I picked up a bunch of beautiful fresh fava beans the other day (I love spring!), and decided to make Melonfish's Crunchy Fava Bean Cakes. So today I acquired the necessary corn and cornflour (Bob's Red Mill) and was ready to go. Unfortunately, my ear of corn looked rather sad once unhusked. The kernels weren't very puffy, they looked more like miniature albino raisins. But I tasted a couple, and they seemed ok, so on I went.
Some people complain about the labor involved in shelling fava beans, but I find it relaxing. Time-consuming, but relaxing. And fun - it's amusing to see a bean shoot across the kitchen when you're trying to peel it.
Beans and corn sautéed, half pureed, mixed with flours, eggs, feta, basil and milk, then formed into patties and fried. I followed the recipe exactly, except for the puree part. I have a problem pureeing things. I blame my blender. So I minced and mashed until I got something that kind of looked like wet green sand.
Hubby was fully prepared to hate these. He saw the batter on the counter and started looking for something else to eat. I convinced him to take a bite. He did so, reluctantly, eyeing the cake suspiciously. But then his eyes lit up. "These are delicious."
We ended up eating them on baguette with a little prosciutto (and hot sauce, of course). Hubby couldn't stop raving. "Don't lose this recipe. These are great. I guess I do like fava beans."
Thanks, Melonfish!
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Chicken & Rice
For dinner last night, I made Chicken Legs in Achiote Sauce (Ben's recipe), accompanied by Green Rice, from Trini Gourmet.
The marinade for the chicken reminded me of the cochinita pibil I make (recipe courtesy of Roberto Rodriquez, director of Once Upon a Time in Mexico). The main difference is lots of ancho powder in the chicken, compared to habañero in the puerco.
My kitchen smelled amazing while this was cooking! The chicken was tender, flavorful...everything chicken wants to be but so rarely is.
The rice...was ok. I undersalted (a problem of mine, although easily fixed), and I think my long grain rice is old, because the center of the grains stayed hard for way too long, and by the time they were soft, the rice was breaking apart. The flavor, however, was very good. Cilantro, parsley, jalapeño, onion, garlic...of course the flavor's good!
Family dug on the chicken, the rice not so much. However, all three of them could live on plain white rice with soy sauce, with a pork chop thrown in once a month. So their opinion on "different" rice dishes doesn't really count in my eyes.
Will I make this again? The chicken, yes. The rice, I'll probably search for another recipe, or tweak this one til it's memorable.
The marinade for the chicken reminded me of the cochinita pibil I make (recipe courtesy of Roberto Rodriquez, director of Once Upon a Time in Mexico). The main difference is lots of ancho powder in the chicken, compared to habañero in the puerco.
My kitchen smelled amazing while this was cooking! The chicken was tender, flavorful...everything chicken wants to be but so rarely is.
The rice...was ok. I undersalted (a problem of mine, although easily fixed), and I think my long grain rice is old, because the center of the grains stayed hard for way too long, and by the time they were soft, the rice was breaking apart. The flavor, however, was very good. Cilantro, parsley, jalapeño, onion, garlic...of course the flavor's good!
Family dug on the chicken, the rice not so much. However, all three of them could live on plain white rice with soy sauce, with a pork chop thrown in once a month. So their opinion on "different" rice dishes doesn't really count in my eyes.
Will I make this again? The chicken, yes. The rice, I'll probably search for another recipe, or tweak this one til it's memorable.
Monday, May 5, 2008
Cheese and Onion Bread
I bookmarked this recipe for Cheese and Onion Bread from Johanna of Green Gourmet Giraffe a while back, and finally made it today. The recipe is credited to The Complete Book of Bread and Bread Machines.
It turned out pretty good - it wasn't salty enough, but that's because there is no quantity indicated in the recipe, and I have a hard time figuring out salt quantities when baking. I used about 1/2 teaspoon, it probably needs a full teaspoon. I think the next time I make this, I'll double the quantity of onions, and mix half in with the dough, instead of sprinkling all of them on top. And Johanna's right, the bread really needs to cool down for you to get the full cheesy flavor.
I made mine in the flower shape, one dough-ball in the middle, surrounded by 7 more of the same size. Definitely impressive, since it spreads out to about 14" round, and needs a very large plate to serve!
It turned out pretty good - it wasn't salty enough, but that's because there is no quantity indicated in the recipe, and I have a hard time figuring out salt quantities when baking. I used about 1/2 teaspoon, it probably needs a full teaspoon. I think the next time I make this, I'll double the quantity of onions, and mix half in with the dough, instead of sprinkling all of them on top. And Johanna's right, the bread really needs to cool down for you to get the full cheesy flavor.
I made mine in the flower shape, one dough-ball in the middle, surrounded by 7 more of the same size. Definitely impressive, since it spreads out to about 14" round, and needs a very large plate to serve!
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Shrimp and Scallops in Aromatic Broth
My next challenge cookbook is The Chez Francois Cookbook by Jacque E. Haeringer. I have no idea where I got this or why.
There were many tasty-looking recipes, some not-so-tasty (Calves Brains with Black Butter, anyone?). All of the vegetable dishes looked like they were supposed to be garnishes for the main protein. Didn't want to do one of those. And I'm not about to tackle a French dessert.
So I narrowed it down to Shrimp and Scallops in Aromatic Broth, or the Châteubriand. The beef dish looked really good, but I didn't feel like making all the garnishes - carottes et petis oignons glacés, haricots verts sautés, les champignons à blanc, pommes sautées Lyonnaise, tomates provençale, and Béarnaise sauce. So I went with the seafood.
You julienne celery, carrot and leek, shred onion, and simmer them all in water, wine, red wine vinegar, s&p, and a bouquet garni for 30 minutes. You drop in the shrimp and scallops, remove the pot from the heat as soon as it returns to a boil, and serve.
I had roasted some garlic and mixed it with butter, to slather on a fresh baguette. I figured you can't have broth without crusty bread to dip into it.
But that's assuming that the broth was good. It wasn't. This dish was so bad that I removed the shrimp and scallops, sink-pigged the nasty broth, and tried sautéeing the seafood quickly in my garlic butter and a dusting of paprika. Still sucked. Hubby said it tasted like dishwater. He was right.
So we had garlic bread for dinner. The dogs had shrimp and scallops.
There were many tasty-looking recipes, some not-so-tasty (Calves Brains with Black Butter, anyone?). All of the vegetable dishes looked like they were supposed to be garnishes for the main protein. Didn't want to do one of those. And I'm not about to tackle a French dessert.
So I narrowed it down to Shrimp and Scallops in Aromatic Broth, or the Châteubriand. The beef dish looked really good, but I didn't feel like making all the garnishes - carottes et petis oignons glacés, haricots verts sautés, les champignons à blanc, pommes sautées Lyonnaise, tomates provençale, and Béarnaise sauce. So I went with the seafood.
You julienne celery, carrot and leek, shred onion, and simmer them all in water, wine, red wine vinegar, s&p, and a bouquet garni for 30 minutes. You drop in the shrimp and scallops, remove the pot from the heat as soon as it returns to a boil, and serve.
I had roasted some garlic and mixed it with butter, to slather on a fresh baguette. I figured you can't have broth without crusty bread to dip into it.
But that's assuming that the broth was good. It wasn't. This dish was so bad that I removed the shrimp and scallops, sink-pigged the nasty broth, and tried sautéeing the seafood quickly in my garlic butter and a dusting of paprika. Still sucked. Hubby said it tasted like dishwater. He was right.
So we had garlic bread for dinner. The dogs had shrimp and scallops.
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Food & Wine, June 2008
Once again, here are the recipes from the latest Food & Wine that look tasty. And, just like last month, I probably won't make any of them. But it's fun to think about.
- Grill-Roasted Bacon-and-Scallion Corn Muffins (mmm...bacon)
- Pan-Fried Smoked-Trout Cakes with Lemony Salad (although I've never seen smoked trout around here)
- Sunflower Seed Dip with Dill (like peanut butter but with sunflower seeds?)
- Smoked Salmon Involtini (with avocado!)
- Seared Romaine Spears with Caesar Dressing (seared lettuce, it's good, who would've thunk it?)
- Charred Fava Bean Salad with Lemon and Tarragon (just picked up some favas today!)
Spiced Chili Potatoes
My next challenge dish comes from Everyday Asian by Patricia Yeo and Tom Steele. I had a really hard time figuring out what to make from this book, not because there was too much to choose from, but because there was too little. Since the book is called Everyday Asian, I was expecting Asian recipes. You would too, right?
Braised Lamb Shanks - it's got porcini mushrooms, carrot, celery, tomatoes, red wine, thyme and white beans. That doesn't seen "Asian" to me. Neither does the Poached Prawn and Tomato Confit Stack, with tomatoes, garlic, red pepper flakes, shrimp and salsa verde. Umm...yeah...not Asian. And I can't even imagine how the Smoky Tomato Polenta snuck into this book.
Other recipes looked good, but I have yet been able to procure fermented black beans or kecap manis, and Hubby won't eat anything that's come into contact with garam masala.
I finally settled on Spiced Chili Potatoes, thick-sliced Yukon and russet, dumped on top of popped mustard seeds, caramelized onions, chilis, and a little curry powder, then baked until tender.
And you know what? They were good! Hubby ate most of them, and was unable to stop complimenting my genius (I tried to explain that it was a recipe from a cookbook, but I'm not sure it registered in his brain). I had no idea that mustard seeds got soft when you cooked them. But after toasting for 3 minutes, sautéeing with the onions for 10-15 minutes, and baking for 20 minutes...well...you'd be soft too.
And so, I encourage you to make these:
1 Yukon gold potato, cut in 1/2" slices
1 russet potato, cut in 1/2" slices
1/2 onion, cut in 1/4" slices
1 t yellow mustard seeds
1 t brown mustard seeds
1/4 t curry powder
2 small dried chilies, like de arbol or Thai bird
2 T vegetable / canola oil
1/4 c water or broth
1 T butter, cut in small pieces
Preheat the oven to 375.
Heat a skillet (preferably cast iron, but mine is currently being treated for severe rusting) over high heat. Toast the mustard seeds, chilies and curry powder, stirring, about 2-3 minutes, until the mustard seeds start to pop.
Add the onion and oil, and cook, stirring, until the onions are dark brown. Salt and pepper the potato slices, and add them to the skillet along with the water/broth. Distribute the butter bits over the potatoes. Bake for 20-ish minutes (until tender), flipping half way through cooking.
Serve topped with yogurt and cilantro, if desired. (I didn't, but I'm sure it would be a welcome addition.)
Braised Lamb Shanks - it's got porcini mushrooms, carrot, celery, tomatoes, red wine, thyme and white beans. That doesn't seen "Asian" to me. Neither does the Poached Prawn and Tomato Confit Stack, with tomatoes, garlic, red pepper flakes, shrimp and salsa verde. Umm...yeah...not Asian. And I can't even imagine how the Smoky Tomato Polenta snuck into this book.
Other recipes looked good, but I have yet been able to procure fermented black beans or kecap manis, and Hubby won't eat anything that's come into contact with garam masala.
I finally settled on Spiced Chili Potatoes, thick-sliced Yukon and russet, dumped on top of popped mustard seeds, caramelized onions, chilis, and a little curry powder, then baked until tender.
And you know what? They were good! Hubby ate most of them, and was unable to stop complimenting my genius (I tried to explain that it was a recipe from a cookbook, but I'm not sure it registered in his brain). I had no idea that mustard seeds got soft when you cooked them. But after toasting for 3 minutes, sautéeing with the onions for 10-15 minutes, and baking for 20 minutes...well...you'd be soft too.
And so, I encourage you to make these:
1 Yukon gold potato, cut in 1/2" slices
1 russet potato, cut in 1/2" slices
1/2 onion, cut in 1/4" slices
1 t yellow mustard seeds
1 t brown mustard seeds
1/4 t curry powder
2 small dried chilies, like de arbol or Thai bird
2 T vegetable / canola oil
1/4 c water or broth
1 T butter, cut in small pieces
Preheat the oven to 375.
Heat a skillet (preferably cast iron, but mine is currently being treated for severe rusting) over high heat. Toast the mustard seeds, chilies and curry powder, stirring, about 2-3 minutes, until the mustard seeds start to pop.
Add the onion and oil, and cook, stirring, until the onions are dark brown. Salt and pepper the potato slices, and add them to the skillet along with the water/broth. Distribute the butter bits over the potatoes. Bake for 20-ish minutes (until tender), flipping half way through cooking.
Serve topped with yogurt and cilantro, if desired. (I didn't, but I'm sure it would be a welcome addition.)
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Garden Veggies!
I have peas! Well, 3 pods only, but they're peas!
I also have 3 marble-sized tomatoes on one plant, and flowers on the other 2.
The peppers haven't done anything reproductive yet, but they're growing like crazy. As soon as I get a jalapeño, I'm going to make a 3-pea and fried green tomato spicy salad.
Or not.
Patience. Gotta work on that.
Oh, and I planted one of the sprouts from my scary sprouting potatoes, and there's lots of leafy greenness growing up out of the pot...
I also have 3 marble-sized tomatoes on one plant, and flowers on the other 2.
The peppers haven't done anything reproductive yet, but they're growing like crazy. As soon as I get a jalapeño, I'm going to make a 3-pea and fried green tomato spicy salad.
Or not.
Patience. Gotta work on that.
Oh, and I planted one of the sprouts from my scary sprouting potatoes, and there's lots of leafy greenness growing up out of the pot...
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