Farro Salad with Tomatoes, Cucumbers, and Lemon Vinaigrette

I am currently traveling in Italy, where the grain "farro" can be found in abundance. I've seen farro in American grocery stores, especially health food stores. (In Sonoma County you can find it at Andy's and at Whole Foods.) Apparently it is a little different from spelt, but that can be substituted if necessary. I had a farro salad in a little cafe in Milan and decided to try making one at home. Mine is completely different than the one I had in the cafe, but it came out so tasty that I wanted to write it down before I forget.




Ingredients
1 1/4 c farro, uncooked
1-2 cucumbers, peeled and cubed
20 or so cherry tomatoes, cut in half or quarters
juice from 1/2 a lemon
lemon zest, (maybe 1 teaspoon)
fresh thyme
salt
olive oil (1/4 cup or more to taste)

Here's what you do
Cook the farro according to the package directions. (If I read the instructions in Italian correctly, it said to use 70 grams per person (about 1/3 cup). Rinse the farro in cold water and drain it. Put it in a pan and add half a liter of water for every 100 grams of farro. If you use 1 1/4 cups of farro, use 1.5 liters of water.  Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat and cook for 25-30 minutes. Add salt only in the last few minutes of cooking. Taste for doneness. Drain off any remaining water.)

Let the farro cool a little. Make the lemon vinaigrette by putting the thyme, lemon zest, a little salt, and the lemon juice in a bowl. Whisk in olive oil. Taste for balance.

Put the cucumbers and tomatoes in with the farro. Dress with the vinaigrette and toss to distribute evenly. Taste for salt and add pepper.

Notes
We ate it warm, which was delicious, but it would be good chilled as well. It could be served over lettuce leaves. I think it would also be delicious with good quality olives such as nicoise or kalamata. This would be great for a potluck or a picnic because it is good warm or cool and it can be kept unrefrigerated for awhile.

Savory Bread Pudding

This is a recipe from my dear friend, John Brosnan. I make this a couple times every winter. It is delicious and makes great leftovers. Perfect for a larger gathering because it serves 10-12 people.

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs. french bread, crusts removed, shredded
3 large onions, sliced
Butter, at least 1 stick
1 lb. crimini brown mushrooms
1 T. fresh thyme
2T. fresh parsley
1 head spinach
2+ cups Gruyere
2+ cups swiss, any kind
1 cup parmesan
2 cups whole milk
6 eggs
Cayenne
Garlic
Salt + Pepper
Cornmeal or crushed pecans (optional)

preparation

Shred bread into 13" x 9" pan. It should be filled to the top. Saute onions in 3 T. butter, over medium-high heat, 20 minutes. Keep stirring until browned. Set aside. In sauce pan, saute mushrooms with sliced garlic, 1 tsp. thyme, and 2 tsp. fresh parsley, for 15 minutes. Set aside and cool. Saute spinach in butter. Add chopped garlic + salt after cooked. Mix whole milk, eggs, 2 tsp. salt + pepper, remaining thyme, parsley, and 1 tsp. cayenne. Add cheeses. Mix all ingredients together, in 2 batches if necessary. Butter 13 x 9 pan and add crunchy texture like cornmeal or pecans, if desired. Put mixture in pan and sprinkle with extra cheese + herbs. Bake at 350˚ for 45 minutes (20 minutes with foil, 20+ mins. without). Let sit for 5 minutes before serving.

note

I often add pimentòn (smoked Spanish paprika) to this dish for a smoky flavor. You can also add sausage if you like.

Lasagne with zucchini, ricotta, and tomato sauce

I made this one all out of season, but it's a good one to have standing by when zucchini season hits in earnest. This is a great way to use your zucchini. I didn't think I'd like this lasagne very much, but it was really tasty. The nuts made a really terrific texture and flavor along with the zucchini and tomatoes. I took it to a potluck and everyone seemed to love it. As lasagnas go it was quite easy, especially since you use no-boil lasagne noodles. It does take 40 minutes to cook in the oven, but not too long to put together.

Let's Get Started

Preheat the oven to 350º. Oil a 9x12 pan, or two smaller pans. I usually use 2 smaller pans for just the two of us, and then we have a lasagna in the freezer for another night.

Make the tomato sauce. I used a 28 oz can of Muir Glen whole peeled tomatoes, and I felt that this didn't quite make enough sauce. The recipe called for fresh sauce, but it was the wrong season. Canned turned out REALLY tasty. You can use diced, crushed, or whole tomatoes.

To make tomato sauce from canned tomatoes, heat 1 T. olive oil in a skillet with 1 sliced garlic clove. When you smell the garlic, add the tomatoes with their juices and a good sized pinch of dried marjoram or oregano crushed between your fingers. (I used basil that I had dried myself. That worked well, too.) Cook over medium-high heat, smashing the tomatoes against the pan to break up the larger chunks. After 5 minutes or so (whenever it feels like it is a sauce), stir in 1 teaspoon tomato paste to deepen the flavor. Taste for salt and season with pepper.

To make tomato sauce from fresh tomatoes, put 2 1/2 pounds whole unpeeled tomatoes (plum types work best) in a heavy pan with 1 shallot or 1/2 small onion, finely diced, and 1 sliced garlic clove. Cover and cook over medium-high heat. The tomatoes will give up their juices pretty quickly, but keep an eye on them and add a smidge of water if the pan gets too dry. After about 20 minutes the tomatoes will have thoroughly broken down. Pass them through a food mill to get rid of the skins and seeds. (If you don't have a food mill then you should skin and seed the tomatoes first.) Return the pot to the stove and cook over low heat, stirring frequently until it is as thick as you want. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in 1 T. (or more) olive oil.

While the tomato sauce is cooking, stir a little salt and pepper into 1 pound ricotta cheese (preferably whole-milk ricotta.) If the ricotta is very densely textured, you can thin it with a little water.

Trim 2 1/2 pounds small zucchini, and cut in half lengthwise. Cut each half into diagonal slices as thinly as possible. Heat olive oil in a large skillet, add zucchini, and cook over medium-high, stirring frequently until it glistens and is tender - about 5 minutes.

Finely chop 1 cup of pine nuts or walnuts, or a mixture. Cut 1/2 pound fresh mozzarella into very small pieces (or grate it if you can do that without making it into a mush - I can't.) Grate 1 cup parmesan or pecorino cheese. Have no-boil lasagne noodles standing by.

You now have all the ingredients ready for your lasagna. First spread 1/2 cup of tomato sauce in the bottom of the prepared pan. Lay 3 no-boil lasagne noodles over the sauce. Cover with 1/3 of the ricotta, dot with 1/3 of the nuts, and cover with 1/3 of the zucchini. Season with salt and pepper, then cover with 1/2 cup tomato sauce, 1/4 of the mozzarella, and a sprinkling of parmesan. Add another layer of noodles and repeat the layering. Cover the final layer of pasta with the remaining tomato sauce, mozzarella and parmesan.

Tent the dish with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Let rest for a few minutes before slicing and serving.

Things I'd Do Differently Next Time - I'd like to try this with fresh tomatoes next time, especially when they are ripe at the same time as the zucchini.

Approximate Cost to Prepare

28 oz can tomato sauce - $2.00 - 4.00 OR

8 roma or plum tomatoes - $2.00 - $4.00

1 pound ricotta cheese - $4.00 for the good stuff

2 1/2 pounds small zucchini - $2.00 (free in the summer from your neighbors)

1 8-oz package no-boil lasagne - $2.00 (I didn't use the whole box, so maybe less)

1 c. finely chopped pine nuts or walnuts - pine nuts are much more expensive than walnuts, but I'm guessing $4.00 for a mixture

1/2 pound fresh mozzarella cheese - $2.50

1 c. freshly grated parmesan - $1.50

TOTAL for a big lasagna (6-8 people) - $19.00 (more or less depending on your ingredients)

Onion and Rosemary Tart

I served this dish at a potluck where it received rave reviews. I think its success is due in part to the use of sweet onions. This dish is quite easy, except for the hassle of making the pastry. I skipped a few steps and it turned out great. I'll tell you how I did it, and how it was supposed to be done.

I'm not exactly clear what makes something a tart rather than a quiche, but I think it may be the use of a tart pan which is shallow and has scalloped edges, such as the one shown in the picture. My tart pan has a removable bottom, so you can remove the sides of the pan and serve the tart with just the crust showing, which is much prettier than including the pan in your presentation.

To make a tart shell according to the recipe you have to make the dough, let it chill in the refrigerator for 15-30 minutes, roll it out and put it in the tart pan, freeze it for half an hour or more, pre-bake it, take it out of the oven and fill it with your filling, and then bake. If you started early in the day or made your shell ahead of time, that would be fine. I didn't have time for all that so I let it chill for about 5 minutes, didn't bother freezing it, and pre-baked it while preparing the filling. It turned out great and saved some time. You could also use a store-bought pie crust and save a lot of time, but increase your cost for the dish. The homemade crust uses half all-purpose flour, and half whole-wheat pastry flour, which makes it better for you than a store-bought crust. Even if you use store-bought, I think you would still need to pre-bake it so that it doesn't get soggy when you add the wet ingredients.

It may sound a little strange to make a quiche-like filling out of just onions and rosemary, but it is absolutely delicious and very simple.

To get started

• Prepare the tart shell: In a food processor, combine 1/2 cup all purpose flour, 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour, and 3/4 t. salt. Pulse just to combine. Add 5 T. cold butter, cut into small pieces. Pulse until the mixture resembles course meal. Add 3 T. sour cream. Pulse again. Add 1 T. ice water and pulse again. The mixture should be moist and crumbly. Turn the mixture out onto a board, gather it into a ball, then flatten it into a disk. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.

• While the dough is chilling, melt 2 teaspoons butter in a dutch oven or large skillet over medium heat. Quarter 4 small or 3 medium onions, and then slice them thinly crosswise. Add the onions to the butter, add a pinch of salt, stir and cover. Cook the onions until soft and pale golden, about half an hour, stirring occasionally.

• Mince 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary and set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 425º

• Flour a work surface. Roll out the dough into a 10 inch circle. Drape it over your rolling pin and settle it into the tart pan. (No need to grease the pan.) Using your fingers, shape the dough on the sides of the pan and try to make it uniformly about 1/4 inch thick. Remove any excess dough. Bake at 425 for about 20 minutes. When you take the pre-baked shell out of the oven, lower the heat to 350º.
• When the onions are soft, add the rosemary and several grinds of fresh pepper. Taste the onions, and add salt as needed. I also raised the heat a little and cooked the onions for an extra 5 or 10 minutes to cook off some of the liquid.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together 2 eggs and 1 cup fromage blanc. (This is a non-fat french cheese. It was ridiculously expensive at my store, so I used creme fraiche instead which was absolutely delicious.) Add a little salt and pepper.
• Pour the onions into the egg-cheese mixture. Combine and put in the prepared tart shell.
• Bake at 350º for 30 minutes.

I had some leftover onion filling mixture, so I put it in buttered ramekins and baked it along with the tart.

Cost to prepare tart shell

1/2 cup all purpose flour - $.40

1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour - $.50

5 T. butter - .40

3 T. sour cream - $.20

TOTAL - $1.50 (maybe less)

Cost to prepare filling

3 medium sweet onions - $1.50

fresh rosemary - free from your garden (steal some from a neighbor if you don't have any)

2 eggs - $.50

1 cup fromage blanc or creme fraiche - $4.00 (more for fromage blanc)

salt and pepper - negligible

TOTAL - $6.00

Total cost for dish - $6.85, Serves 6

A light, crisp Sauvignon Blanc would go nicely with this dish.

Baked Butternut Squash Risotto

It has been a wild couple of months for me. I spent most of the month of September in Arizona with my sister-in-law and her partner. Although I have been cooking a lot, I haven't been blogging so now it is time to catch up. There were several summer dishes I made while I was in Arizona and at home in California, and I will add them in as I have time. For now, I have switched to fall type suppers.

Tonight I made a recipe from the Martha Stewart Everyday Food magazine. It was a gorgeous fall risotto featuring butternut squash. It was fairly fast and easy, though I did get inspired to make my own vegetable stock earlier in the day. It was the best stock I have ever made, and fairly difficult to replicate, but I will tell you how I did it. I cut up an onion, about 8 stalks of celery, half a bag of baby carrots, 2 cloves of garlic, and 3 mushrooms. I sauteed them in some olive oil over high heat. I then added the trimmings (peels, ends, and seeds) from the butternut squash I was going to use for dinner. I added in some dried basil that was sitting in a basket near the stove, some seasoned pepper (Montreal Steak seasoning I think it was called) and let that brown a bit. I then dumped in about 3 quarts of water, and brought that to a boil. Since I didn't have any tomato paste, I was trying to think of what might make the stock taste a little richer. I looked in the refrigerator and decided to add in the leftover mushroom gravy from a couple nights ago. I added about 2 teaspoons of butter, just for good measure. I then let it simmer for about an hour. I tasted and added salt and pepper, and WOW. It was the best veggie stock I've ever made.

The RISOTTO:

I couldn't decide what kind of pan to use for the risotto, since I knew it was going to go on the stove top and then into the oven. The recipe called for a medium dutch oven, which I didn't have. I decided on a very large dutch oven which would be way too big. I'm glad I did because it turned out to be a fairly large dish and then I wasn't trying to cram everything in.

Since I had already peeled my butternut squash for the stock, I cut that into cubes and set it aside. I also washed 1 bunch of spinach and set that aside to add in later. The recipe called for kale, but I couldn't find kale in southern Arizona, so I settled on spinach as a replacement. The spinach worked fine, but I think kale would have a nice texture in this dish.

Also, before you begin cooking, preheat the oven to 400º. The stovetop cooking only takes about 15 minutes.

To make the risotto, I diced a small onion fairly fine, (you could also use a couple of shallots), and started sauteing that over high heat while I mined 2 garlic cloves. I added them along with a tablespoon of fresh thyme, and then cut up the butternut squash and set it aside. When the onions were soft and the garlic and thyme very fragrant, I added in 1 1/2 cups arborio rice. I let that cook about 3 minutes (until translucent) and then put in 1/2 cup white wine. I let that absorb into the rice (about 2 minutes). I then seasoned with salt and pepper, and added 4 cups veggie stock and the butternut squash. I brought that to a boil and then stirred in the washed spinach.

Then I put everything in the oven for 20 minutes. All the rice was tender and the liquid had been absorbed. The dish had these beautiful fall colors and flavors. It needed a little more salt and some parmesan cheese, but was a very rewarding, comforting, simple dish for a weeknight. And now I have LOTS more stock to get into some other dishes. I think I'll freeze some of it.

This dish was much easier than regular risotto and just as tasty. It would be good for a potluck because it would reheat fairly easily. The flavors in this are very mellow rather than big and bold. It doesn't have a real creamy sauce like some risotto, but you could stir in some freshly grated parmesan and a little hot water (or broth) at the end to make a creamy sauce for it.

Things I'd do differently next time:

I'd try using kale instead of spinach.

Approximate cost to prepare:

1 bunch spinach - $1.50

1 butternut squash (2-3 lbs) - $1.75

1 1/2 c. arborio rice - $.50

1/2 c. white wine - .50

4 cups stock - $3.25 (less if you make your own)

1 small onion - $.25

2 cloves garlic - $.15

1 T. fresh thyme (1 t. dried), olive oil, salt & pepper, a little parmesan for grating - negligible

TOTAL - $7.95 for 6- 8 servings. (Three of us ate it for supper, some having seconds, and we didn't even eat half of it.)

We had a fabulous little impromptu salad of finely shredded napa cabbage and finely diced red pepper dressed with raspberry vinaigrette. Yum.

Curried Couscous Salad (Giada deLaurentis)

This salad sounded delicious, so I decided to give it a try. Turns out, it IS really delicious! I thought it needed more dressing. After we ate dinner, I made another batch of the dressing and added it to the salad and I like it much better. The only cashews I had in my freezer were the chili lime kind from Trader Joe's and they provided a nice kick. That's a great substitution! Also, I forgot to add the cucumber (drat, since I have about 6 cucumbers in my fridge right now). It didn't have enough time to get really cold, so we'll have some tomorrow and see how we like it after the flavors have blended more.

Warning: This recipe makes enough for about 10 people. This would be perfect to take to a potluck. Very colorful, tasty, and interesting. This would also make a great Thanksgiving dish.

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

Chard and Onion Torta

This is an extremely tasty dish and not too difficult to make. It does have to bake for 30 minutes, but the prep time is about half an hour and then you can relax. The saffron in this dish really adds a lot of flavor. This is a great way to use the chard that is in season right now.

Start by preheating the oven to 350 and buttering a baking dish. Cut the crusts off 2 slices of bread and put the bread in a food processor to make bread crumbs. Press the crumbs into the buttered dish to make a crust for the torta. Set aside any extra crumbs.

Heat 2 T. butter in a skillet and add 1 large, thinly sliced onion. Crumble 2 pinches of saffrom threads over the onion. Cook until onion is very soft, about 15 minutes. Add a little water or wine to the pan to keep it from crisping, if needed.

Add 1/4 cup slivered basil leaves, 1 teaspoon thyme leaves (or 2 pinches dried thyme), and 2 big bunches of chard leaves that have been separated from the stems and cut into 1 inch pieces. Cook until the chard has wilted and is tender, about 7 minutes. While that's cooking, smash 2 garlic cloves in a mortar with a pinch of salt to make a paste. Add the garlic and some salt and pepper to taste to the onions and greens. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and stir in any extra bread crumbs. Add 1 cup grated gruyere cheese, 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan, 3 lightly beaten eggs, and 1 cup milk or light cream. Stir until just combined.

Pour the filling into the prepared dish, grate a little extra parmesan over the top, and bake until golden, about 30 minutes. Poke a knife in the top to make sure the eggs are set. Let rest a couple minutes before serving.

Approximate cost to prepare:

2 slices bread - $.60

1 large onion - $.40

1/4 cup slivered basil - $.50 (?)

2 bunches chard - $5.00

2 garlic cloves - $.40

1 cup gruyere - $2.00

1/4 cup parmesan - $.25

3 eggs - $1.50

1 cup milk - $.50

saffron - ??

mint, garlic, salt, oil - negligible

TOTAL - $11.00 for 4-6 people

Good potluck dish.

Potato Skillet Pie

This potato skillet pie is kind of a cross between mashed potatoes and a frittata. It's fast and easy to prepare, though it needs 45 minutes in the oven and 10 minutes to cool before serving. It's much prettier than I expected it would be for such a simple dish. This would be great to take to a potluck.

It is also yummy. We ate less than half of it in the first sitting and we enjoyed the leftovers for the next few days. It was even good for breakfast. It's a great dish to make on a winter evening (or a cold, rainy spring evening) when all you can find in your pantry is some potatoes, some eggs, some onions, and some butter. You could even do without the onions.

There are several variations suggested, and I chose to top mine with caramelized onions. You could also saute some artichokes and cook them in with the potato mixture. You could add any kind of cheese you like, or chop up some green garlic, simmer in a little water, and then add to the potato mixture before baking.

Begin by preheating the oven to 375. Put an oven-proof skillet (such as cast iron) in the oven with 1 tablespoon of butter until melted. Slosh it around the pan, then scatter 1/2 c. grated parmesan cheese over it to make a crust for the potatoes. (Bread crumbs would work instead of the parmesan.) Peel and cut 2 pounds of yukon gold potatoes into chunks. Put them in a big pan, cover with cold water, add a teaspoon of salt, and bring to a boil. Simmer until potatoes are soft - about 20 minutes.

While they're cooking, finely chop a couple cloves of garlic with 1/2 t. salt until a paste forms. Drain the potatoes, return them to the pot, add the garlic paste and 3 T. butter and mash the potatoes. Taste for salt and pepper, making sure the potatoes are highly seasoned. Stir in 4 eggs (lightly beaten), and 3 T. chopped sage. (I used dried sage, so I cut it back to 2 teaspoons or so.) When nicely mixed, transfer the whole mass to the skillet, smooth the top, and bake until golden - about 45 minutes. The edges should be dry and pulling away from the pan. Remove from oven and let stand 10 minutes or so. Run a knife around the edge of the pan and unmold onto a plate.

While it is cooking, you can chop 3-4 onions and fry them in some butter. Ten minutes should be enough time, but if you keep cooking them over low heat, they'll just get more and more sweet. I added a little sage to mine. Season with salt and pepper and spoon over the potato pie. I garnished with chopped parsley, which was a fresh and festive addition.

Things I'd do differently next time: I'd like to experiment with this one some more. I like the idea of the green garlic, if I can find it at the farmers market.