quick tart and sweet cucumber pickles

A sunny, warm and windy day in Minneapolis - and mobs of people walking in the park and on the sidewalks with huge smiles and nods to each other - myself included.  It truly is a glorious day in early March, if you can believe it.

It put me in mind of picnic fare , and the tart-but-sweet Finnish "salad" I make with dill and cucumbers, more pickles than salad or side and a breeze to make. Minutes later, I was eating them fresh from the bowl, sweet and sour and a little puckery.  All I had to do was slice the cucumbers and measure out the marinade.

This will keep in the fridge (cover with plastic wrap), but we usually eat it all, so that rarely happens.




Quick tart and sweet cucumber pickles



2 large cucumbers, washed and sliced paper thin (not English cucumbers)
1/2 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 cup plain white vinegar
1/2 cup chopped fresh dill


You can either slice the cucumbers by hand , which is tedious but doesn't take very long, or you can use your mandoline or food slicer disc-  faster, but sometimes a little messy.

Pour the sugar and vinegar into a glass or non-reactive bowl (not metal) and stir well. Add the chopped dill and the salt and stir well, then add the cucumbers.

Mix well and place in the fridge to marinate for a a half an hour at least - if there's any left.  You should probably make a double batch, just in case.  I wish I'd thought of that because a third of it is already gone.  Just "tasting" to make sure it was perfect:)

Tonight is the very last episode of Downton Abbey, can you believe it?  I will miss it terribly after all these Sunday night years - did you hear they're making a movie with the same cast?  There's something to look forward to!

potato-cheddar soup with fresh dill

February.  By now, everyone has the "Februaries" when you're tired of cold, ice, and snow.  Last year in New Hampshire, it was 20 below and 6 feet of snow outside.  Here in Minneapolis, there is only an icy trace of snow, lots of cold, cold, wind, and temperatures ranging from -7F to 35F lately.  This is when you start thumbing through gardening catalogues, dreaming of daffodils, sketching out a new herb garden, which will most definitely have a few feathery clumps of dill.

Which brings me to the sweet smelling bundle of dill I got at the market:  what to make?  Thumbing through The Silver Palate cookbook (an oldie but still a goodie), I landed on a creamy but hearty potato soup that called for a cup of chopped fresh dill.  How could I resist that, especially when it also listed two cups of grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese?  

While I followed the original recipe, I did halve it, and adjusted a few ingredients - a few more potatoes because I was using small red potatoes, a little more stock, omitted the carrots because I didn't have any, and added a little more cheese, because, well, you know how much I love sharp cheddar.  Delicious, creamy soup for the Februaries.

potato-cheddar soup with fresh dill

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup chopped white onions

6 sprigs fresh Italian parsley

3 cups chicken or vegetable stock

3 cups small halved baby red potatoes, or diced red potatoes

1 cup chopped fresh dill (you can use a few inches of stems as well)

2 cups grated/shredded extra sharp cheddar- I used Cabot's Seriously Sharp

salt and pepper to taste

Melt the butter in a large pot, then add the onions and cook over low heat, covered, until the onions are golden.

Add the parsley, stock, and potatoes to the onions and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer until the potatoes are very soft, then add the dill.   Let the soup sit, covered, for 5 minutes.

Pour the soup through a strainer and transfer the solids to a food processor, add a cup of the cooking liquid, then process into a smooth paste.

Return the puree to the pot and add the rest of the liquid and stir on low heat, slowly adding the cheese.  If you need more liquid, add a little at a time - it should be thick and creamy.  Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.  Delicious!

And speaking of delicious, look what my daughter got me for my birthday breakfast!

Mini Pavlovas with raspberries & strawberries

We made these mini-pavlovas on Valentine's Day, in part because they are gluten-free, so Izzie can be part of the dessert festivities, but also because they are so pretty - and really, not hard to make.  

I did some research about the name, being unsure whether they were officially a small pavlova or a mini-meringue and think these days it doesn't really matter.  There is a large meringue cake, especially popular in New Zealand and Australia that is moister in the middle, but these meringues are small and bake up crispy and crunchy and light as a feather.  

The recipe is from Allrecipes, used primarily for guidance on the amount of sugar, which is critical, in both the amount and remembering to add the sugar teaspoon by teaspoon, waiting each time for the sugar to melt into the egg white batter.  I had forgotten to buy heavy cream, so each pavlova got a tiny squirt of whipped cream from a can, which was leftover from a birthday party:)  



Mini-Pavlovas with fresh berries & cream


4 extra-large egg whites
1 1/4 cups white, granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons cornstarch

The topping:
1 pint heavy cream, gently whipped
fresh raspberries and sliced strawberries or blueberries
confectioner's sugar

Preheat oven to 250F.
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In mixer bowl, whip egg whites until stiff, then gradually add the sugar, a teaspoon at a time, letting the sugar be absorbed into the whites before adding more sugar.  I know it's tedious, but it's a critical step to follow.

Once all the sugar has been added, fold in the vanilla, lemon juice, and cornstarch and whip gently.

You can either use a large spoon to form small rounds of meringue, or a pastry bag, which is what I used.  I could only find my rose tip nozzle, so it came out more fluted than usual.

Bake for one hour, making sure the meringues are firm, then cool on a cooling rack.

To assemble:  smooth a spoonful of whipped cream in the center of the meringue, then add the berries in a pleasing arrangement , then sprinkle with more confectioner's sugar - not too much, just enough to look fancy.

This made 12 small Pavlovas.   

Enjoy!

crunchy fennel, celery, and parsley salad with balsamic dressing

A week under the covers (and under the weather), nursing a headache and ringing ears.  Enforced resting is hard for me  - I'd much rather be taking walks in the fresh air, so by the third day I was bored.  I re-read all my Ann Patchett books, then John Irving's Cider House Rules, which led me to several of Lee Bailey's cook/travel books, which were stuffed into the same shelf.  I've forgotten how much I love his straightforward, unfussy recipes, and how pretty the photographs are of his travels.  I browsed through his Cooking for Friends, and came across a fennel salad I haven't made in years.  My daughter looked at the photograph and mentioned she still remembered when I used to make that salad, and how much she loved it - that was many, many years ago.

Walking to the store today, what did I find in the produce section but fresh fennel bulbs, waving their fronds at me, so of course, I came home and made that salad again.  Crunchy, delicious, with a warm, mellow afterglow, it was as good as I remembered.  A few times I also threw in some fresh orange pieces, I recall, and just might do that tomorrow, inspired by his other fennel salad recipe, with olives and oranges.

Crunchy Fennel Salad (with parsley and celery)

1 medium fresh fennel bulb

1 cup sliced celery

1/2 to 1 cup minced Italian parsley

Shaved good Parmesan cheese

Halve the fennel bulb.  If the stems are wide, cut them lengthwise in half.   Slice the fennel stems across into manageable pieces, like you do with celery.  Cut out the little core at the bottom of the bulb, which is too hard to chew.

Balsamic dressing:

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

two pinches kosher salt

5 tablespoons good olive oil

black pepper, freshly ground

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Whisk the dressing well in your salad bowl, then add the fennel, celery, and parsley and toss.   Spoon onto plates and garnish with the parmesan shavings.

This makes about four servings.

quick lentil salsa soup

My bedtime reading last night was a cookbook I picked up at the Hancock book sale (along with 12 others) by Marion Cunningham.  I was enchanted by the simple title " The Supper Book", and love browsing through it, but this was the first recipe I actually made from it.

It had an intriguing name - "Sharon's Lentil Salsa soup", but what got me excited was the very short list of ingredients, and an equally short cooking time.  When I had all the ingredients lined up, followed the recipe, and put down the first bowl on the table, I was surprised to see it had only taken 40 minutes, start to finish!  And best of all, the ingredients are usually staples in your fridge or pantry.

It was very good, though I feel the need to tinker with it a little, of course:)  But when my friend Kevin came by to taste test - and he instantly asked for the recipe so he could make it immediately.  My vegetarian daughter tasted it, then packed some up for her dinner at work. Well, salsa will do that, won't it?  I made half a recipe, since I wasn't sure how much it would make - next time I'll double it.


Lentil Salsa soup


2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves peeled and sliced garlic
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 onion, peeled and chopped
1 cup brown lentils
1 cup Green Mountain Gringo Salsa (medium heat) or your favorite salsa
3 cups water - more if necessary
bay leaf
1 teaspoon whole thyme leaf
kosher salt to taste

Place olive oil in a heavy bottomed saucepan and heat on medium-low, then add the garlic, onions, and carrots.  Cook, until the vegetables are softened, stirring with a wooden spoon so they don't burn.  Add the water,bay leaf,thyme, lentils, and salsa, bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer.  Cover the pot, making sure the soup is gently simmering, not boiling.  Simmer 30 minutes, stirring once in a while to make sure the lentils aren't sticking - if that happens, just add a little chicken or vegetable stock or water.  I had no problem with scorching or sticking.  Taste and salt before serving.

Happy eating!

sweet potato, butternut squash, and egg saute

Living in a household of busy Moms and three smallish children is quite the change from my solitary New Hampshire mornings.  Breakfasts to be made, school lunches to pack, eye on the clock, a quick trip outside to gauge the weather so no one saunters outside unbundled.  But today, a leisurely walk and brunch when the house is quiet and still.  

Several inches of snow still on the ground as I walked around the neighborhood.  The Fence of Doors adds a cheery pop of color to the landscape, and a noisy tiff between two crows and what looked like an eagle high in the trees ended with a looping chase toward the Mississippi river not far from here.

Since today is food shopping day, the fruit platter was down to a kiwi and four bananas, and the glass bowl held a giant sweet potato and a nicely sized butternut squash.  Easy choice when you want a rib-sticking breakfast/lunch!  Peeled and chopped the squash and potato, sauteed just til soft, added spices and herbs, sesame oil, a shake of hot sauce on top of the egg and voila - a lovely January brunch.

Sweet Potato, Egg, and Butternut Squash saute:

2 cups peeled and large diced butternut squash and sweet potato
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon whole leaf thyme

Saute the squash and sweet potato in the herbs and oils for ten minutes medium heat in a large skillet, then cover and continue to cook until the squash and potato are tender.  Remove to a platter and cover with foil to keep it warm.

Scrape the skillet and add a little more oil if needed, then carefully slide an egg into the skillet.  Let cook for five minutes, turn heat down a little lower, and cover and cook until the egg is still soft, but firm.  Spoon the sweet potato and butternut onto a plate, then slide the egg on top and sprinkle with parsley or scallions.  Top with a splash of hot sauce and dig in.  (Note to self:  thick cut bacon crumbles would be a wonderful addition)

Wishing you a Happy January and Martin Luther King Day!

salads & sides: wilted rainbow chard with red wine vinegar

Christmas break is finally over - the grands headed back to school today.  It's been a noisy, happy vacation with the three of them around, but hard to find time to experiment in the kitchen without interruptions.  We got five inches of snow and plunging temperatures, but they are hardy little souls, enjoying cross-country skiing and sledding even with the chilly air.  The kitchen got a good workout, especially when my daughter got a hankering for Indian food :  she cooked up a dizzying array of unfamiliar dishes;  some I liked, some not as much, but always interesting, and the scent of curry and cumin and Indian bay was far more exotic than my usual thyme and garlic.

But my heart is really happy with simple dishes, so when I found the gorgeous but small bunch of rainbow chard in the vegetable drawer ( bought on the spur of the moment simply because it was so pretty and fresh) I was delighted.  Checking on Pinterest, I found this terrific simple chard recipe that was perfect for a late lunch.  And best of all, it took maybe 20 minutes from start to finish!  

Wilted Rainbow Chard with red wine vinegar

6 leaves fresh rainbow chard

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 onion, peeled and cut into slivers

1 clove garlic, peeled and cut into slivers

1/2 yellow pepper, cut into strips or dice

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

a little water - about 2 tablespoons

kosher salt & freshly ground pepper

Cut the stems off the chard , gather them together, and slice across no more than 1 inch.

Slice the leaves lengthwise, then across into 2 inch wide pieces.

Place olive oil in saucepan or skillet and add the sliced stems, garlic, onions, and pepper cooking for about 5 minutes, then add the red wine vinegar and water, then finally, the chopped leaves.  Keep the heat on medium, and gently toss the mixture until the leaves are wilted.  Add the salt and pepper and serve while hot.

This made 2 small servings - next time I'll buy twice as much chard because it was SO good!     Happy January!