Monthly Archives: February 2012

Balsamic Marinated Beets

29 Wednesday Feb 2012

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Beets

I love beets but I’ve always just oven roasted them (how-to at bottom). That’s super easy and also quite efficient if you’re baking other things at the same time. But it’s not very “special.” So to class it up for some friends who were coming over, I borrowed from this recipe to make marinated beets. And the result is awesome – very flavorful and excellent texture.

Combine the following in a large stock pot and simmer for 30-45 minutes:

  • 6 red beets, peeled
  • 4 cups vegetable broth
  • 4 cups water
  • .5 cups balsamic vinegar
  • .25 cups salt
  • .5 cups sugar

The time difference will depend on the size of your beets – they’re done when you can insert a knife easily to the center.

Also, if you’re cooking golden beets instead of red, you can substitute champagne vinegar to preserve their color.

And here’s a great way to use those beautiful beet greens: in a risotto!

If you want to oven roast your beets instead: Rinse them but leave the skins on and individually wrap in tin foil with a drizzle of grape seed oil. Then pop into the oven for 30-45 minutes at 350 degrees. Skin usually slides off easily when done.

Fennel Lentil & Sausage (vegan style!)

21 Tuesday Feb 2012

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Fennel Lentil and Sausage

A couple weeks ago it was a beautiful sunny day in Seattle – an unseasonably early week of Spring that only served to get everyone’s hopes up. So I took full advantage and walked to Pike Place Market for some fresh fish and produce. One thing I picked up was this fennel:

Fennel

These fennels?

I’ve never cooked with fennel before, and evidently I’m the only one because I posted on facebook for suggestions and got an impressive response. (Guys, who didn’t tell me about fennel? What else do I need to know?)

I tried several of the recipe recommendations including a fennel salad thanks to comments from Adam, Lauren and Linsday, as well as garnishing cioppino with the fuzzy top part thanks to Adrienne and Heather. And this one came from Evan with the warmest wishes of all: “It’s high in fiber…stay regular!”

Fennel Lentil and Sausage Ingredients

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup dried green lentils
  • 4.5 cups water
  • 1.5 tsp salt – I love Celtic Sea Salt for flavor and mineral content
  • 1 fennel bulb, diced (stalks removed)
  • Fennel fronts, chopped
  • .25 cups olive oil
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 2 carrots, diced
  • 1 tsp fennel seeds
  • 4 Italian Sausage – I used these vegan guys here
  • 3 tbsp Italian parsley, chopped
  • .5 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1 tbsp red wine vinegar plus more to adjust flavor when done

Instructions:

  1. Cook lentils in water with .5 tsp salt uncovered for about 15 minutes – you want them to be just tender but not falling apart
  2. In a high-edged pan over medium, heat oil and stir in onion, carrot, fennel bulb, fennel seeds and remaining salt – cook for 10 minutes until vegetables are tender
  3. Drain lentils and stir into vegetable with .25 to .5 cups of the cooking liquid
  4. Remove from heat and stir in parsley, pepper, fennel fronds and vinegar
  5. In the meantime, heat the vegan sausage and cut into chunks – you could just add them into the vegetables to heat at the same time or use a separate skillet if you want to brown them (and if you’re using real meat, definitely cook fully in a separate skillet, then cut into chunks)
  6. Serve the lentil and vegetables with a few chunks of sausage on top and garnish with a drizzle of olive oil plus more vinegar and/or salt to taste

Stay regular, friends!

Tomatillo Chipotle Salsa

20 Monday Feb 2012

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Tomatillo Chipotle Salsa

I almost never buy salsa anymore, not since I got a food processor last year, because fresh homemade salsa is super easy and delicious. Here’s one of our favorite recipes.

Ingredients:

  • 1 tsp cumin powder
  • .5 tsp chili powder
  • .5 tsp chipotle powder
  • .5 tsp salt
  • .5 cups onion
  • 3-4 garlic cloves
  • 1-2 tsp fresh jalapeno (optional per your heat preference)
  • 1 cup cilantro
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • 3-4 tomatillos, papery wrappers removed and rinsed
  • 1-2 tomatoes

Salsa Ingredients

Instructions:

  1. Pulse the spices, salt, onion and garlic until finely chopped (here’s where jalapeno would go in)
  2. Add cilantro and lime juice, pulse several times
  3. Add tomatillos and tomatoes, pulse until they are the texture you prefer
  4. Between each step make sure to scrape the sides of the food processor with a spatula so all the ingredients get incorporated evenly

I like to separate the chunky part and use the juices to season my Spanish rice, etc.

One other note: this is a great way to use the cilantro stems since they are getting finely chopped anyway, so you can use the pretty top leaves for garnish.

Risotto with Beet Greens

20 Monday Feb 2012

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Risotto with Beet Greens

Risotto is such a treat – plus it’s easy to make and extremely flexible. The one consideration with risotto is that you do need to stir it pretty constantly, so plan to spend 30-40 minutes by the stove (aka, pour yourself a glass of wine and relax). With a basic technique in mind, you can vary the recipe for whatever you have on hand or find fresh at the local farmer’s market. It also satisfies that pasta craving for my gluten-free friends.

I had some beet greens that I needed to use, so that’s what last night’s risotto featured. I balanced the greens with lemon juice for brightness and red pepper flakes for a little kick of flavor.

Ingredients:

  • .25 cups olive oil
  • 2 bay leaves
  • .25 tsp red pepper flakes (up to this amount, adjust down for less heat)
  • .25 tsp ground black pepper
  • .25 tsp thyme (optional)
  • 1 onion finely chopped
  • 6 cloves of garlic
  • Greens from 3-6 beets – stems removed and chopped, leaves chopped
  • 1 cup Arborio rice
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • Juice from 1 lemon
  • .25 cups pine nuts
  • 4 cups vegetable broth – heated in separate pot on stove ready to ladle in
  • 2 tbsp butter (optional)
  • 1 cup grated parmesan cheese

Instructions:

  1. In a large high-edged pan heat the oil over medium heat and season with the bay leaves, pepper, red pepper (this is when to add the thyme if you use it)
  2. Add the onions and stir until they begin to turn translucent, then stir in the garlic and beet stems
  3. Add Arborio rice and stir in so that it absorbs any oil and cooking juices
  4. Add wine and stir until absorbed
  5. Add pine nuts and lemon juice and stir until absorbed
  6. Add broth one ladle at a time until absorbed – you may not use all 4 cups, judge how much the rice will take and adjust to your liking
  7. Stir in parmesan cheese (and butter if you use)
  8. Fold in beet greens until they wilt down and start to incorporate, but still have good color
  9. Garnish with additional parmesan cheese, salt and pepper, drizzle of olive oil

You can also substitute pearl barley for the Arborio rice, for a high-fiber version!

The Moto Guys Push the Future of Food for Good

19 Sunday Feb 2012

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Moto is that molecular gastronomy restaurant in Chicago where they’re “printing” food and making meat foam, etc.

What I love about this talk is that they are continuing to push their thinking, technology and artistry beyond the shock and showmanship into places that have positive social impact.

I’m always inspired to see that “yes and” philosophy applied in different fields driving innovation for the greater good. Like, what if we took all the stuff cows eat and made burgers without the cow getting in the middle – love it!

Chia Seed Tea

18 Saturday Feb 2012

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Chia Seed Tea

Yep, chia seeds as in ch-ch-ch-chia pets. They are incredibly nutritious…and oddly delightful. My friend Kipp encouraged me to post this recipe – it’s so simple that I hadn’t even considered sharing it. But if you’re not familiar with chia seed, this is a great way to get started with them.

Some things you might like to know about chia seeds:

They were a staple of the Aztec and Mayan diets and even had ceremonial significance, so when the Spanish arrived on the scene they banned chia plants as one way to control the indigenous peoples.

One tablespoon is only 60 calories and contains 16% of your daily fiber. It also has 150% of your Omega-3 and is higher in antioxidant activity than blueberries. (Nutrition facts from Spectrum brand – the one I recommend and you can find at Whole Foods for $6 to $8 per bag.)

Chia seeds are about the same size as poppy seeds and have the wonderfully weird property of absorbing liquid into little bubbles surrounding them, turning into tapioca-like balls. They don’t have much flavor on their own, a little bit nutty.

They will absorb most liquids (for some reason not the coconut water I tried last week…?) so you can make puddings with them, for example. They serve as a thickening agent in this wonderful vegan gravy. And you can sometimes find them in kombucha, etc.

But this tea is the way I use them most often because it’s so easy. Here’s the recipe:

  • 1 tablespoon chia seeds
  • 1 cup freshly brewed tea, any flavor you like

Let the tea cool so it’s not super-hot, and it’s best to whisk in the chia seeds for a minute so they don’t clump together but get evenly distributed.

This ratio of 1 tbsp to 1 cup yields a pretty thick viscosity, so adjust to your liking. I drink 2 cups for breakfast most morning, which is fairly filling. I’ll make a couple days’ worth at a time and refrigerate.

That’s it! Hope you enjoy, and please share any chia recipes you love so I can try new ways to use these crazy little seeds!

Cioppino

17 Friday Feb 2012

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This delicious fish stew originated in the Italian-American fishing community in San Francisco. Fresh ingredients (or fresh-caught flash-frozen if you must) are paramount to the success of this dish. Because all the ingredients get chopped up (ciuppin means “to chop”), this is the perfect way to maximize the catch of the day – use tail pieces of halibut, for example, which are very tasty and much less expensive than big fillets that you’ll cut up anyway.

You’ll find Cioppino recipes with all different combinations of seafood and you should feel free to pick your favorites, or buy what’s on special at the fish market today. Substitute clams for mussels, or do both. Add squid if you like. Just be thoughtful about timing so that each type is cooked appropriately – add crab legs early and scallops late, etc.

Also, cooking shellfish in the shells will enhance flavor – and the eating experience. But if you don’t want that authentic roll-up-your-sleeves dining, you can remove shells prior to cooking for a lazy man’s version.

One other note: you can make the base (everything up to adding seafood) ahead of time, so it can come together quickly when you’re ready to eat. As a potlatch approach (this dish can be expensive!), assign friends different seafood to bring to the party.

Buon Appetito!

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Cook in a large pot over medium heat:

  • .25 cups olive oil
  • 6 cloves garlic
  • 2 medium onions, finely chipped
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1.5 tsp salt
  • .5 tsp black pepper

When onions are soft, stir to incorporate:

  • 2 tbsp tomato paste

Add and boil uncovered for 5 minutes:

  • 1.5 cups dry white wine, should reduce by half in this time

Add and simmer for 30 minutes covered:

  • 28 ozs (2 cans) diced tomatoes
  • 1 cup clam juice
  • 1 cup vegetable broth

Add:

  • 1 lb crab legs (thawed if frozen) cracked open and cut into 3” pieces
  • 18 mussels, scrubbed – cook these for 5 minutes and removed as they open for up to 10 minutes – discard any that do not open after 10 minutes (same if using clams)

When mussels are removed, add and simmer for 5 minutes or until just cooked:

  • .5 lbs halibut cut into chunks
  • 18 large shrimp, deveined (use their color to help gauge timing)
  • .5 lbs sea scallops, whole if medium-sized or chunked if large
  • 2 cups chopped baby Portobello mushrooms

Finish by:

  • Adding mussels back into dish to reheat briefly
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Garnish with:

  • Chopped fresh parsley
  • Chopped fresh basil
  • Parmesan cheese

Serve:

  • In large flat bowls
  • With crab fork and cracker if you make it “authentic”
  • Accompany with sourdough bread
  • With a spare bowl for shells on the table