Leeks, Lemons, Linguine

Much like peanut butter and jelly, champagne and orange juice, Ice-T and Coco -- leeks and lemons are simply a God-given pairing.  They just work. The other day I wanted to make a caramelized leek and lemony ricotta flatbread, and I had all the ingredients except for ricotta and pizza dough (so I guess thats more like half the ingredients).  But I was hungry and I did have mascarpone and linguine, so I adapted the concept for a pasta dish.  The end result, as you might expect, was delicious.

Lemony Leek Linguine 

2 leeks

2 juicy lemons

1 container mascarpone cheese

extra virgin olive oil

linguine for 2 people

bread crumbs

Thinly slice the white and light green parts of the leeks, and put the rounds in a bowl of water. Push out all the little rings - the dirt will settle at the bottom.

Drain the leeks. Heat the olive oil in a saute pan, and add the leeks. Saute until browned.

While leeks are browning, cook linguine according to directions on package, but reserve some of the salted cooking water. Since none of that is too hands-on, you can also zest and juice the lemons. Multi-tasking!

Put some of the zest aside to sprinkle on top of the pasta. Combine the remaining zest, lemon juice, salted cooking water (which should be hot), and mascarpone (yeah, all of it. don't think, just do it) - whisk together into a sauce. Once combined, pour the sauce into the pan with the browned leeks - scrape up all the browned bits into the sauce, stirring. Add salt/pepper to taste.

Pour the lemon-leek sauce over the linguine, toss to combine. Separate the linguine into servings, sprinkle with bread crumbs and a little lemon zest. Enjoy.

Lazy July Update & Garden Recipe

So I've neglected this sorry-excuse-for-a-blog in recent weeks, partly because of work (y'know, I've been doing work at work instead of crafting blog posts) and partly because I've been too bummed to share this sad story:

The story of blossom end rot.  I lost ALL my beautiful heirloom tomato crop to this dreadful disease. WTF? Calcium deficiency? Next year I'll put some crushed egg shells in the soil to add more calcium.  

However, my yellow gooseberry tomatoes are doing wonderfully.  I've had a very good harvest so far, and they are still ripening every day.   

The first meal I prepared with them was a simple pasta with a white wine sauce.  I just sautéed some garlic in olive oil, added a splash (or three) of white wine, and threw in these yellow tomatoes (halved) and some basil from the garden.  The tomatoes softened just a bit, then we tossed the mixture with some cooked pasta and seasoned with salt/pepper.

And on Tuesday, we had a very light summery dinner:  Sautéed asparagus in an orange dressing, tomato & fresh mozzarella salad, and some sweet corn on the cob:

Sautéed Asparagus in Orange Dressing:

1 bunch asparagus (keep it fresh in the fridge by standing it up in a little water and covering the top with a bag)

1 orange (the juicier the better)

some grated asiago

salt/pepper

Snap the ends off the asparagus, and chop into 2-in pieces (or whatever works for you).  In sauté pan, cover asparagus with water and simmer (a minute or two) until asparagus is bright green. Drain.

Bring asparagus back to pan.  On low heat, drizzle with olive oil and add juice of orange, sauté for a minute or two.  Season with salt/pepper.  

And I like to add some orange zest (1 tbsp?) for color and more flavor.  To finish it off, sprinkle with asiago and serve.  

Tomato & Fresh Mozzarella Salad:

This is my go-to summer meal, since its so easy and tomatoes are abundant.  Toss tomatoes (I halved the cherry tomatoes - yellow ones from the garden, red ones from the store), fresh mozzarella (chopped to equivalent size), olive oil, balsamic vinegar, fresh basil (from the garden) & season with salt/pepper.  So good.

And we sat down with our meal, a Spanish Rose wine, and watched "In The Loop" which is an awesome political satire - highly recommended.

TGIFF coming next.

Spinach Peanut Sauce with Rice

This is a recipe, but it's also a story of adaptation.  The adaptation of one Ugandan teenager, pregnant and alone, to her new home in Philadelphia in 1975.  That young woman is Daniel's mom. While the details of the story remain fuzzy, the concept is clear.  When you are thrown into a world that is very unfamiliar and likely scary, you yearn for something from home - like food that your mom used to make when you were growing up.  But at 17, Daniel's mom hadn't yet learned to cook, so she had to teach herself.  And further, she had to recreate this Ugandan comfort food from memory and with ingredients from an American grocery store.  So with persistence and lots of trial and error, she managed to create her own version of this comfort food from home.


At Daniel's house, this would be served with matooke (a green banana stew which I'll write up the next time I make it) and perhaps some tofu and mushrooms (a recent addition to the mix - pan fried almost to the point of charring and heavily peppered).  I learned how to make these dishes after watching her cook on several occasions (no measurements, just by taste).  So it has adapted quite a bit from its original form in Uganda - to the way Daniel's mom makes it in Philly - to the way I make it in DC, which is kind of cool.

Spinach Peanut Sauce (to be served with rice and other dishes above)


2 cartons of frozen chopped spinach (comes in small boxes in frozen veggie aisle)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 tomato, diced
generic peanut butter (smooth or crunchy - to your taste)
curry powder*/salt/pepper to taste


In medium saucepan, empty the two cartons of frozen spinach (in their square frozen solid form) and add about an inch or two of water.  Heat on medium for 10-15 min until the spinach thaws out.  Meanwhile, you can chop the onion, garlic and tomato. Once the spinach is almost entirely thawed out, you can add the onion and garlic.  Cook another couple minutes, stirring.  Add more water if you need to (though this is a thicker sauce, like a stew).  Stir in a couple heaping spoonfuls (using wooden spoon) of peanut butter and the diced tomatoes.   Season with curry/salt/pepper to taste - we like to go heavy on all these to add more of a kick to the sauce.  Spoon over rice and enjoy.  


*I like to use a good hot, or muchi, curry blend.

Midwestern Slush: good news and bad news

So at this past weekend's BBQ I chose to make my Mom's slush recipe, and I learned a lesson - it takes at least 6 hours for the slush to freeze.  So, the bad news was - the slush didn't set up in time for our guests to enjoy it.  The good news is that now we have SLUSH FOR DAYS! But the bad news is I am battling a cold virus and can't taste a damn thing.  In any event, I wanted to share the recipe for this cold, boozy, Midwestern treat (if I wanted to be uppity, I'd call it a "granita"...but it is what it is and what it is is slush):


Midwestern Slush
Boil 2 c. water with 4 black tea bags, and once it gets properly steeped, set aside to cool.  Bring 7 c. water and 2 c. sugar to a boil, til the sugar dissolves. Set this aside to cool also.  Once both those have cooled, combine the tea and sugarwater with:


1 can frozen lemonade
1 can frozen orange juice
whiskey to taste (my mom said one-fifth, but I used half a $19.99 bottle of Jim Beam)


Stir til consistent, and freeze.  Once frozen, scoop slush into glasses and top with 7-up or ginger ale.  


(Sorry no photos. And yes, its a heckuva lotta sugar, BUT its delicious)

Rhubarb Season = Cobbla' Time!

Rhubarb has been making appearances at the farmer's markets, so I picked some up on Saturday.  It was fun to surprise my friends with a bubblin', fresh-out-of-the-oven Strawberry-Rhubarb Cobbla'.  Delish!


Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbla' (from Moosewood cookbook)


2 lbs fresh rhubarb (1-inch chunks)
3-4 c sliced strawberries
1/3-1/2 c white sugar
1 1/4 c rolled oats
1 c flour
1/4 c brown sugar
3/4 tsp cinnamon
a dash of allspice and nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1 stick melted butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Combine the rhubarb and strawberries in a 9-inch square pan (I used a round dish - whatevs).  Sprinkle with white sugar. Mix together the remaining ingredients in a medium bowl.  Distribute over the top of the fruit and pat firmly into place.  Bake uncovered for 35 to 40 minutes or until the top is crisp and bubbly.  Eat the cobbla'!

*None of my home grown strawberries were used in the baking of this cobbla'.  Since I yielded roughly 4 strawberries this growing season, I had to resort to store bought berries.

* If you're wondering "why does she insist on using the term 'cobbla'' instead of 'cobbler'?", don't. Just don't.

Whatchu Drank: White Sangria

For me, sangria has become a staple for any BBQ we host.  It's a refreshing, fruity complement to anything hot off the grill, and there are so many ways to mix it up.  This white sangria recipe was a hit this past weekend (adapted from foodandwine.com):

2/3 cup sugar + 2/3 cup water
2 mangoes, peeled + chopped
4 peaches, chopped
2 bottles of viognier or a similar white wine
1-1/4 cup grand marnier (more or less to your taste)
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint


Bring sugar and water to a simmer, til sugar dissolves, and let cool.  Combine the sugar syrup with all remaining ingredients and chill for awhile to let the flavors mingle. Serve over ice! I'd say this is good for 6-8 thirsty people.

Another Day, Another Bitchin Salad.

With all this talk about bagged lettuce and E.Coli contamination, I am all the more grateful that my home-grown greens are bountiful.  And to think people are paying $4/bag of greens only to get food poisoning.  That's a damn shame.  


I got home from work today, picked some greens, washed them, and threw together a tangy Miso-Mirin Dressing. 

Miso-Mirin Dressing

1/4 c. mirin (sweetened sake, 8% alcohol - didn't I say I specialize in cooking w/booze?)

1/4 c. soy sauce

1/4 c. brown rice vinegar

1/4 c. sweet white miso

1/2 c. water


Oh, and I'd sprinkle some Gomasio (sea salt + sesame seeds) on top - yum. Pair it with a nice Chenin Blanc and you're good to go. 

It's a simple recipe, which is great, because it'll be one I can easily file away in my memory and throw together whenever. Plus it makes 1.5 cups, so I can refrigerate the remaining dressing and use for the next week!

Quinoa Salad to the Rescue

The weather in DC seems to have fast-forwarded from spring to summer in all of two days.  Today, it hit 90 degrees, and it is days like these that you can't bear the thought of cooking and eating something hot.  So I made this delicious quinoa salad (which will also be perfect for lunch this week).  I strayed a bit from the original recipe (from Food and Wine):

Quinoa Salad

1 c. quinoa
2 c. water
1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
juice of 2 limes
6 tbs veg oil
1 can black beans (rinse em)
1 bell pepper, diced (I used green)
1/2 c. finely chopped cilantro
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
salt/pepper

In saucepan, combine quinoa and salted water. Bring to boil, then turn down to low heat til water is absorbed (about 15 min).  Spread cooked quinoa on baking sheet and put in the fridge for about 15 min to cool.

In small skillet, toast the cumin seeds til fragrant. Transfer to a food processor, add lime juice and veg oil and blend.  Season with salt and pepper.

Pour dressing into a serving bowl, add black beans, diced bell pepper, onion, and quinoa. Toss to combine, season with salt and pepper and serve.  

Nutritious and delicious. Enjoy!

My Salad Greens Bring all the Boys to the Yard

I was a little late to work today (if 8:30AM is late).  Instead of my usual, drag-my-butt-outta-bed, shower, hurriedly throw on some work clothes, pour my coffee-to-go, and run out the door, I took an extra 10 minutes to do something special.  I walked outside, picked myself a bowl of home-grown salad greens, washed them, and whisked together a French vinaigrette. 

 

 

Et voila!  A lunch I could be truly proud of.   I walked a little taller to the metro, quite proud of myself really.  And hot damn that salad was delicious!


Basic French Vinaigrette
4 T light olive oil & 2 T canola oil
1T balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp whole grain mustard
1 small clove garlic, minced
salt/pepper to taste


Directions: Whisk it. Whisk it good.  Whi-whisk it REAL good!  (Yeah, I did just do that. S-Salt n Pepa's here!)


This will make enough for approximately 8 cups of greens, and will keep for up to a week - covered and refrigerated, of course. 

Bakin Birthday Bundts.

Bundt cake alliteration, and yes - a post about baking a bundt cake.  But this is not just any cake.  This is a BIRTHDAY cake for my very good friend who deserves a billion bundt cakes.  I just made one though. A very special one, though, as it its two defining ingredients are two of my favorite things: chocolate and red wine.

"Red wine? In a cake??" you ask.

Yes.  Red wine in a cake.  I love cooking with booze.  And as it turns out, this cake got rave reviews from the birthday crew and most importantly, the birthday girl herself.   So, here is the recipe, and the photographic evidence of its deliciousness.

Chocolate Red Wine Bundt Cake (from foodandwine.com)

2 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
2 sticks butter, softened
1 3/4 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 c. dry red wine
powdered sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter and flour a bundt pan (I used a silicon mold, and it worked beautifully).  In a bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.

In a large bowl, using a handheld electric mixer, beat the butter w/ the sugar at medium-high speed until fluffy.  Add eggs, one at a time, and beat until incorporated.  Add vanilla and beat for 2 min longer.  Working in two batches, alternately fold in the dry ingredients and the wine, until just incorporated.

Scrape the batter into the pan, and bake 45 minutes.  Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a rack to let cool completely.  Dust the cake with powdered sugar and serve with lots of wine or some ice cream or some whipped cream.  But definitely serve with wine.

Dusting.

Birthday girl with birthday bundt, and yes thats a bottle of Andre in the middle.

All told, the cake was moist, rich and delicious.  It was not-too-sweet and slightly boozy, just like me.

Delicious Lemon Risotto

Yesterday, I dug up one of my favorite springtime/summer recipes to cook for my sister and fiancé: Lemon Risotto. It is light, fresh and delicious...and pretty simple to make. I'm not sure where I found my recipe which I've altered, but there are similar recipes on epicurious.com. I'm partial to mine. Sorry I forgot to take a pretty photo of it! Here 'tis:

5 c. vegetable broth or bouillon

1-1/2 T. EVOO (I'm not a huge Rachel Ray fan, I just really like acronyms)

2 shallots or half of an onion, finely chopped

2-2/3 c. risotto or arborio rice

1/4 c. vermouth or dry white wine

1/2 c. fresh-squeezed lemon juice (2-3 lemons)

2 T. parsley, chopped

zest of 2 (washed) lemons

1/2 c. plain nonfat yogurt

salt/pepper to taste

optional: grated parmesan and/or avocado slices to garnish

In a sauté pan, bring broth to simmer. In large pot (or fancy risotto pan thing), sauté shallot/onion in EVOO until softened. Add risotto and stir until grains are coated. Add vermouth/wine and stir until liquid is absorbed. Add lemon juice and ladlefuls of broth, stirring until it is absorbed, so on and so forth until all liquid is added and absorbed. At this point, the grains should be tender, but sometimes I find another splash of wine/vermouth doesn't hurt! Turn off heat, stir in parsley, lemon zest and 1/2 c. yogurt. Garnish with parmesan and/or avocado slices (mmmm), and serve! This should feed 4-6 people.

BBQ Season Begins

This past Memorial Day weekend was just as it should be - comprised of late night cocktails on a lush patio, sunny afternoon games of "tennis" (I use that term loosely as we haven't played in years and did not actually keep score so much as simply try our best to return the volley without send the ball flying over the fence and onto 18th street), strolling around Georgetown with no particular shopping objective in mind, an evening BBQ with wine and white lights strung across the deck, and a couple delicious daytime BBQ's with lots of food, little kids, dogs and backyard recreational activities. And to top it all off, the dish I breathlessly threw together before running out the door got rave reviews! Its a perfect summer cookout recipe - delicious, nutritious, easy to make and will feed lots of people, so I thought I'd share. Straight from my Mom's recipe box...

Chinese Noodle Salad

2 small heads of Napa cabbage, chopped
1 bunch of green onions, chopped green parts

1 stick margarine
1/2 c. sliced almonds
3 T sesame seeds

2 pkg ramen noodles, crushed

Dressing:
1 c. sugar
2 T soy sauce
1/4 c. vinegar

3/4 c. oil

Boil sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, and oil for 1 min. Remove from stove and let cool. Pour into container w/ tight lid so it can be shaken until well mixed. 

Brown almonds and noodles in margarine, add sesame seeds towards end. Stir while browning. Let cool. 

While sauce and noodle mix are cooling, chop cabbage and onions. Add noodle mix to cabbage and add sauce. Mix well.   Enjoy!