Bring To Boil

Can you get “slow food” out of quick steps?  Turns out, yes.  Three nights in a row we ate really well, even though I was feeling deeply lazy. The only thing keeping me from ordering pizza delivery on Saturday was that something was about to go bad in the fridge. 

Monday’s polenta squares started as Saturday chicken guilt.   

Saturday

The “use or freeze by” date was upon us.  I cleaned and rubbed the waning chicken with lots of rosemary, thyme, sea salt, and peppercorns.  It went into the mini-rotisserie (or a low-heat oven would have been fine) for an hour and a half.  Nestled on top of some fresh greens, that chicken was mighty fine, considering the amount of hands-on cooking time was about 10 minutes. 

After dinner we threw the bones in a pot with chunks of onion, carrot, celery, parsley, and bay leaf, with enough water to cover.  I brought the pot to boil while cleaning up the kitchen, and let the pot simmer until it was time to go to bed. 

When we strained the stock into a bowl, we tasted it.  It was a rockstar quality stock, though a mite salty.  I knew it would become a science project if I didn’t use it up quickly, because I would be too lazy to find the right dish to freeze it in. 

Sunday

I was late getting home.  The quickest stock-using solution I could think of was to peel a butternut squash, shred it in the cuisinart, and boil it with the stock, along with some nutmeg, honey, and white pepper.  The cooking was quick–about 10 minutes–because the squash was in small shreds. Rinsing the cuisinart during boiling time and using it to puree the soup added almost no time to the whole deal.  We had butternut squash soup, along with bacon sandwiches (bacon prepared on a cookie sheet in the oven).  Dinner took about 15 minutes to make. 

After dinner, we had lots of leftover soup, which I was sure would become next week’s compost if we didn’t morph it into something new, ASAP.   So it became two other things:  the base for a lunchy lentil soup (Easy! Boil rinsed lentils in the soup with some extra water for a little over half an hour),  and the liquid for cooking polenta.  

While Michael gave Rosalie a bath I made the polenta, washing dishes in between polenta stirrings.  When it was ready, I spread the polenta in a flat layer on a greased jelly roll pan, covered it with wax paper, then slid it into the fridge.  I was feeling super smug at that point.  Most of the work was done now!

The next night, a tired Monday night, all I had to do was cut the smooth, flat polenta into squares, dip it in egg and bread crumbs, and fry the squares in olive oil with slices of onion.  I served the squares with tomato sauce, the fried onions, and Parmigiano-Reggiano.   These little squares were crispy on the outside and full of butternutty, corny richness on the inside.  We ate so well and so happily.  I felt truly recharged by this accidentally thoughtful meal.

Is there a cookbook out there that shows how you can do this on a regular basis?  Using part of one night’s meal to make the next night’s meal  is not just efficient; it’s bringing love and luxury into your day.  It’s the gift of time that you somehow stole, the pleasure of slow food by staggering or layering your meals.  You get something slow out of something quick!  Magic.

Would I call this a chocolate cookie?  It’s airy and crisp on the tender surface, deeply cake-soft inside, and it’s dotted with wicked, molten chocolate hotspots throughout.   Having only one is not an option.  Cookie?  It’s more of a dark seduction. This is the kind of recipe to splurge on the finest chocolate, because you might be making excuses and cancelling plans to get alone with these devils.  Don’t say you weren’t warned:  Double Chocolate Indulgence is trouble.

I thank Kristen Schumacher for this mess I’m in now.  She’s the one who modified this recipe from one given to her while she was at Seattle Culinary Academy.   If she weren’t such a gifted flavormaker,  I wouldn’t be here, slapping myself on the hand to keep from eating them all before the bake sale they’re intended for.   Fortunately, it’s a dough that you make ahead, freeze into log shapes, then slice-and-bake when you want them.  But they’re singing their siren song from inside the freezer and it’s a terrible temptation to resist.   

If you don’t want to be stuck alone with a whole batch of these, or if you want to sample treats from a whole lot of great cooks, come to the Seattle Food Blogger Bake Sale this Saturday.  All money goes to Share our Strength, a national organization committed to ending childhood hunger.    The sale is at the Metropolitan Market at the Uptown location – 100 Mercer Street.  It runs from 10 a.m. ‘til noon this Saturday, April 17. 

If you can’t wait until Saturday and would like to have your illicit chocolate experience immediately, here’s Kristen’s recipe.  Have fun!  Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.

Double Chocolate Indulgence

Printed with Permission from Kristen Schumacher of Heirloom Chef

• 6oz bittersweet chocolate
• 1 lb semi-sweet chocolate
• 3 oz unsalted butter
• 5 eggs
• 14 oz granulated sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 oz cake flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 lb chocolate chips
• Powdered sugar, for rolling

Directions: 

1. Place bittersweet and semi-sweet in bowl with butter, and melt in double boiler (or metal bowl inside a similar-sized pot). Scrape sides as it melts- you do not want any chocolate to burn. Cool slightly.
2. Whip eggs and granulated sugar until fluffy. Add vanilla. Temper the egg mixture into the chocolate by slowly pouring the chocolate into the egg as you stir vigorously. 
3. Combine flour, baking powder, salt, chocolate chips. Add to the chocolate and egg mixture and stir until combined. Cool the dough until it is firm enough to be handled.
4. Divide dough into 4-6 portions. Pour dough onto long pieces of parchment. Using the parchment for assistance, roll dough into ropes. Enclose the ropes and refrigerate or freeze until firm (I freeze them).
5. Once ready to bake, roll ropes in powdered sugar to get the shape you want.  Cut each cookie about ½ inch thick. Bake cookies, double panned at 350˚ for 11-15 minutes. These cook fast. They should be soft in the center and set on the edges, and they will firm up as they cool. Do not overbake!

Makes about 5 dozen cookies

I’ve already mentioned the wickedly delicious, vegan,raw restaurant Thrive on 100 Days of Salad, but I just can’t get enough of their food, so here I am, writing about it again.   I keep thinking about the next time I’m heading back to try another item on the menu.   I first discovered Thrive last Saturday and returned the next day, and the next.  I have yet to try something off their menu that I don’t love. 

They have opportunities to volunteer there, and I’m definitely signing up.  Did you know you can learn how to be a master Coconut Hacker as a volunteer there?  Ah, too much good stuff.  I told the owner, Monika, how much I loved the place, and she wanted to know what it was that I liked.     Then the lunch rush tumbled in, so I went home and wrote a fan letter, like the restaurant stalker that I apparently am.  Here’s what I wrote. 

why i love thrive

mission: Thrive’s mission is thrilling–and timely.  Our city is thirsty for juicy health and more connection with each other!  Thank you, thank you, thank you, for making a difference.  Most importantly about the mission, you walk the talk, and you also have set up a system to help achieve Thrive’s goals. 

people: The staff’s faces, interactions, and work all showed their “caring intentions and thoughtfulness” when preparing each meal, as described on your About page.  Their care translates directly to some mighty luscious flavors and a real feeling of belonging for each customer.  Even when the lunch hour started to get busy, everyone seemed unflappable, kind and focused. 

space: Open kitchen plan; south-facing windows; airy feel in the room’s setup; great furniture; accessible location in the city; relevant, quality products for sale.

details: the simple, beautiful dishes and the generous, heavy flatware.  Black  blouses for staff—the food looks so lovely presented against the black background, in generous hands!  Each time a new dish or drink comes out, people’s heads would turn and they would ask, “What is THAT?”

customer involvement: Inviting the  customer to participate (volunteer work, customer bussing, ordering up front) eases costs, which appears to assist in the reasonable prices of the food.  This modern yet ancient approach feels so right, especially since it’s meant to feed a great need in our community.   And it gives customers a sense of ownership and connection that brings their hearts into the dining experience—something that’s found less in restaurants and more at a loved ones’ kitchen table.

current, vibrant identity: The whole picture is effective and cohesive: the graphics, the look of the literature, the space’s décor, and the organization of the website.  It makes great sense to use Facebook and Twitter for a place like Thrive.  It seems meaningful, with more potential for interaction than many restaurants, who seem to slap on some social media options because that’s what you’re supposed to do.  I also liked the LCD panel in the store with changing pictures of customers/community.

seamless service:  Meals are delivered quickly and in a friendly way. Efficient POS system. Very professional while still friendly!  Efficient and gracious food service.  

programs: So many excellent ideas- trying raw food for a week, meeting together for juice cleanses, volunteer opportunities (for credit?), classes.   It has the feeling like you are just getting started with the possibilities!

thank you for helping us thrive!