The Bitten Word

Going Away Dinner: Braised Baby Artichokes

Martha Stewart Living (May 2008)

Although the Fresh Pasta with Favas, Tomatoes and Sausage is plenty of food for an entree, we wanted to add a nice, tasty vegetable on the side. These Brasied Baby Artichokes seemed like just the thing.

Neither of us has ever cooked very much (okay, at all) with artichokes, but this dish sounded like a great, simple place to start.

It didn't turn out very well (largely because I [Zach] misread one crucial direction). Now that we've cooked with artichokes, though, we're eager to try some more dishes with them.

Going Away Dinner: Fresh Pasta with Favas, Tomatoes, and Sausage

Bon Appétit (May 2008)

We live in a transient city.  In my first few years here, I attended well over a dozen going away parties and it seemed that just as I had met people with whom I really wanted to be friends, they were moving away for grad school or other cities or experiences. 

The longer we live here, we continue to meet wonderful people and make new friends.  Some have stuck around, but other have needed to go, and the going away parties continue. 

We knew and liked Will & Haven, but didn't know them all that well.  Having them over for dinner seemed a great time to both say goodbye but also get to know them better.  In some ways, there's no better way to get to know someone than cooking with them, especially when it's two novices trying to make homemade pasta. 

While Will & Zach were in the kitchen wrapping asparagus, Haven & I attempted pasta in the dining room.  This recipe doesn't demand fresh pasta, but we thought it would be fun to do with guests.  For the pasta, I used a Gourmet recipe from Smitten Kitchen that I had saved last year.

A brief note about our pasta-making history:  We have only attempted fresh pasta once before, well over a year ago, when we purchased a pasta machine.  That time, we were making dinner for new friends -- Regi & Kate -- and the pasta, while not inedible, was very fat and too chewy.  Since then, the pasta machine has remained in the closet, ashamed and collecting dust. 

But hey -- we're adventurous and not afraid to revisit pasta, so the machine came out, got dusted off, and we were ready to get started. 

Going Away Dinner: Pancetta-Wrapped Asparagus with Citronette

Food & Wine (May 2008)

Our friends Will and Haven recently left D.C. for the other Washington. Before they moved, though, they said they wanted to cook something for The Bitten Word. For their Going Away Dinner, we wanted a meal that was delicious, of course, but also fun for a group to make together.

We had them over last week, on a positively gorgeous Thursday evening -- late spring in D.C. is one of the most glorious times of year anywhere (take that, Seattle!). We settled on a light, refreshing Italian menu that showcased some delicious in-season vegetables.

The meal could not have gotten off to a better start, with this appetizer of Pancetta-Wrapped Asparagus with Citronette.

Chocolate Peanut-Butter Pie

Everyday Food (May 2008)

To cap off our meal with our friend Whitney, she picked out this peanut-butter pie from Everyday Food. It sounded like a winner: A simple, creamy, chocolatey, peanut-buttery icebox treat.

But the results weren't quite what we'd hoped.

Horseradish-Crusted Whitefish with Remoulade

Gourmet (May 2008)

Our friend Whitney was in town staying with us last week, and she said what she really wanted to do was cook something with us for The Bitten Word.  We were happy to oblige.

Whitney picked out this delectible fish from Gourmet (which we served with salad greens and Asiago Potatoes), and it turned out to be a huge hit.

Asiago Potatoes

Gourmet (May 2008)

"You Asked For It" is a recurring feature in Gourmet, where readers write in and request recipes for their favorite dishes from restaurants around the country. It's a great idea for a column.  Many of us have dishes we love at our favorite restaurants.  Personally, we've never asked for a recipe in a restaurant.  It seems unseemly somehow, like asking your great-granny if that's her real hair or a wig. 

There are many recipes we'd like to request, but only two we've requested so far.  This weekend, we ate at Paolo's in Georgetown, and had their amazing Cayenne and Espresso Steak Salad -- always one of our favorites.  The other recipe we've requested is the Tempura Green Beans from The Red Cat in NYC.   

C'mon Gourmet, help us out! 

Pasta with Creamy Tomato Sauce

Cook's Illustrated (May/June 2008)

On a recent weekday night, I was home alone -- a little tired and cranky from the day.  The weather in our nation's capital was still cool. 

And I was in the mood for only one thing:  a big bowl of pasta. 

It was the perfect time to make Cook's Creamy Tomato Sauce. 

Oatmeal Snack Cake with Broiled Icing

Cook's Illustrated (May/June 2008)

We're big fans of oatmeal.  Just this year we discovered the steel cut variety (amazing).  And oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are one of our all-time favorite desserts.  (Well, in truth, only one of us loves them, and the other is always willing to humor him.)

These Southern boys had never heard of Oatmeal Snack Cake, but it sounded right up our alley. 

Salmon with Agrodolce Sauce

Gourmet (April 2008)

 

Unsurprisingly, Gourmet's April Italian issue is chock-a-block with delicious looking recipes.  There are many that we're dying to try.  For instance, we'll save Oven Crespella with Nutella Sauce for when guests come over. 

Others, like the Octopus Salad, will be amazing when we're feeling a bit adventurous (and maybe have access to fresh octopus, even though the recipe calls for frozen). 

And we've been itching to make fresh pasta.  (Confession: We bought a pasta rolling machine well over a year ago and have only used it once).

These recipes -- though I'm sure they're amazing -- are also a big commitment and not doable for us on a work night.  Enter Salmon with Agrodolce Sauce. 

Granny Ragland's Chocolate Gravy

When I was growing up in Tennessee, I loved going to visit my grandparents. Exploring the old barn in the field behind their house. Running around the cool, dark basement filled with Pa's tools and Granny's canning supplies. Horsing around with my cousins on the rope swing in the backyard.

But the best part was waking up to a house already filling with breakfast smells -- eggs, country ham -- and walking into the kitchen to find that Granny had made a batch of biscuits and her famous chocolate gravy.

Last year, when Granny asked if I wanted anything in particular for Christmas, I told her I would love it if she would just write down some of her favorite recipes. On Christmas Day, when she handed me a stack of handwritten recipe cards, I knew without looking which one would be on top -- this delicious chocolate gravy.