Roasted Cauliflower, Chickpeas with Mustard and Parsley, Title IX and a Half Marathon

If you happen to get into the head of a runner, you will most likely find one of two if not both things; they love to eat or there is something eating at them, be it a demanding or stressful job, trying to come to terms with a difficult childhood, trying to comes to terms with their own child, a divorce or something of that life altering variety that necessitates many hours pounding the pavement.  There is almost nothing that I have not been able to balance in my head during a run and it has proven more therapeutic, much less expensive and far more healthy than therapy, food or shopping.  Bonus; according to the New York Times, running is also an excellent appetite suppressant.

My Mom and Me

This past Sunday, I ran in a Women's Half Marathon and it was a hot and humid slog.  I have run in half-marathons before but this one was particularly important because it was the anniversary of the passage of Title IX, the 1972 law that allowed women to participate in high school and college sports.

I remember asking my Mom once when I was much younger, what sports she did when she was in school.  She said, "Girls didn't participate in sports when I was your age."  I was dumbfounded.  When you think about how far we have come from that being the norm or from the fact that Kathrine Switzer was nearly tackled (see above) while running the Boston Marathon in 1967 by an official screaming at her to get out of his race, makes me thankful for the women who made it possible for me to run in races let alone an entire race dedicated to women.  Pretty incredible.

Cheesy Baked Fries

This is what you do with food that is about to go to the dark side and you have major starch cravings. I had beautiful golden potatoes, three lonely cloves of garlic and one little onion that almost looked like a shallot in size all screaming out to me, use us to make your carb cravings right! I also had a fridge full of rosemary, thyme, parsley and cheese. It would be absolutely uncivilized and wasteful to not bring those ingredients together to create the masterpiece that you see in the picture. Note to self, turning a year older in a month, many running events entered and must not balloon out to Dumbo size before the birthday arrives. I will be on water and salads for the next month, I swear! Or at least I will really, really try. xoxo - AJ

Recipe:

Ingredients:

8 golden potatoes cut into fry wedges
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons flat leaf parsley, minced
1 tablespoon thyme, minced
1 teaspoon rosemary, minced
Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss all of the ingredients above together on a rimmed baking sheet. Place the mixture in the oven and bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Take the sheet out twice during baking to toss the potato mixture. Bake until the edges of the potatoes are golden brown.

Cheesy Bacon Bread

I was at a dinner party a few weeks ago and a gentleman in attendance talked to me about a magical land in Italy, just outside of Tuscany where cheese was so abundant that it was literally sold in every store on the block. This was a guy who was well traveled and for him to say that he had never seen so many quality cheeses in one place in his life was quite a statement. Can you imagine such a wonderful place? Of course I forgot the name of the town but I will figure it out and post the name as soon as I do.

Anyway, so you see, I love cheese and I feel that it can make almost any meal fabulous. I have a particular weakness for Parmesan and Gruyere which I feel can be put into just about any sandwich, sprinkled on any meal and can end a meal with a drizzle of honey for dessert. Salty and sweet my darlings, nothing better.

So, below is one of my favorite recipes that I can make only if I know I have somewhere to use it or I will gobble it up in about two seconds if left alone with it for any period of time. Really, is there anything better than a bread with two cheeses, bacon and onions? Oh sorry, yes there is, make sure there is a Black and Tan ready when you bite into this concoction. The combination truly pops in your mouth. Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from "The Next Best Recipe" by Cook's Illustrated

Recipe:

Ingredients:

3 ounces Parmesan cheese, shredded on the large holes of a box grater
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 ounces Gruyere cheese cut into small cubes
1 1/4 cup whole milk
5 slices thick cut bacon cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 medium onion diced
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup sour cream or creme fraiche

Method:

1.) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 by 5 inch or 4 mini loaf pans with nonstick cooking spray, then sprinkle 1/2 cup of the Parmesan over the bottom of the pan.

2.) Fry the chopped bacon in a skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until browned and crisp, about 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, lift the bacon out of the pan and onto a paper towel-lined plate. Add the diced onion to the left over bacon drippings, stirring frequently until softened, about 3 minutes and set aside.

3.) Whisk the flour, baking powder, cayenne, salt and pepper to combine. Using a rubber spatula, mix in the Gruyere, cooked onion and bacon until all coated with flour. In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, egg and sour cream. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined. Do not overmix! Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan; spread to the sides of the pan and level the surface with a rubber spatula. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan evenly over the surface.

4.) Bake until deep golden brown, about 45 to 50 minutes. (If you are using 4 small loaf pans as I did, the cooking time will be about ten minutes less). Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes; invert the loaf onto the rack and let cool for about 45 minutes.

Spiced Sweet Potato Fries

One of the biggest disadvantages of growing up in the 80's was the lack of variety and flavor that existed on dinner plates. There was no such thing as the Food Network, the internet did not exist in households, cooking magazines consisted of Redbook and the only cookbook on our shelf was the "Joy of Cooking" which in our house, when opened, the seams cracked as seams do when a book goes completely unused. On top of this, my Mom was busy being the 80's superwoman which meant she did everything that was expected of a 50's housewife while working the job of a man. My Mom was and still is incredible so I will not give her flack on what wound up on our dinner plates. There was a protein, a starch and a vegetable and fast food never made an appearance and I think that is quite a feat for everything she was juggling.

So, that said, I like to put as much variety on my son's plate as possible and to that end, I absolutely adore sweet potatoes! Not only do they look appetizing which is vital in getting it into the child's mouth but I love the taste. I never had these growing up and I remember tasting them for the first time in my early 20's and falling in love on the spot. You don't even have to use this recipe. Sweet potatoes can be peeled, cut into spears, tossed with olive oil and salt and roasted at 420 for 45 minutes and still be amazing. However, this recipe does dress them up quite a bit and can be a special treat. Enjoy!

**P.S. Hug your Mom, tell her you love her and everything she did/does for you.

Ingredients:

3 sweet potatoes
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
pinch of cardamon
pinch cinnamon
pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
kosher or fleur de sal to taste

Method:

Preheat oven to 420 degrees.

Peel sweet potatoes and cut into speared fries. Place the spears on a rimmed sheet pan, set aside. In a separate bowl whisk together the olive oil, brown sugar, maple syrup, cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt until smooth. Pour the oil and sugar mixture onto the sweet potatoes and toss together with a spoon or clean hands. Place in the oven and roast for 45 to 50 minutes until tender. Turn the pan once and re-toss the mixture with a spatula halfway through roasting.

Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese Cornbread

I am just going to come out and say this and I know southerners or any traditionalist for that matter will cringe; I am not a fan of cornbread. I always think it is a little too dry and bland for my tastes. I have had cornbread at restaurants, at friend’s homes and I have made several cornbread recipes myself. Sorry, no dice.

Enter Ms. Smitten Kitchen an absolute treasure to the cooking blogosphere. This recipe just looked so darn good that I knew I had to make it immediately and it has succeeded in turning my dislike of cornbread upside down! It is slightly sweet, moist to the point of almost having a custard like consistency to it, contains a great deal of texture, a bit of tang from the goat cheese and is finished off with wonderful caramelized onions that really bring it over the top. I absolutely could not stop eating this delectable treat and although there is some serious prep time that goes into this, it is so worth it! Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen

1 cup (6 ounces) coarse cornmeal (also packaged as “polenta”) but regular old cornmeal will also work.
2 cups (16 ounces) buttermilk
1 to 2 tablespoons oil, butter or a combination thereof
1 cup onion in a 3/4-inch dice
1 3/4 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
6 ounce log of goat cheese, at room temperature for a good while, so it’s very soft
2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
2 tablespoons salted butter, melted
2 1/2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels
2 tablespoons vegetable oil or butter

The night before baking the cornbread, soak the cornmeal in the buttermilk. Cover and leave at room temperature overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

The next day, prepare the onions. Heat a large saute pan to medium and coat the bottom with 1 to 2 tablespoons of oil, butter or a combination thereof. Add the onions and cook them until they’re well-caramelized with browned edges. Season with salt and set aside.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the goat cheese until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time and scraping down the bowl between each. (It may look a little curdly at this point, don’t worry. It all comes back together in the oven.) Add the melted butter, honey, sugar and cornmeal/buttermilk mixture and mix until smooth. Add the flour mixture and stir until combined and then stir in the corn kernels, mixing them until the ingredients are evenly distributed.

Place two tablespoons of vegetable oil or butter in a 10 inch round cast-iron skillet. Place the skillet in the oven for 5 to 7 minutes, until the fat gets very hot. With good pot holders, remove the skillet and tilt it to grease the corners and sides. Pour in the batter, spreading it evenly and sprinkle the caramelized onion evenly over the top.

Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the cornbread is firm and springing (the baking time will depend on the size and type of pan) and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Allow the bread to cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes before slicing it into wedges. Serve immediately.