Mashed Potatoes with sauteed onions and greens

This is a great comfort food sort of a dish. It's easy to prepare and came in at under half an hour prep time, which is nice. I purposely left out "turnips" in the title because I thought I didn't like turnips, but it turns out that they blend very nicely into this dish and they were quite tasty. Deborah Madison says that this can also be a summer dish, especially when farmers markets have sweet little turnips with their greens. The dish uses the turnip greens, but I made it with chard since the turnips I bought didn't have the greens attached. She recommended broccoli rabe in place of the turnip greens, but I couldn't find those either. I think most any greens will do.

Here's how to get started

Peel 4 russet potatoes (about 2 pounds) and cut them into chunks. Peel 3/4 pound turnips (8 to 10 small ones or a few larger ones.) Put them in a pot, cover with cold water, add 2 t. salt and 1 thyme sprig. Bring to a boil and cook uncovered for 20 - 25 minutes.

While those are cooking, slice 2 onions and saute them in 1 T. butter plus 2 t. olive oil (or whatever combination you like.) Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until golden and tender - about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

While that is cooking, wash and trim the greens. Cook in boiling salted water until tender, about 8 minutes. Drain and add the greens to the pan with the onions.

When the potatoes and turnips are done, scoop them out of the pot into a bowl. Mix in 3 ounces of goat cheese and some butter to taste (I used 2 T.). Add salt and pepper to taste.

To serve, mound the mashed veggies on a platter, and smother it with the onions and greens.

Cost to Prepare

2 pounds potatoes - $1.00

3/4 pound turnips - $2.00

3 oz. goat cheese - $4.50

2 onions - $1.50

turnip greens - free if you buy them attached to the turnips OR

chard or other greens - $2.50

salt, pepper, butter, oil, 1 thyme sprig - negligible

TOTAL for 4 people - $11.50

I actually didn't use all the goat cheese, so that made the dish less expensive.

Curried Couscous Salad

I just got a big head of cauliflower in my CSA box. I'm planning to use half of it for Bollito Misto, which I will post soon, but I may try to use the other half for Curried Couscous Salad. I made this recipe awhile back and it was very tasty. I didn't leave myself enough time for it to chill in the refrigerator, so we just ate it warm. We liked it even better warm than we did chilled the next day, but both are really good. It features roasted cauliflower, along with couscous, dried fruits, fresh vegetables and herbs, and a tasty dressing.

Here's the link to the original recipe from Giada de Laurentis on the food network:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/curried-couscous-salad-recipe/index.html

Asparagus & Leeks on toast

We just finished our asparagus and leeks on toast dinner. It was simple, tasty, and easy to make. We will definitely have this one again. It's a great recipe for spring because asparagus is just coming into season and new skinny leaks will be available for the next few months.

Let's Get Started

• You begin by soaking the top 5 inches or so of your asparagus in water for a few minutes. I used about a pound for the two of us. Soaking loosens any dirt that may be in the tips and gills of the stalk. Rinse and set aside.
• Slice 2 skinny leeks into rounds and rinse well in water to get out any dirt. The rings will come apart and this is fine.
• Rinse a couple big handfuls of small spinach leaves. If you're using pre-washed, then just set it aside to use later. If you're using regular bunches of spinach, cut off the stems, rinse well and then soak in water for several minutes, then rinse again. It's really hard to get spinach all the way clean and nothing ruins a dish like having dirt in it.
• Chop one garlic clove. The recipe calls for 2 heads green garlic, which is much milder than regular garlic. One clove worked out great for us. Use more if you like.
• Melt 1 T. butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the leeks and garlic and stir to coat them with the butter. Let them cook for a minute or two. Add 1/2 cup white wine or water. I didn't have any white wine open, so I used water. Cook for about 3 minutes.
• Add the asparagus and another 1/2 cup water. Simmer for about 8 minutes until the asparagus is tender. You should end up with about 1/3 cup of liquid still in the pan.
• While that is cooking, toast 2 thick slices of good, rustic bread. We used sourdough from Nightingale Bakery. (SOOO good!) When the toast comes out of the toaster (or oven), cover it with thin slices of Italian fontina cheese or Gruyere.
• Add the couple handfuls of spinach and another tablespoon of butter. Stir until the spinach is wilted, about 1 minute. Add the juice from half a lemon. Taste for salt and pepper.
• Put one slice of toast with the cheese on each plate. Cut the toast in half. Cover with the vegetables and their juices.

Things I'd Do Differently Next Time

I only used the tips of the asparagus and saved the stems for another dish. I think next time I would cut the asparagus into smaller, bite-sized pieces and include the whole stalk of the asparagus (except the tough lower part, of course). I will definitely try this with white wine next time, although it was really terrific with just water. If I ever find green garlic at the farmers market or get some from my CSA, I will try it in this dish. I'm not really familiar with using green garlic, so this would be a great opportunity to try it.

Cost to Prepare

1 lb. asparagus - $3.00

2 leeks - $3.00 (1 pound)

1/4 pound baby spinach - $1.25

4 thin slices gruyere - $1.00

2 slices really good bread - $.75

2 T. butter (organic) - $.20

1/2 lemon - free from my tree outside

1 clove garlic, salt, pepper - negligible

TOTAL for 2 people - $9.20

This was just about the right amount for 2 people, but we were really full. You could make this as a side dish if you were eating some other protein source and it could easily feed 4 people.

Mushroom lovers rejoice

Tonight I made a recipe that I made a long time ago and it was fabulous again. This was a "what do I have in the fridge?" night and what I came up with was the sauteed mushrooms over croutons with an egg recipe that can be found here. This time I followed the instructions and left the egg to cook in the 400º oven for exactly 15 minutes. It was perfect. I served it with brussels sprouts and pistachios cooked in garlic butter. (I have George addicted to these now!)

I also tried making it in 2 oven-proof bowls this time, which cut down on dishes and the recipe was perfect for 2 people.

The combination of mushrooms, rosemary, red wine, croutons, and eggs is simply inspired. This dish is fast and easy and super tasty. A must try. I need to memorize this one so I can pull it together quickly any old time.

Portobello Sandwiches with mozzarella and greens

Oh wow, I will definitely be making this again. These open-faced sandwiches are good enough to serve to company. It took under half an hour and had a big flavor payoff. I think garlic mashed potatoes would be a nice accompaniment. Deborah recommends a pinot noir to go with this meal, but I think any red will do.

We had leftover hamburger buns that we needed to use up, so that's what we used for these sandwiches. The recipe calls for ciabbata or good crusty french bread, which would be fabulous.

Let's Get Started

Preheat the oven to 400º. You'll need one portobello mushroom per person. Using a damp paper towel, wipe off the cap of the mushroom. Remove the stem and the gills. The gills are those dark brown things inside the mushroom. A spoon works great to remove them. Drizzle the inside of the mushroom with olive oil and set on a baking dish. Chop 2 cloves of garlic together with a small handful of parsley leaves. Sprinkle the garlic-parsley mixture onto the inside of the mushroom (saving 1 t. of the mixture for later). Add salt and pepper and pop them in the oven for 8-10 minutes, until they are sizzling.

While they are cooking, wash and trim 1/3 pound greens. I used beet greens and curly kale. Any kind of braising greens will do. Heat 2 t. oil. Add the greens, the rest of the garlic-parsley mixture, a pinch of red pepper flakes and some salt. Saute the greens until they are tender. Taste for seasonings and doneness of the greens

Cut some fairly thick slices of fresh mozzarella. Put the mozzarella slices on top of the mushrooms, then layer the cooked greens on top of that. Bake for 5-7 minutes, until the cheese is melted. While that is baking, toast 1 thick slice of bread per person. Place the cooked mushrooms on top of the bread and serve.

Things I'd do differently next time

I just realized that the recipe called for 2 garlic cloves, a small handful of parsley, 1/3 pound of greens and 4 portobellos, but I only used 2 portobellos. If I were making this for 4 people, I think I'd increase the amount of garlic and parsley and greens, because those amounts worked perfectly for 2 portobellos.

I'd also try this with ciabatta or focaccia bread. It would also be wonderful with polenta or garlic mashed potatoes instead of the bread.

Cost to Prepare (for 2 people)

2 portobellos - $4.00

fresh mozzarella (4 slices) - $3.00

1/3 pound greens - $1.50 (organic)

2 slices bread - $.25

2 cloves garlic, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, olive oil - negligible

TOTAL - $8.75 for 2

Brown rice and mushroom "burgers"

One night while the kids were here visiting, we decided to have burgers for dinner. They made their own meat version, and I made these vegetarian patties for George and me. They are so much better than any veggie burger I've bought at the store. This recipe could also be formed into a loaf and sliced into sandwich shaped slices and frozen for future burger nights. This recipe is also used as the filling material for "Cabbage Parcels with Sweet-and-sour Sauce". I made that a couple nights later and was actually disappointed that I didn't have any more of the filling material left to just cook up and eat when I felt hungry. It's really yummy.

I made the recipe while up at Lake Tahoe, and I didn't have a food processor, so I just chopped it up after it was cooked. It didn't stick together in burgers very well. I'd like to try it again and see how much difference the food processor makes.

Ok, Let's Get Started

• You'll need to start out with 1 cup cooked brown rice. It's great to use leftover rice, but if you need to cook the rice, get it going first. Brown rice usually takes about 45 minutes to cook.
• Grate 1/2 cup cheddar cheese. Have 1/2 cup bread crumbs and 1 egg standing by for later.
• Chop an onion into fairly small dice. Have 1 t. dried sage leaves and 2 pinches of thyme standing by. (I used fresh sage and fresh thyme.)
• Heat 1 T. olive oil in a medium skillet. Add the onion and crumble the herbs on top. Cook over high heat stirring frequently, about 4 minutes.
• While that is cooking, chop 1/2 pound of mushrooms, 1/2 cup of cashews, and 1/2 cup of pecans.
• Add the mushrooms and nuts and cook, stirring frequently. The mushrooms will release their juices and then they will reabsorb back into the dish.
• Stir in 1 teaspoon tamari (or soy sauce if you don't have tamari). Season with 1/2 t. salt and pepper to taste.
• Transfer this mixture to a food processor. Add 1 cup cooked rice, 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese, 1 egg, and 1/2 cup bread crumbs.
• Pulse this mixture in the food processor until it resembles ground meat.
• Fry a dab in some olive oil to check the seasonings and correct them if needed.
• Fry up your veggie burgers by scooping 1/2 cup measures into a heated skillet coated with oil. Press down on the mixture with a spatula so that the patties are about 1/2 inch thick. Fry over medium heat until brown, 4 to 5 minutes, then turn and cook the second side.
• Serve with buns and burger fixings.

Things I'd Do Differently Next Time

I'd use a food processor to get the texture right. Even though I just chopped it all up really fine with a knife, it didn't alter the taste, and they were delicious. I'd make a whole batch of this and freeze the leftovers in pre-formed patties for later use. I might also try cooking the whole batch in a loaf pan, slicing it and freezing it to have individual patties that could be used for quick weeknight "burgers".

Cost to Prepare

1/2 cup brown rice (to make one cup cooked) - $.25

1 large onion - $.50

1 t. dried sage, 2 pinches dried thyme - negligible

1/2 pound mushrooms - $2.50 (for cremini in bulk)

1/2 cup cashews - $2.00

1/2 cup pecans - $1.50

tamari, salt, pepper - negligible

1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese - $1.00

1 egg - $.50 (less if you buy conventional eggs)

1/2 cup bread crumbs - $.25

TOTAL - $8.50

This made enough for 2 burgers, plus filling for the Sweet and Sour Cabbage Parcels which I made later. If you used this just for veggie burgers it would make about 6 or 7 of them.

Twice-baked goat cheese souffle

This is the same ingredients as the once-baked souffles, but with a slightly different method of cooking them. You can make them in advance, but preferably the same day you're going to eat them. Even though they fall after the first baking, they puff up and are gorgeous and delicious after the second baking.

First, heat the oven to 375º. Butter 4 (0r more) 1-cup ramekins, and coat them with bread crumbs. I used panko bread crumbs for some, and parmesan cheese for others. They all turned out fine. You will have extra batter, which can be put into a larger dish.

Put a kettle of water on to boil. You'll need it later to cook the souffles in a water bath.

Prepare the souffle batter. Slowly heat 1 1/2 cups milk with 2 onion slices, 1 thyme sprig, 1 bay leaf, 1 crushed garlic clove, and 1/2 t. salt. Turn off the heat when it nears boiling and let it steep. Separate 4 eggs, with egg whites in one bowl and yolks in a different bowl. Add the whites from 2 more eggs to your egg white bowl and discard the extra 2 yolks.

Melt 3 T. butter in a saucepan, stir in 3 T. flour and cook over low heat for 1 minute. Pour the heated milk into the saucepan through a strainer and whisk. Cook over low heat for a couple more minutes, then remove from the heat. Stir a little of the milk mixture into the 4 egg yolks. Whisk them and add them back into the sauce, whisking as you go. It will thicken right away. Stir in 5 ounces crumbled goat cheese. Taste for salt and season with pepper.

Whip the egg whites until they're nearly stiff. Fold them into the batter. Pour the batter into the prepared dishes, filling them nearly to the top. Put them in a baking pan and pour boiling water into the pan to come at least halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake them about 25 minutes until they are puffed and golden. Remove them from the oven and let them sit in the water bath for 10 minutes, then lift them out of the water. They will sink.

Remove them from the ramekins, and place them face up or face down in individual buttered gratin dishes or in a larger shallow dish to await their second baking. Refrigerate until you're ready to bake them again.

About 25 minutes before you want to eat, take the souffles out of the refrigerator and let them come to room temperature while the oven heats up. Heat the oven to 350º. Spoon a little heavy cream onto each one and let it run down the sides. Cover the top with grated parmesan. Bake for 20 minutes until the souffles have puffed up and browned on top. Lift them with a flexible spatula onto waiting, warmed plates.