Just Right

Deep down, somewhere permanently entwined in my DNA, I'm a midwestern girl. Unapologetically making chocolate cake with mayonnaise, using margarine instead of butter, and making bright green confections using white cake mix and a box of pistachio pudding. Actually, only that last one is true, but it's also true that I don't bat an eyelash or think twice about slathering the top of my scalloped potatoes with a can of condensed cheddar cheese soup. Like I said: so midwestern.

Something magical happens with you take the shortcut and combine a box of white cake mix and pistachio pudding together.  A handful of chopped walnuts scattered across the top and finished with a sweet buttery syrup - I'm sure anyone in my family could tell you, the green cake is where it's at.

For that matter, my cat will happily back the idea up too.  Both times I've made this cake my cat has managed to dig her face into the pan while backs are turned and eat more than her fair share.

The recipe card this cake is written on, from my Gram, is my most favoritest.  It's just a little 3"x 5" piece of card stock with pastel flowers and yellowed edges and her elegant penmanship, but it really is the one I like most.  And when I think about pistachio cake, or read the recipe card, I can picture the exact pan she bakes it in every time.  A lightweight and light colored metal baking pan that's been used so many times you can see where each cut was made, leaving tiny scrapes and marks.  It's important, that pan, it makes all the difference when it's made just the right way.  She has just the right bowl for potato salad, too.

My baking pan isn't quite right, but it does the trick, and the cake tastes just as good.

Pistachio Cake
Adapted from my Gram


I unintentionally de-fattened this cake a bit (Whoops!  Running out of vegetable oil!), but it was no worse for the wear.  In fact, I couldn't even tell the difference, so I'll give you the recipe in it's lowered fat version.  Also, I snuck in a few drops of almond extract on a whim and have decided that it was a good choice.  Should you choose to go this route, let me caution against using anymore than a few drops (1/4 teaspoon at most): that stuff is overpowering.


12 servings

1 box white cake mix
1 box pistachio pudding
4 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup vegetable oil
a few drops almond extract (optional)
a handful or two of walnuts, chopped
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons butter

Preheat oven to 350.  Grease and flour a metal 13x9 baking pan.

In a medium to large bowl with a wire wisk mix together the contents of the cake mix, pistachio pudding, egg, water and vegetable oil until just combined. Pour into prepared baking dish and evenly sprinkle the chopped walnuts over the top.  Bake 35-40 minutes, or until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Remove cake from oven and with a fork or toothpick, prick holes all over the surface of the cake (this will allow the syrup to soak in easier).  In a small saucepan, heat powdered sugar, water and butter over medium heat until the syrup is simmering.  Simmer for 2-3 minutes until the mixture begins to thicken.  Pour or spoon syrup over the surface of the cake and allow to cool completely.

A-Typical Ravioli

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

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

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

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.