Fennel, Bean and SAMBUCA soup - our 500th post!

I thank Suzanne and Jody for putting me back in Chez Toby's good graces so that I can post this soup, which I cut out of the Post years ago and made today for Suzanne and Reeves.

Soak a bag of white beans in a big pot.  When they're soaked, drain the water, pour in enough vegetable stock to cover, and cook them for an hour.

Meanwhile, you can slice the 2 bulbs of fennel in the FP, which gives you 1/8" slices if you push hard and fast on the bulbs.  Recipe calls for 1/4" slices but so what.  Spread them out on 2 greased or lined trays, sprinkle and toss with 1/4 cup roasted almond oil or some non-California wannabe oil, along with 4 big cloves of unpeeled garlic and roast at 350 until they are a bit crisp - - maybe 30 min or more.  At the same time, saute 1/2 sliced onion in some oil until soft.  When the beans are tasty, add the roasted fennel, the garlic extruded from its peel, and the onion to the pot and cook for 10 min or so.  Run this thru the FP (will require a repeat).  Add white pepper, and, once the puree is reasonably cool, 4 T. Sambuca or Pernod, and, if you like, 1/2 cup half and half.  I didn't so I'm not going to dignify this with bolding.   REcipe calls for topping with 1/4 c crumbled blue cheese.  We used parmesan.  Recipe calls for toasted walnuts in the bottom of the bowl.  That or hazelnuts would be a lovely surprise.  You can put a fennel frond atop.

Indian Peas & Tofu (Vegan Sukha Mattar Paneer)

Just tried this delicious recipe from Anupy Singla's blog, Indian as Apple Pie. Fabulous and flavorful - a tofu dish that is easily as good as paneer! The only thing I changed was that I blotted the tofu prior to cooking to ensure maximum flavor absorption. Not sure if this is necessary, but I prefer a firmer tofu.

Mexican Fiesta, Part Quatro: Huevos Rancheros

Today, I will share with you my favorite dish of that weekend of Mexican delights. On Sunday morning, we made huevos rancheros. I love this dish. It would be a perfect follow-up if you had too much tequila with your Mexican feast on Saturday.

I did not have huevos rancheros until our trip to Mexico last year. Yes, it took me until age 25! You might be surprised to learn that Northern Virginia is not known for the quality and variety of its Mexican cuisine.

Huevos in Mexico. With agua di pina.

It has that perfect combination of spicy, crunchy, and creamy. I love how it looks perfect on your plate and then the moment you touch it with your fork the egg yolk explodes all over everything.

Here's my take. All ingredient values are per person:

Huevos Rancheros
Turn on your oven's broiler.
Brush two corn tortillas with EVOO. Place under broiler for 2-3 minutes, or until crispy but not burnt.
Meanwhile, fry two eggs over medium-high heat.
Heat a generous scoop of black beans in the microwave.
Place the crispy tortillas on a plate. Top with your two eggs, the beans, a big spoonful of salsa, a few slices of avocado, and some grated cheddar.

Huevos in Baltimore.

Mexican Fiesta part tres: Black Bean Tacos

I love this black bean recipe. They turn out thick and flavorful, perfect for tacos or serving with rice.

Black Bean Tacos
Reanimate 1 1 lb bag of black beans, set aside
Saute 1/2 onion over medium heat, chopt
After the onion softens, add 6 cloves garlic, diced and hot peppers to taste, diced. We used 1 jalapeno and 1 red habanero. Not for the faint of heart. The (excessive?) heat was well-balanced by the rice and tortillas, though. Chipotle peppers would do well here, too.
After ~ 1 minute of cooking, add the beans and barely cover with vegetable stock.
Stir in 2T tomato paste.
Sprinkle in 2T cornstarch and stir.
Season with cumin, oregano, black pepper, and salt to taste.
Simmer until the dish thickens to a consistency of your liking.

I served it with cilantro-lime rice, corn tortillas, avocado, cheddar, salsa, and chipotle hot-sauce. Queso fresco and fresh tomatoes would be good, too.

Mexican fiesta part dos: Cilantro-lime cole slaw

Is cole slaw Mexican? Probably not, because if it were, it would have a far more attractive Spanish name. It does go well with Tex-Mex, though.

I make cole slaw often--you can use different oils and vinegars to give it all kinds of different flavors and it tends to last a while in the fridge. It even gets better with age. This incarnation was particularly easy and delicious. Cabbage varies a surprising amount with season and its appearance gives little clue to its quality, beyond obvious rot. (Seriously, if you have any tips about how to pick out a flavorful cabbage, I'm all ears!) Cabbage season seems to pick up in MD in the late spring and last through the fall, so I am looking forward to months of tasty slaws!

Cilantro-lime cole slaw
Chop a large handful of cilantro. I use the food processor.  Basically, I use the food processor for all of the chopping/slicing in this recipe and then just empty it into a large bowl whenever the processor's bowl gets too full.
Chop-shred 1 small head of green cabbage.  I chop the head in half, remove the core, then slice the cabbage into 1-2" wide wedges. I then run it through the food processor on the 2mm slicing blade.
Shred 2 carrots.
Dress with the juice of 1 lime, ~3T rice wine vinegar,  and ~2T EVOO. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Mix the salad and then knead it with your hands for a few minutes to soften the cabbage.
Optional: stir in a big handful of sunflower seeds (I do this if I'm pairing the cole slaw with a lighter main dish or having it alone.)

Enjoy in tacos or as a side. Yum!

Mexican Fiesta: Salsa!

I spent last Memorial Day basking in the sun in Mexico. It was fabulous.

We spent this Memorial Day hiding from the heat in our apartment, me too tired from last week's trip to the South West to want to go out and do anything.

This gave me the perfect opportunity to create last year's trip with a weekend of Mexican cooking. Yum!  I set out to make Mexican food on Saturday evening with a very empty belly and ended up with enough food for the entire weekend. Our Saturday evening feast consisted of:

• Mojitos
• Chips and salsa
• Bean tacos
• Fish tacos
• Chipotle-style cilantro-lime rice
• Cilantro-lime coleslaw

M. is our bartender, so I will leave descriptions of mojitos to him. The cilantro-lime rice was amazing--see the link to my friend Carolyn's blog above for instructions. The fish for the fish tacos was leftover Fish Tikka from The Ambassador (Indian and Mexican go surprisingly well together. Must be the cumin and hot peppers.) That leaves us with the salsa and the beans.  I'll start with the salsa.

This salsa is a great, versatile recipe. You use canned tomatoes, so you can make it in the winter, but it tastes fresher and is much more customizable than jarred salsa. I adapted the recipe from the White Grass Cafe cookbook. This cookbook is excellent and I recommend it to all of you! It has lots of delicious vegetarian meals and, since it comes from a ski shop in West Virginia, requires few fresh or seasonal ingredients.

Salsa
1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
1/2 onion, chopt
2-3 green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 red or green bell pepper, thinly sliced
hot peppers to taste, diced (we used 1 jalapeno and 1 red habanero)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1t ground cumin
1/2 t black pepper
big handful cilantro, finely chopt

Stir together and let sit in the refrigerator for a few hours to allow the spices to mingle. Serve with tortilla chips, in tacos, over huevos rancheros, etc. Yum!

BUNNY CAKE.

We have a new tradition of making bunny cake for Easter. Made from real Easter bunny.

I remember Mom making us a delicious bunny cake when we were small. It had pasta whiskers and everything. I thought it was the coolest!  I made one last year and again this year because hey, bunny cakes are something grown-ups can appreciate, too. And besides, we did have one child celebrating with us, my cousin's adorable 3-year old daughter. Marcella kept running toward it saying "bunny cake!!" and trying to grab jelly beans off of the platter before her parents grabbed her. I felt like doing the exact same thing.

I use the a version of the Joy of Cooking's carrot cake recipe, coconut cream cheese frosting, and assemble it according to my friend Betty's instructions.

Carrot cake:

Preheat the oven to 350.
Oil and flour ONE 9" round cake pan.
Whisk together the dry ingredients: 1 1/3c all-purpose flour, 1c sugar, 1.5t baking soda, 1t baking powder, 1t cinnamon, 1/2t cloves, 1/2t nutmeg, 1/2t allspice, 1/2t salt. Use fresh ground spices if possible--they add a lot!
Stir in 2/3c vegetable oil (use an unflavored oil, like canola) and 3 large eggs using a mixer on low speed.
Stir in 1.5c peeled & grated carrots, 1c walnuts, and 1c golden raisins. There's room for creativity here: some people use pineapple and/or coconut and omit the raisins. I find the golden raisins are substantially better than regular raisins, though.
Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 25-30" or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let cool on a rack, turning it out of the pan after 10 min or so.

Cream cheese frosting: 

Beat 8 oz. cold cream cheese with 5T butter and 2t vanilla until combined.
Gradually add 2c powdered sugar (sift after measuring.) Some recipes call for more powdered sugar, but I don't recommend it here.  The cake is already pretty sweet and you'll be adding sweetened coconut for "fur".
Beat until completely combined.

Grass:

Place 1-2c grated coconut (I use sweetened) in a plastic container.  Add green food coloring a few drops at a time and shake it, baby, shake it until it looks like grass. Like fake, plastic easter grass.

Assembly:

Follow the below instructions.  Before sticking the two halves of the cake together, frost one half.

I like to use colorful magazine covers for the ears. They stay good and stiff even when stuck in frosting! New Yorker covers are usually nice this time of year.

Place the cake on the platter. Frost the outside of the bunny and cover it in sweetened grated coconut for "fur". Use jelly beans for eyes and a nose and dried pasta for whiskers. Surround the bunny in the "grass" and sprinkle more jelly beans in the grass (bunny poop! Or Easter eggs. Whatever you prefer.)

Enjoy!

EGgplant, prune and ginger

Spicy Braised Eggplant With Prunes


MAKE AHEAD: The cooled eggplant can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Makes about 4 1/2 cups (4 to 6 side-dish servings)

Ingredients:

• 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 large (about 2 1/4 pounds total) purple eggplants, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
• 2-inch piece peeled ginger root, grated (1 tablespoon)
• 2 bunches scallions (12 to 14 total), white and light-green parts cut on the diagonal into 1-inch pieces
• 1 3/4 cups homemade or no-salt-added vegetable broth
• 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 3/4 cup chopped pitted prunes
• 1 tablespoon salted Chinese black beans, finely chopped (optional)
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• Leaves from 4 to 6 stems cilantro, coarsely chopped, for serving (optional)
• 1 small serrano pepper, stemmed, seeded and finely chopped, for serving (optional)

Directions:

Heat half of the vegetable and half of the sesame oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once they begin to shimmer, add half of the eggplant and stir-fry for about 8 minutes or until browned on all sides. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to the slow-cooker. Repeat with the remaining oils and eggplant.

Reduce the heat to medium; add the garlic, ginger and scallions to the skillet. Stir-fry for 3 minutes, then add to the slow-cooker along with the broth, soy sauce, prunes and the Chinese black beans, if using. Cover and cook on LOW for 3 to 4 hours. The eggplant will be quite tender.

Whisk together the water and cornstarch in a small bowl, then stir into the eggplant mixture. Increase the heat to HIGH; cover and cook for 30 minutes. The mixture should thicken.

Spoon the eggplant and its sauce into a serving bowl; garnish with the cilantro and serrano pepper, if desired. Serve warm.

Rhubarb Applesauce

Copied from the WaPo, with my elimination of 1/2 c sugar and substitution of wine and maple syrup for the cider:

Slow-Cooker Rhubarb Applesauce
Makes about 8 cups
Ingredients:
• 6 large, firm, flavorful apples, such as Fuji, Granny Smith or Cortland; 3 1/2 to 4 pounds
• 2 pounds rhubarb, ribs only
• Finely grated zest and juice of 1 large lemon (about 1 tablespoon zest and 1/4 to 1/3 cup juice)
• ½ c wine, 1/3 c maple syrup or 1 c cider
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
Directions:
Core, peel and quarter the apples. If you plan to puree the applesauce in a food mill, leave the core and seeds intact; otherwise, remove and discard them. Trim off and discard the rhubarb ends and cut the ribs into 1-inch chunks. Pull off strings if using FP slicer.
Combine the apples, rhubarb, lemon zest and juice, cider, cinnamon stick, nutmeg, cloves and ginger in the slow-cooker insert. Cover and cook on LOW for 5 to 6 hours or on HIGH for 3 hours, until the apples and rhubarb are very tender. If the slow-cooker has been filled very full, uncover it briefly after 2 or 3 hours and stir to redistribute the contents.
Discard the cinnamon stick. If you intend to puree the applesauce, use a slotted spoon to transfer the apple and rhubarb solids to a food mill or the bowl of a food processor. Puree, adding cooking juices to achieve the desired consistency. Need to puree so that the strings from the rhubarb aren't so prominent.
Serve warm or cold.

Chocolate Gateau

I LOVE making this cake. I first had it at a potluck three years ago and demanded the recipe from a rather surprised looking stranger (or, shall we say, new friend!) It's not hard to make, is easy to gussy up, and, most importantly, is very chocolatey. It made an appearance at Mom's 60th. Today, it turned up at the Glaucoma Center of (culinary) Excellence for a friend's birthday and received such a warm reception that it decided to appear on this blog, as well. Enjoy!

Chocolate Gateau
Adapted from Cooks.com
Preheat the oven to 350.
Melt 12 oz bittersweet chocolate (I use chips), 2/3c (5oz) unsalted butter, and 3/4 c sugar in a microwave proof bowl, stirring occasionally (~3"). Semi-sweet chocolate works fine, too, just cut the sugar to 1/2c or so.
Allow this to cool (a few min is fine).
Meanwhile, separate 5 eggs.
Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
Whisk the egg yolks, 1/3c flour, and a little salt into the chocolate mixture.
Mix 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture, stirring vigorously.
Then, add the chocolate mixture into the rest of the egg whites (or vice versa, depending on which bowl is bigger.)  Take care not to smush all the egg whites with all that tasty chocolate: pour the chocolate down the side of the bowl if you can.
Fold the egg whites into the chocolate gently just until you no longer see white streaks/clumps.
Butter/spray a 9.5" round springform pan.  A regular round cake pan would work fine, too.  Consider lining it with parchment paper or aluminum foil for easy removal of the goods.
Bake for 35" or so, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Allow to cool completely, several hours.

Surprisingly, I do not recommend topping this cake with chocolate. It's pretty dense as is. In fact, you should make sure to have some prophylactic milk or coffee on hand to manage the flavor burst you are about to experience. I top it with sliced strawberries, a cascade of raspberries, and/or a dusting of powdered sugar.

By the way, if anybody was looking for something to put in Dapper Dan's Easter basket, this would be a good place to start.

End of Winter Soup

I realized that the frig contained two glasses (~3 oz each) of bad chianti classico that I hadn't been able to finish the two previous nights. I threw the wine into the crockpot, atop 16 oz. tomatoes, 32 oz. veg stock, 1 T good balsamic vinegar, 2 or 3 T. of salsa, 1 cup of mixed pinto and black beans (soaked), a leek, a bunch of celery, 3 carrots and 1/2 of a vidalia onion - - the last 4 items having been sliced in the FP. Nice.

Happy Birthday, Suzanne!

Suzanne and Michael come back from Venice and Florence tonight, having celebrated her birthday 5 days ago at Carnivale in Venice. Joel explains that "carnevale" signals the advent of Lent with its translation of "meat farewell." This cake is definitely not for mardi gras, there being no gras in it. The meringue and cake bake in pans together. The cake layer consists of 1 c. eggbeaters, 1/2 c. sugar, 1 t. vanilla and 6 oz. roasted almond oil, mixed. This is in lieu of Joy's "Cream Merinque Tart Cockaigne"'s butter, egg yolks, and cream. Mix in the recipe's 1 c. cake flour, 1 t. baking powder and 1/4 t. salt. Line the pan and pour this in. Whip 1 c. eggwhite, then add gradually 1 c. sugar and 1 t. vanilla. Whip some more, then spread this on top of the cake batter. I had to use my fingers to do this. Sprinkle roasted slivered almonds on top of one layer and bake both for 40 min. If you ignore the distinct possibility that the meringue will rise and forget to allow ample separation between your oven racks, you can let the pans sit there, glued to the rack above, after the cake is cooked, with the door open, and let the meringues deflate. Not ideal. Meanwhile, in the blender chunk up 2 oz. unsweetened chocolate with 1/4 - 1/2 c. sugar. While running the blender, pour in 3/8 c very hot milk and 1/2 t vanilla, and 1/8 t. salt. Let it cool in the frig.

To assemble the cake, take the layer without the almonds and place it, meringue side down, on the cake platter. Then spread the cooled chocolate mixture on top. Then add the second layer, almonds up. Happy Birthday, Suzanne!