Category: Side Dish (Page 3 of 4)

Goodbye City Life! At Least For The Weekend Anyway

December 22, 2012 / Shannon Zeta-Jonez / 0 Comments

dinner

We began our adventure in a car we rented for the weekend, buy information pills driving 14 hours each way. I’m talking about our recent adventure to Tennessee, symptoms where we hoped to soak up nature and live as one with the land. As much as one can get staying in a cabin. Of course we were roughing it, so to speak. The shower was outdoors, the stove was of the a camping variety, our water came from large jugs, the bathroom was an out house, the light was kerosene lamps and it was heated by a wood burning stove. What else do you want from a cabin in the woods? As it turned out, nothing. It was perfect, peaceful and quiet. Mother Nature graced us with wonderful warm weather. It may have been November but it could easily had been late September. We walked the land, marveled at streams that when it rains become dangerous rivers, chopped wood, went to bed early and rose with the sunrise, saw old friends and made some new ones, all while preparing and eating some amazing food. We even drove into town to the local Piggly Wiggly to get supplies.

There’s something amazing about the mountains in Tennessee. I grew up in a few different environments, one of them was the mountains in California and to this day, I don’t get the same feeling of peace as I do when I’m here. It’s a place that you want to sit back take it slow do some chores and cook till you have filled your pantry with goodies and your belly with food. Lucky for us we arrived just in time for a late lunch and a stroll around the property. Our guide led us around and showed us some old homestead from early settlers and gave us a history lesson on who would have lived there before and what they would have farmed. To me seeing history is always more fascinating then reading it. When we were done getting the tour we took in the incredible sunset on top of the tool shed, and then it was back to the cabin to burn some wood and get cracking on dinner. Grilled corn with sausages and a warm salad with a honey vinegar dressing.

The next day we were left to our own devices. With our guide driving back to his home in Colorado we started the morning with breakfast and a leisurely stroll. We visited friends who lived nearby, catching up on their latest projects, chopped wood and traveled into town for more supplies. That night we slow cooked some beans on the wood stove, drank whiskey, listened to the radio and played cards. Not bad for a Saturday night!!

Our last day we started it off with left over beans and eggs steamed over grilled onions and of course bacon. After our hearty breakfast we took one last stroll said our goodbyes to the neighbors and headed back to NYC and our city lives.

Pumpkin Pie. Or is it?

November 27, 2012 / Shannon Zeta-Jonez / 0 Comments

Another Turkey day has come and gone and we are sad to see it go. But we have great memories. We arrived at our destination late so we didn’t get any pictures of what was made. There was the usual suspects, stuff Turkey by Joe, decease green beans, side effects stuffing, cranberries along with a few new items. I made Jason’s famous smoked sweet potato/potato mash, there was a refreshing fennel salad, Brian’s sweet potatoes with paprika, Anna made butternut squash with parmesan cheese, fresh parsley and thyme, while Kirk made a lovely whiskey cocktail that had everyone thankful. Luckily for us Jason did take pictures and made a fabulous pumpkin pie that disappeared faster than giblet gravy! Or was it a pumpkin pie? I told everyone I would let them know what was it it but not til after. So without further ado the secret ingredients in the the pies were Butternut Squash and Brandy. No pumpkins were harmed in the making of this pie. We got the idea from The New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/video/2012/11/14/dining/100000001903215/pumpkin-pie.html We thought, hmmmm interesting lets do it! The results speak for themselves. Two pies gone in no time. We also had an actual pumpkin pie and it was delicious. But I think from now on it’s Butternut Squash Pie that will be made in The Lab.

Comfort Food

November 16, 2012 / Shannon Zeta-Jonez / 0 Comments

As the week ends, information pills we start focusing on Thanksgiving, seek the ultimate in comfort food. While Mexican is my main food of choice, I would have to say I have a favorite from almost every region , from Ethiopian stews, Italian pastas, Japanese, Thai, Greek, German, Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches, Polish, New Zealand meat pies, Indian, anything curried and of course French, mmmm butter, mmmm cheese. But for most of us, what we grew up with is what truly makes a meal or dish comforting. This time of year though, it’s Thanksgiving. Turkey, gravy, mashed potato’s, stuffing, cranberries, green bean casserole and pie. I’m getting full and sleepy already!!! We always add new dishes and keep old favorites but it always ends up with friends and family enjoying a day and a meal together. To me, that is the ultimate in comfort food. Food for the soul. I usually make two or three dishes to take with me and as usual I wait till the weekend before to decide what I am bringing. Hopefully you have your game plan and can stick to it. If not, don’t worry, in the immortal words of Hudson & Halls have another glass of wine and it will all work out. Well, that may not be exactly what they said but I like to remember it that way. In any case, I will be doing a bit of both. So as you go into the wonderful day of tradition and new experiences remember to take comfort in all that is around you and eat all you can!

On a Sunday Afternoon

November 12, 2012 / Shannon Zeta-Jonez / 0 Comments

What did you do this last Sunday? Jason went camping and I stayed at home to learn computer stuff. Sounds boring doesn’t it? Not really. I expanded my brain with knowledge and did some, physician (a long time coming) slow cooking. I made chicken stock and pinto bean soup. It may not sound like much but both are long, but relatively easy tasks. I had the makings for stock sitting in the freezer for way too long and finally had the time to make it. There’s a reason most people buy their stock from a store. That’s not to say I don’t like homemade stock, quite the opposite. I love it! But don’t always have the time to make it. Another issue is I don’t cook mine as long as some people, or chefs, simply because I’m too impatient. That’s probably why my stock is very strong and usually cloudy. I did come across an article on how to make a quick chicken stock and can’t wait to try it. I will let you know how it turns out. If it’s as good as it looks then I may never buy chicken stock again!!! Hahaha, not likely, but maybe I will make more at home.

Now, what did I do with that chicken stock you ask? I made cauliflower soup!!! I took six cups of stock, a couple ribs of celery, two carrot’s, a medium onion and a head of cauliflower chopped them up and put them on the stove to simmer for 20 minutes(after bringing it to a boil) and next thing you know lunch was served!

One of the other things I did was make Pinto Bean Soup. This is something I had learned from my grandparents. It was my grandfathers favorite soup and my father’s least favorite. I first got to taste this hearty goodness when we were living with my grandparents one winter when I was young. I remember paying attention to how it was made but not really understanding what I was seeing. It all happened so fast. My biggest memory is that when it’s done you must add pepper and very finely minced onion. Something my grandfather took pride in doing. My father always said it was tasteless soup. I beg to differ. The earthiness of the beans and the cloudy stock made smokey from the bacon and the tender cooked onions melt in your mouth, while the fresh onions provide a nice crisp sweet freshness that is to me, pure heaven. I don’t have the exact recipe just what my father told me as he finally made it one day, after months of begging. He made it from memory and since he only made it once I had to learn quick. It’s a very simple soup and there really is no measuring, which is probably where I get my cooking method from. I’ve asked lots of friends and family about this soup and how they make it. Everyone seems to make it mostly the same way, soak the beans overnight then rinse them, put back in the slow cooker and cook for several hours. Some of the other ingredients people added were bacon, onions, celery, carrots, garlic, a ham hawk or what ever there mother/grandmother use to use to get it just right. My version is simple with bacon, onion and garlic. I like to make a couple times so I have it on hand all winter for those long cold days and evenings. Not a bad way to spend a Sunday.

Stove Top Smoker

November 5, 2012 / Shannon Zeta-Jonez / 0 Comments

What happens when a stove top smoker and a rack of ribs collide? The best ribs ever!!! O.K., malady so I may be biased, this but I can’t help it. We bought a stove top smoker last year because we wanted to go camping and the weather wasn’t cooperating. We searched high and low and found one that we liked and have been using it ever since. Last night we used it to smoke some ribs and they were so good we ate most of the rack in one sitting! We also made sweet and red potato mash with a cucumber, rx radish and tomato salad in a spicy red wine vinaigrette. For the ribs we used are Camerons smoker and apple wood chips to give it that smokey sweetness to balance out the dry rub we made. The potato mash is one sweet potato to four medium red potato’s and the dressing for the salad was red wine vinegar, olive oil and Tapatio hot sauce. Needless to say there was nothing left. So the next time you want that feeling of camping and can’t get there, remember you can always use a stove top smoker.

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The Rub

Author: Jason

Ingredients

1 Tablespoon of Hungarian Paprika
1 Tablespoon of crushed Coriander Seeds
¾ Tablespoon fresh Cracked Multi-Peppercorns(green,black,pink & white)
1 Tablespoon of kosher salt

Instructions

Combine ingredients in a bowl
Pat rack of ribs dry with paper towel
Rub spices on both sides of ribs
Put in smoker

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Blood Soup

November 1, 2012 / Shannon Zeta-Jonez / 0 Comments

Usually this time of year I hit a few Halloween parties or at least a pumpkin carving party. Unfortunately I only made it to one this year and didn’t have time to make anything. Also our wonderful guest Hurricane Sandy payed a visit and literally put a damper on the festivities. So now it’s the day after Halloween and I am finally getting around to making my famous blood soup. This years will be a little different as I am adding yellow and orange carrots. I wanted to make it lighter and challenge myself to do something different. I went to the local farmers market and grabbed my supplies, a large red beet, a bunch of yellow carrots and a medium onion. I already had the orange carrots and chicken stock at home. Now as some of you know I don’t always measure what I’m making. Especially if it’s the first time. So if you want to make this you must be brave. Also it’s pretty easy if you can guesstimate while your cooking. Like I said a couple sentences ago, I used one large beet, peeled and chopped into small pieces, four medium to large yellow carrots also peeled, two regular size orange carrots, again peeled, plus one medium yellow onion. They are now sitting in around 6-7 cups of chicken stock waiting to boil, with salt and pepper for taste. I usually roast the veggies, especially the beets, but like I said I am trying something new. I also usually top it off with sour cream and pico de gallo, but tonight it will be chopped honey crisp apples. The veggies will simmer till soft, it should only take about 20-30 minutes. Then we will cool the soup off and then blend it. Now, if you are adventurous, try this one out and let us know what you think. Remember, all these measurements are approximate. If not then don’t worry, you can email us later and we will give you the measured out version as soon as we finalize it.

Hurricane Kimchi

October 28, 2012 / Shannon Zeta-Jonez / 0 Comments

What did you do during Tropical storm Irene or Hurricane Sandy? If your like us, price you trekked to Chinatown and played the theme song to Gilligan’s Island at Dub Pies or trekked to Chinatown and performed at a un-ukuklele cabaret as Rocky Horror Picture Show and made kimchi. Chances are your not, story but lucky for you we actually braved both storms to make this fermented gold. Here are some pictures of our crazy adventures.

Beach Camping

October 9, 2012 / Shannon Zeta-Jonez / 0 Comments

Camping season is almost over. Well for most people. We will be starting our forest camping and may even do a bit of winter camping. If Jason has any say it will include waking up to a fresh snow fall. But that is another post. This post is about beach camping. We were very lucky this year. Usually we only get one weekend before the mosquitos devour everything in their path. Thanks to a mild winter and an even milder summer we were lucky enough to get in 5 camping weekends! Sun, adiposity sand, erectile riding waves, unhealthy ukuleles and great food. It was a dream summer. We usually set out on Friday or Saturday morning and hit the ferry to Watch Hill where we would walk about a mile and a half before setting up camp. Then it was a celebratory beer, hit the waves and start thinking about food. The first night we usually had salmon and mashed potato’s with a vegetable, like curried corn. Second night was usually chili, sometimes meat, sometimes veggie. Lunches were mostly grilled cheese and bacon sandwiches, sometimes grilled asparagus. Breakfast is eggs and bacon with left overs thrown in for good measure. The trick to camping for multiple days is carefully planning the menu. It sounds like we have it all together but that took years of tinkering. I do have some grand plans for big feasts, but all in good time. I feel we have it down now. Who knows a maybe this will be the year I roast a chicken and turn the leftovers into soup, or roast a pork shoulder.

$3 Grab Bag!

October 9, 2012 / Shannon Zeta-Jonez / 0 Comments

Look what you can get for $3 at the farmers market! We got 2 bags!! We made a cucumber salad, try added the carrots, treatment celery and some onion to our roast chicken, advice then with the leftover chicken, the veggies and drippings from the pan we made Chicken Pot Pies! The potato’s will go great in the morning with eggs and bacon. The parsnips and yellow beets we will roast with other root veggies later this week and the peppers we will probably stuff and make an appetizer out of them. So the next time you stop by your local farmer’s market and see a grab bag don’t walk away. With a little imagination you can make some really amazing dishes, and you’ll be supporting local businesses.

And the Emmy goes to……………..

October 1, 2012 / Shannon Zeta-Jonez / 0 Comments

Here at houseofzeta.com we are often asked to cook a meal or make a dish for a party and we are always happy to oblige. This was the case a couple Sundays ago when I went to a friends house to watch the Emmy’s. O.K. so it was my idea, approved I had some new recipes and wanted to try them out. Also, order it’s a great excuse to see friends and dish about celebrities. Sounds like a win, win situation to me! I went shopping for the final ingredients, prepped what I could and made the trek to Williamsburg. As I unpacked the bags my friends were like, “did you bring the whole kitchen?” And on closer inspection, I kinda did! I hadn’t realized it till I started to pull everything out of the bags. I brought ingredients to make pork and kimchi dumplings, chicken satay, a cabbage and snap pea salad and beef with onion soup. Oops my bad! Like I said it was my idea so why not feed everyone, right?! As I got to work on the feast a friend brought some multicolored baby potato’s to add the the meal. It was perfect addition, we just boiled them and plated the with the rest of the meal. The unintentional star of the night was the Beef and Onion soup. It was hearty, rich and just the right dish to end our culinary trip around the world. Everyone was so pleased with the soup that they were like we need this recipe, put it on the blog! I was taken back a little, I was really proud of the satay and sauces, of course our dumplings are always a hit. But if the crowd wants beef and onion soup you give them beef and onion soup. So without further ado, here is the recipe enjoy!!!

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Beef and Onion Soup

Author: Shannon

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 45 mins

Total time: 55 mins

Serves: 6

Ingredients

6 quart pot
1 Lb of boneless round steak or chuck steak
2 tablespoons of butter, divided
3 large onions
8 ounces of mushrooms
6 cups beef broth
¼ cup of dry red wine, plus a little more.
1 table spoon of worcestershire sauce, divided.
Salt and pepper to taste.

Instructions

Cut steak into 3 inch strips
Cut onions into ¼ inch rings
slice mushrooms
Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in the pot
Add meat, cook for about 10 minutes on medium heat or till done.
When done set aside.
Melt second tablespoon of butter.
Add onion and mushrooms.
Cook till onions are translucent, about 10-15 minutes.
Add stock and meat, red wine, salt and peeper.
Cook for 30-45 minutes.
The last 15 minutes add half of worcestershire.
Add the rest if you want more.

Notes

The wine and worcestershire are approximates because everyone's tastes are different. I put between ¼ and half a cup of wine and the whole tablespoon of worcestershire, but I like really bold flavors. Remember these ingredients can make or break a dish. They are very strong flavors so you don't want to go overboard cause there is no coming back if you do.

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