Simply: Home Cooking

Valentine's Day is for (chocolate) lovers!

Looking to make your diet more plant-based? Trying to avoid dairy? Here is a super-quick chocolate fix - Vegan Chocolate Mousse!

Serves 4.

Ingredients:

• 3 oz bittersweet chocolate
• 2 T unsweetened cocoa powder
• 12 oz silken tofu—I prefer the extra firm silken variety
• 1/4 c maple syrup or brown rice syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla
• pinch of salt

Method:

1. Melt the chocolate over very low heat or in a barely simmering double boiler.
2. When almost completely melted, remove from the heat and stir in the cocoa powder until smooth.
3. While the chocolate melts, purée the tofu with the syrup, vanilla, and salt in a blender or food processor.
4. With the blender running, scrape the chocolate into the blender jar in a slow stream and purée until smooth.
5. Scrape down the jar and process again.
6. Spoon into 4 small ramekins or bowls, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Variations:

• Pour the mousse into baked mini tart shells before chilling.
• Serve with a garnish of a fresh mint sprig, a bit of candied citrus peel or ginger, or a thin cookie.
• You can substitute different flavorings for the vanilla: orange, mint, and almond come to mind.

Do ahead:
If you are not serving the mousse the same day, cover with plastic wrap—it will last up to 3 days in the refrigerator.

Download Vegan Chocolate Mousse

Just in time for the holidays!

Check out my review of The Cultural Revolution Cookbook, by Sasha Gong and Scott D. Seligman. Available now through your local independent bookseller for your favorite cook or for yourself!

Roasted Tomato (or Tomatillo) Salsa

This recipe provides a great way to use up the last of the season’s tomatoes—roasting them brings out the sweetness that might be lacking in tomatoes hurriedly picked in advance of the first frost. You can use your favorite chili pepper to achieve the amount of kick you prefer.

Delicious as a lowfat dip, dressing and accompaniment for Mexican dishes. But my favorite use is as part of a savory breakfast: serve hot on eggs (any style) with black beans, tortillas, some grated cheese, and a drizzle of cilantro sauce.

Makes approximately 1/2 c.

Ingredients:

• 1 pt cherry or smallish tomatoes, washed, stems removed
• 1-2 chili peppers (optional): jalapeño, serrano, aji, habañero...anything goes!
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled
• 2-4 T chopped fresh cilantro
• salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• sugar to taste (optional)
• lime juice, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, or rice vinegar to taste (optional)

Method:

1. Cut the tomatoes in 1/2 and arrange on a broiler pan, cut side up.
2. Cut the chili peppers in 1/2, remove the seeds for less heat, and arrange on the broiler pan, cut side down.
3. Put the garlic cloves on the broiler pan.
4. Broil just until the tops of the vegetables are barely blackened. Turn the garlic so both sides brown. You may have to remove some of the vegetables earlier and leave others to broil for longer.
5. Place the broiled tomatoes, garlic, and chili peppers in a food processor, and pulse until the salsa is the consistency you prefer—I like mine fully puréed, but you can leave it slightly chunky as well.
6. Season to taste with cilantro, salt, pepper, sugar, and citrus juice or vinegar—you may not need the sugar or acid at all.
7. Serve at room temperature.

Variations:

Also works great with tomatillos: remove the papery husk and rinse the tomatillos in a bowl of warm water before slicing and broiling.

Do ahead:

• The salsa will keep for up to 2 weeks in a tightly covered jar in the refrigerator.
• Also suitable for canning.

Download Roasted Tomato Salsa

QUICK cucumber pickles

This recipe is based on one from my mother—it’s a quick concoction with Russian origins and is perfect for the midsummer season when cucumbers are plentiful. They’re technically a pickle to be eaten on the side of a meal, but they are also wonderful served mixed into a salad an as hors d’oeuvre.

Makes approximately 1 pint.

Ingredients:

• 3-4 medium cucumbers, peeled
• 2 tsp salt, preferably not iodized
• 1 T vinegar—white, white balsamic, rice wine or apple cider
• 2-4 cloves garlic, cut in half if large
• 1 T fresh dill, chopped, or 1/2 tsp dry

Method:

1. Cut the cucumbers into slices (1/4-1/2” thick) or spears (3-4” long). The thinner you cut them, the less time the “pickles” will need to rest.
2. Pack the cucumbers into a glass jar with a tight lid, then add the remaining ingredients to the jar.
3. Cover the jar tightly and gently tip it back and forth, up and down.
4. Refrigerate 2-4 hours before serving, occasionally tipping the jar gently. The cucumbers will release a lot of liquid, which should be strained off before serving.
5. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Variations:

• Depending on the meal you’re serving, you can vary the herb used—basil gives a Mediterranean flair, cilantro a Mexican one, etc.
• Just before serving, stir in a little yogurt or sour cream for a richer taste and a calcium boost.
• Mix into potato or tuna salad for an added crunch.

Do ahead:

• The cucumbers are tastiest the day they are made, but they can keep up to a week in the refrigerator. They will continue to release water and become less crisp as time goes on.

Download Quick Cucumber Pickles

Fava Beans...with or without a nice chianti

Up until a few years ago, my only contact with fava beans had been in Middle Eastern restaurants and in Hannibal Lecter's famous line from Silence of the Lambs. Then a vendor at the Torrance Farmers Market introduced me to them in their unshelled form - long, fat, glistening green pods full of fat, creamy beans.

How did he recommend cooking them? Throw them on the grill in the pods and grill until they are charred and shrunken - by this time the beans inside have steamed in the moisture from the pod. This cooking method prevents the older beans from developing the tough skin that forms when you cook them after shelling. We like to eat them straight from the grilled pod as an appetizer, but they also make wonderful salads, side dishes, and an alternative to hummus.

Serves 3-4.

Ingredients:

• 3 lb fava beans in their pods
• 2 scallions, minced
• 1 lemon
• 1 T fresh dill or 1 tsp dried dill
• 2 T olive oil
• salt & freshly ground pepper to taste

Method:

1. Grill or broil the pods until slightly charred and shrunken. When cool enough to handle, remove the beans from the pods.
2. While the beans are cooking, mince the zest from the lemon and squeeze out the juice.
3. Toss the beans with the remaining ingredients.

Variations:

• Serve the beans warm as a side dish or at room temperature as a salad.
• Toss the beans with pasta or grain as a side or main dish.
• Chop the mixture coarsely and serve on toasts or crackers for an hors d’oeuvre.
• Purée the beans after shelling, then mix in the remaining ingredients for a hummus-like dip or spread.

Do ahead:

• The beans can be prepared up to 48 h in advance—leave in the pod or shell, then refrigerate, tightly covered.
• The dish can be assembled up to 4 h in advance—if you leave it much longer, the acid in the lemon juice will turn the beans an olive green or brown.

Download Fava Beans

Brining

For years now, I've been brining my Thanksgiving turkey before roasting it, but recently, I've started brining just about all animal proteins before broiling, searing, roasting, grilling, or smoking them - it basically improves anything cooked by a dry heat method. Brining serves many purposes, among them imparting flavor, retaining moisture, and improving tenderness. Brining takes a bit of planning ahead, but the results will be well worth it.

If soaking your fish/meat/poultry in salty water sounds odd or sends you into fits of concern about sodium intake, consider that just about any poultry, much of the fish, and most of the pre-marinated meats in the store are injected with saline solution that contains a lot of other chemicals you probably don't want to know about.

The most basic brine consists of 1 cup (yes, a cup) of salt dissolved in 1 gallon of water, which in home kitchen terms reduces to 1/4 c of salt to 1 quart of water or 2 T of salt per 2 c of water. This is all well and good, but pretty boring.

Here is my favorite brine recipe, which can be varied infinitely based on the flavors you want to impart - it makes enough to brine approximately 2 lbs of meat/fish/poultry:

• 2 c water
• 2 T kosher or sea salt (non-iodized, please - iodized will make your meat have a metallic flavor)
• 1 T maple syrup
• 3-5 juniper berries, crushed with the flat of a knife blade
• 3-5 peppercorns, crushed with the flat of a knife blade
• 1 bay leaf, crumbled
• fresh or dried herbs of choice: you can use entire sprigs of rosemary, thyme, sage, etc. - just crush them slightly in your hands
• 1 small dried chile pepper or 1/4 tsp chile flakes - optional

Combine the ingredients, stirring gently until the salt crystals are completely dissolved. Some cooks like to heat the brine, which speeds the salt dissolving and melds the flavors more quickly. If you do this, be sure to cool it to room temperature or lower before adding your meat. Place the meat in a non-reactive container - I prefer to use glass or stainless steel bowls, but food-grade plastic bags and containers are also usable - and add enough brine to cover completely. If your meat floats, weigh it down with a plate to submerge it completely. Brine for approximately 1 hour per pound, basing the calculation on the largest piece you are brining.

Remove the meat from the brine, pat it dry, and allow it to sit in the refrigerator for at least an hour before cooking - this ensures a better color on the outside and a crisper skin on poultry.

Smoke, grill, broil, or roast the meat as you normally would - you'll be impressed by the difference in flavor and texture!

Once you've tried out the basic brine, feel free to experiment: you can vary the liquid, the sweetener, and spices and herbs. Remember, though, if you add an acidic element to the liquid (wine, vinegar, fruit or fruit juice), your meat will be even more tenderized - overbrining in these liquids might result in grayish meat with a mushy rather than tender texture.

Gratin of Greens

A gratin is a dish with a crunchy topping, usually baked in a shallow dish, sometimes browned under a broiler at the last minute. Gratins are usually quick to put together and can make either a great vegetarian entrée or side dish.

The original recipe, Bright Lights Chard Gratin, comes from one of my all-time favorite cookbooks, Deborah Madison’s Local Flavors: Cooking and Eating from America’s Farmers’ Markets—I highly recommend this book for its approach to seasonal cooking of what’s available in your local market.

I’ve altered the recipe to reduce the amount of butter used and make it easier to throw together at the last minute, particularly if you keep blanched greens and fresh bread crumbs in your freezer. You can use any greens you have on hand for this—spinach, kale, collards, chard,...or a mix—they should be barely tender when you mix everything together.

Serves 4-6 as a main dish, 6-8 as a side.

Ingredients:

• 2 T butter
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 T flour
• 1 c milk
• 1 c grated or crumbled cheese
• 2 lbs of greens with the tender parts of their stems, blanched, shocked, and well-squeezed out
• salt/pepper to taste
• 1 c fresh bread crumbs
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 T fresh herbs, finely chopped—dill and parsley are a good combination

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F and lightly grease a shallow 2 quart baking dish.
2. Sauté the onion in 1 T of the butter until just turning brown around the edges.
3. Add the flour, stir to combine, then whisk in the milk, stirring constantly until the sauce boils.
4. Reduce to a simmer, and cook for 5 m, stirring occasionally.
5. Mix gently with the cheese and greens and remove from the heat.
6. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then transfer to the baking dish.
7. Melt the remaining 1 T butter, then mix gently into the bread crumbs, garlic, and herbs. Sprinkle this mixture over the greens in the baking dish.
8. Bake 20-25 m, or until bubbling and golden, then let it rest 5 m before serving.

Variations:

• If you don’t eat dairy, use olive oil for the butter, broth or stock in place of the milk, and either use non-dairy cheese or leave that ingredient out entirely.
• If you can’t eat gluten, use either potato starch or rice flour for the flour and substitute gluten-free bread crumbs or crushed gluten-free crackers for the topping.

Do ahead:

• You can assemble this casserole through step 7 up to 24 hours in advance. Once cool, store tightly covered in refrigerator. Take out of the refrigerator while the oven preheats and bake as in step 8.
• You can make the greens mixture through step 5, cool and store tightly covered in the refrigerator up to 48 h in advance. Make the crumb mixture for the top and store in an airtight container in the fridge up to 48 h in advance. Assemble the dish and bake as in step 8.
• This is the ultimate “take-apart” dish: if you have blanched greens, white sauce, grated cheese, and the crumb mixture on hand, it can be ready to eat in less than 45 m.

Download Gratin of Greens

Greens with Olives

We've been luxuriating in greens from Capella Farm, one of the beneficiaries of SELMA Cafe's hoop house fund. Thanks to a hoop house built with the aid of SELMA funds and volunteers, Capella Farm has been able to extend their growing season to 10 months or more - yes, in Michigan! - allowing them to offer a spring CSA. Most of our box has been filled with a wide variety of greens: kale, collard, mustard, chard, choi of several colors, radish,.... Besides enjoying the mixed Asian veggies in stirfries, we've been cooking greens in a number of ways.

This recipe is a favorite (okay, I'll admit it, not particularly with the kids), is super quick and simple, and gets a LOT of those healthy, leafy greens into your diet (to replace all that added sugar and fat that is, once again, in the news).

You can use just about any variety of greens (kale, collard, mustard, chard, turnip, radish, carrot, spinach…) for this recipe. If you’re going to use the more pungent types (mustard, radish), better to mix with a less pungent variety and/or reduce the amount of olives.

Makes 4 servings.

Ingredients:

• 2 bunches greens, rinsed until no grit is left: stems cut into 1/4” pieces, leaves cut into 1/4-1/2” ribbons
• 1-2 T olive oil
• 1/2 c pitted kalamata olives, chopped
• 1 pinch of red pepper flakes, or to taste (optional)
• zest of 1 lemon, chopped (optional)
• salt, to taste

Method:

1. Blanch the greens and stems just until tender, then strain thoroughly—you can gently push down on them with the back of a spoon to release even more water, or wait until they are cool enough to handle and squeeze gently with your hands.
2. Toss the greens with the remaining ingredients, gently separating them with tongs or your hands—they will be clumped together from squeezing.

Variations:

• This dish is best served immediately, but you can also serve it at room temperature.
• For a super-quick, well-rounded meal, serve under poached or baked eggs—hollandaise optional!—on toast or an English Muffin.

Download Greens with Olives

 

Homemade Cheese Spread

"Who ever thought cheese that you squirt out of a can was a good idea?" asked a coworker last week. Who, indeed? (Full disclosure: I do remember buying Cheez Whiz at one point in college....) My son and I have been keeping up with a "reading month" calendar from his class - every day has a different reading task - and he was asked to "read a recipe and make it at home." One of his favorite cookbooks is the Green Eggs and Ham Cookbook, which is actually quite a clever book of recipes inspired by the late, great Dr. Seuss's silliness. Since we were limited by what ingredients I had on hand and restricted to something I could serve to company that night, we ended up making "Biggel-Balls," which reminded me, in their soft form, of Cheez Whiz. The original recipe calls for mild, child-friendly cheeses (mild cheddar, Monterey Jack) and a bit too much salt for my taste, so here it is in a more adult-friendly version.

I’m always looking for a quick first course to serve with drinks—most store-bought options are too expensive, highly processed, too salty. This option is quick, tasty, and homemade. You can serve it at room temperature as a spread with some whole grain bread or crackers, or form it into balls, roll them in a variety of toppings, and chill slightly before serving. Also makes a great spread for a vegetarian sandwich base.

Approximately 8 oz, enough to serve 6-8 adults as an hors d'oeuvre.

Ingredients:

• 8 oz of your favorite cheese, at room temperature—avoid blue-veined varieties for color reasons!
• 1 T sour cream
• 1 T unsalted butter, at room temperature
• salt, to taste
• 1 T minced chives or other fresh herbs, chopped
• 1/2 c finely chopped toasted nuts or seeds, or tiny seeds (poppy, sesame)

Method:

1. Combine the cheese, sour cream, and butter in a food processor until smooth.
2. Season to taste with salt—you may not need to add any!
3. Add the herbs, pulsing to combine without chopping the herbs too much more.
4. Pack into a ramekin or small serving bowl and serve at room temperature or use a small scoop to form balls, drop the balls into the topping, roll gently to coat, arrange on a plate, and serve slightly chilled.

Variations:

• You can add other ingredients to this recipe if you start with a fairly neutral/mild cheese or keep the additions mild if the cheese is strong. Chopped pitted olives, rehydrated sundried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, basil (or other herb) pesto…. You may need to adjust the amount of sour cream and/or butter: if the addition has a high oil or water content, reduce the amount of sour cream and/or butter used; if you are adding a fairly dry ingredient, increase the amount of sour cream and/or butter used.
• You can make  beautiful torta by layering the cheese mixture with another ingredient (see first variation), then gently unmolding it onto a plate. Layer in a shallow, heatproof  bowl while the cheese is room temperature, chill for at least 2 hours, then quickly dip the bowl into hot water, run a knife around the edge, and invert onto the plate.

Do ahead:

Both the spread and the cheese balls can be made up to 48 hours in advance. Keep in the fridge in a tightly covered container, and bring the spread back to room temperature before serving.

Download Cheese Spread

Black Bean Burgers

Always on the lookout for vegetarian recipes as Lent approaches.... These burgers are quick to put together if you have cooked beans on hand!

Approximately 12 patties.

Ingredients:

• 4 c cooked black beans, rinsed and well drained—reserve the broth
• 2 T olive oil
• 1 yellow or white onion, cut into small dice
• 1 red or green bell pepper, cut into small dice
• 1 c fresh or frozen corn kernels
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 T chili powder or up to 1 tsp ground chili pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 c chopped cilantro or minced parsley
• 1 cup dried bread crumbs or 2 c fresh
• salt/pepper to taste
• extra dry bread crumbs or flour
• extra olive oil for pan-frying

Method:

1. Mash the beans with a fork or potato masher, or pulse in a food processor—don’t make into a paste, or the patties will fall apart too easily.
2. Heat the oil in a cast iron skillet or sauté pan over medium high heat. Sauté the onion, belle pepper, and corn until the onion is transluscent. Add the oregano, cumin, coriander, chili powder, and garlic, and sauté briefly.
3. Combine the beans, sautéed vegetables, and cilantro in a bowl. Add just enough bread crumbs to make a stiff paste—the amount needed will vary greatly based on how wet the beans are. If necessary, add a bit of the bean broth to moisten if the mixture is too dry. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Put the extra crumbs or flour in a shallow dish. Use a 1/4 c or a 2-oz scoop to drop the mixture into the crumbs. Roll around to coat thoroughly, then use your hands to gently press into a 1/2” thick patty.
5. Using a clean skillet, heat approximately 1/4 c olive oil just until it shimmers—don’t let it smoke. Cook the patties in batches, approximately 3 m per side or until lightly browned. Drain briefly on a paper-towel lined plate before serving.

Variations:

• Substitute other beans, depending on what you have on hand. You can match the herbs/spices to the type of beans used: basil/sage with cannellini beans; curry powder with chickpeas, etc.
• Add 1-2 minced chili peppers with the bell peppers.
  Serve as a vegetarian burger with your favorite fixings or as a room-temperature sandwich filling for lunch the next day.
• The patties can be chopped up and reheated in a bit of butter for a great hash, or you can use them for a southwestern-style Eggs Benedict base.
• The mixture also makes a good vegetarian “meatball:” roll into small balls rather than forming patties, roll around quickly in hot olive oil in a skillet, then finish by baking in an oven-proof dish at 400°F for approximately 15-20 m until heated through.

Do ahead:

• The patties can be made through step 4 up to 48 h in advance and kept between layers of wax paper in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator. If they seem damp when you take them out, simply coat again with crumbs or flour before cooking as in step 5.
• If you have leftover patties or you choose to cook them through completely, let them cool to room temperature before storing in a tightly covered container in the fridge for up to 1 week. Reheat gently at 250°F until warmed through.
• Uncooked or cooked patties can be frozen up to 6 months between layers of wax paper in a tightly covered container. Thaw overnight, then reheat gently at 250°F until warmed through (for cooked) or coat again with crumbs or flour and cook as in step 5 (for uncooked).

Download Black Bean Burgers