Tomatoes

Recipes: Marinara tomato sauce, Polenta with cheese and tomatoes

This time of year, we're always inundated with gorgeous homegrown heirloom tomatoes.

Brandywine heirloom tomato

That's a good thing, of course. Except that they all come ripe at once and it's a race to eat them, cook them, use them all before they spoil. We have five big tomato plants and they've all produced like champs. I've been cooking sauce all week.

Last night was the fifth big pot of sauce I've made in the last four days. To say I'm tired of cooking tomatoes would be an understatement. However, I'm not yet tired of eating tomatoes and the sad thing is . . . suddenly they will be gone. And there won't be any gorgeous homegrown delicious tomatoes until this time next year. I'm not complaining.

Most of the sauce I've made I've frozen in quart freezer baggies, to use when I have no tomatoes. This year's crop is super sweet, and even though canned tomatoes beat tasteless supermarket tomatoes by a mile in winter, there is no option that will come even close to what I have in the freezer. We'll get to enjoy the bounty later, which brings me joy.

Half the sauce I made last night went into a terrific polenta dish I learned to make from an old Greens cookbook. Greens is a wonderful vegetarian restaurant in San Francisco, one of the first really gourmet vegetarian restaurants, and is still going strong. Here's the method for both the sauce, just enough for the polenta this time, and the polenta with cheese.

Marinara (Tomato) Sauce 

• 5 good-sized ripe fresh tomatoes, peeled and chopped, with their juices. Best way to peel tomatoes: Cut out the stem/core at the top, slip the tomatoes into boiling water to cover for 5 seconds, pull them out with a slotted spoon. Once cooled enough to handle, the skins slip right off.
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, sliced thin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• A sprinkle of crushed red pepper
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste (optional)
• 1/4 cup dry white wine

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil. Turn off the heat and put the sliced garlic in. Stir a bit and let cool down slightly so the tomatoes don't spatter. Put the tomatoes in. Turn the heat back up to medium low. Add the herbs and seasonings and stir.

Add tomato paste if you have it. I keep a baggie of tomato paste in the freezer and use it to thicken the sauce, but it will be fine without it.

Simmer the sauce over low heat for about an hour, stirring now and then to keep it from sticking. You will see when it cooks down and starts to become thick. When it gets quite thick and the pieces of tomato have broken down, add the wine. Stir well and cook for another 15 minutes.

Polenta with Cheese and Tomatoes

You will need:

• 5 ounces Danish fontina cheese
• 1 ounce Gorgonzola cheese

For the polenta:

• 1 cup medium ground polenta
• 3 cups water
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Bring the water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add salt. Whisking all the while, slowly add the polenta. Cook over medium heat, whisking, for 15 minutes.

Pour the cooked polenta into an 8" x 8" pan and let cool. This is a good thing to do while the tomato sauce is cooking, as it takes about an hour for the polenta to cool completely.

To assemble the dish:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly butter a gratin dish.

Put 1/2 cup of the tomato sauce into the prepared gratin dish.

Cut the cooled polenta into rectangles. Place a rectangle of polenta into the gratin dish, then put a matching slice of fontina cheese next to it. Place another rectangle of polenta next to the cheese and continue layering until the gratin dish is full. You can push the rectangles together a bit to get some more in.

Decoratively drizzle a few thick stripes of tomato sauce over the top of the rectangles. Crumble the gorgonzola cheese over it all and give it a good grind of fresh black pepper.

Bake in the oven for 30 to 35 minutes. When it's done, you can top it with some chopped fresh basil if you have it. I served mine with a kale salad, any salad or simple vegetable would go well with this dish. Buon appetito!

Sweet endings: Poached pears

Recipe: Poached pears

I don't often make desserts. I would honestly rather have an extra helping of potatoes or pasta than use up all those calories on something sweet. However, I had invited a few of my neighbors over for a celebration of Spring dinner, and thought some of them might enjoy a dessert. This lovely and easy recipe from a 1970s cookbook I still use came to mind as a great finish for the meal, which would include braised lamb. Mmmmm, poached pears. Beautiful, aren't they? And so deliciously silky served with a scoop of ice cream on the side.

Poached Pears

Fortunately, you don't have to search out perfect pears for this dessert. In fact, underripe pears, which most pears are when they are picked, hold together better than ripe pears. Use Bosc, D'anjou, or Bartlett pears - they will all work.

Poached pears are quick to make, but need to chill for several hours. I made them the night before and left them in the fridge until dinner the next day.

For two. Double the ingredients and buy one pear per person to serve more lucky people.

• 2 pears, slightly underripe
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 whole cloves

With a vegetable peeler, peel the pears, leaving the stems on. Drop the peeled pears into a bowl of cold water with a little lemon juice in it until you are ready to cook them. This keeps them from darkening.

In a deep pot that's just large enough to hold both pears comfortably, bring the water, sugar, lemon juice, and lemon rind to a boil. Add the cinnamon stick, cloves, and the pears. Cover the pot and keep it at a rolling boil so the pears keep moving a bit as they cook. Cook until the pears are tender (test with the tip of a paring knife), which should be about 25 minutes.

Take the pears carefully out of the syrup with a large spoon and stand them up in a dish with sides. If you have to cut a small slice off the bottom to make them stand, do so. They are very soft and will flatten if they lie down. Pour a little of the syrup over the pears and chill them, covered with plastic wrap, for several hours or overnight.

Serve in small bowls with a little of the syrup and a scoop of good ice cream. I served it with salted caramel ice cream and it was scrumptious. Buon appetito!

Red cabbage: A vegetable side that acts like the main attraction

Recipe: Braised red cabbage

Not just a pretty face, red cabbage tastes fabulous cooked this way and it's wonderfully good for you! Simple to make, it can be vegetarian or not, it's gluten free, and it can stand alone on a night when you feel like a simple dinner that satisfies. Or it can be part of something bigger. Wouldn't you love to eat some tonight? Here's how to do it.

Braised Red Cabbage

In a medium Dutch oven, saute two slices of bacon, cut up. When the bacon pieces are nearly crisp, remove them to drain on a paper towel. Leave the bacon fat in the pot. If you want your dish to be vegetarian, skip the bacon and substitute 1 tablespoon good olive oil.

Core and cut a medium head of red cabbage into bite-sized pieces or coleslaw-like strips. Put all in the pot. Add:

• 1/2 large onion sliced medium thick
• 4 tablespoons butter cut in chunks
• 1-1/4 cup chicken stock
• 1/3 cup red wine (something like zinfandel or cabernet)
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• salt and pepper to taste

Add the cooked bacon pieces if using and combine gently with a wooden spoon.

Turn your oven on to 375 degrees F. Bring the pot to a boil on top of the stove, then turn the heat down and simmer for 20 minutes uncovered while the oven heats up. Cover the pot and put it into the oven for one hour.

Braised red cabbage is delicious by itself, or with sausage or any kind of meat. It would be wonderful with roasted new potatoes. It would be good with a little goat cheese sprinkled over it. Use your imagination. Buon appetito! 

Having it your way with Brussels sprouts

Recipes: Quinoa (or brown rice) with Brussels sprouts

Everyone knows Brussels sprouts are good for you. But does everyone run right out looking for Brussels sprouts? No. Some otherwise very smart people even think they don't like them. 

I happen to love Brussels sprouts, but I've also found a few really good ways to make them for people who are not so sure. Here's one you can make for any sprouts-naysayer with confidence and love. And think of all the good nutrition you're serving up! What a fabulous person you are!

Quinoa with Brussels Sprouts (brown rice variation follows)

I chose quinoa because it too is super-nutritious and very easy to make.

• Brussels sprouts, sliced moderately thin
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 cups water

Note: Slicing the Brussels sprouts is the secret, making them disappear into the sauce and become milder in taste.
In a medium saucepan or Dutch oven, melt butter and add olive oil to heat. Add the onion and saute a few minutes over medium heat until soft. Add sliced Brussels sprouts and cook for 5 or 6 minutes, until they are soft too.

Add quinoa to the vegetables and cook, stirring, for one minute to toast the quinoa a bit. Add the water and bring it to a boil over high heat. Turn the heat down to simmer, cover the pot, and let cook until the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes.

Let it sit, covered with the heat off, for 10 more minutes. Serve with any meat or fish, or on its own with a salad.

Brown Rice variation

Make exactly the same as the quinoa version, except use brown rice and, if you prefer, substitute chicken stock for water. Either way, heat the stock or water before adding it to the rice, and cook for 40 minutes instead of 15. 

Buon appetito!!

Caesar salads and hot summer nights

Recipes: Caesar dressing, Standard Caesar salad, Caesar salad with sage chicken, Caesar salad with deviled eggs 

Hail Caesar! For those of us who love Caesar salad (love is an understatement), the search for the perfect dressing, the perfect Caesar, is never-ending. Years ago I found an old-school Italian restaurant in San Francisco that made Caesar table-side to perfection, rendering the need to continue the search for a recipe redundant. The garlic! The anchovies! Heaven! Alas, the restaurant closed. 

Ever since that sad day, I've compared every Caesar I've ever tasted  to theirs, and found it wanting. I will still try anyone's Caesar in the hope of finding perfection again, but I've been consistently disappointed. Until recently, that is, when I decided to try the recipe in one of my favorite cookbooks, America's Test Kitchen. I was in for a big and happy surprise.

First, no eggs. I am not a fan of the idea of no-egg Caesar, believing all the brou-ha-ha about raw eggs to be overstated, in particular if you are reasonably careful to buy organic eggs produced in your immediate area. Despite my philosophical leanings, this recipe uses buttermilk instead of eggs, with the advantage that you can keep it for several days in the fridge and have Caesar salads all week. On top of that, it's easy and delicious - as good a Caesar as I've had in the dark years since my favorite restaurant closed.

Caesar Dressing

In a blender, combine:

• 1/3 cup grated Parmiggiano-Reggiano cheese
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 6 anchovy fillets, rinsed and patted dry if packed in salt
• 2 teaspoons Worchestershire sauce
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Blend on high speed until smooth, about 30 seconds. Then, with the blender running, add in a steady stream:

• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Regarding the cheese: This salad and dressing is about the cheese in a major way, so be sure to use freshly grated good quality Parmesan: Parmigiano-Reggiano if possible. If you truly prefer not to grate a lot of cheese, then use good quality already-grated Parmesan in the dressing and reserve your grating efforts for the salad itself, adding the freshly grated cheese when you toss the Romaine with the dressing.

This dressing can be stored, covered, in the refrigerator for up to one week.

Standard Caesar Salad

Toss 1/3 cup of the dressing with one head of Romaine lettuce, preferably cut crosswise in strips. Toss additional freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese with the lettuce and dressing. Top with croutons, or garlic croutons, if desired. 

Croutons are easy to make. Just fry cubes of good bread on all sides in a combination of butter and olive oil, adding some garlic granules if you like.

Caesar Salad with Sage Chicken (pictured above)

For the chicken:

Marinate 2 boneless, skinless, half chicken breasts in 3 tablespoons olive oil, 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, and 12 fresh sage leaves for 30 minutes, turning once or twice while marinating.

In a cast iron or other heavy skillet, melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium high heat. Add the chicken breasts, marinade drained and saved, smooth side down and cook for 5 minutes. While this side is cooking, salt and pepper the side of the chicken that's facing up and arrange the sage leaves on top of that side.

Turn the chicken so that the leaves are all on the bottom and cook for 5 minutes. Salt and pepper the top side of the chicken. When the chicken is done, transfer it to a cutting board to rest, arranging the fried sage leaves on top of the breasts. Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes.

Slice the chicken crosswise and arrange the slices on top of an already prepared Caesar salad. Garnish with tomato wedges, if desired.

Caesar Salad with Deviled Eggs

For the deviled eggs:
In a small saucepan, bring 3 eggs in cold water to cover to a boil and boil for one minute. Turn off the heat, cover the pan tightly, and let it sit for 12 minutes. Then drain the eggs, rinse them in cold water, and let them cool off for at least 15 minutes.

When cool, peel the eggs and cut them in half lengthwise. Remove the yolks with a teaspoon and put them into a small mixing bowl. Add 1 tablespoon mayonnaise, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, and 1 teaspoon capers to the yolks, plus salt and pepper to taste. Mash the yolks and flavorings all together. Then, with a teaspoon, mound the yolk mixture back into the egg halves and arrange them around an already prepared Caesar salad. Sprinkle the eggs lightly with sweet or hot paprika.

Add tomato wedges, or perhaps lightly broiled asparagus, if desired. Yum!

A perfect dinner for a hot summer's night.

Five ways to eat more broccoli (be good to your body!)

Recipes: Broccoli stir-fry, Long-cooked broccoli, Chopped broccoli, Wiki-wiki salad, Broccoli potato soup

Fresh green broccoli is so good and good for you, and late winter plus spring-into-summer is the time when you'll find it in farmer's markets. But cooking and eating it in some new way that'll wake up your taste buds can be challenging.

Tired of steamed spears with butter and lemon? Good as that is, sometimes we all need something new.

Here are a few pretty sweet suggestions for that great bunch of broccoli you have in the fridge.

 

1. Broccoli Stir-fry

• 1 pound fresh broccoli
• 2 tablespoons peanut oil
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch combined with 2 tablespoons cold water

Start by cutting the ends off the broccoli stalks and cutting the florets. Then peel the tough skin off the big stems with a vegetable peeler or paring knife. Cut florets and peeled stems into 1-inch pieces.

Mix the cornstarch and cold water well in a small bowl and set aside.

Heat a wok or large skillet until hot. Add the peanut oil and stir-fry the broccoli pieces for about 2 minutes. Add salt and sugar and mix well. Add the tablespoon water and cover the wok or skillet. Let cook over high heat for a minute or so, stirring once. Uncover the pan.

Add the cornstarch-water mixture and cook over high heat for 1 minute. Serve hot over rice or noodles, or over sliced cooked chicken. Season with Tamari soy sauce and a drop of sesame or chile oil if you wish

Asparagus, zucchini, or cauliflower can be combined with broccoli or used instead of broccoli using the same stir-fry method, except that no peeling is required for those vegetables.

2, Long-cooked Broccoli

Adapted from a recipe in Alice Waters' Chez Panisse Vegetables

• 1 pound broccoli
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1-1/4 cups water
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• Salt and pepper
• 3 flat anchovy fillets
• 1/2 fresh lemon
• freshly grated Parmesan

Pick off any leaves and peel the tough skin off the broccoli stems with a vegetable peeler or paring knife. Slice the broccoli stems and florets crosswise into 1/8-inch-thick slices. Put the slices into a skillet or shallow saucepan 2 to 3 inches deep. Peel and slice the garlic and add to the pan with the water, olive oil, and red pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper.

Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for 50 minutes, until the broccoli is tender and starting to fall apart, and the liquid is nearly evaporated. If the pot goes dry before the broccoli is done, add a little more water.

Roughly chop the anchovies. When the broccoli is done, sprinkle the anchovies over it, squeeze the lemon over it, and toss everything together. Serve on a warm platter and garnish at the table with a grating of Parmesan.

3. Chopped Broccoli with Lemon

From Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone

Something as simple as chopping the broccoli instead of leaving it large changes it completely.

• 1 pound broccoli
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or butter
• Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
• Fresh lemon for juice

Chop the broccoli into small florets and peel and finely chop the stems. Put the stems in the steaming basket, add the florets, then cover and steam until just short of tender. Put in a serving bowl, toss with olive oil or butter and season with salt, pepper, and lemon juice.

For a heartier dish, toss equal amounts of boiled diced potatoes, cooked rice, or cooked quinoa with the cooked chopped broccoli.

4. Wiki-wiki Salad

This salad was posted earlier in this blog, but it's definitely worth repeating. Who knows where the name came from? It's basically a broccoli-cabbage-snow peas cole slaw, and can be a whole meal on a hot day.

• 1/2 small green cabbage, cored and sliced thin as for cole slaw
• a good handful of snow peas, ends removed, and sliced into bite-sized pieces
• 4 scallions (green onions), diced including white and green parts
• 1/4 pound broccoli flowerettes, cut fairly small
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted on top of stove or in oven
• 1 pack Top Ramen noodles, chicken flavor

 Dressing:

• 1 flavor pack from Top Ramen noodles - chicken flavor
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• scant 1/2 cup vegetable oil (like Wesson)
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt (or 3/4 teaspoon sea salt and 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder)
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Combine cabbage, snow peas, scallions, broccoli, and almonds in a large bowl. Crunch the ramen noodles and add them. Mix together dressing ingredients in a small jar with a cap. Shake well. Add dressing to the cabbage mixture and toss thoroughly. Wiki-wiki is best if it sits for 30 minutes or so before you serve it.

5. Broccoli Potato Soup

Adapted from a recipe in Marcella Cucina

• 1/2 large yellow onion, sliced very thin
• Sea salt
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter (divided use)
• 3/4 pound broccoli florets, washed and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and sliced crosswise very thin
• 2 medium red potatoes, washed and cut into medium dice
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 3 or 4 fresh basil leaves, torn (optional)
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmegiano-Reggiano cheese

Put the sliced onion, a pinch of salt, all the the olive oil, and 1 tablespoon of butter in a heavy saucepan or Dutch oven. Turn on the heat to medium low and cover the pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is completely tender and has become colored a light brown.

When the onion is cooked, add the sliced garlic and leave the pan uncovered. Cook, stirring for 1 minute. Add the broccoli florets and a generous pinch of salt, and cook, turning the florets over now and then, until they feel tender when you prick them with the tip of a paring knife.

Add the diced potatoes and cook for about 5 minutes, turning the contents of the pan over frequently. Add the broth and cook until some of the potatoes dissolve as you stir them (20 minutes or so). The final consistency should be loosely creamy, rather than real thick.

Taste and correct for salt, and add liberal grindings of black pepper. If you are holding to heat later, put the pot aside. When you are ready to serve the soup, swirl in the torn basil (if using), the grated Parmesan, and the remaining tablespoon of butter. Serve at once in bowls.

Deep greens pizza (or it's all good)

Recipe: White pizza with stir-fried deep greens

My garden is overflowing with kale and chard, and everyone knows how yummy and nutritious that is. But we felt like pizza, so we came up with an interesting combination.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Take a pizza crust. You can get pizza dough at Trader Joe's, or you can buy a Boboli crust, or you can make your own, or you can even use the bottom half of a round of bread, sliced off the loaf about a half inch thick.

Tip: If you're using store-bought pizza dough, you may find it hard to roll out, or stretch out into a pizza shape, at first. Start it and then let it rest for about 20 minutes. It'll shape up.

Top your pizza crust with fresh ricotta cheese, smeared on with the back of a spoon, fresh mozzarella cheese cut in rough slices, and grated Parmagiana-Reggiano. I also strewed pitted Kalamata olives over the cheese, to give it a little kick, and sprinkled it all with a few hot pepper flakes. You could do this or not - your choice.

Put the pizza in the oven, on a pizza stone if it's dough, directly on the oven rack if it's a crust that's already baked. Bake for 20 minutes for fresh dough, or 10 minutes for prebaked crust, or until the cheese is well melted and the crust is crisp and lightly browned.

Meanwhile, make the greens.

• 2 slices bacon (eliminate for a vegetarian version, and add 1 more tablespoon olive oil)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• A leek, well washed, with white and green part sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and cut in half
• 1 bunch kale, stripped from stems, washed, and sliced into ribbons
• 1 bunch chard, stripped from stems, washed, and sliced into ribbons
• Sea salt
• Half a lemon

In a large wok or a large skillet, fry the bacon. Then take it out and hold it on paper towels, but leave the bacon grease in the pan. Add the oil to the grease, and heat it.

Add the leek and the garlic and stir fry over medium high heat for a minute or two. Add a large bunch of the kale/chard and keep adding more as it cooks down until you have it all in the pan. Stir often, turning over the greens so they all get a chance to cook on the bottom.

When the greens are wilted and tender (taste them!), turn the heat off, add salt to taste, add the cooked bacon, and toss well. Squeeze the juice of the half lemon over the greens and toss again.

When the pizza comes out of the oven, put it on a cutting board and cut it into slices. Put the slices on a big serving platter, or just use the cutting board as a serving platter.Top the pizza with the warm greens and carry it to the table. Pour the wine or the beer.

Buon appetito! Delicioso!

The payoff
Kale and chard are good for almost everything the body needs to be healthy...antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, support for the body's detoxification system, risk-lowering benefits for various common cancers, eye health. This stuff is all good and we should eat it as often as we can.

Deep greens pizza is vegetarian if you eliminate the bacon (use an extra tablespoon of olive oil instead) and it is gluten-free if you use a prebaked GF crust. In the SF Bay Area you can buy GF crusts prebaked at Mariposa Bakery, or you can order from them by mail.

Winter's roots (or edible memories)

Recipes: Cream of root vegetable soup, Panini 

I stand in my kitchen at home, lost in a memory of Malpensa airport, near Milan, Italy. Rows of panini beckon through a glass case in an airport cafe, waiting to be chosen. Prosciutto and mozzarella, Signora? Tomato and pesto with Parmigiana? Eggplant and roasted red bell pepper? Si grazie! Tutti! Yes, thanks! All of them!

Every Monday night I make dinner for my friend Jackie, and she brings a nice bottle of red wine. We spend the evening sipping wine, eating, and talking. It's a lovely start to the week. We originally began our Monday dinners as a time to study Italian together, many years ago. Now we are taking a break from Italian, although we plan to go back to it. Meanwhile the dinners and the friendship continue.

This Monday I have already planned to try a root vegetable soup recipe I got online from Cook's Illustrated. It uses seasonal veggies, and sounds both healthy and delicious, but what should I serve with it? I am momentarily tired of sausage, which seems an obvious choice. A salad would be good in summer, but this is winter and perhaps something a little more substantial is needed. That's when the rows of panini enter my head. A crisp panini - perfect with smooth creamy soup.

Luckily I have recently scored a fabulous, used-but-in-perfect-condition, All-Clad panini press for $20 at The White Elephant Sale, a benefit put on by our local Oakland Museum of California. Time to give it a whirl, but first, of course, the soup.

Exceptionally Good Cream of Root Vegetable Soup

Chopped ingredients for Root Vegetable Soup

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped
• 1 medium parsnip, peeled and chopped
• 1 leek, white and light green parts only, washed thoroughly, halved lengthwise, and sliced thin
• 1 small celery rib, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and smashed
• Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 small to medium russet potato (6 to 8 ounces), peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 3 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth, to make the soup vegetarian)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/3 cup heavy cream

Melt the butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the carrot, parsnip, leek, celery, garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon salt, and cook until browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in the potato and cook, stirring constantly, until the starch begins to release and the vegetables begin to stick together, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the broth and the bay leaf and bring it to a boil.

Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. Discard the bay leaf and let the soup cool a bit.

Working in batches, process the soup in a blender until smooth, or use an immersion blender to process it right in the pot. Return the soup to the pot, if necessary, and stir in the cream. Season with salt and pepper to taste. If you need to reheat before serving, do it very gently over low heat, stirring.

The soup can be refrigerated for 2 days and reheated very gently.

Now the panini. Here's my lovely "new" panini press. I like it because it doesn't smash the sandwiches like my other press did. The top of the other one, which was electric, was on hinges, so when you put the top down and latched it, it pressed the sandwich almost to nothing. You heat this one on top of the stove, and then you put the sandwich on the hot bottom and press the hot top however much you want on the top of the sandwich. Perfetto!

If you don't have a panini press, no problem. You can improvise one. Heat a no-stick or well-seasoned cast iron frying pan or griddle for the bottom. Heat another, maybe smaller, frying pan with a flat bottom (cast iron would be good) for the top. Place sandwich on bottom, put bottom of second hot frying pan on top of sandwich (use a hot pad to pick it up, obviously), and press as much as you want.

Panini

Buy a thin sweet baguette and cut two 6-inch sections from it.  Split the sections lengthwise to make panini rolls.

For this dinner, I made ham and smoked turkey panini with fresh mozzarella and pesto to go with my root vegetable soup, so I'll give you the instructions for that. You can be creative with your own panini.

Heat the oven to 325 degrees F.

For each sandwich: Spread the top half of the roll with pesto. Drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil on the bottom half, and layer it with one thin slice of ham (Parma or otherwise), folded to fit, and one thin slice of smoked turkey, folded to fit. Lay two thin slices of fresh mozzarella on top of the meat and top with the roll top.

Put the sandwiches in a baking dish in the preheated oven while you heat your press, improvised or not. When the press is hot, put the sandwiches on it one at a time and press them down gently. Grill for about two minutes, until the outside is crisp and the cheese is soft and melty. Put the grilled panino back in the oven to stay warm while you reheat the press and grill the second one.

Serve immediately, when they are done, on a small plate next to a bowl of the hot soup. Wonderful for munching and dipping.  Buon appetito!

The Payoff
Parsnips contain antioxidants essential for fighting inflammation, cancer, and fungus.(!) They also are high in fiber, which is good for preventing constipation and reducing high blood pressure. They are sweet and delicious, like the carrots.
Carrots help maintain good vision (Vitamin A), among other things, like tasting good.
Celery is low-calorie and high-fiber, which is good for you in much the same way as the fiber in parsnips.

The Root Vegetable Soup is gluten-free. It is also vegetarian if you use vegetable stock in place of the chicken stock.

Panini can be made gluten-free by using a GF roll instead of the sweet baguette. Instructions for grilling remain the same.

Panini can be made vegetarian by filling them with cheeses, roasted eggplant, roasted red bell peppers, greens (raw or sauteed), sauteed mushrooms, artichoke hearts, or any of a large combination of delicious non-meat options. I would recommend using no more than three items as filling. Pesto can be used as a spread, as we did in the panini above. Other interesting possibilities are a flavorful mustard, hummus, or any bean spread. Instructions for grilling remain the same.

Beans 'n Greens (or keeping it soulful)

Recipes: Spicy beans 'n wilted greens, Beets and avocado salad

There's something soulful about stews in the winter. Even if it's not cold where you are, but especially if it is, a steaming bowl of stew warms like nothing else and feeds the homebody in us. Even better, the house smells wonderful. A long time ago, I had a cooking friend whom I traded dinners with - once a month our families ate together, switching from his home to mine and back every other month. For fun we called his home The Seaview Grill (he lived on a street named Seaview) and mine The Beans 'n Greens Cafe. I love to cook good wholesome country food, and that's what beans and greens are.

This dish calls for dried beans, which should be soaked in water overnight and then cooked in fresh water for 3 or 4 hours the next day. This takes longer than most things we make in this blog 'kitchen', but it is well worth it. Of course, canned beans could be used but the taste and texture would not be at all the same. Here are some ways to manage the time needed to make this dish fabulous.

1. The beans can be soaked and cooked up to three days in advance, for instance on a Saturday-Sunday when you're just hanging around anyway. The soaking and cooking are both "hands-free" in that you don't have to do anything but occasionally give it a stir (in the case of the cooking) and make sure the pot doesn't cook dry. When they are tender, cool the beans in their liquid, cover, and store the whole thing in the fridge until you need it. When you are ready to finish it, warm it gently and then add the greens as indicated in the recipe below. Dinner will be ready in 30 minutes.

2. The beans can be soaked overnight and then cooked in a slow cooker or crockpot while you are at work. Add 1/2 cup more water than the recipe calls for and bring the beans to a simmer in a stove-top pot before pouring them into the slow cooker in the morning. Set the cooker to low and they will be done when you get home. You can then ladle them back into your stove-top pot and proceed with adding the greens as indicated in the recipe.

3. The entire dish, including greens, can be made in advance when you have time, cooled, and refrigerated for up to 3 days. Gently reheat it before serving. Like most stews, this one benefits from some resting time. Flavors deepen and meld. Mmmm.

4. If you have forgotten to soak the beans overnight but still have enough hours to cook them on the day you want to serve them, you can use this emergency substitute for soaking. It's supposedly not "as good", but I've used it many times and I'm not sure I see a difference. Put the beans in a pot with water to cover plus 1 inch. Bring it to a boil on the stove and boil for 1 minute. Turn off the heat, cover the pot, and let sit for 1 hour. You're ready to go and can follow the recipe below for cooking.

Spicy Beans 'n Wilted Greens

Adapted from a recipe in the magazine Bon Appetit

• 1/2 pound (about 1 1/2 cups) dried chickpeas (garbanzos) or 1 cup dried white beans. I used chickpeas in the stew pictured above.
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 anchovy fillets, preferably packed in oil, drained
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 medium or 1/2 large onion, thinly sliced
• 2 celery stalks, finely chopped
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 piece Parmesan rind (don't skip this!), plus shaved Parmesan for serving
• 1 small bunch kale, washed, big stems removed, and coarsely chopped
• 1 small bunch chard, washed, big stems removed, and coarsely chopped (You can use other greens here. I used some sorrel with the kale and chard. You could also use mustard greens or spinach)
• 1 cup arugula (rocket)
• A squeeze of fresh lemon juice

Rinse the dried beans and inspect them for small stones. Put them in a pot with water to cover plus one inch, cover the pot, and let soak overnight (or use the emergency method above). Once they are soaked, drain the remaining water off the beans.

Heat the oil in a medium to large Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook the anchovies, chiles, and garlic, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is soft and the anchovies are dissolved, about 4 minutes. Add the onion, celery, and rosemary. Season with salt and pepper. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is very soft and golden brown, about 10 minutes.

Add the Parmesan rind, the soaked beans, and 5 cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally and adding more water as needed, until the beans are tender and beginning to fall apart, 3 to 4 hours. The length of time needed to cook depends on the age and freshness of the dried beans. It's helpful if your time is a little flexible.

Lightly crush some beans to give the stew a creamy consistency, and remove the Parmesan rind. Mix in your greens and half of the arugula. Season with salt and pepper and cook until the greens are wilted, about 8 minutes.

In a separate bowl, toss the remaining arugula with a few drops of olive oil, a squeeze of lemon, and a bit of salt and pepper. Serve the stew in bowls, topped with the arugula and shaved Parmesan.

You might like something cool and savory with the richness of the soup. Since there is an abundance of greens in the stew, a salad of beets and avocado provides a good contrast in color, taste, and texture.

 

Beets and Avocado Salad

Use canned beets, or roast beets while the beans are cooking as indicated below.

To roast beets: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut leaves and long tails off the beets, leaving one inch at both ends. Brush any dirt off the beets and wrap each one in aluminum foil. Put all in a baking dish with 1 inch of water in the bottom.  Roast in the oven for 1 hour. When they are tender, let them cool, unwrap them, and rub each one with a paper towel to remove the skin (this will be messy - wear an apron). Cut and toss with a little olive or walnut oil and a bit of balsamic vinegar while still warm.

 

To compose the salad, lay a few crisp lettuce leaves on a plate. Top with beets and avocado halves filled with balsamic vinegar. Grind a bit of black pepper over it all. Enjoy with your wonderful soulful stew.

 

The Payoff

Low in fat and high in fiber and protein, chickpeas (garbanzo beans) are a superfood!

Greens are right up there with chickpeas - low in calories and fat, high in protein and fiber. You are going to be gorgeous, dahlink!

Beets help keep your blood pressure low and your heart healthy. Yay beets!

 

The beans 'n greens and the beet and avocado salad are both gluten-free.

You can make the beans 'n greens vegetarian by eliminating the anchovies.

 

Buon appetito!

Tips and tricks (or feed the piggybank too)

Recipes: Fresh fruit smoothies, Minestrone, Corn muffins

Don't you just hate it when you have to throw out food? It's so wasteful and unnecessary. When you're cooking for two, it happens pretty often that you can't eat a perishable food fast enough to use it all before it spoils. I've really put my freezer(s) to use to solve this problem. I'm lucky that I have a chest freezer as well as two refrigerator freezers, but even if you're dealing with just one normal refrigerator freezer, you can use these tricks.

Bacon

Take a pound of bacon for instance. Unless you're eating bacon and eggs every day (tut-tut, all that fat!), two people are probably not going to get through a pound of bacon before it goes bad in the refrigerator. And if you buy the half-pound package instead, it's going to cost a lot more. So here's what you can do: Open your pound of bacon when you get it home and take out two slices. Curl them into a circle and put them in a gallon freezer baggie. Then do that for the rest of the pound, separating it all into 2-slice portions and curling each one so it stays pretty much separate from the others. Then put the bag in the freezer. When you need bacon, you can easily separate out as many 2-slice portions as you need and either defrost them in the microwave, or, if you're using them for bacon flavor in a cooked recipe, chop them while frozen and use them as is.

Tomato Paste

Speaking of frozen, it just frosts me that most recipes call for a tablespoon or two of tomato paste, and yet the stuff comes in a 4 oz. can. Plus it spoils in a heartbeat even if you put it in a plastic container, but if you put it in the freezer, you can't get that one or two tablespoons of paste out when you need it because it's frozen solid. Drat. That, of course, is why the folks that invent these things put tomato paste in tubes. And what a surprise, it's a lot more expensive! Here's an easy way to use the tomato paste in the cheap little can, have it easily accessible, and still keep it fresh until it's gone: Once you've opened the can and used the tablespoon you need for your recipe, scrape all the paste left in the can into a quart freezer baggie. Leave a corner of the bag unsealed and carefully push all the air out before sealing completely. Then smash the paste in the bag until it's flat and about 1/4 inch thick. Put it in the freezer. When you need a tablespoon of tomato paste, it will be easy to break off a tablespoon-sized chunk.

Summer Fruit

This is definitely the time of year for fresh peaches, nectarines, and apricots plus all kinds of yummy berries. Wouldn't you love to have the taste of these delicious fresh fruits in the middle of winter too? Why not buy a case (usually 12) of peaches or a giant box of organic strawberries and freeze what you can't eat now before they get too ripe? Fruit is usually less expensive when you buy it in bulk rather than individually, although sure enough it all ripens at the same time. Here's how to keep it to use later: Slice the stone fruits and spread them out on a cookie sheet. Put it in the freezer and then slip the frozen slices into a gallon freezer baggie for storage. Or spread washed and stemmed strawberries or blackberries on the cookie sheet and then store them in a freezer baggie once they're frozen. Do the same for bananas that are getting too ripe - slice them and freeze them. Frozen fruit is great for smoothies all year long - you get the fabulous taste of the fruit when it was at its best, plus the cold of the frozen fruit chills the smoothie so you don't have to add ice and dilute the yummy-ness. Yay! Here's our recipe for fruit smoothies.

Fresh Fruit Smoothies (makes 2)

In a blender, combine:

• 12 ounces milk (1 1/2 cups). I use 1%, you can use whatever you like, including soy milk.
• A heaping 1/4 cup of protein powder. I use whey protein powder, which is sweetened with stevia. You can use another protein powder, like soy protein, and if it's not sweetened add a tablespoon of honey or agave.
• 2 tablespoons plain yogurt, or lemon flavored, or whatever you like
• Half a banana, cut in chunks. These can be frozen or not. If not, then at least one of the other fruits should be frozen as the smoothie tastes best when cold.
• 4 or 5 slices of another fruit, frozen or fresh, like peaches, apricots, nectarines, pineapple or a handful of frozen or fresh berries, like strawberries, blueberries, blackberries.

Blend until foamy. Pour and enjoy!

One last tip and this one is a time-saver rather than a money-saver. Who loves to chop onions? And yet so many recipes call for it. Here's the easiest way I've found.

Chopped Onions

Cut off the stem end of a whole onion (not the root end, which holds the onion together). Turn the onion over and cut it in half through the root. Strip the outer peel off both halves of the onion.

Take one half and put it cut side down on your cutting surface. The root end should be on your left if you're right-handed, and on your right if you're left-handed. Slice into the onion at intervals all the way around, cutting almost to the root. Then slice crosswise across the onion, and all the pieces will fall to the cutting surface already chopped. Discard the root piece, then do the same for the other half, and you have an entire chopped onion in no time flat. Magic!!

Oh, yeah, I almost forgot. One more tip . . .

Parmesan Rinds

When a piece of Parmigiano-Reggiano is finished and you can't grate or shred any more cheese off it, do you throw it out? NO! You save it wrapped in the fridge to use in soup. Throw it in and let it cook in the soup - it adds so much flavor! Then just take it out before serving. Yum.

The next recipe uses chopped onion, like many do, so you can practice. It also uses a Parmesan rind. This delicious minestrone, "big soup" in Italian, is a combination of recipes and techniques from Alice Waters and Marcella Hazan. It can be either vegetarian or not, depending on whether you add the optional sausage. Either way, it makes a wonderful light summer dinner, especially if you can use fresh vegetables from your garden. Or from the farmers' market. Let's cook!

Minestrone

• 1 14 oz can cannellini (white kidney) beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
• 1/2 large onion, chopped
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 2 medium red or yellow potatoes, cubed (you can leave the skins on)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• Piece of Parmesan rind, about 2 inches
• A handful of green beans, washed, tipped, and cut into 1-inch lengths
• 3 or 4 ripe Roma tomatoes, cored and chopped
• A big handful of kale or spinach leaves, washed and cut in ribbons
• 2 medium sausages, mild or hot, parboiled and sliced (optional)

Heat the oil in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add the chopped onion and carrots and cook for 15 minutes.
Add the chopped garlic, the cubed potatoes, thyme, bay leaf, and salt and cook, stirring, for 5 more minutes.
Add 2 cups water and bring to a boil. When boiling, add the green beans and the Parmesan rind and cook for 5 minutes. Then add the tomatoes and the kale, if you're using that, and cook for 15 minutes more, stirring occasionally. Taste for salt and add a little if needed.
Add the beans and the cooked sausage, if using, along with the spinach, if you're using that instead of kale (spinach cooks much quicker than kale). Cook for 5 minutes. The minestrone should be thick, but if it's too thick, add a small amount of water.
Remove the bay leaf and the Parmesan rind. Serve in bowls with Corn Muffins (see below) and drizzle each bowl with a bit of extra virgin olive oil.

Corn Muffins

• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup cornmeal
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 5 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup milk
• 4 1/2 Tbsp butter, melted
• 1 egg, beaten

Turn the oven on to 350 degrees F to preheat.

In a large bowl combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt. Mix well with a fork. In a separate bowl, combine the milk, melted butter and egg - beat the egg into the milk/butter and add to the dry ingredients. Blend just until mixed...do not overbeat.

Spoon mixture into greased muffin cups. Bake at 350 about 45 minutes.

This recipe makes 9 muffins in my cast iron muffin pan (they are medium-large size). That's a lot of muffins for two people; however, they are delicious warmed up for breakfast, possibly with honey. They also freeze well in a freezer baggie, and then you can serve them by thawing them out for about an hour and heating them in a low oven.

If you use a muffin pan with smaller wells, adjust the baking time down a bit and bake until golden brown.

More sources and resources (or inspire yourself toward veggies)

Recipes: Goat cheese souffle, Sauteed chard with lemon and hot pepper, Summer tomatoes with fresh herbs, Apple crisp  

I'm definitely not a vegetarian, but quite often I choose to cook a meatless dinner. Maybe I feel like something lighter than usual. Maybe it's just that I believe there's value in moderation in almost everything, with the possible exception of vegetables and fruits (and pasta!). They're so good for you, it's safe to say "the more the better."

There are three cookbooks I use most often when I want inspiration and new ideas for vegetables and fruits. I'd put them right up next to the five I mentioned in an earlier post called Sources and Resources, because these books get a lot of use in my kitchen. As I've mentioned, I like to read cooking books front to back, especially the introductory parts in the front. That's where you learn the philosophy of the teacher, and the tips and tricks that will make your interpretation of his or her recipes fabulous.

Today we're making a beautiful and delicious dinner for two that happens to be meatless, with recipes taken from each of the books below. Plus I've included an easy Apple Crisp recipe of my own that I've made for at least 30 years. I hardly ever make desserts at home anymore (who needs the calories?), but I'm making an exception here because this is one of my faves. Besides, apples and cheese go together. Maybe I'll make it tonight too, for a special treat.

Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison. This is a huge book, with over 1400 recipes that are all vegetarian or vegan. It's a really comprehensive collection of delicious and nutritious ways to cook vegetables, grains, fruits, and other non-meat foods whether that's a way of life for you or whether you are just cooking side dishes for a meat main course. More on Deborah Madison below.

The Greens Cookbook by Deborah Madison with Edmund Espe Brown. This is now a classic book. It has been around since the late 1980s, but it's still available and it's just as good as it was when it first came out. Deborah Madison and Edmund Espe Brown were among those who started the famous vegetarian restaurant Greens in San Francisco, and this is a collection of some of their most dazzling, elegant, and yet simple dishes using farm-fresh produce in creative ways.

Chez Panisse Vegetables by Alice Waters. Chez Panisse is Alice Waters' amazing and ground-breaking restaurant in Berkeley CA. Alice pioneered the use of ingredients grown locally by small farmers using organic and sustainable methods. Her cooking is very simple, and bring out the most delicious qualities of the vegetables and fruits you're using. I just love the way everything tastes that I make from this book.

OK, now we have our arsenal of sources and resources, let's cook dinner! Here's the order of cooking that I'd suggest: Make the Apple Crisp first, so that's out of the way and cooling. Then make the Goat Cheese Souffle, and while it's cooking in the oven (30 minutes), make the chard and slice and arrange the tomatoes with herbs. Be sure the table is set and ready to go, as the souffle must be served the minute it comes out of the oven.

Apple Crisp

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

• 4 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 cup raisins (optional)
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Mix all the above ingredients in a baking dish.
Make the topping:

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup rolled oats (not quick cooking)
• 1/2 cup sugar (white, or half and half white and brown sugar)
• 1/4 cup butter, cut in small pieces

Mix flour, oats, and sugar together and cut in the butter with knives or a pastry cutter.
Sprinkle topping over apples. Bake for 45 minutes.

Goat Cheese Souffle

From Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone
Words to the wise: Be sure to read this recipe through carefully before starting, so you have a feel for the general flow of events. This isn't hard at all to make, but you'll find it's much more successful if you have everything out and measured and ready to use before you start.

• 3 tablespoons butter, plus a tablespoon soft butter for buttering the baking dish*
• 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan for the baking dish
• 1 1/4 cups whole milk
• 1 bay leaf
• several fresh thyme sprigs
• 2 thin onion slices
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• Sea salt and white pepper
• Pinch of cayenne
• 4 egg yolks
• 1 cup (4 ounces) crumbled goat cheese
• 6 egg whites

*About the baking dish: You can use a classic souffle dish (as in the photo below), but it's also fun to use a larger shallower gratin dish, even something like a deep pie dish. It still looks great, it bakes a little more quickly, and it makes more crust if that happens to be your favorite part of a souffle.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Butter a 6-cup souffle dish or an 8-cup gratin dish and coat the inside lightly with the Parmesan.

Heat the milk in a small saucepan with the bay leaf, 3 or 4 thyme sprigs, and the onion slices until it nearly boils. Be sure to watch it, as it can boil over very easily. Turn off the heat and set the milk aside to steep for 15 minutes, then strain the aromatics out of it.

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Whisk in the flour and cook, whisking, over low heat for 2 minutes. Whisk in the milk all at once and stir vigorously for a minute or so as it thickens, then add 3/4 teaspoon sea salt, 1/2 teaspoon white pepper, and the cayenne. Remove it from the heat. Beat in the egg yolks one at a time until well blended, then stir in the goat cheese. Don't worry if it's not completely smooth.

In a standing mixer fitted with the whisk, beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until they form firm peaks. Then stir 1/4 of the beaten whites into the egg and cheese base to lighten the mixture. Fold the rest of the whites into the base gently with a rubber spatula. Transfer it to the prepared dish and place it in the center of the oven. Lower the heat to 375 degrees F.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden and just a bit wobbly in the center. Remove and serve immediately.

Sauteed Chard with Lemon and Hot Pepper

From Alice Waters' Chez Panisse Vegetables

One large bunch of chard (or two small) will be enough for two, even though it cooks down quite a bit. Stem the chard, wash and drain the leaves, and cut them into rough strips. Saute in a bit of olive oil, covered, for 5 minutes or so, until the leaves are wilted and tender.

Remove the cover and cook away the excess moisture. Season at the last minute with a pinch of red pepper flakes, and with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Squeeze fresh lemon juice over just before serving.

Late Summer Tomatoes with Fresh Herbs

Adapted from The Greens Cookbook

• 2 or 3 juicy ripe tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon fresh herbs, chopped. Basil is a natural with tomatoes - tarragon, Italian parsley, mint are also delicious.
• Sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Balsamic vinegar to taste (usually a few drops)

Use a serrated knife (steak knife or bread knife) and slice the tomatoes. Arrange them on a plate.
Pour some olive oil over the tomatoes, a scattering of herbs, and salt and pepper.
Add a little vinegar.
*If the tomatoes are going to sit longer than a few minutes, wait to add the salt until just before you serve them. Salt draws the juice out of tomatoes, and diminishes the flavor.

Buon appetito!