Dinner Tonight

I've been working pretty hard to find recipes that do not require me to start the oven this summer and when I saw this recipe for homemade ricotta cheese I knew I had to make it. You see, the grainy stuff you find in the grocery store is a poor, poor excuse for ricotta. Any Italian will tell you that it's no good, but what can you do? Many Italians in the LA area seek out Gioia ricotta, which is the best you can find around. But when I saw how simple it is to make ricotta at home, I'm just not sure I would make the effort to go out of my way for another ricotta. Very simple and delicious. I paired it with a seeded baguette and slow roasted tomatoes (my newest obsession that I will soon be experimenting with) from Trader Joe's. Yum.
To accompany our toasts I made a fennel and orange salad. Thinly slice two bulbs of fennel (a mandolin works great for this); using a knife peel the skin and outer membrane off two oranges and cut the segments from the membrane (aka supreme); when you are done with each orange squeeze the remaining "core" over the fennel; thinly slice about 5 lg mint leaves and add to oranges and fennel; add a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Fried Zucchini Blossoms were the final piece of the meal. One which Ilan swore he would not eat until I gave him a tiny piece of the fried batter. The boys loved them. I would post my pictures, but the Bon Appetit pictures are much prettier.

Whole Wheat Cinnamon-Raisin Bread

Several weeks ago Ilan asked, "Ima, why haven't you made me toast in a while?" I suppose the true answer is because I haven't been making challah all that often and, well, challah toast just tastes a whole lot better than sprouted multi-grain toast. So, on a whim I picked up a loaf of the Sun-Maid Cinnamon-Raisin bread and figured I'd see how he liked it. He did. A lot.

So I started thinking I could make a whole wheat version at home and would feel a whole lot better about giving him something homemade and with ingredients that I feel good about. Who knows what is really in the kind you buy, you know?

So I was thinking about it. And then Becca had a bread night. You see, Becca has been milling her own flour and she shared with us curious onlookers about how she does it (and then she gave us each a loaf of freshly made bread). So, I didn't mill my own flour, but I did find the inspiration to get this bread a-baking. I started with a recipe from food network, but have modified it sufficiently. Here is my version:

2 C. Bread Flour
2 C. Whole Wheat Flour
1/4 C. Dry Buttermilk Powder (you can find this in the baking isle at most grocery stores)
1 lg Egg
2 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil
3 Tbsp. Honey
2 tsp. Salt
1 1/2 tsp. Active Dry Yeast
Cooking Spray
1 C. Raisins, soaked in water
1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
1/3 C. Packed Brown Sugar

Dry raisins will rob moisture from the bread, so soak them first in boiling water until plump, about 30 minutes. Drain and pat dry. Add some vanilla or rum to increase flavor (optional).

Heat 1 1/2 cups water and use instant read thermometer to make sure it is 105-110 degrees F. Stir yeast into water.

Combine both flours, the dry buttermilk, egg, canola oil, honey, salt, and yeast mixture in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Mix 3 minutes on the lowest setting, then increase to the next highest setting and mix 5 more minutes. The dough should be soft and sticky.

On low-speed knead the raisins into the dough mixture.

Transfer the dough to a large bowl coated with cooking spray. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until the dough has nearly doubled in size, about 1 hour, 30 minutes.

Transfer the dough to a floured work surface. Picture it as a loose square. Lift up one side of the dough and fold about one-third of it across; press down on the dough with spread fingers to remove any air bubbles. Repeat with the remaining 3 sides of the dough.

Mist two 9-by-5-inch loaf pans with cooking spray. Divide the dough in half; roll out each half into an 8-inch square. Brush each square with vegetable oil, then sprinkle with the cinnamon and brown sugar.

Roll up each square of dough into a tight cylinder; place seam-side down in the prepared pans. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until the dough fills the pans and springs back when touched, about 1 hour, 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Brush the loaves with canola oil and bake until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the pans and transfer to a rack to cool completely.

You can eat this bread up right away or to store it for toast over a week or two slice it and place in it a freezer bag and store in the freezer. When you want some toast pull it out and pop it in the toaster.

Baked Cod with Crunchy Lemon-Herb Topping

No. I didn't take this picture. Truth be told, pictures are the main reason I haven't been posting. I just can't be bothered to stop and take pictures while I'm cooking or even less-so when dinner is ready and I'm trying to get everything on the table. I don't know how those other bloggers do it! So, this picture is courtesy of Cook's Country, a more down-home version of Cook's Illustrated. I've made this a couple times and both times we really liked it. Ok. It has mayonnaise in it, but sometimes you just have to overlook those bits of country and get something quick and tasty on the table. At Trader Joe's I didn't see Cod Filets, but they did have Cod pieces, which actually worked fine...just be sure to keep and eye on them because they won't take as long to cook.

Baked Cod with Crunchy Lemon-Herb Topping

1 Tbsp. Unsalted Butter
24 Ritz Crackers, crushed into coarse crumbs (I used Whole Wheat Ritz)
2 Tbsp. Minced Parsley, divided
3 Tbsp. Mayonnaise
2 sm. Garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. Lemon Zest
1 Tbsp. Lemon Juice
4 skinless Cod Filets (about 2 lbs)
Salt and pepper to taste
Lemon wedges for serving (optional)

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat over to 450 degrees. Grease baking sheet with butter. Toss cracker crubs and 1 Tbsp. parsley together in medium bowl. Mix remaining parsley, mayonnaise, garlic, lemon zest and lemon juice together in a small bowl.

Pat fish dry with paper towels, then season with salt and pepper. Place on buttered baking sheet, spacing pieces about 1/2 inch apart. Brush tops and sides of fish with mayonnaise mixture, the press cracker crumbs into mayonnaise.

Bake until crumbs are golden brown and fish flakes apart with fork, about 15 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

This is another goodie from Cook's Illustrated. I know it's not soup weather, but I wanted to post something so I went back into the archives...


2 Tbsp. Butter
2 lbs. Broccoli, chopped
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
2 cl. garlic, minced
1.5 tsp Dry Mustard Powder
Pinch Cayenne
Salt to taste
3-4 C. Water
1/4 tsp. Baking Soda
2 C. Chicken Broth
2 C. Loosely Packed Baby Spinach
3/4 C. Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
3/4 C. Parmesan Cheese
Black Pepper to taste

Heat butter in a large stock pot over med-high heat. When foaming subsides, add broccoli onion, garlic, mustard, cayenne and 1 tsp. salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 6 minutes. Add 1 C. water and baking soda. Bring to simmer, cover, and cook until broccoli is very soft, about 20 minutes, stirring once during cooking.

Add broth and 2 C. water and increase heat to med-high. When mixture begins to simmer, stir in spinach and cook until wilted, about 1 minute. Use immersion blender to puree soup until smooth. Add cheeses and continue blending until cheese is melted and entirely incorporated. Return soup to a simmer. Adjust consistency of soup with up to 1 C. water. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve, passing extra Parmesan separately.

Pad Thai Wraps

I found the original recipe for Pad Thai Wraps on the Whole Foods Ap. It was a start, but felt incomplete, so I added egg. It's super easy and has a nice fresh crunch.

Pad Thai Wraps

1/4 lb. Angel Hair Pasta
1/4 C. (plus more for the tortillas) Satay Peanut Sauce (Trader Joe's)
4 Tortillas
6 eggs
Red Bell Pepper
Bean Sprouts
1/4 C. Peanuts
4 lg leaves Basil

Prepare the pasta according to package directions.

Meanwhile slice the red bell pepper and basil and chop the peanuts and set aside. Spray a medium skillet with cooking spray (or other oil/butter), and scramble the eggs over med-low heat then set aside. Warm the tortillas.

When pasta is cooked, drain and toss with 1/4 C. peanut sauce.

Spread each tortilla with a spoonful of the peanut sauce. Place 1/4 of the eggs on the center of the tortilla and top with pasta, bean sprouts, red peppers, basil and peanuts. Wrap up tightly in the tortilla, tucking in the ends halfway though.

Kale with Spicy Peanut Dressing

Trying to eat vegetables that are local and seasonal can force you into uncharted territory. Growing up I wasn't aware that kale was good for anything other than as a garnish. When I was pregnant with Aitan I met Christina at M Cafe de Chaya for lunch one day. It was on this day that kale entered my life as a food to be eaten and craved. So, I was thinking about it and wondered if someone had tried to knock off the recipe for the Kale in Spicy Peanut Sauce so I did a little search online. Even better, someone had attended a cooking class at M Cafe and posted the recipe on their blog. Score. I hope you like it as much as I do.




Kale with Spicy Peanut Dressing
• 1 large bunch kale
• ¼ cup peanuts, chopped for garnish
• ¼ red onion, halved and sliced for garnish

Spicy Peanut Dressing
• ½ cup peanut butter
• 1 ½ T just like honey (I'm not vegan so I just used honey)
• 2 T low sodium soy sauce
• 2 T brown rice vinegar (already had regular rice vinegar so I used that instead)
• ½ tsp. garlic, minced
• ½ tsp. ginger, minced
• ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1 ½ oz hot water

Directions:
Remove the kale from the stems.

Add a pinch of Salt to a pot of boiling water, then blanch the Kale for 3 min. Remove the Kale from the boiling water and shock it in a container of ice water. Finally, squeeze the excess water out of the cooled Kale.
To make Spicy Peanut Dressing: Place all dressing ingredients into a blender. Blend until mixture turns into a smooth consistency.

Drizzle the dressing on top of the Kale and mix the kale and dressing together until kale is evenly coated. Garnish with sliced red onions and chopped peanuts. (As you can see I tossed in the onions and peanuts. One bunch of kale, although it was good size, seems a little too small as there was an excess of dressing. Next time I will do 1.5-2 bunches.)

Crispy Black Bean Tacos

Finding easy, yet tasty vegetarian meals that children will eat can be a challenge. I try a lot of different things and sometimes have a "keeper" as we call it. These Black Bean Tacos from Smitten Kitchen are super easy and with a few modifications super yummy. It just happened that I was given a package of the uncooked tortillas right before trying this recipe and they were so good with the fresh tortilla I can't imagine making them with the regular kind. I've been cooking most of my beans in the crockpot these days and freezing them in usable portions, so I'm not really buying canned beans, but you can do this with 2 cans of canned beans, rinsed and drained. The tacos turn out pretty large and I like to serve them with TJ's Sweet Potato Fries. For the boys I skip the slaw and feta and add a little cheddar.

Ingredients

3 C. Cooked Black Beans
1 tsp Ground Cumin
1 tsp. Ground Coriander
1/2 tsp. Chipotle Tabasco
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 tsp. Granulated Garlic Powder
2 Tbsp. Fresh Lime Juice
dash Chipotle Tabasco
2 Tbsp. Sour Cream
2 C. Coleslaw Mix or finely shredded cabbage
2 Green Onions Thinly Sliced
1/3 C. Chopped Cilantro
4-5 Flour Tortillas (the uncooked kind are best)
1/3 C. Crumbled Feta

Instructions

Place drained beans, cumin, coriander, 1/2 tsp. Chipotle Tabasco, garlic powder, salt and pepper in a small bowl and partially mash.

Mix lime juice, dash of tabasco and sour cream in a small bowl. In a medium bowl add coleslaw mix, green onions, and cilantro. Toss with with dressing.

Heat tortilla on one side and then flip. Place beans and feta in the center of the tortilla and fold in half. Toast on each side until heated through and tortilla is crispy. Fill with slaw and serve.