The concept is this: Each week you are delivered a box of really good quality produce (or meat, in some cases). Depending on what service you actually sign up for, you may or may not have a say in what you get. I subscribe to Door to Door Organics and each week I receive an email with the contents of the next week's box that will be delivered right to my doorstep. I have the opportunity to make up to three substitutions plus I can add additional produce or other grocery items for that week's delivery. I love it. This is really good stuff and so affordable, too. I'm not getting a lot of local produce right now, but it's the middle of February in Missouri. Go figure.
This type of commitment is scary to a lot of people. Why? Because you may end up with produce that you would not ordinarily buy since you do not know what to do with it. I'm telling you to fear not! This is your opportunity to get creative and really cook, not just follow a recipe. And that, my friends, is why this is my favorite week.
We made a lot of food in class this week. Notice, though, how certain things reappear in other recipes. We were teaching methods more than we were teaching recipes. Heck, by the end of the night I was completely winging it and just putting all of the leftovers together to make amazing new dishes. That's how I cook everyday. I roast a bunch of vegetables for dinner, my favorite way of cooking vegetables, and put the rest in the fridge. I might make a big pot of quinoa or rice and a pot of beans and, again, leftovers go in the fridge or in zip lock bags in the freezer. Each component is made so that it is flavorful enough to stand on it's own. When I go to use the leftovers later on in salads, entrees, or soups then I start layering flavor upon flavor to create complex dishes that would otherwise take you hours to make from start to finish. And you still would never be able to replicate all of the tastes that each compenent brings.
Simple methods, like roasting vegetables, cooking grains with tons of flavor, and making vinaigrettes are the keys to making these new (or old, depending on how you look at it) ways of shopping for food a success. You will bomb at times. We all do. You may hit a wall and conveniently forget about the kumquats sitting in your fridge and begging you to cook them. The more you practice, though, the more you will truely become a great cook - a "healthy" cook! My family actually complains because I never make the same thing twice. And it's so true. Don't ask me for a recipe, because God only knows what actually went into it that night. Ironic, considering I live on a soapbox shouting "know what's in your food!!!". There are exceptions to that rule, though.
So, here are the recipes we made in class this week. Have fun with them and try to think outside the box (ok, bad joke).
Roasted Vegetables
This method can be used for any vegetable or any combination of vegetables. Keep in mind, though, that some vegetables will take longer than others to bake and may need to be baked at different temperatues. Vegetables with more water, such as zucchini, do not take as long to bake and should be baked at 425 to get that good caramelization. In general, vegetables that are grown within the same season work very well together in terms of temperature and cooking time. The mix below, which are all winter root vegetables, bakes for the same amount of time, same temperature, and should be cut the same size. A summer mix with zucchini, yellow squash, red bell peppers, red onions, and cherry tomtaoes will all bake at 425 degrees for around 25 - 30 minutes. If there is any question, set the temperature to 400 to start out with and then raise after 25 minutes if the vegetables are not caramalizing. It is very important to spread the vegetables out into a single layer so that every single piece is touching the pan. If you overcrowd the pan, they will steam instead of roast.
1 butternut squash
2 sweet potatoes
3 medium carrots
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
Salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss all ingredients together in large bowl and spread out onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake 35 - 40 minutes. Carefully stir the vegetables half way through, if necessary.
Roasted Beets
Beets have a tendency to dry out in the oven, so roasting them unpeeled in a foil pack is the ideal method.
4-5 beets, cleaned and unpeeled
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
Salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut greens from beets right at the root (leave enough stem so the flesh of the beet is not exposed). Lay one sheet of aluminum foil onto a baking sheet. Toss beets, oil, salt and pepper and rub the oil into the beets to ensure they are completely covered. Place beets onto the foil. Top with another sheet of foil and fold over all edges to make a packet. Bake for 30 minutes or until you can stick a knife through the beets. Allow the beets to cool slightly and remove skin. Use immediately or refrigerate whole.
Basic Vinaigrette
The method to make a vinaigrette is one part vinegar or acid to three parts oil plus flavorings (in addition to salt and pepper). In my basic recipe, I use champagne vinegar and olive oil, and flavor it with shallots, dijon mustart, and honey. Use this formula to make any type of vinaigrette you can imagine. Play around with the 3-1 ratio if you prefer more or less oil, as well as, the sweetener to balance out the vinegar. This can also be used as a marinade.
1 small shallot, chopped
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 tablespoon honey or agave nectar
3 tablespoons champagne vinegar
1/2 cup good extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
In a small, wide mouth mason jar add shallot, mustard, honey, and vinegar. Using a hand-held immersion blender, blend the ingredients until slightly pureed. Slowly pour in the olive oil as the blender is running on low speed until the mixture emulsifies. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Taste and adjust sweetner/salt/pepper, as required. This will keep in the refrigerator for at least a week. Alternatively, this can be made in a blender, food processor, or by hand with a whisk.
Variations:
- Add any herbs. Use fresh herbs if you are using immediately and dried if you will be storing it for later use.
- Use garlic instead of shallot. Or red onion, leek, scallions.
- Use fresh ginger instead of shallot and replace some of the olive oil with sesame seed oil for an asian flavor
- Play with vinegars: Balsamic, Champagne, Red or White Wine Vinegar, Apple Cider Vinegar are all good
- Replace some or all of the vinegar with a citrus juice (lemon, orange, lime).
- Use pure maple syrup in place of honey
Note: Mark Bittman's book How to Cook Everything
contains an awesome section on vinaigrette's. He provides a ton of different variations based on the oil, vinegar/acid, and flavoring method, all of which are so easy and so good. Umeboshi Broccoli Salad
This is a twist on the traditional broccoli salad made with tons of mayonnaise and bacon. The unexpected saltiness of the Umeboshi Cucumber Dressing balances perfectly with the tart and sweet dried cranberries. This dish happens to hit all five tastes of the tongue (sweet, salty, sour, hot, and umami) leaving you completely satisfied.
1 head of broccoli, chopped into small florets
1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup freshly minced onion
1/2 cup or more Umeboshi Cucumber dressing (recipe below)
Freshly ground pepper
Roast sunflower seeds in a 300 degree oven for 15 minutes. Be careful not to burn. Toss all ingredients together in a large bowl. Add more dressing, as needed.
Note: If you buy sunflower seeds already roasted, be sure to get unsalted. The Umeboshi Cucumber dressing is inherently salty, so adding salty sunflower seeds may be too much.
Umeboshi Cucumber Dressing
Umeboshi plums promote alkalinity in the body, aid in digestion, and have antibiotic properties. Read more here. As far as their taste, they are an intense combination of salty, sour, and sweet. Made with a whole, fresh cucumber, this dressing will wake up your taste buds for sure!
2 tablespoons Umeboshi Paste
1 small cucumber, seeded and chopped
1 clove garlic, smashed
3 tablespoons olive oil
Place all ingredients in a blender puree. Add a small amount of water, if needed, to get it started.
Recipe courtesty of http://www.elanaspantry.com/
Herbed Quinoa
Using chicken stock, preferrably homemade, in place of water adds all kinds of flavor to an otherwise boring side dish. Add a tiny bit of butter and fresh herbs and it's even better. This same method can be used to cook all grains. Consider even mixing several kinds of grains for varying textures and nutritional profiles. Here is a great example of that on http://www.101coookbooks.com/ .
1 cup quinoa
2 cups chicken stock
1 tablespoon grapeseed oil
1 tablespoon butter
2 scallions
fresh parsley
salt and pepper
Rinse quinoa in a fine meshed strainer. This is a very important step, as quinoa has a natual bitter coating which needs to be rinsed off. Most boxed varieties are pre-rinsed, but it doesn't hurt to rinse it again. Heat grapeseed oil in a 2 quart stockpot over medium. Add the quinoa and toast lightly until you can begin to smell a nutty flavor. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat. Simmer for 12-15 minutes or until all of the liquid is absorbed. You can visually tell when the quinoa is finished, because the germ will separate from the seed and appear circular with a dot in the middle. Remove from heat and let it sit, covered for 3-5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and add the butter, scallions, parsley, salt and pepper.
Stuffed Portobella Mushrooms
This is one of those ideas where you can literally take any leftovers, stuff it in a mushroom, top it with cheese and call it good. Here I have used "leftover" quinoa and beans and added flavorings that I typically have in my fridge. Use any grain or pasta, meat (or not), vegetables, tomato sauce, pesto, you get the idea. Goat cheese would pair nicely with the mushrooms, as well as, parmesan, feta, or fontina. Serve with a salad on the side for a nice, light dinner.
4 portobella mushrooms, stemmed and dark gills removed
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
2 cups cooked quinoa
1 cup cooked white beans
1 sprig rosemary, finely minced
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 cup stock
1/3 cup toasted pinenuts
1/2 cup grated manchego cheese
1/4 cup whole wheat panko bread crumbs
salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Rub each mushroom with oil, salt and pepper. Bake for 10 minutes. While the mushrooms are baking, combine quinoa, beans, rosemary, lemon zest, stock, and pinenuts. Salt and pepper to taste. Remove mushrooms from oven and stuff each with the quinoa mixture. Top with cheese, breadcrumbs, and a little more salt and pepper. Drizzle 1 teaspoon of oil onto the breadcrumbs. Return to oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.
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