09.27.08
Posted in Appetizers, Bread, Dips & Spreads, Foodblog Events at 2:19 pm by julie
I’m a little late posting my Daring Bakers challenge for the month of September, but for once it isn’t because I procrastinated making it. On the contrary, this challenge—to make vegan or gluten-free lavash crackers and an accompanying dip—was perfect for the party I hosted way back at the beginning of the month. I just haven’t had much free time for writing up posts lately, thanks to Nolan’s ever-diminishing nap schedule.
Because I was making a number of things, not just the crackers, I ended up getting some assistance from my husband while making these. He does an excellent job of kneading dough, which saved me a lot of effort. For ease (and an excuse to buy agave nectar, which I’ve been eyeing curiously for some time), I decided to make the vegan version of the crackers.
The dough rolled out pretty easily, though it was difficult to get the edges as thin as the center. I sprinkled mine with sesame seeds, smoked paprika, cumin and kosher salt and pre-scored it in strips on the diagonal, as the book shows.
My lavash baked up crispy in some spots and a bit chewier in others, with a few air bubbles. Jeremy expected it to be crunchier than it was, fresh from the oven, at least—it seemed to crisp up more overnight, which I hadn’t expected.
I served it at the party with muhammara, a roasted red pepper dip thickened with toasted walnuts and bread crumbs. The vaguely Middle Eastern spices I used to season the crackers paired up nicely with the muhammara, which had an elusive flavor: sweet, earthy, and a bit spicy. The crackers, however, were largely overlooked at the party, where people chose to eat the muhammara and other dips with the fresh pain a l’ancienne we made (another recipe from The Bread Baker’s Apprentice
, by the way). I think it may have been because I should have cut the crackers into shorter strips. Oh well—I liked them a lot, and ate them with both the leftover muhammara and garlic-white bean dip. They were definitely easy to make and fun to try, but I’d just as soon make bread if I’m going to bother with a yeasted dough, I think.
Muhammara
1 T red pepper flakes, or 1 small red chile (I used less than this, because I’m a wuss)
1/2 tsp ground cumin
3/4 C toasted walnuts
1/4 C whole-grain bread crumbs
1/4 C extra-virgin olive oil
2 T pomegranate molasses
1/4 C tomato paste
2-3 roasted red bell peppers
1/2-1 C warm water
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
In a food processor, puree the first 8 ingredients to a smooth, even consistency. Mix in warm water to achieve a desired texture, a bit thicker for dipping, a bit thinner for spreading. Stir in the salt and adjust seasonings if necessary.
Source: Super Natural Cooking, by Heidi Swanson (p. 102).
I’ll write up what I did with the leftover muhammara tomorrow if I have time. Meanwhile, thanks to Natalie of Gluten A Go Go, and Shel of Musings From the Fishbowl, for hosting this month’s challenge. You can find the cracker recipe on their blog. And be sure to check out all the lavash and dips on the Daring Bakers Blogroll.
I am a member of the Theta Class of Daring Bakers, inducted in July 2007. Below is a list of previous challenges:
Strawberry Mirror Cake – July 2007
Milk Chocolate and Caramel Tart – August 2007
Cinnamon Rolls and Sticky Buns – September 2007
Bostini Cream Pies – October 2007
Tender Potato Bread – November 2007
Traditional Buche de Noel – December 2007
Lemon Meringue Pie – January 2008
French Bread – February 2008
Perfect Party Cake – March 2008
Opéra Cake – May 2008
Danish Braid – June 2008
Filbert Gateau – July 2008
Chocolate Éclairs – August 2008
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09.24.08
Posted in Appetizers, Cuisines, Dinner, Italian, Leftovers, Pastas, Veggies at 3:05 pm by julie
In addition to the various spreads I made to go with our fresh bread, I also slow-roasted some roma tomatoes and set out a locally produced garlic-herb goat cheese. Most of the tomatoes and virtually all of the cheese was left at the end of the party, however, so I made up a pasta dish for dinner the next night to use some of them up, along with the one zucchini I didn’t fry into roll-ups. The last loaf of pain a l’ancienne was a perfect accompaniment, and a few tomatoes still ended up in the freezer for perking up a meal later this fall—bonus!
Oven-Dried Tomato Pasta with Zucchini and Goat Cheese
1 small yellow onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1 small zucchini, thinly sliced
12-16 oven-roasted tomato halves, coarsely chopped
3 oz garlic-herb goat cheese
6 basil leaves, chiffonade
1/2 lb pasta, such as radiatore, cooked to package directions
Saute onion until starting to caramelize. Add the garlic; when it starts to smell fragrant, add the zucchini and saute over medium high heat until golden brown in spots. Add the tomatoes and stir.
When pasta is cooked, drain, reserving a cup or so of the pasta water. Toss the pasta and goat cheese with the sauce until the cheese melts, adding pasta water to loosen as necessary and coat the pasta. Add the basil, taste, and adjust the seasonings.
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09.23.08
Posted in Appetizers, Bread, Cuisines, Dinner, Italian, Mediterranean at 10:31 pm by julie
A few weeks back, we found out that one of our dearest friends is going to be moving out of the area, and Jeremy and I offered to throw a going-away party for him. This was a pretty big deal for us, because we’re kind of hermits—I think we’ve only even attended one party in the last year or two, and I’ve never hosted anything organized before. But since we rarely have company and I don’t get out much thanks to the baby, I was actually pretty excited at the prospect, and I spent a lot of time poring over menu options. In the end, I went with mostly Italian and Mediterranean flavors, for several reasons: our friend has Italian roots; I personally love Italian food and feel pretty comfortable cooking it; and a lot of Italian food is good, or even meant to be eaten, at room temperature. To make it easy on myself, we planned on bruschetta with a variety of spreads and toppings, and a few other items for snacking.
The party was at 3pm on a Sunday to give me most of the weekend to cook and clean up. With our little guy to take care of, I needed every moment I could get. I ordered a serving platter and a tablecloth from Amazon, and on Friday night we hit Fred Meyer for groceries and disposable plates and cups. On Saturday morning, I walked over to the farmer’s market for all the fresh produce I would need, determined to make the party food as local as possible. Somehow I managed to lug home red peppers, Roma tomatoes, peaches, boysenberries, garlic, prune plums, lettuce, goat cheese, mushrooms, zucchini, and a huge bouquet of flowers for the table. Nolan slept the whole time, and let me get a head-start roasting peppers and oven-drying tomatoes before joining us for the afternoon. All in all, by Saturday night, we had finished several bruschetta spreads and toppings, baked off one type of bread and made the dough for another, and got elements started on several other items.
The day of the party I made one more dip, fried zucchini, baked a crostata and finished making the watermelonade; Jeremy shaped and baked three loaves of pain a l’ancienne, and we both did a bunch of cleaning and organizing. I ran out of time to toast the bread, but it was freshly baked and no one seemed to mind. Nolan cooperated again by taking a three-hour nap that ended just as the first guests arrived. Of course, that meant that I had to go feed him and pump, and missed the first half hour of the party, but most folks didn’t show up until after that anyway. The food was all well received and worked well at room temperature, as I’d hoped, and I think everyone had a good time. We had quite a bit of leftover dip and such, but I found a few creative ways to use them up.
There are too many items to cover in a single post, so I’m going to break it up over several days, and mention what I did with the leftovers at the same time. I’ll start with a few of the spreads and miscellany.
I made three spreads to go with the bread: garlic-white bean hummus, fig-kalamata tapenade, and a third one I’ll discuss later. The hummus was technically more of a bean dip because it didn’t contain tahini, but it did have a nice garlic zing from raw and skillet-roasted cloves. I’ve lost track of where I got the recipe, but it was pretty straightforward. I didn’t get to try the tapenade, but it was very well-received also.
With the copious leftovers, I snacked on the bean dip with carrot sticks. It and the tapenade would make lovely sandwich spreads in place of mayo. Jeremy mixed some of the tapenade into tuna salad, which gave it a pleasant tang. I also considered mixing some of the tapenade into bread dough for olive bread, but didn’t get around to it.
To go with the slightly Moroccan flavors of the muhammara, I decided to make roasted garbanzo beans seasoned with a Moroccan spice blend, just for snacking purposes. These were very tasty, but were largely overlooked amid the other hors d’oeuvres.
These, on the other hand, were devoured entirely. I was lucky to get this photo before the last one was taken. They were fried zucchini roll-ups with capers and lemon, from Lidia’s Family Table, and they were the last item I made before the party started. Like many Italian fried foods, they were intended for eating at room temperature, and made perfect little bites. I’ve done this recipe once before, but not in the roll-up version; Lidia also recommends the fried slices as a tasty sandwich filling, and I can vouch for that.
Zucchini Roll-Ups
2 lb (about 5 or 6) small zucchini
About 2 C flour in a shallow dish
5 large eggs, beaten in a shallow dish with a pinch of salt
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 C or more canola oil
1-2 T nonpareil brined capers, well-drained
1/2 lemon
Rinse and dry the zucchini and top and tail them. With a sharp knife, slice lengthwise into about 5 or 6 1/8 thick strips, flexible but not transparent. Dredge several strips at a time in the flour, shaking off any loose flour. Slide them into the eggs, and turn to coat well. Remove and allow to drain on a colander or drying rack.
Meanwhile, pour canola oil into a 12″ cast iron skillet to a depth of 1/2″ and set over medium high heat. Line a large platter with paper towels and set nearby. When the oil is very hot, slip several battered strips into it; they should sizzle actively. Don’t crowd them; cook for about 90 seconds per side, so that they are nicely colored, then remove to the paper towels to drain. Sprinkle with salt while they are still hot.
Once all the strips are fried up and cooled enough to handle, roll up each strips with a few capers in the center, and secured with a toothpick. Just before serving, squeeze fresh lemon juice over the roll-ups and scatter a few more capers over them. Or just leave them as strips and pile them into sliced bread for sandwiches.
Source: Lidia’s Family Table, by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich (p. 21-23).
Since we don’t do alcohol, I let our friends take care of that (they brought fixings for martinis and cosmos) and provided pitchers of iced tea and sparkling watermelonade as alternatives. The watermelonade was well-liked and very easy to make. I pureed the watermelon the day before, and added the sparkling water to it just before serving.
Sparkling Watermelonade
1 (12-14 lb) watermelon (preferably seedless)
1/4 C sugar, divided
4 tsp fresh lemon juice, divided
Sparkling mineral water, ginger ale or lemon-lime soda, optional
Cut watermelon flesh into 2-inch chunks and discard rind. Purée watermelon in a blender in batches, adding sugar, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt in the last batch. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl, discarding solids. Add more sugar or lemon to taste if desired and serve over ice. You can make this a sparkling punch by adding about 4 C mineral water, ginger ale or soda, to taste. Serve with lemon slices. Drink will separate if allowed to sit; re-stir before serving.
Source: Slightly adapted from Epicurious.
Stay tuned for several more posts in this series…
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09.21.08
Posted in Baby Food, Persnickety Bits at 10:03 pm by julie
It’s hard to believe, but our little Nolan is already half a year old. We purposefully chose to delay solids with him until 6 months of age, but since he was 26 weeks old yesterday and will be 6 months by date tomorrow, we decided it was time to give his two little teeth something to do. I plan to make all of Nolan’s baby food, and on overwhelming recommendations, we chose mashed avocado for his first food.
The sweet, innocent baby has no idea what is in store for him. He’s thinking, sweet, a cool new toy to play with, a stylish accessory, and my own little chair. When’s my next bottle?
Then Mommy stuck some green mush in his mouth.
After a few attempts, he got tired of the new game pretty quickly and started turning away and gluing his lips together. A new persnickety palate in the making… (That, by the way, is something I dearly want to avoid. Having struggled with being an exquisitely picky eater all my life, I want to encourage Nolan, so far as I can, to be a healthy, adventurous eater. Hopefully, that will also mean forcing myself to overcome certain aversions by way of example.)
But maybe it isn’t so bad… (This is a classic Nolan face, by the way. He slides his jaw side to side like Bill Murray in Caddyshack.)
I think we ended on a good note. This is just practice food anyway. I mashed up half the avocado with a drop of lemon juice and froze it in teaspoon-sized blobs for our next attempts. I’ve got bananas and brown rice (for homemade cereal), and want to make some homemade applesauce and pears while they’re in season. Wish us luck, and any suggestions would be appreciated.
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09.09.08
Posted in Chocolate, Dairy, Dessert, Ice Cream at 11:17 am by julie
One night a week or two ago, I was craving brownies. Nolan was still awake, but I thought I could pull it off pretty quickly anyway while he was hanging out with his daddy. I opted for the semi-sweet variation of my favorite brownie recipe, which I’d never tried out before. (Usually I go for the bittersweet version, but we have a ton of semi-sweet chips.) As soon as I measured out the chocolate, however, Nolan started fussing, and I ended up holding him and dictating the recipe to Jeremy. The batter turned out more like cookie dough, so much so that he had to pat it into the pan, but the recipe had warned that the cocoa butter content of the semi-sweet chips would create a stiff batter, so I brushed aside my doubts.
Twenty minutes went by, and I managed to get Nolan down for a nap just in time to pull the pan from the oven. I knew immediately that there was a problem, because the brownies looked heavy and dull. A touch confirmed that they were hard as rocks, and suddenly it struck me: the flailing baby had distracted me so much that I forgot to tell Jeremy to put two eggs in the batter. No wonder my brownies looked more like a huge square sablé cookie. Good thing we had that 10-lb bag of chocolate chips from Costco—I darted around the kitchen whipping up a second batch of brownies, this time double-checking myself at every addition. Into the oven they went, and I pondered what to do with the evidence of my failure. I could probably have tossed them out and Jeremy would never have been the wiser, but I couldn’t quite bring myself to throw out something that still tasted fine. I had just decided to break them up for ice-cream mix-ins when Nolan woke up again and off I went.
A few days later, once gooey, delicious Brownie Batch #2 had been eaten up, I went back to Batch #1, crushed it up into cookie crumbs in a ziploc bag, and mixed it into freshly churned Philly-style vanilla ice cream. The result was like upscale cookies-n-cream ice cream, so fantastic that I will be sorely tempted to “forget” the eggs in future batches of brownies just for that purpose. The recipe is below, in case anyone else would like to make the same mistake.
Brownie Crumbles for Ice Cream
10 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
5 T unsalted butter
2/3 C sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 C flour
Preheat the oven to 350F, and line a 9×9 pan with foil or parchment, extending up past the edges of the pan on two opposite sides for easy removal after cooking.
In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the chocolate chips, butter and sugar. Microwave just until chips and butter are melted (for mine, I did 60 seconds at 80% power, stirred, then back in for 30 seconds at 60% power); stir with a wooden spoon to combine, then add the vanilla and salt.* The batter will be thick like cookie dough. Press into the prepared pan and bake for 20 minutes, until the brownies are cooked through. Cool for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan using the parchment or foil edges and allow to cool to room temperature on a rack. Crumble into chunks and crumbs for stirring into vanilla ice cream, or eat shards like cookies.
*If you want to make actual brownies with this recipe, beat in two cold eggs one at a time at this point. The batter will be thick, glossy and pourable. Bake for about 20 minutes, and remove when the top is shiny and crinkly, but the insides are still moist.
Source: Adapted from Bittersweet, by Alice Medrich
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09.08.08
Posted in Bread, Cuisines, Dinner, Eggs, Lunch, Veggies at 11:40 am by julie
One of my favorite light meals is the combination of eggs and vegetables with toast. I’ve already written about that luscious long-cooked broccoli, but there is an infinite number of variations. Incidentally, most would benefit from eating with a knife and fork, rather than attempting to use your hands, as we keep trying to do—I always seem to end up with half my meal tumbling off onto the plate or my lap. Anyway, I could just keep adding and adding to this post, but I’m tired of seeing it in my Drafts folder, so I’ll draw the line at three for now.
My first duo is pretty classic: boiled dinosaur kale with poached eggs from the The Zuni Cafe Cookbook. Judy Rodgers gives four ways of serving her boiled kale; in the simple one I chose, the sturdy kale wilts, and the runny yolks form a delicious sauce together with the vegetables and shaved parmesan. I had a leftover bratwurst in the refrigerator, so I diced and sauteed it, to add a little more protein to the meal.
Boiled Kale on Toast
Generous 8 oz kale, preferably Tuscan kale (also known as dinosaur kale, lacinato kale, or cavolo nero)
1 1/2 C diced yellow onion
5 T olive oil
A pinch of red pepper flakes
2 garlic cloves, slivered
3-4 C water
Trim the kale of any damaged or discolored leaves, wash thoroughly in cold water, and drain; stack and roll several leaves at a time, and slice into 1/8″ ribbons.
Place the onions and oil in a 4-quart saucepan and set over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring a few times, while you work on the kale, until the onion is translucent but firm, about 3 minutes. Add the chili flakes, garlic, and kale, and stir until it all wilts, about 5 minutes. Add water to cover by about 1/2″ and bring to a simmer; add salt to taste and simmer, covered, until the kale is tender but not mushy, about 30 minutes.
Transfer kale to a wide saute pan, liquid and all. Crack 1-2 eggs per person into the pan, drizzle with olive oil, cover, and cook at a bare simmer until done to your liking. Serve eggs with kale over toast, with some parmesan or romano if desired.
Source: The Zuni Cafe Cookbook, by Judy Rodgers
The second veg-egg duo was one I made way back in June. I visited the farmer’s market and brought home a bundle of opalescent white asparagus, which I had never tried before. It cost a bit more than the typical green asparagus, but the blush of pink and purple in the stalks was too lovely to resist. Because white asparagus is popular in Belgium—they do like their vegetables pale, don’t they?—I tried out a Belgian egg and lemon sauce written up here, on Lindy’s blog, Toast. Despite some issues with my hard-boiled eggs (they were too fresh, and the whites kept peeling off right along with the shells), this was a tasty and fresh take on asparagus, and be sure you have some good bread to mop up any extra sauce.
I still think I prefer my pan-roasted asparagus with poached eggs, but this was a nice change of pace and satisfied my curiosity about white asparagus.
Most recently, I brought home a huge head of escarole, and made us a quick lunch of wilted greens, scrambled eggs, and crispy prosciutto over homemade potato bread. I was going by a recipe, and thought the end result had very good flavor, but a rather unappealing appearance, as the greens turned my eggs a sad beige color. Next time I’d go with my gut instinct and serve with poached or oil-basted eggs.
Escarole and Eggs on Toast
1.5 oz thinly sliced prosciutto, cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips and separated
1 T olive oil
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 double handfuls coarsely chopped escarole
4 eggs
4 slices of artisan bread, toasted
Parmesan cheese, optional
Salt and pepper
In a 10- to 12-inch nonstick frying pan over medium-high heat, stir prosciutto in olive oil until browned, 5 to 7 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer prosciutto to paper towels to drain. Reduce heat to medium.
Add garlic to pan and stir until golden. Stir in escarole and 1/4 cup water; cover and simmer until escarole is tender to bite, about 5 minutes. Drain off any remaining water.
Meanwhile, cook eggs according to your preference. Poached, soft-scrambled, or oil-basted would be equally delicious.
Set toasted bread on plates and top with escarole, then eggs, proscuitto and shavings of cheese, if desired. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Source: Loosely based on Sunset.
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09.01.08
Posted in Chinese, Cuisines, Dinner, Fish, Italian, Mediterranean, Pastas, Seafood, Sides at 12:40 pm by julie
Tilapia is one of those proteins that Jeremy likes bringing home in bulk from Costco, so I’m always on the look-out for creative ways to use it. Here is another pair of recipes that were set on the blog’s back-burner, thanks to a trip to the emergency room. No worries and no relation to the fish—turns out Jeremy had a kidney stone, and it seems to have passed. Of course, now I’ve got a bunch of tilapia stranded in the freezer because he has started associating it with intense pain. Sigh.
Thank heavens for fish, really, because it cooks so quickly. Even marinating it takes no time at all. I made the sauce for this meal in a free moment, and came back when we were ready to eat and cooked off the fish. I served it with Jaden’s garlic scallion noodles (a.k.a. noodle crack), veggiefied with shredded red cabbage, vertically sliced onion, and carrots cut into lazy-man’s julienne (I peel the carrot, then use the peeler to cut the entire carrot into thin slices, stack and julienne from there). Every time I make these noodles, Jeremy comments on how good they are and forgets he’s had them before—perhaps because I include whatever veggies I’ve got on hand. It was a perfect side-dish for the mild Asian flavors of the fish.
Five-Spice Tilapia with Ponzu Sauce
2 T thinly sliced green onions
2 T orange juice
1 T lemon juice
1 T low-sodium soy sauce
1 tsp brown sugar
2 tsp rice wine vinegar
1/4 tsp bottled ground fresh ginger (such as Spice World)
1/2 tsp five-spice powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground red pepper
4 (6-ounce) tilapia fillets
2 tsp canola oil
Combine green onions, juices, soy sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, and ginger in a small bowl. Set aside.
Combine five-spice powder, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle both sides of fish evenly with spice mixture. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add fish to pan; cook 2 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness. Remove from skillet, and serve with sauce.
Source: Cooking Light.
The second recipe I chose for my tilapia this time around was a quick piccata, served with couscous that I seasoned with sun-dried tomatoes and basil. I liked it, but I think Jeremy was already wary of tilapia after his first kidney stone, so he mostly ate the couscous.
Tilapia Piccata
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper, divided
3 T all-purpose flour
4 (6-ounce) tilapia fillets
3 T butter, divided
1/4 C white wine
3 T fresh lemon juice
1 T drained capers
Combine salt, pepper, and flour in a large shallow dish. Dredge fish in flour mixture. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add fish to pan; cook 1 1/2 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or until desired degree of doneness. Remove fish from pan; keep warm.
Add wine, juice, and capers to pan; cook 30 seconds. Remove from heat. Add remaining butter to pan; stir until butter melts. Serve fish with sauce and pasta.
Source: Cooking Light.
Sun-dried Tomato and Basil Couscous
1 T olive oil
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 T dried basil or 1/4 C chopped fresh basil
10-12 oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
1 C couscous
1 C boiling water
Place 1 1/2 cups of water on the stove or in a kettle to boil. In a bowl, mix the olive oil, salt, basil, tomatoes, and couscous until combined. Measure out 1 cup of boiling water and pour over couscous mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 5 minutes. Lightly fluff the couscous with a fork, and drizzle with a bit more olive oil if desired.
Source: Slightly adapted from VeganYumYum.
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