hoppin' new year!

Though there's not a single southern thing about me, and I usually make Japanese ozoni for New Year's Day (not that there's anything Japanese about me, either...well, sort of), I made the classic New Year dish hoppin' john (blackeyed peas and rice) and greens with hickory smoked ham to usher in 2008.

We haven't done much home renovation, other than replace part of our roof in a scheduled plan and chop down some trees that had been mangled by the power company, for months now. I've been away in southern California for school stuff since September, and Mr. Reluctant has been busy with his own career. I'm very happy to be home now, and plan to do some small stuff around the house in the next few months. Not sure how interesting it will be, but I'll keep you posted nonetheless.

All our best for a happy and healthy new year!

fortification fridays -- spicy tuna rolls

I've been a big fan of spicy tuna rolls for many years. They drove me crazy until I figured out the secret ingredient: sriracha hot sauce, the Thai stuff you see on the tables at Vietnamese and Chinese restaurants. Some of the upscale sushi places use the traditional Japanese hot spice mix called togarashi (7-spice powder), but more often than not, the red stuff is sriracha. A couple of weeks ago, we ate at a Japanese restaurant in town that is rather out of the way, tucked into a strip mall between a Wal-Mart and a Goodwill. The sushi, surprisingly, was quite good. They had what they called a crunchy spicy tuna roll. Usually, I hate the fancy rolls because they are a mishmash of flavors, are either deep fried or brushed in teriyaki sauce or topped with Japanese mayonnaise, one of the foulest concoctions ever. But this crunchy roll was delish. The little crunchy bits of tempura batter were tiny and subtle, just adding a bit of texture. I've been craving them ever since.

If you would like to know how to make sushi rice, roll sushi rolls, learn sushi etiquette, or you’re just interested in the history of sushi, see this link.

Please don't put mayonnaise on sushi; some restaurants now skip a step and just glop some srirachi-flavored mayo on top of a tekka-maki or tuna roll. Gross.

Spicy tuna rolls

Serves: 4 with other sushi or appetizers
Kitchen Needs: rice cooker for rice, food processor

1/2 lb. Sashimi-grade tuna, raw
1 t. sriracha
1 t. sesame oil (you may also add some chili oil for extra spice)
1 t. soy sauce
4 green onions, white parts only, finely chopped
a few good shakes of white pepper
salt to taste
optional and delicious: 1 T. tobiko (flying fish roe, available fresh or frozen)

Cut tuna into 2-inch cubes for food processor. Add to food processor and pulse until chopped roughly. Place fish into bowl and mix with other ingredients. Taste for spiciness and salt. Serve in rolls with avocado or with slices of cucumber wrapped around a bit of spicy tuna mixture, secured by a toothpick.

(Image courtesy of someone on web -- I didn't record the URL, and I can't find it again :( . If you know where it's from, please let me know!)

fortification fridays -- my gazpacho

Got too many tomatoes, cukes, and peppers? Then I've got a recipe for you!

This is an adaptation of an authentic gazpacho recipe from someone’s grandmother chef in Córdoba, Spain. I, of course,
messed it up and made it simpler. The main difference is that I really like thick, smooth, pureed gazpacho, but I also like chunks of veggies. So I put the soup in the food processor and then garnish each serving with a mini-salad. This soup is hearty, even though it is cold, so serve in small portions if you are using it as an appetizer. It’s better the next day. The quality of the vegetables is paramount in this recipe.

My Gazpacho

Serves: 6
Kitchen Needs: Just a food processor or blender

2 pounds large garden tomatoes (this recipe won’t work with winter tomatoes)
2 large red bell peppers
6 pickling cucumbers, unpeeled, or 2 peeled garden slicer cucumbers
2 large garlic cloves
2 tablespoons Sherry vinegar, or substitute 1 T. good red wine vinegar and 1 T. good balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup fruity extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 baguette, day-old, cubed
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh tarragon leaves
2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste

Place bread cubes in small bowl and cover with water. Allow to soak for at least 10 minutes.

Roast tomatoes and bell peppers. You can do this in a few ways. I generally just use metal tongs and my gas stove burner turned up on high. You can place the peppers directly on top of the burner grate, and turn them every minute or so, until they are charred on all sides. You MUST watch them carefully. The tomatoes are more delicate, but you can do the same process; I usually roast them just until they are charred in places but still raw inside.

Another way to roast the vegetables is to slick a cookie sheet with oil, then roast them at 425 degrees, turning frequently, until they are charred. It’s best to refer to a cookbook for this method if you are unsure of the process.

Let peppers rest and steam in a brown paper bag or covered dish while you chop the tomatoes and cucumbers. I don’t bother slipping the skin off the tomatoes, but you can if you like. Add tomatoes and juice to large bowl.

Chop cucumbers finely; add to HALF to bowl with salt and pepper, HALF to small bowl to reserve as garnish. Finely chop garlic and stir into tomato mixture with cucumbers, tarragon, vinegar, and oil.

Carefully slit the peppers and pour the juice into the bowl. Peel the charred skin off the peppers and remove the seeds, stem and ribs. You may rinse off the pepper, but it will remove some of the smoky remnants. Chop peppers finely and add HALF to bowl, HALF to another small bowl to reserve as garnish.

Drain bread, without squeezing out excess liquid. Mix into bowl with rest of ingredients.

Let mixture sit for a couple of hours out on the counter, or, if you’d prefer, four to eight hours in the refrigerator, to let flavors meld. Leave a couple of hours before serving, because you will need to puree the soup and chill it again.

In a food processor purée mixture, in batches if necessary, and return to bowl. Chill gazpacho, covered, for an hour or so.

Serve with reserved cucumber and roasted red pepper. You may also garnish with chopped bell pepper, a tiny bit of chopped jalapeno, chopped hard boiled eggs, avocado, and freshly made croutons, if you are adept at such things. Maybe not authentic, but delicious.

fortification fridays -- take my zucchini, please bread

It's that time again. Everyone in the continental U.S. is overrun with zucchini. Everyone, that is, except me. My exotic varieties didn't turn out at all! So I was one of the few people around actually LOOKING to take your zucchini, please.*

Last year, with my bounty crop, I thought I'd perfect zucchini bread. A dozen or so loaves later, this recipe comes pretty close. I've been through internet recipes, my great-aunt's recipes, and even a granola zucchini cookbook written by Oregon mountaineer commune-ists. Based on the famous Sunset magazine zucchini bread recipe of '76, then tortured a bit and doctored for less sugar and oil and the removal of such blasphemies as canned pineapple, le voilà. This makes a moist, non-oily, hearty bread.

Take My Zucchini, Please Bread

A.
4 eggs
2 c. sugar (add up to 1/2 cup more if you want it sweeter -- the texture will change a bit)
2/3 c. veg. oil
2 t. vanilla

B.
3 c. (packed) shredded zucchini with peel. If you have a monster zucchini, core it to remove the seeds.
1/3 c. milk
2 t. lemon zest

C.
1 1/2 c. white flour
1 c. whole wheat flour
1 c. steel cut oats
2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
1 t. nutmeg
2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. ground ginger
1/2 t. ground allspice

D.
1 c. chopped walnuts
OPTIONAL: 3/4 c. raisins and/or 1 grated carrot

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat ingredients in A together until well-combined. Mix in B. In a separate bowl, combine ingredients in C. Just before pouring batter into greased, floured** loaf pans (2 large or 3 medium -- batter should fill pan a bit over half full), add D. To be fancy, add some oats, crystal/turbinado sugar, or a few nuts on top. Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until wooden stick comes out clean. You will also see loaf slightly separating from the pan around edges. Invert pan and cool on rack. Good hot, cold, or in between. Good with butter. Freezes well.

*For a large garden zucchini, you will be able to make six or more loaves, so plan accordingly. You *can* refrigerate shredded zucchini overnight and even freeze it, but I found the texture of the bread really suffered with frozen, thawed zucchini shreds. It's much better to bake the bread, then freeze the loaf.

**I sometimes use the Pam oil/flour spray. It really doesn't work well; the bread rises unevenly and not so high as with the traditional method. But when you're baking a dozen loaves in the heat of the summer, reach for the Pam. I forgive you.

fortification fridays -- swings both ways potato carrot salad

Some people are color blind. I am potato salad blind. I don't care for mayonnaise, I'll confess, and I'm not a big fan of boiled potatoes (or any mushy, bland food). My husband couldn't be different, so he is my guide to whether a potato salad is good. I've been trying for years to make a decent potato salad. My favorites are the vinegar-based ones -- I love the German-style potato salad with hot, waxy potatoes in a warm, sweet and sour vinegar-based dressing studded with pieces of bacon -- but I keep trying to make a "normal" American-style cold potato salad that we both like.

The other day, I was faced with a sudden need for a potluck dish, and my larder held only potatoes and a bunch of beautifully fresh, small, sweet, reddish carrots from the farmer's market. I thought about making a classic French carottes rapées salad, grated carrots with a vinegar and oil dressing, but I was afraid it would be too small an offering for the crowd. After finding this delicious, unorthodox recipe for carottes rapées from the stellar food blog Chocolate and Zucchini, I realized I could add potatoes to a grated carrot salad, and furthermore, I could create a potato salad that would be flexible with regards to the mayo. It could hold its own as an acid-dressing (in this case, lemon) salad, and it could be sweetened and thickened up with mayonnaise, as well. You could even make two versions at once, one with and one without mayo! The grated carrots make this salad a pretty color, and they even add some nutrition value, as they replace some of the potatoes. The best thing? Mr. Reluctant gave this his potato salad stamp of approval. It was a big hit at the potluck, too.

Swings Both Ways Potato Carrot Salad

Serves: 8-10 as a side dish
Kitchen Needs: Range or one burner to boil water

4 large red-skinned potatoes
6 medium-sized fresh carrots (the best quality you can find, preferably homegrown, farmer's market, and/or organic)
1 lemon
a few green onions
big handful of parsley, chopped
1/4 medium red onion, thinly sliced and chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 T dijon mustard
up to 1/2 cup mayonnaise
salt and pepper

Peel potatoes and place immediately in pot of cold, salted water. Bring to a boil and cook until pierced easily with a knife. When cooked through, remove and cube into 2-inch sized chunks, then add to the following.

While potatoes are cooking, peel and grate carrots (ok to use food processor attachment). Add juice of one lemon (can add zest, too, if you're feeling inspired), chopped green onions and parsley, chopped onion, red pepper, and mustard. Season with salt and pepper. You may adjust the tanginess by adding more lemon or white wine vinegar, if necessary. Add some or all of the mayonnaise. Chill for at least an hour. This salad improves after several hours.

Variation: for a Middle Eastern spicy version, add some harissa, ajvar, and/or hot sauce.

fortification fridays -- molten tomatoes

This is a BBQ recipe invented by my dad and modified by me. It's messy, sticky sweet, and oozy, so it's not really fancy cocktail food, but who wants fancy cocktail food in the dog days of summer? His recipe is terrific, even with the parmesan in the green can, which we use when we're camping and don't feel like grating cheese, but it's even better with parmesano reggiano. It's even good with sub-par tomatoes. You can omit the butter and red pepper flakes, but they do add an important dimension of flavor. It's critical to use good-quality foil so the boats don't fall apart. Lots of liquid will be inside the packet. What's particularly nice is that these tomatoes go well with any kind of meat, and their juiciness helps dry cuts like chicken breasts.


Molten Tomatoes

Serves: 2-4 (one or two tomatoes per person)
Kitchen needs: None! (just a BBQ grill)

Aluminum foil
4 medium-sized, perfectly ripe, round, meaty tomatoes
1/2 cup parmesan cheese (fresh is best)
1 T. butter, cubed into four pieces
1-2 T. honey
salt and freshly ground pepper
red pepper flakes

Make foil packet: Using a wide bowl, mold the foil to the bowl, leaving plenty up top to seal the packet. The bowl will provide shape and structure, as well as assist in moving the tomatoes to the grill.

Slice tops off tomatoes and score tomatoes, cutting a checkerboard pattern about halfway down (don't cut through bottom). Place tomatoes in foil packet. Sprinkle tomatoes with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste, then add about 1/2 t. honey on top of each tomato. Mound grated parmesan cheese on top of each tomato about 1 inch high, then place pat of butter on each mound. Seal foil packet and grill over medium fire, enough to carmelize the bottom but not enough to burn, for about 30 minutes. Serve with bread.

Variations:

The picture above is a variation using yellow plum tomatoes from my garden that are a bit too mealy to eat out-of-hand. You can easily use roma tomatoes, halved (allow for a few more per person). I added thinly sliced red peppers and basil before grilling. Probably better to add the basil after grilling, since it turned brown.


This picture is a variation adding ground pork to the stuffing (and, I'll confess, broiling it in the oven). Did I mention how much I love these tomatoes?

fortification fridays - the best chicken kebabs ever

This one is so easy it's almost unfair how delicious it is. I adapted this recipe from one in a Persian cookbook, and it's been a staple in our house ever since. Even onion-haters like this chicken, since there are no tell-tale onion bits, and the flavor of the onion cooks away into something subtle and aromatic. Another strange and wonderful transformation is the color -- the chicken stays snowy white and picks up some nice charred bits from the grill.

The Best Chicken Kebabs Ever

Serves: 2, because we can't stop eating them
Kitchen Needs: Grill outside!

4 large chicken breasts (that's two double-sided ones detached), cubed into 2-inch cubes for kebabs
one medium onion, ground in a food processor (NOT chopped; you need it pulverized)
one lemon, juiced
salt and pepper to taste

In a gallon-sized ziploc bag, add all ingredients. Marinate for at least a couple of hours. Before grilling, put chicken cubes on kebab skewers (I use the simple flat metal ones, but you could use soaked bamboo ones). Mound marinade on top. Be careful not to overcook, since you are still dealing with chicken breast, even though the marinade tenderizes the meat.

Serve with rice pilaf and a moist salad, such as the Jerusalem salad here, or a simple tomato salad. You can add a little Middle Eastern sumac powder or za'atar before serving, but I rarely bother.

fortification fridays - panzanella variations

Summer is magic. Supper can be thrown together with what you find in the garden (or farmer's market), olive oil, lemon, salt and pepper. Sometimes even less. If you are like me, your wonderful husband is caught up in the thrill of the grill, and he makes the entree every night. I'd be happy with grilled vegetables every day, but he makes scallops, fish, shrimp kebabs, bulgogi, pork ribs, chicken wings, yogurt chicken breasts...you get the picture.

I am in charge of the side dishes. This one is famous -- surely you've made it -- an Italian classic, panzanella. It's a Tuscan salad made of day-old bread, tomatoes, thinly sliced onion, and olive oil, plus a few herbs if you have them. To me, it's the essence of summer, since I can always leave a half-loaf of bread on the counter overnight, and the garden bears tomatoes and basil, plus any number of veggies I throw in to make variations. It takes very little time to make and is hearty enough for a main course. It's fine left over for the next day's lunch, too. In short, it's perfect for the hot, tired remodeler. Some people get very fussy about the "authentic" panzanella, but my thought is that if it tastes good with bread and tomato, it will make a good panzanella. It's too hot to argue about such things.

By the way, I wanted to thank the few people who actually make these recipes and comment on them. If you run into problems with the recipes, would you let me know? I'd love to perfect them, and appreciate your interest in my cooking.

Panzella (and variations)

Serves: 4 for a light summer supper
Kitchen Needs: None (ahhh!)

1/2-3/4 loaf of crusty Italian bread, day-old
1/4 cup water or 1/2 cup tomato juice (I use liquid from my homemade canned tomatoes)
2-3 large, perfectly ripe, delicious tomatoes
1/4 very thinly sliced medium-sized red onion (or use a Walla Walla if you're in the Pacific Northwest)
a handful of basil
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (which should never be called EVOO because food doesn't need nicknames)
1 T. good red wine vinegar
salt and freshly ground pepper

Cube the bread into 1-inch square cubes (or tear it in little pieces). If your bread isn't day old, toast the cubes to dry it out a bit. Sprinkle the water or tomato juice on top, mix well, and let sit for about 30 minutes. Add chopped tomatoes, onion, basil, vineagar, olive oil, salt and pepper (to taste). Let salad sit for 30 more minutes on the counter before serving. (The picture is my salad just before I mixed it and let sit for this final 30 minutes.) The bread will soak up the juices, crumble, add a texture to the salad that's almost like couscous. Serve with a bit more olive oil drizzled on top and a few grindings of pepper.

And the variations:

- Add cucumber or celery;

- Add 1 T. capers, 2 smashed and chopped anchovies, hot pepper to taste, a minced clove of garlic;

- Add red, yellow and green peppers, and parsley;

- Add cucumber and dill (instead of basil);

- Add Italian import tunafish and capers;

- Add celery, Old Bay (instead of basil) and crab meat.

fortification fridays - i really like your peaches fruit salad

It's a fruit salad. It's an aphrodisiac. Does summer get any better than this?

I invented this fruit salad after reading a chapter in Iwan Bloch's Sex Life in England (1934) entitled "Curious Sexual Instruments." Bloch was an old-school German sexologist -- indeed, he is credited for being one of the founders of that branch of study -- who wrote comprehensive books on large chunks of sexual life, including a biography of the Marquis de Sade and books on prostitution, erotic literature, and sexual odors. In "Curious Sexual Instruments," we find not only what you would expect, but also a few paragraphs on aphrodisiacs identified by experts. A certain M. Venette, author of De la Generation de l'Homme ou Tableau de l'Amour Conjugal singles out foods such as egg whites, "sweet strong wine," and milk. Another gentleman named Ryan adds to the list fish, turtles, oysters, crabs, lobsters, eggs, artichokes, truffles, mushrooms, celery, cocoa, onions, cinnamon, pepper, apricots, strawberries and peaches. Bloch's third source, the pornographic novel The Amatory Experience of a Surgeon (1881), is perhaps the least credible of the lot, but I believe everyone should try once what it recommends: making your move on the ladies with a cinnamon-covered hand.

Or you could try this fruit salad instead. Enjoy it with some of the other ingredients on the list: begin with raw oysters and chilled artichokes in a truffle mayonnaise, then tuck into a bouillabaisse of fish, shellfish, celery and onions, perhaps.

Whatever you do, save some room for dessert, because this is the best fruit salad I've ever tasted. If they don't like your peaches after this concoction, heaven help you.

I Really Like Your Peaches Fruit Salad

2 ripe peaches, cubed
2 ripe apricots (or dried ones, left to soak in water until plump), cubed
strawberries in some form, either fresh or frozen and chopped, or a scoop of homemade strawberry preserves or syrup
a few shakes of cinnamon
a few grinds of black pepper
2 T. "strong, sweet wine" such as Port, Madeira, or an ice wine
1 pint whipping cream

Mix together all ingredients but the whipping cream. Let macerate for at least 30 minutes. Adjust sweetening by adding a bit more Port, if necessary.

While fruit is macerating, whip cream until very stiff, even lumpy, and add a bit of sugar while whipping. An alternative is to use slightly sweetened ricotta or crème fraiche. Serve in individual bowls with a dollop of whipped cream on top and a drizzle of Port.

fortification fridays - mound o' green beans

This is my favorite method of cooking green beans. It is especially good with summer beans, and it's based on the Chinese dry-fried string bean recipe you see in Szechuan restaurants. The secret is the initial cooking over high heat. The burned spots add character and a smoky taste. You can sex up these beans by adding pieces of ham or bbq pork, cabbage pickles, garlic, or even a little ground chicken or pork, but I like them plain.

Mound o' green beans

Serves: As many as you like
Kitchen needs: One hot burner

1 lb. or more fresh green beans, ends snapped off
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1 t. vegetable oil
1 t. sesame oil
1 t. la yu (hot oil)
5-6 szechuan peppercorns, or a bunch of fresh-ground pepper
kosher salt

Heat a large wok over very high heat. Wash and trim green beans. WIthout adding oil, place green beans in hot pan and let them burn a little bit in spots, turning every 2 minutes or so, until they look wilted. Turn down heat to medium, add onion, oil, and pepper. Continue to cook until beans are wrinkly and soft but still dark green, then add salt (more than you think you'll need) at end of cooking. Mound up on a platter and let people eat with fingers.

fortification fridays - cold cherry soup

It's no secret that I love Hungarian food. This soup is a wonderful, simple way to either start a summer meal or end one. I've also been having fantasies about using it as a sauce over, say, crepes. There is an even better variation with sour (morello) cherries, and more traditional, complicated ways to make the soup (using more spices, cream, an egg yolk, etc.), but this one does in a pinch. And in the middle of the summer, doing in a pinch is good.

Cold Cherry Soup

Serves: 6 in tiny cups (it's rather rich)
Kitchen needs: A stovetop or hotplate

1 lb. pitted, halved cherries (bing are prettiest, but you may also use sour cherries)
1/2 cup Syrah or other intense red wine (Hungarian Bulls' Blood is perfect)
1/2 lemon, sliced and deseeded
4 T. sour cream, mixed with 1 T. powdered sugar
pinch cloves and a few shakes cinnamon, optional

Place cherries in saucepan and barely cover with water. Add lemon slices, wine, and spices to boil, then simmer until cherries soften but don't discolor. Whisk in sour cream and powdered sugar mixture. Simmer until slightly thickened, watching carefully so it doesn't boil, then chill before serving. Cold is crucial. Serve with whipped cream and cinnamon.

Image courtesy of a blog that makes me really sad I don't read Hungarian.

a berry happy july 4

The day the lonesome can. This is the closest you'll ever see me flag-waving, so enjoy!

Mr. Reluctant and I chose Independence Day 1998 to become officially husband and wife. We liked the irony. Now, nine years later, we're spending the day apart for the first time ever, I think. Even when we lived in different states (for three years), we were always together in the beginning of July. So I slave over a hot stove, on a hot day, turning berries into magic. There are worse things, I suppose.

Next year my raspberries will be, with all good luck, fecund. This year, I had to go to the farm stand to buy them. Oregon's Willamette Valley, where I am very pleased to say I live, is a huge berry-producing area. We are most proud of the Marionberry, which is a huge blackberry and not to be confused with Marion Barry, but I love the Boysenberry the most. Boysenberries are a cross between a blackberry, a red raspberry, and a Loganberry (itself a cross between the first two). They are reddish-purple and plump, and have a particular haunting, tart edge to the blackberry flavor. Needless to say, they make delicious jam. If you are ever in Oregon, be sure to find a place to taste our varieties of blackberry jam: Marionberry, Evergreen blackberry, wild (Himalayan) blackberry, Ollalieberry, and Boysenberry.

Although I've made blackberry jam and have eaten Boysenberries off the vine in Michigan (we had them at our house growing up), I've never been lucky enough to find a flat at a farm stand. Until now! YUM! I added a bit of my homemade blueberry liqueur, and used less sugar than usual (and Pomona pectin), and put up a big stock of Blue Boysenberry Jam and Hungarian Kisses Raspberry Jam (with Hungarian apricot liqueur).

And I did it all without an operational hood fan and no ventilation in the stove area on a 90-degree day. Now if that isn't hard core, I don't know what is. Let the freedom to do dumb things in the heat ring.

fortification fridays - gyro-stuffed mushrooms

Mr. Reluctant is a big fan of stuffed mushrooms, but I find them bland. In my new zest for chopping up things that normally make classic dishes and reassembling them in new vessels, I invented a new stuffing. It's based on the Greek pita sandwich gyros, and it is made of ground lamb, garlic, pine nuts and other good things. To add a bit of summery cool tang, you should top these off with a dollop of tzatziki, a garlicky yogurt cucumber sauce. They keep for a few hours at room temperature, but add the sauce just before serving.

This recipe is a bit more complex than my usual style, but it's worth it. Martha Stewart provided the technique for pre-cooking the mushroom vessels (I believe her recipe is called "Golden Mushroom Caps" in her hors d'oeuvres book.) Removing as much liquid as possible is crucial, and her method makes for dripless mushrooms. I'm also indebted to Cook's Illustrated for the recent recipe for making gyros at home, which provided me with the inspiration to make the stuffing.

Gyro-Stuffed Mushrooms with Dollops of Tzatziki

Kitchen needs: broiler or oven to brown tops of mushrooms, range to brown meat, food processor
Serves: 8-10 as an appetizer

24 large white mushrooms
olive oil
1 piece pita bread
1/4 cup milk
5-6 cloves garlic
1 cup plain whole milk Greek yogurt (if you use the American kind, you'll need to drain it overnight because it must be thick like sour cream)
1/4 firm cucumber, grated
1 lb. ground lamb (don't use hamburger, you need the flavor)
2 shallots or a few tablespoons of red onion
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
juice from 1/2 lemon
fresh oregano
fresh mint
fresh parsley
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Tear pita bread into pieces and soak in a small bowl with milk to cover.

For Dollops of Tzatziki: grate cucumber using a box grater. Squeeze out as much liquid as possible, place in small bowl, then salt with about 1/2 t. salt and let sit to remove more water. After 15 minutes or so, squeeze again and blot with paper towels. Mix together salted cucumber bits, yogurt, a few tablespoons of chopped mint, and a large clove of garlic, pressed in a press. Refrigerate until immediately prior to serving.


Scoop out stems from mushrooms with a small spoon make pretty vessels. Be careful not to break the sides. Chop mushroom stems and set aside in bowl. Rub baking sheet and mushrooms with olive oil (you could use a brush, but I just use my hands). Bake, cap-side up, for 7-10 minutes. (But I messed up and did cap-side down, to no great harm). Mushrooms will turn golden and will exude liquid when they are ready.

While you are baking the mushroom caps, brown ground lamb in olive oil on medium high heat . Add chopped mushroom stems, 4-5 cloves chopped garlic and a couple of chopped shallots after cooking meat for a few minutes. When nice and brown, remove from heat and add salt and pepper.

In a large food processor, pulse the soaked bread and the meat mixture to combine. Don't turn it into a paste; you just want it smushed together so it will hold. Return to saute pan and add a handful of chopped parsley, a few tablespoons of chopped oregano, lemon juice, and pine nuts.

Remove mushrooms from baking sheet, drain and blot dry as much as possible with paper towels. Return to baking sheet for stuffing.

Preheat oven to broil on high.

Stuff mushroom caps and broil close to the heat source for a few minutes, or until browned and crusty on top. Watch carefully, since they can burn easily.

Serve on a white platter with dollops of tzatziki sauce on top. These hold well, since you've been diligent about liquid removal, so it's ok to let them sit, but add chilled tzatziki only immediately prior to serving. If you're fancy, garnish each mushroom with an oregano leaf.

I'd imagine this stuffing would also be good stuffed in tomatoes or peppers.

fortification fridays - grilled salsa shrimp

It's barbecue time! We recently enjoyed a variation of a recipe we frequently use for grilled shrimp, based on the Cook's Illustrated recipe that appeared in the magazine in 2006. Since we grill vegetables at the same time we grill our main course, we thought we'd combine them in this delicious, lemony, buttery, garlicky sauce. It uses the ingredients in salsa, but is really nothing like fresh salsa. Use jumbo shrimp (16-20 count), the freshest you can find. The recipe below is for a standard charcoal grill (Weber kettle, to be precise), and I'm assuming you have some grill knowledge. See Cook's Illlustrated if you need to adapt the recipe to a gas grill, since I don't have one.

Kitchen needs: charcoal grill, chimney starter
Serves: 4-6 as a main dish



Grilled Salsa Shrimp

2 lbs. raw jumbo shrimp (16-20 count), shelled but with the tail on
2 T. olive oil
1/2 t. red pepper flakes (or paprika, if they are too hot for you)
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 T. butter
1 large lemon, juiced
salt and pepper to taste
about 2 dozen cherry tomatoes
1 green pepper (or pasilla pepper, or red pepper)
cilantro

Heat coals in a chimney starter, then prepare the shrimp skewers and marinade. The shrimp should be shelled and with the tail still on. Place them on the skewers so they are fitted rather tightly into one another, then brush with olive oil and sprinkled with salt and pepper. Skewer the tomatoes, too, and seed and cut the pepper into quarters.

In a large aluminum (disposable) pan, combine red pepper flakes, minced garlic, lemon juice and butter.

When the coals are ready, pile them all on one half of the grill to create a two-level fire. Don't forget to lightly oil the grilling surface. On the "hot" side of the grill, place aluminum pan to melt the butter and cook the garlic a bit. Move to the "cold" side or take off the grill after garlic is golden. Place the shrimp and tomato skewers on the hot side of the grill, and the peppers where they will get charred. Flip shrimp when opaque, about 2/3 of the way through. Flip tomatoes several times so they don't completely burn, but some charring is ok. Turn peppers, too. This procedure will be quite quick from start to finish.

When shrimp is cooked through and tomatoes are charred a bit, add both to aluminum pan, and cook in sauce over "hot" side for a few minutes. Remove peppers and chop into little pieces; add to sauce. Immediately prior to serving, add chopped cilantro, a few more squeezes of lemon, and salt and pepper to taste.

If you have another vegetable side dish, the original recipe (see shrimp in green bowl) is also nice. Just substitute cilantro for parsley and use the same marinade.

fortification fridays - simple secret steak

It's so simple, you'll be amazed. The night before you plan to grill your steaks, smear them liberally with dijon mustard, then salt and pepper them well. The vinegar in the mustard tenderizes the meat, and the flavor enhances the richness of the steak.

We served the simple secret steaks with the following at our BBQ last night:

Monchego, homemade dilly bean pickles, nicoise olives, and ajvar (roasted red pepper dip)
Couscous with root vegetables and zucchini
Spinach and romaine salad with avocado dressing and spring peas
Roasted oyster mushrooms and peppers
Strawberries macerated in blueberry liqueur with clove whipped cream
Homemade brownies
Oregon pinot noirs

food fortification fridays - roasted new potatoes with radicchio

We bought some glorious new potatoes at the local farmer's market in Eugene last weekend. Every Saturday, from April through November (then again for the holidays), we have the incredible good fortune to have a great farmer's market that features not only vegetables, but baked goods, cheese, plants, honey and jams, arts and crafts, and live music. For some reason, I was drawn to the combination of bitter radicchio and these sweet, waxy potatoes, married with salt, bacon fat, and some fresh snipped chives. The pinks and whites were pretty together, although the radicchio did darken with roasting (and was also much less bitter). We served the dish with roasted asparagus and grilled pork.

Roasted New Potatoes with Radicchio

Serves: 4, as a side dish
Kitchen Needs: Oven

3 T. bacon fat, melted
1 T. sugar
enough new potatoes to fill one layer of an 8x12 Pyrex baking dish
one medium head radicchio, cut in 2-inch-square pieces
kosher salt, to taste
snipped fresh chives for garnish


Preheat oven to 425. In one baking dish, toss the radicchio with 1 T. melted bacon fat, 1/3 t. sugar, and salt, and in the other, toss the new potatoes with 2T. melted bacon fat, the rest of the sugar, and salt. After 10 minutes, flip over the radicchio pieces, then cook 10 minutes longer. They should be lightly browned but still dark pink. Don't overcook.

The potatoes will cook longer. Remove the radicchio and place in serving bowl. After 40 minutes or so, the potatoes should be done -- soft and crisp on the outside. If they are getting soggy, turn up the heat to 450 and watch them until they crisp up.

To serve, place potatoes on bed of radicchio, sprinkle chives and ground pepper on top, and enjoy.

fortification fridays - mediterranean sea bass

Hi! I've been having some computer problems, so I've not been able to post about the bathroom spruce up or kitchen painting, not to mention the yard projects, but I had this written and I think my computer is OK now, so more soon.

Mediterranean Sea Bass

Serves: 4
Kitchen Needs: Oven

This is really a left-overs dish. Well, a left-overs dish with a very nice piece of fish. We bought a hunk of seabass (about 1.5 pounds or so) from our local fish market on a week night. Just as quick as you can say 'delicious fishilicious' I had slicked the fish with olive oil, then added the following on top:

1/2 preserved lemon, chopped (or 1 full lemon's worth of juice and a teaspoon or two of salt)
a handful of good black olives
1 T. capers
1 clove garlic
chopped parsley
1/2 cup vermouth (a great substitute for white wine when you don't have it)
ground black pepper
1/2-1 cup tomato sauce
2 cups green beans, chopped into 2-inch lengths

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roast fish uncovered in an 8x8 Pyrex dish until opaque in the center at 350 degrees (about 30 minutes for my piece, but check yours). Green beans will soften and soak up the sauce. WARNING: Do not add cold liquids to hot Pyrex dishes. Been there, had to clean up the glass explosion in my fish. Serve with rice pilaf.

That's it!

fortification fridays - thai gardener's salad

This salad is a delicious mix of herbs, thin rice noodles, ground chicken, and a slightly sour/slightly sweet dressing. It's not by any means traditional, but it takes its cues from the Thai salad called "larb" or "laap," a mix of ground meat, lemongrass, cilantro, mint and garlic, all bound by toasted ground rice powder. I see it as a celebration of gardening -- little sticks, bits of leaves, chunks of dirt. OK, maybe that's gross, but I like the image. You can usually buy most of the specialized ingredients (rice noodles, fresh lemongrass, fish sauce) at regular grocery stores these days, but you might have trouble finding galanga if you don't have an Asian market in your town. Substitute fresh ginger (not dried ginger) if you can't find it.

Thai Gardener's Salad

Serves: 4
Kitchen Needs: Stove burner

1 hank of dried rice noodles (they usually come in portion-sized chunks. You want a good handful)
1 lb. ground chicken, ground pork, or very thinly sliced beef
6 cloves garlic, minced
4 T. fish sauce
1 T. sugar
1 stalk fresh lemongrass, white part only, chopped finely
2 green onions, chopped
1/2 c. fresh mint, chopped
1/2 c. fresh cilantro, chopped
1 t. dried galanga powder (try penzeys.com for galanga powder) or 1 T. fresh galanga, grated (or 1 T. fresh ginger, grated)
some chili heat: 1 chopped jalapeno or 1 t. red pepper flakes, to taste
optional: ground peanuts or several large, beautiful cooked and peeled shrimp for garnish

Soak the rice noodles in a bowl of boiling water while preparing the other ingredients. The noodles should soften considerably so they are "al dente." Use the thinnest ones you can find for this recipe. Brown the meat and garlic, and place in another bowl with dressing ingredients: fish sauce and sugar. Mix well. Add the rest of the herbs and spices, and correct seasoning if necessary.

The noodles should be ready when you are finished with the above. Using clean kitchen scissors or a sharp knife, carefully cut the noodles while in the bowl into bite-sized lengths, about 2 inches long. Drain noodles well, then add to salad. Mix and enjoy!

fortification fridays - berry surprises

It's too early for berries, you exclaim. Why yes, indeed, it is. But the stores insist on selling those huge, sour, bright red things they call "California strawberries." Mine even say "Crown Jewels," referring, obviously, to the fact that they are as hard and inedible as a diamond. So I bring you two recipes for berries: one for right now, and one for later. The one for right now is perfect for the homeowner who's been out in the dirt. It celebrates spring, mud, and making the most of a subpar foundation. The one for later is for dreamers and planners: imagine yourself out on your new patio, your new garden in bloom, your new roof eliminating all the worries in the world, sipping a delicious cocktail full of summery goodness. You (will) deserve it. Without further ado, I bring you Spring Strawberry Mud Mask and Summer Blueberry Liqueur.

Strawberry Mud Mask

Without fail, I do this mask every spring, before the strawberries start to taste good. It really does feel nice, making your skin tingle and glow pinkly. Apparently, strawberries are full of not only Vitamin C, but salicyclic acid, which freshens the skin by removing dead cells.


Take three or four fresh berries, chop them, and then puree them in the food processor with about 2 tablespoons of a pre-prepared mud mask. I use the basic supermarket brand, but you could get fancy and make your own with rhassoul mud, yogurt, and/or honey. You just need something to bind the berries. Go for it. And let me know your recipe! You can also grind down the berries by hand, but it's important to completely smash them, or else you will have large berry bits on your face, to wit:

Spread mud mask on your face, chest, feet, wherever you need it, and leave on for 15-20 minutes. It will dry a bit, but not completely. I advise doing this before a shower, because you will get strawberries in your hair, no matter how hard you try. Wipe off mask with a clean, warm, washcloth, and rinse in kitchen sink.

Summer Blueberry Liqueur

You will need several months processing time to make and age this liqueur. Ideally, use blueberries you picked last summer and froze whole. If this isn't possible, use organic frozen blueberries.

2 cups frozen blueberries
1.5 cups vodka
zest from one organic lemon, in long strips (use vegetable peeler, making sure to get only yellow part)
.75 cups simple syrup (2 parts sugar, 1 part water)


Don't worry about the simple syrup yet. Let blueberries thaw, mush them up well to release juices. You are using frozen berries because they are much juicier than fresh ones. In a quart jar with a tight-fitting, removable lid, add the blueberries, the vodka, and the lemon peel. Steep for at least one month, shaking gently every couple of days.

Now worry about the simple syrup. Boil two cups sugar to one cup water. Watch carefully once it starts boiling, because there will be a point where the liquid will suddenly go from cloudy to clear. When this happens, and the liquid is completely clear, you have succeeded in making simple syrup. Let cool, then use 3/4 cup for this recipe and the rest for your iced tea or lime rickeys. Can be stored in the refrigerator in a clean bottle.

Open the blueberry jar, and strain the liquid from the berries. Filter the liquid through a coffee filter fitted atop a large funnel, pressing down on the berries as much as you can to get out all the tasty berriness. Put berry residue in the freezer and use as alcoholic topping for ice cream or something (I haven't used mine yet). Place liquid in a clean quart jar, then add 3/4 cup syrup to liqueur, shake well, and age for another month or two in a dark place.

I have to say that this is the first time I've made this liqueur, so I'm not sure how it will turn out. It smells heavenly, though, and my plan is to serve blueberry gimlets (liqueur, soda water, and some lime) to celebrate the arrival of the 2007 blueberry crop. Many of the recipes online will tell you to add cloves or coriander -- I prefer a clean blueberry taste, but you might like something spicier.

fortification fridays - naturally dyed easter eggs

You're probably saying, "I did my Easter eggs WEEKS ago!" If that happened in my family, all the eggs would be gobbled up by Easter.

For those of us who don't have kids, the appeal of the Paas egg-dying kits is not particularly strong. The garish colors and little decals just don't really scream FUN! like they used to.

Naturally dyed eggs, though, are pretty and not toxic-looking. There are many websites that provide instructions and natural dye recipes. I found mine in The New York Times a few years ago, and reproduce my adaptions here. The pictures on this post are not mine, but come from several sources (see bottom of post for attributions and links). I recommend visiting the sites for more information if you like a particular egg color or pattern.

Naturally Dyed Easter Eggs

Serves: Anyone who likes hard-boiled eggs
Kitchen Needs: A stove or hotplate, and an old pot

Place a dozen eggs in a large pot, cover with water and 2 tablespoons white vinegar. Bring eggs to a boil, then add coloring agent listed below. You may also cook the eggs in the dye. Leave in dye over night for deep colors. Another suggestion is to dip eggs in vinegar immediately prior to putting in dye. This supposedly makes the colors "take" more readily.



Pink: add 1 lb. chopped beets, simmer for 30 min.
Blue: add 1/2 head of red cabbage or 2 cups frozen and mushed blueberries, simmer for 30 min.
Yellow: add 3 T. tumeric, simmer 15-30 min.
Green: Simmer as for yellow, then soak in cabbage solution for 30 minutes. Spinach leaves (or collards??) are another option.
Lavender: Simmer in beet solution, then cool in cabbage.
Mahogany: Simmer in yellow onion skins, let sit overnight.
Dual tones: Dye egg a pale color, let cool and dry, then dip in another color.
Texture: Dust with sea salt when wet. Wrap onion skins around eggs for mottled effect. Polish eggs when dry with a bit of vegetable oil for shine.


Images are courtesy of the following sites, all of which feature great recipes and techniques for naturally dying eggs: eggs from the American Egg Board, lighter colors from eco-friendly Mother Earth, a fiber artist's eggs in a bed of dyed wool, a Watsonville, CA, farmer's beautiful eggs, and a craftsperson who gets questions every year about her gorgeous eggs.