Impromptu Veggie Soup

Over the summer I took Kalyn's advice and pureed a lot of the bounty from my basil plant to stick in the freezer. It came in awfully handy last weekend when I made myself this tasty two-serving pot of soup for dinner. I realize it's sort of mean to tell you about that now since it's NOVEMBER OMG HOW'D THAT HAPPEN??, but the idea is if you have some tasty things around, soup is easy! Check your crisper for veggies. Saute said veggies. Add Some stock and maybe some canned tomatoes. Add beans. (Or leftover rice, or small pasta... you get the idea.) Taste and season and hey look! Soup!

Aside: Not that you could POSSIBLY forget what tomorrow is, unless you've been under the proverbial rock for the last two years, but DON'T forget to vote. Seriously. It's important.

Clean out the crisper veggie soup

2T olive oil
1 rib celery, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
2 small carrots, sliced into rounds
1 sprig of thyme, leaves only, minced if you like
1 14 oz can tomatoes, diced (I used fire roasted)
3/4 can white beans
1/3 c basil puree
2 c chicken stock

In a medium pot over medium heat, cook the celery, carrots and onion until the onion is translucent. Add the tomatoes and stock, turn heat to medium-low and simmer until the carrots are tender but not mushy 10-15 minutes. Add the thyme leaves, basil puree and white beans plus salt and pepper to taste and let simmer until heated through, about 2 minutes.

Serves 2-3 (or if you're home by yourself on a Sunday, 1 big dinner and 1 lunch.)

Perfect for Summer Sundays: Peach Crisp

But then we had a visitor from a far away land (L.A.), and I had the perfect excuse to finally make this cake. It was to act as phase II of our wine & cheese extravaganza Friday night.

I subbed in Gluten free flour, and it turned out to be delicious, if a bit crumbly. It may have been because I cooked it too long, but I'll try it again using regular AP flour and an 8 inch cake pan, as directed. I only have 9 inch pans. (Side note: I just re-read the comments section from Molly's original post, and it appears cocoa powder would have also been a good substitute.)

The weekend weather was lovely and we spent a good portion of Saturday on the beach and Sunday afternoon on the roof deck, sunning ourselves silly. (Yes, I wear sunscreen. Can't say the same for Hugh.*)

Sunday afternoon came upon us too fast, much like the end of this summer. T^2 had invited us over for ribs and I had some lovely fuzzy peaches sitting on the counter getting soft, so I started slicing, peeling, and chopping.

Don't peach pits seem rather like organs? I think they're lovely, but they also creep me out a bit. Perhaps it's just because I've been reading this book.

Anyway, I adapted a recipe from 101 cookbooks for a peach and plum crisp, and it was a hit indeed. We stopped on the way at Cafe Arpeggio to pick up some homemade vanilla ice cream (consider yourselves warned, they overstuff the pint containers!) and it was a very nice end to the evening. This topping is quite chewy, like an oatmeal cookie, which I liked a lot. If you're looking for a crispier, more traditional topping you might want to up the butter and use less yogurt.

Peach Crisp
Adapted from 101 Cookbooks

2 lbs ripe peaches (about six)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp + 1 tsp cornstarch

3/4 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt
4 tbsp butter, melted
1/2 cup plain yogurt

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.

Peel and pit the peaches, and cut them into bite sized pieces. I cut them into wedges first since it was easier to peel. Mix together 1/4 cup brown sugar and the cornstarch in a bowl, add the peaches, and give it a stir to make sure all the fruit is coated and the dry ingredients are thoroughly mixed in. Pour this into an 8x8 baking dish.

In another bowl, mix the oats, flour, 1/2 cup brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Add the butter and yogurt and stir to combine. Top the fruit with the oat mixture. Bake for 25 minutes until the top is golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature.

*Hugh is not my roommate's real name.

Zucchini tart, and cleaning out the cupboards

So. I'm moving in ten days. I'm pretty psyched about it, because it'll cut my commute by about two thirds. There's just the thing about packing up everything I own and putting it on a truck, hoping it doesn't get broken in the half hour between here and there and then figuring out where it all goes in a new space... anyway.

What this impending shift in location means is that I need to lessen the volume of stuff I'm putting on the truck. So it's time to clean out the cupboards, figure out what to bring with me and what to scrap together into a meal of some sort. Today, I took a peek at the freezer and I discovered a box of phyllo dough, two bags of frozen peas, about 10 shrimp, and a box of puff pastry.


I also had a zucchini and some ricotta cheese left from a pizza I made late last week and I basically made the same thing on a different crust. I believe using puff pastry means I should call it a tart, so voila! Behold my zucchini tart. (And prepare yourselves for more recipes using things like frozen ravioli, a half a pint of cherry tomatoes, a tube of prepared polenta and a snack sized bag of pretzels... or something.)

Zucchini Tart
I'm sure this would also be delicious with summer squash or small eggplant, sliced very thinly, or some kind of soft, herby cheese like boursin, if you wanted something punchier.

one sheet frozen puff pastry (I had Trader Joe's in my freezer)
1/2-3/4 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup pecorino romano or parmigiano reggiano, or another hard cheese, finely grated
one medium zucchini, thinly sliced
about a tablespoon of fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
zest of 1/3 - 1/2 a lemon
salt and pepper

Follow the package directions for defrosting your puff pastry - I put mine in the fridge for a few hours and then on the counter for 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry until it's about 1/8 inch thick. Or, if you can't find your rolling pin because your house is slightly in shambles, press out the dough with your fingers as best you can. Place the dough on a parchment lined sheet pan.

Spread the ricotta over the pastry, but don't go all the way to the edges. Season the tart with salt and pepper, then scatter the mint and half the grated cheese. Layer on the zucchini, then zest the lemon over the whole thing and scatter the other half of the grated cheese.

Fold the edges of the tart over and place in the pre-heated oven for 25 minutes, rotating the pan half way through, or until the edges are golden brown. Wait five minutes for the tart to set a bit before slicing.

Orzo salad by way of tabouli

Have I mentioned that I have an abundance of mint in my little herb garden? (And by garden, I mean three pots, and by abundance I mean more mint than I can possibly think of using.) I mentioned this in passing over the weekend and my mom suggested tabouli. Traditionally, tabouli is a lebanese parsley salad made with fine bulgur wheat and mint, diced tomatoes, onion and a dressing of lemon juice and olive oil.

I didn't have any bulgur, but when I went to the store this afternoon I came across the orzo first and thought it might make for an interesting pasta salad. I grabbed some cherry tomatoes (because I can't sort out the whole salmonella mess I'm sticking with the tiny ones), parsley and a bunch of green onions. When I took the above picture, the salad was frankly a little boring. About a third through my dinner bowl I added a few crumbles of feta cheese and I think it provided that 'something missing.' I also think I'll use less pasta next time (maybe half a cup?), but here is the oh-so-basic recipe for my orzo riff on tabouli.

Orzo salad, tabouli style
inspired by the overzealous mint plant on my porch

1 cup orzo pasta, cooked according to package directions
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
1/2-3/4 cup fresh parsley, stems discarded
1/2 pint cherry (or grape) tomatoes
1 green onion or 2 scallions
juice of one lemon
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
feta cheese (optional)

Cook and drain the orzo; rinse with cold water to cool it down to room temp.

Meanwhile, chop the mint and parsley together, slice the green onion (ditch the root end and very top of the dark green), and halve the tomatoes.

In a bowl mix the orzo, chopped mint and parsley, sliced green onion and halved tomatoes. Season with a little salt and pepper, juice the lemon over the top and give it a few glugs (maybe 3-4 tablespoons) of good olive oil. Stir to mix thoroughly and taste. If you think it needs feta, add the cheese, and enjoy.

Yields 4 side-dish servings or one dinner + one take-to-work lunch.

Crispy Delicious Tofu

Mmmmm. So I was looking for a way to use that extremely delicious ginger miso dressing, and I thought green beans would be a nice vehicle. Also, I wanted some tofu, after reading about it on everybody likes sandwiches. As it turns out, pressing the tofu really does make a difference. I wrapped the block of tofu (TJ's extra firm) in a kitchen towel, put it on a plate, and popped the lid of my dutch oven on top (it's cast iron). Next time I'll use something heavier (like the base of the dutch oven) but I stacked some canned beans on top, too. Note- I was just too lazy to get the whole thing down; it's heavy. Which I suppose is the point. Anyway.

After a couple of hours I marinated the tofu in several tablespoons of soy sauce, some sesame oil (not more than 1/2 a teaspoon, that stuff is strong!) and some minced ginger for about 15 minutes. I heated up 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil (hot but not smoking) and added the cubed tofu. Am I supposed to call this a saute? Or a stir-fry? There's not much stirring, but there is careful turning with tongs. I like to get at least 3-4 sides crispy. Once the cubes are in place, don't move them until you're actually ready to turn them over, that way they can get golden brown and delicious.

I took the tofu out of the pan and added about a pound of trimmed and cleaned green beans and one sliced red bell pepper, and then covered it to let the whole thing steam a bit. Once the veggies were crisp-tender (stupidest cooking adjective ever, but exactly what you're going for) I took the pan off the heat and tossed them with a couple of tablespoons of the aforementioned Ginger Miso Dressing and served the whole shebang with jasmine rice. Yum. Very tasty and vegan, to boot!

On pizza by way of empowerment

I made the same thing for dinner on Saturday and Sunday. Made, not ate. I made the same thing two days in a row.


What you've got to understand is that I never do this. I like leftovers to a degree. I can handle one more lunch from last night's dinner. Sometimes I even take leftovers and make something new out of them, but by day two I'm bored and frequently (I'm ashamed to admit) I toss the last serving of whatever culinary creation is lurking in the fridge after 3 days. But there are so many things out there I want to try that I almost never make the same thing twice in a month, let alone twice in two days.


Empowered by Deb's series of tips and 'don't be scared' advice and inspired by Luisa's pizza post, I set about making pizza dough on Saturday. I used the no-knead recipe from Steamy Kitchen. I can't for the life of me figure out how I got to it, but it turned out beautifully and it was (all together now) SO EASY. I halved the dough recipe, since I was at Adam's and he wouldn't have time to make more pizza all week, and we made one traditional pizza (tomato sauce, basil, fresh mozzarella, olives) and one "flatbread" which is a snooty way to say non-traditional pizza: olive oil, arugula (actually a "tangy" spinach blend of spinach, arugula and radicchio, since they didn't have straight arugula at the store), toasted walnuts and goat cheese with balsamic vinegar. Both were delicious and the tomato based pizza was amazing right out of the oven. The olives gave it a nice salty kick, but it was better hot than cold as breakfast the next day. The goat cheese number was delicious out of the oven and the balsamic vinegar really makes it stand out. Maybe it's just a combo I adore, but I liked it cold for breakfast just was much as hot for dinner.


Sunday I made up another half-batch (at home this time - that's why the pics are dark) of dough in the morning and had another go at both pies before the (disappointing but not yet soul-crushing) Celtics loss. No olives this time (my roommates aren't olive fans) but I used straight arugula on the goat cheese pizza and added dried cranberries. Wow. The cranberries got sort of crispy sticky (my dentist would not approve) but they rounded out the toppings nicely. I also let the dough rest longer at room temp before I stretched it out during round two, and it realy does make a difference.

Here's the kicker: I can't wait to make this again. I've got some leftover tomato sauce and mozz and I'm already excited to see what I can find in the cupboards to put on a flat round of dough. I'll keep you posted.


No-Knead Pizza Dough
adapted from the Steamy Kitchen
This is the recipe I used, I sort of eyeballed the 3/4 tablespoons but I was trying not to be scared. I used a big bowl and loosely covered it with plastic wrap when called to. I would make it more air-tight in the fridge, but that's just me.
Makes 4 1lb loaves. (or two twelve-inch round pizzas if you cut it in half!)2 3/4 cups lukewarm water
1 1/2 tbl active dry
1 1/2 tbl salt1 tbl sugar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
6 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1. Mix the yeast, salt, sugar and olive oil with the water in a large bowl.
2. Mix in the flour without kneading, using a large wooden spoon.
3. Cover loosely and allow to rest at room temperature for about 2 hours. (If it's cool in your house it might take a bit of time for the dough to double, but if you plan to use it the next day, don't fret, it just gets better with time in the fridge.) You can use the dough at this point, or refrigerate and use over next 12 days. If you refrigerate at least overnight, you’ll develop better flavor in the dough.

Basic Pizza
1/4 of the dough recipe above (or half, if you halved it - you get the idea)
your favorite tomato sauce (I just open a can of good quality diced tomatoes and heat it up on the stove with half a peeled onion- not chopped, just simmering with the tomatoes. Sometimes a little lemon zest at the end, and don't forget the salt and pepper. A 14 ounce can was enough for one pizza.)
1 ball of fresh mozzarella, shredded or thinly sliced (if you use water-packed, be sure to blot it as dry as you can)
fresh basil leaves
pitted black olives (optional)

1. Take your dough out of the fridge about 30 minutes before you want to start, because it needs to come to room temperature to stretch out.
2. Preheat the oven to 450 or thereabouts and make sure your pizza pan (or pizza stone or inverted cookie sheet) is in there, preheating with the oven.
3. Take your ball of dough, pat it flat and stretch it out with your fingertips and maybe toss it around on your knuckles for a minute. You want it thin, but not so thin it breaks in the middle. You're going for maybe a 12 inch round. Pay attention to how the light is coming through the middle and put it down if you think it's getting too thin. I start it on parchment paper so I can slide it more easily onto my pan with less risk of burning.
4. If you're working on parchment, build the pizza on top of a (second) inverted cookie sheet so you can slide it onto the pan in the oven. If not, take the pre-heated pan out of the oven, put the stretched out dough and top and assemble.
5. Start with a thin layer of sauce (thin so you don't drown your pizza), scatter the torn basil leaves and then layer on the mozzarella. It's ok to go sparingly. Scatter the olives if you're using them (do try them, please!)
6. Stick it back in the oven for 12-16 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through (especially if your oven heats unevenly, as mine does).
7. Let it sit for a couple of minutes before you slice it, so the cheese can set up - this is especially important if you have a bit of a puddle in the middle from too much cheese... which I did the first time around.

Fancy-pants pizza
adapted from The Wednesday Chef and, apparently, Amy Scattergood
1/4 of the dough recipe above (or half, if you halved it - you get the idea)
extra virgin olive oil
4 oz goat cheese
arugula
1/2 cup toasted walnuts
1/3 to 1/2 cup dried cranberries, if you're into it
balsamic vinegar

1. Take your dough out of the fridge about 30 minutes before you want to start, because it needs to come to room temperature to stretch out.
2. Preheat the oven to 450 or thereabouts and make sure your pizza pan (or pizza stone or inverted cookie sheet) is in there, preheating with the oven.
3. Take your ball of dough, pat it flat and stretch it out with your fingertips and maybe toss it around on your knuckles for a minute. You want it thin, but not so thin it breaks in the middle. You're going for maybe a 12 inch round. Pay attention to how the light is coming through the middle and put it down if you think it's getting too thin. I start it on parchment paper so I can slide it more easily onto my pan with less risk of burning.
4. If you're working on parchment, build the pizza on top of a (second) inverted cookie sheet so you can slide it onto the pan in the oven. If not, take the pre-heated pan out of the oven, put the stretched out dough and top and assemble.
5. Brush the dough with a layer of olive oil (about a tablespoon, I think) then a layer of arugula. Next come the toasted walnuts, (break them up if they're big) then crumble on the goat cheese (it helps to slice it up a bit first if you've purchased a small log instead of pre-crumbled) and if you like, the dried cranberries. You could add another light drizzle of oil, or a scattering of freshly ground black pepper here.
6. Stick it back in the oven for 12-16 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through (especially if your oven heats unevenly, as mine does).
7. Let it sit for a minute, then drizzle with a tablespoon or two of balsamic vinegar. Don't skip this part, it really ties it all together!

Oh, garbanzo beans!

Perhaps I am cheating, using an email to a friend as my first post, but by way of getting started, here it is.

Sunday I woke right up at 8 with nothing on my mind but chickpeas. Yes, garbanzos. Do you know how much I love i ceci? I eat them at least 6 days a week in one form or another, and I have recently discovered the shocking difference between dried & soaked overnight vs. canned. I'm into beans in general, actually... and I recently ordered $35 worth of heirloom variety beans from an independent farm in California. (I'm still a little embarrassed about this, but looking oh-so-forward to their arrival.)

Ok, tangent over. I woke up at 8 on Sunday, leapt out of bed, and ran to the kitchen to start my chick peas a-soaking. They need about 8 hours and I had neglected to think of Sunday's dinner on Saturday, as there was a boy and a baseball game distracting me. Anyway, I did go back to bed after I put the beans in a pot, and the rest of the day was fair to middlin'. Took a walk, drank some coffee. Adam got a call around noon and had to go into work (ugh) so it was just us girls in front of the What Not to Wear marathon. But on our walk, we stopped at Trader Joe's and the at Whole Foods in search of semolina flour so I could make... (waaait for it!) pasta from scratch! Admittedly it was not the egg pasta one envisions when 'homemade pasta' is mentioned, but it was orecchiette, the little semolina based ear-shaped (orecchio = ear, -ette = little) beauties. They turned out a little chewy because I followed the directions in Gourmet over my own instincts, so they were too big to dry in an hour, but they were tasty and I made them myself. My roommates liked them, and I had no need for my backup box of dried orecchiette. Alas, my camera battery pooped out on me so I didn't get any pictures, but it was a fun way to spend an afternoon/evening, and it didn't take as long as some of my previous Sunday cooking adventures, so we managed to eat before 9:45!