Recipe | www.eatingstumptown.com

A cleanse-friendly salad

By: Mary Sue

23-01-2011

I am at day 6 of this cleanse – no sugar, wheat, dairy, caffeine or alcohol – and am finally feeling some benefits. Around day 3 the headache was so intense I had to take some migraine medicine and spend most of the evening with my eyes closed. It wasn’t until day 5 that the headache went away completely and I realized I felt pretty good. My sleep has been amazing. Typically I get up at least once a night, often have a hard time falling asleep, and frequently wake up in the middle of the night for an hour or more. Sleeping through the night leaves me feeling rested and happy all day long. I even have more energy at night, not that I have done much but read my book or watch television.

Speaking of television… It has been kind of cruel to our diet. Do you know how many commercials are about candy, pizza, hamburgers, pasta, beer, OMG WHY!?! It is funny that I never noticed it before, but even scanning through the commercials on our DVR leave me with cravings. It is no wonder I got into this carb/sugar-craving mess.

Many of the cleanse recipes I have made come from an unusual source: Gwyneth Paltrow. Not my typical source for food inspiration, but once I read her plan for a detox diet on her website, GOOP, I thought it sounded doable. I have beefed up some of the meals – added either a green salad, lean protein, or whole grains – because we need our energy around here for work outs and for working, but in general it has been good to shake up the diet a bit.

Carrot-Ginger Dressing from GOOP

My favorite recipe so far has been this salad with carrot-ginger dressing. It tastes just like a salad you get in a sushi restaurant and I will definitely make it after this horrible pizza-less period in my life is over.

Salad with Carrot-Ginger Dressing
From Goop
1 large carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
1 large shallot, peeled and roughly chopped
2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh ginger
1 tablespoon sweet white miso*
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon roasted sesame seed oil
1/4 cup grapeseed oil
2 tablespoons water
1 head of baby gem lettuce (or any greens), roughly cut
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 avocado, diced

Pulse the carrot, shallot and ginger in a blender until finely chopped. Scrape down the sides, add the miso, vinegar and sesame seed oil and whiz together. While the blender is going, slowly drizzle in the grapeseed oil and the water.

Combine the lettuce, onion and avocado in a bowl, drizzle with plenty of dressing and serve.

*The diet suggests you use miso a lot, an ingredient I don’t normally buy. I have found its salty flavor complimentary in a lot of dishes I make. Buy some and try it!

Read More 1 Comment »

cleansing toxins

By: Mary Sue

19-01-2011

Blog, Recipe

After the holidays I realized I spent a month eating whatever tasted good, spending far too little time in the gym, and stressing out. My food choices leaned heavily toward the bacon-y, bread-y, creamy side of the food pyramid and a little too far from the fruits and vegetable side. I even started to notice that I was craving sweets periodically through the day and found a piece of bread or a little candy really changed my mood. I think that is a sign that things have gone too far.

So, for the next couple weeks Erik and I decided to do a cleanse. Basically, it takes away everything fun and replaces it with vegetables, lean proteins, whole grains, and fruit. The goal is to give our bodies a little breather and hope that all those bad foods will seem less appealing once the addiction breaks.

It doesn’t sound (or look) so bad when I put it that way, but when you think about what you can’t have it really changes my mood. No dairy + no sugar + no caffeine or alcohol + no soy + no wheat or simple carbs = SAD FACE. I miss butter. And the headache I have from the lack of my morning cup of coffee is no joke.

In order to not shock our systems too much, the dish I made last night was filling, delicious, relatively local, and perfectly aligned with our cleanse. It was a miracle. Quinoa with sweet potatoes, black beans, and parsley. Gluten-free and vegan, it was a great accompaniment to a salad with a miso dressing. Plus, we have leftovers for today’s lunch.

Before I go on to the recipe, tell me, what do you think about cleanses? Have you done one you like? Is there a point of breaking your caffeine, sugar, god-knows-whatever-else addictions if you are just going to go back to eating them eventually?

While you ponder that, think about making this for dinner:

Quinoa with Sweet Potato, Black Beans, and Parsley
1 cup of quinoa, well rinsed
1 tsp of salt plust more to taste
3 tbsp olive oil (divided)
1/2 red onion, diced
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes (more to taste)
1/2 cup of veggie broth (or water)
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 sweet potato diced (cooked in the microwave or in the oven)
1 tbsp of lime juice
1/4 cup of chopped parsley

Boil 6 cups of water and 1 tsp of salt on stove. Once boiling, stir in quinoa and reduce heat to simmer. Let simmer for ten minutes and let quinoa drain for 10 additional minutes.

Add 1 tbsp of olive oil to a pan over medium heat. Add the onions and cook 5-7 minutes, until softened and starting to brown. Next, stir in the cumin, red pepper flakes, and veggie broth, and allow to come to a simmer. Add in the black beans and sweet potatoes and cook for about 2 minutes more, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and toss in the quinoa, lime juice, and parsley. Stir to combine and drizzle in the remaining 2 tbsp of olive oil. Taste for seasonings, serve.

Read More 1 Comment »

Brussels Sprouts and Beet Hash

By: Mary Sue

12-01-2011

Blog, Locavorism, Recipe

One day, when I look back on my blog posts, I am going to realize that they are all centered around two things: stuff you can put on top of bread and anything bettered with an egg on top (here, here, and a little tutorial here). I don’t know what it is with me and the poached eggs, but I am obsessed. As a little thing, poached eggs on toast was always my favorite breakfast, and since I have grown (at least a few inches) I literally lay awake at night imagining all the food in my fridge with a poached egg on it.

Last night, I found myself drifting off to sleep thinking about my vegetable drawer… Beets, brussels sprouts, a potato – a perfect combination for a hash – and for an egg. So, before I went to sleep, I roasted the beets. I tend to do this whenever I have a bunch laying about. I just roast them all and figure I will find ways to use them later.

Then, I sliced up the potato and the brussels sprouts (I think they cook better sliced in half or quarters)…

And fry ‘em up with some bacon (although, the bacon could be omitted if you like things vegetarian… or healthy).

Of course I added a poached egg on top, but it was just as good without (ooh, or a fried egg!?!). If you don’t have time to make this for breakfast, this is an excellent accompaniment to the roast chicken I made the other night or any meat dish. I could also see it paired with a hearty vegetarian entree – a simple pasta, quinoa, or a toothy barley risotto… And then the next day you could add the egg on top! (We are never moving away from that egg.)

Brussels Sprouts and Beet Hash
Serves 4
1 tbsp olive oil
1 slice of bacon, diced
2 medium golden beets (peeled and sliced into 1/2 inch cubes)*
1/2 lb of brussel sprouts (out leaves removed, stems shortened, and halved)
1 medium potato, sliced into 1/4 inch slices and halved
1/2 cup of chicken or veggie stock
salt and pepper to taste

* There are a couple of easy ways to peel beets. My favorite is to cook them first in the oven. I scrub them, cut off the ends, wrap in tinfoil, and cook at 400 for 45 minutes to an hour. After they cool a bit, the skins should slide off. Some people cook them in boiling water for 20 minutes, which also works.

Heat olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pan over medium. Add bacon and cook 4-5 minutes until all the fat has rendered and bacon is brown. Add beets, brussel sprouts, and potatoes to pan. Cook for about 5 minutes until sprouts are starting to brown, stirring often. Add 1/2 cup of stock and continue cooking for about 5-10 more minutes, depending on how cooked you like your sprouts and potatoes. Taste for seasonings.

Perfecting Roast Chicken

By: Mary Sue

10-01-2011

Blog, Cooking Tip, Recipe

More often than not, if we are eating chicken in my house, it is from a whole roasted chicken. I find boneless, skinless chicken breasts to also be rather tasteless, but they can be transformed into something moist and delicious by roasting a whole chicken. Plus, I like using the leftovers to make other dishes – salads, soups, enchiladas, etc… With chicken, the options are limitless.

So, last week when I had a couple friends over (well, one friend and one sister), I was really excited to try out my new roasting pan with a whole chicken.

Also, please note that everything I served that night was beige in color: pasta, braised cabbage, chicken, and bread. It was a sad realization halfway through cooking that I was way too lazy to go to the store to get a green salad. Luckily my guests didn’t seem to mind.

Okay, back to the chicken. I have tried roasting chicken quite a few ways and think I have settled on a perfect method. I have one of those William Sonoma cookbooks (which are really great – I have the soup, salad, paninis and chicken versions). It suggest you roast the chicken on each side before flipping it onto its back to get consistent browning. It is a little tricky to grab that whole chicken without the stuffing falling out, but it works really well to get a nice color.

The key to a great roast chicken actually happens the day before you cook it. As soon as I get my chicken defrosted or from the market, I take about a tablespoon of salt and rub it on the entire outside and the inside cavity. A lot of times I add some pepper here too, but salt is the key. The salt somehow keeps the meat juicy while cooking – I am guessing something about osmosis, but I don’t feel like going all chemistry nerd on you.

Right before cooking, I make a compound butter – a mixture of softened, unsalted butter, herbs, and minced garlic – and get that under the skin of the chicken. I wish I had a picture of this (damn buttery hands!), because this part seems odd if you have never done it. When you get a whole chicken, put it on it’s back and find where the neck used to be. This is a good place to start because there is extra loose skin. Lift up a bit of the skin and notice the way it separates from the meat. I often hold up the skin with my left hand and stick my right hand right between the skin and the meat, loosening the connective tissue. I am not gonna lie, this part is sort of gross, but it does make a delicious chicken! Anyway, continue to loosen the skin and start placing your butter in the new space you created. You could do this just around the breast, but I like to get some in the legs and back.

Finally, you want to stuff your bird with some aromatics to add flavor to the meat. I use onions, carrots, celery, and fresh herbs or sometimes some cut lemon halves.

To cook, I use a v-shaped rack in a roasting pan, but I have also used a regular roasting pan (the ones that come with every oven) and even a dutch oven first covered in chopped onion to prevent the bird from sticking to the bottom of the pan. The latter two methods work, but sometimes the skin still sticks and your bird comes away looking a little battered.

Oh, and apparently most people truss their chicken by tying the legs together and tucking the wings behind the back. I guess I have time to salt the chicken a day before, make a compound butter and put it between the skin and meat, and stuff it with aromatics, but I don’t have time to tie the legs together. I stand behind my choices!

Roast Chicken
Chicken (6 lb bird)
1 tbsp salt (plus more if needed)
1/2 tbsp pepper
2 tbsp softened, unsalted butter
1 minced garlic clove
About 6 twigs of thyme or rosemary left whole except 1 tbsp chopped
1 cup of chopped onion
1 chopped carrot
1 chopped celery stick

At least 24 hours ahead (and up to 3 days on an extra fresh chicken) and add salt and pepper rub. Thoroughly salt the outside as well as the inside cavity.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Combine softened butter, chopped thyme or rosemary, and garlic clove in a small dish. Carefully loosen the skin and place the butter compound in between the skin and the meat. Work your way down to the legs, being careful not to tear the skin. When done, stuff the inside cavity of the bird with the onions, carrots, celery and remaining herbs. Truss chicken if you aren’t lazy like me.

Place chicken on its side in the roasting rack (if you are not using rack, be sure to grease the pan or put down a layer of chopped onions so the skin doesn’t stick). Put in the oven for a half hour. Turn the bird on its other side and cook for another 30 minutes. Finally, place the bird on its back (breasts up) and continue cooking for about 45 minutes or until a thermometer placed in the biggest part of the thigh measures 170 (it will increase temperature another 10 degrees or so while it rests).

Let rest and serve!

Fruit Compote and Some Changes

By: Mary Sue

05-01-2011

Blog, Recipe

Before I begin, may I say, welcome to the new Eating Stumptown! Let me know what you think. I have been pretty happy with the changes so far, but thanks for being patient as I continue to tweak.

This year for New Year’s Eve, we hosted a small party. Just a few friends getting together to wave a big goodbye to 2010 and a warm hello to 2011. I don’t know why, but almost everyone I talk to was very glad to see 2010 go and has high hopes for 2011. My year wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t fantastic either. In an overly optimistic outlook, I definitely feel like 2011 is going to be extraordinary. I guess we will find out!

One of our guests at the party generously brought a whole big container of berries. I love berries, but we could only fit so many on the chocolate mousse I served and I still had a fridge full of berries come New Years Day.

So, I made something we could put on other things… It isn’t that berries aren’t good by themselves, but I knew we wouldn’t eat all of them before they went bad and this way they have a fighting chance. I considered making a pound cake and then realized a cake might not be the best way to reward myself for the many hours at the gym this week, but a scoop of ice cream won’t kill me! In a truly healthy meal, it was delicious on top of plain yogurt with some granola.

And some of you may not believe this, but I also had it on some pancakes for lunch yesterday. I know, I know pancakes are one of my least favorite food (pointless, sad pancakes), but with some berries and whipped cream? THAT does change my mind…

Mixed Berry Compote
(makes about 2 cups)
1 cup blackberries
1 cup blueberries
1 cup raspberries
1/2 cup of sugar
1/4 cup of water
zest from one lemon
1 tbsp of lemon juice
scrapings from vanilla bean or 1 tsp vanilla extract

Dissolve the sugar in the water over medium-low heat (about 3 minutes). Add berries, lemon zest and juice, and vanilla bean extract. Cook down for anywhere from 3 minutes for chunky berries (see pancake picture) or longer for a more syrup-like consistency (you can strain the seeds out if they bother you).

Sweet Potato Curry Bowl

By: Mary Sue

04-01-2011

Blog, Recipe

I read somewhere that you should never begin a blog post by apologizing for not blogging. It said your readers don’t really care where you have been, just that you are back. Well, guys, I just can’t begin without an apology! I am so sorry I left you in the lurch for so many days. Have you been okay? Did you have a good holiday break? A happy new year?

My break from blogging was spent cavorting around town eating truffle fries with my sister, shopping for presents, doing minimal cooking (except for some biggies), and spending time with family and friends. It was a wonderful break and I am glad to be done with it. One can not subsist on truffle fries alone! No, sometimes we must include regular vegetables in our diet. Vegetables not covered in oil or cream sauce.

So, after spending many hours flipping through cookbooks over the holiday break (because, apparently, if I am not actively cooking I will still look for recipes), I remembered one I have been eyeing for quite some time…

A curried rice bowl with tummy-filling vegetables like sweet potatoes, carrots, and red peppers from the same cookbook that brought us the famed warm cabbage salad. The dish is exactly what you want on a cold winter’s night: warm, yummy and with plenty of leftovers — which means you don’t have to cook for day at least!

Sweet Potato Curry Bowl
Serves 8-10 (BELIEVE IT! SO MUCH FOOD!)
Adapted from Whitewater Cooks

2 tbsp olive oil
2 diced onions
3 diced carrots
1 diced red pepper
2 tbsp minced ginger
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp red curry paste
2 tsp garam masala
2 tsp ground cumin
3 medium diced potatoes
2 diced sweet potatoes (or yams)
1 stalk of lemongrass, left in large removable piece
3 tbsp fish sauce (if omitting add salt or soy sauce)
juice and zest of 2 limes
3 14 oz cans coconut milk (I used lowfat)
2 cups chicken broth (or veggie broth or water)
1 19 oz can of chickpeas
3 cups of brown rice (or any type)
4 tbsp of chopped cilantro

In a large heavy-bottomed stockpot over medium heat heat the oil. Add the onions, carrots, red pepper, garlic and ginger and cook for about 10 minutes, until soft. Add curry paste, garam masala, and cumin – cook for 2 minutes. Add potatoes, sweet potatoes and lemongrass and cook for 5 minutes. Add fish sauce, lime zest and juice, coconut milk and stock or water to cover. Simmer for 10-15 minutes until potatoes are tender. Add the chickpeas and cook for 10 more minutes. Serve over rice and topped with fresh cilantro.

Quinoa Stuffed Acorn Squash

By: Mary Sue

30-11-2010

Blog, Locavorism, NABLOPOMO, Recipe

A funny thing happened today when I was messing with my blog. I was trying to change the way the dates are displayed on the post – mostly because my blog claims I post things 8 hours before I do and I hate lying. Anyway, so I go to update this and remove the hours, I press reset and BAM. Blog theme erased. Crap. So, until I can figure out if I want to change it back, change it a little, or completely renovate the thing, you are stuck with this slightly-different look.

On a slightly more related topic…

I made something that was vegetarian.

And I didn’t even put bacon in it!

Not only that… It was really, really good. I would make this for a vegetarian Thanksgiving or a dinner party – it has that much oomph. It was pretty easy too, a little bit of hands-on time, but you can make it the night before and refrigerate until you are ready to cook.

First, you slice an acorn squash in half, scoop out the seeds, place in a baking dish and add a little water – cover and cook for about 45 minutes.

Then, you make the stuffing out of quinoa, hazelnuts, parmesan cheese, and some spinach.

Once added back to the squash, you throw it back in the oven to merge. You don’t even need to add bacon, although, if you did it, probably wouldn’t suck…

Quinoa Stuffed Acorn Squash
Serves 4
2 acorn squashes, halved, seeded and ends cut off to sit flat
water
2 tbsp of butter
1/2 cup of diced onion
1/2 cup of quinoa, rinsed
1 cup of vegetable broth (or chicken broth)
1/4 cup of chopped hazelnuts
1/3 cup of shredded parmesan
2 cups of spinach

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place squash, cut-side down in a baking dish, fill with 1/2 inch of water, and cover tightly with foil. Bake 45-60 minutes, until the squash gives slightly to touch.

Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Scoop out about 1 cup of squash and dice roughly. Sprinkle squash halves with salt and pepper.

Over medium heat, melt the butter and add onions. Cook five minutes until starting to brown. Add quinoa and toast for three minutes. Add stock, reduce to a simmer and cook 15 minutes. Stir in the hazelnuts, spinach, and 1/2 the parmesan.

Fill squash halves stuffing and top with remaining parmesan. (They can be refrigerated at this point.) Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Read More 1 Comment »

Beet Salad with Anchovy Dressing

By: Mary Sue

29-11-2010

Blog, Locavorism, NABLOPOMO, Recipe

I have something to confess: I really love beets. I would marry them if I could. Although, I really don’t want their dirty hands all over my wedding dress. So, I guess I will just eat them. Your loss, beets!

The other day, I bought six pounds, brought them home and stared at them a while, not exactly sure of what I should make… I decided to bake them all at once, skins on, tightly covered in foil on 400 for about 45 minutes. I knew I could keep the beets I didn’t use in my fridge, skins on, until I am ready to use ‘em.

Once I had my six pounds of now cooked beets in front of me, I remembered this salad I had at EVOE in SE Portland. It consisted of beets tossed in an anchovy cream sauce, topped with a medium-boiled egg and I swear I think about it at least twice a week. Which is strange because hard-boiled eggs are nasty.

I think it is because most people over-cook them and then the whole house reeks of sulfur. How do you people eat them when they smell like toots? Luckily, a medium-boiled egg looks like a hard-boiled egg, but doesn’t get to that stinky point and the yoke is just soft enough to ooze a little.

I tried to recreate the salad the best I could and I must say I am pretty happy with the results. The dressing has just a hint of anchovy saltiness and the combo of a soft egg, sweet beets, and crisp watercress offers a perfect balance of flavors.

Beet Salad with Egg, Watercress, and Anchovy Dressing
Serves 4 as main or 6 as starter
4 medium red and/or gold beets, washed and trimmed
2 tbsp good red wine vinegar
1/4 cup of olive oil
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
2 anchovies
2 tbsp of roughly chopped shallot
salt and pepper
4 eggs
2 cups of watercress, cleaned and long stems removed

Preheat oven to 400. Add scrubbed beets to a baking dish, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and add 1/2 inch of water. Cover tightly with foil (If you cook less beets, wrap individually in tin foil with salt and pepper – no water needed – and place on a cookie sheet). Cook for 45 minutes or until a knife can easily pierce. Let cool enough to handle and slide off skins. My favorite way is in a pair of latex gloves, so your fingers don’t end up stained red forever (forever = probably a whole hour).

Add to blender red wine vinegar, oil, dijon mustard, and anchovies – blend for 30 seconds until the dressing emulsifies. Add the shallot and blend again until full chopped. Taste for salt, pepper and if you want more vinegar.

Bring a pot of water to boil. Once boiling, add the eggs and cook for 7-8 minutes (7 will produce a slightly runny egg, but 9 is the magic number for hard-boiled). Immediately place eggs in a ice-water bath. Peel and slice the egg carefully, in case yoke is slightly runny.

Toss beets in 3/4 the dressing. Divide up the watercress among the plates and add the beets. Drizzle with a little dressing. Add egg and top with salt and pepper.

Spiced-Up Turkey Sandwich

By: Mary Sue

24-11-2010

Blog, Locavorism, NABLOPOMO, Recipe

So, my dad is making a 50 pound turkey for Thanksgiving. For 9 people. I’ll give you a second to re-read that… Yup, FIFTY pounds! So big, he had to buy a new oven.

For my dad, this doesn’t seem unreasonable. You see, he loves turkey sandwiches and plans to freeze the leftovers for lunch. I, also plan on taking home some leftovers and I already know how to eat them…

On a sandwich with some green tomato pickles I made last month! In the Pacific Northwest, we had an abundant of green tomatoes and I knew I desperately wanted to make these green tomato sweet pickles. The recipe, although generally pretty simple, called for pickling lime. Pickling lime is calcium hydroxide and helps non-crispy things (like tomatoes) become crispy in pickling. Unfortunately, this product is impossible to find ANYWHERE. The product can be unsafe because it messes with the acidity level and unless it is washed off the food completely can allow for botulism. (Botulism=bad) So, I made the recipe without it. I am glad no one got botulism, but I would have liked to see a crispy pickle.

Sweet Green Tomato Pickles
Makes 6 pint jars
4 lbs green tomatoes, sliced into 1/4 inch slices
1/4 cup pickling salt (or pure kosher salt)
6 cups distilled white vinegar (5% acidity)
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp celery seeds
1/2 cup minced celery (2 ribs)
2 tbsp of minced fresh ginger
1/2 small sweet onion, very thinly sliced

Add sliced tomatoes in a gallon of water with 1/4 cup of salt. Cover and set bowl overnight. Drain, rinse, and let tomatoes sit in a bowl of water for 10 minutes, drain again.

In a large non-reactive pan, combine vinegar, sugar, celery seeds, celery and ginger. Bring to a boil then add the tomatoes and return to a boil. Push them down to mostly submerge them for 15 minutes. They should become slightly translucent. If you are not canning – these pickles should keep in the fridge for a month or so.

If you are canning, use a slotted spoon to transfer tomatoes to sterilized pint jars, adding onions every few slices. Add liquid to 1/2 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Process for 10 minutes in rapidly boiling water.

*Per usual, these steps are not for new canners. Please follow proper sterilization methods and sealing techniques for your jars.

Read More 1 Comment »

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon

By: Mary Sue

23-11-2010

Blog, NABLOPOMO, Recipe

Over the weekend, I got into a discussion with my five-year-old cousin, Ava, about what food I dislike… It is a short list. There is milk, which terrifies me. But, then my list slowly tapers. I mean, I guess I would add chicken feet, but that doesn’t seem like a mainstream enough dish to include.

When I was Ava’s age, though, I didn’t like lots of food. Fish, mushrooms, and coleslaw were on my list, but guess what was at the top?

Brussels sprouts! My mom is a healthy cook and she used to steam them for us… Which basically makes them smell like feet. What kid wants to eat something that smells like feet?

I usually cook them in the oven, on 400, drizzled with olive oil, salt and pepper. It browns the outside and leaves the inside buttery. The feet smell is non existent, although adding enough salt and olive oil to make them taste good sort of negates the health benefits.

This last time I cooked them, though, I cooked them in diced bacon on the stove top. They were marvelous…

Now that you have gotten over your fear of brussels sprouts – what is your favorite way to cook them?

(Oops – I just realized I have a very similar post about brussels sprouts here. This whole writing every day thing must be getting to me! I have never been so excited to see the end of a month.)

Sauteed Brussels Sprouts with Bacon
2 slices of bacon, chopped
1/2 pound of brussels sprouts, trimmed and quartered
salt and pepper

Over medium-high heat, add the bacon and render the fat. Once beginning to get crispy and the fat has rendered, throw in the brussels sprouts for about five minutes. They should be a bit brown, but not mushy. Season with salt and pepper.