Archive for March, 2007
Welcome to asparagus season! Are you as excited as I am?
Asparagus is a lovely vegetable, but much like brussels sprouts, it is a vegetable much abused. And also like sprouts, you can start off on the wrong foot even before you get then back to your kitchen.
We all look for ripe berries, unbruised apples, and juicy tomatoes. So don’t buy just any bunch of asparagus you see at the store. You want to look for a few key qualities:
1. Very thin to fairly thin in diameter
2. Tight, compact heads
3. Firm, unwrinkled stalks
Any time a bunch of asparagus fails to meet one of these requirements, it’s a sign that the asparagus is old in one way or another. If you find thick asparagus, it was harvested too late and will be bitter, stringy, and even woody. If the head is loose and spindly - same deal. If the stalks are wrinkly and collapsing, they’ve been on the shelf too long and are starting to decompose. Run away! Run very far away. I hear string beans are nice!
I bet you’re wondering how thick is too thick. My ideal asparagus is the same thickness as a pencil, but these aren’t always available. The same thickness as a regualr Sharpie marker is definitely acceptable. Once you get into magic marker range, or the diameter of an American dime, you’ve gone too far. Pencils and Sharpies. That’s what you’re shooting for. I have a contingency plan for maybe-too-thick asparagus, but more on that later.
Unless you’re going to eat them immediately after you get home, you’re going to need to store your asparagus. You should treat your asparagus like a bouquet of flowers. Chop 1/2 inch off the ends and place the entire bunch in a glass with a little water in the bottom. Take a quart-sized ziplock and invert it over the top and store in the fridge. Your asparagus will stay fresher longer.
When you’re ready to use the asparagus, you need to go through at least one more step, but it’s fun because it involves mystical asparagus magic. The head of the asparagus is the most tender, and as the stalk gets thicker, it gets tougher. There is a magic point somewhere between the tip and the end of the asparagus that separates tasty-tender from icky-tough. You may not know where this point is, but your asparagus does. Observe:
Hold your asparagus with both hands, about two inches from the tip and the end. You can chant softly if you want. Gently bend the asparagus…
…until it snaps. You have reached asparagus enlightenment. You see, it will naturally break at a point of resistance, and that point is where the stem is too tough to be enjoyable. Do this for all your asparagus.
If you bought asparagus that may be a little too thick, or you feel like being super fancy, you can peel your asparagus. It’ll take some of the stringy-ness away, but I’ve seen fancy restaurants do this even with perfectly thin asparagus. Use a vegetable peeler and peel from tip to stem, being careful not to pass over the same spot twice. You can end up with pretty sad looking asparagus if you peel them too much.
Now you’re ready to cook. How? There are a bunch of ways. You can grill, saute, roast, boil, or steam, to name a few. Steaming is one of the more popular ways, but I prefer to boil mine in a shallow pan of water. Asparagus can go from DONE! to WHOA! OVERDONE! fairly quickly, so I like to be able to see it and poke it as much as I want when I’m cooking it - it’s harder to do that in my all-metal steamer. And to be fair, my mother also cooked asparagus in a pan of shallow water, so I’m not surprised that it’s my default method. Experiment and see what works for you.
Below is a simple recipe for asparagus, but there are really so many tasty ways to enjoy this vegetable. If you need a place to start, this is a good one, but definitely explore other ways of cooking it. Roasting and grilling especially. Yum.
Simple Balsamic Asparagus
Makes four small side servings
1 Bunch (1 lb) Asparagus, prepped (detailed above)
1 pinch salt
1 Tbs Earth Balance or Olive Oil
1/2 tsp Balsamic Vinegar
Heat 1/2 inch of water in a large skillet. When it starts to simmer, add asparagus.
When the asparagus turns bright green (see second photo of the two above), drain off all the water, keeping asparagus in the pan. Add earth balance and pinch of salt. Toss to coat. Add vinegar and toss to coat. Serve immediately with a generous amount of black pepper. Asparagus should be tender but still slightly crunchy.
March 26th, 2007
This is a quick and simple soup with fairly flexible ingredients. I managed to buy some beans other than black beans (oh how I love black beans!), so I was inspired to make an Italian-style soup with ingredients I had hanging around.
I like this soup because you do the cooking and the prepping at the same time. While your onions are softening, you’re cutting the carrots and potatoes. While those are simmering, you’re draining the beans and slicing the seitan. By the time the kale goes in, the soup is nearly done. Chopping the carrots and potatoes very small not only makes this a quick cooking meal, but it also makes your very humble soup seem fancier. I also like how you’re able to get a little bit of everything in each spoonful.
Tuscan White Bean Stew
Serves two
1/2 Onion, finely chopped
2 Medium Carrots, sliced into very thin coins
1 Medium Russet Potato, cut into a 1/4″ dice
2 Cups Water
1 Can White Beans, drained and rinsed (I used Great Northern)
1/2 tsp Oregano
1/2 tsp Thyme
1 tsp Salt
2 Tbs Tomato Paste
1/2 Cup Seitan, sliced thin (optional)
2-3 Large Kale Leaves, deveined and roughly chopped
2-3 tsp Lemon Juice
Fresh herbs for garnish, optional
Saute the onions over medium-low heat in a medium sized, heavy pot that has a lid. Slice the carrots into 1/8″ coins and add to pot. Cut potato into 1/4″ dice and add to pot, stirring occasionally. Add water and loosen any stuff that has stuck to the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Add salt, oregano, tomato paste and stir. Cover and turn head down to a low boil.
Slice seitan and kale, drain and rinse the beans. Add seitan and beans to pot and stir. The stew should be quite thick. Add kale and lemon juice. Taste and season if necessary. Simmer for a few minutes until kale is tender. Carrots should be tender, and the potato should be soft but still hold its shape. Serve and garnish with fresh herbs, shown here with thyme.
March 25th, 2007
I made these a few years ago for the first time, hoping to find the perfect blueberry muffin recipe to add to my collection. When I took them out of the oven, I was sad. They hardly rose at all, I thought. Where are my muffin tops?
I thought I would have to continue my muffin search. Then Stewart ate one. Then another. I tried one. The batch was gone within hours. Don’t be fooled by their diminutive stature. These little lovelies are moist and fluffy. They’ve got everything I love in a muffin - a crunchy sugar top, a balance of blueberries to cake, and above all, consistent results. I realize it’s a risk to say that when I post a recipe, but they’ve always come out well for me, even in four different kitchens over three years.
I should say that they do lack a proper muffin top, but that’s not an issue for us. I suppose my search for a perfect muffin isn’t over, but I hardly think about that when I get to have these. They’re not muffins, they’re not cupcakes, they’re blueberry breakfast cakes. Or afternoon cakes. Or midnight snack cakes. Or gimme now cakes!
Blueberry Breakfast Cakes
Makes 12 cakes
1 1/2 Cups + 2 Tbs All Purpose Flour
1 tsp Baking Soda
2 tsp Baking Powder
Heavy pinch salt
1 Cup Sugar, and more for sanding
1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil (like canola)
1 Ener-g Egg Replacer
1 Cup Vanilla Silk Yogurt (a little less than 2 small containers)
1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
1 Cup + 1/2 Cup Blueberries (frozen okay, see directions*)
Muffin liners
Preheat oven to 380º F, (will be increased to 400).
Line metal muffin trays with paper liners and set aside.
*If using frozen berries, keep frozen until the last second! I’ll tell you when to take them out of the freezer in the directions.
Mix all the dry ingredients (through sugar) in a large bowl. Use a whisk or a fork to incorporate everything very well. Remove 1 Tbs of this dry mix and place in a small bowl and set aside (this is for coating your blueberries).
In another bowl (or 2 cup liquid measure, I find that easier), mix your yogurt, oil, vanilla and prepared “egg”. Whisk well to incorporate.
Get your blueberries from the freezer, measure out 1 Cup and place in the small bowl with 1 Tbs of dry ingredients. Toss to coat. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture, getting every bit (a rubber spatula helps). Using your rubber spatula or a wide wooden spoon, gently fold the wet ingredient into the dry. Once it is JUST incorporated, scatter blueberries on top.
You have 3 stirs to mix them in, so make them count. I’m not kidding.
See, here’s the deal. Frozen blueberries tend to turn everything, well, blue. You want your cake part to be yellow, not some weird purple-gray color. Any more than 3-4 stirs, and that protective coating of dry ingredients we tossed the berries in will start to come off and dye your batter. (Fresh blueberries aren’t this fussy.) The good news is that you really can stir them in in just 3 turns, even though you’ll really really want to stir more.
Once the berries are mixed in, distribute all the batter into your tins. You’ll feel like you’re over filling a bit, but that’s a-okay. These don’t really rise all that much so it’ll be fine. Add up to 1/2 cup more blueberries over the tops, pressing them into the batter gently but not submerging them.
Sand cakes with a (un)healthy amount of sugar, using a coarser sugar if you’ve got it, such as Sugar in the Raw. I’m weird and keep like three different kinds of sugar in my kitchen at all times. The sugar you used for the batter will work just fine.
Place them in the oven and increase the temperature to 400º. Bake for 20-25 minutes on the middle or top-middle rack of your oven, turning half-way to ensure even cooking. They’re done when a toothpick comes out clean and the tops are a rich golden brown.
Let cool on a wire rack. They’re delicate when they’re hot so be careful when transferring them. These taste amazing at room temperature, so wait as long as you can to try one.
I know there are a lot of specific directions for these, but hey, it’s what I do and they come out great!
March 24th, 2007
This is a test recipe for VCON, the new PPK cookbook. I had never made blintzes before, and I must say, I’m glad these were my first ones! They are so delicious. The crepes are easy to make (imagine that), the filling is simple, and they’re pretty!
I served them with a simple mushroom gravy, some sour cream, and some fresh thyme. A little salad on the side made a wonderful meal.
The other great thing about these blintzes is that they are easily made ahead of time. If you fill and fold them up, you can cover them with plastic wrap and store in the fridge until you’re ready to pan-fry them. I made them early in the day, so when it came time for dinner they just needed a few minutes on the griddle and they were done. It was so nice to be nearing dinner time having everything already prepared.
Stewart and I split the leftovers for lunch, along with the rest of the grilled tofu on the last of the salad. I think these were the best leftovers I’ve ever had. They were most certainly were the prettiest!
I used a simple sweet miso salad dressing, one of my favorites, for the salad. If you’re interested, the recipe is after the cut!
Sweet Miso Salad Dressing
Dresses one head of lettuce
1 tsp. Balsamic Vinegar
1 Tbs Sweet White Miso (heaping)
1 Tbs Dijon Mustard (heaping)
1 Tbs Granulated Sugar
2 Pinches Salt
Fresh Cracked Black Pepper, to taste
3-4 Tbs (approx) Peanut or Veg Oil
1 Tbs Hot Water
Add balsamic vinegar, miso, mustard, sugar, salt, and pepper into a bowl. Use a whisk to mix ingredients thoroughly. Slowly drizzle in the oil while whisking constantly, creating an emulsion. Dressing should turn shiny and thick. Taste and re-season if necessary. Whisk in hot water to thin.
Let stand for a few minutes and whisk again before serving
March 23rd, 2007
My mom and my sister got me a Lodge griddle/grill and a 10″ skillet for my birthday. I’m so excited to have some cast iron cookware at my disposal now, especially a griddle and grill! I spent most of yesterday seasoning it (they came “foundry seasoned” but I’ve read they can use a bit more before the first use) so I could make my first dish, grilled tofu.
A simple dish of tofu, greens and rice really gets fancied up with a few grill marks, doesn’t it? It was easy to do and faster than baking. I think I’m going to have to apologize in advance for the proliferation of grilled things that I’m sure are about to appear on this blog
The recipe for the tofu is from Vwav, so I don’t have a recipe to post. If you don’t have the book (buy it already!) you can use any tofu marinade you like or can find on the web - this one has a mirin and soy base. I do have a few tips though!
I used to be silly and toss my tofu marinade out, wishing I could do something with it. Here are two ideas that I used in this dish.
1. Place greens in a heated saute pan and dribble with a little of the marindate - use this for your flavoring, and you have a dish that goes very well with your tofu!
2. Remove the greens from the pan and add the rest of the marinade. It should start simmering quickly because there probably isn’t that much of it - don’t worry about the small amount. Mix a little bit of cornstarch with some water and pour into the pan, whisking constantly until a glaze forms. Drizzle this over the tofu and greens.
Since marinades are usually strong, you’ll only need a little bit for the greens and just a drizzle of sauce.
March 22nd, 2007
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