Throwing a Little Something Together...

     I've got friends who have an obsessive desire to follow recipes exactly.  I used to be this person.  It's what you do when you're first learning how to cook.  But I think it makes you afraid a little.  Afraid you might mess something up.  You know what?  You almost never do and a lot of times what you come up with is better than what the Internet says, especially one of those recipes from TV, blerg.  AND most of the time the recipe has got one or twelve things you don't have sitting in your fridge at the moment.  So let's talk about what is in your fridge.  At any moment I have every ingredient necessary for a good soup, Italian anything, stir-fry, and hummus.  Always have the ingredients for hummus.  All you need for hummus is any bean variety, oil, garlic, and salt.  All you need for soup is a can or two of tomatoes and a variety of vegetables, and sometimes you can pull it off without the tomatoes!  Italian needs tomatoes, basil and garlic.  Mushrooms are good, other herbs, or onions, but really all you need are tomatoes, basil, and garlic.  Let's get to that stir-fry now.

I started on this because I had some peanut sauce from the Farmer's Market calling my name all week.  I also had purple cauliflower, red cabbage, carrots, a squash from my garden, oyster mushrooms, a white bell pepper, half an onion, and some garlic.  Sounds like stir-fry to me.  Does it matter what color your vegetables are?  Nope.  Do you need all those vegetables to make a stir-fry?  Nope, though it does help to feed a larger group to have a variety if you only have small quantities of each like I had.  Do you have to have fancy soba noodles like I did?  Not even.  I wasn't even thinking of noodles when I realized I had the makings for stir-fry.  I was going to do rice first, but realized I hadn't left enough time to pull it off, so noodles it was!  What I'm trying to say here is relax.  Take a deep breath.  It's just one dinner.  You can do it.  If all else fails, there's always peanut butter or grilled cheese, or whatever sandwich combination your family is allowed to eat in this day of allergens and intolerances.

The biggest thing to remember when doing a stir-fry for a family is not to cook everything in the same pan unless you have a huge pan.  I like my stir-fry veggies warmed and nearly raw, cooking everything in the same pan tends to steam everything and take forever so you're left with a long cook time and mushy veg.

Refrigerator Clean-Out Stir Fry
Serves 4

3 large carrots, sliced
1/2 large onion, sliced
2 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/2 medium cabbage, sliced
1 large or 2 small yellow squash, sliced
1/2 lb oyster mushrooms, chopped
1/2 cup cauliflower florets
1 bell pepper, sliced
2 green onions, sliced
1 Tbs sesame seeds
1 bunch of soba noodles, boiled and drained
1 tsp high heat oil
1 Tbs peanut sauce, soy sauce, or tamari sauce

On medium/high heat, cook onions first in a small amount of oil until they have softened slightly, then set them aside, then carrots cooked until slightly soft and set aside, continue cooking vegetables one at a time until all are cooked, excluding the green onions and sesame seeds, mushrooms and garlic can go in together.  Mix all the veggies together.  Plate noodles and top with cooked veggies, finish with the sauce of your choice.

Now, go to your fridge and start experimenting!!  Here's a few more ideas to get you started:
Chicken, pork, or tofu, eggplant, peas, bok choi, broccoli, any color of bell pepper, zucchini, green beans, water chestnuts, baby corn, bamboo shoots.

The ol' Blue and Gold.

     When I was a kid I had absolutely no interest in being a Girl Scout.  I didn't know what they did, except every now and then, they'd show up at school in their uniforms and apparently they sold cookies, though I don't think my folks ever bought any.  (I made up for this in college by buying and consuming an entire childhood's worth of Thin Mints every year on the first day of sales.  This was how I learned that eating an entire childhood's worth of mint extract makes my tummy feel funny.  And by "funny" of course, I mean "rolling around on the bed moaning in agony while still shoving Thin Mints in my face." This may or may not have helped solidify my complete lack of excitement about Girl Scouts.)  But anyway, what I really wanted to be was a Boy Scout.

     My brother was a Cub Scout for about 30 seconds when we were kids.  He went to a few meetings, made a pinewood derby car, we went to a Jamboree one year, and I think that was pretty much it for him.  But we got Boy's Life for years and years and I loved them.  There was some kind of comic about a burro and I'm pretty sure Boy's Life is where I learned how to install insulation.  You know... Like you do. 

     One of my greatest hopes for my boys is that they would want to join the scouts when they were old enough and last week we went to my son's very first meeting.  He is beside himself.  My little one is a grumbling ball of jealousy.  Fortunately, the second meeting he attended was the Blue and Gold Banquet which is for families.  My youngest was amazed by the theatrics, my eldest mostly wanted to run around like a monkey with all his new friends, while I was mostly sitting there bursting my goshdarn buttons.

     Our den's offering for the banquet was spaghetti and seeing as how it was my son's very first one and how it was only our second meeting and how I was so goshdarn proud and all, I decided to make homemade sauce.



Blue and Gold Pasta Sauce
22 Roma tomatoes
1 Tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 large onion (about 12 oz), chopped roughly
8 oz small sweet peppers, sliced into 1/4 inch rings (about 2 1/2 C)
8 oz baby bella mushrooms, chopped
5 cloves garlic, crushed
1/4 C mixed olive tapenade (opt)
2 Tbs tomato paste
3 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 C sliced, frozen artichoke hearts (still frozen)
4 Tbs chopped fresh basil
1 Tbs chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp thyme

Cut X's in the bottoms of tomatoes and broil until skins begin to brown.  Remove from oven and allow to cool until you can touch them.  Remove peels and set tomatoes aside.  In a large stock pot, heat olive oil.  Cook onion until slightly brown and softening, then add peppers and mushrooms.  Cook until soft.  Make a small well in the middle of the veggies and add garlic to the dry pan, heat until scent blooms and stir in.  Stir in tomatoes and olives.  Cook until tomatoes have softened, about an hour.  Add salt, pepper, tomato paste and artichoke hearts.  Heat a little more until hearts have warmed up.  Remove from heat and stir in fresh herbs.  Makes enough to coat 1 16oz bag of pasta well.

Review:
My youngest, aka Mr. Idonlikeit, ate three helpings of this pasta at the banquet and hasn't turned his nose up at leftovers, either.  When I was making it, I ate a solid cup of it with a fork before I even got the pasta ready.  This stuff is serious, ya'll.

Return of My Alter-ego...

Wow!  That was quite a week!  I had no idea how quickly Souperheroes would take off!  Thank all you new readers out there for following me!  I hope I don't disappoint with my boring ol' regular people food.  There will be more Souperheroes coming, though, don't worry!

So this week, after all that superhero food, my boys are still expecting everything to have a superhero theme.  I told them this was "Twisty Man Pasta."  Their minds are still reeling with ideas for his possible abilities.  "Hey Mama, do you think maybe he's really springy?"  "Hey Mama, do you think he is really stretchy?"  "Hey Mama, do you think he farts a lot?"  Yeah.  That's the world I live in.  This morning my eldest told his brother that when "all the kids grow up" superheros will be real.  Sweet Barney on a Horse!  That kid can't wait to grow up!  Until that time, when that most dastardly of all villains "Reality Man" rears his ugly head, there is Twisty Man!

Before this pasta was endowed with super abilities, he was a mild mannered experiment in which I tried combining gluten free corn pasta with toppings more likely found on a Mexican plate. I was hoping to highlight the corn flavor in the pasta.  It worked out pretty well!

Twisty Man Pasta
(4 Servings)
Corn Fusilli Pasta (I used Ritrovo Brand)
1 C cooked black beans
1 C chopped tomato
1/4 C chopped onion
Sour cream
salt and pepper to taste

Cook about half the bag of pasta according to package instructions.  Once the pasta is made and drained, you can either stir the beans into the pasta to heat them up, or if you want it all pretty like the picture, you can heat them separately.  Top with raw tomato and sprinkle with raw onion.  Little sour cream and voila!  A Mexican inspired Twisty Man pasta.

Note:
If you like cilantro (and I do not) you could add a sprinkle for a little something extra.  I will not debate you as to what that "something extra" is...

Review:
The boys love it and I do, too.  It would be good with some olives or maybe even guacamole!  Man, I wish I'd thought of that... Oh well, next time.  I'm sure I'll make this again before "all the kids grow up" and superheroes start flying past my window!

Shameless Bragging

     OK, can I just say how much I love my farmer's market?  The last time I was there buying eggs, I heard a woman insisting that she get "a rainbow dozen."  Little did she know they're all rainbow dozens.  Beautiful, green, brown, tan, and white eggs dutifully laid by happy chickens who forage in the grass, eat bugs, and do happy, happy chicken things.  Whatever that is.  Roost in the forests of the moon or something... Anyhoo... I also found asparagus, morel mushrooms, and hazelnuts, and garlic...

     Have I mentioned morel mushrooms before?  Allow me to expound.  They're the little brainy looking things on the plate there.  They don't taste like any mushroom you've ever had.  They are drier, meatier, chewier, and they don't taste like a fungus.  I love mushrooms.  Just about all kinds (there's a few Asian ones I'm not too keen on) but the morel is just above and beyond.  They're hard to find, which makes them rare.  And the hiding spots are often a well kept secret.  Like the take it to your grave kind.  Fortunately for me, our farmer's market has a forager who brings fiddle head ferns, morels, sea beans, elder flowers, all kinds of wild edibles.  I love morel season.  If you can find some, buy them.  If you like mushrooms, you won't be disappointed.  If you don't like mushrooms, try them anyway, you might be surprised!

     I put this recipe together to highlight the morels and the asparagus, which I'm also nuts for.  You could also sub garlic scapes or fiddle head ferns earlier in the spring.

Morel and Asparagus Sauté
1/2 bunch asparagus
1/8 lb morel mushrooms
1/4 C chopped hazelnuts
4 cloves garlic
red wine for de-glazing
pre-cooked chicken (optional)
Trader Joe's Harvest Grains Blend

Sauté garlic, asparagus, hazelnuts, and garlic in pan with a little olive oil.  Meanwhile, make grains according to package directions.    As vegetables begin to stick to pan, de-glaze with red wine.  Cook until asparagus is cooked, but still firm.

If using the chicken, re-heat it in microwave or in a frying pan with a little bit of water.  Or, if you eat meat, go ahead and throw it in the pan with the veggies.

Serve!

Notes: 
TJ's Harvest Grains Blend is mostly little cute pastas, so if you can't find it, this would be great with pasta or brown rice.  I cooked mine with a little mushroom stock and a tad of butter.

Review: 
Absolutely fantastic.  Morels are a delicacy for a reason!

Also, just another quick little bit of bragging.  One of my hummus photos was featured yesterday on Finding Vegan!

A Farewell to Spring...

Primavera means "Spring" in Italian, or so I've been told.  We have had a cloudy, cold, miserable Spring here in the Pacific Northwest and I, for one, am glad to see this mythical season they call "Summer" arrive.  I do love all the Spring vegetables though, like asparagus, morels and most recently, as you well know, I have discovered the sweet seduction of garlic scapes.  So I thought I'd make this little Pasta Primavera using the last of the local Spring veggies, though I wish I'd thought of this while fiddle heads were still in season... oh well, next year.

Pacific Northwest Pasta Primavera

4 or 5 baby beets
1/2 lb garlic scapes
1/2 lb asparagus
1/8 lb fresh morel mushrooms
1/2 lb kale

1) Roast beets.  Wrap in tin foil and bake for one hour at 350°.
2) After the beets have roasted for about 30 minutes, start the pasta water, and chop garlic scapes and asparagus in 1 or 2 inch pieces.
3) Roughly chop kale into bite-size pieces.
4) Chop morels into rings.
5) Sauté veggies in a frying pan with a little olive oil.  Start with scapes and asparagus.  Add  kale and mushrooms after about 5 minutes.
6) If the garlic scapes are taking too long to cook, add a little water and cover the pan to let everything steam.

A little wine would be nice in the sauté, too. 

7) When pasta water boils, add pasta and cook according to package directions.

 I fubared the alfredo sauce, so it was more like tasty milk with Parmesan curd, but it still tasted awesome...

Alfredo sauce:
1/2 stick butter, melted in pan
1 C skim milk
1 C Parmesan cheese
1 crushed garlic clove
1/4 C fresh parsley
pepper

To make a proper alfredo, you should use cream in place of milk.  This may have been what made mine all farshlugginer...

1) Melt butter in a small saucepan.
2) Boil milk, stirring consistently, for 5 minutes.
3) Slowly add Parmesan.
4) Add garlic clove, parsley, and pepper.

When beets are ready, let cool slightly (until you can handle them) and peel skin off, then slice.  Dress the pasta with the alfredo.  Top with sauteed veggies and sliced beets.

Eat it, 'cause it's awesome!   This could be more quickly made if you cook the beets a day or two ahead of time.  I served this with salmon because we had some that needed to be eaten, but this would probably be better with chicken.

 

Two Words : Garlic. Scapes.

A little departure from the norm today.  Please excuse me, but it's about to get all fan-geeky up in here.  I had heard of garlic scapes but never tried any until I found a bunch at my favorite grocery store.  They are beautiful.

 See?

 

 See?

 

 See?!

 

AUGH!  They're gorgeous!!

*swoon*

Flavor-wise, the stalks are similar to asparagus and the bud is a little like asparagus mixed with artichoke, though milder.  Raw, the stalks are hot and strong like garlic, but I think taste a little "grassier".  So far I haven't been able to retain the garlic flavor when cooked, but I'm still working on it.  We've had them steamed and grilled, and I think they'd be great broiled, too.

I paired the scapes with whole wheat pasta, but homemade herbed pasta would make these even better...I'm out of pasta flour... dang...

Garlic Scapes with Pasta
Serves 2

1/4 lb whole wheat pasta
1/2 lb garlic scapes
1/4 C chopped walnuts
crumbled feta cheese, for garnish
dash olive oil
s & p to taste

1) Make the pasta according to package directions.
2) Steam garlic tops as you would asparagus.  I use an electric steamer, so mine cooks in 8-10 min.
3) When scapes are done steaming, remove from steamer and chop stalks in 1/4 inch pieces, reserving the buds for later.
4) Plate the pasta and top it with chopped scapes, walnuts, olive oil, salt and pepper and feta, finishing with the buds.

Serve it with mixed green and herb salad with a basic vinegarette:
1 tbs balsamic vinegar
1 tbs olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Whisk ingredients together in a small bowl until combined, pour over salad to your taste.  I use 1/4 tsp or less.

Notes:

• Scapes steamed as long as asparagus works well to cook them, but I'm thinking I'll try a few less minutes next time.  (I'm going to try 5.)
• They cook really quickly on the grill don't take your eyes off them for a second!
• Mr. CotC doesn't like goat cheese, but I think you could easily substitute goat cheese for feta cheese.
• I think that mine were elephant garlic scapes.  What I have seen at farmer's markets are thinner and curlier, though I imagine they taste very much the same.  That said, I love the big, fat flower bud on these elephant garlic ones. 
• If you're brave, you might try a few thin sections of raw scapes in your salad, too.
• If you decide not to serve it with a salad with balsamic in it, you might put a little balsamic over the pasta to give it a little acid.

Next week, I'll be back to my regularly scheduled recipe box recipe, but I was so excited by these I couldn't help it.  Plus, this is the time to find them in the stores don't let these little buds of awesomeness get away!

OK.  One more:

 Sorry...

Pasta with Lentils

When I was a kid, my favorite meal was steamed spinach, brown rice, lentils, and cottage cheese.  My Mom sent me a newspaper clipping with this and another lentil recipe on it while I was in college (where, unbeknownst to her, my favorite meal was Marshmallow Mateys).  She found it in our small-town newspaper which usually featured recipes full of meat and/or cream-of-something soup so when the exotic lentil got a mention, she clipped it right out!  Now that I'm in Mommy mode myself, though I do still have an appreciation for the marshmallow group, I'm favoring lentils for dinner again.  So when I dug this one out, I thought I'd give it a try for old time's sake.

The article is from the Jefferson Post in 1997 (probably a December issue judging by all the ads with Santa in them on the reverse side) written by Philomena Corradeno in her column, "The Chopping Block".

David Ruggerio, chef/owner of Le Chantilly, Pastis, and Chaz and Wilson Grill in New York City, in his "Little Italy Cookbook" (Artisan, 1997; $29.95), writes:

     "Among the many fascinating and quirky traditions Italian-Americans keep alive is the little-known practice of eating lentil soup on New Year's Eve at midnight while walking up and down the stairs."
     David has produced a delightful book of recipes and color photos that tickle the taste buds.  If you're tempted and want to eat lentil soup on the stairs, do it with his Pasta Lentiche, that is, Pasta with Lentils.  It's a hearty dish suitable for winter dinner...

Pasta with Lentils (Pasta Lentiche)
2 C lentils, rinsed
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
1 small red onion, finely chopped
1 rib celery, cut into 1/4 inch dice
1 clove garlic, peeled and left whole
1 tsp salt
6 C water or chicken stock
1 C ditali or other small pasta
1/4 C extra virgin olive oil
2 T chopped fresh Italian parsley
Pecorino cheese, grated

     In deep saucepan, combine lentils, carrot, onion, celery, garlic, salt and water or chicken stock.  Bring to a boil over medium heat.  Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 25 minutes or until vegetables are barely tender.  Don't overcook.  Remove from heat; remove garlic and discard.
      Cook pasta until al dente according to package instructions.  Drain well and add to lentil mixture.  Mix well and add some fresh black pepper.  Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with parsley and serve with grated cheese sprinkled on top.  Makes 4-6 servings. 

Note: Ruggerio's recipe calls for small green lentils, preferably Italian or French but these are not easily available in supermarkets and regular brown lentils will do as well.

My substitutions/additions:

• I used whole wheat macaroni.  I know it's not as fancy as whatever a ditali is, but it's what I had in the pantry.
• I didn't use a red onion, which would have been prettier...
• I used 3 C water and 3 C vegetable stock.
• I wish I'd read the note before I made this, I actually had some French lentils in the pantry and it would have made quite a difference in the flavor and consistency.  

 

Review: My Mom used to make something exactly like this out of leftovers.  Who knew?  My Mom, a bon vivant!  Overall, it's fine.  I wouldn't pay gourmet prices for it, but it's a quick, healthy recipe, so I'll keep it.

Ground Beef Stroganoff

This looks like something I gleaned from the Internet by checking several sites for the same recipe and picking the best of all the recipes (a.k.a. the ingredients I had in the fridge).  Therefore, all I had were the ingredients and none of the directions...  For myself, I cooked the mushrooms and onions and crumbled a veggie patty in there...

Beef Stroganoff
1 Tbs butter
4-5 medium mushrooms, sliced
1/4 of a medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic
beef
1 C bullion
1 tsp flour
1/4 C sour cream
salt and pepper

This is how I cooked it:
For starters, I used a box of mushrooms instead of just 4 or 5.  I sauteed the mushrooms, onions, and garlic in the butter.  At this point, I separated a portion for myself and added a veggie burger.  To the rest, I added 1 lb ground beef.  Once the beef was mostly done, I added the bullion.  (I used vegetable stock.)  Then, I stirred in the flour and cooked it till the gravy thickened.  I added salt and pepper to taste.  Just before serving, I stirred in the sour cream.  It went beautifully with whole wheat egg noodles.

Review:
Hubby was very pleased.  I asked him if I could have added anything and he said no.  So I'm taking his word for it.  Boy 1 said, "I like the beef!" (mostly because we told him he couldn't have a push-up pop if he didn't eat his dinner).  Boy 2 ate one noodle.  Mine was entirely edible.   It's a keeper!

(PS, some people say you can't have a proper stroganoff without tomato paste.  I don't know, I've never tried it, but there you go.  Add a spoonful and see what you think!)

Tuscan Tomato Pasta

This is a Morning Star Farms recipe that appears to have come from one of those coupon spitters in the grocery store isle.

Tuscan Tomato Pasta

1/2 C chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T olive oil or vegetable oil
1 C sliced fresh mushrooms
1 can (28 oz) whole tomatoes, cut up
1/2 C shredded carrot
2 T red wine vinegar
1 T dried basil leaves
1 C Morningstar Farms Meal Starters Chik'n Strips
8 oz spaghetti or fettuccine
2 T shaved Parmesan cheese

1) In large saucepan cook onion and garlic in hot oil until tender.  Add mushrooms.  Cook and stir 1 to 2 minutes or until tender.
2) Stir in undrained tomatoes, carrot, vinegar, and basil.  Bring to boil.  Reduce heat.  Simmer, uncovered, for 10 to 15 minutes or until desired thickness.  Stir in Chik'n Strips.  Cook and stir for 1 to 2 minutes or until heated through.
3) Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain.  Toss tomato mixture with pasta.  Sprinkle with cheese.

Yield: 4 servings

My substitutions/additions:

• Apparently, Morningstar isn't making Chik'n strips any more.  I went to two different stores and couldn't find them, so I substituted two Quorn Naked Chik'n Cutlets.
• I also added salt and pepper

Review:
Well, aside from the amusing discovery that apparently "chik'n" is the accepted spelling for alterna veggie "chicken," I wasn't crazy about this one.  It's possible the Quorn chik'n doesn't pack the same punch as the Morningstar version, but I found the vinegar off-putting and the recipe pretty boring over-all when weighed against the time it took to make.  DH liked it, but as for me, if I'm going to be chopping a bunch of veggies, it aught to have a little more personality than this.  I don't think I'll make it again.  I'm chucking this one.

Parmesean Pasta

Tonight I had to finish the Thanksgiving chicken or it was going to start walking around again...  Or you know, oozing around and eating stuff off the floor.  Granted, I have always wanted a pet that would vacuum stuff off my floors, but the frugal Mom in me got the upper hand.  So I went scrounging in the box.  This one appears to have come in some sort of mailer or something.  It's from Kraft, so it recommends all Kraft products.  And also, it's really old, so there's no telling if some of the products it recommends even still exist...  So there's a disclaimer for ya.

Parmesan Pasta
Prep: 5 minutes  Cook: 10 minutes  Servings: 4

8 oz. pasta, uncooked
1 pkg (16 oz) frozen broccoli flowerets [sic] or 3 C fresh broccoli flowerets [sic]
1 clove garlic, minced or 1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 pkg. (6 oz) Louis Rich grilled chicken breast strips
1/4 C (1/2 stick) butter, margarine or olive oil
3/4 C Kraft 100% grated Parmesan cheese

1. Prepare pasta as directed on package in large sauce pot, adding vegetables to pasta cooking water during last 5 minutes of cooking time; drain.

2. Cook and stir garlic and chicken breast strips in butter in same sauce pot on medium heat 1-2 minutes or until garlic is tended but not brown and chicken is thoroughly heated.

3. Add pasta and vegetables; toss lightly.  Sprinkle with cheese; toss to coat.  Serve immediately.

Try serving with quick bagged salad tossed with your favorite Kraft dressing, such as House Italian.

Tip! Great Substitute: Substitute 1-1/2 to 2 C chopped cooked ham, turkey or chicken for chicken breast strips.  A great way to use leftovers!

My substitutions/additions:

• Obviously, I didn't use the breast strips.  I also didn't use the Kraft cheese (Sorry Kraft.  I didn't have any and I prefer freshly grated parm to canned...).
• I did not use anywhere near 1/4 C olive oil.  Maybe a tablespoon.  
• I made one skillet for the boys with the chicken and garlic, and a separate one for myself with tofu and garlic.
• Also, I think this recipe is worded awkwardly.  Don't cook the chicken and garlic in the same pot as the pasta.  Use a different pot.  It's easy enough to figure out I guess, it just reads a little clunky and it makes the English major in me want to fix it... I know, I know, my neurosis is showing...

Review:
They're right!  This is a great way to use up leftovers.  The overall consensus was favorable.  Not something to write home about, but a good, solid mid-week meal that doesn't take too long to make and keeps the refrigerator beasts at bay.  It's a keeper!