Weekly Round-up

Some of my tips for this week based on my CSA share. Enjoy!

Kale, Collard Greens or Chard

Rated 1,2 and 4 on the top 10 list of the healthiest greens!

http://www.webmd.com/diet/healthy-kitchen-11/leafy-greens-rated

At our house, we don’t eat much in the way of prepared food unless it’s prepared by us.

Our Friday ritual has become veggie pizza in various guises. Sometimes it’s crust and sauce topped with thinly sliced kale or chard, slivered sun dried tomatoes, super thinly sliced red pepper, garlic and red onion. We top the whole thing with a bit of either smoked or fresh mozzarella. If you use special cheese you don’t need to add so much. (Why do I keep saying 'we'?)

When I have collards instead, I par boil them whole and roll the pizza ingredients inside of the leaves. I place them seam side down in an oven proof baking dish and top with sauce and cheese and bake, covered at 350 for about 30 minutes.

Mei Qing Choi

A delicious and tender dwarf baby pak choi. Store in the same way you’d store pak choi or bok choy.  Refrigerate in a perforated plastic bag. Wash and chop just before serving.

 

Mei qing choi is very low in Saturated Fat and Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Dietary Fiber, Protein, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Magnesium and Phosphorus, and a very good source of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Vitamin B6, Folate, Calcium, Iron, Potassium and Manganese.

It's great raw in a salad and we love it in a stir-fry but what about in a soup? Try this one:

Mei Qing Noodle Soup

Serves 2-3 (May be doubled)

1 qt unsalted chicken or veggie stock             

2 Tbsp soy sauce

1 Tbsp sherry                                                      

6 dried wood ear or shitake mushrooms

1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger                               

2 cloves garlic, minced                                       

½ cup onion, thinly sliced

Salt and freshly ground black pepper              

1/3-1/2 lb Chinese egg noodles

2 tsp dark sesame oil                                          

1 cup cooked chicken

1 Mei Qing Choi, chopped                                

1 sweet red pepper, julienned

Combine stock, soy sauce sherry, mushrooms, ginger, garlic, and onions in a large saucepan.  Season to taste with salt & pepper.  Simmer for 25 minutes.  Meanwhile bring a large pot of salted water to boil.  Add noodles, cook until just barely tender, drain.  Toss noodles with sesame oil and keep warm.  Add chicken, mei qing choi, and sweet pepper to broth.  Simmer another 6-8 minutes.  Place a nest of noodles in each bowl, ladle broth and vegetables over nest and serve hot.  Chinese chili paste may be served on the side as a condiment.

Cinderella / Fairy Pumpkin Slices

This week we are sharing wonderfully tasty slices of really BIG pumpkins. They are hard to prep because of their size and would be hard to eat it all once opened so we are offering slices. If you need a mother-in-law cottage, artist studio or just a place to store your extra children we may be able to part with a whole one.

Pumpkin  is low in Saturated Fat, and very low in Cholesterol and Sodium. It is also a good source of Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol), Thiamin, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Iron, Magnesium and Phosphorus, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Riboflavin, Potassium, Copper and Manganese.

Since the pumpkin is already sliced it would benefit from cooking in the next couple of days. Store in your refrigerator.

The rain is due back Thursday. Perfect soup weather.

French Heirloom Pumpkin Soup

Adapted from The ex (Expatriate’s Kitchen) blog
Serves 8-10

Ingredients:

For soup:
1 5-6 pound pumpkin (Galeux D’Eyesines, Rouge Vif D’Etampes, or Musquee de Provence)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 leeks, sliced (white and light green parts)
1 yellow onion, diced
2 sprigs rosemary, chopped
3 sprigs thyme, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped sage
1/2 bunch Italian parsley, chopped (* I used about 1/4 bunch of Italian parsley, chopped)
8 cups chicken broth (* I used homemade chicken stock)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup half and half
1 tablespoon sugar, optional (I did not use sugar)
Grated fresh nutmeg, to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
For cheese toasts:
Slices of French baguette
Softened unsalted butter
Finely chopped Thyme
Finely grated Gruyère cheese

Directions:

Dice the flesh into 1-inch cubes. Heat the olive oil in a large stock pot, medium heat. Add the leeks, onion and herbs and sweat the aromatics until translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the pumpkin cubes and the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and let simmer until the pumpkin is tender, about 20-30 minutes.
Puree using an immersion blender (you can also use a food processor or blender, if you puree in batches). Swirl in the butter and the half and half. Add the nutmeg, then taste and adjust the salt and pepper as needed. Use the sugar if you like a slight sweetness to your soups. * My soup was better the next day and even better the following day.

For cheese toasts:
Prior to serving, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter the baguette slices lightly with butter. Toast on one slide until lightly brown, just a few minutes. Turn over and toast for another minute or two. Remove slices from oven and top with a little sprinkle each of chopped fresh Thyme and grated cheese. Put back in oven and toast another few minutes until cheese has melted.
Top warm bowls of soup with toasted baguette slices.

Coffee

Our favorite local café, Chromatic Coffee  http://www.chromaticcoffee.com/  has generously donated coffee for us to include in our weekly share. Talk about generous! We are so thankful!

There are as many tips for brewing coffee as there are types of coffee. I personally like a strong and dark coffee brewed in a French press. Some of my friends go directly to the IV method but that pesky IV stand gets in my way.  For those of us coffee aficionados out there this wonderful coffee will be a morning treat.

If you are not a coffee drinker, try this Coffee facial mask made from ground coffee beans and applied directly on the skin. It is said to provide a temporary anti-aging fix for puffy eyes.

Caffeine from the coffee beans is said to be easily absorbed into the skin and can tighten the dilated blood vessels under the skin.  Try your own coffee mask. Here’s one that’s easily made and applied.

Quick-Fix Coffee Mask

Ingredients

4 tablespoons of ground coffee (organic and not of the “instant coffee” variety)

About ¼ cup of whole milk

1 tablespoon of honey (Olive oil or lemon juice as alternatives)

Preparation

Mix the ingredients together. Add more milk or coffee to achieve a paste consistency.

Application

Smear the paste on your face with a gentle circular massage to help with absorption and improve skin circulation. Cover everything even the under eyes, but avoid the lips. You may also smear a layer on your neck. Leave it on for about 20 minutes before washing off. Gently pat dry the skin.

The dark color may make you look scary at first, but at least you have that sweet aroma to keep you company! Immediately after washing you’ll feel an instant tightness to your skin, and notice a clean glow about you. Do this once a week for a regular facial boost.

Citrus- Lemons, Oranges & Grapefruit

Every year at Christmas, my Nana would make candied citrus peel. If you have never tried them you should. You can use any citrus fruit. They are an impressive sight in their jewel-like beauty, easy to make and so, so tasty. They make a lovely edible decoration on cake or ice cream. Serve candied lemon peel with coffee. Preferably Chromatic Coffee of course.

Candied Citrus Peel

Adapted from a recipe from Martha Stewart

Ingredients

8 oranges, 10 lemons, or 6 grapefruits*
6 cups sugar, plus more for rolling

Preparation

Cut ends off fruit, and halve fruit lengthwise. Insert the tip of a small paring knife carefully between fruit and pith about 1/2 inch deep and cut, following the shape of the fruit and keeping skin in one piece. Turn fruit on other end and repeat. Use your fingers to gently pull the peel away. Reserve fruit for another use.

Place citrus peel in a 6-quart pot; fill with enough cold water to cover (about 3 quarts). Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat; simmer 20 minutes. Drain. Soak peel in cold water until cool enough to handle, about 5 minutes.

Using a melon baller, scrape the soft white pith from the peel, being careful not to tear or cut the skin. Slice each piece of peel lengthwise into thin strips 1/4 to 1/2 inch wide.

Stir together sugar and 3 cups water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring until sugar has dissolved, about 8 minutes. Add strips and reduce heat to medium-low. Using a pastry brush dipped in cold water, wash down any sugar crystals that form on the sides of the pan. Simmer until strips are translucent and syrup thickens, about 40 minutes. 

Let the strips cool completely in syrup for 3 hours (or overnight). Strips can be refrigerated in syrup in an airtight container up to 3 weeks.

For sugared peel, remove strips with a slotted spoon. Using fingers, wipe off as much excess syrup as possible, and roll strips in sugar. Let dry.

Makes 1 1/2 cups.

Note: *If using grapefruit, adapt the recipe since the fruit has more pith, which is bitter and must be completely removed. If making candied grapefruit, after scraping the pith from the peel (in Step 4), simmer peel for 20 minutes more, and repeat to remove remaining pith.

One of my very favorite food blogs, The Bitten Word, has this wonderful Rosemary Chicken sounding recipe  I’m a vegetarian but used to love chicken so make it and eat it in my name. ;-)

Once you look at this blog you too will fall in love with Clay and Zach. They have resolved to actually cook from their food magazines as opposed to using them as food porn and just drooling on the photographs.

Lemon and Rosemary Chicken

Saveur Magazine, March 2010

Make something amazing for dinner!

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.

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?