November 2009


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Curry Cauliflower and Coconut Milk Soup

curry-cauliflower-and-coconut-milk-soup

It’s countdown time. But not just for the bird. In my household there are other things a-brewin’.

80P has a monster paper due by the end of today. In preparation, he has been consuming plenty of caffeine (coke and tea), grease (pizza) and salt (tortilla chips.) He can handle the mounting calories.

I, on the other hand, am facing another type of demon. This Saturday is my 10 year high school reunion. Eek! So while 80 is lovingly gorging on the tastiest calories, I’ve been trying to banish those foods for the past few days AND the coming few days.

Tonight 80’s pizza looked so amazingly shiny and beautiful. But I passed. I did however, end up making a mighty delicious meal for myself though, minus the bubbling cheese. If you’re also trying to keep it light before the big day of eating, I highly suggest a soup thickened with pureed vegetables.

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in Featured / Recipe / Veggie 1 comments
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ES Local: NYC Bars Where the Start of Winter Doesn’t Mean the End of Outdoor Drinking Season

View Where to Drink Outside in the Winter in NYC in a larger map

One of the great pleasures in exploring New York’s bar scene is finding those secret gardens and back patios that make summertime drinking infinitely more enjoyable. But just because it’s about ready to snow doesn’t mean it’s time for boozing hibernation — you just have to look a little harder. With the help of heaters, warm drinks and a little creativity, these six watering holes will have you drinking outdoors all the way ’til springtime.

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in Drinks / Restaurants 2 comments
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Thanksgiving Extras: A Turkey Carcass Concoction

carcass

Let’s forget for one moment that I’m British, and just pretend that I’m an experienced hand at all things American, including Thanksgiving. I’ve lived in DC for many years now and during that time I’ve cooked several Thanksgiving dinners, and have even been trusted with the turkey.

Most of my friends venture home for Thanksgiving so we always make a point of getting together and celebrating the holiday ahead of time. I find that this is a great way to experiment with new recipes without the added pressure and guilt if something should go wrong. This year I experimented with the turkey. I grilled it, or should I say roasted it on the grill. It was an opportunity to do something different and create the extra space in the oven for all the sides — a dinner for twenty-three people brings with it a lot of sides. I’m not going to tell y’all about my turkey or how to cook it, ES has done that already but what I am going to tell you is what you can do with the turkey once it’s been hacked apart.

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in Holiday / Recipe 6 comments
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Boiling Away Hate

boiled-brussels

I totally get why little kids would think spinach is gross. Most probably share my first vision of spinach: Popeye drinking dark green goo, out of a can, and then beating the shit out of people. It was totally weird and random. Did spinach bring out rage in sailors?

Eating vegetables, let alone drinking them, was just not on my things to do list (which included making my oma judge my many productions of a My Little Pony beauty pageant. Moondancer always won.)

But I still don’t get what gives veggies a bad rap in general. And some more than others. Carrots, cucumbers, zucchini, there’s really not that much angst against them. But brussels sprouts? It’s like they’re so hateful that they’d rather stop helping the homeless than let two consenting adults build a life together.

Why are brussels sprouts so hated?

They’re pretty cute, actually. Adorable little bulbs with pretty, pale green petals. They’re not scary, weapon-like spears like asparagus. They’re not slimy with a clinical and unappetizing sounding name—fungus—like mushrooms. They don’t splooge juice like a tomato. Brussels sprouts are small and neatly compact.

Why all the hate?

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in Recipe / Veggie 2 comments
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Presented Without Comment

Happy weekend!

in Bacon / Eggs / Food Travel 4 comments
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Feed Us Back: Comments of the Week

chips

– I have to say I’m a little surprised at the traditionalist streak in all you ESers, with a full 44 percent of you saying a classic roast is the only way to do the Thanksgiving turkey. If you’re not quite convinced, but sure to take a listen to the other ideas on our Thanksgiving turkey podcast.

– If you liked the Lasagna Lugger, don’t miss Summer‘s review of it’s competitor, the Arctic Zone Deluxe Travelin’ Chef.

– Everyone has their own take on what makes the perfect potato chip, but I’m partial to erica‘s vivid description:

Ruffles; pfffft. i will eat Ruffles or Lays, but i like my chip to lacerate the roof of my mouth if i insert it wrong.

Amen. No pain, no gain.

(Photo: bunchofpants)

in Holiday 0 comments
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Friday Fuck Up: The Revenge of Sriracha

penne-w-pumpkin-cream1

Editors Note: One of our favorite fans has a special treat for us. And I just love getting emails with the subject: “i have your friday fuck up for you.” Here is Belmont‘s pumpkin pasta fail. And remember to send us your kitchen disasters info@endlesssimmer.com.

I hate squash.

Actually, that’s not *entirely* true.

I love  all kinds of squash: kabocha, butternut, zucchini, pattypan. I love it in all forms: carpaccio, in a not so nicely named soup, in gratin with goat cheese, with wild rice and leeks as my favorite thanksgiving side. When I ran across this recipe on one of my favorite blogs (I am unrepentantly preppy, and I don’t care if you judge me), I had to try it. Pumpkin and pasta? There is no way this could end poorly!

Yeah, not so much.

I will confess, I made a few substitutions, and not quite the ones mentioned in the blog post. I kept the half and half, because soy milk is for hippies and lactards, and I doubled the garlic. I used sage instead of rosemary, because crispy sage is phenomenal and a classic paring for squash (according to the bible). Plus, it does not poke holes in your gums the way rosemary does. You know that stuff is basically a pine tree, right?

I also confess that I didn’t have any hot pepper flakes (absolution: I was not in my kitchen, where I am amply stocked) and decided to substitute sriracha, because it is awesome. Finally, no white wine vinegar, but there was some balsamic, so I used that instead. I also used whole wheat pasta, because I think it’s a nice contrast in rich pasta dishes, like this one consisting of cheese, squash, and cream, so I think it qualified.

The result?

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in Cheese / Veggie 7 comments
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