Bountiful

I know this time of year you'd expect to see a different harvest, but bounty is still bounty even when it comes in the form of jalapenos.

We had one pepper plant and it's some kind of "faux" jalepeno- it has no heat whatsoever. I mean literally, my spice-averse children can eat them raw with the seeds. I picked 33 on Saturday and left another dozen on the plant. What to do with that many jalapenos?? I made a jalapeno relish that I like. It's a different flavor, but addictive. And without any heat, easy to eat in mass quantities.

If you have mild peppers like I do, cut way down on the oil and salt. Without the heat it just doesn't need as much. In my case, I just kept adding peppers and lemon zest until I'd tripled those ingredients. If you have extra spicy pepper, deseed and devein them before you mince them - it will make a big difference.

Jalapeno Relish

6 minced jalapenos (by hand or in a food processor)
1/2 c olive oil
julienned zest of 1 lemon
2 t kosher salt

Combine. Let stand at room temperature 6 hrs. Refrigerate up to 2 weeks.

Cranberry Walnut Spaghetti Squash

I really like spaghetti squash but boy, is that a lot of the same vegetable!  I always buy the smallest one I can but by the time we've eaten it the kids and James are tired of spaghetti squash and really don't want it again for a while.  Either that or part of it goes to waste.  This time I did it a little differently.  I cooked the first half and served it with just salt, pepper and butter as a side dish.  I wrapped the second half really well in plastic wrap and waited about a week.  Then I made this recipe, which I altered from one I found in a Better Homes and Gardens Thanksgiving menu.  I really like that it has a nice fall flavor that reminds me of Thanksgiving food but works very easily for a weeknight meal.

Cranberry Walnut Spaghetti Squash
1/2 a Spaghetti Squash
1/4 c orange juice
1/4 + (a heaping quarter) cup craisins
2 T chopped walnuts
2 T fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 T brown sugar
salt
fresh black pepper

1. Cook Spaghetti Squash: With squash cut in half lengthwise, scoop out and discard seeds and stringy pulp.  Place cut side down in a flat dish with apx. 1/4 cup water.  Cover loosely and microwave apx. 9 minutes (will vary by microwave) until the flesh is soft but not mushy.

2. Scoop out the spaghetti-like pieces with a fork - pierce into the flesh with the tines of the fork on one side and you'll find the pieces will just peel out in long strings.  Discard the empty shell.

3. Bring the OJ to a boil then take off the heat and add the craisins.  Let them plump for about 10 minutes.

4.  In a skillet toast the walnuts in the butter for two to three minutes, until fragrant.  Add walnuts, parsley, brown sugar, salt and pepper to OJ mixture.  Toss everything with the warm squash and serve. 

YUM!

Roasted Winter Squash

Here is a super easy way to a great veggie side dish.  The winter squashes tend to be hard and really sweet - more like a sweet potato in flavor than a zucchini.  This is a Red Kuri squash but the method is the same for Butternut, Acorn (peel more of it because the peelings are just too tough) and all the odd winter squashes you see in the store.  And even though I'd never heard of Red Kuri, it didn't matter because this method is so versatile.

The only downside is that you need to start a little in advance of dinner - you can't walk in the kitchen at 5 and be done by 5:30!  But, once it's in the oven there is nothing left to do and you can focus on the rest of the meal.

*1. Peel as much of the squash as you want.  I like it about half peeled.  My sister leaves all the peeling on or you could take it all off (the peeling, that is). 
*2. Cut a sliver of the bottom end off so it will be stable on your cutting board and cut it in half.  Scoop out the seeds and such with a spoon.
3. Chop it into bite-sized pieces.  Toss with olive oil and coarse salt and pepper.  Add some rosemary if you like. 
4. Bake in a single layer at 425 for 25-45 minutes (it just depends on how big you cut the pieces and how much crispy caramelized edges you like). 

*If it's too hard to peel or cut, prick the skin all over  with a fork and microwave it for 3 minutes, then when it cool enough, peel and cut it as directed.

So sweet and tasty! 

Chicken Alfredo Pizza with Basil and Roasted Tomatoes

This pizza was so easy.  I used leftover Alfredo sauce, leftover chicken, basil from the garden and some grape tomatoes I had left from another recipe.  It is really tasty and goes together quickly.  I go through stages when I make my own sauce, but this isn't one of them.  I go through other stages when I think I'm going to start making my own crust, but this was a refrigerated crust.  It turned out delicious.

To roast the tomatoes, toss them with olive oil, salt and pepper and put them in the oven at 400 for 10 minutes or until they've all burst.  You can use a roasting pan or a cast iron skillet.  Bursting them in the oven ensures they'll be cooked to a sweet caramelized state by the time the pizza is done and prevents you from having an unappetizing puddle of tomato liquid on your pizza.

Spread alfredo sauce on the crust, top with cheese, cooked chicken and fresh basil leaves.  Add the tomatoes straight from the roasting pan using tongs (discard the liquid) and cook at 450 for 9-11 minutes or as directed for your crust. 

Garnish with Parmesan and freshly ground pepper.  Yum!

Vegan Mini Wellingtons

Now, before you ask yes, yes of course I prepare my personal luncheon in this fashion on a daily basis. I also have no piles of laundry or undusted shelves. I certainly did not have to go put on shoes this morning because there were so many crumbs on my kitchen floor that it was hurting my feet. No, no.

Ok, so the lunch is staged. The dinner photo of the finished wellington looked weird - it didn't do the recipe justice. I'm not sure how cookbooks make ground up brown stuff look appealing because my casual photo didn't look good. I hated to gross you out. So I had to put this together and now I have a lovely lunch plate to eat.

But back to the recipe.  I had these for lunch at a girlfriend's house and they were so delicious I wanted to try them myself.  She made them out of a favorite new cookbook of her family's, Vegan Lunchbox.  She warned me that it was a little extra prep, and it was, but not too much - doable for a weeknight with a little extra time.  Plus, I had Zack help me and even though he lost interest before I was wrapping them up, he still thought the final product was very cool.  

Even though we aren't vegan, I like to have some vegetarian meals and this was a great one.    I liked the flavor and texture.  It's really easiest to just pick them up and eat them rather than using the knife and fork, so don't feel bad about digging in!

Find the recipe for Vegan Mini Wellingtons here and be sure to add the mushrooms listed in the variation - even if you aren't an enthusiastic mushroom person like me, they work into the mix without being heavily mushroom-y and add a lot of richness.  If you aren't going to add them, though, the sauteed garlic alone would be a good addition.

I served them with a honey mustard that I made from brown Dijon mustard, honey and some ranch dressing (not vegan, but that's not a problem for us). 

Oh, and in case you need grocery store tips like I do, the Puff Pastry was in the frozen dessert pastries section at my store, not the frozen breads.  And the oat bran was in the bulk section (and very inexpensive) but I think if you couldn't find it you could substitute something else pretty easily. 

Red Pepper Bruchetta-like Yummy Things

I'm not sure what this recipe should be called.  It should not be called "Pepper Surprises" as it is titled in the cookbook, The Occasional Vegetarian.  Nobody wants to eat something with "Surprise" in the title.  But the result was delicious - kind of like a bruchetta on roasted pepper without the acidity.  Here is how I made it (reduced for a family dinner, slightly modified, instructions simplified), though I also really recommend the book.

The kids liked the filling but I think they need to warm up to the red pepper.  They usually eat it either cooked through (as it is in a casserole) or raw with dip.   Still, I loved it.  Some pine nuts would be a great addition to the filling.

Red Pepper Roasties?  would that be a good title?

1 red pepper
2 oz mozzerella cheese, shredded
1 oz feta cheese, crumbled,
1 T sun-dried tomatoes with oil
1 T of basil leaves

Quarter the pepper longwise, then slice it horizontally in thirds (12 pieces).  Rub some of the oil from the tomatoes on the skin and roast it on a foil-lined sheet at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes.  The edges will be a little charred.

Chop the tomatoes and basil and mix with the cheeses.  Pepper to taste.  Put a dallop in each red pepper "boat" and cook at 425 degrees for 5 more minutes or until melty.  Serve hot or room temperature.

 

More Veggies

As I mentioned, I am constantly trying to make sure we have good, tasty vegetables for our family dinners. Before James, I would often make a salad as the vegetable. As in: Casserole + Salad = Dinner. That's ok, especially if the main dish has vegetables in it, right? But it wasn't really quite enough items for James. I really like a big salad as part of most meals, so I still have a salad (I eat 3/4 of it and the rest of the family splits the other 1/4). But I try to have another vegetable too.

These carrots are a go-to veggie around here. The original recipe from Ina Garten is roasted in the oven, which is super for the winter. But here in the southern part of the country, it's already too hot to have the oven on right at the hottest part of the day. So, I cook them in the skillet. To get them really tender, I have to put the lid on and let them steam for a while (or pre-cook them in the microwave), then I make sure to take the lid off and turn the flame up so i get those sweet singed edges.

I think the cutting method - turning the carrot a quarter turn and slicing on the diagonal - is an important part of the preparation because it creates nice sharp corners that caramelize so well. This can be plain, tossed with dill or parsley, or cooked with ginger or garlic. It's a great, versatile, quick and tasty. And oh yeah, easy. Easy is good.

Roasted Cauliflower

I'm always looking for more vegetable preparations that we all love. I kept remembered a party I'd gone to a few years ago at which I couldn't believe how tasty their roasted cauliflower was. As someone who has a terrible intolerance of broccoli, I'm wary of it's close relatives, but this was not skunky at all (which is how broccoli smells to me). I was truly incredulous that I was really eating cauliflower. I recently thought back to it and wanted to try it for my family. I don't think this matches the sweetness I remember from that party, but it was certainly good enough to become one of our standards.

There are a lot of recipes for this but they are pretty similar - toss the florets from a head of cauliflower with minced garlic, lemon juice, salt, pepper and olive oil. Roast in a single layer at 400 for 25-30 minutes. Sprinkle generously with fresh Parmesan cheese and serve.

James said he was turned off by the dark color. Zack kept asking if each piece was burned. I was a little surprised at their reaction because I serve most vegetables with little caramelized edges, but it was new for cauliflower. They all enjoyed the taste, however, so hopefully it'll be more appetizing in appearance to them next time, when they are sure it will taste good!

Eating Adventures

This "fun food" had a 50% chance of turning out fun.

I told Zack I had something cool to try for dinner. He asked, with his nose wrinkled up, "It isn't kale chips, is it?" Ok, I guess I haven't won the child over to kale chips (but I promise, they are delicious). I knew there was a pretty good liklihood that he would be weirded out by the artichoke, too. But, you loose some... and you win some! Zack loved the artichoke!

It could have been the dipping butter that did it (we each had our own little ramekin), but he thought it was great fun. He started with just a leaf but then went for a whole artichoke, exclaiming in surprise, "I looove this food! Can I eat the whole thing?" He even used a table knife to scrape off the choke himself and eat the heart.

They are pretty easy to prepare - you just cut off the stem and the top third, snip any sharp ends of the leaves and steam until the leaves will pull off easily and the flesh is tender. I just steam them in the microwave by standing them in a shallow dish with some water and covering. It takes several minutes of cooking. There is just a bit of edible flesh at the base of each leaf (increasing as you move from the outer leaves inward) so you dip and then scrape it off with your teeth. It sounds like it would scrape against your teeth and set them on edge, but it doesn't (well, we don't think so anyway). When you run out of leaves and just see a thistle-like center, cut off the spiny-looking part and eat the rest. Melted butter with a squeeze of lemon juice makes a tasty dip.

I thought it would be a fun and festive appetizer, but we ate our main mean and then relaxed at the table and visited and ate our artichokes. Even Sammy had a bit and enjoyed it. I have assured Zack that I'll try to have these again before they are out of season.

Beef Bourguignon

I made something I've never made before: beef bourguignon. Although this looked mighty tasty back when I saw the movie Julie and Julia, I didn't actually consider making it. French food's a little intimidating to me. And there are so many versions of the recipe out there that I didn't have any idea which to use.

But last week we were at Costco (that bastion of fine and artisinal foods) and we tasted a beef roast with balsamic vinegar and sun-dried tomatoes that was really good. James suggested hopefully that I could make roast like that. I laughed, because I don't like roast and never make it, yet he never quits suggesting it. He likes nice traditional food. I like what has been called "weird food", although I tend to think of it as interesting food. I like strong flavors and new tastes. It occurred to me that maybe I could make a roast that was both strongly flavored and well, still roast.

I did want to at least try. James has been running even more than usual in preparation for an upcoming singing performance, but he's been making the extra effort to come home for dinner so that even though he's out late and I'm doing double-duty, we still have the family dinner time that we believe is so important. I was thinking of his extra effort when I made him his "bland fish" dinner he was so pleased with and thinking of it again when I bought a nice roast, not knowing exactly what I'd do with it.

I was thrilled to find a version of Beef Bourguignon in Everyday Food - now it wasn't intimidating at all. I know they call it "beef stew", but to me it's really roast with lots more flavor and the gravy already made. I will admit that while I was making it I was cursing the French ("leave it to the French to make roast this time consuming!"). It took a little longer than I had planned, but that's because I talked myself into also making mashed potatoes and a fresh batch of bread dough. Nothing about the recipe was difficult. There were no complicated techniques. The steps just took time to step through.

When we ate it I had to give the French their props: "Leave it to the French to make roast this good."

Anyone up for trying it?

The Everyday Food recipe is in the March 2010 issue but I have provided an altered version here. There are a few reasons I had to make changes: First, I believe it has a small error in that it tells you to drain off all but 1T fat after cooking the beef (there wasn't any to drain) and not after cooking the bacon (reducing to 1T would have been perfect). Also, 3 lb. of meat was just too much for our family. We want to have leftovers, but not so much that we get sick of eating it before it's gone! So, I cut the recipe in half (with slight alterations like keeping the full amount of garlic). Finally, I don't have a dutch oven so I used a skillet and then transferred everything to a baking dish. If you are trying this and you have a dutch oven, you can do everything in that one pot.

Recipe: Beef Bourguignon

1.5 T olive oil
8 lg. button mushrooms, quartered
1.5 lb. boneless beef rump roast, cut into 1" pieces
coarse salt and fresh black pepper
2.5 strips bacon, cut into 1" pieces
1/2 T tomato paste
1 T flour
1.5 c dry red wine
1 c low sodium chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1 lg. garlic clove, smashed and peeled
2 lg. carrots, peeled and cut into 1" pieces
5 oz pearl onions
1T butter, cut into pieces
1T fresh parsely, chopped

Preheat oven to 350.

In a heavy skillet, heat 1/2T oil over medium-high. Add mushrooms and cook until browned, about 10 min. Remove and reserve until end of recipe.
Season beef generously with salt and pepper and add 1 T oil to skillet. Brown beef, in batches if necessary, and remove from skillet.
Cook bacon until crispy. Remove all but 1T fat. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring, 30 sec. Add flour and cook, stirring, 30 sec. Return beef to pot. Add wine, stock, bay leaf and garlic. Bring to a boil. Use the liquid to get all the brown bits off the bottom of the pan, then transfer to a deep covered baking dish.
Bake 1.5 hours.
Add carrots and onions and cook until all is very tender, 1-1.5 more hours. Add mushrooms 15 minutes before cooking is complete.
Finish with butter (optional) and parsley.

Good made ahead and reheated on stovetop or in oven. Can serve with roasted new potatoes.

A Spring Salad

This was just an Everyday Food recipe that I didn't even make according to the recipe, but boy was it good! I made James a dinner that was mostly what I call "bland food" (and he calls "just right") so I had to toss in one zingy dish for my tastebuds. I'm sure you can look up the original recipe, but here's what I did. It was a great spring taste and Sammy liked it too (Zack was just medium about it).

Mango Cucumber Salad
2 small yellow mangoes, peeled, sliced off the seed, and chopped
1/2 of a medium cucumber, peeled, deseeded and chopped
few sprigs cilantro, minced
lime juice (half a juicy lime or all of a drier one)
2 t extra-virgin olive oil
salt
pepper

Mix all ingredients and season lightly with salt and pepper.

Kale Chips

I finally tried something that I've been meaning to make for a while - kale chips. I've had mixed success with kale in the past, so I was really glad that this recipe turned out well!

This is about half a bunch of kale, stripped from stems and torn into 2" pieces. Then I tossed it with 1 tsp. cider vinegar, 2 tsp. olive oil and coarse salt. I baked it at 375 for 5 minutes, flipped the pieces with my tongs, and baked for 7 more minutes.

It does have the characteristic dark, leafy greens flavor, but it also is salty and crip, sort of disintegrating in a satisfying way when you crunch down on it. We ate the whole batch in no time - I definitely recommend it!

Chino Caponata

Do you find eggplant a challenging veggie to cook? I do.

It took me a long time to find an eggplant recipe I really loved. This one fits the bill! Sometimes I even find myself craving the rich smoky flavor. It's from The Occasional Vegetarian by Karen Lee, a cookbook I have consistently found I can count on when I need something interesting to do with a certain vegetable. If only it had pictures too!

I promised this recipe to a friend a week or so ago and then forgot to send it. So, I'll share it here with a recommendation for this excellent cookbook! She also gives menu suggestions including this and her other recipes.

Chino Caponata
Karen says: "My Chino Caponata has been evolving for twenty years. It began as a Chinese eggplant with garlic sauce, took on the influence of a French ratatouille, and I finally named it Chino Caponata when it acquired Italian overtones. Lusty and unbelievably versatile, I use it as an appetizer with Toast Rounds (page 47), as a side dish, a part of a buffet, and as a topping for pasta.
This recipe can easily be doubled, but be sure to fry the eggplant in two batches to ensure proper charring - the secret to its intense, smoky taste."

Yields 3 1/4 cups; serves 8-12 as an hors d'oeuvre or as part of an antipasto, 6 as a side dish [I serve it as a main dish with brown rice, in which case it serves 4]

Preparation time: 40 minutes, plus 1 hour to let the eggplant rest after salting; Cooking time: 10 minutes
----------------------------------------------------
1 medium eggplant (approx 1 pound)
1 teaspoon salt
Seasoning Sauce:
- 1/2 cup tomato sauce, preferably homemade
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar or other vinegar -- your choice
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons medium-dry sherry
- 1 teaspoon chili oil
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon peanut oil
1 cup chopped Spanish onion
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, roasted
1 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped
1 tablespoon small capers, drained

1. Trim off the ends of the eggplant and discard. Cut the eggplant into 1/2-inch cubes. Toss with the salt and set aside for 1 hour.

2. Rinse the eggplant cubes under running water. Let them drain in a colander for 10 minutes; blot well between paper towels.

3. Prepare the seasoning sauce by combining the tomato sauce, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, sherry, and chili oil. Set aside.

4. Place a 12-inch wok or iron skillet over high heat until it smokes, 2 to 3 minutes. Add 2 teaspoons of the peanut oil. Immediately add the eggplant cubes. Stir every couple of minutes and press down repeatedly on the eggplant with the back of a spatula to aid scorching. Cook for approximately 5 minutes over high heat until the eggplant is soft and well-charred. Remove the eggplant from the pan.

5. Return the wok to a high heat and add the remaining 2 teaspoons of oil. Add the onion and fry, stirring frequently, until it begins to brown, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and stir-fry for 1 minute more. Add the charred eggplant and seasoning sauce and stir until the sauce has been absorbed, about 1 minute. Add the roasted pepper, oregano, and capers and stir for a few seconds before removing from the heat. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Can be prepared up to 5 days in advance. Keep refrigerated. Return to room
temperature before serving.

Garlic-head, that's me

I have a friend, April, who is a toxicologist. She's a lot of other cool things too - like a computer programmer, a great cook and more - but because of the advanced toxicology degree and her interest in the subject, she's got a lot of interesting information about medications and such. A while ago, I thought I was coming down with something and really needed not to get sick. She said to eat a clove of raw garlic - once a day or so - because it has antibiotic and antiviral properties. I eat a lot of cooked garlic, but she said it has to be raw or it doesn't have the illness-fighting effect.

I proceeded to actually chew up an entire clove of raw garlic.

As soon as I did it, I realized one of the other things April is: very funny. I was immediately siezed with the conviction that I'd been had: the garlic thing had to be a trick to convince me to do something crazy like eat a whole clove of raw garlic! I called her and said, "OH, I FELL FOR IT!" I was convinced that I'd been a giant, garlic-flavored sucker. But, it turns out - no joke. The garlic thing is real and scientific and all that. And I think it works. However, it isn't very pleasant.

Well, now all that has been remedied. April, who is also the FrooGal Foodie, has shared one of her recipes that I love. It is for a Lebanese Garlic Sauce (similar to Greek "skordalia" if you happen to be familiar with that - I wasn't). She has been making it for a while and it used to be a hassle - I wasn't willing to try it myself, I just ate hers whenever she made it. But now, the recipe has been perfected and it's super-easy. I made a batch this week and it was not only simple but delicious! The texture is somewhere between that of hummus and mayonnaise and the flavor is sharp in the best possible way.

Here's the problem: I'm eating it all. I started with about one and a half heads of garlic (equivalent to the 22-25 cloves called for in the recipe) and got about a cup and a half of thick sauce. That was Friday night and by Monday snacktime, I had just about polished it off. I've been eating it on veggies and on chips and... well, with a spoon. The only reason it isn't gone completely is that I couldn't bring myself to have none left, so I put the last couple of bites back in the fridge (I do that a lot - drives my mother crazy when she visits). I guess when I buy more garlic, I'll eat those last bites and make another batch.

Garlic has got to be oozing from my pores by now, but it's soooo good that I can't stop. Must be addicting. And even if no one can stand to come near me, at least I should be really healthy.

Check out the Garlic Sauce Recipe, complete with references to scientific studies about antibiotic and antiviral benefits!

Update: I gave the last bites to my hubby who thought he was getting sick (he says it worked), so I immediately made a new batch. But, maybe because the garlic heads were bigger, it turned out way too strong. I thought the first batch was strong, but it was enjoyably so. The second batch, wow. It wasn't working for me. So, after a consultation with April, I added another recipe's worth of lemon juice and salt, more oil (didn't measure, just streamed some in), and blended it again. The texture is still great and now the flavor is right on the money. I'm back to eating it like a crazy person.

Friday Favorite: Kitchen Tongs

For the longest time, I only used a spatula for sauteing. I'm not sure why I got these kitchen tongs - I think I wanted to feel chef-y. I guess it worked, because now they are one of my favorite kitchen tools! I use them for lifting and turning pieces of meat, turning over veggies as I saute, and holding a hot item steady for slicing. They are really practical.

This pair has all the characteristics valuable in tongs: sturdy, scalloped points to help you grip large items, a stay-cool material on the handle, and a locking catch that keeps them closed in the drawer.

If you are adding a pair to your kitchen, check out Cook's Illustrated's Tong Recommendations. It's a good bang for not much buck.

Here's my favorite simple preparation for asparagus. Call me crazy, but I think they taste better when cut before cooking. I have no idea why this would be (ideas, cooking-science folks?). You can definitely avoid a stringy texture by cooking them this way, which is something that tends to turn kids off from asparagus.

Sauteed Asparagus
1 T olive oil
dried thai chilis, to taste (my grocery has these next to the garlic - very inexpensive)
1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2" pieces
coarse salt
squeeze of lemon juice and grated Parmesan for garnish, if desired

1. Heat oil and chilis in a large skillet. Cook the chilis a few minutes to let the flavor infuse the oil (leave them whole if you want flavor without heat).
2. Turn up the heat and add the asparagus. They should sizzle and cook without liquid pooling in the pan - that way they will be sauteed rather than boiled. Cook until tender, allowing a little brown (not black) char to form on a few edges of the asparagus. This gives a sweeter flavor.
3. Finish with salt to taste and serve!
Sometimes I squeeze some flavor-brightening fresh lemon juice on top, in which case I add a little grated Parmesan to balance it out.

Potato Leek Soup

Well if it doesn't quite feel like fall outside yet, I can at least cook like it's fall: soup! I bought two gigantic leeks; one went into a frittata and the other languished in the fridge. I finally killed two birds by using up the last of some potatoes and the beautiful giant leek. The preparation took me a little longer than I expected, but I liked the extra veggies in it.

Potato Leek Soup
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
2 stalks celery, with leaves, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 - 2 leeks, white and light green parts
2 shallots, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
8 cups Chicken Stock
2 dried bay leaves
1 sprig fresh rosemary (left whole - not chopped)
2 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 cup milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Sharp cheddar and chopped scallions, for garnish

1. Bring potatoes and herbs in chicken stock to a boil in a large saucepan. Reduce to a low simmer.
2. Saute celery, leeks, shallots, and garlic in olive oil and butter in a large skillet. Cook on medium-low heat until very soft but not brown, about 20 minutes.
2. Add leek mixture to potatoes. Cook until potatoes are very tender, about 20 more minutes. Remove bay leaves and rosemary and discard.
3. Puree half of the soup and add back to the pot. Slowly stir in milk and cream. Season with salt and pepper. Serve hot garnished with cheese and scallions.

Gazpacho Salad

I love gazpacho, the Spanish cold tomato and cucumber soup. It's tasty and refreshing and really, I just love anything that seems like I might be eating salsa with a spoon. My family finds it too acidic, though, to really enjoy. I modified a recipe to cut out the extra acids (such as vinegar or citrus juice), but it's still not a favorite to anyone but me.

Today I tried a new modification that is a salad rather than a soup and it was a big hit. There were beautiful, bright yellow, vine-ripe tomatoes at the market that I just had to put into something that would showcase them properly. I also had some beautiful, fragrant fresh green chiles to use. I roast them individually over the flame on my gas stove. The scent takes me back to the chile roasting we had as a kid - in Tucson when green chiles are in season, the grocery stores run their big barrel roasters over gas fires in the parking lots. The smell permeates the streets for weeks and you can get a giant burlap bag of roasted chiles for a great price. We always got chiles and Mom peeled and froze them in small pachages for chile all year round. She still brings me some and they're delicious.

But back to the Gazpacho Salad! For this I wanted a fresh, raw chile taste so I roasted it individually (although you can do multiples in the oven) to keep the flesh uncooked. Check out how the skin blackens and bubbles up. Then it can be peeled off easily.

Gazpacho Salad
1 clove garlic, finely minced
small wedge yellow onion, finely minced
1 yellow tomato, seeded and diced
1 red tomato, seeded and diced
1 green chile, peeled, seeded and diced
1/2 small cucumber, seeded and diced
3 oz mozerella, diced
1 avocado
salt and pepper

Put the garlic and onion in the bottom of the bowl and add the tomatoes on top of it so the acids from the tomatoes can soften the garlic and onion flavors. Add the other items except the avocado. When ready to serve, dice the avocado, drain the juice off the salad and toss it with the avocado. Add the avocado (but not the juice) and toss. Serve over romaine or other hearty lettuce.

Family Visit Part 3 - Watermelon Rind Pickles

One recipe my mom made when I was a kid was Watermelon Rind Pickles. It seems a particularly old-timey thing to make, taking the rinds that would be thrown away (or into the compost!) and making them into something edible.

I loooooved those pickles and had begged Mom to make them again for years. They are a bit of a hassle, taking some unusual ingredients and several days of draining/boiling even after the initial cleaning and chopping is done. A while ago she relented and made a batch and sure enough, they were every bit as good as I remembered: sweet, sour and cinnamon-spicy, tasting of times gone by. That batch is long gone and I had gathered the supplies to make a batch of my own. As so often happens to my grand plans, I never quite got to it, but when Mom was here she made some up!

I had a large watermelon, but the rinds have been bred thinner than when we were kids. It still made a nice sized recipe. Even after the cooking down that happens, I ended up with three pints and five half-pints, or 11 half-pints total. The smaller half-pint jars are preferable, as these are a strong, different flavor - kind of like pickles combined with red hot candies!

I was really excited to try them, only to find out that they have to pickle in the jars for two weeks as well. I'm counting the days. Want to count them with me? Better get started then!

Watermelon Rind Pickles
7 lb. watermelon rinds (dark green peels and pink flesh removed)
salt
7 c. sugar
2 c. white vinegar
1/2 t oil of cloves
1/2 t oil of cinnamon

Day 1: Chop rinds. Soak in a strong saltwater solution overnight.
Day 2: Pour off saltwater and boil rinds in fresh water until tender but not soft. Drain. Mix sugar and vinegar. Boil rinds ten minutes in this syrup. Remove from heat and let stand at room temperature overnight.
Day 3: Drain syrup into a saucepan and bring syrup to a boil. Pour back over rinds. Let stand overnight.
Day 4: Drain syrup into a saucepan and bring syrup to a boil. Pour back over rinds. Let stand overnight.
Day 5: Drain syrup into a saucepan and bring syrup to a boil. Add rinds, oil of cloves and oil of cinnamon and boil 10 minutes. Pack in sterile jars and seal.
Allow to pickle two weeks before opening.

Read the tasting results here!

Buttermilk Beet Soup

Now about that new soup!

Let me say first that reviews were mixed. It's a simple style of a summer borscht (unlike a winter borscht that is hot with chunks of beef). I liked it a lot. Zack initially declared that he loved it as much as the peachy-melon (very sweet) soup. But then, after James made a yucky face upon tasting it, Zack declared that he didn't like it after all. Now, I'm not certain the two were related, but... James later said it was good, it just was hard to process the beet flavor in a soup. He had a (very tiny) second helping, I think trying to be supportive. That's something, right? Zack didn't come back around, though he did finish his small initial serving (our policy is that he doesn't have to eat anything he doesn't want to, but that if he doesn't finish his food he's clearly too full for seconds or dessert. He loves dessert, so you understand how it goes).

Sammy was another story - Sammy loved the soup! He had four servings of it, after already having two crab cakes, some olives and an entire banana! He kept making his version of the sign for "more" (which looks a lot like clapping) until we cut him off and found him some more fruit. After all, I can't remember if he's ever had beets before, so how much should he really eat on first exposure! He liked it so much he was content to play with the spoon and bowl, trying to get just one more bite.

Maybe you'd like it too. It's definitely pretty!

Buttermilk-Beet Soup
2 cups buttermilk
5 small, cooked and peeled beets -or- 1 can beets, drained
1/2 t salt
1 t dill (or 1 T fresh dill) + extra for garnish
chopped cucumber for garnish

Puree buttermilk, beets, salt and dill with a few ice cubes. Serve chilled, topped with dill and cucumber.

And now back to summer cooking

Many warm thanks to those who celebrated my triathlon goings-on with me. Your positive comments, both here and in person or by email, mean so much.

And now back to the ongoing topic of summer cooking!

I'm not sure what makes salmon cakes summery, but they feel summery to me. They were last night's dinner along with salad and a new chilled soup. Although I know fine salmon cakes are usually made from fresh salmon, I tend to use it as a quick, pantry-friendly meal. So, I like to use canned salmon. I have found buying canned salmon has been a bit challenging. It's not all that quick and easy if you have to pick the bones and skins out. And taste! - if it's overly fishy tasting, I'm not interested! Eventually I found that Costco had a good quality version in their store brand that we really enjoyed. But then, after learning about the downsides of farmed salmon (didya' know it isn't healthy like wild is? and the color comes from dye they feed it? and that it escapes and endangers wild salmon populations?), I read the cans more carefully and couldn't find any that weren't farmed. I quit buying it for a while but recently I've found canned wild Alaskan salmon - again in the Costco brand. So, we're back in business!

This is a recipe that I modified to be more seasoned and avoid purchased stuffing mix, but you could substitute stuffing mix if you wanted:

Salmon Cakes
Makes 6 servings, 2 patties each

*4 slices bread, oven dried & chopped
*1/2 t onion powder
*1/2 t garlic powder
*1/2 t season salt
*1/2 t pepper
*3/4 c chicken stock
1/3 c mayo
2 cans salmon, drained
1 T lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1 t dill (or 1 T fresh dill) (optional)
1 c shredded mozzarella

Mix all & refrigerate 10 min. Shape into patties 1/3 c each (can refrigerate up to 24 hours). Cook in hot non-stick skillet 3 min on each side.
*Substitute Stove-top stuffing mix and 3/4 c water for starred items if desired.

Ready to hear about that pretty pink soup? I'm ready to write about it, but I'm out of time for writing. More tomorrow!!