Category: Pasta

What Do You Do With Chard?

September 16, 2009

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Chard. It’s not the sexiest of vegetables. But if are part of a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), chances are you have gotten it in your produce box. Or if you are a vegetarian looking to boost your iron (dark leafy greens are a known source of iron), chances are you have bought it. Now what to do with it?

I’ve used chard a number of ways and I can’t say that I love it. I actually like kale better, as long as it is cooked way down. But in this dish the chard actually added to the overall flavor instead of just being a guest invited for nutritional purposes only. So often you will see recipes that call for the leaves only – what to do with those colorful stems? This recipe uses both the leaves and the stems brilliantly.

Here is what this dinner is not:

1) A “stick to your ribs” meal
2) Something eat on those days when you can’t seem to feel full, no matter what you eat
3) A meal to serve to non-adventurous eaters

Here is what this dinner is:

1) Healthy and very tasty
2) Something to make when you may have overindulged over the course of a day or two
3) Food that you can eat to your heart’s content without feeling like you need to loosen your belt

Because I am an oldest child and a rule follower, I tend to follow recipes the first time I try them. After that I take liberties. I made this once before for my clients and found it a little…lacking. This time I added just a bit of small pasta to give it more body and a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese just before serving. A little more substantial and a lot more yum.

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Chickpeas and Chard with Cilantro and Cumin
Adapted from Vegetarian Suppers from Deborah Madison’s Kitchen
Serves 3-4

If you don’t want to add the pasta, you might consider serving this over rice. You can use any type of chard here, but the red will give you that gorgeous color.

Olive oil
1 large onion, finely diced
Pinch or 2 of saffron threads
3 ounces small pasta such as orzo or diatilini
2 garlic cloves
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup cilantro leaves
1/4 cup parsley leaves
1/2 tsp. ground cumin, or more to taste
2 tsp. tomato paste
14 chard leaves with stems
2 15-ounce cans chickpeas, drained
Parmesan cheese, for serving

1. Heat a wide skillet over medium heat. Add just enough olive oil to coat the bottom, then add the onion and the saffron. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 12-15 minutes. Meanwhile, pound garlic with 1/2 tsp. salt, the cilantro, parsley, and cumin to make a rough paste. (DT: I used a mortar and pestle for this.) When the onions are golden and soft, add the paste to the pan along with the tomato paste and work it into the onions.

2. Bring a small pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until very al dente. (Pasta will cook a little more when added to the mix.) Drain and reserve.

3. Slice the chard leaves off their stems. Put them in a wide pot with 2 cups of water and cook, covered, until wilted and tender, about 5 minutes. Set the leaves aside ina colander, reserving cooking water.

4. Trim the chard stems so that you’re left with planklike pieces of even width. Cut the planks into strips, then into fine dice and drop them into the reserved chard water. Simmer until tender, about 10 minutes, then turn off the heat. Scoop out the stems, set aside. Reserve the cooking water.

5. Add the chickpeas to the onion along with the chard cooking water. Add the cooked pasta. Coarsely chop the chard leaves and add it as well. Simmer for 10 minutes, then add the stems. Taste for salt and season with pepper. Serve dusted with Parmesan cheese.


Category: Beans, Main Course, Pasta
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Tortellini Skewers

August 17, 2009

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Let’s say you’re having a party.  Let’s say between 40 and 50 hungry people are coming.  Let’s say you decided that you were going to make all finger food because you a) wanted to challenge yourself a bit, b) you like finger food, and c) you just can’t bear to put out Costco plastic forks for people to use only to be thrown away en masse at the end of the evening.  (We can put paper plates and napkins in our yard waste containers here in Seattle.)  Let’s say you needed at least one dish that was easy, looked pretty, and you knew people would gobble up.  Enter tortellini skewers.

This is not rocket science.  You boil up storebought tortellini and skewer it with a stick.  The secret here is two fold.  That little leaf of basil you see tucked between each noodle adds color and a burst of flavor (this was my touch – you’re welcome, Martha.)  And the sauce, which is not pictured, is one of those that taste far better than it’s components would suggest (although they are good components.)  Yes, the tortellini needs to be cooked and skewered just before serving but the sauce can be made the day before, the boiling takes no brain power, and you can let your mom do the assembling.  Thanks Mom!

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One Year Ago: Chilled Roasted Tomato Red Pepper Soup with Mint

Skewered Tortellini
Adapted from Martha Stewart’s Hors d’Oeurvres Handbook
Makes 3 1/2 dozen

Parmesan – Lemon Dip
1 cup crème fraiche
2 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated on the small wholes if a box cheese grater
Grated zest of one lemon and juice of 1 large lemon
5 cloves roasted garlic
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 pounds tortellini
Basil leaves (opal and green basil look especially nice)
Olive oil

1.  In a small mixing bowl, combine the crème fraiche, Parmesan cheese, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic cloves, and salt and pepper to taste.  Set the dip aside until ready to use.  (DT: Can be one day ahead.  Cover and refrigerate.  Bring to room temperature before using.)

2.  Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook the tortellini until just tender.  Drain the pasta and sprinkle with olive oil to prevent sticking.

3.  Put 2 tortellini on small, 6-inch skewers with one leaf small leaf or one large folded leaf basil.  Serve with dipping sauce.


Category: Appetizer, Party Food, Pasta, Quick and Easy
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Heavy on the Veg

July 21, 2009


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Here is something I must tell you…I love vegetables.  I know, big confession from a vegetarian, right?  But there is no rule that says you must love vegetables if you are a vegetarian.  After all, cheese is vegetarian – as is bread, pasta, chocolate, french fries…you get the picture.  But I am a card carrying member of the vegetarians-who-love-vegetables club.  The only one I don’t like is okra.

Once in a while, I want to make something really heavy on the veg.  Summer time is when it usually hits me.  I’m in the mood for something flavorful, but don’t want anything too heavy.  It just doesn’t feel right to eat a big dish of something rich when the sun is shining, the temperatures are soaring, and it’s light until 10.  On of those days, vegetables are where it’s at.

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This recipe comes from one of my all-time favorite cookbooks, Vegetarian Suppers from Deborah Madison’s Kitchen.  It is a slim and modest volume, but there are incredible treasure inside.  I’ve used this book so much that some of the pages have torn away from the spine.  I made this dish a few years ago, made some notes in my book about changes I made, and was glad to have those notes last night.  At first glance, this may seem like an overly fussy recipe.  Lots of chopping and cooking things separately.  I actually streamlined a few things from the original and the recipe below reflects that.  Please trust Ms. Madison and trust me – any fuss is worth it.  What you will get is a perfectly cooked and perfectly seasoned bowl of seasonal and healthy goodness.

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Oh…and that gorgeous Olive Bread off to the side in the photo?  You can find the recipe here.
One Year Ago:  Those amazing New York Times chocolate chip cookies

Asparagus Ragout
Adapted (with many changes) from Vegetarian Suppers from Deborah Madison’s Kitchen
Serves 4

The Beurre Blanc
1/4 cup white wine vinegar or Champagne vinegar
1/4 cup dry white wine or Champagne
2 tbsp. finely diced shallot
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 tbsp. cold butter, cut into small pieces

The Ragout
1 bunch rainbow chard, with stems
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil
1 small onion, finely diced
4 medium carrots, peeled and thinly sliced on a diagonal
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 pound asparagus, tough ends snapped off, cut into 2 inch lengths
1/2 pound snap or snow peas, trimmed
3/4 cup freshly shelled English peas
1 pound cremini mushrooms, wiped clean, and cut into quarters
8 ounces cheese tortellini, cooked according to package directions, and drained
2 tbsp. minced chervil, or a mixture of parsley and tarragon
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

1.  To make the beurre blanc, put the vinegar, wine, shallot, and a pinch of salt in a small saucepan and simmer until only 2 tablespoons remain.  Turn off the heat and whisk in the butter piece by piece until it is all incorporated.  The sauce should be thick.  Season with a little pepper and set aside.  (This can be made several hours ahead and covered, at room temperature.)

2.  To make the ragout, slice the leaves off the chard stems, wash well, then cut into ribbons about an inch wide.  Trim the ends of the stems, then thinly slice.  Heat a large skillet over medium heat.  Add about 2 tbsp. olive oil, then the stems with a pinch of salt.  Sauté, stirring occasionally, for 4 minutes.  Lay the leaves on top (it may seem crowded at first) and continue stirring until the leaves wilt, about 4 more minutes.  Scrape out the pan into a large bowl and set aside.

3.  Return the same pan to the heat.  Add another few tablespoons of olive oil, then add the mushrooms.  Sauté until the mushrooms have browned nicely, then released and partially reabsorbed their juices, about 8 minutes.  Season to taste with salt and pepper and add to the bowl with the chard.

4.  Return the same pan to the heat.  Add another few tablespoons of olive oil.  Add the onion and carrots.  Cook over medium-high heat for a few minutes just to brown things a bit, then reduce the heat to medium.  Add the wine, let most of it sizzle away, then add 1 cup water and the asparagus.  Season with a pinch of salt, then lower the heat even more, cover, and cook until the asparagus and carrots are nearly tender, about 6 minutes.  Add the snap and English peas, cover, cook for another 3 minutes.  Add the tortellini, mushrooms, and chard.  Stir to heat through.

5.  Carefully stir in the beurre blanc and the herbs.  Serve the ragout in shallow bowls, garnished with a dusting of Parmesan cheese.


Category: Cookbooks, Main Course, Pasta
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Pantry Staples

May 25, 2009

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Lots of cookbooks these days seem to start with a chapter on pantry staples.  These are things that you want to always have on hand so you can – voilà! – cook up an amazing meal without a trip to the store.  I agree with this theory and I have a pantry and I have a lot of pantry staples.  I am not, however, turning out incredible meals with what I have on hand.  Produce figures in strongly in most of my meals and if you buy a lot of produce you know, it doesn’t last long.

That said, I think this was a great meal and it could easily become a go-to recipe for me.  There are two only perishable things in this pasta.  One is parsley which I always seem to have in my refrigerator and the other is feta cheese.  Feta has an incredibly long refrigerator life span so next time you see it on sale, buy a few.  Do yourself a favor and buy good feta – one that comes in a block and not in a tub.  The pre-crumbled stuff tastes like sawdust to me.

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One Year Ago:  Niçoise Tartines with Peperonata

Greek Pasta Casserole
Adapted from Vegetarian Classics
Serves 4-6

1/4 cup olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound small pasta shells
1 (15 oz.) can ready-cut diced tomatoes with their juice
1 (7 oz.) jar roasted red peppers, well drained and diced
1/4 cup pitted and roughly chopped black olives (DT: I used Kalamata)
2 tbsp. red wine
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
1 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1 cup (about 5 oz – but use more if you like!) crumbled feta cheese

1.  Bring a large quantity of water to boil in a stockpot.

2.  Meanwhile, heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat.  Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds; do not let it get at all colored.  Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.

3.  Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until very al dente, soft but not quite cooked through.  It will continue to cook in the oven.  Drain thoroughly in a colander and place back in the pot.  Pour on the garlic oil and toss well.  Let cool to room temperature, tossing occasionally to prevent sticking.

4.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

5.  Mix in all the remaining ingredients.  Place in a shallow 3-quart casserole (such as a 13×9 inch pan).  Cover with foil.  (The pasta can be assembled and refrigerated up to 24 hours in advance.  Bring to room temperature before baking.)

6.  Bake, covered, for 25 minutes or until hot and bubbly.  Remove the foil and bake another 5 minutes to lightly brown the top of the casserole.


Category: Main Course, Pasta
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Inspired by San Francisco

April 9, 2009

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Last summer, when Randy and I went to Portland for my birthday, I obsessed about where to eat.  I cross-referenced  Chowhound, magazine articles, and advice from friends.  I whittled our choices down to five restaurants and chose the winning two based on their menus.  I did a good job.

For last weekend’s trip to San Francisco, I didn’t work nearly as hard.  I think I was a little overwhelmed by sheer number of choices, seeing as SF is one of the country’s – if not the world’s – great food cities.  I think I was also just so thrilled to be having a weekend away that the food (gasp!) wasn’t really my focus.  I had some recommendations and would probably have looked into them, but then my monitor died and, well, I was lost without being able to get online.  So I called the concierge of our hotel and asked for his help.

Let me just say that soon after I started this blog, I realized that I was not going to be writing restaurant reviews here for a few reasons.  One is that I almost always find restaurant meals disappointing.  I figured after a few cycles of complaining about how vegetarians get the short end of the stick in restaurants, people would start to snore.  I also figured that many of my readers would not live in Seattle and would therefore not really care about the restaurants where I am consistently disappointed.  So, I did not take notes on the food I ate in San Francisco and can’t tell you with much precision about what I ate, except for one dish which I decided to recreate.

What I can tell you our dinner meals were wildly different experiences.  I can also tell you that I finally have realized that, when it comes to eating out, I would much rather go to the great neighborhood place, rather than the fancy schmancy place.  Friday night was at a place called Spruce.  The place had a very cool vibe, although they seated us in the back room which, while nice and quiet, was a bit like being in a ship’s stateroom.  The food was refined, lovely, and expensive.  They brought out main courses out on gorgeous wide extremely shallow bowls, and there was a lot of white plate.

Saturday night, we had tickets to see Beach Blanket Babylon which a friend had recommended.  We needed to eat somewhere close by and the concierge sent us to Ideale Restaurant.  This was a total neighborhood joint with big personalities and big food.  Our portions were easily double the previous night, the prices were half, and everything we ate, we liked.

When we first arrived, we sat at the bar to wait for our table.  The bartender brought a dish of pasta out to the woman next to us that looked and smelled divine.  It was orecchiette with what looked like a super chunky basil pesto and a flurry of Parmesan cheese.  I knew what I was ordering.  But it turned out that the chunky pesto was actually broccoli rabe that had been cooked down until almost melted, and the cheese was Pecorino Romano.  It was quite delicious but I couldn’t seem to reconcile what my brain was telling me it looked like and what my tastebuds were telling me it tasted like.

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So, I decided to make something like it for myself.  I looked in three different stores and couldn’t find orecchiette (which is shaped like a little ear) so I just used these giant radiattore I had in the pantry.  I chose to add chickpeas because I love them and because I feel like I’ve seen broccoli rabe and chickpeas together in other recipes.  I contemplated adding pesto, since that is what I thought I would be tasting, but decided it would overpower the dish.  Instead, I just added some fresh basil at the end.  The verdict?  Quite delicious if I do say so myself.  I like my food spicy so I would perhaps up the red pepper next time.  If you are not a spice fan, the recipe below will be just fine for you.

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Pasta with Broccoli Rabe and Chickpeas
Dana Treat Original
Serves 4-6

I cooked the broccoli rabe down until it was quite soft and almost falling apart, which is what they did at the restaurant.  If you would like a little more texture, cook until just tender.  In the photo, you will notice some fresh peas which I added because I had some rolling around my produce drawer.  I don’t think they added that much so I didn’t include them in the recipe below.

Olive oil
1 tbsp. butter
1 large shallot, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 large bunch broccoli rabe, ends trimmed and cut into 1 inch long pieces
1 cup vegetable stock
1 14 oz. can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup basil leaves, thinly sliced
1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese, plus additional for serving

Heat a large skillet over medium heat.  Add butter and just enough olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan.  Throw in the shallot and garlic and saute until softened, 2-3 minutes, then add the red pepper flakes.  Add the broccoli rabe, give it a good stir, then pour in the vegetable stock.  Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer and cover.  Allow to cook until the broccoli rabe is tender.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to boil.  Add pasta and cook until al dente.

Right before the pasta is done, add the chickpeas to the broccoli rabe, followed by the basil and the cheese.  Stir well.  Using tongs or a spoon, add the pasta directly to the chickpea mixture, tossing well.  (Alternatively, you can drain the pasta in a colander and add it from there.)  Serve in shallow bowls with additional cheese grated over the top.


Category: Beans, Dana Treat Original, Pasta, Travel
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