white bean salad with olives, scallions, and herbs

It has been freezing out here in Minnesota - the kind of frigid that makes you cough when you go outside for a walk, take a breath, then run for the warmth of home.  But, 1)  the New England Patriots are in town, and 2) I am totally sick of homemade soups and brats, which are REALLY big out here, and I must say, are really good.

I wanted desperately to make Tuscan Bean salad, but was lacking fresh cherry tomatoes and/or sun-dried tomatoes, thus, the substitution of black olives, bottled.  And all I had were canned Great Northern beans, instead of the hours long soaking of small white beans, which then required a long simmer.  But, I did have some very good Kalamata olives from Trader Joe's, bottled in good olive oil - and a fresh bunch of scallions, fresh lemons for juice,  and Italian parsley.  Wonderful!  It certainly brightened up my day and taste buds!

To make 2-3 servings:

In a medium bowl toss:
1 15.8 canned Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed at least two times
4 scallions (green onions) washed, trimmed, and sliced
1/2 cup black pitted,  Kalamata olives, drained

If you have halved cherry tomatoes, or a half cup sliced dried tomatoes,  they are a wonderful addition!

Mix in a small bowl:

2 teaspoons freshly pressed lemon juice
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons good olive oil
1 large clove garlic, peeled and pressed
2 tablespoons minced Italian parsley, washed, dried, and sliced
salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon dried parsley, or 2 tablespoons fresh
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4th teaspoon thyme

Mix well and pour over the bean/scallions/olives mixture, toss gently, and divide between two bowls or plates.

Possible sides might be sauteed chicken livers on good French bread and unsalted butter
or French bread with unsalted butter and pesto.

A lovely snowstorm recently left a foot of dry, fluffy snow on the ground - a nice welcome for the New England Patriots!

smashed avocado & fresh pea sandwiches

Eureka!  We have a post!  Not quite up to normal after iphoto disappeared suddenly, but I'll take it.  

There is a very good food writer  (Beth Dooley) in one of the Twin Cities newspapers ( the Star Tribune), and I've been delighted to find such delightful, fresh, recipes. This open faced sandwich was inspired by her post on Thursday, though her recipe involves vinaigrette, chevre, radishes, and olive oil, which mine does not.  I thought mashed avocado would be a perfect addition ( I'm on an avocado kick these days, so my fruit bowl still had three avocados, just ripe).

Bursting with fresh flavors, this made a wonderful lunch - the peas, though frozen, were quickly dipped in simmering water, until they were just about to pop, and the mashed avocado was silky and mild.  The fresh sugar snaps a crunchy delight, and I loved the breeze of slivered mint.  I think this is the first sandwich I ever made with peas, and it was wonderful.

To make:

2 slices rye bread

two tablespoons homemade boursin

1/2 an avocado, peeled and mashed

1/2 cup frozen peas, quickly cooked for a minute in simmering water and drained 

3/4 cup fresh sugar snap peas, washed and sliced in 1 inch pieces

several mint leaves, washed and sliced into slivers

1 tablespoon or so of fresh lemon juice over all

sea salt

freshly cracked pepper

hot sauce if you wish

Spread the bread with the boursin.  Add the peas and sugar snaps gently, sprinkle with mint leaves, lemon juice, and salt and pepper and the optional hot sauce.  A few flakes of good parmesan would also be a treat.

Serves two.

I hope your summer is blossoming and full of joy !

Pantry cannellini bean and tomato salad with artichokes

Once again, I've been sidelined by that ankle injury several months ago.  Which meant no long walks to the supermarket, but on the happy side, reading and re-reading books from my library, everything from Buddhist philosophy to cookbooks to mysteries.  It's been lovely, but I'm impatient for the ankle to heal a little faster.

I've also browsed more on Pinterest, which is where I found this salad-from-the-pantry, made very simply with cans of diced tomatoes, beans, and artichoke hearts from my pantry shelves. I had green olives, but no black olives - I think I would prefer the black olives next time. And I did drain the diced tomatoes, but they were still juicy, next time I'll drain them a little longer. I also cut the artichoke hearts in half, instead of quarters.  But still, it was a wonderful filling salad for lunch.

Do check out the link for full directions  - her salad is lovely!

What I used:

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 fat garlic cloves, pressed

2 tablespoons bottled capers

a handful of olives

2 cans cannellini beans, drained

2 cans diced tomatoes, drained

1 can artichoke hearts, drained and cut in half

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

2-3 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley

My parmesan cheese was very dry and hard, so I skipped the 1/4 cup parmesan shavings.

kale, bacon, and boursin frittata

Ah, February.  While it does bring snow, and not as many of those subzero nights, it also seems to be the month I notice my clothes are a little tighter - which brings the inevitable diet.   I usually go on a modified South Beach/Keto/Paleo diet -high protein with low carbs, and try to step up exercise.  This time I have even more motivation:  a trip back to New Hampshire in two weeks to visit my son and family, and finally get to meet my new granddaughter!  Yay!!

This frittata is somewhat flat - not fluffy and high as many quiches are, but incredibly easy to throw together.  I try to keep a few pieces in the fridge at all times, so I don't have a snack attack while I'm standing by the warm pastries at my nearest convenience 
store.  I don't add a lot of cheese, but you're welcome to add more if you want.  Note that you need to prep the kale and bacon ahead of time.


Bacon,Kale, and Boursin frittata


Preheat oven to 340F.
Butter a glass pie dish, set aside.

In a large bowl combine:

4 extra large eggs
1/2 cup light cream or half and half
a handful of cooked bacon, crumbled or torn into small pieces
a heaping handful of tiny multi-colored tomatoes
1 cup blanched kale
fresh rosemary, stripped from stem
salt and pepper
1/2 cup crumbled boursin cheese (you can also make your own boursin with this recipe)

Pour into prepared pie dish, add the boursin on top, and bake for 35 minutes, or until the egg mixture is firm and fully cooked.

Let cool before cutting into slices.

That's it - easy as can be!  Hope you all have a wonderful day!

cheesy potato stacks

It is a gloomy, overcast day today in Minnesota - matching my mood lately.  But remembering this recipe from RecipeTin Eats got me into the tiny kitchen I have, and an hour later, eating these buttery potato stacks with a smile on my face.  

I decided to try using both the small red potatoes and the sweet potatoes I had in the cupboard - the last time I made them I think I used yellow Finns, I believe - and also to oil each cup with olive oil, the last time I made them they stuck to the tin.  On re-reading the recipe just now, I also missed the advice to put the topping cheese on after the stacks had baked, then briefly melting cheese on top, which would certainly be a little tidier:)  But it tasted as wonderful as the first time, if not quite photo-ready.

These are made in a metal muffin tin - regular size, not the Texas size I usually use.


Cheesy potato stacks:

A 12 hole metal muffin tin
olive oil for oiling

Several potatoes, not too large, no more than 2 inches in diameter, sliced fairly thin

The topping:
1/2 cup cream or half and half
4 tablespoons melted butter
kosher salt - about 1/2 teaspoon
freshly cracked pepper
1 + cup shredded cheddar or other melting cheese
fresh thyme leaves, stripped from stem

Oil the muffin tin.
Preheat oven to 350F.
Slice the potatoes, not too thin, not too thick
Mix together the melted butter, salt, and pepper.

Stack the potato slices halfway up the muffin hole, add a hefty pinch of cheese, then stack the rest of the way up to the top. Drizzle with the cream/butter mixture.

Continue until the muffin tin is full.
Slide potato stacks into hot oven, and bake 35 minutes, or until stacks are soft when poked with a fork.
Remove stacks from oven, sprinkle with cheese and the thyme leaves, and slide back into the oven to melt the cheese - about five or so minutes.

Remove to cool, then carefully remove each stack to a platter or plate- I found a fork to work very well for this.

These are great for anytime - breakfast, snack, lunch, dinner side, or party food.

Hope you have a terrific day!

Italian salad greens with ham, apple, and roasted cranberries

Post Christmas I was suddenly ravenous for ham and raw greens, salad - anything but cookies, which seemed to have been my diet for two or three weeks.  I haunted the supermarket and came home with a fat slice of ham and Italian salad greens - baby kale, baby mizuna, baby arugula, and radicchio ( which I left out because I didn't feel it fit in)

I made a very nice little oregano salad dressing, and tested an idea for roasted cranberries.  You can use raw cranberries easily, simply sliced in half.  Nice, sour, crunchy, but I liked the idea of a sweet/sour, barely roasted berry.  I think it's a nice perky addition, but go with the raw if you prefer.

Such a nice lunch!  But..... then I discovered I had left my camera at my daughter's house on Christmas Day.  I scrambled and searched and found a 2008 Powershot and took these remarkably retro photos of that very delicious salad.  Oh, how cameras have changed!

For the greens:  

Arrange in a large salad bowl or platter

For the ham :

Slice strips of ham about 4-5 inches long, maybe 1/2 inch thick

Arrange on top of greens.

Sliced apple chunks:

Slice a Granny Smith apple into thick slices, removing the core.

Cut each slice in half and arrange on greens.

The oregano salad dressing:

3 T. red wine vinegar

3 T. California olive oil

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

1 heaping teaspoon dried oregano

kosher salt

freshly ground pepper

Drizzle on top of the greens as desired.

For the roasted cranberries:

Marinate whole raw cranberries in a small bowl with 2 tablespoons olive oil, and 2 tablespoons sugar for an hour.

Preheat oven to 350F.  

Spoon the raw cranberries onto a baking sheet covered with foil or parchment.

As soon as the oven is at 350F, turn off the oven.

Slide the cranberries into the turned off oven and let sit in oven for 25 minutes.

Remove, cool, and sprinkle on salad.

A very Happy New Year to you all - hug people (and pets) you love, and believe in the goodness.

carrot and sweet pepper soup with cumin (for a cold)

I woke up with a cold yesterday, just like that.  Sneezles and wheezles and a stuffy nose, and a cough that interrupts my phone conversations constantly.  Food isn't very appetizing right now, so I've been making lots of soups.  This is my current favorite, which besides being soothing and delicious, is so pretty!  It's colorful, and I've convinced myself all the vitamin c in the carrots and sweet peppers will be good for what ails me.  I had no curry powder, so I used cumin, which blended nicely with the thyme and garlic, and the shots of hot pepper sauce.

I couldn't resist playing around with a little squeeze bottle of sour cream mixed with a little water to make a little squiggle on top of the soup - cute!


Carrot and sweet pepper soup with cumin:

2 cups chicken stock or broth
2 cups water
1 cup peeled and sliced carrots
1/2 cup chopped scallions (the white part) or onions
1 clove of garlic, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup sweet orange mini-peppers, de-seeded and sliced
1 tablespoon chopped Italian parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon cumin (or curry, if you prefer)
1 teaspoon ginger, or a slice of fresh ginger root
sea salt to taste

Add all the ingredients in a saucepan and place on medium heat.
Simmer the soup for approximately 30 minutes, or until the carrots are very soft.
Puree in a blender or food processor (I used my Kitchen Aid stick blender).
Serve with a bottle of hot sauce.

Enjoy these last-of-October days!

polenta cakes with fresh tomatoes, scallions and basil

Hooray for tomato season!  Such a glorious assortment of sizes and shapes everywhere, from farmers markets to home gardens, to co-ops and grocery stores  - and because I'm without a garden this year, it's all the more thrilling.  I was hoping to make a tomato tart, but got blindsided with a gimpy ankle for a few days which kept me off my feet and away from the markets.  But I did have a stash of fresh herbs and baby tomatoes - and remembered those polenta cakes I used to make soooo......  I gave it a whirl, and was actually stunned when I unmolded the polenta cakes - they were so PRETTY!

This is such an easy, simple recipe, I'm sure you'll come up with some beautiful ideas of your own.  And don't forget, they're gluten free.

Polenta cakes with fresh tomatoes, scallions, and basil

First, you will need 6 of those little white souffle/dessert cups.  Drip a little olive oil in each one, and rub the oil on the bottoms and sides.  Set aside.

Tomato/herb mixture:

About 1 1/2 cups diced tomatoes

2 tablespoons of chopped basil

2-3 tablespoons sliced scallion greens

Mix together the herbs and tomatoes and and sprinkle equal amounts on the bottoms of the souffle cups.  Set aside.

The polenta:

1 cup cornmeal

1 cup cold water

1/2 t. salt
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese (optional)

Whisk the cornmeal into the cold water and set aside.

In a separate saucepan:

3 cups water, brought to a boil in a medium sauce pan

When the water is boiling, scrape the cold water and cornmeal into the hot water and whisk briskly.  If you want to, you can add 3/4 cup finely grated parmesan to the mixture.

Whisk the mixture until it makes plopping noises and bubbles.  Remove from heat.

Using a large spoon or a spring loaded ice cream scoop, fill the oiled cups right up to the top and smooth with another spoon.  Let cool for 25 minutes, run a knife around the lip of each cup, and unmold very carefully onto a platter or individual plates.

Serve at room temperature, along with a fresh green salad, some nice brie and rolls or good bread.  Yummers!

And that gimpy foot?  Turned out to be gout, of all things, which runs in my family.

No more sardines, chicken, hamburgers, tunafish, or mackerel - or gelato, either. Not for a while, anyway.   Hope you're having a glorious summer!

                           

roasted delicata squash with quinoa and cranberries

Our last farm share was a bonanza, with three delicata squashes, one of our favorite squashes lately.  One night I simply washed two of them, sliced them into 1 1/2 inch rounds (seeds and all), brushed them with melted butter, and roasted for 45 minutes.  Leaving the seeds intact lends a slightly richer flavor, but it was tedious to scrape away all the seeds after serving, especially for the children present.  They had no problem eating the soft peel, with a certain delight, though.

For lunch today I settled on a whole squash, split and deseeded, roasted again for 45 minutes, and filled with a quinoa and dried cranberry filling, then drizzled with a light citrus sauce, topped with fresh sage leaves. Really, really lovely  and light, and a pleasure to still see green plants here in Minneapolis, which has not yet had a frost.

Delicata squash with quinoa and dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 375F.

one medium Delicata squash, split lengthwise and deseeded

1 tablespoon melted unsalted butter 

Arrange the squash halves on a baking sheet, drizzle with butter, then roast for 45 minutes.

While the squash is roasting, make the quinoa:

Place in a heavy bottomed sauce pan:

1/2 cup white quinoa

1 1/2 cups water or chicken stock

2 pinches kosher salt

1 pinch dried thyme leaves

a few grindings of black pepper

1 cup dried cranberries (stirred in after cooking)

Bring the quinoa to a simmer and cook for about 45 minutes, stirring every now and then.  I kept the pot covered for a half an hour, then uncovered it.  If there is still a lot of liquid, simmer until it is absorbed.  Remove pot from heat and add the cranberries.

Orange juice and olive oil dressing:

4 tablespoons olive oil

4 tablespoons fresh orange juice

Slice off the ends of the squash (only if you want to, and I did), cut each squash in half, and place on 4 plates.  Drizzle with orange dressing , top with whole or slivered sage leaves, and serve. 

Wasn't that easy?

fresh rosemary and red onion focaccia

Where has the summer gone?  I'm sure that's being echoed by every parent and grandparent at this moment, as they realize school starts next week.  I am still deep in boxes, rummaging through eight boxes to find one small ice cream scoop (never found) or the portrait of my Grandmother Helen (still not found), or my mandoline (found half of it), my tray of silver knives, forks, and spoons are found, at last, though!

So, that has been my summer: packing, unpacking, playing with the children, walks, swims, museum going, and a fine visit to the Irish Fair here, mainly so Izzie could finally see the young step dancers performing - which she loved!  

Too busy and hectic to bake much, though I did finish this focaccia my daughter started.  She made the dough the night before, and I finished it the next afternoon.  She found it on Bon Appetit, and I must say it was delicious.  The dough is rolled very, very, thin, proofed, assembled, and baked.  It comes out crunchy and toasty and was a hit with all three children - and me.  I was very sad to see the platter empty, but will make again:  the CSA share box always has fresh red onions to remind me.


rosemary and red onion focaccia

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided , plus more
1 3/4ths cups King Arthur all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt plus more
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast
3/4 cup water plus more if needed
1/2-3/4ths cup very thinly sliced red onion
2 tablespoons finely chopped rosemary leaves
2-3 tablespoons chopped oregano and basil leaves
fresh pepper 

Lightly oil a bowl, set aside.  Combine the flour, salt, sugar, yeast, and 3/4th a cup of water in mixer bowl fitted with a dough hook.  Mix on low for 5 minutes.  Scrape down sides and bottom of bowl, increase speed to medium and mix for 6 minutes.  Form dough into a ball and transfer to a lightly floured work surface.  Knead by hand, adding a tablespoon of flour at a time as necessary to prevent sticking.  Place in bowl, let stand for an hour at room temperature, then place dough in plastic bag and chill in the fridge overnight.

The next day, oil a large rimmed baking sheet with oil.  Stretch and pull dough on sheet into a rectangle slightly smaller than the sheet.  Brush or drizzle 2 tablespoons oil on dough.  
Cover with plastic wrap loosely and let rest for an hour at room temperature.

Preheat oven to 500F.
Remove plastic wrap and dimple dough with fingertips.
Scatter the onions and herbs evenly over the dough, then sprinkle on salt and freshly cracked pepper.

Bake until golden - about 20 minutes in my oven.  Let cool before slicing and serving.
Recipe slightly modified from the original Bon Appetit recipe.



Let me know if you come up with some other toppings - I would love to know !  Thinking artichokes, sardines, feta, tomatoes - oh, the possibilities!

The wonderful David Leibovitz visited my hometown on Cape Cod, in Massachusetts - you can see it here.  It is beautiful!

Have a wonderful week, dear friends.

poached haddock with dill, lemon, and tomatoes (as the frazzle builds)

Oh, such a beautiful day here!  Light pitter patter of rain this morning, sunny and blue sky as I load the car for one of two dump runs, THEN maybe a walk.

Getting distracted while cleaning and packing, completely forgot lunch, so here I was twenty minutes ago, gobbling up this fresh haddock.  A half a pound, and methinks I should've bought more.  Not proud that I was standing up surveying the boxes and rooms while I was eating:)  I couldn't remember which child liked the rabbits (with bells on) so I'm packing one for each of them.

This is part of the "Minneapolis pile"  Ironically, that 2005 Real Simple is all about conquering the clutter.  I despair that will not happen for another month.  



Poached Haddock with dill, lemon, and tomatoes


1/2 pound piece of fresh haddock


Place the haddock in a small stainless steel skillet or saucepan, and add water to just about halfway up the fish.
Bring to a high simmer/low boil and cook for five minutes on one side, then gently flip the fish with a spatula and cook the other side another 5 minutes.  
Gently poke the fish with a fork, making sure it is completely cooked, then remove to a plate.

Toss out the water from cooking the fish, and quickly melt 1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter, then pour over the fish.
Add:
juice from half a fresh lemon
kosher salt
fresh dill sprigs
a tablespoon of sliced scallions
2 handfuls tiny tomatoes, halved

And serve to your appreciative audience of one.  This makes one serving.

Happy, happy June!

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!