Thursday

For my Deb - Potato Leek Soup

So Soups are not something I can give an exact recipe for because soups lend themselves so easily to improvisation. But for you I will do my best. Alas I have no prep or finished product photos so maybe someone can send me theirs? 

If you are not a pescetarian like me, you can add bacon (poor piggie) or clams (I eat them cause they're ugly) if you so desire. Experiment with different herbs or try shallots instead of the leeks. Omit the garlic. Get creative and make this soup to your liking. Then it will become "Deb's Famous Potato Soup" or Judit or Gina or ?

Robin's Famous (who knew?) Potato Soup 

Ingredients:

Approximately 5 large russet potatoes
2 containers vegetable or chicken dtock
Leeks - Approximately 5
Thyme - fresh or dry
3 Garlic cloves 
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper

Preparation

Read first for order of cooking/prep.

Wash and peel potatoes. If you do this early, put potatoes in salted water to avoid browning.
Dice potatoes. The size doesn't matter really. Just make sure they are about the same size so they cook at the same rate. Rinse them and put them in a stock pot with water rand 1 teaspoon of salt. to cover. Bring to a boil then continue to cook over medium heat until soft but not falling apart. Drain the potatoes. Clean pot, add potatoes back and add broth to cover. Add 1 teaspoon of fresh or 1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme and cook Cook over medium heat until the broth is hot and the potatoes are starting to fall apart.

While the potatoes are cooking, cut and wash leeks by cutting off the root end and the tops. You only want the white and light green parts. Cut in half lengthwise and rinse. Slice the leeks into about 1/8" half moons. Peel and mice the garlic cloves. 

Heat the olive oil and add the leeks. Cook them over medium heat until golden. Add garlic and cook for about a minute. Set aside until potatoes are finished cooking with the broth.
Once the broth is hot using an immersion blender or hand beater carefully blend the potato mixture until soup reaches your desired consistency.

Add leeks mixture. Add salt 1/2 t at a time until your desired salt level is reached. Potatoes suck up salt like I suck up good rum.

Tuesday

Squish! (Perhaps you call it squash)

Blogger formatting sure is wacky. I'll work on figuring it out before the next update.

I have been guiltily enjoying climate change. It’s easier given the rain we’ve already had. We are supposed to enjoy temperatures in to the high 60s this week. Crazy!

Paying a buck for a lemon, especially in California is criminal! I know we are not supposed to text and drive but there should be a special rule for me. I should not be allowed to ogle citrus fruit going to waste on the trees I see EVERYWHERE during my travels. On my walks in my neighborhood I am a serious forager and my lovely neighbors seem fine with it.
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Butternut or Delicata Squash



I had a beautiful little pile of winter squash in a pretty bowl on my counter. I filled the bowl with citrus because it was time for me to enjoy the squash. A purist, I simply roasted the squash and pumpkin together after a little massage of olive oil, some salt, pepper, cumin and ginger.  

This week I’m going to try this gratin recipe as it uses both the butternut squash and rosemary.
Oh, and it has cheese. ‘nuff said.

Butternut Squash Gratin with Rosemary Breadcrumbs

Ingredients

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
4 cups thinly sliced onions (about 1 pound)
2 1/2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
3/4 cup vegetable or chicken broth
2 cups fresh breadcrumbs made from soft white bread
2 cups (packed) grated sharp white cheddar cheese
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions; sauté until onions are light golden, about 8 minutes. Add squash; sauté 4 minutes. Sprinkle sugar, salt and pepper over vegetables; sauté until onions and squash begin to caramelize, about 5 minutes.
Spread vegetable mixture in prepared dish. Pour broth over. Cover tightly with foil and bake 45 minutes. (Squash mixture can be made 1 day ahead. Cool, then cover and refrigerate. Reheat in 350°F oven until heated through, about 10 minutes.)
Increase oven temperature to 400°F. Mix breadcrumbs, cheese, rosemary and thyme in medium bowl. Sprinkle over gratin. Bake uncovered until top is golden brown and crisp, about 30 minutes. 

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Lemons
I adore citrus of every stripe.

Lemon cake has most favored status in my book.  My birthday is next week so feel free to use this recipe to make me one. ;-)

Lemon Cake

Copyright 2001, Barefoot Contessa Parties!

Ingredients

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar, divided
4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1/3 cup grated lemon zest (6 to 8 large lemons)
3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, divided
3/4 cup *buttermilk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the glaze:

2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
3 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 2 (8 1/2 by 4 1/4 by 2 1/2-inch) loaf pans. You may also line the bottom with parchment paper, if desired. I like to make this cake in a spring form pan but have also had great results with cupcakes.
Cream the butter and 2 cups granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs, 1 at a time, and the lemon zest.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. In another bowl, combine 1/4 cup lemon juice, the buttermilk, and vanilla. Add the flour and buttermilk mixtures alternately to the batter, beginning and ending with the flour. Divide the batter evenly between the pans, smooth the tops, and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until a cake tester comes out clean.

Combine 1/2 cup granulated sugar with 1/2 cup lemon juice in a small saucepan and cook over low heat until the sugar dissolves. When the cakes are done, allow to cool for 10 minutes. Remove the cakes from the pans and set them on a rack set over a tray or sheet pan; spoon the lemon syrup over them. Allow the cakes to cool completely.

For the glaze, combine the confectioners' sugar and the lemon juice in a bowl, mixing with a wire whisk until smooth. Pour over the tops of the cakes and allow the glaze to drizzle down the sides.
*Tip!  No buttermilk? Add 1 teaspoon vinegar to 1 C milk and after 5 minutes you have a great substitution.  If you actually do have buttermilk, why?  ;-)

Last week I shared Ina Garten’s Lemon Curd recipe. I made it and I will make a couple of revisions next time. I am going to cut the sugar from 1-1/2 cups to a 1-1/3 cup as it was to my taste, cloyingly sweet. I will also bump up the juice as much as I think I can get away with and still end up with lemon curd.

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Kale!

I crave this salad. I think I could eat it 3 times a week for the duration.

Tuscan Kale Caesar Salad 
Serves 2-3 people as an appetizer or side dish

Ingredients

1 bunch Tuscan kale (usually about 3/4 pound)
1-2 garlic cloves
1 lemon
Pinch of red pepper flakes
At least 1 ounce Parmesan cheese (roughly 1/3 cup when grated), plus additional
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more if necessary
Sea salt
Freshly ground pepper

Cut off and discard the bottom inch or 2 from the stems of your kale. Wash and dry thoroughly in a salad spinner and/or between clean dry kitchen towels.
Separate the stems of the kale from the leaves by yanking the leaves off the stems. The stems are edible (and delicious), but you won't need to use them in this recipe. Gather the kale leaves together.  You can make a big pile of kale leaves or you stack up several of the kale leaves at a time and roll them up like a cigar.  (This will make it easier to hold the leaves together when you cut them. Cut the kale leaves into slices as thin or as chunky as you like.  (We usually cut them about an inch-and-a-half thick.)

Make the dressing. Peel the garlic cloves.  Be sure to remove any green shoots from the middle of the garlic clove(s), as these shoots often have a bitter flavor. Mince as finely as you can, and mash them into a paste with the side of your knife.
Place the garlic in a large bowl.  Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice from half of the lemon into the bowl. You may need to use the other lemon half later on.  Add a pinch of red pepper flakes and stir to combine.

Grate the Parmesan cheese into the bowl with the lemon and garlic.  (We usually buy a hunk of Parmesan cheese and start by grating about an ounce of it - roughly 1/3 cup when medium-to-finely grated - into the dressing.)  Stir or whisk together to combine.  You want to use enough cheese so that the cheese soaks up most of the lemon juice, and forms somewhat of a moist paste.  If the mixture seems too dry, add more lemon juice; if it seems too liquidy, add more Parmesan cheese.  Stir again to combine.
Add the extra virgin olive oil (we usually start with about 3 tablespoons worth), pouring slowly and stirring (or whisking) until the oil is well incorporated into the dressing.  You basically want to add enough extra virgin olive oil to loosen up the dressing and make it more manageable.  The dressing should be quite thick, but still moist, with a consistency similar to that of a good pesto.  (If the dressing seems too thick, add more extra virgin olive oil; if the dressing doesn't seem thick enough, grate more Parmesan cheese into it.  Stir or whisk to combine.)  Some of the oil may separate slightly from the dressing, which is normal; just stir the dressing together before you toss it with the kale.

Season the dressing lightly with sea salt (Parmesan cheese is already a bit salty) and with a nice amount of freshly ground pepper.  Dip a piece of the kale into the dressing and give it a taste.  If the dressing seems too garlicky, add more Parmesan cheese and extra virgin olive oil.

Add the chopped kale leaves to the bowl of dressing.  Working with your own clean hands, "massage" the dressing into the kale leaves, squeezing the leaves as you toss them with the dressing.  (Kale leaves won't get soggy like lettuce, so you don't have to be gentle with them.  Scrunching and "massaging" the kale leaves will make them more tender, and help them to soak up the dressing.)  Continue for a good minute or so, or until the kale leaves are well coated with the dressing.  You'll notice that the color of the kale leaves gets a bit darker after the "massage."

Taste a piece of the kale to see if the salad needs any additional sea salt, freshly ground pepper, etc., and adjust as necessary.  Grate a little extra Parmesan cheese over the salad before serving.
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What are you eating this week?

Black Bean Tacos? Oh yeah!


We were at our amazing Carly's last week and she shared with me her chipotle sauce recipe. Now I'm going to share it with you along with a delicious idea for black bean tacos. 

You lucky thing you.


Okay. The new favorite at our house: Black Bean Tacos.

Carly's sauce is made with a hot sauce called Bufalo Salsa Chipotle. It's only $1.25 at my store. If you can't find Bufalo, buy another chipotle sauce and I'm sure it will work perfectly well.It's a very free form recipe. I used approximately 4.25 part hot sauce, 4.25 part yogurt and a tad bit, about 1.5 part mayo. Make it to your taste.

I found these wonderful tortillas made by a Santa Rosa (local) company called La Tortilla Company. I buy their Hand Made Style corn tortillas. Of course any corn tortillas will work.

Prep the condiments. Clean and dry some cilantro, slice some radishes, carrots and cabbage. I used Napa cabbage as it has a milder favor. Slice the avocados and limes as well.

Open a can or two of black beans and rinse them. Put them in a frying pan over medium heat and smash them with a potato masher. Add some salt, garlic powder and cumin and heat all the way through stirring often.

I heat the tortillas by putting them on a plate with damp paper towels between each tortilla and covering the top. You can fry and drain them if you'd rather. 

Once the tortillas are warm and the beans are done, put your tacos together.
Tortilla, sauce, beans and veggies. Squirt with a little lime juice and behold a taste of heaven!

Later gators.
I gotta go eat.





Monday

Winter's Bounty



Oh baby its cold outside!  My car has a feature to warn about chilly temperatures. If the temp drops to 37 degrees or lower, a snowflake appears on my dash and a bell sounds. Until this winter, it has never happened here at home. Now it happens almost daily. Brrrrr….
I hope you are keeping warm but also getting out enjoying the sun when it’s shining.

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Lemons


It makes me crazy when lemons cost almost a buck at the store. Heck! Just makes friends with a neighbor with a tree! Lemons and oranges are everywhere and most people are happy to share.

I adore lemons. They make everything better. One of the things I do if I have extra lemons is first zest them and freeze the zest and then juice them and freeze in ice cube trays. Each cube will be about 2T. When they are frozen, pop them out and put them in a freezer bag and whenever you need fresh juice or zest, you’re covered. A bit of lemon and olive oil is the perfect replacement for bottles salad dressing.

Lemons have strong antibacterial, antiviral, and immune-boosting powers. Lemons contain many substances--notably citric acid, calcium, magnesium, vitamin C, bioflavonoids, pectin, and limonene--that promote immunity and fight infection. Enjoy some lemon juice in your water. Lemons make it easy to up your daily water intake. Nature gives us lemons when we need them most. Thanks Mother Nature! You rock!

Okay. So I am having a food swap and I am going to make lemon curd. I love lemon curd. I love it a bit too much actually. Here is a Barefoot Contessa recipe to try if you love lemon curd too.

Lemon Curd
1999, The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, All Rights Reserved
Yield: 3 cups

Ingredients

3 lemons
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 pound unsalted butter, room temperature
4 extra-large eggs
1/2 cup lemon juice (3 to 4 lemons)
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions
Using a carrot peeler, remove the zest of 3 lemons, being careful to avoid the white pith. Put the zest in a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Add the sugar and pulse until the zest is very finely minced into the sugar.
Cream the butter and beat in the sugar and lemon mixture. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, and then add the lemon juice and salt. Mix until combined.
Pour the mixture into a 2 quart saucepan and cook over low heat until thickened (about 10 minutes), stirring constantly. The lemon curd will thicken at about 170 degrees F, or just below simmer. Remove from the heat and cool or refrigerate. 

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Tangerines

Citrus fruits are one of winter’s gifts. Their health benefits help to keep us well in these months of forced closeness with the germy.
As with oranges, Tangerines are very low (53 cal/100 g) in calories. Nevertheless, they are valuable sources of flavonoid anti-oxidants like narigenin, hesperetin, vitamin A, carotenes, xanthins and luteins; in fact many times higher than in oranges.
In addition, these citrus fruits are very rich sources of vitamin-C (ascorbic acid), a water-soluble vitamin. Vitamin-C is one of powerful natural anti-oxidant, which has many essential roles like collagen synthesis, wound healing, anti-viral, anti-cancer activity, and helps prevent from neuro-degenerative diseases, arthritis, and cold/fever...etc by removing oxidant free radicals from the body. Vitamin C helps absorb iron in the food by reducing ferrous form of iron element to ferric form in the gut.
Isn’t that cool?  ;-)
Place the fruit that you plan to use right away in baskets. Set the baskets out of direct sunlight and where air can circulate freely around the fruit. Tangerines stored at room temperature last two to three days. Refrigerate unwrapped tangerines that you plan to keep for several days, up to a week. They most likely will not last much beyond that because they are much more delicate than other varieties of citrus. I like to put them in a pretty bowl with my other winter produce and put it on the table so I can enjoy their beauty. And then I eat ‘em!

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Garlic

Hate Peeling Garlic? Microwave it! Microwave your garlic for about 20 seconds before peeling it. This won't completely remove the husk, but it'll make the garlic cloves slide out with surprising ease.

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Spaghetti squash

Spaghetti squash is low in Saturated Fat, and very low in Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Niacin, Vitamin B6, Pantothenic Acid, Potassium and Manganese, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber and Vitamin C.

Like pumpkin and other winter squashes, whole uncooked spaghetti squash is best stored between 50 to 60 degrees, and will last up to six months this way. If you have a room in your home that isn't well-heated, maybe you can use some space in it as a "root cellar" to store onions, squash, apples, and the like. On the other hand, spaghetti squash will keep several weeks at room temperature.

From the wonderful http://www.chow.com/ blog comes this recipe and photograph.
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Roasted Spaghetti Squash with Parmigiano-Reggiano



 Ingredients

1 large spaghetti squash (about 5 pounds)
4 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 medium shallot, finely chopped
3/4 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus extra for serving

Preparation
Heat the oven to 400°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Cut the squash in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Brush the flesh with 2 tablespoons of the oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Place the squash halves cut-side up on a baking sheet and roast until fork tender, about 50 minutes.
Remove the squash from the oven and let sit at room temperature until cool enough to handle, about 30 minutes. Scrape the flesh with a fork to make long strands; set aside.
Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a large saucepan over medium heat until shimmering, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and shallot, season with salt and pepper, and cook until softened and lightly browned, about 3 minutes.
Add the reserved squash, toss with tongs to coat thoroughly, and cook until heated through, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the cheese a handful at a time while tossing the squash to evenly coat. Serve with freshly ground black pepper and extra cheese.

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Kale

Everyone knows how much I love Kale. I had it for breakfast. Then I had the rest of the kale chips. Yes. I am weirdo. And I’m proud of it! This week I made a dish that was so simple but so amazingly tasty that I impressed myself. I had a variety of greens but it can be made with any or all of your favorite greens. All I did was cook some whole wheat linguini and top it with stir fried greens. I finished it with some good olive oil, a squeeze of lemon, some coarse salt and parmesan shavings.
Awe-some.
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Cabbage, mostly Napa

Cabbage is very low in Saturated Fat and Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Thiamin, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus and Potassium, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Vitamin B6, Folate and Manganese.

Store the whole head of cabbage in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to a week, two weeks if it is fresh from the garden. But remember, the older it gets, the stronger the flavor and odor will be.

Cabbage is lovely cooked on its own. Of course I am a bit of a purist and would eat a big bowl o’ cabbage for breakfast.

Simple Cooked Cabbage

Ingredients

1/2 head of cabbage (chopped)
2 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. water
Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

Melt butter in a large skillet add chopped cabbage and toss until cabbage is coated. Add salt and pepper, and water, cover. Cook until cabbage is done about 15 minutes.
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Lettuce

Red and green leaf lettuce is a good source of Dietary Fiber, Calcium, Magnesium, Phosphorus and Selenium, and a very good source of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Iron, Potassium and Manganese. Red leaf lettuce has a bonus of Beta Carotene.
Store it in a tightly sealed bag in the refrigerator and don’t wash it until you’re ready to use it.

Make a simple salad to compliment the roasted spaghetti squash recipe or any other warm and hearty meal. The crunch and coolness on a green salad is a great way to add texture to a meal.

Lemon-Mustard Vinaigrette
Yields 6 tablespoons, enough (probably too much) for a great big salad bowl of greens
Ingredients

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon prepared Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
4 tablespoons good olive oil

Preparation

Option 1: combine all ingredients in a small jar with a tight fitting lid. Shake vigorously for 30 seconds until emulsified.
Option 2: Combine the lemon juice, mustard and salt in a bowl. Drizzle in the olive oil while whisking continuously.
Taste and adjust the salt, and add more lemon juice or olive oil to achieve a pleasing balance of acidity.

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Leeks

Leeks are very low in Saturated Fat and Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin B6, Folate, Iron and Magnesium, and a very good source of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K and Manganese.

Leeks will exude an aroma that can be absorbed by other things in your refrigerator, so to store them before cooking, lightly wrap them in plastic wrap to contain the odor and moisture. Do not trim or wash before storing. Store in the vegetable drawer of your refrigerator.

Leeks are related to both onions and garlic. They have a wonderful mild onion flavor and are perfect in potato soup. Preparing them requires a process. Watch this video and learn:

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Limes 

When I even see a lime I want a mojito. You?

Ingredients:

4 mint leaves
1 lime (for juicing)
1 teaspoon powdered sugar
2 ounces white rum
2 ounces club soda
1 sprig of mint (for garnish)
Crushed ice

Preparation 

Put the mint leaves into a medium glass and squeeze the lime juice over them. Add the powdered sugar and then muddle the mint, lime juice and sugar together. Add crushed ice. Stir in the rum, top off with the club soda, garnish with a mint sprig and call Robin.
 
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Fennel

This food is very low in Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Niacin, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus and Copper, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin C, Folate, Potassium and Manganese. Refrigerate in plastic bag. Do not wash until ready to use.

I’m not a big licorice fan so I was a bit leery about fennel. The taste is a reminiscent of licorice but it is not overwhelming at all. Now I am a super fan. Of fennel. I still don’t like black licorice.
The beginning of my love affair with fennel found me sautéing it gently in olive oil, salt and pepper. Once we knew each other better and could be our naked (Not literally. For me anyway – the fennel was naked) true selves, I started to enjoy fennel shaved and raw in salads and even in a salad sandwich. There are many other ways to my dear fennel. Here are just some ideas:

You too will love fennel.
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