My seasonal food blog

Plum kuchen

2011-09-05T09:17:00.000+02:00

This is based on a recipe given to me by Aunt Nellie, one of many that she touchingly wrote out by hand for me as wedding gift. She loved to cook, especially for friends and family, so whenever I make one of her recipes I feel like it's sort of a tribute to her and to all the wonderful meals we enjoyed with her.

Fresh plum kuchen
- 2-2.5 lbs (900-1200 g) fresh plums, rinsed, pitted and cut into fourths or sixths
- 1 1/4 c. all purpose flour
- 1/4 c. sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 c. butter or margarine
- 1 egg
- 1/4 c. milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Topping:

- 1/4 c sugar

- 1 tsp cinnamon

- 1/4 melted butter or margarine

Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Grease a rectangular or oval baking dish (about 13 inches / 33 cm long). Combine flour, 1/4 c. sugar, ingredients; cut butter or margarine into it as for pie crust. Whisk together egg, milk and vanilla; add to flour-butter mixture and blend well. Batter will be very stiff. Using a spatula or rubber scraper, spread batter evenly over the bottom of the pan. Scatter plums over batter to cover completely. Combine topping ingredients and spoon over plums. Bake for 30-40 minutes.

Breakfast parfait

2011-08-29T08:56:00.002+02:00

This delicious fruit-yogurt-muesli parfait has been my staple breakfast this summer. Easy to make while not quite fully awake, and really refreshing, the fruit varies according to what's in season and on hand. The picture shows one of my favorite combinations: nectarine, banana and blueberries.

Not much of a recipe: layer muesli (preferably unsweetened), yogurt (I use apricot soy yogurt) and fresh fruit.

Grab a spoon and enjoy, preferably outside.

Celebrity fried rice

2011-08-19T08:19:00.007+02:00

I don't usually think of People Magazine as a source for recipes, but this article caught my eye: Hugh Jackman's Favorite Fried Rice Recipe. The recipe looked good and straightforward, so I gave it a try.

The brown thing in the picture is not a bar of chocolate, it's slices of fried seitan which turned out disappointingly rubbery...

And in fact it was super delicious - Henry and I both gave it two thumbs up. The fried garlic and ginger with coarse salt gave great flavor and crunch; I want to try adding that to other recipes. I used spring onions instead of leeks, but as we get in to the fall I'll definitely be making it again with leeks. I was a little short on leftover rice, so the vegetable/garnish to rice ratio was a bit high on the vegetable/garnish side, but that was not a bad thing at all.

Seafood pasta

2011-07-27T21:06:00.001+02:00

While my sister and her family were visiting earlier this month, my brother-in-law Joe made this fantastic seafood pasta for us. It was such a delicious, festive meal that I felt I really had to try and learn to make it myself... otherwise we'd have to wait for months before we could enjoy it again. With a few pointers and tips by phone from Joe, the outcome of my first attempt was really very good -- not quite as amazing as the original, but pretty close, and definitely something to make again.

Joe's splendid seafood pasta

- about 500 g raw large shrimp (prawns), shelled and deveined

- about 400 g raw scallops, shelled and cleaned

- brine:

- 1/4 c. sugar

- 1/8 c. salt

- 1 c. boiling water

- bayleaf, a few peppercorns, pinch of dried thyme

- ice cubes

- olive oil and butter

- about 2 c. sliced button mushrooms

- 5-6 cloves of garlic, pressed

- 1/4 - 1/2 tsp (to taste) finely minced hot chili pepper

- salt and pepper

- about 1.5 c dry white wine

- about 300 g raw mussels, shelled and cleaned

- (optional) grilled zucchini slices, pieces of roasted red pepper

- about 450 g small pasta shells (or other appropriate shape)

- handful of chopped flat leaf parsley

Start by making the brine for the prawns and scallops: combine boiling water with sugar, salt and seasonings, then cool by adding ice cubes. If using frozen seafood, partially thawed prawns and scallops can finish thawing in the brine, but the brine should not be warm (to avoid creating a bacteria bath). Put the prawns in the brine and refrigerate for 25-30 minutes; then drain, rinse, and dry with paper towels. Do the same for the scallops (re-use the prawn brine or make a new batch), but let sit in the fridge for only 15-20 minutes.

Heat about 2 T of olive oil and 2 T of butter in a large skillet, until very hot. Sear the scallops, without crowding them in the pan, for maximum 2 minutes on each side. Put scallops aside and sear the prawns in the same pan -- they will probably need less than two minutes on each side. Do this in batches if needed to avoid crowding the prawns in the pan: a nice brown crust should be forming on the bottom of the pan; if the prawns are crowded together too much liquid will be released and the brown crust will disappear. Put seared prawns aside, turn the heat down a little, add some more olive oil and brown the mushrooms. Add garlic and chili pepper, and season well with salt and pepper. When the juices of the mushrooms start to evaporate, add white wine and let it bubble until it's reduced by nearly half. The brown crust that was formed during the searing of the seafood should give a nice brown color and rich taste to the sauce. Add mussels and cover the pan; let cook for a couple of minutes. Then add the grilled zucchini and roasted red pepper pieces, if using, and the scallops and prawns. Stir everything together well, cover and let cook for another minute or two. Add chopped parsley, stir well again, and keep warm without cooking any further.

Cook pasta in well-salted water until al dente (don't overcook!), then toss with seafood+vegetable mixture and all of the liquid from the pan. Can sit on the stove covered over very low heat for another 10-15 minutes before serving.

Serves 6.

Notes:

- The brining and searing steps add a lot of flavor so they shouldn't be skipped.

- The zucchini and roasted red peppers are my addition; I grilled and roasted them ahead of time, just to add some more color/texture to the dish. Joe used only mushrooms (and probably used more than 2 cups, maybe 3), and it was delicious that way too.

- Be careful not to overcook the seafood or pasta -- nothing should be rubbery or mushy!

- We found this to be surprisingly good the next day, reheated in the microwave.

Getting back into the swing of things with some delicious guacamole

2011-07-23T18:40:00.009+02:00

Well, I'm going to call the last couple of months a sort of blogging hiatus. Busy at work, busy at home, so much to do and so little time - a typical lament of modern life, I guess. But this weekend, after buying a load of locally grown produce at a nearby farm, the itch to slow down and putter around in the kitchen for a while, hoping for some tasty "keepers", was strong (much stronger than, say, the itch to catch up on laundry...). Also I have to document some of the excellent food we had recently while my sister and her family were visiting. When several food-obsessed people get together, some great meals are bound to result! First up (not local, but I definitely need it on record): this really yummy guacamole my sister made for us.

(I was so busy devouring the guacamole that I neglected to take a picture, but the this one from pdphoto.org is a very suitable illustration, and better than anything I would have taken anyhow...)

Lisa's great guacamole
3 avocados, mashed
1/2 c. chopped cilantro
1 small minced onion
1 small or 1/2 large tomato, chopped
juice of 1/2 lime
kosher salt, to taste

Mix everything together; serve with tortilla chips. This makes a lot, but it disappears quickly.

Applesauce rhubarb muffins

2011-06-19T12:41:00.003+02:00

Oof, it's been a busy few weeks: travel, a lot of work, and sadly not much time for puttering around in the kitchen or blog updating. I really missed it and am glad things have quieted down so that I can devote a little time to trying some recipes. We'll have house guests in a couple of weeks, but I hope to do a few posts between now and then. This is a recipe I made in May, which confirmed that apples and rhubarb go very nicely together.

Applesauce rhubarb muffins
- 1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 c. packed brown sugar
- 1 1/3 c. applesauce
- 1/2 c. vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 c. chopped rhubarb
- cinnamon sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease muffin tins or line with paper muffin cups. Combine flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Combine eggs, sugar, applesauce and oil in a large bowl; add dry ingredients and rhubarb and stir until just combined. Fill muffin tins 3/4 full and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar if desired. Bake 15-20 minutes or until golden. Let cool for 10-15 minutes before removing muffins from tin. Makes 15 or so muffins, depending on size.

Roasted vegetable curry

2011-05-15T17:46:00.005+02:00

This could also be called using-up-what-was-in-the-fridge curry. Roasting the vegetables instead of simmering them in the sauce was an experiment that came out well; I thought they had a good texture and flavor. It's really worth making this ahead and letting it sit overnight, like most curries it really improves as the flavors develop and meld over time. Definitely a keeper!

Roasted vegetable curry

Vegetables:
- 2 medium kohlrabi, trimmed, peeled and cut into 2-inch (4-cm) pieces
- 1 celery root, peeled and cut into i-inch (2-cm) pieces
- 4 medium waxy potatoes, not necessarily peeled, cut into 2-inch pieces
- olive oil
- salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 230°C (400°F) Place the vegetables in a large baking dish, drizzle with a few tablespoons of olive oil, stir well to coat with oil. Season vegetables well with salt and pepper, stir again and spread in a single layer. Roast 40 minutes or until tender and starting to brown. Meanwhile, prepare sauce.

Curry sauce:
- 2 T vegetable oil
- 1 small cinnamon stick
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 large leek, sliced
- 1.5 T grated ginger
- 4-5 cloves garlic, pressed
- 1 heaping tsp curry powder
- 1/2 tsp coriander
- 1/4 tsp cardamom
- 1.5 cup canned chopped tomatoes
- 1 carton (250 ml) coconut milk
- 1.5 cup soy milk with 1/2 - 1 tsp cornstarch mixed in (or 1.5 cup plain yogurt)
- salt (1-2 tsp) and pepper
- 2-3 handfuls spinach leaves

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add cinnamon stick and bay leaf and let cook for about half a minute. Lower heat to medium and add leek and ginger. Cook, stirring frequently, for a few minutes. Add garlic powder, coriander and cardamom; cook for another another minute or so. Add tomatoes, coconut milk, and soy milk or yogurt; stir well and raise heat. When the sauce starts to bubble, reduce heat to low, cover and let simmer for about 10-15 minutes.

Add roasted vegetable and let simmer for five minutes; stir in spinach leaves and let cook until they wilt.

Let the curry rest for at least a couple of hours or preferably overnight before serving over rice. Makes about 4 servings.

Vegan whole-wheat banana blueberry pancakes

2011-04-30T09:41:00.002+02:00

A great weekend breakfast treat. Around here we're still pretty far from blueberry season, but I had a serious craving for them, and I found that frozen make a decent substitute.

Blueberry banana pancakes
- 1 c. whole-wheat flour
- 1/3 c. all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 T sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 small or 2/3 large banana, well mashed
- 1 c. soy milk
- 2 T oil
- blueberries: fresh or frozen (rinsed then dried on paper towels)

Combine flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. In another bowl combine banana, soy milk and oil. Add dry ingredients to wet, mix well but don't beat. If the batter is too thick, add a little water. If using fresh blueberries, fold gently into batter without crushing them; if using frozen, add them to the pancakes as the first side is cooking, gently pressing them into the batter (to avoid making purple, mushy pancakes).

Cook pancakes on hot griddle pan for about 4 minutes on each side. Serve with buttery spread such as Earth Balance or equivalent and maple syrup.

Curried lentils with vegetables

2011-04-26T09:21:00.006+02:00

I wasn't planning on cooking last night; I had already spent a lot of time in the kitchen over the weekend making Easter lunch and was out of energy and ideas. So we were going to get take-out or go somewhere for a quick bite. But in the late afternoon I was stretched out on the couch reading Brick Lane by Monica Ali, and came to the following passage: "They sat on the grass in St James's Park and Nazneen laid the picnic out on four tea towels. Chicken wings spread in a paste of yoghurt and spices and baked in the oven, onions sliced to the thickness of a fingernail, mixed with chillies, dipped in gram flour and egg and fried in bubbling oil, a dry concoction of chickpeas and tomatoes stewed with cumin and ginger, misshapen chapattis wrapped while still hot in tinfoil and sprinkled now with condensation, golden hard-boiled eggs glazed in a curry seal..." Minutes later my energy was mysteriously renewed and I was rummaging through the kitchen cupboards searching for ingredients to make something aromatic and spicy. I finally came up with lentils and vegetables stewed in tomatoes and spices, a cucumber yogurt mix that resembles raita, and plain focaccia that substituted for chapattis. I didn't get as far in the book as I thought I would, but dinner was quite tasty and satisfying, not to mention economical!

Curried lentil and vegetable stew
- 1 - 1 1/2 c. black lentils, rinsed and picked over
- 2 onions, quartered and sliced
- 2-3 T olive oil
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 - 1 tsp curry powder
- pinch (or taste) chili powder
- 1 T grated ginger
- 1/2 (or 1 small) fennel bulb, chopped
- 2 carrots, finely chopped
- 4-5 cloves garlic, pressed
- 1 can (400 g) chopped tomatoes in juice
- 1/2 - 1 tsp salt (to taste)
- chopped spinach leaves (I would have added some if I'd had any...)

Boil lentils in water for 20 minutes; drain, rinse and set aside. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan sauté onions in olive oil over medium heat for 10 minutes, until the onions start to brown. Add coriander, cardamom, cumin, curry powder, chili powder and ginger and cook for a minute or so. Add additional oil if needed. Add fennel, carrots and garlic, sauté for another minute or so, then add tomatoes and a few tablespoons of water. Raise heat and bring to a low boil, cover and lower heat; let simmer for about ten minutes. Add lentils and salt, simmer for about ten minutes more. When vegetables are tender and lentils are well-cooked, mix in spinach leaves if using. Serves 4.

Not traditional raita

2011-04-26T09:21:00.002+02:00

Traditional in our house, but probably nowhere else...

Cucumber raita
- 1/3 English cucumber, peeled, seeded, and chopped
- 1 garlic clove, pressed
- 1 c. plain yogurt
- 1/2 T olive oil
- pinch salt

- 1-2 T chopped cilantro, or 1/4 tsp ground coriander

Mix all ingredients together and let sit in the fridge for at least an hour. Serves 4 as an accompaniment to curry.

No-knead focaccia

2011-04-16T16:27:00.005+02:00

A couple of years ago I came across a great no-knead focaccia recipe, which I've mentioned before, but as I make it pretty regularly and have tweaked the recipe a bit, it really deserves its own post.

The recipe makes a large focaccia, too much for me and Henry to eat in one sitting, and unfortunately it doesn't keep well. So after mixing up the dough I put half of it in the fridge to slow-rise for the next day, and set the other half in a covered bowl in a warm place to rise for about 40 minutes before baking. This leave plenty of time to put together a soup (today it was carrot ginger), salad or vegetable couscous, all of which go great with focaccia and vice-versa.

Suzanne Dunaway's recipe says to combine the ingredients in several steps: first the yeast and water, then half of the flour plus the salt, then the rest of the flour. Lately I've been just dumping the ingredients into the bowl and giving them a vigorous stir, and this seems to work fine. I also use an additional 1/4 of water, approximately, otherwise the dough isn't wet enough; this might be because of the kind of flour I use. Speaking of which, the recipe says to use unbleached bread flour; I use a "semi-white" flour that works well, and have tried using part whole wheat which gives a less crunchy result but is still good. Also I don't measure the olive oil used to coat the dough before baking, nor are wet hands really necessary: I just pour some good olive oil on and slick it all over the dough with my fingers. I generally season it with coarse sea salt and a little chopped rosemary; sautéed onions and thyme are also good. Now that I've got the hang of it, it comes together very quickly and has has been a hit with guests every time I've served it.

The modified recipe goes pretty much like this:

- 4 cups flour
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp dry active yeast
- 2 cups luke warm water
- olive oil
- seasoning/toppings: e.g. kosher or coarse sea salt, rosemary or thyme, sautéed (well-seasoned) onions

In a large bowl, stir flour, salt and yeast together until well combined; add warm water and stir well until a sticky dough is formed (dough should be damp and sticky yet pull away from the sides of the bowl when stirred; add more water if needed). Let rise, covered, in a warm place for about 40 minutes, or in the fridge overnight (or divide dough in half and use some now and the rest tomorrow).

Preheat oven to 500°F (260°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and oil lightly. Use a spatula to scrape risen dough out of bowl and onto the paper. Drizzle dough with olive oil and spread the oil over the dough with fingers (or brush), while stretching out the dough to form an approximate rectangle or oval, maximum 1 inch thick (2.5 cm). Drizzle/brush with extra oil if desired. Season/garnish, put into oven and lower heat to 450°F (230°C). Bake 15-20 minutes or until browned.

Serve straight from the oven, the sooner the better!

Yum...

Roasted potato and celery mash

2011-03-16T09:33:00.002+01:00

I've enjoyed mashed potatoes and celery root a few times in restaurants, so I thought I'd give it a try, as both vegetables are available in abundance these days. However all of the recipes I found online called for boiling the potatoes and celery root until soft, and I always think it's such a shame to boil vegetables. Roasting, sautéing, braising and steaming seem like much better alternatives - much more respectful of the vegetables' color, flavor, texture and nutritional value. Steaming would have been the logical alternative in this case, but I do love roasted vegetables so I decided to try a roasted/mashed hybrid approach. It came out great: a rich chunky mash with brown roasted bits scattered through it. Henry took two bites and said, "You have to put this on the blog!" So here it is...

Roasted and mashed potatoes and celery root
- 3-4 large floury potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
- 2-3 medium celery roots, peeled and cut into chunks (celery root chunks should be about half the size of the potato chunks to ensure even cooking)
- 6-7 garlic cloves, peeled
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
- hot water or vegetable stock

Preheat oven to 220°C/425°F. Put vegetables into a baking dish large enough for them to be spread in a single layer and coat with about 2 T of olive oil (enough to give them all a good coating). Season well with salt and pepper (go a little easier on the salt if using stock later as the liquid).

Roast vegetables, stirring once or twice, until very tender, at least 40 minutes. When they are nice and soft, remove dish from oven, add a good drizzle of additional olive oil and about a half cup of liquid. Stir and mash the vegetables together, adding more liquid as needed until desired consistency is achieved. Makes about 4-5 side-dish servings (also good on its own with a salad, serves 2-3 in that case).

Multi-colored carrot salad

2011-03-12T18:23:00.005+01:00

Some beautiful heirloom carrots were on offer at the organic produce stand this morning - there were at least five different kinds, in a surprising variety of hues. Henry made the excellent suggestion to grate them up into a multi-colored salad.

The salad recipe itself was simple:
- grated carrots
- chopped flat-leaf parsely
- small amount of finely chopped scallions
- vinaigrette: olive oil, white wine vinegar, dijon mustard, salt and pepper.

Each type of carrot was separately grated, combined with the onions and parsley, and dressed, creating a sort of palette of salads when they were served side-by-side:

I kept the salads separate because we wanted to taste each one individually to see if we could detect any flavor or texture differences. The black carrots (which were more like dark reddish purple on the inside) were the sweetest; the white ones were the least flavorful. But, ok, they all tasted pretty much like carrots. Our little salad assortment made for a tasty light lunch, accompanied by potato leek soup.

The best thing about these salads was the burst of color they provided on our plates (as well as a hefty dose of beta carotene, I imagine!). A nice change of pace for this still-dreary time of year.

Butternut squash and lentil soup

2011-03-05T14:47:00.000+01:00

Our local organic produce stand is, surprisingly for this time of the year, still selling butternut squash, so I'm still buying it... This soup came out really nice and hearty. It's inspired by Heidi Swanson's chunky lentil soup, from her book Super Natural Cooking. I added potatoes, since I has some, and changed the proportions since, as with the veg and red lentil soup, we prefer our lentil soup heavier on the vegetables and lighter on the lentils.

Squash, potato and lentil soup
- 1 cup black lentils, rinsed and picked over
- 1 large/2-3 small yellow onions, chopped
- 2-3 T olive oil
- 3-4 cloves garlic, pressed
- 3-3.5 cups cubed (half-inch/1 cm) butternut squash (one medium-small)
- 1.5 cups cubed waxy potatoes, skin on
- 1 can (400 g) chopped tomatoes in juice
- 2-3 c. (2/3 L) vegetable stock
- 1/4 tsp. medium spicy paprika
- salt, black pepper

Cook lentils in simmering water for 20 minutes, then drain and set aside. In the meanwhile, sauté onions in olive oil over medium heat for 5-10 minutes. Add squash, potatoes and garlic; stir to combine well. Add tomatoes and broth; raise heat, bring to boil, cover and simmer 15-20 minutes or until vegetables are cooked through. Add cooked lentils, salt (about 1 tsp), pepper and paprika. Stir well and let simmer for another five minutes or so. Makes 4-5 servings.

Squash and red onion focaccia

2011-02-18T09:07:00.001+01:00

With butternut squash and pizza dough sitting around in the fridge, it seemed worth trying a twist on our basic onion focaccia. The result was good but a little on the sweet side -- a salty component would have been welcome (feta cheese?).

Squash and red onion focaccia
- olive oil
- 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
- about 1/3-1/2 of a butternut squash, cut into thin pieces (max. 1/8 inch (0.25 cm) thick)
- pizza dough
- minced garlic or garlic powder
- dried thyme
- salt and pepper

Sauté onion slices in a generous amount of olive oil until soft. Add squash pieces and combine; season well with salt and pepper (and garlic powder if desired) and mix again to distribute seasoning evenly. Preheat oven to 240°C (450°F) (or according to pizza dough directions). Crimp edges, then spread onions and squash evenly over the dough. Sprinkle with a pinch of dried thyme and garlic powder if desired. Bake in lower part of oven (preferably directly on oven rack, lined with parchment paper) 15-20 minutes or until crust is brown and squash is cooked through.

Vegan carrot muffins

2011-02-09T09:21:00.000+01:00

It must be winter: I'm craving baked goods and soup a lot these days. So it seemed about time to try veganizing this favorite carrot cake/muffin recipe, by replacing the butter with coconut oil. Henry and I were both very happy with the result -- in fact there was no noticeable difference compared to the butter version. And now there are muffins in the freezer to soothe my carb cravings in the days to come.

Carrot cake/muffins
1 c. sugar
1 1/4 c. water
1 c. raisins
2 c. finely grated carrots
1 T coconut oil
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
3/4 c. roughly chopped pecan nuts
1 1/3 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. whole wheat flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Combine sugar, water, raisins, carrots, coconut oil and spices in a medium saucepan (large enough to hold the additional ingredients). Bring to a boil over medium high heat, reduce heat and simmer for a few minutes. Cover pan and let rest 6 to 18 hours, unrefrigerated.

Preheat oven to 190°C (375°F) for muffins, or 150°C (300°F) for loaves. Grease and flour 8-12 depending on size) muffin cups (or use paper liners), or two loaf pans. In a medium bowl combine flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt; add to carrot mixture along with nuts and stir until just combined. Scoop into baking container; it doesn't rise a lot so it's OK to fill the muffin cups to the top.

Bake 20-25 minutes for muffins, 60-70 minutes for loaves.

Crispy tofu with peanut sauce

2011-02-06T17:12:00.000+01:00

Another recipe from Melissa Clark's In the Kitchen with a Good Appetite came out really well: fried tofu squares served with a yummy sauce made of smooth peanut butter, coconut milk, garlic, ginger and a number of other good things.

The sauce is easy to make: just blend all the ingredients in a food processor or blender until smooth (I followed the recipe pretty closely; next time I might use a bit more soy sauce and a bit less sugar).

This one is definitely a keeper, and I think next time I'll double the amount of sauce so as to have lots left over -- it kept well in the fridge overnight and just needed to be warmed slightly to become liquid again.

Chewy almond cinnamon macaroons

2011-01-15T17:06:00.001+01:00

Based on a recipe from Nigella Lawson's Feast, these have to be the quickest, easiest cookies I've ever made. And very addictive.

Almond cinnamon macaroons
- 200 g ground almonds
- 200 g fine sugar
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 egg whites
- pine nuts or almond slivers

Preheat oven to 205°C (400°F). Combine ground almond, sugar and cinnamon with a fork; add egg whites and stir well to obtain a thick, homogenous paste. Using damp hands (rinsing hands when necessary as the dough is sticky), form approximately 3 cm (1.5 inch) balls and place on a cookie sheet lined with baking parchment. Avoid crowding the balls together as they spread during baking. Press one or more pine nuts or almond slivers into each ball. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until just barely brown. After removing the tray from the oven, slide the sheet of baking parchment from the tray to a cooling rack without disturbing the cookies; they will firm up as they cool and can then be removed from the paper.
Makes about 20-24 cookies.

Apple chutney

2011-01-11T08:44:00.006+01:00

I used to buy mango chutney to accompany to our favorite shrimp curry, until recently when a lightbulb went on over my head and I realized that chutney can also be made from local fruit such as apples, and that it isn't difficult to make at all. This first attempt came out well: it had a nice warm spicy taste, and the flavor got better as it sat in the fridge for a couple of days. No more store-bought chutneys!

Apple raisin chutney
- 3 apples*, peeled, cored and chopped
- 1 small onion (or half of a large onion), minced
- 1 garlic clove, pressed
- 1 T grated fresh ginger
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon (or more, to taste)
- pinch each of turmeric, ground cloves, cayenne pepper
- 1/2 c. brown sugar (or more, to taste)

- 1/3 c. apple vinegar

- handful of raisins (to taste)

Put all ingredients in a medium pan, bring to a boil, lower heat, cover and simmer for about about 45-60 minutes. Remove cover toward the end of cooking if the chutney isn't thick enough. Serves about 5-6 as an accompaniment.

* Preferably cooking apples that disintegrate during cooking. For this batch I used 2 finely chopped eating apples (which hardly disintegrated at all, even after simmering for 50 minutes) plus about a cup or so of applesauce.

A light start to the year: Favorite veg and red lentil soup

2011-01-05T09:11:00.002+01:00

Ok, getting back on track here... After an over-indulgent holiday season and a particularly cold and snowy start to winter, I'm craving hot, healthy, hearty food these days. Back in September we tried Melissa Clark's red lentil soup and it quickly became a favorite. I've made it a several times since then, varying it each time according to what was in the fridge, adjusting the seasonings a bit, and also increasing the vegetables and somewhat reducing the lentils (as they unfortunately don't seem to like us as much as we like them). The version we now like best is sufficiently different from the original that I think it merits being documented. It really hits the spot, especially at this time of year.

Vegetable and red lentil soup
- 2 T olive oil
- 2 medium leeks, sliced
- 1 heaping tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- 2 large carrots, coarsely grated
- 1/2 - 3/4 cup split red lentils
- 2-3 potatoes (not floury), unpeeled, cut into approx. half inch (1 cm) pieces
- about 1 liter (4 c.) vegetable stock
- 1 can (400 g) chopped tomatoes in juice
- 3-4 cubes of frozen spinach, thawed and coarsely chopped
- salt and pepper
- juice of half a lemon

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large pot. Sauté leeks for a few minutes, then add spices and cook for 1-2 minutes more. Add carrots, cook for another few minutes, then lentils and stir well. Add potatoes, raise heat, add stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add more stock if needed. Add spinach, season to taste with salt and pepper, add lemon juice. Makes about 6 servings.

California roll inspired salad

2010-11-28T16:18:00.000+01:00

.... i.e. salad with tofu, avocado and crab. Reminiscent of deconstructed sushi, and almost as good, but quicker to prepare.

California roll salad
- lambs lettuce (or other seasonal soft lettuce)
- coarsely grated carrot
- sliced spring onions
- chopped avocado
- canned crab, drained and roughly chopped
- sliced tofu, seasoned with soy sauce and fried in oil until golden, then cut into strips
- dressing: soy sauce, rice vinegar, sunflower oil, dijon mustard, sesame oil, garlic power -- shake well in a jar

Top lettuce with other salad ingredients, pour over dressing and toss well.

Asian-style broccoli salad

2010-11-05T08:12:00.000+01:00

Based on this recipe from Cooking the Seasons, this is a simple and very tasty way to prepare broccoli. The flavor got even better as it sat in the fridge for 7-8 hours before we had it for dinner.

Steamed broccoli with asian-style dressing
- 1 large head of broccoli, steamed until just cooked, about 8-9 minutes
- dressing:
  - 3 T vegetable oil
  - 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
  - 3-4 T soy sauce
  - 1 T lemon juice
  - 1 clove garlic, pressed
  - 1/2 tsp ground ginger
  - 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  Shake dressing ingredients together in a jar.

When the broccoli is cooked, put in a bowl and pour dressing over while the broccoli is still warm. Let cool, stirring from time to time. Serve at room temperature or keep in fridge until ready to serve. Makes 2-3 servings.

Cashew cheese

2010-10-24T14:05:00.001+02:00

This intriguing recipe from Chocolate & Zucchini was just begging to be tried...

As Henry put it, it came out "astonishingly good!" As Clotilde points out, it's not cheesy like mozzarella or gruyere, but it isn't all that far from fresh ricotta, and in any case is very tasty in its own right. I want to experiment with using it in lasagna and/or manicotti, and we're already plotting to serve it to omnivorous friends so that we can delight in revealing to them, after they've tasted it, that it's completely dairy-free.

Roasted carrots

2010-10-18T09:09:00.006+02:00

I think if I had to choose only one vegetable to eat for the rest of my life, it would have to be carrots. Local carrots are available almost all year long and are so versatile: they can form the basis of soups, salads, cake, even cookies, are great raw with dip or hummus, and, as I've belatedly discovered, roasted.

Roasted carrots
- 5-6 carrots, cut cross-wise into 5-6 cm pieces, then lengthwise into wedges about 1 cm across
- olive oil
- salt, pepper, dried thyme

Preheat oven to 205°C (400°F). Place cut carrots in a bowl, add about a tablespoon of oil and mix well to coat. Season well with salt, add ground pepper and a pinch of thyme and mix again.

Spread carrots in a single layer on baking tray, preferably lined with parchment paper. Roast for about 35-40 minutes, or until carrots are tender and starting to brown. Serves 3-4 as a side dish.

Shrimp curry

2010-10-16T12:40:00.008+02:00

Henry and I both love shrimp curry. More specifically, we love shrimp curry made from this recipe: shrimp curry in coconut-tomato broth, from Nicole Aloni's Cooking for Company.

It's great dish for entertaining as it can (and even should) be made several hours or up to a day ahead of time. So far it's been a consistent hit with meat-eaters and vegetarians alike, so it's a recipe I often fall back on when I don't know what to make. Leftovers (which are rare, and don't last long) are delicious - it just seems to get better as it sits in the fridge.

Broccoli stir fry

2010-10-12T21:47:00.004+02:00

Based on a Martha Stewart recipe, this definitely isn't an authentic stir fry, but as we're lacking a wok, and I probably wouldn't use it properly even if we had one, and my biggest frying pan is a bit small to thoroughly cook a lot of vegetables at once, this approach works pretty well. And it allows for a bit of multi-tasking while the vegetables are pre-cooking in the microwave. Using two frying pans, one (non-stick) for the tofu and one for the vegetables, also cuts down on the time, although one pays a price for it during clean-up...

Broccoli stir fry with tofu
- 250 g block firm tofu
- about 1/3 c. soy sauce
- 1 head broccoli, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 leek, sliced about 2 cm thick
- 1-2 carrots, julienned
- vegetable oil for frying
- sauce:
   5-6 T soy sauce
   1.5 T sherry
   3 cloves garlic, pressed
   Pinch red pepper flakes
   3/4 c. water
   2 tsp. cornstarch
- cooked rice or noodles

Slice the tofu horizontally into approx. 1 cm thick slices. Blot the slice well with paper towel, place in a shallow dish and marinate in soy sauce while prepping the broccoli, carrots and leeks.
Put the broccoli pieces in a microwave-proof bowl with a few centimeters of water in the bottom. Cover and microwave on high for about 6-8 minutes, or until cooked but still a bit crunchy. Add carrots during last 3-4 minutes of cooking.
While the vegetables are in the microwave, cut each tofu slice diagonally in half, blot lightly and fry in oil in a non-stick pan over medium high heat until golden brown, about 5 minutes per side. In a large frying pay (or wok), sauté sliced leeks in oil over medium high heat for 3-4 minutes. Drain microwaved broccoli and carrots, add to leeks and cook for a few minutes more. Whisk sauce ingredients together and pour into pan, lower heat and let sauce bubble for about a minute, stirring occasionally. Serve vegetables over rice or noodles, topped with tofu slices. Serves 2-3.

Leeks vinaigrette

2010-10-04T09:26:00.004+02:00

Occasionally when we try a new recipe, Henry says, "We could serve this to my parents!" This usually means that it's a simple but very flavorful dish that contains a lot of vegetables. So Melissa Clark's "Extra sharp leeks vinaigrette" are now ear-marked for the next time Ebba and Philip come over for lunch.

(Unfortunately the photo isn't very attractive or even that appetizing due to the flash that I had to use to take the picture, but it really was a very nice dish).

We didn't have any kitchen twine, so I bundled the leek halves together rather unconventionally with dental floss. I wondered if we would consequently find ourselves eating mint-flavored leeks vinaigrette, but fortunately no mint flavor was detectable; that would have been a little odd.

Even with a generous amount of authentic Grey Poupon sharp mustard, this came out surprisingly mellow -- next time I might increase the lemon juice and vinegar a bit.

Roasted broccoli and shrimp

2010-10-02T08:14:00.006+02:00

The next attempt from "In the Kitchen with a Good Appetite" was roasted broccoli and shrimp, served on a bed of quinoa.

The dish was really easy to make, the colors were pretty, and the flavors were delicious. My only complaint was that the whole thing was rather dry. The lemon juice that we squeezed over it before eating was really necessary, not only for flavor but also for moisture. I guess this is the nature of the dish: the whole idea of roasting is that things stay dry, otherwise it turns into braising. Maybe next time, and there will definitely be a next time, I'll try making some kind of vinaigrette to serve on the side.

Red lentil soup

2010-09-29T07:57:00.001+02:00

My new favorite cookbook is "In the Kitchen with a Good Appetite," by New York Times columnist Melissa Clark. Last weekend I spent quite a bit of time with it, as it's not only full of tasty- and not-too-challenging-looking recipes, it's a good read as well: each recipe is prefaced by a short essay about the origin of the dish, or memories associated with it. After several hours and several cups of tea worth of reading and marking recipes for future reference, I tried out a few: lentil soup was first.

This is now without a doubt my favorite lentil soup: easy to make and really delicious - both hearty and a little exotic as it's flavored with lemon and cumin. Next time I'm making a double batch.

Anne's delicious cheesecake

2010-09-25T11:05:00.003+02:00

Our friend Anne recently shared with this wonderful cheesecake with us, as well as the recipe, which really does seem to be as easy and straightforward as she said it was. The cake was dense and rich and delicious, and there was only one small piece left by the end of the day. I only felt a tiny bit guilty when I later snuck it out of the fridge, spread blueberry jam over it, and sat it the backyard to enjoy it all by myself. Don't tell Henry.

Cheesecake
30 butter cookies, like Lu's "Le Petit Beurre"
80 g butter, melted
400 g cream cheese
500 g low-fat quark/fromage frais
160 g sugar
1 packet vanilla sugar
3 eggs
Good quality jam such as blueberry or black cherry, optional

Preheat oven to 170°C. Process or crush cookies into fine crumbs, combine with butter and press onto the bottom of a spring-form pan to form the bottom crust. Put into the oven while preparing the cheese mixture.

Combine cream cheese, quark, sugar, vanilla sugar and eggs. Remove pan from oven and pour cheese mixture over crust and spread evenly. Return the pan to the oven and bake for about 40 minutes, or until cooked through. Serve topped with jam, if desired.

Serves 5-6, depending on greediness.

Green soup (zucchini and spinach)

2010-09-22T08:35:00.000+02:00

I particularly like this soup in early fall, when zucchini is still abundant, but temperatures are getting cool enough for a nice hot bowl of soup. We had this for lunch the other day with fresh tomato pizza.

Zucchini-spinach soup

- 2 T olive oil

- 2 medium or 3 small onions, chopped

- 5-6 zucchini (courgettes), quartered lengthwise and cut into half-inch slices

- 2-4 cloves garlic, pressed

- about 1 L (4 cups) vegetable stock

- 2 cubes frozen spinach, defrosted

- salt and pepper, to taste

- soy milk or cow milk or cream

In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat and sauté onions for 5-10 minutes, or until translucent. Add zucchini and sauté for another 5 minutes or so. Add garlic, combine well and let cook briefly but don't let garlic brown. Add stock, raise heat, bring soup to a low boil, then lower heat, cover and simmer 20-30 minutes or until zucchini is very well cooked. Raise heat and add spinach; let simmer for another few minutes. Season to taste, then purée the soup with an immersion mixer or in batches in a blender. Add milk/cream to taste. Keeps well in the fridge for a couple of days. Serves 6-7.

Grilled eggplant tofu rolls

2010-09-08T11:42:00.001+02:00

This was inspired by a dish I had recently at a local Italian restaurant. That version included sliced (water-packed) mozzarella cheese, and was very tasty, but as I was enjoying it for lunch I wondered whether an equally tasty vegan version using marinated grilled tofu instead of cheese might be possible. This was confirmed last weekend when Henry and I gobbled six of these up and wished I had made more...

This is my submission to My Legume Love Affair 27.

Eggplant tofu rolls
- 1 medium-large eggplant, cut lengthwise into about 6 approx. 1/2 cm (1/4 inch) thick slices (a mandolin helps to cut the slices evenly)
- 1 block of firm tofu, about 300 g (about 2/3 lb), cut into slices about 1 cm (1/2 inch) thick (about 6-7 slices)
- olive oil
- balsamic vinegar
- lemon juice
- garlic
- dried basil
- dried thyme
- dijon mustard
- 1 or 2 ripe tomatoes (not too large), cut into 1/2 cm (1/4 inch) slices
- sun dried tomatoes packed in oil
- fresh basil leaves
- toothpicks
- mixed salad greens for serving

Lightly salt eggplant slices and leave them in a colander to drain their juices for 10-15 minutes.

Marinate tofu: put 2 T olive oil, 2 T balsamic vinegar, 2 T lemon juice, a pressed garlic clove, a pinch of basil and a pinch of thyme in a jar and shake well. Place tofu slice is a shallow dish and pour marinade over, coating each slice well. Cover with plastic wrap and put in the fridge to marinate for at least an hour.

Make salad dressing: 4 T olive oil, 3 T balsamic vinegar, 1 tsp dijon mustard, 1/2 pressed garlic clove, salt and pepper to taste. Shake up well in the marinade jar and set aside.

Heat a ridged skillet on medium high heat. Rinse eggplant slices and blot dry. Brush slices with olive oil and grill in batches for 5-10 minutes on each side, or until cooked through (reduce heat if slices are charring too quickly). Season them with a little salt as they cook. Set cooked eggplant aside; wipe out pan.

Remove tofu from marinade and blot dry. Brush slices with olive oil and grill on medium high heat for about 5 minutes per side, or until nicely charred. Season with salt as they cook.

Assemble rolls:
Lay out eggplant slices. Place a tomato slice in the middle of each one, top with a slice of grilled tofu (trimmed if it is too large), a fresh basil leaf, and then a sun dried tomato. Lift the two ends of the eggplant slice to wrap it snugly around the tofu-vegetable stack and secure it with half a toothpick. Makes about six rolls. Serve with mixed salad greens, drizzled with dressing.

Green smoothie

2010-09-06T09:13:00.001+02:00

I probably don't get enough greens in my diet, so I decided to give this green smoothie a try:

I got some organic leafy green veggies from the market and puréed them in the blender with a banana, apple, blueberries and some water. It wasn't exactly delicious, but not bad, and I did feel quite healthy as I drank it. And probably got more fresh greens in that one serving than I have in the past month. Not sure if this will become a daily habit, but it certainly can't hurt to add an occasional nutritional boost to my diet...

Zucchini bread

2010-08-25T10:22:00.000+02:00

It's that time of year...

Zucchini bread
- 2 cups finely grated zucchini
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
- 1 1/4 cup white flour
- 1 cup wheat flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1.5 tsp baking powder
- scant 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- dash ground cloves

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C); grease and flour a large loaf pan. Combine zucchini, oil, eggs and vanilla in a large bowl. Put dry ingredients in a medium bowl and stir well. Add dry ingredients to wet and mix until just combined and still a bit lumpy. Pour batter into loaf pan and bake for about 50 minutes, or until inserted tester comes out clean. Cool for 15-20 minutes in pan, then remove bread and cool on a wire rack.

Tomato-avocado bruschetta/open faced sandwich

2010-08-21T13:14:00.012+02:00

Easy lunch or appetizer (although I'd also be happy to eat this for breakfast or dinner). The avocado needs to be ripe and soft, and tomatoes need to be juicy and flavorful, otherwise it's not really worth making...

Tomato-avocado bruschetta (or open faced sandwich)
- sliced baguette or sandwich bread
- garlic clove
- ripe avocado
- ripe tomatoes (kumatoes in this case)
- olive oil
- salt and pepper

Lightly toast bread. Cut garlic clove in half and rub well on one side of each of the bread slices. Scoop out avocado flesh and smush it onto the garlic-rubbed side of each slice. Top with sliced tomatoes, drizzled with olive oil, season with salt and pepper. Eat ASAP.

Blackberry cake

2010-08-18T08:46:00.009+02:00

We're not particularly good gardeners, and many of the plants that grow in our postage-stamp-size backyard arrived there on their own. Among the wildflowers and weeds, a few pleasant surprises have been flourishing, including a climbing rose bush, and, in the far corner, a very vigorous blackberry bush that Henry bravely cuts back once per year to keep it from invading the rest of the yard. We're now in the midst of our annual blackberry harvest, which doesn't last long, and doesn't yield very much, but it's still fun and very satisfying to pick berries in our own backyard, especially in the middle of a suburban neighborhood such as ours. This cake made good use of most of the berries picked over the weekend.

Blackberry cake
- 1/2 cup margarine
- 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 eggs, beaten (room temperature)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 - 1 1/2 blackberries (I used about 2 cups, which made the cake a little soggy)
- powdered sugar

Grease and flour a 9-inch cake pan with removable rim. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Combine margarine with 1 cup sugar and beat well. Add eggs and beat again. Add flour, baking powder and cinnamon; stir well. Pour batter into cake pan and spread evenly. Scatter berries over batter and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon (or more) of sugar. Bake on the center rack of a 350° oven until cake begins to pull from pan rim, 50 to 60 minutes. Let cool before removing from pan. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving. Serves 5-6.

Fresh tomato pizza

2010-08-15T10:51:00.006+02:00

We had this improvised pizza for lunch yesterday, and unanimously declared it a keeper. It was really easy to make, especially if using ready-made, pre-rolled pizza dough.

Pizza with fresh tomatoes and olives
- pizza dough, preferably pre-rolled out
- olive oil
- sliced tomatoes (in this case they were local kumatoes, very tasty)
- seasonings: salt, pepper, garlic powder, oregano, basil
- sweet onions or scallions, finely sliced
- black olives, e.g. kalmata, pitted and halved
- parmesan cheese, grated
- arugula, roughly torn (optional)

Preheat oven according to pizza dough baking instructions. Place rolled out dough on baking sheet that is oiled or lined with parchment paper (or place on parchment paper directly on oven rack). Fold up edges on all sides. Brush well with olive oil. Add sliced tomatoes in a single layer, season according to taste. Scatter over onions/scallions, drizzle olive oil over everything. Bake for about half of the indicated baking time for the pizza dough. Remove pizza from oven, scatter olives over the tomatoes, top with grated parmesan. Return pizza to oven for the rest of the baking time, or until nicely brown on both top and bottom. Cut pizza into slices; if desired, top with arugula and another drizzle of olive oil.

Tahini brownies

2010-08-11T09:36:00.002+02:00

These weren't quite the success I was hoping for... the flavor was very good, but the texture was so fine and fragile that the brownies pretty much fell apart as I tried to cut them into squares, even after sitting for over 12 hours, and also they stuck to the parchment paper on the bottom of the pan, even though I had greased it. I managed to salvage a few decent looking little squares for a photo:

The recipe can be found on (at least) two other blogs: We (heart) food, and Taste of Beirut. Conveniently (for me), the first one uses U.S. volume measurements, the second one gives the amounts in grams. I think I need to try this again: maybe I made mistake in my measurements, or maybe the tahini I used was especially runny and not binding enough. Or perhaps they got overcooked, as the pan was a little larger than 8x8 inches. In any case I'm curious to see how they turn out if I reduce the tahini and add an egg. To be continued...

Summer quinoa salad

2010-08-08T15:28:00.005+02:00

This recipe from the New York Times came out great: very refreshing and flavorful.

I made just a couple of changes: cooked the quinoa according to this method, and went light on the chilli peppers.

Baba Ganoush

2010-08-05T08:47:00.008+02:00

(Ghanoush / Ganouj / Gannouj ... apparently all are acceptable, according to Wikipedia.) Another staple in our summer rotation of mezze (meze)-type dishes.

Baba Ganoush
- 2 medium-large or 3 smallish eggplants
- olive oil
- 1 T tahini
- 2-3 T lemon juice
- 1-2 gloves of garlic, pressed
- approx 1/2 tsp salt, or to taste

Preheat oven to 220°C (425°F). Pierce the whole eggplants in several places with a fork, place in an oiled shallow baking dish and roast for about an hour, or until eggplants are tender and sunken in (or, cut eggplants in half lengthwise, place cut side down in the baking dish, pierce skin of each half a couple of times, roast for about 35 minutes). Let cool. If eggplants are whole, cut in half lengthwise. Scoop out flesh and put in a food processor; add a drizzle of olive oil and the tahini, lemon juice, garlic and salt. Purée until smooth. Serves 3-4 as part of a mezze dinner.

Spicy baked potato wedges from Veg Inspirations

2010-07-30T08:57:00.002+02:00

Another recipe from Veg Inspirations that came out great. These were devoured in a very short amount of time as a mid-afternoon snack after I made them for the Tried & Tasted food blogging event. They were quick and easy to make, and really tasty, so I'm sure I'll be making them again in the very near future.

Hummus

2010-07-28T08:51:00.008+02:00

Since we stopped eating meat and therefore use the grill a lot less, our hot-weather go-to meal tends to be an assortment of salads and mezze-type dishes, and hummus is always part of the menu. I like it garlicky and without tahini.

Garlicky hummus
- 1 can chickpeas, well drained
- 1-2 garlic cloves, pressed
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- 3.5 T olive oil + a little more for serving
- pinch of ground cumin
- salt, to taste (max 1/2 tsp)
- dash paprika

Purée all ingredients (except extra oil and paprika) in a food processor until smooth. Serve with a drizzle of oil and a dash of paprika. Serves 3-4 as part of a mezze-type meal or as an appetizer.

Mediterranean lentil salad from Veg Inspirations

2010-07-26T08:34:00.006+02:00

This is a new favorite which will definitely be included our summer salad repertoire.

I followed the recipe given on Veg Inspirations almost exactly, except for the quantity of chilis, which I reduced to about 1/2 of one small green chili. So the salad just had a bit of background spiciness, which seemed just right to my wimpy tastebuds. Used green lentils as that's what was in the cupboard. It was a great addition to yesterday's alfresco lunch, which included eggplant and red pepper confit, tomato and cucumber salad, hummus and pita bread. There were hardly any leftovers, such as shame...

Basic potato salad

2010-07-24T09:49:00.007+02:00

Standard fare for cookouts, picnics, summer lunches... The dressing is runny but is absorbed by the potatoes while the salad rests in the fridge. Best eaten the day after it's made.

Potato salad
- about 8-10 medium firm potatoes, boiled until tender but not mushy, cooled and roughly chopped (I leave the skins on)
- about 1/2 c. peeled, seeded, chopped cucumber
- 1-2 chopped scallions
- 3-4 chopped pickles, optional
- handful of chopped parsley and chives
- dressing:
   - 3 T plain yogurt (haven't yet tried it with soy yogurt)
   - 2-3 T mayonnaise
   - 1 tsp dijon mustard
   - 1 clove garlic, crushed
   - 2 T olive oil
   - 2 T red wine vinegar
   - 1 tsp salt (or more, to taste)
   - black or white pepper, to taste

Put potatoes, vegetables and chopped herbs in large bowl. Shake dressing ingredient together in a jar or dressing bottle. Dress the salad generously (the whole batch of dressing might not be needed), mix thoroughly but gently to avoid crushing potatoes (rubber spatula works well). The potatoes and vegetables should be swimming in a little bit of excess dressing at this point. Cover bowl and let sit in the fridge for at least one hour, preferably overnight. Serves 4-6 as a side dish.

Sardine spread

2010-07-21T08:48:00.017+02:00

This was easy to make and tasty; we had it on crackers but I'm sure it would be nice as a sandwich spread.

The recipe is given on the Epicurious website: Sardine "Tonnato" Spread.
I made the following changes:
- added some Dijon mustard,
- added chopped chives, and will add some finely chopped scallions next time,

- didn't bother to chop the capers, prompting Henry's remark: "what's that, a lizard egg?"

Couscous and grilled vegetable salad

2010-07-18T11:00:00.022+02:00

Ok, back to business here... After a fun couple of weeks with Lisa, Joe and the kids, during which we fell (or rather, willingly jumped) off the non-dairy wagon quite a few times, and generally overindulged, I'm ready to get back to some rather lighter fare. This salad is a recent favorite, adapted from Jamie Oliver's "Couscous with Grilled Vegetables and Loadsa Herbs".

(There's some quinoa in this version as we were low on couscous)

Couscous and grilled vegetable salad
- 3 medium-large red and/or yellow bell peppers
- 3-4 medium zucchini (courgette) and/or yellow squash
- olive oil
- lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
- 1 large or two small garlic cloves, pressed
- salt & pepper
- red wine vinegar
- 1 large meaty tomato, cut into large dice
- 1-2 scallions, sliced
- 3/4 - 1 cup uncooked couscous
- one or two handfuls of fresh herbs, e.g. flat leaf parsley, basil, chives, cilantro, chopped

Roast the peppers, let steam and remove their skin (I use the method given on the Closet Cooking blog, which works well and avoids rotating the peppers during roasting). Meanwhile, slice the zucchini/squash lengthwise into max. 1 cm thick strips (i.e. about 1/4 inch thick), brush with olive oil and grill on a hot ridged grill pan for 5-10 minutes on each side, or until charred and partially cooked (not mushy).

When peppers are cool and skinned, cut into medium chunks; cut grilled zucchini strips into approx. 1 inch (2.5 cm) pieces.

Make the dressing: combine about 1/4 c. olive oil, 1/4 c. lemon juice, garlic, a generous half tsp salt, black pepper (to taste) and a teaspoon or two of red wine vinegar. Shake well in a jar.

In a large bowl, combined grilled/roasted vegetables, chopped tomato, scallions and dressing. Add couscous and stir well. Cover bowl and chill for at least 30-40 minutes, until couscous has absorbed the excess liquid and become tender. Stir well; if salad seems too dry, add a little more olive oil and lemon juice. Add herbs before serving and adjust seasoning if necessary. Serves 3-4.

CSA box envy

2010-06-16T09:08:00.002+02:00

Earlier this year my sister and brother-in-law signed up for a half CSA share, and picked up their first box of veggies during our recent visit:

It contained a selection of incredibly fresh organic lettuce, cabbage, spring onions, spinach, mesclun mix... I'm jealous!

Vacation food notes

2010-06-15T16:09:00.012+02:00

A few notes about some of the tasty vegan (or nearly vegan) food we encountered on our recent U.S. trip, for future reference...

Tofu sandwich

We were surprised to find a great tofu sandwich at Bridgewater's Pub in 30th Street Station in Philadelphia:

It was served on a sourdough-type roll, and in addition to a slab of tofu (which was "herb and balsamic marinated", and I guess pressed as well, and then grilled), it had tomato slices, red onions, roasted red pepper, spinach leaves (wilted), sautéed mushrooms, and basil mayo. I have to try making this.

Vegan dinner

We had a really nice meal at Candle 79, a vegan restaurant in New York City:
- Grilled artichokes, asparagus, portabello mushroom, with basil pine nut pesto
- Morel and ramp ravioli with sauteed spinach, capers, cashew ricotta , truffle oil
- Mediterranean tempeh cake with seasonal vegetables, preserved lemon, artichoke & olive salad
- Breaded seitan with vegetables, fingerling potatoes, cherry red wine sauce
(unfortunately the pictures, taken with an iPhone in low light conditions, don't do the food justice)

For dessert we had the Mexican chocolate brownie and the strawberry rhubarb crumble - delicious!

Joe's homemade pasta

Our brother-in-law, whose cooking is already legendary, took it to another level with homemade fettuccine served with a tomato-wine-garlic sauce. OMG.

(recipe forthcoming)

Banana bread

2010-05-30T15:18:00.002+02:00

It's neither local nor seasonal, but I couldn't imagine a world without banana bread...
I realized with this particular batch that the size of the bananas is definitely a factor in the final outcome - the ones I used were rather small, and the bread came out a little on the dry side. But still good.

Banana bread
- 3 (medium-large) ripe bananas, well mashed (we get organic fair trade)
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 2 T vegetable oil
- 1/4 c. soy milk
- 1 c. white flour
- 1 c. whole wheat flour
- 3/4 c. sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- nutmeg, to taste - optional

Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Grease and flour one large loaf pan. Combine bananas, eggs, oil, soy milk. Combine dry ingredients, add to banana mixture, stirring until just combined. Pour into prepared loaf pan. Bake 50-60 minutes. Let sit 10-15 minutes in pan, then remove from pan and let cool completely on wire rack.

Quinoa with asparagus and shrimp

2010-05-22T15:42:00.005+02:00

This is basically a warm version of the quinoa-asparagus salad, with some shrimp added in.

Asparagus-shrimp quinoa
- 2-3 T olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped,
- 10-12 raw shelled shrimp
- salt and pepper
- garlic powder
- cayenne pepper
- 2-3 cloves of garlic, pressed
- 2 bunches of asparagus, ends trimmed, cut into bite-sized pieces and steamed until tender-crisp
- 2 medium tomatoes, coarsely chopped
- juice of one lemon
- 2-3 cups cooked quinoa

Sauté onion in olive oil over medium/medium-high heat for 5-10 minutes, until onion is well cooked and starting to caramelize. Rinse shrimp, dry well and season with salt, pepper, garlic powder and a little cayenne pepper. Add to onion and cook until shrimp are no longer translucent. Lower heat a bit, add garlic and cook for a minute or two more. Add asparagus and stir well, then tomatoes. Add lemon juice and season well with salt and pepper. Stir in quinoa and let heat through. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Serves about 4.

Roasted asparagus

2010-05-17T09:18:00.003+02:00

Roasted asparagus
- 1 bunch aspargus, woody ends trimmed
- olive oil
- salt, pepper
- garlic powder if desired

Preheat oven to 205°C (400°F) Arrange aspargus on baking tray that has been oiled or lined with parchment paper. Drizzle/brush each spear with olive oil, then season with salt, pepper and garlic powder if desired. Roast in the oven for about 15-20 minutes or until cooked through.

We tried this with a poached egg on top... "tried", because the eggs came out over cooked and not runny and sauce-like as they were supposed to be. It's not so easy to successfully poach an egg, I'm finding! I tried a microwave oven technique this time, which was much more successful than my previous attempts at the classic water method (which resulted in a kind of egg-water soup), but the timing still needs to be fine-tuned: one minute at 750 W is a bit too long. Henry suggested increasing the amount of water to slow the cooking a bit. More testing needed...

Carrot ginger soup

2010-05-15T14:15:00.002+02:00

A month or so ago we thought summer was practically here, but after a couple of weeks of rain and cool temperatures a nice hot soup is once again very welcome. This one is very warming and gingery, just right for the weather we're having now. Thanks for the recipe Anne!

Carrot ginger soup
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1-2 T olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, pressed
- 1 T grated fresh ginger
- 600-700 g (about 1.5 lb) carrots, sliced
- about 0.75 - 1 L (3-4 c.) vegetable stock
- salt and pepper
- pinch dried thyme
- 1/3 c. (or so) soy or regular milk

In a medium pot sauté the onion in the olive oil on medium high heat for 5-10 minutes. Lower heat slightly, add garlic and ginger, sauté for another few minutes. Add carrots, stir well, then raise heat and add stock. Let come to a boil, then lower heat, cover and simmer for 30-40 minutes or until carrots are very tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Purée soup with an immersion blender, add thyme and milk and stir well. Makes about 4-5 servings.

Asparagus, avocado and cherry tomato salad

2010-05-07T08:50:00.003+02:00

This weeknight improvisation got two thumbs up from both me and Henry.

Asparagus-avocado-tomato salad
- about a dozen asparagus stalks, woody ends trimmed, cut into bite-size pieces and steamed until tender-crisp (no need to let cool after cooking)
- half or whole avocado (as much as you want/need to use up), cut into bite-size pieces
- 8-10 cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
- 1 scallion, chopped
- dressing: white wine vinegar + olive oil (about 1/3 vinegar and 2/3 oil), dijon mustard, salt + pepper; shaken up in a jar or whisked well.

Layer asparagus, avocado, tomatoes and scallions on a plate; pour dressing over and serve. Serves 2.

Apple rhubarb crunch

2010-05-04T08:40:00.005+02:00

A variation on an old favorite, this uses the last of the winter apples and the first of the spring rhubarb. I might just like this even more than the original...

Apple rhubarb crunch
- 5 rhubarb stalks, trimmed and cut into half-inch (1 cm) pieces
- 7-8 tart apples, peeled, cored and sliced
- 3 T + 1 c. sugar
- 2 T + 1 c. flour
- 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp + 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1/2 c. brown sugar
- 1/2 c. margarine (preferably Earth Balance, or equivalent), melted

Preheat oven to 350 °F (180 °C). Combine rhubarb pieces, 2 T flour, 3 T sugar, cinnamon and 1/4 tsp salt. Add apple pieces and mix well. Spread mixture in a greased baking dish. Sprinkle over half the brown sugar. Combine sugar, flour, salt and baking powder. Add beaten egg and combine with a fork until mixture resembles crumbs. Spread crumb mixture over the brown sugar layer, then sprinkle over the remaining brown sugar. Pour melted margarine evenly over the top. Bake for about 30-40 minutes or until apples and rhubarb are tender and top is brown.

Asparagus quinoa salad

2010-05-02T12:28:00.013+02:00

This is a bit of milestone: the first time I've used quinoa in a salad, and first local asparagus of the season (yay!). The result was very tasty, and it was really easy to make - we'll definitely be having this again.

Asparagus quinoa salad
- 2 bunches asparagus (preferably thin), woody ends trimmed and cut into bite-sized pieces
- 3-4 cups cooked quinoa
- 1-2 scallions, finely chopped
- 1 large tomato (local hothouse tomatoes are already here!), diced
- dressing: lemon juice + olive oil (about half and half), 1 pressed garlic clove, salt + pepper to taste

Steam asparagus until tender-crisp; let cool and combine in a large bowl with quinoa, scallions and tomato. Add dressing and stir well. Keeps well for several days in the fridge. Makes 7-8 servings.

Baked tofu and mushrooms

2010-05-01T12:18:00.005+02:00

Made these day before serving them, and found they were much more flavorful after hanging around in the fridge for 24 hours.

Baked tofu and mushrooms (adapted from the Reader's Digest Complete Vegetarian Cookbook)
- 300 g tofu, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 400 g small to medium sized button mushrooms, larger ones cut in half
- 4 T lemon juice
- 3 T shoyu or soy sauce
- 2 T tomato puree
- 3 garlic cloves, pressed
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 4-5 T olive oil
- salt

Mix together lemon juice, soy sauce, tomato puree, garlic, oregano and olive oil in large shallow dish. Add tofu pieces and mushrooms, stir well to coat (rubber spatula works well; metal utensils tend to break the mushrooms and tofu). Let marinate for at least one hour.

Preheat oven to 200°C. Season mushrooms and tofu with salt (otherwise they're really too bland), then spread onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 15 minutes or until mushrooms are cooked. Serve hot or at room temperature - even better the next day. Serves 4-6.

Henry's dinner

2010-04-30T08:18:00.002+02:00

A recent meal prepared by Henry:

Mashed potatoes and celeriac with olive oil and parsley; smoked trout with guacamole; fennel, carrot and spring onion salad. Great contrast of textures and flavors, and everything was delicious.

Caesar salad

2010-04-17T14:33:00.008+02:00

This is surprisingly good without parmesan cheese. A sprinkle of nutritional yeast - although I usually find doesn't work particularly well as a cheese substitute, for example on pasta (although Henry likes it) - gives enough texture and flavor. The croutons demand a little effort but are really worth it.

Caesar salad with homemade croutons
- 1 head romaine lettuce, rinsed and well dried, thick stalks removed, leaves torn or cut into bite-sized pieces
- nutritional yeast: 1-2 tablespoons

Dressing:
- mayonnaise: about 1/4-1/3 cup
- 2 anchovy fillets finely chopped/mashed, or a couple of squirts of anchovy paste
- olive oil: a few tablespoons
- dash Worcestershire sauce
- red wine vinegar: about a tablespoon
- 1-2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 2 garlic cloves, pressed
Shake everything together in a jar.

Croutons:
- 4-5 1-inch (2.5 cm) slices day-old baguette (if fresh, toast the slices very lightly), cut into bite-sized pieces
- olive oil
- salt
- garlic powder
Heat oil in a large non-stick skilled over medium high heat. When oil is hot, add bread and coat on all sized with olive oil. Let brown a few minutes on each side. Toward the end, season lightly with salt and garlic powder.

Add most of the dressing to the romaine lettuce, toss/combine well to coat. Add nutritional yeast, toss again, adding more dressing if necessary. Add croutons and toss again. Serve immediately.
Theoretically this would make about 4 side-dish servings, but Henry and I just ate the entire salad for lunch and wished there'd been more...

Spring salad with shrimp and Asian-style dressing

2010-04-09T09:06:00.006+02:00

We had this for dinner recently, along with some store-bought spring rolls, but I could imagine serving it for a spring luncheon, maybe with a seasonal soup like asparagus, some fresh bread or rolls, and a fruit tart for dessert. And a pretty flowered tablecloth with matching napkins, while we're at it.

Spring salad with shrimp
- lettuce leaves, torn in to bite-size pieces
- carrots, coarsely grated
- radishes, finely sliced
- scallions, sliced
- chives, chopped
- some kind of sprouts, such broccoli or bean (didn't have any this time around)
- large, cooked shrimp, de-veined, shells removed, well rinsed and dried
- dressing: soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, sunflower oil, garlic powder

Combine salad ingredients, add dressing, toss and serve.

Carrot cake

2010-04-06T08:56:00.005+02:00

"The Pioneer Woman" said that this carrot cake would be perfect for Easter, so we gave it a try... it was! Everyone had seconds. And thirds.

The only complaint was that its exit from the Bundt pan didn't go very well, so the cake ended up rather shredded on the outside edge. But a dusting of powdered sugar over each slice (we skipped the cream cheese frosting) camouflaged the damage somewhat, and the cake was still very tasty.

Roasted salmon with vegetables

2010-04-05T15:35:00.008+02:00

This dish, based on several different recipes clipped ages ago from Bon Appetit and Good Housekeeping, has become a reliable standby as it never seems to go wrong. The salmon invariably comes out tender and not dry, which is has far less to do with my fish-cooking skills than it does with the steam from the vegetables and stock/wine, which helps to keep the salmon fillets moist. We served it to Henry's parents yesterday for Easter lunch, with a side of Nelly's oven-fried potatoes, and once again it didn't disappoint.

Salmon fillets roasted on a bed of vegetables
- 2 medium leeks, sliced
- 2 small or 1 large fennel bulb, finely sliced
- 2 large or 3 medium carrots, julienned
- olive oil
- 3/4 c. vegetable stock
- 1/2 c. white wine
- salt and pepper
- dill, fresh or dried
- about 500-600 g skinless salmon fillet(s) - we try to get organic farmed as much as possible
- juice of 1/2 lemon

Prepare vegetables (can be done the day before; refrigerate cut vegetables separately in tightly closed plastic bags until needed). Rinse salmon well, pat dry with paper towels, remove any bones, cut into serving-size pieces (can be done about an hour or so ahead of time; cover with plastic wrap and keep in fridge until needed). In large skillet, heat vegetable oil over medium high heat; add vegetables and sauté for about 5 minutes. Add stock and wine, bring to a bubble, lower heat, cover and simmer for about 10 minutes or until vegetables are cooked but still have a bit of bite to them. Season well with salt and pepper and add a sprinkle of dill; stir well. Transfer the vegetables and cooking liquid to a large baking dish. Place salmon fillets on top, nestling them together. Squeeze lemon juice over, then season with salt, pepper and dill. Bake in a 210°C (400°F) oven for about 10-15 minutes or until salmon is cooked through, but not over-cooked.
For non- (or semi-) vegans, serve with herby cream sauce.*
Serves four people with hearty appetites.

* Mix together more or less equal amounts of creme fraiche (or Greek yogurt, or plain yogurt) and mayonnaise; add some finely chopped parsley, dill and chives, a good squirt of lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste; stir well and refrigerate until needed. This sauce really complements the fish and vegetables nicely, and is also good with the potatoes that are almost compulsory as a side-dish.

Bread: Part 2

2010-04-03T09:29:00.021+02:00

Our first attempt at making Henry's dad's delicious homemade bread came out great -- kind of surprisingly, since we only had the ingredients list to go by, so the rising times, baking time and oven temperature had to be estimated based on recipes for similar breads. Henry was in charge of finely grinding the whole grains into flour using our awesome German grain mill, which was of course key to the success of this project. We're pretty darn pleased with the result: the bread has a lovely nutty aroma and taste, a nice even crumb, and a crunchy crust -- just as good as the original, or, dare we say it, even better?! Or maybe it's just the feeling of pride and satisfaction that comes from baking one's own bread completely from scratch.

Whole grain bread
- 500 g (17.5 oz) wheat flour (freshly ground from whole grains)
- 250 g (8.75 oz) rye flour (idem)
- 1 packet dry baker's yeast (7 g/0.25 oz)
- 2-3 T sugar
- 2 1/2 tsp salt
- 400 g (about 13-14 fl.oz) luke warm water
- 2 T olive oil (not extra virgin), plus a little extra

Combine flours, yeast, sugar and salt. Add water and oil, stir until the dough comes together (add a little more water if needed), then knead for about 10 minutes on a floured surface until the dough is elastic and smooth. Place dough in an oiled bowl, turn once to coat all sides, cover and let rise in a warm place for 1.5 hours. Punch down dough, divide and shape into two rectangles, roll them up to form two loaves, pinching and tucking ends under to seal. Rub a little oil over the surface of the loaves. Place on baking tray, cover and let rise for another hour. Bake at 185°C (365ºF) for about 40-45 minutes. Cool. Slice. Eat. Yum.

Winter fruit salad

2010-03-14T11:11:00.003+01:00

This fruit salad went over very well last night as the finish to a big meal, and was also a nice addition to the breakfast table this morning. All of the fruit are local except for the oranges (Spain) and dates (Tunisia).

Winter fruit salad
- 2-3 oranges (used blood oranges in this case), peel and pith cut off with a knife, seeded if necessary, cut into bite-sized pieces; also include the juice that collects on the cutting board
- 2-3 apples, cored but unpeeled, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 2-3 pears, idem
- 4-5 kiwis (found some that were local and organic!) peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
- 6-8 dried dates, pitted and chopped
- a few tablespoons of agave syrup or honey

Combine fruit and syrup or honey; serve immediately or keep in fridge.

Makes about 6 servings.

Sautéed winter vegetables with miso-tahini sauce

2010-03-07T14:06:00.011+01:00

This was really good. I think many vegetable combinations would be equally or even more tasty with this great, super-easy sauce from Veganomicon; I'm already fantasizing about grilled asparagus in the spring, and roasted eggplant/bell peppers/zucchini in the summer.

Henry's comment: "Serving vegetables with this sauce takes them to a whole new level!"

Sautéed vegetables with miso-tahini sauce from Veganomicon
- assortment of vegetables, in this case: jerusalem artichokes, potatoes, butternut squash, swiss chard, peeled when necessary, and cut into small pieces (the jerusalem artichokes, potatoes and squash pieces should also be fairly thin, to speed cooking time; the chard stalks and leaves should be separated)
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
- sweet white miso paste
- tahini
- 1 garlic clove, pressed

Heat skillet over medium to medium-high heat, add a good glug of oil. Add jerusalem artichokes first, sauté about 5-10 minutes, then add potatoes and sauté another 5-10 minutes, then squash and sauté for another 10-15 minutes. Add swiss chard stalks, sauté 5 minutes or so, then the leaves. Heat can be turned up a bit at the end so that the chard leaves are almost stir-fried for the last few minutes. Total cooking time is about 30-40 minutes, add a little water from time to time if the vegetables are looking a bit dry or overly starchy from the potatoes and jerusalem artichokes. Season with salt and pepper.

While the vegetables are cooking, mix up the sauce: equal parts miso paste and tahini, thinned with warm water and mixed well until it reaches the consistency of a sauce. Mix in garlic and season with salt and ground pepper if desired.

Serve vegetables drizzled with sauce.

Carrot oat cookies

2010-02-28T17:20:00.009+01:00

Currently our favorite vegan cookie: carrot oatmeal cookies from 101 Cookbooks.

Healthy but nonetheless addictive, we find they're best when they are well baked - i.e. nicely browned on the bottom - and should preferably be eaten the day they are made (we're working on it at this very moment). They do keep and freeze well, but lose their slight crunch after storage. Today's batch was made with powdered ginger instead of fresh - still good, but better with fresh.

And now for something a bit lighter...

2010-02-27T15:27:00.005+01:00

Vegan Soup

The vegan soup will be

vegan free

I searched for the organic

ones and finally, for any

perhaps they are endangered

or the stores don't sell that many.

I tried to make the soup from scratch

and couldn't find a single batch

only flippant aproned help

who weren't much.

So in my vegan soup

from scratch

I have a spoon

and fork to match

and traps set all around

the house

still hoping for

a vegan catch.

John G. Lawless
2010

Curried split pea soup

2010-02-21T16:09:00.007+01:00

I wasn't planning to make pea soup this weekend, but at the supermarket on Saturday morning I came across little round nets of French split peas that were too cute to resist. So pea soup it was, and I decided to spice it up with some curry powder. Henry declared it "délicieux".

Pea soup with curry
- 1-2 T olive oil
- 2 small or 1 large onion, chopped
- 3 large garlic cloves, pressed
- 2 tsp mild curry powder
- 300 g (about 12 oz.) dried split peas, rinsed and picked over
- 1.5 L (6 cups) vegetable stock
- 1 or 2 bay leaves
- 1 large carrot, chopped or sliced
- 1 small fennel bulb, roughly chopped
- pinch of oregano
- salt & pepper, if desired

In a large pot, sauté onions and garlic in olive oil over medium heat for a few minutes; avoid browning the garlic. Add curry powder and combine well, let cook for a few seconds. Add peas and combine well, then pour in stock. Bring to a boil, lower heat, add bay leaf, cover pot and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Raise heat and add carrot, fennel and oregano; let soup come to a simmer again, then lower heat and cook for another 20-25 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Serves about 4.

Lunch at Châteauvieux

2010-02-16T19:20:00.022+01:00

Today we treated ourselves to a very exceptional lunch at the "haute gastronomie" restaurant "Domaine de Châteauvieux".

The meal was an exception to our no-dairy, no-animals rule, and quite an exceptional experience itself: beautiful to look at, amazing to eat...

(Yes, frogs legs. Sorry Kermit.)

Those were just the starters! Now on to the main course(s):

Then the cheese course (there were many cheeses on offer, but I was getting so full I only took a few):

Then the desserts:

There was another dessert, but I forgot to take a picture of it - it was "croustillant au miel et ananas mariné au curry, jus aux fruits de la passion et glace à la noix de coco" (curry marinated pineapple, served in a crunchy honey shell with passion fruit sauce and coconut ice cream)!

I also forgot to take pictures of the "amuse-bouches", of which there were several...

The other very exceptional thing about this lunch was the location of our table: we were right in the kitchen with the chefs, watching all the action as they prepared the food. It was fascinating to watch these guys (and one young woman) at work.

The owner and head chef, Philippe Chevrier:

The sous-chef (we think). He kept telling the line chefs what they were doing wrong.

The pass:

Already prepping for evening service:

Clean-up involves thoroughly washing every surface:

Wow. Spic and span.

We came home very, very full, and very content.
Henry was kaput...

and Llewelyn was happy to see us.

Chocolate cupcakes

2010-02-15T22:41:00.004+01:00

A chocolate experiment in honor of Valentine's day: cupcakes made from the Moosewood Restaurant Vegan Chocolate Cake recipe, and a ganache-type frosting made with dark chocolate, a little coconut oil, margarine and icing sugar, melted in the microwave and then allowed to cool until spreading consistency. Admittedly, the frosting still needs some work, as it hardened quite a bit as it cooled completely. The end result resembled cake topped with fudge... not necessarily a bad thing!

Bread, part 1: Philip's delicious health bread

2010-02-02T08:45:00.010+01:00

This is a recipe from Henry's father, who makes this dense, aromatic, nutty tasting bread using whole grain flours that he grinds freshly using a grain mill. He also uses a bread making machine, which we don't have, so we'll have to look at some other bread recipes to figure out the rising and baking times, as well as the oven temperature. A little project for the coming weeks. In the meanwhile we're enjoying/devouring the loaf he brought us on Sunday. It's disappearing fast.

Philip kindly shared the list of ingredients with us:
- 500 g whole wheat flour (freshly ground)
- 250 g whole rye flour (freshly ground)
- 400 g water
- 3 T sugar
- 3 tsp salt
- 2 T oil
- 1 packet dry baker's yeast (7 g)

Mediterranean-style fish revisited

2010-01-24T10:44:00.010+01:00

I have a few great new vegetarian and vegan cookbooks to explore, but for lack of time these days I'm mostly falling back on familiar dishes. Or getting takeout. Hopefully next month more time can be devoted to discovering new favorites. In the meanwhile, this one made a successful transition from the original late-summer recipe to a colder weather version.

Mediterranean fish for late fall and winter
- olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3-4 gloves of garlic, pressed
- 1 fennel bulb, trimmed and thinly sliced
- pinch of red pepper flakes
- 1-2 large / 3 medium / 5-6 small potatoes, very thinly sliced
- 200 g frozen spinach, thawed
- 400 g white fish fillets, such as cod
- ground coriander
- sweet paprika
- 1 400 g (13 oz) can chopped tomatoes
- garlic powder
- handful of fresh cilantro and flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
- salt and pepper

In a frying pan with high sides heat about 2 T of olive oil on medium high heat; add onions, lower heat to medium and sauté a few minutes. Add fennel, garlic and red pepper flakes; sauté another 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Spread vegetable evenly over the bottom of the pan, cover evenly with potato slices. Pour about 1/4-1/2 cup water around the edge of the vegetables. Season the potato layer with salt and pepper. Lower heat slightly; cover pan and let simmer for about 5-10 minutes. Distribute spinach evenly over the potatoes, season with salt. Place fish fillets on top of spinach; season with salt, paprika and coriander. Top fish with chopped tomatoes, season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder; drizzle with olive oil. Cover and let simmer for about 10 minutes, until fish is cooked through.
Serves about 3.

Winter couscous

2010-01-23T14:51:00.002+01:00

We're definitely into the root vegetables at this time of year; last weekend it was a big pot of vegetable couscous made with leeks, carrots, parsnips, celeriac and turnips.

The fake meat garnish was suggested by Henry, to give the dish more substance. I admit I was a bit skeptical at first, but actually it was very tasty, added a nice texture and flavor contrast, and also made it more filling. The next day we had it with falafel, which was good too.

Very special occasion crab and cucumber salad

2010-01-01T19:57:00.011+01:00

Last month/year we tried the crab and cucumber salad on Chocolate & Zucchini as a first course to one of our holiday meals. I have to admit it wasn't very seasonal, or local (the cucumber was from Spain, the crab from somewhere on the other side of the planet), but it was special and festive, and really tasty, so it's a dish I'll probably come back to in five or six months, when cucumbers are in season. Although we did just resolve to eat less seafood in 2010, especially when it's imported from afar and/or at risk of depletion from overfishing. We'll call this a very-special-occasion salad...

I followed the C&Z recipe pretty closely, just a few small modifications:
- 3/4 cucumber (the long English kind), rather than one whole one, otherwise the crab-to-cucumber ratio seems a bit low of the crab side;
- added a little extra rice vinegar and sesame oil, and also a little sunflower oil;
- two cloves of garlic instead of one; pressed instead of minced.
Note to self: don't salt the cucumber too lightly, as this enhances the flavor of the salad.

Garlic and spinach potato leek soup

2009-12-22T08:06:00.010+01:00

Inspired by Vegan Dad's green potato soup, this is a potato leek soup with Italian aspirations.

The recipe is the same as for potato leek soup, with garlic (a little or lots, to taste) added while sautéeing the leeks, and a few handfuls of roughly chopped spinach leaves (frozen in this case) added after partially puréeing the soup. And soy milk instead of soy cream, because that's what was on hand. The flavor is developing nicely as it sits in the fridge - this is definitely a soup that's worth making in advance.

Our traditional cranberry bread

2009-12-17T08:24:00.007+01:00

Despite the time and effort involved in making this "quick" bread (chopping all the cranberries and nuts, zesting and juicing four oranges), I find myself craving it every Christmas and end up setting aside a Saturday or Sunday afternoon to make a good sized batch. The recipe below makes four medium loaves, one of which typically gets eaten within 24 hours, with the others waiting their turn in the freezer. I think we'll attack loaf number 2 this weekend, along with some applesauce spice cake. And start watching the calories a bit more in 2010...

Cranberry bread
- 1 1/2 c. pecan nuts, chopped
- zest of 4 oranges (about 3 T)
- juice of 4 oranges, plus enough water to make 1 1/2 c. of liquid
- 4 c. coarsely chopped cranberries (about 1 package; rinsed and picked over beforehand)
- 1/2 c. + 2 T (i.e. 10 T) vegetable oil
- 3 eggs
- 2 1/4 c. sugar
- 3 c. white flour
- 3 c. whole wheat flour
- 4 tsp baking powder (1 15-g packet)
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/2 tsp salt

Chop nuts, zest and juice oranges, chop cranberries. Grease (and optionally flour bottom) of 4 medium loaf pans. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). In a medium bowl, whisk together oil, zest, juice + water, eggs. Set aside. Combine flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a very large bowl. Mix well. Add oil/orange/egg mixture to flour mixture and stir until almost combined. Fold in cranberries and nuts. Divide batter evenly among loaf pans; bake for 50-60 minutes or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool completely before slicing. Tastes even better the next day.

Applesauce spice cake

2009-12-13T18:19:00.009+01:00

I was looking for a new quick bread to make during the holiday season, one that would make a good complement and contrast to our traditional cranberry bread. This is the winner: moist, sweet and spicy, so good with a cup of tea, and easy to make, with no chopping or any other kind of prep involved - just dump the ingredients into the two bowls and combine.

Applesauce spice cake
- 3 T coconut oil
- 3 T vegetable oil
- 1/2 c. brown sugar
- 3/4 c. white sugar
- 1 c. applesauce
- 2 eggs
- 1 c. white flour
- 1 c. whole wheat flour
- 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
- 1 tsp ground ginger

Preheat oven to 350 °F (180 °C). Grease one large or two small loaf pans. In a large bowl combine oils and sugars. Add applesauce and eggs; beat well. In a separate bowl combine flours, baking soda, salt and spices and mix thoroughly. Add dry ingredients to wet and mix until just combined. Pour into pan(s) and bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Makes one large or two small loves (doubling the recipe would make three medium loaves).

Immortalization of a simple dinner

2009-12-12T13:20:00.011+01:00

Vegetables bought yesterday at a local farm...

... became last night's dinner (carrot and coriander soup, onion and thyme focaccia, butter lettuce and lamb's lettuce salad):

Local: check.
Seasonal: check.
Vegan: check.
Easy to make: check.
Healthy: check.
Yummy: check.

I love it when I can check all the boxes!

Onion and thyme focaccia

2009-12-05T20:48:00.013+01:00

This is our vegan answer to pizza, and so tasty that I'm happy to have a whole meal of nothing but focaccia, or with just a small salad or soup alongside. I made this with store-bought dough, so it came together very quickly, but of course homemade would be even better.

Onion and thyme focaccia
- about 450 g (1 lb) prepared uncooked pizza dough (store bought or homemade)
- 1 large or 2 small onions, cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced
- 2 T olive oil
- salt
- pinch dried thyme

Let dough come to room temperature. Preheat oven to 240°C (about 460°F). Sauté onions in oil over medium heat, sprinkled with a little salt, until they are soft and start to brown slightly, about 5-10 minutes. Spread/roll/stretch dough into a vaguely rectangular shape, no more than 1 cm thick, place on a baking sheet that is either non-stick or lined with parchment paper, and lightly oiled. Spread onions evenly over the dough, then sprinkle with dried thyme and a little salt. Put tray into the lower half of the oven; bake about 10-15 minutes or until nicely browned on the edges and bottom. Serves two (or maybe three if accompanied by aforementioned soup and/or salad).

Asian-style noodles and vegetables

2009-11-28T14:48:00.011+01:00

Chinese cabbage, leeks and carrots make a great winter vegetable combination; I particularly like them in Asian-style dishes like okonomiyaki or this noodle dish that has just become a new lunch/quick dinner favorite.

Sautéed noodles and winter vegetables

- 2-3 T frying oil
- firm tofu (about 3-4 oz/90-100 g), cut into half-inch/1 cm cubes
- 1 leek, sliced
- about 2 c. finely sliced Chinese cabbage
- 2 carrots, coarsely grated
- about 150-180 g (5-6 oz.) (uncooked weight) Chinese noodles, cooked according to package instructions
- 4 T soy sauce
- 2 tsp rice vinegar
- 2-3 tsp sesame oil
- garlic powder, to taste

Heat oil on medium high heat in a large non-stick frying pan, add tofu and fry for a few minutes, until lightly golden on several sides. Add leeks, then cabbage, and finally the carrots, letting each vegetable cook for a couple of minutes before adding the next; lower heat slightly if vegetables are browning too quickly. Meanwhile cook the noodles and drain well. Raise heat back up to medium high, add noodles to the vegetable mixture and toss well - this is easier to do with two spatulas or wooden spoons than with one. Mix together soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil and garlic powder, pour over noodles and vegetables and sauté/mix well for a minute or so. Taste and add additional soy sauce, sesame oil or garlic powder if necessary. Serve immediately; makes two very generous servings.

Lentils, potatoes and brussels sprouts

2009-11-18T19:21:00.003+01:00

An adaptation of the "Lentil Almond Stir Fry" recipe from 101 Cookbooks, with the stir-frying replaced by oven roasting. The yogurt, mint sauce and garnishes create a really interesting combination of flavors and textures that complements the vegetables well. A nice hearty dish for the winter.

Roasted potatoes and brussels sprouts with lentils
- 450 g (1 lb) small firm potatoes, halved and cut into 1 cm (scant 1/2 inch) slices
- 1 long leek, cut into 2.5 cm (1 inch) pieces
- about 300 g (2/3 lb) brussels sprouts, halved lengthwise (or quartered if large)
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 1 1/2 c. cooked puy lentils
- plain soy or regular yogurt, lightly salted
- mint sauce (from the original recipe)
- about 1/3 c. flaked or slivered almonds, toasted
- a few chopped dates

Put vegetables in a tray, preferably in a single layer, coat well and evenly with olive oil, season according to taste, and roast for 25-30 minutes at 205°C (400°F) or until cooked through and brown on the edges. When vegetables are done, sauté cooked lentils in some olive oil in a large skillet for a few minutes, until heated through. Add roasted vegetables, stir well - sauté for a few more minutes if vegetables have cooled and need reheating. Serve with yogurt, mint sauce, almonds and dates. Makes about 3-4 servings.

Fennel and orange salad

2009-11-11T21:09:00.001+01:00

Generally I'm more into soups than salads at this time of year, but this one is really tasty, refreshing and easy to make.

Fennel and orange salad
- 2 oranges peeled (cut off peel and pith with a knife), quartered lengthwise and sliced
- 2 fennel bulbs, trimmed and thinly sliced
- 1-2 scallions, chopped
- vinaigrette: white balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper.

Arrange orange and fennel slices on a plate, scatter over chopped scallions, pour over as much vinaigrette as desired. Serve immediately.
Serves about 4 as a generous side dish.

Peanut butter vegetable soup with noodles

2009-11-09T21:14:00.025+01:00

We've been slurping away at this soup for two days now, and the flavor just seems to be improving. We like how the peanut butter makes it rich, and the pepper flakes give it bit of a kick (note for next time: don't be too timid with the red pepper flakes!). As Henry commented, there are lots of possible variations on this to look forward to: other seasonal vegetables, miso instead of peanut butter, add cubes of tofu, ginger, ...

Seasonal vegetable soup with peanut butter and noodles
- 2-3 T vegetable oil, such as sunflower
- 1 leek, sliced
- 4-5 cloves of garlic, pressed
- 1 1/2 c. sliced carrots (2 large, 3-4 small)
- 1 head of broccoli (about 1 lb/450 g), cut into florets
- 1 head of cauliflower (idem)
- about 2 liters (8 1/2 c.) of vegetable stock
- 6 T soy sauce (or more, to taste)
- 3-4 T smooth peanut butter (or more, to taste)
- red pepper flakes
- Asian noodles such as soba or udon, cooked
- 1 or 2 scallions, chopped

Heat oil in a large soup pot, sauté leek for 3-4 minutes. Add carrots and garlic (lower heat if necessary to avoid burning garlic), sauté for a few minutes more. Add broccoli and cauliflower florets, stir well, then pour in stock and soy sauce, raise heat, bring to a boil; then lower heat, cover and simmer for about 10 minutes, until vegetables are cooked through (cook noodles while soup is simmering). Turn off heat and add peanut butter, stirring until it is completely dissolved in the broth. Add a good pinch (to taste) of red pepper flakes, stir again and let the soup sit for at least a few minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary, including soy sauce and garlic, or even a little salt - it should be really flavorful. To serve, place a small pile of noodles in an empty bowl, then ladle soup over and garnish with chopped scallion
Not sure yet how many servings it makes; probably at least 6, we're still working on it...

Slow-rise pancakes from VeganYumYum

2009-11-08T13:14:00.005+01:00

I've been intrigued by this recipe for a while and finally gave it a go this weekend. Verdict: a rather different flavor from "normal" pancakes, but very good! These pancakes have a yeasty flavor that's definitely a change from those made with baking powder, and which I found I liked - it's sort of a hearty taste. Also the pancakes stayed nice and moist despite not being very high in fat, in fact we found they were best when very well cooked, so that they weren't mushy inside. The fact that you have to start the night before is a bit of a hassle, but has a big payoff the next day when the batter is pretty much ready to go. We'll definitely have them again.

Slow-rise pancakes, adapted from the recipe on VeganYumYum
- 1 c. all-purpose white flour
- 1 c. whole wheat flour
- 1 packet (about 2 tsp) dry active yeast
- 1 tsp. salt
- 3 tsp sugar
- 1 3/4 c. soy milk
- 1 egg
- 2 T vegetable oil
- additional soy milk, or water, for thinning the batter

Combine dry ingredients well. Combine wet ingredients (except for additional soy milk/water) in a separate bowl, then add to dry ingredients and combine, but don't over mix. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place in fridge overnight. The next day, remove batter from fridge and let come to room temperature for about 30 minutes. Add additional soy milk, or water, or both, to batter until desired consistency is achieved. Cook on a hot non-stick griddle, with butter/Earth balance margarine if desired, for a good 5-6 minutes per side, until well browned and cooked through. Makes about 12 medium (thick) pancakes.

Apple (and one pear) crisp

2009-10-31T15:41:00.008+01:00

Basically this is the plum crisp recipe made with apples (and one pear, because that's all I had) and different nuts - similar but different. Out of laziness I didn't peel the apples or pear, which turned out fine.

Apple and pear crisp
- apples and pears, about 7 or 8 in all, cored and sliced
- 1/3 c. sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 T + 1/4 c. flour
- 2 T brown sugar
- 1 c. steel cut oats
- 1/2 c. pecan nuts, chopped
- 3 T coconut oil, melted, plus a little extra for greasing the dish

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Mix the fruit with sugar, cinnamon and 1 T flour. Pour into a greased medium baking dish and spread evenly. Combine 1/4 c. flour, brown sugar, oats and pecans. Gradually pour in coconut oil and mix with a fork until the mixture becomes crumb-like. Reserve any leftover oil. Spread oat mixture evenly over apples and drizzle over any remaining oil. Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until apples are tender and topping is browned.

Okonomiyaki (Japanese pancake/frittata)

2009-10-27T08:31:00.013+01:00

I came across a couple of recipes for this recently, on 101 Cookbooks and Closet Cooking, and decided to try my own version. Quick to make and very tasty, it got two enthusiastic thumbs up from both me and Henry. It can be made using all kinds of shredded vegetables and various toppings. Next time I'm going to try to make it a bit thicker with additional vegetables, maybe grated carrot, try to find some real okonomiyaki sauce at the Japanese market, and add another topping like sautéed mushrooms.

Okonomiyaki
- 2-3 c. Chinese cabbage, finely shredded
- 1 leek, finely sliced
- 2/3 c. flour
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 1/4 c. water
- olive oil
- salt
- Worcestershire sauce or okonomiyaki sauce
- mayonnaise
- chopped scallions

Mix vegetables with flour. Add water and salt (to taste, about 1 tsp) to eggs and mix well. Add to vegetable-flour mix and combine well. Heat oil over medium high heat in a large (non-stick) frying pan. Pour mixture in and spread out evenly, pressing down a bit. Lower heat to medium and cook about 10-15 minutes. Flip over using a plate and cook for another 10-15 minutes. Serve garnished with sauce, mayonnaise and scallions. Serves 2 generously.

Soupe à la courge (squash soup)

2009-10-25T20:02:00.006+01:00

More soup, it's that time of year...

Soupe à la courge
- olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- about 1 - 1.2 kg "courge" (squash), peeled, seeded and cut into 2 cm pieces
- 6-8 dl stock
- salt, pepper, and nutmeg
- soy cream (or regular cream)

Sauté onion in oil over medium heat until translucent. Add squash and sauté for another few minutes. Add stock to just cover the vegetables, raise heat and bring to a low boil, then lower heat, cover and let simmer about 30 minutes or until squash is very tender. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste. Purée with an immersion mixer or in a blender, return soup to pot, add cream to taste and stir well. If desired served with a drizzle of pumpkin seed oil. Makes about 6 servings.

Potato leek soup

2009-10-21T20:34:00.006+02:00

A long-time cold-weather favorite, I find it's nearly as good with a little soy cream as it is with normal cream. I've tried making it both with vegetable stock and with plain water (according to Julia Child's recipe), and definitely prefer the version with stock.

Potato leek soup
- 2 - 3 T olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 3 c. sliced leeks
- 1 T flour
- 6 c. vegetable stock, of which at least 1 c. is hot
- 4 c. potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch (2.5 cm) cubes (floury potatoes are often recommended, but I find waxy ones work as well, provided they are cooked until really tender)
- salt and pepper
- soy cream (or real cream)
- chives for garnish, optional

Heat oil in a large pot on medium heat. Sauté onions for about 5 minutes, then add leeks and sauté for another 5 minutes or so. Sprinkle flour over, stir well, then gradually pour in 1 cup of hot stock, stirring constantly. Let mixture bubble a bit, then add rest of stock and potatoes. Raise heat, bring to a low boil, then let simmer for 20-30 minutes, or until potatoes are very tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Purée completely or partially with an immersion mixer or in a blender. When serving add a drizzle of cream and garnish with chives if desired. Makes about 5-6 servings. Freezes well.

Simple apple compote

2009-10-20T21:45:00.005+02:00

An easy way to use up apples that are getting a little shriveled or just aren't appealing to eat. I love this over cinnamon-brown sugar oatmeal, topped with maple syrup.

Apple compote
- apples, any kind, peeled, cored and cut into 1-2 cm (1/2-1 inch) pieces
- 1-2 T water per apple
- 1-2 tsp brown or white sugar per apple
- 1 clove per 2 apples
- 1 cinnamon stick

Put apple pieces and water in a pot and bring to a boil. Lower heat, add spices, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes, or until the apples are tender (some pieces may disintegrate and others may remain fairly solid, depending on the types of apples used). If too watery, raise heat slightly and simmer uncovered for a few minutes. Remove cloves and cinnamon stick, and add additional sugar if desired.

Chinese Hot Pot

2009-10-19T19:52:00.020+02:00

This is a great cold-weather meal that has everyone gathering around a single pot and dipping into it, much like cheese fondue (but far more vegan-friendly). It's fun because it's kind of a group activity, you can really vary it according to your preferences and everyone can eat what and how much they like. Various tasty ingredients are added to a pot of simmering broth or water; as they each become fully cooked diners extract them from the pot with chopsticks or small long-handled metal baskets, dip them in a sauce and eat them, all the while adding more raw ingredients to the pot to be cooked, dipped and eaten in their turn.

We recently enjoyed Chinese hot pot at my sister's house; my brother-in-law is Chinese from Hong Kong and knows a lot about cooking in general and Chinese cooking in particular. This is how he prepared it.

Ingredients:

- Watercress

- Chinese cabbage, cut into about 1 inch (2.5 cm) long sections

- Firm tofu, cut into large chunks

- Dried shitake mushrooms, stems removed (because they're tough), rehydrated in hot water (the soaking water can be added to the cooking water/stock to add flavor)

- Thread fin fish balls with squid filling

- Shrimp
- Wontons stuffed with pork, shrimp, bamboo shoots, egg, cornstarch; seasoned with salt, pepper, soy sauce, sugar, wine, oil
- Plain noodles ("Shanghai")

- Good quality chicken, beef or vegetable stock, or water
- a chunk of ginger
- Dipping sauce: mix dark soy sauce, regular soy sauce, sesame oil, heated (improves flavor) vegetable oil; can also add chili oil, garlic... proportions according to taste.

Equipment:
Large pot, hot plate or burner that can be placed in center of table, chopsticks, long-handled metal baskets, individual bowls for dipping sauce

(froggy bowl optional)

Procedure:
Fill pot about half way with water or stock + mushroom water (if using). Add a chunk of ginger, some vegetable oil and bring to a low boil. Add the ingredients that take the longest to cook (but not everything all at once): thickest cabbage slices, large cubes of tofu, mushrooms; let simmer (adjust heat if necessary) about five minutes. Add, as desired, shrimp, watercress, fish balls, wontons; simmer another five minutes or so. As the items in the pot become fully cooked (or in the case of the fish balls and tofu, heated through), remove them one at a time using chopsticks or baskets, dip in sauce and eat. Add more raw ingredients to the pot as you go, keeping an eye on the order in which they're added and their respective cooking times. Add the noodles towards the end so that they benefit from the enhanced flavor of the broth after all the other ingredients have been cooked in it. (Note that the wontons float when they are fully cooked, but the other ingredients don't, so you just have to check them from time to time. Shrimp are particularly challenging to fish out from the bottom of the pot, so it's useful to keep them immobilized in a basket while they cook.) Keep going until all of the ingredients are cooked and eaten, or (more likely) until no one can eat any more.

Thanks Joe and Lisa!

Pumpkin bread

2009-10-17T17:39:00.022+02:00

Like the apple crunch recipe, this dates back to my childhood. I pull the recipe out from time to time, think about trying to make it bit more healthy (less sugar, less fat, more pumpkin, maybe add some applesauce), but in the end I just follow it as written and enjoy it for what it is: a very tasty fall-winter treat that gives me a kind of 1970s nostalgia (having said that, the amount of oil could probably be reduced to about 3/4 cup with little noticeable difference in the end result). The recipe calls for canned pumpkin, which makes it pretty quick to put together, but it can also be made with about 2 cups of cooked, puréed pumpkin (or similar squash).

Pumpkin bread
- 2 c. sugar
- 1 c. vegetable oil (e.g. sunflower, safflower)
- 3 eggs
- 1 15 oz. can pumpkin purée
- 3 c. flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 scant tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Beat sugar and oil together. Beat in eggs one at a time, then add pumpkin and mix well. Sift dry ingredients into this mixture. Pour into two greased medium loaf pans. Bake in the middle of the oven for about 1 hour, or until inserted cake tester comes out clean. Let cool 10-15 minutes in pans, then remove loaves and let cool completely on a wire rack. The bread is easier to cut after it has cooled completely, and flavor improves with time. Freezes well.

Penne with sardines, artichoke hearts and tomatoes (pantry pasta)

2009-10-15T20:24:00.015+02:00

We came back from a 10-day vacation in the U.S. the day before yesterday, and have yet to do any grocery shopping. So we're currently surviving on soy yogurts that are getting rather close to their expiration date, and whatever is to be found in the kitchen cupboards. This pasta dish turned out to be a hit - somewhat surprisingly, considering that the only fresh ingredients are the onion and garlic. Something we can fall back on in the winter, when we get sick of root vegetables...

Penne with sardines, artichoke hearts and tomatoes
- 1-2 T olive oil
- 1 large or 2 small onions, thinly sliced
- 1 can (390 g) artichoke hearts in brine, drained and lightly rinsed
- 3 cloves of garlic, pressed
- 1 can (400 g) chopped tomatoes
- 1 T red wine vinegar
- pinch red pepper flakes
- salt and pepper
- 1 tin (125 g) boneless, skinless sardine fillets, packed in olive oil, drained and broken into chunks
- 1 T capers
- about 300 g (uncooked weight) penne pasta (or other medium shape; probably tagliatelle would be good too), cooked

Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium to medium-high heat (some oil drained from the sardine tine can be included). Sauté onions for about 5 minutes or until translucent. Dry artichoke hearts and cut each one in half. (Start cooking pasta about now.) Add artichoke hearts to onions and sauté for a few more minutes, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and add garlic, stir and let cook for a minute or two. Add tomatoes, red wine vinegar, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for a few minutes, then add sardines and capers. If the mixture seems too thick, add a couple of tablespoons of cooking water from the pasta pot. Serve over cooked pasta. Makes about 3 servings.

Broccoli and brown rice salad

2009-10-04T20:32:00.003+02:00

This salad was concocted from stuff we had in the fridge and I wasn't sure if it was blog-worthy. But Henry was happy with it and insisted it be included (although it should be noted that Henry is happy with almost anything that has garlic in it; add avocado and some toasted pine nuts and he's ecstatic...). In the end I agreed that I'll probably make it again, in some form. And we did both have second helpings.

Broccoli and brown rice salad
- 1 large head of broccoli (about 680 g or 1.5 lbs), cut into florettes and steamed until crisp-tender, about 10 minutes
- 3 c. cooked brown rice
- 2-3 scallions, chopped
- 6 T lemon juice
- 6 T olive oil
- 2 cloves of garlic, pressed
- 1 T Dijon mustard
- salt (at least 1/2 tsp) and black pepper
- 1/4 c. toasted pine nuts
- 1 small avocado, cut into chunks

Combine broccoli, rice and scallions in a large bowl. Put lemon juice, oil, garlic, mustard, salt and pepper in a jar; shake well and pour over rice and broccoli. Mix well; add pine nuts and avocado and stir gently. Makes about 3 main-dish or 5 side-dish servings.

Swiss rösti

2009-10-02T20:44:00.003+02:00

Except for the replacement of butter by oil, this is the authentic Swiss way of making rösti.

Rösti potatoes
- 1 kg (2.2 lb) waxy potatoes, boiled in their skins, then peeled and coarsely grated
- 1 tsp salt
- 2-3 T vegetable oil, e.g olive (not extra-virgin)

Heat oil in a medium non-stick frying pan on medium to medium-high heat. Add potatoes and season with salt; cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Using a spatula or other flat utensil, press potatoes firmly into a compact flat pancake shape and leave to cook for 10-15 minutes or until well browned underneath (the edges will be turning crispy brown at this point). Flip pancake over (turning it onto a plate and then sliding it back into the pan is the least dangerous way to do this). Reshape pancake if necessary and leave to cook another 10-15 minutes or until well browned on the other side. Serves 4 as a side dish - I especially like rösti with tomato salad and a fried egg for a simple brunch, lunch or supper.

Minimalist apple tart

2009-09-27T08:47:00.009+02:00

This is one of the first things I learned to make when I arrived in Switzerland many moons ago, thanks to my roommate at the time. It's a bare-bones apple tart, just crust and apples with some sugar and cinnamon. Only fairly recently did I realize that if it's made with an all vegetable-fat crust it's 100% vegan. It's very light and crisp and remains a favorite after all these years -- and last night to my pleasure was given two thumbs up by a group of confirmed non-vegans.

Apple tart ("Tarte aux pommes")
- 1 pie crust dough ("pâte brisée") rolled out to about 33 cm (about 13 inches) diameter
- about 5 tart apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
- 1 T flour
- 1 T sugar
- about 1/2 tsp cinnamon, or to taste
- 2 tsp fine brown sugar ("semoule de sucre de canne brut")
- 1/4 c. water

Preheat oven to 220 °C (425 °F). Line a 29 cm (11.5 inch) tart pan (i.e. round baking pan with an approximately 2.5 cm high edge) with wax or parchment paper; place rolled out dough in pan, center and press into corners. Compress the edges of the dough a bit so that they aren't too thin and don't over-bake. Prick the bottom of the crust with a fork in a dozen or so places, evenly spaced. Sprinkle flour evenly over bottom, do the same for the sugar and cinnamon. Overlap apple slices in concentric circles on the crust, packing them fairly tightly together. (If one has OC tendencies this can take a while.) Pour water evenly over apples, then immediately sprinkle with brown sugar and a few dashes of cinnamon and put into the lower half of the oven. Bake 30-35 minutes or until crust is crunchy and brown and apples cooked through. (The tart may look a bit damp when it comes out of the oven, but this moisture is absorbed/evaporates as it cools.)

Pasta with mushrooms

2009-09-26T11:21:00.013+02:00

I really like mushrooms, but really don't enjoy the work of cleaning them ("wipe each mushroom with a damp towel" - this takes ages!), so out of sheer laziness I tend not to cook with them as much as I would like to. So when I came across cleaned, sliced button mushrooms the other day at my local supermarket, which for some reason doesn't happen every day, I grabbed a package without hesitation. I also grabbed a box of oyster mushrooms, which are always surprisingly dirt-free and have a nice woodsy flavor. Along with some garlic, parsley, and a box of tagliatelle, we were all set for dinner...

Tagliatelle with sautéed mushrooms
- 250 g sliced button mushrooms
- 250 g oyster mushrooms, cut into half-inch (1 cm) pieces
(so just over a pound of mushrooms total)
- olive oil - about 1/3 c. in all
- 1 small onion, minced
- 4 cloves of garlic, pressed
- salt and pepper
- port, marsala, or madeira wine
- large handful flat leaf parsley, chopped
- 4-5 nests tagliatelle (about 200 g)

Sauté mushrooms in a few tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat, heeding the advice of Julia Child: "don't crowd the mushrooms or they won't brown!", so this has to be done in a few batches. Add more oil as needed. When all the mushrooms are browned (but not necessarily fully cooked), add another tablespoon of oil to the pan and sauté the onion until soft. Return mushrooms to the pan, add garlic, and cook for another few minutes. Season well with salt and black pepper; raise heat slightly and add a splash of port, marsala or madeira. Let the wine bubble and evaporate a bit, then remove pan from heat. Add parsley and stir well.

Meanwhile cook pasta according to package directions. Toss cooked pasta with mushrooms and serve immediately. Serves 2 generously.
Did we miss having parmesan cheese with this? Um, not really...

Easy apple crunch

2009-09-21T09:03:00.008+02:00

Not many recipes from my childhood have survived to my current repertoire, but this is the big exception. So easy to make, so aromatic as it bakes in the oven, and so good to eat.

Apple crunch
- 1 c. brown sugar
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 12 tart apples, peeled, cored and sliced
- 1 c. sugar
- 1 c. flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1/2 c. margarine (preferably Earth Balance, or equivalent), melted

Preheat oven to 350 °F (180 °C). Place apples in a greased baking dish. Combine brown sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle half of this mixture over apples. Combine sugar, flour, salt and baking powder. Add beaten egg and combine with a fork until mixture resembles crumbs. Spread crumb mixture over apples, then sprinkle over remaining brown sugar-cinnamon mixture. Pour melted margarine evenly over the top. Bake for about 40 minutes or until apples are tender and top is brown.

More dairy- (and meat-) free dilemmas

2009-09-20T17:28:00.010+02:00

We finally saw "Julie & Julia", and I really enjoyed it, even more than I expected to. It did however throw me into a bit of a crisis of doubt about my recently adopted dairy- and meat-free lifestyle. All that butter. Those gorgeous looking boeuf bourguignons and stuffed ducks. Everything looked so rich and, frankly, delicious. And forbidden according to my new dietary regime. I started to wonder: am I just being masochistic by creating these restrictions for myself? Isn't eating diversely and sometimes with abandon part of living life fully? Does it really make any difference at all if Henry and I deprive ourselves of certain foods in the name of ethical living? We ate well this weekend (vegetable couscous, deconstructed sushi and apple crunch), so it's not like I'm feeling hugely deprived by our meal choices right now, but I'm just wondering if it's all worth it. In the grand scheme of things, our little boycott of certain products is just a drop in the bucket, but in the scheme of our lives, eschewing dairy and meat is turning out to be kind of a big deal. An interesting and even enriching challenge, definitely, but also an exercise in comprises and sacrifices, and we find that we have to justify ourselves to others over and over. It's been about 6 months since we embarked on our ethical eating policy, and I must admit I find myself wavering from time to time about the worthwhileness of this choice. Does anyone else feel like this? In the blogs that I visit on a regular basis, people tend to present themselves as resolute in their choices (be they vegan, vegetarian or omnivorous) and happy with the way things are turning out for them. There don't seem to be so many blogs that deal with dietary and ethical doubts, which is logical: people prefer to share successes rather than uncertainties. Yet it's an interesting thing to think about and discuss. Any thoughts out there?

Hearty vegetarian couscous

2009-09-19T19:27:00.016+02:00

Although the vegetables used are different, flavor-wise this is based on Nigella Lawson's "Golden Root-Vegetable Couscous" (in How to Eat), and makes a great hearty fall or winter meal. There's a seasonal window when both local zucchini and root vegetables are available, which I think make the best combination for this dish. But it's still good even when zucchini is no longer in season (in that case increase the other vegetables, or use winter squash - keeping in mind its cooking time will be longer than the zucchini's, so it can be added earlier).

Vegetable couscous
- 3 T olive oil
- 1 medium onion, quartered and sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 tsp each: ground coriander, cinnamon, cumin
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- pinch saffron
- 4 medium carrots, halved (or quartered, if thick) lengthwise and cut into 1-2 inch (3-5 cm) pieces
- 2 leeks, cut into 1 inch (2-3 cm) pieces
- 1 medium turnip, peeled and cut into approx 1 inch (2-3 cm) pieces
- 1 medium celery root, peeled and cut into approx 1 inch (2-3 cm) pieces
- 1 L (4 c.) vegetable stock
- 1 400 g (13 oz) can chopped tomatoes
- 1/4 tsp orange zest
- 3 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and cut into 1 1/2 inch (3 cm) pieces (if in season)
- 1/2 golden raisins (sultanas)
- 1 c. cooked chickpeas, rinsed if canned
- 1/4-1/2 tsp harissa paste
- salt
- 2 c. quick-cooking couscous
- 3 c. boiling water
- toasted pine nuts and chopped flat-leaf parsley or cilantro for garnish

In a large pot, heat the oil on medium heat and sauté the onions for a few minutes. Lower the heat and add the garlic, coriander, cinnamon, cumin, paprika and saffron. Sauté for another minute or two. Add carrots, leeks, turnip and celery root; stir well. Raise heat and add stock, tomatoes and orange zest. Bring to a boil, lower heat, cover and let simmer for about 15 minutes. Raise heat again; add zucchini, raisins and chickpeas. When mixture starts bubbling again, lower heat, cover and let cook for another 15-20 minutes or until zucchini is cooked. Put harissa paste in a small bowl, add some broth from the pot, stir well until paste is completely dissolved, pour into the pot and stir well. Add about 1 tsp salt, or to taste. Let simmer, uncovered, a few minutes more to thicken broth a bit.

In a heat-proof bowl, pour boiling water over couscous and cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap. Let sit for a few minutes until couscous grains are tender. Add a pinch of salt and a drizzle of olive oil; mix and fluff well with a fork. Serve vegetable stew over couscous, garnished with parsley or cilantro and pine nuts. Serves about 6.

Uncomplicated carrot and coriander soup

2009-09-17T19:55:00.007+02:00

This is really tasty and simple to make, and for once no garlic...

Carrot and coriander soup
- 1 medium onion and 1 small leek, or 2 medium onions, or 1-2 leeks
- 2 T olive oil
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 500 g (1 1/8 lb) carrots, peeled and sliced
- 8 dL – 1 L vegetable stock (3 1/2 - 4 c.)
- salt and pepper
- chopped cilantro or flat-leaf parsley, pumpkin seed oil, if desired

Chop the onion and/or slice the leeks. Heat the oil in medium pot on medium high heat; add onions and leek and sauté for about five minutes, or until onion becomes translucent. Lower heat a bit and add ground coriander, sauté 1-2 minutes. Add carrots, continue to cook for another few minutes. Raise heat and add vegetable stock; bring to a boil, then lower heat, cover and simmer 35-40 minutes or until carrots are very tender. Purée with an immersion mixer or in a blender. Season with salt and pepper if desired. Serve garnished with cilantro or parsley, a fine drizzle of pumpkin seed oil and black pepper, if desired. Makes about 4 servings as a first course; 2-3 as a main course. Freezes well.

Autumn minestrone

2009-09-08T08:26:00.013+02:00

I especially enjoy minestrone in the late summer and fall, when zucchini and other squash are in season; their flavor and texture really enhance the soup. The thing is to avoid adding them too soon, so they don't overcook and get all mushy and disintegrate. Zucchini or summer squash should go in about 15 minutes before the end of the cooking time; pumpkin and other harder squashes can go in towards the beginning -- obviously the size of the pieces will also affect the cooking time.

To go with the minestrone I tried making Suzanne Dunaway's no-knead focaccia. It was delicious: crunchy on the outside, tender inside, and easy to make. We devoured the whole thing in about ten minutes flat!

Minestrone with zucchini
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 T olive oil
- 4-5 cloves garlic, pressed
- 2-3 carrots, halved lengthwise if thick, finely sliced
- 2 medium leeks, sliced into about 1/2 inch (1 cm) pieces
- 1.5 - 2 L vegetable stock
- 1 400 g (12 oz) can chopped tomatoes
- 2-3 zucchini, halved lengthwise (unless really small) and cut into 1 inch (2 cm) slices
- large handful of small pasta such as mini farfalle (bow-tie)
- 1/2 c. red wine
- 2 cubes of frozen spinach leaves, thawed and roughly chopped
- pinch each of thyme, basil and oregano
- about 1 c. cooked beans such as borlotti, cannelini or kidney; rinsed if canned
- salt and pepper

Heat soup pot over medium high heat; add olive oil and onions, reduce heat to medium and sauté for a few minutes. Lower heat a bit more, add garlic and sauté until onions are translucent. Add carrots and leeks, stir well and cook for a few minutes more. Raise heat to high. Add 1.5 L stock and tomatoes; bring almost to a boil then lower heat, cover and let simmer 5 minutes. Add pasta and zucchini, cover again and let simmer 10-15 minutes or until zucchini is nearly cooked through (add more stock if needed). Add wine, herbs, spinach, and salt & pepper to taste; stir well. Allow soup to heat through; turn off heat and add beans. Serves about 4.