Steak with Chimichurri Sauce

Recently I have developed an interest in South American cooking and cruising around the web I came across the term Chimichurri and was intrigued simply by the sound of the word. What a delightful surprise to learn that not only is this gorgeous green sauce easy to make but also bursting with flavors I love: parsley, cilantro, and garlic.

As I've noted in earlier posts, I use fresh green herbs as substitutes for lettuce in my green salads and flat leaf parsley ranks high on my list of favorite salad greens. So any condiment that calls for mashing parsley with other fresh herbs like cilantro or mint or oregano along with garlic is a sure-fire winner in my book. What I found so intriguing is that this condiment is traditionally used by Argentinians on steak. Although I'm not a huge fan of large hunks of meat, I do like the occasional steak and decided this was a good opportunity to try out this fragrant sauce.

Similar in look to basil pesto, Chimichurri has a little more bite to it since there is no cheese or nuts to temper the fresh garlic, and the splash of vinegar delivers a finishing kick. In my search on the web I noticed that recipes vary in their use of vinegar versus lemon juice as well as what type of fresh herbs. I've made it with and without fresh mint and it was good both ways.

Chimichurri is a very versatile sauce and I am enjoying it in cooked rice as well as spread on a piece of toast. My next experiment will be to stir it into some cooked white beans for a bean salad with some canned tuna mixed in. I also think that it would make an amazing salad dressing stirred into some mayonnaise or even a great dip mixed into some sour cream. The possibilities are endless!


Chimichurri Sauce

1 cup cilantro, packed
1 cup flat leaf parsley, packed
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2-3 green chilies, chopped (depending on type of chilie and desired heat)
1/3 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cumin, ground (for stronger flavor roast cumin seeds and then grind)

Pulse all ingredients in food processor. Adjust for salt and serve. Refrigerated, it seems to last at least a week. I have finished eating it all in that time so I don't know how long it would last. Unlike pesto, it doesn't lose its fresh green color!

Hugs!

Kale Chips - Melt in Your Mouth Deliciousness

It is hard to overstate how delicious these kale chips are, especially if you have a savory palate as I do. Which is not to say that the sweet tooths out there will not also love them; I have heard first hand accounts of similar rapture.

Kale chips may well be the new kettle corn or salty chocolate; I don't pretend to be an accurate predictor of food trends. But I will tell you that these are addictive and it they weren't so delicate, someone out there in fried chip land would be making a bundle off of them. Luckily, they are best (and easily!) made at home. Enjoy!

Kale Chips

1 bunch curly kale, washed, destemmed, torn into bite size pieces
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons garlic powder

Preheat oven to 375. Dry washed kale as much as possible, either in salad spinner or wrapped in dish towels: shake to get excess water out. Place in large mixing bowl and pour on olive oil and vinegar, salt and garlic powder (or any other spice you desire like cayenne or a mix of spices). Toss with your hands to ensure even coating. Spread kale on foil lined baking sheet in one layer. Cook for 10 minutes and then using tongs or fork turn over and cook for another 8-10 minutes, keeping eye on it so that it doesn't burn. Kale will first wilt and then crisp up. It is good hot or at room temperature. The amount of kale will shrink dramatically but do not overload the baking sheet as this will keep it from crisping up.

P.S. If you have a sweet palate, do not be tempted to forgo the vinegar, it really is critical to bringing out the sweet undertones of cooked kale!

Hugs!

Stuffed Portabello Mushrooms

During my decade and a half as a vegetarian, meat eaters were always trying to foist portabello mushrooms on me, telling me, "they're really meaty, you'll love them." As a result (and due to my willful nature) I eschewed eating them because I didn't need a meat substitute, thank you very much. Well, my stubbornness simply led to years lost when I could have been enjoying these delectable beauties.

As the blinders have slowly dropped from my eyes I'm finding all of the myths that I had constructed around portabello mushrooms are so false, namely that they're a) complicated to cook, b) expensive, and c) overhyped. I couldn't have been more wrong! So let this be my very public apology to the lovely funghus and a debunking of my own myths.

C) Definitely meets expectations. The other evening dining out I had some Portabello fries, essentially deep fried slices with a light batter and they were divine.

B) Great bargain. Thinking I could try and recreate the fried mushrooms from my evening out I bought two mushrooms and was surprised that at $2.99 per lb at Whole Foods I ended up with two very large mushrooms for only $2.

A) Stunningly easy to make. An unexpected dinner guest forced me to drop the fried mushroom plan and change to stuffed mushrooms. I whipped together a onion spinach stuffing in no time and from start to plate it was only 45 minutes, 25 of which was in the oven, leaving me plenty of time to make a couple of side dishes to round out a full dinner for three which included Brussel sprouts, boiled potatoes, kale chips and a green salad.

Lesson learned: don't let your stubbornness get in the way of great food!

Stuffed Portabello Mushrooms

2 portabello mushrooms
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
2 cups spinach loosely packed, washed and chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup bread crumbs, unseasoned
3 oz goat cheese
salt
pepper

Preheat oven to 375. Clean mushrooms. Remove stems and chop fine. In saute pan heat olive oil and add onion and cook 2-3 minutes until translucent. Add chopped mushroom stems and thyme and cook another 3 minutes. (When using dried herbs, always rub them between your fingers to help release the essential oil in them which heightens the flavor). Add spinach and stir into onion mushroom mixture until spinach completely wilts and then add balsamic vinegar to deglaze pan. Allow to cook another minute until all vinegar is evaporated. Remove from heat and place in a bowl with bread crumbs. Mix well and spoon onto mushroom caps, gills side up. Dot tops with goat cheese and bake for 20-30 minutes until caps are tender and cheese is browned. Serve immediately.

Hugs!

Sunchoke and Lima Bean Soup

Sunchokes or Jerusalem Artichokes, are actually the roots of a Sunflower, native to the Americas and cultivated by the indigenous peoples here long before Europeans arrived. I love the idea of eating something that someone discovered eons ago just because they realized that the roots (like the seeds) might taste good.

When you see sunchokes in the market it is easy to mistake them for ginger roots. Eaten raw, they are crunchy and slightly nutty. But once cooked, sunchokes definitely take on an artichoke flavor. After looking around at several recipes I decided to roast them with olive oil and rosemary and add them to some dried lima beans I had just soaked. It created a wonderfully creamy soup without using any dairy and still felt lusciously satisfying.

Sunchoke, Rosemary and Lima Bean Soup

1/2 sunchokes, cut into 2 inch pieces
1 tablespoon rosemary, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 onion, minced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cups lima beans (soaked, cooked) with at least 1 cup of their liquid
OR 2 cups frozen lima beans and 1 cup of water or vegetable stock
1 tablespoon fresh garlic, grated
1 teaspoon salt
pepper

Preheat oven to 400. Thoroughly clean sunchokes using a vegetable scrub brush to remove all dirt. Toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt and rosemary and bake for 30 minutes until tender. In sauce pan heat remaining olive oil and saute onion and garlic on low heat until soft, 3-5 minutes. Add grated ginger and pinch of salt and cook another 2 minutes. Add roasted sunchokes, beans and liquid. Add additional water in order to cover all. Bring to boil, reduce to simmer and add salt and pepper. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 3-5 minutes. Process half in blender, puree well and add back to soup. Serve immediately.

Hugs!

Check Out No Croutons Required

It's that time of the month again when No Croutons Required posts the entries for its contest of vegetarian salads and soups. Check it out for a diverse group of bloggers, salads and soups, all focusing on root vegetables. I submitted my Shredded Jicama Salad, an unexpected root recipe, but make sure you check out the others and vote for your favorite on the site, in either the comments section or via email.

Hugs!

Apple Crumble - Guest Post

I am always trying to recruit folks to be a guest blogger and I finally convinced someone to be the first. I hope you enjoy Christine's Apple Crumble, I know I did!

Hi everyone, I'm Christine and I have been living in Southern California for the past two years. And while I love the warmth and palm trees, I've been missing the fall of the East Coast and fresh apples in particular. This is my second attempt at making an upside down apple tart and I have to say that I think it turned out pretty well!

I tried to reduce the calories by using Truvia, a naturally derived sweetner from the stevia plant, but you're welcome to use regular sugar. Dusting the crumble with brown sugar before placing in the oven helped it have that caramelized look that makes it so inviting.



Apple Crumble

3 large apples, cored, cut in inch cubes
3-4 teaspoons cinnamon
2 packets of truvia (stevia derived sweetner) or 4 teaspoons sugar
1/4 cup walnuts
1/4 cup raisins
1/2 cup oat flour (or whole wheat works)
1/2 cup rolled oats
7 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon brown sugar

Preheat oven 375. Toss apples with cinnamon, sweetner or sugar and pour into oven-ready skillet. In separate bowl cut 5 tablespoons of butter into oat flour, rolled oats and salt until it resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle topping and brown sugar over apples and dab 3 tablespoons butter over top. Bake for 40 minutes or until topping is browned and crispy. Remove from oven and allow to rest 5 minutes. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Sweet and Savory Brussels Sprouts

Brussels Sprouts are the new kale; everyone loves crowing about how much they love them. Such new found adoration would be farcical except that I'm so happy that the little cabbages are getting some love that I crow along with the crowd!

Instead of steaming the sprouts lots of folks are sauteing them, which not only brings out their sweetness but also allows for the additions of apple or cured pork like bacon or pancetta. While I'm a huge fan of adding seasoned pork to cooked cabbage or greens, I decided to stay with a simpler dish and used the balsamic vinegar to augment the natural sweetness of the sprouts.

This is a quick and easy recipe that you can whip up in 10 minutes. By slicing the sprouts thinly, they cook up faster and have a nice crispy edge. Also, you are almost 100 percent guaranteed to avoid the charge of them being bitter when you use the splash of balsamic vinegar to deglaze the pan! Tossing in some nuts (almonds, pecans or pine nuts) would also make a great addition to this dish.

Sweet and Savory Brussels Sprouts

1/2 lb Brussels sprouts
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon salt

Trim ends of Sprouts and peel outer leaves. Slice into 1/4 inch slices. Heat pan on high heat and add olive oil. Add garlic and stir immediately. When you begin to smell garlic add sprouts and toss to coat with oil. Allow to cook on medium high heat for 3 minutes, then stir and cook another 3 minutes until some edges begin to brown. Add salt and cook another minute. Add balsamic vinegar and stir to coat. Cook another 3 minutes to allow edges to crisp. Serve hot or cold.

Hugs!

Chinese Style Kale with Sesame Salmon

Many new parents complain that they can't get their kids to eat anything green, no matter the preparation nor the vegetable. Let me tell you the story of my friend Elizabeth, raising a toddler and studying to be a nutritionist. When her daughter was little over a year old, she would steam kale and toss it with olive oil and salt and as an incentive for little Zoe to eat it, she would dance around the kitchen every time Zoe ate a piece of kale. Soon, the dances were unnecessary - Zoe had learned to love her greens!

Of course I'm sure little kids aren't the only people who need to be coaxed into eating their greens. While I have several standbys for how to eat my greens (kale or any slightly bitter greens pair really well with pancetta or bacon) I also love it with traditional Szechuewan flavorings such as ginger, garlic, soy sauce and sesame oil.

In this dish I really skipped over cultural boundaries to pair jicama with sesame salmon and stir fried kale to create a super delicious combination of spicy, crunchy and deeply green kale taste!

Chinese Style Kale with Sesame Salmon

1 bunch kale, destemmed, washed, dried, torn in pieces
5 large cloves garlic, chopped
2 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled, chopped in matchsticks
3 tablespoons safflower oil
1 portion Sesame Salmon
1/2 cup jicama, peeled, chopped in matchsticks
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar

Heat wok or large saute pan over high heat for 1 minute. Add oil and allow to heat until smoking. Add garlic and ginger to oil and toss continuously until beginning to brown. Add kale and toss continuously for 2-3 minutes until kale wilts. Remove from heat and place in large bowl. Toss with soy sauce, sesame oil, and rice wine vinegar. Add jicama and salmon and serve.

Hugs!

Sun Dried Tomato, Spinach and Shrimp Pizza

As I mentioned here I cooked for an Italian family style restaurant in my first job and every lunch break I ate pepperoni and black olive pizza. I did that for almost two years and I never tired of it. Nor have I tired of pizza. I find bread, red sauce and cheese to be one of the most perfect combinations ever created.

Yet, over the years I have slowly gained respect for thin crust pizzas (Mazzatta's pizza was typical Sicilian style, a thick crust). And more recently I have become a convert to pizza without the red sauce, which I never thought would happen. It turns out that a cheese pizza with the addition of vegetables and the key ingredient of goat cheese is a wonder all to itself.

This version uses Peter Rheinhart's perfect crust and having a couple bags of it in the freezer allows me to indulge my pizza cravings far to easily. This version was made with what I had on hand: a few cooked shrimp, some fresh spinach and oil cured sun dried tomatoes. Hard to go wrong with those toppings!

Sun Dried Tomato, Spinach and Shrimp Pizza

1 pre-made pizza dough
1/2 cup mozzarella, shredded
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
2 oz goat cheese, crumbled
2 cups fresh spinach, washed well and chopped
5-6 sun dried tomatoes, cut into strips
6-8 cooked shrimp
salt
pepper

Preheat oven to 450. On baking sheet, sprinkle coarse corn meal (or grease with olive oil.) Stretch dough as thin as possible without tearing. Sprinkle mozzarella, followed by parmesan cheese. Scatter shrimp and sun dried tomatoes, sprinkle goat crumbles around. Sprinkle freshly washed spinach with water still clinging to leaves. Bake until crust is browned and cheese begins to brown. Remove from oven and salt and pepper (the spinach appreciates it) allow to sit a minute. Cut and serve.

Hugs!

The Perfect Pantry - Peek into Mine!

In case you haven't found the wonderful food blog, The Perfect Pantry, be sure and check it out. Not only is Lydia a wonderful writer but she has a fun feature every Saturday called, "Other People's Pantrys" where she features photos from readers' pantries. Mine is featured today, so take a gander at what I've been cooking from!

Hugs!

Corn Chowder

Corn Chowder is one of those easy soups that can either remind you of cheap creamed corn or can easily be taken to gourmet heights with a few high quality ingredients.

As a student I would go the cheap route: frozen corn, skim milk, and some vegetables for a filling hearty vegetarian soup. After I began cooking professionally, and like most professionals, fell in love with high end ingredients, I learned to make a chowder that used cream, homemade stock and fresh corn. While both versions are good, the more gourmet style really tastes so much better that I can't go back.

I know that much of the colder northern hemisphere is way beyond fresh corn season and posting this recipe from southern California is somewhat unfair. But if you're sliding into the winter months and you happened to freeze some sweet corn from the summer, this would be the perfect time to bring back the taste of summer in a warming cup of soup!

Corn Chowder

3 ears corn, shucked
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1/4 bulb fennel, chopped
3-4 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
1/2 cup heavy cream
salt
pepper

In large stock pot bring enough water to boil to contain corn. Boil for 10 minutes until cooked. Drain all but 3 cups of boiling water and set aside. When corn is cool enough to handle, cut corn off cob. Place cobs back in cooking water and bring to boil and cook at least another 30 minutes. In smaller sauce pan, saute onion in olive oil until soft, about 5 minutes. Add celery and fennel and dried thyme if using and cook another 5 minutes. Pour corn cob stock into pot and add corn and fresh thyme if using. Bring to boil and then reduce heat. Simmer for 20 minutes or until celery and fennel are very soft. Remove thyme sprigs and turn off heat. Add salt and pepper to taste and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Stir in cream and serve.

Hugs!

Shredded Jicama Salad

Jicama is one another one of those strange looking vegetables whose ugliness I find oddly compelling. It looks like an overgrown nut, plain in color and yet intriguing. Its flavor is very distinctive yet subtle but the real draw is its crunchy texture which releases a fresh flavored juice that is totally unexpected.

Indigenous to Mexico, it is actually a root vegetable of a very large vine. While I have never seen it growing, I imagine it is one of those plants that can overtake a wall since it can grow up to 15 feet long.

Unlike some vegetables, it really does not mix well with others. I think of it as a king of a small island; it needs to be the center of attention and its couriers are very small in number. However, like most small tropical islands, it is worth the visit!

Jicama is best grated or sliced in matchsticks and tossed with salt, lime juice, cayenne and a little oil. Here, I added some grated carrots, fresh fennel, celery and if I would have had it, cilantro. It doesn't absorb its dressing really well, so don't over do it.

While most people don't readily think of jicama when root vegetables are mentioned, it is and also my submission for the No Croutons Required Soup and Salad Challenge for the month of November which focuses on root vegetables. Check out the challenge and discover other great blogs. Or make this salad and try a new root vegetable with texture like a water chestnut and a sweet, citrusy juice!




Shredded Jicama Salad

1/2 large jicama, peeled and shredded on large holes
1 carrot, shredded
1/2 fresh fennel, shredded
1 stalk celery, thinly sliced
1 lime, juiced
1 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil

Toss all in bowl and serve immediately.

Hugs!

Sesame Salmon

If you don't know by now that wild salmon is not only really delicious but super healthy for you, crawl out from under that rock you've been hiding under and join the party. Wild caught salmon (as opposed to farmed) lives in the cold depths of the sea and because of its chilly home it develops a high oil content which is where omega-3 fatty acids collect. It is these acids that are so good for us (they're a collection, look it up if you want all the nutritional nitty gritty info.) Regardless of its status as a superfood I just love to eat it!

While lightly steamed or baked salmon with a squirt of lemon juice or even just butter, salt and pepper is wonderful, sometimes I like to dress it up with this Asian marinade that I originally used for tuna steaks (another fish high in those great omega-3s.) This is such a simple combination but the addition of the rice wine, which has a subtle sweetness, really brings out the salmon flavor.

I make this as a hot meal for dinner or save it to put on greens for a very satisfying lunch.

Sesame Salmon

1 lb salmon steaks
1/3 cup soy sauce
4 tablespoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
3 teaspoons rice wine

Mix marinade ingredients in baking pan that will hold the steaks. Marinate fish on each side for 15 minutes each but don't over marinate, since the flavor of the salmon will be lost in the marinade. Bake in preheated oven at 400 degrees, skin side down, for 15-20 minutes or until middle of fish is done. Serve immediately or chilled.

Hugs!

Garlicy Kale

I cannot remember when I learned kale was a "superfood" but it was definitely within the last 5-7 years. Since then whenever people talk about "eating whole foods" kale is always mentioned and people hold out their love for kale as proof that they eat healthy. It is truly amazing what hype and publicity can do for something (or someone) because now kale is ubiquitous, and not simply in the conventional grocery stores as garnish in the deli cases!

The fun thing about kale's popularity is that farmers have explored different varieties. There's the curly kale (of display case notoriety), Russian kale with its purple tinges, and Lacinto or Tuscan kale (my favorite) just to name a few. The different textures of these varieties allow for a wide range of uses. Curly kale is the best kale for baked kale chips since its ruffles capture olive oil and salt so well and bake up into crispy healthy treats. Russian kale is a less dense leaf that requires less cooking and is a good substitute for spinach in the Japanese sauce of Gommae. Tuscan or Lacinto kale has a texture in between the other two and can stand up to scrambled eggs or fritatas as well as being added to vegetable stir frys.

In this dish I used the curly kale and made what is a quick and simple dish, but loaded with wonderful flavor and the satisfying green taste of good fresh kale.

Garlicky Kale

8-10 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 bunch curly kale, destemmed, chopped well

Place large pot over high heat and when you can feel the heat above the pan add oil and allow to heat for 1/2 minute. Add garlic and stir fry 1 minute until you begin to smell garlic. Add kale and toss to absorb oil for 1 minute. As kale begins to wilt add 2 tablespoons of water and cook until all of water is gone and kale is wilted but garlic is just beginning to brown. Remove from heat and serve immediately or serve at room temperature.

Hugs!

Beef Vegetable, Stone Soup Style

Do you know the story of stone soup? It's essentially the story of how a homeless man (or in the parlance of the day, a wandering traveler) came to town looking for some food for work but no one wanted to open their doors to him for fear that he would rob them. Not to be deterred, the traveler announces in the town square that he's going to make the most delicious soup from a stone.

As the man places his pot full of water with a stone in it over the fire he has built, curious town folk begin to gather to see how he will produce this magical soup. Drawn in by his story telling, one by one they contribute a vegetable here, a meat bone there and some grains here. Soon it truly is a delicious soup boiling away and drawing the whole town with its delicious scent. In the end it is enough to feed all and everyone is so pleased with having contributed to the magical soup.

I love so many elements about this story; the traveler's faith in changing the town folk's minds, the soup feeding all, and most of all, the creation of something satisfying and nourishing from humble ingredients. This recipe could easily be the soup of the story and I love its meaty flavor without the heaviness that meat can impart to soups.

Beef Vegetable Stone Soup Style

1 beef marrow bone
4 qts water
bay leaf
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 carrot, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1/2 fresh fennel, chopped
2 red potatoes, chopped
2 stems fresh thyme
1/2 cup barley
2 teaspoons salt
pepper to taste

Place bone, water and bay leaf in stock pot, bring to slow boil and reduce heat. Simmer for at least 1 hour, 2 is best. In sauce pan, heat olive oil and add onion and garlic and cook 2 minutes until you begin to smell garlic. Add carrots and celery and cook another 3 minutes and then add fennel, stir well and cook another 2 minutes. Add potatoes, thyme, barley and 4 cups of prepared beef stock with bay leaf and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes or until barley is cooked. Remove bay leaf and thyme sprigs, season with salt and pepper. Skim beef fat off top and serve.

Store leftover beef stock in glass mason jar and allow beef fat to collect at top to seal stock. Freeze for 3 months or refrigerate for 1 week.

Hugs!

No-Knead Bread Redux - Perfect Rye with Caraway

I rhapsodized about the beauty of the no-knead bread method in this post, but truth be told, the original proportions and timing works best with white flour. I on the other hand love rye bread with caraway seeds.

Since my first no-knead attempt, I have been trying to perfect the proportions for rye. For those of you who have made traditional breads you'll know that rye flour has less gluten which is why it is stickier as a dough, has a denser crumb and is a low riser as bread go. Already knowing this I decided to let the rye bread version rise another 12 hours and found that my breads were kind of gummy when baked. I had attributed that to not baking it long enough but after receiving Peter Rheinhart's The Bread Baker's Apprentice Cookbook for my birthday I read that the gumminess was actually due to letting it rise too long.

I found these proportions for rye no-knead on the internet (and have lost the reference, sorry!). This loaf still has a somewhat moist crumb, but not nearly as gummy as what I had before. I still think it's the best there is!

No-Knead Rye Bread with Caraway

2 cups bread flour
2 cups rye flour
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon instant yeast
2 cups water

Combine all in bowl large enough for dough to easily double. Be sure to mix in well so that all flour is mixed in, but mix gently. I prefer to use a rubber spatula to get it all in. Cover with plastic wrap or a cut open grocery bag and secure tightly with a rubber band. Place in a warm spot (in a gas oven with a pilot light or on top of the refrigerator works well) and allow to rise for 12 hours. Remove dough from bowl and scrap onto large cutting board or clean counter sprinkled with flour. Dust top with flour and cover with dish cloth and allow to rest for 1 1/2 hours. Place covered baking pot in oven preheated to 450 degrees and allow pot and lid to warm in oven for 30 minutes. Carefully scrape dough into heated pot and cover and bake for 35 minutes. Remove lid and bake another 10 minutes. Remove from oven and slide bread onto cooling rack and cool at least 2 hours. I often bake at night and wrap bread in a clean dish cloth overnight. Rye breads in particular need to breathe before being put away. For the first 24 hours after coming out of the oven I only wrap it in a dish cloth. Then I put it away in a plastic bag and store at room temperature.

Hugs!

Indonesian Rice Salad

This week I embarked on my maiden voyage as someone's "personal chef." My sister Emily is working a temporary gig that involves 12 1/2 hour work days for 10 days straight. Needless to say that leaves little time or energy to prepare meals for said working day. So I offered to prepare her meals in advance; the only catch is she doesn't have access to anything to heat her food and she eats what is generally deemed an anti-inflammation diet.

My creations had to taste good cold and only involve a limited list of ingredients, generally a whole food diet of mostly vegetables, some grains and fish but with the noted exclusions of nightshades (tomatoes, eggplants), citrus, corn, gluten and meat. It was a challenge, but between the two of us we came up with some winners.

This rice salad is one that I found while working for the co-op deli, and while I cannot attest to its authenticity in terms of being Indonesian I can testify to its sparky flavors and surprising combination of sweet, sour and crunchy (toasted cashews!)

Indonesian Rice Salad

1 cup brown rice, uncooked
1 stalk celery, diced
1/4 each of red, orange, yellow bell peppers, diced
1 cup pineapple, diced (1/2 can, juice reserved)
1/2 jalapeno, deseede, diced
1/3 cup cilantro, minced
1/3 cup fresh mint, minced
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated, separated into 2 (about 4 inch piece)
1/3 cup cashews, toasted (either dry fry in skillet or in toaster oven but keep eye on them as they begin to burn quickly)
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
2-3 teaspoons honey (optional)

Cook rice as directed. In bowl combine peppers, jalapeno, celery, pineapple, herbs, toasted cashews and 1 tablespoon fresh ginger. Mix olive oil, cider vinegar, remaining ginger, and 1/3 cup reserved pineapple juice until well blended. If desired, add honey and mix to blend. Combine rice with rest of ingredients and pour dressing over all. Mix well and chill.

Hugs!

Tuscan White Beans with Sausage and Sage

"Poverty was my best teacher" was what I used to tell people who asked how I learned to cook. While I was in grad school for seven years I not only became a vegetarian (primarily for economical reasons) but I also spent a year on food stamps. Despite my lack of financial resources and because I was an academic I read books to learn how to make staples instead of buying them. I quickly realized that making your bread, quiche crusts and beans was much cheaper than buying the prepared versions. I came to recognize that not only did I love the break from studying that cooking gave me but my academic researcher side loved exploring how to make basics like mustard, BBQ sauce and other assorted foods that I never thought to think that someone once made instead of buying it at a store.

White beans were the first beans that I fell in love with and when I was looking around for a bean stew for the hot bar at the co-op deli that I worked at, this sage and sausage one jumped out at me. I love that the meat and the vegetables are all supporting elements for enhancing the white beans and don't overpower them. If you want to make this vegetarian, add about a teaspoon of toasted fennel seeds or some fresh chopped fennel to bring that flavor that would have been part of the sausage.

Tuscan White Beans with Sausage and Sage

1 1/2 cups white beans with liquid* (or 15oz can of beans)
2 Sweet Italian Sausage, raw
1/2 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 carrot, diced
1/2 celery stalk, diced
1 large tomato, cored and diced
1 bay leaf
3-4 fresh sage leaves, chopped
teaspoon salt
pepper

Squeeze sausage out of its casing in teaspoon amounts in sauce pan and cook over medium heat until sausage is all browned. Add onion and garlic and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add carrots and celery and cook another 4-5 minutes. Add white beans with liquid and mix well and cook another 4-5 minutes. Add tomato, bay leaf and sage and stir well. Bring to low boil and then reduce to simmer and cook another 20 minutes until mixture begins to meld. Add at least 1 teaspoon salt and possibly more since beans take a lot of salt. Add pepper to taste.

*Soaking and Cooking Dry Beans
If you plan in advance you can make your own beans, which is not only cheaper to buy bulk beans but also easier to digest when you soak them and then boil them. I usually soak the beans in at least 2 inches of water to cover them and a piece of kombu, which is a flat seaweed that is used to make Dashi, Japanese broth used in miso soup. I soak the beans for 8-12 hours (usually overnight) in a deep casserole dish that can go from the stovetop to the oven.

I learned to make beans by bringing them to a boil on top of the stove and then placing them in a preheated oven at 325 degrees and cooking them covered for 45-60 minutes, depending on the bean. For white beans, it takes about 45 minutes. If you don't have this kind of casserole dish, you can simply bring the beans to a boil and then reduce to simmer and cover and cook on the stovetop, they'll be just as good. When you bring the beans to a boil, they will usually create some foam that rises as the boiling happens. Skim off the foam and reduce to simmer or place in the oven covered to cook.


Hugs!

Traditional Italian Style Grilled Radicchio

Radicchio is one of those interesting vegetables that so many people don't know what to do with. Most of us are introduced to it in a salad where it is mixed in raw to add some color to the rest of the greens and yet that is the worst way to eat it.

To me radicchio is the Jekyell and Hyde of vegetables; served raw it's bitter and practically inedible but slow grilled or baked in the oven with olive oil and salt it becomes a crisp and almost buttery sweet treat. Such a difference adding heat makes!

I reach for radicchio when I find myself tiring of a constant stream of green vegetables; its slight peppery flavor breaks the monotony. But be sure to buy fresh heads (firm when lightly squeezed and crisp looking leaves) or it will continue to taste bitter despite the baking or grilling.

I like to make grilled radicchio along with a mix of other vegetables, such as asparagus or green beans and then serve them all on a platter. Adding some minced rosemary when baking or grilling also works well. Chopped parsley or mint are wonderful garnishes too.

Grilled Radicchio with Balsamic Vinegar

1 head radicchio, outer leaves and core removed, sliced in 1/2 inch slices
salt
olive oil to drizzle
1-2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

Place slices on baking sheet to accommodate all in single layer. Sprinkle with olive oil and salt. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until edges crisp. Remove from oven and sprinkle with balsamic vinegar for additional sweetness. Serve warm or room temperature.

Hugs!