CARROT AND SWEET POTATO PUREE

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

Potato puree is comfort food “par excellence”. One of my favorite menus on a chilly evening is braised short ribs served over mashed potatoes (I gained about 3 pounds just by typing that sentence! 😉 ) Sometimes I crave that type of side dish, but I’d be happier with a lighter caloric load.

Giada de Laurentiis devised a perfect alternative during her “Light and Fabulous” menu, that paired broiled tilapia filets with a creamy puree of carrots and yams. You can find the recipes for that episode here. The puree has a beautiful, bright orange color, and its taste complements many main dishes.

CARROT AND SWEET POTATO PUREE
(adapted from Giada de Laurentiis)

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium shallot, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 pounds carrots, peeled and sliced
2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch pieces
1 teaspoon salt, plus extra for seasoning
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus extra for seasoning
2 cups chicken (or vegetable) broth
2 cups water

Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a saucepan. Add the shallot and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Add the carrots, sweet potatoes, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Cook for 5 minutes until slightly softened. Add the stock and water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the veggies are tender, about 25 minutes. Drain the veggies, saving the cooking liquid. Transfer them to a food processor, and puree until still slightly chunky, adding some of the cooking liquid, until you reach the consistency you like. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: Our grocery had sweet potatoes, but not yams, so that’s what I used. Next time I’ll add a touch of ginger to the puree, because it goes so well with sweet potatoes. Maybe a little orange zest too? But even without these additional touches, this puree was an excellent side dish for our grilled, butterflied pork tenderloin. Something about eating bright colored food instantly makes me feel healthy. This puree tastes good, it’s not too heavy, and it gives that feeling of happy satisfaction at the end of the meal.

Want to make it even faster on a weeknight? Cut the veggies in the morning before work, and save them in the fridge. Small details make life a lot easier when you return home feeling a little spent. 😉

ONE YEAR AGO: Impromptu Pasta Dinner

2Mar2011

WINTER STRIKES BACK, IT’S TIME FOR SOUP!

Posted in Soups, Vegetarian-friendly, Veggies by sallybr

Recently I read a very interesting article by Marcella Hazan, in which she rants against the current trend of under-cooking vegetables and pasta in many restaurants. You can find the article here. I couldn’t agree more, there is a fine line of perfectly cooked food – particularly veggies – that preserves some bite and freshness. Err in either direction and you’ll get mushy, gray food or warm crudites. Not sure which would be worse. 😉

With that thought in mind, it is surprising that a soup that simmers zucchini for 45 long minutes could be so perfect, but it is. Until now, my default zucchini soup was from Chocolate and Zucchini, a version that adds a touch of sesame in the form of tahini paste. With this curried zucchini recipe, I found a serious contender for the number 1 spot. I will consider that a tie, and enjoy them both!

CURRIED ZUCCHINI SOUP
(adapted from The Essential New York Times Cookbook)
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4 small zucchini, cut into chunks
1 medium shallot, minced
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp ground fresh ginger
1/4 tsp dry mustard
2 cups chicken broth
2 Tbs raw rice
salt and pepper
1/4 to 1/2 cup heavy cream

Add the zucchini chunks, shallots, curry, ginger, and mustard into a saucepan. Pour the chicken broth over it, add the raw rice, and bring to a boil. Cover the pan and simmer for 45 minutes. Puree the mixture using a hand held blender, or pass it through a food mill. Season with salt and pepper. Add 1/4 cup of heavy cream, taste it and add more if you like it richer.

The soup can be served hot or chilled.

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: Until I tasted it, I wasn’t sure I would like this soup, thinking the zucchini would have lost all its brightness from the long simmering. The first spoonful got my silent appreciation, suddenly interrupted by Phil’s words “wow, this soup is really good!” With heavy emphasis on the “really.” The curry and the ginger perform some kind of magic to restore a sense of freshness to the zucchini, which retains a nice green color. I reduced quite a bit the amount of heavy cream called for in the original recipe, but indulge if you prefer, and go for one and a half cups of it.

ONE YEAR AGO: Chocolate Bread (this one melts in your mouth….)

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27Feb2011

SOFT SPOT FOR CHEVRE

Posted in Pasta & Noodles, Vegetarian-friendly by sallybr

Phil and I influence each other’s gastronomic likes and dislikes. Before we met I wasn’t fond of sushi, couldn’t understand all the passion for guacamole, and twisted my nose at maple syrup. Now I’m addicted to sushi (with no intentions of rehab), I’ll eat guacamole any time, and I can’t imagine a blueberry pancake without the heavenly nectar drizzled on top.

Phil, on the other hand, wouldn’t touch a raw tomato, felt queasy around foie gras, and didn’t like the smell of goat cheese. Those days are over, which is great, because I didn’t want to skip this pasta, with creamy goat cheese enveloping cremini mushrooms and arugula. You can use any pasta shape you prefer, but pick a mild goat cheese that will quickly melt in the hot pasta.

CREMINI MUSHROOM PASTA WITH GOAT CHEESE AND ARUGULA
(adapted from The Essential New York Times Cookbook)
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1 pound spaghetti (or another shape of your choice)
2 pounds cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs butter
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and black pepper to taste
2-3 cups baby arugula
3/4 pound soft goat cheese, crumbled (room temperature)
freshly minced parsley

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, and cook the pasta until al dente. Heat the olive oil and butter on a non-stick skillet, add the garlic and saute for a couple of minutes. Add the sliced mushrooms, season lightly with salt and pepper. Cook the mushrooms until they release liquid and it almost completely evaporates. Reserve, keeping warm.

When the pasta’s ready, reserve about 1/2 cup of the cooking water, drain the pasta, return to the pot and add the cremini mushrooms, arugula, goat cheese, and parsley. Gently toss everything to wilt the arugula, add some of the pasta water to get a smooth consistency, adjust the seasoning, and serve.

(makes 4 substantial servings)

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: If you don’t like goat cheese, then this pasta is not for you, just skip it, because the “flavor of the barnyard” (as Phil calls it) is pronounced in the sauce. The original recipe called for regular arugula, but instead I used baby arugula because the sharpness of the goat cheese pairs better with a milder green. If you want to tone it down even more then use baby spinach, or even Swiss chard, although you’ll have to saute it first. My other adaptation was to skip the 1/2 cup of olive oil that was intended as its “finishing touch.” Despite my love for olive oil, I’d never add 955 calories of fat to a pasta that’s perfectly fine without it. I am not a fat-o-phobe, but have my limits.

We like to go vegetarian one day during the week, and this is a great option if you’re trying to skip meat whether occasionally or permanently. It’s delicious!

Note to self: to make it even faster, saute the mushrooms in advance, and re-warm them right before adding to the pasta.

ONE YEAR AGO: Seared Tuna is my Private Idaho

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23Feb2011

STIR-FRIED CHICKEN WITH CREAMED CORN

Posted in Poultry by sallybr

This recipe joins ingredients I’d never imagined together. Think about a Chinese stir-fry with an American Southwestern flair. Canned creamed corn might send me running in the opposite direction, but this recipe was described as “brilliant,” and with Mark Bittman backing it, I took the gastronomic leap of faith and went for it. What a great stir-fry concoction it is! It’ll be a regular in my nightly repertoire from now on. The combination of creamed corn and fresh corn kernels is the secret to success.

STIR-FRIED CHICKEN WITH CREAMED CORN
(from The Essential New York Times Cookbook)

1 pound boneless chicken breasts (or thighs), cut into small chunks
2 Tbs soy sauce
1 tsp Japanese sesame oil
1 Tbs white wine (or rice wine)
salt to taste
2 Tbs vegetable oil (I used grapeseed)
1 Tbs minced garlic
1 Tbs minced ginger
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 can of creamed corn (15 oz)
1 cup corn kernels (I used roasted kernels, frozen)
chopped fresh cilantro

Mix the chicken with the soy sauce, the sesame oil, and wine. Season very lightly with salt. Keep at room temperature for 10 to 30 minutes (you can also do this step several hours in advance).

Heat the vegetable oil on a large skillet, when very hot, drain the chicken and add to the pan, without crowding (if necessary, do it in two batches). Let it cook undisturbed until the pieces get a nice golden brown color, then flip them around to cook the other side. The whole process will take less than 5 minutes, if your oil was hot enough to begin with. Turn the heat down, add the garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes. Cook for a minute, add the creamed corn and corn kernels (no need to defrost if frozen). Cook stirring every once in a while until the dish is heated through, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro right before serving, preferably over white rice.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: Most stir-fries finish with a liquid thickened by some type of starch – usually cornstarch or arrowroot. In this recipe the creamed corn provides all the texture and substance you’ll need. I made it, start to finish, in less than 30 minutes on a weeknight, but in the future I might marinate the chicken early in the morning and leave it in the fridge the whole day.

In the Summer, when corn is at its peak, I’ll use fresh kernels, but this time I grabbed the excellent frozen kernels at Trader Joe’s. The fact that they were roasted added even more flavor. The colors and the taste were like Spring on the plate. We are ready for it… 😉

ONE YEAR AGO: Potato, Cheddar, and Chive Torpedo (this definitely goes to our Hall of Fame of Breads)

20Feb2011

CORNMEAL ENGLISH MUFFINS

Posted in Breads by sallybr

Or, as Dan Lepard described them, “traditional English muffins with a neat twist.” They have the exact same look of the regular English muffin, similar texture, but a slightly more complex taste due to the addition of cornmeal to the dough. Since they are leavened by commercial, fast acting yeast, you can have these tasty treats ready for brunch in less than 3 hours. Making bread first thing in the morning always makes me feel good, and gets the weekend started with a great vibe!

CORNMEAL ENGLISH MUFFINS
(detailed recipe found at The Guardian website)

The dough is made with soaked cornmeal, bread flour, yogurt, vinegar, and commercial yeast.

One important modification: I used only 350ml of water instead of the 425ml called for in the original recipe, after the advice of two friends (Celia and Joanna) who recently made these muffins and felt they did not hold their shape well if the full amount of water is added.

After three cycles of quick kneading, the dough rises undisturbed for an hour and a half, then is rolled 1/2 inch thick, and cut in circles. Initial cooking on a very hot griddle, 4 to 6 minutes per side, produces a beautifully golden crust on the surface…

They go into a 400F oven for 10 more minutes to make sure the crumb is fully set, and after patiently waiting for them to cool down, the baker might be lucky enough to hear her partner saying “can I make a little sandwich for you”?

I am submitting this post to Susan’s Yeastspotting….