annaliesemaree personal, places

moving east

the start of 2011 has brought me to a new city and into an opportunity i couldn’t have imagined would exist a few years ago. this past weekend, my parents helped me move out to boston to start a graduate program at boston university. since the program i’ll be a part of is one centered around the study of food, i hope to include some of what i’ll be learning into the posts on this blog in the coming months.

since i have a few days yet before the semester begins, i’m taking the time to get settled in, explore new neighborhoods, try to find as many coffee shops, bakeries, grocery stores as possible, and just enjoy being new in a city.

thanks everyone for reading! the remaining pictures were taken at a fantastic restaurant on the north end, mamma maria, where we had dinner on saturday night.

annaliesemaree personal

happy new year!

it’s been a while since i’ve been able to write. the past few weeks have been great–lots of time with family, all of the traditional denooyer family holiday meals (christmas cookies included), and new years eve spent with friends. i’m really looking forward to the cooking i’ll be doing in the coming months, but for now just wanted to share a few images from the past couple of days. taken with crossprocess.

 

annaliesemaree personal, recipes, soup

a few flights, snow + dinner

yesterday when i flew back from san francisco, i found michigan in full-fledged christmas mode. its as though kalamazoo has been tucked into a big snow globe–giant snowflakes have been drifting out of the sky all day–and its really beautiful.

even though i haven’t quite adjusted to the colder weather or made it out for a walk, i wanted to take a few pictures of the snow outside the window when i woke up this morning. this post is for jon.. i can’t wait for christmas.

 

kale + lentil soup

4 leeks

2 sweet potatoes, peeled & cut in 1/2 inch dice

1 bunch of kale (i used the curly variety, but would recommend lacinato if you can find it)

1 T. olive oil

28 oz. can diced tomatoes

1 12 oz. can tomato puree

6 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup lentils (brown or red)

1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves

10 fresh basil leaves

1/2 tsp. roasted red pepper flakes

kosher salt & black pepper, to taste

start with the leeks–cut off the dark green portion and the root end, then cut them in half lengthwise, into a half-moon shape. cut into 1/2 inch pieces. rinse and dry to make sure all of the dirt is gone. remove the stems from the kale, and chop into strips. heat the olive oil in a large saucepan, and saute the leeks for 3 minutes. add the diced tomatoes, and cook for 5 more minutes. then add the chicken broth and bring it to a boil. once boiling, add the remaining ingredients, season, and stir together. allow the lentils to cook until tender, at least 30 minutes. serve with parmesan cheese if you like.

annaliesemaree breakfast, recipes

brussel sprouts + eggs

preheat the oven to 400 degrees and lightly coat a baking sheet with olive oil. take 30 or so brussel sprouts, trim off the ends, and slice in half lengthwise and place on the sheet. if they’re on the larger side, quarter them. drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. roast for 15 minutes. they’re delicious eaten with an over-easy egg for breakfast.
annaliesemaree main dish, recipes

chicken + spiced chickpeas

right now i’m visiting jon in san francisco. before I left michigan, I came up with a list of recipes that I wanted to try while i was out here, anticipating that exploring during the day would probably take up my allotted funds for the trip. the inspiration for this recipe came from bakelist–and judging by the fact that this was my second time making it (in the past two weeks), I was pretty happy with the results.  i love it because its easy to prepare, requires relatively few ingredients, but still has a lot of great flavor.

chicken + spiced chickpeas
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (organic if possible)
1 1/2 lb. cubed butternut squash
1 cup cooked chickpeas
1 cup cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. roasted red pepper flakes
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
preheat the oven to 350 degrees. place the chicken in an 11×13 baking dish. in a small bowl, mix together the olive oil and spices, then season with salt and pepper. pour 1/3 of the mixture on top of the chicken, and 1/3 in the bottom on the pan. bake the chicken for 30 minutes at 350.
meanwhile, combine the butternut squash, chickpeas, tomatoes and spice mixture in a bowl and toss to coat. after the chicken has cooked for 30 minutes, remove the pan from the oven & add the butternut squash mixture to the pan. raise the oven temperature to 400 degrees, and cook the chicken with the butternut squash in the pan for an additional 20-30 minutes, until the squash is soft and the chicken is cooked through. to serve, scoop the butternut squash mixture on two plates and place the chicken on top.
if there are leftover chickpeas and butternut squash, the mixture is great eaten on its own, with scrambled eggs, or on top of a green salad.
annaliesemaree recipes, soup

butternut squash soup with bacon+spinach

i’ve had so much fun being in kalamazoo and cooking with my family. cooking with friends and family is one of my favorite things about food–its ability to create a gathering.  a few nights ago, kate & will came over for dinner and we made butternut squash soup together. my sister is a really talented photographer, so we were not only to collaborate with the recipe, but the pictures as well.

butternut squash soup

butternut squash, about 3 lb.

l lg. sweet onion, diced

1/2 head of green cabbage, shredded

1/4 cup olive oil

kosher salt & pepper

38 oz. good quality chicken stock

dried oregano + thyme

your favorite hot sauce

4 thick slices bacon, chopped in 1″ pieces and cooked

3 cups fresh spinach, stems removed

heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan or dutch oven, and saute the onion for 5 minutes. add the cabbage and continue to saute, 5 minutes more. add the herbs, salt and pepper, cubed butternut squash, and broth, then bring to a boil. boil, covered, for 10-12 minutes, or until the squash is tender. puree the soup, in batches, and then return to the pot. add the bacon, a few dashes of hot sauce, and the spinach, stirring until it wilts.

serve the soup with some creme fraiche or greek yogurt and the gruyere croutons (recipe below).

gruyere croutons

4-5 slices artisan bread (we used the parmesan-peppercorn loaf from waterstreet coffee joint), cubed

2 T. olive oil

kosher salt and pepper

1/3 cup grated gruyere cheese

preheat the oven to 350 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. toss the bread cubes in a bowl with the olive oil, salt, and pepper. spread them out in a single layer, and bake for 10 minutes. after the first ten minutes, remove the pan from the oven and flip the croutons. sprinkle the cheese on top and bake for 10 minutes longer.

annaliesemaree main dish, recipes

chicken in red wine tomato sauce

my brother came to visit this weekend. yesterday was a rainy, fall day and we didn’t end up doing much before one or two o’clock in the afternoon. after a few hours out and around kalamazoo and spending some time paging through the november issues of food and wine and cooking light,  i started to come up with ideas of my own for dinner.

since i hadn’t ever prepared anything like this dish before, i wanted to work from scratch, combining the ingredients that sounded most appealing to me. the overall flavor of the sauce is slightly sweet and complex, surprising because there were so few ingredients that went into it. i think that taking the steps in order to make the sauce give it that unique flavor. hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

chicken in red wine tomato sauce

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/4 cup + 2 T. olive oil

1 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 large sweet onion, diced

2 large cloves garlic, minced

1 cup baby portobello mushrooms, sliced

1/2 cup red wine

1/2 cup vegetable broth

2 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. pepper

1 14 oz. can tomato sauce

2 medium tomatoes, cored and chopped

2 cups fresh spinach

you’ll want to start the sauce first. dice the onions & garlic, and heat the 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat in a medium-sized sauce pan. once the oil is heated, add the garlic and saute for 2 minutes, then add the onions and reduce heat, sauteing for another 5-7 minutes, until the onions are translucent and slightly browned. meanwhile, slice the mushrooms, then add them to the onions and garlic. continue to saute until some of the moisture has come out of the mushrooms and they’ve started to brown. bring the heat back up to medium.

carefully add the wine to the pan, stirring afterward to combine. after a minute or two, add the vegetable stock, tomato sauce, salt, pepper, and chopped tomatoes chopped tomatoes. bring to a slight boil, then reduce the heat and allow the sauce to thicken.

while the sauce is cooking down, cut each chicken breast into two or three pieces, depending on the size. tear a sheet of parchment paper and season the chicken with the kosher salt, pepper, and oregano. put the 1/4 cup of olive oil in a dutch oven and heat over medium for a minute. once the pan is hot, add the chicken in one layer.  leave it for 5 minutes to let it brown, then flip and leave it again for 5 minutes. if it still needs to be cooked a bit longer after that, flip once or twice more, until the chicken is firm.

once the chicken is done and the sauce has thickened, carefully place the chicken into the pan with the sauce and stir. just before you’re ready to eat, add the spinach to the pan as well, and stir until the spinach is wilted.

i made a cauliflower puree to serve with the chicken: take a head of cauliflower, and remove florets. steam the florets over boiling water for 10-15 minutes, until the pieces can easily be pierced with a fork. blend the cauliflower with 2 T. olive oil, 1/2-1 cup vegetable stock, and salt and pepper.

place a generous spoonful of the cauliflower puree on the plate, then set a few pieces of chicken + extra sauce on top.

annaliesemaree main dish, recipes

parmesan whitefish + lemon chive butter

last week friday, my parents had a few friends over for dinner. four hours before we were expecting them to arrive, my mom and I were having a difficult time coming up with something to make–we wanted a dish that was warm and comforting for a snowy night without being too heavy. in the rush, i remembered a few cookbooks stashed away in the cupboard.

one of my favorite restaurants is the common grill in chelsea, michigan. each time i go, I’m always so impressed by the creative intricacies in each dish, and have never, ever had a bad meal there. it’s definitely a place to seek out if you’re in close-by ann arbor; but my family sometimes makes the hour and a half trip from kalamazoo just for dinner–it’s that good. craig common, the owner, can often be found around dinner time; running plates, checking on tables, and greeting his patrons–it’s a wonderful atmosphere.

the common grill cookbooks have wonderful ideas for entertaining. another thing I really appreciate about them is that they give ideas for a complete menu–so if you decide on having fish, there’s often the rice or vegetable recipe on the same page that you’d find on your plate if you were sitting at the restaurant. this recipe is slightly adapted from Return to the Common Grill.

parmesan crusted whitefish + mushroom orzo with radicchio

4 6 oz. pieces whitefish, skinned

milk, for soaking fish

2 cups orzo pasta, cooked

1/2 cup baby portobello mushrooms, sliced

1/2 cup radicchio, sliced

1/2 cup Drake’s Fry Crisp Batter Mix

1/2 cup tempura rice flour (I just used rice flour)

1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated

1/2 cup wesson oil, for sauteing

1/2 cup lemon chive butter (recipe)

2 cups steamed green beans

4 t. fresh chives, chopped

4 lemon wedges

lemon chive butter

1/2 lb. butter, softened

1 T fresh chives, chopped

1/4 cup butter (I took it from the 1/2 lb. above), melted

1/2 t. salt

1 t black pepper

1 t. sugar

2 T. lemon juice (you can roast the 4 lemons if you want, at 350 for 45 minutes, tossed with salt & sugar, to bring out the flavor, as craig common suggests, but I was running out of time!)

whip the butter in a mixing bowl until soft, then add the remaining ingredients & mix well. refrigerate till ready to use.

soak the whitefish in milk for an hour. mix the orzo, mushrooms, and radicchio together & refrigerate. mix the Drake’s mix, rice flour and parmesan together, then dust the whitefish in the mixture. heat the wesson oil in a saute pan, and cook the whitefish, turning once or twice, until its golden brown and the fish is firm. when its done, remove it from the pan, and then add the lemon chive butter while the pan is still hot, to melt it.

in another pan, heat more oil and add the orzo mixture, heating until its ready to serve. on each plate, place a generous spoonful of the orzo. place the whitefish on top of the pasta, drizzle with the lemon chive butter, and garnish with chives & a lemon wedge. the beans, or whatever vegetable you prefer, will be served on the side.