In My Kitchen – April 2024

I am rushing to get this post out under the cut off time. Sherry from Sherry’s Pickings hosts a friendly community of bloggers who post monthly (or less) about their kitchens and/or kitchen gardens. It is a collection from around the world detailing what is new related to food, or kitchen gadgets, or simply life in general, over the past month (and sometimes longer). Click on the link to Sherry’s Pickings to read them all. Following is my own summary from the past couple of months.

Spring is finally here, but with a very slow start. It’s been cold and very wet, my vegetable garden does not look like spring. I was reminiscing over some photos of it from a few years ago, it’s a sad comparison. I was hoping to be able to cut salad greens before we leave for vacation in the middle of this month…it’s not going to happen. A dry warming trend is on schedule for the end of this week so I may be in luck when we return at the end of the month.

I have been cooking more vegetarian meals over the past couple of months as a result of being told my cholesterol is too high. Our daughter has also been spending more time with us and doing a share of the cooking, which is wonderful but probably not good for my cholesterol level. Her latest recipe has pasta cooked in the sauce rather than separately, something I have been meaning to try but not gotten around to.

Chicken sausage and cheese bake with chickpea rotelli

It was delicious, quite rich.

My husband has also been taking a turn in the kitchen. It’s tough to beat his bruschetta with cheese, sliced tomato and avocado. If we have leftover chicken or some prosciutto, those go on as well.

bruschetta

bruschetta

We have been, up to now, able to get some lovely organic tomatoes at the market. But they are looking rather pathetic at the moment.

In My Kitchen my own efforts have tended more to salads and vegetarian meals.

Cauliflower Milanese with Romesco Sauce

 

Kale Salad with Butternut Squash and cheddar

 

Cauliflower Coconut and Cashew Curry

 

Gluten Free Pasta with Charred Broccoli and Preserved Lemon

 

Linguini with Carmelized Onions and Pine Nuts

I was recently reminded of a cookbook written by the late Judy Rodgers from the Zuni Cafe in San Francisco. One of her most famous dishes at the restaurant is brined and roasted chicken served atop an arugula and crisp bread salad. I was surprised to realize that I had never tried it at home. It was a big hit.

Zuni Cafe’s Roasted Chicken with Arugula and Bread Salad

It’s fun to go back and explore history through a personal collection of cookbooks. There was a recent post on the blog Menu Mistress that inspired me to take a look at my own collection. I started with Julia Child, Michael Field, James Beard, and Roy Andres de Groot. Looking over those books again I was struck by how meat centric they were and how much cooking (and eating) has changed in the last few decades. The author de Groot even added MSG to most dishes, not something you would see today.

I have arranged my cookbook collection in the bookcase by topic, I wonder how it would look like if I arranged them on a timeline of influence and acquisition. Something to consider. We need to repaint the bookcase and they will all need to be removed for that project at some point this summer.

There are also the books that are as much memoirs and essays as cookbooks. My favorites are by the authors…M.F.K. Fisher, Betty Fussell, Laurie Colwin, Ruth Reichl, and Alice Waters. Ella Risbridger belongs in that group as well although she is much newer.

My latest cookbooks are more are vegetable, vegetarian, and salad centric.

And then there are the gardening books.

It’s a good thing that my husband has a bookcase in his office because books on cooking, gardening, and travel have pushed most other things out of the bookcase in the living room. It might be time for a purge.

Bookcase

It’s difficult to part with any of them.

And finally…

Did you know that this sweet and innocent looking puppy is a heart surgeon?

Shanna Feb 2024

Heart Surgery…

Heart Surgery – Squeaker Beware

It is her passion to remove each and every squeaker from her toys, usually with great precision and skill.

 

Although sometimes it takes some work to get it perfect.

This toy was labeled ‘indestructible’.

 

March – Cauliflower Milanese with Romesco Sauce

This vegetarian entree uses thick slices of cauliflower as a stand in for the usual chicken. You can use the same technique for some thinly sliced boneless and skinless chicken breasts. Trust me though, your family might not miss the meat.

Romesco is a spanish sauce that contains roasted sweet peppers, almonds, garlic, vinegar and olive oil. You will have leftover sauce from the recipe, smear it on toasted bread or serve it with raw vegetables. It’s easy to make in a small food processor or blender and wonderful to have on hand.

Cauliflower Milanese with Romesco Sauce

I am a big fan of cauliflower especially if it has crispy edges. You can find lots of recipes for it in many forms on my blog. Did you know you can search by category or major ingredient? Unfortunately it doesn’t show unless you are on your computer. But, you will find it on the rights side of the post. Cauliflower has its own category.

This recipe came from the cookbook The Weekday Vegetarians by Jenny Rosenstrach. She says that the recipe serves 4, only 2 in our house with leftover sauce.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup of all purpose flour
• 2 eggs, whisked
• 1 cup of panko bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast
• 3 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil plus more as needed
• 1 large head of cauliflower, outer leaves removed, sliced from top to bottom through the core into 6 or 8 (3/4 inch) slices or “steaks”. Keep any florets that break off to cook separately.
• Fresh chopped chives or parsley for serving

Romesco Sauce:

• 1 (12-ounce) jar of roasted sweet red peppers, drained
• 1 large garlic clove
• 2 teaspoons of red wine vinegar
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup of blanched almonds
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Method:

Make the Romesco Sauce:

1. In a blender or small food processor combine the roasted peppers, garlic, vinegar, salt, pepper, almonds and olive oil. Blend until emulsified. The sauce should be spreadable but on the thicker side. You can make the sauce ahead, it will keep in the fridge for about a week.

Cauliflower:

1. Set up three dredging stations in wide bowls or rimmed plates: one for the flour, one for the eggs, and one for the panko. Season the panko with salt, pepper and the nutritional yeast.
2. Prepare a large sheet pan or baking sheet by lining it with paper towels.
3. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
4. Using your fingers, dredge the cauliflower steaks first in the flour, then the egg, then finally in the panko. Place the steak in the hot skillet, repeat with as many steaks that will fit in the pan without crowding or overlapping. You will probably need to do this in batches. Fry each steak until golden brown and crispy on one side, then carefully turn to brown the second. I used two wide metal spatulas to do this without breaking the steaks.
5. Transfer the steaks onto the paper towel lined baking sheet to drain.
6. Repeat until all the cauliflower has been breaded and fried. I dredges the leftover florets the same way and fried them as well. You may need to use additional olive oil. They never made it to the dinner table.
7. To serve, spread 1/2 cup of the Romesco sauce on each warmed plate. Place one or two cauliflower steaks on top and garnish with the chives or parsley.

Cauliflower Milanese with Romesco Sauce

You can easily use the same recipe for thin chicken cutlets. Instead of the Romesco sauce, Chicken Milanese is often served with an arugula salad, cherry tomatoes and a lemon wedge. To make this gluten free, use gluten free flour and panko.

Or try this one for cauliflower cutlets with arugula salad.

Cauliflower Cutlets with Arugula Salad

Cauliflower is an extremely versatile vegetable.

 

March – Cauliflower Coconut Curry with Cashews

This recipe came out of the New York Times, originally from Meera Sodha’s cookbook Made in India. It was adapted by Jennifer Steinhauer and further adapted by me. I always read the comments after the recipe is in the Times, they are entertaining and frequently very helpful. Many commenters wrote that the spices should be doubled (which I did). I will put the original measurement in parenthesis after the ingredient.

The original recipe also called for the addition of 1/2 cup of frozen peas, which would be beautiful. (If you decide to use peas, add them at the last 5 minutes.) I had a package of cubed butternut squash that needed cooking, and used it instead. I lightly coated the cubes with coconut oil and roasted them at 450 degrees F till brown and almost tender. I then added them for the last 5 minutes to reheat and soften, garnishing the finished dish with pea tendrils and cilantro.

Cauliflower Coconut and Cashew Curry

Whenever my mother made curry, she laid out small dishes of ingredients we could add ourselves. Those would have included chutney, raisins, more toasted nuts, plain yogurt, some kind of pickle, chopped scallions and hot chilis. It made the meal seem like a celebration of sort and would be appropriate here as well.

Ingredients: (serves 4)

• 1 (1 inch) piece of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 green chili (I used a serrano), roughly chopped (seeded for less heat)
• Kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons of neutral oil
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 1 tablespoon of tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon of ground coriander (NYT 1 1/2 teaspoon)
• 1 tablespoon of ground cumin (NYT 1 1/4 teaspoon)
• 1 teaspoon of chile powder – I used ancho (NYT 1/2 teaspoon)
• 1 large head cauliflower broken into bite sized pieces
• 1 (14 ounce) can of unsweetened lite coconut milk (NYT full fat)
• 4 ounces unsalted cashews, toasted
• 2 cups of cubed butternut squash, roasted
• 1 teaspoon garam masala (NYT 1/2 teaspoon)
• 1 small bunch of cilantro, chopped
• 1 cup of pea shoots
• 1 lemon wedge

Cauliflower Coconut and Cashew Curry

Method:

1. Place the ginger, garlic and greet chili in a mini food processor with a pinch of salt. Chop finely until nearly a paste.
2. In a large skillet with a lid, heat 3 tablespoons of oil on medium heat. Cook the onions until golden, about 10 minutes. Add the ginger, chili and garlic. Cook, stirring until fragrant (maybe 3-4 minutes) being careful to not burn the garlic.
3. Stir in the tomato paste, coriander, cumin, chile powder and 1-1/4 teaspoons salt. Stir in the cauliflower and coconut milk. Bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and cover. Cook the cauliflower until it is tender, about 10-12 minutes.
4. Add the butternut squash, garam masala to the cauliflower mixture and cook, stirring for about 5 minutes. Taste and season with salt if needed.
5. Top the curry with the cashews, cilantro and a squeeze of elmon before serving.
6. Serve with steamed rice.

Cauliflower Coconut and Cashew Curry

In My Garden – March 2024

Until the last week or so there hasn’t been much going on in the garden. A few sunny days have changed all that. Although spring and our last estimated frost free date (April 16) are still some time away, I see signs of spring. The tree swallows are back, I saw them this morning zipping in and out of their favored bird house. And the hummingbirds are voracious at the feeders. I have seen three types…Anna’s (here year round), Allens, and Rufus. The Rufus birds are particularly aggressive in their attempts to drive the other birds away and defend the feeders.

Although I have a flowers they favor in the garden, most of them have yet to come into bloom. An exception are the wild huckleberries and Manzanita on the property. I did see one flowering salvia, this one is Mole Poblano. It’s a variety which seems to do well here, unless it is cut back it can reach over 6 feet.

Salvia

Also in flower this month are Cuphea and the Hellebores.

Cuphea

Hellebores

There is a brownish-purple Flax in the back which had completely overgrown its designated spot and shaded neighboring plants. After watching a video on Youtube we cut (or rather hacked) it back.  Fingers crossed it survives.

New Zealand Flax

Flax

The flowering sweet peas have been planted in a half wine barrel. They are one of my favorite flowers, grown every year in memory of my English grandmother.

flowering sweet peas

The edible peas are in the vegetable garden. These are snow peas planted last fall. The snap peas haven’t emerged yet.

Snow peas

The mint is taking off. It’s planted in a container so it doesn’t take over. There will be mint to serve with lamb for Easter.

Mint

I’ve already been able to cut chives for use in the kitchen.

Chives

I direct sowed salad greens, (arugula, cress and various mixed varieties) about 10 days ago when we had a break in the rain.

Salad greens, direct sowed

The first starts from a local organic grower have shown up at the market, I couldn’t resist buying several 6 packs. Grocery store greens are no match for those picked fresh from the garden.

Salad greens, spinach and chard

I had to dig out the roses from the half barrels, remove redwood roots and replant them. This is a yearly chore, otherwise the redwood roots would choke the rose bushes. This one is a new one, Julia Child in honor or my mother who had a cooking school and studied with her.

New Rosebush – Julia Child

We have a few days of a break in the rain, 47 inches so far this season. More is predicted next weekend. So, I am going to take advantage of the sun and get out there.

What’s happening in your own garden?

 

March – Roasted broccoli, preserved lemon, Calabrian chile, and brown rice pasta salad

Roasted broccoli, preserved lemon, Calabrian chile, and brown rice pasta

This recipe came from the cookbook vegetarian salad for dinner by Jeanne Kelley. In her recipe she uses whole wheat pasta, which would be a good alternative. I wanted to make the salad gluten free and had brown rice penne in the pantry. Serve this salad at room temperature, it’s vegan, gluten and dairy free as written. For extra protein a bit of crumbled feta ups the flavor but is not necessary.

I often roast cauliflower but forget that broccoli is also delicious roasted, especially when there are some crispy bits. Roasting sweetens the broccoli, combining it with preserved lemons and Calabrian chiles ups the the salty and tangy notes.

Roasted broccoli, preserved lemon, Calabrian chile, and brown rice pasta

Ingredients: (serves 4)

• 2 to 2-1/2 pounds of broccoli (about 2 bunches)
• 4 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil
• 8 ounces of dried penne or small macaroni, any kind (about 2 cups)
• 3 garlic cloves, finely grated on a microplane or crushed through a garlic press
• 3 tablespoons of chopped preserved lemon (rind only)
• 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
• 2 to 3 tablespoons of minced Calabrian chiles
• Optional: 6 ounces of crumbled fresh feta cheese

Method:

1. Position your oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees F.
2. Cover 2 sheet pans with parchment paper.
3. Cut the broccoli into 1/2 to 3/4 inch pieces. Place the cut broccoli in a large bowl and drizzle with 2 tablespoon of the olive oil. Toss with your hands to mix well and coat with oil. Divide the broccoli between the pans. Sprinkle lightly with salt.
4. Roast until tender browned with some crisp edges. This took about 20 minutes, I switched the locations of the pans after 10. Cool.
5. Boil the pasta in rapidly boiling salted water until tender but firm to the bite. Drain and transfer to a large bowl (I used the same one that contained the broccoli in step 3).
6. Immediately add the garlic and the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Toss well to coat the pasta. Add the broccoli, preserved lemon and lemon juice.
7. Add the Calabrian chiles gradually until you have the desired heat.
8. Add the optional feta if using.

Roasted broccoli, preserved lemon, Calabrian chile, and brown rice pasta

Serve at room temperature.