Thursday, September 24, 2015

Creamy Gazpacho






















I would follow this recipe as is and do not double it. I tried that last night and it doesn't fit in the blender. This is a fantastic, quick and easy recipe to make.  I also skip the fancy crispy cheese addition as it just makes this recipe take much longer than I wanted after a long hot day at work.  The cheese option is made with the pecorino Romano and is step one in the photo above.

Enjoy!

Ingredients
2 large garden tomatoes (about a pound, cored)
1.5 cups plain yogurt (I use Greek for extra tang)
1/4 cup Olive oil
12 Basil leaves (best fresh out of the garden)
2 cloves garlic
2 scallions, chopped
2 ice cubes
2 teaspoons (shy) Kosher salt
1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar

Process
Combine ingredients in blender and process until smooth. Adjust seasonings to preference.

Tuesday, September 15, 2015

Ramen Salad with Tofu adapted from Gimme Some Oven


 Thanks to "The Mind of a Chef" we are obsessed with noodles so when I stumbled upon this late summer recipe on my blog feed I was hooked. Talk about a cheap and easy and likely home grown meal on an early September school night. It was heavenly and I can't wait to have left overs in my lunch box.


Adapted from THIS recipe on Gimme some Oven , I made use of garden carrots, beans, peppers, and zucchini in this easy yummy meal. I also served it with none other than my Rosemary Lemon Tofu for a spectacular kid friendly meal.


Ingredients:

  • 1 (16-ounce) bag coleslaw mix
  • 2 (3-ounce) packages of Ramen noodles, crumbled (discard the seasoning packet)
  • 1 avocado, peeled, pitted and diced
  • 1 large pepper julienned (or diced)
  • 1/2 cup thinly-sliced almonds
  • 1/2 cup thinly-sliced green onions (scallions)
  • shredded carrott
  • shredded zucchini
  • Asian honey vinaigrette (see ingredients below)

Asian Honey Vinaigrette ( Whisk all ingredients together until combined.)

  • 2/3 cup vegetable oil (or any cooking oil)
  • 1/3 cup honey (or agave, to make this vegan)
  • 1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons soy sauce
  • 1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
  • pinch of salt and black pepper

Directions:

To Make The Salad:

1.  Heat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Spread the crumbled ramen noodles and sliced almonds out on a baking sheet, and stir a bit to combine.
3. Bake for about 5 minutes, or until the almonds and noodles are slightly toasted and golden.
4. Remove baking sheet, and give the mixture a good stir to toss. Then return it to the oven and toast for an additional 3 minutes. Keep a very close eye on the mixture so that it does not burn. Remove and set aside.)

5. Add ingredients (including the vinaigrette) together in a large bowl, and toss until combined.
6.   Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

* This salad is much better eaten the first day, as the noodles lose their "crunch" the longer it sits, and the avocado may brown. *


Monday, September 14, 2015

Abby's amazing grilled cheese with avocado butter (thanks again AltonBrown)

 
















I think Alton Brown has put us under a spell. He gives us directions and we follow through. We also seem to complicate his directions by letting our brilliant culinary minds create plans for luscious grilled cheese sandwiches with his amazing ideas.

Take for example this sandwich.
 
















This sandwich is a thing of beauty.
 
















It contains luscious melted cheeses ...
 
















... along with fried sage...
 
















and Alton Brown's avocado Butter.... (RECIPE here)
 

































 




















































and fried in the sage oil.
 

























































Clams



Fermenting Pickles

Alton Brown made SP do it.
I blame him.
We are bravely entering the world of fermented foods.
Wish us luck.
Recipe HERE.

Herbed Feta Corn Fritters

http://www.mofga.org/Portals/2/mof&g/SON%2013/31-Notes-from-a-Maine-Kitchen.jpg
This is a lovely early autumn recipe by Maine cookbook author Kathy Gunst. We made this for supper last night and I doubled it for the four of us. Everybody loves left over fritters!

Herb and Feta Corn Fritters
A simple batter is made by mixing corn kernels with egg, flour, and milk and a handful of fresh garden herbs, crumbled feta cheese, and scallions. The savory fritters are served with a lemon-herb butter and are delicious served for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. You could also add a finely chopped sweet or spicy pepper to the batter. The fritters are delicious served on top of an arugula or spicy greens salad.

Ingredients

1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup milk, plus 1 tablespoon
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 cups fresh corn kernels, cut off 2 to 3 cobs
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh herbs (basil, sage, rosemary, chives, oregano)
2 tablespoons very thinly sliced scallions, white and green parts
1/2 cup finely crumbled feta cheese or goat cheese
salt and freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil, canola oil or grape seed oil, or a combination

Process
1. In a large bowl, sift the flour and baking powder.

2. Add the milk and whisk until smooth.

3. Beat in the egg and then gently mix in the corn, herbs, scallions, cheese, salt and pepper.
 
















 4. In a large skillet heat the oil over moderately high heat.

5. Drop 2 to 3 tablespoons of batter into the hot oil and cook 2 to 3 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Serve hot.





















Makes about ten small fritters; serves 3 to 4.






Thursday, September 3, 2015

Smitten Kitchen's Most Amazing Raw Tomato Sauce over Angelhair

This is the most amazing raw tomato sauce ever, and a perfect summer recipe for home gardeners. Angel Hair with Raw Tomato Sauce will fill you and leave your body and soul humming. Please go and make it tonight, with the garden warm fresh tomato hanging heavily on the vine. Go now. You know you want to!

Angel Hair Pasta with Raw Tomato Sauce
Adapted from Gourmet


Ingredients

3 pounds fresh, best-quality tomatoes (results are uneven with less fresh ones)
1 small garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice or red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon coarse salt, plus more to taste (I used 2 teaspoons total Diamond kosher salt)
1 teaspoon sugar (optional, I found this unnecessary)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 poud dried capellini or angel-hair spaghetti
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
To serve: grated ricotta salata (my choice) or Parmigiano-Reggiano and a drizzle of your favorite olive oil

Process
1. Halve the first pound of tomatoes crosswise, then rub the cut sides against the large holes of a box grater set in a large bowl, discarding the skin.

2. Core  and chop the last two pounds of tomatoes and add to the grated tomato bowl.

3. Add garlic, lemon juice or vinegar, salt, sugar (if using) and pepper and let marinate at room temperature until ready to use, at least 10 minutes but also up to 2 hours if you’re planning ahead.

4. After it has steeped for a while, taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
 
5. Cook pasta in salted boiling water as package time recommends.

6. Drain then toss with fresh sauce and basil. Serve lukewarm (as it is now) or at room temperature with a drizzle of olive oil and freshly grated cheese on top.

Enjoy.