a handsome boy indeed

Do you ever find yourself wishing that people were sandwiches? Sure I like tall, dark, and handsome as much as anyone, but I just might like prosciutto, fresh mozzarella, and sundried tomato even better. I understand, really, I do, that there are certain things in life that a person can provide that a sandwich cannot. I'm not saying that we should live in isolation with snapshots of sandwiches occupying photo frames instead of people. I'm also not recommending that we break up with our significant others over a sandwich. That is a bad idea. And of course, a sandwich would never ask you to do that for it anyway. Your sandwich won't even care who you went out with on Saturday night, or even what other sandwich you had for lunch. Sandwiches, you should know, don't even believe in monogamy!

I love sandwiches of all shapes and sizes, from lands remote and lands near. Every so often, however, you will meet a sandwich that will change your life. A sandwich like this can be very dangerous, can inspire you as if at gunpoint to leave your job, take out a small business loan, and devote the rest of your living days to making sandwiches.

For me, this sandwich was the good-looking fellow in the photo above. He is the equivalent of a blue-ribbon cow, or a Slavic beauty queen. This is a sandwich you will want to make friends with. Some sandwiches, like some people, really were meant to be adored.

Make this sandwich. Love him. Cherish him. For he is a handsome boy indeed.

Roasted Turkey on Whole Wheat with Aged Cheddar, Apple Butter, and Caramelized Raisins (AKA "The Best Friend")

-ingredients-
Slices of roasted turkey
Aged cheddar cheese
Granny Smith apple
1 handful of raisins
Apple butter (so far, we really like the one made by a company called American Spoon)
2 thick slices of whole wheat bread (if you can, go all the way and get a loaf from a good bakery!)
Romaine lettuce

-preparation-
1. Preheat your broiler on the low setting, if it has one.
2. Thinly slice as much of the apple as you would like on your sandwich.
3. Put as much cheese as you would like on your sandwich on one slice of bread. Sprinkle raisins on top, and put in the broiler, once it is ready. Toast the other slice of bread.
4. After about 2 minutes, or until the cheese has become sufficiently melty, remove the slice of bread from the broiler. Spread apple butter onto the other slice of now toasted bread.
5. Assemble sandwich with remaining ingredients and enjoy!







Picture: This is what a nice Granny Smith apple looks like. Try to find one that resembles this one.














Picture: Step 4 - caramelized raisins.













Picture: Step 4 - apple butter time.













Picture: Step 5.

table for one

I could give you at least a dozen relatively convincing for why this blog has been a dead, cold animal for so many months now. At the top of the list: (*inhale*) I broke up with my boyfriend and have not felt like spending over 30 minutes on a meal for one was justified (*exhale*). All I can say is that the trauma of a breakup can have very transformative powers.

Even while preparing this meal, while listening to the Cibo Matto song on a mix Parsiri made for me, I found myself repeatedly doing a mental scan of my list of contacts in my phone. Was I really going to eat this meal by myself?

And then it hit me: having a significant other is not a prerequisite to eating good food. (Note-taking here not required, but strongly encouraged.) One can buy $10.99/lb roasted yellow tomatoes, small bottles of truffle oil, and stinky artisanal cheeses all for oneself. (Much has changed since we last spoke; notably, I am now possessing of Job... or perhaps more accurately, Job possesses me.)

The point is, single people very often ascribe their laziness in their kitchens to their solitary states. They eat large amounts of edamame and microwaved slabs of tofu for dinner. On good days, they will dump half a jar of Ragu onto a plate of spaghetti, but rarely do they feel so deserving.

So there you have it. I just enjoyed a wonderful meal of grilled chicken with roasted yellow tomatoes, mashed potatoes with goat cheese, and roasted asparagus, and let me tell you, I feel better already.

Red Potato Mash with Goat Cheese

-ingredients-
1 pound red boiling potatoes
1 tablespoon butter
3 tablespoons sour cream
3 tablespoons creamy goat cheese (I like to use Chavrie)
3 cloves roasted garlic
1 tablespoon green onion, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon dry thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

-preparation-
1. Roughly cut potatoes into 1-inch cubes. Cook potatoes in boiling salted water until tender, about 10 minutes.
2. Drain potatoes; transfer to mixing bowl.
3. Add butter to bowl; allow potatoes to cool slightly, for a few minutes.
4. While potatoes are cooling, roughly mash roasted garlic using a mortar and pestle (or a fork) so that you almost have a paste. (If you are making the asparagus below, you can simply throw the garlic cloves into one corner of your roasting pan and take them out after about 5 minutes and they'll be good to go!)
5. Add mashed garlic to bowl, along with remaining ingredients. Use a potato masher to mash; serve.












Picture: Roasted garlic, not mashed.













Picture: Roasted garlic, mashed.



Easy Roasted Asparagus

-ingredients-
1 bunch of asparagus, ends trimmed
1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

-preparation-
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Put asparagus in a rimmed sheet or roasting pan. Drizzle with olive oil; add salt and pepper. Move the pan from side to side a bit so that all of the asparagus spears are coated.
3. Roast until just tender, about 12 minutes.