Double Corn Confetti Soup

This recipe is a result of combining tradition and my prediliction for never letting go of pantry staples.

What feels like eons ago I lived in Minneapolis, Minnesota, a wonderful city with a population a little less than half a million people but with such a small town feel. One of the unexpected pleasures of living there was its ethnic diversity, ranging from the predominant Scandinavians to a sizable African American population along with substantial numbers of Mexican Americans and recent political refuges, namely Somalis and Hmong. But what really struck me was the fact that Native Americans are a major presence, not so much for their numbers but their political and historical influence in the state and Minneapolis' twin city, the capital of St. Paul.

I always knew that "Native American" was a term that encompassed hundreds of different American Indian tribes but living in Minnesota was a daily education. I learned from the different schools and services in the city that the Ojibwa (also known as the Chippewa or Anishinaabe) originally lived in the eastern part of Minnesota and the Lakota (part of the Dakota Sioux) were in the West. But what all of the tribes in Minnesota had in common was using corn as a basic stable in their diet.

While corn is most associated with summer eating, one of my Indian friends told me that he always dried some of this corn in order to have it in a winter soup that his grandmother used to make for him when he visited her on the reservation. I was delighted with the idea of this form of food preservation and dried some of my own corn in order to have that taste of summer in a winter soup. Although it took me several years to finally create a soup with that dried corn it was such a treat! The soup was sweet and savory and eating it with the memories of my friend made it that much better!

Double Corn Confetti Soup

1/2 onion, minced
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1/2 cup fennel, chopped
1 large (or 2 small) purple potatoes, diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 cup dried corn
1 1/2 cup frozen corn
4 quarts of water
salt
pepper

Saute onion in olive oil until soften. Add carrots, celery and fennel and cook another 3-5 minutes until softened. Add thyme and cook another minute. Add water and dried corn and bring to boil. Cook at medium heat for 10 minutes until corn rehydrates. Add potatoes and cook until potatoes are tender. Add frozen corn and cook another 2-3 minutes until soup returns to boil. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Hugs!

Meat Stuffed Canneloni

Homemade pasta never fails to impress people, myself included and even when I am the one prepareing it. It simply tastes so good and satisfies so well that I have come to do it on a more regular basis. And despite the fact that I have been making it for over 20 years it wasn't until the other night that it hit me; homemade pasta really is not as time consuming as it seems to loom in my mind (and for others less accustomed to making homemade noodles).

In 10-12 minutes I had mixed the dough, kneaded it, and set it aside to rest wrapped in a damp cloth. As it rested for about 15 minutes I prepared a meat filling, a quick tomato sauce and returned to roll out the pasta. I don't use a pasta machine because I love the control of using a rolling pin but also because I hate having to clean up the parts of a machine!

For this batch I used half of the dough to make 5 meat stuffed canneloni and used the rest of the dough to make a quick cheese ravioli with some fresh sage. I took the canneloni to work for lunches for a couple of days and felt very smug about my 1 hour's worth of work that produced such a homey, delicious meal!

Meat Stuffed Canneloni

Pasta (double this recipe to make more than 5 canneloni)
1 cup all purpose flour
1 egg
2 teaspoons milk

Meat Sauce
4 sweet Italian sausage
1/2 onion, minced
2 tablespoons milk
1 cup tomatoes, diced

2 cups prepared tomato sauce
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Make egg pasta according to instructions here. Wrap in damp dish cloth and set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Break open sausage and remove casing. Crumble sausage into skillet and cook until browned. Add onion and cook another 3 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook 3 minutes and then add 2 tablespoons of milk and cook on high until it is absorbed. Remove from heat.

Roll pasta out as thin as possible. Cut into 5 x 8 inch rectangles. Stuff each sheet with 3 tablespoons meat sauce and gently roll into a log, placing seam side down in baking pan. Make white sauce by melting butter in skillet and stirring in flour. Add 1/2 of milk and blend in well. Once all of milk is absorbed add remaining milk and blend in. Blend in until all of milk is absorbed. Cook another 1-2 minutes until sauce thickens. Pour tomato sauce over stuffed canneloni, pour white sauce over top of tomato sauce, spread around evenly. Sprinkle cheese on top and bake for 20-30 minutes until cheese is browned and sauce is bubbling.

Shredded Purple Turnip Salad

One of the best parts of the local food explosion and the proliferation of farmers' markets is learning about new vegetables, like the purple turnip. They're sweeter then common turnips and soft and tender like Tokyo turnips (sometimes known as salad turnips).


While I enjoy common purple topped turnips, I love raw veggie salads and these gorgeous purple turnips are wonderful raw. At first glance they look like giant radishes but they are actually sweeter than most radishes. Give them a try if you find them!




Shredded Purple Turnip Salad

2 purple turnips, shredded
1/2 cup cilantro, minced
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
pepper

Combine all and toss well.

Hugs!

Spinach Pasta with Gorgonzola and Walnut Sauce

It's the rainy season in Southern California, otherwise known as winter and the temperature doesn't really go below 60 degrees, which is chilly by SoCal standards. While I still have a hard time considering this weather "cold" it does inspire a desire for comfort food and this dish fit the bill.

Cream and walnuts pair so nicely and adding Gorgonzola dulce is an extra decadent touch. Adding it to some spinach pasta with some grated Parmesan cheese really hit the spot. The fact that I was able to prepare it all as the pasta cooked (brown rice pasta takes about 15 minutes to cook) made it a great quick meal!

Spinach Pasta with Gorgonzola and Walnut Sauce

1 lb spinach spaghetti
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
1 1/2 cups half and half (or whole milk)
1 cup parmesan cheese, grated
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons Gorgonzola, crumbled
1 teaspoon salt
pepper

In sauce pan melt butter on medium low heat. Add cream and Gorgonzola and heat until cheese melts and sauce is almost boiling. Add walnuts and cook another minute or two. Add to cooked, drained pasta and add cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Hugs!

Pot Stickers, Two Ways

I love a cooking challenge, whether it be learning how to make things that I had only previously purchased in a store - mustard, vinegar - or whipping up a feast with what I had on hand. But sometimes, you need to throw a figurative wrench at yourself and up the ante. Pot stickers is a case in point.

Sure, I could have gone to the store and bought the round wrappers for making pot stickers, but I didn't feel like getting in the car, driving to the store, hoping that I found a place that carried them. So I hopped on the internet and found the Potstickers/Gyoza Wrappers recipe with detailed instructions. Flour, water, and salt was all it took, and a little self confidence.

Pot Sticker Wrappers
makes about 40-50

3 cups all-purpose flour
7 ounces hot (just off the boil) water
4-5 tablespoons cold water
1/4 teaspoon salt

Start by combining the salt and flour in a large bowl. Stir the just boiled water into the flour with a large fork, until the mixture looks flaky and crumbly. Slowly mix in the cold water until the dough pulls together...be careful though, it shouldn't be sticky. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes until smooth. Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let rest for 30 minutes. After the dough has rested, split it into 4-5 parts. Keep the dough you're not using under a damp cloth until ready to roll out. Pinch off about tablespoon of dough and roll into a ball. Flatten into disk about 1/8 inch thin. Dough is very stretchy, so don't make balls too large.

I had some defrosted ground pork and I found a recipe here for pork pot stickers and once I had finished the wrappers, these were a snap to make. I also had some leftover marinated shiitake mushrooms from making sushi handrolls so I made a mushroom version as well, just substituting the pork for the mushrooms.

Pork or Mushroom Pot Stickers

1/2 pound Napa cabbage, shredded fine
1/2 pound ground pork (lean, but some fat is good) OR 1 cup Marinated Shiitake Mushrooms
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon rice wine (mirin) or dry sherry
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
40 to 50 wonton wrappers, preferably 3-inch round
Water for moistening edges of wrappers
2 tablespoons peanut or other cooking oil

Combine pork, cabbage, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, rice wine and sesame oil in a bowl and mix well. Using a tablespoon, scoop up filling and make small ball. Place in center of won ton wrapper and moisten edges with water using your finger. Close wrapper by folding it over and press edges to seal. Turn sealed won ton with edges pointed up and gently flatten bottom so that the won ton will sit flat; this ensures that it will have a flat base for frying. You can ruffle the edge for effect, but it's not necessary.

Once stuffed, you can freeze pot stickers. Place on sheet pan and freeze individually. Once frozen, you can place them in a freezer bag and they won't stick to each other. Fully defrost to cook.

Sear bottoms of pot stickers in skillet with some high heat cooking oil (olive, sunflower, coconut) on high heat. Reduce heat and add 1/4 cup of water and cover immediately to steam pot stickers. Serve with dipping sauce of 1 part soy sauce, 1 part rice vinegar and grated ginger.

Hugs!

Coriander Chutney - Best Indian Condiment Ever

If you have ever eaten at a buffet in an Indian restaurant you probably are already acquainted with coriander chutney; it is the vibrant green sauce that is almost always next to the yogurt sauce in the condiment section. Added to curries and dals, this chutney is the epitome of Indian flavors for me.

While there are probably hundreds of chutney recipes out there (and probably thousands if you account for variations from family to family) my favorite is coriander chutney. Its fresh green taste has just a little bite of spice and yet it acts like lemon juice on fish; it enlivens everything into which it is swirled.

It goes without saying that I am a huge fan of cilantro and thus love to spread its deliciousness whenever possible. Since making coriander chutney at home is a cinch I indulge my obsession freely, adding it to cooked rice or barley, smearing it on toast and dabbing it on cooked fish and chicken. Its lovely green color enlivens everything it touches!

Coriander Chutney

2 large bunches cilantro
1/2 cup mint leaves
1 serrano green chili, chopped (or 2 green Thai chilies)
2 tablespoons ginger, minced
6 tablespoons sesame seeds
3 teaspoons cumin seeds
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup water
3 tablespoons yogurt or sour cream
2 teaspoons sugar

Dry fry sesame and cumin seeds until they begin to brown, shaking them every 30 seconds so they don't burn. Set aside to cool. Blend with all ingredients in blender or food processor. Refrigerated, it keeps for a few weeks.

Hugs!