Pesto Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes and Garlic

What do you do with a bunch of big, beautiful tomatoes that are given to you, before they take over your kitchen?

This is the first of two recipes working to solve that "problem". I roasted chunks of tomatoes and minced garlic right in my cast iron frying pan, allowing the whole mixture and pan to heat up as the oven did. Everything timed out perfectly so the tomatoes were done roasting at the exact moment when they were needed for the pasta. It's an easy recipe that has a lot of flavor, since roasting vegetables is the best way to bring out their best qualities.

Ingredients

• olive oil
• 2 large tomatoes, cut into chunks
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 lb cut pasta (such as penne or ziti)
• 3-4 spoonfuls basil pesto, or more to taste (I like Classico's pesto)

Directions

1. Turn on oven to 425 degrees.
2. Drizzle olive oil in an oven-safe dish or pan. Add chopped tomatoes and garlic, stir quickly to coat, then place in oven while oven is still preheating.
3. While tomatoes are roasting, boil water and prepare pasta according to package directions.
4. Drain and rinse pasta; return to pan.
5. Add pesto to your desired taste.
6. Remove tomatoes from oven. Add to pasta and serve immediately alongside a chunk of crusty bread.

Borscht. Yes, Really.

One of my 2010 food goals was to make borscht, if for no other reason than to say that I tried it. I'm not a big fan of cold soups, so I was very excited to find that there are many different ways to serve borscht. In many cultures, borscht is served cold like gazpacho but it is just as often served hot. In the same fashion, some recipes recommend pureeing the vegetables so the soup is a creamy consistency, while others want the vegetables left chunky. 

The recipe offered below is a chunky soup, served hot. The potatoes are cut into small, bite-sized pieces for ease in both cooking and eating. The beets and onion are shredded, so a food processor's shredder attachment will make your life easier for that step. No matter what type of vegetables you add, they'll all be stained purple by the end for a very unique dish. Also, the lemon juice is necessary to create the acidic or sour taste that is essential to the overall flavor of the dish.

Based on a recipe from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything.

Ingredients

(for gluten-free meal, use gluten-free broth)

(for vegan or dairy-free meal, omit sour cream) 

• olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3-4 potatoes, chopped into small pieces (regular or sweet potatoes)
• 6 cups vegetable broth (or chicken broth)
• 1 bunch beets (6 or so), peeled and greens removed
• 1/2 red onion
• 1 tsp kosher salt (less if using table salt) 
• 10 grinds freshly ground pepper (about 1 tsp)
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tsp. dried dill
• 1 egg
• sour cream, for garnish (optional)

Directions

1. Heat olive oil over medium heat. 
2. Add garlic and potatoes. Cook for about a minute.
3. Add broth. Increase heat to high and bring soup to a boil, then turn heat back to medium-low. Cook for about 7-8 minutes.
4. While potatoes are cooking, shred beets and onion in food processor. Add to soup when ready.
5. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook on medium low until all vegetables are tender.
6. Add lemon juice.
7. Scramble egg in small bowl. Add spoonful of soup to egg, stir well, then drizzle back into pot of soup while stirring. 
8. Serve immediately with sour cream if desired.

Summer Salad with Kentucky Dressing

Sometimes I go to the farmers' market and want to buy everything there! There are many fruits and vegetables that have so much potential. I stopped at both a farm stand and a market yesterday, and one of the many things I ended up with was a pint of locally grown strawberries. They were so tiny and sweet that I wanted to find a way of using them that brought out their flavor, rather than hiding it.

This is a simple salad with an easy homemade dressing. Kentucky dressing is from the Gardeners' Community Cookbook, one of the cookbooks on my wishlist. 

Ingredients

(Salad)

• leaf lettuce, chopped, or baby spinach
• fresh berries (strawberries should be sliced into bite-sized pieces)
• any other vegetables you'd like (I added baby bella mushrooms)

(Dressing)

• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup sugar
• 1-2 Tbsp sesame seeds
• 1 Tbsp poppy seeds
• dash Worcestershire sauce (optional)

Directions

1.  Prepare salad as desired.
2. In a small bowl with spout or liquid measuring cup, measure out vinegar. While whisking, add in olive oil, sugar to taste, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, and Worcestershire sauce if using.
3. Drizzle desired amount of dressing over salad. Enjoy!

Comments

I've made this dressing several times and it is a little different every time. This time I was a little heavy-handed with the vinegar, creating a more sour dressing. Adding more sugar allows you to control the sweetness. In general, the dressing brings out the strawberries' sweetness. I've also enjoyed this salad with a combination of strawberries and blueberries.

Peanut Butter and Banana Smoothie

In my last post, I mentioned one of my food goals was to find an easy and delicious smoothie recipe. My thanks goes out to those who commented with recommendations.

The first one I tried was recommended by Marli, a friend of mine who is working in film and production. It is a great way to use up bananas before they go bad.

Ingredients (makes two 12-oz. smoothies)

• 1 banana (riper is better)
• 3 big spoonfuls of creamy peanut butter
• 1 cup milk
• 3 ice cubes

Directions

1. Combine ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. Be sure all ice cubes have been chopped.

Comments

I used a banana whose skin was almost completely covered by brown spots, indicating its sweetness. This made it easier to taste the banana flavor in the smoothie, instead of being overpowered by peanut butter.  (Thanks again, Marli, for the recommendation!)

2010 Food Goals

(image by danielflower)

Food Goal #1 - Make Julia Child's Beef Bourgignon

I'm sure many of you have seen the movie Julie & Julia, starring Meryl Streep and Amy Adams. One of the challenges Julie faces while attempting to make every recipe in Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking is beef bourgignon. I'm not a big fan of beef but it seems like a fun challenge, especially after watching what happened in the movie!

Food Goal #2 - Make Borscht

It's one of those things I've always wanted to try, and as of this week I can check this off my list! I'm not a fan of cold soups so I served it hot, and actually really enjoyed it. Recipe to come soon.

Food Goal #3 - Find an easy and delicious smoothie recipe

I love the idea of smoothies - fresh fruit, yogurt, maybe some honey or ice - but have yet to find a recipe that feels easy. Part of it is that I'd like to use ingredients I normally keep around. No weird protein powders for me. Perhaps I just haven't looked hard enough?

Food Goal #4 - Make my own yogurt

My friend Jen posted a recipe for homemade yogurt back in January and I have been waiting for some time to really try it out. I think August will be that time!

Food Goal #5 - Find local sources for beef, chicken, eggs, and cheese

After seeing the documentary Food, Inc. and reading books like Animal, Vegetable Miracle (by Barbara Kingsolver) and Eating Animals (by Jonathan Safran Foer), I've been a lot more conscious about many of the ingredients I purchase for meals. Barbara Kingsolver's book was her record of their family's challenge to eat only locally produced foods for one year. For them, this included growing their own vegetables, raising their own turkeys, learning to make their own fresh mozzarella, or purchasing foods from sources within 100 miles. 

Beef and chicken - still working on these. Any suggestions?

Eggs - currently purchasing them from the local Mennonite farm stand on Route 7 in Bainbridge, NY. Not sure where I'll go when they close for the winter season.

Cheese - I believe the Masonville General Store in Masonville, NY carries cheeses made local to the area. I know for sure they carry locally made yogurt and fresh local vegetables. I will report back on my findings.

A great general source for locating products local to you is Local Harvest. Additionally, Kingsolver's site provides recipes for eating produce at its freshest - when they are in season.

What are some of your food goals or interests this year?

Peach Mango Crostini

The other day, Dan the Man and I headed to the store for inspiration. We decided to purchase whatever produce looked good to us and would figure out something to make with it.

The result: a snack dinner involving fresh fruit and cheese. It was too hot to eat a heavy meal so I was pleased with the outcome: a cute topping (each ingredient was chopped into small cubes) and a bright taste that I really enjoyed as a summer snack.

You can refer back to my post on Brie, Pear, and Brown Sugar Crostini for a clarification on bruschetta vs. crostini if you'd like a refresher on your Italian vocabulary.

Any fresh bread will work for this. My favorite for crostini is baguette, but good French bread will do (that's what you see in the picture), as will the wider Italian bread in a pinch.

Ingredients

• 1 peach, chopped into small pieces
• 1 mango, chopped into small piece
• 5-7 fresh mint leaves, chopped finely (fresh basil would also work)
• 8 oz. ball of fresh mozzarella, chopped into small pieces
• loaf of baguette, French, or Italian bread, sliced into desired size pieces

Directions

1. Mix peach, mango, mint, and mozzarella in a bowl. Let sit for at least 5 minutes to allow flavors to meld.
2. Spoon onto bread slices.
3. Optional: Place crostini on cookie sheet and broil for 1-2 minutes, just enough for mozzarella to melt.

Comments

The peach flavor stood out more than the mango did; you could add another mango if you wanted it to be the dominant flavor. I would also recommend cutting each bread slice in half if you want the crostini to literally be bite-sized, which would make them a little neater to eat.

We ate this primarily as is (fresh), but also tried a few warmed and the mozzarella was delicious. The heat also made the peach flavor sweeter. I'd definitely recommend these warmed!

Blueberry Almond Muffins

I have a huge weakness for berries! All the berries at the local open market are looking gorgeous and are on sale before their two-week vacation so I scooped up a quart of blueberries and have finally been able to test out this recipe, an adaptation from  Fruit: Recipes for Lunch, Brunch, Desserts And More. I always buy more fruit than a recipe calls for because of my, ahem, need to test berries for freshness.

Ingredients (makes about 18 cupcake-sized muffins)

• 1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour (unbleached)
• 1 3/4 c. almonds, ground finely in food processor (equals about 1 1/2 c. ground)
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. ginger
• 3/4 c. sugar
• 1 c. buttermilk (see note below)
• 1 egg
• 4 Tbsp. butter, softened (1/2 stick)
• 2 c. fresh blueberries (about 1 pint)
• cupcake papers/liners

 Note: Rather than buying buttermilk, you can pour 1 tsp. lemon juice into a liquid measuring cup and fill to the 1-cup line with milk. Let stand for five minutes, and use as buttermilk in this recipe.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In large mixing bowl, combine flour, almonds, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Mix well, then add sugar.
3. In a smaller mixing bowl, combine buttermilk, egg, and butter. Beat or mix together thoroughly.
4. Add liquid mixture to flour mixture and stir well.
5. Gently fold in blueberries. 
6. Spoon mixture into cupcake liners until about 3/4 full. 
7. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes.
8. Let cool for at least 5 minutes before enjoying.

Comments

While baking, these looked like little blueberry volcanoes! I loved the subtle texture from the ground up almonds and the sweet of the blueberry topped with a pat of butter.

Two cups will definitely maximize the blueberry experience, but it is important to note that more blueberries mean less batter, keeping your muffins from getting too tall. If you choose to reduce the blueberries to 1 1/2 cups you might get a more traditional textured muffin. You could also completely replace the berries with any other small berries of your choice. My brother-in-law is encouraging me to try these again with raspberries.

Avocado and White Bean Sandwiches

My secret: I've been baking a loaf of bread every day this week. Out of my new cookbook, Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, I've made the most beautiful baguettes without having to proof or knead the bread. 

This recipe features two things: great bread and a great avocado. If you don't make your own bread, be sure to buy a fresh loaf the day you plan to make these.

The recipe is inspired by this one from Real Simple.

Ingredients (makes 2 sandwiches)

• 15 oz. can of white kidney beans, rinsed and mashed
• drizzle of olive oil (1-2 tsp)
• 5-6 shakes kosher salt (less if using table salt)
• 3-4 shakes freshly ground pepper
• juice of 1/2 lemon (or 1-2 Tbsp lemon juice)
• small baguette or loaf of artisan bread, sliced for sandwiches
• mayonnaise (optional)
• 1/3 cucumber, very thinly sliced 
• 1/2 Hass avocado, sliced 
• 1/4 red onion, sliced

Directions

1. Dump beans into flat bottomed bowl and mash using potato masher or fork. Add olive oil, salt,  pepper, and lemon juice and mix well.
2. If using, spread mayo onto one piece of baguette/bread. Spoon bean mixture onto other piece of bread and smooth down.
3. Top with cucumber, avocado, and onion. Add a shake of salt or pepper and enjoy!

Comments

Because of my avocado allergy, I had a much different sandwich. Mine consisted of the bean mixture with cucumber and onion, sans mayo, and I found it quite delicious. However, Dan insisted his tasted better, noting that the red onion flavor came through really well and the cucumber added a nice crunch.  I think white kidney beans were the best for this meal, although it would be interesting to try with white navy beans.

Indian Burgers

This meal was based on another great recipe from Penzey's, submitted to their catalog by Melinda Peters.

This is a great recipe if you're looking for something to mix up a normal burger. The curry flavor is very subtle and smells great while cooking.

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 slice onion, minced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 Tbsp. curry powder
• 1 tsp. cilantro
• crunchy peanut butter, for topping (optional but recommended)
• hamburger rolls

Directions

1. Heat frying pan over medium heat. Cook onion for 2-3 minutes, then add garlic and cook for another minute. Pour onion and garlic into a medium-sized bowl and leave pan on the burner.
2. To the onion-garlic mixture add beef, curry powder, and cilantro. Mix together well and form into patties.
3. Cook patties to your liking. With about three minutes left in cooking time, add a spoonful of peanut butter to the top of each burger and allow it to melt.

 Comments

The idea of peanut butter on a burger sounded pretty strange but tasted really good. With the peanut butter topping, the meal was pretty filling. We enjoyed the burgers with cole slaw.

Pinto Bean Chili

This entry is my praise for beets. No, keep reading! Most people who dislike beets have based this judgment on their experience with canned beets, which are far removed from the actual fresh root vegetable. Fresh beets, when cooked, taste a lot like carrots - they are a touch sweet and taste lovely with a little salt. 

I've never seen golden beets in the store, but regular beets are just as beautiful, with deep purple rings inside. The beets really make this recipe stand out, so I encourage you to include them if you can find them at your local farmer's market or farm stand.

Included are a few photos of the gorgeous golden beets I used in this chili recipe!

I must thank Sarah + Ryan, my friends who sent me a beautiful shipment of fresh organic fruits and veggies after my surgery. It really inspired me to cook again, especially since the shipment came with a recipe to use the vegetables included in the package! I worked from this recipe, which came from the Fruit Guys.

Ingredients

olive oil

1 Vidalia (yellow) or white onion, chopped

2 tsp chili powder

2 cups vegetable (or chicken) broth

1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into small pieces

2 medium beets (golden or regular), peeled and cut into small pieces

2 medium tomatoes, cored and roughly chopped (I used vine ripened)

1/2 cup salsa

1 medium zucchini, ends removed, quartered lengthwise, and chopped into small pieces

1/2 bunch collard greens, stems removed and roughly chopped

2 cans pinto beans, rinsed and drained

zest of 1/2 orange, grated

salt and pepper, to taste

sour cream or cheddar cheese for topping, optional**

**Leave this ingredient out for a completely vegan meal.

Directions

1. Heat olive oil in stockpot over medium-high heat.
2. Add onion and saute until onion starts to brown, about 4-5 minutes.
3. Add chili powder and stir for another 1 minute.
4. Add broth, yams, and beets. Cover pan and reduce heat to medium. Simmer for about 10 minutes, until beets and yams are almost tender.
5. Add zucchini, collard greens, tomatoes, and salsa. Recover pot and simmer for 4-5 minutes.
6. Add pinto beans. Simmer, uncovered, until chili starts to thicken a little and yams and beets are very tender, about 15 minutes.
7. Add orange peel, salt, and pepper.
8. Serve topped with a dollop or sour cream or sprinkling of cheddar cheese, if desired.

 Comments

This turned out to be more like a ratatouille than a chili, in my opinion. However it was delicious, not too spicy, and tasted great with the marble rye bread we served with it. I'm sure you could spice it up by using a hotter salsa or letting each guest season it to their taste with Tabasco sauce.