Wordless Wednesday: olives marinated in olive oil, rosemary, and green cardomom pods

I've gotten hooked on these herby olives lately. Nothing could be simpler: drain a jar of brined olives, spoon into a jar along with fresh rosemary and a few green cardomom pods, and top with olive oil. For hors d'oeuvres, just scoop out, drain a little, and serve on a platter with cornichons, or good cheese.

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What I'm reading: Julia's Kitchen Wisdom - an excellent little paperback with recipes, techniques, and explanation of cooking terms.

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slow-roasted tomatoes and provolone almost-panini

I can't take any credit for this sandwich, or for the addictive slow-roasted tomato recipe, but I can point you in the right direction for the most delicious almost-panini ever. The roasted tomato recipe comes from Pinch My Salt , and the panini idea comes from Panera Bread, where I had a delicious roasted tomato panini. I don't have a panini pan, but it is absolutely on my wish list now.

You can use supermarket tomatoes if you must ( and I must as it's winter here) but the summer tomatoes were definitely tastier. And after halving teeny, tiny grape tomatoes last fall, when I first tried this recipe, I decided to try plum tomatoes this time. After slow-roasting for three hours, the grape tomatoes were miniscule. I also tried a pan of thinly sliced plum tomatoes, but I much preferred the diced plum tomatoes. When they're done roasting, you can either store them in a lidded jar in the fridge with an extra drizzle of olive oil and a sprig of rosemary, or have a panini party.

To make:

Plum tomatoes , washed, dried, and cut in a large dice

Olive oil

salt and pepper

Dried thyme, oregano, and/or basil, minced fresh rosemary

Slice and dice the tomatoes and place in bowl.

Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle about 1-2 teaspoons of herbs over the tomatoes.

Add the salt and pepper.

Toss gently.

Spread out on a parchment-lined baking pan, or non-stick baking pan.

Roast at 225F for between 3 and 4 hours.

The tomatoes should still be a little soft - if they're brittle, they're overcooked.

Butter two slices of bread and layer both sides with tomatoes. Cover with slices of provolone and press , broil, toast, or fry until cheese is melted. Or, use in salads, mac&cheese, or soups.

Any leftover tomatoes can be stored with a sprig of rosemary in the fridge in a lidded jar.

Enjoy!

roasted sugared almonds and walnuts with cinnamon

I found this recipe on Two Peas and their Pod, and I love it! Crunchy, not-too-sweet almonds and walnuts rolled in cinnamon sugar and roasted for an hour are not only perfect for gift-giving, but a fairly healthy snack, too. Most roasted nuts are tossed in melted butter, but this recipe uses beaten egg whites as a binder instead - smart thinking.

The only thing I changed for the second batch I made was to make twice as much cinnamon sugar coating - it's so delicious I wanted even more on those toasty walnuts and almonds.

Recipe from Two Peas and their Pod

1 egg white

1 t. cold water

2 cups whole almonds or walnuts

3 T. white sugar

3 T. brown sugar

1 T. ground cinnamon

1/4 t. salt

Preheat your oven to 250F (My oven is hot, so I set it at 225F)

Beat the egg white and water with a whisk til frothy, then add the almonds or walnuts and stir well until coated.

Mix the sugars , salt and cinnamon together and sprinkle over nuts. Stir gently to coat the nuts evenly.

Fit a baking sheet with parchment paper, and spread the nuts out evenly.

Place in oven for an hour, stirring every 20 minutes or so. Let cool completely before storing in airtight containers.

scallion pancakes on a sparkling morning

What a sparkling day in New Hampshire! As the sun peeked through the trees at seven this morning, I couldn't resist a quick walk down to the pond near my house. I'm happy I did, because it was beautiful - the early sun danced on the still water , looking like a field of diamonds.

When I got back, I was starving, so I made up these little 3 inch scallion pancakes and topped them with softly scrambled eggs and dill. Lots of savory herbs in a protein packed breakfast - what could be more delicious?

To make:

Makes about 10 tiny pancakes

3/4 cup flour

1 large egg

2 T. minced parsley

2 T. sliced scallions

1/8 t. baking powder

2/3 cup milk

2 pinches of salt

Whisk together until smooth, then let sit for a few minutes to blend.

Wipe a crepe pan or skillet with vegetable oil and heat to medium.

Place about a tablespoon of batter in the hot pan, let cook about 1-2 minutes, then flip.

Cook other side 1-2 minutes, then remove to plate.

Continue until batter is gone.

Top with softly scrambled eggs seasoned with tarragon or dill.

thanksgiving countdown: portuguese flour rolls & gougeres

Two lovely additions to the table: gougeres made with Asiago or cheddar cheese, and light Portuguese flour rolls. Both can be made ahead and frozen.

red hot chili pepper vinegar

When I stopped by a friend's house today, I smiled when I saw these hot peppers in the kitchen. When my children were younger, and I had an herb company, which we called Island Herbs, I made vast amounts of wonderful herb vinegars, that I sold at the Farmer's Market. My daughter conjured up marvelous calendula facial washes, while my son came up with Red Hot Chili Pepper Vinegar. To this day, I make him several bottles of it every year - enough for salads and additions to his grilling sauces. It's incredibly simple to make, and the longer it sits, the spicier it is. As you use it up, simply add a little more vinegar to the bottle, and it will last you a whole year.

To make:

Clean a nice looking bottle with soap and water. Let drain until dry.

Go to the hardware store and buy some new corks that fit the bottle.

Snip several long pieces of oregano from your herb garden, wash, and let dry.

Select one or two very good looking fresh hot peppers, wash, and let dry.

Fill the very clean bottle with half apple cider vinegar, half white vinegar.

Using a chopstick, arrange the peppers and oregano sprigs in the bottle.

Top off with the clean, new cork, place in a dark cupboard, and let steep.

Use as you wish for sauces, a zing to soups and salads, or even for a little pop to baked goods.

If you're interested in herbs, a great book ,published years ago is The Herb Book. It has loads of both culinary and medicinal recipes, as well as skin care and perfumery.

blueberry pie with vegetable oil crust

I am so pleased to see the blueberry season in full swing here - there is simply nothing like picking, cooking, and freezing heaps and heaps of blueberries for the winter. Yesterday, I was intrigued to read an article in The Boston Globe comparing five different pie crusts ( lard, butter. butter and shortening, shortening, and vegetable oil) with the firm decision that the oil crust outranked the butter crust! Does anything get a cook going than questioning die hard pie making? I didn't think so either.

So I tried it. I tossed the blueberries with sugar, flour, lemon, and cinnamon, made the crust, and divided the berries between a smallish pie and a few ramekins topped with a sugared disc of crust. I'm just not much of a pie crust on the bottom person, preferring the almost-cobbler method of biscuit or pastry on top of fruit. I do have to say the vegetable oil crust is a breeze, and it stays nice and flakey. I'm sure you will make a tidier pie than I did, but I was feeling rustic today:)

How to make:

Preheat oven to 400F.

The crust:

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup milk

2 cups King Arthur flour

1/2 t. salt

Mix together well and squish with your hands to make a ball of dough.

Lay out wax paper on a wet counter, and roll the dough as wished.

The filling:

5 cups fresh blueberries, rinsed and picked over

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup flour

1 t. grated lemon zest

1 t. cinnamon

a little salt

Mix well. Heap berries into ramekins or bottom pie crust, roll out dough as wished for the tops, making sure you cut a steam vent or use a tiny cookie cutter to cut out a star or heart as a vent for the pie. Sprinkle the crust with a little sugar.

I baked the ramekins for 30 minutes - they were bubbling away like crazy after a half an hour.

I baked the pie for 40 minutes - the berries were cooked well, but still retaining their shapes.

Served with good vanilla bean ice cream would be heaven!

Enjoy!

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creamy coconut-almond dip for fresh fruits

Does anything spell summer more than a platter or bowl of fresh strawberries and watermelon? But then you think, hummm, how to dress this up beyond the usual shower of mint or basil? I came up with a fast, easy-peezy sour cream sauce, and a dairy-free coconut-almond sauce that fancies up that quick, refreshing bowl or glass of fresh fruit. I think you're going to love it - I sure did!

Sour Cream Sauce:

1 cup sour cream, fat free or not

1/2 cup confectioners sugar

1/8-1/4 t. almond extract

Mix together well and drizzle over glasses of fresh fruits and berries. Garnish with edible flowers , mint, lemon balm, or rosemary.

Cream of Coconut Sauce with almond:

1/2 cup cream of coconut ( the sweetened,very thick kind)

5 T. coconut milk ( unsweetened, somewhat thick from a can)

1 T. fresh lemon juice

a few drops almond extract

This sauce doesn't need any extra sugar. Just mix well, and drizzle over fruits and berries.

Garnish with herb leaves or edible flowers.

Hope you enjoy - and it's great to be back after 8 days without my computer!

Jam Time!

The last two days have been dudish. The white bean and rosemary soup I made wasn't bad, but it was so not-exciting it never made it into the blog. The bittersweet chopped chocolate I tossed into the apricot scones ended up just tasting odd. So thank goodness for little rays of sunshine! I stopped by Rosaly's Farmstand, and there sat the very first strawberries of the season in this chilly area of New Hampshire! Tomorrow will be jam making morning, and that always makes me happy!

I use a recipe based on an English cookery book " Notes from a Country Kitchen" - it was there I discovered the secret to making a fragrant, somewhat soft, pectin-free jam, and better yet - it only takes about 20 minutes. These days I make smaller amounts of jam than I used to - this recipe makes about 5 jars or so of the most delicious jam, depending on the size of your jars, of course. No matter, it will be gone in a matter of weeks, as I recall last years efforts. The secret to this jam seems to be in warming the sugar in the oven before mixing it into the strawberries, so don't skip that step!

To make:

Make sure everything is very clean - counters, stockpot, jars, and NEW lids. Clean dishtowels to place the lids and jars on.

Simmer jars in very hot water for several minutes, then turn upside down on clean towels. Simmer new lids in boiling water for a few minutes and , using tongs, remove to another clean towel.

1 pound of hulled strawberries ( about 2 1/2 cups)

juice from two lemons

1 3/4 cups sugar, placed in heatproof bowl and warmed in the oven briefly

Mash the berries and simmer in the stockpot, along with the lemon juice. Since this is a small amount of jam, you need to watch the jam carefully, or it will burn.

Turn the oven on to 200F and place the sugar in the oven.

Simmer strawberries and lemon juice about 15 minutes, stirring constantly.

Add the warmed sugar to the berries and lemon juice and stir constantly on medium heat.

Using your wooden stirring spoon, lift up a few drips of jam and watch carefully. You'll be able to tell when the jam is almost done when it thickens and is slow to drip. You can also test it in a glass of cold water - a few drips will firm up softly ( softball stage). It usually takes about 15-20 minutes.

When it's thickened, take off heat, turn the jars upright, and ladle hot jam into the jars.

Wipe the rims of the jars with a clean, damp cloth, screw on the lids, and let sit. Do not move the jars around for at least 6 hours.

When the jars have fully cooled, check the lids by tapping down - a good seal will suck in the lid top, but if the lid seal has not worked, the middle of the lid will wiggle up and down. Just stick that one in the fridge and use first.

This is a great recipe for all those bramble fruits you pick all summer , as well as strawberries - and because the jam is made in small amounts and so quick, it's easy to make a few jars at a time.

Happy strawberry season!

UPDATE:

I just made the first batch of jam, keeping track of the time it took:

My strawberries were hulled and halved and at room temperature. The timing for cooking the strawberries and lemon juice: 5 minutes.

I added the warmed sugar and cooked them at a low rolling boil until thickened. Time: 14 minutes.

This recipe today made 3 1/2 pint jars.

Featured in Tastespotting! ( and lickity-split, too!)

making herb vinegars

What a lovely morning! I even had time to take the back way from the supermarket trip, stopping at my favorite river and marshland, which reminds me so much of the salt marshes on the Cape. The trip was precipitated by an overgrown oregano plant, which I haven't yet dared to plant in the garden because of cold nights. As I fingered the oregano, I decided it was time to make another batch of my son's Red Hot Chili Pepper vinegar. It's actually not super hot, but it does have a nice bite to it. I found the peppers I'd dried last fall, and picked out a few nice red ones. Then, realizing I was out of white and cider vinegar, made a quick trip to the market. I'd washed out a nice big glass bottle for steeping the vinegar, so I was set to go.

Here are the basics:

Always use glass containers for vinegars - and if they have metal tops, fold a piece of plastic wrap between the cap and the vinegar when you close it tightly. They will rust if they come in contact with the vinegar.

I use half white vinegar, half apple cider vinegar. It's light and doesn't overpower the herb flavors.

Steep vinegar with herbs in sunlight for a week, then strain through a coffee filter or cheesecloth into a very, very clean bottle. Discard the first set of herbs, and, using a chopstick, arrange the herbs as you wish in the bottle before putting the vinegar in. If you use dried spices,like the chili pepper, they will plump up as they soak up the warm-from-the-sun vinegar. I reuse the same chili peppers on the final bottling, but discard the oregano.

To make the chili vinegar:

Fill clean bottle with snips of fresh oregano - both small and long.

Place a few black peppercorns in the bottle, then drop two chili peppers in.

Slowly fill with vinegar and cork tightly.

Let sit in sun for a week.

Strain the vinegar, using a coffee filter, into a pitcher.

Take a clean bottle and fill with snips of oregano, peppercorns, and the now plumped chili peppers from the first steeping.

Fill with the strained herb vinegar.

Cork tightly and dip into some melted paraffin so it doesn't leak.

Keep in a dark cupboard for best results.

Some other wonderful herb vinegars I've made are:

Chive blossom vinegar - a gorgeous magenta color! You must fill the jar with the blossoms to get that color, and keep in a dark cupboard so it doesn't fade. Purple basil also makes a magenta vinegar.

Borage and Lovage - a nice light cucumber taste for summer salads.

Straight Dill, Rosemary, or Basil vinegars.

Give it a try! It's lots of fun and great for hostess or Christmas presents - or a farmer's market stand.

candy cane marshmallows

I have been staring at this glass of candy canes since Christmas. It sits over the sink, so I'm reminded several times a day to DO something with them - no cook likes to waste something as pretty as candy canes.

Pink has been on my mind the last few days - wrapping birthday presents for a 3 year old in large amounts of pink tissue ( her favorite color) . Last night I suddenly thought: pink, marshmallow, pink, marshmallows - OH - PINK MARSHMALLOWS! It only used up three candy canes, though, so I still need to find another recipe for candy canes.

This is adapted from Tyler Florence.

1 1/2 packets powdered Knox gelatin

1 cup cold water

1 cup granulated sugar

1 extra large egg white

1 cup confectioners" sugar

3 candy canes, broken up, then pulverized in a food processor.

In a small saucepan, soak the gelatin in the cold water - about 5 or 6 minutes. Stir. Add the granulated sugar and warm until the sugar has dissolved. Cool.

Prepare a pan - I used a square brownie/cake pan 8"x8". Grease pan, line with wax paper, and grease wax paper.

Beat the egg white until stiff. Beat in the cup of confectioner's sugar , then slowly pour in the cooled gelatin mixture. Beat until the mixture doubles in size and forms ribbons in the batter. Add the pulverized candy canes and beat another 15 or so minutes. (You need to have a stand mixture for this, obviously - beating time runs about 25 minutes)

Dust the pan with confectioners' sugar lightly, then pour in the marshmallow batter. Let sit for at least 3 hours or overnight, uncovered.

Gently remove marshmallow ( now wobbly, but firm) and pull away the wax paper on the sides. Using a clean knife, cut marshmallows into cubes or whatever shape you wish. If you use cookie cutters, try spraying them with Pam , or another spray cooking oil. If the knife gets sticky, simply rinse it.

Using a sieve, sprinkle confectioners' sugar on tops of marshmallows and serve in hot milk or hot chocolate with a candy cane.

Enjoy!

a little pizazz with herb cheese

If you're looking to add a little zip to your food, this herb cheese is wonderful on everything from poached chicken to homemade bread to soups. A little of this garlic and herb cheese will put some sparkle on your tongue. It's creamy, chock a block full of tarragon and chives, and is a great way to use those chives that are growing fiercely in the garden.

To make:

In mixer bowl add:

8 oz. soft cream cheese

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

1 T. fresh lemon juice

1/2 t. worcestershire sauce

1/2 t. dijon mustard

1 T. fresh parsley, minced

1-2T. minced fresh chives

1 t. dried tarragon

1 garlic clove, pressed

salt and pepper to taste

Mix all in mixer bowl and taste carefully. It usually needs salt. Serve in soups for a little interest, on bread, nudged under the skin of chicken before you cook it - and on the side with some slivers of poached chicken, in a roast beef sandwich, whipped into hot boiled potatoes, or with fish. Crudites? Mais oui!