Marinara Sauce

Posted on December 11, 2011 by Ari

This sauce is the first thing I ever really learned how to cook. Sure, I had made things before, but always from recipes. This sauce was different. I learned how to make it without a recipe, and it’s reached the point where I can make from muscle memory. I let my brain take me as far as getting the ingredients out of the fridge, but then I shift into autopilot. Before I know it, I’m sitting down to a very big serving of pasta.

What you need:

  • 2 28oz cans of crushed tomatoes (my dad and I love the Whole Foods brand)
  • 1-2 tbs olive oil
  • 4-5 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 tbs sugar
  • 1 tsp salt (add more as needed)
  • 1/4-1/3 cup minced fresh basil
  • 1 lb capellini (angel hair) pasta
  • Freshly grated parmesan cheese (not optional)
What you need to do:
  1. In a large sauce pan, sauté the garlic in olive oil until fragrant. 
  2. Add the crushed tomatoes to the sauce pan along with the sugar, salt and basil.
  3. Bring to a boil on medium-high heat, then simmer on low for 20-30 minutes (be sure to taste the the sauce and add more salt/sugar as needed).
  4. While the sauce simmers, cook your pasta and grate your parmesan cheese.
  5. Combine the pasta with the sauce, top with cheese and enjoy!
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Posted in Pasta, Vegetarian | 2 Comments

Simple Spicy Green Beans

Posted on December 6, 2011 by Anita!

I’ve been thinking a lot about “pleasure feeds,” a term used in the hospital for feeding an individual small amounts of food just for the feeling of eating.  I first encountered it in a patient who was having a stent placed in his esophagus to keep it patent against the spread of a metastatic cancer.  The opening in the esophagus would be just large enough to allow passage of saliva and food that had been pureed into sauce.
These feeds are used for people with different kinds of swallowing problems.  Some people will be fed largely through a tube that goes directly to their stomach and small intestine as they sleep, but will also take token quantities of food by mouth.
I’m not sure what about the term itself bothers me.  I tried renaming it for a while — “extra-curricular feeds” sounded a little flippant, as did “medically-directed hors d’oeuvres”.  Maybe its just that pleasure for me, especially in terms of food, means lustful pursuit and vast quantities.  The small bit involved in a pleasure feed hardly seems indulgent.  But I suppose, when being able to tongue and swallow food makes you feel more human than your condition usually allows, every morsel could be heaven.

Ingredients

  • 3 Tbsp neutral oil
  • 1 Tbsp mustard seeds
  • Green beans…oh, maybe about a pound?  I’m not sure
  • 2 tsp turmeric
  • 3 tsp chili powder
  • salt, to taste

Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a pot big enough to hold the green beans.  When the oil has been heating for 1-2 minutes, add the mustard seeds and cover.  Continue to cook until the mustard seeds pop — just like popcorn, when the popping slows the mustard seeds have been cooked.  Add the turmeric and chili powder and allow to fry for about 10 seconds, then add the green beans and mix. Let the beans cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-10 minutes until tender but not wilted/grey.   Add salt to taste (I usually go with 1 tsp or so).

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Posted in Indian, Vegetarian | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Halloumi Cheese and Tomato Salad

Posted on December 4, 2011 by Ari

One of the most amazing things about having this blog is the immense satisfaction that comes with the random compliment on a particular recipe, or the occasional “I love Braised Anatomy!” I’m not saying it happens all that often, but there’s no denying the little surge of pride I get anytime it does. Given that I spend the vast majority of each day being taken down quite a few notches every time I don’t know that answer to a question, or not feeling like I’m good enough to be in the OR since I was standing 2 inches too far away from the operating table, it’s really nice to have the occasional ego boost. The blog is one of the things I’m most proud of. It’s something that was born out of a true passion for food and cooking, and its that passion that has kept it going…well the passion and the fact that I’m a total sucker for compliments…
I think that most other food bloggers would agree that nothing is more satisfying than when another blogger feels your recipe is good enough to be replicated. Well we here at BA have just received an even bigger compliment – someone has made a video of one of our recipes (and a beautiful video at that)! Check out this awesome take on visually appealing cooking. Shout out to Samantha Abernathy for her awesome video and the must needed ego boost!
Now on to this week’s recipe. This salad is one of the tastier things I’ve made in a while, and well worth the extra trip to the grocery store for Halloumi Cheese. For those of who are aren’t familiar with this particular lactiferous delicacy, halloumi is a traditional Greek cheese with a high melting point that can be grilled or fried…basically it brings a whole new delicious meaning to “grilled cheese”.
(Adapted from The Dabble)

What you need (enough for 2 fairly large servings):

  • 1/2 lb halloumi cheese, cut into 2 slices
  • 1 lb tomatoes, chopped
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
  • 1/2 cup fresh basil, minced
  • 1-2 tbs capers
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
What you need to do:
  1. In a large dish, mix together the oil, garlic, rosemary and capers. Add the slices of cheese, coat them in the marinade, cover and marinate for about 1 hour.
  2. Heat a gast iron skillet on the stove under medium-high heat. Grill the marinated cheese (save the marinade) until it starts to brown (about 3 minutes per side).
  3. Cut the cheese into bite-sized pieces then mix together with the tomatoes, basil and remaining marinade. Add salt and pepper to taste.
  4. Serve with bread or eat as is. Enjoy!
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Posted in Salads, Vegetarian | 3 Comments

Cheesy Rice and Mushroom Casserole with Spinach

Posted on November 24, 2011 by Ari

(Anita and I are switching posts again the week….because we can!)

I’m sad to announce that we’re in the middle of a Hanger epidemic. That’s right. I said hanger…as in hunger + anger = hanger. It’s a devastating condition that often affects the unsuspecting medical student after back-to-back 6-hour surgical cases. It comes on without warning, and there’s only one cure – food. If left untreated, the consequences of this affliction can be disastrous (I’ll admit I once threatened to stab my significant other in the eye with a fork after he ate half of my chipotle…and I was only kind of joking). Unfortunately, food (or at least good food) isn’t always easy to come by when you’re working 15+ hours a day…and let’s face it, there are only so many meals you can make out of the snacks you find in the “nutrition closets” at work (hate to say it but saltine crackers and graham crackers aren’t that “nutritious”). Well rest assured fearful readers. I am happy to announce that I have discovered the cure to Hanger – the crock pot. It provides the helpless (?) medical student with the opportunity to spend only 15 min preparing a meal, then voilá – by the time he or she is ready for a study break, there’s a home cooked meal waiting to be devoured!
(this particular meal can also be frozen and reheated for treatment of future bouts of hanger)

(Adapted from 125 Best Vegetarian Slow Cooker Recipes)

What you need:

  • 1 tbs ground cumin
  • 1 tbs olive oil
  • 2 yellow onions, finely chopped
  • 4 celery stalks, finely chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tbs fresh ginger, minced
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 2 cups brown rice
  • 2 14 oz cans of diced tomatoes, including juice
  • 3 cups vegetable stock
  • 8 oz fresh mushrooms, chopped
  • 9 oz spinach leaves
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
What you need to do:
  1. In a frying pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and celery and cook until softened (about 5 minutes).
  2. Add the rice, ginger, garlic, cumin, salt and pepper. Stir and cook for about 1 minute.
  3. Add the diced tomates with juice and vegetable stock. Stir then bring the mixture to a boil. 
  4. Place the mushrooms in the slower cooker and pour in the rice mixture. Stir to combine. 
  5. Take a clean tea towel, fold it in half and lay it across the top of the slow cooker before covering with the lid (this will help absorb the extra moisture so the rice doesn’t overcook). 
  6. Cook on high for 2-3 hours (check the rice every hour or so to see if the rice is cooked…it took me 1.5 hours). 
  7. Once the rice is cooked, add the spinach and cheese, stir, and cook for an additional 20 minutes on low.
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Posted in Freezer, Slow Cooker, Vegetarian | 2 Comments