying the meatballs and making the sauce. I fried my meatballs first and set them aside while I stewed my sauce, then added them in at the end per Jaime's instruction. One less pan to wash!)

Heat up a little olive in a frying pan and throw in your meatballs. Cook until they've got a really good color on them, then add them to your tomato sauce. Remove the chili from the sauce (if using a whole chili) and check for seasoning. Continue to simmer for ten to fifteen minutes. Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pan of salted water. Cook for about two to three minutes and drain, reserving a little of the cooking water, then toss the pasta in the meatball sauce. Add a knob of butter, a handful of parmesan, and tear over half of the basil leaves. Now, toss around to coat the pasta. Add a little bit of cooking water to loosen the sauce if needed. When it's superb, serve on a big platter or divide up between individual plates, scatter with the rest of the basil leaves, grate over some parmesan and serve as soon as possible.

Oh come on. It'll be fun.

Every so often I am struck with an overwhelming desire to cook something more than poached eggs. Being that I write a blog about food I am sure you are thinking that urge must strike me fairly frequently. Yes, you are correct in that assumption. However, occasionally I am motivated to produce a meal of more than meager proportions -- the most recent Indian feast for example. That wasn't my typical Tuesday night supper. Nor is the following pasta feast, although I did manage to make it on a Thursday eve.

I had this similar ambition on Tuesday when I wanted to attempt baking bread again, but I was struck down with a migraine. Perhaps that was the universe reminding me that baking and I are on fragile grounds and not to push my luck. Okay, I can take a hint.

Pasta, though, I can comfortably tackle without raised blood pressure. I've been making pasta since I was kid. My mom had the brilliant idea one Christmas to give our family members and friends homemade pasta and sauce. Lovely idea, huh? Yes, until child advocates should have been summoned to rescue me and my sisters from the sweatshop my mother had created in her kitchen. You know what is kind of sick and quite ironic, I have recreated that same gift twice now as an adult torturing my fair share of unknowing participants just as my mom had once done to me. "Oh come on! It will be fun, and it's super fast." Six hours later, beet and spinach extracts dying every kitchen orifice and nerves severely frayed, always worth the effort.

I tell you that anecdote not to scare you away from making your own pasta, because it really is fun! And boy does it taste fabulous. The pasta is delicate and oddly, tastes like pasta, not like cardboard. I tell you that story so you know full well what you are getting yourself into -- a bit of mess, a bit of elbow exertion and lots of memorable moments, I assure you. Fresh pasta is one of my favorite guilty pleasures. It is such a treat, and I hope you take the time to make a batch with your kids, your spouse or your roommate.

Some lessons I've learned over the years: use smaller amounts of dough in the roller -- more manageable. Also, before you thread the pasta through the roller, make a clean cut so you have a straight edge -- it helps to alleviate wonky bends in your dough as it goes through the roller. Have patience! Some batches work out seamlessly, other batches require blood pressure medicine and mediation. You will never want to eat dried pasta again after you eat this fresh pasta. You'll become a pro and before you know it you'll be experimenting with flavored and shaped pastas and sending me your tricks!

I tried a new pasta recipe -- Jaime Oliver's. I usually use Giada's recipe, which calls for olive oil and creates a more luxurious pasta in my opinion. It was interesting to see the difference. This recipe was delicious, too, but I'll return to my standby next time. I also made Jaime's teensy meatball and sauce recipe, which I'll post soon.

If the weather is supposed to be as gloomy in your neck of the woods as it is forecasted in mine, making pasta would be an excellent inside weekend diversion. Otherwise, I hope the sun is shining, and you're planting tomatoes!

Most certainly not from a jar or a bag.

Instruments of torture.

Spaghetti or fettucini.

(Be sure you read that with a thick, Italian accent).

Eggs and flour in the food processor.

Pulse to form this breadcrumb-like consistency.

Knead it all together to form this ball of goodness.

Flatten the dough out a bit to allow it to fit through the rolling contraption.

Phase one.

Probably about phase five (there are six in total).

Phase six -- ready to be cut.

Fettucini.

Beauty.

Jaime's egg pasta

5 cups flour

6 whole eggs

Place eggs and flour in a food processor. Pulse until mixture forms a consistency that resembles breadcrumbs. Pour carefully on a floured surface. (I had to add a bit of water to make my dough stick together). Knead with the palm of your hand until the dough becomes smooth and elastic -- about ten minutes or so. You earn this dinner. Allow to rest in the fridge for thirty minutes before rolling.

Thread the dough through a pasta machine or roll out and cut to you desired width (you are a better man/woman for attempting the second venture. Pasta rollers are a good investment -- about $30 will last a lifetime if you care for it). Cover the unused dough in plastic wrap to avoid drying out. Cook the fresh pasta in boiling salted water for about three minutes. It will float to the surface when it is finished cooking.

My convictions are strong

Today is April 15 -- Tax Day. True to form, I completed my taxes this morning. While I am not proud to admit I filed on the last day, I can say with my head held a bit higher that I prepared my own taxes by my little own self. I was more than a little giddy to see that I would be receiving a return since I was banking on this chunk of money to fund my trip to Ireland in September.

Good people of Ireland, hide the whiskey.

As I mentioned in my last post, this month is ugly. Taxes, papers, quarterly reports and timesheets, boo hoo, bla bla. I know you can empathize with my desire to hide in bed until May 5 when I take my last exam and all papers will be completed and out of my cramped-from-typing-hands. Until then, Hail's Kitchen will be sporadic -- more sporadic than it already is. But after May 5, friends, there will be so much cool shit I can hardly contain myself.

Stick with me. I still have to eat, which means that I will still be posting, but more than likely my meals will be less like the following gift from God and more like an evil trick.

That said, the following meal was DIVINE. I would have paid good money for this dish in a restaurant. My vegan and vegetarian friends, all you have to do is leave out the pancetta and voila, perfection. Please don't be scared of the Chard. Chard is less bitter than other greens and so, so delicious. It's similar in taste to spinach but BETTER! You could use spinach, kale, mustard greens -- any dark, leafy green you enjoy -- but the chard was fabulous.

A note on pancetta. My mission to purchase only local meat was met with an exception here. Pancetta is Italian bacon. Where am I going to get bacon from Italy in Eastern Idaho? Right. Exceptions have to be made occasionally. I have, though, stuck to my guns and have not purchased any meat from the grocery store. Yes, ma'am, my convictions are strong.

Try this recipe. You will like it.

Instead of using my meager funds to buy a new cutting board,

I choose to buy fancy mushrooms.

Priorities.

If I were a fairy, I would live under a shitake mushroom.

(Funny anecdote on shitake mushrooms: I once worked in a fancy shmancy restaurant outside of Sun Valley where we had to inform our guests of the nightly specials from memory. One server failed to attend our prep meeting with our manager who detailed the menu and explained any words like SHITAKE. Poor dude went to a table announcing the nightly risotto special as: shit - take risotto. mmm. I love me some shit - take risotto. Big seller.)

If I dare say, pancetta is better than bacon.

Fresh thyme and lemon zest make the dish.

Red chard.

We'll be planting rainbow chard this summer on the farm.

Cannot wait.

Criminis and shit-takes :)

They lose an enormous amount of volume.

Divine.

Polenta with chard and mushrooms

1 bunch chard, washed with stems removed and cut into bite-sized pieces

1 lb mushrooms, sliced (I used shitake and baby crimini)

1 large shallot, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

4 oz pancetta, diced

1/2 cup broth, vegetable or chicken

1/4 cup dry white wine

1 tbs olive oil

1 tbs butter

2 tbs fresh thyme

1 lemon, juiced and zested

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

polenta recipe

Prepare the polenta about ten minutes before service.

Meanwhile, heat a large pan over medium high heat. Add the pancetta and cook until crispy. Remove and set aside. Add the shallots and garlic to the same pan. Cook for about 2 minutes then add the olive oil, butter and mushrooms. Stir well to combine and then allow to cook. Resist the urge to stir! Cook for about 1-2 minutes without disturbing to allow the mushrooms to caramelize. Add the wine to the pan and cook until the liquid is evaporated. Once browned, remove from the pan and set aside.

Add the chard to the same pan. Season with salt and pepper. Once reduced in size, about a minute, return the pancetta and mushroom mixture to the pan. Add the broth and cook down to evaporate a bit of the liquid, about a minute or so. Taste for additional salt and pepper. Add the lemon juice and zest and thyme and serve immediately over hot polenta.