Le Creuset

As promised, I am here to update you on what is happening with my Le Creuset braiser.

When I bought the thing, I was told that Le Creuset has an amazing customer service system.  Thought I'd never need it (considering they guarantee these things for a lifetime, I figured that meant the products didn't self-destruct).  Turns out, I do need them, and, it turns out to be true!

I immediately emailed the customer service department (their hotline closes pretty early, I think at 4:30 EST).  I woke up to an email asking for a bit more information.  By the end of the day, I had instructions to ship the pan to Le Creuset and expect a replacement in 2-4 weeks.  Crisis averted, I think.

In the meantime, I have been busting out the old Emerilware skillet, which I don't think I've touched since I bought the Le Creuset.  Good thing I didn't get rid of it when we moved!  I am taking this as an opportunity to rediscover what the skillet can do.  I'm seeing it as a sign from the heavens that I need to expand my mind when it comes to my cooking utensils.  Sign taken.

Sunday soup: Pumpkin Soup with Toasted Walnuts

It's fall here in the midwest!  It's been a couple of years since we've been a part of this amazing season (since Los Angeles seems to have only two seasons: June Gloom, and everything else).  We experienced the contrast first hand this weekend, with Joe heading to Los Angeles for the Reaching Out MBA Conference, and myself making the trip to central Michigan.  I met up with the Hagen parents for the weekend at the Hunting and Fishing Club where they are members (i.e. one of the most beautiful, serene places I've been).  The fall colors were at their peak, and let me tell ya, it was stunning.  Those flaming trees had me inspired for the evening's soup.

A couple of weeks ago, I picked up a little Pie Pumpkin at the Dane County Farmer's Market.  It was a cute little guy, a little bigger than a grapefruit.  I played with the recipe a bit, and I will say, I made a couple of mistakes this week.

Pumpkin Soup with Toasted Walnuts

One small Pie Pumpkin
1 1/2 c. chopped leeks
6 c. chicken stock (I used about 4 c. of stock and 2 c. of water, partly to save $$ and partly to keep the sodium content down, since I did not have low-sodium stock on hand)
2 tsp. dried rosemary (I used ground sage, since that's what I had.  This was a mistake.  The flavor was fine, but it really took the color down a couple of notches...)
2 tsp. kosher salt (taste and add little by little so as not to oversalt!)
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper, or to taste
1 c. creme fraiche (I actually used greek style yogurt, but I think it was a little too tart)
1/3 c. walnuts, chopped and toasted
6 fresh rosemary sprigs (I omitted these, didn't have 'em.  They would have been good, though!)

Preheat the oven to 400 F.  Rinse and dry the pumpkin, cut it in half and remove the seeds/muck.  Quarter it, then slice into 3-4 in pieces.  Arrange them in a baking pan, cut side down.  Add water such that it comes about 1/4 in up the sides of the pan.  Cover tightly with foil.  Bake for 45-50 min, until they are fork tender. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

When the pumpkin is cool enough to handle, carefully remove the skin with a sharp paring knife.  I realized I needed to be careful and only cut off the peel, since my pumpkin was pretty small.  Cut the pieces into 1 in. pieces.  If you've got more than, say, 8 cups, reserve the extra for another project (pie? bread?).

Melt butter in a large, heavy, lidded pot.  Add leeks and cook, stirring, until they become translucent and soft.  Add the pumpkin cubes, stock, salt, herbs and spices.  Stir to combine, bring to a simmer. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes. 

Puree the soup in batches in a food processor or blender (or an immersion blender if you are so blessed).  Whisk in about 3/4 of the creme fraiche.  Taste and season as needed.

To serve, ladle the soup into bowls, garnish with a dollop of creme fraiche, rosemary, and chopped walnuts (these are key - they add texture and a nice flavor, yum!)

Serve with some crusty bread, or in tonight's case, some onion pan bread... that recipe is a'comin!

Sunday soup: taking the week off

I just wanted to let my readers know that I did not forget about your Sunday soup post this week.  We simply took the week off of soup because 1. we were out of town until late afternoon, and 2. it is about 80 degrees outside.  Next week is another question mark, because Joe will be coming back from a conference in LA, and I will be coming back from visiting family in Michigan. If I do make some soup, it will be a simple, likely rustic soup.  Have a good week, everyone!

A little kitchen project

On our way back from a weekend in Chicago, we decided to stop at Ikea for a few things for my office.  Needless to say, we quickly realized that we needed so much more for our apartment!

I'd been meaning to do something to corral my dish washing/kitchen cleaning equipment.  It's been sitting on the edge of the (grubby, old) sink since we moved in. Here's what it looked like before...

Note the messy arrangement, bleh.

A new hanging bar/basket, an S hook, and a couple of screws later, voila!  Tidy, organized, and purposeful!

Now, if I could just get a new backsplash/counter/sink/cabinetry/entire kitchen, we'd be in business...

Kitchen disaster!

This evening, I was being a very responsible wife, cleaning the dishes while the stuffed eggplant was in the oven, and I discovered this disaster:

Ack!  Look at what is happening to my favorite, most beautiful Le Creuset braiser! 


The enamel is disintegrating.  Before I used it tonight, it was fine.  The suface was smooth and beautiful.  What happened?!?  This is horrible!


We sat down to eat dinner (the eggplant looked sooo good), and gingerly chewed away.  I picked out one piece of enamel from mine.  Joe had to spit out two mouthfuls because things were a little...crunchy.


After dinner, I immediately pulled up the Le Creuset website, as well as a google search for others to whom this happened.  The good news is, Le Creuset will likely fix or replace it.  I sent them an email, begging for help.


Stay tuned for more details as the drama unfolds...

Sunday soup: Ribollita (Minestrone)

Today's Sunday soup was shared with my cousins, Matt and Andrea, who came to Madison with their two little ones for a Sunday visit.

Photo credit: http://www.weareneverfull.com/ribollita-how-come-peasant-food-tastes-so-good/

Ribollita

Servings: 6 (I pretty much doubled the batch since we had visitors, and always like to have leftovers for the week)

1 c. dried cannellini or great northern beans
3 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium leek, chopped (white and light green parts, only)
1/2 c. diced carrot (I omitted this due to my hatred for all things carrot)
1/2 c diced celery
2 cloves garlic, minced (plus one, whole, for the garlic bread)
One 14 oz can crushed or diced tomatoes (include juices)
1/4 head of cabbage, chopped
1 1/2 tbsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
8 oz fingerling potatoes (a large handful), (you can use another kind of potato as well, such as one medium russet), diced/sliced.
8 oz. kale, or a few big leaves, chopped

Rinse and sort through the beans, removing any pebbles or debris.  Put beans in a large bowl; cover with about 3 c. boiling water and let soak for 1 hour.  Drain the beans into a colander and reserve.

Heat olive oil in a large, heavy pot (such as a dutch oven) over medium-high heat; saute the onion, leek, carrot and celery until just softened.  Add the garlic and saute for another minute or so.

Add 8 c. water, beans, tomatoes, cabbage, and salt.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook, partially covered, for about an hour (I did longer on a low setting, since we were playing at the park)

Add potatoes and kale.  Simmer, covered, until the potatoes are tender; about 20-25 more minutes. Season with salt if needed. The soup can be cooled and refrigerated for later at this point (but I bet you won't be able to resist a bowl!)

Lightly toast a few slices of bread (make your own!).  Cut a clove of garlic in half and rub on the toast.  Butter if desired.  Serve with the soup.  ENJOY!

Bella and Matt tree climbing at the park

Chunky baby Joey in his cozies

Fresh-baked bread

As one of my many efforts to reduce the grocery bill (now that Joe is in school and we are on a slightly stricter budget), I've been baking all of our bread at home.  I've tried several recipes, and I have found one that seems to be easy and quite successful.

The recipe is credited to Mark Bittman (my favorite), from his How To Cook Everything.

4 c. all purpose flour (can do up to 2 c. whole wheat flour, or 1 c. of another grain flour)
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. yeast
2 to 2 1/2 c. warmish water
2 tbsp olive oil (optional)

Combine flour, salt, yeast, and water in a large bowl (or, in my case, a large plastic tub with lid). Stir, or use your hands to combine.  You should have a sticky, shaggy dough - it shouldn't be dry.  If it is, add a little extra water (this is where the variance in the amount of water comes in.  I usually find that I need about 2 1/2 c water). Cover loosely with plastic wrap, or if you are using a lidded container, put the lid on without sealing it.  Place on a high shelf overnight.

After 12-18 hours, flour a dry work surface.  Remove the dough from the bowl or tub and place it on the work surface.  Fold over a couple of times to form a ball, but don't work it too much.  You can also coat it in olive oil here (this is where the oil comes in). I haven't skipped this step yet, but I believe the function here is to get that nice, golden crust. Cover again with plastic wrap and let sit for at least a half hour (up to 2 hours).

Meanwhile, place a covered pot in the oven and preheat to 425 F.  I usually use my Le Creuset Dutch (French?) oven here, but you can use anything here that is oven-proof and has a lid.  If you don't have anything like this, I think you can simply use a baking sheet, but put an oven safe container with a bunch of ice cubes in the oven when you put the bread in.  The preheated pot acts like an "oven within an oven" and serves to trap the moisture released by the dough as it bakes.  This is how you get your pretty crust. The pot should preheat for at least half an hour.

Carefully remove the pot from the oven and dump your dough into the pot. Replace the lid and bake for 30 minutes.  Remove the lid (it will look really pretty at this point!) and bake for an additional 20 minutes.  I sometimes find that the bread starts to smell scorched, and Mark Bittman says to turn the oven temperature down a bit (I've been successful with 400 F).  

Remove the bread and place it on a cooling rack for a bit before you try to cut it.  Admire your handiwork, and marvel at the fact that the bakery at the supermarket would have charged you $4 for this work of art!

The photo shows our favorite variation: replacing 1 c. of the flour with 1 c. flaxseed meal. Nummmm....