"Restorative" Rice is Right

Why hello, December. Yes, I know, we're halfway through the month and I'm only just catching on--but I can't be the only one, right? Thanksgiving melts so quickly into the Christmas season, it's rare that I am able to keep my head on and really focus on... well, on anything in particular. So many pretty lights! So many sweet treats! So few shopping days! 

Apparently the lights, sweets, and shopping take the place of my common sense and healthy diet. There's limited space in the Christy Life! If we're going to have sparkly lights, we can't have grocery lists. That's just how it goes.

To be completely honest, our diet has been pretty terrible since Beer Week at the beginning of November. Eating out way too often. Too much beer, too much cheese, not enough vegetables, and virtually no exercise. Why am I so committed to putting on 10 lbs right before the only time I see most of my family every year? It's a mystery I may never solve. But it's clearly TOP PRIORITY.

I'd been craving this tofu rice dish for a month now, but I finally made it for dinner last night. Ele, The Kitchenist, introduced it on her blog this time last year, calling it Restorative Rice, and that's exactly what it is. I had a fennel bulb and all of the sauce ingredients on hand, so Matt picked up some kale and tofu while he was running Christmas party-related errands yesterday afternoon. It felt good to get back in the kitchen. So good, in fact, that I put my laptop on the counter and just stood around watching Suburgatory and Pan Am on Hulu during the down time. It felt even better to eat comforting, nourishing, replenishing food. 

Since I basically followed the Kitchenist recipe and you should too, I'm not going to re-post the recipe here. I did use more tofu than called for (I just used the whole package instead of measuring it out), so I probably should have increased the liquids as well, but I'll remember that next time. It still turned out great: spicy, comforting, just-hearty-enough. A successful marriage of Asian and Italian flavors. 

I hope your holiday planning is going smoothly. I hope you're eating your vegetables and taking time to exercise (I will try to follow your good example if you are) and are generally more focused than I am this time of year. But whether you are or not, I highly recommend restoring your health and sanity with a meal like this one. Even if you follow it up with peppermint bark, like some of us did. 

I'll take all the autumn-ish weather I can get

Today we have had one of the rarest experiences in San Diego: autumn weather in early autumn. I know, right? Exciting! I won't say it's cold, of course. We still have our sliding glass doors open on every balcony. But it was gloomy, we had a smattering of rain, and I had beets in the fridge.

I love wintery foods. I have only recently discovered the majority of winter vegetables--the roots, gourds, and greens some people apparently grew up eating. I joined a CSA for fall/winter a couple years ago, to push me to learn to use stables such as beets, butternut squash, and kale. Now I love them. I get positively giddy when I see the winter squash at the farmers market. Because let's face it, most produce is available year-round in San Diego. But fall and winter is when I want to make the soups and braise the greens and so on.

Since the weather was being so accomodating, and because we're trying to eat at home more, I decided to break out a recipe I haven't made since last October. It was in the October issue of Living, and uses beets, sweet potato, leek, quinoa, and a poached egg. While it was actually billed as a brunch, poached eggs over, well, anything is a dinner favorite around here.

Fall-Vegetable and Quinoa Hash with Poached Eggs

from Martha Stewart Living

1 large sweet potato, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

2 1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

2 beets, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch wedges, reserve half of the greens and rinse well

2-3 tablespoons of white vinegar

4 large eggs

1 leek, white and pale-green parts only, halved lengthwise, cut 1/4 inch thick, and rinsed well

1 cup cooked quinoa (from 1/4 cup dry)--I might use a little more next time. 

3/4 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Toss sweet potato with 1/2 teaspoon oil and 1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt, depending on how large your large potato is; spread in an even layer on half of a rimmed baking sheet. Toss beets with 1/2 teaspoon oil and 1/8 teaspoon salt; spread on other half of sheet, which prevents excessively pink potatoes. Roast, stirring halfway through, until tender, 35 to 40 minutes. I go ahead and combine them at the halfway point. 

(Now the next steps are kind of awkward, timing-wise. Martha suggests poaching your eggs and setting them aside, and then going on to the final step, but I find the eggs get a little too cold. It isn't the end of the world, but I prefer to actually drop in my eggs towards the very end)

Once the potatoes and beets are in the oven and your timer is set for 15-20 minutes, thinly slice the beet greens. The beets at the Mercato are super-leafy, and I find the flavor a little too... well, it reminds me of lake water if I overdo the greens, but if you love the flavor, use 'em all. But I slice up about half of them--the prettiest ones. 

I hate to say it, but when it comes to poaching eggs, Martha steered me wrong. I know! Shock! Horror! I tried following the magazine recipe for poaching eggs, and it was pretty much a disaster. If I hadn't had previous experience, dinner might have been ruined. The very best method for poaching eggs is the one I learned from Molly Wizenberg:

Fill a large skillet (I use a chef's pan) about 2/3 full of water--about 2 inches deep. Bring to a boil, then add 2-3 tablespoons of white vinegar and reduce to a simmer. Once the water is all a-tremble, crack an egg into a teacup or custard cup--I use a ramekin, but a thinner-lipped vessel is recommended by Molly and Martha. Gently lower the bottom of the cup into the water, then slowly tip the egg into the water, basically rolling/twisting the cup from beneath the egg. Don't hold the cup with the egg in the water too long, or the egg can cook in the cup.

If you think the white is spreading out too much, you can use a spoon to fold the white over the top of the yolk, or cup it all against the side of the pan for a moment--but I don't worry about a few whisps or strands. Allow the water to settle before adding the next egg. I can fit 3 eggs in my pan at once, which is perfect because I usually have one egg, and Matt two for dinner. 

Cook each egg for 2-4 minutes, until the white is opaque from the edges right up to the yolk. Remove with a spatula and either place in a bowl of hot--but not too hot or the egg will keep cooking--water, or place on a clean tea towel. I like dropping the eggs on a towel for this dish, because excess water isn't the most appetizing.

Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add greens, leek, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; cook until tender and lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in quinoa, thyme, and vegetables; press down using a rubber spatula (this is when I also try to drop my eggs, but it's a little bit of juggling act). Cook until quinoa is warm, 1 to 2 minutes.

Divide hash onto 4 plates, then top with an egg. Or if you're just two, divide it as you like and save the leftovers for lunch tomorrow!