Jack's 1st birthday party cake

Kale-Almond Pesto

Pesto!
Top it on crostinis! use it as a sauce for fettuccine! Pesto! This is a recipe for using up greens in a fun way and to also teach you how to break your blender and then going to buy a food processor.

Ingredients

• 1 bunch of kale (thick stems removed)
• 2/3 cups almonds, unsalted, unroasted
• 1/2 to 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped.
• 1/2 cup olive oil (or more for a smoother pesto)
• salt & pepper to taste 
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• grated smoked gouda cheese

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Fill a large bowl with ice and water.
2. Blanch kale for about 30 seconds, remove and place in the ice bath to stop the cooking process.
3. Dry the kale a bit, squeeze out some of excess water and set on a towel for a few minutes more. 
4. add the almonds to the blender and blend until finely chopped. Remove.
5. Add all the olive oil and about 25% of the  kale and blend intermittently, scrapping down the sides and stirring. Add a little kale at a time, pulsing and stirring. Add the garlic and almonds, and salt and pepper. Instead of pulsing like you were supposed to, leave the blender on high and walk away and come back only when you realize that a weird plasticy smoke is coming from your kitchen.

Curry Cauliflower with Purple Sticky Rice

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October 17 2011

I decided to add this to my blog practically 2 years ago, but apparently, never finished. Nor could i find the recipe. So, after scouring the internet for the closet option, I came across this: http://www.chow.com/recipes/29423-curried-cauliflower-chickpeas-and-tofu

But, there is an evil word in there. You can take a wild guess what I omitted (That's right, FU, Tofu!)

So here's their recipe, altered:

INGREDIENTS

• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
• 2 medium garlic cloves, minced to a paste
• 3 teaspoons yellow curry powder
• Kosher salt
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1 1/2 pounds cauliflower (about 1 medium head), trimmed and cut into 1-inch florets including the greens
• Freshly ground black pepper
• purple sticky rice for serving(from Cleveland's West Side Market)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Sautee the onion and garlic, until translucent, about 10 minutes and add the curry powder.
2. Add the chickpeas, cauliflower, greens, and the remaining water. Cover and cook until the cauliflower is tender, about 15 to 20 minutes.

The Turnip, The Whole Turnip, and Nothin But the Turnip, So Help Me God Flatbread

This recipe happened because 1) I wanted to use the whole turnip (not just the root, but the greens as well) and 2) It was 75 degrees outside and just had to use my grill. The majority of the ingredients came from the Green Grocer in Chicago, so this one of the more sustainable flat breads I ever made! The secret to a perfectly grilled flat bread is to pre-cook all the ingredients before assembling the flat bread. Addmittedly, this picture is that of a pre-made crust. It was really good, but I am including a recipe for flatbread, as it is also phenomenal, albeit EXTREMELY time-consuming.  Wine pairing was Riff Pinot Grigio, Italy.

FLATBREAD

Ingredients

3 1/2 to 4 cups bread flour, plus more for rolling (read flour, unlike white flour, will give you a cripsy crust, vs. a chewier crust)

1 teaspoon sugar
1 envelope instant dry yeast
2 teaspoons kosher salt
herbs of your choosing
1 1/2 cups warm/ hot water

2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

In a bowl with the warm water, dissolve the sugar and then sprinkle the yeast on top. Watch the yeast do it's thing and after about 20 minutes, the yeast should foam. (Meaning that you activated the yeast and they started eating the sugar and now they are hungry and ready for more!) A tip I was told is that it should smell "yeasty", or to me, like a brewery. If your yeast doesn't foam, you may have expired yeast, and may need to retry this step with new yeast.

In a stand mixer fitted with the bread hook, add the bread flour, salt, and chopped of herbs (basil or sage, for example) and mix a bit on low to combine. Make a well in the flour and add the yeast-water and mix again on low. While the dough hook is doing all the work for you, you lazy S.O.B., drizzle in the olive oil. Sit on your lazy but, watching the mixer do all the work until it forms a ball. Sticky dough? Add a bit more flour.  Too dry? Add water. 

Now the part when I start swearing a lot. Take the ball of dough onto a lightly floured surface, with your also lightly floured hands.  Knead the dough until it springs back at you. (Push the ball of dough with a fist and rotate 90 degrees, and push down again. repeat, repeat, etc. Flip the dough over and repeat).

In a well-oiled large bowl, add the kneaded dough and cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise at room temperature for an hour or so. It should double in size.  Before taking the dough onto a lightly floured surface, give it a good punch to deflate it a little bit.  Then, divide in 2 pieces and form into balls and cover with a damp cloth for a while. If you can poke it and makes an indent, it's ready to go. Add semolina or corn meal to a pan and roll out the dough until it stretches to the shape of the pan.

TURNIP TOPPINS

Ingredients

1 bunch turnips (about 3 medium to large, with greens)
3 TBSP olive oil
2 cups shredded cheese of the melty variety (Mozzarella, Provolone, Fontina, or a combo of all 3 if possible!)

Directions
Preheat grill to about 450 and add a layer of aluminum foil.

Trim the green and remove large stems. Blanch in a pot of boiling water for just 30 seconds. Drain and dunk in an ice bath to stop the cooking. Ring out the excess water and set aside.

Peel the turnips and slice into 1/8" tick circles. Toss in with 1/2 TSBP olive oil, salt, and pepper. Place turnip slice on preheated grill and roast for just 5 minutes per side.

Drizzle the remaining olive oil on the flat bread and the add the turnip greens, spreading evenly throughout. Sprinkle the cheese and then add the turnips. Grill at 450 for about 10/ 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the crust is crispy.

Squash and Broccoli Lasagna

Squash & Broccoli Lasagna with Béchamel

At the end of my produce share, and after Christmas, I find my refrigerator bursting with odds-and-ends. So, I put out a request for help what to do with a mish-mash of broccoli, heavy cream, butter,  acorn squash, cream cheese, shallots, and garlic. Thanks to my mother-in-law-in-law (is that even a thing? My sister's mother-in-law. Lets just say friend) Mo, she steered me in the lasagna direction. All I can say is- good job, Mo! So I google "squash lasagna" and made this. Wouldn't ya know it- I have no idea where that recipe is anymore. So I am going to have to improvise, although this recipes from the NY Times sounds close enough to me. Hopefully it works!

 

 

What-To-Get

1 acorn squash

3 large minced shallots 

1 minced garlic clove

3 cups broccoli floretts

1/2 package lasagna noodles

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3 cups heavy cream  or milk or half-and-half

4 oz cream cheese

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

4 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (1 cup) 

How-To-Do

1. Roast the squash: Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the squash in half and remove seeds. Brush the insides with olive oil and salt and pepper. Place cut-side down in a rimmed baking dish and fill with 1-inch of water. Roast in oven 45 minutes - 1 hour or until tender when pierced with fork. Allow to cool and remove skin and cut into 1-inch chunks.

2. Make the béchamel: Heat the remaining oil over medium heat in a heavy medium saucepan. Add the shallot and garlic and cook, stirring, until it has softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring, for about 3 minutes, until the mixture is smooth and bubbling, but not browned. It should have the texture of wet sand. Whisk in the cream all at once and bring to a simmer, whisking all the while, until the mixture begins to thicken. Add cream cheese until melted. Turn the heat to very low and simmer, stirring often with a whisk and scraping the bottom and edges of the pan with a rubber spatula, for 10 to 15 minutes, until the sauce is thick. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.

3. Boil noodles & broccoli: In a large pot of salted boiling water fitted with a basket steamer, add broccoli and blanch for no more than 3 minutes, until bright green.  remove broccoli and steamer basket. Add lasagna noodles and cook 2 minutes short of package directions. Drain.

4. Assemble & bake lasagna: Spread some of the béchamel in a bottom of a 8x8 baking dish, just until the bottom is covered. Lay noodles across and then add squash and broccoli, top with béchamel and parmeasean cheese. Repeat until you tower of lasagna has reached its peak. Bake at 350 for 1 hour or until the cheese is melty and bubbly. (It freezes well- make the lasagna and do not bake it. When ready to eat- take out of freezer hours before and bake at 350, over an hour.)

 

Curried Pumpkin Soup with Mini Grilled Cheese n Apple Sammies

(Originally from September 18, 2012)  
It's that time of year again: my favorite food time- fall! What goes better with chilly weather than soup n sandwiches? For this recipe, I used a pie pumpkin from my produce share for the soup and featured the (small) apples in the grilled cheese. Aw, poor apples. you did not have a good growing season, did you? That's ok, I'll slather you with cheese and eat you anyway.

Curried Pumpkin-Apple Soup, directly from Spoonful.com

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• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1/2 large apple, peeled, cored, and chopped
• 2 teaspoons mild curry powder
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1 1/2 cups solidly packed pumpkin mash or canned pumpkin
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
• 1 whole bay leaf
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 2 to 3 tablespoons honey

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1. Melt the butter in a medium-size soup pot. Stir in the onion, celery, and apple. Partially cover the pot and sauté the ingredients over medium-high heat until the onion is clear, about 8 minutes. Stir in the curry powder and sauté the mixture for another minute. Stir in 1 cup of chicken broth and cook it for 1 minute more.
2. Pour the contents of the pan into a blender or food processor, add the pumpkin, and puree the soup until it's smooth.
3. Pour it all back into the pot, then stir in the remaining chicken broth, the salt, and the bay leaf. Set the soup over medium-high heat and bring it to a simmer, stirring occasionally.
4. After 5 minutes, stir in the heavy cream and 2 tablespoons of honey. Taste the soup, adding more salt or honey if necessary to get the desired balance of sweet and savory. Simmer it for 2 minutes more, remove the soup from the heat, and serve it hot. For a pretty -- and tasty -- touch, garnish each bowl with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of chopped chives. Makes 6 servings.

 

Apple and Aged Cheddar Grilled Cheese Recipe, directly from chow.com

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INGREDIENTS

•     1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
•     2 (1/2-inch-thick, 4-1/2-by-2-1/2-inch-long) slices walnut bread
•     1 ounce extra-sharp aged cheddar cheese, thinly sliced
•     3 thin slices crisp, tart apple, such as Granny Smith

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat a large frying pan over medium-low heat. Meanwhile, spread butter on one side of each slice of bread.
2. Once the pan is warm, add one slice of bread, buttered side down, then top with half of the cheese, all of the apple slices, and finally the remaining cheese. Close the sandwich with the second slice of bread, buttered side up.
3. Cook until the bread is toasted and the cheese is melted, about 3 minutes per side.

Tortilla Española

Tortilla Española and Pan con Tomate

Catalonian Cuisine

Or, you can call this the best garbage meal. I had a dozen and a half eggs from an over zealous plan to make Christmas cookies, couple pounds of potatoes from my produce share and left over french bread and random veggies from a NYE party. So what other combination could I possibly make! I learned the art of pan con tomate (or simply bread n' tomatoes) from a small restaurant in the small, medieval town of Rupit, Spain. Most modern tapas restaurnts I've been to do a fancy version where the bread is toasted, or the tomatoes are roasted, etc. However, this Catalonian version uses over ripe tomatoes and stale bread and transforms into an amazing tapa. (I highly recommend visiting Rupit if you ever find yourself in the Barcelona/ Pyrenees region with these folks: www.spanish-trails.com/)

I've  always had problems with egg dishes in the past, especially ones that involve flipping, like omelets or the tortilla española. So when I found this recipe that did not involved and flipping, I was excited but also skeptical. I thought all tortilla españolas needed to be flipped. I was wrong. This dish turned out fantastic and no flipping needed. I will never make tortilla española any other way again! This recipe is adapted from "International Cuisine" by Jenny Macveigh (Delmar, Cengage Learning, Clifton, NY, 2009).

Tortilla Española

Ingredients

3 baking potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/4" thick (mandoline slicer works great)
2-3 large shallots, thinly sliced
4 oz roasted red bell pepper, sliced thin
7 eggs
2 tsp pimentón (Spanish Paprika, hot)
salt & pepper to taste
extra virgin olive oil

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Heat a oven safe saute pan (like the Le Creuset 3 1/2 qt braiser) over medium-high heat with some olive oil (enough to coat the bottom, and then some). Working in batches, pan fry the potato slices until golden brown, each side. Remove the browned potatoes with a slotted spoon, keeping most of the oil in the pan. Add more oil if necessary. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Meanwhile in a medium bowl, whisk the eggs until fluffy and stir in the pimentón and red pepper.
4. After all potatoes are browned, remove the potatoes and deglaze the pan with about 1/4 cup dry white whine and add the shallots. Cook until translucent, about 5 minutes.
5. Turn off the heat from the stove and add shallots to egg mixture.
6. If there still is oil in the pan, do not add more. Layer the potatoes in the pan by overlapping them in concentric circles, starting at the outside of the pan and working your way in. The potatoes should yield about 3 layers.
7. Pour the egg mixture on top of the potatoes and bake for 10 minutes at 350, and then turn the oven down to 325 and finish baking for 25 minutes until the edges are golden brown and the egg mixture is set. Serve with aioli.

 

Pan con Tomate

Ingredients

1 loaf of stale french bread
1 or 2 ripe tomoates
best quality extra virgin olive oil
parmeasean cheese, optional

Method

Slice the bread on the bias. Cut the tomato in half and rub juices on the bread. Sprinkle with olive oil and cheese. Eat it. Voila! Repeat until full.

Town of Rupit, Spain