How To Make Burnt Toast

Thai Red Curry with Winter Squash

2012-01-06T21:13:00.004-05:00

I had an amazing pumpkin curry at a Thai restaurant in Seattle a few months ago and have been wanting to recreate it at home. A cooking date with a few friends from school was the perfect excuse to find a recipe. And the recipe I found is AWESOME.

Jenna, of Eat, Live, Run, wrote about the recipe, "Seriously, I wanted to drink this sauce with a straw. It’s definitely the closet to “authentic” Thai curry I’ve ever gotten at home. You must make this!!!" I knew I had to give it a try. It was not hard to pull together, although it did require some ingredients that I didn't have on hand and had to get at the local Asian supermarket. You can find her original recipe here.

Thai Red Curry with Winter Squash

serves 4

Time: 1.25 hours (includes time to roast the squash)

Ingredients:

1 large kabocha, butternut, or other orange-fleshed squash

1 large handful green beans, cut in half OR 1 small zucchini, cut into bite-size pieces

1 red or yellow bell pepper, diced

2 kaffir lime leaves, torn

6 Thai basil leaves, chopped

1 tbsp canola oil

3 tbsp red thai curry paste (make sure you get one that says, "red thai curry paste", not just a thai curry paste that appears to be red-colored)

1 (15-oz) can coconut milk

1/4 cup water

1 tbsp fish sauce

2 tsp brown sugar

2 red thai chilies, pierced several times with a knife

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Drizzle olive oil on a foil lined sheet tray. Slice squash in half, remove seeds (you can roast them later!), and place cut-side down on the sheet tray. Roast squash halves for about 30 minutes until tender. Remove and let cool completely.

2. In a large pot or deep pan, heat the canola oil over medium high heat. Add the curry paste and mash into hot oil so all the paste gets incorporated. Slowly drizzle in the coconut milk, whisking continuously until all milk has been added and no curry “clumps” remain.

3. Add water, torn kaffir lime leaves, thai basil, fish sauce, brown sugar and chilies and bring to a simmer. Add bell peppers and green beans or zucchini and continue simmering sauce for about 15 minutes until vegetables are just cooked but not mushy.

Peel or slice kabocha squash away from peel. Chop into large chunks and add to the curry sauce.

Serve curry over jasmine rice (don’t eat the chilies!).

Orzo with Kale Pesto and Broccoli

2011-11-23T08:25:00.003-05:00

This is a wonderful and healthy dish to use up Farmer's Market Kale and Broccoli!

1 package of orzo or any other small-ish pasta

1 cup pine nuts or walnuts, lightly toasted

1 bunch kale, chopped and woody stems removed

1/2 cup fresh basil (I used frozen basil from Trader Joe's)

1-2 cloves of garlic

Juice from 1 lemon

~½ cup olive oil

1 large head of broccoli, cut into small florets

1/3 parmesan cheese, preferably freshly grated

Salt and pepper

1. Bring a pot of water to boiling, add a generous pinch of salt and add the orzo. Simmer for 5-7 minutes, drain when tender and let it cool.

2. Add the kale and basil to a pan of boiling water for 1-2 minutes. Run under cold water or submerge in ice water for a few seconds, then drain. Dry in some paper towel. This will preserve the bright green color so your salad does not turn a muddy green color after a few hours.

3. Bring the water back to a boil and add the broccoli. Put the lid on and cook for 1-2 minutes, just long enough to take the edge off. Quickly drain the broccoli, and run under cold water to stop the cooking. Drain well.

4. To make the pesto, combine the kale, basil, garlic, nuts, parmesan, 1/4 tsp salt, and the lemon juice and pulse in a food processor. Drizzle in the olive oil and pulse until smooth (you may need more or less than the indicated amount of olive oil to get to the desired texture).

5. Toss the orzo, broccoli florets, and about 2/3 of the pesto. Taste it and add what you like – more lemon, salt, the rest of the pesto. Top with a bit of extra parmesan if you prefer. Serve hot or cold.

pumpkin cheesecake

2011-11-22T21:27:00.003-05:00

We traded pumpkin pie for pumpkin cheesecake this year, and it was a big hit! I think this will be our new tradition. This recipe is adapted from Smitten Kitchen, which adapted the recipe from Gourmet Magazine (2003).

For crust
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs, or other cookie crumbs (we used vanilla goldfish!)
1/2 cup pecans
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

For filling
1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin
3-4 large eggs
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature (we used low-fat cream cheese and the results were excellent)

Make crust:

Butter sides & bottom of 9-inch springform pan

In food processor, mix cookie crumbs, pecans, sugars, and butter. Press crumb mixture evenly onto bottom and 1/2 inch up side of pan (if you can) then chill crust, 1 hour.

Make filling:

In food processor, mix pumpkin, eggs, brown sugar, cream, vanilla. Add cream cheese and mix until creamy and smooth.

Add sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt.

Pour filling into crust, smoothing top.
Bake in 350 oven until center is just set, 50 to 60 minutes.

Transfer to rack and cool 5 minutes. (Leave oven on.)

If desired, chill until cold. Remove sides when you want.

Nancy's Simple Poppy Seed Muffins

2011-09-15T22:35:00.003-04:00

We started making these simple muffins when we lived in New Zealand. They were very popular, especially with the the almond extract.

1 egg

½ c. milk

¼ c. oil

1 ½ c. flour

½ c. sugar

2 t. baking powder

½ t. salt

1 t. almond extract

1.5 t. vanilla extract

2-3 T poppy seeds

Optional: slivered almonds to put on top of muffins before baking

Beat the egg, then add milk and oil.

Blend in dry ingredients and stir til just moistened.

Batter will be slightly lumpy.

A little sprinkle of sugar on top of the muffins before baking will make a nice muffin-top.

Bake at 400 for 20 minutes.

Amazing Fat-Free Banana Ice-Cream

2011-08-29T07:08:00.003-04:00

A number of different chefs have done something like this, but here's my take.

Take 2 overripe bananas per serving and peel them and cut them into slices that are 1/2 inch wide. Freeze them in a flat layer until they are solid, a good 6 hours at least. Right before serving, puree the bananas in the food processor (not more than 6 or so at a time). If the bananas are having a tough time pureeing, you can add some milk to help it get going. Top it however you like, I especially like a quick mix of honey and peanut butter and some chocolate. Hard freeze any leftovers and they will stay good.

Tomato Candy aka Slow Roasted Tomatoes

2011-08-27T22:20:00.009-04:00

Wow, we haven't posted for a while! There have been lots of transitions in the family over the past few months, but no lack of delicious, local cooking. Here's a simple recipe that takes advantage of the abundance of tomatoes still in season. I used Juliet tomatoes, which are like small Roma tomatoes. The recipe is inspired by Orangette's recipe for Slow-Roasted Tomatoes with Sea Salt and Ground Coriander and Food & Wine's recipe for Honey-Tomato Bruschetta.

2 pints ripe tomatoes (roma, juliet, cherry, or grape tomatoes would all work well)
~2 T Olive oil
Sea salt
Ground coriander

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit.

Wash the tomatoes, and halve them lengthwise. Toss the tomatoes in a bowl with the olive oil. Place them, skin side down, on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle them with sea salt and ground coriander—about a pinch of each for every four to six tomato halves.

Bake the tomatoes until they shrink to about 1/3 of their original size but are still soft and juicy, 4 to 6 hours. Remove the baking sheet from the oven, and allow the tomatoes to cool to room temperature. Place them in an airtight container, and store them in the refrigerator. Delicious on their own, with pasta, on bruschetta (see Food & Wine recipe), on a simple pizza, or anything else you can imagine!

Quick Cucumber Pickles

2011-07-18T19:14:00.004-04:00

Lots of cucumbers from our garden this year! This recipe is adapted from Deborah Madison's "Local Flavors"

2/3 cup any mixture of white wine and/or apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup sugar
½ t. salt
1 red onion, sliced thin
2 cucumbers (peeled only if the skins are tough), sliced thin
1 t. mixed whole peppercorns
2 T olive oil

Mix the vinegar, sugar, salt, olive oil, peppercorns in a glass or ceramic bowl.

Add cucumbers and onions and toss well.

Cover & refrigerate.

Pickles are best if they can sit for a day, but don’t let them sit longer than 5 days.

Sugar Snap Pea, Cucumber, and Sesame Salad

2011-05-29T12:29:00.003-04:00

The sugar snap peas in my garden are ready to eat and enjoy! I adapted this recipe from GOURMET June 2001.

INGREDIENTS

1/2 -1 lb sugar snap peas, trimmed

1 English cucumber

a few chopped scallions

¼ cup sesame seeds, toasted

1-2 T seasoned rice vinegar

1-2 t cider vinegar

2-4t soy sauce

drizzle of sesame oil

salt and pepper (or hot sauce)

Directions

PEAS: Trim peas & remove “threads”. Cook in a saucepan of boiling salted water just until they turn a brighter shade of green, about 30 – 60 seconds. Drain in a colander and put in bowl with cold water with ice to stop the cooking.

CUCUMBER: Slice cucumber lengthwise 2 times (4 long quarters). Cut into ¼ inch thick slices. I don’t remove the seeds, but some prefer seeds removed.

Toss peas, cucumber, scallions with vinegars and season with salt and pepper.

Add sesame seeds right before serving to keep them crisp.

Refrigerate until serving.

Mango and Avocado Salad

2011-05-22T22:42:00.002-04:00

When Champagne Mangoes are available, I buy them by the case and eat them any way I can. Mangoes and avocados go beautifully together in this salad, especially if neither is too mushy.

Though this recipe is supposed to serve 4, I ate the entire salad for my dinner.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon lime juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 mangoes, cubed
2 avocados, cubed
1/2 small red onion or a few scallions, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
OPTIONAL: chopped cucumber, crumbled feta cheese, chopped sweet red pepper

Directions: Mix everything together, eat, and enjoy!

Sweet Potato Muffins

2011-05-07T14:37:00.002-04:00

Using white, O'Henry sweet potatoes I made this recipe, adapted from 2 other recipes. Orange sweet potatoes or pumpkin would also work.
Yield: 12 muffins + mini cake

1 C white flour
1 C whole wheat flour
1 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t each nutmeg & cloves
1 1/4 C brown sugar
1/4 C canola oil
1/4 C plain yogurt (I used Greek non-fat strained yogurt)
2 eggs
1/2 C milk
2 t vanilla
1 1/2 C cooked sweet potatoes, mashed

Preheat oven to 350. Stir together sugar, oil, yogurt, eggs, milk, vanilla, & sweet potato. Add dry ingredients and taste for spices and salt. Divide into greased muffin tins and bake for 15-25 minutes, or until done.

Mexican Chocolate Cake

2011-05-04T13:57:00.002-04:00

(Picture above is courtesy of this post on Serious Eats - their recipe is very similar to this one.)

Just in time for Cinco de Mayo! A delicious, vegan, Mexican chocolate cake. Enjoy! This recipe is really from Mom, but I re-found it a few days ago and thought I'd post it...

CAKE:

1 ½ cups flour

1 cup sugar

½ cup unsweetened cocoa

2 t. cinnamon

1 t. baking soda

¼ t. cayenne pepper

¼ t. salt

1 cup cold water

¼ c. canola oil

1 T. balsamic (or other) vinegar

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat cake pan with cooking spray.
In bowl combine all ingredients, and stir until smooth.
Pour into pan and bake 25-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Cook in pan for 10 minutes.

ICING:

1 cup confectioners’ sugar

½ c. cocoa

6 T water

In a small bowl, whisk together sugar, cocoa and water.
Pour glaze over cake.
If desired, dip small strawberries into glaze and place strawberries on to of cake.
Set aside for about 30 minutes.

Flourless Almond Butter cookies

2011-04-25T13:48:00.000-04:00

For any time of year!

1 C almond butter

1 C brown sugar

1 egg

1 t baking soda

1/2 t cinnamon

1/2 t vanilla extract

1 C chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix everything together in a bowl, adding the chocolate chips at the end. Using moistened hands, form dough into small balls and arrange on 2 greased baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Cookies will flatten and spread during baking.

Bake until puffed, golden on bottom and still soft to touch in center, about 12 minutes. Cool on sheets 5 minutes and transfer to racks to cool.

Easy, Tasty Brisket

2011-04-13T08:54:00.002-04:00

Charlie and I had a potluck a few days ago and the theme was "Where You're From" (it may or may not have been inspired by this episode of Top Chef). Since we're approaching Passover, I decided to make a brisket. I knew we were going to have a lot of people at our apartment, so I wanted to find a recipe that wasn't too labor intensive and would allow me to make a large amount of food. I found this recipe on Smitten Kitchen which is based off of an Emeril recipe. I loved the slow-cooker method. Here's my version - enjoy!

Serves 10-12 servings

3 large onions, sliced
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
6 garlic cloves, peeled and halved
1 teaspoon paprika
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/4 teaspoons black pepper
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne (adjust to your heat preference)
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 cups beef stock (unsalted or low salt)
1 cup ketchup*
1 cup chili sauce* (I used this random bottle of Shaw's chili sauce that I had. You could also use a can of tomato paste and a squirt or two or sriracha for a similar effect)
1 cup brown sugar
8 to 10 pound brisket

* If you are very strictly kosher for Passover you’ll want to find versions without corn syrup in them.

Prepare the sauce: Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and sauté onions in vegetable oil, stirring occasionally, until caramelized and most of liquid has evaporated, about 15 minutes. Add halved garlic cloves and saute for 3 minutes more. Stir in spices and seasoning (paprika, salt, black pepper, cayenne, oregano and thyme) and cook for 2 minutes. Set aside.

In a bowl, stir together the beef stock, ketchup, chili sauce and brown sugar.

Place brisket in a slow cooker, spread onion mixture over the top, then pour sauce mixture over the entire dish. Cover with the lid and cook it on LOW for 9-10 hours.

When the brisket is cooked but still hot, use a spoon to scrape off any large fat deposits adhered to the top and bottom of the brisket. (This part is easiest to do when hot. The sauce will be de-fatted after it has chilled.)

If your slow cooker has a removable inner dish, take that out of the slow cooker and put it into the fridge. Alternately, you can transfer the brisket and all of its sauce to a baking dish. Chill entire dish in the fridge for several hours and up to one day; this resting time will significantly enhance the flavor and texture of the meat.

You can reheat the brisket either in the oven or in the slow cooker. Deb from Smitten Kitchen reheated hers in the oven, but I decided to make this a real one-pot meal and reheat it in the slow cooker. If you're using the slow cooker, remove the dish from the fridge two hours in advance. If you're using the oven, remove the dish One hour before you’re ready to serve it and preheat the oven to 300°F.

Remove all of the fat that has solidified with a slotted spoon for a less oily finish. Carefully remove the meat from its sauce and place on a large cutting board. Cut the brisket into 1/2-inch slices. I had some trouble keeping my slices intact - I guess my brisket was just too tender :-).

If you like a smoother sauce, you can either run it through a blender or stick an immersion blender into the sauce.

Carefully place the sliced meat (moving it in large sections with a spatula helps keep it together) back into the sauce and spoon the sauce over the meat. Replace the lid or cover the dish tightly with foil and reheat in the slow cooker or oven until it is bubbling at the edges — this usually takes up to to 30 minutes in the oven and 75 minutes in the slow cooker on high.

Turkey & Beef Meatballs

2011-04-06T13:32:00.004-04:00

I usually don't eat meatballs when we go out because they have pork in them, so Charlie and I decided to make our own with ground turkey and ground beef. They're a bit labor intensive because you have to form each individual meatball, but it's so worth it! These were delicious. We actually preferred them without red sauce because it kind of masked the rich flavor of the meatballs - but both ways work well!

This recipe is adapted from this recipe in October's Bon Appetit magazine by Molly Wizenberg (just the meatballs, not the sauce).

Makes 6 main-course servings

1 cup fresh breadcrumbs made from crustless French or country-style bread (a few days old is best)
1/3 cup milk
8 ounces ground beef (10-15% fat)
8 ounces ground turkey (not ground turkey breast)
1 cup finely ground Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup finely chopped Italian parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggs
2 large garlic cloves, pressed

1/2 cup onion, finely diced

Combine breadcrumbs and milk in small bowl; stir until breadcrumbs are evenly moistened. Let stand 10 minutes.

Place beef and turkey in large bowl and gently break up into small chunks. Add Parmesan, parsley, salt, and pepper.

Whisk eggs to blend in small bowl; whisk in garlic and onion. Add to meat mixture.

Using hands, squeeze milk from breadcrumbs. Add breadcrumbs to meat mixture. Quickly and gently mix meat mixture just until all ingredients are evenly combined (do not overmix). Chill mixture at least 15 minutes and up to 1 hour.

Moisten hands (Molly suggests using reserved milk from breadcrumbs, but water also worked well), then roll meat mixture between palms into golf-ball-size balls, occasionally moistening hands as needed. You can then cook the meatballs in one of three ways:

1. Heat a large pot of sauce on the stove. Arrange meatballs in single layer in sauce in pot. Bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until meatballs are cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes.

2. Pan fry in a hot skillet, turning every 3-4 minutes, until cooked through and browned on all sides.

3. Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until no longer pink in the middle.

Serve with pasta or plain! With or without sauce! On pizza! So many options. Leftovers keep well in the refrigerator for about a week.

Fig Crumb Cake

2011-04-03T21:25:00.003-04:00

This cake is pretty to look at, easy to make, and it tastes like the perfect coffee cake. Recipe modified from "Valley Fig Growers."

Crumb Topping:

2/3 cup white flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed brown sugar

½ c. chopped nuts (preferably toasted)

½ c. oats

1t. cinnamon

dash of salt
1/3 cup mix of butter, canola oil, margarine, etc.

Fig mixture:
3/4 cup finely chopped dry figs, stems removed
1/4 cup chopped, toasted pecans or walnuts
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Cake Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup butter/oil/margarine mixture

3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2 large eggs
1 cup sour cream (I used no-fat sour cream)

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Spray 9-inch springform pan or equivalent.

CRUMB TOPPING

§ In food processor, combine all dry ingredients.

§ Add butter/oil and process until crumbly.

FIG MIXTURE

§ Mix figs, pecans/walnuts, brown sugar and cinnamon and set aside.

CAKE

§ Mix flour, baking powder, soda and salt and sugar.

§ Gradually add butter/oil, eggs, sour cream, and vanilla.

MAKING THE CAKE

§ Stir 1 cup batter into fig mixture.

§ Spoon plain batter in bottom of pan.

§ Spoon small mounds of fig batter on plain batter; spread as best you can to make an even layer.

§ Sprinkle crumb topping over top.

§ Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until done.

§ If the top is done cooking and the cake isn’t done cooking, cover the cake with a loose aluminum foil tent.

Be careful – the bottom of this cake burns easily

ROASTED CARROT SOUP

2011-04-03T21:19:00.003-04:00

This soup is the ultimate comfort food. The recipe is modified from Deborah Madison's Vegetable Soups

INGREDIENTS

1 pound carrots, peeled & cut into chunks

a few potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

1 large onion, cut into chunks

5 garlic cloves, peeled

2-4T olive oil

salt & pepper

2 thyme sprigs or 1-2T dry thyme

1 bay leaf

1 quart vegetable or chicken (or turkey) stock or water

OPTIONAL: cream, milk, sour cream, creme fraiche, soy sauce, minced parsley, minced basil

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 425

ROAST THE VEGETABLES:

Toss the vegetables with olive oil and season with 1/2t. salt & some pepper.

Put them in a large backing dish with thyme, bay leaf and garlic, and roast until tender and glazed, about 1 hour, turning 2-3 times.

NOTE: Don't worry about burning the vegies!

COOK VEGETABLES & STOCK:

Transfer the vegetables to a soup pot, add the stock, and bring to a boil.

Simmer until carrots & potatoes are soft, about 20 minutes.

Puree with immersion blender or in food processor until smooth.

Return the puree to the pot, season with salt & pepper.

EXTRA ADD-INS:

I added about 2T soy sauce and ½ cup whole milk.

You can add cream or swirl with sour cream or crème fraiche.

If you like, garnish with fresh parsley or basil.

Hamantashen Poppy Seed Filling

2011-03-13T12:08:00.002-04:00

This takes a bit of time to make, but it is worth the effort.

ingredients

1/2 c. poppy seed
1/2 c. orange juice
1 T. margarine
1 T. honey
1/4 c. chopped nuts
Grated rind of 1/4 lemon
2 T. seedless raisins
1 T. sugar
1/2 tart apple, grated
2 T. jam or preserves, any fruit

instuctions

--Combine poppy seed, orange juice, margarine, honey, nuts, lemon rind, raisins and sugar into a saucepan.

--Bring to a boil and cook until mixture is thick.

-- Stir in grated apple and desired jam or preserves.

Makes enough filling for 2-3 dozen hamantashen.

Brown Rice & Cornmeal Pancakes

2011-03-13T11:17:00.002-04:00

Despite the brown rice and whole grains, these are light pancakes with just the right amount of substance. Bruce says, “Delicious!”, so you know they’ve got to be good.

Ingredients:

2 cups skim milk

2-3 eggs

3 cups cooked brown rice

1 T baking powder

1t salt

½ c. cornmeal

1 ½ c. flour (I used ½ cup whole wheat and 1 cup white unbleached flour)

½ c. sugar

¼ c. canola oil

DIRECTIONS:

Put rice, egg and milk in a food processor, blend until smooth

Mix in other ingredients – don’t over-mix!

I cooked the pancakes in a no-stick pan with a little bit of butter for flavor.

Curried Cashew Burgers

2011-03-11T10:43:00.003-05:00

Seriously, try these. They sound weird but they're awesome. Kind of like falafel but with a nutty texture and curry flavor. Really good! Adapted from this recipe and introduced to me by my good friend Alexis. I like mine with a bit of yogurt and mango chutney, she likes hers with cucumber raita or honey mustard.

Ingredients:

2 cups plus 2 tablespoons water, divided
1 cup diced peeled carrots, (2-4 medium)
1/2 cup red lentils, rinsed
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
3/4 cup raw cashews
6 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 cup chopped onion, (1 medium)
1 clove garlic, minced
2 teaspoons curry powder
3/4 cup fine dry breadcrumbs or panko
Freshly ground pepper, to taste

1. Combine 2 cups water, carrots, lentils and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Partially cover and simmer until the lentils are tender and falling apart, 12 to 14 minutes. Drain in a colander, gently pressing out excess liquid. Transfer to a plate; let cool to room temperature.
2. Meanwhile, toast cashews in a small dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring, until golden and fragrant, 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool.
3. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, until softened, 5 to 8 minutes. Add garlic, curry powder and the remaining 2 tablespoons water; cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Remove from heat and let cool.
4. Pulse the cashews in a food processor until finely chopped. Add the lentils and the onion mixture; pulse until the mixture is cohesive but still somewhat textured. Transfer to a bowl and stir in breadcrumbs, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper; mix well.
5. With dampened hands, form the mixture into 1/2-inch-thick patties, using about 1/2 cup for each.
Using 2 teaspoons oil per batch, cook 2 to 4 patties at a time in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until evenly browned and heated through, about 4 minutes per side.

Serves 6.

Baked Potato Soup

2011-02-26T13:54:00.003-05:00

Lovely warming soup based on a recipe from Smitten Kitchen. As per her recommendation, I pureed some of the potatoes and left some in chunks which resulted in a great texture while still giving it a bit of a mashed potato feel.

1 head garlic
3 tablespoons butter
2 medium leeks, white and light green parts halved lengthwise, washed, and chopped small
5 to 6 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
2 bay leaves
Salt
2 1/2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/3 cup sour cream or yogurt
Ground black pepper

Rinse the head of garlic to remove any outside grit or dirt. Cut the top third off the head and peel any loose papery skins off the bottom two-thirds. Pop out the garlic clove tips from the top third and mince them.

In a large, heavy pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add leeks and cook them until soft (but not brown), about 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook another minute. Add the larger part of the garlic head (whole, not chopped), 5 cups broth, bay leaves and 1 teaspoon salt. Reduce heat and simmer for 5-10 minutes. Add potatoes and continue to simmer, partially covered, until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.

Discard bay leaves. Remove garlic heads. If you’d like an extra garlic boost to the soup, using tongs or paper towels, squeeze garlic head at root end until cloves slip out of their skins. Using a fork, mash the garlic cloves to smooth paste and add it back to the soup.

Add sour cream or yogurt to soup and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. Adjust seasonings, adding more salt and pepper to taste. Using immersion blender, process soup until chunky-creamy, leaving lots of potato texture intact. Add up to 1 cup more broth for a thinner soup. Serve with oven-warmed crusty bread.

Serves 4-6

Butternut Squash & Mushroom Empanadas

2011-01-26T09:20:00.002-05:00

Not too hard and so satisfyingly good. Adpated from this post on Bella Eats and this recipe from Gourmet.

Filling
2 cups diced (1/4 inch) butternut squash
1/2 cup finely chopped white onion
6 small garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp olive oil
2 (2 to 3 inch) fresh jalepeño chiles, seeded and ribs discarded, finely chopped

Optional: reconstituted dried chiptole pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 pound fresh exotic mushrooms, trimmed and coarsely chopped (I used a mix of cremini and white)

Empanada Dough
1-1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour
1-1/2 tsp salt
3/4 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 large egg
1/2 cup ice water (more if needed)
1 tbsp distilled white vinegar

Egg Wash
1 large egg beaten with 1 tbsp water

1. Make empanada dough. Sift flour and salt together in a large bowl. Blend in butter with your fingertips or with a pastry blender until mixture resembles course meal with some (roughly pea-size) butter lumps.
2. Beat together egg, water, and vinegar in a small bowl with a fork. Add to flour mixture, stirring with fork until just incorporated (the mixture should look shaggy).
3. Turn out mixture onto a lightly floured surface and gather together, then knead gently with heel of your hand once or twice, just enough to bring dough together. Form dough into a flat rectangle and chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, at least one hour.
4. Make the filling. Preheat oven to 400˚. Combine together the squash, onion, garlic, chile peppers, and mushrooms. Toss with olive oil and a good sprinkling of salt and pepper, and spread in an even layer on a baking sheet. (The Gourmet recipe differs here, boiling and sauteing the vegetables - choose what you like best.) Roast for 25-35 minutes, until the squash is tender and the mushrooms have released their liquid, stirring every 10 minutes or so. Remove from oven and cool in pan on rack.
5. Assemble the empanadas! Keep the oven heated to 400˚. Divide dough into 12 equal pieces and form each into a disk. On a floured surface, roll out one disk into a 6 to 7 inch round. Spoon about 1/3 cup of filling onto center and brush edge of pastry with egg wash. Fold dough in half to form a half-moon, enclosing filling, and press edges together to seal. Crimp edge decoratively and move empañada to a large baking sheet. Make the remaining empañadas using the same method.
6. Lightly brush empanadas with remaining egg wash and sprinkle tops with coarse sea salt. Bake on middle rack of oven until golden, 25-30 minutes.

Double Broccoli Pesto Pasta

2011-01-25T12:35:00.004-05:00

A hearty, winter-y take on the classic basic pesto. Adapted from this 101Cookbooks post. Heidi suggests serving this as a side dish, but I added some lightly sauteed chicken and made it into a full meal.

1 medium head of broccoli (about 3 cups), cut into very small florets
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted
1/3 cup Parmesan, freshly grated
1 clove of garlic
juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/4 teaspoon + fine grain sea salt
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, more as needed
1/2 pound (8 ounces) dried whole wheat pasta

Bring two pots of water to a boil, one for the broccoli and one for the pasta.

To cook the broccoli, salt the boiling water and add about 3/4 of the broccoli. Cook for just twelve seconds. Drain immediately and run cold water over the broccoli to stop the cooking. Puree in a food processor along with the walnuts, Parmesan, garlic, lemon juice and salt. Drizzle in the olive oil while still blending. Taste, adjust with more salt or lemon juice if needed and set aside. You can add more olive oil or some warm water to thin it out.

To cook the remaining broccoli florets, saute in a skillet with a bit of salt, olive oil, and water until cooked to your liking. Put aside.

To cook the pasta, salt the boiling water generously and add the pasta. Boil until just barely tender. Drain and transfer to a large bowl. Gently stir in about half of the pesto. Taste, add more pesto to your liking. Served topped the broccoli florets and a dusting of Parmesan cheese.

Makes about 6 side servings or 3 main servings.

Bittersweet Hot Fudge Sauce

2011-01-13T10:30:00.003-05:00

Hot Fudge Sauce

Since I often make this for a crowd, I've included 2 sets of quantities. This sauce & very good & fudgy. I sometimes add a pinch of salt.

Ingredients

SERVINGS: 6-8	Serving 18-24
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa	2 ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa
½ cup sugar	1.5 cups sugar
¾ cup fat-free milk	2 ¼ cup fat free milk
2 T butter or margarine	6 T butter or margerine
1 t. vanilla	1 Tablespoon vanilla
¼ - ½ t. ground cinnamon	1 t. ground cinnamon

Directions

Mix cocoa and sugar in small saucepan
Stir in milk and add margarine/butter
Heat over medium heat until boiling, stirring constantly
Reduce heat and simmer until sauce is smooth and slightly thickened, 3-4 minutes
Remove from heat; stir in vanilla and cinnamon.
Serve hot/warm or at room temperature.

Toasted Almond & Coconut Biscotti

2011-01-10T15:54:00.004-05:00

A blend of a few different recipes and methods:

2 eggs
1 t vanilla
1/2 t almond extract, more to taste
2 T oil
3/4 C sugar
1 1/2 C flour
3/4 t baking powder
1/4 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1/2 t nutmeg
1 C unsweetened coconut
1/2 C almonds, toasted and finely chopped

Combine eggs, extracts, oil, and sugar. Add dry ingredients and then stir in coconut and almonds. Dough will be a bit sticky.

Shape into 4" logs on a lightly floured surface. Place on greased cookie sheet or parchment lined cookie sheet and press logs to a 1"-thickness. Bake at 300 for 30 minutes, or until light brown. Remove and cook slightly, 5-10 minutes. Then cut each log into slices, diagonally if you want to be fancy. Bake each side for 15 minutes, or until golden on the bottom.

Tova's Potstickers

2011-01-06T11:26:00.005-05:00

When I was visiting Tova in Carrboro a few weeks ago she made up a big patch of potstickers. I was surprised how easy they were and how authentic they tasted! As soon as I got back to Boston I replicated the recipe for a New Years Eve dinner party. Below is a simple vegetarian filling, but I also made a ground turkey version of this filling from the Gourmet cookbook.

1 package of "baked tofu", teriyaki or soy/sesame flavor, crumbled
bunch of green onions, chopped
small handful of cilantro, chopped
a few cloves of garlic, minced
2 carrots, shredded

1 cup cabbage, shredded
1/4 C soy sauce
2 t sesame oil
1 egg, beaten
package of wonton or potsticker wrappers

Stir all ingredients together, minus the egg and wonton wrappers. Taste for flavor, adjust and then stir in egg. Mix 1 T cornstarch into 1/4 C water and brush this onto edges of wrappers.

For detailed on how to fill and fold potstickers, check out this blog post with directions and photos from Steamy Kitchen.

To fry the dumplings, heat a large pan over a medium heat. Add a bit of vegetable oil, then squeeze as many potstickers that will fit into the pan, trying not to have any touching, (or else they'll stick together). Fry for 60-90 seconds until golden brown on the bottom. Add 1/4-1/2 C water, put lid on immediately, lower heat a bit and cook about 3 minutes. Remove the lid, cook off any excess water, and then remove potstickers. Repeat until all potstickers are cooked.

Tova's special dipping sauce: mix soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar, mirin, sriacha. Taste and adjust.

Best Fluffy Pancakes! (that happen to be lowfat and vegan)

2011-01-02T18:26:00.004-05:00

1 cup flour
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons baking powder (yes! its a lot!)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons of maple syrupy
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1.5 cup soy-milk (or whatever type of milk you have)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Mix dry ingredients. Combine with wet ingredients. Cook immediately (do not make in advance).

Gingerbread Waffles

2010-12-23T10:36:00.003-05:00

A big hit at Topsail vacation!
Adapted from several blogs. Makes about 4 waffles.

1 C white flour
1 C whole wheat flour
1/4 C dark brown sugar
1 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
1 t salt
2 t (each) cinnamon and ginger
1 t (each) cardamom, cloves, allspice, nutmeg
4 eggs
1/2 stick butter, melted
1 C milk
1 C plain yogurt
1/4 C molasses
1 t vanilla

Mix melted butter, milk, yogurt, molasses, vanilla, and eggs in a bowl. Add in dry ingredients and mix until smooth.

Cranberry-Blueberry Muffins

2010-12-16T01:10:00.003-05:00

Cranberry-Blueberry Muffins

Makes 18 muffins

It’s not too often that I come across a new muffin recipe that I love! This one is great, filled with fruit, not too sweet….

(modified from Weight Watchers recipe)

2/3 cup sugar
2 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
¼ t. salt
1 T melted butter
2 T canola oil
¾ c. plain nonfat yogurt
1/3 c. thawed o.j. concentrate
2 eggs
2.5 c. flour: I mixed whole wheat, white whole wheat, and white
1.5 c. fresh or frozen blueberries
1 c. cranberries

Preheat oven to 375.

Spray muffin tins with cooking spray and dust with flour or yellow cake mix

I combined the first 9 ingredients, and then folded in the flour (#10), and the berries.

Spoon the batter into the cups. Dust the top of each muffin with granulated sugar.

Bake til golden, about 15 minutes.

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

2010-12-10T14:38:00.006-05:00

These delicious, quick, and pretty cookies come from a new blog I discovered, 17andbaking. I made them for the annual December frisbee tournament down on the Cape, Get Ho Ho Ho. Even though it was less than 35 degrees outside, I think these cookies warmed everyone up a bit. NOTE: The dough needs to chill in the refrigerator for 4 hours so plan accordingly!

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 cups white sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (optional - my addition and it added a great flavor)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

In a medium bowl, mix together cocoa, white sugar, and vegetable oil. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt; stir into the cocoa mixture. Cover dough, and chill for at least 4 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Roll dough into one inch balls with lightly oiled palms. I used a cookie scoop to portion the dough, a tablespoon or rounded teaspoon would also work depending on what size you like. Coat each ball well in confectioners’ sugar before placing onto prepared cookie sheets.

Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes. Let stand on the cookie sheet for a minute before transferring to wire racks to cool.

Charlie's Beef Short Ribs with Red Wine

2010-11-21T16:03:00.003-05:00

While Tova was visiting me in Boston, Charlie surprised us by making dinner using the slow cooker. It was his first time using a slow cooker, and the dish turned out beautifully! Since Tova and I didn't know exactly when we'd be home from our errands, he could just let the short ribs simmer away in the slow cooker until we were ready to eat. This recipe is adapted from Beth Hensperger & Julie Kaufmann's Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook.

Ingredients:

1 c dry red wine, such as a Zinfandel or Cabernet Sauvignon

2/3 c ketchup

3 T soy sauce

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 T brown sugar

1/2 t freshly ground black pepper

4 lbs beef short ribs, on the bone

2 medium-size yellow onions, chopped

Directions:

1. Combine the wine, ketchup, soy sauce, garlic, brown sugar, and pepper in the slow cooker and mix until smooth.

2. Add the ribs, submerging them in the sauce. Distribute the onions over the ribs.

3. Cover and cook on LOW until tender and the meat starts to separate from the bone, 7-8 hours.

4. Transfer the ribs to a platter and set aside. Let the sauce cool for a bit, then spoon the liquid fat off the surface and discard.

5. Pour the sauce over the ribs and serve immediately.

Serves 4

Serving suggestion: Scrub a few potatoes, prick them, and pop them into a 400-degree oven about an hour before the ribs are ready. When the potatoes are done, place one in each bowl or plate, gently mash with a fork, and spoon the ribs and sauce over top.

Shredded Kale Salad

2010-11-18T20:57:00.004-05:00

1 bunch kale, stem removed and shredded
2 cloves garlic, minced
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 onion, thinly sliced (optional)
1 avocado, diced
splash of olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Combine kale, garlic, avocado, and onion (if using) in a bowl. Dress with olive oil and lemon juice, then season with salt and pepper.

Savory roasted squash

2010-11-16T07:52:00.003-05:00

Ingredients
squash (for this recipe I used a North Georgia Candy Roaster but any kind will work)
extra virgin olive oil
salt
(optional) freshly ground black pepper
(optional) finely chopped thyme, rosemary, & sage (approx 1/2t each per cup of squash)
(optional) chile flakes & orange peel (approx 1/4t chile and zest from 1 orange per cup of squash)

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
With a strong vegetable peeler, remove and discard the squash's skin.
Remove and discard the seeds.
Slice the flesh into 1/2-inch cubes.
Drizzle with olive oil and salt (1/2t per cup of squash).
Sprinkle with either:
herb mix, or,
chile/orange zest mix, or,
freshly ground black pepper.
Toss to combine.
Place on a baking sheet lined with foil.
Roast for 15-20 minutes until the squash is tender and begins to brown.

Cauliflower Black Pepper Cake

2010-11-04T21:47:00.003-04:00

Recipe slightly adapted from smitten kitchen. Surprisingly quite good!

medium cauliflower

1 large red onion, chopped
3 T olive oil
1/2 t rosemary or sage, preferably fresh
10 medium or 8 large eggs (I used our eggs)
Handful basil, chopped
Scant 1 1/2 C white-wheat flour
2 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t ground turmeric
1 C grated Romano cheese
Salt and black pepper
Butter, for greasing pan

Break cauliflower into medium florets and place in a pot with a teaspoon of salt, cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until quite soft. Strain well.

In another pan, saute red onion with rosemary or sage until soft. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Whisk eggs, olive oil and onion mixture together. Stir in basil. Add flour, baking powder, turmeric, cheese, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and several grinds of black pepper. Stir to remove lumps and then gently stir in cauliflower.

Grease a 9" pan with spray, pour cauliflower batter in, and bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes, until golden brown and set. Be careful not to over-bake.

Pumkin Lemongrass Soup with Corn

2010-11-04T21:41:00.003-04:00

1 fresh lemongrass stalk, root end trimmed and 1 or 2 outer layers discarded
1 large onion, chopped
butter or oil
1 1/2- 2lbs (4 C) butternut or other sweet squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 1/2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels
5 cups water

Slice bottom 5 inches of lemongrass into chunks. Melt a bit of butter or oil in a pot and combine lemongrass, onion, and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook until onion is softened, about 10 minutes. Add squash, corn, water, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and bring to a boil over high heat.

Reduce heat and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until squash is tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and discard lemongrass (if you can find it).

Purée soup and then strain it through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing hard on and then discarding solids. Season with salt and pepper.

Sweet Potato Soup

2010-11-01T10:16:00.002-04:00

Here's an easy and yummy soup I made this past week using sweet potatoes from Wilson Farm in Lexington.

3/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 cup finely chopped leek, washed well and drained
2 large garlic cloves, minced
3 large carrots, sliced thin (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 bay leaf
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 pounds (about 3 large) sweet potatoes
a 1/2-pound russet (baking) potato
5 cups vegetable or chicken broth
3/4 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 cups water

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/2 t cinnamon

1/4 t nutmeg

1/4 t ginger
Salt and pepper to taste

In a kettle cook the onion, the leek, the garlic, and the carrots with the bay leaf and salt and pepper to taste in the butter over moderate heat, stirring, until the vegetables are softened. Add the sweet potatoes, peeled, halved lengthwise, and sliced thin, the russet potato, peeled, halved lengthwise, and sliced thin, the 5 cups broth, the wine, and the water, simmer the mixture, covered for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are very tender, and discard the bay leaf. In a blender (or with an immersion blender) puree the mixture in batches until it is very smooth, transferring it as it is pureed to a large saucepan. Stir in the maple syrup and the spices. Taste and adjust the seasonings, adding more maple syrup, spices, or salt and pepper as needed. Serve warm with fresh bread!

Tostones (Fried Plantains)

2010-10-25T21:59:00.006-04:00

Our friend Bobby, who writes a great blog about deep fried adventures, hosted a Deep Fried Thanksgiving Potluck on Sunday. In addition to a deep fried turkey, we sampled deep-fried stuffing, mashed potatoes, and of course sweet potatoes. Charlie and I decided to make tostones, or fried plantains, a dish we had loved during our trip to Nicaragua. These were very easy and really good! We couldn't cook them up fast enough for people. We served them with guacamole, but they're just as good plain or with some rice and beans.

Adapted from the Gourmet cookbook.

INGREDIENTS:

3 to 4 large unripe (green) or barely ripe (slightly yellow) plantains
about 2 cups olive, canola, or peanut oil for frying

1. With a sharp small knife cut ends from each plantain and cut a lengthwise slit through skin. Cut plantains crosswise into 1-inch-thick pieces and, beginning at slit, pry skin from pieces. (Warning: this is a little trickier than peeling bananas!)

2. In a 12" nonstick skillet heat 1/2 inch oil over moderate heat until just hot enough to sizzle when a plantain piece is added. Fry plantains in batches, without crowding, until tender and just golden, 2 to 3 minutes on each side. With tongs transfer plantains as fried to paper towels to drain.

3. Remove skillet from heat and reserve oil. With the bottom of a heavy saucepan or a wide solid metal spatula flatten plantains to 1/4 inch thick (about 3 inches in diameter). This is the most fun part.

4. Dip flattened plantains into a bowl of warm salted water, 1 at a time. Heat reserved oil over moderate heat until hot but not smoking and fry flattened plantains in batches, without crowding, until golden, about 3 minutes. Use tongs to transfer tostones to paper towels to drain. Season with salt if desired.

5. Serve immediately.

Yield: Makes 18 to 24 tostones

Orange Cake With Triple Sec

2010-10-25T10:03:00.004-04:00

This cake is remarkably delicious, elegant, and easy. I made it in small loaf pans and left the nuts on the bottom; it would probably be delicious with the nuts on top! This can be made using cake mix, or from scratch.

Ingredients:

1 cup chopped pecans

1 box yellow cake mix, or replace with cake ingredients below

3 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup Triple Sec
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup water (or OJ or Triple Sec)
Glaze (recipe follows)

Cake ingredients to replace cake mix:

2 cups sugar

2 t. vanilla
2 cups white flour
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
2 T butter

Preparation:

Sprinkle pecans over the bottom of a greased and floured 10-inch Bundt cake pan.

In a large mixing bowl, combine all remaining ingredients except glaze. Beat with an electric mixer on 30 seconds at low speed of an electric mixer; then beat for 2 minutes at medium speed. Pour batter into prepared pan; bake at 325° for 1 hour, or until a wooden pick or cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes; remove from pan and let cool completely on wire rack. Pierce cake all over with meat fork, skewer, or wooden pick. Spoon glaze slowly over cake, letting it sink in.

Glaze

· 1/4 cup butter (or less)

· 1/4 cup orange juice

· 1/2 granulated cup sugar (or less)

· 1 teaspoon grated orange zest

· 1/2 cup Curacao or Triple Sec

Melt butter in a heavy saucepan. Stir in orange juice and sugar; bring to a boil. Boil 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in orange zest and liqueur.

Quick Indian Chicken

2010-10-03T21:38:00.002-04:00

I had some leftover Indian food from a dinner in Somerville with a friend, and Charlie and I wanted to eat it for dinner. We decided to supplement the aloo chole and rice with some Indian-flavored chicken. I loosely adapted this recipe from this one at the blog coffeemuffins.com.

Tandoori Chicken Marinade

2-3 tablespoons of plain non-fat yogurt
1 teaspoon of turmeric or curry powder
1/4 teaspoon of ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon of paprika
1/4 teaspoon of cayenne
1/8 teaspoon of ground cloves
optional: coriander, ground chili pepper, garlic
a squeeze of lemon juice
a pinch of salt and a grind of pepper

Mix the ingredients together, until they form a smooth paste.

This makes enough for around 3 or 4 chicken breasts. We cut the chicken into bite-size pieces, but you could also leave the breasts whole. Cover the chicken with the marinade. Leave it to marinate for 10min - 2hrs (the longer you let it sit, the deeper the flavors.

Cook on the stove-top or on the grill (7min per side for a whole chicken breast, 3min per side for cut-up chicken).

Serve with basmati rice!

Cauliflower Soup with Parmesan Crisps

2010-09-24T13:49:00.002-04:00

Very nice taste, simple, fast, crisps were good but didn’t really crisp

Soup ingredients:

1 head cauliflower
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 quart chicken stock(I use home-made, of course)
1/2 cup shredded or grated Parmesan
Salt and black pepper

Crisps ingredient:

1 cup shredded Parmesan

Directions for soup

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan or soup pot over medium heat and add the onion and garlic.

Cook until softened, but not browned, about 5 minutes.

Remove the leaves and thick core from the cauliflower, coarsely chop.

Add cauliflower and stock to pot and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until the cauliflower is very soft and falling apart, about 15 minutes.

Remove from heat and, using a hand held immersion blender, puree the soup (or puree in small batches in a blender).

Add the Parmesan and stir until smooth. Season, to taste, with salt and black pepper.

Directions for parmesan crisps:

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

Spread the shredded cheese over the foil in 1 even thin layer.

Bake about 10 minutes until golden brown and crisp.

Remove from oven and let cool 5 minutes.

Break sheet of crisp cheese into large pieces and garnish each soup bowl with a couple shards.

Blackberry-Basil Crumble

2010-09-17T00:33:00.004-04:00

I made this recipe with blackberries I picked when I visited Arianna in Northampton a few weeks ago. The blackberry/basil combination is really good and definitely different! This is adapted from a recipe in one of my favorite books, "Animal Vegetable Miracle" by Barbara Kingsolver. Enjoy!

4 cups blackberries (optional: use half blackberries and half apples - peeled and cut into small chunks)
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 large handful of basil leaves, chopped
1⁄4 cup honey – or more, depending on tartness of your berries

Preheat oven to 400. Combine the above in an oven-proof casserole dish, mix
and set aside.

1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup oats
3 heaping tbsp brown sugar
1 stick cold butter
Pinch of salt

Cut butter into flour and sugar, then rub with your fingers to make a chunky, crumbly mixture (not uniform). Sprinkle it over the top of the fruit, bake 30 minutes until golden and bubbly.

Devour!

Summer Strata with Spinach, Basil & Garlic Custard

2010-08-30T21:47:00.003-04:00

This yummy summer dinner dish comes from a fun new blog that my roommate Sally introduced me to: eat me, delicious. There are also some killer baked goods dishes on her site. When Sally and I made this we halved the recipe - which was enough for about five servings. The one below should serve ten.

Caramelized Onions (start this early!)
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
4 yellow onions, sliced
1 tsp salt
1/2 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 cup white wine
1/4 cup vegetable stock or water
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp freshly-ground pepper
1 tsp minced fresh thyme, sage or rosemary (or a combo)

Filling
1 lb sourdough loaf, cut into 3/4" cubes (you could use whatever bread you wanted - we used a simple white-whole wheat loaf)
2 bunches of spinach, wilted, squeezed and chopped OR a big bag of baby spinach (no need to prep, it'll wilt when it's being baked)
1 recipe caramelized onions
1/2 cup sundried tomatoes (not oil packed)
1/2 cup chopped basil
1/2 cup chopped parsley (optional)
1 1/2 cups grated fontina cheese, divided

Custard
6 eggs
2 1/2 cups milk (no-fat is fine)
2 bulbs roasted garlic, mashed OR four cloves raw garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly-ground pepper

Caramelized Onions
1. Heat olive oil and butter over medium heat until the butter begins to foam. Add the onions and stir to coat. Add salt and cook for 20 minutes. Stir occasionally.

2. Sprinkle in the sugar and wine and reduce until the liquid has evaporated. Add stock, vinegar, pepper and herbs. Cook gently until the stock is reduced and the onions reach a creamy texture.

Filling and Custard
1. Soak the sundried tomatoes until soft, strain and chop coarsely.

2. To make the custard, whisk the eggs in a large bowl. Whisk in the milk, cream, mashed roasted garlic, salt and pepper. Stir in the bread cubes, cover and let stand for up to 1 hour. Stir occasionally to ensure that all of the bread is evenly soaked. Stir in the remaining filling ingredients, reserving half of the grated cheese.

3. Heat the oven to 350F. Butter or oil a 9"x13" baking dish and scoop the bread pudding mixture into it. Sprinkle with the reserved cheese and bake until crusty, golden brown and just set in the middle (about 45 minutes). Let stand for several minutes, cut into squares and serve.

Soy-Sesame Grilled (or Broiled) Eggplant

2010-08-09T10:40:00.003-04:00

I always love the idea of eggplant but often don't like the way it's prepared. I wanted to make something asian-inspired, thanks to the delicious eggplant dish we had in July at Pok-Pok. I found this recipe in Andrea Chesman's "Serving Up The Harvest" and it was great!

2 large-medium eggplant, sliced 3/8" thick
Canola or peanut oil
5 T soy sauce
2 T dark sesame oil
2 T Chinese rice wine
1 T rice vinegar
1 T chili paste with garlic (or 1/2 T chili powder)
1 1/2 T sugar or honey
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 scallions, whites and tender greens, finely chopped

1. Prepare a medium-hot fire in the grill or preheat the broiler. Brush eggplant with oil.

2. Grill the eggplant until browned, 5-7 minutes on each side. Or broil the eggplant on high (2-4" from the top) until brown, 5-7 minutes on each side. The eggplant should be slightly crusty on the outside but soft and moist inside.

3. Slice the eggplant into bite-sized pieces (I left mine fairly large so I could put them on bread). Transfer to a bowl.

4. Combine soy sauce through scallions in a small bowl. Mix well. Pour over the eggplant and toss to mix.

5. Let stand for about 30min to allow the eggplant to absorb the flavors of the marinade. You can refrigerate the dish for up to 3 days. You can serve warm or cold.

Optional: sprinkle with sesame seeds before serving.

2010-08-06T21:07:00.002-04:00

Wheat Berry Salad

I made this salad for Bruce and Tova and it was a big hit! The right mixture of texture, taste, and color.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups hard wheat berries
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
1/2 cup tart dried cherries or dried crangerries
1 scallion, white and green parts, chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
1-2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

In a large pot combine the wheat berries and enough water to come 2 inches over the wheat berries. Bring to a boil and cook uncovered for 1 hour, or until tender. OR, cook wheat berries in rice cooker with this proportion: 1 cup berries to 2.25 cups water. I added a few garlic cloves, a chopped onion, and a bay leaf to the water. Use as is, or drain if there is excess fluid.

Toast the walnuts in a medium dry skillet over medium-high heat until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine the wheat berries, walnuts, celery, dried cherries, scallions, parsley, olive oil, balsamic vinegarl and lemon juice. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

2010-07-26T14:32:00.002-04:00

Fresh Corn Salad with Basil
(with thanks to the Barefoot Contessa)

This salad is simple and delicious.

5 ears of corn, shucked

1/2 cup small-diced red onion (1 small onion)
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
3 tablespoons good olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup julienned fresh basil leaves

Directions

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the corn for 3 minutes until the starchiness is just gone. Drain and immerse it in ice water to stop the cooking and to set the color. When the corn is cool, cut the kernels off the cob, cutting close to the cob.

Toss the kernels in a large bowl with the red onions, vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Just before serving, toss in the fresh basil. Taste for seasonings and serve cold or at room temperature.

Potato Rosemary Foccacia

2010-07-24T16:40:00.004-04:00

Inspired by a Log Lunch recipe, adapted from Gourmet 1990 via Epicurious. I made this for a dinner at Alexis' house with her mom and it was a big hit!

2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
4 1/2 cups all-purpose and/or bread flour
2 cups mashed cooked russet potatoes (about 1 1/4 pounds)
1 tablespoon salt
2 garlic cloves, sliced thin
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary (dried is ok too)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 pounds small red or purple potatoes

1. In a small bowl sprinkle the yeast over 1 cup warm water and let it proof for 5 minutes, or until foamy.

2. In a large bowl combine 4 cups of flour with the mashed potatoes and the salt until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the yeast mixture, and stir the dough until it is combined well.

3. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead it, incorporating as much of the remaining 1/2 cup flour as necessary to prevent it from sticking, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until it is smooth and elastic. Form the dough into a ball, put it in an oiled bowl, and turn it to coat it with the oil. Let the dough rise, covered with plastic wrap, in a warm place for 1 1/2 hours, or until doubled.

4. While the dough is rising, in a small bowl stir together the garlic, the rosemary, and the oil and let the mixture stand, covered.

5. Turn the dough out into an oiled 15 1/2- x 10 1/2-inch jelly-roll pan, press it evenly into the pan, and let it rise, covered loosely, in a warm place for 30-45 minutes, or until it is almost double in bulk.

6. Using a mandoline or hand-held slicer cut the small potatoes into paper-thin slices, arrange the slices on the dough, overlapping them, and brush them with the oil mixture, discarding the garlic. Sprinkle the focaccia with salt and pepper to taste.

7. Bake it in the bottom third of a preheated 400°F. oven for 40 to 50 minutes, or until it is golden. Let the focaccia cool in the pan on a rack and serve it fresh out of the oven!

Arugula Pesto

2010-07-19T11:24:00.007-04:00

What to do with two bunches of arugula from the Farmer's Market? Make arugula pesto, or course! This easy and delicious recipe is adapted from Andrea Chesman's book, "Serving Up the Harvest."

8 cups arugula leaves, washed and trimmed
1/2 cup pine nuts (or walnuts)
2 garlic cloves
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the arugula and blanch until wilted, about 30 seconds. Remove the arugula with tongs and transfer to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. Let cool, then drain, squeezing out as much moisture as possible. If you're making pasta, you can use this water to cook it!

2. Chop the pine nuts and garlic in a food processor. Transfer the arugula to the food processor and process until finely chopped. Add the oil and parmesan and process until the mixture has the consistency of a thick paste. Add a little bit of water or more oil if you want to thin it out. Transfer to a bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

My favorite way to eat this is with whole wheat pasta and halved cherry tomatoes - yum!

Corn Muffins with Fresh Corn

2010-06-22T11:02:00.004-04:00

Corn Muffins with Fresh corn

Ingredients

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

¾ cup whole wheat flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal, preferably stone-ground
6 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg (optional)
1 cup buttermilk (OK to substitute sour cream or plain yogurt)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
3 tablespoons oil

1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 1/3 cup corn kernels

NOTE: I used fresh corn and grilled the corn first -- shucked, lightly oiled (olive oil), lightly salted, wrapped in foil; I also added a bit of shredded cheddar cheese!

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg.. In a large glass measuring cup or another bowl, whisk the buttermilk, melted butter, oil, egg and yolk together until well blended. Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and, with the whisk or a rubber spatula, gently but quickly stir to blend. Don’t worry about being thorough – the batter will be lumpy, and that’s just the way it should be. Stir in the corn kernels. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups.

Bake for 15 to 18 minutes (12 minutes for minis) at 400 degrees, or until the tops are golden and a thin knife inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean.

Adapted from recipe called Dorie Greenspan’s Corniest Corn Muffins

Fresh cherry compote -- 2 recipes, sweet & "savoury"

2010-06-20T18:36:00.003-04:00

It's fresh cherry season! I use sweet cherries that I pit using my fingers. Cherry compote/sauce is wonderful on ice cream, on cake, with yogurt, as a side dish with meat or fish. And, it uses about 10% of the sugar required for jam.

CHERRY COMPOTE #1: SWEET

· 4 cups pitted sweet cherries (about 1 1/2 pounds)

· 1/4 cup granulated sugar

· 2 tablespoons water

· 2 teaspoons cornstarch

· 1/4 teaspoon almond extract

To prepare compote, combine cherries, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons water, and cornstarch in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in extract. Cool.

Options: add a pinch of salt, amaretto, lemon juice

CHERRY COMPOTE #2: SAVOURY

1 pound halved and pitted fresh sweet cherries (4 cups)
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
Coarse salt and ground pepper

In a small saucepan, combine cherries, sugar, fresh rosemary, and 1 tablespoon water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until cherries are nice and tender and liquid is slightly thickened, 12 to 15 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in vinegar; season lightly with salt and pepper. Let stand at room temperature until cool. Serve or store.

Moist, Light, Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread

2010-06-14T15:04:00.003-04:00

Section 1

2 c. flour
0.5 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp baking soda

Section 2

1.5 c. mashed overripe bananas
2 large eggs
1/3 c. buttermilk or yogurt mixed with milk or water
0.5 c. vegetable oil
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1.5 c. sugar
1 tsp. salt

1.5 c. chocolate chunks

Preheat overn to 350 and grease pan(s).

Mix together section 1. Mix together Section 2. Mix together Section 1 and 2. Add Chocolate.

Put in pan(s) and bake for 30-35 minutes or until done.

Two Blackberry Cakes

2010-06-07T19:33:00.003-04:00

Blackberries have been on sale for the past few weeks, so...

1. Blackberry Upside Down Cake

Adapted from this Gourmet magazine recipe

2 1/2 cups fresh blackberries (12 ounces), washed and dried
1/2 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup well-shaken buttermilk

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Line bottom of a buttered 8- by 2-inch round cake pan with 2 rounds of parchment paper, then butter parchment. Dust pan with some flour, knocking out excess.

Arrange blackberries in 1 layer in cake pan. Sprinkle berries with 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar and shake pan to help distribute sugar.

Whisk together 1 cup flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Beat together butter and remaining 1/2 cup sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg and vanilla and mix at low speed until just incorporated. Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk in 3 batches, mixing at low speed until just incorporated.

Spoon batter evenly over berries, smoothing top, and bake in middle of oven until top is golden and a tester comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes.

Run a thin knife around edge of pan, then invert a large plate over pan and, using pot holders to hold plate and pan together tightly, flip cake onto plate. Peel off parchment and serve!

2. Walt's Blackberry Cake

From 1001 Low-Fat Desserts

6 T butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 3/4 all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon allspice
pinch ground nutmeg
1 1/2 cups pureed fresh or frozen (thawed) blackberries
1/2 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

Beat butter and sugar in large bowl until well blended. Beat in egg. Mix in combined dry ingredients (flour --> nutmeg), alternating with blackberries, beginning and ending with dry ingredients.

Pour batter into greased and floured 6-cup fluted tube pan. Bake at 350 until toothpick comes out clean, 40-45 minutes. Cook cake in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely.

Optional: Drizzle with sugar or brown sugar glaze.

Really Good Zucchini Bread

2010-06-04T18:35:00.002-04:00

adapted from SmittenKitchen-

2 loaves or 12-16 big muffins

3 eggs

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1-1 1/2 cups sugar

2 cups grated zucchini

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Grease 2 pans or muffin tins. Whisk eggs and then mix in oil, applesauce and sugar, then zucchini and vanilla. Add all the dry ingredients, and lastly add nuts and chocolate. Divide the batter into prepared pans.

Bake loaves for 40-60 minutes, until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Muffins will bake far more quickly, approximately 20 to 25 minutes. EAT IMMEDIATELY, or else someone else will.

"GRANOLA" BARS

2010-05-03T21:11:00.004-04:00

Finally, a recipe for granola bars not filled with butter or oil. Use any combination of chocolate chips, dried fruit, coconut, pecans, almond slices, or any other tidbits you'd like in a granola bar.

BASIC RECIPE

3 cups quick-cooking oats (I used some slow-cooking oats)
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup flaked coconut (I skipped this, of course)
1 cup sliced almonds (I used chopped roasted almonds and chopped roasted peanuts)
1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries (I used chopped up apricots)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x13 inch pan.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the oats, sweetened condensed milk, butter, coconut, almonds, chocolate chips and cranberries with your hands until well blended. Press flat into the prepared pan.
3. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, depending on how crunchy you want them. Lightly browned just around the edges will give you moist, chewy bars. Let cool for 5 minutes, cut into squares then let cool completely before serving.

Persian Charoses

2010-03-29T09:40:00.003-04:00

Persian Charoses

This is another sephardic charoses (characterized by nuts and dried fruit).

Yield: 5 cups

25 (=1.25 c) dates, pitted and diced
1/2 c unsalted pistachios
1/2 c almonds
1/2 c walnuts
1 c golden and/or black raisins
1 1/2 apples, peeled, cored and diced
1/2 large pear, peeled, cored and diced
1/2 c pomegranate juice
1 orange, peeled and diced
1 banana, sliced
1/2 c sweet red wine
2 T cider vinegar
1 t ground cloves
1 T ground cardamon
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t ground ginger
1/2 t ground nutmeg
4 T brown sugar

Combine nuts, dried fruit, & spices in food processor & pulse until nuts are coarsly chopped.
Add wet fruit and pulse until they are coarsely chopped.
Add the liquids and pulse again just to mix. Do not puree.

Mom's Famous Charoset

2010-03-26T22:02:00.002-04:00

Making this in the Cuisinart gives it the authentic "Mom" texture.

Mom's Regular Old Charoset

*4 apples, peeled and cored
*2/3 c. almonds or walnuts (or pecans.) - you can toast them a little beforehand if you like
*¼ c. +/- of brown or white sugar
*1 T. cinnamon
*4T sweet wine and or/ grape juice
*raisins, currants, craisins, or other dried fruit (these taste best if you soften them first put in a mug and cover with grape juice and heat in microwave to boiling point, and then let them sit for a bit to absorb the liquid)

Chop all the ingredients in a CUISINART to taste! Add the apples closer to the end or else they will be chopped into mush! Change quantities and ingredients however you like!

Sephardic Charoset from Surinam

* ½ - 1 cup unsweetened coconut
* ½ - 1 cup finely chopped walnuts or almonds
* ¼ c. sugar
* 1 T cinnamon
* a few cups of assorted dried fruit: raisins, apple, prunes, apricots, pears, craisins, dates, currants, etc.
* 4 oz. cherry jam
* sweet red wine or grape juice (or other juices I used some mango & orange juice too!)

1. Combine everything except jam & wine in saucepan.
2. Cover with juice(s)
3. Heat to boiling and simmer for at least 90 minutes -- periodically add small amounts of juice to prevent sticking
4. When cohesive , stir in jam, and cook for another 15 minutes or so
5. I put about 2/3 of the mixture in the Cuisinart to make it smoother and stirred it all back together

Roasted Carrot and Fennel Soup

2010-03-26T21:43:00.002-04:00

So I don't like fennel but I LOVE this soup. There's something about roasting the fennel and cooking it with carrots that gives it a sweet and complex depth to this soup. You're probably thinking this soup sounds kind of weird, but trust me, you have to try it. It's really easy and I promise that you'll love it.

Adapted from this recipe from Sweet Amandine and this recipe from Orangette.

1 fennel bulb
1 ½ pound carrots
2 T. olive oil, divided
1 medium yellow onion
1 clove garlic
2 T. tomato paste
5 c. vegetable broth
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Trim the fennel bulb (discard the stalks, but reserve and set aside the fronds), cut in half lengthwise, and then into ½-inch-thick wedges. Peel and slice the carrots into ¼-inch rounds. Toss the carrots and fennel with 1 T. olive oil, and several grinds of sea salt and black pepper. Spread the carrots and fennel evenly on a lined or lightly-oiled baking sheet, and slide into the oven for approximately 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until browned and tender.

While the carrots and fennel are roasting: Coarsely chop the onion. In a large heavy pot, heat the remaining 1 T. of oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic , and cook until the onion is soft and translucent. Turn the heat to low, add the tomato paste, and stir to incorporate.

Add the roasted carrots and fennel to the pot, add 4 c. of vegetable broth, and bring to a simmer. Turn off the heat, and use a standing blender or an immersion blender to purée the soup. Add the additional 1 c. of broth, in part or in full, until you have achieved the thickness that you desire. Season to taste with salt and pepper. I like to serve this with cheese toasts (whole wheat bread topped with gruyere cheese and baked in the oven for 5 minutes after the veggies come out).

Yield: Serves 4-6

Whole Wheat Muffins - The Master Recipe

2010-03-21T19:43:00.005-04:00

From Mark Bittman's "The Minimalist" column in the NYTimes, Feb 10, 2010. Made for me for breakfast one morning from Auntie Deb in Minneapolis.

1/4 c (1/2 stick) melted unsalted butter
2 1/2 c whole wheat pastry flour, white whole wheat flour, or whole wheat flour (or a mix with some unbleached white flour)
3/4 c white or brown sugar (to taste) + more for sprinkling on top of muffins
2 t baking powder
1/4 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1 1/2 c mashed or pureed banana, sweet potato, apple, zucchini, pumpkin, or other fruits or vegetables
1 egg, beaten
1/2 c buttermilk or yogurt
optional add-ins: 3/4 c chocolate chips, 1/2 c chopped walnuts or pecans, 2 T toasted wheat germ, 1 t cinnamon or other spice (Mark Bittman recommends banana-walnut, pumpkin-coconut, sweet potato-cardamom-ginger)

1. Preheat oven to 375 and grease muffin tins for 12 big muffins. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt (and spices or other dry ingredients, if using). In another bowl, whisk together the melted butter, banana (or other fruit/veggie), egg, and buttermilk. Fold wet mixture into dry mixture and stir until just combined (add in any of the optional ingredients now).

2. Fill muffin tins or liners; sprinkle tops with sugar. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until muffins are puffed and turning golden brown on top. Serve warm if possible.

Yield: 12 muffins

Black Beans and/or Cuban Sofrito

2010-03-05T06:51:00.004-05:00

Black Beans and/or Cuban Sofrito
--
Beans
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 3-4 hours
Yield: 1.5 quart

Ingredients
1 lb. dried black beans
16 strips turkey bacon (optional)
1 medium white onion, finely chopped
7 cloves garlic, minced
5 ½ cups water (4 ½ in a slow cooker)
2 chipotle peppers, whole, no need to wash off adobo sauce, if any (substitute w/ other chilis, or green/red bell peppers)
2 bay leaves
1½ tsp salt

Directions
Pick through beans, discarding all non-bean material and any beans that are broken or strange looking
Rinse beans and add to the pot
Fill with cold water to an inch above the beans, cover, and set aside for 5 hours
Drain beans
Pour in the water amount listed above
Turn heat to high
Rinse salt pork and add to pot
Add onion, chili or bell pepper, garlic, salt, and bay leaves
When boiling, reduce heat to low simmer and cover
Stir occasionally about 1½-2 hours, until the desired tenderness
Add water if needed
Remove the peppers and bacon
Remove 1 cup of beans & 1 cup of bean liquid and medium blend (until mostly liquid with small bits of bean)
Add mashed beans back into the pot
If desired, add sofrito (1/4 cup sofrito to 1 cup of beans)
Simmer uncovered for another 20 to 30 minutes until thickened to the desired consistency.
Serve over rice, next to rice, or by itself.

--
Cuban Sofrito
Yield: 2 cups
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 30 min

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 green/red/yellow bell pepper, seeded and chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 t salt
1 t ground cumin
1 T dried oregano, crushed
1 red habanero chile, seeded and chopped
2 bay leaves
2 tomatoes, chopped (optional)
3/4 cup canned tomato sauce or 3/8 cup (3 oz.) tomato paste mixed with equal amount of water
1 T lime juice
½ cup sherry

Directions:
Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.
Add onion and pepper, and cook until onion is translucent.
Add the garlic, and saute until tender.
Add salt, pepper, cumin, oregano and bay leaves.
If using tomatoes, stir in and cook until all of the liquid is released, stirring frequently.
Gradually stir in the tomato sauce
Lower heat and cook a few more minutes, being careful to add sherry if mixture gets too dry
Taste, and adjust seasonings if needed
Thin the sauce down if necessary with rest of sherry (if more liquid needed use water)
Remove bay leaves and set aside
Pour into a high sided container and blend with immersion blender
Sauce is now done but can be cooked more, if desired, just put the bay leaves back in.
When finally taken off of the heat, add lime juice (taste before and after to verify if this helps)
Serve over meat, rice, beans, fish, or potatoes.

New Twist Hamantaschen

2010-02-27T19:02:00.004-05:00

Here is a my new Hamantaschen recipe which I put together and baked today:

3/4 stick of butter, softened or melted

3 spoonfuls of cream cheese

1/4 cup sugar; 1 egg; 1 t vanilla; splash of OJ

1 t baking powder; 1 1/4 c flour; 1/3-1/2 c almonds, toasted and ground as fine as possible; pinch salt

Cream butter and cream cheese together, then add the rest of the wet ingredients. Add dry ingredients, and mix or blend in cuisinart. Taste for sweetness. If the dough is too sticky, add more flour or sugar, and knead gently into a smoother hunk 'o dough. Make a few balls out of the dough and chill in the freezer for 20-30 minutes.

Roll out dough- thin circles tended to be crispier when baked. Form into cutesy Hamantaschen and bake at 350° for 10-20 minutes, checking often to avoid burnt bottoms.

Chana Masala

2010-02-03T22:22:00.004-05:00

This is a hearty and easy Indian-spiced chickpea dish. Adapted from www.smittenkitchen.com.

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 medium onions, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (to taste)
1 tablespoon ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (to taste)
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon garam masala
2 cups tomatoes, chopped small or 1 15-ounce can of whole tomatoes with their juices, chopped small + tomato paste to thicken (about half a small can)
2/3 cup water or vegetable broth
4 cups cooked chickpeas or 2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 lemon (juiced)

Heat oil in a large skillet. Add onion, garlic, ginger and pepper and sauté over medium heat until browned, about 5 minutes. Turn heat down to medium-low and add the coriander, cumin, cayenne, turmeric, cumin seeds, paprika and garam masala. Cook onion mixture with spiced for a minute or two, then add the tomatoes and any accumulated juices, scraping up any bits that have stuck to the pan. If you want a deeper tomato flavor and a slightly thicker sauce, add some tomato paste. Add the water or broth and chickpeas. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes, then stir in salt and lemon juice.

Eat up or put a lid on it and reheat it when needed. Curries such as this reheat very well, later or or in the days that follow, should it last that long.

2010-02-02T21:16:00.001-05:00

Linzer Torte (from Cooking Class Cookbook)

½ c. whole almonds, toasted
1 ½ c white flour
1 t cinnamon
¼ t salt
¾ c sugar
½ c. butter or margarine
½ t. grated lemon peel
1 egg
¾ c raspberry or apricot jam
Powdered sugar

1. Process almonds in food processor til ground (but not pasty).

2. Combine flour, almonds, cinnamon and salt

3. Beat sugar, butter and lemon peel using electric mixer or food processor for about 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy

4. Beat in egg until well blended

5. Beat in flour mixture until well blended

6. Spoon 2/3 of dough onto bottom of 10” tart pan with removable bottom pat dough evenly over bottom and up side of pan

7. Spread jam over bottom of dough

8. Roll remaining dough on lightly floured surface with lightly floured rolling pin into 10” X 6” square. Cut dough into 10 X ½” strips, using a pizza wheel or sharp knife.

9. Arrange 4-5 strips of dough lengthwise across jam. Arrange another 4-5 strips crosswise across top. Press ends of dough strips into edge of crust and cut extra.

10. Bake 25-35 minutes at 375 degrees or until crust is golden brown

11. Cool completely in pan on wire wrack and then remove torte from pan. S

12. Sprinkle with powdered sugar

13. EAT AND ENJOY

Maple Blueberry Coffee Cake

2010-01-23T12:51:00.002-05:00

A delicious, wholesome coffee cake with a interesting flavor twist. Adapted from this post on Food Loves Writing - Shannalee calls it "a sparkling blueberry coffee cake, the kind that is dense, with sweet crumbles all over the top and chock full of dark blue berries that stain all the dough they touch, creating bursts of almost-purple throughout." I used frozen Maine blueberries that my roommate picked last summer. Yum!

Ingredients:
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
3 tablespoons rolled oats
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
scant 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
pinch of chopped dried thyme
pinch of chopped dried rosemary
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 cup maple syrup, room temperature
1 large egg, room temperature
zest of one lemon
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 1/3 cups fresh wild blueberries (or other berries)

for topping:
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut 1/4-inch cubes
1/3 cup brown sugar
pinch of chopped dried thyme
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
a couple teaspoons sugar

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350F degrees, with the rack in the middle. Butter a nine-inch round cake pan or something similar, and line it with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt, thyme and rosemary, and set aside. In a separate large bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer or by hand until light and fluffy. Drizzle in the maple syrup and beat until well incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl a few times. Beat in the egg, lemon zest and vanilla extract, scraping the sides again.

Add half of the flour, stir just a bit, now add a splash of the buttermilk, stir again a little. Add the rest of the flour and stir, and now the rest of the buttermilk. Stir until everything barely comes together and then very gently fold in one cup of the blueberries. Scrape the batter evenly into the prepared cake pan and set aside.

Make the streusel: whir the flour, butter, brown sugar, thyme and walnuts in a food processor, pulsing about 20 to 30 times until the mixture has gone past crumbly/sandy to slightly moist, like the beginning of a dough. Crumble 2/3 of it over the cake batter, sprinkle the remaining 1/3 cup berries on top of that, and then add the last of the crumble. Barely pat in place with your fingertips.

Place the coffee cake in the oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. When it is almost finished, sprinkle sugar all over the top to give it that extra sparkle. Let the cake cool for five minutes and then remove it carefully from the pan to cool on a rack.

Serves 12 – 16 modest slices.

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies

2010-01-23T12:45:00.002-05:00

Yummy, healthy, and satisfyingly-chocolately cookies, adapted from this post on the food blog 101Cookbooks.

5 ounces good-quality semi-sweet chocolate bar
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour or white whole wheat flour (all-purpose is a fine substitute)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup walnuts, very, very finely chopped (by hand)
1/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup dark brown sugar (light is fine too)
1/4 cup unsweetened, natural applesauce
1 large egg
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup large-grain sugar (fex: turbinado)

Preheat your oven to 350F degrees, racks in top and bottom third. Line a couple baking sheets with parchment paper.

Finely chop the chocolate bar into 1/8-inch pieces, more like shavings really. Try to avoid big lumps and chunks, which make flattening out the cookie dough later more difficult.

In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, oats, walnuts, and shaved chocolate. Set aside.

Using a mixer beat the butter until fluffy. Beat in the sugar and mix until it is also light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl once or twice. Beat in the applesauce, then the egg, mixing until both are well incorporated, scrape down the sides of the bowl once or twice. Beat in the vanilla. Add the flour mix and stir by hand until the ingredients barely come together into a uniform dough.

Scoop out the dough in teaspoons and roll into a ball shape. Place two inches apart on your prepared baking sheets. Gently flatten each dough ball into a thin, round patty with two fingers and then sprinkle the top of each cookie with a pinch of large-grain sugar. Bake for 7-10 minutes or until cookies are golden and fragrant. Remove from oven, and cool on a wire rack.

Kayaking Carrot Cake Cookies (Inside Out)

2010-01-02T18:42:00.004-05:00

These cookies are really fun, really good, and (according to Mom) a cinch to put together. Our extended family spent a week vacationing on the Carolina coast over Christmas, and as per tradition, a number of people spent a day kayaking near Wilmington. My mom wasn't going to go kayaking but wanted to contribute to the experience, so she woke up early and made these cookies for the kayakers. Luckily for me, she saved a few for the non-kayakers :-). This recipe is from my new Gourmet cookbook.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup + 2 T all-purpose flour
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
6 T unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup + 2 T packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup + 2 T granulated sugar
1 egg
1/2 t vanilla
1 c coarsely grated carrots (2 medium)
1 c (3 oz) walnuts, chopped
OPTIONAL: 1/2 c raisins
8 oz cream cheese (low-fat is ok)
1/4 c honey

DIRECTIONS:

Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 375°F. Grease 2 large baking sheets.

Whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.

Beat together butter, sugars, egg, and vanilla in a large bowl with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in carrots, nuts, and raisins (if using) at low speed. Add flour mixture and beat until just combined.

Drop 1 1/2 tablespoons of batter 2 inches apart on baking sheets. Bake, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until cookies are lightly browned and springy to the touch, 12 to 16 minutes total. Cool cookies on sheets on racks for 1 minute, then transfer cookies to racks to cool completely.

While cookies are baking, blend cream cheese and honey in a food processor until smooth.

Spread a generous tablespoon of cream cheese filling on flat sides of half of cookies and top with remaining cookies.

Makes about 1 dozen sandwich cookies

Vegetable Pot Pie with Cheddar Biscuit Topping

2009-12-22T12:49:00.004-05:00

Adapted from my new Gourmet Today cookbook (thanks, Mom!). This is true comfort food.

Serves 8-10

For filling
1 1-pound package frozen pearl onions (not thawed)
2 1/2 cups water
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 fresh thyme sprig, plus 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
3 carrots, coarsely chopped
2 celery ribs, coarsely chopped
1 large parsnip, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 medium boiling potato, peeled and coarsely chopped
10 ounces white mushrooms, trimmed and quartered
Any other veggies: sweet potatoes, turnips, squash, etc., coarsely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1/4 cup white wine (optional)
1 (10-ounce) package frozen peas, thawed

For biscuit topping
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour - I used a mix of white and white whole-wheat
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes and chilled
1 cup coarsely grated extra-sharp cheddar (about 4 ounces)
3 tablespoons finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 1/2 cups well-shaken buttermilk or yogurt

1. Combine pearl onions, water, 1 tablespoon butter, thyme sprig, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a 2-quart heavy saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until onions are tender, about 8 minutes. Drain in a sieve set over a bowl; reserve liquid and discard thyme sprig.

2. Meanwhile, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in a 12-inch deep heavy skillet over moderately high heat until foam subsides. Add chopped vegetables, mushrooms, garlic, chopped thyme, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables begin to brown (bottom of skillet will become crusty), about 15 minutes.

3. Sprinkle vegetables with flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add reserved onion cooking liquid and milk (and wine, if using) and bring to a boil, stirring and scraping up brown bits. Reduce heat to moderate and simmer, covered, until vegetables are barely tender, about 10 minutes.

4. Remove from heat and stir in peas, pearl onions, and salt and pepper to taste. Pour into a 9x13-inch baking dish.

5. Put a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 450F. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Blend in butter with your fingertips or a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in cheeses, add buttermilk or yogurt, and stir just until combined.

6. Drop biscuits onto filling in 12 equal mounds, leaving spaces in between. Place baking dish on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake until topping is golden and filling is bubbling, 25-30 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Babkalicious

2009-12-18T08:07:00.002-05:00

This is one of the most delicious Babka recipes I've tried, from Bernard Clayton's New Complete Book of Breads. Although the almond paste in the filling makes this recipe very moist, be warned that there is a strong almond flavor as well, which is different from most Babka recipes. With a few small revisions, here it is:

[two loaves: 2 8" cake pans, 2 medium loaf pans, or 1 baking sheet- all greased]

Sponge:

2 C unbleached white flour

2 packages of dry yeast, or 4 1/2 t yeast

1/2 C nonfat dry milk

1 1/4 C very warm water

Stir all ingredients together with a wooden spoon or in a mixer with a flat beater. It will be a heavy and wet dough. Cover tightly with a plastic bag and leave at room temperature to allow the sponge to form and ferment and double in bulk, about 2 hours.

Dough:

1/2 C sugar

1 t salt

1/2 t ground cardamom

1/2 t vanilla extract

2 eggs

2 egg yolks

2 1/2 C unbleached white flour, approximately

1/2 C (1 stick) butter, softened

Filling:

1 1/2 C almond paste

2 C chocolate chips or grated chocolate

ground cinnamon to taste

Mixing dough: remove plastic from the sponge, stir down, and measure in the sugar, salt, cardamom, and vanilla. Stir well to blend. Add the eggs and egg yolks, one at a time, beating each into the batter. Add 1 1/2 C flour and beat with a wooden spoon or flat beater until it has been absorbed into the batter-like dough. Drop in the butter, a small amount at a time, beating until it is mixed into the dough. Add flour, 1/4 C at a time, to form a dough that is quite soft, yet elastic. It will have enough flour when it can be turned from the bowl and be worked without it sticking to your hands or the table.

Kneading: Sprinkle the table lightly with flour, if necessary. Knead the dough only until it is smooth, about 5 minutes. (If using a mixer, use a dough hook.) Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover tightly again, and put aside to double in bulk, about 1.5 hours.

Shaping: Punch down and turn out on the floured table and divide into 2 pieces. Roll each to form a thin piece about 1/4" thick. Combine all the ingredients of the filling in a food processor is you have one- adjust to your liking, adding more chocolate, nuts, dried fruit, etc. Spread each rectangle with half the filling. Roll up the dough longwise, like for a jellyroll, and pinch the seas tightly to secure. Try to roll each snake a little bit longer.

For the cake pans, simply lay the twists loosely in the pan in a spiral form beginning in the center and working to the sides. For the loaf pans, fold the snakes at their halfway mark and twist them on themselves, kind of making a figure-eight formation, and lay in loaf pans or the baking sheet. Cover the loaves loosely and let rise not quite to double in bulk, about 1 hour.

Baking: 20 minutes before baking, preheat oven to 350. Brush the tops with melted butter or the leftover egg whites. Bake until each twist is deep brown, about 45 minutes. If the crusts seem to be browning too quickly, cover with foil. Remove loaves from pans and cool before cutting.

Alexis's Arabian Spinach

2009-12-12T12:20:00.002-05:00

My friend Alexis brought this delicious and simple dish to my Chanukah potluck.

1 onion
2 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
14 oz spinach, washed and shredded
1 tsp cumin seeds
15 oz can chick peas, drained
a knob of butter (1-2 tbsp)
salt and pepper to taste
optional: feta

1. In a large frying pan or wok, fry the onion with the oil for about 5 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cumin seeds, then fry another minute.

2. Add the spinach, in stages, stirring it until the leaves begin to wilt. Fresh spinach condenses down dramatically on cooking and it will all fit into the pan.

3. Stir in the chick peas, butter and seasoning. (Optional: add as much feta as you like!) Reheat until just bubbling, then serve hot. Drain off any pan juices if you like, but this dish is rather nice served slightly saucy.

Honey-Ginger Carrot & Parsnip Latkes

2009-12-12T12:00:00.002-05:00

Adapted from Straight from the Farm blog. Wonderful flavor and texture - tender on the inside and crisp on the outside. A fun twist on potato latkes - these were more popular at my Chanukah party than the traditional ones!

Makes 12-14 latkes

2 cups packed grated carrots
2 cups packed grated parsnips
2 eggs
1/3 c flour
1 t salt
1 heaping T freshly grated ginger
1 heaping T honey
Vegetable oil

Grate the vegetables using the large holes on the box grater or a cuisinart with a grater attachment. Place grated vegetables on dish towel and squeeze tightly to remove as much water as possible. Set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the egg, flour, salt and ginger. Stir in the grated vegetables. Drizzle with honey and stir to combine.

Heat a few glugs of oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, use a 1/4-cup measure to form the latkes. Drop in the oil and flatten gingerly with a spatulat. Cook until the edges start to turn golden brown, about 3 minutes. Flip and cook on the other side until golden brown. Drain on a paper towel. Serve hot with dollops of crème fraiche or applesauce on top.

Sudanese Red Lentil Soup

2009-11-26T13:04:00.007-05:00

This recipe is adapted from a soup mix made by the First Congregational Church in Williamstown, MA. They sell the mix to raise money to support elementary schools and other programs for internally displaced persons in Sudan (through the ecumenical Williamstown Sudan Relief Task Force). The soup is very easy and will warm you up on a cold day.

2 cups red lentils
1 1/2 t ground coriander
1 1/2 t ground cumin
1/2 t freshly ground black pepper
1 t salt
1 t dried mint (optional - I don't use it)
4 1/2 cups veggie broth, chicken broth, or water (I use veggie broth)
1 onion, chopped
1 T butter
2 T olive oil, divided
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 oz feta cheese
1 lime

1. Soak lentils in cold water. Stir. Remove anything that floats up. Drain. Repeat. Discard water.
2. Put lentils in a large heavy pot. Add spices, 3 1/2 cups broth or water, onion, and 1 T each of butter and olive oil. Be sure the mixture is well covered with liquid. Bring to a gentle boil and stir often so the bottom doesn't burn. After 10 minutes, add one more cup of broth or water. Boil gently, stirring often, for 30 minutes. Soup will become yellow, creamy and thick.
3. In a separate pan, saute 1 T garlic in 1 T olive oil until fragrant. Add to the soup. Cut the feta into chuncks and add to the soup. Gently boil for 5-8 minutes, stirring to break up the feta.
4. Taste the soup and adjust seasonings. Squeeze the lime in and stir its juice into the soup. Serve!

Autumn Stuffed Squash

2009-11-07T12:10:00.005-05:00

Loosely adapted from the Moosewood Restaurant Celebrates cookbook. This would be a great Thanksgiving dish!

Makes 6 squash halves (~3 servings)

1 cup mixed raw brown rice and raw wild rice OR 1 package Near East Long Grain & Wild Rice mix
1/2 T butter
3 small winter squash (acorn, delicata, etc.)
1/2 onion, chopped
4 leeks, sliced (white parts and a little bit of green) - you can also just substitute another 1/2 cup of chopped onions
2 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed
1/2 cup chopped, peeled carrots
1 t dried crumbled rosemary (or 2 t chopped fresh)
3/4 t salt
pinch of ground nutmeg
ground black pepper to taste
dash of crushed red pepper flakes
optional: 1 cup chopped mushrooms
1/2 cup ground, lightly toasted walnuts
optional: 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese or parmesan

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly oil a baking sheet.
2. Combined 1 3/4 c water, the rice, the butter, and a pinch of salt in a small saucepan. Cover tightly and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes.
3. While the rice cooks, rinse the squash, cut in half lengthwise, and remove the seeds (you can roast them if you want!). Rub the squash halves with olive oil and place them cut side down on the baking sheet. Bake, uncovered, for about 30 min until tender (less time for delicata squash).
4. While the squash halves bake, saute the onions, leeks, and garlic in olive oil for 5-10 min, until the onions are translucent and slightly golden.
5. Add the carrots, rosemary, salt, nutmeg, red pepper flakes, and black pepper. Continue to cook for 5 minutes. If you're using mushrooms, add them now and saute just until the mushrooms are tender and release their juices.
6. Stir in the walnuts and remove from heat. When the rice is ready, mix it in. Taste and readjust seasoning as needed.
7. Remove the baking sheet from the oven. Turn the baked squash halves cut side up, sprinkly the cavity with salt and pepper, and mash the flesh lightly with a fork. Mound each half with the rice filling and top with 2 T cheese if using.
8. Bake for 20 minutes, until heated through and lightly browned. Serve warm!

Fat Free Souper Simply Lentil Soup

2009-11-02T20:03:00.002-05:00

1/2 Teaspoon of Crushed Red Pepper

2 Onion, finely diced

1 Carrot, peeled and finely diced

1 Stalk of Celery, finely diced

5 Cloves of Garlic, finely minced

1/2 Teaspoon of Salt

3 Bay Leaves

1 Pound of Lentils

2 Quarts of Broth

1 Cup of White Wine

3 Tablespoons of Soy Sauce

3 Healthy Dashes of Worcestershire Sauce

1 Tablespoon of Balsamic Vinegar

Saute everything up to the bay leaves till soft and translucent (doing this in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil adds a nice richness). Add the rest of the ingredients and cook till done. Pick out the bay leaves and done!

Fat Free Souper Quick Butternut Squash Soup

2009-11-02T20:02:00.001-05:00

5-6 Pounds of Butternut Squash (1-2 Squash)

1 Quart of Veggie or Chicken Stock

1/2 Teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

2 Yellow Onions

3 Cloves of Garlic

1 Teaspoon of Salt

1/4 Cup of Brown Sugar

1 Tablespoon of Soy Sauce

2 Tablespoons of Dry Sherry

Water

Garnish:

Flaked Sea Salt

Fresh Cracked Black Pepper

Dried Rosemary

Molasses

Use a vegetable peeler to peel the squash (not only the waxy skin, but also the thin white layer). Remove stem and seeds from inside. Cut into 3/4 in cubes (doesn't need to be exact). Put in microwave safe bowl with enough of the stock to come halfway up the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave until it can very easily be mashed with a fork (8 minutes or so). While it is cooking small dice the onion and mince the garlic. Toast the chili in the pan until it is fragrant (add a couple of table spoons of olive oil before this step to add richness to the soup). Add the onion, garlic and salt (to bring out the moisture of the onions). Once soft, add the brown sugar and allow it to dissolve in the onions. Add the cooked squash, soy sauce, sherry, and both the broth it was cooked in and the reserved broth. Mash with a potato mashed until smooth. For an extra luxuriously-smooth soup, blend with a stick blender or in a food processor or blender. (also you can strain it if you really really care). Add enough water to achieve desired consistency.

Serve warm and top with course flaked sea salt, fresh cracked pepper, dried rosemary, and a drizzle of Molasses (grate any aged/sharp/hard cheese and drizzle with more olive oil if more richness and deliciousness is desired)

Thin Crust Pizza Dough

2009-11-02T18:24:00.002-05:00

Pizza americana dough

Makes four dough balls. Adapted by DPaul Brown from Peter Reinhart's American Pie: My Search for the Perfect Pizza

22.5 oz unbleached bread flour (all purpose will do)
3 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp table salt or 3.5 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp instant yeast
1/4 c. olive oil
1 c. milk
3/4 c. room-temp water

I suggest mixing by hand versus using a stand mixer as you get a better feel for the dough. You do not get the same tactile experience with a stand mixer, and there's not too much kneading anyway.

Have a large container of room-temperature water than you can dip your hand into. During the mixing process submerge your hand in the container of water; a wet dough will not stick to a wet hand. You want this dough to be fairly wet.

Combine all dry ingredients in a large metal bowl and mix thoroughly; then add wet ingredients to the bowl. (If using shortening, mix it in with the dry ingredients first, combining with your fingers, then add the remainder of the wet ingredients.) Using one hand that has been dunked in to your container of water, mix the dough vigorously. As the dough starts to come together, use your wet hand and scoop under the dough and fold back on itself. You want to grab all the loose flour or scraps of dough. Rotate the bowl 1/4 turn, again scoop under the dough and fold back on itself. Do not be afraid to repeatedly dip your hand in water -- it is counterintuitive, but it works. Continue to work this dough in this fashion, rotating and folding, until it begins to resist to your kneading, roughly four to eight minutes. Let the dough rest for five minutes, then continue kneading for an additional four minutes. Though the dough will appear wet, it should hold its shape. When you touch the dough with a dry hand it should appear tacky, but release.

Using a flexible board scraper, divide the dough in to four equal pieces. Place the dough in freezer bags, with a tablespoon of olive oil. Let the dough rest on the counter for 15 minutes. You can either freeze the dough balls now or place in the fridge for an extended fermentation. I prefer to make the dough two days in advance and let the dough rise very slowly in the coldest part of the fridge. The resulting dough will have built up a lot of gas (be sure to have an opening in the bag) which will result in a pizza with good rise and blistering. You can make the dough for the same day by letting the dough rest for an hour on the counter, then refrigerate for two hours. If you freeze your dough, place the dough in the fridge for two days prior to cooking for the long fermentation. Freezing will also help relax the gluten and make for a softer, fluffier crust.

When you are ready to make the pizza, preheat your oven as hot as it can get with a pizza stone on the lowest rack or on the floor of the oven if possible. Pull the dough out of the fridge roughly one hour prior to cooking. Dust your workspace with flour and flour your hand (top and bottom). Dust the dough with flour and place on the workspace. Form the dough gently in to a round, carefully so as not to degas the dough. If you are comfortable with handling dough, dust the back of your hands with flour, place the dough on the top of your hands and using your knuckles to gently stretch out the dough. Otherwise, gently stretch the dough with your fingers horizontally on your floured surface. It is important to handle the dough gently as you do not want to lose all the gas bubbles you've worked hard to create.

Once the dough is stretched to roughly a 10" round, transfer to a dry, floured peel. Top with your favorite toppings, ensuring that no wet ingredient touches the peel. If you have any wet spots on the peel, the dough will stick when you transfer it to the hot pizza stone. Give the peel a gentle jiggle to make sure it's not sticking.

Apply your toppings, and give the peel another jiggle. Open the oven, and gently jiggle the pizza to the end of the peel, then slowly jerk it back, leaving the pizza on the hot stone. If you are not comfortable trying to slide a made pizza on to a stone, you can make the pizza on parchment paper. You can slide the whole kit and kaboodle onto the stone, then remove the paper after a couple of minutes.

(http://hedonia.seantimberlake.com/hedonia/2009/09/white-pizza.html)

Pumpkin Butter

2009-10-26T14:52:00.003-04:00

1 medium-large pumpkin
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger (or fresh!)
1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Wash the pumpkin with water; don’t use soap. Cut the pumpkin in half, leaving the rind on, and scrape out the stringy pulp and seeds with the spoon. Save the seeds to roast!

2. Place the pumpkin halves, cut side down, in 2 large baking dishes. Add about 2 inches of water to each dish to keep the pumpkin from drying out. Cover the pumpkin with aluminum foil, and bake at 350 degrees for about an hour, or until it is very tender when poked with a fork.

3. Let the pumpkin cool and then scoop the pulp out of the rind with a spoon. Puree the pumpkin pulp in the blender or food processor to make it smooth or just mash it with a fork.

4. Combine pumpkin puree and the rest of the ingredients in a heavy-bottomed stainless-steel or other nonreactive saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly; lower the heat and simmer the mixture, stirring it very often with a wooden spatula, until it has become very thick, 15-20 minutes. Sample the butter and add a little more of any or all of the spices, if you like (remember, the flavors will blossom in storage). Add more sweetening if your tastebuds request it.

5. Remove from heat and ladle into jars with lids (I used tupperware). Store in refrigerator 2-3 weeks. Serve with warm, fresh bread or scones.

Chunky Apple Cake

2009-10-11T17:32:00.004-04:00

With the apples I picked in New Jersey during my recent vacation, I decided to make an apple cake. After perusing a new website I like a lot, tastespotting, which collects recipes from lots of blogs, I found a cake recipe on a blog called Smitten Kitchen.

(NOTE FROM MOM 11/6/10: To make this in a full-size bundt pan you need to double the cake recipe, and multiply the apple portion by 1.5)

I adapted the recipe slightly. Here's my version, which stayed moist for several days. Enjoy!

4 apples
2 t cinnamon
3 T sugar

- - - - - - - -

1 1/2 c flour
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1/2 C vegetable oil
1 C sugar
splash of OJ or AJ
2 t vanilla

2 eggs

2 T molasses

juice from 1/2 lemon, or to taste

1/2 C toasted, chopped walnuts

Peel and chop apples into chunks. Toss with cinnamon and sugar and set aside. Stir together wet ingredients + sugar. Add dry ingredients and walnuts. Pour half of batter into a grease pan (bundt or otherwise deep pan). Spread half of apples over it. Pour the remaining batter over the apples and arrange the remaining apples on top. Bake for about 45 min- 1 hr at 350 degrees, or until a tester comes out clean.

Zucchini Oat Bread

2009-10-07T10:25:00.002-04:00

This recipe is healthy and hearty, and has great spices. Adapted from this blog: http://dlynz.com.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Grate enough zucchini to measure 2 cups
Mix in 1 teaspoon kosher salt
And 1 cup regular oats, and let sit for about 30 minutes. This will draw some of the moisture from the squash and allow the oats to absorb it, which will soften them up a bit.

In another bowl, whisk together:
3 1/2 cups flour (I suggest half white and half wheat)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon cloves (optional)
1/2 teaspoon cardamom (optional)

Add to dry mixture: 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Add to zucchini mixture:
3/4 cup dark brown sugar (light brown is ok)
3 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1 tablespoon lemon zest

Mix the wet ingredients into the dry mixture, until combined. Divide evenly between 2 greased 5 x 8 bread pans. Bake for about 45 to 50 minutes. A toothpick inserted near the center should come out clean. Remove from pans and cool on a wire rack.

No Knead Four-Grain Honey Bread

2009-10-06T20:58:00.003-04:00

Four Grain-Honey Bread

From Nancy Baggett, author of Kneadlessly Simple.

Four Grain-Honey Bread

- yields 1 large loaf -

Ingredients

2 cups (10 ounces) unbleached white bread flour, plus more as needed
1 cup (5 ounces) whole wheat flour
1/2 cup white or yellow cornmeal, preferably stone-ground, plus more for garnish
1/3 cup rolled oats, plus more for garnish
1/3 cup cooked and cooled brown rice (I used cooked barley!)
Generous 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon instant, fast-rising, or bread machine yeast
1/2 cup clover honey or other mild honey
1 1/4 cups ice water, plus more if needed
Corn oil or other flavorless vegetable oil for coating dough top and baking pan

Procedure

First rise: In a large bowl, thoroughly stir together the bread flour, whole wheat flour, cornmeal, oats, brown rice, salt, and yeast. In another bowl or measuring cup, thoroughly whisk the honey into the ice water. Vigorously stir the mixture into the bowl with the flours, scraping down the bowl sides and mixing just until the dough is thoroughly blended. If the ingredients are too dry to mix together, gradually add in just enough more ice water to facilitate mixing; don't over-moisten, as the dough should be stiff. If necessary, mix in more bread flour to stiffen it. Brush or spray the top with oil. Tightly cover the bowl with plastic wrap. If desired, for best flavor or for convenience, refrigerate for 3 to 10 hours. Then let rise at cool room temperature for 12 to 18 hours; if convenient, stir once during the rise.

Second rise: Vigorously stir the dough. Using a well-oiled rubber spatula, fold the dough in towards the center, all the way around the bowl. Dust an oiled 9x5-inch loaf pan with 1 tablespoon each cornmeal and rolled oats, tipping it back and forth to coat the pan sides. Turn out the dough into the pan. Brush or spray the top with oil. Smooth out the top and press the dough into the pan with oiled fingertips or a rubber spatula. Sprinkle 1/2 tablespoon each cornmeal and rolled oats over the top. Press down to imbed. Cut four or five 3-inch-long, 1/4-inch-deep evenly spaced slashes diagonally across loaf top. Cover the pan with nonstick spray-coated plastic wrap.

Let rise using any of these methods: For a 2- to 4-hour regular rise, let stand at warm room temperature; for a 1 1/2- to 2 1/2-hour accelerated rise, let stand in a turned-off microwave oven along with 1 cup of boiling-hot water. Or, for an extended rise, refrigerate for 4 to 24 hours, then let stand at room temperature. Remove the plastic when the dough nears it, then continue the rise until the dough extends 1/2 inch above the pan rim.

Baking preliminaries: 15 minutes before baking time, put a rack in the lower third of the oven; preheat to 350°F.

Baking: Bake on the lower rack for 50 to 60 minutes, or until the loaf is well browned and firm on top; cover with foil if necessary to prevent over-browning. Continue baking for 10 to 15 minutes longer, testing until a skewer inserted in the thickest part comes out with just a few particles on the end (or until the center registers 207 to 209°F on an instant-read thermometer). Bake for 5 to 10 minutes more to ensure the center it done. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Turn the loaf onto the rack; cool thoroughly.

Serving and storing: Cool thoroughly before slicing or storing in a plastic bag or foil. The bread will keep at room temperature for 2 to 3 days, and may be frozen, airtight, for up to 2 months.

Printed from http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2009/03/kneadlessly-simple-nancy-baggett-four-grain-honey-bread-recipe.html

Sweet Potato Pone

2009-10-05T09:14:00.001-04:00

From WPA (writers project) book
yield: 12 - 2"x2" squares

Ingredients:
2 c sweet potato, grated (1 large potato)
1/4 c molassas
1/6 c sugar
1/2 c milk
2 eggs, well beaten
1/2 t ginger
1/2 t nutmeg
1/2 t salt
1 t lemon rind, grated
1 t cinnimon
butter size of walnut, melted

Preparation:
Soon after grating, mix sweet potatoes and milk to prevent discoloring
Mix in molassas and eggs
Mix rest of ingredients together, then mix in with potatoes
Pour into a greased shallow baking pan
Bake in a 350° oven for 30 min then stir with a fork
Bake 15 min longer or until browned and crusty on top

Bread Machine Challah

2009-10-03T14:51:00.005-04:00

Everyone in my family has his or her own version of bread machine challah. Mom's might have some leftover oatmeal, mashed potatoes, or bran flakes in it; Tova's might be rosemary-lemon (thank you WSM) or 7-grain vegan. This recipe is for a straight-forward half-white/half-wheat challah, with a touch of honey. Adapted from http://koshercamembert.wordpress.com.

Makes one big or two small challahs.

1 1/8 cup warm water
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 T honey
1/8 cup sugar
1 t salt
4 cups flour (2 cups white and 2 cups wheat)
2-3 t vital wheat gluten (optional - helps the bread rise)
1 packet dry yeast (2 1/4 t)
additional egg for egg wash

1. Measure wet ingredients into bread machine bowl - water, oil, eggs, and honey. Make sure the water is warm but not hot, to activate the yeast without cooking the eggs.

2. Add the sugar, salt, and flour(s). Make sure that the salt is under the flour because you don't want it to touch the yeast. Make a well in the center of the flour and pour the yeast into the well.

3. Put the bowl into the bread machine and set to "dough" setting.

4. When the dough cycle is done, punch it down (this is my favorite part) and invert onto a lightly-floured counter. Knead the dough a little bit and add more flour if needed. Preheat the over to 350 degrees.

5. Divide and braid the dough into 1 or 2 challahs! See the bottom of the poast for how to make a 4-stranded braid.

6. After loaves are formed, place on a lightly greased and floured cookie sheet (you can use a Silpat). Allow to rise again on top of pre-heating oven, covered with a clean cotton towel.

7. Make an egg wash by beating 1 egg with 1 t cold water. Brush this mixture over the challah with a pastry brush - do this once before the challah goes in the oven and once about 10 minutes after the challah has been in the oven.

8. Bake for 20-30 minutes until the challah is golden brown (if you're like me and like your challah a little bit doughey, don't cook it for more than 25 minutes).

9. Cook on a baking rack and serve warm!

TO MAKE A 4-STRANDED BRAID:
Always braid from one direction (either right or left, doesn't matter, just be consistent). Place "outside" strand (A) over second strand (B), under third strand (C), and then over fourth strand (D). The new "outside" strand (B) goes over (C), under (D), and over (A). Then the new "outside" strand (C) goes over (D), under (A), and over (B), etc.

Easy Chocolate Mousse

2009-09-20T23:22:00.002-04:00

No one will be able to guess what the secret ingredient is! This is a mish-mash of a bunch of recipes, but the final recipe is all mine! It has a bit of a Mexican-chocolate flavor - you can omit the cinnamon and use other flavorings (amaretto, orange, etc.).

1/2 cup whole or lowfat milk
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
6-7 oz fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), chopped
12 oz (1 package) silken tofu
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons brewed dark coffee or espresso (pref. at room temperature)

Pour the milk into a small pot and bring to a simmer. Remove the milk from heat stir in the cocoa powder, sugar, and cinnamon. Let cool.

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler - if you don't own a double-boiler, you can cobble one together using a tiny saucepan set under a larger mixing bowl. Fill the tiny saucepan with an inch or two of water and bring barely to a simmer - place the big mixing bowl with the chocolate on top of the tiny saucepan and let the heat come up and gently warm the chocolate while you stir occasionally until completely melted. Remove from heat.

Add the milk mixture and silken tofu to the melted chocolate. Process with a hand or regular blender until completely smooth - or process everything in the Cuisinart. Stir in the coffee and vanilla. Taste and adjust for flavor, adding a bit more sugar if needed.

Chill in the big bowl (or in individual bowls) for at least 1 1/2 hours, the longer the better. The pudding will set up nicely as it cools.

Makes 6 decadent servings.

The BEST Rosh haShana HONEY CAKE

2009-09-17T11:23:00.002-04:00

(Adapted from Marcy Goldman’s Treasure of Jewish Holiday Baking)

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup honey
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup warm coffee or strong tea
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup rye or whiskey
1/2 cup slivered or sliced almonds (optional)
Chocolate chips or ground chocolate (optional)

Fits in three regular-sizeloaf pans, about 5 small pans, two 9-inch square or round cake pans, one 9 or 10 inch tube or bundt cake pan

Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously grease pan(s) with non-stick cooking spray. I dust the bottom with cake mix.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves and allspice. Make a well in the center, and add oil, honey, white sugar, brown sugars, eggs, vanilla, coffee or tea, orange juice and rye or whiskey, if using. (If you measure your oil before the honey, it will be easier to get all of the honey out.)

Using a strong wire whisk or in an electric mixer on slow speed, stir together well to make a thick, well-blended batter, making sure that no ingredients are stuck to the bottom.

Spoon batter into prepared pan(s). Sprinkle top of cake(s) evenly with almonds, if using. Put a layer of chocolate in the middle (between layers of batter), if using.

Place cake pan(s) on two baking sheets, stacked together (this will ensure the cakes bake properly with the bottom NOT baking faster than the cake interior and top).

Bake until cake tests done, that is, it springs back when you gently touch the cake center. Small loaves take about 30 minutes, large pans can take up to 45 minutes. DO NOT OVERCOOK, OR THE CAKE WILL BE DRY.

Let cake stand fifteen minutes before removing from pan.

Have a sweet new year!

Perfect Oatmeal Chocolate-Chip Cookies

2009-09-06T11:14:00.002-04:00

These are really easy, yummy, and fool proof! Adapted from this post from the blog Food Loves Writing.

1/2 cup of margarine/butter/oil (or some combination - I used half butter and half oil, Food Loves Writing recommends margarine)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
1/2 t vanilla
1 cup flour
1/2 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 t salt
1 1/2 c old fashioned oats (I used quick oats and it turned out fine!)
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients except the oatmeal and chocolate chips. After well-mixed, add the oatmeal and stir together. Then add the chocolate chips.

Drop by rounded tablespoons onto greased or Silpat cookie sheets. Bake for ~12 minutes. Cool and eat!

Zucchini & Corn Pancakes

2009-08-20T12:40:00.002-04:00

This recipe comes from Verrill Farm in Concord.

2 cups roasted corn kernels (about 2 ears)
1 1/4 cups grated zucchini (1 med.)
1 cup chopped, washed, leeks
1 TB chopped fresh thyme (or 1 tsp. dried)
2 eggs
1/3 cup flour
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1/2 cup corn oil (in 3 stages)

Cut kernels off the cobs and toss with 2 TB corn oil. Spread in a shallow baking pan and roast at 400 degrees for 12 min. Sauté chopped leeks, thyme, and salt in 2 TB corn oil for 3-4 min. Combine corn with leeks and remaining ingredients in large bowl. Heat remaining 1/4 cup oil in skillet over med. heat and drop in heaping TBS. of batter. Cook 2-3 min. on each side and drain on paper towels. Keep warm while finishing batter. Can be served with sour cream and chopped chives or applesauce. Makes approx. 20 pancakes.

Fresh Peach Coffee Cake

2009-08-16T14:11:00.004-04:00

This is really more like a big muffin cake - light, fluffy, and not too sweet. Adapted from Susan Purdy's book, Have Your Cake and Eat It, Too.

1 egg
1/2 c skim milk
1/2 c nonfat plain yogurt
3 T butter or canola oil
3/4 c sugar (more if needed)
2 c all-purpose flour
4 t baking powder
1/8 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1/2 t vanilla
1/4 t almond extract
1 1/2 - 2 cups fresh peaches, peeled and cut into small pieces
1/4 c granulated sugar
1 t cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 400. Coat an 11x7 (or similar) pan with cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl or cuisinart, whisk together the egg, milk, yogurt, butter/oil, sugar, vanilla, and almond extract. Set a strainer over the bowl and add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir and sift the dry ingredients into the egg mixture, then stir to just blend. Don't overbeat. Fold in the peaches.
3. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Mix the sugar and cinnamon together and sprinkle on top. Bake for about 30 minutes (check after 25), until the top is well risen and golden brown, and a knife inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool for about 5 minutes. Cut into squares and serve warm.

NOTE: To make these as muffins, cook for 15-20 minutes. This recipe will make about 12 muffins.

a really good VANILLA ICE CREAM recipe

2009-08-13T10:34:00.003-04:00

Here's a really good, very rich, kind of expensive ingredient purchase, but well worth it ice-cream recipe, from Crooks Corner.

Whisk 3/4 C sugar with 8 egg yolks.

Scald 1 3/4 C half-and-half with 1 split vanilla bean. When hot, not boiling, whisk slowly into eggs. Put mixture on top of a double boiler and stir to thicken. Custard should coat back of a spoon. Lower heat and add 2 T butter. Turn off heat and add 2 more T butter. Add 1 1/2 C cream, mix and strain. Chill and churn in ice-cream maker.

Pud Makua Yow (basil eggplant)

2009-08-01T09:07:00.000-04:00

Pud Makua Yow (basil eggplant)

From: thaitable.com
Prep time: 15
Cook time: 15
Yield: 2 servings

Ingredients:
10 big basil leaves (or equivalent smaller ones)
1 T sugar
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 onion, chopped (optional)
2 T fish sauce (substitute soy sauce for vegetarian dish)
4 c cut up eggplant (see below)
2 small chili peppers

Notes on eggplants:
1) Any kind of eggplant can be used, long green Thai eggplants, small white ones, or the more common large purple (aka Japanese) ones.
2) Cut the eggplant into irregular shapes for easy turning in the pan. If sliced into small disk, it tends to stick to the bottom of the pan and makes it difficult to flip.
3) don't cut eggplant until just before it goes into the pan, else it will turn brown.

Method:
Chop garlic, slice chili peppers, and mix
Pick leaves from stem of basil, if needed
Chop onions, if needed but don't mix with garlic
Heat wok over medium high heat
When hot, add oil, chili peppers and garlic
Stir until the garlic turn golden brown
Add onions
When onions are translucent, add eggplant, stir, and add 1 cup of water immediately (or else the eggplant will turn brown)
Cover wok until eggplant is cooked, which should take 5-7 minutes. It will turn from white to translucent, and most of the water should have been absorbed or evaporated. If eggplant is still not cooked, add a little bit more water and close lid again.
Add fish sauce and sugar and stir
Turn off heat
Add basil and quickly stir to heat the basil but not cook it (so it retains color)
Serve hot with rice

Tomato Watermelon Salad

2009-07-25T20:31:00.002-04:00

Delicious and refreshing salad from Crooks Corner in Chapel Hill

5 C watermelon, seeded and cubed

1 1/2 lbs very ripe tomatoes, chopped

3 t sugar

1/2 t salt

1 small red onion

1/2 C red wine vinegar

1/4 C good quality olive oil

Combine first 4 ingredients and let sit for 15 minutes. Then add the rest of the ingredients. Good immediately eaten or the next day. Serve cold.

Olive Oil Granola

2009-07-17T13:50:00.003-04:00

Adapted from Wednesday's New York Times recipe: Olive Oil Granola with Dried Apricots and Pistachios. This recipe is addictive!

3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/2 cups pecans, chopped (or another nut such as pistachios, or a mixture of nuts)
1 cup raw sunflower or pumpkin seeds, hulled
3/4 cup pure maple syrup (I like to use a mixture of maple and agave syrups - you could also use some honey)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 - 3/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 - 3/4 cup chopped dried apricots or golden raisins

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. In a large bowl, combine oats, nuts, seeds, maple syrup, olive oil, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon and cardamom. Spread mixture on a rimmed baking sheet in an even layer and bake for 45 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until golden brown and well toasted.

2. Transfer granola to a large bowl and add fruit, tossing to combine. Store in a ziploc bag or other airtight container.

Swiss Chard Gratin

2009-06-30T22:39:00.003-04:00

Really good and simple recipe for chard! Adapted from Andrea Chesman's book about fresh veggies, Serving Up the Harvest.

2 lbs (12-16 stems with leaves) ruby, green, or rainbow chard, stems sliced and leaves cut into 1-inch ribbons
4 T butter
1 onion, halved and sliced
1/4 c flour
2 c milk (skim is fine)
1 c grated Gruyere cheese
salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 c dried bread crumbs

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the chard stems and cook for 2 minutes. Add the leaves and continue to cook for another minute. Drain well.

2. Preheat the oven to 350. Grease a 1 1/2-quart casserole of 9x13 inch baking dish. You can also use two smaller dishes which will cook for less time.

3. Melt the butter over medium heat in a medium saucepan. Add the onion and saute until soft, about 3 minutes. Whisk in the flour to form a paste. Whisk in the milk and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and stir in the cheese. Season with salt and pepper and remove from the heat. Fold in the chard.

4. Transfer the chard mixture to the prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle the bread crumbs on top.

5. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling and the top is browned. Serve hot (with a slice of crusty bread)!

Spanikopita with Fresh Greens

2009-06-22T23:01:00.008-04:00

This recipe comes from Ina Garten and was a great way to use up various greens from my CSA.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
8 or more cups spinach or other hearty greens (chard, beet greens, escarole, etc.), rinsed and chopped roughly
3 eggs, lightly beaten
8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons plain dry bread crumbs
1 teaspoon grated nutmeg
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
40 sheets (1 box) frozen phyllo dough, defrosted overnight in the refrigerator
1 stick unsalted butter, melted

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Heat the olive oil in a saute pan and add the onion. Cook for 5 minutes over medium-low heat until soft. Meanwhile, squeeze most of the water out of the greens and place it in a bowl. When the onion is done, add it to the greens. Mix in the eggs, Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Gently fold in the feta.

Keep the phyllo dough sheets covered with a damp kitchen towel. Unfold 1 sheet of the phyllo dough. Brush the sheet with melted butter. Repeat the process by laying a second sheet of phyllo dough over the first sheet, and brush it with melted butter. Pile four layers total on top of each other this way. Cut the sheets of phyllo in half lengthwise. Spoon 1/3 cup of the spinach mixture into the corner of piece of phyllo dough.

Roll the phyllo up diagonally as if folding a flag. Then fold the triangle of phyllo over straight and then diagonally and then diagonally again. Continue until you reach the end of the sheet. The filling shold be totally enclosed. Continue assembling phyllo layers and folding the filling until all the filling is used. Place on a sheet, seam sides down. Brush the top with butter and place it on a baking sheet.

Place in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, until the phyllo is browned and crisp. Serve warm.

Escarole Soup with White Beans and Sausage

2009-06-18T13:39:00.004-04:00

This is an easy and tasty slow-cooker recipe I made to use up some of the greens from my CSA share.

12.oz chicken sausage (any flavor), cut in 1/4" rounds
2 15oz. can cannellini beans,drained and rinsed
1 15oz. can garbanzo beans,drained and rinsed
1 28oz. can tomatoes, chopped, with juices
1 1/2 c chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1 tsp dried thyme
1 small head escarole, chopped
1/4 c coarse ground parmesan cheese
salt and pepper

1. Combine sausage, beans, tomatoes, broth, bay leaf, and thyme in slow cooker and cook on low for 4-8 hours.
2. Stir in escarole and cook an additional 8-10 mins,until just wilted. Stir in the parmesan. Season with salt and pepper.

Cardamom Rice

2009-06-05T11:47:00.001-04:00

Cardamom Rice (Cooks.com & RecipeHound.com)

Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:
2 cups long-grain rice (prefer basmati)
2 medium carrots
1 medium onion, in fine half-rings
1 cup frozen or fresh, not canned, peas (optional)
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
12 cardamom pods
1 t cumin seeds or caraway seeds (optional)
3/4 t salt
1 t chicken bouillon or 2/3 c chicken stock (optional)

Method:
Wash rice in several water changes and drain.
Dice trim carrots to 1/4" cubes.
Split cardamon pods, remove seeds and crush (with opt. cumin/caraway).
Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pot over a medium-high heat.
When hot, add cardamom for 30 seconds while stirring.
Add onion and carrots and saute until the onion browns slightly.
Load rice maker with rice and required amount of water (2 cups water if using rinsed
basmati rice). Add optional bullion now or reduce water by the additional stock.
Dump in onion/carrot mixture and rice.
When rice is done, stir to mix onions/carrots and to mix in peas.
Let sit for 5 min or until peas are done.

Caramelized Turnips

2009-05-31T21:03:00.003-04:00

And you thought you didn't like turnips...

Preheat oven to 475.

Rinse and dry young and tender turnips, peel older purple-top turnips.

Cut small turnips into halves or quarters, larger ones in half lengthwise, then into wedges.

Toss the turnips with a generous amount of olive oil and salt and pepper.

Spread them out in an even layer on a baking sheet and roast for about 10 minutes, then toss only once (otherwise they will break apart).

Roast 5 minutes more or until fork tender and nicely caramelized.

Hoboken ice cream soda

2009-05-31T19:41:00.002-04:00

Hoboken ice cream soda (this is a favorite drink of Dorette when she moved to this country...will try it for her 90th birthday):

From: From floras-hideout.com/drrecipes, practicallyedible.com, & wisegeek.com)
Prep time: 10
Cook time: 0
Yield: 1 serving

Ingredients:
1 large, tall glass (plastic obscures the bubbling action)
1 round scoop, very firm chocolate ice cream, the diameter of the glass
1/4 c pineapple bits or 8 chunks in pineapple juice
4 T unsweetened pineapple juice (pineapple usually comes packed in this)
2 T simple beverage syrup (see recipe below)
hard carbonated water (club soda or seltzer water)

Method:
If using pineapple chunks, cut each chunk along each axis to make 16 bits
Mix pineapple juice & simple syrup well in the bottom the glass
Add seltzer water, to about 2" below the lip of the glass
Stir to mix in the syrup
Carefully drop in the ice cream. It will float and create a foamy head (if the ice
cream is too deep, the soda will overflow.
Sprinkle pineapple bits on top & serve with both a straw and a long-handled spoon.
--
Recipe for simple syrup for beverages:
Bring 2 cups of tap water to a boil.
Stir in 2 cups of plain granulated sugar.
Turn the heat to low and stir constantly until the sugar dissolves completely. To
test if the sugar is completely dissolved, use a metal spoon to scoop up a small
bit of the syrup. Tilt it over the pan and watch carefully as it pours. You
shouldn't be able to see any crystals in the liquid.
At this point flavorings can be added; add about a tablespoon of any liquid extract.
You can also stir in 1 T corn syrup to ensure the syrup stays smooth.
Let the syrup cool to room temperature, pour into a clean glass jar and store in the
refrigerator.
--
Notes & tips:
> Some folks like the taste when a splash of milk or a small amount of ice cream
(mixed until the ice cream softens) is mixed in to the juice & syrup at the start,
but this makes the soda cloudy so it doesn't looks as neat when it's bubbling.
> The foaminess is a result of the ice cream interacting with the soda water. You
don't want to mix them, instead let them react on their own. You want the contrast
in tastes and textures. Ice Cream Sodas need to be drunk right after being made
or you loose this contrast.
> Special ice cream soda glasses are wider at the top than the bottom, to hold the
ice cream.
> Purists insist on soda water, not carbonated water. Soda water is distinguished by
the addition of various sodium or potassium compounds as flavourings and acidity
regulators.
> Ice cream is a mixture of liquid, ice crystals, and air pockets. When soda water
hits the ice cream foam is created as the surface of the ice cream melts and mixes
with the carbon dioxide. Therefore, if you want to make an ice cream soda with a
lot of foam, put the ice cream in the glass before pouring the soda.

Ginger Scones with Cardamom

2009-05-26T09:46:00.007-04:00

This recipe is adapted from Joan Nathan's cookbook, New American Cooking. I brought them as a treat to Eli's graduation in New Haven last weekend.

Makes 12 scones

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cups quick oats
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon cardamom pods, crushed and inner seeds ground (or 3/4 t ground cardamom)
dash of cinnamon
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup crystallized ginger, chopped in 1/4-inch pieces
3/4 cup sour cream or yogurt
1/2 cup sugar
4 teaspoons sugar
2 large eggs

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two baking sheets and set aside.

2. Place the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl and mix. Sift ground cardamom seeds and cinnamon into mixture; stir to combine. Add butter and mix until crumbly (use your fingertips).

3. Add ginger, sour cream or yogurt, 1/2 cup sugar, and 1 egg. Mix, blend, or pulse, just until combined; do not overmix.

4. Form 1/4 cup dough into a ball or use a large ice cream scoop, and place dough on prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough, spacing scones about 2 inches apart.

5. In a small bowl, mix together remaining egg with a dash of water. Brush scones with egg mixture and sprinkle evenly with remaining 4 teaspoons sugar. Bake until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.

RUSKS (dry biscuits/cookies)

2009-05-14T18:38:00.002-04:00

(from Sunday at Moosewood Restaurant)

Rusks are hard, very dry biscuits, originally prepared in South Africa b the Dutch for traveling lost distances in a hot climate. Rusks were a bread that wouldn’t spoil Now, all over south Africa, rusks are eaten as snacks, dipped in coffee, tea, or milk. In the cities , man different varieties of commercially baked rusks are available. There are raisin, chocolate chip, almond, peanut.

Yields about 2 dozen

2 cups unbleached white flour
2 cups whole wheat bread flour
1/3 cup sugar
½ t. salt
2 t. baking powder
1 t. cinnamon
½ cup melted butter
2 eggs
¾ cup buttermilk
2 t. vanilla
2 t. almond extract

Preheat oven to 400

In a large mixing bowl, thoroughly mix the dry ingredients. Combine all the wet ingredients, purl them into the dry ingredients and stir until you have a soft dough, similar to biscuit dough

Turn the dough on to a well-floured surface and roll or pat it to about 1/2 “ thickness. Cut the dough into rectangles about 2 X 4”.

Bake the rusks about 2” apart on buttered baking sheets for about 25 minutes until the tops are crisp and browning a little Now, eat a few “soft” rusks warm from the oven.
Loosely pile the rusks on a baking sheet and keep them in a 200 degree oven all day or all night (about 12 hours) to dry. The finished rusks should be very dry and hard. Cool and store in an airtight container. Rusks will keep for weeks.

NANCY’S NOTES:
1. I made it in the CUISINART, mixing the wet ingredients, then adding everything except flour, then added flour last
2. Instead of rolling/patting the dough on a floured surface, I used a sprinkling of sesame seeds. Yum!
3. I cut the rusks into smaller parallelograms instead of squares – more pointy and crisp corners
4. Instead of leaving the oven on all night, I just put them back into the oven which was turned off, but still warm and left them there all night
5. They do not keep for weeks because we ate them all in 48 hours

VARIATIONS
Oatmeal – reduce white flour to 1 ½ cups and add 2 cups rolled oats (and add currants/raisins/chocolate chips)
Almond rusks: Add 1 cup chopped almonds and omit cinnamon
Peanut: add 1 cup chopped peanuts

Simple Vinagrette

2009-05-14T18:37:00.003-04:00

First I will go over the generic technique, then I will give a few specific recipes.

Generic:

1 Tsp Dijon Mustard (you can substitute 2 Tsp of raw egg yolk)

1 Tbsp sweetener (usually honey, but anything will work like molasses or sugar)

1/3 Cup of Flavorful Liquid (usually something acidic like vinegar or citrus Juice, but you could use something like soy sauce too)

2 Tsp Salt

2 Tsp Fresh Ground Black Pepper

1-3 Tsp Any other flavoring agent (fresh chopped garlic, herb, etc)

1/4 Oil (Usually olive oil, but you can play with using something less flavorful like canola oil to let the other liquid shine through, or something more flavorful like toasted sesame or walnut to add more flavor or enhance other flavors)

Thoroughly mix everything except the oil. Slowly stream in the oil while whisking continuously. Use this method for all of the recipes.

My Favorite Apple Cider Vinaigrette

1 Tsp Dijon Mustard

1 Tbsp Honey

1/3 Cup of Apple Cider Vinegar

2 Tsp Salt

2 Tsp Fresh Ground Black Pepper

1 Tsp Fresh Chopped Garlic

1/4 Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Simple Balsamic Vinaigrette

1 Tsp Dijon Mustard

1 Tbsp Honey

1/3 Cup of Balsamic Vinegar

2 Tsp Salt

2 Tsp Fresh Ground Black Pepper

1 Tsp Fresh Chopped Thyme

1/4 Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Asian Sesame Vinaigrette

1 Tsp Dijon Mustard

1 Tbsp Honey

1/4 Cup of Soy Sauce

1 Tbsp Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice

2 Tsp Fresh Ground Black Pepper

1 Tbsp Sesame Seeds

3 Tbsp Toasted Sesame Oil

2 Tbsp Canola or Vegetable Oil (any light colored, flavorless oil)

Vegetable Lo Mein with Edamame and Mustard Greens

2009-05-14T15:00:00.005-04:00

Charlie and I made this for dinner last week and it was a big hit! Healthy, yummy, and not too hard. You can substitute other veggies for the edamame and mustard greens if you want, and add chicken if you're looking for more protein.

Ingredients:
2 quarts water
3 cups chopped mustard greens (or other dark leafy greens)
1 (14-ounce) package fresh Chinese egg noodles (or fresh angel hair pasta)
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce, divided
1 T dark sesame oil
2 T canola oil
1 T grated peeled fresh ginger
1 container shiitake or other fancy mushrooms, sliced
1 1/4 cups (1/4-inch-thick) red bell pepper strips (about 1 medium)
3/4 cup chopped green onions
1 garlic clove, minced
1 1/2 cups frozen shelled edamame, thawed (you could also try asparagus or broccoli)
3 T hoisin sauce

Preparation:
1. Bring 2 quarts water to a boil in a Dutch oven. Add greens, and cook for 1 minute or until greens wilt. Remove greens from water with a slotted spoon. Plunge the greens into ice water; drain and squeeze dry. Set greens aside.
2. Return water in pan to a boil. Add egg noodles, and cook for 2 minutes or until done. Reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Drain and rinse with cold water, and drain well. Place noodles in a large bowl. Add 1 tablespoon soy sauce and sesame oil, tossing to coat, and set aside.
3. Heat canola oil in a wok or large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add ginger; stir-fry 5 seconds. Add mushrooms, bell pepper, onions, and garlic; stir-fry 2 minutes or until bell pepper is crisp-tender. Stir in greens and edamame; stir-fry 30 seconds. Stir in reserved noodle-cooking liquid, noodle mixture, remaining 3 tablespoons soy sauce, and hoisin sauce; cook 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Adapted from a Cookling Light recipe.

2 recommended recipes from Deb/Susan Bishop

2009-05-13T11:17:00.005-04:00

Goat Cheese with Olives, Lemon, and Thyme

File this one under "secret weapon" and pull it out whenever you need a quick but impressive appetizer. Warming the olives in thyme- and-lemon-zest-infused oil awakens their flavor and transforms a goat-cheese medallion into a sumptuous warm spread for flatbread.

Yield: Makes 4 (hors d'oeuvre) servings

1/2 cup assorted olives
3 fresh thyme sprigs
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 (4- to 5-ounce) fresh goat-cheese medallion or 2 (2-ounces) goat-cheese buttons

Heat olives, thyme, oil, zest, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a small skillet or saucepan over low heat until fragrant (do not simmer). Cool to room temperature. Serve olive mixture over goat cheese.

Crisp Rosemary Flatbread

Think of it as a cracker version of rosemary-flecked flatbread. But these are the easiest crackers you'll ever make: Rather than cutting the dough into small pieces, you bake three large pieces, then break them into smaller ones to serve. The jagged edges invite nibbling. (From Gourmet 2008)

Yield: Makes 4 servings

1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon chopped rosemary plus 2 (6-inch) sprigs
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup olive oil plus more for brushing
Flaky sea salt such as Maldon

Preheat oven to 450°F with a heavy baking sheet on rack in middle.

Stir together flour, chopped rosemary, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Make a well in center, then add water and oil and gradually stir into flour with a wooden spoon until a dough forms. Knead dough gently on a work surface 4 or 5 times.

Divide dough into 3 pieces and roll out 1 piece (keep remaining pieces covered with plastic wrap) on a sheet of parchment paper into a 10-inch round (shape can be rustic; dough should be thin).

Lightly brush top with additional oil and scatter small clusters of rosemary leaves on top, pressing in slightly. Sprinkle with sea salt. Slide round (still on parchment) onto preheated baking sheet and bake until pale golden and browned in spots, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer flatbread (discard parchment) to a rack to cool, then make 2 more rounds (1 at a time) on fresh parchment (do not oil or salt until just before baking). Break into pieces.

Peach Soup

2009-05-11T18:20:00.005-04:00

This is a surprisingly delicious soup that Nikki, from upstairs, made for a recent potluck. I think it will be especially good when peaches are actually in season. The recipe I believe is from Crook's Corner.

2 1/2 lbs peaches
1/4 c. sugar
1 c. med. sweet white wine or cream sherry
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tsp black peppercorns

2 bay leaves
1 c half & half
fresh mint for garnish

Peel the peaches, slice them & toss them in the sugar. Let stand for 30 min.
Place them in a shallow pan w/wine & seasonings (put the peppercorns in a tea ball & let it sit in the pan)
Bring it to a simmer until the peaches are just heated through (if you are heating too much the peaches will start to turn brown)
Remove the bay leaves & peppercorns, put mixture in blender & puree.
Add the half & half, then mix & chill

Roasted Asparagus

2009-05-04T22:37:00.003-04:00

Springtime means asparagus! Adapted from one of my favorite food blogs, http://orangette.blogspot.com.

This method is quick, easy, and delicious. Nothing fancy. The high heat of the oven intensifies the flavor of the asparagus, and the result is fork-tender, lightly caramelized, and unexpectedly sweet and juicy.

1 bunch green asparagus, preferably on the fat side
Olive oil
Sea salt

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Snap the woody ends off the asparagus stalks, rinse them well, and dry them thoroughly with paper towels. Lay them in a single layer on a baking sheet, and drizzle them with a thin stream of olive oil—it doesn’t take much. Use your hands to roll the stalks in the oil to coat them lightly but thoroughly, and sprinkle with salt. Bake for 10 minutes; then shake the baking sheet to turn and roll the asparagus. Bake for another 4-5 minutes, until the asparagus are a vibrant, shiny, cooked shade of green and their skins are lightly blistered and slightly wrinkled. They should be soft and yielding but not shriveled or mushy. Serve warm or at room temperature.