Archive for January, 2010

Holly B’s Oatmeal Carmelitas

January 12, 2010

One thing I really hate about winter is the light. Last year at this time, I was still cooking for my families so if I raced, I could catch a bit of afternoon light and take a decent photo. These days, I’m never done with cooking dinner until dinnertime at which point it has been dark for hours. I’ve had to rely on my special light to make photography possible and I sure am tired of the photos all having the same look. Hence this somewhat different composition today.

Now wait. Don’t call me a hypocrite. I know I wrote a post talking about low fat cooking yesterday. Did you also read that I only do high fat baking? And boy, this is high fat. So much so that in the introduction for the recipe, Holly wrote, “This would be a good treat for someone wanting to gain weight.” Ahem, not really my problem but it’s a nice thought.

As if it wasn’t enough to have a shortbread base with nuts and chocolate chips strewn over the top, a combination of honey and cream is poured over the whole pan which is then baked until golden brown. The result is similar to an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie but denser and, thanks to the honey, sweeter. I love honey, so for me the flavor was welcome here.

One Year Ago: Milk Chocolate Layer Cake

Oatmeal Carmelitas
With Love & Butter
18 big bars

1½ cups (3 sticks) butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
2 cups flour
2 cups oats (quick or old-fashioned)
1 tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
1½ cups chocolate chips
½ cup coarsely chopped walnuts (DT: I used pecans)
1 cup honey
½ cup half-and-half (DT: I used cream)

Preheat oven to 375° with the rack in the center position. Butter a 9×13-inch baking pan.

Cream the butter and brown sugar together with an electric mixer. Add the flour, oats, baking soda, and salt and combine. Reserve 1/3 of the dough. Press the remaining dough evenly into the buttered baking pan. Bake for 5 minutes, rotate the pan, and bake 5 to 10 minutes longer. The crust should be barely brown. Leave the oven on.

Scatter the chocolate chips and walnuts over the hot crust. Now blob the reserved dough as evenly as you can on top of the chocolate and nuts.

Combine the honey and half-and-half. Heat in the microwave or on the stove until hot but not boiling. Pour the honey cream sauce over the dough and bake 15 to 20 minutes. The bars will be done when they turn a uniformly rich golden color. Cool and cut.

Category: Bars,Chocolate,Holly B's
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Mexican Food for Randy

January 11, 2010

Ask my husband what he wants for dinner and he will, without fail, say, “Mexican”. I don’t even know why I ask, but I do. Maybe someday he will surprise me and ask for a Morrocan tagine with cinnamon couscous…but I’m not holding my breath.

It’s really all right with me because I really like Mexican food too. We have a good place in our neighborhood where we go on sunny Sunday evenings. It’s a pleasant walk there and back plus they have terrific margaritas and salsa to die for. But usually vegetarian Mexican food means lots of cheese which just isn’t my thing. My margarita skills are lackluster but in all honesty, I prefer “my” Mexican food to most restaurants, inauthentic as it may be.

This Black Bean Chilaquile recipe came to me via Twitter. Some friends were tweeting about good low fat cookbooks and I threw in my two cents for the Moosewood version (the cookbook is called Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites). Kate said that this chilaquile recipe is a standby for her. I’ve owned that cookbook for a good ten years – how did I miss making this? Very easy and quick to put together, healthy, hearty, and adaptable.

Let’s talk for a moment about low fat cooking. It’s the thing to do in January after all. I’m kind of funny about this topic. I am a healthy eater and I am careful with regards to my weight. I honestly don’t like food that is super rich or made with lots of oil or butter. My tastes naturally steer toward clean food. But I don’t get Cooking Light or own any low fat cookbooks with the exception of the Moosewood one. I prefer to take regular recipes and just lighten them up slightly. I sauté with the bare minimum of oil, use less cheese than is called for, steer away from recipes that use lots of cream and butter. Not all the time of course, there is a time for indulging. But if a recipe uses cooking spray to sauté and fat-free cheese and fat-free sour cream, I go running in the other direction. Baked Lay’s have a place in my pantry and I usually eat frozen yogurt instead of ice cream, but the line has to be drawn somewhere. And when it comes to baking, I am strictly of the full-fat school. I would rather have one bite of a perfect brownie than a box of “lite” cookies.

All this is a very long-winded way of saying that, while I cringe at most low fat cooking, I really like this cookbook. I use it all the time. It isn’t over-zealous it’s just healthy. It highlights a lot of different cuisines that are healthier than our own and every single thing I have made from it has been delicious. The book also thoughtfully includes menu suggestions using other recipes in the book. And for the pescatarians out there, there are fish recipes.

Black Bean Chilaquile
Adapted from Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites
Serves 4 very hungry people or 6 less so

The original recipe calls for fat-free Cheddar cheese. I just can’t do it so I used the good stuff and just used a lot less of it. If you want it cheesy, add more. I used Guiltless Gourmet baked corn chips which do faintly taste like cardboard but become delicious in this dish. I topped it with this guacamole.

Olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 15-oz. can diced tomatoes, drained well
1½ cups frozen corn
1 15-oz. can black beans, drained
2 tbsp. fresh lime juice
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
5 oz. fresh spinach or Swiss chard
2 cups crushed baked tortilla chips
¾ cup grated Cheddar cheese
2 cups red salsa of your choice

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat and then add just enough olive oil to coat the bottom. Sauté the onions for about 8 minutes, until translucent. Stir in the tomatoes, corn, black beans, lime juice, salt and pepper and continue to sauté for another 5 -10 minutes, until just heated through.

Meanwhile in another pan, cook down the spinach until it is wilted, adding it to the pan in batches if necessary. Set aside.

Prepare an 8 x 8-inch casserole dish or baking pan with a very light coating of oil. Spread half of the crushed tortilla chips on the bottom. Spoon the sautéed vegetables over the tortilla chips and sprinke on about two-thirds of the grated Cheddar. Arrange the greens evenly over the cheese and spoon on half the salsa. Finish with the rest of the tortilla chips and top with the remaining salsa and Cheddar. Bake for about 35 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling and beginning to brown.

Category: Beans,Cookbooks,Main Course,Mexican,Super Healthy
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Pop-In-Your-Mouth Appetizer

January 8, 2010

Everyone needs a good appetizer recipe in their back pocket, right? For party food, I am currently enamored with things that can be picked up and popped in the mouth rather than things that require a plate and a fork. I have done three parties in the last six months (one was mine, two I catered) where only finger food was served. I made a different version of this Pissaladière for two of those parties, but this one is even easier and less messy.

The first time I made these mini tartlets was for my rehearsal dinner just over seven years ago. Randy and I had both been married before and we had both had the big fat wedding the first time around. We decided to do something very small and personal and to have the wedding on Lopez Island which, if you read this site, you know is very near and dear to my heart. A small group of friends and our families caravaned over on ferries to spend the weekend with us on the island. tronweekly.com

We had the rehearsal dinner at our family’s little house. I use the term “rehearsal dinner” lightly because there was no rehearsal. Our wedding was non-traditional and informal so there was no need to rehearse anything. We had no attendants and we had a Universal Life Minister ferry over from another of the islands to marry us. My dad did not walk me down the aisle (Randy did) and we asked that everyone contribute a heart gift – something to share with us from their heart. Some people read the vows from their own weddings, my sister-in-law did a Nepalese love dance, a friend impersonated Dr. Ruth, and my brother Michael read an old passage from his journal about how much he loved his sister. Everyone cried at that one.

Anyway, the night before the big night, everyone came to our house for a dinner cooked by me. I remember all the appetizers but I have no memory of what I served as a main course. I was a good cook then – I am a much better and more organized cook now. Still, I did pretty well. I got everything up there without leaving anything behind. I was smart enough to out-source dessert to a very good baker, and we had plenty of wine and beer. I loved these mini onion tartlets and can’t believe it has taken me theses many years to make them again.

One Year Ago: Poblano-and-Cheddar-Stuffed Portabello Mushrooms (This is a favorite of mine.)

Petites Pissaladieres
Adapted from Gourmet
Makes 36 tartlets

1 frozen puff pastry sheet (from a 17 1/4-oz. package), thawed
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 large onion, halved lengthwise and cut crosswise into 1/8-inch thick slices
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 tbsp. chopped fresh thyme, plus more for garnish
1/4 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and very thinly sliced lengthwise

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Roll out puff pastry on a lightly floured surface into a 12 1/2-inch square, then trim the edges to form a 12-inch square. Prick sheet all over with a fork. Cut into 36 (2-inch) squares and and transfer to 2 baking sheets lined with parchment paper.

Bake in upper and lower thirds of oven, switching position of pans halfway through baking, until puffed and golden, 12 to 15 minutes total. Transfer to racks to cool until just warm.

While pastry is baking, heat 2 tbsp. olive oil in a large skillet until hot but not smoking, then cook the onion with salt and pepper stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Stir in the thyme half way through cooking time.

Lightly brush tops of pastry squares with remaining tablespoon olive oil. Make a small indentation in center of each square with your finger, then top each with 1 teaspoon onion mixture and a few olive slivers. Sprinkle squares with fresh thyme.

(Pastry squares can be baked 1 day ahead, cooled completely, and kept in an airtight container at room temperature. Reheat in a 350ºF oven 6 minutes before topping. Onion mixtures can be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Reheat over moderate heat, stirring, until heated through, about 10 minutes.)

Category: Appetizer,Party Food
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Island Paradise

January 6, 2010

As someone who has lived my entire life on one coast or another, it is hard for me to imagine life without water. And life without water would mean life without islands. Here in the Pacific Northwest, we have a plethora, a bounty of islands. I grew up on an island, which was not all that special, but we do have a special family house on Lopez. My good friend Jen is extra lucky in that she lives and owns a yoga studio on Bainbridge Island, and her family has a home – well, a compound – on Whidbey Island.

The Sunday before New Year’s, Jen’s husband Tom called to ask if we wanted to join them for a couple of nights at her parents’ island paradise. We had plans already and I had a lot of cooking to do for our supper club, but it took us about 1.5 seconds to say yes. We had been there twice before and words cannot begin to describe the beauty and special energy this place possess. Each small building is warm, welcoming, and not at all grand, just perfectly homey. Each of her parents have an art studio (her dad is a painter and her mom is a weaver) and there are lots of bunk beds for all of the grandchildren. Their table seats 12 or so, even though most of the time it is just the two of them. They are always ready for a few guests.

Whidbey Collage 3

If, perhaps, it is a beautiful warm night with a full moon, you may decide to sleep here. In the summer months, a mattress is laid on this bed along with pillows and all kinds of warm blankets. Tom is a big fan of this bed and I’m sure, as the kids get older, there are going to be fights about who gets it.

This photo was taken on rainy windy New Year’s Day – not usually a banner weather day in our part of the country. And still, I hope you can see how powerful and riveting the beauty is. Imagine this exact same spot on a sunny summer evening with cocktail in hand and children running about. Imagine it again in the darkness and with roasted marshmallows and a guitar. Imagine on your way back to your bed you stop by the hot tub to warm up. Yes, hot tub.

Whidbey Collage 4

Years ago, our famous Pike Place Market had artists all over the city design a pig. They were then auctioned off in a benefit for the Market and its’ medical clinic. I (somewhat) jokingly told Randy I wanted one of the pigs. I should not have been surprised to find one on her parents property – and one of the coolest pigs at that.

Whidbey Collage 1

In fact, the art may be what I love most up there. Each sculpture is so lovingly chosen and placed. There is so much whimsy and celebration of what makes art special. Nothing stuffy about it.

Whidbey Collage 2

Three years ago, we had an epic wind storm in our area. We only lost power for about 18 hours at our house, but some people were without it for up to two weeks. Just as the storm was brewing, Jen went in to labor. She was able to make it across the Sound to the hospital with husband and other three children in tow. After she had the baby, they stayed downtown in a hotel while waiting for their power to come back on. Imagine. Newborn baby, recovering from childbirth, three other young children, and not in your own home. At some point, her mom, who had power thanks to a generator, had her come to Whidbey where she gave up her bed to Jen and her new baby. Jen says that visit healed her in more ways than one. Take a look. Couldn’t we all heal here?

I can’t mention Whidbey Island without telling another very special thing about it. If it weren’t for this very long island (2nd longest in the country after Long Island), I would never have met this guy.

Many years before I knew him, Randy was a Naval Aviator. He graduated from the Naval Academy in Annapolis and went to flight school in Pensacola. He was assigned to fly the A-6 Intruder which gave him two choices of bases. One was Virginia Beach and one was Whidbey Island. Being an East Coaster his whole life, he just assumed he would go to Virginia. Some friend who had been to Whidbey took him out for a beer one night and told him about the beauty of Puget Sound. The close access to Seattle and the proximity to skiing, boating, hiking, mountain biking, and just the general outdoors. Because Randy will always choose adventure over complacency, he decided to listen to his friend (bless him) and take a chance on Whidbey.

Once he oriented to West being the ocean and East being land (important if you are flying a fighter jet), he fell in love with our area. He took advantage of all it had to offer and then some. After a few years, his life became a little more complicated and he opted to move back East to teach at the Naval Academy, to get more schooling and to appease a difficult first wife.

In 2000, as he was finishing business school in Boston, a friend from the Navy came for a visit and to try and recruit him to join a company that he had founded in Seattle. Randy had already accepted a very good job with an international consulting company and had planned to set down roots in Boston. For many different reasons, the friend’s job offer was enticing. Perhaps the main reason was that, having spent time on Whidbey, he missed the Northwest. And so, he did something very un-Randy like which is to re-neg on an accepted job and take a different job for half the pay. In June of that year, he landed back in Seattle.

His then wife was supposed to close up house in Boston and then take her time driving across the country. At Wyoming she decided to go back to Boston and end the marriage. Two months after that, Randy and I met. Almost two years after that, we got married.

So, even though I have only been there about a dozen times, I have a deep appreciation for Whidbey. If it weren’t for that island, my life would be very different. It is hard to imagine life without Randy. And very hard to imagine life without these two.

Category: Personal,Travel
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Pasta from the 90’s

January 5, 2010

Along with just about everyone else in the food blogging world, I was sad to hear about the demise of Gourmet. I had been getting the magazine for 16 years when it went away. Truth be told, I actually always preferred the recipes in Bon Appétit and Food and Wine, but I still looked forward to receiving my issue each month. In my four notebooks where I have years of cut-out recipes, there are countless ones with the Gourmet font. Including this one.

This recipe is on the second page of my “pasta” section which means I cut it out way back in 1993 or so. Grunge. Living in a crappy one-bedroom apartment in a crappy building in a great neighborhood. Just learning to cook for myself. Working as a singing-dancing waitress on a dinner cruise ship. Oh yes, I did. Yes I did. I did “The Electric Slide” with strangers and got paid for it.

These many years later, I still make this dish and it is one of Randy’s favorites. If you are a vegetarian, you probably often get the “Do you eat a lot of pasta?” question. (Or my other favorite, “Do you eat a lot of salad?”) The truth is that I don’t eat a lot of pasta. It is often my only choice in a restaurant so I eat it out, but I don’t make a lot of it at home. Not for any good reason, I love pasta, I just find there are a lot of other interesting things to eat in the vegetarian world.

Here are some really good things I can say about this one. It’s fast. The sauce is done in the time it takes to cook the noodles. It is dead easy – no sautéing – just putting all the ingredients together in a pot and cooking them down a bit. It is made with pantry staples, you always have Kalamata olives, tomato paste, and garlic on hand, right? And it’s really tasty. Kind of like a poor man’s puttanesca (and a vegetarian one at that.) Lastly, this is a very low-fat and low-calorie dish. The only fat comes from the olives and that is good fat, the heart-healthy kind. OK, yes, there is a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese on top, but that is optional and besides, it’s just a sprinkle. I have changed the recipe quite a bit in the years I have been making it. It was originally called Bruce’s Pasta Sauce but I’m changing it to Bruce and Dana’s Pasta Sauce.

One Year Ago: Curried Red Lentil Stew with Vegetables

Bruce and Dana’s Pasta Sauce
Loosely adapted from Gourmet
3-4 servings

This is the kind of sauce that really hugs the noodles so it is best with something short and ridgey, like radiattore. In this dish, I like it pretty dry, so I usually make one pound of pasta with this much sauce. This last time, I made 3/4 of a pound and you can see it is a little saucier. Do what you like best. Also, if you don’t sprinkle with Parmesan, this dish is vegan.

1/2 cup dry sherry
1/2 cup water
1 6-oz. can tomato paste
1 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (less if you don’t like heat)
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. sugar
2 tbsp. dry red wine
1 tsp. balsamic vinegar

Put all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Cook, uncovered, until thickened, about 20 minutes. Boil pasta (3/4 to 1 pound) until al dente. Scoop the pasta directly into the sauce pan and stir well to combine. Serve with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.

Category: Main Course,Pasta,Quick and Easy
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