Mark Bittman, my family has been making a very similar salad for years!
Besides, been there, done that.
(Though I might just try to add in some fennel/anise seeds to the mix, any excuse to add fennel seeds!)
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Sour Middle Eastern Cabbage Soup
This is a soup my mother often made on cold wintery days. But our current rainy spell will certainly due. Besides, I'm not too sure how many 'wintery' days they really had in Morocco/Israel. I suspect this recipe to be of some sort of mixed jewish origin (eastern european perhaps?) but the addition of the 'baharat' is a distinctly middle eastern touch.
It will seem like A LOT of cabbage when you cut it all up, but don't worry, the stuff cooks down (not unlike chard or spinach). If you can find some, add some baharat (though you can omit it as well) it's a spice blend with paprika, coriander, cumin, ginger, cinnamon, and a bunch of other stuff. Or, you can make your own.
I like it sour, so I always serve with an additional lemon wedge (which also makes for a nice presentation). It's also a very simple recipe which requires mostly pantry staples (excluding the cabbage).
Ingredients:
2 Heads Green Cabbage, sliced thin into about 3" strips.
2 small onions, chopped
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
3 oz (half of a small can) tomato paste
2 cups of vegetable stock
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1-2 tsp baharat (optional)
juice of 2-3 lemons (to taste)
1. Saute onions in a large pot with olive oil until translucent.
2. Start adding the cabbage in stages until it cooks down and becomes very tender. should take up to 20 minutes (this is the majority of the cook time). add the salt now to aid in this process.
3. Add the crushed tomatoes and tomato paste along with the sugar and stir.
4. Add the cinnamon, pepper, baharat, and lemon juice.
5. Add the stock. You want the soup to be thick, not watery, but you can adjust the amount of stock to personal preferene.
6. Heat through and enjoy!
I figured out the nutritional information and it goes like this:
Serving size, 1/6 of the recipe
Calories: 136
Fat: 1.1 g
Sat Fat: 0.2 g
Total Carb: 29 g
Fiber 8.6 g
Sugar 15 g
Protein 6.5 g
Vitamin A 25%
Vitamin C 198%
Calcium 17%
Iron 14%
It will seem like A LOT of cabbage when you cut it all up, but don't worry, the stuff cooks down (not unlike chard or spinach). If you can find some, add some baharat (though you can omit it as well) it's a spice blend with paprika, coriander, cumin, ginger, cinnamon, and a bunch of other stuff. Or, you can make your own.
I like it sour, so I always serve with an additional lemon wedge (which also makes for a nice presentation). It's also a very simple recipe which requires mostly pantry staples (excluding the cabbage).
Ingredients:
2 Heads Green Cabbage, sliced thin into about 3" strips.
2 small onions, chopped
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
3 oz (half of a small can) tomato paste
2 cups of vegetable stock
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1-2 tsp baharat (optional)
juice of 2-3 lemons (to taste)
1. Saute onions in a large pot with olive oil until translucent.
2. Start adding the cabbage in stages until it cooks down and becomes very tender. should take up to 20 minutes (this is the majority of the cook time). add the salt now to aid in this process.
3. Add the crushed tomatoes and tomato paste along with the sugar and stir.
4. Add the cinnamon, pepper, baharat, and lemon juice.
5. Add the stock. You want the soup to be thick, not watery, but you can adjust the amount of stock to personal preferene.
6. Heat through and enjoy!
I figured out the nutritional information and it goes like this:
Serving size, 1/6 of the recipe
Calories: 136
Fat: 1.1 g
Sat Fat: 0.2 g
Total Carb: 29 g
Fiber 8.6 g
Sugar 15 g
Protein 6.5 g
Vitamin A 25%
Vitamin C 198%
Calcium 17%
Iron 14%
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Swiss Chard, Leek, and Lemons
This is a variation on a pasta dish. Except here, I've left out the pasta and make only the 'sauce'. This goes great on pasta or just as is as a side dish.
If you're going to use it for pasta, you can still look it in advance. Just heat it up in a skillet and stir in almost-done-cooking (whole wheat?) pasta (in approximately equal proportions to the 'sauce') and allow to cook together for another minute or two until the pasta has had a chance to finish cooking and absorb some sauce. Top with about a tablespoon of Parmesan cheese and lemon wedge for garnish (and some fresh basil if it's around!) and you have a delightfully different pasta dish.
Notes:
1. Leeks can get dirty in between the layers. Try to rinse as best you can. I like the chop and then rinse method.
2. Same goes with chard, rinse rinse rinse! No one likes sandy sauce.
3. Yes, it's a lot of chard, but it cooks down and it's good for you!
4. You can replace chard with any leafy green of your choosing: Kale, Spinach, Beet Greens, and Mustard Greens would be nice.
Swiss Chard, Leek, and Lemon Pasta Sauce/Side Dish
Ingredients:
3 leeks, chopped.
4 bunches swish chard, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt to taste
1/4 cup lemon juice + zest of one lemon (this about the juice of two good size lemons)
1. In a large pot (think 8 quart cast iron if you have it) heat the olive oil, when hot add the leeks and a pinch of salt. You want to leeks to sweat, not brown, so keep the heat low stirring often.
2. When the leeks are almost done, add about 1/3 of the chard and allow to cook down a bit. When there's enough space, add some more chard. Keep going until all your chard has cooked down sufficiently (wilted and deep green in color is a good indicator). Add lemon juice and zest and salt to taste. When the mixture is all nice and hot throughout cut the heat. You are done!
Serving suggestions:
1. As is.
2. As is + red pepper flake and/or parmeson cheese sprinkle.
3. On top of an equal volume of whole wheat pasta (or whatever kind of pasta you like). Again, if you want to do this I suggest heating up the 'sauce' in a skillet and then adding nearly done pasta to the mix to finish cooking.
Enjoy!
If you're going to use it for pasta, you can still look it in advance. Just heat it up in a skillet and stir in almost-done-cooking (whole wheat?) pasta (in approximately equal proportions to the 'sauce') and allow to cook together for another minute or two until the pasta has had a chance to finish cooking and absorb some sauce. Top with about a tablespoon of Parmesan cheese and lemon wedge for garnish (and some fresh basil if it's around!) and you have a delightfully different pasta dish.
Notes:
1. Leeks can get dirty in between the layers. Try to rinse as best you can. I like the chop and then rinse method.
2. Same goes with chard, rinse rinse rinse! No one likes sandy sauce.
3. Yes, it's a lot of chard, but it cooks down and it's good for you!
4. You can replace chard with any leafy green of your choosing: Kale, Spinach, Beet Greens, and Mustard Greens would be nice.
Swiss Chard, Leek, and Lemon Pasta Sauce/Side Dish
Ingredients:
3 leeks, chopped.
4 bunches swish chard, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt to taste
1/4 cup lemon juice + zest of one lemon (this about the juice of two good size lemons)
1. In a large pot (think 8 quart cast iron if you have it) heat the olive oil, when hot add the leeks and a pinch of salt. You want to leeks to sweat, not brown, so keep the heat low stirring often.
2. When the leeks are almost done, add about 1/3 of the chard and allow to cook down a bit. When there's enough space, add some more chard. Keep going until all your chard has cooked down sufficiently (wilted and deep green in color is a good indicator). Add lemon juice and zest and salt to taste. When the mixture is all nice and hot throughout cut the heat. You are done!
Serving suggestions:
1. As is.
2. As is + red pepper flake and/or parmeson cheese sprinkle.
3. On top of an equal volume of whole wheat pasta (or whatever kind of pasta you like). Again, if you want to do this I suggest heating up the 'sauce' in a skillet and then adding nearly done pasta to the mix to finish cooking.
Enjoy!
Italian Hot Chocolate
I still have dreams of my delicious hot chocolate experiences in Florence, so when I stumbled across a recipe for Italian hot chocolate, I jumped at the chance to recreate it.
I made a few alterations to the recipe (reducing the sugar, adding some dark chocolate, adding a touch more cornstarch). Also, it says it serves 2. But this stuff is so rich, I'd say it could serve up to four (smaller) servings.
We used 2%, but any kind should do. The thickness comes from the chocolate and cornstarch so you don't really need to add richness with milk here. You could even try to make it vegan with some soy or coconut milk since all the other ingredients are already vegan! And, if you do, please let me know how it turns out.
This would probably go REALLY well with some churros for dipping. That is for another day...
I adding a sprinkle of cayenne/cinnamon to my cup and it was delightful!
Ingredients:
2 tsp arrowroot/cornstarch (as thickener)
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup sugar
1.5-2 ozs dark chocolate chopped. (1/4-1/3 cup chocolate chips)
2 cups milk
Always welcome additions: whipped cream, marshmallow, cayenne pepper/cinnamon (just a teensy sprinkle when serving).
1. Mix the cornstarch, cocoa powder, and sugar.
2. Over low heat in a small saucepan, add 1/2 cup milk and the cornstarch, cocoa powder, sugar mixture. Mix until well combined.
3. Add the remaining liquid and, while constantly stirring, allow to gently heat.
4. Once the mixture is warm enough, incorporate the dark chocolate and mix until melted.
5. Serve as desired when the mixture has reached desired temperature and when thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Enjoy!
I made a few alterations to the recipe (reducing the sugar, adding some dark chocolate, adding a touch more cornstarch). Also, it says it serves 2. But this stuff is so rich, I'd say it could serve up to four (smaller) servings.
We used 2%, but any kind should do. The thickness comes from the chocolate and cornstarch so you don't really need to add richness with milk here. You could even try to make it vegan with some soy or coconut milk since all the other ingredients are already vegan! And, if you do, please let me know how it turns out.
This would probably go REALLY well with some churros for dipping. That is for another day...
I adding a sprinkle of cayenne/cinnamon to my cup and it was delightful!
Ingredients:
2 tsp arrowroot/cornstarch (as thickener)
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup sugar
1.5-2 ozs dark chocolate chopped. (1/4-1/3 cup chocolate chips)
2 cups milk
Always welcome additions: whipped cream, marshmallow, cayenne pepper/cinnamon (just a teensy sprinkle when serving).
1. Mix the cornstarch, cocoa powder, and sugar.
2. Over low heat in a small saucepan, add 1/2 cup milk and the cornstarch, cocoa powder, sugar mixture. Mix until well combined.
3. Add the remaining liquid and, while constantly stirring, allow to gently heat.
4. Once the mixture is warm enough, incorporate the dark chocolate and mix until melted.
5. Serve as desired when the mixture has reached desired temperature and when thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Enjoy!
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Chocolate Bread Pudding For Two (to Four)
cjr and I had an extra 1/3 of a loaf of challah lying around from our valentine's day french toast so I got the idea to make bread pudding out of it.
I nice thing about this recipe is that it doesn't make a big mess. You'll need one sauce pan, one loaf pan, one baking dish (which will only contain water), one wooden spoon, a cutting board, and a decent knife. No mixing bowls required!
Some notes:
1. This recipe could probably serve up to 4. We ate about 1/4 of this recipe each plus about 1/3 cup of my Italian hot chocolate and we were STUFFED.
2. If you leave it to soak overnight you will get a gooier consistency and a longer cooktime (if you put it in the water bath cold!). If you let it soak for 30 min on your counter (not in the chill chest), you will greatly reduce the cooking time. Check it after 20 min.
Ingredients:
1/3 loaf challah bread
4/3 tablespoon butter (1.5 will do) + extra for buttering dish
1 cup whole milk
pinch of salt
1.5-2 oz (about 1/4-1/3 cup) good dark chocolate, chopped (or chocolate chips)
2 tablespoons sugar
1 egg
(optional) tsp of vanilla extract
(optional) 1/2 tsp of cinnamon
(optional) 1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper -- I haven't tried this, but I suspect a nice mexican hot chocolate taste would be perfect here especially when used with the cinnamon.
(optional) for serving: whipped cream -- homemade, preferably, powdered sugar, ice cream, chopped bananas
1. Butter a loaf pan.
2. Cut crust off bread and chop into 3/4 inch cubes.
3. Place cubes in buttered loaf pan.
4. Heat milk, butter, chocolate, salt and sugar until butter and chocolate are melted. Stir constantly.
5. When melted, cut the heat and add vanilla and, if interested, cinnamon and/or cayenne pepper.
6. Pour mixture over bread cubes. Allow to sit for a few minutes before adding egg. Mix well making sure to push any unsoaked pieces that float to the top back down again.
7. Beat egg and add to bread/milk mixture. Mix well.
8. Allow to soak for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight (in refrigerator if overnight!).
9. Create a water bath for your bread pudding by immersing loaf pan in hot water-filled baking dish (should come to about 1 inch below the rim of your loaf pan). The key here is to do this with the two dishes in the oven already. First, place your larger dish in the oven, then place your smaller pan with the bread pudding mixture into the larger one. Pour water until desired height. Remove smaller pan and place aside. Leave larger pan (with hot water) in the oven to preheat.
10. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. When heated, carefully add the smaller pan in the center of the water bath.
11. Cook until knife slid through center comes out clean. About 45-60 min (if using overnight soak with cold mixture).
12. Put under broiler for 30 seconds-1 minute to crisp the top.
13. Serve as is or with whipped cream, ice cream, chopped bananas, and/or a sprinkle of cinnamon and/or powdered sugar.
PS: Sorry for the delayed postings. We here at diced tomato have been quite busy training for a half marathon. So we're not always up to cooking or posting.
I nice thing about this recipe is that it doesn't make a big mess. You'll need one sauce pan, one loaf pan, one baking dish (which will only contain water), one wooden spoon, a cutting board, and a decent knife. No mixing bowls required!
Some notes:
1. This recipe could probably serve up to 4. We ate about 1/4 of this recipe each plus about 1/3 cup of my Italian hot chocolate and we were STUFFED.
2. If you leave it to soak overnight you will get a gooier consistency and a longer cooktime (if you put it in the water bath cold!). If you let it soak for 30 min on your counter (not in the chill chest), you will greatly reduce the cooking time. Check it after 20 min.
Ingredients:
1/3 loaf challah bread
4/3 tablespoon butter (1.5 will do) + extra for buttering dish
1 cup whole milk
pinch of salt
1.5-2 oz (about 1/4-1/3 cup) good dark chocolate, chopped (or chocolate chips)
2 tablespoons sugar
1 egg
(optional) tsp of vanilla extract
(optional) 1/2 tsp of cinnamon
(optional) 1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper -- I haven't tried this, but I suspect a nice mexican hot chocolate taste would be perfect here especially when used with the cinnamon.
(optional) for serving: whipped cream -- homemade, preferably, powdered sugar, ice cream, chopped bananas
1. Butter a loaf pan.
2. Cut crust off bread and chop into 3/4 inch cubes.
3. Place cubes in buttered loaf pan.
4. Heat milk, butter, chocolate, salt and sugar until butter and chocolate are melted. Stir constantly.
5. When melted, cut the heat and add vanilla and, if interested, cinnamon and/or cayenne pepper.
6. Pour mixture over bread cubes. Allow to sit for a few minutes before adding egg. Mix well making sure to push any unsoaked pieces that float to the top back down again.
7. Beat egg and add to bread/milk mixture. Mix well.
8. Allow to soak for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight (in refrigerator if overnight!).
9. Create a water bath for your bread pudding by immersing loaf pan in hot water-filled baking dish (should come to about 1 inch below the rim of your loaf pan). The key here is to do this with the two dishes in the oven already. First, place your larger dish in the oven, then place your smaller pan with the bread pudding mixture into the larger one. Pour water until desired height. Remove smaller pan and place aside. Leave larger pan (with hot water) in the oven to preheat.
10. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. When heated, carefully add the smaller pan in the center of the water bath.
11. Cook until knife slid through center comes out clean. About 45-60 min (if using overnight soak with cold mixture).
12. Put under broiler for 30 seconds-1 minute to crisp the top.
13. Serve as is or with whipped cream, ice cream, chopped bananas, and/or a sprinkle of cinnamon and/or powdered sugar.
PS: Sorry for the delayed postings. We here at diced tomato have been quite busy training for a half marathon. So we're not always up to cooking or posting.
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