Wednesday, December 16, 2009

hummus

Ever since I finally found dried chickpeas last summer (now I seem to find them everywhere!) I have intended to make hummus. I finally decided to give it a go and found this recipe. The only 'hard part' was hulling the beans. Many of the hulls came off in the cooking process, but most did not. Next time I'm going to rub them between clean towels to remove them (instead of individually). I love eating hummus as a vegetable dip, especially with carrots, but with homemade pitas- that is what I call trouble, with a capital T.

Monday, December 14, 2009

chicken noodle soup


A few weeks ago I roasted a chicken and after eating all of the 'good' pieces I cleaned the bird and placed the bits in the freezer. (The carcass is awaiting its chance to become stock.) These bits make great chicken salad, soups, or a curry. If you don't have a roasted chicken, chop up a chicken breast and cook the cubes at the start of the process.

For the noodles, I like to use 'chinese noodles' which look like white spaghetti and are the same type used for chow mein. They are sold in the international section of regular grocery stores, but you could also substitute egg noodles or another pasta. I like to leave the noodles long and eat with chopsticks and a spoon, but to make it a bit more child or accident-prone friendly break the noodles up or use a smaller shape.

Chicken Noodle Soup
1 T. olive oil
1- 1 1/2 c. cubed cooked chicken (I used the leftover bits from a roasted chicken)
1 leak, chopped and washed (discard dark green parts or reserve for stock!)
6 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
6 c. chicken stock
7 oz. chinese noodles
1 handful parsley, washed
salt & pepper, as needed

1. Warm olive oil over medium heat and add chicken. Cook or reheat, as necessary. As chicken crisps up, add leaks and garlic. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until leaks start to brown and garlic is fragrant.

2. Add stock. Bring to a boil.

3. Add noodles (break up, or keep long). Boil until cooked through, about 5 minutes (refer to package). Just before noodles are done, add parsley and adjust seasonings. Eat with chopsticks and a spoon!

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

lentil sloppy joes


Lentil Sloppy Joes
1 c. brown lentils, rinsed and checked for stones
1 T. olive oil
1 c. onion, chopped
1 T. garlic, minced
1 c. ketchup
1/4 c. brown sugar
1 T. yellow mustard
1 T. apple cider vinegar
1/8 t. ground ginger
red pepper flakes, to taste
sea salt + pepper

1. Sort through lentils for stones and debris. Rinse and cook in water in medium saucepan over medium heat until tender (~30 minutes).

2. Meanwhile prepare remaining ingredients. When lentils are about halfway done, saute onions in oil over medium-high heat for 8 minutes.

3. Add garlic and saute for another minute. Add ketchup, brown sugar, mustard, vinegar, ginger, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Simmer until thick and dark, about 8-10 minutes.

4. Stir in drained lentils and heat until warmed through (1-3 minutes).

5. Serve on toasted buns with pickles, lettuce, and onions.

Monday, December 7, 2009

mac & cheese

My craving for macaroni and cheese was strong, the stuff out of a box is never satisfying so I decided to take the time to make real mac & cheese (or in this case penne and cheese). Luckily I had all the ingredients at home and whipped up this dish for a satisfying lunch. I usually add beans, peas, broccoli or something else green to my mac and cheese, this time I added edamame. To make a more complete meal, consider adding bits of pre-cooked meat (i.e. chicken or ham). I paired it with a rather simple salad of greens, slivered almonds, mandarin sections which I dressed with balsamic vinegar.

Mac & Cheese
1/2 lb. raw penne pasta, cooked and drained
1 clove garlic
1/2 medium onion, coarsely chopped
1 egg
1/8 t. sea salt
1/8 t. pepper
1/4 t. sweet paprika
1 c. milk
5 oz. (~1+ c.) extra-sharp cheddar, shredded
5 oz. cream cheese, crumbled
3 oz. (~2/3 c.) pepper jack cheese, shredded
1/4 t. red pepper flakes
1 c. green veggie, no need to pre-cook (i.e. lima beans, green beans, peas, chopped broccoli)
1/2-1 c. pre-cooked meat, if desired (i.e. ham, chicken)
3 T. butter, melted
1/2 c. bread crumbs/panko flakes/crumbled crackers

1. Preheat oven to 350 deg. F. Butter a large shallow baking dish. Cook penne till al dente. Cook meat if desired (good way to use up leftover bits of roasted chicken).

2. In mini-chopper blend garlic, onion, egg, salt, pepper, and paprika. Combine milk, cheeses, red pepper flakes, and mixture from mini-chopper in a bowl. Fold into macaroni. Add meat (if desired) and green veggie (still frozen or fresh). [May prepare in advance - hold in fridge up to 24 hours].

3. Combine melted butter and bread crumbs and sprinkle over the top of the macaroni.

4. Bake for 20-25 minutes (at 350 deg. F) until creamy. To crisp the top, broil unto one minute. Let set for five minutes before serving.

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

warm squash + white bean salad


This salad has north african flavors which meld well with the warm flavors of squash and beans. The recipe I based this on is from C+Z, Clotilde based hers on a recipe from the cookbook Casa Moro.

Warm Squash and White Bean Salad
beans:
2/3 c. dried white beans, soaked overnight in cold water
1 bay leaf
2 t. rosemary
1 t. sea salt

squash:
~2 lbs. squash, peeled, cored, and chopped in 3/4" cubes
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
olive oil
1 t. balsamic vinegar
1 t. ras-el-hanout (Moroccan spice blend)
sea salt

dressing:
1 T. tahini paste
2 t. olive oil
1 t. orge flower water
1 t. balsamic vinegar
sea salt + pepper
3 T. sliced almonds
cilantro, chopped

1. Cook beans with 3 cups of water and the bay leaf over medium-high heat (covered) for 45 minutes. Add the rosemary and cook for another 15 minutes. Add more water if needed. Drain, discard bay leaf and keep warm

2. Roast the squash in a 425 deg. F oven with drizzle of olive oil, vinegar, ras-el-hanout, salt, and toss to coat. Roast for 30 minutes or until tender and slightly browned. Stir halfway through.

3. Combine dressing ingredients. Add a little water if necessary. Combine beans, squash and dressing. Stir delicately. Add sliced almonds and cilantro.

Monday, November 30, 2009

potatoes aligot


Potatoes Aligot
1 lb. potatoes, in large chunks (I don't peel, but that's my preference)
1/2 c. cream, warmed
4 T. butter
2 cloves garlic, pressed
4 oz. gruyere, or other cheese
salt + pepper

Boil potatoes until tender, but not mushy (~15 minutes, dependent on size). Drain. Mash them (or rice/whip) until smooth. Return to pot over very low heat, mix in cream, butter, and garlic. Add cheese and whip until elastic. Enjoy!
Yield: 4 side dish servings

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

curied celery potage

This past weekend when I saw my CSA list for the week I thought, "very thanksgiving, but what am I going to do with that celery?" I like the crunch of celery, but usually use it in bits (and buy one or two stalk at a time) and just wasn't sure what to do with a whole bunch. All brilliant ideas are hatched just before we fall asleep and that's when I thought, 'celery potage'. I usually make this potage with celeriac and sweet potato but it can also be made with celery as a variation.

Curried Celery Potage
2 t. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 leak, washed and sliced
1 1/2 lb. celery, chopped (reserve leaves for garnish or include in soup)
1 T. curry powder
4 c. stock
8 oz. potatoes, washed and diced
salt + pepper, as needed

Heat oil in soup pot and add onion, leek and celery. Cover and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add curry powder and cook for two more minutes. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 20 minutes, or until all vegetables are tender. Blend with handblender (or by other method). Reheat until hot and serve.

Monday, November 23, 2009

spinach white sauce pasta

Not to tell tales, but once someone (who shall remain nameless) made a white sauce for pasta and shared it with me. Despite their being a good cook and claims of previous success it tasted like wet flour on pasta (yuk!). Not very appetizing. I have since made white sauce for recipes (primarily souffles) but this is my first time eating it straight.

I wanted to replicate a favorite spinach pizza (from one of those hole in the wall pizzeria's next to a 7-11) and therefore needed a white sauce. The pizza turned out tasty (spinach white sauce with shallots and mozz). I made the full recipe (below) with lots leftover I get to try other iterations. First I reheated it to top some cooked pasta. It was part of a tasty lunch on a cold rainy winter's day. I have more sauce left and am considering the options: more pasta, egg dish, vegetable sauce, casserole. Other ideas?

Spinach White Sauce (or béchamel)
2 1/2 T. butter
2 1/2 T. flour
2 c. warmed milk
1/2 t. salt
pepper
~1 c. frozen spinach, steamed
2 cloves garlic, minced/pressed

1. Melt butter, stir in flour and cook for 1 minute, don't allow it to color beyond a buttery yellow. Remove from the heat. Gradually stir in 3/4 warmed milk into flour mixture to make a smooth sauce. Return to heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly with wooden spoon. When thickened (about 3 minutes) remove from heat. Add remaining milk as needed.
2. Add steamed spinach and garlic to sauce. Stir periodically to prevent skin from forming, if necessary.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

butternut squash and apple soup

In my last CSA box I got a butternut squash and I knew what I wanted to make: butternut squash and roasted apple soup from the New York Times. I was really excited to make this soup and as always it was super easy, first roast the apples and squash, then put everything in the pot and heat through. Voila! The soup was a little too sweet for me, so next I'll include less cider and replace with broth or water.

Butternut Squash and Apple Soup
2 butternut squash, chunked
2-3 granny smith apples, quartered
2 T. olive oil
salt + pepper, to taste
2 c. apple cider (less than org. recipe)
3 c. broth (more than org. recipe)
1 t. ground cinnamon
dash nutmeg
1 lemon, juiced
garnish? dried cranberries or toasted almonds

1. Preheat oven to 400 deg. F. Place chopped apples and squash in large dish, dress with olive oil and salt + pepper. Stir. [You will be peeling the apples and squash after roasted, so quartered/eighths is best]. Cover tightly with foil.

2. Roast in oven for about 30 minutes, remove apples to another dish and allow to cool. Return covered squash to the oven for another 15-30 minutes, or until soft. Allow squash to cool. When cool scrape squash and apples into 4-6 qt. pot. Discard skins. Puree with hand blender. Add apple cider, if needed.

3. Add remaining cider and broth or water to desired consistency. Warm over medium-low heat. Add cinnamon, nutmeg, and lemon juice. Eat warmed.

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

swiss chard + parsnip POTAGE



A potage is a blended soup without milk or cream (adding milk or cream will most likely make it a velouté or a crème). Potages are an elegant soup (although I always think of porridge when I see it written!) that are excellent starts for a meal, but usually too light to be considered a meal themselves. To turn it into a light meal have with half a sandwich, a salad, a quesadilla /grilled cheese or treat it as a starter for a small dish of pasta. I've been enjoying this soup with a quesadilla and another vegetable for lunch this week.

This marriage came together from my csa box. I have too many parsnips, I suspect I will be having many parsnips potages in the weeks to come (I really need to expand my parsnip preparations ... any favorites?). The basic potage recipe can be applied to any two seasonal vegetables and works well with winter greens and vegetables.

swiss chard and parsnip potage
1 T. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch swiss chard (I used rainbow), cleaned and chopped
3 parsnips, well scrubbed and sliced
broth/water, to cover
sea salt + pepper, to taste

1. In large soup pot, heat olive oil over medium heat and cook onion until translucent (about 5 minutes). Add garlic, chard, parsnip and season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes.
2. Cover the vegetables with broth and/or hot water, bring to a simmer. Cover. Cook for 25 minutes, or until vegetables are cooked through.
3. Use your immersion blender to whiz the soup to a smooth, velvet consistency. If you don't have a hand blender (I'm sad for you), use a food processor, blender, food mill, or potato masher and blend the soup as smoothly as you can. Add more water/broth if potage is too thick.

* the most complete online resource I found, not conclusive: French Soups

Monday, October 26, 2009

pumpkin soup

Lucky me! A friend, who has a fantastic large organic garden, shared her spoils with me earlier this fall when I was home for a visit. She gave me two pie pumpkins, four acorn squash, and a gob of garlic. What to make? I had dreams of moist pumpkin bread and bread pudding and pumpkin cheesecake. I also consider my savory options focusing on curries but then I thought, ah ha!, pumpkin soup. My first pumpkin soup which I had at a 12 course birthday feast, I realized I found the food of the gods. Over the next five years or so I experimented with a few recipes but was always disappointed. This recipe lives up to my memory. Enjoy this soup while you can easily find pumpkins at the market.