Slaw and pesto zucchini

We were on our way to western PA to visit friends and always bring something to make in their cat-patrolled kitchen.  On our drive we picked out two dishes from the cookbook.  Our first choice was the slaw.  The ingredients were readily available in a small town grocery store.  I've never made slaw before and don't like the soupy creamy ones so this one sounded worth a try.   It was easy to make - I hand-chopped everything, mixed it up in this cat-approved bowl and it was ready to go!   It was a big hit.  I would definitely make it again.

The second item we decided to try was the zucchini ribbons.

This one was also good but maybe could be described as better than expected.  We originally thought the recipe called for cooked zucchini so we were apprehensive about the uncooked version.  It ended up being a great hit also but I did modify the recipe a bit (I think similar to an earlier post).  I thought the pesto was the best part (although I always think that pesto is the besto!).  I did add pepper to the pesto and probably doubled the amount of Parmesan.  Peeling the zucchini was relatively easy with a Y-peeler that our friends had, although I'd say to be extra careful with cutting the zucchini this way (Bruce).  The leaf-shaped spoons were perfect for scooping.

Overall I'd say we were 2 for 2 on our smitten kitchen cookbook choices!

Dan

potato fritatta with feta and scallions p.39

Bruce made this delicious fritatta the other night for dinner. He started with a mise en place of the key ingredients. This is not a vegetarian dish, as we had to first fry up the bacon. As the cookbook suggests, we used a really good, thick cut bacon cut into match sticks. It was tasty.

This was all done first on the stove in the cast iron skillet. After the potatoes were done, the whole recipe was assembled in the skillet and then finished in the oven. We both thought the potatoes being started in the oven, rather than slowing the cooking process of the fritatta, was a good one. They were moist and delicious in the dish, particularly since they had crispy tops from the oven baking even if they were not on the top of the dish. Bruce did modify the recipe, using none of the added oil and half the bacon grease. Probably it would benefitted from some of the olive oil. From a flavor perspective, while the bacon was good, Kathy thought that adding olives would provide some additional dimension to the dish. Also, the scallions did not at all overpower the dish and were quite delicious. Probably just the right amount.

Turkey Meatballs (p. 167) and Salted Brown Butter Crispy Treats (p. 201)

Ladies' night dinner at Jody's.  The menu was salad, spaghetti with turkey meatballs, and Rice Krispie squares for dessert.
I altered the meatball recipe a little since I wanted them to go with spaghetti. 

I mainly changed the spices, and didn't add the sesame seeds.  Instead I use some fresh basil, a bit of celery seed, and some cayenne.  It felt weird to add water to the mix, but I did it.  You then fry them in a skillet to get some texture on the outside, then bake them to finish.  When I pulled them out of the oven I cut one in half to be sure they were done.  It smelled so good I had to taste it.  And then I ate the whole thing!  They were a big hit with the ladies, too.  I will definitely be making these again.  I suppose I should try the more Moroccan version as well.

Dessert was a hit too.  The recipe is described as the classic recipe, just with a bit more (double) the butter, and browned.  You use unsalted butter but add just 1/4 tsp. of salt.  I really liked them - nice texture, great slightly caramel flavor, and just a little hit of salt at the end that makes them totally craveable.  They also seem to be holding up well - not get all dry and crunchy like regular RK treats.  Super quick and easy to make, and very tasty.
Okay, that's three in a row from Jody.  The ball is in your courts!

Wild Rice Gratin with Kale, Caramelized Onions, and Baby Swiss

I was looking for something to make, and I had some wild rice on hand, so I went with this dish. 
There's some low maintenance but time consuming steps in this recipe, namely cooking the wild rice and caramelizing the onions.  Cooking real wild rice takes about an hour.  Then there's the onions, and chopping the kale.  But kale is pretty, right? 

 Confession: this is the first time I've ever bought kale. It's cheap!  94 cents for a giant bundle.  So you combine the cooked rice with the cooked down onions and kale.  Toss in some shredded swiss cheese. Then top with more shredded cheese and bread crumbs and bake.   
Ooh, pretty browning.  Yes, of course, you put some butter in with the bread crumbs. 
So, how was it?  Interesting.  Good.  I'd say it's not really a main course, even though it's in the vegetarian main course section.  But it's a really nice side.  If this was a Minnesota recipe there'd be a can of cream of mushroom soup and a cup of sour cream or something in there and it would be heavy and gloppy.  This way it's actually really nice and light.  An adjustment for me, but I prefer it.  It would be good with chicken. 

roasted eggplant with yogurt-tahini sauce and cumin-crisped chickpeas, p.146

"This is an interesting dish,"  says Kathy as she came home late from a church meeting to eat our newest venture into the cookbook. 

A week ago, Ginger bought the ingredients for this dish and we never got around to making it while she was here. She has returned to Ohio for a few weeks. This morning before she left, she roasted a pork roast for us to eat. So, we sliced that up and ate it with our eggplant. It was delicious!

Back to the eggplant. The recipe was pretty straightforward. I made the chickpeas as suggested. They are yummy and I would eat them as a snack (and have been all night!).

We had two regular eggplant (too large for the recipe, so I sliced them in thirds) and three skinny Japanese eggplant. I thought the bigger eggplant would take longer, so I baked them alone for 15 minutes first, then added the smaller eggplant. At the end of the baking time (45 minutes for the large and 30 minutes for the small), I thought they still lacked color, so I broiled them for a couple of minutes on the top side. 

I made the sauce as suggested, but wasn't careful with the lemon and it has been suggested by the diners (not me!) that it was too lemony and covered up the eggplant taste. Vaden would like to taste the eggplant more and the sauce was potent. Maybe less sauce or less lemon would help that. 

You can see it was a pretty dish to serve. I don't think I would want it as my only main dish, but as a side dish it was great. If I served it as a main, I would likely include rice and a salad or two (eggplants call for tomatoes, so a fresh tomato salad would be great with this dish).

Peach and Sour Cream Pancakes (p. 5)

A friend of mine from work gave us some very nice peaches and so I decided to make these pancakes.  Putting the batter together was straightforward.

Cutting the peaches very thinly was not. Mine ended up about 1/4 of an inch thick rather than the suggested 1/8 of an inch (I got 8 slices out of one peach).  Cooking them was also a bit tricky.  Mine took about 10 minutes on the peach side (rather than the suggested 5).  M said that while she really liked the final taste, the texture left much to be desired.  She suggested that I cook them on one side, flip them and then add the peach to the top and then finally flip them again to caramelize the peach - guaranteeing that the pancake is done on both sides.  As it was, the peach did not really "melt into the pancake" as promised, so perhaps this would not be much of a compromise. 

M's other comment was that as the pancakes have a bit of sweetness to them, you should go light on the maple syrup.  Overall, I liked them quite a bit and I'll definitely make them again!

tomato scallion shortcakes with whipped goat cheese (take 2)

made by Bruce and Ginger

Inspired by Elyn's post, we decided to try the scallion biscuits too. We served the biscuits as a side dish to salmon patties and white beans with rosemary and olive oli. Ginger whipped up a remoulade for good measure for the salmon. 

What did we change? Following Elyn's advice, we tried to make more topping. So, we doubled the cream but did not have double the cheese. Kathy, unaware of this, commented that she wished the topping was cheesier. So, that was not exactly a complete success.

Other than that we followed the recipe as is. All week long Bruce thought the recipe was "chive" biscuits, and we might try this next time. The drizzled tomatoes were good, and made the bottom of the biscuit a bit soft; three of four diners thought that was good. Finally, the dressing on the tomatoes could be amped up with a little dijon mustard and garlic.

mmmmm. Lovely!  One last thing. A little milk brushed on the tops of the biscuits would aid in browning. 

big cluster maple granola pg. 26

Last night, I found myself alone in the kitchen at 9:30pm. Bruce & Kathy were exhausted from their day working at the house, cleaning, cleaning, cleaning and carrying belongings from one place to another to arrange in their lovely new space. And since it was a faux Sunday night, Vaden went up early, too. Ummm, what should I do? Wondering, I turned to the SmitKit book and the granola recipe leaped out at me. I do love granola and have been making it for years. This recipe is remarkably similar to mine, which I have tinkered with and gotten pretty close to perfect, according to my family and fans. <smile> Sometimes I even give it for Christmas gifts.

All ready, assemble, pretty easy. As you can see, I used almonds and pumpkin seeds instead of walnuts (because someone would have to rush me to the hospital if I ate any - my throat swells closed and makes it v difficult to breathe) and coconut.

Here it is on the pan before going into the oven.

After 25 minutes, I attempted to turn over without disturbing chunks. Notice use of the word "attempted" as most chunks were disturbed. But I don't think they were annoyed.

And after another 20 minutes, I took it out of the oven.

Vaden followed her nose downstairs just as it was coming out of the oven and had a bowl of warm granola with (gasp) a little half and half. She said it was good but didn't think it was crunchy. I waited til it was cooler for my bowl and it is definitely crunchier than what I usually make. The egg white made all the difference, I think. The astounding thing to me was the small amount of oil - 2T - compared to what I usually use - 1/3 cup, which I didn't think was much. I'd say this recipe is a keeper!

fingerlings vinaigrette with sieved eggs and pickled celery pg. 59

Before I begin with the recipe, I have multiple confessions to make: 1. This recipe was prepared on 8/27. I was having difficulty transferring photos from my phone to PC, but I got it now and 2. I didn't have fingerlings so we substituted new brown potatoes that I picked up from the farmer's market.

You might have noticed that I used "we" in the preceding sentence. When I picked Jonah (10) up from school, I told him that he could help with a project. He was interested when I told him it was a cooking project for a blog...and when I showed him the blog, he was very excited! So, for the recipe -

First, Jonah pickled the celery. He was willing to do this and taste it along the way even though he admitted that he doesn't like celery.

With the celery pickling in the fridge, we scrubbed the potatoes, taking a bit of the skin off as we went and put them in a pot to boil.

Jonah carefully measured the vinaigrette ingredients.

We drained the potatoes, mashed them a little & drizzled the vinaigrette over the top while they were still warm. I think this is essential because the warm spuds absorb the flavors ever so much better than if they were chilly. Jonah sieved the eggs (he learned a few new words and how to spell them and use them in a sentence...I love learning as a by-product of doing.) Each potato got a careful topping of egg. He finished by sprinkling on the pickled celery. Neither of us was crazy about the pickled celery so we agreed to only put it on half. 

Then I spied a leek in daughter Mary Beth's kitchen. Jonah and I concluded that a little leek browned in a little butter would enhance the looks and the taste. Jonah served the dish to his family (Mary Beth, Steven & Paige (12) for dinner. 

OK, folks, 'fess up, how did you like it?

Corn Risotto Stuffed Poblanos

I took a trip to the farmer's market and bought the ingredients for this dish - specifically the poblanos, the cilantro, and the fresh sweet corn. (I am a fan of the Oxford comma.  How about you?)  A trip to Trader Joe's rounded out the supplies. 
This is a kind of two-part recipe.  You make the risotto, then you add some cheese and stuff it into the peppers.  Deb said that I didn't have to char and de-skin the peppers if I didn't want to, and I didn't want to.  I used hard cider instead of beer, since that's what I had on hand. 


The risotto took about 45 minutes from start to finish.  I wasn't crazy vigilant about stirring, just let it simmer and stirred when I added more broth.  It turned out well, great texture and not too soupy. 

You then stuff the risotto into the peppers sprinkle on a bit of cheese (I used feta) and then bake.  I had more risotto than would fit in the peppers, but that isn't really a problem.  I baked for about 20 minutes since I hadn't charred the peppers beforehand. Seemed to be about the right length of time. You then drizzle with a thinned sour cream and sprinkle on cilantro. 

So, how was it?  Good.  It was good.  The peppers have nice flavor and aren't too spicy.  The rice is nice.  Guilty confession: if I make this again, which I may, I'll add more cheese to the risotto.  Because dairy is my jam.  

Happy Labor Day!

Seared Halibut and Gazpacho Salsa with Tomato Vinaigrette (p. 159)

Sunday is fish for dinner night.  M picked out this recipe.  I halved the recipe and bought a little over 2/3rds of a pound of halibut for the two of us.  I used 1 tomato, 1 pepper (red, but yellow would have been prettier), 1/4 of the English cucumber and 1/4 of the sweet onion.  I did buy the Sherry vinegar for the dressing and I used grape tomatoes rather than 1 medium tomato.

Cooking the fish was straightforward.  I used a very large saute pan.  The fish had skin on one side, which I removed after it cooked.  I then briefly seared that side again. M and I both loved the halibut, but we thought that there was too much gazpacho salsa.  I think if I were to do it again, I would dice the vegetables more finely.   Not sure we'll make this again, but we'll definitely buy more halibut!

Wild Mushroom Tart (p.95)

Last Saturday we had company (relatives of M).  I decided to use our guests as guinea pigs and make this tart for the first time.  I find that tarts, like lasagnas, cannot be rushed and I usually leave at least 3 hours to make either.  I started this tart nice and early in the day.

 

The crust is a bit unusual.  First of all, there is a 1/4 cup of cornmeal.  Secondly, the author uses an egg to bind the crust, rather than the traditional 3-4 tbps of ice-cold water.  I made the crust in a food processor and as she suggests rolled out the dough between two sheets of plastic wrap (this has worked well in the past for other tarts that I make).  I was surprised that the dough went into the freezer (other recipes usually call for the frig).  I was also surprised that you were given the option of parbaking as this step is usually necessary to avoid a soggy crust.  I chose to parbake.  I did not have a round version of a removable-bottom tart pan, so I cooked and served it in my round ceramic quiche dish, which worked well.  I usually fold the extra crust back onto the rim, but next time I will do as she suggests and cut off the extra.  The crust is tasty, but a bit hard and not flaky, so making it thicker was not a good idea.

I used 1/2 pound each of cremini, shitake, and oyster mushrooms for the filling (Wegman's was out of chanterelles).  I picked the thyme from my neighbors yard.

I served the tart at room temperature.  The next day, I reheated it before having it for dinner and much preferred it warm.

Overall, I the tart is very tasty and I will certainly make it again, but I am holding back on my final judgement of the crust. 

Blueberry Cornmeal Butter Cake (p. 245)

Greetings from Minnesota. 

My sister makes a tasty dessert called Blueberry Dump Cake.  It's simple and delicious - basically, you use a cake mix, a stick of butter, and some blueberries.  This recipe is like a from scratch version of that.  And it was good!

The batter was gorgeous - so smooth and and thick and creamy and light.  Not sure if the picture does it justice.  I like that the recipe uses sour cream instead of buttermilk - whenever I buy buttermilk I use a half cup for whatever recipe I'm making and throw the rest away.  I did wait until the butter was room temp as suggested - I think that's quite important. 

You then make a quick little streusel topping to cover the batter.  I used convection to bake the cake, and ended up leaving it in for 45 minutes, which is 10 minutes longer than suggested.  I did not flip the cake out of the pan to cool - I'm not quite sure how that's supposed to work with the streusel topping.  But it was no problem to serve it right from the pan. 

 It was really good - great texture from the browned top and edges, and from the cornmeal.  And you can taste the tiny bit of lemon zest.  This would also work for a brunch.  I will be making this again!

zucchini ribbons with almond pesto (pg. 57)

Cooking for one - well, first I should explain that I am in Ohio at our lake house enjoying late-summer produce and early-school grandchild activities like soccer and cross-county and football - if a grand plays it, I watch it. Vaden is in VA at our house with Bruce & Kathy who are living there while their fabulous reno is going on. So - back to cooking for one...it's boring...and eating alone - worse. I wanted something small and uncomplicated and settled on this zucchini recipe since I picked up 3 zucchinis for a dollar at Hurley Farms - wonderful produce market here at the lake.

I assembled all the ingredients and got out the food processor. I don't normally use this manic device without Vaden in attendance. But - courageously I proceeded as the recipe directed: pulsing toasty almonds, Parmesan, garlic, red pepper and then adding the salt, lemon juice & evoo. Ummm - tasting - ummm more lemon juice - tasting - more salt...still too bland - bigger pinch of red pepper flakes - better. This was a little too thick to actually swirl in the bowl - meant to take a picture here but I forgot. OK - the dressing is in the bowl.

Now for the zucchini; making the ribbons is actually easy (I admit to having done it before) and I recommend going once all around the zucchini to shave off most of the skin. I used 3 medium zucs and produced enough ribbons with a lot of poor zuc remains.

With my hands (as Deb suggests) I tossed the dressing and the ribbons. Tasting - ummm - needs something more, added Parmesan flakes and a grinding of black pepper - better. But I'm here to tell you, dear friends, that I doubt I'll make this again. Just not enough there there for me.

PS - If you want to know what it's like at the lake...here's Vaden and me out for a row.

Tomato Scallion Shortcakes with Whipped Goat Cheese (p. 65)

For our second recipe, I made a recipe that caught M's eye.  Once again, it was delicious and I'm inclined to agree with Vaden that a thesaurus will soon be in order. 

I used a pastry blender rather than my fingers to cut in the butter (keeps the butter cooler).  This is a departure from my usual choice of a food processor, but given that the milk was going to need to be mixed in by hand, it seems like the wiser choice.

A pint glass was perfect for forming the biscuits.

I used my mixer to whip the cream, but I would suggest going with 1/4 cup of whipping cream rather than the 3 tbps given in the recipe as that is almost too little of an amount to whip.  Also, if you are going to serve more than two of you, I would recommend doubling the whipped goat's cheese topping, you don't want to skimp on it.  I served the shortcakes with a salad and it was a very satisfying dinner (although we did have two of them each).

Eggplant and Three Cheese Calzone (p. 111)

For our first recipe from the book, I choose to make the calzone.  M and I both loved it!  We nearly finished it off that night and it was gone by lunch the next day.

I used my mother's pizza dough recipe taken from Cuisine at Home (thanks mom!):

 Preheat 450

3/4 cup lukewarm water
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups King Arthur unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 teaspoon baking powder

Mix and knead all of the ingredients to make a smooth, pliable dough. Cover the dough and let it rise at room temperature for 30 minutes, or in the refrigerator for 4 hours or overnight.

Roll the dough into a 12" circle. Transfer the crust to a piece of parchment (if you're baking on a stone), or a lightly oiled pizza pan, and let it rest for about 20 minutes.

Top the crust as desired, to avoid sogginess, saute any vegetables before using. Bake until the edges are crisp and the sauce or cheese is bubbling, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Over the years, I have modified the recipe as follows: I have been making a 2/3 version of the recipe: with 1/2 cup of water, 1/2 tsp of yeast, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1 1/2 cups of flour and roughly 2/3rds of the olive oil and baking powder. I use my KitchenAid mixer with the dough hook and I almost always opt for the let it rest for 30 minutes. I also pull it into a 12" circle rather than rolling it.

I baked the eggplant as directed, but as I have a convection oven, I could have taken 5 minutes off of the 30 minutes suggested.  I baked the calzone using parchment paper on a pizza stone for 17 minutes. Again, I tend to set my oven about 25 degrees less than the 425 that was suggested.

 

I was unsure of what the author meant by "strained tomatoes," so I used a 14 oz can of RedPack diced tomatoes which I eventually blended with a stick-blender.  I used the clove of garlic that was suggested and both M and I found it garlicky (not bad, just you'll have garlic breath for awhile).  I also did not add the extra salt.

For dessert, I have been doing a very easy "pie" of crushed graham crackers, fresh fruit and whipped cream (yes, I bought a can of whipping cream).

Overall,  very delicious meal!

harvest roast chicken with grapes, olives, and rosemary (p.175)

Bruce decided to try our first dish from the cookbook tonight. It was a resounding success. Who would have thought that grapes and olives were a good combo? This was an absolutely spectacular dish. (Note: Vaden has indicated that we may need to consult a thesauraus so as to not use the same superlatives over and over....). 

Bruce browned the chicken in two separate skillets simultaneously, and added the olives, grapes and shallots and tossed them both into the oven for 20 min. After 20 minutes, these were transferred to the ceramic serving dish pictured above that could be put back in the oven while he was reducing the sauce. 

We were served the dish with green beans and twice-baked potatoes. Vaden decided that the perfect proportion was one grape to one-half olive; we agreed. The chicken was really juicy, and the sweet-salty combination of the grapes and olives was really good.

We all thought it was interesting how the shallots melted in to the dish, and that even more would have been fine. We discussed possibly manipulating this dish to work with a white fish. Bruce thinks one could use a meaty white fish, without browning it, toss it in the oven with the grapes/shallots/olives for 20 minutes. Stay tuned.