Smitten Kitchen Book Launch Tour

November 2012

SmartCooks here. Facebook seems to want to delete text soooo.... I'm reverting to the blog.  

Although I’m so work-occupied these days ;), I retained enough memory to pre-order an advance copy of the Smitten Kitchen Cookbook, which arrived this week and perked up my day. It's a sturdy book with its 105-plus recipes, 85 of them vegetarian, and 300+ full- colour photos.

It’s the long-awaited cookbook from the first food blogger I found when I started the SmartCooks blog. Smitten Kitchen author Deb Perelman has been blogging her kitchen creations for the past four years from a tiny New York kitchen. The recipes on the blog, and now in the cookbook, are based on seasonal produce from her local farmer's market, and come complete with her signature style of photographing food. 
Her writing style is witty and engaging – each one of her entries leads to hundreds of enthusiastic comments from her loyal followers, myself included. 

Her book launch tour was delayed due to Superstorm Sandy and lack of power in her home! But she has two gigs in Vancouver (Nov 6 and 7), with one on CBC already sold out. She will be in Toronto on November 16 at the George Brown Chef School and it too is nearly sold out! 

I bought my copy of the Smitten Kitchen Cookbook from Amazon.ca and am prepping a Sunday night dinner of mushroom bourguignon, (http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2009/01/mushroom-bourguignon), a worthy choice after Husband and I brave the cold and rake up the oodles of bags of soggy leaves. Enjoy!

And update:  Leftovers!  Am watching the results of the U.S. Presidential election, a nail biter, and eating leftovers.   Yumm.'

Weekend Refresher with Za'atar-Spiced Beet Dip with Goat Cheese and Hazelnuts

October 2012

SmartCooks here.  It was a whirlwind week of cross-country flying on oversold/late planes (!) and meetings with close to 600 people -- in person and by teleconference and videoconference -- plus a rapid tour of the services for veterans at a military base.  

This weekend ... back on ground zero ... offers a breather to chill with Za'atar-Spiced Beet Dip with Goat Cheese and Hazelnuts.  

It's the second time I've made this dip, and results from both trials are the same -- refreshing, unique, pleasing taste and low-fat dish if you use the hazelnuts and goat cheese in moderation.  

The first time I made it with red beets and it turned out very close to the colour in pix at right (from Food and Wine).  

The second time I made it with golden and Chioggia (or candycane, pix left) heirloom beets, resulting in a lighter coloured dish.


Za'atar-spiced beet dip can be used as a spread, as an appetizer with whole wheat crackers from a Smitten Kitchen recipe or even a light dinner with wholewheat pita.    

A word about Za'atar 

I've written about my discovery of and use of za'atar before on SmartCooks and once again encourage trying it.  It's both a herb (known as the 'King of Herbs' in the Middle East) and a spice blend.  The herb is rarely exported so in North America we tend to find a variation of the spices depending on the region (as in photo right).

It's a versatile spice blend that can be used in a variety of dishes -- from meats and rice to veggies, dips and breads. It can be bought mixed or try a variety of recipes for it, which typically involve thyme, marjoram, oregano, sumac and roasted sesame seeds.  

Enjoy! 

Za'atar-Spiced Beet Dip with Goat Cheese and Hazelnuts

Ingredients:
6 medium beets, or about 1.5 lbs 
2 small garlic cloves, minced
1 small red chile, seeded and minced
1 cup plain Greek yogurt (I used 0% fat)
3 T extra-virgin olive oil
1.5 T pure maple syrup
1 T za'atar
Kosher salt
1/4 cup roasted skinned hazelnuts, chopped
2 T goat cheese, crumbled
2  scallions, thinly sliced 
Interesting bread, wholewheat pita, or crackers, for serving 

Directions:

Preheat the over to 350 degrees.  Place beets in a roasting pan and add 1/4 cup of water, cover with foil and bake, until tender, about 1 hour.  Let cool slightly, peel, and cut beets into wedges, then transfer to a food processor.

Add garlic, chile and yogurt to food processor and pulse until blended.  Add the olive oil, maple syrup, and za'atar and puree.  Season with salt.  

Scrape into a wide, shallow bowl.  Scatter roasted hazelnuts, goal cheese and scallions on top and serve with bread, crackers or wholewheat pita.

Thai Chile-Lime Cashews

October 2012 

SmartCooks here.  For Thanksgiving dinner, you don't usually need much in the way of appetizers. This year Bon Appetit was featuring light appetizers and I found and tried Thai Chile-Lime Cashews.  They worked well, especially set out in cute little bowls in the living and dining rooms.  Plus a small bowl for the cook!  

I preferred making my own mostly because you can control the sodium level.  In this version you get only about one-third of what you find in store-bought versions.  Plus, this appetizer is super simple to make and cheaper than the packaged brands!  

I found all the ingredients, i.e., the dried chiles de arbol, ground ancho chiles and kaffir leaves at my favourite local, organic Herb and Spice store.  

Despite the chiles, this is not a super-spicy dish. The lime cools it off considerably.  To borrow a phrase ... Bet you can't eat just one!  Bon Appetit-izer! 

Ingredients: 

4 cups raw cashews (definitely unsalted) 

15 dried chiles de arbol, pix below

10 kaffir lime leaves cut in 1/4 inch slices

2 T melted unsalted butter

2 T vegetable oil (I used safflower) 

1 T kosher salt (or less... up to you) 

1.5 tsp ground ancho chiles (pix right) 

2 T finely grated lime zest 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325°F. 

Combine cashews, dried chiles de arbol, kaffir lime leaves, unsalted butter, vegetable oil, kosher salt and ancho chiles in a large bowl and toss to coat.  Spread nut mixture in an even layer on a large rimmed baking sheet.

Roast, stirring occasionally, until cashews are evenly toasted, about 20 minutes. Let nut mixture cool completely on sheet on a wire rack. Transfer nuts to a large bowl and toss with the grated lime zest. 

This appetizer can be made up to 2 days ahead of the event and leftovers stored in a tight container at room temperature for awhile (I don't know for how long... they didn't last).

South Indian Beef Curry with Rice or Quinoa

SmartCooks here.

The Canadian three-day holidays are just fine.  Almost over though.  Darn.  I'm leaving on a jet plane again tomorrow... this time to Halifax and then C'Town, then next week across the country to various locations talking to the regional folks. Wish I had good news to impart ... tough six months ahead.  

As I expected with this new position ... month 3 ... blogging is difficult.  Cooking is difficult.  Eating healthy is difficult. Carving out 45 minutes 2x a week for Greco's personal training is difficult as is timing a rockin' Goodlife cardio class.  

To take back life, I found a delicious recipe in my Food and Wine app for South Indian Beef Curry with Rice.  I skipped the fragrant basmati rice in favour of a medley of quinoa (black, red, and white) mixed with a bit of leftover Israeli couscous.  The dish was a completely divine Saturday dinner-with-movie affair, definitely worth searching out boneless beef short ribs at the butcher and asking him or her to cut it into 3/4 inch slices or, better yet, cubes.  Saslove's Meat Market even found me local hormone ones, much to my delight.  No worries about any XL meat in my life.   

South Indian Beef Curry is super simple to prepare, a one-pot meal, that simmers for 90 minutes to end up a tender, well-blended, not too hot, meal.  It's a keeper.  All the spices can be found at whatever local version of a Herb and Spice you have in your area, including the dried Chili Peppers (left) that are a staple of mine for Thai and Indian curries.  

South Indian Cuisine

I did a bit of research to understand the style and characteristics of South Indian cuisine.  I couldn't possibly do it justice here but most sites seem to agree that most South Indian food is based on some type of rice, often eaten with a curry.  Food tends to have a generous, but balanced, amount of spices in both the vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes of the region.  Tempering of dishes tends to include a mixture of oil, curry leaves, red chiles etc.  So... 

Enjoy! 

South Indian Beef Curry with Rice  

Ingredients:  

2 T canola oil
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
12 fresh curry leaves (hard to find so I used dry) or 2 bay leaves
2 garlic cloves, grated
4 tsp finely grated and peeled fresh ginger 
1 T tomato paste (the tubes of tomato paste are fabulo), dissolved in 1/2 cup of water
2 tsp ground coriander 
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
4 small dried hot chiles
4 star anise pods (pictured, right) 
2 3-inch cinnamon sticks
1 3/4 lbs boneless beef short ribs, 
cut into 3/4 inch pieces 
Salt (I used kosher salt)

Directions:

In a heavy-bottomed or cast-iron casserole, heat the canola oil until shimmering.

Add the onion and curry leaves and cook over moderate heat until lightly browned, about 5-7 minutes. 

Add the garlic and ginger and cook until aromas develop, about 1 minute.

Stir in the tomato paste dissolved in water, along with the coriander, garam masala, cayenne, turmeric, dried chiles, star anise and cinnamon sticks.  

Add the ribs, season with salt and stir until coated with the spices.  Cover partially and cook over very low heat until the meat is tender, about 1 hour and 30 minutes.  

Spoon off any fat and discard the star anise, cinnamon sticks and any bay leaves, if using.  I also took out some of the dried chiles.

Serve over rice e.g., basmati or whole wheat.  Quinoa, Israeli couscous or any type of whole grain are always options.

Rosh Hashanah Heirloom Carrot Salad with Dates, Almonds and Herbs

September 2012

Happy Rosh Hashanah. Shana Tova to all.  To celebrate this high holiday, I made a quick, simple but very traditional sweet dish of "Heirloom Carrot Salad with Dates, Almonds and Herbs," with thanks to Food 52  

To explain.... one of the real joys of this new job is getting to work with some of the best and brightest young folks who have joined the public service in the past decade or so.  Smart, enthusiastic, bright, young policy minds who work long hours on complex public policy issues that are aimed at bettering the lives of Canada's veterans.  It's a real pleasure.

There's hardly any time for chit chat on the job.  So, today, as one of the policy assistants was leaving the office, she wished me (and all of us), 'L'Shanah Tovah'. Well, that got our attention.  Say what? I asked.  The traditional greeting on Rosh Hashanah is apparently Shana Tova which in Hebrew means "A Good Year!".

Not that I would have known it but the Jewish New Year or High Holidays started at sundown September 16 and run until September 18.  It is an event believed to be the anniversary of the creation of Adam and Eve, the first man and woman.

Rosh Hashanah meals usually include apples and honey to symbolize a sweet new year.  I was sorely tempted to try Apple and Honey Challah (bread!) from Smitten Kitchen but it took more time than I have available.  Other temptations included 'Lekach' (or Jewish honey cake) and leek fritters called keftedes de prasa (I profiled those before on SmartCooks and highly recommend them). 

So, after a bit more research, I found a number of recipes involving carrots, which of course are known for being sweet.  "Heirloom Carrot Salad with Dates, Almonds & Herbs" was a perfect choice in terms of time and the ingredients i had on hand.  

The recipe is below.  Shana Tova Umetukah or "A Good and Sweet Year." Indeed! Enjoy. 

Heirloom Carrot Salad with Dates, Almonds & Herbs

Ingredients (Vinaigrette):

2/3 cups olive oil

1/3 cup walnut or grapeseed oil (I used grapeseed)

1/3 cup sherry vinegar 

1 T dark honey or maple syrup 

1 T lemon juice

1 shallot (minced)

1/2 tsp fresh thyme leaves

1 small garlic clove (minced)

Ingredients: 

Salad 

1 cup almonds, blanched (I used marcona)

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp lemon juice

1 T kosher salt

1 T confectioner's (icing) sugar

2 bunches heirloom carrots (mix of purple, orange, yellow, white) 

1/2 cup slivered dates

2 cups baby arugula

1 cup herbs (mix of mint, Italian parsley, purslane and any flowers like nastursium, if available).  I found some at the Lansdowne/Brewer Park Farmer's Market).
Salt and pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

First, toss almonds with cumin, lemon juice and salt, spread on a baking sheet and toast in the oven.

Once toasted, toss almonds with the confectioner's (icing) sugar. Crush almonds slightly with  a knife and put aside.

Vinaigrette:  Combine shallots, garlic, thyme, lemon juice, dark honey or maple syrup, salt & pepper and slowly whisk in oils till emulsified.  Taste, adjust seasoning.

Wash carrots, peel off first layer if necessary.  Set bowl of ice cold water in sink or on counter.  Using vegetable peeler continue to peel carrots down to the core creating ribbons, let carrot ribbons fall in to cold water to keep crisp. When all the carrots have are finished, drain and dry well.  Wash and dry arugula and herbs.  

To serve:  Combine carrots with two-thirds of the vinaigrette, almonds and dates and toss well.  Add arugula and herbs and add further vinaigrette to taste.

Applelicious PEI Apple-Pear Cake

September 2012

PEI Fall Flavours.  It is simply gorgeous in PEI these days ... warm sun, gentle evenings, signing of muted colours beginning to show in the trees.  The promise of fall to come.  

With fall come the 'fruits' of nature's bounty, including crisp delicious apples.  Applelicious indeed.  I couldn't resist.  I found myself buying a basket of apples and a smaller amount of pears and pulling together one of the best tasting, moist apple-pear cakes I have ever eaten. 




The recipe, adapted from A Taste of Home  includes the frosting, which I made for one batch (yeah!! delicious) but skipped for the second cake, preferring instead to garnish it with a mixture of raspberries, blackberries and blueberries.  I took the cake and berries to a marathon management retreat and ... wait for it, it helped us make it through the night.  

So here you go.  Enjoy.   

Apple-Pear Cake 

(Frosting Optional)

Ingredients

2 cups shredded peeled tart apple
2 cups shredded peeled pears (I used bosc pears)
2 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups canola oil
1 cup raisins
1 cup chopped pecans
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour (I used Red Fife)
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt

Cream Cheese Frosting: (optional) 

1 package (3 ounces) cream cheese, softened
3 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 T milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine the first eight ingredients. Combine dry ingredients; stir into the fruit mixture.

Pour into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan. Bake at 325° for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

For frosting (optional), in a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, confectioners' and butter until smooth. Beat in the milk and vanilla; frost cake. Store in the refrigerator.

If not using frosting, garnish with a selection of berries such as raspberry, blackberry, and blueberries.

Rainbow Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho

SmartCooks here.


As I suspected, I don't have much time anymore to try some interesting recipes and/or do a blog.  Travelling back and forth to Charlottetown is definitely getting in the way, not to mention the learning curve associated with a new job.  

Facebook has become my choice for 'quick hits.'  I'm having fun with it ... it's a good stress relief and makes me feel like I have a life outside of work.  Chi balance.

The summer (and heat!) marches on. My favourite produce of the year -- Tomatoes! -- has appeared at the Farmer's Market. I love all heirloom tomatoes (like the brandywine red pictured above in the photo from a brochure on a Farmer's Market) but I also search out small heirloom tomatoes.  I like the names -- lemon boys, black prince, Mr. Stripey, and zebra, among others.  The taste alone, or in salads, or mixed with corn, cilantro, basil ... all divine.  I am always so sad when the season ends. 

And then there's gazpacho.  The only time of the year when I make and savour it. This particular recipe is done with a mix of colours and sizes.  It takes a bit of work to press the tomatoes but is worth it rather than using conventional tomato juice which contains salt (and I hate the taste of the sodium-reduced stuff). This recipe is clean and fresh tasting with very few calories.  Great for lunches as it is best served cold.  

Ingredients:

1 3/4 pounds heirloom tomatoes, mix of colours, halved
1 cup chopped seeded peeled cucumber
1 cup chopped yellow and red bell pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped onion or green scallions
1/2 cup orange juice
3 T extra virgin olive oil
2 T Champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 medium jalapeño chili with seeds, chopped (about 1 T)
1 bunch of fresh cilantro (recipe below) 
8 oz grapeseed or sunflower oil (recipe below) 
1 avocado, peeled, pitted and chopped.

Directions:

Squeeze tomatoes to get juices and seeds into a strainer set over bowl. Press on seeds to extract all juice. 

Chop tomatoes. Set aside 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes, 1/4 cup cucumber, and 1/4 cup bell peppers for garnish.

Combine remaining tomatoes, cucumber, and bell peppers in processor. Add tomato juices, onion/scallions, orange juice, oil, vinegar, garlic, and jalapeño; process until smooth.  

Season with salt and pepper. Transfer soup to bowl; add reserved vegetables. Cover and chill overnight.

When serving, drizzle with 1tsp cilantro oil (recipe below) and sprinkle with avocado pieces.

Cilantro Oil Recipe 

Ingredients:
1 bunch fresh cilantro 
8 oz grapeseed or sunflower oil 


Directions:
Put fresh cilantro and grapeseed/sunflower oil 
into a food processor and process until smooth.