Soup and sliders

By in uncategorized

Carrot_Fennel_Soup_IMG_7305So much for my series on meals that will still be good several hours later. Shane called today to say the 12 hour work days were officially off. Hallelujah!

We had carrot and fennel soup, which really hit the spot. Shane and Rose also had turkey burgers, on Brioche this time. Shane said the burgers were unremarkable (they were packaged), and that the turkey burgers I make from scratch are better. Who knew?

• Carrot & Fennel Soup •

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large fennel bulb (without stems or leaves), chopped
3/4 lb carrots peeled and coarsely chopped
3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
heavy cream or creme fraiche for garnish (optional)

Melt butter in a large saucepan or dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft and translucent but not brown. Add fennel and cook for a few more minutes. Add carrots and broth. Simmer until carrots and fennel are soft. Blend with a stick blender until smooth. Before serving, garnish with heavy cream or creme fraiche, if you like.

Pasta e fagioli

By in quick, Vegetarian

Pasta_Fagioli_IMG_7297Shane will be working 12 hour days for the next few weeks. I’m guessing he’s going to come home hungry. What this means for dinner, is that we’re going to be having a lot of meals that will need to be good, several hours after they were first served.

Dinner #1 in the “Meals That Will Still Be Good Several Hours Later” series, is Pasta e Fagioli (pasta and beans). Not only is it still good several hours later, it is also quick, vegetarian, and a one-dish meal. So it’s going to be hard to top (really good thinking on my part).

The original recipe for this Pasta e Fagioli comes from Food 52. I made a vegetarian version tonight, by eliminating the bacon and replacing it with butter, oil and a parmesan rind for richness. If you have only 30 minutes to make dinner, this recipe is for you.

• Pasta e Fagioli •
adapted from Food 52

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 vidalia onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 small stalk celery, chopped very fine
1 piece parmesan rind (approx. 2″ square)
2 1/4 cups vegetable broth
1 can (14 oz) cannelini beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14 oz) chopped tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 cup ditalini pasta* 
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
grated Parmesan

In a heavy saucepan melt the butter with the oil over moderate heat. Add onion and garlic, stirring until onion is soft and transparent. Add celery. Add parmesan rind and broth, and simmer, covered, for 5 minutes.

On a plate mash 1/3 of the beans with a potato masher, then stir them into the onion mixture along with the remaining whole beans, pasta, tomatoes, and oregano. Simmer the soup, covered for 15 minutes, or until pasta is al dente. Then remove from heat and let stand, still covered, for 5 minutes.

Stir in (or top with) parsley and top with grated Parmesan. 

The original recipe says serves two, I think 3 or 4 is more accurate, particularly if one or two of those people is a kid.

*Note: I used 3/4 cups of pasta because 1/2 a cup didn’t seem like enough. I think 1/2 a cup is a better choice but yours might come out looking a little less pasta-y-er and a little more soupy than my photo.

 

Lentil goat cheese burgers

By in family 1 Comment

Lentil_GoatCheese_BurgersIMG_7274Firstly, we are so glad that our friends and family in Boston are safe and well, and we are so deeply sad for those who are not.

I spent dinner gazing at my girl, relishing her, listening to her stories and observations while she labored over her meal. I didn’t force her to try the lentil burger. I made her a Murray’s Mini Turkey Slider. She said “Thanks mom, but I really prefer it with Brioche.”

You may recall that my last attempt at Teresa’s lentil burgers, was a huge failure. This time they were really great, make-again great. The original recipe from Teresa Cooks is here, my slightly more foolproof, slightly less low-fat, version is below.

Call your parents, kiss your partner, snuggle your kid(s), goodnight.

• Lentil Goat Cheese Burgers •
from Teresa Cooks

1 1/2 cups water
3/4 cup dried lentils (do not substitute canned for dry)
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 large carrot, grated
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
salt and pepper to taste
2 ounces goat cheese, plus more for topping
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning blend or Penzey’s Pasta Sprinkle
1 egg

Place lentils, water, and bay leaf in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes, until lentils are tender. Remove bay leaf. If all of the water has not been removed, drain the lentils. Set aside and let them cool.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Sauté the onions the onions, garlic, and carrot for 5-8 minutes, until softened. Season with salt and pepper. Add the balsamic vinegar, increase heat to let it reduce, and then set aside until lentils are done.

Add the lentils to the sauteed vegetables with the salt, taste and season further with salt and pepper, to taste. Combine the lentils, sauteed vegetables, and remaining ingredients in a food processor, and pulse a just few times to combine. Do not over-process, you want the mixture to remain somewhat chunky, not smooth and paste-like. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes, or overnight.

Lightly oil a skillet and heat over a medium-high flame. Divide the lentil mixture into 4 to 6 equal portions, and shape each portion into a patty. Place the patties on the skillet and cook for 10-12 minutes, flipping halfway through. Reduce flame if they start to get too dark.

Serve with goat cheese or herb mayonnaise, and a green salad.

Pizza pie!

By in dishes by shane

PizzaPie2_IMG_7258Shane makes a great pizza pie. He also makes a very, very good dough. But—and I may be struck down by lightning for saying this—it’s not quite good enough. It’s a little fluffier than I want it to be, and not quite as chewy, thin, or salty as I like. God, I’m a terrible wife!

When I stumbled upon this recipe for Best Ever (Neapolitan) Pizza Dough, I decided to try it. No skin off of Shane’s back, I would make the dough, all he had to do was make delicious pizza with it. I should have followed the recipe.

The part with the sauce and cheese on it was perfect, absolutely thin and tasty, without being mushy. The crust part was too crunchy, we didn’t want to eat it. I want, to want, to eat the crust part. That’s my goal.

With something as tricky as pizza dough, it’s important to follow the recipe. I know this, I really do. Thing is, I had already dragged a whiny kid around doing errands for a couple of hours. When I returned home to find I’d bought the wrong kind of yeast, it just wasn’t feasible to go back out.

Fortunately, Shane’s excellent pizza making abilities eclipse any potential shortcomings of crust. And they did tonight. I will try the Best Ever recipe again, with the right yeast, and get back to you.

Farro with eggplant and a fried egg

By in uncategorized

Farro_Eggplant_Egg_IMG_7252Last week’s farro with fried egg was truly wonderful, but a bit heavy on the prep. Tonight I was feeling eggs and farro again, and came up with something much easier to make, and just as delicious in a totally different way.

Warning: the recipe below is very casual, if you need precise measurements you might not like it. That said, I think it would pretty hard to screw this one up.

• Farro with Eggplant, Parsley, Parmesan, and a Fried Egg •
1 eggplant
olive oil
1 cup dry farro
salt & pepper
fresh, flat leaf parsley, chopped
freshly grated parmesan cheese
as many eggs as you have people (up to 4)

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Line a large baking tray or two with parchment, coat with olive oil (you can use a pastry brush to spread it around) and sprinkle with salt. Slice eggplant crosswise into circles that are about 3/8 to 1/2 inch thick. Place eggplant slices on oiled parchment, sprinkle tops with salt and then flip over so the oiled side is up. Bake until eggplant is soft and golden, flipping halfway through. Remove from oven and let cool slightly.

Meanwhile, put farro in a saucepan and cover with water, add a bit of salt and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and simmer covered, until al dente, about 20-40 minutes depending on the farro and your desired tenderness. When done, drain, place in a medium sized bowl, and toss with a good amount of olive oil.

Chop cooked eggplant into bite-sized pieces. Add eggplant, chopped parsley and a handful of grated parmesan to farro and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper.

Heat some olive oil in a skillet large enough to accommodate as many eggs as you will be using. Add the eggs to the skillet carefully, they will sputter and cook until done.

While the eggs are cooking put a pile of the farro and eggplant onto each plate and top with a bit more parmesan. Top each farro pile with a fried egg. Serve with salad.

 

Mom’s choice

By in quick

Moms_Choice_IMG_7241Today was busy as all getout. When I found myself in the vicinity of some decent bread, cheese and charcuterie, it was clear we’d be having one of my all-time favorite dinners, salad, bread and cheese. I picked up serrano ham and put out sopressata to placate the family.

I worried that Shane and Rose would grumble over my choice of such a snack-like meal, but they seemed fine with it. Rose was proud of herself for using a sharp knife and spreading her own “stiff” butter. She liked the goat gouda, I think because she picked it out.

Shane seemed a bit bummed out at first. When I asked if dinner was adequate, he said it was fine, he was just tired and that he’d had two burritos from Chipotle for lunch. I had to clarify whether two burritos is a big or a small lunch for him (it’s “decent”).

 

Salmon & peas

By in failures 3 Comments

Salmon&Peas_IMG_7233Poached Salmon with Avocado Sauce is a weird recipe. It’s possible that I missed a bunch of crucial information and/or steps because I’m totally scatterbrained today. It’s also possible that this is a truly strange recipe.

This is not to say the result was bad, the avocado sauce was really delicious. Poaching was a nice way to cook the salmon, though I’ll find another poaching method if I make this again.

The recipe instructs you to pour boiling broth over the salmon and then let it sit for 10-15 minutes. In our case, this resulted in extremely rare salmon in lukewarm broth, after 20 minutes of soaking. I cut the filets into strips, turned the oven on high, and popped it in, broth and all, for another 15 minutes and it was fine.

The salad had great potential, tomatoes, fresh peas, tarragon, but there was no real dressing, so it was bland. Again, it’s entirely possible I missed something.

Did I mention that the avocado sauce was really good?

• Avocado Sauce for Salmon •
adapted from Bon Appetit

2 ripe avocados, halved, pitted
1 cup plain low-fat yogurt
the juice of 1 lime juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. You can also use a stick blender. Serve with Salmon.

 

Beans from scratch

By in economical 3 Comments

Beans&Rice_IMG_7229Few things are more gratifying than making beans from scratch. By from scratch I mean from dried beans, the kind you soak. What other main course costs less than two dollars to make, is delicious, and nutritious, and serves 4?

If I were a planner-aheader (which I most certainly am not) I would make beans from scratch every week. Because they require some time to make—not hands-on time, just simmering hours—they make it to our table much less often than they should.

I don’t have a recipe, the ingredients are: a bag of beans, an onion, a couple of cloves of garlic, some Better Than Bouillon, lots of cumin and a glug or two of wine.

Tonight we had our beans with a bit of crumbly white cheese, rice and a baby kale salad with avocado and creamy lime dressing.

Rose photographed her own plate (below).Beans&Rice_IMG_7232

 

Mixin’ it up at Espresso 77

By in dining out

Espresso77_IMG_1030Rose and I have been going for a grilled cheese at our local coffee shop after gymnastics on Wednesdays lately. Rose had a makeup gymnastics class today. Rose is also very big on routine. I figured she would be less likely to loose her shit if we did our regular Wednesday thing for dinner. So we did.

I decided to mix it up and get a tuna melt. Rose had her usual, the grilled cheese. The evening light was lovely, and the food is always good at Espresso 77.

«< 53 54 55 56 57 >»