Experimentation

I've been cooking for all of 4 years. My mother never really taught me how to cook and I'm pretty damned lazy so during my 20s I mostly ate potato chips and handfuls of nuts when they were in reach and washed it down with coffee or red wine. That's how I stayed so thin I guess. Now that I'm cooking all the time, and in my 30s, I'm not so thin anymore but I enjoy cooking and eating so fuck it. Chubby is the new happy.

Even though I'm new to cooking, I come to it with a lot of intelligence and the gusto. I read cookbooks voraciously. I especially like Jane Grigson's books. I eat at great restaurants. I talk to people about food all the time. So trust me folks -- this is gonna be fun. You'll see.

I love going to Farmers Markets and I'm tempted by the beautiful fruits and vegetables there. I'm happy to support my local farmers but I'm new to this cooking thing. How do I cook fava beans? What about rutabagas? How much fennel is too much? My hope for this blog is that I can find the answers to these and other pressing food questions.

This is how it's gonna work: Each week I'll pick a random selection of eatables at the market and make a meal out of them. I'll share my recipe and results, you can mock or praise me from afar. Deal?

This week's picks: leeks and shallots. This one is not going to be tough. How can you go wrong with two kinds of onions? My basic rule in cooking is that nearly everything starts with onions. Once you know how to saute an onion, your cooking results get immeasurably better. Leeks are all over the markets lately and I wanted to try a variation on my husband's onion tart.

Leek and bacon tart
(makes 2 tarts)

5 medium leeks, washed well, trimmed and chopped into ½" disks
4 shallots, minced
4 oz bacon, sliced into 1" pieces
½ pint of heavy cream
3 oz unsalted butter
4 oz of grated or crumbled cheese -- gruyere, cheddar, goat cheese all work well
4 eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons of flour
salt & pepper to taste
2 deep dish pie crusts

Set oven to 350. Pre-cook your pie crusts if required.

In a large sauce pan, melt ½ the butter over a gentle heat and add the shallots. Cook gently, without a lid, for 10-15 minutes. Add the remainder of the butter and the leeks and cover. Cook until the leeks are a soft mass, about 25 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat.

Fry up the bacon in its own pan. Pour off the fat.

Add the bacon and cheese. Mix the cream, flour and 3 of the beaten eggs. Mix it all together until blended well. Season with salt and pepper.

As soon as the pastry case is ready, remove it from the oven; arrange the mixture all over the base. Paint the remaining beaten egg over the sides. Place the tins on the top rack of the oven for 20-30 minutes or until the pastry is crisp and golden and the filling is firm.

Remove it from the oven and allow to settle for 10 minutes before serving.

There is a lot of wiggle room -- you don't have to use shallots but they taste wonderful. And the kind of cheese you use is really up to you. I serve it with a big green salad - usually arugula, green onions, celery, and endive with a garlic lemon dressing. The bitter and tartness of the salad compliments the creamy goodness of the tart. The result is a hugely satisfying winter meal.

Next posting -- black kale and celery! What will I do next?