I have been making a lot of things over again: as vegetable friends I haven't seen since last year turn up in the CSA I have been tending to return to things I made before and liked. Improvements and refinements instead of novelties. Also lots of salad. Familiarity feels good.
Beetroot (OK these haven't been absent since last year, but we have been getting a lot of them recently):
This is my favourite way of cooking beets. Becomes an instant salad if you peel+mash the roasted garlic, mix it through with some extra balsamic, let cool and keep in the fridge.
Carrot greens: I have never really prepped them any way other than this paste, because it's so so good.
Basil: pistachio pesto - need I say more?
Cucumbers+tomatoes: overnight couscous (and quicker variant)
Aubergines: caponata - excellent, especially with toasted couscous (see below); baba; miso aubergine
Courgettes, fennel, aubergines, peppers: roasted veg with harissa dressing and couscous / wheatberries (or, lately, orzo)
Peppers: muhammara
Yes, and, that giant couscous I mentioned - I have always found it a bit bland, and obviously it lacks the ready-in-ten-minutes-with-no-pans-involved charm of normal couscous. So this time I tried toasting it with a little olive oil in the pan for a few minutes, until lightly browned, before adding the water and cooking as usual (finishing with salt, pepper, olive oil and white wine). Sooooo much tastier! Definitely recommended if you have a few extra minutes!
Thursday, July 31, 2014
Saturday, July 26, 2014
Black Trumpets and True Chanterelles
Anyway, coincidentally we went for a walk with M+G last weekend in Western Mass - similar kind of location to the morel find. Was all very unplanned - we found ourselves heading up Little Monadnock (hang on, actually that's in NH - just over the state line). And, right next to the lookout, I found a patch of black trumpets (Craterellus cornucopioides)! We'd eaten these once before with C+J, but never found them ourselves. Small and literally-named (they really are trumpet-shaped, and black); easy to pass by as they are well-camouflaged on the ground. They smell incredible - very rich, almost truffley. I picked them into S's hat, then kept plunging my face in there to inhale that heady aroma all the rest of our walk. We snacked on plentiful wild blueberries. On the way down we spotted a few chanterelles and added them to the hat - much easier to see than the trumpets owing to their large size and bright orange colour, but not growing in such a big group. After the walk we went to find a quarry to swim in, and on the way up to the quarry and the way back down we came across more chanterelles - we even found some right on the bank of the quarry! So, now we had one hatful of frilly orange mushrooms, and another hat full of delicate, velvety black ones.
When we got back we consulted our books, to be sure of identification (both these species are really distinctive so there wasn't much of a question), and for tips on cooking. We had a good amount of both kinds of mushroom, so we decided to just saute them (after a good clean - the trumpets especially can hide all sorts of bugs and leaves and dirt down inside their holes) together with a smidge of garlic, finish off with butter, salt and pepper, and see how that went. Trumpets have a stronger flavour than chanterelles - complementary though, and not overwhelming. But trumpets also tend to collapse into little floppy black blobs, while chanterelles are more robust and hold their shape and texture better. So they made a good team. The trumpets especially seemed to release a lot of liquid, and by the time it cooked off the mushrooms were quite shrunken. We tossed the saute through spätzle (the bought kind, through laziness), and it made a simple but excellent dinner.
Note: these were true chanterelles (Cantharellus cibarius): larger, more robust and more brightly orange than the related Winter Chanterelles (Craterellus tubaeformis) we found previously. Similar in taste, but the true chanterelles are firmer and hold their shape better when cooked - the Winter Chanterelles are almost like a hybrid between true chanterelles and black trumpets in texture and appearance.
Thursday, July 24, 2014
Simple pickled cucumber slices
I have enjoyed all the pickled cucumbers I've made (bread and butter; faux-Grillos) a huge amount - both those recipes are keepers.
But I saw this recipe, and was feeling lazy - it's one of those things about these hot, thick summer days - they bring a vegetal bounty, but no energy and no inclination to either turn the gas on or spend any time cooking. So the quicker you can throw together a refreshing pickly snack you can eat right out of the fridge, the better.
So, even simpler than the other pickles - no heating, no garlic, no spices.
1 medium-large cucumber, washed, ends removed, thinly sliced
~1 tbsp chopped dill
1 cup white vinegar
~1 tbsp coarse salt
Pack the cucumber slices in a large, clean jar. Add the dill and salt and then pour in the vinegar. Put the lid on and shake well to distribute everything. After about 8 hours check the liquid level and top up with more vinegar/water mixture if the cucumber slices are not covered in liquid.
But I saw this recipe, and was feeling lazy - it's one of those things about these hot, thick summer days - they bring a vegetal bounty, but no energy and no inclination to either turn the gas on or spend any time cooking. So the quicker you can throw together a refreshing pickly snack you can eat right out of the fridge, the better.
So, even simpler than the other pickles - no heating, no garlic, no spices.
1 medium-large cucumber, washed, ends removed, thinly sliced
~1 tbsp chopped dill
1 cup white vinegar
~1 tbsp coarse salt
Pack the cucumber slices in a large, clean jar. Add the dill and salt and then pour in the vinegar. Put the lid on and shake well to distribute everything. After about 8 hours check the liquid level and top up with more vinegar/water mixture if the cucumber slices are not covered in liquid.
Kale salad with cashew dressing
One night a week or so ago S had an express wish for a kale salad with white sauce. He wanted to use almond milk, but I couldn't work out how that would make things thick and creamy enough for his dream. So I suggested soaking cashews. I put some in water in the fridge a couple of nights ago, and last night S completed his dream salad. I was sure I'd seen the cashew dressing idea somewhere, but now I have no idea where, so we just made it up.
For the dressing:
1 cup raw cashews
2 cups water
1-2 tbsp white miso
1/2 clove garlic, peeled
1-2 tbsp olive oil
1-2 tbsp lemon juice (or cider vinegar)
1-2 tbsp almond milk (and more for good consistency)
black pepper
Rest of the salad:
1 bunch kale
2 medium tomatoes
~2 tbsp toasted flaked almonds
~1 tbsp dried sour cherries
Put the cashews in a container with the water and leave in the fridge to soak, at least overnight; fine for several days (we used ours after ~ 48 hours).
When ready for salad, drain the cashews. Put into blender cup and add miso, olive oil, lemon juice, almond milk and black pepper. Blend the dressing until smooth, adding more almond milk if needed, until a good, creamy consistency is reached. Taste for seasoning.
Wash the kale, remove stalks and tear the leaves into bite sized pieces. Put in a serving bowl. Add the dressing and mix well with your hands, massaging the kale as you go.
Chop the tomatoes roughly and add them to the salad with the almonds and sour cherries. Toss and taste for seasoning. Eat straight away, or keeps pretty well in the fridge (consider keeping toasted almonds separately if planning to store it).
For the dressing:
1 cup raw cashews
2 cups water
1-2 tbsp white miso
1/2 clove garlic, peeled
1-2 tbsp olive oil
1-2 tbsp lemon juice (or cider vinegar)
1-2 tbsp almond milk (and more for good consistency)
black pepper
Rest of the salad:
1 bunch kale
2 medium tomatoes
~2 tbsp toasted flaked almonds
~1 tbsp dried sour cherries
Put the cashews in a container with the water and leave in the fridge to soak, at least overnight; fine for several days (we used ours after ~ 48 hours).
When ready for salad, drain the cashews. Put into blender cup and add miso, olive oil, lemon juice, almond milk and black pepper. Blend the dressing until smooth, adding more almond milk if needed, until a good, creamy consistency is reached. Taste for seasoning.
Wash the kale, remove stalks and tear the leaves into bite sized pieces. Put in a serving bowl. Add the dressing and mix well with your hands, massaging the kale as you go.
Chop the tomatoes roughly and add them to the salad with the almonds and sour cherries. Toss and taste for seasoning. Eat straight away, or keeps pretty well in the fridge (consider keeping toasted almonds separately if planning to store it).
Friday, July 18, 2014
Birch syrup
I heard about birch syrup a while ago, from a Swedish friend. I was instantly intrigued - maple syrup is amazing stuff, surely birch syrup is equally amazing, if not more? But rarer, and uniquely Northern: made from the birch forests of the far North: Russia, Scandinavia, Alaska. We ate a smidge of it at Relae in Copenhagen, but it wasn't distinct enough to satisfy my curiosity. On reflection, I decided that even if it was expensive and hard to find, I would like to try some. The only place with real commercial operations is Alaska, especially one 'Birchworks'. So I bought some from there, soon after the Spring run this year (one bottle, mid run). I bought it on Monday and it was in my apartment by the end of the week.
It is darker and more complex than maple syrup - somewhere between molasses and maple syrup, but almost tastes malted.
I have been using it whereever I'd use maple syrup, although it seems like it'd have more of an affinity with savory foods as well.
It is darker and more complex than maple syrup - somewhere between molasses and maple syrup, but almost tastes malted.
I have been using it whereever I'd use maple syrup, although it seems like it'd have more of an affinity with savory foods as well.
Monday, July 7, 2014
Cupuaçu
Somewhere, probably here, I read about cupuaçu, and was instantly intrigued... A fruit closely related to cacao (another Theobroma), but not cacao? Surely this is something for me?!
Almost immediately after, I noticed our local Brazilian bakery seemed to sell it in some form - it was on their take-out menu but they didn't have it when I asked. So I forgot about it for a while...
Until we were browsing the ice fruit section in the Brazilian grocery (different from the bakery), while stocking up on açaí, and discovered a wealth of other exciting fruits in addition to the açaí - cupuaçu! Also cacao fruit, cashew fruit, acerola... We bought acerola, açaí, cupuaçu and cacao... how could we resist?
The lady in the shop said cacao and cupuaçu were really good together. I prepared a packet of each (sampling them separately along the way), blended together, then eaten, in the same way as our favourite açaí preparation.
I have to say, the light-yellow cupuaçu tasted kind of weird - nice, although not reminiscent of chocolate, and with a delicate, slightly fermenty, fruity flavour. I loved the cacao fruit (which I guess I knew already since sampling it in Belize) - it is light brown and has a milder taste. I think it could be good blended with açaí.
This was breakfast on Friday, followed by watching football World Cup (including Brazil vs Colombia), during which I also made Brazilian cheese rolls, so in spite of the all-day Hurricane Arthur rain, it felt pretty Brazilian in our house.
Almost immediately after, I noticed our local Brazilian bakery seemed to sell it in some form - it was on their take-out menu but they didn't have it when I asked. So I forgot about it for a while...
Until we were browsing the ice fruit section in the Brazilian grocery (different from the bakery), while stocking up on açaí, and discovered a wealth of other exciting fruits in addition to the açaí - cupuaçu! Also cacao fruit, cashew fruit, acerola... We bought acerola, açaí, cupuaçu and cacao... how could we resist?
The lady in the shop said cacao and cupuaçu were really good together. I prepared a packet of each (sampling them separately along the way), blended together, then eaten, in the same way as our favourite açaí preparation.
I have to say, the light-yellow cupuaçu tasted kind of weird - nice, although not reminiscent of chocolate, and with a delicate, slightly fermenty, fruity flavour. I loved the cacao fruit (which I guess I knew already since sampling it in Belize) - it is light brown and has a milder taste. I think it could be good blended with açaí.
This was breakfast on Friday, followed by watching football World Cup (including Brazil vs Colombia), during which I also made Brazilian cheese rolls, so in spite of the all-day Hurricane Arthur rain, it felt pretty Brazilian in our house.
Blueberry and almond salad with blueberry vinaigrette
We biked to Wegmans in Chestnut Hill. It's a big, new supermarket; S was excited to go there. Their main appeal (to us) seemed to be selling fruit and veg in 'family packs'. We were restricted somewhat by having to carry them on our backs, but ended up with a lot of blueberries anyway. We were attempting conversation on our bikes, considering dinner and salad and our recent purchases: I thought S suggested blueberry salad, our wires were crossed, but it seemed like a good idea anyway.
leaves of 1/2 a butter lettuce, washed well and torn into bite size pieces
1 spring onion, washed and finely chopped
~1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries, washed
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
salt+pepper
1/4 cup toasted flaked almonds
Put the lettuce and spring onion in a serving bowl with a cupful of the blueberries. Put the remaining 1/2 cup of blueberries in a blender with the vinegar and blitz til smooth. Transfer blueberry mixture to a small bowl and whisk with the olive oil, salt and pepper til homogeneous. To serve, scatter the flaked almonds over the blueberries and lettuce in the bowl, then add the dressing and toss.
leaves of 1/2 a butter lettuce, washed well and torn into bite size pieces
1 spring onion, washed and finely chopped
~1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries, washed
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
salt+pepper
1/4 cup toasted flaked almonds
Put the lettuce and spring onion in a serving bowl with a cupful of the blueberries. Put the remaining 1/2 cup of blueberries in a blender with the vinegar and blitz til smooth. Transfer blueberry mixture to a small bowl and whisk with the olive oil, salt and pepper til homogeneous. To serve, scatter the flaked almonds over the blueberries and lettuce in the bowl, then add the dressing and toss.
Saturday, July 5, 2014
One pot red lentil, coconut and greens dal
Making dal with coconut milk instead of water had been in the back of my mind for a while. Also adding stuff other than spices and aromatics. Someone recommended this recipe, thought I'd give it a try (with modifications).
This is a pretty good summer dal. Since it uses red lentils the cooking time is short (relative to other dal like chana), so less time spent over the stove. Coconut and greens also seem like summery additions.
2 tbsp coconut oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 in piece ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1 red chilli, finely chopped (used ~1/2 tsp dried chilli flakes)
1 tsp mustard seed
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp garam masala
1 cup (approx 250 g) red lentils
1 ~400 ml tin coconut milk made up to ~800 ml with water
~ 1/2 tsp salt
1 cup spinach or other tender greens (I used a mixture of the green parts of napa cabbage and butter lettuce)
1 small bunch of coriander, chopped
In a medium saucepan, heat the coconut oil, then add onion, garlic, ginger and chilli and fry gently til lightly browned. Add the mustard seeds and heat til they pop. Add the turmeric and garam masala and fry for a minute or so before adding the lentils. Add the coconut milk-water mixture to the pan, then cover and cook gently for 15-20 min, stirring occasionally. Add the salt and taste for seasoning. Finally, add the greens and coriander and cook for a few minutes more, until they are wilted but still bright green.
I really enjoyed the rich coconuttiness of this dal (makes it a bit richer than most dal, but totally delicious). Also the greens. This is a different cooking method to my usual dal - adding everything to one pot rather than frying the onions and spices separately and adding them last. Think it is fine, and obviously saves washing up etc, although perhaps uniquely possible for small, quick-cooking dal like the red lentils.
This is a pretty good summer dal. Since it uses red lentils the cooking time is short (relative to other dal like chana), so less time spent over the stove. Coconut and greens also seem like summery additions.
2 tbsp coconut oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 in piece ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1 red chilli, finely chopped (used ~1/2 tsp dried chilli flakes)
1 tsp mustard seed
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp garam masala
1 cup (approx 250 g) red lentils
1 ~400 ml tin coconut milk made up to ~800 ml with water
~ 1/2 tsp salt
1 cup spinach or other tender greens (I used a mixture of the green parts of napa cabbage and butter lettuce)
1 small bunch of coriander, chopped
In a medium saucepan, heat the coconut oil, then add onion, garlic, ginger and chilli and fry gently til lightly browned. Add the mustard seeds and heat til they pop. Add the turmeric and garam masala and fry for a minute or so before adding the lentils. Add the coconut milk-water mixture to the pan, then cover and cook gently for 15-20 min, stirring occasionally. Add the salt and taste for seasoning. Finally, add the greens and coriander and cook for a few minutes more, until they are wilted but still bright green.
I really enjoyed the rich coconuttiness of this dal (makes it a bit richer than most dal, but totally delicious). Also the greens. This is a different cooking method to my usual dal - adding everything to one pot rather than frying the onions and spices separately and adding them last. Think it is fine, and obviously saves washing up etc, although perhaps uniquely possible for small, quick-cooking dal like the red lentils.
Thursday, July 3, 2014
Lavender cupcakes
In honour of our Grandma, Iz and I decided to make lavender cupcakes. She always loved flowers, and baking (especially for us). And we had access to plenty of lavender in the garden she and my uncle / her son S had nurtured together. So it seemed very fitting.
We made them in the kitchen at S's, which meant a few little screw ups due to unfamiliar equipment. But nothing that wasn't fixed by the time they were iced and decorated.
The recipe was from I's Hummingbird Bakery cookbook. It contains eggs and dairy (no one else eating them has vegan tendencies), but the key is the infusion of milk with lavender both for the cake and the icing, which could easily be done with non dairy milk and a vegan cupcake recipe.
(makes 9-12, depending how deep you fill the cups)
For the cake part:
120 ml milk
3 tbsp dried lavender flowers (we used fresh)
120 g plain flour
140 g sugar
1½ tsp baking powder
40 g butter, at room temperature
1 egg
For the icing:
25 ml milk
1 tbsp dried lavender flowers (we used fresh)
250 g icing sugar, sifted
80 g butter, at room temperature
A couple of drops of purple food colouring (optional)
For decoration:
~5 fresh, pretty lavender inflorescences
The day before, or at least several hours in advance, put the milk and lavender flowers in a jug, cover and refrigerate for a few hours, or overnight if possible. Do the same with the milk and lavender flowers for the icing, in a separate jug. We used fresh flowers and I crushed them a bit as I put them in the milk as we could only leave it to infuse for a few hours, and the flavour came out well.
When ready to bake the cakes, heat the oven to 170C/325F. Line a 12 cup tin with paper cases. Beat the flour, sugar, baking powder and butter together until they are well combined and a sandy consistency. Strain the lavender-infused milk (for the cake) and slowly pour into the flour mixture, beating well until all the ingredients are well mixed. Add the egg and beat well.
Spoon the mixture into the paper cases until two-thirds full (ours were not this full, even though we only did 9 not 12, but they did rise right to the tops of the cases - perhaps the recipe used smaller cups?) and bake for 20-25 min, or until the sponge bounces back when touched /a skewer comes out clean. Leave the cakes to cool slightly in the tray before turning out onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
To make the icing, beat together the icing sugar, butter (and food colouring if using: we did not) until smooth and well mixed. Strain the lavender-infused milk and slowly pour into the butter mixture. Once it is mixed in, continue to beat until the icing is light and fluffy (at least five minutes), ideally with a food mixer or electric whisk.
When the cupcakes are cool, smooth the lavender frosting on top. Pick off the flowers from the lavender heads and sprinkle them over the tops of the cakes (think mine ended up with 8-10 flowers scattered over the top of each one).
They looked very pretty with the flowers on top and white icing. Both icing and cake were quite light and fluffy, and there was just the right amount of lavender flavour. It is reminiscent of lemon in its fragrant sharpness: I think it's lovely, although it is not necessarily for everyone.
We made them in the kitchen at S's, which meant a few little screw ups due to unfamiliar equipment. But nothing that wasn't fixed by the time they were iced and decorated.
The recipe was from I's Hummingbird Bakery cookbook. It contains eggs and dairy (no one else eating them has vegan tendencies), but the key is the infusion of milk with lavender both for the cake and the icing, which could easily be done with non dairy milk and a vegan cupcake recipe.
(makes 9-12, depending how deep you fill the cups)
For the cake part:
120 ml milk
3 tbsp dried lavender flowers (we used fresh)
120 g plain flour
140 g sugar
1½ tsp baking powder
40 g butter, at room temperature
1 egg
For the icing:
25 ml milk
1 tbsp dried lavender flowers (we used fresh)
250 g icing sugar, sifted
80 g butter, at room temperature
A couple of drops of purple food colouring (optional)
For decoration:
~5 fresh, pretty lavender inflorescences
The day before, or at least several hours in advance, put the milk and lavender flowers in a jug, cover and refrigerate for a few hours, or overnight if possible. Do the same with the milk and lavender flowers for the icing, in a separate jug. We used fresh flowers and I crushed them a bit as I put them in the milk as we could only leave it to infuse for a few hours, and the flavour came out well.
When ready to bake the cakes, heat the oven to 170C/325F. Line a 12 cup tin with paper cases. Beat the flour, sugar, baking powder and butter together until they are well combined and a sandy consistency. Strain the lavender-infused milk (for the cake) and slowly pour into the flour mixture, beating well until all the ingredients are well mixed. Add the egg and beat well.
Spoon the mixture into the paper cases until two-thirds full (ours were not this full, even though we only did 9 not 12, but they did rise right to the tops of the cases - perhaps the recipe used smaller cups?) and bake for 20-25 min, or until the sponge bounces back when touched /a skewer comes out clean. Leave the cakes to cool slightly in the tray before turning out onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
To make the icing, beat together the icing sugar, butter (and food colouring if using: we did not) until smooth and well mixed. Strain the lavender-infused milk and slowly pour into the butter mixture. Once it is mixed in, continue to beat until the icing is light and fluffy (at least five minutes), ideally with a food mixer or electric whisk.
When the cupcakes are cool, smooth the lavender frosting on top. Pick off the flowers from the lavender heads and sprinkle them over the tops of the cakes (think mine ended up with 8-10 flowers scattered over the top of each one).
They looked very pretty with the flowers on top and white icing. Both icing and cake were quite light and fluffy, and there was just the right amount of lavender flavour. It is reminiscent of lemon in its fragrant sharpness: I think it's lovely, although it is not necessarily for everyone.
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