Riddle Me This, Jishman

Now, until about a year ago, I was not a beet person. I didn’t like the texture. I didn’t like the taste. I definitely didn’t like the fact that I, as someone who eats like a 3 year-old sometimes, would inevitably get it all over myself and stain everything I’m wearing (something I do regardless of what I’m eating).

Well, let me be the first to tell you, I am a changed man. I now love beets. Love ‘em! Mrs. Jishman and I went to the Culinary Institute of America a few weeks ago before I started my new job and what did I get? Beet salad…TWICE! However, I am now like a Hollywood star because I only wear black whenever we go out just in case I want to get something that might stain, but whatever. Black is slimming, I’m told.

So, the other night, I decided - since I’m working from home these days - that I was going to cook a dinner for my wonderful wife. I was going to make roasted 4000 herb chicken, broccolini (starting to get in season - yum!), green beans, and of course, beet salad. Now, traditionally, the sweetness of beets go well with citrus (specifically orange) and the licorice of fennel.

Problem #1: Neither of us really like fennel that much. Or more appropriately, we don’t like licorice that much. I like fennel more than she does.
Problem #2: Beet salads typically don’t come with lettuce.

So, we went slightly more traditional - and filling - on the salad route, adding romaine lettuce, orange supremes, and avocado to our beets.

The next day, however, I really started getting creative. I made an UBER-creative (okay, not really) beet salad removing the lettuce, and adding thinly sliced celery, sliced cucumber and chunked red delicious apple to my mix. Let me tell you, I am never going back. Lettuce, you can have 90% of the rest of salads in the world, this one is all mine! No lettuce! Mixed with an amazing vinaigrette, this salad was incredible. I had a huge bowl the next day and contrary to Homer Simpson, still had friends (for more info on that reference, check here). Go for it. You’ll love it.

Ingredients:
2 cans of chunked beets (next time, I might go with sliced instead)
1 avocado
1 Red Delicious Apple
1/2 sliced cucumber (half moons)
1 orange (sliced without rind)
3 hearts of celery (sliced thinly)
2 TBS Grain Mustard
1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 cup Olive Oil
2 cloves garlic
salt
pepper

Instructions:
1.) Make the dressing. Mix the mustard, vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper together and then slowly add in the oil to form an emulsion (we used a stick mixer in a bowl - thank you, Cuisinart! - but you can do it by hand too. Not hard.)
2.) Drain and marinate the beets in 1/4 of the dressing for at least 30 minutes.
3.) Cut and mix the veggies.
4.) Add back in the beets to the veggies.
5.) Consume and spread the love.

Enjoy!

As many of you know, we like to cook here at the RMTJ offices. We especially enjoy when people try our recipes. This is not one of those times. No, this is a time when someone took the time to send us in their recipe for Awesome Chicken. I’ll be honest, I could eat chicken 8 days a week, and one pot meals are more enjoyable during winter months for some reason.

Thus, for all of our loyal readers, here is Liz and Zach’s Awesome Chicken

Ingredients:
2 boneless chicken breasts
1 12oz can of chopped tomatoes (unsalted)
1/2 cup (or so, make sure you taste) fresh basil
minced or pressed garlic (i use that stuff in the tube)
1 tablespoon capers, drained (if you like them, if no, use onions)
1/4 of the box mushrooms (chopped baby bells)
1 small roasted pepper (pre-roast in a pan or right on cooktop, just scrap off black stuff after…or use the ones from a can.)
olive oil (just a little)
1 TSP oregano
1 TSP red pepper flakes
kosher salt
ground black pepper
blend cheese (Italian mix - Parmesan, mozzarella, etc.) - Use enough to cover the food in the pyrex
1/4 of a box of orzo (don’t need much, if you don’t have orzo, rice or pasta would work too)

1.) Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
2.) Combine tomatoes, garlic, capers, basil, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt/pepper to taste, a little olive oil (i used the spicy stuff i had to add more heat) in a mixing bowl. (add more basil, capers, and spices to taste. i like it a little spicy hence the flakes.)
3.) Put chicken in pyrex dish with mushrooms and peppers (for more flavor pre-marinate chicken with garlic and white wine type sauce) .
4.) Cover chicken and veggies with sauce, sprinkle a little cheese on top
5.) Bake for about 40 mins, giving the sauce time to bubble and cheese to be golden brown color
6.) With 10 mins to go, make the orzo.

We might need to try this soon.

That’s right, folks. Today is national Popcorn Day. So, tell us your favorite kind. Mine is Kettle Corn. Don’t get me wrong, regular, unflavored kind has its place. I like butter flavored too. For my money, Kettle Corn gets it done.

Thank you, Stew, for introducing me to it years ago.

I thought this was a joke video because it had Dawn Wells (you know, Mary Ann from Gilligan’s Island) in it BUT this trick is cool.

Check out the video:

So, as many of our loyal readers know, Mrs. Jishman and I made gyros a few weeks ago. Couldn’t have gone better….except for the faux-gurt that is. Looking back on it, while I know that it’s the only way I’m going to get it close to “authentic”, it still lacked a certain dairy quality to it - probably because it wasn’t dairy at all.

Thanks to our intrepid food reporter on the Capital beat, Jakey McHappy brings us a HISTORY OF THE GYRO (pronounced “yee-ro” for your foreigners). Many thanks, Jakey!

I’ve been a bit remiss in posting my CSA shares because I’ve been studying for an exam at the end of the month (Josh calls it my “little quiz”). Our week 2 and 3 shares were basically identical to the first week, with more strawberries and kale in the 3rd week.

Last week was the 4th week, here are some pictures:
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As you can see we got some more vegetables, the broccoli and zuchini were both very good and the fresh garlic tastes slightly different than cured garlic. It also smells less harsh, but still very garlicy. We also got some kohlrabi, which we sauteed with onions and some of the garlic. It was okay, but probably better raw. We bought some at the grocery store this week to try in other ways.

We also got some greens called “Vitamin Green”. Yes, that is the name. We haven’t cooked it yet, but we’ll probably sautee it very soon since we need to use it. It is like baby bok choy apparently. Unfortunately, it gotten eaten by a pest, so it’s full of holes but the farmers assure us it’s fine to eat.

We just picked up today’s share, and there is a LOT of garlic.
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Our whole house smells like garlic today. We are going to cure it ourselves (basically hang it to dry for about 3 weeks). We have pulled off a couple cloves to eat fresh too. I think we are going to roast some of the fresh heads and eat them on a baguette.

As you can see from the picture there is also a ton of broccoli and squash this week. I love squash, but it is not Bram’s favorite, so I need to come up with some creative ways to cook it. I am looking forward to trying the zephyr squash (the yellow and green ones) because it’s something we haven’t had before. I might make some zuchini bread or something like that to use it up. Luckily, we all like broccoli so eating that will be pretty easy.

I love hamburgers. My favorite food, hands down, is not steak, it’s not chicken (though I could eat chicken 365 days a year) and it’s certainly not duck or foie gras. It’s hamburger. Give me a hamburger with slices of onions, pickles, and tomatoes plus tons of BBQ sauce (can’t have enough) and I’d be good for a night.

Additionally, tuna is probably my favorite fish. I think it has something to do with its texture. Its firmness is more like beef than any other type of fish - and it certainly is anything but flaky. Whenever I go to restaurants, if they have tuna tartare or tuna burgers (or sesame encrusted tuna steaks) on the menu, I tend to lean that way.

Yesterday, Mrs. Jishman and I went to a farmer’s market and there was a fish guy. She got flounder (not being a tuna gal), and of course, I went the tuna route - I usually do. I knew exactly what I was going to make - Tuna Burgers! Love them. I went looking for a recipe online, but didn’t quite find something that matched my interests. So…off I went…a recipe creatin’!

I knew I wanted to use the challah (egg bread) rolls we had, but instead of using BBQ sauce, I wanted a more tart flavor. I started by making a twist on a mustard-mayo aioli I had made before.

Here’s what I made:

Tuna Burger
1/2 lb Tuna Steak (cut into small, almost ground beef consistency)
1-2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1-2 tablespoons grain mustard
1 tablespoon soy sauce
Pinch of pepper

Mustard-Mayo Aioli
3 tablespoons Mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Grain Mustard
1/2 teaspoon honey
10 capers (for salt)
2 pickle strips (flavor: Bread & Butter), minced (or brunnoise, if you prefer)

Instructions for burgers:
Mince tuna. Add all ingredients together in a bowl. Mix and make into two patties. Then immediately put into the fridge and allow to chill for at least 10-15 minutes (cold makes them come together). When you are ready to cook, heat pan to medium-high heat and sear burgers for 2-3 minutes depending on how done you would like them (4 minutes and you might as well use right out of the can tuna instead of fresh).

Instructions for Aioli:
Mix everything together after mincing the capers and pickles and stir until well combined.

I spread the aioli on both sides of the bun, and let me tell you, all in all, it came together really well. I thought it might have had a bit too much of the aioli, but I loved it. Huge fan.

Would make it again in a heartbeat.

Ah, I love Southwestern food. I wish I could enjoy the flavor that chiles have to offer without the misery and pain they also bring. This week, Mrs. Jishman and I celebrated our one-year anniversary (for those of you keeping track, it’s the paper year), and to celebrate, we went to the 86th floor of the Empire State Building and for dinner at Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill. I have to admit, I love that restaurant. I have the cookbook. I like the way they layer flavors and don’t just give you a monochromatic meal. There are sauces and oils and rubs and bastes. It’s a cornucopia of flavors, and if you do it right, the perfect mix of heat and sweet. Well, as we were mapping out our meal for this friday night, we decided we would try the same thing. So, here’s our menu:

Soup: Gazpacho
Main Course: Spice Rubbed Chicken with a honey-ancho chile baste
Side: Red Cabbage salad
Side: Corn-Black Bean salad
Side: Steamed Green Beans
Desert: Fruit Salad with Lemon Sorbet

For speed’s sake, here is the basic recipe we used for the Gazpacho (Thank you, Alton Brown!) We doubled the worcestershire sauce and balsamic vinegar and increased the lime by half. Other than that, just do it to taste. It was good - so much so, in fact that people who ordinarily do not even finish one bowl of whatever soup they’re served asked for seconds and thirds. (Needless to say, I made that, so it made me feel good). Additionally, I won’t even talk about the fruit salad or green beans - those are pretty self explanatory.

The Red Cabbage Salad was good - I thought - but is a bit tart. The main ingredients were half a medium sized red cabbage, half a medium sized jicama (thank you Bethany for getting me into jicama) and diced apples (2 or so, preferable). The “dressing” had whole grain-dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar and honey. It probably was about a 2:1:1 ratio. The whole grain mustard adds its own great flavor and texture, but even with the honey, the combination of vinegar and mustard had an overpowering tart flavor that, if you eat this alone, might be a bit jarring. However, in cooperation with the meal was really good. The chicken, was the star that brought it all together.

The black bean salad was pretty easy too: 1 can of black beans, 2 ears of corn (cooked then cut the kernels off), tomatoes (6 campari), 1/4 onion (any variety), half a lime juiced and a tablespoon cumin (and season to taste). All in all, extremely tasty and always a crowd pleaser.

Finally, the winner: the chicken! I liked the chicken a lot. I wasn’t sure how it was going to come out and it worked beautifully. First, we bought chicken cut up in 1/8ths. De-skinned them, and seasoned them with a simple “spice goo” of paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, kosher salt and pepper all mixed in oil. Pre-heating the oven to 375 degrees, we ran the spice rub on just one side of the chicken. (My logic was two fold: 1.) tons of flavor and there are bones on the bottom side, why bother? 2.) there will be liquid and fat escaping these pieces, this will season the bottom too.)

Place the goo-ed chicken on a baking sheet or pyrex in the oven, cover with aluminum foil, and cook to 140 degrees (I put my thermometer in the largest breast because I always have problems undercooking them). While the chicken is heating up, mix together about 1/4 cup of honey (per chicken), 1 teaspoon of mustard (I used dijon, but you could use brown too) and 1 teaspoon of ancho chile powder (you could use regular chile powder if you just want smoky flavoring, not spicy). Once the breast hits 140, remove the aluminum foil, and baste the pieces with the mixture - don’t worry if the goo from before comes off. It’s done its work. Continue to baste until your chicken the appropriate pieces get to the right temperature. I like my chicken breasts to get to about 165 degrees or so and my thighs to get to about 175.

All in all, the meal worked out great. One last thing we did was put grilled pineapple atop the chicken. Even if you didn’t like the rest, grilled pineapple makes everything better.

Bram and I decided to join a local CSA farm this summer to get some fresh local produce. CSA stands for community supported agriculture, and you pay upfront for a share of the farm’s harvest over the growing season. We got our first share last Tuesday and will get one every week for the next 20 weeks. We did this for a number of reasons, mostly to enjoy the benefits of local produce, but also to support a local farmer, and hopefully by extension, the Michigan economy. We picked this particular CSA based on good reviews and a convenient local pick-up spot, less than 1 mile from our house.

In our first week we got: 6 heads of lettuce of various types, 1 lb. of strawberries, and 1 bunch of garlic scapes. It wasn’t a huge amount, but it’s early here in Michigan and we’ve had a chilly and wet spring. The farmers have told us that we will be getting much more in the next few weeks. The strawberries were amazing, and gone in about 2 days. They were much smaller than the ones we get at the grocery store, but also much sweeter. They’re quite fragile though, so we had to eat them quickly. Fortunately, that was no problem. We’ve eaten a ton of salad this week with all that lettuce and we’re down to two heads left.

The garlic scapes were new for us. They are the stem and flower bud of the garlic plant, which is cut off so that the growing energy goes into growing the bulb itself. The scapes are like a milder garlic. We sauteed them and put them into a fritatta with spinach and parmesan. They were great and we are hoping to get more next week!

Yup, I did it. I finally made gyros….and they were glorious! Yes, that’s right. The gyros in Alton Brown’s recipe were awesome! Vegetarians were telling me just how good this recipe was, and all I did was follow the instructions. Yup, it was easy…although, it did require buying marjoram. If you don’t have any and want some, drop me an email - I have plenty!

On the other hand, I think what really made this meal for me was the faux-gurt. Yup, that’s right - faux yogurt. Soy Yogurt to be specific. When you can’t have meat and milk, have meat and fake food. To those of us who are lactose intolerant, I am sorry, but faux-gurt is not real food. It looked like browning mayonnaise and tasted like congealed…well, let’s not say it. It did not initially look like real yogurt - nor should it. It is soy yogurt. I was simply hoping for something close to the real thing just so we could fake our way through gyros night…and it worked!

Yup, you read that right. I enjoyed it, but know this before you read any further - the tzatziki you make will not taste anything like the tzatziki you’re used to. In fact, it might not taste like much of anything you’re used to. We ended up increasing the amount of cucumber, garlic and vinegar…and it barely made a difference.

On the other hand, the gyro meat (made in a loaf pan) was awesome. Yup, unlike the shawarma massacre of 2009, this actually tasted like the food of memory (and given that of my guests, I was the only one who had ever had it - I was the only one who could comment). I used pita, faux-gurt, cucumber, tomatoes, lettuce, and sriracha (or chiles in vinegar and spices) to give it a little kick. Yup, it was just great.

Trust me, if you like this kind of street food and can’t find a “man in the can” in your city who sells it, make it at home. It’s totally worth it (but if you can, use real yogurt. I promise it will taste better).

Don’t get excited, you can’t even buy a stick of gum with that…

So, I’ve been to Israel quite a few times, and for me - aka the Foodie of Family Jish - one of the best parts is the food. That’s right, I love the meats, dairy and even the vegetables native to the land, but its the spices that make the food taste like the food I love - and one no Mediterranean restaurant on this side of the pond can truly match.

Earlier this week, I was thinking I wanted gyros for dinner over the weekend, but given that I don’t mix meats and milk, the yogurt was going to be a problem. Unable to acquire a non-dairy yogurt (yes, they really exist), I had to pass on the gyros (for now), but another option was a second favorite - Shawarma - and who doesn’t like beef rotated on a huge vertical spit?

One problem: No recipe at home.
Second problem: Every recipe on the web was either for chicken, as opposed to my preferred lamb.
Third problem: None of the recipes looked like they were going to give me the flavors I wanted.

In a word: BOOOOO!!!!! But I made it anyway. Who knew? Maybe I would be wrong? Sadly I was not, but it did taste good and as my brother in law told me, if someone had said it was shawarma, the response would have been: “Nope!” But as a meal, it was quite tasty. I hope you enjoy!

Still though, here’s the recipe as I used it:

Ingredients
2 pounds ground lamb
2 small, thinly sliced onions
5 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon thyme
6 (7-inch) pitas

Preparation
Combine 2 onions and next 6 ingredients (onion through thyme) in a large bowl. Add lamb to bowl and mix. Marinate in refrigerator for 1 hour. Remove lamb from bowl.

I used a rotisserie. Place lamb in the rotisserie; cook on a rotating setting until thermometer registers 145° (medium-rare). Let stand 15 minutes. Slice lengthwise into thin strips.

Spread each pita with hummus or if you prefer, yogurt dip. Divide lamb, and whatever toppings you prefer: Onions, Tomatoes, Cucumber slices, and pickles Serve immediately with warm pitas.

Now, I’ve been told that no one enjoys ginger as much as I do, and while that might be not be entirely true, I do love fresh ginger. I find it warming, fresh, and with just enough - non-chile pepper - bite without pain to keep you coming back for more. For me, ginger also represents my favorite kind of cooking = Asian. And in Asian cuisines (depending on the culture), certain flavors are present: Soy Sauce (saltiness), Peppers (heat), Garlic, and Sesame (aroma). Sesame, in particular, screams Asian cuisine for me. This marinade fits into all those categories.

Sesame-Ginger Marinade
1/2 cup Soy Sauce
3 TBS sesame oil
2 inches fresh ginger
pinch of garlic powder (or 1 TBS of fresh)
Lime Juice (2-3 TBS)
Pepper
canola oil (I pour about 3 “glugs” of oil to thin it out a bit) - don’t use olive. It comes out foul. Trust us.
Red Pepper Flakes to taste, optional
Toasted sesame seeds (1 tbs or so)

This is the most common one I use. Its fragrant, the flavors work well together, and depending on what you’re making (beef, especially), the lime juice provides a tenderizing and citrus component that I like a lot (and lime juice is also very common in Chinese and Korean food). You can use bottled or fresh depending on your location, even though fresh limes are available all year round these days. Now, in the US, however, limes are in season (key limes are fine too) so feel free to get them, otherwise, use the bottled stuff. I like the bottled stuff just as well.

Options:

1.) Instead of using red pepper flake, use Chile sauce. It will provide a bit more of a vinegary taste, but be much spicier too. Some people like that.
2.) Want it sweeter? No big deal. Add in honey (2-3 TBS) or Mirin/Rice Wine (1/4 cup) and Rice Wine Vinegar (2-3 TBS). Or both…
3.) How about more savory? Add in chopped scallions or onion powder while you’re marinading the meat.

Personally, I do all three. Mrs. Jishman and I enjoy a 1 lb. London Broil (which, coincidentally the English have NEVER heard of), marinaded, then cooked on stove top, and served either over salad or sauteed vegetables. Mmmm….Enjoy!

Sorry I haven’t been able to post much. I’ve been a little busy recently, which is sad on all kinds of levels, but I’m hoping to post a bit more now as the holiday season comes up and my clients tend to go into hibernation until January 2nd.

Now, onto the stories, Mrs. Jishman and I are in the market for a blender. I’m curious if anyone has any recommendations on cheap ones.

I found these.

Cuisinart Smart Power

Oster Blender

Black and Decker

As you can imagine, I have never used any of them, so I basically just know what’s written in the descriptions, but if one of you knows anything about these or another one, let us know. I need my blueberry smoothies now.

The other day, I caught an article that talked about “sushi bullies” - these are sushi chefs who refuse to take an order, allow you to modify your food even with a little soy sauce - basically, they’re like the soup nazis only with less exposure on TV. Take these lines from the beginning of the article:

“Don’t try to order — the chef will decide what you eat. Use extra soy sauce at your own risk. And don’t ask for a California roll. You might get kicked out….You have entered the domain of the sushi bullies — top sushi chefs who serve only what they want, how they want it and to whom they want. Their rules are often posted on signs throughout their restaurants. Some chefs are notorious for ejecting patrons who annoy them.”

Now, I am all in favor of eating what you’re served, in fact, I remember that being a rule in my house growing up, but it might be a little ridiculous to spend $120 and not enjoy half of what you eat. Moreover, some sushi chefs - while good - are trying to take up fish-related causes (ie making sure to get fish that is not endangered). Time Out New York ran an article on what fish you might want to look for or ask about on your next sushi trip.

Oh, and in case any one goes to the new Oishii Sushi bar in the South End of Boston, please give Ting my best. Tell him “Jishman says hi.” He’ll know who it is. I practically kept him in business my last year in Boston.