Archive for the 'vegetarian' Category
Look, I have something for you! That’s not baking, nor dessert. Something that can be called into service for barbecues and potlucks all summer long, or hang out in your fridge and wait for you to need a scoop of something real instead of a handful of chips or another piece of raisin toast. I feel like I’ve been shortchanging y’all lately, and when I was reminded of this salad – and how delicious it is – I got all tingly (as W said this morning when he woke up with his hand asleep for the first time: “it feels all sparkly, like a fuzzy peach”) – and wanted to rush home and tell you about it immediately. Of course it took me a day or two. Mostly because everybody ate it.
This is something my mom and I came up with years ago – like decades – to bring to a baby shower. I have little memory of whose (I have it narrowed down, but can’t be sure) but I do remember this salad. (Priorities.) It has orzo, and spinach, and purple onion, and lemon… we tossed things in without measuring, and when it disappeared and people asked for the recipe we figured we had better remember how we made it. The next time we used rice, and it quickly became that go-to recipe we used any time we had to bring something somewhere. Until we didn’t.
And then my mom made it on Saturday. (We had a Food Revolution Day dinner. It was great. I was so distracted by worry that there might not be enough food -there was- that I forgot my camera.)
Orzo – that slippery little pointy-ended pasta that looks like giant grains of rice – are generally overlooked as a base for a salad. (Or for anything, really. Does anyone outside of Italy cook with orzo anymore?) Its size is perfect for salads, slipping into the nooks and crannies between veggies, and never getting soggy. I highly recommend it – especially with lots of fresh spinach (it’s back in my garden already!), lemon and feta. And if you have juniors, pick up the salad bowl and bring it to the park with as many forks as there are people.
Orzo Salad with Spinach, Feta and Lemon
1 1/2 cups orzo (small rice-shaped pasta)
1 small bunch fresh spinach or half a bag of prewashed spinach
half a purple onion, finely chopped
1/2 – 1 cup crumbled feta
grated zest and juice of a lemon (about 3 Tbsp.)
2 Tbsp. rice vinegar
2 Tbsp. canola or olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Cook the orzo according to the package directions; drain well, running under cool water to cool it down, then dump into a bowl.
Thinly slice your spinach: tack a bunch of leaves, roll them up tightly and slice through the whole bunch – or just tear it in with your hands. The method you choose will likely depend on the salad’s final destination. Add the onion, feta and lemon zest.
Squeeze the lemon juice over the salad, and drizzle with the rice vinegar, oil, salt and pepper. Toss to coat well. Taste it and adjust the seasonings if it needs it. Serve right away or refrigerate until you’re ready for it. Serves 4-8.
May 22 2012 | one dish and salads and vegetarian | 10 Comments »
We had a bee! They came (to my house)! They saw (the piles of stuff and fingerprints on the walls)! They made peroghies!
(Aside: I’ve been fighting with my computer all night. Working on it is much like wading through tar -yes, I’ve done it before; another story for another time- with various programs deciding to quit on me or not work at all at the most inopportune moments. And so while I have it up I’m going to type fast, and let the pictures do the talking. Each one is worth a thousand words, right?)
My attempt at a mini bouquet – the only branch of apple blossoms I could reach, and a sprig of Italian parsley, in a jar. I did not inherit my mom’s flower arranging skills.
I made strawberry-white chocolate scones. This wasn’t planned, but I happened to have strawberries and white chocolate in the house. See what happens when you McGyver your way to breakfast?
(Also? Barb brought blueberry crumb muffins, but they went so fast I found myself eating the crumbs from the bottom of the bowl before I managed to grab my camera.)
We used the dough recipe from Cheryl’s baba – and yes, from about a hundred thousand other babas – it’s lumpy and ugly, then soft and smooth -and oh-so-satisfying to knead and roll with its residual warmth from the steaming water.
We had little helpers. Love the dough rolling stance. Good leverage.
We had lots of fillings: potato-cheddar, caramelized onion-potato-smoked Gouda, dry cottage cheese and fresh dill, last summer’s frozen plums tossed with sugar.
Many hands make light work… and cramped fingers? I was on dough duty – we counted 7 batches. (That’s 35 cups of flour. Thirty-five!)
Our final tally? 350+ peroghies in six flavours. Those crimped edges there? Made by hands that had never made a peroghy before. For real. See what a crash course in peroghy making will do?
So awesome. Thanks for coming, everyone! And those who couldn’t: next time!
Cheryl’s Baba’s Pyrohy Dough
from her Baba’s kitchen, and Backseat Gourmet
5 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup canola oil
1 large egg
2 cups recently boiled (very hot) water
In a large bowl mix together the flour and salt.
Whisk the oil and egg together in a measuring cup; add to the flour and stir until you have a coarse meal, like biscuit dough before you add the liquid.
Add the water all at once and immediately stir – it will look lumpy and ugly and as if there isn’t enough moisture to go around. Keep at it – I recommend getting in there with your hands – and the dough will come together. Let it sit for 15 minutes, or preferably 30. (We did not always do this, as we kept running out of dough!) Makes lots of peroghies.
May 21 2012 | freezable and vegetarian | 17 Comments »
Pardon the hasty photo – it was taken as the boys were in the car, waiting for me to go to Banff.
About forty seconds after this shot was taken, I poured it into a recycled plastic container with no structural integrity, pouring the peanut sauce down my leg and all over the lemon-blueberry tarts I was also packing to take along. Insert expletives. No photos please.
I cleaned up and made it to Banff, and am now all stretched out on clean, dog hair-free sheets and perfect pillows while the boys are at the pool working up an appetite. I have such a soft spot for this place, partly because we grew up coming here on ski weekends, and partly because it’s a castle in the mountains. Also: Marilyn Monroe stayed here!
At 27, after twisting her ankle on the set of River of No Return, she came to the Banff Springs to recuperate. (It’s hard to tell, but she has a cast on one ankle in the photo above. There’s a great series of photographs taken of her over the course of her week here and around the Banff townsite at the Daily Mail.)
It occurred to me that this weekend, while Marilyn isn’t here, half the Moms from Calgary and surrounding areas may be – not just to stay, but for their famous Sunday brunch or high tea. It further occurred to me that Mothers’ Day is the busiest day of the year for most restaurants, and those people who forgot to reserve (or have multiple mothers to celebrate) may overflow into the night before. Which is to say the restaurants in Banff on this beautiful Saturday evening may be a little full. And so I made sesame peanut noodles to bring along and stash in the hotel room fridge.
It’s also a great fridge cleaner, if you like me have half a red pepper, a roasted chicken breast and the stumpy end of a cucumber in your fridge. You could toss in broccoli or pea pods, or shrimp or tofu. You could throw in the entire contents of your fridge, chopped into bite-sized pieces, and call it cathartic. Quantities matter not at all, as is the case with most salads.
Cold sesame noodles travel well. They’re tasty cold, make kids and grown-ups happy, and anywhere you find yourself with a Tupperware full of them you have yourself a picnic.
Happy Mothers’ Day! To all moms, those who have moms, and those who mother others.
Cold Sesame Peanut Noodles
adapted from this one, although there are a bazillion similar versions out there
1/2 lb fresh thin Chinese egg noodles
a few stalks of asparagus, cut into 1-inch lengths
a few broccoli florets
half a bell pepper, thinly sliced
a chunk of cucumber, cut into sticks
a few pea pods
chopped leftover cooked chicken (optional)
sesame seeds or chopped peanuts or cilantro, for garnish (optional)
Dressing:
3 Tbsp. rice vinegar
3 Tbsp. peanut butter or sesame paste
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 Tbsp. honey
1 Tbsp. dark sesame oil
a small squirt of sriracha or garlic-chili paste
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add the noodles and cook according to the package directions – they should only take about 5 minutes. As they cook, chop your veg, and throw any green ones (asparagus, broccoli) into the pot with the noodles for the last minute or two, which will brighten them up and tenderize them a bit.
Drain the noodles (along with any veg you added) in a colander, then rinse with cold water to stop them from cooking. Drain well and put in a large bowl. Add any other veggies and meat you want to add, or none at all.
In a small jar, shake up the dressing ingredients and pour overtop. Toss with tongs. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, peanuts or cilantro and serve immediately or refrigerate until needed. Serves 4.
May 12 2012 | pasta and vegetarian | 7 Comments »
So here’s the thing. We’re in Tofino, having decided to take off and find some green over spring break. We found it – lots of it – but also found that construction crews somehow severed the wire that was our internet connection, and the oven is broken. First world problems, I know. But that’s how it came to be that I’m sitting in my car in the rain, having trolled the town with my laptop, looking for an internet connection so I could answer some emails, send some files and post this, what with all the wireless access coffee shops being closed in the evenings. I found a lovely strong signal behind The Shelter – thanks guys! – which means I have a perfectly valid excuse for going for breakfast lunch and dinner while we’re here so that I may check my email.
Mike is no doubt wondering what happened to me. Then again not, as he does know me quite well.
As always we arrived with a carload of groceries, and plans to eat out at the many fine eateries here (they really do have a disproportionate number of fantastic restaurants and food trucks for such a small town). But still, I like cooking out here, looking out over the stormy ocean and occasional bald eagle. I found a bag of these roasted butternut squash and ricotta ravioli in the freezer – something I had made last time, and froze, I suppose. If you’re tiring of winter veg and thick-skinned squash, these might ease the burden a bit. Wonton wrappers are essentially small square pasta sheets, and make it easy to make ravioli from scratch. To make enormous tortellini, dampen the two bottom corners and bring them together, as if they were holding hands, and pinch them closed.
Roasted Butternut Squash & Ricotta Ravioli
wonton wrappers, thawed
1 butternut squash
canola or olive oil, for cooking
salt & pepper to taste
1 cup ricotta or soft goat cheese
1 tsp. – 1 Tbsp. maple syrup
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Split the squash in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds, drizzle with oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and bake on a rimmed sheet or in a baking dish for 40 minutes, or until soft.
Scoop out the cooled roasted squash (you can do this in advance if you like while you’re cooking something else, and stash the squash in the fridge for a few days) and mash it with ricotta, a wee drizzle of maple syrup (and some of flax oil if you want to boost omega 3s) and some salt and pepper. Assemble them one or two at a time, placing a small spoonful in the middle of a wrapper, dipping your finger in water and running it along two edges, then fold over and press to seal, squishing out any air bubbles in the process.
Once the ravioli are assembled they can be frozen in a single layer and then transferred to freezer bags, or dropped into boiling water (don’t crowd the pot) for 3-5 minutes, until they float to the surface and the pasta is tender. Drain well and serve with butter – browned butter, if at all possible.
March 27 2012 | freezable and pasta and vegetarian | 11 Comments »
I used to have a Belgian Grandma named Elza who played a lot of solitaire.
(On the other side of the family – no relation to my (only) Grandad.)
Unfortunately I have no memory of her cooking. I have somewhere a three-page hand-written receipt on foolscap for Carbonnade of Beef, and I know she used to make braised red cabbage, but having lived the last of her years in the southern states and not wanting to fly, I don’t think she ever made it for me. I never got her recipe. Then again, I have no idea if it was any good.
My pal Sue is now the authority on braised red cabbage in my world. She makes it with Okanagan cherries she dries herself every year, but not completely – she leaves some moisture in them, so that they’re a little bit squishy and juicy, like a raisin that has been plumped in booze. Because they aren’t completely dry, they need to be frozen. It was the discovery (most likely by force of gravity) of a small baggie of said cherries in my freezer (and half a ginormous red cabbage in my fridge) that prompted me to make a batch. It’s one of those things – like beef bourguignon – that’s ever so satisfying to simmer in a cast iron pot over the course of an afternoon.
And its bright purpleness and tang somehow brightens up those bleak midwinter veggie blahs.
Braised Red Cabbage & Cherries
adapted from Sheila Lukins’ All Around the World Cookbook
2 Tbsp. butter
1 small red cabbage, cored and thinly sliced
1 cup dried cherries
1/4 cup red wine
2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup apple juice
1/4 cup honey
1 cinnamon stick
salt and coarsely ground pepper to taste
Preheat the oven to 325F.
Set a large heavy saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat and heat the butter until it melts. When the foaming subsides, add the rest of the ingredients and cook over low heat until warmed through, then put the lid on and pop it into the oven for an hour or two – closer to two. The cabbage will be cooked through, and the liquid thickened a bit. Taste and add a little more honey and/or vinegar as you like to suit your taste (or apple juice if it needs a bit more liquid) and bake a little longer or simmer on the stovetop with the lid off if you want to cook it down a bit.
It’s better after a day or two in the fridge; serve immediately or cool and refrigerate until you’re ready for it. Serves 6-10.
March 24 2012 | veg and vegetarian | 8 Comments »
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