#LetsLunch December: Celebrations from around the world

So, after a long hiatus from this blog (and LetsLunch), I'm making my triumphant return.

What have been up to in the meantime? In September, I agreed to start developing a series of recipes for a friend's blog, Being Geek Chic. In October, I took a new job (actually, it's pretty much the same as my old job) at The Chronicle of Philanthropy. In addition to working on our signature surveys (collecting and analyzing data about the nonprofit world), I've been growing my skills at creating interactive graphics and contributing social media reporting. In November, Jake and I drove up to Penn State to watch my brother play a hockey series (it's his senior year), and I also spent Thanksgiving with my extended family in New Jersey.

And, I almost didn't make it to today's edition of LetsLunch.

My contribution to today's celebration lunch may surprise you: latkes. We're not Jewish, but my college roommate was, so I spent a good amount of time in college at the campus Hillel. Some of what we did there was relating to the culture, some relating to the religion. But what stuck with me was the food.

In the spirit of Hannukah, I decided to make some latkes last night. I had attempted latkes previously, first, in our college apartment, just winging it (they were too wet, too gummy and took way too long to hold our interest), then a couple of years ago using a recipe from Smitten Kitchen. They were easy enough to make, because you shredded the potatoes using the food processor, but I didn't love them. These were essentially hashbrowns.

So, last night, I went back to box grating. I kept the recipe small, only using three Russet potatoes. In exchange for the time it took to grate the potatoes, I skipped the steps that usually go into trying to keep the potatoes from oxidizing (cold water, ice, etc). I alternated between using a coarse grate and a fine grate. After using my flour sack towels to squeeze, squeeze, squeeze as much moisture from the potatoes as I could, I also added about 2/3 of a grated onion, an egg and about 2/3 cup of flour. If I had really planned ahead, I probably would have used matzoh meal.

What I liked about these is that they were crisp on the outside, and nice and potato-y on the inside. Three potatoes yielded about 20 latkes. They're best served immediately, while they're still hot (salt them immediately), but I had a few for breakfast this morning, and they heated up nicely in the toaster oven. 

You can see in the fun .gif file above, I fried mine in a shallow, nonstick pan in batches of about three or four. I used an ice cream scoop that was about 3/4 full for each latke. If you can, dip the spatula in the oil before pressing down on the scoop of potato batter to flatten, it helps with the sticking. 

I'm pretty basic with my latkes, so I serve them with sour cream and a little coarse salt.
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Check out the rest of the Let's Lunch posts today by following the hashtag #letslunch on Twitter or clicking through below. If you would like to join us next month, send us a tweet introducing yourself! I'm @emmacarew on Twitter.

Cheers to this month's host, Rashda! See all of the fabulous blog posts on her pinboard.

Annabelle's Pecan Slices at Glass of Fancy

Linda's Sorrel Cocktail at Spicebox Travels

Lucy's Ham and Cheddar Cheese Scones at A Cook and Her Books

Grace's Persimmon Salad at Hapa Mama

Joe's Orange Honey Cake

#LetsLunch: Pies edition

June edition of LetsLunch already? This month we're tackling pies. Now, you're probably looking at my photo and saying, hmm, decidedly NOT a pie, yes?

I first made these hand pies at Easter (mostly as a means to use up random items in my fridge to make room for the Easter food, but also to have something to snack on while I was cooking, so I wasn't tempted to pick at the Easter food) and loved them. 

When pies were being bounced around as our June theme for LetsLunch, I knew I would probably make a savory pie option. Over the past few years, I have definitely gotten much more adventurous about food but there is one quirk I refuse to budge on: cooked fruit.

So yes, this means I rarely eat apple pie, peach pie, rhubarb pie and all those other crazy cooked fruit pies (I had a nice lemon pie I liked once.... ). And yes, I know there are plenty of non-fruit sweet pies, but they all scream WINTER to me, rather than SUMMER.

This month, I'm offering up Chinese sausage and roasted sweet potato hand pies. (also, a small disclaimer, I haven't actually made these yet today. My plan is to get a batch in tomorrow to serve at our housewarming party.

RECIPE: Chinese sausage and roasted sweet potato hand pies
Ingredients:
2 pie crusts (I used the ones that come rolled up in a sleeve, but I developed this dish trying to use them up, so certainly, homemade would work)
2 sweet potatoes, pricked with holes
1/2 medium onion, diced
2-4 logs Chinese sausag, sliced thinly and each round cut in half
small pat of softened butter (~ 1 tsp) or reserve some of the rendered fat when you cook the sausage
1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp brown sugar
1 beaten egg white mixed with 1 TBS milk or water
kosher salt or sea salt
fresh cracked pepper

* Bake the sweet potatoes at 375 for 1 hour or until they are soft. If you hear popping noises, run for the oven and retrieve your potatoes! Don't forget to prick your potatoes with holes so the steam can escape.
* While the potatoes are roasting, heat the sausage pieces and onions together over medium heat until the onion has softened and the fat from the sausage has rendered.
* Cool the potatoes slightly then slice in half and scoop out the flesh. Mix in the fat (butter or from the sausage), the cinnamon, the sugar and the onion and sausage. Spread on a plate or a baking sheet covered i wax paper to cool completely.
* Roll out the pie die and cut into squares or circles. They should be about 4 to 6 inches in diameter.
* Fill each pie with 1-2 TBS of the filling (don't over-fill!) and pinch the dough together tightly.
* Brush with the beaten egg wash and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
* Return to oven and bake on a lined cookie sheet for 10-20 minutes until the pie crust is golden brown.
* Cool entirely (if you can wait that long!) and serve warm-ish.

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Let's Lunch is a monthly meeting for food bloggers and is the brain child of Cheryl Tan. Our group chooses a date and a theme, then we all post our recipes on the same day.

If you'd like to join us, we'd love to have you! send a Tweet to us using #letslunch (I'm @emmacarew).

I'll update with more posts from the other LetsLunch-ers as I find them throughout the day!

Cathy's Nutella Hand Pies at Showfood Chef

Rebecca's Spanakopita and Rhubarb Crisp at GrongarBlog (Welcome, Rebecca!)

Charissa's Lime-Custard & Curd Pie at Zest Bakery

Linda's Dirt Pie with Compost Cookie Crust at Free Range Cookies

Cheryl's Japanese Curry Pot Pie at A Tiger In The Kitchen

Denise's Summer Chicken Pot Pie at Chez US

Rashda's Pecan Pie at Hot Curries & Cold Beer

Mai's (Mother-in-Law's) Lemon Meringue Pie at Cooking In The Fruit Bowl

Lisa's Pilaf Pie with Chicken, Sultanas and Sweet Spices at Monday Morning Cooking Club

#LetsLunch: liquid diet edition

Hooray! The triumphant return of the blog! and just in time for #LetsLunch, the monthly meeting of food-types with blogs, hosted by Cheryl Tan of A Tiger In The Kitchen.

Each month, after posting, Cheryl prods us into our next theme for lunch. Last month, as soon as Karen, of Geofooding, said she'd have to sit this round out (due to being on a liquid diet due to cancer surgery) we all threw our hats in the ring for a #LetsLunch Liquid Diets.

So, the day is today. I initially thought my offering might not make the cut (there are some decidedly non-liquid elements in my soup here...)  But this is a soup I made after Easter because I can't bear to just throw out food animal parts (ie: a perfectly good ham hock).

So, I started my soup with the leftover ham from Easter, some leeks and a little garlic. I really wish I would have had time to completely cool the stock and skim the fat that inevitably rises to the top, but I didn't have time. The soup was still tasty, but it would have been nice. 

I had never made a ham hock soup before (the usual ham soup ingredients don't really appeal to me, such as peas or white beans) so I wasn't totally clear how to proceed. I asked around on Facebook and Twitter (and got some great advice, as usual).

Instead of white beans I used black, the added the ham (lots of it!) and potatoes. I wanted to add zucchini to make it a little healthier, but people advised they could turn to mush sitting in the soup.

So, I fried the zucchini separately, tossed with oregano and breadcrumbs to make "croutons" which I added to my bowl just before serving. The zukes stayed somewhat crunchy this way but I still got to have them as a nice fresh addition.

 

Liquid Lunch ham hock soup: 

1 ham hock

2 leeks (sliced thinly)

3 cloves of garlic, minced

Water (cover the ham hock or fill the pot about 2/3 of the way)

3-4 cups diced ham

2 cans black beans (rinsed)

2-3 cups diced potatoes (I used fingerlings, but you could use whatever you have on hand)

1-2 cups zucchini, sliced and quartered

1 tsp olive oil

1/2 tsp* dried oregano  (this amount is a total guess... go crazy, add as much as you need)

1-2 TBS bread crumbs

1 tsp each (or more to taste) cumin, white pepper

Fresh parsley, chopped, to serve

* Cover ham hock, leeks and garlic with water and simmer 1 hour. If you have time, cool completely and skim any fat that rises to the top. If you just want to get to the part where you sit down to a hot bowl of soup, ignore and press on. 

* Remove the ham hock (carefully! splatters of hot stock HURT). Pull off any meat that's been boiled loose. Chop to bite-size pieces and return to the broth. 

* Add ham and potatoes. Continue to cook over medium heat 15-20 mins, then add the black beans. 

* In a separate pan, saute or grill the zucchini in the olive oil with the bread crumbs and oregano. Add more oregano if needed. 

* Season your soup with the cumin and white pepper. It should taste ham-y, smoky, and have a nice bite to it. 

* Put a few spoonfuls of the zucchini "croutons" in your bowl, then ladle hot tasty soup over. Serve with fresh parsley. 

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Let's Lunch is a monthly meeting for food bloggers and is the brain child of Cheryl Tan. Our group chooses a date and a theme, then we all post our recipes on the same day.

If you'd like to join us, we'd love to have you! send a Tweet to us using #letslunch (I'm @emmacarew).

Check out the liquid lunch offerings from the others: 

Cheryl’s Miso Bacon Corn Chowder at Tiger in the Kitchen.
Caitlin’s Spring Green Soup at her book tour blog
Linda’s Crack Pie Inspired Shake at Free Range Cookies.
Rashda’s Spring Pea and Mint Soup at Hot Curries & Cold Beer.
Ellise’s Cucumber-Avocado Gazpacho at Cowgirl Chef.

Mai's Peanut Butter Espresso Smoothie at Cooking in the Fruit Bowl

Eleanor's Turnip Pork Soup at Be a Wok Star 

Cathy's Almond Nut Milk Granita at ShowFood Chef

Steff's Gazpacho at The Kitchen Trials

Oh, and please, please, please raise your glass (or bowl... if you're having a liquid lunch) to our friend, Karen, at Geofooding, and her fight against cancer. 

PS - Karen, Cheryl & Rashda: stay tuned for the Kimchi Chiggae post I promised earlier!

Happy St. Paddy's 2011

Strange as it may be, St. Patrick's day is one of my favorite holidays of the year. Not personally being of Irish descent myself, I consider myself to be close enough, as both sides of my family have Irish in them.

The last few years, I've gone all out trying to perfect my corned beef and cabbage dinner recipe. The last two years, I have simmered the beef until they're nearly done, then baked to finish with a brown sugar and Guinness or brown sugar and whiskey glaze.

St. Paddy's 2010

St. Paddy's 2009

So, this year I decided to up the ante a little and cure my own corned beef. I found a method for this on ruhlman.com last year, about two days into the leftovers of 2010's feast. I decided that this year, I would try attempt this process.


I now live very near to a Penzeys Spices store, which is both awesome and terrible. Every time I stop by, it's at least a $20 trip -- just for spices. Again. Awesome and terrible. I stopped there to pick up pickling spice (it smells amazing)

Ruhlman's recipe explains that the pink curing salt isn't 100% necessary, but I didn't want to skip any steps at all. In the spirit of buying local, I decided to try and get this stuff nearby, but found my neighborhood butchers were out of it. I ordered a few packets of this stuff online:

I started with three briskets, and put my kimchi bucket to good use to hold the meat and the brine.

I followed the recipe for the brine on Ruhlman's site exactly, put it out on the back porch to cool, then filled my kimchi/corning bucket up to the brim. These little guys went into the fridge for 4 days (1 day shy of Ruhlman's recommendation).

On Friday, the day before our St. Paddy's day party, I freaked out, worried we wouldn't have enough corned beef or cabbage. So I ran to the store and bought three more corned beef briskets to simmer.

I followed your basic simmer and wait recipe for both the home-corned and store bought briskets, and dumped a bottle of Guinness into each pot. The same pots of water-turned-stock and Guinness were used for the cabbage (of which I had also freaked out and purchased way too many...)

But eating my corned beef and cabbage dinner was too damn exciting, and I forgot to take a photo of the whole thing. However, as usual, dear friend Wendy comes through again with a wonderful photo of the meal:

The big win from this year's St. Patrick's day dinner was finally nailing down the recipe for a brown sugar and Guinness glaze. I made a big pot using 1 1/2 cups brown sugar, 3 Guinness extra stouts, and 1/4 cup corn starch slurry. The corn starch is the key to helping to make the reduction silky rather than just sticky.

Here it is drizzled over my Monday morning corned beef hash: