apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Chris,
what have you done with the weekly chard so far?

Stir fry ribbons of it
with garlic/shallots/chile flakes, or sesame oil/seeds/soy
finish with a drop of vinegar
or
get down to chefitude making malfatti
http://www.recipezaar.com/47153

you can use the stirfried chard in a spanish tortilla, or quichey baked eggs/cheese/potato variation

when someone else was stressing the chard . . .

http://kitchen.apartmenttherapy.com/food/030306/open-threads/open-thread-22-006858

the spanish raisin/pignoli thing from that thread is great

To be honest, I've been armiring the chard. So pretty! Wondering, pondering, wondering what to do with it. And then throwing it away.

The one time I tried to use it, it was very bitter and tough. I misread the recipe and didn't see how long it had to be boiled before use in the recipe.

I'm wondering if it will work like Kale in Bittman's Beans and Greens.

boiled? no
if it's really bitter, it's old

This week, my club is going on a brewer bus tour. 55 people on a bus with lunch and dinner provided and beer at all 4 breweries. (http://tinyurl.com/hooqp)

Fun part? I'm providing the lunch.. wee.. and there's no heat to cook things... so

Roasted shredded chicken dressed with lime juice, garlic, chile powder, cider vinegar

Seafood Salad (shrimp, squid, fish, scallops, mussels, etc) - sauteed with lime, chiles, tomatoes, etc. Served chilled with fresh scallions

Baja Slaw with red cabbage, green cabbage, carrots, scallion and a lime chipolte mayo dressing

Black bean and corn salad

Green salad with a salsa verde inspired dressing

Guacamole

Salsa Fresca

Salsa Verde

ooh drew -- that souunds yum. i would break up some raw ramen noodles into either the chicken or slaw right before it's served for a little crunch. have fun on your tour!

Hey guys,

I'm looking for a new fridge. Would like it 30" ish wide or less and of a reasonable depth. Any ideas? There's the Liebherr, which is a beyond perfect size, but 3k and I'm not crazy about the freezer set up.

Thanks

Okay, I tried to cheap out and buy some 'black cod tips' instead of filets to make the following recipe.

http://www.wolfgangpuck.com/recipedetail.php?Alias=RE_WP3099

But the 'tips' won't work because they are bony cuts (I mistakenly thought that tips would be the thin-end of the filet - no bone).

So, now I've got to figure out what to do with the tips. I'm thinking a simple fish stew would be the way to go - but any suggestion would be welcome.

Julianna,
I have the Summit/Conserv tall slim fridge that looks like the Liebherr, but costs 1K, more or less. 24" x 7'
Love it. Bottom freezer, relatively large capacity.

A couple of us looking for small/tall posted ad nauseum about it on the regular AT site - search for "Conserv" or "fridge" over there for lots of info.

Was supposed to roast a stuffed turkey last night-ran out of time. Will cook it later today. Made the stuffing this morning & checked that I have cranberries. Need no-fuss side dish ideas if anyone has some. Guess steamed veggies will do as well. Don't like the time change thing.

hey guido,
ok, so you’re The music guru! Loved the Magnetic Fields i. I loved the pared-down sound, found lyrics engaging & the style intimate (I think of it as ‘nouveau folk’). It got me into a whole mood of music to reflect by (usually to be avoided;)) & inspired me to then play some 60s&70s folk+ songs (Joni Mitchell, Judy Collins, L. Cohen, Joan Armatrading etc.). Enjoyed it, thanks! (Didn’t find title you mentioned but I’ll try again today-didn’t find it in their website either…) Harpsichord and banjo! Thought it could only happen in a dream! Friend didn’t like them; they have one new fan, though. Great!

Happy spring folks! I'm buying a food processor next weekend and wondering if there is a qualitative difference between KitchenAid and Cuisinart. Any thoughts?

Mgt,
Tell us which models you're looking at and we'll let you know. In general, I'd say go with the Cuisinart. It's what they're known for. When you're in the market for a stand mixer, definitely go with KitchenAid.

leeds
chipotle mashed sweet potatoes
(the side, not a song title. ha)

and how about a green salad with
a nice sharp garlic-mustard vinagrette
to cut through all the rich food

which Magnetic Fields did you end up with?
I'll pick 'em, you describe 'em : ) well done!

Mgt
how big is your kitchen and what do you plan to do with your cuisinart?
i have a big one (xmas present) and a small one which came as an attachment to my boyfriend's immersion blender
in my tiny kitchen i find that i use the small one WAY more (i mean, like, 30 times to every 1 time that i use the big boy)
its the perfect size for making tapenades and spreads and salad dressings and breadcrumbs for two
just thought it might be something worth thiking about!

I can't compare, since I only have one, but I have a little 3-cup KitchenAid processor. I love it. I have considered writing poems to it. It has paid for itself a dozen times over, and almost never gets put away in the cupboard.

I did read a review on Amazon, comparing the Cuisinart and KitchenAid smaller food choppers. They said that both perform equally well, without much difference. The thing they do note is the one problem I have with the KitchenAid: it's not as good at grinding nuts or spices really fine. I can grind almonds into a rough meal, like cornmeal, but not into a finer flour. I think the comparable Cuisinart has a setting that handles this better.

guido
thanks re side dishes, you're right on, will do.
Re music-thanks(sorry for having gone on, but my jaw dropped at listening post on Friday!) I got 'Magnetic Fields i' & today I found 3-cd box set- 69 Love Songs, Part 1/Pt.2&Pt.3. guy's wild.

And someone Should make a song about mashed sweet potatoes... !

my kitchen counters are tiny - maybe a total of 30 inches. I have a small cuisinart blender but I don't think it's very useful. Making pesto in it is a messy affair. I always thought Cuisinarts were the standard for excellence but a friend has the KitchenAid 750 and loves it.

my big magi-mixer is a cuisinart, and now that i know you're into pesto, i can really really detail the differences btwn the big guy and the little guy

the thing i absolutely HATE about my cuisinart is that there's a hole in the bottom of the bucket (dear liza, dear liza!) where the blade fits into the motor
when making pesto, some of the oil, batter, etc, inevitably makes it out of this hole and then everything gets filthy dirty

conversely, since the blade on the immersion mixer is attached to the motor at the TOP, there is no hole, and cleanup is about 1000 times easier and neater
i have made pesto in this contraption a number of times and it always comes out lovely
heres a link in case my description isn't clear enough
http://tinyurl.com/sxzak

I'm not sure about modern day food processors so much, but I have an old (70's era) Robot Coupe (http://www.robotcoupeusa.com/) that was brought back from France and was given to me in the 90's by one of my high school English teachers. She knew I loved cooking and her food husband had recently passed away.

So know I have a hulking beast of a 30 year old French food processor. But I'll tell you what, I haven't thrown anything at that processor that's come close to stopping it. And it's really the same size as a modern Cuisnart.

DrewB - went to the robot coupe site and, while I like the design, but this made me laugh, "Prepare 850 servings in 3 hours or less!" this might be a litte more than I need. And thanks, Ann. for you time and suggestion. That hole in the bucket is annoying.

Mgt, doh.. totally forgot that they only have the commercial machines on that site! Actually, I'm not sure the home ones are even coming in anymore. Sorry about that! But they do rock and roll and the one I have was made for the French home market before they had an importer to the US.

I love swiss chard! It's one of my favorite ingredients for quick and easy meals. Here are three recipes - all of which involve lots of onions and swiss chard, combined with some form of protein (eggs, cheese or chicken sausage).

SWISS CHARD FRITTATA

Saute half an onion (regular or sweet) until translucent.

Add a little dried oregano, and a little bit less dried basil.

Throw in lots of swiss chard and cook until wilted (you can add some and once it’s cooked down, add more).

Beat together 1 egg and 2 egg whites.

Add about a ounce of crumbled French feta.

Stir in swiss chard and onion mixture, add salt and pepper, and reheat the pan.

Once the pan is hot, pour eggs into it and cook until one side is firm.

Slide out of pan onto plate, flip over back into pan, and cook the other side.

(If this doesn’t work, you can just scramble everything together)


PASTA WITH GREENS AND FETA

6 TBS olive oil (or less)
4 cups chopped onion
8 cups packed chopped bitter greens (e.g., swiss chard, or swiss chard plus other greens like spinach or escarole)
¾ to 1 lb penne or other short substantial pasta
½ to ¾ lb crumbled feta cheese
salt and pepper

Cook onions about 10 minutes over medium heat. Start pasta water.

Add chopped greens to pan and cook 10-15 minutes.

Cook pasta al dente.

Just as pasta is close to done, add feta to greens mixture (over low heat).

Add pasta to greens mixture, mixture thoroughly while heating for a few minutes.

Salt and pepper to taste.

SWISS CHARD AND SAUSAGE

Cook one or two onions until translucent. Add a package of sliced chicken sausage (such as Trader Joe’s roasted garlic) and fry until brown. Add lots of chopped swiss chard and cook until wilted.

Here's my question - does anyone know where to find artichokes? I thought April was artichoke season, but the stores near me (Westchester) don't have any...

Just found this under Spring recipes:
seems interesting & a very different take on tabbouleh -

Rhubarb, Sorrel and Asparagus Tabbouleh -

http://www.foodtv.ca/recipes/recipedetails.aspx?dishid=7444&nwsltrfood20060404ref=15

thanks sarahw, the pasta with greens recipe looks good to me. Love artichokes as well- what's your preparation? Found this for Fried Artichokes:
http://www.foodtv.ca/recipes/recipedetails.aspx?dishid=2237&nwsltrfood20060404ref=14

Thanks for the artichoke recipe, leeds. I'm usually very plain in my artichoke cooking and eating - steam for 45-50 minutes, and that's it!

When I was in grad school and they were cheap and in season, I would buy a bunch, steam them, and eat them cold over several days... I guess the minimalist approach?

hi sarahw
I agree, sometimes the simplest of preparations is best, lets the taste shine!
My friend steams them then we dip them into a dressing of olive oil,lemon juice,white vinegar,mustard & a bit garlic- yum!

Does anyone know if Trader Joe's wine shop has opened yet?

TJ's wine shop opens on Monday! YAY!