Alosha's Kitchen

Hi all. Sorry for taking some time to post again. I had so many thoughts swirling around in my head the last few days and I needed to find a coherent way to present them.

I definitely never expected this! I am just a food blogger who is only a decent, but not yet great cook (though I’m working on it, darn it!), so I don’t usually generate so much buzz. I thought maybe my linked friends might read this, but I never foresaw this overwhelming response. I am surprised and humbled. Food bloggers are a fantastic bunch.

My post has been linked now/discussed by almost 50 blogs and forums (thank you and wow!!) and in reading through them all I saw that more often than not, people were angry with ATK/CI/CC and were very supportive and encouraging. And of course there was a segment of readers/commenters who had some questions (and sometimes choice words) for me regarding the incident. I want to respond to everything, both positive and negative, as best I am able, but please let me know if I have overlooked something.

Did I post what really happened?

I absolutely did and here’s why.

For one, I have integrity. I know that this is the internet and sometimes it’s hard to fully judge another’s character. So all I can tell you is that I am an extremely sincere and honest person. I can’t convince anyone of that with these words on paper (so to speak), but take it as you will.

Secondly, I had to tell the truth because there was no other option. What I mean is, if Deborah came back and read this and I misrepresented the exchange, she would be able to post her version and tell you about it herself.

Was this woman an intern or a “lackey?”

No, she is their named PR rep. Seek her name out alongside ATK and you will see that for yourself.

Has ATK/CI/CC seen my post or the resultant uproar?

I doubt it. I think if that were the case, I would have received an email by now.

Was I rude, snippy, bitchy, *insert synonym*?

I saw those adjectives directed at me in many places. So was I? I suppose that depends on your point of view. Apparently, hundreds of people don’t think that I was.

But do I think I was? Yeah, I kind of do. Perhaps I judge myself harshly because in the past I was not always the person I am now, so I am always on the lookout for those qualities in myself. Therefore, on that basis, I agree that I probably should not have gotten so annoyed. I recognize that I was argumentative and difficult. I also recognize that I was fighting a losing battle by continuing to email her. No one wins in an internet/email fight. I’ve been meandering around the web for about 12 years now, so I knew that.

But as much as I focus on personal growth in day-to-day living, and strive to be a spiritually evolved person, I am only human. I felt like I was being condescended to and I got angry and defensive. These things happen.

As for using the word “fuckers” at the end of my post, I can only smile and say that I tend to curse a bit and I was just being honest in my frustration. It’s my blog and I am allowed to speak as I wish. I have to wonder if I had used the word “jerks” if anyone would have even blinked.

Did I actually try to post someone else’s recipe and pass it off as my own?

No. If you were someone who remarked that I did, I implore you to reread what occurred. I posted the recipe, explained that I made modifications and then under the recipe title, I wrote:

“courtesy of XXXX (my friend’s blog) via Cook’s Country”

If, at the time, I had understood the law regarding modifications making a recipe “yours,” I never would have mentioned CC in the first place.

And if you read my previous posts, you can see that in the past, like all of us have, I linked and credited anyone whose exact recipes, or even ideas, I have used. If you find one where I didn’t, you can trust it was an unintentional oversight, but I don’t think there is an example to be found.

Can I see Deborah’s side? Do I understand what prompted her to email me?

Actually, I can and I do. I realize now, after wading through all the comments/forums/blogs that what she was trying to tell me in the first place was “don’t take our recipe, make modifications to it in print, and then say that it is a recipe ‘via Cook’s Country’ because it is not ours.”

And now here’s what I think the problem is with that.

They don’t want a blogger to post a recipe verbatim as that would be “violating their copyright and would be illegal.” They grant permission to use it if it remains entirely unchanged, but are very strict about that point.

So what if you make a change to it? In that case, ATK/CI/CC folks do not want you to repost it in any way, shape or form, not even to give a nod for inspiration. But damn, how was I to know that? In this day and age, the food community is a place for warmth and generosity. So I did not expect that CC would be any different. I simply did what any normal food blogger would do and I made my changes and, to be polite, gave partial credit for what I made. And that clearly wasn’t okay with them.

And sure, those taking up the fight of ATK/CI/CC can argue all they want that they “have the right” to behave this way. And I guess they do. Legally, they’re not doing anything technically wrong by having these rules in place. And the question of whether or not I did anything illegal has been discussed and answered at length so I’m not going to expound on that any further.

But if you put that argument aside, if you just take all the legal stuff and ins and outs of my particular situation and forget about that for a minute, what remains is what I find most troubling about this entire fiasco, what it seems most people find most troubling, and that is this...

I can’t help but come to the conclusion that ATK/CI/CC truly do not want home cooks to modify their recipes at all. Oh, they say it is simply a matter of doing it “in print.” But that is not the attitude that comes across.

For further proof of this, let me quote an interview with Chris Kimball from the Washington Post:

How much room do your books and magazine leave for creativity and interpretation?

None. Make the damn recipe my way. [He laughs.] I had someone write in a long time ago and say, "Lidia [Bastianich] cooks with her heart." And I wrote back and said, "Well, yeah, that's the wrong organ. You should use your brain." Until you know that recipe inside out and you really get it and you can make it without looking at the recipe, don't play with it. It's sort of like saying: "I'm going to play a Bach sonata. But I'm going to change the key." No. You play it the way he wrote it.

O_O

I think he makes it blatantly clear what his take on our creative liberties is. I’m not even going to remark on the fact that he insulted my dear Lidia. For the rest of the article with more lovely quotes, click here (and thank you to the Serious Eats member who pointed it out).

In theory, I appreciate what ATK/CI/CC says they are attempting to do: teach America how to cook the simplest and best recipes in as efficient a manner as possible. But it just doesn’t come across that way to me.

They seem to convey the idea that we should sacrifice authenticity (see any of their "ethnic" recipes) or complex flavor or our own inspiration and creativity for step-by-step rigid instruction. They literally think their way is best. And I just don’t support that attitude when it comes to food, just as I didn’t in my past, with music and writing. We all have our personal touches and our own experience and preferences that we joyfully add to any creative pursuit. To see it any other way just saddens me.

As a final note, more than anything, I am filled with awe and gratitude that my post could have generated such support and encouragement. I am so incredibly honored by everyone who contributed to this discussion. Having nothing to do with who is “right” or “wrong,” it has been an emotionally rejuvenating experience to see just how tied together we all are.

The food blog community has been invaluable to me as a serious learning tool and a source of inspiration and amusement. I am appreciative of every single one of you that commented and linked. I read what all of you had to say and I look forward to visiting so many of you in the future and seeing what you have to say and to cook. I can't wait to discover new recipes, make new friends, and continue to learn and grow. Thank you so, so much.

~With love~

Pull up a chair. We're gonna be here for a while. But I had to post this before getting back to my normal meal-related programming.

Last week I posted about my weekend (belated) 4th of July food. In that post, I listed a recipe for potato salad, modified from the original source - in this case, Cook's Country, aka one-third of the conglomerate that is rounded out by America's Test Kitchen and Cooks Illustrated. And though I made numerous modifications to the recipe, I credited Cook's Country as the original source.

Though not well versed in the specifics of the law, I always thought this was an acceptable practice, regardless of where you found the individual recipe. So imagine my surprise when I received this email from their publicity company, Deborah Broide Publicity, the following morning.

Deborah: Hi. Please remove the recipe from Cook's Country. Permission was not giving to use this recipe (as I'm the one who gives permission). In the future, if you'd like to use a recipe simply email me first. Also, we do not allow our recipes to be modified (in print). Many thanks!

I was a bit taken aback, to say the least, and admittedly irritated. I was getting ready for work, but in the interest of a quick response, I replied:

Me: I'll take it down when I get to work.

I then continued after I arrived. I wasn't going to post this whole exchange, but I think it's kind of fundamental to the story, so I did. If you read it and think I was being rude or bitchy, then I apologize. I can only say... *laughing* you shoulda known me five years ago. This is downright Zen for me.

Me: So even if I ask your permission now, I can't even mention that I made three modifications to it? (Note: I actually made more.) People make modifications to other people's recipes all the time. It's part of the food blog life. But if I can't even talk about it, then I won't print the recipe at all.

Her: Sorry, no modifications allowed. Our recipes are tested up to 100 times for a reason (i.e. because they work). Let's agree to disagree and please don't print our recipes at all (as they are copyrighted). Thanks!

Me: Fine. I'll come up with my own potato salad recipe next time and pretend I never saw this one.

Her: It sounds like you are having a bad day. I hope it gets better!

Me: By the by, I'm not sure why or how you honed in on me, of all bloggers. Your recipes - including this one - are reprinted everywhere and other bloggers I know have never asked your permission either.

And I find it rather pretentious of you to assume that your recipes are so perfect that no one should be allowed to say that they modified them. What right do you have to tell me I can't?

Her: Honestly it's not just you. We have a team that asks bloggers to remove recipes -- we can't get to all of them but we are working our way through. It's nothing personal. That said, as the PR person -- of 14 years -- I give permission to tons of food bloggers to use recipes. They shoot me a quick email first, and they agree not to change the recipe. I even agree to send them photos etc. to help them. Again, our recipes are copyrighted (i.e. it's illegal to use them w/o permission). Have a better rest of the day. Sorry you are so angry/annoyed.

Me: Deborah, I appreciate that you are trying to play the bigger person and be all kind and patient and whatnot. That's my typical M.O., as I consider myself a spiritual and loving individual. But stop talking down to me about it. It's not necessary.

I'm simply annoyed about the modification part. People modify recipes all the time to add their own nuances to it. EVERYONE does that. I guess your recipes are more perfect than everyone else's? I just don't get that, I'm sorry.

From now on, I just won't use any of your recipes. There are plenty of other resources out there. I will also never purchase anything from America's Test Kitchen/Cook's Illustrated/Cook’s Country because apparently, our philosophies seriously diverge.

Her: Again, it's illegal to use our recipes w/o permission (and we do know who uses what. We get daily updates every day). You don't have permission. Enough is enough, don't you think?

Me: Yes, I get it. I'm not stupid about the copyright issue. It's removed. However, I was just informed by a wonderful cook friend that lists of ingredients are not copyrighted, only method. So I know how to avoid the land mines next time, yes? Later.

Her: Please do not email me again. I'm asking nicely. Thanks!

At this point, I felt humiliated. But still irked. The key issue here for me was the modifications. I had always read, and thought it was implicitly understood among us food bloggers, that if you made 4 or 5 modifications to a recipe, it was more than okay to post it and giving credit was just being polite.

Unfortunately, that doesn't seem to be the case for ATK/CI/CC. At least they don't seem to think so. While hunting for information about recipes and copyright law, I found an interesting cnet article with the following excerpt:

Even the very nature of recipes is based on taking others' ideas and making slight changes to them to suit individual tastes. Katherine Bell, online managing editor for America's Test Kitchen, acknowledges that recipes are a unique case when it comes to copyright infringement because just about every recipe is based, at least in part, on a previous one. She gives the example of a recipe for no-knead bread that appeared in The New York Times. The recipe proved wildly popular, and recipes for similar breads have been popping up in cooking sites and magazines since.

"It started as the idea of one person in New York and now it's a whole new genre of baking," Bell said. "That just illustrates how every recipe owes a debt to something before it."

and further:

"To some extent, it's great if people are talking about our recipes in other places," said Bell, from America's Test Kitchen. "It's publicity." But there's a limit to what is acceptable use.

America's Test Kitchen is a small outfit compared with the family of cooking magazines from publishing behemoth Conde Naste. It sells a bimonthly magazine called Cook's Illustrated and charges an annual subscription to access its recipes online. Being a small company that puts a lot of labor into developing each recipe--America's Test Kitchen can sometimes test a recipe up to 100 times before it's been perfected--it's in a unique position.

"We have more to lose (than other recipe sites) if people are posting our recipes online because we have fewer recipes, we've invested a lot in every single one, and there would be no reason for people to pay a subscription if they can get our recipes for free," said Bell.

If a Web site has reposted one of America's Test Kitchen's recipes, the company will ask that the site take it down. "But in practice, we're not out there patrolling the Web," Bell said.

According to my email with Deborah:

We have a team that asks bloggers to remove recipes -- we can't get to all of them but we are working our way through....

(and we do know who uses what. We get daily updates every day).

'Kaaaay.

All that aside though, the concern of ATK/CI/CC seems to be that if someone publishes their recipe, they will suffer a financial loss due to people being able to access their stuff for free as opposed to paying the online subscription fee.

That seems to me to be a rather ridiculous point. I mean, I can see their side of it to some extent. But considering the number of recipes of theirs that have been posted on blogs and forums (and for god's sake, it wasn't just me, the number is really rather high), and the fact that they have still prospered, even excelled in readership and sales this last couple of years, that argument loses some steam.

And what bothers me the most is that they don't "allow" modifications. WTF?? I mean, seriously. Isn't that part of being a good cook? Modifying recipes to suit your and your loved ones' tastes? I thought that's what I was supposed to be striving for as a cook! And she wants to tell me that I CAN'T?? Because their recipes are PERFECT? *Cussing like mad*

But all this is getting away from the fundamental problem. The fact is I didn't do anything wrong. Copyright law regarding recipes is vague, to be sure. However, there are, in my opinion and, more importantly, in the opinion of numerous patent and copyright attorneys, two clear points to be made, specifically as they relate to what I posted.

1. A list of ingredients cannot be copyrighted.

This is a point that is not up for debate. Even if it were, I didn't post their list of ingredients. I changed it by 4 ingredients.

2. Directions and methods can only be subject to copyright if they are "substantial literary expression."

And just what is substantial literary expression? Well, luckily (or not), I've read far too much on the subject the last few days and have come up with a pretty decent way to describe it. What it means is that someone has to have verbiage in their directions that is unique or personal. Anything else is public domain. For example, there are only a couple of ways you could say "heat oven to 350°, cook chicken until no longer pink." But if someone said they preferred a certain type of dough, or reminisced about their childhood, or used some really specific personally invented method by which to execute the recipe, then that may be copyrighted as "substantial literary expression."

Well guess what? No shock, but this recipe didn't have anything that could be considered substantial in terms of its instructions. There were directions like "bring to boil over high heat, add 1 tsp salt, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until potatoes are tender, 10- to 15 minutes."

Um. Yeah. I know how to do that in my sleep. That's common knowledge, not unique instruction.

Granted, if I wanted to avoid the issue altogether, I could completely rewrite the directions portion of the recipe, right? Right. So I now present to you my recipe for potato salad. And you know what? I'll be honest. It's not even that astounding. It's classic American fare and if I had to rate the original recipe on a scale of 1 to 10, it would be about a 6. Mine is maybe, maybe an 8, in terms of what this is. But like I said, it was my first potato salad, so I can always play around. I'm just posting it to prove a point. Pardon any stupid phrasing or grammar in directions, as I was simply reinventing the wheel. ;)

Potato Salad
INSPIRED BY (UGH) you know who and you know from where... fuckers

Ingredients

2 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cubed
1½ tsp salt, divided
3 tbsp dill pickle juice, plus ¼ cup finely chopped dill pickles, divided
3 tbsp yellow mustard
¼ tsp pepper
½ tsp celery seed
6 tbsp mayonnaise
¼ cup sour cream
½ small red onion, chopped finely
2 large hard-boiled eggs, peeled and diced

Directions

Boil potatoes with 1 teaspoon salt until tender. Drain, then place on baking sheet. Mix 2 tablespoons pickle juice and 1 tablespoon mustard together and evenly coat potatoes with mixture. Chill in refrigerator.

Mix 1 tablespoon pickle juice, chopped pickles, ½ tsp salt, 2 tablespoons mustard, pepper, celery seed, mayonnaise, sour cream and red onion. Stir in cooled potatoes and chill. Stir in diced eggs before serving.

I love black beans. When making Mexican dishes, I will take them any day of the week over pinto. I used to take a can of beans to work sometimes, drop in diced avocado, and that was lunch. So why I had never made black bean soup before is a mystery to me.

And let's not forget... there's bacon. :)



I thought this would be too much cilantro, but it was a perfect amount.

This was out-freakin-standing. F'real. A bit stewy, but you can always add more broth if it's your preference.


My notes:

First, I did add diced avocado to this when I took it to work (for three days straight, no less). Awesome. I also suggest a couple of shakes of tabasco per bowl, though it may be spicy enough on its own for most people.

Second, I added habanero flakes to the recipe. In case I never mentioned it before, I LOVE SPICY FOOD. I crave it. So obviously I love habanero. I had never considered buying the flakes before, but Michelle mentioned it once some time ago, and told me I could purchase them at World Spice Merchants. I highly, highly recommend this company. They offer a wide variety of spices and rubs. You can add individual jars to your order for each selection. And and and. They don't make you pay online. They send you your order and then you send them a check when you receive it. How cool is that in this day and age?

Third, I would love to make this with soaked beans rather than canned. At some point. However, using canned is so quick and on a Sunday night, prepping this for lunches for myself, I was thrilled at how easy this was.

Simple, hearty, delicious and (mostly!) healthy. What more could you ask for?

Black Bean Soup
adapted from recipe by Dave Lieberman

Ingredients

10 slices bacon, finely chopped
1 large onion, chopped
6 garlic cloves, finely minced
2 cups chicken broth
1½ cups chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp ketchup
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp habanero flakes (optional)
4 (15½-ounce) cans black beans, drained but not rinsed
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 bunch cilantro
juice of 1 lime

Thinly sliced scallions, for garnish
Sour cream, for garnish
Grated cheddar, for garnish
Diced avocado, for garnish (not pictured)

Directions

Put the bacon into a large heavy pot and place it over medium heat. Cook until it starts to give up its fat, about 4 minutes. Stir in the onions and cook, stirring, until they start to turn translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook about 2 minutes. Add the broth, tomatoes, ketchup, Worcestershire, chili powder and habanero flakes. Stir in the beans, turn the heat to high and bring to a boil. Adjust the heat so the soup is bubbling gently and cook 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Pick off all the thick stems from the cilantro. Wash it and shake dry. Chop the cilantro coarsely and stir it into the soup when it has been simmering 10 minutes. Cook until the soup is thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the lime juice. Serve with the garnishes.

I've never cooked for July 4th before. And in a sense, this year was no exception.

I actually cooked the week after. I wasn't feeling well over the holiday weekend, so the recipes and company I had in mind had to wait. But the food was definitely set in my mind. I had glanced at these barbecue beef sandwiches about a week prior and knew they would be just the thing.


I also made homemade potato salad for the first time. Now that is a recipe I've had on MY LIST for almost 9 months. I got it from my oldest food blog friend (don't want to link her, see below) and knew I could make a good first shot out of it. Steve is rather picky about potato salad and I'm more "hey, whatever works," as I am about most potato things, so I made it for his tastes.

I left out the celery and opted to add hard boiled eggs. I also adjusted the amount of mayo, using 75% of what was called for and subbing yellow mustard for the other 25%. It turned out really well, except it was missing something. I couldn't put my finger on what until I tasted it the next day. It had no "tang" to it. So I added some white wine vinegar and it perked it up nicely. It tasted very fresh and light, unlike so many potato salads I don't like with too much mayo and/or sour cream. Next time I'm going to play around a bit to find just the right flavor the first time. As it is, we will be having the leftovers tonight with some scrumptious ribs. Can't wait.

But back to the sandwiches. They were incredibly good. The meat cooked flawlessly. I put a bit of fresh shredded cheddar on mine and it melted in perfectly with each bite of sweet beef and fresh bread. I also used my own barbecue sauce, as I have made in the past. It's Steve's favorite barbecue ever, which is such a compliment from a Texas boy. See recipe below.

Many thanks to good sources for a fun holiday-ish/summer meal. I really enjoyed this, and honestly, because I guess I'm not a typical American food fan, it was rather unexpected!

Barbecue Sauce
courtesy of Ina Garten

Ingredients

1½ cups chopped yellow onion (1 large onion)
1 tbsp minced garlic (3 cloves)
½ cup canola oil
1 cup tomato paste
1 cup cider vinegar
1 cup honey
½ cup Worcestershire sauce
1 cup Dijon mustard
½ cup soy sauce
1 cup hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
½ tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes

Directions

In a large saucepan on low heat, saute the onions and garlic with the vegetable oil for 10 to 15 minutes, until the onions are translucent but not browned. Add the tomato paste, vinegar, honey, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, chili powder, cumin, and red pepper flakes. Simmer uncovered on low heat for 30 minutes. Use immediately or store in the refrigerator.

Makes 6 cups

Braised Barbecue Beef Sandwiches
courtesy of Elise at Simply Recipes

Ingredients

One 3-pound chuck roast, rinsed and dried
2 medium onions, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes (preferably plum tomatoes)
1 18-ounce bottle of your favorite barbecue sauce
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
12 sandwich or hamburger buns

Directions

In a large, heavy pot, heat olive oil on medium heat. Add the onions and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, roughly chopping them in the pot. Add the barbecue sauce, increase heat to medium high and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the chuck roast. Bring to a low simmer, cover and slow cook until meat is very tender, stirring occasionally, about 3 hours.

Remove the meat from the pot. Use a fork and knife to separate the roast into small pieces. Set aside.

Increase the heat on the pot to medium/medium-high, uncover, and reduce the liquid until thick. Stir often to prevent burning.

Return the meat to the liquid in the pan. Warm both thoroughly. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve on buns. Makes approximately 12 sandwiches.

(SPACE WHERE POTATO SALAD RECIPE USED TO BE)

I was informed in an email this morning that I'm not allowed to post it. Even further, even if I got permission to post it, the people who published it "don't allow modifications to their recipes in writing." You know why? Because their recipes are "tested over 100 times" and "they work." So I guess all the hundreds and hundreds of food bloggers, home and professional cooks who modify recipes all the time shouldn't be doing that. We should preserve the perfection that someone else came up with and not add our own touches. Nice.

So let's just say I got it from somewhere online, like thousands of people do every day, and I modified it as I stated above. Less mayo, more mustard, added vinegar, added eggs, omitted celery. I think I read somewhere once that if you make 4 or more changes to a recipe, that it becomes "yours." But what do I know? Anyway, the ingredients and method don't matter, as I'm sure you all know how to make a potato salad on your own. I suppose it's kind of sad that I didn't and ended up in a mess because of it.

I had an undeniable craving for salmon this week.

And since I'm paying close attention to my body right now, I followed my urge. I was also wanting cauliflower and broccoli. Not really the potatoes. I'm no potato ho. But as most of you know, Steve doesn't like salmon, so I seared him a ribeye a la Valentine's goodness. And he obviously wanted potatoes served with that. What else?

Anyhoozits, I got a 6-oz. filet of sockeye with skin and decided broiling would be a wonderful way to go. My only thought was I wanted to find a sauce to put on top of it. Salmon is a great broiled fish with just some olive oil, pepper and lemon, perhaps garlic, but I wanted something a little tangier.

So I googled broiled sockeye salmon and the first thing that popped up was a recipe from Kalyn's Kitchen. Perfect. Not only did I love the sound of the sauce, but I see her site linked on so many people's pages that I trust, I figured this was a more than safe bet.

I think you could do whatever you like with the salmon, in terms of method and seasoning, and enjoy this sauce spooned over. Unlike Kalyn, I did not use a spice mix on my filet. I simply rubbed olive oil on it and seasoned it with salt and pepper. Then, as you can see, I totally doused it with the sauce. :) Loved, loved, loved.

Mustard-Mint-Parsley Sauce
(makes 2 servings)

2 tbsp light sour cream (not fat free)
1 tbsp mayo (use full-fat mayo made from soybean oil)
2 tsp Dijon mustard (or more, to taste)
2 tsp white wine (or use 1 tsp. lemon juice mixed with 1 tsp. water)
1 tsp very finely chopped fresh mint
1 tsp very finely chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp finely chopped green onion (Kalyn thought these might be a good addition. They were.)

Um, when I titled my previous post "my last meal" I didn't mean it literally.

I've been a bit absent, I know. Partly it was because I was working so much. But partly it's because I've been ill. Something is more wrong with me than a typical few days of sickness and such, but that's OK. It's going to be remedied through some time and effort. And I can't feel sorry for myself because, well, it's something I did to myself over the years. And I can't take it back, I can only move forward and follow a new road.

That begin said, I have a feeling my cooking adventures may change from here on out. They will likely get more interesting and fun because I will be more engaged and going at it full force, as I think I will need that to nurture my mind and my spirit through the next few months. The meals may also be a bit healthier, but maybe not. We'll have to see how that goes. ;)

In the meantime, I've been wanting to talk about this pasta for a couple of weeks. I did a search for pork one night on Claudia's page (yes, I searched your page for recipe ideas!) and one of the items that popped up was this recipe. I saw that she credited Jennifer for the idea, as shown here. And off I went with it.

Both of the aforementioned ladies have much prettier pictures than I (well, more than anything, they highlighted the *green* better), but if you like sausage and you like rapini, I implore you to make this. Take it from all three of us, if you will, it's awesome. Worth making more than once - this was my second shot in two weeks. First time I had no camera.

I didn't use green garlic like Jennifer since I was unable to find any, even at Whole Foods. Of course I used Claro's hot Italian sausage. And I added a bit more tomato paste than what is called for since Steve and I wanted it that way after the first go round. Just make it, and make it yours. It's wonderful stuff and even better the next day for lunch.

And yes, that is fresh grated cheese. I stopped being lazy. Yay. :)

In honor of my 100th post (yay!), I was going to tell you all my story. Meaning why I never cooked until I was 30. And didn't really really cook with any kind of consistency or fervor until last fall, at age 32, when I started this blog . But I'll leave that for another time since I can't seem to pull my thoughts together. I can honestly say though that if you had told me a year ago I would have nearly 100 successful meals to post and write about I would have laughed in your face. Man I love learning. =)

I have fallen in love with Marsala.

That being said, I stand firmly behind this sentiment:

We have all seen countless dishes called al Marsala on the menus of Italian-American restaurants. Too often, I have found, they disappoint me. The pork scaloppine I enjoyed at the Ferdinando brothers’ trattoria reminded me that this simple preparation depends so much on the quality of the wine that is splashed into the skillet.
-Lidia Bastianich

I first tried this about a month ago and used chicken breasts (photo above). A week later I used sliced pork loin (photo below) and the week after that we had veal.

All of them were wonderful, though I was a bit partial to the pork. The onions were sweet and soft, the sauce was just abundant enough to coat the pasta without seeming heavy, and the mushrooms? Our thought was that nothing has ever brought out the beautiful, sweet flavor of mushrooms like Marsala, at least not in our (admittedly limited) experience. The addition of fresh chopped parsley to finish it off is also, in my opinion, necessary. It adds a lovely pungent bite and when I omitted it from the veal dish, I definitely missed it.

But back to the quality of the wine. I went to this chain restaurant last Friday for a work lunch and ordered the veal Marsala there. Wow. What a difference. The sauce was a pool of syrupy sweetness coating the entire plate (not to mention, I think the mushrooms were canned). The quality was so poor that I had to push the onions and mushroom aside and just try to enjoy the veal medallions on their own on a separate plate. I wasn't obvious or rude about it because, hey, someone else was paying, but it was disappointing. So please, do yourself a favor when you make Marsala sauce and buy a wine that's just a teensy more expensive if you can find it. Trust me, you go through it so slowly and can make so many meals with it, it's worth it in the long run anyway.

If you are new to Marsala like I was, go here for a great recipe.

***Note added 6/21/08: As to the comment about buying decent Marsala, all I wanted to convey about that is that, rather than getting the $4 cooking wine bottle in the condiment section, you should, if its available to you, make the effort to get the $12-$15 bottle of Marsala. I realize that it isn't accessible to everyone, but if you can... I just know from experimenting that it is a significant improvement.

So. Food blog event. I've been visiting Tammy for a while now and saw her post the other day about winning the last Paper Chef competition. That means she gets to judge this month's competition. The way this event works is that three ingredients are chosen by popular vote from a pool of suggestions and then the fourth ingredient is something seasonal or trendy or in the news in some way, chosen by the judge, I presume, since that's how it worked in this case.

The ingredients this month were:

English peas

LOVED shelling these. Fun and tasty.

Buckwheat

EDIT: Commenter Lilian kindly informed me that this is farro grain, not buckwheat grain. Obviously that's why it didn't cook the way I intended it to later on. Since I had not seen either one before, I must have used the wrong bin at Whole Foods. Ah well. I may not have used the right ingredient for this challenge, but everything still tasted good! :)

EDIT 2: OK, it wasn't farro either, but close. I was at Whole Foods this evening and looked at the bins. I used the one right next to the buckwheat, which was just plain hard whole wheat. Jeez, no wonder it wouldn't get soft in the pan. :P

Leeks

I actually had to look up how to cut a leek. If you need a tutorial like I did, go here.

and Tammy's pick, lamb (preferably local)

Sorry Tammy, mine wasn't local. Not even U.S. I looked, I really did, made phone calls, etc. The only local I found was rack of lamb, which I couldn't grind. So if someone knows where I can find local ground lamb here in Orange County, California, feel free to let me know.

This was truly a challenge for me. I have never cooked with either buckwheat or leeks... and yet I felt compelled to try this. I'm not sure why. But I went for it.

My thoughts ran wild about what to do with these four items. Something was telling me to make a puree with the peas and leeks. I don't know if I saw it somewhere or read it somewhere, but I knew that it was something that worked. So I had that kind of set in my mind.

I also knew for some reason that I wanted to use ground lamb with the puree. My first instinct was to do lamb meatballs with the puree on top. Did I see that somewhere? I have no clue where that idea would have come from. Still, it sounded good.

But what to do with the buckwheat? I didn't know anything about it, except that it was the key ingredient in soba noodles. Other than that, I was lost. I didn't even know that's what kasha (cereal) was.

So I hunted online. My friend suggested flatbread made with buckwheat flour, but I was scared off on that one because I am really not a baker and certainly not with a type of flour completely foreign to me. I finally settled on making the buckwheat as a cooked whole grain and putting it in a pita with the lamb and the puree. Or so I thought.

Then, by total luck, I came across a remark, which for the life of me I cannot relocate, which said that since the cooked buckwheat grain has an oatmeal like texture, it can be used in place of rolled oats in meatballs or meatloaf.

Bingo! Let's get started. :)

I blanched a cup of peas in boiling water for just a few minutes and then added about 4 tablespoons of chopped mint (yet another thing I had never used before).

After cooking, I dropped them in ice water and then they went into the food processor with a bit (2 or 3 tablespoons) of olive oil...

...and then the chopped leeks and about a quarter cup of the ice water.

*Insert whirring food processor noise*

A little salt and pepper and into the refrigerator it went.

For the meatballs, I decided to use my new spice grinder (slash coffee grinder) and threw in fresh coriander and cumin seeds. Lots of 'em.

I only used half of what I ground. This is what happens when a "recipe girl" makes something without a recipe. Lots of leftover spices. :)

In case it's not apparent, and it definitely wouldn't be to me, what you see in the picture below is harissa paste. This one was very simple, mostly olive oil with the chiles and garlic. This was a lovely surprise. I had wanted to try it since I saw Jennifer mention it a couple of times. It was even on "my list." But it was really a totally random sighting on the shelf at Whole Foods when I was buying my ingredients for this challenge. And I was suddenly grinning, realizing I had found the perfect time to give it a try. I assumed it would complement the other flavors I was working with perfectly, and it did.

So in it went with the pound of lamb and spices (including a few shakes of garlic powder). This looks like some kind of alien blob, doesn't it? The cooked buckwheat looks especially strange. It was my one annoyance in this whole process - I just couldn't get it to cook the way I wanted it to. After cooking, each grain still "popped" in my mouth. But I put them in anyway.

Ready to go!

*Sizzle*

And at last, here they are.

Truth? These were awesome. The meatballs themselves were moist and delicious. I think the simple blend of the coriander, cumin and harissa gave them a nice bold flavor. And the buckwheat cooked in perfectly, becoming just a part of the texture and imparting a slightly earthy taste. I was relieved that those grains did so well in the pan.

And I adored the puree. I had some leftover yesterday and was eating it off a spoon just to recall the flavor. It's hard for me to describe, but you could easily taste each component and it was light and fresh and... I don't know, green.

So that's my contribution. And to be blunt, I can't help but beam and feel, well, damn near giddy. I used four ingredients I had never used before (mint, harissa, leeks and buckwheat), I didn't use other people's recipes and I genuinely challenged myself by cooking in a cuisine that I am not familiar with. I feel so great about this and can't wait to do more blog events if they make me feel as good as this one did.

I think when people say "it's not about winning" that often they're full of shit. But for those of you who have read me for a while, you know that insincere is something I am NOT. And I'll tell you, this event made me so happy and so excited in the kitchen that I really don't care about any of that. I was tempted to make jokes about slipping Tammy a twenty or coming up there and flirting with her farmer (ooohhh) if I didn't win, but seriously. I think other people who know more about these ingredients probably did a more spectacular or creative job. I especially don't feel like a real competitor because it's supposed to be more about the recipe itself and I didn't even measure everything.

So in the end, I am just grateful to know Tammy right now so that I had an opportunity to see this event and take part. And most importantly, to grow and learn in the kitchen. :D

:D times ten.

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A little P.S. Since I had already bought the pita bread due to what I thought I would be making, I decided to mash up a few meatballs with some of the puree and throw it in a pocket, just to see what it tasted like.

It was delightful!

On Sunday, Andy aka The New Cook nominated me for the Arte y pico award. This award is described as being for “creativity, design, interesting material and contribution to the blogging community.”

Thanks Andy!

However, I've already passed on awards recently and will not be sending this on to five more. I do sincerely appreciate the recognition, especially for your choosing my recipe as your recipe of the week. :)

Later today, I will be posting my contribution to this blog event. It's my first event and it challenged me in a way that was so exciting. I can't wait to share, though I'm a bit anxious about exposing myself (hehehe). But seriously. Be back in a bit.