Ingredients
4 Cups Chickpeas (canned, drained, but save some liquid)
1/2 Cup Olive Oil
4 Cloves Garlic, Peeled
1/2 Cup Lemon Juice
Salt & Pepper
1 Tablespoon Cayenne Pepper
Real simple. Put all this stuff into a blender. Blend until you have hummus. Add more garlic, lemon juice, or cayenne pepper, to taste. The only trick here, if it's too thick, you can add some of the liquid from the beans to keep it blending smoothly.
This is probably the most basic of many possible variations, but it turned out as good as the Trader Joe's garlic hummus we usually get. It was so easy, I'm not sure why we haven't been making it ourselves all along.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Sunday, October 18, 2009
"The quintessential fall soup"
This soup is from a new cookbook that I got for my birthday called Clean Food by Terry Walters. The recipes are organized seasonally, so the ingredients they call for are only what is generally in season. From the fall section, I made Apple Squash Soup. It was simple and so yummy!
Apple Squash Soup
1 large butternut squash
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 tablespoons oil
4 large apples, peeled, cored, and chunked
4 cups vegetable stock
1 cup (rice) milk
1/4 cup coconut milk
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
sea salt
Peel squash, cut in half, remove seeds. Cut into 2-inch pieces. In large pot over medium heat, saute onion in oil until soft (about 5 minutes). Add squash, apples, stock, milk, coconut milk, and nutmeg. Cover; bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until squash is soft. Puree with blender or food processor. Cool slightly, season with salt and serve.
Apple Squash Soup
1 large butternut squash
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 tablespoons oil
4 large apples, peeled, cored, and chunked
4 cups vegetable stock
1 cup (rice) milk
1/4 cup coconut milk
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
sea salt
Peel squash, cut in half, remove seeds. Cut into 2-inch pieces. In large pot over medium heat, saute onion in oil until soft (about 5 minutes). Add squash, apples, stock, milk, coconut milk, and nutmeg. Cover; bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until squash is soft. Puree with blender or food processor. Cool slightly, season with salt and serve.
Creamy Potatoes with Eggplant and Cheese
Steve and I made this from the Mark Bittman cookbook a few weeks ago. We found this recipe in search of something to do with the potatoes we purchased for a different meal. It's actually a variation on a Greek dish, called pastitsio, usually made with pasta instead of potatoes. It turned out to be really, really delicious, but a bit time-consuming to make. We started making it late and ended up eating around 10'o'clock. Don't let the time of preparation scare you, though. This is seriously one of the tastiest things we've made.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more as needed
1 lb. eggplant, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 small red onion, chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon each ground cinnamon and cloves
cayenne or hot red pepper flakes to taste
2 cups chopped tomato (canned are fine)
4 tablespoons butter
1 lb. all purpose potatoes, washed, peeled, and cut into cubes
2 tablespoons breadcrumbs
1 1/2 cups milk
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
pinch of nutmeg
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup Parmesan
Put olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add the eggplant, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally and adding a little more oil if necessary, until the eggplant it softened and browned all over, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon. Add more oil to the pan if needed to coat the bottom and return it to the heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 2 minutes. Turn the heat down to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens, about 10 minutes. Return the eggplant to the pan, taste and adjust the seasoning, then set aside. Put potatoes in a large pot, fill with cold water, and salt it. Boil the potatoes until softened, drain. Put the potatoes into a large bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon of the melted butter and 1 tablespoon of the breadcrumbs. Use some butter to grease a baking dish.
In a small saucepan or microwave, heat the milk until small bubbles appear. Reheat the remaining butter over medium-low heat in its saucepan. Add the flour to the melted butter and stir almost constantly with a wire whisk until the mixture turns golden, about 5 minutes. Slowly add the milk, whisking constantly; cook, whisking, until the mixture thickens, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the nutmeg and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Stir a couple of tablespoons of the hot sauce mixture into the beaten eggs, then a little more. Pour this mixture back into the sauce and stir. Add most of the Parmesan and stir again.
Put half the potatoes in the baking dish; cover with half the eggplant mixture. Cover with the remaining potatoes, then the remaining eggplant and all the cheese sauce. Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan and the remaining breadcrumbs. Bake for about 45 minutes, until top turns golden brown. Let rest for a few minutes before cutting and serving.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more as needed
1 lb. eggplant, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 small red onion, chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon each ground cinnamon and cloves
cayenne or hot red pepper flakes to taste
2 cups chopped tomato (canned are fine)
4 tablespoons butter
1 lb. all purpose potatoes, washed, peeled, and cut into cubes
2 tablespoons breadcrumbs
1 1/2 cups milk
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
pinch of nutmeg
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup Parmesan
Put olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add the eggplant, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally and adding a little more oil if necessary, until the eggplant it softened and browned all over, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon. Add more oil to the pan if needed to coat the bottom and return it to the heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 2 minutes. Turn the heat down to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens, about 10 minutes. Return the eggplant to the pan, taste and adjust the seasoning, then set aside. Put potatoes in a large pot, fill with cold water, and salt it. Boil the potatoes until softened, drain. Put the potatoes into a large bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon of the melted butter and 1 tablespoon of the breadcrumbs. Use some butter to grease a baking dish.
In a small saucepan or microwave, heat the milk until small bubbles appear. Reheat the remaining butter over medium-low heat in its saucepan. Add the flour to the melted butter and stir almost constantly with a wire whisk until the mixture turns golden, about 5 minutes. Slowly add the milk, whisking constantly; cook, whisking, until the mixture thickens, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the nutmeg and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Stir a couple of tablespoons of the hot sauce mixture into the beaten eggs, then a little more. Pour this mixture back into the sauce and stir. Add most of the Parmesan and stir again.
Put half the potatoes in the baking dish; cover with half the eggplant mixture. Cover with the remaining potatoes, then the remaining eggplant and all the cheese sauce. Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan and the remaining breadcrumbs. Bake for about 45 minutes, until top turns golden brown. Let rest for a few minutes before cutting and serving.
Stirred Custard
This recipe is from my mom. My two older sisters, Erika and Celeste, made a cookbook for her when they were little, and this is one of the recipes from it. If I had a scanner, I could post Celeste's drawing of the spoon with eyelashes and dressed in fringe, but I don't. Just use your imagination.
Ingredients
4 eggs or 3 eggs and 2 yolks, slightly beaten
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon flour (my mom leaves this out)
2 1/2 cups milk, scalded
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
Combine eggs, sugar, and flour. Gradually stir in milk. Cook, stirring constantly, in double boiler over hot, but not boiling, water until mixture coats spoon. Remove from heat immediately. Cool slightly. Stir in salt and vanilla. Chill rapidly. Makes 4 to 5 servings.
Ingredients
4 eggs or 3 eggs and 2 yolks, slightly beaten
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon flour (my mom leaves this out)
2 1/2 cups milk, scalded
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
Combine eggs, sugar, and flour. Gradually stir in milk. Cook, stirring constantly, in double boiler over hot, but not boiling, water until mixture coats spoon. Remove from heat immediately. Cool slightly. Stir in salt and vanilla. Chill rapidly. Makes 4 to 5 servings.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Roasted Tomato Caprese Salad
I know this won't strike anyone as a very innovative dish, but I had to share it. I was watching the Food Network (my default channel) last week and watched the Barefoot Contessa (Ina Garten) cook up this deliciously juicy dish. We are all used to the typical tomato, basil, and mozzarella salad, but the difference here is that the tomatoes are slow roasted. Yummmm...the juices are locked right in and explode forth when you take a bite! Here is the recipe as it appears in one of Ina's cookbooks. (Sorry, I know these pictures look a little funky...we only have a video camera to take pictures and it doesn't have a flash :-/)Ingredients
- 12 plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise, seeds (not cores) removed
- 1/4 cup good olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 1 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 large garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 16 ounces fresh salted mozzarella
- 12 fresh basil leaves, julienned
Directions
Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.
Arrange the tomatoes on a sheet pan, cut sides up, in a single layer. Drizzle with 1/4 cup of olive oil and the balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle with the garlic, sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Roast for 2 hours until the tomatoes are concentrated and begin to caramelize. Allow the tomatoes to cool to room temperature.
Cut the mozzarella into slices slightly less than 1/2-inch thick. If the slices of mozzarella are larger than the tomatoes, cut the mozzarella slices in half. Layer the tomatoes alternately with the mozzarella on a platter and scatter the basil on top. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper and drizzle lightly with olive oil. Serve at room temperature.
This recipe was the centerpiece of what became a yummy Italian meal, perfect to enjoy during a pleasant Saturday evening with dinner and a movie. :-) Ben and I took a treat trip to Whole Foods (we're not regulars there for obvious reasons) and picked up some Cilantro-Lime Pesto for a simple pasta dish and splurged just a little on some special prosciutto. If you ever see La Quercia products at the grocery, consider treating yourself (esecially if your looking forward to a nice night in!). They come from Iowa, surprisingly enough, but critics agree that they give comparable Italian products a run for their money! The prosciutto was featured in Chicago Magazine and is truly oh so savory -- not stringy or chewy. It really just melts in your mouth like butter.
Top it all off with a delicious glass of Italian-friendly red wine and it won't disappoint! You don't have to do all this to enjoy that yummy Roasted Tomato Caprese Salad, though. It can certainly be savored anytime, anywhere!
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Spicy Tomato Soup
This is probably the quickest and easiest soup I've ever made from scratch (about 15-20 minutes total prep and cook time) and it was so much tastier than something out of a can. It was warm and comforting-- perfect for a cool fall evening.
Recipe* (as seen on "Everyday Italian" on the Food Network)
Ingredients
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (26-ounce) jar Marinara sauce
28 ounces low sodium chicken broth (vegetarians can substitute vegetable broth)
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (These are white kidney beans. If your grocery store doesn't carry them, you can substitute navy beans or red kidney beans.)
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup pastina (small sized) pasta (I used little shells)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Warm the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the carrots, onion, and garlic and saute until soft, about 2-3 minutes. Add the jar of marinara sauce, broth, cannellini beans, red pepper flakes, pasta, salt and pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes. Ladle into bowls and serve.
(I recommend serving with grilled cheese or garlic bread. Keep it simple and yummy!)Warm the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the carrots, onion, and garlic and saute until soft, about 2-3 minutes. Add the jar of marinara sauce, broth, cannellini beans, red pepper flakes, pasta, salt and pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes. Ladle into bowls and serve.
Now that I've tried the recipe, I'll do two things differently next time. My husband thought it was a little too spicy, so I will go with 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes in the future. If you like more spice, of course, you can increase the red pepper flakes. Also, the carrots were a little al dente for my taste, so I will probably saute my veggies for 4-5 minutes before adding the liquids next time.
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