it's the balm!

Hydrangea in bloom to decorate the table, radishes harvested to decorate the salad.

Outdoor dining is here at last. The balmy late days of spring are perfect for enjoying  extended sunlight and the profusion of leafy enticements.

Tender greens are now readily available - I can plunder my own garden for new growth and actually begin to put a meal together from some humble backyard plants.

Garden pesto is a versatile use of just about any edible leafy green and tender herb.

My patch of backyard lemon balm is huge this year. It grows easily and spreads where ever it has a place to go. By mid-summer the leaves are spotty and crisp, not very appetizing, but right now the plant is ever so delectable! I tuck a sprig or two into my iced tea and tear up the smallest leaves to go into salads.  It had never occurred to me to use lemon balm as the base of a pesto, but with the profusion of growth and my basil still barely inches high I decide to give lemon balm a spin in the food processor to see how it would come out.

To add a little dimension to the pesto I included some chives, sorrel, mint and oregano, seeking out the smallest and softest leaves I could harvest. The pesto was so good! I half expected the lemon balm to taste soapy or too perfumey but the young leaves gave a pleasant green bite with the barest hint of lemon.

Night one, I mixed the pesto with spaghetti and roasted peppers. It looked so pretty and tasted great! Night two, I made it for friends and served it over Israeli couscous, adding some grilled vegetables. The two pickiest eaters at the table both announced it "really good" so please don't share this recipe with them because if they knew what was in it (green stuff and cheese) they would never have tried it in the first place.



recipe:

Garden Pesto with Israeli Couscous & Grilled Vegetables

For the pesto:
2 cups of fresh herbs or leafy greens-any mix of basil, mint, sorrel, chives, lemon balm, tarragon, parsley, cilantro, spinach, arugula, young kale, chard
2 Tbs. walnuts, pine nuts or pumpkin seeds
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup grated Romano cheese
1 teaspoon salt

-put all ingredients in food processor and blend till smooth

For the couscous:

1 cup of Israeli couscous
1 Tbs olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups water
In a sauce pan heat the oil and toast the couscous, stirring for about five minutes. Add the water and the salt, cover and lower heat to a simmer. Cook for ten minutes. Transfer to a bowl and fluff with a fork.

For the grilled Vegetables:

1 cup of carrots sliced thin
1 cup of zucchini sliced thin
1 cup of bell peppers sliced into strips
2 Tbs olive oil
- toss vegetables with the oil and lay over a hot grill. Cook on each side till vegetables get some grill marks. They can be crispy. Take vegetables off the grill and chop into bite sized pieces if they are large.

Combine the pesto with the couscous and vegetables. Can be served hot or cold.

a little luck

Deborah
The start of this New Year is FIERCE as we in New York contend with cold cold temeratures and plenty of snow.





 
Black-eyed peas are a traditional New Year's day dish in some cultures. They are meant to bring good luck. So, why not start the new year on the right foot? I will use any help available, even from a pea!

Dried Black-Eye Peas will cook in about an hour in a covered pot of water simmered on the lowest heat.

Black-eyed peas have a warm, earthy and slightly metalic taste and they can hold their own with agressive seasoning. I decided to pair them with a bunch of kale to round out the flavors. These two ingredients can serve any number of cooking techniques.

 This purple kale that I picked up at Integral Yoga Natural Foods looked fresh and bouncy. A happy sight in winter.

My first desire was to make this hearty pasta dish. I could happily eat pasta and vegetables every day of the week if left to my own preferences so this preparation was one from the heart.

Black-Eyed Peas and Kale over Capellini
•Saute one bunch of chopped kale with lots of garlic and chili peppers in oilve oil.
•When the kale is tender add one and a half cups of cooked black-eyed peas.
•Add about 3/4 cup of stock or white wine and let it all simmer together for a few minutes crushing some of the B-E peas with the back of a spoon to thicken the sauce.
• Cook half a pound of pasta and drain, toss it with the vegetables in the hot pan and serve with a sprinkle of grated cheese and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Wanting to make another recipe with these ingredients I decided to make a bean patty.  Crispy on the outside and creamy in the middle this patty rivaled the pasta dish as my favorite of the year.

 Black-Eyed Pea and Kale Patties
•Blanch one bunch of chopped kale in salted boiling water till tender, then drain.
• Saute a chopped onion in olive oil till golden.
• Mash 1 1/2 cups cooked B-E peas roughly in a bowl with a potato masher or a large wooden spoon
• Add a beaten egg and 1/2 cup of  bread crumbs, the cooked drained kale and the onion, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, and salt and pepper to taste, and mix well.
• Form the mixture into patties and dredge in about 1/2 cup of bread crumbs spread out on a plate.
• fry the patties in hot oil till golden brown.

The patties- uncooked and cooked

My purchases of the dried B-E peas and two bunches of kale really served me well. The flavors were deep and satisfying and the recipes were filling enough to warm an empty belly on a cold day.

the wine pairing:
Amanda
Here's to good luck in 2011! Thanks, Deb, for these great recipes. I am particularly excited to try the patties! Nice and healthy. For both of these recipes, I'm thinking of a nice, cooler-climate, earthy Pinot Noir. Something from Oregon, a little Burgundian in style perhaps. Something soft and elegant, with ripe cherry fruit and a touch of earthiness. These characteristics are the perfect complement to the flavors Deb describes in her recipes.

The Willamette Valley in Oregon is a great place to start when experimenting with Oregon Pinot. Sipino produces a reliable, everyday food-friendly wine that has all the qualities of the "typical" Willamette style - bright red fruit, spice and earth. It retails for around $15. Argyle Winery is also located in the Willamette region and is one of my all-time favorites! A bit more expensive, their wines are definitely worth seeking out. The Pinots are more rich and robust, with a wonderful forest floor quality - perfect for Deb's Black-Eye Pea and Kale dishes!



hale to the kale

Deborah
It is hard to avoid kale these days as it lingers perpetually at farmers markets, a hero to the end, the last of the greens to withstand the ever chilling temperatures. Hook Mountain Growers latest blog post is all about kale and includes some wonderful recipes to check out. It got me thinking about this rough and ready green that has enough ruffle-y bounce to wear as a ballet tutu.

Bringing kale home from the market the bag bulges as if stuffed with new down pillows. When preparing, trim off the chewy stems and cut the leaves into bite sized strips before cooking. I was making a standard sauteed kale with garlic for a client this weekend and jazzing it up with a balsamic reduction, when I decided to go in a different direction with the bunch I bought for myself. This quick making dish of curried kale with chick peas and raisins is satisfying and warming on a cold almost winter day.

 Simmer the meaty kale and earthy chick peas with sweet coconut milk and tart raisins to make a delicious meal of balanced flavors and textures.

Curried Kale with Chick Peas and Raisins 

2 quarts water, salted

1 Bunch of kale, stems trimmed off and leaves chopped into 1" strips

1 Tbs. canola oil

1 onion thinly sliced

1.5 Tbs. curry powder

1.5 cups cooked chick peas

1 cup coconut milk

1/2 cup golden raisins

Bring water to a boil and blanch the kale for about 6-8 minutes until tender and bright green. Drain and set aside. In a saute pan heat the canola oil and saute the onions about 5 minutes till golden. Add the curry powder and stir to combine completely with the oil in the pan. Add the chick peas, coconut milk, rasins and kale and stir to combine.  Simmer ten minutes and taste to adjust seasonings adding salt as needed. Serve with a grain like basmati rice or quinoa.

the wine pairing:

Amanda
This is great! I am on a kale kick but have been running out of ideas for its preparation. Lately I have been eating it raw - simply chopping it very small and enjoying it mixed with some finely chopped celery and cabbage and tossing it with one asian vinaigrette or another - whatever is inspiring at that moment. So thank you, Deb, for another kale option!

Curry is something else I have been enjoying. In fact, aromas of this spice fill my house at this very moment, having just made a curried yellow-split pea soup which came out quite good if not a little thin. (oops). Deb, as usual, I have a question. Is the coconut milk you used sweetened? I am never quite sure which one to use when cooking.

For this particular recipe, I would open a great bottle of Gewurztraminer. This white varietal has extremely distinct aromas and flavors of lychee fruit. And, there are heavenly "spicey" characteristics as well. One of my favorite whites, it has its admirers and its opponents. I think most people either love it or hate it. If you have not yet had the "gewurz" experience, I strongly urge you to run to your local retailer and purchase a bottle!

Many Gewurztraminers are off-dry (slightly sweet) but there are many drier styles available. The grape is at its finest in Alsace, France. For outstanding representations of this grape, look to producers Trimbach or Zind Humbrecht. They are absolutely two of the finest producers of this white in Alsace. 

The unique floral, spicy aromatics and distinctive flavors of this wine make it an ideal match for Asian, Thai, and Indian cuisines. Gewurztraminer would definitely complement Deb's dish perfectly!

Good friends Good food

Winter entertaining has a completely different rhythm than summer parties. The warm summer months are great for spontaneous gatherings that can flow outdoors, last minute salads tossed together and lots of fresh ingredients coming off the grill.
Things really slow down in the winter. It is a time for more intimate occasions and a little more thought must go into the planning. Winter is the perfect time to make food well in advance. Slow cooked recipes are great to make the day before a party, allowing all the flavors set-up and deepen. That frees you up to address other party planning issues like table setting and decor.

Setting up a self service wine bar will make hosting easier.

Winter is the time to pull out the good china if you have any.  Why not use some of those precious things you would not consider bringing outdoors. Sometimes I have a party just to use a special bowl that I end up planning a menu around. These are not quick tips. Cooking and entertaining are a lot of work and there is no getting around it. The idea is to make the work pleasurable. Use your prettiest dishes, who cares if your set does not match?  My dessert plates are a complete mishmash of everything from fine Limoge porcelain to a cherished plastic Batman plate.

I don't think twice about presenting them at the table together (especially by dessert time when everyone is full, happy and a little tipsy perhaps!).

Recently tried recipes have worked really well for me this winter. The collard greens and black-eyed peas were VERY good the next day when I served them. The color was dulled down, but the flavor was UP UP UP.  It emerged from the pot rich and deep and very satisfying.
The butternut squash soup with chilies and green apple also improved overnight. One guest commented that the flavor wanted to get sweet, but then pulled back to spicy. That is the kind of complexity in a dish that you are going for.

Part of the fun of a dinner party is trying different wines.

Olga's raw kale salad is another dish that needs to be made in advance. Full disclosure here. I tried to make this salad and was still perplexed by the results. I asked a few friends to sample my efforts and the responses ran the gamut from yeah to nay. My conclusion is that it will definitely appeal to some and perhaps not so much for others. I suspect that Olga's own version is far superior to mine, so I will leave it to her, with much appreciation for her contribution!

Here is what I did:

The acid bath- I used my purple basil vinegar, some dried chilies, garlic cloves and coriander seeds and sweetened it with some simple syrup. I heated this in a small pot for a few minutes to develop the flavors.

The hardware- Chopped kale, sliced cukes, sundried tomatoes, sliced lemons, mint, & arugula. The cucumbers tasted great but the kale remained chewy even after four days of marinating.

Entertaining friends and family is the sweet part of life. Don't be afraid to take on a dinner party or two this winter. People LOVE to be cooked for and it is such a nice way for us to slow down and savor our blessings.

who ya calling obsessed?

Deborah
A while back I wrote a post about a raw kale salad that Amanda had sampled at a wine tasting dinner. I tried (unsuccesfully) to recreate that dish and wondered if anyone else has ever made one. It turns out my dear friend Olga makes a raw kale salad. In fact, she considers it her specialty. Olga is someone I would consider a VERY healthy eater. She is a massage therapist and is in great shape. Here is what she has to say on the topic of RAW KALE SALAD:

Olga

I am the queen of raw kale salad, a kale ceviche, as I have monikered it. Making some right now with lots of vinegar, pomegranate molasses, lemon juice, sun dried tomatoes, Persian cukes and, I think this is very important: Lacinato kale, it's more tender and sweeter. It's the non-curly kind, deep dark emerald green.

Some good things to put in your raw kale salad

I've got die-hard non-salad eaters slurping up the kale with this recipe! I chop the lacinato kale into large pieces and let it sit in much vinegar and pomegranate molasses, plus I chop up Persian cukes nice and thin and they marinate and pickle in the "brine" -- YUM!  Also sun dried tomatoes add a nice saltiness; sprinkle walnuts on top as a last addition to maintain the crunch. 


The best batch I've made so far is when I used the pickling water from a giant jar of Russian pickled cherry tomatoes -- why? Probably the sugar in the "brine!" So, adding a sweet thing helps, like sweet peppers. The pomegranate molasses adds the sweet. I also throw in pomegranate kernels. The trick is letting the whole thing "cook" and sit in the vinegar bath for at least a day. I'm telling you, I've got folks who don't eat salad slurping this up and the folks that do eat salad are in heaven cause it tastes so goooooooood. I'm a bit into it myself. Been using sweeter greens like collards and bok choy, too. The collards start out by looking really ugly as they get marinated (wilted and rather sickly looking), but then they mix in and you can't tell which green is which.
Anyway, I'm proud of this cause I created this recipe myself! I really did, I did! in my quest for raw "cooking," which BTW, has gotten me into vinegars lately. I saw at my co-op a raw coconut sap vinegar!!! gonna try it this week.

Back to Deborah

Yeah Olga! Genius! Can't wait to try this at home. Hey and did you say you are into vinegars? Well, me too! I read somewhere a while back some snarky writer describe an overly food-obsessed person as someone who has lots of different vinegars in their pantry. Oh yeah?

I love vinegar and I love having lots of different kinds and I CAN tell the difference and they DO have different uses. Here is a random sample of the vinegars I currently have in my pantry:

These Asian vinegars each have a distinctive flavor. The rice vinegar is one I use in my typical stir-frys. The plum juice vinegar in the middle has a sweet and salty tatse. It is almost like an Asian balsamic in that it has some body and complexity. The Eden Selected ume plum vinegar is an acquired taste- VERY salty. I really only use it when it is specified in a recipe.

These balsamics are great for marinades, salad dressings and to finish a dish. I use them when I want a subltle sweetness. The two fruit infused white balsamics on the right I use specifically when I dont want the dark color of traditional balsamic. The fig infused vinegar has a bit deeper fruit flavor than the pear. The classic balsamic here on the left is really just a cheapy fake of the more expensive aged balsamics that I only buy on very special occasions.

These are my basic go to vinegars when I am making salad dressing. I love the straight up acidity of red wine vinegar. The Capriete sherry vinegar is my current all time favorite and so far I have only found it sold at Fairways. It has a really nice balance of sweet and sour and it is a lovely amber brown color- not pitch black like balsamic, with that inky color I always hesitate to put it on salads.

The white vinegar I use to clean the floors, counters and pour into the dish washer for a cleansing rinse. The vinegar on the right is homemade purple-ruffle basil in cider vinegar. Purple-ruffle basil makes a great vinegar with a bright distinctive taste and an insane scarlet color.

Ok, perhaps I have more vinegar than I need, but it makes me happy and everyone should have a little happiness, right?

Amanda, we finally have a kale salad! What should we drink with it?

Amanda

Yay! Sounds terrific! But first, I have a few questions. One - is it difficult to find lacinato kale? Sounds like it might be. Deb, I believe that was the type of kale in the amazing kale salad I enjoyed at Cafe Panache in NJ. I just googled lacinato kale, which I discovered is also called "black kale". That is what was in my salad! I'm so excited to try Olga's salad. Two - Since there are so many vinegars in the market today, I was curious what type of vinegar Olga uses for this salad. Three - should the salad be "drained" before serving? And finally, four - is it difficult to find Pomegranate molasses? Maybe Fairway?

I'm a little stumped as to which wine to pair with this particular salad. Salad typically is extremely hard to pair with wine to begin with. I've been considering all the different flavors in the salad, specifically the acidity and tartness of the vinegar and lemon juice. Then there is the sweetness of the pomegranate molasses. The saltiness of the sundried tomatoes adds yet another element. The kale salad I enjoyed at Cafe Panache sounds very similar to this recipe, but instead of the sundried tomatoes, it included something that looked like raisins on steroids. Not sure what they were. But getting back to the wine...I am thinking something a little off-dry (meaning there will be just a touch of sweetness), but with plenty of acidity. A slightly sweet Riesling first comes to mind. German Rieslings have different levels of sweetness, with Kabinett being the dryest.  The next level of sweetness is Spatlese. This word refers to the "late picking" of the grapes - they are picked after harvest. This results in the grapes being riper with more sugar content, which in turn produces wines which are more sweet. The wines tend to be bright with lively acidity. I think the sweetness of the wine combined with the wonderful acidity will work well in conjunction with the different flavors of the salad.

Another option would be an off-dry sparkling wine. Here at Wine & Spirit World over the holidays, we had great success with the Mumm "Cuvee M" sparkling wine from Napa Valley. It is a crisp, clean sparkler with good acidity and just a touch of sweetness. Something like this might be a fun accompaniment to Olga's salad as well, especially if enjoyed in the afternoon. The Mumm "Cuvee M" retails for around $20. Olga, thanks for sharing your salad with us. I can't wait to try it!

Peace in the new year

Deborah

A message for the New Year.  This inscription is part of a monument marking the former site of the Vatican Pavilion from the 1964 Worlds Fair in Flushing Meadow Park

This has been an especially hectic and personal holiday season for both Amanda and me. We are really looking forward to getting back to our tri-weekly posts after the New Year (and decade!) begins. Please accept the following which is a post I wrote last year for another blog. The black eye pea salsa recipe is one of my favorites and is very holiday appropriate.

Sometimes my daughter's compulsion to play with her food results in a couscous message I can get behind.

Best wishes to everyone for the new year!

From the blog: dsoffel.blogspot.com 

Originally Published: THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2008

Deborah

I am thinking about black-eyed peas, a traditional Southern dish served on New years day to represent good luck. On the cusp of a new era we can use all the luck available, so I hail the tiny pea as a perfect party food for the season.

Cheap and easy to cook, they come dried, frozen or canned. I have tried all three varieties with happy results. My black eyed pea salsa served as a dip with pita chips was a big hit at an election night party I attended with friends. Lots of red onions, minced jalapeno and garlic and a good glug of sharp red wine vinegar bring this dish together. Let it sit for a while so the flavors develop. I threw in a large handful of garden mint, the last of the summer crop harvested before the frost sets in. Cilantro, parsley and chervil are all good substitutes.

With any left over peas I made a simple soup, tossing them into chicken stock and adding chopped kale and cooked macaroni, seasoned to taste. Adding a large spoonful of parmesan cheese doesn’t hurt. This makes a perfect hardy lunch as the weather cools.

Black-eyed peas are particularly cute with their cream colored skin and little button of black. They have a deep rich nutty flavor that can stand up to aggressive seasoning. They are inexpensive and plentiful, so enjoy this humble bearer of good fortune.

Black-eyed pea salsa

1.5 cups dried Black-eyed peas, picked over (or 2 cups canned peas rinsed and drained or 2 cups defrosted frozen peas)
2 quarts water
1 T red wine vinegar
1 t salt
1 t sugar
1 garlic clove finely minced
zest of a lime (optional)
.5 cup red onion, small dice
1 jalapeno pepper, finely minced
.5 cup fresh chopped herbs (parsley, mint, cilantro, chervil, chives or any combination of these)

Rinse dried peas and add to sauce pan with water. Bring to a boil, then simmer tightly covered for about 40 minutes or until peas are very tender.
Drain and set aside.

In a mixing bowl combine the vinegar, salt, sugar and garlic wisking to blend. Add in the cooked peas, the onion, jalapeno and herbs. Toss to combine and taste for seasoning. Add the lime zest if you prefer a more zingy bright flavor. Let salsa sit for an hour to allow the flavor to develop. Salas will keep in the fridge for up to four days. Serve with pita chips.

comfort and soy

Deborah

As the days get shorter our thoughts turn to comfort. Comfort food, of course. Now Amanda, I apologize right up front, I'm not talking diet food. Oh no. I am thinking about peanut sauce, gooey and rich and poured over noodles. Peanut sauce takes on all types of shapes and flavors in my kitchen. I never make it the same way twice. Rather, I proceed from a basic plan and improvise as I go. My peanut sauce is an Asian melting pot with my gratitude and apologies to all.

Tonight the peanut sauce was tossed over noodles with some steamed broccoli and some pan fried firm tofu. I like to get the tofu really golden and crispy.

It's about half way there.

I then add to the noodles tons of chopped scallions and julienned cucumber. I love the mixture of all the  crunchy textures glued together with that non-dietetic peanut sauce. The sauce itself usually has ginger, garlic, lime and or lemon juice, jalapeno, sugar, coconut milk and soy sauce. I just throw it all in a pot and let it melt down a bit and start tasting it to adjust the flavor. Oh yeah, and I use Skippy extra chunky peanut butter. I can hear you all groaning. I'm sorry. It tastes really good. Amanda, just skip down to the next paragraph about the kale salad. Ok, I would love to hear anyone's peanut sauce recipe. I tried Daniel Boulud's version and IT WAS NOT GOOD. It really wasn't and he is GREAT. The Malaysian Restaurant Penang on Queens Boulevard makes an AMAZING  peanut sauce that I just love but am too shy to ask for the recipe because if they said no I would probably cry.

It's a white girl from Manhattan's version of peanut sauce over noodles. Yeah that's linguine under there. I said I'm sorry.



Anyway, kale salad, what a concept. Amanda told me about a swanky wine tasting dinner she recently attended that served a salad she believed to be finely minced uncooked kale. Really? She said it was fantastic. Huh, worth a try. I picked up a bunch of stunningly colorful red kale today at Whole Foods and thought I would give the salad a shot.

When you finely mince beef for steak tartar it gets very tender, so perhaps it would work for kale. Perhaps. Kale leaves are particularly tough for a green leafy veg, but if this technique worked, well, how cool? So I tried it, chop chop chop.

I dressed it with white balsamic vinegar and some walnut oil and lots of s & p. And I tasted it. Um, chewy. Really chewy. It didn't taste bad and if you served it to me I would eat it, but I did not get it to the point where I would serve it to you. So I will pursue this concept further and see where it goes.

Peanut Sauce
1 cup of extra chunky peanut butter
3/4 cup of coconut milk
2 cloves of garlic finely minced
1 inch piece of peeled ginger finely minced
2 scallions finely minced
1 jalapeno finely minced
Juice of 1 lime
2 Tbs soy sauce
1 Tbs sugar

Put all ingredients in a small pot and cook over low heat for 10 minutes untill all the ingredients are blended. taste to adjust seasoning. Store in fridge for a week. Great with everything!

Amanda
You had me at "peanut sauce". Admittedly, it doesn't take much to get me salivating. But I am particularly susceptible to any recipe involving peanut butter, be it main course, salad or dessert. I get weak at just the thought of cold sesame noodles from my local Chinese take-out establishment. I can waive the calorie counting for a night for the occasion of trying out your recipe!

Vouvray is the wine that jumps to mind. One of my favorite whites, I sometimes inadvertantly overlook it. Vouvray is a region in France located in the Loire Valley.  Made from 100% Chenin Blanc, the wine is made in a variety of styles, raging in dry, or sec to the slightly sweeter demi-sec, and much sweeter moelleux. There is an occasion for each style! I would enjoy a richer style with this dish, one which has characteristics of honey, figs and nuts. Vouvray pairs very well with stronly flavored dishes, and I think this combination would be beautiful!

The style and acidity of Vouvray is based on the balance of sugar in the wine. Vouvrays have great ageability, especially the moeulleux style. This is a wine, if you have not yet tried, is definitely worth seeking out. With Deb's peanut sauce, I would definitely lean towards an off-dry, or slightly sweet style. The sweetness of the wine is a fine balance to the zip from the jalapeno, and saltiness from the soy sauce.

Deb, I cannot wait to try this one out! Sounds wonderful and right up my alley!

As for the kale salad, it definitely looks like the one I enjoyed the other night! You mentioned the toughness of kale, and that you chopped away - believe it or not, your pieces are still larger than the ones in my salad! The kale I had was chopped so fine, almost like little strands of confetti. It was so shredded, there was no toughness at all. Just a wonderful crunchiness that gave me the idea that it could not have been blanched. Pine nuts added to the crunchiness as well, and plump somethings (like very large raisins, but I don't know what they were) gave the salad a scrumptuous sweetness and chewy texture. Perhaps I should call the restaurant and investigate this a little!

Soup's On

Amanda

I have a new love. It's rich and complex, soft and elegant. Its beautiful caramel hue is so inviting. It warms my soul. Armagnac. So perfect this time of year. Incredibly wonderful to sip a snifter of this soothing elixir in front of a fireplace on a cold winter's night. Indescribable. I discovered it last week and fell immediately, and hard. I sit now, snifter beside me, reflecting on my night's concoction.


Fine Cooking was always one of my favorite food magazines. This is due to the fact that the writers actually try to teach you something, and not merely provide recipes. They give you step by step guidelines for techniques such as braising, roasting, grilling, etc. They instruct in a way that enables you to create your own recipes, with your own ingredients, following the basic steps. My goal as a novice "cook" was to become confident enough to not have to follow recipes, but rather create them on my own. My husband is a culinary graduate and has always offered me insight on the proper techniques used in the kitchen. When we first met, I did everything all wrong. I didn't think the "steps" to creating a dish were important, as long as the finish product tasted good. I learned quickly how wrong I was. The order in which ingredients are sauteed, how hot the oil must be before frying something, how to tell if something is done cooking not necessarily by the temperature, but by how it feels to the touch - all things a good cook must come to understand, and I learned them well. Through my husband, and of course Fine Cooking, I have learned a lot, and it has made me more skilled in the kitchen.


Which brings me to tonight's recipe - a basic white bean, kale and barley soup, which I created on my own following very simple, basic "soup-making" steps. I'm on a serious quest to lose 10 pounds before my upcoming family vacation to Mexico in January. I wanted to make the healthiest, and most satisfying soup possible. I started out with my aromatics - onion and celery. I also added some sliced carrots. After sauteeing for several minutes in some olive oil, until the onion and celery were translucent and soft, I added some organic, low sodium vegetable broth from Whole Foods. I am trying very hard to cut down on my sodium intake, so I set out to use as little salt as possible. (Admittedly, the soup is a little bland as a result. Feel free to add as much salt as suits you!)

I brought the broth and vegetables to a boil, and added a little over a 1/4 cup of pearl barley and a big sprig of rosemary. I let it simmer for about 1/2 hour to 45 minutes until the barley was done. At this point, I added a large amount of kale and 1 can of white beans.

finished product

I have a large appetite and I am trying to cut down on my portion size. The addition of the barley was intended to make this meal a little more satisfying. I also added quite a bit of pepper. As I mentioned, it could definitely use salt, but I will not succumb. When I reheat it everyday for lunch this week, I will add a touch of shredded pecorino romano for extra flavoring. The soup looks beautiful and is very tasty.


But I do have a question for all of you who have more experience than I:  Is there anything I can use in place of salt to make up for its absence?


Healthy White Bean, Barley and Kale Soup
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, sliced on an angle about 1/4" thick
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup chopped celery
64 oz low sodium vegetable broth
2 large sprigs rosemary
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup pearl barley
1 15 oz can white beans
three large handfuls roughly chopped, or hand-torn kale


Basically, follow the directions above. Start by sauteeing the onion, carrots, garlic and celery, until translucent. Add the vegetable broth and rosemary sprigs and bring to a boil. Add barley and simmer about 1/2 hour until barley is done. Add white beans and kale at the end. Let the kale wilt a bit, add salt and pepper to taste, and serve.


I refridgerate mine and eat it all week. Probably gives me about 6 servings.


Deborah
Thanks for the great recipe Amanda. Cooks love it when someone else does the cooking for us once in a while! I am sure your family enjoyed the soup. As for the salt, well, there is really no way I can tell you how to make things taste as good without it. Professional cooks rely on salt to enhance flavor and bring a dish together. A small amount of salt can go a long way and unless there is a very specific reason to eliminate it altogether I would add just enough to enhance a dish. I prefer to season things at every stage of cooking and never use salt at the table when I eat. Most professionals consider it a terrible insult to have someone salt their food after it has been served. It implies that the food has not been seasoned correctly. The addition of pecorino romano to your soup will indeed add missing flavor because IT IS SALTY. 
Limit salt, use it judiciously, add lots of herbs and spices to flavor food, eat in moderation.  Amanda, it sounds like you are taking some very smart steps to eat more healthfully and will lose those pounds before your trip. Good luck!

Hurrah for the CSA

Deborah

My sister Denise and her husband are traveling in VietNam for three weeks. Denise is a great cook and a very adventurous eater. I cannot wait to hear about her travels when she gets home. Hopefully she will bring back some culinary tidbits and techniques from afar.  Graciously, while she is away I was given one week of produce from her CSA farm share. What a treat for me! I do not belong to a CSA which stands for Community Supported Agriculture, where you buy shares in a local farm and receive a percentage of their produce every week during their growing season. This arrangement provides cash to the small farmers up-front, a pre-sold market as it were, and gives the shareholders wonderfully fresh produce and direct access to their grower.

The Roxbury Farm delivers on Thursdays to the Upper West Side and I was told to bring my own bags. The fruits and vegetables were laid out in a small courtyard and each variety was labelled with how much you could take as part of your share. How fun!

As I expected for this time of year, there was kale and butternut squash, broccoli, onions, potatoes, loose lettuce and arugula and some beautiful pears. I thought I would try to come up with a recipe that used these ingredients and have a real farm fresh meal. My idea ran towards a gratin; layering the kale and the butternut squash and baking it in white wine and butter.

Filling my bag with goodies.

The Roxbury's kale was crazy fresh. It was so stiff and full and bushy I could have swept the floor with it! I knew I would have to cook it down somewhat before adding it to the gratin or it would be too tough. I did my usual saute with garlic and oil to add flavor and wilt it down a bit.

I wanted thin slices of the squash, so after peeling it I cut it into manageable chunks and pushed it through my mandoline . I have to admit this was a bit hair-raising as the squash is so firm you really have to push hard to get it through the blade. Here I was risking my fingers when I was really not sure how the dish would turn out.
My main concern was that the squash would be too sweet and over power the kale, so when I began to layer everything I decided to go light on the squash.
The results were good. As it turned out, it was the kale that really dominated with a very meaty, chewy texture. The butternut squash was quite mild but held its own. The kids ate a few bites and didn't hate it. I had leftovers today for lunch and actually liked it all the more the next day. As so often happens overnight, the flavors mellowed out and blended a bit. This dish became a really satisfying meal that was filling and very tasty. I would definitely make this for my vegetarian clients. What would you suggest for a wine pairing Amanda?

Kale and Butternut Squash Gratin
1 Tbs. Olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup chopped onion
I bunch of kale trimmed of stems and roughly chopped
1/2 cup water
2 Tbs. butter
1 small butternut squash peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 cup white wine
s & p

preheat oven to 350F

Heat the oil in a pan and add the onion and garlic, cooking till golden, about five minutes. Add the kale and cook down for at least ten minutes till the kale begins to wilt and turn bright green. Add 1/2 cup of water to the kale and cover the pan and cook another 10 minutes till kale is tender.

First layer

Next time I will add add more squash to the top layer.

Butter a baking dish with 1 Tbs. of butter and layer in half of the butternut squash slices. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and dot with a teaspoon of butter. Make a layer of cooked kale on top of the squash. Then add the top layer of squash, s & p and dot with the remaining butter. Pour in the white wine and bake uncover for 1 hour until the squash is tender when you pierce it with a knife.

I took a bite before I took a photo! Really tastes good.

serves 4

Amanda
Sounds like the perfect Fall dish! Kale, when very fresh, can have such big, savory flavors. I really wanted to come up with a wine that would result in an interesting flavor combination. The sweet and spicy flavors that kale can deliver immediately made me think of Gewurztraminer. One of my favorite varietals, it is often associated with flavors and aromas of lychee fruit. It is extremely aromatic and really thrives best in cooler climates. The wines are usually dry, or off-dry (meaning there is a slight touch of sweetness to the wine). Gewurztraminer is commonly paired with Asian cuisine. I absolutely adore the perfumed, flowery bouquet this delicious varietal gives off. It's wonderful! The wine can be lush and rich, which is exactly how I like it.


Gewurztraminer is certainly not a subtle wine, which is why I think it is a good match for the kale and butternut squash combination. It can be decadent and exotic as well - be sure to consider it for hard-to-match recipes. My favorite Gewurztraminer hales from Alsace, France. Favorite producers are Trimbach and Zind Humbrecht. Typically $15 and up,  (into the $50-$60 range for late harvest, sweeter versions) this is a wine that is absolutely worth the splurge! If you haven't yet tried this decadent white, I hope you will soon! I'd love to hear if you love it as much as I!