Elizabeth's Recipe Exchange

Fried Okra

2010-08-05T06:52:00.000-07:00

I stole this recipe from a friend of a friend on Facebook; I haven't tried it yet myself:

"Fried okra method: fill a large bowl with cold water and then add 1/4 cup of salt. if it's a very large bowl, add 1/2 a cup of salt. yes, it's a lot of salt, but trust me, it's important. slice your fresh okra and add to the salt water. let sit for at least 30 minutes. drain in a colander and rinse with cold water. it will be a slimy, but that's ok. heat your oil. when it's hot, take a portion of the okra and toss in yellow cornmeal. you can put the cornmeal in a large ziploc bag and toss in the okra and shake to coat. it won't have a thick coating of cornmeal and that's ok. shake off excess cornmeal. fry okra until it starts to turn golden. remove okra from oil and drain on paper towels. repeat with remaining okra. try it. you won't do fried okra any other way. :)"

Yum Yum Noodle Bar, Woodstock (Restaurant review)

2010-08-01T22:11:00.000-07:00

Friday night we ventured out to the newest restaurant in Woodstock (New York) - the Yum Yum Noodle Bar - at the recommendation of a friend. By "we" I mean myself, my grandmother, and my son. I'm not sure why someone would recommend this restaurant to a 99-year-old woman - it was crowded, loud, and with a very slow kitchen. But we enjoyed the food very much, so overall we were glad we went.

We got there around 6 p.m. and the place was packed; we had to wait 20 minutes or so for a table. I was surprised to find such a crowd that early, but the place only has three tables, plus about a dozen or so bar stools. The restaurant opens at 4:30 (they do not serve lunch), and I guess if you want to beat the rush you have to get there pretty well ahead of the 6 p.m. "dinner hour." If I were to visit this restaurant again I would definitely not go on a Friday night! Since the place is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, it's pretty hard to avoid going on a weekend. This phenomenon could be due to the restaurant being so new - I believe it just opened on July 23 - but the enormous demand may continue apace, at least until the tourist season dies down.

Yum Yum Noodle Bar is easy on the pocketbook; a "bowl" (noodles plus protein, veggies, nori and a boiled egg, Japanese style) costs $10 and provides an interesting and satisfying meal for an adult. You get your choice of noodles, choice of broth, and choice of protein; Grandma and I both went for the grilled salmon in our noodle soups, which was delicious.

There are also various "plates" available; we tried the Miso-Cured Grilled Salmon, which was outstanding; and, on the friend's recommendation, the Pork & Watermelon Salad, which I thought was good but Grandma thought was just weird. It consisted of pieces of grilled pork served with diced watermelon and diced green papaya on a large bed of fresh mixed greens.

No alcohol is served, but I loved the Strawberry Mint Lemonade (a beverage which is rather trendy here in Woodstock this summer -- I saw them being sold at the farmer's market a few weeks ago too).

The wait staff were super nice and friendly. The food, as I already mentioned, was quite delicious -- though I can't understand why a children's Bento box of tofu satay would include a fairly spicy satay sauce.

Do try YumYum Noodle Bar, but try to avoid the crowds if you can.

Euphoria Loves RAWvolution, Santa Monica (Restaurant review)

2010-07-30T20:48:00.000-07:00

One of the highest claims I can make for a food, or a restaurant, is that I could eat it / eat there every day. Euphoria Loves RAWvolution is one of those places; not only would I love to eat there every day, but I would love to eat there three times a day, every day.

This restaurant, which looks unremarkable from the outside - except for its rather remarkable name - stands literally two blocks away from my former apartment in Santa Monica. I left that apartment in 2002, and the restaurant didn't open until 2006, I believe. When I discovered it in 2008, I couldn't believe the cosmic irony that had divided me from this potentially life-changing eatery; surely if there is a restaurant equivalent of a soulmate, this one is mine.

The name doesn't say it all, but the slogans on the outside of the building do. Facing Main Street is the name of the restaurant, Euphoria Loves RAWvolution, and underneath that, the slogan "Conscious Food for Conscious People." Around the corner, on the north side of the building, it says "Raw, Organic, Vegan Cuisine," and underneath that, "Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Everyday." Never mind the fact that it should be "Every Day" (two words) instead of the adjective "Everyday" (one word). These people are not academics, they are new-agey alternative food folks.

By now you're probably thinking, geeze, how pretentious! Only in California! I admit, I was dubious at first too. But I went in and tried the food, and I was hooked. I wanted to try everything on the menu. I wanted to be a regular at the juice and smoothie bar, despite the fact that it takes 10 minutes for them to make a single drink. (Hey, have you ever tried opening a coconut to make a smoothie? It's not easy!

The wait staff when I was a regular (2008) were very friendly folks. I recall discussing one of the ingredients in the energy drink mixture (I don't recall what it was); the waitress told me lots of anecdotes about people who had it every day and how much better they felt. She said, and I clearly remember this quote, "If you drink it every day you'll feel ridiculously happy." Wow. What a claim to make. But she was so sincere, and her sincerity so charming, that it made me like her and the restaurant a whole lot -- and to dismiss my own skepticism about the "new-agey-ness" of it all.

As I write this blog entry, it has been almost two years since I last dined at this my favorite establishment (Sept. 2008). At the time I took notes on the food, and had a copy of the menu in hand, all with the intention of blogging about it back then. I never did, and now the notes and the menu are vague memories. The menu is not even online. So I can't comment on too many specific items here, I'm sorry to say, but I'll do my best to give you an idea of what you can expect -- and the raw food movement, in brief (or what I know of it).

You can check out the Wikipedia entry on "Raw foodism (or rawism)" and you will get this definition: "a lifestyle promoting the consumption of uncooked, unprocessed, and often organic foods as a large percentage of the diet." You will learn that there are several different approaches, including raw veganism, raw vegetarianism, raw omnivorous diets, and (rarely, I believe) those who promote a 100% raw animal foods diet. (I could possibly do this if I got to eat sashimi three times a day, but would I be denied wasabi and soy sauce?)

The raw food movement has been around for a very long time; the first time I became aware of it was sometime in the mid-1990s, when my best friend and I met a man in the produce department of the grocery store who was advocating a raw food diet. He had some kind of a house in Santa Monica where people gathered weekly for some kind of raw food meal, which he invited us to, but we never went. I did eventually buy a cookbook on raw food, which I have used very little. By the way, the chef-owner of Euphoria Loves RAWvolution, Matt Amsden, also has a cookbook out, with some of his amazing recipes; it's called RAWvolution: Gourmet Living Cuisine.

As I understand it, the main benefit of eating raw foods is that they still have all the enzyms that go into making the food good for you and easier to digest. Cooking kills these enzymes, and so cooked food is much less beneficial.

The food at Euphoria Loves RAWvolution is largely based on the flesh of young Thai coconuts, as well as other nuts. Their almond milk is unbelievably delicious (NOT like the stuff you buy in boxes at the health food store). Most patrons at Euphoria Loves RAWvolution order a young coconut to drink with their meal. The restaurant staff open the coconut, and serve it to you with a straw and a spoon. You drink the juice (or coconut water), then eat the soft, creamy coconut meat by scraping it out of the empty coconut.

I love most of the food at Euphoria Loves RAWvolution, but the desserts are just WAY too rich for me; I can handle one or two bites, but to eat an entire parfait made from coconut meat and goji berries, you must get something like 2,000 calories. The desserts are sweetened with agave syrup, which claims to be the only "raw" plant-derived sweetener. According to Wikipedia, raw agave syrup "is produced at temperatures below 118 degrees Farhenheit (48 degrees Centigrade) to protect the natural enzymes." If you peruse the Euphoria Loves RAWvolution menu, you will discover many items that are "dried" instead of cooked -- raw breads and crackers that have been heated with this very low heat, not much higher than the human body temperature. The idea that these can still be considered "raw" seems to be like the work of lawyers trying to use loopholes to get around certain limitations. Agave syrup, by the way, is quite concentrated -- it's much sweeter than honey, for example.

Some of the dishes they serve are so amazing, you can't believe that they are created from raw foods. Others are less successful; some foods (like most cruciferous veggies) just aren't meant to be eaten raw, in my opinion. I had dinner there one night with my best friend and her boyfriend, we shared this enormous "sampler" plate, and all had a bit of intestinal discomfort afterwards. But most of the food there does agree with me. One thing I recall is the "hummus," which is made from pureed zucchini (peeled, so that it still has a hummus-y color). Their foods have lots of raw garlic.

What got me thinking about this restaurant so much this summer is that I'm spending the summer in Woodstock, New York, and the local health food store is stocking these young Thai coconuts on a regular basis. In honor of the coconuts, I will leave you with one recipe from Euphoria Loves RAWvolution:

Coconut Mint Smoothie

You will need 2 young Thai coconuts, a large handful (or two) of fresh mint, and raw agave syrup.

Open the two coconuts. Pour the juice of one coconut into the blender. (You can save the juice of the second coconut to drink on another occasion.) Use a spoon to scrape the coconut meat from the two coconuts into the blender. Sweeten with a little agave syrup, to taste, and blend at high speed until the mint is thoroughly blended into the coconut juice.

Sweet and Sour Okra (Kutchhi Bhindi)

2010-07-30T19:55:00.000-07:00

If you live in Missouri, you have the great opportunity to buy tons and tons of locally grown okra during mid- to late summer. I didn't come to appreciate this great Southern vegetable until I moved to Mid-MO, but now I'm absolutely crazy about it, thanks in large part to this recipe. I got this recipe from Sandy Camargo several years back, and I believe she originally got it from one of Madhur Jaffrey's many cookbooks. (On Amazon.com Jaffrey currently has 33 individual titles available!)

Be sure to pick the smallest okras you can find, as the larger ones tend to get woody and less pleasant to eat. I usually just serve this with brown rice for a simple family meal, but it can also be combined with other Indian dishes for a larger and fancier meal. You can also add chicken or tofu to the recipe for protein.

Serves 4-6

Spice Mix -- Blend into a paste in blender:
7 cloves garlic, peeled
1 whole, dried hot chili
2 t. ground cumin
1 t. ground coriander
1/2 t. ground turmeric
3 T. water

Lemon Juice Mixture - Combine in a bowl:
1 t. salt
1 t. sugar
4 t. lemon juice
4 T. water

Other Ingredients:
4 T. vegetable oil
1 t. whole cumin seeds
14 oz. okra, trimmed and cut into 3/4" slices [n.b. If the okra are small you don't need to slice them]

Heat oil in 9” skillet over medium flame. Add whole cumin. When they sizzle, turn heat down a bit and add spice mix. Stir and fry about one minute. Add okra and lemon juice mixture. Stir to mix and bring to a gentle simmer. Cover tightly and cook on low heat for about 10 minutes or until okra are tender. If your okra takes longer to cook, you might need to add a little more water.

Moosewood House Dressing -- Creamy Spinach Basil

2010-07-01T09:14:00.000-07:00

My Aunt Ruth sent me this recipe to share with readers of my blog; it was provided to her by Laura Branca of Moosewood, Inc. I haven't tried the recipe myself yet, but look forward to doing so.

Yields 2 1/4 cups
Time: 5-10 minutes

1 cup canola or other vegetable oil
3 tablespoons cider vinegar or fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons mild honey
1/4 cup rinsed spinach leaves, packed
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, loosely packed
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
pinch of ground black pepper
1 cup milk or buttermilk

In a blender, combine the oil, vinegar or lemon juice, honey, spinach, basil, mustard, salt, and pepper and puree until smooth. With the blender still running, gradually add the milk or buttermilk in a thin stream — the dressing will become thick and creamy. As soon as the dressing thickens, stop the blender or the oil may separate, causing the dressing to become thin.

Moosewood House Dressing will keep for about a week in the refrigerator. If it separates, shake well before serving.

Comments Policy

2010-05-02T20:25:00.000-07:00

After receiving numerous comments in Chinese, I am announcing a new policy of not publishing any comments that are not in English. I apologize if this policy offends those who want to post comments in another language, but I don't understand why someone reading an English-language blog cannot post comments in English. Again, I'm sorry if this new policy offends you, but I am afraid to allow my blog to become a vehicle for content that I might object to.

Mesa Mexicana

2010-05-02T14:01:00.000-07:00

Mesa Mexicana is one of many cookbooks by Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger, owners of the Border Grill in Santa Monica (where I have eaten more times than I can remember), also known as television’s “Two Hot Tamales.” They also briefly hosted KCRW’s “Good Food,” which I listened to religiously on Saturday mornings. (They left radio when they made it to television, and “Good Food” got a new host, Evan Kleinman.)

I bought this cookbook at least two years ago, but this week made my first foray into cooking Mexican cuisine (other than the standard American-style burritos, enchiladas and huevos rancheros we make all the time). This was a lot of work, and also a lot of fun. I should add that I was also motivated by having some delicious homemade salsa made for me by a grad student (I won it in the EGSA auction), which made me think, why don’t I make my own salsa? It can’t be that hard – and it isn’t.

My immersion into Mexican cooking, in which I spent about four days this week (maybe 20 hours total?) taught me a lot about ingredients and preparation. The most enlightening was making all the salsas and sauces that went into this rather elaborate four-course meal; the salsas are delicious because of the use of fresh ingredients, deriving flavors in part from roasting (without fat) and complex combinations of ingredients. For that reason most of these salsas and sauces are surprisingly low in calories while at the same time quite rich and flavorful.

Here’s a list of the items I prepared; asterisks indicate the recipes I will provide below:

Salsas and sauces:
Roasted tomato salsa
Chipotle salsa
*Tomatillo salsa (my favorite of the salsas)
Roasted tomatillo salsa
Achiote sauce
Roasted pepper and achiote sauce
Achiote citrus marinade (for the chicken that went into the Guatemalan tamales)

Preparations:
*Roasted achiote citrus chicken
Pickled chipotles (I did not serve this! I put it aside for future preparations.)

Dishes:
*Creamy rajas (served on corn tortillas, which I did NOT make myself!
Chiles rellenos
Cheese and green chile tamales
Guatemalan tamales (these contain the roasted chicken)
Fried plantains
Braised fennel with mustard greens

Beverages:
Sangria
*Sangrita

Dessert:
Kahlúa Chip Ice Cream (I didn’t serve this because my freezer isn’t cold enough! It was a bust, but in fact the recipe itself is absolutely delicious. I just need a colder freezer. I'm going to see if I can get Sparky's to make this recipe.)

In the process of making this meal, I learned a lot about roasting vegetables, chiefly peppers. I roasted more than 30 large peppers (24 poblanos and 8 red bell peppers); I also roasted tomatillos, tomatoes, onions, jalapeños, and garlic for the two roasted salsas. The cookbook gave some confusing instructions; for the roasted tomato salsa it said to roast (broil) the vegetables for 15 minutes. But the salsa ended up not having enough roasted flavor, and I realized that 15 minutes wasn’t long enough. In the front of the cookbook it says to roast them “until everything but the garlic is totally blackened.” This took a lot longer than 15 minutes in my oven.

Not only is it possible to under-roast the peppers, it’s also easy to over-roast them, which happened on my last batch of roasting, when I kind of forgot about them for a while. When that happens, and you try to peel them, it turns out there’s really no flesh left.

Working with achiote paste, a Yucatecan ingredient, was interesting; the cookbook says it “should always be cooked first to remove any chalkiness.” However, it does not explain how you should cook it, and in the recipes asking for achiote paste, instructions on cooking it ahead of time are not included. What I did was pan-fry it (without oil) for 5 minutes or so, then could use it in recipes.

The other “new” (to me) ingredient I used was Mexican crema, which was just a garnish which I served with the fried plantains. This stuff is delicious! It’s sweeter than sour cream, and has a similar consistency, maybe a little more liquidy.

Then there are the three Mexican cheeses that are described in the cookbook as Manchego, Anejo (also known as Cotija), and Panela. At my local Mexican market, none of the cheeses use the name Manchego or Panela. Instead they have Queso Enchilado, a dry crumbling cheese which I used for Panela, and Queso Chihuahua, a melting cheese for quesadillas, which I used for Manchego. (Note: I was just at Hy-Vee today and discovered they do have the Mexican Manchego, as well as a couple others not seen at the Mexican Market – Queso Fresco and Oaxacano. See notes and links at the end of this post.)

Here are Mary Sue and Susan’s comments on Manchego: “There are two kinds of manchego used in Mexican cooking – and neither is the high-priced Spanish variety sold in upscale cheese shops. There is a hard variety (called viejo) and a soft, semifirm, golden one that is an excellent melter. The soft one is used most often for cooking. Monterey Jack or muenster can be substituted.”

As for peppers, I made the chile rellenos with poblanos, and also used dried chipotles (for the chipotle salsa) and fresh jalapeños. I’m looking forward to trying some of the recipes that use other chiles, such as fresh anchos.

The biggest challenge for me was making the masa for tamales, and I’m not sure that I will attempt this again soon. The directions in the cookbook were not adequate for me, I think I will need someone who knows what they’re doing to show me how to mix it up. Nonetheless, these two tamale recipes were quite good, and unusual, because they mix different flavorings into the masa itself, not just for the filling. For the cheese and green chile tamales they mix in a puree of roasted poblanos with tomatillo salsa. The recipe asked for three packages of dried corn husks, but one package was more than adequate.

The Guatemalan tamales have achiote sauce mixed into the masa; these were a real showpiece, because they are stuffed with an unusual combination of roasted chicken, raisins, green olives, and achiote sauce. They were so delicious, but I have to say that the achiote sauce, as well as the roasted red pepper and achiote sauce served on them, are both WAY too salty. The next time I would omit the salt altogether.

As a former vegetarian, I sheepishly admit that I used lard for the masa in both tamale recipes. This was my first time cooking with lard, and I didn't use vegetable shortening because I think Crisco might be even more objectionable than lard. I would be interested in finding out how other people make tamales with "healthy" fats -- is it even possible?

The roasted achiote citrus chicken that went into the tamales is a fantastic recipe in itself, and it was almost a shame to stuff it into the tamales where its amazing flavor was lost among all the other strong flavors. I roasted the chicken thighs early in the day, and there were enough so that my husband and I could have just the roasted chicken and rice for lunch as a sort of preview of the dinner. The next time I would serve the chicken like this, all on its own, because it’s quite flavorful this way.

Fried plantains – one of my favorite dishes to order at Oaxacan restaurants – I had no idea they were this easy to make. Literally you just slice them up and fry them in butter. Oh my god, these were amazing. When buying plantains look for blackened skin, which means the starch has turned to sugar.

The most successful dish might have been the chiles rellenos; people were impressed with how light they were. The roasted poblanos are stuffed with a combination of three cheeses, then rolled in flour, then dipped in eggs. After frying on the stove top for a few minutes, you bake them for 10 minutes or so until the cheese is melted. I would definitely make these again, but experiment with different kinds of stuffing. The presentation of this dish is elegant – you pour roasted tomato salsa on one side of the plate, roasted tomatillo salsa on the other, with the chile relleno in the center, then serve with crema. You end up with red, white and green, the colors of the Mexican flag.

By the way, I made this meal for six people, but it could easily have served twelve! It’s a lot of food, and very filling.

Tomatillo Salsa
We all LOVED the fresh flavors in this recipe, plus it takes no time at all to prepare.

1 pound tomatillos, husked, washed, and cut into quarters
2 to 4 large jalapeño chiles, stemmed, seeded if desired and roughly chopped [I used 2, and did not remove the seeds]
1/2 cup cold water
1/2 medium onion, cut in half
2 bunches cilantro, stems and leaves
2 teaspoons salt [I think I used less than 1 teaspoon, as this sounds way too salty for me]

Place the tomatillos, jalapeños and water in a blender or food processor fitted with the metal blade. Puree just until chunky. Then add the remaining ingredients and puree about 2 minutes more, or until no large chunks remain. This salsa keeps in the refrigerator, in a covered container, about 3 days.
Makes 3 1/2 cups.

Roasted Achiote Citrus Marinade for Chicken
Makes 1 1/2 cups, enough for 1 roasting chicken or 1 1/2 pounds chicken legs and thighs. (I did the latter, since I was roasting the chicken to be put into tamales.)

2/3 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/4 cup achiote paste [see my notes about achiote paste, above]
2 to 3 jalapeño chiles, stemmed and seeded if desired
7 garlic cloves, peeled
1 Tbsp. black peppercorns
1 Tbsp. salt [I used less than this, and I think it would be okay to omit the salt altogether]
1 bunch cilantro, stems and leaves

Combine 1/3 cup of the orange juice, the achiote paste, jalapeños, garlic, peppercorns and salt in a blender or food processor. Puree until the peppercorns are completely crushed. Add the cilantro and the remaining 1/3 cup orange juice and puree until smooth.

Marinate 1 1/2 pounds chicken legs and thighs at least 1 hour or as long as overnight. Bake in a roasting pan or baking sheet in a 350 degree oven for 40 minutes, or until the meat easily pulls away from the bone. Eat eat, yum yum! (I served this for lunch with rice.)

If using for tacos or tamales, allow chicken to cool, then shred with forks.

Creamy Rajas
When I discovered that this recipe was in the cookbook, I was in heaven. I used to eat amazing tacos de rajas at the Superica Taqueria in Santa Barbara, and they were incredible; I’ve never seen them served anywhere else. The ones at Superica were much spicier than this mild version, so I may try varying this recipe in the future for more heat.

1/4 cup olive oil
2 medium onions, halved and cut into 1/4-inch slices lengthwise
4 medium red bell peppers, roasted, peeled, seeded, and julienned
4 medium poblano or pasilla chiles, roasted, peeled, seeded and julienned
1 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup grated manchego or Monterey Jack cheese
2/3 cup grated Cotija, Romano or Parmesan cheese

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté the onions with the salt and pepper until they begin to wilt and brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the julienned red peppers and chiles. Pour in the heavy cream, bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cook 4 minutes or until the cream begins to thicken. Stir in the grated cheeses and remove from the heat. Serve immediately. Serves 6.

Mary Sue and Susan write, “These rajas, a traditional accompaniment to carne asada, are meaty roasted pepper strips, coated with cream and cheeses to tame the heat of the chiles. They are delicious with grilled meats, potatoes and eggs or just wrapped in corn tortillas.” The tacos de rajas at Superica are creamy rajas served on soft, warm corn tortillas.

Sangrita
The sangrita recipe deserves to be included here because it’s so unusual. They serve this at the Border Grill in Santa Monica as a chaser whenever you order tequila (and maybe some other beverages, I seem to recall). It’s a non-alcoholic citrus drink, but because of the cayenne pepper has a real kick. People at our dinner party loved this! We had it with sipping tequila after the meal.

2 1/4 cups freshly squeezed orange juice
3/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
5 Tbsp. grenadine syrup
1 generous tsp. salt
1 tsp. cayenne pepper

Combine all the ingredients in a blender and process, or whisk in a bowl until blended. Refrigerate. Serve cold in shot glasses with corresponding shots of tequila. Makes 18 shots.

This mixture keeps in the refrigerator for about five days.

Notes and Links:

Border Grill, 1445 4th Street, Santa Monica, California; 310-451-1655

La Super-Rica Taqueria, 622 North Milpas Street, Santa Barbara, California, 805-963-4940

In Columbia, Missouri:

Los Tres Hermanos is the grocery store I used; it’s very easy to miss. It’s located in a strip mall at 1206 W. Business Loop 70, across the street from the cemetery and before you get to All Creatures Animal Hospital. In the strip mall it does not even have a sign, but there are posters on the window in Spanish advertising services like wiring money and phone cards. This is where I went to buy achiote paste and Mexican cheese and crema. Phone number is 573-817-2858, but both times I called on Wednesday they did not answer, even though they were open.

In my brief experience, Hy-Vee has a better selection of Mexican cheese (though prices aren’t as good as at Los Tres Hermanos). I haven’t tried World Harvest yet for any of these ingredients, unfortunately it's too far away to be convenient for me.

Schnuck’s on Forum has a better selection of produce (peppers and tomatillos) than Hy-Vee. Gerbes’ selection is pretty good too; this is where I found the banana leaves for my Guatemalan tamales.

Aldi's, on the Business Loop, is also a good place to find some Mexican ingredients, especially masa and Mexican cheeses.

What's Next?
On the menu tonight: Enchiladas Frescas and Ancho Chile Salsa. Looking forward to it!

2010-04-15T19:25:00.000-07:00

Pure vegan delight, made with coconut milk but just as rich as ice cream:

Moscow Mule

2010-04-02T15:59:00.000-07:00

(from Williams-Sonoma Taste, Summer 2002)

It's time for spring / summer beverages, and the Moscow Mule is one of my favorites. Williams-Sonoma Taste was a short-lived magazine, possibly just one issue, but it was good. The following recipe makes 1 drink.

1 1/2 oz. vodka
juice of 1/2 a lime
6-8 oz. ginger beer or ginger ale
lime slice

Place ice cubes in a highball glass; pour vodka and lime juice over them. Fill with the ginger beer; stir, and add lime slice.

Black Peppercorns

2010-02-14T20:29:00.001-08:00

How many of you can boast that you buy black peppercorns in 9-ounce containers? Same size as the typical grated Parmesan cheese container. Kudos to my husband for finding them in this quantity; boy do we ever go through these things.

Dinner in Woodstock: A Tribute to My Grandmother

2010-01-08T22:25:00.000-08:00

Since my subject is the old-timey menu served up today by my 98-year-old grandmother, I’m using the word “dinner” in the old-fashioned sense of the midday meal. My grandmother, Mescal Hornbeck, who will turn 99 in June, honored my visit with a highly genteel and refined luncheon with four of her closest friends, plus the fiancé of one of the ladies. The theme of the menu was food from her childhood, and so we had Oyster Stew and Indian Pudding. Those members of the party who were over 60 – three of our guests, as well as Mescal herself – recognized right away just what she was trying to do here, saying they hadn’t had either of these dishes in ages.

Grandma Mescal was born in 1911 in West Shokan, a rural outpost in upstate New York. She has lived in New York most of her life, except for a period spent in Lexington, Kentucky, for my grandfather’s career. (That’s how I come to have a family from Kentucky and a family from New York.) Bemoaning the demise of oyster stew in popularity, she says that oyster stew used to be “the big thing” served at “all the restaurants all around the country.” When I suggested that perhaps it was a northeastern thing, she said, “You wouldn’t know, you’re too young to remember.” (This is one thing I love about my grandmother, she always reminds me how young I am!)

Indian pudding, well, maybe it has a more PC name nowadays, but I’ve never tasted it before by this or any other name. It was tasty, and reminded me of my great-grandmother’s puddings I used to have as a child.

Grandma Mescal talks a lot about how different things are from when she was growing up, which is endlessly fascinating. It’s remarkable that she has such detailed memories of so many of her past experiences. She tells me that “a woman 50 years ago wouldn’t have been caught half dead” serving string beans dry scattered around on a plate and only half cooked; veggies were cooked until they were "DONE - not mushy" and served in their juices, and you often had a sauce with them, based on milk being added to the cooking juices to bring out the flavor. “A lot of things tasted better then than they do now,” according to Grandma; there’s no denying that cooking styles and tastes have changed considerably.

After dinner I served a bowl of my candied walnuts that I had made for Mescal, and her friends honored me by saying I had inherited my grandmother's love of cooking. Thank goodness for good genes.

Grandma Mescal’s Oyster Stew

Quantities are determined by the number of people dining. Start with at least 5 oysters per person (6 or 7 per person on average), and the oysters have to be FRESH! Get them shucked specially for you. Grandma thinks the ones that come pre-shucked in the market (which are much cheaper) aren’t worth spit.

Cook the oysters and their juice in the top of a hot double boiler, cooking them just until the edges get a little crinkly – not very long.

Meanwhile heat your milk – about two ladles full per person – and add a chunk of butter and some salt and pepper. For the milk you can use whole milk, two percent, half-and-half, or whatever you like.

Then pour the oysters into the milk and get it warm, but you MUST be sure you DON’T BOIL THE OYSTERS! There’s nothing worse than overcooked oysters.

That’s all there is to it!

Indian Pudding

Mix 5 Tablespoons stone-ground corn meal to 1 quart of cold milk; scald the milk, then cook in the top of a double boiler 20 minutes. Then add 2 Tablespoons of butter, 5 oz. molasses, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon cinnamon and 2 eggs well beaten. Turn into buttered pudding dish [she used a glass loaf pan] and pour 1 cup cold milk over mixture.

Bake 1 hour in moderate 350 degree oven. Delicious served with vanilla ice cream. Servings: 8.

(The recipe called for a cup of molasses, but Mescal thought this was way too much; she used just over half a cup and it had a very nice flavor.)

Catfish Gumbo

2009-09-04T09:23:00.000-07:00

It's okra season, and gumbo is a good way to use up this abundant vegetable. One of our neighbors keeps bringing us bags of okra from his garden, which is such a treat! What I learned, growing up in the South (first Texas and later Kentucky) is that any gumbo has to have okra in it; without okra, it's just not gumbo.

This recipe comes from The Little Gumbo Book by Gwen McKee (Quail Ridge Press, 1986), which has 27 different gumbo recipes. I've made this one twice, and it is a very reliable recipe -- meaning the end results are reliably good. The book raves about all its recipes with the same level of glowing endorsement -- i.e., "This is incredibly delicious – try it! Easy to make, incredibly delicious!" In this case, I agree.

2 lb. catfish fillets or nuggets
6 c. water
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 stick butter
3 Tbsp. flour
1 c. chopped onion
1 c. chopped bell pepper
2 c. chopped celery
1 lb. chopped okra
1 (28-oz.) can tomatoes, chopped
1/2 tsp. K’s Cajun Seasoning (or salt, pepper, and red pepper)
1/2 tsp. thyme
1 Tbsp. chopped parsley

Cook cleaned fish in boiling, salted water till it breaks apart with a fork (only takes a few minutes). Remove fish, debone, cut in chunks, and reserve stock.

Melt butter in skillet; add flour and stir till lightly browned. Toss chopped vegetables into roux and heat sill softened, stirring often.

Mix everything together – except fish – in a pot with stock and simmer about an hour.

Add fish and simmer 30-45 minutes. Serve over rice with a sprinkle of chopped parsley. Serve gumbo filé on the side. (Filé is a powder made from ground sassafras leaves, and has a delicate flavor; it also thickens the gumbo.)

Serves 8.

Addictive Roasted Veggie Pasta

2009-07-02T01:19:00.000-07:00

N. made this for dinner last night, and we both realized that whenever we have this dish, we can't stop eating it -- that's why I'm calling it Addictive Roasted Veggie Pasta. It comes from one of the Sundays at Moosewood cookbooks, I can't remember which one, and since I don't have the book here in Berlin, the recipe as given below doesn't have all the precise information you'll find in the book. It doesn't have the sort of crunchy-granola-hippy aesthetic that you might associate with the original Moosewood cookbook of 1977; instead its sophisticated ingredients (roasted fennel and asparagus) and flavorful dressing seem more like an updated classic.

One of the key ingredients is asparagus, but that's not available in Germany in June so we used green beans last night and the dish was almost as good. The dressing is the "secret weapon," so to speak, which - combined with the feta and the olives - makes the whole thing irresistable.

1 large fennel bulb
1 lb. asparagus
1 large red onion
olive oil (about 1/4 cup?)
8 oz. dry pasta
pitted calamata olives
tomatoes
feta cheese
flat leaf parsley

Dressing:
1/4 c. olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
garlic, freshly pressed
1 tsp. mustard
salt and pepper to taste

Thinly slice the fennel and onion; cut asparagus into 1-inch pieces. Toss with olive oil and roast at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, tossing again twice during cooking.

Meanwhile, boil the pasta and chop the tomatoes, feta, and parsley. Cut olives in half. (Recipe calls for 1 dozen olives, but we use more.)

Mix the dressing; toss it with the roasted veggies and pasta. Toss in the olives, tomatoes, feta and parsley (or, alternatively, don’t toss in the feta but serve the dish with the feta on top).

Tadshikischen Teestube (Tajiki Tea Room), Berlin

2009-04-26T11:26:00.000-07:00

When our friends were visiting us recently they took us to this fantastic, rather hidden tea room located very close to the Museumsinsel. It's a small place so reservations are highly recommended, but since we got there early we were able to be served without one. According to the menu, the first tea room in the world was in Tajikistan. I don't know if I believe it, but I do accept that this represents a longstanding traditional form of social interaction. Women were not allowed (in Tajikistan, that is -- they are allowed in Berlin).

They have a wide selection of teas from every cultural tradition, from English to Chinese; and a fairly big menu, but we were only there for "kaffee und kuchen."

They do not seem to have their own website, but here are some links that can help you find this place:

Restaurant review from berlin.de .

From qype.com.

From Berliner Morgenpost.

Bacon Cups from "not martha"

2009-04-24T01:58:00.000-07:00

I just had the pleasure of discovering a fantastic blog thanks to a friend on Facebook. The instructions for making Bacon Cups, complete with photos of each step, is pretty interesting. You must check out this blog at www.notmartha.org, and this recipe in particular. She stuffed them with lettuce and sliced cherry tomatoes (a BLT theme) but one of the comments suggested poached eggs in the bacon cups, which also sounds great.

German Food of the Week: Ground Cherries

2009-04-07T02:40:00.000-07:00

Okay, so they're not exactly German -- ground cherries (Physalis peruviana, or Kapstachelbeere in German) are a tropical fruit, but they are quite popular here. They are a small sweet, slightly tart fruit, and a member of the nightshade family, like tomatoes. They grow inside a papery hull, like tomatillos (Physalis philadelphica). They often appear as garnishes on restaurant plates or buffets. I finally bought some at the grocery store yesterday, and we are enjoying them at home.

German Egg Pancakes (Eierkuchen)

2009-03-29T14:28:00.000-07:00

Last night Noah made these for the kid dinner -- Eli's cousin Edie is visiting, so we have two 4-year-olds. Noah is very fond of these from spending time in Germany while he was growing up. They're not like American pancakes, which are fluffy and bready. These "egg cakes" are quite thin, like crepes, but are more eggy than crepes, even slippery. They're very light.

This recipe comes from an East German cookbook circa 1967 (Das Grosse Kochbuch), that we found in our landlord's library.

1/2 liter milk (about 2 cups)
2 eggs
200 grams flour (a bit less than half a pound, 0.87 cup)
10 grams powdered sugar
salt
100 grams butter for frying (1/4 lb. or a little less)

Put milk in a bowl, mix in eggs, sugar, and salt. Add flour gradually and keep mixing so you know when you’ve reached the desired consistency. Frying pan should be preheated well.

Use a very thin layer of batter in the pan, and tilt the pan so the batter spreads out.

Cook until golden on both sides.

Wildblumenkäse

2009-03-27T14:31:00.001-07:00

This is Wildblumenkäse, it's delicious. It's a slightly stinky cheese, and the exterior is covered with dried wildflowers, most noticeably lavender. It is AMAZING. Noah used some in a souffle recently and once in a while you'd get a mouthful of lavender. Yum!

Eating in Berlin

2009-03-27T13:44:00.001-07:00

All of these photos are from the farmer's market on the Kollwitzplatz, Berlin, on March 14, 2009:

Spicy Crisp Tofu on Mint-Avocado Salad

2009-02-26T19:35:00.000-08:00

A friend posted this link on Facebook with the heading "It would be criminal not to post this recipe so you can make it and eat it," so in order to avoid prison I am posting it here. It is from Martha Stewart's "Whole Living" website. I haven't tried it yet but plan to:

Spicy Crisp Tofu on Mint-Avocado Salad

In Praise of Marzipan

2009-02-22T14:28:00.000-08:00

MARZIPAN: a confection consisting primarily of sugar and almond meal.

If you have never had the pleasure of marzipan in your candy, you are missing out. If you are allergic to almonds, well, I pity you. Almonds are one of my four favorite "essential foods" (which I will define and blog about at some future time). For now, I will just regale you with tales of the heights to which Germans take their marzipan (which they take very seriously...)

Photo 1: a display case in a cafe in Kreuzberg, in Berlin. In the rear center is a pile of Mandelhörnchen, the horseshoe-shaped marzipan logs coated with sliced almonds and with the ends of the horseshoe dipped in dark chocolate. This is a fairly standard pastry, and it is TO DIE FOR. It is densely filled with a generous dose of marzipan.

(Note: the round cakes next to the Mandelhörnchen are surrounded by a thin layer of marzipan around the sides; my son got one of these, and he let his parents try it. Inside it has cake and cream; the marzipan is the best part.)

Photo 2: discovered at the grocery store yesterday: Pflaume in Madeira (plums in Madeira). The name doesn't do it justice. It has a plum-flavored marzipan-like confection atop a layer of pure marzipan, all coated in a generous layer of dark chocolate. (And no, it does not taste like prunes.) The hint of Madeira wine is enough to give you a little bit of a buzz -- just icing on the cake of delectability.

The experience of eating a Pflaume in Madeira is akin to eating a Mozartkugel, but much better. I'm not knocking Mozartkugels, it's just that these are better. (To be precise, I've only ever eaten the German mass-produced imitation Mozartkugels, which I learned a lot about from Wikipedia; here they are sold in Aldi.)

Photo 3: Then there's the Rittersport Marzipan candy, which I LOVE. In the U.S. we pay a hefty price for it (I don't recall exactly, at least $3 or $4). Here in Berlin it costs 0.85 Euros (that's aobut $1.20 U.S.). I always thought this was high-quality candy, but the Germans don't think so; my husband's German cousin refers to Rittersport as "Kinder Schokolade" (i.e., chocolate for children).

Photo 4: I am embarrassed to say that I have never tried the tempting confection pictured at right, even though it is sold in a market stall in front of my apartment building every Saturday morning. For one thing there are about 30 different varieties; for another, I'm intimidated by the language barrier in trying to make such a specialized purchase. The labels all claim they are made from marzipan. They are punctuated with a variety of nuts and dried fruits. It is my goal to buy at least one or two next Saturday and try it. I'll let you know what happens.

Peter Piper Picked a Peck...

2009-02-16T04:24:00.001-08:00

Does anyone know what do to with pickled peppers? I don't mean the long tasty strips of grilled sweet red pepper that have been preserved in jars with vinegar; I mean the actual peppercorns. This is something they sell in German grocery stores, and it looks exactly like a little jar of capers, which is how I ended up buying them. In fact they are on the shelf right next to the capers (just to confuse you more). I didn't notice my mistake until I got home and saw "Pfeffer" on the label, and still had to confirm with my husband that "Pfeffer" was, indeed, "pepper" and not "capers." This is an item I have never seen on an American grocery store shelf. If you have any good ideas about how I can cook with them, please let me know.

That brings me to the subject of today's post -- German vs. American foods. Now, I am not some kind of food snob; I will freely admit that when I am in Europe for an extended period of time, I eventually start to crave Hershey's chocolate, especially the milk chocolate with almonds (either bars or kisses). [This should be interpreted as a hint to anyone who wants to send me a care package.] I know that Hershey's is a completely pedestrian -- some would even say degenerate -- taste, one which can only be accounted for by childhood experience. Some people I know won't even eat Hershey's.

Things I like about food in Germany:

1. Blood orange juice. It's a European thing, in general; I first discovered it in Italy many years ago. I just don't understand why it's not available in the U.S. But I drink it every day here.

2. Yoghurt -- excellent! Maybe it's European yoghurt in general, but it's incredibly rich.

3. German-made "Dijon" mustard that is so spicy it makes your eyes water.

4. Rittersport candy bars for less 1 Euro (about $1.30 at the moment). (We pay several times that in Missouri.) My favorite is the dark chocolate-covered marzipan.

5. Black licorice. If you, too, love black licorice, let me know and I will bring some back for you in August.

6. Quark. This is a dairy product, somewhere between yoghurt and sour cream in texture and flavor. My husband says it is "whey." In Germany it is as common as yoghurt, and can be flavored with fruit or with herbs. With the herbs it is sort of like eating onion dip.

7. "Crema di balsamico," actually an Italian product, but available in the German grocery store. It's a thick syrup made from balsamic vinegar, it's like a carmelized balsamic vinegar reduction. A little tangy, a little sweet. Delicious on ice cream (as I can testify), and they also recommend it on savory foods like meat (which I haven't tried).

Things I miss from America:

1. Avocadoes that are tasty and consistently good quality (though that can't always be taken for granted in Missouri, either).

2. Chicken broth, preferably organic and free-range; but you can't find ANY here except concentrated stuff that has to be reconstituted with water. I suppose it's more economical and more environmentally sound, since it requires less packaging, but somehow it seems more heavily processed to me.

3. Almond butter. They do have it in Germany, but it's hard to find -- you have to go to the health food store (the Bio-markt), and even then it's very runny (even when refrigerated).

4. Trader Joe's. Okay, I miss that even when I'm in Columbia, Missouri. Germany has Aldi but that's just not the same.

These lists are pretty short. Pretty much everything is available everywhere these days, isn't it? But I've only been here for two weeks; these lists may grow over the next 5 1/2 months.

Hot and Sour Soup with Asparagus and Wild Mushrooms

2009-01-23T19:56:00.000-08:00

This recipe comes from Hugh Carpenter, a professional chef who specializes in Asian fusion cuisine; I took a class from him in Santa Monica a long time ago. He used to own a chain of dim sum restaurants in Los Angeles; I used to go to one in West Hollywood, back when Melrose Avenue was really hot.

This recipe is virtually foolproof; the only potential problem is overcooking the asparagus, which is why I tell you to add the asparagus at the very end of the cooking time. The other vegetables aren't as delicate, but of course you can add them gradually according to the required cooking time (carrots first, etc.).

1 small bunch asparagus, diagonally cut
4 oz. shitake mushrooms, stemmed and slivered
1/2 box bean curd (use very firm)
1 cup slivered carrots
1/2 cup slivered green onions
1 boneless chicken breast, skinned
6 cups chicken broth (of course, homemade chicken stock gives the best results)
2 eggs
2 Tbsp. cornstarch

Seasoning Mix

6 Tbsp. vinegar (white, red wine, or cider vinegar)
2 Tbsp. dry sherry
1 Tbsp. heavy soy sauce
1 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil
1 tsp. finely ground white pepper
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. Chinese chili sauce

Advance Preparation

Prepare asparagus, mushrooms, bean curd, carrots, green onion. Cut chicken breast into very thin spoon-sized pieces; marinate it with some sesame oil for a couple minutes so it doesn’t stick together. Set aside broth, eggs and cornstarch. In small bowl, combine Seasoning Mix.

Last-Minute Cooking

Bring broth to low boil. Add chicken and give soup a vigorous stir to separate the meat. Add vegetables [except asparagus] and seasoning mix. Combine cornstarch with equal amount cold water. Bring soup to low boil and stir in the cornstarch mixture. Beat eggs well. Bring soup back to very low boil. Add 2 Tbsp. soup to eggs, then slowly pour eggs into soup while beating soup with a fork where the eggs hit the hot broth. [Add asparagus for the last few minutes of cooking.] Remove from heat and adjust for salt, spiciness and tartness. The soup can be made several hours in advance and just reheated. Turn into soup tureen or individual bowls. Serve at once.

Serves 4 as the main entrée, or 6 to 8 as the soup course.

Other possible additions: bean sprouts, red cabbage, bamboo shoots, peas

Pear Tart - Outstanding!!!!

2009-01-23T19:05:00.000-08:00

John Evelev served us this pear tart for dessert recently, and I swear to you, it was the best dessert I've eaten in a long, long time! The recipe comes from Bistro Cooking by Patricia Wells. For the pastry dough, John used ready-made (uncooked) dough from the grocery store and it was as good as a homemade pastry crust. Patricia writes:

Like an authentic tart Tatin, the pear version consists of nothing but well-caramelized pears and a layer of thin pastry. The pears should remain in huge chunks, making for an honest, rustic tart. The clear glass baking dish allows you to see if any pears are sticking as you turn out the tart. This may seem like a lot of pears for a single tart, but they cook down quickly.

6 Tbsp. unsalted butter
7 to 8 firm pears (about 2 3/4 pounds; 1.75 kg), preferably Bosc or Anjou, peeled, quartered and cored
1/2 c. (100 g.) sugar
1 recipe of pastry dough
1 cup of crème fraîche or sour cream, for serving

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 Celsius).

2. Melt the butter in a deep 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the pears and sugar. Cook, stirring carefully from time to time so the pears and sugar do not stick, 20 minutes. Increase the heat to high and cook until the pears and sugar are a deep, golden brown, about 15 more minutes. (If you are like me, the urge will be to stop the cooking a bit soon, so it doesn’t burn. But the tart will be much prettier and taste better if you take the time to allow the pears to run a true golden brown.) Shake the pan from time to time, and watch carefully to be sure that the pears and sugar do not burn. (If you do not have a pan large enough to cook all of the pears, cook them in 2 smaller pans, dividing the ingredients in half.)

3. Literally pile the pears into an unbuttered round 10 1/2-inch (27 cm.) clear glass baking dish or a special tin-lined copper tart Tatin pan.

4. Roll out the pastry dough slightly larger than the dish. Place the pastry on top of the pears, tucking a bit of the dough around the edges and down into the dish. You do not need to prick the dough.

5. Place the tart into the center of the oven and bake until the pears bubble and the pastry is a deep, golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes.

6. Remove the tart from the oven and immediately place a large, flat heatproof serving platter top-side down on top of the baking dish or pan. Invert the pan and give the bottom a firm tap, to release any pears that may be sticking to the bottom. Slowly release the baking dish, so the tart falls evenly onto the serving platter. Serve warm or at room temperature, passing a bowl of rich crème fraîche to spoon over the tart.

7. Yield: 8 to 10 servings.

Cauliflower Pakoras

2009-01-16T23:09:00.000-08:00

This recipe comes from Neelam Bhatra, from whom I took a class on Indian cooking some 20 years ago (!) in Santa Monica. (Her husband owned the company I worked for at the time.) I recently made this for a dinner party, using cauliflower, slices of sweet potato, and green beans. It turned out great! This is a no-fail recipe, as long as you are comfortable with deep-frying. But you should at least double the recipe for more than a half-dozen people.

1-2 lbs. cauliflower, cut into florets (can also use green beans, thinly sliced potato)
1 c. garbanzo flour
2/3 c. water, approximately
2 t. coriander powder
1 t. cumin powder
1/4 t. paprika
pinch of baking soda
1/2 bunch cilantro, finely chopped
salt to taste
oil for deep frying

Sift garbanzo flour. Mix all dry ingredients into flour. Next add chopped cilantro and water and make a medium thick batter.

Heat oil in a wok or any other pan. Dip each floret into batter and put into hot oil carefully – to prevent splattering. Fry until nicely brown and crisp.

Remove to paper towels. Serve hot as appetizers or as a snack with tea or coffee.

Fritters can be lightly fried and cooled completely before refrigerating or freezing. Thaw and refry before serving.

Good with chat masala sprinkled on top.

Variations: This batter can be used with thin slices of potatoes, onions, eggplant, squash and paneer. Mushrooms and green beans are good too.

(Better if fried twice – come out very crisp. For party, prepare in advance, fry for second time right before serving.)

NOTE: Garbanzo flour is available at Indian grocery stores; at regular grocery stores you can often find it, too, from Bob's Red Mill (one of their vast line of products!).

Homemade Bailey's

2009-01-16T22:19:00.000-08:00

This recipe for an imitation BAILEY'S IRISH CREME comes from my friend Anne Jacobson from book group. I have not tried it yet as I am afraid of the calories!

Mix in blender:

2 eggs
1 cup Eagle Brand Condensed Milk
1/2 pt. of half and half
1 1/2 Tbsp. chocolate syrup
1 Tbsp. instant coffee
1 cup scotch or whiskey
1 drop coconut flavoring

GROLSCH BOTTLES WORK WELL IF USING AS GIFTS.

Middle Eastern Chard and Lentil Soup

2009-01-09T19:16:00.000-08:00

I know there are lots of lentil soup recipes out there, but this one is outstanding. The broth comes out incredibly rich, it must be from sauteeing the greens and garlic separately. This recipe comes from Paula Wolfert’s Mediterranean Greens and Grains, and was sent to us by my cousin L. as part of our wedding gift, which included a large clay cazuela and other cooking implements and ingredients. It has become one of the mainstays of our family menu for the past 5 years. Wolfert claims the recipe is from Syria.

Makes 10 cups, serving 8.

Wolfert writes:

"Here’s a light soup for all seasons: in summer serve it cool or at room temperature to refresh; in winter serve it hot to nourish. It’s delicious with grilled bread topped with crushed oily black olives and sprinkled with oregano."

"This soup is even better when you add another green to the chard. In early spring I combine chard and dandelions; in summer, chard and arugula; in winter, chard and spinach."

"Use any lentil you like. For me the most savory is the small Spanish pardina lentil available through Phipps Ranch (by mail order) or the small brown lentils available at Middle Eastern and Indian groceries. "

[Note: I almost always use chard and kale in combination, and I never serve it cool or room temperature. I always use the miniature green lentils from France, which are available at Clover's. EH]

"A potato, cut paper thin so it will dissolve, is cooked along with the lentils to thicken the soup and give it a rich creamy texture."

1 c. dark mini-lentils such as Spanish pardina or Egyptian, Ethiopian, or Indian whole masoor dal
1 tsp. salt
2 quarts light chicken stock (optional) [or vegetable broth, of course; my favorite is the "No-Chicken" broth. EH]
1 medium potato, peeled and sliced paper thin
1 c. chopped onion
3 Tbsp. olive oil
8 large Swiss chard leaves
1 lb. leafy greens such as spinach, dandelions, arugula, watercress, beet greens, kale or a mixture
1/4 c. roughly chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
1/3 c. freshly squeezed lemon juice

1. Wash and pick over lentils. Place lentils in a saucepan and cover with the stock or 2 quarts water salted with 1 tsp. salt. Bring to a boil and skim off any foam that surfaces. Add the potato, partially cover, and cook for 20 minutes.

2. In a large skillet, slowly brown the onion in the olive oil. Meanwhile, wash, stem, and roughly shred the greens. You should have about 1 packed quart. Add the cilantro and garlic to the skillet and sauté for a minute or two, then stir in the greens and allow them to wilt, covered. Scrape the contents of the skillet, including the oil, into the saucepan and continue cooking another 20 minutes, or until thick and soupy. Stir in the lemon juice and serve hot, lukewarm, or cool.

[Note: I have made this without the potato, and even without the cilantro when necessary; but the lemon juice is crucial! EH]

FAVORITE NEW RECIPE: Estelle’s Sweet Potato Biscuits

2008-12-20T19:02:00.001-08:00

We just had these on Thanksgiving up in Evanston; they were AMAZING. I might have to make them myself on Christmas. Obviously, you have to steam or bake the sweet potato ahead of time.

2 c. self-rising flour OR regular flour add 2 tsp. baking powder & 1/2 tsp. baking soda
3 Tbsp. brown sugar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. allspice
7 Tbsp. butter
1 c. mashed sweet potatoes
6 Tbsp. milk

Combine dry ingredients in bowl. Cut in butter with forks until crumbly. Add milk and sweet potatoes; stir until moistened. Turn out dough and knead. Roll dough out to 1/2 inch thick. Cut and put on buttered sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 12 min.

Chemist Divulges How to Bake the Perfect Cookie

2008-12-18T02:21:00.000-08:00

As I was driving home this afternoon I heard this story on NPR -- an interview with Shirley Corriher about her new book Bakewise: The Hows and Whys of Successful Baking. When asked to name her favorite cookie recipe for this time of year (i.e., the yule season), her answer was Chocolate Crinkle Cookies. They definitely look cool, and I'm planning to try this recipe soon. (The recipe is at the NPR website.)

Ines' Fabulous Almond Cake

2008-12-18T01:57:00.000-08:00

Finally, before I sign off tonight, I'm going to post the most-requested recipe in my repertoire. EVERY time I make this, at least one person asks for the recipe (usually more). It's from my friend Ines, whose dessert-making skills are legendary. Everyone who's had the pleasure of dining at her house agrees that she's the best cook in Columbia.

This cake is not only super-delicious, it's SUPER easy to make. I almost always keep at least one can of Solo brand pure almond paste in the cupboard in case I need to make a tasty dessert in a pinch.

1 stick of butter, soft
3/4 cup sugar
8 oz. almond paste (e.g. Solo brand)

Blend together until smooth. Beat in:

Orange and lemon zest (I usually omit this)
3 eggs, one at a time
vanilla
1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Generously butter and flour an 8-inch cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

(The tricky thing about this recipe is the 8-inch cake pan, which might not be standard equipment in your kitchen. I know I only used to have 9-inch cake pans, until I started making my chocolate grappa cake several years back, which required an 8-inch pan. It's kind of a specialty item, though not as specialized as, say, a 20-inch cake pan, which I only just acquired last year. And while I'm on the subject of pans, does it seem to you that they travel in pairs? I mean, when I got my 8-inch cake pans, just like my 9-inch cake pans, I bought two. My mother always had pairs of cake pans, so that's what I did. Most layer cakes are just two layers. But recently I wanted to make a cake recipe that called for three 8-inch layers and I was out of luck because I never anticipated that I might need three such pans.)

Roasted Butternut Squash, Rosemary, and Garlic Lasagna

2008-12-18T01:32:00.001-08:00

I used to get Cooking Light magazine - for years actually - and finallly decided I have enough of them in my possession to never need another magazine or cookbook ever again. But back in the early days of my subscription, I eagerly read every new issue. In November 2004 I was 8 months pregnant, and started making this recipe. We loved it so much that I decided to make it for my son's birth. (This is kind of an odd story for a recipe blog, I realize.) We had a home birth, and the doula had suggested that we have food on hand to feed the birthing team (doula, midwife, and doctor) - in addition to ourselves. After a 28-hour labor, we all really needed the comfort of a rich, hot dish like this one. I had it ready in the refrigerator, and once the baby FINALLY came, we put this in the oven and voila!

8-1/4 c. (1/2-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash (about 3 pounds)
Cooking spray
4 c. fat-free milk, divided
2 Tbsp. dried rosemary (actually I always use fresh, because we have it in the garden)
1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
1-1/2 tsp. salt, divided
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 (8-ounce) package precooked lasagna noodles
3/4 c. (3 oz.) graded fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano, divided
1/2 c. whipping cream

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Arrange butternut squash in a single layer in a large roasting pan coated with cooking spray. Coat squash with cooking spray. Bake at 450 degrees for 25 minutes or until squash is just tender, stirring once. Set aside.

Lower oven temperature to 350 degrees.

Combine 3-1/2 c. milk and rosemary in a 1-quart glass measuring cup, and microwave at HIGH for 5 minutes or until mixture begins to boil. Let stand 10 minutes. Strain milk through a fine sieve into a bowl; discard rosemary.

Lightly spoon all-purpose flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and remaining 1/2 cup milk, stirring flour mixture with a whisk until well blended to form a slurry.

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic; cook 1 minute or until tender, stirring constantly. Stir in steeped milk, and increase heat to medium-high. Gradually add slurry to pan, stirring constantly with a whisk. Cook 15 minutes or until thick, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; stir in 3/4 tsp. salt and pepper. Combine milk mixture and squash, tossing gently.

Spread about 1-1/2 cups squash mixture into the bottom of an 11x7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange 3 noodles over squash mixture; top with 2 cups squash mixture and 1/4 cup cheese. Repeat layers once with 3 noodles, 2 cups squash, and 1/4 cup of cheese. Top with 3 noodles.

Beat whipping cream and remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt with mixer at high speed until soft peaks form. Spread the whipping cream mixture over noodles; sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheese. Cover with foil coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes or until golden. Let stand 10 minutes. Yield: 8 servings.

(Anyone who has read Cooking Light knows they are really into cooking spray!)

Best Fried Green Tomatoes

2008-12-18T01:12:00.001-08:00

The Yummy Tomatoes lady at the Columbia farmers' market urged me to check out this recipe at Southern Living's website, using buttermilk. I have to admit, these are much yummier than my old way of frying green tomatoes, which was just to dredge them in cornmeal with salt and pepper.

Dredge tomato slices in:

1/4 c. flour

Then dip in a mixture of:

1 large egg
1/2 c. buttermilk

Then dredge in a mixture of:

1/4 c. flour
1/2 c. cornmeal
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Cook in 1/4 to 1/2 inch of vegetable oil. Sprinkle hot tomatoes with salt.

(You can see the recipe in its original form at this Southern Living webpage.)

Root Vegetable Gratin with Gruyère

2008-12-18T00:44:00.000-08:00

I got this recipe from a Williams-Sonoma catalogue around a year ago, maybe December 2007? I made it twice, and both times, friends demanded the recipe. What's not to like, with all that cream and cheese? I love celery root and love to find new ways to use it. Also this recipe allowed me to use the fancy box slicer that my step-sister-in-law sent me for Christmas last year. But I have to admit, I haven't made this recipe myself in almost a year because it's too rich even for ME, and that's saying a lot!

1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups heavy cream
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1 lb. parsnips, peeled, sliced 1/8” thick
1 lb. sweet potatoes, peeled, sliced 1/8” thick
1 lb. celery root, peeled, sliced 1/8” thick
8 oz. Gruyère cheese, shredded
1 Tbsp. minced fresh thyme
3 Tbsp. minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter a 3-quart baking dish.

In large saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Add garlic; cook 1 minute. Add cream, salt, pepper and nutmeg; heat just until bubbles form around edges of pan, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; let stand 10 minutes.

Arrange a layer of parsnips, slightly overlapping, in prepared dish. Arrange a layer of sweet potatoes on top, then a layer of celery root. Pour half of cream mixture over celery root; sprinkle half of cheese, thyme and parsley on top. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Cover dish with foil, place on baking sheet and bake 1 hour. Remove foil; lightly press gratin down with spatula. Continue baking until vegetables are tender and top is golden brown, 15-30 minutes or more. Let stand 15 minutes before serving. Serves 12-15.

Ambrosia

2008-12-18T00:28:00.001-08:00

They don't call it "the food of the gods" for nothing. I hosted book group tonight and one friend brought this celestial concoction in honor of her mother, a Southern lady who used to make this and stuff like it all the time. It comes from a book called Suck Your Stomache In and Put Some Color On!: What Southern Mamas Tell Their Daughters that the Rest of Y'all Should Know Too, by Shellie Rushing Tomlinson.

Combine:

1 large can of mandarin oranges
1 can of pineapple crushed or tidbits
coconut (about 1/2 cup or more if you like)
2 bananas cut up
1/2 jar of cut up maraschino cherries
1/2 cup of mini-marshmallows
about 1 cup of whipped cream (turns out you can get a natural version of Cool Whip at Clover's, who knew?) OR vanilla yoghurt
1/2 cup of chopped pecans

I can understand if this is not to your taste, but I also grew up in the South and have many happy childhood memories based on stuff like this.