Chile Rellenos Redux

I did not get a good photo of this, frankly, because we ate it too quickly. You are probably thinking of chile rellenos as deep fried chiles oozing with cheese. Well, here is a version that is fresh, flavorfull and un-fried. This is based on the chiles that my dad makes, along with a few twists of my own. These ingredients - chiles and corn, mainly - are in season now, and with the heat, this is a perfect summer patio dish, served with some tacos, enchiladas, or any other Mexican fare you'd like to pair it with. It can even be grilled. The recipe is for 2 people, with 2 chiles each: this is good as a starter or side, and can easily be doubled or tripled for more people, or as the main attraction.

4 anaheim chiles, nice and long, and as straight as you can find
2 ears of corn
1/2 cup plain yogurt or sour cream
3/4 cup shredded jack cheese (I used this amazing chile jack goat cheese produced locally. I have also used chevre and white cheddar with good results)
juice of 1 lime
salt and pepper to taste

1. First you will need to char the chiles. This can be done on the highest rack under a broiler, or on the grill. Just wash the chiles and place directly on the rack of the oven, or on the grill, and cook until black and the skin begins to pull away from the surface. As one side begins to blacken, do a quarter turn, allow to char, and continue until the entire chile is nice and black. Then, pick them up with some tongs and place in a plastic bag - I usually use an old grocery bag (I know, bad me, having plastic grocery bags about). Tie off the end of the bag and let them steam for about 5-10 minutes. Then, pull them out and peel the skin off under a stream of cool water at the sink. The charred skin should pull right off. Place the chiles on a paper towell to completely cool.

2. To prepare the filling: cut the corn kernels off the cob, and place in a medium bowl. Add the yogurt, cheese, lime juice, and salt and peppr, and taste for seasoning. The mixture should be mostly cheese and corn, held together with the yogurt.

3. Using a paring knife, make a long slit down the center of the front of each of the chiles. Then, over the sink, pull out the seeds and the connecting strings, using some water to flush them out. You may find that your chiles want to fall apart. Just try your best to keep them whole, if they split, this is fine, the filling will hold them together. Again, dry the chiles on some paper towells. Place the chiles in a medium glass baking dish (depending on how many you are making), and pull open the sides, so that they are laying flat. Scoop about 1/4 cup of filling into each, and continue to add filling until they are nice and full, and you can pull the sides of the chile up and over, but not together. The chiles should have a large opening with filling bursting out, and the side flaps sort of gently tucking over.

4. Bake the chiles in a 425 oven for 15-20 minutes, or until the cheese is completely melted, and the tops begin to brown. Then, place them under the broiler for 1-2 minutes to give the tops a nice rich, brown crust.

Enjoy!

Blueberry Crisp

So, have you heard that blueberries are a super-food? Hoorah! What a good excuse to make this super-simple and luxurious dessert, using the plentiful (and cheap!) summer blueberries. I saw a 2 lb. container of blueberries for $5, and immediately thought of this crisp. It basically takes the crisp topping I use for apple crisp, and substitutes almonds for the walnuts, giving a more delicate flavor and crisper texture that complements the cooked blueberries. Of course, good vanilla ice cream can top it, and melt all about when it comes out of the oven. As it sits in the fridge, the blueberries start to create their own syrup, so it gets even better. Enjoy!

Topping
6 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1/4 salt
5 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter
3/4 cup slivered, blanched almonds

Filling
2 pounds blueberries
2-3 tablespoons granulated sugar

1. For the topping: Place the flour, sugars, spices and salt in a food processor and puse briefly to combine. Add the butter and pulse 10 times, about 4 seconds for each pulse. The mixture will first look like dry sand, with large lumps of butter, then like coarse cornmeal. Add the butter, then process again, for four or five 1-second pulses. The topping should look like slightly clumpy wet sand. Be sure not to overmix, or the topping will become too homogenous. Refrigerate the topping for at least 15 minutes, or up to 2 days.

2. Adjust an oven rack for the middle position, and heat to 375.

3. Wash the blueberries and strain until dry (or pat very lightly with a towell), and then mix to taste with sugar. Pour the blueberries into an un-buttered 9 in. pie pan or 8 in. square glass baking dish. Crumble the chilled topping evenly over the top, and bake in the 375 oven for 40 minutes. Eat warm, straight from the oven with ice cream, room temperature, or chilled.

Roasted zucchini heaven (in a salad)

I have to level with you - I'm not a vegetarian, not even close. If it has a face, I eat it. If it's cute, furry, tasty - yep, you guessed it - I eat it. So posting to this blog hasn't been the easiest thing for me to do. I think I am going to go a bit easier on myself. If I cook something wonderful, yummy, easy; something I absolutely have to share, I am going to post it. I will leave the vegetable purism to my ever-faithful meat abstentious co-blogger, Mindy. Don't get me wrong, we encounter a lot of vegetables in our house. I believe in eating well and balanced and in supporting local farms. So I will still be able to share items that vegetarians can cook and eat. Like this one - the most fantastic way I've ever encountered to eat zucchini; because if I levelled with you about that - I hate zucchini.

1 lb. zucchini, sliced lengthwise into quarter-inch widths

2 red peppers, halved and seeded

3 1/2 oz. feta

5 Tbs. olive oil

salt

DRESSING - all ingredients for the dressing should be finely chopped, but if that doesn't happen it all works out okay

1 garlic clove, minced

1 Tbs. chopped mint

honey

lemon juice

1 red onion, medium dice

Toss the zucchini slices in olive oil, salt and pepper. They can be grilled outside on a gas grill or in a cast-iron grill pan on the stove. Cook the zucchini through and set them aside.

Place the red peppers on an aluminum foil lined sheet pan, cut-side down and roast in a hot oven - about 400 F until they are cooked; about 25 minutes. Remove them from the oven and cover them to allow the skins to steam off. You can simply wrap them in the aluminum foil you used to line the sheet pan or transfer them to a bowl and lay a towel on top. They can take ten to fifteen minutes to steam. When ready simply rub the skins off then cut each half pepper into eighths and combine with the zucchini and set aside.

Put the garlic, mint, lemon and honey into a large bowl and whisk until smooth. Still whisking, pour in the oil in a thin stream. The dressing will emulsify and thicken. Season it to taste with salt and pepper then add the red onion. I would recommend going easy on the salt because the zucchini is already seasoned and you will add feta to the salad at the end.

Toss the roasted pepper and zucchini in the dressing and place everything into a shallow baking dish. Cover the top of the salad with crumbled feta and place under a low broiler for five minutes or less. Watch the salad carefully at this point as it doesn't take long to brown. The salad should be sizzling and patches of feta should be lovely and golden.

Enjoy!

Sprouted Garbanzo Burgers

Here is another recipe from Heidi Swanson's Super Natural Cooking, which I am enjoying so much that I am basically cooking my way through it this summer. These burgers are delicious - my husband and I ate them just about every day last week (the recipe makes 12) and never grew tired of them. I sprouted the garbanzos myself, which is an extra step that certainly changes the texture and taste of the beans, but I'm not sure it has enough impact to offset the amount of time and effort sprouting takes. I've heard that you can buy sprouted beans at, say, Whole Foods, or equivalent stores, but I have not found them. If you are feeling ambitious or experimental, as I was, here is a link to some good directions on sprouting. You can also just use cooked or canned garbanzos with excellent results.

2 1/2 cups sprouted garbanzo beans, or canned garbanzos, drained and rinsed
4 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
1 onion, chopped
grated zest of 1 large lemon
1 cup micro sprouts, such as alfalfa, broccoli or onion
1 cup toasted whole grain bread crumbs (Ian's, a brand you can find at WF or elsewhere makes a good whole wheat bread crumb, or you can toast and pulse day old bread in the food processor)
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

If you are using sprouted garbanzos, steam them until tender, about 10 minutes. If you are using canned beans, jump right in. Combine the garbanzos, eggs, and salt in a food processor and puree until the mixture is the consistency of a very thick, slightly chunky hummus. Pour into a mixing bowl and stir in the cilantro, onion, zest, and sprouts. Add the bread crumbs, stir, and let sit for a couple of minutes so that the crumbs can absorb some of the moisture. At this point, you should have a moist mixture that you can easily form into twelve 1 1/2 inch thick patties. Err on the moist side here, because it makes for a nicely textured burger. You can add more bread crumbs to firm it up a bit, or, conversely, add a bit of water or egg to moisten it. After the patties are formed, you can decide to either cook them, or store them, placed on a plate lined with parchment and wrapped with spastic wrap. Then, you can cook just as many as you need, and store the rest this way, or even freeze them for later use.

To cook, heat the oil in a heavy skillet over medium-low heat, add up to 4 patties, cover, and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, until the bottoms begin to brown. Turn up the heat if there is no browning after 10 minutes. Flip the patties, and cook the second side for 7 minutes, or until golden. Remove from the skillet and cool on a wire rack while you cook the remaining patties.

Top with whatever fillings you'd like. We enjoyed these open face on a piece of toasted crusty bread with some lemon mayonnaise, avocado, red onion, and sprouts.

Swordfish Sicilian-style

It has been a little difficult for me to continually find vegetarian recipes to share here. So, pardon me if occasionally, items transgress into the world of meat-eating. Here is a lovely swordfish recipe my husband found in the Chez Panisse Fruit cookbook. We tried it two weeks ago and I was pleasantly surprised. The stuffing is savoury enough that I felt I would enjoy it with some sort of poultry, but the mild flavour and substantial texture of swordfish are a good foil.

1 cup fresh breadcrumbs

extra-virgin olive oil

1 small onion

1 pinch of saffron threads

3 anchovies (rinse them if they are packed in oil)

2 oranges

1/4 cup dried currants or raisins

1/4 cup pine nuts

3 Tbs. chopped parsley

1 tsp. chopped oregano

salt and pepper

bay leaves

This stuffing recipe is for 2 pounds of swordfish which is far too much for only two people. I usually figure 6 oz. of meat/person as a serving. So if you are making this for two, halve the stuffing recipe and purchase a 12 oz. swordfish steak. The swordfish should be cut into 1/8 thick slices about 4 x 6 inches for rolling.

Preheat the oven to 375 F.

Toss the bread crumbs with 2 Tbs. olive oil and spread them out on a baking sheet. Toast them in the oven stirring occasionally until they are golden brown - about 15 minutes. Dice the onion and saute it on medium-low with the saffron and another 2 Tbs. olive oil. Cook until the onion is soft. Chop the rinsed anchovy coarsely. Squeeze 1/4 cup juice from one of the oranges and pour it over the currants or raisin to plump them. Toast the pine nuts in a dry skillet on medium or medium-high unitl golden stirring continuously to prevent burning.

In a bowl, combine the bread crumbs, onion, anchovies, currants (with their juice), pine nuts, chopped parsely and oregano. Season generously with salt and pepper. Taste. The stuffing should be assertive, but you want to take care not to over-salt as it already contains anchovies.

Lay out the swordfish slices and season both sides with salt and peper. Spoon about 2 Tbs. of stuffing onto each slice and roll it up. Arrange each roll, flap side down, in an oiled baking dish just big enough to hold all of them snugly.

Cut the remaining orange into half-moons or smiles :) and with a bay leaf, wedge it between each roll. Drizzle olive oil over the fish and bake the dish for 15 minutes. The rolls will be opaque and firm to the touch when finished.

We ate this dish with a simple roasted vegetable and a plain risotto. It could also be nice with a salad and a simple pasta.

Chipotle Grilled Tofu and Yucatecan Street Corn

So, it's Memorial Day Weekend, and everyone is out grilling; and grilling lots of meat. What's a vegetarian to do? Opt for the frozen, bland veggie burgers? Nope. Here are two very tasty hot-weather grilling ideas: a spicy grilled tofu that is great either as kabobs or a burger alternative, and rich grilled corn on the cob. I made the grilled tofu last weekend while out camping, and found that marinating for 24 hours really got the spicy tones heated up (read - scorching). But, I imagine that just an hour is a perfect amount of time to get the heat without the burn. The original recipe calls for achiote powder, rather than chipotle, but I was not able to find the former. If you can, give it a try. Both of these recipes come from Heidi Swanson, whose food blog, 101 cookbooks is amazing and inspiring. Equally beautiful is her book, Super Natural Cooking, which I have been scouring the last few weeks.

Chipotle Grilled Tofu

2 tablespoons achiote or chipotle powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon raw cane sugar (or brown sugar)
3 medium cloves garlic, peeled
2 big pinches of salt
1/3 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
12 ounce package of extra firm tofu, cut into 4 slabs

Whisk together achiote powder, cayenne pepper and sugar. Sprinkle the salt over the garlic, smash it with your knife, and mince it into a paste. Add this to the achiote mixture along with the lemon juice. Whisk until combined.

Place the tofu into an 8x8 baking dish and pour the achiote marinade over the tofu - flip it, flop it....make sure you get coverage on all sides, and rub the marinade into the tofu a bit. Place in the refrigerator for at least one hour.

Place the tofu on a medium hot grill. Brush the top of each piece of tofu with some of the leftover achiote marinade, grill until the tofu is golden on the bottom with nice grill marks (rotate the tofu 90 degrees halfway through the grilling of each side to get those nice marks). Flip, cook the other side, brush the side facing up with more leftover marinade, and cook until the bottom is golden as well. Remove and serve over a salad, on a bun with all the fixings, or any other way you can think of .

Yucatecan Street Corn

4 ears fresh corn, in husks
3/4 cup crema, for slathering
1/2 cup shredded cotija, for sprinkling
2 limes, halved
2 tablespoons pure chile powder
fine-grain sea salt (optional)

Prepare a medium - hot grill; if the temperature is right, you should be able to hold your hand a few inches above the grate for 4 or 5 seconds. To prepare the corn for gilling, remove any husks other than the inner one or two layers. Peel back the inner husks but keep them attached, and discard the silk. Pull the husks back into place to protect the kernels and grill, covered, rotating a couple of times along the way, for 10 minutes. Peel back the husk on one ear and taste for doneness before pulling the rest off the grill. Slather each with some of the crema, sprinkle with some of the cheese, and drizzle with the juice of half of a lime dipped in chile powder.

Ginger Cheesecake

While it may not be healthy, cheesecake certainly is vegetarian. I made this recipe just this week for a farewell gathering of graduate students. It is a cinch and so creamy with a lovely robust flavour imparted by the ginger.

1 package Honeymaid graham crackers

2 Tbs. butter

2 pounds cream cheese, softened

zest of 1/2 of a lemon

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cup + 2 Tbs. sugar

4 eggs

2 yolks

*75 ml heavy cream

(infused with 3 oz. fresh ginger)

1/4 cup + 2 Tbs. All purpose flour

Boiling water

Pour cream into a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Meanwhile roughly chop the unpeeled ginger. When the cream is hot, add the ginger, stir, turn off the heat, and place a lid on the pot. Allow it to steep for 30 minutes. Afterwards, strain the mixture pressing the ginger against the strainer with a wooden spoon to extract all the cream. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 10" springform pan with baking parchment and wrap the outside base with aluminum foil to seal the seam. Place on a sheet pan that has 1/2 to 1 inch sides.

In a food processor pulverize the graham crackers. Empty into a bowl and set aside. Melt the 2 Tbs. butter over low heat and mix into the graham cracker dust. Line the bottom of the springform pan with the graham cracker using a straight-sided glass container to tamp down the crackers, if needed. Toast the base in the oven for 7 to 10 minutes. Remove the pan and lower the oven temperature to 300 F.

In a stand mixer beat the cream cheese and sugar with a paddle at low speed. You never want to mix too much air into a cheesecake so if you find you are spending too much time readying the remaining ingredients, you may want to turn the mixer off. Otherwise you can proceed with the recipe adding the ingredients in the order listed.

I like to crack my eggs with my vanilla and zest into a small pitcher. Pour this mixture into the cream cheese in three additions allowing the egg to fully incorporate. Stop the mixer to scrape the sides and base of the bowl twice. Add the ginger cream, then the flour. Pour the mix into the springform pan. Place the pan on the oven rack and pour boiling water into the sheet pan until it is about 1/2 to 1 inch deep. Do not allow the water to rise above the aluminum foil seal you created around your pan. Carefully push the oven rack into the oven and set the timer for 40 minutes. The cake should hardly wobble in the middle when you shake it. It may take up to an hour to finish baking.

Tagliatelle with Caramelized Fennel

Fennel - one of those vegetables that is often looked over at the grocery store or market, but has such a distinctive and sophisticated taste that it can carry a whole dish. This recipe is ridiculously simple, yet feels elegant - the fennel is given a deep, sweet flavor that mingles with the pasta and cheese and is accented with the zip of lemon and the herbal flavor of the fennel greens. My husband and I made this for the first time a couple of weeks ago, using a gift certificate to a local upscale "fine food" market to buy some bright orange dried tagliatelle. Tagliatelle is an Italian egg noodle; there are plenty of good dried versions out there, or, if you are feeling ambitious, you can make your own fresh. You could also substitute fettuccine. The recipe is from Deborah Madison's fantastic book Local Flavors: Cooking and Eating from America's Farmer's Markets, which I acquired in Iowa City, inspired by the amazing summer produce. Enjoy!

2 or 3 large fennel bulbs, including the greens
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 garlic clove, minced
3/4 to 1 lb. tagliatelle
Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1. Peel or discard, if badly bruised, the tough outer layers of the fennel, then quarter the bulbs, setting aside the greens, and slice thinly. (The core will cook to tenderness.) Heat a large pot of water for the pasta.

2. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter with the olive oil in a wide skillet. Add the fennel and saute' over high heat, stirring occasionally, until browned in places, 7 to 10 minutes. Season with 1 teaspoon salt. Toss with the lemon juice, then add 1 cup water. Reduce the heat and cook, covered, until the liquid has evaporated. Add another 1/2 cup water and continue cooking in this fashion until the fennel is very soft and deep gold in color, about 25 minutes in all. Season with pepper. Chop a handful of fennel greens - enough to make about 1/3 cup - with the garlic and lemon zest and set aside.

3. Add salt and the pasta to the boiling water and cook until the pasta is al dente. Scoop it out and add it to the pan with the fennel and the chopped greens. Taste for salt and season with pepper. Serve with the cheese, finely grated or thinly sliced over the top.

Roast asparagus with eggs and toast

It may seem like cheating, a recipe hardly worth posting; but this, ladies and gentlemen is what I had for breakfast. And it was lovely. As I sat and ate I thought, what a great way to use leftover roasted veg, which you're likely to have if you've put in a garden or joined a CSA. And veggies at breakfast has the added bonus of allowing you to sneak something green into your diet before noon. So whether you're using up leftovers or starting the day with something made from scratch, I'll include this as encouragement to make each meal special.

breakfast for one

2 fresh eggs

1 knob of butter (just under a Tbs.)

kosher salt

freshly cracked pepper

1/3 to 1/2 cup leftover roasted veg;

such as asparagus, red peppers, or tomatoes

Since there isn't much to this recipe, I'll take the opportunity to pass on a tidbit of egg cooking knowledge .

Use a heavy-bottomed non-stick skillet and heat it to medium or medium-low. Add butter to the skillet and allow it to melt slowly swirling it around the pan occasionally. If the butter has not begun to foam once it is entirely melted, you may raise the heat; but only a little. Once the butter is visibly foaming, crack your eggs into the pan. This is just the right temperature for cooking eggs. They will coagulate slowly at this heat, so be patient. But they won't stick, and if you like your yolks runny, you have enough leeway to get them out of the pan before things overcook. Use a rubber spatula with the eggs to occasionally loosen them from the pan at their edges.

You have two options: you may flip the eggs when the white appears mostly set but you do run the slight risk of breaking the yolk. Otherwise, you can have your eggs "sunny-side up" by simply breaking through the set white with your spatula and allowing the remaining liquid white to fill the crack and thereby continue to cook. Either way works - and if you're me, you likely take a middle of the road approach and fold the eggs over on themselves not committing to either flipping or not flipping. When they are finished you will want to run the spatula round the edge of the eggs in order to release them. Turn them out onto your toast and top with roasted veg, salt, and pepper. Enjoy!

Roasted Beet salad with Goat Cheese

I am fully willing to admit that this is hardly even a recipe, but more of an idea. But, it is a good idea. This is one of my favorite things to make for a post-farmer's market lunch or early dinner, sitting on the patio, and as the weather starts to warm and asparagus is showing up in barrels, I have started dreaming of the farmer's market. (If you are in warmer climes, perhaps they have already started in your neck of the woods!) Whatever looks beautiful sitting on the tables at the market will look beautiful together in the salad: beets, with a mixture of golden, red, chiogga (with the lovely deep pink and white concentric circles), green and yellow wax beans, cherry or grape tomatoes, and any other tempting veggies. These all get the heft of a meal with the addition of slices of chevre and caramelized walnuts. I have included instructions for the main idea - beets, chevre, and walnuts - and feel free to improvise with the remaining ingredients. The instructions for the beets comes from Alice Waters' The Art of Simple Food. For a dressing, my honest favorite is one that Claudine posted a while ago, with champagne vinegar, mustard and maple syrup. A link to it is here.


For the Beets:
Trim the greens from:
1 lb. beets (red, chiogga, golden or white)
Wash thoroughly. Put them in a baking dish with a little water (enough to cover the bottom of the dish to a depth of 1/8 inch) and sprinkle with salt. Cover tightly and bake the beets in 350 degree oven until they can be easily pierced with a sharp knife, 30 minutes to 1 hour, depending on their size. Uncover and cool. Cut off the tops and roots and slice off the skins. Cut the peeled beets into small wedges, and sprinkle with:
1 teaspoon vinegar (champagne, if you are using the dressing)
Salt
Let stand for a few minutes to allow the beets to absorb the flavor. Taste and add more salt or vinegar, and then toss with:
1-2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
Set aside in the fridge until ready to assemble the salad. Can be made 1 day ahead.

For the Veggies:
Slice the ends off of
1 lb green, yellow wax beans, or a mixture thereof
and wash thoroughly. Steam gently in a steamer for just 2 minutes, checking to be sure that the beans remain crisp. Remove from the heat, and place in a bowl with ice and water until ready to add to the salad.

Wash thoroughly and slice in half
1/2 lb cherry or grape tomatoes
Set aside.

For the Chevre:
Try to look for some local goat cheese; here in CO we have an amazing local cheese called Haystack Mountain that has a booth at the farmer's market and also sells at the Whole Foods. Look for a smallish log of chevre, and remove the plastic outer. And - here is the revolutionary idea my husband passed along to me - cut the chevere into small rounds using floss. This works remarkably well, not unlike a wire cutter for clay. Set these aside as well.

For the Walnuts:
In a small saucepan, place
3/4 cup sugar
over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar melts and liquefies. Add
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped coarsly
Stir the walnuts into the melted sugar with a wooden spoon until covered. Continue to stir with the pan on medium heat as the sugar begins to caramelize and turn a golden brown. When the sugar smokes, pick the pan up off the heat and continue to stir; when the smoke has subsided, return to the heat. Continue in this way, keeping the sugar just below smoking, until the sugar is a deep caramel, and the walnuts are well toasted. This will only take a few minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat, and spoon the walnut mixture onto a sheet of wax paper or parchment, spreading the walnuts and separating them with a spoon. Sprinkle with salt, and let cool. Once cool, break apart any large clumps of walnuts.

To assemble:
Place
1 lb. spring greens
in a large bowl; any fun mixture is good. Add the veggies and some of the salad dressing (start with a little and then taste) and toss.

Place a mound of greens and veggies in each bowl. Top with beet slices, chevre, and walnuts. For a dinner, serve with large slices of artisan bread.

Heirloom Seeds

I have yet to post anything online about gardening, but now that we live in the Northeast and it has become possible to put in some crops, I am dreaming about home grown produce. So far this year we have decided only to deal with perennial flowers and herbs - it was a cost and time issue. The plan this summer is to build a raised bed on our property and prepare the soil for next year's adventures in edibles. For now, we have our IKEA shelf, grow lamp and two flats of seedlings. We are growing a multi-headed sunflower, some winter thyme, sage and Icelandic poppies with two more crops in the works.

But my real reason for writing this post was not to update you on our own humble agrarian adventures but to pass along the website of an heirloom seed company I came across today. Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds is based in MO and ships rare seed varieties around the country. If you are unfamiliar with heirloom produce, I can tell you that it is astonishing in its variety and flavour. If you are looking to include more vegetables in your diet, seeking out heirloom varieties will give you so much more in taste and choice than conventionally grown produce. And what better way to source it than to grow it yourself?

Green Bean Salad

As promised here is the green bean salad we made last week. If you are ambitious enough to cook it along with the curry - it will make a wonderful accompaniment.

And it really isn't that hard.

1 pound green beans

3 Tbs. sesame seeds

2 Tbs. vegetable oil

2 green chilies, serrano or jalapeno, seeded and sliced into rings

1/2 tsp salt

2 to 3 Tbs. of fresh lemon juice, to taste

chopped cilantro (optional)

Cook the beans in a large pot of boiling salted water until just tender - about 5 minutes. Drain them, then run them under cold water to "refresh" and cool them. At this point, trim the ends and cut the beans into 1" lengths. Set them aside in a bowl.

Heat a dry thick-bottomed skillet over high heat and add the sesame seeds. Stir these constantly as they will be prone to burning. Roast the seeds until they are slightly golden. Transfer them to a coffee or spice grinder and pulse them until they are a fine paste.

Heat the oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Toss int he chopped chilies and saute for 30 seconds. Pour the hot oil and chilies over the green beans and toss. Add the salt and sesame seeds to the mix and toss again. Lastly, dress with fresh lemon juice. You may add chopped cilantro to the salad before serving. Et voila!

Potato Curry and Green Bean Salad

I don't usually post a recipe without first testing it, but this week you get to cook alongside me. We are planning to make a lovely Indian potato curry from the gorgeous book by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid entitled Mangoes and Curry Leaves - I am a fan, to say the least. When we make it, we intend to throw the green beans into the curry to cook amongst the potatoes. But here I will post a second recipe for a green bean salad which you could also make. We tried it last week with a grilled chicken, and it was light, cool, and delicate.

2 Tbs. raw vegetable oil or ghee*

2 tsp. minced garlic

1 pound waxy potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2" cubes

1 pound green beans, topped, tailed and cut into 1/2" lengths (optional)

1 cup finely chopped onion

1 cup chopped tomatoes (I use 1/2 a can of diced)

2 green hot chilies - like serrano or jalapeno, seeded and chopped

1/2 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp black mustard seeds

1 tsp ground cumin

you can purchase cumin whole and grind it yourself. We keep an
old coffee grinder around to pulverize spices - Look for cumin in bags in
the international food section of your grocery store. It will be a lot
cheaper.

1 tsp. ground coriander

1/4 cup water

1 tsp. salt or to taste

Heat the oil or ghee in a wok or a wide pot over medium heat. Add 1 tsp garlic and cook until you smell it about 30 seconds, then add the onions, potatoes, and green beans (if you are not making green bean salad). Stir-fry for several minutes, until the onions have softened, pressing the potato cubes against the surface of the hot pan. Then add the chopped tomatoes, and the chili. Stir.

Add turmeric, mustard seeds, cumin, coriander, and the remaining garlic and stir. Add the water and salt and bring it to a boil. Cover the pan tightly and cook at a high simmer until the potatoes are just tender, about 20 minutes. Halfway through the twenty minutes, check to make sure you have sufficient water and that nothing is sticking to the pan. Add a little more water, if necessary.

Serve with 3 cups basmati or brown rice and green bean salad, if you like.

*If you are keen to make your own ghee, it is possible - and not that hard. Ghee is a common fat in Indian cooking. It is actually just clarified butter with one subtle difference - the milk solids are allowed to brown imparting a nutty flavour.

To make your own ghee you will need a light colored saute pan, butter, strainer, and coffee filter.

When you clarify butter, you will evaporate much of the water in it and decrease its volume. Therefore, double the amount of ghee in the recipe and you have your measurement of butter. To create the preceding recipe, place 4 Tbs. of butter in a light colored skillet and place over low heat. The butter will melt, then sizzle - and once all of the water has evaporated, it will become quiet again. It needs careful watching at this point. Have ready your strainer lined with a coffee filter suspended over a bowl. In the skillet you will see milk solids that have settled on the bottom of the pan. These will begin to color. Allow them to become a nice golden color - like the color of fried chicken. Then take the pan off the heat and pour the butter through the filter. What collects in the bowl below is ghee.

Quick Thai Red Curry

This recipe is adapted from one of my all-time favourite cookbooks, Hot Sour Salty Sweet, by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid. Part travelogue part recipes it really takes me back to South East Asia. Some of the ingredients can be hard to come by at a local grocery store, but Lee-lee's in Mesa, AZ should be able to provide everything you need. And you can freeze most of the exotics like lime leaves or curry leaves which means you can visit once every few months and stock up for loads of Asian cooking.

5 cups canned coconut milk divided into 1 cup thicker and 4 cups thinner milk (This is about 2 cans)

3 Tbs. Red Curry Paste (this will keep indefinitely in the fridge once opened)

1 pound green beans topped, tailed, and chopped into 2 inch lengths

1 tsp. salt (or more if necessary)

4 wild lime/kaffir lime leaves or the zest of one lime in a pinch

1/2 pound shrimp (optional)

you could replace the shrimp with 3/4 pound Thai eggplant if you want a more vegetable -full curry. Cut the eggplant in half.

2 red chilies (I buy a packet of the small Thai bird chilies and keep them in my freezer as well)

1/2 cup Asian basil (optional but yummy)

1 cup Jasmine rice

for the rice

Start by washing the rice under running water. We place the 1 cup rice in our cooking pot and turn the tap on low then stir the rice with our hands allowing the pot to overflow with water. We then occasionally dump this water out and begin refilling and stirring. Continue this process until the water runs clear. To cook jasmine rice add "enough water to cover the rice by about 1/2 inch, measured by placing the tip of the index finger on the surface of the rice and adding enough so that the water comes to the first joint". Place the rice on high heat and once it comes to a boil cover the pot with a tight fitting lid and turn the heat to low. Set the timer for ten minutes. After ten minutes, leave the lid on the rice, turn off the heat, and allow it to sit this way for five minutes. It is now ready to serve.

for the curry

Heat a wok or a heavy-bottomed large pan over medium-high heat. Add 1/2 cup of the thick coconut milk. When it is melted and bubbling add the curry paste and cook, stirring for 2 minutes. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of thick milk and cook for 5 to 8 minutes or until the oil begins to separate - this isn't terribly noticeable, but the consistency of the milk will seem to change. Add the green beans and eggplant, if using, stir well to coat in the oil and cook over medium high heat for about 3 minutes. Add the remaining 4 cups of thin coconut milk and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover the pan, and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the cover, stir in the salt and lime leaves or zest simmer for another 5 minutes until the vegetables are tender. If you are using shrimp, you would add them at this point and stirr occassionally to ensure they are cooking evenly. Just before serving stir in the chili and the basil.

Pasta Primavera

Admittedly I am not a fan of the primavera you can order in most Italian restaurants - the vegetables are likely steamed and insipid - heavy on the water content and light on flavour. But this variation was cooked up for me during a lovely dinner party in London many years ago by a dear friend from Books for Cooks. It is straightforward enough for a mid week meal and can be made with an endless combination of vegetables. Simply think of color and organize your cooking by parboiling those fibrous roots before roasting them in the oven.

The Goddess of Spring in honour of primavera.

a selection of vegetables for roasting cut 1/2 inch by 1/2 inch

we like asparagus, red onion - cut as if for shish kebabs, fennel, butternut squash, and cherry tomatoes

1/3 cup evoo

freshly cracked pepper

kosher salt

1 pound rigatoni or other shaped pasta

1/3 cup kalamata olives

(optional 1/3 cup diced proscuitto for any non-veggies out there)

2 - 3 Tbs of good evoo that you would use for salad dressing

fresh basil, if possible

good good Parmesan for grating / parmigiano reggiano,

( if you can throw down for it)

*A note about ingredients - while it's always best to buy the highest quality you can afford, I think it is doubly important when cooking vegetarian. You are cutting out some of the foods with the highest fat content - and unfortunately our taste buds are wired for fat. So make sure at least some of the item you are still eating are impeccable.

Preheat the oven to 375 F. If anything needs parboiling start a pot of water, chop, then cook the veg for 5 -10 minutes. From the list above I would recommend treating the squash and the fennel this way. The squash can go into the water first, then five minutes later, add the chopped fennel.

Combine the chopped raw and parboiled veg in a bowl. Add the 1/3 cup evoo for cooking, the kosher salt, and the fresh cracked pepper. Spread mixture on a baking sheet and bake the vegetables until they can be easily pierced with a fork - about 30 minutes. I recommend checking a few types of veggies to be sure that you are ready to eat.

Meanwhile start a large pot of salted water boiling for the pasta. As Marcella Hazan says, water for pasta shoudl be as salty as the Mediterrenean. Chop the proscuitto, if you are using it. Cook the pasta until al dente according to the directions on the box.

The best way to allow pasta and sauce to meet is by removing your pasta from the water while it is still a little more al dente then you prefer - about 1 mintue less than the recommended cooking time. Have your sauce ready in a large pan on low heat. Add the pasta to the pan holding the sauce, a little residual cooking water is okay if it sneaks in, this will help the pasta and sauce to comingle. Toss the pasta in the sauce and continue striring occassionally allowing the pasta to finish cooking.

Add proscuitto, olives, and basil. Toss with remaining 2 tablespoons of really good evoo. Grate with parm - et voila!

Whole Wheat Pasta with Chickpeas

When I was asked to contribute some vegetarian favorites to this food blog, my mind went first to those recipes I consider "staples", those that I make once a month, or even once a week. This is one of those; it is flavorful, nutritious, and simple, everything that you need on a busy weekday night. The recipe comes from the Deborah Madison cookbook, Vegetarian Suppers, a well-loved book that is now held together by binder clips and dotted with post-its.

For the pasta, Deborah, and I, suggest the brand Bionaturae, from Italy. Their whole wheat chicocciole are the perfect size and shape for a chickpea or two to nestle into the end, and it is the only whole wheat pasta I've found that can be cooked to a good "al dente", rather than getting mushy. As a variation, I've added some dark leafy greens - a big bunch of kale or chard - to the ckickpeas near the end; simply cut the leafy parts away from the stem, then chop coarsley and add to the pan, putting a lid on for a few minutes to let them wilt. Also, the leftovers make an excellent lunch, either warmed, or eaten cool with some lemon juice and extra olive oil sprinkled on top as a salad.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 large onion, diced
a few pinches of hot red pepper flakes
1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas or 1 15-ounce can (I like Westbrae Natural)
1 big bunch of flat-leaf parsley, the leaves stripped from the stems
3 plump garlic cloves
small handful of sage leaves
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
3/4 lb. whole wheat pasta shells
freshly grated Parmesan for topping

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta

2. Heat the oil in a wide skillet and add the onion and pepper flakes. Cook for a few minutes, then add the chickpeas. While they're warming, chop the parsley, garlic, and sage together, then toss a third of it into the pan. Season well with salt and pepper, and add a little water or chickpea broth to the pan, and cook slowly, adding more liquid as it cooks away.

3. Salt the pasta water and cook the pasta according to the directions on the package. When done, drain and return it to the large pot, and add the chickpeas, the parsley mixture, and extra olive oil to taste. Toss well, and taste for salt and pepper.

4. Serve in large bowls, with grated Parmesan and additional pepper flakes.

hope you enjoy!

Mindy

Butternut squash soup

I haven't been posting for a while on this blog due to a demanding graduate school schedule; but a dear friend of mine is joining the world of vegetarian cooking. I thought this would be a good opportunity to get back to food by posting one favourite all vegetable recipe a week. This recipe comes from Robert McGrath's American Western Cooking. Happy cooking.

not my picture

1 1/2 cups peeled, seeded, butternut squash, cut in halves

1 Tbs. dark chile powder

kosher salt

fresh cracked black pepper

water (to spin the squash in the blender)

2 Tbs. vegetable or canola oil

1/2 cup diced yellow onion

2 Tbs. toasted, seeded, and finely chopped Chile Ancho

2 cups vegetable or chicken broth

1/2 cup roasted garlic puree

This can be roasted at the same time as the squash. Simply wrap a head of garlic in foil. It is finished when soft and should take approximately 30 minutes.

1 tsp. toasted and ground cumin seed

Heat a clean dry skillet over high heat. Add the cumin seeds and stir them constantly until you can smell them - about 1 minute. Take them out of the pan and set aside.

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

1/2 cup heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Season the squash with the chile powder, salt and pepper. Roast the squash, seed side down on an oiled aluminum covered sheet pan. The squash is done when the thickest part can be easily pierced with a fork - about 35 minutes. Remove the squash and allow it to cool to room temperature. Scoop out the flesh and puree in a blender with just enough water to spin the squash, season to taste with salt and pepper. The soup can be done to this point the day before, if you like. In a soup pot, heat the oil over medium high heat. Saute the diced onion and chile ancho until just tender. Add the squash puree, broth, roasted garlic puree, ground cumin and cayenne pepper. Allow the soup to simmer slowly until it has reduced in volume by 1/4. Puree the soup in a traditional blender or with a handheld immersion blender. Finish with 1/2 cup of cream and season it to taste with salt and pepper.