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 !

sugar-roasted walnuts and almonds for giving

I can't believe I first made this recipe from Two Peas and their Pod in 2009 - it feels like such a Christmas tradition that dates back to gingerbread cookies, meaning forever.

Everyone likes these sugar-roasted walnuts ( and I do use more walnuts than almonds, but that's just my preference) - wonderful for parties, stockings - and friends and family.  I usually package them in cello bags ( I found some nice clear ones at Michael's craft store) with curly gold ribbon.  Did I mention they're gluten-free?  Izzie is back on a GF diet, so I do try to have some of these around for snacking, even when it isn't December.

Preheat oven to 250F.

Line a baking/cookie sheet with parchment paper.

2 egg whites
2 teaspoons cold water
4 cups walnut halves and whole almonds - not too small
6 tablespoons white sugar
6 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Place the egg whites and water in a large bowl and beat until frothy, then add the nuts and stir to coat well.
Mix the sugars, cinnamon and salt in a small bowl then sprinkle over the nuts.  Use a large spoon to again coat the nuts evenly,

Spread out on the parchment fairly evenly and bake on upper third of oven for one hour.  After 30 minutes, use a large spoon to stir up the nuts a little, then continue baking.

After an hour, turn off heat, but leave the nuts in the oven for another 20 minutes or so, just to make sure they're crunchy.

Cool completely before packaging.

Hope you have time for a walk in the snow !  We have had two snowstorms in the last week, about 1 1/2 to 2 feet altogether. 

And make sure you save a handful for yourself - while you make lists for next Christmas:)

ground turkey meatballs with fresh herbs and salsa

Some months ago, I noticed I had completely lost my taste for beef in any form - not burgers, meatballs, steaks, even thinly sliced roast beef.  I do love turkey, probably more than chicken, and I eat a lot of fish, so I don't seem to be missing it, but it is curious.

Now that summer is really here (!), I like to tour my garden patches, picking a few chives here, some rosemary sprigs there, and snipping off some sorrel leaves and turnip greens, celery leaves, and if I have blooming nasturtiums, those will go right in my basket, too.  Sometimes they go into a salad, but often they end up in soup or something like these juicy, plump turkey meatballs.  Sometimes the meatballs are tiny, but today I wanted big beefy diner-sized meatballs, two or three make the perfect lunch or dinner, nestled in a wedge of iceberg lettuce, just to be authentic - and OH! were they good!

I don't fry them up on high heat, but simmer them on middle heat, covered.  They come out tender, juicy, and have enough herby flavor to be tasty, but not overpowering.



How's your weather?  We are having thunderstorms and rain every late afternoon or evening and the plants ( and I) love it - no need to haul out the hoses,  thanks to Mother Nature!


Ground Turkey Meatballs with chopped herbs

This made about 10 large meatballs.

1 one pound package ground turkey
About 3 loosely packed cups of various herbs and greens:  I used:

4 scallions (green onions) trimmed and sliced
2 cloves garlic, peeled 
1 piece bread, torn up
1 large egg
1 medium red onion, quartered and sliced into chunks
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme ( which I prefer to fresh)
sliced sorrel leaves, stems are ok to use as well
rosemary sprigs
turnip or other greens, torn (spinach, tender kale, etc can be used, too)
nasturtium leaves and flowers
garlic scapes
radish leaves
celery leaves and some of the stalk, sliced
sprigs of oregano
chives
sea salt and pepper
about 4 T. salsa, divided ( I used Green Mountain Gringo hot salsa)

Place ground turkey in a large bowl.
In food processor add the herbs and greens, the red onion, the scallions , the bread, thyme, and 2 T. of the salsa.  Pulse or chop by hand into a coarse mixture.  

Scrape the mixture into the bowl with the turkey, and add the sea salt and the raw egg and mix well.

Pour a few tablespoons mild olive oil into a skillet and heat on medium.

Form the turkey mixture into large balls - a little smaller than a tennis ball.

Cook for 10 minutes on medium, covered, then flip the turkey patties over and cook another 5 minutes, covered.

Serve on iceberg wedges or hearty rolls, top with a little more salsa and serve.  Now I'm thinking a little goat cheese crumbled on top would be fabulous - next time!

Enjoy!

the bisonburger

You might remember that photo I took last June when I suddenly came upon a herd of buffalo fenced beside the very rural road in town.  To say I was astonished isn't even close.  I always saw pictures of them thundering across a Western plain;  to come across them in a vibrantly green field of grass in New Hampshire was worth several double-takes.

Saturday, the very kind farmer/rancher of Summit Meadow Farm threw a huge party for the townspeople, with free tastings of his bison (bison and buffalo are used interchangeably) - there were bison sausages with fennel, bison steak tips, bisonburgers, bison chili.  I tried them all, and they were all delicious, though a little heavy on the barbecue spice rub for my tastebuds, and I was eager to try to find some fresh bison to cook at home.    

Just as I was leaving, passing the most adorable black pigs I've ever laid eyes on, I overheard him say some bison burger would be available at our local market.  This morning I was pleased to be the first customer of a very limited amount of bison burger - and when it was gone, it would be 8 months before any more was available.

I was told bison is best very fresh, cooked quickly on high heat, and removed from the heat while it was still rare.  Let sit, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and bite in.   A very bright taste, and while there was some fat in the grind, it's a small amount compared to beef.  Love at first taste.

What's to like about it besides the taste?  Knowing it spent the summer not two miles away in a beautiful pasture, and really, that's what buying local is all about.


I made slider size burgers, just a handful of bison burger, salt and pepper, seared on both sides quickly in a saute pan with a little unsalted butter and olive oil, and removed off heat to sit briefly before plating.  Rare is good with these burgers.

For a fancier version, I cut a round of bread ( lacking slider buns), drizzled a little homemade ranch dressing on top of the bread, added lettuce and a little chopped sweet red pepper.  

    

rosemary & wild grape focaccia

A few weeks ago, I was visiting my daughter and daughter-in-law when (happily) Anni pulled out a hot, gorgeous - what IS that?  Bread?  Pizza? Cake?- out of the oven.  She cut off a chunk and I tasted the most remarkable whatever-it-was.  Salty and sweet, juicy and toasty.  It turned out to be an amazing soft focaccia made with rosemary, sea salt, sugar, and wild grapes that Anni and just-now 2 year old Frankie had just picked from grapevines beside the road.   She generously packed up half a yogurt container with those fragrant fruits , which I took home - and forgot about in my pneumonia haze.

I found them today .  And guess what I made?

Yup, and you can find the recipe here, which Anni got from her blogger best friend at Ben and Birdy.

Remarkable, amazing, and delicious.

roasting chestnuts

"Chestnuts roasting on an open fire" , that lovely Christmas song goes, though now I tend to roast them in my toaster oven, which is far less romantic.

At one time, I did have a chestnut skillet, which had large holes polka dotted across the bottom of the pan, but it must have gotten lost in one of my moves, so I now use one of those antique pie tins with little holes on the bottom in a 500' oven, or just the toaster oven tray.

If you've never had them, they are a treat ! Slightly sweet and starchy, you eat them fresh out of the shell, while they're still hot. While it's tedious to prepare them, it really is worth it, and it's a lovely Christmas tradition, too.

Here's my foolproof recipe - I had about two cups of chestnuts, but you can adjust the recipe to any amount.

Place the chestnuts in a pot and cover with water. Bring the water to a boil and cook for 15 minutes, then drain.

While still warm, take a very, very sharp knife and cut an X at the pointy tip. You can lessen the threat of a cut by holding the chestnut in an oven mitt. Please be very careful.

Preheat oven to 500F. If you're using a toaster oven, no need to preheat.

Place all the cut chestnuts on a baking sheet or pie plate ( for the oven), or simply on the toaster oven tray. Roast at 500F for 15 minutes or until the chestnut shell curls away from the yellow meat of the nut. You still have to peel them, but it's much easier when they've been par-boiled.

May your day be merry and bright!

little nutmeg doughnuts

Are these not the cutest little doughnuts in the world? Scented with a wee bit of rum and fresh nutmeg, they are the cutest little breakfast doughnuts I've made in years.

I used to love doughnuts, swinging by our local Dunkin' Donuts sneakily as I drove back from food shopping and school drop offs and buying one Boston Creme doughnut to savor in the car. Somewhere along the line I stopped buying them, as I snipped the carbs from my daily diet. But when I recently came across a ripped out recipe from a magazine in my files, ( no doubt from a waiting room at my doctor's office), I steamed ahead with no regard whatsoever. Carbs, hurumpf. I make these little one inch doughnuts with a shower of confectioner's sugar or a bath of cinnamon sugar - both tasty and delicious. These would be perfect for a Christmas or New Year's brunch, or a little Christmas party, or simply to celebrate the weekend.

To make about 2 dozen tiny doughnuts:

1 T. unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 cup sugar

1 extra large egg

2 cups King Arthur all-purpose flour

1 1/2 t. baking powder

1 1/2 t. cinnamon

1/8 t. nutmeg

pinch kosher salt

1/4 t. rum

1/4 cup milk plus 2 T. ( any kind of milk)

In mixer bowl, beat sugar and butter til crumbly. Add egg and mix. Add flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt and rum, and mix well. Add milk and mix again, then cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside for an hour or so at room temperature.

Turn dough onto heavily floured board or counter and cut out tiny circles - I used a pastry tube and a 1 1/2 inch cookie cutter to cut out doughnuts. Flour cutters well as you use.

Bring canola oil to medium heat in a saucepan or skillet.

Fry doughnuts, a few at a time, until golden brown on both sides.

Drain on brown paper or paper towels.

Sprinkle doughnuts with cinnamon sugar or confectioner's sugar and serve with a saucy smile:)

A year ago on she's in the kitchen:

goat cheese and rosemary knot appetizers

carrot and orange soup to ward away a cold

lemon candy cane cookies

Have a beautiful day!

crustless spinach and parsley quiche with four cheeses

It's amazing how quickly our food tastes change with the weather. A few cold nights and I'm making quiches and soups and browsing through bread recipes . I love the scents of Autumn, including this fragrant crustless quiche loaded with my favorite vegetable ( spinach), a handful of parsley, and all my favorite cheeses, including a few tablespoons of an herby goat cheese I found recently. It's remarkable that that little bit of goat cheese can boost the flavor so much! Of course, if you can skip it if you don't care for goat cheese, maybe adding a little swiss or gruyere to the cheddar, parmesan, and mozzarella mix I use. I don't make a traditional quiche with a piecrust, mainly because I realized I never ate the crust, and neither did anyone else.

To make:

5 extra large eggs

1 1/2 cups milk

1/2 cup heavy cream

a few scrapings of nutmeg, or a hefty pinch

lots of freshly ground black pepper

kosher salt to taste

3 white mushrooms, wiped and sliced

2 cups packed sliced spinach, with a little parsley tossed in

about 2 cups of shredded cheese:

I use half cheddar and a mix of grated parmesan, mozzarella, and the goat cheese.

Preheat oven to 325F. Butter a 9" glass pie plate.

Beat the eggs briefly with the nutmeg and pepper and salt, then add the cream and milk and mix well.

Add in the spinach and parsley and the raw mushrooms, then the shredded cheeses.

Scrape into a buttered glass pie pan and cook for 50 minutes. The quiche should be firm in the middle - not watery. Remember it will keep cooking after you remove it from the oven.

Let the quiche set and cool before slicing - about 20 minutes.

I like to pair this with chunky Tomato soup and a fluffy green salad.

Enjoy the colors of the season!

overnight pizza dough and a peachy breakfast pizza

A glorious, quiet , and rainy Labor Day here, ending with a late night splurge watching several Cooking Channel shows I'd never seen, including one called Pizza Outside the Box. Oh my goodness, was that heaven - except by 10:30 pm I wanted pizza, badly. I had everything from peaches to three kinds of tomatoes, a few cheeses, veggies, onion jam, but no pizza dough. So inbetween watching the next show, Unique Sweets, I tossed together my traditional pizza dough , let it rise for an hour, punched it down, and stuck it in the fridge. I figured if I still wanted pizza in the morning, it would be quick to make.

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An amazing thing happened overnight. When I rolled out a little of the dough in the morning and made an impromptu breakfast pizza of peaches, thyme, olive oil, tomatoes, cheese and onion jam, then briefly baked it , the dough was light as a feather, beautifully thin - and delicious. Now I have 10 little balls of dough in the freezer, just waiting for another pizza attack.

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Overnight Pizza Dough

1 packet dry yeast ( about 2 teaspoons)
1 cup warm water
4 cups all purpose King Arthur flour
1 1/2 t. kosher salt
1/4 cup olive oil

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water, then add the flour, salt and oil in mixer bowl and mix until dough comes together. Remove and knead, place back in the mixer bowl, and drizzle with a tablespoon of oil, turning the dough so oil glazes the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for an hour at room temperature, then punch the dough down , cover with plastic wrap again, and place in fridge.
The next morning, knead dough again and cut into 10 pieces. Use one piece for the morning pizza, then freeze the rest for later in a freezer zip bag.

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Peach, Tomato, and Onion Jam Pizza with fresh thyme

Preheat oven to 450F or higher ( my stove smokes if I go higher, and sets the smoke detecters off).
Roll out pizza dough very, very thinly.
Brush both sides with olive oil and place pizza circle on a cooling rack or upside down cookie sheet and dot with peaches, onion jam, fresh baby tomatoes, fresh thyme leaves, salt and pepper, and shredded parmesan and mozzarella cheeses.
Bake for about ten minutes, then turn on the broiler and broil carefully until cheeses melt and parts of the pizza are golden. Remove and let cool.

crispy sugar snap peas with an herby boursin dip

What a beautiful day! The sun is out, the air isn't too humid, and the daylilies are blooming. I'm packing up my camera for a visit to Davis Brook Farm, an amazing local daylily farm: the scope of color, size, and shapes of their plants are truly stunning. After that, a walk on the beach at MacDowell Lake. My sugar snap peas are still putting out masses of fat peapods, so I'm packing my new favorite snack: crisp peapods with a creamy boursin dip. Oh, heaven!

The boursin I make is garlicky, with smooth undertones of parsley and tarragon, chives and a little dijon. It's delicious on sandwiches, or a little cold chicken or fish, too. Fat slices of warm tomatoes topped with boursin sounds like heaven to me, but I'll have to wait, as my tomatoes are still small and green. I've even made a dairy-free version, by substituting a little olive oil and tofu, instead of cream cheese and sweet butter. It needs to be kept in the fridge, so if you're serving it as a dip, let it soften a little, and add a dollop of olive oil or buttermilk to make it a little thinner.

I serve the dip in shotglasses, or small glass cups, with a few peapods ( and more in a bowl on the side for hungry guests) so people can carry it around - and everyone can double-dip as much as they want.

To make the boursin:

Adapted from Picnic

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 stick ( 8 T. ) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 T. fresh lemon juice

1 t. kosher salt

freshly cracked pepper

1 t. dijon mustard

1 T. minced fresh Italian parsley

1 T. minced fresh chives

1 t. dried tarragon

1/2 t. worcestershire sauce

2 medium garlic cloves, peeled and pressed

1 T. olive oil

Place all your ingredients in a mixer bowl and mix until creamy and incorporated.

Serve with assorted raw vegetables, as a sandwich spread, stirred into hot pasta, atop cold meats, fish, or chicken, or - straight from a spoon:)

If you're making the dairy-free version, using olive oil and tofu, use the food processor.

Store in fridge until needed.

beluga for the Oscars - beluga lentils, that is!

I'm getting a little punchy with this everlasting snow - which is now up to the kitchen window sill. So, when my neighbor gave me some of these lentils the other day and I discovered they were known as "Beluga" lentils, well - I had to have a little fun, didn't I?

Given that today is Oscar day ( which I only watch to see the dresses), a lot of people are hosting parties, and this would be a fun surprise: trimmed hard boiled eggs ( using only the white) filled to the brim with tiny black lentils. Save a little of the hard boiled yolk to make it resemble caviar even more - or top with scallions, parsley, or little bits of tomatoes. Not using the yolks also makes it less aromatically eggy and there's no mayonnaise, so it's dairy free.

To make about 3/4ths of a cup of cooked lentils:

Hard boil six eggs, drain, and leave to soak in cool water.

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1/2 cup tiny black "Beluga" lentils

a bay leaf

2 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced

water to cover the lentils plus a few inches

Bring the water, lentils, garlic, and bay leaf to a boil, turn down to a medium simmer/boil and cook for about 12 minutes, or until lentils are cooked.

Drain the lentils and remove the garlic and bay leaf, then place the lentils in a bowl.

Add to the lentils:

2T. olive oil

1/2 t. cumin

1/2 t. ( or to taste) kosher salt

fresh pepper

a few squeezes of Sriracha hot sauce

1 T. fresh lemon or lime juice

Toss gently.

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Peel the hard boiled eggs. Trim a tiny bit of the ends off so they'll sit upright.

Cut the trimmed eggs in half vertically.

Gently squeeze the eggs until the yolk pops out.

Fill the eggs with the lentil mixture, garnish with parsley, scallions, egg yolk, or your choice of garnish.

Keep chilled until about to serve.

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If you have any leftovers, these would be a great brown-bag lunch!

Enjoy!

goat cheese appetizers with herbs & rosemary knots

I'm always on the lookout for a good appetizer - and if it includes goat cheese, all the better! After a string of testing four new recipes that were instantly rejected, I hit on this winner that paired beautifully with my much beloved rosemary bread. Instead of making loaves or large rolls, I made a tray of tiny rolls that came out looking like knots, thence the name.

The fresh goat cheese is whipped with cream cheese and unsalted butter, along with dill and scallions ( green onions) and hot sauce, making a smooth and tasty herb cheese, which can be served a few ways: a large cheese ball rolled in parsley and served with crackers or breads, the tiny cheese balls, also rolled in parsley, that can be served alone or with crunchy vegetables or vegetable chips; or the goat cheese alone, spooned into tiny rolls ( gougeres would work, too).

The next time I make this goat cheese mixture, I'm saving some to spoon onto hot baked potatoes - delicious!

You can find the recipe for the rosemary bread here. I simply formed little balls of dough, let them rise for a bit, then snipped them with scissors before spritzing them with water and sprinkling them with salt. I baked them at 400F for about 10 minutes.

The goat cheese mixture:

1/2 stick unsalted butter, room temperature

1 8 oz. package of cream cheese, room temperature

4 ounces fresh goat cheese

1 t. worcestershire sauce

6 dashes Tabasco, or to your taste

1 t. dried dill or 1 T. fresh dill, minced

1/2 to 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste

1 T. fresh lemon juice

2 T. minced fresh scallions

about 1/2 cup or more minced parsley for covering the cheese

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Mix the ingredients together in a mixer bowl ( except for the parsley) until smooth and creamy. Taste carefully and adjust to your taste.

Set the minced parsley on a plate, then gently scoop out a ball of the goat cheese mixture using an ice cream scoop - you choose the size. Plop the scoop onto the parsley plate and gently roll until covered. Cover and keep in the fridge until ready to serve.

I hope your holiday season is bright, loving, and joyful!

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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Featured on TasteSpotting!

watercress soup, watercress sandwiches

You know winter is slowly coming to an end when you see the first bunch of watercress in the market. And what a find it is - crunchy, slightly peppery thick stalks and delicate leaves make for a delicious sandwich as is, a remarkable salad green - and a subtle, healthful soup.

Watercress is loaded with antioxidants, as well as iron, iodine, folic acid, and calcium : another good reason to add it to your February menu. Here, I've made the traditional watercress sandwiches and the classic French soup, potage cressoniere, which is slightly thickened with potato and onions before the watercress is briefly stirred in and then pureed. Instead of stirring in heavy cream, I whipped the cream and added a pillow of whipped cream to each bowl. The cream slowly melts into the soup, but stays firm enough to scoop up with each spoonful of soup.

Watercress Sandwiches:

White, finely textured bread, crusts trimmed

Unsalted soft butter

Finely minced watercress, on a plate

You can use the food processor to mince the watercress, but you will find a few stems - just pick them out.

Cut bread into "fingers" or rectangles, or any other shape.

Butter the bread generously.

Gently press the bread into the minced watercress until each sandwich is covered.

Scatter a little sea salt and pepper over the watercress sandwiches, and serve.

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Watercress Soup ( Potage Cressoniere):

1 T. olive oil or unsalted butter

1.2 cup diced white onions

1/2 cup peeled, diced potatoes

1 cup water

2 cups packed watercress, cut in about 2" pieces

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup heavy cream, whipped (for the garnish)

Place the water, the olive oil or butter, the onions, and the potatoes in a saucepan.

Cook on medium-high heat until the potatoes are soft.

Add the milk and watercress and cook about 3 minutes.

Using an immersion, or "stick" blender, puree soup.

Add salt and pepper as desired (pepper goes especially well with watercress).

Add a large spoonful of whipped cream to each bowl, sprinkle with a little parsley, serve.

Makes 2 bowls of watercress soup.

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.