buttery cabbage slices

When I made supper one night for the grandchildren last winter, I was telling them about some bloggers calling these "cabbage steaks" and how ridiculous it sounded - to me a steak is a steak, right?  Wrong.  The kids and Anni were thrilled with that name, and kept asking for another "cabbage steak".  

I was just happy they loved these gently simmered cabbage slices, topped with a simple olive oil and melted butter sauce.  Quickly cooked green cabbage is sweet and fresh, but overcook it and it either dissolves or scents the air with a somewhat pungent aroma.

Directions:

Choose a very firm, fresh green cabbage, not too big.
If the outside leaves are ragged or yellowing, just remove them.
Using a large knife, cut the cabbage across into 3/4 inch circles.

In a large stainless steel skillet, heat an inch, inch and a half of water, just until it simmers.  Add a tablespoon of olive oil and a tablespoon of butter to the water, then use a spatula to move the slices into the skillet.

Sprinkle the cabbage slices with a little thyme and salt, cover, and cook until the cabbage is just tender when pierced with a fork - about 10 to 12 minutes.

Gently remove the cabbage to plates or a platter.  There are usually stray ribbons of cabbage that come apart from the slices - just put them into a serving dish and top with a little more butter/olive oil and thyme and toss.  Continue with the rest of the cabbage slices, adding more water if necessary.

Serve with a little extra melted butter/olive oil if desired (the kids actually were fine without any extra - but I love mine buttery:)

Chilly and damp here in New Hampshire - and everyone I talk to admits to turning on the heat for at least a half hour:)    Hope you all have a lovely week!

pumpkin-raisin cookies !

It is creeping officially toward Fall here - after a few sweltering days, it was time to close the windows at night, and switch from bare feet to socks and sandals.  All I can say is YES!  Time for my favorite pumpkin cookies!

These are fat, plump, soft - and a big handful of spicy delicious cookie.  I like to throw in soft raisins or currants, but you can skip that if you want.  I have made them with chocolate chips, but honestly prefer the raisins - it's really up to you.  And so easy to make!


pumpkin-raisin cookies

Preheat oven to 350F.
Line two cookie sheets with parchment or foil and set aside.

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour (I use King Arthur)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup canned One Pie pumpkin puree, NOT sweetened. 
1 extra large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup soft raisins (or you can try chocolate chips)

Measure out the flour and set aside.
Cream the butter and the sugars well, then add the egg, raisins, spices, baking soda, baking powder, pumpkin, vanilla and mix thoroughly.

Add the flour slowly and mix just until blended.  Over mixing makes a tough cookie.

Use a regular sized ice cream scoop to scoop out cookies - I do 6 to a sheet, leaving 3 inches between cookies.

Bake one sheet at a time in the upper third of your oven for 25-30 minutes, or until the tops of the cookies are softly firm when you gently press them.  I made some smaller cookies- the scoop doesn't have a number, but when I measured it was either 2 inches or 1 3/4ths inches - it's hard to measure a round scoop! Anyway, they only took 16 minutes.

Remove cookie sheet to cool a few minutes, then use a spatula to remove cookies to a cooling rack.  Repeat with the second sheet.  This usually makes 13 or 14 big cookies for me.
                                                      *****

Another sign of Autumn?  Finding a huge thicket of wild grapes bordering the local dump area!  Sweet, juicy, delicious - and destined for a soft jelly to serve with roasted chicken.  What a treat!

Happy September!

Want more pumpkin recipes?  
Pumpkin muffins with crystalized ginger
Pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting
Pumpkin-ginger cake

craving simple carrot soup ( with ginger)

Oh my word, life has been changing in a snap - one day I wake up and remember my dearest daughter, daughter-in-law and grands have moved to Minnesota, after being two miles away for a few years, when I am suddenly presented with a beautiful new grandson, a fair distance away, but, still, here in New Hampshire.  I haven't seen him in person yet, but he looks so much like my son, I am flabbergasted, and I cannot wait to hold that little boy in my arms.

There it is, the essence of family.  You say goodbye to a sister, a father, mother, stepmother, and miss them every day, and then?  All these little new ones come along, and you love them with all your heart.

Seeing the autumn berries ( and some chilly mornings) reminds me of this earthy soup I love:   sweet with fresh carrots and ginger root, a little thyme, brightly colored, easy to whip up after your farmer's market visit, or a visit to your own garden.  Add a greeny salad on the side, a slice of cheddar and good bread, and lie lazing on the lounge chair on the terrace, looking up at the sky, and accepting the sad and the joy all together.



Fresh Carrot Soup

4 cups light chicken or vegetable stock
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 cups peeled and sliced medium sized carrots (do not use baby carrots, which are dry)
1 cup chopped onions
1/2 - 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger root
kosher salt and pepper to taste

In a saucepan, bring all the ingredients to a simmer and cook until the carrots are just fork tender.  Remove from heat briefly, then puree a few cups at a time in a blender.  It will be a beautiful bright orange color.  Taste and adjust seasonings before serving, and if it's too thick, just stir in a few tablespoons of water.  You can serve this hot or cold.

Makes four to five servings.

Happy Labor Day!
                                                                                                           

Green Zebra tomatoes - and a new baby boy

Finally, I found my favorite tomato - the Green Zebra, nestled in a basket at our local market on a Friday afternoon, when all the gardeners and farmers bring in their greens and flowers, their vegetables and herbs, fresh breads, and bouquets.

Green Zebras, with beautiful stripes of grass green and yellow, are hard to find -a little tart, very pretty, and heavenly with a little balsamic and olive oil , a pinch of salt, a sprinkle of fresh basil and pepper, a soft crust of bread and butter for sopping up.  My thanks to Hand Drawn Farm for growing these lovely tomatoes  - and here, tossed with a few Sun Gold's , and a few of my own somewhat uninspiring cherry tomatoes - it has been a cool and wet summer here in New Hampshire - not the best weather for these sun lovers.

And now the best news - I have a beautiful new grandson, Max.  Dear Max, welcome to the world, little boy!

Happy August, and welcome to my new grandson, Max, born on the 20th of August!

braised kale and broccoli with feta and olives

I'm embarrassed to say I have forgotten where I found this recipe, but the second I saw it, I was sure it was something I would love.  I am a huge fan of kale, but not raw kale, and lately there are so many recipes for that.  Not me - I love kale in my favorite kale recipe ever, Portuguese Kale Soup ,with potatoes, linguica ( a Portuguese sausage common on the Outer Cape), and tomatoes.  And I often make whipped potatoes with cooked kale, just for the greenery and the knowledge I am, hopefully, making a healthy meal.

But this combination knocked me out.  I also love broccoli, and feta, and olives, for heaven's sake, so how could it go wrong?

I have now made this three times - I have had it for brunch, breakfast AND supper, and it was so pleasing every single time.  You really need to make this, my friends.  It will be on your menu for years, and will never disappoint.

Braised kale and broccoli with feta and olives

Lightly braised in olive oil, the kale and broccoli are cooked until just tender, then tossed with salty feta and pitted Kalamata olives.  A wonderful side dish for Thanksgiving, or a chilly autumn supper or brunch, the recipe is easily halved.

To make about 6- 8 servings:

4-5 cups broccoli florets

10 cups torn kale leaves, slightly packed, stems discarded

4 tablespoons mild olive oil

about 1/4 cup water

salt and pepper to taste

1 cup pitted Kalamata olives

4 ounces cubed or crumbled feta cheese

Place the olive oil and the water in a large heavy skillet, adjust heat to medium, then add the broccoli florets and stir.  Cook for 6 minutes or so, stirring a few times, until just tender.

Add the kale and stir gently, then cover the skillet for 5 minutes.  Uncover, stir, and  remove from heat.

Add the olives and feta while the greens are still warm, tossing gently before serving.

I promise you, you will love it.

And that beautiful sunflower?  In memory of a wonderful woman, Pat Fairchild, who died recently.  Her  fellow gardeners planted a beautiful garden for her outside the post office, with towering , sunny sunflowers even taller than she was.  We all miss her marvelous spirit, and her feisty, loving personality.  What a woman.

Enjoy the last days of summer!  

roasted and fresh veggie salad-in-a-jar

I must be the last person to jump on the In A Jar bandwagon, but I'm sold on these salads in a jar.  After my daughter and her family moved away, my mealtime (what mealtime?) habits slid into opening the door of the fridge and grabbing some smoked turkey.  Sugar snaps straight off the vine in the garden.  A banana in the morning, waiting for my coffee to brew.  Pathetic.  So when I saw this, and this, and this on Pinterest, I thought I'd try them:  open the fridge and there's lunch (or dinner).

First you need wide mouth Mason jars, which can be found at any supermarket or grain store.  Make sure they're very clean and very dry.

When I was cleaning out the freezer, I came across a huge bag of colored peppers I'd prepped and frozen after finding them on sale.  I spread them on a cookie sheet, drizzled a little olive oil over them, and roasted at 400F for half an hour.  I went out to the garden and picked sugar snaps and green beans, trimmed and sliced into bite size pieces, then did a quick blanching in simmering water, then a cold water bath.

Fresh cherry tomatoes on hand were a little big, so I quartered them.  I also grabbed a can of light tuna fish in water:   if you can find the Italian tuna in oil, even better!  I also rinsed a can of cannelini white beans and added a layer of those - next time I would double it - they are delicious.

After carefully layering everything, I drizzled a few tablespoons of vinaigrette over, then screwed on the top and stuck in the fridge.  Bliss!  That night I had it for supper (on a platter), and the next day for a very late lunch.  Sooo much better than giving in to a box of Cheez-its and another cup of coffee.  

The vinaigrette:

1 garlic clove, peeled and gently smashed

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

a few pinches kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper

a little dijon mustard

4 tablespoons olive oil

Minced fresh herbs or dried herbs:  tarragon, basil, oregano, parsley

If you're brown-bagging it, this is such a great idea - and for picky kids or children on special diets, this is brilliant, though a non-breakable container is probably a good idea for school lunches - don't forget the fork.

Hope you're having a wonderful August!  

leek and potato soup: potage parmentier

Oh my word, it is swampy today - humid, still air, damp, damp, damp.  The weathervane is pointing toward my Southern kin in the South - thanks, guys:)

On days like this, I always cook early in the morning, when the coolness of night is still retained in the kitchen floor tiles - I am barefoot, of course, as I pull the leeks out of the fridge for this soup - vichyssoise, really, but I don't like chilled soup, so it's more a potage parmentier, not hot, not cold, just right to taste the velvety blend of herbs, leeks, potatoes, and butter.

The leeks were very sandy, so I sliced them up and swished them in several pots of water, until I could no longer feel the grains of sand at the bottom of the pot.  Don't neglect this step, or your soup will be ruined.  I learned my lesson long ago not to rush, after one batch I made for company was so agonizingly sandy it was inedible.

I used my lion bowls, which hold one and a half cups, so this made just enough for two:  3 cups.


POTAGE PARMENTIER

1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups well-washed and sliced leek whites
1 1/2 cups peeled red potatoes, cut in large dice
2 cups light chicken or vegetable stock
1 tablespoon fresh dill, pulled off stems
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, pulled off the stems
3/4 cup whipping cream
kosher salt to taste
fresh pepper to taste

Wash the leeks very very well!  

Place the leeks and butter in a heavy bottomed pot and braise on medium heat, covered, for 10 minutes, stirring a few times and making sure they do not burn.

Add the potatoes, chicken or vegetable stock, and the thyme and dill to the leek whites and simmer on medium until the potatoes are soft.

Remove from heat and add the cream and stir.  

Using a stick blender or a food processor, puree soup.  If it's very, very thick, add a little more cream or water.  Taste and add salt, pepper, or more dill as you wish.

You can serve cold, hot, or somewhere in the middle - I like it warm because it brings out the flavor beautifully.


Hope you're all enjoying summer!