All Sorts of Good

This past weekend has been a huge treat.  Summer weather, which is uncommon around here in April, had us loving on some outside time, getting up to all sorts of good things, with good friends.

There may have been a little rope swinging action.

There may have been some archery.

...with cute baby bumps.

As you do.

(Actually, it's not something we usually do, but it was indeed fun.)

And best of all, there was pasta making, my friends.

Which, like the archery, was a first for me.  And it was all sorts of good.

You need some extra hands for this one, preferably those of some very dear friends, like our M & J, (who brought the pasta maker, as well as the bow and arrows) perhaps a couple of Kiddos to help with cranking the dough through the rollers, and a Mister, to snap photos of the whole thing.

J found the recipe here on cook-italian.com, and it worked amazingly well.  Not that I have much, ahem, any, experience with making fresh pasta.  But M is Italian, grew up eating fresh pasta, and he wholeheartedly approved, so there you go.  You can trust him.  Being the slacker that I am, and lacking the finesse (as well as confidence) in my dough working abilities, we cheated, and adapted the recipe for the pasta setting on my bread machine.  I must say, major pat on the back for that clever move.  (M's the one who told me about the pasta setting, too.  Very hip to it, that guy.)  So, I'm sharing instructions for how we made our pasta, if you want to roll lazily along, like we do.  If you're a little more hardcore, and prefer to do it by hand, just visit the site for complete instructions.

Also, the recipe said the amount fed only 1 to 2 people, so we tripled it, and Mamma Mia!  Did we ever have enough pasta for four adults, and two Kiddos, with leftovers.  I'm giving you the doubled amount of the original, to feed six easily.

Here you go:

Fresh Semolina Egg Pasta - adapted from cook-italian.com

 - serves six

Ingredients

4 large eggs, beaten

2 cups semolina flour (Bob's Red Mill makes this, and you can get in in bulk at Fred Meyer too)

1 cup all purpose flour

4 Tbs olive oil

4 or 5 Tbs water

1 tsp fine sea salt (plus more for boiling pasta)

In your bread machine pan, place the beaten eggs, olive oil, and 4 tablespoons water, followed by salt, and the flours.  Set the machine to the pasta setting, if you have it (or use the dough setting, and take it out after about 10 to 15 minutes, once thoroughly kneaded).  After about 5 minutes, peek in and make sure the dough is combining well, if it appears dry, add another tablespoon or two of water.  If it looks too wet, you can flour your board and knead in extra flour soon.  The dough will appear much stiffer than bread dough.  This had me concerned, but M assured me it was right.  And it was.

Once the pasta cycle is complete, and the dough is nice and smooth, place it in a covered bowl, or plastic bag, and refrigerate for 20 minutes, up to overnight, to rest.

Here's the fun part.  Divide your dough into four to six pieces, keep the ones you're not working with covered, in the fridge.  Roll out a piece to a thickness that will fit into the pasta machine, approximately 1/4 inch thick.  Starting on the largest setting ("1", in our case), roll it through the machine. 

Keep at it, until it's your desired thickness.  (We felt good with "5")

Next, you get to decide what type of pasta you're craving.  We went with fettucini.  I'm fantasizing about some serious lasagna next time.  And spaghetti.  And ravioli.  Mamma mia!

Hang the pasta to dry on a pasta rack, if you have one.  If you run out of room, because of copious quantities of pasta (which is never a bad thing), you can use hangers, like we did.  

How lovely is that?  Let the pasta dry for about 20 minutes or so, while putting a very large pot of heavily salted water on to boil.  Drop the pasta in carefully, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until al dente, with a bit of a bite to it.  You may prefer to do this in two batches, because it's rather tricky getting that much pasta into the water quickly, and not dropping the temperature too low.  If you do this, use tongs or one of those groovy pasta scoop things, to fish out the first batch, then bring the water back to a rolling boil for the second.

Drain the pasta, being sure to save a cup or so of the water.  Toss the pasta with some of your preferred sauce, a bit of pasta water, a glug of olive oil...and serve it up, family style, with some good parmiggiano.

Okay.  Just one more:  

Mamma Mia...what a good day.

It Makes Them Sing

There's a time and a place for posh, elaborate, impress-your-guests food.  Today's recipe is most definitely not that kind of recipe.  Today's recipe is more of a straight-up classic, down-home, soul-food kinda thing.   And the Mister and Kiddos love it.  They love it so much, that it makes them sing.

Now, having done my high-schooling, and college years, in the '90's, I wouldn't feel right not mentioning this:  Do you happen to recall Adam Sandler's Lunch Lady Land song, back from his turn on SNL?  And the ever-so-catchy line from the chorus:  "Sloppy Joe, Slop-Sloppy Joe, yeah...?"  Yeah?  Me too.  In fact, that's what we sing around here, when Sloppy Joes come on the scene.  Good times always being had around the King household, I tell you.

Sloppy Joes were a serious treat in childhood, do you remember?  The red stained faces and fingers (and often shirtfronts)...going back for seconds (or thirds) when you were almost, but not quite, full enough to burst...Oh, yes.  And the seasoning packet.  Oh, no.  This is a from-scratch take on my childhood, and now my Kiddos' childhood, favorite.  And it is dang tasty.  A little bit sweet, a background hint of smokiness from the cumin, a bit of heat for those that like it.  And it's messy, just like old times.

I think ground beef is best for this, but you can use ground turkey or chicken, if you're so inclined.  Beef tends not to dry out quite as much, though.  If you really want to posh-up your Joes, you could use ground sirloin, I suppose.  But it's not necessary.  This is anything but fancy food.

I hope it makes you sing too.

 Sloppy Joes - feeds 4 to 6

Ingredients
1 Tbs olive oil
1 lb ground beef
1/2 large onion (or 1 medium), chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp mustard powder
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp dried oregano


2 large tomatoes, chopped
3 Tbs tomato paste
3 Tbs ketchup
1 Tbs dark brown sugar
1 Tbs apple cider vinegar
1 Tbs worcestershire sauce
2 to 3 Tbs sweet chili sauce
pinch cayenne &/or dried chili flakes (or more if you like some spice in your Joes)

In a deep cast iron pan, or dutch oven, (or whatever you've got going on in your kitchen), heat the olive oil over medium high heat, and brown the beef, breaking it up as it browns.  When it's nearly all browned, but there are still a few pink bits, add in the chopped onion and green pepper, and continue cooking for another 5 minutes.  Add in all the spices, and stir for 1 minute, to bring out their flavors.

Now add in all the ingredients from the second list, starting with your chopped tomatoes, so the spices don't burn.  Bring to a simmer, then turn the heat to medium low, and cook until the sauce thickens, about 12 to 15 minutes.  Check for seasoning, and add salt and pepper, if necessary.

Looks pretty sloppy, right?  Perfect.

I like to serve up our Sloppy Joes on a nice, crusty roll, but you can go with the classic hamburger bun, if you prefer.  We like to go all out and throw some grated sharp cheddar in there too, but you can skip it, if it feels too gluttonous.  Or go for it, and have a walk after dinner.  It's kind of worth the extra calories.

This goes splendidly with my coleslaw recipe...just so you know.

Enjoy your sloppy dinner!

Ongoing

Those of you who have met the Mister are probably aware of his Renaissance Man tendencies.  The guy does it all.  Seriously.  He's got the manly-man stuff nailed down.  He can fix anything.  If it can't be fixed, he'll build a new one.  And matching his mucho-manliness, he's got the creative artist thing going on.  He surfs.  Which is quite possibly one of the sexiest things a man can do.  Especially in boardies.  And get this:  he can cook.  In fact, he taught me a lot about cooking, back in the early days.  Be still my heart.

But I'm just going to come out and say it:  there is one thing that I can do better than the Mister.  My coleslaw is better.  The Mister perhaps doesn't agree.  The debate is ongoing.

Here's our thing with coleslaw.  Despite being fairly free and loose in the kitchen, with recipes (recipes, people!), I like my slaw to be pretty traditional.  Aside from one or two tiny additions to the standard mayo, vinegar, sugar that is the backbone of (to me) good coleslaw, I stick fairly faithfully to the spirit of coleslaw.  My interpretation of the spirit, anyway.  Now, to the Mister, coleslaw pretty much just requires some shredded stuff, and a dressing.  And the dressing is where we differ.  I've seen that guy in there, throwing in all sorts, with wild abandon, I tell you.  Worcestershire and cumin have been spotted going into his dressing.

Okay, before you get the wrong idea, and start thinking I'm slaw-ist or something, I will confess.  His coleslaw is delicious.  Always.  But when I'm the one making the slaw, I prefer to make it my way.

I'm pretty sure this debate has been ongoing for about eleven years now.  The first time I remember making coleslaw was in a wee studio apartment, off the Mirage Bar, in Praia da Luz.  (Yup, we lived off a bar for a bit.  Those were the days.)  I mixed that slaw up in a plastic ice cream box, because we had no mixing bowls.  And it was simply cabbage, carrots, mayo, vinegar, and sugar.  Just like my Grandma B used to make.  Which may be why I'm so attached to this sort of standard recipe.  Plus Grandma B really didn't make much else.  At least not so very well, bless her.  Anyway, ever since that day, we've been trying to show each other up, on the coleslaw front.

A year or two ago, I discovered a tasty (and non-threatening) addition to my stand-by slaw, in The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook.  She adds dijon mustard to her dressing, and celery salt.  So I decided, hey, let's live a little, I'll throw in some grainy dijon, and my homemade celery salt & pepper.  And it's pretty nice, if I do say so...

Here you go:

(Obviously, I'm not fit to serve food in the real world.  Didn't even wipe the rim of my bowl.  Damn.)

My Coleslaw - inpired by Grandma B, and Barefoot Contessa

- makes oh, rather a lot

Ingredients

1/2 small, or 1/4 large, head green cabbage, or savoy cabbage

1/2 small, or 1/4 large, head red cabbage

4 medium carrots, grated

2 green onions, thinly sliced

small bunch of fresh parsley, chopped

1 - 2 Tbs fresh dill, chopped

Dressing

3/4 cup mayonnaise

3 Tbs grainy dijon

3 Tbs sugar

3 Tbs apple cider vinegar

1/2 tsp homemade celery salt & pepper, or store bought celery salt

1 tsp kosher salt

freshly ground pepper, to taste

Core the cabbages, and slice into thin shreds.  Combine in a very large bowl, with the other vegetables, and herbs.  In a smaller bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients, and pour over the veg.  It may look like you don't have enough dressing at first.  Don't worry, after sitting for a bit, it'll be just right.  Stir well to coat everything, cover, and leave in fridge for at least 2 to 4 hours before serving.

I think coleslaw is best once it's had a good several hours, or even half a day, to sit and hang out.  The flavors are well dispersed, the mayo thins out nicely from the liquid that's released from the cabbage, and the texture of the slaw goes just slightly less crunchy.  After about 2 days in the fridge, it goes a little too watery though, so eat it up before then!

An awesome coleslaw trick I learned from the Mister, is to serve it atop baked potatoes, with a little grated cheese.  This is the thing in England.  At least with baked potatoes.  I thought it sounded quite odd at first, but it's absolutely lovely.  Oh, another thing he does with leftover slaw is to make sandwiches, with sharp grated cheese, on a good, crusty bread.  Tasty.

See?  I am open to suggestions from the Mister.  Just not on my coleslaw recipe.

While the Getting's Good

I don't mean to lambaste you with tomato recipes...but the way I figure it, it just wouldn't be fair not to share these goodies with you.  We've got to get them, while the getting's good.  And it is oh so good.

Today, I'm coming at you with a Kiwi recipe for Tomato Relish.  That's not kiwi, as in fruit, but rather Kiwi as in the wicked cool folks of New Zealand.  And specifically, my uber-cool mate, and former neighbor, Mim.  Also known as the Goddess of the Garden.  This gal has a way with veggies...and kids...and a serious way with words.  Every time I read one of her verbose and hilarious emails, I catch myself thinking, wistfully..."Oh, to be so witty!"  Check out her awesomeness on her blog, BabyGeek.

Back to the point...after enjoying a little frittata with some of her famous Tomato Relish, I timidly asked for Mim's recipe. Timidly, because it was so delicious I assumed it must be a top-secret family heirloom recipe.  Mim laughed, and said, "'Course, mate!  It's from Edmond's!"

Edmonds Family Cookbook is, to the best of my knowledge, as crucial to Kiwiana as Buzzy Bee, Pavlova, and the AllBlacks.  Or L&P.

I think it's actually required, by law, for every household to own or support all of the above.  (Kidding.  Mostly.)

So, I was generously handed that which, while not exactly a secret family recipe, may still be considered an age-old tradition in NZed:  The recipe to beat all recipes for Tomato Relish.  And it is good.  Made with robust, end of summer tomatoes, bursting with tartness and a bit of heat.  My favorite way to enjoy is simply served up with a chunk of good bread and some dry, sharp cheese.  (Did you know that there is a type of cheese made in NZ, called Tasty?  Not the brand, mind you.  The style.  We'd call it extra sharp cheddar, they call it Tasty.  Amazing, those guys.)  Also brilliant served up alongside a frittata, or with an antipasto plate.  On grilled cheese.  The Mister likes to dip his pizza in it.  (I think that's just wrong.)  Point being, it's damn versatile.  And damn tasty. (ha)

Mim's World Famous Tomato Relish - adapted from (Mim's) Edmonds Family Cookbook
- makes roughly 4 pints

Ingredients
1.5 kg/about 3 1/2 lbs tomatoes, blanched and peeled, then halved

4 medium onions, halved then cut into thirds

2 tablespoons salt

2 cups brown sugar

2 1/4 cups malt vinegar *

1 - 3 chillies (Mim calls for 3, I like about 2...take your pick)

1 tablespoon dry mustard

1 tablespoon curry powder (mild or hot, up to you)

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/4 cup malt vinegar *

*Since malt vinegar can be hard to find in the US, I have managed to successfully substitute apple cider vinegar.  But if you can find it, it's well worth it.  True Kiwi flavor, you see.*

Place tomatoes and onions in non-reactive bowl, and sprinkle with salt.  Cover with a lid and leave for 12 hours.  This works best overnight, so you don't have that strong onion smell knocking you over the head while you go about your day.  The next morning, drain off the liquid.

Put veggies, sugar, first measure of vinegar, and chillies, into a large pot, or preserving pan.  This is going to be bubbling away for an hour and a half, and smelling very vinegar-y, so I like to start the boil on the stove, then move it out to the burner on the barbecue.  Or you can use a camping stove.  Or tough it up, and do it inside, but you may find yourself opening a few windows.

Boil gently (bit under a rolling bowl, definitely over a simmer, since you're reducing) for an hour and a half, stirring frequently, to avoid sticking.  While this is boiling, get your canning equipment set up and ready to go.

Once the hour and a half has passed, your relish ought to have reduced by 1/3 or more.  Mix together the mustard, flour, curry powder and second measure of vinegar, then add to the relish.  Boil for 5 minutes, then pack into sterilized jars, and follow your regular canning process.

It's well worth the effort to make this a double batch, so you get 8 pints, rather than 4 from a single batch.  We go through the tomato relish fairly quickly around here...so more is undeniably better!

Enjoy!

Redemption

Do you recall that giant box of tomatoes I was lamenting yesterday?

Well, turns out, I've changed my tune.  Redemption comes in many forms, dear friends, and soup is one of them.

After the passata fiasco, I took a wee tomato time out, got my head back on, and then jumped back in the game.  Visited a few blogs and sites on canning.  Toned down the cursing.  Generally sorted myself out.  You know how it goes.

And I learned a few things.  Namely, that I don't have to can all of these tomatoes.  I read here on SouleMama, that she freezes her tomato sauce!  Freezes the sauce!  I have a freezer!  And I don't need to worry about acid levels and botulism, or even buying more lids and jars!  (Although I still may, because mason jars are so cool.)

So there was that bit of inspiration, thanks to SouleMama.  She's just so lovely, and homey, and serene, isn't she?  I suppose that kind of serenity really stands out to me, considering it is often something I am distinctly lacking.  Life's a learning curve, though, and I'm not finished learning yet.

Right.  So then, there was the soup.  I again drew inspiration from Amanda Soule's Carrot Tomato Soup recipe.  (I truly was all over the place, seeking tomato ideas...SouleMama's just where it's at, I guess.)  The main features that I kept was using carrots, and to roast the tomatoes.  Which really deepens and sweetens the flavor.  I did change it up quite a bit though, to suit what we have going on in the King pantry.  I had a bunch of fennel, so I used that, along with onion and carrot.  Oh yum.  And some fennel seeds to further bring out that gorgeous anise hit to the soup.  Fennel and tomatoes complement each other perfectly.  I also threw in a tablespoon of sugar, which perhaps may sound redundant with fresh, seasonal, local tomatoes...but hear me out.  Tomato soup often has a strong acid level, which the sugar mellows, smoothing and rounding out the soup.  Amanda's recipe also called for cream, and believe you me, I love some cream, but I was fresh out.  Remembering a trick from Moosewood Daily Special, I threw two tablespoons of cream cheese in there, when I pureed the soup.  Lovely.

I could eat this soup every day, I tell you.

Roasted Tomato Fennel Soup - serves 6 to 8, as a main

Ingredients
3 pounds tomatoes, blanched & skins removed
few Tbs olive oil
several small stalks of thyme
2 Tbs unsalted butter
2 small heads fennel, stalks and fronds removed, and chopped*
1 medium onion, chopped
3 or 4 cloves garlic, minced
5 medium carrots, chopped
1/4 tsp fennel seeds
4 cups vegetable stock (you can also use chicken)
2 Tbs tomato paste
2 Tbs soft cream cheese, or neufchatel (the kind that comes in the box, not the plastic container)
celery salt
sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

*Save some fronds for garnish.  I also save the stalks for making veg stock, or use them in other dishes.*

Preheat the oven to 375 deg F.  If using large tomatoes, slice in half, then slice each half into thirds or quarters.  If using Roma's or another smallish tomato, halve or quarter them.  Spread the thyme over the tomatoes, season with celery salt and pepper, and drizzle with olive oil, and roast for 35 to 45 minutes.

Near the end of roasting time, melt the butter over medium low heat in a large stock pot, and add the onion, cooking until translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add the fennel seeds, chopped fennel, garlic, and carrot, and season with salt and pepper.  Turn the heat up to near medium, and continue cooking until all the vegetables are nicely softened but not browned, about 12 to 15 minutes.

Add in the roasted tomatoes, tomato paste, and stock, and bring just to a boil.  Lightly season again with salt and pepper, and lower to a gentle simmer, for 25 to 30 minutes.

Using an immersion blender, or regular blender in batches, puree the soup.  (If you're rather refined about the whole soup thing, you can sieve it.  I'm not.)  Near the end of blending, add in the soft cream cheese, and puree until well incorporated.  Gently reheat, if you used a blender.  Check for, and adjust seasoning.

Serve garnished with fennel fronds, with some fresh bread alongside.  (Try my rustic loaf, baguettes, or even gougeres.)

Just so you know, this soup makes you happy.  I plan on making a lot of it, to get us through the cold weather.  (You can also use tinned tomatoes instead of fresh, and treat them the same, roasting and all.)

By the way, last night I mentioned to the Mister that I was considering buying another twenty pound box of tomatoes...

You can never have too many tomatoes, you know.

Dave's the Man

First of all...I don't know Dave.  But I do know that the recipe I'm about to share with you makes him The Man.

This is one of those grapevine recipes, you know the sort.  A good friend named, let's say, Jane, with serious skills in the kitchen makes it for, let's say, a camping trip.  (Yes, we're rather gourmet on our camping trips.  At least when Monica and Jane are there.)  Anyway, once I tasted the delight that was this recipe, I managed to get another friend, let's call her, Monica, to send me the recipe.  Now, here's where Dave comes in.

Dave is some guy, whom I've never met, but he found this recipe, and decided to start a recipe club at work.  Which is how Jane got hold of it.  Et cetera, et cetera...And it turns out, the originator of the recipe is also called Dave.  Or rather, David Chang.  Of a little place called Momofuku.  You may have heard of it.  So some-guy-Dave, got David Chang's recipe, via Lucky Peach.

And, here I sit, with just about the tastiest damn recipe, that's traveled a wee way to land in my sticky clutches (isn't that how it always goes with recipes?), and you may be wondering:  "Just what the hell is this recipe?!"  Ah, all good things come to those who wait.  And here it is:

Slow Roasted Pulled Pork.  Oh.  My.  Word.  Aside from the fact that this is the easiest dang thing to prepare...Aside from the fact that it takes very few ingredients to knock your socks off...Aside from the fact that you can make this ahead of time, and it travels well (even camping)...The taste is incredible.  After marinating overnight in salt and sugar, and after a looooong, slooooow roast at a lowwww temperature, you get to sit down to a tender, succulent, salty bit of pork.  I'm talking salty, too, people.  A smack you over the head with its intensely concentrated, but oh-so-perfect amount of salt.  Indeed.

Let's offer up a little thanks to the Daves, for being The Man (Men?)...and get on with making it:

Slow Roasted Pork Shoulder
- Adapted from Some-Guy-Dave's version of David Chang's Lucky Peach recipe

Ingredients
3 or more pounds boneless pork shoulder
1 Tbs + 1 tsp kosher salt, per pound of pork
1 Tbs + 1 tsp sugar, per pound of pork
freshly ground black pepper

Season the pork with the salt and sugar, and a decent amount of freshly ground pepper.  Allow to marinate overnight, in the fridge.

Discard the juices from the marinated pork, and place in an oven-proof dish.  If your pork has a fat pad, have this on top.  Allow to roast for 6 hours, in a 250 deg F oven.

After 3 hours have passed, begin basting with the juices and rendered fat, every half hour or so.  At the end of the 6 hour roasting time, allow the pork to rest on the counter, covered, for 30 minutes.

Here's the good part.  And I quote:  "Then savage it with two forks, turning it into pulled pork."  Dave's got a way with words, hasn't he?  If we're eating meat, we may as well be a little barbaric about it, right?  Awesome.

 

Now that is one savaged bit of pork.

Serve immediately, atop rolls, with sriracha hot sauce, mayonnaise, and cilantro, and some coleslaw.  I also can't wait to try this on some Chinese steam buns, with an asian style slaw.  Or pop it in the fridge, to use within a couple of days.  To reheat, give it a go around in a hot pan, so that it doesn't lose all that gorgeous juiciness.

If ever I meet Dave, or David, I'll probably have to give them a giant hug.  

I do hope they don't mind.

Getting Rid of the Grizzlies

I never used to think of myself as a breakfast person...or a morning person, for that matter.  Kids change things, though, don't they?  Nowadays, I wake up, grizzly mama bear style, stumbling sleepy-eyed to the kitchen, following my growling stomach to food.  (And coffee.)

With the kiddos in school, breakfast generally needs to be a quick affair, squeezed in before the rush-rush-rush that is the morning routine.  And who wants to eat a boxed cereal every morning?  Not this mama bear, that's for sure.

So, without further ado, here's my recipe for granola.  I found inspiration in several recipes along the way, and tweaked it and tried a new this or that, until I came up with this version.  Which is mighty tasty, if I do say so myself.  It takes only 5 minutes to prep, then a slow bake in the oven, and once it's cooled, there you go.  (Bob's your uncle.)

Hope you enjoy!

Mama Nécole's Granola (to fight off the grizzlies)

Ingredients
Dry
3 cups rolled oats
2/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour
2 cups whole, raw, unsalted nuts (I usually use cashews, almonds, and sunflower seeds, but experiment with what suits your fancy)
pinch of salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/3 tsp ground allspice (or ground cardamom is tasty too)

Wet
1/3 cup juice (whatever you have in the fridge is fine: cranberry, orange, apple...)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 300 deg F.

In a large bowl, thoroughly mix the dry ingredients together.  In a smaller bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients, then pour over the dry, and stir well to combine.

Spread in an even layer on a rimmed cookie sheet.  I like to have big chunks of granola at the end, so I pack mine down gently with the back of the spoon.  Bake for 25 minutes, then gently stir the granola around the pan, bringing the crisper edges to the middle, so it cooks evenly.  If you prefer to keep the nice, big clumps, don't overmix at this point.  Bake for another 20 to 25 minutes, until golden, then allow to cool completely.  (The granola crisps up as it cools.)  Once cool, store in an airtight container. Will keep for several weeks.

Serve it up over yogurt, and add in whatever fresh or dried fruit you have around, depending on the season. Peaches are the happening choice right now.  Dates are also scrumptious.

Happy Breakfasting!

Out of the Box, Take 6

The evenings, once a week, when our CSA box arrives, are kind of thrilling for me.  Simple pleasures are where it's at, people.  And good, fresh food...well, that's my bag.  Despite the lovely, and helpful, fact that the farm sends out an email early in the day, telling us what's in the box, I usually wait, all aglow as if it's Christmas morning, until the Mister brings it up the steps.  Veggie-Santa.  Peek inside at all the gorgeous, vibrant colors, and the wheels start to turn:  "What's for dinner tonight?"

And it's not difficult, especially as we are in the peak of summer's bounty right now.  How much fun is it to prepare food in the summer?!  I can't even stand it, seriously, kids.  Each meal is a veritable rainbow, each bite almost too beautiful to pop in my mouth.

But I do.  Of course.

Last night's meal was so simple, so fresh and delicious, and so very quick to make.  I did a little twist on succotash, with what I had from the box, and a few bits in my fridge.  Generally, succotash is a dish of corn and sweet bell peppers, or corn and fresh shelling beans.  It must, must, must be cooked in butter.  And that's wholly justifiable, seeing as the rest of the dish is so very good for you.

I do hope you enjoy!

Green Bean and Sweet Corn Succotash
-serves 4 as a main, or 6 - 8 as a side

Ingredients
1 pound green beans, trimmed and blanched (for 1 or 2 minutes only)
2 - 3 ears sweet corn, kernels sliced off
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium or 1/2 a large red bell pepper, chopped*
2 small sweet yellow peppers, chopped*
1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1 tsp minced fresh sage
fresh parsley, for garnish
3 - 4 Tbs unsalted butter
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

*Note*  You can use any variety of sweet peppers, this is just what I had available.

Add 2 Tbs butter to a large saute pan, or cast iron pan, and let it melt over medium low heat.  Add the onions, and gently cook them until translucent, about 6 - 8 minutes.  Turn the heat to medium, add the garlic, sage, corn kernels, and peppers, season generously with salt and pepper, and saute another five minutes.  Add the green beans, and continue cooking for another 5 minutes.  If your pan begins to look dry, add a few Tbs of water.  (You can use the blanching water from the green beans for this.)  You are not browning any vegetables, just mingling their flavors, releasing the starch from the corn, and brightening everything up.  If your pan gets too hot and starts to brown the veg, turn it down a bit.

Add the remaining butter to the vegetables in the pan, then turn the veg out into a large bowl.  Add the halved tomatoes, and the parsley, and check for seasoning.

That's it!  How simply delicious could dinner get?

The Mister and I ate this as a main course, with some bread alongside.  And it was, to bastardize the immortal words of Sylvester the Cat:  most definitely not "thufferin' thuccotash."

Ah, well.  Couldn't really offer up a succotash recipe without referring to him, could I?  Apologies.

Have a great day!

Out of the Box, Take 5

I do try not to beat a dead horse...I mean, I'm really not into that sort of thing.  But, here we go.  Let the beating begin.

Kidding.  There will be no beatings.  But I am about to share yet another recipe, from yet another French (ish) cookbook.  (There's your horse.)

 

Vegetable Tian, from Barefoot in Paris, by Ina Garten.  I have a whole heap of Barefoot cookbooks, but find myself, at least these days, not consulting them very often.  Perhaps it's the excessive use of butter and olive oil...and you know I love my butter and olive oil, so that's saying something.  Perhaps it's the somewhat unobtainable ingredients.  I live in the way-out-there part of the Pacific Northwest.  Even Seattle is far for me, most of the time.  Perhaps I have an inferiority complex...look, I am nowhere near Montauk's fancy pants food shops.  Or Provence, or Sagaponack...wherever that is. Trader Joe's is generally about as fancy as it gets in these parts.  So we make do.

I do like this cookbook.  Many of the recipes are fairly standard ones, which you'll find in a lot of other French-style cookbooks.  Some are a bit fiddly for me, and some are just perfectly lovely.  Like the Vegetable Tian.

Super easy to prepare, especially with our summer bounty from our CSA box.  A bit of slicing, a bit of layering, drizzle of olive oil and cheese...and Bob's your uncle.  (I had to drop that one.  Look it up.  I love weird slang.)  As usual, I altered the recipe, but only minutely this time.  It calls for Gruyere.  I had none.  But I did have a tasty Toscano peppered cheese from Trader Joe's, which works as a wonderful substitute for parmesan or gruyere, and is also great to nibble from a cheese platter.  Also, I ignored Ina's advice to have all my vegetables be of uniform size, because they weren't.  And I simply wasn't up to a perfection mission.  Perhaps the next time the queen comes to tea, I'll make certain everything is just so...but for the Mister, the kiddos, and myself, it'll do.

There is a somewhat lengthy cooking time attached to this recipe, but because it's so quick to assemble, you can get it ready and pop it in the oven and pretty much get on with other things, until it's ready.  I think it would work perfectly fine to assemble it earlier in the day, but just stop short of seasoning (so the veg doesn't go watery), pop it in the fridge, and bake later that day.

Despite the long cooking time, the vegetables are in no way soggy, and the cheesy top goes all crispy and browned...oh yum.  You really must eat this.

Vegetable Tian - adapted from Barefoot in Paris

-serves 6, as a side

Ingredients

olive oil

2 large onions, cut in half and sliced

2 large garlic cloves, minced

1 pound medium potatoes, unpeeled (red, yellow, or white, not Russet)

3/4 pound summer squash (I used half yellow crookneck, and half zucchini)

1 1/4 pounds tomatoes

1 tsp sea salt

freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 Tbs fresh thyme leaves, plus extra sprigs

2 oz Gruyere cheese, or Toscano, or a cheese of your choice

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  Brush a 9x13x2 inch baking dish with olive oil.  

In a medium pan, heat 2 Tbs olive oil and cook the onions over medium low heat, for 8 to 10 minutes, until translucent.  Add the garlic and cook for another minute.  Spread the onion mixture on the bottom of the baking dish.

Slice the potatoes, summer squash, and tomatoes in 1/4 inch thick slices.  Layer them alternately atop the onions, in a spiral pattern, beginning on the outside of the dish, working your way in.  They ought to fit tightly, making only one layer, so each vegetable will have a lovely crispy top.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper, thyme leaves and sprigs, and drizzle with 1 Tbs olive oil.  Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork-tender.  Remove the foil and thyme sprigs, sprinkle the cheese over the top, and bake for another half hour, or until browned.  Serve warm.

We served our Tian alongside polenta.  Scrumptious.

One More Thing

As summer draws to its inevitable close, and the first day of school approaches, we've been jam-packing each and every day with One More Thing.  One more birthday party, one more trip to the coast, one more float down the river, one more day at the lake, one more day spent celebrating this, the Season of all Seasons.  (At least in this gal's humble opinion.)

We're not much different, really, than animals busy preparing for winter.  As they're stockpiling food, we're stockpiling all the warm, sunny day memories, to buoy us through the cooler (cold) days ahead, spent more often indoors than out.  Hard, in these lovely days, to wrap our heads around the fact that it's almost over, for this year...

 

But, there are always new adventures to look forward to, with the change in the seasons...

(The kiddos are rather giddy about returning to school.)

Alright, down to business though.  I did have a point to this post, aside from nostalgic ramblings...that is, a recipe, of course!  We just celebrated the Mister's birthday, and he requested a chocolate cheesecake.  The very same chocolate cheesecake that he made last year, for my birthday.  From my well-loved, and oft-used cookbook, My French Kitchen, by Joanne Harris and Fran Warde.  

This is not a cheesecake in the usual American sense.  Not a lick of cheese in there, you see.  Instead, it's rather similar to a mousse, on a cookie crust.  It's a duo of white and bittersweet chocolate, made of creme fraiche and cream, with the loveliest background hints of cinnamon and kahlua.  Undeniably rich, but with more of a lightness than the typical cheesecake.  How could you possibly go wrong there?

You can't.

 

Okay, little disclaimer.  One, I've not photographed the entire cheesecake, because I just couldn't.  We had some very ready for dessert folks, and I didn't want to risk losing a finger due to a cake emergency.  This is all I could manage.  Two, I did not successfully marble my white and dark chocolate.  I believe I finished that cake well past my bedtime, and got a little sloppy, what with all the yawning, and distracting longing for my bed.  It doesn't matter though, it tasted delicious, even if it wasn't quite as pretty as it's meant to be.

Here's the recipe:

Chocolate Cheesecake - adapted from My French Kitchen

- makes one 8 inch cake, using a springform pan

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups (7 oz) finely crushed chocolate chip cookies (I used my food processor to crush a crisp, dry cookie, from Trader Joe's)

6 Tbs (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

3 1/2 oz bittersweet (70% cocoa) chocolate

8 oz creme fraiche

1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed

3/4 cup, plus 2 Tbs, heavy cream

1 Tbs coffee liquor, such as Kahlua

3 1/2 oz white chocolate, grated

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Mix the crushed cookies with the melted butter and cinnamon, and press into a lightly buttered (base and sides), 8-inch springform pan.  If you're unwilling to trust your pan's non-stick-ness, cut a circle of parchment to fit on the buttered bottom, and press the the cookie crust onto that.

Chop the bittersweet chocolate and melt in a heatproof bowl over a pan of gently simmering water.  (I use my old-school pyrex bowls for this.)  Remove from the heat when there are a few last bits of chocolate not quite melted, and stir until they melt away.  Cool until tepid.

Beat together the creme fraiche and brown sugar until blended, then add the heavy cream and mix just until smooth.  Do not beat until it forms stiff peaks, the mixture will thicken with chilling.  Divide the mixture evenly between two bowls.  Gently fold in the melted chocolate and kahlua into one, and the grated chocolate and vanilla into the other.

Spoon dollops of the two mixtures onto the cookie crust and lightly mix with a fork to create a marbled affect.  (Or attempt this, but due to sleep deprivation, you too may struggle.  Don't judge, it'll still taste fabulous.)  Chill for 3 hours before serving.

I grated some white and dark chocolate over the top, to garnish.  Okay, I admit it.  I did it in a pathetic attempt to hide the marbling failure.  But it's damn tasty.  So go for it.

The Mister gave it a Cheeky Thumb's Up.

Such a goof.  

(Grin.)

Better with a Crowd

Why, hello again.  I've just returned from a lovely, sunshine-filled visit with my rather prolific family...the kiddos, my mom, aunt, uncle, cousins, and all their many (awesome) children.  It appears that I have (at long last) returned to summer weather here in the ole' Pacific Northwest.  Just in time for school to start back up.  Hm.  I guess I'll take what I can get, and be thankful that life is, if nothing else, very green here.

We all had a great time, chock full of swimming, cooking, eating, and good deal of reminiscing over when we (the cousins and I) were the kids, and the now-grandparents were the sometimes harried, always busy parents.  Who may, or may not, have resorted to the occasional drastic measure in order to cope with a riotous posse of littlies.  These drastic measures may, or may not, have included such classics as:

...a very public, very frigid, very naked hose-down after four little boys decided to bathe in the mud...

...ditching seven children (while keeping us in their sight, of course) at the shore of Lake Gogebic, while paddling off in a canoe and waving THE secret chocolate stash over their heads and cackling maniacally...

...advising (and teaching) a disconsolate four year old to punch a bully, and rewarding him hugely when he did...

I could go on with the flashbacks...but I think that'll do for today.  Suffice it to say, our mother's and aunt's ever-loving, but occasionally off-the-cuff parenting techniques offer a bit of inspiration to those of us cuzzies who are herding around our own flocks today, as well as consolation for when we catch ourselves pulling a less-than-kosher parenting move.  Hey, being a mother is all about working with what you've got, staying in the moment, and generally flying by the seat of your pants a bit.  And usually, hopefully, you get a funny story at the end of the day.  A story for which our kids won't seek therapy.

It's pretty powerful stuff watching our little people create friendships with each other, on their yearly visits, just as we cuzzies did at their age.

In amidst the laughter, sunshine, and swimming:

...we, of course, had to eat!

Poolside Pizza.  Thirteen pizzas, to be precise.  That tells you that not only do we love some pizza, and that there is a fairly large crew to feed...but that this is an easy peasy recipe.  Simple as pie, you might say.

Since pizza (and family) is all about throwing together what you've got on hand, I'm not giving you a topping recipe.  Just do what you like.  It's virtually impossible to make a bad pizza, if you've got good dough.

We barbecued our pizza, which is my favorite way of preparing it.  I have a super handy barbecue pizza pan, which you can pick up at most good cooking stores, or online.  If you choose to bake it in the oven, go with 450 deg F, until the top is bubbly, and the crust is golden brown.

Poolside Pizza - adapted from Simple Italian Snacks
- makes 3, ten-inch, thin crust pizzas (my preference), or 2 thick crust pizzas

Ingredients
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
2 cups lukewarm water
1 Tbs fine sea salt
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

*Note*  I made all of the dough in the bread machine, but the original recipe uses a stand mixer.  I can only vouch for the bread machine method, but I'm including both directions.

Bread Machine Directions
To the bread machine pan, add the water, olive oil, salt, and yeast, give it a quick mix, and leave to stand for 5 minutes.

Add the flour, set the bread machine to the Dough setting, and go hang out by the pool.

Standing Mixer Directions
Add the water, olive oil, salt and yeast to the bowl of your stand mixer, stir to combine, and leave to stand for 5 minutes.

Using the paddle attachment, slowly add half the flour to the yeast mixture.  When well combined, add the remaining flour.  Set the mixer to medium, and refit with a dough hook, then continue mixing until the dough comes together in a smooth ball.  Mix for 2 more minutes, until soft and pliable.  Turn onto a lightly floured board, and knead gently for a few minutes.

Shape the dough into a ball and place in a lightly oiled bowl.  Cover the bowl with plastic or a damp tea towel, and leave to rise for 30-40 minutes.

Go hang out by the pool.

Rolling and Barbecuing
Preheat the barbecue to 450 deg F, if you have a temperature gauge, about medium high.  When it reaches temperature, turn one side down to low, and keep one at medium to medium high, while maintaining the 450 degrees.

When risen, divide the dough into two or three balls, then roll or stretch into desired size.  Place the prepared dough on your pizza pan, top with sauce and toppings, and place on the hotter side of the barbecue.  Cook, checking often, until the bottom crust begins to turn golden brown, and is baked and sturdy enough to be removed from the pizza pan, but not cooked all the way through.  This usually takes about 5 to 10 minutes.

Keep an eye on those topping thieves!

Now slide the half-cooked pizza onto the cooler side of the barbecue, and use the pizza pan to start another pizza!  Continue on until the troops are satiated.

Now go hang by the pool.  And have a margarita, and a laugh with friends or family, while you're at it.  Life, like pizza, is always better with a crowd.