08.14.08
Posted in Cuisines, Dinner, Italian, Leftovers, Pastas, Persnickety Bits, Veggies at 5:25 pm by julie
Oh lordy, it is 100F outside and close to 90F indoors—way too hot to think about cooking! But the house has been cleaned up and the baby is still asleep, so I’ve got time to revisit an old post I meant to write way back in early June, when the weather was still mild and reasonable—seems like ages ago. My mom came for a visit the second week of June, to keep Nolan and me company while Jeremy was away at a training for work. While she was here, we were incredibly busy remodeling our back room to make it fit for a home theater room (our previous HT room was a bedroom that had to be sacrificed for Nolan’s nursery; both are still works in progress at this point). Over the course of five days, we emptied, cleaned and repainted the room, purchased Roman shades and an area rug, and started putting together a new TV stand. We also had a drawing of Jeremy’s framed, got the dog’s toenails clipped, and—the point of this post—visited the Salem Wednesday farmer’s market.
Among other things, we came home from the market with Hood strawberries for ice cream, a bouquet of curly garlic scapes, and a huge bagful of fava beans. While Nolan napped after all the excitement and my mom worked on painting the baseboards, I macerated berries, buzzed up an easy recipe for garlic scape pesto, and got the favas shelled, blanched and peeled. When dinnertime rolled around, all I had to do was cook pasta and toss it together with the favas—quickly sauteed in olive oil—the pesto, and a splash of cream. The pesto turned out to have an intense garlicky heat, much more powerful than I had anticipated. A little went a very long way, so we had lots left over. (I mixed some of it into scrambled eggs, which helped tame the flavor but produced some awfully unphotogenic beige eggs, a disappointment since the pesto itself was such a sprightly spring green.)
As for the room, I keep trying to take photos that actually show what it looks like now. (You can see, a bit, its previous state in this photo, which was taken from nearly the same stance.) Alas, the problem is that I can’t back up enough with our camera’s lens to capture more than a corner of the room at one time. But this should at least give you the gist of it, complete with ugly purple couch and pretty German shepherd pup. What you can’t quite see to the left is the TV, and to the right is a built-in bookshelf, the stairs to the basement, another big window, and three hanging pots containing herbs that keep dying (I think it is just too hot back there now—currently wilting are sage, lemon thyme and basil plants). We still need to get some speakers and other equipment set up, and take care of a few finishing touches like more artwork, but I’m pretty happy with the result, considering our limited options.
My laptop is about to fuse to my knees, so I’m going to give it a chance to cool off. Man, that strawberry ice cream sounds really good about now… time to make a fresh batch of something cool and refreshing, I dare say.
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08.10.08
Posted in Dinner, Lunch, Nuts, Grains & Legumes, Soups at 10:35 pm by julie
I swear I’m not crazy. Last week, when we had unseasonal temperatures in the 60’s and overcast skies, this lentil soup was just the ticket. More recently, with temperatures back in the mid-90’s, I’m overheating just thinking about soup. So this post will be brief.
I was mostly looking for something I could make from pantry staples to use up some freshly made chicken stock. Jeremy picked lentils out of the options I ticked off, and I wanted to track down something a bit out of the ordinary. The soup itself is pretty basic: the smoked paprika and even the carrots were additions of mine. The thing that makes it special is the walnut cream garnish, which adds depth and richness. The walnut cream is also very similar to the salsa di noci we like on rotini, and I used some of the extra for just that the next day.
Lentil Soup With Pounded Walnuts and Cream
2 C brown lentils
2 to 4 T butter
1 onion, finely diced
2 carrots, cut into small dice
1 bay leaf
1 tsp smoked paprika
6 C vegetable or chicken stock (or water)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 large garlic cloves, pan-roasted*
2/3 C lightly toasted walnuts
½ C ricotta
2 T heavy cream
Flax oil for garnish, optional
Soak the lentils in water for 2 hours, then drain.
Melt the butter in a large pot over low heat. Add the onion, carrot, and bay leaf. Sauté over medium-high heat until onion is translucent and carrots are tender, about 5 minutes. Add lentils, stock, smoked paprika and 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Simmer, covered, until lentils are soft, about 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Using a food processor, grind together the garlic with the walnuts and a large pinch of salt. Add the cream and ricotta, and process until a smooth paste is formed.
To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and top each with a large spoonful of walnut cream, a sprinkle of smoked paprika and, if desired, a drizzle of flax oil. Serves 4 to 6.
Source: Adapted from New York Times; originally from “Vegetable Soups,” by Deborah Madison.
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08.05.08
Posted in Dinner, Lamb, Meats at 11:02 pm by julie
Jeremy’s parents were here recently to visit us for the first time since they moved across the country in 2004. They wanted to meet their new grandson or something—go figure. 
Anyway, they were only here for a few days, but I wanted to make sure to cook them at least one nice meal, because I haven’t had the opportunity to do so since long before I knew my way around the kitchen.
I was already planning to make my July Daring Bakers challenge for them, but asked for Jeremy’s input as to what they might like for dinner, and his response was lamb. His response is almost always lamb, parents or no parents, so I’m always on the lookout for a new recipe. I decided to try out the grilled stuffed leg of lamb in the August Bon Appetit, which is served with caramelized lemon jus, and Jeremy brought home an appropriately boneless hunk of meat for me to pound into oblivion. After stuffing and trussing the lamb, I gave it an hour or so to marinate in lemon juice and olive oil while making the lemon jus. Jeremy’s mom was good enough to entertain Nolan while I worked, and then watched over the grilling lamb when I had to go pump.
It took longer to cook on our cast iron grill pan than I anticipated, despite my efforts to keep the stuffed lamb on the flat side. I had more than enough time to prep some rainbow chard for a side, blanching the leaves separately from the stems. The recipe didn’t mention whether or not to strain the jus, so I went ahead with it. I think my decision to make the jus in advance and keep it warm on a back burner contributed to a bitter overtone, as it contains whole grilled lemon slices, pith and all. A pinch of extra sugar tweaked its flavor just enough to offset the bitterness, though, and the acidity of the jus paired up nicely with both the meat and the simply sauteed chard.
Grilled Leg of Lamb with Caramelized Lemon Jus
1 well-trimmed 4 to 4-1/2 pound boneless leg of lamb with shank end removed
4 large garlic cloves; 3 chopped, 1 sliced
2 tsp finely grated lemon peel
20 fresh sage leaves (about), divided
4 oz thinly sliced pancetta (Italian bacon)
3 T fresh lemon juice
3 T extra-virgin olive oil
Open lamb, boned side up, like book. Trim most sinew and fat, being careful not to cut any holes in meat. Make one 3/4- to 1-inch-deep full-length cut in each thick portion of lamb (do not cut through to work surface). Cover lamb with sheet of plastic wrap. Using rolling pin, pound to even 1- to 1 1/2-inch thickness (lamb will be about 8×19 inches).
Peel off plastic wrap. Sprinkle lamb evenly with salt and pepper, chopped garlic, and lemon peel. Top with 15 sage leaves, spaced evenly apart. Cover with pancetta. Starting at 1 long side, fold lamb in half. Tie lamb tightly at 2-inch intervals into long roll. Sprinkle lamb with salt and pepper. Whisk lemon juice and oil in medium bowl; season with salt and pepper. Brush mixture all over lamb and let stand at room temperature 1 hour.
Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Place lamb on grill and sear on all sides. Continue to grill until thermometer inserted into thickest part registers 130°F for rare, turning and brushing occasionally with lemon juice mixture, about 45 minutes. Transfer to cutting board. Let rest 10 minutes. Cut lamb into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Serve with Caramelized Lemon Jus.
Caramelized Lemon Jus
1 large lemon, cut into 1/3-inch-thick slices
1/3 C extra-virgin olive oil
3 large shallots, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
10 large fresh sage leaves
1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
3 T sugar
2/3 C dry white wine
2 C beef broth
Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Grill lemon slices until charred, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer to plate; chop coarsely.
Heat 1/3 cup olive oil in heavy medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add shallots and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add sage leaves, garlic, and grilled lemon pieces with any juices, then sugar. Cook until shallots start to color, about 5 minutes. Add wine, and simmer until liquid has mostly reduced. Add beef broth; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium; simmer until jus is reduced to 3 cups, about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Source: Bon Appetit, August 2008
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07.27.08
Posted in Cuisines, Dinner, Foodblog Events, Italian, Nuts, Grains & Legumes, Pastas at 8:37 am by julie
I was shocked and saddened earlier this week to learn that Sher of What Did You Eat? had passed away. I was a regular reader and admirer of Sher’s blog: she was a regular participant in many foodblogging events, including Daring Bakers, Weekend Herb Blogging, and Presto Pasta Nights, and her recipes were always really tempting. I admired her rescue and rehabilitation of wildlife, and enjoyed reading about the misadventures of her kitties.
The foodblogging community is honoring Sher today, and I decided to post a recipe featuring fava beans in her memory. Sher was a big fava fan, growing, harvesting, and cooking impressive amounts of the beans for the past several years. I went with pasta, but it was two days in the making, because Nolan was cranky from his 4-month vaccinations and didn’t give me much opportunity for cooking—I had just enough time to peel, blanch and shell my big bag of beans one evening before he woke up and spent about three hours fussing. The beans went in the fridge until the next night, when I used them to make a velvety green fava sauce for fettuccine, enriched with a bit of cream and ricotta, and accented with salty crumbles of bacon and feta. I like to think Sher would approve.
In further tribute to Sher, this will be my entry for Presto Pasta Nights #74, hosted this week by its lovely founder, Ruth of Once Upon a Feast.
Fava Fettuccine with Feta and Bacon
2 T extra virgin olive oil
1-1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 C chicken stock
salt and freshly ground pepper
2 C shelled, blanched and peeled fava beans
1/4 C ricotta
1/3 C heavy cream
3/4 lb dried fettuccine
Feta for garnish
Crumbled bacon for garnish
Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat until hot. Add the garlic and saute briefly until light brown. Stir in the oregano, then add the stock. Bring to a boil, season with salt and pepper, and add 1-1/2 cups of the fava beans. Simmer to blend the flavors, about 3 minutes, or until the beans are tender. Meanwhile, boil water for pasta and cook fettuccine according to package directions.
Remove from the heat, add the ricotta and cream, and use a stick blender to puree until smooth. Return the sauce to the pan and add the remaining favas. Warm through and taste for seasoning. Drain pasta, reserving about a cup of pasta water, and toss with the sauce. If necessary, add some pasta water to the sauce to loosen it. Serve topped with feta and crumbled bacon.
3. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil and add salt. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 12 minutes. Drain, reserving about 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water. Pour the pasta into a warm serving bowl and add the sauce. Toss well and thin with the pasta water, if necessary, until the sauce is glossy and not sticky. Serve immediately and grate the cheese over the top at the table.
4. Drizzle extra virgin olive oil over the pasta. Just before serving, ladle a little hot pasta water into the bowl for a couple minutes to warm it up. Drain the water before filling the bowl with the pasta.
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07.23.08
Posted in Dinner, Pastas, Veggies at 10:33 pm by julie
I vividly remember my one childhood experience with beets. I have no idea what else we had for supper that night, but there were three slices of canned beets on my plate, and my mom wouldn’t let me leave the table until I ate them. Several hours later, she downgraded that order to one bite, and I finally got to get up. I’m not sure why she was so insistent, because I don’t think she cares for beets herself. They certainly never appeared on our dinner plates again.
Why I picked up a bunch of chubby little red beets at the farmer’s market last week, I’m still not quite sure. But I tucked them and their sprightly greens into my backpack with numerous other purchases—including a tub of local goat cheese, knowing its affinity with beets—and brought them home. Everyone seems to say that the best way to tackle fresh beets, first of all, is to roast them, so I knew that was item one on the agenda. Because it was already shaping up to be a hot day, I took a page from Lidia Bastianich and roasted them at 400F for about 45 minutes with a quarter-inch of water in the bottom of the pan to help get them started. Although they seemed fork-tender to me, I may not have cooked them quite long enough, because their skins didn’t slip right off as I had been led to expect; I ended up using a paring knife to finish the job.
Because the strong flavor of beets is something I wanted to work up to slowly, and because I wanted to use the greens as well, I chose my recipe very carefully: fresh beet fettuccine with sauteed greens and a simple creamy goat cheese sauce. Reserving the 3 smallest beets to toss with the pasta, I pureed the rest in my food processor with a splash of balsamic vinegar to lubricate them. For my pasta dough, I adapted Marcella Hazan’s recipe for spinach pasta, muttering apologies under my breath (she clearly disapproves of other flavored pastas); I think I ended up adding about 3 tablespoons of my puree, which retained some small slivers of beet, to the dough before it came together in all its magenta glory. It rolled out with absolutely no problems, and once I had the onions and beet greens sauteeing for the condiment, I ran it through the cutter and dropped it in boiling water.
Beets are shockingly beautiful root vegetables, I have to give them that. The cooked pasta lost some of its vibrant color to the cooking water, but remained respectably pink, particularly once the cut beets joined them. Despite my scrutiny, I was not able to discern any beety flavor to the fettuccine itself—probably Marcella’s reason for disdaining colored pastas as not adding to the eating experience. The color alone made me really happy, though, and who knows, maybe it retained some nutritional value as well. I liked the sauce for its creamy tang and simplicity, and the beet greens tasted much like the more familiar chard. I even ate a bite (note the singular) of roasted beet without coercion, but I’m still not convinced I will ever like them. I’m willing to give them the benefit of the doubt in the future, though, because I do think I undercooked them slightly. I just need some time to muster up the courage again.
Beet Fettuccine with Greens and Goat Cheese
1 bunch beet greens (from about 8 beets)
3-4 small beets, roasted, peeled, and quartered
Salt
1/2 C olive oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced vertically
2 cloves garlic, chopped
3 T balsamic vinegar
1 lb fresh beet fettuccine (see below)
Freshly ground black pepper
6 oz soft goat cheese (chevre)
3 oz grated Parmesan cheese
Wash the beet greens thoroughly, removing the thick part of the stems (save for another recipe, or cut into 2″ sections and blanch for 3 minutes in the pasta water) and chop coarsely. Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta and add 2 teaspoons salt.
In a large saute pan over medium heat, warm the olive oil and add the onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until soft. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute. Add vinegar, and cook for 1 minute, stirring to break up the brown bits. Add the beet greens and stir several minutes, until wilted; finally, add the roasted beet wedges to warm through.
Cook the pasta until done, just a few minutes for fresh fettuccine. Using tongs or a spider, transfer the pasta to the saute pan with the vegetables, allowing some pasta water to come along for the ride (reserve extra in case you need it to loosen the sauce later). Toss gently with the tongs to mix, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Add half of both of the cheeses to the pasta. Stir through, spooning a few more tablespoons of the pasta water over the cheeses if necessary to warm them and make them saucy. Add remaining cheese and toss; serve immediately.
Source: Adapted from The Oregonian.
Fresh Beet Pasta
1 1/2 C flour
2 extra-large eggs
Roasted beet puree to bring dough together (about 3 T)
Place flour and eggs in the bowl of a standing mixer and beat using the paddle attachment until it begins to come together; while the mixer runs, add beet puree a tablespoon at a time, until dough comes together as a ball. Switch to the dough hook and knead for several minutes, until smooth and elastic. Allow dough to rest for 15 minutes before rolling out and cutting, either by hand or with a pasta roller.
Source: Adapted from Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking, by Marcella Hazan.
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07.17.08
Posted in Breakfast, Dinner, Eggs, Fish, Leftovers, Seafood, Sides at 6:07 pm by julie
So it’s salmon season in the Pacific Northwest, and we are starting to see whole wild salmons appearing in the supermarket. Last week when we were at the grocery store, I talked Jeremy out of getting one, just for sheer size. But a few days later, he made a trip to Costco, and somehow a 3.5lb wild sockeye (sans head) jumped into the car and followed him home.
I roasted it pretty simply seasoned in a foil pouch, on a bed of parsley and dill and stuffed with dill, lemon, and spring onions. I also poured in some clam juice and fresh lemon juice, then sealed it all up and cooked it at 375F for about 40 minutes. It came out flaky and very flavorful, with that firm meaty flesh you just don’t get from farmed Atlantic salmon. Jeremy performed filleting duties while I made my favorite quick sauce for fish, based on this recipe: green onion sliced thin and sauteed until tender in a tablespoon of butter, then simmered in white wine until it has nearly boiled off.
To go with the fish, I made lemon-scallion rice in the rice cooker, according to Simply Ming
: Just add a few sliced scallions and some fresh lemon juice and zest to your rice and water before starting the cooker, and hit Start. I think the lemon juice gave the rice an extra-sticky texture, but it had good flavor, and married nicely with the lemony fish.
Needless to say, we had leftover salmon coming out our ears. I’ve already done salmon croquettes, and it is definitely too warm right now for chowder. So I found a few new recipes to add to my arsenal, a simple salmon frittata with corn, peppers and Gruyere, and a dilly salmon-potato hash with shiitake mushrooms.
For the frittata, I used the general recipe here, using frozen corn and diced frozen peppers, and subbing scallions for onions and of course leftover salmon for canned. It was very tasty, but I think if I make it again with salmon, I’ll use lots of red peppers and forget the corn.
The hash worked out nicely because I just happened to have a small bag of shiitakes that needed to be eaten before they dried out. I didn’t have any sour cream, though, so I took the chance and used some Greek yogurt instead. We couldn’t tell the difference. Nolan woke up just as I was finishing it, so the pic was taken one-handed, and I forgot I had meant to top the hash with some fried or poached eggs, but it stood alone just fine.
Salmon Hash
6 T olive oil
1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 C shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and quartered
1 tsp garlic, one clove peeled and finely chopped
3 C potatoes, cooked and peeled
1-1/4 lb salmon, cooked or smoked, skinned, boned and flaked
1/2 C Greek yogurt, full-fat
1 T lemon juice
2 T fresh dill, chopped
Sea salt to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste
Place 1/2 of the oil in a heavy skillet over high heat, and when hot, add the onion and saute until slightly crunchy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the mushroom, and cook until just wilted, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute. Remove to a mixing bowl and set aside.
In the same skillet, add the remaining oil, bring to medium heat, and add the potatoes. Cook until the edges are just crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and mix with the reserved onions, and add salmon, yogurt, lemon juice, and dill. Season to taste with the salt and pepper, and mix well, but do not pack the mixture.
Return the mixture to a skillet, and cook over medium heat, tossing to prevent the hash from sticking. Remove to a warm plate, and serve. Garnish the hash with anything you like best, from sour cream to poached eggs.
Source: Adapted from The Buffet Book, by Carole Peck (available online here)
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07.14.08
Posted in Dinner, Meats, Pastas, Poultry at 11:56 am by julie
Every time Jeremy comes with me to the farmer’s market, we go home with bags of wild mushrooms from a stand called Rainforest Mushrooms. Usually we get the variety pack, which includes small bags of oysters, shiitakes, and maitakes for $10. And every time I get them home, I scratch my head and try to figure out how to make them edible for me. Although my tolerance of mushrooms has greatly increased in the past two years, I still tend to avoid them: Even without tasting them, the earthy aroma that wafts up as they hit the heat still turns my stomach a little bit, and it takes great fortitude to keep cooking. So when we bring them home, I gravitate toward cooking the same few recipes that I know I’ll like (mushroom bisque and orecchiette duxelles, I’m looking at you!).
This time around, I hit on a new recipe for chicken breasts with wild mushrooms, marjoram and a thin Marsala cream sauce. I ended up adapting the recipe a bit on the fly: butterflying the chicken breasts a bit for quicker cooking, adding sage to the marjoram, and subbing out sherry for the Marsala. I decided to serve it over pasta, and after stirring the mushrooms back into the sauce, I tossed half of that mixture over the hot pasta to soak in a bit while letting the chicken breasts reheat in the remainder. The chicken, which were part of my freezer-clearing project, were on the dry side, but the mushroomy pasta was wonderfully balanced and very savory. I’ve rewritten the recipe below as I would make it again, as a full-fledged pasta dish with bite-sized pieces of chicken, easier to eat with a babe in arms.
Chicken and Wild Mushrooms in Sherry Cream Sauce
2 large skinless boneless chicken breast halves, cut into cubes
1 tsp dried marjoram, divided
1 tsp dried sage, divided
2 T butter, divided
2 T olive oil, divided
6 oz assorted wild mushrooms (I used oyster and maitake), thickly sliced
1/2 C sliced shallots
3/4 cup low-salt chicken broth
1/2 cup whipping cream
3 T dry sherry
1/2 lb rotini pasta
Toss cubed chicken with salt, pepper, and 1/2 tsp each marjoram and sage. Melt 1 tablespoon butter with 1 tablespoon oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken to skillet and sauté until just cooked through. Transfer chicken to bowl, and cover to keep warm. Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter with1 tablespoon oil in same skillet. Add mushrooms and shallots, and remaining marjoram and sage. Sauté until mushrooms are brown and tender, about 6 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl with the chicken.
Combine broth, cream, and sherry, in same skillet; boil until thickened and reduced to 1/2 cup, about 5 minutes. Season sauce with salt and pepper.
Meanwhile, boil water and cook pasta according to package directions; drain and return to low heat when sauce has reduced. Stir chicken, mushrooms and sauce through the pasta, and keep on low heat for a few minutes to allow some of the sauce to be absorbed and the chicken and mushrooms to reheat a bit.
Source: Adapted from Epicurious.
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07.12.08
Posted in Cuisines, Dinner, Dips & Spreads, Greek, Leftovers, Seafood, Shrimp at 2:39 pm by julie
I’ve never been too enamored with cooking magazines, other than perhaps Cooking Light, but I was offered a free subscription to Bon Appetit from Amazon.com a few months back, so I said what the heck. It’s alright so far, but I’m not overly impressed, and I haven’t gone out of my way to make any of the recipes.
The other night we tried a recipe for shrimp skewers with tzatziki and spinach from the most recent issue. As I had hoped, it was a fast, tasty meal—hard to go wrong with those flavors, and most of the ingredients are ones I always have on hand. Not only that, but it made a lovely and fairly healthy plate of food. The problem came when we sat down to actually eat, though: it was impossible for us to eat this neatly. Of course Jeremy was eating over WoW, and Nolan was awake at the time, so I had to hold him with one arm and eat with the other. But there were the skewers and tails to deal with, and the tzatziki, while delicious, was too thick to scoop up easily either with a bite of shrimp or a forkful of spinach.
I found myself wishing I had just removed the tails from the shrimp up front and sauteed them in a little oil and garlic, then tucked them in a pita with the spinach, feta and tzatziki. The portability and one-handed operation of a pocket sandwich would have been more than worth an extra trip to the grocery store or a few hours spent waiting for pita dough to rise. Considering all the other pluses to this recipe, it may happen yet.
Incidentally, I couldn’t bear to toss out the leftover tzatziki, but had nothing to eat it with. So for lunch the next day, I mixed a can of tuna with a few tablespoons of strained tzatziki, a bit of mayo and some feta cheese. It made one of the best tuna sandwiches I’ve had in quite a while.
Shrimp Skewers with Tzatziki, Spinach and Feta
1 C Greek yogurt
1 C 1/4″-cubes English hothouse cucumber
3 T chopped fresh dill
2 T fresh lemon juice
2 T chopped shallots
1 tsp chopped garlic
Olive oil
1 lb uncooked large shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 C baby spinach
3/4 C crumbled feta cheese
Mix yogurt, cucumber, dill, lemon juice, garlic and shallot in small bowl; season generously with salt and pepper and chill until ready to serve.
Prepare grill with oil. Thread shrimp equally onto 4 skewers and brush with olive oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill just until shrimp are opaque in the center, about 3 minutes per side. Divide spinach between 4 plates, and drizzle lightly with lemon juice and olive oil. Top each with one shrimp skewer, a dollop of tzatziki, and a sprinkle of feta.
Source: Slightly adapted from Bon Appetit, August 2008 (p. 45)—and will be more firmly adapted next time.
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07.09.08
Posted in American, Cuisines, Dinner, Eggs, French, Lunch, Salads at 9:53 am by julie
We had a good 4th of July weekend. For me, that constitutes getting to leave the house a glorious three times, including trips to the grocery store and farmer’s market. Nolan had never been to either place, and he was quite a champ, looking around quietly from his sling while we shopped. At the grocery store, we picked up fixings for an all-American sort of dinner: New York strip steaks, baby spinach for a classic salad with hot bacon vinaigrette, and (at Jeremy’s request) Boston baked beans. The steaks were coated in a mixture of oil and clarified butter and seasoned aggressively with salt and pepper, then cooked to a perfect medium on our cast iron grill. The salad was a tasty complement, with crisp bacon, sweet shallot, and hard-boiled egg.
At the farmer’s market the next day, our score included white asparagus, three kinds of wild mushrooms, dinosaur kale, and a big head of frisee lettuce. I would have liked to get more, but I couldn’t carry much with the baby, and Jeremy had his hands full with Freyja, who was in rare form trying to keep our little herd together. (Every time I went into a booth to buy something, she whined something fierce. Everyone stared at her, and several people commented on how protective she was being of me. She just wouldn’t let me out of her sight.) Anyway, I decided to use the frisee to make us another classic salad with eggs and bacon for lunch that day: a bistro salad with poached eggs and a sherry vinaigrette. Its similarity to the spinach salad was not lost on me, but the overall effect was quite different, mostly due to the extreme bitterness of the frisee. Tasty as it was, I think I prefer this salad in its fried egg sandwich incarnation, which cuts down on the volume of frisee.
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07.08.08
Posted in Cuisines, Dinner, Nuts, Grains & Legumes, Seafood, Shrimp, Sides at 11:48 am by julie
I’ve been working hard to build a stash of extra breastmilk in our freezer for Nolan. I don’t produce much more than he eats on a daily basis (especially not this past week, while he was having an extreme growth spurt and eating nearly double his usual amount), but since April I have been able to freeze at least one bag of milk most days. It’s an accomplishment I am extremely proud of, but it is also quickly starting to overwhelm our little refrigerator freezer. Every time I open the freezer door, there is a landslide of frozen meat and veggies.
Until I can talk Jeremy into getting us a little chest freezer, my goal is to use up—or chuck, since while stashing bags of milk at the back of the shelves, I excavated a few unidentifiable freezer-burned items that have been there time out of mind—the food I’ve got in my freezer. (Probably just to replace it with more, what can I say? I particularly find the resealable bags of frozen veggies handy: broccoli, green beans, peas, corn, spinach and peppers.)
I started out with this Cuban-inspired dish, which uses frozen shrimp and peppers. I like to keep frozen shrimp on hand because they thaw quickly for last-minute dinners, and you avoid all that tedious deveining. I actually had this meal in mind some time ago, but didn’t think I had any coconut milk… turns out it was just buried in the back of the pantry. Because the shrimp only requires a small amount of milk, I used the rest in a really easy recipe for coconut rice I’ve made before, and it complimented the spicy shrimp and peppers nicely.
Enchilado de Camerones
1 T olive oil
1 C chopped onion
1/2 C chopped red bell pepper (I used a frozen blend of peppers)
1/2 C chopped green bell pepper
1/2 to 1 tsp crushed red pepper
1/4 tsp salt
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 C light coconut milk
2 T chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté 2 minutes. Add bell peppers, crushed red pepper, salt, and garlic; sauté 4 minutes. Add tomatoes; cook 6 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates, stirring frequently.
Stir in shrimp, and cook 4 minutes or until shrimp are done, stirring frequently. Remove shrimp mixture from heat, and stir in coconut milk. Sprinkle with cilantro if desired. Serve with coconut rice.
Source: Cooking Light
Coconut Rice
2 C uncooked basmati rice
1 1/2 C light coconut milk
1 1/2 C water
1/4 tsp salt
1 C chopped green onions (optional)
Rinse rice with cold water; drain. Combine rice, coconut milk, 1 1/2 cups water, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat; stir once. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes until liquid is absorbed. Let stand 10 minutes; stir in onions.
Source: Cooking Light
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