A Kitchen Endeavor

A-Typical Ravioli

2012-02-03T14:15:00.000-08:00

It's February now. I don't have to post about uber health food anymore. Resolutions have been made and broken by now, right?

No, truly. The collard wraps had nothing to do with resolutions, but everything to do with being so fantastic I needed to share. Please eat them throughout the year. But today is about pasta. Sorta.

I wouldn't really say I'm a lover of pasta. My list of acceptable pasta dishes is short and sweet, and most of them I learned from my Mom. There's nothing particularly wrong with pasta, it's just that it rarely sparks much of an interest for me. Weird, I know; you can add it to the list. But then there was this incredible pasta dish on my birthday at A16 and it's been on my mind ever since.

This ravioli salad is on that short list. Mostly because I like Ms. Swanson's approach of seriously upping the vegetable content so it never feels like much of a pasta based dish. More like little pillows of ravioli tucked into and hiding amongst a colorful medley of seasonal veggies. I've made this I don't know many times. In a kitchen, my kitchen, that is always seeking out something new new new, this one manages to tempt me into repetition. I don't know which part is more genius - the use of hazelnuts (which are so underrated, so under used), or the dusting of lemon zest to top it off. You can change around which green you choose, pick between butternut squash or sweet potato, and even the kind of ravioli doesn't really matter. As long as you've got the toasted hazelnuts and lemon zest.

In light of Punxsutawney Phil predicting another six weeks of winter by managing to see his shadow yesterday (Side note: Letting groundhogs predict weather patterns? Who came up with that one?) I thought I would share something that celebrated the cooler weather. You've got plenty more time to make this salad.

Hazelnut & Chard Ravioli Salad

Adapted from 101 cookbooks

This time around I used a wild mushroom ravioli, but really, it will work with most any kind of veggie/cheese combination. I've also made it with kale instead of swiss chard, either is a delicious option. Using sweet potatoes for the "croutons" is my preference simply because I then don't have to figure out what to do/make with the leftover butternut squash, but by all means use whichever makes you happiest. Just don't leave out the lemon zest and toasted hazelnuts!

4 servings

3/4 lb. raviolis
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
fine grain sea salt
1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 bunch swiss chard, deveined and cut into 1/2-inch ribbons
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
1/2 cup hazelnuts, toasted and chopped
1 cup sweet potato "croutons"
zest of one lemon

For the croutons: dice 1 1/2 cups sweet potato into 1/3 inch cubes. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat in a skillet. Add the potatoes and toss so they are coated with the oil. Sprinkle with the salt. Now cover the skillet and let the potatoes cook through, this will take about three minutes. When the potatoes are just cooked through remove the lid and give them a good toss. Turn up the heat to medium-high and stir every minute or so until the potatoes look golden and crispy.

Into an extra-large pot of well-salted boiling water add the raviolis. After a few minutes, when the raviolis float and are cooked through, drain them and toss with one tablespoon of the olive oil. Set aside.

To caramelize the onions, heat another tablespoon of the olive oil in a large thick-bottomed skillet with a pinch of salt. Cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions collapse and turn golden in color. Add the sliced swiss chard and stir until just wilted. Add the raviolis and sweet potato croutons and stir to combine. Remove from heat. Here you can either mix in the lemon zest, parmesan and hazelnuts or transfer everything over to a big platter and top it all off with the zest, hazelnuts and cheese, the choice is yours.

Winter Colorful

2012-01-20T10:31:00.000-08:00

So, yeah.

It's January. 2012. Things have happened since November. Things like finishing my first semester at SFSU, the holidays (Thanksgiving! Christmas! New Years!), taking advantage of a nice long break and heading back down to San Diego for 3 weeks. It was swell. Except that I packed warm clothes and I'm pretty sure there wasn't a day that it was below 75F. Princess problems.

But now I'm back and the clouds have gathered and it's threatening to rain for the next 5 days and classes start on Monday and hellooooo reality. Give me back my warm sunny beach days, please.

I had my first collard wrap at a farmers' market in San Diego a while back. There was something about the pretty green bundle all neatly wrapped and perfectly packaged that I couldn't resist. Inside it burst with colorful veggies and a creamy nut pate chock full of garlic and lemon. Swoon. It also happened to be raw and vegan. Bonus I guess, if you're into that sort of thing.

Vegan. Raw. I could take it or leave it. The flavors and textures and colors are what do it for me.

So when my mystery box of veggies included a giant bunch of collard greens I knew precisely what I wanted to make. It actually turned into a two night endeavor so I could experiment a bit (also, you've got to think ahead a bit as the nuts need to soak overnight to soften so you can whirl them into a creamy dreamy spread). The first night I did the wraps with raw collard leaves, two overlapped slightly in the middle, stem sides facing opposite directions. The next night I blanched them for 30 seconds to see if that would help with the ease of rolling. Meh. It didn't really, and the texture is better when they're fresh. A crisp crunch that has structure, but - despite what you may be thinking - isn't all that tough.

Next all you've got to do is pile on the nut puree and the veggies and roll it up like a burrito. {The explanation of the step-by-step makes it sound much more complicated than it really is. Just bounce over here to Honest Fare and take a gander at Gabi's lovely process photos and you'll be golden.} Don't be shy with the vegetables, mound them up. Go for colorful, go for contrasting textures. And if you've got any sense - add avocado.

It may not seems like particularly winter suited food, but just try and deny the welcoming and colorful burst of these collard wraps as you face months of greens and potatoes and roots.

Collard Wraps

Feel free to slice, chop and dice up whatever veggies you have on hand or are craving. Cucumbers would be nice, and so would tomatoes in the right season. If you've got sprouts, throw those in too! The more colors, the more fun. You can also use raw cashews instead of the walnuts, but I'm telling you, the nut pate is the delicious backbone of this wrap so don't leave it out or skimp on it. And did I mention they're perfectly portable too?

4 wraps

Nut Pate:
1 cup raw walnuts
1 tablespoon minced onion
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 clove of garlic, chopped
salt

Wrap:
8 large collard greens leaves, stems removed and thick center vein shaved down
3 carrots, grated
1 1/2 cups shredded red cabbage
1 avocado, mashed or cut into thick slices
8 oz baked tofu, optional

The night before, cover the nuts in water by 1 inch or so, and let sit on the counter until the next morning. When you're ready to make the pate, drain the nuts and add to the food processor along with the rest of the ingredients and process away until the mixture reaches a smooth-ish consistency, adding just a bit of water at a time to help get things going. If not using right away, store in fridge.

Lay 2 collard leaves slightly overlapping in the center, facing opposite directions, on the counter. Put 1/4 of the nut pate down the center, then evenly divide and pile veggies and tofu if using, on top. Don't forget the avocado! Bring the two end in towards the center and then roll it from the other direction, just like you would a wrap or burrito. Eat and enjoy!

An Enchilada Tale

2011-11-18T11:09:00.000-08:00

And now for my next trick, I give you a rather involved and lengthy recipe for enchiladas.

I'm pretty hardcore loyal to quite a few recipes. My way or the highway kind of loyal. I only have eyes (and tastebuds) for the way I've come to love a dish, loyal. Enchiladas are such a dish.

If we're talking chicken enchiladas, my one and only is Rick Bayless's Enchiladas Suizas. A creamy, tomatoey and spicy affair that, aside from making the sauce, is simple and straight forward. Good fresh corn tortillas are key. Most likely they will try and fall apart as you take them out of the pan. They may not look pretty and perfect on a plate. In fact they tend to resemble a messy heap rather than an enchilada. None of this bothers me because I love them so. What they may lack in looks they sure have in flavor.

If we're going the less traditional and vegetarian route, D's Dad makes these killer tofu, mushroom and green onion enchiladas that the family calls "pincheladas". I don't know the whole story but what I gather is that the name is in reference to the spiciness of the enchilada sauce, "pinche" being a not-so-nice Mexican slang word. They're earthy and bright at the same time and I especially love the unexpected addition of rosemary. Again, good corn tortillas are key (they always are).

That's it. That's all I need. Just those two recipes for enchiladas and I'm set. But then I ran across this recipe and it somehow lodged itself it my brain and the only way to stop thinking about it was to make it. Boy am I glad I did. They're the opposite of what I like most about the above two enchilada recipes. There's quite a few steps, the sauce is thick and creamy and they're made with flour tortillas.

The result is larger-than-usual enchiladas, stuffed with chicken, black beans, sauteed zucchini and just the right amount of cheese to hold it all together. Here you don't need to seek out the best tortillas, just whatever your local grocery store happens to have. The homemade goodness of fresh flour tortillas would be too rich, giving them too much weight and likely making the whole thing a bit doughy. As it is the tortillas soak up a good amount of sauce ensuring that every bite has just enough heat from the jalapeno (use one with a good kick to it) and just enough heft from sour cream to keep you satisfied. A pop of color from sliced green onions and fresh cilantro leaves and I just may keep this recipe in my arsenal for future use.

Chicken and Black Bean Enchiladas
Adapted from In the Small Kitchen

The original printed recipe made double this amount and split it into 2 distinct batches. One with the black bean and zucchini filling, the other with chicken. However in the headnotes it offers the suggestion for combining the two and since I don't really need TWO 13x9 pans of enchiladas I first halved the recipe, then incorporated the filling recipes together. For all the work you do though, if you want to make it worth more of your time, wait until you have a crowd to feed and double this one up.

makes 8 largish enchiladas

filling:
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, poached (about 3/4 lb)
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1/2 red onion, diced
1/2 pound zucchini, cut into 1/4 in dice
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 - 3/4 cup black beans
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves

sauce:
1 tablespoons butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 jalapeño, minced
1 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup sour cream
4 oz can fire-roasted mild green chiles
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Cayenne pepper, to taste

enchiladas:
Eight 8-inch flour tortillas
1⁄2 pound Monterey Jack cheese, shredded and divided
cilantro leaves
Thinly sliced scallions

Make the filling:
Allow the poached chicken to cool slightly, then shred the breasts using two forks or your fingers. Set the meat aside and toss with 1 tablespoon dijon mustard.

Add just enough olive oil to a large nonstick or cast-iron skillet to coat the surface and place it over medium heat. Sauté the onion until softened, 5 to 8 minutes. Add the zucchini and continue to sauté, stirring occasionally, until the zucchini is tender and browned, another 6 minutes or so. Add the garlic, beans, chili powder, cumin, and salt, and cook until the beans are tender and the garlic is fragrant, about 5 minutes. Let cool for a bit then mix in the shredded chicken and chopped cilantro.

Make the sauce:
Melt the butter in a small to medium sauce pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and jalapeños and cook until they are softened but not yet beginning to brown, about 4 minutes. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Still stirring, slowly add the stock in a steady stream. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a boil. Then reduce the heat and simmer until the liquid has reduced and the sauce has become opaque, about 5 minutes. Let it cool slightly. Transfer the thickened stock to a blender, add the sour cream, chiles, cumin, chili powder, salt, and cayenne, and puree until smooth.

Preheat oven to 350F.

To assemble:
Reserve about 1 cup of the shredded cheese to top the assembled enchiladas.

Coat the bottoms of a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with some of the sauce. Fill each enchilada with about a 1/2 cup of the chicken/bean/zucchini mixture, along the center of each tortilla. Top the filling with a generous tablespoon of shredded cheese. Roll the sides of the tortillas over the filling and place them, seam side down, in the baking dishes.

Pour the remaining green chile sauce evenly over the enchiladas and sprinkle with the reserved cheese. Bake the enchiladas in the oven for 30 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese is beginning to brown. Garnish with more cilantro leaves and scallions and serve.

Perfect/Imperfect

2011-11-16T12:59:00.000-08:00

Can I share with you a little secret? We've been in our apartment for almost 3 months now and we still don't have a kitchen/dining table. This is not something I'm proud of. It certainly bothers D. But the thing is, a table is a tricky situation for our little kitchen. It needs to be small, tiny even. This apartment is full of awkward spaces (for example - there's no mirror above the bathroom sink) and what little room is left in the kitchen certainly falls into that category. If the table isn't just right it'll block the back door, or else limit how far we can open the refrigerator door.

So for now we have a makeshift situation. Leaning slightly hunched over from the couch, we eat off a sort of coffee table. A table which is actually more of a side table and magazine rack. Sometimes we move the plates to our laps, balanced precariously, while simultaneously fending off the cat's endless attempts at food theft. Sometimes the TV is on. Sometimes situations just aren't ideal.

Especially when the cat manages to swipe a mouthful of food off your plate.

But these noodles are street-style food. Whipped up real quick in a hot wok and meant to be eaten just as quickly without any fuss. Seriously, heap it onto your plate, squeeze fresh lemon juice over the whole thing and get to eating. The pleasant chew of the noodles, the earthy/tangy/just-this-side-of-spicy sauce coating every bite, silky pieces of bok choy and tofu mingling with al dente green beans. Magic I tell you.

Mee Goreng (Malaysian Fried Noodles)
Adapted from Ottolenghi's "Plenty"

Slight changes I made to better suit my pantry supplies: I used dried noodles instead of fresh. I also believe they were udon noodles. They worked, but I think I would have preferred the thinner egg noodles. I didn't have thick soy sauce, so I just subbed in half regular soy sauce and half honey. D and I both agreed that this was best eaten right away; the leftovers were fine, but the flavors were much more magical right out of the wok.

2 servings (maybe 3)

2 tablespoons peanut oil
½ onion, peeled and diced
8 oz. firm tofu, cut into 1/4" thick strips
4 oz green beans, trimmed and cut in half on a deep angle
6 oz bok choy, leaves and stems, cut into large chunks
12 oz fresh egg noodles (or 6 oz dry noodles, cooked as on package, drained and cooled)
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons sambal olek, plus extra to serve
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon honey
1 tablespoon cold water
1 handful of bean sprouts
1 - 2 tablespoon french fried onions
Lemon wedges, to serve

Put a wok (or large pan) over high heat. Once hot, add the oil, then the onion and cook to soften it for a minute. Add the tofu and green beans, and cook to give the tofu a bit of color - two to three minutes. Stir gently as you cook, so as not to break the tofu.

Add the bok choy and, when it wilts, the noodles. Spread them in the wok using tongs or chopsticks - you want them to get a lot of heat, almost to fry. Mix gently, cooking the noodles for about two minutes. Now add the spices, sambal olek, soy sauce, bean sprouts and a tablespoon of cold water, and toss carefully. Cook for about a minute, or until the noodles are semi-soft.

When ready to serve, transfer the noodles into bowls and top with the french fried onions. On the side, serve lemon wedges and a small bowl of extra sambal.

Pick Me Up

2011-10-28T15:40:00.000-07:00

Me and this week, we're not friends. We're in a fight.

Monday was the first ever national Food Day. A day to bring awareness and push for healthy, affordable food produced in a sustainable, humane way. I would have liked to tell you about it much earlier, but my time this past week has be dedicated to organic chemistry. Ugh, food is much more exciting than o chem. Truth.

Two exams back-to-back on Thursday morning. One of them at 8am and neither of them went so well.

This weekend will be filled with Halloween festivities and I just can't bring myself to get excited about them. I have however, spent the last week admiring the houses in the 'hood, all decked out and ready for the costumed parade of kids on Monday. Man, I wish I could still go trick-or-treating.

So next week, I'm looking at you, let's make it a better week.

These sausage stuffed peppers would be a good start. They have the ability to get you out of a funk, because even if your day wasn't so hot, a good dinner can lift your spirits. These peppers are really just that good, made even better by the homegrown goodness they contained. The peppers and eggs and sausage came from wonderful, generous friends. I even made the tomato sauce out of their tomatoes (you can used canned sauce, though I'd argue your peppers will be filled with less love than these). The chicken stock was freshly made and aside from the spinach, the rest was pantry staples.

I know there's a million and a half recipes like this one. Peppers stuffed with ground beef or turkey, grains, couscous, vegetables and cheese, but these ones are different. For one, there's no baking. Everything gets cooked in one (large) skillet on the stove top, taking much less time. Also, the tomato sauce the stuffed pepper halves simmer in is kind of genius. It picks up all the browned bits from the pan and catches all the juices and reduces it all to a tangy, yet rich sauce to pour over the top when serving. Oh, and sausage kicks the butt of plain ole ground meat any day.

Spinach and Sausage Stuffed Peppers

Adapted from Food and Wine, October 2010

At a glance, this may look fussier than your standard stuffed pepper recipe - the kind where you lop off the top of the pepper, stuff it full of ground meat or grains and maybe some veggies and cheese, then set it to bake away - but it's not. If you're swift in the kitchen, you could probably get this on the table in 30 minutes. The extra step of browning the tops and using sausage instead of ground beef or turkey bumps the flavor way up. Plus eating the halved peppers is far less awkward than trying to devise a plan of attack on a whole upright stuffed pepper.

4-6 servings

5 oz. baby spinach
2 slices of fresh french bread, finely chopped
1/4 cup milk
1 large egg
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
2 tablespoons pine nuts
2 tablespoons chopped red onion
1 pound sweet or hot Italian sausage, casings removed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 small to medium sized green bell peppers
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup canned tomato sauce
1 cup chicken broth

In a very large skillet, cook the spinach over high heat just until wilted, about 1 minute. Drain and press out all of the water. Coarsely chop the spinach. Rinse out and dry the pan.

In a bowl, knead the chopped bread with the milk, egg and cheese to form a paste. Knead in the pine nuts, onion, sausage and spinach and season lightly with salt and pepper. Using lightly moistened hands, divide the mixture among the pepper halves and lightly pack it in.

In the skillet, heat the olive oil until shimmering. Add the stuffed peppers, filling side down, and cook over high heat until well-browned, about 4 minutes. Turn the peppers and cook until the skins are browned and blistered, about 4 minutes longer. Add the tomato sauce and chicken broth, cover and simmer until the sausage filling is cooked through and the peppers are tender, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer to plates and serve right away.

Clean Slate, Clean Plate

2011-10-19T12:37:00.000-07:00

A big part of our moving experience was downsizing and simplifying. We moved from an 800 square foot 2 bedroom place to a 1 bedroom in a city where real estate is a pretty penny. Everything we owned was scrutinized and evaluated and a lot of it was put into bags for donation or trash. Would this even fit in the new place?

In the end it felt good. Freeing. There's less clutter in our lives and we know that we're surrounded by things with meaning, things that we love.

Maybe you've noticed some changes around here, too? I've been playing around with this blog a bit in the past few weeks, seeking out simple and clean, something that felt more like me. The me now, not the me who started this blog a year and a half ago. I took down the old banner and replaced it with simple text because that isn't my kitchen anymore. You'll see other places you can find me just over there to the right. Besides here of course. I can't be trusted to keep up with posting my weekly meal planning, so instead I'll just post links over there to what I'm cooking, what's inspiring me right now and other recipe obsessions. Some you might find me posting about here later, others not.

See? Simple.

Just like these little quinoa cakes. Need I profess my love for Heidi Swanson and 101 Cookbooks again? I could go on for days. These little patties are the perfect kind of food. Unpretentious, simple and so versatile. They are a breeze to put together, cook up to a beautiful golden brown color and have endless possibilities for switching it up. A different herb, a different cheese, serve it on it's own or as a veggie burger. They don't crumble to pieces and they travel well. I had them with a bit of lebneh, a middle eastern strained yogurt cheese, dolloped on top and the flavors reminded me a bit of potato pancakes. So comforting.

Quinoa Cakes

recipe from Super Natural Every Day, Heidi Swanson

Another rockstar recipe from the lovely Heidi Swanson. Just savory enough and totally open to changes. Try a different herb (parsley?), throw in a different cheese (fontina?), take it to another level with some spices, or just leave it as is. I made the smaller patties as written, but make them a bit bigger and I think you could have a delicious veggie burger on your hands. When I had them topped with lebneh the flavor reminded me of potato pancakes. Only these pack much more protein and are arguably more healthy.

12 small-ish patties

2 1/2 cups cooked quinoa, cooled

4 large eggs, beaten

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/3 cup finely chopped fresh chives

1 yellow onion, finely chopped

1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup whole grain bread crumbs

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

greek yogurt or lebneh for serving

Combine the quinoa, eggs, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir in the chives, onion, cheese, and garlic. Add the bread crumbs, stir, and let sit for a few minutes so the crumbs can absorb some of the moisture. At this point, you should have a mixture that you can easily form into 1" thick patties. A good palmful amount will yield about 12 patties total.

Heat the oil in a large, heavy skillet (I used nonstick) over medium heat, add enough patties to fit with some room between each, cover, and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, until the bottoms are deeply browned. Carefully flip the patties with a spatula and cook the second sides for 7 minutes, or until golden. Remove from the skillet and cool on a wire rack while you cook the remaining patties. Serve atop a big green salad or top with a dollop of Greek yogurt and extra snipped chives.

Beans and Greens

2011-10-14T15:01:00.000-07:00

I have a confession to make and some of you may be a little surprised. This soup recipe is old school Rachael Ray. Back before she had a talk show and a hundred million cookbooks, before orange cookware became synonymous with her name. Before even the suggested serving sizes of her recipes downright frightened me (unless I misread the recipe source and this soup was actually intended for 2?). She has some hidden gems, recipes that I've definitely made more than once, so I guess what I'm saying is: don't judge a book by it's cover.

This is just a simple beans and greens kind of soup. It could have been anyone's recipe really, but it just happens to come from Rachael Ray. This is he kind of soup you crave on drizzly grey days, or when you're looking for comfort without tons of effort. It's not the most handsome of soups, but with darkness falling earlier and earlier its muted tones are much more appropriate to autumn's palate.

Escarole is a fun green. A little less bitter than other members of the endive family, it's wild and tangled leaves giving it the look of green leaf's less demure sibling. I like it best with a little heat put to. It tames the bitter and makes it more approachable. In this soup, the wilted and stewed escarole becomes silky and its bright green color fades to something more homely. The beans add body and thicken the savory chicken stock as they simmer away. Pancetta is in there too, playing the much important salty role. A tiny mountain of Parmigiano Reggiano to top it all off and I've got my dinner all planned out for the next few days.

Minestra

recipe from Rachael Ray, 30 Minute Meals

This soup is dead simple and simply perfect. It should go without saying that when a recipe is as simple as this, seek out the best ingredients. Homemade chicken stock and super fresh escarole from the market will make all the difference here. I suspect cooking up your own beans instead of using canned would be even more wonderful, but it's an extra step I haven't yet taken. I like a generous dusting of the real-deal fresh parmesan cheese on mine and bread is a must to swipe up the last bits from the bowl.

4-6 servings

4 cloves garlic, crushed

2 oz. pancetta, diced

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

1 large bunch escarole, chopped

2 (14-ounce) cans, cannellini beans, drained

4 cups chicken stock

A couple pinches ground nutmeg

kosher salt

Shaved Parmigiano Reggiano, for topping

In a deep, large, heavy pot over moderate heat, saute garlic and pancetta in extra-virgin olive oil for 3 minutes. Add onions and cook a few minutes longer until the pancetta begins to brown.

Add the greens and wilt slightly, just so that can fit in the pot. Add drained beans, broth, and nutmeg. Cook over moderate to medium-high heat for 12 minutes, or until greens are no longer bitter. Season with salt and don't be shy here, salt until the flavors pop. Serve with shaved cheese and perhaps some crusty bread.

From Veggie Box to Plate

2011-10-11T18:13:00.000-07:00

The farm where our CSA box comes from is located in Dixon, CA about an hour and half north east from here. There it's still warm and the summer crops are still happily providing. This past week we had our first rain of the season and just like that I switched gears into obsessing over things like apples and pumpkins and stews. Tomatoes, I love you, but I think it's time for a break.

I'm back and forth on my feelings regarding the aforementioned CSA box. There's only one more box left in our trial, so I've begun to make mental pro and con lists in my head about the experience. Quality wise, I haven't really any complaints - except that one time we got an heirloom Tigger melon that teased me with its perfume only to taste like nothing. I suppose my problem is that some of the shopping and cooking control has been taken away from me. My meal planning has been reversed. Instead of using what's in season to guide my menu planning and in turn my shopping, I now search for recipes for specific ingredients and work from that direction.

Pros include the affordability and always having a house well stocked with (organic) vegetables and sometimes fruit. I'm also all about supporting the small, local farms and avoiding Safeway like the plague.

In the meantime however, while I try and make up my mind, I still need to use up the goods in the veggie box. I'll keep cooking the summer squashes and finding new ways to use up tomatoes and basil. And for that I have the help of this dish I found on the NYT website. It's honestly more than the sum of its parts which is exactly what I needed out of the recipe. Something to surprise me and remind me to be grateful for harvest time's bounty. Not quite stewed zucchini that maintain some bite to them melting together with sweet tomatoes and a kick of garlic and basil, it's summertime comfort food. Fast too.

Zucchini Provencal

recipe from NYT's Recipes for Health

As suggested in the NYT column, I suspect this would be delicious served over some grilled fish, something mild and white. We just had it with a chunk of crusty baguette and some salami for a light and simple meal. It was delicious the next day gently warmed with a sprinkle of feta cheese and scooped up with the leftover bread.

4 side dish servings

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 pounds medium or small zucchini thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 pound ripe tomatoes, grated on the large holes of a box grater

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 to 2 tablespoons chopped or slivered fresh basil (to taste)

Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium-high heat in a wide, heavy skillet. Add the zucchini. Cook, stirring or shaking the pan, until the zucchini is lightly seared and beginning to soften, three to five minutes. Remove from the pan, and set aside.

Add the remaining olive oil to the pan, then the garlic. Cook, stirring, just until fragrant -- less than 30 seconds. Stir in the tomatoes. Cook, stirring, until the tomatoes have begun to cook down, about five minutes. Return the zucchini to the pan, add salt and pepper to taste, and reduce the heat to medium. Cook, stirring often, until the zucchini is tender and translucent and the tomatoes have cooked down to a fragrant sauce. Stir in the basil, and taste and adjust seasonings. Remove from the heat and serve hot, or allow to cool and serve at room temperature.

Leftovers

2011-10-07T16:09:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I forget that I took pictures of food. Sometimes I leave pictures crowding up space on my camera's memory card. Sometimes I don't transfer them onto my computer for 3 months. Bad food blogger.

Clearly I enjoyed tomatoes this summer. Actually, that shouldn't even be past tense, I am STILL enjoying tomatoes into fall. Thank goodness for living in California and thank goodness for San Francisco's Indian summers. So if you're lucky enough to still catch the season's last trickle of tomatoes - hopefully before it's too late and you have to hang on to these until another 9 months from now - you might consider making one of these for dinner.

Grilled Steak with Bloody Mary Tomato Salad

A deconstructed cocktail alongside some grass fed beef? Don't mind if I do!

Haricots Verts a la Dijonnaise

Sopes with Refried Beans, Tomatillo and Avocado Salsa, Feta Cheese and a sort of Pico de Gallo

A Simple Tomato Panzanella

(I added a Persian cucumber, because why not?)

A Sting on the Lips

2011-09-29T16:44:00.000-07:00

At the end of each season, there always seems to be one ingredient, one fruit or vegetable that I had but precious little of. I'm sad to see the season change, knowing that with it goes some food that I'll have to wait another 9 months for. For me, this summer, it was corn.

So obvious. Corn. It's probably why I passed it up all the time, thinking that I would just make that *next time*. I can count on one hand the number of times corn made it onto my plate this summer and that's just plain sad. With butter and salt or hot sauce and lime, a freshly picked ear of corn can do no wrong. I'm a snob, I like the fresh stuff best. I'll use frozen in a pinch but never commercially canned - the flavor can't hope to compare.

As summer was winding down and the zucchini from my CSA was piling up, I ran across this fantastic looking recipe over on shutterbean. Everything besides the feta and corn were already on hand so I called it destiny and added a few things to my shopping list.

The pizza was everything you'd want in a summer meal; fresh, light but filling, served perfectly with a big salad full of tomatoes, cucumbers and herbs. But you see that jalapeno right there, right in the foreground, perched precariously on the tip of the slice? WHOA. It was a sneaky little pepper, setting both mine and D's lips to tingling and burning and then burning a whole lot more. I'm usually better about that, testing a just sliced pepper for heat, but I didn't this time. I don't know, maybe it's just me, but jalapenos usually underwhelm me with their heat. Half the time I buy them and they are as harmless as a bell pepper. I just assumed this one was harmless too.

But you know what happens when you assume...

You get stinging lips and watery eyes.

A little more feta and lime juice and a few glasses of water later we finished it up, though I admitted defeat and picked the remaining peppers off my slice. Until next time, jalapenos, until next time.

Corn Zucchini and Feta Pizza (with Cilantro and Lime)

adapted from shutterbean

Waste no time, and go buy some of the last ears of corn and a zucchini from the dwindling summer squash (if you're not too sick of it yet), this pizza is calling your name. If you have a favorite pizza dough recipe, use it. When I'm feeling less lazy and have a little foresight to start the dough the night before, I'm a fan of the recipe from The Bread Baker's Apprentice, but this time I just grabbed some premade dough from Trader Joe's. Whatever. And please, do yourself a favor and check the heat of the jalapeno before you go tossing it on your pizza with reckless abandon. Your tastebuds will thank you.

4 servings

pizza dough

1 zucchini, thinly sliced

1 cup corn (fresh or frozen, cooked or uncooked)

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced

1 jalapeno thinly sliced

1/2 cup feta

1 big handful bunch cilantro, chopped

red pepper flakes (optional)

salt & pepper

juice of 1 lime

Preheat the oven to 450F.

Put zucchini & corn in a bowl, toss with olive oil and set aside.

Oil a rimmed cookie sheet liberally with olive oil. Put the dough on the pan and stretch and press it out towards the edges. If it springs back wait five minutes and then proceed. Continue pressing and stretching until you reach your desired size/thickness (remembering that it will puff up a bit more while baking).

Top the pizza dough with zucchini, corn, red onion, jalapeno and scatter feta and torn cilantro leaves on top. Sprinkle with salt, pepper. Cook for 15-20 minutes in the oven. Evenly squeeze lime juice on top of the pizza and serve with fresh cilantro, a little more feta and red pepper flakes for added heat.

Summer Came Late

2011-09-21T15:41:00.000-07:00

It's September in San Francisco and there's a warm Santa Ana like breeze drifting into the house through my thrown open windows. Outside, I'd dare say it's hot. I take every opportunity to celebrate the sun and warmth and this is seriously gorgeous summer weather. It's days like today that this city really steals my heart.

No matter that I have an exam tomorrow in my management class and I'm supposed to be studying. Or that I have a lab report to write. Forget that I have a giant "to do" list staring me down, claiming most my time this weekend. Today I have no classes, and no motivation speak of. Sunshine means playing hooky time. Tonight we will be hosting a movie club night - which let's be honest, sounds so much better than studying. I just can't take today seriously.

In celebrating days like today, I would be remiss if I didn't talk about the food. The bounty that is the late summer harvest. It's felt so good to get back into the kitchen, fingers in the bowl, tasting as I go. Cooking has helped settle me in.

Figs and beets are everywhere right now, on display all over the markets and in corner produce stores alike. Both sweet and earthy in their own ways, the two work together really well. The figs, black mission in this case, are candy sweet while the beets have a more wholesome flavor profile. Layer that with some salty and mild feta cheese and a nutty whole wheat pasty crust and you've got a divine dinner. I thought it was even better the next day, just barely rewarmed in the oven.

Beet Fig and Feta Tart

adapted from five and spice

There is so much playing around you could do here. Chevre instead of feta cheese, different types of figs - I used the big green Adriatic figs, but black mission would be just as delicious, if not a bit sweeter - even changing up the dried herbs and using a bit of rosemary in place of the thyme and oregano. For a more adventurous herby twist, za'taar could work too. If you don't have whole wheat flour for the crust, go ahead and use all purpose, but maybe consider subbing out few tablespoons for cornmeal to get a nice crunch in there. Some freshly ground pepper in the crust might be nice too.

4 to 6 servings

crust:

1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour

6 tablespoons cold butter cut into small chunks

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon white vinegar

3-4 tablespoons ice cold water

In bowl, mix together the flour and salt to combine. With your fingers or pastry blender mix the butter chunks until you have a mixture that is a coarse meal that still has pea sized pieces of butter in it. Mix in the vinegar and the water one tablespoon at a time until the dough just starts to come together. Turn it out and press it into a ball with your hands. Flatten the ball of dough into a thick disc, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes.

tart:

3 medium beets, roasted and sliced into 1/4 inch rounds

1/4 pound feta cheese

2 adriatic figs (or 4-6 black mission figs)

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves

Preheat the over to 400F.

When the tart dough has chilled, roll it out on a lightly floured surface - preferably on a piece of parchment to make transferring easier later - into a circle about 1/4 inch thick. Don't worry about the edges being smooth, but fix any cracks by pressing the dough together with your fingertips.

Crumble the feta into small chunks and sprinkle half of the cheese onto the tart crust, leaving a 1-inch border around the edges, then evenly distribute the spices over the cheese. Spread a layer of the sliced figs on top of the cheese, followed by a layer of the beets (still leaving a 1-inch border). Sprinkle the rest of the feta on top.

Fold over the edge of the tart, toward the center, folding and overlapping the dough to keep it circular, but not perfect. Slide tart carefully onto a baking sheet by carefully picking up the edges of the parchments and bake for 25-30 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is melted.

While the tart is baking, put the balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then turn to a low simmer and cook until thick and syrupy and reduced by about three-quarters, about 10 minutes. Set aside.

When the tart is finished, remove it from the oven and allow it to cool for about 10 minutes. Before eating, drizzle the balsamic syrup all over it and sprinkle the mint leaves on top. Slice and serve.

Meal Ticket

2011-09-09T14:08:00.000-07:00

I miss my farmers' market at home. The people, the farmers, the vendors; it was such an incredible way to spend my Saturday mornings. But now that's nearly 500 miles away, and I've had to find some sort of replacement.

I made up my mind before moving that we would sign up for a CSA (community supported agriculture - for those not in the know) box. It would be a good way to get to know a farm or two, and adjust to the different offerings and somewhat different growing seasons. It's also a good way to make you get creative with cooking.

Every other week I get a box full of surprise fruits and veggies and have to sit down and puzzle a menu out. Yesterday I picked up my second trial box and it looked like this:

Actually this was my first box. I didn't take a picture of the second box because after walking there and back - oh, the hills in this city! - with the haul, I was hot and sweaty and it just completely slipped my mind. This time around there was no eggplant, banana peppers or apples. Got tons of tomatoes, caribe potatoes, an heirloom Tigger melon and watermelon. More zucchini, tomatillos, basil, bell peppers and eggs. Also a bunch of chives.

So for the menu here's what I've got:

Pesto Rubbed Chicken with Panzanella

(thank you previous tenant for leaving behind your new Saveur magazine!)

Provencal Sauteed Zucchini and Tomatoes

served over orzo, basil

Spanish Tortilla with Chive Pesto

eggs, potato, onion

Sausage Stuffed Bell Peppers

italian sausage, spinach, pine nuts and tomato sauce

Zucchini and Corn Pizza

with feta cheese, lime juice, jalapeno and cilantro

City Life

2011-09-08T14:24:00.000-07:00

*tap tap* Is this thing on?

Something happened in the move. I lost my brain, I think. It's not completely back, but I'm working on it.

21 days ago I stepped off a plane at SFO and greeted my new home. Hello, San Francisco. Sticking out like a sore thumb in seasonally inappropriate little black shorts and a light sweater, my new city welcomed me with a heavy blanket of fog that poured down the hill, making me shiver and sniffle. It's gonna take some getting used to. I don't quite yet feel settled.

The apartment is all set up, school has started for both D and I; we even signed up for a CSA, but I'm still missing San Diego. I'm missing the warm sunny beach days and California burritos - though truth be told I prefer other burritos more - they just don't do Mexican food the same up here.

The rest of it, the restaurants in San Francisco, blow my mind. I've probably eaten out more in the past few weeks than I did in the 6 months prior to moving, but it's all in the name of research. Burmese, Thai, French Creole Soul, perfect breakfast pastries at Tartine, crazy good ice cream at Mitchell's.

Eating good food makes me feel better. Bring on this new adventure.

Of Grills and 'Guts

2011-07-15T18:10:00.000-07:00

It's official. We have a moving date. Our last days of work are fast approaching and we've called our property management company to give them our 30 days notice. I'd say things are getting real, except that's about as much planning that's been done. Everything else is up in the air. We still need to find an apartment in SF, figure out if we're taking both cars or just one, get registered for classes and you know, pack up our entire apartment and move it 500 miles away. No biggie.

But for now, for next few weeks anyway, D and I are going to squeeze every bit of Southern California summer out of this place. Beaches and pools will be frequented and as many meals as possible will be cooked on our BBQ.

Ah, our fickle, sputtering, flame throwing grill. Our hand-me-down BBQ. Though how such a crazed appliance belonged to D's grandma before us, I will never understand. The only logical explanation I can give for its erratic behavior is that our BBQ is alive and it's a vegetarian. You can grill all the veggies, sear all the tofu and toast all the bread you so desire on it, but the second a piece of meat is carefully laid across it's grate you better have an extinguisher handy. It doesn't kid around.

With no meat allowed on the grill and still wanting to cook dinner outdoors, we compromise and make salads like this panzanella. Asparagus and bread just barely charred (a controlled char over cooperative flames) to impart a nice smoky flavor to the salad. The bright juicy cherry tomatoes and vinegary dressing tame and complement while the olives are salty briny nuggets tucked through out. I like the kick of red onions, but if they're not your thing, try rinsing them in a bit of cold water after cutting them, or letting them soak in the dressing to mellow out their flavor. It really is a perfect dish for an al fresco meal.

I will tell you however, even with a well behaved BBQ, I managed to set the neighbors smoke alarm off. Oops!

Grilled Asparagus Panzanella

Adapted from Grill It, Bobby Flay

I cut out a lot of the olive oil from the original because I like my dressings more on the vinegary side, and I don't like my panzanella to be too soggy. Croutons are a personal weakness of mine and it takes much control for me to stop snacking on them when they're around. On the other hand, soggy bread really grosses me out. So adjust the amount of dressing to your bread texture preference. This is a simple quick salad to throw together and I like that best of all.

4 servings

6 slices country style bread

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

2 garlic cloves, minced

Salt and black pepper

1/4 cup of extra-virgin olive oil, divided

1 large bunch asparagus, ends trimmed

8 red cherry tomatoes, halved

8 yellow cherry tomatoes, halved

1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced

1/2 cup Niçoise olives, pitted

2 tablespoons capers

Heat the grill to high. Grill the bread slices until slightly charred on both sides. Cut into 1-inch cubes.

Toss the asparagus with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill for 3 to 5 minutes, until tender crisp. Cut into 1-inch segments.

Add the vinegar, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, and the rest of the olive oil in a large bowl. Whisk together until combined. Add the tomatoes, onion, olives, capers, grilled bread, and the asparagus. Toss well and set aside for 30 minutes before serving.

On a Stick

2011-07-05T09:31:00.000-07:00

I really don't know where it came from - these fantasies of popsicles I kept having - it just started one day and hasn't let go since. It's summertime, and the weather was warm and perfect all weekend (!) so it would seem normal to want popsicles, but unless you live with me you have no idea how out of control this craving has been recently.

There was the time where D humored my sick whining insistence for the perfect popsicle by driving to several stores in one trip, only to have me reject them all because they weren't "the one". Then there's the world's cutest popsicle cart, Viva Pops, at the Little Italy Mercato on Saturdays that I always manage to wait too long to grab their newest creative flavor (blackberry violet cream anyone?) and it's gone for the day.

I am a woman, obsessed.

So a few weeks ago I hopped over to Amazon and bought myself a brand new ice pop mold, wooden sticks and clear cellophane bags in anticipation of sharing my obsession with others. Now I can make 10 pops at a time! In my own freezer! And did you see how perfect they look? Those ridges that run up the broad sides and the slightly tapered rectangular shape? I'm smitten.

The first round of flavors was strawberry basil and lavender honey cream; a half batch of each because a girl needs options. One sweet and dripping with ripe strawberry flavor, slightly tinged with an herby basil note. The other perfumed with flowers and milky sweetness.

I meant to get this out to all of you before the long holiday weekend started, but suffice it to say that I was busy making more of these concoctions and enjoying them instead. No matter, there is an entire summer's worth of opportunity ahead of us.

Strawberry Basil Pops

The basil in these is just the barest hint, but I wouldn't leave it out. If you want more basil flavor, I think it would be worth it to try them with very thin slivers of basil stirred in by hand after you're done pureeing the mixture. Although strawberries are quite sweet on their own, the addition of the simple syrup, while also adding the flavor of basil, keeps the pop sfrom becoming too icy.

makes about 8 3-ounce pops

2 pints ripe red strawberries, hulled and halved

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup lightly packed basil leaves

1 tablespoon lemon juice

In a sauce pan heat sugar, water and basil leaves until the sugar dissolves and the syrup starts to bubble. Using the back of a wooden spoon bruise the basil in the pan to release more of its oils. Remove from heat and let steep for 30 minutes or until it cools to room temperature.

Once the syrup has cooled strain into blender and add the strawberries and lemon juice. Pulse until the mixture is mostly smooth, but with a few chunks still remaining. Pour into popsicle molds, insert popsicle sticks and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Honey-Lavender-Cream Pops
recipe from Pleasant Pops via Washingtonian

You should love the flavor of lavender if you're going to make these. To some lavender tastes like bath products or soap, to me it's like a bouquet of flowers that is at once floral and herbaceous. Also, stick with the whole milk, otherwise your pops may turn out too icy.

makes about 10 3-ounce pops

3 cups whole milk
1 tablespoon dried culinary lavender flowers
1/4 cup organic cane sugar or granulated sugar
1/4 cup honey

In a medium saucepan, bring all the ingredients to a boil over moderate heat, stirring occasionally. Remove the pan from heat as soon as it boils. Let the mixture steep, covered with the lid, for 30 minutes. Strain the mixture through a sieve to remove the flowers.

Pour the mixture into the molds, insert popsicle sticks and freeze overnight or according to manufacturer's instructions.

Good Morning Sunshine

2011-06-30T14:50:00.000-07:00

I have a weakness for anything Heidi Swanson does. I am yet to make one of her recipes - be it from her blog or either of her cookbooks - that I didn't fall head over heels in love with. She has the Midas touch with vegetarian food.

I also adore cornbread. Crunchy bits of cornmeal between my teeth, oh so crumbly texture, slathered in butter and honey; sign me up. So back in March, the lovely Miss Swanson posted a teaser PDF just before the release of her second cookbook. I must have spent the next hour or so drooling (literally) on my keyboard, completely in awe of the six beautiful recipes and photographs it included; one of which were these millet muffins. You better believe that once I snapped back to reality I was all over it, single minded in my task of making something - anything - from that preview. Cabinets were scoured, shopping lists were made and shortly after these beautiful muffins came out of the oven.

Yes, millet. It's not bird feed, it's delicious (HS has a millet fried "rice" recipe in Super Natural Cooking that's killer too). Little crunchy balls that pop when you bite them, lightly nutty, and perfect in these muffins. They're not quite cornbread, but they have a similar tang and crumb. The lemon zest is my favorite addition, taking it from a nutty and wholesome breakfast, to one that has a bright lemon zing at the finish. A little sunshine in the morning to wake you up. I slathered them in a strawberry, champagne and rose petal jam from one of my favorite farmers' market vendors and it was a match made in heaven.

Millet Muffins
Adapted from Super Natural Every Day, Heidi Swanson

I did just a tiny bit of tinkering here, really, just a little. Instead of just putting the millet in raw to the muffins, I toasted it in a skillet before adding it into the batter. I like the depth that toasted grains have and it plays nicely with the flavor of whole wheat flour. But do as you like, or just save yourself a bit of time and put it in raw. I used whole milk yogurt, but I imagine a Greek yogurt would be a pleasant added tang.

1 dozen

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/3 cup millet, toasted
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
1 cup plain yogurt
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup barely melted unsalted butter
1/2 cup honey
Grated zest and 2 tablespoons juice from 1 lemon

Preheat the oven to 400F with a rack in the top third of the oven. Butter a standard 12-cup muffin pan or line with paper liners.

To toast the millet, heat a skillet over medium heat. Add the millet and move it around the pan until it begins to smell nutty and reaches a light golden brown color, about 3 minutes. Let cool.

Whisk together the flour, millet, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, eggs, butter, honey, and lemon zest and juice until smooth. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until the flour is just incorporated. Divide the batter among the muffin cups, spooning a heaping 1/4 cup batter into each one, filling it to a bit below the rim.

Bake for about 15 minutes, until the muffin tops are browned and just barely beginning to crack. Let cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then turn the muffins out of the pan to cool completely on a wire rack.

Making it Up

2011-06-17T10:31:00.000-07:00

It started with this. A big bunch of wild and tangled greens tucked into a crate and set amid the sea of citrus at one of my favorite market vendors. Agretti the sign read, "little sour one".

I love greens. I've probably mentioned that three or four or one hundred times. But this wild child, I'd never heard of it. Turns out, it's something of a rarity. Agretti grows alongside salt marshes or in salty soil and has a relatively short harvest season. The salt in the ground imparts a salty/sour/acidic quality to the fresh green leaves, tasting reminiscent of sour grass. It behaves similar to spinach when cooked and lends itself to many of the same preparations. The man I bought it from, Bob Polito, who mostly grows it as a pet project recommended sauteing the tender leaves in olive oil, minced garlic and a squeeze of lemon and using that as a bed for fish. The lemon, he said, was imperative. I do not argue with the experts.

I walked over to the fish monger, who then sampled the green, agreed on the preparation and picked out a beautiful fillet for me. Dinner was decided. I sauteed the agretti for maybe 4 minutes, just enough to get it pliable and wilty but still retain some crunch. Indeed the lemon was imperative and I gave an extra squeeze over the top of the pan roasted fillet just for good measure. But I only made one fillet for the both of us and had barely used 1/3 of the bunch. So, onward with the experiment.

Normally, Tastespotting and FoodGawker are my go to resources to figure out a recipe or get recipe ideas - I like the visuals - but even Google was letting me down in the inventive idea department. I'd already gone the sautee route and I wasn't in the mood to make a mock seaweed salad using agretti in its place (though now that it's all gone, I could really get on board with that), so instead I made pesto. I even broke out the big guns and purchased pine nuts for the occasion. I remember now why I always use walnuts or hazelnuts in my pesto, pine nuts are an unholy level of expensive. Oh how I suffer for my craft!

When I made the pesto I blanched the agretti for a few minutes before processing everything to mellow out it's acidity. The result was light, vaguely tart and a nice change from your typical herbaceous basil variety. I always toss in some red pepper flakes and use less olive oil than most recipes, preferring to add a drizzle once the pesto and pasta have been tossed together. Also, I happened to have some Romano in the fridge instead of Parmesan and used that. A little saltier, a little more pungent, it did the trick nicely.

For dinner another night, I tossed some pillows of ricotta gnocchi with a spoon full or two of the pesto. It was light, bright and everything I could ask for in a late springtime meal. I guess what I've been getting at the whole time is that: next time you see something new-to-you, grab it, take it home and start experimenting. It's surprising how quickly you can turn something once unfamiliar into a new favorite.

Agretti Pesto

I don't know - I feel silly for giving you a recipe for pesto. It's such an intuitive thing to make, tweaking to your own tastes. All I'm really aiming for here is to 1) inspire you to experiment in your pesto making forays and 2) if you even see agretti, grab a bunch!

Makes about 1 cup

2 cups lightly packed tender agretti leaves

2 cloves or garlic, chopped

2 tablespoons pine nuts

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano

salt & pepper

Set a small sauce pan of water to boil on the stove. Strip the tender leaves from the thicker stem of the agretti, the way you might take rosemary off it's stem. Hold onto the top of the spring and pull your fingers downward. Blanch the agretti in the boiling water for 3 minutes and then strain and rinse with cool water to stop the cooking.

In a pan over medium heat, toast the pine nuts until they are golden in color and fragrant.

Add agretti, garlic, pine nuts, red pepper flakes and water to the bowl of a food processor and pulse to make a rough paste. Leaving the motor on, stream the olive oil in until the paste thins and becomes smoother. You may need a bit more than called for, but I like to add just enough to get it to a somewhat loose paste rather than something too saucy. A little reserved pasta water in the mix with the pesto and pasta keeps things evenly coated but not too watered down.

Add the cheese, and salt and pepper to taste and pulse the food processor a few time to get everything incorporated. Serve tossed with pasta, as a spread on sandwiches or on pizza.

Sometimes on the Weekends

2011-06-14T14:53:00.000-07:00

Lazy sundays with friends. A counter top full of snacks and enough white wine to keep us cool until sunset.

Eating al fresco, on the patio, looking westward across San Diego. Grilled oysters and summertime corn. Shadows getting longer as sunset approaches. This is how it should always be.

Plenty of fruits and veggies in the farmers' markets this time of year. I tried to be selective, but I was seduced by too much of summer's bounty.

Three of my favorite things: cheese, beer and wine. An experimental night of pairings. From L to R; cashel blue, cana de oveja, boschetto and manchego.

Taking a Leap

2011-06-02T15:38:00.000-07:00

There was a moment, months ago, where I mentioned applying and getting into a few universities. It was just a passing remark, an event that was a part of a really great year, just a grain of information really. Well that grain is much bigger now. The size of a pebble maybe.

In just 2 months time I will be leaving my home in San Diego and setting off for a new adventure in San Francisco. I'm excited and anxious and scared at the same time. I've left San Diego before, lived away from home, but it was different then. Back then it was an itch I needed to scratch. I wanted to move away because I was relatively free of commitments and ready to take something new on, in a new town. This time feels more like a blind giant leap. It helps that D is going on this adventure too and San Fransisco is a city I've come to love, but the butterflies are still aflutter in my stomach.

This time around I'm leaving armfuls of wonderful friends, a job that makes me happy, my dearly loved family and sunny sunny beaches. I'm feeling the crunch to pack in trips to Palm Springs and Salvation Mountain. Go camping in the dessert and the mountains. I want to spend every weekend around a BBQ with friends and every free day soaking in the sunshine at the beach.

So for those BBQs and light summertime fare, I give you this noodle salad. Give them something unexpected, colorful and bright. If you promise to keep a secret, I actually made this dish a while back and forgot about it until I was searching through some pictures. Thank goodness I had the foresight to write down the recipe and changes I made (my organization sometime surprises me!) so that I could share it with you here today.

This salad will definitely be making a return around here. The zippy bright dressing is completely addictive, it's one of those things were I want to double the recipe to keep some extra around for my everyday salads. The crispy crunch of cabbage and creamy avocados all tangled up in the buckwheat noodles, people I have no idea why I let this slip away from me.

Cabbage and Soba Noodle Salad with Carrot Ginger Dressing
Adapted from No Tea After 12

I actually made this with cubes of lightly sauteed tofu since sometime I find soba noodles don't entirely fill me up. You can add them or not, it's delicious either way. It's perfect for potlucks since it's good warm, room temp or cold and you may or may not find yourself making extra of the dressing to put on your weekday salads. A punch of color and a little less everyday, I'd say it is well worth it to make extra and keep it in the fridge.

4 servings

Dressing:
1 medium carrot, cut into small pieces
2 tablespoons Japanese rice vinegar
1-inch pieces fresh ginger, grated
1 1/2 tablespoons white miso
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon maple syrup
1/2 small shallot

Salad:
8 oz. soba noodles
1 cup savoy cabbage, thinly sliced
1 cup red cabbage, thinly sliced
1/2 large avocado sliced
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
14 oz firm tofu, drained, pressed and cubed (optional)

In a blender add all the dressing ingredients and pulse or puree until you've reached a smooth, if slightly chunky, consistency. Those carrots are tough to break down completely, so don't worry if there are small chunks after a brief whir around the blender.

If you are using the tofu, once it's been drained pressed and cubed, heat a tablespoon or so of olive oil in skillet over medium high heat. Sautee the cubed tofu for 5 minutes, shaking the pan every so often, or until the tofu is a light golden color. Remove and set aside.

Cook soba noodles according to package directions and then drain. In a bowl, toss the drained noodles with the dressing and cabbage. Add tofu and mix again, trying not to break or tear apart the cubes. Serve topped with a few slices of avocado each and a sprinkle of sesame seeds.

A New Direction

2011-05-04T14:10:00.000-07:00

I have this chalkboard hanging in my kitchen. Actually, it's the chalkboard in the banner. It's a good sized chalk board. D rescued it from an undeserving fate - of being piled in a heap with the rest of the trash at the dump. It needed some love, so I painted it a bright cheery green. Now it hangs happily on the wall, displaying our weekly menus. Sometimes it's called in for backup at parties, letting our guests know what's being served (so I don't have to) or to provide a surface on which to draw silly (or inappropriate) pictures.

I also have this problem. I've been holding onto recipes for weeks. I've stored several drafts of several posts in my queue and haven't shared them with you yet. I bet you didn't even know they were there. Or maybe you did, figuring I've probably been cooking still during these periods of dead air. So I'm going to try something new. I'll post my meal plans for the week on here, that way I'll be forced to quicken my blogging pace and you'll know when I've been holding out. No more squirreling away posts like winter's coming.

Here goes nothing.

Vegetable Quiche {zucchini, roasted red peppers, mushrooms, spinach, cheddar}

Grilled Salmon {garlic, herb and citrus marinade}

Adzuki Bean Burgers {millet, oven dried tomatoes, avocado and smoked paprika aioli}

Wilted Swiss Chard {carmamelized onions, sultanas and balsamic vinegar}

Oatmeal Cookies {seven grain cereal, raisins, chocolate chips, toasted walnuts}

Chips and Salsa {chile de arbol, guajillo, pepitas, roasted roma tomatoes}

A Stroke of Green

2011-04-21T10:02:00.000-07:00

I'm such a sucker for greens. And Mexican food. I could eat either or both every single day. I think Rick Bayless is the bee's knees and his recipes make me swoon. These tacos are his.

They're a cinch to pull together. Just some sauteing of onions and a quick braise of greens and dinner's just about on the table. I made these with swiss chard, but if you've got a preference for another dark leafy green, or have a braising mix around, go ahead and use it. Then you whirl together a quick salsa and the work is pretty much done.

I don't want to scare you off with the healthy claim because there's plenty else going on with the mild and salty queso fresco and the smoky heat of the salsa to keep your taste buds engaged, but let's face it, the star of this dish is the greens. And greens are good.

It's a little Johnny-come-lately, but there are a few more days of Lent to go and if you're one of the many to have given up meat, consider these tacos for your next meal. Otherwise, on the flip side of things, you could consider this a little Cico de Mayo preview. A yin to the festivities typical meat heavy yang. A vegetarian crowd-pleaser. An all around yummy taco.

And hey! Earth Day is tomorrow! Vegetables are always more Earth-friendly than meat. PETA told me so ;-)

Braised Greens Tacos
Adapted from Rick Bayless

Consider this recipe as a template. Use whatever leafy green is your favorite - kale, collard greens, chard - or even a mixture if you desire. For the braising liquid I used a little dry vermouth and water, but you could use broth instead, it's just whatever you have around. No queso fresco? Use feta or a fresh goat cheese. I'm partial to the queso fresco, myself. The salsa you make here is real simple, but if that's a step you want to skip, you can can of course use store bought. Just make sure it's something smoky and deep, those flavors pair so well here.

6 small tacos

12 ounce bunch Swiss chard, washed and roughly chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large white or red onion, sliced 1/4 inch thick
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 cup dry vermouth
1/4 cup water
6 corn tortillas
1 cup crumbled queso fresco
A large handful cherry tomatoes
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high, add the onion and cook until golden but still a bit crunchy, 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic and chili flakes to the onion and cook for an additional minute, then add the broth or water, a large pinch of salt, and the greens. Reduce heat to low and braise, covered, for about 5 minutes or until the greens are nearing tender, but not quite finished.

Meanwhile, put the cherry tomatoes into a dry skillet over medium-high heat until blistered, transfer to a small food processor with the chipotle pepper and a large pinch of salt, and blend until smooth.

Remove the cover from the greens and cook off the moisture until it is nearly dry. Season with salt if necessary.

Heat tortillas in a cast iron skillet flipping frequently and just until warmed, or if you have a gas stove, just quickly over the burner. You can also wrap the stack of tortillas in a moistened paper towel and zap it in the microwave for 30 seconds or so. Fill each taco with a tongful of the greens, a spoonful of salsa, and the queso fresco.

Full Circle

2011-04-13T15:24:00.000-07:00

Whew! Where did that month go? At this point I don't think I even remember February.

The end of March was so full of celebrations. Ushering in springtime! D's and my anniversary! This blog turned one!

A year ago, when I first started A Kitchen Endeavor I was unemployed, just barely going back to school and floating around without any real commitments. It was nice for a time, but I think deep down I really wanted something to dig my hands into. Friends were nudging and hinting me in the direction of starting a blog as a means to share my recipes, and really I couldn't think of any reason not to.

I'm not a writer by trade or practice, but over the past year I've pushed myself out of my comfort zone and have come to appreciate the craft. Whether it's a pathway for venting, to share silly anecdotes or walking through a new recipe, writing has been the key vehicle.

Learning to translate food to words and find the right words to move you to food has been quite the adventure.

I know I might be jumping the gun a little here with 4 more months to round out the year, but I'm going to go ahead and declare 27 to be the best yet. I've spent it nurturing this blog. It's the year that the past 10 years of on and off attendance at community college finally paid off and I was accepted to 2 (two!) universities' Nutrition programs. I have a great job where I get to interact with incredible people who have done nothing but astound me by their goodness, kindheartedness and passion. I have my health, amazing friends and family and I feel like I've really grown to be comfortable in my own skin. Of course there's always something more to aspire to, but this year's done me good and this blog has been a big part of that.

So thank you. Everyone. For everything. I know it's been away a while; but I just thought you should know, I'm always thinking about you.

{xo}

Citrus and Secrets

2011-03-29T21:01:00.000-07:00

Let's get this out of the way. I'm not a big fan of citrus. Okay, let me revise that. I'm not a fan of eating oranges, tangerines or grapefruit out of hand. That skin that surround each section, the dry white pith - no thank you! I feel like I could chew it for days and it would never break down and that just plain grosses me out. It once took me a whole 30 minutes to eat a clementine because I had to peel the skin off each section just to get to the tasty juicy parts.

People think I'm crazy.

I have no problem with orange juice - except maybe the really pulpy stuff - or the flavor of any citrus. I obsess over cakes made using an entire citrus fruit, rind, pith and all. I'm all for infusing spirits with the bright color and flavor of blood oranges. Supreming or segmenting citrus and tossing into salads is a-okay too. It's just that skin. It, well, gets under my skin.

But this relish or salsa or whatever you want to call it, I would never turn my nose up at it. It's bright, refreshing and a welcome change from the standby guacamole. And really, it comes from Oprah, and who would say no to that woman? Not I! (Even if we did serendipitously end up camping a few sites away from her in Yosemite and she didn't come and share cocktails with us.)

Citrus Avocado Salsa
Adapted from O Magazine, December 2010

Originally, this recipe called for pomegranates, but since those are no longer in season, I substituted a variety of oranges for color contrast and differing levels of acidity. Also, loving avocados as much as I do, I doubled up on the amount of avocado called for and opted for the more potent heat of a serrano chile. Oprah made a convert out of this orange hater, and I think you'll love this salsa too. It's quite lovely with pomegranates, so keep it in mind when their season comes back around.

Makes at least 4 cups

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6 oranges (I used 2 blood oranges, 2 cara cara and 2 navels for variety)
2 medium avocados, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2/3 cup diced red onion
1 serrano chile, seeds and ribs removed, minced
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

In a large bowl, whisk together lime juice, salt and pepper until salt dissolves.

Remove all skin, white pith, and seeds from the oranges, reserving any juice that's squeezed out in the process. Drain juice into a measuring cup and set aside. Cut orange segments into 1/2-inch pieces and add to bowl containing lime juice.

Add the avocado, red onion, jalapeño, green onion, and cilantro to the bowl. Gently fold the ingredients together, being careful to not mash the avocados. Add reserved orange juice, 1 tablespoon at a time, until salsa is moist but not soupy. Taste and adjust seasoning. Transfer to a serving bowl, cover, and set aside for at least 1 hour to allow flavors to meld. Serve at room temperature with tortilla chips.

Checking In

2011-03-16T16:28:00.000-07:00

Things have been crazy in this little corner of the world. I'm right in the thick of mid-terms and D has been flying all over the place interviewing for grad school. It must seem on the contrary, with posting slowing to the slightest trickle, but let me assure you, when I get a moment to breath, I've got several delicious recipes to share. Until then, here's an update of what's been going on.

I'm continually falling in love with my Saturday market each weekend that creeps closer to full blown spring time. This past weekend I brought home some real all stars. The spinach from Sage Mountain is incredible; sweet and toothsome, I'm convinced that the stuff they sell in grocery stores doesn't deserve the same name. The blueberries from Pudwill, fava beans from Maciel & Family and the inevitable stop at Taste to pick up a delicious Ossau Iraty cheese. Romenesco from Suzie's and a Fuerte avocado from Schaner Farms rounds out the green bounty. And last, but certainly not least, honey from Swiss Mountain. This is truly some of the yummiest wildflower honey I've tasted with deep caramel and floral flavors, I'm addicted.

This past Sunday, a friend hosted a farm-to-table potluck with about 12 other ladies. We were all instructed to bring a dish featuring ingredients from our garden or from the farmer's market. I may not have a garden - hello apartment living! - but I sure can shop a farmer's market, so I threw this together with some of Saturday's finds. I used about a cup each of freshly shelled fava beans and English peas, that I blanched for 2 minutes then added to that a handful of spinach, julienned and 4 thinly sliced radishes. Tossed it with the juice of 1/2 a lemon, a little salt and pepper and freshly shaved Romano cheese and declared it finished. Light, bright and very much the flavors of spring.

And in a drastic change of eating scenery, I give you doughnuts. While D has been flying up and down the West coast, interviewing for grad school, he always manages to return with a little surprise for me. From San Fransisco it was Sightglass coffee, Seattle was another bag of coffee beans from Stumptown (coffee snobs, much?) and yesterday it was this lovely box of sugary goodness, direct from Portland via Voodoo Doughnuts. Bacon Maple Bar, anyone? That thing is delish! Then there's the Old Dirty Bastard (chocolate frosting, oreos and peanut putter), The Maple Blazer Blunt (maple frosting, red sprinkles), Portland Cream and Captain my Captain (with Captain Crunch, obvs). I'm not a huge doughnut fan, usually, but I can make exceptions and that maple bacon combination makes me weak in the knees.

{...we now return to regularly scheduled studying.}

Hello? 1950's Calling.

2011-03-01T14:50:00.000-08:00

They're called porcupine balls. Little meatballs studded with rice and simmered in a bright tomato sauce; I dare you not to like them. They're so 1950's chic. They're so cute and small and prickly when the rice puffs up during cooking and pokes out (get it?!). I think I'd love them even if I didn't grow up eating them, for the name alone.

I wish I had a picture of the cookbook that this recipe came from to show you. The cover has all these Charley Harper inspired illustrations of meals and each section of the cookbook is broken down by meat or vegetable type. The beef section has illustrations of happy cows and beef cuts all over the pages and everything is color coordinated to boot. Of course, since it's put out by the cutlery company Cutco, there's little illustrations of knives too. It's got a lot of kitsch and retro charm.

I really embraced the 1950's housewife feel having set a plate of these on the table not 5 minutes after D walked in the door from work, complete with a baked potato and steamed broccoli. Just your regular June Cleaver over here. There's nothing gourmet about this skillet of tomato covered meatballs, it's all about being economical. Stretching that affordable ground beef with some rice and minimal seasonings, a couple of cans of tomato sauce (or soup depending on your recipe) and feeding your nuclear family unit with your 2.3 children. And there's nothing wrong with that.

Porcupine Balls
Adapted from the Cutco Cookbook

I think the original recipe has you cook the porcupine balls in canned tomato soup diluted with water, but since I have misplaced the recipe and was making this from memory I couldn't say for certain. Personally I chose to use a few cans of tomato sauce in hopes of avoiding the sodium bomb that comes along with canned condensed soups and I think I'll keep that change in the future. I kept the seasoning pretty minimal in the meatballs as I was envisioning something simple and comforting and not veering into a specific flavor profile, but feel free to experiment and tweak with any seasonings you see fit.

Makes about 20 meatballs

1 pound ground beef
2 tablespoons grated raw onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup uncooked white rice
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
16 oz tomato sauce
1 cup water
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon sugar

In a bowl, combine the ground beef, uncooked rice, onion, garlic and season with salt and pepper. Using your hands mix everything together until it looks like the rice is evenly distributed throughout. Form into about 20 golf ball sized meatballs, by pressing and rolling small pieces of the mixture in between the palms of your hands. Set aside on a plate or cookie sheet.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium high heat in a large skillet and add the meatballs, leaving some space around each one browning one side, then another for no more than 5 minutes total. Add in the 2 cans of tomato sauce, water, Worcestershire sauce and sugar and gently stir to get everything incorporated. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook on low heat for 35-40 minutes. Most likely the sauce will not completely cover the meatballs, so give them a stir once or twice during cooking so they at least maintain a coating of sauce. Serve, spooning the sauce over the porcupine balls.

Solace in a Soup

2011-02-28T14:34:00.000-08:00

Start. Stop. Start. Stop.

I've started writing here 3 times now, and each time I've had to abandon the draft. I'm drowning in school, work and a weekend trip up to Tahoe, and let me tell you this gray winter weather isn't helping whatsoever. If it's not braving the rain on a Saturday morning open air market then it's rain turning into hail turning into white out snow conditions preventing the last leg of a trip to a Tahoe cabin. Of course it's all worth it in the end - to come home with handfuls of the freshest farm produce or to finally arrive to a snow covered winter wonderland after a 6 hour drive - it's just that I can't help longing for a break.

And for that, there's this lentil soup. Thick with red lentils and yellow split peas, rich with (light) coconut milk, toasted curry powder and tomato paste and just a hint of surprise with the addition of sauteed golden raisins. It takes under an hour to make, almost all of which your kitchen will be filled with the sultry smells of toasting spices and and an amazing buttery sizzling combination of ginger, green onions and golden raisins. And that wary look you have on your face about the raisins, abandon it, their sweet juicy bits in the soup are entirely perfect. It's great the first night, even better the next and it freezes like a dream.

Coconut Curry Lentil Soup
Adapted from 101 Cookbooks

Aside from adding in a little extra diced carrot, I didn't really change a thing, it was perfect as is. If you don't intend to eat it right away, or imagine that you'll have leftovers for the next day or to freeze, I would suggest cutting each raisin in half. They tend to soak up a lot of liquid and become surprisingly large after a while. Plus, when you cut them up, you'll get more spoonfuls with raisins in them, and they're the best ones.

6 servings

1 cup yellow split peas
1 cup red lentils
7 cups water
2 medium carrots, cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 tablespoons fresh peeled and minced ginger
2 tablespoons curry powder
2 tablespoons butter or ghee
8 green onions, thinly sliced
1/3 cup golden raisins
1/3 cup tomato paste
1 14-ounce can light coconut milk
2 teaspoons sea salt
one small handful cilantro, chopped

Give the split peas and lentils a good rinse - until they no longer put off murky water. Place them in an extra-large soup pot, cover with the water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and add the carrot and 1/4 of the ginger. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the split peas are soft.

In the meantime, in a small dry skillet or saucepan over low heat, toast the curry powder until it is quite fragrant. Be careful though, you don't want to burn the curry powder, just toast it. Set aside. Place the butter in a pan over medium heat, add half of the green onions, the remaining ginger, and raisins. Saute for two minutes stirring constantly, then add the tomato paste and saute for another minute or two more.

Add the toasted curry powder to the tomato paste mixture, mix well, and then add this to the simmering soup along with the coconut milk and salt. Simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes or so. The texture should thicken up, but you can play around with the consistency if you like by adding more water, a bit at a time. Serve topped with a generous amount of the remaining sliced green onions and some chopped cilantro leaves.

Saturdays in February

2011-02-12T15:26:00.000-08:00

Red Russian kale - Sage Mountain Farm

Flowers - Dramm & Echter

Strawberries - Kawano Farms

Whole wheat cinnamon raisin bread - Belen Bakery

Satsuma tangerines - Heritage Family Farms

Fuerte avocado - Heritage Family Farms

Dry roasted almonds - Hopkins Ag

The Beet Goes On

2011-02-08T07:09:00.000-08:00

These last few weeks it's felt like my kitchen has been turning out nothing but disappointing food. Food that would sustain, but was nothing to write home about or even worth the effort to try and remember what exactly it was that I cooked. There was a tortilla soup in there that was so underwhelming I had to go back and delete the bookmark from my recipes list in case I forgot its mediocrity and one day try and make it again. I was just that disappointed.

So when I went to make these beet burgers I couldn't help but grumble a bit under my breath at the multiple steps it was taking to assemble something that sounded simple enough but had no guarantee it was going to be worth it. I won't lie to you, the steps are kind of tedious - grate a couple of good size beets, cook some brown rice then puree it into a pile of mush, toast some walnuts and then chop those up, caramelize onions, and we haven't even got to the assembly or cooking yet - but here now at the other end of it all, I can wholeheartedly tell you it's worth it.

They're earthy and savory with pleasant little crunchy bits from the rice that crisps up on the edges while baking and toasted walnut pieces within. Nothing compared to those soggy droopy things you find in the freezer section that squish out of all sides of the bun when you take your first bite. You can of course play around with your seasonings, but I went with a combination of cumin and dried oregano and thyme to play off the earthy sweetness of the beets and caramelized onions. I won't go so far as to say these could change the minds of beet haters out there, but I think they'd be a good candidate for the experiment.

We ate these two nights in a row, happily, and could have done another night had I not been in such a practical mood freezing the last 2 patties to eat at a later date, perhaps when the kitchen magic runs out again.

Beet Burgers
Adapted from Lucid Food

Like I said, these are quite tedious to make, but the payoff is great. You'll dirty quite a few dishes and your hands may be tinged pink after all is said and done, but on the up side, if you're only 2 people, these burgers hold well in the fridge for a few days or the freezer for a bit too, so you'll get several meals in one. For the final cooking definitely use a pan not a grill because while they're not mush, a few of mine really wanted to break when I flipped them. I served mine simply with a slice of cheese melted on top on toasted bread with just a bit of mayonnaise, grainy mustard and a mix of salad greens and it was tops. Don't pile too much on or else you won't fully appreciate the beet burger.

6 burgers

1/2 cup brown rice
1 cup water
2 beets
1 cup walnuts halves
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon cumin
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 teaspoon salt

buns or bread, toasted
cheese slices (provolone, cheddar, monterrey jack)
toppings of choice

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a small sauce pan, bring 1 cup water to a boil, add brown rice, cover and simmer on low for 20 minutes. When the 20 minutes are up, remove the pan from the heat and let sit, covered for another 10 minutes.

Trim the tops and tails of the beets, then grate on the large side of a box grater onto a plate so as not to stain a counter top.

Meanwhile toast the walnuts on a cookie sheet until they became fragrant and turn a deep golden color, about 8 minutes. Cool then chop finely (I just used a food processor for this) and set aside.

In a small saute pan (or use the same pan as the rice after it's done cooking and sitting), heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat, add onion and stirring often, cook until the onion starts to caramelize and turn a light brown. Add the minced garlic and herbs and spices and cook for 30 seconds more. Deglaze the pan with 2 tablespoons of cider vinegar making sure to scrape all the good bits off the bottom of the pan and set aside.

In a food processor, process 1 cup of the rice, 1 cup grated beets and 1 teaspoon salt until it reaches a paste like consistency - this will be what holds your burger together. Then add what remains, if any, of your cooked rice, the shredded beets, the chopped walnuts and caramelized onions, and pulse just a few times just to get everything incorporated.

Separate into six balls and form into 1/2" patties, placing them on a cookie sheet (the same one used for toasting the walnuts) that's been sprayed with nonstick spray. Lightly spray tops of patties again with nonstick spray and bake for 45 minutes.

When ready to eat, heat a small amount of olive oil in a nonstick pan and reheat the beet burgers for 3-4 minutes per side, topping with a slice of cheese in the last minute or so to melt. Serve on a toasted bun or bread with your toppings of choice.

Super Dip

2011-02-02T17:30:00.000-08:00

Perhaps you'd like to be the star of your Super Bowl party? Perhaps you'd like to make a few new friends? Then boy do I have just the thing for you!

Take it from me, I don't even care about things like the Super Bowl, but when it comes to a 4 hour span of snacking on a smorgasbord of goodies, I'm your gal. This is when people pull out the big guns of finger food munchies, really go all out, and I can't turn down opportunities like that.

I can't remember how I stumbled upon this recipe - tastespotting is a likely candidate, though - but it had me scrambling to the fridge within 5 minutes to check what I needed to buy to MAKE THIS RIGHT NOW. I know my picture is probably not really doing that for you right now in all it's washed out and blobby glory, but I bet if I would have just stuck a few radish slices on top and then told you about it tangy, crunchy, garlicky, earthy flavor that might motivate you some. There's dill and lemon and the bite of garlic at the end and all of that is studded with hot pink radish chunks that could only improve if you manage to find the rare spicy ones.

I'm telling you, you have a hit on your hands here, what you choose to do with it is up to you.

Radish Dip
Adapted from Lick my Spoon

This dip gives you options and I've already tweaked it a bit from the original by adding an additional clove of garlic - more garlic is never a bad thing - and about 3 times as much dill because I love both of those flavors. Go ahead and use Neufchatel for a lower fat option, with everything else going on flavor wise, no one will be able to tell the difference. I obviously dipped to my heart's content with tortilla chips (serious addiction over here), but Lick my Spoon says Frito's Scoops are the way to go. I won't tell if you pick fresh veggies, though.

1 cup diced radishes
8 ounces softened cream cheese
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Zest of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon finely chopped dill
1 teaspoon salt
2 cloves garlic, minced

Put all ingredients in a bowl stir until completely mixed. Serve with chips or veggies.

Gratuitous Banana Bread

2011-01-21T17:44:00.000-08:00

Another banana bread recipe. You need it like you need another hole in the head.

I've got nothing fancy to add to this world of bread, no reason it stands out from the crowd of other recipes that are out there other than nostalgia. Go ahead and do a quick Google search for banana bread. See you when you're done sifting through the eleventy zillion options that are out there for you. Really, I can wait.

But for this I am not apologizing. There's something so comforting about a simple loaf of banana and nut goodness. No fancy-schmancy gimmicks or innovative ideas. Just the other morning I baked some up simply because I had nothing in the house for breakfast - the stash of biscotti that I'd made my morning routine since Christmas had run out and the Cheerios box lay empty in a pile to be recycled. There are always overripe and abandoned bananas in the freezer and a stash of various nuts in the pantry completing the makings of morning time, or snack time, contentment.

This recipe is well loved, as is the cookbook it comes from. The banana nut bread recipe that is within is one you don't even have to search for, the book just seems to open knowingly to the page you're seeking. Currently that book lies on my mother's shelf, in two pieces with no cover or back, the pages yellowed and stained with use. There are several pages that have fallen out and been tucked back in, a few might even be missing. These are signs of love. My copy of the recipe though, is scribbled in a yellow spiral bound notebook that is a compilation of food I grew up loving. Mostly simple recipes that would help guide me in the kitchen on my first foray out into the wide world of living as adult, away from my parents. This was before I discovered foodblogs and the even wider world of the food related internet resources.

This bread is like home to me. The other versions, the dressed up ones, indeed have their place, but they are no stand-in for my no frills, one bowl and mix it up, make it in my sleep, plain banana nut bread.

Banana Nut Bread

Adapted from Betty Crocker

Trust me, I love me some dressed up banana bread as much as anyone - lightly spiced and studded with crystallized ginger, swirled with a chocolaty counterpart, or simply with a bit of chocolate chips thrown in - but this plain Jane version always has me coming back. I'm going to go ahead and say that the extra step of toasting the nuts is key, do not skip it. I find whirling them around for a few seconds in a food processor is a quick way to get them chopped to the right consistency. This is a one bowl operation, why not dirty one more dish? Besides, I really need to get out of the habit of eating dessert-like food for breakfast.

1 loaf

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar

3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons oil

3/4 cup milk

2 -3 ripe bananas, mashed [I use 3 to keep things moist]

1 egg

1 cup walnuts, toasted and finely chopped

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

dash of nutmeg

dash of ground allspice

Preheat oven to 350F.

Grease and flour a 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan.

Measure all ingredients into a large mixing bowl and stir together with a wooden spoon until fully mixed and the batter is completely moistened. Pour into baking pan and bake 55 to 60 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean and the top is deep golden in color.

Let cool in pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes, then invert it onto a plate and back onto the rack to finish cooling.

J'aime le Pizza

2011-01-20T10:51:00.000-08:00

In high school I had this French teacher who taught next to nothing of the language. It was pretty much like hanging out at your Grandma's house, if she were French and lived in a classroom in the middle of campus. We made crepes, watched dubbed Disney movies; she'd even bring in Petit Ecolier cookies as treats. Perhaps she thought all this would romance us into learning a thing or two, that one day something would click and we'd all flit around the classroom with a flurry of française issuing from our mouths. Too bad we were all ungrateful teenagers who'd rather exploit our teacher's weaknesses than attempt at appeasing her.

Occasionally she'd put her stern face on and insist that we speak the language in class, this being our second year and all, and we'd respond with the one stock phrase we'd managed to retain - "J'aime le pizza." It didn't matter the context or the question we were asked the answer was always "I like pizza". We were a pretty hopeless bunch. Truly, if there was any point in the next year of my foreign language career where I could communicate in full sentences, I most certainly have forgotten it all now. 3 years and nothing to show, besides a pre-programmed response declaring my feelings on pizza.

So here I stand, 10 or so years later, reciting this silly phrase to myself as I pull this pizza out of the oven. The Thai peanut sauce smelling sweet and savory under the chunks of chicken and bubbling cheese. Everything getting covered with a pile of shredded carrots, sprouts and green onions. It's a pizza! Covered in salad! Pure genius I tell you. But of course there was a salad on the side as well, lest we forget how January is all about being healthy and reforming our diets.

Chicken Satay Pizza

If you've got a favorite pizza dough recipe, use it here, or if you have a favorite store bought dough, by all means. I'm partial to this one from Peter Reinhart (although this recipe will make enough for 2-3 pizzas). With some rotisserie chicken from the store and pre-made dough this is a cinch to whip up any night of the week, and a million times better than any of those frozen things.

1 - 12" pizza

pizza dough

3 tablespoons peanut butter
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon soy sauce
a few dashes of fish sauce (optional)
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 large clove of garlic, grated

1 cup shredded or chopped cooked chicken
1 cup, packed, shredded mozzarella cheese
small handful cilantro, roughly chopped

1 small carrot, julliened
1/4 cup sprouts (spicy, alfalfa, mung bean)
2 green onions

With a pizza stone on the lowest shelf, preheat oven to 500F for about 30 minutes. You'll want a super hot oven and an equally hot pizza stone to bake upon.

In a bowl mix together the peanut butter, water, soy sauce, red pepper flakes, ginger and garlic. Stir until the sauce is smooth and a spreadable consistency. Mix 1 to 2 tablespoons of the sauce with the shredded chicken and set aside.

On a piece of parchment paper - this will make it easy to transfer to the oven - roll the pizza dough out to a 12-inch circle. Spread over the top the remaining sauce almost to the edges, leaving about 1 inch exposed. Scatter chicken pieces, then cheese then cilantro over the sauce. Transfer, using the parchment paper to assist you, to pizza stone and bake 15 minutes or until the crust is a puffed and golden and the cheese starts to bubble and brown.

Meanwhile, toss together the cut carrots, green onions and sprouts. When the pizza comes out of the oven, top with vegetable mixture, slice and serve.

Weekend Images

2011-01-11T10:33:00.000-08:00

I {heart} YO

2011-01-07T15:46:00.000-08:00

I don't talk a lot about nutrition on here. Funny, because aside from (or rather, in addition to) cooking, it's my thing. I'm all about health and wellness and nourishing our bodies - I care about what I put into mine, and I care what others put into theirs. What I'm not into, is lecturing. Finger-wagging and long drawn out tirades rarely have gotten people to change their eating habits or stop and think about making some serious changes to their diet.

Eating should be a thoughtful process. Think about your meal. Where did it come from? How has it been transformed? How is it transforming you? Enjoy each bite and be able to feel good about it. The more you know about the food on your plate the better. Don't continuously deny yourself or eliminate broad sections of food, they each play such an important role. Eat colorfully, be adventurous.

This, I think, I why I'm so utterly in love with Yotam Ottolenghi's regular column for The Guardian, The New Vegetarian. Though the recipes obviously lack meat, they're not trying to compensate for that absence. The food is playful, vibrant and really a celebration of each ingredient that it uses. Why shouldn't we enjoy our veggies just as much as our animal protein? Here, with his cauliflower cake, he takes this much maligned vegetable, envelops it in an eggy, custardy cake spiked with fresh herbs and sharp cheese that really turns the idea of cauliflower being a soggy blah side dish to a real star. Cauliflower cynics, you've met your match.

It's hard for me to say for certain since I'm not a meat and potatoes kind of a girl, but I think Mr. Ottolenghi has the power to sway that crowd, make them branch out while never letting them get bored in the process. Now is a good a time as ever to at least try, right?

Cauliflower Cake
Adapted from Yotam Ottolenghi

If the man wants to call it a cake, I'll take it, even if it is more like a bulked up crustless quiche. I cut out some olive oil not seeing the need for nearly 1/2 cup and replaced the Parmesan with stronger, saltier Romano and reduced the measure to 1 cup from 2, because, let's face it, I'm not made of money and good cheese is expensive. Also as a heads up those red onions you decorated the top with will turn an odd shade of blue/green in the morning if you have any leftovers and so will any pieces that come in contact with the springform. Not that it affects the taste, though your brain will be firing off weirded out signals about the color, I'm sure.

8 servings

1 medium cauliflower (about 1 1/2 pounds) 
1 large red onion, peeled 
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
8 large eggs
Handful (3/4 ounce) fresh basil, chopped 
Scant 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric 
1 cup of grated Romano cheese 
Salt and black pepper 
Butter, for greasing pan 
2 tablespoons black sesame seeds

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Break cauliflower into medium florets, really just use your hands and snap off pieces. Place florets in a pot fitted with a steamer basket and steam, covered for 15 to 20 minutes, until quite soft. Remove steamer basket from pot and allow to cool.

Meanwhile, prepare the batter. Halve your red onion and cut a few thin rings off the end of one side; set them aside. Coarsely chop the remainder of your onion. Heat all of your olive oil in a saucepan and saute the chopped red onion and rosemary together until soft, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Whisk eggs and olive oil and onion mixture together. Stir in basil. Whisk flour, baking powder, turmeric, cheese, 1 teaspoon salt and many, many grinds of black pepper together in a separate bowl and add to egg mixture, whisking to remove lumps. Stir in cauliflower gently, so as not to break up too many pieces.

Line the bottom of a 9-inch round springform pan with parchment paper. Butter the sides generously. Put the sesame seeds in the pan and toss them around so that they stick to the sides. Pour in the cauliflower batter, arrange the reserved onion rings on top and bake cake in the center of the oven for 45-55 minutes, until golden brown and set (This took closer to an hour for me, so go by consistency and look rather than time, no one wants a jiggly uncooked egg center.)

Serve warm or at room temperature.

The Old is New

2011-01-03T13:56:00.000-08:00

I haven't cooked in weeks. Aside from the appetizer or snack to bring along to a party/get together or the roughly 15 dozen cookies I baked up in one night, I haven't made any real sort of food in far too many days. My apartment has been host to out of town friends who required refueling on California burritos, carne asada fries and In-N-Out burgers and my fridge has been stocked with leftovers galore. Which is to say, this is a perfect time to play catch-up on the backlog of entries in my queue.

I couldn't tell you when I made this pasta, and even if I could, I wouldn't because it was an embarrassing amount of time ago. Like, there aren't enough fingers and toes on maybe 2 people to count how many days ago, maybe more. I do, however, remember this pasta quite fondly. A delicate sweet tomato sauce bubbling away on the stove, creamy chickpeas folded into the mix along with some fragrant basil. Notwithstanding that this recipe was published as a "carbo-load" in the New York Magazine just prior to the New York Marathon, it's quite healthy so long as you don't follow the part where 1 pound of pasta is the serving size for 2-3 marathoners. I don't know about you, but I'd be hard pressed to finish a half pound of pasta on my own. In one sitting. Heck, if I cooked a pound of pasta D and I would be eating it for the better part of a week and by the end someone - okay, you don't need to twist my arm, it'd be me - would be moaning and groaning about having to even look at the stuff one more time.

So here it is, revamped and revised in a more practical form, at least for us. The amount of pasta cut in half but with the original measures for the sauce and still serving 4 newly resolved and health conscious people. (See? Look at me, looking out for your resolutions!)

Chickpea and Tomato Pasta
Adapted from New York Magazine

A few notes. After reading several reviews on the recipe it was widely agreed upon that either the sauce needed to be doubled or the pasta halved; I opted for using half the pasta because around here 1/2 a pound of the stuff easily feeds 4. I made the boo-boo of using angelhair instead of spaghetti which I would recommend against you making the same mistake, especially if there will be leftovers. The thin pasta gets soggy and breaks apart, highly undesirable. Bacon instead of pancetta? Surely. Short on chicken broth? You can use a dry white wine or else a mixture of water and dry vermouth in its place like I did. It was still delicious.

4 servings

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup diced bacon (just under 2 ounces)
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
15 ounces canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained or about 2 cups, freshly cooked chickpeas
6 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons dry vermouth
Pinch chile flakes
1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes
10 to 15 basil leaves, each torn in 2 or 3 pieces
Salt to taste
1/2 pound dry spaghetti
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese to taste

Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add the diced bacon and cook until it begins to brown, about 3-4 minutes. Add the onions and sauté until tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and chili flakes and sauté for 1 minute more.

Set aside 1/3 cup of the chickpeas, and place the rest of the chickpeas in a food processor with the water and dry vermouth. Pulse until the mixture reaches a chunky-smooth consistency, like chunky peanut butter. Add the mixture, tomatoes, and basil to the skillet. Bring to a boil, and simmer for 20 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the directions. When the pasta is almost done, reserve 1 1/2 cups of the cooking liquid, and then drain. Add the pasta to the sauce along with the remaining chickpeas. Toss, adding the pasta liquid if necessary. Serve immediately with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Closing the Door

2010-12-28T11:42:00.000-08:00

We are almost done.

The year is nearly at a close and the hustle and bustle of the holiday season is breathing its last breath as we get ready to ring in the new year.

It's not that 2010 has been a particularly bad year, it's just that I'm ready for a new start. It's this way every December, as January creeps closer, I realize how ready I am for something new and fresh. A new year with new promises and a clean slate, 2011, I have big plans for you. I know the resolutions we make and swear by in the first new days of the year get left by the wayside as life takes over, but this year, let's be practical. Let's resolve for happiness and health and to being better people.

This December brought flooded roads, malls, parking lots, stadiums, houses. Mudslides. Super saturated soil and downed trees. I kid you not when I say it took me 3 hours to get out of a small parking lot the other day in the middle of my traditional last minute shopping. But there was also family and friends and the reminder of how truly blessed I really am to have what I do and the people who surround me every day. It's been swell, 2010 but it's time to move on.

I know this soup doesn't look like much - muddy shades of green and chock full of vegetables - but it's the perfect bowl for chilly evenings and recovering from plates full of rich, celebratory food. The paste of parsley, basil, garlic and onions that you saute at the very beginning will fill your house with such delicious aromas it'll be tempting to climb right into the pot. Luckily it's a quick soup to make and you'll be eating in no time. Toast a hunk of crusty bread, swipe it through the soup, clean the bowl and I'm pretty sure you won't be missing those piles of cookies any more.

Cheers, everyone and see you in the new year!

Umbrian Vegetable Soup
Adapted from Saveur, Issue #130

Just a small tweak here and there. I didn't have the called for frisee so I used escarole in it's place, this mildly bitter green was a good substitute even if it did contribute to the dull green hue. I also tossed in a small rind of parmesan with the water for a little extra flavor boost. This soup freezes and thaws beautifully, which is nice if you're just a few people and you don't want the same dinner several nights in a row.

4 servings

1⁄2 cup packed basil leaves

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

4 cloves garlic

1⁄2 medium onion, cut into chunks

8 oz. red new potatoes, cut into 1⁄2" cubes

3 stalks celery, minced

2 medium carrots, minced

2 plum tomatoes, cored and minced
4 cups water

Kosher salt, to taste
1 small rind of Parmesan or Romano

1 14oz can cannellini beans, rinsed

1 cup fresh or frozen green peas

1⁄2 head escarole, leaves cut into bite-size pieces (about 4 cups)

salt and pepper

Freshly grated parmesan for serving

Place half the basil, 2 tablespoons olive oil, parsley, garlic, and onions in the bowl of a food processor and process until slightly chunky. Heat remaining oil in an 3-qt. pot over medium-high heat and add herb–garlic mixture. Cook, stirring often, until no liquid remains, about 5 minutes.

Add potatoes, celery, carrots, and tomatoes. Cook, stirring often, until vegetables are golden brown, about 6 minutes. Add salt and 4 cups water and cheese rind and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.

Stir in beans, peas, and escarole and cook until greens are wilted and just tender, about 10 minutes; season with salt and pepper and stir in remaining basil. To serve, ladle soup into bowls, sprinkle with parmesan.

Same/Different

2010-12-13T15:29:00.000-08:00

Evergreen Wreath - Maldonado Flowers

Clockwise:

Rainbow Carrots, Suzie's Farm - because they're pretty.

red kabocha squash, Suzie's Farm - still deciding on the fate of this one.

Spicy Sprouts & Pea Sprouts, Suzie's Farm - an indispensable part of salads in this house.

Caramelized Onion Loaf, Bread & Cie - I'm thinking fancy grilled cheese.

Fuyu Persimmions, Terra Bella Ranch - hands down the tastiest ones at the market.

Golden Raspberries, Pudwill - because it's December and I can still get berries.

Pineapple Guavas, Polito Family Farms - they taste like sour straws, no joke, nature's sweet and tart candy.

Sweet Return

2010-12-07T13:51:00.000-08:00

You deserve a cake. For sticking around, for checking this little space while I was away, you most certainly deserve a cake. It's not a fancy towering cake or a show-off, just a homey square cake with a little frosting that's been pushed around to cover the top, but I think it's the proper sentiment. We're not having a celebration here, just saying thank you.

This pear spice cake will fill your kitchen with the warming scent of cinnamon and spice while it bakes and does its magic in the oven. And should you choose to make the pear sauce yourself - which I highly recommend - you can mingle for a bit with the sweet smell of pears as they simmer away on your stove top. Not that I make a habit of questioning such beloved magazines as Gourmet who routinely turn[ed] out fantastic recipes, but I think replacing the applesauce with pears here was a total win. For one, pear seems less expected than apple. It doesn't have to be fussy, however we're making a cake here, not applesauce quick bread so I'd rather not recreate too similar of a product. Also, go make the pear sauce yourself for this recipe and tell me you don't feel all industrious.

You'll be proud to plunk this down in front of dinner guests and equally happy to just have it with a cup of tea. I'm sorry I can't hand deliver each of you a piece, because I really would like to, but I think you'll be happier to have your own.

Pear Spice Cake

Adapted from Gourmet.com and Smitten Kitchen

You really should make the pear sauce yourself. Aside from it taking 30 minutes to simmer on the stove it couldn't be more simple or quick. The brilliant addition of balsamic vinegar is undetectable in the end, perhaps just giving the sauce a fuller, rounder flavor profile. I should also note that I made this cake with Neufchatel cheese instead of cream cheese (accident!) and it worked just fine, I mean who needs the extra fat in their cakes anyway!

Cake

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1 stick (4 ounces) butter, softened

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 large eggs

1 1/2 cups pear sauce (recipe below)

Frosting

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

2 tablespoons butter, softened

1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Pear Sauce

1 pound of pears

1 1/2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

3/4 cup water

Peel, quarter, core and de-stem pears. Place in a medium saucepan with the balsamic and water. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer; cook with the lid on for 30 minutes, or until the pears are very tender. Let cool in their cooking liquid. Puree everything in a food processor or blender to desired consistency. This should make about 1 1/2 cups.

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter an 8x8 square baking pan.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Beat butter, brown sugar, and vanilla with an electric mixer at high speed until pale and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in pear sauce. At low speed, mix in flour mixture until just combined.

Spread batter evenly in pan and bake until golden-brown and a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Cool in pan 15 minutes. Run a knife around edge of cake to loosen, then invert onto a plate. Reinvert cake onto a rack to cool completely.

Beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla with an electric mixer at high speed until fluffy. Sift confectioners sugar and cinnamon over cream cheese mixture, then beat at medium speed until incorporated. Spread frosting over top of cooled cake.

Of Applications and Appetizers

2010-11-18T15:11:00.000-08:00

Let's talk college applications, shall we? How they're the bane of my existence. Page after page of information to fill out, straining my brain to answer ridiculous prompts that will supposedly give each school a personal insight to my self without sounding cliche/groveling/desperate. On top of just plain putting yourself out there for rejection. This is so not my thing.

And we haven't even gotten to the part where I will be a university student, pursuing an undergraduate degree with a sea of students 10 years my junior. Assuming that all my hopes and dreams come true, I could potentially be that person in class. The older one who always sits in the front (why are they always there in the first row?), hand shooting up at every opportunity to ask question after question, offering up more opinions than are necessary. People, I may just have to fill that role. I don't mean to offend. Good for you, front of the class student, for participating and being involved.

Can we just skip to the part where I have the degree, already? I want to be a part of that club.

Sure, I'm being melodramatic, although not entirely untruthful. This will all be worth it. So what, I waited 10 years to go back to school, at least I know I'm going after something I'm passionate for. I'm ready now to be a serious student. My brain is prepared to be stuffed, challenged and crammed full of science-y nutrition stuff. (Yes. That is the technical term). But really? Applications due during holiday season? I want to think about delicious Thanksgiving meals and all the ways I will stuff myself silly. Champagne toasts and plates piled high with dressing and turkey and cranberry sauce - in that order. Pumpkin, or perhaps sweet potato pie with clouds of whipped cream. Not applications, transcripts and essay prompts.

Are you still there? I promise I'm done now, I even feel a little better.

Here, let me take a little stress out of your planning at least if you're in charge of an appetizer. This is it right here! Absolutely do not look any further! These open-faced tea sandwiches may not be traditional (?) with their Asian influenced flavors, but they sure are a crowd pleaser. I've made them on several occasions and each time the entire plate gets inhaled in mere minutes. The guests are all polite, nicely taking just the one to nibble on while nodding their heads in approval. "So fresh!" they say. Then I walk away, smiling, and this must be the point where they stuff 4 more into their mouths at once or else grab a handful for the purse or pocket, because, POOF, the plate is empty. I don't blame them, they are delicious, but I might recommend you make extras unless you like the pleading looks of hungry guests.

Radish and Chive Tea Sandwiches
Adapted from Bon Appetit, April 2008

I can usually get about 20-24 pieces of baguette covered with this amount of butter, even though the original called for only 16. Sometimes I cheat and use green onion tops instead of chives, either works, I've never had any complaints. Use your discretion for how many this will serve, but I brought 24 of these to a dinner party of 8 people and I know they would have eaten more if they had the opportunity.

4 tablespoons butter, room temperature
3 tablespoons minced chives, divided
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
1 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
24 1/2-inch-thick baguette slices
10 radishes, thinly sliced
Fleur de sel, for garnish

Mix butter, 2 tablespoons chives, sesame seeds, ginger, and oil in small bowl. Spread butter mixture over each bread slice. Top with radishes, overlapping slightly. Sprinkle with remaining chives and fleur de sel.

Chicken Soup for the (adaptive) Soul

2010-11-16T15:11:00.000-08:00

It's beginning to look a lot like soup weather. That time of year where I'm guaranteed to make soup so frequently I'll begin to wonder when the last time I didn't eat my meal out of a bowl full of liquid was.

Oh soup, you take so many forms! Pureed and smooth, chunky with vegetables, thick with cream. They can be swimming with broth or they could be a rich and hearty stew topped with dumplings. First course, only course or lunch. Three cheers for soup! Every bite is soul-warming and satisfying; the steam warming your face as you lean in, the bowl your personal hand warmer. I think the chilled evenings are getting to me.

If you took a peek at my rapidly expanding - and let's be honest, completely out of control - list of bookmarked recipes, I'm sure you'd find that almost 1/4 of them are a soup of some form, rivaled only by the list of desserts and sweets. Obviously, I have my priorities in order.

For no particular reason, other than striking my fancy at just the right time (that right time being when I sat down to make the week's meal plan and corresponding shopping list), I plucked this recipe out of list-oblivion. A rotisserie cooked chicken and leftover rice soup, studded with bright red Thai chile slices and punched up with cilantro basil and lime. So simple, so quick, if only a wrench weren't thrown into to the works; the store had sold through their rotisserie birds for the day. Being stubborn and not wanting to try another store or wait another day, I instead poached some chicken breast I had at home and then used the poaching liquid in place of the chicken stock, supplementing just slightly to make up the volume. You're no match for me, wrench! And if I hadn't forgotten to toss in the handful of shrimp, I bet it would have been even better. But I'm not beating myself up over it. There's plenty more soup weather ahead, an entire winter's worth of soup making opportunities, to be precise.

Cambodian Chicken and Rice Soup
Adapted from Food & Wine, March 2008

The original recipe has you use a 3 lb. store-bought rotisserie chicken and already made (or purchased) chicken stock. However I had frozen chicken breast on hand so I decided to poach that instead and use the poaching liquid, now a light chicken broth, in the place of pre-made stock. But if you're looking for a quicker weeknight meal, I encourage you to use all premade broth and the rotisserie chicken as was originally intended. Also there were some shrimp that were supposed to be tossed in towards the end which I left out by accident. Next time little shrimp, next time.

4 servings

1 pound chicken breast
4 cups water
1 carrot, quartered
1 celery stalk, quartered
1/4 of a small onion
salt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup (or one 14oz can) chicken stock
3 tablespoons Asian fish sauce
1 teaspoon honey
1 cup cooked jasmine rice
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/4 pound shelled and deveined shrimp (optional)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped basil
1 Thai chile, thinly sliced
Lime wedges, for serving

Trim chicken breast of fat and place in a saucepan with 4 cups water, chopped carrot, celery and onion and a good pinch of salt. The chicken should be completely covered by the water. Bring to just a simmer and cover, leaving the lid just slightly ajar and cook for 20 minutes. Turn off heat and let the chicken cool in the liquid. Once cool enough to handle (maybe an hour) remove the chicken to a cutting board and with a slotted spoon remove and discard the vegetables, reserve the liquid. Cut or shred chicken into large pieces.

In a large saucepan, heat the oil. Add the ginger and garlic and cook over moderate heat until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the reserved poaching liquid plus extra broth, fish sauce, honey and rice and bring to a boil. Add the chicken pieces and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the shrimp (if using) and cook just until opaque, about 1 minute. Stir in the lime juice, cilantro, basil and chile and serve right away, passing lime wedges at the table.

My Love for a Green

2010-11-12T10:24:00.000-08:00

Things that I love: Desserts - man I've got a killer sweet tooth. Cheese - haven't met one I don't like yet. Except the fake kind. But that, uh, obviously doesn't count. My family - they're pretty fantastic. D is pretty great too. My cat - at the risk of sounding like a crazy cat-lady, yes, I love my cat. Sushi. Dumplings. Shopping, and KALE.

Say what? Yes, kale. I used to think it needed to be cooked, sauteed, braised and thrown into soups. I was wrong. I don't eat it because it's a healthy, dark leafy green rich with antioxidants, beta carotene and Vitamin C & K, that's just a perk. It's fantastic raw as well. It has a bit more bite to it, a bit more chew and that translates to more flavor than your average head of romaine or supermarket lettuce.

Which is why, when this email from Tasting Table landed in my inbox, there were two reasons I knew it was going to be a great recipe. Firstly, what a fantastic take on Caesar salad - using kale in place of hearts of romaine. You mean I get to feel less guilty about eating a salad coated in a fatty homemade sauce of olive oil and egg yolk? Sign me up! And secondly, the recipe comes from Chad Robertson's new cookbook "Tartine Bread" of San Fransisco's famed Tartine Bakery. It's impossible not to love that place with their delicious freshly baked bread, pastries and quiches. Really the combination was a no-fail-must-make-tonight-need-this-right-now kind of a thing.

However this was just a salad; some greens, a dressing, croutons and a dusting of cheese, not quite a meal. And sometimes, particularly on Mondays, I don't want to cook 2 or 3 things to round out a meal just because I'm dead set on making a certain dish. I really wanted this salad, but I know that while I can be satisfied by a plate heaping with vegetables, the more manly half of this household likes something with a little more protein. And what's quicker to make than shrimp? Just 3 minutes in a hot pan and the salad, now a dinner, is perfect. Hardly much extra work for me and a happy household overall.

Hey, you're eating kale instead of lettuce, give yourself a pat on the back!

Kale Caesar Salad w/ Herbes de Provence Shrimp

Adapted from TastingTable which in turn adapted it from "Tartine Bread", Chad Robertson and Epicurious.com

A few things. I didn't use the original Caesar dressing recipe, I just couldn't bring myself to commit 1 1/2 cups of olive oil to a condiment that I rarely use, instead I found a different one on Epicurious.com. Unfortunately, though I was excited to make it with raw egg yolk, this one didn't call for it, but I found it worked quite nicely with an extra kick from the dijon that the original lacked. It's also scaled down to be just enough to lightly coat 4 servings because I don't like salads drenched in dressing. Feel free to use as much as you see fit as this recipe is for only 2 servings of salad with leftover dressing. Also, the addition of shrimp was all me. Sauteed quickly with a little more herbes de provence it bulked up the salad to make it meal. And although the recipe calls for lacinato kale, I made it once with just curly green kale and once with lacinato and both were delicious, so don't freak if you can only find one kind.

2 generous servings

4 1-inch slices of day old country bread, cut into 1 inch cubes (about 2 cups)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon herbes de Provence

salt

1 large clove garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon anchovy paste (or 2 fillets)

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 large bunch of kale (curly green or lacinato), washed, dried and torn into small pieces

1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

1/2 pound shrimp, rinsed and dried

1 teaspoons herbes de Provence

salt

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Make the croutons: Preheat the oven to 400°. In a medium bowl, toss the bread with the olive oil, a pinch of salt and the herbes de Provence, if using. Spread the bread on a baking sheet and bake, turning the croutons midway through, until golden brown and crisp, about 10 minutes.

Make the dressing: Mix minced garlic, anchovy paste and dijon into a paste. Add lemon juice, salt and pepper and mix to combine. Whisk (or with a fork) the olive oil and set aside.

Make the shrimp: Put olive oil in a small saute pan over high heat. Add shrimp, herbes de Provence and a pinch of salt and toss to coat. Cook for about 4 minutes, tossing or mixing frequently.

To compose salad: Toss the kale with half the dressing until evenly coated. Add parmesan and croutons and toss again. Divide onto two plates and top each with half the shrimp. Reserve remaining dressing for another use.

Fall Colorings

2010-11-07T10:55:00.000-08:00

Stellar Salad Mix - Maggie's Farm

Heirloom Carrots - Maggie's Farm

Cherry Tomatoes - Suzie's Farm

Pea Shoots / Onion Sprouts - Suzie's Farm

Delicata Squash - Suzie's Farm

Plums - Smit Orchards

Persimmons - Terra Bella Ranch

Beemster XO & Juni Cheese - Taste Cheese

*bonus honey crisp apple from Pudwill

Italia via Caponata

2010-11-04T16:00:00.000-07:00

I have something to tell you that may shock you. It's not actually shocking, but the look on people's faces when I tell them would seem to imply otherwise; I don't have cable. That's right. No. Cable.

Have you picked yourself off the ground yet?

Okay, good. I feel like I may be the last person on Earth who doesn't have cable. No 300+ channels at my fingertips to maximize my procrastination tendencies. No news programs, no cooking shows, no movie stations. And I like it that way. You see what I do have is this thing called the internet and Hulu and Netflix streaming, and believe you me I watch plenty of programming that way.

Where was I going with this? Oh, right.

So D and I have been watching Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations in marathon sessions on Netflix streaming (9 whole seasons available with just a click of a mouse!) where we sit around and drool at all the amazing food he gets to eat, and cringe when he's offered weird delicacies such as fermented shark or an ostrich egg cooked in the ground, smothered in coals. But when the food's good, it's oh-so-good, inspiring new cravings every 10 minutes and a new destination to add to the "must visit" travel list.

The place that gets me every time, I mean really makes me crawl with jealousy, is Italy. When I see pictures, the beaches, the food or hear stories about strolling plazas and eating freshly made pastas and gelato for every meal, my heart melts. Italy, come to me. And when I can no longer take the yearning, I start flipping through Jamie's Italy, just to torture myself a little more.

Eggplant Caponata
Adapted from Jamie's Italy, Jamie Oliver

4 servings

olive oil
2 large purple globe eggplants, cut into large chunks
1 heaping teaspoon dried oregano
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 small red onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely sliced
a small bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked and stems finely chopped
2 tablespoons salted capers, rinsed, soaked,and drained
a handful of green olives, pits removed
2-3 tablespoons best-quality herb vinegar
5 large ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons pine nuts, lightly toasted (optional)

In a large pan, pour in a couple of glugs of olive oil, and place on the heat. Add your eggplant chunks and oregano, season with a little salt, and toss around so the eggplant is evenly coated by the oil. Cook on a high heat for around 4 or 5 minutes, giving the pan a shake every now and then.

When the eggplants are nice and golden on each side, add the onion, garlic, and parsley stems and continue cooking for another couple of minutes. Feel free to add a little more oil to the pan if you feel it's getting too dry.Throw in the drained capers and the olives and drizzle over the herb vinegar. When all the vinegar has evaporated, add the tomatoes and simmer for around 15 minutes or until tender.

Taste before serving and season if you need to with salt, pepper, and a little more vinegar. Drizzle with some good olive oil and serve sprinkled with the chopped parsley leaves and the pine nuts if you like.

Portrait: Dia de los Muertos

2010-11-03T13:35:00.000-07:00

F is for Fig

2010-10-28T09:40:00.000-07:00

It was just a simple tart; your basic pie dough, sweetened with just a touch of sugar, some almond cream and sliced figs arranged concentrically to make a pretty design. But as you're probably figuring out by this point, I can't leave well enough alone. I had this idea in my head to add something herby and earthy.

Is is just me, am I weird for really liking that almost dirt-like flavor quality of some foods? It's why I love beets and dream of mushrooms. It's what I love most about rosemary.

Listen, figs and almonds are all well and good, but I wanted more. Something unexpected. And since beets and mushrooms obviously wouldn't cut it here- I can be crazy at times, but not that crazy - I went with some rosemary. People, it brought this tart to a whole new level of delicious. It was really just a whisper of the herb that came through, but it was enough to balance the sweet caramelized figs and fluffy almond cream. It was textural and elegant.

We ate it on a warm evening, after an al fresco dinner of delicious food and over a game of Scattergories. It was perfect.

And what would really send this over the top - serving it with a scoop of honey ice cream.

Fig and Rosemary Galette
2 10-inch tarts

This recipe was compiled from all over the place so if you have your own favorite pie dough recipe, or frangipane recipe go ahead and use it, just don't forget about the rosemary. And now that figs are on their way out, I have images of substituting pears in their place, maybe trying thyme instead of rosemary. Hazelnuts instead of almonds.

Galette Dough:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold, in small cubes
1 tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary
3-5 tablespoons ice water

Filling:
1 pint black Mission figs, de-stemmed and sliced horizontally (4-5 slices per fig)
1 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
pinch salt
1 large egg

1 egg (for egg wash)
sugar (for dusting)

Place the flour, salt, and sugar in a bowl. Add the cubes of butter and rosemary and rub the butter into the flour mixture with your fingers until the pieces of butter are about the size of large peas. Add the ice water 1 tablespoon at a time just until the dough comes together and sticks when you squeeze it in between two fingertips.

Divide the dough into two pieces, then turn it out onto a piece of plastic wrap and pat into 2 round disks. Wrap tightly and chill for at least 2 hours.

In a food processor, combine the almonds with 2 tablespoons of the sugar and process until finely ground. Set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy. Add the remaining sugar (1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons) and mix to incorporate. Add the almond-sugar mixture and beat until thoroughly combined. Add the salt and the egg and mix until light and fluffy.

Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Take the dough out of the refrigerator and working with on disc at a time, flour your work surface and your rolling pin, roll out into a 12-inch round. Place each dough round on lined baking sheet. Spoon half the almond frangipane in the center of each dough circle and arrange the figs concentrically in the center, leaving a 2-inch border around the edge. You can allow the figs to overlap. Lift the pastry edge and fold over filling to make a nice, crimped border. Once galettes are assembled, place in refrigerator for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 375F.

After the dough has chilled for 1 hour, remove from the refrigerator and prepare the egg wash: Whisk egg in a small bowl to make egg wash, and use it to brush the edges of the crust of each galette; sprinkle the sides of the crust with sugar. Bake for 50-55 minutes, until figs are bubbling slightly and edges are golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool at least 30 minutes. Top with whipped cream or mascarpone and honey or a little scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Better Late Than Never

2010-10-22T17:14:00.000-07:00

What a dolt I've been.

Here I am, advertising pictures of gorgeous produce, promising follow ups and do I deliver? No. And it's been almost a month now. My apologies. So let's do the run down, shall we?

The salad mix, bell peppers, candy stripe beets and Reed avocado all went into salads. The creamy avocado contrasting nicely with the spicy greens and sweet crunch of thinly sliced beets and bell pepper. I can eat salad for days. Have I mentioned that before? Ho-hum, moving on.

The cherry tomatoes were transformed into smaller shriveled up versions of themselves when I oven roasted them. Just set the oven temperature to 225F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Slice a pint of cherry tomatoes in half, and place them on the baking sheet cut side up. Drizzle a few teaspoons of olive oil over the top, a sprinkle of kosher salt a few unpeeled cloves of garlic. Toss it in the oven for 2-3 hours, depending on the size of your tomatoes. Start checking at 2 hours and then every 15 minutes until you have shriveled - but not burned! - morsels with just the slightest hint of juiciness left. Use them in sandwiches, salads, on a bagel with cream cheese, or if you think they'll be hanging around for a while, pack them into a small jar, cover with olive oil and store in your fridge. Intense tomato flavor in the dead of winter - oh, yes!

With the eggplant I made caponata from Jamie Jamie's Italy cookbook (Jamie Oliver). It was good stuff, especially after it had been sitting for a day so. I know he gets a lot of flack for not so much printing "recipes" but more of guidelines but he creates some seriously amazing food. Go ahead and try to look at that cookbook without drooling all over each page. It's impossible. I'll post the recipe next week.

And lastly, the figs. I bought them with no real idea of what was to become of them. Stuffed with goat cheese, broiled and drizzled with honey and cracked pepper? Salads? Afternoon snacks? They have such a woefully short season, and I love them so, I couldn't pass them up. What I ended up making was a galette. I was being taunted with pictures on Tastespotting and then Alice Q Foodie made one and all of a sudden I was rushing into the kitchen to jump on the bandwagon. But with a twist! I chopped up a bit of fresh rosemary and mixed it into the crust. I could go on and on here, but I'll save it for next week. You know, to keep you hanging.

Far from Fancy

2010-10-19T17:07:00.000-07:00

I've been in a comfort food mood lately. Cozy food, the kind you enjoy while curled up in blankets with a good book or lingering over the table with music in the background. Nothing flashy, nothing fancy, but the kind of food that makes sigh contentedly as you eat it. Something to unwind you from a crazy day and to be reminded that simple is sometimes better.

To me, frittatas fit that bill. Fill them with the scraps you have lingering in your fridge, the bits you have in just small amounts laying around; add some leftover pasta for bulk and eggs for protein and dinner (or breakfast or brunch if you're so inclined) is served. This frittata is a nod to a simple, no-sauce Martha Stewart pasta recipe, filled with zucchini, onion, briny black olives and some Italian herbs. The veggies cook down to sweet wilted versions of their former crisp selves while the olives add pops of salt all over and the eggs and milk form a creamy custard held together with the pasta. The greatest thing about frittatas is that they're a blank canvas. Not into the pasta? Add some cooked and sliced potato instead. Whatever veggies and herbs float your boat. Use some sausage or chorizo. It just a matter of picking then chopping and stirring and the whole thing comes together in under 30 minutes.

Go ahead. Get inspired and make one - this one - tonight!

Spaghetti Frittata

4 servings

1/4 pound dried spaghetti noodles, cooked and cooled
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
2 cloves of garlic, sliced
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
pinch of red pepper flakes
salt and pepper
6 eggs
splash of milk or cream
1/3 cup grated parmesan or crumbled feta (optional)
handful pitted kalamata olives

Preheat broiler.

In a small to medium sized oven proof skillet heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onions, zucchini and garlic and saute until just turning soft and bits are browning on the bottom of the pan, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile beat together the 6 eggs with a splash of milk, add cheese if using and beat once more. When the onions and zucchini are soft, season with oregano and a pinch of red pepper flakes, salt and pepper then toss in olives and noodles. Stir until combined.

Pour the eggs over the mixture making sure that the pasta is mostly covered. Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, pulling the mixture away from the sides and tilting the pan slightly to let the uncooked egg to the outside edges. When the eggs look like they're set, slide the pan directly under the broiler for 2 minutes to brown and crisp up the top. Slice and serve.

State of Flux

2010-10-12T12:15:00.000-07:00

Oh, hello Fall.

It's nice of you to start out real hot. Like 100+ degrees hot. Then quickly transition into rainy, wet, gray weather, and back again to warm. Really, I like my seasons unpredictable like that.

About as unpredictable as my blog posts as of late. It's been what? 12 days? Sheesh. I need to get on top of things! I blame it on vacation brain. I'm still seeing the sweeping vistas of Yosemite when I close my eyes, the towering rocky cliffs of the valley, trees so large you'd swear it was the inspiration for the background in Avatar and an expanse of blue sky. A place so beautiful that I'm even willing to forget the vague threat of running into bears and the rain that was ever present for the last half of the trip.

So, as an ode to this crazy weather, straddling two seasons, here is a soup that does the same. It's a chowder, warm and comforting, but made with late season corn and no cream, making it perfect for the cooler - but not cold - evenings.

Of course I couldn't help myself and made some changes. I added a red bell pepper to the mix, chopped two full stalks of celery and didn't bother measuring it, increased the amount of thyme and substituted creamer potatoes for the summer squash. It's kind of genius what Cooking Light did with the rest of the recipe, blending up a majority of the corn with the low fat milk to add body and keeping the rich calorie dense add ins (bacon, cheddar cheese) as a modest topping. It's a chowder that's a little bit of autumn, a little bit of summer and just the ticket for dinner. And as typical for soups, it was even better the next day.

Fresh Corn Chowder
Adapted from Cooking Light, August 2010

Originally, there were no potatoes in this chowder, it was supposed to be summer squash, but I swapped the two because I had a craving, and a vision. Here's what I learned. It might be best to par boil the potatoes before adding them to the soup; the longer time you spend simmering the soup to get the potatoes fully cooked the more it wanted to stick to the bottom of the pan. It wasn't a deal breaker, but keep it in mind for yourself if slightly uncooperative soup isn't your thing. Or switch it back to a pound of diced summer squash which will cook much quicker and avoid the issue all together.

4 servings

2 slices, thick cut bacon
3/4 cup sliced green onions, divided
1/4 cup chopped celery
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 pound red potatoes, diced into 1/2" cubes
1 pound corn kernels, either frozen of from 4-5 ears of corn
2 1/4 cups low-fat milk, divided
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese

Cook bacon in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving 2 teaspoons drippings in pan. Crumble bacon, and set aside. Add 1/2 cup green onions, celery, bell pepper and potatoes to drippings in pan; saute 8-10 minutes.

Reserve 1 cup corn; set aside. Place the remaining corn and 1 cup milk in a blender; process until smooth. Add remaining 1 1/4 cups milk, thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper to blender; process just until combined. Add pureed mixture and reserved 1 cup corn to pan. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook 15-20 minutes more or until thoroughly heated and the potatoes are tender, stirring frequently . Ladle into bowls and top each serving with about 1 tablespoon bacon, 1 tablespoon remaining onions, and 1 tablespoon cheese.

California the Beautiful

2010-09-29T18:45:00.000-07:00

We're off tomorrow morning to go explore Yosemite National Park. I've never been, but luckily I'll be in the hands of some knowledgeable friends. Good company, camp fires and stunning surroundings, I'm so excited!

Oh please don't let me see any bears....

Fête for a Cake

2010-09-28T09:40:00.000-07:00

This poor cake. It's been ignored and left behind for almost a month now. Not the actual cake, no, that was gobbled up long long ago. But the sharing of a delicious recipe. It deserves better treatment, a brighter spotlight, at least some recognition for being a terrific birthday cake. Don't you think it dressed up nicely for the occasion?

I saw a few different incarnations of this Mexican Chocolate Cake around the internet; baked as a loaf or in a 9"x9" square baking pan, but there's something about celebratory cakes being round that just feels right. A loaf seemed too everyday, so did the square, both were left unadorned with nothing except a light dusting of powdered sugar. So I changed it up. Baking it in a 9" spring form (the better to unmold after making) and drizzling some ganache over the top. Instant transformation. It went from looking Plain Jane to completely birthday appropriate. (By the way, I used these Martha Stewart cake stencils to do the design on the top of the cake, I seriously love the added touch they give. Thank you Martha.)

And the flavors! It's like those little orange chocolate balls you get in your stocking on Christmas, banging them against a hard surface to crack them into segments, but with a little something more. The cinnamon isn't very pronounced but makes for a nice background flavor and the coffee just deepens the chocolate. It's incredibly moist with a tighter crumb, neither a bad thing in my book. And if you eat straight out of the fridge, it's a little like fudge.

Mexican Chocolate Cake

Adapted from Gourmet, April 2004

Sometimes, I get lazy when I'm baking and cooking. I got lazy here; I didn't sift the flour and other dry ingredients, whoops! What? You don't like little white specks throughout your chocolate cake? But you all are smarter than me and I'm sure you won't make my mistake. Otherwise, this cake is pretty straight forward and such a pleasure to eat. To keep the ganache from slip sliding away down the sides, I kept the cake in the fridge and just brought it out a few minutes before eating.

12 servings

Cake:

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup strong brewed coffee
1/2 cup water
2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup well-shaken buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
zest of 1 orange
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt

Ganache:
4 oz semisweet chocolate
1/2 cup heavy cream

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350F.

Release the ring around a 9" spring form pan. Across the bottom piece, lay a piece of foil, shiny side up, over it and close ring around it. Some foil may stick out the sides which is what you want, just push them up around the outside. Spray the inside with non-stick spray.

Melt butter in a microwave safe bowl. Once melted, then whisk in cocoa. Add coffee and water and whisk until smooth. Whisk in separately sugar, eggs, buttermilk, vanilla and orange zest.

Sift together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt into a bowl, then sift again into cocoa mixture and whisk until just combined. Pour batter into the spring form pan and bake until a wooden pick or skewer comes out with only a few crumbs adhering, about 60 minutes.

Cool cake in pan on a rack 20 minutes, then loosen loosen the ring and invert onto a plate. Peel the foil slowly off the bottom and invert again onto the cooling rack until the cake is room temperature.

Meanwhile, chop the chocolate into small pieces and place in a bowl. In a small sauce pan heat the heavy cream to just a simmer and then pour over the chocolate. Stir constantly until the chocolate is melted and the mixture looks satiny. Cool for a few minutes in the fridge until it begins to thicken to a spreadable consistency.

Pour over the top of the cake and spread to edges so the ganache can drip down and cover the sides.

A Colorful Bounty

2010-09-25T15:14:00.000-07:00

I can't believe summer is officially over. Lucky for me, the late summer offerings at the Mercato (and D's Mom's garden) are still plentiful and popping with vibrant color. I have some delicious plans for these beauties.

Candy Stripe Beets - Schaner Farms

Heirloom Tomatoes - Schaner Farms

Reed Avocado - Heritage Family Farms

Black Mission Figs - Pudwill Berry Farm

Spicy Salad Mix + Extra Osaka Mustard - Maggie's Farm

Cherry Tomatoes - JR Organics

Eggplant - D's Mom's garden

Purple Bell Peppers - D's Mom's garden

In a Jam

2010-09-22T19:28:00.000-07:00

I fear I've missed the seasonally appropriate window to post this recipe.

It's been weeks since D snagged these last-of-the-season cherries at a roadside farm stand. I can't recall the last time I saw them fresh, in a store.

But the show must go on; there are still frozen cherries, after all.

I've never made jam before. My Mom and my Aunt make jam all the time, or at least, more often than I do. Big batches of jam. But every time I see how much sugar they add to the cooked down fruit, I cringe. You add how much? This from an inexperienced jam maker, a never before canner, I had no idea about these things.

So back to a few weeks ago, when these cherries showed up. There was an over abundance of fruit in the house, pretty typical for summertime and spending every Saturday at the farmer's market eye balling gorgeous produce. They had no chance of survival, would never be eaten before they started to go bad and turn mushy. I could not waste the precious cherries! Must preserve!

Preserve! Like canning! Except I'm not ready for that part yet, so for now I'll just stick with the jamming.

Thanks to a little confidence from David Lebovitz, and a strong physical aversion to wasting any little scrap, I attempted my first batch of jam. It was a wee batch, baby size; the 1 pound yielding a cup or so of jam. It wasn't traumatizing, or difficult really, just time spent over the stove. I set to work pitting the cherries by hand, their crimson juices splattering all over the cutting board, like a bad crime scene, as I smashed them with the broadside of a knife, chopping the cherries into bits and bites, it's such a therapeutic process. Although, I can see how the charm quickly fades when it's hot outside and you have the stove going and you're standing over a huge pot of boiling fruit and sugar, stuck in a never ending cycle of stirring. But stir I did. And jam I did make. I even managed to get over the heap of sugar.

(I call this one...Dexter.)

Cherry Jam

Adapted from David Lebovitz

Like I said, I made a baby batch, but if you can get your hands on the volume, you should make more. It's tasty stuff. I imagine frozen cherries (which have most likely been pitted - yay!) would work just as well here if you can't get your hands on fresh.

about 3 pounds of cherries

sugar

zest and juice of 2 lemons

Rinse the cherries and remove the stems. Then remove all the pits. Chop about ¾ of the cherries into smaller pieces, but not too small. Leave the rest whole.

Cook the cherries in a large non-reactive stockpot. It should be pretty big since the juices bubble up. Add the zest and juice of one or two fresh lemons. Lemon juice adds pectin as well as acidity, and will help the jam gel later on.

Cook the cherries over medium-low heat, stirring once in a while with a heat proof spatula, until they’re wilted and completely soft, which may take about 20 minutes, depending on how much heat you give them.

Once they’re cooked, measure out how many cherries you have (including the juice.) Use 3/4 of the amount of sugar. For example if you have 4 cups of cooked cherry matter, add 3 cups of sugar.

Stir the sugar and the cherries in the pot and cook over moderate-to-high heat. The best jam is cooked quickly. While it’s cooking, put a small white plate in the freezer. Remain vigilant and stir the fruit often with a heatproof utensil.

Once the bubbles subside and the jam appears a bit thick and looks like it is beginning to gel, (it will coat the spatula in a clear, thick-ish, jelly-like layer, but not too thick) turn off the heat and put a small amount of jam on the frozen plate and return to the freezer. After a few minutes, when you nudge it if it wrinkles, it’s done.

Chill Out

2010-09-17T09:55:00.000-07:00

I had visions of serving this as a first course or in a shot glass as an hors d'oeuvre at a themed dinner party, dressed up with panko bread crumbs that have been tossed in olive oil, salt and pepper and toasted until a deep golden brown. The crispy topping contrasting with the smooth, cooling avocado/buttermilk and the spicy kick from chili flakes sounded like a perfect entertaining dish.

Alas, I ended up making this soup under far less glamorous conditions: after a solid 8 hours of school, brain fried and energy levels barely registering. It's a soup that takes about 5 minutes of active prep to get on the table, mostly owing to the fact that it's a cold soup. Just wave a knife at a few ingredients, throw it into the blender and then chill it in the fridge for a bit and dinner is ready. There are no words to describe how thankful I am for recipes like this on days like that. And the time it spends chilling? I can just take a quick nap and wake refreshed no longer searching for the energy to lift my spoon to my mouth.

It's creamy but not in a heavy way, it's more of a mouth feel thing and brightened up with lime and chili flakes, no one flavor dominating. It felt nourishing after a long day, swiping the last drops clean from the bowl with some bread. So, as we squeeze out the last days of summer, or whatever this season is we're experiencing, you may also be thankful to have one last chilled soup recipe. For those days you'd rather spend outside, or for easy entertaining, or when your brain has been in hyper-drive and you'd rather not fuss about a meal.

Avocado Soup
Adapted from Miss Dahl's Voluptuous Delights, Sophie Dahl

Orginally, the recipe called for 1 cup plain full-fat yogurt but I didn't have any around. Instead what I had was a small carton of buttermilk that I needed to use up. It may have lacked the body the yogurt would have given it, but a good substitute none the less. Heck, now that I think about it, you could even make this using some silken tofu in place of the dairy. When choosing a chicken (or vegetable) broth, use one that is on the lighter side, you don't want the flavor overwhelming the avocado. It's best to eat this within hours of making otherwise the avocado starts to oxidize and turn brown and the chili flakes take over flavor-wise.

Makes 4 cups

2 ripe avocados
1 green apple, cored, peeled and sliced
3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
1 teaspoon of dried red chile flake
juice from ½ a lime
2 cups of chicken stock (or vegetable broth)
pinch of salt
Fresh chopped cilantro, to garnish

Slip the avocados out of their skin and discard the pit. Toss the avocado, apple slices, buttermilk, chile flakes and lime juice into a blender. Blend until the mixture is creamy and smooth. Warm the broth just slightly in a pan and then add to the pureed mixture with a pinch of salt. Blend again until everything in combined. Check for seasoning and adjust as necessary. Chill in the refrigerator for up to 2 hours. Enjoy.

Like No Other

2010-09-14T16:06:00.000-07:00

Stop what you're doing, go out and buy a watermelon and a couple deep red and golden hued heirloom tomatoes. Hurry. Before they disappear for the season and you miss out on something amazing.

I have been obsessed with this salad ever since eating at The Blue Plate in San Fransisco back in August. I could gush on and on about all the delicious food I ate in that fantastic city, but it all comes back to this salad for me. Some kind of genius in the kitchen created this salad and put it on the menu where I ordered it one fateful dinner and nothing has been the same since. Sure the fried chicken and buttermilk dressing it shared a plate with were delicious as well, but it was the salad that I was in a near romantic relationship with. Complete spotlight hog. So fresh and unexpected. Olives, slightly pickled pieces of onion and tomatoes with that quintessential summertime melon and basil? I could not get enough. Could you bring me more, in a to-go box, please?

I know these watermelon salads are hip right now, popping up on menus all over the place this summer (if not last summer as well), though they're mostly based on a melon/feta/mint/balsamic platform. But have you had watermelon and basil together?!? Blows the mint pairing right out of the water, bringing just a slight bit of the savory element. I could never love another summertime salad the way I love this one. Too perfect.

Watermelon and Heirloom Tomato Salad
Inspired by The Blue Plate, San Francisco

I did my best to create some semblance of a recipe here, but mostly I was just tossing things into a bowl until it looked right. Isn't that the beauty of cooking? A little bit of this, a little bit of that. Don't let it sit too long, maybe a few hours tops, all the delicious juices start collecting in the bottom of the bowl and the fruit will go a bit soft.

4 servings

4 cups watermelon chunks, about 1" square
2 cups heirloom tomatoes, cut into rough chunks
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup sweet onion, cut into 1/8" thick slices
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves
a handful of Nicoise olives (I used about 15)

Whisk the vinegar and sugar together in a small bowl until the sugar dissolves, add the sliced onion and toss. Set it aside on the counter for 1 hour, letting the onions soften and get a bit pickled.

Meanwhile chop the watermelon and heirloom tomatoes and put them in a bowl. Add the basil leaves. If the leaves are on the smaller side go ahead and leave them whole, otherwise tear larger ones into smaller pieces. Once the onions are done, fish them out of their liquid with your fingers or a fork and add them to the watermelon/tomato bowl. Gently give everything a good toss and top with the olives. Drizzle the vinegar/sugar mix over each serving.

It's Been a While

2010-09-12T14:17:00.000-07:00

Just another Saturday, gathering goodies at the Little Italy Mercato...

Black Radishes - Suzie's Farm

Armenian Cucumber - Suzie's Farm

Cherry Tomatoes - Suzie's Farm

Golden Raspberries - Pudwill Berry Farms

The cutest little pluots you've ever seen - Sage Mountain Farm

Tuscan Salumi - Knight Salumi

Tree + Fish

2010-09-10T16:45:00.000-07:00

I don't know if you could tell, but, we don't eat a lot of meat around here. I mean meat meat. The red kind, or the pork kind, or the game kind. Really. I'm sitting here, trying to remember the last time I prepared some and the only instance that is coming to mind is a couple of hamburgers I made way back in July. And let me tell you that was only because I had some random craving that caused me to obsessively think about hamburgers for a week straight. What we do eat, and still infrequently at that, is mostly chicken and fish.

This seems to confuse people, the lack of meat we consume around here. Are we vegetarians? What's the problem? Don't you ever just want a steak for dinner? No, no problem, and rarely. It just is what it is, we don't eat a lot of meat.

I've tried making cedar planked salmon before, but was slightly underwhelmed by the results, though I think I missed the point last time, slathering the fish in a brown sugar/mustard/dill paste. It didn't allow for the smoky flavor of the charred cedar to come through. Lesson learned, I went the simple route this time and the salmon definitely picked up a nice smoky sweet flavor. The sauce was just icing on the cake. Light, tangy and herbaceous, it was a nice contrast to the richness of the salmon.

The next night, having two leftover fillets and not wanting to reheat and dry them out, I simply placed them on a lightly dressed salad with the leftover potatoes, slices of tomatoes, some avocado and the last of the sauce. Both were excellent.

Cedar Plank Salmon with Yogurt Herb Sauce

I highly suggest the longer soaking time for the cedar plank. I soaked mine for only an hour because of time constraints and man, that thing was smoky on the grill. I'm talking like it looked like it might be on fire in there. You might get away with only an hour of soaking if you cook over indirect heat with a charcoal grill, but I don't have any experience with that. Proceed with caution.

4 servings

1 untreated cedar plank
1 pound skin on sockeye salmon, cut into 4 - 4oz fillets
olive oil
salt & pepper
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1 garlic clove, minced
small handful of mixed herbs, minced (I used tarragon, basil, chives and parsley)
1/2 lemon, juiced

Soak the cedar plank in water, keeping it submerged with some cans in a Tupperware/glass pan full of water, for at least 1 hour, though 2 would be better.

Mix the yogurt, garlic, herbs and lemon juice in a small bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste and refrigerate until the salmon is done.

Heat a grill (we have a gas grill) on high heat for 10 minutes and then reduce it to a medium heat. Remove the plank from the water and let the excess water drip off. Place the 4 fillets, skin side down and not touching, on the plank and drizzle with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. Grill, with the top closed, for about 10 minutes (my fillets were barely more than an inch thick and might have even been a little over cooked). When finished cooking the salmon will feel firm and will no longer be oozing any milky substance. Remove entire plank from heat and onto a platter, use a spatula to transfer the fillets to your plate. Spoon a tablespoon of sauce over each serving.

Resistance is Futile

2010-09-09T12:17:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you just really want a cookie.

A perfect chocolate chip cookie with crunchy caramelized edges and a chewy center.

Sometimes this craving comes when you know you'll be alone for the rest of the week and making 3 dozen cookies just doesn't make any sense, at least when you're considering a sensible and balanced diet.

And sometimes you run across a recipe for said cookies that is just so exactly what you were looking for that there is just no resisting and you compromise. You make only a half recipe.

Then you remember, in the upcoming week there are 2 birthdays, which means 2 birthday cakes. Two sugary sweet delicious cakes (one chocolate orange cake, one cheesecake) that you will also not have the will power to say no to.

So long moderation. Bring on the sugar!

My cookies don't need to win beauty contests, they just need to make me smile. So they're as flat as a pancake and the all the chips congregate in the middle, making a craggy range of chocolate and they're a little floppy when you move them from cookie sheet to cooling rack. They still have a deep caramelized flavor, chewy and buttery, nicely contrasted by a sprinkling of sea salt that's added just before baking.

Exactly what I was after.

P.S. Lest you think I'm a total glutton, I only baked about half of the half recipe I made. I took the rest of the dough, plopped them in cookie sized drops onto a baking sheet and froze them, transferring them to a freezer bag after a few hours. Now I can have cookies whenever I please (just not right now, there's too much cake around)!

Molasses Chocolate Chip Cookies
Adapted from Joy the Baker

How fun is this recipe? You get to make your own brown sugar! The extra molasses really deepens the flavor, I may have to make my own from now on. And read carefully. You have to use bread flour here; the high gluten content will help keep your cookies resembling cookies with all that extra moisture from the molasses you don't want to end up with a blob covering your cookie sheet.

3 dozen bigger cookies, or 60 with smaller spoon-sized scoops

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons bread flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon dark molasses
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups dark chocolate chips or chunks
sea salt for sprinkling on top of cookies just before baking

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda and set aside.

In a medium sized bowl, mix the granulated sugar and molasses until no large molasses clumps remain. Add the softened butter and cream the mixture on medium speed for 3 minutes. Add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla extract and mix until well combined. Slowly incorporate the flour mixture until thoroughly combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Chill the dough for about 20 minutes (or a few hours, or overnight), then scoop onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Lightly sprinkle each dough ball with a few flecks of sea salt.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown, checking the cookies after 5 minutes. Mine we perfect at 8 minutes. Cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheet and then transfer the cookies on the parchment paper to a cooling rack.

Eat Your Veggies

2010-09-03T14:30:00.000-07:00

I guess I'll stick with the salad theme here. But instead of something to eat on the side, how about making this one your whole dinner? I had been eyeballing this one ever since it showed up on The Kitchn months and months ago. Then just a few weeks later it popped up again at Sprouted Kitchen. This salad had my number, it was taunting me. It was meant to be a winter salad, being posted all the way back in February, but there's no reason you can't make it any old time. Which is why it finally came to be, tossed and mixed, in my kitchen in late August.

If you have a tub of miso lingering in the back of your fridge, like me, this here is a good way to put a dent in it. If you need to buy the miso, don't worry, you'll want to make this dressing again and again. Actually, I'm not sure if the dressing is the star here or the tofu. Those tofu sticks are darn tasty. Caramelized from the sugar in the marinade and a high oven temp, coated in nutty sesame seed with a peppery kick and baked to a nice firm texture. Give me some more! (Sorry tofu haters, I think you're crazy, but if you must, go ahead and leave it out.)

It's not all-American, BBQ fare or any of what you'd expect for this Labor Day, but whatevs, it's good. So until next time; stay out of trouble, be safe and have a great holiday weekend, ya'll! We'll be celebrating D's birthday tonight (Happy Birthday!) and wine tasting this weekend in Santa Barbara County. Oh yes.

Miso Slaw with Baked Tofu

Go ahead and make the full dressing recipe, although you probably won't use all of it for the slaw. It's terrific on salads or to dip vegetables in. And after you eat the salad, give yourself a pat on the back, you just ate a bunch, and I really do mean a bunch, of veggies!

4 servings as a main, 8 as a side

Dressing 
1/2 cup plain greek yogurt 
1/3 cup rice vinegar 
3 tablespoons yellow miso paste 
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon grated ginger 
1 tablespoon sesame oil 
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes 
2 teaspoons soy sauce

Tofu
1 14oz package firm tofu
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce 
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar 
1 tablespoon sesame oil
freshly ground pepper
sesame seeds

1 12oz bag broccoli slaw 
4 cups spinach, chopped
4 scallions, thinly sliced
1/2 cucumber, peeled, cut lengthwise, seeds removed, and sliced into half moons 
1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted 

For the tofu, cut lengthwise into 1/2 inch slabs and put on a layer of paper towels on a plate or cookie sheet. Cover with another layer of paper towels, another plate and a heavy object, let drain for 1 hour. Cut the tofu, lengthwise again, into half inch sticks. 

Preheat oven to 475F.

For the dressing, put all of the ingredients in a bowl and whisk until combined and set aside.

In a wide bottomed bowl, mix the tofu marinade of soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil and pepper. Working carefully with a few sticks at a time, roll them through the marinade to coat each piece. Space them apart on a baking tray covered with a piece of foil. Sprinkle generously with sesame seeds, and bake in the upper third of the oven for about 20 minutes, flip them over halfway through baking. Remove and cool.

While cooling, mix your broccoli slaw, greens, cucumber, scallions and almonds in a bowl and toss with desired amount of dressing. Serve and top with a few tofu sticks.

Table for One

2010-08-31T22:19:00.000-07:00

With D out of town, camping in Big Sur, I have the whole house to myself. For 4 whole days. 4 days to do whatever I want, eat whatever I want and finish the pile of homework I have somehow accumulated in the first week of school. But whenever I'm cooking for just myself, I could care less. My dinner is usually one of three things; a scrambled egg sandwich, a grilled cheese sandwich or a quesadilla and a big salad. Sometimes just the big salad. Or else I space and forget to make dinner entirely because maybe someone got caught up in a marathon TV session, trying to catch up on a whole season's worth in one sitting. I won't name names or point fingers here, the details aren't important.

In this case, having just been gifted some homegrown tomatoes and corn (picked just hours before eating!) I tossed those together with a few more ingredients to make a fancier side to go with my not-so-fancy tortilla and sharp cheddar cheese. Okay, it's not a salad revelation, but it's not a pile of lettuce! And look at those colors! Clearly I was overeager to eat because I forgot to take the picture until I was nearly half way done with my quesadilla, please excuse the bite marks. So maybe you're too tired/lazy/underwhelmed by food/zombied out from TV to make dinner tonight, let me recommended this for your meal, it's good for any mood. Quick, hard to mess up and a nice little celebration of a late summer harvest.

Now, do I have any takers to help me with my homework?

Late Summer Salad

I kept the dressing pretty light here since I wanted to showcase the delicious fresh produce. The tomatoes will give off their own juices, especially after you salt them, so leave the seasoning until just before serving.

2 servings

2 medium heirloom tomatoes
1 small ear of sweet yellow corn
a few thin slices off a half a red onion
1/4 of a medium avocado, cut lengthwise into thin slices
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
a pinch of kosher salt
a few good grinds of black pepper

Bring a small pot (one just big enough to fit an ear of corn) of water to a boil and add the ear of corn. Boil for 5 minutes and remove corn from water, letting it cool.

Meanwhile, roughly chop the tomatoes and put them in a medium sized bowl. Cut off a few thin slices, however much you feel like really, from the red onion half and rinse under cold water, this will take away some of the bite, and add to the bowl of tomatoes. Once the corn is cool enough to handle, slice the kernels off the cob and add to to bowl as well.

Just before serving, add the pinch of salt, the black pepper and olive oil and give it a good toss. Top with avocado slices and serve.

A Change of Pepper

2010-08-26T14:27:00.000-07:00

I admit, I'm behind on my posts. There are several entries lingering in my queue, getting pushed further down the list because I get too excited about sharing something shinier and newer. I'm sure you'd never know the difference if I kept my mouth shut, but this one, if you live in the San Diego area, is a dead give away that it isn't a recent dinner. You'd be crazy to think I'd crank my oven on to 425F for an hour when the temperature outside is still pushing 80F at sunset. Absolutely insane. My apartment doesn't have an A/C or even a ceiling fan in the main room and the kitchen and living room face west, meaning that for a few hours each afternoon it's roughly the same temperature as a sauna. I don't need the oven to help that along, thankyouverymuch.

We made this the week before we left for San Francisco, when the evenings were still cool and the mere thought of turning on the oven didn't require me to hang out in the house in my bathing suit. It's from Everyday Food, which I always admire for having simple dinner ideas that are relatively fuss-free and on the healthier side. Oddly enough before seeing this recipe, it never occurred to me that I could stuff a poblano pepper. Bell peppers, sure. Stuff them with couscous, with rice, with vegetables, some ground meat even. But change the pepper? Whoa. Lets say we were just comparing the peppers alone, I'd probably pick the poblano over a bell any day. They have a nice subtle heat and a kind of smoky flavor when you cook them. I need to start think outside the box, get out of this bell pepper rut.

Anyhow, these stuffed peppers are tasty. The baking time here may be long, but the prep work is maybe 20 minutes, well worth the end result. Melty stringy cheese and cornmeal holds together the chunky filling of beans, corn and onions. The tomato sauce it bakes in thickens and adds a nice acidity to the creamy slightly sweet peppers. They make good leftovers, too!

Stuffed Poblano Peppers
Adapted from Everyday Food, April 2008

Mine look a little dry because I seemed to have missed the part about adding the water/broth to the stuffing mixture, so learn from me and don't forget yourself. Also, look for larger, straighter poblano peppers. It may take some sorting as a lot of them are kind of kinked, but they will be much easier to stuff without the funny shapes. These could be tasty served with some sour cream and hot sauce as well.

4 servings

1 can (28 ounces) whole tomatoes in puree
1 minced jalapeno
2 small onions, chopped
3 garlic cloves, 2 whole, 1 minced
coarse salt, ground pepper
1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 small ear of corn, kernels cut off
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
3/4 cup water or broth
1 teaspoon ground cumin
4 large poblano chiles, halved lengthwise [stems left intact] ribs and seeds removed

Preheat oven to 425F degrees.

In a blender, combine tomatoes in puree, jalapeno, half the onions, and 2 whole garlic cloves. Puree until smooth. Season with salt. Pour the sauce into a 9x13-inch baking dish and then set it aside.

In a medium bowl, combine beans, corn, cornmeal, 1/2 the cheese cheese, remaining onions, minced garlic, cumin and 3/4 cup water or broth. Season with salt and pepper.

Dividing evenly, stuff the poblano chile halves with the bean mixture and place in the baking dish on top of the sauce. Sprinkle the poblano chiles with the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil.

Bake until the poblanos are tender, about 45 minutes. Remove foil and continue to cook until the sauce thickens slightly and cheese is golden brown, about 10 minutes more. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly before serving.

A Tale of Yellowtail

2010-08-24T16:52:00.000-07:00

There's this seafood wholesaler in San Diego that's a total gem of a find; they're open to the public, though they do most of their business with restaurants, and have killer deals on super fresh fish. I love Catalina Offshore Products. Most of the really good deals come via their email list and being a member (free!) which is how D and I found out about a recent special they were running on locally caught yellowtail, $4.25/pound. What? Sign me up! Two pound minimum? No problem, I've got a freezer. So we called in our order, picked it up the next morning (we called as they were closing) and set forth on a recipe search. Well, recipe(s) actually. I'm not very good at improvising recipes with fish, I need guidelines and inspiration. So what's the first thing I make?

I made...
wait for it....

Fish tacos. Don't get me wrong, they were tasty, it's just strikes me as a slightly uninspired idea. I didn't do anything special. In fact, I was trying to make them as basic as possible since I have a tendency to pile all sorts of goodies and flavors on my fish tacos until I've created a something bursting at the seams and unable to fit into any human mouth. Cabbage slaw, pico de gallo, chipotle crema, avocados, pickled red onions, cilantro, fish...uh, it's starting to sound more like a salad. So this is my attempt to go basic. I grilled the fish with nothing but a thin slick of olive oil, salt and pepper. And onto the tacos went just the fish, lime crema (sour cream, lime zest and juice), red cabbage, avocado and a sprinkling of chopped onion and cilantro. I may or may not have added hot sauce at the table. Around here, that's called simple.

But that was only one half of our fish order. The other pound of yellowtail went into the freezer while I waited to stumble across something new. It came a few weeks later when we had this potato and yellowtail dish at a party for D's Abuelo. Sitting outside under canopies, sipping sangria and wiping our plates clean with bread, it was all so summery and exactly the kind of dish I was looking for. Since anyone who knows me can tell you I've only recently come to terms with eating leftovers, I waited another week before I made it myself so that it wouldn't feel like I was eating the same dinner too many times in a row. And you know, it wasn't any more difficult to make than the fish tacos. Just whip up a simple sauce, half of it becomes the marinade the other the dressing, boils some potatoes and grill the fish. For all it's simplicity, it's sure a great dish. The lemon juice and zest gave it a sunny flavor with punches of salt from the briny capers. The raw garlic in the dressing and the crispy pieces that stuck to the fish were balanced by the earthy greenness from the parsley. You just can't go wrong putting garlic, lemon and parsley on fish.

And on my gah! That salad mix up there? I found it at the farmer's market and it's called Stellar Mix and it truly is out of this world . There's all kinds of crazy salad greens in there along with big pieces of basil, chives, tarragon, parsley and edible flowers. I may never be able to eat another mix again. The watermelon radishes, tomatoes and avocado chunks were my addition.

Citrus Garlic Marinated Yellowtail and Potatoes
Adapted from Relish, June 2010

It could be that since the original recipe was intended to be made with tuna the sauce didn't need to be tweaked, but yellowtail has a darker meat and deeper flavor so I doubled the hot sauce and garlic that it called for so that their added flavor didn't get lost. The amounts I've listed below are already adjusted. If you're concerned about the spice level, rest assured with all those potatoes and fish in there, it's hardly has any spice at all. Also it said the capers are optional, I say they're a must.

6 servings

1 pound yellowtail fillet
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons hot sauce, I used Frank's Red Hot
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
Coarsely ground black pepper
1 1/2 pounds small red potatoes
Finely grated rind and juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon drained capers
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Rinse yellowtail and pat dry. Combine olive oil, hot sauce, garlic, salt and pepper in a measuring cup. Pour half the mixture into a shallow baking pan, reserving remaining sauce. Add yellowtail to pan and refrigerate 1 hour, turning once halfway though.

To the reserved sauce add the lemon zest and juice, set aside.

Rinse off potatoes and cover them in a pot with cold water. Bring to a boil and cook until tender. About 20 minutes for smaller potatoes. Halve or quarter the potatoes, to make bite size chunks.

Preheat grill to high.

Remove yellowtail from marinade and place on grill. Don't worry about drying it off or scraping away any pieces of garlic that may be still be clinging to it. Grill 4 to 5 minutes per side, until desired degree of doneness.

Place hot boiled potatoes in a bowl. Break yellowtail into chunks and add to potatoes. Toss with the reserved sauce and capers. Sprinkle parsley over the top and serve.

Watermelon Water

2010-08-20T14:04:00.000-07:00

Ouf! I'm going on a vacation from food. 4 days in the bay area of stuffing myself with ridiculously good food at all hours and all I want are salads piled high with vegetables and handfuls of fruit. Couple that with the hot weather and I don't think I could eat a full meal if pressed. But I can't complain, really. These are what my friend would call princess problems. We stepped off the plane in San Diego, greeted by the sunshine and a cloud-free sky; the summer weather we've been waiting since June for. I've been making good on all the summer time activities I said I needed to cram in before school starts back up. Beach days, pool days, happy hours and leisurely days of relaxing.

But back to the fruit. When we got back home, I opened my mostly empty fridge to find half of a giant watermelon that I bought the week before we left, wrapped up and begging not to be thrown away. I should have bought a smaller one for the two of us, but they were on sale and I love watermelon so, I couldn't resist. So here it was, past it's prime, but not yet going bad, laying abandoned on the chilly bottom shelf and me feeling too guilty to toss it. I could freeze it and make margaritas with it later (which, by the way, watermelon margaritas are the best!), but I wanted instant gratification. Why wait for freezing when I can just blend it up and drink it now? Agua frescas - fresh water or refreshing water for those uninitiated - are pure genius and a perfect way to use up the late summer bounty of quickly ripening fruit. Can't eat all that melon? All those peaches, strawberries and cucumbers? Just toss it in a blender with some water, a squeeze of citrus juice for acidity, a little sweetener and you have the essence of summer in a glass. It was so tasty that I made 3 more batches. A whole pitcher to have whenever I pleased, because really, it's practically health food!

And this is how I found myself enjoying the long, late afternoon rays of sunshine, sipping my icy glass of watermelon water, relaxed and glad to be home.

Watermelon Agua Frescas

Up the lime juice or sugar depending on your taste and the sweetness of your melon. Mine wasn't the sweetest, I'd say it was a medium sweetness, and I found these proportions to wok nicely. Make it into a cocktail by filling a glass with ice and adding a short of gin or vodka to the mix. Muddle some mint or basil leaves into it, freeze it in popsicle forms, or just enjoy it as is!

make about 4 cups

4 cups of 1" cubed seedless watermelon*
1 cup water
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

Throw it all into a blender and let it go for a minute (probably less). Strain it through a fine mesh sieve and discard the pulp.

*I wasn't picking the small white seeds out of my watermelon so there was some of that left behind with the pulp, it didn't seem to affect the juice.

A Gastronomic Adventure

2010-08-19T12:01:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday, summer school ended. Next Monday the Fall semester begins. So, since flights were cheap and our friends are plentiful in the bay area, we booked a last minute weekend trip to San Francisco where we ate and ate and walked around just as much. Thank goodness for the sunshine in the Mission.

spicy chicken katsu sandwich,
korean beef sandwich

Rhea's Deli & Market - 800 Valencia Street

mixed salumi cone - mortadella, lonza, brown sugar & fennel salame

Boccalone - Ferry Building

$1 happy hour sweetwater oysters
scrimshaw pilsner
acme bread & butter

Hog Island Oyster Company - Ferry Building

char siu pork belly - grated cucumber, ginger scallion noodles
taiwanese eggplant - 3 types of garlic, hot basil
thrice cooked bacon - rice cakes, bitter melon, tofu skin, leek, black bean, chili oil
ma po tofu - kurobuta pork, fermented black beans, szechuan peppercorns, flaming chili oil

Mission Chinese Food - 2234 Mission Street

eggs florentine - portobello musrooms, spinach and lemon hollandaise, english muffin
small salad

Zazie - 941 Cole Street

violet & cassis and caribbean chocolate macaroons

Paulette - 430 Hayes Street

fresh stretched mozzarella
broccoli raab pizza - caciocavallo, mozzarella, olives, hot peppers
salsiccia pizzas - housemade fennel sausage, tomato, bell peppers, onions, mozzarella

Pizzaria Delfina - 3611 18th Street

salted caramel & roasted banana
brown sugar & malted vanilla ice cream

Bi-Rite Creamery -3692 18th Street

bella donavan drip coffee
stout, caraway and pecan coffee cake

Blue Bottle Coffee - 300 Webster Street, Oakland

Not Pictured:

Dinner @ The Blue Plate - 3218 Mission Street
gnocchi with braised spring rabbit - fava beans, pecorino crotonese, and chervil
southern fried chicken - buttermilk dressing, heirloom tomato watermelon and basil salad

Dim Sum @ Restaurant Peony - 388 9th Street, Oakland

Into the Wild

2010-08-10T12:21:00.000-07:00

As promised, here's what went down with that last batch of market goodies:

The white raspberries, as humdrum as it sounds, were just eaten straight from the carton. They were too precious and sweet that I couldn't make myself do anything else with them. Everything you've ever wanted in a raspberry, just a bit tart, juicy, sweet and pleasantly crunchy with seeds you got with these. It was actually the vendor's first week at the market, and I'm so glad they're staying for a bit.

D made some terrific baba ganoush with the globe eggplants. Not a hint of bitterness and the right amount of smokiness; hooray for super fresh produce! Since we both have so much free time this summer, he's made it a mission to get more comfortable in the kitchen and start cooking. So far there has been salsa and this eggplant dip - I call it his blender series.

The yellow nectarines, well, one of them anyway, were sliced and slipped into the fancy pants grilled cheese sandwich you see above of reserve cheddar, nectarine and wild arugula on sourdough. Yeah, it was really that good. And since I'm sure most of you don't need a recipe here's the how to: Lightly butter your bread and layer nectarine, cheese then a handful of arugula and cook (preferably in a cast iron skillet) over medium heat until each side is deep golden brown, on my stove that's 2.5 minutes per side. Although, I might suggest cooking the grilled cheese without the greens and adding them just as you take it off the heat. The melty cheese should wilt the arugula once you close it back up.

And finally, the real star of my haul, the wild arugula. If you like spicy salad greens, then you'll love this stuff, it's nothing like any arugula you find in the store. The small finger sized lacy edged leaves are tender and pack a spicy punch. Perfect to add to summer salads with stone fruits and toasted nuts, or as is my case, to put atop a rice cake with avocado and sriracha. Ever since running across this snack idea from Gabi over at Honest Fare I've been smitten; eating it for lunch nearly every day for the past month or more. For a while I was making it with baby spinach, which was great, obviously, because I ate it like that for three straight weeks, but after making the wild arugula discovery, I am a convert. The arugula stands up better to the lip burning heat of sriracha and just brings a little something extra to the whole thing. Also, it was pretty dang good on that grilled cheese.

Rice Cake Snack

If you can find them, I like Lundberg's Sesame Tamari brown rice cakes for these. Don't worry they're not too salty or even that flavored with the tamari, they're just a little bit more nutty flavored. I listed Haas avocado in the recipe, because that's the kind you'll find most anywhere, but lately I've been using Reed avocados to much success.

1 rice cake
1/4 of a medium Haas avocado
Sriracha, as desired
1 small handful of wild arugula, chopped

Smear the avocado on the rice cake, then drizzle with as much or as little sriracha as you'd like and top with arugula. Say hello to your new favorite snack.

What I Should Have Done

2010-08-06T12:42:00.000-07:00

I have been holding onto this recipe for a while now, as it keeps getting buried under other posts in my queue. Which after you make this pie, you will understand, is a grave tragedy. This pie is delicious, all about ripe sweet juicy peaches and peach pie is my favorite pie. Remember what I said about being a sucker for crumb topping? This is yet another example of that love. Alas, this is not only a tale of love, it is also a tale of caution; as in, I need to learn when not to modify a recipe. Who am I to say Martha Stewart, or her cooking staff, don't know their stuff? Exactly. They do. Martha-1, Me-0. But even after I stepped over the recipe modification line, this pie was still terrific. So learn from me, here's what you shouldn't do:

When the recipe says to pit and quarter your peaches, do just that. What I did was I looked at the peach halves, decided they were entirely too large to be cut in half only once more and then proceeded to cut each half into three wedges. Since the wedges were smaller and the bake time remained the same, what ended up happening was the peaches cooked down and almost melted into the pie. It didn't come out of the oven looking nearly as pretty as the photo with the recipe, and the pie probably lost some of it's structure.

One day I will get it through my head that sour cream and creme fraiche are two different beasts that can't always be used interchangeably. Don't be like me and just use sour cream here because you already have some at home, suck it up and get the good stuff. Heck, you can even make your own! The higher fat content in the creme fraiche will make it set when baked into the pie, like little sweet pockets of cheese. Sour cream on the other hand breaks and separates. Again, not the end of the world, and though it did add a nice tang, it could have been so much more.

But it's not all bad news. There was one change I made, and liked, which was to add 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon to the crumb mixture, because peach and cinnamon go hand in hand. It's just enough to notice, but not enough to outshine the fruit.

Peach and Creme Fraiche Pie
Adapted from Martha Stewart

As if the info above wasn't enough, here's one last note. There's been some debate on whether or not the crust really needs to be par-baked. Since there isn't a lot of moisture in the filling it could probably go without and the crust shouldn't get soggy. It's up to you, but I thought I had done enough experimentation as it was, and went with par baking. And remember, if you use dried beans as weights, you can't cook them after, mind as well toss 'em in a bag labeled pie weights because that's all they're good for now.

1/2 recipe your favorite pie dough chilled for at least an hour in the fridge

Streusel 
1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar 
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 
Pinch of salt 
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour  
1/4 cup cold (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Filling 
1 1/2 pounds ripe (4 to 5 medium) yellow peaches, pitted and quartered 
4 tablespoons granulated sugar
Pinch of salt 
5 tablespoons crème fraîche

Roll out pie dough to about 1/8-inch thick and fit into a regular (not deep dish) pie plate, 9 1/2 to 10 inches in diameter. Trim edge to 1/2 inch; fold under and crimp as desired. Pierce bottom of dough all over with a fork. Transfer to freezer for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400°F right before you take it out.

Stir confectioners’ sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and flour together in a small bowl. Add bits of cold butter, and either using a fork, pastry blender or your fingertips, work them into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside.

Par-bake crust: Tightly press a piece of aluminum foil against frozen pie crust and cover with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 10 minutes, then carefully remove foil and any weights you have used, press any bubbled-up spots in with the back of a spoon, and return the crust to the oven for another 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F.

Make the filling: Sprinkle quartered peaches with sugar and salt. Let sit for 10 minutes. Spread two tablespoons crème fraîche in bottom of par-baked pie shell, sprinkle with one-third of the streusel and fan the peach quarters decoratively on top. Dot the remaining three tablespoons of crème fraîche on the peaches and sprinkle with remaining streusel.

Bake the pie about 50 minutes. Cover edge of crust with a strip of foil if it browns too quickly. Let cool on a wire rack at least 15 minutes before serving.

Giddy Up, Cowboy!

2010-08-03T10:24:00.000-07:00

It's only Tuesday, and already I'm thinking about the weekend. The reality of school starting again and attending full time is just that much closer now that it's officially August and the start of classes is 3 weeks away. It's planning mode. Cram as much of summer as I can into the next 20 days. There are beach days, and mini vacations, and BBQs to attend. There are afternoon happy hours and pools that I must find. The next 20 days are one extended weekend and I need to make the most of it. Because after that, I'm going to be bogged down with Chemistry, drowning in Statistics and up to my knees in Psychology (yeah, I obviously leave all the fun classes for last), and really, that sounds like the opposite of summer to me.

What I can see as being a part of my extended weekend is Texas Caviar. Oddly named and not fish derived in the least this black eyed pea mixture is also sometimes called Cowboy Caviar - though it's not made from cowboys either. It's sort of a half pickled chunky bean dip, best scooped up with tortilla chips. You know, it's one of those casual dips where there are approximately a million variation on the idea, but this is the version I hold dear. Sometimes there's Italian dressing (erm, no thanks, I don't even keep bottled dressing in the house), sometimes different colored peppers, sometimes corn, but this is the version that I first had, a few Labor days ago soaking in the hot hot sun at the beach, and it's the one I'll probably always prefer. Heavier on lime juice and vinegar with only a touch of olive oil, smoky depth from cumin and crunchy bell peppers studded throughout. And don't forget about the freshly minced garlic. It's like pico de gallo's older hippy sister. By which I mean it's sort of a salsa, but healthier and more complete.

Now pass the tortilla chips, please.

Texas Caviar

Like I said above, this is the version I prefer but it's by no means the one and only. Feel free to play around with the flavors; use a different red bell pepper for something a bit sweeter, a serrano (or two) for more heat, add more olive oil. There's just enough liquid after it sits for a few hours that it makes a good dip, but not so much you couldn't serve this as a salad.

makes 4-5 cups

1-15oz can black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
1 green bell pepper, diced 
1 medium (or 2 roma) tomato, chopped 
About 4 or 5 thinly sliced green onions
Chopped Cilantro - about 1/2 bunch.
1 minced and seeded jalapeno 
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar 
1 teaspoon olive oil 
2 minced garlic cloves 
Ground cumin to taste - about 1/2 teaspoon to start 
Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
Fresh lime juice, to taste, about 1

Mix all ingredients together and let marinate in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight.

The Saturday Edition

2010-07-31T17:19:00.000-07:00

Yellow Raspberries - Pudwill Berry Farms

Purple Globe Eggplant - Schaner Farms

Wild Arugula - Maggie's Farm

Yellow Nectarines - Sage Mountain Farm

Seedy Sourdough Baguette - Bread & Cie

New finds at the market this week; it's finally starting to feel like summer around here. Stay tuned to see what I do with these lovelies!

Market Fresh

2010-07-29T14:31:00.000-07:00

I am an avid supporter of farmer's markets, and even more so now that I've begun volunteering at one. Saturday mornings I head down to the Little Italy Mercato where I get to talk with the purveyors, the farmers and the market-goers and everyone is so excited to be a part of this movement towards the responsibility to our food. The weekend markets here are so very social; dogs in tow, cups of coffee in hand, pictures being snapped. Each week brings new finds and must-haves. There were juicy deep orange Santa Rosa (?) peaches, bunches of rainbow chard, sweet Bing and Rainer cherries, handfuls of herbs, giant Reed avocados and so much more. Last week it was Padron peppers and Burrata cheese that I couldn't resist. So I tucked my goods away in a makeshift cooler while I finished my shift, day dreaming of a dinner to construct. As luck would have it, there was a pile of tomatoes on the counter at home that the warm weather was begging me to turn into gazpacho. Mish/mash tapas night it was!

Usually when I make a gazpacho, it's more like a vegetable salsa, all chunky with coarsely blended tomatoes and peppers and cucumbers, but this time I tried something more...traditional? A la "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown"? Something like that, smooth and unencumbered by the flavors and textures of other vegetables. It was purely tomatoes, warm like summer evenings and alive with the salt and vinegar. It's hard to beat. Except there was the Padron peppers I pan fried in olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt. (I could go on and on here about the peppers. They're thin skinned and when you fry them up the skin gets all blistered and then they deflate. Mostly they're mild, smokey from the pan, but every few will be surprisingly hot and still you keep on eating - skins, seeds and all.) And then there was the Burrata. A super fresh little pouch of mozzarella, filled with cream and curds, torn and put on a toasted baguette rubbed with garlic. Oh! Going around the plates, each bite was better than the last. The creamy cheese softening the heat from the peppers, the gazpacho brightening bites in between. It has since been declared as one of the best meals ever eaten in this house.

And the only thing in this dinner that wasn't from the Mercato? The cucumber, a smidgen of olive oil (though as of a few weeks ago, that's available to buy locally as well) and red wine vinegar.

Gazpacho Andaluz

The tomatoes are the real star here, so get the freshest, tastiest ones you can get your hands on. You could strain this after a good whirl in the blender, but I don't mind the little pieces of skin and seeds in mine. Garnish it with diced cucumber and avocado, even a dollop of sour cream if you're so inclined.

makes 6 cups

3 ounces crusty bread, preferably day-old
2 pounds ripe, deep red tomatoes
1/2 cucumber, peeled, seeds removed and chopped
3-4 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 cup water

Tear the bread into pieces and soak in enough water to cover for 15 minutes. Squeeze out excess water and put the bread in a blender.

Chop the tomato into chunks and add to the blender with the cucumber, garlic, salt and cumin. Process until pureed and mostly smooth. With the motor running, add the oil in a slow stream, then add the vinegar. The mixture will thicken and change color as the oil emulsifies. Add the water to reach the desired consistency. Chill until serving time.

Happy Birthday to Me!

2010-07-26T11:58:00.000-07:00

Roasted Cherry Tomato and Garlic Spread, Ciabatta

Braised Leek and Prosciutto Pappardelle w/ Porcini Pangrattato, Roasted Asparagus,

Baby Arugula Salad

Lemon Poppy Seed Cake w/ Raspberry Curd and Lemon Buttercream

(not pictured, a delicious bottle of Gruet Blanc de Noirs, NV sparkling wine - I was clearly too busy enjoying to remember to photograph)

This was my birthday dinner. It was incredibly delicious. And all of it was made by my Mom (hi!). Except the cake decorating which was done by my little sister (hi!).

Everything was perfect - food, company, gifts - I could not have asked for a more perfect birthday celebration!

Berry Good

2010-07-23T15:10:00.000-07:00

I'm a sucker for a crumb topping. To my taste, that crumbly top is far superior to double crusts on pies. Slap it on top of a bar cookie and it doesn't matter what fruit you fill it with, it's my new favorite. It's best still warmish out of the oven when bits of the topping are still pleasantly crunchy and the juicy fruit underneath hasn't yet seeped through. No matter, I'll eat them the next day and the day after that regardless if the top still has some crunch because deep down, I just plain love fruit desserts.

And what I like even more about these kinds of bar cookies is that the bottom crust and the top crumb are the same thing, not two different parts; half gets pressed into the bottom and the rest gets sprinkled over the fruit, making for a stupidly simple preparation. And that lemon zest in there - it's oh so sunny - and makes the whole thing just scream summer picnics. Or afternoon snack. Or what's more likely with me, a teeny nibble with (or before) my coffee in the morning.

I don't bake nearly as often as I'd like or nearly enough to tackle all the recipes have saved in an unimaginably large bookmark folder and/or all the dogeared pages in my cookbooks so when I do, I'm usually motivated by either already having all the ingredients on hand when a mood strikes or there's a seasonal ingredient that I won't be able to get if I hold off for too long. Truth be told, I should have used fresh blueberries for this, since they're in season and all over the markets, but what I had already was a bag of mixed frozen berries. Yep, I'm lazy like that. And I was pressed for time (they were being dispatched to friends later that afternoon). But as a testament to the recipe, they were still as good as I'd imagine they would be had I used fresh berries. At least I'm sure no one who ate them could tell the difference, and that's all that really matters. That they were good and much enjoyed.

P.S. How fitting that I leave you this weekend with a dessert, because you see, it's my birthday on Saturday! And who doesn't like to celebrate with dessert! Albeit, mine will be a cake, but feel free to consume a sugary confection on my behalf sometime in the next few days. We'll celebrate together!

Berry Crumble Bars

Adapted from All Recipes

I actually made these with a frozen berry mixture (still using 4 cups, measured when still frozen) and it turned out great. For fear of sog and oozing, I defrosted the berries first and drained off most of the liquid before mixing it with the sugar, lemon juice and cornstarch and everything turned out just peachy. Although I'm itching to make them again with fresh blueberries.

Makes about 32 small squares

1 cup white sugar 

1 teaspoon baking powder

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup cold unsalted butter

1 egg 

1/4 teaspoon salt

Zest and juice of one lemon

4 cups fresh blueberries 

1/2 cup white sugar

4 teaspoons cornstarch

Preheat the oven to 375F degrees. Grease a 9×13 inch pan.

In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup sugar, 3 cups flour, and baking powder. Mix in salt and lemon zest. Use a fork or pastry cutter to blend in the butter and egg. Dough will be crumbly. Pat half of dough into the prepared pan.

In another bowl, stir together the sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice. Gently mix in the blueberries. Sprinkle the blueberry mixture evenly over the crust. Crumble remaining dough over the berry layer.

Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until top is slightly brown. Cool completely before cutting into squares.

A Tangle of Noodles

2010-07-21T10:19:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I think I should rename this blog "The Improvisational Kitchen". I don't have much in the way of fancy gadgets and my selection of cooking pots and pans is short and sweet. Also, mostly small. Meaning that making large sautees or cooking for a crowd takes some creativity. No food processor here, just a blender that sometimes works double duty. No stand mixer. I do have an ancient hand mixer, but for all intents and purposes it has one speed, and that's high, and I only use it to make whipped cream or occasionally cream butter and sugar. There's a teeny tiny toaster that fits smaller sized sandwich bread and bagels and that's about it. But I'm not complaining, really, it's about all my kitchen can handle anyway. Just sometimes cooking and baking turns into an exercise of improv.

So the other night when I was making this chow mein, I sat staring for a bit. 3/4 of a pound of noodles plus all these add ins is a hefty amount and I was seriously perplexed as to how this was going to go down. Aside from making it in a stockpot, which would be just plain weird, I didn't think I had a pan large enough to accommodate the recipe's size. And then I remember that we have stuffed away at an odd angle into the very last space we had in our cabinets for storage a very well seasoned and previously well loved wok - perfect! So I chopped chopped away, prepping all the ingredients, because this recipe like most stir-fry type dishes are heavy on the chopping prep work, happy that I wouldn't have to awkwardly cook in several not-quite-right pans. Nevermind that my cheap apartment stove is wimpy when it come to providing heat - but it's gas! - and so what if the cooking takes a bit longer. These noodles are everything Chinese take-out is not. They're fresh, light, not in the least bit greasy and really packed with the vegetables. I like the lots of veggies part.

And can somebody please tell me what it is about Chinese food that makes it taste so much better when it's leftovers? Eaten straight from the take out box, cold, fridge door still open. I don't even particularly like Chinese (or rather, American style Chinese) food, but I like it so much more as leftovers, especially the noodles.

Chicken Chow Mein
Adapted from Cooking Light

The key to this recipe is getting the prep work done before you start cooking anything. Once the cooking starts, it moves rapidly and it's better to have all your ingredients next to you ready to toss in than to stress yourself out over time constraints. I grouped the carrots, peas and celery in one prep bowl. The chicken and 1 tablespoon soy sauce in another. Mushrooms and garlic in a third. And the sauce in a final bowl. The recipe indicates 4 total servings, but I feel like it's closer to 6, especially if you serve it with a vegetable side dish.

4 - 6 servings

1 cup matchstick-cut carrots
1 cup snow peas, trimmed
2 stalks of celery, thinly sliced on a deep angle
12 oz dry chow mein noodles
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil, divided
1/2 pound chicken breast tenders, sliced into thin strips
3 tablespoons soy sauce, divided
3/4 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 cup sliced mushrooms
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup sliced green onions

Cook carrots, snow peas, celery and noodles in boiling water 3 minutes; drain and set aside

Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet (or wok) over medium-high heat. Add chicken and 1 tablespoon soy sauce to pan; stir-fry 3 minutes. Remove chicken from pan; keep warm.

Combine remaining 2 tablespoons soy sauce, chicken broth, oyster sauce, grated ginger, and pepper flakes, stirring well. Heat remaining 1 teaspoon oil over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and garlic to pan; stir-fry for 3 minutes. Add broth mixture, and cook for 1 minute, bringing the sauce to just under a boil. Add noodle mixture and chicken to pan; cook 1 minute, tossing to combine. The sauce should soak up into the noodles within this time. Sprinkle with green onions and serve.

For a Day Like Today

2010-07-15T10:56:00.000-07:00

I'm having the hardest time sitting down at the computer right now, writing this post. You see, after all the "May Grey" and "June Gloom" and the whatever the heck you call it when July is still cool and overcast, we finally have glorious cloud free skies! And it's hot! It went from 67F to 80F in one quick day, and I really couldn't be happier. I'm antsy sitting in my chair, sun streaming through the window - the cat lounging in a pool of sunlight on the ground next to me, because she might be just as happy as me about the return of sun and sunbathing - I gotta get outside and soak it up. The beach calls to me.

But first let me give you this fruit salad. It's cause to celebrate as well - in my opinion at least. It's all at once sweet and tart and just the right amount of spicy from the addition of serrano chiles. Blows my mind. Last October we took a little family excursion and went camping in the Anza Borrego desert and my Dad brought this amazing fruit salad. It's one of those, some of this, some more of this, a little of that kind of recipes, and it's been stuck in my head ever since. I was just biding my time until the mango, pineapple and blueberries were all in season and ripe. In a pinch you could use canned pineapple, but everything else should be fresh. So working from my visual memory I recreated the salad and even managed to write down the proportions for you, dear reader.

I've seen similar recipes out there but they were more salsa oriented with the inclusion of cilantro and maybe even some olive oil. Meh. I like this one better. And don't turn your nose up at the use of onion with fruit - I know the words onion and fruit salad don't seem to go together, but trust me, they do here. For one, it's a sweet onion. For another, you rinse the cut up onion before adding it to the fruit so whatever bite the onion had it's much less now. You of course could use this as a salsa and spoon it over grilled fish or even atop some plain nachos (just tortilla chips with some melted jack cheese), but this salad doesn't last long around here and I'm yet to try either of those myself. The salad gets made then promptly gobbled. Straight from the bowl. With a fork.

The beach, this salad...happiness.

Spicy Mango Pineapple Salad (or Salsa)

If you want to use this more as a salsa, you can cut the pineapple into smaller chunks so everything is more uniformly sized. As far as the serrano in this recipe is concerned, I actually used a whole one, but depending on your heat/spice preferences you may want to start with just 1/2. I usually test the heat of the chile by touching my tongue to it lightly after cutting the stem off and make my judgment from there. This one seemed unusually tame so I threw the whole thing in there, but once I mixed everything up it was surprisingly spicy, thus I'd say, start with half and taste once it's all mixed up.

4 servings

1 mango, about 1 cup, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 cup pineapple, cut into 1 inch chunks
1/2 cup blueberries
1/4 cup sweet onion, diced and rinsed in cold water
1/2 serrano chile, finely minced
1/2 lime, juiced

Combine the mango, pineapple, blueberries, sweet onion and serrano in a bowl. Squeeze the lime juice over and mix it up.

The Redeeming Pickle

2010-07-12T13:21:00.000-07:00

Pickles, you are forgiven.

We are no longer in a fight. I have forgiven you for your disappointment, gotten over my mistakes and even learned a thing or two. Namely, that I prefer pickles made with vinegar.

The other week, when my kosher dill pickle attempt failed, I needed something to pull me out of my funk. I thought about abandoning pickles for a while, giving them the cold shoulder, but it's so so hard when you love them the way I do. So instead I took the only other route (after much encouragement from friends) which was to jump back in the saddle and get to pickling ASAP.

Actually, I've got a secret to share - I've made the pickled red onions before. They're real swell. Put them on tacos, on burgers, eat them straight out of the jar, they even make a great snack on a cracker with some goat cheese. They're tangy, still crunchy and lightly spiced with the cloves and all spice.

Now the bread and butter pickles, those were a new to me recipe. Aren't they lovely with their yellow-y glow from the tumeric? I was never a huge fan of the ones you buy in the grocery store, but after the awful tasting dills I made, I needed something completely different. You can consider me converted. Once again, Deb over at Smitten Kitchen led me down a successful path. (It was her site where I discovered the discrepancies between brands of kosher salts and while it may have been too late to salvage the dill pickles, it certainly helped these bread and butters.) And don't forget about the onions in there, they're delicious too. Not too sweet, crunchy and oh so pretty - they'd be a hit at your next BBQ.

Pickled Red Onions

From David Lebovitz

3/4 cup white vinegar 

3 tablespoons sugar

pinch of salt 

1 bay leaf 

5 allspice berries 

5 whole cloves

a small, dried chile pepper 

1 large red onion, peeled, and thinly sliced into half rings

In a small, non-reactive saucepan, heat the vinegar, sugar, salt, seasonings and chile until boiling. Add the onion slices and lower heat, then simmer gently for 30 seconds. Remove from heat and let cool completely.

Transfer the onions and the liquid into a jar then refrigerate until ready to use.

Bread and Butter Pickles

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Makes 4 cups of pickles

1 pound kirby cucumbers, sliced 1/4-inch thick

1 large sweet onion, thinly sliced 

1 1/2 tablespoons Morton's Kosher salt  (or 3 tablespoons of Diamond kosher salt)

1/2 cup sugar  

1/2 cup distilled white vinegar 

1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric 

1 tablespoon mustard seeds 

1 tablespoon coriander seeds

In a medium bowl, combine the cucumbers, onion and salt. Mix well. Cover the mixture with ice. Let stand at room temperature for two hours. In a pot, bring sugar, vinegar and spices to a boil. Drain cucumbers and onions. Add to vinegar mixture and bring almost back to a boil. Remove from heat and cool. You can store the pickles in an airtight container for up to three weeks in the fridge. They will begin tasting pickled in just a couple hours.

Tofu for Two

2010-07-08T16:25:00.000-07:00

I guess I'm on a roll here. This is yet another dish that gets made over and over. I know - what? Didn't she say she doesn't do this? Yes, yes I did. And mostly, I don't. But everyone has their classics, their fall backs and this has become one of mine. It's my go-to tofu (ha!) recipe. People, it's just so darn easy to make. You barely bat an eyelash and it's ready! It's about as complicated as gently simmering tofu and stirring a few ingredients together. Okay, you have to chop a few green onion and mince some garlic, but I promise that's as labor intensive as it gets.

It's salty, nutty and oh so spicy, but in the best of ways. The silken tofu, with it's almost custard texture, soothes the heat a for a moment, just a quick moment before you're reaching for another bite and more heat. It's addictive. And there's just something about eating spicy food when it's hot out. Whether it's the temporary distraction from the environment, or the sweat that's acting to cool you, spicy and hot go together like two peas in a pod. Even if it's not hot where you are right now (*ahem* San Diego, I'm looking at you), that's fine too. The spice will work to warm you from the inside out.

That tangle of green behind the tofu? I julienned a good sized zucchini into spaghetti like strings and dressed them in a bit of rice vinegar and the tiniest pinch of sugar to have a cooling salad to calm the fire in my mouth. Something more pickled would be fantastic alongside as well.

Warm Tofu with Spicy Garlic Sauce
Adapted from Gourmet, March 2009

I substituted regular red pepper flakes for Korean ones since that's what I have on had (although, truth be told, I should go buy the Korean hot red pepper flakes since I make this pretty often). I can't attest to the flavor difference, but it's still mighty tasty this way - spicy too! Also, feel free to sub out one tablespoon of the soy sauce for water or broth, it cuts out a ton of sodium without really impacting the flavor. As far as serving options go I've done it a number of ways. With a cucumber salad and sticky rice. With soba noodles and sauteed savoy cabbage and mushrooms. It's all good. I like to spoon the sauce over the tofu after it's on my dinner plate so that it mixes with everything.

2 servings

1 14-ounce package silken tofu
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1/4 cup chopped scallion
2 teaspoons sesame seeds, toasted
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon sugar

Carefully rinse tofu, then cover with cold water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then keep warm, covered, over very low heat.

Meanwhile, mince and mash garlic to a paste with a pinch of salt. Stir together with remaining ingredients.

Just before serving, carefully lift tofu from saucepan with a large spatula and drain on paper towels. Gently pat dry, then transfer to a small plate. Spoon some sauce over tofu and serve warm.