carrot mac 'n' cheese

Don't feel like rewriting this recipe - but want to save this here:
https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/carroty-mac-and-cheese-367160
Delicious, carroty mac and cheese. It makes maybe 5 portions, so it is a much more reasonable size than M's family recipe, which calls for 1 lb of mac and 2 of cheese. I usually make it with skim greek yogurt rather than sour cream, which works fine. One child doesn't seem to notice the carrots, the other does and screams and cries for boxed shells with cheese, so... some success?

vegetarian tacos, or delicata squash for haters

Spoiler alert: there is only one hater, M. I think everyone else I know likes delicata squash, bc it is awesome.

This recipe was adapted from my CSA, Harmony Valley Farm, newsletter.

I make beans in my usual way - pinto beans, cooked in stock (veggie or chicken) with onion, garlic, tomato paste, seasonings (cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, dried oregano, and fresh cilantro).

For the veggies:
Thinly slice 1 medium red onion
Seed and thinly slice 1-2 delicata squash
Slice 2 poblano peppers
Toss the above with 3-4T vegetable oil, garlic powder, chili powder, cumin, salt, and 2t brown sugar.
Roast at 425 for about 20 minutes, or until soft.

Serve with corn or flour soft tacos and any or all of: rice, fresh tomatoes, more cilantro, cheddar cheese, and jalapeno quick pickles (thinly sliced jalapenos barely covered with white vinegar and some salt).

M repeatedly stated "if you want me to eat delicata squash, this is the way to do it." The baby even ate some of the rice and beans. Success.

Leek pie

Mom makes this dish quite often. She has made a few modifications to make it more healthy. I made it tonight in its original glory and LOVE it!

For filling:
Carefully clean 4 leeks (spread the leaves out carefully under the tap)
Cut off the dark green parts
Slice the white and light green parts thinly
Keep an eye out for more dirt as you slice - leeks are often very dirty.
Saute on low in EVOO (use maybe 2T). Salt the leeks lightly. Cover with a lid and cook until the leeks are soft and pale, maybe a little caramelized (note that they will not caramelize as much as onions would, since they have less sugar).
Turn off heat.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix 3 eggs lightly, and stir into the leeks.
Add 1/2 c grated parmesan.
Set aside.
Get a frozen pie crust (I use whole wheat. Puff pastry would be great, too. I will also include mom's recipe for foccacia crust below, which is more classic but also more work.) Line the bottom and sides with several slices of prosciutto (I used about 5 slices.... less than 1 of the small packages you can get at Whole Foods).
Pour the leek mixture into the crust, over the prosciutto.
(optional) decorate the top with thin slices of peppers - I used 1/2 poblano (lightly spicy) and 1/2 Carmen pepper (sweet).
Bake for 45 minutes at 350, or until filling sets and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean (it should look like a quiche).

Photo of the half-eaten pie below. It just smelled so good I couldn't wait...



Optional - Foccacia crust (alternative to frozen pie crust) (nb, I haven't tested it, it's copy-pasted from mom):

mix 1 T yeast with ¼ cup water.  Yeast should start to grow within a few minutes

            Add 3/8 cup olive oil and ¾ cup water and 1 t salt

            Add one egg and stir

            Mix in 2 cups of bread flour and knead on floured surface, adding more flour as                            necessary to get a thick, cushiony dough.  Put in bowl to rise.
Later, form dough into baking dish and add filling. Bake as described above.

Roasted tomato soup

I've used this tomato soup recipe from Smitten Kitchen a few times and LOVE it. Here's why: you do NOT have to peel or seed the tomatoes! So easy!

I've done basil instead of thyme, which is also great. I also haven't ever tried her combined soup + grilled cheese top combination, which sounds amazing - just phoned it in with a bowl of soup and some regulation grilled cheese. It freezes very well, too. Yea!

Note that compared to recipes where you peel and seed the tomatoes, this has a bit more texture to it - as long as you puree it well, there are no actual chunks, but it is not super smooth. I like it this way.

salsa verde chicken enchiladas

I gave this recipe a try because I have a lot of tomatillos - with a little trepidation, since I've struggled with enchiladas in the past. It turned out great!! I made a few modifications, and will re-write the recipe here since you have to follow a handful of links in the original to see all the text.  Of note, the shredded chicken could be used for all kinds of other stuff - tacos, nachos. I did cut it in half, since this is the amount that was needed for the enchilada recipe, but could easily be scaled.

Slow cooker shredded chicken (see blog linked above for a stove-top version)

Put the following ingredients in the slow cooker for 4-6 hours on low (I did 6, which was perfect, though my slow cooker runs a little cool):

• 1.5 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs (organic ones surprisingly affordable at Whole Foods)
• small onion, peeled and sliced
   2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
  1 small bay leaf
   1/2 tsp salt
  3/4t cumin
  1/4t black pepper
  chicken stock (or water) - enough to just barely cover chicken   

Once chicken is done cooking, remove it to a cutting board and allow it to cool. If you have a cat, put a collander or something over it (be prepared). Then, shred it using 2 forks. In the meantime, take the cover off the slow cooker and turn it up to high to allow some of the liquid to evaporate. Depending on what recipe you are using the chicken for, you could boil some off on the stove. Extra moisture is good for enchiladas, so I did the slow cooker method.

Make salsa verde

Enchiladas verdes -serves 4
Preheat oven to 350
Warm up 1.5 cups salsa verde in a pan on the stove (don't boil) - reserve 1/2 cup (so, need a total of 2 cups salsa verde for this recipe)
Add 1/2 cup sour cream and stir (nb: left over sour-cream based dip works too)
Add 2 cups cooked shredded chicken (see above)  and stir
Stir in 1/2 cup shredded cheddar or jack cheese (1.5 cups cheese total needed for recipe)
Remove from heat
Pour reserved 1/2 cup salsa into a pan - I used a routine-sized rectangular casserole dish (slightly smaller would be optimal)
Spoon 1/3 c chicken/salsa/sour cream mixture into a corn tortilla (taco sized) - need about 12 for this recipe (flour would work too)
place it, seam side down, in the pan.  Repeat until pan is full. You want the individual enchiladas to sort of hold each other up - they should be tucked in pretty snug. I had a little extra room, so I did some rolled but empty tortillas.
Pour remaining salsa over the top.
Sprinkle 1 cup cheese on top - I used cheddar and mozzerella (I think jack would be better than mozz), but I didn't have it)
 Cover with foil and bake for 15-25 minutes (goal is to warm everything through - I did 25 bc mine had been in the fridge for a few hours after prep)
Remove foil and bake for another 15 minutes or so to melt the cheese.

Yum!

Sick of summer squash

M is sick of summer squash. Not that he ever likes it, really just tolerates it. We wisely only planted 1 summer squash plant this year in our garden - patapan squash - because even between that 1 plant and the CSA we have had more than enough. It grows really well in Wisconsin (any many other places). Cucumbers grow similarly well, but we like cucumbers much more, so it's not really a problem. I digress.

I really appreciated this dish. It was easy to prepare - I find that many of my favorite vegetable recipes require a lot of peeling, slicing, etc that eats up a lot of time, this one doesn't. It is (almost) a 1 pot meal. M liked it ("well, if you have to eat squash, this tastes OK" "I can't really tell what's squash"). It's also a casserole, but not all stuck together and fatty like a casserole. So, here it is:

Here is the original link:
https://easyfamilyrecipes.com/chicken-zucchini-casserole/

Here is my version:
Preheat oven to 375
Use a medium to large sized casserole dish
Rinse and pat dry 1 package of chicken breast or tenders (about 1.25-1.5 lbs)
 Line bottom of dish with chicken - try to spread out evenly and as flat as possible
Season chicken with garlic powder, salt, and pepper
Coarsely chop 1 medium yellow onion and 1.5 or so summer squash (I used patapan)
Spread the vegetables out over top of the chicken
Top with a few handfuls of cherry tomatoes, chopped in half
Top with dollops of pesto (about 1/4 cup total), torn basil, additional black pepper and garlic powder
Top THAT with about 1/4 lb crumbled feta and about 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Bake 40 minutes or so - until thermometer stuck into chicken measures 165 degrees (nb: may have to move it around a little - if it's not in the chicken, but between, it may measure way lower)

Serve over brown rice

Variations: you could truly do a lot with this recipe!
Omit tomatoes
Use different cheese (blue?)
More pesto
No pesto, just fresh herbs
Mix different kinds of summer squash

Serves 3-4

Penne Rigate salad

Adapted from https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/4767-penne-pasta-with-ginger-and-basil

Serves 4

Add 8 oz. penne and 1/4 t. salt to boiling water.  Bring to a boil again and cook to al dente, 10 - 12 min.  Drain and reserve 1/4 c. liquid.  If you forget to save the liquid, use 1/4 c. vermouth instead.  I used red.

In the same pan (now emptied), melt 1 T butter, add 2 T shallots and 2 t garlic, both chopt.  The NYT includes 1T minced ginger.  Cook til wilted.

Add pasta back to the pan, the liquid, 1 T. butter, 1/4 c. grated parmesan, and 4 T. chopt basil.  NYT adds 1/8 t. pepper flakes.  Mix then serve.

Rhubarb/Raspberry sauce

Yet another use for that rhubarb sour syrup, if you are not making those whiskey sours . . .

In a saucepan combine 2 c. raspberries and 1 3/4 c of the syrup.  Cook for 30 min, then strain.  Meanwhile, mix 2 T cornstarch and 1 T water.  After straining the fruit mix, add this thickener, bring to a boil, and cook 1 min.

Rhubarb pudding

This is based on the recipes for almond milk chocolate pudding and rhubarb sour from this blog, and the one for lemon almond pudding, from this blog:  http://gustia-food-finds-feasts.blogspot.com/2013/03/lemon-pudding-with-fresh-almond-milk.html

In a 2 qt. saucepan, mix

• 1/3 c. cornstarch
• 1/4 t. salt
• 2 T. + 1/2 t. lemon zest (one big lemon should suffice), which you first rub with about 1 t. sugar 
• 1 t. cinnamon

Then separately stir together

• 3/4 c. of the rhubarb/lemon syrup from the cocktail recipe 
• 1 egg yolk
• juice of 1 lemon

and whisk this into the cornstarch mixture, over low heat.  Begin adding a total of 3 c. almond milk.  It took a lot longer for this to congeal than happens with the chocolate recipe, so, concerned about the effects of the lemon and rhubarb, I abstained from adding more of these. 

When your whisk leaves marks in the mixture, remove it from the heat, let it cool a bit, add 1 t. vanilla, and pour it into 6 teacups/pinot glasses/ramekins.

It's not a dazzlingly strong taste.  I will serve it with some raspberry sauce cooked with the rhubarb sour syrup.  I am taking it to Suzanne's for a dinner with her and Michael and Meg and Dave Tenenbaum, inaugurating their new dining table.

Rhubarb pie

• 5 cups sliced rhubarb
• 2/3 cup sugar (save 1/4 c for bottom to prevent soggy crust)
• 5 tablespoons flour
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon or cardamom?
• 1/2 t. orange zest or campari?
  
• 1 ½ tablespoons butter

Try marinating the rhubarb in the sugar mix.  Not having done that, my one venture with this pie suffered from too big a contrast between tart fruit and sweet filling. 

Sprinkle sugar on to purchased crust; add mix; sprinkle chopt butter on top.  Bake 425 for 15 minutes; reduce the temperature to 350 degrees and bake 25 to 30 min

rhubarb bourbon sour

Rhubarb Bourbon Sour

A refreshing spring cocktail made from fresh rhubarb syrup and bourbon, with a hint of vanilla.

• Author: Katie at the Kitchen Door
• Yield: 4-6

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 c. chopped fresh rhubarb
• 1 c. sugar
• 3/4 c. freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 c. water
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• Bourbon
• few drops bitters

Instructions

1. Combine the rhubarb, sugar, lemon juice, and water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer over low heat and simmer gently until the rhubarb is completely soft and the mixture is syrupy, about 8-10 minutes. Keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn’t boil over. Strain the liquid into a bowl or glass jar. Stir the vanilla extract into the rhubarb syrup. Keep the stewed rhubarb for another use.
2. For each cocktail, add ice, 1 part rhubarb syrup, 1 part Bourbon, and a few drops of bitters to a cocktail shaker. Shake vigorously for 20-30 seconds, until foamy, then strain into a chilled glass. Garnish with extra rhubarb stalks if desired, and serve immediately.

15

Easter Bunny rolls

Tried these for Gabriel, 2019.  Generously, one might say it was a proof of concept effort.  Made 9 bunnies, but maybe smaller ones would have been more convincing.

Make a white bread dough with 3 c. flour, 1 c. water, 1 T. yeast, 1 t. salt.  I added 3 T. sugar, 4 T. melted butter, and 4 T. buttermilk powder.

After it had risen, I took roll-sized portions of dough and rolled them between both hands until they were 10 or so skinny inches long.  It helps to twirl them like jump ropes.  Then, in my hands, I crossed one end over the middle, then crossed it back under the remains of the other end.  The ears took a lot of pinching, and it helped to tuck the higher ear firmly under the other one so that they remained both at about the same level.  Photo shows only partial success.

If you think they are looking at you, give them mouths and ear-insides. Otherwise give them tails.  These tails are rolled in brown sugar.

almond milk chocolate pudding

Have some roasted, somewhat chunked almond slivers for a topping.  Looks great in pinot tumblers.

In a 2 qt pot, place

• up to 1 c sugar
• 1/2 c cocoa powder
• 1/3 c cornstrch, 1/4 t salt.

Whisk together.  Add, while whisking, maybe 1 cup at a time, 3 cups almond milk. Put heat on 7 and whisk frequently until thickened, at least 5 min.

Off heat, stir in 1 tsp butter and 1 t. vanilla.

Needs just 30 min in the frig.

Update on spinach sformata, now with quinoa

Spinach Sformata

Originally from WaPo. I cook it in a 1.5 liter Corningware bowl. If you are going to unmold and present it, you can oil it and sprinkle it lavishly with breadcrumbs. Try pressing tomato slices into the breadcrumb before cooking for color. Our B&B hostess Ruth at Kealakakua adds half-cooked quinoa to to her morning fritatas to absorb liquid released by the cooking spinach.

Ingredients:

• 24 oz fresh spinach, long stems removed
• 1/2 t. each of ground cinnamon and nutmeg
• oil to saute 1 small onion, finely chopt, and 1 clove garlic
• 3 eggs, whites separately beaten, or 6 whites
• 1/2 cup + grated Parmigiano and/or pecorino)
• An ounce (25 g) of raisins, soaked in warm water, then drained and minced (optional)
• 24 oz ricotta; can use skim; can sub in 8 oz. Cottage cheese
• up to 3/4 c. quinoa (can use brown kind) half-cooked, 10 min., in 1 1/2 c water; strain
• Salt and pepper
  

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375 and boil ~ 1” water in a skillet. Drain the well-washed spinach and heat it in a pot with the water that remained on the leaves; when it wilts and is pretty done drain it again, cut it pretty fine, press in a strainer, and season it with the cinnamon/nutmeg, pepper, and salt. Combine the spinach with the onion & garlic, cheese, egg yolks if used, quinoa and raisins. Fold in the egg whites and pour the mixture into the mold. Put the skillet into the oven and add the mold. Bake it for 15 min at 375, then for another 40, or until it sets, at 325 and serve it hot, sliced.

Pear clafoutis

I tweaked a recipe I found online, and the results were nice.  I thought I'd ordered 3 pears, when I must have ordered 3 pairs of pears, and I got a free gallon on almond milk (a Peapod giveaway), so I had a big surplus of pears and almond milk.  Here's what I did:

• Preheat oven to 350. Oil 4 ramekins and a larger baking dish with almond oil.
• Peel, core, and slice 4 bartlett pears in the FP.  As they go in the FP. squeeze in some lemon juice, maybe 2 t. total.  I grated the zest from the top of the lemon I was going to use and added it to the dry ingredients later.
• saute them in ~ 1/4 c  of almond oil.  The Bartletts gave off lots of liquid, so I collected about 1/2 c., and stirred in 1 t. cornstarch to the hot liquid, thinking it could become a thickener.  Apples brown nicely in the almond oil, so maybe bosc pears, or apples for that matter, would not require this step.  My pear slices didn't ever brown, even with ~ 15 min cooking on medium high.
• In a 2 c. measure, add 1 c. almond milk, 3/4 c eggbeaters, 1 t. vanilla, and 1 T Grand Marnier (don't forget to lick the spoon).  I forgot to add the 3/8 c honey called for, but this would have been the time to do so.  To compensate, I sprinkled on about 3/8 c. sugar after I remembered, when the dishes were in the oven, and that was a pain and made a mess.
• In the empty FP, place 3/4 c almonds.  Grind them very fine.  Larger chunks will sink to the bottom and overpopulate the last baking dish you fill up, so grind away.  The recipe called for almond flour.
• In to the FP then add the lemon zest, 3/8 c. flour and a pinch of salt.  It could use more salt. Then pour in the liquids and very briefly blend in.
• As an afterthought, I observed that the recipe had no leavening.  I must have been thinking it would be a cake and not an egg-risen pudding.  So I added 1 t. baking powder.  If you think baking powder is a good idea, add it to the ground almond mixture.
• Cover the bottoms of the dishes with the sliced, sauteed pears.  Pour the batter atop.  Put the dishes into the oven and check after 30 min.  Tops should be puffed up and toasty looking.

Andrew's recipe for swordfish

Braise 1 lb swordfish in

• 1-2 c wine (as needed to cover)
• 1/4 c white wine vinegar
• 2 T. oil
• juice and zest of 2 lemons
• 1 T soy sauce
• 1 t. savory, or poultry seasoning 
• pepper

chicken, fennel, apple & rosemary dinner OR chicken, fennel, sweet potato & lemon vinaigrette

Your choice! I've only tried the second one; see comments.

2 1/2 - 3 lb chicken
2 t fennel seeds
3 T olive oil
1 med  onion, sliced thin
1 fennel bulb, sliced thin
1 tart apple, wedges
4 sprigs rosemary

425 degree oven. Toast fennel seeds in skillet over meium low heat, 2-3 min.  Pound into powder.  Large bowl:  toss together chicken with 1 T olive oil and fennel seeds, salt & pepper.

On cookie sheet, put onion, fennel and apple slices and toss w remaining oil.  Spread.  Add chicken on top of vegs and lay rosemary on top. Roast 25-30 min.  Turn oven to broil.  Remove rosemary sprigs, broil chicken 1 - 2 min until skin is crispy & golden.

OR

 2 1/2 - 3 lb chicken.  Toss in bowl in 2T oil.  PUt on cookie sheet and toss 1 bulb diced fennel and 2 diced sweet potatoes in 2 T oil in bowl, then spread on sheet.  Roast until deep brown, 35 - 40 min.  Add vinaigrette (1/4 c white wine vinegar, lemon zest + juice, 4 T oil, 1 1/4 tsp pepper, 1 T dijon, 1 garlic minced),.  Sprinkle with 1 c grated pecorino,  1/4 c. chopt parsley and 2 T. chopt. fennel fronds. 

I liked the way the sweet potatoes cooked.  The chicken, not so much.  The vinaigrette was good.  Here is a nice chart for you to look at.  I could not figure out how to delete it: