Mod Meals on Mendenhall

The purple potatoes make Stokes County farming stand out. Their profitable potatoes are more dense and have less sugar than the typical orange sweet potato. While the Stokes Purple doesn’t peek in the market until after Thanksgiving, taking around 5 months more time to mature, it falls right in time for diet season. The potatoes are extremely high in antioxidants (an estimated 150 percent more than blueberries), fiber and calcium.

After years of hard work, the Sizemores ship their potatoes across the country in 40 and 10 pound boxes. They also sell direct to wholesalers who source supermarkets on the east coast including Whole Foods and The Fresh Market. Which means you can pick them up easily and start regaining your youth in no time!

Janice says next time she will make their retirement plan. With years of potential business growth ahead of them, I have no doubt she will.
After visiting with some of the Sizemore kinfolk, I was inspired to create a dish as unique as the potato. I tested several recipes including a breakfast hash and purple sweet potato chips but was most proud of my Homemade Purple Sweet Potato Pasta with Pine Nuts and Spinach. Like the potato itself, this hearty dish is not only full of vitamins and packed with color, but delicious and playful to eat.

Purple Sweet Potato Pasta with Pine Nuts and Spinach
serves 6 to 8 guests

Tip: Avoid using a self-rising flour, or flour including baking soda and baking powder, as it has a chemical reaction with the purple potato turning it green.  I used bread flour to add more glutton to the dough and balance the white whole wheat flour.

• 1 and 1/4 cup 100% white whole wheat flour
• 1 and 1/4 cup bread flour, plus more for kneading
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, minced
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup pureed purple sweet potato, about 1 large potato

• 12 ounces fresh baby spinach
• 4 tablespoons garlic infused olive oil
• 4 tablespoons, toasted pine nuts
• Pecorino Romano cheese, grated to taste
• salt and pepper, to taste

Peal purple sweet potato and cut into large cubes. Add to a pot of cold water and bring to a boil. Cook until tender. Remove the potatoes with tongs and reserve cooking water. Puree the potatoes in a food processor, move to a separate bowl and allow to cool.

Rinse and dry the food processor bowl, add flour, salt and rosemary. Pulse together. Add eggs and purple sweet potatoes. Pulse until combined. Move the dough to a clean floured surface and knead manually until formed together and does not stick to the surface. You may need to add more flour as you knead. Once formed, allow the dough to rest for about ten minutes in the refrigerator before running though a pasta machine.

Cut the dough into four pieces and begin to feed the dough through the widest setting of the pasta machine. As the dough comes out, fold into thirds and feed through again – and again about 4 or 5 times. Gradually reduce the settings until the pasta is as thick as tagliatelle. Then use the cutting side of the machine to cut the dough.

Add a tablespoon of salt to the reserved purple boiling water. Boil the pasta, in small batches, until floating and cooked through.

In a saute pan, wilt spinach in garlic infused oil over medium high heat. Add the pasta into the skillet with spinach and top with pecorino cheese, pine nuts and salt and pepper. Season to taste and enjoy!

Like most of my recipes, this one can be adjusted to your liking. I literally made it up on Saturday morning. I originally was dreaming of these giant trumpet mushrooms at the Super G Mart – but they were out. I picked up oyster and cremini mushrooms which were just as good. If you don’t like the taste of green peppercorns, use capers or skip them all together.

Also, don’t hesitate purchasing a cheaper cut of meat. I actually prefer a NY Strip or Ribeye Steak but I wanted to just have individual steaks for everyone that night. Below, I refer you to two great cooking tips – Ina’s directions for cooking a thick cut filet and an electronic meat thermomitor. There couldn’t be anything worse than over cooking an expensive cut of meat at a nice dinner party. The electronic meat thermometer actually monitors the meat temperature the entire time it is cooking – it is worth 15 bucks at the store – believe me! Ina’s instructions are fool-proof. And, I mention below that you can skip the butter. It is January, geez Ina.

Anyway, I love this combination of flavors but please, be creative. That’s what it’s about! Enjoy.

Filet Mignon over Sauteed Oyster and Cremini Mushrooms with Garlic and Green Peppercorns 

• 1 carton oyster mushrooms, torn
• 1 carton cremini mushrooms, sliced thick
• butter and olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 1 large shallot, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon green peppercorns
• 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley

• 4 filet mignon – or 2 ribeye steaks or NY Strips
• a brush of canola oil
• good salt and freshly ground pepper
• an electronic meat thermometer

In a large skillet, sauté mushrooms in an equal mix of very warm (but not HOT) butter and olive oil. The trick here is to not let them dry out, brown and not have too many in the pan. I did this in two batches. If the mushrooms are close together, they will just steam. Allow them to brown before you salt and pepper them – it will only bring out more moisture. I’m not exactly sure how much oil and butter I used (enough to lightly coat the mushrooms) – you want an equal mix for heat and flavor.

Once the mushrooms are getting brown, add the sliced shallot, garlic and a good dusting of salt and pepper. Turn the heat down so you don’t burn the garlic. Once the shallot and garlic are cooked, add the green peppercorn and parsley. Taste for seasoning, adjust and set aside.

I use Ina Garten’s instructions for Steakhouse Steaks to cook my filet mignon (follow the first part and skip the sauce). I didn’t add the extra butter at the end – Ina might be one step behind Paula right now and I’d like not to be. I highly recommend an electronic meat thermometer for this. It’s a great tool to have – and has saved many an expensive cut of meat. Once cooked through to 120 or 125 degrees internally, allow the meat to rest! Eat our salad or make another martini – just don’t cut into them piping hot!

Serve with mushrooms. Lick your lips.

This week I met a new Thompson! Baby Thompson! She is a new addition to my friend’s Parrish and Jonathon’s family. In an effort to help make their lives a little easier, I brought dinner over this week. I wanted to make sure it was something I could prepare in advance, transport easily and please both Mom and Dad. I settled on Michael Psilakis’s recipe for Beef Stew with Leeks. I’m such a fan of his and though a simple Greek Salad and a loaf of crusty bread would pair perfectly for a cold night.

Of course, I had to make sure it was good enough to share and stole a small bowl for dinner Sunday night. This recipe is an interesting twist on a traditional beef stew with lots of spice from cinnamon, sage, thyme and rosemary. A perfect Sunday project this winter. I doubled the veggies and cooked it almost twice as long as he recommends.

Greek Style Beef Stew with Leeks  by Michael Psilakis

• 3 tablespoons blended oil (90 percent canola, 10 percent  extra-virgin olive)
• 2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
• Kosher salt and cracked black pepper
• 1/2 large Spanish or sweet onion, finely chopped
• 1 carrot, finely chopped
• 1 stalk celery, finely chopped
• 1 large leek, cut into thick rounds, washed well in cold  water, drained
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 3 to 5 cups water
• 1 fresh bay leaf or 2 dried leaves
• 1 large sprig rosemary
• 1 sprig thyme
• 1 sprig sage
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Grated orange zest
• 1 tablespoon roughly chopped parsley

Place a large, heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium-high  heat and add the blended oil. Season the beef aggressively with kosher salt and  pepper.  When the oil is hot, add the beef and sear on all sides, 5 to 6  minutes. Add all the chopped vegetables to the pan with the beef and sauté for 2  minutes. Add the tomato paste and stir for 1 minute. Deglaze the pan with the  red wine and red wine vinegar, and let them reduce completely away.

Add 3 cups of the water,  2 teaspoons salt and a generous grinding of pepper, the bay leaves, rosemary,  thyme, sage, and cinnamon. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and  partially cover the pan. Simmer gently for about an hour. Check and, if the  mixture is dry, add another cup or two of water. Keep simmering for 15 to 40  minutes more, until the meat is tender and the braising liquid has reduced to a  saucy consistency. Remove the bay leaves and cinnamon sticks. Transfer to a  platter and drizzle with a little extra-virgin olive oil, and scatter with a  little orange zest and the parsley.

Are you looking for a simple, seasonal, elegant and colorful meal for holiday dinner parties this December? This might be it! I’d like to say I’m selfless – testing out new recipes over Thanksgiving instead of cooking a traditional turkey – but really my family just doesn’t like turkey. This year we had a smaller crowd, so we didn’t go all out with lamb and rib roast. We bought a small(er) crowned pork roast that needed minimal TLC. You could brine this cut of pork, but really it will be juicy and tender without any advance preparation. That’s what is great about meat on the bone. I made up a simple honey, mustard and herb glaze for the meat and we roasted it to just medium. It was tender, juicy – and I’ll admit, there was some bone chewing (heck, it was just family!).

With extra potatoes from a (very successful) Domino Potato experiment and some seasonal pick-ups from the market, I threw together a colorful and super easy hash to compliment the pork. You could add any root vegetable you have on hand but I’m a sucker for any brussels sprout this time of year. Purple potatoes would be a really fun addition if you can find them! So, have fun with this and experiment. If its colorful and cooked in bacon fat, your guest will most likely love it.

Mustard, Honey and Herb Crusted Crowned Pork Roast 

• Crowned Pork Roast (4 to 5 bone)
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon grain mustard
• 4 to 5 cloves of garlic confit – or roasted garlic
• 1 teaspoon fresh sage, minced
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, minced
• 2 tablespoons local honey
• salt and pepper
• olive oil

Brussels Sprout and Potato Hash

• 1 package brussels sprouts, halved
• 3 sweet potatoes, cubed
• 3 Yukon gold potatoes, cubed
• 1 shallot, sliced
• 4 slices of bacon
• butter
• olive oil

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cook bacon in a large skillet. Remove bacon and keep fat in the pan. Meanwhile, microwave the sweet potatoes in a bowl for about 5 minutes or until tender. At this point, you want to sauté the sprouts and potatoes like you’re making hash browns. Add oil and butter as you need – remember butter adds flavor and oil raises the smoking-point. Sauté the brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes and yukon potatoes separately on medium high. Add the shallots when you have room. They will all cook at different speeds. Once everything is brown, put them all on a baking sheet, add the bacon back in, and cook until tender.

Last night I had my new next-door neighbors, Nora, RT and their 2-year-old son Trey, over for Sunday Supper. Our mutual friend, (and Westerwood’s biggest cheerleader) Jeff, appropriately joined in the Westerwood Welcome. And, since Westerwood residents are naturally inclusive people, our friend Jeb, a Fisher Park resident, completed the table set for six. It was a long overdue welcome to our fine neighborhood and I wanted to make sure the menu was perfectly fitting for the occasion.

When I think of really great neighbors I always think about how nice it would be to live next door to Ina Garden!  Remember that time she rented a big grill and made that fabulous Birthday Brunch for her neighbor!? Or when she made a crowned pork roast as a house warming gift – and convinced her fantastic florist friend to haul it next door?! With Ina’s style in mind, I took a hint and made her recipe for Company Pot Roast. I adapted her recipe to the size of my kitchen, my dutch oven and my budget (since this sure ain’t the Hamptons and Winston doesn’t pull in the same dough as Jeffery). I made the roast in the morning and allowed it to cook throughout the day both as directed and on top of the oven to keep it warm. It was delicious, as most Ina recipes are, and completely appropriate for our welcome. Here is the menu and my adapted version of Ina’s Company Pot Roast.

PS: I took this photo of Woodlawn Street last week on a walk with Winston. Nothing is as picturesque as Westerwood in the Fall!

Westerwood Welcome Menu:

• Ina’s Company Pot Luck
• Mashed Potatoes with Garlic Confit
• Salad with Apples, Blue Cheese and Pumpkin Seeds in a Lemon & Honey Vinaigrette
• Pear Upside Down Cake with Fresh Whipped Cream

Ina’s Company Pot Roast, adapted for a small kitchen on Mendenhall Street

• 1 (4 pound) boneless beef chuck roast
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• flour
• olive oil
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 1.5 cups chopped yellow onions
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 3 chopped leeks, white and light green parts
• 5 large garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
• 1 cups red wine (confession, I used 2 Buck Chuck)
• 1 (28-ounce) can whole plum tomatoes in puree
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 chicken bouillon cube
• 3 branches fresh thyme
• 2 branches fresh rosemary
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature

This is not a new recipe for MMoM, in fact, I posted this recipe for Roasted Chicken with Potatoes and Mushrooms not long ago.  It is an old stand-by and one of the reasons I  included it into my first cooking class at the Greensboro Children’s Museum Edible Schoolyard. A roasted chicken is one of the most versatile things you can learn how to make – and while it seems daunting, it is surprisingly easy to do. I remember screaming with my college roommate the first time we put our hands on a raw chicken – oh but what a sense of satisfaction it was once complete! There are tons of tricks – from trussing to basting – which I don’t see 100% necessary. Learn the basics, get messy, even get squeamish once (or twice) - it will be worth it.