As promised, here is another recipe featuring zucchini. This is so simple and so delicious that it really should be illegal, at least in culinary circles where ease of preparation is forbidden. But in my kitchen, it’s all about flavor and nutrition, and if it happens to be a recipe that takes mere minutes to prepare – all the better! There isn’t even much chopping in this recipe. You do have to grate the cheese, because I know none of you use pre-processed cheese, right? But how long does it take to grate a quarter cup of cheese anyway? Not very darn long, my friends, not very darn long. So truly, this dish can be prepared in less than 15 minutes. (Eat your heart out Rachael Ray!)
So give this amazing recipe a try. It is absolutely one of the best ways I know to use up your dear neighbors zucchinis. And even if you don’t have a generous neighbor or you are the one who is passing out zucchinis to every victim person you corner, zucchini is readily available 365 days a year at your local grocery store. And when you consider that the ingredients are all rather good for you too, what’s not to love about this dish? I serve it year round. And yes, you got extra zucchinis, bring em on! I’m not afraid of a zucchini even if it’s a foot and a half long!
2 T. extra virgin olive oil
2 small zucchini, cut into ½-inch squares (or a combination of zucchini and yellow or Pattypan squash)
2-3 T. slivered almonds
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
¼ c. grated pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese
Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. When the oil is hot, add the zucchini to the pan. Cook just until it begins to glisten. (You don’t really want to cook the zucchini. You only want the squash to be heated through.) Stir in the almonds and sauté for another minute or so. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with cheese and serve immediately.
Since this is the time of year when zucchini, eggplant, and tomatoes are in every farmer’s market or home garden in America, I decided to post an absolutely delicious way to serve these delightful vegetables. (And I know what you are thinking. Not another zucchini recipe. But if I may speak frankly, this is not just another zucchini recipe. This is a killer way to use zucchini if I say so myself!)
This dish came about because I started re-reading (for the third time, I think) Peter Mayle’s wonderful tale about the joys of living in Provence entitled “A Year in Provence”. For a foodie like myself, half the reading pleasure in this book is in the telling of the food they eat. So that got me researching recipes from the south of France. When I saw a variation of this dish using zucchini (I had 2 large zucchini in my refrigerator) and tomatoes (I had lots of cherry tomatoes from our garden), I decided I just had to work up a recipe that incorporated these two ingredients. And this recipe is the result.
This dish can be served as a meatless main course or as a side dish that compliments just about any meat you feel like serving. And it is easy to prepare. It takes a little time to cut up the veggies, but once you have the knife work done, the assembly goes rather quickly. I served it last evening with just a salad and it made for a perfect meal.
So if you too are looking for a way to say yes to your neighbor who keeps offering you zucchini, or if you yourself have zucchini threatening to take over your yard, give this recipe a try. Believe it or not, your love for this ever so easy to grow and abundant veggie will be restored with just one bite! In fact, you may never again have to turn down a free zucchini when a neighbor makes you an offer. And won’t that feel good. It’s the neighborly thing to do after all.
2 T. extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 large onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. dried marjoram
½ c. dry white wine (I use Pinot Grigio)
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 lb. zucchini or yellow summer squash, sliced lengthwise ¼-inch thick (combination is nice)
1 medium sized eggplant, partially peeled and sliced lengthwise ¼-inch thick
1 basket of cherry tomatoes, halved or 2 large beefsteak tomatoes, sliced ¼ inch thick
2 T. chopped parsley
3/4 c. finely grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese (combination is wonderful)
Heat the oil in a skillet to medium-high. Add the onion and sauté until transparent. Stir in the garlic and marjoram and cook for 1 minute. Add the white wine and cook until the liquid evaporates. Season with salt and pepper; remove from the heat.
Oil a 9-by-13-inch ceramic or glass baking dish. Arrange half of the zucchini on the bottom of the dish (single layer if possible but a little overlap is fine), drizzle with oil and season lightly with salt and pepper. Scatter half of the onion mixture on top, followed by half of the eggplant. Drizzle the eggplant with oil, season lightly with salt and pepper and sprinkle with half of the parsley. Arrange half of the tomatoes cut side down over the zucchini. Repeat the layering finishing with a drizzle of oil and a light seasoning of salt and pepper.
Bake the vegetables uncovered in a pre-heated 400 degree oven for 70-75 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese and continue baking until the edges are browned, the vegetables are very tender, and the cheese is melting and starting to brown, about 10 minutes more. Let cool for about 5 minutes before serving.
So I know what you are thinking. Where in the world has Patti been that she hasn’t written a post in almost a month? First of all – sorry about that, but Mr. C. and I have been on the road with our ginormous 19 foot trailer taking in the sites and visiting family from here to Colorado and back. Touring with a trailer is a lovely way to experience our country and believe me, our country is worth seeing. For example, staying in a fairly primitive campground at the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park in Colorado, with snow still on the ground and deer grazing around the trailer is a fantastic experience. Never heard of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park? Well neither had we until I discovered it on line while I was planning our itinerary. Now I can hardly wait to return. Just for grins, visit the park’s website at www.nps.gov/blca/index.htm. I’m sure you will instantly become as fascinated with this amazing and little known area of Colorado as we were.
And speaking of amazing areas that are not as well known as say Yellowstone and coincidentally not as far away, Steens Mountain and the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in SE Oregon are tops on our list of places to be visited with regularity. But enough with the travel guide prose. Let’s get on with the dish of the day.
This marinated tofu dish is absolutely delicious and ever so “in”. With all the press about eating organic, sustainable, local, slow, vegan, vegetarian, etc. etc., this dish comes as close to “realistic” healthy food as I can muster. And I do try to cook healthy, really I do. So give this fried tofu recipe a try. Mr. C tells me for him this tofu dish is analogous with “crack” (crack-cocaine), not that he has ever tried crack you understand, but you get the gist. He LOVES it.
¼ c. soy sauce
¼ c. rice wine vinegar
1 T. chili-garlic sauce or Sambal Oelek and 1 small clove finely minced garlic
1 tsp. sesame oil
pinch kosher salt
1 lb. firm tofu
3 T. corn or peanut oil
¼ c. cornstarch or more + 1 tsp., divided
¼ c. thinly sliced green onions
1 tsp. sesame seeds
Combine the soy sauce, vinegar, chili-garlic sauce, sesame oil, and salt in a small container. Remove the tofu from the container and press gently between several sheets of paper towel to remove some of the liquid. Cut into 12 same size pieces and add to the marinade. Let tofu marinate for about 2 hours. When ready to fry add oil to medium sized frying pan and hot over medium high heat. When oil is hot, take each piece of tofu out of the marinade (reserving marinade), blot on a paper towel, dip in the ¼ cup cornstarch (or more as needed) and place in hot oil. Fry the pieces until they are crispy brown on both sides.
Meanwhile pour the remaining marinade and 1 teaspoon of cornstarch into a small pan. Whisking the entire time, bring the mixture to a boil and stir until thickened. Remove from heat.
When tofu is crisp and golden brown, remove to a serving plate. Pour sauce over the tofu and sprinkle with green onions and sesame seeds. Serve immediately.
Please note: Play around with the sauce. If you are a ginger lover, add some ginger. I know I am going to the next time I make this dish.
OK, so you know the old doggerel – beans, beans the musical fruit, the more you eat the more you, etc. etc. – well for all the bad press associated with eating dried beans, they are none-the-less extremely good for us. According to the WebMD site, and I paraphrase, “Dried beans or legumes are an inexpensive and healthy addition to your diet. A serving (1/3 cup of cooked beans) contains around 80 calories, no cholesterol, lots of complex carbohydrates, and little fat. In addition, beans are a good source of B vitamins, potassium, and fiber, which help promote digestive health and relieve constipation. Eating beans may help prevent colon cancer, and reduce blood cholesterol (a leading cause of heart disease). Beans, often thought of as a side dish, make excellent meat free entrees.”
Add to this the fact that when properly prepared they are just darn right tasty. (My words, not WebMD’s.) And this recipe is just about as simple and pure as any bean recipe could be. No added fat, no meat, just a really nice combination of subtle flavors. It is actually the culmination of years of trying to make tasty, low fat, and meatless refried beans. I mean really, there is enough fat in the form of cheese in the other dishes I usually serve with refried beans to make up for any necessity to include it in the refried beans themselves. And then if truth be told, I usually serve grated cheese on the beans, so fat in the recipe is totally unnecessary. Whew – that was probably more information than you ever wanted to know about a simple dish featuring a dried bean.
So do yourself a favor, give these beans a try. They are really tasty and terribly good for you. And vegetarian and I think vegan, although I am not an expert on veganism. (A lack of knowledge I pride myself on, by-the-way. And yes, I know for some of you that firmly categorizes me as “slightly depraved”. I’m actually OK with that, if we only extend the definition of depraved as far as it applies to veganism!)
2 c. dried pinto beans
2 garlic cloves, rough chopped
½ jalapeno, rough chopped (no seeds or veins)
1 tsp. chili powder, divided
11 c. water (yes, eleven!) – will probably need even more
2 tsp. kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
Rinse the beans thoroughly; place in a large pan with the garlic cloves, jalapeno, and ½ teaspoon of the chili powder. Add water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for 1 hour. Stir the beans often as they cook and add water as needed. After the first hour, add the remaining ½ teaspoon chili powder, salt, and pepper. Continue to simmer for another 1½ hours or until the beans are very tender and the water has reduced to the consistency of thin gravy.
When the beans are finished cooking either whirl until smooth in a food processor and return to the pan to keep warm, or use a hand blender to break down the beans to the desired consistency. (Some people like some lumps in their refries, some want their beans as smooth and lump free as possible, other want the beans left whole; merely a personal preference.) Use as a bean dip with tortilla chips or as a side dish. Great served with freshly baked flour tortillas (you can get them unbaked at Costco) and as a side with Carne Adovada (Mexican Red Chili and Pork Stew)
There just doesn’t seem to be any food more comforting than some kind of starch lovingly paired with cheese. And potatoes and cheese are no exception. Then when you throw in some caramelized onions and heavy cream infused with garlic and fresh thyme, you have a combination only an uncivilized barbarian wouldn’t appreciate.
And since I don’t happen to associate with any of the aforementioned, my friends tend to be as crazy about comfort food as I am. And this recipe is as perfect an example of comfort food as I can imagine. (I served it at our New Year’s Eve party this year to rave reviews. So of course I had to share it with all of you!)
Speaking of parties, I also served up what I now call the “career game” at our News Year’s Eve. Everyone seemed to enjoy the new “game” very much. Since no one else at the party (except for Mr. C. of course) knew everyone else who was invited, I threw out the professions of a few of the people in the room. It was then everyone’s mission to figure out who did what for a living or passion. I had intended it to kind of get people talking to each other. As it turned out, my group of friends needed no prompting in that regard, but never-the-less, it was fun to witness them further getting to know each other by ferreting out each others chosen profession or passion. And when the group is as eclectic, intelligent and amazing as our guests were that evening, it was really fun to watch the discovery process enfold. For example, and this is just a sample of the professions or passions of the people at the party: there were among our guests someone who worked for FEMA, a retired art teacher, 2 senior managers at Boeing, the head of marketing for BECU (Boeing Employees Credit Union for those of you who aren’t locals), a ferry boat captain, a retired editor of the U of W Daily paper, 2 outstanding artists who happen to live in our vicinity, a person who was once a vaudevillian, and the person who edits the user manuals for Microsoft (think Excel, for example).
And of course, during the various interchanges, we learned about other fascinating aspects of each others’ lives, or like in my case, accomplishments over which I had no previous knowledge. (I learned that my friend Laurie had danced in the Nutcracker as a child! How cool is that?)
When I started this blog, I promised that I would share the secret to throwing a successful holiday party. And since I attended a fabulous party before Christmas that our friends John and Deanne hosted and then gave a New Years Eve party that seems to have been a success, I thought now was the time to honor my promise. So, here goes! (For those of you who already have the “throw a great party” down pat, disregard the following paragraph.) For those who want to know more, please read on.
Patti’s recipe for throwing a good party:
1 – Invite an interesting and eclectic group of people (the most important ingredient)
2 – Feed them well and often (exciting and interesting people love to eat)
3 – Provide alcoholic as well as non-alcoholic beverages (most people these days are responsible drinkers and interesting non-alcoholic beverages help them stay on track)
4 – Throw in a white elephant or bottle exchange or an ice-breaker diversion like the one I described above (breaks the monotony of eating wonderful food, drinking, and talking to friends, old or new)
5 – Relax and have fun yourself (the second most important ingredient)
That’s it! And of course, if you are as lucky as I am, invite your musical guests to come and make music together. There is just nothing more fun than a room full of live music.
So dear readers, next time you plan a soiree think about following my recipe for making the event memorable. Just don’t forget to invite me. (Maybe I should have made that rule number 6!)
2 lbs. russet potatoes
kosher salt
5 sweet onions
3 T. butter
olive oil
2 c. heavy cream
3 cloves garlic
5-6 sprigs fresh thyme
8-10 oz. grated Gruyère cheese
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
½ c. grated Parmesan cheese
milk
Scrub the potatoes and cut in half lengthwise. Then slice each section into 1/8-inch thick half moons. Place in a pan with just enough cold water to cover the top layer of potatoes. Add about 2 teaspoons of kosher salt. Bring to just under a boil, reduce heat and simmer potatoes until almost tender. Do not overcook. Strain in a colander and cool to room temperature. Meanwhile, thinly slice onions. Heat butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook for about 45–60 minutes or until they turn a lovely shade of brown and are almost mushy. (That’s a technical cooking term, by the way!) You will want to stir the onions frequently during the caramelization process. If the onions start to burn or get too dry, add a little olive oil and reduce the heat. This process takes time, but is well worth the effort.
While your potatoes are cooking and your onions are slowly taking on the color of brown sugar, pour the heavy cream into a small pan along with the peeled garlic cloves and thyme sprigs. Bring to a light simmer and cook for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
When ready to assemble gratin, lightly butter a shallow casserole dish. Place a single layer of potato slices in the bottom of dish, slightly overlapping. Top with 1/3rd of the Gruyère, 1/3rd of the onions, 1/3rd of the herb and garlic infused cream and a light sprinkle of salt and pepper. Repeat with 2 more layers. Sprinkle with the grated Parmesan. Now comes the hard part. Gently tip the pan. If you don’t see the heavy cream along the sides of the pan almost up to the level of the last layer of potatoes, add enough milk so that it is just visible around the edges. The last thing you want are dry potatoes. And I would strongly advise against adding additional cream instead of milk. This dish is already crazy rich. The milk just ensures that the potatoes will be creamy, not dry.
Cover with aluminum foil or the casserole lid and bake in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for 40-45 minutes with the lid on. Remove the lid and bake another 30-40 minutes or until the potatoes are super tender and the top is a lovely light brow. Remove from oven and let sit for about 10 minutes before serving. If you want to make the dish ahead of time, cover and place in the refrigerator until about an hour before you want the dish to go in the oven.
This is just a wonderful recipe from Ina Garten. The mixture of flavorful white sauce, spinach, and cheeses is just amazingly rich and delicious. This lovely side dish is just perfect for a holiday meal or whenever you need a little richness to offset other menu items that have been very simply prepared. Regardless of how or when you serve this delicious veggie casserole, you and yours are going to be glad you did. Try it this Christmas for a lovely change of pace from green bean casserole.
And I suppose, if you simply can’t imagine life without those canned crunchy fried onions that are such a part of the green bean casserole tradition, by all means sprinkle some on top along with the Parmesan and Gruyere. I don’t think it will matter much to the overall taste of the casserole. And if it makes you and yours happy, I say go for it! In fact, I may try adding them this year myself. After all, what’s a few hundred more calories among friends?
Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté until translucent, about 15 minutes. Whisk in the flour and nutmeg and cook, stirring, for 2 more minutes. Whisk in the cream and milk and cook until thickened. Remove from heat and add 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese and mix well; add salt and pepper. Squeeze as much liquid as possible from the spinach and add the spinach to the sauce. Adjust seasoning. Transfer the mixture to a lightly buttered baking dish and sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan and the Gruyère. Bake for about 20-30 minutes in a pre-heated 425 degree oven or until hot and bubbly. Serve hot out of the oven.
This is another perfect veggie dish to serve during the holidays. The peas and creamy rich onions combined are not only beautiful to behold but taste absolutely delicious together.
1 T. extra virgin olive oil
3 c. frozen pearl onions
¾-1 c. heavy cream
½ tsp. kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
freshly ground nutmeg
1-2 c. frozen petite peas
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over fairly high heat. And the onions and stir fry for about 3 minutes, or until a deep golden brown. Reduce heat; pour in cream and slowly simmer until cream is thickened. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Just before serving, place frozen peas in a small colander and rinse under cold water to remove any ice crystals. Drain and gently stir in with the onions. Heat the mixture only until the peas are hot*. Add additional cream if necessary. Adjust seasoning. Serve hot.
*You don’t really want or need to cook the peas. They are much tastier when served just heated through. In fact, when I make Pea Salad (another wonderful Thanksgiving side dish by-the-way) I don’t heat the peas at all. They are basically right out of the freezer when I add them to the other ingredients.
This is a perfect holiday veggie. Our good friend Jim first made this amazing and simple dish for one of our holiday meals, and it was the first food to disappear. Something you should know about Jim before I go any further is that he never makes a small amount of anything he prepares. (God love him.) So even my gravy (and I make fairly decent gravy if I say so myself) didn’t disappear as fast as these onions.
So if you want to serve a veggie that is so delicious that your family and friends will be declaring you the queen or king of the kitchen, add this recipe to your menu. But be advised, it is very rich. You might want to serve it along with another vegetable dish that is fairly simple, like my easy and make ahead recipe for Green Beans.
Any way you serve these onions, you are going to be very happy that you did. Thanks again Jim for the recipe. See you and Margo on turkey day. Don’t forget to add this dish to the menu. Hint hint!
1 T. extra virgin olive oil
3 c. frozen pearl onions
¾-1 c. heavy cream
½ tsp. kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
freshly ground nutmeg
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over fairly high heat. And the onions and stir fry for about 3 minutes, or until a deep golden brown. Reduce heat; pour in cream and slowly simmer until cream is thickened. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Serve hot.
I found this recipe a couple years back on the Southern Living site. It looked so beautiful I just had to give it a try. Turns out it is not only beautiful to behold, it is absolutely divine to eat. So if you want to please all your sweet potato lovers this Thanksgiving, the ones in the marshmallow camp and the ones who believe marshmallows are only for children, give them all what they want. You will earn big points, I promise!
4 ½ lbs. ruby or garnet sweet potatoes (sometimes labeled incorrectly as yams)
¾ c. sugar (or part brown sugar)
¼ c. whole milk
½ c. (1 cube) butter, softened
2 lg. eggs, room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla
¼ tsp. kosher salt
1 c. cornflakes cereal, crushed
½ c. chopped pecans
1 T. brown sugar
1 T. butter, melted
1 ½ c. miniature marshmallows
Bake sweet potatoes in a pre-heated 400 degree oven for about 1 hour or until tender. Let cool to touch; peel and mash with an electric mixer. Add the sugar(s), milk, butter, eggs, vanilla, and salt and beat until smooth. Pour mixture into a buttered 9×13-inch baking dish. *Combine cornflakes, pecans, brown sugar, and melted butter. Sprinkle diagonally over casserole in rows 2 inches apart. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove from oven; let stand 10 minutes. Sprinkle alternate rows with marshmallows; bake 10 additional minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
*If preparing casserole ahead of time, cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate before adding any topping. About 90 minutes before serving, pull the casserole out of the refrigerator, leave the foil on the casserole, and bake for 30 minutes. Then follow the above instructions beginning with “Combine cornflakes….”
To me, there is just nothing better for dinner on a fall or winter Friday night than fish and chips. But I don’t always want to go out for fish, and really, I would prefer not to be tempted by the “chips” that are always a part of the package. So that leaves me with making my own “fish and chips”.
We also love to have dinner companions on Friday nights, so this is my win/win way to entertain and have my favorite Friday night meal. The amounts shown are perfect for 4 normal people.
Even though I am retired, I still like to do a lot of the prep work ahead of time. So the following recipes are designed to take Friday night time constraints and exhaustion levels into consideration.
Although the fish preparation steps need to be done Friday night, the tartar sauce can and actually should be prepared the night before. Also, the dressing for the coleslaw is better if it has time to let its ingredients mingle for awhile. And the cabbage and other veggies can be cut or grated the night before and refrigerated until needed.
So that just leaves the potatoes to get in the oven before you start working on the coleslaw and fish. And both the coleslaw (mix the dressing into the veggies) and the fish preparation could not be easier.
A little hint: A nice before dinner drink helps a great deal towards making this process run smoother. Even if you don’t drink adult beverages, a simple tonic with a slice of lime makes you feel like the party has already begun.
And because it’s Friday night, and both you and your guests are probably one step from zombie level, forget making any fancy appetizers. Put out a small bowl of olives or nuts, and a couple kinds of raw veggies, and call it good. It’s Friday night people. Time to relax so that you have the strength for all those weekend chores!!
CRISPY FRIED FISH
1/3 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. seasoned salt
1 egg
1/4 c. dark beer or water
1 c. panko or more as needed
oil for frying
1 1/2 – 2 lb. fish fillets (we love cod, halibut, and tilapia)
lemon wedges, opt.
In a shallow dish, combine the flour and seasoned salt. In medium bowl, whisk
together the egg and beer. Place panko in a large re-sealable food-storage
plastic bag. In an electric skillet or deep fryer, heat about an inch of oil to 350 degrees. Coat both sides of the fish with flour mixture. Then dip in beer mixture, letting excess drip back into bowl. Place 1 or 2 pieces of fish at a time in the plastic bag with panko; seal bag and shake to coat completely. Fry fish in batches in hot oil for about 4 minutes, turning once, until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Serve hot.
IVAR’S FAMOUS TARTAR SAUCE
2 T. chopped yellow onion
1 T. chopped green bell pepper
1 ½ tsp. plain old fashioned white vinegar
¾ tsp. sugar
¼ tsp. kosher salt
1 T. dill pickle relish
1 c. mayonnaise
Combine the onions, bell pepper, vinegar, sugar, and salt in a food processor; process for 10 seconds. Add the relish and mayonnaise and process for an additional 10 seconds. Serve chilled. Best made at least a day ahead.
CLASSIC COLESLAW
2/3 c. mayonnaise
1/4 c. minced onion
3 T. minced dill pickle
2 T. pickle brine
2 T. old fashioned white vinegar
2 tsp. prepared creamy horseradish
1 T. sugar
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
4 c. shredded green cabbage
2 c. shredded red cabbage
1 large grated carrot
1 celery stalk, sliced lengthwise, then cut into very thin slices on the bias
Whirl the mayonnaise through black pepper in a food processor. Prepare at least 1 day ahead, if possible. Combine with veggies about an hour before serving.
ACCORDIAN BAKED POTATOES (HASSELBACK) – from the Relish Section of The Seattle Times
2 T. butter, melted
1 garlic clove, finely minced
½ tsp. kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
4 medium sized Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled
Combine butter, garlic, salt, and pepper. Slice potatoes crosswise, leaving about ½-inch at bottom still attached. (Place pencils on each side of the potatoes when cutting to ensure you don’t slice all the way through.) Using a pastry brush, coat the potatoes with butter mixture, carefully working it between the slices and coating all sides. Place potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet and bake in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for about 60 minutes or until golden brown, crispy, and soft when pierced with a fork. Serve immediately.
