Zucchini (Too Much!) for One

Zucchini-Almond Muffin

I hope you have a generous neighbor (as do I) who gardens...  Maybe he'll leave a tres giant zucchini on your back porch one day...

that makes people say things like, "Oh, my God!"  I guess this is sort of a giving thanks for copious amounts of food.  If you don't have a gardening neighbor or friend (and folks at church often bring these tomes to get rid of them after service), the farmer's market in St. Paul sells them for fifty cents.  Talk about food value.  While not as tender or flavorful as the tiny elegant zucchini that grace the plates of fine restaurants, these babies will still feed you.  (And anyone else who's hungry.)

An interesting aside about zucchini, which we usually think of as a vegetable.

Botanically, however, the zucchini is an immature fruit, being the swollen ovary of the female zucchini flower.

(This from Wikipedia, should we trust it.  YIKES.)

So here's two recipes for using up zucchini for the solo cook, who might often pass by a big zucchini:

 1.  Zucchini Cakes --  Fried up "pancakes" full of Parmesan and grated onion, they're hearty and healthy.

Zucchini Cakes--Eat 'em while they're hot.  Or not.

          You might have the cakes a time or two before they're gone.  I like them instead of sausage with fried eggs, sliced up over rice and topped with chopped green onions or dill, smothered in a layer of Greek yogurt and a good dose of black pepper, graced with a dop of great salsa, or just by themselves.  Yes, versatile!  Also fine hot, at room temp, or cold right out of the frig.

Ingredients:

3 cups grated zucchini (Squeeze excess moisture out in a towel or you'll have mushy cakes.)
3T minced or grated onion
1/2 cup flour (You might need a little more if mixture looks very liquidy before frying.)
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t kosher salt
Pinch crushed red pepper, optional
1 egg, beaten well
1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese (plus more for garnish if you like)
2-3 T olive oil or butter for frying
Freshly ground black pepper

Toppings:  As you choose from above listings

Mix together all ingredients except oil/butter and pepper.  Heat oil/butter over medium - medium-high heat.  Shape zucchini mixture into patties about 3" in diameter and place in hot fat.  (Or spoon mixture into fat much like pancakes and smooth into shape.) Dust with black pepper.  Let cook 3-4 minutes until quite golden.  Carefully turn over, dust again with pepper, and fry the other side until golden. Serve immediately.  Or later.  Store tightly wrapped in the frig for up to 2 days.  Do not freeze.

Ratatouille (Not the Movie)

Ah, summer.

I loved the movie.
Also "The Big Night"
And "Babette's Feast"
Try them.   Food movies.  Ah.

I love the real deal better.   If you become a devoted cook, your world will revolve around the seasons.  Stews in winter.  Apple pie in the fall.  Berries in the spring.  And...
High summer: Tons of vegetables at their peak.

Tomatoes
Zucchini
Eggplant
Peppers
Garlic just  harvested

If you don't know ratatouille (the real deal), here's a definition from dictionary.reference.com:

 ra·ta·touille
   [rat-uh-too-ee, -twee; Fr. ra-ta-too-y^uh]  

noun

a vegetable stew of Provence, typically consisting of eggplant, zucchini, onions, green peppers, tomatoes, and garlic, served hot or cold.

My basil, yellow zucchini, and Japanese egglant in the bath together.

I am unsure if I would call it a "stew."  I'm thinking a melange suits my ratatouille better.  This mixture of great vegetables, some cooked separately and some together (all mixed in the end) is, like much cooking, a totally personal dish.  While it can be a side dish, a main, served over pasta (rice, cous cous), or in an omelet, it can contain various proportions (depending on your garden/taste or market) of the vegetables mentioned above.  It can have more or less (I like more) garlic.  It can have crushed red pepper.  Fewer tomatoes.

The vegetables could be grilled, then mixed.  Or sautéed in the typical way.  I have, in a pinch, frozen it and brought it out in late fall so we can close our eyes and drum up summer days.  Tell me how you make and use yours?   For a solo cook, this is perfect.  You can share with a vegan friend, keep some for tomorrow, cut the recipe in half, or do it all and throw containers in the freezer for lunches. Here's a starter recipe:

Grilled Figs with Fresh Cheese, Thyme, and Honey

 

There is nothing terribly wrong with a Fig Newton.  Especially with a glass of milk. Or a cup of tea. There are worse treats.  Unfortunately, it's about the only way some people eat figs.  A few more buy dried figs at the holidays for some special baking project.  ("Now bring me some figgy pudding" probably isn't the one I'm talking about.)   Wine and cheese lovers often grab a few figs to eat with fresh cheese or salty ones like Manchego.  And nowadays, fig jam is a very popular condiment for a wine and cheese party if you have the six bucks or so for a small jar.  (I like to mix that jam with balsamic vinegar for an instant sauce for lamb chops.)

But fresh figs?  The average grocery shopper seldom sees them unless they live in California. (They're one of woman's oldest known foods, you know.)  But from now until the late fall, fresh figs are in season (albeit pricey) and there's a lot of bang for the buck.  While a pint container may be $7 or so, it's enough for dessert for four.  Which could be cheaper than your favorite ice cream.  Add some of that fresh cheese you made the other day and you're nearly set.

Out here in the northern middle-west (Minnesota, to be exact), the figs have just started coming into the high-end stores.  If you can't use them right away, they can be stored in the refrigerator for a few days.  The ones I bought last week were not terribly tasty fresh (they're a bit young), but they were perfect grilled.  Here's the drill:

Grilled Figs with Fresh Cheese, Thyme, and Honey  2 servings  (Have one tonight and one with your yogurt for breakfast.)

• 2 figs, rinsed, trimmed of stems, and split in half
• 1tsp vegetable oil
• 2T fresh cheese (your own, goat, or ricotta will do)
• 1T local honey
• 1/2 t fresh thyme (plus a sprig for garnish)  or 1/4 t dry
• 2 grinds of black pepper

Heat your gas grill (or your indoor grill pan on stove) to medium heat.  Brush with oil.

1. Place split figs, open side down, onto grill.  Grill 1-2 minutes and carefully turn.  Grill for another minute or so and remove from the grill to a plate.
2. Spoon a little cheese onto the center of each fig half and drizzle with honey.
3. Sprinkle with thyme and a little black pepper.
4. A little port (fortified wine made in Portugal and elsewhere) wouldn't go amiss.

According to California fig farmers, here are some important things to remember:

• Look for the softest figs; a soft texture indicates the fruit is ready to consume immediately.  
• Don't be concerned about small slits or tears in the skin as long as the fig has a fresh aroma.
• Fresh figs are delicate. Handle gently.
• Keep figs in the refrigerator for as long as five to seven days.
• Too many to eat right away? Just rinse and freeze. Simply arrange in a single layer on a pan and put in the freezer. Transfer frozen figs to a sealed plastic bag, where they can be kept in the freezer for up to six months.
• Avoid figs with a fermentation odor; it indicates that the fruit is overripe.  (courtesy Yahoo! News)

Have fun cooking and taking care of yourself,
Alyce

Make Your Own Cheese (I call it 2-1 Cheese)

 

Alyce's Cheese

I always wanted to make my own cheese.
I'm not talking brie. I'm somewhat aware of my limits.  (Not that I would turn down a trip to France and an apprenticeship.)
I'm thinking goat's cheese.  I've been thinking (dreaming) goat's cheese for a long while.  But was my first try or two from goat's milk?  No.  Cow's milk it was.  And a lovely, firm (or soft...) kind of ricotta was my choice.

I have to admit I made this cheese by mistake.  I had read the directions for making ricotta and misremembered them.  Note to self:  keep recipe in front of your eyes the first time you make something.  The ricotta recipe called for 2 quarts of milk.  My memory called for 2 cups of milk.  So my cheese was firmer, denser, cutable, etc.  It turned out, unbeknownst to me, more like Indian paneer, which I didn't discover until later.

To digress a second time:  Goat's cheese is next--stay tuned.  First, read Goat Song by Brad Kessler.  If I could only read one book in a year, it would be this book.  Not because it's about goats and cheese, but because it's a beautifully written testimony to one man's decision to live a new life...and also ends up teaching a lot about the history of humankind.  NPR called it, "a wondrous little miracle of a book," and I couldn't agree more.

courtesy Scribner

 Anyone can make ricotta, but not everyone realizes that you can make it with a much smaller amount of milk, a longer drain, a harder squeeze... and you'll come out with a beautiful round of cheese you can slice (rather than a soft, spooned cheese).  This firmer product is perfect topped with a bit of honey and pepper, served on grilled salt and pepper baguette.  Or you could make lemon-ricotta pancakes (if you use the cheese before it's drained too long).   But I get ahead of myself.

  Note:  To make light, fluffy, fresh ricotta (maybe better for the pancakes) try David Lebovitz' directions on his guest post for Simply Recipes.

Let's ask, "Why you want to make cheese?"  There are a ton of reasons, but here are a few:

1.  You want to.
2.  It sounds like fun.
3.  You're tired of the price of fresh cheese in the store.  (Around 8 bucks for a small portion of this cheese.)
4.  You have whole milk about to go bad or yogurt you're not going to eat.
5.  You want really good quality.
6.  You want something special to take somewhere that tastes incredibly good and is easy and inexpensive.

Note I didn't say cheap.

Here it is...the soft stuff.  Yum.

 If you're a solo cook, you're well on the road to truly cooking well for yourself if you learn the difference between inexpensive and cheap.  You just don't want cheap.  You DO want inexpensive sometimes, but you want quality for your buck all the time.  Hence homemade cheese!

If you make this cheese, it will keep a week in the frig.  You will eat it all.  A bit each day.  (Try some of the fresh, soft cheese with peaches.)  Or you can take it to a party and be a bit hit.  You can double the recipe easily; just make sure you have a big enough piece of cheesecloth, a larger colander and a big bowl.  Then you can take some to your friends' house and keep some at home for your breakfast.  It is a bit like queso fresco, but not absolutely the same because it's yours.

Equipment you'll need to make this cheese:  2-3qt saucepan, colander, 4 layers of cheesecloth big enough to fit in the colander, a large bowl in which to catch the whey (the water that drips from the cheese.)

Cheese by You  or 2-1 Cheese 
2 cups whole milk
1 cup whole milk yogurt
2t white vinegar  (or try lemon juice some time)
1t salt

• Mix all the ingredients together in a 2-3 qt saucepan.
• Bring to a gentle boil and simmer 1-2 minutes.
• Pour milk mixture through a cheesecloth-lined (about 4 layers) colander or sieve into a medium bowl.
• Let drain 15 minutes for softer cheese or 30-45 for a more firm cheese.  You can decide yourself how long you want this to drain.  It's your cheese.  The cheese police aren't coming any time soon.
• If you choose soft (15 minutes), spoon cheese into a bowl, cool, and refrigerate until needed.
• If you choose firm (30-45 minutes), squeeze out all of the whey (the watery liquid that drains out of the curds) until you have a  solid, firm cheese in the cheese cloth.  To accomplish this, pull  the corners of the cheesecloth up together and twist/squeeze to create a cheesecloth "balloon."  Repeat 2-3 times.  The more you squeeze, the drier and firmer the cheese.
• Unwrap the cheese and turn it out into a bowl for eating or storing in the refrigerator.  
• Eat soft cheese as is or use in recipes like lasagne (or just mix into hot pasta).  It's excellent with ripe stone fruits, berries, etc (as you would with yogurt).  Slice the firm cheese cheese and eat as is or top with local honey and freshly ground black pepper.  Serve on grilled or toasted baguette dusted with salt.
• Makes one approx 6" round of cheese.

You need more cheesecloth than this, though I made it work...just!

This is perfect with a little fresh pasta or peaches.  Needs nothing else.  Maybe a little pepper for the pasta.

Drain longer and squeeze for a more firm cheese

Drizzle a good dose of local honey on top and sprinkle with black pepper.

Herb-Spinach Egg White Omelet

 

Egg white omelets are not for everyone.  Some people just don't get the yolk.  (Very bad; I know.)  They need yellow.  Even orange.  Others make the trip over to white easily, "This isn't bad!"  "Hey this is good!"  depending on what's in the omelet.  If you're in a spot where you seriously have to watch either calories or cholesterol, egg whites are your fine, fine friend.  But they're also a luscious, filling meal for just anyone who's going to dinner that night or who wants an extra piece of pizza the next day.

On Weight Watchers, 3 egg whites are 1 point.  (And yes, they do have some protein.)  No complaint at all.  PAM the pan and skip the oil point, too.  A few chopped herbs...a little spinach...a dose of salsa.  Et voila!  Excellent use of leftover fresh herbs, which are (if you buy them) so expensive you feel like a wastrel if you don't use them all to make something.

About buying egg whites:  you can break and separate eggs yourself, using the whites and cooking up the yolks for the dog or  you can buy egg whites in the dairy case near the eggs.  They come in small pint or quart cartons.

A little giftie from my next-door neighbor:  basil, dill, flowering thyme.

Herb-Spinach Egg white Omelet with Salsa and Fresh Tomatoes

3 egg whites beaten with a healthy pinch of salt and pepper (white pepper, if you have it)
PAM or 1T olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs, your choice (parsley, basil, thyme, tarragon--even sage), plus
    a bit extra for garnish*
1 cup fresh spinach
1/4 cup salsa (I like Frontera Grill's if you don't make your own.) or 1T grated Parmesan cheese
1 small-medium tomato, sliced

1. Slice tomatoes; place on serving plate.  Add a few fresh herbs for garnish if you have extra.
2. Heat pan over medium-high heat for a minute or so.  Add PAM or oil.
3. Add spinach and herbs to hot, oiled pan, sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper, and let cook 1 minute until a bit wilted.
4. Add beaten egg whites to pan and let the white set  20 seconds or so.  Lift omelet at one edge with rubber spatula and tip pan to allow uncooked white into pan.  Repeat quickly until omelet is cooked, making a few small holes in the whites and vegetables (the omelet will reseal) if necessary to make sure eggs in the middle are cooked as well.  
5. Turn off heat.  To plate, tip pan toward the plate, using the rubber spatula to slide the omelet out.  You may fold the omelet as you go or after it's on the plate.  It will eat however you do it and you'll become a better omelet maker as time goes on.
6. Garnish with salsa or Parmesan and a quick dust of black pepper. (Or more white pepper is fine.)
7. Enjoy hot, cold, or at room temperature.
8. *If you have no fresh herbs, add a 1/4 tsp of your favorite dried herb to the spinach.  You could even try a bit of garlic, shallot, or green onion if you'd rather.

 

If you like, you can watch a British chef do it a bit differently, but basically the same. Skip the commercial first!

Have fun cooking and taking care of yourself,
Alyce

The Best Cheesecake (clear throat) for any Birthday

Pagliacci's New York Cheesecake...made and photographed this year in St. Paul

I've made this cheesecake since, I think, 1984.  Almost always for Dave's birthday, but occasionally

for other special occasions.   I dressed it up with chocolate and toffee for Sean's 30th.  I think I even stirred in some pumpkin and topped it with cinnamon/salted crushed pecans one fall.  Dave, however, likes it plain, plein, with nada, nothing, nip, zip, zing, big 0.  Says it needs nothing but a fork.  He's probably right, but I throw a few berries or drizzle chocolate sauce on it for other folks.  I've been known to make a cranberry compote for it for Thanksgiving or a New Year's Day buffet.

Just a note about where this came from, though I didn't think about it for years.  I did vaguely remember a restaurant in Victoria, British Columbia and a bit of the story...but it wasn't until the internet became available that I went back and looked it all up.  Incredible:  the restaurant is still there (though I didn't have time to visit when we were in Victoria last spring) and the soup of the day (today) is Vegetable with Potato... also Split Pea with Ham.  And, you know, if you make something for long enough, it just becomes yours.  Even if you know it's  not.  Dave calls it "Alyce's Cheesecake."  And I've never changed the basic recipe, despite the above special occasion twists and tweaks.
   

How I wish I were a better photographer...but these colors don't lend themselves to food photography anyway.  You get the idea.

 Other people have sort of tagged on to the cheesecake over the years.  If you've lived near one of our 24 houses in July, you might have had some.  Some friends texted this last week to find out if, by chance, we were coming back to Colorado for the 4th...it might have been the cheesecake.

As The Solo Cook, you'll probably be invited to potlucks, dinners, picnics, etc., over the next how-many years. I freely give you permission to make and take YOUR cheesecake because:

1. It's the best.  They'll love you.
2. It's so easy to make, it's not funny.  There's no technique involved.
3. You can't hardly ruin this.
4. It's great any time of the year.
5. It's flexible.  Forgiving.  Can be adapted to any flavor cheesecake.
6. Can be made days and days ahead.
7. Can be frozen for a month. (Cheesecakes freeze admirably well.)

Let me know if you make it!

You do need a 9" springform pan.  Yes, really, you must have it.
A food processor or an electric mixer (even a hand-held one) is a must unless you're Superman.
If you don't have a food processor for the graham cracker crumbs, you can buy them already crushed or put the crackers in a gallon sealed bag and pound or roll over them with a rolling pin.

Pagliacci's New York Cheesecake                                         

Crust

• 1 1/4 cups graham wafer crumbs (I prefer vanilla wafer crumbs)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup butter, melted

Filling

• 40 ounces cream cheese, room temperature (5 8oz packages; I use low-fat.)
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 3/4 cups sugar    (I like a 1 1/4 cups)
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 5 eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/4 cup whipping cream

                                                           Directions:
First:  Mix crumbs, 1/4 cup sugar and butter and press into a 10" spring form pan. Refrigerate until ready to use.

1.  Preheat oven to 500º.  Make sure your oven is clean before you start!
2.  Beat cream cheese with electric mixer in large bowl until very smooth. Blend in lemon juice and vanilla. Sift sugar, flour and salt together and gradually beat into cheese. Beat until creamy, smooth and light, about 5 minutes. Beat in eggs and yolks one at a time. Blend in cream. Pour into crust.  Place filled pan on a  baking sheet lined with parchment paper or foil.  
3.  Bake 12 minutes.
4.  Reduce oven temperature to 200º. Continue baking until tester inserted in centre comes out clean. The original recipe said for 45 minutes but I find it takes much longer.  Keep testing. (You can also set the oven at 300 and it's a lot less time.  I think the 200 might have been a typo??)
5.  Run a sharp knife around the edge of the pan. Cool cake completely and refrigerate at least 24 hours before serving. 

Read more: http://www.food.com/recipe/pagliaccis-new-york-cheesecake-364368#ixzz1RMOCwh6e

Have fun cooking and taking care of yourself,

Alyce

Taking Potato Salad to the Picnic

Happy, fresh, perky potato salad without all the...whatever

 My husband adores potato salad.
 His mother puts pickle juice in it.
And it's darned good.

I still don't make it often. It smacks of fattening mayonnaise, though I often make a closer-to-French version with a mustard-tarragon vinaigrette.  But there's no reason at all not to make it.  And it's lovely made with tiny new farmer's market potatoes, baby broccoli, fresh shallots, an ear of corn, and whatever else you've drug home.  In fact, let's just think of it as a salad.  That has potatoes in it.  Be inventive and put in what you have or like.  Tarragon or thyme would be sweet in place of the parsley.. if you like one of them better.  Tomatoes could be chopped for the top.  Asparagus or green beans, chopped, could be added in place of, or in addition to, the broccoli.

St. Paul Farmer's Mkt display

St Paul Farmer's Mkt sugar snaps

I will tell you that many people ruin potato salad because they have no idea how to season it.  Some cooks will just pour in salt, when it's acid (vinegar or lemon juice) that's needed to kick the salad off. 

And if it's too hot to leave that stove on, do make this.  It's all done in the microwave, so you save/eat all the nutrients that go down the drain if you boil the veg.  It is a bit of a pain to keep cooking things separately in the microwave, but it sure beats turning on the stove when it's 90 something and 75% humidity.  As your microwave could cook more slowly or quickly than mine, use the cooking times as a guide.  Taste your vegetables and see if they're done to your liking.  The potatoes, when left covered after cooking, will cook a bit more as they hold a good deal of heat.  If you like the other vegetables fresh, don't cook them!

You've got something yum and healthy to take to the picnic.  Happy Fourth!

Shallots from the market

Pencil added for scale.  These are tiny, tender toothsome babies.

Farmer's Market Potato Salad   (Made in the microwave)  4-6 servings
1.5 # new potatoes (1-2" or cut into that size) cooked with 1/4 c water about 6 minutes covered.  Let sit 5 minutes before using.*
2T olive oil
3/4 t kosher salt; 1/4 t freshly ground black pepper; Pinch crushed red pepper
1/2 new peas, or frozen  (If new, cook in microwave covered 2 minutes and drain; run cold water; drain. If frozen, run under warm water until unthawed and then drain.)
2-3 stalks new broccoli, chopped (Cook for 2 minutes with carrots in 1T water & covered)+
1 carrot, peeled and cut in matchsticks (Cook for 2 minutes with broccoli)
1 ear of fresh corn (Leave husks on and cook 3 minutes or so.  Let sit in husks another 3-5 minutes before husking, taking off silks, and cutting the kernals off the cob while holding the cob upright on the board.)
1/2 medium zucchini, cut into matchsticks (Don't cook.)
1/2 red pepper (sweet), finely chopped
2 eggs, boiled and chopped (PAM a medium bowl, add eggs, prick all over, cover tightly and microwave 2 minutes.  Cool and chop.)
2 strips bacon (Cook in microwave w/ several paper towels above and below for 1 1/2 min.) Cool and  chop.*

2 minced shallots
4 minced green onions (Save a bit out for garnish.)
1/4 c chopped parsley (Save a bit out for a garnish.)
Juice of half a lemon (2-3 tablespoons)
2T minced fresh dill
1/2 c sour cream (in a small bowl at table)

• Mix warm potatoes with oil, salt, pepper and red pepper.  Add peas though parsley.  Stir and taste. Adjust for seasonings. 
• Add lemon juice; stir.  Taste again and add more juice if needed.
• Garnish with reserved green onions, parsley and a big grind of pepper for their good looks and taste.  Sprinkle with finely chopped fresh dill.
• If  desired, pass sour cream at table and let each guest top their salad with a spoonful.

+If you have older/large broccoli, trim the stems and cut them off a bit (discard trimmings) before chopping for cooking.  Young, tender stalks should be fine.
*You can use pancetta, too, though I'd chop it and gently fry it in a small skillet instead of microwaving it, though you probably could. Some people like to boil pancetta a bit before frying it...to remove the pancetta taste somewhat.  I don't do that, but do it if you like. Cooked, julienned ham is also an option.

If you haven't frequented markets, here's one of my favorites:  (after the St. Paul Farmer's Market, of course)
 Photos from Pike Place Market in Seattle (taken in May, 2010)

Have fun cooking and taking care of yourself,
Alyce

Ham Fried Rice or Fried Rice, The Leftover Machine

After the egg is cooked, the rice is fried.  Next, the ham and veg are added but not stirred together with the rice quite yet.

 Anyone who cooks needs a few pantry meals.  Meals that can be made without a special trip to the grocery store.  Meals that definitely should be made without finding specialty ingredients ("order from this website.")  How about inexpensive, tasty, quick, and healthy, too?  Fried rice pretty much fits the bill.  If you haven't mastered some kind of fried rice technique, try this.  You'll probably be making fried rice every week because pantry meals are even more important for a solo cook for whom family-sized amounts of fresh food go bad quickly.

I can't take credit for this rice, though on my own I make tres yummy fried rice.  When I don't think about it and throw in the kitchen sink, that is.  Only this one small problema:  it's not consistant.  One time it's fabulous and the next time it's so-so.  Edible, but so-so.  Makes you want to scream.  So I set out to find a great, tried and true method to conquer.  This isn't saying it'll come out the same every time, because it seldom can.  There are different ingredients available; that's the beauty of fried rice.  It's a leftover machine. The Chinese use yesterday's rice to make it and they throw in what they have. (You can also add leftover grilled chicken or other meat, but that's definitely optional.)  It's often a late-nite snack.  Sounds good, huh?   But it can come out just about as mouth-watering delicious every time.

Setting out to find the best fried rice, I didn't go to the local Asian dive where greasy rice reigns.  I went to long-time Chinese cookbook author Barbara Tropp, who in the '80's wrote a definitive, American-friendly Chinese cookbook called THE MODERN ART OF CHINESE COOKING : TECHNIQUES AND RECIPES (Hearst Books, 1982; 611 pages.)  Still available on amazon.  I tried several kinds of fried rice, but first had to re-learn how to cook rice.  Barbara's way.  The Chinese way.  Note:  This fine cookbook has lots of recipes, but also teaches much about equipment and technique.  It's a good addition to your shelf.  While there are excellent  illustrations, it is not a photographed cookbook.  Why not take your own photos and make your own Chinese cookbook?

Writing for examiner.com yesterday, I put up a recipe for sugar snap pea fried rice.   Which is lovely.  Which is not pantry-friendly unless your ever-bearing garden has fresh snap peas all year long.   This recipe is pantry-friendly.  Particularly if you keep a bit of cryovac ham in the meat drawer.  That means the kind that's vacuum packed and keeps for a good, long while.  And once you make this rice, you just might keep that package of ham around.  The ham makes or breaks this rice.  Unless you're a vegetarian, that is.  In which case, you wouldn't want it anyway, right?  Insert tofu that you have drained, pressed, baked and stir-fried ahead of time.

Try this rice.   It doesn't take long (except for the original cooking of the rice--which takes 30 minutes.)  You'll like the way you feel.  I guarantee it!

Chop everything ahead and have it ready to go right next to the stove.

Barely cooked, chopped eggs.  No browned spots if possible.

Farmer's Market fresh spring/green onions (scallions)

Ham Fried Rice (with lots of vegetables)  3 generous servings

First, make the rice:  Make a day ahead (or in the morning.)  If you need to make it right beforehand, spread it out on a big baking sheet after cooking to cool and dry out for 15 minutes or so.

Making rice well:  (30 minutes--Day before or early in the day, if possible.)

1. Start with short or medium grain white rice if possible.  (Sushi rice will work.  If all you have is long grain rice, plunge on ahead anyway and buy more rice later.)
2. Take 1 cup of rice and place it in a bowl; fill with water.  Swish around 10-15 seconds.  Drain in a fine-meshed strainer or pour water out while holding your hand at edge of bowl to prevent the rice escape.
3. Repeat 5-6 times until water in bowl is becoming or is clear.  Shake rice well in strainer.
4. In a  2 - 2 1/2  qt. pot, place rice and 1 1/2 cups water (1 3/4 cup if you have long grain rice.)
5. Bring to a boil over high heat.  Reduce heat to medium-low or low and cover tightly. 
6. Let cook 15 minutes.  You should be able to hear the rice bubbling and little wisps of steam should come from the pan.  (Not big streams of water that hiss and run; turn that mess down.)  If you don't hear/see this, turn the heat up a tiny bit until you do.
7. After 15 minutes, remove from heat (leave covered) and let rest for 15-20 minutes.  
8. Remove lid and fluff rice gently with a fork from the bottom.  Salt and pepper with a light hand; this is the first layer of seasoning for the fried rice. 
9. Let cool.  Store in covered container for a day or overnight if possible.  No time?  Spread out on a baking sheet to cool as per above.

According to Barbara Tropp (and to my lights, as well), this will result in a perceptibly lighter, fluffier, cleaner kind of rice.  In fact, it's delicious.  You can well understand why Asians eat a pound a day!  

Making the fried rice: (10 minutes chopping; 10 minutes cooking)
ingredients:

• 3 cups cooked/leftover rice
• Sea salt (or table salt) and freshly ground pepper
• 2 eggs, beaten lightly
• 3T peanut or vegetable or canola oil (you'll use this a bit at a time)
• 1/4 cup sliced ham, cut in thin slivers
• 1/4 cup each sliced red onion, sliced cabbage, green onions (save out 2 tsp for garnish),  cut-up broccoli, peas, thinly sliced carrots (1/4"x1""), chopped asparagus, etc.  (whatever vegetables you have)  up to 2 cups total*
• 1 clove garlic minced, 1/2 t ginger minced (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt or to taste
• Pinch of crushed red pepper (or, in a pinch, use a couple of drops of hot sauce or a sprinkle of ground cayenne--crushed red pepper is definitely best here)
• Optional:  You can add soy sauce at the table if you like it.  The Chinese eat white rice with white salt. 
• Optional:  1/4-1/2 sliced or chopped leftover cooked chicken, shrimp, roast pork/beef or steak

1.  In a wok or a large, deep skillet, heat 2tsps peanut oil over medium-high heat.  Pour in eggs; let set a few seconds.  Turn over or pull eggs up to let uncooked egg underneath using a large wooden spoon.   Continue for a few seconds more until the egg is nearly done, but not browned.  Remove to a bowl and chop into tiny pieces with your wooden spoon.  Set aside.  You'll add it back in a few minutes.
2. Wipe out pan with paper towels or cloth towel being careful not to burn yourself.  
3. Pour in 1 tablespoon peanut oil.  Add rice.  Stir and cook for 2 minutes to heat and coat all grains of rice with the oil; do not brown.   
4. Push rice to one side of the pan.  Add a bit more oil and throw in the ham and vegetables, including garlic and ginger if you're using them.  (Keep out a little green onion for garnish.)  Sprinkle on salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper.  Stir the vegetables for 2 minutes or so until just beginning to wilt, but meantime also lift/stir the rice a little bit to ensure it doesn't brown.
5. Stir everything in the pot together.  Add the reserved chopped egg bits and stir.   If you are using up your leftover meat, add that here.  Stir together a minute or so.   Taste and adjust seasoning.  Add a bit more salt if necessary.
6. To serve, place fried rice in a bowl and garnish with the reserved scallions.  Chop sticks are fun; use them if you can.

*If you have leftover vegetables from another meal, use them by all means.  Just heat briefly until they're hot (no need to cook again) and continue the recipe.

 
Have fun cooking and taking care of yourself,
Alyce

Poached Egg Chef's Salad

Poached Egg Chef's Salad--Yum

 When I lived in Germany, I was greatly amazed at the foods that arrived at table with a fried egg on top.  (Beer at McDonald's was another eye opener.)  I don't think I'd seen a fried egg on a pork steak before.  Or on a beef steak.  I got used to it.  The eggs were just barely over easy and if you pricked the yoke with your fork, the gooey orange centers became a decadent, yummy sauce.  My father would have loved it.

Fast forward to summers in Minnesota.  Hot nights and no energy for the grill.  A lovely bowl of any greens, some (any) vegetables from the market, two poached eggs and you're set.  A bit of tomato is great.  A light, but filling meal with no leftovers.  No special ingredients and lovely for one person.   Did I say quick?  Dinner!

Poached Egg Chef's Salad with Vinaigrette serves 1

2 cups fresh greens
1/2 cup chopped fresh vegetables (carrots, celery, broccoli, etc.)
1 scallion, minced (or 1 tablespoon shallot or red onion)
1 slice turkey or ham, chopped or sliced 1/4" thick
1 slice cheese, sliced 1/4" thick
3 cherry tomatoes or 1/2 cup chopped fresh tomato
1T grated Parmesan cheese
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
2 poached eggs*
1t fresh lemon juice

Vinaigrette:  Whisk together:  1 tsp white wine vinegar, pinch each salt and pepper, a tiny dab of Dijon mustard.  Then, continuing whisking, add 1T olive oil. Taste and adjust seasonings. 

In a large bowl, place cleaned greens and add the vegetables, meat and sliced cheese.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.   Add poached eggs, gently tapping the slotted spoon on a towel to remove excess water before placing  at the center of the salad.  Salt and pepper the eggs.  Squeeze the lemon juice over all and drizzle with vinaigrette.

*To poach two eggs:  Check out this wikihow clip.

Or follow my directions:   Heat 2" water to simmering in a small skillet.  Break one egg into a ramekin or small cup.  Slowly pour the egg into the water, stopping after the first bit of white is in..then continuing with the remainder of the egg.  Repeat with the other egg.  Cook 3 minutes or so or until the yolk is as done as you like.  Remove with a slotted spoon or ladle.  Tap off excess water before adding to salad or eating.  Eggs can be made ahead (undercook them a bit), stored in the frig and reheated gently in water right before serving.

Enjoy cooking and taking care of yourself,
Alyce

Tabbouleh--No Cooking Summer Meal

 One of my very favorite summer meals (or sides) is tabbouleh, which is a middle-eastern salad made with bulgur wheat (dried wheat that you must reconstitute with liquid).  It's a cool, light dish made with little effort, though the wheat must sit in water or lemon juice (perhaps other things) for an hour or so to plump up and be edible.  One of the joys is there's no cooking.  The needed water can be heated (some people don't even heat it) in the  microwave and that's quite a boon on really hot days when even turning on one burner sounds like punishment.  We  had 102 the other day in St. Paul and I refused to do anything but shred some salmon into a salad.  We would have gone out, but the old restaurants around us probably weren't any cooler.

A little research makes it appear that Lebanese tabbouleh contains more herbs than wheat and if you're interested in that version, check out David Lebovitz' recipe here.   While you're at it, cruise around David's lovely blog and come out wanting to read it regularly.  He also has a few books that are favorites of mine....  THE PERFECT SCOOP  and THE SWEET LIFE IN PARIS are two.  READY FOR DESSERT is the newest, I think...but go to Amazon and check out the fun list.  If I have to make ice cream, I look no further than THE PERFECT SCOOP and neither should you.

If you're ready to try my version, read below.  Mine is a combination of recipes (particularly Ina Garten's from THE BAREFOOT CONTESSA PARTIES --PAGE 113--  and the recipe on the back of Bob's Red Mill Bulgur Wheat). Change it up to suit you; why not?    This is all about vegan, vegetarian, healthy, filling, inexpensive (yes, you need fresh herbs no matter what) and...yummy.  Note:  I store my bulgur wheat in the freezer. Oh, and you can make tabbouleh tacos ( I do this; I don't know if anyone else does--read my article on examiner.com) or you can also listen to "The Tabbouleh Song" on youtube.  I think tabbouleh goes a long way... I'm thinking of tabbouleh stuffed green peppers or leaves of cabbage next.

Tabbouleh my Way

 1 c bulgur wheat (comes bulk in some stores  or in a 1-2# package by Bob's Red Mill or others.)
1/2 c fresh lemon juice
1 c boiling water
2 t kosher salt
1/2 t freshly ground black pepper

Mix all of the above ingredients together well and let sit 45 minutes-1 hour.

 Meantime, chop

1 c fresh parsley
1/2 c fresh mint
1 c tomatoes
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded (peel with potato peeler, slice the whole thing in half lengthwise and, to remove
   the seeds, take a spoon and scrape it down the middle of each long half.)  If you use English (or hothouse) 
    cucumbers, you needn't peel them.  American cukes are often waxed and the skin is difficult to digest.)

Mix together with softened bulgur wheat mixture  and stir in

1/4 cup best quality you can afford extra virgin olive oil.

Taste and adjust seasonings.  Need more salt?  Try 1/4 t more.  Dull?  Add a few grinds more of black pepper or a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes or even a drop or two of hot sauce.  Just lacks something?  Think acid and squeeze a little more lemon juice into the mixture.  Let the ingredients have fun with one another for a bit and taste again.

Let sit 30-60 minutes before eating if you can wait.

Note:  If you're not going to eat all of this, only put tomatoes into today's portion.  Refrigerate the leftovers and add the rest of the tomatoes tomorrow when you'll eat the rest.

Gluten free?  Try quinoa or wild rice in place of bulgur wheat.

Lovely with grilled  (or just cut up and/or heated) pita bread and a bit of hummus and/or feta.

Have fun cooking and taking care of yourself,
Alyce

Pie--Step-by-Step Crust and a Rhubarb Filling

We have a lot of chances to make pie.  Take one!

 As I write online articles for examiner.com (St. Paul Entertainment--Food and Drink), I am often working on dishes, meals, or recipes for foods that are in season or are being featured at farmer's market.  The past couple of weeks, rhubarb has played a large role in my market shopping and I wrote up the recipe for a rhubarb pie for them this week.  As I worked on the recipe (and it was no work to eat the pie, you'll see), I kept Dinner Place readers in mind and took lots of pictures of making the crust and putting the pie together.

Rhubarb--Perfect spring vegetable, but dispose of leaves safely, they're full of oxalic acid and are poisonous.

For whatever reason, many perfectly good cooks shy away from baking  pie.  Maybe they're not bakers.  Or they tried it once and it was a mess (and so was my first pie) or they tried it twice and had to throw away a crust (so does every pie baker, no matter how experienced), etc.  I have a method (and an alternate) that I'm sold on and hope you'll try.  You will be the hit of your group of friends even if the pie crust has some lumps or pieces missing...people just love pie and will love you for making it.  Soon, you'll be a champion pie baker (maybe), but your pies will get eaten all the way up that learning curve.

As a solo cook, a pie is a challenge.  You'll either eat a piece every day or two (storing the remainder in the refrigerator) or you'll make pie when you have a reason to take something to someone's house or to a potluck.  There are individual pies and, if you have tiny pie plates (the kind children bake with) or ovensafe bowls (perfect for pie for one) or even ovensafe mugs, you can make pie just for you.

This pie crust is made in the food processor. If you'd like to make a crust by hand, watch this.

Coming home in my basket

  Here's the process in photographs.  My crust is made in the Cuisinart Food Processor.

Flour, salt, sugar, and butter mixed until combined until pea-sized and smaller pieces.

Iced water added. Processed until just coming together.

Meantime, chop the rhubarb into about 1/2" pieces.

Take dough out of bowl, divide in half.  Put half in frig and press other half between 2 sheets of waxed paper.

Roll out from center until more than big enough for pie plate. Put plate upside down on crust to measure.

Flip dough over and roll quickly-once!-with rolling pin to release dough from waxed paper.

Gently peel that side's paper off.

Turn dough over onto pie plate and carefully pull the other sheet of paper off.

Gently press dough down into pie plate as evenly as possible.   Edges should hang over.

Alternate method:  Dust counter, dough and pin well with flour and roll your dough out from the center.

Into the pan and crimp edges.

Fill with rhubarb mixture and dot with butter.  The butter and the flour in the rhubarb will create the thickener.

Take that top crust and loosely roll it around your rolling pin.

Lift it on to  the pie, being careful of placement so you don't have to do it twice.

There, it's on and covered and just needs trimming.

Trim evenly with sharp knife or scissors. (I like to make pie crust cookies out of extra dough.)

Seal or crimp edges quickly; don't over work dough.

I like to make a pretty edge. You can press it down with the tines of a fork, too.  Or leave it simply crimped--pinched together.

Make slits in top crust for steam to vent.  I like designs!

Place on a rimmed sheet in case of boil overs.

It's done when it's browned and bubbling through slits. Glass pie plates help you see if it's done.

So close and yet so far away.  This must cool nearly completely or you'll cut it and have a sea of filling all over.

I love pie.  A little ice cream wouldn't hurt.