A Salad Well Worth The Skillet

Updated May 24
I kind of had a theme going on this week - it lasted a whole two meals, but that's still a theme. Food with Spanish words in the title. Weak theme, but it opened up a broad variety of cuisine and easily could have lasted months. Except of course, it didn't. After the calabacines rellenos, I moved on to a Mexico-inspired salad from Rick Bayless' cookbook Mexican Everyday. The title made me think that maybe it would be something that could be made anyday.

Toasted pumpkin seeds-while I messed up the first time - still didn't prevent dinner from being on the table within an hour of my starting to cook (though I didn't spend any time for photos either, and it shows.) Mom helped speed things up by washing the lettuce and cutting the mango (though I decided not to cut my mangoes the way his pictures suggest and going back to cutting in in the skin and then inverting it and cutting it out.) My garlic cloves were large and mellow, so my dressing came out nice and creamy - and had to be liquified with another half of a lime, leaving the dressing more lime-y than anything else. But I still thought it was quite good. I was excited to have the leftovers for lunch the next day, even though putting mango, avocado, queso fresco, and toasted pumpkin seeds in the same compartment takes away the crunch.

I'm going to make it again this week for Dad and see what he thinks of it. And I'll try it with pan-fried onions instead of bacon on mine and hopefully the chile won't fall through the cart at Whole Foods again.

---

Making it a second time, it was definitely a keeper. It's relatively simple to make, and even though the dressing requires to use of a skillet, it is worth it.
Ensalada de Aguacate y Mango con Queso Fresco, Tocino, y Pepitas Tostadas
Avocado and Mango Salad with Queso Fresco, Bacon, and Toasted Pumpkin Seeds
from Rick Bayless' Mexican Everyday
Serves 2

1 to 2 slices bacon
1/4 cup hulled untoasted pumpkin seeds
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
3 Tablespoons walnut oil (or other oil, such as olive)
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1 serrano chile, seeded
2 teaspoons honey
salt
2 cups Boston lettuce leaves (about 1/2 to 2/3 of a head of lettuce)
1 ripe avocado
1 ripe mango
1/3 cup coarsely crumbled queso fresco

Arrange bacon slices between double layer of paper towels on a microwave-safe dish and microwave on high 2 to 4 minutes, or until crisp (be careful not to burn)

Pour the pumpkin seeds intwo a small dry skillet set over low-medium heat. Stir occasionally until first one pops, and then stir constantly until they have all popped from flat to round, about 5 minutes. (This requires attention, or the seeds burn before they pop).
Scoop about 1/3 into a blender and add lime juice. Reserve remaining in a bowl (just not in the skillet).
Return the skillet to medium heat. Add oil, garlic, and chile. Cook, stirring regularly, until the garlic is soft and browned, about 5 minutes. If blender is plastic, let cool a bit and then scrape into blender. Otherwise, scrape into blender, add honey and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and process until smooth. Add more salt to taste.
Divide lettuce among the two plates. Put avocados, slice, and scoop flesh from skin and divide among the center of the two plates. Cut mangoes in slices similar to the avocado and place on salad. Drizzle the dressing over the salad. Sprinkle with cheese, remaining pumpkin seeds, and crumble bacon over top.
Serve soon or bacon and seeds will loose their crunch.

Note: I've changed it a bit so the dressing comes out a bit thick and gloppy and more lime-y, but I like it this way. It also makes for a great a dip.

Go Fish (In The Zucchini)

So there are those cookbooks with the decent covers, thick binding, and loads of hype. I find those a bit harder to pick up. I need a pretty picture on the cover. Something that makes me go ooh! I want to make that! It's no wonder why I end up buying so many magazines. There's just something about the glossy covers that attracts me. So I usually end up cooking from magazines. I buy magazines and borrow books. That's how it works.


While I may frequently check out cookbooks from the library, it is rare that I, shocking as it may be, actually cook from them. So what's amazing is that not only have I checked this book out (okay, this is my second time checking it out) and flipped through it, I've also made a recipe from it. Or made a somewhat less decadent version of a recipe in it.


I didn't want to make allioli from scratch, and I didn't want to just mix mayonnaise with lemon juice and call it allioli because that's just as much worth without all the benefits. So I bought aïoli. Not my brightest idea. But other than some strong masking of other flavors by the mustard in the aïoli, it turned out well. I'll just actually make allioli next time.



Calabacines Rellenos de Atun (Zucchini "Boats" Stuffed with Tuna)
adapted from The New Spanish Table by Anyavon Bremzen page 392
Makes 6 "boats" (or 12 appetizers or dinner for 2 people for with a salad)

2 medium-size ripe tomatoes, quartered and seeded
extra-virgin olive oil, to brush the tomatoes with
3 medium-large zucchini, stemmed and cut in half lengthwise
kosher salt
6 ounces canned tuna
3 Tablespoons store-bought aïoli (or, even better, make allioli), plus more to serve
4 Tablespoons breadcrumbs


Preheat oven to 450ºF.

Arrange tomatoes on greased or lined baking sheet, brush them with olive oil, and bake until soft and beginning to blister, about 25 -30 minutes.

While baking, prepare a large steamer tray over boiling water. Using a melon baller (or he recommended a small knife or grapefruit spoon), scoop out pulp of zucchini and discard or save for later use, leaving sides and bottoms just a bit more than 1/8" thick. Steam the zucchini in the steamer until just softened, 3-4 minutes. (Don't overcook or they start to fall apart. If your zucchinis are smaller, check sooner.) When the zucchini is cool enough to handle, blot dry and sprinkle insides with a little salt.

To make the filling, slide off the skin and chop the tomatoes when they are cook enough to touch. Place tuna, chopped tomatoes, and 2 tablespoons of theaïoli in a mixing bowl and mix. Set zucchini on baking sheet. Fill the zucchini shells with the tuna mixture. Spread the top of each with 1/2 teaspoon of the remaining allioli and sprinkle about 3/4 teaspoon breadcrumbs over each of them.
Bake for about 7 minutes, and then broil for 1-2 minutes or until tops are browned.
Serve hot or let cool; either way is tasty.

Note: It's really easy to overcook the zucchini. It makes them flimsy. I'm almost considering trying it with raw zucchini sometime because the second time I made them I didn't pay nearly enough attention and steamed the zucchini for too long.

Fresh chopped basil is a nice addition to the tuna mixture if you have some around.

Gale Gand, Grocery Store Rushing, and a Mother's Day Dessert

Yesterday, Mom, Aunt A., and I went to see Gale Gand. Gale made Vita's Ricotta Doughnuts and a lemon cream to dip them in. In an effort to find the recipes online, it seems like that's what she makes for most cooking demonstrations. The doughnuts were good, but I kind of have a fear of hot oil and frying things, so the last (and only) time I've ever fried things was in a deep fryer in my cousin's apartment in Tehran. I figured that was relatively safe-and the only possible way to make what I was making. Mom really liked the lemon cream though, so I thought it would be a good idea to incorporate it into a mother's day dessert by pairing it with blueberries and something else. I finally decided that an angel food cake was probably the missing link. Mom thought that it sounded like a good dessert, so I set off to figure out how to make it.

I remembered a recipe for angel food cake cupcakes being in a Cooking Light from last summer. Even better, the recipe I was thinking of turned out to be Lemon Angel Food Cupcakes, which made it very easy to rationalize the time and cost when angel food cake is so readily available (and cheap) right now, and sold next to the berries and whipped cream, of course.

I made the cupcakes with no trouble, other than going to line the muffin tins and realizing I was out of liners, which I rarely use. I know that for angel food though, it's important. It was extra driving practice too. (And just $1.07 more). I was worried my egg whites were deflating, but they turned out looking fine.

The lemon cream did not go as smoothly. I had everything I needed, and managed to have a lemon with no seeds that yielded almost enough juice, making the usually time-consuming part easy. But then my absent-mindedness kicked in. I cooled down the lemon curd, turned around to get my drink, and realized I'd forgotten about the two tablespoons of butter that I'd measured out. I figured the whipped cream I'd mix in with it would made up for the creaminess missing.
And that was the second problem. Since the lemon curd was in the mixer bowl, I figured I might as well make the whipped cream with a whisk and join Mom and Tiff out on the patio. After minutes of whisking, I was getting nowhere. So I got out the hand beaters and by the time the table was set and dinner set out, I still hadn't gotten anywhere. I asked Mom to put the bowl in the fridge with the beaters and figured it would work after dinner once it was chilled.
It still didn't work. I was trying to make whipped cream with half-and-half. Mom just had a very nice latte with her cupcake instead.

I'm actually kind of glad for the mistake though, because the cupcakes turned out really nice anyway, and the lemon curd made a tasty glaze (which is what I considered doing before I forgot the butter and thought it might need the creaminess of the whipped cream, as well as the lightening, to make it more appealing to my anti-custard cousin.)

Lemon Angel Food Cupcakes with Lemon and Blueberry Topping
adapted from Cooking Light 's Lemon Angel Food Cupcakes and Gale Gand's Lemon Creme
Makes 8 cupcakes

Cupcakes:
1/4 cup (about 1 ounce) cake flour
3/8 cup (45 grams) powdered sugar
3 liquid ounces egg whites (2-3 large eggs)
a pinch salt
3/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
8 muffin cup liners

Lemon curd topping:
2 eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 1-2 large lemons, maybe more)
lemon zest from half of a lemon (well, don't cut the lemon first...)

a pint blueberries
lemon zest, optional (to garnish)


for the cupcakes:
Preheat oven to 350ºF.
Line 8 muffin cups with liners.

Sift together cake flour and powdered sugar 3 times.


In a mixer (I definitely recommend a stand mixer for this, and I usually find it more of a hassle to use one) beat egg whites and salt at high speed until frothy, about a minute. Add cream of tartar and beat until soft peaks form. Add granulated sugar, a spoon at a time, beating until stiff peaks form. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of flour mixture oven egg white mixture; fold into egg whites and repeat with remaining flour mixture until all is folded in. Stir in vanilla and grated lemon zest.

Divide evenly among prepared muffin cups. Bake at 350º for 18 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from pan and let cool completely.

for the lemon curd:
Bring a couple inches of water to a simmer in a saucepan that you can fit the mixer bowl over without touching the water.

In a mixer with whisk attachment, or with hand beaters, whip the eggs and sugar together into pale yellow and fluffy. Mix in lemon juice and zest.
Rest the bowl over the simmering water. Cook, whisking occasionally. until the mixture is thick and custard-like, about 10 minutes.

While the curd cooks, half-fill a bowl larger than bowl using to make curd with ice and water. When curd is thick, rest bowl in ice bath to cool, stirring occasionally.

to assemble cupcakes:

Spread a layer of the lemon curd over the cupcake and top with blueberries and lemon zest.

Some lemon curd with be left over, refrigerate and save for another use.
(This month's Everyday Food recommends using lemon curd in mousse, on scones, over fresh berries, or over pound cake and has its own lemon curd recipe on page 126, as well as one that uses it to make a lemon mouse. They only recommend keeping their curd for 3 days.)

Black Bean Patties and Bright Sunny Lime Olive Oil

It's the day before the AP US History exam, and I don't want to study. I planned on making dinner (originally smothered tempeh sandwiches), but decided it would probably be a better idea to make something that I'd made before.

I made Black Bean Patties with Pineapple Rice from the March issue of Cooking Light, and liked them, but thought the patties could use a bit more flavor and color and had been meaning to try them again.

Over the weekend, Michelle had given us some Stonehouse Persian Lime Olive Oil. I'd been wanting to try it, and thought instead of the pineapple rice, a simple salad of greens, pineapple, cucumber, and lime olive oil would be tasty. Mom loved it.

The patties also were tastier this time. The weather, nice enough to sit outside, made it all even better.


Black Bean Patties
adapted from Cooking Light March 2007
makes 4

15-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 large egg white
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded Pepper Jack
1/4 cup chopped red onion
cornmeal, to dredge
1/4 cup greek yogurt


Place about 2/3 of the beans, garlic, cumin, and salt in a bowl. Partially mash the mixture together with a fork.
In a food processor, process remaining beans with egg white 30 seconds or until well mixed.
Add bean puree to mashed beans and stir until combined. Stir in onion and cheese. Divide into 4 equal portions (about 3 1/2 ounces each) and shape each into a 1/2-inch thick patty. Place cornmeal in a shallow dish and dredge both sides with cornmeal.

Heat nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add patties, cook 5 minutes on each side or until lightly browned.
Top each patty with a dollop of yogurt and serve with a salad and tortilla chips.

Wednesday Morning Magic Pancakes

This morning I entered my parents room with the usual question: What would you like for breakfast. They'd agreed to cereal, but I wasn't done rattling off their options yet: cereal, eggs, toast, pancakes, oatmeal.. The pancakes caught them by surprise (it is a Wednesday morning after all) and they went for it. Little did I realize that it would take me only 20 minutes to have the first 3 pancakes cooked-and I'd told Dad he had 45 minutes. But I slid into my seat a minute before the bell (and left mom with the dirty dishes, regretfully).

I decided to tweak the recipe I used on Sunday even more, and so adding my magic ingredient (you know a pureed banana makes everything better.)

Spongy Buttermilk Pancakes
1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 very ripe banana
1 cup buttermilk
2 Tablespoons mild oil (such as walnut or canola)
1 large egg

toasted walnuts, honey, and banana slices, to serve if desired (or just good ol' butter and syrup)

Lightly grease (if needed) and heat a griddle or large pan.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl and whisk together to mix.

In a blender or food processor, combine banana and some buttermilk. Blend until smooth. Add remaining buttermilk, oil, and egg and blend together.
Pour the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture and mix together until smooth.

Pour or scoop approximately 3-4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) of batter onto the griddle and spread out to about 1 cm thick with a spatula. When bubbles appear, about 2 minutes or so, flip and continue cooking until springs back to the touch, about another 2 to 3 minutes.

Serve while warm, topped with walnuts, honey, and banana slices.

After Weeks, My-Oh-My I've Made Pie

I'll admit it. I can't help but fall in love with Pie-Oh-My. So I've been wanting to make something like them since they're kind of expensive. And there's nothing like homemade. (Except sometimes it turns out nasty.) So after contemplating different things like the Cherry Turnovers in the April issue of Everyday Food, Lara's Cran-Rasberry Hand Pies, Unfried Apple Pies, and some fruit turnover recipes that I can't link to (one in a pie book at Michaela's house, and another in Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook) By Sunday I'd given up on finding a recipe that was exactly what I wanted. I finally got down to business last night. Starting on Sunday, I got all my ingredients after spending an hour trying to find a dough recipe to use (I ended up taking one for empanadas and playing with it, praying for something that would work, and it did.)

There's a myriad of names that would successfully name these little things, and none would be ambiguous as to what they are. So I'm having trouble debating what to call them.
Since I set out to make hand pies (I was first inspired by Alton Brown's A Pie In Every Pocket pocket pies on Good Eats, and he did refer to them in the episode as hand pies when I saw part of it months ago), which are essentially what Pie-Oh-My's are, that's what I'm going to call them.
Note: When I don't do things all at once, I lose interest or patience. One thing I don't like doing is rolling out dough. If I get into a zone, I can handle it. But I failed to do so today, so as soon as I ran out of my first filling (which I made only a little of because I wasn't sure how the dough would be) and didn't feel like making more, so I sauteed some spinach to stuff inside of some to make some appetizers for dinner. Then I just stopped. I only used about half of the dough. But the filling was good, and if the amount was more, it would have been enough. Maybe sometime when it isn't a school day I'll make a WHOLE batch of these.



Pear Hand Pies
Makes 12

Dough:
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, cut into little pieces
1/3 cup ice water
1 Tablespoon distilled white vinegar
1 large egg

Filling:
3 pears, cored and diced
3 tablespoons corn starch
4 teaspoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoons nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon allspice

Egg Wash:
1 large egg yolk
1-2 tablespoons milk

To make dough:
Sift flours and salt through a sieve. Dump the bran that remains on top in with the flour (yes, I realize that sort of defeated the purpose of sifting...) Blend in the butter with fingers or a pastry blender until it resembles a coarse meal with only pea size pieces of butter remaining.

In a small bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together water, vinegar, and egg
with a fork. Then mix into the meal with the fork until it comes together.
Gather the dough together and turn out onto a floured surface and knead once or twice with heel of hand. Form into a flat rectangle and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for an hour.

For filling: Mix ingredients for filling together in a small bowl.

To assemble:
Place racks in top and bottom thirds of oven. Preheat oven to 400ºF. Line two baking sheets with parchment.
Divide dough into twelve pieces. Roll one piece out to about 1/8" thickness while keeping others covered. Fill with 2-3 tablespoons filling. Fold over and crimp with a fork. Place on baking sheet.
Repeat with remaining. Brush with egg wash before placing in oven.

Bake for about 17 minutes, switching placement of sheets within the oven halfway through baking.

Food & Wine: Calling All Foodies In Training

Food & Wine has a contest for kid chefs - though of course my parents have to fill out the stuff. You have to submit your child's favorite recipe, and that's where my problem is: I don't have a favorite recipe. I like most that I make, except for some that have problems that I try to fix. Some of the better one are the apple-oatmeal muffins, which I've altered from the magazine recipe to make even tastier and eat with peanut butter to make the perfect combination. But I'm still not sure.

What do you think that I've ever made that looks the best? Any suggestions. The contest form must be mailed by the 14th (this Saturday!)

Dinner Pudding for Two

Before embarking on my weekend of terror (okay, not terror for me, more like terror for those who are unfortunate enough to be around me) I wanted to make dinner for mom and me. In part because I have not made dinner in a long time, and because I enjoy trying out recipes from magazines. Otherwise I feel like I've spent $5 to look at pictures when I could do that for free (or I guess the monthly fee for the connection) online. I suppose the glossy pages and articles about gadgets and restaurants and markets (like the article about La Boqueria in Bon Appetit the day after we returned home) are the real reason.
But I digress.

Valentine's Day is traditionally a couple meal, so I figured finding a plan from Valentine's Day, with the weather about right for that occasion, would give me a recipe that would require little altering.
I was wrong, but at least the grocery list was simple (8 ounce container of this, 5 ounce bag of that). The recipe was for a Spinach-Mushroom Strata, but I made it so shallow I felt like it should be dressing. Or possibly pudding. Because pudding sounds tastier. Or more like dessert. (Though I did find a definition of pudding that this dish would fit: any of various soft thick unsweetened baked dishes).



But maybe I should get on with the food. Like I was saying, despite choosing a recipe for two people so I could follow it to a "T", I still ended up changing it. Due to liquor laws and the lack of sherry in the liquor cabinet, I decided to do without (I couldn't have paid someone at the store to buy it for me, but that would make the dish unsavory.) The recipe also called for grated Swiss cheese and I'm not a fan of Swiss cheese, so I had to do something about that as well. Also, since I'm lazy, I had to do away with the French bread with the crusts removed and went for a softer bread instead. And it turned out delicious, unlike the broccoli rabe recipe that I followed much more closely (though I did accidentally end up boiling, not blanching, the greens; I think I just like citrus with broccoli rabe).

Spinach-Mushroom Dinner Pudding
Serves 2
adapted from Spinach-Mushroom Strata in Feb. 2007 issue of VT (p.42)

1 Tablespoon olive oil (and/or spray to grease dish)
8 oz. mushrooms, sliced (or sliced mushrooms, but I had time to slice them and save 50 cents)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon chopped thyme
1 Tablespoon sherry vinegar
5 oz. spinach
2 1/2 cups cubed whole-wheat bread (from a baguette or loaf with soft crust)
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1 large egg
2 1/2 ounces mild gouda cheese (grated or cubed), such as Roomkaas Aniekaas

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 2 qt. shallow baking dish. Heat oil in nonstick skillet over high heat. Sauté mushrooms for 5 minutes or until browned. Add garlic and thyme, and cook one minute. Stir in vinegar and cook until liquid evaporates. Season with pepper (and possibly a bit of salt) and tranfer to a bowl.

Place pan over high heat (same pan would be nice). Add spinach and a tablespoon of water or broth (but not from the 1/2 cup) and cook a minute, or until spinach wilts. Season with salt and pepper (only pepper if you used broth). Squeeze out liquid.

Toss spinach and bread with mushrooms.
Whisk broth and egg together in a small bowl. Pour over bread mixture, add cheese, and stir until all the liquid has been absorbed by the bread.

Spoon into prepared baking dish and press down lightly. Bake 30 minutes or until browned and bubbling. Let stand 5-10 minutes to set, and then serve.

Fish, Seafood, and New Things to Try

I think I've had enough cod to last me a few weeks.
Though I did try bacalla de la mel which I've wanted to try. But I had a cod a million other times/ways as well.
As a tapas, we had something with eggplant, peppers, tapenade, and goat cheese that I can't wait to try to recreate as a first course next time we have someone over, as well as a new recipe for bizcocho de naranja (which I never saw here, but made from a recipe I found in a magazine once) that was in an article in a special all-recipe issue of a magazine I picked up today.

I still have Paris (croissants and baguettes! though I'm sure my parents are going to foist escargot or pate on me) and then finally, meals from a home kitchen again, which after going to Santa Caterina Market, I wished I had over here. Minus the goat heads.

Barcelona
3:55 PM

Mercat de la Boqueria

Note: I'm having some problems with the larger size-formatted images. They're being cropped.

The largest and oldest market in Barcelona. Need I say more?
Stalls after stalls of produce, fish, seafood and bars. Not suprisingly there was a stall completely devoted to cod.


As well as the world famous Pinotxo Bar. (Or at least it seems that way with all the clippings on the beams and the fact I've read about it in a magazine my dad took off an airplane a few months ago AND the Bon Appetit that arrived in the mail Tuesday, the day after we returned.


After walking around La Boqueria, dinner that night was a dissapointment.