5.30.13 - Aw Shucks

Hats off to Carter for tonight's fava bean starter. Who knew that about 30 square feet of fava bean plants would yield --- WAIT, want to guess first? --- 2.5 cups of actual edibles (and about 2.5 hours of shucking, blanching and peeling). So here you have it, a little spring on your plate in 2 courses. Plus some quinoa to go with the carrot salad, or plain for kiddos with butter and salt...as you wish.


FRESH FAVA BEAN AND PECORINO SALAD
npr

Note two tasty serving suggestions -- cold or saute the whole mess with some olive oil, mmmmm

Fava beans are a spring favorite in southern and central Italy. This salad, adapted from Patricia Wells' Trattoria (William Morrow 1993) is popular as a starter or as part of an antipasto spread. If you can only find a hard grating pecorino, use a soft goat cheese. If there are leftovers, saute the beans and cheese with a little oil in a small skillet. They are fragrant and delicious as a warm appetizer. Makes 8 to 12 servings
 
2 pounds fresh unshelled fava beans (about 2 cups shelled beans)
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon dried leaf oregano
3 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, snipped with scissors
1/8 teaspoon crushed red peppers (hot red pepper flakes), or to taste
8 ounces soft sheep's milk cheese such as a pecorino or a soft fresh goat's milk cheese, cut in small cubes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients, and toss to blend. Taste for seasoning.

MOROCCAN CARROT AND CHICKPEA SALAD
101 cookbooks

If you're pinched for time, Diane suggests using pre-shredded carrots. I deployed my mandolin and made thin coins. I use some of the carrot tops as well, although there are mixed opinions about whether or not they're edible (or edible for everyone) - you can read more here and here.

Dressing:
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1/3 cup / 80 ml extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
10 ounces carrots, shredded on a box grater or sliced whisper thin on a mandolin
2 cups cooked chickpeas (or one 15- ounce can, drained and rinsed)

2/3 cup / 100 g dried pluots, plums, or dates cut into chickpea-sized pieces
1/3 cup / 30 g fresh mint, torn
For serving: lots of toasted almond slices, dried or fresh rose petals - all optional (but great additions!)

To make the dressing, first toast the cumin seeds in a dry skillet until fragrant and lightly browned, a minute or two. Let cool, and grind to a powder with a mortar and pestle.

In a bowl or jar, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, honey, ground cumin, salt, and cayenne pepper. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the carrots, chickpeas, dried pluots, mint, and almonds, and rose petals (if you're including those as well.) Gently toss until everything is evenly coated. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. (You can toss this salad, minus the almonds, hours in advance. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before serving.)

Serves 6.
Adapted from Roots: The Definitive Compendium with more than 225 Recipes by Diane Morgan.

Prep time: 15 min

5.28.13 Cream of Spinach Soup with Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Welcome back Thomas's!!  Great to see you, Wray's.

Cream of Spinach Soup:
Shake well.  Heat.  Sprinkle with parsley and serve.  A dollop of plain yogurt or sour cream would be nice if you have.  Also recipe calls for serving with a generous spoonful of some grain (rice, quinoa, etc) to add heartiness.  I'm too tired to include the grain :)

Here's the link to the recipe if interested.
http://healthyblenderrecipes.com/recipes/vegan_cream_of_spinach_soup/

Make your own sourdough grilled cheese. Including a little manchego also to dress up the grown-up sandwiches...

Off to start a busy work week.  Gene will do final assembly and deliver tomorrow afternoon.

5.23.13 - Eggplant & Peppers in [not so] Spicy Peanut Sauce

EGGPLANT & PEPPERS IN SPICY PEANUT SAUCE
mollie katzen, moosewood cookbook

NOODLES

GRILLED TOFU

Make the pasta and toss with peanut sauce. Top with eggplant/pepper mix at room temp or cold. Tofu could use a little more grilling...suggest heating tofu in a skillet to add a bit more crust if you have time.

Sauce is mild to encourage consumption. Folks may wish to add a bit more cayenne, garlic and/or a splash of lime. Oh, and Thomas family sauce comes without cilantro....which is highly recommended for those who enjoy. Happy Thursday!

5.20.13 More Dinners in Pie Tins

Black Bean - Polenta Pie
2.5 c cooked polenta
1 T vegetable oil
1 c chopped onion
1 cu chopped green bell pepper
1 c chopped canned tomatoes, or one 8-oz can whole peeled tomatoes, undrained
1.5 c cooked black beans
1 c cooked corn kernels
1 4oz can chopped chiles, drained
1.5 c shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1 egg
.333 c sour cream

1. Preheat 375
2. Thickly spread the polenta into a greased 9-inch pie plate, making a high crust over the edge of the dish
3. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and peppers; cook, stirring, until tender, about 3 min. Add the tomatoes; cook, stirring, until most of the liquid has evaporated. Stir in the beans, corn and chiles. Stir in 1 c of the cheese.
4. In a small bowl, beat the egg; beat in the sour cream. Add to the bean mixture and stir until combined. Spoon into the polenta shell. Top with remaining cheese. Bake 35 min or until bean mixture has heated through and cheese has melted.

Shredded Carrot & Jicama Salad
2 c shredded carrot
1.5 c peeled, shredded jicama
1 T apple cider vinegar
2 t vegetable oil
1/8 t ground coriander
1/8 t salt, or to taste

Roasted tomato and goat cheese quiche, Spring salad with lemon dill dressing

Enjoy!  Found this on a Kitchn post about hosting an effortless springtime bookclub brunch while working full-time and going to graduate school.  She claims the quiche can be made in 15 min a day x 4 days.  LIAR!!!!!!  It was quite a production in our kitchen yesterday.  Had to buy ready made TJoes crust since I felt way too intimidated by the pie crust recipe linked below...  It always feels funny to send something I haven't sampled yet.  It would be weird if there was a little bite missing from your pies...

 

Roasted Tomato and Goat Cheese Quiche

Adapted from Apples & Onions, Serves 6-8
1 9-inch pie crust (I use Rose Levy Beranbaum's Basic Flaky Pie Crust)
8 ounces cherry tomatoes
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 large eggs
1 3/4 cup whole milk
3/4 cup heavy cream
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup basil chiffonade
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
4 ounces goat cheese
Roll out pie crust and fit into a 10 x 1-inch quiche pan. Trim away overhang and reserve for patching any cracks during baking. Freeze crust for at least 30 minutes and up to 3 months ahead. (Wrap securely with plastic if freezing for longer than a few hours.)
Preheat oven to 350°F. In a bowl, toss the tomatoes with the olive oil and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Spread onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes, until the tomatoes are puffy and lightly browned. (Can be made up to 3 days ahead. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator.)
Raise oven heat to 425°F. Remove crust from freezer and line with parchment paper. Fill with pie weights, beans or rice, pushing weights snugly against the sides of the pan. Bake for 20 minutes and remove parchment and weights. If the crust has puffed up in spots, lightly press down with the back of a spoon. Bake for another 10-15 minutes, until the bottom crust is light golden brown. Lower oven heat to 375°F.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl whisk together the eggs, milk, cream and 3/4 teaspoon salt until frothy. Mix in the basil and half the Parmesan cheese. Scatter half the tomatoes and half the goat cheese, crumbled, over the bottom of the quiche pan. Pour in the egg custard. (You may have a little custard left over, depending on how much the sides of your dough slumped during baking.) Scatter the remaining tomatoes and crumble the remaining goat cheese around the custard. Scatter the remaining Parmesan cheese evenly over the top.
Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until the center is set, but still a little jiggly. If the crust starts to brown too much during baking, wrap foil around the edges of the pan to protect it. Let quiche cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.
If quiche cools too much before your guests arrive, reheat in a 300°F oven until warm to the touch.

Crunchy Spring Salad with Dill Dressing

Serves 6 as a side dish
For the salad:
8 ounces (about 2 cups) sugar snap peas, trimmed
4 small radishes, thinly sliced (I use a mandoline)
3 small stalks celery, sliced crosswise into bite-size pieces
1 large romaine heart, chopped into bite-size pieces
For the dressing:
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons minced fresh dill
1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon minced shallot
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Place all the salad ingredients in a large bowl and set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar and salt until the salt dissolves. Add dill, mustard and shallot and whisk to combine. Slowly drizzle in olive oil, whisking constantly, until dressing is smooth and emulsified. Pour dressing over salad and toss until all ingredients are evenly coated.

Additional Notes

• Salad will keep, dressed and refrigerated, for up to 6 hours. For longer storage, keep chopped and assembled salad ingredients covered in the refrigerator up to 1 day ahead and toss with dressing just before serving.

5.16.2013 - Mexican Chopped Salad and Little Sweet Potato Burritos

Tonight's dinner calls for a bit of audience participation. DIY chopped tomatoes, romaine and avocado. Please add these things to your salad and toss well with additional dressing. Nicholson dressing has cilantro, non-objecting Thomases may wish to add some cilantro to their plates. Heat burritos and top with pickled onions. Enjoy!

MEXICAN CHOPPED SALAD WITH HONEY-LIME DRESSING
epicurious

Salad
2 1/2 cups chopped romaine lettuce
1 can (15.5 oz) black beans, rinsed and well drained
3/4 cup chopped seeded tomato
3/4 cup chopped peeled jicama
3/4 cup fresh corn kernels, uncooked
3/4 cup thinly sliced radishes
Half a ripe avocado, diced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese Honey-Lime Dressing
1/4 cup fresh lime juice (yikes, don't get creative as I did and add lime zest, too bitter!)
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
1 tsp chopped jalapeño pepper (use canned for less heat)

Toss all salad ingredients in a large bowl. In separate bowl, mix dressing ingredients. Pour dressing over mixture and toss again. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
 
LITTLE SWEET POTATO & SPINACH BURRITOS

2 medium sweet potatoes (1 pound total)
1 cup red-wine vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
4 black peppercorns
1 large red onion, sliced
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
small flour tortillas
5 cups baby spinach (about 4 ounces)
1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella
Pepper Jack cheese, thinly sliced
 
Bake potatoes (40 minutes in 400-degree oven) or microwave until tender (about 15 minutes on high).

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, combine vinegar, sugar, and peppercorns; bring to a boil and stir to dissolve sugar. Place onion slices in a medium heatproof bowl; pour hot vinegar mixture over onion and let stand 10 minutes. Drain onion slices and transfer to a plate to cool.

Split cooked potatoes open with a knife; remove flesh and transfer to a bowl (you should have about 1 cup). Use a fork to mash potato with salt and pepper, maybe a little chili powder, or cumin or chopped canned jalapenos. Mix spinach into hot potato mash so that it wilts (zap for a minute or two if you need more heat. Fold in mozzarella. Fill each tortilla with a scoop of potato mixture, add a slice or two of pepper jack, fold ends in and roll burrito. Toast on hot griddle, seam side down, to seal. 

Serve with pickled onions.

Feeling sheepish about goat cheese

I openly badmouth goat cheese. However this quiche was just right. I could taste a meandering hint of the despised chevre, but found that, at that mild intensity level, I quite enjoyed it. The boys also ate a plateful each. Quinn with heavy salsa, Cy with none. Well done, Svati!

5.9.13 - McBitty's Bean Burgers and Three-Potato Home Fries

Happy Anniversary Gene and Svati! Can't wait to hear about your climb and trip. 

MCBITTY'S BEAN BURGERS
new york times

Hopefully these haven't turned into hockey pucks awaiting delivery. Buns, avocado and tomato provided. Heat up and add your own cheese and condiments.

35 to 45 minutes with cooked beans

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup dried stemless porcini mushrooms
• 2 cups cooked or drained canned black beans
• 1 teaspoon roughly chopped garlic
• 3/4 cup rolled oats, or more if needed
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika or chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• Salt and black pepper
• Bean-cooking liquid, porcini soaking liquid or water
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Preparation

1. Soak the mushrooms in hot water for 5 to 10 minutes; roughly chop.
2. Put the mushrooms, beans, garlic, oats, spices and soy sauce in a food processor with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Let the machine run until the mixture is combined, not puréed, about 30 seconds. (Or use a potato masher.) Add oats to thicken, or liquid to thin, as needed.
3. Stir in the cilantro, and let sit for 5 minutes.
4. Shape into 4 large or 8 small patties; let them sit for 5 minutes.
5. Put the oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Cook until crisp on one side, about 5 minutes. Flip and cook until the burgers are crisp on the other side, another 5 minutes or so. Serve with the usual fixings.

YIELD:  8 small burgers, 4 supersize

THREE POTATO HOME FRIES WITH CORN, SCALLIONS AND CHEESE
hope ricciotti, the pregnancy cookbook

375 oven until heated through and cheese melted.


CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE DOUGH
tollhouse
Bake at will, 375-degrees. Or not.

5.6.13 Dinner - Broccoli-Cheddar Quiche

Recipe from Martha Stewart

Ingredients

• Butter, for ramekins
• Coarse salt
• 1 package (10 ounces) frozen broccoli florets
• 6 large eggs
• 1/2 cup half-and-half
• Ground pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese (3 ounces)
• Crusty bread and mixed salad (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter four 8-ounce ramekins (or a 9-inch pie dish); set aside. Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Add broccoli; cook 1 minute. Drain well; transfer to a cutting board, and blot dry with paper towels. Chop coarsely.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, half-and-half, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and nutmeg. Stir in broccoli and cheese.
3. Place ramekins on a rimmed baking sheet. Ladle broccoli mixture into ramekins, dividing evenly. Bake until golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes. Serve with crusty bread and a mixed-green salad, if desired.

5.2.13 - Chickpea, Corn and Roasted Garlic Soup

CHICKPEA, CORN AND ROASTED GARLIC SOUP
hope ricciotti, the pregnancy cookbook

Garnish with romano cheese and spinach. Dip bread. Yum (hopefully).
 

A fan of the superfood "cookies"!