Panzanella Tomato Bread Salad

How does one boast the positive attributes of a salad consisting of moist bread soaked in the juices of tomatoes? By not using the words "moist" and "bread" together in the same sentence, perhaps? Maybe a better question is how does one photograph said salad and make it look appetizing? Well, I did my best. I can assure you it isn't typically the visual appeal that gets a person to take the panzanella plunge. I must confess that it took me 28 long years to even try the stuff myself. Call me crazy, but wet bread has never really struck my fancy. 

I don't really know what finally prompted me to give panzanella a shot. I'm sure the stars must have aligned and I just so happened to have a loaf of stale bread, overripe tomatoes and the summer issue of Bon Appetit with panzanella on the cover. Whatever the case, I am SO glad I got over the wet bread thing and got my hands dirty (literally!) to try this recipe out.  

It's not exactly a quick or easy recipe but it's so worth it and makes a wonderful special occasion dish too. Though panzanella is considered a "salad," I have a hard time preparing both a salad that is this labor intensive AND a main dish at the same meal. So when panzanella is on the menu, I usually just serve it with some salami, cheese and wine alongside and call it a night. Use the ripest tomatoes you can (overripe is better) and this is a great recipe for that loaf of bread that you didn't get around to using right away (am I the only one that does this?) I recommend using ciabatta as it holds together well and doesn't completely disintegrate in the tomato juice and olive oil. I love for there to be a few bready chunks left intact when it's all said and done.

Because I spent the last 8 years of my life with an electric stove, I always charred the peppers for this recipe by putting them under the broiler. Now that I am living with my in-laws, I was able to play with fire a bit and char them by setting them on the metal grate directly over the flame of the gas burner. Fun times!

The last thing I will say about this recipe is that I know ingredients like Kalamata olives, capers and anchovies tends to scare away some of the less adventurous of us eaters. But I cannot imagine this recipe tasting nearly as exciting without them! They add just the perfect salty, savory Italian zing that makes this dish worth telling you about. So, go big or go home! If you're going to eat a dish starring wet bread, might as well throw in some olives, capers and anchovies too. ;)


Panzanella (Tomato Bread Salad)
(adapted from Bon Appetit Magazine)

2 pounds tomatoes 

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil plus more for drizzling 

3 tablespoons (or more) red wine vinegar 

4 garlic cloves, minced 

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 

1 loaf stale bread (such as country or ciabatta), cut into 1 inch-thick slices 

1 red bell pepper

1 yellow bell pepper   

2 jalapeño peppers 

1/2 cup Kalamata olives, pitted   

1/4 cup capers, rinsed, patted dry, coarsely chopped 

4 anchovy fillets, rinsed, patted dry, finely chopped

1 large bunch basil, leaves trimmed, stems discarded 

 

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Using the tip of a paring knife, make two 1" cuts on the bottom of each tomato, forming an X. Add tomatoes to water and cook just until skin begins to peel back at each X, 40-50 seconds. Using a slotted spoon, transfer tomatoes to a large bowl of ice water; let cool. Peel tomatoes and place in another large bowl. Using your hands, crush tomatoes, breaking up any large pieces and releasing juices.

Stir in 1/2 cup oil, 3 Tbsp. vinegar, and garlic. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and more vinegar, if desired. Add bread to tomato mixture in bowl. Toss until bread is well coated and starts to absorb liquid. Let sit for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, char bell peppers and jalapeño peppers, directly over a gas flame or in the broiler until blackened all over. Transfer to a resealable plastic bag. Close bag and let sit for 15 minutes. Remove peppers; peel, core, seed, and cut into 1/4" strips.

Add peppers, olives, capers, and anchovies to bread mixture. Massage with your hands until all ingredients are thoroughly combined and bread is broken down (it will break down differently depending on what kind is used; ciabatta tends to stay more intact). Add basil and season with pepper.

Cover salad and let stand at room temperature for 1 hour. Drizzle with oil just before serving.

Serves 6-8

Szechuan Green Beans with Ground Beef

I have a confession. I served this for dinner last night and EVERYONE cried. Well, except
for Graham who showed up mid-way through the meal to find a harried wife and three kids with blood shot eyes who were dining on plates of plain rice and white beans straight out of the can. Yeah, I might have had an "incident" with the red pepper flakes. And by that I mean I may have tripled them unnecessarily in an attempt to extrapolate the sauce recipe. Even I was nearly dying, totally unable to taste anything other than SPICE! It was so spicy that I broke my own golden rule
"What's on the table is what's for dinner" and started grabbing whatever I could scrounge together from the fridge and pantry to feed the kids instead. 

I guess you probably should be saying ONE GIANT THANK YOU to me for testing this dish out one last time before I "took it public" and posted it on the World Wide Web and made all your kids cry. So, you're welcome. Happy to help. I'm sure you're just dying to make this one now that I've given it such positive hype! But rest assured, the recipe has been adjusted and the tears over here have been Kleenexed. 

Truly, this is one of our favorite Asian recipes to prepare at home. The original recipe calls for ground pork but we have a cow in our freezer (literally) and so I usually substitute ground beef though I have also used ground turkey. You can make the sauce ahead of time and the dish whips up really quickly. Not only is this a great weeknight meal at home, it is also a great one for getaways or camping trips. This past summer, I prepared this dish at our annual family campout. I made a large batch, brought the sauce pre-mixed in a Tupperware container and then prepared everything else at camp. Every last bit was devoured! There is a slight chance that I blew a fuse in the mini van trying to cook the rice in the rice cooker that I plugged into the cigarette lighter....but I'm no electrician. And I can neither confirm nor deny that my rice cooker accompanied me camping....

Szechuan Green Beans with Ground Beef
(adapted slightly from Cooking Light Magazine)

1 pound lean ground beef (or pork or turkey)
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons peanut oil, divided
1 ½ lbs green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh garlic, divided
1/2 cup hoisin sauce
4 teaspoons sugar
Up to 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (less if milder spice is desired)
2 Tbsp + 2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
4 cups hot cooked brown rice

Combine the first 4 ingredients (beef through pepper) in a medium bowl. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add green beans and fry with ½ tsp garlic until beans crisp tender. Set aside in bowl.

Heat remaining oil in skillet and add ground beef mixture and remaining garlic; cook for 5-7 minutes or until meat loses its pink color, stirring to crumble. Add green beans and toss to mix.

Combine hoisin and next 3 ingredients (through soy sauce) in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add hoisin mixture to pan. Cook 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring frequently. Serve over rice.

Yield: 6 servings

Collard Greens with Toasted Coconut and Almonds

"What would make my life complete right now is a giant bowl of collard greens," said absolutely no one ever. Collard greens just aren't one of those go-to side dishes that bring about jubilation and great cheer amongst dinner guests. On top of that, I typically suck at sides (pardon my French) so I'm tempted to say you shouldn't trust me here. Except that you should. I'm going to be real with you for a second and confess that the only reason collard greens ever even entered my kitchen was because Trader Joe's began stocking them and I purchased them out of obligation. It's like this unwritten expectation amongst those in my profession, my dietitian-duty I guess you could say. Holy smokes! But have you ever had collard greens with toasted coconut and almonds? Umm yeah. No one dare cast judgment on the lowly collard until they've given this recipe a shot.

Due to some stuff going on in our personal lives right now, the other night my husband and I found ourselves eating a 5 PM dinner of grilled cheese sandwiches at Children's Hospital. Thrilling, I know. We arrived home late and rallied the kids into bed before we collapsed on the couch to the background serenade of our growling stomachs. Our sandwiches had long since burnt off and we were both left with that empty sensation that could only be explained by our unfulfilling "dinner." My husband left my side and headed to the kitchen for a fridge raid, and to my surprise, returned with none other than a bowl of these leftover coconut collards. He looked at me and said "These are so amazing!" as he shoveled them down. So yeah, that's never happened before. I guess there are some of us who find completeness in collards.

I'm not sure if it's the coconut or the coconut oil or the almonds or the garlic that make this dish. Or maybe it's the basil? The recipe contains such an odd conglomeration of ingredients that create a phenomenal result. And please, whatever you do, do not skip the fish sauce! I know it's an uncomfortable ingredient for some. Go light on it at first if you must, but it adds an exciting complexity to this dish that one mustn't deprive the collards of. The original recipe calls for 3 bunches of collard greens but I usually just buy the bag of pre-shredded greens from Trader Joe's which I'd imagine contains substantially less collards. I bet you could get by with 1 1/2 or even 2 of the Trader Joe's bags and keep the remaining ingredient measurements the same but I like the stronger flavors in my ratio so I do it as follows:

Collard Greens with Toasted Coconut and Almonds

(adapted from Bon Appetit Magazine)

 

¼ cup shredded coconut 

¼ cup raw almonds 
1 tablespoon virgin coconut oil 
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 
1 (10 oz) bag shredded collard greens 
1 cup torn fresh basil leaves 
1 teaspoon (or more) apple cider vinegar 
1 teaspoon fish sauce 
1 teaspoon reduced-sodium soy sauce 
Kosher salt 
Crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°. Spread out coconut and almonds on a rimmed baking sheet and toast, tossing occasionally, until golden, about 5 minutes; transfer to a plate and coarsely chop the almonds.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add collard greens a handful at a time, tossing until wilted between additions. Cook, tossing occasionally, until just tender, about 5 minutes longer. Add basil, vinegar, fish sauce, and soy sauce; season with salt, red pepper flakes, and more vinegar, if desired. Serve topped with coconut and almonds.

Serves 4

Grilled Asian Flank Steak with Mango Salad

 

Y'all, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but summer is almost over. Boooooo. And so I'm milking these sunny days for all they are worth and using that grill to it's full advantage. If you need to give yours a final hurrah before tucking it away for the wet season ahead, here's a recipe for you.

 

My middle child has been acting as my sous chef this month while her older sister is in school and her younger brother is napping. The hours from 2:50 PM onward are filled with a lot of whining and crying in our house now that school has started and none of us are as rested as we should be. So, the middle one and I have taken to making dinner at 9 AM and not only is it lovely one-on-one time, but it lessons the stress during those bewitching hours (yes they definitely are plural in our house!)  

This recipe was originally published last year and it was a real hit when I presented it to my family. The baby (whose first food was beef, mind you) could. not. get. enough. meat. The marinade on this flank steak is to die for and comes together quickly. Actually, it's the perfect thing to mix up at 9 in the morning so it can spend the rest of the day marinating. We waited until right before we ate to throw the meat on the grill because it cooks so quickly but we made the salad ahead and just kept the dressing separate and tossed it in at the last minute. The salad has a lot of spunky - spicy, zesty, limey and sweet, all perfectly combined to make that cabbage come to life. YUM! The magazine suggested serving the meat with homemade sesame wonton chips but I didn't have any wontons handy so I would recommend coconut cilantro rice instead. Substitute about 1/2 can of coconut milk for part of the water in your rice and then once cooked, toss with fresh chopped cilantro. Voila! Delicious!

Grilled Asian Flank Steak with Mango Salad
(adapted from Cooking Light Magazine)

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

2 Tablespoons + 2 teaspoons sugar

2 Tablespoons grated peeled fresh ginger

2 Tablespoons minced fresh garlic

2 Tablespoons fish sauce

1/4 cup lower-sodium soy sauce

1 (2-pound) flank steak, trimmed

3 Tablespoons lime juice

2 Tablespoons water

1 Tablespoon peanut butter

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

3 cups shredded romaine lettuce

2 cups shredded green cabbage

1/2 cup mint leaves

1/2 cup cilantro leaves

1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
1 mango, peeled and diced

Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Combine chopped cilantro, 2 tablespoon sugar, and next 4 ingredients (through soy sauce) in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add beef; let marinate 1 hour to overnight. Remove beef from marinade; reserve marinade.
 

Place beef on grill rack coated with cooking spray. Drizzle with reserved marinade. Grill 7-8 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Remove from grill; cover with foil. Let stand 5 minutes; cut across grain into thin slices.

Combine lime juice, 2 tablespoons water, peanut butter, remaining 2 teaspoons sugar, and pepper in a large bowl; stir with a whisk. Add lettuce and next 4 ingredients; toss to coat. Divide salad evenly among 4 plates; top evenly with mango. Serve with beef.

Serves 8

Kung Pao Chicken Tacos

Asian tacos? Who knew? The idea of putting stir fry in a taco shell sounded sort of weird to me at first but I'm all about fusion cuisine so when saw this recipe as I flipped through my cooking magazine, I decided to go for it. I don't care for the aftermath on the kitchen floor after I serve rice to the kids so maybe this was my ticket to eating Asian flavors AND a cleaner kitchen? YES! The recipe was delicious and the whole family loved it. I've served this for dinner three times already since we moved in with my in-laws, and the tacos have quickly become my father-in-law's favorite.

 

Coating the chicken pieces in cornstarch creates a crispy-tender yet healthier "crust" reminiscent of the fried version you would find at a Chinese restaurant. The recipe comes together pretty quickly, as long as you remember to toss the chicken in a bag with soy sauce earlier in the day (it's totally fine marinating for longer than 30 minutes, even overnight if you want). I love how this recipe incorporates raw celery and bell pepper with the cooked chicken for added color contrast and crunch.  I like to use Trader's Joe's Corn and Wheat "Tortillas de me Abuela" as I find the addition of wheat to the corn results in a softer tortilla that doesn't leave your mouth feeling like it's stuffed with cotton balls. I usually double the recipe so that we can have leftovers and we like our food spicy so Graham and I scoop extra sambal oelek or Sriracha sauce onto our tacos for added heat. 

 

This recipe reheats wonderfully if you are looking for something you can make ahead and then serve later. I have brought it to friends who have just had babies on numerous occasions and I almost always get asked for the recipe. Just pack up the cooked chicken tossed with the vegetables and sauce into a gallon ziplock. Deliver with the peanuts, limes and tortillas on the side. If you're looking for something new and different, give this recipe a try!

 

Kung Pao Chicken Tacos

(adapted from Cooking Light Magazine)

 

6 skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces

3 tablespoons lower-sodium soy sauce, divided

1/4 cup plus 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch, divided

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

2 tablespoons canola oil, divided

1 1/2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon dark sesame oil

2 teaspoons rice vinegar

1 teaspoon sambal oelek (ground fresh chile paste)

1 large garlic clove, minced

3/4 cup diagonally sliced celery (about 2 stalks)

1/2 medium red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/3 cup sliced green onions

8  (6-inch) corn and wheat tortillas
3 tablespoons coarsely chopped dry-roasted peanuts

4 lime wedges

Place chicken in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add 1 tablespoon soy sauce to bag; seal. Marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes. Remove chicken from bag; discard marinade. Place 1/4 cup cornstarch in a shallow dish. Sprinkle the chicken evenly with salt. Add chicken to cornstarch in dish, and toss chicken to thoroughly coat. Shake off excess cornstarch.
 

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon canola oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add half of coated chicken; sauté for 6 minutes or until done, turning to brown. Remove chicken from pan using a slotted spoon; drain on paper towels. Repeat the procedure with remaining 1 tablespoon canola oil and coated chicken.
 

Combine remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch, remaining 2 tablespoons soy sauce, honey, and next 3 ingredients (through sambal oelek) in a microwave-safe bowl, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Microwave at HIGH for 1 1/2 minutes or until slightly thick, stirring twice. Stir in garlic. Combine soy sauce mixture, chicken, celery, bell pepper and green onion; toss to coat chicken and vegetables.
 

Warm tortillas in the microwave or under the broiler. Place 2 tortillas on each of 4 plates; divide chicken mixture evenly among tortillas. Top each taco with chopped peanuts; serve with lime wedges and hot sauce, if desired.

 

Serves 4

Grilled Nectarine Salad with Steak and Blue Cheese

I love me a good main dish salad and try to put one on the menu at least once a week. Sometimes they are green salads and other times they consist of noodles, protein and vegetables. On Salad Night when my husband and I first got married, he would look at me with eyes that said And what ELSE, pray tell, will we be having for dinner?

Over time, he adjusted to the idea of greenery equaling dinner and now he even occasionally asks for a salad when I'm surveying the crew for menu suggestions. No one can blame him. I mean, it's hard to turn down a salad when the greens act as a cushion for flavorful strips of grilled red meat. And when combined with the sweet and juicy grilled nectarines and chunks of pungent blue cheese, it's a marriage made in heaven. 

My brainchild for this dish was inspired by the Pioneer Woman's Grilled Nectarine Salad. The first time I made it, I served it as an accompaniment to another dish and it was quite tasty. But it felt odd to me to turn on the grill for just a side dish. Nectarines have been available in abundance at my local produce stand and have become a staple purchase for me over the past couple months. So the next time I over purchased them (which I do practically every week), it dawned on me that the steaks in my freezer would be a perfect addition to transform this salad into a more substantial meal. I was right and so my latest favorite main dish salad was born.

Grilled Nectarine Salad with Steak and Blue Cheese
(adapted into a main dish from the Pioneer Woman)

6 nectarines, halved and pitted

Olive Oil, For Drizzling

4 (6 ounce) sirloin steaks
Garlic powder, to taste
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 Tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 Tablespoon Honey
1 cup olive oil
Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
10 ounces spring mix salad greens
4 ounces blue cheese
1/2 cup slivered almonds

Drizzle nectarine halves with a little olive oil. Grill cut side down for 2-3, turning halfway to create criss-cross grill marks. Set aside.

Dry steaks and season generously with salt, freshly ground pepper and garlic powder. Grill, about 3 to 5 minutes per side until desired degree of doneness is achieved. Remove steaks to a plate to rest and slice.

In a bowl, whisk together Dijon, vinegar and honey. Whisk in 1 cup olive oil to emulsify. Add salt and pepper to taste and mix.

Toast slivered almonds in a small skillet over medium-low heat until just turning golden brown.

In a large bowl, toss lettuce with enough of the dressing to lightly coat (you won't use all of the dressing). Toss in warm toasted almonds.

Divide mixed greens among 6 plates. Slice cooled steaks across the grain and distribute evenly over the greens. Place two nectarine halves on each serving. Drizzle nectarine with a little more dressing. With a fork, cut blue cheese into chunks and distribute among the six plates and serve.

Serves 6

Carbohydrate Lovers and Sweet Corn and Mushroom Truffle Pasta

It is no secret that we are a house full of pasta lovers. And that's the understatement of the year. I laugh because most recipes from health-related sources usually say a recipe containing a pound of pasta serves 8. And really it should, if you're exercising proper portion control (and trust me, I'm all about portion control). Talk to my kids though. The oldest two alone can put away 1/2 pound of pasta in one sitting. My husband and I consider it a success if we are able to make it to the end of the meal with satiated hunger pangs when pasta is on the menu. The pasta just gets devoured!

I am aware of this. And so I plan around it. We don't serve pasta every night because I don't want my kids to subsist on carbohydrates alone (and they would). I also strive to prepare healthful pasta recipes, using whole wheat noodles when possible, and incorporating vegetables. But it is important to me that my kids to learn to control their own food intake and not feel like mommy and daddy are "policing" their every bite. So when pasta is on the table, they can have at it (and they do). I usually serve one of their favorite fruits or vegetables as a side dish and this often helps temper their pasta intake some and encourages variety. But there are some nights when they pick around the veggies and protein and literally eat only the noodles. ONLY NOODLES! Nothing else. And this is normal and OK.

I plan to pepper my blog with posts about nutrition and feeding kids as it is a topic I am extremely passionate about. I also happen to be in the trenches myself with my own 3 children. It can be incredibly challenging to maneuver the conflicting messages available about raising healthy eaters. I am hoping this space can be a place where you can not only find new recipes, but also ask questions and use it as a resource for feeding your own family well.

With that said, I'll share one of our favorite pasta recipes. :) It came from Emeril Lagasse of all people (as in BAM! Kick it up a notch!) and I think I happened upon it back in 2008 when Graham and I discovered this delicious thing called truffle oil. I know the judges on Top Chef would balk at the use of the "fake" oil form of the mushroom but I'm fresh out of real truffle (wink) and I don't have a gajillion dollars to spend on my dinners. And, I guess more importantly, I'm not on Top chef. So the oil it is!

Anyway, if you love mushrooms, you have to try this stuff. Truffle oil isn't exactly cheap (except when compared to the actual truffle mushroom!) but a little goes a long way. You can find it at most supermarkets these days, at specialty shops, online and at Cost Plus World Market.

This dish is another summer favorite, showcasing sweet corn when it is at it's finest. For me, "exotic mushrooms" usually means a combination of shitake and cremini because those are the options readily available at Trader Joe's. I also like to buy their diced pancetta cubes and dried linguine for this recipe. And what the heck does it mean to chiffonade basil? Basically it's a technique used to create long, thin strips. To chiffonade, stack a handful of fresh basil leaves on top of one another and then roll together into a cigar. Thinly slice perpendicular to the roll, creating ribbons of basil. But if that feels out of your level of kitchen comfort, chopped tastes just the same! ;) Enjoy!

Sweet Corn and Mushroom Truffle Pasta

(from Emeril Lagasse)

1 pound fresh fettuccini pasta

8 ounces pancetta, julienned or cubed

2 ears of sweet corn  
1 pound assorted exotic mushrooms, sliced
Kosher salt and pepper
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
Drizzle of white truffle oil
3 ounces freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chiffonade fresh basil
Cook the pasta in a pot of boiling water until al dente, about 4 to 5 minutes for fresh pasta or about 8 to 10 minutes for dried. Remove the pasta from the water and drain completely. Meanwhile, in a large sauté pan or skillet, over medium heat, render the pancetta until crispy, about 5 minutes. Remove the pancetta from the pan and set aside. Using a sharp knife, remove the kernels from the cob. Add the corn to the pancetta fat and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the sliced mushrooms and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the garlic and continue to sauté for 1 minute. Toss the pasta with the corn and mushrooms, reserved pancetta, a drizzle of white truffle oil, the cheese and basil and serve.

"Serves 8" (or 4-6, if you have little carb-lovers)

Zucchini Keftedes with Feta and Dill

I must confess that it wasn't until I came here to share this recipe that I finally looked up what a keftede was. I have prepared this recipe in ignorance for three summers and running now. As it turns out, keftedes are Greek and refer to fried meatballs that contain breadcrumbs, onion and mint.  Apparently these are their vegetarian counterparts, though I would called these more "pancakes" than "balls."

If you find yourself surrounded by zucchini plants that don't seem to understand the definition of "all things in moderation, " then this recipe is for you. It's not like those zucchini bread recipes (or even the cupcake recipe I posted recently) that barely make a dent in your pile of summer squash. This one actually uses a substantial amount and the result has been deemed delicious by all members of my family.

It was my husband who first dog-eared this recipe in what has become one of our favorite cooking magazines. Imagine my surprise when my meat-loving man made a move in the direction of a vegetable. Granted, they are practically fried (though I greatly reduced the amount of oil the original recipe called for and they turned out fine), but a vegetable dish all the same. I made them immediately so as not to lose his peaked interest.

Historically I have shyed away from any recipes that contain dill. It may be yours but dill isn't traditionally my jam, or at least so I thought. It could just be that the depth of my relationship with the herb goes only as far as a piece of bland and dry salmon sprinkled with the stuff and then stamped with a proud "Northwest Favorite" on the restaurant menu. But, for the undying affection of my husband, whom I adore, I decided to follow the recipe and buy and small bunch and see where it landed me. HEY! As it turns out, dill ain't so bad, particularly in this recipe where I might go as far as to say it's presence is essential.

These keftedes (or how about we call them pancakes?), unlike a lot of zucchini recipes, are packed with flavor. The feta cheese and cool tangy yogurt add a lovely finish. Of note, to create pancakes that hold together, it is important that you remove as much of the moisture as possible from the zucchini first. I find sometimes it is easier to make this recipe phases. It sounds like it takes a long time but it really doesn't. I grate the zucchini first thing, sprinkle it with salt and then let a kitchen towel absorb the moisture for a while. After an hour or so, I return to make and form the pancakes and then throw them back in the fridge until dinnertime when they can be cooked up pretty quickly to serve.

Zucchini Keftedes with Feta and Dill

(adapted slightly from Bon Appetit Magazine)

1 1/3 pounds (about 4 medium-sized) zucchini, trimmed  

1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt 
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions  
3 Tablespoons chopped fresh dill 
3 Tablespoons chopped fresh mint  
2 garlic cloves, minced  
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel  
1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)  
1 large egg, beaten to blend  
1 cup coarsely crumbled feta cheese 
4-6 Tablespoons canola oil (for pan frying)  
Plain non-fat Greek-style yogurt (for garnish)  
Additional chopped fresh dill (for garnish) 

Grate zucchini on large holes of box grater onto clean kitchen towel. Sprinkle zucchini with 1 teaspoon coarse salt; let stand at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour.

Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment or foil. Wrap zucchini in towel; squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Place zucchini in medium bowl. Mix in green onions, 3 tablespoons chopped dill, mint, garlic, lemon peel, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Gently stir in panko and egg, then feta. Using 2 tablespoons zucchini mixture for each, shape mixture into 1 3/4- to 2-inch-diameter patty; place on baking sheet. Chill at least 1 hour. DO AHEAD Can be made 4 hours ahead. Keep chilled.

Pour 1 to 2 Tablespoons of canola oil at a time into heavy large skillet; heat over medium-high heat. Working in batches and adding more canola oil as needed, place patties in skillet. Cook until golden and cooked through, adjusting heat if browning too quickly, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Using thin slotted spatula, transfer to paper towels.

Arrange keftedes on platter. Top each with dollop of yogurt. Sprinkle each with dill. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Sort of Thai Noodles

This won't be the first time I've mentioned my love of Ruth Reichl's book Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise. Have you read it yet? If your answer is no, then close your laptop, put away your phone, QUIT READING THIS BLOG AND CHECK IT OUT AT YOUR LOCAL LIBRARY. Or download it on your kindle or whatever newfangled reading mechanism you are using these days.

Believe or not, Ruth, the former editor in chief of Gourmet Magazine, is not paying me for this blatant endorsement of her memoir. I just love it that much. Or at least I did when I first got my hands on it 7 years ago. Truth be told, I haven't touched it since (and maybe I should go and re-read it before I talk it up so much??) All I know is that it unearthed a previously-undiscovered secret aspiration to be a food critic. This was a slight diversion from my former desire to be in the FBI. Because, as we all know, being in the FBI looks just like it did for Sandra Bullock (my hero!) in Miss Congeniality.

ANYWAY....so, until I am able to land my more mature dream job as a food critic, I'll just live vicariously through Ruth in the pages of her book. If you love cooking and "foodie novels" as the term goes, the book is worth checking out. It's pages are laced with recipes, a few of which have made an appearance on my table more times then I can count.

This recipe is one of them. It is Ruth's Americanized take on Pad Thai and it is always a hit when I serve it to guests. It's versatile in that you can use whatever sort of ground meat you have on hand. I have had good success with pork, beef and turkey though pork is definitely my favorite.

I adapted the recipe proportions to utilize a full pound of rice noodles and a full pound of ground pork because it drove me nuts having half a package of each left as would happen with the original recipe. The larger scale of my recipe makes it a great go-to when company is coming. The trickiest part is finding a skillet or sauté pan big enough. Making room to cook the eggs as directed is also a little challenging but basically you just need to get them softly scrambled and then they will cook the rest of the way when tossed with the hot noodles. The visual presentation at that point will leave something to be desired but then you sprinkle it with chopped peanuts and slices of lime and voilà - it looks amazing!

 

Sort of Thai Noodles

(adapted a smidge from Ruth Reichl)

 

1 pound thin rice stick noodles

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup fish sauce
1/2 cup unseasoned rice vinegar
2 tablespoons peanut oil
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound ground pork
8 scallions, white and tender green parts, sliced into 1/2-inch lengths
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
4 limes (juice only)
1/2 cup salted peanuts, ground or finely chopped
1 lime, cut into 6 wedges, for garnish
Chili sauce, such as Sriracha, for garnish

Bring a kettle of water to a boil. Place the dried noodles in a large bowl and pour the hot water over to cover for about 20 minutes or until soft, then drain and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the sugar, fish sauce and vinegar. Set aside.

In a wok or large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat until it is very hot. Add the shrimp and cook, stirring, just until they change color, about 1 minute. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.

Add the garlic to the wok, and as soon as it starts to color and get fragrant, about 30 seconds, add the pork and half of the scallions. Cook just until the pork loses its redness, 2 to 3 minutes, then add the drained noodles and mix quickly. Add the fish sauce mixture, reduce the heat to medium and cook 5 to 8 minutes or until the noodles have absorbed all the liquid.

Clear an area of the wok and crack 2 eggs into it, breaking the yolks. Tilt the wok to get as thin a sheet of egg as possible and scramble just until set, about 1 minute. Then mix the egg into the noodles. Repeat with the remaining egg. Add the shrimp, remaining scallions and red pepper flakes and mix thoroughly. Add the lime juice and cook, stirring for 1 minute.

Transfer the noodles to a platter and top with a sprinkling of peanuts. Serve with lime wedges, the remaining peanuts and chili sauce on the side.

 

Serves 8

My First True French Salad with Goat Cheese in Puff Pastry

I remember so vividly the night I was introduced to my First True French Salad. We were in France, in Paris even, where everyone should probably experience their First True French Salad. It was June and we had spent a gloriously sunny day touring the city - the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Notre Dame - on foot and via metro, a 9 month old babe strapped to my front.

We had been on our feet all day and I was exhausted and ready to collapse, but my husband had other ideas. He urged "just one more stop," a trip to the highest point in Paris, the Sacré-Cœur, a gleaming white church situated atop the butte Montmartre. I hesitantly agreed and after catching the metro across town, lugged my jet-lagged self up the many steps to the church. Our timing was perfect and what had seemed like madness to me suddenly began to make sense. It was early evening and the sun was beginning to make it's way down in the sky, creating a breathtaking glow as it reflected off the buildings of the city below. I was awestruck and grateful for my husband's wisdom in pushing me to just one more site. We savored the scene for as long as our hungry bellies would allow before heading back down the hill, this time down the steps on the side of the church, a different way from which we came. 

We had no idea where we were going, just hopeful we would happen upon a café that would strike our fancy. Graham, forever the lover of eating outdoors, was of course drawn to a small place with an even smaller patio crammed with drinking and smoking college students, a common sight in Paris. I wasn't too keen on the idea of dining with these comrades given that we were also traveling with a baby but it was getting late and we were hungry and it seemed our options at this point were either to eat there or wander for hours and potentially go without dinner. So we sat, with twinkling lights overhead, my stubborn nature warming yet again to my husband's gut instincts. He has a way of unearthing the amazing, if I just will let go of my way and let him.

I'll bet you know where this story is going. We placed our drink order (wine of course - we were in Paris!) and I began to relax. As was typical with our ignorance to the French language, we had no idea what we were reading as we perused the menu. With some effort, I had determined that a haricot vert was a French version of the green bean, slender and delicate. I spotted them amidst other words on the menu and figured I would order whatever it was, at ease knowing that it would at least include a vegetable.

When the dish arrived, I was delighted to discover it was actually a large salad. There were haricot verts, yes, but also lots of other tasty morsels - olives, hard-boiled eggs, tomatoes - finished with a perfectly-browned pastry balancing on top. And it got better. When I cut into the warm pastry, I realized it was filled with French cheese, melted and soft. I don't remember much else about the meal other than that I was in heaven. White lights, a warm evening, the best company (and by that I mean my husband and child, not our neighboring tables who did eventually put out their cigarettes), a cool glass of rosé in hand. And the most amazing salad. My First True French Salad.

As soon as we returned to the states I did everything in my power to try and figure out how to recreate the beloved dish. Of course I had no idea what it was called, no idea the name of the café we were at even. I did my best to come up with my own version, working from memory and using the American ingredients available to me. I must confess, my replication tastes pretty accurate though I would never discourage you from going to Paris yourself to try and real thing. Just look for that little café with the white lights down the hill to the right of Sacré-Cœur.

In the meantime, I cannot urge you enough to MAKE THIS. The recipe is pretty straight forward but it does require things like hard-boiled eggs and cooked haricot verts that add to the process if you don't have them made ahead of time. I recommend preparing dishes earlier in the week that call for haricot verts (or green beans are fine too) and hard-boiled eggs and cooking a few extras to set aside for this salad. Then it will come together quickly on the day you choose to serve it. You will not be disappointed that you went to the extra effort. Trust me. Bon Appétit!

My First True French Salad with Goat Cheese in Puff Pastry

1 egg

2 Tablespoons water
6 ounces of goat cheese, cut into six (1 ounce) round slices
Frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed
10 ounces mixed greens
3 cups haricot verts, cooked and cooled (or green beans)
6 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and cut into wedges
6 Roma tomatoes cut into wedges
¼ cup Kalamata olives
Freshly ground pepper
French Vinaigrette Dressing (recipe below)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Crack an egg into a small bowl or custard cup and whisk with water to create an egg wash. Unroll 1 sheet of puff pastry, trimming as needed to create a square that fits around your goat cheese round with some overlap. Brush the edges of the puff pastry with egg wash and then wrap around goat cheese, pinching to seal. Brush the top with egg wash and then place onto a greased baking sheet. Repeat with remaining 5 goat cheese rounds. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until pastry is golden brown.

Meanwhile, divide salad greens onto 6 plates. Distribute haricot verts, hard-boiled egg wedges, tomatoes and olives evenly over the plates. Drizzle with French Vinaigrette a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper. Top eat plate with a warm goat cheese pastry and serve with a fork and knife!

Serves 6

French Vinaigrette Dressing

(from David Lebovitz)

1/8 teaspoon Kosher salt

1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar

1/2 of a small shallot, minced (about 1 Tablespoon)

1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

3 to 4 Tablespoons olive oil

Fresh herbs, if desired (I usually use chives but thyme or basil would be nice too)

In a small bowl, mix together the salt, vinegar, and shallot. Let stand for about ten minutes. Mix in the Dijon mustard, then add 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Stir well, then taste. If too sharp, add the additional olive oil and more salt, if necessary. If you wish to add fresh herbs, it’s best to chop and mix them in shortly before serving so they retain their flavor.

Makes about 1/4 cup, enough for one large green salad

Tomato, Feta and Basil Galette

This is a summer of great celebration in Seattle and all of you gardeners know why. Tomatoes have turned their right color! In July! This has never happened. At least not in my yard. Usually, come September, my tomato plants are heavy with fruit, looking as if their vines will snap at any given moment. I grow wildly excited and begin dreaming tomato recipes and having visions of what I will do with my crop. And then, probably just days before they are ready to harvest, BAM! It comes. The rain. That never-ending soggy cloud that covers the sun here in Seattle, hiding it away until July 5th of the following year, and leaving my tomato plants bulging with a green crop and a scowling gardener.

But this year! It's like Christmas came early and the tomato bounty will finally be enjoyed. I hope you find yourself in an overabundant tomato predicament so you can give this recipe a try. It's like a cross between a vegetable and dessert, if that's even possible. The flaky crust crumbles in your mouth, a perfect pair with the sweet tomatoes and pungent feta. And the fresh basil! I best not say more lest I begin sounding awkward. 

Oddly enough, this dish tonight was inspired by a cow. You see, as we speak, my in-laws are making their way to Oregon to pick up and lug home some grass-fed beef (and by some I mean an entire cow) to give us anemic folk a boost and so the theme of tonight's meal was We-Desperately-Need-Some-Space-in-the-Freezer-so-Defrost-and-Cook-Up. If you recall, I'm a crust cheater as I mentioned in this post here. Once again, I used my very favorite frozen pie crust find from Trader Joe's (I mean, I needed to clear out a spot in the freezer after all). The crust contains no shortening and therefore is trans fat free which makes it practically a health food...or something. By using the frozen crust (which I thawed on the counter for about 30 minutes before using), I whipped out the galette in no time. I served it along with some grilled peaches, zucchini and barbecued chicken. We incidentally discovered that each bite of galette married perfectly with a slice of grilled peach. This got me dreaming of future galette combinations...thinly sliced zucchini and pancetta, prosciutto, peaches and blue cheese to name a couple.
 

Tomato, Feta and Basil Galette

(adapted from Cooking Light Magazine)

 

1 recipe pie crust

1 pint cherry tomatoes or multicolored pear tomatoes, halved lengthwise

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup small basil leaves

Preheat oven to 425°.

Unwrap dough, and roll dough into a 13-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Place dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Arrange tomatoes, cut sides up, on top of dough, leaving a 1 1/2-inch border. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and top with feta. Fold edges of dough over tomatoes to partially cover. Bake at 425° for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Sprinkle evenly with cheese. Bake an additional 5 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes, and sprinkle with basil. Cut into 6 wedges.

Serves 6

Tilapia Corn Chowder

I know most of us don't run to soup recipes in the hot summer months but this one is a must when the corn is sweetest and can be harvested fresh off the cob. After eyeing the towers of corn at my local produce stand for the last few weeks, I decided it was time to turn on the stove and put this on the menu.

I've been making this soup for years now and I've changed the original recipe some (like increasing the slices of bacon for instance). It is great as-is or can be easily tweaked depending on the veggies and herbs you have on hand. This time around, I had some extra mahi mahi in the freezer and so opted to venture off the recipe and combine it with tilapia. I was out of fresh thyme but I had some rosemary and it turned out beautifully as a variation. I even threw in a handful of frozen spinach for good measure and color (see - the recipe is amazingly adaptable!) I used a bag of potatoes from Trader Joes that contained Yukon, purple and red and I'm sure the soup would be wonderful with sweet potatoes too, though I've never tried it myself. 

The soup is certainly best in the summer, but you can also prepare it in the winter using frozen corn - no harm done! It is light and slightly sweet and chalk full of delicious good-ness. And for you non-seafood lovers, tilapia is a mild fish and you'd be surprised - it's not very fishy! All three kids gobbled it up which means this soup will be returning to our table again soon.  

Tilapia Corn Chowder

(adapted from Eating Well Magazine)

 

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

4 slices bacon
2 stalks celery, diced
1 leek, white part only, halved lengthwise, rinsed and thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
4 cups chicken broth
8 ounces Yukon Gold potatoes, diced
2 cups fresh corn kernels, (about 4 ears)
1 1/2 pounds tilapia fillets, cut into bite-size pieces
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme
1 cup half-and-half
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat and cook bacon until crispy, ~5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels and then crumble and set aside.

Add 1 more tablespoon oil (as needed) to the bacon drippings in the pan and then sauté celery, leek, salt and pepper and cook until the vegetables just begin to soften, about 2 minutes. Add broth, potatoes and corn. Bring to a gentle simmer. Cook until the potatoes are just tender and the corn is cooked through, about 8 minutes. Stir in tilapia and thyme; return to a gentle simmer. Cook until the tilapia is cooked through, about 4 minutes more. Remove from the heat.

Stir in half-and-half, lemon juice and the reserved bacon. Garnish with chives, if using.

6 servings, about 1 1/4 cups each 

Rhubarb Custard Pie

I know I promised you another rhubarb recipe.  And I will assure you, this is hands down the best use of rhubarb you will ever find (or I am not a Crozier!!)  "Rhubarb custard?" you ask.  "What is that?!"  Those were my words too, some 10 years back.  But thankfully I began truly living in the year 2004 when Mr. Crozier and I became official.  You see, this pie is a favorite of all the Crozier men and so dating and soon marrying one meant I absolutely must master this famous family recipe.  But golly gee was I ever nervous.  I don't know if I even attempted it for my first 3 years as a Crozier.  The stakes were just too high.  But I finally worked up the nerve to call my mother-in-law and ask for her recipe.  What I jotted down to this day still makes me laugh:

Could you pull off a perfect pie with only a list of ingredients?  Certainly my mother-in-law also told me the steps for preparation but why I didn't write them down is still a mystery to me.  So I played trial and error for oh about 12 pies over the course of the years until my husband finally, just recently actually, said I nailed it.  Hallelujah!  A Crozier I shall remain.

It is for this very pie that I became a rhubarb farmer (if growing one rhubarb plant permits one to adopt such a title).  I usually get a hankering to make this pie in the dead of winter when, alas, rhubarb is nowhere to be found.  But now I've learned that rhubarb freezes beautifully and so regularly harvest stalks from my plant, cut them into 1-inch chunks, and throw them into a gallon zip-lock in the freezer.  

Of course, I can't give you a pie recipe without taking a moment to talk pie crust.  But here is where my cheeks turn rosy and I must make a confession: right now, in this phase of life, I buy my pie dough.  There.  I said it.  I love all things homemade but when I discovered Trader Joe's sells a dough without hydrogenated oils or shortening and my husband deemed it my best pie yet the first time I used it (ok, so I didn't tell him it was store bought...), I was sold.  Sure, someday I will probably go back to making my own shortening-free version, but for now this product is a lifesaver.  And when I use it, this pie suddenly falls into the "easy recipe" category and I would venture to bet those two words have never before been used in reference to pie.

Ok, enough chatter.  Time for the recipe!  I added some preparation instructions to the handwritten ingredient list I've always gone off of (you're welcome!)  I love using my deep-dish pie plate so have adapted the measurements accordingly.  You can follow the measurements in the photo above if you're using a regular Pyrex pie plate.  Also, it is an absolute must that this pie be served a la mode.  A MUST.  The Croziers did not know what they were missing before I joined their family and righted their ways!

Rhubard Custard Pie

(Adapted slightly from the Crozier Family)

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp flour

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Dash of salt

4 eggs, beaten

6 cups of rhubarb, cut into 1-inch chunks

1 pastry for a 9-inch double crust pie 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  To prepare the custard, combine sugar, flour, nutmeg and salt in the large mixing bowl.  Add beaten eggs and whisk to mix.  Stir in rhubarb until coated with custard. 

Place bottom pastry in a 9-inch deep dish pie plate.  Pour in rhubarb filling.  Top with second pastry, forming a lattice pattern, if desired.  Bake for 35 minutes and check on pie.  If edges of crust are darkening too rapidly, cover them with foil, leaving the center exposed.  Return to oven for another 15-25 minutes or until filling is set.