Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Orange Chocolate Chip Cookies

On request, I'm posting the recipe for these decadent morsels that I made for book group last week. I got this recipe from my sister Becky. The recipe I first got from her called for rolling the cookie dough balls in orange peel infused sugar, which makes them pretty and sparkly, but I didn't think the extra sweetness added much to the flavor. I like to make them with mini chocolate chips and roll them in waxed paper, freeze and slice them for a different look. You can shape the log in a square by packing into a wax-paper or aluminum foil box lined with plastic wrap.   Or just make them round.  The freezing step means they work really well as make ahead cookies for the holidays (or any other time of year). I also usually drizzle them with a bit of semi-sweet chocolate for drama. I just love orange and chocolate together. These cookies are nice and buttery and nutty, too.


Orange Chocolate-Chip Cookies

1 c. sugar
2/3 c. butter
1 Tbs. grated orange peel (I'm generous with this)
1 egg
1 3/4 c. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 c. chopped pecans
1 c. chocolate chips



Cream together sugar, butter, orange peel. Beat in the egg until fluffy. Stir in dry ingredients. Stir in chocolate and nuts. Either roll into bar cookies in waxed paper and freeze or roll into 1 1/2" balls, place on ungreased cookie sheet, and flatten to about 1/2" thick. Bake 350 for 9-11 minutes. If desired, when cooled, drizzle with chocolate. Just melt about 1/4 c. chocolate chips in the microwave, stirring every 10 seconds. Place in plastic baggie, cut off a tiny bit of the corner and drizzle over cookies placed close together.

Herbed Turkey Breast with Bacon



So, I couldn't resist buying a turkey back at Thanksgiving, and ended up cooking it in parts instead of as a whole roast bird. I poached the legs in a seasoned broth and used them in mole and chilaquiles and turkey soup (made with that broth), and I boned the breast, rubbed it with herbs and wrapped it in bacon and made this fantastic roast chicken breast. It was dramatic and delicious the first evening, and the leftovers made great sandwiches with avocados, tomatoes, and lettuce. I was very happy with the results. I think it was the best turkey I've ever had. I'm fairly traditional when it comes to Thanksgiving, but I think I might have to give up the whole roast bird in the future for this. It cooks faster, too!

from a recipe in Fine Cooking's November issue:

Roasted Turkey Breast, Porchetta Style

1 tsp. coriander seeds
1 tsp. fennel seeds
1 Tbs. chopped fresh rosemary
2 tsp. chopped fresh sage
3 medium cloves garlic
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 Tbs. olive oil
1 whole skin-on turkey breast (5 to 7 lb.), boned or 2 boneless skin-on turkey breast halves (2 to 3 lb. each)
Eight 1/8-inch-thick pancetta slices, unrolled into strips, or 8 strips thick-cut bacon (I used the bacon since that's what I had)

In a large mortar, pound the coriander and fennel seeds with a pestle to form a coarse powder. Add the rosemary and sage and pound to crush and bruise the herbs. Add the garlic and 1 Tbs. salt and pound until a paste begins to form. Stir in 2 tsp. pepper and 2 Tbs. of the olive oil and set aside.

Pat the turkey breast dry with a paper towel and lay it skin side down on a work surface. Rub half the spice paste over the meat. Turn the turkey over and carefully separate the skin from the meat without tearing the skin. Rub the remaining spice paste under the skin. Reform the breast and tie with 4 to 6 loops of butcher’s twine to make a roll. (If you’re using boneless halves, season the two halves, lay them on top of each other skin side out, and tie them together.) Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 24 hours.

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F.

Heat the remaining 1 Tbs. oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the turkey breast and cook until golden-brown on all sides, about 5 minutes total. Transfer the breast seam side down to a roasting pan fitted with a rack. Crisscross the pancetta or bacon over the top of the breast. Roast until the internal temperature reaches 165°F on an instant-read thermometer, 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hours. Let the turkey breast rest for 15 to 20 minutes.

Remove the pancetta and chop or crumble it. Remove the strings from the turkey, slice into 1/4-inch slices, and serve, sprinkled with the pancetta.

Is it possible to have too many truffles?






I think the answer might be yes. Most certainly, it's possible to make too many. Remind me never to make so many in one day ever again. It stopped being fun about halfway through. However, I'm sure I'll start to forget that by tomorrow when I'm enjoying eating them. We followed the recipe in Fine Cooking, and used Ghirardelli's dark chocolate chips in the ganache and Trader Joe's pound plus chocolate bars for dipping. They take a lot longer to make than I expected, but then we ended up making more than I expected, too. About 200? Plus dipped strawberries and ginger and dried apricots.

We just had to try all our flavor combo ideas:
mint with peppermint on top
dark chocolate orange
Mexican (cinnamon almond)
hazelnut
Irish creme
Ancho chile
wasabi and ginger

If I ever do this again, I'm not doing more than 2 flavors.

Here's Fine Cooking's interactive create your own truffle recipe.

Merry Christmas!

Sunday, December 19, 2010

A Lighter Macaroni and Cheese

No bunless hotdogs this week. I even tried some new recipes and started replenishing my freezer stash.

You'd never guess this recipe from Ellie Krieger has a substantial amount of butternut squash in it. It has all the comfort of homemade mac and cheese without being so heavy. It is lightened up a bit with ricotta cheese and the butternut, which adds to the orange color. It's actually easier than traditional homemade mac and cheese (if you don't make the pureed squash from scratch like I did) because you don't have to make a roux for the white sauce base. I didn't have the jack cheese, so I substituted sharp cheddar. I would use extra sharp cheddar in the future for a stronger cheesy flavor, as directed. I put it in two 8 in. square pans, baked one and froze the other (lined with foil so I can pull it out and put it in a plastic bag in the freezer) to bake and eat another week. Broccoli makes a great side dish.

Macaroni and Four Cheeses

16 oz. elbow macaroni
two 10 oz. packages frozen pureed winter squash
2 cups lowfat milk
1 1/3 cups grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese (4 ounces)
2/3 cup grated monterey jack cheese (2 oz)
1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. dry mustard
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
2 Tbs. plain dry bread crumbs
2 Tbs. freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 tsp. olive oil

Preheat the oven to 375. Coat a 9x13 inch (or 2 8x8 in) baking dish with cooking spray.

Cook the macaroni according the package directions. Drain.

Meanwhile, place the frozen squash and milk in a large saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally and breaking up the squash with a spoon until it is defrosted. Turn the heat up to medium and cook until almost simmery, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in the cheddar, jack, ricotta, salt, mustard, and cayenne. Pour over the macaroni, stir to combine, and transfer to the prepared baking dish(es).

Combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan, and oil in a small bowl. Sprinkle over the top of the macaroni and cheese. Bake until the cheeses are bubbling around the edges, about 20 min, then broil for 3 minutes so the top is crisp and nicely browned.

Cranberry Streusel Shortbread Bars


I'm finally done with my Christmas/holiday pottery orders and got work delivered and shipped off on Friday and all my Christmas packages mailed. On Saturday I got to sew with Z and take a good long nap, and I did some Christmas baking today. I had a bit of a preview on Monday, when I made caramel corn and toffee to ship to family, on Tuesday, when I made orange chocolate chip cookies for book group, and on Thursday when I made chocolate covered strawberries for Z's class party. Those turned out beautiful, but I didn't get a single picture. I've never tried tempering chocolate before, but it isn't as difficult as I had thought. We're planning to make some truffles this week, so I'll try to post about that.

I got this fantastic recipe in an email today and I just so happened to need to bring cookies to a Christmas concert this evening and I had fresh cranberries languishing in the bottom of my refrigerator, so I decided to give it a try. These are quite easy, festive, and have a delicious contrast between the tartness of the cranberries and the buttery sweet shortbread. I like the suggestion in the comments to add orange peel to the filling, and will try that next time. These are going on our favorite holiday cookies list. Just be sure to allow the extra time needed for chilling, and watch out to not add too much sugar in the first step (I accidentally added the full cup listed in the ingredients list instead of the 3/4 cup in the instructions, but it turned out great anyway).

http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/cranberry-streusel-shortbread-bars.aspx

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Zuppa Toscana


It hasn't been above freezing for days now, and today seemed particularly bitter out. Even inside, you can feel the cold coming off the walls. A hot, hearty soup was just what we needed to warm up from the inside. Since I knew we had a winter box from the farmer to pick up today, I planned to make Zuppa Toscana to use up some of the giant bunch of kale. I've been meaning to try this soup since the summer, but this was the perfect time of year for it. I cobbled together this recipe from several that I've seen. It was fantastic! So very warming and satisfying. We all agree this is a keeper. The only thing that might have made it better would have been if I'd made some fresh crusty bread and heated up the house even more with the oven.

What are you all doing to stay warm?

Zuppa Toscana

1 lb. mild italian sausage
1 cup onion, chopped
1 Tbs. minced garlic
2 large potatoes, scrubbed and cubed but not peeled (red potatoes are great)
1 quart chicken broth
2-3 cups water, as needed
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes (to taste)
2-3 generous cups of kale, washed, stemmed and cut into small pieces
salt and pepper to taste
1/3 cup heavy cream

Take the sausage out of its casing and crumble and fry it over med-high heat. When it about half cooked, stir in the onion and continue to saute. When the sausage is cooked, spoon out the fat, then return to the heat, add the potatoes and garlic and saute for another 2-3 minutes. Add the chicken broth and 1-2 cups of water and the red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes are nearly tender, about 15-20 minutes. Stir in the kale and salt and pepper if desired. Cook until the kale is tender, about 5 more minutes, adding more water if desired to keep it brothy. Remove from heat and stir in the cream and serve.

All this needs is a good salad and some crusty bread on the side.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Z's booth


Here's a photo of Z's booth at the Holiday Shoppe. She seemed a little disappointed at the end of the evening that she hadn't sold more of her work (she had a few tote bags left over), but that had a lot to do with the fact that she severely underestimated her profits. Once we counted up the cash, she was thrilled. She sold out of her sock animals and made 3 more while girls waited. At one point, when I went to see how things were going, she was sewing away, and there was a girl standing there waiting to buy it as soon as she finished. I saw some pretty happy girls walking around with their sock animals.

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Breathe a sigh of relief




Ok, I don't want to admit what we've been eating lately. My stockpile of prepared foods in the freezer is fine; I can feel good about pulling a lentil soup out of the freezer and microwaving it for lunch. Takeout and frozen pizzas I'll admit to. But the hotdogs without buns microwaved and wolfed down on an evening when it was just C and me at home? That's just wrong. I won't admit to it. Needless to say, I can't exactly write about the recipes I've been trying lately.

I've been working ridiculous hours trying to get pottery prepared in time for the Ellis Holiday Shoppe, with the idea that then I'd also have a good stash of work left to give to PCA for their shop, as well as some to sell out of the studio, etc. I made a ton of work. Or at least half a ton, if you count it by the weight of the clay I used. . .

The holiday shop is over, and after several hours at the school yesterday setting up, a good 13 1/2 hours there today and more hours ahead of me unpacking, I can say that sales were better than expected. Although I can't say that I'm anywhere near making a good hourly wage as a potter, at least I can say that I have finally broken the barrier and have now sold enough to cover my expenses (not counting the kiln) and made $50 profit. I have a good stock of supplies in the studio and the reasonable hope of making some money selling at PCA over the next month, so things can only get better.

I'm exhausted. My whole family is exhausted. I have to wonder if it's worth it. Time to pull my life back together and re-assess. After a good night's sleep.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Orange Ginger Cake


Z turned 13 last week. I can't believe how fast she's growing up. She sometimes seems like such a little girl still (like when she wants to cuddle at bedtime) and at other times she seems so mature. I watched her browsing at Barnes and Noble the other evening, and was struck by how tall and how confident she is.

On Z's request, we had a fantastic birthday party for her at Artists Image Resource, where the girls made images and silkscreened them onto paper, t-shirts, and tote bags. Some of them made some amazing drawings. They were all pretty excited about it and had lots of fun. I heard from one parent that her daughter had worn her t-shirt all weekend. Z is wearing her t-shirt today.

She also requested orange ginger cake with cream cheese frosting. This is what I came up with. I used a recipe for white cake from Beth Johnson. She was in our ward several years ago and made the best tasting decorated cakes I've ever had. I added 2 Tbs. orange zest, 2 Tbs. triple sec (orange liqueur - could use 2 tsp orange extract) and 2 Tbs. chopped crystallized ginger. I was planning to use orange marmalade for the filling, but when I had 6 egg yolks left over from the cake batter, I decided to make some orange curd for the filling. I used a recipe I found online from Emeril Lagasse that called for 6 egg yolks - perfect! Then I added orange zest to the cream cheese frosting and sprinkled crystallized ginger and curls of orange zest on the top to decorate. Z felt there wasn't enough ginger flavor, but most of her friends found it a little frightening as it was, so I think it was fine.

If I were to repeat this, I would skip the cream cheese frosting and use an orange glaze instead - maybe the one from the pan de muertos. The orange curd was maybe the best part, though, so don't skip that. The cream cheese frosting was just a little too overwhelmingly sweet with the rest.

Orange Ginger Cake
(based on Beth Johnson's Sam Houston White Cake)

3/4 cup butter, softenend
2 cups sugar
3 cups flour
1 Tbs. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water
6 egg whites, room temperature
1 1/2 tsp pure almond extract
2 Tbs. orange zest (optional)
2 tsp orange extract (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Prepare three 8 or 9 inch pans (grease and flour the bottoms only - use parchment paper if you have it).

Cream butter in an electric mixer. Gradually add sugar, beating until fluffy. Sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. Combine milk and water. Add flour mixture in fourths to creamed mixture alternately with milk mixture in thirds, mixing after each addition. Stir in almond extract and other flavorings if using.

Beat egg whites with clean beaters in a clean bowl until nearly stiff but not dry peaks. Fold gently into batter. Pour into pans and bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Top of cake will be golden brown, inside will be a beautiful white.

She recommends other variations: use mini semi-sweet chocolate chips and no frosting, baked in a sheet pan. Or add the zest of 2 lemons and 2-3 Tbs. poppyseeds, then fill with lemon curd.

Cool the cake in the pan for 10 minutes, the turn it out and wrap with plastic wrap and put in the freezer. If you're going to leave it in the freezer for more than a day, be sure to double wrap it. By wrapping while it is still warm you prevent moisture from escaping and the cake is not so dry. It's easier to fill and frost the cakes while they are frozen, so based on Beth's advice, I now always bake a cake the day before if I'm going to decorate it.

The filling works best if you pipe a dam of frosting around the edge of each layer before you put in the filling.


Orange Curd

1 1/2 cups freshly squeezed orange juice
6 large egg yolks
6 Tbs. sugar
2 tsp. finely grated orange zest
4 Tbs. unsalted butter, cut in pieces

Set a small heatproof liquid measuring cup next to the stove. Reduce the orange juice in a small saucepan set over medium-high heat to 1/2 cup. Use the measuring cup intermittently to check your volume. Set aside to cool slightly.

Fill a small pot one-third of the way with water and bring to a boil.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the yolks, sugar and orange zest. Slowly add the reduced orange juice while whisking continuously until completely incorporated. Set the bowl over the pot of simmering water. Reduce the heat to medium low. Whisk constantly for 6 to 7 minutes, or until curd thickens and holds its shape when stirred. Remove the curd from the heat and stir in the butter.

Strain the curd through a fine mesh sieve into a metal bowl set over a bowl of ice water. Stir the curd occasionally until cool, about five minutes. Transfer the curd to a small container, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until well chilled. Use within one week.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Ricky's Tortilla Soup

So a while back I promised to do a taste comparison of my two tortilla soup recipes.

And the winner is . . .

Rick Bayless's tortilla soup from Authentic Mexican. It takes a little longer to prepare, but the broth just has so much more depth of flavor. I usually double or triple the soup base, freeze it, and add the last quart of broth to each bag when I thaw it.


Sopa de Tortilla

2 Tbs. oil
1 med. onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1/2 15 oz. can tomatoes, drained
1 1/2 quarts good broth, preferably poultry
4-6 corn tortillas
1/3 c. oil
1-2 cried chiles pasillas
8 oz. cubed Mexican queso fresco or monterey jack
1 large lime, cut in wedges
1 avocado (my addition)
fresh cilantro, chopped (my addition)

1. The broth flavoring: In a medium skillet, heat 1 Tbs. lard or oil over medium low. Add the onion and garlic and fry until deep golden brown - about 12-15 min. Scoop into blender or food processor, add tomato, and process until smooth. Heat the remaining Tbs. oil in the same skillet over medium high. When hot, add the tomato mixture and stir constantly until thick and considerably darker, about 5 minutes. Scrape into large saucepan.

2. Stir the broth into the tomato mixture, partially cover and simmer for 1/2 hour over medium-low heat. Season with salt to taste.

3. The garnishing ingredients: If the tortillas are fresh, let them dry out in a single layer. Slice them in half, then slice the halves cross-wise into 1/4 strips. Heat the 1/3 cup oil in medium-small skillet and fry, turning frequently, until crisp. Drain on paper towels. Cut the chiles into 1-in. squares and fry in the hot oil very briefly, about 3-4 seconds; immediately remove and drain. (I usally just blend some pasilla into the soup base).

4. Assembly: In each bowl, place some cheese, tortilla strips and avocado. Ladle on the hot soup, garnish with cilantro and serve immediately with the lime and chiles on the side. (I usually also add the lime to the frozen soup base to taste so that it's one thing less I have to provide fresh when I serve the soup later).

Edamame Hummus

I've been trying to keep myself moving lately - I feel kind of like I'm in a dream where you can't get your legs and arms to move - kind of sluggish and lazy. It's hard to be motivated to do anything sometimes, but right now I don't know why I'm feeling that way. I'm not depressed, the sun is shining, and I've got lots of interesting things to do. Maybe it's just that the mountain of interesting things to do is a little intimidating. At the top of my list is making pottery; I'm going to be selling work at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts this holiday season. I just dropped off a bunch of work there this morning. Their Holiday Shop opens on Nov. 19th, so if any of you want to come to the opening, please do. I'm very excited to be transitioning into a professional potter and not just a hobbyist, but at the same time I'm a little nervous. Why should I be afraid to go work in the studio? It often takes me until mid afternoon before I can drag myself up there, and then it's hard to leave.

Perhaps as an avoidance technique, I checked out a bunch of books by Ellie Krieger. This delicious recipe comes from her book, The Food You Crave. This one is destined to become a new lunchtime staple in our home! I made it as the recipe instructed (I usually try to do that when I'm first trying a new recipe), but I found the amount of lemon a little too harsh, so I added more of the tofu and edamame to tone it down a bit. So I'd recommend starting with 1/2 the lemon juice and adding more to taste. It packs well in a lunch; we all liked it with baby carrots and rye crispbread crackers. I packed it in individual serving sized containers and popped a couple in the freezer. I think it ought to freeze well, but I'll let you know if it doesn't!

Edamame Hummus

2 cups frozen shelled edamame, cooked according to package directions
1 cup silken tofu, drained
1/2 tsp salt, to taste
pepper to taste
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
3 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 Tbs.)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice, to taste

Set 1 tablespoon of the edamame aside for garnish. Place the rest of the ingredients in the food processor and process until very smooth, about 2 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning with more salt, pepper, and lemon juice, if desired. Refrigerate up to 3 days.

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Pan de Muertos



To celebrate Dia de los Muertos on Tuesday night, we made this delectable pan de muertos from allrecipes.com. It's a chance to think about loved ones who have died and honor their memories. Pan de Muertos is a lot like a challah bread (made with eggs, butter and milk), but flavored with orange peel and a hint of anise, then glazed with an orange glaze. It was much better than the ones we used to get in Mexico! We ate it all up, far too fast.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Rice Lentil Polou


The only problem with these beautiful warm fall days we've been having is that the daylight hours are too short. Just when I realize it's a nice day out, it's time to make dinner and then it gets dark.

I pulled this out of the depths of my recipe box a couple weeks ago, made it, and then spent the next two weeks wishing for more. So I made it again last night. It's somehow very satisfying and comforting, reminiscent of rice pudding, but a little more savory. And you can feel good about eating it. I like the way it looks to serve it in one of my lidded casseroles after it's been baking, and it's nice that it can sit for a while before you eat while you finish up the rest of the meal. It makes good leftovers, too. It doesn't quite make a full meal by itself, so I've been making some kind of a curried vegetable side dish. Try the curry roasted butternut squash and chickpeas. I've been making something a little more saucy, like aloo gobi. I got it from the "Laurel's Kitchen" cookbook years ago, liked it, and then forgot about it.

Rice Lentil Polou

1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 Tbs. oil
1 cup raw brown rice (I like Lundberg Farms nutrigrain short grain brown rice for its chewy nuttiness - I usually get it at the co-op, but recently found a bag at Costco)
1/4 cup raw lentils
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
2 1/2 cups vegetable broth or water (I threw in a cube of Knorr's vegetable bouillon with water)
1 Tbs. tomato paste (I freeze the leftovers in a snack size baggie and then cut off chunks as needed)
1 tsp. salt (I used half because of the bouillon and the bit of salt on my almonds)
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup pine-nuts, sunflower seeds or chopped almonds (I used sliced toasted almonds)

Saute onion in 2 Tbs. oil. Add rice and cook, stirring, for several minutes. Add tomato paste, water, cinnamon, and lentils. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, cover tightly, turn heat very low, and simmer for 30 min. Preheat oven to 350. Stir in salt, nuts, and raisins. Coat a baking dish with cooking spray. Pour in rice mixture. Cover and bake for 20-30 minutes. Serves 4-6.

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Autumn Vegetable Soup


Since I tried making this soup, Elie Krieger is my new favorite contributor to Fine Cooking Magazine. I expected it to taste a little bland and a little too healthy, but the reviewers raved about it (with the exception of one who chose to add cream of mushroom soup - ick!) and so, wanting to use up fall veggies and eat something healthy, I decided to give it a try. I LOVED it! Really. So did my family. And I've greedily reserved all the leftovers for myself. There's something about that unexpected allspice that kicks it up a notch. I think I need to make it again soon.

Autumn Vegetable Soup

Serves 6 to 8 as a starter; 4 as a main course


2 Tbs. olive oil
3 medium carrots, cut into medium dice
1 large yellow onion, cut into medium dice
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
2 cups 1/2-inch-cubed peeled butternut squash (about half a 2-lb. squash)
1/4 tsp. ground allspice
Pinch cayenne pepper; more to taste
Kosher salt
1 quart lower-salt chicken broth (I used Costco's organic chicken stock. Sub veg. stock to make it vegetarian)
1 14.5-oz. can no-salt-added diced tomatoes
4 sprigs fresh thyme (I have tons of lemon thyme right now if anyone wants some!)
2 cups lightly packed, coarsely chopped kale
1 cup lower-salt canned chickpeas (I'd use white beans next time)

Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the carrots and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to soften, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Add the squash, allspice, cayenne, and 1 tsp. salt and stir to combine. Add the broth, tomatoes with their juice, and thyme. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the kale and the chickpeas and cook uncovered until the squash is tender and the kale has wilted, about 10 minutes more. Discard the thyme springs before serving. Season to taste with more salt and cayenne.

Make Ahead Tips

You can refrigerate this soup for 3 days or freeze for 2 months.

Variations

Feel free to substitute other fall vegetables or beans.

Serving Suggestions

If you're serving as a main course, a slice of Classic Buttermilk Cornbread makes a nice side.
nutrition information (per serving):
Calories (kcal): 120; Fat (g): 4.5; Fat Calories (kcal): 40; Saturated Fat (g): 0.5; Protein (g): 5; Monounsaturated Fat (g): 3; Carbohydrates (g): 16; Polyunsaturated Fat (g): 1; Sodium (mg): 250; Cholesterol (mg): 0; Fiber (g): 3;
photo: Scott Phillips
From Fine Cooking 101, pp. 35
September 3, 2009

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Pad Thai

I originally got this recipe from The Far East Cookbook, but I have adapted it over the years to my taste preferences and ease of cooking. This probably takes under 1/2 hour from start to finish, and the bulk of the time is in preparing the ingredients. Once you start cooking, it goes very quickly, so make sure you have everything ready before you heat up the wok. I sometimes add other vegetables if I have them on hand. Fresh pea pods are delicious.

Pad Thai


8 oz. flat rice noodles
1 tbs. soy sauce
1/4 tsp. hot chili paste or sriracha sauce
2 Tbs. fish sauce
4 tsp. rice vinegar
1 Tbs. brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
3 carrots, in matchsticks
1/2-1 lb. cooked shrimp, chicken or egg
6 oz. bean sprouts
6 green onions, thinly sliced on a diagonal
2 Tbs. sesame oil
1/4 cup chopped peanuts to garnish
1/4 cup chopped cilantro to garnish

1. Place noodles into a large heatproof bowl. Add enough hot water
to cover noodles by 2 inches and let stand 15 minutes or until softened.
Drain and set aside.





2. Mix together the soy sauce, chili sauce, fish sauce, vinegar, and sugar in a small bowl. Set aside. Make sure all your ingredients are ready (vegetables cut up, eggs cooked, etc.) before you begin cooking, because once you start it goes very fast.





3. Heat a wok (or large pot or frying pan) until very hot. Add 3 Tbs. vegetable oil and swirl to coat wok. Add garlic and bell pepper and carrot and stir fry 3 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender.





Add noodles, and sauce mix and stir-fry 1 minute. Add a little water if noodles begin to stick.







Add shrimp (or chicken or egg), bean sprouts, green onions and sesame oil and stir-fry 2-3 minutes until hot.







Sprinkle with peanuts and cilantro and serve hot. Add salt and additional fish sauce and chili sauce to taste.

Quick Blender Tomato Soup

This one comes from the Williams Sonoma The Kids Cookbook, which I think is my favorite cookbook for kids because it has real food, not just decorated food and tons of sweets. It also is a good basic introduction to cooking, since the recipes teach a lot of cooking skills that transfer to all sorts of other cooking. I also like the fact that the recipes are good enough that I actually choose to make them myself fairly often. This tomato soup recipe is a good example. It is easy enough for a child to make, but soooo much better than the stuff you get out of a can.

On Monday I had a lot of fresh tomatoes, so I substituted them (chopped) for the canned ones and strained the puree after I blended it to get the seeds and skins out. I had to mess with the recipe to get it to taste right, though, and I have no idea what I did, so I'd recommend going with the canned tomatoes the first time around.

Here's my shortened version of the recipe for more experienced cooks. The kids' version is much more detailed.

Creamy Tomato Soup

3 small green onions
1 can (14 1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes
1 c. chicken broth
1/4 c. milk
1 tsp. sugar
salt and pepper

Blend until smooth: tomatoes, chicken broth, chopped green onions, milk, sugar, 1/2 tsp. salt, and a pinch of pepper. Pour into medium saucepan and bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring frequently, until the soup thickens, about 15 minutes. Serves 2.

Cooking in the Kiln






























I haven't been cooking much food lately because I've been spending a lot of time "cooking" pottery.

I pulled a couple of glaze firings out this weekend and have 3 or 4 whole shelves of beautiful work just waiting for Christmas shoppers (just give me a call if you want to come get first dibs).






I'm eager to get to work on a new batch, so if there's some particular item you're looking for, let me know and I'll try to include it. I want to have at least twice as much stuff heading into the Holiday season and try selling some on Etsy and at the Ellis Holiday Shoppe this year to come closer to breaking even with my costs.





So our dinner menu this week:
Sun: leftover food from tamale party
Mon: fresh tomato soup with melted cheese sandwiches
Tues: frozen pizza (storebought) with sauteed shredded butternut (cooks quicker that way)
Wed: bean and veggie pesto soup
Thurs: frozen burritos (I made them with leftover taco fixings a couple of weeks ago), lettuce & tomato
Fri: Pad Thai
Sat: frozen tamales (left from tamale party), green salad with guacamole dressing

As you can see, we had several meals from the freezer, and other three meals all took under 30 minutes.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Bean and Veggie Pesto Soup


I'm always on the lookout for meals that are healthy and easy. This soup from Rachel Ray is super easy if you already have some pesto in the freezer. I have bunches of basil in the garden this year (one of the few plants the groundhogs and deer didn't eat), so I made three batches of pesto and froze what we didn't eat that night. I still have to make more this week. Once you're familiar with this recipe, it's easy to cut up the veggies as the earlier parts of the soup are cooking. It takes about 30 minutes and is so full of veggies that you really don't need a side dish, though a green salad and some garlic bread would be good.

Bean and Veggie Pesto Soup

1 onion, chopped
1 large potato, chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
1 1/2 cups green beans, fresh or frozen
1 can chickpeas, drained
1 can cannellini beans, drained
6 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 cup thin egg noodles or other pasta
1/2 cup pesto, fresh or frozen

Saute onion in olive oil. Add zucchini and potato and cook until barely soft. Stir in chicken broth and beans. Heat to boiling. Add noodles and green beans and cook until done, about 5-6 minutes (add noodles earlier if they need more time to cook than the green beans). To serve, put pesto in bottom of each bowl, spoon in soup and stir briefly.

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Tamale Party

Every time we host a party, I think to myself "I'm obviously overdoing it - I've got to find a way to simplify". This time was no exception (250 handmade tamales? We're insane!), though things did go much more smoothly than the last time we had a tamale party. People mingled, the weather was perfect, and the tamales turned out fabulous. Enormous amounts of food were consumed.


I used the recipe on the bag of masa for tamales (which I don't even have to go check, because after making about 12 batches, I have it memorized). I've added my mixing method.

Tamale Masa

2/3 c. lard
2 cups dry masa for tamales
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups chicken broth

In a stand mixer with a wire whisk, whip the lard. In another bowl, measure the dry ingredients and stir together. Stir in the chicken broth. Add to the lard and beat with the beater attachment until light and airy. If you put a little dollop of this in a bowl of cold water at this point, it should float. If it doesn't, beat it some more to incorporate more air.

For vegetarian masa, substitute butter or oil for the lard (or a mix of the 2) and vegetable broth for the chicken broth.

If you've never assembled tamales before, it's easier to learn by watching someone than to follow directions, so I'm not even going to try to describe how. Maybe another post.

We used 4 kinds of fillings:
*chicken with tomatillo sauce
*pork with ancho chile and tomato sauce
*black beans with jack cheese and poblano peppers
*one that Jill brought - butternut squash with chipotle and green chiles.

We also had
*Oaxacan style black beans
*Gulf Coast Style white rice pilaf
*fresh tomato & tomatillo salsa
*Ancho and Pasilla chile sauce
*fresh tomatillo cilantro salsa
*Zoe's best guacamole
*tortilla chips
*watermelon lemonade
*grilled corn on the cob with lime and chipotle
*green salad with tangy avocado dressing
*fresh lime ice with raspberries
*homemade peach ice cream
*"Mexican chocolate" brownies (with cinnamon)

Offerings from the guests included Melissa's famous chocolate chip cookies, Amorette's smokin' roasted tomatillo salsa, Alisa's beet and carrot salad, Melissa's garden fresh tomatoes and basil, and April's fresh perfectly ripe mango chunks. (If any of you want to guest post your recipes, that would be great!). Thanks to Melissa for the photos - I never even thought about taking any. And thanks to Stephen for his monumental efforts doing the dishes.

Any requests for me to post on the other recipes? I got most of them from Rick Bayless, who is my go-to cookbook author for authentic Mexican food.

Where to find ingredients: we got the corn husks and masa at the little Mexican grocery in Oakland (just off Bates Street) -(you can also find them at Reyna's in the strip, and the masa for tamales I also saw for cheaper at Walmart), the lard came from the Forest Hills Giant Eagle in the meat section, tomatillos from the farmer's market, Poblano chiles from Walmart, peaches from our tree.

Clay says he talked to the gardener at CMU and asked if he could have the banana leaves when they cut them back next week, and got the ok. So you know that means we've got Oaxacan style mole tamales wrapped in banana leaves coming up. . .

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Coffee Cake (with peaches)

A character in a book I'm reading (Strange Fits of Passion by Anita Shreve) eats coffee cake and I find myself thinking about coffee cake for days afterward. So finally, I decide to make one. I adapted this from the Joy of Cooking and scattered a few pieces of
peach over the top before I put on the streusel. It was exactly what I was hoping for. Lots of decadently sweet streusel topping (you could cut it in half), but the cake itself wasn't too sweet or rich, and the bits of peaches from our tree were like little gems of summer goodness.

Yogurt Coffee Cake (with Peaches)

for the streusel topping:
2/3 c. all-purpose flour
2/3 c. pecans
2/3 c. brown sugar
5 tbs. butter, melted
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt

Pulse pecans in food processor until chopped, then add remaining ingredients and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

for the cake:
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/4 c. plain nonfat yogurt
1 tsp. vanilla
4 tbs. butter
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 1/2 cups peaches (or other fruit, like apples, cranberries, raspberries, etc.), optional

Preheat the oven to 350. Grease a 9x13 inch pan. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl, combine the yogurt and vanilla. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar on high speed until lightened in color and texture, 3 to 4 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add the flour mixture in 3 parts, alternating with the sour cream mixture in 2 parts, beating on low speed or stirring until smooth and scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. Scrape the batter into the pan and spread evenly. Sprinkle the fruit over the batter. Sprinkle the streusel over the fruit. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25-30 minutes without fruit and about 40-45 minutes with fruit.

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Taco Night Menu & photos














A taco feast:

From the grill:
lime cilantro marinated flank steak
green onions
poblano chiles
corn on the cob
ancho chile spiced potatoes

Also:
fresh tomato salsa
chipotle salsa from the farmer's market
guacamole
chips
cheddar and queso fresco
black beans
lime-marinated red onions
shredded cabbage
lime
cilantro
Mexican crema
fresh corn tortillas from Reyna's
sparkling limeade

Dessert:
Lime ice with raspberries
M's famous chocolate chip cookies

Lime Ice



This turned out fantastic! I got the recipe from Rick Bayless's Mexican Everyday.
Here is his website for Frontera Grill.



Fresh Lime Ice with Berries

Nieve de Limon con Moras

Serves 6

Recipe from Season 6 of Mexico—One Plate at a Time


Ingredients

5 to 6 large limes (or enough to make 3/4 cup fresh lime juice)
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup corn syrup
2 to 3 cups fresh raspberries, blackberries or strawberries (you’ll want to slice or quarter strawberries), for serving


Directions

Grate the zest (colored part only) off 2 of the limes and scrape into a large bowl. (If the zest is in large pieces, chop it finely.) Juice the limes, measure 3/4 cup and pour it in with the zest. Add the sugar, corn syrup and 1 1/4 cups water. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Pour the mixture into the canister of your ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s directions.

The ice will have the best texture if you scoop it from the ice cream maker into a container and let it firm up for several hours in the freezer. The ice is best eaten within 24 hours, scooped into small dishes and sprinkled with the berries.

Peach Pie

C's 41st birthday, and this is what I made instead of a cake (I wish the picture were better):

Lattice-topped Peach Raspberry Pie

It's easier than it looks when you use a premade crust. This one is Pillsbury refrigerated rolled crust. I've also liked the Trader Joe's frozen crust.

Just put one crust in the bottom of your pie pan. Fill it with the filling, cut strips of the top crust and weave them together, leaving just 1/4 in. overhang. Tuck the edges under the bottom crust and then press together with a decorative edge. Brush the top of the crust with a bit of something (beaten egg, cream, even water) then sprinkle with sugar to make the top glisten with sugar crystals. Bake at 375 until crust is golden. I also put a pie crust ring around the rim after it has mostly cooked to keep it from browning too much faster than the rest of the pie.

For the filling, I basically used M's frozen peach pie recipe from her blog, with the addition of the almond extract and a handful of raspberries:

About 4 cups of cut up peaches (I didn't bother peeling them)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. citric acid (skip it if you don't have it)
1 tbs. lemon juice
2 Tbs. instant tapioca
1/2 tsp. almond extract

Stir together and put in unbaked pie crust and continue as above.


I also brought a version of this to a party in late August, where I used a crumb topping instead of the lattice. I prefer that, but C likes his pastry pure.