Sweet Pea

Peter, Peter Pumpkin Eater...and the Rest of Us

2009-11-22T15:38:00.003-07:00

It is that time of year when pumpkins are everywhere and a happy fall-loving cook's thoughts turn to that particular member of the pepo family. What you say? You don't *like* pumpkin pie? Never fear, here ideas for other pumpkin dishes for your cooking and dining pleasure. So, you've heard about this year's pumpkin national pumpkin shortage (and no, that's not the start of some dirty joke) and are worried? Go, right now, and buy as many cans of pumpkin as you think you might need this year. And then buy a couple more to make these delights year round. More Thanksgiving dishes coming soon...

Pumpkin Spice Cookies

1/2 cup butter
1 scant cup sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
2 3/4 cups flour

Cream butter and sugar. Mix in molasses and egg then beat the next 7 ingredients. Stir in flour. Drop by the teaspoonful onto a greased or parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake at 350 until they start to brown lightly, check at 10 minutes. When they are cool you can drizzle with a cinnamon and powder sugar glaze or eat plain.

Pumpkin Peanut Soup with Browned Onions

2 Tbs olive oil
2 onions, either white or yellow
1 cup smooth peanut butter
2 cups pumpkin puree
4 cups water
2 Tbs paprika
1 tsp ground nutmeg
(1-2 tsp cayenne pepper or tabasco, to taste)
2 Tbs vinegar, cider or rice
salt and pepper to taste

Peel and cut onions into small dice. Heat oil in soup pot, add onions and cook, stirring often, until they are browned. Add peanut butter and cook a minute until it begins to melt. Add pumpkin then water, stir well to get fond off the bottom of the pot. Cook 15 minutes over low heat (it should slowly simmer) then add seasonings and vinegar. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve hot, topped with chopped peanuts.

Sprouts, Shoots, and Leaves

2009-10-07T10:56:00.004-06:00

Sprouts
Ah, much maligned, oft served badly Brussels sprouts. They are the butt of many a food joke and an easy target for food threats (as in, if you pull your sister's hair you will eat only Brussels sprouts for the rest of your life!) But done well, cooked properly, served with elan there is very little in the vegetable world that is as delicious. If you think you don't like Brussels sprouts, I beg you to try them again. But, again, I beg you DO NOT boil them or even steam them. Roast them. Saute them. Pan-sear them. Grill them. Pan-braise them. Do not make them watery, mushy, or soft. Don't even think about buying the canned ones and bypass the frozen. But do cook and eat them fresh (unless you are one of the small percentage of the population who actually cannot digest them - and you would know if you are one). Try one of the following delicious ways to cook the sprouts.

Simple Roasted Sprouts

Remove the outer (tough or bug-bitten) leaves. Cut off any woody ends. Halve the sprouts then toss with enough olive oil to lightly coat the sprouts. Sprinkle all over with coarse Kosher salt and black pepper. Put on a baking sheet and roast in a hot (425) oven. After about 10 minutes, toss on pan and roast for another 10. Take out when they are starting to brown and the edges and outer leaves look crisp. Serve hot or room temperature. Make sure to serve any leaves that fall off and brown in the cooking process - a friend of mine calls these sprout chips and makes as many as possible on purpose. Delish.
Variations: toss with Italian or sesame ginger dressing instead of olive oil; add 1-2 cloves finely minced garlic before roasting; add 1 Tbs balsamic vinegar with the oil; don't use salt, use a pinch of brown sugar instead; sprinkle with red chile flakes before cooking.

Shoots
On to pea shoots. This spring delight is back as a fall treat. This recipe takes a little effort but is totally worth it.

Green Pea Ravioli with Pea Shoots in Brown Butter

1 cup green peas (you can use frozen or fresh - DO NOT use canned)
1/2 cup ricotta cheese or crumbled firm tofu
1 clove garlic
1/4" piece of fresh garlic
1 tsp olive oil
pinch of salt
1 package wonton skins
pea shoots (as many as you have)
1/2 stick unsalted butter
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp cider vinegar

for ravioli filling:
Peel the garlic. Using a spoon peel the ginger. Put the peas, ricotta or tofu, garlic, olive oil, and salt into the bowl of a food processor. Grate the ginger on a microplane grater (or the smallest holes of a regular grater) into the bowl. Process until a uniform paste is formed.
to make ravioli:
Into the middle of each wonton wrapper place a small dollop of the pea filling. Wet the edges of the wrapper and fold into a triangle or rectangle, depending on your preference. Press firmly to seal then set aside until they are all ready.
to cook everything:
When the ravioli are all ready bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Gently drop the ravioli into the pot and cook until they float. Remove with slotted spoon and drain on a plate or bowl. Meanwhile, clean and trim pea shoots. Lightly blanch in salted water (quickly drop into boiling water then remove and cool immediately in cold water then drain well.)
for brown butter:
In a small sauce pot melt the butter. Cook it on medium until it just starts to brown. Watch this carefully, you want it brown and nutty but it goes from brown to burned very quickly. When it is brown, add in sugar, salt, and vinegar. Simmer until everything is melted and mixed. Toss all the ravioli and pea shoots in the brown butter. Serve hot. Ummmmmm. Really worth it.

Leaves
Again, we welcome the return of leafy greens as the fall crops are harvested. But as the days and evenings are cooler and our thoughts turn to soups and stews instead of cold salads it is good to remember that these greens cook up nicely, too. Try this easy one pot dinner for a cold day.

Chicken-in-the-pot with Greens and Apples

1 whole cut-up chicken
4 small or 2 large onions
1-2 green apples
4 cups rough chopped greens (braising greens, kale, chard, spinach)
1 bottle or can beer
kosher salt
ground black pepper
1 tsp olive oil

Remove skin from chicken. Peel, core, and slice apples and peel and slice onions. In a large pot heat the oil then toss in the onions and apples. Cook for a minute or two then add in the greens and beer. Top with the chicken pieces, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover and bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for an hour or so until the chicken is cooked through. You can hold this hot on low until you eat. Serve in a bowl with crusty bread for dipping.

A Cook Without a Kitchen

2009-09-23T11:28:00.002-06:00

It has been five weeks since we last lived at home - will be two more before we get back. So, for the moment, I am a cook without (much of) a kitchen. And a blogger without (good) internet connection. Soon I will be back to cooking and writing about food. Here are a couple thoughts about food for the moment.

1. If you thought you didn't like meatloaf, try it again. Use ground beef, lamb, chicken, turkey, or a combination. Make sure to start with good meat, you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's eat and you can't make good meatloaf with bad meat. If cost is an issue, use less meat, not worse. Season it as YOU like. Mix in grated onion, carrot, zucchini, or chopped spinach. Try using steel cut oats in a 1:3 ratio with your meat. Top the loaf with ketchup, bbq sauce, marinara sauce, thick sliced tomatoes.

2. Revisit corn on the cob. Yes, it is great just boiled and eaten plain and hot. But you can also cut it, cob and all, into chunks and add to soups and stews, take it off the cob and cook it into eggs, sauces, soups. Throw it on the grill in its husk.

3. Apples. Don't bother with red delicious, all the flavor and texture has been bred right out of them to get huge, bright, shiny red things with very little resemblance to a real apple. This time of year go for honeycrisp. They have a short season and are crunchy, sweet with a slight tang of tart, have a very apple-y flavor and nice juiciness.

From the Kitchen of...

2009-08-19T14:17:00.002-06:00

Ok, here are the recipes of the two veggie dishes we made at Boulder's Tuv Ha'aretz' first cooking demo. Well, at least the first demo that I did for them. It was a great success - if you are interested in joining us for the next one, let me know.

Garlic Kale with Tomatoes and Balsamic Vinegar

1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 bunch fresh kale
2-5 cloves garlic, depending on your taste
1 large can chopped tomatoes, drained – save the juice
1 Tbs balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
(capers)

Wash but don’t dry the kale. Rough chop it. Peel and slice garlic. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in sauté pan with a lid on medium high heat. Add garlic to the hot oil and let cook for a minute or two until aromatic but not brown. Add wet kale to pan, mix well then cover. Cook for a couple minutes, open lid, still kale, add tomatoes then cover and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring every few minutes. If the kale seems dry, add a little saved tomato juice as needed. Add the vinegar, cook uncovered for another 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add capers, if you are using them. Serve hot, either as a side dish or on top of polenta or pasta.

Chili and Brown Sugar Glazed Green Beans with Chili Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

for the beans:
1 lb fresh green beans
2 tsp olive oil
2 Tbs brown sugar
1 Tbs chili powder
1 clove garlic, crushed
½ tsp vinegar, cider or white
salt to taste

for pumpkin seeds:
½ cup raw pumpkin seeds
½ tsp olive oil
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp brown sugar

to make the beans:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, take the stems off the green beans. When water is boiling, drop beans in and blanch them, cooking just until they are bright green and lightly cooked. Remove from the hot water and cool quickly in very cold or ice water. In a sauté pan, heat the olive oil. Add the sugar, chili powder, and garlic. Cook until it is all hot and the sugar is starting to melt. Add the vinegar then the beans. Toss to coat. Cook a few minutes, until the beans are hot and glazed. Serve hot topped with the pumpkin seeds.Add the beans, toss to coat.
to make the pumpkin seeds:
Toss the seeds with oil then the chili and sugar. Put on a cookie sheet and bake in 400 degree oven until they start to brown. Be careful, they go from lightly brown to burned very quickly.

Enjoy and cook well. Eat well. Yeah.

Loving Cucumbers...And Fish?

2009-08-03T12:29:00.002-06:00

Ok, another for today. Here is a recipe for a cucumber relish that goes great with the fish recipe that follows. Of course, it also goes great with pretty much any other summer meal - salad, chicken, tofu, burgers. Just try it, you'll find many uses for it.

Cucumber Lemon Relish
1 cup finely diced peeled cucumber
2 lemons
¼ cup finely diced red onion
1/8 cup finely diced fennel
2 Tablespoons chopped fennel fronds (or parsley)
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Peel and supreme the lemons (remove the lemon sections without any pith) then chop the lemon segments. Add to the other ingredients, mix gently. This can hold in the fridge for several hours.

Picnic Tilapia with Cucumber Dipping Sauce

for fish:
1-2 tilapia filets per person
beaten egg
1 cup flour
2 tbs sesame seed
ground cumin
garlic powder
cayenne pepper
salt and pepper
olive oil for cooking

for dipping sauce:
½ cup mayonnaise
1 tbs finely minced cucumber
dash of toasted sesame oil
cumin, garlic, salt, pepper and cayenne to taste

for fish:
Cut each filet in half along the body line. Mix together the flour and the spices, adjusting quantity to your taste. Usually a small dash of cayenne is enough to and heat without making it too spicy. I like a lot of cumin and garlic. Put flour on flat plate. Heat a pan with enough oil to coat the bottom. Dip each filet in the egg then coat with the flour mixture then cook fish until brown on both sides. Remove to a plate or cookie sheet and refrigerate until cold. Handle the fish with care while hot as it is a tender fish; it will firm up when cold.

for sauce:
Mix all the ingredients together, adjust seasonings. Keep cold until ready to serve.

Anticipating Tomatoes...and Lamb

2009-08-03T12:01:00.004-06:00

There is nothing that says summer quite as well as fresh, juicy, really ripe tomatoes. Red, orange, or yellow, it is the sweet, tangy juiciness that makes them so good. If you are lucky enough to have an overabundance check out the Ball Blue Book for canning tips and recipes. If you have just the right amount for eating and want to do something other than BLT sandwiches (or FLT - fakin, lettuce, and tomatoes as we eat in our house) and caprese salads, try this. The name says it all. There are no quantities here, be brave and make it how you like it.

This goes great with the next recipe, lamb kofte kebabs (sans feta, of course, for those who keep kosher.) Serve with some simple saffron rice or cous-cous and a grated carrot with cumin salad and you've got a summer meal to remember.

Oh, if you don't have heirloom tomatoes, use what you've got - but they must be *really* summer ripe ones. And if you don't like watermelon, use honeydew or casaba or galia. And if you don't eat dairy, leave out the feta and adjust your salt accordingly.

Heirloom Tomato, Watermelon and Feta Salad
with Mint and Orange Blossom Water

heirloom tomatoes
watermelon (or honeydew if you can’t get watermelon)
feta cheese
fresh mint leaves
orange blossom water
olive oil or almond oil
salt and pepper

Cut tomatoes and an equal quantity of melon into bite-sized chunks. Crumble feta into large crumbles. Chiffonade mint. Gently toss together all the ingredients, taste and adjust seasoning. This goes great with spicy dishes.

Lamb Kofte Kebabs

bamboo skewers for grilling, soaked for at least an hour
1 lb ground lamb meat (you can substitute beef, turkey, or chicken but the meat must not be too lean or it won't hold together properly)
1-2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon paprika or smoked paprika (these days you can get this at any grocery store)
1-2 teaspoons ground toasted cumin
1/4 teaspoon crushed red chili flakes
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
dash of ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
several grinds of fresh black peppers
1 egg

Mix all ingredients together until everything is incorporated but avoid kneading the meat or handling excessively as it will get tough. Form into small, egg shaped meatballs and skewer. Cook on a hot grill until well done but before the meat gets hard. Turn so the balls cook evenly. Remove from heat and serve immediately. Delicious!

Zucchini, Zucchini, Zucchini

2009-07-29T11:15:00.002-06:00

Now is the time of year when people (and you know who you are!) start to sneak zucchini into everything. Lasagnes, enchiladas, cakes, other people's open car windows, random grocery bags, the thrift stores. Here is a delicious zucchini bread recipe that uses even the big, woody kind of the vegetable (the kind the English call marrows.) You won't need to sneak and pretend it isn't in here, it is so tasty no one will wonder.

Best Zucchini Bread Ever

for bread:
3 eggs
1 cup oil or melted butter
1 ½ cups sugar
2 cups grated zucchini
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups flour
3 teaspoons cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ginger
¼ teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

for topping:
½ cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Preheat oven to 325. Well grease either two bread pans or a baking dish. Beat with a whisk until they are frothy. Beat in oil and sugar. Stir in zucchini and vanilla. Then stir in spices, salt, baking soda and powder, then flour. Pour into pans, sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon. Bake 45 minutes then check with a knife. It might take as long as 60-65 minutes to bake, depending on pans.
Cool, remove from pans, cut and serve.

Variations:
-you can use grated carrot, apple, yellow squash instead of the zucchini or any combination of the four
-you can add nuts or raisins to the bread
-you can use ½ cup oil and ½ cup applesauce in place of 1 cup oil
-you can use the zest of an orange or lemon in the bread or as part of the topping
-you can substitute lemon or orange juice instead of vanilla
-you can add chopped candied ginger to the bread

On Soba, Summer, Love, and Old Friends

2009-07-14T20:20:00.004-06:00

It is July, the hot days are here, the sun beats down on Boulder and the thunderstorms move in many afternoons and cool everything down. Love it. And if you are lucky enough to make it to the Pearl Street Mall of an evening you can catch the hippy looking bluegrass quartet on one block, the nerdy looking harp playing man with a deep voice singing Old English melodies on another, or the stoned looking (pretty sure this look is representative of the reality) young guys playing drums on the next. This is free entertainment at its best. Or spend just a few bucks for an ice cream or cup of coffee and you still have a cheap date night.

Which brings me to the subject of love. Just a couple of words. Love is. That's it.

And old friends, ain't nothing like 'em. They remind you of who you used to be and why the wine is better with some age on it. And they help you remember, whatever it is you want to remember. 'Nuff said there, too.

On to soba. This salad is great for summer and has the benefit of being full of veggies and whole grains, is vegan, pareve, easy to make and, best of all, delish.

Summer Soba Salad with Lots of Vegetables

1 package Japanese soba or 1 lb whole wheat or mixed whole grain spaghetti
1 Tbs toasted sesame oil
2 Tbs olive oil
2 Tbs seasoned rice vinegar (they sell it right there in your friendly King Soopers)
2 Tbs (or more, to taste) sesame seeds
salt to taste
(optional, 1/4 cup chopped toasted peanuts or almonds)
your choice of the following:
1 large or two small carrots
1 handful snow peas
1/4 head of cabbage - green, purple, or savoy
1/4 napa cabbage
1 bunch baby bok choy
1 -2 green onions
1 piece of daikon
1-2 harukai turnips
3-4 radishes
the stems of 2-3 broccoli florets
1/4 red onion
several sprigs of cilantro

Cook the noodles per the instructions on the package. Remove from heat, drain, and cool using cold water while the noodles are still al dente. Meanwhile, cut the vegetables into 1-2 inch long very thin strips. When the noodles are cold and drained, toss with all the vegetables, the oils, the sesame seeds, nuts if you are using them, and salt. Taste, adjust seasonings, add what is needed to taste, toss again. Refrigerate until use. Remember, these are noodles and they are relatively delicate so toss gently and just enough to mix. When you serve it, sprinkle with extra sesame seeds and chopped nuts. Yum.

Ok, one more word on love for my old friend, CJ - when it is real, it is worth it.

Eat Your Veggies

2009-07-02T21:52:00.002-06:00

A recipe from my sister, thanks Orly.

Sesame Oil Peas (and Shoots)

sugar snap peas
pea shoots
toasted sesame oil
coarse salt (kosher or sea)

Steam or blanch the peas and the shoots, separately. You want them to be what we call tender crisp - lightly cooked but still crisp and fresh. Gently toss together and sprinkle with the sesame oil and the salt. Eat.

And a recipe inspired by Emily, thanks for the idea.

Bok Choy and Carrot Slaw

1 bunch young and tender bok choy
4-5 carrots
1-2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 Tbs olive oil
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 Tbs apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar
1 tsp honey or agave syrup
salt and pepper to taste

Wash and finely chop bok choy. Wash (peel if necessary) and coarsely grate the carrots. Toss all ingredients together, taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed. Let sit in the fridge for at least an hour before serving so flavors can meld. Eat.

And here's one more recipe for your pleasure.

Orange Roasted Baby Beets With Their Own Greens And Chevre

1 bunch baby beets, with greens
zest and juice of one orange
2 Tbs olive oil, divided
kosher salt
2 Tbs chevre, crumbled
fresh ground black pepper

Trim the greens off the beets. Scrub the beets and remove just the longest, hairiest root parts. Cut the tops off the beets, then halve them. Toss with orange zest and half the orange juice, 1 Tbs olive oil, and a sprinkle of the salt. Roast in a single layer on a baking sheet in 425 degree oven until they are fork tender, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, chiffonade the greens. Heat 1/2 Tbs olive oil in saute pan over medium high heat then add the greens, half the remaining juice, and a sprinkle of salt. Cook while beets are roasting, until greens are wilted, turning often. If the greens start to dry out, add a small splash of white wine or orange juice. Put the greens on a plate, top with the roasted beets. Sprinkle with the chevre. Mix together the remaining olive oil and orange juice, drizzle over the beets, sprinkle with a small pinch of salt and add some fresh ground black pepper. Eat warm or cool.

Who Wants Something Yummy?

2009-06-25T16:47:00.003-06:00

This week I've been making a lot of pizza. And before you think, "Wait, that doesn't help me with all these fresh vegetables I've got here in my fridge," let me reassure you. My pizzas are loaded with veggies. Spinach and fresh shallots, onions, peppers, kale even. Here is a very easy recipe that will give you lots of pizza pleasure without the highly processed pizza guilt.

Very Good Pizza

for the crust:
1 1/2 cups hot water (please, don't take hot water from the tap and use it - never eat or drink hot tap water, it's loaded with metals from the pipes and germs - heat some cold water up)
1 packet yeast
1-2 tsp sugar
4 cups white unbleached flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 Tbs olive oil
1/2 tsp salt

Put the hot water, yeast, sugar, and 1 cup of the flour in the bowl of your food processor fitted with either the plastic dough blade or the regular metal cutting blade. (You can also make this dough using a mixer or by hand.) Pulse a couple times to mix, let sit for 5 minutes or so. Add the rest of the flour, the oil, and the salt and mix, using the dough setting if your processor has one, for a minute or two. Stop, scrape down the bowl, mix again for a minute or two. The dough should be, well, dough. Not too sticky, not crumbly. Mix again for a minute, take out and hand knead for a minute or so then place in an oiled bowl, turn dough over to coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap or a towel. Put in a warmish out of the way place and allow to rise until doubled in size. Punch down, allow to rise again. If you live at a high altitude, as I do, the dough will rise faster than at a low altitude - but it is the amount of time it proofs that makes it good so let it rise twice. When you are ready too shape, top, and bake pizza do this:
Cut dough into two or three pieces for bigger pizzas, many pieces for little ones. Roll with a rolling pin until pretty thin but not thin enough to rip. If the dough rips, just pinch it back together. Place dough on a board or pizza peel on corn meal, top then put on in a hot oven on a hot pizza stone. Bake at 425 until cheese is melty and browning and crust is starting to brown a little. Take out, let sit for a minute or two then cut. Eat, yum yum. (If you don't have a pizza stone, either buy one - it is worth it, Target sells one for $10, just make sure to follow heating directions) or cook your pizzas on a cookie sheet.

for the toppings:
"wet" base for crust: tomato sauce, pesto (the arugula one below is good), olive oil
grated cheese: mozzarella, cheddar, smoked provolone, etc
crumbled cheese: feta, chevre, etc
finely sliced greens: spinach, kale, arugula, chard
chopped or sliced vegetables: mushrooms, onions, peppers, shallots, tomatoes, etc
other veggie toppings: olives, fresh green peas, capers, artichoke hearts, corn kernels, fresh herbs, etc
non-veggie toppings: vegan pepperoni, sausage, salami, ham (or the real thing, if you are so inclined)
and if you don't eat cheese, try crumbled tofu instead

Spread a thin layer of the "wet" base on the crust, leaving about 1/4" dry crust at the edges. Put some cheese, then your other toppings, then more cheese as you like. You can sprinkle with crushed red chili flakes, dried or fresh herbs, a drizzle of olive oil or balsamic vinegar. Yum. Really.

You Scream, I Scream, We All Scream For...Peas?

2009-06-17T21:21:00.002-06:00

Spring has sprung and with it comes the peas. Sugar snaps this week. And while they are delicious raw and plain, dipped into hummus, tossed in salads, or lightly blanched and tossed with sesame oil and salt they are also delicious cooked and seasoned and served as a side dish. Try this:

Balsamic and Maple Glazed Sugar Snap Peas

1 shallot, minced small (or one small clove garlic, minced)
1 tsp olive oil
2 Tbs balsamic vinegar
1 Tbs real maple syrup
2 cups sugar snap peas, trimmed and blanched*
salt and pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan over medium high heat. Add the shallot and cook about a minute - make sure not to brown it. Add in vinegar and maple syrup and cook about 5 minutes until the liquids are reduced to a thick syrup. Add the peas, toss to coat with the glaze and heat the peas. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.
*To blanch the peas, cook in boiling salted water for 3-5 minutes, remove and quickly cool either in an ice bath or cold water. Drain thoroughly.

Stay tuned for more de-lishis pea dishes.

Vegetables or Cupcakes? Yes, Please.

2009-06-15T21:50:00.003-06:00

Together? Veggie cupcakes? Why not? Ok, so they aren't really cupcakes - but they kind of look like them. Mini crustless quiches, baked in muffin tins, no less. Quiche is essentially a savory baked custard, which means it combines eggs and either cream or milk or both. I am working on a vegan recipe that actually has the sensation, if not exact flavor, of quiche - stay tuned for more. While these are neither low fat nor low calorie, they are low carb, for those who care about that. And they are totally yummy, very easy, attractive, re-heat well, and make use of lots of delicious veggies. We all know that real men DO eat quiche, now get into the kitchen and make some, too.

These little crustless quiches are great for brunches, in your lunches, for friends in bunches, after you do crunches, you will like them I've got hunches (any more -unches?)

Basic Mini Crustless Quiches

4 large eggs
1 cup heavy cream, half & half, or whole milk
1 cup grated cheese
1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Beat eggs with a whisk. Add in cream or milk and mix well. Add in spices and salt. Heat oven to 375, well-grease muffin tin (or you can line tin with muffin papers.) Put any veggies and cheese in bottom of each muffin cup, ladle egg on top, filling about 2/3 full. Bake about 25 minutes until eggs are set. Remove each quiche from pan and serve warm. These freeze well, just don't heat in the microwave - you will end up with eggs the texture of a rubber ball, ugh.

Great Good Greens, Mini Quiches!

Basic quiche recipe, using cheddar or smoked swiss cheese
1 1/2 cups chiffonade fresh tender greens (spinach, arugula, broccoli rabe, baby chard)
2 Tbs finely chopped or slivered leafy herbs (basil, loveage, sorrel, dill)
2 Tbs finely chopped chives, green onions, or green garlic
dash of cardamom

Follow the instructions for the basic recipe, adding greens to each cup with the cheese and cardamom to egg mixture.

Great Greek Mini Quiches, Opa!

Basic quiche recipe, using crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, roughly chopped
1/2 cup roasted red peppers, roughly chopped
1/4 cup white or yellow onion, finely chopped
2 tsp dried crushed oregano

Follow the instructions for the basic recipe, mixing the oregano into the egg mixture and putting the fillings in the bottom of each cup.

All Of The Fixing, None Of The Bagel Mini Quiches

Basic quiche recipe minus the cheese and minus the salt
1/2 cup cream cheese, chopped into very small bites
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes, drained
1/2 cup lox, chopped or shredded
2 Tbs capers

Follow the instructions for the basic recipe, put the fillings in the cups.

do people in Santa Fe really eat this Style Mini Quiches

Basic quiche recipe using cheddar and jack blend for the cheese
1/2 cup chopped green chiles
1/2 cup cooked black beans
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup corn kernels
1 tsp ground toasted cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Follow the instructions for the basic recipe, put spices in egg mixture and fillings in cups.

All Veggie All The Time Mini Quiches

Basic quiche recipe using whatever cheese you like, or no cheese at all
2 cups of chopped, sliced, or minced veggies (mushrooms, peppers, broccoli, spinach, onions, sun dried tomatoes, fresh drained chopped tomatoes, corn kernels, peas, blanched green beans)
dried or fresh herbs, to taste

Follow the instructions for the basic recipe, add herbs to egg mixture and put veggies in cups.

You get the picture - now go make something delicious!

Enough With The Spinach, Let's Eat Cake!

2009-06-11T21:08:00.002-06:00

Popeye had the right idea about spinach making him strong - he just had terrible taste about the from in which he ate the vegetable. I mean, come on, what is up with canned spinach. Ugh. Almost as bad as canned peas. Spinach in almost every other form is fabulous. Here are a couple of my favorite easy-peasy spinach soups.

Italian Spinach Egg Drop Soup

6 cups chicken or vegetable broth
2 cloves garlic, sliced thin
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
2 cups packed spinach (either baby leaves or cut up big leaves)
3 eggs, beaten
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Bring the 6 cups of broth to a boil with the garlic in a soup pot. Add the nutmeg and cook until garlic is tender. Put in the spinach, allow to get wilted. While soup is boiling, drizzle the eggs into the broth. Use a fork to break up extra long strands of egg. Cook a minute or two, remove from heat and stir in the cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve hot with toasted bread.

Curried Spinach Puree Soup with Butter Dumplings

for the soup:
4 cups packed spinach
8 cups broth or water
1 onion, chopped up
1 carrot, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 potato, peeled and chopped
2 Tbs curry powder
2 tsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

for the dumplings:
6 Tbs butter, room temperature
2 eggs
3/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
boiling water for cooking

To make the soup, heat oil in bottom of soup pot, stir in curry powder. Cook until aromatic, do not burn. Add in all the rest of the ingredients, cook until vegetables are soft - about 45 minutes. Puree soup in a blender using as much broth as needed to get the right soup texture. It should be as thick as a cream soup but neither brothy nor gloppy. Return soup to rinsed out pot and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve hot with butter dumplings.
To make dumplings, beat butter until light (you can use a mixer or a wooden spoon and some elbow grease.) Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each one. Beat in flour, salt, and nutmeg. Form into half teaspoon balls and drop gently into boiling water. Cook until they float. Remove from water and drain, serve in soup. You can make a large batch of these and freeze them until needed. They are also great in pea soup, plain broth, asparagus soup, carrot soup, etc.

And now for a cake recipe, for those who have had enough of the greens for the day.

Heavenly Rich Double Chocolate Cream Cheese Pound Cake (yes, it is THAT rich)

2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
1 lb cream cheese, room temperature
2 1/2 cups sugar
6 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup chocolate chips, melted
3 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup chocolate chips, whole

Well grease a Bundt pan and preheat oven to 325. Beat butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add in sugar and beat until very light and fluffy, several minutes. Add in the eggs, one at a time, and beat after eat addition. Beat in vanilla and melted chocolate. Stir in flour and salt, then stir in chocolate chips. Pour batter into pan and bake for 45 minutes. Check for doneness, a knife inserted in the middle should come out clean. If it isn't ready, bake another 15 minutes then check again. When done, remove from oven and cool slightly. Invert on cooling rack, then cool thoroughly. To serve, dust with powdered sugar/cocoa powder mix and/or drizzle with chocolate syrup. Garnish with mint or berries. Yum.

Arugula By Any Other Name...

2009-06-10T21:29:00.004-06:00

Arugula, rocket, rucola, eruca sativa - whatever name by which you know it, this little green is as pungent as pepper and as fresh as summer. Toss it with radicchio and shaved parmigiano for a great tricolore salad. Lightly dress it and top with flaked smoked salmon for a dinner salad. Top it with a runny yolked, warm poached egg and a toasted crouton for a fab brunch salad. Fed up to here with salads and still got your veggie drawer filled up to here with arugula? Try some of these suggestions and recipes.

1. Arugula pesto. You can do an internet search and find dozens of recipes, each one slightly different than the others. Here is mine. It has the advantage of being easy to make, easy to store, nut-free, vegan, and makes use of that other delicious healthy spring green - spinach. You can use this pesto for many - I can think of more than a dozen off the top of my head - different dishes (1. toss with hot pasta and grated cheese 2. toss with cold pasta and cut up tomatoes 3. stir a couple spoonsful into hot lentil vegetable soup 4. toss parboiled red potatoes in the pesto and roast 5. top chicken breasts with pesto and bake 6. spread a layer of pesto onto thick halibut fillet and grill, skin-side down 7. mix a couple spoonsful into hamburger or meatloaf mix 8. top fresh steamed broccoli, green beans, asparagus, cauliflower, carrots, etc with pesto 9. use as dressing for egg salad 10. layer potato slices, tilapia, julienne zucchini, and leeks then top with pesto, wrap in foil packets and bake 11. serve as a bread dipping sauce 12. marinate chunks of lamb in pesto then skewer the meat and grill it 13. stir into the water as you start to cook rice )

1 packed cup arugula leaves
1 packed cup spinach leaves
1 large or 2 small garlic cloves or 3-4 garlic scapes
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1-2 tsp kosher salt, to taste
several twists of fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Put all the ingredients in the bowl of your food processor, process until pureed and mixed. Stop a couple times to scrape down bowl. Use as much as you want then store the rest in an airtight container in your fridge for up to a week. You can also freeze this in small quantities - try ice cube trays - and defrost the pieces as needed.

2. As a pizza topping. Either buy a ready to use pizza crust or make your own. Top with the above mentioned pesto, or tomato sauce. Then cover with grated mozzarella and bake until crust is cooked and cheese is melted. Meanwhile, toss arugula with a bit of extra virgin olive oil, a squeeze of lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste. When pizza is ready, slice into wedges, top with arugula salad and serve.

3. Use as filling in sandwiches. It is great in a grilled cheese. Stuff into pita with hummus and shredded carrots. Wrap in a tortilla with baked tofu and sunflower seeds.

4. Serve under a warm brie topped with apricot preserves with melba toast.

6. Even more salad ideas: top with bleu cheese, candied walnuts, and wine vinaigrette. Cut into fine shreds and toss with grated beets, grated carrots, thinly sliced green onions, and a grainy mustard vinaigrette. Serve with a warm fig, sesame seed, and honey dressing. Mix in equal parts with shredded cabbage and dress with sesame soy ginger dressing, garnish with toasted cashews.

7. Pasta with arugula, roasted red pepper, and white beans

1 cup packed arugula
1 clove garlic, finely minced
dash of red pepper flakes
1 cup white beans, cooked and drained
1 roasted red pepper, cut into strips
dash of white wine or lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 lb short cut pasta (penne, farfalle, rotini, gemmeli) cooked, cooled, and drained

Heat oil in large saute pan over medium heat. Add garlic and chili flakes and cook until aromatic - do not brown. Add in beans, then red pepper, then arugula. Cook a few minutes until everything is hot and arugula is wilted. Add the wine or lemon juice, let cook another minute. Toss in the pasta, season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve hot as is or top with grated cheese.

Also in favor of arugula, it is high in vitamins A and C and 1/2 cup has only 2 calories. And it has that romantic Italian feel - as you eat it, for just a moment, close your eyes and you can almost be in an old stone villa at the foot of a vineyard in Tuscany. The smell of garlic simmering and a good glass of red wine helps that fantasy along.

Cholent or What Is That Stuff - as written for Bonai Shalom's bulletin

2009-06-08T21:09:00.003-06:00

What does summer mean to me?
Hot days, warm nights, afternoon thunderstorms, fresh corn on the cob, the smell of grilled meat, fireworks, the Independence Day Stampede Parade in Greeley (which bring with it the smell of meat on the hoof), swimming suits, juicy tomatoes, and picnics in long green grass. And at Bonai it also means mosquitoes and the Great Cholent Debate. Who wants to eat cholent in the hot dog days of summer? The answer is no one in theory but everyone in practice.

But before we get to that…let’s back up and ask, what is cholent? Some people will tell you that cholent must have potatoes, or beans, or barley, or onions, or meat, or all of those to be the real deal. They are wrong. Cholent, or chamin as it is called by Sephardim, is a casserole meal that is prepared and started cooking well before Shabbat comes in on Friday and eaten for lunch after services on Saturday. I have heard of some people who eat cholent as a bedtime snack before retiring on Friday night (on Kibbutz Revivim some young people would sneak into the kitchen through an open window on Friday nights and take a bowl of cooked but still soupy cholent to eat as an accompaniment to Goldstar beer) and those who eat cholent both for lunch and the third meal on Shabbat day. And although traditional Ashekanazi cholent does contain potatoes, beans, onions, barley, and meat – in proportions according to the maker’s wallet and taste – it can contain just about anything. I have been served cholent consisting of chickpeas, chunks of tofu, and strips of seaweed. My grandmother liked to make, as a special treat, hers with one giant knaidel, or matzah ball, in it. Sephardim traditionally use rice instead of barley; many people (Rabbi Marc included) like to make theirs with sweet potatoes; some people (Rabbi Marc included in this category, too) make theirs with Marmite (which is a fermented yeast paste popular with about half the Brits in the world and almost no one else.)

If you’ve been eating Bonai’s Kiddush lunches consistently, you have probably noticed that I don’t go in much for traditional cholent. Sometimes I make a cooked-all-day chili or vegetable stew; sometimes it has spinach or red rice; sometimes it is full of mushrooms and fresh garlic. In the summer I try to make it a little lighter and full of vegetables and in the winter make it heartier with more potatoes and grains. And this season it has been, and will continue to be, full of the delicious, fresh, organic produce that we are getting from Red Wagon Farm as our share of the CSA (community supported agriculture.) As of this writing (two weeks into the CSA season) we’ve had turnip coconut milk curry cholent and mushroom red rice chili cholent (which used turnips, garlic scapes, and spring shallots from Red Wagon.) You can expect to see more of these unusual cholent variations over the next several months, and into fall and winter as we use produce that I freeze and bring out as the dark, cold days approach. So, if you come to Bonai on the weeks that there is a full lunch, you can expect a cholent; just don’t expect a traditional stick-to-your-ribs-and-the-pot barley, potato, onion one.

Happy summer and happy eating.

On the Importance of Taking a Break

2009-06-07T22:24:00.001-06:00

Yesterday I took a break. I don't mean a sit-down-for-five-minutes kind of break. I don't even mean a sneak-in-a-nap-while-everyone-else-is-sleeping break. I mean a Break. I went to another town (Niwot) by myself, looked in the shops (all two of them) by myself, ate in a fabulous restaurant (ColTerra, amazing) by myself, and slept (at the Niwot Inn) by myself. And for a brief time, fewer than 24 hours, I didn't take care of anyone but myself. No computer, no phone calls, no meals to make, mouths to feed, noses to wipe. No clothes to wash, dishes to wash, baths to give, behaviour to correct, tears to dry. Just me and what I wanted to do. Now, as a lifestyle I can't say I recommend it but as a break - perfect. Home, in all its busy chaos, seems so much sweeter after a short time away. The little voices calling mama, the hugs and kisses, and my own bed and pillow are so welcome. Ah, break is over, back to real life. Good.

Sour What?

2009-06-05T09:56:00.005-06:00

So you were given a bag of some leaves and told it was sorrel. It sounds like some kind of exercise injury, as in, "Oh, I overdid it at the gym and now I have a sore el." It looks like the rough cousin of baby lettuce. It smells a little lemony and it tastes crisp and pungent. What now?

You can make it into soup: the French do it (and purists insist that only French sorrel can be used for a proper sorrel soup.) The Russians do it, calling it schav or sour grass soup and serve it cold with a dollop of sour cream. The Poles do it and call it szczaw, also sour grass soup, and serve it hot. Usually around Passover you can find jars of schav on the grocery store shelves - in the bottle it looks like a slightly green broth with shredded grass in it and tastes like a sour spinach soup. A good sorrel soup is something uplifting, though. Here is a very quick, very simple, very summery sorrel soup recipe. Call it what you like and watch your guests slurp it up quickly.

Sorrel Soup, Schav, Szczaw, or Sour Grass Soup

2 cups fresh sorrel leaves
2 Tbs butter
6 cups water or broth
1 clove finely sliced garlic
1/4 cup dryish white wine
kosher salt to taste
fresh ground black pepper
(optional, 2 Tbs quick cooking oats)
a warm crusty loaf of fine bread

*a note about these ingredients:
Since this soup is very simple and relies on the pure flavors of each item to shine this is one case when you want to use the freshest ingredients possible. Use only really fresh butter - not butter that has taken on that "fridge odor." Use fresh tender sorrel. Use a fresh garlic clove that has not sprouted. If you use broth use actual stock, not overly salted canned broth or bouillon cubes. Use only kosher salt, it is easier to control quantity and is cleaner. As for the wine, you can use a cheaper wine or one that has been open for a while but you are going to taste it in the soup. So if you don't like the wine to drink, don't put it in your soup.

Melt the butter over medium heat in the bottom of your soup pot. Add the garlic and stir until aromatic - do not brown. Chiffonade the sorrel (stack the leaves and roll into a little cigar then cut into thin slices) and add to the garlic and butter. Cook for a couple minutes until sorrel begins to wilt. Add water or broth and wine. Simmer for 20-30 minutes, sorrel and garlic should be soft. Taste and season with salt and pepper. This soup will be very thin and brothy. If you'd like it thicker, stir in the oats after simmering 10 minutes and simmer another 10-20. Then season as above. Serve warm with the bread. Pull chunks off the bread to dip into the soup.

There are many other options for using your fresh sorrel. Make a green sauce to serve atop your fresh grilled fish. Lightly saute it with baby zucchini slices, fresh from the garden. Chop it and mix it into soaked bulgar with red onion, green peppers, and feta for a hearty salad. Simmer it into a tomato sauce with capers to serve over a vegetable frittata. You can even use it as an interesting flavoring element for a baked custard. Get creative, get cooking, and get sour with your sorrel.

How To Eat That Rhubarb and Why Is There An "H" There?

2009-06-04T15:56:00.004-06:00

If you are lucky enough to have grown, been given, or bought some rhubarb lately here is a truly delicious cobbler, inspired by my husband's memories of his nan's (grandma for those who don't speak England-ish) rhubarb and berry treats. It is great served topped with ice cream, whipped cream, custard (very English), heavy cream, milk, or nothing. You can make it vegan/pareve or use butter; make it sweeter or more tart depending on your taste.

Yummy Rhubarb Cobbler

for filling
1 lb rhubarb stalks
1 lb strawberries
2 apples
1 cup sugar
1 Tbs balsamic vinegar

for streusel
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups butter or margarine
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 1/2 cups oatmeal
1 tsp ground nutmeg

Wash and cut rhubarb into 1/4 inch chunks. Do NOT under any circumstances use the leaves, they are poisonous. Wash and hull strawberries, halve small ones and quarter large ones. Peel, core, and chunk the apples. Toss all the fruit together with sugar and balsamic vinegar. Put in baking dish (I like to use a round, deep-dish one rather than a shallow square one. This is just a matter of aesthetics, though, use what you like best.) Make streusel by combining butter, flour, and sugar until it is the texture of large crumbs. You can do this with your hands or in a mixer. Mix in oatmeal and nutmeg. Put streusel over the top of the fruit and bake at 325 degrees until the topping is browned and the fruit is bubbling around the edges, about 45 minutes to an hour. Remove from oven and let stand a few minutes for the juices to gel a bit. This cobbler will be very liquidy when warm - serve with spoons. Enjoy.

You might have noticed that I did not mention to preheat the oven. In this case it is not necessary and is just a waste of energy. To be extra green, ideally you will be baking this while cooking something else, like dinner, to take advantage of the oven already being on. You can also cook this on the grill if you are making dinner outside. Use a dish that can withstand direct heat (and you don't care if it gets smudgy), cover the cobbler with foil, and cook on the top wrack of the grill. Happy eating.

Oh, and as for the h in rhubarb? Its name comes from the fact that it was a foreign plant growing on the banks of the Rha river. So "rhu" from Rha and "barb" from the Greek root meaning foreign (think barbarian). And what, you might ask, was the river Rha? Nothing more or less than the Volga.

Yum, Yum, Turnips or What To Do With All That Stuff From My CSA

2009-06-03T21:16:00.008-06:00

Ok, so if you are getting food from a CSA, as we are, you are probably going to get some items that you a) have never eaten b) think you don't like and c) can't figure out what to do with other than letting them wilt in the back of your vegetable drawer. I will be posting some ideas to help you make delicious comestibles of even the least likely veggies. Today we start with turnips. You probably hear turnips and think of the heavy, hard winter storage turnips that are good for not much more than mashing with potatoes. But the spring ones you might be getting, the Japanese turnips (also known as hakurei turnips, salad turnips, or kabu) are very different and good for quite a lot. Here are suggestions and an actual recipe. Enjoy!

For a very quick cooked vegetable that takes very little prep and can be eaten hot or room temperature try this. Scrub your turnips so that they are clean enough to eat without peeling. Cut them into chunks, try about 1/2" pieces. Toss them with enough olive oil to coat them without making them greasy, a sprinkle of garlic powder, a good shake of salt, some black pepper, and a few good shakes of paprika. Put them on a baking dish and roast at 425 degrees until they are starting to brown. Or instead of those flavors use sesame oil, sesame seeds, garlic, ginger powder and a dash of soy sauce. Or toss with some chunks of onion, olive oil, salt, pepper, and poppy seeds.

Here is a little salad that goes great with grilled fish or chicken, fish tacos, marinated tofu - you name it. Grate your turnips with a coarse grater. Toss with a dash of olive oil, the juice from fresh limes, chopped cilantro, finely chopped red onion, and minced jalapeno. If you like your food less spicy use an anaheim or poblano chile instead. Let sit for at least half an hour so the flavors can meld. Season to taste with salt and more lime as needed.

And now a recipe. Coconut Milk Curry With Turnips (did you ever?)

1 bunch turnips (about 5-8)
1 onion
2 stalks celery
1 large sweet potato
2 medium white potatoes
1 can coconut milk
1 cup Jasmine rice
1 cup lentils
2 Tbs curry powder
1/4 tsp cayenne powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
4 cups water

Cut turnips and peeled onion into chunks. Slice celery. Peel and cut potatoes into chunks the same size as the turnips and onions. Put all the vegetables into a large pot (this can also be done in a slow cooker or in a casserole in the oven.) Add coconut milk, rice, lentils, spices, and salt. Stir, then add the water. If you are cooking in a pot, cover and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the lentils and rice are cooked through. This should take about 1-2 hours. If you are using a slow cooker it will take considerably longer, same with making a casserole on low heat in the oven. You can put this in the oven of Friday afternoon, at 225 degrees, and it will be ready to eat on Saturday for lunch.

Rainy day, popcorn day.

2009-05-25T18:17:00.002-06:00

It has been raining on and off for a couple days and the ground is wet, the mood is high, and the air is soft. So I do what is right under those circumstances (as well as almost any other circumstance.) I make popcorn. Today it was plain popcorn cooked in light olive oil in my new Stir Crazy machine, a simple machine bought after being coveted for almost 6 years. A hearty sprinkle of fine popcorn salt and it was perfect. Popcorn is a food that never loses its appeal for me. Must be genetic since my sisters and son are the same - all popcorn, all the time. I've almost got my husband on the bandwagon, too. He likes his coated in caramel but is coming around to salted, buttered, or cheesed. Still raining, corn is ready. Anyone for a game of hearts?

A little ditty about summer festival food...

2009-05-25T18:15:00.000-06:00

Oh, curly fries, how I love your greasy starchiness. Oh, funnel cake, your powdered sugar sticks to my fingers and your fatty batter sticks to my ribs. And speaking of ribs, pulled brisket, smoked chicken, bbq sauce, "Smoke Something" t-shirts, meat of all varieties on a stick - what festival would be the same without you? Snow cones, your red yellow green purple blue bright pink colors are shocking and delightful. Who can resist salty popcorn, sweet roasted nuts, cloud puff soft cotton candy, plastic delicious liquid nacho cheese? Not I. Damp fresh smell of roasted corn on the cob, charred smell of teriyaki sauce on a grill, sour pickle smell of hot dogs in their doughy gummy buns. Mmmmm, outdoor summer fair food.

A Little Spice is Nice

2008-01-02T11:02:00.000-07:00

Here is a fabulous way to prepare chicken or turkey that gives the skin a dark spicy taste and the meat a rich smoky aspect. And you can do it in your own home oven without needing any special equipment. This is sure to become a favorite in your house as much as it is in mine.

Start with a whole kosher turkey or chicken. Kosher meat has already been soaked and salted, which means you get a bird that has been essentially brined for you. You can get them organic, free-range or conventional. Aaron's Best brand is especially good - you can usually find them frozen and sometimes fresh, depending on the size of the city where you live. If you start with a frozen one, defrost it. Then puree in the blender a small can of chipotle chilies in adobo sauce. You can actually get those kosher, too. These are smoky roasted jalapenos in a smoky rich tomato sauce. Add to them a dash of pomegranate syrup, if you've got it. This will add a little it of tangy sweet to the glaze - but it isn't necessary. Using a pastry brush or a sauce mop brush the whole turkey or chicken with this puree: top, bottom, inside, under wings, etc. Put it in a baking dish and into the hot oven. Start at 400 degrees for half an hour, then re-brush bird, turn over in the pan and lower temperature to 350. Cook until done (~20 minutes per pound), brushing more sauce onto meat ever 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to sit 20 minutes before carving. The skin will be spicy so you can discard it if you don't want the spice. This meat will be delicious hot and cold. Enjoy!

Ah that sushi...

2007-11-13T20:14:00.000-07:00

Just returned from an all-you-can-eat sushi orgasmo dinner. The yellow tail was, as usual, fantastic. Ditto the tuna. Loved the avocado roll, the miso soup and the seaweed salad. But also as usual left craving coffee ice cream - a treat I haven't had in many years. What is it about being totally full, stomach bloated from all the sodium, light-headed buzz from all the raw fish that makes my body think that caffeine-loaded, sugary, fat-as-can-be ice cream is the exact answer? Instead will probably have a carob-coated rice dream sandwich. Life without caffeine is just not the same.

First Bite Boulder

2007-11-06T20:45:00.000-07:00

It is that time of year again when local restaurants put on a $26-3 course dinner for a week. Now is your chance to sample some of the best that Boulder has to offer. Check out www.firstbiteboulder.com for menus and participating restaurants. Book early and eat often.

Brownie or Blondie?

2007-11-05T15:36:00.000-07:00

There are few people who don't love brownies. Bake them fudgy and chewy or cake-like and crumbly; cut them into giant wedges or bite-sized squares - they are still yummy chocolate goodies. You can stir in white, dark or milk chocolate chips; you can top them with rainbow sprinkles, fresh raspberries or marshmallow cream; you can spike them with amaretto, espresso or Frangelico and you still won't have leftovers. But how about brownie's little sister, blondie? Not dark and rich and mysterious as chocolate but a delicious dessert or snack with a sparkling personality none-the-less. I like mine just chewy enough not to be cake but not really ooey gooey. You can stir in chocolate chips if you miss the cocoa or carob chips for variety (I am generally not a big fan of carob-as-chocolate-substitute but as a blondie addition they add a nice contrast to the sweetness.) Try this recipe and enjoy.
Melt 6 tablespoons butter in a sauce pan then remove from heat. Stir in 1 cup brown sugar. Beat in 2 eggs, one at a time. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350. Stir in 1/2 tablespoon vanilla. Add 1/2 teaspoon baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt then stir in 1 1/3 cups flour. Stir in any additions, pour into well-greased pan (square or round cake pan.) Bake until middle is set up, about 30-45 minutes. Cool before cutting so they can firm up. Variation 1: substitute amaretto for vanilla (or 1 teaspoon almond flavoring) and top with sliced almonds. Variation 2: substitute espresso or dark coffee for vanilla and stir in chocolate chips to make mocha blondies. Variation 3: swirl together blondie batter and brownie batter to make marble browndies.

Sponge Cake (or what about English Desserts?)

2007-10-31T14:57:00.000-06:00

Sponge Cake (or what about English Desserts?)
Traditional English food is not known for its gourmet, healthful or even edible qualities. Steak and kidney pie is appealing only to the initiated, Sunday's roast dinner is heavy enough to leave most in a post-meal stupor and the other famous English dishes are borrowed from other cultures. Chicken tikka masaala takes all its flavors and name from Indian food, fish and chips were brought to England by Jewish Portuguese exiles and even that great lamb stew is Irish in origin. But what English cuisine lacks on the savory side it tries to make up with the sweets. Sticky toffee pudding can be found on menus of even very chi-chi restaurants here in the US. Spotted dick, treacle tart, steamed pudding (the most famous of these is the annual Christmas pudding) and blancmange are all classic English desserts. They translate to other cultures with varying degrees of success (can you imagine if the public schools here tried to serve a food called spotted dick? The mass hilarity would scupper all attempts at decorum in the lunch room.) But everyone can agree that sponge cake has universal appeal. Baked round, split into layers then filled with jam and whipped cream and served sprinkled with powdered sugar is the way it appears most often in England. I like to bake it in individual sized cakes then glaze them with truffle ganache. The cake can be complicated and involve many steps and extra ingredients. Here is a basic, easy recipe and some suggestions. Make an English expat happy.To make one 8 inch round or 8 individual cakes:4 eggs9 tablespoons sugar(zest of one orange or lemon)1 cup and 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, siftedPreheat oven to 340 degrees F; grease your pans. Start with all ingredients at room temperature. Put the eggs and sugar in a large bowl, whisk or beat to mix then place over a pan of simmering water (not boiling - too hot and you'll get scrambled eggs.) If you are using zest add it at this point. Either using a whisk or an electric mixer beat the eggs and sugar until they are light and airy. The mixture should be thick enough for a visible ribbon (when you lift the mixer a ribbon of the mixture should stay on top for a few seconds before sinking in.) Remove from the heat and keep beating until cool. Add the sifted flour (the sifting is important in this recipe. If you don't have a sifter then pass the flour through a small sieve) in three additions, carefully folding it into the egg mixture each time. You want the flour to be thoroughly incorporated but don't want to mix it vigorously and deflate the eggs. Pour into pans, very gently shake to evenly distribute the batter. Bake until golden and spongy, for a large cake about 20-30 minutes; 10 for individual ones. Cool slightly, remove from pans, cool completely on rack or plate. Once it is cool cut the large cake in half, spread the bottom with raspberry jam and a thick layer of stiff, slightly sweet whipped cream. Replace the top layer and heavily sprinkle with powdered sugar. Garnish with fresh berries and eat. Or make a truffle ganache: heat 1/2 cup whole milk or cream then stir in 1 cup dark chocolate, a drop of orange oil and 1 tablespoon butter. Allow to cool slightly then glaze the individual cakes with the ganache. (To do this put the cakes on a rack and spoon the ganache over each one until it runs down the side. You can do two or three layers of chocolate, as it starts to cool it will make a thick truffle layer over the cake.) Allow to cool completely and the chocolate to harden. Serve with whipped cream, berries, ice cream, sorbet or plain. Yum!

Hamentashen and Purim

2007-10-31T14:54:00.001-06:00

Time to be irreverent, drunk and becostumed; it is Purim. Along with the shtick, the jokes and the gifts of food comes another, possibly even more important, Purim tradition - the hamentashen. These tri-cornered cookies that remind us of the hat Hamen (the foe of the Jewish people in the Purim story) wore. Translated into English hamentashen means Hamen's pockets. These cookies are often traditionally filled with poppy seeds and in a nice little play on words mon is the Yiddish word for poppy seed so you could also translate hamentashen as poppy seed pockets. Here is the best recipe for small, cookie dough hamentashen (they are also sometimes made with yeast dough). Fill them with your choice of Solo brand fillings (I like apricot, raspberry and almond; prune and poppy seed are also very popular), chopped nuts with honey and cinnamon, chocolate chips, marzipan, dried fruit with honey or jam. Make sure to use a small dollop of filling, especially of the runnier ones as otherwise it will leak out. You can make these dairy-free by substituting pareve margarine (I only use Earth Balance) for the butter. The number of cookies you get depends on the size of the glass you use for cutting. I use a standard sized wine glass and get around 4 dozen. Enjoy!1/2 cup butter, room temperature3/4 cup sugar1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder1 egg1 cup and 1 1/2 cups flour, separated2 tablespoons orange juiceyour choice of fillingsbutter for greasing the panHeat oven to 350 degrees F. In a mixing bowl cream butter, sugar and baking powder. Add egg and mix together until well-creamed. Mix in 1 cup of flour, then the orange juice. Add the final 1 1/2 cups of flour and mix until the dough mostly holds together. Remove from the mixer, form into a ball and wrap in waxed paper or plastic wrap. Working with half or a third at a time, roll the dough to 1/8 inch thick using flour to keep it from sticking to the board and your rolling pin. Cut rounds with a glass, place a dollop of filling in the center of each round then fold into a triangle, leaving a tiny space in the middle to see the filling. Pinch the dough edges together then place each cookie on a buttered baking sheet. Bake about 10-20 minutes (depends on your oven, the pan, how thick the dough is, etc) checking after about 7. The edges and bottom of the cookies will be golden, the rest will stay white. Save the scraps in a ball, wrap them up while you work with the rest of the dough and re-roll it. You can re-roll the dough several times before it becomes too stiff. Allow them to cool on the pan then remove. Eat them, share them, give them as gifts. Chag Purim Sameach!

Shaved Ice

2007-10-31T14:52:00.001-06:00

Ah, summer, that time for peaches, hot sun, swimming lessons and shaved ice. I am still looking for the perfect snow cone/shaved ice/slushy. It may be my memory playing tricks but I am pretty sure that one year there was a cart on the mall here in Boulder that sold shaved ices flavored with Torani Italian syrups. They were incomparable. Plenty sweet with rich, deep, real flavors. No artificial color, no artificial flavor metallic after taste - just amazing. Almost too fancy for a summer shaved ice, which might explain why I have never seen them again. No matter, I also love the bright blues, yellows and reds of the common variety shaved ice. Half coconut and half pineapple is a favorite of mine at the carts with fancier flavors. Blue raspberry or cherry at the places with simpler tastes. Either way, nothing says summer like feeling the heat come up from the pavement through your plastic flip-flops while sucking the melted liquid out of the paper cone of a shaved ice. Mmmmmm.

Fall Feelings

2007-10-24T19:46:00.000-06:00

Aaah, the foods of autumn. Hot cider, pumpkin anything, sweet potatoes, winter squashes, the end of season veggies, the first of the apples and pears. There is nothing that says fall quite like a cinnamony spiced baked good making delicious smells in the house. These days I am loving struesel topped apple pie, coconut ginger pudding cake baked in a pumpkin and sweet potatoes baked till soft then mashed with maple syrup and butter. We bring out the stew pots and the soup ladle and eat soup, stew or chili for dinner several times a week. What are your favorite serve-in-a-bowl meals for fall?

But right now the World Series (gotta' root for the home team, go Rockies!) is also making me think of crispy grilled hot dogs and salty peanuts. I like a fat, juicy kosher dog with sauerkraut, onions and mustard. Add a side of ripple chips and an cold bubbling drink and you've got you another taste of the season.