gourmet, unbound

Silky Leeks with Lemon, Thyme, and Burrata

When I set about making this recipe, I didn't expect to be seduced. I wanted something simple and vegetable-based for dinner, but I didn't think it would be sexy.

I underestimated this recipe. These leeks are luscious, braised just a few minutes in good homemade stock (and, of course, a little butter.) A sprinkle of fresh thyme and lemon zest, coarsely ground pepper, and sea salt bring the flavors forward.

Of course, this could work as a side dish under baked chicken thighs or a chunk of artic char, but on a weeknight during this already-busy month, a gooey spoonful of burrata cheese and a drizzle of olive oil is just the ticket. It's a creamy, silky, heavenly dinner with a chunk of baguette and a glass of white wine.

Depending on how tender you like your leeks, you might want to leave these braising away a little longer than instructed in the recipe—after you've cooked them uncovered as instructed, cover and braise them for 8 minutes or so, checking to see if they've softened to your liking. Even if it takes ten or twelve, it's a ridiculously easy dish.

The original recipe is here. Be sure to add leaves from a few sprigs of fresh thyme, and top with a scoop of burrata and a drizzle of olive oil.

February recipes

Hi all, it's February! Here's our roundup of February recipes from Gourmet magazines past. Hope you enjoy!

The Mango Lassi (Mexican Chocolate Ice Cream, 2003)

Couldn't Be Parve (Gramercy Tavern Gingerbread, 2000)

Healthier Kitchen (Chicken Tagine with Apricots and Spiced Pine Nuts, 2008)

Eat Travel Write (Lemony Mushrom Risotto, 2001)

Pages, Pucks and Pantry (Beer Braised Beef and Onions, 2009)

Hummingbird Appetite (Cocoa Cake, 2003)

Taste As You Go (Ginger and Garlic Broccoli with Brown Rice, 1995)

Small Tastes (Braised Turnips with Poppy Seed Bread Crumbs, and Fennel and Carrot Slaw with Olive Dressing, both from 2008)

Doable & Delicious (Butternut Squash Galette, 2009)

Cozy Delicious (Bruschetta with White Beans and Walnuts, 1999)

The Reluctant Blogger (Cracked Wheat Rolls, 2009)

Veggie Curious (Mushroom Tortellini in Mushroom Broth)

Hungry Bruno (Pasta with Parsley Sauce, 1993)

Lady Gouda (Kale & Potato Spanish Tortilla, 2003)

Pretty Girls Use Knives (Roast Chicken with Mashed Potato Stuffing and Root Vegetables, 1994)

Umami Girl (Frisée Salad with Lardons and Poached Eggs, 1999)

The Gourmet Project (Sauternes-Soaked Genoise with Candied Kumquats, 2004)

Soup Addict (Hot Browns, 1990)

The Cookie Scoop (Streusel Sour Cream Coffeecakes, 2002)

Veggie Virginia (Biscuits, 1999)

Gourmet Traveler (Gyoza, 2006)

Sweet Amandine (Mulled Cider, 1993)

Note to contributors: In coming months, please remember to send us a photo so we can include it in our roundup.

broccoli with orecchiette

There are nights when I am happy to putter around in the kitchen and take my time in preparing dinner. And then there are nights when you get home at 7pm, only to have to get on conference calls at 8pm with a mere hour in between. Yes, there is always take out, and I happen to live in a city that's very take-out friendly. But sometimes, sometimes I wish for a home-cooked meal that is simple, good and takes not-so-long to make. I know - I'm asking for a lot here. And yet - such things do exist. This recipe here is proof. Truth be told, I was a bit anxious about this month's post. I saw my workflow a mile away - saw the evening calls almost every evening, saw everything else on my roster and thoughts to myself, "Whatever will I write about? What time, if any, will I have to cook?" And then it dawned on me that some of you might be stuck in a similar predicament - facing the workload of a new year that makes it tough to get yourself into a kitchen. And when I read through this recipe, I felt like I had a winner on my hands. Well, I was right and I was wrong. I thought this was going to be a fine, suitable week-day meal. It was better than that. It was, in fact, so good, that I helped myself to a second bowl. I had promised a container to my running partner, and she was in serious danger in not getting any lunch tomorrow. Lucky for her - I'm a considerate soul. My notes here (since we now just link to the recipe - sorry, folks) should help you out. First of all, I added pancetta because I wanted a little meat in there tonight. Secondly, the recipe tells you to cook all that broccoli medley covered until the water evaporates. This made no sense to me and I uncovered the saute pan to actually let the water evaporate. It worked beautifully. So now, on these busy nights, there's nothing that stands between you and your dinner. So, what are you waiting for? Get thee into the kitchen!
Recipe here.

Cheddar Scallion Drop Biscuits

I've been obsessed with biscuits for a long time. There's something magical about them, turning flour and butter into something hot and pillowy, rich and light. One of my favorite brunch places always has a long line, but you can buy a biscuit from the counter to eat while you wait outside, and that almost makes the line bearable, even at 10am on a frigid January morning.

These drop biscuits are a snap to make—cut the butter into the dry ingredients, mix in good strong cheddar (I used half asiago and half orange extra-sharp) and sliced scallions, fold in the buttermilk and pop them in the oven. It takes only a few minutes. Watch them carefully in the oven, though—though the original recipe says they cook in 18-20 minutes, mine were done by 14 or so.

We served these with pulled-chicken barbecue, but they'd also be nice for lunch with a salad and a little salami, or served alongside a vegetable soup or chili. I bet they'd be good with Gruyere or Comté inside instead of cheddar, too. 

I'm still on the lookout for the pillowy biscuits of my dreams, but I'm happy to eat these in the meantime.

Get the recipe here.

A Celebration of January Recipes

Happy New Year!

January is a great time to get cooking, and the archives of Gourmet are a great place to look for inspiration. Here are the dishes you tried for January—thanks for all the contributions!

Featured January Recipes

 

 Savour Fare (Black Eyed Pea and 3 Pepper Salsa, 1999)

 

 

 Soup Addict (Roasted Spiced Sweet Potatoes, 2002)
Also check out this dish on Melissa Cooks Gourmet

 

 

 Couldn't Be Parve (Grapefruit Tarragon Sorbet, 1999)

 

 

 Doable and Delicious (Roast Chicken with Pancetta and Olives, 2009)
 

 

 The Honey Eater (Lemon Meringue Pie with Lemon Curd from 2001)

 *****

Lady Gouda (Cauliflower Gratin, 2006)

Whitney in Chicago (Bacon and Pea Risotto, 2009)

 Healthier Kitchen (Portuguese Kale and Potato Soup, 1990)

Hummingbird Appetite (Orange-soy braised pork ribs, 2005)

The Gourmet Project (Exotic Mushroom Pate, 1997)

Gourmet Traveller (Poire William Champagne Cocktail, 1998)

Eat, Live, Travel, Write (Pasta with Butternut Squash and Sage, 2000)

Hungry Bruno (Baked Cheddar Olives, 1991)

Small Tastes (Butternut Squash and Radicchio Pappardelle, 2009)

Cupcake Muffin (Tangerine Cake, 2004)

Cozy, Delicious (Pimento Cheese Toasts, 2008) also check out The Lead Paint Cookbook's version of this dish!

The Mango Lassie (Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta, 2001)

The Reluctant Blogger (Mango Jicama Chopped Salad, 2000)

The Cookie Scoop (Pecan Shortbread Cookies, 2008)

My Kitchen Addiction (Caprese Bites, 2009)

Taste As You Go (Hard-Boiled Eggs Florentine, 2005)

Sweet Amandine (Vanilla Crepes with Jam, 2006)

That Much Further 'Ham (Fresh Mozzarella, 2009)

spicy butternut squash soup

Today it rained and rained and rained some more. It felt like the rain was never going to stop and while I was happy to be puttering around my home, cooking and writing and working on a few side projects, I did miss going outside, if only for a minute. It definitely felt more like October than December, which is perhaps while I’ve had soup on my mind. I also stayed around in my fleece pants, read a whole book, mulled some cider, toyed with making ice cream, but decided against it, and reorganized my spice pantry. I’d like to think that for a lazy rainy day, I did pretty well.

I’m an odd bird in that I don’t actually want to nap when it’s so sleepy out. I actually like to putter around my kitchen. I drink endless cups of tea and avoid doing dishes. That’s what kills me on a day like today – dishes. Can anything be less exciting? Can’t they just wash themselves? My dishwasher, undoubtedly one of my favorite appliances of all time, needs to grow some arms and learn how to pre-rinse. My girlfriends tell me that such things are possible, and they are usually called husbands. Duly noted, ladies.

I altered the soup quite a bit, omitting the shrimp, and allowing the soup to be vegan. I pumped up the spices a bit by adding some red curry paste, sambal olek, lemongrass, and in lieu of water – coconut milk. And finally, to make the flavors brighter – juice of one lime. What I got at the end is a Thai-spiced soup that’s exactly what this day needed – a fortification against the elements outside and lack of sunshine. And while I eat it, I can imagine the dishes doing themselves, even if, upon getting back in the kitchen, I’ll find them hanging out in the sink waiting for me to do the honors. 

For someone who itches to get to the gym just about every day, I’ve been very lackadaisical about it this month; there’s been so many events and commitments and I’ve been feeling pretty run down. It’s time for a vacation, one full of sunshine, beaches, palm trees and umbrella drinks. But in the mean time, there’s this soup. This warm, soothing, filling soup. In a month known for cookies and eggnog, I bring you this soup because man cannot live on cookies alone. He can try, but ultimately he will crave something that will be the antidote to a day that can be more accurately described as a puddle. And this is where this soup enters. Cozy and comforting, it’s the equivalent of a food snuggie, except much prettier.

A Salad for December

I always turned greedily through the pages of each new December issue of Gourmet, daydreaming of creamed butter and sugar, cinnamon and cloves, gingerbread and festive dinner tables. It's a month of decadence, of champagne and crispy latkes with homemade applesauce, of my mother's cioppino and Oregon pinot noir, of braised brisket or short ribs or fancy roasts. Gourmet had menus for all sorts of festive occasions.

But in December I also start needing something fresh and light for the days between holiday parties. Gourmet was there for us then, too, with recipes like this delicious salad of bitter greens and bright citrus. I ate a plateful the other night, and immediately wanted it again the next night. The dressing is rich and just sweet enough to balance the slightly bitter greens. It's a vitamin-C powerhouse meal, though I fattened it up a bit with some avocado (and some bread with goat cheese on the side.)

I wasn't able to track down the gorgeous blood oranges shown in the recipe for this salad, so I used a sliced tangerine along with a pomelo. I'd never actually eaten a pomelo before, and now I'm a huge fan: they taste a bit like grapefruit infused with honey.

The original recipe is here, from Gourmet's December 2008 issue.

The addition of the pomelo and avocado were a success, and I wouldn't worry too much about perfectly removing the fruit segments from the membrane.

Here's wishing all of you a happy and healthy holiday season.

December Roundup, continued!

We keep receiving great links celebrating Gourmet's many Decembers—keep 'em coming! We'll post—and drool over—your December recipes through the 15th. Raring to go? Get started on January recipes. Submit by the first to be included in the first roundup! *Only posts submitted by January first will be considered for featured posts starting in January!

Former Chef (Red Curry Shrimp Skewers, 2008)

 

Savour Fare (Skibo Castle Ginger Crunch, 1999)

Still hungry?
There's more...

The Mango Lassie (Walnut Spice Cake with Lemon Glaze, 1992)

Brownies for Dinner (Lemon Butter Cookies, 2003)

A Little Bit of Christo (Nuoc Cham dipping sauce for fried spring rolls, 2004)

Mrs. Wheelbarrow's Kitchen (Peppermint Patties, 2007)

When A Door Closes... (Braised Short Ribs, 1975)

Lilly & Audrey's Everything Food and Entertaining (scroll down a bit for post) (Butternut Squash and Hazelnut Lasagne, 2001)

basic butter cookies - december 2003

For all the people that said Gourmet had gotten too fancy and fell out of touch with its readers, I have three words: basic butter cookies. While combing Epicurious online, this recipe was listed as an ingredient in many of Gourmet's other cookie recipes. I was torn between a savory bread pudding and this recipe to kick off the official launch of our little project here at Gourmet, unbound. Olga was my tie breaker. The more I thought about it, this recipe was a perfect beginning. It's going back to the basics, and a reminder that ingredients do not need to be exotic—it's what you do with them that makes the difference.

Another Thanksgiving Classic

postcard photo by Katia Kelly

While browsing through the Gourmet online archives for my December recipe, I came across another Clementine Paddleford article—this time from 1944. It made me feel quite nostalgic for days past, especially the mention of Montague Street in Brooklyn, which is where my dad's family grew up. Here's a peek at  more post cards from Mammy's Pantry which used to be at 122 Montague Street from Katia over at Pardon Me for Asking. Paddleford talks about pies in her article, and I'd love to know which kind will grace your holiday table? I'm in a pumpkin state of mind.