SILKY CAULIFLOWER PUREE WITH ALMOND MILK

Posted in Side dishes, Vegetarian-friendly, Veggies by sallybr

I am not sure why it took me so long to try almond milk, but I fell in love with it the moment I tasted it. This one is my favorite, the plain and lighter version made by Silk. It is part of my daily routine now, half a glass of almond milk right before going to work, and another half after lunch. Shockingly cold is best, by the way. Phil used it in his lunch smoothies in place of yogurt and loved it too. My passion for almond milk started me on a virtual expedition in the internet chasing for recipes using it in cooking. I was pleasantly surprised to find quite an extensive number of possibilities. My first adventure with Silk was a winner: cauliflower puree. I share with you the recipe, inspired by Food and Wine.

SILKY CAULIFLOWER PUREE WITH ALMOND MILK
(from the Bewitching Kitchen)

1 medium-sized head of cauliflower
1 tbsp grapeseed oil
1 celery stalk, diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1 shallot, diced
Half gallon Light Almond Milk (or slightly less)
salt and pepper

Prepare the cauliflower by removing the outer leaves and the central core. Cut the florets off, slicing the large ones in two or three pieces.

Heat the oil on a skillet. Saute the celery, onion, and red bell pepper until the onion is golden, and the mixture is very fragrant. Season with a little salt and black pepper. Add the cauliflower to the skillet and cook it on high heat for a couple of minutes, stirring often. Transfer the mixture to a saucepan so that the cauliflower fill it no more than halfway up. Add almond milk to the saucepan and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover the pan keeping the lid slightly ajar, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until the cauliflower is tender.

Transfer the cooked cauliflower to the bowl of a food processor, keeping the almond milk in the pan. No need to drain it completely, the amount of liquid that stick to the florets will help ensure a nice texture. Process until smooth. If necessary, add a little more warm almond milk. Test for seasoning. Serve warm.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

As I said, my first adventure with almond milk in cooking won’t be the last. In fact, I have this recipe on my “to try soon” folder, and hope I can actually switch it into the “tried and true” in the near future. One store in town normally carries Marcona almonds, which is the only tricky ingredient to find. With that in hand, I should be good to go.

Probably because I used light almond milk instead of full fat, the liquid seemed to separate a little as the cauliflower cooked. It definitely did not harm the dish, so if you use the light version, ignore its looks. It will all come together in a silky happy ending!

Our dinner felt quite special, considering it took place at the height of our kitchen renovation. Here is the full menu for that evening: roasted chicken thighs marinated in beer-soy-orange (marinade to be blogged about soon), green beans with almonds, and the cauliflower puree. Mr. Hamilton roasted the chicken thighs, Mr. Breville broiled the skin for a couple of minutes, and our single burner induction stove took care of the rest. A few sautéed almonds on top of the puree tied both side dishes together quite nicely… even if I say so myself… 😉

ONE YEAR AGO: Beef and Broccoli Stir-fr
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TWO YEARS AGO: Wheat Germ and Sage Sourdough Bread

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THREE YEARS AGO: Popeye-Pleasing Salad
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FOUR YEARS AGO: Summer’s Finale

16Sep2013

DITALINI PASTA SALAD

Posted in Pasta & Noodles, Salads, Side dishes, Vegetarian-friendly by sallybr

I am not at all fond of pasta salads that are loaded with oily dressing, or the dreadful mayo to weigh things down even further. I like a salad that leaves me feeling refreshed and light. Ditalini is a shape normally used in soups, but I thought it would work well in this type of recipe. It has slightly more body than orzo, and is not as “slippery” . Rather than a strict recipe, this is all about flexible amounts, so play with it, and make it shine!

DITALINI PASTA SALAD
(from the Bewitching Kitchen)

Ditalini pasta, cooked all dente and rinsed in cold water
1/4 cup grape seed oil
1/8 cup red wine vinegar
1 Tbs lemon juice
Dried oregano to taste
Dried mint to taste
Red pepper flakes, a pinch or two
Cherry tomatoes, red and yellow
Green onions, sliced thin
Salt and pepper to taste

Place the cooked and cooled ditalini pasta on a large bowl.

Make the vinaigrette by mixing and whisking well the grape seed oil, vinegar, lemon juice, oregano, mint, and red pepper flakes.

Cut the cherry tomatoes in half, and season lightly with salt and pepper.

Add the vinaigrette to the pasta and mix well. Incorporate the cherry tomatoes, add the green onions, adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Keep cold… and….

ENJOY!
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to print the recipe, click here

Comments: Feel free to use fresh mint instead of dried, as well as fresh oregano, although I find fresh oregano too overpowering and always use dried instead. I kicked myself for not thinking about adding capers, so keep that in mind, this salad begs for a handful of those. We like our vinaigrette to be more about the vinegar than the oil. We also prefer the milder taste of grape seed compared to olive oil, so grape seed was my choice. You should make it the way you prefer, more oil, olive oil, a little mustard, maybe some garlic. As you may have noticed, we are not garlic people. It is quite possible that if they sequence our genome, a few vampire genes might be found here and there. But, nothing to worry about, we are usually very well-behaved, your neck is safe with us. 😉

Are you familiar with Vincent Price’s cookbook? A classic, a real classic….

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TWO YEARS AGO: Post-workout Breakfast

THREE YEARS AGO: Semolina Barbecue Buns

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6Aug2013

SAUTEED ZUCCHINI WITH SUN-DRIED TOMATOES AND BASIL

Posted in Side dishes, Vegetarian-friendly, Veggies by sallybr

I’m always trying to find different ways to prepare zucchini, as we both love it so much. One of my favorite recipes is a simple stir-fry like this one, but the timing (and the size of your pan) must be just right, as a slight variation will result in overcooked, limp zucchini, with no bite whatsoever. This recipe from Fine Cooking follows a totally different path to the stir-fry happy-ending. Pieces of zucchini are lightly salted and sit for 10 minutes, a process that will draw out a lot of moisture and the bitterness that might turn some people off. After that, you will be on your way to a tasty side dish.

SAUTEED ZUCCHINI WITH SUN-DRIED TOMATOES AND BASIL
(adapted from Fine Cooking magazine #65)

2 medium zucchini
1/2 tsp. Kosher salt + more for seasoning
2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, smashed and peeled
3 oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and finely diced
6 fresh basil leaves, torn into large pieces
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 lemon, juiced

Wash the zucchini and dry them with paper towels. Trim off the ends and quarter the zucchini lengthwise. Arrange the zucchini, cut side up, on a baking sheet lined with paper towels. Sprinkle with the salt and set aside for 10 minutes. Blot the quarters dry with the paper towels. Cut each quarter on the diagonal into 3/4-inch-thick pieces.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat for 1 minute. Pour in 2 Tbs. of the oil. When the oil is hot, add the zucchini and garlic, and sauté, stirring occasionally, until the zucchini browns and softens enough that you can cut through it with the side of a fork, about 5 min. Take the pan off the heat, toss in the sun-dried tomatoes and basil, and season generously with salt and pepper. Drizzle with the lemon juice and serve immediately.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: I have a bit of a troubled relationship with sun-dried tomatoes. The ones that come packed in oil are often too greasy for my taste, but their texture is much better than the dry-packed ones. My approach is to buy the ones in oil, and before incorporating in the dish let them rest on a piece of kitchen paper to blot the excess oil away.

Fresh tomatoes would not deliver the same punch of flavor. Sun-dried tomatoes are similar to red pepper flakes, instead of having their flavor uniformly diluted across the dish, they give you little spikes of heat. Perfect!

This was a delicious way to prepare zucchini, yet another recipe that can be adapted in many ways. Try adding roasted red bell pepper in place of sun-dried tomatoes, cilantro instead of basil, a bit of mint… Don’t omit the lemon juice, though. It is a must!

ONE YEAR AGO: Orzo with Heirloom Tomato Relish

TWO YEARS AGO: Headed to Brazil!

THREE YEARS AGO: The Rhubarb Brouhaha: Revelation Compote

FOUR YEARS AGO: Love me tender…

2Aug2013

JERUSALEM: PASTA WITH YOGURT, PEAS & CHILE

Posted in Pasta & Noodles, Vegetarian-friendly by sallybr

If you are a cookbook lover, chances are you have at least one of Yotam Ottolenghi’s books on your shelf. His book “Plenty” (released in 2011) was a huge success, but “Jerusalem“, which he wrote together with Sami Tamimi is probably the hottest cookbook published last year. Countless bloggers have been raving about the recipes in Jerusalem, and even the Diner’s Journal of The New York Times devoted a special article to the cookbook. As usual, I bookmarked way too many tempting concoctions to try, but when I read this review from Orangette, I knew this pasta would hit the spot with us. Several things I like about it: the sauce is made with yogurt instead of cream or a bechamel; peas are incorporated in two ways; feta cheese gives it a sharp bite, and fresh basil does the magic that fresh basil always does.

But, as if that symphony of flavors and textures was not enough, each serving is crowned with a spicy and nutty flavored oil, made by sauteing pine nuts and Aleppo pepper. Oh, my! Can you spell perfection?

The two main components of the dish come together quite quickly. First, the yogurt-pea sauce, simply whirled in a food processor. Beautiful light green color!

Then, the finishing touch, a flavored oil with pine nuts and Aleppo pepper. Red pepper flakes can be substituted, but I say go for a Turkish pepper if you can find it.

The yogurt sauce is never heated, instead the hot pasta is added to it in small batches to prevent the sauce from separating. Reminds me of pasta in fresh tomato sauce, a regular appearance at our table these days.

I must say this recipe was the best thing I cooked in a few months! I loved everything about it… The original recipe used small shell-shaped pasta which might be even better to catch those cute little peas, but any pasta will work. If you have a dinner party coming up and would like to offer a vegetarian option, I say it will be hard to top this one… 😉

If you want the full recipe, you can buy the book (click here), or you can use the version published at Orangette.

ONE YEAR AGO: Edamame Hummus in Cucumber Bites

TWO YEARS AGO: Headed to Brazil!

THREE YEARS AGO: Twice-Baked Goat Cheese Souffle

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17Jul2013

POTLUCK FRITTATA & LAVOISIER

Posted in Breakfast & Brunch, Vegetarian-friendly by sallybr

In our department we have monthly (or quasi-monthly) potluck lunches to celebrate the birthdays of the past month. For our last get-together I made an oven-baked frittata. The recipe is quite adaptable, just use it as a basic method. Change the veggies, the spices, add herbs, have fun with it!

POTLUCK FRITTATA
(from the Bewitching Kitchen)

10 eggs
1/4 cup low-fat milk (or full-fat, or cream)
salt and white pepper to taste
1 Tbs olive oil
sliced cremini mushrooms
sliced asparagus
sliced roasted red bell peppers
Herbes de Provence to taste
grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese to sprinkle on top

Start by preparing the veggies. Heat the olive oil on a large skillet, add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper. Cook on medium heat until they start to release some liquid, then add the asparagus and roasted bell pepper. Season with herbes de Provence. Keep cooking for a few minutes until the asparagus are just starting to get tender. If there is any liquid left in the pan, increase the heat to high for a minute or so. Remove from the heat and add the veggies to a colander to make sure any excess liquid drains out.

Meanwhile, cover a 9 x 13 inches baking pan with parchment paper. Add the cooked, drained veggies to the baking pan, distributing them evenly over the whole surface. Break the eggs in a large bowl, whisk vigorously, add the milk, and season lightly with salt and pepper (keep in mind the veggies are already seasoned). Pour over the veggies, sprinkle grated Parmigiano all over.

Bake in a 350 F oven for about 40 minutes, until set and starting to get some color on top. Remove from the oven, let the pan cool for 10 minutes, then carefully remove the frittata to cool over a rack. Cut in squares, removing the paper and arranging the squares on a platter. Serve warm or room temperature.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

My Mom has always been the “Frittata Queen” by definition, although her frittatas were for the most part made to use up leftovers. She doesn’t cook much anymore, but years ago, when we would go visit my parents to have dinner together, my Dad (remember the eternal joker?) used to beg us to finish all the food, otherwise he would have to face it next day in a “fritada” (the Brazilian term). I must admit that I’ve seen my Mom include leftover pasta, Bolognese sauce and all in one of her fritadas and she would often quote Lavoisier in defense of her culinary adventures. Who am I to go against one of the greatest scientists of all times? 😉

So, it’s about time that I shared with you my take on Mom’s classic. Baking works best when making a big batch with 10 eggs like this one. I’ve experimented with versions without any milk or cream, but they did not turn out very good. Definitely not something I would serve for guests. Some fat is needed to avoid rubbery eggs. Heavy cream provides the most luscious texture, but I always opt for a lower fat version, as egg yolks are rich enough. Porcini mushrooms, or a mixture of wild mushrooms work wonders in this type of recipe. Artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, diced ham… your imagination is the limit. Leftover squares keep for a few days well wrapped in plastic. Heat them in the microwave for a few seconds just to break the cold temperature from the fridge. Over-heating will compromise the texture. Trust me, you don’t want to do that.