I got this recipe for roasted cauliflower with feta yogurt, mint, and pomegranate seeds from Smitten Kitchen blog. Tried it out on Mom & Michael to test it out for Thanksgiving--it was a winner! The three of us ate an entire head of cauliflower in the space of a few hours.
See you in November, tastyfoods.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Ribollita and Grasshopper Brownies, or a post of re-posts
I made two delicious recipes yesterday, one each from my two favorite food blogs. I didn't take any pictures, because Heidi and Deb (authors of the aforementioned blogs) have already done such a beautiful job. Do not despair, though, for I have an adorable picture of Dan saved up for your viewing pleasure. I caught him in the act of messing with the flowers we got Mom for her birthday.
It's a small miracle they made it to her intact, given the abuse they received from the kitty prior to her arrival.
Anyhow, as a reaction to the cold weather and in anticipation of an upcoming trip to Tuscany, I decided to tackle ribollita for last night's dinner. For those of you not familiar with the dish, it's a hearty tuscan soup of white beans, greens, and bread. Ribollita is a theme more than a particular dish -- there are many variations. The name itself references reheating (or so I've been told) and the soup makes for excellent leftovers.
I changed the linked version in the following ways to add a little more flavor:
I paired it with roast turnips and beets (peel and roast 30" on 475 with a splash of EVOO, salt 'n' peppa). Nothing else is needed--it makes a pretty complete meal on its own!
Nothing else is needed, that is, except a decadent chocolate dessert. I spent most of the afternoon making grasshopper brownies. This is similar to a popular treat in Canada known as "Nanaimo Bars." I knew somebody from Nanaimo. It is supposed to be gorgeous. But this is America, not Canada, so we name it for a cocktail. These brownies took a long time to make (maybe 2 hours all told?) so should not be attempted by the faint of heart, the busy, or the honey badger, who just don't care. They are dense, chocolatey, and so rich that you can cut them into really small and cute portions. And then eat a whole bunch of them.
Notes:
Anyhow, as a reaction to the cold weather and in anticipation of an upcoming trip to Tuscany, I decided to tackle ribollita for last night's dinner. For those of you not familiar with the dish, it's a hearty tuscan soup of white beans, greens, and bread. Ribollita is a theme more than a particular dish -- there are many variations. The name itself references reheating (or so I've been told) and the soup makes for excellent leftovers.
I changed the linked version in the following ways to add a little more flavor:
- I added 1/4t white pepper, 1/4t black pepper, 1/4t dried rosemary, & 1/4t dried thyme when I added the bread.
- I topped with grated parmesean.
- If you have some available, throw in parmesean rinds--they'd be great.
- If you aren't opposed to causing the suffering and death of cute and charming pigs in the name of culinary excellence, then a ham bone would be a magnificent addition.
- I used the recommended tuscan/dinosaur/lacinato kale. I love it.
I paired it with roast turnips and beets (peel and roast 30" on 475 with a splash of EVOO, salt 'n' peppa). Nothing else is needed--it makes a pretty complete meal on its own!
Nothing else is needed, that is, except a decadent chocolate dessert. I spent most of the afternoon making grasshopper brownies. This is similar to a popular treat in Canada known as "Nanaimo Bars." I knew somebody from Nanaimo. It is supposed to be gorgeous. But this is America, not Canada, so we name it for a cocktail. These brownies took a long time to make (maybe 2 hours all told?) so should not be attempted by the faint of heart, the busy, or the honey badger, who just don't care. They are dense, chocolatey, and so rich that you can cut them into really small and cute portions. And then eat a whole bunch of them.
Notes:
- I did not find bittersweet chocolate at my local grocery store, so I used unsweetened chocolate instead. If you find yourself in the same predicament, use 6 oz unsweetened chocolate + 1/2c granulated sugar in both the brownies and the ganache in place.
- Be VERY careful with the white chocolate! If you overheat it, the chocolate will be ruined, which is especially frustrating if you follow Deb's recommendation and buy the good stuff. I poured hot cream (heated in the microwave) into the white chocolate and found it did not melt. I heated the mixture in a double boiler, stirring constantly, and then took it our before it was all melted and continued stirring to success. Note that if you don't have a dedicated double boiler (like me), you can make your own by putting the chocolate & cream mixture into a heat-proof container (like a pyrex measuring cup), placing it in a large saucepan containing ~1" water, and put it over high heat.
- For the white ganache, like Deb, I omitted the creme de menthe and added a few drops of green food coloring.
- I used 3/4 the amount of recommended cream in the ganaches to keep them firm (3/8c in the white and 3/4c in the dark)
- As recommended in the original post, cut of the hard edges of the sheet of brownies in order to make precise, soft little squares. Then eat all the trimmings. Better make sure you cut those edges wide.
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