Spinach Strata with Romesco Sauce

This is so freakin' good - it's pretty easy and looks and tastes incredibly gourmet!

Spinach Strata
Ingredients:
2 T. fresh break crumbs, divided

1 T. fresh garlic, sliced
1 1/4 cups fresh spinach, packed
1 T. lowfat plain yogurt

2 whole eggs
2 egg whites
2/3 cup buttermilk
1/8 t. kosher salt
1/8 t. cayenne

6 sliced French baguette, 1/4" thick, divided
1/4 cup Swiss cheese, shredded, divided

Tangy Romesco Sauce, below

Coat two 12 oz. ramekins with non-stick spray. Sprinkle 1 T. crumbs in each ramekin and rotate until inside is coated. Tap out excess crumbs and arrange ramekins on a baking sheet.

Saute garlic in oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat until it begins to brown, about 1 minute. Off heat, add spinach and stir until wilted. Add yogurt to spinach mixture and transfer to food processor (I just put in bowl and used hand blender); pulse until minced.

Beat eggs, whites, buttermilk, salt, and cayenne in a bowl until blended.

To assemble - cut bread to fit ramekins, if necessary (I actually had to use 12 pieces and use 2 per layer). Spread 1 T. spinach mixture on one side of each break slice and place a slice in each ramekin. Sprinkle with 1 T. cheese, then top with 1/4 cup egg mixture; repeat layering with bread, cheese, and egg. Top with a third slice of bread, spinach side down, and 1/4 egg mixture.

Weight down bread and let stand 30 minutes (you may want to put foil under ramekins - when I weighed them down the egg mixture overflowed and I still can't get if off the pan); preheat oven to 375 degrees. Remove weights and bake stratas until brown and puffed, 30-40 minutes. Cool 5 minutes before removing from ramekins and serving with romesco.

Romesco Sauce
total time - 15 minutes

1/2 cup jarred roasted red bell peppers
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
2 T. sugar
2 T. slivered almonds, toasted (I actually left this out and it was fine)
1 t. tomato paste
salt and red pepper flakes

Pulse all ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Transfer to a saucepan, bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

plum cake tatin

i watched barefoot contessa the other day (just got a channel which plays it) and she made this lovely cake. i gave it a shot on my birthday. the measurements are all in cups and i don't have cup measuring tools. and i don't have a mixer. but given that, it came out perfect. and it looks beautiful. so i can only imagine it's a fool-proof recipe if you do have measuring cups and a mixer.

6 tablespoons (3⁄4 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus extra for greasing the dish
10 to 12 purple "prune" plums, cut in half and pitted
1 3 & 4 cups granulated sugar, divided
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 & 3 cup sour cream
1 &2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 & 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 & 2 teaspoon baking powder
1 & 4 teaspoon kosher salt
Confectioners' sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Generously butter a 9-inch glass pie dish and arrange the plums in the dish, cut side down.

Combine 1 cup of the granulated sugar and 1⁄3 cup water in a small saucepan and cook over high heat until it turns a warm amber color, about 360 degrees on a candy thermometer. Swirl the pan but don't stir. Pour evenly over the plums.

Meanwhile, cream the 6 tablespoons of butter and the remaining 3⁄4 cup of granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, until light and fluffy. Lower the speed and beat in the eggs one at a time. Add the sour cream, zest, and vanilla and mix until combined. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt and, with the mixer on low speed, add it to the butter mixture. Mix only until combined.

Pour the cake batter evenly over the plums and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes, then invert the cake onto a flat plate. If a plum sticks, ease it out and replace it in the design on top of the cake. Serve warm or at room temperature, dusted with confectioners' sugar.

Update: I just made it again with peaches instead of plums, brown sugar in the batter instead of white sugar and whip cream instead of sour cream. turned out even better. this is a fun recipe to play with.

bananas and cream

this is very simple but somehow so freakin good

- vanilla ice cream
- whipped cream (not too sweet, so maybe whip it yourself to control the sugar)
- sliced bananas
- chocolate sauce (melt 1 bar of dark chocolate, add a few tablespoons of honey, add enough milk to thin the consistency into a sauce)

mmmmmm

salmon

one of my favorite things here is the fishmonger who sells thursday and friday mornings in town. lots of FRESH fish. i usually get salmon- because where else do you get fresh salmon like that? i made it like this last week and it was so good, made it again this week....

sautee 2 chopped shallots in olive oil. add a little bit of salt, the juice of a wedge of lemon, white wine, and a little bit of butter. then add 2 small chopped tomatoes and put 2 filets of salmon on top. cover and cook about 10 min. turn the salmon and cook about 10 min more or til cooked through. season with salt and pepper.

avoca cafe banana bread

for some reason, while in ireland, i tend to crave the oddest things: cauliflower and cheese soup, brussel sprouts, banana bread, seaweed... i made banana bread this morning with this recipe from the avoca cafe cookbook:

8 oz plain flour
1 t. salt
1 heaped t. baking powder
1 t. cinnamon
4oz sugar
1 egg
3 oz oil
few drops of vanilla essence
2 1/2 oz pecan nuts, chopped
4 medium bananas, mashed


sift flour, salt, baking powder and cinnamon into a bowl, stir in sugar.
mix in egg, oil and vanilla essence, but do not beat.
fold in pecans and mashed bananas, using a fork. again do not beat.
bake for 50-60 mins

it's super gooey batter and super bananay result. i usually add walnuts instead of pecans and chocolate chips if i can find them (for some reason it's very difficult to find chocolate chips here)

slow food auction

auction ends on thursday... fun to see what's up for bid....

http://slowfoodusa.org/support/auction.html

Blueberry Pie

After a lovely evening picking blueberries at a u-pick farm with friends I made a yummy pie. I've never had one made with such fresh berries - there really is quite a difference.

4 cups blueberries (or any berry)

Combine:
2/3 to 1 cup or more sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
(1 1/2 tablespon lemon juice or 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon)

Sprinkle these ingredients over the berries and stir gently until well blended. Let stand for 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Turn the fruit into a pie shell. Dot with
1 to 2 tablespoons butter

Cover the pie with a well-pricked top or with a lattice. Bake the pie in a 450 degree oven 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees and bake 35 to 40 minutes or until golden brown.

Fragrant Coconut Rice

1 1/3 cups long-grain white rice
2 1/2 cups water
1/2 tsp salt
generous 1/3 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup shredded coconut

Rinse rice to remove starch. Place rice in a pot with the water. Add the salt and coconut milk and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat. Let simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the lid and fluff up the rice with a fork. Scatter shredded coconut and serve.

Vegan Chocolate Mousse Pie

1 block of firm tofu
1/2 bag of dark chocolate chips
1 chocolate or oreo pie crust (I like the premade kind on the cake isle at Publix)

Melt the chocolate chips. Put tofu and melted chocolate into blender. Blend until completely smooth. Pour contents into pie crust. Refrigerate for at least an hour.

Cosmopolitan

4 parts Citron Vodka
2 parts Cointreau or Triple Sec
2 parts Cranberry Juice
1 part Lime Fresh Juice

Shake vodka, triple sec, lime and cranberry juice vigorously in a shaker with ice. Strain into a martini glass, garnish with a lime wedge on the rim, and serve.

zucchini bread

one thing about gardening is the issue of when everything comes at once. i found myself with a lot of broccoli on my hands and a lot of zucchini. so i made a big batch of cream of broccoli soup last night and a big loaf of zucchini bread. i got the recipe off the back of my stonyfield yogurt container. came out very moist and tasty (maybe a bit too cinnamony, i might use a little less next time) i also used a little less sugar, seems i can always reduce the sugar on recipes and find things plenty sweet.

Ingredients

3 eggs
2 cups sugar
1/3 cup oil
2 cup plain or vanilla Stonyfield Farm Yogurt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 cups grated zucchini
3 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking soda
1/2 tablespoon baking powder

Directions
Preheat oven to 400°F. Beat eggs until foamy, add sugar, oil, yogurt, cinnamon, zucchini and vanilla and mix well. In a separate bowl sift together flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Add dry ingredients slowly to the yogurt mixture and mix until moist. Pour into 2 greased and floured loaf pans. Bake for 35-40 minutes. Loaves should be golden brown on top.

Yields
2 loaves

oprah's gone vegan

well, for 21 days anyway... she's blogging about it here.

i like her thoughts on "conscious eating"

Wine Woot

http://wine.woot.com/

I know I chatted about this a little. It's an interesting site - one wine for one week. What I love about the site, the descriptions of the wine for example: "Pfft. Some people are strutting around out there like they’re all cool and stuff, because they discovered this hot new winemaker named Ty Caton. Ha! Wine.wooters got hip to the Caton jive way back in January 2007."

Besides the cleverness - the wines really aren't that pricey... course you can't beat Wards. But not all of us have Wards :)

Raita rice

from Cuisine at Home: Cuisine for Two magazine

1/2 cup dry brown rice (i've also used white - they're both good)
1/2 cup cucumber, diced
1/2 cup tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup scallions, minced
1/4 cup nonfat plain yogurt
salt to taste

Cook rice according to package directions.
Fold cucumber, tomatoes, scallions, yogurt, and salt into rice just before serving. Serve warm.

winter vegetable curry

from Cuisine at Home: Cuisine for Two

"Loosely translated, curry means 'sauce' or 'gravy' which, in east Indian cuisine, is typically served with rice."

What:
1 T. fresh ginger, minced
1 T. garlic, minced
1 jalapeno, seeded, diced (I've never actually included this and it comes out fine)
1/2 cinnamon stick
2 whole cloves
1 cup onion, chopped
1 Braeburn apple, peeled, grated
1/2 cup golden raisins (i've used regular raisins and the golden ones and the golden ones are better)
2 T. curry powder
1 bay leaf
1/4 t. red pepper flakes

2 cups tomatoes, chopped
1 cup vegetable or chicken broth
3 cups sweet potatoes, peeled, cubed
2 cups fresh spinach, chopped (again I've it with and without - it's nice but not necessary)
Salt to taste
Whole cashews for garnish if desired

Serve over Raita Rice (recipe to come next post!)

How:
Saute ginger, garlic, jalapeno, cinnamon, and cloves in a large saute pan over medium heat until fragrant, 1 minute. Add onion, apple, raisins, curry , bay leaf, and pepper flakes. Cook until onions soften, 2-3 minutes.
Stir in tomatoes and broth, and simmer 4-5 minutes. Add sweet potatoes, cover, and cook until potatoes are tender, 10-15 minutes. Finish with spinach and salt.
Serve over rice; garnish with cashews (optional)

Tidbit of info: "Credit turmeric for giving curry powder its distinctive yellow color. This relative of ginger has been used for centuries in cooking but is also prized for its medicinal properties, especially as an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. Recent studies have also suggested that turmeric may help protect the brain from Alzheimer's disease."

zucchini flowers

too late last year, i heard that a great delicacy is stuffed zucchini flowers. so i've been waiting this year to get some from the garden and give it a shot. need to find a recipe now.

above: my pickings from the garden yesterday...

Hogtown Homegrown

Just came across this website this weekend that has some interesting info on area farmers markets, "what's fresh", recipes, etc...

http://www.hogtownhomegrown.com/index.html

Tomato Basil Quiche

crust:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
pinch of salt 2 garlic cloves, crushed
6 tbsp margarine
3 tbsp water

filling:
2 vine ripe tomatoes
1 tbsp fresh basil
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
1/2 cup gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
2 eggs, beaten
2/3 cup milk
salt and pepper

For the crust, pour flour, pinch of salt, and garlic into bowl. Rub in margarine with fingertips until mixture resembles bread crumbs. Stir in water and bring the mixture together to form dough (I usually need more than the 3 tbsp of water for the dough). Lightly flour surface and rolling pin. Roll out dough and form dough into quiche pan. Prick dough with a fork. Combine grated cheddar and gorgonzola cheeses, beaten eggs, chopped basil, and milk into bowl. Add sliced tomatoes to mixture. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour into pie shell. Cook at 400 degrees for 25 minutes (I cook mine for 30 to 35 minutes).

It's fun to experiment with variations of this quiche. Jarlsberg cheese works nicely with sharp white cheddar and bleu cheese crumbles can be used instead of the gorgonzola. Artichoke hearts or mushrooms can be used in place of the tomato and rosemary instead of the basil.

Feta Cheese Patties

Serves 4:
2 large carrots
1 large zucchini
1 small onion
2 oz/55 g feta cheese
4 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp poppy seeds
1 tsp medium curry powder
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 egg, beaten
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp vegetable oil
salt and peeper

Grate carrots, zucchini, onion, and feta cheese. Combine flour, cumin seeds, poppy seeds, curry powder, and parsley, then season with salt and pepper. Add carrot and zucchini mixture to flour mixture. Then stir in beaten egg. Heat butter and vegetable oil in skillet. Place tablespoonfuls of patty mixture in skillet, flattening them slightly with back of spoon. Cook over low heat for about 2 minutes (it took me longer than two minutes) on each side until crisp and golden brown. Drain over paper towels and keep warm. Serve immediately.

tofu chestnut sausages

so good even tom doesn't miss meat with his breakfast if we have these....

(recipe from Gort Na Nain vegetarian b&b)

400g chestnuts, cooked and mashed*
250g tofu, mashed
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 onion grated
1 spoonful fresh sage chopped
1 spoonful fresh thyme chopped
1 teaspoon salt
250g breadcrumbs
125g grated cheese
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/2 tsp chilli powder
pepper
1 egg beaten

mix all ingredients in a large bowl or food processor. form into
sausage shapes and pan fry (can be cooked from frozen)

*for the chestnuts, i've gotten chestnut puree in a can, but my mom and bruce have made it from scratch.

pecan pie

i made this sat night. recipe adapted from the grit cookbook (i reduced the sugar and it still came out plenty sweet. and i added chocolate)

1 basic pie crust (deep dish)
1/3 cup melted butter
1 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1/8 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cups pecans
1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

preheat oven to 375. in a large bowl, beat together butter, sugar and corn syrup. beat in eggs and stir in remaining ingredients. pour into crust. place pie on a large cookie sheet. bake around 40 min til golden brown.