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Sunday, February 28, 2010

Winter Squash Lasagne with Sage, Walnuts & Black Kale

End of January sometime

I made this for a potluck a month ago and forgot to write about it. Everyone absolutely loved it. Lasagne usually takes quite a while to make, but this one wasn't too time consuming. This lasagne features a white sauce and is a little unusual because it is served over a bed of sauteed kale. (A little sign to that effect would be helpful at a potluck.) The combination of flavors was excellent. I used butternut squash that I had saved from my CSA subscription in the fall.

The recipe says this serves 6, but I think it was more like 8 or 10. The recommended wine is a Sonoma Zinfandel or a Chianti Classico. I had both and can confirm that they are indeed tasty with this.

Here's how to do it:

Combine 3 1/2 cups milk, 1 garlic clove, 1 slice onion, 1 bay leaf, and a couple parsley sprigs. Heat it up, but don't boil it. Turn off the heat and allow it to steep for 15 minutes or so.

Butter a 9x12 baking dish. I used a 10x13 and then didn't have enough ingredients to fill it. Go smaller and thicker, rather than larger. Preheat the oven to 375.

Peel and cube 1 large butternut squash. (You can buy peeled, cubed butternut squash to save time if you want.) Toast 1 cup walnuts or hazelnuts, and chop them. Chop 2 garlic cloves in with 20 sage leaves and 1/2 cup parsley. Dice one large onion. Heat some olive oil and sautee the onion and squash over high heat for about 15 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and keep cooking another 10 minutes or so. Add garlic-herb mixture and nuts. Season with salt & pepper and turn the heat to very low.

Melt 3 1/2 T. butter in a saucepan, and stir in 3 1/2 T. flour. Strain the warm milk into the butter-flour mixture, whisking as you go. (This is called a roux.) Cook and stir 15-20 minutes until thickened. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Grate 1 cup Gruyere, and 1 cup parmesan.

Spread a little sauce in the bottom of the baking pan. Put 3 or 4 no-boil lasagne noodles in the bottom. Layer with squash mixture, sauce, cheeses, and another layer of noodles. Repeat until all are used, ending with cheese. Bake for 30 minutes covered with foil. Remove foil and bake another 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let it rest while you cook the kale.

Remove kale leaves from their stems. Chop them. Heat oil in a skillet , add 2 chopped garlic cloves for a few seconds. Then add a pinch of red pepper flakes and the kale. Season with salt. Then add 2 cups water, lower the heat, cover and let it steam for 15 minutes or so. Taste it to make sure it's done.

Serve lasagne squares over the kale.

Approximate cost to prepare:
3 1/2 cups milk - $2.00
5 garlic cloves - $.25
1 large butternut squash - $2.50 (?)
20 sage leaves - $.50
1/2 c. parsley - $.20
1 large onion - $.25
1 cup walnuts - $2.00
3 1/2 T. butter - $.40
flour, oil, salt, pepper, pepper flakes - negligible
8 oz package no boil lasagne noodles - $2.00
1 cup gruyere - $2.00
1 cup parmesan - $1.50
3 bunches black kale - $7.50
TOTAL - $20.60 for 8-10 servings

Well worth the effort and cost for the incredible flavor and unusual kind of lasagne.

Coming up this week

My plan for the coming week is to make "Black Beans with Yellow Rice" and "Eggs Over Smoky Potatoes". I'm really looking forward to the yellow rice because it uses saffron, which I've never worked with before. The smoky potatoes uses pimenton, a smoked paprika that I love.

I'm also planning to make homemade worcestershire sauce so that I can leave out the anchovies and make a vegetarian version. I am continuing to enjoy homemade butter and homemade mustard. I'm on the hunt for quart size organic whipping cream to make butter with. I'm paying about $3.29 for a pint of organic whipping cream, which makes 1 cup of butter. That makes it about $6.60 a pound (but still worth it).

Are any of you cooking anything fabulous?

Red Sweet Potato Curry

While completely delicious, I made this a little too spicy. The recipe called for thai red curry and I just used the thai curry paste I happened to have in my refrigerator that was given to me by my friend Carla. I think it might be green curry. The combination of sweet potatoes, coconut milk, tofu, bok choy, and sweet scallions was fantastic. It didn't take as long as I thought it would, either - only about 45 minutes. I think this would make a nice dish to introduce people to tofu. There is so much flavor that they won't really focus on the fact that they are eating tofu.

Here's what you do:

Start some rice - 1 cup of rice to 2 cups of salted water.

Cut up one pound of sweet potatoes into bite sized pieces. The recipe didn't say to peel the sweet potatoes, so I took a chance and left the skins on. It worked out beautifully. If they're anything like regular potatoes, we probably got more vitamins by leaving the skins on. Steam the sweet potatoes over boiling water. This was supposed to take 20 minutes, but I think it was more like 15 minutes.

Heat one can coconut milk with one cup of water. Add 1-2 teaspoons red thai curry. I didn't measure very well. Next time I'll be more conservative. Chop 1/2 cup cilantro and add to coconut milk. When the sweet potatoes are done, add them to the coconut mixture. I kept this over very low heat.

Heat a little oil (recipe called for peanut oil, I used olive oil) and fry cubed tofu until the water is all cooked out of it and it becomes golden. Salt it and add soy sauce (mushroom soy sauce preferred, but I used regular soy sauce). Let all the tofu get glazed by the soy sauce and then dump it into the coconut milk mixture.

Slice 6 shallots into rounds. Saute them until sweet and golden. Meanwhile, simmer baby bok choy in salted water, just a few minutes.

Serve sweet potato curry over rice. Garnish with shallots, bok choy, cilantro and lime wedges. This is so delicious.

This meal doesn't need anything else with it. The recommended wine is a Pinot Gris from Alsace, but we didn't try that since we have given up alcohol for lent. I'll try it next time I make this dish.

Things I'd do differently next time: MEASURE the curry paste. Use only 1 or 1.5 teaspoons. Taste for salt before serving. (Duh. When am I going to learn this?)

Approximate cost to prepare:
1 cup rice - $.50 (?)
1 pound sweet potatoes - $1.00
1 can coconut milk - $1.80
2 tsp. curry paste - negligible
cilantro (1/2 bunch?) - $.25
1 carton tofu - $1.25
6 shallots - $1.50
4 baby bok choy - $2.25
1 lime - $.25
oil, salt, soy sauce - negligible
TOTAL - $8.80 for 4+ servings

By the way, this recipe checks 2 recipes off my list. I made basmati rice, which is in the basics section.

Saturday, February 27, 2010

Onion Frittata glazed with Sherry Vinegar

This frittata smells divine and tastes wonderful. It took me about 45 minute to make it, but that's mostly because the onions need to cook for half an hour. This is a lovely looking dish, so it would be nice for company or to take to a potluck. The leftovers were fantastic for breakfast, with a little hot sauce.

Slice 2 pounds of onions (about 3 large or 4 medium onions) about 1/4 inch thick. Saute them in olive oil for 30 minutes or so, until golden. While that is cooking, beat 6 eggs with 2 T. water. Chop 2 T. parsley, plus extra for garnish. Fix whatever else you will have with the meal - maybe a salad or some greens.

Preheat the broiler. When the onions are ready, add 1 T. sherry vinegar, some salt and a pinch of ground cloves to them. Pour the onions and the parsley into the eggs. Heat 1 1/2 T. butter in a skillet. Transfer the egg and onion mixture to the pan. Cover and cook over low heat for 8-10 minutes until the eggs are set. Put the pan in the oven under the broiler for a few minutes until the eggs are browned on top. Slide the frittata onto a plate. Add another 1 1/2 T. of butter to the pan. When it is sizzling, add 1 T. sherry vinegar. Mix together well, and the pour the glaze over the frittata. Garnish with chopped parsley. Mmmmm, yummy.

What I'd do differently next time: Cook the onions for a full 30 minutes. I cheated them a little and they were a little too crunchy. Use only 2 pans and one bowl. Somehow I ended up with 3 dirty pans and 3 dirty bowls. Not very efficient.

Approximate cost to prepare:
6 eggs - $2.50
2 pounds onions - $2.00
parsley - $.20
3 T. butter - $.25
oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, cloves - negligible
TOTAL $4.95 for 4 people! What a great deal and so delicious!

Spinach Quesadillas

Quick and easy to prepare, and packed with flavor. This is a great weeknight supper. It only took me 20 minutes to put the filling together and grate the cheese, plus another 10 minutes to make the Salsa Cruda with avocado. I highly recommend this for a weeknight supper.

It's probably best to start with the salsa cruda, although I did it at the end. This salsa cruda is just like pico de gallo, but with chunks of avocado added. Chop up 4 roma tomatoes, 1 small white onion (or whatever you've got), 1 jalapeno chile, and a handful of cilantro. Add the juice of one lime and a little salt. Stir in 1 cut-up avocado.

Start with one head of spinach, washed and with stems removed, roughly chopped. Dice a small onion and a green jalapeno chile. Saute the onion and jalapeno with a large pinch of Mexican oregano over medium heat. When the onion is translucent, add the spinach and saute a few more minutes. While that is cooking, chop 1/2 cup of cilantro. Add to the saute mixture and taste for salt.

Turn off the heat. Grate 1/3 cup of cheese. I used muenster and it turned out to be more like 1/2 - 2/3 cup for my 2 quesadillas. Using 2 skillets, heat one whole wheat tortilla in each one, and turn it over to warm the other side. Scatter cheese on the hot tortilla surface, then cover with the spinach mixture. Cover with another tortilla, then flip them over when they've gotten a little crisp. Slide the finished quesadilla onto a cutting board, cut into triangles, and serve with salsa cruda and sour cream.

If I'd thought of it, I would have served the rest of my green rice, which was in the freezer. I'll have to do that next time.

Things I'd do differently next time: Start with the salsa cruda and consider adding a side dish.

Approximate cost to prepare:
2 small onions - $.50
4 roma tomatoes - $1.75
2 jalapeno chiles - $.35
1 avocado - $.80
1 lime - $.25
1 head spinach - $1.30
cilantro - $.50
4 whole wheat tortillas -$1.70
1/2 cup cheese - $2.00
1/4 cup sour cream - $.40
olive oil and salt - negligible
TOTAL - $9.55 for 2 people

We ate almost all the quesadillas in one sitting, but it did provide lunch for me the next day, and we had leftover salsa cruda.

Monday, February 22, 2010

Progress Report

I just typed all the recipes from Vegetarian Suppers into my to-do list. There are 133 recipes total, and I've only cooked 14 of them. That means I have about 120 left to do. I have been trying to cook 2 per week on average, but I need to pick up the pace. I need to make approximately 12 recipes per month for the rest of the year, which is more like 3 per week.

I have been cooking other things, too, which I would like to continue to do. I'm thinking about adding a section called "Make Your Own Ingredients". What do you think?

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Cabbage & Leek Gratin with Mustard Cream

February 20, 2010

Although it appears I haven't been cooking from the "Vegetarian Suppers" cookbook, I actually have been, I'm just behind in my blogging.

This evening I made a recipe that I would never choose if it was on the menu at a restaurant, but after having made it, I am absolutely in love with this dish. It is wonderfully delicious, and easy to make. The prep time for the gratin was only about 20 minutes, plus about another 10 minutes for the mustard cream. You have to save some time for cooking in the oven, however. This would be a fantastic dish to take to a potluck, with a little sign for the mustard cream.

This dish begins by buttering a gratin dish, starting the oven (at 350), and putting a big pot of water on to boil. Then you cut up 1 1/2 pounds of cabbage. I used Napa cabbage (and Deborah recommended using savoy cabbage) which made the gratin turn out juicy and tender. I don't think regular cabbage would taste as good, but it might. You also cut up 3 leeks, just the white part and a little of the green. When the water boils, put in some salt and the cabbage and leeks for 5 minutes. Drain it in a colander and gently press out as much water as you can.

While the veggies are boiling, combine 1 cup milk, 1/3 cup sour cream, 3 eggs, 1/3 cup flour, and 3 T. dill. I used about twice that much fresh dill and it was super yummy. Put the veggies in with the egg mixture, season with salt, and pour into the gratin dish. Bake for 45 minutes.

For the mustard cream, finely dice a small shallot and put in 1 T. vinegar. The recipe calls for white wine, but I used sherry vinegar. Add a pinch of salt and let it sit for 5 minutes while you measure out 2/3 c. sour cream, and 1 T. mustard (any kind you like). Whisk that in and then taste for balance. I added a smidge of horseradish to give it a little kick.

Speaking of mustard, I used homemade mustard given to me by my friend, Carla. It is a sweet and hot mustard which I absolutely adore. She is going to give me the recipe and if it's ok with her, I will post it here. I've been caught eating it with a spoon straight out of the jar. It is absolutely FABulous!

Things I would do differently next time: Nothing

Approximate cost to prepare:
Napa cabbage - $1.75
3 leeks - $6.00 (organic)
1 cup milk - $.40
1/3 c. sour cream (org.) - .50
3 eggs - $1.25 (I buy fresh eggs from my local farm for $5.00 per dozen.)
dill - $.65
2/3 c. sour cream (org.) - $1.00
1 sm. shallot - $.25
flour, mustard, vinegar - negligible
TOTAL - $11.80 for 6 servings (the recipe says only 4 servings, but I think it's more like 6)

I served this with an apple, pecan, and spring mix salad with poppy seed dressing. Deborah recommends home cooked cannellini beans or braised carrots to go with this. The recommended wine is a pinot blanc from Alsace. I have given up alcohol for lent, so I'll have to try that next time around.

Buon appetito!

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Email from Deborah Madison!

Oh my god! Deborah Madison wrote back to me. I'm sure that in her home in New Mexico, she doesn't think of herself as a rock star, but she is most definitely a rock star in my world. She asked about my blog and how things were going. I let her know that I am loving cooking her food and encouraging all of you to buy her cookbooks, too.

By the way, she has a new book coming out called "Seasonal Fruit Desserts - From Orchard, Farm and Garden." I do have a birthday coming up.... Hmmm...

Since we have an apple orchard on our property, maybe I will try some apple desserts. We also subscribe to a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farm and I get fruit from there as well. I'll recommend some of her recipes to other farm supporters. If you don't yet belong to a CSA, you should get hooked up. For only about $20 per week you get a whole bunch of fresh veggies (and sometimes fruit, eggs, and flowers, depending on your farm). Everything is organic and very fresh and extremely good for you. I highly recommend it.

Here is a link to Deborah's website (http://www.deborahmadison.com/). She is a much more experienced food writer and blogger than I am, so enjoy her expertise. And be sure to check back in here, too, and leave comments. I love knowing someone is reading this.

Vegetarian Chili

Super Bowl Sunday, February 7, 2010

This is the recipe I make to feed a Super Bowl crowd every year, but this year it turned out particularly delicious.

Ingredients

2 cups black or red beans, or a combination, sorted and soaked (4-6 hours or overnight in the fridge)
4 t. cumin seeds
2 t. dried oregano
3 onions, finely diced
3 T. oil
5 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
4 t. sweet paprika
2 T. chili powder
1-2 green peppers
1 red pepper
1 large or 2 small mild chile peppers, chopped
1/2 pound mushrooms, quartered or whole
2 large tomatoes, chopped, juice reserved
15 oz. can tomatoes, organic if possible
1 sm. can tomato paste
1/4 c. chopped cilantro, plus some for garnish
dash red wine vinegar (optional)
Garnishes: sour cream, plain yogurt, roasted chiles, cilantro, cheese (smoked cheddar was a big hit)

Preparation Instructions
1. Drain beans. Put in pot with fresh water to cover by 4 inches. Boil 5-10 minutes. Lower heat and simmer partially covered.
2. Toast cumin seeds in dry skillet over medium heat. When fragrant, add oregano, shake pan and turn off heat. When cool, grind to a powder.
3. Saute onions in oil 5 minutes. Add green & red peppers. Saute another 5 min. Add garlic, 2 t. salt, cumin mixture, paprika, and chili powder. Lower heat and cook until onions are soft.
4. Add fresh tomatoes (with their juice), canned tomatoes, chopped chile peppers, and the cilantro. Simmer for 15 minutes, then add this mixture to the beans. Cook 30 minutes.
5. Add tomato paste and mushrooms. Cook another 15 minutes.
6. Check for salt. If too acidic, add 1-2 T. sugar. Add vinegar to bring flavors to life. Garnish as desired. (This can continue to simmer on very low heat for a couple hours.)

Note: During cooking, make sure water level stays on inch or two aboe the beans. Adjust spiciness by adding or subtracting paprika, chile powder, fresh chiles, and garlic.

Super Bowl Food

2/7/10

I know it seems like I haven't been cooking, but I have! I just haven't been keeping up with writing. I've made a half dozen things I haven't written about yet, but I'm trying to catch up.

Although the super bowl party menu wasn't from the cookbook, I still think it's worth writing about. My contributions to the party included vegetarian chili, caesar salad, guacamole, corn cake, homemade butter, cinnamon chocolate fudge, and magic cookie bars. The homemade butter pretty much stole the show, although I thought this was the best year yet for vegetarian chili.

I started on Super Bowl morning with the desserts.

The recipe for Cinnamon Chocolate Fudge (with kosher salt on top, YUM) came from Giada De Laurentis and can be found here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/cinnamon-chocolate-fudge-recipe/index.html

The recipe for Magic Cookie Bars which are butterscotch, coconut, nuts, and graham cracker crust, comes from the side of the sweetened condensed milk can and has been a family favorite for many years. Here's how you do it:

Preheat oven to 350. Butter a glass baking dish (9x13 or any size you want). Pour in half a cube of melted butter. Add about 1 cup graham cracker crumbs. Mix with the butter and press into the bottom of the pan. Pour half a can sweetened condensed milk over the graham cracker mixture to get it to set. Add 1 bag butterscotch chips. (This is also super yummy with chocolate chips. Sometimes, I do half a bag of butterscotch on one side, and half a bag of chocolate chips on the other side.) Layer on 1/2 to 2/3 cup chopped nuts. Then add a layer of flaked, sweetened coconut. Pour the remaining sweetened condensed milk over the top. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown. ADDICTIVE!

Then I started the chili. Here's a link to the recipe.

I then started the guacamole. I cheated a bit on this one, but it was delicious and worth it. I cut up a couple tomatoes, half a white onion, a big handful of cilantro, a garlic clove, and added the juice of one lime, along with some salt. I added this mixture (also known as pico de gallo) to some commercial guacamole, which appeared to be just avocado and spices. I tasted for salt and other seasonings, and it was fabulous. You could just mash up some avocado and add garlic powder and salt.

The star of the evening was homemade butter, which I doctored up a couple ways. (Thanks to my friend, Carla, for the inspiration for this.) First I took 1 pint of organic whipping cream and I whipped it for about 10 minutes with an electric mixer. It first turns into whipped cream, but you just keep going. Eventually, it separates into curds and buttermilk. Once you have quite a bit of liquid buttermilk in the bowl, you pour the butter into cheesecloth in a colander, retaining the buttermilk in a bowl below. Press out as much of the liquid as you can and then tie up the cheesecloth with the butter in it. You can freeze the buttermilk for soups or baking. I just drank it. It isn't thick and tangy like commercial buttermilk. It's thin and tastes a lot like nonfat milk. I believe it gives you super powers, as well.

The fresh butter tastes far more creamy than commercial butter. The pint of cream makes about 1 cup of butter. I split this into thirds; to the first bunch I added lemon zest, fresh thyme, and a little lemon juice. The juice doesn't like to mix with the oiliness of the butter, but it added flavor anyway. I just poured off what didn't get mixed in. I also made a honey-lavender butter. The last batch I left plain. I served them with bread, and along side some zucchini bread brought by my friend, Pat. All of them were indescribably delicious. I am now a devotee of fresh butter. I think all the guests at the party are, too.

The corn cake (corn bread but way more moist) recipe came from AllRecipes.com. It was the best cornbread I have ever eaten and I will absolutely make it again. Here's the recipe link: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Sweet-Corn-Cake/Detail.aspx

The caesar salad was just romaine lettuce, parmesan cheese, and store-bought dressing and croutons. On another day, I will make the croutons and dressing from scratch, but today was more about the other things.

Then the only thing left to add was decorations (artfully contributed by Liana and David), a trivia game, some beer, and a big screen TV. The New Orleans Saints and the Indianapolis Colts provided the entertainment, and a GREAT game it was. Can't wait until next year.