Creamy Green Puna Penne with Three Cheeses

Our latest Cook the Books Club selection, The United States of Arugula, by David Kamp, has been on my shelf for at least two years, waiting I guess for this incentive to take more than a brief dip.  Just to dive in and immerse myself in "The Sun-Dried, Cold-Pressed, Dark-Roasted, Extra Virgin Story of the American Food Revolution" as per the book's sub title.  So glad I did.


This well-researched, historical commentary on the food movement, which however predates the more recent explosion of internet food blogs, is filled with tongue-in-cheek, and out of cheek foodie gossip, fascinating background information on food production in America, biographies of the culinary leaders of our day and their impact on The Art of Eating, as M.F.K. Fisher called it.

What grows in our own neighborhoods, and turns up at the local market, the big move to regional cooking, well covered in this history of the food revolution, inspired my take on the prosaic Mac 'n Cheese, known for its often insipid, pre-packaged, boxed incarnations.  I loved the idea of a green revolution in this common, yet favorite dish.  Locally grown kale from my natural foods grocery and the cream cheese I make from kefir.  Creamy green goodness, proving that food can taste as delicious as it is good for you.

Creamy Green Penne

Ingredients for 3-4 Servings

6 oz. kale, thick stems removed, coarsely chopped
6 oz. penne or elbow macaroni (I used quinoa-corn)
1/2 cup soft cheese, such as Creme Fraiche, Mascarpone or kefir cream cheese
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup milk or cream
1 cup chicken or vegetable stock
3 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
1/4 cup white wine
1 teaspooon salt
1 cup Monteray Jack cheese, shredded
1/3 cup Parmesan, grated
1/2 cup stale bread, cut into cubes
2 tablespoons olive oil

Steam the kale for about 4 minutes, then remove to cool.  Blend until smooth and creamy with the soft cream cheese, about half the milk or cream, and garlic clove.  Set aside.

Cut up the bread, toss with olive oil and lightly toast on one side.  Set aside.

Bring salted water to a boil in large pot for the pasta.  Cook and drain the macaroni.

Pre-heat oven to 350F.  Butter a 2 quart casserole.

Make a bechamel sauce with the butter, flour, stock, remaining milk or cream and white wine, adding the jack and parmesan cheeses when thickened.  Stir in your green mixture until well incorporated.  Taste for salt, then add in the pasta, mixing to coat all and pour into prepared casserole.  Sprinkle with the croutons and bake for about 30 minutes.  Should be nice and bubbly.  And tastes nothing short of awesome.

Perfect served with something red, perhaps tomatoes sprinkled with shreds of basil or arugula (of course).  Maybe a beet salad with red onion, lemon vinaigrette and toasted pine nuts, which is what I did.  Viva La Revolution!

Gazpacho Sevillano for Summer

Another retro dish, or we could say a classic, popular in way more places than Spain.  Fabulous in hot weather, an icy cold soup full of  fresh vegetables that scream Summer is here!  I must confess to having some in a new favorite restaurant, and thinking, "This is not the way it should be.  I can do a much better job."  And I did.  So, no one is perfect.  They make great tapas.

My take is not going to please any purists, but as the original version, eons ago, had no tomatoes (this was before they hit the Old World), relying instead on almonds and lots of bread, do we really want to be iconic about it?  Anyway there are a gazillion versions out there. 

Here's the thing.  Just because it's hot, there is still soup stock to be used.  I recycle those bones and bits of veggies into my freezer bag until it is full, and then there is stock.  So, for this version, since a container of the stuff got defrosted to make something that didn't get made, I reduced it down to half, then let it chill out in the freezer.  A flavor boost of umaminess.  For all I know, this is a happening thing in Seville or Cadiz

And, to accompany the soup, another impulse purchase - plantains.- fried in olive oil with a good shake of a Zahtar spice mixture. They should have been on the green side, but were very tasty anyway.

Just slice in fat chunks (if green you can mash them down first) and fry in hot olive oil, sprinkled with salt and Zahtar.  A side of fried potatoes would also do nicely.

Back to the Gazpacho. The prep goes really fast, and you can leave the finished soup to chill in the fridge while you make any accompaniments, or just all day if you prepare it in the morning.  So no sweat in the evening.  Named for Seville, where tomatoes got their start in Spain.

Gazpacho Sevillano

For two servings

1 cup reduced vegetable, chicken or duck stock, cooled
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup onion, chopped
2 tablespoons parsley
1 tablespoon Balsamic vinegar
2 cloves garlic
1 small bell pepper
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)
 2 slices bread (I used stale country style whole grain) cut into cubes

Assemble all your ingredients.  Use one of the bread slices, cut into cubes for garnish.  Toss in olive oil and lightly toast on one side and reserve.

Now blend or food process remaining ingredients, completely smooth or however chunky you like.  Cover and refrigerate until very cold before serving.   A beautiful alternative salad.  So refreshing and full of summer's garden flavors on those sultry hot days. 

Satute to Julia, Beef Bourguignon for Daring Cooks

I am absolutely sold on this recipe for Beef Bourguignon.  It is positively, the best. Trust me. Our May 2012 Daring Cooks’ hostess was Fabi of fabsfood. Fabi challenged us to make Boeuf Bourguignon, a classic French stew originating from the Burgundy region of France.

The method called for mushrooms and small onions cooked separately to be added at the finish, but I used green beans, since I had some nice fresh ones from the Farmer's Market, and potatoes  just because Bob likes them with beef stew, or anything really. There were no tiny onions available in any case, but when they hit our market I will try caramelizing them, as per the recipe and adding at the finish.

We will be making more on a regular basis.  Tonight for instance.  There is some danger involved however; all those enticing aromas wafting out of your house could attract strangers in off the street. 

BOEUF BOURGUIGNON

From The Daring Cooks Challenge 4/12, from Julia Child's,  Mastering the Art of French Cooking

Ingredients for 6 people:

. 1 x 6 oz (200 gm) chunk of streaky bacon
. Olive oil
. 3 pounds (1. kg) stewing beef cut into 2 inches (5 cm) cubes
. 1 teaspoon (5 ml) (6 gm) salt
. ½ teaspoon (5 ml) (2 gm) pepper
. 3 tablespoons (45 ml) (1 oz/30 gm) flour
. 3 cups (1½ pint/720 ml) of young red wine.

Suggestions: Bourgogne, of course, but also
Bordeaux, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chianti, Rioja etc., depending on your country and your taste. Being Spanish, my choice this time was a good Rioja. It really has to be
a good one but it hasn’t necessarily to be a very expensive one, you know, il ne faut pas exagérer.   Claudia used a nice Shiraz,
as you can see to the left.

. 1 carrot, sliced (I prefer to cut it into chunks, but that's just my taste)
. 1 onion, sliced in julienne
. 1 ½ to 2 cups (¾ to 1 pint/355 to 475 ml) of beef stock or beef bouillon
. 1 tablespoon (15 ml) (½ oz/15 gm) tomato paste or tomato puree
. 2 cloves mashed garlic
. ½ teaspoon (2½ ml) (1 gm) thyme leaves
. 1 bay leaf (Julia says it has to be crushed, I prefer not to crush it so that I can remove it at the
end of the process)
. The blanched bacon rind
. 18-24 small onions, brown-braised in stock
. 1 pound (½ kg) mushrooms sautéed in butter (Champignons are perfect for this purpose)
. Fresh parsley sprigs to serve

Directions:
1. Prepare the bacon: Remove the rind. Cut the bacon into lardons (Sticks, ¼ inch thick and ½ inch
(5 mm x 15 mm) long) and simmer everything in 4 cups (1 litre) of water for 10 minutes. Drain
and dry carefully with paper towels.
2. Dry the meat cubes carefully with paper towels.
3. Preheat oven to hot 450ºF/230ºC/gas mark 8
4. In a fireproof casserole or a frying pan, sauté the lardons in a tablespoon of olive oil for 2-3
minutes until they’re lightly brown. Remove them to a side dish with a slotted spoon.
5. In the same casserole/pan, sauté the beef until it’s golden brown. Remove it to the side dish
where you keep the bacon and set aside.

 Note: I used turnips as well as carrot and onion

6. Still in the same casserole/pan, sauté the carrot and the onion.
7. Return the bacon and the beef to the casserole. Sprinkle it with salt and
pepper, then add the flour and toss.
8. Place the casserole/dish uncovered in the middle position of the oven for 4 minutes. This gives
the meat a lovely crust.
9. Remove the casserole/dish from the oven. Stir in the wine, stock, tomato paste, mashed garlic
cloves, thyme, bay and the blanched bacon rind.

10. Bring it to simmering point on the stove. Now, if you were using a
frying pan, discard it and put the stew in an oven proof dish.
11. Cover the casserole/dish (If your dish doesn't have a lid, use
aluminum foil and stretch it to the edges of the dish in order to
minimize the loss of juices) and place it low in the oven. Adjust the
heat so that the liquid simmers very slowly, it has to go on for 3-4
hours.
12. While the stew is cooking, prepare onions and mushrooms. For the
onions: Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a frying pan and sauté the peeled
onions until golden brown. Add beef stock until they’re almost covered and simmer for 20-25
minutes, or until almost all the liquid disappears and they’re tender but keep their shape. Set
aside.
13. Prepare the mushrooms as well: Wash quarter and sauté them in 2 tablespoons butter. Keep on
stirring until they’re nicely brown. Set aside.
14. When meat is tender, put the stew into a sieve over a saucepan, wash out the casserole and
return the stew to it. Put onions and mushrooms over the meat.
15. Skim the fat off the sauce. Put the saucepan on the stove and simmer it for 2-3 minutes. Skim
additional fat if it rises. The sauce should be thick enough to coat a spoon. If not, boil it until it
thickens. If it’s too thick, stir in some stock or bouillon to make it lighter.
16. Pour the sauce over the stew. Put the casserole on the stove or in the oven and reheat for 2-3
minutes. Serve it in the casserole with some sprigs of fresh parsley. Some goods sides are
potatoes, noodles or rice.

Freezing/Storage Instructions/Tips: You can keep leftovers in the fridge for 2-3 days. If you want to
freeze it, it lasts up to 3 months.
Notes:
. This recipe gives its best when prepared in a Dutch oven (Aka cocotte, cast iron casserole, or
simply casserole). It’s not mandatory to have one, I know it’s an expensive thing but if you
really love to cook, it is an excellent investment. Otherwise, an oven proof dish with a lid, or
sealed with aluminum foil, will do the trick.
. I confess sometimes I skip the skimming process. If you don’t use too much oil or butter and
you remove all the fat from the meat, it is not mandatory at all (this is just my opinion)
. Some people add, 10 minutes before serving, a couple of spoonfuls of beurre manié (A paste
made of 50% flour and 50% butter) in order to thicken the sauce and make it look more
brilliant. I don’t add it cause I like the sauce just the way it is, but if you heard about it and
want to try, please feel free to do it.
 I know some people hate mushrooms. If this is your case, just don’t add them. And have no
sense of guilt at all.

And, Claudia's note:

As you know by now, I didn't feel any guilt at all, using my green beans and potatoes, last week.  Tonight for a reprise however, it will be caramelized onions, turnips and carrots, cooked separately and added at the finish (photo on the left).  Mine went four hours both times, and was perfectly tender.

Visit the Daring Cooks site and see how everyone's dishes turned out, with all the variations that usually happen

The Best Granola You Will Ever Eat Recipe

I was not satisfied with my old granola recipe, or any of the other versions attempted lately, and decided to do a bit more good old-fashioned research, online that is.  What finally called out to me from the Google stream was the funny Traveler's Lunchbox story of Melissa's search for the perfect cereal.  A must read.   After giving her recipe a try, I found it to be truly as fantastic as claimed, the best granola.you will ever eat.  Ever. Totally worth all of her experimenting to find that secret formula.  The "Lip Lady's" secret recipe is a secret no more.  Nice crunchy clusters full of flavor, goodness.

 It is pretty hard to tell from a photo how good a particular granola is, but I want to encourage you to give Melissa's version a go.  Having tried umpteen varieties of this popular breakfast food myself , you can believe me when I say, at the risk of being repetitive, it is the cook-off champion.

Of course,  I couldn't resist tinkering after the first batch got used up.  It calls for all quick oats, half of which are ground, so in place of a portion of the nuts and seeds, I figured a cup of my favorite Scotch Blend of whole grains would be a nice addition.  Too true, it was.  If you can get that blend, it's a good alternative to all oats.

Also, since Bob dislikes little bitty seeds mixed in, and the sharp edges of pumpkin seeds getting stuck in his teeth, a few other alterations were made, but that part of the mix is totally up to your own taste.  It doesn't mess with the basic formula.  Whatever nuts, seeds, dried fruit you have on hand, are all good.  I especially liked the flavor of hazel nuts in my last batch, combined with peanuts, almonds and walnuts.  You may want to double this recipe, as I did.  It will go fast.

BEST EVER GRANOLA

Adapted from The Traveler's Lunchbox

1 lb. (450g) quick oats
1-2 cups (750ml/about 300g) coarsely chopped raw nuts and/or seeds
1/2 cup Scotch blend or regular oats
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup, packed (200g) dark brown sugar
1/2 cup (115g/1 stick) unsalted butter
2/3 cup (80ml) water
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
dried fruits of your choice

Preheat the oven to 300F/150C. In a food processor, coffee grinder or blender, grind half the quick oats to a fine powder. In a large bowl, combine the whole oats, ground oats, nuts, seeds and spices. In a microwave-safe bowl (or in a saucepan over medium heat), combine the brown sugar, butter and water and heat just until the butter has melted and the mixture is bubbly. Stir the mixture together until smooth, then stir in the salt and vanilla. Pour this mixture over the oats and nuts, stirring well to coat. It should be uniformly moist - stir in another tablespoon or two of water if it isn't. Let stand for about ten minutes.

Spread the mixture out on a large baking sheet, separating it into irregular clumps with your fingers, and allowing space between the clumps for the hot air to circulate. Slide into the middle of the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. Remove from the oven and stir, gently breaking up the mixture into small-to-medium sized clumps. Return to the oven and bake another 15 minutes or so before stirring again. Repeat the bake-and-stir until the mixture is a uniform golden brown and completely dry; this usually takes 1-1 1/2 hours. Cool completely, then stir in any dried fruit you want to use.

Store in a covered container at room temperature. Serve with milk and or plain kefir and fresh fruit as desired.

Tiramisu Trifle with Brown Sugar Cake, Chocolate Cream and Strawberries

 This began as a mistake.  A Dorie Greenspan recipe, which can be found in Baking: From My Home to Yours, for Brown Sugar Bundt Cake.  It was okay, though in the unmolding, quite a bit stuck to the bottom of the pan.  Not a thing of beauty, and as these things can happen, sat around for a few days.  So, yes a trifle (ha ha) stale.

I had been wanting an excuse to make Trifle, and this was it.  As well as another use for my Margarita glasses.  Not that they don't get enough use.  Multipurpose being  good.  Frugality also.

Trifle is so charmingly adaptable.  If your cake or cookies are plain, go hog wild on the layering ingredients.  This being a fruity sort of cake, including fresh pear and apple as well as dried figs and raisins, I kept the layers to a minimum.  Chocolate flavored cream cheese at the bottom, then cake pieces drizzled with Amaretto, followed by whipped cream, strawberries, then more whipped cream.

You could use ricotta or other fresh cultured cheese instead of the cream cheese in this, blended with your flavorings of choice. I used kefir cream cheese, agave nectar, and cacao powder.

The fresh strawberries came from our Volcano Village farmer's market.

Tiramisu Strawberry Trifle

For 2 large dessert glasses:

1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons confectioner's sugar
1/2 cup cream cheese or ricotta
1/4 cup agave nectar or light honey
2 tablespoons cacao powder
1 tablespoon heavy whipping cream
2 cups (approx.) left-over cake
2 tablespoons Amaretto
1 cup strawberries, sliced  (2 reserved whole for topping)

Whip the cream and add in confectioner's sugar toward the finish.  Set aside.  Beat the ricotta and tablespoon of cream with honey or agave nectar and cacao powder until smooth, or whip together in your food processor.  Set aside.

Slice the strawberries, reserving 2 for topping.  Set aside.  Cut the cake into slices or pieces to fit your serving glasses.

Assemble layers, beginning with the chocolate cream at the bottom, next add a layer of cake pieces and drizzle with Amaretto or rum.  Add a layer of whipped cream, then the sliced strawberries, more whipped cream and a nice looking, smallish strawberry on top.

Chill for at least 2 hours so all the flavors can meld.  Serve it up with a little Sicilian (er... Mexican) tap dance.  Happy Cinco de Mayo!  Truly delightful, and pretty darn easy too.  Especially if you have some slightly stale cake or cookies that need to be creatively resurrected.

Guava Dutch Baby or Clafouti Goyave with Sourdough Starter

I have always called this a Dutch Baby, but you may know it as Clafouti.  The recipe is pretty much the same, and you probably don't need me to post that, as it's been done, a lot.  This is a version, using once again that ever present sourdough bread starter, lurking in my refrigerator.

When I am going to make bread (usually about once a week), a few days ahead of time I put a small portion of starter in a separate jar and begin to feed it more, leaving the jar out on my counter, and put the rest back in the fridge.  Every time before feeding that new batch, about half of it is first poured back into the "mother" starter, kept in the fridge.  This is the accumulating, lurking entity I am talking about.  It takes some attention and culinary creativity putting it to good use, i.e. English muffins, crumpets, pizza, coffee cake, flatbread, pancakes, all of which I have posted about, and now this Dutch Baby or Clafouti thingy.

As two lovely guavas were ready to fall off the tree, I thought of adapting a favorite breakfast dish - the Dutch Baby (who knows where that name came from).  The recipe is very simple, with 3 eggs and equal portions of flour and milk (3/4 cup), whipped up in a blender.  The idea on this version was to sub out the flour and milk for a cup of starter,  plus a small portion of milk to bring the batter to a similar pancake consistency.

A very easy breakfast, which only requires cutting up the fruit and letting it simmer in butter and brown sugar to release some of the water, then pouring your blended batter over and popping into the oven.

Guava Dutch Baby

2 guavas, seeds removed, sliced into small pieces
1/4 cup butter plus 2 tablespoons reserved
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
1 cup sourdough starter
1/4 - 1/2 cup milk

Preheat oven to 425 F
Prepare the fruit and when almost ready, set oven proof skillet over medium high heat, and when hot add butter.  Add your fruit to the melted butter, stirring to let the excess water evaporate.  Add in the sugar and stir until melted.

Meanwhile in a blender, whirl the eggs at high speed for 1 minute, with it running add the starter gradually, then slowly pour in the milk and continue whirling 30 seconds.  Melt remaining butter stirring in the fruit mixture.  Pour batter over the fruit and set in preheated oven.  Bake about 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown on top.

Flip onto a large plate, hopefully with all the fruit attached.   If not, you can always scoop it up and top the Baby.  Slice and serve.  I served mine with maple syrup and our lovely kefir cultured cream. It is a slightly indulgent breakfast, so it will be linked up to Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays, hosted by Amy.

Kinsey's Tequila Chili Verde

What inspires my cooking varies.  Probably like most of you.  It could be the random remark someone drops about a restaurant meal, or particular dish they had, a pristine vegetable shining out from the produce bin, or a character in a book mentions a food that strikes my fancy.

For instance,  I was recently reading an old Sue Grafton novel, G is for Gumshoe.  I think she's gotten to V at this point in her alphabet murders.  Kinsey and Dietz were eating Chili Verde at a Western style restaurant, talking about how good it was, slurping juices, digging in with gusto, mopping up with fresh tortillas.  And that was it.  I had to have some.

Claudia and Nancy's Chocolate Factory - Lavender, Lemon and Strawberry Marshmallows on Chocolate Bark

Yes, that's chocolate on our faces, hands, arms and clothing.  Getting in touch with our inner child here.  Deb actually gave that as one of her reasons for picking our current Cook the Books Club selection,  Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, by Roald Dahl.  It was just partly this lightweight, but charming fairy tale's fault for inspiring me to do the chocolate making thing once more.

 Kealani (my granddaughter) remembers me saying the last time, that it was the LAST TIME.  A lot of work, in other words.  Or, maybe not so much work as MESS.  You might compare the process to having a baby, in that you don't ask the just delivered mother if she's going to do it again.  If I wait a bit I might even want to.  You have to weigh the good with the not so.

We did lick up a lot.  And it was good.  It also means I won't be buying any chocolate bars for quite awhile.  Four pounds worth.  And if anybody happens to wonder why I don't post more dessert recipes, well this is your answer.  I'd most always rather just have a little chocolate.  Preferably this kind.

Mean Mr., Honey Wholegrain, Mustard

Song lyrics that date me.  This is just a quick post because of how thrilled I am with the way my mustard turned out.  It all started innocently enough in my favorite market, looking for a wholegrain type jar of mustard.  I don't know about you, but when I'm looking for something, most of the time there is an ideal lurking in the back of my mind.  If that is not met, then everything comes to a screeching halt, pardon the drama.  Not a world crisis..  But the selection was pitiful, sorry to say.  So, I said to myself,  let's just do it ourselves.  I wasn't totally talking to myself.  My granddaughter was present.

Admittedly, I could have gone to a mega, national chain Supermarket and found the perfect mustard of my dreams, but that wouldn't be nearly as much fun.  So over to the bulk bins for a bag of mustard seeds.  Once home I quickly Googled recipes to see how difficult the process might be.