The Bitten Word

Spiced and Grilled Steaks with Citrus Chutney

Bon Appétit (April 2016)

It had been too long since we'd seen our friends Drew and Ralph. The two of us work 9-to-5 jobs, but Drew and Ralph run a successful group of Thai restaurants and a very popular art gallery here in D.C. So we have somewhat opposite schedules, and if we don't make solid plans to see each other, well, you know how these things go.

So one night last week, we found a night that worked and invited them over to catch up.

It was the perfect opportunity to try this Spiced and Grilled Steak with Citrus Chutney.

Roasted Beets With Dill-and-Chive Yogurt Dressing

Martha Stewart Living (April 2016)

If we tallied up all the money we spent at farmers markets last year, we're afraid we might be aghast.

You see, we're avid farmers market goers. We live for the asparagus of the spring, the stone fruit of the summer, apples in the fall, and, well, we kind of bide our time through winter's bleakness waiting for spring to come back around.

We went to the market fewer times this winter than any of the last five years. We just weren't feeling inspired to haul out of our house on cold Sunday mornings. We hated buying our eggs at the supermarket instead of from the wonderful man we see at the market, but for some reason, and with no real discussion about it between the two of us, we largely opted out this winter. 

We made our return to the market two weeks ago. It was a cool Sunday morning. We were hoping for asparagus. There was none to be found (still too early), but there were ramps, which was fun to see. And, as there were the few times we hit the market this winter, there were big, beautiful beets. 

We love beets, be they raw, marinated, or slawed (just go with it). But we rarely make them, and we're sorry to say that that's largely because of the mess. They stain. It's ugly. And we recognize that it's more a mental hurdle than any real obstacle. The stain, after all, goes away quickly.

It's a hurdle we need to overcome. Because beets are delicious! (Quiet down, haters.) 

We dusted off our beet apprehension, and got to making these Roasted Beets with Dill-and-Chive Yogurt Dressing.

Rosé Vermouth

Food & Wine (April 2016) 

We first wrote about vermouth after our trip to Spain last year. It was the first time we'd ever seen people drinking it as a standalone beverage rather than as an ingredient in a more complicated cocktail.

We loved the vermouth we drank in Spain: Bitter and herbal and slightly sweet, it was incredibly refreshing served alone, over ice.

Back then, we predicted that vermouth might become our drink of the summer. And it sort of did: We found a D.C.-made vermouth that we really enjoy. It's called Capitoline -- we fell in love first with the label and then, in short order, with the drink itself. 

When we saw a recipe in the latest Food & Wine for a make-at-home vermouth, we wanted to try it for ourselves. 

First things first: Where were we going to find wormwood root?

Indian Fish and Potato Tikkis (Fish Cakes) with Chile and Lime

Saveur (April 2016)

We often imagine other lives we're living.

There's the us that lives in New York City, like Clay once did, where we live in a tiny apartment that has no real kitchen to speak of. We rarely cook, but there's so much good (and affordable!) food around. We're rarely at home, always at work or with friends.When we do cook, it's an event, with lots of friends crammed into our apartment, just to remind ourselves that we can. 

The West Coast us worships the sun. In this alt-life, we're living in Los Angeles, and live to be outside, going to the beach every chance we get. We actually have a really big apartment in this version (our L.A. selves are rich!), with a citrus tree in the yard, and a huge, airy, light-filled kitchen. West Coast us is calm, rested, absolutely zen. We are cooking, but it's mostly salads. Very light, very healthy, totally amazing salads. (But then obviously we cheat by going to SQIRL and In-and-Out on the regular). 

There are other versions, too. Like another West Coast us who lives in San Francisco and is super outdoorsy and spends every weekend in Napa or Tahoe or Big Sur.

There's an us who lives year-round on Cape Cod (or maybe Maine), in a little rambling house with crooked walls and low ceilings. In summer, we pluck blueberries from the bushes in our back yard and pack slices of our home-grown tomatoes to take to the beach. We freeze through the winters, huddled around a little Franklin stove and dreaming of summer. This version of us cooks a lot of seafood -- hearty fish chowders and stocks.

And maybe even a lot of fish cakes.

Because it turns out, we love a fish cake. And that was not always the case. 

Chilled Pea Soup with Spicy Crab

Food Network Magazine (April 2016) 

 

 

It's kind of funny the dishes and flavors you associate with certain times of year. Oh sure, cranberries make you think of Thanksgiving. And maybe a ham brings Easter to mind. (And thanks to Starbucks, pumpkin-spice flavor now pretty much evokes everything from August until New Year's).

But we always associate chilled pea soup with the first weeks of April.

Why? Because every year, we go to this amazing fundraiser for the organization that Clay works for, No Kid Hungry. The fundraiser is called Taste of the Nation. It's awesome -- a gathering of nearly 100 of the best restaurants, wineries and bars from around the area. It's a truly overwhelming smorgasbord of amazing foods. (The organization does similar events all over the country -- you should totally go if there's one near you.) Plus: gif booths. 

Anyway, the event in here in D.C. is always the first week of April. And because it's early spring and chefs are eager to showcase seasonal dishes, there are always -- without fail -- a few different places that settle on some version of a chilled pea soup.

This year we counted four. Three of 'em with crab on top. We are, after all, Chesapeake adjacent. 

We're not complaining -- it's a lovely cold soup, and the crab combo can be quite delicious.

So when we flipped open the latest Food Network Magazine and saw this Chilled Pea Soup with Spicy Crab, we decided to make this Taste of the Nation staple at home.

Cast-Iron Hacks: Classic Roast Chicken with Lemon-Thyme Pan Sauce

Today's post is less about a recipe (goodness knows we've written enough about roast chicken), and more about a simple trick to have you rethinking roast chicken.

America's Test Kitchen has a new book out -- Cook It In Cast Iron -- and we're smitten. It's a simple little book, but for those of you who are cast-iron aficionados, or those wanting to use their cast iron more, it's a must read. The book covers a wide range of dishes -- everything from fried eggs to pies -- that you can easily make in cast iron. 

We decided to feature this recipe because it uses cast iron to hack a common chicken problem: The chicken breast cooks more quickly, and therefore dries out before the thighs are done. This is why so many roast chicken recipes have you flip the bird at different intervals. 

This recipe solves that problem by using cast iron's ability to retain heat. You simply get the pan really hot in the oven, then place the chicken breast side-up, allowing the thighs to cook at a slightly higher temperature. The best part: it works like a charm, producing a flavorful roast chicken in under an hour. 

Time to break out the cast iron!