Saffron-Nutmeg Rice Pudding: Sugar High Friday!

Something has happened. There used to be no stopping me from gravitating straight toward the chocolate. In Baskin Robbins, I had no control over my constant need for chocolate raspberry truffle, and therefore tasted almost no other flavors for about six years. My mom could hide all the candy in the house and I wouldn't notice, but if chocolate had a hiding place, I could find it in a flash. Lately, my long-standing chocolate obsession has taken a backseat to simpler things. Exhibit A: this little rice pudding number, featured in the latest issue of gourmet. I turned the page to the letters section, noticed the recipe for rice pudding with (gulp) nutmeg as the only flavoring (not even vanilla!) and thought, I. must. make. this. now.

So I did.

Where has all the chocolate gone? No matter. If you make this rice pudding, I guarantee you won't miss chocolate, no, not one little bit. Nutmeg may sound "simple" when you shake it from the jar into your carrot soup (the subject of a later post...stay tuned!) But when it's freshly grated, when it stands alone on arborio rice -- with just some milk, cream and sugar to pull the pudding together -- why, nothing could be more complex.

Nutmeg is a "warm" spice, at once spicy and sweet, with a real bite and a pleasant bitterness that make it irresistible. In the jar, its flavor gets somewhat muted, so grate some from a whole nutmeg whenever possible. I bought 20 whole nutmeg pieces for a buck fifty, so it shouldn't set you back much, and it's truly worth it.

Now, I'll be honest: I didn't stop at the nutmeg. After all, something as simple as rice pudding provides a golden opportunity to play around. I happened to buy a (relatively) big box of saffron a couple weeks ago, and I've been waiting for a chance to use it. What better than a bright yellow, saffron-nutmeg flavored rice pudding? So it was settled.

Aside from the nutmeg, what drew me to this recipe was the stirring -- or lack thereof. Typically, rice pudding means hovering over the stove until your back aches, stirring the thing around and around so it doesn't clump or stick or overcook. Needless to say, it's a pain. But this recipe was for baked pudding: simply mix the ingredients in the ramekins themselves, stick'em on a baking sheet, and bake'em in the oven for an hour. Let's face it -- not much could be easier. And I'd be surprised if you don't scrape your bowl clean, as I did. Saffron-Nutmeg Rice Pudding: my entry for this month's Sugar High Friday.

Saffron-Nutmeg Rice Pudding adapted from this month's Gourmet
serves 4.

• 2 cups whole milk
• 1/3 cup Arborio rice
• 8 tsp. sugar
• salt
• whole nutmeg
• 12 threads saffron
• 4 Tbsp. heavy cream

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees, and put rack in the middle. Butter the ramekins.
2. Add 1/2 cup milk, 4 tsp. rice, 2 tsp. sugar, and a pinch of salt to each ramekin. Grate a bit of nutmeg over each, and put 3 threads of saffron in each. Stir well to combine, and ensure that the spices don't float, if possible.
3. Put ramekins in a shallow baking pan and bake until most of the milk is absorbed and the tops are golden-brown, about 1 hour.
4. A skin will form on each ramekin; remove the skin.
5. Stir 1 Tbsp. cream into each pudding until creamy. Allow to cool, and if desired, refrigerate 30 minutes until chilled.
6. Enjoy -- don't forget to scrape your ramekin to the last drop.

Open-Faced Spanikopita

Several times a week, I get home from work, open the fridge, and sigh. What the hell am I going to make for dinner? There's half a red onion, a package of mushrooms, two slices of bread, leftover kale, one red pepper....yea, I'm not getting very far.

Last week, I had a blip of inspiration between long-ish bouts of cooking drab food, and managed to throw together these open-faced spanikopita with roasted peppers and tomatoes. There was a bit of leftover filo dough in the freezer, but it wasn't wide enough to fold into triangles as I usually do, so I just left them flat and piled the goodies on top. And when you're working with such few ingredients and almost no technique, there's room to play with decorative aspects of the food. I arranged the red peppers in a criss-crossing pattern atop the spinach-kale mixture, and D thought the whole thing looked very fancy-shmancy.

Point is, don't let a fridge full of half-used veggies and scraps get you down. There are lots of easy dishes that make use of leftovers in creative and easy ways. Now if only I could think of a couple more....for now, I'll leave you with this spanikopita, which was truly a hit. For a quickie weeknight dinner, it truly fits the bill.

Open-Faced Spanikopita
makes 2 servings.

• 10 layers of filo dough, about 6"x16"
• olive oil for brushing between the layers (about 1/4 cup)
• 1 red pepper
• 6 cherry or grape tomatoes
• combined 1 1/2 cups frozen or fresh spinach or kale (I used a combo)
• 1 cup cheese -- I used a mix of feta and ricotta, but farmer's cheese would also work
• Parmigiano-Reggiano for grating on top

1. Set out the filo dough and allow to thaw completely before unrolling.
2. Meanwhile, roughly chop spinach and/or kale if fresh; if frozen, thaw and drain completely.
3. In a medium mixing bowl, combine chopped greens with cheese, and mix thoroughly until well combined. If you prefer a smoother texture, blend in the food processor.
4. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Set one rack on the highest shelf.
5. Put the red pepper and tomatoes on a baking sheet, and drizzle with a bit of olive oil and salt. Roast for about 20 minutes, until the skin of the pepper is charred. Remove from the oven, and put the pepper in a paper bag to steam for 5 minutes. Turn the oven down to 400 degrees.
6. When you remove the pepper from the bag, its skin should be easy to remove. Once the skin is off, slice the pepper into matchsticks (pretty thin slices).
7. Now, slice two 6"x8" rectangles out of the filo dough.
8. Working with one rectangle at a time, take a layer of dough, brush it with olive oil, and place the next layer on top. Repeat with each layer, then with the second rectangle.
9. When all layers are brushed and stacked, scoop 2/3 cup of the spinach-cheese mixture onto the filo stacks.
10. Put the pepper slices and tomatoes onto the spanikopita in a haphazard or decorative (your choice) way. Grate some parmigiano-reggiano cheese on top.
11. Bake for 15 minutes, or until filo dough layers are golden. Be careful -- it's hot!

A Brittle Perfect for Fall

When a blogger-hero of mine, Danielle from Habeas Brulee, posted a while back about pumpkin seed cocoa nib brittle, I knew I'd be making it sooner or later. For starters, the recipe is uber-simple. Just combine sugar and water with a bit of cream of tartar, heat 'em up, let them turn golden, add the rest of the ingredients, and pour out onto a sheet of silpat (or, in my case, parchment paper) in a thin layer. The hardest part of the recipe is waiting for the brittle to harden before digging in. Even if it weren't easy, this brittle would be worth making. The sheer fact that it contains cocoa nibs makes it absolutely to die for. Cocoa nibs are raw, unsweetened cocoa beans in little bits that are perfect for everything -- including noshing.

In my experience, brittles made of just water and sugar (without butter or milk) are a bit too sugary for me. That's why I decided to add some dried black currants, those perfectly tart berries with quite a bit of zing. In keeping with the other proportions, I added 1/4 cup. I really enjoyed their tartness, and they cut the sweetness exactly as I'd hoped.

I also happened to have some already-roasted squash seeds, which had some sugar, salt, cayenne and cinnamon on them. They were perfect for this brittle, and I actually added a pinch of salt as well. It's still super-sweet, and Danielle's right -- it would be perfect atop a cheesecake or some other less-sweet dessert. That said, this is one classic fall treat you'll be sorry to miss.

Squash Seed Cocoa Nib Black Currant Brittle originally at Habeas Brulee (adapted from Essence of Chocolate: Recipes for Baking and Cooking with Fine Chocolate</a> by Robert Steinberg and John Scharffenberger) 1/4 cup raw green pumpkin seeds 1/4 cup cocoa nibs 1/4 cup black currants (can sub other dried berries) 1/2 cup sugar 1/4 cup water a pinch of salt 1/8 tsp cream of tartar A pinch of cayenne

Toast the pumpkin seeds in a dry pan over medium heat, shaking very frequently, until they begin to pop. Set them aside to cool.

Set up a baking sheet covered with a Silpat or piece of parchment paper (something non-stick and flexible).

Bring the sugar, water, and cream of tartar to a simmer together in a small saucepan. Continue to simmer until it starts to develop a nice light caramel color that appeals best to you. Stir in the other ingredients, then quickly pour it all out onto the baking sheet and spread it thin as you can with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon.

Let it cool and harden before breaking off pieces to serve and devour.

Or you can just play with the sugar while you wait....

Vegetarian Chili with Green Beans

Veggie Chili was always a staple in my house growing up. We may not have had meat, but you know I've sung the praises of morningstar farms more than once, and chili brought out the best in MF's "veggie crumbles." Yea yea, it sounds really unappetizing, but trust me, it's amazing. Obviously if you're not restricted by vegetarianism, feel free to add all the BOEUF you desire. Morningstar will come through for the rest of us. As usual, this falls somewhere between method and recipe. My standard veggie chili has garlic, onion, tomatoes, peppers, morningstar, white beans, and spices. This one had all of the above except no white beans -- I only had black beans in the house. I also added a bit of sweet potato, since I had some baked, mashed, and in the fridge. I'd do that again in a flash: the sweet potato added subtle sweetness and earthiness to an otherwise typical Mexican veggie chili. Finally, I threw in some green beans and a bit of spinach at the very end, which made this chili a one-pot meal. Pop it on some whole wheat tortillas, and you've got dinner! Oy, I feel like Rachel Ray...

Veggie Chili with Green Beans serves 2

1 jalapeno pepper 1/2 onion ( I used red, any will do), chopped 3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped 1 package morningstar farms veggie crumbles OR 1/2 lb. ground turkey or beef 1 8 oz. can diced tomatoes 1 sweet potato, chopped and baked 1 1/2 cups green beans 1 cup spinach, chopped 1 green pepper 1 tsp. chili powder 1/4 tsp. crushed red chilies 1/2 tsp. cumin 1 tsp. coriander a few springs of fresh cilantro salt and pepper to taste

1. In a heavy-bottomed pan, saute onions, garlic, and jalapeno in 2 Tbsps. olive oil.
2. When onions are fragrant and soft, add veggie crumbles or meat, a bit more oil if needed, and all spices except cilantro, plus salt and pepper to taste. saute until thawed and/or browned.
3. Add tomatoes, and toss to coat everything with their juices.
4. Add sweet potatoes, green beans, and spinach, and continue to cook over medium heat until green beans are soft, about ten minutes.
5. Finish with chopped fresh cilantro; serve with whole wheat tortillas. Enjoy!