Braise the Roof

Weekend in the Woods

This song has been playing on loop in my head for the last three days.

Possibly because I’m going to see him LIVE at WRIGLEY in TWO weeks.

I’m a little excited.

But also because I was in the woods this past weekend.

And there are real, live ticks out there.

It was just what I needed. A break from the city (especially with NATO in town), no internet, and unreliable (and therefore unused) cell reception.

Some sun on the dock.

Plenty of family time.

Johnny Mathis and Frank Sinatra the way they were supposed to be heard.

Oh, and I ate a few (hundred) of these.

In case it wasn’t abundantly clear, I was in Wisconsin. Home of the cheese curd.

I am a self-professed city slicker (yup, I buy my salsa from Neeeew York Ceeeeety) and I sometimes forget how much I need down time away from public transportation, a restaurant on every corner, and Bravo.  So this was a good weekend.

But seriously, guys, the ticks. The ticks will get you.

May 21, 2012 at 7:45 pm 19 comments

Almost Summer.

There is something about living in a city that has really shitty weather for a good part of the year.

Once the weather turns, the sun comes out, and the coats come off, it’s pretty amazing.

And it makes all the bundling, freezing, frost-bitten fingers worth it, in a way.

It’s sort of like lobster. If you ate it every day, you wouldn’t appreciate it as much.

My point is, I’m listening to emotional music on Pandora at the moment and it’s making me sentimental, so let’s move on.

I love Chicago.

And I love my grill.

Welcome back, old friend.

Here, let’s make a meal.

Asian Marinated Grilled Chicken
serves 4

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or whatever cut you like)
1/4 c soy sauce
1 T sesame oil
3 large cloves garlic
1 T sriracha (or to taste)
2 inches fresh garlic

1. Cut chicken into 4 portions, or into tenders if you’re short on marinade time. 2. Using the flat side of your knife, crush garlic cloves. Slip the skins off.
3. Using a knife or spoon, scrape skin off ginger and roughly chop. Place in a plastic bag with all other ingredients and allow to marinate in fridge for at least a few hours, or overnight.
4. Preheat grill over medium-high heat.
5. Place chicken on grill and discard marinade.
6. Grill on each side for 5 minutes (depending on thickness) until completely cooked.

Simple, kick-you-in-the-mouth flavor, minimal clean up.

I love grilling.

I’m glad it’s back in my life.

May 17, 2012 at 8:18 pm 13 comments

Mixed Vegetable Ragout

I’m generally pretty good at using up the produce that I buy before it goes bad.

With the exception of fresh herbs and scallions. The damn scallions are always going bad on me.

That’s not to say that I always use my produce at its prime. I’m nowhere near being that organized. I’m not afraid of a slightly wilted piece of kale or a just barely soft potato. The way I see it is that as long as it hasn’t actually gone bad, it’s still better than creating more food waste, right?

(I know, I’m so green.)

Of course, this sometimes means that I have unattractive produce to deal with. I mean, no one likes an ugly vegetable.

Especially when you’re a weirdo who photographs her food for all the interwebs to see.

I’ve come up with a fairly excellent solution to the problem: ragout.

Ok, so technically a ragout is a kind of stew usually made with meat, but it’s really just a bunch of ingredients that are cooked together for a long time over low heat in some kind of sauce base.

And despite my love of France from whence this dish came, I made this an all-American version. Because I can.

All-American Mixed Vegetable Ragout
serves 1

2 oz sliced cremini mushrooms (any mushrooms will work)
1/2 cup yellow or sweet onion, chopped
1 cup kale, stems removed and torn into pieces
1/2 cup cauliflower florets, chopped
1/4 cup chicken or vegetable broth
2 T yellow or Dijon mustard
1 T ketchup
1 t olive oil
pinch of salt and pepper
1/4 t garlic powder

1. Heat oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add mushrooms and onions and saute for 10 minutes. You want them to begin to develop deep color without browning or crisping too quickly.
2. Add cauliflower and saute until tender.
3. Add kale and chicken broth and saute until kale is wilted and broth is reduced by half, another 5 minutes or so.
4. Stir mustard and ketchup in and add seasonings.  Cook for another few minutes until thickened to your liking.

I  served my ragout as a bed for an over easy egg.

The ketchup and mustard might sound a little strange, and you could certainly sub in other sauces/condiments that you like better, but it added really good flavor and texture to the dish.

Plus it made me feel just a little bit like I was at a summer cook-out, so take that culinary purists.

And, of course, there was the runny egg.

And we all know what a runny egg will do for a dish.

Much prettier.

May 15, 2012 at 9:51 pm 9 comments