back in the kitchen

After 10 days without cooking a single meal, I was actually excited and inspired to get back to making dinner. This month's bon appetit magazine was particularly full of good recipes so last week I tried out a few. Padang Curry was the best coconut based curry I have made yet. Going through the "hassle" of making curry paste is the difference between edible and good. A bigger hit though were the Corn Fritters which were devoured fresh and did surprisingly well reheated the next day. I recommend you give them a try. Don't forget the dipping sauce.
We took a trip to the library over the weekend and I picked up a book called "The Modern Vegetarian" by Peter Berley. Of the hundreds of options at the library, this one called to me because the recipes came across as creative without being weird and healthful while still being appetizing. Last night I made the Creamy White Bean-Garlic Soup with Rosemary which was somehow chock full of flavor and had about 5 ingredients. I will definitely make it again. I also tried this salad using raw mushrooms. The simple dressing contains no oil (healthy!) and the combination of fresh lemon juice and thyme and perfect for the season and their zing brought mushrooms to a whole new level. I just reread the recipe and found that I skipped over the step of whisking in 6 T olive oil. Umm, okay. How did that happen?! If you are attempting to avoid oils, go ahead and skip it like I did. We really had no idea. I'm sure adding it will mellow out the tang of the vinegar and lemon juice though so that is an option too. As it was, we decided the dressing was reminscent of mignonette and this would be our vegetarian version of oysters on the half shell. Therefore, next time I make this salad, I will be serving it with champagne.

Fresh Mushroom Salad with Lemon-Thyme Vinaigrette

2T fresh lemon juice

1T white wine vinegar (I used sherry vinegar because this is what I had)

1T finely chopped thyme leaves

1T finely chopped parsley

1t coarse sea salt

fresh black pepper

6 T extra-virgin olive oil

10 oz fresh white button mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced

6 cups mixed greens or lettuce

1) In a large bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, vinegar, thyme, parsley, salt and pepper. Slowly pour in the oil, whisking to emulsify.

2) Add the mushrooms and toss gently to coat.

3) Add the greens, toss gently and serve.

zucchini latkes

I mentioned these on facebook the other day and several people requested the recipe. Originally it came from Mariquita Farms in their weekly newsletter. At the time, they had a stand at the Ferry Building Farmer's Market and it was always where I bought the bulk of our produce for the week. They now offer a CSA box which I foolishly don't subscribe to.
We eat these squash cakes on a regular basis and I play with the recipe depending on what's in the fridge. Recently I only had 2 small zucchini so I added in a potato. I often mix in a variety of summer squash, not just zucchini. And my favorite addition is some fresh corn cut off the cob. I'd say half an ear is a good amount for this recipe.

Squash Cakes or Zucchini Latkes
4 medium summer squashes, grated
1/3 c chopped fresh basil
2T  grated or finely chopped yellow onion
1/2 t salt
2 eggs
1/4 c milk
1/2 c grated parmesan cheese
1/4 c bread crumbs
1/4 c flour
olive oil for frying
In a medium bowl mix together the squash, basil, onion and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk and eggs. Pour the egg mix over the squash and stir together. Add the bread crumbs, cheese and flour and mix again.
Heat up a tablespoon of olive oil in a pan over medium heat and place small scoops of the batter to form little pancakes. Allow them to brown fully before flipping. Add oil as needed between batches. You can keep them warm in the oven until they are all cooked.

This week we ate the latkes for dinner with fresh gazpacho and grilled cheese sandwiches but I forgot to take a picture until the next day at lunch when I was eating a "rummage salad" put together using whatever was in the fridge.

what we're eating

This week's menu:
Sunday-Green Chile Enchiladas with Vegetables and Black Beans
Monday-Orzo Salad with Roasted Vegetables and Feta
Tuesday-Broccoli Soup and Sausages
Wednesday-Carne Asade or Vegetarian Tacos

We ate the enchiladas last night and they were the best I've ever made. I think Cristina's stock was the key. To make your own sauce, you'll need:
3 anaheim or poblano chilies
1 green bell pepper
1 jalapeno
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1c stock
small handful cilantro

Roast the peppers over the flame on your stove or in the oven. When they are good and charred, put them in a paper bag to sit for a few minutes, then peel. Chop roughly.
Heat a teaspoon of oil in a saucepan over medium heat, saute the onion until soft. Add the garlic and cook for 30 sec. Add all the peppers and the stock. Simmer for about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and throw in the cilantro. To blend, use a food processor, blender or emulsion mixer.

I always put vegetables in my enchiladas, but you can make them all cheese or chicken if you prefer.

what we're eating

A few years ago, we decided to take a good hard look at our spending to figure out how we were ever going to start a savings account. Something that we realized is that we spend a lot of money on food. We wanted to spend less but we did not really want to change what we were eating. At the time, I walked past the grocery store on my way home everyday so it was very easy to pick up whatever we needed for dinner and any other odds and ends I was in the mood for. As an experiment, we decided to cut down the number of times I went into the grocery store which also meant we'd need to plan our meals ahead. Lo and behold, it makes a difference! Each Sunday, I spend a little time sitting on the floor of the kitchen flipping through cookbooks and planning out at least 4 meals for the week. It takes stress off of trying to figure out what to make while I'm at the grocery store and I find I am smarter about using ingredients in more than a single meal which seems to save money and create less food waste. Double bonus!
So the point of this long winded story is that I had this idea to blog our weekly menu so that all of you could benefit from my planning. It's a new idea and I'm not exactly sure how it's going to work, but I'm thinking I'll post at least the menu on Sundays and hopefully include some recipes and pictures throughout the week. Do you want a grocery list too? Let me know if you think that would be helpful. You may not know that I am a vegetarian so most of the recipes will be too. My wife eats meat though so I'll let you know if she's going to be eating some variation.

Sunday: Pepper Onion and Zucchini Fajitas and Cabbage Salad with Mango, Avocado, Radishes and Homemade Buttermilk Dressing

Monday: Baked Eggplant with Tomato Sauce and Mozzarella and Roasted Cauliflower with Mustard and Caper Sauce

Tuesday: Grilled Marinated Tofu or Chicken and Napa Cabbage Slaw with Sesame Lime Dressing

Wednesday: Chickpea Fritters and Tabouleh

dried beans

I've been eating more healthily recently which mostly means eating less. Less bread, fewer treats, less wine and so on. I've always liked beans but wouldn't have said they were a staple in my diet. But that's changing. I've finally figured out some ways to cook them that my wife likes so we're eating beans a few times a week. You can imagine the excitement I had (or can you?) when I came across a goldmine of heirloom dried beans at the farmer's market last week.

Generally I don't go for the shabby chic display, but this odd assortment of old pots, colanders and bowls was just right. The ladies selling the beans had written wonderful descriptions of each variety and instructions for preparing them as well as recommendations for what to eat them with. Basically, it was perfect. We tried tiny pinquinitos last week and I'm soaking some sangue de toro right now for tonight's supper. Don't know how to cook beans? It's super easy.

1) Quickly sort beans to make sure there are no small stones. Start with a cup or 2 of dried beans-they really grow.

2) Cover with cold water, beans expand so it should be about 3 inches above the beans. Add 1 tsp. salt.

3) Allow to sit for about 8 hours. I put them in water right before I leave for work and cook them when I get home.

4) Pour off the fart water. You read it right.

5) Place beans and fresh cold water in a pot. Again cover with at least 3 inches of water. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat to simmer. Cooking time varies due to beans size and how long they have been dried. Generally 45 min to an hour is good.

6) I like to saute a little chopped onion and garlic, pour in a can of whole tomatoes squashed with my hands and then the cooked beans and a good amount of salt-maybe 2 tsp. Simmer for a few minutes, add a large handful of spinach and maybe some fresh herbs. If you are really going for it, some bread crumbs and grated gruyere sprinkled over the top and 10 minutes in a very hot oven will make you very happy. If not, forget I ever mentioned cheese. You will still enjoy your dinner.

vegie patties

My sister and I decided to experiment with making our own vegie burgers. We tried a really tasty recipe from Martha Stewart involving mushrooms and a few days later I was inspired to try something to take place of the powdered falafel mix I usually buy. I made these little patties using garbanzo beans, grated cooked potatoes, zucchini, onions, parsley and harissa. They came together quite nicely and were excellent with a little yogurt cucumber sauce.

A16

This was only the second time I've eaten at A16 but if I could afford it, I'd be there all the time. I tried three different wines and although I'm totally paying for it today, I still think it was worth it. We didn't order the Pizza Margherita and I wish we had. It's the only pizza I've eaten that tastes just like Italy. There are other exceptional pizza's in the city, but I think it's the tomato flavor that A16 has managed to capture. Roasted fava beans and light-as-air ricotta gnocchi really stood out to me, and although I didn't eat any, I can tell you right now that the prosciutto tasting was brilliant.

condiments

I've been making a version of this Butternut Squash soup for several years. There are only a few ingredients so putting it together is a cinch. You can roast the vegetables like I did here, but I think it might be easier to do it all in the pot so that's what I recommend. Chop a good sized yellow onion and saute it in a bit of olive oil in a good sized soup pot. Add a teaspoon of curry powder and some salt. Peel and cube a 2-3 lb butternut squash and 2-3 apples (grannysmith or macintosh are good) and throw them all in the pot with 2-3 cups of water or stock. Put on the lid and bring it to a simmer for a good 15+ minutes until the apple and squash are very soft. You can blend the soup with an immersion blender, a traditional blender, a food processor or a food mill. No matter what, you'll probably need more water or stock. You can also add a little apple juice at the end if needed.

In the past I've served it with a bit of yogurt or creme fraiche, but this time we went all out with the condiments. Toasted coconut, cashews and sliced banana were all fantastic. A little spoonful of yogurt would probably still have gone on top if we had had any. Becuase this soup is vegan, it freezes very nicely.

healthy

Despite my absolute and true love for Ina, I'm going to say that her meals are not exactly low fat. Fat = Flavor. There's no getting around it, but we just can't eat like that everyday. So when I'm in the mood for something really delicious and totally light (think hot summer days even though we never have them here, when you can't imagine eating more than watermelon for lunch, it's time to make these spring rolls. I ate the most delicious rolls at Out The Door and these are inspired from that meal. We have the rice paper available at our little local produce store but you might have to search around a bit. Dealing with them is a little intimidating at first, but it gets easier. You'll need a large flat bottom pan with a half inch or so of water kept at a simmer. Place a sheet of rice paper in the water and let it soften, using tongs flip it and it will continue to soften. It will be in the water for less than a minute. Carefully take it out of the water and spread it out on a plate. Center your little pile of filling and roll it up.

I like to fold the sides in first and then roll the whole thing from the bottom. Fillings can be very simple but it's more fun to have lots of flavors and textures.

Here's a list if what I am most likely to use: mango sprinkled with ginger, avocado, red pepper, carrot, cucumber, lettuce, tofu, rice noodles, toasted sesame seeds, daikon sprouts, scallion, mint. By the way, something about all the carefully chopped fillings each their own little bowl makes me extremely happy. Embarrassingly happy.

Peanut sauce is fantastic, or try teriyaki which is what we had here.

back to food

I remember asking you all if you minded me posting more about food. Then I posted a bunch of pictures of the girls and other non-edibles. Sorry.
We have been "paying" a friend of ours to help record The Heated's newest project in the form of food. So far she seems okay with it, and her partner who just comes at the end of the session to eat is definitely pleased. Last night while the pig was in the oven we munched on Midnight Moon and I poured a lovely bottle of champagne that a great friend with even better taste gave to me.
I've never roasted a pork loin before, but it was really easy and came out perfectly. No surprise though because the instructions I used were Ina's.
Buy a 2-3 lb. boneless pork loin. We butterflied it then mashed it out a bit so it was even and a bit thinner. She says to butterfly into thirds which would have been good too.

Saute in a bit of olive oil and butter 1 large or two small yellow onions, sliced. After they soften add 2 ribs celery sliced thinly and a teaspoon of fresh thyme. De-glaze with a little wine and throw in 2 good handfuls of breadcrumbs. Allow to cool before stuffing.

Sprinkle the meat, cut side up with salt and pepper. Spread the stuffing evenly and begin to roll . Tie with twine and rub with olive oil and more salt and pepper. I've never trussed a roast but it was easier than dressing a toddler so I managed alright.

Bake for 30 minutes at 425, then turn down to 350 and bake another 20-30. For my 2 1/2 lb, 25 additional minutes was perfect.
Take out of the oven and allow to rest.

Also on the menu was roasted sweet potato fries with aoli, pan seared asparagus and steamed chard.
It's been awhile since I made an apple crostata and while this before picture is lovely, you should have seen it baked. Total perfection. My champagne giving friend and I devoured the leftovers for breakfast this morning.

ate too much

I hope you all had a nice long weekend. I enjoyed a nice visit from most of the family. And the food was amazing.

eat your veggies

they're called ultimate for a reason

My dad came into town for dinner tonight. He was on his way to pick up a friend at the airport. Knowing this, I did a little pre-planning over the weekend so I could get dinner on the table quickly. Lentil soup (his favorite) is quick when you have already made stock. Buttermilk biscuits take only moments to mix and not long to bake.


I also made up a batch of Ina's Ultimate Ginger Cookies and put the dough in the fridge last night. It's hard to pick a favorite cookie of all time. But I think for me, these are it. Follow the directions and bake for exactly 13 minutes, you want them to be chewy.

lady of the night

It's barely fair to post a recipe like this one, it's that simple. In Italian, the word "puttana" means whore, and Pasta Puttanesca gets it's name either from the aroma (of anchovies which I leave out) or from the fact that this sauce is easy and cheap. Put a large pot of water on to boil. Heat a large skillet with a bit of olive oil. Throw in a clove of garlic, chopped and cook for 30 seconds. Add 1/4 cup-ish of roughly chopped kalamata olives and a hefty tablespoon's worth of capers, either drained or rinsed depending on which variety you have. Stir it all together and add a large can of diced tomatoes. Bring it to a boil and then turn down to an active simmer. By now your pasta water might be boiling, so add a generous amount of salt and 1/2 a box of spaghetti or linguine. Cook al dente and throw the pasta into the skillet. Add a handful of roughly chopped flat leaf parsley and serve. This should serve 2 adults plus leftovers, or 4 adults for a first course.

dinner at the munns

We ate so much...and it was delicious.