Sekihan and Chile Relleno

Yesterday was the warmest day this year, which means one finds every excuse to be outdoors. Eating along the way, we passed many old standbys to try a few new restaurants that have been on our list.

Breakfast at Dodo is my new favorite meal. An affectionate pet name for the owner's Japanese grandmother, Dodo's menu masters and innovates on breakfast classics (tiramisu French toast, for one), etc. while offering a few dishes informed by Japanese cuisine. Eating from the weekend's seasonal specials, J had an asparagus and mushroom ragout omelet with fontina cheese and a watercress aoli with roasted potatoes on the side. And though I was tempted by the pillowy, syrupy toasts and cakes being set down on nearby tables, I was excited for the opportunity to try some Japanese home cooking (which, I realize, is hard to come by when S isn't in town.. sushi is only half the story...).

So I got their version of sekihan, a traditional celebratory dish in Japan consisting of azuki beans and rice. Dodo's sekihan was a hearty skillet saute of brown rice, azuki beans, mixed vegetables including brussels sprouts, cauliflower and bean sprouts, seitan, roasted red potatoes and sesame seeds. The bitterness of the greens complimented the nuttiness of the beans and rice nicely, and while I tasted a bit of soy sauce, it was very subtle and not all that salty. Something turned the plate yellow too- turmeric? This was so substantial, I made 3 meals out of the portion they served me.. each one fueling me through the day.

This is also an exemplary qi meal- containing all the foods my acupuncturist tells me to eat more of: azuki, brown rice, greens and sesame. Good for yang building, apparently.

Yang's heyday got the kibosh with dinner- a deliciouso bunch of tequila and cheesey goodness at Las Palmas. We started with their cucumber margaritas, one of which was shockingly easy to dispense with over chips and salsa before out food even arrived. The salsa, by the way, is stellar... smoky and peppery with a good kick. Realizing how easy it would be to polish off another of the not-too-sweet or tequila-tasting cucumber yummies, we opted to share the special sommelier flight of 3 tequilas. I don't remember the brand, but none were as smooth, in my opinion, as a good Petron. Not that we left a drop to be debated... I even took a bite out of the chaser cup.. a sculpted cucumber vessel containing spiced tomato juice.

J got salmon somethingorother with a plantain chip planted in the center of it.

I got the vegetarian churrito, which was supposed to 3 things, but they were out of a bunch of them, so they brought me some other stuff. One of them was like lasagna but with potato or chayote thinly sliced where one would expect noodles to be. The other components were hard to discern, something that looked like a ranchero sauce but didn't have much flavor, or maybe the starchy layer absorbed all the flavor. I think there was a melty cheese layer, but only because the slab of lasagna leaked a pool of oil onto the plate as it sat there. The salad in the middle was awesome. Simply greens and crumbled fresco cheese and a creamy lime vinaigrette. The chile relleno, which I wouldn't have chosen otherwise, was not the paragon of savory cheese I recalled.

This said, J's thing was excellent, and the salsa, margaritas and service were so good, I'm looking forward to going back and trying other things on the menu.

POST POST:: Went back and everything was fabulous. The cucumber margaritas are fully confirmed as favorite new summer drink ever. We shared a jicama salad that was a palette of bright fresh flavors and crunch. And I had tacos de pescado that were, next to the ones we make at home with turbot on the grill and mango, A-list. Jeff's fish thing, red snapper Veracruz, was sultry gooood. We went early and were seated in the almost-outside, sunny atrium. It was clearly family hour... all else was parents and fidgety 2 year olds. Later, as we were leaving the datey couples started to arrive, and exiting through the restaurant we realized we had been missing a stunning guitar trio doing traditional tunes with a female vocalist who could really belt it out. We hung out inside for a while enjoying them before shoving off.

Adobo

Hungry after a 20 minute wait at the post office, we walked over to a favorite non-Taqueria Mexican place. Adobo gives it to you fresh and with a flair, with flavor combinations like huitlacoche with goat cheese, or seared tuna and rose petal sauce (ala Like Water for Choc). Last night, we were seated in an intimate corner with a vantage point of the cavernous bustling dining room, which became increasingly boisterous with parties of 8 pouring in the closer to 9 p.m. Service has always been exceptional and food quality and creativity has the aura of Frida Khalo's table.

The tableside guac and chips is always a good start, and while I watch the preparation intently, it's still a dash of salt tastier than mine at home. Maybe I can't join the guac majors without the lava mortar and pestle.
J ordered a nice Tempranillo which I stole a few sips of when I realized how well it complimented my meal-- Camarones: 9 grilled shrimp in a pipian (a classic Mayan sauce made from pumpkin seeds) rojo sauce with zucchini sofrito and a light fluffy, deconstructed corn tamale.
J had Veracruz style red snapper with plantains and cilantro rice.
An oven-baked apple casserole (apples in a warm cinnamon-sweet sauce with pecans) topped with shortbread-like crumble topping and a scoop of flan ice cream (which I think was really more like dulce de leche).
Ouch. It was hurry-home-and-get-in-stretchy-pants good.

I am intrigued with pipian sauce: waiter described it as a sauce made with ground sesame and pumpkin seeds.. nutty richness layers powerfully with the smoky chile.. a mild-medium heat, lots of flavor. Paired very well with an earthy tempranillo.

Greek Picnic Pie, Dilly Rice and Roasted Asparagus

Dilly Rice with Spinach

Made rice (2 cups dry, but I planned to have leftovers/extra.. what was needed for this recipe was about 1/2 c dry) (a combination of brown rice and wild rice) in rice cooker. Sauteed 1/2 a diced onion although next time I think I'll make it a whole onion). When rice was done cooking and still warm, I tossed it with 3 T chopped fresh dill and 2 cups of chopped fresh spinach and the sauteed onion. The heat from the rice wilted the spinach nicely and the rest of the flavors came together by sitting together for 5-10 minutes. I also added 3 T olive oil, juice of 1/2 lemon and salt and pepper to taste. Made a yummy, warm rice salad. Packs well in a lunch with a little extra vinaigrette as a cold rice salad too.

*

Greek Picnic Pie (adapted from The Complete Book of Greek Cooking) (can also make this with eggplant instead of zucchini)

2 medium zucchini
1 cup cooked rice (I used a mixture of brown rice and wild rice for a substantial, nutty flavor)
1 frozen pie crust (I used a whole wheat, all natural, no lard havin' bugger)
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
5 oz. fresh spinach
3-4 T fresh basil
4 eggs
3 oz. feta cheese (I used a variety that was already trumped up with herbs)
2 T olive oil
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350. Roast slices of zucchini on oiled (1 T olive oil) cookie sheets for about 15 minutes on each side, or until brown. Saute garlic and onion in 1 T olive oil. Finely chop fresh spinach and basil. Combine in a bowl with garlic, onion, feta cheese, eggs (beaten), salt and pepper. (The orig recipe called for milk and yogurt, but I forgot to add them and it still turned out good, though more vegetal than creamy.)

Line the bottom of the frozen pie crust with about a cup of cooked rice. Then form another layer with the spinach and egg mixture. This should fill the pie crust to the brim. Top with a layer of roasted zucchini and bake for 30-40 minutes.

*

The other thing is just roasted asparagus... only not just. It's their time, after all. Roasted asparagus was the catalyst, actually, of my kitchen esprit that has gotten a little out of control since last summer. Just oil em up, throw a lemon's worth of juice over them and flip them around occasionally in a 400 degree oven. They take between 25 and 30 minutes.

Potato Dosa

Tonight I made a way-too-spicy sambar soup, dosas from a container of pre-made fresh batter bought at Patel's over the weekend, and a spicy ginger potato filling for the dosas. P ended up dropping by and I do believe it was him who, 10 years ago, fed me my first home-cooked curry. Also one of the first in a string of "let me cook for you" friends.

The dosa mix- a thin batter of lentils, rice and salt- can be further thinned with water and easily cooks up into thin, crispy crepes ready to be stuffed with goodies. Goodies in this case was Chili-Mashed Potatoes with Ginger, adapted from the Vege Table book I've been cooking from all week. This was excellent topped with the Coconut Chutney I made on Saturday, and with some store-bought mango chutney.

2 1/2 lbs. baking potatoes
1/2-2 jalapeno chilis
1 1/2 c yogurt
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 T of ginger paste
2 T cilantro for garnishing

Peel potatoes and cut into 1-inch pieces. Cook in a large pot of boiling water until tender, about 25 minutes. Drain, and using a potato masher, mash them coarsely. Add the chilies, ginger paste and yogurt and continue to mash until mixture is smooth.

*
I've got to either dump or doctor up the sambar. I'm not sure what went wrong with it, but all notion of HOT overwhelms any of the other flavors.

Curry two times

These are two more of the dishes I made on Saturday, shown as reheated office lunch-- but yum, do they hold up well as leftovers!

Again, from The Vegetarian Table: India cookbook. This series has been indispensable. The Veg Table France and North Africa have also gotten a thorough workout (with the splattered and encrusted pages to show for it).

*
Curried Cauliflower

1 large cauliflower (2 lbs., trimmed into small florets)
1 T coriander seeds
1 t cumin seeds
1/2 t fennel seeds
2-3 T ghee or oil (I used olive oil)
1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely julienned
1/4 t cayenne powder
1/2 t turmeric
1/2 T sugar (Sugar in the raw)
salt and freshly ground pepper
3 T chopped cilantro

In a mortar, pound the cumin, coriander, and fennel until crushed (I gave them a whirl in the Vita-Mixer instead). Heat all but 1 t oil in large pan or wok over medium heat. Stir in ginger and fry for about 20 seconds, then add the crushed spices, cayenne, turmeric, sugar and a sprinkle of water. Within seconds, add the cauliflower and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes. (I added about 1/4 c water to keep cauliflower from scorching. All of the water evaporated off and/or kept the cauliflower from drying out.) Reduce heat to low, cover and cook to the desired tenderness, shaking the pan occasionally; 15 to 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, drizzle with remaining oil, and garnish with cilantro.


*
(a new favorite thing)

Curried Eggplant and Spinach

3 medium eggplants (1 1/2 pounds)
3 yellow bell peppers (I used red)
1/4 c chickpea flour
1 t turmeric
2 T Garam Masala
1 1/2 t salt
2 or 3 T ghee or evoo (I used evoo)
1/2 c water
cooking oil spray
1 1/2 T brown mustard seeds
2 T grated fresh ginger
1-3 hot green chilies, minced
1/2 t cardamom seeds, crushed
1 T sugar (Sugar in the Raw)
2 lbs. plum tomatoes, seeded and coarsely chopped
1 1/2 lbs. spinach, trimmed and chopped (I used one whole package of ready to eat organic baby spinach leaves)

Preheat oven to 400. Peel and cut eggplants into 1/2 inch cubes. Quarter, seed, devein, and cut the peppers into 1-inch pieces. Combine the eggplant, peppers, chickpea flour, turmeric, 1 T garam masala, salt and half of the oil in a bowl. Pour in the water and toss to mix. (Next time: spray baking sheets thoroughly with canola oil spray before spreading mixture out on them. Spread the vegetables in a single later on two baking sheets and roast the vegetables until they are browned and tender; 20 to 25 minutes. Set aside.

Heat the remaining oil in a large, nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the mustard seeds and fry until the seeds pop. Add the ginger, chilies, cardamom, sugar, and tomatoes and stir-fry until tomatoes are somewhat pulpy; 4 or 5 minutes. Add the spinach, cover and cook until the spinach is bright green and softened. Stir in the eggplant, season with salt and simmer together for 15-20 minutes.

Lemon Sesame Bread

Looking for a bready breakfast and a way to use up the big tub of yogurt in the fridge. This may make it onto the Mother's Day brunch menu. Original recipe is here.

My version makes one loaf and uses plain yogurt with fresh lemon juice and zest instead of lemon-flavored yogurt.

1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
1/2 t salt
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t baking powder
1/2 c sesame seeds (could also use poppyseeds)
1 egg
1/2 c canola oil
1/2 c sugar
1 c yogurt
juice and zest of 1/2 lemon

Sift together the flour, salt, soda and baking powder; stir in seeds. Beat the eggs in a large bowl. Add the oil and sugar; cream well. Add the yogurt and lemon juice and zest. Spoon into a greased loaf pan. Bake in a 325 degree oven for 1 hour.

The next time I may bump up the lemon zest and juice to a whole lemon. I used low-fat yogurt and the bread still came out moist and rich.

J's Indian Benedict

While it was all by the book, the feast for 6 involved 4 dishes I'd never made before with everything needing to be prepared or finished within 15 minutes to serving, so the kitchen was a little chaotic as our guests arrived, and I wasn't able to sit much with the appetizers and soup course, but once everything else came together it was a banquet I could enjoy (with another bottle of the St. Michelle Reisling). Things got too busy for a photo op-- as it is, I'm called the "food paparazzi." But as the leftovers get eaten, I'll post the feast redux.

In the meantime, J invented "Indian Benedict" (pictured above with coconut chutney) this morning.

One of the curries from last night was the egg curry posted on this yummy blog.

So one egg poached in this curry sauce assembled atop sauteed fresh spinach over a whole wheat English muffin.

*

Coconut Chutney
from Yamuna Devi's The Vegetarian Table: India

1 c grated fresh or dried coconut (I used dry)
2 cups yogurt
2 t unrefined corn oil (I used olive oil instead)
1 t brown mustard seeds
1 large jalapeno chili, seeded and slivered (I used 2 or 3 of the tiny Thai hot chilis I keep in the freezer)
1 t split urad dal
1/4 t yellow asafetida
15 fresh curry leaves

Whisk coconut and yogurt together in a bowl. Fry the oil, mustard seeds, chilis and dal in a small pan until the dal turns brown and the mustard seeds crackle and pop. Add the asafetida and curry leaves and let them sizzle for about 10 seconds. Pour the seasoning into the yogurt and stir to mix.

Chateau Ste. Michelle

The 2005 vintage of Riesling from this winemaker was a bargain and drunk mostly on its own (and with Boca hot dogs!), but another bottle is definitely in order as I gear up to try some new Indian curry recipes this weekend. Dry, not too sweet, and well-balanced.

Also, a new wine shop is slated to open a block away from our place! That, I'm expecting, will further my education greatly.

By-Ear Kheer

Saw The Namesake today which a. made me a twinge sorry for passing up a chance to go to Russia this summer but to resolve instead to read all heretofore unattended to Russian literature presently on my shelf, b. resolve to go to India someday, c. in the immediate term cook something with cardamom in it.

Leftover rice in the fridge, and brown rice syrup and rose water in the pantry yet to be experimented with, I undertake a kheer, though without any official reference to what constitutes one. Only after to I peek at the internet to discover many fantastic variations, with sweet potato, bread, carrots, vermicelli, cashews, you name it.

C, who sat next to me at the movie and has a hissy whenever I eat anything curry in her presence, squirmed as the character Ashima, newly arrived in the States, topped a bowl of Rice Krispies with red chili powder and peanuts, but I thought it was a luminous moment of food as character development.

2 cups of leftover rice (I used white sushi rice because that was lingering around from last week's stirfry)
2 cups soymilk (or "spymilk" for the keyboarding-challenged)
dash salt
dash freshly ground nutmeg
fresh ground cardamom, 1 pod
2-3 T brown rice syrup
1 T rosewater
4-5 strands saffron

Added all of these things as I thought of them, while the rice and soymilk base was stirred pretty constantly over a low flame with a wooden spoon. I expected the saffron to turn the whole works more of a vibrant hue than it did, perhaps more was needed. I thought that the rice syrup added a good level of sweetness, though when I've had this dessert in Indian restaurants it is significantly sweeter (and more rich with coconut milk or full fat real milk). Also, the consistency of mine was more sticky rice than porridge out of preference. The soup-inclined would be advised to add more milk.

Toasted almond slivers finished off each serving, or, my serving anyway. Made 4-6 servings.

**Apparently the thing to do with the saffron, besides tripling the amount, is to crush the strands in a tablespoon of warm milk. Next time.

Caprese

Self explanatory. Cheese, tomato, basil, repeat. Top with evoo and balsamic.

And while I was not working with heirloom tomatoes or fresh baby mozz, the ingredients were fresh and several cuts above those employed in something going by this name at a local restaurant recently. Their *unlucky* (hint) rendition was astonishingly accomplished in delivering zero flavor from any of its inherently flavorful components. The olive oil could have been Crisco for all I knew, and the tomatoes had a pallor like they were grown in the Arctic circle. All in all, it was one of the more unpleasant dining experiences we've had in some time. Poor service, fresh baked bread on the table that was from a bland mix, J's shrimp linguini also suspiciously overly fishy.

And so the simple Caprese has been redeemed.

The Chicago dog, taken for a walk through the garden

Notice the resemblance? J is the master of the Chicago dog, though we opt out of the neon relish and swap the cow for something Boca (brats or Italians work well). Of course, ketchup is a no-never.

Years ago, three or four weeks into a backpacking trip through Europe I got really homesick when we stopped in a chips shop in London and saw this familiar poster. Somehow trying to explain to others that a tug-boat squirting mustard on a mile-long wiener made me misty-eyed only draws perplexing stares.

Broccoli-Tofu-Shittake Stir-fry

Changed it up a bit, but this recipe did provide a good technique for the tofu. Sauce was pretty mild since I omitted the hot pepper, but still quite flavorful. Having sherry in the pantry is always a surprise blessing.

Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home: Fast and Easy Recipes for Any Day

Adapted from: Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home

Serving Size: 4

Sauce:

• 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
• 2/3 cup homemade vegetable stock
  
• 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 3 tablespoons tamari
  
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

Stir-fry:

• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 1 garlic clove -- pressed
• 18 ounces tofu -- cut into 1" cubes
• 3 cups broccoli florets
• 1/3 cup dry sherry
• 1 bunch chives-- cut into 1" pieces
• 1 1/2 c sliced shittake mushrooms
  

Combine the sauce ingredients in a small bowl.
Before beginning to stir-fry, prepare the vegetables and have all the ingredients at hand.
In a wok or large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil on medium-high heat.

Add the garlic and stir-fry for just 30 seconds before adding the tofu.
Continue to stir-fry for 3 or 4 minutes, until the tofu is lightly browned.
Remove the tofu and set aside.
Add the other tablespoon of oil to the wok, heat for a few seconds, and them add the broccoli.
Stir-fry for a minute and pour in the sherry.
Stir-fry for 3 minutes.
If the broccoli begins to scorch, add a tablespoon of water.
Add the chives and mushrooms, continue to stir-fry for a minute, and them the tofu and the sauce.
Stir carefully and bring to a simmer.
Simmer for 3 or 4 minutes, until the sauce thickens.

Served over rice with toasted sesame seeds.

Park Grille, spring menu

Tonight's meal at our favorite restaurant:
I was ecstatic to see that the menu changed for spring, one of the only hopeful signs of a warmer season ahead with this week's freakish dose of snow and freezing rain. (Funny, even the view was season-ambiguous. The area outside looked very much in transition from ice rink to beer garden, but uncertain about the beer garden.)
Eaten:
Chicago ciopinno- J got, not wild about. Prawns had a little too much facial expression and there was an underpinning of fennel that wasn't sitting right.
Garlic and potato soup- me. Also a little funny, "dark tasting," but don't know why. My don't-ask-don't-tell policy about stocks may be to blame.
White asparagus salad with watercress, toasted wafer of cheese and a poached egg in a lemon vinaigrette.: awesome. Their salads have always done right by me, and this one put me on to lemon and eggs as a savory combination which I hadn't considered before. The California Riesling I had with it was OK, but there's something too in-your-face about California wines to me lately.. the winery was Boon Docks, Boon Doggle, somethingorother. Had a muscat by them with dessert which was beefier than I expected too.
So dessertS (yes, there were two of them) were a chocolate stout cake with espresso ice cream with a sprinkle of oats to evoke the stout... formidable to be sure. But the other, the strawberry Napoleon, was hands down the best sweet thing we'd ever eaten there: roasted strawberries layered with a goat-cheese-like creme fraiche and crispy thin phyllo rounds drizzled with balsamic vinegar.
It's unusual that anything on the menu leave us cold, as the soups did, but it'll always be a favorite haunt with the seasonally changing menu, excellent service and dessert into the stratosphere.

A Coupla Two Tree Berry Cobblers

No one warned us what a stinker the movie Bobby was, and about the only enjoyable moment I derived from watching it last night was Lawrence Fishburne's cobbler. With a pint of blueberries and a few strawberries looking wan in the fridge, cobbler ensued.

In the attempt to keep things light and vegan I mixed up one from the chooseveg website. But since I had 2 small pans instead of one 9 x 9 I made two, and since my whole wheat flour was in an unmarked jar and could have been oat flour, I improvised a second cobbler out of white flour. Good thing too, the first one turned out positively leaden. The second was pretty good, though butter would certainly liven things up.

Preheat oven to 375.

2 c fresh blueberries and frozen blackberries

Toss in baking dish with 1/4 ea. flour and sugar (sugar in the raw).

Batter:
1 c all-purpose flour
1 t baking powder
1/8 t salt
1 T honey (could substitute with more sugar)
1/2 c soymilk

Mix batter ingredients and spoon over berry mixture. Bake for 35 minutes or until cobbler crust is golden brown.

My First Baba Ganoush

turned out pretty good. It was kind of a guided experiment. I started by referring to recipe but improvised a little.

8 baby eggplants
1 clove garlic
2 T tahini
juice of 3 lemons
2 T olive oil
dash of salt

First I roasted the eggplants in the oven at 400 degrees for 35 minutes, pricking them with a knife before putting them in whole on a baking sheet. After about 35 minutes, their skins were wrinkled and the eggplant was starting to get fragrant. They were then removed from the oven and allowed to cool.

After they were cool, I peeled them and squeezed them between some paper towels to get rid of some of the excess water. Then into a blender with the rest of the ingredients and that was it. It yielded a little less than 2 cups.

White Bean Pesto

Some still-hot-from-the-bakery whole wheat pita bread came my way at Stanley's Market yesterday, so I'm reinvigorating my vegetarian sandwich repertoire this week.

This spread makes a terrific base for a sandwich of baby lettuces and red bell pepper. Sprouts, onion, tomato and cucumber will probably get worked in there later this week. It would also be a good dip with crackers or toasted bread, or straight up vegetable crudites, for a party. Tossed with pasta? Probably.

1 c packed, fresh basil leaves
1 8 oz. can of cannellini beans
1/4 c olive oil
1/2 t sea salt
fresh cracked black pepper, to taste
1 T minced garlic (I used the ready to go refrigerated minced garlic in this and hummus because the raw garlic seems overpowering to the other flavors)

Blend all ingredients in a blender.

I think I'll get 6 sandwich dollops out of this, but I'd easily double the recipe if I were wanting 2 cups on hand for appetizers and guests.

Brown Rice Pudding (kind of)

A quick, easy and light dessert using leftover brown rice.

3/4 c brown rice (already cooked)
1/3 c soy milk, Silk Unsweetened
1 t honey (buckwheat honey, dark and high in antioxidants)
1 T sliced almonds
1 T raisins

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and simmer covered and over a low heat for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Serves 1.

This took care of a late night sweet tooth as I move away from my sugar binge of the last 4 months!

Broccoli Soup

I'm counting points again to make up for the last few months spent baking instead of jogging. WW'ers should know that this one is zero points and lots of flavor. I almost creamied it up with some soy milk, but this simple, light version made a nice, comforting snack at the end of a long day.

Boil for 20-25 minutes at medium heat:
4 cups (1 box) of Imagine No-Chicken broth
1 10 oz. package of frozen broccoli
1/4 c diced onion
1 T minced garlic
1 t white pepper
2-3 t dried thyme

Then whiz through blender until smooth.

Dong Gu Tofu

Here's a favorite. Whipped the sauce together last night to accompany brown rice, tofu and a bag of Trader Joe's frozen veggies, but the original recipe with mushrooms and scallions is delish. Especially with the variety pack of mushrooms so you get some of the oyster and shittakes in there for a deeper flavor. I think I added fresh broccoli to the mix once before too, which was also complimentary.
Recipe came from what's for eats website.

Dong Gu Dofu

(Chinese tofu with mushrooms)

Yield: 4-6 servings

INGREDIENTS	PREP	AMOUNT
Water or stock		1/2 cup
Soy sauce		1/4 cup
Hoisin sauce		2 Tbsp
Hot bean paste (chile paste)		2-3 tsp
Sugar		2 tsp
Rice wine		2 Tbsp
Salt		to taste
Cornstarch		1 Tbsp
Oil		2-3 Tbsp
Scallions	sliced into 1/4" pieces on the diagonal	3-4 each
Mushrooms, fresh	quartered	1 cup
Mushrooms, shiitake, dried	soaked in hot water, destemmed, cut in strips	4-6 each
Tofu, firm	cubed	2 lbs

METHOD

Basic Steps: Mix → Stir fry → Simmer

1. Mix together the first set of ingredients to make your sauce. Adjust seasoning to your taste.
2. Heat the oil over high flame in a wok or large pot. Add the scallions and stir fry till just heated through. Add the mushrooms and continue to stir fry 2-3 more minutes.
3. Reduce heat to low, give the sauces a good stir and add to the mushrooms and scallions. Stir in well and bring to a simmer to thicken. Fold in the tofu gently and let simmer till heated through. Add a little stock or water if the sauce becomes too thick. Serve with rice.

*I use low-sodium tamari instead of soy sauce and cut the sugar back to a pinch. I usually omit the extra salt too. Red chili paste is, in this house, always sambal oelek, a.k.a. The Rooster.

People and Hot Chocolate

Recently relocating to within 100 paces of People (give or take 100 more), it wouldn't be long until we timed ourselves slightly before their 8 p.m. dinner crowd and settled into their atmosphere of enveloping wood long tables and hospitality. Pics above are from their website, as I was sans camera this evening- but all tastebuds. We started with 2 glasses of Seis Rioja, which was a little more assertive than I usually expect of a Rioja, but tasty and bright, a good match for the cuisine that followed.
The cold tapas arrived first: a not-to-be-underestimated bowl of olives- my tapas standby; the Tortilla Espanola, pictured above on the left; and the Citrus and Vodka Cured Salmon, some tare tare slices of salmon set ablaze by a lusciously tangy sauce drizzled about. It was one of those dishes that allows each bite to be a rumination on the layers of flavor.
The Pepinos (right)- goat-cheese stuffed sweet peppers with crostini- which I thought were being referred to as Pimientos on the menu last evening, were another case in point. They arrived nicely timed after our cold tapas were partially dispensed with, along with the Hongos Jerez, sautéed mushrooms with herbs.
The food invited us to linger over its flavors, but the growing cacophony of activity at the bar which amorphously spills over into the dining area, was more Bucktown than Barcelona, and 6 Gypsy Kings songs later we finally got a check and made tracks elsewhere for dessert.

Dessert we found elevated to the sublime at Hot Chocolate, which apparently also serves savory fare- surprise to me. We sidled up to the bar for dessert wine and "something sweet." The dessert menu was divided into a few categories that first required us to narrow down which sector of the tooth was feeling most vocal this particular evening. The chocolate choices were almost overwhelming. Our standby, creme brulee, seemed parochial beside the fruity, get-em-while-can, seasonal delights. And so we alighted on "Apples." Let me just take a moment to voice my love for the nude signifier aspect of the menu. No need to gild the lily. It belies an awareness that the food will speak for itself. Made of fresh, seasonal, as local as possible in the corn-belt ingredients, and artfully conceived, the dessert roster could be untitled for all I care. What arrived as "Apples" was an apple spice cake layered with pecan ice cream, topped with a creme anglaise and the tableside finish of a warm, cider sauce. That first bite, when the tart apple cider meets the creamy ice cream, and the heat of the sauce hasn't yet melted the ice cream, but allow both to be distinctly tasted at once in all their opposing qualities... was heaven. My first thoughts after the moment of silence/awe were of all the special people in my life I wanted to bring here and to taste this exact taste, to share this bit of earthly pleasure.

Vegan Cassoulet

3 carrots, sliced
2 celery stalks, sliced
1 leek, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
10 oz. of fresh green beans, or in this case I used frozen
2 1/2 T evoo

1 8 0z. can of white beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup TVP (Lightlife Smartground), crumbled
1 T Herbs d'Provence
1 t sea salt
1 T fresh cracked pepper
2 1/2- 3 T fresh chopped thyme
2 1/2- 3 T tomato paste
1-2 cups of water (if 3/4 c or so of this is replaced with white wine, all the better)

Saute first 6 ingredients in a deep pan over low/medium heat for about 10-15. Add remaining ingredients and stir. Simmer for 30-45 minutes. Serve hot with some nice, crusty fresh bread.

Mushroom Quiche and Lentil Salad

This was homemade crust number deux, and with this one I figured a few key things out.
1. The dry mixer attachment for the Vita Mix cuts the butter into a dough fabulously.
2. Baking the crust an additional 5 minutes to melt a layer of cheese on the bottom after the blind bake, and before adding the rest of the filling, keeps everything crispy and distinct.

So the crust recipe here is from an online source that credits Mollie Katzen's Sunlight Cafe cookbook.

1 1/2 c unbleached, all purpose flour
1/4 t salt
1/2 c (1 stick) cold unsalted butter
Up to 3 T cold water (or milk or buttermilk)

Place flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Cut the butter into slices, add to the processor, and buzz several times, until the mixture is uniform and resembles coarse meal. (You can do this with 2 forks like I did the last time, but it's painfully laborious!)

Continue to process in quicks spurts as you add the water, 1 T at a time. As soon as the dough adhere to itself when pinched, stop adding water and turn the dough out on a floured surface. Gather it gently into a ball.

Roll the dough into a circle 11 inches or so in diameter. Lift the dough and ease it into a 9-inch pie pan or a 10-inch springform tart pan, nudging it gently in the corners. Form a generous, even edge all the way around the sides.

Use a fork to poke a bunch of holes in the bottom layer of the crust. Cut a piece of parchment paper the size and shape of the pan and set over the crust. Add a cup of dried beans or whatever you use as you pie weights to prevent the crust from rising too much during the blind bake. Blind bake at 400 for 12 minutes.

I had munster cheese on hand, but swiss or gruyere are excellent matches here too. With the munster I sliced enough to cover the bottom of the crust, 3/4 c. (Remove the pie weights/beans and parchment, of course!) Lower the oven temp to 375 and bake for 5 minutes, or until the cheese is just melted.

For the filling I sauteed 4 very large cremini mushrooms in 1 T evoo and 1 minced shallot. Once the shallot and mushroom mixture is fragrant and the mushrooms have darkened and cooked through, add mixture to quiche pan.

In a separate bowl whisk 4-5 eggs and 1/2 c Silk unsweetened soy milk (or regular milk, or go nuts and use cream!) add to quiche pan. This should just about fill up the crust. Bake for 35-40 minutes at 375, or until a knife in the center comes out clean.

**

Lentil Salad

This is actually a Greek recipe taken from a cookbook on Greek cuisine, but it paired well with the quiche, and even better with an Origin Viognier. It was good cold and by itself or with baby salad greens and a splash of evoo and balsamic vin, or slightly warmed and by itself.

1 c lentils, French green worked well, soaked for about 3 hours in cold water
1 small red onion, chopped
1 bay leaf (I bumped it up to 2)
4 T evoo
3-4 T of chopped, fresh flat leaf parsley
2 T chopped fresh oregano or marjoram (I used dried oregano)
9 oz. cherry tomatoes, halved
9 oz. feta, crumbled
salt and pepper
3 T lightly toasted pine nuts

Drain lentils and place them in a large pan. Pour in plenty of cold water and add bay leaves and onion. Bring to a boil and boil hard for 10 minutes, then lower heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Drain the lentils, discard the bay leaves and tip them into a bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste. Toss with the olive oil. Set aside to cool, the mix with the parsley, oregano, tomatoes, pine nuts and feta.

Cuatro

J and I have been eager for another trip to Cuatro since our first foray last fall. Not only is it twice the fun with a crowd, I was able to taste half a dozen things from the menu that affirmed my suspicion that the corn crepes, pumpkin soup and ceviche we enjoyed last time that appealed to every aspect of the senses were no exception to the rest of fare. Granted, I'll remain ignorant of the beef and chicken categories, but the vegetable and fish eaters will find much to choose from that has received equal creative and technical attention from the chef.

Photo above is of my salmon on a banana leaf with vegetable quinoa. The fish had a slightly crispy crust and a succulent flesh-- very fresh and cooked to perfection.

J had the day's catch- a huge steak of big eye tuna with a zippy salsa topping and rice.

Others had the moqueca de mar (the squid was offered to the table, I wanted to get over my willies about the creature, but it just looked too much like a penis), a caribbean-infused curry that tasted like something I'll order for myself next time. And the corn crepes, which we already knew were a stand-out.

Backing up, this visit we confirmed the supremacy of their salmon and scallop ceviche but were additionally won over by the vegetarian ceviche and the ensalada caribe, the latter of which will be a regular starter for me from now on.. wow. The dressing has a zingy kick and the crisp jicama keeps it light and refreshing.

And now for dessert. I'm usually persuaded to try the special, which this evening was an almond cake drenched in a dozen adjectives, but the server steered us to the flan instead.. flan that sits atop a slab of chocolate cake, to be clear. A firmer texture than your ordinary flan and infused with hazelnut. Superb. And the quatro leches cake was formidable as well.. upping the ante on the tres leche was a cinnamon-sparked creme anglaise and a pistachio cookie petal that the whole thing was nesting in. Great combination of flavors for a recommended innovation on a tried-and-true classic.

Happy Paczki Day!

I did not bake- ergo the stock image- but did inherit a few from a family member who stood in line at a south side bakery for an hour!

After this my sweet tooth is in atonement for quite a while.

Cupcakes!

Not made by me, but what i call research.
The source: Cupcakes

pictured, and subsequently eaten, are:

Triple Chocolate
Rich Dark Chocolate cake filled with Chocolate Ganache and frosted with Dark Chocolate buttercream

Violet
White cake with Violet White Chocolate buttercream topped with a handmade Sugar Flower

Champagne
White cake with Champagne buttercream sprinkled with Sugar Bubbles

Double Almond Cookies=Double Happiness

Though I've been cooking all day, I had set my last two sticks of butter out earlier with the notion that I would conclude with something baked as shy of one chai biscuit and some chocolate chips, the house would be utterly void of anyting sweet for the week. Thumbing through The Sweet Life I got a little intimidated.. clearly I will need to do a little more homework before pulling off anything as ambitious as a curd, and that will not be tonight, as J and Blockbuster have leveled a deadline for watching a can't-remember-the-name Argentinian film rented weeks ago. That happening within the hour, I tried a classic back-of-the-box cookie recipe I had noticed on the McCormick almond extract. Its simplicity was an immediate sell, and makes for some fool-proof and fabulous cookies that only take 12 minutes to bake. Question: are all cookies really just globs of butter accented by a little flour, an egg and some miscellaneous flavoring? Because these are astonishing butterful.. ergo so, so good.

2 c flour
1/2 c finely ground almonds
1 c sugar
1 egg
2 sticks of butter
1/4 t salt
2 t almond extract

Preheat oven to 350.

Cream butter and sugar. Add egg and extract and beat to a pale yellow. In a separate bowl combine salt, flour and almonds. Gradually add flour mixture to the rest and mix until you have a uniform dough. Drop dough into tablespoon-sized dollops onto an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 12 minutes.

Original recipe said the yield was 3 dozen, but I got 4 dozen out of this.

Butternut squash and cumin couscous

Original recipe is from Real Simple Nov. 2006. The only thing I did differently was to remove the butternut mixture from the pan with a slotted spoon once it was all cooked and then I used the remaining spice-infused broth to make the couscous. I also forgot to add the second 1/ of the cumin at the end, and I omitted the 2 t of salt altogether.

1 butternut squash
2 T olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 t cayenne
1/8 t cinnamon
1/8 t nutmeg
1 t cumin
1 can diced tomatoes
1/3 c golden raisins
1 32-oz. container of No-Chicken broth
1 15.5 oz. can of chickpeas, drained
1 1/2 c couscous
2 T chopped, fresh parsley
1/4 c almonds, chopped

Halve and peel the squash. Remove the seeds and cit the squash into 1 inch chunks. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Ass the onion and cook for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, cayenne, cinnamon, nutmeg, and 1/2 t of the cumin and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the squash, tomatoes, raisins, broth and chickpeas. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Uncover and cook until the squash is tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer mixture to a bowl using a slotted spoon.

Bring remaining broth back up to a boil and add couscous. Cover and remove from heat, and let stand for 5 to 10 minutes. Fluff with fork. Divide the couscous among individual bowls and spoon squash over the top. Sprinkle with parsley and almonds.

Lentil Soup

I'm so happy with how this turned out. It tastes very close to the lentil soup we've loved for years from Sultan's.

1 c chana dal lentils
1 carrot, chopped
1 potato, diced
1 tomato, chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced
2 t cumin
juice of 1 lemon
1 t salt

Wash and drain lentils. Peel and chop vegetables. Add to soup pot and cover with water, about 6-7 cups. Boil until lentils are tender, about 30-40 minutes. Transfer to blender and blend to a smooth consistency. Return to soup pot over low heat and add cumin, lemon juice and salt. Cook until flavors come together, 5 minutes. Serve with a sprinkle of sumac, wedges of lemon, and (optional) sambal olek red pepper sauce.

Roasted Root Vegetables

This has become my classic comfort food this winter since I first threw it together in October.

3 parsnips
4-5 carrots
1/8 c pine nuts
salt
pepper
evoo
6-7 cloves garlic

Preheat oven to 400. Slice parsnips and carrots into 1/2 inch thick pieces and add to glass baking dish along with whole, peeled garlic cloves and pine nuts. Pour 2-3 tablespoons over it all and 1/4 t salt and pepper and toss to coat.

Cook uncovered for 45 minutes, or until brown, stirring and checking on them every 15 minutes.

I've also added fresh thyme to this mixture, and other vegetables like turnips, sweet potatoes and butternut squash also roast very well with the carrots, parsnips and pine nuts.

Soy Chai Muffins

This was an experiment and they came out more like biscuits.. Not entirely decadent, but good with added honey. The chai flavor is actually more subtle than I expected. Perhaps next time around bumping it up with the addition of ground cardamom, cloves, etc.

2 c flour
4 T honey
1 t vanilla
2 t baking soda
1 c chai flavored Silk soymilk
4 T applesauce
1/4 c canola oil
2 eggs
1/2 t sea salt
1 T Tazo loose Chai

Preheat oven to 375. Grease muffin pan. Steep soymilk and loose chai (in a tea ball or bag) in saucepan for 5-10 minutes. Cream together applesauce, oil, honey, and eggs. Add the rest of the ingredients, leaving baking powder last. Mix well. Pour batter into pan. Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on top before baking. Bake for 23 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Makes 6 large muffins.

Middle East Zucchini Casserole

5 small zucchinis
evoo
2 T lemon juice
5 oz. soft, herb sheep's milk cheese
1 1/2 onions
2 cloves garlic
1 c sliced tomato

Saute onion in a little olive oil and then set aside. Slice zucchini lengthwise into thin strips. Toss with lemon juice and set aside. Slice tomatoes into thin slices. In a deep casserole dish, drizzle olive oil on bottom of pan (about 1 T) and add 1/3 of the zucchini, 1/3 of the tomato, onion, garlic and cheese (crumble it). Repeat for two more layers. Drizzle a little more olive oil over the top and cover and bake in 375 oven for 40 minutes.

I'm not sure what exactly the variety of cheese I was using is called.. it was made fresh at the Middle East grocery I went to earlier in the week. To be fair, it imparts a lot of the flavor to this recipe, as it was a salty and herbed soft cheese that melted nicely. I'll go back and do my homework and try to update the entry here with more specifics.

So it's tasty but by the time it was all done baking it was sitting in quite a bath of juices as the zucchini gave up quite a bit of water upon baking in addition to the generous olive oil. I transferred the casserole to another container with a slotted spoon and that got rid of most of the excess, but it still didn't cook together into a more or less solid form as I had imagined.

Good with fresh cracked black pepper on it and a chilled glass of Riesling.

Vin, two, three, four

Wines that are hitting the spot lately...
A to Z Pinot Gris 2005
Domaine des Gatilles Chiroubles 2004
Masciarelli Montepulciano d'Abruzzo 2003
Clean Slate 2005 Riesling

2 of 2 new favorite markets in a weekend

Hadn't made a trip to the Middle East grocery on Foster in quite some time, and this is the first time I went with a list that included gum aspic, rosewater, pomegranate molasses and sumac-- which enabled me to value this place all the more (had everything I was looking for, and inexpensively at that). The owner told me about how he used to get gum aspic straight from the seam of an old tree when he was a boy in Jerusalem, and before I left I was packed up with some additional supplies of fresh-baked 7 grain pita (excellent toasted), some sheep's milk cheese and homemade, mega-garlicky fool madamas.

Pistachio Cake

While I am enjoying drinking my kefir, I got to wondering what effect it has on baking. Its profile as partially fermented and probiotic intrigued me enough to look around online where I discovered it can be substituted for buttermilk in, say, cornbread, which I have half a mind to make later int he week to go with a gumbo I've been thinking of making. But then this pistachio sweet treat came along that looked like an excellent compliment to all of our Middle Eastern leftovers this week. J declared it one of the best things I've ever made, and it was up there in my book too. Making this was also an experiment in how well the VitaMix grinds nuts.. pretty good.. so not just for soups, smoothies and hummus-making anymore.

1 c shelled, unsalted pistachios
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
6 eggs, separated
>1 c sugar
3/4 c kefir
1/2 c evoo

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Toast the pistachios for about 10min.

After removing the pistachios increase the oven temp. to 350 F

Once the pistachios have cooled, rub them between the folds of a clean kitchen towel to remove the skins. I didn't do this very aggressively either and some skin on the pistachios is not a problem. Grind them finely in a food processor. Some large pieces may be left and it is fine to leave them as it is, this adds a bite to the cake after it is cooked.

Add flour, baking soda, and salt and mix in a separate bowl.

In a clean vessel, beat the egg whites to soft peaks. Add 3/4 cup of sugar and beat it to
stiff peaks. Transfer to a separate bowl.

Using the same beater,beat the egg yolks with the remaining half cup sugar till it is a pale yellow color. Add olive oil and yogurt and mix well. Then using a spatula, fold in the flour.

Lastly fold the egg whites, Do this gently using a spatula. The eggwhites add to the fluffiness of the cake and so when mixing be gentle so as not to flatten the egg whites.

Pour the batter into a 10inch buttered springform pan and bake for about 40 to 50 min.
Mine took the whole 50 minutes and then some. Insert a toothpick to see if the cake is ready. If the toothpick comes out clean, it is ready.

Let cool. Serve with honey and chopped pistachios or as it is.

Thanks to the blog Salt and Pepper and the website fooddownunder for theme and variations.

Eggplants with Tomatoes and Chickpeas / Moussaka'a Menazzaleh

I haven't cooked with eggplant much since previous endeavors have risked being rubbery and bitter, but this one was tasty right out of the pan- and reheated all week long with a little toasted pita and hummus for lunch.
Also from the Arabesque cookbook, though the recipe called for pomegranate molasses and I didn't have any, but simmered it instead in a cup or so of pomegranate juice. Also, I only had one fresh tomato on hand whereas the recipe called for a pound.

2 eggplants
evoo
salt
4 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped
1 tomato
1 t sugar
black pepper
1 cup pomegranate juice
one 14-ounce can of chickpeas, drained
1/8 c chopped parsley

Cut the eggplants in half lengthwise and then into 1/2 inch slices. Brush them generously with oil, sprinkle lightly with salt, and roast them in a 400 degrees oven for 15 minutes, turning once. They do not need to be cooked through as they will be stewed further in the sauce.

In a large saucepan, heat the garlic in 1 T olive oil for a few seconds, until it begins to color. Add the tomato(es) and squash them gently in the pan. Add the sugar, salt, and black pepper and cook for a few minutes. Add the pomegranate juice, chickpeas and eggplant and simmer for 30 minutes, or until eggplant is very soft.

Add parsley before serving.

Preserved Lemons

Since preserved lemon is often called for in the Moroccan food I am presently on a kick for, this is day one of the process which will take at least a month. 4 organic lemons are cut in quarters lengthwise, but are left attached at the stems. Each slit is stuffed with salt and squeezed close. They are then put into an airtight jar and over the next few days they give up a bunch of their juices and start to make their own brine. In a few days I'm to add the juice of 4 more lemons, which I don't reckon will cover them, but we'll see how it's all looking and tasting a month from now. What we're apparently after is the rind only. The middles get discarded and the salt washed off. Hmm.

Sweet Potato Salad/Slada Batata Halwa

Slightly tweaked from Arabesque: A Taste of Morocco, Turkey and Lebanon

1 large onion, chopped coarsely
*2 T evoo
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
1/2 t ginger powder
1/2 t cumin
1/2 t paprika
pinch salt
1/8 c capers
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/8 c chopped parsley

Saute onion in oil until golden. Add sweet potatoes and barely cover with water. Add the spices and cook until potato pieces are tender. Here it says the liquid is supposed to reduce to a sauce, but that didn't happen in my test kitchen, so I ended up draining off the liquid and putting the potato and onion mixture into a serving bowl. Once in this bowl and at room temperature , toss with lemon juice, parsley and capers. I also sprinkled a dash extra of the ginger, paprika and cumin over this for added color and to make up for what may have been lost in the liquid that did not reduce to a sauce.

New Food Source

At the recommendation of L, I checked out Sunflower Market today. More affordable than Whole Foods and an inspiring all-organic produce section. I also found organic kefir, fresh radishes that have broken my life-long dislike of radishes and a tasty red wine from Abruzzo. So I'm stocked up for a long, cold weekend of cooking from my new books: Arabesque & The Sweet Life.

Nightcap at PG

After 2 hours of Matthew Barney films at the Siskel Center last night, we walked over to the Park Grill for dessert and wine. I have mixed reactions to his work whenever I see it, but it was effective in giving every bus that gusted past, every partially-constructed office building flapping its plastic tarps the added sense of "Barney-vision" on our frigid shuffle to the restaurant. The ice rink had already closed for the evening, and the PG was nearly empty, so we settled into a booth and ordered up the chocolate creme brulee and the Meyer lemon and blood orange tart with a couple of Sauternes. The nearly transparent, petrified orange slice was as tasty as it was decorative, bringing the food styling of my cookbooks to life.

NYC

Traveled to New York last week to give a reading. In spite of a lack of photographic evidence, we mostly ate for 4 days and caught up with friends we hadn't seen in a year/two. Everywhere we ate was almost an accidental decision: we're cold, we're hungry, what's within 20 paces? But still, it's hard to go wrong. Some highlights...

This depicted cup of espresso at MOMA's Terrace 5 , and every object associated with the meal we ate there, paragons of design, all. I'm keen to acquire 2 of these bird cups for myself.. Internet has so far been no help. Also eaten there: a salmon with paper-thin slices of fennel and green apple in a delicate mustard sauce with watercress. And a chocolate tart that made me want to lick the plate. It was mousse-like but with enough flour to give it a slab of cake form.

The "Christmas" borscht at Veselka, a sublime ruby soup with a mushroom and kasha-stuffed perogi floating within.

My croissant at Cafe Colonial. Catching this place uncrowded on a Monday morning, it was a tranquil spot to linger over a pot of tea and a light breakfast before starting our day, but looking at their menu, it looks like a more elaborate meal there would send me over the moon. The croissant surpassed my home turf Red Hen standby, with all the rich, airy layers of the genuine article in the France.

Jeff's Bloody Mary at Marion's. I don't even like Bloody Maries, but this one was peppery and fresh tasting with a celery-salt rim and it was a feat to finish 1 (boozey!). I had a sip for research-sake, but my palate was elsewhere with the knock-out ricotta-stuffed French toast with cardamom syrup.

Hungarian Mushroom Soup

1 shallot, diced
1 leek (white parts only), diced
2 c. no-chicken broth
1 c. unsweetened Silk soymilk
1 lb. baby bella mushrooms
2 1/2 T flour
1 T paprika
1 1/2 t tamari
1 t fresh cracked pepper
3 T olive oil
1/4 c fresh dill
1/4 chopped, fresh parsley
1 T fresh lemon juice
salt to taste (a pinch)



Heat 2 T oil in the bottom of a soup pot over medium heat. Saute shallot and leek for 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and rest of oil and saute for another 5 minutes, or until mushrooms start of give up their juices and all becomes fragrant. Add dill, paprika, tamari and broth. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

In a separate bowl, whisk flour and soymilk together. Add to soup and stir well. Cover and simmer 10-15 minutes more, stirring occasionally.

Add salt, pepper, lemon juice, parsley and let heat through just before serving.

Makes 4 servings.

Homemade pizza

Where did I write down the dough? It was just flour, water and yeast, but specifics are good to be able to repeat... Once baked, the crust was crisp and cracker-like. Not too doughy, so perfect.

Made this one night when the fridge was bare (eating down the fresh stuff in advance of going out of town), so toppings were catch-as-catch-can leftovers bits. A bit of canned pizza sauce formed the base. Ricotta cheese and grated romano did an OK stand-in for mozzarella. Roasted earlier in the oven fresh tomato, red onion and garlic got piled on with chopped nicoise olives and anchovies. The anchovies turned out to be a bit much. The rest was a good melange.

Minestone with Barley, Sage and White Beans

Slightly tweaked from Jan/Feb 2007 Cooking Light magazine; there it is termed "Hearty" and soiled with bacon.

1 t olive oil
2 c finely chopped onion (about 1 med)
1/2 c finely chopped celery (about 1 stalk)
1/4 c chopped carrot (about 1 med)
1/4 c sliced green onions
1 T chopped, fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 T chopped fresh sage
1/2 t chopped fresh thyme
2 garlic cloves, minced (I may have bumped up the garlic by 1 or 2 cloves)
1 1/4 c. chopped radicchio (1 small head)
2 c. water (I may have added more as the soup was quite bulky)
1/4 t salt
1/4 t freshly ground black pepper
2 and 1/2 containers of No-Chicken broth
1 (16 oz.) can of cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 c peeled potato (about 1 med), cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/2 c uncooked pearl barley
2 c greens beans (I used Trader Joe's frozen haricots verts)

Heat oil in a Dutch oven over med-high heat. Add onion, celery, carrot, green onions, parsley, sage, thyme and garlic. Saute 5 minutes. Add radicchio, water, salt, pepper, broth and beans. Bring to a boil. Stir in potato, barley and frozen green beans (if using fresh, add green beans in the last 5 minutes just before serving). Reduce heat and let simmer for 20-25 minutes.

Yield: 8 servings.

This is a vegan soup if it weren't for the generous topping of picorino romano we ate it with! Optional, but the pr tastes destined for it.

Quiche crust

Again, I offer this posting as proof more than document, as I can't find the recipe I used for my first ever crust. It was mega butter and came out rich and flaky. I just happened to fill it with a spinach quiche and herbes de Provence. And it was the first time I got to use this pan, so I was feeling very fancy about myself.

Apple Cider Cake with Buttercream Frosting

This one I followed by the letter from the recipe on Epicurious. I didn't have the right size cake pans, so I made 4 mini cakes to create 2 small layer cakes. The cake itself was delicious: moist and subtle in apple and sweetness. I will make again, though maybe try to lighten it up by substituting some/all of the butter. All told, it was A LOT of butter.. the frosting was WAY too much. A lighter, cream cheese frosting would have been a better match.

Tomato Provencal

Part of the month-long experiment with anchovies. Can't put my hands on the recipe right now (retro posting), but tomatoes were gutted and salted and left upside-down for 20 minutes before they were stuffed with a mixture of whole-wheat breadcrumbs (alas, not homemade), olive oil, minced anchovies (just a few for 6 tomatoes), and parsley. Then they are drizzled with a little more o.o. and baked for 25-30 min. at 400.

Orange Muffins

3/4 cup canola oil
(>)1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup orange juice
(2 tablespoons grated orange rind- I omitted because I didn't have any oranges)

Combine oil, sugar and eggs. Mix well. Add remaining ingredients. Blend. Pour into muffin pan sprayed with canola oil. Bake at 350° for 10 to 15 minutes.


--
This recipe was slightly tweaked from one I found online. The muffins turned out light and fluffy and with a good crumb. They were even better the next day. There must a scientific reason for this that has to do with using oil instead of butter. (?)

Morning Glory Muffins

2 c. grated carrots
1/2 c. diced, peeled apple
1/2 c. raisins, soaked in hot water
1/2 c. chopped walnuts or pecans
1/2 c. flaked coconut (sweetened)
>1 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. canola oil
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/3 c. flour
1/2 c. wheat germ
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt

Combine carrots through coconut and set aside. Beat sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla. Add carrot mixture and mix well. Combine dry ingredients in another bowl. Add sugar mixture and combine until flour is moistened. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Yields: 9.

2 Pasta Skillets in One Day

Top: Whole wheat pasta, garlic, capers, shallot, cherry tomatoes, purple kale and olive oil.
Bottom: Whole wheat pasta, garlic, toasted pine nuts, parsley, cherry tomatoes, minced anchovy and olive oil.

Quick and easy. Pre-cook and drain pasta. Pre-toast pine nuts, if using, in a separate cast-iron skillet. In a larger cast-iron skillet, warm olive oil (about 1/4 c for this much pasta, which ended up serving 2 people with a little left over) and saute garlic and shallot until glassy. Add rest of ingredients, including pasta, and toss until greens are wilted and all else is cooked through.

Curried Everything

This is my new favorite spice blend, for nuts and beyond. With the leftover curry I had mixed up and sitting in a jar on the counter since my day of Xmas gift baking, I’ve been inclined to sprinkle it on roasted cauliflower (I think the big florets I oiled up in evoo and put covered in a casserole pan in 375 took about an hour by the time they were brown and melt-in-your-mouth soft). And, in a case where the sequel is really better than the original, I cut up 3 baking potatoes and salted and oiled them up on a baking sheet and sprinkled with said magic curry with abandon- noting my previously error with curry fries by being too dainty with the garam masala. I think it was about 10 minutes on each side in the same 375 oven that got them brown.

Please pardon the solipsistic nature of this post, but it is nice to see a little repetition and recombination amount to edible gold.

Mushroom, Broccoli and Tempeh Stir Fry in Garlic Brown Sauce

In recovery from the decadence of the last month and eager to use up some produce in the fridge, I made a stir fry with a more or less classic Chinese brown sauce that created a good vehicle for tempeh, another mystical ingredient I hadn't had much success cooking with to date.

1/2 c soy sauce, reduced sodium
1/2 c vegetable broth, Imagine No-Chicken broth is my favorite from a carton
1/3 c rice wine
1 T turbinado sugar
1/4 t white pepper
1 T sesame oil
2 T arrowroot powder
1/4 c water
1 1/2 T fresh, minced garlic
1 1/2 T fresh, minced ginger
1 8 oz. package of tempeh
6 oz. mushrooms
1 1/2 c broccoli (I used frozen florets in this trial, not a big flavor difference over the fresh and what I had on hand)
1/4 c sesame seeds
2 T canola oil

Combine soy sauce, vegetable broth, rice wine, sugar, pepper and sesame oil in a shallow bowl. Slice tempeh into 1/2 inch thick strips and add to bowl, allowing the tempeh to marinate while everything else is being prepared.

Toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan on the stove, stirring constantly to prevent burning. After about 5 minutes they start to brown and become fragrant. Remove from heat and set aside.

Mince garlic and ginger. Slice mushrooms and broccoli if using fresh.

Dissolve 2 tablespoons of arrowroot powder (or cornstarch) into 1/4 cup of water. Stir and set aside.

Heat 2 tablespoons of canola oil in a wok. Add garlic and ginger. Cook and stir for a few minutes until fragrant and then add mushrooms and broccoli. Cook and stir until mushrooms release their juices and start to brown. Add tempeh and soy sauce mixture. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring frequently, for about 5 more minutes or until tempeh is cooked through. Add arrowroot mixture and stir over low heat until sauce thickens, about 2 minutes.

Serve with rice and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.

Makes 5 servings.

--This will be a good sauce for tofu too.

Birthday Dinner for 11

Except for a sauteed radicchio experiment that went south, the birthday dinner went smoothly. Courses ended up timed well with some advanced preparations and then "holding." And I even got to enjoy our guests! Among the olives, nuts and figgy brie appetizers, I made a white bean pate, which will double as sandwich spread for my lunches this week. Then we had a creamy curried parsnip soup- rich and delicately flavored. I'll be making this one again, though now that my season of heavy cream has concluded, soy milk will be substituted. Then a salad of roasted beets, toasted pecans, goat cheese and mesclun greens. I loved the presentation of the lentil ragout in puff pastry. It was worth running out to buy a few extra ramekins to make sure everyone had one on their plates beside the maple-glazed baby carrots.

Between dinner and dessert there was much talking and drinking of wine. We had picked up a few different French reds from Sam's and particularly liked the Chateau Cassas 2004 Bordeaux.

Around 11 we popped the champagne and dug into the cake, a mega-dense chocolate raspberry truffle cake from Letizia's.

With the success of our 3rd annual birthday dinner I kind of wish my summer occasion were rolled into the holiday season as well.

((--recipes forthcoming. much freelance work to return to for now.. though i'm eager to distract myself with some cooking experiments involving leftover mushrooms, kale and cauliflower. perhaps tomorrow. must kick things back up to pre-holiday speed.))