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Dinner, Italian, Pasta, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian

30 Minute Fresh Tomato Sauce

October 29, 2012

When your garden crop comes in droves it can make you feel overwhelmed.  The stories you hear about people who grow zucchini come to mind. Suddenly they have baskets full of them and they start dropping them off at their friend’s homes, and sometimes homes of people they never even considered to be their friends.  There’s the hilarious story I heard on NPR of zucchini growers leaving them in unattended cars just to get rid of them.  Anyhow, this is a story of tomatoes and I’m happy to say people don’t make fun of them like they do zucchini.  With that being said, we have lots of tomatoes in the garden and I’ve been making salsa, tomato sandwiches, roasted tomatoes, and today, a quick tomato sauce that is as good as those simmering for hours.  I was searching for a recipe and stumbled upon this one from Chez Pim.  The idea of removing the tomato pulp from the juice then adding it back once the juice thickens up caught my attention.  It works quite well and it’s quick.

The easiest way to peel tomatoes is to dunk them in boiling water for about 10 seconds and transfer them to an ice bath.  The skins will come off effortlessly and you won’t waste a bit of the tomato.  It works like a charm.  Just make a cross at the bottom of the tomato before plunging them into boiling water.

Reduce the sauce until it clears the pan with your spatula. 

The tomato pulp has been added back to the sauce and simmers briefly, becoming luxuriously thick and flavorful.

30 Minute Fresh Tomato Sauce

4 generous servings

Adapted from Chez Pim’s recipe

Ingredients

5 pounds ripe tomatoes peeled, seeds removed

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup minced onion

2 medium garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 heaping tablespoon fresh chopped basil

Preparation

Prepare the tomatoes by removing the skin, cut them in half and remove the seeds.  Place halved tomatoes in a large bowl and crush with your hands to break up the tomatoes into very small chunks.

Heat olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium low heat.  Add onions and sauté for about 5 minutes until softened but not browned.  Add minced garlic and sauté for another minute.

Turn the heat up to medium high. Add the crushed tomatoes to your pan, give everything  a stir and cook for about 10 minutes.

Transfer the tomato pulp to a bowl with a slotted spoon.  Continue to cook the tomato sauce for another 10 minutes until it has reduced and is fairly thick.  Test by scraping the pan with your spatula.  If the sauce clears the pan it’s time to add the tomato pulp back to the pan.

Turn the heat down to medium and add the salt and dried oregano to the tomato sauce.  Simmer for another 10 minutes.  Add the fresh basil, give the sauce a stir and adjust the seasoning if needed.

Serve with freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Pecorino Romano cheese.  The sauce freezes well and provides a quick and delicious meal on a busy work night.

 

 

Korean, Recipes, Tofu, Vegan, Vegetarian

Korean-Style Fried Tofu with Green Onion Sauce

October 25, 2012

I have mentioned before that I love tofu in many forms.  Either frozen, defrosted, then baked with herbs or straight from the package with green onions, ginger and soy sauce.  Or even cut into cubes, baked  and tossed in nutritional yeast.  Here’s another tofu recipe that’s quick and easy. A friend at work adores this sauce.  He waits patiently for any leftovers I might have and drizzles it on his rice. It has the perfect balance of salty, garlicky, spicy kick to it.

Firm or extra firm tofu works well for fried tofu.

Tofu Xpress

I discovered an ingenious tofu press on a food blog one day.  This simple gadget works great.  Put your block of tofu in the container, press the spring-loaded top on it, place in your refrigerator for a half hour or so, and in no time most of the water will have been pressed out.  The days of wasting paper towels are over!

Slice tofu block into 8 pieces, about 1/4 inch thick.

Korean-Style Tofu Sauce

Korean-Style Fried Tofu with Green Onion Sauce

Serves 2

Ingredients

1 block firm or extra firm tofu (12 oz.)

canola oil for frying

Sauce

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon sugar

2 teaspoons sesame oil

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon Korean chili powder flakes – optional (I bought Whole Spice Korean chili flakes in Napa Valley and it’s quite mild though it gives the sauce a splash of color).

1/3 teaspoon red chili flakes (more or less depending on how spicy you want the sauce to be).

2 tablespoons finely chopped green onions (or more if you prefer).

1 teaspoon ground sesame seeds (I use an electric  Zojirushi sesame grinder though for a few dollars you can purchase an inexpensive hand grinder at most Asian markets).

Roasted sesame seeds for sprinkling on the fried tofu (optional).

Preparation

Combine soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, garlic, Korean chili flakes if using, red chili flakes, green onions and ground sesame seeds in a small bowl.  Mix ingredients to combine well.  Set aside.

Press tofu in Tofu Xpress for 1/2 – 1 hour in the refrigerator (alternately slice tofu and place between several layers of paper towels then put a cutting board on top and weight with a few cans or a large book on your counter for 15 – 30 minutes).

Remove tofu from Tofu Xpress and slice into 8 pieces (about 1/4 inch thick).

Place a skillet large enough to hold all of the tofu on medium heat with 2 – 3 teaspoons of canola oil.

Fry tofu for about 5 minutes, until lightly browned.  Flip tofu over and brown the other side for about 5 minutes.  Remove to a plate and drizzle sauce over the tofu.  Sprinkle with roasted sesame seeds (optional).

I make this the night before and take it for lunch the following day.  Gently reheat the tofu, drizzle with sauce and serve with rice.

Dinner, Pasta, Recipes, Side Dishes, Vegetarian

Martha Stewart’s Creamy Mac-and-Cheese

October 19, 2012

Macaroni and cheese is the ultimate crowd pleaser.  There’s nothing better than noodles smothered in a creamy, cheesy sauce with a crispy crouton topping.  I’ve tried several different recipes such as one incorporating butternut squash and bacon.  It was very good but….I happened to see Martha’s mac-and-cheese recipe on the Smitten Kitchen blog and I immediately thought, this is the one.  How much cheese for one pound of pasta?  Lots!  What was Martha thinking?

This recipe makes a lot of mac-and-cheese so if you’re not feeding a large group of people you may want to cut the recipe in half.  Here is my adaption of Martha’s Mac-and Cheese.

Martha Stewart’s Creamy Mac-and-Cheese

Serves 12

Ingredients

8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, plus more for casserole

5 slices white bread, crusts removed, cut into 3/4 inch cubes

5 1/2 cups milk (2% or whole, either works fine)

1/2 cup flour

2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more for the pasta water

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 pound grated extra sharp cheddar, about 4 1/2 cups (I use Tillamook yellow, the original recipe calls for sharp white so use which ever you prefer).  Set aside 3 cups of the cheddar for the sauce.  The remaining cheddar will be sprinkled on the top before baking.

4 1/2 ounces grated Pecorino Romano cheese, about 1 1/4 cup (or 8 ounces grated Gruyère, about 2 cups). Set aside 1 cup Pecorino Romano for the sauce (or 1 1/2 cups Gruyère).  The remaining Pecorino Romano (or Gruyère) will be sprinkled on the top before baking.

1 pound elbow macaroni

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Butter a 3-quart casserole dish, set aside.  Place bread cubes in a medium bowl.  Melt two tablespoons of butter in a covered microwave dish just  until melted. Pour the melted butter into the bowl with the bread cubes and toss. Set aside.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil (large enough to generously cook 1 pound of pasta).  Cook the macaroni until the outside of the pasta is cooked and the inside is  underdone, about 4 minutes.  Drain the pasta in a colander and rinse under cold water.  Drain well and set aside.

Warm the milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  Melt the remaining 6 tablespoons of butter in a large high-sided skillet over medium heat (large enough to hold the sauce and pasta). When the butter bubbles, add the flour. Cook, stirring 1 minute.

While whisking, slowly pour in the hot milk a little at a time to keep the mixture smooth.  Continue cooking, whisking constantly until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick, about 10 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat.  Stir in the salt, nutmeg, black pepper, cayenne pepper, 3 cups of cheddar cheese, 1 cup Pecorino Romano (or 1 1/2 cups Gruyère).  Stir the macaroni into the cheese sauce.

Pour the mixture into your casserole dish.  Sprinkle remaining cheddar and Pecorino Romano (or Gruyère) and bread cubes over the top.  Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes.  Transfer the dish to a wire rack for 5 minutes; serve.

This is another meal that freezes well.  Chill the leftovers in the casserole and cut into squares and wrap in foil for individual servings.  It’s best to remove the mac-and-cheese from the foil and place in a lightly buttered dish when reheating.  If you have a toaster oven it will crisp up the croutons nicely.

Japanese, Recipes, Side Dishes, Vegan, Vegetarian, Veggies

Kobocha No Toroni

October 7, 2012

Kabocha No Toroni (Japanese squash simmered in rice wine and soy sauce) is a simple side dish that is healthy and delicious. Some cooks prefer to create a marbled effect (above) by paring off patches of the  skin.  Although this is not necessary, it makes for a beautiful design.  This is easily done with a vegetable peeler.  The skin of the squash seems very hard, however, as the squash simmers the skin softens and becomes tender and edible.

Kabocha No Toroni

Serves four as a side dish

Adapted from Japanese Vegetarian Cooking by Patricia Richfield

Ingredients

About 1 pound Kabocha (Japanese squash)

2  cups water

1 tablespoon super fine sugar

1/4 cup mirin (sweet rice wine)

1/4 cup soy sauce

Cut the squash in half and remove seeds.  You can double the recipe if you want to use the entire squash.  The squash I purchased weighed about 2 1/2 pounds so I saved the other half for later use.  Peel off patches of skin to create a marbled effect if desired.  Cut into 2 inch cubes.

In a 3 – 4 quart sauce pan add water, sugar, mirin and soy sauce.  Bring to a boil.  Add squash and return to a boil then turn down the heat and simmer until just tender (al dente) for approximately 10 minutes (cooking time depends upon the size of the cubed squash).  Check doneness with a thin knife, don’t over cook!

Remove the squash to a serving bowl, reduce the sauce a bit then drizzle it on the kabocha just before serving and sprinkle with roasted sesame seeds.

Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian, Veggies

Green Beans with Olive Oil & Tomatoes

September 24, 2012

This recipe comes from The Mediterranean Diet Cookbook by Nancy Harmon Jenkins.  I bought this book many years ago  (published 1994) and it sits on a low shelf where I can easily reach it.  Though there are many recipes in the book I have yet to try, I found a few favorites, this being one of them.  What’s so special about this recipe?  It’s easy to make with only few ingredients that are easily found at your local grocery store.  It’s ready in an hour.  It is simply delicious.

Fresh green beans cut into 1 1/2 – 2 inch lengths.

Green beans, tomatoes, onion, garlic and olive oil simmer for 40 minutes.

Green Beans with Olive Oil & Tomatoes 

Serves four as a side dish

Adapted from Nancy Harmon Jenkins ~ The Mediterranean Diet Cookbook

Ingredients 

1 pound green beans, ends trimmed and cut into  1 1/2 – 2 inch lengths

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup finely diced onion

1 1/2 cups peeled and finely chopped tomatoes

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Preparation

Wash the green beans and cut into 1 1/2 – 2 inch lengths and rinse in a colander.

In a saucepan large enough to hold the beans, cook the onion in the olive oil on medium heat for about 8 minutes.  Once the onions begin to brown, add the garlic and cook for another minute.  Add the green beans and stir them into the onion mixture.  Add the tomatoes, sugar and salt and mix the ingredients together.  Turn the heat down to medium-low and cover the pan.  Check the heat after a few minutes. If it seems too high turn the heat down to low.  Let the beans simmer, covered for 40 minutes.  The beans should be soft but not falling apart.  Stir in the lemon juice and adjust the seasoning by adding more salt if necessary.

Though the beans lose their vibrant green color after simmering, their flavor is not compromised.  In fact the  tomatoes, onions, garlic and olive oil provide a luscious sauce that is very satisfying with an accompaniment of brown rice.

Beans, Mexican, Recipes, Side Dishes, Vegan, Vegetarian

Cuban Style Black Beans

September 1, 2012

I adapted this recipe from one that I saw in the beautiful Saveur magazine many years ago.  You make a big pot of beans, have some for dinner, leftovers the next day, and freeze the rest in containers for another time.  As the article mentions, the secret of these tasty beans is the sofrito of green onions, garlic and green pepper.  A sofrito consists of aromatic ingredients which have been cut into very small pieces and slowly sautéed in oil. It is used to flavor many types of dishes and the ingredients vary depending upon what country you visit.

Green onions, Anaheim pepper, garlic, olive oil and a sprig of fresh oregano.  The original recipe calls for a small green pepper but I substituted an Anaheim which I prefer due to its milder flavor.

Chopped Anaheim pepper, garlic and green onions.

Cooking the sofrito.

Sofrito after 10 minutes of cooking.

Cuban Style Black Beans

Updated 5/13/16

Adapted from Saveur Magazine

Ingredients

4 cups dried black beans

1 sprig fresh oregano

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 tablespoon ground cumin

12 green onions, trimmed and finely chopped

6 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped

1 medium Anaheim pepper, seeded and finely chopped

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

Sort through the beans and remove any small stones or broken beans.  Rinse under cold water.  Place the beans, oregano and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large pot.  Cover the beans with cold water by 3 inches.  Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium so that the beans are just simmering (uncovered).  Stoves may vary in temperature settings, adjust the heat as needed.  Set the timer for 1 hour. Check the water level and add more hot water as needed to keep the beans covered.  Set the timer for another 1/2 hour.

Check the beans to see if they are done.  If they need more time, check them again in 15 minutes.  It typically takes about 2 hours for the beans to be the right texture.  Stir in the sofrito (directions below) and adjust seasoning.  Beans need to be seasoned well or they will be bland so now is the time to add additional salt,  about 1 1/2 teaspoons of kosher salt.  Taste the beans and adjust seasoning as needed.  The beans should not be dry, they should “soupy.” As the beans cool they will absorb more of the liquid. Continue to simmer the beans with the sofrito for a few minutes to blend the flavors.

Make the sofrito

While the beans are cooking, make the sofrito.  Heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat.  Add the cumin, green onions, garlic and pepper and sauté for approximately 10 minutes, stirring often.  If your heat is too high, turn it down to medium-low to avoid burning the garlic.  Season with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and a few grinds of pepper.

For the Pressure Cooker:

Place 4 cups rinsed beans in your pressure cooker.  Add 8 1/2 cups water, a sprig of oregano and a tablespoon of olive oil.  Cook for 35 minutes.  Check the beans by using the cold water release method.  If the beans need more time, return to the stove and cook for another 5 minutes.  Once beans are fully cooked, place the uncovered pot on the stovetop over medium heat and add the sofrito.  Cook for a few minutes (or longer if you want to reduce the liquid a bit) to blend flavors.

*The beans freeze nicely and come in handy on a busy workday and they make a delicious filling for a vegetarian burrito.

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