Corn and Crab Cake over Cheese Grits

Plowing through post-holiday depression is like overcoming inertia: the longer you let things lie, the harder it is to get off that couch, or out of the cozy confines of your bed and move. Part of it is no doubt the result of being bogged down by the excesses of rich food from Thanksgiving until New Year's Eve. To that end, as a sort of detox program, I often dive into vegan recipes in the beginning of January, only to find myself with an insane craving for bloody meat and creamy cheese after about 10 days. I imagine a Paleolithic Me hunkered over a fresh kill by the light of some fire, hands and mouth dripping with blood as I howl to the moon.

Yeah ok, I know. Over the top.

So, the vegan interlude over, I am back to my normal routine of cooking anything I like from scratch, and trying to delve back into the realm of Cooking As Therapy. The girls wanted a little plate of "something fancy," so I thought what better way to use the crab and  leftover corn than as a crab cake. I have been attempting to broaden their horizons when it comes to starches and grains, and figured that cheesy polenta would provide a nice counterpoint to the crab. A dollop of sweet red pepper relish (bought, I'm afraid, and no doubt including that evil of all evils, high-fructose corn syrup) rounded it out.

Corn and Crab Cake over Cheese Grits

Makes 8 small or 4 large servings 

Ingredients:

For the corn and crab cakes:

• 8 oz. lump crabmeat, precooked
• 1/2 cup corn kernels
• 1/2 cup minced onion
• 1/4 cup minced red bell pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 - 3 heaping tablespoons mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons Old Bay
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup soft bread crumbs
• panko
• peanut oil for frying

For the cheese grits:

• 1/2 cup corn grits or polenta - I like Bob's Red Mill Corn Grits
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup shredded white cheddar
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon cream
• sweet red pepper relish (optional)

Directions:

For the cheese grits:

1. Place the corn grits, water and salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium-low and stir occasionally to be sure that it isn't going to stick and burn on the bottom. After 10 minutes, give a little taste to check for seasoning and add more salt if needed. I like to use homemade chicken stock which has no salt in it, so I usually add a bit more salt. If you are using chicken broth from a base, granules or a carton, you may be all set for salt. The gits will thicken up as you go. If you really prefer looser, more runny grits, add more stock or water as you go.
2. After another 15 minutes, stir in the shredded cheese until it has melted, then add the butter and cream to taste. Set aside as you make the corn and crab cakes. You can quickly reheat them once you are ready to serve, or you can keep them over a very low heat as long as you check it frequently to make sure that it isn't scorching on the bottom. If you are really talented, you can make the corn and crab cakes as the grits are cooking. :)

For the corn and crab cakes:

1. Saute the minced onion in olive oil over medium-high heat until translucent. Add the red onion and corn and saute for another 5 minutes or until the pepper is soft. Set aside.
2. In a bowl, mix together the lump crab meat and sauteed veggies. Fold in the mayo, Old Bay and granulated garlic until everything is nicely mixed. Feel free to taste a little bit to check that you like the amount of seasoning and adjust as needed.
3. Crack the egg into a small bowl and beat slightly and then add to the crab mixture, stirring well. Gradually add the soft breadcrumbs and mix well. 
4. Pour panko crumbs into a pie tin or a large shallow bowl.
5. Shape the mixture into 8 patties and dredge in the panko crumbs, slightly pressing them into the surface. Set each crab cake aside on another plate to rest while you make the rest. Once they're done, you can cover them with plastic wrap and let them sit in the fridge or you can fry them right away. I've done it both ways with good results.
6. Heat some peanut oil in a large skillet and fry the crab cakes in batches until golden brown on both sides.
7. Serve on a bed  of the cheese grits and top with a dollop of sweet red pepper relish.

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Pizza for Shannon

Pizza is a staple in my house. I might go so far as to say that pizza is the staff of life. We have Pizza & Movie Night as often as we can, and as nice as it is to get take out pizza, nothing, and I do mean nothing, beats a good homemade pizza.

I have showed my daughters how to pat out the dough and make their own personal pizzas, which delighted them. Now they don't bicker over toppings or who got more slices. It's really the perfect answer, plus they get the pleasure of cooking with Mommy. My older daughter likes watching me make the dough. I know that she is dying to give kneading the dough a try. She is already pretty adept at using a box grater to shred the block of mozzarella - I just have to be sure that she does not sneak huge handfuls of the cheese when I am not looking! The littler one loves to help out too by assembling the topping ingredients. So all told, it is time together well spent and well enjoyed.

As far as toppings go, sometimes I want something really simple, like a plain old super-cheesy pizza or a spicy pepperoni pizza; other times I get all fancy with the toppings. One of my favorites has kalamata olives, artichoke hearts and feta with a sun-dried tomato pesto. It is a fairly oily and salty pizza from the brines and the feta, but on top of a cracker-thin crust and paired with some really good cheese, it is absolutely sublime.

So yeah, we take our pizza fairly seriously here. No Boboli crusts or pizza dough from a packet for me. A few weeks ago, my friend Shannon asked me for my pizza dough recipe because she said she wanted to start making pizza from scratch. I have experiemented with different dough recipes, but have settled on this, my basic pizza dough recipe. It is fairly fast-acting,and very versatile, but you have to be careful about the type of yeast you use.

Pizza

Ingredients:

• 3 cups flour
• 1 T RapidRise Yeast
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• Italian seasoning (optional)
• garlic powder(optional)
• onion powder (optional)



• 1 cup hot water (between 120-130 F)
• 2 T olive oil

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 450. You want the kitchen to be good and warm.
   


2. Put 2 cups of the flour in a large bowl along with the yeast granules, salt and Italian seasoning, garlic powder and onion powder.
   


3. Mix very well with a whisk, breaking up any clumps.
   


4. Test the temperature of the water (very important when you are using RapidRise yeast). When it is about 125 F, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add this to the dry ingredients and mix well with a wooden spoon until all of the water is incorporated.
   


5. On a well-floured surface (I just use a clean counter) dump out the dough. At this point it is a wet, scary-looking, shaggy mess. Don't worry. You still have 1 cup of flour nearby.
   


6. Knead the dough and work in the extra flour one small handful at a time. It takes a good 4-6 minutes to get the right amount of flour in. Because there is oil in it, the dough will still be slightly tacky, though not sticky. If it's sticky, keep adding flour. You will use as little as 1/2 cup of flour and maybe even the entire cup. You'd be surprised what a different the humidity of the air can make.
   
   How I like to knead: I fold over half the dough and press it in, then I turn the whole ball of dough a quarter turn, and keep on folding and pressing, adding more flour to the counter and to the dough as it absorbs.
   


7. Once the dough is slightly silky, shape it into a ball, re-flour a bit of the counter, set the ball on it and dust it with more loose flour then cover it with a cloth. Let it sit for at least 10 minutes, longer is better, like 30 minutes.
   


8. When you are ready to shape it, remove the cloth. It ought to have risen nicely - if it did not, chances are the kitchen is too cold or the yeast died. So sad. :(
   
   Punch it down and divide it into pieces. It makes 2 12-inch pizzas or 4 smaller personal pizzas. or, if you are careful and patient, 3 10-inch pizzas with cracker-thin crusts.
   


9. Oil a pan with olive oil (or cooking spray).
   


10. Place the ball of dough in the center, and starting in the middle of the ball, flatten it gently. DO NOT PULL or STRETCH THE DOUGH That will just rip holes in it. With your fingertips, press down, gently flattening the dough. It is elastic and will stretch out if you are patient. I turn the pan as I do it to keep it even. If you find that the dough is a little bit resistant and springs back into a smaller shape, put it aside near the oven and let it sit for 5 minutes. The heat will help relax the dough until it's ready to be patted out to a large circle.
    


11. Optional- let it sit in a warm spot and rise 10 minutes... OR
    


12. Top it immediately with sauce and toppings.
    


13. Bake in a wicked hot oven (450 F) for 9-12 minutes. It really depends on the thickness of your crust, the accuracy of your oven, how may toppings you have. At about 9 minutes in, check on it.
    


14. Let sit for a good 5 minutes before slicing.
    

Notes:

• Flour I prefer bread flour, but all-purpose works fine too, especially with 1 tablespoon of gluten per cup of flour, but if you have only All Purpose flour, that will be just fine. All the extra gluten does is give the dough a bit more structure. If you like a really cracker-thin crust, though, you might not need the extra gluten.
  


• Yeast I have made this with regular old active yeast (non Bread machine, non RapidRise), and have had good results, even with a shorter rising time, although it will probably NOT be ready in just a 10-minute rise. Plan on at least a 30-minute rise PLUS a second rise for 10 minutes once you have the dough patted into shape.
  


• Kneading Your first time with this recipe may be weird, especially if you are not used to kneading. This starts out as a very rough, sticky dough, so you have to be generous with the flour and don't be gentle with the dough either. Work that flour in there. It is TOTALLY therapeutic and definitely worth it.
  


• Optional Seasonings I have been using this recipe for, no joke, 10 years now. I only recently hit on adding garlic powder and onion powder to the dry ingredients at the start. The kids both commented on how awesome it was. You can add finely grated parm too if you like, though really I like to save the cheese for the topping.
  
  You may use a bit of whole wheat flour too, but I would not substitute more than 1 cup of the AP flour for WW. After that point you really have to do some fancy finagling and add extra gluten to get the texture right. JMO.
  


• Pans I really like the perforated pizza pans, especially if I go a little heavy-handed with the toppings. Sometimes a lot of raw veggies can make things a bit soggy.
  
  However, when the girls make their own personal pizzas, I just use cookie sheets. If you really like a thicker crust, I would suggest using a perforated pan and lowering the heat to 400/425 and baking it longer.
  
  If you have a pizza stone, then I am jealous.
  


• Adjustments This recipe halves very well to make one pizza. You can also take those halved measurements and add it to the regular recipe to make 3 pizzas. It also doubles nicely to make an obscene amount of pizza.
  
  ALSO! If you make the regular batch but decide that you just aren't feeling gluttonous enough to eat 2 whole pizzas in one sitting, you can take the 2nd ball of dough and put it in a plastic bread bag and stick it in the fridge. Give it some room in the bag because it WILL expand.
  
  When you are ready to make it, say, the next day, take it out and let it come to room temperature. Then shape to fit the pan, top, bake and devour.

Gallery of Pizzas

Here is my younger daughter's favorite, your standard pepperoni pizza.

She really patted out the dough on her own after I got her started with the ball of dough. The first time she made this, she layered the pepperoni slices on so thickly, it looked as though the pizza was shellacked with pepperoni!

She ended up pulling off almost all of them, but she still devoured the pizza.




This is my older daughter's specialty: the stuffed-crust, super-cheesey pizza.

She pats out the dough extra wide so that the crusts are super thin and hanging over the edge of the pan. Then she takes string cheese and rips it into long, thin shreds, places them around the perimeter and rolls up the extra crust around it.

She finishes it off by mounding it with shredded mozzarella and grated parmigiano and pecorino.




My most recent pizza, this is a white pizza topped with andouille, red potato and a sprinkling of thyme.

I really wanted something different and was not in the mood for a tomato sauce base.


It was really, really delicious. Tweet

No-Knead Bread: Why Bother?

For some reason, the past few months, everywhere I go on the internet I see some reference to the Bittman/Lahey No-Knead Bread which Mark Bittman originally mentioned in a 2006 article, and this youtube video clip:







As a bread-lover and long-time home baker, the phrase "no-knead bread" gives me a visceral twinge, and not a pleasant one. Now, I don't always knead my doughs by hand: In the past, I've relied heavily on my Zojirushi bread machine, Kitchen Aid mixer and even my food processor to work the dough, but some breads I save for 100%-by-hand manipulation.

Kneading a large mass of dough just feels great.

Not only is there therapy to be had in sometimes-brute pounding, the rhythmic knead-turn-fold-knead-turn-fold technique required in some breads' longer kneading time is downright meditative. Each stage of bread baking brings along with it its own special pleasure, whether it's the physicality of the kneading, the warm, earthy smell of proofing yeast mixture, the sensual attraction of shaping the dough, or that final shudder of anticipation when you pull a fresh, nicely browned loaf out of a blazing hot oven.

So why would anyone forgo some of these pleasures by creating a no-knead bread?

Also (for the bread freaks out there): Can a long, slow rise with a very wet dough really build the same essential structure out of the flour's gluten molecules as we get from the traditional kneading process?


Fans of the No-Knead bread claim that the proof is in the final taste, crumb and crust.



I have to admit, it's intriguing, if only in an "I'll try anything once" way.

Despite the wave of ecstatic reviews (many by acknowledged first-time bakers), I have read a few reviews of this bread which are less than rhapsodic: loaves stuck to the pot, burned bottoms, wet interior, insufficient rise, and a flat taste.

To be fair, there's no way to be sure that these posters followed Jim Lahey's instructions exactly. Plus, as with any bread-baking adventure, we should account for any number of variables: the ambient temperature during the 12-hour rise, the ratio of liquid to dry ingredients, the type and liveliness of the yeast used, and the true temperature of the oven during baking, and over-hasty slicing while she bread is still warm.

I imagine I may have to put this on my to-do list of breads, which is not a short list.


Mmmm... bread.

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The Sauerbraten Sagas - Part I: The Menu

If only we still spoke Old English, I could write this like one of the Eddas.

So, Christmas Eve dinner. I'm making a German dinner. That's the plan, anyway. The menu so far, and believe me, this is subject to change pending any kitchen disasters and perilous mood changes, is as follows:


Appetizer:

Kartoffelpuffer - German Potato Pancakes served with applesauce or sour cream.

Here's the thing about these. Most people, when they think of potato pancakes, think of latkes, made with shredded/grated potatoes.

Now those are yummy, but we grew up eating a potato pancake that was made from a batter of pureed potato, flour and egg. They fry up fluffier than the latkes. I have had a bitch of a time finding the recipe, but I'm working on it.

Meal:

Sauerbraten - German marinated pot roast.

I went on about this at length this morning in a status update entitled "Apparently when it comes to Sauerbraten, people have very strong feelings about the gravy and whether or not gingersnaps have any place in it."

Done well, Sauerbraten is sublime: melt-in-your-mouth meat accompanied by a gingersnap-thickened gravy. Really, words can't describe it.

It is accompanied by:

• Spätzle, a cross between a noodle and a dumpling, and coated with lots of butter.


• Red cabbage cole slaw. It works as a salad, and hey, Germans love their cabbage.


• Steamed green beans with a walnut vinaigrette. Ok, so not specifically German, but it's really good. I may toss in some bacon too, just because... say it with me, kids: "Bacon makes everything better."


• Braised leeks with chestnuts. At some point over the past few days, I found a divine-sounding recipe for braised leeks, but hell if I can find it now. it's possible that I only dreamed of finding it. That sort of stuff happens to me all the time. I may just make something up. I have the leeks. I have the chestnuts. I'm feeling sassy.


• Cauliflower gratin. Very simple. Just par-boiled cauliflower covered with a mixture of mayo, whole grain mustard, paprika and freshly grated parm or romano and baked until nicely browned.

Bread:

Haven't thought about this, but I suppose I can make my totally non-German, but completely worth it, Maple Wheat dinner rolls.

Dessert:

• Linzertorte. Who doesn't love Linzertorte?


• Apple Strudel. Maybe. I probably do need another dessert.

To drink:

• Wine


• Beer


• Possibly egg nog.


• Maybe even more mulled wine.

Next installment : Day 1 of shopping and prep!


I need to write about this in order to maintain my sanity. Thanks! Tweet

Multi-grain Bread

I love the idea of baking bread on Sundays.

Well, actually, I love the idea of baking bread on any day, but there's something appealing about a lazy Sunday spent in a cozy house, with enticing yeasty smells of rising bread and baking bread wafting from a warm, humid kitchen.

Seriously, I love just about everything about bread. I have a difficult time during the first few days of stage one of the South Beach diet, sometimes even dreaming about bread, its taste, hearty smell, distinct texture.

The process of making bread is an enjoyable one for me as well. Even if I take the lazy baker's way out and toss the items in the Zojirushi, and sit back and let the machine do the kneading for me, I still like to shape the dough myself and bake it in my oven, and then, as easy as you like, I have an amazing loaf of fresh, home-baked bread.

Kneading the dough myself though, has definite benefits. At times it's damned-near therapeutic, as I beat the shit out of the dough and use it as a focus for every last petty grievance, stupid annoyance and revenge fantasy. The bread is always the better for it, too.

Some breads I will always create by hand from start to finish are:

• Whole Wheat Flatbreads, which I cook on a cast iron griddle, which really smokes the hell out of the entire house so I have to have fans running full-bore, windows wide open, and even outside doors propped open, but they're so worth it - anytime I make Indian food, I whip up a batch of these too;
  
• Herbed Whole Wheat Focaccia, best served warm with a dipping sauce of balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil. It tends to get eaten up very quickly;
• Pizza dough, my super-fast, incredibly easy, no-fail recipe which can be ready to go in the oven in under 30 minutes, makes homemade pizza almost as fast as takeout, and way more satisfying. It's fun too, because the girls get to shape and top their own personal pizzas, so no more arguing about which toppings are touching each other;
• Russian Black Bread, because sometime I crave real zakuski* - buttered black bread topped with smoked salmon, sour cream & chives or sliced pickles with a sharp horseradish cheddar - and a loaf of pumpernickel, homemade or store-bought, while tasty, doesn't have quite the same kick to it that authentic black bread has;
• Maple Wheat Dinner Rolls, one of my favorite Thanksgiving offerings. Coming soon!
  

My daily-use bread is some sort of whole grain, multi-grain bread. I really like Pepperidge Farms's Natural Grains loaves and several of Arnold's Whole Grain Classics, but nothing beats a loaf of bread I've baked myself. Even my kids have come to agree. Finally. Let me tell you, that was a hard-won battle! Thank God I have never had to wean them off of Wonder bread! That stuff is like crack, and about as good for you.

One of my favorites, great as toast, the base of a grilled cheese sandwich or just by itself, spread liberally with herbed butter, is this hearty multi-grain bread.

Multi-grain Bread

Ingredients:

• 2 ¼ tsp dry yeast
• 1 ½ cups bread flour
• ¾ cup whole wheat flour
• 3/8 cup oatmeal
• 3/8 cup multi-grain cereal, like Hodgson Mills or Bob's Red Mill
  
• 4 heaping T gluten
• 1 ½ tsp salt
• 3 T honey or agave nectar - I've come to prefer the subtler flavor of the agave nectar
• 1 ½ T butter
• 1 ½ cups warm milk
• 3/8 cup mixture of sunflower seeds and sesame seeds
  

Directions:

1. If you have a bread machine, place the ingredients inside in the order the manufacturer recommends.
2. Add the sunflower seeds and sesame seeds during the tail end of the mixing cycle (last 10 minutes) before the first rise.
3. I prefer to use the dough cycle, so I take it out once the dough cycle has completed the first rise, punch it down, place it in a loaf pan, cover it with a towel for the second rising (about 60 minutes until it has doubled in size. If it's a cooler season, I often turn on the oven to keep the kitchen warm while the dough rises.
   
4. Bake in a preheated 375° F oven for 25-35 minutes (depending on your oven - start checking it at 25 minutes), take it out to cool on a wire rack and coat the top lightly with butter if you like.
   

Non-machine method

1. Place warm milk (130° F), honey and yeast in a large bowl. Let sit 5-10 minutes until yeast mixture is foamy. Add salt and bread flour, stirring to incorporate.
2. Sift in the whole wheat flour ½ cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. Add the gluten, oats and multi-grain cereal and mix well.
3. Add the sunflower seeds and sesame seeds.
4. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead well until the dough is smooth and elastic (appr. 10 minutes).
   
5. Set in a warm place, cover with a clean dish towel and let rise 1 ½ - 2 hours until doubled in size.
6. Punch down and knead a bit, shape and put in a greased loaf pan, set in a warm place, covered with a towel and let rise for 1 hour or until the crown is about 1 inch above the top of the pan.
7. Bake in a preheated 375° F oven for 25 - 35 minutes. Take it out to cool on a wire rack and coat the top lightly with butter if you like.

Notes:

• This recipe makes a 1 ½-lb loaf. I have adjusted these ingredients upwards to make 2-lb loaves as well;
• If I make the 2-lb loaf, I usually knead it by hand because I'm not sure how large a loaf the bread machine can handle;
• Oddly enough, the machine seems to do best with the 1 ½-lb recipe, perhaps because the pan is vertical instead of horizontal, and has two kneading paddles and a smaller recipe might not get mixed as well as a slightly larger one, though that seems paradoxical at first, it makes sense when I'm looking right at the pan;
• Have I ever mentioned how much I love this bread machine? I get downright gushy over it at times and actively proselytize the Zojirushi whenever I can.

* For an explanation of zakuski, see this great article from Vodkaphiles.com: The Zakuska Table, and this piece from NPR Zakuski: Mighty Russian Morsels, which includes a wonderful recipe for Russian Black Bread. Tweet

Whole Wheat Flatbreads

These are great, satisfying flatbreads that go well with falafel, hummus, peanut butter, curried dishes, just about anything.

Whole wheat flatbread

Ingredients:

• 2 teaspoons dry active yeast
• 2 1/2 cps warm water
• 5 to 6 cups of whole wheat flour (or a combination of whole wheat and bread flour)
• 1 T salt
• 1 T olive oil

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, mix together yeast and warm water. Let sit for 10 minutes in a warm place until the yeast mixture is foamy.
2. Add 3 cups of the whole wheat flour, one cup at a time, mixing well until you have a rough, shaggy dough that starts to drag on the sides of the bowl. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.
3. Add the salt and oil, mix well and then add the remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time until you have a nice stiff dough.
4. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead well for 8-10 minutes until dough is smooth and elastic.
5. Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, and let it rise int a warm spot for 1 1/2 hours or until doubled in size.
Preheat a cast iron griddle or skillet over medium-high heat.
6. Punch down the dough and divide in half. Section it into 8 pieces. Roll out each ball of dough to about 1/4 inch thickness.
7. Lightly coat the griddle with cooking spray.
8. Place a round on the griddle (mine can hold two at a time). Let it cook for 15 second, then flip it. Let it cook for about a minute until bubbles start to form, then flip it back over and let cook another minute.
   Repeat with remaining dough.
9. Wrap the breads in a tea towel to keep warm.

Note: This will smoke the hell out of your house, so have the windows open and the fans cranked, but it is so worth it. Tweet