Roasted Cauliflower with Chermoula

Tomatillo Salsa

I have to admit I love any sauce that’s green. I don’t know what it is, but I'll take green tomatillo salsa over regular salsa, pesto sauce over marinara, and any herb sauce over a cream sauce, any day of the week. I have a thing for green, I guess!

One green sauce I make on occasion is called Chermoula, an intensely herbal, slightly spicy sauce used in Algerian, Libyan, Moroccan and Tunisian cooking. While regional differences will dictate the sauce's ingredients, it's usually garlic and coriander that are on the top of the list. Other versions can include chili peppers or black pepper. Chermoula is usually served with fish or seafood but can also be added to other meats or vegetables. Indeed, Chermoula makes the perfect foil for the subtle cauliflower. 

Pesto!

For this recipe, we’re going to blanch the cauliflower first and then roast it.

Here's what you need:

Salt

1 large cauliflower, broken into florets

2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

Chermoula (see below)

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add salt and the cauliflower. Blanch 2 minutes and transfer to a colander to drain. Blot dry. Heat the oven to 400. Toss the cauliflower with the EVOO and salt it to your liking. Bake 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender and lightly browned. Serve hot, with the chermoula.

Now for the Chermoula:

1-1/3 cups fresh cilantro

2/3 cups fresh flat-leaf parsley

3-4 cloves garlic

salt

5 Tbsp EVOO

2 tsp cumin, ground

1 tsp sweet paprika

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1/8 tsp cayenne

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

This is easily made in a food processor. Add the herbs first, pulse, and then add the garlic, salt and oil. Pulse again. Then add all the spices and lemon juice, run the processor for about 30-45 seconds and  if it looks like it needs a little more, pulse again until everything's nice and smooth. You're done!

Chermoula

I usually serve the roasted cauliflower with a white fish because Chermoula really is good on both. I've tried it over shrimp before and it was delicious. You could also serve it with chicken or tofu or do an assortment of veggies and dribble the sauce over all of the them. 

You could put the sauce on any number of things and I'm certain it would all be good. That's what's great about allowing yourself to be creative - you never know what you'll discover that strikes your fancy.

Go Green!

Carrot and Coriander Soup

At last, the weather is cooling off a bit in the evenings (even though we are still in the 70’s during the day). Close enough - it’s “soup weather” as far as I’m concerned. Anything below 60 and I’m there. Time to start firing up the soup pot!

In my last post I mentioned a soup I had made the same evening as the Thai curry. It was very tasty and it works nicely served before Thai or perhaps Indian dishes, but this soup could really be eaten with just about anything. It’s pretty versatile.

The orange from the carrots makes it visually interesting and the addition of coriander, not just the ground spice but the fresh variety called cilantro, make for a nice combination of sweet and savory, one of my favorite.

Carrot and Coriander Soup

Serves 4-6.

Ingredients
1 lb. carrots, preferably young and tender
1 Tbsp coconut oil
3 Tbsp butter
1 onion, chopped
1 celery stalk, sliced, plus 2-3 pale leafy celery tops
2 small potatoes, chopped
4 cups vegetable stock
2-3 tsp. ground coriander
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup milk (I used unsweetened coconut milk)
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions
Trim the carrots, peel if necessary and cut into chunks. Heat oil together with 2 Tbsp of the butter in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan and fry the onion over low heat for 3-4 min. until slightly softened but not browned.

Cut the celery stalk into slices. Add the celery and potato to the onion in the pan, cook for a few minutes and add the carrots. Fry over low heat for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently, and then cover. Reduce heat even further and sweat for about 10 minutes. Stir occasionally so the vegetables do not stick to the bottom.

Add the stock, bring to a boil and then partially cover and simmer for about 8-10 minutes until the carrots and potatoes are tender.

Remove 6-8 tiny celery leaves for garnish and finely chop the rest (about 1 Tbsp. once chopped). Melt the remaining butter in a small saucepan and fry the coriander for about 1 minute, stirring constantly. Reduce heat, add the chopped celery tops and fresh cilantro and fry for about a minute. Set aside.

Process the soup in either a food processor or blender, or use an immersion blender right in your saucepan, until the soup is smooth. Stir in the milk, coriander mixture and seasoning. Heat gently, taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve garnished with the reserved celery leaves.

For a bit of extra zing, add a little squeeze of fresh lemon juice just before serving.

Tuscan Tuna Pasta Salad

When the weather warms up, I really like to eat dinners that don’t require heating up anything in the kitchen. It makes the house hot and me hot, so I like to minimize that. Salads are the perfect thing then.

Tuna is something I don’t usually make much, but it is one of those omega-3 foods that should really have a place in our diets, provided it is responsibly caught. You’ll find the company’s stance on that usually on the label - for instance, Wild Planet’s line of fish. You can find this brand at Whole Foods or Sprouts Farmers Markets here in Southern California.

I used to always get albacore canned in water but I recently discovered the taste of yellowfin tuna canned in olive oil and it makes a big difference! The oil keeps it really moist and the Yellowfin variety has a very mild, un-fishy taste to it. I like it better than albacore now.

Yellowfin Tuna

Anyway, the tuna salad most of us think of is usually coated in mayonnaise, and that’s fine once in a while, especially when you have a fishy tasting fish and want to cover it up with mayo and pickle relish. But I have found that I like tuna salad best when it’s made with an oil and lemon juice dressing. It has a cleaner, fresher taste to it I think, and it allows the flavors of all the other ingredients to come through, especially when there’s a lot going on like in this salad.

Tuscan Tuna Pasta Salad

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. crushed red pepper
1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained and chopped
1 lb. gluten-free pasta
2 cans tuna in oil, drained and flaked, preferably Yellowfin packed in olive oil
1/2 cup chopped kalamata olives
1/2 cup shredded basil leaves
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1/4 cup chopped green onion
Salt and pepper to taste
Lettuce leaves
Lemon wedges

Instructions:

1. Place the oil, crushed red pepper and tomatoes in a jar and shake well to combine. Set aside for 1 hour.
2. Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling water until just tender, following the package instructions. Drain and place into a salad bowl. 
3. Stir in the oil mixture, tuna, olives, and half of the basil. Season with salt and pepper as needed. 
4. Divide the salad among 4 plates, placing the tuna over a large lettuce leaf, and sprinkle on the Parmesan and remaining basil. Squeeze a little lemon over the top before serving.

Alternatives:

Sometimes I add a few more things to spice up my tuna salad even more: cherry tomatoes cut in half, chopped cucumber or celery for a little crunch, a hard-boiled egg, and instead of the kalamata olives, sometimes I use a little olive tapenade which provides even more interesting flavors because it has capers and a few other things in it. Get creative and add whatever suits you. Today I added garbanzo beans which was pretty unique, and tasted better than I thought it would.

How not to hate Brussels Sprouts

I always hated Brussels sprouts, mostly because of the way they smell when they cook. They have this acrid, malodorous scent that I find simply disgusting.  Then one day, my sister tells me she roasts them and that parboiling them for a few minutes beforehand in boiling water helps with that nasty smell. Since I love anything roasted I tried it last year and made them for Thanksgiving. They were pretty good and since then I’ve made Brussels sprouts from time to time trying to love them. But it wasn’t until I tried them from a food truck that I thought, wow, these are incredible!

Nearly every Thursday, a food truck comes to my office building during lunch. Being a foodie, I usually go online and check the menu of the truck in question. Usually it's the usual, tacos and burgers, so I pass, but one day I saw this dish, Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, and thought, mmhhhh, that sounds pretty good. I mean, really. Bacon makes everything better, so how bad could this be, even if it WAS Brussels sprouts? A co-worker ordered it and let me taste it and it was unbelievable, although the drizzle on top was a little too sweet for my taste. 

Since then I’ve been trying to get my hands on a recipe that comes even remotely close to duplicating the complexity of this fabulous creation. No go. Everyone’s recipe for Brussels sprouts with bacon simply reads, “Brussels Sprouts, bacon, salt and pepper.” You’re kidding, right? And this from celebrity chefs you’d really expect more from.  Other recipes add just the weirdest ingredients.

Realizing I was on my own, I got out a book of mine called the “Flavor Bible” and looked up Brussels sprouts. Under the heading, a list of all the flavors that go well with Brussels sprouts. I wrote down the ingredients I thought would marry well and went into the kitchen.

What resulted from this creative process was a dish that I not only went back for seconds for, I went back for THIRDS!! I was stuffed!  It was all I wanted for dinner that night. “To die for” good, it was. I am planning on bringing it with me to Thanksgiving. I hope the family likes it, too.

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, etc.

1 stalk Brussels sprouts, cut larger ones in quarters,
smaller ones in half, tiny ones you can leave whole

1 pound bacon, cut into lardons (little
bite-size strips, see photo, right)

1 red onion, sliced into thin slices

Leaves from several sprigs of fresh thyme
(I use lemon thyme from my garden)

1 basket mushrooms, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

½ cup hazelnuts, cut in half

Salt and pepper to taste

Honey mustard thinned out with a little mayo

Bring a pot of water to a boil and drop in the Brussels sprouts. Cook for about 5-8 minutes. They should be slightly undercooked since they will continue cooking later. Drain.

Heat a large non-stick sauté pan and when hot, add bacon pieces. Brown for 5-8 minutes. Add onion slices and brown. Add thyme leaves. Add Brussels sprouts and brown those as well. Add mushrooms and sauté for about 5 minutes.

Now you can add the remaining ingredients in rapid succession, since all you need to do is basically heat them (the garlic and hazelnuts). Cover and allow to simmer for 5-10 minutes until everything is hot. Add salt and pepper and give it another good stir.

Meanwhile, blend a little honey mustard with a little mayo. If you have a squeeze bottle, put it in there.

Dish up a generous serving (trust me, you’ll want seconds, so just put enough on your plate now) and before serving, drizzle a little bit of the mustard/mayo sauce over the mound. Nice alongside roasted chicken. Or do like I did and forget the chicken - just eat seconds, or (ahem) thirds, of this. YUM!

Cornbread Stuffed Squash

Turkey isn't the only thing great for stuffing. So are squashes. I recently came across a recipe for squash stuffed with cornbread and it sounded good, so I tried it last night. Just the thing for a cool evening.

In fact, the stuffing was so good, I could have eaten it just by itself. The combination of the onion, celery, sage and pecans with the cornbread worked well and it was really delicious.

Roasted Winter Squash with Cornbread Stuffing

1 small to medium winter squash (acorn, butternut, or pumpkin), about 1 1/4 lbs.

2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup dried cranberries (I omitted these)

Kabocha Pumpkin

1/4 cup golden raisins

1/3 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup chopped celery

1 Tbsp. chopped fresh sage

1 Tbsp. minced garlic

1/2 cup reduced-sodium vegetable or chicken broth

3 Tbsp. chopped pecans

1 1/2 cups cooked and crumbled cornbread
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
1/2 tsp. salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400F.

Cut squash in half, scoop out seeds and brush cut sides with olive oil. Place cut sides down on a baking sheet lined with foil. Roast 25 minutes or until tender.

Soak dried fruit in hot water 10 min. Drain and discard liquid. Set aside.

Heat remaining oil in a medium skillet over medium high heat. Add onion, celery, sage and garlic; saute 5 minutes. Combine drained fruit, onion mixture, broth (start with 1/4 cup and see if more is needed), pecans, cornbread, parsley, salt and pepper.

Place cornbread mixture into each squash half. return squash to oven and bake about 20 min, until stuffing is thoroughly heated and golden brown on top.

Serves 2.

Recipe by Brian Morris, courtesy of relishmag.com.

Cool as a Cucumber

When it's hot outside, as it is now, cool, refreshing foods and drinks are so satisfying. And when it is this hot, we often don't feel like turning on the stove for fear of making the house even hotter. 

As wildfires rage on all over the West, just the thought of those firefighters having to deal with this makes me uncomfortable, but sometimes I do feel like I'm sweating all the time.

A cold soup is ideal for days like these. I know it sounds weird, but if you've never had it, you might want to try this one. It's refreshingly cool ingredients work harmoniously to keep you cool. I like it with a variety of cold salads for lunch, or before grilled chicken in lieu of a salad. I plan to make this on Labor Day before I grill some fish.

Chilled Cucumber Soup

Ingredients:
2-3 English cucumbers
1/4 cup chopped parsley
4 scallions, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 quart buttermilk
1/2 pint each of plain yogurt and sour cream, or use 1 pint Greek yogurt
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Peel cucumbers and cut them in half, scraping out the seeds. Using English cucumbers makes this step easier, since they have far fewer seeds than regular cucumbers. Sprinkle the cucumbers with salt and let stand for 30 minutes. Drain excess water.

Chop the cucumbers coarsely and put the pieces in a food processor or blender along with everything else. Blend at high speed until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Chill well before serving.

Garnish with tiny minced cucumbers, bay shrimp or sprigs of dill or a combination of those.

NOTE: The soup can be made a few days in advance, allowing the flavors to meld. It actually benefits from it.

Foeniculi, foenicula...or is it funiculi, funicula?

Do you remember that song, "Funiculi, Funicula"? I remember it from my childhood and I vaguely recall my mother singing it. It had happy lyrics with a sing-songy melody. I thought the tune was about fennel, but research reveals it's actually about an Italian cable car. What does this have to do with fennel? Apparently nothing. Except that the Latin for fennel is foeniculum vulgare, which sounds similar. Confused? Never mind.

Actually, fennel is a plant species in the genus Foeniculum. It is a hardy perennial herb with yellow flowers and feathery leaves, indigenous to the shores of the Mediterranean. But it has become widely naturalized in many parts of the world, especially on dry soils near the sea coast and on riverbanks. Fennel is a highly aromatic and flavorful herb with both medicinal and culinary uses. 

Medicinal Uses

Fennel is widely employed as a carminative, both in humans and in veterinary medicine (e.g., dogs), to treat flatulence.  It is often made into a tea to help soothe the digestive system. I love fennel tea for when I'm feeling queasy.

In the Indian subcontinent, fennel seeds are said to improve eyesight. Ancient Romans regarded fennel as the herb of sight.

Fennel may be an effective diuretic and a potential drug for treatment of hypertension.

Syrup prepared from fennel juice was formerly given for chronic cough. As an antispasmotic, fennel acts on the smooth muscle of the respiratory passages as well as the stomach and intestines; this is the reason that fennel preparations are used to relieve bronchial spasms. Since it relaxes bronchial passages, allowing them to open wider, it is sometimes included in asthma, bronchitis, and cough formulas.

Culinary Uses

The bulb, foliage and seeds of the fennel plant are widely used in many of the culinary traditions of the world. The small flowers of wild fennel are the most potent form, and also the most expensive. Dried fennel seed is an aromatic, anise-flavored spice. The leaves are delicately flavored and similar in shape to those of dill, and thus make a lovely garnish. The bulb is a crisp vegetable that can be sauteed, stewed, braised, grilled or eaten raw.

Though fennel is available year-round, it’s at its best from fall to early spring and is usually considered a winter crop. So right now is the best time to eat this vegetable.

If you haven't been brave enough to try fennel because it looks weird and you didn't know what to do with it, give it a try.

Wash the whole thing and cut off the stalks and leaves. What you now have left is the bulb, which tastes delicious roasted, and despite what some recipes say, needs some cooking first. Simply popping the raw fennel into the oven just doesn't cut it in my opinion, so I boil a pot of water and drop in a fennel bulb that’s been quartered, cooking it for about 10-15 minutes to soften it up. With a slotted spoon I then remove the fennel from the water and dry it off with a kitchen towel. Then I place it in a small baking dish brushed with a little olive oil, sprinkle on a bit of salt, pepper and a generous helping of grated Parmesan cheese, and roast it in the oven at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, until the cheese just turns golden brown. It’s a delicious side dish to roasted chicken or sauteed fish.

I use fennel seeds (that I buy as an herb in the spice section of the market) as a crust for meat, especially pork tenderloin. In fact, my favorite way to prepare pork is to take a few sprigs of fresh rosemary from my herb garden, finely chop the leaves along with a tablespoon of fennel seeds, add kosher salt and pepper and blend all these on a cutting board where I then roll the tenderloin in the mixture until completely covered. The pork goes into a sauté pan and gets browned on the stovetop for a few minutes on each side. Then I pop the saute pan in a 350 degree oven and roast it for about 45 minutes. Easy and unbelievably tasty. The herbs and salt create a lovely crust for the pork and provide assertive flavor. You could do this with beef or lamb as well.

Fennel is also delicious with a mild, white fish and a nice way to marry these together is to use the feathery fronds. Place some chopped leaves under a fish fillet on a piece of aluminum foil, add a pat of butter, salt and pepper, and wrap up. Either bake in the oven or place on a medium grill until done (a thin enough piece of fish shouldn't take but 10-12 minutes). Steaming in this way allows a subtle fennel flavor to infuse the fish. Serve roasted fennel and mashed potatoes alongside it.

My mother has a delicious recipe where she quarters the bulb, cooks it in a little vegetable broth in a sauce pan on the stove top, and then makes a sauce for it out of Boursin cheese and cubed ham. If the sauce needs thickening, she adds a little corn starch to the broth. Once the fennel is mostly cooked, she pours the mixture into a baking dish and pops it into the oven for about 10 minutes. This would make a lovely lunch with a mixed green salad.

Fennel has been calling my name at the farmer’s market lately and I could no longer resist, so I picked one up for myself this weekend. I might try something new with it. I found a recipe for roasting it with olive oil and balsamic vinegar that sounded interesting. If the warm weather we've been having continues, I might chop it up raw and make a salad with it.  Or when I find that recipe from my mother, I'll make that. 

There is so much you can do with fennel. If you're getting bored with the same old vegetables you normally eat, be adventurous and try it.

Grilling Trout

In June I wrote a post about my trip to Mammoth Lakes, California, and how we had fresh trout for dinner. Though I gave some hint as to how the fish were prepared that evening, I thought I’d spend more time on it today, considering we recently enjoyed it again.

And I wanted to focus on trout, because it is really a wonderful fish and I don't hear much about it, either from friends making it, or on cooking shows. It's delicate, moist, flaky, and mildly sweet and needs very little to taste great. If you’re not able to head to your nearest lake and fish for your dinner, but you have a Costco nearby, you’re in business. In fact, as my husband pointed out, it's actually cheaper to get it at Costco. By the time you buy your fishing license, get bait, etc. you've spent more (of course there's the whole fishing experience thing, if you're into that). Costco sells a 4-pack of fresh, whole trout, which are the next best thing. Granted, I’m not the one who deals with the head and tail (I leave that to the fisherman at home), but I think I could, if I had to.

Trout is wonderfully healthy and a good source of Omega-3’s.  Omega 3’s are at critical lows in the SAD (Standard American Diet) and we should be eating more of them.  Omega 3’s cannot be manufactured by the body, so they must be obtained from food and fish is an excellent way to add this critical nutrient to a healthy diet.

Omega 3’s offer many health benefits:

• They can alleviate inflammatory diseases such as arthritis and help reduce the amount of medication taken for them.
• They prevent the blood from forming clots, which therefore reduces the risk of heart attack and stroke.
• They protect against heart and circulatory problems and are good for the healthy development of the brain and eyes.
• People who regularly consume oily fish (such as trout) are less likely to suffer dementia or Alzheimer’s.
• Making trout a part of our diet can also help reduce bad (LDL) cholesterol and lower blood pressure.
• In addition, this fish offers Vitamin B12, B6, niacin, potassium, phosphorous and selenium. Fat-soluble vitamins are plentiful in oily fish such as Vitamins A, D, E and K.

Other oily fish are salmon, sardines, swordfish, fresh tuna, anchovies, eel, kipper, mackerel, carp, smelt, and bluefish. As oily fish contain a certain amount of fat it is best to use cooking methods where additional oil is not needed. Therefore, grilling, baking, steaming, and pan-frying are ideal.

And finally, Rainbow Trout is a good choice in terms of sustainability, according to the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s annual Seafood Watch guide.

Ok, so enough about that. We were in the mood for trout again so we headed to Costco and here’s what we did with it.

Grilled Trout with Herbs

Preheat your grill.

Take each trout and rinse it well under running tap water. Pat dry with paper towels.  Place fish on cutting board. Open cavity and stuff with a few sprigs of fresh lemon thyme, lemon slices, salt and pepper. Close up cavity. My husband will use a bamboo skewer, snapped in half, and weave it in and out to sew up the cavity, if you will. This helps prevent the stuffing from falling out when he turns the fish on the grill.

Do this with the remaining fish.  Place the fish on the heated grill and grill about 8-10 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of the fish. The rule of thumb is generally about 10 minutes per inch, measuring at the thickest part of the fish, of course.

Remove from grill. Lift fish head with one hand while sticking a fork in under the gills on the underside. Gently pry the skeleton away from the meat by lifting the body up. The meat should easily pull away from the bones. Use gravity. Flip the fish over and do the same on the other side. The head, skeleton and tail will then all be attached to one another and you can throw this out. Congratulations - you've deboned the fish in one fell swoop! Remove bamboo skewers and stuffing from cavity. 

Serve "butterflied" (open) with melted lemon butter.  In my opinion, the best veggie to serve alongside this fish is green beans. Dribble a little melted lemon butter on those, too. Maybe sprinkle on both some sliced almonds for a little texture.

You can also make fish tacos with trout. Simply pan-fry a filet for 5-7 minutes and add to a corn tortilla, along with shredded green cabbage with lime juice. Sprinkle on a little green Tabasco sauce or salsa verde and some “white sauce”, made from a little mayo and sour cream mixed together with a bit of lime juice and grated lime peel.

Flavor Profile - Mustard

I love mustard!

Everybody seems to have a favorite condiment they can’t live without. For some it’s ketchup, others mayo, yet others relish.  For me, it’s mustard.

What makes mustard more interesting, IMHO (in my humble opinion), than say, mayo or ketchup, is that there are so many versions of it. I mean, let’s face it: mayo is mayo, and ketchup is ketchup, but MUSTARD, my God, there are so many kinds! French’s basic yellow, Dijon, whole grain, Bavarian, and spicy brown, just to name a few. I once had an apple ginger mustard. It was fantastic.

Mustard seeds

Mustard isn’t just a condiment. It’s a great way to add flavor to food. Pork chops, pork tenderloin, salmon, chicken, beef, hot dogs, hamburgers, sandwiches, cabbage slaw, potato salad, and as a hard-boiled egg filling.

Last Sunday, we had a picnic lunch at a local park. I made sautéed chicken breasts with whole grain mustard. Simple, yet packed with flavor. Had I served it hot at home, I would have likely added a little white wine and cream to the pan to make a delicious mustard cream sauce. But it was great cold the way it was.

Whole grain mustard

Naturally you can buy regular or gourmet mustards ready-made. But you can also buy a basic mustard and experiment with adding additional ingredients at home. Here are some ideas.

For a hot mustard, stir 3-4 finely chopped chipotle or jalapeno peppers into ¼ cup Dijon, yellow or honey mustard. Use roasted red peppers for a milder version. Serve on a burger with avocado.

Add finely chopped fresh herbs (chives, tarragon, parsley, cilantro, or basil, or a combination of any or all of them) to Dijon mustard. Especially good on chicken, fish, or pork.

Mix equal parts finely chopped walnuts, pecans or peanuts into Dijon. Could be good on chicken.

Mash cranberry sauce or cherry chutney into Dijon (puree in a food processor for a smoother texture). Try on a turkey or roast beef sandwich.

Other additions to mustard could be roasted garlic, horseradish, honey or rosemary.

And don't forget to add a tsp. of Dijon to your homemade salad dressings. Mustard is a great emulsifier, binding your dressing together so it doesn't separate so readily. Added to a good quality vinegar and EVOO (extra virgin olive oil), it helps to make your vinaigrette fantastic.

Here’s a recipe I want to try. I’m actually going to make deviled eggs with it, so I’ll add a little mayo. As listed, I would smear it on chicken before grilling it.

Lemon curry mustard

Into 8 oz. of spicy brown mustard, add ½  tsp. lemon pepper, 1 tsp. curry powder and ¼ tsp. grated lemon peel.

Thai Basil and Eggplant

On Sunday I went to the farmer's market to see what was going on in the world of veggies. I've been especially fond of this one Asian grower who has the most beautiful greens and veggies. Everything is super fresh and smells so good. Since this is the year to experiment and move out of my comfort zone, at this grower's stand, I can choose from a variety of new and "exotic" (at least to me) vegetables to do just that.

I've been in the mood for basil lately. It must be because the weather is warming up. I am really ready for the summery tastes of tomatoes, basil and zucchini. Not only did this Asian grower have Italian basil, but also lemon basil (oh, so tempting) and Thai basil. It would have been so easy to get the lemon basil. You know I'm a nut for anything lemon. But, I was reminded to be adventurous, so I decided on the Thai basil instead. After just one long inhale, I envisioned the basil in a stir-fry with eggplant, maybe with a little jasmine rice and tofu alongside. Thankfully, I had just bought some tofu and eggplant, so I was all set.

When I got home, I googled online recipes containing all these ingredients and found this one. It had good reviews, one saying it was "restaurant quality". I made it last night and it was really good.

Thai Basil and Eggplant Stir Fry

• 1 cup jasmine rice, or cauliflower “rice"
• 2 Tbs. peanut or coconut oil
• ½ to 1 tsp. crushed red pepper, or to taste
• 3 baby eggplants, cubed into bite-sized chunks
• 1 medium-sized onion, diced
• 1 medium-sized red bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 Tbs. rice vinegar
• 3 Tbs. dark soy sauce, such as tamari, or coconut aminos
• 2 Tbs. dark brown sugar or honey
• 20 leaves fresh basil, shredded or torn
• 2-3 scallions, chopped (optional)

1. Cook jasmine rice according to package directions. Or if you’re low-carb, make “cauliflower rice” (search this blog for the recipe).
2. Meanwhile, heat a deep skillet or wok-shaped pan over high heat. Add oil and crushed red pepper, and let sizzle for 10 to 15 seconds. Add eggplant and stir-fry 2-3 minutes. Add onion, bell pepper and garlic, and stir-fry for 3 minutes more. Add vinegar and soy sauce, or coconut aminos. Sprinkle with sugar (or honey), and toss for 1 or 2 minutes longer. Test the eggplant to make sure it's done to your liking (I find I like it cooked a little longer).
3. Remove pan from heat, add basil leaves and toss to combine with eggplant. Serve over hot cooked rice. Sprinkle with chopped scallions if you like.
4. Serves 2-3.
5. 
   

Flavor Profile: Herbs (Part Deux)

In July, I posted about my favorite summer herbs, and many of you made the potato and green bean medley that was featured. I am thrilled you liked it, too.  Thank you to everyone for your feedback!

Sage leaves

Now that it's Fall, other favorite herbs of mine appear in many of this season's dishes, such as sage and rosemary, both offering bold flavor to the dishes to which they are added.

Sage grows as a bushy plant and is evergreen in warm climates. Its strongly aromatic leaves are a soft gray-green color are are especially lovely grown in your herb garden or container. Sage is particularly good with fatty meats and cheese, fish, pasta, rice and in vinegars. Sage can be used fresh or found as a finely ground powder.

You can fry sage leaves very briefly in olive oil and add the crispy leaves as a pretty garnish on top of soups and pasta dishes such as ravioli filled with butternut squash or pumpkin, and then drizzle the flavored oil that results from the frying on top of those dishes for an excellent flavor enhancer.  You'll find this technique in the following recipe.

This is one of my favorite soups. I made it once as a first course for Thanksgiving and dinner guests that night still remember it, years later! I have made it many times since because it is simply fantastic.

Winter Squash Soup with Sage

2 Tbsp. olive oil
18 small fresh sage leaves
2.5-3 pounds winter squash (this can be anything you wish. Try a combination of Butternut, Kabocha, Red Kuri, Buttercup, or Acorn)
2 unpeeled onions, cut in half
6 cloves unpeeled garlic
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh sage leaves
3/4 tsp. fresh or 1/4 tsp. dried thyme leaves
4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
salt and pepper
3 ounces (1/2 cup) 1/2 inch cubes fontina cheese

Pour oil into a 6-8 inch frying pan and place over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, add whole sage leaves (make sure they are dry, else oil will spatter everywhere) and stir until they turn a dark green, about 45 seconds to 1 minute. With a slotted spoon, lift out leaves and drain on paper towels, set aside. Reserve the oil.
Rinse squash, slice in half and scoop out seeds. Discard seeds. Brush cut surfaces of squash and onion with reserved oil. Place squash and onions cut side down in a baking pan and slip garlic underneath the squash. Bake in a 375F oven until vegetables are soft when pressed (45-60 minutes). Reserve pan juices. Scoop flesh from squash skins and discard. Peel garlic, peel and chop onions.
In a 3-4 quart pan, combine squash, garlic, onions, parsley, chopped sage, and thyme. Mash squash mixture with a potato masher and stir in reserved pan juices and the water or stock.  Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, to blend flavors, about 25 minutes. Season soup with salt and pepper to taste. Stir any remaining sage cooking oil into soup. Distribute cheese equally among 6 bowls, and ladle soup into bowls. Nice with a dollop of creme fraiche on top (but optional). Do search out Fontina cheese (Hint: Trader Joe's). It has a nutty flavor that works very nicely with the other ingredients in the soup.

Recipe courtesy of Deborah Madison, Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone.

Rosemary

Rosemary is another one of those fantastic fall herbs. Its narrow, spiky leaves perfume the air with an unmistakable piney scent. At this time of year, and occasionally in the spring, too, lovely little blue flowers nestle among the sharply pointed leaves. It's easy to grow and mine has turned into a five foot tall bush, affording me access to it all year round.

Rosemary is great with all kinds of meats and vegetables. Lamb, turkey, chicken, beef, pork all benefit from rosemary's fragrant addition. It's particularly good on the grill alongside the meats so that as it gets grilled itself, it can impart a subtle flavor to the meat. Finely chopped and added to salt and pepper, it can encrust meat before roasting. The herb is also fantastic in all sorts of soups and stews.

With such rainy weather today, it was meant to be "Soup Night" tonight, and on the menu was Italian Lentil Soup with Tomatoes.

Lentil Soup with Tomatoes

1 cup dried green or brown lentils
1-2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
3 strips bacon, diced
1 onion, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
2 carrots, finely diced
1 sprig fresh rosemary
2 bay leaves
1 can (14 oz.) chopped plum tomatoes
8 cups vegetable stock
salt and pepper

Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the bacon and cook for about 3 minutes. Stir in the onion and cook for 5 minutes, until softened. Stir in the celery, carrots, rosemary, bay leaves and lentils. Toss over the heat for 1 minute until thoroughly coated in oil. Pour in the tomatoes and stock and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, half cover the pan, and simmer for about 1 hour or until the lentils are perfectly tender. Remove the bay leaves and rosemary stem (all that will remain is the stem, the leaves will have fallen off during cooking, leave those in the soup). Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 4.

Flavor Profile: Herbs

As third in my series of flavor profiles, I wanted to discuss herbs. I am a fiend for herbs and every time I am at the market, I can't help myself: I am drawn to them. Wrapped in their little bunches, tied together, they look so inviting and smell so heavenly! Some of my favorite fancy gardens are herb gardens and many plants produce lovely flowers that rival "regular" ones. Chives, for example, produce a lovely purple flower this time of year.

I love herbs because they have this natural essence that I find more interesting than salt and pepper and less biting than most spices. There is this sublety to herbs and cooking with them is a delightful experience. As Deborah Madison put it, "Fresh herbs are the greatest joy to cook with. As your hands move through their leaves, the air around you fills with their scents. Their flavors are alive, their leaves and flowers varied and charming." Herbal poetry, that is.

She goes on to explain that despite fresh herbs being superior, sometimes dried herbs are necessary because of the time of year, lack of availability, etc. Dried herbs are usually considered more potent, so less is needed. The rule of thumb is to use 1/2 to 1/3 dried herbs in lieu of fresh. Always crumble them between your fingers before adding to food to release their aromatic oils.

Herbs vary immensely and each is unique. There are so many, and perhaps I'll cover more in another Flavor Profile, but today I'm going to cover my "Top 3 Herbs for Summer". They are (in order of preference) thyme, basil and chives.

Thyme is by far my favorite herb. What aroma! There are several varieties. I grow 3 kinds: regular French thyme, creeping thyme, and lemon thyme (with its lovely hint of lemony brightness). Thyme lends itself to so many wonderful dishes. If I were to describe its aroma, I would say it imparts an earthy fragrance which makes it ideal for so many dishes, especially "comfort foods". My favorite way of enjoying them is with roasted potatoes, but thyme pairs well with: beans, in a bouquet garni, with goat cheese, in and on roasted chicken, fish, Italian cuisine, grilled lamb, meats, mushrooms, onions, potatoes, soups and stews and tomatoes.

Basil is notoriously used in Pesto. I'd include a recipe, but it's in nearly every cookbook. Basil is another one of those all-around herbs but its freshness and brightness are perfect for summer. It can be used both fresh and dried, and both work well, depending on the application. Fresh basil has a bolder flavor than dried and a little goes a long way. It also grows at my house, but it always seems to do better on my kitchen window sill than in the garden. Basil pairs well with the following: cheeses, chicken, eggs, fish especially salmon, garlic, Italian / Mediterranean cuisine especially pasta dishes and sauces, lemon, extra virgin olive oil,  pizza, roasted peppers, salads and dressings, soups, Thai cuisine, tomatoes, summer veggies and zucchini.

Chives are often overlooked, I think. As a friend recently told me, they seem to be used more in Europe than the U.S. In Germany, for instance, there is this fantastically simple dish of boiled little new potatoes, fresh cheese called Quark, and chives. Heaven! I grow 2 varieties of chives in my garden: regular and garlic chives. With a slight onion flavor, they are great with vegetables, cheese, eggs and potatoes, and in soups, salads and dressings, as well as sauces, especially those that are cheese and cream-based.

Here are a couple of herbal ideas I discovered on the epicurious.com blog, which is also doing an article on herbs at the moment.

HERBAL ICE CUBES: Suspend fresh herbs in ice cubes to create a beautiful presentation and to add delicious flavor to your summertime beverages. Just make sure you don’t go overboard. Use just a small amount of any herb – half a pinch of thyme or rosemary or a single basil or mint leaf, per ice cube. Try thyme ice cubes with fresh squeezed lemonade, or mint ice cubes in watermelon margaritas!

HERB-INFUSED BUTTER: This is one of those simple touches that you see at fine dining establishments that helps to separate them from their more casual counterparts. It’s also one of the easiest ways to instantly elevate your next gathering. Finely chop your favorite herb (or combination of herbs) and add to a dollop of room-temperature butter. Mix well, salt to taste and serve in a cute little ramekin. Estimate about ¼ tsp. of herb to 1 Tbsp. of butter. The blog offers several recipes for using the butter (great with either fish or vegetables, or slathered on a baguette).

For more uses for herbs this summer, try this Green Goddess Dressing, or my all-time favorite Potato Salad.
 
Warm Italian Potato Salad (Insalata di Patate)
 
2 lbs. waxy potatoes (I like Yukon Gold, they are nice and buttery)

For the dressing:
6 Tbsp. olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
1 clove garlic, very finely chopped
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh herbs, such as parsley, basil, thyme or oregano (I prefer thyme)
salt and pepper to taste

Do not peel potatoes but boil them until tender. Then peel them. Cut them into a dice or however you like. While the potatoes are cooking, make the dressing. Pour the dressing over the potatoes while they are still warm so they absorb some of the dressing. Mix well. Serve at room temperature. Serves 6.

Sides for Summer Grilling

This week I made 2 things I wanted to share with you that are perfect for summer. One is a Tangy Coleslaw and the other a Grilled Summer Squash served with a Green Sauce. They are both excellent, and would do very nicely alongside your main entree, preferably grilled, such as burgers, barbequed chicken, sausages, or fish.

I hate most coleslaws. They are either too mayonnaisey, too sweet, or dreadfully boring. I found a recipe that is different: it's very flavorful and uses very little mayo, so it's low in fat. And because of all the fresh veggies, it's a healthier version of the typical slaw.

The other recipe is another lovely veggie side that you will not be able to get enough of. I wished I had made more. Just be careful not too cook the zucchini too long. You want them to hold up on the grill. I ran out of propane tonight, so I used my stovetop grill instead. I actually liked that better than using the BBQ. I was able to retain some of the marinade and scoop that up when I served it. And trust me, you don't want to lose that marinade, with all that lovely garlic!

Tangy Coleslaw

7 cups finely shredded green cabbage (I cheated and bought a pre-shredded coleslaw mix at Pavilions with red and green cabbage as well as grated carrot in it. Your work is done)
1 cup thinly vertically sliced red onion
1 cup grated carrot (not needed if you buy the coleslaw mix I mentioned earlier)
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. whole-grain mustard
2 Tbsp. reduced-fat mayonnaise
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1/8 tsp. ground red pepper
Optional: add a dash of hot sauce if you like it a little spicier.

Combine cabbage, onion and carrot in a large bowl. Combine vinegar, sugar, mustard, mayo, and spices in a small bowl, whisk well. Add the mustard mixture to the cabbage mixture, and toss well to coat. Cover and chill 20 minutes. Stir before serving. Doesn't store too well after a day or two, so eat it up or make less.

Recipe adapted from Cooking Light Magazine, June 2008.

Grilled Summer Squash with Green Sauce

For the green sauce:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 shallot, chopped
2 tsp. capers
2 anchovy fillets in olive oil (optional, I don't use them)
1/2 tsp. ground white pepper
1 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (reserve a little for garnishing)
1/4 cup (or more) chopped fresh basil (reserve a little for garnishing, if you like)

4-5 small zucchini or yellow squash or a combo of each, cut lengthwise into 1/4" thick slices
4 minced garlic cloves
6 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh thyme
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Make the green sauce in a food processor and process until smooth. Cover and refrigerate.

Place zucchini in a shallow non-aluminum dish. In the food processor again, combine the garlic, olive oil, thyme, salt and pepper and pulse. Pour over the zucchini slices and let "marinade" for 30 minutes.

Prepare your grill. Place zucchini on rack about 4-6 inches above the fire. Cook, turning once, until just tender, about 4-5 minutes per side, or less, if you like it a little crunchier, but make sure you get grill marks (they add flavor and interest). Transfer to a serving dish and spoon green sauce evenly over the top. Serve immediately. Serves 4.

Recipe adapted from Williams-Sonoma.