The Bitten Word

Red-Leaf Salad with Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Everyday Food (January/February 2009)

Roasted root vegetables are the thing we're cooking most often this winter.  And why not?  They're available in abundance at our farmer's market, they're cheap at the supermarket and they make for a delicious but simple side dish for almost any meal.

Typically, we toss together some combination of cubed sweet potatoes, parsnips, rutabaga, or carrots, drizzle them with olive oil and then roast them at 425 degrees for 20 minutes, or until tender.

The roasting caramelizes the vegetables, bringing out their wonderful flavors that compliment almost any protein. 

But here's a salad that takes our go-to winter side dish and turns it into the star of the show, as the central component of a delicious, warm, winter salad.

Côte de Bœuf with Hash Browns

Martha Stewart Living (February 2009)

Is there any more classic combo than a big, juicy, steakhouse rib eye and crisp hash brown potatoes? We'd say, probably not.

The February issue of Martha Stewart Living has a really great feature called "Meat and Potatoes," which includes several recipes for -- you guessed it -- a meat with a potato side dish. At first blush, that might sound a little...basic. But it's a terrific feature, full of dishes such as Herb-Crusted Pork Roast with New Potatoes and Veal Ragu with Potato Gnocchi.

But it was the thought of a sizzling pepper-crusted steak and hot, crispy homemade hash browns that really struck a chord with us.

Here's the rub, though: Unfortunately, we'd never before been successful making hash browns at home. They always end up mushy or gummy or burnt or gray -- or some combination of all of the above. We love the idea of them, and we've tried cooking them many, many times, for breakfast and as a dinner side. But it never seems to work out right.

Would this be our first hash brown triumph?

Spaghetti with Tuna, Lemon, and Breadcrumbs

Everyday Food (January/February 2009)

Not long after our friend Aubrey's last visit to DC, we received in a box in the mail filled with a bottle of wine that she enjoys from the Pacific Northwest -- where she lives -- along with three small, beautiful copper-colored tins.

It was extremely thoughtful of her.  Of course we loved the wine, but we were especially intrigued by the unmarked tins. 

What were they?   

It turns out that Aubrey has married into a family of fishermen, and the tins contained tuna that her father-in-law had caught himself.

How cool is that?!

Armed with these beautiful tins of tuna, we knew we wanted to do something really special.  A tuna salad simply would not do.

Braised Hearty Winter Greens

Cook's Illustrated (January/February 2009)

Even in the winter, we still love going to the Sunday Farmer's Market.

Sure, the crowds are smaller, and the selection is on the slim side compared to other seasons.  But we love to go and buy eggs, maybe pick up some meat, and see what winter vegetables are available.

Lately, we've been buying a lot of sweet potatoes.  They're in abundance, as are beautiful carrots and turnips.

But the real standouts at the market during winter are the greens.

Some of the lushest, most beautiful winter greens are available, from several kinds of kale to big leafy collards. 

We typically use the greens as a side dish at dinner, either roasting them a bit or giving them a quick braise on the stove top.  We've been wanting to try making crispy kale (by essentially frying it), but haven't gotten to it.

Our roasted or braised greens have produced mixed results.  Sometimes the greens aren't quite as cooked as they should be, because we get impatient or the entree is finished and it's time to eat. After all, winter greens do require a substantial amount of cooking. 

This recipe, from Cook's Illustrated, takes the guesswork out of winter greens -- and you won't be sorry you tried it.

Spinach-and-Pork Wontons

Food & Wine (January 2009)

Dumplings were one of the very first dishes we made on The Bitten Word, although they were small Turkish dumplings called manti.

For that recipe, we hand-rolled the homemade dough, cut it into exact squares with a ruler, and formed each dumpling into a perfect little star.

It was meticulous work, but a rewarding and enjoyable way to spend a few hours in the kitchen.

But let's get real -- sometimes you need a down-and-dirty version that can be made on a weeknight. That's where these Asian wontons come in.

London Times Names The Bitten Word on its List of World's 50 Best Food Blogs

We were extremely excited to hear that the Times of London included The Bitten Word on its list of 50 of the world's best food blogs! 

(It's been a big week for us -- just last Wednesday we were profiled for the Washingtonian's Blogger Beat.)

Anyway, we're very, very happy about the shout-out from the Times.

And we'll be speaking with terrible British accents all day in honor honour of the recognition. Cheerio!

Perfect French Omelets

Cook's Illustrated (January/February 2009)

Last Sunday, we awoke to a gorgeous, sunny, unseasonably warm day in our nation's capital. We had nothing in our plans but a morning of coffee, reading the paper and relaxing.

What a great time, we thought, to whip up these lovely looking French omelets! We'll just waltz in to the sun-filled kitchen, crack some farm-fresh eggs, toss some gorgeous ingredients in a pan and -- voilà -- a perfect French omelet while we enjoy our café au lait.

Maybe we'd even be helped out by some chirpy cartoon bluebirds.

When we started getting into this recipe, though, our Cinderella vision of an effortless omelet quickly fell apart.

This recipe is so intricate -- so complex -- that we quickly felt more like we were doing a science experiment than spending a delightful morning in the kitchen.

Assembling this omelet is about as relaxing as putting together an IKEA bookcase.

New Ways to Browse The Bitten Word

You may have already noticed that we've added some new categories here to make it even easier for you to find recipes on The Bitten Word.

All of our posts are now organized not only by the magazine they come from, but also by the kind of food they are.

Looking for an idea for breakfast? Thinking about a salad? Want to make something sweet? Just click on the link you want under the Categories on the right.

And of course you can still use the search bar on the right to help find something you're looking for.

Enjoy, and happy eating!

Easy Homemade Chicken and Dumplings

Is there anything more hearty and comforting than a big bowl of chicken and dumplings? We don't think so.

The deep aroma that wafts through your kitchen while these simmer on the stove is one of the most richly satisfying scents you can experience. It's the very essence of going home.

And we've found a (shameful) twist that makes this dish even easier to prepare.

The Bitten Word on Washingtonian.com

We're thrilled to be profiled in Washingtonian.com's latest Blogger Beat post!

Check it out to hear about our favorite The Bitten Word recipes, our biggest kitchen disasters, and our idea of a nice Valentine's dinner.

Thanks, Washingtonian!