VittlesVamp

Missing My Kitchen

The kitchen renovation is in the homestretch. Or at least I hope it is.

The walls had accidentally been painted a dark shade of green - the color meant for the trim - but now they've been reprimed and repainted. The cabinetry has been delivered and partially assembled. After going through a monthlong frenzy of ordering sample tile for the backsplash, I finally settled on one and placed an order. It just arrived, as did the grout.

I never wanted to do this kitchen overhaul in the first place, but once the structural damage was uncovered there was no turning back. It's been a bit of a nerve-wracking enterprise, but I do recognize that I am very lucky. Needing to redo a kitchen in the middle of a pandemic is a hassle - but it is decidedly a first world problem.

Just keeping my fingers crossed that it turns out okay. Please let it turn out okay. Please let it turn out okay. Please let it turn out okay.

Maybe I should cross my eyes and toes for good measure.

Viral Recipes During The Pandemic? Irony Not Lost On Me

Yes, it has been about a year since everyone started making sourdough. I resisted that trend.

Still, ever once in a while I have succumbed to recipe mania. Seems like every few months a new "must-make-recipe" hits social media, as more and more people look for guidance in navigating meal prep during the pandemic.

First up was the Caramelized Shallot Pasta by Alison Roman that had everyone cooking down copious amounts of shallots with briny anchovies, tomato paste, and more. I heard about people making jar after jar of it to put on top of everything from fish to eggs. Sounded like a magic stuff.

My review: Meh. Very meh.

A far superior option if you have a yen for shallots is a Shallot Marmalade from David Lebovitz. Brilliant accompanying cheese or on top of a seared pork chop.

Admittedly, it isn't meant to serve as a sauce for pasta. When I want an easy pasta, I often find myself just browning butter and tossing in a few sage leaves to sizzle. I pour that over a plate of ravioli and shower it all with grated Parmesan. That's it. So good!

But then another pasta recipe started making the rounds. This one emerged from the depths of TikTok and quickly claimed the spotlight: Baked Feta Pasta. The hype around this recipe is off the charts.

It's appeal is simplicity. A brick of feta cheese on a baking dish, accompanied by a tumble of grape tomatoes, chopped garlic, a few lashings of olive oil, a grind or two of black pepper and a sprinkling of hot chili flakes. Into a hot oven for 45 minutes until melty.Stir everything together for a sauce. Toss in cooked pasta and add a handful of basil leaves. Eat.

Easy to make? Yes. Delicious? Um. Not so much. Don't get me wrong, the resulting bowl of cheesy pasta is fine. Absolutely fine! But, absolutely no more than fine.

Lesson learned: viral during a pandemic. Ironic? Sure. Worthy of accolades? Not necessarily.

Going Back to Basics

There is no easy way to say this, so I am just going to say it: My kitchen has been demolished.

It was unavoidable. Trust me. I would have preferred to avoid the full-on gutting of my hallowed kitchen - especially in the midst of the pandemic. But the crisis revealed dangerous flaws in my kitchen, which could not be remedied without construction. Was hoping to make it a minimal fix, but my 9-year old Ikea cabinetry crumbled quickly. Was able to save the countertops though.

How long will the repairs and renovation take? Let's just say - a while...

Luckily, I have very good friends who live across the hall who decamped to their country home at the beginning of the pandemic. They have been generous enough not only to allow me to store all the contents of my kitchen in their apartment, but have allowed me to store myself here as well.

Most of my kitchen gadgets and pantry staples are bagged and boxed up, but there are a few I made sure would be available during my stay. Top on that list were my sous vide and my Dutch oven. Both have already proven themselves as kitchen superstars, as I try to keep to fairly basic cookery while I am staying in my pals' home. Simple meals that taste like more have been on the menu.

For pastas, I am not making complicated sauces. Instead, think packaged mushroom ravioli, boiled up and drizzled with brown butter and sage. Or think al dente penne tossed with radicchio sauteed with red onion and garlic, topped with Ricotta Salata and toasted pinenuts (the latter "toasted" in the microwave). Shrimp can easily be prepped in the sous vide and tossed in the fridge for a no-clean-up Shrimp Cocktail. Eggs are an easy go-to as well, whether I am making Lox, Eggs and Onions to serve with some sliced cucumbers and a toasted bagel, or frying one up sunnyside to sit atop a few leftover spears of asparagus warmed in the microwave, showered with grated Parmesan.

Basic can be delicious.

Will I be dreaming of more complicated fare that I will tackle in my "new" kitchen? Of course! But in the meantime, simplicity rules.

A Kick-Off Cookie

We're all putting a hell of a lot of pressure on 2021 to deliver.

We need to chill.

2020 was a train wreck. So, maybe we start this year without the added pressure of a Dry January or a new strict diet regimen? Take a breath. Just take it one day at a time.

And, something sweet might not be so bad right around now. Add some crunch, perhaps? Chocolate seems appropriate too.

Don't worry. I got you. This is another "oldie, but a goodie" from Mama Vamp's recipe box...

Lace Cookies
Makes 32 - 36 cookies

1 cup quick oats
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 stick softened margarine (that's right, margarine!)
1 egg, beaten
1/2 teaspoon orange juice
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
6 oz. semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie pans with aluminum foil. Mix dry ingredients together. Add softened margarine and mix well. Add the egg, orange juice and vanilla. Combine thoroughly. Drop cookie batter by 1/2 teaspoon. Bake 8 - 10 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes on the foil and then peel off gently. Pair cookies by size/shape before sandwiching. Melt chocolate. Spread on shiny side of the cookies and sandwich. Allow chocolate to cool and harden before serving.

Cookie Season

I have been baking. Baking a lot. Cookies in particular. They are highly coveted this time of year and highly shareable. And, considering my inability to throw dinner parties these days, I have taken to my oven to make cookies for neighbors and friends as a sweet substitute.

I know I am not the only one baking cookies frantically this season. Thought I would share recipes for some of my favorites -- including one from Mama Vamp.

Last night, I whipped up a batch of Snickerdoodles from Bon Appétit's popular recipe. My twist? The addition of a half teaspoon of cardamom to the cinnamon sugar mixture. I strongly advise you get really good cinnamon for this! (Burlap & Barrel is my go-to supplier for intense, single-origin cinnamon.) Brought these crisp, yet cakey classics to the crew working Christmas Day at my local Joe Coffee shop. Hoping for good reviews when I go there for an espresso in the morning!

I also add a twist to another go-to cookie recipe -- Melissa Clark's Rosemary Shortbread. In this case, the addition is orange zest. Can't say enough good things about this recipe. You can vary it in a multitude of ways and the cookies are always sublime!

Then there are the tried-and-true recipes you never muck with, like David Lebovitz's Cranzac Cookies...

...which are a magical amalgam of oats, brown sugar, dried cranberries, coconut, golden syrup (I actually have a bottle in the pantry from an earlier foray into Sri Lankan cookery), and some staple ingredients. These are deeply satisfying cookies. Never fail. Always welcome.

I also refuse to mess with François Payard's recipe for Flourless Chocolate Walnut Cookies. A bit chewy, there is something reminiscent of Tootsie Rolls about them. But, they are altogether elegant from the first bite to the last.

And, of course there are the cookies that I grew up with -- the ones that my mother baked when I was a kid. I published her recipe for Crunchy Jumbles a while back, chocolate chip cookies given a new lease on life with the addition of Rice Krispies. I don't know a soul that doesn't enjoy them!

But, have I ever told you about Mama Vamp's Blondies?

This recipe is a winner! I recently cheated on it with Smitten Kitchen's Blondie recipe, which called for browned butter -- but I still think this'll be the recipe that I turn to, when a batch of blondies is called for from my kitchen. Try them for yourself and let me know what you think!

Blondies

1/2 lb butter (room temperature)
1 box light brown sugar
3 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla
3 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
12 oz chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together the butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, flour, baking powder, and salt until a smooth thick batter. Add chocolate chips and mix until combined. Place batter in a 9x9 baking tin and spread out evenly. Bake for 45 minutes. Cool and slice into squares for serving.

By Request: My Champagne-Shallot Vinaigrette

Yesterday, I snapped a picture of lunch for a post on my Instagram feed. The image is above. The composed salad featured matchsticks of endive leaf, slices of pear, a generous crumbling of Jasper Hill Farms Bayley Hazen Blue Cheese, and a handful of toasted walnuts.

The photo struck a chord. Several folks asked for the recipe. How could I say no?

It's a classic combination -- but what really brings all the flavors together is a vinaigrette. It's a recipe I have turned to time and time again. Happy to share. It is a fantastic dressing for a range of different salad combinations. And, although I make it with thyme, you can feel free to swap it out for any number of herbs, including tarragon or oregano.

Champagne-Shallot Vinaigrette

1 medium-sized shallot, minced (about 3 TBSP)
2 TBSP Dijon mustard
4 tsp fresh thyme leaves, chopped
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup Champagne vinegar
3/4 cups olive oil

With a fork or small whisk, stir together the minced shallots, mustard, thyme, salt, pepper in a bowl. Add the vinegar and whisk until it is all melded together. Slowly add the oil while whisking, until emulsified. Let the vinaigrette sit for at least an hour before using. Even better, let sit overnight.

Salad Days...& Frittata Days Too

Pandemic cooking for one means leftovers. For me, leftovers demand a bit of creativity. I'm not suggesting that eating the same meal a few days in a row might not be just fine - but I often crave change.

A go-to solution? Salads. All sorts of salads. Case in point: the Lamb Salad above, featuring slices of grilled lamb from the previous night's dinner, red leaf lettuce, some cooked carrots (also from the previous evening's repast), a few stray croutons, some olives, tomatoes, cucumbers, and a makeshift dressing that mixed together spicy olive oil and shallot vinaigrette from dinner the other night.

Another way to go? Frittata. Here's a snapshot of a recent beauty...

...highlighting previously sautéed zucchini and onions with some goat cheese. Already earmarking some leftover roasted Brussels sprouts and rice in the fridge for a frittata later this week. A bit of Gruyere might play well with those ingredients as well.

Salads and frittatas - where leftovers find new life!

A Meat & Greek

Whereas "my go-to's" used to be a stable of favorite restaurants, today it is a series of dishes and preparations that I turn to on the regular.

One of my most regular regulars? What I call "a meat and Greek." Quite simply, we're talking about a protein accompanied by a freshly-made Greek Salad. Yeah, start thinking creamy French Feta, briny Kalamata Olives, Cucumbers, Tomatoes, Red Bell Pepper, Red Onion, crisp Romaine, and copious amounts of fresh Dill, topped with a bit of Red Wine Vinegar and good Olive Oil.

Put all that next to the blandest piece of Chicken and you still have a winner dinner.

I don't try to make bland anything, if I can help it.

Above is a juicy Lamb Chop, sous vide with herbs and then seared for additional flavor. Lamb and a Greek Salad? A match made in heaven! Then again, I liked my Salmon and Greek Salad the other night. And, a Grilled Pork Chop with a Greek Salad is pretty yummy too.

Now I've got you thinking about making a "meat and Greek" too, haven't I? You won't regret it.

The Stones of Summer

I am ga-ga for stone fruit. Seriously love the stuff. When it all starts hitting the market each summer, I'm all in.

This summer has been no exception. The apricots above? Made individual Apricot Galettes for myself and some neighbors...

These plums?

I was inspired by The Amateur Gourmet himself, Adam Roberts' , who tinkered with a Marian Burros recipe and varied it up further with this Plum-Almond Torte...

And, then there are the copious amounts of cherries I can't resist...

In addition to simply gobbling them up at all hours, I also pitted a few to try a Cherry Clafoutis recipe from David Lebovitz...

And, peaches? Yeah, got these from Georgia...

And, baked up a Peach-Rye Cake recipe from pastry doyenne Zoë François...

Where are the nectarines, you wonder? I have eaten them so quick that I didn't have time to take a snapshot.

Have a few precious weeks of stone fruit season left. I've been jamming on making jam with some of it too. But, I think you can safely assume that you'll see a few more stone fruit treats appear in my Instagram feed soon.

Variations On A Theme

We often have a tendency to gild the lily when it comes to recipes. (I've seen many a sad cookie chockablock with wayward ingredients. It's painful.) So, typically, I try to keep the integrity of a recipe in check.

But that doesn't mean that variations are verboten. Sometimes something small can make it your own. Or as Ina Garten likes to say - turn up the volume!

I recently did just that with a Brown Butter-Cinnamon Crumb Cake recipe that caught my eye. The addition of fresh blueberries...

...didn't distract from the gorgeous crumb and added a sweet, summery burst of berry flavor to the cake.

And cocktail recipes also offer a chance to tweak and adapt to your taste. Case in point: a recipe for a Straw Dog cocktail from Death & Co, which called for a fresh strawberry and Scotch, among other ingredients. I had neither at hand. (Also, to be honest, I don't really care for the peaty taste of Scotch.) But, then I found a variation that appealed...

...a spin on the recipe, found on Food52...

It substituted the strawberry for a slice of ripe peach and the Scotch for Bourbon.

Oh, hellz-to-the-yes! This drink is freaking brilliant!

Soon, I'll be at it again - adapting the classic Negroni by switching out Campari for Forthave Spirits Red. Will it be delicious? Will I need to stir up a second drink with Campari to compare-and-contrast? All quite possible.

But, no gilding the lily here. Variations are one thing. Lilies belong in gardens and occasionally in vases. No gilding necessary.