After my "Week of Soups" in the middle of February, I had to concoct a new way to stay cozy and well-fed in the dregs of winter. For me, it's the bright, bitter-sweet taste of rainbow chard, layered with a savory bit of protein. Last night, I came up with a combination that really zaps my winter blues away and warms my heart. The colors, textures, and subtle flavors of each component meld so well, it's definitely a beautiful and satisfying medley of winter veggies.
1. First, I roasted a delicata squash (beautiful yellow oblong squash about 5" long with green veins running down like a pumpkin) with some olive oil in a covered pan for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Just halve the squash lengthwise and scoop out the seeds before roasting face down on the pan.
2. I sauteed a bunch of rainbow chard (a bundle containing white, pink, and golden-stemmed varieties) with a load of onions, garlic, and a healthy grind of fresh black pepper. This is seasoning enough for the gorgeous greens.
3. I shoved the greens to one side of the pan when they needed to simmer more and sprayed some EVOO and Bragg's liquid amino acids on the spot for some thinly sliced (1/4") tofu. This seared the skin, browned it nicely, and when I turned the slices, I added a fine layer of dijon mustard to give a kick to the protein and imitate fish.
I just put half a squash on my plate, loaded it with greens, and lay the tofu on top. I wish I had a picture of the pink, green, and golden dish, but I ate it all before I thought to snap a shot. Alex was reading an article in Cooking Light about the benefits of fish (and we were having a debate about the ethics of eating fish) when I took my first bite. It was so reminiscent of fish, I immediately served him a layered forkful, and he remarked that he would have believed it was fish. So, for fish lovers out there, this is a decent substitute as well.
It's so simple and delicious for a weeknight, helps me recharge for the next day. And I made leftovers for lunch!
2.27.2009
2.16.2009
A Homemade Valentine's Day
Last year, Alex and I were in Paris for Valentine’s Day, strolling arm in arm through Montmartre as we lunched on crepes and pan au chocolat. 
This year, having already gone on our annual adventure (to the Caribbean !), we knew it would be low-key. However, despite my plans to do nothing, Alex insisted we make each other a gourmet meal, and that was hard to turn down. In a nice role reversal (that turned into some baking catastrophes for me), Alex took on dinner and I took on dessert.
EVOO to coat the pan
2 cloves of garlic
2 handfuls black and/or kalamata olives, pitted and halved
½ a jar of capers, drained
2 dried chili peppers, crushed
½ tsp. dried oregano
1 (28 oz.) can of diced tomatoes
Salt and pepper, to taste
Large handful of fresh basil leaves, torn
Drizzle of EVOO to top off each portion
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9” cake pan and line it with parchment paper.
For the caramel layer, simmer together in a small saucepan:
½ cup superfine sugar (process granulated sugar for a minute or so)
2 Tbsp. water
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut to bits
2 oranges, zest reserved for cake batter, sliced horizontally (peel and pith cut off)
1 ¾ sticks butter, softened
1 cup superfine sugar
3 eggs
zest of both oranges
1 tsp. orange extract (or 2 tsp. orange flower water)
½ cup all purpose (GF) flour
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt.
2 cups of ground almonds (I put raw almonds in the food processor so they were still a bit coarse, which worked well with the texture of the polenta)
2/3 cup quick-cooking polenta
¼ cup orange marmalade
2 Tbsp. water.
Drizzle a bit over the top and sides of the cake. It’s pretty sweet, so go easy if you don’t want a very sugary dessert. You could also cut back on the sugar in the cake, if needed. A tart marmalade would work really well too.
For the orange whipped cream, mix on hi:
Whipping cream, powdered sugar, and orange extract, to taste.
This year, having already gone on our annual adventure (to the Craving something spicy, romantic, and succulent, we selected a puttanesca sauce based on a Jamie Oliver recipe, ripe with crushed red chilies, fresh olives, and tart capers. We simply made both normal and gluten-free pasta so we could both enjoy the main dish (and doubled the recipe for plenty of leftovers--note the reused mason jar of deliciousness below).
Puttanesca Sauce (minus the anchovies)EVOO to coat the pan
2 cloves of garlic
2 handfuls black and/or kalamata olives, pitted and halved
½ a jar of capers, drained
2 dried chili peppers, crushed
½ tsp. dried oregano
1 (28 oz.) can of diced tomatoes
Salt and pepper, to taste
Large handful of fresh basil leaves, torn
Drizzle of EVOO to top off each portion
Heat the EVOO in a large saucepan, then saute the garlic through oregano for a few minutes. Add the tomatoes and simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and toss in the basil, stir and drizzle with olive oil. The salty, sexy olives just burst in your mouth, and the spicy tomato base makes this a delicious romantic meal. The handfuls of freshly torn basil leaves tossed in at the end bring a light finishing flavor to the rich sauce (which we quickly cleaned from our plates). A simple spinach and goat cheese salad balanced our meal and prepped us for the richness of dessert.
In keeping with the rustic Italian theme, I found a recipe from the Ottolenghi cookbook(in Gourmet Magazine) for an orange polenta cake that uses almonds and polenta as the main flours. With a minor substitution of ½ GF flour for all-purpose wheat flour, I easily adapted it to be gluten free and just as delicious. The rustic quality of the flours and polenta combined with the heady flavors of orange and almond make it a perfect mid-winter treat.
The cake is layered with first a rich caramel, then juicy slices of navel oranges, then the batter (it comes out like an upside-down cake). Once it is cooked and inverted, you drizzle a marmalade glaze over the top which seeps in, infusing every bite with a moist orange flavor. To top it off, Alex made fresh whipped cream with orange extract, and we served a bit of glaze on the plates. It was phenomenal, if a bit of a sugar overload. This morning, we had slices for breakfast, and it was a perfect scone-like delicacy. Definitely a make-again, especially for brunch or an elegant tea time (which I've never had, but which I'm sure some people put on).
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9” cake pan and line it with parchment paper.
For the caramel layer, simmer together in a small saucepan:
½ cup superfine sugar (process granulated sugar for a minute or so)
2 Tbsp. water
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut to bits
2 oranges, zest reserved for cake batter, sliced horizontally (peel and pith cut off)
Simmer the sugar and water together over med-hi heat, swirling and washing down any sugar crystals that form on the sides with a pastry brush dipped in water. It will take a few minutes before the sugar dissolves and the mixture colors amber, but watch it carefully (my first batch burned and I had to start all over, what a waste!) When the mixture turns to caramel, remove from the heat and add the butter and swirl to combine.
Quickly and carefully pour into the prepared pan and tilt to coat the bottom. Spread orange slices in concentric circles across the caramel layer. This will be the top of the cake, so arrange them carefully for a nice design.
1 ¾ sticks butter, softened
1 cup superfine sugar
3 eggs
zest of both oranges
1 tsp. orange extract (or 2 tsp. orange flower water)
½ cup all purpose (GF) flour
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt.
2 cups of ground almonds (I put raw almonds in the food processor so they were still a bit coarse, which worked well with the texture of the polenta)
2/3 cup quick-cooking polenta
Cream together the butter and sugar in a large bowl until combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, until well mixed. Add the orange zest and the orange extract. Whisk together in a dry bowl the flour, baking powder, and salt. At a low speed, add the dry ingredients into the butter/sugar mixture. Blend in the ground almonds and the polenta to just combine.
Spread batter evenly over the orange slices in the cake pan and bake until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean and the top is golden, 1- 1¼ hours. Let cool 5 minutes and then invert onto a cake plate. Serve warm or at room temperature.
¼ cup orange marmalade
2 Tbsp. water.
Drizzle a bit over the top and sides of the cake. It’s pretty sweet, so go easy if you don’t want a very sugary dessert. You could also cut back on the sugar in the cake, if needed. A tart marmalade would work really well too.
For the orange whipped cream, mix on hi:
Whipping cream, powdered sugar, and orange extract, to taste.
It was a perfect, if gluttonous Valentine's Day, enhanced by the joy of selecting and preparing our meal together, and savoring each bite without the hectic or hurried atmosphere of a NYC restaurant. Although I believe it's silly for Americans to focus on only one day each year to be romantic, I did enjoy our celebration and look forward to many other weekend nights where we can take time out to share our joys (and food).
(Beneath the Arc du Triomphe 2/14/08)
2.13.2009
Building a meal
When Alex and I pulled up to our house on Sunday in the spring-like warmth, our four-foot "car"t packed high with boxes of groceries lovingly hauled from the Coop, I considered the process that goes into constructing a meal. For me, it starts with a spot of inspiration--a movie set in France featuring irresistible cheeses, snowfall at dusk, the cover of a food magazine, a crisp bunch of fresh asparagus at the store--and the first dish follows.
Usually, I have a theme in mind, which could obviously center around a regional cuisine, but which often take its cues from a particular vegetable or spice that I'm craving, and develops from there.
Last night, for example, I wanted something soothing and loaded with veggies, and I had been browsing through this month's Gourmet magazine (courtesy of the Brooklyn Public Library), which featured simple takes on flavorful soups. While at the Coop, I loaded up on hearty ingredients-- dragon kale, sweet potatoes, Yukon golds, organic carrots, fresh cilantro--so that when I got home, I'd have lots of options.
As I rooted through our newly stocked fridge, I grasped a bunch of the lush, almost waxy kale, and decided to build from there. A quick search in the index of two fail-safe cookbooks, Moosewood and Crescent Dragonwagon's vegetarian bible, revealed a yummy Italian soup with polenta, beans, and lemon juice and a saute of mixed greens. Option 1 sounded just right.
To begin construction, I usually pull all my ingredients, do a quick check through the recipe for how each should be prepped, and go about chopping, mincing, dicing, and blanching each part in its own container, so that I can easily add each ingredient to the pot in turn. Of course, I can't seem to stick to any recipe religiously, so I ended up substituting French green lentils for cannelini beans (and cooked them with kombu to help with digestion), and then decided that the pasta e fagioli soup on the next page sounded REALLY good. Enter carrots, celery, onions, diced tomatoes, and a whole lot of spices.
What started out as a simple kale soup turned into a "mother's medley" stone soup amalgamation. With the list of veggies running close to ten, and the lentils and polenta adding a satisfying depth, I ended up way over my head with a huge pot of very hearty vegetable Italian-y soupy mush that stood alone as a meal. I threw some grated parmesan on top, popped a bottle of Chardonnay from the Finger Lakes, and plopped on the couch for a cozy evening watching a childhood favorite, Willow. A couple slices of parmesan later, my bowl was empty and the soup beckoned again, in all its muddled glory.
While my soup was not a meticulous study in recipe-following or creation, it was a creative endeavor undertaken with love for each ingredient and a general sense of where I was going.
But I'm curious if I'm alone here. How do you build your recipes and what inspires you?
Vegetable stone soup
For the lentils:
1 cup dried lentils
3-4 cups water
2 bay leaves
1 stick dried kombu seaweed
pinch of salt
Throw it all in a pot, cover, bring to a boil, then simmer 40 mins until almost tender and water is absorbed. Set aside for later addition to the soup.
For the soup:
2 Tbsp EVOO
2 carrots, sliced in half moons
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch kale, rinsed and chopped to 1/2" strips
14 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried basil
Cooked lentils
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
5-6 cups water or broth, to taste
1/2 cup ground polenta, mixed with 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice and 1/2 c. cold water
Substitute any greens for the kale, any beans for the lentils, any grains for the polenta (like pasta), and you have a new version on this medley.
1. Saute EVOO through onion, 5 mins.
2. Add garlic through basil, saute 5 mins until kale is wilted.
3. Add water and tomato paste, stirring well. Return to a simmer
4. Slowly add polenta, mixing gently to prevent lumps.
5. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add hot pepper flakes if it needs a punch.
6. Serve hot with freshly grated parmesan, or over a bowl of pasta. Buon appetito!
Usually, I have a theme in mind, which could obviously center around a regional cuisine, but which often take its cues from a particular vegetable or spice that I'm craving, and develops from there.
Last night, for example, I wanted something soothing and loaded with veggies, and I had been browsing through this month's Gourmet magazine (courtesy of the Brooklyn Public Library), which featured simple takes on flavorful soups. While at the Coop, I loaded up on hearty ingredients-- dragon kale, sweet potatoes, Yukon golds, organic carrots, fresh cilantro--so that when I got home, I'd have lots of options.
As I rooted through our newly stocked fridge, I grasped a bunch of the lush, almost waxy kale, and decided to build from there. A quick search in the index of two fail-safe cookbooks, Moosewood and Crescent Dragonwagon's vegetarian bible, revealed a yummy Italian soup with polenta, beans, and lemon juice and a saute of mixed greens. Option 1 sounded just right.
To begin construction, I usually pull all my ingredients, do a quick check through the recipe for how each should be prepped, and go about chopping, mincing, dicing, and blanching each part in its own container, so that I can easily add each ingredient to the pot in turn. Of course, I can't seem to stick to any recipe religiously, so I ended up substituting French green lentils for cannelini beans (and cooked them with kombu to help with digestion), and then decided that the pasta e fagioli soup on the next page sounded REALLY good. Enter carrots, celery, onions, diced tomatoes, and a whole lot of spices.
What started out as a simple kale soup turned into a "mother's medley" stone soup amalgamation. With the list of veggies running close to ten, and the lentils and polenta adding a satisfying depth, I ended up way over my head with a huge pot of very hearty vegetable Italian-y soupy mush that stood alone as a meal. I threw some grated parmesan on top, popped a bottle of Chardonnay from the Finger Lakes, and plopped on the couch for a cozy evening watching a childhood favorite, Willow. A couple slices of parmesan later, my bowl was empty and the soup beckoned again, in all its muddled glory.
While my soup was not a meticulous study in recipe-following or creation, it was a creative endeavor undertaken with love for each ingredient and a general sense of where I was going.
But I'm curious if I'm alone here. How do you build your recipes and what inspires you?
Vegetable stone soup
For the lentils:
1 cup dried lentils
3-4 cups water
2 bay leaves
1 stick dried kombu seaweed
pinch of salt
Throw it all in a pot, cover, bring to a boil, then simmer 40 mins until almost tender and water is absorbed. Set aside for later addition to the soup.
For the soup:
2 Tbsp EVOO
2 carrots, sliced in half moons
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch kale, rinsed and chopped to 1/2" strips
14 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried basil
Cooked lentils
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
5-6 cups water or broth, to taste
1/2 cup ground polenta, mixed with 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice and 1/2 c. cold water
Substitute any greens for the kale, any beans for the lentils, any grains for the polenta (like pasta), and you have a new version on this medley.
1. Saute EVOO through onion, 5 mins.
2. Add garlic through basil, saute 5 mins until kale is wilted.
3. Add water and tomato paste, stirring well. Return to a simmer
4. Slowly add polenta, mixing gently to prevent lumps.
5. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add hot pepper flakes if it needs a punch.
6. Serve hot with freshly grated parmesan, or over a bowl of pasta. Buon appetito!
2.09.2009
Divorce is the worst
My parents divorced when I was a child. And now the union I work for is headed in that direction.
But this, this goes beyond anything I've experienced. That Prop 8 would effectively "divorce" 18,000 couples in the state of California, that is something beyond tragic. Please watch the video, and take action if you are so moved.
"Fidelity": Don't Divorce... from Courage Campaign on Vimeo.
But this, this goes beyond anything I've experienced. That Prop 8 would effectively "divorce" 18,000 couples in the state of California, that is something beyond tragic. Please watch the video, and take action if you are so moved.
"Fidelity": Don't Divorce... from Courage Campaign on Vimeo.
2.07.2009
Making the most of tofu
I get stir crazy in the winter. November and December are okay because I can focus on holiday decorating and feasting, but January is just cold. This year, we went to Cinnamon Bay, returning just in time for February, my favorite month. It's bookended with Alex's and my birthdays, nestling Valentine's Day in the middle. But that said, sometimes I have to spice up the cold, seemingly endless winter days to make it to February, and then to see myself through to the first crocuses in March.
So I made ground "beef" tacos.
Which I turned into scrambled tofu two days later.
And led to the perfect holed-up-in-the-cold game, Scrabble. Check out my hand!
Ground "Beef" Tacos with Guacamole
1 block of medium-firm tofu, drained
3 gloves garlic, as you like it, minced
Tsp or so of each: cumin (for a meaty flavor), turmeric (for the color), curry powder (for spice), cayenne pepper (for fire), and hot sauce or red pepper flakes (if it ain't hot enough)
Soy sauce or Bragg's liquid amino acids
1. Heat a large skillet on med-hi and add the tofu (no oil needed, I found). Spritz the tofu with the Bragg's or soy sauce and mash it with a potato masher. This gives it the crumbled texture of ground meat and works much faster than a fork.
2. Add the spices and garlic, to your taste, and just mash them all together until you like the flavors. More soy sauce may be needed to moisten the tofu and deepen the color.
3. Pile onto a hard corn tortilla with salsa, cheese, and homemade guacamole.
Never-fail Guacamole
The amounts of each ingredient may vary, depending on the size and flavor of your avocado, but these are my approximate ratios. I am a guac purist, so I only add these four ingredients, although you can try adding onions, cilantro, salsa, smoked paprika, etc for a different effect.
1 Haas avocado, ripened (indents when you press the skin)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 a fresh lime, juiced over the avocado
Salt to taste
I just halve the avocado and score it so it's already broken up when I scoop it into the mixing bowl. Then I add the lime to keep it from turning brown (the acidity blocks the oxidization), and then toss in the garlic. After mixing this up, taste to see if you need more lime juice or garlic, and then add the salt. Every drop of this that I have ever made was consumed within one sitting, hence the name.
Scrambled Tofu
To convert my ground "beef" leftovers for a brunch-ready meal, I just tweaked a few things and got rave reviews from the coffee table.
Mashed, seasoned tofu (see above)
1 yellow onion, diced
Leftover roasted potatoes (I just sliced them up for rustic homefries)
Turmeric
Saute onions in EVOO. Add the potatoes and tofu. Season as desired and serve piping hot.
Happy February!
Paradise
Last week, Alex and my family and I dropped everything and dashed down to the Virgin Islands for an impromptu celebration of my mom's 50th birthday and Alex's 25th. It was the PERFECT escape from 1) the cold 2) work stress and 3) the grad school admissions saga. We realize it's our last indulgence for a few years as we buckle down under student loans etc, so we made the most of our amazing week.
We soaked up the sun at Cinnamon Bay, a campground in the national park land on St. John, USVI. My family has been there four times because it really is the best beach in the world, and it's not too far away. 
We soaked up the sun at Cinnamon Bay, a campground in the national park land on St. John, USVI. My family has been there four times because it really is the best beach in the world, and it's not too far away. A typical schedule: wake up at 9, go for a (barefoot!) run on the beach, jump in the ocean to cool off, grab a quick breakfast back at the campsite, and then head to the beach and sun or snorkel until 5 or so, when it's time to make dinner on the camp stove. We were in bed by 9 because something about lying in the sun all day tires you out (and the lack of electricity may be a contributing factor). We might read in bed by flashlight for an hour and then turn on on our cots for a cozy night, serenaded by spring peepers and the crashing waves!
We ate incredibly well, despite having to cook on four propane burners and hauling our own water from a faucet by the beach. My mom and grandma are so prepared, they brought spices, oils, garlic, a grater(!), plastic cutting boards, and so many other little necessities that we've learned over the years really make camping easier. We made latkes the last night with our leftover potatoes, eggs, and onions, and my mom rigged a batch of bread pudding in a kettle set on empty cans of condensed milk in a water bath inside a large pot. Everyone who walked by our site was jealous.
On the one night that we didn't cook, we hiked over to Maho Bay eco-camps for my mom's birthday dinner. Like true budget travelers, we timed our arrival with happy hour, and savored (free!) rum punches and old fashioned popcorn. If you have been reading this blog, you know how much I love popcorn, so this was a real treat. In the islands, they serve it with salt and hot sauce on the side, so I loaded up on refills.
I am so blessed to have a loving and adventurous family and partner, and so fortunate to have been able to go on this trip (which was an early birthday present from my mom and stepdad). Thanks to everyone for making it a January respite in paradise.
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