Tag Archives: white asparagus

TWO SALADS AND A BLOG AWARD!

Posted in Salads, Vegetarian-friendly by

Three reasons to smile today, how about that? Two very colorful salads to counteract the somber days of winter and the even more somber political scenario.  Plus, the joy of receiving a blog award. Not bad to close the first month of 2017!

The first salad was inspired by a very nice food blog, Hanady Kitchen. She is a veteran food blogger, but only recently I got to know her site. Better late than never. Love her cooking style. The star ingredient is Halloumi cheese, very unique ingredient that is worth trying to find in your grocery store. Depending on where you live it could be tricky. It is a grilling cheese originated in Cyprus, made of goat and sheep’s milk. Instead of melting away as a regular cheese would, it stands up to the heat and develops a crust that will leave a lasting impression in your gustative memory. Instead of the grill, I used my All Clad fish pan, and it worked like a charm.

salad

HALLOUMI SALAD WITH TOMATOES AND AVOCADO
(inspired by Hanady Kitchen)

1 block of Halloumi, cut in small squares
1 tablespoon olive oil
a few grape tomatoes, cut in half or large tomatoes cut in chunks
1 avocado, cut in chunks
1/4 cup grape seed oil
2 tablespoons Verjus (or lemon juice)
1/4 teaspoon sumac
salt and pepper to taste

Heat the tablespoon of olive oil on a non-stick skillet. Add the squares of Halloumi and fry until golden brown, flip to fry the other side. Remove slices to drain on a paper towel, squeeze a little lemon juice over them. Reserve.

Add the tomatoes and avocado chunks to a medium size bowl. Make a dressing with the grape seed oil, Verjus (or lemon juice), whisking well to combine. Add sumac, salt, and pepper, whisk again.

Add the dressing to the veggies, then the pieces of Halloumi. Mix gently, adjust seasoning. Serve right away.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

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Comments: Halloumi will definitely become a constant guest in our kitchen. Nothing quite like it. That crust is perfect, the texture inside still firm with that delicate sharpness of the cheese. Perfect to nibble all by itself, or added to salads such as this one.

Moving on, the second salad comes from Fine Cooking magazine, and uses white asparagus as the main ingredient, but here’s the kick: it is raw and sliced very thinly. I know, mind-blowing…

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WHITE ASPARAGUS, PARSLEY AND CRANBERRY SALAD
(adapted from Fine Cooking magazine)

12 oz. white asparagus, trimmed, sliced very thinly on a sharp diagonal
1/2 oz. (about 1 cup) fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
1/4 cup dried cranberries
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup grape seed oil
2 Tbs. Sherry vinegar
1 tsp. honey
lettuce leaves, for serving

In a medium bowl, toss the asparagus with the parsley leaves and cranberries. Lightly season with salt and pepper. Whisk together the oil, vinegar, honey, and 1/4 tsp. each salt and pepper until emulsified. Toss the salad with enough dressing to lightly coat, and serve over lettuce leaves.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: The only “problem” with this salad is that one bunch of asparagus will make enough for two, three people tops. Making this for a crowd could be tricky, unless you don’t mind spending considerable amount of time slicing asparagus. Nothing wrong with that if it suits your mood… Be Zen, though. I was not sure Phil would like the salad, but he absolutely loved it, thought it was different from anything he’d ever had before.  I tell you, the combination of raw white asparagus with cranberries is perfect. Plus they look nice together too.

And now for the Blog Award!  I was surprised with a comment from Bernadine (Bern Bakes) telling me that she awarded me the Mystery Blogger Award.  Stop by here to read more about it.

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WHAT IS MYSTERY BLOGGER AWARD?

“Mystery Blogger Award” is an award for amazing bloggers with ingenious posts. Their blog not only captivates; it inspires and motivates. They are one of the best out there, and they deserve every recognition they get. This award is also for bloggers who find fun and inspiration in blogging; and they do it with so much love and passion.  Okoto Enigma

There are some rules, and of course I will break some of them, because as I mentioned before, I do not forward awards, so I hope I don’t offend anyone by it.

  • Display award on blog  DONE.
  • List rules DONE.
  • Mention creator of the award & provide link  DONE.
  • Thank the blogger who nominated you and provide a link DONE.
  • Say three things about yourself. CHECK BELOW
  • Answer five questions from your nominee CHECK BELOW
  • Write five questions for your nominees to answer (sorry, not nominating anyone)
  • Nominate from ten to 20 other bloggers. (see above)
  • Notify nominees by commenting on their blog (see above)
  • Share your best post CHECK BELOW

THREE THINGS ABOUT MYSELF

I decided to ask Phil to help me out, as I got in a kind of paralyzed mode trying to come up with something. Here is what he said, almost without blinking…

You are very determined (that is 100% true)
You are very organized (he is not talking about my bench, I can tell you that)
You respect people who are intelligent AND work hard (good sense of humor gets me too)

I guess these will do.  I think I’ll add I am very good at multi-tasking, but maybe that comes with organization?  And obviously it all melts away when faced with cake baking.

ANSWERING QUESTIONS FROM BERNADINE

Whats your current favorite T.V. show?
Big Bang Theory

What is your ultimate guilty pleasure?
White chocolate

Do you have a bad habit?
Worrying

Do you have a good habit?
My exercise routine. And I am very proud of it too…  (since you asked.. 😉

If you could meet one celebrity or person you admire who would it be? Why?
President Obama. I don’t think explanations are needed.

SHARE YOUR BEST POST

After almost 8 years of blogging, it’s very hard to choose my favorite. Instead, I will share the most popular on the blog, which happens to be one of my favorite cakes, I’ve made it plenty of times.

Here we go… The Ultimate Apple Cake

 

THANK YOU SO MUCH, BERNADINE!
Nice to be recognized!

 

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ONE YEAR AGO: When Three is Better than Two

TWO YEARS AGO: Somebody Stop Me!

THREE YEARS AGO: Zucchini Pasta with Cilantro-Cashew Pesto

FOUR YEARS AGO: Bran Muffins, Take Two

FIVE YEARS AGO: Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

SIX YEARS AGO: Mogo Mojo

SEVEN YEARS AGO: Slow-Roasted Chicken Thighs: an Ice-Breaker

 

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POACHED WHITE ASPARAGUS WITH LEMON AND PISTACHIOS

Posted in Cookbook Reviews, Side dishes, Vegetarian-friendly, Veggies by

I have a cookbook recommendation for you: Rose Water and Orange Blossoms, by Maureen Abood, who runs a gorgeous food blog I’ve been following for a while. As I browsed through my Kindle version, I was surprised by the number of recipes I bookmarked, a feature I love in the Kindle reader, actually. Makes it so easy to go back to favorites. So I did that A LOT. I also love when a cookbook mixes just the right amount of prose. Don’t make each recipe a reason to pour your soul out and tell me all about your childhood and that of your close friends, but give me enough to dream about, to make me understand why that recipe is special for you, special enough that you chose to include in your cookbook.  Maureen does just that. The first recipe I made from her cookbook is simple yet very elegant. Poached white asparagus with pistachios. She used pistachio oil to drizzle the dish, I decided to go with my recent acquisition, a blood orange-infused olive oil.  I am quite fond of its color, a soft reddish tone, and I think the taste matched the white asparagus very well.

White Asparagus with Pistachios

POACHED WHITE ASPARAGUS WITH LEMON AND PISTACHIO OIL
(from the cookbook Rose Water and Orange Blossoms)
reprinted with permission from Maureen Abood

Makes 4 servings

1 pound / 450 g white asparagus
Juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons shelled roasted, salted pistachios
4 teaspoons pistachio oil (I used blood orange infused olive oil)
Fine sea salt, to finish

Trim the asparagus by snapping the ends off at their natural break. Peel them from just beneath the tip to the end with a vegetable peeler. Cover the asparagus with water in a large sauté pan. Squeeze the lemon into the pan and add the teaspoon of salt.

Cover the pan and bring the water to a boil, and then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until a spear can be easily cut with a knife and fork. Drain and set the asparagus aside to cool. Remove the thin papery skin on each pistachio to reveal the bright green nut underneath by rubbing the skin off of each nut between your fingers and thumb. Coarsely chop the pistachios.

Divide the asparagus among four individual salad plates, or pile them, all facing the same direction, on a platter. Sprinkle the pistachios across the center of the asparagus crosswise, forming a line. Drizzle everything with pistachio oil, and finish with the sea salt.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

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Comments: White asparagus will always make me think of a trip to Germany many years ago. We were living in Paris at the time, and went for a little scientific mission to a couple of cities in Germany. We arrived at the peak of asparagus season and one restaurant in particular had pretty much all dishes centered on them. I still remember a gratin of white asparagus and ham that blew my mind, it was superb! Until I got Maureen’s book, I confess to butchering my share of white asparagus when trying to cook them at home. It never occurred to me that these pale white creatures need to be treated differently from their siblings, the ones allowed to grow under full sun. Maureen gives two simple tips for success: peel them all the way from the bottom to the region right below the tips. And cook them gently but for a longer time. I was amazed at the difference these two little modifications brought to my culinary life.

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Now, back to Maureen’s book. So many dishes I want to cook from it, it’s not even funny…  Doesn’t “Flower Water Syrup” make you go in a dreamy daze? Many of her recipes are simple but join unexpected flavors, leaving you with that feeling of “why didn’t I think of that?” For instance, Warm Dates with Almonds and Lime Zest… I just know it will be an amazing recipe. Or… Tahini Avocado?  Za’atar Roasted Tomatoes? It all sounds perfect.  And to me, nothing is better than a great kibbeh, I love it. She shares her classic version of Baked Kibbeh, and one particular recipe I had a few times in Brazil and find spectacular: Yoghurt-Poached Kibbeh.  You may think it is strange, but trust me, it is the best kind. I guess I was lucky to grow up in São Paulo where we have many great Lebanese restaurants, some pretty close to the university where I studied. Still on the kibbeh front, Maureen offers several variations that were unknown to me: Fried Kibbeh with Mint Butter, Vegan Tomato Kibbeh, and Potato & Spinach Kibbeh. But I will tell you what will be my next recipe for sure: Whipped Hummus with Minced Lamb. One little tip she gives in that recipe is worth my weight in chickpeas. But I share no more. You will have to invite her book to join your collection, and that will be a very wise move. Go for it with a simple click here.

Maureen, thank you for allowing me to publish your recipe, and best of luck with your cookbook!

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TWO YEARS AGO: Fesenjan & The New Persian Kitchen

THREE YEARS AGO: Quinoa Salad with Roasted Beets

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