Teaching Michael Mondays (1/25) -- The Roux Suggestion

Last week, I got a call from Michael asking advice on how to make a pasta dish -- as he was trying a new tactic in cooking and making up his own recipe based on what ingredients fit together.

I applauded him, and asked what he had in mind: Pasta with broccoli, peppers, and sweet potato in a jarred marinara sauce.

I'm sorry -- what?

To his credit, our mom often makes a take on pasta primavera using roasted butternut squash cubes. However, while sweet potatoes and butternut squash may be the same color, they are not always interchangeable because they break down differently. (The same goes for broccoli and cauliflower, by the way). I also tend not to see the point of carb on carb dishes

In addition, I advised against the sweet potato/marinara combo. There's an open invitation for someone to prove me wrong, but I just don't see those flavors meshing really well.

Michael has been doing a LOT better with his cooking lately, and has successfully made a roux -- so I challenged him to do a recipe revision with cream sauce using ingredients he already had on hand.

My revisions: Pasta with sauteed onions, broccoli, peas in a creamy white cheddar Parmesan sauce.

I received the following text review from Michael

Sauteed onions, broccoli, peas in skillet with thyme, nutmeg, garlic powder. Made roux from Milk, butter, flour, parm, block white cheddar (I knew to cut it up tiny to melt and prevent clumping), and nutmeg. Mixed in large bowl with pasta, veg. Proportions were better this time [Steph interjection -- HE CAN BE TAUGHT]; had plenty of broccoli per serving of pasta. Main problem: insufficient spice, in part due to inexperience with tastes (which spices go together?), in part due to cooking for someone besides me.

Not a problem, Michael -- we can cover mixing spices in the following weeks.

Overall, I think it sounded like a serious kitchen success! My only critiques would have been to add salt and pepper with the veggie saute (that'll help balance your seasonings, dear) --- and that adding nutmeg into the veggie saute was an interesting choice. Nutmeg is a fantastic addition in bechamel sauces (i.e., one of the French 'mother sauces' -- and the basis for your standard cheese sauce). I've also seen nutmeg added to sauteed greens.

Glad it worked out!!

Teaching Michael Mondays (1/18) -- Proportions

One of my favorite food-related movie moments has to be the "perfect bite" scene from the Barbra Streisand film, "The Mirror Has Two Faces." Unfortunately, no kind soul has uploaded it on YouTube, but the film is worth a watch -- trust me. Long story short, Rose takes a small piece of every item of her plate and layers them neatly on her fork -- thereby building the perfect bite, with all flavors perfectly proportioned and balanced.

Enter my dear brother, who yes, has yet to learn this concept.

This week, Michael decided to attempt a batch of pasta with broccoli and some red bell pepper mixed in. The original recipe called for 1/4 pound of broccoli (which to Michael's credit) he added correctly.

At that point, Michael decided to make enough pasta to last him the week (kudos for meal planning, kid).

To quote the text he sent me, "Even though 1/4 lbs of broccoli is a lot, it is next to nothing when mixed into a pound a pasta. Also, one pound of pasta is a *lot*"

In this case, I would recommend upping the vegetables when you up the amount of carbs or protein in a dish. The goal here is to make sure that every forkful has a bite of every element in the dish (see "The Mirror Has Two Faces" tie-in).  If Michael's original dish called for 4 ounces of broccoli for 4 ounces of pasta, he should have continued with a 1:1 ratio when increasing the dish's volume.

The only situation in which I might not follow that rule, would be when increasing the amount of fat  -- like olive oil or butter -- but that's just my health-conscious preferences chiming in.

Teaching Michael Mondays (1/11) -- Meal Planning and Pantry Essentials

Meal planning is important, but can be daunting. However, I find that it's less daunting if you make a plan to have "options." Let me explain: A balanced meal needs to have protein, carbs, and vegetables. So, something that's helped me is to make sure that I always have "options" for each in my pantry and fridge.

(Michael keeps kosher, so those who don't observer these dietary restrictions should use these tips as guidelines and add their own healthy favorites.)

• Protein options: 
• Hebrew National Hotdogs -- I stick with the 97% fat free ones which are 1 sp each. I recommend buying a few packs and storing them in the freezer. They're fully cooked, so you can cut open the frozen pack, remove two links, microwave them to thaw, and either sear them in a pan, or chop them up to add to pasta.
• Chicken breast -- buy a pack of three boneless/skinless breasts and cook the entire pack on Sunday afternoon/evening. Store cooked chicken in tupperware and add to meals as needed during the week. 
• Tuna -- not just for lunch anymore. Crack open a can of tuna, and throw it on top of salad with other components for a heartier salad.
• Beans -- Make a healthy fajita bowl, quick chili or toss onto salad. 
• Beef -- This tends to be a "treat" in my kitchen, but if you're living alone, I recommend looking for packs that have 4 ounce portions and separating into freezer bags when you unpack after shopping. 
• Tofu -- I go with extra firm, and add to stir fry or bake as a "steak." The catch here is that you need to use the package within a week.

• Carb Options: 
• Pasta -- Make sure you measure out a portion because living alone can EASILY lead to engorged portions.
• Rice -- I HATE cooking rice. I do. I can't stand it. Luckily, there are these "minute rice ready cups" at the grocery store that you can microwave for a minute to add to stir fry, fajita bowls, or pair alongside beef or chicken.
• Potatoes -- Keep a few on hand (they do spoil, so be careful). To prep baked potato -- wash, and pierce with fork or knife and then microwave for 5-8 minutes depending on the size of potato. 

• Veggie options:
• Frozen veggies -- ABSOLUTE LIFESAVER. YES, they are not as flavorful as fresh, but they're cheaper and more convenient. You can do a "quick roast" in the oven on a sheet tray, or saute in a pan with different spices
• What's in my freezer:
• Brussels Sprouts (MULTIPLE Packs)
• Stir fry blends, including one that's broccoli heavy and one that's peppers and onions
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Green Beans
• Asparagus (they have this at trader joes, for sure)
• Pearl Onions (Add to a crockpot)
• I also keep fresh veggies on hand. Note: THEY SPOIL so use quickly. They're also more expensive. I recommend:
• Bell peppers
• onions -- I go back and forth about whether its worth it to buy a 3-5 lbs bag or individual loose onions. While I go through the individuals faster,  I often find that the bag always has 1-2 bad onions which spoil the rest of the bunch.
• Mushrooms
• Broccoli
• String Beans
• CARROTS -- Can eat raw, throw on tray for quick roast, or toss into crockpot.
• Celery

Teaching Michael Mondays (1/4) -- Pasta in an Olive Oil Bath

Michael's second cooking mishap started out innocently enough: a harmless recipe for "Pasta with Garlic and Oil" (from How to Cook Everything: The Basics by Mark Bittman). It seemed simple: boil pasta, lightly toast garlic, toss together with parsley and red pepper flakes.

Michael is in the habit of eating lunch with a friend, and offered to bring in some for her prior to cooking it.

Said friend (who we're told is NOT a girlfriend) is not a fan of red pepper flakes, so Michael ignored the direction to add them to the recipe. He was out of parsley, so he ignored that direction as well.

Now, despite leaving out two ingredients, Michael, who was very worried about the recipe's end result, continued to "follow the directions exactly."

He didn't have minced garlic in water from a jar, as instructed. Instead, Michael decided to chop up a fresh garlic clove. But how much? The recipe instructed 2 TBS, but Michael had some idea that one was suppose to use a lesser amount of fresh spice "rather than dried or pre-packaged spices" -- and so he halved the amount, thinking that the fresh garlic would be stronger than the jarred kind.

In his retelling of the saga, Michael added:

It's been a while since I did this, and I don't remember exactly how I made it. But I keep thinking of the recipe as calling for 3/4 cup olive oil, so there's a chance I accidentally used 3/4 cup instead of 1/3 cup when I first made it.

 Regardless if Michael used 3/4 a cup of oil or 1/3 a cup, the resulting dish was pasta swimming in oil with a slight garlic flavor only noticeable "when you managed to find a piece [of garlic] to crunch into." Michael's friend was reportedly amused by the fact that he needed to follow a recipe for something so easy -- and still managed to screw it up.

Stephanie's "Expert" Recommendations:

There's no doubt that cooking is difficult, so I do give credit to Michael for consulting a recipe first.

In this scenario, I wouldn't have cut ingredients out completely. Instead, when Michael didn't have parsley, my recommendation would've been to stay within the Italian flavor profile, but substitute a different spice, such as oregano or basil, instead. Perhaps instead of red pepper flakes, Michael could've added fennel seeds, which would give an added depth of flavor.

As a healthier cook, I also would've used less than the prescribed amount of olive oil. Even if the original recipe called for 1/3 of a cup, that seems like quite a lot, when you figure the serving size is 1 TBS. To create more of a "sauce," I would've reached for part-skim or fat free ricotta, which would've added a creaminess to the dish -- and -- (added bonus) boosted the protein for the overall meal.

Kudos for trying, kid.

To those who are curious, the original recipe does call for 1/3 cup of olive oil. We will never know how much Michael ACTUALLY used, but as a very wise and slightly snarky older sister, my money's on 3/4 cup.