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Thursday, June 13, 2013

Tomato Bread

Pan con Tomate (Bread with Tomato) is sometimes called Pan a la Catalana in other parts of Spain. It is one of the simplest, the most well-loved, the most widely eaten and the most famous dishes from Cataluña. In Catalan, it is called pa amb tomaquet and in Spanish, pan con tomate. What is Tomato Bread? Tomato Bread is simply toasted bread rubbed with fresh garlic and ripe tomato, then drizzled with olive oil and a bit of salt. It can be eaten by itself, but is often topped with cheese, ham or sausage.

Rustic-Style Bread
2 Large, Round, Ripe Tomatoes
2 Large Cloves of Garlic
Olive Oil
Salt to Taste
Optional: If you wish, add thinly sliced Spanish cheese, chorizo or ham.

It is best to use a rustic-style bread, that is solid and dense. Slice the bread into pieces about ¾ inch thick. Toast the slices lightly on both sides. Peel the garlic cloves and slice a bit off the ends and rub the cut ends over each slice of bread. Slice the ripe tomatoes in half across the middle. Then, using the tomato half, rub the cut side of the tomato generously onto each slice. Finally, sprinkle some salt on the slice, and drizzle with olive oil. Enjoy with meals, or as an appetizer

Hot and Sassy Corn Bread

1 cup stone-ground yellow cornmeal (or whatever cornmeal you have)
¾ cup unbleached all-purpose flour

¼ cup whole-wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 cup canned cream-style corn
½ cup fresh or frozen corn kernels, thawed if frozen
½ cup sour cream
½ cup milk
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 Tablespoon light brown sugar
1 to 2 fresh jalapeño peppers, minced

Preheat the oven to 400° F. Butter an 8 inch square baking pan, or an 8 inch cast iron skillet. Toss the dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl. In another bowl, stir the cream-style corn and all the remaining ingredients together until smooth. Add half the liquid mixture to the dry mixture, stirring just until blended (don’t over mix). Add the remaining liquid and again stir until just blended. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until the top is golden and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, 25 minutes. Cool slightly in the pan before cutting into squares. Makes 8 servings.

Saturday, June 1, 2013

Sweet Potato Cakes

The ultimate comfort food: soft, a bit messy and delicious.

For the fritters:
2 ½ pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
2 teaspoon soy sauce
1/2 cup all purpose flour
¼ cup bread crumbs
one egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon salt
3 Tablespoon spring onion, chopped
½ teaspoon fresh chili, finely chopped (or more, to taste)
½ teaspoon cumin, chipotle chili powder or seasoning of your choice (optional)
Lots of butter, for frying (or you can use oil)

For the sauce:
3 Tablespoons Greek yogurt (or any plain yogurt)
3 Tablespoons sour cream (if you only have sour cream, or you only have yogurt, 6 T of one of those is fine
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Tablespoon lemon or lime juice
Salt and pepper
1 Tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped

Steam the sweet potato until soft, then drain in a colander for an hour. Or, bake them at 375 for 45 min, let cool. Meanwhile, whisk the sauce ingredients until smooth and set aside. In a mixing bowl, combine all the fritter ingredients by hand or with a wooden spoon until smooth and even, but don’t over mix. The mixture should be sticky, so if it’s a little runny, add some flour.
Melt some butter in a nonstick pan or cast iron skillet. For each cake, use a tablespoon to lift some mix into the oan and flatten wit the back of the spoon to create a not-too-perfect disc that is about 2 inches wide and less than ½ inch thick. Fry on moderate heat until you get a nice, brown crust, turning as necessary – about six minutes. Place between two sheets of paper towel, to soak up the excess butter. Serve hot or warm, with the sauce on the side and a crisp green salad.
Recipe adapted from Plenty, by Yotam Ottolenghi

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Oat and Lentil Loaf with Mushrooms and Walnuts

This vegetarian main dish provides a complete protein, thanks to the combination of oats and lentils. It can be made vegan by omitting the eggs and substituting flax seed (or simply adding some extra vegetable broth or tomato sauce; this will change the texture but still be tasty). If you would like to incorporate meat, you could substitute cooked ground beef or pork for the lentils. Grated cheese, either mixed into the loaf or sprinkled over the top, is also a nice addition.

1 cup brown lentils
1 cup oats
1 onion, chopped
1 cup mushrooms, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup diced tomatoes (canned or fresh)
2 eggs (or 2 Tbsp flax seed soaked in 4 Tbsp warm water)
½ cup walnuts, finely chopped
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
½ tsp dried basil (optional)
½ cup ketchup or BBQ sauce (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cook lentils in boiling, salted water until tender, about 25 minutes. Drain and transfer to a medium mixing bowl.
While lentils are cooking, sauté onion and mushrooms in olive oil or butter until onion is translucent and mushrooms are soft, about five minutes. Add garlic and cook for two more minutes.
Add oats, diced tomatoes, and cooked onions and garlic to cooked lentils.
Stir in eggs or flax seed, chopped walnuts, salt, pepper, basil, and ketchup or BBQ sauce.
Pour mixture into a loaf pan or small casserole dish and bake until top of loaf is crispy, about 40 minutes.

Not sure where this treasure comes from. If you know, let us know and we will happily credit the creator.

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Savory Bread Pudding with Vegetables and Cheese

This version calls for kale and mushrooms, but you might try using spinach, leeks, green beans, corn, carrots, summer squash, or whatever else you have on hand. You could also incorporate chicken, ground beef, sausage, or other meat products—just cook them thoroughly before adding (perhaps by sautéing them with the vegetables in Step 3).
1 bunch kale
½ pound mushrooms
1 tsp fresh thyme, or ½ tsp dried thyme (optional)
2 garlic cloves, minced (optional)
Salt and pepper
¾ cup cheese, grated or diced (try Swiss, Cheddar, Jack, Gouda, Mozzarella, or your favorite)
½ pound stale bread, chopped into one-inch cubes
4 eggs
2 cups milk

Wash and chop kale and mushrooms (or the vegetables of your choice).
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a frying pan over medium heat, sauté vegetables in butter or oil with thyme, garlic, or other herbs and spices until tender but still colorful. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
In a bowl, whisk together eggs with milk and add ½ tsp. salt.
In a large baking dish, combine bread cubes, cooked vegetables, and egg mixture. Stir to mix evenly.
Bake for about 45 minutes, or until browned.

Adapted from Martha Rose Shulman’s recipe for the New York Times (January 31, 2012).

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Roasted Cabbage

(from a recipe at this site)

1 small to medium head cabbage, about 1 to 1-1/2 pounds before trimming
4 tablespoons butter, melted
Salt and pepper

Cut the cabbage into 1-inch wedges, making sure to keep the core intact on every wedge. You may lose a few of the loose outer leaves that aren’t attached to the core. Place the cabbage on a baking sheet and brush with half of the melted butter. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Turn the wedges over and do the same on the other side using the rest of the melted butter. Roast at 450º until the cabbage is browned around the edges, about 20-25 minutes. You can try to turn it over about half way through, but it’s likely to fall apart, and while it still tastes good, it doesn’t look as nice.

Serve the cabbage with the pork chops, and put the sauce over both.

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Thursday, June 13, 2013

Saturday, June 1, 2013

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Savory:

Sweet: