As we all know from past embarrassing moments, there's no red deeper than beet red. And there's no red soup redder than borscht. While borscht is traditionally a cool weather soup, served when the beets and cabbages are at their plumpest, it can also be enjoyed during the warm months or in warm climates served either at room temperature or chilled.

Ingredients:
1 medium onion, finely diced
2 small leeks, thinly sliced
1 rib celery, finely diced
1 medium carrot, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 pounds fresh beets, peeled and diced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 cups vegetable broth (you may also use chicken or beef, if preferred)
4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill more to add at the end
4 tablespoons sour cream
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:
1. Prep all the vegetables. To prepare the leeks, rinse them well under cold running water, making sure to pull apart each layer with your fingers to remove any sand or soil lodged in between. Cut off and toss the root end, and thinly slice the white part.
2. Heat the butter over medium heat in a large heavy stock pot until it melts and foams. Add the onions, leeks, celery, carrot, garlic, beets, and the salt & pepper and stir. Cook, stirring often, until the vegetables soften, 15-20 minutes.
3. Add the vegetable broth and bring the soup to a simmer. Simmer gently, stirring occasionally, for 10-15 minutes.
4. Stir in the vinegar, dill and more salt & pepper to taste. Puree using an immersion stick blender (optional).
5. Ladle the soup into individual bowls and top with sour cream and a sprinkling of dill or shaved carrot for added color.

Serves 4-6

Creative Commons photo credit: Vidiot

Posted by at 6:29 AM | Permalink

Gardeners know a thing or two about companion planting, but what we know about "companion eating". Not as much as we could, apparently. Thanks to a new Belgian website, what we don't know, we can learn.

According to the site, foods combine with each other when they have major flavor components in common. Some of the pairings might strike you as tempting and others revolting. One famous Belgian chocolatier was so inspired by the site's content, he invented a new praline in its honor: "chocolate-radish-chives-fresh cheese".

But the site's creator includes an important caveat:

"This is just a tool to inspire you. You still need as a chef the craftsmanship, the experience,…to translate this inspiration into a good recipe. It is not only mixing two components together. The balance between the two is important".

Posted by at 2:38 PM | Permalink

Ingredients
1 clove garlic
4-6 anchovy fillets
3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
1 egg
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon wine vinegar
4 slices bread, cut thin
2 tablespoons butter
2 heads of romaine

Procedure
Mash the garlic in a large wooden salad bowl, rubbing it well around the sides. Let it stand thus for a few minutes, then scrape out and discard the garlic pulp. Put the anchovy fillets and cheese into the bowl and mash them to a smooth paste. Add raw egg to the anchovy-cheese mixture and work smooth. If you are concerned about the quality of your eggs for raw use, you may coddle it by cooking it in fast-boiling water for one minute, just enough to cut the edge of rawness. Blend in the oil and vinegar. Neither salt nor pepper is needed.

Make croutons by buttering the bread on both sides, cubing it small, and browning the croutons in the oven until crisp.

Wash the romaine well, dry and crisp it. Break it into the bowl, sprinkle on the croutons and toss lightly in the dressing until every leaf is coated and the dressing absorbed by the croutons.

Serves 4 to 6.

Recipe source: adapted from House & Garden, June 1956

Photo credit: Michael Newman

Posted by at 3:04 PM | Permalink

Chimichurri is Argentina's national condiment and a requirement for the famous Argentine asado or barbecue. The recipe for chimichurri that follows is only one of many, but it is typical of those you will find in the Pampas. Some locals use it as a salad dressing as well. It can be served with any broiled or roasted meat or poultry.

Ingredients:
1 cup (packed) fresh Italian parsley
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup (packed) fresh cilantro
2 garlic cloves, peeled
3/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt

Procedure:
Puree all ingredients in processor. Transfer to bowl. (Can be made 2 hours ahead. Cover and let stand at room temperature.)

Recipe source: Epicurious.com
Photo credit: Gabo. Used with permission.

Posted by at 7:08 PM | Permalink

This recent video by Chef John is officially entitled "pumpkin brulee" but it could have easily been called "how to turn something healthy and pure into something deliciously decadent in 3 easy steps."

Step 1) Add white sugar
Step 2) Add eggs yolks
Step 3) Add heavy cream

It doesn't get much richer than that, but occasional richness in our cuisine helps us to appreciate the simpler, healthy dishes that should make up the bulk of our diets.

Some other "pumpkin puree" ideas you may want to consider:
-Basic, no-frills puree
-Pumpkin nutmeg dinner rolls
-Black bean pumpkin soup

Posted by at 10:32 PM | Permalink

Tabbouleh is a Lebanese dish, considered by many as the "national salad". Its main ingredients are bulgur, finely chopped parsley, mint, tomato, scallion (spring onion), and other herbs with lemon juice and various seasonings, generally including black pepper and sometimes cinnamon and allspice. In Syria and in Lebanon, where the dish originated, it is often eaten by scooping it up in Romaine lettuce leaves. In the Middle East, it is truly a salad with the green ingredients dominating. The dish's global popularity has led to new interpretations and regional modifications such as the use of couscous (which originates from Northern Africa) in place of bulgur.

Ingredients
2 bunches of fresh parsley (1 1/2 cup chopped, with stems discarded)
2 tablespoons of fresh mint, chopped
I small onion, finely chopped
6 medium tomatoes, finely diced
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup bulgur
juice of three lemons
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Procedure:
Rinse bulgur in water and add to a large mixing bowl. Combine all chopped ingredients, salt, pepper, lemon juice, olive oil, and stir. Cover with a clean dish towel and let sit for 1-2 hours or until bulghur is tender.

Photo credit: Ulterior Epicure

Posted by at 8:59 AM | Permalink

You've heard of a frittata, of course. It's that wonderful, old world way of serving up today's mishmash of vegetables (or yesterday's leftovers) in a new way. Well, as Chef John explains, a flattata is the same basic principle, except flatter. John's using Swiss chard in this video, but you can experiment freely and confidently with kale, collards, spinach, beet greens...you name it. For all the parents out there, this is one of those rare "cooked greens" dishes that your child might actually enjoy, as the bacon bits and eggs provide some stealthy cover for the healthy greens.

Posted by at 10:03 AM | Permalink

Although this appears at first glance to be quite labor intensive, the labors are spread out over several days and the result is well worth any effort. Do make this when peppers in the market are fresh from local farms and gardens, not shipped in from far away. The flavors will be that much better and more intense.

The balance of sweet and hot peppers is really up to you: If you have mildly spicy peppers, like New Mexico or Anaheim peppers, for instance, make Pepone with those on their own; but if, on the other hand, the only chiles available are fiercely hot—like Scotch bonnets—you might want to cut down on the quantity of chilies and increase the amount of sweet peppers.

Makes 4 pints

Ingredients:
6 pounds green and red sweet peppers
2 medium carrots, peeled
1 quart white wine vinegar
1 large white onion
2 cups extra-virgin olive oil
15 fresh hot red chilies
4 plump garlic cloves
3 celery stalks
2 tablespoons sea salt

Procedure:
Wash and thoroughly dry the peppers and chiles, then cut them in half, discarding the seeds and white internal membranes. Chop the peppers, chiles, celery, carrots, onion, and rather coarsely by hand. Transfer the chopped vegetables to a bowl and add the salt. Set aside for 24 hours, but do not refrigerate. The vegetables will give off quite a lot of liquid. At the end of that time, turn into a colander, rinse the salt off thoroughly under running water, and set to drain. Transfer to a bowl, cover with the vinegar, and set aside for another 24 hours.

Have ready 4 pint (or 8 half-pint) sterile canning jars.

Drain the vegetables in a colander, but do not rinse. Fill the jars with vegetables, then olive oil, which should completely cover the chopped vegetables. Push a table knife into the jar in several places to get rid of any air bubbles. Screw down the lid and proceed with the remaining jars.

Process the jars for 20 minutes in a water bath canner. Remove from heat and let cool. Then remove the jars from the canning kettle. Set aside in a cool, dark place. The Pepone will be ready to use in 2 weeks. Use as a condiment for any meat or fish dish.

Recipe source: Cucina del Sole, by Nancy Harmon Jenkins, reprinted with permission.

Posted by at 11:15 AM | Permalink

Tomatoes from the island of Ischia are born of a dry climate and raised in the salty air of island—the ideal ambience for tomatoes with incomparable flavor. Try this recipe with local, gar ripened tomatoes at the peak of the season, when their flavor impact will be greatest. Dip them in boiling water for 10 to 12 seconds, then lift the skin off with a sharp knife.

This dish is usually served at room temperature or a little warmer, not piping hot from the stove. Maccheroni, or macaroni, is a long, thin pasta that looks like spaghetti but has a hole in it. If you can't find maccheroni, by all means use spaghetti instead.

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup capers, preferably salt-packed, rinsed and coarsely chopped
Pinch of dried oregano
1/4 cup broad crumbs
2 plump garlic cloves, minced
1 pound maccheroni
6 anchovy fillets, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup of coarsely chopped black olives, pitted
3/4 cup diced mozzarella, preferably buffalo-milk
2 pounds ripe tomatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup torn basil leaves
Pinch of crumbled dried red chili
Sea salt (optional)

Procedure:
Combine 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and the garlic in a skillet over medium-low heat. Gently sweat the garlic until it is very soft, but do not let it brown. Add the anchovies and m them with a fork into the garlicky oil. Stir in the tomatoes, capers, and olives and cook about minutes. Taste and add salt if you wish. Now stir in the chili and oregano and simmer for a 10 minutes. Add a little water from time to time if the sauce starts to stick.

Meanwhile, bring 6 quarts of lightly salted water to a rolling boil. In a separate small skillet, combine the bread crumbs with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Set over medium heat and toast the crumbs, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and crisp. Set aside.

Cook the pasta until done to taste, then drain. Or cook until slightly underdone, drain, let it finish cooking in the simmering sauce. Mix the pasta and sauce together and stir in the cubes of mozzarella and some of the basil, along with a couple of tablespoons of crisp bread crumbs. Transfer to a serving dish and garnish the top with the rest of the bread crumbs and basil. Let rest for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Recipe source: Cucina del Sole, by Nancy Harmon Jenkins, reprinted with permission.

Posted by at 11:07 AM | Permalink

Are you harvesting tomatoes hand over fist and looking for some fresh ideas on how to prepare them? Well, the global blogosphere is here to help. Below are a few recipes recently posted to some food blogs that you will probably want to get to know better. Enjoy.

From Simply Recipes:

White Beans and Cherry Tomato Salad

Gazpacho

From Chocolate & Zucchini:

Panzanella

From Kayn's Kitchen:

Tomato and Cucumber Salad with Mint, Feta, Lemon, and Thyme

Slow roasted tomatoes

From David Lebovitz:

Marinated Tomato Salad

From Just Hungry:

Tabbouleh with Heirloom Tomatoes and Shiso

From Champagne Taste:

Roasted tomato sauce

From A Veggie Venture:

Baked Eggs with Tomato and Spinach

Photo by D. Knisely

Posted by at 2:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

By Barbara Damrosch, published Thursday, August 23, 2007 in The Washington Post

As a gardening cook, I always say that flavor is everything, but my evil twin, the lazy cook, knows otherwise. Sometimes I just want vegetables that are easy to slice.

Cooking is all about cutting things up, and a cylindrical variety that yields uniform slices -- quick to do, tidy on the plate -- is what I reach for on a busy day. I'll choose a long, slender beet such as Forono over a round one. I'll grab tapered radishes such as red-and-white D'Avignon, or a daikon, to slice for salad. I might even forgo my favorite Brandywine tomato (delicious but a bit lumpy) in favor of a paste type that makes quick, round disks. I'll skip the flying-saucer-shaped pattypan squash and reach for zucchini. Chop, chop. Pattypans, like round tomatoes, are great for stuffing. But stuff anything on a day when there's 10 for lunch? Not a chance.

Continue reading "Vegetables That Cut to the Quick" »

Posted by at 7:08 AM | Permalink

You've read about this, seen the technique on TV, and now it's time to give it a try at home using those red peppers that your garden (or local farmers' market) is so generously providing. And who better to demonstrate it than Chef John of FoodWishes.com?

Posted by at 5:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Home-grown veggies cry out for home-made mayo as a dipping sauce or as a spread for those delicious tomato sandwiches many of us are enjoying this month. KGI's friend, Chef John of Foodwishes.com, is with us in the good fight against sugary, corporate mayo. Check out his video above and recipe below.

Ingredients:
2 egg yolks
1 tbl fresh lemon juice
1 tbl white wine vinegar
3/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp sugar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup olive oil

Warning: watching John's video is likely to give you a bad case of stick blender envy if you don't have one already.

Posted by at 5:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Aioli is a garlic mayonnaise made of garlic, egg, lemon juice, and olive oil. In Provence, aioli (or more formally, Le Grand Aioli) also designates a complete dish consisting of various boiled vegetables (usually carrots, potatoes, and green beans), boiled fish (normally salt cod), and boiled eggs served with the aioli sauce.

While modern cooks have taken to making aioli in a blender or food processor, the traditional method is to use a mortar and pestle which gives the sauce a creamier texture. The technique described below comes from J.B. Reboul's classic cookbook, La Cuisiniere Provencale, published in 1897 and widely considered to be the bible of Provencal cooking.

Take two cloves of garlic per person , peel them, place them in a mortar, reduce them to a paste with a pestle; add a pinch of salt, an egg yolk and pour in the oil in a thin thread while turning with the pestle. Take care to add the oil very slowly and, during this time, never stop turning; you should obtain a think pommade. After having added about three or four tablespoons of oil, add the juice of a lemon and a teaspoon of tepid water, continue to add oil little by little and, when the pommade again becomes too thick, add another few drops of water, without which it falls apart, so to speak, the oil separating itself from the rest.

An aioli for seven to eight persons will absorb something over two cups of oil.

In his similarly classic book, Simple French Food, Richard Olney recommends toning down the recipe for non-Provençal palates unaccustomed to such a heavy dose of garlic. He suggests four cloves of garlic for an aioli serving 8 people. He also recommends starting with two egg yolks before starting to add the oil.

Photo courtesy of Chris John Beckett

Posted by at 1:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

If a picture's worth a thousand words, this one's worth 6000. We love process montages like this one that get us thinking about the steps involved in a recipe.

If you're in the mood to get involved in the process yourself, here are a few recipes you might try:
GLAZED STRAWBERRY PIE
STRAWBERRY ICEBOX PIE WITH ALMOND CRUST
ITALIAN STRAWBERRY TART

Photo credit: AmUnivers

Posted by at 9:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

This recipe is also delicious with peas instead of asparagus. It begs for a glass of wine to cut the creaminess, though asparagus makes wine pairing tough. The San Francisco Chronicle's wine folks suggest a Chardonnay or Pinot Gris.

Ingredients:
3/4 pound thin asparagus, trimmed
1 pound pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil or butter
1 cup onions, in small dice
3/4 cup fennel or celery, in small dice
1 1/2 cups half-and-half
1/4 cup dry white wine
6 ounces smoked salmon, in small dice
Chopped chives to garnish

Procedure:
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Blanch the asparagus until still slightly fibrous but mostly cooked, about 3 minutes for thin asparagus. Remove with tongs or a spider (large mesh scoop) and place in a colander to cool. Immediately add the pasta to the boiling water and cook according to package directions. Reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water, then drain.
2. Meanwhile, heat the oil or butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and fennel and cook until tender, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes. Add the half-and-half and simmer for 3 minutes, reducing slightly. Add the wine and return to a gentle simmer.
3. Chop the asparagus into 1/2-inch-long pieces. If you like, reserve a few of the tips to use as a garnish.
4. At the last minute, add the salmon and asparagus to the sauce. Heat for barely a minute, because the salmon doesn't taste as good when it overcooks, then season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. Add the pasta to the sauce, stirring in some of the pasta water if necessary. Serve immediately in shallow bowls, garnished with the chives and extra asparagus tips.

Recipe source: San Francisco Chronicle
Picture credit: Denkschema

Posted by at 5:53 PM | Permalink

Kitchen gardeners are gardeners who love to cook and we're not just talking broccoli! We eat healthy foods and deserve our just desserts. Here's a recipe for the chocolate lovers among us.

Ingredients:
2 sticks (16 tablespoons) butter, more for pan and parchment paper
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
4 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup dark brown sugar, such as muscovado
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or 3/4 cup whole walnuts, optional.

Procedure:
1. Butter a 13-by-9-inch baking pan and line with buttered parchment paper. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In top of a double boiler set over barely simmering water, or on low power in a microwave, melt butter and chocolate together. Cool slightly. In a large bowl or mixer, whisk eggs. Whisk in salt, sugars and vanilla.
2. Whisk in chocolate mixture. Fold in flour just until combined. If using chopped walnuts, stir them in. Pour batter into prepared pan. If using whole walnuts, arrange on top of batter. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until shiny and beginning to crack on top. Cool in pan on rack.

Yield: 15 large or 24 small brownies.

Recipe adapted from “Chocolate: From Simple Cookies to Extravagant Showstoppers,” by Nick Malgieri (Morrow Cookbooks, 1998) and reprinted in the New York Times

Photo courtesy of p3nnylan3

Posted by at 1:16 PM | Permalink

Ingredients:
10 ounces fresh spinach, well washed, large stems removed, or 1 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 to 2 cups buttermilk or thin yogurt
2 eggs
2 tablespoons melted and cooled butter, plus unmelted butter for cooking
1 cup sour cream, optional
1 tablespoon minced lemon peel, optional.

Procedure:
1. Put spinach in a covered saucepan over medium heat, with just the water that clings to its leaves after washing; or plunge it into a pot of salted boiling water. Either way, cook it until it wilts, just a couple of minutes. Drain, cool, squeeze dry and chop.

2. Heat large skillet over medium-low heat while you make batter. Heat oven to 200 degrees. In a bowl, mix together dry ingredients. Place 1 1/2 cups buttermilk in another bowl. Beat eggs into it, then stir in the melted butter. Stir this into dry ingredients, adding a little more buttermilk if batter seems thick; stir in spinach.

3. Place a teaspoon or two of butter in pan. When butter foam subsides, ladle batter onto skillet, making any size pancakes you like. Adjust heat as necessary; first batch will require higher heat than subsequent batches. Add more butter to pan as necessary. Brown bottoms in 2 to 4 minutes. Flip only when pancakes are fully cooked on bottom; they won’t hold together well until they are ready.

4. Cook until second side is lightly browned; as pancakes are done, put them on an ovenproof plate in oven for up to 15 minutes. Mix sour cream and lemon peel together and place a small dollop on each pancake.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings.

Source: New York Times

Posted by at 10:05 AM | Permalink

Ingredients:
1 Granny Smith apple, cored and peeled
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 small head green cabbage, quartered and cored
1 small head red cabbage, 8 leaves set aside for plating, the rest quartered and cored
1 carrot, peeled
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon caraway seeds

For the dressing
4 ounces blue Brie cheese or other creamy blue cheese, cubed
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

For the garnish
1/4 cup minced fresh chives

Procedure:
Using the large holes of a box grater, shred the apple into a large bowl and toss with the lemon juice to prevent discoloring. Shred the green cabbage, red cabbage and carrot into the bowl. Add the onions, salt, pepper and caraway seeds and toss.

To make the dressing: In a blender or food processor, process the cheese and cream until smooth. Add the sugar, vinegar, salt and pepper and blend again for 30 seconds. With the machine running, gradually add the olive oil and blend until the sauce thickens, about 15 seconds. Pour over the salad and toss until thoroughly coated. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 12 before serving.

To serve, place a red cabbage leaf on each of 8 salad plates and spoon some of the salad onto each leaf. Sprinkle with the chives.

Recipe adapted from "The Irish Heritage Cookbook," by Margaret M. Johnson and reprinted in the San Francaisco Chronicle

Posted by at 11:19 AM | Permalink

Ahhh....meatballs. If only we could grow them in the garden. Luckily, we can make them in the kitchen, using herbs from our gardens. The New York Times is offering a helpful tutorial on how to build a better meatball.

For those already prepared to dive, hands first, into the mixing bowl here's the recipe:

Ingredients:
2 pounds ground beef
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan
1 heaping tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 heaping tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 eggs
3 tablespoons olive oil.

Procedure:
1. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients except olive oil by hand, using a light touch. Take a portion of meat in hand, and roll between palms to form a ball that is firmly packed but not compressed. Repeat, making each meatball about 2 inches in diameter.

2. In a large, heavy pot heat olive oil over medium-high heat. When it shimmers, add meatballs in batches. Do not crowd. Brown well on bottoms before turning, or meatballs will break apart. Continue cooking until browned all over. Remove meatballs to a plate as each batch is finished. Let meatballs cool slightly; cover and refrigerate until needed.

Yields about 16 meatballs.

Photo and recipe credit: The New York Times

Posted by at 5:23 PM | Permalink

Life can occasionally seem dull during the cold, dark days of winter. Your garden is frozen solid, or close to it. You've already gone through your seed catalogues, twice. Well, if you're looking to live on the edge a bit, why not start by sharpening those dull knives of yours? Here's the Food Network's Alton Brown to teach you how.

Posted by at 9:24 AM | Permalink

JaMand's Guac Salsa Cruda & Avocado Guacamole Tamarindo Style Regalito's Guacamole Salsa Fresca Zazil's Guacamole Chipotle Roast Pork Cuban Sandwiches Pasta with Cottage Cheese Cottage Cheese Latkes Cornish Hens with Wine-Marinated Sauerkraut

Posted by at 10:43 AM | Permalink

Why would anyone ever want to go to the trouble of making home-made yogurt when store shelves are teeming with the stuff? Well, you could say the same thing about home-made bread and home-grown veggies. The point is not to make everything yourself (unless, of course, you want to) but to understand what goes into the making of good food. In doing so, we become informed eaters who are able to make better food choices. Whether you decide to make some yogurt or not, you'll enjoy Alton Brown's explanation of the process.

Posted by at 9:47 AM | Permalink

Amateur baking will never be the same after the New York Times' article and video earlier this year about Jim Lahey's revolutionary "no knead" bread method. The response has been so great that it has spawned a second article with more details. The technique requires a heavy cast iron pot. You can use your Le Creuset-style Dutch oven if you have one, but you'll need to remove the plastic lid handle which cannot handle the high temperatures.

Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
11/4 teaspoons salt
Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed.

Procedure
1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.

2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.

3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.

Yield: One 1.5-pound loaf.

Recipe adapted from Jim Lahey, Sullivan Street Bakery and printed in the New York Times

Photo credit: Tschoerda

Posted by at 9:42 AM | Permalink

Ingredients:
2 large eggs
3 cups grated drained all-purpose potatoes
1/4 cup grated onion
1 teaspoon salt, more to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 to 4 tablespoons matzo meal, or as needed
Canola oil, for frying
Applesauce and sour cream for serving (optional).

Procedure:
1. In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs lightly. Add potatoes, onion, salt and pepper, and mix well. Stir in 2 tablespoons matzo meal, and let it sit about 30 seconds to absorb moisture in batter. If necessary add more to make a thick, wet batter that is neither watery nor dry.

2. Place a large skillet over medium heat, and add 2 tablespoons oil. When oil is hot drop in heaping 1/8 cups (about 2 tablespoons) of batter, flattening them gently to make thick pancakes. When bottoms have browned, after 2 to 3 minutes, flip and brown on other side. Add oil as needed. Drain on paper towels, and sprinkle with additional salt to taste. If necessary, work in batches, keeping cooked pancakes warm. Serve hot with applesauce and sour cream, if desired.

Yield: 4 servings (about 24 small pancakes).

Recipe source: New York Times
Photo credit: NYCnosh

Posted by at 2:15 PM | Permalink

A little of this, a little of that, and - voila - a great vegetable soup in less than 30 minutes!

Posted by at 9:20 AM | Permalink

This recipe comes courtesy of the Cook's Garden company. They recommend using Tromboncino, a summer squash variety, but pretty much any summer or winter squash variety can serve as a canvas for curry flavor.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter
1 chopped onion
2 finely minced garlic cloves
1-Tablespoon curry powder
1-teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
4 cups sliced squash
4 small red skinned potatoes
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Procedure:
Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a large pot over medium heat and saute 1 chopped onion with 2 finely minced garlic cloves, until softened. Stir in 1-Tablespoon curry powder, 1-teaspoon ground ginger and 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric and stir until fragrant. Add 4 cups sliced Tromboncino squash and 4 small red skinned potatoes, cut into cubes. Cook until slightly softened, then add 6 cups water, reduce the heat, cover and simmer until the vegetables are soft, about 30 minutes. Puree in a blender, along with 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Photo credit: Le Champignon

Posted by at 1:25 PM | Permalink

And you think your kitchen is cramped! We found this amateur video fascinating. It shows a Thai street food vendor making up a serving of pad thai right before our eyes. In this case, however, she's not so much a street food vendor as a "canal food" vendor with all the cooking taking place within the tight confines of a well-balanced canoe.

If that has made you want to learn more about this classic international dish, check out this pad thai recipe and tutorial.

Posted by at 8:51 AM | Permalink

Kevin Weeks, chef and author of the Seriously Good food blog, has inspired us to roast up some rutabaga. Here's Kevin describing the process:

So yesterday I bought a rutabaga, cut it up into 3/4" dice, tossed it with olive oil, dried Herbes de Provence, a bit of salt and pepper, and a spoon full of sugar (to encourage browning). Then I spread it out on a baking sheet and cooked it at 350F until the cubes were tender. This turned out to take about 45 minutes, which was half again as long as I'd expected. Nevertheless, with a bit more salt sprinkled over the cubes, the result was marvelously sweet -- almost like eating candy. Note that I didn't add enough sugar to the mixture for that to account for the sweetness. This is a definite keeper. I had it with lentil soup last night but it would be wonderful with pork or duck.

Photo and text courtesy of Kevin Weeks

Posted by at 10:14 AM | Permalink

Moroccan women make this bread on the street, deftly flattening the dough on griddles with hardened fingers that can withstand the heat. It's an example of a multilayered flatbread, with a buttery filling between the dough layers. Great for sopping up a spicy Moroccan soup or stew.

INGREDIENTS:
The Dough
1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour + more for kneading
1/2 teaspoon salt

The Filling
1/2 onion, very finely chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped Italian parsley
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt to taste
Vegetable oil

INSTRUCTIONS:
Stir the yeast into 6 tablespoons tepid water until creamy.

Stir flour and salt together in a bowl. Add yeast water, gradually working it in with your hand until dough is slightly wetter than that for bread. Knead briefly on a lightly floured work surface, dusting with flour as needed, then cover with an inverted bowl and let rest 15 minutes.

Put the onion, parsley, butter and spices in a bowl and mix well.

Smear your work surface and hands with vegetable oil and divide the dough into 4 equal portions. Shape each into a ball. Working with 1 ball at a time, flatten into a very thin circle. If the dough is elastic and wants to spring back, let it rest for a few moments, then try again. The circle should be as thin as you can make it without tearing. Spread a quarter of the filling over the dough. Fold it in thirds like a letter. With a short side nearest you, fold the bottom third toward the center, then fold the top third under the center accordion-style to make a small square. Repeat with remaining dough.

With oiled hands, pat and stretch each small square into a large square. The square should be as thin as you can make it without tearing the dough.

Preheat a griddle to medium. Grease it lightly with vegetable oil, or grease a large nonstick skillet with vegetable oil and place over moderate heat. Cook flattened squares on both sides until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Serve hot or warm.

Recipe source: San Francisco Chronicle

Posted by at 11:58 AM | Permalink

This dish comes courtesy of Jennifer Love of Kentucky who makes enough of it to fill her three boys' tummies and her freezer as well We've scaled the proportions back for those of you interested in trying it out first.

Ingredients:
3 lbs of ground or finely cut meat. We use combinations of beef, lamb, turkey, chicken and/or venison.
3-4 medium onions, chopped
2 bell peppers, chopped
1 small habeñero pepper or other hot peppers, I use seeds and all
2 tablespoons of ground cumin
1-2 cloves garlic
2/3 cup well cooked beans, mashed, when I have them
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:
Put meat in crock pot on high 8-10 hours before you want it done. I add a bit of water only if I am using all very lean meats. After 6 hours, ladle off any extra grease if desired. At this time, or by two hours before done, add all other ingredients and stir to break up meat. Seasonings can easily be adjusted to personal taste. I continue to stir a few times over next couple hours till done to break up meat further. I even use a hand mixer to make it quite fine right before serving. If it’s too loose it can be thickened with corn starch or flour or rolled oats and cooked just a bit longer till thickened, though I rarely do this.

We serve this with soft or hard corn shells, or flour tortillas, or corn chips or even on lettuce as a taco salad. We serve with grated cheddar cheese, salsa, sour cream, shredded lettuce, chopped sweet and hot peppers, chopped chives, diced onions and diced fresh tomatoes for toppings.

Posted by at 10:04 AM | Permalink

This is a bare-bones vinaigrette recipe from Julia Child's Kitchen Wisdom book. Its beauty lies solely in the quality of your ingredients. Note that you will so often see proportions of 1 part vinegar to 3 parts oil, but that can make a very acid, very vinegary vinaigrette. Child recommends the proportions of a very dry martini, since you can always add more vinegar or lemon but you can't take it out. Try it on salad or on lightly steamed vegetables that have cooled to room temperature.

Ingredients:
1/2 tablespoon finely minced shallot or scallion
1/2 tablespoon Dijon-type mustard
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 tablespoon wine vinegar
1/3 to 1/2 cup excellent olive oil, or other fine, fresh oil
Freshly ground pepper

Procedure:
Either shake all the ingredients together in a screw-topped jar, or mix them individually as follows. Stir the shallots or scallions together with the mustard and salt. Whisk in the lemon juice and vinegar, and when well blended start whisking in the oil by droplets to form a smooth emulsion. Beat in freshly ground pepper. Taste (dip a piece of the salad greens into the sauce) and correct seasoning with salt, pepper, and/or drops of lemon juice.

Yield: For about 2/3 cup, serving 6 to 8

Posted by at 6:45 AM | Permalink

Posted by at 10:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Do you remember the good ol' days when people recorded their recipes on index cards and zuchinni was spelled with only one "n"? (Actually, we'll have to double-check that last fact.)

While recipe cards may be following the same flightless flight path as the Dodo Bird into extinction, their memory lives on thanks to - well, how can we say it - some kooks with cameras. Good kooks, though, our kind of kooks! The type of eccentric people who think that family food traditions are worth holding onto even if it means sitting down for a whole afternoon and shooting picture after picture of Mom's entire recipe archive and then posting them all to the internet.

Here are two recipe card slide shows we found posted on Flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kdorff/sets/1512108/show/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/phil_g/sets/412209/show/

So now a question for you: how do you hold onto "keeper" recipes in our disposable, digital age? Kooky minds want to know.

Photo courtesy of Gisara

Posted by at 1:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Al Gore invented the internet and southern California invented the zucchini. Or is it vice-versa?

The latter claim - that zucchini would not be the international superstar it is were it not for California - is the subject of an article in today's Los Angeles Times. Be sure to check out the 3 SoCal-style zucchini recipes that go with the article.

Posted by at 2:08 PM | Permalink

This delicate sauce infused with the flavor of freshly chopped parsley offers a pleasant accompaniment for steamed vegetables or white fish.

Ingredients:
1 ounce butter (30 g)
1 ounce plain flour (30 g)
10 fluid ounces warm milk (300 ml) ("or" mixture of milk and light stock)
1 tablespoon freshly chopped parsley (15 ml)
salt and pepper, to taste

Procedure:
1. Melt the butter in a pan, but do not allow it to brown, then add the flour and stir until smooth.
2. Cook over a gentle heat for 2-3 minutes stirring constantly.
3. Remove from heat and add the liquid, little by little, stirring after each addition to prevent any lumps forming.
4. Bring the sauce to the boil, stirring continuously.
5. Add the parsley, salt and pepper and cook gently for a further 3 minutes.

Posted by at 12:01 PM | Permalink

In an age when most people would not consider making their own french fries from scratch, it is even stranger thought that some might entertain cooking up the ketchup to go along with it. Those days may be long gone for most of fast food nation, but they live on for a brave few who want to rediscover the pure flavors of yesteryear.

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, sliced
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon chile flakes
1/2 teaspoon ancho chile powder
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
4 cups tomatoes, peeled, seeded and cut into chunks or two 14.5-ounce cans chopped tomatoes
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup distilled vinegar
1 tablespoon kosher salt

Procedure:
1. Heat oil over medium in a large saucepan. Add onion and saute until golden, about 15 minutes. Add garlic, cloves, allspice, chile flakes, ancho chile powder and mustard seeds and cook for 1-2 minutes, until aromatic.

2. Add tomatoes, brown sugar, vinegar and salt. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to a light simmer and cook 35 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep from burning.

3. Remove from heat and blend or process until smooth. Press through a fine strainer into a clean saucepan, pressing on the solids hard to push as much through as possible.

4. Cook over medium heat for another 15 minutes until thick, stirring to keep it from sticking. Cool before serving.

Variation: You can add any of the following spices for a different flavor: 2 teaspoons curry powder, 1 tablespoon minced ginger, a half head of roasted garlic, or 1 tablespoon harissa.

Yields 1 1/4 cups

Recipe source: San Francisco Chronicle
Photo source: Automania

Posted by at 3:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Ingredients:
2 cups husked, rinsed and chopped tomatillos (or use 1½ cups tomatillos and ½ cup cored and chopped ripe or green tomatoes)
2 medium poblano or other mild green fresh chilies, optional, preferably roasted and skinned
1 teaspoon minced garlic, or to taste
¼ cup chopped white onion
Salt and pepper to taste
Cayenne or minced jalapeño to taste, optional
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, or to taste
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves.

Procedure:
1. In a bowl, combine tomatillos, poblanos if you are using them, garlic, onion, salt, pepper and cayenne or chili. Let stand at room temperature for up to an hour, or refrigerate for up to ½ day (bring back to room temperature before serving).

2. Taste and adjust seasoning, then stir in lime juice and half the cilantro; taste and adjust seasoning again, then garnish with remaining cilantro. Serve.

Yield: About 2 cups.

Recipe source: New York Times
Photo source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/laraferroni/

Posted by at 11:03 AM | Permalink

Ingredients:
3 cups chopped rhubarb
2 tablespoons orange juice
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoons butter, cut in small pieces

for the crumble Mixture:
1/4 cup melted butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup sifted all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2/3 cup quick cooking oats

Procedure:
Arrange diced rhubarb in a buttered 8-inch square baking dish. Sprinkle with orange juice, 3/4 cup sugar, cinnamon, then dot with the 1 tablespoon of cut up butter.
Combine melted butter with brown sugar. Sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda; mix with oats.
Combine the flour oat mixture with the brown sugar and melted butter mixture. Spread over rhubarb. Bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes. Serve warm, with ice cream or whipped cream.

Recipe source: About Southern US Cuisine
Picture source: Flickr Roboppy

Posted by at 9:55 PM | Permalink

Ingredients:
1 pound thick asparagus, trimmed and peeled
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 egg yolks, preferably organic
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Extra virgin olive oil as necessary.

Procedure:
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook asparagus just until bright green but tender, up to 4 or 5 minutes for thicker spears. Drain and immediately rinse with cold water (or, better still, plunge into ice water). Drain again and set aside. (You can wrap asparagus and refrigerate for up to a day at this point. Bring to room temperature before serving.)

2. Whisk together mustard, egg yolks, soy sauce, lemon juice and just enough olive oil (start with a tablespoon) to make a smooth dressing. Toss with asparagus and serve.

Yield: 4 servings.

Source: New York Times

Posted by at 8:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Feeling too busy to cook from scratch, yet too guilty not to? Most of us have experienced the feeling. Could it be that we need a "dream dinner" meal assembly center (see below) in our community. The concept is simple: they do the hard work, you take all the credit.

Or, then again, maybe we all just need to slow down and make time for the important things in life. What is your opinion on this new trend in "almost home-cooking"?

Continue reading "Betty Crocker with a cellphone" »

Posted by at 4:07 PM | Permalink

As Kitchen Skills Dwindle, Recipes Become Easy as Pie

By Candy Sagon, Published in the Washington Post, March 18, 2006

At Kraft Foods, recipes never include words like "dredge" and "sauté." Betty Crocker recipes avoid "braise" and "truss." Land O' Lakes has all but banned "fold" and "cream" from its cooking instructions. And Pillsbury carefully sidesteps "simmer" and "sear."

When the country's top food companies want to create recipes that millions of Americans will be able to understand, there seems to be one guiding principle: They need to be written for a nation of culinary illiterates.

Basic cooking terms that have been part of kitchen vocabulary for centuries are now considered incomprehensible to the majority of Americans. Despite the popularity of the Food Network cooking shows on cable TV, and the burgeoning number of food magazines and gourmet restaurants, today's cooks have fewer kitchen skills than their parents -- or grandparents -- did.

Continue reading "Cooking 101: Add 1 Cup of Simplicity" »

Posted by at 7:26 AM | Permalink

"Our life is frittered away by detail. Simplify, simplify, simplify."

"I do not go there (Walden Pond) to get my dinner, but to get that sustenance which dinners only preserve me to enjoy, without which dinners were a vain repetition."

That's what Henry David Thoreau had to say. While Thoreau was not known as much of cook (he regularly wandered from Walden into town to enjoy a proper meal), his philosophy certainly applies as much to the table as it does life's larger questions.

This asparagus dish is as simple as it gets. Should you wish to "complicate" it a bit, feel free to add a sprinkle of grated parmesan or romano cheese.

Ingredients
4 lb medium to large asparagus, trimmed
2-4 tablespoons unsalted butter or olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Procedure:
1. Peel lower half to two thirds of each asparagus stalk with a vegetable peeler.
2. Cook asparagus in a wide 6- to 8-quart pot of boiling salted water, uncovered, until just tender, 5 to 7 minutes.
3. Drain well in a colander, then return to pot and toss with butter, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.

Posted by at 10:06 AM | Permalink

For those who think of Belgian endive as merely a crunchy and bitter salad ingredient, this simple recipe will be an epiphany. Tender and sweet surprises are in store.

Ingredients:
8 whole heads of Belgian endive, cored
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar

Procedure:
1. Slowly saute the endive in butter in a shallow pan over a medium hot heat. Turn to cook both sides.
2. Add the other ingredients, cover the pan, and simmer on low for 25 minutes, adding a few drops of water if necessary.

Makes 4 servings

Posted by at 7:53 AM | Permalink

Among the emblems for the convenience food approach to home cooking, the slender box of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese holds a special place. Chances are that you'll find a package lurking somewhere in most American families' cupboards, especially those with little children. Is this such a bad thing? Reasonable people can disagree on that question. On one hand, one could argue that macaroni and cheese from a box is relatively healthy compared with a lot of things kids eat these days and requires a bit more care and preparation than, say, opening and heating a can of ravioli.

In the ideal world that KGI envisages and is working to create, though, more people would have both the time and the skills to prepare simple dishes like macaroni and cheese from scratch. They would do it because it tastes better. What would you rather eat, a version made with tangy hand-grated cheddar cheese (ideally from a local farm) or one made from powdered cheese "product" coming a mystery farm and factory? There's no comparison.

Continue reading "The Fine Art of Mac and Cheese" »

Posted by at 9:30 AM | Permalink

No, not that meatloaf, although he too has enjoyed some newfound popularity of late. We're talking the meat we eat, or don't if you're a vegetarian. As the article below points out, meatloaf is back in style which begs a question for many homecooks: did it ever go out of style? No one told us.

Whether you're a newcomer to meatloaf or a seasoned veteran, we think you'll enjoy this classic version:

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 teaspoons chopped garlic
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2-3/4 pounds unseasoned meatloaf mix (ground beef, pork and veal) or ground beef round
3/4 cup fresh bread crumbs (2 slices firm white sandwich bread)
1/3 cup ketchup
2 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
4 slices bacon
1 large can plum tomatoes in juice (or your own, if you have them)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large garlic clove, chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Procedure
1. Arrange rack on lowest position in oven. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions, celery and 2 teaspoons garlic; cook 5 minutes, until vegetables soften. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and the parsley. Remove from heat and let stand until cooled to room temperature.
2. Combine meatloaf mix, bread crumbs, ketchup, eggs, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, nutmeg and the cooked vegetables until blended. Transfer mixture to a shallow pan; shape into a 9-1/2x5-inch oval. Arrange bacon slices on top. Bake 70 minutes, until an instant-read meat thermometer inserted in center registers 160 degree F.
3. Meanwhile, combine tomatoes, 1 tablespoon oil, 1 clove garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt and the pepper flakes in a 9-inch glass baking dish, breaking up tomatoes with a spoon. Bake on lower rack with meatloaf, 35 to 40 minutes, until sauce thickens. Serve with meatloaf. Makes 6 servings.

Continue reading "Meatloaf Makes a Comeback" »

Posted by at 7:49 AM | Permalink

Chestnuts, while very common in Europe, are hard to come by these days in the US as the result of a massive blight that wiped out most chestnut trees here during the first half of the 1900s. Fortunately, the tree is making a comeback, largely due to the efforts of the American Chestnut Foundation. Still, if you happen to be the lucky holder of a pound or so of these beauties, don't miss the opportunity to enjoy them at their best...roasted over an open fire.

Continue reading "Roast Your Own Chestnuts" »

Posted by at 4:16 PM | Permalink

You don't have to be Belgian to love brussels sprouts, although it certainly doesn't hurt. These little wonders hold special appeal to kitchen gardeners because of their hardiness and nutty taste. Plus, when you're done harvesting, the stalks make good stickball bats!

To find out how to grow them, check out the latest post from the Yorkshire Kitchen Garden.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Garlic

1 pound brussels sprouts
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, to coat bottom of pan
3-5 cloves garlic depending on your garlic tolerance
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar.

1. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Trim bottom of brussels sprouts, and slice each in half top to bottom. Heat oil in cast-iron pan over medium-high heat until it shimmers; put sprouts cut side down in one layer in pan. Put in garlic, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

2. Cook, undisturbed, until sprouts begin to brown on bottom, and transfer to oven. Cook, shaking pan occasionally, until sprouts are quite brown and tender, about ½ hour.

3. Taste, and add more salt and pepper if necessary. Stir in balsamic vinegar, and serve hot or warm.

Yield: 4 servings.

Recipe adapted from the New York Times
Photo credit: Marusula

Posted by at 3:02 PM | Permalink