Cat Cake!

Today's post is a blast from the past.  This a straight copy from my previous blog that I wanted to share with Witchery followers. You may not have the need to make a cat shaped cake, but this post is more than that.  It shares a number of helpful cake baking and decorating tricks I learned that can applied to any cake.

This year my daughter wanted a kitty cat themed birthday party, so I decided that I would make a cat cake.  I feel that I am a pretty good cook, but only a mediocre baker.  Cakes are really not my strong point.  I decided I wanted my cake to look pretty good, so with only week to improve my cake building skills, I started my research.  My favorite bit of info came from a site called 5 min.  There were multiple videos from a master cake decorator.  So Gigi and I watched each video to pick up some important tips.  I also found a pattern for a cake cat made from two 8 inch rounds on the Betty Crocker site.

I decided a test cake using my new found knowledge would give me some practice.  I didn't want to make a cat because it would take some of the bang out the final cake.  I baked two 8 inch round cakes and quickly realized that these cakes were way too thin; they did not meet my vision of a nice thick cake.  That was fine I got to practice shaving off the uneven parts (which made it even thinner) and then put the layers together.  This cake ended up being a butterfly.

I bought two new 8 inch rounds that were much deeper than my other pans and decided to use two boxes of cake mix.  I know, all this trouble and I am making cake from the box!?  Well, I figured I had enough of a challenge on my plate without having to test cake recipes. 

The new rounds worked great although they did give me a bit a muffin top, so the top side needed to be shaved off.  Once I had my nice flat rounds, I used the pattern from Betty Crocker to cut out the tail, ears and head.  So far so good.

The next BIG thing I learned about cake decorating, is to do a crumb coat.  This is a thin layer of icing over the whole cake that seals in the crumbs.  This is the best tip ever.  Another tip I learned from some site, is to use Wilton Meringue Powder in your icing to help it harden just a bit.  I like this addition to the crumb coat icing, which was homemade, because it gave that crumb coat extra toughness.  I did have one small issue during this step.  The tip of one ear broke off.  I put some icing on it and "glued" it back on.

I put the cake in the refrigerator to set.  Once I felt it was firm, I mixed up some more Wilton Meringue Powder in some store bought chocolate frosting, and liberally frosted the whole thing.  This was going way better than I had expected.  I put it in the box and chilled it overnight.

 The next morning, I mixed up some pink icing.  Again store bought, but white.  I added some pink cake icing coloring and Wilton Meringue Powder.  I piped it on, put in some gum drops, added a bit of sugar glitter and I was finished! 

A lot of work went into the cake and I invested in some new tools, but I am glad I spent the time to study up and practice.  Now I no longer fear making a special cake.

Spicy Eggplant Tomato Sauce

This is going to a quick one, because school is back and session and somehow I find myself with even less time than I had before.  Maybe it's prepping for all the after school activities that happen to fall right during the time I would normally make dinner.  As was the case last night.

One the caveats of running short on time is that I am falling behind on using all my fabulous CSA veggies.  In fact, yesterday when I picked up my box I still had several things leftover from last week. I don't want anything to go to waste, so I looked at what I had.  Two of the items were jalapenos and a bag of fairytale eggplants, yummy stuff! I knew they had to be part of last night's dinner.

I threw together this quick and easy pasta sauce, and let it sit on the stove ready and waiting for us to return from soccer practice. It was perfect served over some nice mild cheese ravioli.

Spicy Eggplant Tomato Sauce
8 servings

1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 medium onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups eggplant, sliced
3 cloves garlic, pressed
2 each jalapeno peppers, sliced (discard the seeds from one, use the seeds from the other)
14 1/2 ounce can diced tomatoes
32 ounce can crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup red wine
kosher salt
pepper

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat.  Add the onion and eggplant and saute until slightly tender.  Eggplant will soak up all the oil so once that happens, add a bit of water to keep the process going.

Once you see the eggplant softening, add the jalapenos and continue to saute for a minute or two then add the crushed garlic.  Saute a minute longer.

Add both cans of tomatoes, red wine and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for about 30 minutes then cover and let sit until ready to serve.

Serve over any type of pasta.


Nutritional Information from Mastercook:
Per Serving: 119 Calories; 7g Fat (52.3% calories from fat); 3g Protein; 12g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 159mg Sodium.

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

One of the great things about summer is the bounty of fresh veggies.  One of the worst things about summer is also the bounty of fresh veggies.  I love fresh veggies and I love to cook, but sometimes I get stuck in a rut. Sometimes I am just too tired to think of something new. The problem is the veggies are still sitting there demanding to be used before they spoil.

Zucchini is one of those veggies that everyone seems to have in great abundance this time of year, and even though I am so sick of it now I know I would kill to find a decent one at the grocery store in the winter. My daughter has been pretty good at eating the zucchini that has come across her plate, but she's getting sick of it too. Thank goodness for Pinterest. I surf there when I am board.  The other day there was a fat free, gluten free chocolate zucchini bread.  It looked good, but the fat free, gluten free part didn't float my boat.  I do like calorie reduced, but I need some fat.  In fact I thought a good chocolate zucchini bread would make a great vehicle to get some more coconut oil into our diet.

Once I am inspired to make something new I search the Internet to see what others have done.  Once I see what I like, I either combine a few recipes or just modify one.  I know you're asking why don't I just follow one recipe? I don't know, I just want it my way.  The one I used had some whole wheat flour, which if you like keep it, but as much as they say we are supposed to eat it, I don't like it so, I went for regular flour. Maybe next time I'll try and use half white whole wheat flour. My daughter doesn't like nuts so those got nixed (although I would have preferred to keep them). I wanted more cocoa and some brown sugar, and of course coconut oil. The other thing was I wanted it packed full of zucchini, so I used a lot. In fact when I folded it in it looked like a little batter with a lot of shredded zucchini, and I wasn't sure it was going to work. No worries, it came out great.

I made the bread and when my daughter got home from school she was enchanted by the scent of baked chocolate in the air.  I could have neglected to tell her about the zucchini part, but I'm not that kind of mom, so I immediately told her what it was. Ugh, really? was the response. Anyway she gave it a try and had seconds.  She also had a piece after dinner for desert.  Good stuff.

Chocolate Zucchini Bread
adapted from Eating Well's Chocolate Zucchini Bread

2 loaves , 8 servings each

1/4 cup coconut oil

1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, roughly chopped

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 large eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup applesauce

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups zucchini – grated and packed

Preheat oven to 325°F. Spray two loaf pans with cooking spray.

Combine coconut oil and unsweetened chocolate in a microwave safe bowl.  Microwave for 15 seconds, stir, then repeat until the chocolate is melted.

In a large bowl combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In a medium bowl combine eggs, sugar, applesauce, vanilla and melted chocolate and coconut oil mixture. Add to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Fold in zucchini. Spoon the batter into the prepared pans, smoothing the tops.

Bake the loaves 40-45 minutes, or until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Invert onto rack and cool completely.

Nutritional Analysis from Mastercook

Per Serving: 190 Calories; 6g Fat (26.3% calories from fat); 4g Protein; 32g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 40mg Cholesterol; 139mg Sodium.  

Israeli Couscous with Shrimp and Summer Vegetables

Tomatoes, zucchini and corn. Tomatoes, Zucchini and Corn. TOMATOES, ZUCCHINI, and CORN! Yes, it's that time of year and whether you are a gardener, a CSA recipient or just an average shopper who loves seasonal goods, you are swimming in them. That's fine, in a few weeks you'll start to miss them and by mid-winter you'll be dreaming of them.  That's because there is nothing like the taste of these veggies (and fruit) in the heart of summer.  Today's recipe makes the most of these fresh flavors.

One of my favorite parts of this dish is the use of fresh corn. It's a method used in another recipe here on my blog, Pappardelle with Corn and Tomatoes.  Parboil the corn, slice it off the cob and mix it into the recipe.  It also utilizes a bit of the water used to boil the corn, so don't dump it out.  I love how the sweetness of the fresh corn permeates the entire dish.

You could make this dish with regular couscous or even any type of pasta you like, but if you haven't gotten into Israeli couscous, you've got to give it a try.  The small pearl sized balls of pasta are a favorite in our household.

Israeli Couscous with Shrimp and Summer Vegetables
Serves 3

3 ears corn
olive oil
1 lb extra large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/3 cup onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, pressed
1/4 cup white wine
1/4 cup reserved corn water
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 large zucchini, quartered and sliced
1 1/2 cup Israeli couscous
3 Roma tomatoes (or 2 regular), chopped
Kosher salt and pepper

Boil corn in a large of water for 5 minutes. Remove corn and set aside to cool.  Once cool, cut the corn off the cob. Reserve some of the water for use in the recipe.

In a large saute pan, in 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat, cook onion until slightly soft. Add 2 cloves pressed garlic and saute 1 minute longer.  Add the wine, broth and 1/4 cup reserved corn water. Bring to a boil and add the zucchini and corn, make sure to bring the liquid back to boil and then add the couscous.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, cover and simmer another 3 minutes.

Once the couscous is simmering, in a separate pan heat 1 teaspoon olive oil over medium high.  Add the shrimp and 1 pressed clove of garlic then quickly saute until the shrimp begins to curl. Empty the contents of the shrimp saute pan into the couscous mixture, add salt and pepper to taste.  Stir to mix, add a few teaspoons of reserved corn water if needed.  Cover simmer a minute or so longer, remove from heat and let set for 5 minutes before serving.

My Favorite Lasagna

Nothing says comfort food like lasagna, and nothing lasts for several meals like a nice big lasagna. In fact doesn't that just bring more comfort knowing that dinner is ready for more than one night.  I love lasagna and even though it may seem like a production, it's really quite easy and well worth the effort.

One of the most important factors is the sauce, please don't waste your time using sauce from a jar.  This sauce is easy enough to throw together and will make all the difference. In fact, double the sauce recipe and put some away in the freezer for a quick pasta dinner on a lazy night.  I actually did it the other way around.  I made a double batch of sauce a night or two earlier and then decided to use the rest for this lasagna. It came together super fast and lasted for several days.


My Favorite Lasagna

Sauce

1 lb ground beef

1 T olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

8 ounces mushrooms, sliced

1 green pepper, chopped

4 cloves garlic, crushed

2 - 32 ounce cans crushed tomatoes

¼ cup red wine

20 or so basil leaves, cut into slivers

salt and pepper

2 T. Honey

1 lb lasagna noodles, cooked

salt

Ricotta Mixture

32 ounces part skim ricotta

½ cup grated parmesan cheese

16 oz whole milk mozzarella, 12-13 ounces cut into small chunks, the rest shredded and reserved for later

1 egg

1 teaspoon salt

   

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare large pan with cooking spray.  Start with the sauce.  Brown ground beef in olive oil in a dutch oven over medium heat. Once browned add onions and saute for 2-3 minutes, then add mushrooms, green pepper and garlic.  Saute for about 5-8 minutes. Add the remaining sauce ingredients and allow it to simmer while preparing the ingredients for the other layers.

Cook pasta in salted water according to the directions on the package. Drain and set aside in cool water until needed.

In a large bowl, mix the ricotta mixture ingredients.

Assemble lasagna:  pour about 1 cup or so of sauce in the bottom the pan.  Then line the bottom with 4-5 noodles.  Top with 1/3 of the ricotta mixture. Add a layer of the sauce. Repeat noodles, ricotta and sauce 2 more times.  Top with the remaining noodles and then the rest of the sauce. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes to an hour or until bubbly.  The pan I use is a huge a Polish stoneware pan and it takes longer to bake in this pan than others, so start checking at 40 minutes if using a glass or aluminum pan.  Once the lasagna is nice and bubbly, remove foil and sprinkle the reserved mozzarella on top.  Return to the oven for a few minutes for the cheese to melt.  Allow the lasagna to set for at least 15-30 minutes before slicing.

Asian Slow-Cooked Steak

Wow, we had a good hot streak going for awhile. When it's that hot, one of the last things you want to do is get in the kitchen and do a lot of cooking.  Okay not me, I'll crank up the A/C and turn on the oven. I know it's not helping my carbon footprint, but I try and make up for my A/C usage in other ways. Anyway this is about you. I know you don't want to cook. The problem is you still need to eat. That's where the slow cooker comes into to play.  Spend five minutes or so getting this dish prepped early in the day, and then at dinner time put on a veggie to steam and a pot of rice and you are done. It doesn't even feel like you did that much work, because you didn't.

One of the keys to this dish is the browning process.  There is no way to accomplish this in the slow cooker. If you throw it all in and walk away, the flavors are good and it will be a fine dish. But take the few minutes to brown the meat and caramelize the onions and it will be an awesome dish.

This is what I had on hand at the time, but if you want to kick it up a notch add some mushrooms with the onions and some ginger with the garlic. Ooh and maybe some chilies.

Asian Slow-Cooked Steak

1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 flap steak also known as butchers cut
kosher salt and pepper
1 small onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/3 cup soy sauce
juice from 1 lime
cooked jasmine rice

Heat the oil in a skillet. When melted, brown the steak on both sides, season with salt and pepper to taste.  Move the steak to the slow cooker.  Add the onions to the pan and saute for 2-3 minutes, add the garlic, saute another 30 seconds and then remove the pan from the heat. Add the brown sugar and stir as it dissolves, then add the soy sauce.  Pour the sauce over the steak in the slow cooker then squeeze the lime juice over the top.

Cook on low for 4-5 hours. Serve over jasmine rice.

Fettuccini with Shrimp and Fresh Tomatoes

Ah, it's nice to be back!  It's been vacation time for our household, and I have been out so much I haven't had time to have fun in the kitchen.  Last week we were at the beach for 9 days.  Yes I cooked there, but I hate cooking in the vacation rental kitchens, it's absolutely no fun. There are weird pots and none of my handy kitchen gadgets. On vacation I revert to a method cooking that I rarely employ at home.  I try to use as few ingredients as possible, do very little chopping and creating, and even rely on processed foods.  Yes, that includes jar pasta sauce, oh how far we can sink for convenience. I did bring a few things like a zip lock bag with my homemade oven fried chicken coating and some fresh corn from my CSA box. That was a good easy meal; I'll need to think about more home pre-prep, next time.

Anyway, we are back and just in time because it's Tomato season!  Nothing says summer like a fresh tomato and this week's CSA box had tons.  There were gorgeous large red slicing tomatoes, cute multicolored cherry tomatoes, and a huge batch of yellow plum tomatoes.  For this recipe you could any of them, but I decided on a mix of the red and yellow tomatoes. There were also onions, basil and zucchini in the box so I added them to the party.

This recipe, in some ways is a take off of Pappardelle with Corn and Tomatoes, I like how the wine and veggie broth are added to make the sauce. I do this often, I find a method or mix that works then I change it around to fit different ingredients, no need to recreate the wheel every time I cook something new.

 Fettuccini with Shrimp and Fresh Tomatoes

2 teaspoons olive oil
5 tablespoons butter
1 lb shrimp, shelled and deveined
12 ounces Fettuccini
1 large zucchini, quartered and sliced thin
¼ Vidalia onion, sliced thin
4-5 vine ripe tomatoes, cut into cubes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup vegetable broth
2 tablespoons basil, chopped
kosher salt
black pepper

In large wok or skillet melt 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 teaspoon olive oil.  Add the shrimp and sauté until the shrimp turn pink.  Remove from pan and set aside.

Cook the pasta as the package directs. Meanwhile

Over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter and the rest of the olive oil in the same pan. Add the onion and cook for 2-3 minutes until the onion begins to soften.  Add the zucchini and cook 3-4 minutes longer.  Add the tomatoes, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 pepper, cook for 3-4 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook for another minute.  Add the wine and reduce for 5 minutes.

Add the shrimp and the broth to the skillet and allow it to simmer for 1 minute.  Add the pasta, 1/2 teaspoon salt and the remaining butter to the skillet.  Stir and add more broth if needed to help combine the ingredients. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with the basil.

Roasted Eggplant with Mozzarella and Roasted Yellow Pepper

Once again I am happy to introduce guest blogger, Erica Wissolik, who is sharing a roasted eggplant recipe that looks super tasty and extremely easy! She’s got some great cookbook references, as well as some advice regarding gender identification in eggplants; all presented with her wonderfully entertainingly sense of style. Enjoy!

Love me some eggplant.  Ok, so it’s in that “inflammatory food” category.  But whatever….so are tomatoes and I’m not going to stop eating either of them.

I also love Yotam Ottelgenghi. I highly recommend ALL of his cookbooks to those of you who love to crawl in bed and read cookbooks… and cook as well.  I have a couple of them and I've worked my way through almost all of his recipes.  I've also eaten in his London restaurants and they are a MUST if you find yourself traipsing around Soho or the Portobello Road Flea Market, EAT!!  They are super child-friendly (he’s got one of his own), not expensive, and YUMMY!  The only other cookbook that I've worked that much is the Balthazar book, which is also just a great read in addition to having great recipes.  Yotam’s latest, Jerusalem, cracks me up because he talks about the Jews in his hometown who knew where to find the butchers that had the pork in the back room. You can find videos of him online and he does a regular column in the Guardian newspaper.

I found a recipe in one of the cookbooks called Plenty, but as is usual for me, I read, then closed the book. I bought the ingredients and came back a few days later to make it according to memory and taste. This is one of his recipes based on eggplants, peppers and cheese.

Roasted Eggplant with Mozzarella and Roasted Yellow Pepper

“Broast” (Who remembers Whitey’s in Arlington?) one large yellow pepper, cut in half and cleaned of the seeds, in a toaster oven, for about 10-20 minutes until the skin starts to blister and darken. (I live in a 14th street condo so I try to not use the large oven as much as possible.)  I think any color of pepper would work but the yellow pepper works nicely with the red tomatoes and purple of the eggplant. When the pepper is broasted, cut it into small fingernail-sized pieces and set aside.

Take a small package of cherry tomatoes.  Cut in half and put in sauce pan.

Add about 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar.

Cut a small handful of thyme (assuming you’re lucky to have space to be growing thyme). Otherwise, there’s always the grocery store.  Add the thyme stems to the sauce pan.

If you like your life spicy, add a chopped jalapeno, cayenne or other chile pepper.

Simmer the tomatoes, balsamic and thyme (and pepper) until it slightly thickens and the tomatoes soften.  This should take about 25 min on a low heat – about 2-4 on your stove knob.  You don’t want to totally cook the tomatoes into mush but you do want to reduce some of the liquid in the vinegar and the tomatoes.  The thyme stems will eventually lose some of their leaves and if you have the patience, you can pull out the stems.  Or you can simply keep them in until the end and your audience can pick them out.  I think it’s better to leave them in.

While the tomatoes are doing their thing, take one large, lovely eggplant and slice it into rounds, about ½ inch thick.  Did you know that eggplants supposedly come in male and female versions?  I haven’t researched this but I’m told that if you want less seeds, look for eggplants that have a slight protrusion on the bottom and avoid the ones that have an indentation.  Maybe someone was pulling my leg but it seems to work.

Use your hands to smear olive oil all over the eggplant rounds.  And yes, use your hands because olive oil is good for your skin.

My little brother gave me a George Foreman Grill (http://www.georgeforemancooking.com/) for Christmas one year and while I don’t eat a lot of grilled meat, it does come in handy in situations like this. It’s actually awesome for grilling veggies and fish.  If you have a griddle pan that has ridges use that.  Grill the eggplant rounds. The goal is to partially cook the eggplant while putting some nice grill marks on each round of eggplant.  This takes about 1-2 min for each piece. I could fit and grill 2 pieces at a time.

When the eggplant is all roasted, lay it in a long pan, the kind you might make brownies in.
Add a bit of salt and lots of black crushed pepper to the tops of the eggplant rounds. As always, these two ingredients are added “to taste.”

Plop some globs of fresh mozzarella cheese on each round.  If you like cheese, use lots.  I used 2-3 quarter sized blobs for each round of eggplant.

Pour the tomato balsamic sauce over the rounds.

Sprinkle the chopped roasted yellow pepper over the whole thing and put into a 350 degree for 25 minutes.

I served with whole wheat pasta but a very handsome man said, “This would make a great sandwich on semolina bread too!”

Erica is a former Pittsburgher and go-go dancer, currently living and working in DC as a lobbyist for science and technology issues.  "I cook because I like to know where my food comes from, how it was raised and grown, and because I enjoy inventing my own recipes." 

Egg Battered Grilled Cheese and Tomato Sandwich

It's finally tomato season and I have a nice bowl full of them on my counter.  These are fresh local grown tomatoes, nothing like what they sell in the grocery store. I used to grow my own, but I hate the heat and the bugs and it seems like each year right when the harvest comes in, I am away on vacation.  So this year I decided to plant herbs and rely on my CSA and local farmers market for this summer time delicacy.

When it comes to good fresh tomatoes, the key is to play up the fresh flavor. Certainly, just sliced with a drizzle of olive oil and salt and pepper is great.  Add some fresh mozzarella and basil and that's even better. I also like to chop a few and toss them in with some pasta; you can add butter or olive oil, salt and pepper and grated parmesan and there's your meal. But one of my favorites is a grilled cheese and tomato sandwich.

This isn't just any old grilled cheese sandwich, this sandie is dipped in egg and grilled in a bit of olive oil flavored with garlic. Yum.

Egg Battered Grilled Cheese and Tomato Sandwich

olive oil
1 clove garlic, sliced in half
2 slices bread
mayo
hoagie pepper spread
3 slices Havarti or other favorite cheese
1 nice sized tomato, thinly sliced
2-3 fresh basil leaves, chopped
1 egg, beaten with a splash of milk

Drizzle a small amount of olive oil in a non-stick pan over med-low heat.  At the garlic, sliced sides down.

Meanwhile put together the sandwich. Spread one slice of bread with the may and hot peppers.  Lay down one slice of cheese then half of the tomato slices, sprinkle with half the basil.  Cover with another slice of cheese and repeat the process, ending with the third slice of cheese.  Remove the garlic slices and rub the outside of the bread with the cooked side of the garlic.

Turn the heat up to medium high. Dip the sandwich into the beaten egg and then brown on each side until cheese is melted and the outside is golden. Enjoy. Then make another one.

Grilled Chicken Breasts and Yukon Gold Potatoes

Grilling is just like any other cooking process, it can be simple or complicated and the possibilities are endless.  Today's recipes are on the simple side, even though you need a little lead time for preparation. Unless you're going for burgers and dogs, and really aren't most of us sick of these things by now, good grilling takes some up front time.  It doesn't have to be a Herculean effort, but take the time you need to get flavors infused into your food. Get this recipe started about an hour or two before you are ready to grill.  At that point most of work will be done and you can relax with and have a beer with your friends while you are cooking.

Don't have garlic scapes? Use garlic cloves (half as much) or scallions (twice as much).  Use any herbs you have on hand.

Grilled Chicken Breasts

chicken breasts, flattened

2 garlic scapes, chopped

Several sprigs of marjoram, chopped

Several sprigs of lemon thyme, chopped

Kosher salt

pepper

olive oil

water

white wine vinegar

Pound the chicken breasts to tenderize them and then place them in a gallon size zip lock bag. Blend the marinade ingredients with an immersion blender on in a regular blender.  Pour the marinade over the chicken and make sure all the chicken pieces are well covered. Marinate for 1 hour or more. Grill the chicken breast over indirect heat for 10-12 minutes or until cooked through. let sit for 5 minutes before serving or carving.

Grilled Yukon Gold Potatoes

Yukon Gold Potatoes, cubed and parboiled
several sprigs of dill, roughly chopped

4 garlic scapes cut in 1-2 inch pieces

white wine vinegar

olive oil

Kosher salt

pepper

Parboil the potatoes, drain and cool. Toss the the potatoes with the remaining ingredients and refrigerate until ready to grill.  Using a pan with slots created for use on the grill and grill the potatoes over medium heat until nicely browned.

Refrigerated Pickled Veggies

Now that summer is in full swing there is an abundance of fabulous fresh veggies.  So many in fact, it can be hard to eat them all before they go bad.  We got some luscious little white and green pickling cucumbers in the last few CSA boxes, so I decided pickling them along with a few other veggies could be a good way to preserve them a bit longer.  

Now I know absolutely nothing about canning and it seems a bit intimidating, so I did a bit of research and found tons of recipes for refrigerator pickles.  A much easier process, that will will keep your veggies for up to 2 months. That's the ticket!  

One thing that many of the research recipes had in common was an incredible amount of sugar.  It's something I always try to cut back on in recipes, so my recipes uses much less than others, working on the savory side side rather than the sweet side.

You can put these in pretty picking jars, but since I don't own anything like that I just used a nice airtight container. Also these are just the veggies I had on hand, use whatever you have.  Most veggies can be used raw, but harder veggies like beets and carrots will need to be cooked a bit first to soften them so they will absorb the flavor better. This recipe includes jalapeno peppers which gives the mix a nice kick, if you don't want it spicy, just leave them out.

Refrigerated Pickled Veggies

1/2 teaspoon olive oil

kosher salt and pepper

6 cloves garlic, peeled and left whole

2 cups cider vinegar

2 1/4 cups water

1/4 cup sugar

1/8 cup kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1/2 teaspoon celery seeds

few sprigs fresh dill

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

1 teaspoon black peppercorns

1 sweet onion, sliced

1 summer squash, sliced

6-8 pickling cucumbers, sliced

2 jalapenos, sliced

4 beets, roasted then peeled and sliced

Wash and scrub the beets, removing the tops and tails.  Place them on a piece of foil large enough to create a tent for baking.  Drizzle a bit of olive oil on top then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Tent the foil, sealing the edges well and roast the beets in a in 375 degree oven for 50 minutes. Remove them from the oven and open the foil allowing the beets to cool. Once the beets are cool, peel and slice them. 

In the meantime in a large sauce pan add the vinegar, water, kosher salt, sugar and garlic cloves to the pan. Heat over medium heat stirring to dissolve the sugar and salt.

Put the crushed red pepper, celery seeds, fresh dill, mustard seeds, black peppercorns in the bottom of an airtight container, or divide them among your containers if using more than one.  Pull the garlic out of the vinegar mixture and them to the container. Then pack the veggies into the container(s) really tight. Make sure the vinegar mixture is at a boil then pour it over the veggies, leaving just a bit of room at the top. Tap the container on the counter a few times to remove all the air bubbles and then seal.  Let the container sit on your counter until completely cool and then refrigerate.  You can eat these the next day, but the longer the sit (for up to 2 months), the better they will taste.

Bitter Melon with Egg

Today I am happy to introduce my first guest blogger, Erica Wissolik, a long time friend of mine who shares the love of cooking. She's cooking up bitter melon, something I have seen in the market, but have yet to try.  After reading this, it's going on my shopping list!

I am positive that every cook loves to discover new ingredients.  It’s one thing to discover new ways to cook familiar ingredients – but the lovely surprise that comes from being introduced to a whole new ingredient that you end up craving, is better than chocolate.

Last year, a new friend/ colleague from Thailand visited DC.  She had been on the road for awhile and was missing her kitchen.  So I begged her to come over to my place and cook.  We hit the Dupont Farmer’s market in the morning, and drove out to H&A Supermarket in Langley Park, MD in the afternoon.  OMG.  Food exists that I never imagined!  Tiny eggplants, spices, etc… and this thing…the bitter melon.  It’s also called: African Cucumber,Balsam Pear, Balsam-Apple,  Bitter Apple, and Bitter Cucumber. On the interesting side, I just googled it and webmd.com says this about the melon:

“Bitter melon is used for various stomach and intestinal disorders including gastrointestinal (GI) upset, ulcers, colitis, constipation, and intestinal worms. It is also used for diabetes, kidney stones, fever, a skin condition called psoriasis, and liver disease; to start menstruation; and as supportive treatment for people with HIV/AIDS. Bitter melon contains a chemical that acts like insulin to help reduce blood sugar levels.”

Some people love it so much they created the National Bitter Melon Council. http://bittermelon.org/  These guys say that, “Humans, unlike other mammals, are the only creatures to have developed a palate (or taste) for bitterness. Bitterness defines our humanity!”

Human attributes aside, the bitter taste is not for everyone and you definitely need a palate that likes bitter as well, as if not more than, sweet. I will eat a whole lemon over a chocolate chip cookie! So when my Thai friend whipped up this egg and bitter melon yumminess, I was hooked.  While I was in Bangkok this past March, I begged again for her to cook for me and make specifically, this dish.  It’s easy and I am told it can be altered to add ground meats, chiles, and other yummy items as you wish.

So here you go…

Bitter Melon with Egg
All measurements are to taste.  If you like salt use more!

3 medium sized bitter melons – about 7-8 inches long, 3-4 inches around.

Cut the melons in half long ways and clean out the seeds with a spoon. This is much easier than it sounds.  Rinse the melons and slice thinly.

In a large pan, preferably one with high sides, put 3-5 tablespoons of oil. I used safflower that I had mixed with spicy harissa.  If you’re not a spicy soul, leave out the chiles and use a simple oil – not olive because it can be too flavorful.

Heat the oil on low, adding 2 large, minced garlic cloves.

Brown the garlic a bit, about 5 min. *if* you’re really on low – about 2-3 on your stove knob.

Toss in the sliced bitter melon with about ½ tsp salt.

Turn heat up a bit, going to maybe 5 or 6 on your knob. Cook the bitter melon in the garlic oil for about 10-12 minutes, stirring and tossing every 2 min. or so.  The melon still start to get a bit translucent in parts and soften up.

Crack open 3 small or 2 large eggs and dump them on top of the melon.

Immediately toss and stir fry, mixing well.  Cook for another few minutes until the eggs are well cooked and become just small bits among the melon.

Serve with rice as a side dish to an awesome Thai curry, or eat on its own.  You’ll be happy either way.

Erica is a former Pittsburgher and go-go dancer, currently living and working in DC as a lobbyist for science and technology issues.  "I cook because I like to know where my food comes from, how it was raised and grown, and because I enjoy inventing my own recipes." 

Kale and Mushroom Lasagna Roll-ups

When you support your local farmers though a CSA program you get veggies that you don't normally buy.  I think this a good thing, it gets me thinking outside of the box.  But sometimes those veggies are not a big hit with the family.  The first time we got kale, it flopped.  Steamed and sauteed with some olive oil and salt and pepper, it was too strong for everyone including me. Well anyone who gets a CSA box knows you're going to get some kale, in fact you are going to get a lot of it.  That means creativity needs to come into play.

I have found that kale goes over best in my house when it's pulverized to bits, such as in a winter pesto.  Another way is in these yummy lasagna roll-ups.  I found this recipe on Pinterest (of course) and it has become a regular in the rotation. As usual I adapted the recipe to fit my family's tastes and my cooking style.


Kale and Mushroom Lasagna Roll-ups
Adapted from Skinny Taste.com (Mushroom Kale Lasagna Rolls)

Sauce:
6 cloves garlic crushed
2 T olive oil
Several fresh basil leaves thinly sliced
2 -28 cans crushed tomatoes
¼ cup red wine
salt and pepper
2 T. Honey

15 lasagna noodles

Filling:
5 cups kale, thoroughly rinsed, stems removed, roughly chopped
8 oz mushrooms, roughly chopped
1 tsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
15 oz part skim ricotta cheese
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1 egg
Kosher salt and black pepper
6 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, shredded

Start with the sauce.  Heat oil in sauté pan over medium heat and add garlic, stir for a minute or two.  Add the remaining sauce ingredients and allow it to simmer

Cook the lasagna noodles according following the instructions on the package.

In a food processor, pulse kale a few times until chopped.

In large skillet, sauté the garlic in oil for about 1 minute.  Add the kale, salt and pepper and sauté 5 minutes more minutes. Then add the mushrooms, cooking and additional 5 minutes or so. Season to taste with salt and pepper

Place the kale in a medium bowl and add the mushrooms mixture, ricotta, Parmesan cheese, egg, salt and pepper. Stir to combine

Preheat oven to 350° and ladle about 1 cup sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 12 baking dish.

Working with about 3 noodles at time lay the noodles flat on cutting board or other surface. Spread out 1/3 cup of the filling across each noodle. Roll each noodle up and place in the pan, allowing a bit of space between each roll up. Continue this process until all the noodles are used.  Cover the roll ups with the desired amount of sauce, saving a bit for serving. Cover the pan with foil and bake for about 35 minutes.  Remove the foil and sprinkle the mozzarella on top. Return the pan to oven bake another 5 minutes.  Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

Short Ribs in the Crock Pot

With all this talk of vegetarian cooking, it might surprise you to see today's post of beef short ribs. I am not opposed to eating meat, it's good stuff.  The issues are how much of it we eat and how it is sourced.  I used to buy lots of meat on sale, put it in my freezer and then thaw it as I needed to use it.  I haven't completely stopped this practice, but I have severely cut back on it. More and more these days, as my budget allows, I buy less meat but much better quality meat.  Local, organic meat, like these short ribs.

Short ribs are rich, yes dare I say a bit fatty, so you don't need many per portion. Serve this dish with some rice to soak up the broth and add two green sides and you're done.  Some beef and lots of plant based foods to fill the plate.

These ribs are cooked in the Crock Pot. Don't let that fool you into thinking we just throw it all in and they come out looking so browned and beautiful.  Mistake number one with Crock Pot/slow cooker cooking is skipping the browning step with the meat. It's hard to do it when you are cooking a whole chicken, but with most pieces of meat the few minutes it takes to brown your meat on the stove (and yes one more pan to quickly wash) is more than worth it.

Short Ribs in the Crock Pot

Short ribs, enough for 3 per serving
olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
2 teaspoons tomato paste
1/2 cup red wine
1 teaspoon flour
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
kosher salt and black pepper to taste

In a medium skillet over medium high heat, brown the short ribs in a scant amount of olive oil, using tongs to move the ribs to the crock pot. Discard half of drippings and in the remaining drippings saute the onion for about 2 minutes. Swirl in the tomato paste, red wine, flour, Worcestershire sauce and salt and pepper. Stir in 1 cup of water and then pour the mixture over the ribs in the crock pot. Cook on high 5-6 hours.

Pappardelle with Corn and Tomatoes

I am sure that I have shared my family's desire to change the balance of meat and veggies in our diet.  Turning the tables to make sure we eat a lot less meat and a lot more veggies. Last week I made the meal in the picture above and it was a big hit, claiming a spot in the rotation. I found this recipe on the Food Network, and made some small changes to fit our tastes.  The star of this dish is not the pasta, but the corn.  This is the time of year for this dish, fresh local corn is everywhere. In the winter we may have to try frozen corn (on the cob), but I am sure it won't be the same.

I find that if I allow it, many of my vegetarian selections rely on a hearty amount of pasta.  I love pasta, but this is not what I want to fill up on instead of meat. The whole point of less meat is more veggies, so this meal cuts back the quantity pasta in the original recipe.  Instead of making this a one dish meal, I used wonderful fresh veggies from our CSA box to fill our plates. The fresh spinach was steamed and dressed with a drizzle of olive oil and salt and pepper, while the English peas were also steamed and dressed with a small amount of butter an salt. Just because you are serving a vegetarian main dish doesn't mean you should skip good sides!

Pappardelle with Corn and Tomatoes
(Adapted from Food Network's Pappardelle With Corn)

3 ears corn, shucked
5 tablespoons butter
3 vine ripe tomatoes, cut into cubes (use fresh local summer tomatoes when available)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small purple onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup white wine
9 ounces pappardelle pasta
1/2 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons flat leaf parsley, chopped
kosher salt
black pepper

Cook the corn in boiling salted water for about 4 minutes.  Remove the corn the corn to cool and reserve the water, keeping it at a low boil.

Over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in large skillet. Once melted, add the tomatoes, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 pepper, cook for 3-4 minutes.  Add the onion, cook for another minute and then add the garlic and cook for another minute.  Add the wine and and reduce for 5 minutes.

Once the corn is cool, cut the kernels off the cob.  Cook the pasta as the package directs in the same water used to cook the corn. Remove about 1 cup of the water and reserve before draining the pasta.

Add the corn and broth to the skillet and allow to simmer for 1 minute.  Add the pasta, parmesan 1/2 teaspoon salt and the remaining butter to the skillet.  Stir and add the reserved cooking water to help combine the ingredients. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with the parsley.