Feta and Ricotta Cheese Skillet Pie

This dish is simple, fast and delicious. Add a salad or a bowl of soup and you've got a quick weeknight meal. I've made it several times now, but I'm finally getting around to blogging about it. The dish is handsome enough for company, especially if you have a cast iron skillet, which I don't. I think it is pretty enough for company even if you cook it in a plain dish. I usually cook it in a skillet that I can put in my oven. It is also high in protein, thanks to cheeses and eggs. It's so fast that you literally have to wait for your oven to warm up. It's also quite forgiving about the quantities. When I made it yesterday, I only had about 1/2 pound feta, and 2/3 pound ricotta, so I just used fewer eggs to get a consistency I thought would work.

Let's Get Started

Preheat the oven to 375º. Butter a 10" cast iron skillet or an earthenware baking dish.

In a bowl, mix 1/2 pound feta cheese and 1 pound ricotta cheese. You want some chunks left, so don't mix for too long. Stir in 4-6 eggs. Then add 1/4 cup flour and 3/4 cup milk. Season with salt and pepper, and 1 T. chopped dill.

Pour the batter into the buttered pan or dish. Crumble 1/4 pound feta over the top. Bake until golden, 35-40 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve.

Accidental Asparagus (a recipe of my own)

The other night I had asparagus in my fridge that I needed to cook. I melted some butter in a pan, threw in some sliced garlic, and sauteed the asparagus. At this point I would normally pour in some wine, turn down the heat, cover the pan and let the wine glaze the asparagus. However, I didn't have any white wine. The only thing I had in my fridge that seemed like it might work was tonic water. I decided to give it a go.

It was amazing. It gave a slightly sweet glaze to the asparagus. I added a touch of salt and pepper. George LOVED it. Hooray for experimenting!

Cabbage and leeks

We just got both cabbage and leeks in our CSA box, so I made "Cabbage and Leek Gratin" yet again. I never get tired of it. The mustard cream that you put on top is delicious. I swear, this time I had everything ready to go before the water boiled. You do have to cook it in the oven for 45 minutes, but that gave me time to clean the kitchen and practice piano while it was cooking. Here are the directions, in case you missed it the first time.

http://vegsuppers.blogspot.com/2010/02/cabbage-leek-gratin-with-mustard-cream.html

Winter Squash Green Curry

Oh my goodness, this is good. I only recently learned that the term "curry" just means a combination of spices. This combination of herbs and spices is all fresh (well, nearly) - no curry powder, no pre-prepared curry paste - you make your own. This is SOOO tasty and so worth the effort. I will absolutely be making this again. The recipe says it serves four, but my husband and I had it 3 times with some still left in the freezer. This makes it economical in addition to being super tasty.

This dish features, mushrooms, eggplant, tofu (though you could substitute chicken or some other form of meat), and of course, butternut squash. I used those long, skinny Asian eggplant for this dish. I found them at my local Asian market. They sometimes come in my CSA box, too. I'm sure any eggplant will do. I must admit that I am only beginning to get comfortable with eggplant, but it blended perfectly into this dish and I didn't even really know it was there. The real star of this dish is the homemade curry paste and the coconut milk. YUM!

Let's Get Started

Before you make your own super-fresh curry paste, you should start some rice cooking and prep your veggies. (I put a few slices of ginger into my rice, which turned out very nicely.)

Pour 1 and 1/2 cups boiling water over 8 dried shiitake mushrooms. (Dried shiitakes were ridiculously expensive, so I bought fresh since they happened to be there. I paid only $1.32 for 10 shiitakes. Since the recipe called for the soaking liquid later on, I decided to clean the mushrooms and then pour hot water over them to have some broth to use later in the recipe. It worked.) Quarter 2 long skinny eggplants (6 oz. each) and cut them into 1/2 inch dice. Sprinkle with salt and set them in a colander to drain. Peel 1 small butternut squash (1 1/4 pounds or so), scoop out and discard the seeds and inner pulp, and cut it into 3/4 inch chunks.

While the mushrooms are soaking and the eggplant is expelling water, you can get started on the curry paste. (I actually made this several hours in advance of preparing the rest of the meal, though it didn't actually take that long, especially with a food processor.) Just put all the following ingredients in a food processor and pulse until you have a smooth paste. Add extra lime juice or water to loosen up the mixture if necessary:

• 3 or 4 large garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
• 1 -2 inch knob of ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 3 stalks lemon grass, just the tender centers
• 3-4 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
• 2 shallots (1/3 cup), chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro (it's fine to include the stems in this)
• 1/2 t. pepper
• 1 t. ground cumin
• 2 t. ground coriander
• 1 t. salt
• zest and juice of one lime (Limes were really expensive and I had lemons on my tree, so I used those instead)

Once you have the curry paste prepared and waiting in the wings, remove the mushrooms from their soaking water, squeeze them out, and save the soaking water. Cut them into wide strips, discarding any tough stems. Rinse the eggplant and blot it dry.

Heat 1 T. oil (I used olive oil, but the recipe calls for peanut oil) in a wide skillet. Add the eggplant and turn it quickly in the oil to coat all pieces. Cook over medium-high heat just to brown the cut surface, 4 to 5 minutes. Open one can of coconut milk and have it standing by.

In a large dutch oven (big pot), heat 2 T. oil. Add the squash and cook over medium-high heat, turning every so often, until caramelized in places. After several minutes, add the eggplant, reduce the heat to medium. Pour in one can coconut milk, the mushroom soaking water, the mushrooms, and 2/3 of the curry paste. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until the squash is tender, by which time the sauce will have lost its color.

While that is cooking, drain one block of tofu and cut it into 1-inch cubes. Juice one lime and have 6-8 thai basil leaves standing by.

After the 15 minutes are up, add the tofu and basil leaves, then simmer until the tofu is heated through (about 5 minutes). Stir in the lime juice. Taste for salt. Just before serving, stir in the remaining curry paste and garnish with basil sprigs.

Serve over rice. Enjoy the poppin' fresh goodness of all the yummy green things in this curry!

Deborah recommends a spicy, dry Gewurztraminer to go with this dish. I say drink whatever wine you have in your wine rack.

Approximate cost to prepare

Curry paste

3-4 large garlic cloves - $.50

1 heaping T. chopped ginger - $.50

3 stalks lemon grass - $.75

3-4 jalapeno peppers - $1.00

2 shallots - $.50

1/2 c. cilantro (including stems) - $.25

zest and juice of 1 lime - $.50

salt, pepper, cumin, coriander - negligible

The rest of the stuff

2 small oblong eggplants - $2.00

8 dried shiitake mushrooms ($5.00 or so. I only paid $1.32 for fresh ones)

1 small butternut squash (came from my garden, but I'm guessing $2.00)

1 can coconut milk $1.30

1 block firm tofu - $1.50

6 thai basil leaves - $.25

another lime - $.50

olive or peanut oil - negligible

1 cup rice - $.50

TOTAL - $13.15 for 6 servings or so. You don't really need a side dish with this meal. It freezes well.

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.