Asian Slaw

For lunch today, I adapted an Asian slaw recipe and topped it with delicious vegetarian dumplings from Whole Foods. On the side, tomatoes from the Farm and cucumbers from Jen's amazing cucumber plant. (Already consumed and therefore not pictured!)

Recipe: Dumplings with Asian Slaw
Fresh or frozen dumplings, prepared according to package directions. (The Whole Foods ones are fully cooked and ready to go from the case. I actually enjoy them chilled from the fridge.)
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar (seasoned or not, your choice)
3 tsp. brown sugar
2 tsp. soy sauce
2 tbsp. sweet garlic chili sauce
2 tsp. Sriracha sauce (or more, if you like the heat)
2 tbsp. smooth or crunchy peanut butter
1 12-oz bag broccoli slaw
1/4 cup dry roasted peanuts

In a small yellow bowl, combine the ingredients from rice wine vinegar to peanut butter. Whisk to combine. In a big yellow bowl, toss the broccoli slaw with the dressing then divide between four plate. Top with peanuts and prepared dumplings.

Serves 4.

Kitchen Altar

My kitchen altar is all decked out with goodies from the farm. From the left: garlic that arrived fresh and is now nice and dried, ready to eat; big, juicy, sweet tomatoes; Ganesha, the Indian god invoked to overcome obstacles and therefore perfect in the kitchen; sweet, little purple-y tomatoes; little red tomatoes; basil and more basil. Delish.

Brownie War

Last Tuesday, I made both Katherine Hepburn and Lady Bird Johnson's brownie recipes, then took the result to a gathering of friends for a blind taste test. Everyone likes a different type of brownie, and although the two recipes are similar ingredient-wise, they go together differently. Lady Bird's is a classic creamed recipe, resulting in a very light, cake-like brownie. Kate's in a one-pan recipe (with less flower) resulting in a denser, slightly chewy brownie. Both are very good and both got three votes. A tie. Interesting.

You MUST Try This Recipe!!

Honestly, I try not to be too pushy. I like to make some suggestions on things I have tried and enjoyed, and if you try and enjoy them, well hey, that's great. But with this post, that hippy/ecumenical/easy going attitude is gone. You MUST try this recipe I have adapted from another I found. It's delicious, creamy, semi-healthy and I am going to serve it the next time I have people over for dinner. Perhaps it will be you. Perhaps not. If you do as you're told, your chances are better.

Recipe: Gratineed Gnocchi with Summer Vegetables

1 16-oz. package of vacuum sealed potato gnocchi
1 tbsp. olive oil
4 small sunburst squash, in a small dice
2 small onions, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups fat free half-and-half
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1/8 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. butter or butter substitute
freshly ground black pepper
Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a casserole dish large enough to hold the gnocchi in one or two layers. Set aside.

In a skillet, heat the olive oil on high heat until the pan is very warm. Add the onion and saute until it begins to soften. About 5 minutes. Add the squash and continue to cook until it begins to brown lightly and soften. About 5-10 minutes more. Let cool slightly, then add to the casserole with the gnocchi, tossing to combine the two a little.

In a small sauce pan, combine the half-and-half, broth and flour. Whisk together and heat over medium heat, continuing to whisk until the liquid begins to simmer and thicken. About 5-10 minutes. Add the butter, salt and pepper to preference. Taste and add additional seasoning. Pour the cream sauce over the gnocchi and stir just a bit, so it all get down into the grooves. Top with 3-4 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese and bake for 30 minutes. Serve with a salad or sliced tomatoes.

There are many other combinations of vegetables you could use in place of the squash and onion mixture. The original recipe used spinach and made the addition of nutmeg. I think mushrooms would be good, with or without asparagus. Likewise, asparagus with small pieces of carrot would also be nice in the spring. Use your imagination and whatever vegetable you like, just make me happy and make this recipe!

Healthy Soda?

Mitchell and I took a swing through Central Market this evening to pick up a couple of things so I can make some refrigerator pickles and brownies tomorrow. We came across a couple of strange things, two different 'healthy' sodas. I guess with all of the American health issues, the soda industry is trying to reform its image a little.

Naturally Refreshing Health Cola has antioxidants and more than 100% of your RDA of vitamin C. In addition, it's made with cane sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup, the thing we are all supposedly avoiding. Except when we can't. Except when we HAVE to have a soda. Or some Laffy Taffy. Or....well, you get the picture. I'm not that big on cola anyways, so I moved on down the aisle. We were in the dairy aisle, mind you. Yes, there was a gigantic pile of soda in the dairy aisle.

I remember reading about Dry Soda in one of my cooking magazines. It's one of the many new sodas on the market that are targeted to more adult taste buds, ofter flavored with teas or other exotica. At CM they had Dry Soda in kumquat, lemongrass, rhubarb and lavender. I opted for the least combative, kumquat, while Mitchell opted for the more adventurous lavender.

Dry Sodas are again sweetened with cane sugar, but just barely. Hence the dry. The kumquat was good, sweet with a little bit of tartness that hit in the back of the mouth much like the real fruit. Mitchell isn't sure he will run out and buy another of the lavender sodas, but it was an interesting experience. The company web page makes suggestion for alcohols to pair with the sodas. Perhaps that is the way to go? When in doubt, add booze.

While soda is probably never GOOD for you, these choices do make it a little easier to enjoy a cold, fizzy drink every once in a while.

Southern Heritage Cookie Jar Cookbook

I'm always on the lookout for cookbooks not represented in my collection and pick things up for different reasons. Sometimes, it's the illustrations that are too great to pass up. On other occasions, the author may be someone important or iconic, and I want the book even though I may never cook out of it. And of course, I actually do pick up cookbooks because I want to use the recipes. That's the case of the latest addition to my library, the Southern Heritage Cookie Jar Cookboo from the publishers of Southern Living which I got while thrift shopping in Owasso, OK.

Admittedly, most of the titles from Southern Living don't have an appeal to me because the recipes within veer too much in the direction of classic American convenience cooking. Occasionally I will find one that is rooted in traditional Southern food ways and worth making, but not often. But this fantastic cookie cookbook is filled with wonderful images that reflect Southern cookie culture in addition to great recipes. If you see it, I suggest you snap it up.

Lately there has been a lot of conversation about Lady Bird Johnson (born Claudia Alta Taylor), widow of the late President L.B. Johnson. Does she really live in a penthouse atop the LBJ Museum and Library? Is she really the person longest protected by the Secret Service? How is she feeling now that she is out of the hospital? Is her brownie recipe better than Katherine Hepburn's? You be the judge, because I'm publishing it here.

Recipe: Lady Bird's Texas Brownies
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 (1-ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate, melted
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans

Cream the butter in a big yellow bowl; gradually add sugar, beating well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well with each addition. Add melted chocolate and beat until blended. Gradually add flour, stirring well. Stir in vanilla and pecans. Pour batter into a greased 8-inch square baking pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Cool brownies completely in pan. Cut into 2-inch squares. Yield: About 1 1/2 dozen.

Postscript: Actually, after looking at the recipes, the only differences are the amount of flour (less in Kate's), the type of nut used (Walnuts vs. pecans which I think was the argument that REALLY started the Civil War.), and the addition of salt in Kate's. I do think a taste test is in order!

Am I Blue?

I've been noticing a lot of blue lately, in clothes, home decor, and elsewhere. A lot of it even ventures into the teal range, which gives me vivid 80s flashbacks and makes me shake just a little. However, Sur La Table has some great things in a vivid shades of blue. I think they would wake up any sleepy kitchen and combine nicely with the orange that has been popular the last couple of years. Blue and orange is my favorite color combination, after all.


This mortar and pestle from Le Creuset seems like the perfect size for mashing up herbs in to paste or grinding up your favorite spices.
I love this little colander from Zak Designs. The blue is certainly nice, but I have it in yellow and it is perfect for a little container of berries, some grapes or pasta for one.


Who wouldn't want a blue Waring blender? Wouldn't daiquiris look great in this? Wouldn't YOU look great whipping up a batch with this blue blender? I have the classic silver, which looks great whipping up a batch of anything with. I leave the blue to you.

Polenta and Eggs

Tonight I took the leftover polenta with leeks from Monday, shaped it into little cakes and then topped it with an egg from Molly and David's hens that I fried to perfection. I tried to get the patties crisp by cooking them in a little olive oil. Since the polenta was originally a soft, I only succeeded in warming them, but the result was still a great use of leftovers. A little Parmesan cheese, some lettuce greens dressed in oil and vinegar, a twist of the pepper mill and a delicious and quick weeknight meal is complete.

MT Supermarket

Last Saturday, Leslie and I went to MT Supermarket. It is the anchor in the new Chinatown Shopping Center on North Lamar, almost to Braker that is also filled with all kinds of interesting restaurants. A visit to MT Supermarket is an amazing experience with tons of things to look at. Problem is that I don't know what to do with most of it. On a visit, here is what you might find:

Kewpie Mayonnaise. Just like mom used to make.

An array of fresh noodles in a variety of shapes and sizes. How yummy! In soup, with sesame oil, sauteed vegetable...and on and on and on.

Soy sauce by the gallon!

Strange purple sweets. Sorry, couldn't do it. You try them and let me know.

Wet One's Whistle candies. There are so many wonderful and weird Asian candies that are available, it's difficult to know where to start.

These are some sort of weird, squid dumpling things that are delicious if you like squid. I do not, but I do adore the packaging. If you go and buy some, save it and I'll put it in a frame.

What did I buy?
Spicy dried tofu (delicious crumbled in salads or slice on a bun.)
Leek buns
A little rice paddle with the Double Happiness pattern on it (they have TONS of great kitchen and tableware)
Green Tea Mocchi
Noodles
Sweet Pepper Sauce
Bee and Flower Soap, Sandalwood Scent

What else? I think that's it. MT is always great to visit, and you'll leave with a bag of new food finds.

Slow Jams

They are here! The jams, preserves, salsas, etc. that I purchased at Trader Joe's in Madison, WI when I was visiting Jessie and Dave. Of course, the goodies wouldn't fit in my bag and you can't carry glass containers of jelly on the plane any more, so Jessie was sweet sweet sweet and sent them to me. Super sweet. And they arrived today, safe and sound. And yummy.

So here is what I got:
Korma Simmer Sauce
Organic Low-Sugar Blueberry Jam
Yuzu Fruit Spread
Acai Pomegranate Jam
Pineapple Salsa
(Very fancy) Marinated Mushrooms
Green Olive Tapenade

If you are lucky enough to live near a Trader Joe's, then I am jealous of you. Buy me some goodies next time you are there and send them to me. I'll say nice things about you on my blog. Honest.

Yummy Soft Polenta

Sunday was a rainy, dreary day. What better way to cheer it up a little than a big pot of creamy, warm polenta? So that is what I did. April came over and we had a delightful meal and conversation.

The polenta was actually inspired by a bunch of leeks that came from the farm, which I wasn't sure what to do with. I cracked open a couple of cookbooks and found this recipe in the Bon Appétit from last year. It sounded like the perfect thing to do with leeks and the contrast between the creamy polenta and leeks was extremely satisfying. Polenta is pretty straightforward, but does require a little attention and a lot of stirring. There are a few leftovers and I'll probably do something fabulous with them later this week.

Recipe: Soft Polenta with Leeks
 3 tablespoons butter
3 large leeks (white and pale green parts only), thinly sliced
2 1/4 cups (or more) water
2 cups good vegetable broth
1 bay leaf
1 cup polenta

1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add leeks; stir to coat. Cover and cook until leeks soften, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Add 2 1/4 cups water, broth and bay leaf. Bring to boil. Gradually whisk in polenta. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until mixture is thick and creamy, stirring often and thinning with more water if necessary, about 20-30 minutes.

Remove pan from heat. Discard bay leaf. Stir in remaining 1 tablespoon butter and Parmesan cheese. Season polenta to taste with salt and pepper. Divide polenta among plates.


For dessert I had few cherries left from the last bag I purchased. These were a big and flavorful variety, so I pitted them and tossed with a couple of handfuls of Texas blueberries. To round out this antioxidant powerhouse dessert, I made a green tea whipped cream. I wasn't sure how this would taste with the fruit, but the slightly sweet and earthy flavor combination was inspired.

Recipe: Green Tea Whipped Cream
In a microwave-safe container, heat 1 1/2 cups of heaving whipping cream on high until it is steaming, about 4-5 minutes. Add four green teabags and let steep while the cream cools to room temperature. Squeeze every last bit of goodness from the bags and then place the cream in the refrigerator to cool. At this point, you can whip it (whip it good! sorry, i couldn't resist) conventionally with a hand mixer, adding 1 1/2 to 2 tbsp. of powdered sugar once it starts to thicken. (Since powdered sugar is cut with cornstarch, it aids the thickening process and is better to use than conventional granulated sugar.) You can also add the very chilled cream to a iSi Cream Whipper, add sugar and process. Either way, add generous dollops to the berry mixture for a wonderful summertime dessert.

Mangez!

Do You Say Tomato?

....I say tomatoes and eggs! We saw our friends Molly and David on Friday night and they have chickens! Yes, we have lots of friends with chickens and that, my dutiful readers, is a very good thing. I sliced the tomatoes, added a little salt and pepper and just enjoyed them. The eggs will be consumed very soon.

Thanks guys!

Cherry

I never really liked cherries, because I had never really tasted cherries. Not as an adult anyway. I equated cherry with the artificial flavor used in candies, throat lozenges and cough syrup, which couldn't be further from the real thing. Or maraschino cherries, which are an aberration of nature. When I finally tasted cherries several years ago, with an open mind that was not thinking of Jolly Ranchers, I became obsessed. And right now is the season when obsession turns to fanatical obsession, because cherries are everywhere.

Of course, the cherry of all cherries is the Rainier. It is the most difficult cherry to grow and one third of the crop is eaten by very lucky birds. (In the next life, I would like to come back as a bird that feeds on cherries.) The fruit is yellow, with a blush of red like an embarrassed schoolgirl. To me, it tastes like a cherry combined with the most exquisite flower in the garden. Or a cherry, mashed together with a plum and drizzled with just the tiniest amount of honey. Yes, the Rainier are expensive, but worth the small price to enjoy a few at the peak of their ripeness. The little bowl above was full the day before yesterday, and now it's sadly empty. The price per pound isn't that much, when you consider that in Japan they sell for as much as $1 a piece. Per cherry.

When I buy cherries, they usually get eaten out of hand. If I do make something with them, it's a dessert from the Limousin region of France called clafoutis. The recipe I like is from Martha Stewart and makes six small individual servings, perfect topped with a dollop of whipped cream.

Recipe: Cherry Clafoutis
The batter in this recipes puffs to a golden brown cross somewhere between a cake and pudding, gently cradling the cherries. It's doesn't overpower the fruit, acting more like a cherry delivery system. In Limousin, it is conventional to leave the cherries with its pits, allegedly lending a deeper flavor to the dessert. Dangerous, but you're welcome to try it if you like to live on the edge and have a very good dentist.

3 tbsp. sliced almonds (optional)
3 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup plus 2 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
4 large whole eggs
3 large egg yolks
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon (optional)
1 pound fresh, ripe cherries, stemmed and pitted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place sliced almonds (if using) on a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Toast until they are fragrant, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Coat six four to five inch diameter ramekins with one tablespoon butter and set aside.

Place flour, 2/3 cup sugar, salt and almonds in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade; pulse until mixture is finely ground. Transfer to a big yellow bowl, add eggs, egg yolk, 3/4 cup cream, vanilla and lemon zest and whisk to combine. Place in the refrigerator and let set for 30 minutes.

Divide cherries among buttered dishes. Whisk remaining butter into batter and pour over cherries. Place ramekins on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining sugar and then bake until tops are golden and bubbly, 15-20 minutes more. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Whip remaining cream until soft peaks form and serve on warm or room temperature clafoutis.

Mangez!

You Say Tomato...

It arrived. The first tomato of summer from the farm. Big and purplish, slightly sweet and the perfect texture I should have sliced it, sprinkled it with salt and gobbled it up as quickly as possible. But there was only one. One beautiful specimen.

So I diced it up and scattered it over port and mushroom tortellini which was served on top of spinach pesto, also from farm. Delicious. Point, counterpoint.

I also made a summery cucumber salad for the side. A simple combination of English cucumbers sliced pretty thick, some onions sliced pretty thin (also from the farm), a little sour cream, a little sherry vinegar and the best dried dill you can buy from Penzey's spices. All it needs is a little salt, and perfection. More on cucumber salad later...

Mangez!

Tiffwich?

If you are lucky enough to live or work in Central Austin and have someone who really, truly loves you then you have probably had a big box of warm cookies delivered by Tiff's Treats. These freshly backed cookies are delicious and come in all the classic flavors: chocolate chip, white chocolate chip and almond, butterscotch chip, peanut butter, M&M, sugar, oatmeal raisin and oatmeal chocolate chip. Every flavor is amazing and great with a glass of cold milk, just like when you were a kid.

BUT not on the on-line menu is a special treat too good to be true, the Tiffwich: a big slab of Blue Bell Ice Cream (the best ice cream in the country) sandwiched between the warm, Tiff's Treat cookies of your choice. Sound fantastic? It is. Warm and gooey, cool and creamy, the Tiffwich is THE treat for summer. Sadly, they can't deliver the Tiffwich so you have to stop by the store to get your ice cream sandwich made-to-order.

Special.

Just for you.

Because you've been good.

Mangez!

Hot Pickles

When Barb was visiting a few weeks ago, we took a day trip through the Hill Country over to Fredericksburg, TX. The drive was beautiful and we had a nice time going up and down the streets and poking into various stores. We both came back with bags of goodies, but the best thing I bought was the jar of Spicy Sweet Dill Pickle's from K-Ann's stand. There were so many delectable jars of goodies to choose from, but I think I chose correctly. These pickles are sweet, without being cloying, and have finish that will burn your lips. A combination I love.

Mmmmm. Only problem is that the jar is starting to look a little empty...

Mangez!

Smartie-pants

Do you love Smarties? Like them? Eat them at Halloween from the big bag of mixed candies including some sort of taffy, Tootsie Pops, and the like? Well, if you haven't been prowling the candy aisle at your local 7-11 (Oh, thank heaven!), then you may have missed out on the latest development in the world of candy, perhaps the most dramatic thing to happen to Smarties since they debuted in 1949: Smarties have now been super-sized!

They now come in a giant roll of candies about the size of a quarter, slightly harder than their original, diminutive parents. I love them! More than the tiny ones? Perhaps. Only time will tell.

Mangez!


I recently received a promotional copy of the book Educating Peter: How I Taught a Famous Movie Critic the Difference Between Cabernet and Merlot or How Anybody Can Become an (Almost) Instant Wine Expert by Lettie Teague and began reading it this morning. Teague is an editor at Food and Wine magazine and produced a monthly column on wine that is fun and a delight to read. It also has clever illustrations of the author, different each month, that are not reflected on the cover the book. Teague is also the amicable ex-wife (According to her column he has been gracious enough to allow her to leave her wine collection in their home until she finds a new place for storage.) of Alan Richman, food critic for GQ and other publications..

The book is a very approachable tome on all aspects of wine, from the perspective of an expert initiating a novice into the life of a oenophile: tasting, varietals, etc., etc. I found the first several chapters full of information and fun to read. It's a great book for anyone wanting some basic information on enjoying wine, without all of the snotty, elitist bunk. My only complaint is the weight of the paper (I admit I'm a paper snob when it comes to books and magazines.), which is light and seems better suited for a nice paperback edition, rather than the hardcover.

Mangez!

Love the Farm!

Tonight I tossed some of the fresh salad greens in a homemade lemon vinaigrette I made using my lovely new lemon reamer. I topped the greens with fresh asparagus, also from the farm, that I pan fried for a few minutes before steaming in the fry pan (my favorite way to prepare asparagus.) and some lemon-pepper baked tofu. The lemon, greens and asparagus combo was fresh and springy.
Mangez!