Corn on the Cob

Due to a picky-eater based childhood, I was never really into corn. Something about this summer (and the farmers' markets) has flipped the switch, and now, bam: I love corn on the cob. Here's how I make it, courtesy of In Praise of Leftovers:

Plain Jane Corn
So silly I’m telling you this, but somewhere along the line, I learned to cook corn this way, and nothing beats it. Put big old pot of water on the stove. Shuck your ears (or have your seven-year-old do it). Cut them in half if they won’t fit in the pot. Drop them in, and get the water to a boil. As soon as it boils, turn the water off, cover your pot, and let the corn sit for 10 minutes. Now it’s ready to eat, and not even a tad overcooked. Nothing worse than mushy corn. And if you have a grill going, you can throw it on there for a quick second for some smoke and grill marks. Oh–one more thing. Let your children completely annihilate whatever cube of butter happens to be in the butter dish. No sense trying to protect it. Slathering corn is its highest use, anyway.

Watermelon Salad

Aha! An actual new blog post about an actual recipe I actually made!

I've made this watermelon salad at least half-a-dozen times this summer. I've been obsessed with watermelon, and this dish will only work if you've got a nice ripe one.

Ingredients
Half of a large watermelon (seedless if you can)
1 vidalia onion
1 bunch of mint
Balsamic vinegar
Olive Oil
Lemon or lime juice
Salt & pepper

Yields
5+ servings

Directions
1. Cut the watermelon into bite-size pieces. I've found the best way to do this is to do the same way you do an avocado: slice a grid then scoop out with a spoon.

(photo from Simply Recipes)

2. Slice the onion. I like mine sliced very thinly, almost translucent. You can do a rouch chop (guacamole style) if you'd like or if you don't have the patience.
3. Chop the mint. I like to roll mine up and then cut it with kitchen scissors, chiffonade-style, but you can chop it how you like.

(photo from Wikipedia)

 4. Dump the watermelon, onion, and mint in a serving bowl. Toss with a dash of balsamic, a splash of olive oil, two or three squirts of lemon juice, and a pinch of salt and pepper.

Tastes good cold from the fridge, or room temp. Would also be good with basil instead of mint, or adding cucumbers or tomatoes.

Printable recipe

Another new page!

I promise I will start posting actual recipes again soon. In the meantime, I've created a page for all the bookmarked recipes I've yet to try. Just click on the "Bookmarked Recipes" link in the menu bar or go to http://robynsrecipestotry.posterous.com/. It's still a work in progress, but I like having everything all in one place rather than bookmarked in a folder or starred in my gReader feed.

New page!

I'd like to share a little side project with you: Hoboken Eats, a restaurant blog/map/thing that we've started. Colin and I, along with our friend Sean, decided to keep track of which restaurants and bars we've been to. Despite being only a Mile Square, there are a ton of places to eat and drink in Hoboken. Here's hoping that sharing it with you will encourage us update it more often.

To see the map, simply click on the tab at the top of the page or click here.

Cooking with Gas

My new kitchen has a gas stove rather than an electrical one. I don't really care about gas vs. electric, but I do think gas heats up faster; sometimes too fast! Either that or I'm still getting used to my new stainless steel pans.

Also, see that yellow? Colin and I are not yellow people, and our whole apartment was various shades of it when we bought it nine months ago. We're not sure what color to do the kitchen, and will probably settle on white. It might be boring, but at least my food photos will stop getting a weird yellow cast all the time.

Quick Chicken Curry

This recipe comes from the Joy of Cooking. Colin gave me my copy of the 'bible' for Christmas two years ago, and despite the numerous food blogs I read every day (seriously, thirty seven and counting in my feed reader), I return to JoC time and again. Something about the thin pages, columns of text, and line drawings are so reassuring; it makes me feel like I'm a cook!

The Quick Chicken Curry recipe is one of the 'classic' recipes, and I think it could use some updating. It's not quick exactly (about 30 minutes, if your chicken is already cooked), but it's simple. The flavor doesn't quite stand up and needs a little tinkering. More pineapple? Fresh pineapple? Fresh ginger? More spice? As is, it's a fine go-to recipe, especially if your boyfriend went on a let's-make-pina-coladas-from-scratch kick and you've got most of the ingredients already on hand.

Ingredients
2 tbsp butter
1 large onion, chopped
2 tbsp flour
1 tbsp curry powder
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 (13.5 oz) can unsweetened coconut milk
1 1/4 c chicken broth
1 (8 oz) can crushed pineapple with juice
2 to 3 c cooked chicken (or turkey)
Salt & pepper

Yields
4+ servings

Directions
1. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat, adding the onions and cooking until translucent (about 7 minutes)
2. Add flour, curry, ginger, and cinnamon to the onions, and stir it all together as best you can (it should be pretty paste-y).
3. Remove the pan from heat and whisk in the coconut milk, chicken broth, and pineapple.
4. Put the pan back on the heat and bring to a boil, stirring 'constantly' until the sauce reduces to a nice thick consistency. I say 'constantly,' because really, are you gonna stand over a hot stove for 10 full minutes? Or are you going to stir a bit, then go update Twitter, stir a bit, then start the rice, stir a bit, then check the baseball scores, stir a bit? I thought so. Your sauce will survive.
5. Add your diced chicken and let cook on low for a few more minutes. I also tossed in (already cooked) potatoes, since our favorite curry at Rearn Thai has potatoes in it. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
6. Serve with cooked white rice or naan (pictured).

Recipe from Joy of Cooking, photo from me.
Printable version of this recipe

Pork with Camembert Sauce

Fancy but easy.

Ingredients

1 lb pork medallions

1 tbsp butter

3 tbsp dry white wine

3/4 c whipping cream/crème frâiche

1 tbsp fresh herbs (marjoram, thyme, sage, rosemary, etc)

4 oz. Camembert cheese (or Brie or other creamy cheese)

1 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard

Pepper

Serves
2-3 people

Directions

1. Melt butter in frying pan over medium-high heat, then add the meat. Cook, turning once, for about 5 minutes. Remove and keep warm.

2. Meanwhile, chop herbs.

3. Add wine to the pan drippings, and bring to a boil, scraping the bottom of the pan to get all the porky goodness. Stir in the cream and herbs and bring back to a boil.

4. Add the cheese and mustard, as well as any juices accumulated from the meat. Stir until the cheese melts, adding more cream/seasoning as needed. Try not to eat the sauce by the spoonful.

5. Serve over the pork and enjoy!

Recipe from Cook's Encyclopedia of 30-Minute Cooking; photos from me.

Printable version of this recipe

Colin: Professional Food Model

Colin: Professional Food Model, originally uploaded by robyntorkewitz.

a test post

The view from my new kitchen

Jealous?

I'm back!

As some of you know, I recently moved 500 miles from North Carolina to Hoboken, New Jersey. I've got a new kitchen, a new cute red-headed roommate, and a backlog of cooking projects to post. I've settled in, cleaned house, and finally found a card reader to get my pics off the camera and onto the blog. Get ready!